PRESENTS
30 _ )5((
$5&7,& 6(9 (16 +SAFIA +SURECUT KIDS
: ( ' 7 + $ 8 *
Perform. Record. Manage. Animate. Design. Capture. Enrol. What will your creative future look like? Degrees and Diplomas in Music, Audio Engineering, Entertainment Business Management, 3D Animation, Game Design and Film and Television Production.
Open Day. 17th August 2013. Register now.
Launch your creative journey through collaboration, education and training at JMC Academy.
Your creative future starts today. Visit jmcacademy.edu.au or call on 1300 410 311. facebook.com/jmcacademy
youtube.com/jmcacademy
sydney opera house present s
A WEEKEND OF GRAPHIC STORYTELLING, ANIMATION & MUSIC
4 – 7 OCT
ROBOT CHICKEN LIVE SETH GREEN, MATT SENREICH & FRIENDS
ART SPIEGELMAN’S ‘WORDLESS!’ MUSIC BY PHILLIP JOHNSTON
GRANT MORRISON & GERARD WAY (EX MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE)
LUDOVICO EINAUDI DAVE MCKEAN: 9 LIVES THE CINEMATIC ORCHESTRA WITH 40-PIECE SYDNEY INTERNATIONAL ORCHESTRA
+
Transaction fee $5 - $8.50 applies to all bookings, except Insiders
RADIO WITH PICTURES PANELS, WORKSHOPS, FREE EVENTS FEAT. LEN WEIN: WOLVERINE, SWAMP THING LUKE PEARSON: ADVENTURE TIME, NOBROW COMICS ANIMAL LOGIC
FROM $24* ON SALE NOW M E D I A PA RT N E R
SY D N E Y O P E R A H O U S E P R I N C I PA L PA RT N E R
sydneyoperahouse.com/graphic Mobile App 02 9250 7777 BRAG :: 524 :: 05:08:13 :: 3
4 :: BRAG :: 524 :: 05:08:13
BRAG :: 524 :: 05:08:13 :: 5
rock music news welcome to the frontline: what’s goin’ on around town...with Chris Martin
speed date WITH
PAT BOURKE OF THE APE What Do You Look For In A Band? Tall hairy men with good shirts, long arms, 1. and a collectively loping gait. I prefer it if the drummer has a small face and I like friendly Spanish guitarists with good dance moves and a wah pedal. ‘Look around at my monkey hair. You can touch it, I don’t care. Used to be that I was ashamed, but now the monkey fluff is tamed. Come on everybody and walk around my hair!’ Keeping Busy We have been carefully preparing to 2. reveal The Ape to the world. Our first single ‘Crawl Back’ is available to download for free. We have also finished recording a classic 10-song, 36-minute, rock’n’roll record that is just great. Hanging out and enjoying the company of The Ape – there is a special energy and loving feeling created by The Ape, and that needed to be captured on tape. Best Gig Ever This is where I should be telling you 3. about the best Ape gig I ever played, which Ape it was, what Ape I played with, what Ape songs we played and why I thought it was the best Ape ever, but The Ape don’t tell. Every show by The Ape is something to behold. Playlist ‘You Finally Made A Monkey Out Of 4. Current
ADVERTISING: Kylie Finlay - 0412 008 363 / (02) 9212 4322 kylie@thebrag.com ADVERTISING: Les White - 0405 581 125 / (02) 9212 4322 les@thebrag.com PUBLISHER: Rob Furst GENERAL MANAGER, FURST MEDIA: Patrick Carr patrick@furstmedia.com.au, (03) 9428 3600, 0402 821 122 DIGITAL DIRECTOR/ADVERTISING: Kris Furst kris@furstmedia.com.au (03) 9428 3600 GIG & CLUB GUIDE CO-ORDINATOR: Blake Gallagher, Charli Hutchison, Mina Kitsos, Therese Watson - gigguide@thebrag.com (rock) clubguide@thebrag.com (dance, hip hop & parties) AWESOME INTERNS: Natalie Amat, Mina Kitsos, Blake Gallagher, Rachel Eddie, Therese Watson, Charli Hutchison REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS: Nat Amat, Shannon Connellan, Katie Davern, Marissa Demetriou, Christie Eliezer, Chris Honnery, Lachlan Kanoniuk, Jody Macgregor, Alicia Malone, Chris Martin, Hugh Robertson, Jonno Seidler, Rach Seneviratne, Simon Topper, Rick Warner, Krissi Weiss, David Wild Please send mail NOT ACCOUNTS direct to this NEW address 100 Albion Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010 ph - (02) 9212 4322 fax - (02) 9319 2227 EDITORIAL POLICY: The views and opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher, editors or staff of The BRAG. ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE: Luke Forrester: accounts@furstmedia.com.au ph - (03) 9428 3600 fax - (03) 9428 3611 Furst Media, 3 Newton Street Richmond Victoria 3121 DEADLINES: Editorial: Wednesday 12pm (no extensions) Artwork/ad bookings: Thursday 12pm (no extensions). Ad cancellations: Tuesday 4pm Published by Furst Media P/L ACN 1112480045. All content copyrighted to Cartrage P/L/ Furst Media P/L 2003-2013 DISTRIBUTION: Wanna get The Brag? Email distribution@ furstmedia.com.au or phone 03 9428 3600. PRINTED BY SPOTPRESS: www.spotpress.com.au 24 – 26 Lilian Fowler Place, Marrickville NSW 2204
6 :: BRAG :: 524 :: 05:08:13
monkeys for meat to eat, but most apes will not eat another ape, only smaller monkeys. Gus Ape Agars prefers it if nobody else wears hooded leather jackets to the shows. Please don’t build a fence around the coconut tree. ‘Don’t be cynical, It’s a follicle miracle. I said, don’t be cynical, I keep waxing lyrical.’ Who: Tex Perkins and The Ape Where: The Annandale Hotel When: Friday August 9
Tickets for January’s Big Day Out go on sale to the general public this Thursday August 8, and although there’s another two dates in Sydney this summer – Sunday January 26 and Monday January 27 – you’ll want to get in quick. The 2014 lineup has been hyped for months as the festival’s biggest ever, and now we know why: Pearl Jam and Arcade Fire will be there with new albums to play, plus Blur visit Australia for the first time in 17 years. Time to dig those Fred Perry shirts out of the closet. Then there’s Snoop Dogg AKA Snoop Lion, Major Lazer, Tame Impala, Flume, Grouplove, The Naked and Famous, Toro Y Moi, Mudhoney and more… OK, the hype was fair. Bring on Australia Day, and fingers crossed the temperature doesn’t get too hot in the shade.
Blur photo by Linda Brownlee - margate
ART DIRECTOR: Sarah Bryant GRAPHIC DESIGN: Alan Parry SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER: Tim Levy SNAP PHOTOGRAPHERS: , Capital H AKA Henry Leung, Katrina Clarke, Amanth Magnan, Ashley Mar, Silvia Lopez, Paul Smith, Patrick Stevenson
Your Ultimate Rider Fruit, plants, nuts, insects, and some 5. small animals. Sometimes we kill other
Blur
BIG DAY OUT 2014
EDITOR: Nick Jarvis nick@thebrag.com 02 9212 4322 ARTS EDITOR: Lisa Omagari lisa@thebrag.com 02 9212 4322 STAFF WRITERS: Benjamin Cooper, Alasdair Duncan, Jody Macgregor, Krissi Weiss NEWS: Blake Gallagher, Chris Martin, Chris Honnery, Mina Kitsos
Me’, ‘Space Monkey’, ‘The Monkey Speaks His Mind’, ‘Brass Monkey’, ‘The Ape Of Death’, ‘Too Much Monkey Business’, ‘Leave My Monkey Alone’, ‘Monkey Island’, ‘Part Man, Part Monkey’, ‘Mickey’s Monkey’, ‘Monkey Wash, Donkey Rinse’, ‘Monkey In The Kitchen’, ‘Monkey Man’, ‘Monkey Girl’, ‘Very Ape’, ‘You’ll Never Make A Monkey Out Of Me’. The Powder Monkeys, Olympia, Latin Playboys, Ry Cooder, Warren Zevon. I really could go on here. Um, I quite like the new Drones record, and have also been revisiting the first three You Am I records. Also can’t stop listening to a song called ‘Seabird’ by The Alessi Brothers.
THE RECORD CRATE
What the neighbours don’t know can’t hurt them. Glebe’s The Record Crate hosts DIY nights in a tiny space only metres above unsuspecting locals, with just a light bulb or two and a barely capable PA to spread the love. This Friday August 9 features Royal Chant alongside Designer Mutts and Bright Falls. Tickets on the door; don’t alert the fun police.
Stonefield
FALL OUT BOY
Radioactive Man was nothing without Fall Out Boy. That one time Milhouse didn’t show up to shoot his scenes as the diminutive sidekick, The Simpsons’ greatest superhero damn near drowned in bubbling acid. Anyway, Fall Out Boy the band is returning to Australian shores – again – to rescue radioactive rock fans everywhere. Sydney Entertainment Centre hosts the all ages gig on Friday October 25 and British India will play in support.
MONEY FOR ROPE
Powerful Melbourne six-piece Money For Rope have been turning heads and blasting ear drums since the release of their self-titled debut album last year. They’ve got an impressive list of festival appearances on their CV – Splendour, Big Day Out, Queenscliff and Big Sound among others – but it’s back to the smaller rooms this spring, with a run of dates including Thursday September 5 at the Beach Road Hotel; Friday September 6 at Newcastle’s Bar on the Hill; and Saturday September 7 at Spectrum.
ROCK’N’ROLL MARKET
And you thought the strangest sight at Sydney Uni was the law student sitting his exam in a giraffe onesie. The Sydney Rock’n’Roll & Alternative Market descends on Manning Bar again this Sunday August 11, and it’s worth seeing to believe – three levels of fashion, food, books, music and rock’n’roll desperados dressed like it’s 1959. Spurs For Jesus headline the live entertainment programme alongside rockabilly groups and a DJ or two. Leave the onesies at home.
STONEFIELD
The Findlay sisters have taken their time over Stonefield’s debut album – even in the three years since racing to popularity via triple j Unearthed High, half the band has still had school to worry about – but at last they’re ready. Almost. The self-titled album’s lead single, ‘Put Your Curse On Me’, has hit airwaves, and Stonefield are doing a run of dates to celebrate. Catch them at Oxford Art Factory on Saturday August 24 or Newcastle’s The Small Ballroom the night before. Band of Skulls producer Ian Davenport oversees the LP, due October – we can’t wait.
COMING UP FRIDAY 9
SATURDAY 10
$3*;;-: (USA)
FUNCTION 4"/%8&-- %*453*$5 64"
A
U G
U S
A U
T
4".3"* t ."55 '&33*&3" /"5/0*; t +"$& %*4(3"$& ;0%*"$ t /0 (00% .*4$)*&' ".: -&& t "$*% ("/(
G U
S
T
TROY PANAH
1*9- t ,&33: 8"--"$& t 4".3"* t %+ &,0 '*/(&34 t 6 ,)"/ t '30/5 50 #"$, $53- "-5 %&-*$*064
SATURDAY 17
FRIDAY 16
A G RA U CY S H T AM U M
A G RA U CY S H T AM U M
BRO SAFARI (USA) SPENDA C
SPEEDY J (GERMANY) +&'' %3",& t " 50/&;
/&.0 t 3" #";""3 t 4/*--6. #*05&$) t /6/4 8*5) (6/4 t */5)&03:
%"/*&- '"3-&: t 80-'1"$, t %"7& 8*//&-- t '*/(&34 .&5)0%*9 t "/%3&8 808, 74 26 ;&/ ,*/( -&& t %+ $ #6
FRIDAY 23
SATURDAY 24 A G RA U CY S H T AM U M
A G RA U CY S H T AM U M
#*( $)0$0-"5& (USA) -%36 t 1"$&4 -*/,&/ t 5)*&33: % 5:1)0/*$ t &-&$530/*$
HYBRID (UK) " 50/&; t 0$&"/ t &.#&3 ,"5*& 7"-&/5*/& t ,&33: 8"--"$& t '*/(&34 (00%'&--" t ,*/( -&&
FOR GUEST LIST & ENQUIRIES, E-MAIL INFO@CHINESELAUNDRYCLUB.COM.AU CNR KING ST & SUSSEX ST (UNDER SLIP INN)
no cover charge
THU 8 AUG-7PM A&R DEPT & MGM & HERCULES PRESENTS
MARSHMALLOW PAVEMENT BATTLESHIPS, THE MONEY GO ROUND, SAFIA, THE DEAD HEADS, MEG MAC UPSTAIRS BERESFORD.COM.AU
LEVEL 1, 354 BOURKE ST. SURRY HILLS BRAG :: 524 :: 05:08:13 :: 7
rock music news
free stuff
welcome to the frontline: what’s goin’ on around town...with Chris Martin
email: freestuff@thebrag.com
five things WITH
BOY OUTSIDE
Inspirations The Rolling Stones have always been 2. involved. The first album I bought was Jimi Hendrix’s Are You Experienced, and like a lot of people I couldn’t quite work out how that was coming out of the speakers. That led me to trace their lineage into early blues, then onto Chess and Sun Records and some of the best pop songs ever written. Tom Waits is my late night friend and Glitter And Doom is one of the best live albums. For me, inspiration is the track you can’t stop playing. Right now that’s ‘…Like Clockwork’, the title track from QOTSA’s latest album. Your Band Boy Outside is a solo project I started 3. in order to explore my alt-country and blues
1.
Growing Up My dad quite often told me I was born two weeks early because he bought a huge new set of B&W speakers the day before I was born and rattled me out. My parents have an obsessive passion for music, which certainly rubbed off – The Rolling Stones, Eagles and my mum’s beloved Joan Armatrading. One of my earliest memories is of my dad not letting me move until I’d sat and listened to the whole of the Stones’ Tattoo You, both sides – and side B is the best for what it’s worth.
TULLY ON TULLY
tendencies when I moved to Sydney from London. Emma Swift at FBi first played my songs, and I’ve played solo and support shows with Gossling, Beth Orton, Bahamas, Tin Sparrow and most recently City and Colour. Between gigs, friends and spilt drinks I’m now very fortunate I have a bunch of guys to play with who share a heart full of Americana and blues, so Boy Outside is often heard as a sixpiece. It’s double bass, piano, harmonies and electric guitars for days. The Music You Make Comparisons to Johnny Cash, Chris 4. Isaak, Tom Petty and Jeff Buckley have been
knocked around, which is very kind. Working closely with producer Steeve Body, we recorded my EP live at Linear Studios, with postproduction and mixing at Limestone Studios. First single ‘River Runs To The Sea’ was released at a sold-out show in Hibernian House and I’m launching the EP with a residency at Arcadia Liquors from Thursday August 8. Expect Americana with a tug on the heartstrings, alt-country melancholy and a touch of blues. Music, Right Here, Right Now There are so many great artists playing 5. in Sydney at the moment and the sense of community and help everyone gives each other is amazing. Sadly some venues have closed but that has also forced artists and promoters to become more imaginative – I’m a big fan of Sofar Sounds and The Smallest Gig. Some of the best music I’ve seen in Sydney is at Folk Club, which is a driving force and harbour for emerging artists to sell their wares. Artists I’ve recently caught and loved include The Falls, Jordan Leser, Achoo! Bless You, Iluka and Papa Pilko And The Bin Rats. Who: Boy Outside EP launch and August residency with special guests Where: Arcadia Liquors, Redfern When: Thursday August 8, 15, 22 and 29
Melbourne quintet Tully on Tully embark on a national tour this August in celebration of debut EP Weightless – due out August 16. Led by Natalie Foster, the group’s brand of catchy, ethereal folk-pop has seen them garner support slots for the likes of Nada Surf, Neon Trees, The Temper Trap and Whitley. They play Sydney’s Brighton Up Bar come Saturday August 17, and we’ve got two double passes to give away. To win, just email freestuff@thebrag.com with your name and tell us which singer-songwriter the band collaborated with on latest single ‘Stay’.
THE STIFFYS
Raise up your champagne flutes as sailor boys The Stiffys are coming to town! They’re bringing their raucous rock to the Brighton Up Bar on August 9 to launch their new single ‘Champagne’. The duo say the song is “like a rap song but with just bass guitar and drums and singing…it’s basically by cool guys for cool guys and also mainly ladies.” They’re promising push-ups and kick flips. Get in quick and email freestuff@thebrag.com as we have three double passes ready to be snatched up – but that’s not all, you’ll also get to meet the guys themselves and share their favourite thing: Champagne. To win, tell us your favourite type of Champagne.
The Stiffys
CODY CHESNUTT
We haven’t heard from Cody ChesnuTT in a while – after years touring his home-recorded debut The Headphone Masterpiece, the R&B singer took an extended break to spend time with his family. Now, The Roots’ soulmate and collaborator is returning to Australia for the first time in seven years: he and a four-piece band will be at The Metro on Saturday October 19.
The Holidays
FBI SOCIAL
While we’re on the subject, FBi Social’s Lunchbreak set this week comes from The Preatures. If you haven’t heard the name by now – and, let’s be fair, you probably have – these guys are great. ‘Is This How You Feel?’ is on high rotation at BRAG, and Wednesday August 7 is your chance to catch the band playing free from 1pm.
UPSTAIRS BERESFORD
THE HOLIDAYS TOUR
Where do The Holidays spend their holidays? The Sydneysiders have been in Paris, Berlin and Tokyo of late – but all the while were hard at work on their upcoming second album. Latest single ‘Voices Drifting’ is the first preview of their new material, and the east coast tour in support of its release stops in at Goodgod Small Club on Thursday September 19. Do they even take holidays? Who knows.
RESOLUTION REVOLUTION
Matt Corby’s been on fire the last couple of years, and the momentum of his Resolution EP continues with a coast-to-coast national tour. Sydney’s all ages show is at that big ol’ Hordern Pavilion on Friday October 11, and along for the ride is London trio Bear’s Den.
METALMEN
You can’t just throw around umlauts and metal horns all over the place like they’re a birthright granted by Satan. Barbariön earned theirs on the streets of Melbourne – presumably in a series of bloody battles against demonic hordes, or however it’s done these days – and after a recent European tour, they’re back to plunder Sydney next month. The ‘Metalmen’ single tour crashes the Beach Road Hotel first on Thursday September 12, then The Standard on Friday September 13. Friday the 13th! Evil! Metal! You know the score.
PLUTO JONZE
The name ‘Pluto’ just ain’t what it used to be. The ex-planet Pluto is an unfashionable and anonymous orbiting entity these days, and Pluto the Disney Dog has woofed past the age of 80 – which makes him about 600 in doggy years. Lucky Pluto Jonze is doing his bit to uphold some Pluto pride – his debut Eject album tour arrives at Goodgod on Saturday August 24. Is his song still stuck in your head? Is now. Support from Hey Geronimo and Brave. 8 :: BRAG :: 524 :: 05:08:13
BUILDING FOR AFRICA
All together now for a good cause. UTS student Yasmin Davis is organising a series of benefit concerts raising money to build a primary school in Africa. The second of four gigs takes place at the Bald Faced Stag on Sunday September 8 and features Project Collective Ska, The Fontaynes and JackManFriday. Build Africa works with remote communities in Kenya and Uganda.
FBI TURNS TEN
FBi’s tenth birthday party just keeps getting bigger. The second round of announcements for the gig includes Sarah Blasko, Kirin J Callinan and Deep Sea Arcade. Not enough? Add Bleeding Knees Club, Oliver Tank and Katalyst to a lineup that already includes The Presets, Hermitude and Urthboy and you start to get the picture – this is the hottest ticket in town. It all goes down Sunday September 8 at Carriageworks. It was nice to see the Federal Government commit recently to ongoing funding of the community radio sector; we need these guys to keep doing what they’re doing for artists and fans all over. Now, it’s the punters’ chance to show their support – and did we mention Spit Syndicate, Fishing and The Laurels are playing too? By golly. My head’s spinning.
It’s a busy weekend coming up at Upstairs Beresford, with an indie showcase this Thursday August 8 to launch Marshmallow Pavement, the A&R Department’s compilation of emerging Australian acts. That’s followed on Friday August 9 by Declan Kelly and the Rising Sun, before King Tide headline the Saturday August 10.
ÓLAFUR ARNALDS
Icelander Ólafur Arnalds spends his spare time writing film and television scores – most recently, his music has featured in The Hunger Games and ABC thriller Broadchurch. But it’s Arnalds’ thoughtful studio work that has won hearts around the world – From Now I Am Winter is on the critics’ lists of must-hear albums for the year so far – and finally he’s found space in his schedule to visit Australia. He’ll be at The Basement on Friday September 20.
Leondard Cohen
LEONARD COHEN
The tireless and downright incredible Leonard Cohen returns to Australia this summer, bringing with him a ninepiece band and that inimitable canon of material from 12 studio albums. Even after all those covers of Cohen’s greatest compositions – from Nick Cave, Jeff Buckley, Judy Collins and the rest – nobody does these tunes like the man himself. The fourth, the fifth, the minor fall and the major lift…hear them soar at Sydney Entertainment Centre on Saturday November 16 and the Hunter Valley’s Bimbadgen Winery on Saturday November 23 for A Day on the Green.
Sarah Blasko
ADRIAN AN BOH B BOHM O M PRESENTS
TUESDAY 20 AUGUST ENMORE THEATRE BOOK AT TICKETEK 132 849 TICKETEK.COM.AU OR ENMORE THEATRE BOX OFFICE 9555 3666 ABPRESENTS.COM.AU
STEPHENLYNCH.COM
BRAG :: 524 :: 05:08:13 :: 9
Industrial Strength Music Industry News with Christie Eliezer
SONY KICKS OFF WITH FOOTY’S BEAU RYAN
THINGS WE HEAR
Sony Music Entertainment Australia signed NRL and Footy Show star Beau Ryan to collaborate on recordings, DVDs and merchandise. “He is a highly talented sportsman, comedian and performer, who has delighted Footy Show fans with his brilliant segments, cheekiness and charm,” said Denis Handlin AM, Sony Music Chairman & CEO Australia & New Zealand and President, Asia. Ryan said of the signing, “I even called DJ Yallah last night, who is living it up overseas at the moment, and he is totally excited as well.”
* After the announcement of the Big Day Out 2014 bill, promoter Ken West ’fessed to the Daily Tele he’d been chasing Blur for 15 years. The Britpop band was initially reluctant as Damon Albarn earmarked 2014 for solo stuff. Pearl Jam agreed to headline on the proviso that mates Mudhoney and Cosmic Psychos be included. West was OK with that: when Mudhoney toured BDO in 1993, singer Mark Arm nicked his mobile phone and racked up $200 worth of calls, which West goodnaturedly says he’s getting back. * Pete Murray is opening his own restaurant and bar in Byron Bay – called Frankie Brown Café, after his dog – this week. Aside from offering fine food and wine, it will showcase sets from local folkies, and the occasional one from the boss himself. It’s at 32 Lawson Street, which was previously a Mexican restaurant. * After lobbying from music fans (6000 signed a petition), the City of Melbourne voted unanimously to name one of its many unnamed lanes after the late Chrissy Amphlett. * The Models are back in action, with new material and reissues on their way. The lineup of Sean Kelly, Andrew Duffield, Barton Price and Mark Ferrie plays two shows in Melbourne at the Ding Dong Lounge, September 20 and 21. * YouTube is estimated to be worth between $15.6bn and $21.3bn. * 30 Seconds to Mars’ offer for fans to appear in the ‘Do Or Die’ video if they get the lyrics tattooed on them has been slammed as “irresponsible”. * Mumford & Sons are working at launching their own brand of whisky. * Everybody’s a critic. A Cairns karaoke house party came to an abrupt end when a man, irritated by the choice of songs and the vocal skills of the guests, walked in and smashed the machine with a shovel. Police are investigating.
occasional sports event in South East Asia. We farewell Nick Jarvis, who is moving over to become Australian editor of dance music website inthemix. He’s been writing about EDM for ten years and edited 3D World.
REMOTE CONTROL LAUNCHES RECON DIVISION
BLUESFEST WIN Bluesfest director Peter Noble and manager Annika Oman accept the Helpmann Award for Best Contemporary Music Festival. It beat out Falls, Laneway and Vivid Live. Noble thanked the 500 folks who work on the fest each year, threatening to name them individually as they never get credit
Remote Control launched a new marketing and publicity arm called Recon Music. Its services include album, EP and single promotion; tour, festival and special event publicity and music servicing across online, radio, print and TV media. Specialist services include mailing list management, international blog servicing and clientpersonalised marketing support. The Remote Control PR team is involved but the main contacts are Marketing and Promotions Manager Lorrae McKenna (03 8514 5195) and Publicity and Promotions Manager Adam Christou (03 8514 5196 and adam@ reconmusic.com.au).
DMX FILES FOR BANKRUPTCY BRAG CHANGES: CHRIS ARRIVES, NICK LEAVES The BRAG this week announces that Chris Martin is taking over the editor’s chair. Apart from being a regular contributor to The Brag for the last two years, Chris has worked in newsroom and social media roles at the SMH and overseas, covering music and the
Rapper DMX has filed for bankruptcy with debts of up to $10 million and only $50 000 in assets. This includes $1.24 million owed in child support and $21 000 on an auto lease. His publicist blamed his woes on “poor financial management by prior representation”. DMX had his passport seized because of these troubles, but applying for bankruptcy means he gets it back to tour.
NEW SIGNINGS #1: BLOODS GET A SHOCK Shock Records signed Sydney garagepunk-pop trio Bloods. Their current single ‘Back To You’ topped AirIt for two weeks and was #40 on Channel[V]’s Top 50 songs of 2013 So Far. The act counts Cat Power, Unknown Mortal Orchestra and Kate Nash amongst their fans, says Shock. New single ‘Into My Arms’, also from forthcoming six-track debut EP Golden Fang, is out on August 16. The band hits the East Coast on its first headlining run joined by Major Leagues (Sydney/Melbourne) and The Fabergettes.
E HIFI 1300 THO M.AU THEHIFI.C
This Week
Coming Soon
NEW SIGNINGS #2: TEAL JOINS BIRD’S ROBE
D-Block & S-te-Fan Sat 10 Aug
Blues & Grooves feat.
Phil Emmanuel Fri 16 Aug
The Mavericks (USA) Tonight Alive Fri 23 Aug
Thu 5 Sept: All Ages
Sydney-based label Bird’s Robe Records signed Sydney band Teal. Its founder Mike Solo said that other label signings sleepmakeswaves, The Red Paintings and 65daysofstatic were fans of Teal, “so it seems like a natural fit.” Teal’s debut EP Hearth was produced by Lucius Borich.
HOAX OF THE WEEK
Alexander Abreu
Anberlin (USA)
& Havana D’ Primera (CUB) Sat 7 Sep
Rüfüs
Fri 13 Sep
Fri 6 Sep
Fri 20 Sep: All Ages
Supernova U18s Fest feat. Wasted Penquinz, Toneshifterz + More
Fri 25 Oct
Spit Syndicate Sat 2 Nov: All Ages
Regurgitator Fri 4 Oct
Victor Essiet & The Mandators Sat 12 Oct
Hits & Pits 2.0 feat Black Flag (USA ) + The Ataris (USA) + Bad Astronaut (USA) Sun 17 Nov
ENTERTAINMENT QUARTER, BUILDING 220, 122 LANG RD, MOORE PARK, SYDNEY
10 :: BRAG :: 524 :: 05:08:13
ANTI-SCALPER LAWS TO BE INTRODUCED The NSW State Government is working on laws to crack down on scalping, similar to the ones already in existence in Queensland and Victoria. The changes would allow music promoters and sports associations to enforce terms and conditions on ticket sales, and enable them to stop people who’ve bought scalped tickets from entering or staying at the event. Promoters can also cap the amount of tickets that can be re-sold. The NSW move comes after the emergence of online ticket
SYDNEY LAUNCH #1: DIGITAL DANCE STATION Last Thursday the 2SM Super Radio Network launched a new DAB+ channel called Dance Super Digi on http://dancesuperdigi.com/. It joins the network’s Gorilla and Zoo stations. Dance will focus on dance anthems from the ’80s, ’90s and early ’00s while Gorilla will shift its playlist entirely to current dance tracks.
SYDNEY LAUNCH #2: THE GAY BAR Stephen Craddock and Nelson De Sousa of production company In The Dark have opened The Gay Bar on Oxford Street. “Part French palace, part dance floor, and part bar and restaurant”, it will feature DJs and entertainers.
Lifelines Engaged: Danny Jones of McFly and Georgia Horsley, whom he started dating in 2009 after he split from one-time Miss England, Laura Coleman. He’s the third member of the band to take the step. Split: The Strokes’ Fabrizio Moretti and actress/comedian Kristen Wiig (Bridesmaids, Saturday Night Live) after an 18-month relationship. Recovered: Oz-bound Nile Rodgers, of Chic and Daft Punk fame, has been given the allclear after being diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2010. Recovered: Panic! At The Disco drummer Spencer Smith admitted he’s beaten his four-and-a-half year addiction to alcohol and pills. Injured: Killswitch Engage drummer Justin Foley broke his collarbone in a bicycle accident and the band has recruited As I Lay Dying drummer Jordan Mancino to fill in for him on their upcoming tours of Europe and Asia. Injured: Bernard Sumner of New Order fractured his leg but continues their US tour, “although I am in pain and physically unable to give it my all.” Arrested: a 21-year-old man allegedly carrying 102 MDMA tablets and 0.5 grams of MDMA powder into Splendour in the Grass faces court next month. In Court: Rihanna won a UK High Court battle with British brand Topshop over T-shirts bearing her image. The judge agreed customers would assume she endorsed their sale. Died: John Casablancas, a key figure in global modelling and father of The Strokes’ Julian, aged 70. He founded Elite Model Management agency in 1972, which grossed $100 million a year and launched the ‘supermodels’ era. Died: British music journo (NME) and Deviants singer, Mick Farren, 69, after collapsing onstage during a London show. He also wrote lyrics for Hawkwind and Motorhead and penned 23 novels.
Bluesfest Festival photo by Jim Lee
Sun 15 Sep
Stratovarius (FIN)
For The Fallen Dreams (USA)
David Guetta dismisses the story on dance sites that he was forced to flee a Paris stage after he hit the ‘play’ button accidentally on the personal self-help CD he uses to treat his chorophobia – the irrational fear of dancing. He says the story emerged during voting for a DJ magazine poll because haters were trying to pull him down. “I wonder why each year at the moment of the DJ Mag vote, there is always a fake story on me playing a pre recorded set. Is it by accident?” A supposed link to a video of his hasty exit goes to a blank page.
exchange service viagogo, which listed tickets for Pink and Beyonce as well as major sporting grand finals at a high mark-up.
U R T N i B S F a music and arts festival across 4 stages! MORE ACTS ANNOUNCED!
KIRIN J CALLINAN BIG VILLAGE ALLSTARS KATALYST FISHING NAUGHTY RAPPERS COLLECTIVE JOINING
AV SHOW
WORLD’S END PRESS AV SHOW
NAYSAYER & GILSUN JOYRIDE + SECRET GUESTS & MORE FBI FAVOURITES! MIDDAY - 10pm SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 8
CARRIAGEWORKS
SECOND RELEASE $49 FBI SUPPORTERS / $59 GENERAL PUBLIC ON SALE NOW FROM TICKETMASTER www.fbiradio.com BRAG :: 524 :: 05:08:13 :: 11
Snakadaktal Riding The Wave By Lachlan Kanoniuk
I
t’s become somewhat of a strange tradition for Australia’s biggest winter festival to wildly underestimate the pulling power of certain rising acts, choosing to allocate a midafternoon tent slot to a band that could pack out the main stage in primetime. This year the distinction went to Snakadaktal, who on the eve of their debut album’s release, managed to flood Splendour in the Grass’ GW McLennan tent with a cavalcade of eager punters on the final day of the festival. It was an epoch-defining moment for the nascent Melbourne collective, capping off years of hard work ascending through the ranks in festivals such as last year’s Boogie and this year’s Laneway circuit. The Splendour appearance also marks the band’s final performance before the release of Sleep In The Water, their debut LP that follows on from the breakthrough success of their 2011 selftitled EP.
Speaking in the weeks leading up to Splendour, and ahead of the Sleep In The Water national launch tour, vocalist/synthmaster Phoebe Cockburn recounts the long lead-up to the record from her home in the foot of the Dandenongs.
12 :: BRAG :: 524 :: 05:08:13
Emerging in such a prominent fashion at an early age, Cockburn exudes an erudite purposefulness when it comes to discussing music as a profession. “It’s been my main focus in my life. With age, development comes naturally as well. So it probably has a lot to do with the process of recording our EP in comparison to the LP. It was very much a home job when recording the EP, recording vocals straight after jumping in the pool. It was summer and we were singing into a cupboard. With this record, we had a lot more technical capacity with the way we recorded it, plus a producer [Dann Hume] to help us out with that,” says Cockburn. “He brought a great friendship that we all shared with him. He’s a really talented musician in his own right. He was able to listen to us in the way we always wanted, and he was able to move through the record patiently in the way we always wanted to.” Due to in large part to their 2011 triple j Unearthed High victory, the image of school-
“We’ve all grown up in different ways over the past couple of years, but wholly we are a bunch of friends and that’s always the priority for us … It was a huge focus when we began releasing music, especially with the Unearthed High competition. [Unearthed] became a huge part of who we are. But we always wanted to present ourselves in a way that wasn’t so much about the image or [our] age, just about the music. That seems to have become more possible as we’ve grown up a little bit.” With a striking sound that is very much international in flavour, Snakadaktal possess the makings of a big-time musical export. Aspirations of this scale are beginning to be realised, as exhibited by an overseas sojourn earlier in the year. “We’ve done a little tour in the UK which took place in May,” Cockburn says. “It was great, we were able to explore different venues and the live music scene in London and various other cities of the UK. That helped us to spread that sound internationally a little bit, even just to dip our toes into that water. I guess that’s the beginning of what we’d like to do so far. But we’re happy to focus as much as we can on Australia to begin with. We have no rush in terms of that.” Experiencing radio success with their selftitled EP and subsequent singles, the band have been steadily easing tracks from Sleep In The Water into their current setlist. Absent from the album’s tracklisting, however, is the 2012 single ‘Dance Bear’. The decision to start entirely anew for Sleep In The Water might not have been the easiest to make, but it was the one that felt most natural for Snakadaktal. “From the beginning, we were clear about making this record as fresh on its own as we could. We never intended to bring any songs in like that, we just wanted to move forward. And we’ll continue to do so.” Belying their youth, Snakadaktal emanate a hypnotic aural signature. “I suppose it’s intimate, and quite dreamy,” says Cockburn.
“We always wanted to present ourselves in a way that wasn’t so much about the image or [our] age, just about the music.” “It’s difficult to say, but we always try to find intimacy with certain parts of the tracks. But at the same time, we try to create a strong dynamic during the songs. That’s probably a big part of the sound as well. We are very influenced by dance music. We wouldn’t expect people to dance to our music, but that certainly is a big influence. Sonically, it’s certainly put a big stamp on this record and hopefully there are subtle grooves that people can relate to in some way.” Fitting in with the album’s aquatic motif, Cockburn is content to go with the flow of the journey onto its next chapter. “In terms of aspirations for this album, it’s already taken us where we wanted it to. A national tour is really exciting for us, so anything else that comes along will be really overwhelming and great for us. It seems to be a constantly confusing state that we all get into live. It’s sort of a half-belief – we feel like we’re there and we have this huge expectation for ourselves, but at the same time it is so surreal and it is so beyond what we’d ever expected. Maybe we’re only half there sometimes,” she laughs. “But particular moments – I’d have to say in the UK playing a headline show and the room was filled and we just couldn’t believe it. That was quite a big one.” Where: Bar on the Hill, Newcastle / Metro Theatre (all ages) When: Wednesday August 28 / Friday August 30 And: Sleep In The Water out now through Liberation Music
xxx
“We’ve been eager to write this record for as long as we have been together. So that process begun a long time ago,” Cockburn recalls. “It was only when we’d finished certain tours and other things that we were able to knuckle down and really begin to write this record. That probably started about a year ago. We always intended to create a record that had its own life and we didn’t want listeners to think that they had got their head around it in the
first listen. There were certain things we really focused on and tried to push when recording.” Honing their captivating sonic craft into album form, Snakadaktal have achieved a formidable feeling of cohesion on Sleep In The Water. That sense of fluidity was a fully motivated choice, explains Cockburn. “We wanted the record to have a strong sense of cohesiveness before we started recording. One of the themes that flows across the record is water. It works as a natural dynamic across the album, lyrically and sonically. We wanted those sounds to be able to play onto each other and flow into each song, for it to be one body of work rather than a bundle of individual songs.”
aged wunderkinds has stuck with Snakadaktal in the subsequent years. But the Steiner School alumni have managed to rise above the tag in 2013.
Coming up at the
F R E E
E N T R Y
l S
8 P M
W H A L E
A 1st 2nd 3rd 7th 8th 9th 10th 11th 14th 15th 16th 17th 21st 22nd 23rd 24th 28th 29th 30th 31st
U
T I L L
L A T E
V I S I T
G
U
S
T
FISHING +OXBLVD +THE GUPPIES P.SMURF +SONG SELECTA FURNACE & THE FUNDAMENTALS +JUNK SOSUEME MYSTERY ACT +SAFIA +SURECUT KIDS SONS OF THE EAST +THIEVES +KALIDAD TYREE (SMASHPROOF) +MOYFLY CABINS +HITTING TREES CITY2SURF AFTER PARTY SEEKAE (DJ SET) + FISHING SURES +BEC & BEN +BONEZ PEEZO + SLIPPERY MC + THE HATED SEABELLIES +TROPICAL ZOMBIE THE HERD THE UPSKIRTS +THE RUMINATERS +STONE MONKS PIRIMIA +KIDD SHAM LIME CORDIALE +TOKYO DENMARK SWEDEN DUNE RATS LITTLE BASTARD +THE HOLLOW BONES +CALLITHUMP BLACK BIRD HUM WATUSSI +PLAYWRITE - For more info check out -
B E A C H R O A D B O N D I . C O M . A U F A C E B O O K . C O M / B E A C H R O A D H O T E L
BRAG :: 524 :: 05:08:13 :: 13
Cloud Control Cave Dreaming By Jamie Arbuckle anyone so we thought it was a good mix of our old and new vibes.” While the move to a more electronic sound base may be something new for the band, for Wright it’s a return to high school nostalgia. “I started out writing electronic music when I was in high school; I was a really big fan of anything on Warp Records and all that old electronica kind of stuff. For me, experimenting with that was almost like going back to what I used to be really interested in, but it felt really natural and cool to combine that with the kind of work we did on our last album.”
C
loud Control’s new album was recorded inside a cave, and not the metaphorical kind. Joy Division did it on the roof, Radiohead did it in a medieval mansion, and now Cloud Control can add their name to the list of artists who’ve recorded in strange places. Their sophomore release, Dream Cave, was partly recorded on a subterranean adventure that, according to singer Alister Wright, was influenced by a track on the album.
“There’s a song on the album called ‘Dream Cave’, so I guess the inspiration to record in a cave came from that song and the desire to record somewhere different that sounded naturally really nice as well. We didn’t record the whole album in the cave, just a few bits on a day trip. We spent
a lot of time going around to different caves finding one to record in. You think of caves being really quiet, but there was lots of water dripping and stuff like that … [the sound] is a little bit like singing in the shower but the reverb is longer. It sounds pretty magical.” When he’s not exploring rocky hollows in the earth, Wright still has speleology on the brain, as title track ‘Dream Cave’ was inspired by a cave... of sorts. “I was listening to a lot of Roy Orbison and I had this thought of him being trapped in a cave because I was in this really shitty rehearsal studio that smelled like mould and I was thinking, ‘What would it be like if he was trapped in a cave for 20 years like Gollum and
ended up going crazy?’ And then I thought, ‘What kind of song would he write?’ and I tried to write that.” The album’s release on August 9 will precede the band’s recently announced Australian tour, as well as a full UK and European tour alongside Local Natives in September. While audiences were teased with an album preview show back in June, the lead single ‘Dojo Rising’ has since been unleashed, and shows progression towards a more experimental sound for the band. “We thought it was a good song to show what we’ve been up to because in some ways it’s pretty similar to our old stuff, but it’s pretty different as well. We didn’t want to completely alienate
The recording process was a collaborative one, according to Wright, with the band taking on more freedom to experiment with their second release. “We all had much more of a hand in writing this time around. There are a few Heidi [Lenffer] songs on the album, some of the best songs on there. Jeremy [Kelshaw] was getting in on writing lyrics and we wrote a lot together … there were a lot of different influences because we all have really different tastes in music. “I was thinking about how some of my favourite bands will do albums where the songs are really different to each other and bounce through different styles. The Beastie Boys would have hip hop mixed with rock, Yo La Tengo would have a punk song and then a Motown song, The Flaming Lips use a lot of electronic drum kits but they’re still a live band … I think we’re different to all of those bands but we took the approach of mixing a lot of different things together and being more free with our palette than last time.” The band has shown a penchant for unique locations with the single’s less-than-conventional film clip, which
“We spent a lot of time going around to different caves finding one to record in ... [it’s] like singing in the shower”. was filmed in Bolivia. “It’s about this clown at a kid’s birthday party and he ruins the party for everyone, and gets hunted down and killed by this little girl … Bolivia [has] some really amazing imagery and scenery; it might be my favourite video that we’ve done.” All this cave-exploring and commissioning of exotic video clips taken into account, it’s unsurprising the band may have lofty dreams of intergalactic travel after they’re done exploring every corner of this planet. “There was an astronaut who played a David Bowie song in space and [it made us think] we should play a show on a space station or something … we have a song called ‘Moon Rabbit’ and we always thought it would be really cool to play it on the Moon and be the first band to play on the Moon, but there probably wouldn’t be anyone up there. We could beam it back down to Earth and we could have rabbits in little rabbit space suits. It could happen.” Where: Bar on the Hill, Newcastle / Metro Theatre When: Wednesday September 11 / Thursday September 12 And: Dream Cave out August 9 through Ivy League Records
Muse Laws Of Attraction By Lachlan Kanoniuk
B
y the time it arrives in the live setting on Australian shores, Muse’s typically bombastic sixth studio LP, The 2nd Law, will have reached its first birthday. For now, I speak with a chilled-out Dominic Howard as he enjoys some respite in the south of France. “We’ve been touring; just really busy since the album came out in September,” says the Muse drummer. “We did a few special shows in smaller venues, then we hit the road in October with the bigger production. We’ve been all over Europe, the States, all over Asia, now we’re just coming towards the end of the European stadium tour, which is amazing. This summer’s been awesome, we’ve been outdoors in these football stadiums playing these huge shows – 60 to 70 thousand people, that type of vibe.” Muse’s stadium-sized Australian tour is a far cry from their first visit to our land over a decade ago, where they plugged away at the entry level in relatively quaint pubs. As Howard explains, the band still manages to fit in the occasional small-capacity performance these
“A lot of bands die out because they go away [on tour] for months at a time ... then they come back and their life’s gone to shit.” 14 :: BRAG :: 524 :: 05:08:13
days. “Just recently, we did one in Shepherd’s Bush as a charity gig for War Child. We haven’t really played a venue like that in a while, and it was great to get in there and play a theatre without any massive production and floating pyramids. It was so great to be close to the fans. We came out of that gig thinking it would be great to do a whole lot more of that in the future, somehow. We might go for a few little special gigs next year. The band is actually going to be 20 [years old] next year, so we plan to do something special.” Over those two decades, Muse have built a most impressive canon of modern rock classics. Despite the lavish and involved production values of their live performance, they still manage to include surprises in the setlist. “Each album you do, the harder and harder it gets to do the setlist – you have more songs to choose from,” Howard says. “There are times when you think, ‘Really, we can’t play that tonight?’ We’ve been keeping it quite varied. We have a list of ten to 12 songs we are constantly rotating that go in and out, but there are moments in the set that are very fixed – especially with the new songs. There are songs we have to play every night because certain things are happening in the show. But that’s cool; that’s the way we structure the show. It does involve a certain choreography with the production … but that’s something we love doing, putting on a big show that incorporates all that choreography.” He pauses. “Not dance moves, obviously.” “We started doing ‘Dead Star’, an old one that’s very heavy. It wasn’t actually on an album, it was an in-between single to promote a DVD we released in 2001 … When
you bring a song back after years and years it feels so different to how you remember playing it back in those days. ‘Butterflies And Hurricanes’ had a rest for a few years, now that’s back and it’s great. At Reading Festival in 2011 we did our whole second album [Origin Of Symmetry] from start to finish. It was interesting trying to learn all those songs again – I think there was one song we had never played live before.” By now, Muse have worked out how to craft a touring schedule which affords that elusive balance between work and life. According to Howard, that sort of thing becomes a necessity eventually. “We’ve changed the way we tour. The guys have families; Chris [Wolstenholme] has six kids, Matt [Bellamy] has just had one, and that changes the way you feel about being away. We tend to tour for a few weeks, have a gap, then continue touring. That way of doing things takes the edge off a little bit and lets you stay on the road longer. A lot of bands die out because they go away from friends and family and loved ones for months at a time, then they come back and their life’s gone to shit,” Howard laughs. “Then you’ve got to split up – either with the girlfriend or the band.” Now they’re about to clock up that 20-year milestone, how is it that Muse have managed to maintain the same lineup from inception through to their current heights? “Shit, I dunno,” Howard answers. “It’s partly to do with the fact we’re schoolmates and we’ve known each other for so long. It’s partly to do with where we’ve come from as well. Teignmouth [in] Devon is a very small town and detached from the music scene, so we were left to our own devices. It’s not a place where
anything can happen particularly quickly. “I think we’ve just had this feeling like we’re a gang, we stick together, and we believe in the music. We want to take it as far as possible. That, and we are like, ‘What the bloody hell else are we going to do?’ [Laughs] I can’t see us being in any other bands. We’ve become institutionalised within ourselves. We’ve definitely had ups
and downs as a band, but we all know that it’s this or nothing … Our life is to keep Muse going. And we’re doing a pretty good job of it so far.” With: Birds Of Tokyo Where: Allphones Arena When: Friday December 13 And: The 2nd Law out now through Warner Music
BRAG :: 524 :: 05:08:13 :: 15
Bastille Making History By Alasdair Duncan
T
he past few months have been a fl urry of activity for Bastille. The goodnatured British indie band have seen their debut album, Bad Blood, released to great acclaim, and a million and one acoustic covers of their song ‘Flaws’ hit YouTube. The strangest experience by far, though, has been a gig at the British Museum, where they played an acoustic version of their song ‘Pompeii’. “They had an exhibition that apparently they’d been getting together for years, about Pompeii and Herculaneum,” singer Dan Smith explains. “Our single ‘Pompeii’ had come out just as the exhibition was about to open, and out of the blue, I got a call from the museum asking if we’d come along and play. They felt like it was a wonderful coincidence, really serendipitous, and that we should mark the occasion somehow.” The chaps from Bastille were invited to come and see the exhibition before it opened to the public – an amazing experience, Smith says. “We felt very privileged to do that, and the exhibition was really fascinating, even if we were a bit nervous,” he tells me with a laugh. “The people who put the exhibition together really liked the song, and they were really keen to have us perform it there. They showed us to the reading room, which is a huge, cavernous space, and told us that we would be the first band ever to perform there. They really wanted it to happen, they were really excited, but I was a little bit reluctant, mainly because the idea of performing in the British Museum was a bit scary and a bit overwhelming…” A museum is a place of hush and quiet and reverence, after all. “Our drummer Woody said that it felt wildly inappropriate for us to be there,” Smith explains, “but one of the women who was there setting up the exhibition heard him say that and she really liked it. She said that there’s a perception that history museums should be quiet and hushed, but actually, the people of Pompeii
were wild and inappropriate people, so it was totally right for us to be there.” Finally convinced, the band agreed to give it a shot. “We started the song, and the second I opened my mouth to sing, there was huge reverb all around the room,” Smith says. “It sounded massive and epic. I had been mildly dreading it, but it sounded so good that we all got comfortable really quickly.” Bastille’s music is lush and multi-layered, but the stripped-back arrangement of ‘Pompeii’ they performed that day turned out to be a big hit. I ask Smith if they’d
consider doing this with more of their songs, but he says he’s unsure. “The songwriting and the production come at the same time for us, so we love to perform them as written, but it’s quite nice to mess with them from time to time.”
fortunate to be able to spend the rest of the year touring the world, and we’re absolutely thrilled to be coming down to Australia. Beyond that, hopefully we’ll be able to do a second album. We’ll take it from there and see what happens.”
Bastille will soon make their way to Australia, but as for what the future holds after that, Smith isn’t certain. “We have a lot of festivals in the UK and Europe over the summer,” he says, “when we’re releasing the album in America and [then] coming to you and Japan. We’re very
With: Tigertown Where: Metro Theatre When: Wednesday August 14 And: Bad Blood out now through Virgin/ EMI Music
Standish/Carlyon Deleted Scenes By Benjamin Cooper
C
onrad Standish was away for a long time. He arrived back in Australia last year after nearly a decade abroad. “Things have changed here a lot,” Standish says. “When we left Melbourne and Australia in general we were in a particular space musically, and to an extent it was hard for us to do what we needed to do.” The necessary work was that of Devastations, the three-piece formed by Standish, Hugo Cran and Tom Carlyon in 2002 from the ashes of their previous group Luxedo. Devastations abandoned the rock meanderings of Luxedo for direct and intended sound; they also abandoned an Australian scene obsessed with faux-rockers for the space to flex creatively in Western Europe. “I was in Berlin for a few years,” Standish says, “and then moved to London for six years.” The move to London coincided with their signing to infl uential British label Beggars Banquet (Gary Numan, The National) in 2005, who released Devastations’ sophomore Coal in 2006 and fi nal album Yes, U in 2007. Devastations played a run of dates in Australia in early 2009 before announcing the next year that they had broken up. Carlyon had moved back to Melbourne some time beforehand for family reasons, but kept in regular contact with England-based Standish about matters musical. The result is this year’s debut release by Standish/Carlyon, titled Deleted Scenes. It’s an accomplished collection of sinister and sexy tunes whose crooning somehow enthrals and appals the listener in equal measures. “Tom and I have been working on this for the last few years,” Standish says. “We were constantly sending fi les for overdubbing to each other online, but the lion’s share was done in London.” “The gestation was a long time ago,” he continues. “There have been a lot of ideas. I think the first song to go on the album was recorded back in 2010. It has been a long period because we weren’t able to work fast, but that’s the way it is.” 16 :: BRAG :: 524 :: 05:08:13
Standish moved back to Melbourne with his wife Jonnine (one half of down-pop adventurers HTRK) in early 2012. It was a period that he describes as very traumatic for both of their families and one that involved signifi cant adjustment. “It was difficult at first, partly because of what was going on in our families and partly because we’d been away for so long,” Standish says. “It’s different now, of course – there’s no sense of culture shock anymore. I’ve become so ensconced in the culture of [Melbourne] I can’t recall how it feels to be outside of it.” Standish and Carlyon’s cultural immersion was done no harm last July when they played a month-long residency at The Tote. The shows were typically strange affairs: the last night featured the main men onstage while Jonnine and Ying Li Hooey (Bryan Ferry’s in-house graphic designer) played chess at the stage’s rear. “It feels like there is a new generation of kids doing things artistically and taking chances,” Standish says. “It feels like a really good period for Australian art and music right now.” Standish’s attitude is undoubtedly infl uenced in part by the way Deleted Scenes has been received. “People in Australia really seem to get it,” Standish says. “My past work has been more embraced in Europe, but we’ve been really warmly embraced here this time.” Not that the positive reception will change how the Melbourne artist does things. “Once an album is mastered I never listen to it. I’m more interested in thinking about what’s next. We’ve got a remix 12-inch that’s coming out in a couple of months with work from White Car, HTRK and Bell Towers. In the meantime we’re just working on things slowly.” Where: Four Door, Horse Macgyver, DJ Nigel Yang (HTRK) Where: Goodgod Small Club When: Friday August 9 And: Deleted Scenes out now through Chapter Music
Syd n ey O p e ra H o u se p re se nt s
22 SEPTEMBER
CONCERT HALL MOODY, GENRE-BENDING SUBLIMELY COOL FOLK-ROCK NPR MUSIC
SUPPORTED BY
TINY RUINS
NOW ON SALE! TICKETS FROM $39*
‘ Music at the House’ SY D N E Y O P E R A H O U S E P R I N C I PA L PA RT N E R
*
T nsaction fee $5 - $8.50 Tra 5 applies to all bookings, except Insiders
sydneyoperahouse.com/music Mobile App 9250 7777 BRAG :: 524 :: 05:08:13 :: 17
arts frontline
free stuff email: freestuff@thebrag.com
arts news... what's goin' on around town... With Mina Kitsos
five minutes WITH
Clifton Mack, Lighthouse Series, 2013
A
ustralian indigenous art actively engages a cultural dialogue, brining with it socio-historical truths and insight. From August 15 through September 7, Chalk Horse Gallery are hosting an exhibition designed to explore the truths and insights drawn from Yinjaa-Barni Art explored within the work of contemporary indigenous artists Clifton Mack and Maudie Jerrold. We caught five with gallery director Oliver Watts ahead of the show’s opening. Tell us about the beginnings of Yinjaa-Barni Art. Yinjaa-Barni
OLIVER WATTS ON YINJAA-BARNI ART
Art was founded in 2007 to bring together a number of artists into a collective studio. It is in Roebourne in Western Australia. Clifton Mack and Maudie Jerrold, who are members of this group are also two of the senior and founding members; they have been painting seriously together since taking painting at the Pilbara TAFE in 2001. YinjaaBarni Art is a vibrant and strong art center, which is made up of many talented and diverse artists. It is so exciting to see new younger artists coming up at the center. What inspired Chalk Horse to host an exhibition showcasing work from the community group? We have been working with Yinjaa-Barni Art for a number of years now. Our first introduction was through one of the other director’s father-inlaw who was commissioned to design the Roebourne Cultural Complex (which is currently in construction). It has been a really complex and long process for him as architect, including many years of consultation and getting to know the community. We are really friends as well as partners. We do think that it is really
important for the center to have representation in the east. What themes do Clifton Mack and Maudie Jerrold explore in their work? In this show, Clifton is focusing on a motif that he has painted many times, The Jarman Island Lighthouse. It is a precast steel lighthouse that was raised in 1888. It is an important tourist attraction and picnic spot for locals of Roebourne, so is a landmark of the place that Mack wants to celebrate. On the other hand it also represents colonial power, mapping and trade. It is terribly run down too, in spite being on the heritage register, so it definitely expresses the depressed state that Roebourne is in; it once was the biggest city on the coast in gold rush days, but now it has only a few thousand. Maudie focuses more on natural aspects of the landscape from flowers to coral. In this show the work is focused on flowers. The colours of the desert flowers really conjure a sense of place. How will audiences receive Mack and Maudie’s work? Both works oscillate between abstraction and fi guration.
will be jam packed with over 30 local and international films showcasing the year’s best underground and cult flicks. Think legendary filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky’s psychedelic autobiography The Dance of Reality, Michael Cera in Magic Magic and Li-Lo out of rehab and in The Canyons. If you’re in search of love stories with an experimental twist, interactive audience bingo games, or reflecting on cinematic disasters, you’ll want to make more than a cameo appearance. More info and tickets available at suff.com.au
LUKE HARDY
YOKO ONO
The MCA will house the first Australian survey of internationallyrenowned artist, musician, and activist Yoko Ono, titled War Is Over! (if you want it), specially curated by the icon herself. Drawing its title from a text of work Ono and her late husband Mr. John Le(t-It-Be)nnon crafted in 1969, the exhibition traverses themes of “loss, conflict, humanity and the desire for peace.� Installations are interactive, allowing visitors to write private wishes on cards and tie them to trees, walk through a maze to find a telephone that Ono calls periodically (can we say wow!?), and play chess with other gallery attendees using identical white game pieces. The action’s happening from November 15 through February 23, but you can score tickets now from sydneyoperahouse.com. Do it.
SYDNEY UNDERGROUND FILM FESTIVAL
Sick of Harry Potter reruns and whining over Wolverine’s solo effort (Why Hugh. Why?)? Fear not, the seventh annual Sydney Underground Film Festival is just around the corner. From September 5-8, the Factory Theatre
BLOODY BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON
We’ve all had that post-too-many-coronas karaoke moment. Now photographer Luke Hardy has captured it to maximise anecdotal cringe with a series of photographs. Shot at a karaoke lounge around closing time (i.e. the prime and peak of gaudy performance), one can expect “a trippy mix of fake brands, banal lyrics and braced teeth.� Hardy hones in on karaoke’s literal translation, “empty orchestra�, exploring the balance between humanity’s real and imagined self with sardonic intonation. The images evoke universal concerns of longing and aspirations, and reverberate sans a microphone and faulty amp set. The exhibition runs from August 7-10 at ArtHere Gallery (126 Regent Street, Redfern). arthere.com.au for further details.
Mack’s work simplifi es the lighthouse shape down to geometric basics. The surface is heavily worked in various different marks. Jerrold, too, has a very experimental approach to mark making which is very interesting. What kind of cultural dialogue does indigenous art engage in the broader context of our artistic landscape? I think indigenous art is an important way to come to terms with this country’s colonial past among other things. On the other hand it is very evocative of place. I think it is important to acknowledge that the making of art is also about the community itself; I see no problem in a bit of insularity. The images are as much about the community, a way of being and a socially engaged centre, as it is about sending the work out “into the world�.
The Sydney Fringe presents
We’ve five double passes to give away to opening night, Wednesday August 14. For your chance to win, email freestuff@ thebrag.com and tell us Jackson’s date of birth.
What: Yinjaa Barni Where: Chalk Horse Gallery When: August 15 – September 7 More: chalkhorse.com.au
LA FEMME BOHEME
Australia’s burlesque dignitaries La Femme Boheme are set to celebrate a year of glitzy finesse with the dynamic duo comprising Mariesa Mae and Penelope Morgan heating up your winter itinerary. Sharing an impressive background in performing arts and fashion design, the sirens will hit the stage for a burst of colour, cabaret, pop-culture and all things elegant. Mae says: “The presentation will be charming and sophisticated, our aim being to create a show whereby people can sit back, relax and be transported into a world of magical decadence.� Grab your suspenders and head to The Spice Cellar on Wednesday August 21 or Belgrave Cartel in Manly on August 28.
BASEL ROYALE ART PRIZE
The Lo-Fi Collective’s Basel Royale Art Prize drops into Surry Hills on August 15, ready to challenge 24 Sydney-based artists to a 12-week heat designed to test artistic endurance. Each week, two artists will be given three hours to create a masterpiece on a 1.2m x 1.2m timber box at the Lo-Fi as we scrutinise their techniques through pretentious black-rimmed hipster monocles. Up for grabs is a trip to Art Basel Miami with all flights, accommodation and passes to events at the international arts festival
ABSTRACTIONS
This month, Dank St’s Janet Clayton Gallery will continue to propel local contemporary art with Abstractions, a vibrant showcase of work from emerging artists Emma Coulter, Seann Brackin, Sam Holt, Susan Foster and Rowan Robertson. The artists’ work centre on the realm of abstraction, with each artist having conjured imagined landscapes and “elusive states of being�. Exploring the interrelationships between colour and shape through a menagerie of forms, the exhibition will be open to aficionados and culture junkies alike from August 14-17. Paint it into your diary and head to janetclaytongallery. com.au for more info.
Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States and now the protagonist of writer Alex Timber’s newest production Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson. Opening on Wednesday August 14 at the Factory Theatre in Marrickville, the 90-minute work looks at he corrupt colonial past of America and Jackson’s unorthodox ways of governance. But wait, there’s a twist‌ it’s a comedic rock musical! Cast members comprise Peter Meredith (Jekyll & Hyde), Monique Salle (A Chorus Line), Toby Francis (Blokelahoma) and Louise Kelly (Mamma Mia).
Emma Coulter, Between Mountains, 2013
JURASSIC LOUNGE NEARS EXTINCTION
Our favourite species of party is on the brink of extinction. With over 53,000 people having already basked in the glory of after-hours festivities at the Australian Museum to the backdrop of dinosaurs, wild animals and exquisite gemstones, you won’t want to miss the final evolution of Jurassic Lounge. Sydney’s hottest burlesque dancers, comedians and craft makers are on the roster, alongside DJs including Richard In Your Mind, Tim Fitz, Pear Shape, Bloody Lovely Audrey and The Mountains. Yes, there will be ’80s hip hop classes, Time Travel Trivia, ’50s and ’60s party anthems, Cowboy-themed shenanigans, dad dancing, photography comps and silent discos. And of course there’ll also be plenty of homemade jams, jewellery, potted plants and designer dresses. For the full lineup and tickets, head to jurassiclounge.com
covered. Nominate yourself on Instagram with the hashtag #lofibaselroyale13 and @loficollective with several examples of your best work. Stick-drawing postmodernists can join the launch party at Lo-Fi (Kinselas Building, Level 2, 383 Bourke Street, Surry Hill) on Thursday 6 August. For more details head to wearelofi.com.au
Featuring: Nikki Nouveau, Sophie Cook & live music by the Snow Fright Orchestra Thursday 12th September Slide, 41 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst
“A sensual burlesque-cabaret of murderous rivalry and enchantment� 18 :: BRAG :: 524 :: 05:08:13
BRAG :: 524 :: 05:08:13 :: 19
ARTS FEATURE
Lior & Westlake: SONGS WITH ORCHESTRA Finding Compassion By Alasdair Duncan
F
olk singer Lior met classical composer Nigel Westlake at a benefit show for Westlake’s Smugglers Of Light Foundation. Though the two come from different musical worlds, the meeting planted the seed for a beautiful collaboration. “You may be aware that Nigel tragically lost his son Eli a few years ago,” Lior says. “He and his wife Jan held an event to commemorate Eli’s passing, which was the launch of his charitable foundation. The foundation itself is all about supporting and enriching indigenous artists. Nigel mentioned that his son Eli was a fan of my work, and invited me to perform at the event.” Lior closed his set that night with an ancient Hebrew hymn, which he sometimes likes to perform a cappella at the end of his shows. “That led to a friendship, which led to a musical collaboration, when we decided to do an orchestral arrangement of the hymn,” he explains.
G IV EA W AY S
When Lior and Westlake had finished their arrangement of the hymn, they presented it to the Sydney Symphony Orchestra to see if they would consider performing it as a short work – they were so taken with it that they came back with an
offer to commission an all-new work, based on the ideas in the hymn. Lior found the prospect slightly daunting, but agreed to take it on. “Nigel and I started working on it, and the project grew into Compassion, which is a collection of orchestrations of ancient Hebrew and Arabic texts, all of which focus on the idea of compassion.” Over a period of several years, Lior and Westlake worked on Compassion, developing it into a 45-minute work for voice and orchestra. For Lior as a singer song-writer, the notion of working with a composer of Westlake’s stature, in an unfamiliar musical vernacular, was an intimidating one. As a simple guy with a guitar, he feared he didn’t have the chops to make it in such a rigid and rigorous setting. Over the course of their collaboration, though, he and Westlake developed a strong musical respect for one another. “In the early days of exchanging ideas, I’d source lyrics and write melodies and send them to him, and he’d then start doing orchestrations,” he says. Neither had collaborated this way in the past, and it made for quite a steep learning curve. “Every so often we’d meet and talk about what we’d done, and then
work through the music together. It was tentative at first, because I didn’t know how to appropriately give feedback.” “If there was something that didn’t resonate with me, I didn’t feel like I was in the same compositional league as Nigel, so I was very hesitant to say anything,” Lior continues. “After a while, I came to a realisation – it occurred to me that I’d be standing up in front of people and performing this music, so I needed to believe and love every second. I realised I had to call it as it was, so I started to give feedback.” It was when he began to stand up for himself that the ideas really began to flow, and the collaboration really took shape. As for the tone of the interactions, Lior likes to say that he was ‘diplomatically blunt.’ “Nigel took it well, luckily,” he says with a laugh. “When he started giving me feedback on things I’d done, he’d write to me and in brackets, say ‘sorry to be so blunt – I think I learned that from you!’ If there’s one thing I had to pass on to him, it was that honesty and bluntness.” Compassion is split into two parts. The first of these, Leaving The Western Shadows, sees Lior
performing orchestral versions of his existing songs, while the second, Compassion, presents his and Westlake’s new composition. “The repertoire for Western Shadows is really broad,” Lior explains. “It features arrangements of new and old songs. I did a performance with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra a few years ago, where I did orchestral versions of some of my old songs, like ‘This Old Love’, and we’re using a lot of those same arrangements this time around. I feel they’re still strong enough that they work without needing any major revision. In terms of that part of the show, most of the work went into arranging the newer songs that haven’t been performed with an orchestra before.” As for Compassion itself, the piece delves into the idea of compassion as a force for liberation. “The Hebrew hymn that I like to perform delves into the idea of compassion, but links it to wisdom, and how compassion can truly free us,” he says. “The more compassionate we become, the freer we become. I’ve always loved that concept. I think that was a springboard to finding other ancient texts that talk about compassion in a really humanitarian way. It’s not a
DOUBLE THINK! TIX! WIN! Double Think
A
new production from dance theatre company Force Majeure, Double Think, is a captivating double billing from awardwinning Australian choreographer Byron Perry. Comprising Gogglebox and the titular Double Think, Perry explores light and shadow, incorporating performance-operated lighting and live set manipulation to create an engaging, constantly evolving landscape featuring performances from Kirstie McCracken and Lee Serle. Double Think runs from August 21-24 at the Seymour Centre, and we’ve got two double passes to give away to the Thursday August 22 performance. For your chance to win, just email freestuff@ thebrag.com with your name and tell us one other piece Perry has choreographed.
20 :: BRAG :: 524 :: 05:08:13
religious presentation, it’s more that it’s looking into these two ancient cultures, Judaism and Islam, and finding beautiful poetic messages about the way we treat each other. There are a lot of parallels and similarities to other religions as well.” Looking to the future, I ask Lior what this orchestral interlude might mean for his own song writing. “It’s hard to say right now,” he tells me. “This could be a really fulfilling, isolated project or it could lead to other things. I’ve spent two years working on this and simultaneously working on music for a new album – it’s been really liberating in the sense that it’s a break from that cycle of writing, recording and touring an album. I love that, but I try and do other things that challenge me, things outside that. One will probably feed into the other, but it’s hard to say how. I’m in the middle of making the album, and if all goes well, it will be out in February next year.” What: Lior & Westlake: Songs With Orchestra Where: Sydney Opera House When: September 6-7 More: sydneysymphony.com
WIN!
Sydney Design [DESIGN] Designer Problem Solving By Krissi Weiss
For team manager Lily Katakouzinos, Sydney Design 2013 will mark her tenth year producing the event and her enthusiasm is immediately evident. “Design is a fairly overused term in our society,” Katakouzinos says. “Like most things, it tends to have a lot of baggage. It is often referred to in quite shallow ways, as in designer goods, designer sunglasses, designer style and I think this is the less interesting side of the design story… I also want to highlight that design has real potential in solving some of the world’s most pressing problems, be that environmental concerns, human and societal concerns, urban living, sustainability, food production etcetera.”
So far from being a niche event dealing with some sort of foreign concept, design really does impact every element of our lives and the exciting approach that Katakouzinos and her team have taken in this year’s festival is sure to enhance that feeling of inclusiveness. “Design professionals are uniquely skilled in the area of problem solving. Limitations and problems are their bread and butter so to speak. So the notion of design saving the world can be seen in a very serious light. Like the work that architects and Sydney Design keynote speakers, David Sheppard and Eko Prawoto are doing in rebuilding earthquake devastated communities and designing stronger more resistant structures for the future right through to the work of a socially responsible designer Tasman Munro who takes a more lighthearted approach to using design to facilitate more connected and sustainable communities.” Is there an innate laziness to modern design, with people preferring speed and affordability over considering the social and environmental impacts of their choices? “I don’t know if it is lazy or just difficult to rethink things,” she says. “It goes against our nature in some ways. We tend to take an iterative approach to problem solving rather than starting afresh. I think it probably always takes some time before accepted models or paradigms are
Emergency Shelter In Situ broken down to allow for completely new ways of thinking to take place. It’s not a lack of innovation, but a failure to start from the beginning again and to rethink the systems that support what we currently do.” While Katakouzinos has been buried in the practicalities of this year’s event, she too is excited about enjoying it as an audience membe. “I’m really excited about seeing our Edible Walls installation come about in the Museum’s new café space,” she says. “We are going to see a range of edible plants, herbs and fruits on display. It will also be great to see
the George Nelson exhibition and I’m looking forward to the 3x3x3 Challenge in which we have asked three local design teams to articulate design solutions to various problems we face in the world today.” What: Sydney Design 2013 When: Until August18 Where: Powerhouse Museum and various participating venues More: sydneydesign.com.au Xxx
S
ydney Design enjoyed a modest introduction to the world in its inaugural 1997 event and since then has grown to not only be one of the only design festivals in the world produced and managed by a museum, but one of the world’s biggest events of its kind. This year Sydney Design 2013 focuses on one question: Can clever design save the world? An impressive list of exhibitions, events, talks and much more will endeavour to answer this question while incorporating the inclusive and collaborative ethos that has made the Powerhouse Museum so renowned.
25x25: Contemporary Japanese & Australian Printmaking [VISUAL ARTS] A Cultural Exchange By Dijana Kumurdian
A
ustralians have become increasingly open to the Asia Pacific art scene in recent years thanks to factors like greater access to international art, Australian artists’ own pilgrimages overseas and the establishment of contemporary spaces like Mandy D’Abo’s Cat Street Gallery in Hong Kong and Andrew Burns’ multi-purpose art space Australia House outside of Tokyo. So when Karen Ball, president of 60-member artist collective Sydney Printmakers, discovered Australian printmaking artist Neilton Clarke was living and working in Japan, she decided to explore the possibility of an intercultural dialogue of their shared medium. “Two years ago in conversation, Karen mentioned she’d become aware of my being based in Japan,” says Clarke. “Given the group’s interest in doing collaborative projects, [we thought] the arrangement might lend itself to linking up with our inky counterparts in Japan – and doing a joint exhibition or project of some kind surfaced.” With the support of the Japan Foundation, a Tokyo-based arts organisation, Clarke and Ball conceived of 25x25, an exhibition that will bring 25 members of Sydney Printmakers together with 25 Japanese artists working in print. “That initial idea materialised into the 25x25: Contemporary Japanese & Australian Printmaking exhibition and related events happening at the Japan Foundation
Gallery,” says Clarke. “The title reflects the makeup, [and the exhibition] highlights an array of techniques employed by the artists, including but by no means limited to relief printing.” Though the histories of Australia and Japan are widely disparate, shared mediums like printmaking have become increasingly linked through contemporary art. “The history of printmaking in both countries has grown out of quite different cultural, historical, social, and geographical circumstances,” says Clarke. “In Japan, printmaking has had a longer history and a different charter. Australia doesn’t have anything like the backdrop of the Edo era with its golden age of Ukiyo-e printmaking that produced the likes of Utamaro, Hiroshige, Hokusai, Sharaku and others. Australia’s geographical expanse and its younger history have, however, fed into the vibrancy and unique character of its printmaking. “Looking at the printmaking of the two by the kind of responses it produces, Australian printmaking, notwithstanding exceptions, might be said to be more tactile and tends to move outwards towards the viewer, whereas Japanese printmaking shows a tendency towards somewhat more reticence, drawing the viewer in and often revealing itself more gradually.” Clarke and Ball devised the exhibition to
emphasise an intermingling of the cultures, deciding not to separate the groups of artists of different origins. “[We decided] not to have a division between the Australian and Japanese works, and in doing so suggest a collaborative conversation,” says Clarke. “Distribution between abstract non-representational work on one hand and figurative and representational work on the other has required a careful eye.” A slew of noteworthy artists will be included in the exhibition, among them Toshihisa Fudezuka, Ritsuko Ozeki and Jin Hirosawa from Japan, as well as locals Geraldine Berkemeier, Anthea Bosenberg and Michael Kempson. Clarke is hopeful that exhibitions like 25x25 will encourage more Australians to broaden their cultural scope. “While the main difficulty for Australian artists visiting or spending time in Japan is probably the language barrier, there has been a steady flow of Australian artists to Japan, particularly in recent decades,” says Clarke. “There has been a roll call of Australians who have studied art at Japanese art institutions, absorbing influences over the long haul… Artists have also come and done their own thing in Japan over the years, organising exhibitions at galleries and other venues, and have returned with the legacy of such experience, for which Australian art is all the richer.”
Michael Kempson, Ready or Not What: 25x25: Contemporary Japanese & Australian Printmaking Where: Japan Foundation, Chifley Plaza When: August 12-30 More: jpf.org.au
Snow Fright & The Apple Of Temptation [CABARET] A Sinister Tale By Alasdair Duncan
D
isney films may have set the contemporary standard for fairy tales, but the prim and polished versions of Sleeping Beauty and The Little Mermaid that exist in the popular consciousness are a far cry from the dark and dirty realities of the original stories. It was the darkness of such fairy tales, in particular Snow White, that inspired cabaret artist Nikki Nouveau to create
her brand new show, Snow Fright & The Apple Of Temptation. “There’s a lot of blood and gore and murder in Snow White itself, much more than people might realise!” Nouveau says. “There’s the apple laced with poison, but there’s also ritual cannibalism, and sexual awakening – there’s even a scene where the witch stabs Snow White with a comb. It’s a very dark tale for children, but when I read it, I realised it would be a great basis for a cabaret show.” Disney’s version of Snow White focuses very much on the heroine’s relationship with the handsome prince, but in Nouveau’s gothed-out, steampunk take, the character of the witch is emphasised. “It’s all about the witch feeling envy towards Snow White, because Snow White is a newer version of her former self,” she says. “The witch, envious of this, sees herself growing older and feeling less empowered.” “Snow White is very powerful,” she continues, “but that power, in the beginning, is untapped. The relationship between the two is a rivalry. The witch sets off to cast a spell on Snow White, and through this, she is
able to steal some of Snow White’s power. The audience sees this take place, and Snow White realises the power she has and then rises to the occasion and becomes a little witch herself.” Notions of death and rebirth in Snow White also fascinated Nouveau as she put the show together. “There’s a pagan idea that we have endings all throughout our lives, and are constantly reborn,” she says. “A divorce, a graduation, a new job; all of these are endings, after which we become new versions of ourselves. In this tale, Snow White undergoes a rebirth – she is awakened, and transformed into an entirely new being.” The show is a two-hander, between Snow White and the witch, meaning that each night, a new handsome prince is selected from the audience. “When the Snow Fright is transformed, she’s sexually awakened, so she seeks out a prince,” Nouveau says. “She goes into the audience and flirts with the men, and then chooses a prince to take on stage with her. The witch works the audience as well, but her role is quite comedic – the audience really relishes that.”
Snow Fright is presented as a cabaret, and accompanying the performance is a threepiece orchestra, comprising violin, clarinet and keyboard. “There’s a lot of classical music in the show, like some Edvard Grieg pieces,” Nouveau explains, “and there are some Germanic-style songs like ‘Mein Herr’ and ‘Cabaret’, and ‘Bring On The Men’ from the musical Jekyll & Hyde. There are a lot of musical styles, but the musical backdrop is more one of classical German composers and instrumental pieces.” Finally, of course, comes the big question – do the dwarves figure into this new imagining of the Snow White tale? “No, they don’t,” Nouveau says with a laugh, “but that mainly comes down to budgetary reasons – I couldn’t really incorporate the dwarves into the story, I just wanted to focus on the two characters. It intensifies the show to see it as a two-hander.” What: Snow Fright & The Apple Of
Temptation Where: Slide Lounge When: Thursday September 12 More: slide.com.au
BRAG :: 524 :: 05:08:13 :: 21
Film Reviews Hits and misses on the silver screen
■ Film
Greetings From Tim Buckley
FRANCES HA In cinemas Thursday August 15 Director Noah Baumbach’s Frances Ha tells the story of 27-year-old Frances Handley, a privileged drifter trying to reconcile her identity and make it as a dancer in New York while negotiating her way around adulthood in order to achieve her dreams. As viewers, we follow Frances (Greta Gerwig, No Strings Attached, Greenberg) on her many journeys – be it physical or emotional – as she moves from one relationship to another in search of her small to medium-sized break in the Big Apple. Baumbach’s tale is not that of the stereotypical rags-to-riches, rather a wellcrafted narrative presented on a much younger, smaller and far more real level.
DEBUT ALBUM OUT AUGUST 2 FRI AUGUST 30 – METRO THEATRE
TICKE TS ON SAL E N OW . WWW.SNAKADAKTAL.COM
Co-written by Gerwig and Baumbach (Gerwig’s real life partner), Frances Ha perpetuates a heightened sense of art imitating life. The colloquial script evokes a cinematic rawness that favours the comedic value in finding yourself – or even just finding the path to finding yourself – over conventional narratives of love and sex so often associated with the coming-of-age genre. The film centres on the trivialities of contemporary life like hilarious interactions between friends who are pissed off at each other, awkward dinner parties, family Christmases and all those little, large, silly and stupid nuances that make this fictitious life so relatable to fact. Above considered, there might be one or two moments when you feel like you’re watching Girls (and I don’t even mean is-he-or-isn’t-he hunky Adam Driver playing Lev, Frances’ housemate). But whether or not this bothers you will depend on how seriously you choose to take the film’s universal themes and how well they’re brought to life by the cast. Frances Ha is a film about being young, free and having the strength to just get on with it even when you’re unsure of what it is you want to be getting on with. Jack Arthur Smith
■ Film
GREETINGS FROM TIM BUCKLEY In cinemas now Greetings From Tim Buckley doesn’t quite reach its full potential. Set in 1991, David Algrant’s film documents the frustration 21-year-old Jeff Buckley (Gossip Girl beau Penn Badgely) feels about performing a tribute to his equally musical father Tim (Ben Rosenfeld), who abandoned him at birth. The film follows the days leading up to that tribute, with flashbacks of Buckley Snr. touring (and womanising while he’s at it) throughout the ’70s. Despite the love story that develops between Jeff and Allie (Imogen Poots) – a young woman who is working at the tribute concert – no real tension builds and not once are we drawn to the edge of our seats. Allie is left dull and uninspiring, only ever showing character with the occasional and annoyingly ‘indie’ sentence. Between that and Jeff’s generic inner torment and artistic arrogance, it’s hard to understand what either character sees in the other. But in Jeff, Badgely becomes an accomplished and dedicated actor – even singing like a Buckley in the final show – and the English actress Poots manages to pull an almost stock character off with a pretty bang-on American accent and natural performance. Thankfully, Jeff ends up shaking off many of his flaws, and all the more thankfully, the lovebirds eventually stop chasing each other (it will send you up the wall).
Frances Ha
Rachel Eddie
See www.thebrag.com for more arts reviews
Arts Exposed Get some culture in ya with our pick of the week
Winter Season 2013 Australian Centre For Photography Until August 18
FIND MORE MOVIES @ WWW.MUSICMOVIESOFFER.COM © 2013 LAYOUT & DESIGN CON FILM DISTRIBUTION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
22 :: BRAG :: 524 :: 05:08:13
Time’s running out to catch Australian Centre For Photography’s Winter Season 2013, so best act fast. Showcasing three exhibitions comprising work by photographers Pat Brassington, David Burnett and Robert Besanko, punters can enjoy the varying and diverse aspects of the photographic medium ranging from surrealism to photojournalism. Besanko’s Contemplations compares traditional analogue photography with new digital representations of the works, Burnett’s The Presidents: From JFK To Obama charts the changing political landscape of the US, while Brassington’s A Rebours confronts viewers with deeply psychological and often disturbing work. Visit acp.org.au for more information.
Bill Clinton, during his reelection campaign, at event in Springfield,MA, 1996. © David Burnett. Courtesy the artist and Reportage Festival
Regardless, if you’re a staunch Buckley fan you do need to catch this one. While director Algrant obviously gave precedence to the romance of music over plot and character development, Greetings From Tim Buckley, a low budget film, isn’t without its beauty. With a killer soundtrack scored mostly by Tim, this appears to be a tribute of Algrant’s own to the musical father and son duo.
Game On Gaming news with Adam Guetti
2013
month, so ready the wallet.
On August 15 PlayStation and Xbox fans can find out how well they rob a bank with PayDay 2. A cooperative shooter, players must work together to break in and out of the heavily guarded buildings quickly and efficiently. Further on into the month on August 22 you'll be saying goodbye to all your cash monies thanks to Disney Infinity (X360, PS3, Wii/U). A Skylanderslike children’s game, Infinity will have you roaming a virtual toy box with a vast assortment of famous Disney characters brought to life via physical toys connected to a ‘portal’. Finally you can find out what happens when you put Captain Jack Sparrow and Mr. Incredible together in the one place. Forget the kids, you’ll love it too.
Then on the August 29, superspy Sam Fisher returns with Splinter Cell: Blacklist (X360, PS3, PC, Wii U). The usual dose of stealth action and sleuthing still reigns supreme and the return of the popular multiplayer mode Spies vs. Mercs means even more people can join in on the fun. Action fans, this one’s for you. Rounding out the month is the return of everybody’s favourite limbless platformer, Rayman with his latest, Rayman Legends (X360, PS3, Wii U). Expect bright, beautifully-rendered worlds, fresh gameplay and aesthetics more adorable than any internet cat.
PAX Fever
It was the biggest videogame event of recently bygone July, and one of the country’s biggest. Yes, PAX Australia came to town and with it amassed a gigantic enthusiastic crowd of videogame and pop-culture fans. Held within Melbourne’s Showgrounds, the show was a raging success, allowing attendees to check out some of 2014’s heaviest hitters – like the swashbuckling Assassin’s Creed IV – as well as a slew of homegrown indie titles and informative discussion panels.
AUSSIE NEWS
Releases AUG New August is set to be one helluva
Robot Snakes Attack
$5 ENTRY DER KIDS UN EE! 12 FR
"# $ % %
Meanwhile Halfbrick Studios – best known as those guys who helped you waste time with Fruit Ninja – has announced its latest title, Colossatron: Massive World Threat. A top-down action mobile game, you’ll control the titled Colossatron as it tears up our planet and fights for survival against hostile enemies. Part mechanical snake, part Godzilla the aim is to stay functional as long as possible while collecting coloured weapons and power-ups called Powernodes.
SPURS FOR JESUS, THE TOOT, TOOT, TOOTS COMBO AND SPECIAL GUEST MYSTERY BAND
!
Indie Win
In the world of publishing, local specialist marketing agency Surprise Attack has launched Surprise Attack Games, set on becoming the first publishing label to focus on partnering with independent Australian developers. The company plans on not only assisting with marketing and distribution, but with development funding, too. “We believe we need a new kind of publisher in the games industry,� said Chris Wright, founder and managing director at Surprise Attack. We believe our job is to help lift up our developers not stand in front of them. We believe in our Australian games development community and that we have the potential to take on the best in the world.�
CORONA BEER, SAILOR JERRY RUM, INTERNATIONAL FOOD STALLS, DJs.
AUGUST 11TH
Interview: Team Ninja’s Yosuke Hayashi If you’ve ever had a burning desire to see zombies clash with ninjas, you’ll want to keep an eye on Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z. The work of Tecmo Koei, Yaiba introduces a brand new Gaiden character and treds some new ground for the series.
What inspired you to make Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z? Team Ninja had actually been looking at zombies and trying to figure out how to work them into Ninja Gaiden before Yaiba came around. But looking out our own development staff nobody had the passion or the knowledge to really pull that off. And when [Keiji] Inafune came by, he said let’s cross ninjas and zombies. That was really a fateful meeting because he knows zombies... And then we are also working with a development studio called Spark Unlimited in Los Angles, and before Yaiba, they had actually approached Team Ninja about making a Ninja Gaiden game. So they wanted to make a ninja game, we wanted to make a zombie game and Inafune was there to bring us all together.
us, he was very clear about wanting to make a new story and setting up a new character within the Ninja Gaiden world. So we see Ryu as the proper ninja – quiet, cool, killing machine. And we needed a character that would complement him but be different, so Yaiba is a rebel. He is definitely not a proper ninja.
Tell us about protagonists Ryu and Yaiba? When we first started talking with Inafune about the concept he brought to
What: Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z will be available for PS3, Xbox 360 and iOS in early 2014.
Where do the zombies fit in? So the main motivation for Yaiba is defeating [Ryu] Hayabusa and in the beginning he gets some information by another character who says they will tell him where Hayabusa is. And so Yaiba is out there to kill Hayabusa, but there are zombies out there in his way, so he has to cut them down.
Visit dustycartridge.com for more gaming news. BRAG :: 524:: 05:08:13 :: 23
Album Reviews What's been crossing our ears this week...
ALBUM OF THE WEEK LETLIVE
The Blackest Beautiful Epitaph/Warner
Xxxx Produced to an Instagram vintage and a mind to cut their sugar with bile, rebellion never sounded this volatile or this agreeable.
Is letlive., along with its pouty insistence on lowercase style, the new sound of teen rebellion? Kids are fodder at the cult of rock. Like life, rock promises so much. It embodies fists to the jaw of the man, unlimited sex beyond all moral decency and uncompromising freedom. Ultimately, our bellies are left empty, fed on hope. What about letlive.? Firstly, we hear a drop of prog in their oceans of hip hop borrowings. The odd lead break dazzle doesn’t go astray either. ‘Virgin Dirt’, a brutish take on the acoustic ballad, hears vocalist Jason Butler clawing at walls. Machine drums rearrange faces and string quartets soothe. Grinding bass bursts through the
VARIOUS
THUNDERCAT
Mélodie Française Original Matters/Inertia
The Apocalypse Brainfeeder
While at first, you might search for a deeper motivation behind this new compilation of French songs reinterpreted by Australian artists, there’s no need. It’s pretty much laid out on the tin: “Australian artists singing in French,” with an implied subtitle, “to varying degrees of success”. Dappled Cities’ take on Air’s ‘Sexy Boy’ is fun, if not earth-shatteringly original. Distinctive vocal tones prove they transcend language though – Kate Miller-Heidke brings her operatic stylings to Françoise Hardy’s ‘Il N’y A Pas D’Amour Heureux’, while Lisa Mitchell strains through a husky ‘Bang Bang’, and even if it wasn’t quite in keeping with the theme, it would have been fun to hear her go full Cher. Lead single ‘La Minute De Silence’ with Gossling and Oh Mercy is languid and très continental. The hauntingly jazzy interpretation of ‘Les Feuilles Mortes’ showcases Katie Noonan’s crystalline voice to stunning effect, and Jinja Safari team up with Okenyo for a theatrical, sultry take on ‘Le Temps de L’Amour’. Man of the moment Vance Joy covers ‘La Mer’ to great success, spinning the classic into a sweetly strummed love song, all honeyed harmonies and tropical overtones in one of the compilation’s highlights. Big Scary offer a delicate, breathy version of Serge Gainsbourg’s ‘Je t’aime… Moi Non Plus’ and Thelma Plum’s fragile, quivering rendition of ‘La Vie En Rose’ is dusted with a spine-tingling, tragic beauty. Edward Deer’s version of ‘Belles! Belles! Belles!’ is catchy and endearing. The psychedelic ‘Mini Mini Mini’ features the only legitimate French singer, Soko, alongside Aussie rockers The Walking Who. It is certainly an interesting concept, and there’s a clutch of gems to be discovered (along with a couple of clunkers!) but you can’t fault these Aussie musos for trying on the French. Natalie Amat
Thundercat is Stephen Bruner, a freakishly talented session bassist/jack of all genres, whose prodigious skills on the four-string saw him become a part of Erykah Badu’s live band and also a member of Suicidal Tendencies. He’s now doing his own thing under the sassy moniker of Thundercat, and his sophomore effort The Apocalypse is such an honest, gifted experiment – like the recordings of a high school jazz maven who jammed out after getting high for the first time. Bruner is the live bassist for – and good friend of – beat-making mastermind and quasi-rapper Flying Lotus, who helped produce The Apocalypse. Thankfully, Lotus does not take over; he acts merely as a beacon for Bruner’s vision – a vision unhampered by song structures or time signatures, instruments or genres. Thundercat’s voice is light and husky, and the album’s been produced so that his voice is the same level as the music rather than more prominent in the mix. Like the versatile instrumentation, Bruner uses his voice beautifully and manipulatively, through harmonies, reverb and offkilter lyrics. His vocal lines and style are clean and uncluttered, threading clarity through the album amongst the cosmos of ambiance and experimentation. From the bubbly funk of ‘Oh Sheit It’s X’ to the Mushroom Fields Forever vibe on ‘Lotus And The Jondy’, Bruner shows his willingness to do anything – from indulgent jazz drum solos and Wes Anderson references (‘The Life Aquatic’) to the most confusingly angelic chorus on ‘Tron Song’: “Don’t you ever leave me turbocharged”. With a blooming positivity and genuine feeling throughout its 39 minutes, The Apocalypse is anything but a cataclysmic event.
gates on ‘That Fear Fever’, tempered by Butler’s deceptively sonorous pipes. letlive. dust off new jack groove in ‘The Dope Beat’, threatening like chain-wielding thugs doing the moonwalk. Butler’s nods to sleek ’90s Motown continues in drum-and-bass-whacked ‘The Priest And The Used Cars’. Gang vocal breakdowns seduce down-tuned axes, emerging a new breed of arena rock sing-along. “I buy my faith when it’s on sale / That’s why my holy water’s stale,” Butler snarls. ‘White America’s Black Market’ peaks letlive.’s Motor City worship. Singing angels on high engage thudding percussion devils in combat, all wiped out by white-hot riff fury. Mocking laughter echoes in ‘Pheromone Cvlt’, a perfect 21st Century evolution of nu-metal’s unholy trinity: creepy self-loathing,
This is an album of shameless party-starting fun and a return to form for a group whose material has been patchy in recent years. If you’re a Pet Shop Boys fan, make sure you add this one to your collection. Marisa Lugosi
Raf Seneviratne
It’s all about location here on Skank MC’s debut EP, and the Northern Territorybred rapper brings us stories: the good, the bad, and the ugly from a part of this country that so often ends up in our consciousness for the wrong reasons, and is so sadly misrepresented. Hugh Winterflood, AKA Skank MC, is a youth carer from Alice Springs and it seems that all the despair, heartbreak and despondency he faces in possibly one of the most emotionally taxing jobs a person could have is poured out into this record. Raw, honest and unfailingly human, Winterflood’s words flow straight from the heart – and there are some heart-wrenching moments here. ‘Northern TerrorStory’ is far and away a highlight: if it’s flashy production values and catchy hooks you’re after then look elsewhere, but this track has the true guts of hip hop stamped all over it. Following the tale of a young man taken into care, Winterflood lays it all bare and relies on the story itself rather than cheap emotional clichés to get you thinking. Perhaps what is most striking about I’m Only Hugh, Man… is Winterflood’s unwillingness to treat his audience as fools – instead, he creates an intimacy that will stay with you long after the last track has played. Winterflood draws much of his inspiration from his hometown and tracks like ‘Alice Kings’ pay tribute to a place he portrays as frustrating yet completely magnetic. Closer ‘All Ya Really Need!’ is basically a giant exclamation mark around all the things in life that Winterflood, or indeed most people, cherish in their lives, and is well-meaning if a little on the goofy side. I’m Only Hugh, Man… is an unflinchingly real look into the life of Skank MC and while this EP may be rough around the edges, the grit and lack of pretence that has gone into it will keep drawing you back for more.
Dark Valley Rubber Records The symbiotic relationship between emotional turmoil and creative endeavours remains one of the more complex equations underpinning great art. To transpose psychological dysfunction into artistic form can be more than cathartic; it can also imbue the artistic creation with a cutting edge that elevates it from bland to abrasive. Andy Szikla put together his debut Dark Valley album in the aftermath of a seismic upheaval in his life. And while Dark Valley isn’t necessarily an autobiographical treatise, it does convey a sense of intensity
24 :: BRAG :: 524 :: 05:08:13
and pathos that’s as compelling as it is endearing. ‘Blood Brothers’ is underpinned by a biblical sensibility; its tale of fraternal associates torn apart resonates for every generation. The brutal deconstruction of love in ‘Bastard Child’ might even elicit a wry smile from the cantankerous Bob Dylan. The title track is an epic, sometimes existentialist journey through the frustrations, contradictions and occasional moments of sincerity that permeate human existence. ‘Into the Light’ offers a glimmer of light in an otherwise dark world; the metaphor could be autobiographical, or maybe it’s a universal tale. ‘Tomorrow Heaven’ throws back to the slave trade of yore, where the veneer of promise was quickly ripped
Second Front Big Village Records Production duo Suburban Dark are the first act on much-loved hip hop label Big Village to be officially signed outside of the original founding members and after appearances on various Big Village productions and an EP, Second Front is a blistering arrival on the scene. A far darker foray than one might expect from the usually upbeat and sunny BV crew, Second Front eschews cheerful cheekiness in favour of a dark, grimy landscape that for all its ominous, menacing tones surprisingly has something for just about everyone. Production-wise, Suburban Dark – whether they know it or not – are leaps and bounds ahead of the game. Drum machines and jagged synths lead the way and each track perfectly complements its guest. ‘What Ya Know About’ featuring Rapaport is a glistening gem: Rapaport spits, sprays and wraps his deft tongue around each rhyme. Lines like, “What ya know about sex, drugs and on the dole” are the cherries on top of a beat bristling with tight snares and hi-hats. Single ‘Skeletonne’ featuring Thundamentals’ Jeswon might take a while to kick in, eerily buzzing, wobbling and sawing its way into your system, but it practically comes to life in 3D with all the raw energy that inhabits every bar. Closing track ‘Metro’ possesses the same tangible vitality and marks this duo as producers who are only just on the tip of what they’re capable of. At 18 tracks long, it’s inevitable there will be a misfire or two; ‘Nexus 6’ (also featuring Jeswon) just feels forced and slightly clichéd, while ‘Drug Store’ featuring Tenth Dan won’t have you reaching for replay too many times. While ‘Second Front’ might drag here and there, the production is sharp, on point and brings Aussie hip hop to an exciting new level.
Marissa Demetriou Marissa Demetriou
INDIE ALBUM OF THE WEEK ANDY SZIKLA
SUBURBAN DARK
I’m Only Hugh, Man… Independent
Electric x2
The album kicks off with the lead single, ‘Axis’, a largely instrumental synth-heavy tune that starts subtle, but layers to a climatic all-out dance spectacular. Tracks like ‘Fluorescent’ and the closing ‘Vocal’ (a personal favourite) reference ’90s techno and electronica while incorporating slick contemporary production for a polished, yet retro vibe. ‘Love Is A Bourgeois Construct’, ‘Inside A Dream’ and ‘Thursday’ also feel like familiar nods to the ’90s, this time referencing Pet Shop Boys’ pop ballads from that era (in the vein of the singles off Very). The duo has also looked to contemporary influences, covering Bruce Springsteen’s 2007 track ‘Last To Die’ so convincingly you’d swear it was a Pet Shop Boys original.
Tom Valcanis
SKANK MC
PET SHOP BOYS
Electric is Pet Shop Boys’ 12th studio album, but a milestone for the pioneering dancepop duo: it’s their first album released independently through their label, x2. I’ve been obsessed with Pet Shop Boys since the age of three when I heard the Chipmunks cover ‘Always On My Mind’, but before you let that factoid lead to the false assumption that I’ll automatically give this album a positive review, let me assure you it’s not the case – if anything, my obsession with the band’s back catalogue has left me highly critical of their more recent efforts. With that in mind, when I got my copy of Electric, I was hopeful but truthfully unsure of what to expect. Turns out I was pleasantly surprised. Filled with trademark catchy melodies and infectious beats, this is hands down their best work since their late ’80s/’90s heyday.
brooding pop simplicity and brutal heaviness. Rock doesn’t fulfil its promises, but The Blackest Beautiful’s earnestness and sheer force might restore faith in rock’s dead-end youth.
away to expose the inhumanity of man, but the human spirit would never die. ‘The Refugee’ counters the tabloid construction of the modern refugee’s plight: real people are at the heart of those images, whatever the headlines might suggest. The album is accompanied by a set of videos available at darkvalley. tv – archival footage of farming communities, deserted streets, children enjoying the simple pleasures of a lost world; the confronting cinematic images bring further life to Szikla’s rich narratives. Andy Szikla is no ordinary artist, and Dark Valley is no ordinary record. Patrick Emery
OFFICE MIXTAPE And here are the albums that have helped BRAG HQ get through the week... BLUR - 13 DELTRON 3030 - Deltron 3030 TELEVISION - Marquee Moon
THE STROKES - Comedown Machine CRYSTAL FIGHTERS - Cave Rave
ROGER BALLEN DIE ANTWOORD
36 Gosbell Street, Paddington NSW 2021 Australia tel 61 2 9331 7775 fax 61 2 9331 1648 email info@stillsgallery.com.au web stillsgallery.com.au
4 September - 4 October 2013
9 AUGUST 6pm - 1am
british India bombs away gold fields Jackie Onassis
tickets on sale now !
TWO SHOWS ONLY!
BENNETTS LANE Friday July 26 Tuesday August 6
tom piper goodwill lewi mckirdy mike hyper sea legs brave nova & the experience ribat benny dees celsius ibazz bambii george gurdjieff foxhat paexote
tickets available
$20
www.utsunion.com.au
$30 general admission
UTS TOWER BUILDING glasshouse - loft- laneway
uts students with uts ID
Melbourne's own SHELLEY SEGAL and USA's ADAM LEVY (Norah Jones, Ani DiFranco) will come together for two shows only to perform soulful, expressive, intelligent songs that navigate through jazz, folk and blues with tender affection and great artistry. “Whether you hear Shelley sing or talk, there’s one thing which feels completely undeniable. With every step she takes, every word she speaks or sings, there’s an intense love for life, for her fellow humans and a pure joy about music and its power.”
BRAG :: 524 :: 05:08:13 :: 25
snap sn ap
laura marling
PICS :: AM
up all night out all week . . .
PICS :: TL
surfer blood
haim
PICS :: AM
24:07:13 :: St Stephen's Uniting Church :: 197 Macquarie St Sydney 9221 1688
24:07:13 :: The Hi-Fi :: Entertainment Quarter 122 Lang Rd Moore Park 8683 2301
passion pit 27:07:13 :: Metro Theatre :: 624 George St Sydney 9550 3666 26 :: BRAG :: 524 :: 05:08:13
27:07:13 :: Enmore Theatre :: 118-132 Enmore Rd Newtown 9550 3666
PICS :: HL
everything everything
PICS :: SL
26:07:13 :: Oxford Art Factory :: 38-46 Oxford St Darlinghurst 9332 3711
:: KATRINA CLARKE :: AVERIE S : TIM LEVY (HEAD HONCHO) OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHER ASHLEY MAR :: PAUL SMITH :: :: NAN MAG TH AMA IA LOPES :: HARVEY :: HENRY LEUNG :: SILV PATRICK STEVENSON ::
snap sn ap
26:07:13 :: Metro Theatre :: 624 George St Sydney 9550 3666
alpine
PICS :: PS
ms mr
PICS :: AM
up all night out all week . . .
spirit faces
PICS :: KC
24:07:13 :: Beach Road Hotel :: 71 Beach Rd Bondi Beach 91307247
the buzz club
PICS :: SL
25:07:13 :: FBi Social :: Kings Cross Hotel 248 William St 9331 9900
deap vally
PICS :: KC
27:07:13 :: Hermann's Bar :: University Of Sydney Darlington 9563 6000
:: KATRINA CLARKE :: AVERIE S : TIM LEVY (HEAD HONCHO) OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHER ASHLEY MAR :: PAUL SMITH :: :: NAN MAG TH AMA IA LOPES :: HARVEY :: HENRY LEUNG :: SILV PATRICK STEVENSON ::
wavves
PICS :: KC
25:07:13 :: Oxford Art Factory :: 38-46 Oxford St, Darlinghurst 9332 3711
25:07:13 :: The Standard :: 3/383 Bourke St Darlinghurst 9331 3100 BRAG :: 524 :: 05:0813 :: 27
snap sn ap
live review
up all night out all week . . .
What we've been out to see...
SPLENDOUR IN THE GRASS North Byron Parklands Thursday July 25 to Sunday July 28 A few things have changed since the very first time I went to Splendour. From the relatively intimate, two-day outdoor party of 2002, Splendour has become a four-day, 30,000-person behemoth – and one of the biggest youth culture marketing opportunities in the country. In 2013, it’s basically Westfield, outdoors, with bands (very, very good bands). The hippie markets of 2002 have been replaced by The Small Mall (where you can shop at pop-up Vans, Dr Marten’s and Topshop stores), there are hundreds of food stalls, and I counted individual bars for at least six different liquor brands. Not that any of these things are bad – the wide variety of food and places to drink are a huge improvement on previous years (Jamaican food stall, you saved my life at least twice), and if people really want to spend their festival day browsing in Topshop then they’re most welcome to. It’s good to see the festival grow and strengthen, even if the new site and massive numbers caused inevitable teething troubles, namely long queues for camping and wristbands. Besides the fact that you can no longer walk into Byron town centre (although that didn’t stop some people from trying), there’s not much difference between Belongil Fields and the new site. It’s still a cross between a magical bush fairyland and the Somme, where shell-shocked youth stumble dazedly through foul-smelling mud. But Splendour will always be about getting sunburnt, then rained on, then coated in mud that never comes out – what’s important is that they consistently book an incredible lineup of bands. Personal highlights in 2013 were TV on the Radio and The National, who delivered a phenomenal hour and a half of thunder and lightning on the Saturday night, with criminally-shy Matt
DAUGHTER, LITTLE GREEN CARS Metro Theatre Wednesday July 24 Sold-out festival, sold-out sideshow, upgraded to a bigger venue and sold out again – the demand for Daughter seems to be only getting bigger. They’re one of the buzziest bands on a particularly buzzy Splendour bill, and a huge crowd filled the Metro on the Wednesday before the festival to hear the English trio bring their eerily gorgeous songs to the (slightly less intimate) stage.
splendour in the grass 26:07:13 - 28:07:13 :: Byron Bay :: 28 :: BRAG :: 524 :: 05:08:13
PICS :: PS
Irish folk-pop band Little Green Cars made up the first half of the sideshow double bill. Their harmonies were pitch perfect and the scope of their vocals was impressive, so it could have been partly due to the large venue, but their stage presence was somewhat underwhelming. The set was slow to start with an a capella traditional, but when they picked up their instruments and earnestly belted out hits such as ‘Harper Lee’, ‘Big Red Dragon’ and ‘The John Wayne’ there was finally a glimpse of the energy captured on their album Absolute Zero. Elena Tonra, the unassuming front woman of Daughter, seemed pleasantly
Berninger pacing the stage like a caged animal, wringing his hands and psyching himself up for the next display of rock star bravado (including leaping into the crowd). Seeing TV on the Radio play Splendour the first time in 2006 stands out in memory as one of the greatest festival sets I’ve ever seen, and their 2013 performance didn’t disappoint – the huge, complex sound, the harmonies between Tunde Adebimpe and Kyp Malone, Adebimpe’s cooler than fuck dancing, and their sheer professionalism, especially coming off the back of Babyshambles’ set. Pete Doherty and co. were also incredible – watching Doherty from side of stage before he went on, it looked like the guy was about to die (as he’s wont to): pale, pudgy, dripping with (presumably, withdrawal) sweat and smoking desperately, he looked ready to pass out at any second. So when he got up to the microphone and delivered an A-Grade performance it was a relief and genuine pleasure, complete with gobbing on the stage and tossing everything into the crowd he could get his hands on. Cloud Control delivered a flawless homecoming performance and seemed genuinely stoked with the crowd’s reception of their new (excellent) material which, excluding lead single ‘Dojo Rising’, no one in the crowd would have heard. Jagwar Ma also delivered a stonking homecoming set for two in the afternoon, which reached its peak in the awesome acid housey rave-ups. When they can add a few more members to the band and play more elements live, they’ll truly become a live force to be reckoned with. While it was disappointing that headliner Frank Ocean dropped out, by Sunday night it seemed most people were too delirious to really care. All in all, classic Splendour – exhausting and exhilarating in equal parts. Nick Jarvis For more post-Splendour coverage visit www.thebrag.com.
overwhelmed by the adoration of the Sydney crowd, thanking everyone multiple times over and giggling in disbelief through much of her banter. But while that may sound twee, it was actually endearing, and a welcome change in tone from the darker observations in the lyrics of hits like ‘Still’ – “Hate is spitting out each other’s mouths / But we’re still sleeping like we’re lovers”. The songs are a fusion of analogue and digital, the poetic lyrics combined with futuristic looping, drum pads and a guitar played with a bow. ‘Human’ was a secondhalf highlight, and the delicate desperation of ‘Youth’ was turned into a shout-along by the enthusiastic crowd. Despite not usually being ones for encores the band came back on stage to play their popular cover of Daft Punk’s ‘Get Lucky’ to rapturous applause. Through all the cheers and whistles, the gentle determination of the transposition of a fun party song to a meditation of changing priorities in a relationship (the ghostly echo of the refrain “We’ve come too far to give up who we are” was spine-tingling) was an insight: here is a songwriter with much to say if people would only take the time to really listen. Natalie Amat
SYDNEY THEATRE COMPANY AND COMMONWEALTH BANK PRESENT
6 AUG – 14 SEP 2013 SYDNEY THEATRE DIRECTOR
SIMON PHILLIPS
MUSICAL DIRECTOR/ COMPOSER
GABRIELA TYLESOVA
SOUND DESIGNER
DESIGNER
LIGHTING DESIGNER
NICK SCHLIEPER
ALAN JOHN
STEVE FRANCIS
WITH
PAUL CUTLAN JOHN GADEN GEORGE KEMP ANGUS KING EWEN LESLIE
SYDNEYTHEATRE.COM.AU 9250 1777
TIM MINCHIN HEATHER MITCHELL NICHOLAS PAPADEMETRIOU ADELE QUEROL TOBY SCHMITZ
BERYNN SCHWERDT CHRISTOPHER STOLLERY AARON TSINDOS TIM WALTER
IT’S AN ABSURDIST, EXISTENTIAL, META-THEATRICAL MEGA-COMEDY... BUT ABOVE ALL IT’S TOM STOPPARD
PRESENTING SPONSOR
Photo James Penlidis and Ellis Parrinder
BRAG :: 524 :: 05:08:13 :: 29
g g guide gig g
send your listings to : gigguide@thebrag.com
SUNDAY AUGUST 11
Xxx
pick of the week
The Deadheads
MONDAY 5 AUGUST ACOUSTIC/ COUNTRY/BLUES/ FOLK Rob Henry Observer Hotel, The Rocks. 8:30pm. free.
JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC Latin & Jazz Open Mic World Bar, Kings Cross. 7pm. free.
INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS
Frankie’s World Famous House Band Frankie’s Pizza, Sydney. 9pm. free.
TUESDAY 6 AUGUST Spurs For Jesus
Manning Bar, Sydney University
Rock N Roll & Alternative Market Spurs For Jesus + The Toot Toot Toots + Hank’s Jalopy Demons + Kieron McDonald Combo + Mystery Band + DJs Limpin Jimmy & The Swingin’ Kitten + Andy Travers + The Rockabilly Rhino + Solid Gold Hell DJs + MC Wolfman Dan 10:30am. $5 30 :: BRAG :: 524 : 05:08:13
INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS
Pink + Youngblood Hawke Sydney Entertainment Centre, Darling Harbour. 7:30pm. $110. Steve Tonge Observer Hotel, The Rocks. 8:30pm. free. Ziggy Pop Tuesdays Spectrum Housewarming - feat: The Lockhearts + The Sculptures + The Bitter Sweethearts + Chris Rose + DJ Creatura Noctis Spectrum, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $10.
JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC Old School Funk And Groove Night Venue 505, Surry Hills. 8:30pm. free.
WEDNESDAY 7 AUGUST JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC
Observer Hotel, The Rocks. 9pm. free. Pulp Kitchen And Folk Club - feat: Live Rotating Folk Bands Soda Factory, Surry Hills. 5pm. free.
INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS
Barn Owl + Dead China Doll + Broadcasting Transmitter + DJ Brooke Olsen Goodgod Small Club, Sydney. 8pm. $40. Lunchbreak feat: The Preatures FBi Social, Sydney. 1pm. free. Pink + Youngblood Hawke Sydney Entertainment Centre, Darling Harbour. 7:30pm. $110. Ultra Sweaty - feat: 8 Live Bands Rocking Out! Valve Bar, Tempe. 7pm. $15.
THURSDAY 8 AUGUST ACOUSTIC/ COUNTRY/BLUES/ FOLK Little May The Vanguard, Newtown, Sydney. 6:30pm. $11.80.
JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC
Nathan Haines Album Launch Venue 505, Surry Hills. 8:30pm. $25.
Junk Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. free. The Vampires Venue 505, Surry Hills. 8:30pm. $10.
ACOUSTIC/ COUNTRY/BLUES/ FOLK
INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS
Leon Fallon
Caution! - feat: Miscreation
+ Chud + Claret Ash + Kunvuk Valve Bar, Tempe. 7pm. $15. Hollow Everdaze (Album Launch) + Dead Radio + Contrast + Black Springs FBi Social, Sydney. 8pm. $10. Marshmallow Pavement - feat: Battleships + The Money Go Round + Safai + The Dead Heads + Meg Mac Upstairs Beresford, Surry Hills. 7pm. free. Senses Fail feat: Endless Heights + Perspectives + Bare Bones The Standard, Surry Hills. 8pm. $37. St George Scream - feat: 8 Live Bands Rocking Out! Forest Inn Hotel, Bexley. 7pm. $15. Thursday Night (Live) (Jake Meadows) The Spice Cellar, Sydney. 7pm. free. World’s End Press + Moon Holiday Brighton Up Bar, Darlinghurst, Sydney. 8pm. free. Youngblood Hawke Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst, Sydney. 8pm. $34.
FRIDAY 9 AUGUST JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC Feel Good Friday Jazz Session Venue 505, Surry Hills. 8:30pm. free.
ACOUSTIC/ COUNTRY/BLUES/ FOLK Declan Kelly & The Rising Sun + Bexley De Lion + Woodlock DJ: Liz Bird Upstairs Beresford, Surry Hills. 6pm. free.
The Preatures
g g guide gig g send your listings to : gigguide@thebrag.com
INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS
British India The Ape
Bjorn Again Enmore Theatre, Newtown, Sydney. 7pm. $69.50. Hue Williams The Oasis On Beamish, Sydney. 8:30pm. free. Love Me - feat: Tina C + Yana Alana + Tommy Bradson + Annabel Lines + Genevieve Fricker + The Von Trapp Family Singers The Standard, Surry Hills. 7pm. $38.90. O’Fest At UTS feat: British India + Bombs Away + Gold Fields + Jackie Onassis + Tom Piper + Goodwill + Lewi Mckirdy + Mike Hyper + Sea Legs + Brave + Nova & The Experience + Ribat + Benny Dees + Celcius + Ibazz + Bambii + George Gurdjieff + Foxhat + Paexote The Loft (UTS Loft), Ultimo, Sydney. 6pm. $30. Pink + Youngblood Hawke Sydney Entertainment Centre, Darling Harbour. 7:30pm. $110. Restless Leg + The Model School Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst, Sydney. 8pm. free. Standish/Carlyon Goodgod Small Club, Sydney. 8pm. $10.70. The Ape feat Tex Perkins And Members Of Dallas Crane, Magic Dirt, The Dark Horses The Annandale Hotel, Annandale. 8pm. $23.50. The Familiars + King Colour + Colourwaves + Big Nothing
FBi Social, Sydney. 8pm. $10. Toe To Toe + Throwdown + Worst Possible Outcome + Hostile Objects + Deadly Visions Valve Bar, Tempe. 7pm. $20. Wax Witches World Bar, Kings Cross. 8pm. $15.
SATURDAY 10 AUGUST
Cabins
JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC Gervais Koffi And The African Diaspora Venue 505, Surry Hills. 8:30pm. $20.
ACOUSTIC/ COUNTRY/BLUES/ FOLK
Cash Savage And The Last Drinks Goodgod Small Club, Sydney. 8pm. $10. Cass Eager Old Manly Boatshed, Manly. 9pm. free. King Tide + Gang Of Youths + DJ Kristy Lee Upstairs Beresford, Surry Hills. 6pm. free.
INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS Avaberee And Iluka Brighton Up Bar, Darlinghurst, Sydney. 8pm. $10. Cabins Beach Road Hotel, Bondi
Beach. 8pm. free. Cosmic Psychos + Front End Loader + Bruce Metro Theatre, Sydney. 8pm. $28.70. Grinspoon + The Snowdroppers + Dave Larkin Darwin Theory Enmore Theatre, Newtown, Sydney. 6:30pm. $44.80. Hue Williams Club Ashfield, Sydney. 8pm. free. Made In Japan feat: The Red Lights + Lovers Jump Creek + Castio The Standard, Surry Hills. 8pm. $10. Pink + Youngblood Hawke Sydney Entertainment Centre, Darling Harbour. 7:30pm. $110. Repressed Records 11th Birthday feat: Constant Mongrel + Woollen Kits + Bed Wettin’ Bad Boys + Yes I’m Leaving + Destiny 3000 The Red Rattler Theatre, Marrickville, Sydney. 8pm. $12. Stanley Knife + The Fuck Outs + Deathcage + Eager 13 Valve Bar, Tempe. 7pm. $15. The Darkened Seas + The Lazys + New Brutalists + The New Orleans
FBi Social, Sydney. 8pm. $10.
SUNDAY 11 AUGUST INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS
Loud Fest 2013 feat: Alesana + Confession + Attila + Hand Of Mercy + Saviour + Feed Her To The Sharks + For All Eternity + Hellions + Storm The Sky + The Sweet Apes + Elegist The Factory Theatre, Marrickville, Sydney. 12pm. $42. Rock & Roll And Alternative Market feat: Spurs For Jesus + The Toot Toot Toots + Hank’s Jalopy Demons + Kieron Mcdonald Combo + Mystery Band + DJs Limpin Jimmy & The Swingin’ Kitten + Andy Travers + The Rockabilly Rhino + Solid Gold Hell DJs + MC Wolfman Dan Manning Bar, Sydney. 10:30am. $5.
tue
06 Aug
(9:00PM - 12:00AM)
wed
07 Aug
(9:00PM - 12:00AM)
thu
08 Aug
(9:30PM - 12:30AM)
fri
09 Aug
(4:30PM - 7:30PM)
(9:30PM - 1:30AM)
SUNDAY AFTERNOON
SATURDAY AFTERNOON
(4:30PM - 7:30PM)
sat
10 Aug
(4:30PM - 7:30PM)
SATURDAY NIGHT
(9:30PM - 12:30AM)
sun
11 Aug
SUNDAY NIGHT
(8:30PM - 12:00AM)
BRAG :: 524 :: 05:08:13 :: 31
gig picks
up all night out all week...
TUESDAY AUGUST 6
WEDNESDAY AUGUST 7
Lunchbreak Feat: The Preatures FBi Social, Sydney. 1pm. Free.
Ziggy Pop Tuesdays - Spectrum Housewarming - Feat: The Lockhearts + The Sculptures + The Bitter Sweethearts + Chris Rose + Dj Creatura Noctis Spectrum, Darlinghurst. 8Pm. $10.
Barn Owl + Dead China Doll + Broadcasting Transmitter + Dj Brooke Olsen Goodgod Small Club, Sydney. 8pm. $40.
THURSDAY AUGUST 8
Barn Owl
World’s End Press
Hollow Everdaze (Album Launch) + Dead Radio + Contrast + Black Springs FBi Social, Sydney. 8pm. $10. Marshmallow Pavement Feat: Battleships + The Money Go Round + Safai + The Dead Heads + Meg Mac Upstairs Beresford, Surry Hills. 7pm. Free. Thursday Night (Live) (Jake Meadows) The Spice Cellar, Sydney. 7pm. Free. World’s End Press + Moon Holiday Brighton Up Bar, Darlinghurst, Sydney. 8pm. Free.
FRIDAY AUGUST 9 O’Fest At UTS Feat: British India + Bombs Away + Gold Fields + Jackie Onassis + Tom Piper + Goodwill + Lewi McKirdy + Mike Hyper + Sea Legs + Brave + Nova & The Experience + Ribat + Benny Dees + Celcius + Ibazz + Bambii + George Gurdjieff + Foxhat + Paexote The Loft (UTS Loft), Ultimo, Sydney. 6pm. $30. Standish/Carlyon Goodgod Small Club, Sydney. 8pm. $10.70.
32 :: BRAG :: 524 : 05:08:13
The Ape (Tex Perkins And Members Of Dallas Crane, Magic Dirt, The Dark Horses) The Annandale Hotel, Annandale. 8pm. $23.50. Wax Witches World Bar, Kings Cross. 8pm. $15. Saturday August 10 Cosmic Psychos + Front End Loader + Bruce Metro Theatre, Sydney. 8pm. $28.70. Grinspoon + The Snowdroppers + Dave Larkin Darwin Theory Enmore Theatre, Newtown, Sydney. 6:30pm. $44.80. King Tide + Gang Of Youths + DJ Kristy Lee
Upstairs Beresford, Surry Hills. 6pm. Free. Repressed Records 11th Birthday feat: Constant Mongrel + Woollen Kits + Bed Wettin’ Bad Boys + Yes I’m Leaving + Destiny 3000 The Red Rattler Theatre, Marrickville, Sydney. 8pm. $12.
SUNDAY AUGUST 11 Loud Fest 2013 - Feat: Alesana + Confession + Attila + Hand Of Mercy + Saviour + Feed Her To The Sharks + For All Eternity + Hellions + Storm The Sky + The Sweet Apes + Elegist The Factory Theatre, Marrickville, Sydney. 12pm. $42.
BRAG’s guide to dance, hip hop and club culture
inside
brag beats also + club g : + club s uide na + weekl ps y column
scenic
salva
unstoppable t bl Xxxx
We has internets!
www.thebrag.com Extra bits and moving bits without the papercuts BRAG :: 524 :: 05:08:13 :: 33
brag beats
BRAG’s guide to dance, hip hop and club culture
dance music news club, dance and hip hop in brief... with Chris Honnery
five things WITH
Nina Las Vegas
LUKE CUEREL OF PIGEON
TRIPLE J HOUSE PARTY
House Party is hitting the road. triple j’s Saturday night institution is touring the country this month and next, headed up by the doyen of the decks herself Nina Las Vegas. She’s joined by Flight Facilities, the production duo whose singles ‘Crave You’ (feat. Giselle) and ‘Clair de Lune’ (feat. Christine Hoberg) have both landed in the top 20 of Hottest 100s past. Also on board are Cassian, Wave Racer and teen prodigy Tyler Touché. The Metro hosts an afternoon, under-18s session on Saturday August 24, followed by the 18+ gig that night.
JERRY BOUTHIER
Frenchman Jerry Bouthier spins at the Civic Underground this Saturday August 10 following his recent compilation Kitsuné Soleil Mix 2, released last month on the Parisian label Kitsune (a reference to a mythological Japanese fox, if you’re wondering). The disc features cuts from Two Door Cinema Club, Yelle, Hot Chip and French touch maestro Alan Braxe, many of which you can no doubt expect to hear played by Bouthier this weekend. “If you’re a DJ and you don’t do your own edits these days, you’re plain lazy cos (sic) the tools are there to have a lot of fun and come up with something unique,” Bouthier says, scolding two-bit DJ dilettantes in the process. “What I’m interested in is the content of a track, the song itself, the melody, the chord progression… [even] that doesn’t mean its structure necessarily fits my DJ needs.” Bouthier will be joined by RÜFÜS and Clubfeet, along with Modular’s Softwar, ex-Lost Valentinos member Csmnt61 and Charlie Chux.
ROBERT HOOD
Growing Up Both my parents are 1. musical muggles, but
Your Band Live dance band with 3. some brass and rock thrown
some of the other guys in the band have a bit of music going on in their immediate family. Music was the next big thing for me after my infamous Star Wars phase, and it stuck. I have a pretty weak and addictive personality, so it’s probably heroin next. As for early music memories, I got the Backstreet Boys album when I was 6. I’m not quite the boy band enthusiast I once was, but I recently found out that Kevin Richardson retweeted our Daft Punk medley video. Stoked as #lifewin.
in. Two of the guys in the band produce our stuff, so we get to control the mixing and mastering process. Nothing like stewing a full frequency synth in a small pot of sensual reverb. Really gets us going. As with anything you are passionate about, there are always differing opinions. I am a proud advocate of: no matter how much sax you have in your track, it is never enough. Same goes for reverb and delay.
Inspirations Delphic, Röyksopp and 2. Friendly Fires give us some of that inspiration juice that powers the Pigeon-mobile. We also just try and yolo as often as possible, and try and put as many varieties of that inspiration juice in there. Our drummer Nick draws all of his inspiration (and crime fighting powers) from his tropical Pineapple flat cap. 34 :: BRAG :: 524 :: 05:08:13
The Music You Make We all love fun yet 4. dark (sometimes serious) party music. I think the genre we’re aiming for is tropical rollercoaster brass orgy. We really dig partying and playing with our fellow bands in Brisbane, like The Belligerents, Oceanics, Tourism etc. Anyone who’s keen to ‘keep it real’. We have an EP out called Fortunes and are working on releasing another later in the year. Our current single is ‘Curtain Call’, which we actually came up with while
we were taking some time to write up in Airlie Beach. It’s a short expedition into slapbassy synthy party fun times. Live, we try to rock out and chuck as many things that light up into our set. Blood has been spilled onstage before. We’re still pretty loose with our OH&S policies, but this quarter has been fairly injury-free so far.
5.
Music, Right Here, Right Now I think as musicians we are lucky to be in an industry that allows us to do some of the stuff we do. It’s a whole bunch of fun, and the local scene is growing so quickly it’s insane. There’s heaps of great music coming out of Australia at the moment. I guess the obstacles are the loaf of bread/goon diet. It’s worth it though. In Sydney, we really like Oxford Art Factory and The World Bar. Both places have such a fun vibe and we love to party there. Who: Pigeon Where: Mum @ The World Bar When: Friday September 6
Detroit minimal techno pioneer Robert Hood will play an extended three-hour set at the next Sonido bash on Saturday September 28 at the Civic Underground. Credited as being one of the pioneers of minimal techno, Hood was a member of Underground Resistance and recorded alongside Jeff Mills under the moniker H&M. Hood’s landmark 1994 album Minimal Nation was a prototype seized upon by Richie Hawtin et al, while more recently he released the concept LP Omega, written and produced as a soundtrack to the 1971 sci-fi film The Omega Man. Hood will be supported by DJs Andrew Wowk and Sonido residents Tom Harwood, Ryan Kenna and Andy Myatt.
RECLOOSE
Lioness will host Recloose and Melbourne resident Inkswel at Goodgod on Friday August 23. Recloose burst on to the scene when he was signed to Carl Craig’s canonical Planet E label after slipping a demo into Craig’s sandwich when working at a café (it’s an old story, but a good one nonetheless and worth recycling every once in a while). Recloose has since performed as a turntablist for Craig’s Innerzone Orchestra, while releasing acclaimed albums on labels such as Sonar Kollektiv and Peacefrog, developing a chameleon-like sonic palette that conflates jazz, techno, funk, soul, house and down-tempo influences. Recloose recently dropped an EP featuring remixes from Oliverwho Factory and Detroit’s Andrés, who continued the form that made his New For U EP one of the best releases of last year with a refashioning of ‘Electric Sunshine.’ Inkswel, meanwhile, has had his tracks supported by club deity Erol Alkan, and also runs Hot Shot Sounds, a young vinyl-only imprint showcasing the likes of Freekwency and Nite Class. Lioness residents Edseven, Henry Compton and Fred Tectonic will be spinning as well, with the revelry commencing at 11pm.
Machine Gun Kelly
MACHINE GUN KELLY
Ohio hip hop impresario MC Machine Gun Kelly will headline Manning Bar at Sydney University on Friday September 6. Named MTV’s “Hottest Breakthrough MC” in 2011, Machine Gun Kelly has been at the forefront of the hip hop world since releasing his first mixtape Stamp Of Approval in 2006 at the age of 16. “I got the name Machine Gun Kelly because of my rapid-fire delivery when I was 15 and started doing shows,” Kelly recalls. Since releasing Stamp Of Approval, Kelly has accumulated a further seven mixtapes, an EP and his debut studio album Lace Up, which dropped in 2012 through Diddy’s Bad Boy label. This tour will be Kelly’s debut trip to Australia, coming off the back of his latest mixtape Black Flag, which dropped in June and features guest spots from Pusha T, Meek Mill, Wiz Khalifa and French Montana.
BRAG :: 524 :: 05:08:13 :: 35
dance music news
free stuff
club, dance and hip hop in brief... with Chris Honnery
email: freestuff@thebrag.com
speed date WITH
Softwar
THAVY EAR What Do You Look For In A Band? 1. I look for someone to share ideas with and to challenge me with composing. I like incorporating electronic sounds mixed with grimy beats but I also like to delve into a variety of styles and work with someone who has a different palette. I do love candlelight dinners, too. Keeping Busy I have so many projects I’m 2. working on at the moment. I’m working on a couple of new house songs; a couple of drum and bass songs with Royalston; a couple of chorus songs for MCs. I’m also a big part of the new Def Wish Cast album and I’ve started working with DJ ASK on more solo music. I have a couple of new remixes completed for the For You Ears Only EP on vinyl, with upbeat mixes for DJs. It’s produced and remixed by DJ Katch and Sereck featuring Def Wish. Best Gig Ever My best gig ever was 3. back in uni days when I played
at Dizzy’s Jazz Club for my performance master class in Melbourne. I performed with a new band and it was very underrehearsed but it couldn’t have been better. I think it was just the perfect ingredients of friendship, keenness and the enjoyment of playing new original material. Current Playlist I love ’90s R&B music like 4. Groove Theory and Zhané as well as Massive Attack and The Cinematic Orchestra. Recently I have been listening to Little Dragon and Quadron. All these influences inspired my EP, For Your Ears Only. My taste in music is always changing as I continue to crave for something new and different which also helps me grow as a singer and songwriter. Your Ultimate Rider Lots of champagne, canapés 5. and a barista at the back please! What: For Your Ears Only out now through Hydrofunk Records/MGM
SOUND SUMMIT
A member of the now defunct US trio Emeralds, Mark McGuire returns to Sydney on Saturday September 14 at The Square to celebrate the announcement of the Sound Summit Festival lineup. Taking looped guitar as the basis for his work, McGuire creates melodic “transcendental pop deconstructions”. He will be joined by Pimmon, a devotee of laptop-based sound art that explores the intersection between “bare melody, mutilated sounds of unknown origin and static”. Ghastly Spats will also be representing, along with Exotic Dog. Entry is $15 on the door.
KITSUNÉ SOLEIL
Plan your party attire as Kitsuné’s club night is finally hitting Aussie shores! The Soleil Mix Australian Tour is set to launch in Sydney at the Civic Underground on August 10. The night will see DJ sets from Jerry Bouthier, SÜFÜЯ (RÜFÜS DJs), Softwar, Clubfeet DJs and loads more. To get you ready to hit the floor we have five copies of the Kitsuné Soleil Mix 2 to giveaway. It’s full of electro-beats and cool pop from the likes of Hot Chip, Two Door Cinema Club, JBAG and The Swiss. Email us at freestuff@thebrag.com and tell us what TV show the album art is reminiscent of.
SKETCH THE RHYME
What happens when a bunch of freestyle rappers and artists form teams and battle head-to-head in a live art hip hop game show? Sketch The Rhyme, of course. And it’s happening this week! The show’s coming to The Basement on August 8 and will feature MCs Ozi Batla and Joe New and regulars Jeswon (Thundamentals), P. Smurf and Rapaport. Taking up their pencils and spray paint will be artists Claire Nakazawa and Sam Clouston and stacks more. Want in on the action? Email us at freestuff@thebrag to be in the running to win one of two double passes to the show. Just tell us what your artinspired MC name would be.
R.A. THE RUGGED MAN
R.A. the Rugged Man will perform at The Standard on Saturday 14 September. R.A. has collaborated with everyone from Wu-Tang and Mobb Deep to The Notorious B.I.G. and Kool G Rap. He released his debut album Die Rugged Man, Die! in 2004 after being awarded the prestigious “Hip-Hop Quotable” by The Source magazine. R.A. has released a new album, Legends Never Die, featuring guests like Tech N9ne, Hopsin, Talib Kweli, Brother Ali, Krizz Kaliko, Vinnie Paz and Masta Ace. “I feel like this is only the beginning,” R.A. said recently. Aside from his incandescent hip hop CV, R.A. also used to write a monthly movie column and has written three screenplays with cult horror film director Frank Henenlotter.
Blond:ish
STARSHIP TROOPERS
Montreal via London duo Blond:ish headline the first Agwa Yacht Club of the summer, with The Starship scheduled to set sail on Sydney Harbour on Saturday October 5. Blond:ish have experienced a rapid ascension in club land since bursting onto the scene in 2008, releasing on labels such as Kompakt, Get Physical and Defected. The girls garnered accolades for last year’s Lovers In Limbo EP, and have also demonstrated a knack for churning out a decent remix, reworking tracks by Pete Tong, Tomas Barfod, Kate Simko, and Maya Jane Coles’ ‘Everything’. Complimenting Blond:ish on the ship’s upper deck will be breakthrough act Hunter/Game, throwing down fresh from their residency at Sasha’s Never Say Never party in Ibiza. Hunter/Game have notched up releases for Get Physical, Hot Creations and Last Night On Earth, making their mark in deep house circles. The Starship boards for this event at King Street Wharf at 5pm and will return to Pyrmont Bay at 11pm. First release tickets go on sale for $65+BF on Tuesday August 8 at pulseradio.net/events.
OUTER BASS SOUND Azealia Banks
LISTEN OUT ON SALE
Tickets are now on sale for Listen Out, Fuzzy’s replacement for Parklife to fill the start of spring festival void. The lineup features the likes of Azealia Banks, John Talabot, Duke Dumont, AlunaGeorge, Classixx, Miguel Campbell, Just Blaze, RÜFÜS, Touch Sensitive and Laura Jones. It all goes down at Centennial Park on Saturday September 28.
36 :: BRAG :: 524 :: 05:08:13
Outer Bass Sound celebrates its first birthday on Friday August 16 at Goodgod with a fiesta fronted by Mark Pritchard. Pritchard has released under the moniker of Harmonic 313 and as half of Africa Hitech, while his discography includes releases on Warp Records and Hyperdub. He also attracts deserved accolades for output with Tom Middleton as Global Communication. Pritchard recently released an EP on Warp, Ghosts: an appetiser for a “more developed and expansive album of songs and features.” DJs Rubio, Tokoloshe and B.O.O.M.A. will play in support.
MARQUEE
The Marquee nightclub, located atop The Star, has announced its August program. This Saturday August 10, Grant Smillie will be throwing down, before K-Note enters the fray on Friday August 16. Marquee favourite G-Wizard is set to deliver
another feel-good Friday night set on August 23 ahead of Ministry of Sound artist, Australian club icon and A-list urban DJ Kronic on Friday August 30. The month culminates with a set from German DJ and producer Jerome Isma-Ae, lauded by trance tyrant Armin van Buuren as the “breakthrough artist of the year” back in 2010.
SKETCH THE RHYME
Sketch the Rhyme is a live hip hop game show that will begin a run of fortnightly shows at The Basement on Thursday August 8. The concept involves visual artists competing against freestyling rappers backed by a live band, with famed drawing duels in Pictionary and Mr Squiggle. Guest MCs Ozi Batla and Joe New will represent this Thursday, as well as regular Sketch MCs Jeswon (Thundamentals), P.Smurf and Rapaport – more guests, artists and supports are yet to be confirmed.
French Montana
EPISODE ONE
T.I. and Akon make up a headline double bill for Episode One, which hits Allphones Arena on Friday October 11. Dubbed “the Jay-Z of the South” by Pharrell Williams, T.I. has won three Grammy Awards but will only now be making his Australian debut. For anyone unacquainted with the chap, T.I. has released eight studio albums, including his most recent outing, Trouble Man: Heavy Is The Head. As well as his musical achievements, T.I. has had successful movies roles including American Gangster alongside Denzel Washington and most recently Identity Thief. Meanwhile, with 12 million albums sold worldwide and five Grammy Award nominations under his belt, Akon oversees KonLive and Konvict, the labels that jumpstarted the careers of both Lady Gaga and T-Pain. Also performing will be New York’s French Montana, whose debut album is currently being produced by Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs.
Midnight Juggernauts Wireframe Skeletal World By Jody Macgregor
V
incent Vendetta, frontman of the Midnight Juggernauts, is still jetlagged. They’ve just returned from touring Uncanny Valley, their latest album of psychedelic dance music, in South America and then Europe, where they spent a month. “Maybe there were 15 shows?” he tries to remember. “And every show’s in a different country.” Visiting that many countries one after the other gave Vendetta a good opportunity to measure the relative warmth of different audiences like he was shopping for a hot water bottle, and he says there’s truth in the idea that cooler climates breed chillier and more distant crowds. “Maybe they just came in from the cold. As the night went on it got steamier and steamier, then it gets loose. Then we play other shows like this festival in Corsica, on the beach, where people probably were drinking on the beach all day and so it was kind of a party atmosphere.” Although Uncanny Valley is full of proggy synth and cosmic vibes it is definitely a “party atmosphere” kind of album, with ‘Systematic’ in particular the kind of song I’d rather be listening to in the middle of a dancing crowd than alone in an empty living room. “That’s a fun song,” says Vendetta, “it’s like an ELO pop tune. It’s good to have a song which people can sing along to, so maybe we need to disperse some lyric sheets or have a video with the dancing ball over the lyrics at the bottom of the screen. We’ve been trying that song out; it’s been getting a good response.” It’s not the only new song to get a positive reaction, he continues, with the singles also going down well. “I suppose when there’s a song that’s been accompanied by videos there’s that sense of recognition. It’s good when you feel that connection when you’re playing a song like ‘Memorium’ or ‘Ballad of the War Machine’ in a foreign place like Colombia or
Argentina or Rome as we did in the last month, and getting this sense people know it and connect with it.” ‘Ballad of the War Machine’ had an excellent video filmed guerrillastyle while the band was in Russia, playing with props and dancing in the streets in soldiers’ uniforms. ‘Memorium’ has a much more serious clip, befitting a song about lost memories that ends with a kind of funeral waltz. To accompany it, they put together a nostalgic minidocumentary about the early days of computer graphics, showing the progression from the basic wireframes and lines of the 1950s through to the environmental models of the 1980s. “Reading through CGI message boards and seeing all these computer programmers who were involved in some of the productions discussing it, it’s been good to see that it connects with a lot of the people who were actually involved in the original works,” Vendetta says. “It’s funny – three or four weeks after the video came out, Miley Cyrus put out a video which used one of the talking headshots as found footage. I was thinking, ‘I wonder if our video influenced the director in her clip?’ I hope that’s the case!” It’s fascinating to watch early abstract creations become re-creations of human limbs and faces, before suddenly the scope widens into fullblown landscapes. That’s the point where the Juggernauts chose to end their examination of the pioneer days of CGI. “I think people were wondering, ‘Why doesn’t it continue on beyond the ’80s into the ’90s and today?’ But I think the era we’re in now people are familiar with the signposts of, like, after the mid-’80s. Up until then it was all computer trials in computer labs but [after that] it was all showcased in Hollywood blockbusters. I don’t think the clip would have been the same showing a scene from Terminator 2 and then
a scene from Avatar. We kept it more conceptual, where it’s first attempts at human likeness and first attempts at emotion in that wireframe skeletal world.” At the end of the video, digital approximations of reality are replaced by the reverse – footage of the Juggernauts captured using the Kinect motion controls on a hacked Xbox that turns them into digital models. “We like the idea that it was harking back to the wireframe footage from the beginning, but it’s a totally new approach where it’s all created in real time with the motion sensor. It’s not some programmer who’s been processing for six
months in his basement on some old computer; it was us at a friend’s house on a Saturday morning just recording that in an hour or so and then that looks beautiful and amazing. That’s computer technology today. We put down the year ‘2013’ because it’ll probably look quite primitive in years to come.”
Vendetta says of his friend’s release. “I think he’s an amazing artist and he’ll definitely go out there and test himself and test his audiences and it’s good to see the response he gets. Some people love it and some people hate it, but that’s what makes a great album I think. We’re definitely looking forward to touring with him.”
Now that the band are back home they’re finally getting ready for their Australian tour. They’ll be joined on the road by guests including Kirin J Callinan, whose new album Embracism they released on their indie label Siberia, as they did Uncanny Valley. “It’s really interesting to see people’s response to it,”
Where: Bar on the Hill, Newcastle / Metro Theatre (all ages) When: Wednesday August 14 / Friday August 16 And: Uncanny Valley is out now on Siberia Records via Remote Control
BRAG :: 524 :: 05:08:13 :: 37
Salva Digging For Gold By Alasdair Duncan
L
os Angeles-based DJ and producer Paul Salva is renowned as one of the godfathers of the trap movement, but he is a restless soul at heart and his sets take in a furious array of genres and styles. “I like to push the energy levels and [keep it] action-packed,” he explains, “and I always keep the BPM high. I come from the hip hop world, so I’m a very fast mixer, and I like to burn through a hundred tracks in an hour, smash through and keep the energy buzzing.” When behind the decks, he chops and changes through a series of different regional styles and sounds, from juke and rap and house and Baltimore and Jersey club to trap – it’s a highenergy DJ performance in the name of eclecticism. “Everyone can get down,” he says, “I just like to give people a good party.” Salva got his start working as a buyer in record stores, first in Milwaukee and then in Miami, and over the decade he spent there he developed a love of vinyl that continues to this day. He still goes crate-digging when he travels to new cities, as every crate of vinyl holds a potential wealth of cool, unusual samples. “I like to hunt for obscurities,” he says. “I’ll look at the instrumental breakdown on the back of a record to see what the instrumental breakdown is, if they’ve used a particular synthesiser on there, or a piece of gear like a talk box or Moog. Sometimes a weird cover is enough to draw me in. A lot of younger producers will pull their samples off YouTube these days, but I think there’s something really cool about finding a weird old record that you’ve never heard of and putting the needle to it, because there’s always the possibility that you’ll make an amazing discovery.”
When it comes to finding samples, Salva says that vinyl releases from the late ’80s are a treasure trove for producers. “I love that era in the ’80s, right after new wave, when they started making 12” records specifically for DJs to play,” he says. “That’s inevitably where I find the coolest stuff. You’ll find that they’ve put the weirdest shit on there – vocal and instrumental loops that are just really ripe for sampling.” Funk and pop records always prove inspiring. “I don’t consider myself to be a master of that ’80s funk
style,” he says, “but I’m really into the sound, and I love digging and finding records by George Benson and Ohio Players and people like that. I recently got a Janet Jackson 12”, produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, and it has a beatapella on the flipside. That blew my mind.”
layering and processing the sounds, and seeing what parts work together. EH: We might start with a chord progression or a particular bass line, then work on a chorus, and then try and fit the two together. It’s more of an electronic, producer-centred process, where we layer sounds on top of each other.
production style, and we love his early remix work. EH: We love the music that he releases on the Tigersushi label. I guess it’s just that layered sound, the idea of an intro where the drum and bass sounds slowly start to come in. We really like that structure.
The LA lifestyle agrees with Salva, and since relocating there several years ago, he has found it a vital and inspiring place to work. “All kinds of industries have opened up to
electronic artists,” he says, “not just music, but film and video games, so there are a lot of opportunities here, and a lot of people have relocated. It’s an eclectic and inspiring place to be.” Salva’s personal goal is to move into the world of major label hip hop. “When I moved here, I went to a lot of underground warehouse techno parties, but since I built a home studio, I’ve been meeting a lot of people from the other side of the industry. I’d love to get into proper rap and R&B production for bigger artists.
West Coast hip hop has made a big comeback over the last few years, especially with people like Kendrick Lamar – I’d love to work with him one day.”
tough being in a band here, because there are only so many venues here and so many gigs you can play.
live bass and drums. The live show is more jammy, I would say. EH: We have the four songs on the EP, and to fill out the rest of the 45 minutes, we play long intros and outros, we really expand on the songs. Our previous releases are quite different, in terms of their sound and how they were made, so instead of incorporating them into the live show, we’re really working on just the new stuff.
With: Wave Racer, Meare, Astral Huggz, Lewi McKirdy Where: Club 77 When: Friday August 9 And: Odd Furniture EP out now through Friends of Friends
Scenic Analogue Bliss By Alasdair Duncan
Y
outhful Perth four-piece Scenic make dreamy disco and house sounds, and their newest EP, Shockwaves, sees them step out from behind their computers and push their music into a warm, beautiful live instrumentation. Shockwaves is out very soon – how are you guys feeling? Adam Tucker: Really good, it’s our first release in a year, so we’re excited to get some new music out and see how people react to it, really. Writing and recording it was quite a long process. We finished the songs about six months ago, and it took about nine months before that to write the songs. We wrote quite a lot more, but then narrowed it down to the four. Eric Harrison: A lot of the time was spent learning how to record properly. Our previous releases were very software-oriented – we didn’t have any analogue or hard instruments. We recorded guitar and drums and bass this time around, and it takes the sound to a new level. Now you’ve done it once, do you reckon you’re more confident about doing it again in the future? AT: Definitely. The next one’s going to come a lot faster – we’ve been through the whole process of learning and experimenting with recording instruments, and now we’ve done it, we’ll be able to do it more efficiently in the future. Scenic make loose, dreamy electronic tracks – I’m wondering, do you jam a lot in the early stages of song writing? AT: Initially, maybe – we hash out bass lines and drum beats and chords. The songs come together through more of an electronic process. We spend a lot of time
38 :: BRAG :: 524 :: 05:08:13
You guys released a single on Joakim’s label, and listening to a track like ‘Hours On End’, you can hear a bit of his influence – are you big fans of his? AT: We’ve always liked his
You are Perth-based – what’s it like for a young band there? AT: It’s so isolated that you end up looking at what’s happening in the rest of the world, in France and the UK and even in Sydney, and bringing those influences back to Perth. It’s
Would you consider relocating to Melbourne or Sydney? AT: I think for now we’re pretty happy in Perth. We’re slowly expanding our horizons, and we may move at some point, but not yet. Will you guys be touring the EP? AT: Hopefully we will at the end of the year. We try and keep the live stuff as live as possible, considering that the songs are quite electronic. We have
What: Shockwaves out Friday August 9 through Future Classic
Deep Impressions Underground Dance And Electronica with Chris Honnery
Marcel Dettmann
snap up all night out all week . . .
up all night out all week . . .
LOOKING DEEPER SATURDAY AUGUST 10 Function Chinese Laundry DJ Sprinkles The Abercrombie
SATURDAY AUGUST 31 Pepperpot The Spice Cellar
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 28
So this week’s column is all about forthcoming album releases, however it would be remiss of me not to direct readers towards this weekend’s standout event, a day party at the Abercrombie headlined by Terre Thaemlitz, AKA Kami-Sakunobe House Explosion (K-S.H.E), AKA DJ Sprinkles. Sprinkles is a house music auteur and responsible for albums such as Midtown 120 Blues, which was ranked as Resident Advisor’s #1 album of 2009. This year alone she has released a mix for Japanese label Mule Musiq, Where Dancefloors Stand Still, and a double-album compilation of her remixes produced between 2006 and 2013 called Queerification And Ruins. Thaemlitz will be flanked by an extensive local DJ lineup across two rooms of the Abercrombie, comprising the likes of Magda Bytnerowicz, Kali, Andy Webb and Lovertits. Lock it in.
maurice fulton
27:07:13 :: Goodgod Small Club :: 53-55 Liverpool St Chinatown 8084 0587
motion
PICS :: AM
27:07:13 :: Hollywood Hotel :: 12 Foster St Surry Hills 9281 2765
Dutchman Tom Trago will drop his third album, The Light Fantastic, on Rush Hour in October. The ten-track album features collaborations with Makam and vocalist Holly Wood along with compatriots Steffi and San Proper. Trago aimed for The Light Fantastic to “recapture the essence of his early work, and particularly the melodic warmth, kaleidoscopic chords and robust grooves” of his 2009 debut album, Voyage Direct. As for the illustrious collaborators, Trago said, “Using my friends was a big part of the process, one of the points of the album was using people who were close to home, part of the family almost.”
Axel Willner
xaphoon jones
PICS :: AM
B
erlin producer and Berghain posterboy Marcel Dettmann will release his second artist album, the imaginatively titled Dettmann II, next month on the Ostgut Ton label. Dettmann was resident DJ at Berghain since before it was Berghain, waaaay back in the Ostgut days – you see the etymology of the label name now, eh? Dettmann is renowned for his production and DJ alliance with Ben Klock, but more than holds his own as a one-man show. Dettmann’s vaunted reputation is founded on his productions for the selfconducted MDR label, and his remixes for the likes of Fever Ray, Junior Boys, Modeselektor and Scuba – as well as his debut long player, which dropped some three years back. In the time since his maiden LP, Dettman has released twin singles on Modeselektor’s 50 Weapons label, along with mixing an entry into Music Man’s Conducted mix series. The forthcoming release apparently explores “ambient soundscapes and minimalist experimental cuts,” with the likes of Emika (vocals on ‘Seduction’), Rene Pawlowitz (production on ‘Aim’) and the inimitable Levon Vincent (production on ‘Outback’) all making contributions to Dettmann II. Swedish techno producer Axel Willner, best known for his work as The Field, will drop a new album entitled Cupid’s Head at the end of September. The forthcoming album was recorded without any session musicians or guest vocalists, with Willner preferring to use only hardware. “When I started to work on Cupid’s Head it was quite awkward. I felt that I had nothing to put into a new album and I’m not the type to sit down and force something out in the studio,” Willner admitted via press release. “But then, after a few modest attempts, I got a first loop together and running which turned out to be [the track] ‘No.No…’. It was a revelation of sorts as making it felt new to me, and different, and that’s when it all came out.” The early mail is that the
album, Willner’s fifth, is a return to the more upbeat sounds of the debut Field LP, From Here We Go Sublime. Cupid’s Head adds to Willner’s accomplished production CV, which includes remixes of Australia’s own Tame Impala, Battles and Thom Yorke; and acclaimed LPs like From Here We Go Sublime and follow-up Yesterday & Today, which moved away from the splintered shoegaze techno sounds of its predecessor towards krautrock influences and even a cover of The Korgis’ ‘classic’, ‘Everybody’s Got To Learn Sometime’. Cupid’s Head is said to explore a “darker and slower pace” than Willner’s previous work, while maintaining his trademark proclivity for extended looped productions.
PICS :: TL
Robert Hood The Civic Underground
27:07:13 :: Chinese Laundry :: 111 Sussex St Sydney 8295 9999
Deep Impressions: electronica manifesto and occasional club brand. Contact through deep.impressions@yahoo.com
KE HENRY LEUNG :: KATRINA CLAR S : TIM LEVY (HEAD HONCHO) :: ICK STEVENSON PATR OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHER :: H SMIT PAUL :: EZ LOP IA :: SILV :: AMANTH MAGNAN :: ASHLEY MAR
BRAG :: 524 :: 05:08:13 :: 39
club guide send your listings to : clubguide@thebrag.com
club pick of the week DJ Sprinkles
Ivy Bar/lounge, Sydney. 5pm. free. Propaganda feat: Gillex + DJ Moody World Bar, Kings Cross. 9pm. $10. Rewind feat: Resident DJs Sapphire Lounge, Potts Point. 9pm. free. Skydreams 3rd Birthday feat: Black Vanilla + Major Napier + East River + B. Deep + King Tears Mortuary Goodgod Small Club, Sydney. 8pm. $12. Take Over Thursday feat: Resident DJs Trademark Hotel, Potts Point. 9pm. $10.
FRIDAY 9 AUGUST CLUB NIGHTS
SATURDAY AUGUST 10 The Abercrombie, Broadway
Picnic And The House Of Mince Presents
DJ Sprinkles + Stereogamous + Magda Bytnerowicz + Ben Fester + Matt Vaughan + Andy Webb + Lovertits + Kali 8pm $20 TUESDAY 6 AUGUST CLUB NIGHTS
Chu feat: Various World Bar, Kings Cross. 7:30pm. $5. Coyote Tuesday feat: Resident DJs Trademark Hotel, Potts Point. 9pm. free. I Love Goon feat: Resident DJs Scruffy Murphy’s Hotel, Sydney. 7pm. free. Rumba Motel Salsa feat: DJ Willie Sabor The Establishment, Sydney. 8pm. free.
WEDNESDAY 7 AUGUST HIP HOP & R&B
The Wall feat: Resident DJs World Bar, Kings Cross. 8pm. $5.
CLUB NIGHTS
Garbage 90s Night feat: Garbage DJs Lewisham Hotel, Lewisham. 7pm. free. Salsa feat: Resident DJs Ivy Bar/lounge, Sydney. 8pm. free. 40 :: BRAG :: 524 :: 05:08:13
The Supper Club - feat: Resident DJs Kit & Kaboodle, Kings Cross. 10pm. free. Whip It Wednesdays feat: DJs Camo + Snillum + Jaimie Lyn Whaat Club, Kings Cross. 9pm. free.
THURSDAY 8 AUGUST
Resident DJs Kit & Kaboodle, Kings Cross. 10pm. free. Miami Nights feat: Jay-J + Husky + Liam Sampras + Tom Kelly Goldfish, Kings Cross. 9pm. free. Pool Club Thursdays feat: Resident DJs
$5 @ 5 On Fridays feat: Resident DJs Jacksons On George, Sydney. 5pm. free. Crizzly + Samrai + Matt Ferriera + Natnoiz + Jace Disgrace + Zodiac + No Good Mischief + Amy Lee + Acid Gang Chinese Laundry, Sydney. 10pm. $20. Factory Fridays feat: Resident DJs Soda Factory, Surry Hills. 5pm. free. Fridays feat: Resident DJs Kit & Kaboodle, Kings Cross. 10pm. free. Mashed Fridays feat: DJ Ric C Oatley Hotel, Oatley. 8pm. free. Mashup Fridays W/ Zannon + The Faders Marquee At The Star, Pyrmont. 10pm. $20. Mum feat: Mum DJs World Bar, Kings Cross. 8pm. $10. Pelv Is Burning feat: Pelvis Goodgod Small Club, Sydney. 11pm. $10. Shapeshifter Metro Theatre, Sydney. 8:30pm. $54.70. Soft&Slow W/ Canyons (DJ Set) - feat: Steven Sullivan + Pink Lloyd (Softwar) + Dreamcatcher (Slow Blow) The Spice Cellar, Sydney. 10pm. $10. Soho Fridays feat: Kronic + Skinny + Zannon Rocco + Fingers + Pat Ward Soho Bar & Lounge, Potts Point. 9pm. free. TGIF feat: Resident DJs Trademark Hotel, Potts Point. 10pm. free. The Guestlist feat: Various Home Nightclub, Darling
club picks
Harbour. 9pm. $15. The Underground feat: Ember + Robust + Mitchos Candy’s Apartment, Potts Point. 8pm. $15. Unwind Fridays feat: DJ Greg Summerfield Omega Lounge, Sydney. 5:30pm. free.
SATURDAY 10 AUGUST CLUB NIGHTS
Ableton Liveschool Presents Input feat: Tim Shiel + Nathan Mclay + Gardland + Adam Maggs + Vaughan Allan FBi Social, Sydney. 1pm. $35. After Dark - feat: Resident DJs Whaat Club, Kings Cross. 8pm. $15. Argyle Saturdays feat: Resident DJs The Argyle, The Rocks, Sydney. 5pm. free. D-Block & S-Te-Fan + Toneshifterz + Hard Dance Alliance The Hi-Fi, Moore Park, Sydney. 9pm. $60.50. FBi Social (Hands Up!) - feat: DJ Clockwerk + Special Friends With Benefits FBi Social, Sydney. 11:30pm. free. Function (Sandwell District) + Troy Panah Chinese Laundry, Sydney. 9pm. $20. Grant Smillie Marquee At The Star, Pyrmont. 10pm. $28.60. Homemade Saturdays feat: Resident DJs Home Nightclub, Darling Harbour. 9pm. $25. Jacksons Saturdays feat: Resident DJs Jacksons On George, Sydney. 9pm. free. Kitsuné Club Night feat: Jerry Bouthier + Süfür + Softwar + Clubfeet DJs + Csmnt61 + Charlie Chux + Nes + Jonathan Terrific + Touch.Pause.Engage Civic Hotel, Sydney. 9pm. $20. Martin Eyerer (Kling Klong - De) feat: Le Brond + Dean Relf + Robbie Lowe + Murat Kilic The Spice Cellar, Sydney. 10pm. $20. Ministry Of Sound Sessions 10 Feat: Timmy Trumpet + SCNDL + Ember + Ben Morris + Jace Disgrace + Fingers + Trent Rackus + Pablo Calamari + Dylan Sanders + Nana Does Smack + Deckhead
+ Heke + Backhanderz + Adam Bozetto + Kid Crookes + Gmod Ivy Bar/lounge, Sydney. 8:30pm. $35. Murat Kilic (Stil Vor Talent – Aus) - feat: Le Brond + Dean Relf + Robbie Lowe The Spice Cellar, Sydney. 10pm. $20. Picnic And The House Of Mince Presents feat: DJ Sprinkles + Stereogamous + Magda Bytnerowicz + Ben Fester + Matt Vaughan + Andy Webb + Lovertits + Kali The Abercrombie, Sydney. 2pm. $20. Skybar Saturdays feat: Resident DJ The Watershed Hotel, Sydney. 9:30pm. $20. Soda Saturdays feat: Resident DJs Playing Disco And Funk Soda Factory, Surry Hills. 5pm. free. The Suite feat: Resident DJs Sapphire Lounge, Potts Point. 8pm. free. Unleashed feat: Vengeance + Luke La Beat + Stalker Candy’s Apartment, Potts Point. 8pm. $20.
SUNDAY 11 AUGUST HIP HOP & R&B
Line Of Fire Valve Bar, Tempe. 2pm. $15.
CLUB NIGHTS
Beresford Sundays feat: Resident DJs Upstairs Beresford, Surry Hills. 3pm. free. Easy Sundays feat: Resident DJs Kit & Kaboodle, Kings Cross. 10pm. free. S.A.S.H Sundays The Abercrombie, Sydney. 2pm. $10. Soup Kitchen feat: The Soup Kitchen DJs World Bar, Kings Cross. 7pm. free. Spice After Hours feat: Steven Sullivan + Murat Kilic And Guests The Spice Cellar, Sydney. 4am. $20. Sunday @ Gay Bar feat: Resident DJ The Gay Bar, Darlinghurst. 3pm. free. Sunday Sessions feat: DJ Tone Oatley Hotel, Oatley. 7pm. free.
up all night out all week...
HIP HOP & R&B
Sketch The Rhyme feat: Jeswon + Rapaport + P. Smurf + And Guests: Ozi Batla + Joe New The Basement, Circular Quay. 8pm. $18.
CLUB NIGHTS
Balmain Blitz feat: Various Bridge Hotel, Rozelle. 7pm. free. Chakra Thursdays feat: Robust + Brizz Whaat Club, Kings Cross. 9:30pm. free. Dip Hop feat: Levins And Guests Goodgod Small Club, Sydney. 8pm. free. Hot Damn feat: Hot Damn DJs The Exchange Hotel, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $15. Kit & Kaboodle feat:
THURSDAY AUGUST 8 Skydreams 3rd Birthday Feat: Black Vanilla + Major Napier + East River + B.Deep + King Tears Mortuary Goodgod Small Club, Sydney. 8pm. $12.
FRIDAY AUGUST 9 Crizzly + Samrai + Matt Ferriera + Natnoiz + Jace Disgrace + Zodiac + No Good Mischief + Amy Lee + Acid Gang Chinese Laundry, Sydney. 10pm. $20.
Mashup Fridays W/ Zannon + The Faders Marquee At The Star, Pyrmont. 10pm. $20. Pelv Is Burning Feat: Pelvis Goodgod Small Club Sydney. 11pm. $10 Shapeshifter Metro Theatre, Sydney. 8:30pm. $54.70. Soft&Slow W/ Canyons (DJ Set) Feat: Steven Sullivan + Pink Lloyd (Softwar) + Dreamcatcher (Slow Blow) The Spice Cellar, Sydney. 10pm. $10. The Underground Feat:
Ember + Robust + Mitchos Candy’s Apartment, Potts Point. 8pm. $15.
SATURDAY AUGUST 10 Ableton Liveschool Presents Input Feat: Tim Shiel + Nathan Mclay + Gardland + Adam Maggs + Vaughan Allan FBi Social, Sydney. 1pm. $35. Function (Sandwell District) + Troy Panah Chinese Laundry, Sydney. 9pm. $20. Grant Smillie Marquee At The Star,
Pyrmont. 10pm. $28.60. Kitsuné Club Night Feat: Jerry Bouthier + Süfür + Softwar + Clubfeet Djs + Csmnt61 + Charlie Chux + Nes + Jonathan Terrific + Touch.Pause.Engage Civic Hotel, Sydney. 9pm. $20. Martin Eyerer (Kling Klong - De) Feat: Le Brond + Dean Relf + Robbie Lowe + Murat Kilic The Spice Cellar, Sydney. 10pm. $20. Unleashed Feat: Vengeance + Luke La Beat + Stalker Candy’s Apartment, Potts Point. 8pm. $20.
snap
goldfish
PICS :: HL
up all night out all week . . .
27:07:13 :: The Goldfish :: 111 Darlinghurst Rd Potts Point 8354 6630
JAMES BLAKE, OLIVER TANK
jehst feat. m-phazes
PICS :: AM
Sydney Opera House Monday July 29
27:07:13 :: Goodgod Small Club :: 53-55 Liverpool St Chinatown 8084 0587
Opening act Oliver Tank created a one-man post-dubstep band, triggering samples with a drumstick, singing and occasionally playing guitar. His EP Dreams, with its gently gurgling xylophone melodies and hazy atmospherics, sounded haunting in the cavernous confines of the Concert Hall. He also performed a cover of Snoop and Pharrell’s ‘Beautiful’ that lent that song more emotional resonance than I thought possible. Speaking of emotional resonance, James Blake had his audience spellbound from the first drum kick. Although his music might seem best suited to an intimate, headphone experience, a live setting is where you can really appreciate the power of his songs. The complex piano chords and fragile vocals sounded beautiful reverberating through the Opera House, and the bass was a powerful physical presence. “Can I get everything a little bit louder please?” he politely asked the sound man a couple of songs in. It wasn’t necessary; I could already feel my nostrils vibrating from the low-end frequencies. Blake’s earlier releases, such as CMYK, demonstrated an ability to make club bangers with feeling, but it wasn’t evident he could sing. His two subsequent LPs managed to incorporate electronic elements into more traditional piano-based soul songs without sounding gimmicky. It was just the natural output of someone as equally enamoured by Burial as by Joni Mitchell and jazz piano virtuoso Art Tatum.
Blake, who’s expressed a distaste for laptop musicians, does an amazing job of recreating songs live that you would expect to fail without the strength of the studio production. He’s aided by a great band – a drummer using a live kit with electronic sounds, and another multiinstrumentalist who plays keys, samples, and guitar. They played a nearly flawless set, incorporating many tracks off his latest album, crowd favourites like ‘Limit To Your Love’, and some of his earlier club music. It was during the dance tracks that I started to feel resentful of my opulent surroundings – they allowed no space to dance. The beats pounded so hard it was tempting to rip some seats out and get a party started. The crowd roared in approval as Blake sang the intro of ‘I Never Learnt To Share’ – “My brother and my sister don’t speak to me / But I don’t blame them”. As Blake looped multiple layers of vocal harmonies, that sound of cheering could be heard each time the mantra repeated. When the crescendo of latest single ‘Retrograde’ came – “Suddenly I’m hit!” – the audience was swept up in a gorgeous wave of endlessly expanding buzzsaw synths. Blake returned for a brief encore, performing a cover of Mitchell’s ‘A Case Of You’ on grand piano, and received a well-deserved standing ovation. Adam Black
NG PHOTOGRAPHER : HENRY LEU :: ABOUT LST NIGHT :: HENRY S : TIM LEVY (HEAD HONCHO) OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHER :: SILVIA LOPEZ :: PAUL SMITH MAR LEY ASH :: NTH MAGNAN LEUNG :: KATRINA CLARKE :: AMA
BRAG :: 524 :: 05:08:13 :: 41
snap
marquee
PICS :: AMG
up all night out all week . . .
s.a.s.h
PICS :: HL
27:07:13 :: Marquee :: Star City Pyrmont 9657 7737
hands up
PICS :: HL
28:07:13 :: The Abercrombie Hotel :: 100 Broadway Ultimo 9280 2178
robert delong
PICS :: HL
27:07:13 :: FBi Social :: Kings Cross Hotel 248 William St 9331 9900
PICS :: HL
klaxons dj set
4th wall city ep launch
27:07:13 :: Oxford Art Factory :: 38-46 Oxford St Darlinghurst 9332 3711
42 :: BRAG :: 524 :: 05:08:13
PICS :: TL
24:07:13 :: The Standard :: 3/383 Bourke St Darlinghurst 9331 3100
26:07:13 :: Brighton Up Bar :: Level 1/77 Oxford St Darlinghurst 9361 3379
:: ABOUT LST NIGHT :: HENRY S : TIM LEVY (HEAD HONCHO) OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHER :: SILVIA LOPEZ :: PAUL SMITH MAR LEY ASH :: NAN MAG NTH LEUNG :: KATRINA CLARKE :: AMA
where’s your head at? QANTM COLLEGE
enrolnow SYDNEY CAMPUS | SEPTEMBER INTAKE
CERTIFICATE, DIPLOMA & DEGREE COURSES IN: GAMES PROGRAMMING GRAPHIC DESIGN INTERACTIVE DIGITAL MEDIA 2D AND 3D ANIMATION WEB DESIGN
FIND OUT MORE: qantm.com.au or call 1300 136 933 Level 2, 74-78 Wentworth Ave, Surry Hills, NSW Brisbane | Byron Bay | Sydney | Melbourne | Adelaide | Perth ©2013 Copyright Navitas SAE Holdings Pty Ltd. The SAE Logo ® is a registered Trade Mark. Disclaimer: Not all programmes and facilities are available in all locations. SAE CRICOS Provider Codes QLD 03204G | NSW 00312F | VIC 02047B | WA 02431E