BEACH ROAD HOTEL'S 21ST BIRTHDAY MEGA-BRATION
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PAOLO NOIOSI FROM WANDERING EYES I was young and thinking, ‘One day I’m going to start a cool fusion band blending all the flavours I love, just like the Chilis did.’ Your Band Wandering Eyes are a fusion 3. band from Byron Bay blending the
Growing Up Some of the earliest memories 1. I have are of listening to and watching my older brothers play music. They were a big musical influence to me, putting me onto all sorts of good stuff from Marley to The Doors. I guess growing up surrounded by a musical family
triggered a lot of things for me. My mother used to sing in theatre and hearing singing around the house surely inspired me to start at a very young age. As my brothers had a lot of musical instruments, I started on drums aged three and gradually progressed to piano and guitar.
Inspirations Wandering Eyes’ influences vary 2. from psychedelic rock to one drop reggae, which has definitely shaped and influenced the sound and style of the music we play. One album that really sticks out for me is Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Blood Sugar Sex Magik. I remember hearing that album when
styles of rock, reggae, hip hop and funk together with globally conscious and positive lyrics. We have been touring around the country for the last few months promoting our EP, WE, and are really looking forward to bringing our positive message to the people in Sydney. We have played at some pretty cool festivals with some amazing bands this year but the ones that stick out the most for us would have to be Bluesfest and Kuranda Roots Fest. We got to send our message out to some amazing crowds.
4.
The Music You Make We are about to release our EP worldwide for digital download in the next few weeks. We recorded it independently at our Byronbased studio last summer and it’s
been getting loads of regional and international airplay. The live show is a powerhouse performance with an energised stage performance and presentation. Music, Right Here, Right Now I think the Australian music 5. scene is the healthiest it has been in a long time, meaning there is some amazing Australian talent. Unfortunately a lot of the live music venues have been shutting down or going with other options but the truth of the matter is everyone loves live music. We have had really good experiences working with other bands in the past, both locally and interstate. I think Aussie musos have a great attitude and therefore make the events they put on really happening and positive. With: Frieda’s Boss, Ocean Alley, DJ Nick Toth Where: The Vanguard When: Sunday September 15 And: WE out now through Bandcamp
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EDITOR: Chris Martin chris@thebrag.com 02 9212 4322 ARTS EDITOR: Lisa Omagari lisa@thebrag.com 02 9212 4322 STAFF WRITERS: Alasdair Duncan, Jody Macgregor, Krissi Weiss NEWS: Chris Honnery, James Dunlop, Charli Hutchison, Mina Kitsos, Nick Timms, Lily White ART DIRECTOR: Sarah Bryant GRAPHIC DESIGN: Alan Parry SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER: Tim Levy SNAP PHOTOGRAPHERS: Capital H AKA Henry Leung, Katrina Clarke, Amath Magnan, Ashley Mar, Daniel Rouse ADVERTISING: Bianca Lockley - 0412 581 669 / (02) 9212 4322 bianca@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: James Dunlop, Rachel Eddie, Charli Hutchison, Olivia Kadir, Helen Vienne - gigguide@thebrag.com (rock) clubguide@thebrag.com (dance, hip hop & parties) AWESOME INTERNS: Mina Kitsos, Rachel Eddie, Therese Watson, Charli Hutchison, Olivia Kadir, James Dunlop, Nick Timms, Helen Vienne, Lucy Smith REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS: Nat Amat, Ben Cooper, Marissa Demetriou, Rachel Eddie, Christie Eliezer, Chris Honnery, Lachlan Kanoniuk, Jody Macgregor, Alicia Malone, Hugh Robertson, Jonno Seidler, Raf Seneviratne, Simon Topper, Rick Warner, Krissi Weiss, Augustus Welby, 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
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The Fabergettes
Your third birthday – the fairy cake, the passthe-parcel of (retrospectively, reasonably shitty) little gadgets, your Uncle Larry hitting on your Aunt May and his ensuing demise head first into aforementioned cake... Third birthdays are a big deal. So when the crown-wearing cats at Goodgod Small Club reach theirs, you know it’s set to be the cherry on top of their notorious beat-ravaging all-nighters. With a bill comprising hand-picked headliners from the past year, Saturday October 5 will be a sonic frenzy. Expect Montero’s psychedelic pop, the amplified R&B of The Murlocs and the room shaking dub of Standish/Carlyon, alongside Bed Wettin’ Bad Boys, Mining Boom, Alex Cameron, Four Door, Black Vanilla, Major Napier and Yo Grito!
POND
FBI SPRING PROM
Remember that time you got all dressed up, bought film for your faux vintage Polaroid and negotiated a reasonable curfew with the ’rents, only to be stood up by the lead jock in your high school? No? Lucky for you, FBi is set to help you fulfil your American dream with a Spring Prom. There will be no tears, contrived speeches or evil teachers. There will be a hell of a show by bubblegum punk outfit The Fabergettes to launch their Big Bruiser EP, alongside electronic beatmaker Alaskan Knight, surf-rock-meetsItalian-cinema purveyors La Tarantella, ’50s-style rock’n’roller Okin Osan and the FBi DJs also taking the stage. The Prom kicks off at 8pm on Friday September 13 at FBi Social. Secure a corsage – date optional.
Spring’s out and ’tis the perfect season to dive back into Pond. The semi-Tame-Impalians have just released the new clip for ‘O Dharma’, the five-minute epic shot in Super 8 film in a single afternoon at Perth’s Lake Gwelup. The psychedelic mavericks are on the brink of a nationwide tour to coincide with the release of their fifth studio album, Hobo Rocket. Their latest output is packed with grungy riffs and spine-tingling fuzz. The boys say they wanted to capture the raw energy of their live shows – so what happens when that’s all unleashed on stage? Find out on Friday December 20 when they turn the Metro into a hallucinatory hub of sounds, joined by noise shifters Doctopus.
The Grand Rapids
THE GRAND RAPIDS
What happens when you throw The Doors, The Brian Jonestown Massacre and some paisley in a blender? You get the ’60s serenade of The Grand Rapids. The psych rock minstrels are set to turn musical tides with their debut album Great Shakes this October, when they’ll drown the east coast in retro fuzz, intoxicating reverb, grappling drum hits and downright catchy melodies. Stretch out your neck and leg muscles, cause there’ll be a lot of tapping, and a lot more bopping. Feeble sing-along attempts will be forgiven. Speaking of rapid, you should probably get a wriggle on and secure tickets to their show at Brighton Up Bar on Friday October 8.
Melvins
JILL SCOTT SECOND SHOW
She’s won a Grammy, released multi-platinumselling albums and was named one of People Magazine’s 50 most beautiful people. So it’s understandable if you are a bit down about Jill Scott’s Sydney show being sold out. Thankfully, Scott will be bringing her jazz, R&B and hip hop stylings and her ten-piece band to a newly announced second Sydney performance at The Enmore Theatre on Monday November 25. Tickets for this one go on sale at 9am Tuesday September 10 through ticketek.com.au.
GIMME GIMME
The ’60s were a stellar decade for music. But so were the ’70s. And the ’80s. So why not form a band that traverses all three eras? All-star punk supergroup Me First and The Gimme Gimmes cover modern musical history, from pop anthems to slick R&B, country and western to rock’n’roll and psychedelia. For over a decade, they’ve conquered all manner of genres, classic hits and even different languages – check out their Sing In Japanese EP – and now they’re returning to our shores for a national tour. They bring their kaleidoscopic covers to Manning Bar on Wednesday October 2 and Newcastle’s Cambridge Hotel on Thursday October 3.
MELVINS AND HELMET
Melvin? You mean the general of the Martian army and descendant of Marvin who threatens to blow up the planet after his ship is attacked by fellow Looney Tunians? Not quite. The apocalyptic forces we’re talking about are Melvins and Helmet, set to assault audiences as they blow out thirty candles on their sonic cakes. Melvins have been pedalling hard rock and experimental sludge for the past three decades, releasing a “shitload” of albums with their most recent profoundly titled Everybody Loves Sausages. And if you’ve seen S.W.A.T., Titus, Saw or David Bowie live you will have already been pulled under Helmet’s overdrive-heavy spell. Joining forces, Melvins and Helmet are set to shred up The Hi-Fi on Sunday December 15 after stopping in at Meredith. You’d be Looney to miss out on these Tunes.
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welcome to the frontline: what’s goin’ on around town...with Mina Kitsos, Nick Timms and Charli Hutchison
five things WITH
Peace
JAN SKUBISZEWSKI FROM WAY OF THE EAGLE my Walkman and being totally blown away. Another record that I obsessed over was Radiohead’s The Bends. I spent so many nights learning all the guitar parts and then quickly running back to my homework when I heard one of my parents coming up the stairs. Your Band I have worked as a 3. songwriter/composer, producer
Growing Up I grew up in a musical home. 1. My father is a composer and my mother is a painter so there was a constant musical and creative presence. I spent my childhood on a property in the Otway Ranges in Victoria. I remember my dad always at the piano downstairs hammering away; Mum and my aunt blaring Dolly Parton and Cher records as they danced around the living room.
email: freestuff@thebrag.com
As I grew older my father became instrumental in my musical development. Inspirations I have many favourite 2. musicians, but a few stand out as life changing influences. I was probably no older than 12 when Dad gave me Jimi Hendrix’s Are You Experienced. I remember sitting in the back seat of the family car and listening to it on
Féfé
and engineer on many different projects over the years and Way Of The Eagle is my way of combining all my musical interests. I love collaborating with different musicians and singers and writing songs in the studio. I love working with old friends like The Cat Empire, Illy and Owl Eyes, and I also really like the challenge of meeting a new artist and not knowing each other at the start of the day and then having a track by the end of the evening.
album to be rooted in strong and catchy songwriting but also to make people want to get up and dance. I released the Rattlesnake EP early this year and am now completing my debut album, both through Sony Records. I have been rehearsing a really hot band and am excited to do some shows. I am also really touched that some of the great singers I have worked with are coming along to perform. Music, Right Here, Right Now 5. Having travelled a lot with my music, I think Australia is very unique. While being detached from the global music scene, I have noticed that this has led to a more carefree sense of creativity. Lately bands like Clairy Browne & The Bangin’ Rackettes and Tame Impala are showing a freedom in their music which is difficult to find elsewhere.
The Music You Make Way Of The Eagle’s musical 4. style is as diverse as the artists I have collaborated with but there is a musical thread that ties it all together. I wanted the
What: Rattlesnake out now through Sony Where: Upstairs Beresford When: Friday September 20 And: Appearing at BIGSOUND, Brisbane, on Tuesday September 12
Calling All Cars
PEACE
In need of a little peace and quiet? Latest UK sensation Peace are coming to Australia for the very first time and are set to showcase their debut album, In Love. This record is a carefully crafted wonder, produced by the famed Jim Abbiss (Adele, Arctic Monkeys). It follows in the baggy traditions of Madchester – The Stone Roses, Happy Mondays and early Oasis – but carries a contemporary sheen, highlighted by the boom single ‘Follow Baby’. Off the back of appearances at some of the world’s major music festivals including Glastonbury, T In The Park, Summersonic, Reading and Leads, and Bestival, Peace will be spreading the love on Saturday September 21 at the Oxford Art Factory, supported by Millions. We’re offering the chance to win one of two double passes to see the show – email freestuff@ thebrag.com and tell us how you’d inspire world peace.
CALLING ALL CARS
Though Calling All Cars’ third album won’t be released until 2014, there’s no need to howl with impatience, as the band has just unveiled the first official single, ‘Werewolves’. This release is a huge change in musical direction for the band, and comes after they dropped several hints on their social media sites and played secret shows in Melbourne under the name Werewolves. To support the new single and upcoming album, the band will be going on a seven-date tour, stopping by at Goodgod on Thursday October 10 and Newcastle’s Small Ballroom on Friday October 11. Indie punk trio Super Best Friends and Melbourne rockers The Sinking Teeth join the bill.
VIDA CAIN
Just because they are named after their lead singer’s grandma doesn’t mean that Vida Cain are uncool. In fact, the hard-hitting riff rock outfit from Perth are launching their debut album, The Rule Of Gravity, on a national tour, despite only forming last year. They take in The Annandale Hotel on Thursday October 10. Grandma Cain won’t be there, we promise.
SO FRENCHY, SO CHIC
The sun is glimmering in the sky, you’ve donned your favourite red beret and you’re chewing with petit bites on a golden croissant, ready to wash it down with a glass of rouge. ‘What could possibly make this moment any more perfect?’ you wonder blissfully. Why, friend, some of the finest French music of course! So Frenchy, So Chic In The Park made its debut earlier this year in Melbourne and the dreamy garden party will soon be host to wistful Sydneysiders. Kick back to first-class French pop with Lou Doillon, Lilly Wood & The Prick and Féfé providing la musique. Scribble Saturday January 18 at St. John’s College, Camperdown into your diaries.
THY ART IS MURDER
Ever since Australia’s favourite metal exports Thy Art Is Murder were dispatched to the US for the prestigious Summer Slaughter Tour, we’ve been awaiting their return like pure gold. Having played killer sets alongside hardcore royals The Dillinger Escape Plan and Norma Jean, Campbelltown’s deathcore magnates are back and ready to embark on a head-banger rampage, supporting Parkway Drive on their ten-year anniversary tour. Mosh to tracks from TAIM’s second album Hate on Thursday 26 September at Panthers Newcastle or on Wednesday 25 September at the UNSW Roundhouse. 6 :: BRAG :: 529 :: 09:09:13
Kinsky
PALMS
Indie rock outfit Palms have just dropped their debut effort, Step Brothers. The Sydney quartet has provided a solid, sun-drenched soundtrack of razor sharp tunes, including the single ‘Summer Is Done With Us’. In celebration of the release, the group has announced they’ll embark on a headlining east coast tour for October. On Saturday October 5, Palms will play Brighton Up Bar – but to warm up, you can also catch them supporting Cloud Control at Newcastle’s Bar On The Hill on Wednesday September 11 and Sydney’s Metro Theatre on Thursday September 12.
A NIGHT AT THE ROCK OPERA
A Night At The Rock Opera is back bigger and bolder than ever this November. The charity fundraiser extravaganza will showcase performances from rock’s greatest musicals, including Mamma Mia, We Will Rock You, Grease, Chess, Rent, Jesus Christ Superstar, Rocky Horror and many more. Kicking off at the State Theatre on Tuesday November 19, this year’s show boasts big Australian names from across the board: Glenn Shorrock, Casey Donovan, Catherine Britt and Monica Trapaga to name a diverse few who will be belting out a selection of classic sing-along hits. Raising money and awareness for the YWCA NSW mentoring and leadership programs for disadvantaged children, the show assists YWCA NSW in providing much needed funds to help vulnerable and at risk young people throughout their lives.
KINSKY
We’ve all been there – hiding the hideous dollar-store clip that’s hiding the even more hideous fringe you impulsively asked your apprentice hairdresser friend for. Thankfully, Sydney Fringe Festival is all the cutting edge without any edges actually being cut. The three-week fiesta will include local reggae trailblazers Kinsky performing cuts from recent release Sunset On The Good Flight. The roots-infused nine-piece are fresh from a tour of southern Asia, during which they mingled with roots legends, before heading to Spain to finish their record. They play Eliza’s Juke Joint on Friday September 13.
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Industrial Strength Music Industry News with Christie Eliezer
THINGS WE HEAR
* Drummer Nicky Bomba has left the John Butler Trio as one of his many side projects, the Melbourne Ska Orchestra, takes off in popularity. * The Strokes’ guitarist Albert Hammond Jr admitted to the NME, “I used to shoot cocaine, heroin and ketamine 20 times a day� from the age of 26 to 29. * Robin Thicke soon learned not to grope a girl’s buttocks when a photo was being taken, especially as a mirror behind reflected it all. The pic, taken at a MTV awards after party, went viral. The 20-year-old college student claimed to the media that Thicke followed her to a bathroom, turned off the lights and made out with her. Thicke’s wife, actress Paula Patton, sniffed that she was at the party with him and dismissed Lana Scolaro as an attention getter. * INXS’ Andrew Farriss and Shelley Blanks are selling their water’s edge mansion which comes with infinity pool and rooftop
MORE FESTIVALS HIT HARD TIMES
A mixture of cautious consumer spending and inter-festival bidding driving up artist fees has led to hard times for some festivals. In Victoria, Inversion Productions, the promoter of the Pyramid Rock Festival, announced that the nine-year event would not go ahead this year. Inversion blamed “tough economic conditions in recent years� and said “options will be explored for the festival to return on a permanent basis in 2014.� The inaugural Boomerang Festival, set up at Bluesfest’s site in Byron Bay for all Australians to celebrate indigenous culture, is down on numbers. Bluesfest and Boomerang promoter Peter Noble revealed that it needed to shift 3500 tickets per festival day to break even. But a month out it has just done 800-1000 per day. An angry Noble blamed metropolitan media, saying tickets sold where Boomerang got promotion. In central Sydney it’s sold just 74, and 75 in central Melbourne. “At one level
entertainment space. In the meantime, former co-owner of the Piano Room Mim Salvato’s Vaucluse place sold for $1.8 million. He didn’t get the money, though. It went to the Commonwealth Bank which threw him out of the house in December when he defaulted on a $1.6 million debt secured against the place. * Popster Reece Mastin posted that he’s got a new tatt of his grandfather on one arm to match the one of his grandmother on the other. * Passion Pit had most of their gear destroyed when a storm blew in at 70mph during their headlining set at Chicago’s North Coast Music Festival. * Wollongong’s Yours And Owls (Crown St) has been sold to Step-Panther drummer Daniel Radburn who’s changed the name to RAD. The previous owners continue as bookers and in promotions and told their patrons that the new team were “dope� and urged them to support them. “If they didn’t
apathy equals cultural apartheid ... if people remain apathetic, what that means is we don’t care about our indigenous Australians,� he told Fairfax Media. “If we really cared about our indigenous artists we would be spending the money. Reconciliation needs to happen in action.�
BIG NAMES FOR EMC
The second Electronic Music Conference (EMC) in December in Sydney has announced its first round of speakers. They include Tommie Sunshine, Ferry Corsten, Tommy Trash, Giuseppe Ottaviani, Krewella, Stafford Brothers, M4SONIC, Destructo, Grant Smillie, MaRLo and Nina Las Vegas. From the music industry are Richard Slatter (GM, Twitter Music), Gary Richards (HARD Events, LA), Matthew Adell (CEO Beatport), Kerri Mason (inthemix USA & Billboard), Richie McNeill, (MD, Stereosonic), Adam Zammit (CEO, Big Day Out), Jon Hanlon (Sony/Konkrete) and Dan Rosen (CEO, ARIA). The theme is an emphasis on Asia as an EDM market and Australia’s role in its growth.
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stick they’re [sic] hand up, you’d be stuck with another crappy bar playing bad dance music to plebs...� * David Bowie is adamant that he’s not touring again having a heart attack onstage in 2004. But next year marks the 50th anniversary of the release of his first single ‘Liza Jane’, under the name Davie Jones with the King Bees when he was 17. No doubt cheered by the fact that his first album in ten years went to number one in England, the Daily Mirror says two major promoters are dangling multi-million dollar carrots to get his thin white arse back on stage. * Vevo reported a 250% rise in streaming of Miley Cyrus videos following her twerking performance at the MTV VMAs. Through July, Vevo had a record 80 million streams, making it the third-biggest online video platform behind YouTube and Facebook. In Australia Vevo went live with Apple TV, with initial numbers “above expectations� according to MCM Media chief Simon Joyce.
SOL REPUBLIC CORRECTION
In last week’s column, we stated that Sol Republic is setting up a web shop in Australia. Its Australian and NZ distributor Convoy International confirmed it is not opening a Sol Republic web shop here or anywhere outside the US. Sol Republic products are available in retailers including Dick Smith, JB Hi-Fi, Harvey Norman and Culture Kings.
MALAYSIA BANS LAMB OF GOD
Lamb Of God have had to bin their September 28 show in Kuala Lumpur – which sold 1500 tickets – after Malaysia refused a permit in case they infringed its religious sensitivities and cultural values. One government department claimed they mixed metal music with sayings from Muslim holy book The Quran. Lamb Of God continue their shows this month in Thailand, Australia and New Zealand. Last year Malaysia banned Erykah Badu as a photo of her body art was offensive to Muslims.
WOO, MELI FIRE OFF PISTOL
Matty Woo and Gabby Meli launched Pistol Artist Services as a boutique company for artists, managers and agents. It offers support in areas such as administration, project and tour management, merchandise and marketing. Woo started out as roadie for The Beautiful Girls and then began tour managing acts like Angus & Julia Stone, The Fumes, The Cat Empire and The Goons of Doom before setting up Matty Woo Management with Dune Rats, Kid Mac and Ash Grunwald. Pistol will manage them and work admin for Mia Dyson. See pistolartistservices.com.
NEW DEALS FOR OUR LAST ENEMY Just Announced
Melvins (USA) & Helmet (USA) Sun 15 Dec
Rotting Christ (GRE) Fri 17 Jan
This Week
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RĂźfĂźs
Fri 13 Sep Fri 18 Oct
Supernova U18s Fest feat. Wasted Penquinz, Toneshifterz + More
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Regurgitator Fri 4 Oct
Disclosure (UK) Tue 1 Oct
Sun 15 Sep
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Dj Quik & Kurupt (USA)
Stratovarius (FIN)
Sun 6 Oct
Sat 19 Oct
Hits & Pits 2.0 feat Black Flag (USA )
Deerhunter (USA)
The Brian Jonestown Massacre (USA) Thu 19 Dec
Rap City feat. Talib Kweli (USA)
Spit Syndicate Sat 2 Nov: All Ages
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Australian heavy metal band Our Last Enemy’s Los Angeles-made album Fallen Empires and EP Wolves Of Perigord reached number one and number two on the iTunes Metal Charts. They recently joined Sydneybased booking agent Big Tree Artists and global digital distributor Alt Strum Productions while their track ‘10,000 Headless Horses’ was included on Rock Band 3 and Rock Band Blitz. Their latest project Engineering The Enemy features remixes of their songs by the likes of Mortiis (ex Emperor), Travis Neal (Divine Heresy), Angel (Dope/Team Cybergeist), Dismantled, Angelspit and Beano (The Berzerker).
HUSSY HICKS LEAD WINS AT THE DOLPHINS
Hussy Hicks’ The London Sessions took Album of the Year and best adult contemporary release at the North Coast’s Dolphin Awards. Organised by the North Coast Entertainment Industry Association since 1991, the Dolphins have 20 categories and were held at the Star Court Theatre. Song of the Year went to Jeff Joubert and Tim Tonkin for ‘Sailing’. Dual winners were Marshall Okell (male vocals, blues), Serinna McGrath (female, youth), Parissa Bouas (jazz, world/reggae) and Round Mountain Girls (folk, protest). Other winners were Daniel Pinkerton (production), Lionheir (music video), Reilly Fitzalan (alternative/indie), Brett Hamlyn (pop), Broadfoot (rock), Chris Staff (country), Oratrix (urban/hip hop/ funk) and Lawrence Kennedy (electronic).
WATSON SIGNS TEBBUTT
Management supremo John Watson added triple j fave and New England folk singer Dustin Tebbutt to his stable. Tebbutt lived in
Sweden for two years to make his Breach EP. Watson told us, “I first heard Dustin’s music on jjj and some friends were also talking about him a lot. He’s a genuine artist. We believe he can build a enduring connection with music fans both here and overseas and we’re looking forward to helping him do that over the years ahead.� Watson manages Silverchair, Missy Higgins, Birds Of Tokyo, Katy Steele and co-manages Pete Murray, Cold Chisel and Gotye.
SPLENDOUR HANDS OUT COMMUNITY GRANTS
Following the staging of Splendour in the Grass at North Byron Parklands, the two organisations teamed up to provide a total of $25,000 to local community groups. This year’s recipients were Shores United Soccer Club ($10,000), Tidy Towns Ocean Shores ($5000), Wires ($2000), Ocean Shores Primary School ($2000), Crabbes Creek Primary School ($2000), the Pocket Primary School ($2000) and Brunswick Heads Primary School ($2000). Splendour co-promoter Jessica Ducrou said Splendour had handed out $350,000 in cash in the past 13 years, and that every event staged at Parklands would do the same.
Lifelines Expecting: No Doubt’s Gwen Stefani and Bush’s Gavin Rossdale, their third. Expecting: Sydney singersongwriter Luke Hannigan (ex-LoTel) and actress Pia Miranda, their second child. They have a daughter, Lily, 3. Engaged: N’Sync’s Lance Bass popped the question to boypal Michael Turchin. Married: former Bachelor Girl singer Tania Doko in her home base of Stockholm, to her Swedish beau Daniel. He proposed to Doko on her birthday in May, during a boating trip to Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands. Marrying: former Guns N’ Roses drummer Matt Sorum and singer/ dancer Adriane ‘Ace’ Harper in Palm Springs, California, on October 12. They both play together in the band Diamond Baby. Injured: Andy Samuels, best friend of One Direction’s Liam Payne, ended with 20% burns on his face and hands after a patio heater exploded on the balcony of Payne’s apartment. 30 people fled the building. Samuels’ family hailed Payne a hero after he dragged him out of the fire. In Hospital: Angels/Skyhooks guitarist Bob Spencer had surgery this Monday for “my unwanted passenger, Eric the Tumour.� In Court: Kings Cross nightclub operator Adam Freeman faces a maximum sentence of life in jail after he pleaded guilty to the manufacture of 19.2 kilograms of ecstasy, worth an estimated $3 million. In Court: Melbourne rapper Mr Morgz (Corinthian Morgan), 28, of West Heidelberg, plead guilty in the Koori County Court to trading a stolen car, an armed carjacking and robbery in Preston, and an attempted armed robbery at a post office in Coburg North. Morgan, told the court he was consuming ice heavily for about six months before the crimes and did not remember committing them, and had not been sleeping or eating at the time. Morgz will be sentenced on September 17. Died: Queensland record producer and blues musician Tony Byrne, suddenly at his unit in Caloundra on the Sunshine Coast. Byrne began at Pyramid Studios, Electric Ladies and mostly recently Alan Pease’s Heliport Studios in Buderim. Among the acts he worked with were Rick Price, Doug Parkinson, Mark Williams and Adam Harvey. Byrne was also a singer and songwriter with his band The Mercurys.
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KELE A PARTY DIVIDED BY JODY MACGREGOR
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or a while there it started to seem like Bloc Party had stopped being a band and become some sort of complicated delivery system for Kele Okereke’s lyrics, a machine that provided the soundtrack for his words and ideas. A very talented machine for sure, but it wasn’t really what the legions of fans of their debut album Silent Alarm had signed up for. However, although it was experimental and drifted away from dance rock into surprisingly heavy territory a couple of times, the 2012 album Four definitely sounded like the output of the same band that made Silent Alarm working together. The recent Nextwave Sessions EP helped confirm that, with songs like ‘Ratchet’ clearly the product of a bunch of guys having fun playing together again. It seemed like the side projects most of the group enjoyed during Bloc Party’s hiatus gave them a renewed purpose. Bass player Gordon Moakes formed post-hardcore outfit Young Legionnaire, guitarist Russel Lissack signed up for a tour as part of Ash’s live band and put out an album with Pin Me Down, and Okereke had his solo album The Boxer and then its follow-up EP The Hunter. He also became a DJ, which is what brings him back to Australia this time – he’ll be doing a DJ set at the Beach Road Hotel’s 21st birthday party. Okereke’s described these sideline activities as being like affairs, but he means it in a good way; they make him appreciate what he’s got waiting for him back home. You played the Future Music Festival in Australia earlier this year – at the Brisbane show there was pouring rain and mud. What was the festival like from your point of view? Hmm, I had a nice time. Being from England we are pretty much used to the rain so it didn’t put us off and I was glad to see everyone there still having a blast. Did you get to see PSY backstage at Future? No, but I remember our drummer got mistaken for PSY at a nightclub in Adelaide and he got really offended. A few years ago you got to write an ‘Indie Sex Doctor’ column for The Guardian. How did it feel to be a sex guru, and is it something you’d do again? I like telling people what to do in sticky situations, I’m a real busy body. So sure, if I was asked I’d totally love to do it again. When you’re DJing do you have the entire setlist locked down in advance or do you change it as you go along, depending on how people react? You have a basic outline but that always goes out the window when you start to play. A good performance is a two-way thing, you feed off the energy you are given and then you funnel it back into the crowd. Do you take requests? No. Do you get a kick out of confounding people’s expectations? I get a kick out of keeping myself interested. That’s the only thing I really care about. So you don’t read the comments? Opinions are like arseholes, everyone has one. What’s some of the more memorable music you’ve heard this year? I’ve really enjoyed the Jon Hopkins record, Immunity. When you’re between shows in Australia, what do you do to keep occupied? I read, I walk around, I meditate, I eat. I like the food in Australia, it’s very bountiful. Are Australian audiences different from audiences elsewhere in specific ways? I think music is appreciated much more in Australia. You guys love celebrating. When Bloc Party play live I love to hear Australian audiences singing back the lyrics of my songs, you can really hear your accents. Is The Nextwave Sessions named after the Marvel comic? (What with ‘X-Cutioner’s Song’ on there as well I figured there might be a chance.) No, The Nextwave Sessions was just an image I had whilst we were recording. The only track with any Marvel affiliation is the ‘X-Cutioner’s Song’ – which was a crossover storyline that ran in the early ’90s. Kyle Marquis said, “Unless you’re over 60, you weren’t promised flying cars. You were promised an oppressive cyberpunk dystopia. Here you go.” How do you feel about living in the future? It doesn’t feel like the future to me, it feels like the present. What’s next for you? All work and no play makes Kele a very dull boy... What: The Beach Road Hotel’s 21st Birthday Mega-Bration With: DZ Deathrays, Mystery Headlining DJ, Sosueme DJs When: Wednesday September 11 And: Kele plays alongside Hermitude, Alison Wonderland, Bleeding Knees Club, Kid Mac and more at the Thredbo Efterski Festival, September 12-14
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Calexico Mescaline Tales By Krissi Weiss Some artists can’t even stand to listen to their own music let alone allow themselves to have true, uninhibited fun on stage. They rattle off clichéd lines to the crowd, they tell the story that has gotten a laugh for the past 30 shows and they do anything and everything bar have fun. Performing, playing a role or creating a character for the live environment is vital for some artists but Calexico’s music has always lent itself to vulnerability and open-palmed honesty. It’s the key to their success so far and its growth is a testament to their passion. “Last year we were playing in Paris and it was one of those super-hot and sweaty clubs and we were like, ‘Alright, let’s just try and do our best,’ and once I got over that threshold of, ‘This is going to be so uncomfortable,’ it felt so good to be in that environment,” Burns says. “We were all together, all sweating, all feeling the same thing. I was seeing people up in the balconies fanning themselves and it made me feel like that is what it must’ve been 100 years ago when people played music. It opened me up and I was suddenly improvising a lot, which the band tell me they really enjoyed. Those are the moments where you lose yourself and those are the moments that make it all so special.”
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mericana/Tex-Mex/folk luminaries Calexico are swaggering their way around the globe yet again. Nearing their 20-year anniversary, Calexico are a blisteringly confident band whose passion for the music they create hasn’t once dwindled in their times together. As frontman Joey Burns explains, being each other’s biggest fans has made their career so much easier.
Last year’s Calexico release, Algiers, was recorded in New Orleans – the first of their albums in many years not recorded at the WaveLab Studio in Tucson. “I don’t care if [a studio is] total low fidelity or [has] all of the best technology – it has to have soul; whatever it takes to get the best possible story is all that
matters,” says Burns. “We travel both inside and outside of ourselves to do that and it’s challenging. It evokes change and it evokes emotion and it challenges the spiritual makeup of who we are – the really good and the really bad – so while I try not to let too many filters in, we are very open to whatever it takes to get that sound.” Part of what it takes is substituting ego for servitude – so many bands fail to realise that it doesn’t matter how well you play your instrument or how many notes you can squeeze into a syncopated rhythm, if it doesn’t serve the song no-one will care. “It’s incredible how much restraint these six or seven band members can show when we play live, and when that’s needed. They might be playing just one or two things and just waiting until that moment when things build and that’s what makes our sound so special … It’s something I saw a lot playing in jazz groups in high school and classical groups in college; it was fun to be restrained and to serve the song as well as be able to listen to what is being created. The rising and falling of energy, that is what brings so much joy to people on both sides of a gig.” With: Tiny Ruins Where: Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House When: Sunday September 22
The Naked And Famous Under The LA Sun By Alasdair Duncan in any way. “I don’t know about directly,” she says after a while. “There’s a lot of breathing room on this album, especially compared with the last one, which is quite loud and bright and fast. I feel like, when you compare the two, perhaps this record feels a bit more gradual … Los Angeles is a sprawling city, with a lot of space, and I feel like there’s a lot of space on this record, so some of that might have filtered in unconsciously.”
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hen the other members of The Naked And Famous said they wanted to move to Los Angeles to work on their second album, singer Alisa Xayalith wasn’t entirely sold on the idea. “We’d passed through the city a few times,” she says, “but the only part of it we really saw was Hollywood, where everything is really tacky and touristy. It didn’t make a good impression, and wasn’t the kind of place I wanted to be.” She eventually agreed – in part, thanks to a book she had been reading called Girls Like Us, about Joni Mitchell, Carole King and Carly Simon living and working in Los Angeles in the 1970s. The band rented a house in the tree-lined
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Laurel Canyon neighbourhood, and as soon as they arrived Xayalith was won over. The group lived and recorded in a palatial ’70s house – a five-bedroom dwelling fit for the most decadent of rock stars, with mustard yellow walls, red velvet curtains, a sauna and a chandelier by the front door. “There were speakers everywhere,” Xayalith says, “and old radios built into the walls that would crackle and hum when you turned the dials. There was a hilarious bathroom that we called the powder room – the taps were golden cherubs.” The house was insanely ostentatious, but when the band met its owner, the whole thing
made sense. “She was this cool, crazy old lady, and the whole thing totally suited her,” laughs Xayalith. “I loved the whole Laurel Canyon area. There are coyotes and skunks and hummingbirds all over, and everything’s just trees and wildlife – it’s a magical place.” The second Naked And Famous album, In Rolling Waves, arrives this week, and it delivers on the promise of the band’s debut, presenting 12 tracks of beautiful, gauzy electro pop. The songs are slower and dreamier this time around, with more of a sense of space and longing, and I ask Xayalith if the Los Angeles landscape itself influenced them
When writing the batch of songs that would become their second album, The Naked And Famous had the live stage firmly in mind. Following the success of their debut album, Passive Me, Aggressive You, the band found themselves on the road for nearly two years, and this experience greatly influenced their approach in the studio. “All that time we spent on the road for the first one was really valuable, because it made us work and it made us better musicians,” Xayalith says. “This time, we were all able to push ourselves a bit further. For example, there’s a song on the new album called ‘Reunion’, and if we end up playing it live, I’m going to be playing guitar and some of the percussion bits.” “With the first album, we had some technical difficulties being able to play all the songs just right, so with the second, we wanted to make sure we could play everything live. That’s really how we approached the songwriting and production for this record.” The band wanted to be able to play every note of the album onstage, adamant about not relying on pre-recorded tracks for the show. “We figured if we can’t play it, then we won’t play it. “If someone wrote something we couldn’t play, then we’d go back to the drawing board and
work on it until we could. We crafted each person’s part on each song so it was the best it could be – the best bassline, the best vocal performance – and we can play everything you hear on the record live.” The Naked And Famous found success very quickly thanks to singles like ‘Young Blood’ – for a while there, it was everywhere you turned, on the radio and in TV commercials. Fortunately, the demand for the band and the subsequent touring brought them closer together. “We’re really lucky in that sense, because some bands can’t stand the sight of each other at the end of a tour, but by the end we’d really become a little family. We’re five Kiwis away from home, travelling the world, but we always feel like we’re back at home when we’re around each other. I miss my family but I’ve never had an extreme case of feeling homesick or anything like that.” I have to ask – as a woman touring the world with four men, have the last few years been a crash course in all the gross things boys do when left to their own devices? “No, not at all!” Xayalith says. “I grew up with three brothers, so I’m used to being the only girl around. I have a sister, but she’s 12 years older, so she wasn’t really around when I was a kid. I spent a lot of time with boys, so I’ve seen it all, I’ve heard it all, and I’m not fazed by any of their gross habits. I think my early life trained me up for this kind of environment, for sure.” What: In Rolling Waves out Friday September 13 through Island Records Australia
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“We’ve been playing together for such a long time that we really enjoy watching each other have a great time onstage,” Burns says. “We love playing with each other and playing with the crowd in equal measures.”
The confidence seems to come from a place of contentment. While Calexico have always pushed the boundaries of orchestration and instrumentation, there have been times when their experimentation has come at a cost. When you’re a thinking man’s band, it’s paramount to ensure the audience is never isolated – and the cure for any prospective inaccessibility is finding the right sound. “After years of trying to find that optimal sound – similar to what you try to do in the studio as well – when you try to find that sound in the live space, you get to feel that energy that transcends everything around you and you get to finally enjoy it completely.”
Burns goes on, discussing the notion of artistic authenticity and his own moment of realisation. “There was a writer here in Tucson, Arizona, who in his time had met Henry Miller and John Steinbeck at UCLA when they were doing research for their writing. At the time I met him my grandfather had passed away and he was this older influence, and he said to me, ‘You can’t fake it’ – in this 80-year-old voice. It’s so true because every time you try it leaves everyone feeling cold. I think that is the spirit of what makes up our band.”
“After years of trying to fi nd that optimal sound … you get to feel that energy that transcends everything around you and you get to fi nally enjoy it completely.”
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club Fighting The Demons By Callum Fitzpatrick
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t’s 2am in Italy when Black Rebel Motorcycle Club bassist and singer Robert Levon Been picks up the phone, so I wasn’t exactly expecting a chirpy reaction from the Californian. To my surprise, he’s sounding as alert as ever. “This is actually my prime time,” he laughs. “I ask to do my interviews in the early hours as it’s when I’m most awake. When I’m on tour, I’m an insomniac and I’ll just stay awake all night and sleep all day. It’s also good because I hit peak energy when I’m onstage at 10pm. The problem is that I can’t come down after that, so I’m just fucking up all night, every night.”
It’s been a rough few years for Been – his father Michael, the frontman and bass player for ’80s cult band, The Call, and BRMC’s sound man and mentor, died of a heart attack on tour with the band in August 2010. The garage rockers’ seventh album Specter At The Feast almost functioned as a coping mechanism for the band, with Been previously saying, “The only thing that felt good was just getting together, plugging in, and turning up loud as shit. It was kind of this therapeutic process, playing really loud, and just feeling this energy; letting that be a release. It really helped us pull out of that darkest place that we were in.” Now, half a year after the record’s release, Been says the band has had time to refl ect. “Right around now is when the songs start to take a defi nite shape live and they become their own monsters. The first month of release you’re used to hearing those recordings and you’re imagining everyone hearing them for the first time, so you want to represent them as closely as possible. But after a while they start growing and changing for the live environment. We’re at that stage where we’re just having fun hearing them mutate.”
wants everything, but as soon as they get it, they put it out of their mind. So it’s nice to have something special and unobtainable for people to look forward to when they come out to shows.” BRMC will be heading Down Under for Harvest Festival later this year and Been appears genuinely humbled by the opportunity. “You’re not guaranteed to make it outside your country after every album. I feel that we could probably get to Europe and fail, but you don’t get to fucking Australia and Japan without a little bit of luck and a good response from the record. It’s always a good feeling to fi nd out there’s been a proper invitation to play there. It feels like we did something right.” What: Harvest Festival in the Domain With: Massive Attack, Franz Ferdinand, Volcano Choir, Goldfrapp, Eels, The Drones, The Wallflowers and more When: Saturday November 16 And: Specter At The Feast out now through Abstract Dragon/Cooperative
ADRIAN BOHM IN ASSOCIATION WITH OFF THE KERB PRODUCTIONS PRESENT
The UK’s biggest-selling comedian and star of Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow
“When you record something, you have a series of moments of surrender ... there’s a point you need to try and stop fucking with it, the song is not entirely yours anymore.” Even though the latest release is still fresh in the minds of many of BRMC’s notoriously faithful fan base, the group has already started to formulate ideas for their next album. “It’s mostly just the music and rough melodies at the moment,” Been says. “Some words come here and there in the moment, but it’s difficult to focus on one continual thought. You’re resonating on a feeling and you need time to daydream on it … On the road, this process is continually hijacked – as much as you try and stay in one state of mind, as soon as you play a two-hour set you’re in a different state, you’re wherever the audience’s energy is at. It breaks the spell and that’s why it’s hard to write words and fi nish songs. Once we get home we usually have tonnes of half songs and early ideas that become what we eventually create for the album and they still have that raw energy to them.” But Been adds that knowing the point in which a song is ready to be turned into a tangible product is a constant struggle for the band. “I feel like a song is never done, really. There are tracks from the first record that still have room to grow. When you record something, you have a series of moments of surrender. The first one is when you first release the record, then it’s when you play the song live and then there’s a point you need to try and stop fucking with it as you have to be respectful of the fact that the song is not entirely yours anymore. I never like to look at a track as ‘fi nished’ because sometimes they are still changing and sometimes they get better. Actually, usually they do.” The downside to this never-ending evolution of music is that you inevitably fi nd fl aws in a song’s first pressing. “You wish you could go back sometimes, but then again, changing a song live makes it special for the people that come out and see us. It’s especially important these days where everything’s so available and people have such a collector-obsessed mindset – they download B-sides and rare versions of everything. Now a lot of people are like, ‘I’m gonna get 10,000 fucking songs on my iTunes. I’ll barely listen to any of them, but I’ve got them and they’re mine’. Everyone thebrag.com
LIA A R T S U A N I E FIRST TIM “The UK's most loved and treasured comedy performer today.” THE GUARDIAN
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Vista Chino War And Peace By Augustus Welby
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n late 2010 three original members from Californian stoner rock giants Kyuss (drummer Brant Bjork, singer John Garcia and bassist Nick Oliveri) got together to perform Kyuss songs live for the first time since the band split in 1995. Founding guitarist Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age) chose not to get involved, thus preventing it from being an official Kyuss reunion. Calling themselves Kyuss Lives!, last year the group announced intentions to record new music, but Homme firmly objected to their use of the Kyuss brand name. Along with Kyuss’ second bass player, Scott Reeder, Homme instigated legal proceedings and a court case that ultimately prohibited music being released under the name Kyuss Lives! On the phone from his family home, John Garcia, vocalist of the recently renamed Vista Chino, sounds utterly shocked about being taken to court by his former bandmates. “I don’t like a parking ticket, let alone a speeding ticket, let alone a fucking federal lawsuit that’s slapped on me,” he exhales. “I don’t want anything to do with that. It could have been handled in one simple phone call but I guess Josh Homme was too busy to call me and say, ‘Either change the name or I’m going to sue you’.” Like crude online rants and vegan diets, such messy legal affairs are increasingly serving to destroy any godlike mythology in modern rock music. Garcia speaks incredulously about the nature of the court case. “He thought we were trying to steal the name Kyuss, and that’s the most ridiculous, asinine thing I’ve ever heard in my entire life.” When Kyuss Lives! first began touring, a reunion with Homme actually seemed quite feasible. However, any hope of the entire classic lineup reforming has now essentially been quashed. “You know what, I don’t like those guys. I don’t like Josh Homme, I don’t like Scott Reeder. Who does like somebody after they’ve been suing you? Fuck those guys! I don’t care if an elephant fell out of the sky and landed on both of those guys. I don’t give a shit,” Garcia fumes.
Rather than wallow in dismay, the band promptly renamed itself and last week released a record of all-new Vista Chino material, ironically titled Peace. Garcia has no scruples admitting the album bears close resemblance to Kyuss. “There’s going to be some similarities there. I was the singer for Kyuss, Brant Bjork was one half of the writing force of Kyuss, Nick Oliveri plays on that record; that’s three-quarters of Kyuss. Songs like ‘Dargona Dragona’, ‘Sweet Remain’ [and] ‘Gambling Moose’ remind me of Kyuss, but there’s some departure. A song like ‘Barcelonian’ – that songs talks about departure and exploration. There’s a lot of freedom in there, there’s a lot of exploration in there – and there’s some familiarity.” Although Oliveri took part in the initial Kyuss Lives! tours and plays on the majority of the record, Garcia confirms he is not an official band member. “Nick Oliveri is not in Vista Chino. I think he wanted to be a part of in-thestudio and being on these songs. We have a lot of respect for Nick and he’ll always be the honorary bass player of Vista Chino, but Vista Chino’s really a three-piece. It’s myself, Brant Bjork and [guitarist] Bruno Fevery.” Joined by bass player Mike Dean from heavy metal veterans Corrosion of Conformity, Vista Chino are currently traversing the globe in support of the new record. Although they’re bolstered by a batch of new material, Garcia resiliently rejects any speculation they’ll cease performing Kyuss songs. “Josh Homme and Scott Reeder did not take my joy away. I won by still being able to sing those songs whenever I want, however I want, wherever I want and I plan to do so. I plan to sing ‘Supa Scoopa And Mighty Scoop’, ‘Gardenia’, ‘100 Degrees’, ‘Whitewater’ – whatever it might be – as long as I’m on this earth.” What: Peace out now through 3Wise Records
“I don’t like Josh Homme, I don’t like Scott Reeder. Who does like somebody after they’ve been suing you? Fuck those guys!”
The Jungle Giants Fast Learners By Rachel Eddie
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risbane’s The Jungle Giants have found their feet in the music industry far more easily than most, and in their mere two years have quickly become one of Australia’s most loved indie pop bands. Frontman Sam Hales has only one word to describe how he felt in the lead-up to the release of Learn To Exist: “Excited”. And it’s hardly surprising – the band’s debut album had been pre-ordered and streamed online by the thousands prior to its release. Now the album’s out, the buzz surrounding it has all but settled as the foursome gears up for its national tour next month. And if you’re looking forward, you and the Giants have that in common. “It’s epic to be on tour. We love playing, we love going to different cities and crowd-surfing on people we’ve never met before … It’s funny, at first I didn’t know I loved performing. When we made the [self-titled debut] EP we’d never done a gig. It was just about writing songs and getting some songs out there. But since [starting] touring and since learning what it’s like to be on tour, it’s just epic, man.” Any and all who’ve enjoyed their music – live or otherwise – can attest to Hales’ remarkable songwriting, and it seems he enjoys writing music as much as the fans dig hearing it. “I feel like if you want to do music, you’ve got to do music. You’ve got to work on your songwriting … It’s the main thing that gets me out of bed, I guess. It’s what I like doing and it makes me happy. I think if the band wasn’t together, I’d just have another band, you know, I’d just be writing songs. And if no-one was listening to it, I’d still be writing songs.” Thanks to Learn To Exist producer Magoo (Regurgitator, Butterfingers), songwriting has become a pretty sweet gig for Hales, and the recording process was “one of the best things I’ve ever done.” The foursome recorded the album, rather fittingly, in the
bush (jungle/bush, potato/potahto), at a cathedral-cum-recording studio one hour west of Brisbane. “That was the sickest, most liberating experience ever,” says Hales about the month they spent there. “We partied real hard, chilled, recorded, had a really good time and played heaps of Xbox.” So far, “the response has been sick” to Learn To Exist, but after making triple j’s Hottest 100 of 2012 with their single ‘She’s A Riot’, expectations must certainly be high. “Getting into the Hottest 100 was so weird. We couldn’t believe it. We were at my house. Me and [Andrew] Dooris were on my living room floor getting kind of drunk listening to the Hottest 100, and then our song came on and we just freaked out. We just got up and danced. We just, like, ran around the kitchen skolling beer. We didn’t know what to do! That was the best feeling and if that could happen again then that would be sick, that would be a dream come true.” With Hales joined by Dooris on bass and vocals, Cesira Aitken on guitar and Keelan Bijker on drums, The Jungle Giants are known for their energetic shows. “The tour is coming up real fast in October, the tickets are on sale now, it’s all-ages shows and we’re playing everywhere. It’s, like, the biggest tour we’ve ever done; we’re just excited and anyone who wants to come should just get a ticket. And the album’s out … so get that shit.” If Hales is as good a showman as he is a salesman, the gigs are sure to be wild. What: Learn To Exist out now through Amplifire Music With: Northeast Party House, The Creases Where: Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle (18+) / Metro Theatre, Sydney (all ages) When: Friday October 11 / Saturday October 12
Parkway Drive Speedracer By Krissi Weiss
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hose rambunctious lads collectively known as Parkway Drive are celebrating ten years together – they grow up fast don’t they? To celebrate they’re throwing the obligatory anniversary tour and a DVD has appeared as well, but more importantly it’s a time of reflection; a time when frontman Winston McCall is finding himself filled with the wisdom of hindsight and the nostalgia of time.
McCall is honest about the growth the band has undergone in their time together – and never has that been as obvious to him as it is now. “Generally bands get big off a few songs and then they put out albums and nothing
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So has there been a slight cringe at some of Parkway’s older catalogue? “There’s more than a slight cringe,” he laughs. “Some of the stuff I’m so stoked on and I really enjoy, and then there are other songs where we’re like, ‘What the fuck were we on when we wrote this piece of shit?’ There’s a few songs that we’ve played and after three minutes it’s like, ‘What, another riff? Nothing’s repeated and there’s been 30 riffs in this song.’ We literally wrote songs starting with a riff and then the next part was another riff and another riff and once a riff was done we never went back to it. We listen to it now and it’s the most boring thing on the planet. The songs that are fantastic are a hell of a lot shorter.” The reason for the obtuse playing was less about arrogance and more about ignorance. “It wasn’t really an ego thing – I think it was just that we had no idea how to write music,” McCall says. “It’s really only been recently that we’ve gone through that change. Literally
the last album, or even in writing newer stuff, we’ve finally realised that certain instruments have to fulfill certain roles at certain times. You can’t just be this free-flowing, creative spirit all the time or you just have everyone smashing noise at once. The biggest learning curve for us has been to learn when to restrain yourself, and it’s only been recently that we’ve really learned that.” After ten years, does Parkway Drive have a future? “We hope so. We still love making music and we’re talking about writing a new album really soon. Having said that, you
never know when we’re all gonna just crack the shits with each other and bail – but it seems to be going really well for now.” When: Tuesday September 24, Wednesday September 25 Where: UNSW Roundhouse (all ages) And: Parkway Drive play Panthers, Newcastle (all ages) on Thursday September 26 More: Also appearing on the Vans Warped Tour at Barangaroo, Sydney on Sunday December 1 and Exhibition Park, Canberra on Friday December 6
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Parkway Drive photo by Adam Elmakias
First things first, though, the band has to relearn a whole heap of songs they haven’t played in a very long time. “It’s actually going really well,” McCall says. “We have plans for the shows but we need to jam and learn songs again initially. We’re playing a pretty strong retrospective tour so we’re literally learning songs we haven’t played in eight years – that’s what is the most interesting part. There are only about three songs that we’ve ever written that never made it to a live set. There are gonna be songs that people haven’t heard just because they weren’t around when we were playing them, but other than that there’s nothing completely un-done before.”
lives up to those first songs,” he says. “For us, the old songs created a lot of passion but the band has grown and grown and the newer the song the better it is. It’s really good for us to go back and do this but at the same time we don’t know if people actually wanna hear this music or if there’ll be an awkward hour of songs with people tuning out.”
The 1975 High School Musical By Jody Macgregor
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here’s a disconnect between the way The 1975 look – dressed in black, rake-thin and artistically haired – and the way they sound, because the songs on their self-titled debut album are gigantic pop-rock things made of teenage sing-along choruses and 1980s drums. It’s easy to imagine them playing over the finale of a high school movie like The Breakfast Club; Judd Nelson pumping his fist while The 1975’s Matthew Healy sings about finding love. “Exactly, that’s exactly it,” Healy agrees. “Every song is like the credits song from a different John Hughes movie, that’s kind of the vibe. Like, I’m a bit mental so I could probably tell you 30 different vibes that I want the album to be, but that John Hughes/Cameron Crowe element is what it needs to be.” The one thing that stops The 1975’s songs from sounding like they come from American high school movies is how English Healy’s voice is. He’s got one of those Russell Brand accents that sound posh but also degenerate. No surprise he went to a private school, although not for long. “There was this thing where somebody started arranging a fight club. Somebody found an old pair of boxing gloves and we organised this club where two people fought each other and you got one glove each, and then we used to charge people 50p to come into the changing room and watch it. Then one
time everybody got caught and I was the one dealing with all the money like some fucking Don King character in the basement of this school. They weren’t very happy about that.” At Healy’s next school he ingratiated himself with the music department for safety. “I pretty much was in every school band in some capacity. They literally wouldn’t be able to do their shows without me, so I utilised that as some leeway with regards to how little work I got away with doing.” That was how he first met the other members of what would eventually become The 1975 and, aged 13, formed a band. They didn’t sound much like they sound today. “We used to play our cover of ‘Ghostbusters’. It was playground punk. Pop-punk and really, really famous punk songs, and then like, The Jam and The Clash and stuff like that. It was very, very obvious young person’s music.” The
band had the opportunity to play their youthful tunes thanks to a regular event at the local senior citizens’ centre, which hosted bingo during the week and then each weekend was trashed by teenagers with guitars. “After the first one of them it became this genuine counterculture,” Healy says. “We’re from a very middle class, middle-of-the-road place in Wilmslow, in Cheshire. Fuck all happens there. There’s not necessarily a lot of financial strife, there’s not a lot of money, there’s no counterculture remotely, it’s just a very boring place. Every single kid Tin the surrounding towns used to come down to these shows that were put on, these youth band shows, and it very quickly, over a matter of weeks and months, became this fuckin’ debauched night where every kid would come and get plastered drunk, everybody was on drugs and everybody was in a band.”
Some of those kids carried on with music – one of them’s in Editors – but Healy’s crew were the most determined to do this forever. When he talks about how focused he is it sounds almost unhealthy. “I’m so consumed by this band and what I do, and I think that’s possibly had a derogatory effect, maybe on my relationships or the development of my skills in other areas,” he laughs. What: Big Day Out 2014 Where: Sydney Showgrounds With: Pearl Jam, Arcade Fire, Blur, Snoop Dogg AKA Snoop Lion, Major Lazer, Flume, Tame Impala, Mac Miller and more When: Sunday January 26 / Monday January 27 And: The 1975 out Friday September 13 through Sony
Cory Branan Dog Day Afternoon By Krissi Weiss
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ississippi-born, Nashville-based singer-songwriter Cory Branan was always going to be heavily infl uenced by his surroundings. The deep south of America is the birthplace of blues and roots, and while that sound sits heavily upon his music, he still grew up as a skater kid gorging on grunge and metal. Thankfully he’s found a home on Bloodshot (the record label also home to Justin Townes Earle, Murder By Death and many more) and as such, a place for him to create music that somehow manages to be at home in some truly eclectic spaces. It’s almost always him alone onstage with his guitar and yet he’s opened for bands as contrasting as The Gaslight Anthem and Chuck Ragan.
xxx by Leslie Montgomery
Branan’s heavy southern drawl sounds almost like a parody and is the perfect disguise behind which he’s able to blend a pleasant balance of confi dent charm and self-deprecation. “I’ve been doin’ a whole lot of nothin’ today,” Branan laughs. “I’m sitting in on electric guitar for a friend’s gig tonight, so I’ve been learning her songs. She’ll probably never ask me to do it again but it’ll be fun this time. She normally plays with her husband and he’s a spectacular guitar player. I get the job done, you know? But, you know…” he trails off in an almost diabolical chuckle as the innuendo is left to hang in the air. His latest album, Mutt, was released midway through last year to a bevy of praise, and was followed by a heap of touring. Playing solo gives Branan the freedom to keep things interesting after a year of playing the same album, but you can’t help but get the distinct impression that if he became bored with the gigs, he just wouldn’t bother. “Because I play solo mostly, I’m not beholden to any arrangements,” he says. “I can keep myself amused when playing the songs for months and months. You know, I think that’s what keeps other people
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interested too, if they can see that you’re actually enjoyin’ yourself on stage. The newer stuff is a little rootsier and a little more country-infl uenced but it’s still all over the place. Growing up in Mississippi I was exposed to all kinds of roots music, but I was still a little hood rat with a skateboard and MTV, and it all came at me at the same time. I was listening to American folk at the same time I was listening to Iron Maiden – it was just whatever I could get my hands on.” You can hear that in each and every track as well as see it in the gig choices Branan has made – but has the scattergun approach made it difficult for him to aim his career in a sustainable direction? “Not really. That’s why I was so happy to be working with Bloodshot. They’re a label that do a heap of music that doesn’t really fi t in any designated area of the freezer section – you never know what you’re gonna get when you reach in there – so it’s great to have a label that supports that so much. Using the word ‘career’ [for] what I do for a living is a very generous word [laughs]. But yeah, I do get the chance to tour a lot with a whole lot of different artists; I’ve got to open up for Dashboard Confessional … and also play with my friends in the punk world. I’ve always believed that a song is a song, you’re just playing music for people, and when you’ve got less up there for them to baulk at they have to really take in the song. Unless they just hear my accent and write me off immediately as a hick.”
Lamb Of God Take Away The Sins By Lachlan Kanoniuk
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ollowing on from the release of last year’s excellent Resolution, and a crushing run at Soundwave Festival, Virginian metal titans Lamb Of God endured what turned out to be the band’s most eventful year of existence. The album’s touring cycle was fractured by the arrest of frontman Randy Blythe (the details of which have been covered to the point of exhaustion), but is now back in full swing following his subsequent acquittal. As such, Lamb Of God are returning to Australia this September along with contemporaries Meshuggah. Long-serving guitarist Mark Morton runs us through the band’s upcoming filmic vision (named As The Palaces Burn, after the band’s 2003 album), Lamb Of God’s legacy, and the global resonance of metal in general. “[The film] really just follows us along what wound up being a very, very eventful tour cycle for Resolution,” explains Morton. “It picks up with the idea that the band is going to some pretty exotic places in different parts of the world that not a lot of bands go to, and doing character studies on a series of people and the impact that heavy metal in general has on their lives. The film evolves into a more candid look into some of the things going on with the band.”
With: Jen Buxton Where: Lass O’Gowrie Hotel, Newcastle / Brighton Up Bar, Sydney When: Friday September 13 / Saturday September 14 And: Mutt out now through Bloodshot Records
As well as featuring selections from the band’s canon, the documentary will showcase original score compositions from Morton. “There’s certainly some Lamb Of God music in there, because of the fact it shows us on tour. I would say I composed and performed most, not quite all, of the original music for the score. It was different, which is why it was such an exciting project for me. You’re not writing a heavy metal song, you’re really setting the mood for a scene … It’s really a different approach than
anything I’ve done before, which is why I got so much out of it.” The film articulates how Lamb Of God’s music, and metal in general, has resonated with fans from all reaches of the globe. “There’s a scene in the film where they’re talking to fans outside and around the show in India. And you see parents with their children, young people in their late teens and early 20s, who have travelled 24 hours, 36 hours on trains to get to this show. I’ve watched it a couple of times and honestly tears well up in my eyes, because it’s just so incredibly overwhelming to think that someone so far away, that I would have never otherwise come into contact with, are such big fans and are so connected”. This year marks the tenth anniversary of the album As The Palaces Burn. While the band is at the stage of their career where they can contextualise their body of work with such milestones, Morton doesn’t feel the need to dwell. “A few years ago was the tenth [anniversary] of New American Gospel, and then we’ll have the tenth anniversary of Ashes Of The Wake. But we’re still making records, goddammit. It’s cool to recognise and acknowledge those records, but at the same time, I think our best record is Resolution. And that just came out, what, a year and a half ago? But I’m still proud of the work that we did ten years ago … I’m proud that we continue to evolve and just get better as a band. How long can that go on? I dunno. Most of us are in our 40s now. I don’t know what the future holds for us.” What: Lamb Of God and Meshuggah co-headline tour Where: UNSW Roundhouse (all ages) When: Saturday September 21 BRAG :: 529 :: 09:09:13 :: 15
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arts news...what's goin' on around town...with James Dunlop and Lily White
five minutes WITH JANE
GRIMLEY Since starting to make this work, I’ve received warnings from friends not to mess with séances because a lot of people have had very bad experiences with them. I respectfully agree that it’s not something to be mocked. But what is art good for if not for unravelling tricky questions about beliefs and contemporary life?
caught five with the artist ahead of opening night. How was How To Host A Séance With Kevin Costner conceived? I wanted to invite an audience to consider what it is to be a medium. Are we all mediums for stories or spirits of the past? When someone chooses a life as a performer, what are the repercussions and responsibilities? To channel? To tell it like it is? To transform? To entertain?
La Bayadère
AUSTRALIAN BALLET 2014 SEASON
He feels pressured when I talk about it. So I try not to mention it and stay focused on the greater portion of the show in which he brings a wealth of experience as a magician. Why Kevin Costner? He’s pretty good, especially in The Postman.
What form does the show take? The show is full of music, magic, mentalism, stories and a skype meeting. It’s about being open and perhaps yielding – something that Sydney is not known for but I think deep down we want it. We want to let our daily shields down and witness beautiful, unusual things, right?
How will audiences react to the performance? Well at the start, audience members might swing pendulously between being amazed and intrigued. Then they’ll be a bit shocked, yet highly entertained. And then, after a few more ups and downs, the audience will feel a sense of peace and togetherness before hanging around for a few drinks and a chat.
You perform alongside Vincent Parfitt. What does he contribute to the production? Vincent is a highly skilled mentalist. He is the founder and director of the institute of curiosity Information Withheld, he also plays a mean saxophone, some might say malevolent. Not me though.
What: How To Host A Séance With Kevin Costner Where: Old Fitzroy Theatre When: September 17-21 More: 2013.sydneyfringe.com / for dinner and show visit sitco. net.au/fringe
BELVOIR 2014 SEASON
It’s here, folks. Belvoir St Theatre has announced its 2014 Season. New resident directors Adena Jacobs and Anne-Louise Sarks are set to launch the program with Oedipus Schmoedipus by collaborative Sydney-based performance ensemble post, who’ll riff on the greatest death scenes from the Western Cannon in a ridiculous romp. Michael Gow’s Once In Royal David’s City will bring to the stage a play about cycles of history before Simon Stone returns to Belvoir with a modern take on The Philadelphia Story. Cinderella will also come to life in the downstairs theatre courtesy of Matthew Whittet and Anthea Williams, which will contrast Jada Alberts’ Brothers Wreck, a play featuring a cast of young indigenous actors. Indigenous performers will also feature in 20 Questions, a talk show/cabaret by Wesley Enoch. And what about those resident directors? Jacobs will present Isben’s Hedda Gabler and a second interpretation of Oedipus in Oedipus Rex. Sarks on the other hand will tackle Isben’s A Doll’s House with a Kit Brookman adaptation, Nora. Melbourne theatre-makers THE RABBLE will
also represent with Cain And Abel and then there’s going to be Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie directed by Eamon Flack. Drawing things to a close will be A Christmas Carol to bring out the festive grouchiness in us all. Head to belvoir.com.au now because tickets are already on sale!
Jude The Obscure looks at the role of humour in a time of global ecological crisis. Artist Alice Williams presents a parody of comedian Judith Lucy’s fatalistic stage persona, the destructive banality of the commercial entertainment industry and our search for universal truth. And who knows? Williams might even throw in some spiritual enlightenment for us. Jude The Obscure is showing at PACT Centre For Emerging Artists until September 14. Head to pact.net.au for more details. Formal retraction: In issue 527, BRAG incorrectly identified Judith Lucy as performing in Jude The Obscure when in fact it is a show about her by PACT, hosted by Alice Williams. Judith Lucy will not be performing at Sydney Fringe Festival 2013.
Jump For Jordan
GOLDEN AGE CINEMA
We have ten double passes to give away to the Monday September 23 screening at the Dendy Newtown. For your chance to win, just email freestuff@thebrag.com and tell us what your favourite biopic is and why.
Holly Summers-Clarke and Julian Kuo
GRIFFIN THEATRE 2014 SEASON
Theatre-goers rejoice for Griffin Theatre Company’s 2014 Season has been announced! “Our 2014 season is a shameless celebration of the depth and breadth of Australian playwriting culture,” said Lee Lewis, whose inaugural season for Griffin reflects her interest in the diversity of what’s been presented across Australian stages. Donna Abela’s Jump For Jordan will open the main season by addressing the social challenges faced by secondgeneration Australians before Declan Greene’s Eight Gigabytes Of Hardcore Pornography invites audiences to meditate on romance and loneliness in the digital age. Thereafter, the vulnerability of women to sexual violence will take centrestage in Peta Brady’s Ugly Mugs and David Williamson’s comic magnum Emerald City will be revived by Griffin under the direction of Lewis herself. And the goodness doesn’t stop there. Presenting as part of Sydney Festival 2014, Lewis’ The Serpent’s Table will take the form of a theatrical and culinary experience featuring a multi-sensory environment installed at Carriageworks. And for the child in every adult, Griffin will be staging Roald Dahl’s classic The Witches. And then of course there’s the plethora of new productions audiences will experience in Griffin’s independent season. Visit griffintheatre.com.au for further details and the full program.
HE SAID. SHE SAID: AT IT AGAIN
Sydney-based performers Holly Summers-Clarke and Julian Kuo are here to tell us what it’s like to have a relationship in the 21st century. Taking form as a light-hearted cabaret, He Said. She Said: At It Again explores love, lust, loss and all the gritty stuff in between through jazz and pop numbers. Said Summers-Clarke: “A cabaret about people and their relationships is a great way to mash up music from all different genres and still have it make sense in a storyline.” Adds Kuo: “A series of songs will say everything better than the spoken word.” He Said. She Said: At It Again is presenting as part of Sydney Fringe Festival 2013 and punters can catch it at the Raval (42 Wentworth Avenue, Surry Hills) on September 9, 12 and 20. For further information and tickets, head to 2013.sydneyfringe.com
FLICKERRFEST CALL FOR ENTRIES
Calling all filmmaker wannabes and aficionados alike! In early 2014, Flickerfest celebrates its 23rd year and they want you. Yes, you. Entries have opened for Australia’s only Academy Award accredited and BAFTA recognised short film festival and you’ve got until Friday October 11 (Australian and International entries) to deliver your reel goods. And for those with an environmental agenda, best submit your work to GreenFlicks before Friday October 18. High school and primary students are also being encouraged to showcase their sweet filmmaking skills in the Flickerup category with entries also closing Friday October 18. Flickerfest will screen for 10 nights under Bondi Beach’s healthy summer haze from January 10-19, 2014. Further details to be released via facebook.com/flickerfest thebrag.com
Jump For Jordan photo by Brett Boardman
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Linda Lovelace was an American beauty who was manipulated into a career as a porn star by her overpowering husbandcum-manager. Sure does sound dramatic, but this little yarn isn’t a dilapidated Disney piece. Lovelace was as real as her story; her plight for justice and protection of others from exploitation in the industry has been rediscover by filmmakers Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman in Lovelace. The film stars Amanda Seyfried as Linda, with Sharon Stone, Hank Azaria (cue The Simpsons theme song), Peter Saarsgard, Juno Temple and Adam Brody heading the stellar cast.
JUDE THE OBSCURE
“Audiences are telling us that they want more ballet and more choice of productions, so that’s what we’re giving them in 2014!” said The Australian Ballet’s artistic director David McAllister. Amen to that. Traditional highlights include Stanton Welch’s La Bayadère, an intoxicatingly exotic tale of temple dancers, angry gods and scheming villains, and Peter Wright’s whimsy flight of fancy, The Nutcracker. Avant-garde enthusiasts will anticipate Wayne McGregor’s contemporary mixed bill, Chroma, and George Balanchine’s technique masterpieces Ballet Imperial and Suite En Blanc. Visit australianballet.com.au for further details and the full program.
The old Paramount Pictures Building has been transformed into The Golden Age Cinema and Bar. Retaining the heritage-listed building’s art deco features, the venue’s original screening room has been restored to bring back the magic of old-world cinema. The diverse film program comprises Steven Soderbergh’s Behind The Candelabra, Miguel Gomes’ Tabu, Gene Kelly classic Singin’ In The Rain, Benh Zeitlin’s Beasts Of The Southern Wild, and Richard Linklater’s Before Midnight among many more silver screen gems. Lena Dunham’s Tiny Furniture, Michel Gondry’s The We And The I, and Drew DeNicola and Olivia Mori’s Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me will also delight audiences throughout September and October as Sydney exclusives. And never fear if you’re not a ticket holder – you’re always welcome in the bar for a beverage or three. Head to ourgoldenage.com.au for further information.
LOVELACE! FILM TIX! WIN!
How To Host A Seance photo by Sasha Cohen
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ydney-based artist Jane Grimley is inviting us to be part of the audience at an intimate event where she summons the spirits from her past and present in How To Host A Séance With Kevin Costner. Grimley has joined (supernatural) forces with magician Vincent Parfitt to create a performance work exploring a spiritual journey involving a North Queensland miner, lost dogs, love letters from prison and an actual séance. We
Amanda Seyfried in Lovelace
Wil Anderson For The Greater Good By Alasdair Duncan
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il Anderson refers to his new stand-up show as his own personal Dark Knight Rises – trust me though, there’s a very good reason for this, and it makes a lot more sense than you’d imagine. Just as Bruce Wayne left Gotham to live in exile, Anderson spent the last few years taking his act on the road in foreign lands, perfecting it in front of audiences who often didn’t know or care who he was. “I did my show at the Princess Theatre for the Melbourne Comedy Festival,” he says. “It was a 1500-seat theatre, sold out for 21 nights in a row. It was the biggest thing I’ve ever done in my life. The very next gig I played was in front of 45 people in a log cabin in the middle of Alaska.” “You learn a lot about your show and who you are under those circumstances,” he says. “That trip pushed me way out of my comfort zone. I know that sounds weird, but I’m kind of shy. I have a way of communicating with people, which is that they gather, I talk at them for an hour, and then we all go our separate ways. I’m not so good at small talk.” Getting off a plane in the middle of Alaska, an unfamiliar place with no familiar faces, forced Anderson out of his shell, an made him evaluate his approach to comedy. “They say that comedy comes from uncomfortable situations, and for me, that was definitely an uncomfortable situation,” he says. “I realised, though, that if you can make a show work in front of people who’ve never heard of you, then you can make it in front of audiences who’ve actually paid to be there because they like you.” On the personal life front, it’s been a bit of a difficult year for Anderson. “A bunch of shit has gone wrong in the last little while,” he says. “My car was stolen, and my health was bad. What happened was minor in the scheme of things, but it was a pretty big deal to me.” Indeed, however bad you have it, someone somewhere in the world is a lot worse off. Anderson’s show GoodWil deals with these experiences head on, while attempting to place them in the context of the wider world. “Nobody wants to see a comfortable and successful guy just get on stage and complain,” he says. “I wondered how to reconcile my individual drama with the notion that, in the grand scheme of things, I still have it okay?” he says. He pondered this for a while, and then hit on an epiphany. “In the end, I realised that my personal situation actually relates to the state of things in Australia right now.”
“There was a recent survey by The Economist that asked the question
‘where would be the best place in the world to be born this year?’” he says. “They surveyed things like jobs and economics and health and life expectancy, and they said that if you were a baby born this year, Australia is the number two place where you’d have a shot at the best life. It’s interesting, because people in our media are always complaining about how bad things are here, even if, in the grand scheme of things, we’re still doing pretty well. I talk about that, and then relate it back to my own problems.” He pauses for a second. “That sounds like a heavy concept,” he says, “but I’d like to reassure people there are also plenty of dick jokes.” Anderson has regular TV and radio gigs – you would have seen him on ABC’s recently-concluded Gruen Nation – but still sees stand-up as his true calling, an aspiration he’s held ever since he was a kid listing to Billy Connolly records. “I was on Triple M’s Hot Breakfast in Melbourne this morning, talking about James Hird and footballers,” he says, “and more people heard me doing that than will ever come to one of my live shows. At the same time, though, I see radio and television as part of my job – I go there and perform, and try to do the best job I can, and that’s it. Whether I do well or badly on a radio or TV performance, I’m able to walk away without it affecting my self-esteem. Stand-up is very different.” “When a stand-up gig is good, it’s great, and I feel fantastic,” says Anderson. “I never feel happier than when I’m on tour with new material and people like the jokes that I’m telling. If I’m having a bad run or working on a new bit and I’m struggling with it, that’s how I feel like the rest of my life. Stand-up is who I am. I do the TV so people will come and see me do standup, and I’ll keep doing that, until I get to the point when people will just come and see me for standup.” Anderson says that if he ever reaches the point where he can justify stepping away from TV and radio work, doing it for fun rather than to make a living, then he will. “I can imagine that, but I can’t ever imagine saying that I’m done with stand-up,” he says. “Whether successful or unsuccessful, though, I’ll always be doing this.” What: Wil Anderson: GoodWil Where: Enmore Theatre / Dee Why RSL / Sutherland Entertainment Centre When: September 13 and 27 / Friday October 11 / Friday 18 October More: wilanderson.com.au
omeland will be making its triumphant return with its third season this month. To put it bluntly: shit’s about to go down. But before the latest series hits the screen, best be sure you’re up to date! Starring Damian Lewis and Clair Danes, season 2 saw Marine Sgt. Nicholas Brody (Lewis) as a U.S. congressman, and former CIA agent Carrie Mathison (Danes) returning to civilian life. Described by USA Today as “unmissable and gloriously suspenseful,” this thrilling season 2’s been released on blu-ray for the ultimate viewing experience. Deleted scenes, Lewis’ personal video diary and making-of sequences aren’t the only extras – feast your eyes on a prologue to season 3 that has not yet been televised! We’ve got five copies of Homeland season 2 on bluray to give away. For your chance to win, just email freestuff@thebrag.com and tell us the name of the song in the official trailer for season 3.
Claire Danes and Damian Lewis in Homeland Season 2
S AY W EA IV G
HOMELAND SEASON 2! BLU-RAY! WIN! H
WIN!
© 2013 Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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Romeo And Juliet [THEATRE] Changing Juliet’s Story By Alasdair Duncan
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he story of Romeo And Juliet has been told many times before, both on stage and on film – however, Eryn Jean Norvill, who plays Juliet in Sydney Theatre Company’s upcoming production, says that that this version of the tale is truly unique. Director Kip Williams hasn’t opted for any gimmicks or shock tactics. Instead, he’s stripped the story back to its bare bones, with its primary focus on the Capulet family. “Kip has pared the text back,” Norvill explains. “Technically and thematically and dramatically, he’s doing a very challenging thing with this play. This version invests far more heavily in Juliet’s story. It focuses in on the suffocation she feels
in her family, and her need to escape from the pressure of her parents’ expectations, especially that she’ll marry Paris, the man they’ve picked out for her.” This pared-back version of the familiar story has forced Norvill and her fellow actors to reconsider Shakespeare’s well-known Capulet characters. “I think Juliet’s mother, Lady Capulet, is a really interesting figure,” she says. “She’s resigned to her fate – she knows that she’s going to be in this marriage for the rest of her life, she’s trapped there with her husband. Juliet sees that as a possible future for herself, and that is very terrifying to her. Juliet feels that if she marries Paris, she’ll end up on the same path as her parents – in this hateful and unhappy marriage. Then she meets Romeo, and it’s not only love at first sight, it’s not only an explosion of sexual attraction, it’s also a new path opening up to her. It’s an option to change her story and escape.” One of the real challenges of rehearsing Romeo And Juliet, Norvill says, is learning to deliver the nuances of Shakespeare’s dialogue. “It’s so textured and so melodic, and the ideas in it are so rich,” she says. “It can be a real challenge to get your head around it. You don’t only need to land the rhythm, you need to land the ideas and emotions, and that’s a really big task, especially when there’s so much to say.” At the same time, Norvill says, she feels lucky as a performer to be able to tackle this role, even if she does feel a little intimidated by it. “The thing I need to remember is that, even once I have a sense of the iambic pentameter, I need to make sure the audience has a sense of it, too,” she laughs. “Whenever I see Shakespeare, it always takes a while for my ear to adjust. You have to think very carefully about it. I’m a messy person – I’m late and disorganised, and I find it difficult to be on top of things like that immediately.” For many, Claire Danes gave the defining performance as Juliet in Baz Luhrmann’s 1996 film version of the play, and I’m curious to know how difficult it is to avoid being influenced by such a well-known portrayal. “It’s hard not to be influenced, because I’m a very permeable person,” Norvill admits, “but I’d never try and live up to that performance, because that’s an outrageous expectation to place on myself. For me, it’s really just about meeting the people in the room,” she continues. “Once the world starts to form around you, and you start to have these collisions with other actors and their ideas and portrayals, those outside things start to disappear. I’m pretty lucky, because the team I’m working with is very exciting. There’s a lot of fun to be had.”
Eryn Jean Norvill as Juliet
What: Romeo And Juliet by William Shakespeare Where: Sydney Theatre Company When: September 17 – November 2 More: sydneytheatre.com.au
Yolandi And Rats, 2012, from Die Antwoord
Roger Ballen [PHOTOGRAPHY] The World In Black And White By Krissi Weiss
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he key players in the Roger Ballen/Die Antwoord: I Fink U Freeky exhibition are a truly incongruous pair. One is a hard working, yet reluctant artist who is many decades into his career. The other is a thoroughly raucous South African rap/rave group. Both are renowned in their respective fields and while the latter is notorious for its focus on style over substance (Die Antwoord’s performance art seems to take precedence over musical adeptness), the former is an unrelentingly talented and provocative photographer who is still pioneering the great world of black and white film photography. Having worked together a number of times on various projects, this oddball collision of creatives has birthed some incredible still and moving imagery. Krissi Weiss: “If an artist is one who spends his life trying to define his being, I guess I would have to call myself an artist,” is a powerful quote. Are you uncomfortable about defining yourself as an artist? Roger Ballen: I’m very proud of myself that at age 63 I have remained true to myself. Unfortunately, the word art/artist has almost no meaning in today’s world; a person painting sunsets can call themselves an artist as did Picasso. KW: Given that your work is directed from such a personal space, what was it like to have the subjects of your work (Die Antwoord) become co-creators of sorts? RB: It was a very interesting, transformative process to work together with Die Antwoord on I Fink U Freeky. Both Ninja and Yolandi were obsessed with my images and empathised with them on various levels. The producing of the video was the result of a group of people working as a team. KW: Did their music directly influence what
you were doing or was it more a case of the members themselves informing your artistic direction? RB: The music didn’t influence my creative process. The first step in the filmmaking process involved creating the installations in which place the band would perform. Following this, Ninja and Yolandi entered this space and they were filmed as they sang the tune and acted out their roles. KW: The Roger Ballen/Die Antwoord relationship seems to be a strong one, are there plans to do more things together? RB: I’m quite certain we’ll do things in the future. Both they and I are very busy with our careers and I am hopeful we’ll find a way and means to cooperate once again. KW: Were you surprised by the response I Fink U Freeky received? RB: I was totally, totally surprised by the response to I Fink U Freeky. Not in my wildest dreams could I have imagined that 35 million people would view it. KW: What are your thoughts on the future of black and white photography? RB: Black and white will always exist as a medium, but less and less people will involve themselves with it. I’m part of the last generation that grew up in a black and whitedominated world. It takes decades to master this medium; most people are not willing to put the time, energy and passion into the art form. What: Roger Ballen/Die Antwoord: I Fink U Freeky When: Until Saturday October 5 Where: Stills Gallery More: stillsgallery.com.au
Primavera 2013 [VISUAL ARTS] Supersized Art By Lauren Carroll Harris
The thread that pulls this year’s Primavera artists together is the simple fact that they’re all working in CAPS LOCK and at the centre of the contemporary art map. “This is an unapologetically big show,” says Cook who is also curator at Perth Institute of Contemporary Art. “It’s a popular show. I live in Perth, so this environment for me is quite bizarre and exotic. I imagine people stepping off the harbour and straight into the MCA so I want it to be a ‘bang’ show – captivating and jaw-dropping. All of the artists are so intense and I want that intensity to come through. The artists are very much of this moment.” Bringing these artists together inside the “perfect white cube” of the MCA’s level one North Gallery means that something else arises – a platform from the gallery into what Cook 18 :: BRAG :: 529 :: 09:09:13
calls “an imagined beyond”. This is a show that manifests more than the sum of its eight artists’ parts. “Everyone’s brought their A game to show the best of what they can do. Noone’s done a little work. Everything’s huge and the challenge has been to modulate that to make it all work together,” says Cook. That means that although Kusum Normoyle (NSW) is ostensibly a sound artist, what she’s really doing is transforming the gallery space and our experience inside it. Normoyle has made a series of six videos wherein viewers see her screaming in different positions. “You come very close, you put on the headphones, it’s very immersive. You take the headphones off and you’re aware of the silence in the space. It brings you into another landscape, imaginatively,” says Cook. Likewise, the works of Juz Kitson (NSW) and Brendan Huntley (VIC) cross one another through the medium of installation as a portal to other art-making disciplines. Thomas Jeppe (WA/VIC) and Jess Johnson (VIC) have hijacked the gallery walls to create large-scale paintings and structures that leap off and into the space. And Jackson Eaton (WA/VIC) and Jacqueline Ball (WA) are both photographers working off and on the traditional twodimensional plane.
Heath Franco, YOUR DOOR (still), 2011 Most familiar to Sydney audiences is Heath Franco, who has exhibited at Firstdraft and Galerie Pompom. “He’s just insanely fantastic,” says Cook. “His work is about suburbia and the nightmares within it; it’s about regression and childhood and things just festering inside without being socialised properly.” Through his videos and installations, Franco creates clownlike characters who are, as Cook describes them, “the negative of every Australian stereotype, but massively amplified. The worst of yourself.” That massive amplification is the core of the curator’s big, bad brief. By opening the
floodgates for a cresting wave of maximalist, satisfying contemporary art candy, Cook has issued an unashamed booty call for the cult of contemporary art. The kicker is a long afterburn of ideas: “I want it to be memorable. I want you to really feel like you’ve seen it. All the artists have turned their amps to 11. This is the Spinal Tap of Primaveras.” What: Primavera 2013 Where: Museum of Contemporary Art When: September 12 – November 17 More: mca.com.au thebrag.com
Heath Franco, YOUR DOOR (still), 2011. Image courtesy of the artist and Galerie Pompom
P
utting together a show of the best young Australians meddling in the art of now is a hefty task. Contemporary art is a noisy, ADHD thing – an equation with countless variables. Today’s young artists deal in hypervideo and high definition. That means the Museum of Contemporary Art’s Primavera 2013 is in fact a pop show. “This Primavera speaks about our world. It’s not like going into a fine art museum. – it’s about our immediate culture,” says curator Robert Cook.
Film Reviews Hits and misses on the silver screen ■ Film
■ Film
MOOD INDIGO
RIDDICK
In cinemas September 12
In cinemas September 12
After a number of disappointing films, Michel Gondry’s Mood Indigo signals the French auteur’s return to the repertoire of cinematic tricks that once made him the contemporary director you had to know. An adaptation of Boris Vian’s cult novel Froth On The Daydream, the film tells the story of Colin (Romain Duris) who falls in love with the pixie-like Chloe (Audrey Tautou). Set in Paris amidst a bohemian fantasia, we skitter along with Colin and Chloe on their idyllic flights of fancy through Parisian jazz clubs, Jean-Sol Partre-inspired protests and the French countryside with breezy Gallic repartee very much included.
In Riddick, Vin Diesel returns for his third outing as Richard B. Riddick, the guy who can see in the dark. And seeing in the dark isn’t Riddick’s only power – this guy can survive eating all kinds of raw meat, holes being drilled into his broken leg as well as stomaching small doses of venom to combat lethal predators. The story is short and simple: betrayed by the Necromongers and left to die, Riddick fights his way through deadly alien predators and mercenaries on a sun-scorched desolate planet.
Frankly, Riddick is not the stuff legendary classics are made of. The third in director David Twohy’s sci-fi saga, that began with 2000’s Pitch Black and continued with 2004’s The Chronicles Of Riddick, the film furthers the tale of an ex-convict who’s wanted by every bounty hunter in the known galaxy. It’s not a fast paced action movie, not a wisecrack comedy, or an innovative sci-fi drama. And it’s definitely not an eyes-half-shut horror epic. In short, the film isn’t something you’d see twice; Riddick is somewhat dull, lacklustre, repetitive and too fantastical. But then again, the film does cater to a niche and faithful fan-base – just like like Terry Gilliam’s 12 Monkeys and Ridley
Scott’s Blade Runner did – that’ll end up making the series into a cult classic. Riddick is dark, violent, gory, and sinister, a tad slow and non-innovative; despite its shortcomings, however, there’s no denying some might find it entertaining. As a character, Riddick delights, appeals, engages and absorbs the audience with his master survival skills, which make the task of sitting through the movie realistically bearable. By the time the movie drags its unique blend of sci-fi-thriller-action to an end, another sequel doesn’t seem like such a bad idea. Joseph Rana
That’s not to dissuade from the moments of true visual enchantment. Since Chloe’s condition requires her to lie in In true Gondry style, Mood Indigo’s milieu a bed of flowers like a Gothic Ophelia, is full of delightful gadgets such as Colin’s Gondry provides some stunning visual self-invented pianocktail, a hybrid piano interplay between her floral deathbed and cocktail drink maker which concocts and Colin’s increasingly deteriorating beverages based on what notes or home. And yet, despite the dazzling more chords are being played. arts reviews array of stop-motion animation, digitised special effects and However, staying true to the novel, camerawork, Gondry fails to strike the dream of conjugal bliss is an emotional chord. shattered by tragedy when a water lily starts growing in one of Chloe’s lungs. Though the latter stages of Mood Indigo may frustrate some, the film’s Forced to spend all of his money to find a inventive cinematography and manic misecure, Colin spirals into a lumbering, tragic en-scène will delight Gondry fans and dirge. Replacing the freewheeling reverie those willing to lose themselves in an eyewith the growing helplessness of Colin and pleasing daydream. Chloe’s melancholia, Gondry’s incapacity to capture more dramatic and mature themes is exposed. Larry Lai
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Arts Exposed Get some culture in ya with our pick of the week
Wil Anderson: GoodWil Enmore Theatre, Newtown Friday September 13 Goodwill (noun): friendly, helpful, or cooperative feelings or attitude. In his hilarious show GoodWil, Wil Anderson displays these qualities with open arms, one “topical dick joke” at a time. The hit of this year’s Melbourne International Comedy Festival, the show sees funny-man Anderson take the audience on a highspeed ride through his wild imagination. His densely written stand-up has seen him share the stage with the likes of Louis CK, Sarah Silverman and Stephen Fry. Not convinced yet? Well, legend John Cleese has recommended Anderson as one of comedy’s hottest acts. With a sold-out season at the Soho Theatre in London and performances at the Montreal Just for Laughs festival, Anderson’s bringing the love back to the Australian stage with a string of shows throughout September and October. You catch his first Sydney show at Enmore Theatre this Friday September 13. Head to wilanderson.com.au for further details.
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small bars guide Ash St Cellar 1 Ash St, Sydney CBD (02) 9240 3000 Mon – Fri 8.30am-11pm Assembly 488 Kent St, Sydney CBD (02) 9283 8808 Mon – Fri noon-midnight; Sat 5pm-midnight BAR100 100 George St, The Rocks (02) 8070 9311 Mon – Thu noon-late; Fri – Sat noon-3am; Sun noon-midnight Bar Eleven Lvl 11, 161 Sussex St, Sydney CBD (02) 9290 4712 Thu 4-10pm; Fri 4-11pm; Sat 3-11pm Bulletin Place First Floor, 10-14 Bulletin Place, Circular Quay Mon – Fri 4pm-midnight; Sat 5pm-midnight deVine 32 Market St, Sydney CBD (02) 9262 6906 Mon – Fri 11.30am-11.30pm; Sat 5.30-11.30pm p
Gilt Lounge 49 Market St, Sydney CBD (02) 8262 0000 Tue – Wed 6pm-midnight; Thu & Sat 6pm-2am; Fri 5pm-2am Goodgod Small Club 53-55 Liverpool St, Sydney CBD (02) 8084 0587 Wed 5pm-1am; Thu 5pm-2am; Fri 5pm-5am; Sat 6pm-5am Grain Bar 199 George St, Sydney CBD (02) 9250 3118 Mon – Fri 4pm-1am; Sat noon-1am; Sun noonmidnight Grandma’s Basement 275 Clarence St, Sydney CBD (02) 9264 3004 Mon – Fri 3pm-late; Sat 5pm-late Mojo Record Bar Basement 73 York St, Sydney CBD (02) 9262 4999 Mon – Fri 4pm-midnight; Sat 5pm-midnight
Palmer & Co. Abercrombie Ln, Sydney CBD (02) 9240 3172 Mon – Wed 5pm-late; Thu – Fri noon-late; Sat – Sun 5pm-late
Mon – Fri 11am-11.30pm
Rockpool Bar & Grill 66 Hunter St, Sydney CBD (02) 8078 1900 Mon – Sat lunch & dinner
The Baxter Inn Basement 152-156 Clarence St, Sydney CBD Mon – Sat 4pm-1am
Shirt Bar 7 Sussex Ln, Sydney CBD (02) 8068 8222 Mon –Wed 8am-6pm; Thu – Fri 8am-10pm
The Fox Hole 68A Erskine St, Sydney CBD (02) 9279 4369 Tue – Fri 5pm-midnight
Small Bar 48 Erskine St, Sydney CBD (02) 9279 0782 Mon – Fri noon-midnight; Sat 5pm-midnight
The Grasshopper 1 Temperance Ln, Sydney CBD (02) 9947 9025 Mon – Wed & Sat 4pm-late; Thu – Fri noon-late
Spooning Goats 32 York St, Sydney CBD 0402 813 035 Mon – Sat 4pm-midnight Stitch Bar 61 York St, Sydney CBD (02) 9279 0380 Mon –Wed 4pm-midnight; Thu – Fri noon-2am; Sat 4pm-2am Tapavino 6 Bulletin Place, Circular Quay (02) 9247 3221
The Barber Shop 89 York St, Sydney CBD (02) 9299 9699 Mon – Fri 2pm-midnight; Sat 4pm-midnight
The Lobo Plantation Basement Lot 1, 209 Clarence St, Sydney CBD 0415 554 908 Mon – Thu 4pm-midnight; Fri 2pm-midnight; Sat 4pm-midnight The Morrison 225 George St, Sydney CBD (02) 9247 6744 Mon – Wed 7.30am-midnight; Thu 7.30-1am; Fri 7.30-
THE ROYAL
brag
The basics: Leichhardt’s iconic hotel, The Royal, has unveiled its refurbished upper level, The Royal Botanical. It’s a casual dining room, bar and garden terrace with district views across Leichhardt.The 45-seater room has been completely overhauled with bistro-style tables and chairs, comfy booth seating, botanical-themed prints on the walls and hanging baskets. Adjoining the main room is a light and airy outdoor garden terrace that seats 25. Perfect for a cold one and a bite to eat.
OF
156 NORTON ST, LEICHHARDT MON – THU 10AM-1AM; FRI – SAT 10AM-3AM; SUN 10AM-MIDNIGHT
pub
TH
EK
Frankie’s Pizza 50 Hunter St, Sydney CBD Mon – Sun 4pm-4am
BRAG’s Guide To Sydney’s Best Watering Holes
E E W
The Royal Burger
Uncle Ming’s 55 York St, Sydney CBD Mon – Fri 11am-midnight; Sat 5pm-midnight York Lane York Lane, Sydney CBD (02) 9299 1676 Mon – Wed 6.30am-10pm; Thu – Fri 6.30pm-midnight; Sat 6pm-midnight
Something to start with: Botanical platter or old favourite salt and pepper squid. The main course: The Black Angus sirloin steak is already proving to be a popular winner! Care for a drink? The bar has a solid selection of craft beers and a carefully selected wine list comprising top drops from Australia, New Zealand and Europe. A fresh and fruity range of cocktails is also available for those looking for something a little special. Think The Royal Iced Tea, Garden Spritz, Hendrick’s Tea Cup and The Mary Botanical – a twist on the classic!
Make us drool: The Royal offers something for everyone, from a family Sunday lunch to cocktails with the girls on the terrace or the perfect office function. It’s set to be a fantastic addition to Leichhardt’s Norton Street. The bill comes to: About $55 per head for three courses. theroyalleichhardt.com.au
Mon – Fri 4pm-midnight; Sat noon-midnight; Sun noon-10pm
Hills (02) 9280 1980 Tue – Sat 6pm-late
Miss Peaches 201 Missenden Rd, Newtown (02) 9557 7280 Wed – Sun 5pm-midnight
Black Penny 648 Bourke St, Redfern (02) 9319 5061 Tue – Sat noon-midnight; Sun noon-11pm
Mr Falcon’s 92 Glebe Point Rd, Glebe (02) 9029 6626 Mon – Thu 4pm-midnight; Fri – Sat noon-midnight; Sun 2-10pm
Button Bar 65 Foveaux St, Surry Hills (02) 9211 1544 Mon – Sat 4pm-midnight
Newtown Social Club 387 King St, Newtown (02) 9550 3974 Mon – Sat noon-midnight; Sun noon-10pm The Abercrombie 100 Broadway, Chippendale (02) 9280 2178 Mon – Wed noon-1am; Thu noon-3am; Fri – Sat noon-5am; Sun noonmidnight
Bar-racuda 105 Enmore Rd, Newtown (02) 9519 1121 Mon – Sat 6-midnight
The Green Room Lounge 156 Enmore Rd, Enmore (02) 8021 8451 Wed 5pm-late; Thu 5pm-midnight; Fri – Sat 5pm-1am; Sun 5-10pm
Bloodwood 416 King St, Newtown (02) 9557 7699 Mon, Wed –Thu 5pm-late; Fri – Sat noon-late; Sun noon-10pm
The Little Guy 87 Glebe Point Rd, Glebe (02) 9200 0000 Mon – Fri 4pm-midnight; Sat 1pm-midnight; Sun 3-10pm
Cornerstone Bar & Food 245 Wilson St, Eveleigh (02) 8571 9004 Sun – Wed 10am-5pm; Thu – Sat 10am-late
The Midnight Special 44 Enmore Road, Newtown (02) 9516 2345 Mon – Sat 5pm-midnight; Sun 4-10pm
Corridor 153A King St, Newtown 0422 873 879 Tue – Fri 3pm-midnight; Sat 1pm-midnight; Sun 1-10pm
The Moose Newtown 530 King St, Newtown (02) 9557 0072 Wed – Sat 5pm-midnight; Sun 5-10pm
Earl’s Juke Joint 407 King St, Newtown Mon – Sat 4pm-midnight; Sun 4-10pm
Room for dessert: Choose from traditional rhubarb and apple crumble or a decadent chocolate trifle.
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The Spice Cellar Basement 58 Elizabeth St, Sydney CBD (02) 9223 5585 Mon – Sun 4pm-late
Different Drummer 185 Glebe Point Rd, Glebe (02) 9552 3406 Mon – Sat 4.30pm-late
Eye-candy: The design has been done in-house, with Humphrey & Edwards Architects consulting on the colour scheme and furniture. The new look features botanical-themed prints, hanging baskets and wall-to-wall plants on the terrace.
The Royal’s Hot Wings
The Rook Level 7, 56-58 York St, Sydney CBD (02) 9262 2505 Mon – Fri 4pm-late; Sat 4pm-late
Cottage Bar & Kitchen 342 Darling St, Balmain (02) 8084 8185 Mon – Wed 5pm-midnight; Thu – Sat noon-midnight; Sun noon-10pm
Who’s the cook/bartender? The Royal’s new head chef is Manish Shrestha, who earned stripes at some of Sydney’s top venues including The Glenmore, Manly Wine and The Winery.
Flavours: The mouthwatering new food menu features traditional, comforting pub fare that will be a welcome addition to the Norton Street food strip.
2am; Sat 11.30-2am; Sun11.30am-10pm
Freda’s 107-109 Regent St, Chippendale (02) 8971 7336 Mon – Thu 4pm-midnight; Fri noon-midnight; Sat 4pm-midnight; Sun 4-10pm Hive Bar 93 Erskineville Rd, Erskineville (02) 9519 9911 Mon – Fri noon-midnight; Sat 10am-midnight; Sun 10am-10pm Kelly’s On King 285 King St, Newtown (02) 9565 2288 Mon – Fri 10am-3am; Sat 10am-4am; Sun 10am-midnight Kuleto’s 157 King St, Newtown (02) 9519 6369 Mon – Wed 4pm-late; Thu – Sat 4pm-3am; Sun 4pm-midnight Mary’s 6 Mary St, Newtown
The Record Crate 34 Glebe Point Rd, Glebe (02) 9660 1075 Tue – Wed 11am-10pm; Thu – Fri 11am-midnight; Sat 10am-midnight; Sun 11am-10pm The Workers Lvl 1, 292 Darling St, Balmain (02) 9555 8410 Wed – Thu 5pm-midnight; Fri – Sat 5pm-3am; Sun 2-10pm Timbah 375 Glebe Point Rd, Glebe (02) 9571 7005 Tue – Thu 4-9pm; Fri 4pm-midnight; Sat 2pm-midnight; Sun 2-8pm ZanziBar 323 King St, Newtown (02) 9519 1511 Mon – Thu 10am-4am; Fri 10am-6am; Sat 10am-5am; Sun 10am-12am
121BC 4/50 Holt St, Surry Hills (02) 9699 1582 Tue – Thu 5-11pm; Fri – Sat 5pm-midnight Absinthe Salon 87 Albion St, Surry Hills (02) 9211 6632 Wed – Sat 4-10pm Backroom 2A Roslyn St, Potts Point (02) 9361 5000 Bar H 80 Campbell St, Surry
Café Lounge 277 Goulburn St, Surry Hills (02) 9016 3951 Mon – Thu 5pm-midnight; Fri – Sat 4pm-midnight; Sunday 4-10pm Darlo Bar 306 Liverpool St, Darlinghurst (02) 9331 3672 Mon – Sun 10am-midnight Darlie Laundromatic 304 Palmer St, Darlinghurst (02) 8095 0129 Wed – Sun 5-11pm Eau De Vie 229 Darlinghurst Rd, Darlinghurst 0422 263 226 Mon – Sat 6pm-1am; Sun 6pm-midnight Foley Lane 371-373 Bourke St, Darlinghurst Mon, Wed – Fri 5pm-midnight; Sat 10am-3pm & 5pm-midnight; Sun 10am-10pm Gazebo 2 Elizabeth Bay Rd, Elizabeth Bay (02) 9357 5333 Mon – Thu 3pm-midnight; Fri – Sun noon-midnight Hello Sailor 96 Oxford St, Darlinghurst (02) 9332 2442 Tue – Sun 5pm-1am Hinky Dinks 185 Darlinghurst Rd, Darlinghurst (02) 8084 6379 Mon – Thu 5pm-midnight; Fri 4pm-midnight; Sat 3pm-midnight; Sun 1-10pm Hollywood Hotel 2 Foster St, Surry Hills (02) 9281 2765 Mon – Wed 10am-midnight; Thu – Sat 10am-3am Hustle & Flow Bar 105 Regent St, Redfern (02) 9310 5593 Tue – Sat 5pm-midnight Jekyll & Hyde 332 Victoria St, Darlinghurst (02) 9360 5568 Wed – Fri 4pm-late; Sat 8.30am-late; Sun 8.30am-evening Li’l Darlin Darlinghurst 235 Victoria St, Darlinghurst (02) 8084 6100 Mon – Sat 5pm-midnight Li’l Darlin Surry Hills 420 Elizabeth St, Surry Hills (02) 9698 5488 Mon – Thu noon-3pm & 5-11pm; Fri – Sun noon11pm Lo-Fi 2/383 Bourke St, Darlinghurst (02) 9318 1547 Wed – Sat 6pm-late Love, Tilly Devine
91 Crown Ln, Darlinghurst (02) 9326 9297 Mon – Sat 5pm-midnight; Sun 4-10pm Low 302 302 Crown St, Surry Hills (02) 9368 1548 Tue – Sat 5pm-2am; Sun 6pm-2am Mr Fox 557 Crown St, Surry Hills 0414 691 811 Mon –Sat 5pm-midnight; Sun noon-10pm Name This Bar 197 Oxford St, Darlinghurst (02) 9356 2123 Thu – 5pm-2am Play Bar 72 Campbell St, Surry Hills (02) 9280 0885 Wed – Sat 4pm-midnight; Sun 3-10pm Pocket Bar 13 Burton St, Darlinghurst (02) 9380 7002 Mon – Thu 4pm-midnight; Fri – Sat 4pm-1am; Sun 4pm-midnight Queenie’s Upstairs Forresters Cnr Foveaux and Riley St, Surry Hills (02) 9212 3035 Tue – Sat 6pm-late Roosevelt 32 Orwell St, Potts Point 0423 203 119 Tue – Sat 5pm-midnight Santa Barbara 1 Bayswater Rd, Kings Cross (02) 9357 7882 Wed 6pm-1am; Thu & Sat 6pm-2am; Fri noon-2am Shady Pines Saloon Shop 4, 256 Crown St, Darlinghurst Mon – Sun 4pm-midnight Sweethearts Rooftop 33/37Darlinghurst Rd, Potts Point (02) 9368 7333 Mon – Thu 4pm-midnight; Fri – Sun noon-midnight The Beresford 354 Bourke St, Surry Hills (02) 8313 5000 Mon – Sun noon-1am The Carrington 565 Bourke St, Surry Hills (02) 9360 4714 Mon – Sun noonmidnight; Sun noon-10pm The Commons 32 Burton St, Darlinghurst (02) 9358 1487 Tue – Sun noon-late The Flinders 63-65 Flinders St, Surry Hills (02) 9356 3622 Tue – Thu 5pm-3am; Fri – Sat 5pm-5am The Forresters 336 Riley St, Surry Hills (02) 9212 3035 Mon – Wed noonmidnight; Thu – Sat noon1am; Sun noon-10pm The Hazy Rose 1/83 Stanley St, Darlinghurst (02) 9357 5036 Tue 3-11pm; Wed – Sat 3pm-midnight; Sun 3-10pm The Local Tap House 122 Flinders St, Surry Hills (02) 9360 0088 Mon – Wed noon-2am; Thu – Sat noon-1am; Sun noon-11pm The Norfolk 305 Cleveland St, Surry thebrag.com
small bars guide Hills (02) 9699 3177 Mon – Wed noonmidnight; Thu – Sat noon-1am; Sun noon10pm
CRAFT BEER OF THE WEEK Pour it in your mouth-hole... (responsibly).
The Passage 231A Victoria St, Darlinghurst (02) 9358 6116 Mon – Thu 5pm-late; Fri – Sun noon-late The Soda Factory 16 Wentworth Ave, Surry Hills (02) 8096 9120 Mon – Wed 5pm-late; Thu 5pm-2am; Fri – Sat 5pm-5am The Victoria Room Lvl 1, 235 Victoria St, Darlinghurst (02) 9357 4488 Tue – Fri 6pm-midnight; Sat noon-2am; Sun noon-midnight The Wild Rover 75 Campbell St, Surry Hills (02) 9280 2235 Mon – Sat 4pm-midnight; Sun noon-10pm The Winery 285A Crown St, Surry Hills (02) 9331 0833 Mon – Sun noonmidnight Tio’s Cerveceria 4/14 Foster St, Surry Hills Mon – Sat 4pm-midnight; Sun 4-10pm Unicorn Cellar Basement, 106 Oxford St, Paddington (02) 9360 7994 Tue – Thu 4pm-midnight; Fri – Sat noon-midnight; Sun noon-10pm Vasco 421 Cleveland St, Redfern 0406 775 436 Tue – Sat 5pm-midnight; Sun 5-10pm
Anchor Bar 8 Campbell Pde, Bondi (02) 8084 3145 Tue – Fri 4.30pm-late; Sat – Sun 12.30pm-late Bondi Hardware 39 Hall St, Bondi (02) 9365 7176 Mon – Wed 5-11pm; Thu 5pm-midnight; Sat 10am-midnight; Sun 10am-10pm Flying Squirrel 249 Bondi Rd, Bondi (02) 9130 1033 Mon – Fri 6pm-late; Sat 4pm-late; Sun 4-10pm Speakeasy 83 Curlewis St, Bondi (02) 9130 2020 Mon – Fri 3pm-late; Sat – Sun noon-late Stuffed Beaver 271 Bondi Rd, Bondi (02) 9130 3002 Mon – Sat noonmidnight; Sun noon10pm The Corner House 281 Bondi Rd, Bondi (02) 8020 6698 Tue – Sat 5pm-midnight; Sun 3-10pm The Rum Diaries 288 Bondi Rd, Bondi (02) 9300 0440 Tue – Sat 6pm-midnight; Sun 6-10pm
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WAYWARD KELLER INSTINCT @ THE LOCAL TAPHOUSE 122 FLINDERS ST, DARLINGHURST The brew: Bavarian Kellerbier is an unfiltered traditional pale golden ale. It boasts a light, floral and fruity aroma balanced by bready malts and medium sweetness. Kellerbier has refreshing dry finish. Method: Kellerbier literally translates to ‘cellar beer’ as traditionally these beers were stored for months in cool Bavarian kellers to mature slowly. Glass: Ceramic beer stein Best drunk with: Light seafood, salads, and poultry dishes During: spring and summer While wearing: Lederhosen And listening to: Polka More: thelocal.com.au
Firefly 24 Young St, Neutral Bay (02) 9909 0193 Mon – Wed 5-10pm; Thu 4-11pm; Fri – Sat noon11pm; Sun noon-9.30pm Harlem On Central Shop 4,9-15 Central Ave, Manly (02) 9976 6737 Tue – Sun 5pm-midnight Hemingway’s 48 North Steyne, Manly (02) 9976 3030 Mon – Sat 8am-midnight; Sun 8am-10pm Honey Rider 230 Military Rd, Neutral Bay (02) 9953 8880 Tue – Sat 4pm-midnight; Sun 4-10pm In Situ 1/18 Sydney Rd, Manly (02) 9977 0669 Mon 9am-6pm; Wed – Sun 9am-midnight Jah Ba Shop 7, 9-15 Central Ave, Manly (02) 9977 4449 Tue – Fri 5pm-midnight; Sat noon-midnight; Sun noon-10pm
Manly Wine 8-13 South Steyne, Manly (02) 8966 9000 Mon – Sun 7am-late Miss Marley’s Tequila Bar 32 Belgrave St, Manly (02) 8065 4805 Mon – Sat 5pm-midnight; Sun 5-10pm Moonshine Lvl 2, Hotel Steyne, 75 The Corso, Manly (02) 9977 4977 Thu – Sat 5pm-midnight; Sun 3-11pm The Bay Jam Bar 2A Waters Rd, Neutral Bay 0407 454 0815 Tue – Fri 11am-midnight; Sat – Sun 7am-midnight The Foxtrot 28 Falcon St, Crows Nest Tue – Sat 5pm-3am; Sun 5-10pm The Local Bar 8 Young Ln, Neutral Bay (02) 9953 0027 Mon 5-10pm; Tue – Wed 8am-10pm; Thu – Sat 8am-midnight; Sun 8am-10pm
The Hunter 5 Myahgah Rd, Mosman Mon – Tue 5pm-midnight; Wed – Sat noon-midnight; Sun noon-10pm The Mayor 400 Military Rd, Cremorne (02) 8969 6060 Tue – Fri 10am-late; Sat 8am-late; Sun 8am-10pm The Pickled Possum 254 Military Rd, Neutral Bay (02) 9909 2091 Thu – Sat 9pm-1am The Stoned Crow 39 Willoughby Rd, Crows Nest (02) 9439 5477 Mon – Sun noon-late White Hart 19-21 Grosvenor St, Neutral Bay (02) 8021 2115 Tue – Thu 5pm-late; Fri 4pm-late; Sat 2pm-late; Sun noon-8pm
Your bar’s not here? Email: listings@ thebrag.com!
BRAG :: 529 :: 09:09:13 :: 21
Album Reviews What's been crossing our ears this week...
ALBUM OF THE WEEK BOY & BEAR
through each verse, a distinct sound that forever etches Boy & Bear into the mind. Perfect for those softly spring-flavoured days that are starting to emerge.
After setting Australia on fire with what became a five-time ARIA Award-winning debut, Boy & Bear have finally unleashed their hotly anticipated follow-up, Harlequin Dream. Already sitting pretty atop the ARIA albums chart, this accomplished sophomore showcases a confident Dave Hosking, comfortable in his little indie-folk corner of the world.
Album opener ‘Southern Sun’ was also the first taste of Harlequin Dream on radio, and a firm favourite it was and is. Its summery, feel-good charm digs deep at the listener and is impossible not to sing along to. Other favourites are ‘Three Headed Woman’ and ‘Harlequin Dream’, the latter fading out to a rather sensual saxophone solo.
Harlequin Dream Island
Xxxx There is no doubt that Harlequin Dream will swagger its way onto your sweet side, if it hasn’t done so already.
Without pushing too far outside their realm, the Sydney five-piece has stripped down sonically and focused more on tangling sweet melodies with a distinct commercial sensibility. At the forefront, Hosking’s vocals have a subtle echo that rings
BLESSTHEFALL
THE PAPER KITES
Hollow Bodies Fearless/Shock
Blessthefall have come a long way since their humble beginnings back in 2003 and now, ten years later, have delivered what is possibly their best and heaviest record yet. Often, metalcore bands struggle to offer much in the way of uniqueness and verve – and while this record may not have completely broken this mould, it has definitely put some serious cracks in it. The cover art may scream aggressive heavy metal at you, but don’t be fooled. Still, it’s a solid piece of work, with ‘Exodus’ launching straight into some killer riffs, foreshadowing the epic guitarness to come. It’s safe to say Blessthefall don’t hold back on this one, with constant energy and a smooth combination of scream and clean vocals – both which are as commanding as the other. ‘You Wear A Crown’, especially, begins with a bang. At about the halfway mark they give us a break, with ‘Buried In These Walls’ showcasing a more simple, sombre sound with few lyrics. ‘See You On The Outside’ also has a more pop-rock sound, with a bunch of clean lyrics and only a few heavy moments. From there, the band builds back up to where things started, with ‘Youngbloods’ getting straight back to the guitar, breakdowns and screams. The final track, ‘Open Water’, sees Beau Bokan duetting with wife Valerie Anne Poxleitner (AKA Lights), leaving us on rather a humble note rather than the usual, ‘See ya later, motherfuckers!”
The most attractive part of this album is its easiness. Quite simply, the pop-tainted indie folk overtures are just too easy to ingest and the gently layered production makes it all look much easier than it probably is. It must be all that ARIA talent in the studio (Wayne Connolly produced) and the
States Wonderlick Recording Company After two solid EPs, The Paper Kites have just dropped their debut album; a sedated, soft rock synergy going by the name of States. It’s what I would like to call a ‘placid flaccid’ – easy and pleasant to listen to, but never really amounting to much, leaving you high and dry. The group’s encompassing sound is calm, steady and pleasant. The first four tracks on the album, including first single ‘St. Clarity’, are soft and melancholy – sleep provoking like a valium, and feathered with simple acoustic guitars, echoey vocals, picked banjos, brushed snares and elongated synths. It’s almost as if they’re building up to something, when... Track five, ‘Young’, and track six, ‘A Lesson From Mr. Gray’, introduce a more upbeat tone through the recipe of electric guitar, an open hi-hat and thicker production. However, the blip of cheer dies at track seven, ‘Tin Lover’, as the mood drops off to the same sleepy and mellow timbre dusted with distant female vocals; only to be saved briefly by track ten, ‘In Reverie’. I’m sad to say there wasn’t much that sparked my curiosity within this album. It’s slow, mellow and soft, yet hard to get excited about. It’s home to some lovely sounds and nice sequences, however I would have liked to hear something a little more ‘ear prickling’. Liz Elleson
An album that will take you up, down and may be heavier than what you’re expecting.
Perhaps too surprising. There are times when Fitz wanders a touch far from his tried and trusted path of synth pop. In ‘Poem Of Suburbia’, the sudden rush of Australiana and country-twanged lyricism jars with the more modern sounding songs. There are other instances when it seems Fitz may be trying too hard, experimenting with too many genres. In the pursuit to ‘break boundaries’, the EP becomes a little lost. Not quite rock, not quite pop. Fitz has yet to find that Goldilocks harmony between all that he is trying to explore. But the at times muddled musical wandering is done with an eagerness that is more charming than irritating. And when it does all come together, like on ‘The Wanderer’, you are left thinking that there might just be something more. Unscene may not be a turning point in Australian music but it is a definite indicator that we should ‘watch this space’. Melissa Kitson
Since the release of their debut album What Are You So Scared Of? in 2011, Sydney’s Tonight Alive have been building a name for themselves. Now they’re back with another LP, and it’s no surprise the band have been compared to the likes of Paramore, thanks to a lineup that allows fans to reminisce on the olden days of the now-threesome, and a pop-rock sound that also draws familiar tones to the early Paramore records. Despite these similarities, in a genre where many bands struggle not to sound the same as the rest it is Tonight Alive’s growth that allows them to stand out from the pack. This is instantly noticeable in ‘The Ocean’, which launches straight into a guitarfilled beat and shows you what Jenna McDougall’s voice can do. With the usual lull in the middle as the slower songs kick in, things are sparked up in ‘The Fire’ (no pun intended) and the guitars and rock are back with a much-needed bang. Then, just when you think they’re going to leave us on a slower note with ‘You Don’t Owe Me Anything’, it turns into one of those songs with a nice slow build, and rather leaves us on a high, waiting for more. While McDougall showcases her wide vocal range throughout, and there is plenty of variation between constant pop-rock (‘Lonely Girl’), sombre songs (‘Don’t Wish’) and inspirational beats (‘Hell And Back’), there still seems to be room for the rest of the band members to really show their individuality. Definitely expect more from them in the years to come.
Amy Theodore
BELLE AND SEBASTIAN
The Other Side Fearless/Sony
Unscene Independent
This EP is much more than a show of technical skill. It is summer stroll on a sunny synth Sunday. Unscene moves between rock crowd anthems like FBi favourite ‘Hospital’ through to sparser electronic numbers like ‘The Wanderer’. Using loops to mesh organic and digital sounds, Fitz mixes together a collection of songs that’s catchy, colourful and surprising.
Jen Wilson
TONIGHT ALIVE
TIM FITZ
Sydney-based artist Tim Fitz is described as a one-man band. He plays piano, drums, bass and guitar and probably dances very well. But listening to his fourth EP Unscene, it becomes obvious that Tim Fitz is not just a musical freak.
definite influence of Seattle’s Phil Ek, who counts Band of Horses and Fleet Foxes among his mixing credits.
Amy Theodore
The Third Eye Centre Rough Trade/Remote Control The Third Eye Centre acts as a companion piece and follow-up to 2005’s two-disc Push Barman To Open Old Wounds, which collected Belle and Sebastian’s Jeepster Record EPs from 1997 to 2001. This latest compilation captures the 2003 to 2010 period, covering non-album recordings from their time on the Rough Trade label. It’s a tightly packed 19-track single disc, so a handful of rare tracks from this era don’t quite make the cut, though the biggest loss is the edited-out spontaneous burst of laughter by the Sudanese chorus at the tail-end of The Avalanches’ inspired remix of ‘I’m A Cuckoo’. 2003’s Dear Catastrophe Waitress signaled a change of sound for the band, with their fey, inward-looking bookishness making way for a more confident, extroverted streak. This second phase of the band is represented well on The Third Eye Centre, which switches the tracklisting to random and covers B-sides, bonus tracks and remixes. Two of their best compositions, ‘Your Cover’s Blown’ and ‘I Didn’t See It Coming’, get the full dancefloor treatment, breathing new life into lyrics like “The DJ’s picking up speed” and “Make me dance, I want to surrender”. B-sides of singles from The Life Pursuit and bonus tracks from their so-so last album Belle And Sebastian Write About Love make up some of the other highlights. This happier, more playful version of the band don’t offer the same consistency that they once had, and this particular collection is dragged down by a few too many expendable Stevie Jackson compositions. Still, it’s a fun, lightweight addition to this classic band’s expansive catalogue. Chris Girdler
INDIE ALBUM OF THE WEEK NIC CASSEY
Where Are You Going I Just Collected Some Pellets Independent Listening to the debut album from singer-songwriter Nic Cassey is like being invited to an exclusive magical party filled with whimsy and wonder and dapper, talking animals. To be honest, I am reluctant to invite anyone else to the party. There is something in Where Are You Going I Just Collected Some Pellets which
22 :: BRAG :: 529 :: 09:09:13
makes you want to keep secret, hidden. Lulled by Cassey’s melodic voice, the album takes you to a place where people wander barefoot, watch spiders conversing with one anther and have peculiar and profound romances. Alternating between piano and guitar, Cassey meanders from sunshine-filled pop through to dark musical woodlands. One moment you’re cheerily whistling, the next you want to be alone and stare into space. There is an intriguing disregard of pretention and artifice. Cassey seems just as happy singing about the return of a lost chicken in ‘Chicken’ as he is to share intimate selfdoubts and questions of longing.
Where Are You Going is like a candid record of time passing. It captures the humdrum and the exalted without any heavy-handedness or preference. In ‘Madness’, the instantly hummable opening track, we meet a lovable social recluse. In ‘Icicle Cubes’, a darker, piano-driven piece, we take a sombre turn “down to the river”. And then there’s the secret track. When I heard it, I had no idea the album was still on and thought some ethereal being was trying to communicate with me through my speakers. With castanets and violins, oboes and banjos, this release is the magical party of the summer. (I suppose you can come too.)
OFFICE MIXTAPE And here are the albums that have helped BRAG HQ get through the week... BOARDS OF CANADA - Tomorrow’s Harvest THE BEES - Free The Bees ARCTIC MONKEYS - AM
BIG SCARY - Not Art NINE INCH NAILS - Hesitation Marks
Melissa Kitson
thebrag.com
ANH DO
A-LIST ENTERTAINMENT PRESENTS
“Two thumbs, five stars, show of the season” www.themusic.com.au
BY POPULAR DEMAND ANH RETURNS WITH HIS HIT SHOW:
STATE THEATRE - SYDNEY FRIDAY 8TH NOVEMBER BOOKINGS: 136 100 ticketmaster.com.au BRAG :: 529 :: 09:09:13 :: 23
snap sn ap
dune rats
PICS :: DR
up all night out all week . . .
snakadaktal
PICS :: KC
28:08:13 :: The Beach Road Hotel :: 71 Beach Rd Bondi Beach 91307247
she falls down stairs
PICS :: HL
30:08:13 :: Metro Theatre :: 624 George St Sydney 9550 3666
yes i’m leaving
PICS :: KC
vance joy
30:08:13 :: FBi Social :: Kings Cross Hotel 248 William St 9331 9900 24 :: BRAG :: 529 :: 09:09:13
PICS :: HL
29:08:13 :: FBi Social :: Kings Cross Hotel 248 William St 9331 9900
29:08:13 :: Oxford Art Factory :: 38-46 Oxford St, Darlinghurst 9332 3711 :: KATRINA CLARKE :: HENRY S : TIM LEVY (HEAD HONCHO) OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHER SE ROU IEL DAN :: MAR LEY ASH LEUNG :: AMATH MAGNAN :: thebrag.com
Your first taste of Summer is here!
LV L 3 , 3 8 3 B O U R K E S T S U R RY H I L L S
L I V E M U S I C , V I S U A L A R T, T H E AT R E , CO M E DY, B U R L E S Q U E & B O O Z E
COME IN WE’RE OPEN TIL 3AM! DEBUT ALBUM BY SYDNEY ROOTS REGGAE BAND
KINSKY sunset on the good fight out NOW through Foreigndub records!
THU 1 2 SEP FRI 1 3 SEP OLLIE BROWN / THE FALLS
SAT 14 SEP SUN 15 SEP
Experience Sunset on the Good Fight performed LIVE at Eliza’s Juke Joint on September 13.
R.A. THE RUGGED MAN
FRI 20 SEP SAT 21 SEP
Coming Up
IN SEPTEMBER
22nd GALLERY BURLESQUE-“OH BOY OH BOY” 27th THE BARONS OF TANG ALBUM LAUNCH 5thOCT THE DELTA RIGGS ‘AMERICA’ SINGLE TOUR
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up all night out all week . . .
JAPANDROIDS, BUZZ KULL Manning Bar Saturday August 31
Local duo Buzz Kull opened up proceedings as patrons began to trickle into Manning Bar, playing an inspired blend of post-punk, synth pop and darkwave reminiscent of the Sisters of Mercy or Cold Cave. Despite showing promise, a poor mix ultimately took away from potential impact; vocals washing over synths messily, drums barely audible. Fans started to pour in steadily, packing out the house as guitarist/vocalist Brian King and drummer/vocalist David Prowse, collectively making up Japandroids, began setting up onstage. The sold-out crowd began buzzing – this was the first time the Vancouver act had played headline shows Down Under, following an impressive set at Laneway earlier in the year. The outdoor festival environment had admittedly seemed ill-suited to an act like Japandroids, and anticipation was high to catch them in small, sweaty club mode.
jeremy neale
For the next ninety-odd minutes, Japandroids ripped through a set comprising a generous selection of tracks from both Celebration Rock and debut LP Post-Nothing, throwing in relatively obscure 2010 single ‘Art Czars’ for good measure. Spirited and robust, the Canuck rockers were clearly in their zone, revelling amidst an enthusiastic and responsive crowd. Infectious favourites like ‘Wet Hair’ and implausibly catchy single ‘The House That Heaven Built’ were frenetic displays of refreshingly sincere gusto. By refusing to take themselves too seriously, the band connected with the crowd on a level that surpassed any kind of stage/floor power divide: everyone was just there to have a good time – and that’s exactly what they got. Ultimately, what Japandroids delivered with their debut club show in this city was everything a good rock show should be – unpretentious, energetic and fun. It was a bare bones display from two skilled, dynamic musicians with immense onstage chemistry, and the pair is welcome back to Australian shores any time. Blake Gallagher
PICS :: AM
Warming up with an intro taken from early track ‘Press Corps’, King and Prowse proceeded to kick things straight into gear, launching into the boisterous ‘Adrenaline Nightshift’ from last year’s brilliant Celebration Rock. There’d been reports from the initial leg of the tour of virtually static audiences, but any fears of a repeat
in Sydney were immediately quenched as Manning’s sticky floor hosted a veritable wave of carefree dancing and crowd-surfing – if anyone thought they were too cool to enjoy themselves, it didn’t show.
30:08:13 :: Goodgod Small Club :: 53-55 Liverpool St Chinatown 8084 0587
i, a man
PICS :: HL
:: PHOTOGRAPHER :: ASHLEY MAR
29:08:13 :: Brighton Up Bar :: Level 1/77 Oxford St Darlinghurst 9572 6322 26 :: BRAG :: 529 :: 09:09:13
:: KATRINA CLARKE :: HENRY S : TIM LEVY (HEAD HONCHO) OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHER SE ROU IEL DAN :: LEY MAR LEUNG :: AMATH MAGNAN :: ASH thebrag.com
live review
What we've been out to see...
THE SMITH STREET BAND, JOYCE MANOR, CHEAP GIRLS, MILHOUSE The Annandale Hotel Saturday August 31
When it was announced two days before the show that The Annandale was temporarily closing, panic set in. People were left scrambling, trawling the internet for reassurance. Will Saturday’s Smith Street Band show be canned? The band itself hadn’t heard anything to the contrary. As far as they knew, the gig was still on. So what could everyone do but turn up and hope? As I approached the hallowed venue, all concerns were washed away. There were enough ruffians milling about outside to indicate the show was still going ahead. Compounding the fact, the stern bouncer warned, “If you don’t have tickets, don’t bother trying to get in because we’re sold out.” Milhouse were playing their last ever shows on this tour. Like always, they brought the fun to the stage and when Smith Street’s Wil Wagner jumped up to sing along to ‘TL;DR’, it was like the entire venue was a house party. Michigan’s Cheap Girls were up next. Unfortunately, the energy from Milhouse’s set didn’t quite carry over to these guys. Frontman Ian Graham seemed unengaged with a crowd clearly ready to party. Apart from the occasional instruction to the sound man and a couple of quick thankyous, the band kept interaction to a
minimum. It was a workman-like set of pop rock that in the end felt a little bland. California’s Joyce Manor brought the energy levels back up, whipping through a catalogue of songs, the majority of which registered around the 90-second mark. It was soon crowd-surfing time with ‘Beach Community’ and ‘Call Out (Laundry)’ getting the crowd into a sing-along mood. They finished with the immense ‘Constant Headache’ and subsequently lost the mic into the crowd, leaving the front row to sing the song instead. The Smith Street Band entered to a deafening cheer and launched into a couple of songs from their latest EP, ‘Don’t Fuck With Our Dreams’ and ‘Ducks Fly Together’. They smashed out a lot of songs from their recent Sunshine & Technology LP and a beautifully heart-wrenching solo rendition of ‘My Little Sinking Ship’ which proved the only point in the show where the crowd weren’t jumping off the stage, crowd-surfing and screaming every fucking lyric. After dedicating ‘I Can’t Feel My Face’ to Sydney’s meth head population, the band closed with the favourites ‘Young Drunk’ and ‘When I Was A Boy I Thought I Was A Fish’ which sent everyone away smiling.
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OD AND MUSIC O F T A E R G Contact: chris@fair ustralia” A in t n ra u a st e R t en “Best Entertainm EY
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02 9984 9933
LIZOTTE’S SYDN
nment Presents Fairplay EntertaiLOCAL 11 Coopers LIVE & ra SEP dney Jazz Orchest 12 The Sy SEP Juzzie Smith 13 bies, Eagles & Barry Leefs - DooShow SEP 14 West Coast Rock nment Presents Fairplay EntertaiLOCAL SEP 18 Coopers LIVE & SEP Bob Evans 19 - Welcome Stranger Tour Birthday SEP Otis Redding 72nd 20 Celebration SEP Cappella 21 Soulfood A D) SEP Kennedy (IRELAN 22 Brian SEP
On Sydney’s sacred rock’n’roll ground, The Annandale, I felt like I was witnessing something special tonight. Wil Wagner is one of the best songwriters in Australia, fronting one of the best local bands going around. Rick Warner
AST O C L A R T N E C ’S IZOTTE 02 4368 2017 L NG PHOTOGRAPHER :: HENRY LEU
nment Presents Fairplay EntertaiLOCAL 11 Coopers LIVE & ing On Album SEP Loren Kate - Mov 12 Launch SEP ible Steve Clisby 13 The Incred ack Special SEP s - The 68 Comeb vi El 14 SEP Smith 15 Juzzie e Clisby SEP SEP e Incredible Stev Th 18 19 Let the River SEP Mark Wilkinson 20 Run Album Tour h - Simply SEP Lazy Sunday Lunc m Burlinson 22 Sinatra starring To SEP
02 4956 2066
BIG SCARY, COURTNEY BARNETT Factory Theatre Friday August 30
Courtney Barnett has been building a reputation as Melbourne’s songwriting heroine, but tonight she’s welcomed politely by a largely unfamiliar crowd. Barnett is framed by her bassist and drummer on elevated platforms (full band title: Courtney Barnett & the Courtney Barnetts), but is undeniably the frontperson of this classic three-piece. This members that make up this most basic of garage band lineups visibly grin at each other’s spontaneous choices while playing Barnett’s earlier songs, revealing an excellent grasp of the loose-tight dynamic. Barnett has a distinctive and endearing voice, but to casual listeners her dry delivery could run into monotony – which just means you need to listen more intently. The biggest joys of songs like ‘Avant Gardener’ are the hyper-detailed lyrics, and tonight are a second level to enjoy once deciphered. By the time the set closes with the song everyone knows, ‘History Eraser’, the crowd is suitably appreciative. thebrag.com
Tonight is Big Scary’s first time playing new album Not Art in full, meaning we’re the first punters treated to some of these songs live. The duo and co-vocalists Jo Syme (also on drums) and Tom Iansek (also on guitar, keys and more) have recruited newcomers Gus and Chris to help bring the LP to life, and with the scope of tonight’s display, it’s surprising they don’t need even more. The chestkicking rock of ‘Hello, My Name Is’ is the perfect starter, and there are a couple of early glitches – ‘Harmony Sometimes’ calls on a high-end vocal that Syme struggles to reach – but this is a niggle in one of the most diverse shows by any one band in Australia. Using MBVish soaring noise (‘Belgian Blues’), a plonking piano (‘Twin Rivers’), sampled recordings of NYC gospel singers (‘Why Hip Hop Sucks In ’13’), or a sax solo (‘Long Worry’), it’s part indie gig and part variety show. As a finale, Iansek and Syme run through oldies like ‘Falling Away’ for long-time fans, but there’s no doubt their most impressive material is from right now. Simon Topper
STLE A C W E N ’S E T T O LIZ SEP nnedy 10 Brian Ke nment Fairplay Entertais LIVE & LOCAL SEP er op 11 Presents Co & Aleyce SEP Dianna Corcoran Acoustic Blonde 12 Simmonds - Pure SEP Moses Ojah Band 13 Afro SEP zzie Smith 14 Ju Bob Evans SEP er Tour 15 - Welcome Strang nment SEP Fairplay Entertais LIVE & LOCAL er op 18 Presents Co SEP Mark Wilkinson 19 - Let the River Run Album Tour SEP ible Steve Clisby 20 The Incred arring SEP Simply Sinatra st 21 Tom Burlinson SEP son 22 Alex Gib
Lizotte’s Sydney 629 Pittwater Rd Dee Why
Lizotte’s Central Coast Lot 3 Avoca Dr Kincumber
Lizotte’s Newcastle 31 Morehead St Lambton
WWW. LIZOT TES.COM.AU BRAG :: 529 :: 09:09:13 :: 27
g g guide gig g
send your listings to : gigguide@thebrag.com
Amanda Palmer
TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 10 INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS
Brian Kennedy Lizotte’s Newcastle. 8pm. $50. Co-Pilot Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 9pm. free. Steve Tonge Observer Hotel, The Rocks. 8:30pm. free. The Rusty Spring Syncopators Eliza’s Juke Joint, Newtown. 8pm. $6. Yukon Blonde, British Blues & The High-Tails FBi Social, Kings Cross. 7pm. $10.
WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 11 JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC Hump Wednesdays - feat: The Petting Zoo The Little Guy, Glebe. 7pm. free. Lionel Cole The White Horse, Surry Hills. 8pm. free. The Midnight Tea Party Venue 505, Surry Hills. 8:30pm. $10. World Music Wednesdays feat: Cumbia Orchestra The Basement, Circular Quay. 8pm. $5.
ACOUSTIC/ COUNTRY/BLUES/ FOLK
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 14 Enmore Theatre, Newtown
Amanda Palmer And The Grand Theft Orchestra 8pm. $67.70. MONDAY SEPTEMBER 9 ACOUSTIC/ COUNTRY/BLUES/ FOLK
Songs On Stage - feat: Helmut Uhlmann + Chris Brookes + Massimo Presti Kelly’s On King, Newtown. 7pm. free. 28 :: BRAG :: 529 : 09:09:13
JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC Latin & Jazz Open Mic World Bar, Kings Cross. 7pm. free. Mariachi Mondays - feat: Victor Valdes And Friends The Basement, Circular Quay. 5pm. free. Motown Mondays - feat: Soultrane The White Horse, Surry Hills.
8pm. free. Reggae Monday Civic Underground, Sydney. 10pm. free.
INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS Bernie Observer Hotel, The Rocks. 8:30pm. free. Frankie’s World Famous House Band
Chris Stretton Stamford Grand, North Ryde. 5:45pm. free. Pulp Kitchen And Folk Club - feat: Live Rotating Folk Bands Soda Factory, Surry Hills. 5pm. free. Songs On Stage - feat: Helmut Uhlmann & Guests The Loft (UTS Loft), Ultimo. 6pm. free.
INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS
Andy Mammers Duo Maloney’s Hotel, Sydney. 9pm. free. Brian Kennedy - feat: The Germein Sisters Blue Beat, Sydney. 9pm. $40. Cloud Control + Palms Bar On The Hill, Callaghan. 8pm. $39. Rob Henry Observer Hotel, The Rocks. 9:30pm. free. Sister Jane FBi Social, Kings Cross. 1pm. free. Souled Out Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 9pm. free. Steve Tonge Duo O’Malleys Hotel, Kings Cross. 9:30pm. free. Tug Dumbly And The Hellsong Gospel Choir feat: Mr Bamboo + Polski Orgoki Portable Orkestra Eliza’s Juke Joint, Newtown. 8pm. free. Ultra Off - feat: Cold Man Browne + King For A Day + Amalgam + Swamp Crocs + Euryale + Cicada + Fire Knight Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 7pm. $15.
Uni Bar100 Bar100, The Rocks. 9pm. free. We Are The Brave - feat: Cogel + James Blackwood (Valar) + Big Love + Love Goodgod Small Club, Sydney. 8pm. $10.
THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 12 ACOUSTIC/ COUNTRY/BLUES/ FOLK
GTS Brighton RSL, Brighton-LeSands. 7:30pm. free. Live Music Thursdays Bar100, The Rocks. 5pm. free. Songs On Stage - feat: Peach Montgomery + Warren Munce & Guests Forest Lodge Hotel, Forest Lodge. 7:30pm. free. Songs On Stage - feat: Chris Raicevich + Olivia Jane + Solar Cell + Melanie Minidoo + The Runaway Houses + Patrick Arnold Ruby L’otel, Rozelle. 7:30pm. free.
INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS
AAmazing Entertainment Karaoke Royal Hotel, Bondi. 8pm. free. AC Presents Tomorrow Never Knows - feat: Liam Gale & The Ponytails + The Spoon Collectors & Aether Beach Goodgod Small Club, Sydney. 8pm. $18.40. Alex Hopkins Northies Cronulla Hotel, Cronulla. 7:30pm. free. Andy Mammers Duo Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 9:30pm. free. Barbarion Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach. 8pm. free. Black Diamond Hearts Crows Nest Hotel, Crows Nest. 10pm. free. Cambo Observer Hotel, The Rocks. 8:30pm. free. Cash The Basement, Circular Quay. 7pm. $45. Cloud Control + Palms + Gang Of Youths Metro Theatre, Sydney. 8pm. $39. Dave White Duo Maloney’s Hotel, Sydney. 9:30pm. free. David Agius Hillside Hotel, Castle Hill. 7pm. free. Dennis Jaculli - feat: Taking Berlin + The Drawing Glass + Vanessa Heinitz + Scandalgate + Jody Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 7pm. $10. Dustin Tebbutt, Packwood & Ariela Jacobs FBi Social, Kings Cross. 8pm. $10. Elevate Scruffy Murphy’s Hotel, Sydney. 10pm. free. Hank Haint & Los Tones Hotel Steyne, Manly. 9pm. free. Heath Burdell Marrickville Ritz Hotel, Marrickville. 7pm. free. Michael McGlynn Kirribilli Hotel, Milsons Point. 7pm. free. Party Central Three Wise Monkeys Pub, Sydney. 10pm. free. Redlight Ruby O’Malleys Hotel, Kings Cross. 9:30pm. free. Safia The Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle West. 8pm. $25. The Dead Love - feat: Lovers Jump Creek & The Cavalcade The Terrace Bar, 8pm. $10.
The Hoo Haas Eliza’s Juke Joint, Sydney. 8 pm. $8.
JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC Abby Dobson + Danny Flynn Camelot Lounge, Marrickville. 7pm. $30. Organ Groove - feat: Dave Goodman + Darren Heinrich + Lionel Cole The White Horse, Surry Hills. 8pm. free. Tina Harrod Venue 505, Surry Hills. 8:30pm. $15.
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 13 ACOUSTIC/ COUNTRY/BLUES/ FOLK
Billy Bragg + Patrick James The Factory Theatre, Marrickville. 8pm. $71.10. Kevin Johansen & The Nada + Sistema Crionlina Camelot Lounge, Marrickville. 6:30pm. $39.50. Live Music Fridays Bar100, The Rocks. 5pm. free. Renae Stone Customs House Bar, Sydney. 7pm. free. Wolf Mail Old Manly Boatshed, Manly. 8:30pm. $15.
JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC Amanda Palmer ‘In Conversation’ Plus Feel Good Friday Jazz Venue 505, Surry Hills. 8:30pm. free. Darth Vegas Camelot Lounge, Marrickville. 7:30pm. $20. Professor Groove And The Booty Affair Presents Best Of Blacksploitation The Brass Monkey, Cronulla. 7pm. $19.90.
INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS
Alex Hopkins Crows Nest Hotel, Crows Nest. 6:30pm. free. AM 2 PM Pittwater RSL, Mona Vale. 7pm. free. Armchair Travellers Duo Courthouse Hotel, 10pm. free. Arts Martial - feat: The Middles Names + Kita + DJ Bernie Dingo Upstairs Beresford, Surry Hills. 6pm. free. Backlash Penrith Gaels, Kingswood. 10am. free. Barbarion The Standard, Surry Hills. 8pm. $13.30. Ben Gunn Coogee Bay Hotel, Coogee. 9pm. free. Bounce Scruffy Murphy’s Hotel, Sydney. 10:30pm. free. Craig Thommo Commercial Hotel, Parramatta. 6:30pm. free. Dave Mac + DJ Marty Wentworthville Leagues Club, 9pm. free. Dave Phillips Harbord Beach Hotel, Freshwater. 8pm. free. Elevate Cock N’ Bull, Bondi Junction. 7pm. free. Excitebike - feat: Bk + Frottera + Nursing Home Stalkers + Skinpin Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 7pm. $10. FBi’s Spring Prom - feat:
thebrag.com
Xxx
pick of the week
Frankie’s Pizza, Sydney. 9pm. free. Leah Flanagan & Jess Beck Venue 505, Surry Hills. 8:30pm. free.
g g guide gig g send your listings to : gigguide@thebrag.com
We Are The Brave
The Fabergettes + Alaskan Night + La Tarentella + Okin Osan + FBi DJs FBi Social, Kings Cross. 8pm. $12. Flux Rock Lily, Pyrmont. 8:30pm. free. Gary Johns Duo Hillside Hotel, Castle Hill. 8pm. free. Get The Party Started - The Pink Show Coolibah Hotel, Merrylands. 9pm. free. GTS Kingswood Sports Club, Kingswood. 7:30pm. free. Heath Burdell Northies, Cronulla. 9:30pm. free. Jconnexion Engadine Tavern, Engadine. 9:30pm. free. Jimi Hendrix Show feat. Steve Edmonds Bull & Bush Hotel, Baulkham Hills. 10pm. free. JJ Duo Club Windang, Windang. 7:30pm. free. Klay General Gordon Hotel, Sydenham. 4pm. free. Live Music At The Royal The Royal, Leichhardt. 9:30pm. free. Mandi Jarry Dee Why Hotel, Dee Why. 7pm. free. Marty’s Place Hornsby RSL, Hornsby. 10pm. free. Matt Jones Duo Kings Cross Hotel, Kings Cross. 11pm. free. Muddy Feet Kurnell Rec Club, Kurnell. 7:30pm. free. Nathan Cole Chatswood RSL, Chatswood. 5:30pm. free. Night Of The Living DreadZombie Reggae Party - feat: Kinkski Eliza’s Juke Joint, Newtown. 10pm. $10. Pikelet Album Launch - feat: Horse Macgyver Goodgod Small Club, Sydney. 8pm. $15. Rapture North Sydney Leagues Club, Cammeray. 9:30pm. free. RUFUS + Yesyou The Hi-Fi, Moore Park. 8pm. $25.50. The Dead Love - feat: Lovers Jump Creek +
The Dead Love
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The Darkened Seas + The Swamp Crocs Spectrum, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $12. Tom T Duo Parramatta Leagues - The Firehouse. 8pm. free. Wildcatz Three Wise Monkeys Pub, Sydney. 10pm. free. Zoltan Cronulla RSL, Cronulla. 7:30pm. free.
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 14 ACOUSTIC/ COUNTRY/BLUES/ FOLK
Live Music Saturdays Bar100, The Rocks. 4pm. free. Paul Hayward & Friends Town & Country Hotel, St Peters. 3pm. free.
JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC Buble & The Legends Of Swing Club Cronulla, Cronulla. 8pm. free. Frank Bennett Camelot Lounge, Marrickville. 7:30pm. $25.
INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS
AM 2 PM Wentworthville Leagues Club, Wentworthville. 10pm. free. Amanda Palmer And The Grand Theft Orchestra Enmore Theatre, Newtown. 8pm. $67.60. Ange The Lucky Australian Hotel, St Marys. 8pm. free. As You Were Carousel Inn Hotel, Rooty Hill. 8pm. free. Bernie Sedgidan Surfies Cronulla. 7:30pm. free. Big Way Out Courthouse Hotel, Lithgow. 9:30pm. free. Cambo Observer Hotel, The Rocks. 3:30pm. free. Craig Thommo Dick’s Hotel, Balmain. 9:30pm. free.
Dave White Duo Northies Cronulla Hotel, Cronulla. 9pm. free. DJ Marty Wentworthville Leagues Club, Wentworthville. 9pm. free. Electric Anthems Trio Paragon Hotel, Sydney. 9:30pm. free. Endless Summer Beach Party PJ’s, Parramatta. 9pm. free. Fallon Bros Greystanes Inn, Greystanes. 6:30pm. free. Fess-tival De Boobies - feat: Lab 64 + Chainsaw Mascara + Domino + Rusty Blaze + Upside Down Miss Jane Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 8pm. $10. Frank Bennett Camelot Lounge, Marrickville. 9pm. $25. Geoff Rana Observer Hotel, The Rocks. 9:30pm. free. Ginger & Drum (EP Launch) + Junk & Castio (Formerly The Cadres) FBi Social, Kings Cross. 8pm. $10. Go Violets + Sures + Black Zeroes Goodgod Small Club, Sydney. 8pm. $10. Hitseekers Peachtree Hotel, Penrith. 9pm. free. JJ Duo Kelly’s On King, Newtown. 9:30pm. free. Keep The Faith - Bon Jovi Show Blacktown RSL, Blacktown. 9pm. free. Kick INXS Show Manly Leagues Club, Sydney. 8pm. free. Larissa McKay Stowaway Bar, Freshwater. 4pm. free. Len Samperi The Belvedere Hotel, Sydney. 9pm. free. Lime Cordiale + Safia + Willow + DJ Kristy Lee Upstairs Beresford, Surry Hills. 6pm. free. Macson North Sydney Leagues Club, Cammeray. 9:30pm. free. Marty’s Place Moorebank Sports Club, Hammondville. 9:30pm. free. Muddy Feet Kelly’s On King, Newtown. 9:30pm. free. One Hit Wonders Guildford Leagues Club, Guildford. 9pm. free. Panorama Duo Parramatta Leagues - The Firehouse. 9pm. free. Papa Pilko And The Binrats - feat: Frank Sultana And The Sinister Kids + The Drey Rollan Band Eliza’s Juke Joint, Newtown. 8pm. $17. Redlight Ruby Harbord Beach Hotel, Freshwater. 8pm. free. Rock Of Ages Bull & Bush Hotel, Baulkham Hills. 9:30pm. free. Rockchick Presents (Our Past Days) - feat: Lyon Estate + Final Form + Atlantis Of The Sky + Highroads + Ready For The Fall & 1919 Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 12pm. $10. Russell Nelson Crown On McCredie, Guildford West. 7pm. free. Saturday Live Band - feat: Rock Girl Oatley Hotel, Oatley. 8:30pm. free. Talk It Up Crows Nest Hotel, Crows Nest. 10pm. free. The Elton Jack Show The Juniors Club, Kingsford. 7pm. free. The Mike Whitney Band Juniors At The Junction, Maroubra. 8:30pm. free. The Sphinxes Engadine Tavern, Engadine.
9:30pm. free. Tori Darke Northies Cronulla Hotel, Cronulla. 5:30pm. free. Trilogy Eastern Suburbs Leagues Club, Bondi Junction. 8:30pm. free. Twelve Foot Ninja Manning Bar, Camperdown. 8pm. $24. UK Anthems Scruffy Murphy’s Hotel, Sydney. 10:30pm. free. Waiting For Guinness Venue 505, Surry Hills. 8:30pm. $20. Wildcatz Bayview Tavern, Gladesville. 8:30pm. free.
free. Live Music Sundays Bar100, The Rocks. 1pm. free.
INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 15 JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC Pena Flamenca Camelot Lounge, Marrickville. 6:30pm. $25. Vtribe Hotel Steyne, Manly. 7pm. free.
Kvelertak Manning Bar, Camperdown. 8pm. $50. Armchair Travellers Duo Rosehill Bowling Club, Rosehill. 5:30pm. free. Arthur B’S Sunday Best Eliza’s Juke Joint, Newtown. 4pm. free. David Agius Harbord Beach Hotel, Freshwater. 6pm. free. Greg Agar Mill Hill Hotel, Bondi Junction. 3:30pm. free. Hangover Music At Valve - feat: Falling Down The Stairs + Electric Grapefruit + Chupacabra + Daytime Television + Blackie (The Hard Ons) Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 7pm. $10. Hit The Lights + Heroes
For Hire + State Champs + Skyway Metro Theatre, Sydney. 3pm. $39.90. Joe Echo Duo Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 8:30pm. free. Klay Ambarvale Tavern. 2pm. free. Marty Simpson Northies Cronulla Hotel, Cronulla. 2pm. free. Marty Stewart Western Suburbs Leagues Club. 11:30am. free. Pete Hunt Waverley Bowling Club, 2pm. free. Rock Solid Duo Parramatta RSL Club, Parramatta. 5pm. free. Slapdash Song Night Eliza’s Juke Joint, Sydney. 7pm. free. Spurs For Jesus Botany View Hotel, Newtown. 7pm. free. The Regulators Three Wise Monkeys, Sydney. 9pm. free. Three Wise Men Observer Hotel, The Rocks. 4pm. free.
Barbarion
ACOUSTIC/ COUNTRY/BLUES/ FOLK
Acoustic Sets - feat: Mike Miller Oatley Hotel, Oatley. 2pm. free. Intimate Sessions Paragon Hotel, Sydney. 6pm. free. Little Sundays - feat: Stephanie Grace The Little Guy, Glebe. 7pm.
tue
10 Sep
(9:00PM - 12:00AM)
wed
11 Sep
(9:00PM - 12:00AM)
thu
12 Sep
(9:30PM - 12:30AM)
fri
13 Sep
(4:30PM - 7:30PM)
(9:30PM - 1:30AM)
SUNDAY AFTERNOON
SATURDAY AFTERNOON
sat
14 Sep
(4:30PM - 7:30PM)
SATURDAY NIGHT
(9:30PM - 12:30AM)
sun
15 Sep
(4:30PM - 7:30PM)
SUNDAY NIGHT
(8:30PM - 12:00AM)
BRAG :: 529 :: 09:09:13 :: 29
gig picks
up all night out all week... Of Youths Metro Theatre, Sydney. 8pm. $39. Dustin Tebbutt, Packwood & Ariela Jacobs FBi Social, Kings Cross. 8pm. $10. Abby Dobson + Danny Flynn Camelot Lounge, Marrickville. 7pm. $30.
Billy Bragg
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 13
TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 10 Brian Kennedy Lizotte’s Newcastle. 8pm. $50. Yukon Blonde, British Blues & The High-Tails FBi Social, Kings Cross. 7pm. $10.
WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 11 Brian Kennedy - Feat: The Germein Sisters Blue Beat, Sydney. 9pm. $40. Cloud Control + Palms Bar On The Hill, Callaghan. 8pm. $39.
We Are The Brave - Feat: Cogel + James Blackwood (Valar) + Big Love + Love Goodgod Small Club, Sydney. 8pm. $10.
THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 12 Tomorrow Never Knows - Feat: Liam Gale & The Ponytails + The Spoon Collectors & Aether Beach Goodgod Small Club, Sydney. 8pm. $18.40. Cash The Basement, Circular Quay. 7pm. $45. Cloud Control + Palms + Gang
Billy Bragg + Patrick James The Factory Theatre, Marrickville. 8pm. $71.10. Barbarion The Standard, Surry Hills. 8pm. $13.30. FBi’s Spring Prom - Feat: The Fabergettes + Alaskan Night + La Tarentella + Okin Osan + FBi DJs FBi Social, Kings Cross. 8pm. $12. Pikelet Album Launch - Feat: Horse Macgyver Goodgod Small Club, Sydney. 8pm. $15. RUFUS + Yesyou The Hi-Fi, Moore Park. 8pm. $25.50. The Dead Love - Feat: Lovers Jump Creek + The Darkened Seas + The Swamp Crocs Spectrum, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $12.
Manning Bar, Camperdown. 8pm. $24.
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 15
Yukon Blonde
Kvelertak Manning Bar, Camperdown. 8pm. $50. Hit The Lights + Heroes For Hire + State Champs + Skyway Metro Theatre, Sydney. 3pm. $39.90.
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 14 Ginger & Drum (EP Launch) + Junk & Castio (Formerly The Cadres) FBi Social, Kings Cross. 8pm. $10. Go Violets + Sures + Black Zeroes Goodgod Small Club, Sydney. 8pm. $10. Twelve Foot Ninja
Go Violets
TUE 10TH SEPTEMBER
THU 12TH SEPTEMBER
SAT 14TH SEPTEMBER
YUKON BLONDE
DUSTIN TEBBUTT
GINGER & DRUM
(CANADA) + BRITISH BLUES + THE HIGH-TAILS
(SINGLE LAUNCH) + PACKWOOD + ARIELA JACOBS
7PM // $15 + BF OR $20 AT THE DOOR
8PM // $10
WED 11TH SEPTEMBER
FRI 13TH SEPTEMBER
FBI SPRING PROM! LUNCH BREAK: SISTER JANE
THE FABERGETTES (EP LAUNCH) + ALASKAN KNIGHT + LA TARANTELLA + OKIN OSAN + FBI DJS PRIZES FOR BEST DRESSED!
1PM // FREE
8PM // $12
(EP LAUNCH) + JUNK + CASTIO 8PM // $10
HANDS UP!
FREE DJS UNTIL THE EARLY MORNING! DJ CLOCKWERK + SPECIAL FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS 11:30PM // FREE
www.fbisocial.com • level 2, kings cross hotel 30 :: BRAG :: 529 : 09:09:13
thebrag.com
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
WEI-SHEN MAK FROM THOSE USUAL SUSPECTS
15 YEARS OF ELEFANT TRAKS
The homegrown record label and Australian hip hop institution Elefant Traks will celebrate its 15th anniversary with an “elefant-sized party” stretching across consecutive nights on Friday November 29 (at the Metro Theatre) and Saturday November 30 (at The Red Rattler in Marrickville). The lineup is laden with label mainstays, including Hermitude, Horrorshow, The Herd, Urthboy, Sietta, The Tongue, Jimblah, Joelistics, Astronomy Class, The Last Kinection, Ozi Batla, Sky’high and Jane Tyrrell. Sign up to the Elefant Traks mailing list for the opportunity to purchase advance presale two-day passes, otherwise wait for Friday September 13 to grab your tickets.
FABOLOUS, OMARION AND CHINGY
The Redline Music Tour will descend on Luna Park’s Big Top on Friday September 27 for a hip hop triple bill comprised of internationals Fabolous, Omarion and Chingy. Fabolous’ pedigree is well-documented thanks to the success of hits such as ‘Young’n (Holla Back)’, ‘Into You’ and ‘Breathe’ and his collaborations with the likes of Jay-Z, Rihanna, Snoop Dogg, Trey Songz, T-Pain and Diddy. This will be only Fabolous’ second trip Down Under, and it comes in the lead-up to the release of his new album Loso’s Way 2. Meanwhile Omarion is the former B2K lead singer who is behind hits like ‘Bump Bump Bump’ and ‘Girlfriend’ and has appeared in movies like You Got Served. Since going solo, Omarion has chalked up a Grammy nomination and a Billboard Chart-topping album, while his latest EP Care Package spawned the single ‘MIA’. Finally, Chingy burst onto the scene in 2003 with his debut charttopper ‘Right Thurr’ and has been a perennial presence in the charts since. Presale tickets available from bigtopsydney.com.
STRAWBERRY FIELDS FESTIVAL LAUNCH
The Strawberry Fields Festival, slotted for the weekend of November 22 in Victoria, will celebrate its Sydney launch with a bash at Goodgod Small Club on Saturday October 12 headlined by young French producer Jeremy Guindo, AKA Bambounou. A mainstay on Modeselektor’s 50 Weapons label, Bambounou has collaborated with compatriot producer French Fries, and released his debut album Orbiting at the end of last year, cementing his status as an “emerging maverick producer”. The likes of Astral DJs, Kato, Subaske, Pharley and U-Khan will also be spinning in support. For full details about the Strawberry Fields festival, head to strawberry-fields.com.au.
R.A. THE RUGGED MAN
Horrorshow
Growing Up During my childhood, 1. I remember waking up
cream and the destinations I visit also inspire me!
each Saturday to Rage (or buying cassette tapes) and listening to the likes of Michael Jackson, Bobby Brown, Roxette, Milli Vanilli, Fleetwood Mac and Quincy Jones. My folks were avid fans of Roy Orbison, Dean Martin and Elvis. Mum played the piano and she bribed me with hamburgers to start lessons – it worked for a year or two. My childhood definitely made me passionate and open-minded about music, and gave me a good appreciation of melodies and rhythm.
Your Crew Those Usual Suspects 3. comprise of me and my
2.
Inspirations My favourite musicians/producers include Michael Jackson, Daft Punk, The Killers, Gypsy & The Cat, Maxwell, Coldplay, Phoenix, M83, Fleetwood Mac, Axwell, Dirty South, Hard Rock Sofa and Alex Metric... just to name a few. The one common theme in their music which inspires me (apart from being good music) is they all manage to fuse/conjure emotions with warmth and melodies. My girlfriend, a bucket of ice
thebrag.com
partner in crime Atridge D’Costa. We’re both Melbourne boys, and we produce together but only I DJ. I got into music back at high school thanks to my choir teacher (a good 20 years ago... apparently I had the voice of an angel until it broke) and started DJing when I was 16 years old. Music production ended up being a natural evolution of that. We both moonlight in other jobs which help keeps us grounded and driven – I work as a lawyer and Atridge is an entrepreneur/ digital marketing guru.
4.
The Music You Make We started off producing funky/afro/soulful house (as it was known back in the day) – similar to what the likes of Louie Vega, DJ Gregory, Bob Sinclar and Martin Solveig used to produce. That Defected and Africanism sound. Slowly our sound evolved to more of a tech/progressive house sound and now we’d
A figure who has collaborated with everyone from Wu-Tang and Mobb Deep to The Notorious B.I.G. and Kool G Rap, New York hip hop producer R.A. the Rugged Man will perform at The Standard this Saturday. R.A dropped his debut LP Die, Rugged Man, Die back in ’04, and recently released the follow-up album, Legends Never Die, which features guests like Tech N9ne, Hopsin, Talib Kweli, Brother Ali, Krizz Kaliko, Vinnie Paz and Masta Ace.
probably just call our sound Big Room (definitely none of that Melbourne bounce sound hoohah!). You can check out the evolution of our sound at soundcloud. com/thoseusualsuspects. Artists who we play a similar sound to are Axwell, Dirty South, Hook N Sling and Nicky Romero. Just fun, warm and uplifting big room music. Music, Right Here, Right Now 5. I think the music scene at the moment is really healthy and artists are being pushed (like never before) to be innovative in order to stand out. Otherwise your five minutes of fame is short lived. This is especially the case with the amount of new music being released and the fact that music production software is now accessible to all. There are no barriers to entry anymore. Probably the best thing about the local scene is there are no egos to deal with. With: EDX Where: Marquee At The Star When: Saturday September 14
Hernan Cattaneo
GARDEN PARTY
Hamburg producer Stimming, a linchpin of the Diynamic Music label, and Argentinian veteran Hernan Cattaneo will form an international double bill at the next Garden Party at The Ivy on Saturday September 21. Stimming has remixed the likes of Luomo, Sascha Funke and Nina Kraviz, while steadily releasing EPs that continue to garner critical and dancefloor accolades for their evocative grooves. Stimming released his third full-length album only recently, a self-titled LP built on quaint details. It followed his sophomore album, Liquorice, which dropped a few years back and was described as “a propulsive dive into the headspace of a producer whose hankering for slowed down electronic groove is unparalleled outside of producers like Nicolas Jaar”. The other headliner, Cattaneo, is no stranger to Aussie clubbers, having played many extended sets here over the years. He will be playing a three-hour set on this occasion. Local DJs Robbie Lowe, Jeff Drake, Rodskeez and Leoch will be on support duties, with the party running from midday till 8pm.
BRAG :: 529 :: 09:09:13 :: 31
dance music news
free stuff
club, dance and hip hop in brief...with Chris Honnery
email: freestuff@thebrag.com
speed date WITH
STIMMING
What Do You Look For In A DJ/ Producer? 1. I want to hear something that’s never been made before. It should be fresh, exciting and unique – like having a cold shower and then straight after having a bath in flower petals. Keeping Busy I moved with my studio into a bigger 2. place and it looks like I built a little palace just for me. This kept me away from producing for about three months and I would have gone mad if I didn’t have the Teenage Engineering OP-1 on which I can make little sketches and musical notes during travelling.
into his sets. At home I love Spotify – I can listen to all the beautiful music that’s out there for ten bucks a month. This is bad for artists (including me – the percentage of what we get per play is ridiculously low) but good for the consumer (including me). Ryuichi Sakamoto’s Playing the Piano album is very beautiful, but also on the edge of being cheesy without ever crossing it; DJ Krush has influenced me a lot; I love Amon Tobin, but I should also mention that I do like a lot of stuff on the label that he produces for, Ninja Tune. In general, mostly stuff from the UK has my attention.
Best Gig Ever Your Ultimate Rider The best gigs are the ones where there You want me to say: coke, bitches and 3. 5. is a connection between me and the crowd. whatever, right? Too bad, as I don’t drink, Unfortunately I don’t know the formula of how to do this, but I know when it’s there – and the people do too, of course. So, one gig which always comes to mind was in Auckland, NZ last year. Suddenly people were going crazy, screaming on every move I made, giving me so much positive feedback – that’s the reason I’m doing this. I also had a very, very good one in Johannesburg, South Africa – I’m a little star down there…
4.
Current Playlist My favourite DJ is Dixon. I listened to a set of him in Miami earlier this year and you could really hear how much thought he puts
MARCOS CABRAL
Tickets are still available for the Picnic party headlined by Brooklyn’s Marcos Cabral this Sunday September 15 at Icebergs. Cabral has released on imprints like Trapez Ltd and L.I.E.S., the latter of which recently released his debut album False Memories, a double LP. False Memories was actually a collection of Cabral’s early productions from between 1998 and 2000, which explore a raw techno sound recorded to cassette with primitive editing software and a Roland MC-303. In addition to his solo output, Cabral has also been churning out disco-laced house as Runaway with Jacques Renault since the early noughties. The bash will run from 4-10pm, with the $40 ticket price including bar food.
do drugs very rarely, and I have a girl who I love very much... So, my ultimate rider would consist of a huge sound system like in Room One in Fabric (London) with its vibrating floor. The sound has to be dry and loud without any additional distortion from the system itself – good for our ears and minds!
What: Garden Party With: Hernan Cattaneo Where: The Ivy When: Saturday September 21
R.A. THE RUGGED MAN
Banned from every major record label’s office and from performing in the US in the ’90s, New York rap sensation R.A. The Rugged Man is coming to Australia and he’s bringing his attitude with him. R.A.’s shows are out of control (literally) but they should really not be missed. Despite the controversy, the notorious R.A. has emerged in 2013 with a thriving career and a new album, Legends Never Die, that will carry his tour across Oz. Luckily, thanks to us, you won’t have to miss out on this performance. R.A. is set to play on Saturday September 14 at The Standard and for your chance to win a double pass, email freestuff@thebrag.com with the name of R.A.’s first album.
HEDKANDI
Need an excuse for a big night? Well, you’re in luck, because UK-based music label Hedkandi is taking over Goldfish on Saturday September 14 with the latest and greatest in house music. Making sure you’re tearing it up on the dancefloor will be Sydney’s finest house music suppliers Cadell and Johnny Gleeson, accompanied by Hedkandi resident DJs Phil Hudson, Adrian Benedek, Tim Whitney and many more. To go into the draw to win one of two double passes, email freestuff@thebrag.com and tell us the biggest mistake you ever made after 2am on a night out.
SIMON CALDWELL
Hugely respected Sydney DJ Simon Caldwell will headline this Saturday September 14 at Strange Fruit, the weekly free event at The Abercrombie. Caldwell’s DJ pedigree is well documented; he’s co-promoted one of Australia’s longest running dance parties, Mad Racket, for the last 13 years, pushes quality deep grooves every Monday night on his Sunsets show on FBi Radio, and had the honour of being the second Australian to put together an RA Podcast. He’s also supported just about every celebrated international in the house and techno realm to tour Australia over the past decade. This weekend, he will be joined by another local luminary in Jamie Lloyd and Strange Fruit main man Jordan Deck, with beats commencing at 9pm.
John Talbot
Ghostpoet
JOHN TALABOT
Spanish producer John Talabot will mix the next edition of the DJ-Kicks series, following on from the likes of Maceo Plex, Photek, Maya Jane Coles and most famously Tiga (whose addition to the DJ-Kicks canon will take some topping). While the defining feature of the DJ-Kicks mixes is traditionally the inclusion of one new track from the curator, Talabot has upped the ante by including two exclusive cuts: a solo effort ‘Without You’, and ‘Sideral’, a collaboration with Axel Boman under the moniker Talaboman. The mix also features cuts from Maps, Motor City Drum Ensemble and Jus-Ed, who recently graced our shores with his presence. Talabot’s DJ-Kicks is due for release at the end of October.
GORGON CITY
This Sunday September 15, Chinese Laundry will host an afternoon lock in, featuring the debut Sydney club show of Gorgon City. The duo release on Black Butter Records, showcasing a “polished and party-minded” sound that has been supported by tastemakers like Diplo, DJ T and Terry Farley. With Gorgon City’s singles ‘Real’ and most recently ‘Intentions’ grabbing the BBC Radio 1 breakfast and morning shows’ record of the week slots, the pair will arrive in Australia with plenty of hype attached. Support will be provided by Mantra Collective, Brown Bear and Swampy, with festivities running from 3-10pm.
GHOSTPOET
32 :: BRAG :: 529 :: 09:09:13
ANTHONY NAPLES
Rising New York producer Anthony Naples will play his first show in Sydney on Saturday September 20 at Goodgod. Naples has emerged as one of the “brightest young things in house music” over the past year, following his debut on the Mister Saturday Night label with acclaimed releases for Rubadub and Will Bankhead’s The Trilogy Tapes. Four Tet is a confirmed admirer of Naples’ and approached the New Yorker to remix his track ‘128 Harps’. “I was talking to Kieran
JACKSON AND HIS COMPUTERBAND
Eight years since his lauded debut album, Parisian producer Jackson And His Computerband rises from the ashes with a new LP Glow, a release that prompted Turbo main man Tiga to proclaim, “I love it when an album makes you want to be a better man” (presumably channeling Jack in As Good As It Gets). Crafting the album with custom-made instruments, Jackson described Glow as “a game of musical obsessions and outrageous pleasures. I’ve made it driven by feverish moments of revelation and sharing them with my friends. ” Glow is out now on Warp Records. thebrag.com
xxx photo by xxx
Britain’s Obaro Ejimiwe, AKA Ghostpoet, will play Oxford Art Factory this Friday September 13. After being scouted by Gilles Peterson, Ghostpoet made an immediate impact with his Mercury Prize-nominated debut album Peanut Butter Blues & Melancholy Jam. Boasting a distinct style that sits somewhere between MC and performance poet, Ghostpoet returns to Australia following the release of his new album, Some Say I So I Say Light, which he describes as sounding “almost like a glossy record that’s been thrown down a ravine and scratched and roughed up a bit”. Support will come courtesy of Melbourne impresario Oscar Key Sung, who initially made his mark as one half of Oscar ‘N’ Martin and has previously supported the likes of Four Tet, Metronomy and Gotye.
Hebden [Four Tet] and he told me he went to a Skrillex show,” Naples recounted when discussing his budding relationship with the influential producer. “He said it’s a movie; it’s entertainment. In a sense, it’s just like a rock show too. He never saw so many people taking photos of themselves with the stage behind them. I don’t think people go home and listen to his records, you know?” Support will include sets from selectors Andy Webb and James McInnes.
Porter Robinson ED(&)M By Tom Kitson
H
aving only taken up the art of spinning full-time after making it to Beatport’s top spot with his track ‘Say My Name’, Porter Robinson is a forced to be reckoned with. Speaking to the BRAG ahead of his appearances with The M Machine in October, Robinson says he’s been at home working on a new tune all week, a process it seems I’ve interrupted. Despite this, he is forthcoming and open; keen to let people in on why and how he creates music. Robinson has had some recent success, touring globally with his instrumental and emotively capturing single, ‘Language’, followed up by ‘Easy’ (with Mat Zo), but having just celebrated his 21st birthday and now being legal in the States, he’s a producer with much more to create. “The music I’m writing today is a bit different to what I’m known for,” he says. “I’m writing an album, which I’ve been on for the last year, so I’ve only been taking weekend tours for the most part. “The core focus of this record for me is to be emotional, sentimental, beautiful and personal,” he says. “I’m not writing it for festivals or DJ sets, I’m writing it to make something important and to be something that touches my heart. The number one thing I’ve taken away from whatever success I’ve had is that the songs that tend to be the best are the most personal and honest. ‘Language’ and ‘Easy’ were the two I cared most about when I was writing them.” Starting out at the age of 12 and drawing musical infl uence from the soundtracks of
the Japanese video games he used to play, Robinson is a wise head on young shoulders. He learned to DJ only after releasing his first tunes. “For me it’s always been listening music first, dance music second,” he says. “When I started releasing music under my own name three years ago, it was different because people were requesting me to come play at their venues and I hadn’t learned to DJ – it wasn’t even in my headspace. Robinson says he loves Australia, as many artists do, and he’s currently preparing for a mammoth four-month touring schedule through the southern spring, with many shows already sold out. Having previously toured the country as an underground artist with a smaller, club focused set, he says he can’t wait to do headliners and add to the experience of his sets at Stereosonic and Future Music. “Me and my friends are beyond excited to come back to Australia. This time it will be cool to do headline stuff because you’re not competing with other artists on other stages. It’s great to play one-hour festival sets with, like, 80,000 people there, but I also love playing a three-and-a-half-hour set in a club where I can let everything ride out a little longer. That’s something I’m looking forward to on this tour.”
“The core focus of this record for me is to be emotional, sentimental, beautiful and personal.”
With: The M Machine Where: Metro Theatre When: Wednesday October 23 / Thursday October 24
EDX Man Of The World By Alasdair Duncan Your album On The Edge came out last year – how did you fi nd the response? I’ve had a lot of very good reactions. Just today, I was walking down the street in LA and I ran into Tamra Keenan who did vocals for some of the tracks, and on the Kaskade production I did, ‘Angel On My Shoulder’. It was great to see her, and we talked about how well the album is doing. It hasn’t had a lot of play on the radio but it gets played a lot in clubs, which is good.
M
aurizio Colella is originally from Italy, but these days the globetrotting producer and DJ known as EDX splits his time between Switzerland and the United States. On the eve of EDX’s Australian tour, Alasdair Duncan catches up with him to find out about his lifelong love of club music. You’ve been spending a lot of time in Los Angeles lately – what’s the dance scene like from an outsider’s perspective?
thebrag.com
The US is definitely an interesting place in terms of electronic music right now. The things that have happened here in the last two years are very similar to the things that happened in Europe around two decades ago. People here are becoming very enthusiastic about dance music, and are becoming more educated about the genre. It’s cool to be a part of something like that in a country where dance music is still in the early stages of catching on.
Your tracks have a very uplifting feeling about them, and you once said you make music to make people smile – are you a very upbeat person generally? Yeah, I think so. I grew up listening to electronic music – everything from acid house to techno and trance and speed garage, and I always really loved it, but I was especially drawn to trance because it was very melodic and emotional. I think I was drawn to it because of the kind of person I am. You had Sarah McLeod on the album, who is a very well-loved singer here in Australia – how did your collaboration with her come about? Her ‘White Horse’ track was doing really well in the UK and she was reaching out to dance producers, so I guess her people just hooked up with my people. We got in touch,
and we got on really well. I was just saying to my partner that I want to make another track that has more of an indie pop feel, and that I should reach out to her again, because she’s a really good artist. What’s the craziest experience you’ve had at a live show in recent times? My touring schedule in general is crazy, so it’s hard to think of an individual one. I’ve played a lot over the last few years, and I’m always really blown away that people are coming to hear my music. It’s great to see people moving on the fl oor when you play your own tracks. You’ll be coming to Australia very soon – what can we expect from your shows down here? I’m really excited to be coming back to Sydney, because I’ve played there before and it was great. I’ll be playing some new EDX productions, some tracks I’ve made over the last few months. Last time I came, I was still working on the album, so I didn’t have a lot of new stuff to play people – this time, there will be a heap of new stuff. I just want to make people smile. With: Those Usual Suspects Where: Marquee At The Star When: Saturday September 14
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club guide g send your listings to : clubguide@thebrag.com
Kele
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 13 HIP HOP & R&B Ghostpoet Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 9pm. $44. Low The Argyle, The Rocks, Sydney. 12am. free.
CLUB NIGHTS
WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 11 Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach
21st Birthday Mega-Bration! Mystery Headlining DJ + Kele + DZ Deathrays (Live) + Sosueme DJs 8pm. Free. TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 10 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 SEPTEMBER 11 HIP HOP & R&B
The Wall - feat: Resident DJs World Bar, Kings Cross. 8pm. $5.
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CLUB NIGHTS
Beach Road Hotel’s 21st Birthday Mega-Bration feat: Mystery Headlining DJ + Kele (Bloc Party DJ Set) + Dz Deathrays (Live) + Sosueme DJs Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach. 8pm. free. Garbage 90s Night - feat: Garbage DJs Lewisham Hotel, Lewisham. 7pm. free. Kit Wednesdays - feat: Resident DJs Kit & Kaboodle, Kings Cross. 10pm. free. Le’ Humpdaze - feat: Jaykay Mistery + Paulux Orion + Cheatz + STFP & Special Guests Le’Cartel, Darlinghurst. 6pm. free. Salsa - feat: Resident DJs Ivy Bar/lounge, Sydney. 8pm. free. The Supper Club - feat: Resident DJs Kit & Kaboodle, Kings Cross. 10pm. free. The Wall - feat: Various World Bar, Kings Cross. 8pm. free. Whip It Wednesdays - feat: DJs Camo + Snillum +
Jaimie Lyn Whaat Club, Kings Cross. 9pm. free.
THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 12 COMEDY
Waiting For The Next Apocalypse - feat: Seaton Kay-Smith + Waiting For The Next Apocalypse The Factory Theatre, Marrickville. 8:15pm. $12.
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:
$5 @ 5 On Fridays - feat: Resident DJs Jacksons On George, Sydney. 5pm. free. El’Circo - feat: Resident Circus Act Performers Slide Lounge, Darlinghurst. 7pm. $109. 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. Mum - feat: Mum DJs World Bar, Kings Cross. 8pm. $10. Soft & Slow 1st Birthday - Amsterdammage - feat: Pink Lloyd (Softwar) + Dreamcatcher (Slow Blow) + Jamie Lloyd + Steven Sullivan + Aviery Jamieson The Spice Cellar, Sydney. 10pm. $10. Soho Fridays - feat: Kronic + Skinny + Zannon Rocco + Fingers + Pat Ward Soho Bar & Lounge, Potts Point. 9pm. free. Something Wicked - feat: \ + Audio Trash + Harper + Robustt + Aydos + Oh Dear Candy’s Apartment, Potts Point. 8pm. free. State Of Mind - feat: Royalston + Capture + Open-Eye + Mc Tricks + Kato + Kid Sample + Flash Hubbard Chinese Laundry, Sydney. 9pm. $25. TGIF - feat: Resident DJs Trademark Hotel, Potts Point. 10pm. free. The Guestlist - feat: Various Home Nightclub, Darling Harbour. 9pm. $15. Unwind Fridays - feat: DJ Greg Summerfield Omega Lounge, Sydney. 5:30pm. free.
Xxx
club pick of the week
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 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. Take Over Thursday - feat: Resident DJs Trademark Hotel, Potts Point. 9pm. $10.
Ghostpoet
Tour Newcastle Panthers, Newcastle West. 8pm. free.
CLUB NIGHTS
After Dark - feat: Resident DJs Whaat Club, Kings Cross. 8pm. $15. Argyle Saturdays - feat: Resident DJs The Argyle, The Rocks, Sydney. 5pm. free. Compound Presents Community, Subaske & Zeus Goodgod Small Club, Sydney. 11pm. $10. F!Ngert!Ps Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. free. FBi Hands Up! - feat: DJ Clockwerk + Special Friends With Benefits FBi Social, Kings Cross. 11:30pm. free. Homemade Saturdays feat: Resident DJs Home Nightclub, Darling Harbour. 9pm. $25. Jacksons Saturdays - feat: Resident DJs Jacksons On George, Sydney. 9pm. free. John 00 Fleming + Kid Kenobi + Natnoiz + Mark Ksas + Pixl + Club Junque + Fingers + GG Magree + Ra Bazaar + Wrecks Chinese Laundry, Sydney. 10pm. $30. Masif Saturdays Space, Sydney. 10pm. Pacha Sydney W/ Joel Fletcher And Silver Sneakerz Ivy Bar/lounge, Sydney. 8:30pm. $38.20. 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. Spice 14.09 - feat: Mike Witcombe + Marc Jarvin + Sam Francisco The Spice Cellar, Sydney. 10pm. $20. The Suite - feat: Resident
DJs Sapphire Lounge, Potts Point. 8pm. free.
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 15 CLUB NIGHTS
Balade Sundays - feat: Jaykay Mistery + Paulux Orion + Stfp + Cheatz & Special Guests Le’Cartel, Darlinghurst. 3pm. free. Beresford Sundays - feat: Resident DJs Upstairs Beresford, Surry Hills. 3pm. free. Easy Sundays - feat: Resident DJs Kit & Kaboodle, Kings Cross. 10pm. free. Locked In - feat: Gorgon City + Mantra Collective + Brown Bear + Swampy Chinese Laundry, Sydney. 3pm. $25. Random Soul - feat: Yogi & Husky The Argyle, The Rocks. 6pm. free. S.A.S.H Sundays - Feat: Pepperpot + Jake Hough & Robbie Cordukes + Ben Ashton + Youn Caro + Matt Weir + Kerry Wallace The Abercrombie, Broadway. 2pm. $10. Soup Kitchen - feat: The Soup Kitchen DJs World Bar, Kings Cross. 7pm. free. Spice After Hours - feat: Robbie Lowe & Nic Scali 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. Wasted Penguinz, Toneshifterz & Bass Modulators + Toneshifterz & Bass Modulators The Hi-Fi, Sydney. 2pm. $40.50.
Flash Hubbard
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 14 HIP HOP & R&B
Illy + Tuka + Allday + Elemont Metro Theatre, Sydney. 7pm. $31.70.
COMEDY
Housos Live - Bogan Idol thebrag.com
club picks p
send your listings to : clubguide@thebrag.com
THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 12 Waiting For The Next Apocalypse Feat: Seaton Kay-Smith + Waiting For The Next Apocalypse The Factory Theatre, Marrickville. 8:15pm. $12.
Spice 14.09 - Feat: Mike Witcombe + Marc Jarvin + Sam Francisco The Spice Cellar, Sydney. 10pm. $20.
Ghostpoet Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 9pm. $44.
S.A.S.H Sundays - Feat: Pepperpot + Jake Hough & Robbie Cordukes + Ben Ashton + Youn Caro + Matt Weir + Kerry Wallace The Abercrombie, Broadway. 2pm. $10. Spice After Hours - Feat: Robbie Lowe & Nic Scali The Spice Cellar, Sydney. 4am. $20. Wasted Penguinz, Toneshifterz & Bass Modulators + Toneshifterz & Bass Modulators The Hi-Fi, Sydney. 2pm. $40.50.
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 14 Xxx
o Dave and I made a Darkside album,” the prodigious producer Nicolas Jaar casually posted on his Twitter account last week. It was up to the music media to grab the ball and run with it and it’d be remiss of me not to follow suit. So let’s do this. The son of Chilean-born artist, architect, and filmmaker Alfredo Jaar, Nicolas is still only in his early 20s but is hugely venerated by the electronic cognoscenti. Jaar Jr rose to prominence through the success of memorable cuts like the plangent ‘A Time For Us’ in the lead up to his debut LP, Space Is Only Noise. Heads continued to turn when he toured Australia at the start of the year, playing solo shows as well as performances with multi-instrumentalist Dave Harrington as Darkside. The pair have since bunkered down in the studio to create a remix album of Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories along with Psychic, an eight-track album that’s just been released on Jaar’s label Other People. For those wanting an idea of what the release sounds like, I could describe Psychic as a collection of slow-burning cinematic grooves that draw on a wide spectrum of influences, but would rather advise you to head to the Darkside site where you can listen to the first eleven minutes of the album.
“S
Illy + Tuka + Allday + Elemont Metro Theatre, Sydney. 7pm. $31.70. Compound Presents Community, Subaske & Zeus Goodgod Small Club, Sydney. 11pm. $10. John 00 Fleming + Kid Kenobi + Natnoiz + Mark Ksas + Pixl + Club Junque + Fingers + Gg Magree + Ra Bazaar + Wrecks Chinese Laundry, Sydney. 10pm. $30. Pacha Sydney W/ Joel Fletcher And Silver Sneakerz
Darkside
Locked In - Feat: Gorgon City + Mantra Collective + Brown Bear + Swampy Chinese Laundry, Sydney. 3pm. $25.
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 15
State Of Mind - Feat: Royalston + Capture + Open-Eye + Mc Tricks + Kato + Kid Sample + Flash Hubbard Chinese Laundry, Sydney. 9pm. $25.
Underground Dance And Electronica with Chris Honnery
Ivy Bar/Lounge, Sydney. 8:30pm. $38.20.
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 13
Soft & Slow 1st Birthday Amsterdammage - Feat: Pink Lloyd (Softwar) + Dreamcatcher (Slow Blow) + Jamie Lloyd + Steven Sullivan + Aviery Jamieson The Spice Cellar, Sydney. 10pm. $10.
Deep Impressions
Toneshifterz
English producer Jon Hopkins, responsible for one of the best albums of this year in Immunity, will headline Oxford Art Factory on Saturday December 14. Hopkins previously ventured down under in ’09 when he played alongside Brian Eno, Underworld’s Karl Hyde and Toby Vogel as part of an improvising live collective at the finale of the Vivid Festival. He’s since been remixed by two of the more innovative names in electronica, Four Tet and Nathan Fake. This has helped Hopkins build a discography comprising soundtracks for two films (one of which garnered him an Ivor Novello nomination), excellent solo albums such as Insides and a Mercury Prize-nomination for 2011’s Diamond Mine with King Creosote. Despite this illustrious CV, it wasn’t until the release of single ‘Open Eye Signal’ ahead of Immunity that he catapulted onto the club radar with the likes of Apparat playing the track to raucous responses well before its release date. Hopkins has since cemented his shift towards more robust dancefloororientated sounds with memorable sets Jon Hopkins
at Boiler Room and Berghain. “I was put into that chillout bracket by the 20 or so people that knew my stuff,” Hopkins recalls of his first release back in 2001, adding that such a categorisation “used to drive me mad… It was never my intention. I wanted to make things that are emotionally powerful in some way. I think it doesn’t matter what genre it’s in.” With Infinity (and its predecessor Insides), Hopkins demonstrated that he should not be stereotyped as a ‘chillout’ producer. Vaunted Romanian DJ/producer Rhadoo will contribute the 72nd instalment of the fabric compilation series, releasing in late October. All but one of the tracks featured on the mix are previously unreleased, which one would expect from one of the lynchpins of the Romanian scene. “I recorded the mix at home in Bucharest. Most of the tracks are unreleased from friends,” Rhadoo said via press release. “I’m always looking for fresh crazy tracks to keep me interested. I’ve wanted to do a mix like this for ages and thought about doing it on my label, but the mix for fabric was the perfect opportunity. I wanted to present these artists to more people as they are not very well known but really talented.” If Rhadoo’s mix is of the same quality as the Fabric album delivered by fellow member of the a:rpia:r collective Petre Inspirescu at the start of the year, then we’re in for a treat. Aside from showcasing Rhadoo’s exceptional taste, Fabric 72 also demonstrates the Romanian’s supreme abilities in the mix – he’s got that rare ability to use different tracks to create a result that is greater than the individual parts.
LOOKING DEEPER
Kenny Larkin
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 21 Eric Cloutier Venue TBA
Kenny Larkin The Goldfish
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 28 Peter Van Hoesen The Abercrombie
Deep Impressions: electronica manifesto and occasional club brand. Contact through deep.impressions@yahoo.com thebrag.com
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snap
suburban dark
PICS :: HL
up all night out all week . . .
4minute
PICS :: AM
31:08:13 :: Civic Underground :: 388 Pitt St Sydney 8080 7000
building bridges festival
PICS :: KC
01:09:13 :: Metro Theatre :: 624 George St Sydney 9550 3666
PICS :: HL
fat freddy’s drop
goldfish
29:08:13 :: Enmore Theatre :: 118-132 Enmore Rd Newtown 9550 3666 36 :: BRAG :: 529 :: 09:09:13
PICS :: KC
30:08:13 :: The Standard :: 3/383 Bourke St Darlinghurst 9331 3100
30:08:13 :: The Goldfish :: 111 Darlinghurst Rd Potts Point 8354 6630 :: KATRINA CLARKE :: HENRY S : TIM LEVY (HEAD HONCHO) OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHER :: SE ROU ID DAV :: LEY MAR LEUNG :: AMATH MAGNAN :: ASH thebrag.com
The home of Cabaret, Roots, Blues, Soul Food, Good Times and Fine Liquors From deep in the heart of the Mississippi Delta, way down by the bayou back behind the railroad tracks, the sound of good times pours out of an old shotgun shack. Every day at about this time, the locals gather at Eliza’s Juke Joint to shake off the work day and kick up their heels – jitterbugging, tap dancing, and shucking and jiving. The band is in high gear, the drinks are flowing freely, young folks are flirting while the old timers sit a spell. From all walks of life, from the poorest sharecropper to the minister’s son, they all come together to celebrate the end of another day and the beginning of the night
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snap
jerome isma-ae
PICS :: AMT
ryan hemsworth
PICS :: AM
up all night out all week . . .
31:08:13 :: Marquee :: Star City Sydney 9657 7737
31:08:13 :: Chinese Laundry :: 111 Sussex St Sydney 8295 9999
party profile
pacha sydney
It’s called: Pacha Sydney, headlined by Joel Fletcher It sounds like: Soaring filthy bass lines and hard-h itting rhythms of Melbourne Sound, led by rising star Joel Fletcher. Suppo rt act Silver Sneakerz will give a taste of all things big room house. Acts: Silver Sneakerz, Tigerlily, Ben Morris, Jace Disgrace, Matt Nugent, Fingers, Nanna Does Smack, Pat Ward and a host of others. Three songs you’ll hear on the night: 1. ‘Bring It Back’ – Joel Fletcher and Will Spark s 2. ‘Jetfuel’ – Joel Fletcher and Uberjak’d 3. ‘Sound All Around You’ – Silver Sneakerz And one you definitely won’t: Anything by Pitbull Sell it to us: It’s a stunning ride into the imagin ation. With spectacular performances by some of Australia’s best professional dance rs, awe-inspiring lightshows and killer sets by the hottest homegrown and international DJ talent, Pacha Sydney is an experience like nothing else in Australia. The bit we’ll remember in the AM: The senso ry overload of killer beats, dance and burlesque.
Crowd specs: A beat-loving, dance driven, partypumped crew. Wallet Damage: Tickets can be purchased in advance for $35 from pachasydney. com or $40 on the door.
clicks & whistles
PICS :: AM
astral people’s 2nd b’day 30:08:13 :: Chinese Laundry :: 111 Sussex St Sydney 8295 9999 38 :: BRAG :: 529 :: 09:09:13
PICS :: AM AND HL
Where: ivy, 330 George Street, Sydney When: Saturday September 14, 8:30pm
31:08:13 :: Goodgod Small Club :: 53-55 Liverpool St Chinatown 8084 0587 :: KATRINA CLARKE :: HENRY S : TIM LEVY (HEAD HONCHO) OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHER :: SE ROU ID DAV :: LEY MAR LEUNG :: AMATH MAGNAN :: ASH thebrag.com
rollas.com.au