The Brag #499

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

five things WITH

LEIGH FROM THE TOWNHOUSES (VIC) perspective on the same piece of writing would be slightly different. I only really took notice of music in high school, playing in rock bands, which would lead on to more experimental bands. Only later down the track did I make the link between my love of literature and my own compositions.

Inspirations My inspirations are constantly changing 2. with the music I’m making. I feel like I’m developing my own sound and, over time, different influences (musical and nonmusical) are informing the releases I’m putting out. Lately I’ve been researching a lot of late ’90s Australian bedroom pop music such as Lacto Ovo, Sleepy Township, Driving Past, Nice, and The Foots, for an essay/ article I’m hoping to finish in the next few months. These acts I’ve been digging up in second-hand CD stores are providing tons of inspiration for the material I’ve been writing in the last few months.

Your Band My band is really just me (for now). I 3. have, however, had the opportunity to work

Growing Up Growing up, I was extremely quiet and 1. always into reading books. While writing

didn’t work out to well for me back then, I loved the way imagery was conveyed through words and how each person’s

with some incredible musicians on my last record, Diaspora. These included Giorgio Tuma from Italy, Guerre, Rainbow Chan, Felix Weatherbourne, and also Nick Huggins, who mixed the record and would have to be

one of my favourite producers in the country.

The Music You Make The music I make is slightly obscure 4. pop music, with ambient electronics and an introduction to (ethno)musicology. It’s kind of an assortment of some of my interests and studies all recorded and written in a bedroom in suburban Melbourne. The live show can consist of a jangly guitar, piano, pre-recorded gamelan mallets, reverb and a sampler filled with Woody Allen quotes and various Australian bird sounds.

Music, Right Here, Right Now I cannot speak too much about Sydney, 5. but I can safely say the Melbourne scene would have to be at its absolute peak right now. There are so many underground acts who reference the diversity and inventiveness that’s made the scene so great, then add a touch of themselves or an unexplored point of difference. Lately I’ve been really digging Zone Out, Pop Singles, Ciggie Witch, Fatti Frances, Terrible Truths, The Atlas Room, and Great Earthquake.

With: Rainbow Chan, Charles Buddy Daaboul When: Thursday February 14 Where: FBi Social @ Kings Cross Hotel

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Someone should tell Welsh punk band Funeral For A Friend that your debut album is meant to be the most unhinged of your catalogue, and then slowly but surely you are meant to slide into ballad territory, draping strings and sickly sentiments across your albums until you shed all your fans, who miss the good old heavy days. Instead these guys have gone and released their heaviest album to date Conduit, which is their seventh studio album – usually about the time you get Norah Jones in (or Cerys from Catatonia, if you are Welsh). They’ll be destroying their instruments on May 11 at Manning Bar. Come and hear how punk is meant to sound. Tickets via manningbar. com

AUTUMN, DISCONTENTED

Emilie Autumn wrote the most messed up, fascinating autobiographical novel about her time in a mental institution, called The Asylum For Wayward Victorian Girls, which was based on diaries she wrote in red crayon while in there. It’s set in Victorian times because why not?, and basically her sinister, string-drenched music works as the perfect soundtrack to all that. Her stage-show is as visually stunning as you’d expect as well: all vaudeville and theatrical. Catch her at the Factory Theatre on Saturday March 30. All-ages, tickets on sale now, and dress crazy-like.

Emilie Autumn

FROGFEST

When we heard that FrogFest was coming to the Red Rattler in Marrickville, we thought “At last, we’ll be able to see Kermit sing ‘Rainbow Connection’ live, and his nephew Robin do that ‘Halfway Up The Stairs’ song (fuck, all the Muppets songs were melancholic), and we’ll be able to nip out for a gözleme during Crazy Frog’s set.” Turns out that FrogFest is actually an evening of progressive folk, which is folk that bowerbirds from other genres, utilises world music instruments, and basically pushes forward in the way that music should. It’s happening March 15; Tang Takadimi, Grandmaster Monk, Dave Bova Band, and Divina Commedia will be supplying the music, tickets are a reasonable $12 presale and $15 at the door, lounges will be comfortable and so, so red, and wear shoes this time, yeah?

UNI DINOS

Caitlin Park

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Last time we saw Last Dinosaurs at UNSW, they did a cover of Moloko’s ‘Sing It Back’, which was an interesting choice for an indie synthy so-hotright-now band to cover, but it worked so well that even that crusty old Dean was digging it. March 13 sees the boys come back to play some pranks on the Dean, and maybe a few tracks from their impressive debut record In A Million Years. Tickets are only $15 ($10 for Arc members), drinks will be served in plastic cups, Sydney indie-pop band The Griswolds will be supporting, and there’s a kegger back at Jimmy’s house after the show, but you gotta put in for the beer this time, dude.

CAITLIN!

“Caitlin Park’s Milk Annual was pretty much the best thing to happen in 2011” is what we claimed back in that golden chillwave age, and we completely stand by it; Milk Annual was an amazing debut record, which is why we are incredibly excited to hear that she’ll be showcasing songs from her forthcoming second album on March 7 at the Vanguard. boatfriends are in support – if you enjoy swoony, Cocteau Twinsy music, turn up early and watch the shit outta them.

Remember when Pete Wentz from Fall Out Boy (oh yeah, Fall Out Boy are back, more on that later) meant to send a photo of his penis to a partner but instead sent it to the entire Internet?

Well, when that occurred, his mum’s advice to him was “You need to be more careful” which is the most adorably mum-like thing in the world to say, as though he’d almost choked on an IcyPole or walked in front of a car or something…

So, Fall Out Boy are back with their first record in five years, with the everyone-baiting name of Save Rock and Roll and the everyone-baiting influences of Charles Bukowski and Ernest Hemingway (and probably Get Up Kids, too!).

They’re touring Australia too, because we love them more than America does, and March 25 they hit The Metro. Tickets on sale from noon this Wednesday, February 13.

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rock music news

free stuff

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

FREESTUFF@THEBRAG.COM

five things WITH

SARAH BLASKO

BENNY WALKER Leahy (drums), Daniel “Para” Paroissien (bass), Yvette Maker (pedal steel), and Jacob Gellert (keys). We’re having so much fun onstage at the moment and there’s a great energy between us.

Ocassionally we’re lucky enough to have my good mate Tom Richardson step in on lead guitar as well. He has a great stage presence. Shane O’Mara did such a great job producing the new album (Sinners and Saints) and I feel it’s converting really well live.

4.

Growing Up I grew up in the border 1. towns of Echuca/Moama in a very musical family. Both of my grandfathers were musicians as well as my dad and aunty, and both of my siblings can play and sing. Growing up in such a musical environment no doubt shaped me into the musician I am today.

York and Eric Clapton Unplugged.

I was probably about nine or ten years old when I got these and instantly found a love for the acoustic guitar. Another album I got at around 12 was a Jimi Hendrix compilation, The Ultimate Experience. That made wanna pick up the electric and helped me get an education on the blues. ‘Hey Joe’ still regularly makes the setlist .

Your Band The touring band is Cat

Inspirations The first albums I ever owned 2. were Nirvana Unplugged In New 3.

The Music You Make Folk, blues, roots, country.

I listen to a lot of different music, especially other singer-songwriters like Neil Young, Paul Kelly, Ryan Adams, and Ray LaMontagne. I think it’s the “real” sound that these guys get on their recordings, as well as the amazing songs that they write, that I’m inspired by.

Shane O’Mara and I recorded Sinners and Saints in his Yikesville studio in Yarraville. He knows the space so well and has a really great way of working fast, but it always feels really relaxed in there.

Because of the result we got out of the studio, we’ve been playing the

LA punk kings The Bronx were just announced for Groovin’ The Moo, which had those of us not living in rural NSW wondering when the inevitable Sydney sideshow would be, and also wondering why all the cab drivers seem to think dropping you close enough is good enough. Well one of those questions has been answered, and it’s because they don’t wanna have to turn around across double-lines, and time is money. The other question was also answered: April 24-26 at the Annandale Hotel. Tickets go on sale February 14, and the support acts include the Nirvanariffic Violent Soho and DZ Deathrays.

S4K4EVA

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Where: King St Brewhouse / 22 The Promenade, Darling Harbour When: Thursday February 14

STONEMEN DAKS

In celebration of Valentine’s Day and all things with potential to lure in a Gosling/Kerr/Radcliffe (he’s still cool, right?)-eqsue date, dude-underwear revolutionaries Stonemen have a range that is the perfect fit. Started in 2007 as fashion photographer Marc Debnam’s response to a disenchanting market, the label is the only one in the world that features digitally printed 360-degree imagery. With fun, retro-tinged themes like ‘Horses’, ‘Ducks’ and ‘Red Sunset’, you’ll be trotting along in style... in between stalking the label’s lookbook, which coincidentally features models with chiselled abs. We have two $50 vouchers to give away. Just send us a brief (heh) description of what pattern you would like to see on a pair of Reg Grundies.

Katie Noonan

Tool

ELE[V]ATOR

Wanna get high at Soundwave? That’s actually none of our business – but if you took that opening line as a clever play on words, then maybe you’ll enjoy being suspended 50 metres in the air while watching Metallica, Blink 182, A Perfect Circle or The Offspring, as the people down on the ground look like ants, and the ants look like baby ants. Channel [V] are bringing The Ele[v]ator back to Soundwave (Sunday February 24 in Sydney) and you can win a double pass to ride the Ele[v]ator, plus tickets to Soundwave. Hit up vmusic.com.au to enter, and maybe to win. And if you’re afraid of heights, just stop being afraid of heights.

TWIN POWERZ

“Oh my God! Tegan and Sara have gone pop on their new album Heartthrob”, yelled everyone in unison, while mind-blanking the fact that all their albums to date have been super poppy, with immaculate Chris Walla production (on two of them), shiny, glossy, clean sounds, more hooks than a fight on a pirate ship, and sugary harmonies from everyone’s favourite Canadian twins (aside from those ones from Degrassi, Erica and Heather. Which was the one who lost her virginity early on in the show? Phone in.) The truth is, they used a little more synth. That’s the only real change. You’ll see first-hand April 25 at the Opera House when they play the album to you, in person. Tickets on sale from that pointy building near the water from Friday, February 15.

TOOL TOUR

It’s the middle of the night. You’re already feeling a little on edge ‘cos you’ve been watching straight episodes of Oz, so you put on rage to warm your soul again. Maybe there’ll be a Blink-182 clip, you love those guys. Foo Fighters clips are also funny. Maybe it’ll be Snow or something old and unintentionally funny. Then holy fuck of all fuck, what is this creepy, horrendous claymation thing with a driving, grinding, relentless musical bed? You can’t sleep for weeks, but the band Tool becomes one of your favourites, which is why you are excited beyond belief by the news they are playing Allphones Arena on May 3. Tickets on sale Tuesday, February 19. Frontier presale from noon on Valentine’s Day.

Xxx photo by Xxxx

Even though he cannot pronounce the word ‘echolalia’, Something For Kate’s Paul Dempsey sure loves singing about science.

He’s been bored with three dimensions (this was pre-Toy Story 3, though), named a record Phantom Limbs (an actual phenomenon which still seems like it cannot be true) and now the band’s sixth album is called Leave Your Soul To Science (and is in the same vein as their debut, the pre-emo, emo record Elsewhere For 8 Minutes). It’s great to have them back, which is why we are sleeping through the next few months so we don’t have to wait for their June 1 Metro Theatre show. Support by the rad Courtney Barnett, tickets on sale now.

seems to be building in some ways but struggling in others. There are a lot more smaller venues putting on music now but the mediumsized venues seem to be in a different place. People who live nearby and complain about noise etc. are killing live music in some areas. The good thing about the music scene is that there is a real sense of community amongst independent musicians. A lot of them are touring really hard and travelling for most of the year to do what they love. I’m really looking forward to playing in Sydney for the first time at a relatively new venue that’s doing good things: the King St Brewhouse.

Remember on the George records when Katie Noonan and her brother Tyrone would split the songwriting and vocals almost song-for-song, and therefore you’d basically have to pre-program the CD player so it skips the nicetry-mate Buckley-bleeding Tyrone songs so you could hear Katie’s soaring vocals and accomplished songcraft? Well, you don’t need to do that on Katie Noonan’s Songbook, as it is a reimagining of some of her most-loved songs from her ever-growing back catalogue.

She’s performing it live April 13 at The Basement with a string quartet, because scrappy guitars are an affront to her vocal ability. Tickets are on sale now from thebasement.com

BRONX

What is it with these string-laden, warmsounding female singer-songwriters that they need to hole up in a country house for a few weeks in the dead of winter to record an album? Feist did it with Metals, Holly Throsby did it with Team, and now the wonderful Ainslie Wills has done it for her stunning debut You Go Your Way, I’ll Go Mine. It releases on March 4, and she’s launching it on April 18 at FBi Social, and you should really go check it out; she’ll be everywhere soon, and you can do that smug ‘Oh, I was at the launch of that’ thing you do so very well.

Music, Right Here, Right Now 5.

The music scene at the moment

NOONAN

The Bronx

WHO WILLS? AINSLIE WILLS!

songs fairly similarly to the record.

Although some more jamming is coming in as we get more comfortable with it on stage.

Sarah Blasko has decided to forgo summer, whipping out the Wintercoats for her dreamy ‘I Awake’ tour. The announcement has fans lying awake with excitement, with the lush Wintercoats (fresh from touring with Beach House) supporting Saz alongside Aussie cult favourites The Necks. Shows in Sydney, Hobart and Brissie are on the verge of selling out. And why wouldn’t they be, with a live orchestra accompanying Miss Blasko as she injects her I-Awakening vocal sass into old favourites? We have a double pass to her show on February 18 at the Operaaaaaaah House – if you want it, tell us in 25 words or less what you would forgo this summer for tickets.

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The Music Network

themusicnetwork.com

Music Industry News with Christie Eliezer

THINGS WE HEAR * On tour: Beyoncé’s world tour will include Australia, but dates aren't yet decided…

Soundwave promoter AJ Maddah emphasises Metallica’s set on Sunday will NOT be the Black Album in its entirety …

Sydney is one of the cities in which Dave Grohl and the Sound City Players will perform, among other dates worldwide, to promote his new doco Sound City. They’re rehearsing Rick Springfield tunes …

Extreme postponed their April visit because too many heavyweights are touring then… A medical condition saw Neville Staple unable to fly and forced to axe his March dates. “For this to happen to a boutique tour company like us is a hard hit, and affects us greatly,” said promoter Troubadour Music. * Dan Sultan has signed with Michael Parisi Management. * Star Observer Digital launches this week as a digital pop up station, with LGBTI-focused content made live at 2SER

OZ MUSIC UP 4% The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) has announced that the Australian recorded music industry grew 4% in value last year, to just over $398 million – the first rise in annual wholesale figures since 2009. Much of this was due to a 57.54% rise in digital sales, as various music subscription services hit the local market last year. Digital sales leapt to over 119 million units, which is worth $184.3 million to the industry – a 31.14% rise in dollar value from 2011. According to ARIA, digital now makes up 46% of the Australian market’s value, compared to 36.7% the year before. Aussies still embrace single tracks: these sold 110.4 million units (valued at $98.2 million) compared to 6.8 million full digital albums, which provided $63.4 million to the music biz. As expected, physical products continued to decline. But the slide was only by 6.42%, compared to 13.85% in 2011. ARIA pointed out that physical (CDs, DVDs and vinyl) still remains the format for Aussies, accounting for a 53.7% share of the market. CD albums sold 19 million

and Joy 94.9. * Skateboard/punker Brandon "Bam" Margera’s tour with FuckFace Unstoppable, which sold out ten shows, saw the band kicked out of three hotels and off the Magnetic Island ferry in Queensland. The crew wound up the tour tandem skydiving in Cairns. Band member Brandon Novak promised to make his first jump naked but, alas, arrived drunk and was refused permission by operators. * Adele was already suffering stage fright over the prospect of singing the Bond theme Skyfall at the Oscars on February 24. It turned into anxiety attacks and sleepless nights after she heard her idol Barbra Streisand was also performing on the night.

Now she’s visiting a hypnotherapist to cure her… How did Beyoncé psych up for her Super Bowl show seen by 104 million? She had good sex with Jay-Z. * After a delay of four months, the Bourbon and Beefsteak in Kings Cross reopens on February 21, featuring live music seven ($193.4 million) and CD singles 174,150 (almost $700,000). Music videos and DVDs shifted 1.8 million ($17.5 million). And vinyl made a comeback: singles jumped by 58.56% to sales of 21,623 (value of $185, 512), and albums rose 73.67%, to $1.8 million.

ARIA chairman Denis Handlin said, “While our work with government and ISPs to ensure artists and their record labels are properly rewarded for their creative efforts is still far from finished, the demand for music is as strong as ever, and Australian music fans are embracing the many legitimate platforms where an incredible range of local and international music is widely available.”

ARIA chief executive Dan Rosen added, “The continued innovation in new music services means fans of all types can now get their music when and how they want, whether by streaming, downloading or visiting their local record store. This access, combined with a host of great local and international releases, means it is a great time to be a music fan in Australia.”

E HIFI 1300 TH COM.AU THEHIFI.

FA ST SE LL IN G

FA ST SE LL IN G

Crime And The City Solution (USA)

Sleeping With Sirens(USA) + Woe, Is Me (USA)

Bring Me The Horizon (UK)

Fri 15 Feb

Thu 21 Feb

Mon 25 Feb

Tue 26 Feb

SE LL IN G

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FA ST

FA ST

An Evening with The Hoff (USA)

Bullet For My Valentine(UK)

Mindless Self Indulgence (USA)

Tim Rogers & The Bamboos

Wed 27 Feb

Thu 28 Feb

Thu 7 Mar

Jon Spencer Blues Explosion (USA) Sat 9 Mar

Ensiferum (FIN)

Dinosaur Jr + Redd Kross (USA) Sat 16 Mar

FA ST SE LL IN G

FA ST

Fri 8 Mar

Mutemath (USA) Sun 24 Mar

Otep (USA)

Enhanced (UK)

Norma Jean (USA)

Thu 25 Apr

Sat 27 Apr

Fri 3 May

ENTERTAINMENT QUARTER, BUILDING 220, 122 LANG RD, MOORE PARK, SYDNEY

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After officially parting ways with longtime manager Terry Blamey on New Year's Eve, Kylie Minogue has signed management to Jay-Z’s Roc Nation, in an obvious move to break the U.S. market. She joins Rihanna, Solange, M.I.A, Shakira and Timbaland in the Roc Nation stable. A new single is out “soon”, followed by an album. What was all that blather about her moving into acting, then…?

PEATS CREDITORS REVOLT The heat is on Peats Ridge festival promoter Matt Grant. He put the festival into voluntary liquidation on January 18, with debts of $1.27 million to 200 creditors, and declared assets of $140,000. Insolvency firm Jirsch Sutherland was chosen by Grant to do the honours. But creditors, led by the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA) – it represents 50 performers and production crew, owed a total of $750,000 – put a stop to that. After all, it was the fifth time that Jirsch Sutherland was appointed liquidators for a company run by Grant since August 2011. They successfully voted to get rid of Jirsch Sutherland and get a liquidator of their own choosing: Christopher Darin and Ivor Worrell, partners at Worrells Forensic Accountants. Worrells have indicated that they will push for Grant to go to court and testify under oath. MEAA’s Mal Tulloch said of the move, “We worked collectively to demonstrate that promoters will be held accountable if they do the wrong thing.”

Doubts were expressed by creditors that the Peats Ridge company The Festival Company only had $140,000 in the bank.

If true, the 200 creditors will have to share from $60,000 after Jirsch Sutherland takes its fee of $80,000.

After five years as General Manager of FBi Radio 94.5FM, Evan Kaldor is stepping down – but will remain on the FBi board, as Treasurer. FBi will start searching for a new GM, and welcomes applications.

A position description will be advertised and posted on the FBi website shortly. In the meantime, Dan Zilber is promoted to General Manager of Music, while Stephen Goodhew will become Music Director. Zilber said his new role gave him “increased scope to create more opportunities for Sydney bands and more ways for our audience to access them.” FBi reaches 250,000 listeners a week.

MATT GUDINSKI PROMOTED

George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic (USA)

SE LL IN G

Fri 15 Mar

KYLIE JOINS ROC NATION

CHANGES AT FBI

Coming Soon

This Week

nights a week. It underwent $7 million worth of renovations, after closing in 2010 due to flooding which damaged the interior. * All-female Kashmir high school band Pragaash broke up after an online hate campaign, sparked when a cleric put a fatwah on them for being “indecent”. * Triple M’s Merrick & The Highway Patrol’s outside broadcast from Taree was axed, when three grumps from the local Men’s Shed (they restore furniture and toys for charity) threw a tantrum and closed them down. * Apple’s iTunes store hit its 25 billionth sale.

Phillip Lupke of Germany, who bought Chase Buch’s ‘Monkey Drums’, got a €10,000 iTunes Gift Card. * Former American Idol judge Steven Tyler returned to the show disguised as a drag queen contestant Pepper LaBeija. He wore a blonde wig, snakeskin miniskirt and fake breasts that honked when squeezed. * Daniel Ibrahim no longer does marketing and promotions at The Marquee.

The Mushroom Group celebrated its 40th anniversary at an industry bash of 550 guests in Melbourne, making a few announcements: founder Michael Gudinski’s son Matt, who runs Illusive label and Artist Voice agency, has been promoted to Group Executive Director. He will now make decisions on a larger scale, which paves the way him to be handed the reins in the future. He said, “2013 is shaping up to our best year”, and expressed his pride that when other indies were closing, downsizing or merging, their family-run independent business “was investing more and more in Australian music.” These investments include Dan Sultan, who signed his new deal with Liberation in the alleyway outside the Thousand £ Bend; also performing at the party were British India, City Calm Down, Clubfeet, Owl Eyes, Snakadaktal, The Rubens, Vance Joy and World’s End Press. Alt-J, who were given their first gold record in the world (also in the alley outside) did a surprise set. Mushroom Group

introduced a new Mushroom logo, which will be used throughout its 29 companies, including the Premier and Harbour agencies, Frontier Touring and Mushroom Music Publishing. Just in case anyone got the idea that Michael was scaling down, the big fella told the crowd, “If any other prick asks me if I’m retiring tonight they can fuck off!”

HUB LAUNCHES TOUR DIVISION Troy Barrott’s management and label group Hub Artist Services has set up a new touring division, based in Melbourne, and which is also Hub’s new satellite office in the southern city. Hub Touring is run by Frankie Kimpton (ex-Premier Artists), who will also run a boutique agency with his acts Royal Blood, Kate Martin, Glass Towers, Buchanan and Universal recording artist Neda. Barrott said, “It’s important for any contemporary Australian music company to have a presence in both Sydney and Melbourne. Hub Touring will become a very important piece of the puzzle for us.”

CLARKSON TOPS ‘IDOL’ EARNERS LIST Ten years after winning the first series of American Idol, Kelly Clarkson makes it work for her: last year she earned US$8 million, putting her at #1 on Forbes magazine’s list of 2012’s top-earning American Idols. That $8 million – from a gold album, a mentor role on The Voice, a Toyota ad, and a lucrative tour – is what Nicki Minaj earns as a judge. Hard touring saw Carrie Underwood and Chris Daughtry tie at #2 with $5 million. Others were Scotty McCreery ($4m), Jennifer Hudson ($3m), Jordin Sparks ($2m), Adam Lambert ($1.5m), Katharine McPhee ($1.1m), Kellie Pickler ($1.1m), David Archuleta ($1m) and David Cook ($1m).

NEW OWNERS FOR WATTS After 21 years, Rydalmere-based audio, lighting and video firm Lots Of Watts has a new owner. It's business as usual, but they move to new offices soon.

Lifelines Recovering: US blues-rock guitarist Jimmie Vaughan has been discharged from hospital after suffering a heart attack last month.

In Court: Lamb Of God singer Randy Blythe’s manslaughter trial has begun in the Czech Republic.

He is charged with causing the death of a fan who jumped on stage and fell on the floor on his head after an alleged tussle.

In Court: country singer Randy Travis received a 180-day suspended jail sentence after pleading guilty to drunk driving in Texas. He was arrested naked and threatened to shoot officers when they wanted to give him a breathalyser test.

Evicted: Spice Girls fan Gavin Townroe, of Nottingham in the UK, was kicked out of his house after he kept playing ‘Viva Forever’ over and over at loud volume – so loud that some neighbours had to leave their properties, and one had to call in sick from work because he couldn’t get any sleep.

In Court: country music star Emmylou Harris, with hit-and-run after allegedly hitting another car on a Los Angeles freeway. She faces six months in jail.

Died: Reg Presley (born Reginald Maurice Ball) of ’60s Brit band The Troggs, 71, from lung cancer.

After breaking through with a cover of Chip Taylor’s ‘Wild Thing’, Presley wrote ‘Love Is All Around’, later a #1 for 15 weeks for Wet Wet Wet in 1994 when used in Four Weddings And A Funeral.

Died: US RnB star Cecil Womack, 65, in Africa where he moved with wife and writing partner Linda Cooke to explore his African heritage. He and his brothers (including Bobby) were discovered

by Sam Cooke. Their band The Valentinos charted with Bobby’s ‘It’s All Over Now’, later a hit for the Stones.

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African who’d previously recorded the Woodstock performances, including Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix. It was a turning point for the band: shortly afterwards they were picked up by the newly established label Casablanca Records, and opened for Blue Oyster Cult at the Academy of Music in their home town. This performance featured Simmons’ fire-breathing trick, which resulted in him accidentally setting his hair on fire. The fans didn’t know what to make of these four hard-rocking and bizarrelooking characters, but it was clear to Stanley that they were onto something big. alking to Paul Stanley about Real Life Stuff, it’s surprisingly hard to imagine him as The Starchild.

Of course, when he’s enthusiastically expounding the virtues of concentrated studio sessions in Los Angeles or casually name-dropping fellow rock stars (all friends) who’ve stood the test of time, there’s no denying this is the man behind the mask; but when the 61-year-old on the other end of the line swings from discussing touring America’s stadiums alongside Mötley Crüe, to happily recounting visiting his son at college, it becomes nigh impossible to picture him shirtless with full-on demonic makeup, pyrotechnics detonating around him as he tears strips off a stadium-sized guitar solo.

psychological and spiritual, so that’s what we were talking about...

I’ve been entranced by Sydney for years, and I love everything about it. I might be at my happiest when I’m by the harbour with a glass of wine. It’s the simple stuff, you know? We work hard to meet all the challenges that get thrown our way, and we rise to those challenges. Then, as a reward, we get to come to Australia!”

“Oh, it’s definitely me!” laughs the man known to his mother as Stanley Harvey Eisen. “As a matter of fact I just got off the phone to Nikki [Sixx, bass guitarist for Mötley Crüe] about five minutes before you called. We were talking about the Australian tour. He said to say hi, and he’s looking forward to seeing you.”

KISS began in 1973, rising from the ashes of Stanley and Gene Simmons’ previous band, Wicked Lester. After recording an album that was quickly shelved by Epic Records (then home to Tammy Wynette, Boston and The Clash), Stanley and Simmons split from the others, and joined forces with drummer Pete Criss and guitarist Ace Frehley, rechristening themselves Kiss not long after.

They then attempted to show Epic A&R executive Don Ellis their new image, complete with costumes and makeup, in November 1972.

Ellis famously hated their look, and proceedings were given a further dose of rock‘n’roll when Criss’ brother, as drunk folks often do, threw up all over the office floor.

“Seriously, though,” he adds, “I’ve had this long term love affair with Australia that has been

A year later the New Yorkers recorded a five-track demo with producer Eddie Kramer, a South

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“One thing that has always marked us as different is our commitment to the live show,” he explains.

“We’ve been doing this for some time now – more than 40 years – and from the very start we knew that we had something special going on. There’s always been a desire within the band to do better... We feel like we’re getting pretty good at conjuring up the spirits of those great rock’n’rollers who’ve inspired us. And, honestly, why would we bother if we weren’t continually inspired by those great acts?”

Stanley’s personal journey down the path to classic rock fame began when he was still a teenager, at one of Bill Graham’s iconic venues.

“Every week I used to go down to the Fillmore East in Manhattan, and I could see anything and everything, twice a night for a couple of bucks,” he says, with a touch of that wide-eyed young kid creeping into his tone. “I saw Led Zeppelin, The Who, Jimi Hendrix, Derek And The Dominos – they were all there. I’d wander home afterwards with these impossible dreams, just inspired beyond belief.

For a young kid, it was like going to electric church. We were all there together, worshipping and having the best time.”

“That’s the music that’s stayed with me, and the messages that have stayed with me,” he continues. “I am as much in awe of that classic music today as I was then; it still inspires me, and I think it inspires all of us, really. I’m guided by rock’n’roll as much as I was all those years ago, because it’s really still about celebrating life and freedom. And I know that I’m a lucky son of a bitch, but it’s like Mark Twain said, and I’m paraphrasing poorly here: if you find something you love doing, do it for life. I get to make music I really love, and that energy is contagious and I think it inspires others too.”

Stanley and Simmons have been the only constant members of the band, with Black ‘n Blue’s Tommy Thayer officially taking over lead guitar duties at the KISS Symphony: Alive IV concert in 2003 in Melbourne. Thayer had spent a decade occupying a variety of roles within the KISS machine before his official assumption of The Spaceman’s look and character. Eric Singer (ex-Alice Cooper) served a similarly extended apprenticeship with the band – he played drums in KISS from 1991 until 1996, before working with legendary Queen guitarist Brian May for a few years and then rejoining the fold, in Criss’ full Catman regalia and persona, in 2001.

The changes in personnel have occasionally divided fans, but Stanley argues that the band’s current incarnation is the tightest and most inclusive representation of the KISS brand. “You can’t have an ensemble where people don’t want to work as a vital instrument – it just will not work,” he says. “We’re very fortunate because we have four guys who are totally committed to our past. I mean that: this group is truly unstoppable because we have a no-holds-barred approach to playing, with an immense reverence to our past.”

The members of the band’s fanbase, The KISS Army, are world-renowned for their devotion.

Parents will often induct their children into the fold, dressing them as their favourite member of the band and donning makeup as a family to attend the light and sound extravaganza that is KISS live. Theirs is a level of commitment that Stanley acknowledges with both admiration and determination.

“I think our fans deserve the ultimate respect, and we have to give them our absolute best every time,” he says. “We’re proud of [latest album] Monster, because it’s based on our foundations, and on committing completely to what makes KISS great. There’s no room for messing around – people expect massive songs to thunder down, and we deliver. And when we get down there, with Nikki and the guys from Mötley Crüe and Thin Lizzy, you know it’s going to be special. There’s really nothing on earth quite like a KISS show.”

With: Mötley Crüe and Thin Lizzy Where: Allphones Arena When: Saturday March 9 – SOLD OUT; Sunday March 10 – tickets still available

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Tim Rogers & The Bamboos Good Medicine By Benjamin Cooper

extreme behaviour in anticipation of our set.

We definitely don’t want to pacify people. We want to whip them into as much of a fervour as possible.”

“Let that be put forward as a warning to security for the next gig,” Rogers adds drily.

The next gigs will see Rogers joining forces with Ferguson and his band as part of The Rock ‘N Soul Medicine Show tour. The national tour, which kicks off at the Perth Festival, is a natural extension of the collaboration between the two Melbourne music fixtures on The Bamboos’ album of last year, Medicine Man. Their hugely popular single ‘I Got Burned’ ran up massive amounts of airplay across commercial and community radio, capped off with a scintillating performance on the national broadcaster’s Adam Hills In Gordon St Tonight.

But the collaboration is no one-trick pony; after watching The Bamboos and Rogers bring the funk to The Domain this afternoon, it’s safe to say there’s a whole lotta evil chemistry just waiting to be explored.

T

im Rogers and Lance Ferguson are sitting backstage at Homebake, mere moments after walking off the stage to rapturous and much-deserved applause. Rogers played a solo set – albeit one augmented by the addition of a live band that included his You Am I bandmate Davey Lane – some hours earlier, and was invited back onto the Dome Stage by Ferguson for the final few tracks by his group The Bamboos. In some ways they’re an odd pairing: Ferguson with his tight black suit and sunglasses that never come off (and create the impression he’s always looking past or through you); Rogers with his loose linen shirt and press-stud eyes, only diverting from my questions to shift the focus back to The Bamboos’ main man.

Prior to The Bamboos’ set a young man in the crowd had decided to climb a tree.

“It’s a massive compliment that Lance lets me sing with The Bamboos.This fucking amorphous cat weasel just has to step it up.”

Security guards demanded that he descend, and when he acquiesced (at the insistence of his friends) the enforcers proceeded to physically beat him. As we riff on the potential for violence at festivals, Ferguson admits, “I’m actually excited that people might be incited to

“I’m privileged because I was quite close to Lance in the period leading up to the last record,” says Rogers, “and close to The Bamboos throughout the last record, and I have to say... People think they’ve got The Bamboos figured out, but they’re not just that kind of band. They’re always stretching what’s possible, and to create stuff like that is in the hands of very few genius people. I think Medicine Man is the perfect record to have done that. People don’t know what to think of it: is it soul, funk, slow burn? What is it? If you think about the single we did together – I don’t even know where to place it. I didn’t when I was recording it, and I’m still at a loss.”

“I’ve really struggled for a long time with being in this genre of soul music,” Ferguson adds.

“It’s so easy to pigeonhole this type of music as this retro thing, whereas I want it to be that we’re The Bamboos, and we’re going to do what we do. We’re not going to be some kind of soul revue. For us, making music is not necessarily about trying to recreate stuff from the past.”

The importance of quality is mentioned time and time again in our conversation. “Billy Childish [prolific British cult artist] has been making records for about 40 years now,” Rogers says, “and he’s visibly and audibly walked a big cosmos of what would be considered a retro sound. His response when he’s asked about that is that he just wants things of quality. That can be the music he makes, or the clothes he wears – the important thing is for it to have tactility.

That’s what Lance and I want.”

“For example,” Ferguson continues, “just behind us, Tame Impala are playing right now. They’re actually one of my favourite bands, and they play some kind of hybrid psych/prog version of rock.

Now it’s not like that is anything new...” “But they do their own thing,” Rogers interjects. “I think putting your own injection into it is important, whether that’s done lyrically or musically, when you’re working with beautiful, tonal music. It’s a big challenge, and it’s what we’re setting out to do. And, you know, get off.”

The first date of the tour occurs around the time Ferguson’s wife is due to give birth. Does that mean Rogers may have to step into his friend’s shoes? “Have you seen the guy play?” Rogers says with an incredulous chuckle. “There’s no way I could step into that role. It’s a massive compliment from Lance that he lets me sing on stage with The Bamboos, because you’ve got Kylie [Auldist] and Ella [Thompson] singing away and they’re women, you know? So this fucking amorphous cat weasel just has to step it up...”

“I think something has crystallised in the band,” says Ferguson, finishing our chat. “I think everyone is now in the headspace where we’re much more comfortable in what we’re doing.

We just come out and do what we do with no apologies, and I think that comes across on stage. Or even before we get on stage, if it’s making people climb trees.”

What: The Rock ‘N Soul Medicine Show With: Money For Rope When: Thursday March 7 Where: Hi-Fi / Entertainment Quarter, Moore Park

Wanda Jackson Golden Age By Mitchell Alexander

W

hen your grandparents get into their seventies, you’re generally impressed when they have full control of their mental faculties and only call you three times a week to complain about what’s on television.

But your grandparents aren’t Wanda Jackson – and not even your grandma’s apricot chicken can contend with the 75-year-old dynamo’s sixdecade output of 31 albums; your grandma’s lamingtons are good, but they haven’t inspired everyone from Cyndi Lauper to Adele. And Jackson’s last two album titles (The Party Ain’t Over in 2011 and last year’s Unfinished Business) suggest that the septuagenarian ‘Queen Of Rockabilly’ is a long way from retirement.

“I haven’t finished, not at all,” Jackson says confidently. “I know I’m getting on in age but don’t count me out just yet! I’ve still got people to meet, songs to sing and things to do.”

To distil Wanda Jackson’s sprawling career down to a handful of sentences would be a cruel and impossible task; there’s a reason her name appears in the rock‘n’roll, rockabilly and gospel halls of fame. Her dizzying fusion of sped-up country music and the genome of rhythm and blues means that Jackson is rightly uttered in the same breath as Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry and Jerry Lee Lewis as a rock’n’roll pioneer.

Jackson is as vulnerable to the passage of time as the rest of us, but she has a few theories why she’s one of the few early icons still going strong.

“I think since the early days, it’s been good genes, and the wonderful Lord that I serve,” she says. “These days I’m kind of ashamed to say that I don’t really write songs anymore. I do try occasionally, but it just seems like I’ve gotten out of the habit maybe – the habit of being creative.

And I play guitar on some shows and when I’m at home. It’s not always easy to stick to a program, to look after yourself, when you spend half your life in a hotel room.”

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Jackson is equally complimentary about her latest recording buddy, alt-country chameleon Justin Townes Earle. The working relationship was forged in a similar manner to her collaboration with White, but Unfinished Business is more loosely structured, flirting with all the genres present in Jackson’s extensive back catalogue. A version of ‘California Stars’ (from Wilco and Billy Bragg’s Mermaid Avenue, a collection of unrecorded Woody Guthrie lyrics set to music) is gorgeous, sun-bleached Americana, while Jackson also injects some additional country hiccup into Earle’s own ‘What Do You Do When You’re Lonesome’.

“That was definitely a song I wanted to do,” Jackson says. “Before we started, Justin sent me songs to listen to that he felt might work for me.

He sings a variety of song genres, the same as I do. [Jack and Justin] were so great to work with.

Total opposites in terms of how they work in the studio, but they both get the job done.”

Several years have passed since Jackson last graced Australian shores, so she’s making up for it with a national tour and a prime slot on the Byron Bay Bluesfest lineup. She’s not entirely sure what’s on the agenda after that, but an extended vacation is unlikely. Maybe by the time she returns to Oklahoma, there’ll be further development of the film based on her life.

“I was in shock when the studio executives told me what they wanted to do,” says the

ever-humble Jackson. “I still can’t believe that they would find my life so interesting to make a movie out of it, but they assured me many times that they are.”

“I’ve signed a contract, so it’s on the go and being written now. I’d given some thought to who would play me during my adult years, and I told them Angelina Jolie... What d’ya think?” she says, with a cheeky laugh. “And to play my husband Wendell, who has been right by my side, so instrumental throughout my career, and has made all this happen for me – I think George Clooney would be good.

When I told the gentleman from the studio that, he said, ‘Well, I’ll say one thing, you certainly do start big!’”

She may be joking, and she may be serious.

The hard part for any would-be biopic maker is to know which part or parts of Jackson’s life to focus on – with all this unfinished business, her story is still being written.

“I haven’t finished, not at all... I know I’m getting on, but don’t count me out just yet!

I’ve still got people to meet, songs to sing and things to do.”

When: Saturday March 23 Where: The Factory Theatre Also: Byron Bay Bluesfest, Thursday March 28 – Monday April 1, alongside Robert Plant, Iggy & The Stooges, Rodriguez, Bonnie Raitt, Jimmy Cliff and loads more

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When Jackson collaborated with Jack White to make The Party Ain’t Over, it was difficult to tell who was getting the better deal. White

had already proved capable of jump-starting a revered musician’s career with Loretta Lynn’s 2004 album Van Lear Rose, and his insistence that Jackson make a rockabilly album resulted in some of the strongest sales and reviews of her career. But in the middle of the dissolution of both The White Stripes and his marriage to Karen Elson, perhaps it was just as beneficial for White to learn at the feet of a master and teenage hero? “I don’t have anything to teach!”

Jackson says with a laugh. “Maybe I’d been instrumental in inspiring him – Jack told me that he’d been a fan of mine since he was 15, and he was very familiar with my songs.”

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Ukulele Orchestra Of Great Britain Size Does Matter By Krissi Weiss

S

ince 1985, the Ukulele Orchestra Of Great Britain have been breathing a strange new life into music through the four strings of the humble “mini guitar”, tackling anything from classical to pop, rock and metal. Armed with up to seven differently-pitched ukuleles and their velvety harmonies, the UOGB prove that there’s more to the uke than Hawaiian folk and adorkable TV starlets.

Hinchliffe says. “Lady Gaga and Adele, they’re a couple that we’ve added and we also like to do a lot of covers of classical music. There’s so much scope in classical music so we’re constantly pulling out new songs. The template for the show hasn’t really changed at all, in that we do a mad shopping-trolley dash through as many genres as we can.”

The group’s varied musical tastes have an influence on their live set and somehow they manage to overcome personal prejudices towards a song to make it their own. “What that means is that whatever music we play, there are always two people that love the piece and two people that really hate it,” Hinchliffe says cheerfully. “I think one of the good things about the orchestra is that everyone puts their own effort into it to make it work, and often we find

With seven ukulele players and one bassist on the regular touring lineup of UOGB, founding member George Hinchliffe explains that the Orchestra’s membership has now been solid for almost two decades. “Since 1995, the only thing that’s happened really is children. People with children have had to come and go, briefly, at various points due to domestic duties but they’re all such a part of the orchestra that they keep coming back,” Hinchliffe explains with a chuckle.

“I don’t know how they manage it really, it takes me long enough to just do my laundry and play the ukulele, let alone do anything else.”

As a somewhat unusual ensemble, UOGB know that each time they play, they need to win over a host of new audience members who have absolutely no idea what to expect.

“We’ve observed that there is a real wordof-mouth effect with our audiences; most people that have come to a show for the first time really like it and come back,” Hinchliffe says. “When they come back, they often bring friends that haven’t heard of us. The situation usually goes that the friends say ‘I dunno if that’s my sort of thing’ and generally the other person’ll go ‘Oh come on, I’ll buy you a ticket, and you can see’. So the people who buy the tickets don’t just come because they’re enjoying the show, they come because they’re observing their friends going through the process of figuring our show out – It’s like one of those reaction video things. What we essentially try to do with our shows is to give the audience a good time. A friend of mine refers to our shows as a transmission mechanism for joy.”

When: Tuesday, February 19 at 8pm Where: The State Theatre

Mutemath Blood & Sweat By Jody Macgregor

W

ith apologies to drummers, sometimes when you find out that’s the band member you’re interviewing, you’re a bit disappointed. But that’s not the case when the drummer in question is Darren King of Mutemath. King is an absolute machine. Look up live videos of Mutemath shows, and even if the songs don’t float your boat, you’ll be astounded.

It’s not just his skills, but his showmanship. King likes to step out from behind his instruments, taking a hi-hat for a walk or tapping out a rhythm on the keyboard while frontman Paul Meany’s still playing it. He’ll sometimes pass one of his drums out into the crowd so it too can enjoy the thrill of crowdsurfing; then he climbs on top of that drum, goads the audience into clapping with him, and dives off it into the crowd. He goes the extra mile.

While King’s managed to avoid stage-diving injuries so far, that doesn’t mean he’s never been hurt showing off. “I got injured by trying to jump back to the stage,” he explains. “I had this one show at the Tabernacle [in] Atlanta, where I jumped a really long distance from the drum back to the stage and barely made it. It was one of my most special performance things and it was the craziest – there’s a video of it – and I’m surprised I made the jump. But then I got cocky with it and there was one show in Oklahoma City where the crowd was not quite thick enough, there weren’t enough people holding that drum, so whenever I jumped it kind of moved out from underneath me.

I didn’t get a good, strong surface to jump off of and I ended up just faceplanting onto the corner of the stage.”

It’s not all goofing off at a Mutemath show, however. The interplay between their rhythm

section as they’re bashing out the songs is a thing to behold. “Roy [Mitchell-Cárdenas], our bass player, is the tightest musician I know,” says King. “When we started out ten years ago I had to get up to speed with him, because he has this natural ‘pocket’ as they call it, this natural ability to keep things in time or to give it a great feel. I don’t think that came naturally to me. I think I was tempo-deaf as a kid and I had to work that out; I had to practise for that quite a bit.”

King manages all this while being much better dressed than most drummers. No shorts and singlet (or sweat-filmed torso) for him – his stage look is usually a shirt and tie, topped off with headphones duct-taped to his head so they don’t fall off. “I genuinely believe it makes me play better,” he says of the outfit. “Another trick is if I brush my teeth right before I go on stage, I play better. If I just feel fresh and then I can get dirty in the show I feel like I played my best. Get sweaty, but start out feeling nice and clean.”

Mutemath’s first ever Australian shows were at Groovin The Moo last year; the band clearly enjoyed the tour to be coming back so soon, especially while they’re also in the early stages of work on their fourth album. “We’re gonna hopefully have a new song for you, to play there,” says King. “And we’re gonna try out new material as well. It’s stuff that may make the record, it may not, but we’re gonna test it out and see how it goes.”

When: Sunday March 24 Where: The Hi-Fi / Entertainment Quarter, Moore Park More: thehifi.com.au

Flogging Molly Living Large By Benjamin Cooper

W

henever Flogging Molly arrive in town they convert the venues that house them into stirring, jubilant tributes to Ireland: drinks and voices are raised to the sky, as locals and visitors crow along to the stomping fun dished out by frontman Dave King and his noisy crew. During their most recent antipodean jaunt, King actually stopped the performance mid-song to ask the crowd to dance harder. I’ve never seen so many grown men and women unite to dance maniacally to the strains of a fiddle in the middle of summer in Sydney; I’ve also never seen bar staff so terrified.

At this King laughs loudly, though it’s clear he also feels just a touch contrite. “We love the bar staff of every country, but particularly the ones in Australia because they’re always there at the end of the road,” he explains. “We get off the bus or the plane – and there are some very long trips from city to city down there – there’s a bar, straight away. There’s a funny feeling of comfort to it all, especially because we’re in the middle of rehearsals for Soundwave now. It keeps the enthusiasm up for us, knowing that when we get down there we’ll be welcomed back with open arms.”

Flogging Molly’s tunes are imbued with an undeniable sense of revelry. With album titles like Drunken Lullabies and Whiskey On A Sunday (the latter a DVD/audio combination of live and acoustic rarities) it’s clear their comfort zone involves hard nights and harder hangovers.

“There’s a lot of talk of drink, sure,” King acknowledges. “But there’s also a lot going on in our music that resonates with people in completely different ways. It becomes important to them, and that flows back to us.

Speaking personally – there’ve been times when I’m absolutely knackered and just didn’t know how I was going to get up on stage. But no matter how I feel physically or mentally

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before the show, as soon as I see those people from the side of the stage... I just go for it, with every ounce of energy that is in my body, and more besides.”

What started in the mid-’90s as a weekly Celtic music and punk jam at a Los Angeles bar has become something entirely more significant. Along the way Flogging Molly have released five studio albums, including their most recent, the Discworld-referencing Speed Of Darkness, in 2011. In the midst of their hectic touring schedule, which annually encompasses Europe, Asia-Pacific and the Americas, King and multi-instrumentalist Bridget Regan somehow found time to get married in Tokyo in 2009.

“It’s a truly wonderful life that we’re leading,” King enthuses. “If you’d have told me that this year we’d travel to Russia – I mean, Jesus Christ! That’s amazing! We’ve played Moscow, and that’s just fucking insane, because they shove their own punks in prison. And we’ve played Brazil, which was so bloody loud that I couldn’t hear myself singing.

“That enthusiasm is what gets me. No matter where we go the crowd just bring this incredible enthusiasm; even in Alaska people were screaming themselves hoarse, shouting along to all the words. It’s all quite unbelievable to us,” he continues. “We lead this life where we don’t have to answer to anybody, except those people singing along in the middle of the festival tent. And they’re usually having a pretty good time – just like us up there on the stage.”

With: Metallica, Blink-182, The Offspring, Linkin Park, Slayer and heaps more Where: Soundwave @ Sydney Showground When: Sunday February 24

Xxx

The UOGB has reached a level where touring, recording and arduously long travel time ensures that this project is a full-time job. Maintaining a relevant and challenging repertoire is also paramount, and fills in the time between tours. “In terms of pop cover versions we always try to pick some current artists,”

that once we’ve found a way to work with a piece, we eventually discover something in it.”

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80 PYR MONT STREE T, PYR MONT BRAG :: 499 :: 11:03:13 :: 17

Einstürzende Neubauten Machine Music By Cassandra Kiely

T

he chance to interview Blixa Bargeld comes but once in a lifetime. As leader of German industrial rock pioneers Einstürzende Neubauten, his uncompromising reputation (and legendary contempt for music journalism) has often preceded him. But – via Skype from his home in Berlin – Bargeld speaks easily and candidly about the band’s upcoming tour to Australia, their first in some 20 years.

With a back catalogue spanning over three decades, one can imagine the difficulties of composing a setlist for Neubauten’s live shows – let alone the unique logistics of their tours.

“We always have to bring particular materials for each piece and there is a vague limitation to that,” explains Bargeld. “For example, we do have the innards of a jet turbine — it weighs 1.5 tonnes. It is really, really heavy and we know already we cannot take that to Australia – it would be outside the limitation of what we are able to take, so I cannot play the songs in which the jet turbine plays an implacable role.”

Although Australia will miss out on the jet turbine (which Bargeld describes as sounding

PVT

HOMOSAPIEN

like “a vibraphone from outer space”), there are other exciting things in store for audiences, such as a monstrous metal tank – which is currently being rebuilt locally to specifications the band has sent over. With these logistical concerns in mind, a Neubauten setlist is constructed based upon what makes sense for the intended audience and which materials are available.

Einstürzende Neubauten are equally antiquated when it comes to the recording side of things.

“I grew up with vinyl and cassettes. A CD was something alien to me and I’m glad that it’s disappearing again,” says Bargeld. “If I think about making music with Neubauten or something else, I don’t get that album format out of my head. It’s always there, I always think about sequence and all that. I don’t know if it’s a valid format, I don’t know if it will disappear because the record, the technological bracket that holds it together, is disappearing.”

Technology has also changed the way artists interact with their audience, often taking record labels out of the equation. On this subject – and the subject of online platforms such as SoundCloud and Bandcamp – Bargeld is circumspect: “My experience is that if you give the possibility [to bands] to handle and rule everything themselves they will not do a good job,” he says. “For most musicians a record company is a necessary evil because they need somebody to blame things on and if they don’t have that entity to blame things on, they’re lost… I like to be utopian about all these things and I like to open doors where there weren’t doors before,” he adds, “but that’s my particular experience.”

Working for 30 years with Einstürzende Neubauten and for 20 years as a member of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Bargeld has certainly been around the traps. He is adamant that there is no bad blood between Cave and himself following his departure from the iconic band. “I was married and in two bands, one being Neubauten and the other being the Bad Seeds,” he explains. “It got to the point that I could not justify being away from my wife for so long throughout the year. I had to choose between the band and my wife, and I chose my greater love.”

“We have the innards of a jet turbine…It is really, really heavy and we cannot take that to Australia – so I cannot play the songs in which the jet turbine plays an implacable role.”

This has not completely stopped further collaborative work outside of Neubauten; in fact, Bargeld recently contributed vocals to the TG (AKA Throbbing Gristle) album Desertshore, a reworking of Nico’s classic album Desert Shore.

“That was really nice,” he says. “I actually did sing all the songs. They sent me the whole material, and I said, well, I’ll just sing them all and then you can just choose whichever one you want. That was really fun; there are some really incredible pieces of music on that record.

On the record I’m only singing on one or two songs, [but] the rest are in the vaults.”

W I T H

S P E C I A L

G U E S T S

C O L L A R B O N E S

THURS 28 MARCH OXFORD ART FACTORY, SYDNEY

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TRIPLE J FEATURE ALBUM RRR ALBUM OF THE WEEK

FBI RADIO ALBUM OF THE WEEK THE BRAG ALBUM OF THE WEEK ++++

“ANOTHER EVOLUTIONARY STEP FOR RESTLESS SYDNEY TRIO.” ROLLING STONE “ P V Ts F I N E S T R E C O R D T O D AT E ” DRUM MEDIA

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THE NEW ALBUM HOMOSAPIEN OUT NOW ON CD / LP / DL SUPPORTED BY TRIPLE J, SPOTIFY, MESS+NOISE, BEAT, THE BRAG, XPRESS, TIME OFF, CREATE/CONTROL AND SPARK & OPUS

With: Mick Harvey When: Friday February 22 Where: Enmore Theatre Also: All Tomorrow’s Parties presents I’ll Be Your Mirror in Melbourne, February 16-17, alongside My Bloody Valentine, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Swans and more

Xxxx

18 :: BRAG :: 484 :: 15:10:12

On the eve of Einsturzende Neubauten’s first Australian tour since 1991, Bargeld is understandably content with his past achievements – even admitting, as few musicians will do, to listening to his own records for fun. “If I am in the strange mood of wanting to hear a Neubauten piece – which happens maybe twice a year – then what would I like to hear?” he muses. “‘[Die] Interimsliebenden’ [from 1993’s Tabula Rasa] I think is a fantastic time. It’s strange making compliments about myself.” He pauses, before adding, “When I look back at the things we have released I’m not ashamed of anything. I think we have aged quite well.”

BRAG :: 499 :: 11:03:13 :: 19

arts frontline

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

five minutes WITH

TEXTAQUEEN design and outline, I am usually working with an assistant who helps with the rendering and colouring. I had two great assistants for this show at different times, Liang Luscombe and Lee Lai. We’d work between three and six hours, with half an hour break where we’d eat a lunch I made us. I have Repetitive Strain Injury in my hand so it’s important to have help, but it’s really enjoyable to work alongside others with whom you have much in common. We’d talk a lot while listening to music. I listened to nearly five Harry Potter audiobooks with them during this series; not the most unproblematic audio, but I think it did help stay focused, and I like magic.

L

ashings of colour will be in force at Sullivan + Strumpf this week, as they open two neontastic shows – one by local art scene fixture TextaQueen (formerly Arlene TextaQueen). Famous for her marker magic, Texta also dabbles in performance, queer theory and music; her latest show segues from portraits into self-portraits; from real-life scenarios into the fantastical.

Tell us about this picture: I, as TextaQueen superhero, am rescuing myself, naked with long hair. It’s playing on the gendered scenario of superheroes such as Superman rescuing

‘Save Yourself’ (self-love self-portrait) the damsel in distress like Lois, exploring my own fluid gender identity neither definitively masculine nor feminine, and as both tough and vulnerable (aspects which are often gendered).

As referenced in the title, it’s also about self-love.

When you’re working, what’s your general creative process? I prefer to work in the day, my concentration is better. Beyond the initial

Margaret Cho

What artists are you currently crushing on?

I really admired what Junot Díaz had to say at an opening speech I saw recently online for a conference called Facing Race, and I like his fiction. Indigenous art collective ProppaNOW are made up of inspiring artists whose work I follow. I am a fan of writers Fabian Romero and Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha. I love comedian Hari Kondabolu. Locally, I always love seeing the performances of the Ladies Of Colour Agency, Candy B and Yana Alana. I don’t go to shows much anymore for various reasons but I like the music of Ouch My Face and various acts from Payback.

Michael Haneke has been dominating art house cinema for over three decades now, like some kind of bad Gandalf; a severe, Austrian prophet of civilisation’s doom, churning out searing, mind-crushing fare like Benny’s Video, Funny Games, Hidden and The White Ribbon.

He has a soft spot for humanity, however, and nowhere is it more apparent than in his latest film – a story about love in the face of old age and dementia, starring Jean-Louis Trintignant, Emmanuelle Riva and Isabelle Huppert. With five Oscar nominations, and critics jizzing their pants left right and centre, this is the unlikely break-out foreign hit of the last 12 months. Watch it while wearing all black, sipping an espresso shot, and severely eyeballing rustlers in your peripherals.

Amour opens in cinemas on February 21.

Thanks to Transmission films, we have TEN double passes up for grabs; to get your paws on one, send us your postal address and the name of one other Haneke film (not listed above).

What: Unknown Artist by TextaQueen When: February 16 – March 9 Where: Sullivan + Strumpf / 799 Elizabeth Street, Zetland More: textaqueen.com

like Zoe Coombs Marr, Nick Coyle, Kenzie Larsen, Matt Banham and a host of other reprobates, including special international guest stars, apparently. Tickets are $10 on the door, which opens at 8.30pm.

AQUA PENGUIN

Because they were so sick of hearing stories about the inside of warehouses and galleries, Penguin Plays Rough are taking us to the beach next week for Aqua Penguin: Stories About The Ocean. Head down to Redleaf Pool from 6.30pm on Thursday February 21 for to hear Nick Sun, Jack Vening, Bridget Lutherborrow, Annaliese Constable and a mystery guest wax lyrical about things aquatic. Reel Big Fish and Wavves were unavailable (we assume) but Fishing will be playing an acoustic set. Also, BYO inflatable pool ponies, lilos and so forth (but don’t be the prat who brings a blow-up doll, that’s

‘Save Yourself’ (self-love self-portrait) 127 x 97cm, 2013

When did the texta start? I grew up drawing mostly with coloured pencils, only a little with markers, as they weren’t as popular in the ‘70s and ‘80s. During my art degree I mostly studied film photography and analogue video, and it wasn’t until I finished my degree and didn’t have access to darkrooms and edit suites that I drew obsessively, first with biro and then felt-tip markers. I picked them up and the fluidity and vibrancy fitted me well.

What’s your training as an artist or performer? I did a Bachelor of Fine Arts at university, and though I realise this has given me much privilege and opportunity, it also showed me what I didn’t want to do, if that makes sense. I feel like the people I have known, and seen perform outside of institutions, in queer, activist, and DIY creative spaces, have influenced my politics, aesthetics, and approach as profoundly as formal training or work seen in institutions.

AMOUR! (HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY…) WIN!

so played out). 536 New South Head Road, Double Bay.

NOW HEAR THIS

If you’re a fan of The Moth storytelling nights (looking at you, This American Life nerds) or a raconteur renowned across the continent for your delightful anecdotes, Now Hear This is your kind of evening. A story slam founded and hosted by ABC Radio Canberra host and playwright Melanie Tait, NHT will be making its first Sydney visit of the year this month – the theme for the night is “Exes And Whys”. The rules are slightly different to nights like Confession Booth and Penguin Plays Rough, because – eek – you can’t read your story, you have to tell it, and at the end, a winner is crowned out of the eight brave fabulists who’ve shared their tales. Check out the Facebook event for more info, and be sure to head along to the Arthouse Hotel’s Attic Room at 7.30pm on Wednesday February 27.

COMEDY FESTIVAL

BOY OH BOY

Gallery Burlesque have some insanely good tribute shows coming up, including Tim Burton, heroes and villains, Grindhouse and Harry Potter-themed evenings. Their first show back for 2013, though, is Boy Oh Boy. Happening at The Standard on February 17, it’s a burlesque evening all about the dudes, with an international guest – the UK’s Reuben Kaye – featuring alongside “Axl Rose”, Raven (2012 Mr Boylesque Australia), Herbie Strangelove, Abaddon the Strongman, Aaron Manhattan, Defy, Lolita La Tex, Dear Bobby, Juicey Biggun, Gabblar, Hawkins, and Manik Jones. I believe that’s what the kids refer to as a sausage-fest – looks pretty good to us. Tickets are $27+bf from Moshtix and $40 on the door.

POSTSECRET

Frank Warren – the man who went on the internet and asked strangers to send him postcards with their deepest, darkest, 20 :: BRAG :: 499 :: 11:02:13

slimiest, saddest secrets written on them – has already sold out one show at the Enmore Theatre. Sydneysiders with a secret shame – or, you know, an interest in listening to what the fourth most influential person on the internet (according to Forbes) has to say – will get another chance to see the PostSecret founder speak about his site and his career, with a second show the next day, April 17. Tickets are available right now from handsometours.com.

CLUB CAB SAV

Those classy mofos at Club Cab Sav are careening into February with an air-saxophone in one hand, a bottle of wine in the other, and probably wearing a squirrel as a hat. The little sister of artist collective Cab Sav – who are entering the ninth year of their existence in 2013, by the way – currently manifests as a monthly night of comedy/art/dance stew at FBi Social. The first one of this year will be on February 27 and feature great classic hits

Angels-Demons #2

CHILD’S PLAY

Angels-Demons #5

This is the most beautiful nightmare fuel we’ve seen all week. Angels.Demons, the new show from Russian collective AES+F at Anna Schwartz Gallery, features seven largescale fibreglass and steel sculptures (the ones above are over a metre tall), finished in black mirror-shine enamel that both absorbs and reflects light to create a sense of lush, otherworldly darkness. The figures of babies with appendages both demonic and angelic explore manifestations of fear, innocence and Western cultural anxiety. The exhibition opens this Saturday February 16 and runs until April 13, at 245 Wilson St, Darlington.

AES+F – Angels-Demons series, 2012; courtesy the artist and Anna Schwartz Gallery

This is just getting silly. The second announcement of acts for the Sydney Comedy Festival has dropped, and it’s a corker: international stars Margaret Cho (US), Eddie Ifft (US), Gina Yashere (UK), South African next-big-thing Trevor Noah, Jack Dee (UK), Scotland’s Craig Hill, and Paul Foot (UK), as well as local favourites The Axis Of Awesome, Paul McDermott, Lawrence Leung and Effie. Plus the Theatresports National Championships are back, and for the first time, Cracker Night (AKA best of the best) will be hopping across the harbour for one night only at The Concourse in Chatswood. This is in addition to the crazy-good lineup already announced, which we don’t have room to go into here, so you’d better check sydneycomedyfest.com.au to refresh your memory. Sydney Comedy Festival runs from April 22-May 11.

ABOUT RAY

By Ian Barr The Cockney Geezer Comes Full Circle In The Sweeney “To make a movie where people queue up on a Friday night and sit down and enjoy a good ol’ chase of cops and robbers… it gives you a good vibe.”

Q

uiz any regular filmgoer on the first thing that jumps to mind when they think of “Cockney”, and there’s a good chance that Ray Winstone – or more specifically, Ray Winstone’s voice – will be right up there. “Mostly known for his ‘tough guy’ and ‘geezer’ roles”, is what Wikipedia says of the stocky, perennially cool British actor, and while Winstone’s career has been a successful and diverse one (“I haven’t got one particular pattern in the way I work, so I try and make it vary,” he says), it’s those streetwise roles that have cemented his status as a screen icon.

That’s the kind of role he returns to for his latest, The Sweeney, playing Jack Regan – an unruly member of the ‘Flying Squad’ (aka the Metropolitan police) in pursuit of a group of bank robbers. The part sees Winstone going back to his roots; it’s a film adaptation of the renowned 1975-78 British TV series of the same name, which was not only one of Winstone’s favourite shows growing up, but also where he got his start in the industry, scoring a small part in one episode during his early college years.

Shortly after that, in 1977, Winstone made his film debut in Scum (originally a TV movie), an uncompromising look at youth

Ray Winstone in The Sweeney prison brutality by legendary iconoclast filmmaker Alan Clarke, which was eventually notorious for being banned on British television. “[He] was a teacher, really”, Winstone says of Clarke. “Tim Roth and Gary Oldman have worked with him, along with many other actors. So Clarke, with me not really knowing it, ‘cause I didn’t know what I was doing, kind of educated me.”

I ask if Clarke gave Winstone an idea of the kind of filmmaker he was drawn toward thereon. “He certainly did for the first 20 odd years of it, yeah. I learnt about the truth in portraying those kinds of

characters, and what suited me, but then again it was another way of working, and technically I had to learn a lot of other stuff. But Clarke gave me the basis of what I am as an actor today; I should be forever grateful for that.”

Nowadays, Winstone says he’s drawn to working with no-nonsense professionals – like The Sweeney director Nick Love. “He was different; I mean, you can see what he’s done with two million pounds – he’s made a $20 million movie.

For instance, you turn up for work in the morning and he’ll be standing there wearing his pajamas. So you

knew you was gonna have a good day at work. I don’t wanna go on a set that’s depressing, and no one’s talking to one another… people like Nick, they’re not only very good at what they do, they’re there because they like being in the profession they’re in, and every day’s a good day – and that makes it so much easier to go to work.”

The Sweeney also represents an unusually commercial vehicle for Winstone, and he couldn’t be happier with the change of pace.

“The fun of [it] was making a film that people would actually go and watch; to be in a successful film, in the box office. I mean, I’ve done it a couple of times with other films, but a lot of the films I’ve made are arthouse kind of movies; they’ve been put into that category, and only a section of the population get to see them. And they’re critically acclaimed and all that kind of stuff, but to actually make a movie where people were gonna queue up on a Friday night or a Thursday night, and sit down and enjoy a good ol’ chase of cops and robbers… it gives you a good vibe.”

That ‘arthouse kind of movie’ category is where you’ll find 2005’s The Proposition – John Hillcoat’s widely-admired revisionist Western, set in the colonial-era Australian outback, which gave Winstone one of his best roles. “I’d love to come back and work in Australia,” he says enthusiatically. “I had a fabulous time on The Proposition… we’re actually talking about The Sweeney 2 now, and we’re thinking of it progressing – we started in London, and however we get there, we end up in Australia.”

Ray Winstone in The Sweeney

R

emember all that time you spent scribbling in your diary about your soulmate?

About how they’d be a blue-eyed brunette and leave love letters taped to orange Chupa Chups in your locker and take you on mystery dates... TO SPACE? You’ll relate to the utterly charming Ruby Sparks, in which Paul Dano (There Will Be Blood, Little Miss Sunshine) plays a young writer who writes his own dream girl into existence. Zoe Kazan, who plays Ruby and is Dano’s real-life ladylove, also wrote the film. (Look her up if you ever want to feel bitter about not being born into a Hollywood dynasty of genius artists and filmmakers.)

WIN!

Scum (1979):

Winstone’s breakthrough, playing one of the many youths subject to unimaginable abuse and horror at a Bristol Borstal for young offenders.

More punk rock than its musical counterparts, and one of the most hard-hitting British films of all time, along with...

The War Zone (1999):

In 1997 Winstone starred in Nil By Mouth, the feature debut for Gary Oldman. Two years later, fellow actor Tim Roth made his directorial debut tackling similar themes of domestic horror, with this harrowing look at a young boy who discovers an incestuous relationship between his father (Winstone) and sister.

Sexy Beast (2000):

Winstone plays the subdued, suffering foil to Ben Kingsley’s explosively profane and abusive gangster, and projects a compelling, quiet dignity as he attempts to stand his ground during Kingsley’s desperate attempt to bring him out of retirement for one last heist. In both cases, a prime example of counterintuitive casting that paid off.

The Proposition (2005):

Winstone’s first Australian film offered one of his best roles, as Captain Stanley, an Englishman forced into living in Australia, and intent on ‘taming’ the country.

Hijinks ensue.

The Departed (2006):

The role that brought Winstone’s persona to the widest audience, here playing an Irish-American mobster in Martin Scorsese’s Best Picture Oscar-winner The Departed. Winstone would later work with Scorsese again on Hugo (2011).

S AY W EA IV G

RUBY SPARKS! DVD! BLU-RAY! WIN!

What: The Sweeney When: In cinemas from February 14

ESSENTIAL WINSTONE

Ruby Sparks is out on DVD and Bluray on February 13. Thanks to Fox, we have five copies on DVD to give away – just let us know your preferred format and postal address, and the name of one of Zoe’s famous relatives…

BRAG :: 499 :: 11:02:13 :: 21

Dreams In White [THEATRE] Keeping It Complex By Simon Binns Dreams In White

D

uncan Graham’s Cut was one of the stand-out theatre works of 2011. Closer to a horror movie than your usual night out in the theatre, it was inventive, well performed, and perhaps most importantly, it was divisive. His challenging text was both adored and abhorred, forcing a reaction upon its audience. This year, he’s back opening the Griffin Theatre Company season with a new play, Dreams In White – another dark thriller, about the double life of property developer Michael Devine, and the secrets that unravel after his disappearance.

getting further inside a moment and it requires the actors to double,” he explains. “They’re kind of like one person doubling into many forms, so you get to know about a certain character by the fact that they’ve doubled into another thing.”

An Adelaide boy who now calls Sydney his home, Graham came to theatre via an honours degree in philosophy, anthropology and medicine, before training as an actor. The impulse to write was always present, however.

“At that stage I was writing short stories and quite a lot of poetry, but I’d started writing plays,” recalls Graham.

Inspired by the disappearance and murder of multi-millionaire Herman Rockefeller in 2010, Dreams In White looks at one man’s fall from grace and all the people it affects. Rather than attempting to stage the media story, Graham treated it almost like adapting a classic text for the modern stage. “I don’t see it as a true life crime thing, it’s not trying to be a Snowtown or an Animal Kingdom; it’s an adaptation of a story that lives in the public’s imagination... It just demanded my attention as a writer.”

Dreams In White first came to Graham on a flight back from London. “It was a great time.

The plane was very empty and I had rows to myself, I felt very alone and you’re bound to your seat and have people bringing you food and drink.”

Whilst the first draft came thick and fast (he had to make repeat calls to the air stewards for more airline-branded paper), the complexity of what Graham was attempting demanded endless rewrites. “The play has five different time frames, and it kind of does a helix thing where it keeps turning on itself and you keep

Dreams In White will be directed by Tanya Goldberg, co-founder of Melbourne’s Ride On Theatre and the director of the popular Blind Date season at Sydney Festival.

Given the focus in the past few years on the underrepresentation of women in the theatre, it’s interesting to note that all Graham’s major collaborations have been with female directors.

“Apart from Iain Sinclair there aren’t really any male directors around who are particularly interested in my work,” he says simply, “and I don’t know why that is, but I’m really happy for it. If it wasn’t for women in theatre and their support of me, I probably wouldn’t exist.”

What: Dreams In White by Duncan Graham When: February 15 - March 23 Where: SBW Stables Theatre / 10 Nimrod St, Kings Cross More: griffintheatre.com.au

[THEATRE] Scream Your Story By Rebecca Saffir

W

hen you’re passionate about something, you can achieve anything.

It's a tired cliché but it proved startlingly true for playwright Nakkiah Lui, whose full-length debut This Heaven is currently playing at Belvoir downstairs. “There was a tribute on a fence for a young girl who had passed away in Mt Druitt. Then one day it was gone. Someone had burnt it in the night.

I couldn’t get the image of fire out of my mind.

I went home and I wrote the first draft of This Heaven in a night. It all came rushing out. I didn’t plan to write it, but after I did, I realised all of it had been in me for a very long time.”

Travis Cardona

This Heaven tells the story of Sissy Gordon, a young Aboriginal woman whose father is killed in custody at Mt Druitt Police Station, and the riot that follows his death. It’s Lui’s first full-length play, and having it performed by one of the biggest and most respected theatre companies in the country is a pretty major coup. But while she mightn’t be a household name (yet), she’s certainly paid her dues, undertaking a residency at the Australian Theatre For Young People, attending international young playwrights festivals and writing shorts for Griffin, Short and Sweet, the ABC, NITV and more.

“I’ve never been able to not write,” Lui says.

“For me, writing is how I process thoughts and filter the world.” Theatre grabbed her because “it’s this great space to be brave. You can push boundaries in theatre that you can’t necessarily push the same way in other art forms. Theatre is always a little ahead of the game when looking at the world, always on the cusp of issues.”

And she’s clear about what issues she thinks need addressing. “We aren’t in a great place with Indigenous equality in our country, and that plays a role in our national identity. What we are doing as a country at the moment isn’t working – we need to find new ways to change our communities and the way we value people for the better, because at the moment too many lives are being lost.”

The subject matter of This Heaven is obviously close to Lui’s heart, and turning such a deeply personal work over to a director and a cast might seem terrifying.

But Lui says she was pleasantly surprised. “I thought it would be scary handing my baby over, but it was actually really reassuring and such a good feeling. I just had this big rush of relief. It was like, this is our baby now and it’s not my entire responsibility and you guys are all amazing and skilled and experienced and are going to be wonderful parents.”

This Heaven’s co-parenting team includes director Lee Lewis, the newly-installed Artistic Director at Griffin Theatre, of whom Lui says, “Just being in a room with her and discussing ideas and watching her work is this enjoyable learning experience – it’s been so much more than I ever could have imagined, one where it belongs to all of us involved. When I watch

it, I have these totally surreal moments… It’s like, 'I wrote that? Really?!'”

While Lui is understandably unhappy with the state of Indigenous politics in Australia, she remains hopeful for change – and for theatre’s unique ability to participate in that change. “I have hope because we have the capacity to love and tell stories. I think stories change the world. If we ever lose our right to tell stories, then that’s a scary place. We are at a time where we need to scream them. That’s the hope we have.”

What: This Heaven by Nakkiah Lui When: Until March 3 Where: Belvoir St Theatre More: Belvoir.com.au

Dreams In White – photo by Brett Boardman

At this time he met his first great influence, a lecturer by the name of Peter Dunn, and after moving to Sydney he met his second: Benedict Andrews, with whom he worked as assistant director on The City (Sydney Theatre Company, 2009) and Measure For Measure (Belvoir, 2010). “The thing that I learnt from Benedict was how to make complex ideas about society dramatic,” he says.

The aim is then to use this complex structure to allow serious questions to emerge: “Like, could a person from a lower socio-economic group suddenly become your psychiatrist? And what does that say about the entitlement of someone from the Eastern suburbs when they’re confronted with this problem?” Graham says.

This Heaven

The Last Supper [THEATRE] Making It Count By Simon Binns

The Last Supper

P

we eat those last words. And then, to some of the 39 people in the audience, we serve last meal requests from prisoners who were on death row.”

"It’s quite simple,” says writer-performer Mole Wetherell. “The audience sit around a table – we drink a glass of red wine, we recall the last words of famous people throughout history –

As an audience member I’ve often found that food on stage makes me hungry, and even jealous. It occurred to me that Reckless Sleepers had worked around this problem by

22 :: BRAG :: 499 :: 11:02:13

Whilst obviously referencing the Biblical last supper, the piece is more focused on the idea of last suppers in general – but Wetherell is keen to point out that this doesn’t mean the whole thing has to feel dark, stating to the contrary, “we hear a lot of laughter in the audience.”

putting the food in front of the audience – but apparently, it’s actually rare for any eating to take place. “People drink the wine, but don’t touch what’s placed in front of them,” says Wetherell. “These are, of course, last meal requests from people who have died.”

Once the barrier of the performance has been broken, people become a bit more comfortable, so much so that it’s become very natural for the performers to hang around and break bread with the audience. “We do find, after the performing has finished, that people stick around and share the food, that’s very common – so common for us that we consider it part of the performance that we get to chat with people in this time.”

Wetherell’s current favourite term for the work of Reckless Sleepers is “contemporary theatre”, and he sets a definition to live up to. “It’s quite straightforward really – it’s not drama, it’s theatre – it’s not about narrative.

It’s as much about atmosphere as anything else; it’s not about characters, but it’s crafted, beautiful, challenging.”

What: The Last Supper When: February 27 – March 9 Where: Performance Space @ Carriageworks More: performancespace.com.au

This Heaven – photo by Gary Heery

erformance Space is kicking off the year with a season of works about the most important things in our lives. Matters Of Life And Death is a series of installations, dance and theatre works about questions that are core to our existence, and one of the coolest parts of the season comes from UK contemporary theatre kings Reckless Sleepers. They’re bringing their now staple work The Last Supper, which has been wowing audiences all over the world for the past decade.

Reckless Sleepers have been a constantly changing collective since their first performance in 1988 (Wetherell, a co-founder, is the only constant member across that time). Formed out of a general frustration with the theatre scene of the day, the group has been consistently working for two and a half decades, and have seen their audience shift and change along the way, presenting work to bigger groups in more mainstream theatres that wouldn’t have touched them in the past. For Sydney audiences, their Performance Space season is a chance to see a company, and a work, that has had a significant impact on the shaping of the contemporary theatre scene today.

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

Arts Snap Where you went last week...

Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Keira Knightley

■ Film

■ Film

In cinemas from February 14

In cinemas now

A two-hour piece of cinema cannot hope to capture the scope of Tolstoy’s epic romance. What it can do is recreate it in broad brushstrokes – more simple, prone to caricature, but also at times more direct, and often just as evocative. After all, Tolstoy was trading in archetypes (lovelorn farmer full of humility and sincerity; dilettante soldier, selfish and vain), and covering the most hackneyed plots of all time: love and betrayal.

The rest, while it had profound layers of meaning for Russians of that time, arguably looks more like window dressing from the perspective of a modern audience.

At a certain point near the end of Flight, you might be forgiven for wondering whether the narrative spread behind you isn’t merely an elaborate charade acted out by central character "Whip" Whitaker’s friends and family to get him to admit to being an alcoholic. (Flashback to David Fincher’s The Game.) It’s not, but the dramatic gears thud that dully at times. It’s not a bad film, but you find yourself at at least one point along the way wondering if this is a film about addiction with a plane crash for action points, or a film about the aviation industry with a drunk for emotional points... Ultimately, it’s clearly the former – but there’s something not entirely convincing about the rest.

Joe Wright, who has mastered both the literary adaptation and the period piece in Pride & Prejudice, Atonement and Hanna (all tales from the female perspective, interestingly), frames Tolstoy’s tale as a piece of theatre – encompassing farce, tragedy, comedy and drama, with heavy doses of choreographed movement. He wipes away the details to reveal the archetypes, and reduces a convoluted, multi-layered narrative to just so many dramatic gears in the whirring machinery of plot. Anna’s infidelity is germinated by her lecherous brother, a chance encounter on the train with a notorious older lady, and proximity to the giddy puppy love of her sisterin-law, Kitty. Anna’s first meeting with Vronksy is marked by literal sparks and ill portents – the flash of train wheels and the bloody carnage of an accident – and when they dance together, time stops.

Anything subtextual becomes literal.

Whatever that is, it can’t diminish Denzel Washington’s incredible performance, as a high-functioning alcoholic and addict put in a position where concealing his habit is arguably more important than ever before.

He enters the film blazing through a trail of cocaine, gets into the pilot’s chair of a passenger jet, slugs a couple of vodkas – and then the plane malfunctions, starts to fall apart, and enters a tailspin. How Whip responds under this pressure is what makes his character fascinating; this isn’t your normal alcoholic, this is someone whose skills, intelligence and natural charisma can handle just about any situation, and cloak him in the inviolability of a hero. From the outside looking in, Whip Whitaker is a success who might just get away with anything.

This surfeit of style is occasionally offputting, but you can see why Wright has taken this approach – why remake as a film what is actually an excellent book?

It’s perhaps better to look through a fresh lens (though some would argue, why trespass on a classic at all?) The message, however, remains the same: looking at Anna and Vronsky, one cannot help feeling that love is a curse or a sickness that lands like lead and won’t easily be shaken off. There’s plenty of sex in the film (smoldering scenes between Aaron Taylor-Johnson – unrecognisable from his Kick-Ass days – and Keira Knightley), but it’s all rather joyless and doomed. Levin and Kitty's faltering romance, which is somewhat sidelined, is far more compelling.

FLIGHT

Robert Zemeckis is more of a high-concept, big blockbuster kinda guy – from the Back To The Future series through Romancing The Stone, Forest Gump, Contact, Castaway (!), and his most recent experiments with CGI: The Polar Express, Beowulf and A Christmas Carol. He thinks big and broad and mainstream, and while he’s big enough to consistently attract high calibre actors, you wouldn’t expect him to craft character vehicles, and you wouldn’t necessarily expect him to produce Oscar bait (which this is, with Washington scoring the Academy nod). Flight is a departure for Zemeckis – a mile more reflective than his comfort zone.

The tension between the profound message and deep, raw performances and the film's occasionally ham-fisted trappings is similarly uncomfortable for the viewer – but the performance is worth the rocky ride.

reprise marty baptist + lee ralph

PICS :: PX

ANNA KARENINA

30:01:13 :: Alaska Projects :: L2 of Kings Cross Carpark Elizabeth Bay

Arts Exposed What's in our diary...

Jurassic Lounge: Anti-Valentines Day Party Tuesday February 12 / 5.30-9.30pm Australian Museum / 6 College Street, Sydney We’re pretty sure that events that say “Fuck you, Hallmark holiday!” are way better than events that say “Some Catholic dude was murdered on this day millions of years ago, let’s make out!” Hence our wholehearted (heh) support of Jurassic Lounge’s opening night shindig: the Anti-Valentine’s Day Party. On offer are dance lessons from burlesque babe Kelly Ann Doll, music from Collarbones and DJ Ted Dansin', neon art-rave pranksters Dino Wars throwing a carnival, Sexy Trivia run by Project 52, a voodoo doll workshop, a screening of the Green Porno series of shorts (starring Isabella Rossellini as insects), and Michael Hing hosting dating games, including (for all you Parks & Rec fans) Know Your Boo! If all that doesn’t get you turned on then there’s no hope for you and you should get more cats. Tickets start from $14 via jurassiclounge.com

Dee Jefferson

Wright’s knack for weaving movement and music into balletic sequences, already evident, is in full force here – Baz Luhrmann could almost have made this. It’ll either sweep audiences away or put them completely off; but what sells the film is the performances, which are surprisingly affecting.

Dee Jefferson

See www.thebrag.com for more arts reviews

Isabella Rossellini as a spider...

BRAG :: 499 :: 11:02:13 :: 23

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

ALBUM OF THE WEEK FOALS

in point: the shimmering percussion of ‘Prelude’, which fades beneath the slow siren call of guitars that don’t sound like anything constructed by human or machine.

A fellow writer who recommended Foals to me some years ago described them as playing "math pop", but without any of the pretentious bullshit that a tag like that suggests. The Oxford five-piece have always had a forthright and considered approach that evades the tired tropes of the emotional indie fare coming out of their homeland. Their third album marries that intelligence with a realised confidence in their vision – the results are immediate and very fucking powerful.

The opener is followed by the one-two punch of big singles ‘Inhaler’ and ‘My Number’: the former recalls the mean streets guitars and sexy 1970s vocals of ‘Miami’ (from predecessor Total Life Forever), and the latter features frontman Yannis Philippakis delivering a triumphant ‘fuckyou’ chorus. Philippakis’ ability to meld such a decidedly nasty message into the most sonically uplifting and accessible track on the album – it was absolutely flogged to death by the national broadcaster throughout the week they were in Australia recently – serves as a reminder that Foals are led by a supremely clever songwriter.

Holy Fire Warner Music

Get on board the Foals train now – it’s only going to get better.

A significant element of that power comes from the influence of UK producers Flood and Alan Moulder (U2, Nine Inch Nails), who spent time with the band during the writing process. Case

EVERYTHING EVERYTHING

INDIANS

Jonathan Higgs’ falsetto is still at the fore, but his voice is put to much better use on more traditionally-structured songs with fewer rhythmic distractions.

The band’s sense of playfulness is mostly concentrated up front, on single ‘Cough Cough’, where the titular clearing of the throat doubles up as percussion, and on ‘Kemosabe’, where a scuzzy bass riff and the sound of smashing glass underpin a stuttering vocal.

As the album progresses it moves further away from math rock territory.

Arrangements get sparser and songs become more concerned with having an impact on the heart rather than the head. Arc best communicates its alarming message – that the world is rapidly heading for the shit-heap – in these later songs.

Indians hail from Copenhagen, and signed with indie powerhouse 4AD on the strength of a few online demos last year. It’s largely a one-man show for Søren Løkke Juul, who wrote, recorded, produced and mixed this debut himself. The result is a study in contrasts; the songs span the scale from sweeping and grandiose (sprawling closer ‘Somewhere Else’) to intimate and acoustic (‘I Am Haunted’). It’s beautiful music that distils the core elements of the songs, laying them out side by side, before rearranging them again in a triumphant finish.

Higher XL/Inertia

There’s a definite Scandinavian sensibility when it comes to the album’s tone. Juul has described Indians’ sound as “melancholic light”, which is probably a reflection of the extreme seasons in the region – lengthy, warm days in summer, and short, cold days in winter. Much of Somewhere Else was recorded during the hibernation of the coldest months; it has a similarly wintry mood to Bon Iver’s For Emma, Forever Ago, and the sense of isolation, and mournful songs dealing with lost love, linger beautifully.

Released in mid-2011, The Horrors’ third studio album, Skying, was their most daring and kaleidoscopic work to date.

In keeping with the exploratory spirit of that release, the band gave a collection of friends and inspirations free reign to remix and reimagine the tracks.

The influence of Krautrock and electronic music can be heard throughout The Horrors' own work, and much of Higher brings those styles closer to the surface to great effect. A lot of the tracks are nearunrecognisable from their original incarnations. For example, all that seems to remain in the Blanck Mass remix of ‘I Can See Through You’ is part of a keyboard riff. From there, more synths and electronics have been added and its length has been stretched to an epic 11 minutes. The Daniel Avery remix of ‘Monica Gems’ takes away the rigid elements of the original for a more driving sound, anchored by the original’s bass and percussion and coloured with washes of synth and guitar.

The album includes two remixes each of ‘Still Life’, ‘You Said’ and ‘Moving Further Away’. In each case, it’s striking to hear how differently the same track can be reworked. While the ‘Still Living Still Giving’ Cherrytones remix of ‘Still Life’ features parts of Faris Badwan’s vocals but with a much more pronounced electronic backing, the Connan Mockasin remix of the same track is a complete re-recording.

Mockasin has turned the track into a sultry piece of slow funk that wouldn’t sound out of place on Prince’s Dirty Mind.

The rich strings and harmonies of ‘Duet’ recall Elbow’s best work. On ‘Radiant’, paranoia gives way to panic as we are urged to, “Go! Leave your homes! / Take whatever you can! It’s no joke!” Gloomy reflection pervades the slow and atmospheric ‘The Peaks’, as layers of piano and organ build tension: “I’ve seen more villages burn than animals born / I’ve seen more towers come down than children grow up”. It’s fantastically grim.

‘Reality Sublime’ is akin to the gorgeous warm production of Washed Out, via some subtle Grimes-esque synth, with gentle looping drum samples and rich vocals. ‘Magic Kids’ is an amalgamation of light organ, falsetto and layered harmonies.

‘Cakelakers’ recalls the acoustic balladry of The Tallest Man On Earth, a bittersweet farewell to someone briefly close: “But anyway you got to go… / but there will always be a place / in my heart for you my dear”.

The pessimism of Arc paints a bleak picture of the future; but if they can continue the form demonstrated here, Everything Everything’s future looks very bright indeed.

Somewhere Else is an exquisite record with the ability to take you away from your everyday for a while.

This kind of release is never going to be as cohesive as a full-blown studio effort, but Higher is an interesting mix of ideas and sounds that will tide you over until The Horrors’ next album.

David Wild

Natalie Amat

Michael Hartt

Pedestrian Verse Atlantic Records/ Warner

Naming your album Pedestrian Verse is just begging for critics to take you to task for banal lyrics. But there’s no danger of that here. Frontman Scott Hutchison is never short of clever turns of phrase, and there’s something about the earnestness of his Scottish brogue, a combination of the hyper-masculine and the beautifully melodic, that amplifies the emotion behind every line. Even clumsy lines are elevated, but at their best, simple lines like “I don’t mind being lonely, so leave me alone / You’re acting so holy, but me, I’m just full of holes” are delivered with an honesty and forthrightness few can match.

As Frightened Rabbit’s career has progressed, the size of the sound behind them has grown. Pedestrian Verse makes great use of echo and reverb to underline the everyday drama of Hutchison’s lyrics, and imbue each song with the roaring energy of a 100,000-strong football crowd. This grandeur and the amplified emotion in Hutchison’s voice combine to make almost every song an epic, with guitars and choruses that rear and swell like a living beast.

This new sound reaches its peak on lead single ‘The Woodpile’, perhaps the band’s best song to date. A simple story of a man who leaves ‘the red meat market’ of a nightclub and finds himself sitting alone at his local pub, realising how desperately lonely he is after a recent breakup, takes on life-or-death stakes by virtue of a towering, spine-tingling chorus – one that seems to reach inside and latch on to that secret part of our souls that is perpetually alone, and miserable, and drunk on regret.

mbv Independent

The last time My Bloody Valentine released an album, Paul Keating was our Prime Minister, Freddie Mercury was still alive, and a little band called Nirvana had just edged into the American Top 40. In the 22 years that have followed, a lot has changed in the world (hello Internet!), but the sonic universe of Kevin Shields et al remains much the same. Whereas the leap between debut record Isn’t Anything (1988) and Loveless (1991) was a significant one, it appears that Shields hasn’t really

24 :: BRAG :: 499 :: 11:02:13

tinkered with his setup or expanded his production technique since 1991. Which is wonderful news.

Shields has been promising the followup to Loveless since 1993, with various progress reports filtering through every few years since then; in 1996 an album’s worth of material was shelved, in 1999 two further albums were abandoned, and almost every year since then the album has been “almost finished”. But despite the sonic leaps that were rumoured, m b v is very much a companion piece to Loveless; it shuffles forward ever so slightly, but could just as have easily been recorded during the same sessions as its predecessor. The sparse Cocteau Twins-esque ballad ‘Is This And Yes’ is the biggest departure from

True North Epitaph/Warner

Where is there to go after 16 albums and 33 years of making music together?

For a band like Bad Religion, who are an unyielding embodiment of antiauthoritarianism and an intellectual beacon in an unstoppable rising sea of brain-cell-destroying pop, it was unlikely that they would explore their commercial side with their latest, True North. Instead, they decided to record an album of straight-ahead, relentless punk rock akin to some of their classic stuff from the late ’80s and early ’90s, like Suffer and Against The Grain.

The content of True North isn’t going to take anyone by surprise. Bad Religion’s back catalogue of around one billion songs never really strays far from the original blueprint laid out on their 1982 debut How Could Hell Be Any Worse? – frenetic guitar riffs, breakneck drums, three-part harmonies, and enough philosophical metaphors and scientific references to make professors stroke their beards ponderously.

It’s the delivery of this latest batch of punk sermons that seems to have changed: there’s an enthusiasm to True North that hasn’t been around for a while. With most of the songs clocking in at under two minutes, the energy levels are on overdrive.

‘Nothing To Dismay’ explores themes of misplaced paranoia, with fistpumping, shout-along choruses.

‘Dharma And The Bomb’ swings like a Misfits record, while ‘My Head Is Full Of Ghosts’, ‘Past Is Dead’ and the title track showcase a focused band, creating quintessential, tight and fast Bad Religion songs.

Devastating, but excellent. You’ll cry and cheer all at once.

Hugh Robertson

Rick Warner

the Loveless sound, but still makes sense in context.

It’s nigh impossible to explore and unravel this record within the same week of release; fans still argue over Loveless’s guitar tones, lyrical content and production technique, and this record seems even more layered and varied – at least at first, second and tenth glance.

This is the sequel to Loveless that MBV fans have waited for for 22 years: dense, ethereal, and with so many layers and mysteries that two decades’ worth of excavation will – and must – follow.

Nathan Jolly

BAD RELIGION

True North is a throwback, recorded on analogue tape and devoid of any effects apart from the distortion pedal, and it’s as sharp as Bad Religion have sounded in a long time.

INDIE ALBUM OF THE WEEK MY BLOODY VALENTINE

Benjamin Cooper

FRIGHTENED RABBIT

THE HORRORS

Somewhere Else 4AD/Remote Control

Arc RCA/Sony

On their debut LP, Manchester’s Everything Everything were keen to throw in all of their ideas, resulting in a cluttered, if at times entertaining, album. The follow-up is more focused, and all the better for it. If Man Alive was the office joker screaming “Look at me”, Arc is the bloke who gets the job done.

‘Milk & Black Spiders’ presents Philippakis at perhaps his most lyrically intimate – an enjoyably

direct address from the band that will no doubt be completely contradicted when they deliver it in epic live form.

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

AUTRE NE VEUT - Anxiety OASIS - Definitely Maybe POLIÇA - Give You The Ghost

DZ DEATHRAYS - Bloodstreams MATTHEW E WHITE - Big Inner

BRAG :: 499 :: 11:03:13 :: 25

live reviews were you there?

LANEWAY FESTIVAL

Sydney College Of the Arts Saturday February 2 A word on logistics. The SCA site has had issues every year – queues in inconvenient places, lack of shade, sardine-tin conditions at the closed-in stages, dust – but last year, they’d just about nailed it. This year, there were 2500 more tickets sold, as organisers replaced the poky Clock Tower Stage with the spacious Park Stage. But there were no new bar facilities, not even in the expanded food area. Half-hour bar queues have been a hallmark of big, shitty festivals for years – fine if you’re not a drinker, but a drag if you just want to have a few ciders while you watch some bands like a goddamn adult.

That said, the Park Stage is a excellent addition. With punters on the grassy hill enjoying clear views of the stage (and sweeping vistas of the grey clouds over Rozelle), it felt like a different festival outside the sandstone walls of Fort Laneway. After braving security at the gates (several dogs and ID scanners!), we marvelled at the terrific sound on the Park Stage – it gave even the soft-focus niceness of Kings Of Convenience a crisp, clear edge, even when the wind picked up.

Twerps followed, their deceptively

scrappy pop proving a great fit for the main stage and capable of drawing a very keen crowd. Inside at the Courtyard Stage (formerly the largest), The Men’s unstoppable garage jams – as precisely messy as bed hair, like Dinosaur Jr with more amphetamines and beer – won over a curious, too-sparse crowd in one of the best sets of the day. It’s always fun to watch an audience shift from indifference, to impressed nodding, to “BRB, gotta go buy a shirt from these guys right now”.

At the Inner Sanctum, Julia Holter’s haunting retro lounge pop was pretty enough, but lacked strength and charisma in the closed-in space. (High Highs fared better, with a larger, keener crowd, but a few minutes of whatever their desperately generic triple j hit is called was enough for us.) All of the medals to whoever made the call to put Poliça on the stage, next to the main one – it allowed Channy Leaneagh’s ethereal alto to float across the space, laden with delay and deliciously blurred, recreating the low-slung otherworldliness of their wonderful debut with the grunt of their twodrumkit setup.

El-P’s heavy bass and the philosophical brat-rock of Cloud Nothings picked up the energy at the Courtyard Stage after Alpine’s sterile set; Jessie Ware seemed underattended for such a hyped artist (though we spotted your boyfriend Donald Glover)

but while she’s a charming performer, when backed only by a band without the sleek electronic production of her debut it was only slightly more interesting than Adele.

After a quick peek at Yeasayer – where 'O.N.E.' had spurred a huge calypso dance party – we adjourned to the Courtyard for Japandroids. The frantic hedonism of ‘Wet Hair’ took on new meaning in the threatening drizzle; the Vancouver duo gave it their ferocious best, but except for the very front, the crowd was a bit too busy huddling against the rain to jump around much.

Nicolas Jaar’s throbbing atmospherics briefly drew us into the Inner Sanctum, but we tore ourselves away to crowd in for Divine Fits. Neither Britt Daniel nor Dan Boeckner are regular-enough visitors to our corner of the world; this not-a-sideproject marries Spoon’s diffident, Krauty precision and Boeckner’s art-school vibe and simmering, raw emotion. While they took a few songs to warm up, the ensemble was a watertight, growling beast, studded with rough edges and cut-glass synths.

The highlight, though, was their cover of Rowland S. Howard’s ‘Shivers’, which closes their album and closed the set with an allor-nothing singalong, squalling guitars, and an audience with every syllable of that song written on their Aussie hearts. I doubt they’ll get a reception like that anywhere else.

Caitlin Welsh

EY MAR OUR PHOTOGRAPHERS : ASHL

YEASAYER, OLIVER TANK, FISHING The Metro Theatre Thursday January 31

Fishing and Oliver Tank share the same problem. Both acts make compelling music that does not, unfortunately, translate well to the stage. In the case of Fishing, two young men staring at an iMac for half an hour is not a great spectacle. Cerebral tracks like ‘OOOO’ sound fantastic on record, but in a live environment, they need a Coldcutesque visual backdrop to hold the audience’s attention. Tank, armed with a guitar and numerous gadgets, just needs to concentrate less on his loop pedal and engage with the audience from time to time. Even so, he deserved more attention than the loud chatter among the crowd suggested he was getting.

Perhaps both could learn a thing or two from Yeasayer frontman Chris Keating.

He too avoided the audience's gaze and busied himself with his tools as bassist Ira Wolf Tuton and guitarist Anand Wilder shared vocal duties for opening number ‘Blue Paper’. But Keating burst into life to take over lead vocals for ‘Henrietta’ and a crowd-pleasing rendition of early hit ‘2080’.

Wilder can sing well, as 26 :: BRAG :: 499 :: 11:02:13

he demonstrated on the several occasions he took lead, but Keating is definitely the star of the band. He was energetic and in excellent voice throughout. He is a natural performer, too. He contorted his way through instrumental fills when lit in silhouette, displayed emotion when a song called for it (throwing his mic stand to the floor in frustration with the closing line, “Never count on longevity, please” on ‘Longevity’) and offered amiable banter between songs.

But even the efforts of Keating – and some impressive lighting – could not lift this show above the average. That rests largely with the quality of Yeasayer’s new material.

As was to be expected, over half the set consisted of songs from latest LP Fragrant World, but with the exception of ‘Reagan’s Skeleton’, a paranoid trip back to the ‘80s electrodisco of Depeche Mode (“Don’t fear the red eyes, fear the satellite overhead / That’s Reagan’s skeleton, marching our way”), these failed to ignite the Metro in the same way as older tracks like ‘O.N.E.’ and ‘Ambling Alp’ from Odd Blood.

Shame.

OUR PHOTOGRAPHER : TIM LEVY

David Wild

COUNTRY ROADS: ALL OUR EXES LIVE IN TEXAS, THE RIVER & THE ROAD, THE GREEN MOHAIR SUITS, BELLYACHE BEN & THE STEAMGRASS BOYS The Vanguard Friday February 1

Named for the George Strait song, Elana Stone’s latest baby, All Our Exes Live In Texas, opened this evening of bluegrass and country – and their first ever gig – with a poignant a cappella rendition of traditional ‘Oh Hard Times Come Again No More’. The quartet quelled fears that they might be just another novelty band with the undeniable punch of their vocals – though as Stone drily commented, ‘This moment might prove otherwise’, before launching into a hilarious take on ‘I’m My Own Grandpa’ complete with fake beards. Hopefully a promising sign of things to come rather than a blip on the horizon – though a certain amount of instrumental practice might be in order before their next performance.

Having spent the last few years shindigging around Vancouver, Blue Mountains native Andrew Phelan (on guitar, vocals and beard) is currently showing his Canadian buddies around the East Coast as The River & The Road. A heavier proposition than any other act tonight, thanks to the incorporation of bass and drums, the group played all originals with a distinctly country-rock bent, singing of hungry times, restless rambles, gettin’ loose and lovers done gone left behind – set

& TIM LEVY

highlight ‘Too Much’ being a case in point.

Light on the picking, but heavy on heart, it would be worth catching these guys before they head home.

A group that has left their ‘novelty act’ beginnings well behind is The Green Mohair Suits – it almost feels as though the Mohairs have drawn level with the solo acts that gave them birth. Perennial attention-seeker Richie Cuthbert was in fine form this evening, ripping through signature tune ‘Reputation’ and turbo-picking ‘Get Yo Lazy Ass Outta Bed’, though Jason Mannell’s gorgeous ballad ‘Ain’t Got No Kisses’ is the song that’s remained fixed in this punter’s head.

Having cycled through a few lineups over the last six months, Ben Daley AKA Bellyache Ben seems to have hit upon a winning formula, with banjo troubadour Luke Webb joining Daley (guitar) and brother James (mandolin). Veteran folkie Marcus Holden proved a fearsome addition this evening on violin, helping to rouse an enthusiastic crowd into some serious boot-scooting.

While groups such as the Punch Brothers or Crooked Still continue to develop bluegrass into new and varied forms Stateside, local takes on the form, at least as presented tonight, remain relatively ensconced in the traditional. Hardly a bad thing, when it’s done this well. ‘You Are In Cattle Country – Eat Beef You Bastards’ read one audience member's T-shirt. Damn straight.

Oliver Downes

snap sn ap

high highs

PICS :: TL

up all night out all week . . .

shady lane

PICS :: TL

31:01:13 :: Oxford Art Factory :: 38-46 Oxford St, Darlinghurst 9332 3711

nite jewel

PICS :: TL

01:02:13 :: Oxford Art Factory :: 38-46 Oxford St, Darlinghurst 9332 3711

31:01:13 :: Goodgod Small Club :: 53-55 Liverpool St Chinatown 8084 0587

S : TIM LEVY (HEAD HONCHO) OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHER ON :: PEDRO XAVIER :: ASHLEY MAR :: PRUDENCE UPT

:: MARY JANE CASWELL ::

BRAG :: 499:: 11:02:13 :: 27

snap sn ap

dead can dance

PICS :: PU

up all night out all week . . .

ruby boots

PICS :: TL

03:02:13 :: Sydney Opera House :: Sydney 9250 7111

oh sleeper

PICS :: MJC

01:02:13 :: FBi Social :: Kings Cross Hotel 248 William St 9331 9900

01:02:13 :: The Vanguard :: 42 King St Newtown 9557 9409

bat for lashes

PICS :: AM

river and the road

PICS :: SF

02:02:13 :: Annandale Hotel :: 17 Parramatta Rd Annandale 9550 1078

30:01:13 :: The Enmore :: 118-132 Enmore Rd Newtown 9550 3666

PICS :: TL

lepers & crooks

01:02:13 :: Brighton Up Bar :: Level 1/77 Oxford St Darlinghurst 9572 6322 ) :: MARY JANE CASWELL ::

S : TIM LEVY (HEAD HONCHO OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHER ON :: PEDRO XAVIER :: ASHLEY MAR :: PRUDENCE UPT

28 :: BRAG :: 499 :: 11:02:13

party profile

gimme shelter It’s called: Gimme Shelter It sounds like: A playful mix of psychedelic, garage, pop and rock tunes. Think Vampire Weekend, Real Estate, Black Lips and The Beatles. This eclectic mix of bands will keep you entertained all night long.

Who’s playing? Cabins, Pear Shape, The Tsars, Running Gun Sound and The Jones Rival.

Sell it to us: Cheap tickets, cheap drinks and sexy bartenders. Gimme Shelter follows on from our epic summer events, Summerslam and Thrashcan, and will be sure to impress. We have hand-picked some seriously talented bands for your Thursday night enjoyment.

The bit we’ll remember in the AM: Grinding on the dance floor to Cabins’ ‘In Blue’.

Crowd specs: Daisy-picking, op-shop-wearing gangsters.

Wallet damage: $6.80(+bf) on Moshtix or $10 on the door.

Where: Oxford Art Factory When: Thursday February 21

Remedy

More Than The Cure Since 1989 with Murray Engleheart

Slayer

RES EATEST PLEASU O OF LIFE’S GR MARRYING TW

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Calling r ts fo all artis ocals!

L d n Live a

NdnEeyY” YD TEen’St ReS LIZEnOteT in staurant Sy rtainm

tact:

Con fairplauy chris@.c m.a events o

02 9984 9933

“Awarded Best

ts ainment Presen Fairplay Entert 13 Coopers LIVE & LOCAL with FEB Valentine’s Day entinian Tango rg A se 14 The Red Ro e Sam Phillips FEB Sons of Sun - Thical 15 Story Rock Mus zz and FEB Brian’s FamoushtJa 16 Chilli Crab Nig s (USA) FEB Hideaway Bridge 17 Eugene The Hoff FEB An Evening with 20 Orchestra FEB The Sydney Jazz D 21 celebrating The ivas FEB l Morris Band 22 The Russel FEB

RIP REG PRESLEY

Troggs singer Reg Presley has passed away. He was 71. The Troggs, of course, pioneered ’60s punk and had a huge hit with ‘Wild Thing’, but by the end of their career were anything but loud, young and snotty.

RUBIN + SLAYER

It seems that Slayer’s next album will be a back-to-basics affair – in terms of production, at least, with Rick Rubin handling the dials and sliders, as he did on the classic Reign In Blood. Guitarist Jeff Hanneman’s health issues may see him sidelined to some degree.

M BV

So the new My Bloody Valentine album is actually out and about. How weird is it that after more than two decades, one of the most anticipated albums since Guns N’ Roses’ Chinese Democracy somehow isn’t cause for a national holiday? Anyways, it’s pretty damn great; titled m b v, it’s currently on YouTube, and is also available on vinyl, CD, and, of course, download.

YELLOW LOVELESS

Timing, as they say, is everything. With all the excitement about the new My Bloody Valentine album, there’s also a Japanese tribute effort called Yellow Loveless, which features acts like Boris and

Shonen Knife doing their take on various tunes from MBV’s masterpiece.

PICK A NUMBER

Why are we now celebrating the 35th or 45th anniversary of the release of certain albums, rather than the previous landmark dates of 25 and 50 years? We’re only gonna be doing it all again in another five years. And the trouble is that we’ll be doing it all again with much of the same stuff that was released to mark the birthday that occurred five years previously…

HAYNES + WHITE

Jack White is the probably the last great traditionalist we have (certainly the only one with the financial muscle to put behind good stuff) but the boy also continues to prove he’s just as comfy playing way out in left field, as his latest collaboration proves beyond any reasonable doubt. He’s teamed up with Butthole Surfers' Gibby Haynes for a three-track single on White’s Third Man label, with Haynes on vocals and White on guitar. One song is a version of Adrenalin OD’s ‘Paul’s Not Home’.

The single will be available on 7" on Valentine's Day, and a special run of 100 pressed on X-ray material – so rather than being a “flexi disc”, it’s a “flex-ray disc” – will be available only from the Third Man Rolling Record Store at SXSW next month.

ON THE TURNTABLE On the Remedy turntable is the Royal Trux’s Accelerator, which for us, is them at their Sonic-Youthmeets-Exile-OnMain-Street peak.

They sound like a band who stepped out of a limo to play a gig for six people in a toilet and smashed their gear at the end and had to be carried back to the limo. Ya gotta respect that.

Royal Trux

FEB Smith 23 Juzzie

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his, folks, is our last Remedy. We’d like to warmly thank y’all for listening in one form or medium or another for the past 23 years. We were once dubbed “redneck standup rock and roll ravings” and we kinda liked that and took it to heart. What started off as a metal column morphed into a place like no other on the planet that we’re aware of, covering everything from free jazz monster Charles Gayle and RL Burnside to The Allman Brothers and Slayer – anything and everything that had grit and balls and was absolute in what it did. We pulled that formula off to varying degrees of success and had a ball doing it. We’ve laughed, we’ve cried, we’ve fallen over and we’ve thrown up and yes, there’s

been times when we’ve made others do likewise. But if we turned just one person a week onto the spine-tingling abandon of Albert Ayler, the sonic purity and singlemindedness of the Earth 2 slab, the fact that Black Sabbath made not just the greatest metal but what will be considered classical music in one hundred years, the genius battery acid guitar work of Henry Vestine, the glory of feedtime and convinced anyone that AC/DC really are the greatest rhythm unit on the planet next to The Stones, and that Angus & Co. are just a very fucking loud version of Chuck Berry, and have zip to do with metal… we can sleep a little more soundly than we usually do. So goodbye, good day, goodnight and may all the Gods bless.

GODS BLESS, MURRAY, & THANKS FOR ALL THE SLABS XOX THE BRAG

Band

STLE A C W E N ’S E T T O LIZ Entertainment Restaurant in Australia”

“Awarded Best

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Lizotte’s Newcastle 31 Morehead St Lambton

W W W. L I ZOT T E S.CO M.AU BRAG :: 499 :: 11:02:13 :: 29

g g guide gig g

send your listings to : gigguide@thebrag.com

pick of the week

Phillips Story Rock Musical Lizotte’s Restaurant, Dee Why $26 8pm Vin Garbutt (UK) Notes, Newtown $37.75 7pm The Way It Is – The Music of Bruce Hornsby & Jackson Browne The Basement, Circular Quay $25 (+ bf) 7.30pm

Beat Club

Godspeed You! Black Emperor

JAZZ

An Equal Music: Tim Clarkson Septet The sound Lounge, Seymour Centre, Chippendale $10-$20 8.30pm Lionel Cole w/ John Harkins 505 Venue, Surry Hills $15$20 8.30pm Papa Mbaye & Chosen Afrique Camelot Lounge, Marrickville $22.70 7.30pm

THURSDAY FEBRUARY 14

Enmore Theatre

Godspeed You! Black Emperor (CAN), Pimmon $72.10 6.45pm MONDAY FEBRUARY 11 ROCK & POP

Dirty Beaches (Taiwan) FBi Social @ Kings Cross Hotel $40 8pm He She Wonderland, Matt Price The Basement, Circular Quay $20 (+ bf) 7.30pm

JAZZ

Katie Wighton w/ Elana Stone 505 Venue, Surry Hills $10 8.30pm The Monday Jam: Danny G Felix and The Monday OGs Gingers, The Oxford Hotel, Darlinghurst free 9pm

ACOUSTIC & FOLK

Owen Van Larkins, Clay & Kelly, Jac Adelais, Chris Brookes, Massimo Presti, Helmut Uhlmann Kellys On King, Newtown free 7pm

TUESDAY FEBRUARY 12 ROCK & POP

David Raleigh (USA), Sally Cameron The Basement, Circular Quay $20 (+ bf) 7.30pm Jeff Chang (Taiwan) The Star Event Centre, Pyrmont $88-$238 7.45pm

JAZZ

Old School Funk And Groove Night 30 :: BRAG :: 499 : 11:02:13

505 Venue, Surry Hills free 8.30pm

ACOUSTIC & FOLK

Darren Bennett George IV Inn, Picton free 7.30pm Helmut Uhlmann, Monica & the Explosion Five Dock Hotel free 7.30pm Peach Montgomery, Warren Munce, Michael Dillon, Bonnie Kay Newington Inn, Petersham free 7pm

WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 13 ROCK & POP

Caravan Sun, Swimming Weather, Hein, Raw Idiocy Brass Monkey, Cronulla $19.90 7pm Jackie Onassis, Seabourne Beach Road Hotel, Bondi free 8pm Jess Starreveld, Kate Plummer, Lisa De Angelis The Vanguard, Newtown $21.80 8pm Live & Local: Candice McLeod, Charlie Gradon, Trent Williams, Tim Stokes Lizotte’s Restaurant, Dee Why $10 8pm Mammals FBi Social @ Kings Cross Hotel free 1pm Matt Jones Coogee Bay Hotel free 9pm Musos Club Jam Night Bald Faced Stag Hotel, Leichhardt free 8pm No Illuminati, Kaleidoscope, Gods Of Rapture, Psychic Sun Annandale Hotel free 7.30pm Ringo Starr And His All

Starr Band (UK/USA), Mojo Jacket Hordern Pavilion, Moore Park $129.90-$189.90 7pm Swans (USA) Manning Bar, University of Sydney, Camperdown $66 (+ bf) 8pm JAZZ The Kinetic Jazz Orchestra Venue 505, Surry Hills $15$20 8pm The Necks The Basement, Circular Quay $25 (+ bf) 7pm

ACOUSTIC & FOLK

The Folk Informal – Valentine’s Day: Matthew Dewar, Oscar Lush, Roland K Smith, Little May FBi Social @ Kings Cross Hotel $10 7pm Russell Neal, Michael Dillon, Owen Van Larkins Cat and Fiddle Hotel, Balmain free 7pm TAOS, John Chesher, Gavin Fitzgerald, Paul McGowan Coach & Horses Hotel, Randwick free 7pm

Emperor (CAN) Enmore Theatre $72.10 6.45pm Hot Damn! Valentines Day Mega Party: Hand of Mercy, Hell On Earth, Final Frontier, Past Is Practice, Hot Damn DJs Spectrum & Q Bar, Darlinghurt 8pm Jackie Dee, Vitaley, TC Coombes Brass Monkey, Cronulla $14.30 7pm Jeff Martin (CAN), Ray Beadle, Terepai Richmond Notes, Newtown $44.90 7pm Jens Lekman (SWE), Courtney Barnett, Melodie Nelson Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst $45 (+ bf) 8pm Julia Stone St Stephen Uniting Church, Sydney $65 7.30pm Kamahl, Emma Hamilton Camelot Lounge, Marrickville $39.70 7pm Kira Puru & The Bruise Moonshine, Hotel Steyne, Manly free 8pm Nic Jeffries, Carrie Larkin Blue Beat, Double Bay $15 (+ bf) 8.30pm Ringo Starr And His All Starr Band (UK/USA), Mojo Jacket Hordern Pavilion, Moore Park $129.90-$189.90 7pm Shady Lane, Disgusting People, The Mountains Gallery Bar, Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst free 8pm The Snowdroppers, The Stiffys, The Money Go Round The Vanguard, Newtown $23.80 8pm Staff Picks: Conics, The Khans, The Nectars, Bin Juice, Mary & The Banks Annandale Hotel $5 8pm The Townhouses, Rainbow Chan, Charles Buddy Daaboul FBi Social @ Kings Cross Hotel $10 8pm

JAZZ

The Fraudsters 505 Venue, Surry Hills $10 8.30pm The Necks The Basement, Circular Quay $25 (+ bf) 7pm Peter Head Harbour View Hotel, The

Rocks free 8pm The Red Rose Argentinian Tango: The Tangalo Orchestra Lizotte’s Restaurant, Dee Why $40 8pm

ACOUSTIC & FOLK Owen Van Larkins, Frankie Francis, Chich, Shane Coombe, Jill Riddiford, Andrew Denniston Forest Lodge Hotel, Glebe free 7.30pm

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 15 ROCK & POP

The Angels Evan Theatre, Penrith Panthers sold out 7.30pm The Beatles 1 Album Taronga Zoo, Mosman $39$59 5pm Bernie Hayes Quartet The Green Room Lounge, Enmore free 8.30pm Collarbones The Loft, UTS free 5pm The Deep, Ange Coogee Bay Hotel free 9pm Elana Stone, Francolin, Donny Benet Brighton Up Bar, Darlinghurst $12 8pm The Heavies, The Bitter Sweethearts, The Pieter Van Den Hoogen Band, The Gunn Show The Square, Haymarket $10 8pm I Am Giant (USA), Neotokyo Goodgod Small Club, Sydney $15 (+ bf) 7.30pm Jordan Miller, Ollie Brown, James Bennett, Bernie Dingo Upstairs Beresford, Surry Hills free 6pm NJE w. DJ Riley JM, Jacob Quest, Mr Theory, Untaymable, Hariot Singh The Wall, Bald Faced Stag Hotel, Leichhardt $18 8pm Smith St Band, Bomb The Music Industry, The Bennies Annandale Hotel $15 8pm The Snowdroppers, The Stiffys Brass Monkey, Cronulla $17.85 7pm Sons of Sun – The Sam

THURSDAY FEBRUARY 14 ROCK & POP

Beat Club, William Charles Montgomery, Restless Leg Union Hotel, Newtown free 8pm Carole King (USA), Shane Howard Sydney Entertaiment Centre, Darling Harbour $99.90$159.90 7.30pm Craig Thommo Coogee Bay Hotel free 9pm Godspeed You! Black

I Am Giant

ACOUSTIC & FOLK Daniel Hopkins Mr Big Stuff, Maroubra free 7pm

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 16 ROCK & POP

The April Maze The Newsagency, Marrickville $20 7.30pm all-ages Clubfeet, Collarbones, Chela, Ego Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst $12 (+ bf) 8pm Converge (USA), Old Man Gloom (USA), Safe Hands Manning Bar, University of Sydney, Camperdown $40 (+ bf) 8pm Grease: The Original Soundtrack Taronga Zoo, Mosman $39$59 5pm Heather Peace (UK), Marie Wilson Notes, Newtown $28.60 7pm Krishna Jones, Rock Solid Coogee Bay Hotel free 9pm Kunvuk, Drillsaw, Thedevilzwork Town Hall Hotel, Newtown free 8pm Mammals, Flash Forest FBi Social @ Kings Cross Hotel $10 8pm Maxine Kauter Band The Factory Theatre, Enmore $20 (conc)-$25 8pm Mick Thomas The Vanguard, Newtown $23.80 8pm Raprager, Cold Mean Reds, The Stiffys, Steady As She Goes The Square, Haymarket $12 8pm RemmosK, Dedderz, Triforce, Let The Number Be X, Hi-Life Wedding The Wall, Bald Faced Stag Hotel, Leichhardt $10 8pm all-ages R.J. Chops, Emma Roberts, Brave It Through The Night Gallery Bar, Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst free 8pm Saturday Party Revival Band Oatley Hotel free 8.30pm Simo Soo, Buzz Kull, Broken Chip, It’s Science!, Maatzi, Hence Therefore The Red Rattler, Marrickville $10 8pm The Strides, True Vibenation, Slowpoke Rodriguez Blue Beat, Double Bay $20 (+ bf) 9pm UBERfest!

Valve Bar and Venue, Tempe $28 12pm The Vaudeville Smash, Glass Towers, For The Lights, Kristy Lee Upstairs Beresford, Surry Hills free 6pm

JAZZ

Brian’s Famous Jazz and Chilli Crab Night

g g guide gig g

send your listings to : gigguide@thebrag.com Beatdisc Records, Parramatta $1 2pm Benjalu Moonshine, Hotel Steyne, Manly free 8pm Eugene Hideaway Bridges (USA) Lizotte’s Restaurant, Dee Why $29 8pm Lucy DeSoto & The Handsome Details The Wall, Bald Faced Stag Hotel, Leichhardt $15 8pm Professor Groove and The Booty Affair, Blind River Running Brass Monkey, Cronulla $19.90 7pm Schooner Or Later After Party: March Of The Real Fly, Steppin Razor, Batfoot The Roxbury Hotel, Glebe $12 5pm

Mammals

Lizotte’s Restaurant, Dee Why $19 8pm Jess Green’s Bright Sparks The Sound Lounge, Seymour Centre, Chippendale $15-$25 8.30pm Musica Linda Camelot Lounge, Marrickville $22.70 7.30pm Peter Head Harbour View Hotel, The Rocks free 5pm Phil Slater’s ‘Sun Songbook’ 505 Venue, Surry Hills $15$20 8.30pm Yuki Kumagain, John Mackie Well Co. Café / Wine Bar, Leichhardt free 7pm

COUNTRY

Luke O’Shea & Medicine Wheel, Mitchell Shadlow Brass Monkey, Cronulla 7pm

ACOUSTIC & FOLK Nova Tone The Belvedere Hotel, Sydney free 9pm Owen Van Larkins, Emma Wolthers, Peter Neverland, Selftort, Pete Scully Mars Hill Café, Parramatta $15 8pm

SUNDAY FEBRUARY 17 ROCK & POP

AM 2 PM Coogee Bay Hotel free 7.30pm Beatdisc Records Summer Fest 2013: Yes I’m Leaving, Chinese Burns Unit, Ted Danson With Wolves, Collapso, Yo, Put That Bag Back On, Epics, Unbranded Animals, Oslow

THU 14 FEB FRI 15 FEB

JAZZ

Marvellous Mizdemeanours Camelot Lounge, Marrickville $20 6.30pm Peter Head Band Harbour View Hotel, The Rocks free 4pm Yuki Kumagain, John Mackie, Lee Hutchings, John Smith Illawarra Master Builders Club, Wollongong free 2.30pm

ACOUSTIC & FOLK

WAYNE DESVEAUX

‘THE COME UP’ PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION

SKETCH The RHYME MCS RAPAPORT / P.SMURF GUEST MCS: URTHBOY, ELLESQUIRE AND TENTH DAN SUPPORTS TRUE VIBENATION + DJ MIGZ HI TOPS BRASS BAND

SUN 17 FEB THU 21 FEB

Aimee Francis Salisbury Hotel, Stanmore free 2pm Joanne Hill, Dan Usher Corrimal Hotel free 6pm Mike Tramp (DEN) The Vanguard, Newtown $38.80 8pm Phoenix & The Twins Oatley Hotel free 2pm

UFFOBHF

IBOENPEFMT slow to die collin Jones

$5

plus

special guests

FRI 22 FEB SAT 23 FEB JENNY BROKE THE WINDOW SONS OF EAST TWIN LAKES

tue

12 Jan

(9:00PM - 12:00AM) (9:00PM - 12:00AM)

wed

13 Feb

thu

(4:30PM - 7:30PM) (9:00PM - 12:00AM)

(4:30PM - 7:30PM)

14

JOSE JAMES

JONES JNR (USA)

Coming Up IN MAR/APR 24th LOVE ME TORO Y MOI 7th LOS STRAITJACKETS ‘JETSET TOUR’ 8th

Feb

fri

(4:30PM - 7:30PM)

15 Feb

sat

16 Feb

(9:30PM - 1:30AM)

(4:30PM - 7:30PM)

sun

17

(4:30PM - 7:30PM)

Feb

(9:00PM - 12:00AM)

(8:30PM - 12:00AM)

OPEN TIL 3AM

BRAG :: 499 :: 11:02:13 :: 31

gig picks

up all night out all week...

Clubfeet

Swans

WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 13

THURSDAY FEBRUARY 14

Julia Stone St Stephen's Uniting Church, Sydney $65 7.30pm

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 16

Swans (USA) Manning Bar, University of Sydney, Camperdown $66 (+ bf) 8pm

Beat Club, Sir William Charles Montgomery, Restless Leg Union Hotel, Newtown free 8pm

Clubfeet, Collarbones, Chela, Ego Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst $12 (+ bf) 8pm

The Folk Informal – Valentine’s Day: Matthew Dewar, Oscar Lush, Roland Kay Smith, Little May FBi Social @ Kings Cross Hotel $10 7pm

Jens Lekman (SWE), Courtney Barnett, Melodie Nelson Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst $45 (+ bf) 8pm

Shady Lane, Disgusting People, The Mountains Gallery Bar, Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst free 8pm

Jens Lekman

Staff Picks: Conics, The Khans, The Nectars, Bin Juice, Mary & The Banks Annandale Hotel $5 8pm The Townhouses, Rainbow Chan, Charles Buddy Daaboul FBi Social @ Kings Cross Hotel $10 8pm The Necks The Basement, Circular Quay $25 (+ bf) 7pm

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 15 Elana Stone, Francolin, Donny Benet Brighton Up Bar, Darlinghurst $12 8pm I Am Giant (USA), Neotokyo Goodgod Small Club, Sydney $15 (+ bf) 7.30pm

32 :: BRAG :: 499 : 11:02:13

Mammals, Flash Forest FBi Social @ Kings Cross Hotel $10 8pm Simo Soo, Buzz Kull, Broken Chip, It’s Science!, Maatzi, Hence Therefore The Red Rattler, Marrickville $10 8pm Vaudeville Smash, Glass Towers, For The Lights, Kristy Lee Upstairs Beresford, Surry Hills free 6pm

SUNDAY FEBRUARY 17 Professor Groove and The Booty Affair, Blind River Running Brass Monkey, Cronulla $19.90 7pm Schooner Or Later After Party: March Of The Real Fly, Steppin Razor, Batfoot The Roxbury Hotel, Glebe $12 5pm

Julia Stone

However good they were on record The Tea Party were always a more moving and visceral experience live. Now imagine owning a limited Edition Hand signed DVD/CD version of their epic return recorded Live in Australia.

The Tea Party lay down their patented style of Moroccan-roll through favourites such as The River, Sister Awake, The Bazaar, Save Me, Temptation, Fire In The Head, Requiem, The Messenger, Winter Solstice, Lullaby, Psychopomp, The Badger and a few surprises thrown in to boot... including a Bonus CD featuring 8 tracks from the live Australian performance!

Available now at

While stocks Last BRAG :: 499 :: 11:03:13 :: 33

34 :: BRAG :: 499 :: 11:02:13

brag beats

BRAG’s guide to dance, hip hop and club culture

free stuff

dance music news club, dance and hip hop in brief... with Chris Honnery

FREESTUFF@THEBRAG.COM

five things WITH

Mitzi

SUBB-AN (UK)

FREE MITZI

Growing Up Your Crew From the age of eight or nine I always I worked a lot of day jobs, and it took me 1.

3. remember listening to ska and reggae, that’s a very long time and hard work [to get where I what my mum got down to. Pretty cool, if you ask me!

Inspirations Thom Yorke, Flying Lotus, Erlend 2. Øye, Morgan Geist, Joy Division, Talking Heads; some I heard years ago and some more recently, but I have listened to music by these artists on repeat since discovering them. I get inspiration from people, energy, places, feelings and being in the now – but mainly from music that stimulates me, electronic and not electronic.

am]. My main crew is with Adam Shelton and One Records. We’ve been close friends for a long time now and work closely in the studio, on our label and together as DJs; it’s a tight ship. I work with different people though, I have a solid connection with Damian Lazarus and the Crosstown Crew, and also all the guys at Visionquest. It’s nice to have these crews.

The Music You Make I like to play with energy but still have 4. the groove, so I guess it’s pumping but crazy, if you know what I mean. It’s hard to sum it

up as I will play different [sets] – sometimes deeper and more melodic and other times more solid and groove-driven.

Music, Right Here, Right Now Right now, it’s crazy. In Europe it’s 5. always been crazy, but it seems all over the world now that people love the music and love to party. I saw Fat Freddy’s Drop recently in Berlin, which was amazing.

With: Damian Lazarus What: RebelRave Global Tour: 10 Years Of Crosstown Rebels Where: Sydney College of the Arts, Rozelle When: Saturday February 16

COCOON HEROES

Within the gargantuan program for this year’s Future Music Festival sits the Cocoon Heroes stage: a mini-festival in itself that will be the

Yes, their name sounds like your Nan’s beloved pooch, but Mitzi don’t sound anything like a small yappy canine. Imagine instead catchy synth pop that will have you grooving like you’re holidaying on your own private island. When they’re not curating sweet summer mixes, the lads are also fond of wearing shirt’n’shorts combos that match the wallpaper á la Zach Braff in Garden State, except they make it look way less depressing. Their debut album Truly Alive is out on February 15 via Future Classic and we’ve managed to procure five sparkly copies as a Valentine’s Day presents from us to you. To nab one for yourself, send us your deets and the best pet name you’ve ever heard. chosen base for any technophiles attending FMF. Techno titans Richie Hawtin, Ricardo Villalobos, Seth Troxler and Magda will all throw down at the Cocoon Heroes stage, along with the iconic Sven Väth. For any uninitiated clubbers, Hawtin is the man with the asymmetric haircut who is the driving force behind the Minus Record label/ party brand. Meanwhile, Chile’s Ricardo Villalobos is renowned for doing marathon DJ sets (though Sydney enthusiasts will have to settle for a truncated performance). Troxler is the posterboy of the next generation of clubbers, while Magda is a highly-touted female DJ who recently left Hawtin’s Minus stable to focus on her Items & Things label, with Troy Pierce and Marc Houle. Tickets for Future Music Festival 2013 are on sale through futuremusicfestival.com.au.,

Rita Ora

RITA ORA

UK chart-topper Rita Ora has announced a Future Music Festival sideshow at The Enmore Theatre on Friday March 1. The young Londoner, who was snapped up and signed to Jay-Z’s Roc Nation when she was just 17, has experienced a rapid ascension through the pop ranks, churning out three number-one singles last year, including her debut, ‘How We Do (Party)’, and supporting the likes of Drake and Coldplay. Support duties for her Enmore show will be taken by DnB pioneer DJ Fresh, with whom Ora collaborated on ‘Hot Right Now’.

SPIT SYNDICATE TOUR

Inner-west hip hop duo Spit Syndicate (Nick Lupi and Jimmy Nice) will release a new album, Sunday Gentlemen, on February 22 through Obese Records. To celebrate, the fellas will set off on their first headline tour in years, with an intimate run of shows. The pair’s latest single,

‘Folly’, has been on heavy rotation on triple j since its release, and was produced by ARIA award-winner Styalz Fuego, who also guests on the album, alongside Horrorshow’s Adit, M-Phazes and Ralph Dixon. Spit Syndicate will headline Oxford Art Factory on Saturday March 30.

Yacht Club DJs

YACHT CLUB DJS

Popular Australian mash-up duo Yacht Club DJs will play Goodgod Small Club on Thursday April 4, as part of their upcoming national tour. Yacht Club DJs have played parties all over Australia, including Meredith Music Festival, Splendour In The Grass, Parklife, Falls Festival and Field Day, and have cemented their strong nationwide following through the release of their mixtapes Kleptomania, Demons Of Gymnastics and They Mostly Come At Night, which have become hot property and have been sold on eBay for more than $100. In terms of their sound, YC DJs’ sonic repertoire spans classic pop, disco and even theme songs – along with everything else under the sonic sun. So expect anything, and everything, when they play Goodgod. (Within reason of course.)

BRAG :: 499 :: 11:02:13 :: 35

dance music news

free stuff

club, dance and hip hop in brief... with Chris Honnery

FREESTUFF@THEBRAG.COM

he said she said WITH

Shaun Reeves

SIMO SOO

Growing Up The Music You Make I grew up learning classical piano, [starting] My latest album, People Are Animals, 1.

4. at six years old. I played recorder at the Opera was recorded in my bedroom recently. It’s 10 House as part of a school music recital once; it was pretty hilarious, I didn’t know the song so I just moved my fingers without making any sound... My mum was really into The Beatles, Fleetwood Mac and Bob Marley, which is pretty classic good jams. When I was about eight I used to tape songs off the radio. I was way too young to know who the artists were or what the music was. I found one of the tapes recently at my Mum’s house. The tracks I knew on it were

by Nirvana, Beastie Boys, Royal Trux, David Bowie, N.W.A., Circle Jerks and a bunch of other stuff. It made me really happy to listen to.

Inspirations I kinda like everything, I don’t really 2. care about genres. I grew up on punk and hip hop but now I don’t really feel like genres are important. Ultimate heroes are Björk, Frank Zappa, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Tom Waits, Bikini Kill, 2Pac, Black Flag, J Dilla and Sonic Youth. Lately I’ve been listening to lots of Le1f, Ab-Soul and that last Chromatics album.

Your Crew Just me, a laptop, a mic and beautiful 3. friends and guests. I also play drums in a noise-punk band called New Boyfriend which is pretty sick.

tracks, it’s my favourite thing I’ve ever done; I got some rad friends on it like Big Dumb Kid, HTML Flowers, Rainbow Chan, Deadbeat, Maatzi, Fingertips and Religious Girls. It’s a free download from my Bandcamp page. The live set I have planned for the launch is going to be pretty crazy: backup dancers, blow-up dinosaurs, other stuff I don’t wanna mention yet... Some descriptions of my music in reviews have been “crack hop”, “million-beatsa-second electro” and “awesome headfuck”.

Music, Right Here, Right Now Music everywhere right now is so rad, just 5. like it’s always been. Sydney is rad right now too. New DIY and non-DIY venues are springing back up. Australian stuff I’m digging right now is Ta-Ku, Brothers Hand Mirror, Collarbones, Mesa Cosa, Blank Realm, Rites Wild, DCZ crew (Big Dumb Kid, Deadbeat & Hazy, and Old Men Of Moss Mountain), Glory Hole and OTT. With: Buzz Kull, Broken Chip, Maatzi, It’s Science, Hence Therefore Where: Red Rattler / Faversham St, Marrickville When: Saturday February 16 More: simosoo.bandcamp.com

THE SODA FACTORY

A new late-night music venue – a ‘nightclub’, if you will – called The Soda Factory is opening at 16 Wentworth Ave, Surry Hills, the same site that was used for now-defunct venues Mars Lounge and Tone. Silver-tongued DJ-turned-bar-owner Graham Cordery elucidates, “Surry Hills is one of the most diverse and trendy suburbs in the world, but when it comes to late night offerings, there’s been something missing.” The Soda Factory officially opens on Friday February 22, with New York’s DJ Spinna headlining the public launch party the following night. Australia’s own Electric Empire will play live at the venue on Friday March 15, while Sweden’s Drop Out Orchestra (Saturday March 16) and hip hop luminary Grandmaster Flash (Friday March 22) are also set to perform at the Soda Factory throughout its first month of trading, with the late-night license allowing the party to continue till 5am on weekends.

FMF FIRST CLASS LOUNGE

This one’s for the high rollers: Future Music Festival has announced the First Class Lounge for punters who want to do the festival in extra style. If you fork out $292.50 for a Day Of The Dead-themed First Class Lounge

Gold Panda

ticket, you’ll gain access to a VIP area located between the two main stages at Randwick Racecourse, boasting a 360 degree view of the festival, where you will have the opportunity to look down at the 50,000+ festival goers and smirk to yourself about how much they paid for their tickets… There will also be an exclusive bar and a “pampering hair and makeup lounge for the senoritas”. And that’s not to mention the host: the one and only Lil Jon. You can procure your First Class Lounge ticket through the official Future Music Festival website. It all happens Saturday March 9.

ADULT DISCO FT BICEP

Future Classic’s Adult Disco sub-brand returns to its spiritual home of the Civic Underground this Friday, February 1f, to present the Australian debut of production team/DJs/ bloggers/label guys Bicep. The Irish duo have built up a strong following with their Feel My Bicep blog, which is essential reading for anyone who wants to fast track their discovery of rare house music gems. (And no, we’re not talking about Swedish House Mafia B-sides.)

Bicep have also churned out some veritable dancefloor stonkers in their own right, with tracks like ‘$tripper’ and last year’s mega bomb ‘Vision Of Love’, which was released on their very own Feel My Bicep imprint. Also spinning on the night will be Touch Sensitive, Parkside and the Future Classic DJs, with presale tickets online for $25.

Gold Panda – remixer extraordinaire and producer of the lushest of glitchy, Eastern-inflected electronic beats – sold out the Hyde Park Barracks tents at Sydney Festival on his last jaunt out here, and could easily play a venue that size again. But he’s a down-to-earth bro, and specifically requested a club show for this tour.

So here you go: he’ll be playing a spectacularly intimate set, including tracks from his new EP Trust, at Goodgod Small Club on Friday March 1. This will obviously sell out, so get over to Moshtix immediately for your tix.

36 :: BRAG :: 499 :: 11:02:13

2003 was a simpler time. The Internet hadn’t yet begun to eat itself, and a group of musical misfits and free spirits could sit around in a smoked-out lounge room and proclaim: “We are going to start a label, and in ten years, people are going to speak of it in the kind of hushed tones usually reserved for Moby’s early stuff… or Princess Diana.”

Which is exactly what the dudes behind Crosstown Rebels did, and now ten years, a mystical festival and countless (assuming you can’t be bothered counting) releases later, this is exactly what is happening.

To celebrate this milestone, they have put together the RebelRave World Tour, featuring performances by Crosstown Rebels founder Damian Lazarus, Subb-an, Shaun Reeves, and heaps more. It’s hitting Sydney this Saturday, February 16, for a day party at Sydney College of the Arts, in Rozelle.

To get your hands on a double pass, tell us one other act on the lineup…

GREG WILSON

Grandmaster Flash

GOLD PANDA

REBEL RAVE

BIG DUMB KID

Big Dumb Kid AKA Brogan will perform his first headline show of the year at FBi Social this Friday, February 15. Big Dumb Kid is coming off a breakthrough phase last year, in which he released his debut full-length album Chocolate, featuring the single ‘Somebody Else’, which was heavily rotated on FBi Radio playlists. Another highlight of last year for Big Dumb Kid was his set at the inaugural Electronic Music Conference’s Emerging Artist Showcase. Big Dumb Kid will be supported

by Shazza T and Filthy Creatures, a hip hop outfit based in Sydney’s inner west. DJ Ping Pong Tiddly will also be DJing throughout the night. From 8pm at Level 2 Kings Cross Hotel.

Pioneering UK DJ Greg Wilson is returning to Australia next month, playing brand-new Surry Hills night-spot The Soda Factory on Saturday March 2. Wilson is best known for championing electro funk sounds via his nights at Wigan Pier, then Manchester’s Legend club, in the early ‘80s. Off the back of this, he quickly earned himself prestigious mix slots on Mike Shaft’s popular Piccadilly Radio show – the results of which proved profoundly influential on a whole generation of budding dance music DJs and producers; as Dave Haslam once remarked, “they were some of the most taped programmes in Manchester radio history”.

J DILLA TRIBUTE

To commemorate the anniversary of the untimely death of hip hop figurehead J Dilla, Grindin’, Keep It Movin’ and April77 Creative are hosting a tribute party at the Civic Underground on Saturday March 2. A host of Sydney’s finest DJs and musicians will be paying homage to Dilla, the man who shaped a new sound for hip hop, with a live band comprised of Simon Olsen, Harry Sutherland, Danny G Felix and Aiden Haworth covering Dilla classics. DJs Naiki, Ology, Frenzie, Mike Who and Trey will also be spinning. Entry to the party will set you back $20.

Sky’high

JOSÉ JAMES

Brooklyn’s José James will headline The Standard on Saturday February 23. James is a difficult figure to pigeonhole, having collaborated with Moodymann - who is himself playing at The Spice Cellar next month – Flying Lotus and Basement Jaxx so far. James’ debut album, The Dreamer, was followed quickly by Black Magic, both of which were produced by Gilles Peterson and released on Peterson’s Brownswood labels.

James’ forthcoming tour coincides with the release of No Beginning, No End on legendary label Blue Note, featuring guest spots from avant-funk jazz proponents Robert Glasper and Chris Dave, as well as regular collaborator Emily King and Moroccan vocalist Hindi Zahra.

Tickets are still available, through Moshtix.

SNAPBACK

Snapback, a weekly collaborative party that celebrates the best in female hip hop, launches on Wednesday February 20 at the Newtown Hotel. Snapback will showcase local female DJs as well as live sets from select ‘femcees’. The launch party will feature Sydney beat queens Twincest on the decks, a live set from local MC Sky’high of Elefant Tracks, and a closing set from World Bar regular Astrix. What’s more, Snapback is a free event, running from 7.30pm through till midnight.

How To Dress Well No Pain, No Gain By Andrew Pretorius

T

om Krell, the man behind How To Dress Well, acknowledges that his sound is difficult to define. “I think that what I’m doing musically is definitely something decisively new, decidedly new,” he says. “Is it a new genre? Probably not. But genres tend to be a bit false and strange, so I don’t think I really started a new genre per se, but I think the way I’m synthesising different musical histories and different backgrounds and different approaches is definitely new.”

Krell superimposes his own heartfelt RnB-style falsetto on fuzzy ambient sounds and funky downtempo beats. In the past he’s expressed his love for Janet Jackson’s music, and has cited Mariah Carey and Ukrainian-Canadian experimental pianist Lubomyr Melnyk as having influenced his latest album, last year’s Total Loss. But his genre-bending proclivities are simply a function of making music he wants to hear, not hype-baiting innovation for its own sake.

Delphic Collective Action By Alasdair Duncan

“I didn’t set out intending to make something new so the journalists could write about it,” he says. “I set out looking at a playlist and really wanting to hear something that sat in between Beyoncé’s ‘1+1’ and Grouper’s ‘Come Softly’.

Or something that was able to synthesise what I love in Smokey Robinson and what I love in Kate Bush. So it was definitely a personal thing, trying to bring together all these different things that I love about music, and all these different styles of music that all move me so much but all seemed so separate.”

E

very young band approaching their second album must deal with the perception – or sometimes, the reality – that the sophomore record is supposed to be “difficult”. Manchester lads Delphic faced the challenge head-on. Their debut, Acolyte, was an indie rock record shot through with elements of rave music – fluttering synths, pulsing beats and a sense of weightless, hands-in-the-air abandon. Their second album, Collections, is a far more brash and bold affair, with full-on pop songs in place of dance tracks, and a new emphasis on vocals.

Total Loss feels like the calm after the storm, and at times it’s even slightly celebratory.

Krell says that the therapeutic dimension of creating music is important for him, and that the relationship between suffering and art is “essential”. He believes that the process of making art gives rise to a force that pulls creative creatures out of the darkest depths of despair.

Comparing his latest release to his debut, Love Remains, Krell told Pitchfork last year: “With Love Remains, I was really depressed, and I wanted to make a record that sounded as depressed as I felt. But while making Total Loss, I was feeling that if I continued to be depressed, I was going to die. After Love Remains, my best friend and my uncle both died, and my mom was suffering from depression.”

Naturally, some of these feelings were mined during the construction of Total Loss. On one track, ‘When I Was In Trouble’, Krell moans: “Dear Mama, didn’t you try to tell me everything was going to be safe?” “The song, a lot of the album, and a lot of just what I’m doing at this point in my life is like having reached a certain age where all the illusions of an unimpeded path from childhood innocence to adult stability and success and happiness – those illusions have all kind of fallen down,” he says.

Listening to HTDW is an experience akin to

what it might be like to hug the ghost of a departed loved one. If there is any untapped melancholy somewhere inside the listener, the heartbreaking tenderness of HTDW will find it and bring it to the surface. “[To have fans tell me that] feels completely validating, like everything has been a huge success, ‘cause above all else, that’s the goal for me, that’s what I love about music,” Krell says. “What I tend to love in my life are things that move me in some really definitive and unmistakable way and especially with the live show, looking out and seeing people so invested and so moved, and speaking with people after the show, it’s just the best feeling I can ever imagine.”

What: How To Dress Well (live – three-piece band) When: Saturday February 23 Where: Oxford Art Factory

As singer James Cook tells me, their fresh sound came from quite an unexpected place.

“I know this is going to sound very funny,” he says, “but we were listening to a lot of Rihanna and Beyoncé as we wrote these songs, and really appreciating the fact that, with those artists, the vocals are right there on top. We decided we didn’t want to be like every other indie band with vocals buried in the mix – we wanted vocals that could be loud and proud, and fend for themselves in the tracks.”

Delphic pieced the album together with the help of different producers – DFA’s Tim Goldsworthy, known for working with the likes of Cut Copy, and Ben Allen, whose resume includes pop artists like Christina Aguilera. “It’s always been a fantasy of ours to work with multiple producers on the one record,” Cook says, “allowing them to put their individual stamp on it, then getting a mix engineer to give it some cohesion.”

In order to make that approach work, however, the band knew they needed to find the right balance. “That kind of multipleproducers approach works very well for pop and hip hop stars,” says Cook, “but as an English band on a small deal, we had to really

think about our place in the scheme of things, and consider the practicalities of it to make it work!”

The band recorded their first batch of tracks with Goldsworthy, who offered a mentoring approach. “He was a mad scientist figure,” Cook says with a laugh. “He’d lock himself away in a room, and you wouldn’t know what he was doing in there. He’d come out at times, to watch our process and hear our ideas, and his eyes would light up when he thought we’d hit on something really good. That was great.

He has a really eclectic knowledge of music, and he was able to point us to a lot of old records to use as reference points.”

Allen, on the other hand, has a very different approach, working far more speedily. “He’s brilliant,” says Cook. “You never quite know where his mind is going from one minute to the next. A big part of the producer’s job is to keep an eye on time constraints, and Ben was great for that, really pushing us to get everything done in time.”

The band are hoping to make it back to Australia in time for festival season this year, and Cook says that the fresh material has opened up a new dimension in their live show.

“We felt, when we were touring Acolyte, that there wasn’t a lot of dynamic variation in the set,” he admits. “When you watch a great DJ, their set builds and builds, and then there’s a drop, which is what it’s all been leading up to.

Because the songs on Collections are a lot slower than the ones on Acolyte, we can get that kind of build happening in the set. The new songs have definitely given us a huge boost of energy – we’ve found a whole new way to explore the live show.”

What: Collections is out now on Cooperative Music

Marcel Dettmann Living in Dett By Chris Honnery & Jo Campbell

G

erman techno proponent Marcel Dettmann’s vaunted status in the clubbing pantheon is well deserved.

A resident DJ at the world-renowned Berlin club Berghain since it opened its doors, Dettmann oversess the MDR label, has remixed everyone from Fever Ray and Junior Boys to Modeselektor and Scuba, and released a long player on Ostgut Ton. In the leadup to Dettmann’s Australian tour, the austere DJ offered BRAG a tantalising glimpse into what makes him tick, both musically and otherwise…

Your name has become synonymous with Berghain, which is such a legendary institution – how does it feel to be a resident and cornerstone of the most notorious techno club in the world?

I’ve been playing there long before it was everything you mention, and it has always been a great club. …it feels good to be a resident, but more than all of the current hype around it, I enjoy the family feeling I have with the people who run the place.

In more than a decade in the scene, playing venues like Ostgut and then Berghain, right from the beginning – how have you seen the German scene change in that time?

The German scene has changed in many ways, but there is no reason for nostalgia, as

a lot of it is better – and more than anything, sounds better nowadays.

You spent your formative teen years onwards in Berlin; what were the defining clubs and DJs of your youth?

I grew up in Fürstenwalde, which is half an hour from Berlin. Then I spent a lot of my teenage years in Berlin and finally moved there in 2003. As genre-defining clubs in Berlin, I would definitely consider the Tresor and the E-Werk. The DJs who were really laying it down for me were Rok, Dr. Motte and Jonzon, just to mention a few.

How did you get into dance music?

I listened to a tape of the brother of a friend of mine. That was my very first contact, which had quite an impact on me. From then on, it just grew continuously and increasingly into a serious passion for this sound. I really started mixing as soon as I could get a hold of equipment that enabled me to try it out – I am talking about a mixer without a headphone plug, and turntables without a pitch function...

It was really low-key in the beginning, but it did not stop me from really loving it and trying to get better on it as quick as possible.

Was music something you were exposed to as a child – playing instruments or learning musicology?

No! My grandma actually used to be a music teacher, but for what I needed to learn, to be able to do what I am doing, there was no proper school around, so I became my own self-educating teacher.

Your style often gets called minimal – but this doesn’t really encompass the full scope of your sound – how would you define the music you play?

That’s true, I actually play the full range of electronic music I like at the moment. It’s a vast field of numerous different styles, so trying to pigeonhole it like that also does not make much sense to me.

Berlin seems to have grown and grown as an epicentre for techno, electronic producers and artists of all types from around the world. Why do you think that is?

As we all know, the city has a unique history and for many reasons it attracts all kinds of different art-forms and artists. Lately it has become a melting pot for countless electronic music artists, which obviously creates a certain bohemian, unconventional and comparatively free atmosphere.

With: Blawan When: Saturday February 16 Where: Chinese Laundry

BRAG :: 499 :: 11:02:13 :: 37

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

club pick of the week

THURSDAY FEBRUARY 14

Damian Lazarus

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 16

Sydney College of the Arts, Rozelle

Rebel Rave featuring

Damian Lazarus (UK), Subb-an (UK) Shaun Reeves (USA), Francesca Lombardo (UK), Brohn, Little Fritter, Mia Lucci, Gabby, T-Boy, Co-Op DJs, Sam Roberts, Morgan, Ricky Cooper, Ben Ashton, Alan Thomas $60 (+ bf) 12pm MONDAY FEBRUARY 11 Enmore Theatre The Presets, Parachute Youth, Light Year $59.90 7.30pm Metro Theatre, Sydney Macklemore & Ryan Lewis (USA), Diafrix sold out 7pm all-ages Scruffy Murphy’s, Haymarket Mother Of A Monday DJ Smokin’ Joe free 7pm The World Bar, Kings Cross Latin Jazz DJs free 7pm 38 :: BRAG :: 499 :: 11:02:13

The World Bar, Kings Cross The Wall Resident DJs 8pm

TUESDAY FEBRUARY 12 Enmore Theatre The Presets, Parachute Youth, Light Year $59.90 7.30pm Establishment, Sydney Rumba Motel Salsa DJ Willie Sabor free 8pm Metro Theatre, Sydney Macklemore & Ryan Lewis (USA), Diafrix sold out 7pm all-ages Scruffy Murphy’s, Haymarket I Love Goon Resident DJs free 7pm Trademark Hotel, Kings Cross

Coyote Tuesday Resident DJs 7pm The World Bar, Kings Cross Jam Jam DJs free 8pm

WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 13 Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Jackie Onassis, Seabourne free 8pm Whaat Club, Kings Cross Whip It Wednesdays Vertigo DJs free 9pm The Ranch Hotel, Epping Hump Wednesdays Resident DJs 8pm

Ching-A-Lings, Darlinghurst DJ Suff Daddy, Cartogold free 8pm The Cool Room, The Australian Brewery, Rouse Hill Valentine’s Day Traffic Light Party Steve Play, Troy T, Big Will 8pm Goodgod Front Bar, Sydney Purple Meare, Komosfki, Gum, Purple DJs free 9pm The Red Rattler Marrickville One Billion Rising SNEZ, Wild Women $5-$10 8pm Sapphire Lounge, Kings Cross Loud Resident DJs 8pm Upstairs Beresford, Surry Hills Pump Van She, Ajax, Olympic Ayres, Linda Marigliano, Ariane $15 7pm Whaat Club, Kings Cross Chakra Robust, Camo free 9.30pm The World Bar, Kings Cross Propaganda Shag, Sinister Kids, Propaganda DJs free (student)-$5 9pm

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 15 Candys Apartment, Kings Cross Vamp Music Clockwork, Kyro & Bomber, Vengeance, Nuns With Guns, Acid Mouth, Fiktion vs Liquid Noise Kangr, Theo Beats $25 8pm Chinese Laundry, Sydney Bass Mafia Calyx & Teebee (UK), Vertigo, Celsius, Capture, Nemo, Turnt Up, Zodiac $15$25 10pm Civic Underground, Sydney Adult Disco Bicep, Touch Sensitive, Future Classic DJs, Parkside $30 (+ bf) 10pm Cohibar, Darling Harbour Gimme Five DJ Toby Neal, Anders Hitchcock free 5pm Enmore Theatre Macklemore & Ryan Lewis (USA) sold out 8pm FBi Social @ Kings Cross Hotel Big Dumb Kid, Filthy Creatures, Maatzi, Shazza T, DJ Ping Pong Tiddly $10 8pm Goodgod Front Bar, Sydney Yo Grito! Yo Grito! DJs free 9pm Goodgod Small Club, Sydney Slowblow DJ Buttfuck, Boogie Monster, Slowblow, Softwar $10 11pm Home Nightclub, Darling Harbour The Guest List Matt Ferreira , Peewee Ferris, Brown Bear, Mitch Lowe, Andern Illicit, InHouse Council, Nick W 9pm Hermann’s Bar, University of Sydney, Darlington No Life Til Leather – W.A.S.P. No Life Til Leather DJs $10 9pm Ivy Pool Club, Sydney Moonshine Emerson Todd, Alley Oop, Monkey Tennis, Brendan, Magic Happens 9pm Jacksons On George, Sydney DJ Aron Mana, DJ Rain Julz, Resident DJs free 9pm Kit & Kaboodle, Kings Cross Miller City Sessions Mync (UK) 9pm Oatley Hotel We Luv Oatley Hotel Fridays DJ Mavros, Kristiano free 8pm Omega Lounge, City Tattersalls Club, Sydney Unwind Fridays DJ Greg Summerfield free 5.30pm The Opera Bar, Circular Quay Meem Soundsystem free 7pm

Q Bar, Darlinghurst Teen Spirit – Valentines Day Cabaret Party Teen Spirit DJs $10 9pm The Ranch Hotel, Epping Retro Fridays Resident DJs 9.30pm The Red Rattler, Marrickville Glitter Ball DJs free 6pm Soho, Potts Point Soho Fridays Starfuckers DJs 10pm The Spice Cellar, Sydney Marcus King, James Cripps $20 10pm The Standard, Surry Hills Sketch The Rhyme Rapaport, P. Smurf, Urthboy, Ellesquire, Tenth Dan, True Vibenation, Hi Tops Brass Band, DJ Migz $15 (+ bf) 8pm Tatlers, Darlinghurst Pineapple Republic Shantan Wantan Ichiban, Mike Who, Bad Ezzy, Kato, Radio Malembe $5 9pm Trademark Hotel, Kings Cross Celebrate Fridays Resident DJs 9pm The Watershed Hotel, Darling Harbour Bring On The Weekend! DJ Matt Roberts, Candidate free 5pm Whaat Club, Kings Cross Think Fridays KittKatt, Discobusy, Peeping Tom $10 9pm

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 16

SUNDAY JUNE 24

Annandale Hotel Dialectrix, P. Smurf, Chasm Sound System, Ology & Morgz, Tuka $15 8pm Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Falcona Saturdays Ember, Indian Summer DJs free 8pm Candys Apartment, Kings Cross Big Guns Tova, Heckler & Rat, Stalker $20 8pm Chinese Laundry, Sydney Marcel Dettmann (GER), Blawan (UK), U-Khan, Fingers, King Lee, Front 2 Back, Ya Jokin, Andosound, J-Mac, Ra Bazarr $15-$25 9pm Club 77, Darlinghurst Starfuckers Roman Rave Starfuckers DJs, Tom Piper, Oh Boy 10pm Cohibar, Darling Harbour Strange Clouds Robbie Lowe, Rodskeez, Jonny Pow, Mars Monero, Reno, Brenden Fing $10-$15 2pm Cohibar, Darling Harbour Yellow Sox DJ Anders Hitchcock free 8pm Establishment, Sydney Sienna Saturdays Resident DJs 8pm FBi Social @ Kings Cross Hotel Hands Up! Staggman, Clockwerk free 11.30pm Goldfish, Kings Cross The Mile High Club Official Launch Miguel Migs (USA), Sonny Fodera, Liam Sampras, Matt Cahill, Matt Meier $25-$35 9pm Goodgod Small Club, Sydney Butch Please Butch Please DJs $15.80-$18.80 11.30pm The Green Room Lounge, Enmore The Vinyl Countdown DJ Nic Dalton free 7pm Home Nightclub, Darling Harbour Homemade Saturdays Resident DJs 9pm Ivy, Sydney Pacha Kelis (USA), The Only, Rob Pix, Christian Luke, Mo’ Funk, Matt Nugent, Ben Morris, Mike 2600, Devola, Adam Bozzetto, Heke, Fingers, Krity Lee, Joyride, Shantan Wantan Ichiban, Trent Rackus, Deckhead, Program, Lola Siren $40 (+ bf) 6.30pm Jacksons On George,

Sydney DJ Simon Laing, DJ Michael Stewart free 9pm Lady Rose Cruise, King St Wharf, Sydney Bass Drop Ninja Drum & Bass Community Boat Party DJ Spanz, Single Minded, Open-Eye Capture, Forest Sound, Celsius, Nat, Kakhand, Mr Pink, Pete Mac, FKNA, Royalston, Micky Roll, Thierry D, Stu Mac, Vertigo, Buick, Zerosis $35 12pm Marquee, The Star, Pyrmont Miller City Sessions Scotty Boy (USA) 9pm One22, Sydney Luis Flores (MX), Sebastian Bayne, Eoin Brosnan $15$30 10pm Phoenix Bar, Darlinghurst Up Dayclub Resident DJs 5am The Retro Hotel, Sydney We Love Sydney DJs ON Q, D.R., Will Paul, KAZI, Tom Weekend, CASSO, Reegz, Shanty $10 7pm Sapphire Lounge, Kings Cross The Suite Resident DJs 8pm Space, Sydney Subculture John O’Callaghan (IRE), Sid Van Riel, Sneijder, Nick Arbor, Thomas Knight $33.80 10pm The Spice Cellar, Sydney La Fleur (SWE), Matt Weir, Kali, Murat Kilic, Claire Morgan $25 10pm Sydney College of the Arts, Rozelle Rebel Rave Damian Lazarus (UK), Subb-an (UK), Shaun Reeves (USA), Francesca Lombardo (UK), Brohn, Little Fritter, Mia Lucci, Gabby, T-Boy, Co-Op DJs, Sam Roberts, Morgan, Ricky Cooper, Ben Ashton, Alan Thomas $60 (+ bf) 12pm UTS Glasshouse Bar, Broadway DnBBQ Spikey Tee, Royalston, Kakhand, Foreigndub, Mike Who, Shantan Wantan Ichiban, Andrew Wowk, MC Antic, DJ Buick, Typhonic, Poppy, Gabriel Clouston, Inna Riddim, Judgement, Juzio, Celcius, Forest Sound $20 4pm Vanilla Room, Leichhardt Chocolate House Invoke, Def, Cliff, Kutek free 9pm The Watershed Hotel, Darling Harbour Skybar Saturdays Resident DJs $20 9pm The World Bar, Kings Cross Cakes Cakes DJs $15-$20 8pm

SUNDAY FEBRUARY 17 The Beresford Hotel, Surry Hills Beresford Sundays Resident DJs free 3pm Jacksons On George, Sydney Aphrodisiac Resident DJs free 5pm Kit & Kaboodle, Kings Cross Easy Sundays Resident DJs free 10pm Oatley Hotel Sunday Sessions DJ Tone free 7pm Q Bar, Darlinghurst Daydreams Resident DJs 4.30am Sapphire Lounge, Kings Cross Sapphire Sundays Resident DJs 8pm Tatler, Darlinghurst Dust James Petrou, Whitecat, Alley Oop, James Taylor free (early bird)-$10 10pm The Watershed Hotel, Darling Harbour DJ Bynstar free 2pm The World Bar, Kings Cross Soup Kitchen Soup Kitchen DJs free 7pm

club picks up all night out all week...

The Presets

TUESDAY FEBRUARY 12

Goodgod Small Club, Sydney Slowblow DJ Buttfuck, Boogie Monster, Slowblow, Softwar $10 11pm

Enmore Theatre The Presets, Parachute Youth, Light Year $59.90 7.30pm

The Standard, Surry Hills Sketch The Rhyme Rapaport, P. Smurf, Urthboy, Ellesquire, Tenth Dan, True Vibenation, Hi Tops Brass Band, DJ Migz $15 (+ bf) 8pm

Metro Theatre, Sydney Macklemore & Ryan Lewis (USA), Diafrix sold out 7pm all-ages

WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 13 Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Jackie Onassis, Seabourne free 8pm

Tatler, Darlinghurst Pineapple Republic Shantan Wantan Ichiban, Mike Who, Bad Ezzy, Kato, Radio Malembe $5 9pm

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 16

THURSDAY FEBRUARY 14

Annandale Hotel Dialectrix, P. Smurf, Chasm Sound System, Ology & Morgz, Tuka $15 8pm

Upstairs Beresford, Surry Hills Pump Van She, Ajax, Olympic Ayres, Linda Marigliano, Ariane $15 7pm

Chinese Laundry, Sydney Marcel Dettmann (GER), Blawan (UK), U-Khan, Fingers, King Lee, Front 2 Back, Ya Jokin, Andosound, J-Mac, Ra Bazarr $15-$25 9pm

The World Bar, Kings Cross Propaganda Shag, Sinister Kids, Propaganda DJs free (student)-$5 9pm

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 15 Chinese Laundry, Sydney Bass Mafia Calyx & Teebee (UK), Vertigo, Celsius, Capture, Nemo, Turnt Up, Zodiac $15-$25 10pm Civic Underground, Sydney Adult Disco Bicep, Touch Sensitive, Future Classic DJs, Parkside $30+bf 10pm FBi Social @ Kings Cross Hotel Big Dumb Kid, Filthy Creatures, Maatzi, Shazza T, DJ Ping Pong Tiddly $10 8pm

Goldfish, Kings Cross The Mile High Club Official Launch Miguel Migs (USA), Sonny Fodera, Liam Sampras, Matt Cahill, Matt Meler $25$35 9pm The Spice Cellar, Sydney La Fleur (SWE), Matt Weir, Kali, Murat Kilic, Claire Morgan $25 10pm

SUNDAY FEBRUARY 17 Abercrombie Hotel, Broadway S.A.S.H Sundays Shaun Reeves (USA), Shades Of Gray, La Fleur (SWE), Monika Ross, Matt Weir, Kerry Wallace $10 2pm

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

BRAG :: 499 :: 11:02:13 :: 39

ADRIAN BOHM BY ARRANGEMENT WITH LISA THOMAS MANAGEMENT PRESENTS

Deep Impressions Underground Dance And Electronica with Chris Honnery

Justin Robertson, as The Deadstock 33s. “I have always loved to be the first one in the club, waiting for the dance floor to fill up, creating an atmosphere and slowly building up the tension throughout the room with my DJ sets. This is precisely where the label has found its ground of inspiration,” Cardini says of the genesis of Correspondant.

“One could think of the Correspondant compilation as an Instagram of those moments that I enjoy so much”.

Dino Sabatini

“Has the audience simultaneously weeping with laughter and nodding in agreement.”

★★★★ – HERALD SUN

B

23, 24 & 26 APRIL STATE THEATRE BOOK AT TICKETMASTER 136 100 TICKETMASTER.COM.AU

3RD SHOW – NOW ON SALE DANNYBHOY.COM ABPRESENTS.COM.AU

AVAILABLE MARCH 6 AT LEADING DVD RETAILERS

erlin-based Italian producer Dino Sabatini, who creates an atmospheric and droning brand of techno, will headline One22 on Saturday March 2, courtesy of the Anomaly crew.

Sabatini is half of the production duo Modern Heads, alongside Gianluca Meloni, and has a discography comprising 2010’s Daughter Of Phorcys EP – the title alone suggests that Sabatini is not concerned about being accused of pretentiousness – and tracks such as ‘No More’, which dropped back in ’08. Sabatini released his debut solo album Shaman’s Path last year on the Prologue label, which showcased his personal interpretation of the sounds of Africa, and was laden with hypnotic textures and immersive drum patterns.

An extremely cohesive concept album, Shaman’s Path demonstrated Sabatini’s supreme sound design, with the producer stripping back his tracks to rouse the primal spirit in listeners with a penchant for experimental electronic releases. Up-andcoming Sydney producer Asger Jorn will be performing live in support of Sabatini, along with DJs Jordan Peters and Gareth Psaltis.

One of the leading ladies of the underground club milieu, Parisian DJ Jennifer Cardini, has put together a mix for her own Correspondant label that will drop on the first day of next month. Signed to Kompakt Records, Cardini has held down a residency at the renowned Rex Club in Paris for the last decade, and used the name of her Correspondant parties at the Rex when she decided to launch her own record label back in 2011. The maiden Correspondant compilation features cuts from artists who are part of the label’s roster, including Cardini herself, Michel Amato AKA The Hacker, Rework, Daniel Maloso and Philipp Gorbachev, with Daniel Avery also making an appearance with

Frankfurt-based nightclub-cum-record label Live At Robert Johnson has announced its first label compilation, The Lifesaver. The revered club has previously released compilations mixed by some of Europe’s finest DJs, including Chloe, Dixon and (the apparently Australia-bound) Ivan Smagghe. In recent times, Robert Johnson has shifted its focus to building up its own record label catalogue, with eminent producers such as Portable and Roman Flügel releasing EPs on the Live At Robert Johnson imprint over the past year.

The Lifesaver will feature 11 unreleased tracks from many of the artists on their regular roster, with the aforementioned Portable and Flügel featuring along with Massimiliano Pagliara and Lauer. Lauer also collaborates with Gerd Janson for the second helping of original Tuff City Kids material following their Unterton debut EP, with the provocatively-titled ‘People Is A Crackhead (Tuff Hamlet Riddim),’ while a few unheralded names also feature, adding that necessary element of mystery and intrigue.

The Cologne-based duo of Georg Conrad and Marius Bubat, who produce under the moniker of Coma, will release their debut album In Technicolor in April through Kompakt Records. Coma have been bubbling under since that acid-washed spring of ’09, and came to my attention on the back of their serene cut ‘Raindrops’, which sampled Erlend Øye’s cover of ‘Fine Day’ (one of many memorable interludes on Øye’s classic DJ Kicks compilation). The duo have informed listeners that their first longplayer will mark a change of pace from their EPs: “Where our previous releases were kind of mirroring a foggy black and white movie, this is definitely a colour film... our attempt at fusing diverse sounds in a more vivid manner, without falling prey to boring club conventions restricting the expressiveness of the music.” Lead single ‘Hooray’ is indicative of the purported upbeat, ‘Technicolor’ feel of Coma’s debut LP, with Ada and Roosevelt laying down vocals atop playful handclaps and garbled sci-fi sounds, while Kompakt aficionados will recognise the track ‘My Orbit’ from Michael Mayer’s recent Resident Advisor podcast. For fans of the quirky melodic techno pop that Kompakt is renowned for, In Technicolor will hit the spot. And I do mean the spot.

Coma

Agoria

LOOKING DEEPER SATURDAY MARCH 2

Mano Le Tough The Abercrombie

Agoria The Gold Fish

Eli Verveine Goodgod Small Club

Dino Sabatini One22

FRIDAY MARCH 8

Deep Impressions: electronica manifesto and occasional club brand. Contact through deep.impressions@yahoo.com 40 :: BRAG :: 499 :: 11:02:13

snap

up all night out all week . . .

snapback launch party Your Mind’. ‘Nuff said.

It sounds like: Eve ft. Gwen Stefani – ‘Let Me Blow and Astrix.

Who’s playing? Sky’high (Elefant Tracks), Twincest tearing Newtown Hotel Sell it to us: Sydney’s best female DJs and emcees Franklin, and Aretha to Banks Azealia apart, going on a time-warp from and more! everything in between. Think soul, RnB, hip hop, trap from dancing too hard, The bit we’ll remember in the AM: Full body cramps ds of babes hundre and booze, cheap cheap, to a wallet full of cash due screaming “I’ma ruin you, cunt” during ‘212’. girls.

Crowd specs: Good times for bad bitches, girls girls ’sliders.

Wallet damage: Free entry! $5 vodkas, and $5 ciders’n Where: The Newtown Hotel ter) When: Wednesday February 20 (and Wednesdays thereaf

eelke kleijn

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party profile

It’s called: Snapback – Launch Party

02:02:13 :: The Abercrombie Hotel :: 100 Broadway Ultimo 9211 3486

We has internets!

dj yoda

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Extra bits and moving bits without the inky fingers.

02:02:13 :: Oxford Art Factory :: 38-46 Oxford St, Darlinghurst 9332 3711

www.thebrag.com

:: MARY JANE CASWELL :: S : TIM LEVY (HEAD HONCHO) OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHER :: IER XAV RO PED :: ON ASHLEY MAR :: PRUDENCE UPT

BRAG :: 499 :: 11:02:13 :: 41

snap up all night out all week . . .

It’s called: Big Dumb Kid @ FBi Social It sounds like: Big kids throwing a party with a lack of parental supervision and a whole lotta booze!

Who’s playing? Big Dumb Kid, Filthy Creat ures, MAATZI, Shaaza T and DJ Ping Pong Tiddly Three songs you’ll hear on the night: ‘Some body Else’ – Big Dumb Kid; ‘PMW’ – A$AP Rocky; ‘U Can Call Me Maatzi’ – Maatz i.

And one you definitely won’t: Any song that has become a YouTube sensation (looking at you Miss Black and Psy).

Sell it to us: Last year saw BDK put on to the Top 100 most played artists on FBi; he was also chosen for the inthemix.com top “must hear local producers” list, and played a highlight set at the inaugural Electr onic Artists Showcase. Come see what all the buzz Music Conference’s Emerging is about with this Big Dumb Kid! Plus the best up-and-coming hip hop that Sydne y has to offer.

The bit we’ll remember in the AM: Head hurtin g from partying, as well as bright synths and beats going around and around and around…

Crowd specs: Anyone and everyone – come one, come all.

Wallet damage: $10 Where: FBi Social @ Kings Cross Hotel When: Friday February 15, 8pm

beyondblue fundraiser

02:02:13 :: Chinese Laundry :: 111 Sussex St Sydney 8295 9999

vanilla nites

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nathan fake

PICS :: AM

01:02:13 :: Goodgod Small Club :: 53-55 Liverpool St Chinatown 8084 0587

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bass mafia

kerser

01:02:13 :: Chinese Laundry :: 111 Sussex St Sydney 8295 9999 42 :: BRAG :: 499 :: 11:02:13

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02:02:13 :: Oxford Hotel :: 164 Oxford St Darlinghurst 8324 5200

02:02:13 :: The Hi-Fi :: 122 Lang Road Moore Park :: MARY JANE CASWELL :: S : TIM LEVY (HEAD HONCHO) OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHER :: IER XAV RO PED :: ON ASHLEY MAR :: PRUDENCE UPT

PICS :: PX

party profile

big dumb kid

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