X-Press Magazine #1355

38,000 October 2011- March 2012 Australia’s Highest Circulating Street Press

BOB MARLEY OUTERNATIONAL DAY

JIMMY LITTLE

FLIGHT

COMIC STRIP

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Hoodoo Gurus

WHAT’S YOUR SCENE?

Legendary Australian rock outfit Hoodoo Gurus are heading back West with their 2013 Dig It Up! Invitational tour. While the full line-up has yet to be announced, what we do know is that they’ll be playing their classic second album, Mars Needs Guitars, in its entirety - a rare treat for any fan of seminal Aussie rock. The Gurus and the Gang land at The Astor Theatre on Sunday, April 28. Go to digitup.net.au for more.

In the meantime you can catch the Gurus at the Hotel Rottnest on Sunday, March 3.

Maceo Parker

EVENT HORIZON

David Hasselhoff

IT’S THE HOFF!

The man synonymous with red Speedos, David Hasselhoff, is giving fans the opportunity to spend An Evening With The Hoff. Fresh off the back of headlining at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Hasselhoff is bringing his live show to Capitol on Sunday, February 17. The show has been described as an intimate, hilarious evening of song, dance and audience interaction. Get your tickets from oztix.com.au.

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Comps

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Flesh

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Music Cover: Chrysta Bell

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Music: Events Roundup

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Music Stories

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New Noise

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Eye4 Cover: Fringe World

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Eye4 News

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Eye4 Arts Stories

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Salt Cover: Wolfgang Gartner

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Salt: News and Stories

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Salt: Stories

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Salt: Club Manual

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Salt: In The Diary/ Rewind

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Live: Big Day Out

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Scene: Local Scene

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Tour Trails

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Gig Guide

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Big Day Out

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Volume

Russell Morris

MORE BLUES ‘N’ ROOTS

West Coast Blues ‘n’ Roots has just announced the finishing and final touches to its two day bill (Saturday and Sunday, March 23 - 24) with The Music Maker Blues Revue, Russell Morris, Brothers Grim and Sticky Fingers all getting on board. They’ll be joining heavyweights Robert Plant, Chris Isaak, Paul Simon and Ben Harper. There’ll be just one Punk rock legends Descendents are set to play Capitol Nightclub on Sunday, February 10 and they’ll be final spot for an up and coming unsigned local act, bringing a cross-section of the punk rock’s finest with them. They’ll be joined by Bouncing Souls, Frenzal via their Breakthrough to Blues ‘n’ Roots competition Rhomb, Bodyjar and The Decline. Tickets from Oztix.com.au. with details to be revealed soon. Tickets are on sale now from moshtix.com.au.

DESCEND ON THIS

Thurston Moore

MOVING AT LIGHT SPEED

Alt-rock legend - and recent Perth visitor - Thurston Moore has announced that his new group, Chelsea Light Moving, will release their self-titled debut album through Matador/Remote Control on March 1. A hugely influential musician and songwriter since the days of Sonic Youth, Moore is an elder statesman of grunge, and all survivors of the ‘90s should be champing at the bit to check this one out.

Cover: Texan vocalist Chrysta Bell has teamed up with long time purveyor of all things sinister, David Lynch for Perth Festival on Thursday, February 14

Salt Cover: Wolfgang Gartner plays Villa on Friday, February 1 www.xpressmag.com.au

Summer’s a great time to be a culture vulture. Everywhere you turn, there are live music festivals, street parties, theatrical performances, international tours, film premieres, public art exhibitions... the list goes on.

Which brings us to this special issue of X-Press. Inside you’ll find the lowdown on the best upcoming events and festivals. Not just the big music events, either - you’re an X-Press reader; we expect you’ve got the scoop on those already. No, we’re taking an all-encompassing view of the Perth cultural scene. We’re here to give you the skinny on all the best and brightest jewels in Perth’s artistic firmament, whether it’s The Blues and Roots Festival, The Revelation Film Festival, the many-varied and multifarious offerings of Fringe World, the upper-echelon artistic endeavours of the Perth International Arts Festival, the rabid and raucous rockers of Soundwave, the mellow and reflective musical musings of Fairbridge Folkworld... we’ve got the lot.

There’s a bit of received wisdom - quite an old bit, actually - that says that Perth is boring city. Hooey! we say. Bunkum! Our counterpoint is in your hands. Take a look through, count the number of empty slots on the calendar. It’s a rich and vibrant town we live in - you’ve just got to get out amongst it.

Psy

GANGNAM SALE

Since the announcement of Avicii two weeks ago, Future Music Festival tickets have been flying out the door with the second release having sold out.

If you haven’t procured your ticket yet - don’t stress, a limited amount of third release tickets are on sale now for just $5 more. FMF will play host to a huge amount of acts, including The Stone Roses, The Prodigy and Psy on Sunday, March 3. Tickets from: futuremusicfestival.com.au and mellenevents.com.

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with Casey Hayes... Send your name, address and daytime phone number to win@xpressmag.com.au with the name of the competition in the subject line or enter online at www.xpressmag.com.au. Snail mail entries can be sent to Locked Bag 31, West Perth 6872. Entries close 4pm Monday. By entering you agree to X-Press Magazine’s Terms and Conditions, which can be found online. All competition entries will automatically enable you to become an X-Press subscriber! No details will be given to a third party.

Print and Digital Editions Publisher/Manager Joe Cipriani Editorial

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Managing Editor Bob Gordon: editor@xpressmag.com.au Fashion Editor Emma Bergmeier: fashion@xpressmag.com.au Dance Music & Features Editor Jo Campbell: danceeditor@xpressmag.com.au Local Music & Arts Editor Travis Johnson: localmusicarts@xpressmag.com.au Gig & Event Guides Co-ordinator Casey Hayes - guide@xpressmag.com.au Entertainment Services Co-ordinator / Competitions Casey Hayes - win@xpressmag.com.au Photography Callum Ponton, Stefan Caramia, Daniel Grant, Sammy Granville, Matt Jelonek, Denis Radacic, Emma Mackenzie, Guang-Hui Chuan, Max Fairclough Contributing Writers Henry Andersen, Ashleigh Whyte, Nina Bertok, Shaun Cowe, Derek Cromb,Chris Gibbs,Alfred Gorman,George Green,Alex Griffin,Chris Havercroft, Joshua Hayes, Brendan Holben, Coral Huckstep, Rezo Kezerashvili,Tara Lloyd, Adam Morris, Andrew Nelson, Chloe Papas, Tom Varian, Ben Watson, Jessica Willoughby, Miki Mclay, Morgan Richards, James Manning, Joe Cassidy, Shane Pinnegar For band gigs and launches - plugyourgig@xpressmag.com.au

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Gruen Planet OKA

OKA’S WA TOUR

After a massive sell-out WA tour in September 2012, OKA are back with their unique blend of folk dance music featuring didgeridoo, bamboo flutes and more. Kicking off their shows at Indi Bar on Wednesday, February 6, Mojos Thursday, February 7 then at Railway Hotel on February 10. We have three double passes to your gig of choice - be sure to get entries in to catch OKA showcasing some brand new tunes.`

GRUEN PLANET

Series Two of Gruen Planet is now out on DVD. The show that exposes advertising’s dirty little secrets is back. Host Wil Anderson is joined by regulars Russel Howcroft and Todd Sampson, as well as a rotating cast of experts. No one is safe as they lift the lid on the persuasion business. Enter now to take home a DVD of series two!

OPORTO IS HERE!

All this time the east coast has selfishly been keeping it to itself, but not anymore, Oporto has finally blessed Advertising 9213 2888 our shores. These masters of poultry are whipping up fresh (not frozen) grilled (not fried) chicken and WA’s Sales and Marketing Manager first store in South Perth is celebrating its one month Sue Blackwell - advertising@xpressmag.com.au Beat Nightclub is one of Perth’s best live music Flight anniversary. As part of the celebrations, Oporto has Online Marketing venues and on Friday night they are celebrating their kindly given us some delicious vouchers to give away.

Sue Blackwell - advertising@xpressmag.com.au first birthday and it’s going to be one hell of a party. Email us to grab yourself one!

Music Services / Musical Equipment / Boys Boys Boys!, Axe Girl and Mezzanine will take Bands / Record Labels Flight is the story of Whip Whitaker played by the stage, there’s $5 beers and free pizza and cake.

Dez Richardson - musicservices@xpressmag.com.au Denzel Washington. A seasoned airline pilot, who Email us and let us know the best gig you’ve seen at Entertainment Venues / Live and Dance Music Promoters miraculously crash lands his plane after a mid-air The Beat this past year to be in with a chance to win Marc English - entertainment@xpressmag.com.au catastrophe, saving nearly every soul on board. After a $50 bar card for Friday night.

Agency / Movies / Education / Sponsorship the crash, Whip is hailed as a hero, but as more is Sue Blackwell - advertising@xpressmag.com.au learned, more questions than answers arise. We have Classifieds Linage five in season tickets to this great movie. Who doesn’t Casey Hayes - classifieds@xpressmag.com.au like a bit of Denzel? Email in to grab one!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BEAT!

FLIGHT

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The Presets

LINCOLN

THE PRESETS

The Presets have added additional dates to their Australian Tour, including a second show at Metros Freo this Friday. Their amazing lightshow has been masterminded by Martin Phillips, well-known for Deadlines his work for the likes of Daft Punk, Kanye West EDITORIAL and Lady Gaga. They will be joined by local dance General: Friday 5pm,, Eye4 Arts: Thursday 10am, Comp’ Thing: Monday Noon,, Salt Clubs: Monday 5pm , Local Scene: luminaries Parachute Youth and Light Year and we Monday Noon,, Gig Guide: Monday 5pm have three double passes to Fridays show!

Steven Spielberg directs an all star lineup and twotime Academy award winner Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln. A revealing drama that focuses on the 16th President’s final months in office. In a nation divided by war and the strong winds of change, Lincoln pursues a course of action designed to end the war, unite the country and abolish slavery. Go Abe! We have in season passes to giveaway, email in to grab one.

ADVERTISING Cancellations: Monday 5pm, Ads to be set: Monday Noon Supplied Bookings / Copy: Tuesday 12 Noon, Classifieds: Monday 4pm

DAVE GROHL’S SOUND CITY

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Published by: Columbia Press Pty.Ltd. A.C.N. 066 570 803 Registered by Australia Post. Publication No PP600110.00006 Suite 55/102 Railway Street, City West Business Centre, West Perth, WA 6005 Locked Bag 31, West Perth, WA 6872 Phone: (08) 9213 2888 Fax: (08) 9213 2882 Website: http://www.xpressmag.com.au

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Advertisers and/or their agents by lodging an advertisment shall indemnify the publisher, and its agents, against all liability claims or proceedings whatsoever arising from the publication. Advertisers and/or their representatives indemnify the publisher in relation to defamation, slander, breach of copyright, infringement of trademarks of name of publication titles, unfair competition or trade practices, royalties or violation of rights or privacy and warrant that the material complies with revelant laws and regulations and that its publication will not give rise to any rights against or liabilities in the publisher, its servants or agents. Any material supplied to X-Press is at the contributor’s risk.

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Dave Grohl

Sound City served as the birthplace of many classic albums including Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours, Neil Young’s After the Gold Rush and Nirvana’s Nevermind. The documentary features interviews with Tom Petty, Stevie Nicks, Lars Ulrich and Neil Young, who chat about what made the studio and it’s fabled Neve 8028 analogue recording console so wonderful, and what the turn toward digital recording meant for the studio, which shut down its operations in 2011. Event cinemas Innaloo have given us a double pass to giveaway for the one night only screening on Thursday night. Enter now.

DJ YODA

Named one of the ‘Ten DJs To See Before You Die’, DJ Yoda’s show needs to be seen to be believed.

Always out of the ordinary, a night with DJ Yoda can bring you the dialogue from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off synced into an ‘80s rock anthem or an electronic beat accompanied with a YouTube clip of a DJ’ing cat. He is back with his new release Chop Suey and has just as many surprises up his sleeve. We have two Boomtick prize packs to give away including a double pass to his February 22 show featuring Stickybuds, a copy of Chop Suey and two double entries to Ambar. Email in or jump on our Facebook page and let us know what your all time favourite YouTube video is.

CHECK OUT WWW.XPRESSMAG.COM.AU AND SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER ONLINE FOR LOADS MORE EXCLUSIVE COMPS!

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THREE VENUES, SO LITTLE TIME

Folkahoma is a multi-venue, alt-folk micro festival bringing Fremantle to life during the busy Fringe World season. Playing host to some of WA’s best known and loved acts such as James Teague, The Big Old Bears, Rachel and Henry Climb A Hill and Warning Birds, Folklahoma provides an all too elusive chance to see all of these wonderful bands in one night. Walk between the two pop-up venues of The Buffalo Club and The Navy Club and Fremantle mainstay, Clancy’s on Friday, February 22 for just $15.

The Smith Street Band

THE DARK END OF THE STREET

Melbourne punk rock party animals The Smith Street Band are poised to descend upon our defenceless city with their Young Drunks tour, and they’ve brought along punk/ska reprobates, The Bennies to help maximize the mayhem! Thursday, January 31, sees them set up shop at Bunbury’s Prince of Wales Hotel, while Saturday, February 2, finds the likely lads at The Rosemount Hotel. Head to oztix.com.au for tickets.

COSMIC BLUES

The Lucky Wonders

OOH, IT MAKES ME WONDER

There are such things as the cosmic blues. Janis Joplin once recorded a song by that name but she spelled it Kosmik. Chris Smither will be bringing his version of the cosmic blues to Kulcha for two shows. His most recent recording, Hundred Dollar Valentine, is a studio record of all Smither-penned songs - a first for him. With long time producer David ‘Goody’ Goodrich at the helm, this newest collection sports the unmistakable sound Smither has made his trademark: fingerpicked acoustic guitar and evocative sonic textures meshed with spare, brilliant songs, delivered in a bone-wise, hard-won voice. See him at Kulcha on Thursday and Friday, March 14 and 15.

The Big Old Bears

HUSH It’s Oh So Quiet

Byron Bay-bred folk/indie troubadours The Lucky wonders bring their new album, Lay Down My Arms, this February. No strangers to ur neck of the woods, this will be their fourth turn through WA. Their tour encompasses both regional and city venues, kicking off at Fremantle’s X-Wray Cafe on Friday, February 8, and concluding at Pinjarra’s Redcliffe on the Murray on Sunday, February 17.

Go to theluckywonders.com for more info.

Amanda Merdzan

One Armed Scissor

SCORCHING HOT

Norah Jones

NORAH RESCHEDULED

Norah Jones has had to change the date of her sold out show due to an invitation to perform her Oscar-nominated song, Everybody Needs A Best Friend, at the Academy Awards next month.

The Perth show has been brought forward from Sunday, February 24 to Wednesday, February 13.

Current ticketholders will not need to purchase new tickets to gain entry but patrons seeking a refund must sort it with Ticketek no later than Monday, February 11.

Scorcher Fest is almost upon us again - the nationwide festival that specialises in showcasing new and up and coming musical acts to the widest audience possible. With no restrictions on genre, age, influence, or background, Scorcher Fest represents a great opportunity for nascent performers to strut their stuff on stage, alongside 25-45 other hungry newcomers. Cruise over to scorcherfest.com.au for more info.

EASTER HARMONICS

After two massive Easter Thursday gigs in a row, life is noise returns with another huge gig at the Bakery this year- this time with headliner Mark Pritchard aka Harmonic 313. The Community crew have also assembled another huge two room party for your dancing pleasure. Harmonic 313 will be joined by prodigal son Dan the Man Moore and a local lineup that keeps on giving. All for a measly $15 + booking fee on the early bird.

Grace Woodroofe Wednesday 13

SEE YOU NEXT WEDNESDAY

Shock rocker Wednesday 13’s new album, The Dixie Dead, gets unleashed on Friday, February 2. A gleeful celebration of everything dark and dreadful, depraved and disturbing, the gleefully ghoulish album is sure to set a-flutter the heart every late night horror movie aficionado.

THAT’S ALL, FOLKS

Fairbridge Folkworld is almost upon us once more. A friendly celebration of folk, roots, blues, acoustic, Celtic, a capella and world music, it takes place at the historic Fairbridge Village, south of Perth, from Friday, April 26 until Sunday, April 28. Performers this year include James Teague, Black Diamond Trio, and Dilip N The Davs. Head to folkworldfestival.com.au for more information. www.xpressmag.com.au

HOT DOUBLE ACT OPENER

Local indie songstress, Grace Woodroofe has been announced as support for Neil Finn and Paul Kelly’s King’s Park shows this March 14 and 15, but unfortunately, both shows have already sold out. At just 20 years of age, Perth-born Grace possesses wisdom and artistry well beyond her years. With her uniquely warm, husky and sometimes mournful voice, Grace Woodroofe is about to make a special mark on the music scene.

You go girl.

RIOT FOR SHAKESPEARE

Bell Shakespeare’s new production, Henry 4, directed by and starring John Bell himself, is set to show at Heath Ledger Theatre from April 5-13.

It’s set in present day and inspired by the 2011 London riots. John Bell will be joined by 13 of Australia’s finest actors in bringing to life this story of kings and beggars, heroes and cowards, lovers and clowns. It’s on for 10 performances only.

Dom Mariani

Rachael Dease

Hush: An Evening Of Quiet Music happens this Sunday, February 3, from 4.30pm at St George’s College, UWA. BOB GORDON reports.

A couple of weeks ago, US Rolling Stone ran a piece detailing the Top 10 Worst Gig Behaviours.

Not surprisingly, talking during gigs - and variations of it - was well present on that list. If that’s a problem for you at live performances, you’ll be pleased to know that Hush, a gig that puts musicians and their music front, centre and, most importantly, in your ears, is set to romance you this weekend.

“Sounds like we’re onto something,” laughs Davey Craddock, who with Stacy Gougoulis has created the Hush series of concerts.

“My friend Stacy and I play the odd delicate tune and we both got sick of playing gigs where we got drowned out by people talking,” he explains. “Then upon speaking to other local musicians we found that we weren’t alone. So we set up a show where the sole shtick was everyone being a bit quiet.”

The inaugural show was staged last year at Guildford Grammar Chapel and was a pindropping success.

“It sold out with 350 people,” Craddock explains. “Everyone was really quite reverent. Not to the musicians, but to the songs. Everyone listened and it was lovely. If you’re serious about songwriting and want to be a songwriter, we’ve designed this to be the gig that you want to play, because you will be guaranteed that the crowd will listen and get into it.”

The second installment is to be held at St Georges College Courtyard at UWA, which has an agreeable 400 capacity.

“There’s two stages, in the courtyard and in the chapel, with 15 acts. One of the grand finale speccy bits will be Dom Mariani playing with a string section. So he’s re-working his oeuvre, with three classical musicians. Joe McKee will taking a special break from his tour with Sarah Blasko to play.

Rainy Day Women won WAM Song Of The Year and they’ll be performing for us. Simone & Girlfunkle are playing with an eight-piece choir.

“A lot of people pull out the stops, it’s

an opportunity for them to do a little something special. Things that only in a chapel or a beautiful courtyard feel appropriate.”

Hush features Dom Mariani, Joe McKee, Big Old Bears, Fall Electric, Rachael Dease, Rainy Day Women, Apricot Rail, The Stalker Family, Simone & Girlfunkle, Davey Craddock & The Spectacles, James Teague, Moustache, Todd Pickett, Amanda Merdzan and Collector. Tickets are $22 from fringeworld.com.au or on the door if available.

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CHRYSTA BELL Songs To The Siren US chanteuse, Chrysta Bell, performs at the Chevron Festival Gardens on Valentine’s Day, Thursday, February 14.

David Lynch Presents Chrysta Bell...

You’d be forgiven if you thought it were a movie, by the renowned director/auteur. Yet this is a live performance, if not a life performance. Having collaborated over the course of a decade with Lynch on the recently released album, This Train, Chrysta Bell is touring the world presenting the work, attracting comparisons to the likes of Nico and Rita Hayworth.

But there’s something else going on, one inspired by the obtuse world view of Lynch and Bell’s approach to presenting that live on stage.

By BOB GORDON You’re in Austin, Texas. Is that still your hometown?

I’m in Austin but I no longer call it my home. Though it is my musical hometown, I was born in San Antonio, and I’ll actually be going there later on tonight to visit with my grandmother and my aunt. My mother lives here in Austin and I love to see her and so many of my dear friends are here because I lived here for so long, but I moved myself to San Francisco in July of 2011.

I call San Francisco home at this point, but that is because I always wanted to live there and now I do. So I’m back there in a few days and I’m eager to call it my home even if at this point I have a storage unit and a car. I’m travelling so much now that it’s difficult to think of any place as where I’m ‘settled’. But that’s okay with me. I don’t mind that at all.

You’re just back from a European tour, what was the reception like for you?

Oh God, I love it, going to these places that I’d always wanted to visit but now I go there to perform. It’s a double-edged sword, as you’re only going to these places to visit; like I was in Athens for a total of 14 hours and most of that was spent soundchecking and at the show, then sleeping.

So I’m looking at the Acropolis from the hotel restaurant think, ‘wow I have to get on a plane in 25 minutes, there’s no possible way I can get to enjoy what this city has to offer’. However to be there and to be performing in such a gift. My eventual goal is to perform in these places and also have a bit of time to experience them. It’s just the way it is at this time. Europe seems to get me in a way that nowhere has... although I’m hoping Australia will too (laughs).

What was your musical upbringing like in Texas? I believe your mother was a singer and your father owned a recording studio...

I got to see a beautiful part of the musical creation process. My mother did musicals in community theatre and she sang at the church that we went to when I was a child. It was an Italian church and she and my father would compose songs and sing them. So that was a wonderful experience.

My father’s recording studio was a great experience as far as my skill-sets for later on. I got used to feeling at home in a studio early and a lot of the intimidating aspects and mystery weren’t there for me later as I’d spend so much time in the studio as a young person. I also saw how it was a very challenging experience to run, for a lot of reasons.

It was primarily a jingle house, so we did mostly commercials, because that’s how you’d make money.

I think both my parents longed for a bit more of the creative side of things - we definitely did our share of bands that came in, but they were the labour of love projects - it was the commercials, in general that were paying the bills.

It was really lovely to have a situation though where my parents fully supported my passion for music and especially as they were so enthralled and had such a deep passion for music themselves. I got to witness the very positive as well as the much more challenging aspects of having a studio very early on in life. I was fortunate to witness both the glories and the strains of having a studio.

David Lynch first saw you performing in a band called Eight And A Half Souvenirs. What was your initial connection and subsequent collaboration like with him?

The way it happened was that I was singing in that band and enjoying what I was doing, but I’d been in it for a while and I knew that my evolution in music was approaching. Whatever I would do next was upon me but I wasn’t quite sure what that was. I had a manager at the time who felt it would be good for me to perform in film or television. So he got me a meeting with an agent who had at one point been David’s agent and knew that he loved to make music. He had an intuition upon meeting me that David and I would be likeminded and would be good collaborators. He made the introduction a couple of weeks after meeting me and he was right - David and I upon meeting each other had a lovely personal chemistry.

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Chrysta Bell At that time I was in a record deal and I couldn’t actually release anything we did so we decided to reconvene. After a few years we got back together to do that. As an artist I guess you have to be conscious of things that you can market so they will sell, but it was also just so good to make music, to create something that was so artistically fulfilling. That really carried us through a lot of years of making the record because it took a long time and you don’t really know if it is ever going to be a full body of work that both of us feel super great about releasing to the world.

Every song we made I was excited about, but it’s not like we always had plans for the next song to and sometimes you just went with the flow and sometimes the flow was slow (laughs). When we went to the studio it would go quickly and it’d be wonderful but for both of us it was hard to find the time - I was in Texas and he was in Hollywood - it was a matter of enjoying the experience of making the record but not exactly knowing if it would ever exist. We hoped that it would, but we realised that the process was as valuable as whatever the outcome was supposed to be.

very important for me that even though David can’t go on tour and it’s his essence that infused in the music; his guitar and his artistic stance, I can’t bring that to the show but I can deliver the undercurrent of the song and what I feel needs to be delivered in order for the record to be represented even though David’s not there.

It’s about the feeling, the offering and the intention behind it. That’s what I’ve been honing throughout this process of bringing it to the stage. I think anyone who saw the first tour would see a significant shift to where it is now; not that now is so much more appropriately representative, it’s just that everything evolves.

Everything has to go through its various states of being. You just keep on doing it and when you’re onstage that’s when you learn the most. Of course David has seen a lot of shows at this point so I take a lot of his notes into consideration.

The stage show is very important to me and it’s ever evolving. Right now it’s minimal and moody. But the time we get to Perth... I don’t know what it’s going to be (laughs), but I know I’m going to be working on it every day.

Did that allow ideas to ferment over time?

Sure, and it meant that the songs that we made in the very beginning were as still as meaningful and as strong that at that point would be a decade later. Even though we spent so much time the songs all really fit beautifully together and that’s was part of what made the record so powerful.

So much life was in it (laughs). I went from being an 18 year-old girl to a woman through the course of I felt so comfortable around him; he’s a the creation of the record. warm and compassionate person. Then after he David was writing the lyrics and a lot heard me sing and I heard some music we realised of them had a very, shall we say, mature content. we were an excellent match. He loved my voice and Having lived life and travelled more and having I loved his music. That was that (laughs). more experience I think I was really able to fully embody what I was singing about after having lived The creative matching has been more formally for many more years since the record had started. introduced to the public now with the album, This Train. What was the vision for it from the What’s it been like bring the songs to the stage, outset? having spent so long in the creation of them?

I think, initially, it started with a song we Bringing it to the stage... it’s still unfolding. made the day we met that’s actually on the album I’ve been on tour with this record four different called Right Down To You. It was just the sweetness times to various parts of Europe. The stage show is and the fulfillment of meeting someone and really so important to me and it’s changed a lot from the liking the music that you created. It was like, ‘oh wow, first show. I’ve evolved a lot as a performer from the first show. I take the stage show very seriously. It’s we like that’.

Describe the character or persona or the aspect of yourself that you inhabit for the performances...

The person that I am when the music comes out is the one that I have to be to conjure the voice for it to come through. I move a little and there’s some thought to it, but emotionally, it’s about trying to catch the voice, so that the emotion attached to it can be facillitated.

I think the default mode in my particular body is to try and inhabit more of a feminine or sensual stance, because that’s how I’m most comfortable. Who I am in this physical form... there’s a lot of shoulders and a lot of hips, I guess.

But really I’m just trying to get the voice to come out (laughs). These are the movements that seem to help. People ask me where they come from and I have no idea. It’s what happens to me when I’m singing and performing. The experience of performing on stage to the people in front of me and what that’s evoking, that’s what I am.

I think if I’d tried to over-think think it too much I’d just get embarrassed. You want to have fun, too, you want to move in a way that feels good and that to me is being sensual.

“I went from being an 18 year-old girl to a woman through the course of the creation of the record.

David was writing the lyrics and a lot of them had very, shall we say, mature content. Having lived life and travelled more and having more experience I think I was really able to fully embody what I was singing about after having lived for many more years since the record had started.”

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EVENT

The Guide That’s Good To Go And you thought the festival season was as good as over and there was nothing left to do?

Well Perth hasn’t quite shut down yet. Check out this spread of goodness over the next coming months and cut out the calendar on the next page and stick it on yer fridge.

Good times, all the time...

Avicii

LOOKING FORWARD TO FUTURE

The Stone Roses, The Prodigy, Dizzee Rascal and Bloc Party will be descending on us for Future Music Festival, Sunday March 3. Swedish DJ Avicii has also just been announced as EDM headliner. Get the low down on tickets etc from futuremusicfestival.com.au.

Happy Mondays

HAPPY DAYS ARE HERE AGAIN

Notorious Madchester acid-house party outfit Happy Mondays are returning to Australia this year with an all original lineup. Shaun Ryder, Paul Ryder, Bez, Gary Whelan, Mark Day and Rowetta will be gracing Capitol’s stage on Wednesday, May 8. The influential UK outfit were a staple of the late ‘80s and early ‘90s and have since had many line-up variations. The last Happy Mondays’ album (2007) Uncle Dysfunktional also featured the first formation of the band. Tickets go on sale today, Wednesday, January 23. Better get onto that at oztix.com.au and heatseeker.com.au.

MASTER OF THE UNIVERSE

PVT

He’s back! Subsequently going to ground after last year’s Big Day Out Tour, Drapht has resurfaced with two completely new and free tracks on Soundcloud, plus a huge nationwide tour that will see his lyrical genious gracing Rosemount Hotel’s stage on Thursday, March 28. On his The Uni-Verse Tour, Drapht will be joined by his killer four piece band and close Perth friend, N’fa Jones, who you may have also heard feature on Drapht’s Bali Party and again on Drapht’s current track, 1990’s that can be presently heard on the Triple J airwaves nationally. To add to the list of names, the second support slot will be filled by the exciting Queensland up and comers, Seven and Mr. Hill.

Tickets on sale now from oztix.com.au.

EVOLUTIONARY TOUR

PVT are set to return with their fourth studio album, Homosapien, out Friday, February 8, and a nationwide jaunt to boot. After a gruelling worldwide tour, the trio formally known as Pivot are known for exploring The xx the outer reaches of electronic rock. Genre-bending duo, Collarbones will be providing support. Catch them at The Bakery on Saturday, March 30, presented UK indie-electronic trio The xx have just released by X-Press Magazine.

Tickets are on sale now from nowbaking. their new single Sunset to coincide with they’re upcoming Australian tour. The band’s second album, com.au and www.moshtix.com.au.

Coexist, impressively debuted at #2 on the ARIA charts last year, with similar chart-topping results around the globe. First hitting Australian shores as part of the Laneway Festival back in 2010, this precociously talented trio pre-empted the release of Coexist in Catch the finest in sub-feature filmmaking when July by playing two triumphant eastern state’s shows, the Academy-Award-accredited Flickerfest comes to both selling out in minutes. This time, Perth will be town on Thursday, March 7, and runs until Sunday, getting a look in - see them and their incredibly March 10. Showcasing a wide variety of short fiction, atmospheric live show at Metro City on Monday documentary, and animated works, Flickerfest and Tuesday, April 1- 2. Tickets are on sale now from proves beyond the shadow of a doubt that size isn’t handsometours.com/current/the-xx-3/. everything. Go to flickerfest.com.au for more.

TRIPLE X

WHO LIKES SHORT SHORTS?

SALT, SAND, SURF, AND STONE

The 9th annual Sculpture By The Sea is almost upon us. From Friday, March 8 until Monday, March 25, over 70 beautiful works of art will decorate Cottesloe Beach. Though the public exhibition boasts works from all over the world, over half the items on display are from WA artists, Including Ron Gamboc, Jennifer Cochrane, and Allessandra Rossi. Check sculpturebythesea. com for more details.

Drapht

MOVIES BY BURSWOOD

Bankwest Movies by Burswood runs three affordable outdoor cinemas (Burswood, Curtin University and Bassendean) throughout the summer months. These are all run by volunteers with all profits going to children’s charities. Gates open at 6.30pm. movies screening this week include Rise of the Guardians, Pitch Perfect, Wreck-It Ralph, Skyfall, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Les Miserables, Samsara and Disney’s Lady & The Tramp. Check moviesbyburswood.com for details.

PERTH, JE T’AIME

Get a delicious taste of continental cinema from Tuesday, March 19, until Sunday, April 7, with the arrival of the mysterious and sensual Alliance Francaise French Film Festival at Cinema Paradiso, Luna on SX, and Windsor Twin Cinemas. Bearing with it a selection of the finest recent films that France has to offer, the festival promises to educate all comers as to why the French boast one of the most respected and admired film cultures in the world. affrenchfilmfestival.org has all the details.

Ron Gombo’s Migrating Spirits Sculpture By The Sea, Cottesloe 2012

MI CINE ES TU CINE

Drawing on one of the largest cultural diasporas on Earth, the 16th Spanish Film Festival is one of the most diverse and interesting on offer. With cinematic offerings spanning a vast number of countries and genres, this selection of films will eave no movie lover unsatisfied. It runs at Cinema Paradiso from Wednesday, June 5, to Wednesday, June 12.

ACHTUNG, BABY

From expressionism onward, Germany has cast a long shadow over the world of cinema. Learn why at the Audi Festival of German Films, which runs at Cinema Paradiso from Thursday, May 9, to Monday, May 13.

Offering up the very best that contemporary German cinema has to offer, the festival once again proves that film is the international language.

PRESETTINGS

The Presets long-awaited return to Australian stages is about to become reality. The duo recently bagged Single of the Year (Readers’ Choice) for Ghosts at the 4th annual Rolling Stone Awards.

They’ll be joined on tour by Parachute Youth and Light Year, with both acts making huge waves in dance circles internationally in their own right. Catch them at Metropolis Fremantle this Thursday and Friday, January 31 and February 1. Tickets from Oztix.

FLUME

Sydney-based artist Flume will be just one of the awesome acts flying into Perth for St Jerome’s Laneway Festival on Saturday, February 9, at the Perth Cultural Centre. Check out his new video, out last week, for the latest single from the album, Left Alone (ft.

Chet Faker) on You Tube. He’ll be joined by Bat For Lashes, Chet Faker and a huge slew of great acts.

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MONSTER MASH

Flume Pic: Justin Craig

Horror hounds and fright aficionados had best book leave now, as Monster Fest roars into Luna Outdoor from Thursday, February 28, to Wednesday, March 6. Experience a frisson of fear under the uncaring eye of the sky as the most outré, outrageous, and downright disgusting offerings the independent horror world can create are offered up for your delectation.

The Presets

SIGNS AND REVELATIONS

Revelation Perth International Film Festival, Perth’s premiere independent film festival, takes up residence at its new home at Luna Leederville, Cinema Paradiso, and Luna on SX from Wednesday, July 3, until Sunday, July 14. Boasting an impressive programme of independent, arthouse, documentary, and experimental cinema, Rev has something to please every discerning cineaste. More info at revelationfilmfest.org X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays

www.xpressmag.com.au

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POLIÇA

JOSE JAMES

Giving Up The Ghosts Poliça performs at St Jerome’s Laneway Festival on Saturday, February 9, in the Perth Cultural Centre. SEAN SANDY DEVOTIONAL reports.

All That And Jazz Jose James hits the Chevron Festival Gardens on Thursday, February 21, along with Melbourne’s Hiatus Kaiyote. BOB GORDON reports.

Jose James’s new album, No Beginning, No End, has been out for a week and one could say it’s all good so far. On the day of release he and his band appeared on The Late Show With David Letterman, a major score for any artist.

“It was fantastic, man,” James says down the line from his home in Brooklyn. “It’s one of those New York milestones, Letterman and the Ed Sullivan Theatre.

As a musician and an artist, doing that was fantastic.

“But it was freezing, man. Everyone was walking around in jackets. You’re, ‘thinking why are they all wearing jackets? Then you go, oh that’s why’. It’s cold!”

No Beginning, No End, is James’ second album release and comes after many years spent in music. Produced by Pino Palladino (who also plays bass in The Who), James feels that it’s the best representation of himself as an artist so far.

“The reviews have been coming in and they’re good,” he notes. “It’s out in the US and came out last week in Japan where it went to #1 on the R&B chart. It took so long to make it, I can look at it and feel comfortable with it as a product. I’m emotional about it, but not so emotional as if it were a first album. The industry understands that it’s a different kind of album; you might need to listen to it once or twice. I wasn’t sure if everybody was going to come on board, but so far all the rock guys, all the pop guys, all the jazz guys and the hip hop guys all agree that they really like this album.”

U n s u r p r i s i n g l y, J a m e s ’ m u s i c a l upbringing was as diverse as the music he now writes and performs.

“Like everybody, I liked Michael Jackson first,” he recalls. “He was like, the most complete artist.

The thing about him is that he was kind of a musical omnivore, there was a lot of different styles of music on his albums. Then in the late ‘80s he had a sort of a

Jose James reassessment of music in a way and he came out with a lot of electronic stuff, a lot of hip hop and new rock.

Which was cool.

“I was like a late ‘80s/early ‘90s kid and I liked a lot of hip hop... Public Enemy and Tribe Called Quest.

And Soundgarden and all that kind of stuff too. Then through getting into hip hop samples I got into jazz.”

That may be so, but James baulks at the oft-made description of him as a jazz singer. While the genre itself is far from limited, the description is limiting.

“It is, unfortunately and especially in the industry,” he states. “As soon as you hear ‘jazz’ it’s like, ‘okay I know what this is gonna be some standards and some solos and it’s probably gonna sell 2000 copies...’

When MTV hear the word ‘jazz’ they just take off, you know what I mean? “It’s interesting, you see bands like Grizzly Bear, like new indie rock or whatever, there’s a lot of solos in there, but also a lot of improvisation, a lot of jamming. When you call it jazz it just puts a whole other spin on it. And it does limit you... and the audience, the venues and the marketing.”

With the album now released, James will be hitting the road all year with a band that he clearly revels having with him.

“Everybody in the live band now is on the album as well,” he enthuses. “It’s all guys I’ve been working with for up to four years. We’re all really good friends and they know the music really well.

“It’s a real international band. And I’m going to be playing all around the world with them, which is really exciting for me.”

Two years ago, Minneapolis-based collective Gayngs pulled just about every noteworthy Midwest musician together to earn a ride on the indie hype machine.

After earning pride of place on critics’ end of year lists with their debut, Relayted, a collaboration between Minnesotans Channy Leaneagh and Ryan Olson is set to dwarf the band which brought the pair together.

Poliça’s album Give You The Ghost, has already found an admirer in Jay-Z and Leaneagh’s singing, notable for a judicious use of auto-tune while still retaining a dynamic use of her vocal range, has invited comparisons to Fiona Apple and Norah Jones.

It might be a testament to the lengths music critics will bend backwards to avoid using the cliché ‘genre-defying’ but it’s also telling that Poliça’s maudlin and intricate electronica has been likened to other artists who’ve been able to attract near-universal acclaim.

“I didn’t know Ryan very much or very well before Gayngs,” Leaneagh says of Olson. “I hardly knew him at all and that band was the place where we got to know each other. Ryan works on a lot of different projects with a lot of different people, and one day he said, ‘Hey, do you wanna make some songs together and just hang out?’ Me and a few people went over to his apartment, he played some beats and I just sang over them.”

Leaneagh, a self-confessed introvert, says she was surprised how quickly the album assembled itself after the pair began working together alongside the other Minneapolis indie alumni who were assembled in Olson’s apartment.

“I did have about four recording sessions with him for Gayngs, so I had experienced working with him before,” Leaneagh says. “But I’m very quiet and guarded and he makes people feel comfortable.

He’s one of the few people I’m not embarrassed

Poliça singing in front of. He said, ‘Don’t be nervous around me, just sing’.

“I don’t work that fast normally but sometimes, working creatively, there’s people you start working with but it takes a bit longer. It doesn’t discredit the work, but sometimes there’s just that immediate explosion of work because you click so well with somebody. That’s the main thing about this record, it’s a documentation of two people just figuring each other out.”

While taking a more detached view of her work on Give You The Ghost, the singer says that being attuned to the more unpleasant things in her life is an essential to her work as a musician.

“For me, it’s more of a challenge to write when things are going well,” says Leaneagh. “Even when I’m playing shows, we talk about in the band how we want to keep our mood backstage very low. If you’re very extravagant and too mentally well taken care of, I feel like it keeps you from getting to the place you need to be as an artist. You can still do it but it’s not enjoyable for me to express myself by dancing all over the stage.

“In a period of that kind of loss, you can get really depressed, but for me that wasn’t the case.

I just felt like I had a lot to say.”

SIX FEET UNDER

Scene Of The Crime Longstanding Tampa-based death metallers Six Feet Under will be making their Australian debut next month, playing at the Soundwave Festival on Monday, March 4, at Claremont Showgrounds. Vocalist, Chris Barnes, talks to JESSICA WILLOUGHY about what he calls the “Perth curse”.

It has been 13 years since legendary death metal vocalist, Chris Barnes, last set foot in Perth.

Playing with Cannibal Corpse in what came to be his last ever show with the outfit; the venue erupted into a riot – an ending that the frontman remembers as a “perfect send-off”.

“I shiver went up my spine when I thought of the Perth show,” Barnes jokes. “It’s been almost a lifetime since I’ve been out there. That actually was the final show I played with the band.

It was a pretty incredible day all-the-way around. We trekked off to see Bon Scott’s grave in the morning, then caught waves at the beach and the night finished off in a riot.

“I don’t know if Perth is cursed for me.

It’s a really great place and I’m super excited, but I’m at a crossroads on how I feel about going back there. I do know I am returning to the scene of the crime and I have a feeling it’s going to go a whole lot better. It’s going to be a blast.”

With the release of their ninth full-length LP last May, Undead signalled a new beginning for this five-piece in many ways. The first album to feature guitarist Rob Arnold, since he left Chimaira and dedicated himself to Six Feet Under full-time plus Kevin Talley (formerly of Dying Fetus and Misery Index) on drums and ex-Brain Drill bassist Jeff Hughell – Barnes says new blood rejuvenated the longstanding outfit.

“I hope it does well because I am proud of it, man,” he says. “I think we really hit the mark with everything – the songwriting, production and just the sound of the band is a 16

Six Feet Under lot more in-tune with how I’ve wanted it to be for a long time.

But, alas, the curse was set to continue.

Set to finally tour Australia shortly after the album’s release last year as part of a triple-header with Darkest Hour and Devildriver, all three bands were forced to pull out due to Devildriver frontman Dez Fafara being struck down with pneumonia.

Barnes was obviously bummed-out by the whole experience.

“There was just absolutely nothing we could do,” he says. “The Darkest Hour guys and, of course, us, were still set to continue. But it was the tour organisers that decided to pull out. This was literally hours before we were meant to catch our plane, so we were pretty bummed about it, as you can imagine. But we are just thankful that we didn’t have to wait that long to come out to you guys. Plus, I get to play alongside my all-time favourite band, Metallica. So we’re pretty stoked.”

Late 2012 also signalled another turnaround for the outfit in the members’ section.

Arnold chose to depart, after only a short time with Six Feet Under as his main focus, with fellow former Chimaira bandmate bassist Matt DeVries joining him. Former Brain Drill bassist Jeff Hughell and Swedish guitarist Ola Englund (Feared, Scarpoint) were left to fill the void.

Changes were inevitable, according to Barnes, after tragedy stuck the vocalist after the band’s previous effort, Death Rituals.

“Sometimes it takes a little shock to your system for you to step back and think about what’s really important,” he concludes. “That’s why this album is so important to me. It was hard to lose Rob and Matt, but I can understand that they needed to do their own thing. We’ve been able to recover quickly and the level of musicianship is just as amazing.”

Red Fang

RED FANG Treading The Boards

Portland stoner rock outfit Red Fang have taken no prisoners with the release of their sophomore fulllength LP, Murder The Mountains.

Vocalist Bryan Giles chats with JESSICA WILLOUGHBY ahead of their appearance at Soundwave on Monday, March 4, at Claremont Showgrounds.

“I don’t think about the audience when I write music,” Red Fang frontman Bryan Giles says on his approach to writing music.

“I think that part of being in a collaborative music group is you are each other’s audience and you only want to impress the other guys in the band.”

Portland stoner-infused outfit Red Fang’s rise has been almost meteoric. Since the release of their self-titled debut in 2009, the quartet has literally laid waste to all preconceptions of success for new talent. Smashing other opponents riding the popularity of the sludge genre with finesse unparallel to their years, they have built their name on a steadfast reputation for finding the ‘natural

groove’ in heavy rock and running with it.

Now, about to embark on their first ever Australian tour under the Soundwave banner, Giles maintains his only goal is to gain appreciation from his fellow bandmates.

“To be honest, I trust the musical taste of my bandmates more so than my own at times,” he says. “We have such a supportive set-up that my only ambition is to wow them.

“I know we are still technically a new band and we’re going to cop some flack for what we do.

Like I remember when we were doing this tour last year with Helmet, Saint Vitus, Crowbar and Kylesa. It was an amazing line-up and I was really excited to be a part of it. But of course there are message boards on the web and there’s some pretty slanderous stuff about us on there.

“I read it mostly for entertainment. But it was like, ‘This 14-year-old kid is really mad that we’re not heavy metal enough’. We haven’t got any of that from the Soundwave crowd yet, so maybe everyone loves us in Australia. Who am I kidding?”

Now, these lads are set to unleash a seven-inch with Relapse Records label mates ASG this February. Titled Crows In Swine, many would have heard the single already as it was released last September. Recorded in a friend’s studio located next to their Oregon-based practice space, the track came out of work for their upcoming third LP. Giles says the band hope to treat Australian audiences to this track live at Soundwave.

“We are really excited to come over finally,” he says. “I have been over there before for my own travel, but the other guys haven’t. So we are in the midst of learning three new songs for the tour.

Hopefully the seven-inch track will be one of them.

We also want to have a bit of time to go sightseeing, but typically that doesn’t happen on a tour like Soundwave. We’ll just see how it pans out.”

X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays

www.xpressmag.com.au

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record’,” recalls Bidstrup.“I met Jimmy and told him I’d help, but I didn’t really want to manage anyone. I said, ‘I’ll look after this record for six months or so and then we’ll find you some management’.” That was 12 years ago,” he laughs.

“We never ended up with a contract or anything, I just worked with him for 12 years,” he says happily. “If you recall, the Messenger album just went nuts - Triple J were all over it and I ended up taking Jimmy around the world... New York, LA and Seattle; I took him to Germany, the UK, Singapore, it was an amazing journey... and then there’s all the work we did out in the remote communities in Australia.”

It’s at this point it becomes clear how much Jimmy Little means not only as an artist, but as a man of community, a man who made his name playing country, but was in turn, made by his country.

This was beautifully expressed in Yorta Yorta Man, the opening track on Treasure.

“Yorta Yorta Man what a perfect song,” Bidstrup sighs. “‘I was born on the banks of the Murray’. Well, yes he was... he took me to the bloody tree once... he’d just done a gig in Echuca and he said, ‘Do you mind if we cross over the bridge for a minute, I want to show you where I was born’. Yes! Yes! “Jimmy had been writing songs all through the ‘50s,” Bidstrup says of Little’s early beginnings as a country singer. “His father had been a vaudevillian in the ‘40s and there was this deep ‘white culture’ part of Jimmy that was immediately connected to black Australia, which has been here for thousands of years.

“Working with Jimmy was, for me, the Jimmy Little absolute culmination of this sense of place, this sense of being,” says Bidstrup. “I knew nothing about black Australia. I mean, I knew a bit of stuff about the (1967 Mabo) referendum, but I didn’t know anything about what it meant, really. “He showed me where he came from; I met all of his surviving family; I got to meet many, many important and significant people within Aboriginal Australia and made some of the best friends I’ve ever had,” Bidstrup says.

Shortly after their association began, Little Following Jimmy Little’s death in April, 2012, his friends and collaborators was made an ambassador for education and literacy by the Department for Education, a responsibility he have been working hard to preserve and add to his amazing legacy took very seriously.

“He just started going into communities with the release of the retrospective Treasure: The Very Best of Jimmy around Australia, talking to kids and sharing his Little 1956-2011and the three-disc collection, Songman. Little’s manager, life experience. I was just sort of tagging along and ended up getting this sort of gold pass into friend and fellow musician Buzz Bidstrup speaks to SABIAN WILDE. Aboriginal Australia, because everyone wanted to talk to Jimmy Little,” Bidstrup recalls. “Jimmy was Buzz Bidstrup had already made a name for about to release a compilation of Australian rock/ very, very generous in always introducing me as his himself in the Australian music industry as alternative classics called Messenger through Festival friend, Buzz. It was never, ‘This is some white guy who’s a founding member of both The Angels and Records, who wanted someone to help manage working with me’ or ‘my manager’. It was always, ‘my GANGgajang, but when he speaks of his 12 years the album release, and asked Bidstrup, who’d been friend’. travelling with the late, great Jimmy Little, it working with artists such as Nathan Cavalieri and “When you talk about culture, working Dianah Ah Naid. sounds as if he found a bigger, richer life. with Jimmy really showed me that what I had “Of course, I knew who Jimmy was and thought of as success was really not what life’s all In 1999 Jimmy Little already had 40 years as a performing artist under his belt, and was just when I heard it I was just, ‘Wow. This is a really different about. It’s about understanding how you fit into

JIMMY LITTLE The Songman Spirit

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Buzz Bidstrup the rest of your environment; how you fit into other people’s dreams; other people’s realities. It was very important to me, the most enlightening part of my life,” he says, reflecting.“And the most enjoyable.”

On a day-to-day basis, Bidstrup is carrying on Little’s legacies in music and health. “The Jimmy Little Foundation was established out of the work we did in remote Australia, advocating for better renal dialysis services out in community. That led to the Thumbs Up program, which is a nutrition education program aimed at kids.

“With Jimmy, I started a journey that I am now very happily still on... it’s a part of me. I’m now the CEO of the Jimmy Little Foundation and I get up every morning ready to work and I love every minute of it,” Bidstrup says.

The release of any record is normally cause for nerves and heightened anticipation.

When releasing a record on behalf of a dear friend, knowing that you are somehow responsible for the interpretation of a life and the next step of his legacy, one might expect that the sense of nerves would be all the greater. But this is not the case for Songman.

“The funny thing is that Jimmy’s still here,” Bidstrup says seriously. “I’ve never felt this before... I mean, I’m a middle-class white kid from Adelaide, y’know? It’s weird; when my parents passed away I kind of said goodbye to them. I know where their remains are and they’re gone. I still think about them, obviously, but with Jimmy... there’s a very strange feeling that I have - and it’s a good feeling - that he’s still around, and that he knows exactly what I’m doing and where we’re up to... it makes things so much easier.

“Jimmy knew we were doing this. We’d been planning this together for a while and we had hoped to do another record with Brendon Gallagher (Karma County) - we’d put out a call for songs. Don Walker had given us quite a lot of songs, other people had given us some ideas and Jimmy had a few poems he’d written we were going to put music to, so I think he’s kind of looking at us and thinking, ‘Well done boys, you got it out’.

X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays

UNKNOWN MORTAL ‘ORCHESTRA II

FALTY DL Hardcourage Ninja Tune

Jagjaguwar/Inertia

YO LA TENGO Fade Matador/Remote Control

Fade is only 45 minutes long, which might blow the mind of Yo La Tengo fans. The two last songs on their previous album, 2009’s Popular Songs, added up to half an hour on their own. This is shorter than we’re used to, getting rid of some of their lengthy guitar jam skronk-outs, but without playing up their hooky bubblegum pop side either.

Fade opens with one of its highlights, Ohm, which layers a simple guitar rhythm with drums, claps, squealing and repeated lyrics that sound like an agnostic mantra, like religious music for people who aren’t very religious: ‘This is it for all we know/Nothing ever changes/ Nothing’s explained’. Well You Better is so quiet it sounds shy, but at the same time it’s a jaunty tambourine-shaker of a song where Ira Kaplan calls you baby. Before We Run climaxes with sleigh bells and a horn section rather than guitar solos.

Sometimes Yo La Tengo albums sound indecisive, like they’re a band who know every genre has the potential to be great and so try a bit of everything.

But Fade doesn’t have any of their country songs, instrumentals, bossa nova experiments or even the ones where they sound like Neil Young (although it does have a couple of the ones where they sound like the Velvet Underground). Instead, it’s focussed on songs that sound mellow, that hum along gently and make you feel like you’re slowly sinking into a bathtub full of cotton wool.

It might seem slight by their standards, but this gauzy introspection is still plenty enjoyable. Yo La Tengo just want to give you a hug.

FRANK TURNER Last Minutes & Lost Evenings Epitaph

Originally a solo homerecording project in NZ, exMint Chick Ruban Nielson moved to Oregon to start anew. Joined by Greg Rogove and Jake Portrait, UMO quickly attracted international attention with their debut self-titled album.

II is brutally honest with both its lyrical content and characteristic UMO soundscape. Drawn in by the tranquil guitar of From The Sun, you have two options with this album: you can listen to the music just for itself and have a groovy time, or you can listen to the lyrics and have a moment inside your own mind. Both ways of consuming this record end up equally as wonderful.

Written on the road, II lets you creep inside Nielson’s brain and sit patiently in the back seat. As the effortless calm of psychedelic guitars take over, all elements echo a theme commonly explored by artists from the bottom corner of the world. The opening line, ‘Isolation can put a gun to your head’, pretty much sums it up.

There’s something about Nielson’s vocal and guitar tone that will always remain a little bit magical. Calm and truthful, he could probably convince you to do anything.

The Ninja Tune press release promoting Falty DL’s newest release tells us he fell in love while making this album.

Considering his 2009 album was entitled Love Is A Liability, it’d be reasonable to expect something different this time around.

Where that last LP displayed the influence of UK funk and dubstep, Hardcourage professes something deeper, sonically and conceptually. Opener Stay, I’m Changed may intend to epitomise this, synth lines bubbling and drums happily shuffling, as opposed to the frequent staggering of his previous work. She Sleeps, featuring the album’s only vocalist, Ed McFarlane (Friendly Fires), is a dreamscape of a tune. It’s essentially the soundtrack to an afternoon in the park with your lover. In the ‘80s. Shot on over-exposed Super 8.

The rest of the album dips occasionally into the garage inspired rhythms of his past, but maintains the warmth of these opening tunes. It’s not always entirely engaging, but then you get something like the southern gangsta style hi-hats in the second half of For Karme, or the slow build of melodies into the joyously chaotic ending of closing track Bells.

Hardcourage is full of earnestness, which his listeners may not necessarily be looking for, but should ultimately enjoy.

Over recent years we have seen that lead singers of punk rock bands often feel the need for a sea change. Frank Turner was no different when his outfit Million Dead disbanded. The English singer turned his back on the more abrasive music that was his bread and butter, for the gentler tones of the folk singer.

The past year has seen Turner move from the pubs into stadiums with a performance at the London Olympics and then a massive headline show at the sizeable Wembley Stadium. As his star rises Turner felt it appropriate to give people a ‘beginners guide’ in the form of Last Minutes & Lost Evenings.

An obvious fan of Billy Bragg, Turner does his own form of political posturing with fine result as he lends his working class voice to I Knew Prufrock Before He Got Famous and I Still Believe. For all his skill with being the people’s poet, it is his tunes about his aching heart such as Substitute that are where Turner outdoes himself.

Last Minutes & Lost Evenings is the perfect place to start your association with the wordy tunes of Frank Turner. The fact that the album comes with a bonus DVD of the legendary Wembley Concert of last year makes it a must own for even the casual observer.

_ TANYDD JAQUET

_ NICK SWEEPAH

_ CHRIS HAVERCROFT

_ JODY MACGREGOR

TORO Y MOI Anything In Return Carpark/Mistletone

Riding in on the chillwave movement that took 2010 by storm, Toro Y Moi (aka producer whiz-kid Chaz Bundick) gently worked his way into every self-respecting indie music lover’s heart. His debut album, Causers Of This, was hailed as nothing short of iconoclastic genius.

Anything In Return is the third long player from Bundick, and although the trademark washed out, shoe-gazing vibe that he perfected on sophomore effort Underneath The Pine permeates throughout, Anything In Return takes a foray into smartly produced pop.

Lead single, So Many Details, is an electroinfluenced slow jam, and a noticeable departure from the cool and detached minimalism Bundick came to prominence on the back of; it’s the kind of territory you wish there was a bit more of throughout the record.

Similarly, Say That, seduces you with its pulsating house beat nestled under the chorus – although halfway through the album, and just as you’ve eased yourself into a decent groove, it all begins to blur together with no discernible ending or beginning.

Luckily, Cake picks up the pace again but by then you’re digging deep to get back into the irresistible rhythm that the opening tracks had primed you for.

Bundick is nothing if not a gifted producer, and Anything In Return tries desperately to free itself of the shackles of the ‘chillwave’ tag – and for the most part, it succeeds. There is a far broader range of influences at play on this album, but it seems for Bundick, the lure of the familiar was too much to resist. _ MARISSA DEMETRIOU

SOLANGE KNOWLES True EP Terrible Records/Inertia

Solange Knowles has finally emerged from elder sister Beyoncé’s not-insignificant musical shadow. It’s taken 10 years of trying, but it’s been well worth the effort.

Solange first showed that she followed her own agenda on 2008’s Motown-inspired Sol-Angel And The Hadley St. Dreams. Since then, intentionally or not, she has become something of an indie chick. She moved to New York, signed to Chris Taylor’s (of Grizzly Bear) record label, covered the Dirty Projectors and struck up a fruitful musical relationship with Dev Hynes, aka Lightspeed Champion/Blood Orange. All of the tracks on True were written and produced with Hynes.

Losing You is undoubtedly one of the finest singles of the last year. At 113 BPM, it works on the dancefloor, yet is so far removed from the up-tempo Guetta-fied RnB crap we’ve had to endure for too long.

The intro is pure ’80s disco soaked in Balearic loveliness, but then Solange’s vocal reveals an underlying darkness: ‘Tell me the truth boy am I losing you for good?/I don’t know why I fight it clearly we are through’. She deliriously pleads for an explanation, blankly delivering her lines (‘I gave you everything and now there’s nothing left of me’) against Hynes’ rich, filtered beats.

The combination of Solange’s artistry and Hynes’ musical ingenuity has culminated in a record of depth and originality that might just give RnB music the shot in the arm it needs. _ DAVID WILD www.xpressmag.com.au

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X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays

De Parel Spiegeltent Friday, January 25, 2013 In combining burlesque and comedy, Comic Strip neatly sums up the two dominant themes of Fringe World this year. A quick glance at the 2013 programme reveals that most of the acts on offer can easily fit into one category or the other, so a late night evening of a cocktail of the two should provide a nice sampler of the festival as a whole, right?

Well, maybe. While the individual elements tended to work in isolation, the show as a whole didn’t quite seem to gel.

Which is a shame; advance word promised a rousing night - the show sold out at both the Adelaide and Edinburgh festivals but the actual event was something of a stop-start affair, which lacked a sense of flow and unity. Perhaps the simple fact that it was the first show of the festival run had something to with it.

The discrete elements were all present and correct, though - none of the performers was found wanting. Master of ceremonies and show producer Asher Treleavan set the tone perfectly, bringing a kind of louche gutter sensibility combined with a quick wit. He makes for a saturnine, sleazily seductive host - exactly what the evening calls for.

The burlesque acts were fine, with the standout being Lada Redstar, a statuesque beauty and a polished performer.

Burlesque is the art of walking titillation right up to the edge of lewdness without crossing over, of the ladies of Comic Strip have it down to a science.

The comedy element of the evening didn’t fare so well, and one got the impression that the comics on stage were merely marking time until the next dancer could get her costume in order. Given the calibre of comedians who have previously trod the boards at Comic Strip - Jimeoin, Jason Byrne, and The Pajama Men amongst them - that was surprising. Perth comedian John Robertson brought his usual craft and charisma to the game which is to be expected; he’s one of the best stand ups in town - but seemed a bit at a loss as to how to fill his allotted stage time, settling for manic intensity over thoughtful structure.

It could simply be a matter of managed expectations.

The show’s publicity material makes a point of telling us how the old burlesque clubs of the ‘60s were havens of radical free speech, and even goes so far as to namedrop legendary envelope pusher Lenny Bruce. It sets the stage for some real boundary-pushing stuff but, in the end, the boundaries remain unchallenged.

It also doesn’t help that the popularity of burlesque over recent years has seen it steadily become accepted by the mainstream. Leaving aside all questions of skill and artistry for the moment, there’s simply nothing too transgressive going on here.

All of which doesn’t make for a bad show; it’s a fun and frisky evening, and if you’re up for a few laughs and a few acres of bare flesh, this is just the ticket. Having said that, in emulating what was challenging in the past, the good folks of Comic Strip have not tackled what pushes the buttons of a contemporary audience, which means that, while their show is fun, it’s also very, very safe. _TRAVIS JOHNSON Comic Strip runs at the De Parel Spiegeltent until Saturday, February 2. Go to fringeworld.com.au for ticketing and info.

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FREMANTLE CARNEVALE

Festival of Freedom Guzman y Gomez

BURRITO BONANZA Wildly popular eatery Guzman y Gomez Mexican Taqueria is coming to Perth, and to celebrate they’re declaring Thursday, January 31, Free Burrito Day. Everyone who fronts up to their new Northbridge store will receive one burrito, gratis. The record served in one day goes to Melbourne, when 4604 tasty treats were served, but we’re confident Perth can shatter that milestone without even noticing.

Go to guzmanygomez.com for more info.

Richard Tognetti

THE STAR CHAMBER

The Australian Chamber Orchestra’s first national concert of the 2013 season comes to the Perth Concert Hall on Wednesday, February 6. Tognetti’s Mozart sees Richard Tognetti perform works from both Mozart and Brahms, as well as Brett Dean’s Electric Preludes. It also marks the first time that the ACO has performed Mozart’s Symphony No. 3 in 20 years. It’s sure to be a magical evening. Go to aco.com.au for further information

Inside Running

THE GENTLE ART OF LOSING CALORIES

Lily and Miche

DANCE TO THE MUSIC

Inside Running: The Sport of Art takes the somewhat disparate worlds of art and sport and blends them in a unique and provocative way. Featuring nine artists whose passion for competition has bled into their creative endeavours, the exhibition runs from Friday, January 1, until Sunday, April 7, at the Fremantle Arts Centre, and will be opened by Fremantle Football captain Matthew Pavlich. fac.org.au has all the details.

Local songwriter Leah Miche and her musical ensemble team up with contemporary dancer Lily May in this intriguing mix of music and movement. Drawing on modern folk influences and the freeform flights of contemporary jazz, the performance tackles such grandiose themes as love, spirituality, and the ever-present mystery of the unknown. Part of the Fringe Festival, Lily and Miche takes place at the Castello Pop Up Venue.

See fringeworld.com.au for more details.

FOLKLAHOMA!

USE YOUR NOODLE

Presented by X-Press and Voice Promotions, Folklahoma is a multi-venue alt-folk mini-festival that brings the Fringe World ethos to Fremantle.

Featuring performances from The Big Old Bears, Rachel and Henry Climb A Hill, James Teague, and many more, this is sure to be a night to remember. It all goes down on Friday, February 22.

Head to fringeworld.com.au for the scoop.

The Noodle Palace and Bok Choy Ballroom has quickly become the destination venue of the 2013 Fringe World Festival, with shows selling out almost every night thus far. This week, catch the fascinating one-man play Inside the Cup, experimental poetry showcase Anthropoetry, the transgressive Drag, and many more. As per usual, fringeworld.com.au has all the information.

The Carnevale of the People’s Republic of Fremantle runs from Friday, February 1, until Tuesday, February 12. Go to fremantlecarnevale.com.au for further information.

Carnevale! The very word conjures up images of exotic, tropical locales, brightly dressed revellers, wild music, and bacchanalian abandon. For many, the notion of such an explosion of colour and culture is a distant, dearly longed for, dream.

Except that’s not exactly right. You don’t need a passport to sample the pleasures of Carnevale - we have one right here in WA, and every year it’s growing bigger and brighter.

“Fremantle Carnevale is an authentic Carnevale event,” explains organiser Eileen Glynn.

“It was started by an academic, Dr Stephen Bennetts, who did his PhD on Southern European culture, and in his travels he stumbled across not a small number of exciting Carnevale events all over Southern Europe, and when he came back to Fremantle in 2009, he thought that Fremantle would just be the perfect place.”

Now in its fifth year, the Fremantle Carnevale is a wide-ranging series of events encompassing a number of venues in Fremantle, starting with the crowning of the King of Carnevale at the opening ceremony at the Fremantle Markets on Friday, February 1, and culminating in Mardi Gras and a mock funeral procession in Kings Square on Shrove Tuesday, February 2. In between, lie 12 days of wild abandon, artistic expression, and flat-out fun. It’s come a long way since Dr Bennetts staged the first Carnevale in his back yard.

“The event has gathered momentum,” Glynn agrees. “And spilled out onto the streets until this year, where we’ve managed to get local businesses, the local council, and the Office of Multicultural Interests on board, so we’ve just gotten bigger and better to the point where, now, there’s a Masquerade Ball at the Fremantle Town Hall, a Women’s Cabaret at the East End Club, we’ve got a children’s Carnevale, we’ve got various art exhibitions and film nights, so yeah; it’s just something that seems to have touched the zeitgeist of Fremantle at the right time.”

Although the Fremantle Carnevale is by no means as renowned as its more famous cousins, Glynn is adamant that it’s only a matter of time. “It’s

Barflyboy

Directed by Robert Zemeckis Starring Denzel Washington, Don Cheadle, Kelly Reilly, John Goodman, Bruce Greenwood, Melissa Leo If you base your expectations of Flight - Robert Zemeckis’ first live action film since 2000’s Cast Away - on the trailer currently doing the rounds, you’re in for a hell of a shock.

Judged by its marketing campaign, Flight is the story of Captain Whip Whitaker (Denzel Washington), a gifted commercial airline pilot who manages to pull off an incredible crash landing, saving almost a hundred lives, only to find himself in trouble when a blood test shows that he had alcohol in his system.

Instead, we get the story of Whip Whitaker, roaring alcoholic and cocaine fiend, who happens to also be a top-notch pilot. Whip’s fall from grace is shown to be not an aberrant blemish on otherwise worthy record, but the inevitable result of a life spent in selfdestructive freefall without thought of consequence.

So, it’s not exactly Forrest Gump. In fact, it’s unlike anything else in Zemeckis’ oeuvre; this is his attempt at a small, personal story although, being Zemeckis, it’s a small, personal story that hinges on plane crash that is rendered in such white-knuckle detail that many audience members will be self-medicating before departing on their Bali holidays for years to come.

Washington absolutely nails it, and it’s largely down to his sterling work here that we 22

get a better insight into Whip’s character than the script, which is solid and functional rather than remarkable, might otherwise allow. Whip is a complex figure, and Washington imbues him with charm and wit, while still letting the man’s underlying self-loathing leak through.

He’s supported by a solid ensemble. Kelly Reilly is great as Nicole, the recovering heroin addict that Whip starts a tentative relationship with, while Don Cheadle and Bruce Greenwood hand in their usual rock-solid solid performances as Whip’s lawyer and union rep, respectively.

It’s John Goodman, though, who steals the show - and really, at this stage of the game, we should be used to that. Though he only crops up in a handful of scenes, his turn as Harling, Whip’s coke dealer, is a corker; funny, charming, and utterly incorrigible.

Harling basically functions to remind of us the real deep, dirty secret of the narcotics game - drugs can be a lot of fun.

Of course, that subtext is overwhelmed by the film’s heavy ‘drugs are bad’ message, and it’s Zemeckis’ insistence on hammering that point home that robs the film of any subtlety. Though Zemeckis is definitely trying to stretch himself creatively here, you still get the sense that this is a wealthy, fairly conservative middle-aged guy trying to tell a serious story about things he has no real experience with.

For all that, it’s still a good film, and its occasional narrative and thematic failings are overshadowed by Washington’s blistering, committed performance. Here’s hoping we get more of this kind of thing from Zemeckis in the future. _ TRAVIS JOHNSON

very much an international event. What we have seen happening is that we are creating a unique take on that - we’re not trying to reproduce what’s going on elsewhere, although there are flavours of that. We are accumulating a particularly unique take on Carnevale. Ultimately, what we want to do is make Fremantle Carnevale as fabulous as Rio or New Orleans or Venice.”

Glynn’s enthusiasm for the project is palpable, especially when asked what her favourite element of the festival is. “I think it would have to be the ball,” she says immediately. “It really is a great opportunity for people to dress up, to take on a new persona. When you put on a mask, you can be whoever you want to be - you can live out your fantasies, you can take on a whole new persona.

That’s part of the Carnevale tradition as well - being someone you wouldn’t normally be.”

Jessica Chastain in Zero Dark Thirty

Denzel Washington stars in Flight

FLIGHT

Fremantle Carnevale

ZERO DARK THIRTY The Thrill Of The Hunt

Directed by Kathryn Bigelow Starring Jessica Chastain, Jason Clarke, Joel Edgerton, Chris Pratt, Jennifer Ehle, Mark Strong, Kyle Chandler Oscar-winning director Kathryn Bigelow reunites with her Hurt Locker screenwriter, Mark Boal, for this steely and deliberate dramatisation of the CIA’s hunt for Osama Bin Laden in the wake of the 9/11 attacks.

Neophyte CIA officer Maya (Jessica Chastain) is our point of view character in what is essentially a political procedural. It is through her eyes that we see the painstaking and often frustrating campaign to track and terminate Bin Laden over the course of a decade, culminating in the Islamabad Raid of 2011 by Seal Team 6 (played by the likes of Joel Edgerton and Chris Pratt).

It’s also through her eyes that we see the torture and interrogation of prisoners by the CIA, largely at the hands of CIA agent Dan (Jason Clarke), and it’s these sequences that have stirred up the most controversy. It’s not hard to imagine the bind the filmmakers were in when deciding whether or not to depict the US’s so-called enhanced interrogation techniques; ignoring them could lead to claims of whitewashing, while depicting them has resulted in accusations of a pro-torture stance.

In any case, it takes a particularly superficial reading of the film to come away with the notion that the film approves of torture; as Bigelow herself has said, depiction is not endorsement.

Indeed, perhaps the problem is that the film treats its audience like adults; the viewer is expected to already have a strong grasp of the political background it plays out against, and we are dropped into the narrative with little in the way of exposition. Zero Dark Thirty is a ground-level view of professional intelligence operatives at work, and as such is comparable to Michael Mann’s better ‘lonely professional’ thrillers, most notably in terms of its verisimilitude and attention to detail.

That’s not a lightly-made comparison.

Bigelow has been a strong, idiosyncratic filmmaker for over 25 years now - take a look at Near Dark and Strange Days for proof - and while Hurt Locker first brought her the widespread acclaim she deserves, it’s Zero Dark Thirty that cements her place on the A-List of Hollywood directing talent.

Anyone expected an action bonanza is in for disappointment - although Bigelow constructs brutal, kinetic, and suspenseful action sequences like the seasoned pro she is. This is a slow-burn, engrossing thriller that demands that its audience engages deeply on both an intellectual and a visceral level. The whole thing is suffused with a constant, wire-taut tension, and when the action beats do hit, they come as a palpable relief.

Zero Dark Thirty is simply impeccable filmmaking. Dense, deliberate, and uncompromising, it’s an adult film for mature minds. After years of toiling in genre ghetto, Kathryn Bigelow has seized the opportunities afforded her by Hurt Locker’s success, and this latest film leaves no doubt that she is one of the best upper-echelon directors currently working. _ TRAVIS JOHNSON X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays

BIG TOP TEASE Sequins and Skin

Circus Joseph Ashton and Sugar Blue Burlesque present Big Top Tease at Langley Park on Friday, February 1 and Saturday, February 2. Head over to sugarblueburlesque.com.au for details.

Mick Foley and Brendon Burns

MICK FOLEY King of the Ring

Wrestling legend Mick ‘Mankind’Foley takes to the stage alongside stand-up comic Brendon Burns on Friday, February 1, for their comedy show Good God Almighty. Go to liveattheastor. com.au for details. TRAVIS JOHNSON talks to the hirsute hero.

Mick Foley has been many things over the course of his career: actor, author, voiceover artist and, of course, a towering figure in the world of professional wrestling. Now he’s adding another string to his bow; meet Mick Foley: stand-up comedian.

Is it an odd choice? Not to Foley. “It’s a natural extension of what I did on the microphone when I was in wrestling. Essentially a wrestler telling wrestling stories for wrestling fans, but making it inclusive enough for those brave enough to venture into our world. I try to come up with a nice blend of wrestling stories old and new, along with things that I happen to find funny at the moment.”

It takes a brave man to step up behind a microphone and try to entertain an audience with nothing but his voice, but anyone familiar with Foley’s career knows that he has no shortage of grit, which he demonstrated during a set at last year’s Gathering of the Juggalos, a gig that he decided needed some specialised equipment.

“I went shopping for a lacrosse stick,” he says. “I got a big, oversized goalie stick and I got a rain poncho, because the footage that had been

www.xpressmag.com.au

sent to me by very helpful fans showed performers just being hit by a barrage of garbage, including things that looked very much like human faeces.

I just made up my mind that, if anyone was going to throw anything faeces-esque at me, I would block it with my stick and send it back at a more rapid pace than it arrived.”

Still, in this case he won’t be going it alone, having partnered up with Australian comedian Brendon Burns for the tour.

“Brendan’s become one of my heroes,” Foley says enthusiastically. “He really has. He came and did a guest set for me in London last March and gave me a couple of his DVDs, and I immediately thought he was one of the most fiercely intelligent comics I have ever heard. Great stuff - maybe the only knock is that it was too intelligent. He’s taking care of that by doing more wrestling material on these shows with me. He loves the wrestling material, and so he’ll take great joy in performing across Oz.” As for Foley himself, he takes great pleasure in the in-the-moment reaction he gets from his audiences - something he’s missed since retiring from the ring. “It’s that same sense of immediate response that I used to get when I had free rein on the microphone in WWE. Thinking of an idea at three o’clock in the morning driving down the road, and then doing it for millions of people around the world less than 24 hours later.

Now, while the audience won’t number in the millions, it’s still that sense of immediacy, and you know right away what works and what doesn’t. It’s not like writing a novel where the process is two years long and you’re not even around when the reactions come in.”

The circus is all good clean family fun, or so the prevailing wisdom goes, but that ain’t necessarily so.

The American circus tradition has longstanding ties with the more risqué elements of live entertainment; sideshow alley, the boardwalk, the peepshow. For the past few years now, Sugar Blue Burlesque and Circus Joseph Ashton have worked together to celebrate that aspect of carnie culture with Big Top Tease, an adults only show that combines the death-defying thrills of the circus with the tantalising titillation of burlesque.

“Big Top Tease is ten pounds of sex in a five pound bag!” exclaims MC Magnus Danger Magnus, who will be overseeing the spectacle. “It’s the circus big top as you’ve always known it, but this is the grownup version. It’s an 18+ event, and we get all of the beautiful ladies from Sugar Blue Burlesque and the very talented juggling, animal wrangling, trapeze artisting, death defying crazies of the Circus Joseph Ashton family, and mash them together into a sexual paste, which we then spread all over the audience liberally until they laugh and guffaw and get entertainment boners.”

As Magnus explains, this isn’t a novelty mash-up of two disparate forms, but an evocation of the long and illustrious history of the sideshow, a chance for audiences to tear themselves away from the television and see the kind of entertainment that put bums on seats all the way back to the Great Depression and beyond.

“This is a chance to get a little more vaudeville,” he explains. “A little more cabaret. There’s that smell of the sawdust that you miss, ordinarily, when you’re out and about, but this is the proper thing - the big round ring, the stadium seats. It’s a chance to pull out the vamping and the plinkety piano. It’s back to the old stuff. It’s like a technicolour Tom Waits song. It’s pretty risqué, also.”

That may be understating things more than a little; according to Magnus, their will be far more skin than sawdust on display at Big Top Tease..

“There will be lots of flesh from a lot of the most beautiful ladies in burlesque in this very, very talented town,” he tells us. “We also have some touring girls who are coming down for this, who I’m very much looking forward to seeing again, including

Big Top Tease the beautiful Clara Cupcakes coming from over east. And we have for the ladies, as well, Mr Johnny Domino, who’s just been touring with Briefs, probably the best boylesque group in the world.”

The whole thing is the brainchild of Sugar Blue founder Melanie Bruyer, whom Magnus credits with “Ceaseless enthusiasm for everything that’s good. especially boobs - massive boob fan, as all we are who breathe oxygen and are made of carbon.

She got together with the very, very talented Joseph Ashton guys and put this thing together.” _TRAVIS JOHNSON

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“When Queen Victoria chose to wear white, rather than the royal silver for her wedding to Prince Albert in 1840, this really popularised and idealised white as

“With the rise of a celebrity culture, the internet and magazines give a lot of coverage of celebrity weddings which in turn have influenced brides seeking to emulate their favourite celebrity wedding dress. Celebrity weddings are also a great marketing opportunity for fashion designers, as they are commissioned to design extravagant gowns for celebrity weddings that garner so much media interest. Celebrity weddings have also influenced an increased spend on weddings generally, and more extravagant and lavish occasions. Gwen Stefani’s 2002 wedding dress by John Galliano for Dior, featured in the exhibition, is still one of the ‘Top 10’ celebrity gowns on many wedding fashion internet sites.” _EMMA BERGMEIER

the colour for a bride.”

‘Leaving for church’, London, 5 November 1940. A bride leaves her bombed-out home for her wedding. Photograph by Fred Ramage / Getty Images

UNVEILED

Nice Day For A White Wedding Unveiled is on display at the WA Museum in the Perth Cultural Centre until Sunday, March 24. The Museum is also offering high tea to patrons of the exhibition, for details visit museum.wa.gov.au.

A celebration of 200 years of bridal fashions and the people and traditions that shaped them, Unveiled provides a fascinating, unrivaled look into the everchanging world of wedding glamour. Presented by the WA Museum in partnership with the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, the exhibition features 65 wedding outfits and accessories, including iconic creations such as Vivienne Westwood’s opulent violet gown for Dita Von Teese’s 2005 nuptials.

From bonnets to corsets, coats to kilts, gowns to Galliano, Unveiled has it all, so it’s no surprise that fashion and history lovers have embraced the exhibition with open arms.

“We’ve received a great response from the public and media, which has been lovely. Many people

have been telling us via our Facebook and Twitter sites how much they’ve enjoyed the exhibition and high tea. It’s fantastic to have such a wonderful collection from one of the world’s most well-known museums here in Perth and I think the people of WA are really appreciative of that,” enthuses Western Australian Museum history curator Leigh O’Brien.

As the exhibition illustrates, there have been some monumental changes in bridal trends over the last 200 years, including the rise of the white wedding dress and the invention of the ‘dress for a day’ concept.

“Bridal fashion tends to follow mainstream fashion trends, but often takes inspiration from the past as well. Think of the romantic, feminine dresses of the 1980s, which were influenced by historical styles,” O’Brien muses when asked about some of the bridal trends evident in Unveiled. “The symbolic use of flowers has always been popular – particularly orange blossom, which symbolises fertility and virtue, and roses, symbolising love and marriage. Most brides in the nineteenth and well into the twentieth centuries wore orange blossom as a decoration on their dress, or in bouquets or wedding favours.

“The idea of a ‘dress for a day’ only really came about from the 1930s, when socialites commissioned couturiers for one-off dresses that were slinky and body skimming, often with medieval type flowing sleeves. There are two fantastic examples in the exhibition, worn by old school friends and London socialites Margaret Whigham and Barbara ‘Baba’ Beaton. 1950s brides were influenced by Dior’s ‘New Look’ with tight bodices, small waists and full skirts. The 1960s saw hemlines rise and yet the tradition of covering the arms and shoulders remained, particularly for church weddings. One of the major trends from the 1990s has been the strapless - and sometimes backless - dress.”

As for the iconic white wedding dress which has become a modern mainstay, O’Brien explains that white wasn’t always the colour du jour for brides, until Queen Victoria popularised the style in 1840 at her wedding to Prince Albert.

“By the early nineteenth century, white was fashionable for evening wear and weddings, but it was a wealthy woman’s colour – if you could wear white you could afford the servants to care for and clean it. For most women, coloured and patterned dresses were much more practical as they could be worn again for Sunday best or other occasions. When Queen Victoria chose to wear white, rather than the royal silver, for her wedding to Prince Albert in 1840, this really popularised and idealised white as the colour for a bride.”

Just as influential as Queen Victoria and her white wedding gown in 1840, modern celebrities and the designers they enlist to create their wedding gowns have played a big role in shaping bridal trends over the last few decades.

Dita Von Teese in shot taffeta wedding dress, Vivienne Westwood Couture © Odessy Barbu Photography

Archie Roach: Chevron Festival Gardens, Perth Performance Feb 10. Bookings via Ticketek.

VISUAL ARTS

David Lynch Presents Chrysta Bell: Chevron Festival Gardens, Perth Performance Feb 14. Bookings via Ticketek.

Luminous World: Art Gallery Of WA, Northbridge An exhibition from Wesfarmer’s collection, featuring Soft Soft Loud: The Antihero Suite: Fremantle Arts Susan Norrie, Rosemary Laing, Howard Taylor, Dale Centre, Fremantle Frank, Bill Henson, Brian Blanchflower, Brook Andrew, Performance Feb 14. Bookings via fac.org.au.

Timothy Cook and Barrupu Yunupingu. Runs ’til Feb 11.

Celtic Thunder: Perth Arena, Perth Traversing Antarctica: Western Australian Maritime Performance Feb 16. Bookings via Ticketek.

Museum, Fremantle A rare collection of artefacts from the 1911-14 Australasian Antarctic Expedition, famously led by Sir Douglas Mawson. Runs ’til Feb 23.

Picturing New York: Photographs From The Museum Of Modern Art: Art Gallery Of WA, Northbridge Depicting the iconic New York that captivates the world’s imagination and the idiosyncratic details that define New Yorkers’ sense of home, this exhibition from MoMA’s photography collection celebrates the city in all its vitality. Runs ‘til May 12.

Minnie and Mona

MINNIE AND MONA Death and the Maiden

Minnie and Mona will be performed from Monday, February 4 until Friday, February 8 at PICA as part of the Perth Fringe Festival. Tickets available through fringeworld.com.au Death is a touchy subject, traditionally treated with caution and conveyed in a sombre, dramatic fashion within the theatre and arts world.

This is not the case in Duck House’s new production for Perth Fringe Festival, Minnie and Mona.

Created by Duck House and outstanding playwright Jeffrey Jay Fowler, the dark comedy tells the tale of two best friends, Mona - who revels in and obsesses over death, and Minnie - who loves living, being happy, and ants.

Award-winning actress Arielle Gray has been involved in productions like It’s Dark Outside and The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik: Deep Sea Explorer for the past few years, and will be performing as Mona in this new production. She took some time out from her busy schedule to chat to X-Press about the production.

“Essentially the show is about Mona wanting to die, and Minnie wanting her to live. Around that we, the creatives, are also in the show as characters talking about how hard it is to talk about death. It’s 24

very interesting. It’s actually quite a funny script, there’s a lot of dark humour in it,” Gray explains.

Gray affirms that the cast and crew made a conscious decision to bring out the humour in death, and in turn, she is thoroughly enjoying performing as Mona. “Just because she’s obsessed with death doesn’t mean she’s really down and dark, because she enjoys death so much there’s a real sense of fun, and she constantly wants to play at these awful things. It’s actually quite enjoyable, because I get to just be a little bit evil, and enjoy saying horrible things,” she laughs.

However, the team knew they had to be cautious when discussing death and suicide in particular, and were careful about doing their research and testing the script out on people to ensure they didn’t cross any lines. “There is a real taboo around talking about suicide, which essentially is what the play is about, although not in a dramatic documentary kind of way. It’s wanting to talk about those things that you can’t really talk about, and lot of the time the best way to approach things like that is through laughter. A lot of times the real horrors in life are best discussed by making jokes about them, or being able to laugh at them. And that’s the way people are able to touch those things.” _CHLOE PAPPAS

Celtic Thunder Made To Remember: Art Gallery Of WA, Northbridge A beautifully considered display of significant Cliff Richards: Sandalford Estate, Swan Valley Indigenous objects from the State Art Collection. Performance Feb 23. Bookings via sandalford.com.

Runs ‘til Jun 30.

Laurie Anderson & Kronos Quartet: Perth Concert Baby Don’t Save Me: Feast Your Eyes Gallery, Fremantle Hall, Perth Artist Anya Brock brings Brooklyn to Fremantle with Performance Feb 27. Bookings via Ticketek. her new collection, a meditation on loneliness, home, and the relationship between the two. Runs from January 25 until February 6.

Summer Nights: Blue Room Theatre, Perth A significant program of eclectic performance, spread across The Blue Room Theatre and PICA performance spaces. Run Jan 25-Feb 24. Bookings through blueroom.org.au.

Ballet At The Quarry: Quarry Amphitheatre, Floreat Showcasing two world premieres, Yes, I’ll Move For Perth Festival: numerous locations across Perth You from Cass Mortimer Eipper and Jubilaté from Bringing together the best in visual arts, theatre, Daniel Roberts, and by Glen Tetley the West Australian dance, classic and contemporary music, films, opera premiere of a modern Everest, Voluntaries. Runs Feb and more, the Perth Festival is an all encompassing celebration of art. Runs Feb7-Mar 2.

8-Mar 2. Bookings via perthfestival.com.au.

FESTIVALS

THEATRE/DANCE/ PERFORMANCE

Fringe World Festival: numerous locations across Perth and surrounding suburbs Expanding on the success of the first full Fringe Australian Chamber Orchestra: Perth Concert Hall, Festival in 2012, Perth will be brought to life over Perth four jam-packed weeks with more than 300 events Performance Feb 6. Bookings via aco.com.au. taking place in more than venues. Runs Jan 25-Feb 24. Bookings through fringeworld.com.au.

Elvis Costello & The Imposters: Kings Park Botanic Gardens, Perth Summerset Arts Festival: City Of Stirling Performance Feb 6. Bookings via Ticketmaster.

Jam packed with over 22 free or low cost events, the community can look forward to a mix of art Maceo Parker: Chevron Festival Gardens, Perth exhibitions, live comedy, kids events, theatrical shows and live music. Runs Feb 6-23.

Performance Feb 7. Bookings via Ticketek.

MUSIC

X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays

www.xpressmag.com.au

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DANKO JONES Second Nature

Danko Jones’ latest offering, Rock And Roll Is Black And Blue, sees the legendary Canadian rock musician returning to square one. JESSICA WILLOUGHBY talks to the charismatic frontman ahead of the band’s slot at Soundwave on Monday, March 4, at Claremont Showgrounds.

It may have taken 10 years but Canadian rock outfit Danko Jones are back to circle one.

Returning to one’s ‘roots’ is a step that every musician takes throughout their career. Ironic as it may seem, many signal this moment as integral not only for growth, but also as affirmation of their progression as an artist.

For this longstanding three-piece, fronted

by Jones himself, their journey was no different. It was their latest offering, Rock And Roll Is Black And Blue, which brought along nostalgic ties. Though Jones was humble about the experience, he knew the band would never be reinventing the wheel when it came to achieving a solid rock’n’roll feel on this important album.

“We wouldn’t have put out the album if we didn’t think it was strong enough for this time or we didn’t like it,” he says. “Really we just wrote a bunch of tunes. They literally just came out. We know we aren’t doing anything new when it comes to rock and roll.

But I really wanted to tap into the beauty of the genre.

The energy and spirit has always really hit home for me.

We know we are regurgitating stuff that’s already been done before. But I just love the sounds that are attached to the label of rock and roll. Though I could say the same for a lot of styles of music. The difference here is that I can play rock and roll, and do it well. I can’t play metal or jazz. Rock and roll I have a good handle on. It comes second nature to me.”

Recorded last May at Noble Street Studios in Toronto, the band once again sought out the homegrown talents of Matt DeMatteo behind the decks.

Pleased with his work on their previous effort, Below The Belt (2010), Jones points to location playing a big part in the decision making process.

“Matt’s somewhat of a convenience for us.

He’s in Toronto, where we live, and we have a good relationship with him. We just want to make records together at this point. He’s really good at making worthwhile suggestions to the songwriting when we bring stuff to the studio. He really captures the sound we want. When we have an album for the studio, we’ve been readying them for so long – we usually have them pretty much down pat. But a lot of the times, Matt has really good ideas which we take on-board. It’s still too

Danko Jones Photo: Dean Karr early to say if we will use him for the next album, but you never know.”

Australian fans have some catching up to do when Jones and company hit our shores this March. With a nine-year gap between performances, the frontman knows it will be difficult to cram to content into just one show. “The last time we were here was in 2004 and we were working We Sweat Blood,” he says. “We’ve released four albums since then. There’s a lot of songs and only so much time unfortunately. We’re just going to have to pick and choose.

“Of course, our focus will be on the new material, though. We haven’t played all these songs live yet, but I definitely want to play I Believe In God at the festival. It’s one of the last tracks on the album and it’s just a killer. We went into the studio and the idea hatched to try and see if we can bring in gospel singers and really ramp up the whole gospel vibe.

The song calls for it, although we didn’t have any intention of that when we were going in with it to the studio. We actually thought it would just be a real quick punk rock song. And then it just kind of bloomed as we added all this extra stuff that wasn’t originally intended. Gospel singers were brought in and an organ was laid down, and then we realised like, ‘wow’, we went from a simple punk rock song to making it the anchor of the album that ends the record. It’s crazy how these things come about.

But don’t think Jones has become a religious fanatic.

“Funnily enough, I just love to sing it. I don’t really don’t have any ties to it lyrically, but there is something great about singing the words, ‘I believe in God’. It’s a song about someone who believes in God, but doesn’t anymore. And, if you listen a little closer, it’s even about something as shallow as a girl not liking you anymore. So no, I haven’t been born-again or anything like that.”

Smashed

SMASHED

Alcoholics Anomalous Directed by James Ponsoldt Starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Aaron Paul, Octavia Spencer, Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally “I’m Kate and I’m an alcoholic. I’m sorry, I don’t mean to laugh... those words sound... weird.” This is one of the most telling lines of dialogue in Smashed, delivered by the effortless chameleon that is Mary Elizabeth Winstead.

In some ways, it’s strange that alcoholism doesn’t appear as a dominant theme in movies more often, given its prevalence in most societies. Or perhaps it doesn’t appear because of its prevalence, combined with the extraordinarily blurred lines between drinking, hard drinking and alcoholism. It’s not like watching Trainspotting or Requiem For A Dream, alcoholism offers fewer vicarious thrills or intrigue if you have to wonder where you are on the scale.

Interestingly, Smashed doesn’t deal with extreme situations (Lost Weekend, 1945 - Flight, 2013) or extreme characters (Leaving Las Vegas, 1995).

Essentially, the drama of Smashed derives from the effects of alcoholism on ordinary people trying to lead ordinary lives.

When Kate Hannah (Winstead) turns up to work as a first grade teacher, her hangover turns into a series of lies and excuses after she throws up in front of the children. but even this isn’t quite that rock bottom moment you hear so much about.

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But when it does come, Vice Principal Dave Davies (Nick Offerman) steps in and introduces her to an AA group and her sponsor Jenny (Octavia Spencer).

Don’t worry, this isn’t a film about the redeeming power of God, but about the road to sobriety and its impact on your relationships - especially when your partner isn’t on that journey with you.

For Kate, this is her husband Charlie (the infamous Aaron ‘Jesse Pinkman’ Paul), an unreformed alcoholic/journalist who refuses to examine his own behaviour, choosing to focus on the increasing emotional distance between them.

As a young director, James Ponsoldt doesn’t engage in much cinematic trickery - this is very much a performance piece played for natural/ realistic drama and it falls to Winstead to carry the entire film. Which she does, ably supported by a very skilled cast.

As previously stated, Winstead is something of a chameleon - she’s been picking up roles left, right and centre without ever seeming to be the same person twice, just adding characters to her personal pantheon. While Aaron Paul has definitely demonstrated great acting chops throughout Breaking Bad, he’s not stretching himself at all here.

It’s as if Winstead is saying, “Hey! It’s my break-out dysfunctional lead role,” while an echo of Jesse Pinkman says, “Hey! It’s Wednesday.”

Even so, Smashed is a film well worth the watching. Do it sober. _ SABIAN WILDE Smashed screens as part of the Lotterywest Festival Films season at UWA’s Somerville Auditorium from February 4-7 and 9-10, then at Joondalup Pines from February 12-17. For more details, head to perthfestival.com.au.

X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays

Jens Lekman

JENS LEKMAN What Would I Do?

If you were to type the word ‘enigma’ into Google, it would be no surprise to see Jens Lekman staring right back at you. CHRIS HAVERCROFT speaks to Lekman as the unpredictable Swede gears up for his appearance at the Chevron Festival Gardens on Monday, February 18.

Jens Lekman appears to have a love/hate relationship with music.

He has often stated that his time with music is limited and at one point he even vowed to leave the industry altogether. This bipolar reaction to his craft was once a real concern for Lekman, but it’s now something that he realises is all part and parcel of the time that he spends on the road as a quirky European troubadour.

“I feel that happens after every record and every tour,” he admits.“I have come to realise that it’s a very natural reaction because after releasing a record or finishing a tour, you are just emotionally exhausted.

In the past I would interpret that as a dangerous sign that what I was doing was really harmful to me somehow, but what I need to do is just go home and isolate myself for a while and do some exercise and everything is fine.

“But yes, I do quit music after every tour. It only last about four days. I don’t have a driver’s license.

I don’t have an education. This is all I know, really. What would I do?”

Lekman has always had a strong connection to his audience whether it be through sitting in the beer garden after shows with a ukulele in hand, or selling his hand-made tour CDs from the side of the

stage, but his blog Smalltalk has had as big an impact as any. Instead of having a Facebook page that gets flooded with one-line messages, Lekman is more keen to have a discourse over email where stories can be shared and personalities identified.

Lekman has travelled the world over and lived in many a city, with Melbourne being one that he has recently called home. His attraction to Melbourne was some sun and fresh avocados, but being able to connect with friends such as Architecture In Helsinki and Guy Blackman from Chapter Records didn’t hurt either. His time in Melbourne didn’t see Lekman playing a lot of gigs, but certainly shaped his most recent LP, I Know What Love Isn’t.

“I wrote and recorded most of the songs in Melbourne,” he says. “I was able to borrow a friend’s house in Clifton Hills and sit there for a few months and get most of it down on the hard drive.

There are a lot of references to Melbourne in the songs as well.

“When I was a teenager I was in love with the Melbourne music scene and when I went to Australia for the first time in 2005 I was able to meet some of these people whose music I really admired.

I felt like there was an atmosphere in the city that remind me of what Gothenburg was 10 years ago with this microcosmos of bands that hadn’t taken off yet and were making fanzines.”

“I draw a very fine line between connecting with the audience personally and being friends, because you can’t have 40,000 friends. I can count my friends on the fingers of my left hand, but there are so many benefits of having the communication with people through email. It is not only a writing exercise, but it makes me feel less lonely at the end when you are having communication with people. It is my everyday life, but I guess that being an artist is a lonely existence.”

Lekman is working on one of his fabled tour CDs, which he is hoping to have completed by the time he makes it downunder, as he feels the songs would resonate with his Australian audience. While he is still excited by the idea of making limited runs of some of his release, Lekman is more careful these days, as once a song goes out to the world, the artist may no longer claim to ‘own’ it.

“Your Arms Around Me, from the record, I originally played that live on a radio station and that became a big hit for me for a while even though the song wasn’t really finished. When I put it on the record (2012’s I Know What Love Isn’t) with strings, people wrote to me and were really upset that I had made this new arrangement for it. I felt that with a lot of songs I put out in the early days, so I am a bit more careful with that because I can relate to that feeling too.”

BOB MARLEY OUTERNATIONAL DAY All Smiles

The Bob Marley Outernational Day happens this Sunday, February 3, at the Railway Hotel, from 2-10pm. BOB GORDON reports.

The Bob Marley Outernational Day is in its 32nd year, an achievement which like makes it the longest running (single day) music festival in Perth.

“Paying tribute to Bob Marley, the king of reggae music, is always an honour,” co-organiser Mumma Trees says. “We are so passionate about reggae music, and bringing together all the diverse sub-genres of reggae music in one show is inspiring.

Being with people who also feel the love and respect for Bob Marley and reggae music is joyous! While the Outernational is in its 32nd year, every year there are tributes to Bob this week, in Jamaica, the US, Europe, Africa, Asia... everywhere.”

Part proceeds from Outernational Day go to Oxfam; it’s been a beautiful friendship.

“We share the love right back to Oxfam and their lifesaving work all over the globe,” says Trees. “Often they are in the frontline in crisis and emergency situations that are not covered in the media here, and we support them to the maximum.

This year we are supporting their West Africa food crisis appeal.”

With two stages, outdoors and indoors, the Outernational Day line-up is brimful of quality reggae acts from both here and overseas. Highlights are hard to pick, but then again, there’s many, covering the diverse nature of reggae itself.

“Gappy Ranks (UK/Jamaica) is here direct from Raggamuffin in New Zealand and is definitely going to be a highlight,” Trees says. “He is a such a versatile artist, playing reggae and dancehall, and is highly respected and rated in the reggae world.

“The whole line-up is very exciting though, as we are able to present a diverse range of acts showcasing so many different styles of reggae. Jessie Proverbs (Jamaican singer) has a classic lovers rock sound in the style of Dennis Brown. Ngati are repping for New Zealand and play laid back reggae with an emphasis on sweet harmonies. The Isolites nail the early reggae/rocksteady sound. Weapon Is Sound are total dubheads, and Glen Prophecy is an exciting new talent who merges reggae, ragga and hip hop.

“The DJ’s are just as crucial on this event, as www.xpressmag.com.au

Bob Marley reggae has always had such a strong sound system culture. Prez-I from the UK plays heavy roots and UK steppas. Cutnice brings a higher level of turntable skills, and the Kenyan DJs (Ray, Calvin & Ras Mwas) play all the big reggae tunes from Africa. Jamaican DJ’s Robert Ragz and Judgement will be bringing forward modern reggae and mic skillz, while The Empressions will be giving it a dancehall flava and General Justice will be dropping classic reggae. So no matter what your favourite style of reggae is, there is something for you on this bill.”

The legend and the profile of Bob Marley increases by the year. There is inarguably something eternal about him, in both his music and message.

“Bob Marley’s catalogue of music is more than just the Legend LP, he left a huge amount of music, from ska right through to one drop reggae,” Trees reflects. “He took the message of Rastafari around the world, and gave hope and voice to the oppressed and poor, globally. His message of one love and unity is universal, timeless and positive.”

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X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays

LA based house DJ and producer, Joey Youngman aka Wolfgang Gartner, is a perfectionist who prefers not to be labelled. JO CAMPBELL caught up with him for a chat about his upcoming tour of Australia, controlling nerves and the touchy subject of genre.

On winter break from a hectic touring schedule that has seen him traverse as far as London and Ibiza, Youngman is open and relaxed in his LA home studio as we discuss the finer points of the electro house genre he is often associated with, particularly the use of the term ‘complextro’, coined to refer to synth-lead, video game sounds.

www.xpressmag.com.au

“I absolutely hate that term,” he says with passion. “I hope that it dies a very quick and painful death. I don’t know where it came from but if people want to label me with that, I’m not cool with it. I’m not even cool being labelled electro house. I do so many things that are outside of that - I don’t want to be branded as a genre.”

A close listen to his discography since working under the alias Wolfgang Gartner, (a move to distinguish his newer electro style house from his previous deep house incarnation under his real name) results in finding big room progressive house tracks such as Redline and There and Back, along with straight up electro releases such as Love & War, put out last year on commercial heavyweight, Ultra Records.

“Girl on Girl - that’s just a straight up disco house track - that could have been made like ten years ago and all these people just want to lump you into a category and call you complextro or electro. It’s easier for them to put a label on something, but I don’t want to be lumped into any of those. It’s just house music, that’s the overall umbrella of what I do so that’s the only term that I will be comfortable with being labelled as.”

CONTINUED ON PAGE 30

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Bryte

ALWAYS LOOK ON THE BRYTE SIDE

Wolfgang Gartner Being comfortable on stage is something Youngman, who is referred to in his Facebook bio as being an ‘introverted empath’, has had to work on as his crowds have swelled, performing at massive gigs across the globe such as Coachella.

“You know, it’s been interesting because I started DJing around the same time I started producing and I’ve always loved the art of producing by myself and with friends or at house parties when I was messed up or drunk as a kid, taking ecstasy and shit would give me the courage to go on stage.

But as the stages have gotten bigger over the last three years and I’ve been out on main stage to play to 25,000 or 100,000 people, it’s been a growing experience for me to feel comfortable doing that without getting nervous.

“But it wasn’t like that originally. When I was touring as Wolfgang Gartner in 2008 I was not quite comfortable in those shoes and it took a little while to get my stage presence to a point where I felt I controlled the stage and felt comfortable up there and at one with the audience - you know, like I could look out and read them like we were all on the same level. There are a lot of DJs out there and their whole dream is to be on stage in front of a lot of people, and producing is their vehicle for getting there. They make music just so they can get on stage, when really, they just want to spray champagne and jump up and get on the microphone. I’m the opposite. “ As far as his DJ set goes, Youngman’s performance usually consists of a cleverly crafted collection of elaborate bootlegs he’s slaved over in

the studio, along with some of his own released and unreleased works.

“I’ll spend about six hours, combine four songs and put archapellos over them and make build-ups and breakdowns and basically make full-on bootlegs that most other DJs will put out on Soundcloud or give out to people. But I like to keep them for myself so that nobody else has them and so that you have to come to my shows to hear them. They are not my songs - I find something on Beatport or whatever or someone sends me a demo or a promo, and if it’s got a good groove I’ll take that one part I like and get six other songs and put them all together to make a new thing.”

Youngman’s last visit to our shores was for Parklife and not a club tour, so he says Australia can expect a different approach and something about Star Wars. “For the first 20 minutes of my set I’m gonna read the crowd like a Jedi knight and perform some mind control with them and figure out exactly what they’re feeling and what they’re not. That’s how I build a set,” he explains. “Australia is a place where things are constantly changing - trends in music and what people react to changes very quickly with you guys. So I’ll just have to go down and assess it and see what’s hot.”

» WOLFGANG GARTNER » FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 1 @ VILLA

Local hip hop artist Bryte is set to release his second album this April, with the first single and title track, Bryte Side of Life, due for release next week. Produced

by Dazastah from Downsyde, who has produced for the likes of Hilltop Hoods, Downsyde, Phrase, Funkoars and Drapht, Bryte Side of Life is about taking a look at the bigger picture. It’ll be out on TOO SOLID Records next Monday, February 4.

NEW DEPECHE MODE

Fans of post-punk pioneers, Depeche Mode will be happy to know the legendary band will be releasing their 13th studio album this March. Entitled, Delta Machine, the first single, Heaven, will be out this Friday, February 1. The album, recorded over the last year in Santa Barbara, California and New York City, was produced by Ben Hillier and mixed by Flood.

A video for the single will also be out this Friday on Vevo. Alongside the standard CD format, Delta Machine will also be released in an exclusive deluxe edition with four additional tracks and accompanied by a 28 page hardcover book including photos by longtime artistic collaborator Anton Corbijn.

NATHAN FAKE

Hitting town as part of Perth Festival is Seattle hip hop phenomenon Macklemore and producer Ryan Lewis. True to their top of the ladder placement in this year’s Triple J’s Hottest 100, the gig has sold out. They’ll be supported by soulful local up-andcomers, UpNUp - made up of emcees Colin Banks and Marksman Lloyd, vocalist Ánders, DJ and horn section. They’ll be performing Sunday, February 17 at Chevron Festival Gardens. Get friendly with someone holding onto a spare ticket.

Sydney-sider Chris Emerson aka DJ Emoh Instead is one half of bootlegging outfit What So Not with Flume. He talks with JO CAMPBELL about getting famous and his relationship with his cohort.

As he prepares to arrive in Australia once again, it’s hard to believe Nathan Fake’s magnum opus Outhouse came out 10 years ago.

Despite misconceptions about his age, the now 29 year-old purveyor of synth-laden atmospheric techno is steadily becoming an industry stalwart. ROSE CALLAGHAN reports.

Broz Rodriguez

FLAWLESS BACKYARD B’DAY

From online radio in the backyard to club nights hosting internationals, The Backyard Project has had a year to celebrate. Join this local crew at Flawless Nightclub in Subiaco this Saturday, February 2 with a huge lineup, including: Afro Radio, Jack in the Box, Muzmix, All Corners of House, Zealousy, Big Bangs Theory, Hip Hop Pit Stop, Broz Rodriguez, Bass Flex Radio and Phase Animator. Tickets are free before 11pm and $15 on the door thereafter. Happy birthday BYP!

SERIOUSLY REAL TECHNO

MASHING IT UP

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MACKLEMORE IS ON THE UPNUP

Delta Machine

EMOH INSTEAD

“My core passion in DJing,” Emerson explains. “I love putting songs together and then playing them for people and making my own versions of things. I only went into production because I wanted to perform and it seemed that you couldn’t get work if you were only a DJ. And I think that from all my years of DJing I have a good understanding of how to structure a song and what people are actually into, even if it’s not a genre they’re familiar with. My personal DJing has given me that understanding, which has really helped with all of the production.”

In his live solo DJ sets, Emerson uses four CDJ 2000s, a tell tale sign that we can expect some multi-deck mash-ups. He covers everything from techno and monbahton to trap, preferring not to stick to any one genre.

“With my Emoh stuff I have a lot more free reign. With the What So Not stuff we want to maintain a distinct, credible sound - we don’t want to cheapen it up just for the sake of the crowd whereas with Emoh, I just do what is needed for the event. Emoh’s set is all about making a really big party, and I’ll bring all my bootlegs and it will be a pretty wild party I think.”

Released at the end of 2011, What So Not’s 7 Dollar Bill caused quite a stir, receiving global attention and being dropped by the likes of BBC Radio 1, Tiga, Nero, Flosstradamus and Diplo. The release was followed up by a slew of remixes, most notably their remix of Major Lazer’s Get Free and Van She’s Idea of Happiness. With all the international recognition, you’d expect overnight local success, but that wasn’t the case.

“It’s interesting because, being in Australia you’re sort of removed from what’s happening around the world,” Emerson explains. “That was our first EP (7 Dollar Bill) and with that, our label was really just trying to break us in as artists. It was interesting to see the responses we got straight off the bat when we put out that promo - Boys Noize, Bag Raiders, Sinden - all these people raving about it and giving it four out of five and playing our tracks. But we really didn’t see that reciprocation in

Macklemore and Ryan Lewis

Emoh Instead the Australian scene. We didn’t start getting gigs for quite a while and it just really goes to show that you can write music that the biggest artists in the world are loving and playing but it’s all about whether the promoters realise that and if they want to book you for gigs or not. So at that point we started doing a lot of remixes for established artists, which is what really broke us in.”

As far as his relationship with Flume, who is currently on a one way ticket to mega stardom, having just bagged FBi’s SMAC Awards’ Record of the Year for his debut LP, Holdin On, Emerson says they have a solid working relationship and friendship.

“I’ve known him for longer than we’ve been working together. We met through a friend of a friend and he comes from a couple of suburbs away from me and yeah, we’re pretty tight. We go body boarding together and just hang out and go to parties. When we first started working together we were quite shy and wouldn’t really talk up if there was a problem but over the course of the last couple of years and working so closely together, we have this amazing process of knowing when to back off or to let the other take control of the direction we’re going to get the best outcome.”

The pair are currently attaining visas for a US tour in coming months.

» EMOH INSTEAD » FORCE MAJEURE » FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 1 @ VILLA

Fake’s career took off unexpectedly back in 2003 when Outhouse was picked up and released as a 12 inch on James Holden’s then fledgling Border Community record label. Outhouse was only their second release. The song, the perfect soundtrack for a rave in a haunted house, still stands the test of time all these years later and is a testament to Fake’s distinctive style. The release of the legendary Sky Was Pink remix by James Holden came soon after, solidifying his ‘hot newcomer’ status.

“James just really liked the original. We never expected it to be this massive hit. It’s nice that that record has reached so far but it’s so old now – it’s eight years old. People still go on about it which is nice but it’s kind of annoying because I’ve had loads of records out since then,” he laughs. The friendship between Fake (his real name, funnily enough) and his mentor Holden still continues to this day.

Fake puts his hand to the odd remix himself now and then, reworking the likes of our own PVT, Annie and a little band called Radiohead for their TKOL RMX 1234567 album (Thom Yorke is a fan).

Many DJs completely change their sound over time in line with trends and changed tastes but Fake has stayed true to his original aesthetic over time and with his album from last year, Steam Days.

Although he may have matured and added in a few more bells and whistles, this album is in keeping with the emotive quality of his work over the last decade, albeit with a slightly harder edge.

The new album, with incredible tracks like Iceni Strings, Neketona and Paean (including the awesome Lone remix) is his most impressive work to date. Steam Days is his third album, following the mini-album Hard Islands in 2009 and Drowning in a Sea of Love in 2006 (featuring The Sky Was Pink). Using an analogue tape machine in his London studio, he has attempted to achieve a grittier sound.

“For the last two years I’ve been playing

Nathan Fake around with tape. It’s quite an interesting effect because you can get weird sounds that you can’t really get through digital means. I used a lot of that on Steam Days, playing around with different tape recording techniques.”

As for his live set, Fake plays live using a simple set up of laptop with Cubase and a couple of midi controllers. “It’s all stuff off my new album with a few old bits and pieces chucked in. The live set sounds like a raved-up version of the album pretty much.”

He says the live set differs to the sound of the album and that no two live sets are the same.

“I’m using Ableton when I play live, but when I’m in the studio I use Cubase and random bits of hardware and software. I find the live set sounds quite different to the recorded stuff - it’s actually totally improvised.

It’s all set up on my laptop so I can go in different directions because it’s fun playing different kinds of shows. A festival is quite different to club shows. Last month I was on tour with Orbital doing the support slot. It’s quite different as I was playing really early evening so it was quite mellow – much different to playing a rave at 4am.”

» NATHAN FAKE » FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 1 @ THE CAUSEWAY X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays

FLOSSTRADAMUS VERSION 2.0

The Chicago duo of Josh Young and Curt Cameruci (aka Flosstradamus) are on their way back to Australia in February after making some serious waves over the last year.

On the phone from his new home in Brooklyn, Cameruci tells SIMON HAMPSON how they have taken the hip hop genre of trap music and adapted it to EDM, achieving major attention with their remix of Major Lazer’s Original Don. This is the third time Flosstradamus have been out to Australia and Cameruci is looking forward to bringing their new setup out to our shores. “I’m excited because last time we were version 1.0!”

His enthusiasm is palpable as he explains the evolution of their live show. “I feel like we’re currently version 2.0 of Flosstradamus.”

The change is as much about keeping things fresh for themselves as it is about evolving with music in general. “We’ve been doing this since 2005, so we’ve been in the game for a minute especially for DJs. So Flosstradamus 1.0 was us DJing on four turntables and we weren’t really producing much - we were just doing mash-ups. Then in 2011 we decided to focus on being producers. We can’t just DJ our whole lives.

“So we ended up spending 2011 learning how to mix and master, putting songs up on Soundcloud and kind of coined a new term, ‘trap’ or ‘EDM trap’. Now, with 2.0 we’re not on turntables anymore - we use Ableton live. Now the shows are a lot more fun.”

Using Ableton, Cameruci feels they can pay more attention to their audience and the live experience more. “Back when we were doing 1.0, we were always having to mix. In 2.0 we can focus more on having a good time. At the end of the day, we’re still DJing, but we’re doing four things at once via Ableton instead of turntables.”

After playing at festivals the last couple

Flosstradamus of times, Cameruci is looking forward to getting into some Australian clubs. “This trip we’ll be in a lot more clubs and I’m excited to see how that changes things compared to the festivals from before.”

“Right after Australia we’re going to South

By Southwest conference. Hopefully before then we’re going to put out another free EP and maybe a couple more mixtapes. We’re also working with a couple of other artists and producers right now so that’s the goal for early 2013.”

Flosstradamus release an incredible amount of free music and mixes. It’s a way of spreading the word about what they do. “At first we were using Myspace, so we would put out mixtapes or do mash-ups. We would tour off word of mouth and go to colleges or whatever. We saw that start to die out and people were just about the music.

“I think that kicked Josh and I in the butt to produce music. We’ve always done it but we never had that fire lit under us. So after we started producing we went back to the original approach and gave a lot of stuff away for free online.”

Cameruci feels like the approach to buying music has changed too. “That whole mentality of buying a whole album now has gone. Josh and I have noticed that we get the exact same spike in attention online when we release a three song EP or one song. So what we’ve been doing is that we put those three songs out separately now and get three spikes - people’s attention spans are about looking forward now.”

» FLOSSTRADAMUS » SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16 @ SHAPE

ZEDS DEAD

DECLASSIFIED SOUNDS Canadian school boys DC (Dylan Mamid) and Hook (Zach RappRovan) used to wile away the hours making old school hip hop beats in Mamid’s parent’s garage under the moniker Mass Productions. They released one album, entitled Fresh Beets. Ten years on and they’ve discarded hip hop for a new, bass heavy sound and a new name - Zeds Dead - a reference to Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction. JO CAMPBELL reports.

“We were kind of just making one style of hip hop more or less, really sampled bass, old school hip hop,” Mamid explains from his Toronto studio. “Then it just got to a point where we started listening to all sorts of different types of music. We were huge hip hop heads but then we started getting into drum’n’bass and electro house and wanted to start doing different electronic stuff that was so different to the hip hop stuff that we’d been doing that we thought we’d create a group that could use all of those different sounds.”

This change in direction has seen the duo dropping some twisted, heavy bass, messing with glitchy sounds and turning up the bpms in a way that is most easily referred to as being dubstep. But to Mamid, the idea of genre is redundant. “We are definitely most often classed as dubstep and we are definitely lumped in with the dubstep scene and culture and that makes sense,” he says.

“Our first tracks that were really big and popular were dubstep but for us, it just happened to be one place along the way where we were just happening to make dubstep. And obviously, we still make it but when we started Zeds Dead, we never had the intention of just making dubstep. It’s kinda just a musically journey, we keep moving. And it’s funny because we started the group because we wanted to do different stuff, not just one style of hip hop, and now it’s like we are almost coming back to making hip hop with the skills we’ve learned through becoming electronic music producers and the maturity that’s come along with it.”

Another thing the pair have developed since forming Zeds Dead in 2008, is Bassmentality, a club they founded with The Killabits that started as a www.xpressmag.com.au

Zeds Dead string of underground parties, which later turned into a force to be reckoned with.

“We had just started DJing and were just starting to get a buzz around Toronto and wanted a place to play where we didn’t have to play dirt cheap for promoters at shitty parties where we could control the environment and hone our skills. We made it free - we just wanted to have a good party, it wasn’t about wanting to be promoters and make money, we just wanted to become comfortable with rocking crowds.

And it sort of just grew along with the scene - and as Zeds Dead grew, so did Bassmentality. It was cool and before we knew it, it got super crazy. “ ‘Super crazy’ is a term that could easily be referred to their new instrumental EP Hot Sauce, out on last week on Mad Decent, full to the brim with jarring breaks and electro-disco vibe.

“It’s the most experimental EP that we’ve done so far. We almost called it The Experiment In Bass because there’s different kinds of sounds that we’re messing with. Three of the five tracks in there, I wouldn’t know how to classify or put a genre name on. Some of it is somewhat similar to our last EP, particularly Rumble in the Jungle. There’s some 135bpms and weird sort of house inspired tracks, but apart from that I can’t really classify it.”

Zeds Dead are coming to Australia for the Future Music Festival tour, where Mamid says he and his partner in crime will be getting hard and dark with their live set. “It’s really intense with lots of energy. It definitely errs on the harder side of things, we like to mix it up a lot and throw as many different genres in there and basically just rock out and have a party.”

» ZEDS DEAD » FUTURE MUSIC FESTIVAL » SUNDAY, MARCH 3 @ ARENA JOONDALUP 31

BIG DAY OUT AFTER PARTY

WEDNESDAY 30/01 Ambar – Proxy ft The Barons Red/ Zeke/Riot Class Bar Orient – DJ Ben Renna Boulevard Tavern – Wub Wub Wednesday Captain Stirling - Fiveo Connections – DJs Joby /JJ / Reuben Flying Scotsman – DJ Armee Leederville Hotel – DJ Slick/DJ Reuben/DJ ViSon Llama Bar – Jo 19 Mustang – DJ Giles Niche Bar – Frankie Button Newport Hotel – Tom Drummond/ Angry Buda/Sarah Robertson/Mr Phat/Wot Evs Rosemount Hotel – DJ Anton Maz Sovereign Arms – Lockie Shaw The Grand Central - DJ ANG3L

THURSDAY 31/01 Boulevard Tavern – 151 Thursdays Claremont Hotel - Institution Thursdays ft DJs Bryn Jones/ James Thorne Eve Nightclub – Retro Thursdays DJ Tony Allen Flying Scotsman –Gidget Duck/ Muldoon Wing Geisha Bar – Tunnidge ft Frodo & Bolsty/Saxon & Boy Prince Leisure Inn – DJ Peta Llama Bar – Danni Boi/ Charlie Bucket/Skooby/Klean Kicks Metro Freo - The Presets ft

AMPLIFIER

Parachute Youth/Light Year Mojos Bar - Daisuki Mullaloo Beach Hotel - DJ John Paul/ DJ Slick Mustang – DJ James MacArthur Newport Hotel – Bass Invaders/ Mills Records DJs Paramount –DJ Jordan Rosemount Hotel – Sons Of Rico DJs The Avenue – Jon Ee The Craftsman – Fiveo The Deen – Chase The Sun ft DJ Flex/ DJ Nano/ DJ Surge/ DJ Don Migi The Grand Central – Roger Smart The Queens – DJ Riki The Velvet Lounge – Delusions Of Grandeur/Aztech Suns Toucan – DJ Matty J

FRIDAY 01/02 Admiral Hotel – DJ Beats & MC Amplifier –DJ Jamie Mac Ambar - Force Majeure ft Emoh Instead/ Philly Blunt/ MR Ed/ Genga/Benny P/ABY4 Bakery – Nancy Whang ft Manimal/Willy Slade/Rex Monsoon/Aarom Wilson/Lemon Lime & Biddiss/Lightsteed Bar One Twenty – DJ Grandmaster Vicious Boheme Bar - DJ Majiika Brass Monkey - DJ Viktor/DJ James Ess/Green George Brighton Hotel – Peta C5 – Underground ft DJ K-La Capitol – Retro Mash

THE COURT

Capitol (Upstairs) – I Love ‘90s Claremont Hotel – The Soul Purpose/Tea King Club Bayview – Fresh Eastern Hotel – DJ Munch Empire Bar – James Shipstone Eurobar - DJ Fat Albert/DJ zOOM Eve Nightclub – DJ Don Migi Flying Scotsman – Rok Riley Flying Scotsman (Defectors) – Back To Mono DJs Geisha Bar – Bird On The Wire ft DJ Broz Rodriguez/PDS/Fluoro/ Yarhkob Ginger Nightclub – Mondo Fridays Lakers Tavern –Grizzly And Friends Llama Bar – Jim Pearson Malt Supper Club – DJ Scotty J Metro City – Above & Beyond ft Andrew Bayer/Norin & Rad Metro Freo - The Presets ft Parachute Youth/Light Year Mint Nightclub – Club Retro Mojos Bar – DJ Corby/DJ Sorted Mustang – Swing DJ/ DJ James MacArthur Newport Hotel – Pete Griffiths/ Sardi Niche Bar – DJ Jonny Zimber North Fremantle Bowling Club – DJ Mark Davies Paramount - DJ John/DJ Jordan Rocket Room – Coyote Ugly Sail & Anchor - Balcony Beatz Shape - Ministry of Sound: Sounds of Dubstep ft Calvertron/Killafoe/Get More/Riot Class/ Dr Space Sovereign Arms – ANG3L The Avenue – Lockie Shaw The Carine – DJ AZ-T The Causeway – Nathan Fake ft Allstate/Kit Pop/Get More The East End Bar – Az-T The Generous Squire – Tastes Like Chicken The Grand – DJ Reuben The Saint - Abstar The Shed - Krank/ DJ Glenn 20 The Velvet Lounge – RTR Presents Disco Science/Siamese Dream/ Artificial Intelligence Tiger Lil’s – Paul Malone/Adam Kelly Toucan – Misschief Whale & Ale - DJ Spinback Villa – Wolfgang Gartner ft Ace Basik/Micah/KNO Agents Ya-Ya’s – DJ Dan ‘Double Dee’ Deelstra

SATURDAY 02/02 Above & Beyond

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Admiral Hotel – DJ Beats & MC Ambar – Japan 4 ft Tee EL/Micah/ DNGRFLD/Bezwun, Oli

THE NEWPORT

Amplifier –Eddie Electric Bar One Twenty – Little Nicky Bar Orient – DJ Troy Boheme Bar – Carte Blanche/DJ Sneakee Brass Monkey - DJ Peta (downstairs)/ DJ Jewel (upstairs) Brighton Hotel - Misschief Capitol – Death Disco Capitol (Upstairs) – Cream Of The ‘80s ft DJ Ryan Claremont Hotel - Safari Club Bay View – DJ Roger Smart Dusk Lounge – Scotty Boy Empire Bar –James Shipstone Eurobar – DJ Fat Albert/DJ Zoom Eve Nightclub – DJ Crazy Craig Flawless – The Backyard Project’s 1st Birthday ft Afro Radio/Jack in the Box/Muzmix/All Corners of House/ Zealousy/Big Bangs Theory/Hip Hop Pit Stop/Broz Rodriguez/Bass Flex Radio/Phase Animator Flying Scotsman – Andrei Maz Flying Scotsman (Defectors) – Future Wives Club Leederville Hotel –DJ Vison Library – DJ Victor/DJ Riki Liquid Nightclub - DJ Klar55/ DJ Stevie M Llama Bar – DJ Reuben Malt Supper Club – DJ Scotty/ Cheecho Brothers Metro City – Rhythm & Dance Saturdays Metro Freo – Roger Smart/DJ Wazz/Ben Carter Metro Freo (Upstairs) – I Love 80s 90s DJ DTuck Mint Nightclub – Pop Life ft DJ Aaron/ AJ Mullaloo Beach Hotel – DJ Danny Mustang – Rockabilly DJ/ DJ James MacArthur Newport Hotel – Tahli Jade/Tom Drummond/Sardi/Lucas Niche Bar – Frankie Button/ Cee/ Jonny Zimber/Adam Kelly Paramount- DJ John/DJ Jordan Rosemount Hotel –DJ Carlsani Sail & Anchor – Catch The Child’s Play DJs Sovereign Arms – The Jinx Project The Avenue – Jon Ee The Boheme – Philly Blunt The Causeway – Luke Miguel/Clint Turner The Cornerstone – Michael Brittliff The Craftsman – DJ Shortz The East End Bar – Little Tim/DJ John Carder/DJ Loki/DJ Janoek The Generous Squire – On Tap ft DJ James Nutley The Grand Central – Armee The Queens – Fiveo The Saint – ANG3L

Tunnidge

The Shed –DJ Andyy/ Huge The Velvet Lounge – Get Funk’d ft Light & Shade/SmltL3r/GavT/Lukas Wimmler/Brad Cooper The Wembley – Lokie Shaw Tiger Lil’s – DJ Bojan/Benjamin Sebastian Toucan – DJ Samuel Spencer

The Avenue – Az-T The East End Bar –DJ Gold Finger/ AZ-T The Grand – Tastes Like Chicken/ Armee The Queens – Samuel Spencer The Saint - DJ Anaru The Shed – James Wilson and more

SUNDAY 03/02 Claremont Hotel – James Thorne/ Dan Delstra Club Bay View - Fiveo Empire Bar –DJ Riki/ DJ Vicktor Eve Nightclub –DJ Slick Flying Scotsman – Nathan J/ Nizbet/ Pasha/ Chris Geisha Bar – Sleep Over ft Kucka/ Erasers Ginger Nightclub – DJ Rudebean Mustang – DJ Rockin Rhys Newport Hotel – Tim Nelson/DSB Djs Railway Hotel - DJs Robert Ragz/ DJ Calvin/Cutnice/Ras Mwas/DJ Ray/Prez-i/General Justice/The Empressions

MONDAY 04/02 Eve Nightclub - DJ Don Migi Llama Bar – Jo 19 Malt Supper Club – Industry Night The Deen – DJ Birdie

TUESDAY 05/02 Bar Orient - DJ Lyndon High Road Hotel – DJ Matty J Llama Bar – Charlie Bucket Victoria Park Hotel – DJ Melvin Ya Ya’s – Face DJs

X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays

AMPLIFIER/CAPITOL

KILLSWITCH

SHAPE

FRAT HOUSE FRIDAYS

METRO FREO

IN THE THIS WEEK Proxy ft The Barons Red/ Zeke/Riot Class Wednesday, January 30 @ Ambar Deadweight! Presents Tunnidge Thursday, January 31 @ Geisha Bar The Presets ft Parachute Youth/Light Year Thursday, January 31 @ Metro Freo

The Backyard Project’s First Birthday ft Afro Radio/ Jack in the Box/Muzmix/All Corners of House/Zealousy and more Saturday, February 2 @ Flawless Nightclub

MR eD/Ol Wright/Oli/Philly Blunt/Qwerk/Tapeheads/ Tee EL/Tonic Friday, February 15 @ Ambar

Future Classic Showcase ft Scenic/ Panama/ Flight Japan 4 ft Tee EL/Micah/ Facilities/ Mitzi Saturday, February 16 @ The DNGRFLD/Bezwun, Oli Saturday, February 2 @ Ambar Chevron Festival Gardens

COMING UP

Flosstradamus Saturday, February 16 @ Shape

Jackmaster Marcell Dettmann Thursday, February 7 @ Geisha Sunday, February 17 @ Shape The Presets ft Parachute Bar Youth/Light Year Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Friday, February 1 @ Metro Freo Sink Or Swim Boat Sunday, February 17 @ Party ft Morgan Then/ Chevron Festival Gardens Bird On The Wire 4 Mackie/Austy ft Broz Rodriguez/James Friday, February 8 @ Barrack Judge Jules ft Seans Broome/Fluoro/Yarhkob St Jetty Tyas/Illuminor/German Friday, February 1 @ Geisha Sunday, February 17 @ The Challenger Ready ft Court Nancy Whang ft Manimal/ Genga vs JS/ Philly Blunt vs Willy Slade/Rex Monsoon/ Black Laces/Oli vs JMC/ Dead DJ Yoda ft Stickybuds Aarom Wilson/Lemon Lime & Easy vs Carla/Tonic vs Teel EL Friday, February 22 @ Villa Biddiss/Lightsteed Friday, February 8 @ Ambar Friday, February 1 @ The Bakery Clockwork-RL Grime Calyx & Teebee ft Ekko Friday, February 22 @ Ambar Pete Griffiths & Sidetrack/Voltron/ Friday, February 1 @ The Eyesdown/Genga Newport Blawan & Huxley Friday, February 8 @ Shape Bar Saturday, February 23 @ Above & Beyond ft Andrew Shape Bayer/Norin & Rad Scotty Boy Friday, February 1 @ Metro City Friday, February 8 @ Newport Mac Miller Hotel Saturday, February 23 @ Wolfgang Gartner ft Ace Metro Freo Basik/Micah/KNO Agents St Jeromes Laneway Friday, February 1 @ Villa Fesitval ft Flume/ EL-P/High Speakeasy ft Clubfeet/ Highs/Jessie Ware/Nicolas What So Not Force Majeure ft Emoh Jaar/SHLOHMO Saturday, February 23 @ Villa Instead Saturday, February 9 @ Perth Friday, February 1 @ Ambar Cultural Centre Slaughterhouse Saturday, March 2 @ Metro Ministry of Sound: Sounds Bass Agenda 2 ft Klute/ City of Dubstep ft Calvertron/ Killafoe/Get More/Riot Class/ Gridlok/ Prolix/ Nymfo/ Rregula/ Voltron/ MCs: Future Music Festival ft Dr Space XSESSIV, Bear & Stylee The Prodigy/ The Stone Friday, February 1 @ Shape Saturday, February 9 @ Villa Roses/AVICII/ PSY/ Dizzee Rascal/ Bloc Party/ Azealia Habitat Garden Party ft Felix Banks/ /Rita Ora/ Boys Noize (live)/ Hardwell/ Cartel / M.A.N.D.Y/ Butch/ The Temper Trap/ Fun./ Edu Imbernon Madeon/ Rudimental/ Sunday, February 10 @ The Ellie Goulding/ Steve Court Aoki/ Alesso/ Gypsy & The Cat/ A-Trak (live)/ Feed Miguel Migs Me (live)/ Zeds Dead/ The Presets Friday, February 15 @ Villa Kill The Noise/ DJ Fresh (live)/ Nervo/ Zane Lowe/ Ambar Alley Birthday Borgore/ Sven Vath/ Richie Carnivale ft Micah/4by4/ THURSDAY JANUARY 31 Hawtin/ Ricardo Villalobos/ Beatsmack,/Benny P/ AND FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 1 DNGRFLD/Genga/Len Seth Troxler/ Magda/ @ METROPOLIS FREO Cosmic Gate ft Emma Bones/Marko Paulo/Mr B/

THE PRESETS

www.xpressmag.com.au

Hewitt/ W&W/ tyDi/ Andy Moor/ Super8 & Tab/ Ben Gold/ The Stafford Brothers/ Timmy Trumpet/ Tenzin/ Bombs Away Sunday, March 3 @ Arena Joondalup Smokey’s Tour ft Urthboy Friday, March 8 @ Mojos Smokey’s Tour ft Urthboy Saturday, March 9 @ Amplifier State Of Mind Saturday, March 9 @ Villa Sets On The Beach ft lineup TBC Sunday, March 17 @ Scarborough Beach Amphitheatre t Ministy Of Sound Clubbers Guide To 2013 ft Denzal Park/Uberkak’d Friday, March 22 @ Villa The Uni-Verse Tour ft Drapht Thursday, March 28 @ The Rosemount Jason Lema Friday, March 29 @ Mullaloo Beach Hotel PVT Saturday, March 30 @ The Bakery The xx Tuesday and Wednesday, April 1 - 2 @ Metro City Jason Lema Friday, April 4 @ The Dusk Lounge Groovin The Moo Festival ft Alison Wonderland/DZ Deathrays/ Example/Flume/Midnight Juggernaughts/Pez/Seth Sentry/Shockone/Tuka w/ Ellesquire/Urthboy/DJ Woody’s Big Phat Mixtape/ Yacht/Yolanda Be Cool Saturday, May 11 @ Hay Park Bubury

SASHA

LOVE IN THE HOUSE Progress Inn/ SASHA/ El Dario/ Marko Lakucha Villa Friday, January 25, 2013 It’s been a long time in the wait for Sasha fans. Ten years in fact since ‘the man like’ played his last club set in Perth. While festivals sets can be fun, it’s not the same as seeing a DJ in the middle of the night, in a clubber’s natural habitat.

In the midst of a global tour ramping up to the release of the next in his mix series, Involver 3, in a couple of months, it was Boomtick who did us a solid and brought the man across to the multilevel playground that is Villa - and what a great way to celebrate the start of the Australia Day weekend.

There was a lot of anticipation and expectation around this set. The veteran has been redefining his style, moving into a new phase of his esteemed career, with a spate of new tracks and remixes, and a new studio team (having parted ways with long-time collaborator, Charlie May).

Kicking off the night were Marko Lakucha and recent PDMA winner El Dario, who did a fine job of building the mood early on with some smooth house beats. By the time midnight came around, El Dario had the packed house primed and ready.

Sure enough, just after 12, the appearance of Sasha in the booth, high above the dancefloor, incited hollers of approval – this crowd was up for it – and having only a two hour set, he didn’t waste any time getting stuck into it, dropping a heavy beat that set the crowd off, and it didn’t let up from there on in.

Often lazily dubbed a progressive house DJ, these days Sasha avoids easy pigeonholing, remaining on the cutting edge, playing his own brand of deep, techy house.

Back to using CDJs and Traktor, his mixing was as silky smooth and seamless as ever. The art of mixing is becoming more and more of a lost art, as the finely honed skills of the DJ who learnt to layer tracks, using vinyl decks, are replaced with technology that makes it easy, and quick mix mash-ups.

The overwhelming love in the room for Sasha was tangible. His trademark breakdowns were greeted with cheers and hands in the air, as the master worked his magic on the mixer from high above, squeezing every drop out of each track before the beat came thundering back in,

Sasha (photo by Guang-Hui Chuan) through Villa’s mighty sound system, enveloping the crowd in a thick blanket of sound. Minimal, lighting programming was used to great effect, and everywhere people were getting lost in the music.

The enthusiastic crowd really made the night - a generally more mature, knowledgeable and discerning group of old school ravers that knew how to party.

Sasha has always used vocals tastefully, perfectly exemplified in his amazing new remix of Battleships, the gorgeous track by Benjamin Damage & Doc Daneeka featuring Abigail Wyles.

The throbbing bass sounds of Hot Since 82’s Planes & Trains had everyone grooving, and near the end he dropped his massive Hot Chip remix of Flutes. He left far too soon, but on a high – leaving no doubt in the minds of fans old and new, that Sasha well deserves his reputation as one of the greats. This is proper dance music.

Taking over and keeping the vibe rolling were local legends Progress Inn, a DJ duo of impeccable taste, who also produce some world class tunes, championed by A-list DJs. Featuring some of their latest productions and remixes, the boys worked together behind the decks, keeping the remaining faithful marching well into Australia Day.

» ALFRED GORMAN

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X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays

BIG DAY OUT Claremont Showgrounds Monday, January 28, 2013

Childish Gambino Photo: Dan Grant

Back at Claremont, and once again very much a Big Day Out, it was good to see the legendary festival return to form this year and with perfect weather, it was one of the best all round BDOs in recent times.

With a few strategic changes in layout and plenty of talent across all stages, it was also one of the best sounding BDOs in several years, with all stages booming out and big on sound.

The Love Junkies drew an appreciative crowd at the Essential Stage for their Triple J Unearthed slot. Swathed in smoke and blue light, they wasted no time in tearing into a fast and furious set that was done and dusted five minutes before their allotted half hour was over. The power trio dished up a tasty serving of loud, frenetic pop rock, thrashing their instruments to within an inch of their lives.

Indeed, Lewis Walsh’s concerted effort to demolish his drum kit resulted in a harried-looking roadie rushing on stage to make crucial repairs more than once.

The redoubtable Tomas Ford had a midday slot at The Lilypad, and one had to wonder, how would Ford, who can effortlessly dominate an indoor venue, adjust to a festival gig? As it turns out, festivals have to adjust to Ford. Through his usual combo of cajoling and berating, he roped in passersby to turn a small gathering of half a dozen or so into a crowd of 50, treating them to a frenetic set that including frequent costume changes, a strange dalliance in a nearby wrestling ring, and Ford’s usual cheerfully perverse brand of audience abuse. Many there had no idea what the hell was going on - and that’s as it should be - but fans of Perth’s reigning electro-pop cabaret king were delighted.

Floridian four-piece Against Me! rocked as hard as anyone else on the bill in an early afternoon slot on the Blue Stage. Self-labelled as punk rock, in truth their sound is more reminiscent of ‘80s metal than anything else; their set could well have been a collection of obscure Poison B-sides - and that’s a good thing. It’s foot-stomping, clap-along, anthemic rock and roll, with a healthy dose of glamour and fuck-you sexuality, and vocalist Laura Jane Grace looks like she was born to the stage. Old fans were in ecstasy at their electrifying set, and it’s a sure bet that many new converts will be perusing their back catalogue in the near future.

The crowds that were largely absent for the early part of the day seemed to materialise out of thin air in time for Grinspoon. From the opening chords of Hard Act to Follow, Phil Jamieson and the boys had the crowd by the throat, and didn’t let go until their set, packed with classic tracks and singalong anthems, was done. Perhaps it was a little mechanical and by the numbers, but when you’ve been at it as long as these guys have, you’ve got your stagecraft down to a science, and the audience lapped it up.

One of the first big highlights of the day was new American blues sensation, Gary Clark Jr. The Jimi Hendrix comparisons are obvious, but Clark

Yeah Yeah Yeahs Photo: Dan Grant www.xpressmag.com.au

has his own sound and plays with soul - an amazing guitarist, backed by some solid players. A faithful cover of Hendrix’ Third Stone From The Sun was well received and single Bright Lights sounded great live.

This guy has future star written all over him, and one tends to think next time he won’t be playing early on a small stage.

Band Of Horses are a big time act now, and they play the part well. The boys have really come into their own in recent years and pulled off one of the sets of the day. Is There A Ghost got things fired up. Newer songs like Knock Knock sound great live, with three guitars and four way harmonies giving a full sound, but the biggest response was still for their classics - No One’s Gonna Love You and Ode To LRC were majestic, but The Funeral was the highlight of both the set and the day.

Jeff The Brotherhood entertained a fairly small gathering with their funky, good time rock and roll. It’s interesting to speculate how their short set here compares with their legendary, hourslong headline gigs, which are said to register on the Richter Scale. If nothing else, they were loud as hell, each drum beat feeling sharp a sharp box on the ears, each guitar chord redolent with fuzz and feedback.

For a two man unit, the brothers Orrall certainly know how to pump out the decibels.

The Boiler Room seemed to struggle to pull a big crowd early on, but Canadian veteran producer BT did a great job of winding up the small but enthusiastic crowd with some explosive live trance tunes. It’s been a while since we’ve seen his famed laptop symphony shows. The thing about BT is while he indulges in a bit of fist pumping crowd and crowd hyping, he is actually too busy playing live to use his hands for anything else.

The Chemist emerged out of a quietus to deliver a set on the Red Stage. With a new single soon and a debut album due in May, it’s hopefully a re-start of high profile appearances. They showcased the grimy, melodic blues tales that will feature on the LP, as well as old faves such as Heaven’s Got A Dress Code - though judging by bassist Hamish Rahn’s t-shirt and shorts attire it looks like the band hasn’t got one. Smarten up!

While Death Grips were literally terrifying anyone within hooey of the Essential Stage, over on the main stage, Vampire Weekend were enjoying their first Australia Day in Australia, and figured that the perfect intro to Holiday. California English really brought their afro-pop, Paul Simon-referencing sound to the fore. A new song was debuted, and sounded promising, and the album artwork for their upcoming LP was revealed. Campus is just a great song – its jubilant ending segued into Oxford Comma. Giving Up The Gun saw a flash mob form, and grow in front of the licensed area, and the impressive synchronised dancing continued for Walcott.

Childish Gambino, the rap alter ego of Community star Donald Glover, drew a huge

Death Grips Photo: Michael Wylie

Gary Clark Jr Photo: Michael Wylie audience, for reasons that are hard to fathom.

Certainly, his last album, Camp, was well received, but as a live performer he’s nothing to write home about. His delivery was out of breath, toneless, and often unintelligible, about on par with a bad home recorded mixtape. Still, the crowd went off like a frog in a sock; charitably, we can chalk that up to the power of TV celebrity - surely, it wasn’t because of the power of the performance.

Perth rockers Emperors were in typically solid form, hitting the crowd with a hard rocking dose of old school tunes. They drew decent numbers too, something that many local acts struggled with - although perhaps that can at least in part be attributed to the amount of shade that the Red Stage was drawing at that time. As the hot day wore on, shadows became heavily contested territory, and many punters simply plunked themselves down in a cool spot for a while with little concern about who was playing in their vicinity.

The easiest shor thand to describe Alabama Shakes is Creedence Clearwater Revival by way of Janis Joplin, and even that doesn’t do them justice. Their swampy, honky tonk, blues rock is primal goodtime music, and it’s damn near impossible not to start moving when you hear it. Lead singer Brittany Howard is an engaging focal point for the group, and her patter with the crowd, complete with charming Southern accent and the occasional homespun anecdote, was just as entertaining as the music.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs took the stage, triumphantly launching into Gold Lion, Karen O slaying all and sundry with her energy and theatrics.

Sporting a blonde bob and blonde outfit to match, she looked quite different, but still belted out the hits to the delight of the big crowd. The beautiful Maps was mesmerising. Donning a straw hat, the New Yorker was struggling in the glaring sun, but didn’t let it hold her back, stalking the stage and setting off foot-triggered glitter-canons. Things rose to fever pitch for Zero and Heads Will Roll. ‘She’s fucking awesome!’ one punter was heard to say - indeed she is.

Over at the Boiler Room, another rising star, American Derek Smith, aka Pretty Lights, was here to show us what all the fuss is about. He’s a big man, with a BIG sound. Surrounded by a very pretty light show indeed, he had the small, but excited crowd heaving. Playing all his own material, it’s a nice mix of straight up bangers, dubstep, electro, hip hop and some more organic, downtempo soulful jams like Finally Moving give his sets more dynamics than his contemporaries.

Boys Boys Boys! had huge fun over at the Lilypad with a set of brand new tunes. Totally owning their slot with boisterousness and well-earned confidence, the 150 or so people gathered were totally entertained with a set of dancing all-sorts, mass highfives and an unbridled enthusiasm, inspiring one fella to go pants-off for the occasion. Bravo!

When The Killers took to the Orange Stage and suddenly launched into Mr Brightside people came running in from all over the Showgrounds. It was a high-on-energy set. The Killers have clearly reentered the popular radar and could do no wrong in this arena, from throwing in Crowded House’s Don’t Dream It’s Over as a presage to Read My Mind to a decent amount of instrument swapping. Brandon Flowers had the crowd in the palm of his proverbial and the rousing When You Were Young proved quite the home run.

Foals did their impressive angular guitar rock thing over on the Green Stage to a crowd of dedicated fans – giving us a glimpse of a few new tunes from their upcoming album, that display a different, heavier sound, before finishing with Two Steps Twice from their debut. Quality.

Crystal Castles drew a bigger crowd with their rising popularity. Their live show is still an allout audio/visual assault to the senses, with blinding strobes, scorching synth lines, live drums and Alice Glass’ banshee-like vocals. It’s all out mayhem. Single Not In Love provided some respite, before Glass launched herself on top of the crowd to writhe about for a finale, before leaving the stage, only to return for one more tune – though still finishing their set a disappointing 15 minutes early, to the surprise of many.

Over in the Vans Warehouse, the dark and dizzying Sleigh Bells were going off. A devastating live act, consisting of, now, two guitarists and

Band Of Horses Photo: Michael Wylie frontwoman Alexis Krauss, they certainly pack a punch. Possibly the loudest act of the day – a wall of Marshall amps, huge electronic, percussive gunfire and a bank of strobes blew away the crowd, as Krauss alternately sweetly sang and screamed over the top – in an experience not unlike Crystal Castles. Tracks like Tell ‘Em were mind-melting.

Though they were the veterans of this Big Day Out, the Red Hot Chili Peppers proved that there’s no need to give it away anytime soon.

As the full moon crept over the Blue Stage, they erupted into Monarchy Of Roses, followed quickfire

by Around The World. The banter from Anthony Kiedis and bassist Flea was occasional and agreeably oblique, with jazz-funk intros and segues preempting classics such as Scar Tissue, Blood Sugar Sex Magik, the still endearing Under The Bridge and Californication. Josh Klinghoffer has stepped into John Frusciante’s guitar role with aplomb, shining on a version of Bowie’s What In The World, By The Way and Higher Ground. They gave it away for the night after Give It Away, but hearts were warm and chest were pounding throughout.

The big was back. _ ALFRED GORMAN, TRAVIS JOHNSON & BOB GORDON

Sleigh Bells Photo: Dan Grant

The Chemist Photo: Michael Wylie 35

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X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays

OZ DAY COOK-UP

ROCKET ROOM

Claremont Hotel Saturday, January 26, 2013

Every Friday at Coyote Ugly there’s topless dancing girls on the bar, followed by live old skool rock from Kickstart. The weekend has landed! Performers include Penthouse cover girl Madison, and Picture Magazine model Trinity Porter. Book in your bucks parties or guys nights out, with seated areas and food platters provided.

Our national day of barbecuing was casually enjoyed by punters at The Claremont this year. Triple J’s Hottest 100 countdown provided the backdrop for a fine afternoon of all things Australian as friends and family enjoyed a few bevies and a snag or two.

Photos by Matt Jelonek

RAILWAY HOTEL

Daniel, Millie

This Friday at the Railway Hotel catch A Nameless Fear, Axe Cane, AbandonEarth and Honey and the Wolf. Doors open 8pm, $10 entry. Saturday, February 2 you’ll find The Order Of The Black Werewolf, Axe Girl, Lionizer and The Monicans hitting the stage. Doors open 8pm, $8 entry. Sunday, Februar y 3, it ’s the massive annual Bob Marley Outernational Day with Gappy Ranks (Jamaica/UK), Jesse Proverbs (Jamaica/SA) and many more. Open 2-10pm, $40 entry.

MOJOS BAR

Saturday, February 2, Grace Woodroofe and her awesome band headline Mojos Bar! Shy Panther support, along with Gunns and Ben Witt. Tickets are $12, doors open at 8pm. To win a double pass to this show email mojos@coolperthnights.com with ‘Grace Woodroofe’ in the subject line.

THE GREENWOOD

ROSEMOUNT HOTEL

This Wednesday, January 30, at the Rosemount Hotel catch some rock action courtesy of Powder For Pigeons (playing their final Perth show), The Whores, Shouting At Camels and Gloria Ironbox. Doors open at 8pm and entry is $8.

Meanwhile, in the beer garden catch DJ Anton Maz from 7.30pm for the Rosemount’s student night. Free entry.

Get on down to The Greenwood for Superbowl Mondays! They are throwing an all-American special! Watch the game live on one of the many screens with BBQ breakfast, super hot dogs, bagels and $5 Miller stubbies. There’ll be ESPN giveaways on the day and some crazy, sexy, cool models wanting to get a picture with you. Catch all the action from 7am!

INDI BAR

YA YA’S

THE EASTERN

Have a huge Friday and Saturday at Ya Ya’s this weekend! Friday, February 1, be sure to get down and appreciate the funky rhythms of Zealous Chang, Seerwave, Starcleaner and Foxman.

Saturday February 2, it’s Tangled Thoughts of Leaving’s Euro Tour Fundraiser, set to be a huge night in the intimate confines of Ya Ya’s. Be sure to get down early for an epic evening.

Soothe your soul this week at the Indi Bar. Kick off you week with Malachi Wehipeihana. He has a voice full of soul and plays his acoustic set this Wednesday, January 30. Then head on down Saturday, February 2, to catch Zarm! They’re bringing their reggae roots show to the Indi Bar, so get down for a boogie. See you there!

Perth’s newest original music venue! The Eastern in Midland has one of the best band rooms in the whole city. A great amount of space for punters, big PA, good sound guys and an awesome stage.

Saturday, February 2 is 5th Independence, The Bonekickers and The Bloody Ramblers take the stage. $8 from 8pm.

Lucy, Oliver, Amber

Shelby, Nicole

Sam, Kris, Jevin

Martin, Carina

Amanda, Tarryn

Charles, Lexi

Geoffry, Lucas, Stephen www.xpressmag.com.au

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A QUICKIE WITH...

BOOM! BAP! POW! Not content with a one-off show, Boom! Bap! Pow! are celebrating the launch of their new single, Suit, with a series of gigs. They’ve already rocked Settler’s Tavern in Margaret River, and now you Boom! Bap! Pow! can catch them Friday, February 1, at The Prince of Wales Hotel in Bunbury, with support from The The video clip is impressive. How was the Polly Medlen Band, and Saturday, February 2, at experience of making the video?

Thanks very much! We really enjoyed Amplifier, with the Polly Medlen Band, The Brow working with Ben Young and his talented crew Horn Orchestra, and The Caballeros on this clip. We’ve all been fans of his for a long Most launches are a one-off affair. This is a week- time-especially the stuff he’s done with the Voltaire long series of gigs. Why? How? Who thought Twins and Emperors. We first had a chat about doing something together over a year ago, and finally the this up?

We’ve always loved touring WA, both stars aligned. The whole thing was done in a bit over North and South, so when it comes time for a a day, and Ben and co. managed to keep the energy launch we like to spread the love around a bit rather of the project high the whole time- so we had a than just having one big show. Margaret River, and blast! The cast and crew were all just really talented Bunbury have always been good to us and we will and interesting people, so for us it was just a really really enjoy our shows down there, then we’ll finish fun day with the bonus of a product that we’re really with a bang at Amps back up in the big smoke. We happy with at the end of it. launched our No Pleasin’ EP in a similar fashion and it worked really well so we thought we’d try it again. How does this track compare to your earlier work, in your opinion?

Plus we’ll take any excuse for a good ole’ road trip.

I think for the band as a whole this track is the our favourite recording so far. It does definitely Is Suit a good place for new Boom! Bap! Pow! fans have a very different, and probably more cohesive to hook in? How can a single capture the essence sound than our earlier recordings, but I don’t think of your massive live shows? that we’ve left our roots too far behind. The sound I think the new single Suit will be a good is more of a culmination of where we’ve been trying track to help us reach new audiences. We’ve tried to to head all along. It still has a party-fuelled rock’n’roll make it as catchy and accessible as possible whilst vibe, but the sounds and song itself will hopefully still being fairly in your face, and there are a few show how the band has grown since our last release. darker undertones beneath the pop exterior. It is often hard to capture the essence of what we do What’s up next? What does the future hold for live in the studio, but keeping a good energetic vibe, you? working with the right people, and keeping things After we launch the single we’ll keep nice and punchy helps us try and achieve this. Matt gigging as hard as we can and getting our sound in Gio and Dan Carrol at Couch both did a great job to as many ears as possible! We also can’t wait to get on this track, as did Steve Schram who mixed it in the whole album out and hopefully do a bit more touring later in the year.

Melbourne.

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X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays

MUSICAL CHEMISTRY

Local indie exponents The Chemist rock The Bird tonight, January 30, with help from Gunns and Damian Crosby of The Panda Band. The show kicks off at 8pm, entry is $5.

.44 MAGNUM MUSIC

Heavy showcase Feel Lucky Punk returns to 459 at The Rosemount this Friday, February 1, promising an intense evening of psychobilly, hardcore, rock ‘n’ roll, thrash, and grind. The mighty Painkillers lead an impressive six band lineup that includes Tikdoff, Caleb Entrails, The Reptilians, Beerfridge, and Abhorrent. The noise begins at 8pm, entry is $10.

The Chemist

CONTEMPORARY INFIDELITY

Continuing the recent excellent run of live music at PICA bar, Friday, February 1, sees Timothy Nelson and The Infidels bring their folk-rock musings to the stage, with support from special guests The Sun Orchestra, Dave, and Ben Witt. The music begins at 8pm, and entry is free.

Cupidfalls

LOUNGING IN LEEDY

Thursday, January 1, sees Tomas Ford’s gonzo television variety show return to The Leederville Hotel. This week, Cal Peck & The Tramps, Loose Lips, and Tooth & Claw will be tearing up the stage, and the audience will also be treated to the stand up Has it really been a whole year since The Beat comedy debut of Liam Robert Dunn, drummer for Nightclub first made its mark as one of the most Fear of Comedy. The fuse is lit at 7pm, entry is free. exciting live venues in the Perth music scene?

Apparently so, and to celebrate the occasion in suitably rockin’ style, they’re putting on a massive show this Friday, February 1, Boys Boys Boys, Axe Girl, and Mezzanine will be there to serve all your musical needs. Doors open at 8pm, and entry is free.

THE BIRTHDAY BEAT

WEREWOLF BY NIGHT

The Order of the Black Werewolf do their thing this Saturday, February 2, at North Fremantle’s Railway Hotel. The Order always put on a good show, and this time out they’re aided and abetted by Axe Girl, Lionizer, and The Monicans. The fun starts at 8pm, tickets are $8.

HEY ZEALOUSY

Ambient artistes Zealous Chang paint the room with sound at Mojos this Thursday, January 31, with help from Leure, Seer Wave, and Electric Toad. Doors open at 8pm, entry is $5.

Cal Peck & The Tramps

GRACE UNDER PRESSURE

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Having rocked audiences from Perth to Jakarta and back, Po p - p u n k p u n d i t s Cupidfalls raise the roof at Amplifier this Friday, February 1, at a show to raise funds for their highly anticipated trip to SXSW. Along for the ride are Fallfromglory, E l Ca p i t a n , H e l l o Darling, and Idle Eyes.

Doors open at 8pm, entry is $10

The Painkillers

Timothy Nelson & The Infidels

Husk y-voiced singer/songwriter Grace Woodroofe will entrance the audience at Mojos this Saturday, February 2. Only 20 years old, Woodroofe’s debut album, Always Want, drew praise from punters and critics alike. Supporting her will be Shy Panther, Gunns, and Ben Witt.

Doors open at 8pm.

RAMPANT CUPIDITY

I’M JUST A MUSICAL PROSTITUTE, MY DEAR

Axe Girl

The Whores rip the top off a big box off rock tonight, Wednesday January 30, at The Rosemount. Joining them will be Gloria Iron Box, Shouting at Camels, and - for the last time ever - Powder for Pigeons.

It’s sure to be memorable night. Doors open at 8pm, entry is $8.

Zealous Chang

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Rivers Cuomo, Weezer (Photo: Nicole Norelli)

WEEZER

Cloud Control/Ball Park Music Perth Arena Wednesday, January 24, 2013 It’s been 16 years since Weezer have made their way to Perth. With reports of cracking shows over east the stadium hardened act headed to the new Perth Arena.

Brisbane’s Ball Park Music’s brand of lightweight pop has seen them compared to Custard.

Dwarfed by the big stage the five-piece showed off their command of a tidy melody and summery smarts inspired a skinny-legged hip shimmy from lead singer Sam Cromack during I Fucking Love You and the jinglelike infectiousness of It’s Nice To Be Alive. It isn’t often that a band as good as Ball Park Music is shunted to this early in the evening.

Cloud Control have put out a universally adored album and played to sell-out crowds in Perth before. Tonight they opted for interspersing their crowd favourites with a swag of unreleased tunes.

Despite the unfamiliarity, the newer songs such as Scar have a far more immediate appeal and hint at a sublime album just around the corner from the indie-dance collective. The swelling crowd erupted for There’s Nothing In The Water We Can’t Fight and while they were a strange choice stylistically for this evening, Cloud Control were appreciated by many.

The headliners took to the stage for the first of their two sets, promising a greatest hits passage. It may have been a collection of some of the band’s most recognisable tunes but it was these 10

songs that outlined the good, the bad and the ugly that Weezer have to offer. (If You’re Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To fits into the former category (even when stealing the Town Called Malice bassline) whereas Troublemaker and the almost embarrassing Pork And Beans fit into the later. When the tunes were worthy, Weezer were a ball of fun and played with considerable gusto. When songs such as Hash Pipe, the Scott Shriner sung Dope Nose and El Scorcho were aired, there was plenty of fist pumping and singing along from the engaged throng. And before you knew it the greatest hits set was over and the band left the stage.

A short, humorous slide show from longterm roadie Karl gave the band time to recharge and for Rivers Cuomo the chance to change from his suit into the type of ‘civvies’ he sported in the mid-’90s.

Weezer re-entered and with little fuss launched into My Name Is Jonas. Clearly the reason that the majority of the crowd were in attendance was to hear the much adored record live (many for the first time) and the band weren’t going to ruin it with needless banter. The songs came thick and fast with Buddy Holly evoking a full stadium chorus. Rivers Cuomo may look like Rick Moranis yet there was no doubt as to who has their hands on the steering wheel of Weezer. Cuomo took the spotlight for many of the guitar solos with none better than the rousing version of Holiday.

With their signature album presented in all its glory, Weezer promised not to leave it 16 years ‘til the next visit. Punters filed out of the venue beaming as they relived past glories and acknowledged some of their current ones. Thanks for the memories, good ship Weezer. _ CHRIS HAVERCROFT

Fozzy

FOZZY ROCKIN’ WRESTLER Fozzy lead singer, Chris Jericho, has a new album under his arm and is bringing his band downunder to join the Soundwave lineup at Claremont Showgrounds on Monday, March 4. SHANE PINNEGAR reports.

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As familiar to wrestling fans the world over as metalheads, Chris Jericho became world champion in no less than four different US professional wrestling codes before recording the first of six Fozzy albums to date in 2000.

However, he is adamant that ‘metal singer’ was never a second choice for him.

“I didn’t just wake up one day and say, ‘hey I’m gonna be a singer in a metal band’,” Jericho insists, “it’s something I’ve been doing my whole life, no matter what else has happened. I’ve always been a rocker, and I’ve been playing in bands since I was 12 years-old. I just happened to have a few dreams when I was a kid; one was to be a wrestler, the other was to be a rocker. I’ve never considered myself more of one than the other, it’s just that one was kind of taking precedent over the other. “ With their Soundwave slot coming up fast, the whole band is again looking forward to bringing their new album downunder.

“We have a great fan base and great shows there, but honestly this is gonna be above and beyond anything we’ve ever done size-wise in terms of shows. So it will be really cool to see some old friends, for sure.”

With the latest album, Sin & Bones, their highest selling yet, Jericho shares Fozzy’s unusual approach to songwriting, penning lyrics first then putting music to them.

“That’s how we did the last two records, yes. Unusual, perhaps, but it works for us. I come up with a bunch of central lyrics, I turn them over to Rich (Ward, also of Stuck Mojo) and he kind of constructs the melody lines, and the riffs from that. So we did the same thing again for Sin & Bones - not all the songs are written that way, but yeah six or seven of them were, and a couple were written whilst we were together, and then he had a couple of ideas of his own that he wrote his own lyrics to. So, we kind of went a little bit backwards, did things lyrics first.”

Remaining humble despite his dazzling wrestling career, six acclaimed albums with Fozzy, TV and movie roles, books, magazine columns, radio show and a happy family, Jericho laughs loudly when asked if there was anything he can’t do.

“Uh... I can’t have a baby! That’s the one thing that is impossible. I just enjoy doing work where there aren’t any limits as far as who I am as a performer, or what it is that I do. I guess if there’s something that I want to do, then I just give it my best shot and do it. I’ve never really been afraid to try things; at one point I was really very worried about what other people thought about what I’m doing, or what I’m not doing. And I’m enjoying everything that I’m doing.

“It’s really cool to know I have a great fan base, and a career that’s as good as it has been.”

X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays

The Waterboys

Deer Tick

Norah Jones

BAMBOOS BOB SEDERGREEN Julia Holter, Kings Of APRIL Convenience, The Men, Ms 23 Chevron Festival Gardens 7 The Ellington HITS & PITS 2013 (Mad Mr, The Neighbourhood, CLUBFEET BIRDS OF TOKYO Caddies, Good Riddance, A Nicolas Jaar, Nite Jewel, Of 23 Villa 7 Prince Of Wales 30 Ambar Wilhelm Scream, Voodoo Monsters & Men, Perfume PHRONESIS 8 Fremantle Arts Centre Glow Skulls, The Flatliners, 24 Chevron Festival Gardens GUNS N’ ROSES / ZZ TOP / Genius, Polica, Pond, Diesel Boy, One Dollar RICHARD HAWLEY Real Estate, The Rubens, GLENN FREY ROSE TATTOO Short, Jamie Hay, Jen 24 Kings Park & Botanical Shlohmo, Snakadaktal, 31 Rosemount Hotel 9 Perth Arena Buxton, Totally Unicorn & Garden Twerps, Yeasayer ) GARY PUCKETT & THE Paper Arms) SOUL REBELS 9 Perth Cultural Centre UNION GAP 1 Metropolis Fremantle THE SMITH 25 Chevron Festival Gardens 9 The Astor IRON MIND THE XX 9 Civic Hotel CAT POWER STREET BAND CAT EMPIRE 1 Metro City 10 YMCA HQ 26 & 27 Chevron Festival 31 Prince Of Wales 10 Fremantle Arts Centre 2 Metro City DEAD CAN DANCE Gardens DINOSAUR JR/ THE 2 The Rosemount LUKA BLOOM 9 Perth Concert Hall LAURIE ANDERSON & JON SPENCER BLUES 2 Fly By Night DESCENDENTS KRONOS QUARTET EXPLOSION/ MOON DUO COUNTING CROWS 10 Metro City 27 Perth Concert Hall THE PRESETS 12 The Astor 3 Perth Concert Hall GIN BLOSSOMS KISS/ MOTLEY CRUE/THIN 31 Metropolis Fremantle RONAN KEATING/ BRIAN THE SCRIPT 10 Capitol LIZZY 1 Metropolis Fremantle MCFADDEN 3 Perth Arena ARCHIE ROACH 28 Perth Arena 12 Crown Theatre GRINSPOON 10 Chevron Festival Gardens JAMES CARTER ORGAN 5 Prince of Wales TITLE FLIGHT/LUCA BRASI TRIO FORCE MAJEURE ARAVENA-KEEVERS6 Amplifier 13 Amplifier WALLACE TRIO 28 Chevron Festival Gardens 1 Ambar BIRDY 14 YMCA HQ 10 The Ellington JACK CARTY AND THE 6 Riverside Theatre THE JACKSONS GODSPEED YOU! BLACK FALLS ROGER HODGSON 14 Perth Arena EMPEROR 28 The Ellington FOUNDATION PAUL KELLY/ NEIL FINN/ 7 Riverside Theatre 11 Chevron Festival Gardens DEERHOOF 1 The Rosemount EXTREME/RICHIE KOTZEN LISA MITCHELL/GRACE COVERGE / OLD MAN 28 The Rosemount 2 Fly By Night 16 Metro City WOODROOFE GLOOM 14 & 15 Kings Park Botanical ZUCCHERO 12 Amplifier MARCH 17 Regal Theatre Gardens NANCY WHANG DEER TICK & TWO THE TALLEST MAN ON STU LARSEN GLENN SHORROCK/ GALLANTS 1 Bakery EARTH 17 The Ellington 12 Chevron Festival Gardens 1 Chevron Festival Gardens WENDY MATTHEWS/ DAVE JACKSON NORAH JONES DAVID BRIDIE AND FRANK DOUG PARKINSON 24 The Ellington ABOVE & BEYOND 13 Riverside Theatre 14 & 15 Quarry YAMMA MARILYN KELLER STARS 1 Metro City Amphitheatre 1 Fly By Night 26 The Ellington 13 Chevron Festival Gardens 1 Nannup Music Festival DAMIEN DEMPSEY FAIRBRIDGE FESTIVAL CHRYSTA BELL 15 The Bakery NEIL YOUNG (TINPAN ORANGE/ WOLFGANG 14 Chevron Festival Gardens 2 Perth Arena FESTIVAL OF THE WIND FATHER JOHN MISTY GARTNER (Dan Sultan, French Butler BUSTAMENTO/ FRANK ANTIBALAS YAMMA/ KRISTINA 15 Chevron Festival Gardens 1 Villa 2 Chevron Festival Gardens Called Smith and more) OLSEN) JIMMY BARNES & JON 16 The Sound Shell PETE MURRAY 26-28 Fairbridge STEVENS Esperance 2 Capitol MIDGE URE THE WATERBOYS 15 Perth Zoo BOB MOULD 3 Fremantle Arts Centre 27 Charles Hotel LORD / SILENT NIGHT 2 Perth Concert Hall 16 The Rosemount SLAUGHTERHOUSE 15 Amplifier PRESIDENTS OF 2 Metro City 16 Eliot St. Blues Club THE UNITED STATES MAY BABY ANIMALS THEE OH SEES Bunbury 3 The Quarry Amphitheatre OF AMERICA / HEY BLACK SABBATH CELTIC THUNDER 2 The Bakery GERONIMO HOODOO GURUS 4 Perth Arena 16 Perth Arena 16 Metro Freo HAPPY MONDAYS 3 Hotel Rottnest FUTURE CLASSIC IN HEARTS WAKE 8 Capitol FUTURE MUSIC FESTIVAL FEBRUARY 16 Chevron Festival Gardens GROOVIN THE MOO 16 Amplifier 2013 (The Prodigy, ELVIS COSTELLO & THE JIMMY BARNES & JON (Alison Wonderland/ The Stone Roses, PSY, 17 YMCA HQ IMPOSTERS/ SUNNYBOYS/ STEVENS Alpine/The Amity Dizzee Rascal, Bloc Party, THE MARK OF CAIN JO JO ZEP &THE FALCONS/ 16 Castelli Estate Denmark Affliction/The Bronx/ Azealia Banks, Rita Ora, 17 Capitol STEPHEN CUMMINGS DAVID HASSLEHOFF DZ Deathrays/Example/ Boys Noize, Hardwell, MUTEMATH 6 Kings Park Botanic 17 Capitol Flume/Frightened The Temper Trap, FUN, 19 The Astor Gardens MACKLEMORE & RYAN Rabbit/Hungry Kids Of Madeon, Rudimental, VANCE JOY AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER LEWIS Hungary/The Kooks/Last ORCHESTRA 17 Chevron Festival Gardens Ellie Goulding, Steve Aoki, 22 St Josephs Church Dinosaurs/Matt And Kim/ Alesso, Gypsy & The Cat, WILLIAM ELLIOT 6 Perth Concert Hall JENS LEKMAN Midnight Juggernauts/ WHITMORE OKA 18 Chevron Festival Gardens A-Trak, Feed Me, Zeds Pez/Regurgitator/Seth Dead, Kill The Noise, DJ 23 Mojos Bar 6 Indi Bar SLEEPY SUN Sentry/Shockone/Tame Fresh, Nervo, Zane Lowe, 7 Mojos Bar WEST COAST BLUES 19 Chevron Festival Gardens Impala/Tegan And Sara/ 8 White Star Albany IAN DATE AND GEORGE Borgore, Cocoon Heroes ft & ROOTS FESTIVAL The Temper Trap/They Sven Väth, Richie Hawtin, (Sensational Space 9 Settlers Tavern WASHINMACHINE Might Be Giants/Tuka Ricardo Villalobos, Seth Shifters, Iggy & The 10 Railway Hotel 19 The Ellington Troxler, Magda, Wake Your Stooges, Chris Isaak, Staus With Ellesquire/Urthboy/ MACEO PARKER JOANNE SHAW TAYLOR DJ Woody’s Big Phat 90’s Mind ft Cosmic Gate & 7 Chevron Festival Gardens 19 The Perth Blues Club Quo, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Mixtape/Yacht/Yolanda Emma Hewitt, W&W, tyDi, Fred Wesley & The New NORMAN BLAKE & JOE HOW TO DRESS WELL & Andy Moor, Super8 & Tab, JB’s, Julia Stone, Newton Be Cool) PERNICE/ DIRTY BEACHES AXOLOTL 11 Hay Park, Bunbury 8 Chevron Festival Gardens 20 Chevron Festival Gardens Ben Gold, The Stafford Faukner, Kitty, Daisy & Brothers, Timmy Trumpet, Lewis, Grace Potter, Mama CHRISTINE ANU REWIND REEF THE LOST CAUZE RINGO STARR – THE ARETHA FRANKLIN Tenzin, Bombs Away & 8 Civic Hotel 21 Challenge Stadium Kin & Blue Shady) SONGBOOK More TBA) WINTERFOLD JOSE JAMES/ HOATUS 23 Fremantle Park 17 & 18 The Ellington 3 Arena Joondalup 8 C5 Fremantle KAIYOTE DEBORAH CONWAY DEFTONES 9 The Camel Bar 21 Chevron Festival Gardens SOUNDWAVE 2013 23 The Ellington 21 Metropolis Fremantle (Metallica, Linkin Park, DONAVON JULIA STONE THE SEEKERS THIS WILL DESTROY YOU Blink-182, A Perfect FRANKENREITER 22 St Joseph’s Church 30 Riverside Theatre 23 Rosemount Hotel Circle, The Offspring, 8 Caves House DJ YODA DRAGON WEST COAST BLUES & Paramore, Garbage, Slayer, 9 The Ocean Beach Hotel 22 Villa 31 The Astor Theatre ROOTS FESTIVAL (Ben Cypress Hill, Bullet For My 9 Breakwater Hotel THE RAAH PROJECT Harper, Santana, Paul 9 Ocean One Bar 22 Chevron Festival Gardens Valentine, and more) 10 The Merrywell (Crown) WORKING HORSE IRONS 4 Claremont Showgrounds Simon, Steve Miller Band, JUNE Wilco, Bonnie Raitt, Jimmy RUSSELL PETERS 10 Whistling Kite, Secret 22 Amplifier PINK Cliff, Michael Kiwanuka, 5 Perth Arena Harbour 23 Prince Of Wales 25, 26 & 28 Perth Arena Ash Grunwald & Benjamin NICK CAVE & THE BAD ST. JEROME’S LANEWAY SARAH BLASKO Francis Leftwich) SEEDS FESTIVAL 2013 (Alpine, 23 Kings Park 24 Fremantle Park SEPTEMBER 6 Red Hill Auditorium Alt-J, Bat For Lashes, Chet MAC MILLER AMANDA PALMER & DEEP PURPLE/JOURNEY DRAPHT Faker, Cloud Nothings, 23 Metropolis Fremantle 28 The Rosemount THE GRAND THEFT Divine Fits, El-P, Flume, ED SHEERAN/ PASSENGER 7 Perth Arena PVT ORCHESTRA GEORGE CLINTON Henry Wagons & The 23 Challenge Stadium 30 The Bakery 26 Astor Theatre & PARLIAMENT CLIFF RICHARDS Unwelcome Company, GUY SEBASTIAN ONE DIRECTION 23 Sandalford Estate High Highs, Holy Other, FUNKADELIC 28 & 29 Perth Arena 30 Crown Theatre Japandroids, Jessie Ware, TIM ROGERS/ THE 7 Metro City

THIS WEEK

PROXY

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Young Alaska, Wednesday at Ya Ya’s

WEDNESDAY 30.01 AMPLIFIER Hands Like Houses BAR 120 Felix CLANCY’S C ANNING BRIDGE Luke Kordyl Tom Fisher CLAREMONT HOTEL Acoustica ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB John Bannister The Charisma Brothers GREENWOOD Bernardine GROOVE BAR (CROWN CASINO) 5 Shots INDI BAR Malachi Wehipeihana LUCKY SHAG Howie Morgan MOJOS BAR Fremantle Blues And Roots Club Andrew Winton David Lazarus Jordan McRobbie MOON CAFÉ Grace Woodroofe Ash Hendricks Ben Witt MUSTANG BAR Almost Famous DJ Giles PADDO Midnight Boulevard Nevsky Prospekt Erbium ROSEMOUNT The Whores Powder For Pigeons Shouting At Camels Gloria Iron Box DJ Anton Maz ROSIE O’GRADY’S (NORTHBRIDGE) David Fyffe SWAN LOUNGE Open Mic Night THE BROWN FOX Courtney Murphy UNIVERSAL Strutt Ses Sayer YAYA’S Young Alaska Foxes Black Birds Spilt Cities

THURSDAY 31.01 ADMIRAL Greg Carter Karaoke

AMPLIFIER From The Jam ASTOR THEATRE Richard Hawley BELGIAN BEER CAFÉ Howie Morgan BRIGHTON Open Mic Night BROOKLANDS TAVERN Celebrations Karaoke CLANCY’S C ANNING BRIDGE Jon Fernandez Trio CLANCY’S DUNSBOROUGH The Local Talent Pool CLANCY’S FREMANTLE The Shovel And The Gun COMO HOTEL Courtney Murphy DEVILLES PAD Rock ‘N’ Roll Karaoke DUNSBOROUGH TAVERN Open Mic Night ELEPHANT & WHEELBARROW 5 Shots ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Nicola Milan GROOVE BAR (CROWN) Decoy INDI BAR Bex’s Open Mic Night LUCKY SHAG James Wilson MALT SUPPER CLUB Kaberet Thursdays Adam Hall And The Velvet Playboys MARKET CITY TAVERN Greys And Blues Tamika James Matthews Nathan Mayers METRO FREO The Presets Parachute Youth Light Year MOJOS BAR Zealous Chang Electric Toad Seer Wave Leure Daisuki MUSTANG BAR The Mitch Becker Band Velvet Echo DJ James MacArthur PRINCE OF WALES The Smith Street Band ROSEMOUNT Richard Hawley Matt De La Hunty ROSIE O’GRADY’S (FREMANTLE) Clayton Bolger

Mezzanine

MEZZANINE

AXE GIRL BOYS BOYS BOYS! FRIDAY 1ST THE BEAT NIGHTCLUB

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Surroundings, Friday at The Civic Hotel ROSIE O’GRADY’S (NORTHBRIDGE) Neil Colliss SOVEREIGN ARMS David Fyffe THE BOAT Jen De Ness THE BROOK Open Mic Night THE GATE Greg Carter THE SHED The Mystery Men UNIVERSAL Off The Record WOODVALE Two Plus One YA YA’S De Niros Yokohomos Johnny Ajax

The Domnicks, Friday at Devilles Pad

Domnicks Mondo DJs Les Sataniques DUNSBOROUGH TAVERN Kamikaze Pilots EAST 150 BAR Adrian Wilson EDZ SPORTZ BAR The Mojos ELEPHANT & WHEELBARROW Darren Reid & The Soul City Groove ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Fiona Lawe Davies 4 Bass In Yo Face All Over the Place Joe Southwell Sam Nafie EMPIRE Howie Morgan FREMANTLE WORKERS CLUB FRIDAY 01.02 Rory McLeod 459 BAR GLOUCESTER PARK The Painkillers Free Radicals Beerfridge GREENWOOD The Reptilians Sugarfield Caleb Entrails HERDSMAN Tikdoff One Trick Phonies Abhorrent HIGH ROAD HOTEL 7th AVENUE Glen Davies Deuce Envy AMPLIFIER HIGH WYCOMBE HOTEL Cupidfalls Dr Bogus BAILEY BAR HIGHWAY HOTEL Mod Squad Northern Muse Tip Top Sound DJ Bren HOTEL ROTTNEST BALLYS BAR Morgan Bain Duo Dean Anderson HYDE PARK HOTEL BALMORAL Ricky Green Mike Nayar INDI BAR BAR ORIENT Vdelli The Reggae Club INDIAN OCEAN BREW Jessie Proverbs Ben Merito Robert Raggz KALAMUNDA HOTEL Gagajah Frenzy The Empressions LAKERS Mumma Trees DJ Grizzly Sista Che Slickenside BELMONT TAVERN Melee Electrophobia LEFTBANK BENTLEY HOTEL Groove Acoustics Dean Anderson LEGENDS BAR BISTRO 38 JOONDALUP The Organ Grinders RESORT LYNWOOD ARMS Gary Fowlie Mustangs BLACK BETTYS MARKET CITY TAVERN Everlong Love The Little Dove BRASS MONKEY Ricki Morris Acoustic Aly MERIDIAN ROOM BREAKERS (CROWN) Ragdoll Local Heroes BROKEN HILL HOTEL MERRIWA TAVERN Nat Ripepi Nasty Dogz BROOKLANDS TAVERN METRO FREO The Bluebottles The Presets BROWN FOX Parachute Youth Easy Tigers Light Year CARINE M ON THE POINT Pop Candy James Wilson CARLISLE HOTEL MOJOS BAR (ARVO) Reload Captn K CHASE BAR Simmo T Chasing Calee MOJOS BAR (EVE) CIVIC HOTEL Earthlink Sound Surroundings Tom Takeover Remember The South DJ Corby Storm The Shores DJ Sorted We Run With Wolves MOON & SIXPENCE CLANCY’S CITY BEACH Soul Corporation Marc Osborne Quartet MUSTANG BAR CLANCY’S Adam Hall DUNSBOROUGH The Velvet Playboys Dave Mann Swing DJs CLANCY’S FREMANTLE Cheeky Monkeys Mitch Becker DJ James McArthur Old Blood NOODLE PALACE COMO HOTEL Timothy Nelson Trevor Jalla NORFOLK BASEMENT CORNERSTONE Badger And The Fox Easy Company Tyko Kings CRAFTSMAN Jacob Diamond Nicki Rose Trio PADDO DEVILLES PAD Stu Harcourt

PADDY MALONE’S Gary Malone’s PARAMOUNT Flyte PEEL ALE HOUSE Baby Piranhas PERTH CULTURAL CENTRE Seasta Chani PINK DUCK LOUNGE Craig Ballantyne PRINCE OF WALES Proud Mary PRINCESS ROAD TAVERN Local Heroes RAILWAY HOTEL A Nameless Fear Axe Cane AbandonEarth Honey And The Wolf ROCKET ROOM Coyote Ugly Kickstart ROSE & CROWN Tod Woodward ROSEMOUNT Waitangi Weekend Foundation Jahmoko Ngati Soulfood DJ Antikz ROSIE O’GRADY’S (FREMANTLE) Wesley Goodlet Jamboree Scouts ROSIE O’GRADY’S (NORTHBRIDGE) Billy & The Broken Lines SAIL & ANCHOR Howie Morgan SOTH ST ALE HOUSE Robbie King Karaoke SPRINGS TAVERN Greg Carter Karaoke STEVE’S BAR Velvet SWAN BASEMENT The Corner The Bennies Colour Control Victory Risk Latch Key Kids SWAN LOUNGE David Saunders Railway Bell Caroline J Dale T.J. O’Donovan SWINGING PIG Greg Carter Easy Tigers THE BOAT The Organ Grinders THE BROOK Bernardine THE EASTERN Craig Ballantyne THE GATE Dirty Scoundrels THE PRINCIPAL B.O.B THE SAINT Almost Famous THE SHED Krank THE VIC Jen De Ness UNIVERSAL Retriofit Nightmoves VICTORIA PARK HOTEL Ivan Ribic WOODVALE TAVERN The Damien Cripps Band YA YA’S Zealous Chang Seer Wave Starcleaner Foxman

SATURDAY 02.02 AMPLIFIER Boom! Bap! Pow! BAILEY BAR

X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays

Listing deadline is Monday 5pm. GO TO www.xpressmag.com.au /PLUG YOUR GIG and plug away!

The X-Press Guide is a Perth metropolitan service for advertisers listing tours, live, dance and arts events.

All inclusions are at the discretion of X-Press Magazine. The one entry system will update our print edition, website and App

A Nameless Fear, Friday at The Railway Hotel Chris Murphy & Murphy’s Lore Tip Top Sound DJ Bren BAKERY Thee Oh Sees BALLYS BAR Dove BALMORAL Pop Candy BAR 120 Flyte BELGIAN BEER CAFÉ Mike Nayar BELMONT TAVERN Stu Harcourt BLACK BETTY’S J Babies BLVD TAVERN JOONDALUP Krank BREAKERS Mixtape Band BROOKLANDS TAVERN Spritzer CIVIC HOTEL One Way Street CLANCY’S CANNING BRIDGE Mister And Mitch CLANCY’S CITY BEACH Zarm Duo CLANCY’S FREMANTLE Mulder Rabbit Island Todd Pickett COMO HOTEL Ricky Green DEVILLES PAD Sea Of Tunes Les Sataniques ELEPHANT & WHEELBARROW Gun Shy Romeos ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Howie Morgan Simon Jeans BUMP ELMARS IN THE VALLEY Chris Gibbs FLY BY NIGHT Waitangi Weekend Foundation Jahmoko Ngati Soulfood DJ Antikz FORRESTFIELD TAVERN Christian Thompson GOSNELLS HOTEL Sugarfield GREENWOOD Carbon Taxi GROOVE BAR (CROWN CASINO) Hi-NRG HIGH ROAD HOTEL Losing Julia HOTEL ROTTNEST Morgan Bain Duo INDIAN OCEAN BREW The Blackbirds INDI BAR Zarm KALAMUNDA WATER PARK Shaun Street LAKERS Celebrations Karaoke LANGFORD ALEHOUSE Die Hard Karaoke LEOPOLD HOTEL Steve Hepple LYNWOOD ARMS Mustangs MALT SUPPER CLUB Chelsea J Gibson M ON THE POINT Rhythm 22 MERIDIAN ROOM (CROWN CASINO) Howie Morgan Duo MERRIWA TAVERN Nasty Dogz MOJOS BAR Grace Woodroofe

Shy Panther Gunns Ben Witt MOON & SIXPENCE The Damien Cripps Band MUSTANG The Continentals Rockabilly DJ DJ James MacArthur Milhouse NORFOLK BASEMENT Azmatik OSBORNE PARK HOTEL Plastic Max PARAMOUNT Felix PEEL ALEHOUSE Chris Gibbs Duo PERTH CONCERT HALL The Waterboys PORT KENNEDY TAVERN Sean Scott QUARIE BAR Electrophobia RAILWAY HOTEL Order Of The Black Warewolf Axe Girl Lionizer The Monicans ROSEMOUNT The Smith Street Band The Bennies Ex Nuns Covoleski ROSIE O’GRADY’S (FREMANTLE) Flavor ROSIE O’GRADY’S (NORTHBRIDGE) Blue Gene SAIL & ANCHOR Better Days Childs Play STEVES BAR Sue Johnson SWAN BASEMENT September Suns Bruised Attitude Idle Eyes Devanta Short Of Daybreak SWAN LOUNGE Darren Guthrie Andy J Bartlett Ben Macri Oak Tree Suite Dan Webb SWINGING PIG Greg Carter Frenzy THE BOAT Everlong Acoustic THE BROOK One Trick Phonies THE EASTERN 5th Independence The Bonekickers The Bloody Ramblers THE GATE Dirty Scoundrels THE SAINT Lixy THE SHED Huge THE SHIP James Wilson THE VIC Greg Carter Karaoke UNIVERSAL Soul Corporation WANNEROO TAVERN Chris Gibbs WHALE AND ALE Mixtape WOODVALE TAVERN Mod Squad YAYA’S Tangled Thoughts O f Leaving YMCA HQ Here Come The Calvary 10past6 Lights Of Berlin Remember The South

www.xpressmag.com.au

Friday Friday Boom!

Bap! Pow! Travis Caudle Travis Caudle SaturdayFly at Amplifier FlyBy ByNight Night

SUNDAY 03.02 7TH AVENUE Reckless Kelly ADMIRAL Sugarfield James Wilson BALMORAL Blackbirds BARRACK ST JETTY Folk @ The Jetty Some Irish Band BELMONT TAVERN Acoustic Aly BLACK TOMS Domenic Zurzolo BREAKERS BAR Chris Gibbs BRIGHTON Danny Bau BROKEN HILL HOTEL Chris Murphy BROOKLANDS TAVERN Mike Nayar CAPTAIN STIRLING Jamie Powers CARINE Wesley Goodlet Jamboree Scouts CHASE BAR Chasing Calee CIVIC HOTEL Christian Thompson CLANCY’S DUNSBOROUGH Pugsley Buzzard CLANCY’S FREMANTLE The Zydecats CLAREMONT HOTEL Sunday Driver DJ Dan COMO HOTEL Adrian Wilson ELEPHANT & WHEELBARROW Daren Reid & The Soul City Groove ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Tal Cohen Quartet Nueva Salsa Orchestra EMPIRE CB3 FLY BY NIGHT Open Mic Night GOSNELLS HOTEL Conny The Clown GROOVE BAR (CROWN CASINO) Switch HIGH WYCOMBE HOTEL The Organ Grinders HIGH ROAD HOTEL Ivan Ribic HOTEL ROTTNEST Howie Morgan Project INDI BAR Afrique Acoustic INDIAN OCEAN BREW CO Retrofit KALAMUNDA HOTEL Bernardine LATITUDE 28 Tahnee McKay Duo MAHOGANNY INN Andrew Bond M ON THE POINT Sophie Jane And The Chilly Bin Boys MERIDIAN ROOM (CROWN PERTH) Local Heroes MOJOS BAR (ARVO) Paddy’s Welcome To The Week MOJOS BAR (EVE) Neutral Native Catbrush Three Hands One Hoof Mt Mountain MUSTANG BAR Peter Busher & The Lone Rangers DJ Rockin Rhys NEWPORT HOTEL Tim Nelson

Neutral Native, Sunday at Mojos

The Autumn Isles The Loved Dead OCEAN VIEW TAVERN Steve Hepple PADDY MALONE’S Gary Fowlie PEEL ALEHOUSE Christian Thompson PINK DUCK LOUNGE BAR Glen Davies PORT KENNEDY TAVERN Kizzy Duo PORTOFINO’S RESTAURANT Matt Milford QUARIE BAR & BISTRO Better Days QUEENS TAVERN Joe Black Trio RAILWAY HOTEL Bob Marley Outernational Day Gappy Ranks Jesse Proverbs Base Camp Kutz Band Ngati Isolites The Weapon Is Sound Ricky Desilva ROSEY O’GRADY’S (NORTHBRIDGE) Damien Cripps SAIL & ANCHOR Mike Nayar SOUTH ST ALE HOUSE Anthony Nieves SOVEREIGN ARMS Craig Ballantyne SPRINGS TAVERN Leighton Keepa STIRLING ARMS Helen Shanahan ST GEORGES COLLEGE Hush SWINGING PIG Jamie Powers Stu Harcourt THE BOHEME Todd Woodward THE DEEN Plastic Max & The Token Gesture THE GATE Greg Carter THE LAST DROP Fenton Wilde THE PRINCIPAL Kate Gilbertson THE SAINT Howie Morgan Project THE SHED James Wilson TRINITY ARTS & PRODUCE MARKETS Slim Jim & The Phatts

UNIVERSAL Retriofit WANNEROO TAVERN Adam James WHISTLING KITE Ricky Green WOODVALE TAVERN Good Karma

MONDAY 04.02 BRASS MONKEY James Wilson GROOVE BAR (CROWN CASINO) Chris Murphy & Courtney Murphy MERIDIAN ROOM (CROWN) Chris Murphy MOJOS BAR Wide Open Mic Night MUSTANG BAR Marco & The Alley Cats THE DEEN Plastic Max & The Token Gesture YA YA’S Big Tommo’s Open Mic Variety Night

TUESDAY 05.02 ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Amanda Dee GROOVE BAR (CROWN) Ruby’s Groove LUCKY SHAG Ben Merito MERIDIAN ROOM (CROWN) Courtney Murphy MERRIWA TAVERN Celebrations Karaoke MOJOS BAR Kate Gilberton Helen Shanahan Jacob Diamond Amanda Merdzan MUSTANG BAR Danza Loca Salsa Night PADDO Stu Harcourt SETTLERS TAVERN Open Mic Night TWO ROCKS TAVERN Jump For Joy Karaoke YA YA’S Sidechained YLEM Leon Osborn Celloear Wilder & Wilder Face DJs YOKINE BOWLING CLUB Jazz Club Of WA Alan Gresty

Tangled Thoughts of Leaving

TANGLED THOUGHTS OF LEAVING SATURDAY 2ND YA YA’S

43

THE BIG DAY OUT

Photography by Michael Wylie

Vampire Weekend

Photographic Memories

Emperors

Red Hot Chili Peppers

Sons Of Rico

Band Of Horses

BDO panorama

44

T’was a wild ride...

X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays

MUSIC GEAR & TECHNOLOGY EDITED BY TRAVIS JOHNSON

VOLUME FOR BEGINNERS

Whether you’re strictly a listener or seasoned pro, there’s a whole genre of fascinating musical books waiting to be tuned into. This week Volume takes a look at four of the best tomes for fresh-faced beginners.

HOW SOON IS NOW?

By Richard King (Allen & Unwin)

If you’re more interested in the ins-and-outs of the music biz than chord progressions, sheet music and instrumentation, Richard King’s memoir provides an insider’s glimpse of “the madmen and mavericks who made independent music” from the ‘70s right through to the early noughties. King himself was a quintessential figure on the indie scene through the period — he founded Bristol’s Planet Records (which was part of Rough Trade’s distribution network) and now works in A&R for Domino — and his recollections of some very famous musical icons (including The Smiths, Depeche Mode, Sonic Youth, Primal Scream, Teenage Fanclub and Cocteau Twins) make for an incredibly engaging read.

HOW MUSIC WORKS

By David Byrne (Allen & Unwin)

In How Music Works, former Talking Heads frontman Byrne eschews an autobiographical account of his own experiences of music-making over the past four decades in favour of a more general discussion of music. In discussing music’s connection to human origins, its history, its evolution, its strengths and its weaknesses, Byrne explains how music is shaped by external factors, whether it be location, technology, economics or mere happenstance. It’s not all theory and conjecture, however, with the aptly titled “My Life In Performance” section offering some insight into the thought processes behind his various sartorial choices over the years.

Guitar Zero

GUITAR ZERO

By Gary Marcus (Penguin)

MUSICOPHILIA: TALES OF MUSIC AND THE BRAIN

How Soon Is Now?

By Oliver Saks (Picador)

Fancy yourself a deep thinker? In his 2007 bestseller Musicophilia, famed physician Oliver Saks focuses on people afflicted with strange musical disorders (he refers to them as “musical misalignments”) that affect their professional and daily lives. There are stories which move — such as those of individuals afflicted

by Alzheimer’s disease for whom music has restored their memories — and those which terrify — such as those of previously healthy people suddenly afflicted by musical hallucinations and uncontrollable epileptic-style fits. Saks’ collection of utterly readable true stories are moving and refreshing for music buff and newcomer alike.

How Music Works

For the past couple of decades the common school of thought in musical circles has been that the skills required to play an instrument (much like those skills required to learn a new language or understand algebraic equations) are best acquired in early childhood, when the brain is more malleable. New York University professor of cognitive psychology Gary Marcus aims to disprove this theory in Guitar Zero. Enticed to start learning to play guitar after putting in some solid hours playing Guitar Hero, the 40-something’s inspirational musical journey proves it’s never to late to try to become the next Hendrix.

SCHOOL OF ROCK

Whether you’re just starting on the long way to the top, or you’re an experienced gunslinger looking for a few tips and tricks, there’s an abundance of music teachers and schools around who can teach you a thing or two about a thing or two.

CLIFF LYNTON GUITAR INSTITUTE

With instructors who can boast over 30 years experience, the Cliff Lytin Guitar Institute is the number one destination for anyone wanting to give their axe-handling skills a polish. Their structured lesson plans place an emphasis on steady but quick progress, without neglecting the essential element of fun. When the school’s namesake has supported everyone from Tommy Emmanuele to Fleetwood Mac, you know you’re in safe, albeit callused, hands.

Go to clifflynton.com to learn more.

MEGA MUSIC ACADEMY

Not just an equipment retailer, Mega Music also offers music lessons in a wide range o f d i s c i p l i n e s, i n c l u d i n g g u i t a r, d r u m s, harmonica, vocals, saxophone, and more.

Bookings are generally by the school term, to accommodate the beginning student, but other arrangements are possible, including single lesson refresher courses. In conjunction with their retail arm, they also offer advice on instrument packages for beginning musicians.

Head to megamusiconline.com.au

CASTLEROCK INSTITUTE OF MUSIC ROCKS AUSTRALIA MUSIC With their innovative Rockschool programme, Castlerock Institute of Music is the perfect place for the nascent muso to get from their first chord to their first gig in record time. With a curriculum tailored to the age, personality, and skill level of the individual student, Castlerock has an exemplary record, and bands from the school have supported such heavyweights as Karnivool, Birds of Tokyo, and British India. Check out castlerock.com.au for more information.

With testimonials from the likes of Aussie hard rock icon Angry Anderson, Music Rocks Australia has certainly drawn its share of appreciative industry notice. A passion project for founder Dean Blanchard, the school’s key aim is to make music fun and accessible to students of all ages and all backgrounds. With a focus on inspiration and building confidence, Music Rocks Australia has a place for everyone with an itch to learn music.

SOUND CENTRE

Walther Music

WALTHER MUSIC

Perth’s newest music school is located in the heart of Perth in a beautifully restored two storey mansion, Walther Music is the brainchild of brothers Andy and Josh Hopkins. Boasting 16 rooms, one-on-one lessons, children’s and seniors’ courses, studio and equipment hire, Walther Music offers training in guitar, vocals, piano, bass, drums, violin, saxophone, and more. Head to walthermusic.com for further details. www.xpressmag.com.au

Sound Centre

Established in 1986, Morley’s Sound Centre is a music store run by musicians, for musicians. It’s no surprise then, that their music school is one of the most respected in town. Their instructors are seasoned musicians who teach not only technique, but all the performance tips and stagecraft tricks that a working musician has gleaned over a lifetime of gigs. Classes operate within school terms, and are open to all ages. Go to soundcentre.com.au for further information.

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MUSIC GEAR & TECHNOLOGY EDITED BY TRAVIS JOHNSON

FOR SALE AUDIOFLY HEADPHONES Designed in Perth by a small team, unique headphones to capture every detail in your favourite music www.audiofly.com MUSOS WANTED BAND MANAGER WANTED Ar ticulate/ Professional/Experienced. 5 piece contemporary electronic lounge band. Contact 0438 771 128 MUSO’S FOR ANGELS TRIBUTE Guitarist looking for exp muso’s with prof attitude to form Angels tribute band.

Email:overthetopband@gmail.com OPEN MIC NIGHT every Thursday night at Indi Bar. Just call Bex on 0404 917 632.

OPEN MIC NIGHT Every Tuesday night at the Craigie Tavern 8-11pm. Call Corey for bookings 0431 448 235 VOCALIST WANTED For established Blues/ Rock band. Been together 7 plus years. No time wasters please! Ph 0410 088 596 or 0423 252 970.

PHOTOGRAPHY PROJECT PHOTOGRAPHY Promo p h o t o g r a p h y, s t u d i o, l i v e , l o c a t i o n .

Mike Wylie 0417 975 964 www.projec tphotography.com When its time to ice the cake... * L I G H T I N G * AU D I O * S TA G I N G * w w w. n i g h t s t a r l i g h t i n g a u d i o . c o m . a u w w w. n i g h t s t a r l i g h t i n g a u d i o . c o m . a u w w w . i n s t a n d t . c o m . a u w w w . i n s t a n d t . c o m . a u 9381 2363/ 9444 6651 CD & DVD MANUFACTURE Check out our latest CD & DVD specials online at www.procopy.com.au 9375 3902 MATRIX PRODUCTIONS AUSTRALIA Lighting, staging, sound systems, smoke machines, night club FX, intelligent lighting, strobes & mirror balls, crowd barriers, video projectors.

9371 1551 RECORDING STUDIOS ALAN DAWSON’s WITZEND RECORDING STUDIO Prof quality albums or demos, large live room, experienced engineer, analog to digital transfers, mastering..Alan 0407 989 128 or Jeremy 0430638178 www.witzendstudios.com ANDY’S STUDIO International multi award winning songwriter / producer. No band required. Broadcast quality. A songwriter’s paradise. Ph 9364 3178

AVALON STUDIOS BIBRA LAKE One of Perths best equipped studio. Record to analog tape or digital, Avalon pre amps, Neumann mics, the latest and best universal audio, plug in’s for digital recordings. All styles of music, $55 per hour call Tony 0411 118304 email avalonstudios@bigpond.com GOLDDUSTCONSTRUCTION.COM Production, mixing, recording and composition for your music. Unique award winning skills to take songs from ideas to finished mixes or to fulfill the potential in existing ones. Located in Subiaco. $70 p/h. Andrew 0408 097 407 POONS HEAD MASTERING Analog mastering at its best. Clients include Mink Mussel Creek, Jeff Martin, The Panics, Pond + The Floors. World class facility. World class results. www.poonshead.com 9339 47 91 RECORDING MIXING MASTERING PRODUCING Fremantle location. Call Pete Kitchen Cooked Records. Ph 0407 363 764 / 9336 3764 REVOLVER SOUND STUDIO Ph 9272 7505. www.revolverstudio.com.au SONGWRITERS! - UNLOCK YOUR SONGS’ POTENTIAL +FREE BAND APPRAISALS. UK Producer, 40,000+ hours studio experience.

20 yrs in London with bands and songwriters.

Kicking arrangements, great studio and the ability to really listen will give your material the edge you need. Call Jerry on 0405 653 338 or visit www.jerichomusic.com.au REHEARSAL STUDIOS AAA VHS REHEARSAL ROOMS Great facilities, great vibe & great price!!! Unit 5 /16 Peel Road, O’Connor. Phone 9418 5815 or 0413 732 885 BIGBEAT SOUND STUDIO Clean rooms, all new PA systems, air-con and good parking . Willetton Ph: 0425 698 117.

PLATINUM SOUND ROOMS Professional rehearsal rooms, airconditioned, quality PAs mob 0418 944 722 TUITION ***GUITAR LESSONS*** The Guitar Specialist.

New year enrolments. Beg-adv, all styles and levels including bass. Cliff Lynton Guitar Institute.

Mt Lawley 9342 3484 / www.clifflynton.com BASS LESSONS Rock, funk & jazz. Tony Gibbs 9470 6131 DRUM LESSONS All styles, all ages.WAAPA prep.

Modern techniques & rudiments, Beginner to advanced. Ph Pascal: 0413 172 817.

GUITAR & KEYBOARD TUITION (BeginnersProfessional) One on One lessons.

Burswood Ph 6460 6921/ 0415889645. www.gvkschoolofmusic.com.au PERTHíS MUSIC HUB 1-on-1 lessons, kids classes & workshops, studio & instrument hire, music therapy and cafÈ. 0403 162 641 | walthermusic.com

NOW AVA ILAB LE

46

Will Stoker

SING FOR YOUR SUPPER Plenty of musicians take lessons, but singers tend to think that they can get by on raw talent alone. Will Stoker, who is both a singer and a singing teacher, tells us why that ain’t necessarily so.

The voice is a unique musical element. It’s an instrument, just like any guitar or keyboard. But it’s also a physical function of the body, and as such it can be trained. It’s odd then, that so few singers, particularly when starting out, take the time to hone their voice outside of normal band rehearsal time.

Will Stoker, who in addition to performing with his band, The Embers, is also a singing teacher, believes this is a mistake.

“My job as a singing teacher,” he explains.

“Is designed to be a gym for your voice to begin with - so you might say I’m a personal trainer - to guide the students into certain areas where they might want to progress and aspire to be, and why they want to do it. A good example I always say is you don’t pick up a dumbbell with your fingertips; you use your shoulders, your biceps, triceps, forearm muscles, your total skeletal system, your hand, and your wrist to pick up the dumbbell - it’s pretty much applying that to the singing.”

He does caution, however, that raw talent still plays a part; no matter what your aspirations, no amount of lessons can turn a normal voice into an exceptional one. “I reinforce the idea that you won’t end up sounding like Mariah Carey or what have you, because you’re not Mariah Carey. It’s all about bringing out the best that you were born with, and knowing the extent of your abilities to begin with and exploring that and building on that.”

Still, the benefits of lessons are manifold. If nothing else, professional voice coaching can teach a vocalist to fully exploit the natural physical resources they have. As Stoker says, “My lessons are focused on retraining your breathing and understanding the mechanics of controlling your body. Using these tools, you can exploit your natural range and expand on it. It’s designed to give you a friendly push and bring the best out of the voice you were born with, to create the same emotive feeling you get from the vocalists you admire.”

His students run the gamut from children to the elderly, and though many are training with an eye on pop superstardom - “I have some students that want to audition for many of the talent shows X Factor and so on.” - he is adamant that any kind of singer can benefit from training.

“There are people who create the same emotive response from an audience who wouldn’t fall into that stereotypical category,” he says.“Such as Tom Waits and Bob Dylan. It’s mainly about creating the same feeling that you get when you’re listening to your singing idols.”

There’s an argument to be made that singing lessons run counter to rock’s DIY ethos, but Stoker believes it’s a false one.“I can understand why people would say that, because I come from the DIY ethos. I sing in a rock band, and I came up through the heavy metal and punk side of things, and that’s mainly why I’ve taken vocal therapy lessons with many different vocal instructors in the past. I actually have a lot of rock singers and heavy metal students, and I teach them certain techniques that empower your voice and let you scream your head off for a good hour on stage and then come off speaking normally. It’s everything I can pass on to other rock singers - it’s not frilly pop stuff. When you actually become more mindful and aware of your technique, and you become so much better for it.”

X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays

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