The brag #490

NOV 28TH

SIDESHOW. WEDNESDAY

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THIS SUNDAY

‘ GRANDIOSE,

POWERFUL ROCK’N’ROLL THAT CONTAINS THE UPLIFTING SENSE THAT LIFE CAN BE SAVED’

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PRESENTS

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It’s the GLOBAL edition featuring explosive performances by

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SEEKAE / DZ DEATHRAYS / HERMITUDE / DIAFRIX / HUSKY / SETTH SENTRY / FULL TOTEE ODDS HEY GERONIM MO / STICKY FINGERS / UNDEERLIGHTS / THE GRISWOLDS / LIMEE CORDIALE Plus triple j Unearthed Winner, Battleships + Redbull Bedroom Jam Competition Winners

PLUS ON THE COMEDY STAGE those madcap characters from the hit series HOUSOS together with TOM BALLARD / HEATH FRANKLIN’S CHOPPER / MEL BUTTLE / BENNY DAVIS / THEE HUMAN JUKEBOX CAM KNIGHT (MC) / DANIEL TOWNES (MC) / RONNY CHIENG G / MATT OKINE / RHYS NICHOLSON GENEVIEVE FRICKER / DAVE WILLIAMS / NICK CODY / ANTHONY SALAME / MICH HAEL HING AURA HUGHES / NICE KICKS - STTEEN RASKOPOULOS & SUSIE YOUSSEF / LTIEN TRAN N / SACHA MARX / RAY BADRAN Plus more to be announced

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SATURDAY DECEMBER 1

TOMMY TRASH SATURDAY DECEMBER 8

SNEAKY SOUND SYSTEM SATURDAY DECEMBER 15

JOHN COURSE / DCUP/MINX SATURDAY DECEMBER 22

KAZ JAMES SATURDAY DECEMBER 29

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rock music news welcome to the frontline: what’s goin’ on around town... with Nathan Jolly

on the record WITH

CHRIS FROM THE GRISWOLDS hear The Beatles until I was in my mid-teens, and then I started learning about bands and guitars and rock’n’roll.

The Last Record I Bought: The most recent album I purchased 2. was Frank Ocean’s Channel Orange. I’d just heard never-ending good things about it, and had to check it out. Needless to say I wasn’t disappointed – it’s a pretty killer album. I’m not normally into this style of music, but never discriminate against genres; if it’s good, it’s good.

The First Thing I Recorded: The first recording I ever did was when 3.

I was 15. It was a pop-punk break-up song called ‘Life Goes On’. I don’t actually hate it, it was alright for what it was – and if it wasn’t for getting kicked out of that band for not being able to sing, I would never have actually learned how to sing properly.

The First Record I Bought: The first album I ever owned was actually 1. a gift from my eldest brother. It was Pearl

released a few weeks back. We’re so stupidly stoked with the recordings – we produced it ourselves, and when we set out to record it we never imagined it would sound so amazing! I think a lot was luck, and a lot

The Record That Changed My Life: Most recently, an album that none of 5. us can stop listening to is My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy by Kanye West. It has been a massive influence on our beats, melodies and the way we produce and write music. Kanye had no restraints on this record and he pulled out all the stops. That’s how every musician dreams of making music. ‘Runaway’ is a massive stand-out track – over nine minutes of genius!

What: Heart Of A Lion EP is out now With: The Beards, Alison Wonderland, Joyride (DJ set), Devola and more Where: Sosueme Wednesdays @ The Beach Road Hotel When: Wednesday December 5 xxx

Jam’s Ten, but I think I was too young to actually appreciate music properly at that age

(I learnt how to appreciate the power of an amazing album a lot later). The first single I ever bought was Coolio’s ‘Gangsta’s Paradise’ – pretty inspiring stuff (not!). My musical upbringing was all about hip hop; I didn’t even

The Last Thing I Recorded: The last recording we did was our 4. current EP, Heart Of A Lion, which only got

of it was simply doing whatever we wanted with it, without rules. It also would never have sounded anything like it does without Simon Todkill (engineer/mixing engineer) and the use of 301 Studios. All around, it was an amazing experience! We are currently recording a demo of a cover song that we’re going to drop at Homebake. I can’t say too much right now, but it might involve a mashup of an Australian great alternative artist and the King Of Pop...

back to the start of their catalogue and proceed in order. Once you run out of material, listen to their recent single ‘Hey Jane’ on repeat (all eight magnificent minutes of it), then catch them live at Sydney Opera House, this Sunday December 2. Tickets are still available, but if you all reacted how you should have then they won’t be soon.

The Cat Empire

PUBLISHERS: Adam Zammit & Rob Furst EDITOR IN CHIEF: Adam Zammit 9552 6333 adam@peergroupmedia.com

MESSRS

EDITOR: Steph Harmon steph@thebrag.com 02 9552 6333 ARTS & ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Dee Jefferson dee@thebrag.com 02 9690 2731 STAFF WRITERS: Alasdair Duncan, Benjamin Cooper, Krissi Weiss, Caitlin Welsh NEWS: Nathan Jolly, Chris Honnery

Adelaide synth-rockers Messrs (also bassrockers and drum-rockers, but the synth seems to take over when introduced in the mix) are releasing their debut EP, Welcome To Nowhere, after whetting our collective appetites with a slew of singles and remixes this year. They launch it this Friday November 30 at FBi Social. Oh and by the way, lead man Josh Moore was on Big Brother for a spell!

ART DIRECTOR: Sarah Bryant GRAPHIC DESIGN: Alan Parry SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER: Tim Levy SNAP PHOTOGRAPHERS: Jay Collier, Bree Corvell, Livia Giacomini, Ashley Mar, George Popov, Pedro Xavier COVER DESIGN: Sarah Bryant

Jens Lekman

ADVERTISING: Ross Eldridge - 0422 659 425 / (02) 9690 0806 ross@thebrag.com ADVERTISING: Les White - 0405 581 125 / (02) 8394 9027 les@thebrag.com GIG & CLUB GUIDE CO-ORDINATOR: Conrad Richters - gigguide@thebrag.com (rock) clubguide@thebrag.com (dance, hip hop & parties) INTERNS: Natalie Amat, Charis Lynn, Tanydd Jaquet, Mina Kitsos REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS: Benjamin Cooper, Alasdair Duncan, Christie Eliezer, Murray Engleheart, Andrew Geeves, Chris Honnery, Nathan Jolly, Anna Kennedy, Chris Martin, Sheridan Morley, Jenny Noyes, Hugh Robertson, Rebecca Saffir, Romi Scodellaro, Jonno Seidler, Rach Seneviratne, Roland K Smith, Laurence Rosier Staines, Luke Telford, Rick Warner, Alex Sol Watts, Krissi Weiss, Caitlin Welsh Please send mail NOT ACCOUNTS direct to this address 8a Marlborough Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010 ph - (02) 9552 6333 fax - (02) 9319 2227 EDITORIAL POLICY: The views and opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher, editors or staff of The BRAG. ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE: Stephen Forde : accounts@furstmedia.com.au ph - (03) 9428 3600 fax - (03) 9428 3611 Furst Media, 3 Newton Street Richmond Victoria 3121 DEADLINES: Editorial: Wednesday 12pm (no extensions) Artwork/ad bookings: Thursday 12pm (no extensions).

Ad cancellations: Tuesday 4pm Published by Cartrage P/L ACN 104026388 All content copyrighted to Cartrage 2003 DISTRIBUTION: Wanna get The Brag? Email distribution@furstmedia. com.au or phone 03 9428 3600.

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8 :: BRAG :: 490 :: 26:11:12

MORE BLUESFEST TREATS

Enough, Bluesfest! You’ve already convinced us, what with the Paul Simon and the Robert Plant and the Santana and the Rufus Wainwright, and then with all of the Ben Harper and Iggy & The Stooges – and now you’ve gone and unleashed an amazing local lineup!

New names added to the bill include The Cat Empire, Fat Freddy’s Drop, Xavier Rudd, RocKwiz Live (yell out the answers, they love that!), The Break (the non-Garrett Midnight Oil doing surf instrumentals, because surf instrumentals are the best instrumentals), Beasts Of Bourbon (Tex Perkins, innit?), Karise Eden, The Bamboos, The Beards, The Snowdroppers, King Cannons, Grey Ghost, Busby Marou, and so many more. Tickets are somehow still available, so you should get yourself a Christmas present; it takes place over the Easter long weekend at Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm.

VAMPIRE WEEKEND

We love Oxford commas here at THE BRAG, and we love the band who brought them into wider notoriety: Vampire Weekend. We especially love the fact that they have just announced a Sydney Big Day Out sideshow set for January 23 at The Metro Theatre. Tickets go on sale Monday December 3, and we are predicting this show will break the internet, so get there quick and refresh, refresh, refresh.

MADE IN THE ‘90S

So Donna Martin and David Silver from 90210 once spent an entire episode of their lives – but more importantly, of my life – running around a hotel trying to find out where RnB stars Color Me Badd were staying, because I guess they were in town. Anyways, it ended with an impromptu gig at the Peach Pit (Dylan was sooo unimpressed, by the way), which was pretty good but had absolutely nothing on their Enmore Theatre show on Saturday December 1. In its second year, the huge Made In The ‘90s 2012 tour stars ‘90s RnB juggernauts Color Me Badd, Soul For Real, Shai (Google ‘If I Ever Fall In Love’ and send us photos of your ‘That isn’t Boyz II Men?’ face) and Jon B. Forecasts predict things may get jiggy.

TITLE FIGHT

Pennsylvanian punk band Title Fight are one of those rare punk bands that are unguarded in their lyrical approach, and completely unironic.

It’s great when that actually happens, and even better when the songs are hooky yet fierce; melodic yet measured. They are returning to Australia next March, playing The Annandale on March 9 and 10 – first show 18+, second show all-ages, third show at BRAG offices at midnight (assuming our plan plays out like we hope – bring all of the whiskey!).

GRAFTON PRIMARY

If you love big slabs of meat, you’re in for an amazing week at the Beach Road Hotel, where Monday is $10 steak night and Tuesday has the $15 world of schnitzels. If you’re more interested in shimmering indie pop for whatever reason, then maybe show up on Wednesday November 28 instead, when shimmering indie pop group Grafton Primary will be playing just for you. Devola are on support, and it’s free!

SPRITUALIZED THIS SUNDAY

If you’ve never heard Spiritualized, start by listening to their opus magnum Ladies And Gentlemen, We Are Floating In Space, then go

JENS LEKMAN

Welcome to BRAG’s new weekly column: <3 Love Advice. This Valentine’s Day, let that special someone know you care about them by taking them to Oxford Art Factory to watch a beautiful performance by Swedish singer-songwriter/perennial heartbreaker/chronicler-of-drive-inbingo Jens Lekman, who is playing what is tipped by The BRAG to be “the most lovely treat this Valentine’s Day” [– BRAG, Nov. 26]. He’ll be performing songs from his latest record I Know What Love Isn’t for the first time in Australia too, so you’ll get the immaculately rehearsed versions of the songs, before he gets bored on tour and starts jamming them all out.

Tickets are on sale now via Moshtix.

BRAG :: 490 :: 26:11:12 :: 9

rock music news

free stuff

welcome to the frontline: what’s goin’ on around town... with Nathan Jolly

FREESTUFF@THEBRAG.COM

he said she said WITH TYRON FROM THE

RECHORDS

Growing Up My mum was an early fan of Elvis, as well 1. as doo-wop groups like The Platters, so I grew

to get to know each other as players. It’s stayed that way for the last three years, except we slowly began writing our own tunes.

up with a lot of that sound. My dad was a Neil Diamond fan – thank god that wasn’t my influence! We weren’t a very musical family, so it’s kind of strange for me to be as into music as I am.

The Music You Make We’ve recently released two very 4. different recordings: a limited edition 7-inch

Inspirations My musical tastes are varied and have 2. changed a bunch over the years, from early Elvis, Stanley Brothers, Hank Williams and most of the hillbilly and bluegrass greats, right through to a tonne of modern day artists like Chris Isaac, Reverend Horton Heat, and even dudes like Metallica. Bands from the European psychobilly/neo-rockabilly scene of the late ‘80s and ‘90s were all influential, too.

3.

Your Band I met Leo (acoustic guitar/vox) through a mutual friend who wanted to form another musical project, which never really took off. We kept in touch, and within a few weeks I ran into another muso friend out at a gig: Felix was a guitarist from Perth that I knew through the music scene. It just so happened that all three of us were thinking about wanting to perform some early hillbilly/Western swing-style music. We rehearsed a bunch of obscure old covers from the ‘30s to the early ‘60s, and booked ourselves a few shows just as a three-piece (sans drums)

vinyl EP on El Toro Records from Spain, which we recorded at an all-vintage studio in Berlin while on tour last year, and then on the total other end of the spectrum we’ve got a brand new single, ‘Don’t Know Much’, which was a full multi-track studio production with a producer and accompanying film clip. It’s all about trying new things.

Music, Right Here, Right Now The Melbourne roots scene has 5. exploded over the last five years or so, and the many varieties of roots-based bands are great – Toot Toot Toots, Graveyard Train, Little John, Clairy Browne & The Bangin Rackettes, the list goes on. We’re really looking forward to getting back to Sydney – our last few shows there back in August were great; we felt very welcomed.

What: ‘Don’t Know Much’ is out now With: The Re-Mains, Spurs For Jesus & more Where: Sydney Rock’n’Roll Alternative Markets @ Manning Bar, Sydney Uni When: Sunday December 2

NYEGURGITATOR

WOMADELAIDE II

Adelaide. The city of churches. The home of the Hilltop Hoods. Sarah McLeod’s old stomping ground. The windy city. None of that stuff defines the city quite as much as WOMADelaide. In addition to the 29 acts they announced last month, they’ve just dropped another list of names who’ll be performing in Botanic Park, Adelaide from March 8–11. It includes African singer Salif Keita; Mali guitar genius Vieux Farka Touré; Colombian salsa orchestra LA–33; Mali’s Bassekou Kouyate and his band Ngoni Ba; Illapu, exiled from Chile during Pinochet’s regime; Peru’s Novalima; Azerbaijan vocalist Alim Qasimov; and UK–based jazz-rappers (!!!) The Herbaliser DJs. They’re joining acts like The Herd, The Cat Empire, Antibalas and The Tallest Man On Earth – and tickets are on sale now.

Don’t you hate it when you’re at a festival and the world’s tallest person casually blocks your perfect view, right as your favourite band of all time takes the stage?

Channel [V] has one of the coolest solutions – The Ele[V]ator at Homebake is a VIP bar that will be suspended 50 metres above the main stage. We’ve got a bangin’ package up for grabs: a double pass to Homebake 2012 (Saturday December 8 at The Domain) to catch acts like Blondie, Tame Impala, Hilltop Hoods, and Kimbra, along with a double pass to ride the Ele[V]ator. To score it, tell us which song you’re most looking forward to hearing at Homebake.

SOSUEME XMAS

It feels like SOSUEME have a party for every season, and Christmas is no different. They’re hanging up the mistletoe above the hallowed stage of Oxford Art Factory this Friday November 30, and inviting “scientists of swagger” The Knocks to bring their killer live show all the way from the Big Apple, supported by electro-pop legend Pluto Jonze, Alison Wonderland, SOSUEME DJs and Sydney pop duo Gnome. Unlike your staff Christmas party, there’s less chance you’ll publicly humiliate yourself and make out with your boss at this event (we’re not saying there’s no chance), and more chance you’ll shred the dancefloor like it’s wrapped in shiny paper. In the spirit of Christmas, we’re giving one double pass to someone who can tell us the names of the two members of The Knocks.

EAGLE AND THE WORM

There’s an old folk tale that involves an eagle and a worm, where one day this worm, after a series of excursions which took place dangerously near an eagle’s nest, became too cocky for his own good, and strolled past the nest only to find a ravenous eagle waiting to eat him. The worm, fearing for his life, proceeded to unleash a violence so extreme it killed the eagle and scared its babies – which is why worms have that swagger about them now. In completely related news, Eagle And The Worm are playing Brighton Up Bar this Thursday November 29, and if you’ve heard their debut record Good Times, you’ll know not to miss this.

High Highs

GOOD SHEPHERDS

The Bad Shepherds play punk songs on ukuleles and nylon-stringed guitars and, yes, this idea may be eye-rollsy and lolsy and all of that, but when you actually see them doing it you’ll find yourself posing inane questions like “They challenge the boundaries of what punk truly is, and isn’t that what punk truly is?” to your date, who will be wishing you weren’t talking through the show because she understands what makes this so good: it’s Buzzcocks, Sex Pistols and Ramones tunes played on folk instruments. Bad Shepherds play The Factory Theatre on May 3 and 4.

FOALS II

JOHN C. REILLY

One of the ten funniest quotes from Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story has him at a press conference, defensively answering a question about his new Dylan-esque single with, “Well, maybe Bob Dylan sounds a lot like me. How come nobody ever asks Bob Dylan, ‘Why you sound so much like Dewey Cox?’” Actor John C. Reilly plays Cox, and showcases his versatile vocal c[h]ords (music pun!) – but unless you’ve seen John C. Reilly & Friends, his bluegrass band, you have no idea quite how good he can be. (We saw him at the Third Man Records showcase at SXSW this year – amazing!) He is playing at The Factory Theatre on Monday December 3. Come for the LOLs, stay for the music and that.

KITTY DAISY LEWIS ET AL.

Kitty Daisy and Lewis hail from Northwest London, but sound like they sold their spleen to the Devil (he has enough souls for now) somewhere near a bayou in the deep South, 10 :: BRAG :: 490 :: 26:11:12

with their heady blend of jazz, old-style rhythm and blues, and country. You may have seen them this year on the Big Day Out tour, but this time they’re coming back for Bluesfest, slotting in a Metro Theatre show on March 30, which goes on sale December 6.

After selling out their Oxford Art Factory show in less than ten minutes, UK’s Foals did a solemn group high five, put on ‘Eye Of The Tiger’ followed by the remix to ‘Ignition’, then announced a second Oxford Art Factory show – this time for January 22. Tickets on sale nowsers.

BORED NOTHING

Bored Nothing sounds like two one-word answers from a sullen teenager on the phone to his mother, but it’s actually the moniker of a Melbourne lad who produces deliciously washed-out ‘90s sounding whooogaze with just a guitar, a four-track, and a basketful of dreams (probably). He is releasing an album full of this goodness, and will be launching it with a full band at FBi Social on January 10.

OH HAI HAI

Brooklyn-based duo High Highs sound like a Neil Young best-of remixed by MGMT, which is exactly what music should sound like, really.

They’re coming to Australia for Laneway, but because we asked them nicely and did that crying phonewhimper, they have agreed to play at Oxford Art Factory on January 31 as well. The band have just announced their debut album will be out on January 25, so the timing’s a little perfect, really – and it’s a BRAG Presents show which means the logos on the posters will be dishy. Tickets on sale this Thursday November 29.

Xxx

So, cancel all your other New Year’s Eve plans – the all-you-can-eat Western Sydney Sizzler trip, the BBQ at racist Mike’s house, egging houses that still have Chrissy decorations up – and instead come with us to Rock Lily (the venue in the casino) and watch Regurgitator ring in the new year with irony and pop tunes.

No cover charge, but first in best dressed (metaphor – it is a ‘Gurg gig after all). Kiss a babe at midnight!

John C. Reilly & Friends

THE ELE[V]ATOR @ HOMEBAKE

BRAG :: 490 :: 26:11:12 :: 11

The Music Network

themusicnetwork.com

Music Industry News with Christie Eliezer

Lifelines Married: The Grates’ Patience Hodgson and John Patterson.

They've been secretly dating for seven years. Duh! Expecting: Natalie Bassingthwaighte and her drummer husband Cameron McGlinchey, their second child.

Their first, Harper, is two.

Split: Record producer Patrick Leonard (behind some of Madonna’s biggest hits) and Wonder Years star Olivia d’Abo are ending their marriage.

Split: Def Leppard guitarist Vivian Campbell and wife Julie, after 25 years.

Hospitalised: Meat Loaf, for knee surgery.

In Court: Bobby Brown pleaded not guilty to driving under the influence, driving on a restricted license and driving without an interlock device, which stops the car from starting if you’ve had something to drink.

In Court: Prosecutors have dropped charges against Justin Bieber that he beat up a photographer in May, saying there was not enough evidence.

Died: North Carolina RnB singer Billy Scott, 70, from pancreatic and liver cancer. His hits included ‘I Got The Fever’ and ‘Seaside Love’.

SWEDISH HOUSE GO DOUBLE PLATINUM While the 30,000 tickets to the Sydney Showground farewell show sold out in an hour, Swedish House Mafia also stormed the charts.

Their summer anthem ‘Don’t You Worry Child’

(feat. John Martin) last week topped the ARIA singles chart for the second week, and was certified double Platinum. The track has been #1 on the ARIA club chart for eleven weeks. A second show has been added for Melbourne’s Myer Music Bowl for February 1, for a rumoured fee of $1 million.

SYDNEY WINNERS FOR COMMUNITY RADIO AWARDS NSW stations had their share of wins at the 2012 CBAA Awards in Melbourne. FBi had two wins: its Ears Have Ears took Best New Radio Program – Music, and All The Best won Excellence In Spoken Word, News And Current Affairs Programming. 2SER’s Sideways Through Sound was awarded Excellence In Music Programming. Nambucca Valley Radio 2NVR accepted the gong for Excellence In Community Participation, and Gosford-based Coast FM 96.3’s Project U was acclaimed for Contribution To Australian Music.

THY ART IS MURDER CRACK WORLD DEAL Sydney’s Thy Art Is Murder signed an international deal with Toronto-based metal label Distort, home to Cancer Bats, Architects, Comeback Kid and Crossfaith. Their Hate album will be issued overseas shortly. The band’s fortunes have grown since signing with Shock imprint Halfcut in August. Hate debuted at #35 on the ARIA chart – the highest debut from any Australian death metal band – while their Facebook page last week hit 50,000 likes.

The LP also entered the iTunes Metal Charts in Canada at #4, and #2 in the US, while the video for single ‘Reign Of Darkness’ has hit over 350,000 views on YouTube.

FANS TO FUND ESKIMO JOE ALBUM Eskimo Joe’s sixth studio album will be financed by their fans. The Perth band, previously with Warner Music, wants to raise $40,000 by February 9 through crowd-funding site Pozible. They’re offering a BBQ and a private show for 20 people, for any investor who pledges $6,000. Other offers include them producing your song in their Wastelands studio ($4,000), custom made guitars hand-crafted by Stu ($2500), the chance to see them play the full album unplugged after recording ($850), and

WANTED Have you used mephedrone?

2-CI? Kronic or spice?

Any other synthetic stimulant or psychedelic drug?

Researchers at Deakin University, UNSW and University of Tasmania are interested in understanding the use of these drugs and any harm that may come from using these drugs. Participants will complete an online survey.

Participation is anonymous and you may be eligible to win a $40 gift voucher.

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the chance to hear the CD before its release ($500). As of late last week, they’d been pledged $22,542. See www.pozible.com/eskimojoe

TRIPLE J PLAYLIST FOR TRAUMA VICTIMS Triple j put together a playlist of new music for Red Cross’ website, to help young people recover from trauma. The playlist includes music from 13 Unearthed acts including Tigertown, City Riots, L-Fresh The Lion and Rainy Day Woman. There are messages from j’s brekkie team, and advice from experts on mental responses to disaster, relationships, sleep and diet.

SUNDAY MUSIC AT SCHNITZEL HAUS The Austrian Schnitzel Haus launched its regular live Sunday music on the weekend, with Rough Diamonds and the Brass Monkeys' brass section. The Haus is at 12 Waters Lane, Neutral Bay, formerly Café Royale/Kamma Bar.

BLUES CLUB FOR DUBBO Inspired by the US blues scene, and by a visit to Buddy Guy’s own bar, blues musicians Michael and Gloria Picton are setting up a blues club/restaurant in Dubbo. They bought a 19th century building at 232 Macquarie Street and will do some renovations, intending to launch it in 12 months.

COUNTERFEIT MOVES TO THE LANSDOWNE Tribute night Counterfeit is moving to The Lansdowne on Broadway (Chippendale) for its next show this Saturday. It is the night’s third venue in three and a half years, with 26 theme nights including tributes to Ween, Britpop, one hit wonders and Pixies. This week’s sees 14 acts playing their fave ‘90s songs.

ASTA AT SELECT Select Music signed triple j Unearthed High 2012 winner Asta to its agency. With singles ‘My Heart Is On Fire’ and ‘Escape’ sneaking into the ARIA Top 100, Select’s Rob G said, “Asta is a true talent – a career artist.

The future looks amazing both here and internationally. We look forward to being part of the team.” She plays the triple j Unearthed Night at Oxford Art Factory on Tuesday November 27.

GREEN MOHAIR SUITS WITH NFE Country, folk and bluegrass band The Green Mohair Suits, featuring Richard Cuthbert, Brian Campeau and more, have been picked up for management by NFE (Nathan Farrell Entertainment). The band, which formed for a Gram Parsons tribute show in 2006, will be performing a NFE Showcase on Thursday November 29 @ The Mac (aka Sydney Brewhouse).

MYSPACE MOBILE SERVICE A leaked prospectus to investors shows that the newly relaunched MySpace plans to

THINGS WE HEAR * Strengthening rumours that a Bruce Springsteen tour will be announced in weeks, news comes that the Boss will play an outdoors show at Hanging Rock, a la Rod Stewart and Leonard Cohen. * Bruno Mars, who scrapped a promo visit due to ill-health, will tour next year. * Tangerine Kitty, the mythical band appearing on the viral phenomenon that is the Dumb Ways To Die video (14.5 million views, as of writing), is a play on the two bands involved: The Cat Empire and Melbourne’s Tinpan Orange. The latter’s singer, Emily Lubitz, told triple j she doesn’t normally do ads, but she had “bills to pay”. Which worked out beautifully because McCann Melbourne, the agency, which created the safety ad for Metro Trains Melbourne, told marketing site Mumbrella, they specifically went for musicians who don’t normally do ads. * According to the latest McNair Ingenuity Survey, 4,446,000 Aussies listen to community radio every week (which makes up 25% of the population). If you add casual listeners, that makes it 10,611,000. 7% don’t tune to commercial radio. * Flaming Lips singer Wayne Coyne caused Oklahoma City’s airport to lock down when he was caught carrying a grenade. He explained it had been given to him as a joke at a party the night before, and they let him go.

take on Spotify and Pandora next year. It’s launching a mobile subscription service and an e-commerce solution for music downloads, ticketing and merchandise. MySpace is currently raising new capital of $50 million. $10m of this will go towards marketing the platform, $15-25m for renewing rights with labels, and $15-25m towards general working capital purposes. It expects to make revenues of $15m (up from $9m last year). It made a loss of $40 million in 2012, and could lose another $25 million in 2013...

AC/DC: ITUNES, GRAMMYS After holding out almost as long as The Beatles, AC/DC made their music available on iTunes. Aside from buying the CDs individually, they’ve got two digital deals: all their studio albums for $99.99, or a $149.99 box set with demos and live albums including Live At River Plate, which has only been available on DVD. In the meantime, the 1980 Back In Black album is among a list of 27 to be inducted into the Grammy Hall Of Fame next year. The others include Paul McCartney & Wings’ Band On The Run, Bob Dylan’s The Times They Are A-Changing, Whitney Houston and Elton John’s self-titled debut, Ray Charles’ Hit The Road Jack and Here’s Little Richard.

GROOVIN' THE MOO DATES ANNOUNCED; TEE COMP Cattleyard Promotions announced that Groovin The Moo 2013 will kick off at Maitland Showground NSW on Saturday April 27. It goes to University of Canberra (April 28), Bendigo’s Prince of Wales Showground (May 4), Townsville’s Murray Sports Complex (May 5) and Bunbury’s Hay Park (May 11). The acts won’t be announced until Jan 30. In the meantime, GTM is inviting local artists, graphic designers, students, professionals and amateurs to submit work for the annual cotton and ink muster: GTM TEE. The 2013 theme is “Homegrown”; see www.gtm.net.au for more details. Local caterers and stallholders can also download an application form from there.

SCORCHER FEST OFF TO STRONG START Promoters Karen King and Andrew Cooper say that SCoRCHeR FeST’s risky policy of having 80% local acts and 20% touring acts (like Luxembourg’s Angel At My Table on their first visit) has paid off in its tenth year run. The first of the five shows, at Adelaide’s Duke Of York, pre-sold 95% of its tickets, while acts are already applying for next year’s SCoRCHeR FeSTs in March and April.

The festival lands in Sydney on Saturday December 22 at Valve Bar & Venue.

ALTERNATIVE MARKET RETURNS The Sydney Rock’n’Roll & Alternative Market returns on Sunday December 2 to Manning House and Manning Bar at Sydney University, from 10.30am. There are 60 stalls covering all kinds of items, of all musical styles. At 10.45am, photographer Tony Mott will present a show of his best shots and talk of his life as a photographer, and Melbourne’s ReChords will launch their single. * The grand final of The X-Factor, which saw Samantha Jade Gibbs crowned winner, drew 2.162 million viewers in five metro cities, and blitzed all other shows that night. But it didn’t come close to the 3.09 million who tuned in when The Voice had its grand finale in June. * Are Aerosmith “barely speaking to each other”, after new album Music From Another Dimension sold only 65,000 copies in its first week in America? * The Hoodoo Gurus will bring back their Dig It Up! multi-act next year, Dave Faulkner announced on Facebook. * In its second week of release in the US, Regular John’s single ‘Slume’ is now being played on 60 college stations and two influential Top 30 airplay stations. * The Presets took over Brisbane’s Tivoli last week for Channel [V]’s The Next Gig, which will premiere on Thursday December 6 at 5pm. * When Nickelback were on tour in South Australia, bassist Mike Kroeger announced that he wanted to dive with great white sharks on Neptune Island. * The London home where Amy Winehouse lived and died is up for auction for £1.8 million. Meanwhile, the 1924 Asquith Corner Store in northern Sydney, which inspired Garry Frost to write Moving Pictures’ ‘What About Me’ (he walked past it every day from school), is to be demolished. * Beats Audio has split from Sydney-based distributor Convoy.

SE LL IN G

FA ST

This Week

E HIFI 1300 TH COM.AU

Tue 27 Nov

THEHIFI.

O PE NE R AL NI BU G M HT

The Living End

Omar Rodriguez Lopez Group (USA) Sat 1 Dec

O 29 N S NO AL V E

O 30 N S NO AL V E

Just Announced

Dub FX

From The Jam (UK)

Otep (USA)

Sat 26 Jan

Sun 3 Feb

Thu 25 Apr

Turbonegro (NOR) Thu 6 Dec

FA ST SE LL IN G

SE LL IN G

FA ST

Coming Soon

Mayday Parade (USA) Fri 7 Dec

Maximo Park (UK) Thu 3 Jan

SOLD OUT

Blood Red Shoes (UK)

Paul Kalkbrenner (GER)

65daysofstatic (UK) Wed 2 Jan

Sat 15 Dec

Marduk (SWE)

The Boys Of Summer Tour 2013 Sun 13 Jan

Sat 12 Jan

SE LL IN G

FA ST

Fri 4 Jan

Crystal Castles(CAN) Kerser

Gin Blossoms (USA)

Thu 17 Jan

Sat 9 Feb

Sat 2 Feb

An Evening with The Hoff (USA)

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FA ST

Fri 15 Feb

George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic (USA)

Jon Spencer Blues Explosion (USA) Sat 9 Mar

Dinosaur Jr + Redd Kross (USA) Sat 16 Mar

Mutemath (USA) Sun 24 Mar

Fri 8 Mar ENTERTAINMENT QUARTER, BUILDING 220, 122 LANG RD, MOORE PARK, SYDNEY

BRAG :: 490 :: 26:11:12 :: 13

SAN CISCO Mission Accomplished By Chris Martin

I

t wasn’t always in San Cisco’s plans to record a full-length album. The Fremantle foursome are a product of the digital generation, in which songs can be sold and shared, even written and recorded, on handheld devices.

“Gone are the days when [bands] sell millions of actual hard copy records,” says the band’s guitar and synth man Josh Biondillo. “People have access to the singles on iTunes, and when they’re presented with, like, $2 for a single or $15 for an album, they usually just buy the single.”

The longer Biondillo and I speak, the greater the sense that when he’s made up his mind about something in the San Cisco universe, that’s exactly where the band is going next. Recording a debut album, for instance – or what Biondillo prefers to describe as a collection of songs pulled together from the last year and a half. And then there’s the increased vocal presence of Scarlett Stevens alongside lead singer Jordi Davieson, a deliberate move following the hooked-on pop success of 2011 single ‘Awkward’. “After we finally convinced Scarlett to sing, we really started to utilise her vocals.

Especially on the album; I found that it sounds quite good layered up, like lots of Scarletts. She always thought she didn’t have a good voice, and she still doesn’t really have a good voice, but we kind of managed to wing it.” Bluntly honest, but a bit harsh on the girl, surely? “Nah,” laughs Biondillo. “Even if you’d ask her, she’d say she thinks she doesn’t have a good voice. The only way to get her to sing was to tell her that she could sing.”

The record only came into existence because “we started to record songs

for what was going to be an EP and they started to sound a lot more like album songs,” Biondillo explains.

“It was originally going to be like a three-EP attack … [but we] just felt like another EP would be rather lame, so we started to record an album instead.” Biondillo now lists among his ambitions for the future a more cohesive recorded project from start to finish: “an album as a ‘whole’, sort of thing.”

He’s a naturally persuasive character, is Biondillo – the kind that punctuates most of his answers with, “You know what I mean?”

He’s always held a passion for music played the old-fashioned, mechanical way: crafted on instruments with real personality.

Counted among his collection are “a lot of old electric pianos, like the old Wurlitzers and Rhodes, and a couple of old American synthesisers that you can hear all throughout [this] album… There’s all sorts of interesting noises that come from those old things.” The process wasn’t without its problems, though.

“A lot of the old [instruments] tended not to be able to hold tune – we actually had to Auto-Tune a couple.”

So while the opening track on San Cisco – a synth-soaked flirtation with the ‘80s, entitled ‘Beach’ – was built on an iPhone drum machine app, the finished product comes injected with technicolour from Biondillo’s collection of vintage

gear. “It gives us an extremely large palate of sound to draw from,” says Biondillo, of combining old instruments with new compositional technologies. And it’s sure to make writing fresh material easier at the back of whatever train, plane or van San Cisco find themselves in over the course of touring this record – you know what he means?

“I’m really trying to push that [to the rest of the band],” he says. “We’re going to be on the road for a while, I think, and it’ll be important to come up with some sort of on-the-road recording facilities. [The songs on San Cisco] were bedroom creations.”

Not that you can hear it. Steven Schram’s well-polished production guides San Cisco from top to bottom, often in such close attendance that it’s difficult for any individual personalities to emerge from the music, other than the voice of Davieson. The production can come across a bit overbearing in this way, but Biondillo argues it’s a sound “more thought-out than our earlier recordings.” Biondillo is working at building a home studio, he continues, and is eager to invite Schram and other producers around for a spot of backyard recording in the future.

Even at a young age, Biondillo is clearly a keen student of contemporary music. Given the enthusiasm with which they’ve

thrown themselves into working with experienced producers – as well as the comparisons drawn here and overseas between San Cisco and other indie guitar-pop acts like Vampire Weekend – I’m interested to know whether Biondillo and his band have found it difficult to develop their own voice. “I don’t know how similar we are to Vampire Weekend,” he replies. “It’s always hard to put a label on your own music. You’ve been spending so much time working on it, it’s all a blur in terms of what genre you are.”

So San Cisco haven’t sat down and decided to make a synth-andguitar-pop record? “No, not at all.

[Other influences] definitely seep into your songwriting, but we don’t consciously try to sound like another band.”

Plenty of those influences derive from San Cisco’s home state, Biondillo adds – never mind the East Coast indie scene of the United States. “There’s a lot of really good bands around Perth that don’t make it much further that are still, for me, definitely very influential.

There are guys that are doing some great things that for some reason don’t get any recognition other than at the pub. There’s a really cool band called Greyjoy that I like – I’ve been meaning to go and introduce myself,” he says. “Bands like that are making really cool music [but], I don’t know, usually bands don’t specialise in the administration side

“There’s a lot of really good bands around Perth that don’t make it much further... [Some] bands don’t know how to really sell their music.”

of things – they don’t know how to really sell their music. That’s where good managing and stuff comes into play.”

San Cisco’s management has the band taking all the right steps towards success in the domestic and international markets.

Having just returned from a brief transatlantic tour, their summer schedule takes in the Homebake, Falls and Southbound festivals (“That’s going to be wicked – I’m looking forward to that one,” the guitarist says), on top of their national ‘Wild Things’ single launch tour. ‘Beach’ has this month been released as an EP in the UK – San Cisco’s UK label are “doing it backwards,” reports Biondillo, in that ‘Wild Things’ will follow and ‘Awkward’ won’t reach British shores until later in 2013. By then, the band will have been back to the USA for a tour supporting The Vaccines, with a slot at South By Southwest in Texas.

It makes for tiring work, especially at Biondillo’s pace, but he’ll happily meet the challenge – all in the quest for creative fulfilment. “Travelling is one of the things that really [shows you] what people are doing pretty much everywhere on the planet.

It’s a really good way of drawing influence and new ideas.”

What: San Cisco out now through Island City Records/MGM With: Blondie, Hilltop Hoods, Kimbra, Tame Impala, The Saints, Last Dinosaurs, Jinja Safari, Underlights, Husky, Pond, Emma Louise and loads more Where: Homebake Festival @ The Domain When: Saturday December 8

San Cisco photo by xxx

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FA C E B O O K . C O M / B E A C H R O A D H O T E L BRAG :: 490 :: 26:11:12 :: 15

The Good Ship Singers & Sinners By Krissi Weiss

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risbane’s nautical-themed and rambunctious eight-piece, The Good Ship, are setting sail for their final tour for the year in support of their latest single, ‘Sin City Sweetheart’. Vocalist, guitarist, songwriter and scurvy survivor John Meyer is excited about the band’s following, which has grown off the back of the album released earlier this year, O’ Exquisite Corpse. “We’ve been touring a lot,” Meyer says. “We released the album in July and we’re doing a tour for the release of the third single. That’ll be the last tour for the year and that’ll be flat out. Then we’re playing Woodford, and then we’re – well, not taking a break, but we’re gonna take some time off from touring for a little while and concentrate on some other stuff.” ...More on that later.

More of an album-driven band, releasing singles is essentially an excuse for The Good Ship to make a film clip and get back on the road; a way of “breathing life into the album”, Meyer says. “No one really releases a physical thing these days, so [singles] are just a way to showcase, I dunno,

the best songs on the album, or the ones that we think people would respond to the most. It’s a way of letting people know that this thing that we’ve worked hard on for two years has some really cool tracks on it.

There’s no point just dropping the album and then leaving it at that.”

The Good Ship have long been known for their crazy onstage antics, and it seems that even a crowd full of suits won’t dampen their enthusiasm. “We just played in Melbourne for an industry showcase and while that could end up being – well, not boring, but a bit serious – Geoff [Wilson] just about killed himself jumping off the bar. We can’t help ourselves!” he laughs. “We don’t script anything so it’s never the same. We just like to have a lot of fun on stage, because there’s nothing that makes the audience happier than that. No one wants to see a band just going through the motions.” Does the expectation for onstage chaos ever make The Good Ship feel like they’re playing a sort of role? “It never feels like a role at all, because it’s not contrived; it’s just what comes naturally,” Meyer answers. “It’s not like we organise it and say, ‘Okay, at this point in the set someone’s gonna go out and be a dickhead’. It just tends to work out that way!”

When I ask about what’s next for the band after this current run of shows, Meyer admits that they’re not taking a break at all. “We’re not touring, yeah, but we’ve been writing a theatre show which will be premiering in February. It’s gonna be announced pretty soon, but you can get the jump on that one – we’ve been working on it for quite a while, and we’re almost ready to show it to the public.” The show, he says, will be performed over two nights in Brisbane, and then toured around the country later next year. “It’s a massive challenge for us and something so different: it’s a hybrid of a band-style show, but there are a bunch of songs that are all connected, and we have a narrator that bridges those gaps. A lot of our songs are story-driven anyway, [but] instead of writing a song that tells a story, you write ten songs that tell the one story,” he explains. “We’ll form our next release around this when we get back in the studio.”

What: ‘Sin City Sweetheart’ is out now With: Bellyache Ben & The Steamgrass Boys, John Kennedy Where: The Sandringham Hotel When: Saturday December 1

Blood Red Shoes A Very Small Gang By Joshua Kloke

W

hen Blood Red Shoes were announced as the support for New Jersey bluecollar punks Gaslight Anthem’s European tour, many fans of both bands were left scratching their heads. Gaslight Anthem is poised to take the torch as the new kings of gritty American rock‘n’roll, while Blood Red Shoes’ noisy and intensely modern radio-ready poprock is still finding its legs. The opening slot was an incredible opportunity for the band, though when we chatted ahead of the tour, drummer and vocalist Steven Ansell admitted that he didn’t expect their fans to be flocking to the shows.

And that’s because he’s yet to properly figure out exactly who the band’s core audience is.

“Our audience is one that I don’t understand, and I quite like that,” Ansell says from his Brighton home, after just arriving home from America. “People come to see us for a variety of reasons, and we have very different people coming to our shows… Gaslight Anthem has a much more clear-cut crowd. There’s going to be a lot of people that are very confused by us, but that’s cool, that’s exciting. We’re going to have to surprise people, and we’re looking forward to it.”

The extensive touring that Blood Red Shoes have embarked on since their 2008 debut, Box Of Secrets, has refined the band’s sonic approach.

With its dual vocal attack, the frantic yet concise 2012 LP, In Time To Voices, is as terse a record as they’ve released. There’s an economy and efficiency that masters the intense friendship Ansell and guitarist Laura-Mary Carter have formed; the result is a one-two punch, laden with hooks. “We went with our gut feeling this time around,” Ansell says. “If a song didn’t really jump out at us right away, we cut it out without really thinking about it. And maybe that’s how recording should be.”

Feeling more confident than ever in the studio, Ansell tells me that the songs were pulled apart and reconstructed in an effort to find the best arrangement. “Before, we’d just play and record the songs as they were written … we’d just put the songs together out of jams. This was the first

one where we wrote each song in different ways; we’d just sing until we’d find the right melody.

Instead of just jamming, we’d take the songs apart, try different arrangements, and put them back together in different orders until we found what worked. It was important to just see what happened. We decided just to blow the doors off and try everything,” he adds, laughing.

Still, throughout the writing of the record, there were questions that needed to be asked. With three albums, Blood Red Shoes are no longer a young upstart act, and lyrical themes of redemption litter their new record – especially on the title track. Ansell is aware of how much work the band has to do to stay afloat and relevant.

“We’ve moved from being a couple of people who would just get on the road and take a shot at being a band, to a band that starts to question things. We’d ask ourselves throughout the writing and recording, ‘Can we still make this interesting?

What is it that we’ve got to say? Where are we going as a band and as people?’” he says. “And we started questioning our sound a lot, and questioning our relationship as people. and our relationship with our fans.”

“We joke about it, but we like to think of ourselves as a gang – just a very small gang. I’d say we spend close to 300 days [per year] together, and that wouldn’t be possible unless we were the closest friends in the world,” he says. “We’ll fuck with each other, but if anybody fucks with us we’ll destroy them. It’s us against the world.”

What: In Time To Voices is out now Where: The Hi-Fi When: Friday January 4 More: Also playing at Pyramid Rock Festival on Phillip Island alongside 360, Children Collide, Pnau, Unknown Mortal Orchestra and more, and at Peats Ridge Festival at Glenworth Valley, alongside Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings, John Butler Trio, Deep Sea Arcade, The Preatures and more. Both festivals are being held from December 29-January 1.

65daysofstatic The Right Reasons By Benjamin Cooper

W

hen 65daysofstatic formed more than a decade ago, it took no time for the populace to warm to their twin roles: pop culture enthusiasts, and experimental electronic artists. The English instrumental post-rock group formed in 2001, and just two years later had released their debut EP, Stumble.Stop.Repeat, on local Sheffield imprint Dustpunk Records. At the same time, the band were making their mark as remix and mashup artists, reinventing the work of mainstream stars like Justin Timberlake and Christina Milian. “It was a mad time,” laughs founding member Paul Wolinski, in a brief break from the recording of the group’s sixth album. “We were trying to do a bit of everything, which is only natural when you’re younger. At the time, 65 pretty much swallowed up everything else in our lives – it might sound oppressive, but when you’re in your early 20s it’s incredibly exciting. Since then, we’ve found ways to keep it interesting for us and, more importantly, for everyone else involved. We didn’t want to be one of those bands that plateaued after the first three records.”

The band have now released five studio albums, including last year’s reimagining of the soundtrack to Douglas Trumbull’s 1972 enviro sci-fi film, Silent Running. The project was originally commissioned as a live piece

by Glasgow Film Festival at the start of 2011, but its expansion into studio form seemed like a natural next step for the band, who layered the film with off-beat percussion samples and effects-driven guitar sections.

“We’ve gotten to a point where we like to do things properly, and for the right reasons,” Wolinski explains. “With that last record we were able to do things that were a lot more experimental, both within our writing and [with] the sounds on the record. The difficult part is that we know we achieved what we wanted to, but even a year later it’s hard to know how it actually sounds to anyone else.”

Despite their prolificacy so far, the band insist the next release will only come to light

16 :: BRAG :: 490 :: 26:11:12

after much reflection and self-assessment.

“In some ways we’ve had a very strange couple of years, and we want to make sure we are writing for the right reasons,” Wolinski explains. “There’s something that the poet Charles Bukowski says about not bothering to be a writer unless you absolutely have to; I think that theory is something that we’ve always got in our heads. There’s honestly so many bands and so much music that we have to be certain what we do will contribute, and that it will be worth having. We’ve always said if we’re writing, then we’re doing it for a reason – never ‘just because’.”

The recording of their sixth album has been a protracted process that started more than two years ago, prior to the release of their fourth LP, We Were Exploding Anyway. Efforts to write in a completely different manner have been influenced by the group’s recent touring experiences in Europe – in particular, their time away from the dancefloor. “It’s been really interesting for us to change the way we do things, particularly because the changes haven’t been that radical but, I think, have improved our songwriting vastly. We’ve managed to create space in the mix without losing the urgency. It is little less dancey,” he admits, “and the electronic sounds are used this time in a slightly stranger, noise-based way. It’s still 65, though!” he laughs. “We may have eschewed some of the triumphant, clubprogression chords of the past, but it’s only because we’re beginning our slow descent into noise music!”

With: sleepmakeswaves, Bon Chat Bon Rat Where: The Hi-Fi When: Wednesday January 2 More: Also playing alongside Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings, The Black Seeds, The Herd, Kaki King, Friendly Fires (DJ set), John Butler Trio and loads more at Peats Ridge Festival, held at Glenworth Valley from December 29-January 1

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BRAG :: 490 :: 26:11:12 :: 17

Sharon Van Etten Magic Chords By Benjamin Cooper

“I’ve actually found it easier to write electronic music while I’m touring. I’ve been playing around with a lot of synth sounds and electronic beats – there’s no rapping or scratching yet!” people around me. It’s quite a rare and special thing to be a part of.”

Tramp was recorded with several collaborators, including Beirut’s Zach Condon, The Walkmen’s Matt Barrick and The National’s Bryce Dessner (a longtime friend and collaborator of Van Etten), at the Brooklyn studio of his brother Aaron. Aaron Dessner’s production duties follow on from his turn playing with The National for a number of tracks on Epic, with his particular preference for shifting the space and dynamic range within a song on show in the first single ‘Serpents’. Starting with a quiet and insistent repeated acoustic guitar line, the track blooms into an – ahem – epic multi-guitar jam that Polly Jean Harvey wishes she’d made around the time of Stories From The City.

just really nice to make it at home. It’s all about the process, setting it at all up, you know?”

Van Etten’s third album, Tramp was released earlier this year on Indiana taste-making label Jagjaguwar. It’s her first release for the label, after her 2009 debut Because I Was In Love came out on Language Of Stone Records, and the follow-up, 2010’s Epic, on New York’s Ba Da Bing. All three records have received ringing critical endorsement, praise that Van Etten believes is due, in part, to her environment. “I’ve been really lucky to work with some wonderful people, and I think those collaborations have really kept me sharp and kept me productive,” she reflects. “I think the last two albums in particular were quite busy, which meant I was always learning from the

“I do write on the road a little bit, though,” she continues. “I’ve actually found it easier to write electronic music while I’m touring, and I do that just for the hell of it, really. Like I said before, I like to be productive, and I’ve been playing around with a whole lot of synth sounds and electronic beats. But

Van Etten admits that she’s mostly listening to noise music at the moment, but the genre probably won’t be making it as far as her next album: “My melodies function quite differently,” she explains. “I still like controlled speed metal and drone music for their meditative qualities, but what I do myself is very different. Having said that,” she hints mischievously, “I’ve been listening to a LOT of hardcore and hip hop lately, so you never know...”

Whatever direction her next record takes, its genesis will likely be from the very same kitchen in which Van Etten is standing. “I plan to have a much more normal, domestic existence in 2013,” she says. “I miss cooking, and sitting on the couch happily, and doing domestic and boring things. I’ve just pulled out my knitting and I’m sitting on the couch right now and it’s lovely.” And what, pray tell, is she knitting? “It’s some kind of scarf, I hope.

I think a scarf is the best outcome at this point.

I started it in January and I haven’t gotten very far, but I like to learn how to do things.

The problem is that once I’ve mastered something a little bit, I want to know how to do something completely different. Still,” she grins, “it keeps me busy.”

Where: Sydney Festival @ The Famous Spiegeltent When: January 6 at 5pm, and January 8 & 9 at 7pm

Art Of Sleeping

Steal The Show By Krissi Weiss

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risbane folk/rock five-piece Art Of Sleeping can be easily slotted into the epic-folk genre, but reducing them to that label does a disservice to the complexity of their songwriting. Mind-bending syncopated rhythms, old-school blues riffs and the emotionally jarring vocal delivery of frontman Caleb Hodges has been perfectly captured in their latest release, Like A Thief, and the band look destined for a heady trajectory onto larger stages and bigger audiences.

The Australian music industry has so far been kind to Art Of Sleeping, and their recent signing to Dew Process is giving some relief to the business aspect of their work. “[Dew Process] approached us, which was really cool; it was really nice to have it happen that way,” Hodges says enthusiastically. The indie record label, who look after the likes of Sarah Blasko, Bluejuice, The Panics and Jebediah (and a host of internationals including Mumford & Sons and The Hives), are fast approaching their tenth anniversary. “They really seemed to believe in our music and us. We were speaking to a few other people, but they seemed the most aligned with what we wanted. Their advice is invaluable given that they’ve been so successful in the music industry [for so long].”

Art Of Sleeping began casually jamming just over two years ago, and that was all it was ever meant to be. “We really didn’t want to do the Struggle Street thing that you see bands going through, so we started out with the express intention of not playing any gigs at all, ever,” Hodges laughs. “[But] when we recorded some tracks early on, the response was really

good – and when we did actually play a gig it felt great.” Shocked at the crowd’s reaction and still new to the idea of being in a band together, the five relative strangers decided to take things more seriously. “It really was the music that brought us all together; none of us really knew each other at all except for Jean-Paul Malengret (drummer) and Francois (bassist), who are brothers. Maybe that helped?”

The writing process that Hodges describes hints at the fact that the band is still in their early days, both creatively and as a group of friends, yet it’s a formula that’s clearly working. “The nerve-wracking part for me is when I have to take the skeleton of a song to the guys,” he says. “Sometimes they’ll be into it and sometimes they just won’t like it at all.

It’s always hard when they don’t like it. The decision [to work on a song] is determined by

“I’ll be doing the final take in the studio and I’ll still be scribbling edits onto my arm...

I’ve heard that some of the most successful artists are their own worst critics, so maybe it’s a good thing.”

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what’s gonna work for our sound, and from there we just get into jamming and finishing the writing. Patrick [Silver, guitarist] writes some really awesome riffs and puts those into the framework, but we also really encourage Jean-Paul to experiment with his rhythms.

He always gets a lot of praise for his playing – he’s really quite a passionate player. He’s heavily influenced by the band Limbic System, they use really alternative beats. I listen to a lot of Fleet Foxes and Neil Young, that’s the vibe of the songs in the beginning – [but] with each person’s influences, the tone becomes darker.”

The five tracks that comprise Like A Thief are diverse and complexly orchestrated, yet they unify the sound of AOS. The decision to release an EP as opposed to an album was both an economic and creative one. “Recording’s really expensive, and we’re still paying for everything ourselves,” Hodges says. “Still, my honest opinion is that it’s not about albums or EPs, it just all comes down to songs. We tried to work really hard on the tracks that we had on there, as opposed to just filling up an album with things we hadn’t put much effort into.”

Lyrically, Hodges takes his time; edits and re-writes are a common occurrence, even up until the last take. He professes his pride in the

EP, yet admits that he finds it difficult to listen to his own music. “Lyrically, I just wanted all the songs to mean something and be honest.

I appreciate that in the music I like, so I tried to replicate that,” he explains. “With something like songwriting, I believe that you need to be open to writing about an array of topics, not just about yourself all the time. I’m a psycho with editing though; I’ll be doing the final take in the studio and I’ll still be scribbling edits onto my arm in the vocal booth, with the other guys going, ‘Oh, C’mon!’

“I’ve heard that some of the most successful artists are usually their own worst critics, and that’s definitely me, so maybe it’s a good thing,” Hodges continues. “I haven’t played the EP since it was finished. Some of the vocal stuff I left in there wasn’t necessarily perfect, but if it felt like it captured the emotion, I wanted to keep it – it’s not about perfection. We’re all just so hands-on that it’s hard to let something go and consider it finished, even if we’re proud of it.”

What: Life A Thief is out through Dew Process With: Bertie Blackman, The Preatures, Harts Where: ARIA week – Universal Music Showcase @ Oxford Art Factory When: Monday November 26

Sharon Van Etten photo by Shervin Lainez

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hen she isn’t touring, Sharon Van Etten takes delight in the most basic of domestic rituals. “I love touring, going to new places and meeting new people ... but right now I’m making myself porridge, and it is one of the greatest and most comforting feelings possible on this cold, cold morning.”

The singer-songwriter has just returned home to New York for a brief few days of leave in the middle of her exhaustive North American tour – time which is all the more precious as she’ll be heading to Europe and Australia immediately after the tour’s conclusion. “We leave for Texas in a few days, which I’m really excited about, and then I’m taking the long way to get to you guys. I heard I’m actually coming in summer, too!” So, probably no porridge?

“Oh, I’ll eat porridge any time!” she laughs. “It’s

“Working with Aaron is such a joy,” Van Etten says brightly. “We like a lot of similar stuff, but then there’s also space [at his studio] to just put my headphones on and do my own thing.

It’s nice, because no one will bother me and I can focus on the sounds in my head, or the specific melody I’ve got.” Writing time in the studio is an absolute necessity for Van Etten, who struggles with the cramped conditions and lack of creative downtime incurred while on tour. “I try to write on the road, but it’s really quite hard for me to find space or time alone.

The way that I write, the melodies come first,” she says. “It’s quite difficult to be able to let that happen when you’re constantly having to be considerate of one another’s space.

there’s no rapping or scratching yet!” she laughs. “I have actually been listening to a lot of quite synthetic sounding beats music; it’s fascinating how they use dynamics to change a song, often when you least expect it. At the same time, I also listen to a whole lot of ‘80s and ‘90s post-punk and minimal noise music.

I honestly find it all really interesting and fun, in separate ways.”

Sam Sparro Finding Paradise By Alasdair Duncan

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am Sparro’s second album, Return To Paradise, arrived earlier this year in a blaze of disco and house. Its songs harked back to the glory days of ‘70s and ‘80s club music, both in the hedonistic uplift of their arrangements and the lyrical undercurrents of deep melancholy. Many of the songs were written while Sparro was feeling the effects of a break-up, and his sadness shows through on tracks like the sparkling single ‘I Wish I Never Met You’. Several months on, the Sydney-born artist tells me that performing the songs live has helped dull the pain that inspired them; sometimes, the best cure for a broken heart is to simply belt it out.

“I’m definitely in a better place now than when I wrote the songs,” he says. “When I sing the more break-up-oriented material now, I’m putting on a performance as opposed to conjuring up the real, raw emotions that I actually felt at the time. I’m going through the motions a bit more. I mean, the pain isn’t as fresh for me anymore.” That doesn’t mean he’ll stop performing them, though; Sparro knows as well as the next man how a good break-up song can be important to anyone who’s down in the dumps. “I like to think now that if a fan comes to see me when they’re going through a difficult break-up, they’ll be able to pick up the songs and identify with the feelings in them.

The fact that those songs can continue to be meaningful to other people really inspires me when I’m performing.”

For Sam Sparro, feeling good goes hand-inhand with looking good; anyone who’s seen one of his impeccably-styled clips or performances knows that he takes aesthetics seriously. “Yeah, it’s really important to me to get my look right,” he says. “I’ve always responded to artists – be they musicians or filmmakers or whatever else – who have a well-defined aesthetic.

Recording artists like Grace Jones are really inspiring to me for that reason, and I love filmmakers like Wes Anderson and Quentin Tarantino.” Sparro loves dressing up, too; he loves the stories that clothes can tell, but he also loves how they can make him feel. “Clothes can change my mood,” he explains. “Putting on a really nice suit is like putting on a piece of armour. It makes me feel safe.”

What: Re-Return To Paradise, a special edition digital album, is out November 30 Where: The Standard When: Friday December 7 More: Also playing alongside Blondie, Hilltop Hoods, The Saints, Sonicanimation, Tim Rogers and more at Homebake 2012, held on Saturday December 8 at The Domain

There was a gap of nearly four years between Sparro’s first and second albums, but he assures me that the third will be a lot faster coming. “There is definitely a lot of momentum behind me now that the second record is done,” he says. “What I’m going to do is release a series of EPs next year, starting around April.

I write a lot of songs, and I currently have a lot of unreleased material, so I like this idea of staggering my releases more frequently so that I can stay on the road and keep the fans engaged, and keep myself satisfied in a way as well.” This technique worked for Robyn with her Body Talk EPs – although Sparro is quick to point out that Róisín Murphy was the forerunner there. “Four or five years before Body Talk, Róisín had a series of EPs called Sequins, which were staggered and then released as a set at the end. The Robyn one was inspiring too – but Róisín did it first.”

“I’ve always responded to artists who have a well-defined aesthetic.

Recording artists like Grace Jones are really inspiring to me for that reason, and filmmakers like Wes Anderson and Quentin Tarantino.”

APPEARING AT HOMEBAKE, SYDNEY SATURDAY 8 DECEMBER

Sparro resides in Los Angeles these days and, although he’s still touring and performing, lately his mind has turned to other things – specifically, a career in pop songwriting. “I’d really love to write a song for Rihanna or Beyonce or someone like that,” he says. “I’d love to collaborate with Kylie as well; I really admire her attitude and her workmanship.” When you think of Aussie indie stars turned international pop songwriting sensations, Sia Furler is the first name that comes to mind, and Sparro counts her as a friend and inspiration. “I really look up to her,” he says. “She’s had amazing commercial success without being in the spotlight, which I think is really incredible. She’s able to roam the streets and have nobody recognise her, but there are songs of hers on the radio all the time.”

Return To Paradise is characterised by its tight musicianship as much as its pop hooks, and Sparro tells me that it was written in the hopes of capturing the sound of a live show. “I toured my first album for a number of years,” he says, “and knowing what the players were capable of really pushed me to write more complicated parts and more interesting music. Playing live has been tremendously important to me as a songwriter.” Sparro will return to Australia in December, and he promises to bring an especially dynamic live show with him. “When you play the same songs over and over again, you strive to rework them and reimagine them.

There’s a lot of that going on,” he says. “We’re taking songs from the first album and revisiting them from the perspective of the second album.

For me, it’s just about giving people a good live music experience [as a whole].”

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arts frontline

free stuff email: freestuff@thebrag.com

arts, theatre and film news... what's goin' on around town and more...

five minutes WITH

TRISTAN DURIE

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type. Some days it happens. If not I go back and do some proofing, which sparks the flow again at some point. Also I make hundreds of notes on my phone. These make for hilarious scrolling at times but every now and then there’s some gold in there. Here’s one note, for example: “Counted three or four, quite impressive.”

“Depends how good you are at counting.”

Domain lion joke.

No idea when/why I wrote that, but I can use it.

ecause we like books, struggling artists, jaffles and Cake Wines, we took five this week with Tristan Durie, who launches his first book this week – The Paperless Indetective – with a lil party.

What’s your background/training? After uni I was a lawyer. For a while I ran a daily email based on a very unfunny desk calendar called “That’s Funny!” – basically a blog for friends, before facebook came along. When I couldn’t find a suitable desk calendar for a second year I was so crushed I shied away from any form of writing for entertainment for years. After a career change into finance I was able to take a sabbatical in 2010 and my brain woke out of its coma. I started writing and didn’t stop until I had a full first draft of The Paperless Indetective.

What’s an indetective? It’s the opposite of a private detective. Harlan Valeri, the world’s first indetective, provides alibis, buries facts, basically derails the truth so the miscreants of the world can get on with making the place interesting.

We love him already. If Harlan were a real person, what would his favourite Sydney haunts be? What would he drink, listen to?

He’s a man of shadows, so the explosion of dive bars and speakeasies in Sydney suits him perfectly. He’s more an Eau-de-Vie/Roosevelt kind of guy than Shady Pines/Tio’s. When it comes to restaurants, it’s Italian all the way. A Tavola, Fratelli Paradiso, 121 B.C., Berta, and so on. Which gives away his tipple of choice I guess – the odd cocktail is fine for an amusement, but nothing beats a glass of quality Chianti. As for

And who are your favourite crime-fiction writers? My favourite crime-fiction book is Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams. I also like the hard-boiled classics, like Raymond Chandler. Andrea Camilleri’s Montalbano series is probably my favourite contemporary series. It’s set in Sicily and gives you a real feel for one of the most amazing places in the world.

music, it’s Hall & Oates. 'Maneater', 'I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do)'. Something about the studio-crisp production and the hint of danger and taboo in the lyrics speaks to him. And when he’s in love, 'Kiss On My List' is on high rotation.

How’d you come up with the idea for the book? Tiger Woods. One day his indetective will tell the full story of how he got away with it for so long. And it will be a bestseller.

What’s your writing routine? I’m most productive early. I make a coffee, sit on the couch or at the bench with a laptop, and just

Phibs making stuff in the studio

Any advice for closeted authors? Write for yourself, get the words down and share it with as many people as you can. The energy you need to publish it will only come from hearing people say they enjoyed reading what you wrote.

It’s addictive.

What: The Paperless Indetective – launch partay feat. Cake Wines, Jaffle Jaffles and DJ Andrew P. Street.

When: Wednesday November 28, 6-9pm Where: The Cake Pop Up Bar / 199 Cleveland St, Surry Hills More: paperlessindetective.com

THE MESSENGER ARRIVES

Sydney Interactive Theatre, a new company, are launching a season of part-theatre/partgame/part-bar-crawl called The Messenger.

Taking place every Saturday afternoon through summer, the ‘play’ will take audiences through The Rocks as it unravels the story of two young lovers on the run from the mob – with some pit-stops to collect clues (and booze) from bars, wharves and back alleys along the way. Not for wallflowers, this is the kind of show where you’re expected to get involved – and while it’s a bit exxy at $59, that covers three hours of entertainment, food and booze.

The season launches Saturday December 1 and runs 'til April. Tickets and info at sydneyinteractivetheatre.com.au

LIFE LINES @ THE WALL

There’s a new addition to Sydney’s burgeoning culture of storytelling events; Life Lines is created by the folks behind Confession Booth, but instead of telling their own stories, the guests will be telling someone else’s; it’s an evening of biography by oratory, if you will.

The first instalment features celluloid maven Kate Jinx, Time Out’s Andrew P. Street, poet Aden Rolfe, radio man/dog person Shag and Etsy Queen Kit Palaskas unravelling the life stories of the rich, famous, inspirational and overlooked. Head right up to the top floor for The Wall @ World Bar on Wednesday December 5, and if you’re good with real life facts, get there early for a quiz and drinks.

HIGHER GROUND GROUP SHOW

The boys from Higher Ground Studios are presenting their first group show this week, featuring new works – two apiece, one small and one big – from: Beastman, Bennett, Ears, Mark Alsweiler, Max Berry, Neil Tomkins, Numskull (presenting fresh work just one night after his November 28 capsule show at The Tate), Phibs, Thomas Jackson and Tom Ferson. If you’re in the market for something limited-edition but affordable, they’re also releasing a limited edition 60 page Higher Ground Studio book – which will be for sale exclusively through kind of gallery. The show opens at kind of (80 Oxford Street) this Thursday November 29 from 6pm. kindofgallery.com

SYDNEY COMEDY FEST

The Sydney Comedy Festival has announced the first round-up of comedians set to play the festival next April/May. You’ve already heard that Tracy ‘30 Rock’ Morgan will be making his Australian debut; but the major programming coup, arguably, is Shawn and Marlon Wayans (White Chicks, Scary Movie 1 & 2). In terms of tried and tested festival favourites, Stephen K Amos is back with a new show, Heath ‘Chopper’ Franklin’s ANZAC Day will be less two-up, more hardenthe-fuck-up, and Jim Jefferies will be upping the ante. Fresh talent will include YouTube skit-stars Superwog and Mychonny in a double-hander, and our personal favourite The Bad Shepherds (UK) – lead by former Young Ones star Adrian Edmondson (Vyvyan!). The festival kicks off April 22 and runs until May 11. Snap up tix and more info at sydneycomedyfest.com.au 20 :: BRAG :: 490 :: 26:11:12

SALTY.SAILOR.LOVER

If you like your art wearable and one-of-akind, head along to Surry Hills’ Metalab this Thursday November 29 for the opening of Salty.Sailor.Lover, an exhibition that brings together nautical-themed illustrations by Lauren Webster and jewellery inspired by her work, designed by the Metalab crew. Expect skull-inflected badges, rings and earrings in timber and silver, and large statement bangles and neckpieces – with prices ranging from around $120 up to your weekly pay-cheque.

Webster has been resident at Metalab for the past month, taking over the space with her pastel-and-neon-hued illustrations and wire artworks. To see what we mean, check out laurenandthelostboys.blogspot.com.au – and for directions to the show, see metalab. com.au (or 10b Fitzroy Place).

BONES BRIGADE

Before the hipster fixie, there was the skateboard – and leading the way for a whole generation of angsty, scraggly-haired deck-wielding teenagers were the Bones Brigade – the collective of outsider skaters brought together by pioneering skaterfilmmaker Stacy Peralta and comprised of Tony Hawk, Rodney Mullen, Steve Caballero, Lance Mountain, Tony Guerrero and Mike McGill. The things these kids got up to is now the stuff of history – and available for the first time in documentary form, in the Sundance-acclaimed Bones Brigade: An Autobiography. Peralta, whose directorial breakthrough was the 2001 doco Dogtown And Z-Boys, has turned out another masterpiece – not just an account of an era in skating, but a good old-fashioned underdog story about six kids who changed the world and their own lives.

Bones Brigade: An Autobiography releases via DVD and download on December 5; thanks to Hopscotch, we have FIVE copies to give away – to get your hands on one, tell us the name of one iconic skater not mentioned above.

3), Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (Jan 10), Dirty Dancing (Jan 17), and Top Gun (Jan 24); ‘70s queergasm The Rocky Horror Picture Show (Feb 7); or ‘90s comedies Zoolander (Jan 31) and Aladdin (Feb 2). The season kicks off December 13, more at moonlight.com.au

WU-TANG KUNG FU

Great news for people who are into old-school kung fu flicks, hip hop legends and Lucy Liu (gotcha): Popcorn Taxi are presenting an advance screening and Q&A session for The Man With The Iron Fists – the manic genremash-up written, directed by and starring Wu-Tang chief RZA – as well as Russell Crowe, Lucy Liu and former WWE wrestler Dave Bautista. Expect a wildly violent ride with a killer soundtrack. Check it out Monday December 3 at Event Cinemas, Bondi Junction, followed by a Q&A with RZA. popcorntaxi.com.au Ralf Kempken's 'Formative'

CRAFT PUNK

Maybe 2012 is the year you finally sort your Christmas gifts BEFORE the 24th and actually give your mum/lover/cat something you made with love and your own two hands. Like a terrarium. Powerhouse is running an instalment of its Craft Punk series this weekend, with workshops for the DIY inclined. Make your own miniature terrarium (glass-encased universe for small things) with succulents and the like (BYO turtle), with help from Petite Green’s Amy Wong. Or turn artificial foliage and other bits and pieces into unique jewellery, with tips and tricks from COFA lecturer and awesome jeweller Melinda Young. The workshops are running December 1 & 2 at the Powerhouse Museum. Bookings are essential so drop by powerhousemuseum.com

MOONLIGHT CINEMA

Cinema junkies who don’t like waiting can head along to Centennial Park this summer, where Moonlight Cinema is hosting a bunch of advance screenings, including Hitchcock (Jan 6), Judd Apatow’s This is 40 (Jan 12), Tarantino’s Django Unchained (Jan 22), and Oscar bait Flight (Jan 28) and Zero Dark Thirty (Jan 29). Alternatively, if you prefer triedand-tested/re-living your childhood/teens, you can catch ‘80s classics Breakfast Club (Jan

STENCIL ART PRIZE

The fourth Australian Stencil Art Prize has been awarded to Melbourne artist Ralf Kempken, for his work ‘Formative’ – featuring a stencilled image of one of his children in the foreground, and a historical photo of children in Melbourne in the background. “The concept behind it relates to the way we all have different experiences in our childhood and how these experiences give us a different perspective on life,” says Ralf – who says it took several days to draw and cut the stencil for this one. To see this and the other finalists (in mediums that range from classic aerosol to the more unusual ‘red wine on carpet’ variety) head along to Chrissie Cotter Gallery in Camperdown until December 2. australianstencilartprize.com

Sarah Silverman Gift Of The Gaffe By Kit O’Connor

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arah Silverman flies into Australia this week for the premiere of Disney’s Wreck-It Ralph – and to do her first ever Sydney show, at the Opera House. Those familiar with The Sarah Silverman Program and her cult-hit concert film Jesus Is Magic will know to expect a taboo-busting set from the New York-based comedian, whose memorable moments include wearing blackface and joking about the Holocaust and 9/11. She’s known for material that doesn’t just push but actually explodes the politically-correct boundary – but her candid 2010 autobiography The Bedwetter: Stories of Courage, Redemption, and Pee, and her role in Sarah Polley’s relationship drama Take This Waltz, show a different side. And of course, a lot of what she says is funny precisely because it’s both true and un-sayable. Given her preference for email interviews (“because I can think for a second. I can craft a sentence”, she has said) we allowed her to respond to our questions in her own time…Possibly naked.

You have quite a few days between your Sydney show and your Melbourne show – what’s on your hitlist? The days I have off I’ll want to go to the beach probably, and see some key Aussie places, find some vegetarian friendly restaurants...

What compelled you to write The Bedwetter and share such personal stories? I remember watching the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson when I was little and an actress came on and mentioned that she was a bedwetter as a kid and I couldn’t believe it. I was sure I was the only one and that it would be my shame forever, and to see this grown lady – a beautiful actress – expose that about herself made me feel so much less alone. I always wanted to do that.

I don’t have shame anymore about anything in my life and it’s very freeing, and I want kids to feel that same relief. Wow that was not a very funny answer at all....

Sarah Silverman photo by Robyn Von Swank

In your book you talk about going through depression and therapy in your teens. How do you handle it now? Therapy and perspective and observation, and being able to be quiet and just exist through the hard times. To know no matter how dark it gets that it does pass. My mom said, “Sometimes ALL you have to do is be brave,” and I think it’s true. Sometimes you just have to exist through stuff.

Do you think the best (or the most) comedy comes from a dark or humiliating place? Yep. I do. Though there are plenty of amazing comics that don’t expose themselves or use their pain as a source of their comedy – Seinfeld for instance: you can watch him do an hour of brilliant material and never learn a single thing about him. It’s interesting.

Who have been some of your greatest role models in comedy? Garry Shandling is a big one – I got to experience him personally and he is a real mentor for me (and many voices in comedy today). He is so generous with his own life lessons and experience. So funny so vital. Growing up, Albert Brooks – who I first saw on SNL making short films and his movies - I had never seen that kind of realness in comedy. Woody Allen of course.

My mother had his double album and was always playing it. There was a summer when we watched Sleeper every day. Steve Martin was my first major crush - also first saw him on SNL and then his specials and books and movies - I worshipped him. Loved how smart he was in contrast to how silly and absurd he chose to be.

“I shit things out and you take it or leave it or get mad or delight in it or hate me for it.”

At the 2010 TED conference you were talking about excess and the world’s population; you said you wanted to adopt a child who is mentally challenged, but that you were concerned that they don’t leave the nest at 18, and how if you die, god-willing at 80, you would worry about who’s going to take care of your sixtyyear-old retarded child. So the solution was to adopt a retarded child who is terminally ill. What is your main goal in saying things like that? It’s funny because I wrote this material for TED and the topic that year and it was all very scrappy – I’ve now honed it and it’s become part of a greater chunk of material. What is my goal?

I don’t know. Laughs, thought provocation, discussion, impact? I don’t really have a master plan. I’m just this thing, you know?

I shit things out and you take it or leave it or get mad or delight in it or hate me for it - it’s not in my control anymore. It’s yours to decide what it means mixed with the context of your life experience.

What kind of comedic material offends you? Nothing offends me really but I don’t respond to material that is dark hearted – when nothing transcends past the hardness of it. You know what I mean? It just doesn’t go into my brain. There are some comics I’ve known for years whose material just bounces off my head – couldn’t tell you one of their jokes.

You occasionally take a lot of heat because of what you say; how hard is that to deal with? It’s fine with me. I know that I’m not for everyone. I can’t be everyone’s cup of tea, and that’s okay I don’t fight it.

How did the part in Take This Waltz come about? Sarah Polley just gave it to me. She had seen my TV show and said she wrote the part for me. Can you believe it?? She’s so cool. To me, I’m always doing drama – it’s the same – just playing the words and the moment honestly. But people usually don’t see that. They think that comedy is this whole separate thing. But to me it’s the same and I was so grateful and happy and LUCKY that Sarah saw something in me.

Wreck-It Ralph has a message about wanting to break out of society’s perceptions of you; how do you relate to that? I totally relate to that. People, especially in this business, love to think of you as one thing. It’s always the directors that think outside of that box who breakout actors in new ways. Someone saw Robin Williams as Mork and thought he’d be right for Good Morning Vietnam, you know?

What: Sarah Silverman When: Friday November 30 Where: Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House

Experience Film International Film School Sydney

Apply Now for Feb 2013

Want to experience film like never before?

Every school says “we’re different”. The difference at IFSS is that we live up to that promise. In two years with us, you make up to six films and work on up to 24 other films being made by your peers. You won’t get to do that at any other film school in Sydney!

The school is run like a working professional community with what we call a holistic approach to teaching, delivered through the Advanced Diploma of Screen and Media where students can focus on either Screenwriting, Directing and Producing OR Cinematography.

Apply Now at ifss.edu.au T: 02 9663 3789 E: info@ifss.edu.au W: www.ifss.edu.au L: 27 Rosebery Ave, Rosebery NSW 2018

IFSS BRAG :: 490 :: 26:11:12 :: 21

Michael Booth and Sam O’Sullivan play Chicago cops

Hollywood Ending [THEATRE] Stranger Than Fiction By Krissi Weiss & Dee Jefferson

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A Steady Rain [THEATRE] A Tough Town By Alasdair Duncan

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Michael Booth, who co-founded CRT with Jessica Donoghue and Alistair Powning and previously shared writing duties on their popular shows That Old Chestnut, 33 and The Great Lie Of The Western World, says that that it has been a challenge adapting to the more traditional way of working, but that doing so has come with its own rewards.

“When it’s your own work, you don’t spend as much time analysing the script,” Booth says.

“You don’t wonder what the writer meant when they wrote this or that particular line, because you yourself wrote it. That exploration has been a big departure. This is also the first time we’ve had an outsider come in and direct for us, which has been great. Playing an American has also been great – studying the accent. It’s a departure in every sense.”

Booth lived in Chicago for seven months, and he drew on this experience when shaping his character, Denny. “I’ve always liked to mimic people wherever I go, so I guess I already had a very broad, crude version of the Chicago accent up my sleeve,” he tells me. “In the rehearsal phase, we went to see a dialect coach to help us refine our accents and get around those really unique vowel sounds.” For the last several months, Booth has refined the accent in his downtime – talking to himself

and to friends and even ordering food in a Chicago accent. “I’ve been walking around with a shaved head and a baseball cap, so why not go that step further?” he laughs. “The more I can start to wear it like a second skin, the more I can focus on the acting itself, and not just doing the accent as some kind of performance.”

When A Steady Rain had its Broadway premiere in 2009, Hugh Jackman and Daniel Craig played the lead roles of two cops whose friendship is severely tested by a troubling case. Booth is playing Jackman’s part (opposite Sam O’Sullivan) – obviously big shoes to fill. “When it comes to that earlier production, I’m curious about how they might have interpreted it,” he tells me. “I mean, a lot of the play is spent with the two characters directly addressing the audience, stating a case to them as though they’re Internal Affairs investigators. The play switches between that and more standard storytelling, but the script doesn’t specify the transitions, so I often wonder how Hugh Jackman might have done this or that particular bit. Having said that, however, I’m glad I haven’t done too much research into that, because I feel like this take is really our own.”

“Hollywood Ending is a comedic hypothesis of how that 14 minutes of YouTube footage may have gotten created,” says Johnson. “My lead character is that guy, but without it being about what specifically happened. He’s a 65-year-old ex-porn director who doesn’t know about politics and he has no idea what he’s making when he makes this film.”

Johnson’s play is more a satire on Hollywood (where he has been partially based since graduating from NIDA in 1997) than about the aftermath of the inflammatory video – an aftermath that he was nevertheless experiencing, even in Sydney. “When I went and pitched the play at 11.30 in the morning at the Griffin offices, which are one kilometre from Hyde Park, on my way there the radio was telling me to avoid Hyde Park

If the Rapid Write timeframe sounds hellish, Johnson’s not showing it; he can’t speak highly enough of the entire process, which has involved working closely with Theatre503’s Tim Roseman and Griffin’s incoming Artistic Director (and until recently, Associate Director and dramaturg) Lee Lewis. “This has been the best playwriting experience of my whole career because it hasn’t been dissimilar to a production that has gone through months and months of development – but it’s been crammed into eight weeks,” says Johnson. “The people giving me notes are all incredibly smart theatre people and know what they’re talking about, and although none of them call themselves ‘writers,’ they all know what they’re looking at in terms of reading and analysing scripts.

Finally, Johnson was blessed with an amazing cast of local stage veterans, including Caroline Craig, Tony Llewellyn-Jones and Terry Serio – all of whom he says were active in the script’s development during rehearsals. “Terry is an amazing actor,” says Johnson. “He basically never leaves the stage, and he was constantly giving me suggestions that were at the expense of his own character’s lines. Everyone has been focused on doing what is best for the play; there’s no room for ego.”

What: Hollywood Ending by CJ Johnson When: Until Saturday December 15 Where: SBW Stables Theatre /10 Nimrod Street, Kings Cross More: griffintheatre.com.au

Hollywood Ending photo by Patrick Boland

ydney’s Cathode Ray Tube theatre company are already renowned as one of our most daring and original new collectives, just four years and as many productions into their fledgling career. They write and perform their own plays in-house and work without directors, letting the actors guide the piece. Their newest production, however, shakes this model up: for the first time, Cathode Ray Tube are putting on an existing work – playwright Keith Huff’s gritty Chicago cop tale A Steady Rain. Not only that, they are working with an outside director – Owen Trevor (one of the directors behind BBC's Top Gear).

Johnson’s Rapid Write project, Hollywood Ending, takes as its jumping off point the viral video Innocence Of Muslims, a piece of anti-Islamic propaganda that sparked off riots in Eqypt, Libya and then across the Middle East in September this year. At the time, Johnson became fascinated in the story behind this “atrociously written piece of propaganda”. His extensive sleuthing revealed that it had been directed by a 65-year-old ex-porn director, who seemed to have unwittingly directed one of the most influential, albeit execrable, films of the decade.

in case there was another riot. Not only had this thing I was thinking about reached our shores, it was one kilometre down the road. [Griffin were looking for] a very strongly formed concept, and they had to not only pick the most exciting and topical and intriguing idea, but they also had to pick the one that had such a strong bedrock behind it that by eight weeks, it would actually be up on stage and be a very entertaining thing.”

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irst developed at London’s Theatre503 by then-co-artistic director Tim Roseman, Rapid Write arrives in Sydney this month, courtesy of the forward-thinking folks at Griffin Theatre Company and Arts Radar. The concept aims to take the most cutting edge and socially concerning issues of the moment and produce a play – written, rehearsed, and ready for performance – in the tiny timeframe of eight weeks. Griffin got the ball rolling by soliciting pitches from ten Australian playwrights – and chose a story by CJ Johnson, an indie theatreand film-maker whose stage credits include the irreverent satires La La Land and The Young Tycoons.

The cast of Hollywood Ending: Briallen Clarke, Blake Erickson, Caroline Craig, Tony Llewellyn-Jones and Terry Serio

In terms of whether A Steady Rain marks a permanent shift in direction for Cathode Ray Tube, Booth demurs, “I think we always go back to the core, which is me, Jessica and Alistair. He’s sitting this one out because he wants to write, and she is on maternity leave, so anything could happen at this point, depending on where the next script takes us.”

What: A Steady Rain When: Until Saturday December 8 Where: TAP Gallery, 278 Palmer St, Darlinghurst Tickets: trybooking.com or on the doors

Psycho Beach Party [THEATRE] Retro Rage By Benjamin Cooper

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tephen Nicolazzo is the first to admit he’s not afraid to take risks or challenge people. The Melbourne director recently painted the entire inside of Wolloomooloo’s Old Fitzroy Theatre hot pink for the Sydney premiere of Singaporean playwright Alfian bin Sa’at's controversial work sex.violence.blood.gore. “The work we do is really about saying to people, 'If you think there’s an us-and-them mentality to life, then you’re a fool,'” he explains. “Our work is about engaging with the social climate, and political climate, and giving it an alternative perspective. We’re currently working on material by an iconic artist, so that involves a whole other series of challenges... They’re all the things that push us and that we enjoy.”

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“Charles’ material is the base for our conception of the work,” Nicolazzo explains, “but we also want to consider the rules of gender bending in this context, and the politics of the body. The actors can take something stereotypical and completely turn it on its head... for example, we have one sequence where a female actor comes out in full shaving cream, and begins to shave as though a man. The audience is forced to question whether it’s a man playing a woman, or a woman satirising the masculinity of the audience. And I have to be honest,” he laughs, “it’s pretty fun to messing around with some of the particular ideas people have about masculinity and femininity.”

shared history gives the director, “a great sense of relief, and also excitement, every day we’re in rehearsal.

The push for Psycho Beach Party began earlier this year, when Nicolazzo was reunited with a key group of creatives with whom he had established The Little Ones five years prior. Actor/ choreographer Kurt Phelan, designer Owen Phillips (Melbourne Theatre Company) and Nicolazzo have worked together both with their own productions and other companies, and this

“I’ve solidified a group of people that I love working with, and there is a particular shorthand that comes from working with skilled creatives, so we work quite quickly," says Nicolazzo. "We’re all part of a team, and we have this... [we’re] simpatico, because we’re all really dedicated to queer theatre and challenging theatre. Whether or not we are hetero or homosexual individually,

Ash Flanders and Genevieve Giuffre the work that we do is all about embracing that joy that there shouldn’t be any boundaries in life.

That you are in the room, and that you are free to say whatever you want. Make theatre, rally for a cause, and most importantly, take risks.”

What: Psycho Beach Party When: November 28 – December 15 Where: Bondi Pavilion Theatre More: rocksurfers.org

xxx photo by xxx

NIDA-trained Nicolazzo is the Artistic Director of Little Ones Theatre, the company he established in 2006 whilst at the University of Melbourne, and who are currently rehearsing Charles Busch’s 1987 play (and later film) Psycho Beach Party in Melbourne ahead of its Sydney debut, as a co-production with Tamarama Rock Surfers. The mixed-era dark comedy centres around Chicklet, an aspiring surfer-chick (played with nerdy, gender-bending aplomb by Ash Flanders) who slowly realises everyone around her is being killed in strange ways. It’s a satire on '50s psychodramas, the ‘60s Beach Party/Gidget films, and ‘70s slasher films.

The production will feature an (ever-dwindling) array of quirky and fun characters, led by Flanders, who isn’t doing the part in drag (as Busch did in the original stage production) – a decision that was part of a wider paradigmatic shift in understanding the more kitsch elements of the original script.

ADRIAN BOHM & PHIL MCINTYRE PROUDLY PRESENT

SATURDAY 8 DECEMBER

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34B BURLESQUE 7TH BIRTHDAY & FAREWELL SHOW All Good Things Must End (With A Party) By Dee Jefferson his week, Sydney neo-burlesque institution 34B Burlesque celebrates seven years of purveying their special monthly party-mix of sass and sex appeal – and sadly, they’re saying adieu, bowing out of the scene with a massive soirée.

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It all began way back in 2003, when Pip Branson, a classically-trained violinist and sometime-guitarist for Sidewinder and Something For Kate, caught the burlesque bug while he was touring within the Spiegeltent’s resident show – La Clique. He kicked off 34B Burlesque in October 2005 as a weekly party at The Exchange Hotel – and it quickly became home for a special mix of Sydney’s underground performance, burlesque and cabaret scenes. Speaking to BRAG in 2010, Pip said, “The idea of burlesque is sauciness, sure – but sexiness has a lot to do with comedy as well. [We aim] to get the right mix of humour, sex appeal – and maybe a little bit of social commentary here and there!”

On that, they’ve delivered – across a slew of themed parties that have tackled everything from Americana to Eastern Front, Gold Diggers to Good Girls Gone Bad, Island Exotica to Sin City. But all great things must come to an end – and as Branson says, there’s more to his life these days than partying, primping and promoting. Naturally, he and his crew are going out with a bang. Below we sample some delights from the lineup, and survey highlights from 34B Burlesque’s epic childhood.

aka François Bublé!

As the Master of Ceremonies at 34B Burlesque for seven years, Pip (in the guise of his cheeky alter-ego, who is a mix of Serge Gainsbourg, Robert Wagner, Charles Aznavour and Plastic Bertrand, with a nod of the hat to Michael Bublé) has seen it all.

First-ever 34B show: Where it all started! October 14, 2005. I used to do all the décor, do all the lights, stage manage – as well as run the night. But I don’t think I actually got on stage at 34B ‘til December 2006, with Belladonnas de Lux and Melbourne troupe Man’s Ruin, when our excellent MC Drew Fairly fell terribly ill; it was pretty seat-of-thepants, but went quite well in the end.

Nobody had seen François Bublé onstage until then. I MCd a lot after that – and was actually able to pay a stage manager, eventually.

Last-ever 34B show: Obviously I’ll be Master of Ceremonies, but I may also sing a song lamenting the end of the club – that breaks into a popdisco Gangnam Style-type number.

We’ll see…

Costume hint? Think the Oscars – if the Oscars were held in France in 1966. Not to be confused with Cannes – that’s somehow quite different.

Top 7 Essentials: My leopardprint leotard; my white suit (everyone should own one – though the dry cleaning bill is ridiculous); Y-fronts (a lot of burlesque performers are known for getting down to their G-string or their frilly knickers; I do Y-fronts); velvet drapes (they hide a lot of sins, both of the carnal and architectural variety); eyeliner pencil – has something to do with my moustache (allegedly); my brother’s Stetson (always seems to always find me when lost); and all the amazing performers obviously, but also all the staff who made the show happen – gonna miss them all too much.

Favourite 34B memory: I have a bit of a stupid habit of flying across the crowd with people carrying me (much like life); one that I currently remember fondly was at last year’s birthday – singing Spandau Ballet’s ‘Gold’ as a duet with Renny Kodgers, and flying from the bar to the stage on a beer pallet, with about six people carrying me, and almost losing my head on the ceiling fan.

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Sass patrol! This pocketrocket has flaming hair and an attitude to match – which she has wielded at many a 34B. She’s also co-captain of monthly performance salon The Peel – “an outrageous blend of grassroots performance and fabulously chaotic styling” that programs emerging performers alongside seasoned pros. She had her Peel partner-in-crime Holly J’aDoll will be hosting a special side-stage at 34B’s 7th Birthday bash. Baton: passed.

First-ever 34B show: It was 34B’s 2nd Birthday – November 2007. I sang and played my ukulele in a variety of locations, including the front door and hallway. I eventually made it onto their stage!

Last-ever 34B show: I’ll be performing Latex Lady.

Costume hint? Think Mae West in latex...

Top 7 Essentials: Holly J’aDoll (my burlesque ‘husband’); Spirit Gum (so I don’t ‘pop a pastie’); booze (beer especially); glitter/ sequins/rhinestones, stunt G-string (so I never ‘pop a flap’); a microphone (so I’m always the loudest obnoxious drunk in the room); my liquid eyeliner (I would NEVER EVER leave the house without it).

Favourite 34B memory: Probably getting to sing a duet with the amazing Renny Kodgers to ‘Use Me’ – and then years later having the honour of singing ‘Major Tom’ with the space cadet himself – and creator of 34B – François Bublé!

She’s officially the reigning World Queen of Burlesque – which probably has something to do with the fact that not only is she meticulous and hard-working, but she also has degrees in performance from COFA and NIDA, in circus from ZACA (UK), plus another in filmmaking, from Sydney University… She made her 34B debut for their third show, in October 2005.

First-ever 34B show: I think I performed Jessica Rabbit and Lydia The Tattooed Lady at the opening night. No idea of the dates... just that I had a great time!

Last-ever 34B show? I’m performing ‘20th Century Fox’.

Costume hint? Foxy.

Top 7 Essentials: Sleepy, Dopey, Happy, Flirty, Sexy, Dirty and Doc. Favourite 34B memory: The first 34B, when all of Sydney bohemia turned up. It was a very fun and very cool night.

With German parents, a background in performance, and a double-major in philosophy and theatre, this leggy lady is never short of ideas.

First-ever 34B show: In 2010! I performed an act where I started off being painted entirely white with geisha paint – I even had contacts in! I danced to a mix of two NIN songs, I had lots of blue paint and a huge mirror to smear the paint onto. It was about an alien coming to Earth and being affected by the way humans live – by the end of the performance I was covered in blue paint as well.

Last-ever 34B show: I’ve called it ‘So You Think You Can Tell?’ and am using a cover of Pink Floyd’s song ‘Wish You Were Here’. The routine includes black feather fans with long ribbons, and some powder explosions as well.

Costume hint? Something feminine and powerful and then – and then – a bit of nude skin! A bit of flesh! A bit of one, two. A bit of woo-hoo!

Top 7 Essentials: Hope, optimism, strength, and courage... and sparkles and daisies and all that too.

Favourite 34B memory: All the times on and off stage – is that cheating? I’m going to miss 34B; I’ll miss coming up in the elevator, using the toilet, having the audience eat a taco from my vaginal area…

What: 34B Burlesque 7th Birthday & Last Ever Show When: Friday November 30 – doors open 8.30pm / shows at 9.20pm Where: Q Bar / 44 Oxford Street Featuring: Imogen Kelly, Lola The Vamp, Tasia, Lulu, Lucille Spielfuchs, Rita Fontaine, Holly J’aDoll, Lauren LaRouge, The Big Spenders, Cherry Lush – and more! Plus DJ Goldfoot.

And: The Peel’s ‘newcomers stage’ feat. Memphis Mae, Tootsie Caloola, Pepper Grinde, Bella Bee Sweet, Mystique Rose, Adora Way

Imogen Kelly – photo by Angela McConnell

This petite pin-up is a former member of trailblazing troupe Belladonnas de Lux, and a stalwart presence in Sydney’s neo-burlesque scene. Branson has said of her, “She’s got this amazing presence on stage, this piercing look she gives you – it’s sexy, it’s smouldering... And her shows are really inventive and lots of fun.”

First-ever 34B show: It was a special evening with Belladonnas de Lux – Friday November 11, 2005. We had special guest performers, and performed three troupe numbers and solos. I did a teaser solo as the clean-up maid! The finale was a rock show number where we smashed guitars and I had my first pastie reveal. After that there was no stopping – and lots of popping!

Last-ever 34B show: I’ll be performing a routine called ‘Die Another Day’ – think Geisha assassin.

Costume hint? A flash of metal, a slash of satin.

Top 7 Essentials: A funky tune, a stage to play on, some thing to take off, something to swing around, lights to sparkle, curves to swerve – and most of all, an audience to play to.

Favourite 34B memory: The crazy dancing after each show and the feeling that there was nowhere else in the world like this.

This 6-ft glamazon brings the attitude, the laffs and the party tunes – and for 34B’s last hurrah, she’ll be performing her signature routine. She’s also one half of newcomers night The Peel, with her partner-in-crime Lauren LaRouge.

First-ever 34B show: It was just a couple of years ago, for the Women In Uniform ANZAC show.

I performed a nurse act, and the table holding all of my props (and subsequently all of my comic gags) collapsed and fell flat on the audience in the front row. I attempted to salvage the act by saucily flinging myself around the stage to the stylings of ‘Poison’ by The Prodigy. It was a hot mess – to say the very least.

Last ever 34B show: The 50ft Woman will be tearing down 34B once and for all...

Costume hint? Glamazonian chic.

Top 7 Essentials: Lauren LaRouge. Ghetto nails. Staple gun.

Disco. Fake hair. Vodka martinis.

Sleeping-in.

Favourite 34B memory: I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again – my fave 34B memory is watching in awe as François Bublé ‘took flight’ and soared above the audience, wearing a rather dashing spacesuit.

This damsel of deshabille has been a 34B regular since the very beginning.

She’s fond of ballet shoes, the Belle Epoque and Art Nouveau, and has graced stages from the legendary Crazy Horse in Paris to The Tivoli to Sydney’s infamous Hellfire Club! Ooh-la-la…

First-ever 34B show: March 2005 I think – I was the test case before the decision was made to launch 34B. I did a peacock feather fan dance. A magician was booked alongside me, and his assistant fell on my fans. Yes, they broke – but I still must have gone well...

Last-ever 34B show: A routine called ‘Heatwave’ – because we started this HEATWAVE with 34B. Costume hint? Flowers. Pink.

Top 7: My cat, Lily The Vamp (who is also my choreographer), air travel, pointe shoes, a very large trunk or suitcase, Gypsy jazz, an audience.

Favourite 34B memory: The Penthouse Pet Of The Year Awards in 2008 was pretty amazing. I was mobbed every time I stepped onto the floor!

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Arts Snap

Film & Theatre Reviews

At the heart of the arts Where you went last week...

Hits and misses on the silver screen and the bareboards around town.

■ Film

CELESTE & JESSE FOREVER In cinemas from November 29

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monster children photo annual launch 15:11:12 :: Sun Studios :: Alexandria

Celeste and Jesse’s relationship – supposedly based on first-time screenwriters Jones and McCormack’s much briefer romance and subsequent close friendship – is written as believably as such an unusual arrangement allows. In-jokes, tacit agreements and practiced banter quickly establish Celeste and Jesse as a unit, and Jones carries her side well through the breakup, slowly revealing how intertwined Celeste’s life was in the relationship.

But casting Samberg as the irreplaceable Jesse was a misstep. He and Jones have very little chemistry, which at least helps to drive the idea that they might be better as friends; and while Samberg can be charming, his blank, goofy Jesse comes off like a romcom stock character, the sweet but disposable boyfriend who will be ditched in the second act for the mercurial lead. Jesse is, indeed, barely present in the second half of the film, in favour of focusing on Celeste.

Jones is wonderful in these scenes, as Celeste’s sense of certainty crumbles in the face of life events she can’t control or predict.

The structure of the film is a little messy, but it eventually settles into a picaresque rhythm that feels less like the trusty, predictable architecture of the Hollywood romance and more like the day-by-day slog of overcoming any emotional crisis – there are good bits, bad bits, and mortifying bits, but no easy answers.

invincible fathers

PICS :: PX

Any fan of romantic comedies should be glad to see ‘reverse’ romcom stories like Celeste & Jesse Forever and 500 Days of Summer gaining in popularity; unresolved sexual tension and happy endings are the primary components of some of the best films ever made, but watching people have their happy endings challenged or demolished in the most common and devastating of ways feels somehow healthier, and when done well, is secretly more interesting.

16:11:12 :: China Heights :: 16-28 Foster St Surry Hills

What's in our diary...

CLUB CAB SAV’S EARLY XMAS EISTEDDFOD Wednesday November 28, 8.30pm FBi Social @ Kings Cross Hotel For their final instalment this year, Club Cab Sav are decking their hall with bough-shaped performance and comedy from Charlie Garber (Masterclass), Nick Coyle (Me Pregnant!), Kenzie Larsen (Tee-Shirts By Kenzie!), Phil Spencer (Tamarama Rock Surfers AD), Matt Prest (The Whelping Box), Emma Beech, Brian Fuata, Romi Graham, Zoe Robertson, Nitin Vengurlekar and Quizzle Schizzle host Zoe Coombs Marr. And just to up the creative ante and get the competitive juices flowing, they’ve called it an Eisteddfod – so prepare for an onslaught of one-upmanship from which only the audience will emerge the winner… Tix are $10 on the door, see you there.

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■ Film

THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER In cinemas from November 29

Arts Exposed Artwork by Kenzie!

Caitlin Welsh

If you’ve ever been wooed via mixtape (or just wish you had), had a crush on the aloof older guy/girl, vividly remember the time you discovered The Smiths or David Bowie, or felt like high school was hell and you just didn’t fit in – have I got all of you yet? – then the chances are you’ll be thoroughly charmed by this film. And that’s not even counting the massive swathe of kids born after ’85 who went nuts for the original book when they were teens. Don’t try and read it now – written as a series of letters by a 13-year-old, it’s probably insufferable. But writer Steven Chbosky has, against the odds, distilled the Breakfast Club-by essence of his book, cast it perfectly, and translated it to the screen with humour and pathos.

The setting is a Pittsburgh high school in the ‘90s, where freshman Charlie (played by the too-adorable Logan Lerman) is trying to fly under the radar and survive his first year. Then something happens – he meets Patrick (Ezra Miller, doing a 180 from We Need To Talk About Kevin), the school gay, and Patrick’s stepsister Sam (Emma Watson – so sexy, so understated), previously the

With a plot about as subtle as a sledgehammer, compounded by the occasional reliance on earnest voiceover narration, the casting is crucial – getting the chemistry right, and turning these archetypes into living breathing teens, whose struggles with sexual abuse, drugs, sexuality and depression never veer into the mawkish.

Watson and Miller are the perfect platonic couple, and Lerman, best known for his tweenage Percy Jackson films and soon to be spotlighted in Darren Aronofsky’s epic Noah, has emotional intelligence to burn.

There’s also Paul Rudd, playing the English teacher you wish you had.

The stand-out performance, however, is Chbosky: his style is simple and stylish, his adaption of his own narrative is (for the most part) impressively restrained, and he’s managed to capture great, natural performances. If you can stretch your credulity to meet the premises of his plot, you should find yourself fist-pumping your way to the credits. If only high school was actually like this…

Dee Jefferson ■ Theatre

I, ANIMAL Nightly til February / Melbourne Zoo The title didn’t engender expectations, and neither did the promotional material – so as crowds gathered outside Melbourne Zoo for the opening of their nightly ‘theatrical’ tour, I, Animal, the atmosphere was inquisitive. We were handed an iPod Touch on a lanyard and a pair of headphones, and a countdown appeared on the screen; 30 minutes later, a woman’s voice spoke to us through the headphones. In a theatrical version of a silent disco, the crowd was split into four and led off in different directions, touring through the zoo on a spiritual journey inspired by its inhabitants – to an atmospheric soundtrack playing through your headphones.

As you walk, guided by the audio directions, graphics appear on your iPod Touch and stories (as collected from the keepers and friends of the zoo) are narrated – some info-centric, others dark tales of heartache, violence, broken promises. Outside the baboons' cage, half of my small group was told, through our headphones, to act like monkeys. The other half watched in amusement. Meanwhile, the narrator explained that baboons in captivity tend to be afraid of the open skies. Later, stopped outside the lions’ den, we were told of a man who was viciously mauled when he snuck into their cage to conquer his fear.

Performers appear casually throughout the journey, adding a surreal edge; in the baboon enclosure, for example, a man dressed in a spacesuit emerged from the foliage and wandered the enclosure, to illustrate the animals’ inquisitive nature.

The I, Animal experience, developed by Melbourne Zoo in conjunction with Adelaide theatremakers The Border Project and tech developers The Art Processors, is designed to relate the experience of the animals to our existence as humans, blurring the lines between ‘us’ and our animal co-habitants. It must be said, however, that for the time spent at the zoo, the number of actual animal sightings was pretty low – and the promise of an ‘animalistic’ experience was not entirely delivered. It was nevertheless an emotive and informative journey (albeit the delivery occasionally feels condescending), and a fluid theatrical experience. And it really does bring out your childish side – including separating you from the people you came with. Perhaps, on this note, don’t take a date.

Bella Arnott-Hoare

See www.thebrag.com for more arts reviews

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Lifelong friends Jesse (Andy Samberg) and Celeste (Rashida Jones) fell in love, were married for six years, and then separated amicably. So amicably, in fact, that their friends (Ari Graynor, Eric Christian Olsen, Will McCormack, and an underused, hilarious Elijah Wood) are “creeped out” and worried that the two can’t let go of one another. Celeste, who works as a trend forecaster – the exact sort of glam-yetrevealing career romcom heroines always seem to have – is then blindsided when Jesse is the one to take the first big step away.

school slut. He falls in love. They’re both older, but powerless against Charlie’s doeeyed innocence, and so they adopt him into their merry bunch of misfits – including the feminist vegan punk, the goth, the closeted jock and the stoner. They feed him hash-brownies, LSD and good music, and introduce him to the queer delights of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Before you can say ‘ch-ch-changes’, Charlie’s high-school hell has turned into high school hell-yeah – all he’s missing is the girl.

Film & Theatre Reviews Hits and misses on the silver screen and the bareboards around town.

■ Theatre

HARVEST FESTIVAL November 17 / Parramatta Park In its second year, Harvest festival has dropped the ‘Civilised Gathering’ tag but lost none of its cultural heft. Its dedicated Harvest Arts program is a point of difference when compared to many other festivals: the Sydney instalment hosted five separate spaces for arts, bursting with artists from as far afield as the wilds of north-western Ireland and Marrickville. I kicked off my day in The Snuff Box, with local troupe The Glitter Militia grinding on poles around me for 15 slightly bewildering minutes – at which point I wandered next door to Le Boudoir, where Illawarra comic Shane Matheson was performing as part of the Vaudevillage lineup. Tackling some technical misfires and audience ambivalence, he nevertheless persevered, eliciting less laughs than he deserved with a bit about an absurdist Australian opera called ‘Ya Bloody Mongrel’.

I decamped down the hill to catch Rediscovered & Found Footage at The Campfire Stage, hosted by local cinema legend Jay Katz (Mu-Meson Archives). Katz has a passion for the weird and wonderful, so it was hardly surprising to find myself greeted first by footage of a young Andrew Denton, followed by full-frontal male nudity.

The performance by noise anarchists Lubricated Goat on Denton’s late-'80s Blah Blah Blah program was impressive, but I was lured back up the hill by the promise of sword-swallowing.

Back in the confines of Le Boudoir, MC Shep Huntly busily built hype for the arrival of The League Of Sideshow Superstars.

Bums had barely touched the grass and The Great Gordo Gamsby had already slipped a fucking sword down his oesophagus. Before anyone could recover, the blade slipped out – and hula hooper Lilikoi Kaos slunk onstage to fulfill the cabaret element of the

Street Level WITH

CAL WILSON

people feel comfortable having a chat. Also, the audience gets to choose what I talk about, so it’s a topic they want to hear, and probably have a story of their own about.

performance.

Back at The Campfire Stage, Irishman Aindrias De Staic was regaling the crowd with tales of wicked men and wiser women.

As the fiddle hummed and hawed, the man from Galway’s eyes flashed and soon the audience was blissfully singing back choruses about being ‘Covered in concrete / Covered in shite!’ An enthusiastic Italian man managed to lose his trousers multiple times on the little wooden stage, which, Aindrias informed me afterwards, is not the first time that has happened at one of his shows.

And what are some of the best/weirdest stories you gleaned from your Melbourne and New Zealand shows? I think my favourite is the guy who said his parents told him, when he was four, that “every time you burst a helium balloon, Jesus kills a dolphin.” Apparently birthday parties were quite stressful for him as a kid.

How much of what you write for your shows is generally based on your own life, versus made up? It’s usually all based on real life. Sometimes the punchline will be an embellishment, but it’s mostly all true. Real life is far more ludicrous than anything you can invent.

Meanwhile, sibling cabaret-pop act Bourgeois & Maurice (UK) were rocking Le Boudoir with songs about the apocalypse and Rupert Murdoch, with Maurice’s vocal inflections and stage antics whipping the tent into frenzied laughter. Baltimore-based burlesque and acrobatic duo Trixie Little & The Evil Hate Monkey further consolidated the tent’s rap-sheet of professional performance with their super-tight act, emerging on stage almost entangled, with Monkey singing to Trixie as she removed her ingenious banana peel dress. Freakish physical skills were matched by charismatic in-character performance, making for a set both funny and thrilling.

As the day wore on, the shuffle between the festival high ground of Le Boudoir and the lower climes of The Campfire Stage became easier. Even the missteps, such as the experimental theatre by the Tin Shed and Clockfire companies (lo-fi to the point of seeming shabby, possibly due to limited resources), were quickly forgotten in a manic jumble of entertainment. Finally, down at the Comedy Picnic, Genevieve Fricker was on hand to ease exhausted punters into their evening, sweetly singing about childhood... and the virtues of dead enemies. Morbid, strange and musical – a good moment to bow out and head for the bands.

Benjamin Cooper

“The most outrageously funny woman alive”

How did you get so good at improv? I started out doing Theatresports at high school.

Then we started a late night comedy improv show in my hometown of Christchurch; 20 years later, it’s still going strong. Thank God You’re Here was one of my favourite TV gigs ever – such a treat to do!

Cal, with 1000% more ears

S

he’s a pocket-rocket of fierce improvisational powers, who was selected to sit alongside Stephen Fry and Alan Davies as part of their QI Live tour last year – but unless you’re a fan of Thank God You’re Here, Spicks & Specks and Good News Week, you might not have heard of her yet…

Cal makes her Sydney debut this week at the Comedy Store, with her hit Melbourne Comedy Festival show All Ears – in which she goes on an Easter-egg hunt for strange-tale-treats amongst her audience…

So how do you get the audience members to share their stories with you? I start off by telling stories of my own – weird or embarrassing moments – and that usually reminds people of experiences they’ve had.

I think I’m pretty non-threatening onstage, so

When’s the last time you felt extremely embarrassed? I sent a text to the wrong person…I can’t – I can’t even tell you...(but I’ll tell you, if you ask me in the show).

How'd you get into this industry? I studied drama at university, did loads of improv, and aside from working in a supermarket, and a couple of pubs, I’ve been lucky enough that all my jobs have been in the industry – either writing or performing. Oh and I did teach sex education in high schools, which was a big learning experience for everybody – me included.

What: Cal Wilson Is All Ears When: Thursday November 29 & Friday November 30 at 7pm Where: Sydney Comedy Store / Entertainment Quarter, Moore Park More: comedystore.com.au

ROLLING STONE

WITH SPECIAL GUESTS

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FEATURING:

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HURRY! THIS WEEK

JOHN REILLY, BECKY STARK & TOM BROSSEAU

LIVE IN CONCERT, AN INTIMATE ACOUSTIC EVENING OF COUNTRY, FOLK & ROOTS MUSIC

Sydney The Factory Theatre

MONDAY DECEMBER 3 02 9020 6966 or factorytheatre.com.au, 132 849 or ticketek.com.au livenation.com.au

ON SALE NOW BRAG :: 490 :: 26:11:12 :: 27

Album Reviews What's been crossing our ears this week...

ALBUM OF THE WEEK an uncanny instinct for song-craft, and a haunting melodic sensibility.

CRYSTAL CASTLES Crystal Castles III Fiction / Shock

Crystal Castles didn’t seem like the kind of band who would make it to three albums. When they arrived half a decade ago in a squall of electronic distortion and guttural howling, they seemed destined to burn out pretty fast – possibly tear-gassed to death by riot police at one of their notorious illegal warehouse shows. And yet, here we are.

KORA

TIGA

Light Years Remote Control It seems as though the Kiwis have got something on us when it comes to serious genre cross-pollination.

Comedically, they’ve trumped us with Flight Of The Conchords, who can go from alt-country to rapping in the middle-8 section of a funk number before reaching an ad break, and musically they’ve most recently boasted the return of Kora, whose latest offering spans Parliament-style panache, hip hop, dub, funk and synth rock, to name just a few.

Light Years is an 11-track record borne out of a four-year hiatus for brothers Laughton, Stuart, Francis and Brad, as well as ‘brother-in-arms’ Dan McGruer. The album ambitiously delves into oddity, while calculably retaining radio appeal. Tracks ‘Dream Life’ and single release ‘Story Ain’t Over’ are emblems of what anchors a lot of the album: bombastic, arpeggiated chords, four-part harmonies, and heavy synths. At times it feels as though Outkast could’ve penned some of the tunes; Kora strive for the same tandem between stylistic electronica and measured acoustic tuning.

Space exploration is an overarching theme: Dan McGruer has affirmed that “the whole thing with space is that is represents the unknown, and that’s how we feel about our music; taking things out of space and onto the next level.” And while this idea has been imagined by many who have come before, Kora have an interesting handle on cosmo-quirk and pop sensibilites, through their stylised vocal treatments, overdriven basslines and psych-synths, structured through tight pop progressions.

Light Years balances commerical clout with conceptual quirk, and leaves one guessing what sonic venture Kora will embark on next.

Elle Kennard

A techno connoisseur and Twitter comedian (follow him for quiet chuckles to yourself on the train), Tiga has always been a bit of a juxtaposed character. He blew up in the early 2000s for electro-clash remakes of bad ‘80s songs and cheeky house bootlegs of Nelly, but conversely also ran one of the most innovative and ultimately respected house and techno labels around (Turbo Recordings, folks). His productions are mostly catchy-as-fuck house laden with vocal hooks, while his DJ sets are eclectic affairs awash with acid and techno. His latest mix, Non Stop, sees him find the middle ground.

Starting off slowly at 110bpm, Tiga drowsily introduces a gorgeous number from UK lo-fi electronica artist Kindness, before moving into early ‘90s acid from 4E and Aphex Twin.

Things pick up as he introduces his latest production, ‘Plush’ (co-produced with Matthew Dear), and segues into the main section of the mix, which showcases Tiga's infamous diversity.

There’s big-room house from Duke Dumont (‘Street Walker’ and ‘The Giver’), heavy-hitting Afro-step by Glasgow’s Auntie Flo (‘On My Days’), and the sub-continental organics of Romare’s ‘The Blues (It Began In Africa)’, all mixed seamlessly.

Alasdair Duncan

BJÖRK

Non Stop PIAS Recordings / Liberator Music

Contrary to how it might sound, Björk’s Bastards is not a war movie in which the Icelandic singer assembles a crack team of Nazi hunters and then shrieks the bad guys into submission (although I would totally watch the shit out of that). The truth, sadly, is a little more prosaic: Bastards is a remix collection that takes in songs from her most recent album, Biophilia.

In a lot of ways, it’s a pretty refreshing listen. You might not go as far as to call it ‘fun’, but with a wide array of sounds and textures on offer, it certainly has a sense of adventure and eclecticism that’s been missing from some of Björk’s more recent works.

The last third of Non Stop ventures into true techno realms, punctuated by the galloping percussion of ‘6 To 6 Lick’ by Blawan, as well as a throwback to early ‘80s post-punk minimalism with Crash Course In Science, before the whole thing ends on the raved-out bliss of ‘Total Confusion (Heavenly Mix)’ by A Homeboy, A Hippie & A Funki Dread.

With elements of synth-pop, modern nightclub fodder, Detroit techno, UK rave breakbeat and gloomy analogue electronica, the 28-track, 70-minute Non Stop is not just an interesting, diverse listen – it's also dancefloor-friendly.

No amount of studio trickery can compensate for the fact that Björk’s songs just don’t carry the excitement or melodic heft they used to, but Bastards offers a couple of new tracks for your ‘Best Of Björk’ playlist.

Rick Warner

Alasdair Duncan

Changin’ EP Self-released

Australians have this weird thing where we big up certain bands and completely ignore others, who take it as their cue to travel the world and win hearts abroad before returning for another crack at home.

Electric Empire are massive overseas, and with good reason. They’re a cracking live band that sounds just as good on record, and they write originals that could easily belong in the Motown stable, boasting four all-singing-all-playing legends who clearly know exactly what they’re doing.

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Electric Empire are true DIY. They recorded and distributed their last album

California hardcore punk band Trash Talk are the first non-Odd Future artist signed to the LA rap collective’s label, Odd Future Records. But the band aren’t doing it to ride on the coat-tails of Tyler, Hodgy and co. In fact, most Odd Future fans will probably dislike Trash Talk – abrasive, brutal punk rock doesn’t have the same appeal as Left Brain’s smoked-out beats – although the two groups have more in common than you’d think. Both create mayhem on stage which in turn incites riots in the crowd, and that’s where the bond lies.

Trash Talk’s latest, 119, starts off where their last EP Awake finished.

Clocking in at just over 20 minutes long, the 14-track album is frenetic and brutal. But where Awake hinted at a sludgier, heavier presence, 119 embraces it.

Granted, there's still a massive slab of brain-melting thrash punk like ‘Eat The Cycle’, ‘Bad Habits’ and ‘Exile On Broadway’, but it’s the slower (and when I say “slower”, I mean comparative to the 100 km/h assault usually associated with the band) songs that show a new slant to the Trash Talk sound. ‘Blossom And Burn’, with guest vocals from Tyler, The Creator and Hodgy Beats, is a grinding, imposing beast, with Odd Future screaming alongside vocalist Lee Spielman.

‘Reasons’ is reminiscent of The Melvins or Nirvana, and is as close to a sing-along as you’ll get on the record. Album closer ‘Dogman’, with bassist Spencer Pollard on vocals, is sludgy and growling like a mud dog.

119 is more of the same from Trash Talk, but at 24 minutes it won’t get tiresome. It’s abrasive and acerbic, and it’ll fuck you up.

Rick Warner

themselves, and aside from an outside producer, it’s pretty much the same this time around. That something independent can sound better than what multi-million dollar record studios and session musicians can produce is a serious indication of how good these guys are at what they do. The title track, which takes a darker RnB turn, is perhaps the best sign of where they’re moving stylistically, and it’s absolutely captivating. Don’t sleep on these guys any longer.

Cat Empire left a void for a proper funk and soul band to rule this country. Electric Empire are more than ready to step up.

Jonno Seidler

18 Months Sony Music

119 Odd Future Records

INDIE ALBUM OF THE WEEK Changin’ is a superb introduction for those of us who haven’t been lucky enough to see them on a stage yet. It’s steeped in '60s and '70s soul, but doesn’t come off like a carbon copy. There’s a tip of the hat to Stevie Wonder’s ‘Higher Ground’ on ‘Taking It High’, which pumps up the Fender Rhodes for some serious swing-shuffle action, while ‘Hello Mr. Morning’ is pure Phil Spector territory: delicate acoustic guitar, Miracles harmonies, and blazing brass.

There’s someone different singing lead on every track, which is pretty cute but also a great idea, because they’re all impeccable.

CALVIN HARRIS

TRASH TALK

Bastards Breakaway Recordings

The highlight comes early on, with Hudson Mohawke’s take on ‘Virus’.

The Scottish producer takes the delicate, twinkling original and adds layers of blasting horns and sinister bass vibrations, creating what sounds like an epic lullaby for the end of the world. Experimental hip hop group Death Grips contribute two tracks, adding a stuttering, not-quite-dubstep beat to ‘Sacrifice’, and pumping ‘Thunderbolt’ full of pneumatic hisses and clattering percussive sounds.

Syria’s Omar Souleyman also shows up twice, fusing hypnotic Middle Eastern vibes onto ‘Thunderbolt’ and ‘Crystalline’, at times turning Björk into a backing vocalist on her own songs.

Alva Noto adds a distorted beat to ‘Dark Matter’, turning it into something of a Homogenic throwback, while The Slips’ version of ‘Moon’ sounds like it came right off the Bubble Bobble soundtrack.

ELECTRIC EMPIRE

Xxxx photo by xxx

Alice and Ethan might be the dark, tormented souls they claim to be, or they might just be playing dress-ups. Either way, the music is compelling as ever.

Alice Glass and Ethan Kath like to cultivate an outsider-y image, offering up regular sound bites concerning their disdain for mainstream culture, and bragging about their near-homeless existence.

Since their breakthrough second album, however, it has become clear that underneath the punk rock posturing and the layers of crusted-on eyeliner lurks

Their third self-titled album does away with some of the more extreme elements of the first two. Gone are the screaming fits and eardrum-shattering electronic blasts; instead, Crystal Castles III focuses on the spookier side of the duo’s sound, taking songs that are crystalline and beautiful at their core, and wrapping them in layers of woozy, unsettling noise. Past single ‘Celestica’ is a blueprint for many of the tracks here – you’d almost say that the album edges close to something like pop, were it not for Alice’s unremittingly fucked-up lyrics about topics like rinsing wounds out with kerosene. There’s enough variation in the sound to keep things interesting, too – ‘Sad Eyes’ is a throwback to early ‘90s rave music, and closing song ‘Child I Will Hurt You’ finds catharsis through hazy, twinkling bells.

Is there any point in getting your hands on an album when you’ve already heard six singles from it? Well, frankly, yes – because any record that can spawn that many hits that don’t make you want to shoot nails into your brain is more than worthy of your attention.

Calvin Harris has graduated from the smart-arse Scottish electro kid at the back of the classroom to a bona fide world-beater, and he’s done it so quickly that it’s easy to forget he once wrote a disco jam about people taking drugs inside of his house. The slithery bass is replaced by a wall of sound these days, and the cheekiness with hands-open euphoria – but I’ll be damned if Harris doesn’t write some of the best hooks on the planet. And his reservoirs seem to be bottomless.

If you’ve been following the trajectory from ‘We Found Love’ through to ‘Sweet Nothing’ (both frontrunners for ‘Life-Affirming Song Of The Year’), the new things you’re going to hear on 18 Months are a few lighter pop numbers with female vocalists like Ellie Goulding, some brilliant instrumental meanderings that are perhaps the most entertaining of all, and two ridiculous party jams with UK rap kingpins Dizzee Rascal and Tinie Tempah that will keep Harris on the charts well into 2013.

But it’s when he takes the mic himself, on the still-excellent ‘Feels So Close’, that you realise that the collaborators are only as good as the man who writes the blasting synth lines behind them. He’s not there yet, but Calvin Harris may become the vital antidote to David Guetta yet.

Close your eyes and open your hands; this is what being young, stupid and free is all about.

Jonno Seidler

OFFICE MIXTAPE And here are the albums that have helped BRAG HQ get through the week...

THE PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART - Belong NICKI MINAJ - Pink Friday (deluxe edition) RICHARD IN YOUR MIND - My Volcano

CLOUD NOTHINGS - Attack On Memory HOLY FUCK - Latin

Remedy

More Than The Cure Since 1989 with Murray Engleheart

HENDRIX RETURNS

And the Hendrix stuff keeps coming, with a new record of fresh material due for release in March. The cringingly named People, Hell And Angels (the quality of the titles seems to be getting worse and worse…) is drawn from the ’68-’69 sessions for his follow-up to Electric Ladyland (released posthumously in 1997 as First Rays Of The New Rising Sun). In further Hendrixness, his set from Woodstock hits big screens across the world from late November, in a series of one-off screenings. In Sydney, you can catch the film – titled Hendrix 70: Live At Woodstock – at Dendy Newtown or Paddington’s Chauvel Cinema on Wednesday November 28, at 7pm.

AEROSMITH

There’s reports of strife in camp Aerosmith – the band once tipped to replace The Stones in the down-and-dirty rock’n’roll stakes, but who ended up being best known for the fact that Steven Tyler was a judge on a TV talent show. Sad, ain’t it?

They’re been running on remote for 20-plus years, with a long line of bog average records to their ‘credit’. REM bowed out later than they should have, but at least in the end they knew when enough was enough.

Aerosmith, however, seem to think that there’s virtue in persistence. There is, of course – but only when you’ve got strong shit to persist with…

CRIMSON LIPS

Not satisfied with their remake and remodel of Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon, The Flaming Lips have recorded various songs from King Crimson’s debut, The Court of the Crimson King, including the classic (and for us, only decent track on the entire thing) ‘21st Century Schizoid Man’.

FLAMING RADIO

Speaking of rock’s Mr Perpetual Motion: Wayne Coyne and fellow Flaming Lip Steven Drozd are to be the central feature in a live radio show called Wayne Coyne’s Human Head-Shaped Tumor. It’ll be a weird wonderful story along the very lines the title describes, featuring live tunes and things from the Lips, Okkervil River’s Will Sheff, Eleanor ‘Fiery Furnaces’ Friedberger, Jack Wayne Coyne

Hitt (This American Life, Harper’s), Paul F. Tompkins (The Pod F. Tompkast, Thrilling Adventure Hour, Mr. Show), Bill Callahan (aka Smog), Nico Muhly, Fat Bobby and Kid Millions (Oneida), and Grizzly Bear’s Ed Droste. The show will be broadcast live on November 24 and 25 at 5pm via KCRW, and Sydneysiders can stream it at KCRW.com from noon on Sunday November 25 and Monday November 26.

It will, apparently, be available to listen to ‘whenever’ at some point in the near future.

POWER OF THE RIFF

There’s more big bad metal noise coming from the Power Of The Riff folks late in the year, but sadly it won’t be buffeting these shores. High On Fire, Sunn O))), Corrosion Of Conformity, Black Breath, Dead In The Dirt and more will be levelling LA on December 20. Read it and weep, at thepoweroftheriff.com

BEAUTIFUL BUCKS

There’s another movie in the making that needs some dollars in order to be properly completed. This one is by Eric Green, and it’s called Beautiful Noise – with noise being the operative term. It focuses on the so-called ‘shoegaze’ thing in the UK, with bands like My Bloody Valentine, The Jesus And Mary Chain, Ride and Swervedriver, and interviews including Jim Reid, Kevin Shields and Bobby Gillespie. Green is hoping to raise $75,000

by December 15 in order to complete the project; you can chip in at kickstarter.com

DIG IT UP! 2

Yeah! The Dig It Up! Festival will be back in April next year, with Hoodoo Gurus once again front and centre, as both curators and performers. And some of the names that we’ve heard being thrown around for inclusion on next year’s bill will make it a more than worthy follow-up...

ALBUM LAUNCH

GOODGOD SMALL CLUB 53-55 LIVERPOOL STREET, SYDNEY NSW

FRI 7TH DECEMBER 2012 8:00PM Special Guest MUNKIMUK Tickets $12 at door | P: (02) 8084 0587 Tickets also available at www.moshtix.com.au 1300 GET TIX (438 849) and all moshtix outlets

SWANS

There’s a great story about a Swans’ show back in the ‘80s (when they were at their most minimal and physically punishing): It was at sound check, and the individual who was standing in front of the PA when the system was suddenly switched on was reportedly thrown several metres across the room by the force of the sound. A recent gig by the band in Manchester conjured up similar visions, with reports that two people in the crowd fainted from the weight of it all.

But it might also have just been the heat.

Bet they can do those numbers and more when they hit here again in the new year.

BLACK SABBATH AGAIN

Hard on the heels of the Led Zeppelin catalogue being redone for vinyl comes word that Black Sabbath are doing the same thing. The results will be available in December, as a single boxed set called simply The Vinyl Collection: 1970-1978, featuring a book, posters from back in the day, and even a single of ‘Evil Woman’.

Progress is continuing on the new album with producer Rick Rubin – but to be honest, we don’t really care.

ON THE TURNTABLE On the Remedy turntable is Creedence’s self-titled debut – it's a long way from their later efforts, which were all seemingly packed with consecutive top-ten singles. This is more an exercise in swamp blues that’s really probably closer to swamp punk. Also spinning is UV Race’s glorious, sneering and snotty new album, Racism, which sets a new benchmark for Oz punk – even if the guy does sound at times (to these ears at least) like a young Pete Shelley from The Buzzcocks.

Xxxx

TOUR AND INDUSTRY NEWS Punk rock demi-gods The Descendents return to our shores in 2013, for the first time in a thousand years. They’ll be joined by The Bouncing Souls, Frenzal Rhomb and Bodyjar. On February 7 they’ll be at the Big Top Luna Park, in a show opened by Irrelevant.

The Factory, with Major Tom And The Atoms and DJ Rusty; and on December 8 at Goodgod Small Club, with Straight Arrows, the not-so-cryptically-named Dull City Destroyers, and a solo spot from Daniel Darling of Kill City Creeps and Dolly Rocker Movement fame.

The Pretty Things, with original 'Stone Dick Taylor, will be here in a few weeks.

On December 5 they’re playing at Lizottes Dee Why, with support from the mighty Johnny Casino and Carrie Phillis & The Downtown 3; on December 7 at

Ed Kuepper once again teams masterfully with drummer Mark Dawson in January.

Dates are January 17 at Newcastle’s Lizottes; January 18 at Notes Live! in Newtown; and January 19 at Katoomba’s Clarendon Hotel.

Send stuff to remedy@ozemail.com.au by 6pm Wednesdays.

Pics to art@thebrag.com www.facebook.com/remedy4rock BRAG :: 490 :: 26:11:12 :: 29

live reviews what we've been to see...

HARVEST FESTIVAL Saturday November 17 Parramatta Park

Leaving straight after Sigur Rós’ last mindblowing bar, we descended in a surge on Parramatta Station at 10.20pm.

It was a make or break moment for Harvest Festival. A glacier-like throng of humans carried us slowly up the stairs onto the already jam-packed platform, and miraculously we surged into the waiting train. We couldn’t possibly fit safely or comfortably, and we didn’t – yet the mood in my carriage was neither frustrated nor unfriendly. My head was stuck in three separate armpits whose owners smiled down apologetically; a jolly, huge-bellied man close by politely sucked it in the whole way home; and when a skittish girl was driven by some unknown force (acid) to lie prostrate on the train floor, we climbed over and on top of each other to help let it happen for her. The long, late train ride home to Redfern was jovial, communal, well-behaved, and indicative of Harvest as a whole: we were all in this together, in a way unimaginable at other major summer events – no drunken fights or pukes, no offence or leering gropers. There’s still no better way to rediscover faith in festivals than a day spent at Harvest.

In its second year, the boutique event was focused on good, older bands for good, older people. Ben Folds Five, Beck, Cake, Sigur Rós and The Dandy Warhols were all throwbacks to a pre-hype time – a time before festivals sold out in a second, back when ticket-

holders wore sensible shoes and hats.

There were tiny lines for the toilets and no lines for the bar, and even though they only had half-strength beer or sickly pear cider left way too early in the piece, no one got as horrifically day-drunk as they seem to at most other festivals. The police strolled around the ample, sun-dappled grounds pleasantly – this was quite literally a walk in the park for them – and banana promotion staff were handing out free fruit all day, curing the queues for festival food. (Sidenote: littering a site with banana peels provides excellent slapstick fodder in between-band downtime.)

With the exception of the electro beats that floated through parts of Sigur Rós’ set (turning them, hilariously, into a convincing trance act), the sound all day was faultless.

Although Liars are emphatically not a daytime band, they and Silversun Pickups were early highlights. Mondo Cane – Mike Patton’s Italian opera, performed by a 12-piece string section, plus choir and band – was impenetrable wank to anyone who didn’t know exactly what was going on (and even to some who did), but it arrived just in time for a late lunch on the grass.

EMMYLOU HARRIS AND HER RED DIRT BOYS The State Theatre Thursday November 15

An opening act has never had it as good as Ben Abrahams did at The State Theatre tonight. As he walked out to surely the largest stage he’s ever played, the young Victorian was greeted by a sea of smiling silver heads. The folk troubadour cracked a big, good-bloke grin and the entire theatre fell in love with him instantly.

He might have been delaying the silver ones from seeing The Silver Lady, but his charming manner easily lent itself to a bit of banter with the crowd, which probably saved anyone from noticing the incredibly bland songs. By the time he closed with ‘Someone Else’s Mother’ – an obviously heartfelt, but entirely overwrought mess of confession and empathy – I was genuinely concerned for the cardiac rhythms of many in the crowd.

Emmylou Harris led her Red Dirt Boys onto the stage to rapturous applause from the suddenly enlivened audience. She

stands a foot taller than her band, and as she strapped on an acoustic and started to play, it was clear that, despite some obvious illness, she can still perform with a vibrance that belies her 65 years.

Opening with ‘Home Sweet Home’ from last year’s Hard Bargain gave an early indication of a set that would be heavy on the Jay Joyce-produced album. The ensemble moved from the mournful stray-dog anthem ‘Big Black Dog’ to the deeply personal ‘Darlin’ Kate’, a tribute to Harris’ friend and frequent collaborator Kate McGarrigle, following her death from cancer in 2010.

It was when Phil Madeira’s accordion softly wheezed to life on ‘My Name Is Emmett Till’ that even the barest remnants of background chatter ceased. As Emmylou said later, even though we’re Australian, the spectral ballad of racial suffering amid an awakening national consciousness takes on a special significance at this time of American change.

Benjamin Cooper

You’ll only love Cake live if you really love Cake, in which case you know all the words to all the songs and talk-sing them back with white-boy hip hop hand gestures.

Ben Folds Five were another dorky delight, and played ‘Brick’ for the first time in Sydney (their new stuff was, for the most part, irrelevant), before Beck apologised for his last lacklustre appearance in Sydney, then swiftly made up for it with a set that dipped into almost every album, leaving the hits until the giddy end.

By that stage, though, we were watching the sun set behind Grizzly Bear, who were playing a warm, emotive set to a sparse and cuddly crowd. The one-two punch of the Brooklyn boys followed by the monumental, jaw-dropping and spine-tingling Sigur Rós (not a dry eye in ‘Hoppipolla’, thank you very much) carried us in the highest of spirits all the way back home.

PHOTOGRAPHER :: TIM LEVY

Steph Harmon

BECK, DARK HORSES The State Theatre Wednesday November 14

Beck’s last tour was a disappointment.

Apparently stricken by sickness, he made his way through a lukewarm, gimmicky set at the short-lived V Festival that left casual fans and diehards alike somewhat aggrieved. Five years later, it still seemed to be on peoples’ minds as he toured the country with Harvest – another big, new festival. Only this time, Sydney got a one-off headline show too.

Dark Horses are on a dream first tour of Australia, performing at Harvest and supporting Beck and Sigur Rós at their headline shows. A band that seem to have more hype than track record, they performed with an emphasis on atmospherics that reaped mixed rewards.

At times the dynamic built towards some great climaxes, particularly towards the end of the set, but at other times they seemed to take themselves too seriously, and couldn’t quite sell the brooding darkness that they were acting out.

With Dark Horses’ gear making way for a bare, curtain-backed stage, Beck sauntered onstage, ad-libbing slide guitar riffs before launching into ‘Loser’ as the curtains were raised, revealing his full Odelay-era band, PHOTOGRAPHER :: ASHLEY MAR

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much to the audience’s delight. And that was the beginning of a two-hour hit parade that barely let up, reaching as far back as Stereopathetic Soulmanure, all the way up to latest record, Modern Guilt.

Beck has an eclectic discography, and with the disappointing exception of Midnite Vultures, all of his major-label albums got a look-in. It made for a show that was lengthy but never grew tired, often focusing on eras or sounds and leaving them before they had a chance to outstay their welcome. And so an early part of the set dominated by Odelay material gave way to newer material, followed by the show’s highlight: a sequence of Sea Changeera songs. With the addition of several covers, it was a stripped-back series that showcased Beck’s fantastic voice, and let his simplified songwriting shine through.

It also perfectly suited The State Theatre’s seated layout, which didn’t click quite so well at other times. The more exuberant material sounded great, but one wonders what could’ve happened if the energy in the audience had met the energy on stage for the whole show, rather than just the ending – a celebratory set-closer of ‘Where It’s At’ that finally found the audience on their feet, and kept them there for an encore of ‘Minus’ and ‘E-Pro’.

Adam Lewis

live reviews what we've been to see...

RKE PHOTOGRAPHER :: KATRINA CLA

COLDPLAY, THE TEMPER TRAP, THE PIERCES Allianz Stadium Saturday November 17

multi-sensory spectacle that is Chris Martin and co. in full flight on a multi-thrust stage, and projected across the entire back of the stadium.

Taking your much younger sister to a Coldplay concert is a surefire way to get a jump on Sibling Of The Year. Unfortunately the entire city seemed to have had the same idea. The limited pedestrian access for kilometres around Allianz Stadium ruled out the possibility of seeing New York folk duo The Pierces. Thankfully, Melbourne’s The Temper Trap wasted little time in lifting spirits, opening with the piercing ‘London’s Burning’ before rattling off a roll call of hits, concluding with the massive ‘Sweet Disposition’.

The explosive streams of glitter flying through the air and the sizable haul of pyrotechnics on display throughout the show leant an element of spectacle to what, despite the size of the venue, was always going to a love-in between the city and four Englishmen. As Martin professed his love for Sydney from a pop-up stage during the encore's ‘Speed Of Sound’, it struck me that I was experiencing my own ‘first’: after years of stadium gigs I finally felt a joyous intimacy with a band, despite their distance.

After entering to the heady beats of Jay Z’s gangsta-pop anthem ‘99 Problems’, Coldplay made the unusual choice of opening with a one-two combination of recent single ‘Hurts Like Heaven’ and the introspective ‘In My Place’. But the shift from stadium-friendly fare to the far more personal ballad was hardly noticeable: all bodies were caught up in the

In the midst of this personal epiphany, the familiar first notes of ‘Clocks’ rang out from the main stage, and the band appeared from some secret tunnel to conclude proceedings in a shower of confetti and epic entertainment.

Benjamin Cooper

PHOTOGRAPHER :: ASHLEY MAR

THE WAR ON DRUGS, GOOD HEAVENS Oxford Art Factory Thursday November 15

Much has been made of Good Heavens’ rock pedigree (two ex-Wolfmothers and a theredsunband-er), but at the end of the day it comes down to whether they can play decent music. And they can. It’s very distorted and so slow that at times it’s like wading through molasses, but Sarah Kelly is captivating, and the music builds up until you’re completely surrounded by a buzzing wall of sound. It’s sort of like listening to an (albeit noisier) Mazzy Star circa-1994, and that’s never a bad thing.

Philadelphians The War On Drugs also play fuzzy, distorted, guitar-driven rock, but their influences are more wide-ranging.

Throughout their set there are echoes of Dylan, Springsteen and Petty, interwoven with sparkling synths and ambient guitar riffs.

The band put on a great show, with frontman Adam Granduciel shaking sweat over the

adoring front rows, and hunching over his guitar to pick out quietly awesome solos.

‘Baby Missiles’ was a stand out, with its building organ and dance-inducing chorus.

The guy in the very front row was having a divine experience, beating the stage and rocking out with dance moves from the school of Ian Curtis.

CAKE

The Metro Theatre Thursday November 15 “This is an evening with one band. We have plenty of time, we are opening for ourselves, and we are playing two sets. With an intermission. How civilised is that?”

They played songs from across their three albums – ‘Arms Like Boulders’ and a stirring rendition of ‘Buenos Aires Beach’ from 2008’s Wagonwheel Blues, through to ‘Black Water Falls’ from this year’s Slave Ambient – and it was a fantastic show from a band that is willing to go beyond just simple Americana. With a shout out from Adam – “This is our last song, we’re all going to Tio’s!” – they prepared to wrap things up. That last song turned out to be a ten-minute face-melting jam of ‘A Needle In Your Eye #16’ and then the band left the stage with a wave, leaving only a cloud of feedback in their wake.

So proclaims John McCrea at the top of Cake’s Harvest sideshow. It’s not entirely true. Yes, Cake are the only act on stage tonight, and they split the gig conveniently in half – but civility?

Only to a point. “It’s a good thing that I’m not a star,” McCrea drawls over ‘Sad Songs And Waltzes’, the Willie Nelson cover that opens the set, but the Cake singer knows he’s won the room by the second verse anyway.

Natalie Amat RKE PHOTOGRAPHER :: KATRINA CLA

GRIZZLY BEAR, KIRIN J. CALLINAN The Metro Theatre Friday November 16

It was always going to be interesting to see how the crowd took the opening set tonight.

Kirin J. Callinan signed to Chris Taylor’s Terrible Records imprint earlier this year, but that’s about all he has in common with Grizzly Bear – especially the Grizzly Bear who brought us this year’s hyper-digestible Shields, which peaked inside the top 20 of the ARIA album charts. Callinan, on the other hand, is an aesthetically confronting king of dissonance and ominous drone, best suited to the sweaty floor of a dank, crowded warehouse. But although The Metro stage dwarfed his band, little was lost in translation. Eyes were glued to the bare-chested figure twisting across the smoke-filled stage as huge sound constructions swept over the room, with only the Australian drawl reminding us that he was of this world. And then, the moment we’d been waiting for: “Put your shirt back on!” yelled a drunk idiot up the front. (…Some say it was followed by “You faggot!”)

The four men who took the stage next arrived with a charming lack of ceremony. They shuffled on with shy grins, and stood at their instruments in a democratic row: friendly, dressed-down boys-next-door, who happened to find the right sound at the right time.

It was immediately clear how much effort, arrangement and skill has gone into the Grizzly Bear live show. From the first few opening bars of Shields highlight ‘Speak In Rounds’, the deft reconstruction of such complex, layered, unhinged pop was astonishing, and fascinating to watch.

Edward Droste, Daniel Rossen and Chris Taylor move like fluid from one instrument to the next – sometimes after only a few bars – building rich latticeworks of sound above which their voices rise and dip together. At one with the scattered, faultless percussion of Chris Bear, their faces were so focused it was hard to imagine they could be having nearly as much fun as the crowd.

Of course, this has long been a criticism of Grizzly Bear: too much careful detail and technical skill (what the New York Times called “suffocating fussiness”), in place of simpler heart. Yet while their music is meticulous, occasionally mathematical, their live show is warm, raw, and not nearly as earnest as it could be. With a focus on Shields, but regular dips into Veckatamist and Yellow House (and a few Horn Of Plenty cameos, although their older fans seem to be few and far between these days), Grizzly Bear’s set was dappled with humorous banter and a few charming mistakes – when Rossen had to stop and tune during a stirring ‘While You Wait’, his friends turned into a cheesy funk band, drawing attention to him instead of letting it go unnoticed.

By the time their set finished – “Thanks for spending your Friday night with us,” Droste said. “We’ll find somewhere to go afterwards?” – it really felt like the celebrated, hyped, then backlashed Grizzly Bear were just four talented guys who’d worked their butts off and needed a beer.

Steph Harmon

What eventuates thereafter is an evening of grown-ups (there are few adolescents among this audience) doing things that grown-up civilisation would normally look down upon.

For the first half-dozen songs, every trumpet blast and vibraslap buzz wins unrestrained yelps of approval; most of the people here tonight sing most of the words to all of the material, and later they even applaud the grapefruit tree that shares centre stage with the frontman.

The other four members of Cake play a tight show, but McCrea’s personality is in command – and perhaps like no other singer, McCrea’s personality is his voice. His ambling Californian speak-song reflects perfectly the laconic yet sharply cynical man in charge of it. And it’s precisely because McCrea is so understated that every vocal tic and wave of his hand carries with it the gravity of a rock star’s scream.

The room is divided in two for an immense half-time sing-along, before the band returns with ‘Love You Madly’ from 2001’s Comfort Eagle. Even on more recent material, the occasional dabble of country and western still seeps into Cake’s style. But the music is at its best when the bassline isn’t so much taking a walk up the chromatic scale as skipping agitatedly through a traffic jam of funk.

That’s where an energetic ‘Short Skirt/ Long Jacket’ comes in as the first encore. After that, it’s a dead certainty that the night will end with McCrea and co. going ‘The Distance’. But even more resonant is the reassurance McCrea plants in our minds about what you can achieve with just a few notes’ worth of singing ability and a trucker cap. Leather-encrusted rock stardom is overrated; long live the anti-star.

Chris Martin

IER PHOTOGRAPHER :: PEDRO XAV

BRAG :: 490 :: 26:11:12 :: 31

snap sn ap

mum

PICS :: BC

up all night out all week . . .

16:11:12 :: World Bar :: 24 Bayswater Rd Kings Cross 9357 7700

16:11:12 :: FBi Social :: Kings Cross Hotel 248 William St 9331 9900

party profile

battleships

PICS :: PX

sosueme xmas party It’s called: The SOSUEME Xmas Party with The Knocks (NYC) It sounds like: David Attenborough if he was doing voiceovers for a porno, crying babies, dancing gorillas, rhythmical crickets, New York bands and party, pure party music.

Who’s playing? The Knocks (NYC – live), Alison Wonderland, Pluto Jonze (live), Sosueme DJs, Gnome (live) and more.

Sell it to us: Our last mega party at OAF before we move to our new home at the Beach Road Hotel. All we wanted for Christmas was a rad New York live dance/disco outfit playing at our party on their debut tour. Hazzaa!

Literally start to finish party mayhem.

The bit we’ll remember in the AM: If you are the designated driver, you will remember it all: the bands, the popcorn and the 4am semi-clothed dance orgy. If you are getting driven by said designated driver, you will only remember the bands and the popcorn. It will take video evidence to recall the rest.

Crowd specs: The average height of patrons will be 5’9", and the average weight will be 62kg.

Wallet damage: $20, from moshtix Where: Oxford Art Factory / 38-46 Oxford St, Darlinghurst

refused

PICS :: JC

When: Friday November 30, 8pm

:: KATRINA CLARKE :: JAY S : TIM LEVY (HEAD HONCHO) OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHER :: THOMAS PEACHY :: GEORGE MAR LEY :ASH : I GIACOMIN COLLIER :: BREE CORVELL :: LIVIA POPOV :: PEDRO XAVIER ::

32 :: BRAG :: 490 :: 26:11:12

bang

PICS :: LG

13:11:12 :: The Enmore :: 118 -132 Enmore Rd Enmore 9550 3666

15:11:12 :: Annandale Hotel :: 17 Paramatta Rd Annandale 9550 1078

snap sn ap

17:11:12 :: The Standard :: 3/383 Bourke St Darlinghurst 9331 3100

will & the people

PICS :: PX

bears with guns

PICS :: PX

up all night out all week . . .

17:11:12 :: Upstairs Beresford :: L1 354 Bourke St Surry Hills 8313 5000

aco underground party profile

It’s called: ACO Underground It sounds like: String musicians plugged in, punked up, and bending all the rules.

Who’s playing: Australian Chamber Orchestra’s Satu Vänskä and Richard Tognetti, Midnight Oil’s Jim Moginie, Violent Femmes' bass guitarist Brian Ritchie, and one or two surprises.

Sell it to us: It’s not very “underground” to be selling the gig to you… Just expect to be surprised – this is a totally new kind of performance.

The bit we’ll remember in the AM: A mad set-list featuring David Bowie, Bach, R.E.M. and Paganini; shredded strings, world-class guests and possibly a hangover.

Crowd specs: The crazy, curious, brave and wild.

Wallet damage: $35 general admission – cheaper than a round of beers Where: The Standard / Lvl 3, 383 Bourke St, Surry Hills

violent soho

PICS :: KC

When: Sunday December 2, from 7pm

elton john

PICS :: AM

15:11:12 :: Goodgod Small Club :: 53-55 Liverpool St Chinatown 8084 0587

beats antique

PICS :: PX

16:11:12 :: Sydney Entertainment Centre :: 35 Harbour St Darling Harbour

16:11:12 :: The Standard :: 3/383 Bourke St Darlinghurst 9331 3100

:: KATRINA CLARKE :: JAY S : TIM LEVY (HEAD HONCHO) OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHER :: THOMAS PEACHY :: GEORGE MAR LEY :ASH : I OMIN GIAC COLLIER :: BREE CORVELL :: LIVIA POPOV :: PEDRO XAVIER ::

BRAG :: 490:: 26:11:12 :: 33

g g guide gig g send your listings to : gigguide@thebrag.com

pick of the week Nicki Minaj

JAZZ

(USA), Tyga (USA), Ruby Rose $99.90-$129.90 7.30pm

Alison Penney Dee Why RSL Club free 6.30pm Alpine, Oh Mercy, Oliver Tank Upstairs Beresford, Surry Hills free (guestlist) 7pm Broadway Unplugged The Vanguard, Newtown free 7pm The Living End The Hi-Fi, Moore Park $42 (+ bf) 8pm ARIA Universal Music Showcase: Bertie Blackman, Art Of Sleeping, The Preatures, Harts Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst $20 (+ bf) 8pm

JAZZ

Ambre Hammond 505 Club, Surry Hills $10 8.30pm Monday Jam: Danny G Felix The Lansdowne Hotel, Broadway free 8pm

ACOUSTIC & FOLK Darren Bennett, Samantha

34 :: BRAG :: 490 : 26:11:12

TUESDAY NOVEMBER 27 ROCK & POP

Bounce Scruffy Murphy’s Hotel, Sydney free 10pm Boyz II Men (USA) Penrith Panthers, Evans Theatre 8pm Charles Buddy Daaboul, Lourdes, Mope City The Flinders Hotel, Darlinghurst free 8pm Jessica Mauboy, Timomatic, Justice Crew, Johnny Ruffo Upstairs Beresford, Surry Hills $20 (+ bf) 7pm John Watson Dee Why RSL Club free 6.30pm The Living End The Hi-Fi, Moore Park $42 (+ bf) 8pm Nick Frost, Benny Davis

ROCK & POP

JAZZ

Nicki Minaj

ROCK & POP

ROCK & POP

Botany View Hotel, Newtown free 7pm Triple J Unearthed Party: The Rubens, Yes You, Asta Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst free (with pass) 8pm

Sydney Entertainment Centre, Darling Harbour

Johnson, Black Diamond Wentworth Hotel, Homebush West free 7pm Russell Neal, Tim Stokes, Brent McGregor, Anita Lenzo Trio, Chris Brookes, Massimo Presti Kellys On King, Newtown free 7pm

THURSDAY NOVEMBER 29

Andy Mammers Duo Maloney’s Hotel, Sydney free 9.30pm Black Barbra, A.A.A. Ardvark, Everything I Own Is Broken, Rowan Ash Valve Bar And Venue, Tempe free 7pm Brad Johns Dee Why RSL Club free 6.30pm Co Pilot The Orient Hotel, The Rocks free 9pm Dan Spillane Fiddler Bar, Mean Fiddler, Rouse Hill free 6pm Elle May, Jordan Millar Blue Beat, Double Bay $10 (+ bf) 8.30pm Evil Eddie, Rapaport, Madame WU Brass Monkey, Cronulla $17.85 7.30pm Gang Of Brothers, Natalie Conway Rock Lily, The Star, Pyrmont free 7pm Gemma The Rocks free 8.30pm Grafton Primary, Sosueme DJs Beach Road Hotel, Bondi free 8pm Greta Mob, Katastrophy Downstairs, Sandringham Hotel, Newtown free 8pm Jackson McLaren Arcadia Liquors, Redfern free 8pm Jamie Lindsay Northies, Cronulla free 7.45pm Musos Jam Night Bald Faced Stag, Leichhardt free 8pm Nic Cassey, Jason Baines The Red Rattler Theatre, Marrickville $1 7pm Nicky Kurta Summer Hill Hotel free 7.30pm Replika Scruffy Murphy’s Hotel, Sydney free 11pm Starfish Vocal Studio End Of Year Concert 2012 Lizotte’s Restaurant, Dee Why $24 8pm Steve Tonge Duo O’Malley’s Hotel, Darlinghurst free 9.30pm Thieves, Post Paint, Hattie Carroll, Huckleberry Hastings The Vanguard, Newtown $12 7pm The Trouble With Templeton, The Falls, Battleships Upstairs Beresford, Surry Hills free 7pm Vice Issue Launch Party: New War, Black Zeros, Hand Games DJs Goodgod Small Club, Sydney free 8pm

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 30

MONDAY NOVEMBER 26

WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 28

Paul Grabowski Sextet, The Ben Panucci Trio 505 Club, Surry Hills $15 8.30pm The World In The Basement: Sergio Selim, The Margaret St Project, Keyim Ba The Basement, Circular Quay $15 (+ bf) 7.30pm

ACOUSTIC & FOLK

Andrew Denniston, Monica & The Explosion Off Broadway, Ultimo free 7.30pm Darren Bennett, Black Diamond George IV Inn, Picton free 7.30pm Nova’s Basement, Antonio Lulic (UK) The Red Rattler Theatre, Marrickville $8 8pm Russell Neal, Angelene Harris, Ayla Scanlan, Angus Price Taverners Hill Hotel, Leichhardt free 7pm

Emad Younan, Shannon Gaitz, Jazz & Blues Sessions The Basement, Circular Quay $15 (+ bf) 7.30pm Zohar’s Nigun 505 Club, Surry Hills $15 8.30pm

ACOUSTIC & FOLK

Greg Sita Cat And Fiddle Hotel, Balmain free 7pm Helmut Uhlmann, Monica & The Explosion, Meera, Salta, Ella Stathis The Loft, UTS, Ultimo free 6pm Russell Neal, Brad Myers, Stationmasters Cookies Lounge And Bar, North Strathfield free 7.30pm TAOS, Blue Faced Liars, John Chesher, Gavin Fitzgerald, Ross Bruzzese, Stephanie Poleson Coach & Horses Hotel, Randwick free 7pm

Abby Dobson, Morgan Joanel The Workers, Balmain free 7pm After The Fall Bald Faced Stag, Leichhardt 8pm Agnes Kain, Emma Davis, Hinterlandt Notes Live, Enmore $15 7.30pm ARIA Awards 2012: Taylor Swift (USA), 360, The Jezabels, Hilltop Hoods, Jessica Mauboy, The Temper Trap Sydney Entertainment Centre $49.95 5.15pm Artsho: Reckless Vagina, Virgo Rising, Alexander Cross, Wheat Fields Gallery Bar, Oxford Art Factory $6 9pm Ben Finn Duo Ettamogah Pub, Kellyville free 7pm Bonney Read, Dirty Sweet Nothings, Footsie and the Psycos Sydney Livehouse @ Lewisham Hotel $10 8pm Boyz II Men (USA) State Theatre, Sydney 8pm Cambo The Observer Hotel, The Rocks free 8.30pm City Riots Rock Lily, The Star, Pyrmont free 8pm Collaborate!!: Johnny Huckle, Seleen McAlister Blue Beat, Double Bay $20 (+ bf) 8pm Dan Spillane Dee Why Hotel free 7pm Dave White Duo The Orient Hotel, The Rocks free 9pm David Agius Northies, Cronulla free 9.15pm David Agius Duo Kings Cross Hotel, Darlinghurst free 12am Eagle & The Worm Brighton Up Bar, Darlinghurst 8pm Evil Eddie, Deadbeat & Hazy, Madame Wu Annandale Hotel $10 7pm Goodnight Dynamite O’Malley’s Hotel, Darlinghurst free 9.30pm Greg Agar Greengate Hotel, Killara free 8pm Hot Damn!: Make Them Suffer, Oceano, The Saviour, Boris The Blade Spectrum, Darlinghurst $20 (+ bf) 8pm James D Smith The Basement, Circular Quay $20 (+ bf) 7.30pm John Vella Sackville Hotel, Balmain free 7pm Kristy Garrett Dee Why RSL Club free 6.30pm Making, Nakagin, Haunts, Option Command The Red Rattler Theatre, Marrickville $10 8pm Mandi Jarry Harbord Beach Hotel free 8pm Mitzi, Panama, Future Classic DJs Goodgod Small Club, Sydney $12 (+bf) 8pm New Brutalists FBi Social @ Kings Cross Hotel $10 8pm Nicky Kurta Trio Scruffy Murphy’s Hotel, Sydney free 10.15pm Papa Pilko & The Binrats, Frank Sultana & The Sinister Kids The Vanguard, Newtown $18.80 8pm Red Ink Rock Lily, The Star, Pyrmont free 10pm

Re-groove Bankstown Sports Club free 8pm Rewind – The Aretha Franklin Songbook: Christine Anu Brass Monkey, Cronulla $39.80 7pm The Runes, Syd’s Palace, Fields Of Mars, Addicted Beach Valbe Bar And Venue, Tempe Sam & Jamie Trio Maloney’s Hotel, Sydney free 9.30pm Sarah Paton Sir Joseph Banks Hotel, Botany free 6pm Tiger & The Rogues The Lansdowne Hotel, Broadway free 9pm Wintercoats, The Townhouses, Light Giant, Ambient DJs York St Anglican, Sydney $20 7.30pm

JAZZ

Afro Moses Spirit Lizotte’s Restaurant, Dee Why $29–$71 (dinner & show) 8pm Edwina Blush Camelot Lounge, Marrickville $20 7pm Peter Head The Harbour View Hotel, The Rocks free 8pm

ACOUSTIC & FOLK Carolyn Woodorth, Nick Domenicos, Spencer McCullum Kogarah Hotel free 7pm Helmut Uhlmann, Simon Marrable Mars Hill Café, Parramatta free 7.30pm Joanne Hill Corrimal Hotel free 7.30pm Russell Neal Olympic Hotel, Paddington free 7.30pm

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 30 ROCK & POP

031 Rockshow Scruffy Murphy’s Hotel, Sydney free 10.30pm 2 Way Split Customs House Bar, Sydney free 7pm American Graffiti Dooleys Lidcombe Catholic Club free 8.30pm Andy Mammers Cronulla RSL free 7.30pm Anubis, Cascade, Cities Of The Red Night The Lansdowne Hotel, Broadway free 8pm The Axis Of Awesome, Nice Kicks The Factory Theatre, Enmore $20-$25 (+ bf) 8pm Bed Wettin Bad Boys, Oily Boys, Sucks Black Snag, Upstairs – Friend In Hand, Glebe $5 7pm Ben Finn Duo Castle Hill Tavern free 6pm Boyz II Men (USA) State Theatre, Sydney sold out 8pm Californication Bull & Bush Hotel, Baulkham Hills free 10.30pm Carl Fidler The Observer Hotel, The Rocks free 10.30pm Crass! Happening: The Blow Waves, Ghetto Pussy DJs, DJ Kiti The Red Rattler Theatre, Marrickville $12 9pm Crowned, Katabasis, Dead River Runs Dry, Tamerlan, Emaciated By Christ Valve Bar And Venue, Tempe $10 7pm Dan & Hannah Acfield, Jess Chalker, Andy Golledge The Newsagency, Marrickville $15 8.30pm David Agius Parramatta RSL free 5pm

g g guide gig g send your listings to : gigguide@thebrag.com Deep Sea Arcade, The Preatures, Fishing Metro Theatre, Sydney $20 7.15pm all-ages Eagle & The Worm Old Manly Boatshed 8pm East Coast Band Dee Why Hotel free 10pm Exile On Main Street – Rolling Stones Show: Damien Lovelock, Amanda Easton The Basement, Circular Quay $25 (+ bf) 7.30pm Fallon Bros Cronulla Sharks free 7pm Flux Crows Nest Hotel free 10pm Freshmix Bankstown Sports Club free 10pm Gary Johns Novotel Homebush, Homebush Bay free 5pm Geoff Rana The Observer Hotel, The Rocks free 6.30pm Guards of May, Teal, I’m No Thief Gallery Bar, Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst free 8pm Hard-Ons Sandringham Hotel, Newtown $14–$18 8pm Harlequin Duo Hillside Hotel, Castle Hill free 8pm The Headliners Dundas Sports Club free 8.30pm Jamie Hutchings And The Goldfish Memories, Bearhug, Hope Springs The Square, Haymarket $15 8pm Jed Zarb Castle Hill RSL Club free 9pm Jess Dunbar Dee Why Hotel free 7pm Joey & the Boy Ramsgate RSL, Ramsgate Beach free 8pm

Kingswell, DJ Urby Rock Lily, The Star, Pyrmont free 7.30pm Klay Northies, Cronulla free 9pm Laughing Outlaw Class Of 2012 End Of Year Presentation: Will & The Indians, Hailer, Jason Walker, Suzy Connolly, Piers Twomey, Edward Deer, The Glorious, James Thomson, Mindy Sotiri, The Nature Strip Notes, Enmore $17.85 7pm La Vista Petersham RSL Club free 8.30pm Lisa Miller, Dog Trumpet Camelot Lounge, Marrickville $25 7.30pm Make Them Suffer, Oceano, The Saviour, Boris The Blade YOYOs Youth Centre, Frenchs Forest $20 (+ bf) 6pm allages Mandi Jarry The Grand Hotel, Rockdale free 5.30pm Mark Broughton Engadine RSL & Citizens Club free 12.30pm Mark Da Costa, The Blacklist The Ranch Hotel, Eastwood free 10pm Messrs, Bears With Guns FBi Social @ Kings Cross Hotel $12 (+ bf) 8pm Mo-Fest: Troldhaugen, The Lazys, Feskit, Barbatus, Swamp Harlot Hermanns Bar, University of Sydney, Darlington $15 8pm The Multiplier Effect, Pete Jongsma, Gabby Valley, The Short List Sydney Livehouse @ Lewisham Hotel $12 8pm MUM: Jeremy Neale, Pigs Porken, The Carraways,

Sherekhan, Mary Gunn, The Runes, The Funky Baums, MUM DJs, Swim Team DJs, Crieds Wolf DJs, Seabas, 10th Avenue, Smithers, Wolfden DJs, Wolfgang The World Bar, Kings Cross $10-$15 8pm Neill Bourke O’Malley’s Hotel, Darlinghurst free 8pm Nicki Minaj (USA), Tyga (USA) Sydney Entertainment Centre, Darling Harbour $99.90$129.90 7.30pm Nicky Kurta Duo Crows Nest Hotel free 6.30pm The Owls, The Ghosts, Rockets Goodgod Small Club, Sydney $8 (+ bf) 8pm Paul Dianno (UK), Blaze Bayley (UK), Stand Alone, Hazmat Manning Bar, Sydney University, Camperdown $50 (+ bf) 8pm Peter Northcote’s Drive w/ Brydon Stace & Virginia Lillye Brass Monkey, Cronulla $29.60 7pm Pod Brothers Miranda Hotel free 8.30pm Redcoats, Royston Vasie Annandale Hotel $12 8pm Red Ink, Playwrites, Jordan Millar The Beresford Hotel, Surry Hills free 6pm Rob Henry The Observer Hotel, The Rocks free 8.30pm Rob Mackenzie Western Suburbs Leagues Club Campbelltown, Leumeah free 8pm The Rockin’ Eddie Band Rockdale RSL Club free 7.30pm Room 6, The Desert Sea,

Labyrinths, Twila Roxbury Room, The Roxbury Hotel, Glebe 8pm Roots Spectrum, Darlinghurst $10 8pm Ryan Enright Harbord Beach Hotel free 8pm Sam And Heath Trio Kirribilli Hotel free 8pm Shannon Noll Coogee Diggers 8pm Sosueme Xmas Party: The Knocks (USA), Alison Wonderland, Pluto Jonze, Gnome, Sosueme DJs Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst $20 (+ bf) 8pm The Spazzys, The Fabergettes, The Escapes Marrickville Bowling Club $15 8pm Strange Talk, Movement, Olympic Ayres The Standard, Darlinghurst $12 (+ bf) 8pm Summers A Commin’: Straight Arrows, Bloods, The Gooch Palms, Black Zero, Zato, Adam Bozzetto Secret Location, Sydney $15 9pm Thunderstruck - The AC/DC Tribute Show Ettamogah Pub, Kellyville free 9pm Thy Art is Murder, Resist the Thought Cromer Community Centre 8pm all-ages Twin Set Engadine RSL & Citizens Club free 8pm Wendy Matthews, Liza Ohlback Lizotte’s Restaurant, Dee Why $45–$103 (dinner & show) 8pm Zoltan PJ Gallagher’s Drummoyne free 10pm

JAZZ

The Denominators The Sound Lounge, Seymour Centre, Chippendale $10 (student)–$20 8.30pm The Latin Jazz Experience: Espirito, The Sean MacKenzie Trio Blue Beat, Double Bay $20 (+ bf) 8pm Oehlers/Grabowski/Gian/ Slater 505 Club, Surry Hills $25 8.30pm

ACOUSTIC & FOLK

Russell Neal, Angelene Harris, Anita Lenzo Trio, Janise & the Cripps, Naomi Crain, Bec O’Brien Cat And Fiddle Hotel, Balmain $10 8pm

SATURDAY DECEMBER 1 ROCK & POP

78 Saab, Toby Martin Annandale Hotel $20 8pm Achoo! Bless You, The Twoks, Maples Hibernian House, Surry Hills $10 8pm Alister Spence Trio 505 Club, Surry Hills $20 8.30pm Back To The 80s Unity Hall Hotel, Balmain free 9.30pm Bayonets For Legs, Black Lakes, Mannequins, Six White Horses Brighton Up Bar, Darlinghurst $10 8pm Cambo Castle Hill RSL Club free 9pm Celebration Mix

Campbelltown RSL free 9pm Chris Paton Northies, Cronulla free 9pm Counterfeit Tribute Night Top Ten 90s: Hilsden, Wand Erection, Seizure Procedure, Rex Havoc Banned, Mineral Turpenfridge, Ununseptium, Come Up Smiling, The Blarney Stoners, MC Krimmy, Duchamps Child, Through a Glass Scarlet-ly, Bella Voltaire, The Fanny Scratchers, Cassady Maddox Lansdowne Hotel, Chippendale free 7pm The Dahlias Mona Vale Hotel free 9.30pm Darren Percival The Cube, Campbelltown $25 7pm Dave White Duo Mean Fiddler, Rouse Hill free 6pm David Agius Riverstone Schofields Memorial Club free 7.30pm Deaf Wish, Family The Square, Sydney $12 8pm Doug Parkinson, Doug Parkinson The Studio, Sydney Opera House 12pm Dragon Brass Monkey, Cronulla $46.95 7pm Dynamic Rock Rockdale RSL Club free 7.30pm East West Death Grind Fest: The Kill, Intense Hammer Rage, To Engineer An Exorcist, New Blood, Roadside Burial, Odiusembowel, Hell Itself, Mother Eel, Laceration Mantra, Burial Chamber, Wretch, Throat Of Dirt, Inuman Remnants, Exekute Valve Bar And Venue 12pm The Field Brothers

tue

27

(9:00PM - 12:00AM)

Nov

wed

28 Nov

(9:00PM - 1:00AM)

thu

29 Nov

fri

(9:00PM - 1:00AM) (5:00PM - 8:00PM) (9:30PM - 1:30AM)

30 Nov

SUNDAY AFTERNOON

SATURDAY AFTERNOON (4:30PM - 7:30PM)

sat

01 Dec

sun

SATURDAY NIGHT

02 Dec

(4:30PM - 7:30PM)

SUNDAY NIGHT (9:00PM - 1:30AM)

(8:30PM - 12:00AM)

BRAG :: 490 :: 26:11:12 :: 35

g g guide gig g send your listings to : gigguide@thebrag.com Ettamogah Pub, Kellyville free 8.30pm Gateway 23, Brett Winterford, Bec Schofield, Spasm Band Tramshed Community Arts Centre, Narrabeen $20 7.30pm Geoff Rana Sir Joseph Banks Hotel, Botany free 7pm Godswounds, The Mool King Device The Factory Theatre, Enmore $12 (+ bf) 7pm The Good Ship, Bellyache Ben & The Steamgrass Boys, John Kennedy Sandringham Hotel, Newtown $10 8pm Grey Ghost, Big Dumb Kid, Rapaport FBi Social @ Kings Cross Hotel $10 (+ bf) 8pm Heath Burdell Clovelly Hotel free 8pm Heroes For Hire, Masketta Fall, Wake The Giants, Forever Ends Here, We Saved The Party The Lair, Metro Theatre, Sydney $15 (+ bf) 4.30pm Hitseekers Scruffy Murphy’s Hotel, Sydney free 10.30pm Jess Dunbar Novotel Homebush, Homebush Bay free 6.30pm Kittens: Hailer, Psychlops Eyepatch, The Heart Attack Machines, Kittens DJs Spectrum, Darlinghurst $10 9pm Klooch James Squire Brewhouse, Sydney 8pm Lagwagon (USA), The Smith Street Band Manning Bar, Sydney University, Camperdown $34$40 (+ bf) 8pm

Laughing Outlaw Class Of 2012 End Of Year Presentation: Grun, Charlie Horse, Jamie Hutchings, Bryan Estepa, Miss Little, Hinterlandt, The Glorious, Mic Conway, Mark Lucas, Reese Szabo Notes, Enmore $17.85 7pm Made In The 90s: Color Me Badd (USA), Jon B (USA), Shai (USA), Soul For Real (USA) Enmore Theatre $89-$149 6.45pm Mandarin Band Dooleys Lidcombe Catholic Club free 8.30pm Michael Knight Kirribilli Hotel free 8pm The Model School, Civilians, The Drifting Gallery Bar, Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst free 8pm Mr James Bankstown Sports Club free Nicky Kurta Band Paragon Hotel, Sydney free 8.30pm Omar Rodriguez Lopez Group (USA), Sleepmakeswaves, A Dead Forest Index The Hi-Fi, Moore Park $35 (+ bf) 7.30pm Reel Big Fish (USA), Goldfinger (USA), Zebrahead (USA) UNSW Roundhouse, Kensington $62.70 (+ bf) 7pm all-ages Rob Henry The Observer Hotel, The Rocks free 4pm Robin Lee Sinclair Band Ramsgate RSL, Ramsgate Beach free 8pm Sam & Jamie Show Crows Nest Hotel free 10pm Sarah Paton Northies, Cronulla free 5.30pm

Seattle Sound Bull & Bush Hotel, Baulkham Hills free 10pm Sharron Bowman Brewhouse Marayong, Kings Park free 8pm Sierratonin, What It’s Worth, Magnus, Severance Sydney Livehouse @ Lewisham Hotel $12 8pm Skyz the Limit Regents Park Sporting & Community Club free 6.30pm Soul Tattoo Duo Brighton RSL Club, BrightonLe-Sands free 8pm Stormcellar Taverners Hill Hotel, Leichhardt free 8.30pm Suite AZ Castle Hill RSL Club free 9pm Summer Sock Hop: Dead Radio, Day Ravies, Devotional, Black Springs Hermann’s Bar, University of Sydney, Darlington free 8pm Swingshift Cold Chisel Show Oatley Hotel free 8.45pm They Call Me Bruce PJ Gallagher’s Drummoyne free 10pm Think Big Engadine RSL & Citizens Club free 8pm Tony Martin Duo Engadine RSL & Citizens Club free 7pm Unforgetable Petersham RSL Club free 8.30pm Verano Lizotte’s Restaurant, Dee Why 8pm We Lost the Sea, Dumbsaint, Hope Drone, Islands Roxbury Room, The Roxbury Hotel, Glebe 8pm Zoltan Revesby Workers Club free 9.30pm

JAZZ

Blue Moon Quartet Fairfield RSL free 7pm Flamenco Fusion Night Lizotte’s Restaurant, Dee Why $38 8pm Lloyd Spiegel Camelot Lounge, Marrickville $20 7.30pm Lucky Luke Rozelle Markets free 10.30am Mike Nock Trio The Sound Lounge, Seymour Centre, Chippendale $10 (student)–$20 8.30pm Nativosoul The Basement, Circular Quay $20 (+ bf) 7.30pm Peter Head The Harbour View Hotel, The Rocks free 5pm Yuki Kumagai, John Mackie Well Connected Café & Wine Bar, Leichhardt free 7.30pm

ACOUSTIC & FOLK Dane And Aaron Cookies Lounge And Bar, North Strathfield free 8pm Darren Bennett, Russell Neal, Samantha Johnson Chippendal Creative Arts Centre free 11am Leroy Lee Rozelle Markets free 11am Pete Scully, Samantha Johnson, Ayla Scanlan, Pete Scully, Angie Páez, Vanesa Trujillo Mars Hill Café, Parramatta $15 8pm

SUNDAY DECEMBER 2 ROCK & POP

Ace Brighton RSL Club, Brighton-

Le-Sands free 7pm ACO Underground The Standard, Darlinghurst $35 (+ bf) 7pm The Bath Plugs Town & Country Hotel, St Peters free 5pm Braden Evans, Tom Francis, The Underground Architect, They Call Me Casper Brass Monkey, Cronulla $12.25 7pm Harmonate Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach free 3.30pm The Headliners Hawkesbury Hotel free 3pm Intense Hammer Rage, Festering Drippage, Odiusembowel, The Holiday Project Valve Bar And Venue, Tempe 12pm Joanna Capetinakis Dooleys Lidcombe Catholic Club free 4pm Rock ‘n’ Roll Alternative Markets: The Re-Mains, Spurs For Jesus, The ReChords, Chucks Wagon, Black Cherry DJs, DJ Brian, Rod Almighty and the Cider Striders, Wolfman Dan, Rockabilly Rhino Manning Bar, University of Sydney, Camperdown $1 10.30am Ron Ashton Ramsgate RSL, Ramsgate Beach free 2pm Sounds Live With Donnie Sutherland: Donnie Sutherland, Jon English, Normie Rowe, John Swan, John St Peeters, Marty Rhone, Ray Burgess, Vicky O’Keefe, Debbie Newsome, Teresa Vee, Tommy Moeller, Michael Yule, John Deeks Enmore Theatre $59.90 2pm

Spiritualized (UK) Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House $49 (+ bf) 8pm The Spooky Men’s Chorale Camelot Lounge, Marrickville $25-$30 6.30pm Sunday Blues Jam: Mark Hopper Artichoke Gallery Cafe, Manly free 8pm They Call Me Casper, Braden Evans, Tom Francis, The Underground Architect Brass Monkey, Cronulla free 8pm Tombstone Ramblers Botany View Hotel, Newtown free 6pm Vices, Polaris, Hourglass, Spheres, Graves, Alaska Sydney Livehouse @ Lewisham Hotel $15 2pm all-ages

JAZZ

Delilah Dove & Olive, Surry Hills free 6pm Peter Head The Harbour View Hotel, The Rocks free 4pm Yuki Kumagai, John Mackie, Simon Bartlett, John Smith Illawarra Master Builders Club, Wollongong free 2.30pm

ACOUSTIC & FOLK

Aimee Francis Salisbury Hotel, Stanmore free 2pm The Factory Wall, Monica & The Explosion Cookies Lounge And Bar, North Strathfield free 6pm Flat Cats, Annique Azzure Rozelle Markets free 10.30am

gig picks up all night out all week...

MONDAY NOVEMBER 26 Alpine, Oh Mercy, Oliver Tank Upstairs Beresford, Surry Hills free (guestlist) 7pm ARIA Universal Music Showcase: Bertie Blackman, Art Of Sleeping, The Preatures, Harts Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst $20 (+ bf) 8pm

TUESDAY NOVEMBER 27 The Living End – The Living End, Area 7, Even, Cabins, 2ManyPJs The Hi-Fi, Moore Park $42 (+ bf) 8pm

Triple J Unearthed Party: The Rubens, Yes You, Asta Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst free (with pass) 7pm

WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 28

Vice Issue Launch Party: New War, Black Zeros, Hand Games DJs Goodgod Small Club, Sydney free 8pm

THURSDAY NOVEMBER 29 Eagle & The Worm Brighton Up Bar, Darlinghurst 8pm Wintercoats, The Townhouses, Light Giant, Ambient DJs York St Anglican, Sydney $20 7.30pm

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 30

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Omar Rodriguez Lopez Group (USA), sleepmakeswaves, A Dead Forest Index The Hi-Fi, Moore Park $35 (+ bf) 7.30pm

SUNDAY DECEMBER 2

The Trouble With Templeton, The Falls, Battleships Upstairs Beresford, Surry Hills free 7pm

Boyz II Men (USA) State Theatre sold out 8pm

The Living End

The Spazzys

The Spazzys, The Fabergettes, The Escapes Marrickville Bowling Club $15 8pm Strange Talk, Movement, Olympic Ayres The Standard, Darlinghurst $12 (+ bf) 8pm

Made In The ‘90s: Color Me Badd (USA), Jon B (USA), Shai (USA), Soul For Real (USA) Enmore Theatre $89-$149 6.45pm

Rock ‘n’ Roll Alternative Xmas Markets: The Re-Mains, Spurs For Jesus, The ReChords, Chucks Wagon, Black Cherry DJs, DJ Brian, Wolfman Dan, Rockabilly Rhino and more Manning Bar, University of Sydney, Camperdown $1 10.30am Spiritualized (UK) Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House $49 (+ bf) 8pm

The Good Ship

Summers A Commin’: Straight Arrows, Bloods, The Gooch Palms, Black Zeros, Kato, Adam Bozzetto Secret Location, Sydney $15 9pm

SATURDAY DECEMBER 1

Bed Wettin’ Bad Boys, Oily Boys, Sucks Black Snag, Upstairs – Friend In Hand, Glebe $5 7pm

The Good Ship, Bellyache Ben & The Steamgrass Boys, John Kennedy Sandringham Hotel, Newtown $10 8pm

Deep Sea Arcade, The Preatures, Fishing Metro Theatre, Sydney $20 7.15pm all-ages

Lagwagon (USA), The Smith Street Band Manning Bar, Sydney University, Camperdown $34-$40 (+ bf) 8pm

J. Spaceman (Spiritualized)

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BRAGâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s guide to dance, hip hop and club culture

brag beats

michael mayer inside

all night long

+ color me badd

als + club o: + club guide sn + week aps colum ly n

yung warriors + omar souleyman

We has internets!

www.thebrag.com Extra bits and moving bits without the papercuts BRAG :: 490 :: 26:11:12 :: 39

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on the record WITH

JAD FROM MITZI

The Last Record I Bought: 2.

Flying Lotus – Until The

the parents to buy it for me. I remember loving ‘Treaty’. It’s a killer song. Vibes! The next album I think I got was Eric Clapton Unplugged. It’s another awesome record – I got given an acoustic guitar just after, and

Quiet Comes and Electric Wire Hustle – Self-Titled.

Fly-Lo is confusing but genius, and I’m a big fan of Warped Records; they’re one of those labels doing exactly what they want, with a musical and artistic vision that’s incredible, and sometimes weird. I’m totally obsessed with Warped Films too; I remember watching every Chris Cunningham movie I could, after watching Rubber Johnny. I got the Electric Wire Hustle record from Dom, and it’s a great listen. We played with them late last year.

It’s cool how they utilise samples with their own soul flavour – a great New Zealand band, for sure.

The First Thing I Recorded: The first thing Mitzi recorded was a 3. remix of Damn Arms’ ‘Destination’. We ended up winning a Bang Gang remix competition,

and that was pretty much the catalyst for us.

When Dom and I brought Charlie and Cale into the equation, that’s when things really started happening!

The Last Thing I Recorded: ‘This Is Right For You’ and ‘Down’ – 4. they are the last songs we recorded for the album. ‘This Is Right For You’ is a slow jam with feeling; we play it quite differently live, utilising a lot of electronics. ‘Down’ was one of the last pieces of the puzzle – it’s more upbeat and disco, similar to our All I Heard EP, and features some Chic-like guitar. I actually think Disco Nile was the working title; we are huge fans of Nile Rogers and Chic. If you haven’t read his book, you should do so!

The Record That Changed My Life: Nirvana – Nevermind. I was in 5. primary school, and it was my first taste of alternative music. It’s a magical record, the dynamics are amazing, and some of the choruses explode. I still listen to Nevermind nowadays and it blows my mind. So many fantastic songs from that record.

What: ‘Who Will Love You Now’ is out now through Future Classic With: Panama Where: Goodgod Small Club When: Thursday November 29

RAHZEL + DJ JS-1 M.I.A.

Teengirl Fantasy photo by Erez Avissar

remember wanting to be like Eric. ‘Layla’ is a moving song.

The First Record I Bought: Yothu Yindi – Tribal Voice. I was only 1. six years old, so think I must have pestered

Teengirl Fantasy

This guy doesn’t just play an instrument – he is the instrument. Nicknamed the ‘Godfather Of Noise’, Rahzel is the undisputed champion of human beat-boxing – basically, he’s heaps better at it than you. Since making his debut at New York’s legendary Apollo Theatre, he’s stunned crowds with his ability to recreate full songs without instrumentation. He’s the kind of performer who must be seen to be believed, able to sing a chorus and provide the musical melody of a song simultaneously, and to invoke impressions of any sound on a whim. He’s had a long and storied musical career, both as a member of The Roots and as a solo performer, and collaborating with everyone from Branford Marsalis and Erykah Badu to Slick Rick. On Wednesday December 5, Rahzel brings his distinctive live show to The Annandale Hotel, performing alongside DJ JS-1 and special guests Def Wish Cast, Soul Benefits, Party Crashers and Raine Supreme.

TEENGIRL FANTASY

The phrase “teengirl fantasy” usually involves a guy called Justin – but fans of US psych-dance duo Teengirl Fantasy understand the term as a melding of gulping bass, funked Chicago house and nostalgic RnB. The US-based pair have been touring with Crystal Castles, collaborating with Das Racist, and making friends with the likes of Ratatat and James Blake – all influences you’ll be hearing when you get down to Goodgod Small Club on Saturday December 1. It’s their debut Sydney show, presented by Astral People, and we’ve got two double-passes up for grabs. Just tell us the name of the lead single from Teengirl Fantasy’s debut album, 7AM.

PRINCE OF THIEVES AT ROCK LILY

If you dipped Bob Marley and Lil Wayne in Jurassic 5, rolled them in NeYo, added a pinch of Calvin Harris, and asked Missy Elliott what she thought, you’d still only be halfway to understanding the diversity and ambition of Sydney duo Prince Of Thieves.

Adam Saunders and David Denis make inviting, club-ready sounds, with Adam’s smooth vocals acting as a counterpoint to Denis’ untameable raps. This December, the pair will release their debut EP, On The Brink Of…, whose title suggests that bigger things will soon come for the pair – and they’re bringing it to Rock Lily on Friday December 14. Because they’re such nice guys, Adam and David will be donating half of the proceeds from EP sales to the Make A Wish Foundation – it will be on sale on the night, and also digitally via a ‘pay what you like’ arrangement on their Bandcamp.

Hermitude

M.I.A: ONE-OFF SYDNEY SHOW

Reliably grabbing headlines and causing controversy, and occasionally pumping out bloody good tunes to match, M.I.A. is one of the most intriguing artists we have right now. Over the course of three albums, her explosive style has earned her both praise and scorn, but regardless of how you feel about her – Interscope chairman Jimmy Iovine is a huge fan, The New York Times’ Lynn Hirschberg is not – tunes like ‘Paper Planes’ and ‘Bad Girls’ are pretty undeniable. In weeks just gone, M.I.A. jumped on Twitter to announce the release of her fourth album, Matangi – amongst other things, she promised that the record would feature no big-name collaborations, that it would be out in December, and that it would sound like “Paul Simon on acid”. M.I.A. will return to Australia next year for the Summadayze and Summafieldayze festivals, but will also play a very special one-off show in Sydney. She’ll be appearing at The Enmore Theatre on Friday January 4 – tickets on sale from Tuesday November 27.

THE VENGABOYS RETURN

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JERSEY SHORE’S DJ PAULY. IN AUSTRALIA.

It’s rare that a figure of true class and style graces the DJ decks in this fair city – that’s why we’re so pleased to announce that Jersey Shore star, raconteur and man-about-town Paul “DJ Pauly” DelVecchio will be coming to Sydney for a very special one-night engagement.

From making reality TV history with a tiny orange firebrand named Snooki to designing headphones with 50 Cent, there doesn’t seem to be a whole lot this guy doesn’t have a go at. DJ Pauly has been playing fist-pumping pop and house anthems to sold-out crowds everywhere from Miami to Cancun (which are not actually super far apart, but he’s played in a lot of other places as well...). See him for yourself when he plays at The Hordern Pavilion on Saturday January 26.

HERMITUDE: VILLAINY

It’s been a massive year for Aussie hip hop group Hermitude, with the release of their acclaimed HyperParadise album, and their hit single ‘Speak Of The Devil’. They’ve sold out countless shows across the country and internationally, and become big festival draw cards, as evinced by their storming sets at Parklife and Groovin’ The Moo. They’ve added their distinctive touch to other artists’ tracks too, with huge remixes of The Presets and Missy Higgins – and in recognition of all that hard work, they’ve been nominated for two ARIAs and a J Award. The brand new single from HyperParadise, ‘The Villain’, is out now, and it’s a dark and dirty electronic production, guaranteed to destroy at clubs and festivals. To celebrate the single’s release, Hermitude will be embarking on a national tour with Jonti – you can catch them at Oxford Art Factory on Saturday January 26, but if you really can’t wait, they’ll also be appearing at Homebake on Saturday December 8.

Xxxx

You’d best be prepared, because ‘90s chart toppers The Vengaboys are returning to Australia for a second round. (I could’ve made a joke there about how The Vengabus is coming back, but that would have been cheap, and nobody likes a cheap shot.) The hit-makers behind tracks like ‘Boom Boom Boom Boom’ and ‘We’re Going To Ibiza’ will be stopping by again for a summer surf safari, hitting beach-side venues across the country and a few more party places in between. Also hitching a ride will be Dutch party people Twenty 4 Seven, the group behind ‘90s dance track ‘Slave To The Music’ (you know, the one that goes “oh-a nah-nah hay-a, nah nah-nah hey-a”). The tour will hit Selina’s at Coogee Bay Hotel on Saturday January 12, and Hornsby RSL on Thursday January 17.

FUTURE ENTERTAINMENT & GROUPIE PRESENTS

PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS

FRI 4 JAN 2013

ENMORE THEATRE

TICKETS ON SALE TOMORROW > TICKETEK.COM.AU www.futureentertainment.com.au BRAG :: 490 :: 26:11:12 :: 41

dance music news

free stuff

club, dance and hip hop in brief... with Alasdair Duncan

FREESTUFF@THEBRAG.COM

five things WITH

Panama

HYDRAULIX (BOSS BASS CREW) Growing Up I was born in 1.

Melbourne, but soon after

the chance to work with some of the best bass music artists the world has to offer.

that we moved to Miami, Florida – then when I was about 13 or 14 we came to Sydney, and I haven’t looked back! It’s funny thinking of what I listen to now compared to those days, when the heaviest tune I would have heard would’ve been Blink-182’s ‘Dammit’.

The Music You Make At the moment it seems this new genre 4. of trap has been taking over my life – no

Inspirations I actually find most 2. of my inspiration from my friends. As a lot of my friends are producers and DJs, we are constantly pushing each other and inspiring each other to put out the best possible work.

Your Crew My crew is what makes 3. me tick. I’m very lucky to be part of the circle of friends I’m in. They constantly make me push harder and bigger than I ever could have dreamed – plus I get

Joris Voorn

complaints there, but I’ve always been a fan of all bass music, from 130 electro to 174 DnB. Recently I’ve been focusing all my production efforts towards trap, but there are always some basslines cookin’ for all different genres; I’ve got a few EPs, collabs and originals coming up very soon. Live, I’ll surprise people with a cheeky classic or a facemelter – that’s the thing, you never quite know what to expect.

Music, Right Here, Right Now In general, the EDM scene in Sydney is 5. awesome. So much variety and no lack of internationals, no matter what the genre... Plus the calibre of local talent playing around at the moment competes with some of the best in the business! Downlink’s recent set at Bass Mafia at Chinese Laundry was absolutely CRAZYYY!!! They have great acts playing every week.

With: The Upbeats, Autoclaws, Pop The Hatch, Shudder-X, Bruxism, Bassriot Where: Boss Bass First Birthday @ Chinese Laundry When: Friday November 30

JORIS VOORN SYDNEY SIDESHOW

Dutch maestro Joris Voorn has made serious waves in the techno world over the last few years with the release of his acclaimed Balance 014 compilation and his single ‘Sweep The Floor’, which became a massive hit in the summer of 2009. Last year, Voorn played a memorable set aboard Spice Afl oat, the fl oaty version of one of our favourite club brands, Spice.

Voorn will return to Australia this year for the Stereosonic festival, but for devoted fans, he has just announced a very special Spice Cellar sideshow. He’ll be playing on Thursday November 29, and there’s a very limited supply of tickets on sale though Resident Advisor. Numbers are capped at 200, so if you want to catch what is sure to be an awesome show, you’d best get in fast.

SHE CAN DJ NATIONAL TOUR

The She Can DJ crew and EMI Music are thrilled to announce their partnership with DFO, to present the very first nationwide She Can DJ Remixed Tour 2012-2013. She Can DJ aims to bring together the freshest and fiercest female DJ talent to show their skills to the world, and the upcoming Remixed Tour features past winners Minx and Leah Mencel, alongside runners-up from the 2011-2012 heat of the competition, including NatNoiz, Cassette, DJ Femme, Amber Savage, Dusk, Girl Audio, Hannah Parker and Juliet Fox – and the top DJ club residents in every city that it hits. Kicking off this Wednesday December 12 at The Wall @ The World Bar, the night will encompass all dance genres and crowds, from the seriously edgy underground bass clubs to the sublime and stylish house haunts, featuring competitions and giveaways from sponsors DFO. Get there.

HARBOUR PARTY 2012 GETS EVEN BIGGER

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Brisbanites Mitzi got all the hype with their 2011 debut EP All I Heard, and they’re back with a follow-up: the first single from their forthcoming debut LP. ‘Who Will Love You Now?’ is being launched at Goodgod Small Club on Thursday November 29, with Mitzi being joined by their Sydney-viaLA buddies Panama (the newie from The Dirty Secrets dudes) – a one-off Sydney show filled with shimmery garage disco, sun-drenched yacht rock and ‘80s-style synthtacular solos. We’ve got a double pass for one of you; for your chance at it, tell us the name of Panama’s latest EP. and James Blake have sung their praises, and as we speak they’ve just wrapped up an extensive American tour with fellow troublemakers Crystal Castles. Teengirl Fantasy touch down in Sydney for a show at Goodgod Small Club this Saturday December 1, and there are still tickets available.

ALTA TO STAY AWHILE

ALTA is the musical combination of singer Hannah Lesser and producer Julius Dowson.

Hannah’s voice was born and bred on blues music, while Julius’s studio skills meld smooth trip-hop beats with an array of electronic influences, both classic and contemporary.

After experiencing early success via triple j’s Unearthed, the pair relocated from Hobart to Sydney, where they refined their sound while playing shows with the likes of Canyons and Paris Wells. This month, the pair released their debut EP, Stay Awhile – they promise that the EP will “transport you to a place where all you want to do is sit on a balcony in the sun, sipping at something that clinks when you tip it back, your feet up and head back, watching the world go by.” Who are we to argue with that? You can see ALTA for yourself when they come to town on Friday December 28 for a show at FBi Social.

The Knocks

MASTERS AT WORK FOR NEW YEAR’S EVE

This New Year’s Eve, Sydney-based House Solution has secured the services of one of the most beloved and influential institutions in all of house music: the incomparable Masters At Work. Featuring the talents of Little Louie Vega and Kenny “Dope” Gonzalez, Masters At Work have been in the game for two decades now, releasing numerous beloved singles and compilations, and adding their production skills to artists as diverse and acclaimed as Michael Jackson, Madonna, Donna Summer, Barbara Tucker and Björk.

Together for the first time in Australia, the pair will join forces for a night of old-school sounds – there will be six decks, two DJs, and one chance to experience the phenomenon that is Masters At Work. The event takes place at The Ivy Ballroom on New Year’s Eve – tickets are on sale now.

TEENGIRL FANTASY AT GOODGOD

With their eagerly-awaited second album due out soon, US duo Teengirl Fantasy are all set to make their first ever trip to Australia, presented by the good folk at Astral People.

Teengirl Fantasy made waves the world over with their debut album 7AM and its accompanying single, ‘Cheaters’. Their sound is a skewed blend of classic house, obscure disco and nostalgic RnB, all melting together in a cool Balearic breeze – artists as diverse as Ratatat

A VERY SOSUEME XMAS

If you’re at a loss for things to do this festive season, the awesome party people over at Sosueme may just have the solution. The Sosueme Xmas Party takes over Oxford Art Factory on Friday November 30, and promises to be a huge evening of sweet tunes and good times. New York duo The Knocks are at the top of the bill, embarking on their debut Australian tour. The Lower East Siders have made waves around the world with their explosive live show – they’ve toured with the likes of Dragonette, Sleigh Bells, M.I.A., Big Boi and Chromeo, and have added their midas touch to remixes of pop types Katy Perry, Rihanna and Ellie Goulding. Alison Wonderland, Pluto Jonze and Gnomes will be on support duties, and tickets are available now.

Xxx

With a feast of talent that includes the best of local and international pop and RnB, as well as retro, house and techno DJs, Harbour Party NYE is not an event to be missed.

First-release tickets sold out after the initial announcement of Marvin Priest, Ricki-Lee, The Aston Shuffle, Luciana and Ivan Gough – and the organisers behind the Luna Park shindig are thrilled to reveal the second lineup announcement. Leading the charge is Duncan MacLennan, otherwise known as Yolanda Be Cool collaborator DCUP, along with Radio INK, Tom Piper, Alley Oop, Garcon Garcon

(DJs), Brother G, Tass and Isabella Melody.

Second release tickets are on sale now.

MITZI + PANAMA

JORIS VOORN ( R E J E C T E D / N L )

THURS 29TH NOV ( 2 3 : 0 0 )

W W W . T H E S P I C E C E L L A R . C O M . A U

SOCIAL PHOTOGRAPHERS WANTED inner west Can you take photos?

Love the Inner West?

Join The Brag!!!

We are after one more dedicated, keen and reliable social photographer to join the team and help us capture the essence of the Sydney’s Inner West on our Snap pages.

Photo by Sam Whiteside

You MUST: ■ Be available most evenings ■ Own camera & gear ■ Have a car ■ Be over 18 years of age (we’ll check!)

Please send your application to: timphotodoco@gmail.com

BRAG :: 490 :: 26:11:12 :: 43

Omar Souleyman

Yung Warriors

O

G

Dabke-step By Chris Martin

mar Souleyman is something of a challenge to contemporary music fans in the Western world. It’s not just because of the foreign languages, Kurdish and Arabic, in which he sings; nor is it the trance-like Middle Eastern energy of his music, too unfamiliar a sound to penetrate. The real challenge for the everyday inner-city alt-music fan is how to explain to one’s friends a newfound passion for the traditional Syrian dabke scene without sounding like a complete snob.

Souleyman, who’s been a hugely popular folk performer in Syria since he started out in the mid-‘90s, first ventured from his Arab homeland in 2009, and was astounded by the response he received from trendy young festival-going types across the UK, Europe and United States. “I thought that only those who can also understand my words could appreciate the music,” Souleyman says. “Now I know that there are things the audience understands even without understanding the words, because people respond instinctively to the feeling, to the emotion I convey. [Feelings] are the same in every language.”

Souleyman’s onstage manner seems perfectly geared to the simplicities of cross-cultural musical communication. With the backing of multi-instrumentalist Razid Sa’id, Souleyman warbles repetitive melodies through the microphone, employing that characteristically Arab vocalisation technique that seems to

access a place far different than Western crooners and wailers know. In the downtime between his otherwise tireless verses, Souleyman simply stands over the monitors and lifts his hands high to clap along with Sa’id’s tempo. The audience, of course, joins in.

“When I manage to get a big audience to move, I am overwhelmed with joy and pride,” he says.

So how do Souleyman’s festival and club shows abroad differ from those he gives at home? “In Syria, I very often perform at weddings … they usually last much longer. I sometimes go for hours during a wedding. We all dance, sing, [take] a break, eat, sing, and dance some more.

It is a festivity.”

Over the last few years, Souleyman has convinced some pretty influential Western music identities of his talents. He’s recorded collaborations with Björk and Damon Albarn, and appeared at Glastonbury, Bonnaroo and Montreal Jazz Festival. With unexpected success on this level, however, comes an inevitable pocket of cynicism: a suspicion about Souleyman’s authenticity, and the arguably exploitative intentions of his Western management representatives.

Have Souleyman’s achievements been made possible via reduction? Has his version of Syrian folk-dance been sanitised for Western consumption?

A more likely factor behind his popularity is the nature of dabke itself. Souleyman says his style “belongs to the traditional, popular category” of Syrian music, and this description is revealing.

For this is a musical practice passed down through generations – it has the longevity and history of communal folk music, but also the explicitly popular appeal of a soundtrack that defines the Arabic wedding, street party or football celebration. An Omar Souleyman show, then, carries with it the potential for an eruption of emotional energy, in whatever form that may take. And while onlookers might judge Souleymaniacs as snobbish hipsters who cynically trawl all corners of the human universe for something the mainstream has missed, well, the man himself has no patience for such judgement – for him, it’s all about individuality.

With: Richard In Your Mind, Honky Kong DJ Where: Oxford Art Factory When: Thursday December 6

ritty and raw, with vocal deliveries full of percussive punch and mind-bending speed, Yung Warriors fall into a category of hip hop that most current Australian popdominated artists fail to: speaking of country and with heart, the crew (along with a steady stream of collaborators) stands out in an occasionally gentrified local genre.

The Melbourne-based group, also known as Tjimba And The Yung Warriors, formed around 2007 and got damn busy straight away.

Appearing at 2008’s Big Day Out, supporting 50 Cent, and earning a host of Deadly Award nominations (including this year), they managed to forge a solid career early on. Wordsmith Tjimba Possum Burns chats to me from the road – a place where Yung Warriors find themselves most often. Life on tour can be both romantic and lonely, which Burns feels in equal parts. “I do miss my family when I’m touring, but I enjoy the road,” he says. “Seeing places I’ve never been to and just doing my thing on stage is something that I love. Yung Philly, Jimmy Mac and Chrissy J – these guys are some great young acts we love.”

Originally from the Yorta Yorta tribe, Barmah Forest and also Unuga, Lavitja and Majuta Man from the Northern Territory, Burns now lives amongst his musical family in Melbourne, and began his life on stage accompanying his father, Selwyn Burns. Joelistics of TZU was an early inspiration, and, later, a mentor – a role the crew now fulfil themselves. Working a lot with young artists, Yung Warriors are more than keen to support and advise those who want to follow their example. “If you love something, grab it,” Burns says. “Don’t give up, keep your head up and never let it go.”

Yung Warriors’ latest album, Standing Strong, saw them bring in some outside production help. It’s surprising that in over five years together, this is only album number two. “It took a lot of patience,” Burns says of the recording process. “Working with Momo from Diafrix, we were on the same level during the whole process. We really felt we needed to take our time so we could make a great album. We really connected with Momo on that… Me and D-Boy (Danny Ramzan) really worked hard with him on this album, on a lot of the tracks.”

The blistering speed at which Burns raps is beyond impressive – he’d give Lyrics Born a run for his money – and a skill like that doesn’t just come naturally. Like any musician, Burns has to practice his craft. “I practice a lot,” he says.

“Sometimes there are words that slip or change, so I’m always changing flows and experimenting with my style. It’s all about practicing, experimenting, and more practice.”

The future for Yung Warriors seems to be to keep doing what they do best, bringing along

as many folks as they can for the ride. They’re keen to keep the fire of hip hop – particularly Indigenous hip hop – burning bright. “We want to keep touring, and bringing out new albums,” Burns says. “There are some new tracks waiting so we’ve got plenty of things coming up. We want to continue to work with young people in the game too. We’ve done things with [Australian non-profit depression awareness initiative] beyondblue and on our own before, so maybe we’ll run our own Yung Warriors workshops and teach guys about the game when we’re not on tour.”

What: Standing Strong is out now through Payback Records With: Street Warriors, Jimblah, Johnny Mac and Chrissy J Where: Hip Hop Corroboree @ The Factory Theatre When: Friday November 30

Color Me Badd They Wanna Sex You Up By Krissi Weiss

‘90

now we’re in this new age we can reach our fans immediately – we don’t have to wait for charts and all that.”

s nostalgia has been sweeping through Australia in the past year or so, and extending it to those RnB vocal groups was only a matter of time.

You’d remember Color Me Badd from the overwhelming success they enjoyed with singles ‘I Wanna Sex You Up’ and ‘I Adore Mi Amor’, during that pre-grunge phase of the early ‘90s.

But after never quite living up to the three times Platinum sales of their debut album C.M.B, they disbanded in May of 2000 and remained split up for ten years.

Kevin Thornton spent his time away from the band as a Christian minister, releasing a Christian hip hop album in 2005; his ministry is called ‘Color Me Blessed’. Bryan Abrams stayed in the public eye, releasing solo material, working on the reality TV series Mission: Man Band, and being arrested in 2010 on a domestic abuse charge. Mark Calderon, conversely, works in insurance. The reunited Color Me Badd – a threepiece now, after Sam Watters chose instead to focus on his career as a producer, with credits for Kelly Clarkson, Anastacia and many more – will be heading to Sydney as part of the Made In The ‘90s tour, which is taking over the Enmore next weekend.

“We did a few shows to see if, in fact, people were still digging us, and they are,” Thornton says of the reformation. “We’ve decided to continue on, and we’re working on our own single at the moment, completely written by Color Me Badd – and we’ll take it from there.

Before our group took a break, we had an offer

44 :: BRAG :: 490 :: 26:11:12

Thornton interjects at this point with his own analogy: “We were like hamsters on those wheels, we just kept runnin’ and we couldn’t go anywhere,” he laughs. “Mark was looking for his cheese though and I reckon he’s got a whole heap of cheese buried. Mark is stinky; he got cheese.”

on the table that we chose not to take… We ended up growing into ourselves, raising a family, and enjoying all of that good stuff. Our kids aren’t little babies anymore, so we can go out and have a little fun again now.”

The three are excited to be back together, and feel that they’ve learned from the mistakes of the past. “One of the things is that unfortunately,

when you’re out there, you can get caught up in the politics of the music industry,” Calderon says. “While we did have great success on the first album, and the second album got a lot of great reviews from critics and other artists, it never got promoted at all. We were in Australia doing some promotion for the album, and people were telling us they didn’t even know it was out.

We don’t gauge our success by the charts, and

After a recent run-in with the law following some financial issues, Calderon simply wants to enjoy both the group and the audience’s trip down memory lane, with a view to give it all another go – but this time with no pressure. “When you’re not living up to expectations, you feel like you’re failing – [and] the record labels back in the day could make you or break you,” Calderon says.

“You wonder if your 15 minutes has run out and you start pointing fingers, but the problem with us is that we should’ve taken a break at that time to gather ourselves. We didn’t give the fans what they wanted at the time, and we were a brand. When you go to McDonald’s you expect something from them, and that was the same with us. Now we can give the audience what we know they want, and be in control.”

With: Shai, Jon B, Soul For Real, and a tribute to Heavy D When: Made In The ‘90s @ The Enmore Theatre When: Saturday December 1

xxx photo by xxx

“What I really like about being in the West is that people leave each other alone,” he says.

“In my culture, everybody has something to say about everything. People interfere in each others’ lives very much. I was fascinated when I discovered that there are other ways of dealing with each other, too.”

Standing Strong By Krissi Weiss

Michael Mayer Electronic Explorations By Chris Honnery

“K

ompakt is a label releasing electronic music for people who think they don’t like electronic music,” Kompakt Records co-founder Michael Mayer affirms. “People who would normally listen to indie rock and pop music, and would say that electronic music is too rigid or doesn’t have enough emotion in it. We’re probably too colourful and unpredictable for the hardcore fans – the real techno guys,” he adds playfully.

As one of the driving forces behind the Colognebased record store-cum-label Kompakt, Mayer has established himself as one of the most respected tastemakers in electronic music over the past 15 years. His reputation as a DJ is beyond reproach, with his discography comprising the classic trilogy of Immer compilations (‘immer’ meaning ‘always’ in German), which were all characterised by astute sequencing and idiosyncratic track selection that incorporated everything from quirky pop and space disco to micro-house and minimal techno. “I always chose tracks that were already long-term companions of mine, tracks that I’d tested and played in different environments, that gave me a special feeling,” Mayer says of the timeless Immer mixes. “That’s what qualified them as candidates for the CDs.” Mayer accepts that peoples’ expectations of him will be shaped by his stature as a DJ. “I know that I’ll always be measured by my Immer compilations, and my production will be compared to other peoples music, even though I only mixed those tracks, I didn’t produce them,” he says. “But once you know these things will be compared, it’s already a bit easier.” He’s also aware of the need to compartmentalise his DJing and his production.

“When you listen to so much music like I do, you become very aware of what kind of music is out there,” he explains. “You can very easily get very negative about your own music if you listen to lots of other peoples’ music”. Mayer speaks with great enthusiasm of how he learned to close the world out – “letting my subconsciousness trigger the ideas” – when creating his sophomore album Mantasy, the follow-up to his 2004 debut Touch. “I

“When I enter the studio, I take a playful approach.

Making music for me is almost a childlike experience: the more naive you can be in making music, the better. It’s about discovering things.”

wanted to see what happened if I closed the door to the world and let things happen,” he recalls.

“When I enter the studio, I take a playful approach.

I try to fade out everything. Making music for me is almost a child-like experience: the more naïve you can be in making music, the better. It’s about discovering things and being happy about your discovery.”

While admitting that he “rushed” Touch, Mayer is far more satisfied with his ‘discoveries’ on the recently released, Mantasy, an LP that was fittingly inspired by the theme of exploration. “It feels like my real debut – there is much more interaction between the tracks,” he reflects. “A lot of the ideas from the album were triggered by a book I was reading, the biography of Ferdinand Magellan, a famous Portuguese explorer. I accidentally stumbled upon the book, and it blew me away... It led me to the idea, to consider myself as an explorer on my own terms.”

Mayer’s idea of himself as a sonic explorer should come as no huge surprise to anyone familiar with his DJing ethos, or the Kompakt philosophy in general. The fruits of Mayer’s intrepid musical explorations have been showcased in the artists signed to Kompakt and through Mayer’s marathon DJ sets, the longest of which was a 14-hour set in Cologne two years ago at a Kompakt Total 12 party. (Mayer informs me that 12 hours of that set are available through the Kompakt Soundcloud page.) His adventurous approach in the studio has also led him to remixing artists such as Pet Shop Boys, Depeche Mode and Gotye, and he insisted on including Westbam And Nena’s track ‘Oldschool Baby’ on his celebrated Fabric compilation, despite pressure from some of the key figures behind the renowned London club brand. “The people from Fabric were like, ‘This doesn’t really represent the vibe of the club at all, can’t you cut it out? We think it shouldn’t be on a Fabric mix.’ I said, ‘Come on, I played this track the last time I played room one of Fabric, and the place was going mental, it was perfect’,” he relates.

“After some discussion, they were okay to keep it on the mix, and it turned out to be the most loved track on that CD. It still gets requested when I play somewhere.”

Not that Mayer hasn’t ruffled some feathers over the years with some of his obscure track selections: “There was a career defining moment in my life when I played at the five year anniversary of [Berlin nightclub] Berghain,” he recalls. “Afterwards, there were some really bad comments on the Berghain website forum, like, ‘What the hell did this Mayer guy think? That was not proper techno… he was playing way too gay.’

I’m playing too gay for the world’s most famous gay club?!” Mayer laughs, his voice tinged with something approaching pride. “That’s amazing!

I’m fine with that!”

What: Mantasy is out now Where: Oxford Art Factory When: Saturday December 1

BRAG :: 490 :: 26:11:12 :: 45

club guide send your listings to : clubguide@thebrag.com

club pick of the week Gesaffelstein

THURSDAY NOVEMBER 29

Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst

Paris Social Club Gesaffelstein (FRA) B2B Brodinski (FRA), French Fries (FRA), Club Cheval (FRA), $45 (+ bf) 9pm MONDAY NOVEMBER 26 The Factory Theatre, Enmore Hopsin (USA), Dizzy Wright, Jarren Benton, DJ Hoppa $49.99 (+ bf) 7pm all-ages Scruffy Murphys, Haymarket Mother Of A Monday DJ Smokin Joe free 8pm The World Bar, Kings Cross Latin Jazz S.W.IM Team DJ free 7pm

TUESDAY NOVEMBER 27 Establishment, Sydney Rumba Motel Salsa DJ Willie Sabor free 8pm Scruffy Murphys, Haymarket Frat House DJs free 8pm Trademark Hotel, Kings Cross 46 :: BRAG :: 490 :: 26:11:12

Coyote Tuesday Sunburnt Christmas Pre Party Johnny B, Jagged NBeats, Jarrad Pearse $10 9pm The World Bar, Kings Cross Jam Jam DJs free 8pm

WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 28 The Bank Hotel, Newtown Vogue #5: Country Grammar Louisihana, Moranis & Cool T, Del free 9pm Epping Hotel DTF Resident DJs free 8pm Ivy, Sydney Salsa At Ivy DJ Dwight ‘Chocolate’ Escobar free 7pm The Lansdowne Hotel, Broadway Frat House Wednesdays Mean Dartin, Camo, Ra Bazaar free 5pm The Lewisham Hotel Garbage 90s Nights Resident DJs free 7pm The Marquee, The Star, Pyrmont Assembly Wednesdays

Sander Van Doorn (Holland) $20 (+ bf) 8pm The Ranch Hotel, Epping Hump Presents End Of HSC Party Tigerlily, DJ Troy T, Joey Kaz free 8pm Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst The In Sound From Way Out & Inertia Present Pez, Grey Ghost, Seth Sentry, Urthboy $20 (+ bf) 8pm Sapphire Lounge, Kings Cross Cream Resident DJs free 8pm The World Bar, Kings Cross The Wall Glovecats, Spenda C, Struz, Pablo Calamari, Pipemix, Brown Bear, Big Dogs, Baby Gee, Kidwah $5$10 8pm

THURSDAY NOVEMBER 29 The Abercrombie, Broadway Hologram Hologram DJs free 9pm

The Colombian, Darlinghurst Glamour Pour Le Hammer Jack Shit, Ratbagz free 9pm The Cool Room, Australian Brewery, Rouse Hill We Love Thursdays Resident DJs 8pm The Flinders, Darlinghurst Bananas Resident DJs free 8pm Goodgod Front Bar, Sydney Hi-Beams Resident DJs free 8pm Goodgod Small Club, Sydney Mitzi, Panama, Future Classic DJs $12 (+ bf) 8pm Greenwood Hotel, North Sydney Greenwood Thursdays Resident DJs free 8pm Kit & Kaboodle, Kings Cross Resident DJs free 9pm Newtown Hotel 2ser Present The History Of Funk Frenzie, Huwston, Paris Groovescooter free 8pm The Old Fitzroy Hotel, Woolloomooloo The Finer Things Soiree 006 Oisima, Kyson (DE), PearseHawkins, TGMN / True North $5 7pm Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst Paris Social Club Gesaffelstein b2b Brodinski (FRA), French Fries (FRA), Club Cheval (FRA) $45 (+ bf) 9pm The Spice Cellar, Sydney Joris Voorn (NL), The Spice Cellar Residents $20 11pm Trademark Hotel, Kings Cross Swag Resident DJs $10 9pm The World Bar, Kings Cross Propaganda Propaganda DJs, Spice Cube DJs free (student)–$5 8pm

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 30 34b, Darlinghurst Swagger - Nicki Minaj After Party DJ Booth, Half Nelson, Boy-once, FML $10-$15 11pm The Abercrombie, Broadway Totally Barry Bad Barry DJs free 9pm And, Bondi Junction Start:Cue 02 Dean Tyler, Mark Jenkyns, Adam Proctor, Alister Hearnshaw, Ross Bravo Ashman, Tommy Rutherford, Dyson, Pedro Santos free 9pm Beach Road Hotel, Bondi DJ Georgia, Starjumps free 8pm Candy’s Apartment, Kings Cross Flux – Movember Party Robust, Nightmare, Acid Mouth, Audio Trash, Homeslice $10 9pm Chinese Laundry, Sydney Boss Bass 1st Birthday The Upbeats (NZ), Hydraulix, Pop The Hatch, Autoclaws, Bruxism, Bassriot, Shudder-X, Phaseone $15-$25 10pm Civic Underground, Sydney Apollo Brown (USA), David Dallas (NZ), P-Money (NZ), Suff Daddy (GER), Chasm, Frenzy, Ology $35 8pm The Factory Theatre, Enmore Yung Warriors $12 (+ bf) 7pm FBi Social @ Kings Cross Hotel Robopop Party Robopop DJs free 11.30pm Forbes Hotel, Sydney Spaces Defined By Rhythm, Martin Stace, Scott Kilpatrick, Leyla, Awol, Ze’ev $10 9pm Gladstone Hotel, Chippendale Afterlife Drum & Bass Capture, Royalston, Axe, Bionic, Mr Pink, Pearse-Hawkins, Thierry D, Kevin C, Sam Da Chemist, Mad Cow, Alex Clark, Double Robin, Thavy Ear free 9pm Goodgod Front Bar, Sydney Yo Grito! Yo Grito! DJs free 9pm Goodgod Small Club, Sydney

FBi Sunset Christmas Party!

Simon Caldwell, Kato, Bad Ezzy, Max Gosford, Preacha $5-$10 11pm Home Nightclub, Darling Harbour Aly & Fila (Egypt), Orjan Nilsen (Norway), Thomas Knight, Nick Arbor, Krish Titan, VLN, DJ Ange, Antony Carpena $35 9pm Ivy Pool Club, Sydney Moonshine YokoO, Ben Ashton, Alley Oop, CC Disco $20 9pm Jacksons On George, Sydney DJ Ivan Drago, DJ Rain Julz free 9pm The Marquee, The Star, Pyrmont Chuckie (NL) $30 (+ bf) 9pm Oatley Hotel We Love Oatley Hotel Fridays DJ Tone free 8pm Omega Lounge, City Tattersalls Club, Sydney Unwind Fridays DJ Greg Summerfield free 5.30pm One22, Sydney Puerto 22 Franchi Brothers, Kayros Barcelona, Rafa & Marcos 2026 $10-$15 9pm Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst Sosueme Xmas Party The Knocks (USA), Alison Wonderland, Pluto Jonze, Gnome Sosueme DJs $20 (+ bf) 8pm Phoenix Bar, Darlinghurst Time Gate – Mayan Prophecy Summer Solstice Pre Party Exo Drama (Israel), Jeannie, Kryptik, Raptor 9.30pm Soho, Kings Cross Soho Fridays Full Moon Party Resident DJs 8pm Space Nightclub, Sydney Zaia Resident DJs 9.45pm The Spice Cellar, Sydney Steven Sullivan, Andy Webb, Pink Lloyd, Dreamcatcher $10 10pm Sydney Entertainment Centre, Darling Harbour Nicki Minaj (USA), Tyga (USA) $99.90-$129.90 7.30pm The Watershed Hotel, Darling Harbour Bring On The Weekend! DJ Matt Roberts free 5pm The World Bar, Kings Cross MUM Jeremy Neale, Pigs Porken, The Carraways, Sherekhan, Mary Gunn, The Runes, The Funky Baums, MUM DJs, Swim Team DJs, Crieds Wolf DJs, Seabas, 10th Avenue, Smithers, Wolfden DJs, Wolfgang $10-$15 8pm

SATURDAY DECEMBER 1

SUNDAY JUNE 24

Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Falcona Presents Shantan Wantan Ichiban, Liz Bird, Hansom, Niles Rumfoord free 9pm Candy’s Apartment, Kings Cross Shake Shake Shake Sherlock Bones, Fresh To Death, Lumberjacks, Worimi, Double Dunk Disco, Matty Bixx, Deluxx, Thick As Thieves, Mind Tricks $20 9pm Cargo Bar, King St Wharf Kick On Resident DJs free 6pm

Chinese Laundry, Sydney Kastle (USA), Lightyear (USA), Pablo Calamari, A-Tonez, U-Khan, Audiobotz, Fingers, DJ C-Bu, Goodfella, J-Mac $15-$25 9pm Club 77, Darlinghurst Starfuckers Starfuckers DJs 10pm Cohibar, Darling Harbour Yellow Sox Resident DJs free 8pm Establishment, Sydney Sienna Saturdays Def Rok, Troy T, Lilo, Regz, Joey Kaz 8pm The Factory Theatre, Enmore The Selector (UK), The AuSkas, DJ Sara $49 (+ bf) 8pm FBi Social @ Kings Cross Hotel Hands Up! Staggman, Clockwerk free 11.30pm Fleet Steps, Mrs Macquarie’s Chair, Sydney Harbourlife 2012 2manyDJs (Belgium), Mark Farina (USA), Flight Facilities, Todd Terje (Norway), Adana Twins, Flume sold out 3pm Goldfish, Kings Cross Hot Waves Showcase Jenkyns, Lee M Kelsall, Samron Spahich, Matt Cahill, Johnny Gleeson 8pm Goodgod Small Club, Sydney Teengirl Fantasy (USA), Gardland, Movement, Discopunx, Astral DJs $15 (+ bf) 11pm Home Nightclub, Darling Harbour Homemade Saturdays Sash!

(GER) $20 9pm Ivy, Sydney Pacha Tommy Trash, Dr Don Don, Mo’Funk, Ben Morris, John Glover, Baby Gee, Chris Fraser, Cassette, Kristy Lee, Shaun Broughton, Sam Roberts, U-Khan, Pat Ward $40 8pm Ivy Pool Club, Sydney World AIDS Day Wolf & Lamb (USA) free 2pm Jacksons On George, Sydney Lunacy DJ Michael Stewart, DJ Simon Laing free 9pm Kit & Kaboodle, Kings Cross Kitty Kitty Bang Bang Resident DJs 9pm Metro Theatre, Sydney Tyga (USA), Miracle, DJ Nino Brown $65 7pm Nevada Lounge, Darlinghurst DJ Hayden free 6pm One22, Sydney Kollektiv Turmstrasse (GER), Kyson, YokoO, Dave Stuart $30 (+ bf) 10pm Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst Michael Mayer (GER) $40 (+ bf) 10pm Phoneix Bar, Darlinghurst Up Dayclub Resident DJs $15 5am The Red Rattler Theatre, Marrickville Gaylordz – Gaylienz Zanzibar Chanel $10-$15 9pm Sapphire Lounge, Kings Cross The Suite Resident DJs 8pm Secret Inner West Warehouse Venue, Sydney Pablo Valentino (FRA), Inkswel, Freekwency, Mitzi

club guide

Deep Impressions Underground Dance And Electronica with Chris Honnery

send your listings to : clubguide@thebrag.com Hyper, Taylor Wolf, Sami, Alistair Erskine, Fiktion, Liquid Noize $15-$20 8pm

Edseven, Henry Compton, Tee TIlla $25 8pm Space Nightclub, Sydney Masif Saturdays Resident DJs 10pm The Spice Cellar, Sydney Jay Shepheard (UK), Murat Kilic, James Taylor, Dean Relf $25 10pm Trademark Hotel, Kings Cross Trademark Saturdays Resident DJs 9pm The Watershed Hotel, Darling Harbour Watershed Presents…

Skybar Saturdays Resident DJs $20 9pm The World Bar, Kings Cross Cakes Gina Turner (USA), Kato, Emoh Instead, Cassette, NatNoiz, Pablo Calamari, Brown Bear, Mike

SUNDAY DECEMBER 2 Abercrombie Hotel, Broadway S.A.S.H Sundays Secret Guest, Gabby, Mia Lucci, Matt Weir, Kerry Wallace $10 2pm Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Miss Bondi 2012 Heat 1 DJs free 2pm The Beresford Hotel, Surry Hills Beresford Sundays Resident DJs free 3pm

The Flinders, Darlinghurst Death Strobe Sunday Sesh Resident DJs free 3pm Ivy Pool Club, Sydney Marco Polo International Guest (USA) 1pm Oatley Hotel Sunday Sets DJ Tone free 7pm Q Bar, Darlinghurst Daydreams Daydreams DJs 4.30am The Spice Cellar, Sydney Spice After Hours Luke McD, Murat Kilic $20 4am The Watershed Hotel, Darling Harbour Afternoon DJs Resident DJs free 2pm The World Bar, Kings Cross Soup Kitchen Soup Kitchen DJs, Mantra Collective 8pm

Trus'me

club picks Michael Mayer

Alison Wonderland, Pluto Jonze, Gnome Sosueme DJs $20 (+ bf) 8pm The Marquee, The Star, Pyrmont Chuckie (NL) $30 (+ bf) 9pm

SATURDAY DECEMBER 1 Chinese Laundry, Sydney Kastle (USA), Lightyear (USA), Pablo Calamari, A-Tonez, U-Khan, Audiobotz, Fingers, DJ C-Bu, Goodfella, J-Mac $15-$25 9pm Fleet Steps, Mrs Macquarie’s Chair, Sydney Harbourlife 2012 2manyDJs (Belgium), Mark Farina (USA), Flight Facilities, Todd Terje (Norway), Adana Twins, Flume sold out 3pm

WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 28 The Marquee, The Star, Pyrmont Assembly Wednesdays Sander Van Doorn (Holland) $30 9pm Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst The In Sound From Way Out & Inertia Present Pez, Grey Ghost, Seth Sentry, Urthboy $20 (+ bf) 7pm The World Bar, Kings Cross The Wall Glovecats, Spenda C, Struz, Pablo Calamari, Pipemix, Brown Bear, Big Dogs, Baby Gee, Kidwah $5-$10 8pm

THURSDAY NOVEMBER 29 Goodgod Small Club, Sydney Mitzi, Panama, Future Classic DJs $12 (+ bf) 8pm The Spice Cellar, Sydney Joris Voorn (NL), The Spice Cellar Residents $20 11pm

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 30

Goodgod Small Club, Sydney Teengirl Fantasy (USA), Gardland, Movement, Discopunx, Astral DJs $15 (+ bf) 11pm Ivy Pool Club, Sydney World AIDS Day Wolf & Lamb (USA) free 2pm One22, Sydney Kollektiv Turmstrasse (GER), Kyson, YokoO, Dave Stuart $30 (+ bf) 10pm Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst Michael Mayer (GER) $40 (+ bf) 10pm The Spice Cellar, Sydney Jay Shepheard (UK), Murat Kilic, Nil By Mouth, Frames, Dean Relf $25 10pm The World Bar, Kings Cross Cakes Gina Turner (USA), Kato, Emoh Instead, Cassette, NatNoiz, Pablo Calamari, Brown Bear, Mike Hyper, Taylor Wolf, Sami, Alistair Erskine, Fiktion, Liquid Noize $15-$20 8pm

SUNDAY DECEMBER 2 Abercrombie Hotel, Broadway S.A.S.H Sundays Secret Guest, Gabby, Mia Lucci, Matt Weir, Kerry Wallace $10 2pm

Chinese Laundry, Sydney Boss Bass 1st Birthday The Upbeats (NZ), Hydraulix, Pop The Hatch, Autoclaws, Bruxism, Bassriot, Shudder-X, Phaseone $15-$25 10pm Civic Underground, Sydney Apollo Brown (USA), David Dallas (NZ), P-Money (NZ), Suff Daddy (GER), Chasm, Frenzy, Ology $25-$35 9pm The Factory Theatre, Enmore Yung Warriors $12 (+ bf) 7pm Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst Sosueme Xmas Party The Knocks (USA),

his Saturday, Kollectiv Turmstrasse and Michael Mayer are vying for your dancefloor devotion. As Mayer is playing all night long at Oxford Art Factory, I’d recommend him bookending your night, with a trip to One22 for the German duo for a few hours in-between. Now for the paternalistic words of caution: make sure you purchase presales in advance if you want to make it in to both parties.

Kollectiv Turmstrasse sold out a much larger club than One22 last time they played in Sydney, and common sense says they will draw a full house again.

The question is, to quote The Full Monty, ‘are you in or are you out?’

T

up all night out all week...

Teengirl Fantasy

Trus’me has unveiled the third and apparently final instalment in his remix series, which features reworks from Berghain regulars Ben Klock and Ryan Elliott alongside Ukrainian producer Vakula, who wowed those in attendance at Sydney’s Mad Racket earlier this year, and is apparently due to tour again early 2013. Trus’me has showcased a new techno-leaning focus with the series, with previous reworks from the likes of DVS1, Terrence Dixon, Marcel Dettmann and Norman Nodge, a remarkable chap who lives a ‘Bruce Wayne’ type existence balancing a career as a lawyer in Berlin with a Berghain residency. In recent times Trus’me has unveiled a new alias, David James, for his own techno productions, as he continues to diverge from the disco-infused deep house of his earlier work (which led journalists to describe him as “Moodymann with a smile”). On Trus’me Remixes Vol 3, Klock refashions the 2007 cut ‘W.A.R. Dub’ by eviscerating the original of its rhythmic sub bass and honing in on lacerating drums, while Elliott turns ‘Nards’ into a skittering effort beset by spookily panned fractured vocal elements. Though Vakula may look like the odd one out on paper, his reworking of ‘Need A Job’ into a visceral slab of acid house will sate the appetite of technophiles, and is actually the heaviest of all the remixes on this EP – not that it’s all about being heavy, of course. Trus’Me will venture Down Under early next year, and will headline The Spice Cellar on Friday February 22 – the question is, which Trus’Me shows up: disco boy or techno homme?

Now for an excerpt from an essay by Peter Chambers for Stylus, which is this week’s compulsory homework for Deep Impressions readers. With the focus always on the music, I wanted to break things up somewhat by reflecting on nightclub culture, and the environment in which the music that is the subject of this column is played. So, here’s something to digest: “Clubbers go out to get wasted.

It’s about pilling and pulling (in that order) with music the distant, impoverished third link – functional for some, ornamental for most. The music is necessary, but it’s more of a soundtrack to a shared abuse trajectory than anything that people are passionate about. It’s noticeable only by its absence, like the saloon piano

falling silent in a Western. The fact is that, qualitatively and quantitatively, we’re talking about a drug culture that uses music, not a music culture that uses drugs.

And often that means that the quality of the music leaves plenty to be desired.

Even if it is a whole lotta fun, in the long term, it’s just not compatible with human flourishing. And then there’s the cruel irony when you realise the status quo ain’t going to change. Not when the very things that make listening to music in clubs unbearable are the same conditions that ensure its profitable sustainability.” I invite you to send an email with your thoughts on this – depending on the responses, there may be further ‘deep reflections’ in the coming weeks. Or you can tell me to shut up and stick to writing about the music itself – which I will, of course, do anyway.

German producer Stephan Laubner, who makes dubby machine funk as STL, will release his next album, Secret Weapons, next month through his own Something imprint. The release, which is apparently his 12th album, will cap another fruitful year production-wise for Laubner, who has released two solo EPs, Good Vaporations and Flying Saucer Attack, and appeared on various artist EPs for Silent Season and Voodoo Down Records throughout the course of 2012.

Laubner’s work first saw the light of day on the hallowed Perlon imprint. In 2000, he shared a split 12-inch with Ricardo Villalobos and Dandy Jack, recording as Ric y Martin, and subsequently remixed Luomo under that guise – who of course headlined the recent Deep Impressions bash last Friday. The tracklisting of Secret Weapons reveals that four loop tracks have been included on the LP, maintaining a pattern set on the most recent STL album, 2010's Flying Objects, which saw one loop track included on each side of vinyl. One for the heads for sure, but if you’ve got turntables, this is worth the obligatory Juno order.

LOOKING DEEPER SATURDAY DECEMBER 1 Kollectiv Turmstrasse One22 Michael Mayer Oxford Art Factory

FRIDAY DECEMBER 7-10 Subsonic Music Festival Barrington Tops

TUESDAY JANUARY 1 Luke Slater The Abercrombie

Deep Impressions: electronica manifesto and occasional club brand. Contact through deep.impressions@yahoo.com BRAG :: 490 :: 26:11:12 :: 47

snap up all night out all week . . .

It’s called: Gaylordz Discotheque: Gaylienz It sounds like: Hot babes dancing to good music

.

Who’s spinning? Zanzibar Chanel, Strang er Danger & Mighty Hermaphrodite, Mister Rio’s Boy. Three songs you’ll hear on the night: ‘Nubia n Princess’ – Zanzibar Chanel; The X Files theme song (techno remix); ‘Azz Every where’ – Big Freedia.

And one you definitely won’t: Anything by Lady Gaga/Jason Derulo/David Guetta.

Sell it to us: Gaylordz Discotheque is a dance night open to people of any persuasion or bent, as long as you bring the love make it to our Gaylienz edition (she’s off having and respect. Ellen Ripley won’t (more) alien babies) but she’s sending a hologram cut-out. We just want to dance with hot babes to good music.

Winona is not invited.

The bit we’ll remember in the AM: Zanzibar Chanel spewing out waves of alien sex-magic.

Crowd specs: Hot babes who want to dance to good music.

Wallet damage: $10 before 10pm / $15 after Where: Red Rattler / 6 Faversham St, Marric kville When: Saturday December 1, 9pm-late

ben sims

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party profile

gaylordz discotheque: gaylienz

teebs

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17:11:12 :: Chinese Laundry :: 111 Sussex St Sydney 8295 9999

a very merry xmas party

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hot toddy & danielle moore

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16:11:12 :: Goodgod Small Club :: 53-55 Liverpool St Chinatown 8084 0587

16:11:12 :: Oxford Art Factory :: 38-46 Oxford St Darlinghurst 9332 3711

agwa yacht club after party

17:11:12 :: Burdekin Hotel :: 2 Oxford St Darlinghurst 9331 3066 48 :: BRAG :: 490 :: 26:11:12

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16:11:12 :: The Spice Cellar :: 58 Elizabeth St Sydney 9223 5585

:: KATRINA CLARKE :: JAY S : TIM LEVY (HEAD HONCHO) OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHER :: THOMAS PEACHY :: GEORGE MAR LEY :ASH : I OMIN GIAC COLLIER :: BREE CORVELL :: LIVIA POPOV :: PEDRO XAVIER ::

WEDNESDAYS 28 NOV & 05 DEC ANDREW DENTON WIL ANDERSON SANDRA SULLY MAX LAVERGNE CHRIS TAYLOR SHED MUZAK

FRI 30 NOV SUN 02 DEC

ACO

(AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER ORCHESTRA)

MOVEMENT OLYMPIC AYRES

UNDERGROUND

FRI 07 DEC SAT 08 DEC FREE PARTY

COGEL / THE MOUNTAINS THE CADRES / DJ DEVOLA DJ SHANTAN PING PONG / DJ’S $4 CHAMPA’S / $5 BEERS

SUN 09 DEC FRI 14 DEC GALLERY BURLESQUE

MERRY

Christmas ‘THE BENDER’ TOUR

(NZ)

BURLESQUE

Coming Up IN DECEMBER 19th BECK HANSEN’S SONG READER 21st CARAVÃNA SUN 22nd AFRO MUSIC AWARDS

MON 31 DEC NYE 12

‘TRASH GALLERY’ ALL NIGHT BURLESQUE, BANDS, DJS, LIVE ART, COMEDY, COCKTAIL LOUNGE, KINK CORNERS, NYE VIDEO PROJECTIONS, CUDDLE STATIONS, PHOTO BOOTH & OTHER WEIRD COMPETITIONS

BRAG :: 490 :: 26:11:12 :: 49

snap

assembly wednesday

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up all night out all week . . .

pillowtalk

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14:11:12 :: Marquee :: Star City Sydney 9657 7737

17:11:12 :: Goodgod Small Club :: 53-55 Liverpool St Chinatown 8084 0587

It’s called: The Game Boy Australia Summ er Tour It sounds like: A ‘90s warehouse rave being invaded by some noise punks who were intent on trashing the place and having a rad nerd party in the process.

Who’s playing? Dot.AY (Melb) will provide the tropical dance grit, 10k (Syd) will yell at his Game Boy, Abortifacient (Syd) will bring the dub and the step, while Godinpants (Syd) will play a Scott Pilgrim-esqu e bass.

Sell it to us: Game Boy music. C’mon, you know you wanna see that it’s possible.

The bit we’ll remember in the AM: Either a joke AY convincing you that Rihanna didn’t kill seapu 10k told about your mum, or Dot. nk.

Crowd specs: 18+, NO STEREOTYPES. Wallet damage: Slim. The bargain bin price of $10 will cover you for a wonderful night of good times and great Australian Game Boy Classics.

Where: Hermann’s Bar, Sydney University When: Friday December 7, from 8pm

smoke dza

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15:11:12 :: The World Bar :: 24 Bayswater Rd Kings Cross 9357 7700

party profile

propaganda

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the game boy australia summer tour

freq nasty

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14:11:12 :: Goodgod Small Club :: 53-55 Liverpool St Chinatown 8084 0587

16:11:12 :: Chinese Laundry :: 111 Sussex St Sydney 8295 9999

50 :: BRAG :: 490 :: 26:11:12

:: KATRINA CLARKE :: JAY S : TIM LEVY (HEAD HONCHO) OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHER :: THOMAS PEACHY :: GEORGE MAR LEY :ASH : I OMIN GIAC COLLIER :: BREE CORVELL :: LIVIA POPOV :: PEDRO XAVIER ::

PERKSOFAWALLFLOWER.COM.AU

Mature themes, drug use, sexual references and coarse language

IN CINEMAS NOVEMBER 29