ISSUE 1365 | 10TH APR 2013 | FREE WEDNESDAY |
38,000 OCTOBER 2011 - MARCH 2012 AUSTRALIA’S HIGHEST CIRCULATING STREET PRESS
DAMON & NAOMI
PARAMORE
WARM BODIES
PLUMP DJS
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KATY STEELE
DOUBLE TROUBLE
2013 marks 20 years since You Am I emerged from a Minnesota studio to release their debut album, Sound As Ever. It kicked off a golden ‘90s era for the great Australian group, who went on to influence a legion of bands around the world with their subsequent album, Hi Fi Way and Hourly, Daily. It’s something worth celebrating and You Am I are doing just that with special re-issues of their first three albums (released on June 7 through Sony) and a national jaunt called the Hi Fi Daily Double, which will see them perform the Hi Fi Way and Hourly, Daily albums back to back. The tour heads our way on Saturday, July 13, at the Astor Theatre. Tickets are on sale from Tuesday, April 16, via showticketing.com.au.
Start A Fire
Katy Steele performs at the Artbar on Thursday, April 11, and Ya-Ya’s on Sunday, April 14. You may not have heard much of Katy Steele lately, but rest assured she’s been busy, living life anew and recording a debut solo album in Brooklyn, NY. “It feels amazing to be home,” she reflects on being back on home soil. “It’s been too long.” When her much-loved band, Little Birdy, pulled up stumps in 2010, Steele went from touring Australian as a well-known entity directly into the arms of anonymity in New York. “It was really, really intense,” she recalls.“But I am a way stronger woman now because of it. “It took nearly two years to feel comfortable there. The first year was a real hard one, but you just have to stick it out and realise that your growth is an important part of life. Musically, I have grown a million years.” Steele’s solo album is shaping up nicely, with a single, Fire Me Up, already released to media with positive response. “It’s sounding great,” Steele says.“The album should be out mid year.” Have you drawn on your living experience in New York for your songs, or is it broader than that? “Its a little bit broader than that,” Steele notes.“The growth I went through has seen me grown into a way different person. My outlook on life is very different and positive. I feel insanely empowered.” After some time spent under the radar, 2013 looks to be good year for the Steeles. “The rest of the year will hopefully see some exciting collaborations,” she says.“The release of my debut record, touring and getting the Katy Steele name out!”
Smokecreen Music Festival
SMOKESCREEN: JUST A SMOKESCREEN!
You Am I Katy Steele
_ BOB GORDON
Over the weekend - or, more specifically, on World Health Day - it was revealed that the much mooted Smokescreen Music Festival is not actually your regular music festival, but an anti-smoking initiative cooked up by the Australian Government and Mushroom Marketing. The ‘headline’ acts have been announced as The Coughin’ Nails and M4-Cema, who have videos posted on the official website and their own Facebook pages. So, for a think twice about smoking message that doesn’t involve pictures of rotting mouths or feet, head to smokescreenmusicfestival. com.au. It’s not the last you’ll hear of it.
A SHELL OF A GOOD SHOW
Once again, PICA plays host to Hatched, a huge survey of emerging artists from across Australia. This year, the 22nd, 37 artists from 20 art schools across Australia are contributing to the exhibition, working in a range of media and disciplines, including painting, drawing, print, photography, sculpture, performance and installation. For the fourth time, one artist will receive The Doctor Harold Schenberg Art Prize, a $35, 000 grant that will enable them to further their career in the creative industries. The exhibition opens on Friday, April 19, at 6pm and runs until Sunday, June 9. Go to pica.org. au for more info.
Hatched - Jen Broadhurst, Historical Construction (detail), from the series Abstract Feminism, 2012
Beaufort Street Festival Photo: Dan Grant
DANCING IN THE STREET
It’s still a fair way off, but the date of the 2013 Beaufort Street Festival has been announced. This time around, the festival - which attracted north of 100,000 people last year - will take place on Saturday, November 16. Already, The Beaufort Street Network, JumpClimb and The Beaufort Street Network Steering Committee are beavering away behind the scenes to put on a hell of a shindig come spring. If you want your voice to be considered in the planning process, make your way to Defector’s Bar on Wednesday, April 17, from 6pm for a community consultation evening, where local residents can have their issues raised and their questions answered. Head to beaufortstreetfestival.com.au for more info.
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Reactions/Comp Thing Flesh Music: Gareth Liddiard/ King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard Music: Paramore/ Damon & Naomi New Noise Feature: Education, Training and Careers Eye4 Cover: Warm Bodies Eye4 Movies: News/ Busking Olympics/ Kon Tiki Eye4 Movies: Robert Connolly/ First Position Arts Listings Salt Cover: Plump DJs Salt: News/ Finatik ‘n’ Zac/ Test Pad Salt: Yacht Club DJs/ Sarah Pellicano Salt: Club Manual Salt: Rewind: Freqshow Scene: Live: Sons of Rico/ Timothy Nelson Scene: Local Scene Tour Trails Gig Guide Volume
COVER: The Drones, who are touring in support of their new LP I See Seaweed, perform at The Astor Friday, April 19. SALT COVER: Plump DJs have a hot new sound ahead of their gig at Villa, Friday, April 19. www.xpressmag.com.au
Mama Kin
IT’S A FAIR COP
In less than three weeks, the 21st annual Folkworld Fairbridge Festival will be upon us. It’s WA’s premier showcase of blues, roots, folk and world music, attracting thousands of chilled-out revellers to the family friendly environs of Fairbridge Village. The festival runs from Friday- Sunday, April 26-28, with acts this year including Mama Kin, Tin Pan Orange, Jam Tarts, Kristina Olsen, Amazing Drumming Monkeys, The Company and more. Point your browser at folkworldfestival.com.au for information and tickets. 7
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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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HUNDREDS & THOUSANDS!
Here at X-Press we love a good milestone! And our Facebook is slowly creeping up to 10,000 likes. To celebrate, we are going to shower one special fan in a multitude of prizes. Upon hitting our 10,000 likes, an ultimate prize pack will be rewarded at random to one of our 10,000 Facebook fans. Kindly supplied by our many friends, we have an absolute treasure trove of tickets, CDs, merch, movie passes, DVD’s, a three month membership at Snap Fitness and much, much more! Win this and you will be a very busy little bee. For a full list of prizes, check out the X-Press Competitions page online! If you haven’t liked our Facebook, now is the time to jump to it! Head to Facebook.com/XPressMagazine to check how we’re travelling!
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Big Scary
BIG SCARY
Off the back of their new track Phil Collins, Tom Lansek and Joe Syme of Big Scary are giving us the first taste of their new album Not Art by kicking of a National Tour this April! They are playing two shows whilst they are here, one at Mojos next Thursday and the other at Amplifier on the Friday. We have five double passes to give away to their show at Amps. To win let us know ‘What are you scared of?’
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The first ever Sundown Session is happening at the Scarborough Beach Amphitheatre this Friday, featuring the amazing Xavier Rudd, Tinpan Orange and Morgan Bain. The intensity is being turned way down in exchange for a feel good and chilled out concert vibe with the beautiful Indian Ocean as the perfect backdrop. Thanks to Offworld your experience can only get better if you win yourself one of the double passes we are giving away. Enter now to win!
PARAMORE & MORE
Paramore have just released their new self-titled album. This marks the eagerly anticipated followup to 2009’s RIAA gold-certified Brand New Eyes. The album is Paramore’s fourth full-length studio recording and was produced by Grammy-nominated producer Justin Meldal-Johnson. Known for his work with such diverse artists as Beck, Nine Inch Nails, Tegan and Sara, and M83. The album features Fast In My Car, Still Into You, Now, Grow Up and Daydreaming. 9213 2854 We have five copies to give away. Enter now!
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SUNDOWN SESSIONS
Paramore
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ZOMBIE LOVE
Filthy zombies are wreaking havoc on the world in the new film Warm Bodies. Zombie ‘R’ (Nicholas Hoult) encounters human Julie (Teresa Palmer) and for some Deadlines reason rescues her from a zombie attack, they form EDITORIAL and unusual bond. From there a scary, hilarious and General: Friday 5pm,, Eye4 Arts: Thursday 10am, Comp’ Thing: Monday Noon,, Salt Clubs: Monday 5pm , Local Scene: romantic adventure ensues. I know your thinking ‘Oh it’s a bit like Twilight’, you’re wrong! Zombies = more Monday Noon,, Gig Guide: Monday 5pm facial expression than Kristen Stewart. Embrace the ADVERTISING Cancellations: Monday 5pm, Ads to be set: Monday Noon weirdness, enter now to grab yourself a double pass! Supplied Bookings / Copy: Tuesday 12 Noon, Classifieds: Monday 4pm 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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SPITTIN RHYMES
The ever so charming Spit Syndicate are coming to town to launch their new album Sunday Gentlemen. The album was released a month back and debuted on the national ARIA album charts at #15, with lead single Beauty In The Bricks added to high rotation nationally on triple j. They are playing a string of shows next weekend with Jackie Onassis and Creed Birch. We are giving away two double passes to their show at Amplifier on April 20. Get your entries in to grab one!
Olympus Has Fallen
OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN
The explosive Olympus Has Fallen finds disgraced former Presidential guard (Gerard Butler) trapped inside the White House in the wake of a terrorist attack. He uses his inside knowledge and works with national security to rescue the President from his kidnappers. It hits cinemas on April 18, but for your chance to win one of 50 double passes to a special preview screening at Hoyts Garden City on Wednesday, April 17. Enter now!
DAMON & NAOMI
Joe Satriani
JOE SATRIANI
The legendary Joe Satriani has recorded and toured with such artists as Mick Jagger, Deep Purple, Alice Cooper and even Spinal Tap, he has become something of a cult legend as the guitar teacher to such future stars as Steve Vai, Metallica’s Kirk Hammett, Counting Crows’ David Bryson and jazz artist Charlie Hunter. At his upcoming clinic tour, punters will be treated to an intimate evening of performing and trading tips. There will be major equipment giveaways at each stop and a Q&A. He drops into Perth at the Riverview Theatre in Burswood on Wednesday, April 17 and we have two double passes to giveaway to this clinic. Enter now!
American slowcore, folk, rock couple Damon & Naomi of Galaxie 500 fame are in Perth for the very first time! Supporting them is ex-Perth singer/songwriter Guy Blackman and local band Flower Drums. This will be a special night of skewed, dreamy pop at the Rosemount Hotel this Saturday. We have a double pass to the show to giveaway, get your entries in!
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Chasm
AWE-CHASM
Following the success of the critically acclaimed This is How We Never Die last year Sydney hip hop producer Chasm has recently released the first instalment of The Chasm EP Series, a suite of four separate digital releases featuring artists such as Guilty Simpson (USA), Blak Twang (UK), Monchichi (AUS), Skryptcha & Rachael Berry (AUS). Chasm hits town this week for two shows, kicking off at Mojos on Friday, April 12, and Ya Ya’s on Saturday, April 13.
ZUCCHERO Searching for Sugar Man
Zucchero
Italian rock superstar Zucchero plays at the Regal Theatre on Wednesday, April 17. Tickets are available via Ticketek. In a career that spans over 40 years, Adelmo Fornaciari - Zucchero to you and me - hasn’t been a frequent visitor down under, but he admits to looking forward to his return. “Yeah,” he drawls in his rich accent. “I’ve been there three years, maybe four years ago - I can’t remember. I enjoyed it very much and I loved to see this beautiful country and to meet all these beautiful people. This is the second time for me.” This time around, he’ll be showcasing La Sesion Cubana, the album he recorded in Cuba last
year. It marks something of a departure or Zucchero, whose work is mainly blues-derived rock. “We will be playing songs from the last album I did in Cuba with Cuban musicians,” he tells us. “Beautiful and very prestigious musicians. I did some covers, some new original tracks, and some of my old songs but with the Cuban style. At the end, it’s a very energetic album with a lot of rhythm, a lot of sensuality. Plus my old repertoire, and basically what I will present is two new albums since last I was there.” To that end, he’s put together a larger touring band than he’s ever used before.“It’s gonna be my six members from my historical band, plus strings, horns... it’s gonna be, like, 10 musicians on stage.” _ TRAVIS JOHNSON
The Charlies
A RIGHT CHARLIE
Fresh from their recent world tour, Melbourne funk outfit The Charlies have decided to grace Perth with their presence for a brisk handful of dates. Catch them at Indi Bar on Wednesday, April 10, with support from Pusherman; Clancy’s Fish Pub in Fremantle on Friday, April 12, along with Thee Gold Blooms; and Saturday, April 13, at Devilles Pad.
The Growl
HERE COMES THE SUN
Looking for a way to round off your week and make fun wile the sun still shines? Sundown Sessions could be your ticket as Xavier Rudd, Tinpan Orange and Perth’s own Morgan Bain take to the Scarborough Beach Amphitheatre to salute the setting sun, from 5.30pm this Friday, April 12. Tickets are $56 (plus booking fee) from oztix.com.au, Mills Records, Live Clothing stores and Rip Curl Scarborough.
GROWLING TIME
Fresh back from touring the US with Tame Impala, Perth noisesmiths The Growl have just released their debut album, What Would Christ Do?? (reviewed in this issue on page 17). They launch the long-awaited album this Friday, April 12, at The Bakery with help from Shy Panther, Rabbit Island and Mild Child. Tickets from heatseeker.com.au or from the venue on the night (if available).
Martha Wainwright
IT’S ALL RIGHT
Talented performer Martha Wainwright is heading to Australia with her trio for a national tour that Legendary - and, frankly, faintly terrifying - doom will see her making her way to Perth. Wainwright dealers Saint Vitus will be haring down under will represent material from across her career to this July for their first ever Australian tour. The date – show stoppers from her emotionally-charged true godfathers of the genre, these guys have debut album, to her acclaimed tribute to Edith Piaf, been dishing it out since 1978, and finally they’ve and to her latest LP, Come Home To Mama. Witness decided to give Australia a serve. Catch them at her striking mixture of light and shade and ability The Rosemount on Sunday, July 21, with support to conceptualise, tackle and achieve dynamic from Drowning Horse. Tickets go on sale today, arrangements that marry so beautifully with her Wednesday, April 10, from Oztix. heartfelt lyrics at Astor Theatre on Saturday, June 22.
SAINTS AND SINNERS
CHINA DOLL
China Doll Photo: Nicole Norelli Pho
Fly By Night Saturday, April 6, 2013 Hands down, the most ridiculous Dylan song is All the Tired Horses. Coming at the start of his most ridiculous album (Self Portrait - avoid it), it doesn’t feature Dylan at all. Rather, he takes a backseat as a cabal of sorta-gospel singers intone a couplet that puns on the similarity between writers block and riding on a tired horse. When China Doll played it at the start of their encore for the launch of their second EP, it pretty much underlined a point they’d been making throughout; this is a band that takes their influences (Feist, Nina Simone, etc.) pretty reverentially. Basically, China Doll filter classic rock moves through a more twee, introspective worldview - an approach that was made pretty unambiguous by following a pretty unimpressive Fleetwood Mac cover with a much better original that copped the drumbeat from Tusk which definitely wasn’t about mutually destructive relationships. The band is slick, professional and extremely open to the idea of instrument swapping, but the real centre of the business is Karin Page. Whether she was imploring people to come closer to the stage citing her liberal application of deodorant or plinking on a xylophone, Page possessed the kind of awkward but controlled charm that makes people leave Mt Lawley boutiques with shoes that they were never really sure they wanted in the first place. Her voice has a similarly engaging quality, enunciating every word with a kinda coy diction that gave the words meaning even if the words themselves didn’t exactly set the world alight every now and then. Closing their set on a song that started with nearly-identical tap dancers in blue wigs approaching from stages left and right before abruptly departing was as confusing to see as it was to type, but hey; the boldness in executing such a weirdo move made the middle-of-the-roadness of what China Doll do more satisfying. I mean, these are pretty, unobtrusive songs that are played with a heap of gusto and a nice, sly wink, and then you get some tap dancing just to make sure you’re paying attention. What do you say to something that made a roomful of progressively merry people even merrier on a Saturday night? _ ALEX GRIFFIN
And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead
HAPPY TRAILS
Feel like some heavy, heavy, happy news? Progressive/ aggressive Texans, And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead, are returning to Australia, performing their incendiary 2002 album, Source Tags & Codes, in full. The Perth date is Saturday, May 25, at the Rosemount Hotel. Tickets are on sale now from handsometours.com.
ET IN ARCADIA EGO
The Arcadia Collective, a new not-for-profit local initiative that seeks to unite both musicians and artists with affordable studio spaces and in house promotion said and logistical support, is holding a monster fundraiser, Release The Kraken, to help set up their base of operations. This Sunday, April 14, get down to The Bakery from 4pm for a day of body painting, burlesque and aerial performances, Kraken Cocktails, a live Dr Sketchy’s event, and music from DJ Lovecraft. Tickets are $5 presale from nowbaking. com.au, or $10 on the door.
JUMP TO HYPERSPACE
HyperFest, the all-ages youth arts and music festival, gets a new addition this year, in the form of a concert miniseries which puts the spotlight on young, emerging musicians across the City of Swan. First cab off the rank will be a hip hop night held at Ellenbrook’s Coolamon Pavilion on Friday, April 12, and Ellenbrook schools have been nominating candidates from their music programs to take the opening slot before local heavyweights Brad Archer, Mathas and UPNUP take to the stage. Doors open at 6pm, and entry is $5, which includes a free drink and snack. Go to hyperfest.com. au for all the details. www.xpressmag.com.au
GUY BLACKMAN
Chapter And Verse
Guy Blackman
and stick around! A lot of labels come and go in Australia because they have unrealistic expectations of what’s going to happen, i.e. that somehow they’re going to make a lot of money or have huge hits. That being said, there’s definitely a lot of interest around the world in Australian music at the moment, so it feels like an exciting time to be running a label.” Blackman also freelances for The Age and DJs in Melbourne and has lent a musical hand over the years to bands such as Sleepy Township, Minimum Chips, Montero and more. It’s resulted “I come back two or three times a year to see my in a quiet front as far as his own solo pursuits are family, and even though the city has changed concerned, though the fire seems to be starting in so much, I still have a weird feeling when I walk terms of the follow-up to his 2008 album, Adult Baby. “These shows with Damon & Naomi down the street that I’m going to see the same two long-term heroes of mine, by the way - are the people that I knew 20 years ago,” he laughs. “In some ways, Perth for me is frozen at the time I first solo shows I’ve played in ages, but I’ve got a bunch of new songs and I can feel another album left, nearly 18 years ago!” Blackman, a former RTR presenter and percolating in my brain. I’ve listened to a lot more something of a gem in the independent annals of beat-based music since Adult Baby, which was a Australian music has been anything but frozen. His classic ‘70s-influenced singer-songwriter kinda thing, Chapter Music label celebrated its 20th anniversary so I think the next record is going to have a bit of grown-up groove to it!” in 2012, and is going from strength to strength. “I think the plan now is pretty much the _ BOB GORDON same as it has always been, to put out great music
Si Since lleaving i P Perth th ffor M Melbourne lb in i 1995, Chapter Music impresario Guy Blackman has returned for occasional visits, but his support slot with Damon & Naomi this Saturday, April 13, at the Rosemount Hotel, will be his first hometown gig in many a distant moon.
Jason Ayres, A Month Of Menu
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Throughout April, Menu Magazine are hosting a series of events called A Month Of Menu. Curated and MCed by Scott Arnold-Eyers, formerly of Hard Marshmallow and The Jesus Sandals, it’s a celebration of good food and good music. Saturday, April 13, sees him joined by Aztech Suns and Rapid Fire at Cicerello’s in Fremantle; Saturday, April 20, he’s accompanied by Jason Ayres and Paul White at The Hotel Northbridge; Thursday, April 25, finds him at the Rosemount Hotel with The Crooked Cats, Hostile Little Face and Dave Gillam’s On The Level; and Sunday, April 28, it’s happening at The Wembley with David Lazarus and Trav & Jay. Head to menumagazine.com.au for more info. 11
“I do the elephant in the room sort of thing. Most people don’t, they just can’t hack it. If you point the elephant out, then you’ll find another one hiding in another corner in the room. There are always these taboos. That’s what that song is, pointing out the obvious. People are always scared of saying that shit, like fuckin’ Joseph Stalin is gonna come along and throw them in prison. But fuck, you’re living in a free state. People should speak their mind more often.”
Lyrics are measured, written, recorded. Your onstage banter, which can raise the ire of a select few audience members, doesn’t go through that process. Have you ever walked offstage and thought, ‘Maybe I shouldn’t have said that?’ Yeah most of the time (laughs). There is a such a thing as going too far. Especially when I was doing the shows by myself, half of that show is going to be me talking. That little man in your head that edits everything, you just gotta tell him to piss off for that hour-and-a-half on stage, and trust yourself when he’s away. Just open your mouth and talk shit, ride it along. Same way if you’re gonna play a fuckin’ solo, just stand on the fuzz pedal and go for it. But yeah, I put my foot in it less often than you think. It’s all in the spirit of free expression. I fucking hate political correctness, I fucking hate it so much. But if I’m sitting at a table and there’s someone who’s really uptight just in terms of having a slightly different sense of humour, I’m out of there. Those people are fucked. I don’t hate all the things I purport to hate, I hate a broader thing where there’s no room to move in your own skin because someone else is scared of life.
Pianist, Steve Hesketh, is now a fully-fledged Drones member, how has that affected the new material? The record sounds big. How did you manage to It’s really cool. We’ve often had piano and capture that scale? other instruments, and it’s often been him doing it. If you don’t play fast, things sound big. That’s the trick. Like when someone goes, ‘Oh John But it was more that overdub thing where the songs Bonham’s drum sound is massive’, it’s not. It’s really were already built to live without that shit. But with thin, but he doesn’t play super fast so it sounds him now, we’ve made room for him. It’s changed it enormous. It’s an illusion. There are Rage Against a lot. But we’ve played with him so much in the past The Machine albums with bigger drum sounds. But decade that it’s become really natural. And he’s a the way John Bonham plays makes it sound massive. good friend, someone you hang out with on a Friday That’s what you have to do. Then you need to stay night. He’s broadened the possibilities. out of each others’ way, because there’s only so much shit into a couple of studio monitors, so you play it You only performed one I See Seaweed track at by ear. ATP, how many new tracks can we expect on the tour? A Moat You Can Stand In, however, is pretty fast. We’ll mix it up, try and play as many off the Something that sounds like it could be off The new one as we can. That’s the usual kind of modus Stooges’ Raw Power. Do you feel like a punk? operandi. We don’t always have to do the ‘best of’ I don’t feel like a punk, because what’s live set, we’re happy to do a few laps of the country that? What is punk anyway? It’s just rock ‘n’ roll. It was playing the new album then go back to doing the just a reinterpretation of rebel music, which could Gareth Liddiard, The Drones have been bebop jazz, flamenco, or 20th century ‘best of’. New songs are fun to play, and often pretty classical. It’s going against the grain. There are other fuckin’ hard (laughs). Touring in support of their recently released album, I See Seaweed, The factors, like it was a bit more simple and accessible everybody. I feel like a rock’n’roller. The Raw Power What’s beyond the horizon of the album launch Drones perform this Friday, April 19, at the Astor Theatre, supported by to thing, everything I do, it’s always there. It’s one of the tour? Overseas? We were kind of tossing up going overseas King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard. top five rock’n’roll records. It gets it so right. One thing rock’n’roll has over orchestras and big bands later in the year, but our promoter is saying it might It was different to the Havilah one, Burke is that it’s so fucking powerful, it indulges in power be better to do it next year, which is fine by me. I After a fleeting re-emergence to tour their DVD compilation, A Thousand Mistakes in 2011, The (Reid, producer) recorded all that. With this one I and amplification. We’re rock’n’rollers in that sense. suppose we’ll keep writing and make another album. Drones again stepped out of the spotlight to recorded everything except two songs, pretty much. The closing track on I See Seaweed, Why Write A Would you consider doing another solo album? work on what eventually became I See Seaweed, Was it difficult taking on the production aspect Letter That You’ll Never Send, contains what could Strange Tourist was a success. their first studio LP since 2008’s Havilah. be perceived as controversial iconoclasms, when Speaking uninhibitedly, as is his wont, on top of everything else? That’s a solo album in the true sense If you get someone to do something for perhaps they encompass a non-controversial of someone by themselves. I’ve been doing solo shortly after the band’s well-received return to the live stage at All Tomorrow’s Parties’ I’ll Be Your you, you end up doing it yourself anyway. I’ve got underlying mentality in general society... albums for years in the sense I write a bunch of Yeah, totally. I do the elephant in the room songs and get a bunch of musicians to play them Mirror shows (which The Drones co-curated), fixed ideas on the way things should go. Just making frontman Gareth Liddiard recounts the consolidated, an album is too much work, no matter how you do it. sort of thing. Most people don’t, they just can’t hack independent approach to recording I See Seaweed it. If you point the elephant out, then you’ll find with me. The way I see it, everything I do is a solo and rationalises his often unfiltered reproach. You recorded the album in a studio you built, another one hiding in another corner in the room. album. That’s not to take away from the band correct? There are always these taboos. That’s what that members. You look at Wilco, that’s a solo thing as By LACHLAN KANONIUK Totally, and in our own time too. If you have song is, pointing out the obvious. People are always much as Bob Dylan is a solo thing – is the band any an engineer you have a set time per session. We don’t scared of saying that shit, like fuckin’ Joseph Stalin less important? I don’t feel the need to do a Gareth It’s been a long while since the last studio Drones know that many of them, and we don’t want to work is gonna come along and throw them in prison. But Liddiard album, unless the songs need to be played record, how has the recording process changed with someone we don’t know. We set it up and once fuck, you’re living in a free state. People should speak as sparse as possible. I approach everything in the in those years? it’s set up all you have to do is hit a space bar. same way. their mind more often.
GARETH LIDDIARD The Elephant Man
KING GIZZARD AND THE LIZARD WIZARD In Brod We Trust
King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard 12
King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard are supporting The Drones on their Perth visit, plus playing headline shows on Saturday, April 13, at Mojos; Wednesday, April 17, at Ya-Ya’s and Thursday, April 18, at the Prince Of Wales, Bunbury. BOB GORDON reports. When King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard released their second album, 12 Bar Bruise, last spring it was made known that they were already recording tracks for another album. Even so, no one expected it to come out anytime soon, not with 12 Bar Bruise being so bright and new. Yet here it is, released this month, a new LP called Eyes Like The Sky. “I guess we always try and get things out as quickly as possible,” theremin player, Eric Moore, notes. “We are constantly recording new things and working on new ideas - and that album came together really quickly so we thought why not put it out straight away.” It’s a very different release, but one wonders if there was any concern that releasing Eyes Like The Sky would in some ways step on 12 Bar Bruise’s albumrelease-lifespan? “We never really think too heavily about that sort of stuff,” Moore says.“Stu wrote and recorded the majority of Eyes Like at home and at friends’ houses with help from the rest of us when it was needed. It’s the first time we’ve really done that so we were experimenting a lot. Because of that process the music actually came together really quickly and once the other stuff - artwork, video, pressing - was ready, we just put it out. I think having lots of releases is a really positive thing.” Eyes Like The Sky is not what you might term a standard King Gizzard album in that it features
Australian music stalwart Broderick Smith (The Dingoes) narrating a tale over the band’s psyched out music. Broderick is the father of harmonica player, Ambrose Kenny-Smith and the album had its origins in a track from their debut LP called Sam Cherry’s Last Shot. “We all loved working on Sam Cherry with Brod and really wanted to give something a crack with our own story and theme,” Moore explains.“We originally recorded Sam Cherry as an instrumental track for the album and I think we were mucking around with the idea of an old western voice talking over the top. We thought it was bad to just steal something off YouTube so we pitched the idea to Brod to read for us and he did. He’s an old Western nut so he loved the idea. “Brod was great. As soon as we mentioned the idea of him writing a Western story for us he absolutely jumped on it and started sending through chapter after chapter. We already had some of the music written so we adapted his words to that and then we wrote the remainder of the album based on Brod’s story. It was a really interesting and fun way to make music.” Given Smith is the main voice throughout, there some variation afoot as to how they will be presented live. “On this tour we will play a few tracks instrumentally,” Moore says, “but they will be different. More vicious, I suppose. Hopefully we will get the opportunity to perform the entire album with Brod, but who knows?” With a good deal of the year left there’s plenty of time to do more work and, unsurprisingly, King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard are doing just that. “We are currently working on a more full on Gizzard record which should be out later in the year,” Moore says. “It is a lot different from anything we’ve done before. I think that is our main goal, we’re just constantly trying to improve and get better and hopefully each release shows that in some way.” X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays
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“It’s definitely a statement, like, ‘here we are’ and we’ve never felt more like Paramore in our whole career,” says Yorke. “We were talking about it and we were saying we were so thankful we didn’t name the first album Paramore so that we had the chance to do it with this record, it feels right and feels like this is what we want people to see us as.” Now was the first single released, featuring a broader sound and strong references to the future and positivity, which Yorke says is a running theme through the album.
“This is the album where I really had to step it up, which is scary because I don’t really know what I’m doing. We just had to develop a new rhythm, it was definitely really intimidating. I think we’ve written some of the best things that we’ve ever written.”
Paramore
PARAMORE (Re)Born Of Struggle
Recently in the country touring with the dark circus that is Soundwave, Paramore guitarist Taylor Yorke speaks with BRENDAN HOLBEN about the band’s new, self-titled album.
The Farro brothers. Hayley Williams’ hair. Both topics off the table when interviewing the current incarnation of Tennessee pop-punk band Paramore - the latter topic perhaps a bit of a stab at the state of music journalism at the moment. It’s doubtful Megadeth growler Dave Mustaine gets many questions about the curly red mass adorning that angry head of his. The Farro brothers’ (Josh and Zac, founding members of Paramore) departure from the band is, however, far more relevant as Paramore’s new self-titled album is the first since they quit in 2010. Things were blogged, statements were made and touring guitarist Taylor Yorke stepped in to become a permanent member of the band. There’s no point in dredging up old blood, but these sorts of things tend to influence the nature of a band. Paramore decided that by making the album self-titled it would be a statement that this is a new beginning,
“It definitely is much more positive, I think we have an energy we can do something with and we can either make that positive or negative. For so long we were so negative about things and everything was just so hard for us, but we were like, ‘man, we have nothing to be bummed about and pessimistic about, why are we not just being positive and we know that it’s there’. That’s what Now is about, it’s really believing that it’s there and reaching out for it. “We’ve changed a lot as people and I think that our art has just naturally going to reflect that,” he explains. “We’ve definitely tried to follow some older routines and write some more things that we have in the past, but we just weren’t inspired by it and we realised we’ve already written those songs. Now we’re in this new season and it’s a slightly different line-up and we wanted to take advantage of that opportunity. When we were really writing songs honestly things came out different. We just needed an evolution, we needed a change.” While Yorke only became a fully-fledged member of the band in 2011, he had already been playing with them as their touring guitarist for years
and had a small part to play in the songwriting process. This time, while the lyrics are still firmly the domain of Williams, Yorke says he was hands on in shaping the album. “This is the album where I really had to step it up, which is scary because I don’t really know what I’m doing,” Yorke admits. “We just had to develop a new rhythm, it was definitely really intimidating. I think we’ve written some of the best things that we’ve ever written. “Hayley normally writes her own melodies as far as what she’s singing, but a lot of times we are writing things together. We used to write all the music first and she’d write lyrics and melody afterwards, this record we just took things piece-bypiece. Sometimes she’d have lyrics and melody and I’d come up with something musical to match and vice-versa - sometimes I’d have a riff and that would inspire her to go in a certain direction. “Every song was pretty different and we did have to pick up on each other’s emotions and directions but I think that’s cool because a different interpretation makes something unique. Every song is definitely different, Hayley doesn’t really write concept songs. She writes from her own thoughts and her own struggles. It really reflects we’re growing up, we’re happy, it’s kind of what a lot of people in their mid-20s are going through. “It’s definitely very eclectic. We’ve got a funk song on this record, we’ve got some poppy songs and we’ve got probably the heaviest song we’ve ever recorded. We really weren’t afraid to draw from all our inspirations and we weren’t afraid to try things. I don’t think we set out to make a record necessarily that everyone would could find something they liked but it kind of turned into that kind of a record where I think people that maybe didn’t connect with us before can hopefully find something on the record that they enjoy.” In 2011 Paramore took a break from touring to work on the new album, also releasing three singles for their online Singles Club. Yorke says the album took a year and a half to write and record. “We ran into writer’s block a few times, there would be months where nothing would come out of us then we would go through a patch where we were working really well together. It was pretty inconsistent, it was definitely a struggle but I think the struggle was a good thing as it led us to positive places. “The last song, Future, is the one I connect to the most, it was very emotional to record. It was a string of accidents that turned into something that was really unique and cool, probably the heaviest thing we’ve done. It just makes me feel something when I hear it and I want people to take whatever they want away from it and see how they interpret it.”
AURORA JANE
Guitars Without Borders
DAMON & NAOMI On The Road Again Dreamy popsters Damon & Naomi play at the Rosemount Hotel on Saturday, April 13, with support from Guy Blackman and The Flower Drums. TRAVIS JOHNSON speaks to the duo about royalties and the road. Damon Krukowski and Naomi Yang - formerly two thirds of cult slowcore outfit Galaxie 500, and now performing as Damon & Naomi - are in a friendly and open mood when we speak to them. “Well, let’s see, mostly...” Krukowski says when asked what he’s been up to of late, and then, all of a sudden, “Oh, here’s Naomi, I think!” And suddenly Yang is on the line, chirping hello. “Well, were you gonna start?” she asks her partner. “Sure, let’s see,” Krukowski continues. “More of the same. We made a new record last year - no it was the year before - and last year we didn’t travel. It was the first time in many, many years that we decided to take a break from touring, and now we’re starting up again. We’ve never been to Australia, so we’re very excited to come.” One thing Krukowksi has been doing is writing, in particular an essay he published on Pitchfork, Making Cents, an indictment of the royalty models used by online music streaming services, in particular Pandora and Spotify. Given that artists have struggled with shrinking returns due to online 14
Damon and Naomi
filesharing for years now, it seems cogent to ask if the current tour is motivated by financial necessity. “That article came out of the other side of the equation,” he explains. “Which was watching royalties dwindle down to nothing, really. It’s not us in particular - it’s industry-wide. I think it’s true up and down the scale. We’ve never been a band who made our living on the road. We’re actually a band who lived by recordings when we did music, but we’ve also always done other things, and we never treated our music as necessarily what we draw our income from. We have a book publishing company; I’ve been teaching; Naomi does graphic design, she’s been making music videos for other artists. So we’ve always done a lot of things, and music is a part of it.” “Also, we love travelling and we love touring,” Yang chips in. “But we also love being at home in our domestic life, too. I think that, for some musicians, it’s almost like they perish if they’re not on the road. It’s like they need the constant momentum.” “It is very hectic,” Krukowski says.“You can get very used to it, but it’s quite a strange life, really. We’ve been on the road with bigger bands for us, when we’ve been opening, but we’ve travelled to a lot of places where other bands don’t go, and that’s partly because we don’t make the decision based on finances. We’ve always made the decision on our desire to visit somewhere, the type of invitation we get, the sincerity of the invitation and to use the opportunity to see the world. “It’s a great privilege to travel - we love to travel, it’s something we really enjoy.”
Aurora Jane may be visiting WA for the first time this week, but the singer/ guitarist has been kicking out the jams for the best part of a decade over East and more recently, across the globe. Catch her tonight, Wednesday, April 10, at Mojos; Thursday, April 11, at the Indi Bar; Friday, April 12, at the White Star Hotel, Albany; Saturday, April 13, at Settlers Tavern, Margaret River, and Sunday, April 14, at Clancy’s Fish Pub, Dunsborough. SABIAN WILDE reports. Once you’ve heard Aurora Jane, it seems kind of striking that you haven’t heard her before. It’s not like we’re oversupplied with female singers who like to funk up a storm as lead guitarist in their own band, is it? Across a mish-mash of styles, she’s got the talent and the goods, so who is Aurora Jane? “I like diversity... and I’m indecisive,” Jane laughs, “So it’s a bit of this and a bit of that. We’re playing as a trio at the moment and we’ll be playing tracks from Deep End (2010) and a bunch of new tracks we’ve been writing. Sort of pop, rock, funk and fusion”. She’s not kidding. Having started playing guitar in her pre-teens, she’s soaked up a lot of music history along the way. “My early heroes were musicians like Hendrix; I still aspire to having that sort of fluidity in my playing. “I’ve been a big fan of Frusciante in recent years - I’ve been a little sad about his departure from the Chili Peppers and I think they’ve suffered a little bit, in my opinion,” she laughs.“I was a teen in the ‘90s, when there was that garage and ‘70s revival.” From all of this emerges a heady mix of tunes, predominantly on the guitar funk side of things, propelled by the super-smooth sounds of long-time collaborator, Tim Bennett, on bass. “Our new drummer Marley (Berry) is into jamming and taking things to different places,” Jane adds. “It’s even
Aurora Jane a bit psychedelic in places. “There’s lots of ‘70s influence on Deep End, a lot of really warm guitar sounds and lots of backing vocals. But now we’re playing as a trio, I really like the difference between being able to go all-out across 72 tracks in the studio and then work out how to reproduce the same feel and vibe with just three people. She also sounds genuinely pleased to be hitting our West Coast. “It hasn’t been intentional,” she laughs. “I’m kinda lazy, y’know? I take the opportunities that come to me and Canada and India, Europe, different things have called to me over the years. But we’re organising our second trip over already! We’ll be back in November!” And when she returns, she plans to bring a new album with her. “This time I’m excited to be going into the new album with the same rhythm section and doing a lot more co-creating, where I bring the song to the guys and we work it out. “I’m much more open to collaboration at the moment; I find it much more satisfying than going around in circles by myself with my guitar. I’m into the social and collective part of creating at the moment.” X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays
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X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays
THE CATHOLICS Yonder
DUTCH UNCLES Out Of Touch In The Wild
Bugle/Fuse
SUEDE Bloodsports Warner Music
There’s no denying that Suede’s first album in 11 years will not be to everyone’s taste, it’s hopelessly mired in the era in which these flashboys first made their mark - the early Britpop ‘90s. Having said that, it’s just bloody, deliciously, fucking glorious. Although guitarist Richard Oakes has always been ‘the guy who replaced Bernard Butler’, it must be said that while he continues to ply that trademarked sound, Brett Anderson and Oakes have created a musical understanding/magic on par with Morrissey and Marr, Brown and Squires or even... Anderson and Butler. Produced by maestro Ed Buller, Bloodsports roars out of the gate with Barriers, instantly epic choruses and grandiose, sweeping movements. The clarity of Anderson’s vocals throughout the album are striking, with all the pretentious drama of a musical, but somehow, it works. All the themes that made Suede great in the past are still there; a cycle of love in decay, sordid sex that’s transcendent, reigniting love in time to watch it burn again. This is one of the best comeback albums ever. Ex-Britpoppers will be fucking like bunnies to it.
SIMONE & GIRLFUNKLE Hurry, Harry
Breakaway Records
Firestarter Distribution
The Catholics are one of Australia’s seminal ensembles, comprised of some of our most outstanding jazz and contemporary musicians. This very intriguing recording brings a worldly musical texture to each track. Yonder, with its clipping 4/4 feel is soon joined by horns in unison, followed by piano accordion with a continuous snare drum theme that yonders off, only to be followed by the great standard, I Cover the Waterfront with a reggae feel (not sure about that!). A delightful composition by Sandy Evans, Emerald Green Sea, sweeps along with an assured musical direction propelled by her unique imaginative ideas. This is followed by a small and sweet little piece called Indigo that allows the trombonist and acoustic guitarist to explore its subtle harmonies before being joined by special guest, Gary Daley, on accordion. Other musicians featured include bassist Lloyd Swanton, James Greening, trombone and pocket trumpet, Fabian Hevia on percussion, Jon Pease, electric/ acoustic guitar and on drums the renowned, Hamish Stuart. The Catholics are a unique ensemble that always surprises it listeners and continues to explore its unique Australian musical roots.
Manchester quintet, Dutch Uncles, don’t sound like your typical English band. Their complex and layered approach owes more to the sophistication of Talk Talk than the clenched bunghole stance of Radiohead. Out Of Touch In The Wild is Dutch Uncles’ third and most accessible album. Dutch Uncles use the building blocks of music from the ‘80s while making Out Of Touch In The Wild a record to fit in within today’s landscape. There are plenty of synth lines to carry the songs, but it is the androgynous voice of Duncan Wallis that gives the band their mystical quality. Godboy best captures the kitchen sink approach that works so well for Dutch Uncles. There are expressive violins to go with the guitar and keyboard interplay that allow an obtuse melody to rear its head throughout. It may be an album that is meant to loosely explore the theme of friendship and addiction, although that is more likely to be a result of listening to the album while grinding your teeth on the dance floor, rather than from scouring the lyrics. Wallis’ voice isn’t without emotion, it just gets swamped in the danceable nature of Dutch Uncles. Your feet will tap in spite of themselves at this cerebral listen that doesn’t crawl too far up its own koit.
Bridget Turner is the kitsch mastermind behind glitter and glamour party band Boys Boys Boys and clearly has too many songs in her head for just the one stage. Turner joined up with Gabrielle Lammers to form the folk duo Simone & Girlfunkle, who have made a steady evolution into the sophisticated pop band who reside on the debut, Hurry, Harry. Summer Rain is the stylish type of tune that wouldn’t be out of place on Broadway and Fourth throughout its heyday. Woodwind adds texture to the faultless harmonies that are the Simone & Girlfunkle signature. The cute as a puppy cuddling a teddy bear Heart Goes Pitter Patter is in a similar vein, being just even more difficult to dislodge from the gray matter. Hurry, Harry may not capture the lighthearted nature of Simone & Girlfunkle’s live show, yet makes up for it in spades with a debut that has no weak points. Whether it be the sparse instruments and tight harmonies of Forever More, or the euphoric sing-along of Secret, there is not a wasted note. Simone & Girlfunkle may not get the plaudits they deserve as they share band members with other acts. Hurry, Harry should put paid to that as there are few debuts as accomplished and enjoyable as this.
_ HELEN MATTHEWS
_ CHRIS HAVERCROFT
_ CHRIS HAVERCROFT
_ SABIAN WILDE
THE GROWL What Would Christ Do?? Independent/MGM
On their first album, The Growl have undertaken a subterranean exploration of all that is dingy and dark. The result? An incredible, diverse debut. They’ve been cited as one of the Australian acts to watch in 2013 by NME, and have recently come to the end of their USA/Canadian tour supporting the fuzzy goodness of Tame Impala. Cam Avery, the voice you hear over the 11 tracks, also happens to be the drummer for Pond, another Impala-affiliated outfit. Songs border on the nightmarish: NIYWTLWOE, (which from the lyrics, we’re assuming stands for ‘Not If You Were The Last Woman On Earth’) opens with an ominous whistle followed by what could only be described as a walking, loose metal machine. Stuttering beats will make your ears dizzy – and it’s a good thing. Using a distorted harmonica in their cover of gospel classic John The Revelator seems like the only natural choice for The Growl. (It might also be the only song that comes close to answering the dire question in the album title.) Cleaver Lever, their first single, scored a bucketload of community radio airplay in the past and it’s easy to see why. The song oozes an industrial-flavoured cool quite unlike any other track on the album, with its screeching guitars and slimy bass. Note must be made of Avery’s voice, which suits every song to a T: scratchy and trying very earnestly to be menacing in the more powerful songs, then honest and meltingly imperfect in stripped-back tracks like Sailor’s Song. _ KATIE DAVERN
LAURA MVULA Sing To The Moon RCA/Sony
Laura Mvula could be cynically viewed as another major label attempt to cash in on radiofriendly soul in a post-Amy Winehouse pop market. And although she shares similarities with Paloma, Emeli et al, Sing To The Moon gives the impression that Mvula has much more to offer than a stifling need to make her music palatable to the masses. It’s not a bad album by any means. Honed in gospel choirs and a capella groups, Mvula’s voice is a cut above, while choral harmonies and prominent celesta and harp create a sound far more beguiling than much of the female-soul-by-numbers fare we’ve become used to. Yet in its quest to please, it feels too safe. The decision to pair Mvula with producer Steve Brown, the man behind easy-listening sensation Rumer’s first album, might have been a mistake. Take Is There Anybody Out There? Mvula is lonely; she sings, ‘Is there anybody out there? / I won’t make it out here alone’. In the hands of Jill Scott, a stated influence of Mvula, a line like that would be heartwrenching. Here, framed by sweeping strings and The Beach Boys-esque ‘bah-bah-bahs’ it’s less from the soul and more like a soliloquy in a Broadway show-tune. Mvula hints at attitude on That’s Alright, a track led by marching band brass and drums. ‘I will never be what you want and that’s alright / Cause my skin ain’t light’, sings Mvula. She needs to get down and dirty more often. Sing To The Moon announces the arrival of a huge talent, but let’s hope she takes more risks next time. _ DAVID WILD www.xpressmag.com.au
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MICHAEL FARNELL: WINNING SHOT A talent for capturing nature in all its sublime grandeur and a little help from Edith Cowan University has resulted in high accolades for photography student Michael Farnell. He’s just recently bagged the national prize in the 2013 Sony World Photography Awards for his unique and close up look at Lake Louise in Banff, Canada. Run by Sony across 23 countries from New Zealand to Brazil, Michael’s image was chosen to represent Australia and will be displayed alongside the other 22 winners at Somerset House in London from the end of April to mid May. Michael is currently in his second year of a Creative Industries Bachelor degree at ECU, majoring in Photomedia and says a Digital Photomedia unit has helped him use Photoshop to understand use of colour and contrast. He also found the Photomedia Aesthetics
and Histories unit helpful. “That unit put things into perspective and it was inspiring to learn about the history of photography,” he says. “We get a lot of hands on experience and our lecturers are all creative and have industry experience,” he adds. “They are very down to earth and make time for one on ones.” ECU’s Bachelor of Creative Industries majoring In Photomedia combines production and critical analysis of still images. Michael is hoping to start a career in sports photojournalism when he completes the three year course. Other possible photography roles include: photo editor, commercial illustrative photographer and commercial industrial photographer. For more information about studying photography at ECU visit www.reachyourpotential. com.au.
ECU student Michael Farnell’s Lake Louise
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PASSION FOR SCREEN? Murdoch University Screen Production student Zak Norris has taken out the top prize in a national short film comp with his short film Balloons. Zak’s challenge was to create a 30-60 second video showing how to stay mentally fit and healthy to celebrate 15 years of Australia’s leading online youth mental health service Reachout.com. He chose to represent a girl who finds a way to overcome lack of sleep and relationship problems and was chosen as one of 20 finalists to fly over to Reachout.com’s 15th birthday celebration, where he was awarded with first place honours by ex rocker turned politician, Peter Garrett. Now in his second year of the course at Murdoch, Zac says the unit he’s currently studying, Screen Production II, is mostly hands on. “It’s a practical based unit and is always fun,” he says. There’s a lot of content focused on how to work within the film environment - production, directing, editing, set design and so on. “The breadth of what we cover is quite amazing; it really gives you an insight on what it’s like out there.” Learning to work within a team is one of the most valuable lessons Zak says he is learning from the degree so far. “It’s obvious that filmmaking is a group orientated project, but once you start getting involved and planning bigger and better films, you really do need everyone to chip in to make something great. “There has also been a lot of theory that I have learnt that on face value, didn’t seem to have much weight to it - but I can already notice with past projects and ones I’m planning in the future that it’s vital to learn what has to been done and to start using it in your films to make you, as a film-maker, better.” In terms of advice for prospective Screen Production students, Zac says you’ll have to have a passion if you’re going to make it. “It’s a three year course so I would only recommend it to keen individuals that want to get involved in the industry. “You can go through university and get
a degree but you really have to have the passion to get to where you want to go - particularly in the film industry, because it’s ultra competitive but that shouldn’t discourage you from following your dreams.”
Zak being awarded by Peter Garrett
X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays
BRENT HILL: ACTING UP NAME & AGE:
BRENT HILL, 29
OCCUPATION
ACTOR
COURSE STUDIED WAAPA (ACTING), BA (PERFORMANCE STUDIES) MAJOR & MINOR ACTING/THEATRE/PERFORMANCE GRADUATED
2008
Since graduating from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) in 2008, Brent Hill has triumphed in an exciting career of theatre, television and musical theatre including Rock of Ages and The Producers. Working in principal roles on a national stage and winning distinguished theatre awards, Brent is set to captivate Perth audiences alongside Kim Gyngell of Col’n Carpenter fame in Perth Theatre Company’s upcoming play, A Number at the State Theatre Centre of WA from this Thursday, April 11 to 27. Tell us some of the biggest productions you’ve worked on so far? Well, a musical I composed for in 2002 was put on in Sydney in 2008 during my third year
Brent Hill and Kim Gyngell rehearsing scenes from A Number
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at WAAPA. It involved flying to Sydney for my entire, direly needed two week break and recording music with Ross Johnston from Machine Gun Fellatio. It was great; we worked in the Cross, and were anything but. The show had extreme problems trying to saunter out of the gate, but I was finishing my last year of study. After graduating I performed in some intimate shows in Sydney, one of which was The Distance From Here (by Neil LeBute) playing an extremely stoic pet store owner. From that performance I managed to land a gig doing Bell Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, which was a goal of mine, touring Australia for six months and eventually winding up at the Opera House. Total life experience, very fond memories of travelling around with a merry band of people, so great. During that I auditioned for the LA ‘80’s musical, Rock of Ages, which I somehow managed to land the role of Lonny, the narrator. Worst audition of my life, but Americans have good eyes for potential. Full on decision to commit your time to this big project, you know, you’re signing on to more than a year contract, which was quite daunting, mainly because it involved moving to Melbourne away from my girlfriend and surrogate theatre family, and that’s what I did. It was epic. It was awesome. It was eight shows a week and by the Sunday night you are ready to either curl up on the stairs or hit the town and buy people shots. After you do a show, there’s usually some post-show blues, and yeah, after the year of Rock, the party got grey for a while. And that’s ok. Then last year I got to play Leo Bloom in The Producers with The Production Company, and then finished off the year understudying Geoffrey Rush for A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum. How did the WAAPA course help you break into the acting world? We got very lucky with our year at WAAPA, because I really felt we were all on board with working as an ensemble. From that intensive experience we all learnt how to push our own strengths whilst supporting each others’ weaknesses. And carrying that generosity into the industry has been helpful, and handy to realise that not everyone has the same feeling.
WAAPA was also a great way of getting like-minded individuals together; people talk, and there have been times where I’ve heard of a show and thought “Oh Tom, would be totally great for this”, so community is important. The Acting course also finishes with a showcase, which is extremely handy in getting an agent, who in turn helps you to meet new people and open further opportunities.
What advice would you give to young, aspiring actors in Perth? Do what you love. Love what you do. And Improv, improv, improv. That’s the best muscle. Go see The Big HooHaa. And be kind to yourself.
What were the best and worst aspects of the course? The people were the best. Experienced mentors, people like Lisa Scott-Murphy who scared the shit out of you because of her forwardness, but it’s what we needed. Baby birds need a nudge. And we all deserve some tough love honesty. The hardest aspect was the commitment; draining hours, quick mental shifts for different classes, and the workload. But I wouldn’t change it for anything. What was the single most important thing you got out of the course? You meet a stranger who is a WAAPA grad and you have instant collective history of experience of a school of theory involving knowing your strengths and working up your weaknesses rather than berating you for them. An extra foot in the door. And family too. You no longer live in Perth? Is it important professionally to move interstate to pursue a career in acting? It was for me. The scene is honestly bigger over there. That’s not to say that it’s better quality. But there is more work and more theatres and cameras. Coming back has been incredible though; the Blue Room and PICA are still going strong, and the new State Theatre Centre is stunning. I once had someone say to me that there’s nothing wrong with being a big fish in a small pond, in regards to moving interstate. Their words, not mine. And I thought, “but that fish will experience no growth”. But I have friends here who have made amazing theatre; that have toured and prospered globally. So I’d say whatever works best for you is the way to go.
Former WAAPA graduate Brent Hill CHECK THIS Brent Hill A Number April 11 to 27 @ State Theatre Centre of WA
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Zombie R (Nicholas Hoult) spends his days shuffling around an airport with a few hundred others, occasionally exchanging grunts with his only ‘friend’ (Rob Corddry) and joining packs to go in search of delicious brains. When they come upon a group of young humans on one of these missions, R sets dead blue eyes on Julie (Teresa Palmer), a girl about the same age he was when he died, and manages to save her from being lunch for his undead cohort. While she can’t hear the wry, self-flagellating inner monologue that endears R to the audience from the first scene, the grunted syllables he can manage are enough to show her there’s a little humanity left in him. To complicate matters, her father (John Malkovich) is the uncompromising leader of a large human enclave he’s helped keep safe from the undead hordes. Based on Isaac Marion’s YA novel, Warm Bodies was adapted for the screen and directed by Jonathan Levine, whose previous films include cult coming-of-age indie The Wackness and 50/50. It’s clear that Levine’s drawn to stories about young people trying to find their way through intimidating and strange new worlds. “For some reason I’m very intrigued by that time in someone’s life. Things are so charged, emotionally, and everything is so intense,” he explains. “And that’s what I really like about this movie – it’s a great allegory for the emotions of becoming an adult.” R might be undead, but his role as our narrator means we’re privy to the thoughts that occupy him as he shuffles through his days, unable to remember what life was like before. “A guiding
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light for me throughout the movie was just trying to make R a regular awkward teenager, and using the zombie thing as a metaphor for that,” says Levine. “And as we got to the post process, we did more and more stuff like that, we crystallised that comparison. And the more we did that, the more it made sense. So for me, I could identify with that character quite a bit because I always felt awkward and creepy around girls. Inarticulate…” he laughs. “And the more neurotic we made him, the more his character came to life.” While technically Warm Bodies fits under the ‘young-adult paranormal romance’ umbrella, there’s none of the moony moping of Twilight here. Anyone who enjoyed Shaun Of The Dead’s pairing of hilarious one-liners and gory, stumbling spectres of death will find it a welcome addition to the rom-zom-com sub-genre. Zombies, as you might have noticed, are having a serious pop-culture revival. “It’s awesome that there’s this zombie renaissance, or whatever you want to call it,” says Levine. “Because I think they’re smart, and that the best zombie movies are better than the best vampire movies.” In preparation, he adds, he watched “Every single zombie movie I could get my hands on” – from George Romero and Lucio Fulci (Zombi 2) to Danny Boyle’s groundbreaking 28 Days Later – “because I knew that hardcore zombie fans were going to beat the shit out of me. I wanted to be very cognisant of the tropes, and to be aware of the rules even when we were violating them.” _ CAITLIN WELSH
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Northbridge O-Day
O RLY?
What’s that hoving into view on the horizon? It’s the third annual Northbridge O-Day, featuring north of a hundred things to see, do, sample, explore and collect in Perth’s most vibrant suburb. Stretching from the Piazza to the Cultural Centre, it’s a celebration of food, fashion, film, fun, art and music. It all happens Sunday, April 21, from 10am. Go to onwilliam.com.au/oday for all the news.
Car - Janine McAullay Bott
TIE ME UP! TIE ME DOWN!
Award-winning Nyoongah bush sculptor Janine McAullay Bott presents her new collection, Yudarn - a Nyoongah word meaning ‘to tie.’ Using palm fronds, grasses, reeds and twigs, she crafts a wide range of objects steeped in cultural significance and imbued with the rugged beauty of the Australian landscape. The exhibition runs at the Central Institute of The fantastic kickstART Festival rolls on unabated, Technology from Friday, April 12 to Saturday, April 20. presenting a wide range of arts activities and projects Go to artitja.com.au for more. and seminars. This weekend, you can paint your skate deck, learn the basics of circus performance or hip hop dancing and do a workshop on urban art. Scoot WAAPA jazz students are bringing out the big guns over to kickstartfestival.com.au for further info. with Mingus, Monk and Miles, a showcase of the music of three of the biggest names in the history of the genre. Charles Mingus, Thelonious Monk and Mad About You: 40 Years Of Fremantle Arts Centre kicks Miles Davis are renowned the world over, and this off this Friday, April 12. Celebrating the Fremantle is a rare chance to hear their music played by some Arts Centre’s rich heritage as a community hub, art of the finest young performers Perth has produced. venue and all around cool place, it will be opened It runs at Mt Lawley’s Geoff Gibbs Theatre from by the mayor of Fremantle, Dr Brad Pettitt, and Ian Wednesday, April 10 until Friday, April 12. Head to Templeman, the FAC’s founding director. Three waapa.ecu.edu.au for tickets. exhibitions are opening at the centre featuring sculpture, assemblage and other three-dimensional work and musical entertainment comes courtesy of The Zydecats, with special guest Novac Bull of Boom! Bap! Pow! and DJ Chad Big Ear. Go to fac.org.au for more.
KICK IN THE EYE
ALL THAT JAZZ
MAD FOR IT
THE BOOK OF REVELATION
The annual Revelation Film Festival is rapidly approaching, and so are the deadlines to be part of the most anticipated event on the Perth film community’s calendar. Entries for the Revel8 Super 8 Competition, wherein contestants must make a silent film on a single three and a half minute Super 8 cartridge on the theme of ‘phobia,’ close Friday, May 17, while submissions for the RevCon academic stream close Friday, May 1. Point your browser at revelationfilmfest.org for more information.
WAAPA Jazz Students
Warm Bodies
WARM BODIES
Loving You Is Like Living The Dead Directed by Jonathan Levine Starring Nicholas Hoult, Teresa Palmer, John Malkovich, Rod Corddry, Analeigh Tipton, Dave Franco Romeo And Juliet smacks up against George Romero’s Dead series - pretty much literally - in this horror comedy that, while not 100 per cent successful, manages to exhume some fresh material out of what was a largely played out and overexposed genre. R (up and comer Nicholas Hoult, recently seen in Jack The Giant Slayer) has issues. He’s emotionally disconnected, alienated from those around him, lonely and disaffected. He’s also a flesh-eating zombie, surrounded by hordes of similar, compelled to devour the living. When a scavenging party of live humans encroach on the airport that R and his dead mates call home, the hordes do what hordes do. Things get shaken up, though, when R sees Julie (Australian actor Teresa Palmer) and feels...something. R rescues her from his fellow zombies, pausing just long enough to snack on the brains of her boyfriend, Perry (Dave Franco). R’s nascent relationship with Julie, bolstered by the fact that, having gnawed on Perry’s cerebellum, he has access to the dead man’s memories of Julie, causes him to begin to regain some semblance of humanity, but at some point the pair will have to deal with Julie’s father, Colonel Grigio (John Malkovich), leader of the human enclave and a
man with a serious dislike of the undead. When was the last time we got a zombie movie that could accurately be described as charming? Sure, narratively it’s just a riff on Romeo And Juliet - there’s even a pretty on-the-nose balcony scene late in the proceedings - but writer and director Jonathan Levine keeps things moving along at a steady pace, and the central duo have enough charisma to make their romance seem sincere without crossing over to mawkishness. It’s Hoult’s performance that really anchors the film. The decision to tell much of the story from R’s point of view was a smart one, and his inner monologue, full of self-doubt and misgivings as he clumsily attempts to woo Julie while being able to do little more than grunt and moan, makes explicit the film’s central conceit of zombie-ism as a metaphor for emotional alienation. As for Palmer, after a number of false starts - Bedtime Stories and I Am Number Four were execrable - she finally gets a chance to shine. It’s also consistently funny. Hoult proves to have a gift for nuanced physical comedy, while Rob Corrdry, who shows up as R’s sympathetic zombie buddy, M, is a standout - hardly surprising, given his experience in the likes of The Daily Show. However, it’s not perfect; the so-called ‘Bonies,’ predatory and merciless skeletal zombies, are rendered in CGI that looks like it came straight out of the ‘90s, and nothing that comes after the film’s bravura opening sequence matches it in terms of dark humour and intelligence. These flaws are minor, though, and ultimately Warm Bodies is a fun film you can really sink your teeth into. _ TRAVIS JOHNSON
Kon Tiki Busking Olympics (Photo by Johannes Reinhart)
BUSKING OLYMPICS The city’s finest buskers will do battle this week in the Busking Olympics, as part of the City of Perth’s Innovation Month. Heats will be held on Thursday, April 11 and Friday, April 12 from 7pm on the Northbridge Piazza, with the Grand Final happening in the same place on Saturday, April 12 from 7pm. Buskers are a vital part of Perth’s music and cultural wellbeing. From Freo to the city and back again, there’s always a talented singer with a guitar slung over their shoulder or someone who can do painful-looking acrobatic routines ready to wow the crowd with their talent – and this week, they’re getting the spotlight. The Busking Olympics won’t have any cycling or swimming competitions, but it will have musicians, dancers, comedians and circus performers from all around the city, coming together to compete for the title of Perth’s top busker. Over three cracking nights in Northbridge, twelve individual and group competitors will show off their skills to the public and a series of illustrious music and arts industry personalities, who will critique the performances. The noble industry judges will whittle down the contenders to just six acts for the Saturday Grand Final event, and in true busking tradition, the audience will decide on the winners through a voteby-coupons system. X-Press spoke to one of the industry judges, Brow Horn Orchestra frontman Nic Owen, ahead of the event. Like many Perth musos, Owen 22
started out trying his luck as a busker, and believes that it is a very important part of the city’s cultural scene: “I think it’s a really great way to bring people closer to live music who may only encounter it once in a blue moon at a stadium show for their favourite rock band or pre-packaged pop star, but never get to experience the real intimate level music can bring. It also breathes a bit of soul back into our consumerist ideologies and gives a bit more purpose to our shopping precincts.” The buskers will fall into many different categories and genres, but Owen explains that no matter what kind of performer a competitor is, he’ll be looking for individuality. “If you’ve ever wandered down a street filled with buskers, you’ll know that for every amazing artist playing, there’ll be another couple of dudes and their fecking guitars poorly singing Wonderwall. I’ll be looking for performers who would really stop me in the street, capture my heart and soul for a brief moment, and bring something new and interesting to the table.” The gold, silver and bronze winners of the Busking Olympics will not only receive bragging rights and kudos from some of Perth’s industry elites, but will share in some major prizes, including sound gear, guitars and professional show-reel video recordings. Get on down to the Northbridge Piazza this week to check out some of our city’s finest street performers and be part of the musical democracy at the Busking Olympics! _ CHLOE PAPAS
KON TIKI
Out Of The Blue Directed by Joachim Ronning and Espen Sandberg Starring Pal Sverre Hagen, Anders Baasmo Christiansen, Gustaf Skarsgard, Odd Magnus Williamson, Tobias Santelmann, Jakob Oftebro, Agnes Kittelsen Thor Heyerdahl’s legendary quest to prove that Polynesia could have been settled by ancient explorers from Peru is handsomely recreated in this lavish Norwegian film. The story should be familiar to everyone, but just in case: in 1947, ethnographer Thor Heyerdahl (Pal Sverre Haghen) and a small crew sailed a balsawood raft a distance of almost 7,000 kilometres over the course of 101 days in order to bolster his theories that pre-medieval cultures were adept at navigating the open sea. It’s one of the most well known exploratory expeditions of the 20th century, and Heyerdahl himself chronicled the events in both his book, The Kon-Tiki Expedition: By Raft Across The South Seas and his Academy Awardwinning documentary, Kon-Tiki. It was perhaps inevitable that we’d get a big, glossy, romantic movie adaptation at some point, and co-directors Joachim Ronning and Espen Sandberg (who were responsible for, amongst other things, the Selma Hayek/Penelope Cruz western vehicle, Bandidas) go out of their way to play up the mythic elements of the story. Pal Sverre Haghen, who looks like a kind of Norse Ryan Gosling, makes for an engaging but
enigmatic protagonist, effortlessly projecting Heyerdahl’s charisma and singularity of purpose. Most of the cast are largely unknown to Englishspeaking audiences - you might recognise Gustaf Skarsgard from the Peter Weir-directed The Way Back, but it’s doubtful - but they all handle themselves well. Anders Baasmo Christiansen, in particular, stands out as Herman Watzinger, the refrigerator salesman turned seafaring adventurer, who makes a nice contrast from Hayerdahl’s crew of seasoned explorers and war heroes. But the real stars here are the cinematography and production design. Kon Tiki is, at the time of writing, the most expensive Norwegian film ever made, and it shows. Filming took place in Norway, Bulgaria, Malta, Thailand, The Maldives, New York and more, lending the proceedings a truly epic sense of scope. They also shot the scenes on the actual Kon-Tiki out on open water, a daring but effective approach that adds to the film’s verisimilitude in ways that filming in a tank could never match. But for all the spectacle on display endless blue vistas, a cruising whale shark, some truly intense close encounters with inquisitive and hungry great white sharks - it’s the sense of adventure at the heart of the film that keeps the viewer hooked, and indeed helps to paper over some of the cracks when the film threatens to become too earnest, it’s hero too unflappable. At points the whole thing drifts awfully close to hagiography, but when the achievements being recounted are so monumental, perhaps a little hero worship is understandable. _ TRAVIS JOHNSON X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays
Robert Connolly
ROBERT CONNOLLY Hack And Backslash
A special event screening of Underground: The Julian Assange Story comes to Luna Leederville on Friday, April 12. Director Robert Connolly talks about the Wikileaks founder’s past and the film’s innovative distribution model. Robert Connolly has been making smart and exciting political thrillers his specialty for the past decade. With his new film he not only continues his exploration of the genre, he brings to the screen the origin story of one of the world’s most intriguing figures. “I remember that time, an era where young people were politicised by various factors and I pondered what made the man, where did he come from? I think it’s a story that is very relevant today,” says Connolly, describing what attracted him to the project. “But then also I have a kind of nerdy interest in all of that technology, you know, 10 years before the World Wide Web.” Based on the novel Underground: Tales Of Hacking, Madness And Obsession On The Electronic Frontier by Suelette Dreyfus, Connolly’s film recreates the hacking sub-culture of Melbourne in the late ‘80s - a world inhabited by Assange and his friends. “When we started doing the film people came out of the woodwork, people who were hacking at the time, who used bulletin boards. They were the mechanism by which these young guys shared their information and got access to bigger and better computers.”
When developing the character of Assange, Connolly took an ambiguous approach. “My politics are such that I’m a huge supporter and believer in Wikileaks, but I didn’t want to make something that was like a hagiography. I wanted to make it so that it was kind of an invitation to the viewer to make up their own mind and I think the best dramas do that.” This ambiguity would be moot without the right person in the role, and Connolly found that in WAAPA graduate, Alex Williams. “Trying to find someone intelligent to play that role, someone who you could believe could create Wikileaks, I’m really proud of what he did. Someone said to me that he was lucky to get that job straight out of acting school and I said no, we were lucky to find him.” An interesting aspect to the film is its distribution method. It was broadcast on television before any theatrical release. This, Connolly says, was intentional. “It’s a new initiative that I’ve created called Cinema Plus, and what we do is say that coming to the cinema is an event, so rather than having six sessions a day, seven days a week, we have these events around the country. “For the screening in Perth, Alex Williams is going to be there and Christine Assange is going to be there chatting to people after. We did finish a disc with some of the screenplay, some of the music, some of the book, so we give away stuff to people who come. Part of the whole idea is kind of ramping up the experience of what it is to go to the cinema. So it doesn’t matter if you’ve seen it on TV or not, it’s a pretty cool night.” _ LIAM DUNN
First Position
FIRST POSITION Dance Magic
Directed by Bess Kargman Starring Aran Bell, Rebecca Houseknecht, Joan Sebastian Zamora, Miko Fogarty, Jules Jarvis Fogarty, Michaela DePrince This sprawling but energetic documentary follows the fortunes of six young ballet dancers from disparate backgrounds as they prepare for Youth American Grand Prix, a New York-based dance competition in which they hope to win scholarships at leading dance companies and schools. For director Bess Kargman, the film was the culmination of a lifelong involvement with the world of ballet. “I danced growing up, as a kid,” she reminisces. “Not professionally, but ballet when I was young was very important to me. I always felt that this was a film that hadn’t existed yet, and I really wanted it to. In a way, I got tired of waiting for someone else to create it. And I don’t mean a competition film, because I never competed when I was a dancer - it didn’t appeal to me at all. I mean a film that really takes you behind the scenes of the ballet world and shows you the honest, truthful portrayal of how diverse and interesting the ballet world is.” That diversity is reflected in the range of children her film examines. There’s Michaela, an orphan from Sierra Leone adopted by an American couple; Rebecca, a Barbie-like high school princess; Joan Sebastian Zamora, who has left behind his family in Colombia to pursue professional dance in New York City; and more. www.xpressmag.com.au
“You can be a jock and be a dancer,”Kargman tells us. “You can come from anywhere in the world - I just thought the ballet world was so much more complex than people realise and that, for me, the story’s really about a diverse group of kids that all happen to come together at this competition.” Selecting the subjects for the film was a challenge, she admits. “I had a very specific vision in mind, so I put together a list of what I was looking for. I wanted someone from Latin America, because they have amazing dancers. I knew I wanted siblings, because I thought that would be really exciting. I wanted a diverse age range; I wanted to show how the stakes differ between 18-19 year-olds and 9-10 year-olds. My background is journalism, and so I went about it like a reporter, really the old fashioned style of reporting finding your subjects. Most importantly, I wanted kids with interesting stories so that, even if they didn’t do well at the competition, you were still really rooting for them, and kind of in a way fell in love with them.” Indeed, that’s what provides the emotional heart and dramatic tension in the film. Despite the winning personality and ambition that each competitor shows, we know, as viewers, that not all of them are going to make it out of the Grand Prix with a prize in hand. Though Kargman’s film is a celebration of ballet culture, it doesn’t shy away from demonstrating the sometimes painful sacrifices and incredible discipline required to flourish, nor from the slim chances of success that even the most dedicated dancers have. It’s this, more than anything else, that makes First Position worth catching, even for those unfamiliar with the milieu it explores. _ TRAVIS JOHNSON
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The Agony,The Ecstasy and i:The Blue Room Theatre This debut offering from fresh-faced dance theatre outfit Toyi-Toyi Theatre inaugurates The Blue room Theatre’s new performance season. This provocative piece by Laura Hopwood and Tarryn Runkle, partly inspired by Mike Daisey’s now largely debunked monologue, The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs, examines our relationship with technology, consumerism and ethics. The season runs from April 16 - May 4. Go to blueroom.org.au for session times and tickets.
MUSIC
Barry Humphries Weimar Cabaret, Perth Concert Hall Performance May 8. Tickets via aco.com.au
FESTIVALS FolkWorld Fairbridge Festival: Fairbridge Village A friendly celebration of folk, roots, blues, acoustic, Celtic, a capella and world music in a traffic-free, selfcontained bushland site at Fairbridge Village. Three days of the best folk music that Australia and the world has to offer, including Kristina Olsen, Tinpan Orange, and Pugsley Buzzard. It runs Apr 26 - 28. Bookings through folkworldfestival.com.au
Perth International Comedy Festival: numerous locations across Perth Encompassing over 50 acts and 150 performances over 19 days, the 2013 Perth International Comedy Festival brings together the world’s top comic talent for a concentrated blast off laughs. Guests this year include 30 Rock’s Tracy Morgan, Margaret Flippin’ Pictures: A Symphonic Jazz Oddyssey, Cho, Jim Jefferies, Stephen K. Amos, and The The Astor Wayans Brothers. It runs May 1 - 19. Head to Performance April 21.Tickets via showticketing.com.au perthcomedyfest.com.au for details. WASO: Tchaikovsky and Brahms Performance April 12 at the Government House Ballroom and April 14 at the Fremantle Town Hall. Tickets via waso.com.au
Death of a Salesman: The Heath Ledger Centre Perhaps the greatest American play of the 20th century, Arthur Miller’s sobering Death of a Salesman is a perennial favourite amongst theatre aficionados. This version by The Black Swan State Theatre Company stars Austin Castiglione, Adrianne Daff, Luke Hewitt and Eden Falk. It runs May 8 - 19. Go to bsstc.com.au for tickets and session times.
Valerian - Cherry Hood 10 Years: 30 Residencies: Turner Galleries, Northbridge A massive group exhibition celebrating a full decade Turner’s Art Angels sponsored residencies. Featuring works by Annette Bezor, Stephen Eastaugh, Alasdair McLuckie, Cherry Hood, Lisa Roet and more. Runs until Saturday, April 13.
VISUAL ARTS 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 extraordinary photography collection celebrates the city in all its vitality, ambition and beauty. Made by approximately 90 artists responding to the city as well as professionals on assignment, including Henri Cartier-Bresson, Walker Evans, Lewis Hine, Helen Levitt, Cindy Sherman, Alfred Stieglitz, and Weegee. Runs until May 12.
Drawn From Sound: Spectrum Project Space A collection of artworks drawn from musical notation, curated by Cat Hope. It runs until April 12. David Bromley - Every Day A Sunday: Jahroc Galleries, Margaret River An exhibition by internationally acclaimed artist David Bromley which includes works across a variety of media, including paper, canvas, textile, bronze and surfboards. This is a rare opportunity to view a collection by an artist whose efforts have been lauded on the world stage. It runs until April 27.
From War to Remembrance - A Living History of the RSL: The State Library of WA An exhibition on the history, goals and activities Made To Remember: Art Gallery Of WA, of the RSL in Western Australia, encompassing art installations, interactive displays, archival Northbridge and objects, film screenings and guest Made To Remember is a beautifully considered photographs speakers. It runs from April 20 - June 30. display of significant Indigenous objects from the State Art Collection. With a diverse selection of works including glass and ceramic objects, textiles and clothing, as well as examples of traditional sculpture, Made to Remember encourages dialogue about the place of an object not only in Indigenous art and culture, but in the broader Australian context. Bell Shakespeare’s Henry 4:The Heath Ledger Centre John Bell directs, adapts, and essays the iconic role of Runs until Jun 30. Falstaff in this new production of William Shakespeare’s Wendy Sharpe - Artist and Model: Buratti Fine rousing tale of court intrigue, adventure, rebellion and familial conflict. Bell aims to recapture the Arts, Fremantle bawdy, dramatic atmosphere of Elizabethan theatre A selection of works by the Australian painter for a modern audience. It runs until April 13. Go to Wendy Sharpe. Runs until Apr 18. statetheatrecentrewa.com.au for more.
THEATRE/DANCE/ PERFORMANCE
Year 12 Perspectives: Art Gallery of WA, Northbridge An exhibition of works from the best, brightest, and most creative graduating high school artists in the state. Runs until June 30.
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Freefall - Gravity and Other Myths: The Mandurah Performing Arts Centre South Australia’s leading circus and physical theatre company performs for two shows only on April 13. Go to manpac.com.au for info and tickets.
Death of A Salesman
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EARGASMS www.xpressmag.com.au
Plump DJS were at the forefront of Finger Lickin’ Records’ foray into nu skool breaks throughout the naughties. JO CAMPBELL catches up with one half of the DJ/ production duo to discuss how they’re still keeping themselves relevant ahead of their four deck live show at Villa. Andy Gardner and Lee Rous are on their way to play Miami’s Ultra Music Festival as I call Rous’s mobile. They’re waiting for their luggage at Miami airport’s baggage carousel, having just moments before disembarked their flight from London. Rous is thinking about finding a bar as they wait to be chauffeured to their hotel. Plumps might not be playing the main stage at the event, but they’ve been invited back for the second year in a row and have a string of side shows lined up - not bad for a duo that have historically been known for championing a sound that isn’t a popular as it once was.
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Good times inside Ambar Plump DJs After releasing their first album A Plump Night Out in 2000, the two went on to smash it in the field of breaks, putting out more than 200 releases and spearheading the move to define the genre on now defunct Finger Lickin’ Records, along with label mates Krafty Kuts and Stanton Warriors. In a move to keep producing ever-evolving beats, they’ve set up their own imprint Grand Hotel Records, having recently released their first LP, The Dirty Weekend mix album, which received Mixmag’s accolade of album of the month, along with a string of hard hitting singles. Listen to Plump DJs now and you’ll hear elements of dubstep, electro and bass, along with their mainstay breaks. These guys are in no way breaks purists. “We stopped thinking in a genre-specific way some time ago,” explains Rous. “The genre of breakbeat is obviously where we found our feet and Finger Lickin’ was the label for funky breaks. So people like A Skills, Krafty Kuts, Stanton Warriors and ourselves are still making breakbeat records but we’ve experimented more with other genres. “Now we’re experimenting with defining a genre that doesn’t even exist yet, which we’re just calling ‘Plump Music’ for the moment. We’ve always liked to have a free reign on what we make and never be too genre specific.” 2012 marked the release of their smash club single Gobbstopper, showing a return to form. Their single Hammerhouse recently came out, with more on the way - the result of hours of lockdown spent in their Soho studio over the UK’s winter season. “I think this is the most forward thinking record we’ve done lately,” Rous says of Hammerhouse. “We’ve just done three more; we’ve been working really hard in the studio. They’re all similar in the fact
that they’re not similar at all; they’re all pushing in different directions.” The Dirty Weekend LP features 25 tracks with collaborators and protégés, a showcase of the Grand Hotel Records imprint, including tracks from up and comers Bonsai Kat and Submo, recently signed by the duo. “We’re lucky that in London we have a big melting pot of music and can draw on a lot of influences and there’s a lot of good energy for creating because of its inadequacies - the weather is bad and you know, we put that energy into other things. So it’s a great place to pick up new music from new artists,” says Rous. “We became really enthused with loads of acts and wanted to get work with some new people and because we have the label we have the freedom to put what we want on it and look at who’s inspiring you and see if you can work with them.” In terms of the Plump’s much loved live show, Rous says that the two have developed a certain amount of clairvoyance after so may years sharing the decks. “We are very much in tune,” he says. “From our late teenage years we’ve been playing records together at home and at parties and after making music together for years and years and years we have got a bit of ESP. “I do the odd solo gig now and again but it’s so much more fun being in the duo. We’ve got a bit of presence up there, even though we’re getting on a bit. We’re still making relevant music. So we’re pretty proud.”
» PLUMPS DJS » FRIDAY, APRIL 19 @ VILLA
HELP KEEP AMBAR ALIVE
After years putting on quality parties at their current Murray Street location, the Ambar Niteclub crew are being moved on due to a planned redevelopment. They have a Barrack Street location in mind, but need help to convince the authorities that it’s a good idea. Head to https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ keepambaralive to answer six super short survey questions. Two minutes of your time vs no Ambar = no brainer.
Tommy Trash
TRASHY BUT INFLUENTIAL
Party-hard DJ/producer Tommy Trash is returning to home turf for a headline that will bring him to Villa this June. After being voted as being the Most Influential Person in Australian Dance Music by Inthemix, Tommy has worked with some big names, including Swedish House Mafia, Steve Aoki, Tiësto, Sebastian Ingrosso, A-Trak, Digitalism and deadmau5 and was last year nominated for a Grammy. Check him at Villa on Sunday, June 2.
Empire of the Sun
LIVIN’ FOR THE EMPIRE
Masters of dreamy electro, Empire of the Sun, are about to release the first single from their new album, Ice On The Dunes. Alive will be available from next Tuesday, April 16 on iTunes. Made up of former Perth muso Luke Steele from The Sleepy Jackson and Pnau’s Nick Littlemore, Empire of the Sun came to fame in 2008 with their Walking On A Dream LP and we’re expecting similar amounts of genius from this, their second album. Visit www.empireofthesun.com to view Alive’s motion poster, crafted in the finest of Empire of the Sun’s post-apocalyptic psychedelic imagery.
Linda Marigliano
ROOFTOP DJS
The Aviary is once again putting on its free Sunday DJ rooftop sessions. On Sunday, April 28 from 4pm triple j’s Linda Marigliano will be joined by locals Tim Ayre, Clunk and Electonic DJs. As a DJ, Marigliano has played clubs throughout Australia and plays everything from indie, techno, disco, new wave, Bollywood anthems and hip hop. Great way to soak up a Sunday arvo.
FINATIK ‘N’ ZAC BATTLING NO MORE BONOBO THE NORTH BORDERS NINJA TUNE/INERTIA
Taking his name from the promiscuous little monkey, producer, multi-instrumentalist and DJ Simon Green aka Bonobo has truly come into his own. Three years after his breakthrough release, the incredible Black Sands, he returns with his fifth LP (fourth on the Ninja Tune label), consolidating his place at the forefront of the wave of post-dubstep producers, alongside Four Tet, Cinematic Orchestra and Caribou. He incorporates down tempo beats, trip hop, jazz, house and garage. It’s chilled, but not boring - accessible, but still leftfield and electronic, yet undeniably organic and lush with live instrumentation. The string soaked strains of opener First Fires featuring Grey Reverend, sets the tone. Bonobo has always used vocals to great effect in his music. While the gorgeous voice of Andreya Triana, featured on Black Sands, is absent - he’s mixed it up a bit, featuring a variety of vocalists, including the amazing Erykah Badu on the glitchy, sublime Heaven For The Sinner. The sweet sounds of Szjerdene feature on two tracks and Swedish songstress Cornelia croons on closer Pieces. But the highlights are the incredible instrumental pieces. In the live incarnation, Green plays bass – and this groove is the foundation of his tracks. Emkay uses a blissed out, syncopated beat and Cirrus, starts with minimal percussion and builds into a driving bass stormer. Sapphire is an intoxicating blend of breakbeat, smooth bassline and gentle harp plucks, and the laidback groove of Ten Tigers is overset with the clicky beat of a sampled typewriter. Green is at the peak of his powers, producing deep, orchestrated, complex music with effortless cool.
» ALFRED GORMAN
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Michael Mule and Isaac Deboni are no strangers to the spotlight, both having cracked the Perth DJ and beat making scene in their teenage years. JO CAMPBELL caught up with this former Perth production powerhouse about their move to Miami and their recent work on A$AP Rocky’s latest long player. Dining with Beyonce in the Hamptons is just one of the many perks former local hip hop beat making duo Finatik ‘n’ Zac are soaking up since being signed to a Miami based record label as in-house producers. Enlisted to super producer Jim Jonsin’s Rebel Rock Entertainment five years ago, Michael ‘Finatik’ Mule and Isaac ‘Zac’ Deboni have coproduced on tracks with celebrity royalty such as Beyonce, 2 Chainz, Yelawolf and Ludacris but their most recent writing and arrangement credit appears on the recently released title track on A$AP Rocky’s album Long Live A$AP. The album debuted at #1 on the Hot 100 billboard chart for three weeks and the single has been performed live on David Letterman, so one could be forgiven for asking if the two are living it up mansion and fast car styles. “My car is fast but not as fast I’d like it to be,” jests Mule. “It’s been a long road to get here since DJing in Perth at Metros and Capitol and places like that and then moving into production and moving over here - it’s been a long process. But over the last year and a half, everything is coming together and is really taking off.” Mule, who was something of a child prodigy, smashing the DMC comp at just age 15, coming in just one place away from the world finals, shifted his gaze from the decks to Fruity Loops in his mid teens, teaming up with Deboni in the studio about eight years ago, when they were just teenagers. “It turns out that where I lack, he picks up from and vice versa,” explains Mule. “He’s really good on keys and playing chords and melodies. I’m more into sampling and programming and ideas to do with that. We kind of meet together half way to produce our sound.” Their big break presented itself in the form of Jim Jonsin, who, impressed by their skills,
Finatik ‘n’ Zac with A$AP Rocky invited the two to make the big move to Florida to join his newly set up label. “Jim is a crazy man,” Deboni explains of Jonsin’s leap of faith in taking them on. “He’s super ADD. That’s just how he rolls - he thinks about ten things at once and that’s the way he makes decisions. “He believes in us and he always says that he invests in people. When he met us, at the time, we thought our beats were the shit. They were good but, looking back they weren’t crazy and he knew that they weren’t the best beats in the world but he invested in us. “He liked us and could see we had a good work ethic and weren’t some crazy kids running about causing a ruckus and saw we had potential to grow.” “One of the biggest things we learnt from him when we came over from Perth was to keep things really simple,” adds Mule.“To open the vocals, depending on the type of track, to dumb it down a little bit. And we try to incorporate that into our tracks.” A bottle of Ciroc vodka and an organic, improvised approach was behind the creation of the A$AP track the pair worked on, put together in just one studio sitting. “He (A$AP) had a vision of how he wanted the track to sound and where he wanted it to go,” says Mule. “We were already fans of his music and
had his previous mixtape and kind of knew what direction he wanted to go in. Then when he came in, he kind of flipped because we had a bunch of beats planned and we played him a whole bunch of tracks and he was like: ‘yeah, they’re cool, but I’d rather make it up on the spot.’ The proceeding session resulted in the production of a hook for the track with up-andcoming Perth vocalist Kučka providing the sample. “We’ve been using her vocals for samples on tracks for a while and then for this session I happened to pull up an acapella from a song she’d sent us,” explains Mule. “We chopped one of the notes from that and pitched it on the drum machine and incorporated that into the beats around the verses. “We also got her to sing backing vocals behind him (A$AP). And that’s the sort of style we usually use on our tracks.” Looking ahead, Finatik N Zac have a plan to create their own brand by playing their tracks live and setting up their own label, but for now they’re happy to continue on their behind the scenes journey representing Perth. “You know, we’re out here and our aim is to take over the game and be these two Aussie guys that just kill it. We want to come back home with a whole bunch of success and a whole lot of stories,” says Deboni. X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays
SARAH PELLICANO WARRIOR’S VOICE
Perth singer songwriter Sarah Pellicano has seemingly come from nowhere, piquing the interest of UK breaks masters, Stanton Warriors, after posting an acoustic version of their track Still Here on YouTube. She speaks with TOM KITSON ahead of her gig supporting Dialectrix & Chasm this Friday. Sarah Pellicano is just beginning to make waves in the Perth scene as she goes with the flow, refusing to limit her vocal and instrumental talents to any one genre. She’s been gigging locally for a while now, both solo and as part of hip hop and drum’n’bass projects such as Lo & Behold, Creed Birch & Rob Shaker and The Stoops. Take a look at her clips online and you’ll notice a flair for performance and an originality. What you hear is instantly astounding. Her vocal range alone is a pleasure to listen to, and her voice has a unique, soulful flow reminiscent of a Missy Higgins or even a James Blake. The modest Pellicano acknowledges that “it’s pretty cool” to be noticed and approached by Stanton Warriors, two of her musical heroes, to collaborate on a track. When they came to Perth over Easter to play Villa, Pellicano was at the gig for a meet and greet with the duo.“I got to meet Dom (Domenic Butler), which was really exciting,” she says. “They were keen to work with me on a track, so I’m just going to hit them up and send them some beats.” The laidback personality she exudes does well to hide any effects of her seemingly exhaustive schedule, with so many collaborations, projects and gigs taking up all of her time. “I’ve got my solo project and a band for that, I got into hip hop through Creed Birch & Rob Shaker, I’ve collaborated with Bitter Belief and I sing for The Stoops,” she says. “Me, Creed and Nat from The Stoops have started a band called Lo & Behold, and I’m working with a drum ‘n’ bass producer from Perth called Nebula and another producer called Dementia from Germany, which might lead to signing with a UK label. “I predominantly want to be a vocalist, but at the minute I’m really trying to make a name for myself
Sarah Pellicano doing so many things, which is pretty exhausting,” she says. Pellicano usually opts for her face to be partly obscured in press photos, hinting at a shyness that contrasts with her emotive singing style. She says finding confidence in herself was the key to throwing herself into music head first. She is reaping the rewards already. “I realised my diversity in music like how I can write and what I can write for, and had a little bit more confidence in myself,” she says. For her slot supporting New South Welshman and Aussie hip hop star Dialectrix at Mojo’s this Friday, she’s focusing on bringing an electronic vibe. “Creed has produced the beats for me for this set, and I’ll start with mostly electronic stuff. The second part will be a hip hop showcase of the stuff I’ve written with Creed and Nat,” she says. “This set is something different with me singing with a DJ, and I play one song on the iPad. I usually do acoustic and keys, so I’ve got my hand in every pot.” Pellicano is currently finalising a solo three track release with music videos for May 24, with the launch to be held at Tiger Tiger. The determined musician also has plans to tour the Eastern states later in the year with her hip hop acts and hopes to get to Europe with her drum’n’bass material in the near future, bringing her talents to the international stage.
» SARAH PELLICANO WITH » DIALECTRIX & CHASM » FRIDAY, APRIL 12 @ MOJOS
YACHT CLUB DJS MASHED UP ON A BOAT
Melbourne duo Yacht Club DJs consists of Gareth Harrison and Guy Chappell. JO CAMPBELL asks Gaz a few questions ahead of their two gigs this weekend. What do you play? Yacht Club doesn’t have a specific genre; that was kind of the point when we started. We wanted to make mixtapes and throw parties where people would just come and have fun to music in general and not just hear whatever was fashionable at the time. It definitely makes it more interesting and challenging for us too. I think that’s why our online mixtapes have been so popular; it’s like a game of musical trivia that you can party to! We were labelled as ‘mashup DJs’ for a long time, but didn’t see that as entirely true - we do play mashups in our sets, and we like making them, but truthfully they only make up a small part of what we do. Why the nautical name? When Guy first pitched the idea to me, he wanted us to perform from laptops and be called the Lap Dancers. I’m a bit less strict on the idea now but at the time, as someone who had toured all over the world with crates of vinyl, I wasn’t going to go against my roots so easily. So I suggested Yacht Club as a name, because it was his name on MySpace at the time, and that he used a laptop and I DJd normally as a kind of juxtaposition. Your first gig? Our first gig was actually a support slot for Grant Smillie in Ballarat. It definitely wasn’t meant to be our first though. I was booked by myself to play some commercial breaks and electro stuff, but I had well and truly had enough of playing that kind of music by then. At the same time, Guy and I had been working real hard on making our first Yacht Club mix so I said, ‘Hey I know you’ve never DJ’d before but let’s turn this into a Yacht Club show’. So we plugged his laptop into the mixer with a headphone cable and sort of made it work. We had some friends come with us and dance onstage to try and make it go off. But it ended up being a whole room of really unimpressed club heads staring at four indie kids www.xpressmag.com.au
Yacht Club DJs jumping around like lunatics. No one danced except us; it was super funny. I never got any high profile solo supports ever again. But it kind of worked out so I’m cool with that. Worst gig? There have been a few train wrecks. The sound cut out really bad at a gig in Mackay, but people still seemed to get into it. Really early on in our career, some jerk turned the front of house down at a gig and left the monitors cranked so we were just dancing in the DJ box by ourselves for a while before we noticed the club couldn’t hear our music, then the same guy tried to fight us. That has to be up there too! We always try to party our way out of bad situations though. Believe me, it works most of the time too! Best gig? So hard to say! There have been a lot of highlights and saying one was better than the other is impossible. The highlight that we owe the most to is playing Meredith Music Festival for the first time. We were literally starving club rats in Melbourne and were a pretty niche act on the indie party scene. Meredith’s bookers saw what we were up to, dug it and gave us the gig and spot of a lifetime. Saturday night after MGMT (who thankfully, sucked that night), we literally owe our whole career to how well that show went down. Nearly every subsequent show since has had something to do with it. I never ever thought I’d get to play Meredith either, now we’ve done it three times!
» YACHT CLUB DJS » FRIDAY, APRIL 12 @ AMPLIFIER BAR » SUNDAY, APRIL 14 @ SETS ON THE BEACH 29
AMPLIFIER/ CAPITOL
WEDNESDAY 10/04 Bar Orient – DJ Ben Renna Beat Nightclub (Downstairs) – SWAG Boulevard Tavern – Wub Wub Wednesday Capitol – Harlem Wednesdays ft Genga/Benny P Captain Stirling – Fiveo Club Red Sea – Cheek Connections - LMW Flying Scotsman – DJ Armee Geisha Bar – Roulette ft Beta/ Poseidon/Matty D B2B Fonz/ Leech Llama Bar – Akuna Club ft Willow Beats Mustang Bar – DJ Giles Niche Bar – Juicy ft Frankie Button Newport Hotel – Tom Drummond/Angry Buda Rosemount Hotel – DJ Anton Maz Sovereign Arms – Lokie Shaw The Court – Wicked Wednesday The Grand Central – DJ ANG3L
THURSDAY 11/04 Boulevard Tavern – 151 Thursdays Old Skool R&B Brass Monkey – Vicktor/James Ess/Green George Capitol - Retro Mash Capitol (Upstairs) – I Love ‘90s
FREQSHOW
Connections – BINGAY & POP! ft BarbieQ/Hannah & Maude Devilles Pad – Rock N Roll Karaoke Eve Nightclub – Retro Thursdays DJ Crazy Craig Flying Scotsman –Gidget Duck/Muldoon Wing Lakers Tavern – Grizzly & Friends Leisure Inn – DJ Peta Lost Society – Burger Malt Supper Club – Kabaret Thursdays Mullaloo Beach Hotel - DJ John Paul/ DJ Slick Mustang Bar – DJ James MacArthur Paramount –DJ Jordan Sovereign Arms – DJ ANG3L 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 Saint - Mikeee Toucan – DJ Matty J
FRIDAY 12/04 Ambar – The Loops Of Fury ft Mr.Ed/Qwerk/ STRANGERTHANDIGITAL
Loops of Fury
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ROSEMOUNT
Amplifier – Yacht Club DJs Art Gallery Of WA - AGWA Nights ft Holly Doll Bar Orient – The Reggae Club ft DJ Calvin/DJ Ras Mwas/The Empressions/Mumma Trees/ Sista Che Beat Nightclub (Downstairs) – PLAY Boulevard Tavern – 151 Thursdays Old Skool R&B Capitol - Retro Mash Capitol (U- Retro Mash C5 Freo – Residence ft Jack Dopel Capitol (Upstairs) – I Love ‘90s Connections –InsideOut Devilles Pad – Steed/Mister Kavebeat/Coaster T Eve Nightclub –DJ Don Migi Flying Scotsman –Gidget Duck/ Muldoon Wing Ginger Nightclub – Mondo Fridays ft Willow Beats Leisure Inn – DJ Peta Lost Society – Burger Malt Supper Club – Kabaret Thursdays Metro City – Flava Launch ft DJ Samrai/Sly Kidd/Matty S/Ben Renna Mojos Bar – Hussle Hussle ft Dialectrix & Chasm/Sarah Pellicano/Creed Birch/Roc Walla/ Childs Play/DJ Realms Mustang Bar – Swing DJ/DJ James MacArthur Newport Hotel – Sardi/Evan Norfolk Basement – Eight0Eight ft Oliver B/Kempe/Cattitude/ Flouro Norma Jeans – DJ Dwayne Paramount –DJ Jordan Players Bar – DJ Matty J/Danny Bau Shape – Rregula/VLTRN/Jazza/ Frantik/Camzor/Eyesdown The Avenue – Jon Ee The Craftsman – Fiveo The Deen – Chase The Sun ft DJ Flex/ DJ Nano/ DJ Surge/ DJ Don Migi The Dusk Lounge - Miller City Sessions ft Jason Lema The Grand Central – Roger Smart The Queens – DJ Riki The Velvet Lounge – The Community ft Mathas/Empty/
SWITCH
SHAPE
Suave Debonai/DJ Silence Toucan – DJ Grizzly Villa – Curtin Student Guild Zombie Crawl ft Benny P
SATURDAY 13/04 Admiral Hotel – Insane Dwaine Ambar – Japan 4 ft DNGRFLD/ Bezwun/Wish/Tee El/Mr eD Amplifier – Pure Pop ft Eddie Electric Bakery – Zarm ft DJ Flex/DJ Corby/Pimps Of Sound/Odette Mercy/Grace Barbe Bar One Twenty – Little Nicky Bar Orient – DJ Troy Beat Nightclub (Upstairs) Canvas Boheme Bar – JMC 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 Connections – Showpony Devilles Pad – Moogy/ Wrighteous Empire Bar –James Shipstone Eurobar – DJ Fat Albert/DJ Zoom Eve Nightclub – Epic Party Crew ft Jay From Geordie Shore/Emily Williams/DJ Digital Damage/DJ Slick Flying Scotsman – Andrei Maz Flying Scotsman (Defectors) – Future Wives Club Library – DJ Victor/DJ Riki Liquid Nightclub - DJ Klar55/ DJ Stevie M Llama Bar – DJ Reuben Malt Supper Club – Scotty J 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 Bar – Rockabilly DJ/ DJ James MacArthur Newport Hotel –Tahli Jade/ Tom Drummond/Steve Parkin/ Wot Evs
Lazy J Norma Jeans – DJ Phat Daz Paramount- DJ John/DJ Jordan Players Bar – LUXE ft DJ Francesco Red Hill Auditorium - Sound Utopia ft Lazy J/Big Guy/Israel Cruz Sail & Anchor – Catch The Child’s Play DJs Sovereign Arms – The Jinx Project The Avenue – Jon Ee The Causeway – Luke Miguel/ Clint Turner The Cornerstone – Michael Brittliff The Court – DJ Flex/DJ TimBee The Craftsman – Jeremy Stark The Generous Squire – On Tap ft DJ James Nutley The Grand Central – Jay Mackey The Queens – Kenny L The Saint – Matty J The Shed –DJ Andyy The Velvet Lounge – Motorvation ft The Taste/Emerald Cabal/Wilder Instincts/Clare Savage/Dr J The Wembley – Lokie Shaw Tiger Lil’s – DJ Bojan/Benjamin Sebastian Toucan – WHIP ft DJ Kevvy T Ya Ya’s – Chasm ft Zeke/Empty With Strings/Mathas
SUNDAY 14/04 Claremont Hotel – James Thorne/Dan Delstra Club Bay View - Fiveo
Empire Bar –DJ Riki/ DJ Victor Eve Nightclub –DJ Slick Flying Scotsman –Nathan J/ Nizbet/ Pasha/ Chris Ginger Nightclub – DJ Rudebean Mustang Bar – DJ Rockin’ Rhys Minq Bar – DJ Don Migi/ Dannyboi/Skooby Newport Hotel –Tom Drummond Scarborough Beach Ampitheatre - Sets On The Beach Volume 11 ft Yacht Club DJs/Owl Eyes/D-Cup/Mitzi/Jagwar Ma/Dr Dondon/Slicker Cities The Avenue – Az-T The East End Bar –DJ Gold Finger/AZ-T The Queens – Samuel Spencer The Saint – Jon Ee/Mikeee The Shed – James Wilson and more
MONDAY 15/04 Eve Nightclub - DJ Don Migi Llama Bar – Jo 19 Malt Supper Club – Industry Night The Deen – DJ Birdie
TUESDAY 16/04 Bar Orient - DJ Lyndon High Road Hotel – DJ Matty J Llama Bar – Charlie Bucket Victoria Park Hotel – DJ Melvin
X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays
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THE MUSTANG
THE NEWPORT
FRAT HOUSE FRIDAYS
METRO FREO
IN THE THIS WEEK
COMING UP
Yacht Club DJs Friday, April 12 @ Amplifier
Plump DJs ft Black & Blunt/Marko Paulo/Tonic Friday, April 19 @ Villa
The Loops Of Fury ft Mr.Ed/Qwerk/ STRANGERTHANDIGITAL Friday, April 12 @ Ambar
Torro Torro ft Kill Dyl/ Tapeheads/Micah Friday, April 19 @ Ambar
Fresh Produce ft BMB/ Crystaleyez/Ben Vital/ Stone/Polyxo Friday, April 26 @ Ambar AGWA Nights ft Craig Hollywood Friday, April 26 @ Art Gallery Of WA
Heavy Industrial Concern ft Motet/D-Jeong/ Ourobonic Plauge/Sub Ordnance/Furchick/ Sonic Smut/DJ Asciimov/ DC Breaks ft Illusiv & The Golden Quadrangle/ Miller City Sessions ft Jason Dvise/Joust/Traction Strunkdts Lema Saturday, April 20 @ Villa Saturday, April 27 @ The Friday, April 12 @ The Dusk Perth Artifactory, Osborne Lounge Spit Syndicate ft Jacki Park Onassis Hussle Hussle ft Dialectrix Saturday, April 20 @ Aviary Rooftop & Chasm/Sarah Pellicano/ Amplifier Sessions Launch ft Linda Creed Birch/Roc Walla/ Sunday, April 21 @ Metro Marigliano/Tim Ayre/ Childs Play/DJ Realms Freo Clunk/Electonic DJs Friday, April 12 @ Mojos Bar Sundau, April 28 @ The The Aston Shuffle (DJ Set) Aviary Sound Utopia ft Lazy J/Big ft Mo’Fly/Dngrfld/Black & Blunt Movement Festival ft Guy/Israel Cruz Nas/2 Chainz/Chiddy Saturday, April 13 @ Red Hill Wednesday, April 24 @ Ambar Bang/Joey Badda$$/Iggy Auditorium Azalea/Spit Syndicate Handpicked ft ShockOne/ Tuesday, April 30 @ Red Chasm ft Zeke/Empty With Baauer/ Eats Everything/ Hill Auditorium Strings/Mathas Mosca Saturday, April 13 @ Ya Ya’s Wednesday, April 24 @ Blokhe4d Metro City and The Bakery Friday, May 3 @ Geisha Bar Sets On The Beach Volume Throw The Hammer ft 11 ft Yacht Club DJs/ District: Turntables Derrick MayBen Klock/ Owl Eyes LIVE/D-Cup/ & Bass ft Zeke/Kill Dyl/ Clunk/Allstate/Ben Taffe/ Mitzi LIVE/Jagwar Ma/Dr Marko Paulo/Fellis/ Everyteen/Milanov Dondon/Slicker Cities Klean Kicks/Joe Macc/ Wednesday, April 24 @ Pussymittens Sunday, April 14 @ Capitol Friday, May 3 @ Ambar Scarborough Beach Amphitheatre SUPAFEST ft T.I./50 Cent/ Waka Flocka/Akon/Ne-Yo/ AGWA Nights ft Chris Wheeldon & Craig Young Jeezy/Mindless Behaviour/DJ Unk/Kevin Hollywood Friday, May 3 @ Art Gallery McCall/DJ Nino Brown/ Of WA Dizzy Doolan/Phinesse Thursday, April 25 @ Perth Bombs Away Arena Saturday, May 4 @ Villa Otto Knows Surecut Kids ft Saturday, April 25 @ Villa Dead Easy/Bezwun/Tee El/Black & Blunt Dialectrix Rufus Saturday, May 4 @ Ambar Saturday, April 25 @ HUSSLE HUSSLE Newport Hotel Untzz Showcase ft FT DIALECTRIX Monday, April 26 @ Freddie Norwood/HVCK/ Amplifier & CHASM Babicka/Dass/Mic Mills FRIDAY, APRIL 12 Saturday, May 4 @ Hellenic The Potbelleez @ MOJOS Club Of WA Friday, April 26 @ Capitol AGWA Nights ft Holly Doll Friday, April 12 @ Art Gallery Of WA
www.xpressmag.com.au
AGWA Nights ft Paul Lindsay Friday, April 19 @ Art Gallery Of WA
Example ft Sun City Friday, May 10 @ Metro City Yacht Friday, May 10 @ The Bakery Seth Sentry Friday, May 10 @ Villa Sunday, May 12 @ Newport Hotel Flight Facilities ft Elizabeth Rose Saturday, May 11 @ The Bakery 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 Bunbury Flume ft Chet Faker Sunday, May 12 @ Metro City DJ Afrika Bambaataa Saturday, May 18 @ The Bakery Delta Heavy ft Fred V & Grafix/Killafoe/Illusiv & Dvise/Gracie/Systym Saturday, May 18 @ Villa Atari Teenage Riot Sunday, May 19 @ The Bakery Dash Berlin ft Marlo Sunday, June 2 @ Metro City Tommy Trash Sunday, June 2 @ Villa DJ Rashad & DJ Manny Sunday, June 2 @ The Bakery A$AP Rocky Sunday, June 30 @ Metro City ALT-J Saturday, July 27 @ Challenge Stadium
Freqshow’s MC Gamma (Photo: Daniel Grant)
FREQSHOW
NASTY IN THE PLACE THROWING SHAPES/ DJ ILLUSIV/ FREQSHOW ROSEMOUNT HOTEL THURSDAY, APRIL 4, 2013 Live electronic bands are on the up in Perth with two such nascent acts giving it to us at the almost nearly renovated surrounds of Rosemount Hotel last Thursday. Despite the lack of turn out (probably due to the preceding Easter long weekend), punters were still treated to a lively and entertaining performance. Three piece act Throwing Shapes pose something of an intriguing quandary. Are they a rock band toying with the more electro side of synths and syncopated beats or are they drum’n’bassers choosing to bring it back to rock occasionally to make their sound more accessible? Consisting of a vocalist executing a midi controller, a guitarist on keys and backing vocals and a drummer, this trio have put a lot of work into preproduction, freeing them up to fatten the sound up live. They delivered some impressive moments as they moved from D’n’B to house beats then onto electro rock, throwing in the occasional and impressive uplifting, drum’n’bass ballad. Like Sydney-siders, Parachute Youth, each track was played separately with no mixing in between, infused with deep, introspective vocals and some impressive guitar and drum solos. These guys are well on the way to becoming Perth’s heavier version of Sun City.
Inhibit’s DJ Illusiv played three short sets of rolling D’n’B, showing why he’s on the support bill for many a touring international. All quality tunage without resorting to anything close to being an anthem. MC Webbz had intended to back him up for a set, but due to the poor turn out, decided to pass, instead opting to jump up with Freqshow for an mc duet with Gamma, displaying some tight skills on the mic. It’s always encouraging when you see an act a few months on and they’ve improved and so was case with the event’s headliners, Freqshow. With eight musicians on stage, the party had already begun; regardless of what shape the dancefloor was in. At times reminiscent of Salmonella Dub meets Shapeshifter, Freqshow opened on a hip hop vibe before moving into liquid, Brazilian style D’n’B and then into darker, harder D’n’B territory to 100 per cent lose your shiz to. With a horn section, drummer and extra percussionist on top of guitars and keys, Freqshow made fat, raucous love to Rosemount’s sound system while MC Gamma lifted the game up a notch, providing an energetic counterpoint to the nasty, bass heavy, driving rhythms. They closed on a jungle vibe and although the call out to the ‘jungalist massive’ probably required more of a crowd, those on the dancefloor responded with fervour. Looking forward to hearing more from these guys - one can only hope Perth wakes up and starts supporting live dance music with more commitment.
» JO CAMPBELL
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Timothy Nelson and the Infidels Photo by Nicole Norelli
TIMOTHY NELSON AND THE INFIDELS SONS OF RICO Stillwater Giants/Warning Birds/Catbrush Amplifier Bar Friday, April 5, 2013 Perth supergroup Sons of Rico brought their unique brand of energetic indie pop to a packed room of fans Friday night at Amplifier Bar, while the three supporting bands each brought their own style and flavour to the proceedings while still managing to compliment the headline act in what was a well put together night of live music. Catbrush kicked things off with their very welcome garage swamp. Their sound came across as a mix of Abbe May, manifest in the lovely voice of Ellen Oosterbaan, and a Tarantino/Rodriguez soundtrack of jangly guitar and propulsive rhythms by bassist Ben Rose and ever-talented drummer-atlarge Anetta Nevin. Their catchy yet dirty tunes were the perfect aperitif for what was to follow. Warning Birds were next, coming on like a crashing wave with an epic indie style. If the vocals were a little too earnest, the band made up for it with an impressive wall of sound and their use of a violin
Sons of Rico Photo by Daniel Grant
YA YA’S
Mojo’s Saturday, April 6, 2013
added a much appreciated extra dimension. They provided the night’s true highlight with a surprisingly rousing cover of Tears For Fears’ Head Over Heels. Coming armed with a fast, tight set of sunny surf pop, Stillwater Giants were the perfect band to get the multitude primed for the headline act. An equipment malfunction aside, the band worked the room well. Their cover of The Clash’s Rock the Casbah may seem blasphemous to some, indeed the amount of feedback given off by the microphones could suggest the rock gods themselves where not very happy, it was effective enough to get people out onto the dance floor and energise the crowd. Sons of Rico pulled out all the stops at the start of their set, blasting through two numbers without a single word to the audience. The driving rhythm section gave the accomplished indie pop a rock edge which made this band something a little different from their contemporaries. The catchy hooks sat in contrast to the somewhat darker lyrics, giving this very danceable band an unexpected depth. Lead singer and songwriter Alex MacRae is a true rock star, bringing a charisma and stage presence that fit nicely with the group’s position as one of Perth’s premier bands. _ LIAM DUNN
WAMI darlings Timothy Nelson And The Infidels released both their new single Mary Lou and its corresponding video clip to a crowd of impressed punters at Mojo’s Fremantle on Saturday night. Before the unveiling of the clip and subsequent set by Timothy and his Infidels an unjustly sparse crowd were charmed by the beautiful acoustic folk of Amanda Merdzan, excited by the quirky post-punk sound of Dave, then pulled into a salty but calm folk-rock ocean with Bedouin Sea. Shortly after doors opened, Amanda Merdzan’s humble yet elegant voice began to emanate outwards to the appreciative crowd as they clamoured around the early evening bar. Merdzan’s diffident stage persona was an intriguing juxtaposition to the honestly of her crisply delivered lyrics. Recently returned from a tour encompassing Canada’s largest music festival, gigs in New York and Australia, Merdzan’s uniquely emotive style is growing from strength to strength. Following Merdzan’s blissful set the audience were quickly re-animated by Dave. Bursting onto the stage prancing with energy, the group’s charismatic lead singer/bass player Yassaman Rahimi has a stage presence that forces an entire room to joyfully grin like a gang of maniacs. The bands two guitarists frame Rahimi perfectly and all three of them feed off one another’s energy in a quirky way. Tight
BEAT NIGHTCLUB
ALLEY PARTY
The Arsonist are releasing their new single, Disguises,upstairs at The Beat this Friday, April 12. All entrants will receive a free download voucher for the new tune, doors open at 8pm. Runaways will be ripping it up once more this Saturday, April 13, with some pop punk from The Bob Gordons and The Decline, this will be their last Perth show before jetting off to Europe!
Katy Steele
Bedouin Sea/ Dave/ Amanda Merdzan
beats and chorus-drenched guitar adds to the group’s individuality; despite head-nods to bands such as Pavement and Weezer, Dave is a sonic entertainment machine all of its own. A mixture of surf inspired folk rock and alt-country, Bedouin Sea have a very organic sound harking back to the days of Creedence Clearwater Revival, but Bedouin Sea are not simply a band that your dad would like. They take tried and tested ideas and launch them into a post-garage array of emotive reflection and mellow highs. Driven by a solid rhythm section and guitars that are so tight it becomes plainly obvious that the group’s two founding members, brothers Alex and Ross Conradie, have banged pots and pans in the kitchen together from a very young age. Finally the crowd were treated to the first look at Timothy Nelson And The Infidels’ new clip for the falsetto powered single, Mary Lou. The clip is both a hilarious look at a kind of Stockholm syndrome, whilst being a very entertaining example of quality acting, pantomime and disco dance moves. Sound odd? Well it is odd, but deliciously so. The use of disco falsetto for the new single is an interesting direction for Nelson as the term falsetto means false voice. This is a stark contrast to the honest and emotionally evocative vocals from his previous song writing. However the change fit perfectly into the blistering set of old and new tunes that The Infidels then launched into. Honesty, musical precision and the ability of six members to project powerful onstage presence hits home hard and begs the question, why is this band still being under-attended by punters locally? _ NATHAN CHRISTIANSEN
Residence Down The Alleyway Friday, April 5, 2013 Triple j’s Lewi McKirdy was joined by Eddie Electric and K.La last Friday at Fremantle’s newest night at 58.5 South Terrace, Fremantle for a jamming night of the freshest beats. Fun times ensued!
RAILWAY HOTEL
Friday, April 12, catch The Wishers, The Pistoleros, Dux & Downtown and Benny Se7en. Doors open 8pm, $10 entry. Saturday you’ll find The Australian Santana Experience hitting the beer garden stage with special guests direct from Africa, WALA. Doors open 8pm, $20 entry.
Get your monthly dose of laughs with HaHas @ YaYa’s on Wednesday, April 10, with headliner Sami Shah! Then head into the weekend with some great national acts! Saturday, April 13, brings up and coming hip hop act, CHASM, while on Sunday, April 14, Katy Steele (Little Birdy) comes direct from New York for an intimate limited capacity gig! Get in early This week, Hungry Kid Of Hungary are stopping by on their national tour. These guys have just released because this is one you don’t want to miss their killer second album You’re A Shadow, and they play on Thursday, April 11, supported by Rainy Day Women and The Preatures. Get your tickets online The Charlies are one of the finest funk bands you’ll now at oztix.com.au. ever see in your whole entire life. You’ll be amazed, horrified, excited and offended by the end of your first listen. So get your dancing shoes on, your top off and see if you can handle the funk tonight, Storm the Shores, Adrift (EP Launch), Surroundings, Wednesday April 10, at the Indi Bar. Tickets are $5 Temporal, Common Bond and Sydney giants Stories play the Civic Back Room this Saturday, April 13! on the door. Bring all of your mates, have a brew and enjoy some awesome live music! Entry is $15 from 7.30pm.
NEWPORT HOTEL
INDI BAR
CIVIC HOTEL
THE ROSEMOUNT
This Wednesday, April 10, catch Dan Cribb and The Isolated (the new band for The Decline’s main man) playing their first show, along with special guests Burning Fiction, The Order Of The Black Werewolf, Celebrator and Yianni Pakiousfakis. Doors open 8pm and entry is $7 at the door.
PADDO
Come down to Paddo POW tonight, Wednesday, April 10, and see Mike Elrington (Vic) and Kizzy perform live on stage. Mike is in WA for his “Goin Out West Tour”. Doors open at 8pm, entry is free.
MOJOS BAR
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard are in town to play with The Drones, but have picked up a swag of very tasty side shows in Bunbury, North Fremantle and Perth. Catch them this Saturday, April 13, with Global Boss & The Instant Downfall (featuring Pete Bibby, Hamish Rahn, Cameron Avery, James Ireland & Marc Early), Hamjam and Doctopus. $10 entry at the door from 8pm till late. To win a double pass to the show, email mojos@coolperthnights. com with ‘Lizards Gizzards’ in the subject line. 32
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays
THE GRAVITY OF THE SITUATION
Dirty, gutsy, rock and roll rebels From the Dunes set loose their new EP, Gravity, this Friday, April 12, at The Rosemount Hotel. Joining the National Campus Bands Competition state finalists will be TV Snow, Lunar Inverse, and Melbourne’s Sheriff. Doors open at 8pm, and presale tickets are $10 from heatseeker. oztix.com.au
ZARM From the Dunes
ROCKET AROUND THE CLOCK
Outrageous swampabilly rock ‘n’ rollers Rocket to Memphis will offer their first album in two years to the salivating masses this Friday, April 12, at Devilles Pad. Do the Crawl is accompanied by a limited edition blue vinyl 7” single, the infectious Gogo. Also along for the ride are The High Learys, Magnus Danger Magnus, and DJs Steed, Mister Kavebeat and Coaster T. Doors open at 9pm. Rocket R o to Memphis
Roots/reggae/soul outfit Zarm aka Luke Hutcheson, Joelle Barbé and friends - release their debut EP, Elephone, this Saturday, April 13, at The Bakery. Supporting them will be Grace Barbé, Odette Mercy, Pimps of Sound and DJs Corby and Flex. We caught up with frontman Hutcheson for a bit of a chinwag.
How did Zarm get started? The Zarm journey began with myself Luke, Joelle Barbé and some other cool players we knew. We were fusing a few classic styles and playing some nice shows. We chose our name, Zarm, a Creole word meaning armoury, and we all brought new ideas and wrote some songs. That was cool. The Zarm line up has changed up over the six years and now with an eight piece line up, we are probably best described as alternative roots with a heavy touch of reggae. Our influences vary from the masterful reggae of Dennis Brown to the sweeping ballads of Neil Young. We love The Roots and many more.
work the tracks. We also had a lot of great input from other musos along the way, Bill Rogers from A to Z played some killer sax on Here We Go, as well as some other great players. We have been playing a lot of the tunes live for a while so we know they work with the crowd so they were easier to choose. We had been working on the other tracks too and had them sitting as promising ideas that we didn’t want to rush. Once we began laying the tracks down they all developed and have taken off in new directions.
What’s your writing process like? Joelle and I write together; often she will come with the music and an idea of a melody and Why do you think reggae is such an enduringly I’ll bring the lyrics and improvise new sections with vocal melodies and guitar parts. It’s cool, popular musical genre? Reggae, especially roots reggae is heart felt we review each others ideas and mash it up music, also it can be hard edged, it relates to the until we are happy. We also write with DJ Flex, daily struggles, spirituality and the need to feel who brings his Jamaican style in hooks and good ! It depends on what your looking for, you’ll choruses. always find some reggae to suit you. What’s next for Zarm? We are heading back into the studio. We plan to How did the recording of Elephone go? The recording has all gone pretty smoothly. Dan have another EP ready for next summer. We are Carroll engineered and we were able to record also planning national tour starting in October both in our studio and at his, this made it easy to or November.
BLOOMING MARVELLOUS
The Buzz and the Bloom, the new album by Perth indie stalwart Bill Darby, sees the light of day this Sunday, April 14, at The Bird. An enticing mix of traditional song and explorative electronic production, the album will be brought to life by Darby’s live backing group, The Ten Bit Band, with support from Zealous Chang and chr15m. Doors open at 7pm
Bill Darby and the Ten Bit Band
IS DOM, IS GOOD
Datura, featuring the insanely talented Dom Mariani, will be rocking Mojo’s Bar this Thursday, April 11, with support from a tasty sampling of Perth’s psychedelic rock scene in the form of Deep River Collective, Red Engine Caves, Jack Stirling and Mt Mountain. Doors open at 8pm, and entry is $10.
ARSON ABOUT
Perth’s princes of electro-pop, The Arsonist, grace us with their new single, Disguises, at Beat Nightclub this Friday, April 12, with help from Sidewalk Diamonds, The Loved Dead and Hoot & Howl. Doors open at 8pm, and every punter scores a free download voucher for the single.
JUST A MINUTE
PICA Bar’s current run of excellent gigs shows no sign of abating, with Minute 36 all set to please the punters on Saturday, April 13. Also treading the boards will be Girl York, Haley Beth and Mirando & Gordo. Doors open at 8pm, and entry is $10.
Minute 36
FALLING DOWN THE MOUNTAIN
The good folks at the Paper Mountain gallery and project space are having a bit of a fundraiser this Sunday, April 14. Spruiking for the artists’ collective will be Timothy Nelson, Hayley Beth, Solar Barge and Turin Robinson, who will all be playing down acoustic sets. Doors open at 3pm, and entry is $10. Hayley Beth
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X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays
Jeff Martin, April 24 - 27
THIS WEEK AURORA JANE 10 Mojos Bar 11 Indi Bar
HUNGRY KIDS OF HUNGARY 11 Newport Hotel 12 Capitol
THE GROWL 12 The Bakery
SUNDOWN SESSIONS (Xavier Rudd, Tinpan Orange & Morgan Bain) 12 Scarborough Beach Amphitheatre
JAGWAR MA 12 Metro Freo 13 Amplifier
YACHT CLUB DJS 12 Amplifier 13 Prince Of Wales
KING GIZZARD & THE LIZARD WIZARD 13 Mojos Bar 17 Ya Ya’s 18 Prince Of Wales 19 The Astor
SETS ON THE BEACH VOLUME 11 (Yacht Club DJs, Owl Eyes LIVE, D-Cup, Mitzi LIVE, Jagwar Ma, Dr Dondon & Slicker Cities) 14 Scarborough Beach Amphitheatre
ROTTEN SOUND 14 Amplifier
JOSH GROBAN 16 Riverside Theatre
THE DRONES 19 The Astor
APRIL ZUCCHERO 17 Regal Theatre STU LARSEN 17 The Ellington KING GIZZARD & THE LIZARD WIZARD 17 Ya Ya’s 18 Prince Of Wales 19 The Astor BUZZCOCKS 18 The Rosemount BIG SCARY 18 Mojos Bar 19 Amplifier 28 DAYS 19 Capitol THE DRONES 19 The Astor
SINCERELY, GRIZZLY 19 Beat Nightclub 20 The Bird 21 Mojos Bar SPIT SYNDICATE/ JACKIE ONASSIS 19 Prince Of Wales 20 Amplifier 21 Metro Freo SILVERSTEIN 22 Amplifier DYING FETUS 23 Amplifier EPICA 23 Capitol THE BLACK SEEDS 24 Metro Freo DAVE JACKSON 24 The Ellington HANDPICKED (Shockone, Eats Everything, Baauer, Mosca and more) 24 Metro City JEFF MARTIN 24 Fly By Night 26 Clancy’s Dunsborough 27 Indi Bar SUPAFEST (T.I, 50 Cent, Waka Flocka, Akon, Ne-Yo, Young Jeezy, Mindless Behaviour, DJ Unk, Kevin McCall, DJ Nino Brown, Dizzy Doolan & Phinesse) 25 Perth Arena RUFUS 25 Newport Hotel 26 Prince Of Wales 27Amplifier BRITISH INDIA 25 Prince Of Wales 26 Settlers Tavern 27 Capitol 28 Indi Bar MARILYN KELLER 26 The Ellington THE POTBELLEEZ 26 Capitol FAIRBRIDGE FESTIVAL (Tinpan Orange/ Bustamento/ Frank Yamma/ Kristina Olsen) 26-28 Fairbridge Village MIDGE URE 27 Charles Hotel SIX60 27 Metro City THE GRISWOLDS 28 Newport Hotel DIG IT UP (Hoodoo Gurus, Flamin’ Groovies, Blue Oyster Cult, Buzzcocks, Peter Case, The Stems) 28 The Astor MOVEMENT FESTIVAL (NAS, Bliss N Eso, 2 Chainz, Chiddy Bang, JOEY BADA$$, Iggy Azalea, Spit Syndicate) 30 Red Hill Auditorium
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The Bronx, May 10 - 11
Bob Evans, May 2 - 4
MAY THE RUBENS 2 Prince Of Wales 3 Capitol 4 Settlers Tavern BOB EVANS 2 Settlers Tavern 3 The Bakery 4 Prince Of Wales TRUCKFIGHTERS 3 The Rosemount BLACK SABBATH 4 Perth Arena ROYSTON VASIE 3 Amplifier 4 Beat Nightclub 5 The Newport BETH ORTON 6 St Joseph’s Church HAPPY MONDAYS/ PETER HOOK 8 Capitol NORMA JEAN 8 Amplifier UNIDA 9 The Rosemount TEGAN AND SARA 9 Metro City 11 Hay Park, Bunbury EXAMPLE 10 Metro City PEZ 10 Amplifier 12 Indi Bar ALISON WONDERLAND 10 Metro Freo THE BRONX/DZ DEATHRAYS 10 Capitol 11 Hay Park, Bunbury THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS 10 The Rosemount 11 Hay Park, Bunbury FLIGHT FACILITIES 11 The Bakery OM 11 The Rosemount SETH SENTRY 10 Villa 12 Newport Hotel GROOVIN THE MOO (Alison Wonderland/ Alpine/The Amity Affliction/The Bronx/ DZ Deathrays/ Example/Flume/ Frightened Rabbit/ Hungry Kids Of Hungary/The Kooks/ Last Dinosaurs/Matt And Kim/Midnight Juggernauts/Pez/ Regurgitator/Seth Sentry/Shockone/ Tame Impala/ Tegan And Sara/ The Temper Trap/ They Might Be Giants/Tuka With Ellesquire/Urthboy/ DJ Woody’s Big Phat 90’s Mixtape/Yacht/ Yolanda Be Cool) 11 Hay Park, Bunbury THE KOOKS 11 Hay Park, Bunbury 12 Fremantle Arts Centre
FLUME/CHET FAKER 12 Metro City DARYL BRAITHWAYE/ JOE CAMILLERI/ JAMES REYNE/ROSS WILSON 12 Perth Concert Hall CRADLE OF FILTH 12 Metropolis Fremantle TENACIOUS D 15 Riverside Theatre EVERMORE 16 Newport Hotel 17 Players Bar 18 The Charles CHRISTINE ANU REWIND – THE ARETHA FRANKLIN SONGBOOK 17 & 18 The Ellington DJ AFRIKA BAMBAATAA 18 The Bakery TAME IMPALA 18 Belvoir Amphitheatre FUNERAL FOR A FRIEND 18 Prince Of Wales Bunbury 19 Amplifier THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM 19 Metro City DEFTONES 21 Metropolis Fremantle JULIE ANDREWS 21 Riverside Theatre THE GHOST INSIDE 23 Amplifier OWL EYES 24 Amplifier BORN OF OSIRIS 25 The Bakery JINJA SAFARI 25 Amplifier AIRNORTH KIMBERELEY MOON EXPERIENCE (Guy Sebastian, Mark Seymour, James Reyne, Gurrumul Yunupingu) 25 Jim Hughes Amphitheatre Kununurra THE REVEREND HORTON HEAT 28 The Rosemount BOOMTOWN RATS 28 Challenge Stadium THE SEEKERS 30 Riverside Theatre DRAGON 31 The Astor Theatre
JUNE SAN CISCO 1 The Astor CABLE SOUNDS (Icehouse, The Stephen Pigram Quartet & Desert Child) 2 Cable Beach Amphitheatre NORTHLANE 5 YMCA HQ 6 Amplifier
KATE MILLERHEIDKE 5 St Joseph’s Church 6 Mundurah Performing Arts Centre 7 Albany Entertainment Centre 8 Margaret River Cultural Centre SOMETHING FOR KATE 7 The Astor THE BEARDS 7 Amplifier 8 Prince Of Wales KILLING JOKE 9 The Rosemount EMMA LOUISE 13 Prince Of Wales 14 Fly By Night 15 Amplifier GOLD FIELDS 21 Metro Freo 22 Amplifier MUNICIPAL WASTE 21 The Rosemount THE SUPERJESUS 22 Amplifier PINK 25, 26 & 28 Perth Arena A$AP Rocky 30 Metro City
JULY LA DISPUTE 6 Amplifier 7 YMCA HQ BALL PARK MUSIC/ EAGLE & THE WORM 12 Metro Freo YOU AM I 13 Astor Theatre ALT-J 27 Challenge Stadium
AUGUST ANDREW STRONG: THE COMMITMENTS 22 Metro Freo THE WHITLAMS/ WASO 30 Perth Concert Hall
SEPTEMBER MANHATTAN TRANSFER 1 Regal Theatre AMANDA PALMER & THE GRAND THEFT ORCHESTRA 8 Astor Theatre FOALS 22 Metro City RIHANNA 24 Perth Arena ONE DIRECTION 28 & 29 Perth Arena
OCTOBER ENSLAVED 31 The Rosemount
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The Wishers, Friday at The Railway Hotel
WEDNESDAY10.04 AMPLIFIER The Academy Sensory Amusia Animistic Tusk BAR 120 Felix BEAT NIGHTCLUB (DOWNSTAIRS) SWAG BRASS MONKEY Sugar Blue Burlesque CAPITOL Harlem Wednesdays CARINE Open Mic Chris O’Brien CARLISLE Neil Adams CLAREMONT HOTEL Acoustica ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Malmac FLYING SCOTSMAN DJ Armee FLYING SCOTSMAN DEFECTORS Northern Soul Harold & Dave Taylor GREENWOOD Bernardine GROOVE BAR (CROWN CASINO) 5 Shots HALE ROAD TAVERN Fenton Wilde INDI BAR The Charlies LUCKY SHAG Leighton Keepa MOJOS BAR Fremantle Blues And Roots Club Aurora Jane Simon Marks Duo Elli Schoen MOON CAFÉ Natalie Mae Duncan Strachan Bryan Rice Dalton MUSTANG BAR Kickstart DJ Giles
Midnight Boulevard, Thursday at The Rosemount
PADDO Mike Elrington Kizzy ROSEMOUNT Dan Cribb And The Isolated Burning Fiction Order Of The Black Werewolf Celebrator Yianni Pakiousfakis DJ Anton Maz THE BROWN FOX Courtney Murphy UNIVERSAL Strutt Ses Sayer VILLAGE BAR Village People Open Mic YAYA’S Ha Ha’s @ Ya Ya’s Sami Shah
Little City Dream Bex Chilcott LUCKY SHAG James Wilson MALT SUPPER CLUB Kaberet Thursdays MARKET CITY TAVERN Sami Moore Greys And Blues Nathan Mayers Andrew Edwards MOJOS BAR Datura Deep River Collective Red Engine Caves Jack Stirling Mt Mountain MT HENRY TAVERN Neil Adams MUSTANG BAR Love Junkies THURSDAY 11.04 The Man The Clouds ADMIRAL Jane Azzopardi Karaoke With DJ James Robbie King MacArthur BELGIAN BEER NEWPORT HOTEL CAFÉ Hungry Kids Of Acoustic Aly Hungary BRASS MONKEY The Preatures Rhythm Bound Rainy Day Women Karaoke ROSEMOUNT BRIGHTON Midnight Boulevard Open Mic Night Aztech Suns Rob Walker Sonic Alibi BROOKLANDS Coronal Sky TAVERN SWAN LOUNGE Celebrations Stephanie Robson Karaoke Darren Guthrie CIVIC HOTEL The Stokies Malignant Monster Kate Gilbertson Psychonaut Children Reapers Riddle THE BIRD Tusk Hip Hop Kara“Yo!”Ke COMO HOTEL THE BOAT Courtney Murphy Jen De Ness DEVILLES PAD THE GATE Rock’N’Roll Karaoke Greg Carter DUNSBOROUGH THE SHED TAVERN Mike Nyar Open Mic Night UNIVERSAL ELLINGTON JAZZ Off The Record CLUB YA YA’S Paul Gioia Sheriff FLY BY NIGHT Dirtwater Bloom The McMenamins The Bonekickers Luke Dux INDI BAR Aurora Jane
Malignant Monster
MALIGNANT MONSTER PSYCHONAUT REAPER’S RIDDLE THURSDAY 11TH THE CIVIC HOTEL
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Evergone, Friday at The Swan Basement
FRIDAY 12.04 ADMIRAL Karaoke With Robbie King AMPLIFIER Yacht Club DJs BALLYS BAR Anderson BALMORAL Mike Nyar BEAT NIGHTCLUB (DOWNSTAIRS) PLAY BEAT NIGHTCLUB (UPSTAIRS) The Arsonist Sidewalk Diamonds The Loved Dead Hoot & Howl BELMONT TAVERN Electrophobia BENTLEY HOTEL Dean Anderson BEST DROP TAVERN Carbon Taxi BRASS MONKEY Dove BROOKLANDS TAVERN Celebrations Karaoke C5 FREMANTLE Residence Red Engine Caves Moana And Spaceman Antics Jack Dopel CAPITOL Hungry Kids Of Hungary The Preatures Them Swoops CARINE Velvet CARLISLE HOTEL Reload CASTLE HOTEL YORK Filtered Replay CHASE BAR & BISTRO James Wilson CIVIC HOTEL Hostile Little Face Needles Douglas Living Dying Legacy Of Supremacy COMO HOTEL Trevor Jalla DEVILLES PAD Rocket To Memphis The High Learys Magnus Danger Magnus Steed Mister Kavebeat Coaster T DUNSBOROUGH TAVERN Kamikaze Pilots EAST 150 BAR Jamie Powers EDZ SPORTS BAR Sugarfield ELEPHANT & WHEELBARROW 5 Shots ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Natalie Gillespie Danny Martin The Spread EMPIRE BAR Shawne & Luc
FLYING SCOTSMAN Gidget Duck & The Muldoon Wing GREENWOOD Greg Carter GROOVE BAR (CROWN) 5 Shots HERDSMAN Sugarfield HIGHWAY HOTEL Big Steve Spouse Band HILTON PARK BOWLING CLUB Steve Tallis The Holy Ghosts HYDE PARK HOTEL Steve Parkin INDIAN OCEAN BREW Ben Merito INDI BAR Vdelli KALAMUNDA HOTEL Frenzy LAST DROP TAVERN Neil Adams LUCKY SHAG James Wilson MAHOGANNY INN Dean Anderson MARKET CITY TAVERN Jim Moore Lauren O’Hara METRO FREO Jagwar Ma MOJOS BAR Hussle Hussle Dialectrix Chasm Sarah Pellicano Creed Birch Roc Walla Childs Play DJ Realms MUSTANG BAR Adam Hall & The Velvet Playboys Swing DJ Cheeky Monkeys DJ James MacArthur NEWPORT HOTEL Milhouse NORFOLK BASEMENT EightOEight Oliver B Kempe Cattitude Flouro PADDO Easy Tigers Stu Harcourt PEEL ALE HOUSE Acoustic Licence PLAIN ST BAR Kizzy RAILWAY HOTEL The Wishers The Pistoleros Dux & Downtown Benny Se7ev ROSEMOUNT From The Dunes TV Snow Sherriff Lunar Inverse
SAIL AND ANCHOR Howie Morgan Nightshift SCARBOROUGH BEACH AMPITHEATRE Sundown Sessions Xavier Rudd Tinpan Orange Morgan Bain SOUTH ST ALEHOUSE Robbie King Karaoke SOVEREIGN ARMS David Fyffe SPRINGS TAVERN Ryan Dillon STEVES BAR Dove SWAN BASEMENT Evergone Borc Got Sharks? This Other Eden SWAN LOUNGE Mitchell Jones Burst & Bloom The Coloured Chain Luke Hallam & The Rarebreeds SWINGING PIG Tandem Greg Carter THE BAKERY The Growl THE BOAT Jen De Ness THE BROOK Acoustic Aly THE GATE Dirty Scoundrels THE PRINCIPAL Little Ebony THE SHED Krank THE VIC Jen De Ness UNIVERSAL Nightmoves WHITE STAR HOTEL Aurora Jane WOODVALE Two Plus One YA YA’S Grim Fandango Monuments Ex-Nuns Flowermouth
SATURDAY 13.04 ADMIRAL Insane Dwaine AMPLIFIER Tired Lion TV Snow Moana Tyto Kings BALLYS BAR Dove BALMORAL Pop Candy BEAT NIGHTCLUB (DOWNSTAIRS) Runaways The Decline The Bob Gordons BEAT NIGHTCLUB (UPSTAIRS) CANVAS BELGIAN BEER CAFÉ Mike Nayar
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
Tired Lion, Saturday at Amplifier BOAB TAVERN James Wilson CAPITOL Jagwar Ma CIVIC HOTEL Stories Common Bond Temporal Surroundings Adrift Storm The Shores COMO HOTEL Acoustic Aly DEVILLES PAD The Charlies Moogy Wrighteous ELEPHANT & WHEELBARROW Timeout ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Ali Bodycoat Cristal Phillips ELMARS IN THE VALLEY Adrian Wilson FLYING SCOTSMAN Under The Influence Andrei Maz FORRESTFIELD TAVERN Christian Thompson GOSNELLS HOTEL Little Ebony GREENWOOD Carbon Taxi GROOVE BAR (CROWN CASINO) HI-NRG HIGH ROAD HOTEL Flame HOTEL ROTTNEST Stu Harcourt HYDE PARK HOTEL Howie Morgan Project INDI BAR Matt Gresham INDIAN OCEAN BREW The Blackbirds KALAMUNDA HOTEL Andrew Winton LAKERS Celebrations Karaoke LARK HILL SPORTS COMPLEX Relay For Life Arc of Iris Jupiter Zeus Mad Rabbit Ethereal Lionizer The Itch In Orbit Lillium Stargazer Living Dying Wicked Wench M ON THE POINT Rhythm 22 MERRIWA TAVERN Greg Carter Karaoke MOJOS BAR King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard Global Boos & The Instant Downfall Hamjam Doctopus
MOON & SIXPENCE The Damien Cripps Band MUSTANG The Continentals Rockabilly DJ Milhouse DJ James MacAurthur NEWPORT HOTEL Kizzy Gravity NORFOLK BASEMENT Steve Tallis Paul McCarthy Mark Constable Neil Fernandes NORTHBRIDGE PIAZZA Julius Lutero Trio OSBORNE PARK HOTEL Plastic Max PADDO Cheeky Monkeys PARAMOUNT Felix PEEL ALE HOUSE Spritzer PORT KENNEDY TAVERN Christian Thompson PRINCE OF WALES Yacht Club DJs QUARIE BAR Electrophobia RAILWAY HOTEL The Australian Santana Experience WALA REGAL THEATRE ATTIC BAR Street Side Speakeasy Mama Red’s Malt Licker Minstrels ROSEMOUNT Damon & Naomi Guy Blackman The Flower Drums ROYAL PALMS Kris Buckle SAIL & ANCHOR Better Days Childs Play SETTLERS TAVERN Aurora Jane STEVES BAR Nicki Rose SWAN BASEMENT Defy The Leader Idle Eyes Let The Evil Go East The Moment We Fall My Fears Your Phobias SWAN LOUNGE Shaun Paul Davis The Evergreen Falloway Campsite Armour Tinder Thieves SWINGING PIG Frenzy Greg Carter THE BAKERY Zarm DJ Flex Dj Corby Pimps Of Sound Odette Mercy & Her Soul Atomics Grace Barbe
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Friday Friday Travis Caudle Shontay Snow, Sunday at Travis Caudle FlyBy By Night Mojo’s Fly Night THE GATE Dirty Scoundrels THE SHED Huge UNIVERSAL Soul Corporation WANNEROO TAVERN Chris Gibbs WHALE AND ALE 5th Avenue WOODVALE TAVERN Flash Nat & The Action Men YAYA’S Chasm Zeke Empty With Strings Mathas
HIGH ROAD HOTEL Christian Thompson INDI BAR Morgan Bain Little City Dream INDIAN OCEAN BREW CO Retriofit Shawne & Luc INGLEWOOD HOTEL James Wilson KALAMUNDA HOTEL Chris Gibbs LAKERS TAVERN Wesley Goodlet Jamboree Scouts LAST DROP SUNDAY 14.04 TAVERN Kristen Kingwell 7TH AVENUE M ON THE POINT Reckless Kelly Third Gear ADMIRAL MOJOS BAR Sugarfield (ARVO) James Wilson Rock Scholars ALEXANDER BAR MOJOS BAR (EVE) Neil Adams Shontay Snow AMPLIFIER Sarah Pellicano Rotten Sound Band DFC Edie Green Band Nails Of Imposition Wiseoaks Abhorrent MUSTANG BAR BALMORAL The Roadmasters Velvet DJ Rockin Rhys Stone NEWPORT HOTEL BELMONT TAVERN Lucidity Dove Midflight Parasite BRIGHTON The 19th Key Ali Hill The Galloping BROOKLANDS Foxleys TAVERN Tim Nelson Mike Nayar PADDO CARINE Holly Denton Band Acoustic Aly PADDY MALONES CHASE BAR Gary Fowlie Chasing Calee PORT KENNEDY CIVIC HOTEL TAVERN Custom Royal Dirty Scoundrels Hustler QUARIE BAR & Duncan BISTRO Riley Pearce Better Days CLANCY’S QUEENS TAVERN DUNSBOROUGH Velvet Aurora Jane ROSE & CROWN COMO HOTEL Kate Gilbertson Adrian Wilson ROSEMOUNT ELEPHANT & Rock Academy WHEELBARROW SAIL & ANCHOR Daren Reid & The Mike Nayar Soul City Groove ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Jack Dennis Mint Jazz Band ELMARS IN THE VALLEY Chris Gibbs EMPIRE BAR CB3 FLY BY NIGHT In The Fly Trap The Chromatones The Cinnamon Collective Vitriole GOSNELLS HOTEL Conny The Clown GROOVE BAR (CROWN CASINO) HI-NRG HIGH WYCOMBE HOTEL The Organ Grinders
Custom Royal, Sunday at The Civic Hotel SCARBOROUGH BEACH AMPITHEATRE Sets On The Beach Volume 11 Yacht Club DJs Owl Eyes D-Cup Mitzi Jagwar Ma Dr Dondon Slicker Cities SOUTH ST ALE HOUSE Anthony Nieves SWALLOW BAR Sunday Sessions SWINGING PIG Kris Buckle Stu Harcourt THE BIRD Bill Darby Ten Bit Band Zealous Chang THE DEEN Plastic Max & The Token Gesture THE GATE Greg Carter THE SAINT Howie Morgan Project THE SHED James Wilson UNIVERSAL Retriofit WANNEROO TAVERN Frank Gemmiti WHISTLING KITE Electrophobia YA YA’S Katy Steele Felicity Groom Duo
THE BIRD MOVEME Illustrations by Lilly Kaiser Chris Young Wilder & Wilder Paul Kaminski THE DEEN Plastic Max & The Token Gesture YA YA’S Big Tommo’s Open Mic Night
TUESDAY 16.04
BRASS MONKEY Open Mic Night ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Charmaine Jones Mike Bevan GROOVE BAR (CROWN) Ruby’s Groove LUCKY SHAG Ben Merito MERRIWA TAVERN Celebrations Karaoke MOJOS BAR Mojo’s Monthly Comedy Tim Beckett Adam Peter Scott Rory Lowe Colin Ebsworth Corey White MUSTANG BAR Danza Loca Salsa Night RIVERSIDE THEATRE Josh Groban SETTLERS TAVERN Mic Night MONDAY 15.04 Open CHARLES BRASS MONKEY THE Perth Blues Club James Wilson Dave Brewer ELLINGTON JAZZ Trevor Jalla CLUB Natalie Gillespie Mingus Amongst THE COURT Us Open Mic & BBQ GROOVE BAR Night (CROWN CASINO) TWO ROCKS Chris Murphy & TAVERN Courtney Murphy Jump For Joy MOJOS BAR Karaoke Wide Open Mic YA YA’S Night The Stokies Project MUSTANG BAR The Crossbars Tripple Shots Raging Lincolns
Grim Fandango
GRIM FANDANGO MONUMENTS EX-NUNS FLOWERMOUTH SATURDAY 13TH MOJO’S
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MUSIC GEAR & TECHNOLOGY EDITED BY TRAVIS JOHNSON
DANCE CLASSES BELLY DANCE CENTRAL STUDIO Free classes Fri 3 May.Special fun beginner courses.Winter term starts Mon 6 May.For brochure,info & free class invite email dance@bellydancecentral.com.au. 0409511125 www.bellydancecentral.com.au
MUSOS WANTED BANDS WANTED Young Top 40/Triple J/Classic Rock bands wanted. Regular country gigs available. Focus Promotions Mon-Fri 9am-5pm 9272 4144 focuspro@iinet.net.au BASS PLAYER NEEDED For established original band. Also seeking Sax/Trumpet/ Violins/Back-up Singers Contact 0448 436 491 BASS PLAYER NEEDED To complete Hard Rock/ Jazz trio. Must be enthusiastic, reliable and above all, in the pocket. An hour set of originals and film clip produced already. From 18 to 25 years old. Call Kyle - 0433 386 330 BASS PLAYER WANTED For cover band, 20-30 yrs old. Professional and reliable. Gigs booked. Call 0488 174 895 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 RHYTHM GUITARIST AND DRUMMER WANTED For Rock Band. Keen to jam & play anytime. To be part of the future greatest rock band. Contact Jesse 0409 684 136 VOCALIST NEEDED Perth prog rock band, must have vocal & lyrical power and creativity. Call Brendon on 0435 508 833 VOCALIST WANTED For original project with view to record/tour within the year. Influences include Muse, Queen, Radiohead. Please contact Nick at nicks_wes@hotmail.com for details and demos. WA N T E D B R I T I S H S O LO I S T W i t h British repertoire. Immediate start. Focus Promotions Mon-Fri 9am-5pm 9272 4144 focuspro@iinet.net.au WANTED MUSICIANS Vocals, Trumpet and Trombone players. For more info contact 0451 458 533
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 118 304 email avalonstudios@bigpond.com BANDS! - UNLOCK YOUR SONGS’ POTENTIAL +FREE 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 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 S AT E L L I T E R E C O R D I N G S T U D I O www.satelliterecording.com 0419 908 766 ProTools..17 Years exp
You’ve heard of iTunes, Spotify and (lest we forget) Myspace, but did you know there are a bunch of other music streaming services available in Australia? While there are definitely a few bad apples in the bunch (read: overly expensive, extremely limited choice of tunes), there are also some great alternatives to the big guys when it comes to listening to music on the internet (legally, that is). Here’s three of our top picks...
Pandora’s iPhone app
PANDORA
Point of difference: While it’s not all that well known here in Australia, Pandora has grown to be one of the US’ most popular streaming services - it currently has 75 million users and claims to be growing at three million more per month. So what’s the big fuss? Well, basically it’s easiest to sum up Pandora as an ‘internet radio service’. In a nutshell, the service creates personalised ‘radio stations’ based on an artist or song that you like. Once you have indicated a ‘seed’ song or artist, Pandora gathers songs with similar qualities to play (similar to iTune’s ‘genius’ function). For example, entering ‘KISS’ sees a playlist created which includes KISS themselves along with AC/DC, Van Halen and Bon Jovi. A more obscure band like Little Birdy sees Little Birdy themselves appear along with the likes of Paul Kelly and Neill Finn. There are also some preprogrammed ‘stations’ which have ubiquitous names like ‘Today’s Hits’ and ‘Classic Rock’ but guarantee hassle free easy listening. REHEARSAL STUDIOS Price: US$3.99 for a one month subscription or US$36 for a one-year subscription (which also handily AAA VHS REHEARSAL ROOMS Great facilities, blocks all those annoying ads). great vibe & great price!!! Unit 5 /16 Peel Road, Perfect for: Honing your disc jockey skills, putting together fuss free party playlists, discovering new tunes that sound a lot like your much-loved old tunes. 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. PHOTOGRAPHY P R O J E C T P H O T O G R A P H Y P r o m o PLATINUM SOUND ROOMS Professional 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 . rehearsal rooms, airconditioned, quality PAs Mike Wylie 0417 975 9 6 4 mob 0418 944 722 www.projectphotography.com TUITION When its time to ice the cake... ***GUITAR LESSONS*** Perth’s ultimate guitar PRODUCTION SERVICES studio. Beg-adv, all styles and levels including bass. * L I G H T I N G * A U 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 Cliff Lynton Guitar Institute. Mt Lawley 9342 3484 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 / www.clifflynton.com w w w . i n s t a n d t . c o m . a u BASS LESSONS Rock, funk & jazz. Tony Gibbs w w w . i n s t a n d t . c o m . a u 9470 6131 9381 2363/ 9444 6651 CUBAN MUSIC COURSE 10 wks $440. Starts C D & D V D M A N U F A C T U R E C h e c k in April. Testimonals..www.tresmambo.com out our latest CD & DVD specials online at Txt 0415 272 158 I’ll call back. www.procopy.com.au 9375 3902 MATRIX PRODUCTIONS AUSTRALIA Lighting, GUITAR & KEYBOARD TUITION (Beginnersstaging, sound systems, smoke machines, night P r o f e s s i o n a l ) O n e o n O n e l e s s o n s . club FX, intelligent lighting, strobes & mirror balls, B u r s wo o d P h 6 4 6 0 6 9 2 1 / 0 4 1 5 8 8 9 6 4 5 . www.gvkschoolofmusic.com.au crowd barriers, video projectors. 9371 1551
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I STREAM, YOU STREAM, WE ALL STREAM…
GROOVESHARK
Point of difference: Grooveshark is a webbased streaming service that runs in a browser and pumps out visual, rather than audio, ads to support itself. The website is pretty simple - you register, build playlists and start streaming. Also, if you’re a budding muso looking to get your music head by a global audience, you can upload your music to Grooveshark and watch the plays rack up. However, the main benefit of creating a Grooveshark account is the ability to save your favorite songs. Grooveshark will remember every song you add to your playlists. All of your music will be available any time you are at a computer with an internet connection or, if you’re a ‘Grooveshark Anywhere’ subscriber (you’ll pay US$90 per year for the privilege), your music can go anywhere your phone goes. Price: It’s 100 per cent free! However, it’s currently being accused of copyright violation by some of music industry heavyweights, so use it now while you still can. Perfect for: Promoting your own tunes, building an epic music collection.
DEEZER
Point of difference: No annoying sign up forms! Deezer is a social-media based streaming service, which means you can sign in with your Facebook account and get listening in a matter of minutes. While the service definitely has it’s pros (e.g. you can also find out what your friends are listening to in real-time), there are also some very real cons (e.g. the app may post Facebook updates about songs you’ve recently listened to on your behalf, which can prove rather embarrassing when you’ve just indulged in a Hanson/Spice Girls/Backstreet Boys listening marathon). Price: Free, unlimited music streaming for the first 12 months. After that time you’re restricted to two hours of streaming per month, or you can jump onto the $6.99 tier which gets rid of ads and enables radio services, or you can get onto the Premium+ tier ($11.99 a month) which allows streaming over 3G/4G networks and offline syncing. Perfect for: Facebook stalking background music, sharing your top-notch musical tastes with your social media networks. _ JENNIFER PETERSON-WARD
X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays
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X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays