EDUCATION, TRAINING & CAREERS FEATURE
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ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW
BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOUR
THE NATIONAL
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN & THE E-STREET BAND
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ANNOUNCEMENTS
BELS OF THE BALL If you didn’t see The Jezabels close out Laneway Festival last weekend (read the review on page 30) you’ve got a couple more chances to catch the four-piece live. Apart from playing Groovin’ The Moo at Hay Park in Bunbury on Saturday, May 10, they’re also playing their own headline show at the Astor Theatre on Friday, May 9, with special guest Gang Of Youths. It’s all in support of their second album, The Brink, so get yourself a ticket from showticketing.com.au.
KNOCK YOUR BLOCK OFF
The Jezabels
Hits & Pits and its curation of punk, ska and acoustic acts is coming back for round three on Sunday, May 18, at Capitol and Amplifier. Just added to the line-up is Californian’s Unwritten Law playing homage to their breakthrough, self-titled album, along with punk rockers, Implants. They’ll be joining Strung Out, Face to Face, The Casualties, Ten Foot Pole, Death by Stereo, Big D & The Kids Table, Masked Intruder and Heartsounds. Get your tickets from Oztix.
LOVE IS IN THE AIR Local indie rock/pop fivepiece, The Morning Night are about to drop another single from their 2013 album. This one’s called So Now and it’s a dreamy love melody, perfect for its Valentine’s Day launch - this Friday, February 14, at The Odd Fellow, Fremantle. Special guests on the night include Sam Barendse and Delay Delay.
Unwritten Law
The Morning Night
RADIO MORE MORE The current programme at Ballet At The Quarry has proved so popular that the West Australian Ballet have been forced to add an extra performance on Tuesday, February 25, to the season to try and accommodate at least some of the demand. To that end, those who move fast enough might just manage to get tickets for Radio And Juliet, which features the music of Radiohead. The season runs until Saturday, March 1. Go to waballet.com.au for details. Radio and Juliet
JOY TO THE WORLD Man of the moment, Vance Joy has his touring work cut out with him, given he’s about to jet off to the UK and US before racing home to play Groovin’ The Moo at Hay Park in Bunbury on Saturday, May 10. Plus he’s just announced a more intimate side show in Perth on Thursday, May 8, at The Bakery (get your tickets via nowbaking.com.au). It might be the last time you get to see him in a little while, because he’s off to the UK again in September - this time for his own run of headline shows. Vance Joy
THE SILVER SCREEN SURFER The Australian Surf Movie Festival, presented by GoPro, is touring two movies around the country The Journey and main feature Encoded, which is part three of the Blackwater series about the Teahupo’o wave located on the South Western side of Tahiti. For more information and tickets head to asmf.net.au and get yourself down to the Newport Hotel this Thursday, February 13; Hoyts Fremantle on Saturday, February 15 and Mandurah’s Readings Cinema on Sunday, February 16.
GO FOR GOLD Brother-sister duo Broods will be joining Ellie Goulding on her forthcoming tour, which arrives in Perth for an all-ages show at Challenge Stadium on Wednesday, May 28. The New Zealand siblings have had a fairly large 2013, releasing their debut single, Bridges (and their first EP) - their sparkling synth-pop tunes cowritten and produced by Joel Little (who worked on that single by Lorde called Royals). Get your tickets for this one via Ticketmaster . The Broods
Kelly Slater captured in The Journey, Australian Surf Movie Festival
BACK HOME Pride WA’s Fairday is returning to its former home in Hyde Park this Sunday, February 16. Running from 11am to 6pm fun and frivolities include feature stalls and entertainment, plus everyone’s favourite - a dog show. Alcohol will not be on sale, but Fairday punters can BYO. You can also bring a picnic or purchase some of the gourmet delicacies on sale on the day. Entry is $5, but children under 16 get in for free. WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU
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N E W S L E T T E R - S I G N U P AT W W W. X P R E S S M AG . C O M . A U F O R E XC L U S I V E C O M P S
PRINT AND DIGITAL EDITIONS
FESTIVAL: NANNUP MUSIC
PUBLISHER/MANAGER Joe Cipriani
The 25th annual Nannup Music Festival takes over the town of Nannup from Friday, February 28 to Monday, March 3 with a huge array of artists and entertainment, food, market stalls, workshops and comedy for the whole family. This year you can catch the likes of Archie Roach, Castlecomer, Tigertown, Bill Chambers, Mama Kin and friends, Ben Salter and Jen Cloher - to name just a few! For the full lineup head to nannupmusicfestival.org and to be in the running to win a weekend pass for two (with a camping spot included) email: win@xpressmag.com.au.
EDITORIAL - 9213 2888 MANAGING EDITOR Bob Gordon: editor@xpressmag.com.au FEATURES & DANCE MUSIC EDITOR Rachel Davison: featuresed@xpressmag.com.au LOCAL MUSIC & ARTS EDITOR Travis Johnson: localmusicarts@xpressmag.com.au GIG & EVENT GUIDES CO-ORDINATOR guide@xpressmag.com.au COMPETITIONS win@xpressmag.com.au For band gigs and launches - plugyourgig@xpressmag.com.au PHOTOGRAPHY Rachael Barrett, Stefan Caramia, Guang-Hui Chuan, Daniel Craig, Brandon D’Silva, Max Fairclough, Daniel Grant, Sammy Granville, Matt Jelonek, Emma Mackenzie, Callum Ponton, Denis Radacic, Bohdan Warchomij, Michael Wylie CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Leah Blankendaal, Nina Bertok, Lucas Bowers, Aaron Bryans, Joe Cassidy, Hayley Davis, Chris Gibbs, Alfred Gorman, Shaun Cowe, Predrag Delibasich, Jayde Ferguson, George Green, Alex Griffin, James Hanlon, Chris Havercroft, Joshua Hayes, Brendan Holben, Coral Huckstep, Ellie Hutchinson, Rezo Kezerashvili, Tom Kitson, Clayton Lin, Charlie Lewis, Daisy Lythe, Andrew Nelson, David O’Connell, Shane Pinnegar, Nick Sweepah, Jessica Willoughby
FILM: ARE WE OFFICIALLY DATING Out in cinemas this week is the film, Are We Officially Dating about a commitment phobe Jason (Zac Efron) and his co-worker Daniel (Miles Teller) who are determined to help their devastated friend Mikey (Michael B Jordan) after he discovers his wife has been cheating on him. In a bid to cheer him up, the guys decide to take him out and make a pledge to bachelorhood. To win an in-season double pass, email: win@xpressmag.com.au, making sure you include your postal address.
ADVERTISING - 9213 2888 SALES MANAGER AGENCY / MOVIES / ARTS / EDUCATION / SPONSORSHIP / ONLINE MARKETING Craig Mauger - advertising@xpressmag.com.au MUSIC SERVICES / MUSICAL EQUIPMENT / BANDS / RECORD LABELS Dez Richardson - musicservices@xpressmag.com.au ENTERTAINMENT VENUES / LIVE AND DANCE MUSIC PROMOTERS Tim Milroy - entertainment@xpressmag.com.au CLASSIFIEDS LINAGE classifieds@xpressmag.com.au
PRODUCTION DEPARTMENT - 9213 2854 CONTENT COORDINATOR Anthony Jackson - production@xpressmag.com.au ART DIRECTOR Dwight O’Neil DESIGN + PRODUCTION Andy Quilty, Anthony Jackson, Kasia Mazurkiewicz
DVD: MYSTERY ROAD Thanks to Transmission Films we’ve got copies of the brilliant film of last year, Mystery Road to giveaway. Staring a great Australian cast including Aaron Pedersen, Hugo Weaving and Jack Thompson, the story is about an Indigenous detective who returns to his outback hometown to solve the murder of a teenage girl. To own your very own copy on DVD, email: win@xpressmag. com.au.
PRINTING Rural Press Printing Mandurah DISTRIBUTION - 9213 2853 - distribution@xpressmag.com.au ADMIN / ACCOUNTS - 9213 2888 Lillian Buckley accounts@xpressmag.com.au EDITORIAL DEADLINES General: Friday 5pm, Eye4 Arts: Thursday 10am, WIN: Friday 5pm, Salt Clubs: Monday 5pm , Local Scene: Monday Noon, Gig Guide: Monday 5pm
COMEDY: FIONA O’LOUGHLIN IN MY BRILLIANT CAREER Australian comedy queen, Fiona O’Loughlin is staring in her own show, My Brilliant Career as part of Fringe World. Her stories to make you laugh and squirm (based on 15 years in show biz) have taken her to LA’s Improv Comedy Club, Edinburgh Fringe, Montreal’s Just For Laughs and the UK’s Leicester Comedy Festival. The show runs from February 19-23 in The West Australian Spiegeltent and to win a double pass to the opening night on Wednesday, February 19 at 9pm - just email: win@xpressmag.com.au.
ADVERTISING DEADLINES Cancellations: Monday 5pm, Ads to be set: Monday Noon 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 WARRANTY AND INDEMNITY Advertisers and/or their agents by lodging an advertisment shall indemnify the publisher, and its agents, against all liability claims or proceedings whatsoever arising from the publication. Advertisers and/or their representatives indemnify the publisher in relation to defamation, slander, breach of copyright, infringement of trademarks of name of publication titles, unfair competition or trade practices, royalties or violation of rights or privacy and warrant that the material complies with revelant laws and regulations and that its publication will not give rise to any rights against or liabilities in the publisher, its servants or agents. Any material supplied to X-Press is at the contributor’s risk.
33,560 OCTOBER 2012 MARCH 2013 - AUSTRALIA’S HIGHEST CIRCULATING STREET PRESS
FESTIVAL: THROWING OF THE CABARET: FIFI MONDELLO’S A GRAPE The fourth annual Throwing Of The Grape festival, HARD MAN IS GOOD TO FIND which celebrates food, wine, music and the first wine harvest for 2014 is happening on Saturday, February 22 at Oakover Winery in the Swan Valley. You might have heard of La Tomatina in Spain where the streets are filled with over-ripened tomatoes, well this is the WA equivalent - with grapes! For wine tasting, grape stomping, live music and DJs, get your tickets via Oztix, or for the chance to win a double pass with transport to and from the festival - email: win@xpressmag.com.au.
bamBOO is Perth’s newest outdoor cinema - a teaming up of Luna Palace Cinemas and Luxe Bar. It’s situated just behind Luxe in Highgate and features a tropical, amphitheatre style seating and films that are a mix of contemporary favourites, cult classics and premieres. You can BYO food (or order from Ace Pizza next door) with doors opening at 6pm with the film starting at 8pm. Check out the film program at lunapalace.com.au, and to win a double pass valid until the season ends on April 13 - email: win@xpressmag.com.au.
FILM: BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOUR
FILM: LONE SURVIVOR Based on The New York Times bestselling true story of courage and survival, Lone Survivor stars Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch and Eric Bana and tells the tale of four Navy SEALs on a covert mission to neutralise an al-Qaeda operative who are ambushed by the enemy in the mountains of Afghanistan. The film opens in cinemas next week and to win a double pass valid for the season, email: win@xpressmag.com.au and make sure you include your postal address! 8
Has your love life led you to the conclusion that there’s nothing left to do but cry and drink wine? Well let Fifi Mondello take you into her boudoir as she sings, dances and shares her dating misadventures. The show combines her love of ‘60s music, jazz and musical theatre as well as her own take on pop. It runs in Casa Mondo in The Pleasure Garden as part of Fringe World between February 20 to 23 at 11pm. To win a double pass to the show - email: win@xpressmag.com.au stating which date you’d like to attend.
FILM: BAMBOO OUTDOOR CINEMA
Opening in cinemas tomorrow (Thursday, February 13) comes the film, Blue Is The Warmest Colour (R 18+) directed by Abdellatif Kechiche. It’s an emotionally raw, sexually explicit contemporary French drama about a young woman’s awakening. Adèle, a 15-year-old, has her life turned upside down when she meets Emma a blue-haired young woman. The film won the prestigious Palme d’Or at the 66th Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for a Golden Globe. To win a double in-season pass, email: win@xpressmag.com.au.
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FLESH
NEWS - INTERVIEWS - REVIEWS - CONTENTS
BOOKER ONEFIVEZEROSEVEN Only Teenage Wasteland T. JONES Chevron Festival Gardens Thursday, February 11, 2014
Booker T. Jones Pic: Rachael Barrett
In the midst of what could be described as a loud week in Perth, the Perth International Arts Festival’s Chevron Festival Gardens stood firmly and intently, sticking to its guns, doing what it does best. Last Thursday night Booker T. Jones opened the three-week boutique venue and in a week that saw continued Fringe World shenanigans, the last Perth Big Day Out, the first appearance of Bruce Springsteen in WA, Eddie Vedder playing solo shows and a St Jerome’s Laneway Festival just around the corner, the presence of their premiere 2014 act, Booker T. Jones spoke of consistency and quality, which is, after all, a hallmark of the annual event. An icon in and of himself, Jones was surrounded by a cracking band. Guitarist, Vernon ‘Ice’ Black worked beautifully around the bandleader’s
evocative keyboard lines while drummer Darian Gray and bassist M-CatSpoony - who pulled off the guitar swing trick, a la Steve Vai, in reverse - spooned in those grooves. Jones went about his business simply and assuredly. While his versions of the rather obvious likes of Hey Joe, Knocking On Heaven’s Door and Take Me To The River sounded like standards in his own right, it was the MGs-era likes of Green Onions, Hip Hug-Her and Time Is Tight that had you truly knowing you were in the company of musical history. It was a show that any of last week’s iconic musical visitors would have given their eye-teeth to be at. BOB GORDON
Onefivezeroseven, a play written by Suzie Miller, directed by John Sheedy and featuring a cast of talented, up and coming young actors, is being presented as part of the Perth International Arts Festival. We had a quick word with Rikki Bremner, one of the cast.
What’s your role in the play? I, along with the other five cast members, portray multiple teenagers throughout the work. At moments in the piece we dive deeper into individual characters - for instance, at one point I portray an actual West Australian teenager named Jordan. So, what’s it all about? Objects. Bedrooms. Relationships. Fears and confessions. Onefivezeroseven is the average amount of breaths an Australian teenager takes every hour. The average number of emotional moments they experience in a single day. The play examines Australian teenagers - their behaviour, social interactions, online existence and most importantly their sanctuary... the teenage bedroom. These minienvironments hold their deepest and darkest fears, hopes, dreams, memories and is where they spend time on their computers, mobiles and iPads - their all-important connection to the online world. What has the creative process of the production involved so far? This work is theatre, movement; integrated with a whirlwind of teenage emotions. Moving from highly intimate monologues to group physical
Rikki Bremner in Onefivezeroseven - Photo by Cameron Etchells and Guerilla Construction
interactions, the process of Onefivezeroseven continues to push boundaries. Having the opportunity to work with director John Sheedy, Aussie playwright Suzie Miller, choreographer Danielle Micich and the entire team at Barking Gecko Theatre Company is an incredible experience in its own. The humour, creativity, vision, guidance and positive environment of Barking Gecko has, and continues to be, to be an ongoing source of inspiration to myself, and the entire cast. Why should we come and see the play? If you want to see physical theatre that’s confronting, unique, honest; and you’re not afraid to hear the truth. TRAVIS JOHNSON
Onefivezeroseven runs at Studio Underground in the State Theatre Centre Of WA from February 22 March 1. Tickets through Ticketek.com.au.
JONI IN THE MOON Hayley Beth/Rokwell & Groom/The Sonic Manipulator Fly By Night Musicians Club Friday, February 7, 2014
JET BACK TO THE ROCKET ROOM
ILLY’S IN THE WIND
The Rocket Room is once again home to original live music and to mark that excellent news, they’re playing host to a one-off show by The Chevelles and The Volcanics before the two iconic Perth bands take off on their upcoming international tour. Get down on Friday, February 28, to catch these two giants of the Perth music scene, plus Custom Royal and The Killer Hipsters.
Melbourne hip hop artist and Twitter wit, Illy, is bringing The Cinematic National Tour our way to celebrate the host of landmarks his latest album has scored for him, including his first top 10 debut. The ARIA-winning rhymer promises a killer show at Capitol on Friday, March 21. Tickets are on sale now through Oztix.
The Chevelles
Illy
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News Win Flesh Music The National / Gwar Mikhael Paskalev Jeff Beck New Noise Eye4 Cover: The Rocky Horror Show Dallas Buyers Club, Robocop, Mandela Blue Is The Warmest Colour Perth Fashionistas Arts Listings ETC: O Week Salt Cover: Chela News / Producer’s Cut / Salt Nights Out DJ Moneyshow / The Kite String Tangle Club Manual Rewind: Adam Freeland Scene Laneway Festival Bruce Springsteen Local Scene Tour Tour Trails The Porkers Gig Guide Volume
MR WALKER COMETH F R O N T C O V E R : N o r w e g i a n Yo uTu b e
wunderkind, Mikhael Paskalev, heads to the Chevron Festival Gardens on Saturday, March 1. SALT COVER: Chela plays The Prom this Valentine’s Day - Friday, February 14 at Rooftop Movies.
From the moment you enter the venue and see the stage all dressed up with fairy lights, you know you’re in for a treat. And Joni In The Moon certainly delivered. To warm up the stage and the audience, The Sonic Manipulator touched down from outer space, all dressed in silver and covered head to toe in all sorts of retro-futuristic gadgets. Us Earthlings were then rained down with techno delivered by unusual jury-rigged instruments of the performer’s mad genius, generating sound effects and deliberately garbled vocals in between camp techno that would’ve felt right at home in cult science fiction. In addition to this, the entire time, this spaceman kept entirely in character. Whilst fun and unique, the gimmick does get a bit dry after a while. Hayley Beth then came on the stage. With a minimalist set consisting of only keys and an electric guitar for instruments, all eyes and ears were on the vocals, inspired by elements of the soul and country genres, with a drawl that wouldn’t have been out of place at a saloon, carrying the set. The repertoire is consistent, but does not feel tedious. The most bizarre aspect of the set is the visual backdrop featuring amongst other things, an action sequence out of a Japanese samurai movie. Rokwell & Groom came on with a synthheavy set, with the occasional guitar riff every now and then fused together with a layered, droning soundscape. Felicity Groom’s echoing vocals drift between the stark and the angelic as she slowly weaves around the stage, whilst Diger Rokwell lays down that deep, ethereal, slow tempo rhythms, with each track flowing from the end of each other. The visual accompaniment to the set
KERSER COMES AROUND AGAIN
featured some grainy, psychedelic images. Overall a quality set, with the sort of music to unwind and let go, after a long day. The headliner, Joni In The Moon then came in, with Joni herself in a resplendent blue gown. And the old adage, the best saved for last, comes to mind for this one. The offering is a strange and interesting hybrid of folk, world, and electronica genres that, when fused together, transcends tacky classifications. Lots of instruments were on stage - keys, a set of bells, drums, fiddles, mandolins, sitars, double bass and an electronics ensemble, each of which had a chance to really shine, and together they worked gloriously, with enough to variety to not bore the crowd for the whole hour they were on stage. Also, a surprise came in the form of the ever popular Odette Mercy joining in the backing vocals. The main vocals were soulful, at the same time clear and made for easy listening, while the electronics produced dazzles, sparkles and xylophonic sounds. The banter between artist and audience was both down to earth and hilarious. The entire set was simply an ephemeral experience to which the crowd slowly danced away to. CLAYTON LIN
Joni In The Moon Pic: Libby Edwards
COURTNEY BARNETT FINDS HER MOJO
Legendary Australian musician, Don Walker, has pencilled in a number of WA dates in the near future. You can catch the man regarded as Australia’s best songwriter at Clancy’s Fremantle on Friday, February 21, at the Civic Hotel on Saturday, February 22, and at the Fremantle Arts Centre on Sunday, February 23. All shows are free.
We only just saw him at the Big Day Out, but the man sometimes known as Scott Barrow is already planning on hitting up P-Town again. Kerser plays Metro City on Saturday, March 1, with support from DJ Dazastah, Bitter Relief, Complete and Omac. Tickets are on sale now through Oztix.
Melbourne singer/songwriter Courtney Barnett, fresh from her successful loop ’round the US and the UK, has set her course westward. The acclaimed artist and triple j favourite will be playing at Mojos Bar on Saturday, March 8. Tickets for the Avant Gardener are S12 plus booking fee through Oztix, or $15 on the door, subject to availability.
Don Walker
Kerser
Courtney Barnett
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MIKHAEL PASKALEV Wake Up And Smell The Coffee Norwegian YouTube wunderkind, Mikhael Paskalev, heads to the Chevron Festival Gardens on Saturday, March 1, supported by Rainy Day Women. GARRATH WESTMORE reports. Somewhere in Oslo, Norway, Mikhael Paskalev has just woken up and is putting on a pot of coffee to help get through our phone interview. “I’ve been here the last two weeks, I’ve had some time off, which is really, really nice,” he says explaining his lethargy. His exhaustion and appreciation of some down time is understandable, it’s been a meteoric rise for the Norwegian thanks to his hit, I Spy, but Paskalev needs coffee before we talk about all that. “Alright the coffee pot’s on so I’m ready to go,” he says. We chat about the series of shows he’ll be playing here in Australia, a prospect he’s clearly excited about. “It’s probably the place I’m most looking forward to going out of the places I’m planning on going or have been, so I’m really excited about it. I don’t know an awful lot about Australia, I guess there’s a lot of things I’ll learn when I get there, but I’ve watched Home And Away and listened to Silverchair so I’ve had a little bit of an education,” he laughs. I feel obliged to tell him that unfortunately we don’t all look like Home And Away stars, and less reluctant to tell him Silverchair have broken up, but he doesn’t seem fazed. His chance to tour Australia perhaps owes a lot to the success of I Spy, a track that got into triple j’s Hottest 100 just recently, a poll I ask if he knew of previously. “Oh yeah,” he says matter-of-factly, though his understanding of just how popular the track was outside of Norway was relatively slight. “I know it’s been trickling to other places for a while, in some ways I realised it’s larger than just Norway. But I was shocked when the poll came through and I came #75, it was really fucking great! Sorry for the language…” As great as the exposure that song has given Paskalev, he feels more pride for his next single Jive Baby, a track he amusingly describes as “not as accessible” and long. It’s cooler though, apparently; “well, from my point of view…” he adds. The video clip for that particular song was shot in Bulgaria where Paskalev’s grandparents and father hail from. “That was nice,” he recalls of the shoot. “We were staying at my grandparents place in their village and my cousin was our driver,
“I know it’s (I Spy) been trickling to other places for a while, in some ways I realised it’s larger than just Norway. But I was shocked when the (Hottest 100) poll came through and I came #75, it was really fucking great! Sorry for the language…” one of my best mates was filming. We were just driving around shooting a video clip for a week”. Shooting the clip with actress, Elena Arginos, may not have hurt either, but Paskalev is not drawn on the subject. Anyway back to the music... His debut, What’s Life Without Losers, shows a songwriter more diverse and talented than the single I Spy can on its own, I Remember You perhaps best displaying the brilliant eclecticism of his writing. Starting out almost blues-rock, it rises like a rock song, has group harmonies like a lot of good pop songs, whilst possessing the kind of guitar fuzz preferred by garage rock bands. Woman is slow rolling but full of resonance and clever chord progressions; observations Paskalev seems flattered by. “That’s very cool to hear. They were nice words, I appreciate it, thank you. Usually people just mention I Spy! When you mention I Remember You and Woman, it makes me a happy fella,” he says genuinely, his humility somewhat disarming. It’s that mashing of genre elements as well as unexpected song structures and lyrical stylings that make Paskalev stand out from other acoustic-based pop artists. The reasons for his style, though, are unclear. “I did spend most of my years trying to be a rock guitarist, not a songwriter/singer,” he theorises. “I always thought I’d be the cool guy in the background, but it never happened that way. But I played in loads of shit bands as a kid and they were
very prog rock. Weird time signatures, 50 horrible songs in one. I’ve never actually thought about this before, but maybe those years of trying to make virtuoso music has done something,” he chuckles. One thing is for certain; the music of Bulgaria hasn’t had a great influence on him, Paskalev describing music taste in the former Communist state as “pretty shit”, though he’s not being vindictive when he says it. “In Norway and Australia you’d have something you’d define as folk pop, but that’s pretty, this is worse. Old traditional Bulgarian folk music that objectifies - female strippers singing folk pop – it’s really weird!”
If he’s picked up one folk tradition though, it’s his love of a nylon string guitar, Paskalev preferring it over a steel string, even when playing with his full band. “It’s the timbre and tradition maybe, in some way. It’s just a lot warmer when you’re standing there on your own.” He won’t be on his own In Australia though, Paskalev will have his full band in tow, and he seems to be chomping at the bit, despite enjoying his current down time. “It’s really crazy and really great,” he reiterates regarding his Australian shows, “I’m very happy about it.”
JEFF BECK
in the show before people start looking at each other wondering what they’re thinking too. It’s a worry, not wanting to baffle people with new material. But if you don’t leave the old stuff behind, you’re going to be stuck with it. So you have to choose a song you have absolute belief in that it will rock the place. “But there is no way of testing the stuff. People come with a pre-conceived notion of what you’re going to play, so you don’t want to bombard them with weird music they’ve never heard before. I just hope I make the right choices when I come down there,” he laughs. Following on from a collaborative US tour last year, Beck is set to put the finishing touches on a full-length team-up with Beach Boys legend, Wilson. “The album is finished without me, I’ve got all the backing tracks done and mixed as close as we can get without the guitar. So I can take that in the car and imagine what I’m going to play. So I can play 14 songs in the car without me playing features. There are riffs, but the solo sections are left empty so I can dial into what I want to play, instead of just blindly playing at the time of recording. “That’s been my problem, thinking that the live performance is the be-all. But it’s not necessarily so. If you want to really deliver the best solo, you need to think about what you’re doing first. Unless it comes out naturally, that one-off genius. But for me, with the difficult, Eastern-influenced music that we’re playing, I need to have it in my pocket for a couple of weeks before committing to a solo,” he reasons. The match of Wilson’s impeccable pop acumen and Beck’s at-times aggressive guitar style may seem incongruous on paper, but the fusion of musical minds reaches beyond the sum of its parts. “The texture, the style is predetermined, the melody is just suggested. Who knows how Brian’s organisation works, he doesn’t say a lot in the sessions. It’s a bit of a guessing game, but there’s always a map to guide you. It’s not an easy task. You obviously wouldn’t play an aggressive solo over a pretty ballad. There was one track with an aggressive riff, and he explained to his people that he wanted me to be me on it, but it’s still in the making, as far as I know.” With a career spanning many epochs of evolution in terms of guitar technology, Beck still feels the need to adhere to the gold standard set in simpler times. “I don’t want to hear about new gizmos that are safety nets in any way. You give me an amp and a guitar and if I can’t do anything impressive with that, then something’s wrong. Can you imagine if Django Reinhardt started playing with a wah-wah pedal? Or flanging with a chorus? It’s not necessary. “If the melody is good and you’re playing well, and you have your craft under control, then I’m not really interested in what’s there that wasn’t invented in the ‘50s with the electric guitar. I don’t like the sound of digital records. We had it right, why mess with it?”
Guitarmony Last seen here for the 2010 edition of West Coast Blues N’ Roots, Guitar legend, Jeff Beck, performs at the Perth Concert Hall on Thursday, April 24. LACHLAN KANONIUK reports. He’s one of the most revered lead guitarists in rock history, going on to forge a steady and formidable standing as a virtuoso since his mid-‘60s stint with The Yardbirds. Even after a half century of performing, Jeff Beck is still exploring the possibilities of the electric guitar, pursuing a varied array of worldly musical styles – including an upcoming full-length collaboration with Brian Wilson. Ahead of his arrival in Australia for this year’s Byron Bay Bluesfest, as well as some headlining shows, Beck speaks about the album, the difficulties in constructing a setlist and a worship for a purity of guitar tone.
“That’s been my problem, thinking that the live performance is the be-all. But it’s not necessarily so. If you want to really deliver the best solo, you need to think about what you’re doing first. Unless it comes out naturally, that one-off genius. But for me, with the difficult, Easterninfluenced music that we’re playing, I need to have it in my pocket for a couple of weeks before committing to a solo.”
“It’s fairly new,” he says of the band he will be bringing to Australia this year. “We just did a short tour with Brian Wilson a few months ago. We have a new drummer, we have violin and rhythm guitar.” Armed with decades of back catalogue jams, including the eclectic 2010 album, Emotion & Commotion, compiling a setlist for the Australian tour is a challenge in itself. “It’s always a tricky one, when you have a new album you need to decide how much of it to put 12
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THE NATIONAL Confidence 101 The National perform a sold-out show at Belvoir Amphitheatre this Friday, February 14, supported by Luluc. CHRIS MARTIN chats with vocalist, Matt Berninger, who will also appear at a Talking Pictures screening of the documentary film, Mistaken For Strangers, at Luna Leederville this Thursday, February 13, from 7pm. The National’s Trouble Will Find Me is a lot of things to a lot of people. To the Brooklyn band, it’s a sixth LP; another slice of brooding, caramel alt-rock that’s mimicked the chart success of its predecessor, 2011’s High Violet. For fans, it’s yet another private masterpiece – a soundtrack to dark bedrooms and long, lonely afternoons. Because despite The National’s success, their music remains necessarily intimate. To borrow a lyric – when National listeners pass on the street in public – they mistake each other for strangers. Instead, they’re the types who populate internet forums to heartily debate the literary references and allegorical meanings in Matt Berninger’s lyrics. Private, yet public in their privacy. “Most of those forums are just me under different aliases, and they’re all correct,” jokes Berninger. He’s speaking down a phone line from his backyard in Los Angeles, where he’s put his feet up over the fire and, temporarily at least, is giving as much thought to reinterpreting his own lyrics as the fans do. “I do find it fun to have the lyrics being interpreted in a lot of different ways. The songs aren’t riddles and there isn’t a right answer. The discussion about what the songs are about – I’m in the middle of that, too.” It may come as a surprise to hear such indecisiveness from a lyricist and vocalist who deliberately dots his songs with images lifted from the poetry of T.S. Eliot and Bob Dylan. Yet Berninger says the malleability is a key part of his creative process. “All my favourite songwriters, whether it’s Leonard Cohen or Cat Power or Nick Cave or Tom Waits – you can listen to their stuff over and over and over again, and it changes; it changes with you in a weird way. It allows you in. Wherever you are in your life, in your moment, it allows you in and it can be whatever it is that you’re going through. “So there isn’t a right answer to what our songs are about – some of them have specifics, but generally they’re more amidic than that, and it’s not by strategy, it’s just words in a song can only be so queer. A good song can only approximate ideas. If you try to connect all the dots, it’s probably not going to be very close to the truth.” If it sounds like a lot to digest, that’s because it is. The National’s music isn’t suited to a summer fling. None of their records serve being picked up, hurriedly consumed and discarded in one listen. Indeed, the Brooklyn five-piece’s gradual rise to fame only mirrors the slow burn of nearly every song on each of its six albums. To the outsider, writing such dense material sounds like an exhausting process. “It used to be,” says Berninger, “because I used to think that songs were supposed to be about something specific, and they were supposed to tell a specific thought or a specific story, but we’ve been a band for a long time, and I think once I started realising that a good song is probably about five different blurry things at the same time, I just relaxed with my writing and stopped trying to be too clever, and I stopped trying to connect the dots, and I stopped trying to make a point, because I realised that’s not what I liked about writing songs. It wasn’t about expressing an opinion or a specific narrative story or an image, it was about getting a lot of complicated, blurry stuff out of my head and into a song, and to make something beautiful or try to make something fun and cool about the mess in my brain.” Around the time of the Trouble Will Find Me release early last year came a documentary, Mistaken For Strangers, shot by Berninger’s younger brother, Tom. After premiering at the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival, Mistaken For Strangers is set for wide theatrical release this year, beginning in Australia to coincide with the band’s six live dates. Alongside behind-the-scenes footage of The National on tour for High Violet – some of it literally so invasive that it contributed to Tom being fired from his role as
“there isn’t a right answer to what our songs are about – some of them have specifics, but generally they’re more amidic than that, and it’s not by strategy, it’s just words in a song can only be so queer. A good song can only approximate ideas. If you try to connect all the dots, it’s probably not going to be very close to the truth.”
a roadie – is film of the band onstage in its earliest days, with a shouty lead singer in an empty club doing his best to be heard over the top of clunky, distorted guitars. It’s as close to amateur pub rock as The National have ever been. However, Berninger doesn’t think his band has mellowed over the years. “I think probably the opposite. When we were first starting out, I can’t say we were ever mellow; we were tensed-up, anxiety-filled young men, and still are, I guess – just slightly older. It’s weird, the first shows we did, the small shows that we did when no-one was there, were as exciting and terror-filled as the big, giant Opera House shows, the arenas and the festivals that we’re doing now. They are just different versions of the same kind of euphoric fear, you know – and I’m just happy that our band is still together and we’ve managed to keep
GWAR Hearts And Minds As 43 million year-old space barbarian, Oderus Ungerus, Dave Brockie traverses the planet clad in rubber prosthetics at the pointy end of shock metal band Gwar. He talks with SHANE PINNEGAR about pointing the rocket towards our shores as part of Soundwave Festival at Claremont Showgrounds on Monday, March 3. 14
doing this thing until the point where we’re five adults travelling the world on a bus together and we don’t hate each other yet.” The closeness of Berninger’s relationship with his bandmates – the Dessner twins, Aaron and Bryce, and the Devendorf brothers, Scott and Bryan – explains why their recording activities tend to take place within a tight circle. Four of their albums have been self-produced, with occasional assistance from outside producers, albeit to limited extents. “We have a pretty open idea of making records, meaning we have a lot of our friends and a lot of really talented musicians and even producers and mixers and people come in – but we’ve never given over, we’ve never had somebody come in as the conductor, the impresario or the producer of the record in that kind of uber way that sometimes people do,” Berninger explains. “And I’m not saying that’s a bad way to do it, but for us we’ve got five guys that are all really talented and very stubborn and have huge egos and have big ideas, and all those things conflict all the time, so to bring even another person into that – we’ve never been able to. The whole dynamic of our band is a weird alchemy of a bunch of people pulling in sometimes different directions but ultimately ending up in the same place.” Berningers’ mother Nancy, an artist who now paints from her cottage in Cincinnati, Ohio, also paid a visit in Mistaken For Strangers. The film conveys the memories of an artistic and supportive family household and Matt acknowledges the influence it had for a young man who eventually decided to give up his career at a new media company and give rock music a go – even if he was no rock’n’roll rebel as a child.
“Where I grew up was more of a sort of cookie-cutter suburban area. My parents were loving and supportive of whatever weirdness their kids were into… it was a healthy place, on all levels, in terms of warmth and love and support and creativity. So I never had anything to rebel against too much. I think finding fascination and finding my heart and my guts being drawn into rock’n’roll music wasn’t because I lived in this weird, sheltered or constrained world in any way. I’m not a rebel at all. But my parents were very supportive of whatever weirdness was in my gut and in my heart. “They weren’t too judgemental, so it allowed me, over time, just to have confidence and dive into that stuff. My mom was always like, ‘just do whatever you want’. And I had a job, and I was a professional, but all along she was like, ‘If you want to quit that and do something else…’ she would totally be behind it, and that’s ultimately what I did.” It’s a heartening confession which reveals the one thing that keeps The National going today, for all the assumptions of moodiness and pessimism that are so easy to project upon artists who make a certain brand of introverted, mature rock. “You just have to have the confidence to fail a hundred times in a row, and then maybe that 101th time you don’t. That’s the stuff that you latch onto and that’s your stepping stone to the next thing. I think fear of failure stops people from reaching happiness, when the truth is, failing over and over is just part of the process.” The National’s guitarist, Bryce Dessner, will also appear at Soft Soft Loud (also featuring New York composer, Nico Muhly, and the premiere of a new work by WA’s James Ledger) this Thursday, February 13, at the Fremantle Arts Centre Inner Courtyard. Doors open 7pm, tickets are $49 (plus booking fee) from fac. oztix.com.au.
As Gwar vocalist, Dave Brockie, tells tales of exploding buses and “raw human fecal matter bubbling up out of the drain” in their dressing room the previous day, it seems life for these metal monsters isn’t all glamour. “Oh hell no! Your legs can get cut out from you at any moment! You have no idea the kind of shit that we go through. Anyone that thinks it’s a wonderful, glamorous lifestyle where you flit from place to place with magic wings, to be blown by hot women propelled by lines of cocaine, is a complete idiot! “But I love it,” he declares, “we really take pride in the hardships that we have to go through in order to bring the most outrageous show in rock’n’roll history to people all around the world.” GWAR have proven themselves to be far more than a rubber-masked cabaret act, releasing 13 albums over 25 years and selling more than 30 million albums. Along the way they have shocked relentlessly, but Brockie isn’t so sure what Gwar’s stage show will include on their Australian jaunt. “We’re not quite sure what we’re bringing with us yet,” he laughs. “But it will be amazing and it will be exciting, and we will be splattering lots of people. Who’s that guy who’s running your country right now - Tony Abbott? How would that go over - if we chopped off Tony Abbott’s head?” Brockie doesn’t use the term ‘splatter’
lightly: GWAR are renowned for spewing all sorts of fluids into the front rows of the audience. He’s happy to offer some sartorial advice to Soundwave audiences who might want to get close to the stage. “Here in The States,” he laughs, “the fans bring a change of clothes with them because they’re so soaked after the Gwar show that they don’t wanna drive home and get the upholstery all messed up. And they’ll all wear white t-shirts, so they can get different patterns of spew on them. We have different colours of what we’re spewing, so it’s almost like some kind of Grateful Dead kind of sweaty tie-die thing going on. “We’ve been around for 28 years now, we’ve been through the worst things imaginable, we’ve proven ourselves fearless, indefatigable, and consistent. So very slowly, Gwar is winning the hearts and minds. It is a worldwide campaign of destruction, and Gwar is immortal.” Considering the band’s costumes are all-encompassing, what’s to stop a future that will never be without a Gwar, with future generations of musicians stepping into those roles for decades to come, making the band truly immortal? “Exactly!” Brockie exclaims, a little scarily. “That’s exactly what’s gonna happen. Sooner or later everybody in this band will decide when their handpicked replacement will come into the character. Westside Story is playing on Broadway tonight - why can’t Gwar, the musical theatre experience, last forever?”
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NEW NOISE
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2.5
OUT OF 5
OUT OF 5
BRITNEY SPEARS
MADE IN JAPAN
Britney Jean RCA/Sony
Tame All Those Thoughts MGM Australia
Britney Spears has been grabbing headlines for years whether as the God-fearing chaste or the knicker-less flashing train wreck, but sadly for her the music alone is nowhere near headline grabbing enough these days. Her latest effort, Britney Jean, will do little to redress this balance. The one time biggest name in pop has locked herself into a 100-date Vegas contract that won’t help to lift her current status as glorified showgirl. Britney Jean is billed as a concept album about the loneliness of a ‘pop life’ but the tales are dull and the album relies heavily on autotune to give Spears’ songs a voice that is these days barely passable. There is a plethora of mid-tempo tunes that sound dated rather than retro, many of the songs come off as soulless club fodder that would struggle to tempt people to the dancefloor. Work B**ch is kind of fun but not memorable in the slightest while Chillin’ With You, despite its cheese-laden lyrics and horrendous chorus at least has some positives. While it is tragic to see a woman who had it all at her feet have such a public fall from grace and subsequent breakdown, it is still no excuse to put out records as flaccid as Britney Jean.
Just over a year after their debut release, Sights And Sounds, Sydney-born band Made In Japan have released their sophomore LP, Tame All Those Thoughts, and whilst it continues the band’s exploration of the dream-pop genre, the album, overall, lacks impact and substance. Opening track, Community, kicks things off strongly with glistening lead guitar, atmospheric synth and a repetitive, yet catchy, chorus. The song is memorable but still underwhelming and would fit well as background music at café’s or restaurants. Shortly after, the LP’s quality slowly begins to diminish. History is another satisfactory track; however, it lacks the catchy chorus that shined in Community and instead delves deeper into the dreampop genre, becoming almost sleep inducing. By the time Inbetween Fixes arises, the album has verged into instrumentation, and whilst it’s still an interesting composition, any hope of delivering a noteworthy compilation of songs has faded. There’s a bright future ahead for Made In Japan once they fix the final pieces of their sound; however, right now the quartet have failed to deliver any remarkable tracks.
CHRIS HAVERCROFT
AARON BRYANS
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ONE THOUSAND YEARS
BOMBAY BICYCLE CLUB
Get Your Rabbit’s Foot & Run Independent
So Long, See You Tomorrow Caroline Records
One Thousand Years released their single, This Is How The Zombies Take Control, way, way back in 2012, backed by the dark grooving riff of Demoness. Both tracks make another welcome appearance here on their long-awaited debut album and stand shoulder to shoulder with an album which defies pigeonholing. Organic in the same way that The Stones or Black Crowes were, One Thousand Years throw a bit of everything into the gumbo of their sound – it’s hard rock’n’maximum’roll Jim, but played with a jam band sensibility, a hefty pinch of funky soul sassafras, and blues rock nous. Single, When The Sun Opens Its Eyes, sounds like The Stones, or at least, Primal Scream doing The Stones (which were pretty much the same thing circa 1994), while the paen to lost love that is Helsinki Blues really tugs on the heartstrings. Mama Love, Little Blue Jeans and Soul Kitchen ramp up the soulful sass, proving that it’s never too late to go back to the source of it all and reinvent rock’n’roll in whichever way corresponds to your own tastes and influences. In short, Get Your Rabbit’s Foot & Run is perfect for One Thousand Years – it’s the culmination of all their influences and abilities and talents, and it’s so good it shouldn’t have any trouble finding a broad and adoring audience. SHANE PINNEGAR
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While bands struggle to find a moniker that will work for them, stealing the name of a chain of Indian restaurants is as good a source as any, and is exactly what Bombay Bicycle club have done. All four members have known each other since their school days and continued to finish their secondary education while maintaining the band’s profile. So Long, See You Tomorrow is the fourth album from this bunch of friends. Bombay Bicycle Club have delved into acoustic folk in the past as a break from their usual guitar pop, and So Long, See You Tomorrow is another transition for the outfit. With synth pop taking over the UK airwaves again, this North London group have decided to dabble in the electronic arts. Much of the album is made up of expansive pop with a focus on beats and big choruses. It’s Alright Now ticks all of the right boxes, borrowing a melody that Kate Bush would be proud of, with Jack Steadman’s somewhat fey vocals sitting low enough in the mix to offer the right effect. There is something particularly Bollywood about Feel, that loses some of its authenticity when peddled by middle class English boys, but it’s one of the few missteps. Bombay Bicycle Club are a band that would excel on the stages of festivals but are yet to quite capture that appeal on record. So Long, See You Tomorrow is a step closer to realising that vision. CHRIS HAVERCROFT
OUT OF 5
4.5 OUT OF 5
SARAH BLASKO I Awake Live At Sydney Opera House Dew Process If you didn’t happen to be in Sydney back in February last year when Sarah Blasko performed at the Sydney Opera House or one of the many who watched the show live on YouTube, then the release of I Awake Live At Sydney Opera House will be a welcome treat. Backed by the Sydney International Orchestra, Blasko treated those lucky enough to be in attendance to a performance of her entire 2012 LP, I Awake, as well as a number of songs from her previous albums, What the Sea Wants, The Sea Will Have and As Day Follows Night. For a live album, the mix and production is top notch – at times you could be forgiven for thinking it was all done in the studio. But no, it is live; the punctuated cheers from the crowd between songs, along with Blasko’s humble and delicate repetitions of “thank you” make it so. Opening with {Explain}, Blasko plays a selection of songs from her back catalogue including favourites such as All I Want and Bird On Wire before launching into I Awake from start to finish. It’s hard not to like Sarah Blasko, whether it’s for her delicate voice and beautiful music or simply because she seems to be one of the most humble performers in this country. With such exceptional musicianship on display, combined with a masterful mix, it makes it one of the better live albums out there. JAMES NICOLI 16
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JONI IN THE MOON Sorrow Trees Independent After eight years of stillness, Joni Hogan has returned. Alongside her brother Josh, the pair have released an LP that stands out amongst the pack. Merging Josh’s outstanding percussion skills and Joni’s beautiful voice into an incredible composition, the 28 minutes that is Sorrow Trees will take you on a unique journey between flutes, harps, strings, percussion and melodies, highlighting the weaknesses of modern releases. With only five main tracks, and three interludes, the LP exemplifies the strength of releasing a moderate amount of perfect songs over releasing mass amounts of imperfect filler. If there’s one thing Joni Hogan shines at, it is her knowledge of song structure. With slow, melodic builds into intense and emotionally driven choruses; songs like Yellow Moon and Dove Song become instant catches. However, it is Li’l Star that is the highlight of Joni In The Moon’s debut LP, with haunting violins, a mystic, atmospheric vibe and a pumping, bass-driven chorus; the Hogan siblings have composed an electric and energetic anthem. Joni In The Moon have shown developing artists how it is done, composing musical masterpieces and driving vocal melodies. AARON BRYANS
NEW NOISE
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OUT OF 5
STEPHEN MALKMUS AND THE JICKS Wig Out At Jagbags Spunk After the energised pop of 2011’s Mirror Traffic, Wig Out At Jagbags sees Stephen Malkmus and his Jicks take another left turn. All Malkmus’ trademarks are here (rambling, brilliant guitar solos matched with rambling, brilliant lyrics), but they’re assembled in a very relaxed way, even for him. He sounds adult and content on this one, making it hard to compare to his other albums. Pig Lib with more focus? Real Emotional Trash’s flashy guitar without the wank? His self-titled album’s professionalism with better songs? All are partially true, leaving it easier just to describe it as a batch of quintessential Malkmus. And what a batch it is. Lariat and its refrain ‘We grew up listening to the music from / The best decade ever’ makes it nostalgic for any listener, regardless of age. Chartjunk and J Smoov feature Malkmus’ most extensive use of horns yet, and both are highlights. With no disrespect to The Jicks, Wig Out is what a Stephen Malkmus of Pavement solo album should be. All other Malkmus albums tried to have some separate musical identity. Here, he’s just put together a collection of fine songs, finally realising that’s all he needs to do.
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3.5
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††† (CROSSES)
MAXIMO PARK
OUT OF 5
SLEEPY TEA
††† (Crosses) Sumerian Records
Too Much Information Daylighting/ [PIAS]
The Place Where We Lay Independent
Chino Moreno’s been one hell of a busy guy of late. Not only did the Deftones frontman spend a large chunk of last year touring his primary band’s latest record, but he also found time to release the fantastic Palms collaboration with three former ISIS members. Now another quality Moreno side-project has slipped quietly into existence. Well, to be fair, ††† (Crosses) – the collaboration between Moreno and Shaun Lopez of post-hardcore band Far – have been pursuing their shadowy brand of ambient electronica for a few years now. Their latest offering combines all 10 cuts from the EPs plus five previously unreleased songs. Thus, ††† is more of an archival collection than a stand-alone record. And at 56 minutes, the album is at least 10 minutes too long. Still, ††† is an otherwise excellent outing from a band that defies its side-project status and demands a seat at the table with its bigger siblings.
Back with their fifth studio album, Too Much Information, contemplative Geordie rockers Maximo Park have successfully managed to blend their well-known jerky post-punk production with a new, more mature sound, featuring melodic synths and moody electronics. Tracks such as Brain Cells and Is it True? conjure up ’80s disco nostalgia, with production more akin to Wild Nothing or Chromatics than expected from a Maximo Park album. The infectious Leave This Island also exemplifies the band’s new direction and instantly strikes you as the track you’ll be hitting repeat on first. My Bloody Mind and Midnight On The Hill hark back to the jumpy sound prevalent in 2012’s The National Health. As we have come to expect from Maximo Park, Paul Smith’s observational lyricism is rife throughout – sometimes witty, sometimes clichéd, but always heartfelt. THEA CARLEY
Alluring and gentle, Tom Wearne’s debut EP, The Place Where We Lay, is a unique and artistic journey of instrumentation and musical beauty. Alongside numerous guest musicians, Sleepy Tea explores the endless boundaries of indie-pop, using every musical source available. In 18 minutes, Wearne bounces between echoing guitar, floating drum fills, soothing keys and tender vocals, creating a vibrant atmosphere that is thought-provoking, catchy and relaxing; like you’re on holiday, and for a brief moment, all your troubles have escaped you. This one’s been out for a while, but with a second EP in the works alongside mentor Dan Kelly, there are big things to come from Sleepy Tea in the coming years, including what should be a memorable LP in the near future.
WAYNE MARSHALL
AARON BRYANS
LEONARDO SILVERSTRINI
3.5 OUT OF 5
WOMEN IN DOCS Carousel Plus One Records Women In Docs aren’t making a statement any more than any other female folk duo is doing, writing songs with lush melodies and captivating lyrics. And that, in distilled essence, is just what Women In Docs – aka Roz Pappalrado and Chanel Lucas – are doing with their first release in eight years, Carousel. With the exception of a re-recording of Tin Roof (originally released on the duo’s debut EP), and a charming cover of Bob Dylan’s Wagon Wheel, Carousel is a collection of new and original material as fresh as a temperate morning breeze. The harmonies are note-perfect, the melodies invigorating and the stories of travel (Carousel, Hard Way), climate (Raining On Me), urban reflection (Monday) and emotional progression (You Can’t Go Back) are infused with a literary sensibility. Maryanne is heart-felt tribute to a friend; Give Way Sign could be metaphor for so many things in life, most of which are probably unacknowledged by the self-professed busy modern being. Carousel is nice, pleasant and will probably make your day eminently more enjoyable. PATRICK EMERY
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OUT OF 5
JAMES VINCENT MCMORROW Post Tropical Dew Process The second album from James Vincent McMorrow sees the Irish music-maker dramatically broaden his musical horizons. The folk pop of his 2010 debut, Early In The Morning, has magically converted into something that more accurately represents McMorrow’s own musical tastes, involving fewer guitars, R&B inklings and many, many more layers. McMorrow is clearly a fan of the full-bodied chorus. The Lakes builds up a massive swell towards the end of the song and fades out with tropical twangs evocative of the oddly paradoxical album art (because every tropical setting should include a polar bear lurching from an iceberg in the background, obviously). You could find anything in Post Tropical if you listen closely enough; tapping raindrops intercepting with foot thudding in All Points, broad, thunderous brass and glittering syncopation in Gold, and atmospheric R&B in almost every song, but especially in the single and album highlight, Cavalier. Something must be said about McMorrow’s vocals – a constant falsetto reminiscent of Justin Vernon – that reaches seemingly unnatural heights in pitch, yet does so without sounding lofty. McMorrow has put his everything into this album and it shows, no more so than in his emotion-drenched vocals and lyrics. James Vincent McMorrow wanted to make the most beautiful thing he could imagine with Post Tropical – suffice it to say, what he thinks is beautiful is hard to argue with. KATIE DAVERN WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU
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PHOTO BY JEFF BUSBY
TRANSMISSION FROM TRANSYLVANIA Before he once again dons the trademark corset and fishnets of the deliciously evil Dr. Frank N. Furter in the latest stellar production of the cult musical, The Rocky Horror Show, Craig McLachlan took the time to tell us of his long history with the immortal show. “That’s a very good question,” McLachlan says, sounding pleased, when we ask how he first connected with The Rocky Horror Picture Show. “And you’re the only person who has asked me that question, so I’m thrilled, so now I can give you the story of my Rocky origins, as it were.” McLachlan’s first encounter with Rocky Horror took place in the mid ‘70s - “Now I sound like
Mr Peabody and Sherman in the Wayback Machine!” he jokes - when, as a curious kid and budding guitarist, he regularly raided his elder brother’s record collection. One day, he came across something different nestled amongst the Cream and Stones albums. “He had the Australian Cast recording of The Rocky Horror Show on vinyl. It was a single album but it was in a double gatefold cover. There was this bizarre looking dripping blood font and I opened the double gatefold and, well, I couldn’t tell if they were women, whether they were men, whether they were half women/half men - what the fuck are these people? What are these beings? I had no idea as a kid what the concept was, what The Rocky Horror Show was, but I put that record on and it was like the best of Buddy Holly And The Crickets but with really bizarre lyrics and I just fell in love with it musically. Part of my home music schooling was playing along to Science Fiction and Sweet Transvestite - as a kid I
didn’t even know what a transvestite was!” That might have been the end of it, but years later, in what McLachlan calls his “Crazy David Cassidy period,” riding high on his Neighbours popularity and the success of his band, Check 1-2, a technical difficulty on a UK breakfast programme brought him an unexpected opportunity. “We went on to flog whatever single it was at the time over there but there was no audio on the music video. I kind of cracked a gag and said, ‘Listen, we haven’t flown from the other side of the wall not to get on the air and flog this song,’ so I went out to the car, grabbed my guitar, grabbed the boys in the band and we just sat down and did this impromptu gig on this morning show turned a negative into a positive. It turned out Richard O’Brien was at home and watching this thing, so I get this phone call about an hour later,” her McLachlan switches instantly into a spot-on impression of O’Brien. “‘Darling, Richard O’Brien from The Rocky Horror Show.
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Loved the impromptu gig on the television this morning. Wondered if you’d like to join us for a one-off charity performance of The Rocky Horror Show?’” McLachlan immediately said yes, little realising that the performance was the very next night. Still, it all worked out. “I was playing Eddie the rocker - the Meatloaf role people might remember from the film - and Dr Scott in the wheelchair. So, we had a soundcheck, we had a run through the songs and that was it. Chrissie Hynde was playing the usherette singing Science Fiction, and it was just a great night! It was fantastic!” And they’ve all been great nights ever since. TRAVIS JOHNSON
Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show is on at Crown Theatre from Thursday, February 13, until Sunday, March 9. Book through Ticketek.
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FILM
GREAT SCOTT! Monkey Collective are at it again! following their participatory screening of Labyrinth, they’ve decided to stick with the (presumably ongoing) ‘80s theme with a screening of Back To The Future at Luna Leederville this Sunday, February 16, hosting by their very own Doc Brown! Tickets through lunapalace.com.au. Back To The Future
B-BALL BONANZA Hit McCallum Park this Saturday, February 15 for the Ballin’ In The Park 3ON3 Championships. Presented by VultureCulture, the brains behind Rottofest, will feature over 60 teams going head to head, plus a three point shoot out competition and a Baseketball game inspired by the cult classic Parker/Stone flick. Lest we forget, there’ll be music by Naik, Charlie Bucket, Arms in Motion and Midosle, plus market stalls and more. Shoot over to ballininthepark.com.au for more.
CYGNET CLASSICS CONTINUE Fans of classic cinema can get their fix at the Cygnet in Como this Sunday, February 16, with a screening of An American In Paris starring Gene Kelly and Lesley Caron. The first in The Australian Museum Of Motion Pictures And Television, Western Region’s 2014 Classics Of The Screen programme, the film is preceded by a newsreel and cartoon. Doors open at 9.30am, screening commences at 10.15.
PERTH COMEDY FESTIVAL HEATS UP The roster of talent on display at the 2014 Perth International Comedy Festival is getting more impressive with each announcement. Joining perennial favourite Stephen K. Amos are Julian Clary, Sam Simmons, Hannah Gadsby, Steve Hughes, Eddie Ifft, Lawrence Mooney and more. The festival runs from Thursday, May 1 until Sunday, May 18 - perthcomedyfestival.com. au has all the pertinent details.
JODEE TEARS UP Pop artist Jodee Knowles, who once called Perth home, is coming back for her new exhibition, A Place Before Tears. The works on display play with notions of space and time and our subjective experiences of reality. Also on display is a complementary video installation shot by videographer and director Alex Goddard. It runs at Linton & Kaye Galleries from February 18 - March 4. Go to lintonandkay.com.au for details. The Relentless Desire For You - Jodee Knowles
TURNING JAPANESE Presented by the Consulate-General of Japan in Perth, The Japan Festival Perth offers a wide array of Japanese culture for the delectation of gaijin and weeaboo alike. Taking place in Forrest Place on Saturday, February 22, there’ll be live music, food, art stalls, games, toys and more. Best of all, entry is free. Go to japanfestivalperth.com for more info.
SUMMER IN THE PARK Head to Hyde Park in North Perth next Sunday, Saturday, 22, for the latest in The City Of Vincent’s free Summer Concerts series. Featuring a live performance from Some Like It Yacht and a screening of the ridiculously charming Aussie film, The Sapphires, the event will also feature screenings of the films in the 2014 City Of Vincent Film Project. These four films - The Meet Cute, Beautiful Distortion, Spaghetti In The Suburbs and One In All In - all reflect the vibrancy and sense of community inherent in the city, illuminating different elements of Vincent to excellent effect. It kicks off at 5.30pm.
ROBOCOP Forced Reboot Directed by Jose Padilha Starring Jeff Kinnaman, Michael Keaton, Gary Oldman, Michael K. Williams, Abbie Cornish, Jackie Earle Haley There’s a scene in this latest update of a fondly remembered ‘80s franchise where all the mechanical bits appended to the titular character, aka honest cop in a bad city Alex Murphy (the charmless Jeff Kinnaman) to show exactly how much man is in the machine. He’s pretty much just a brain and a face with lungs (and, absurdly, one hand) lacking arms, legs and, tellingly, genitals. Which is fitting, because the film itself is completely lacking in balls, too. Eschewing the visceral violence and black, over the top social satire of Paul Verhoeven’s original 1987 sly schlocker, the 2014 model is a dour and joyless affair, shackled by a teen-friendly rating to insure bums on seats, but also lumbered with a plodding storyline and lacklustre, more concerned with having Michael Keaton’s affably evil CEO and Gary Oldman’s conflicted scientist (their names are unmemorable and, ultimately, unimportant - there’s no Clarence Bodikker/Dick Jones double act here) argue the ethics of combat prosthesis than shooting rapists in the dick. Murphy - blown all to hell by a fairly unremarkably third-tier bad guy and thus the perfect
faceman for a plot to make Americans accept a robot police force - mopes about his family who, in turn, mope about him (Abbie Cornish, who plays Murphy’s wife, squeezes out her bodyweight in tears over the course of the film). There’s the occasional spot of generic action, but these beats feel like perfunctory and uninspired. Disappointment is only compounded when you consider Brazilian director Jose Padilha’s work on his Elite Force series, action films which are violent, sharp and politically aware in ways that Robocop can’t even dream of aspiring to. Admittedly, there are some superficially cool elements that the undemanding might get a kick out of. This new Robocop - character, not film - is a faster, sleeker model than the lumbering ‘87 macine; the costume - apart from that freaky looking fleshy hand - is a nice bit of business and they give him a motorcycle, which looks neat. Add to that some cursory meditations on the surveillance state and the odd shot of a flying combat drone and you have something that might fool the unwary into thinking it’s not that bad. But it is. In fact, it’s worse than that. It’s product, pure and simple, with none of the bitesthe-hand anarchism that made the original such an indelible classic. It feels haphazard and cobbled together, a film by committee rather than the product of a singular vision. In the original film, the cyborg Murphy was forced to sustain his fleshy bits with baby food and that’s, ironically enough, exactly what this is - pabulum for the masses, suitable only for the immature and easily amused. Skip it. TRAVIS JOHNSON
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OH BOY Ich Bin Ein Berliner Directed by Jan Ole Gerster Starring Tom Schilling, Friederike Kempter Ever had one of those days where the universe is squarely set against you? Where no mater how much you try, absolutely nothing is turning out right? Amiable law school dropout, Niko (Tom Schilling), is unable to catch a break. His girlfriend has dropped him, he’s lost his driver’s licence, the ATM has eaten his card and all he wants to do is to find one cup of coffee. His wanderings through the streets of Berlin brings him into contact with a wide array of eccentric characters, reflecting the eclectic mix of the city. Tom Schilling (recently on SBS in Generation War) gives a wonderfully low key performance as Niko. His detached yet slightly frustrated reactions to the often insane characters he encounters give the film much of its humour. Possibly the most memorable character in this regard is Julika, played with some relish by Friederike Kempter, who is part ghost from the past, part love interest. She walks a line between strongly self confident and disturbingly crazy, veering widely between the two at a moments notice. Oh Boy wears its inspirations squarely on its sleeve. There is more than a dash of Woody Allen in its black and white cityscapes and jazz-based soundtrack, but it is at heart reminiscent of indie slacker films of the ‘90s. Aimless, introspective, and isolated, Niko looks like he would be equally at home on the streets of Seattle or New York during that decade. In his dropping out of law school (and taking two years off for “thinking”), Niko has set himself up as an outside observer to life, finding himself confused 20
and alienated by people’s behaviour. Through his detached perspective we are granted a wryly comic insight into aspects of Berlin. Yet there is a hint of depth to this deceptively simple and likeable slacker comedy. In Niko’s aimless wandering he progresses through various strata of life in Berlin, from the business orientated, to government flunky, popular entertainment, to the avant garde, coffee shop, to bar culture. Niko as the perpetual outsider is able to observe and comment on each equally. Even the spectre of the war is examined, firstly for comedic effect showing the often melodramatic portrayal in popular culture, but later in a more poignant and compelling form due to an encounter with an elderly drunk with a vivid recollection. Brave for a country were the psychic scars of those years still clearly resonate today. Frustratingly though, this hint of depth is left too late in Oh Boy’s run. The last ten minutes of this film are clearly the best, not only demonstrating the dramatic potential, but also some real beauty in the camera work. True, it gives reason to re-examine the previous encounters, it just seems to be late in the game. Still, Oh Boy functions well as a tragi-comedy in its own right, with the added bonus of leaving you contemplating its meaning after the credits. DAVID O’CONNELL
Oh Boy screens as part of the Lotterywest Festival Films season at Somerville from February 17 - 23 and Joondalup Pines from February 18 25 - March 2. For more details, head to perthfestival.com.au.
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MANDELA: LONG WALK TO FREEDOM Truth And Reconciliation Directed by Justin Chadwick Starring Idris Elba, Naomie Harris With the announcement of the great man’s death occurring during the London premiere of this movie, Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom is a well timed recollection of a life that shaped not just a nation, but the consciousness of the world. Adapted from his 1995 autobiography, this movie tells of Nelson Mandela’s involvement in almost 60 years of South African politics. Starting with his childhood, Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom rapidly progresses through Mandela’s history. From his early career as a lawyer, we see his work with the ANC and the movement’s shift from peaceful to militarised resistance of apartheid, to his incarceration, to his eventual rise as a political leader and the formation of free elections. It grants some insight into the great leader’s motivations, as well as his personal and political life. It also covers the life of his family, especially his second wife, Winnie Mandela, as she becomes more politicised and militant. Central to this film is Idris Elba’s performance as Mandela. As a young Mandela he has exactly the right amount of charm, charisma and force of will required for the young revolutionary. As the elder statesman he carries the right amount of gravitas to make the role believable, even if he looks in far too robust health to accurately portray the then ailing leader (and despite being caked under
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layers of obvious aging make-up). Naomie Harris provides a good foil for Elba as Winnie Mandela, bringing a real strength of character. At their first meeting there is a sense of chemistry between the two actors that brings a tenderness to the romance. As Winnie is harassed, imprisoned and tortured by the authorities, the audience sees Harris visibly harden. Indeed, it is in the scenes between Elba and Harris that Mandela really hits it stride, as both actors are given something substantive to act against and play off well against the other. In general, director Justin Chadwick (The Other Boleyn Girl) brings us a solid biopic. Beautifully shot, it gives us an accurate feel for the period with its attention to set dressing. Yet in its attempt to cover such a wide breadth of events over various decades during its 140 minutes of running time, Mandela never gives itself the chance to examine anything in detail. Given the importance of many of these events, the visceral impact they had on the world stage, the political debates they spawned and the movements they created, this seems like wasted opportunity. Instead we are given a Cliffs Notes version of an iconic figures history that, while competent, seems vaguely unfulfilling. An ambitious tale that manages to fall short of it’s goal, Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom is buoyed by the strong performance of its leads and the stature of its subject matter. DAVID O’CONNELL
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DALLAS BUYERS CLUB Plague Season Directed by Jean-Marc Vallee Starring Matthew McConaughey, Jared Leto, Jennifer Garner, Denis O’Hare, Griffin Dunn Loosely adapted from the real life exploits of Texan AIDS patient Ron Woodroof, French-Canadian director, Jean-Marc Vallee’s film manages to drag itself out of by-the-numbers biopic territory thanks to a killer central performance by Matthew McConaughey. It’s 1985, and when hard-drinking, womanising electrician-cum-cowboy Woodroof is diagnosed with AIDS, he is incredulous - that only happens to fags, right? Given 30 days to live, he refuses to accept that his time is up, and his tireless research soon makes him aware of numerous potential treatments and drugs that have yet to be approved by the Federal Drug Administration. Not a man to let the law get in his way, Ron is soon smuggling treatments across the Mexican border not just for himself, but for other sufferers, whom he meets through his new business partner, transgender woman Rayon (Jared Leto). Woodroof finds a sympathetic ally in the form of Dr Eve Sakes (Jennifer Garner) but is opposed by both the medical orthodoxy, represented by Dr. Sevard
(Denis O’Hare), and the forces of law and order. Valle portrays the period with remarkable accuracy, not just in terms of the production design, but in evoking the paranoia, fear and ignorance that pervaded the early days of the AIDS epidemic. Woodroof is immediately rejected by his friends and co-workers when they learn of his disease and is himself disgusted that his new peer group and clientele - the eponymous Dallas Buyers Club, who pay monthly fees to finance Woodroof’s drug-hunting excursions - are all gay men (Whether that’s accurate is up for grabs; many people who knew the real Ron Woodroofe have portrayed him as gay, or at least bisexual). The gradual thawing of his homophobic views, coupled with his battles against the government, form the main narrative arc of the film. McConaughey is simply incredible as Woodroof, channelling his effortless good ol’ boy charisma into a complex and transitory character - the Oscar is his to lose. The same can be said of Leto, who takes what could have been a terribly stereotypical character and imbues her with pathos and humour. Viewed together, the most obvious antecedent to the two is Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight in Midnight Cowboy - not a lightly made comparison. As is the case with almost every biographical film ever made, liberties are taken with the strict facts of the case - both Garner’s and Leto’s characters are composites, for example - but Vallee and his screenwriters, Craig Borten and Melisa Wallack, nail what Herzog calls the ecstatic truth right. This is a powerful, moving and ultimately uplifting work of cinema that both humanises and clarifies what was a very frightening and uncertain piece of recent history. TRAVIS JOHNSON
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BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOUR Young Hearts Run Free Directed By Abdellatif Kechiche Starring Adele Exarchopoulos, Lea Seydoux Adele (Adele Exarchopoulos) is a normal, 15 year old French girl, preoccupied with schoolwork and boys, when a chance passing encounter with a blue-haired stranger, Emma (Lea Seydoux), leaves her smitten. Forced to question everything she had assumed about herself and her sexuality, Adele eventually makes contact with Emma again and the two embark on a passionate affair. Cut through the Cannes win - the 2013 jury, in an unprecedented move, awarded the Palme d’Or to director Abdellatif Kechiche and the two lead actors - the controversy over the explicit sex scenes and the way they were filmed, the subtitles and the nigh-on three hour running time and Blue Is the Warmest Colour is, at base, a love story - and a very good one. What that means is that anyone, regardless of gender or sexuality, who has been in love and, perhaps more importantly, survived its lingering death will find something to plug into here.
With that in mind, at times it’s not an easy watch, not because of the graphic sexuality on display but because of the raw emotion. Working from the graphic novel of the same name by Julie Maroh, Kechiche and his cast are unflinching in their depiction of the tumultuous feelings that accompany not only the first bloom of love and the uncertainty of courtship, but also the ugly, painful, drawn out pain of disillusionment and abandonment. With that in mind, the Cannes jury’s decision becomes understandable, as the film would be so much less without the committed, naturalistic performances of Exarchopoulos and Seydoux. The plot, in and of itself, is simple - meet cute, love, alienation, break up - but the two leads fill every quiet moment, every glance, every pensive pause with volumes of meaning and emotion. Seydoux, perhaps familiar to Australian viewers from such films as Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol and Midnight In Paris - gives an assured turn, but relative newcomer Seydoux is revelatory, anchoring the proceedings with an utterly fearless performance. It is this complete commitment, this absolute emotional commitment, that makes the inevitable downward arc of the relationship so quietly, profoundly devastating. As a coming of age story, Blue Is The Warmest Colour feels revelatory. Indeed, it will be interesting to see how its reputation fares over the years, once the shock of novelty wears off. At first taste, though, it is a thoroughly engrossing, emotionally honest depiction of first love and its inevitable passing. Unmissable. TRAVIS JOHNSON WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU
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UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA (UWA)
O-WEEK Beer, bands and barbeques Once the formalities of campus and library tours, parking permits, course inductions, student ID cards and welcome addresses are done and dusted, it’s time for freshies to partake in some of the fun stuff that’s also a part of uni life. X-Press gives you a run-down of what free activities are happening on campus.
TOP PICKS
campus on Wednesday, February 19; and the Mount Lawley campus on Thursday, February 20. There’s also specific international student events on Wednesday, February 19 at Joondalup and Friday, February 21 on the Mount Lawley campus. The ECU Student Guild is also hosting the Orientation Fair with loads of stalls and hosts a free barbeque lunch between 10am and 2pm.
Welcome Day No doubt you already have in your hands the Orientation Guide and Planner with all things serious to equip with you with what you need over the next three years, but Welcome Day is when the ECU campuses really come to life with lots of fun activities, music and giveaways. Welcome Day is held at the Joondalup campus on Tuesday, February 18; the South West
The Great ‘O’ Race This year they’ll be an Amazing Race-style event run after the Orientation Fair with awesome prizes finishing the day with the Guild’s sundowner at the Tav. You can sign up for free at the Joondalup or Mt Lawley Welcome Days. You can create a team of three or four people, or sign up as an individual and they’ll sort you a team. There’s 300 places only.
EDITH COWAN UNIVERSITY (ECU) DATE FOR YOUR DIARY Wednesday, February 12 to Saturday, February 22.
DATE FOR YOUR DIARY O-Week runs from Monday, February 17 and ends on Friday, February 21 with the O-Day Festival. TOP PICKS Get Nostalgic Before study responsibilities take over, get yourself over to the Oak Lawn on Wednesday, February 19 and release your inner child with face-painting, water fights, hanging in a ball pit and playing board games. The fun’s happening between 10am and 3pm. O-Day Festival O-Day Festival on Friday, February 21 between 11am and 3pm and it’s a massive event, attracting approximately 5000 students, staff and members of the surrounding community. It’s on the campus of UWA in Crawley and is an amazing opportunity for new students of UWA to join
up to Guild-affiliated clubs and faculty societies, meet members of the Student Guild and orientate themselves with the Guild precinct. There’ll be over 200 stalls with clubs societies, sporting groups, volunteering opportunities and more. There’ll also be a chance to win a multitude of prizes and score free stuff. This year the Guild has partnered with Carbon Neutral to offset emissions created by the event, so expect the roll out of KeepCups to Guild cafes and the implementation of a recycling station for batteries, phones, shoes and light globes. O-What A Festival O-Day Festival all culminates into O-What A Festival on Friday, February 21 between 2pm and 6pm with acoustic performances by some local performers including soloist, Adrian Wilson of the band Beside Lights, plus five-piece Anna O and local folk trio, Mountain Strangers. The good news is you don’t have to be a student of UWA to also enjoy the celebrations. For more info about UWA Student Guild O-Week events, go to: facebook.com/ UWAStudentGuild.
Anna O
Last year’s Orientation Week at ECU
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Previous O-Week at UWA
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Mountain Strangers
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MURDOCH UNIVERSITY DATE FOR YOUR DIARY Murdoch’s O Week kicks off on Friday, February 14 and runs until Guild Festival Day on Thursday, February 27. TOP PICKS Guild Festival Day It’s one of the biggest campus events of the year attracting 3000 new students and it’s being held on Thursday, February 27 from 10am to 2pm on the South Street campus. The Murdoch Guild Club will transform Bush Court into one big festival with three party zones, featuring local bands and DJ’s from
across campus with loads of free activities and some wet and wild rides. In ‘The Market’ you can play Giant Twister, video games, volleyball and visit a ton of stalls, plus pick up your Guild Diary 2014 at the Guild Info Desk and get free ice-cream, popcorn and candy floss. They’ll also be live music brought to you by the Murdoch Music Club and local DJs. ‘Blue Lagoon’ will have a giant 18 meter water slide, a dunk tank and a rock climbing wall. There’s also the chance to win prizes and splash in pools amongst the inflatable ocean creates. Make sure you bring a towel and bathers. ‘Viking Bay’ is the area for sporty types to connect and meet the sports club. Challenge yourself in the sporty arena against some fine Viking athletes and again, there’s a chance to win some great prizes.
CURTIN UNIVERSITY DATE FOR YOUR DIARY Curtin University’s O Week runs from Monday, February 24 to Friday, February 28. TOP PICKS Guild Promenade Curtin Student Guild have gone out all this year with national and locals bands and DJs on every day. Sydney rockers, Papa vs Pretty and electronicindie band, Safia out of Canberra play on campus on Monday, February 24. Wes Baker, a Canadian stunt magician performs on Tuesday, February 25; local MC/producer, Mathas drops by on Thursday, February 27 and local songstress, Felicity Groom plays on Friday, February 28. At the Micro Hubs there’s also art, inflatable’s, Delish ice pops and a ball pit, because as Terrence, the Guild’s diary mascot “chimp” says - “no one’s ever too old for a ball pit.” Also expect roving entertainment, tours, stilt walkers and more.
Guild O Day O Day on February 26 between 11am and 6pm is Curtin’s biggest day of the year with stalls, freebies, entertainment and clubs. On the main stage from midday, Edie Green, Charlie Bucket, Tkay Maidza; triple j Unearthed Artist of the Year, Remi; and last but not least - San Cisco! Terrence from the Guild says, “It’s taken us years to make it work with San Cisco, the first time we ever tried to book them, they had to decline because it was in the middle of the TEE... “Last year we had around 12,000 people through and as always we want to better that, so we hope we keep students coming through.”
Safia
Felicity Groom. Photo by Amber Bateup
DJs and students at previous Murdoch Guild Club events
Last year’s Curtin University O Day
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San Cisco
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THEATRE/DANCE/ PERFORMANCE Summer Nights: The Blue Room Theatre Presented as part of Fringe World 2013, this incredible program of theatre and dance runs until February 22. 32 different shows will be presented, including Squidboy, She Was Probably Not A Robot, Gym & Tonic, Run Girl Run and more. Plus, there’ll be encore seasons of the great puppet show, Bruce, and the incredible allegorical play, Great White. Head to blueroom.org.au for further information. Hamlet: New Fortune Theatre, University Of Western Australia This new iteration of Shakespeare’s most renowned tragedy takes place on the only replica Elizabethan/ Jacobean stage this side of the equator. It runs until February 15. Book tickets at grads.org.au. The Rocky Horror Show: Crown Theatre It’s Time Warp time again when this 40th anniversary production of Richard O’Brien’s essential cult show rolls into town. Featuring Craig McLachlan as the irrepressible Dr Frank N. Furter, this is one of the must-see shows of the year! It runs from February 14 - March 9. Go to crownperth.com.au for details. Green Porno - Isabella Rossellini
VISUAL ARTS 2013 Bankwest Art Prize: Bankwest Place The exhibition of all the finalist pieces for this prestigious annual award, including works by Rachel Coad, Penny Bovell, Susanna Castleden, Thea Constantino, Penny Coss, Jo Darbyshire and more, runs until March 3. Go to bankwest.com.au for more. A Private View - Modern Masters From The Kerry Stokes Collection: The Art Galley Of Western Australia 26 paintings drawn from one of the most significant private art collections in Australia, representing the major art movements of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It runs until March 3. Go to artgallery.wa.gov.au for further information. Bali - Return Economy: Fremantle Arts Centre A diverse exhibition focusing on Australia’s relationship with Indonesia as well as showcasing pieces from some of the most extensive collections of Balinese art in Western Australia. It runs until March 27. Go to fac.org.au for details.
Pun Intended - Kurb Gallery WA artist Prez Juan’s debut solo exhibition is comprised of pop culture inspired works in mixed media. It runs until February 14. The Refusal Of Time: PICA This video and sculpture installation by William Kentridge sits at the crossroads of industrialisation and colonialism, combining theatre, drawing, music, film, dance and animation. Presented by PICA, Perth International Arts Festival and the Art Gallery Of Western Australia, it’s on display from February 13 April 27. Go to perthfestival.com.au for details. Cabinets Of Curiosities: Perth Centre for Photography Connie Petrillo’s latest exhibition of autobiographical work casts a withering look at the exploitation of children by mass media and asks hard questions about they ways in which childhood is represented in our culture. It runs from February 13 - March 16. Go to pcp.org.au for further information. Ukiyo-E - Japanese Prints Of The Floating World: Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery An exhibition of Japanese woodblock prints from the collection of Ronald and Catherine Berndt. It runs until June 28. Head over to lwgallery.uwa.edu.au for details.
Green Porno: Perth Concert Hall Isabella Rossellini presents her new, wonderfully weird, one-woman stage show for one night only on Wednesday, March 19. Screen icon Rossellini takes us on a strange journey through the mating habits of a variety of terrestrial and aquatic animals, which should prove interesting. For info and tickets, head to ticketek.com.au.
FESTIVALS Fringe World More than 450 shows across over 60 venues, encompassing traditional entertainment forms and the most outré, avant-garde live acts. It runs until February 23. Go to fringeworld.com.au for the full programme and ticketing. Emergence Creative Festival A three day themed event based on “the currency of creativity,” this conference for creative professionals runs in Margaret River from February 19 - 24, with guests and speakers including PJ Bloom, Mark Herbert, Jonathan Kneebone and Eric Phu. Go to emergencecreative.com.au for further information. Perth International Arts Festival Perth’s biggest celebration of art, film, music, theatre, dance and culture runs until March 1. Head to 2014. perthfestival.com.au for the full program.
PERTH FASHIONISTAS
MIG
A Very Chic Lunch
It’s A Kind Of Magic
Cabinets Of Curiosities - Connie Petrillo
Avon Valley Vintage Festival Over the Labor Day weekend, the Northam Recreation Centre will host a wide variety of stalls, exhibitions and activities, including antiques and collectibles, with contributors including the Avon Valley Vintage Vehicle Association, the Army Museum Of WA, the Vintage Cycle Club Of WA and more. It runs from March 1 - 2. go to avoneventsandmarketing.com for more. Alliance Francaise French Film Festival 2014 So Frenchy, so chic! The greatest Gallic film festival is just over the horizon, once again bringing Perth cineastes the finest of filmic treats. It runs at Cinema Paradiso from March 18 - April 6. Go to affrenchfilmfestival.org for details. To have your performance, exhibition or cultural event listed, get in touch via
localmusicarts@xpressmag.com.au For more Art Stories head to
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A fashionable soiree is always something to look forward to and the Perth Fashionistas With The Music Of Queen: A Rock Launch Luncheon was just that. And Symphonic Spectacular coming to Perth on Valentine’s Day, we took Started by PR guru Melanie Pool and local Perth the opportunity to talk to one of the style icon Sue Berry, Perth Fashionistas are on a mission to take the fashionablity of this city to the performers, MiG, about the challenges next level, putting on ongoing premiere fashion events for all fashion lovers. of singing Queen. Hosted at Pure Bar in Subiaco, the venue was filled to the brim with some of Perth’s most chic women, from stylists and boutique owners to designers, models, media and lots of stylish Perthonalities. It was a chance for all us ladies to get our Christine Centenera on and dress to the nines in our finest designer frocks, mingle and talk about all things fashion! Greeted with a glass of bubbly and tasty little canapés, we were then treated to a delicious lunch whilst checking out the latest trends from online store Moss Clothing, modelled by beautiful fresh-faced models. Some of the labels featured were Nookie, State Of Georgia, Seduce and Bikini Atoll, which covered all my summer needs from a morning at the beach to a night out on the town. With the aim of giving the Perth fashion scene a unique platform; definitely keep your eye out for more events hosted by the Perth Fashionistas including parades, parties and pop-up shops as they take WA by storm! MONICA MORALES
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Miguel “MiG” Ayesa himself has starred in numerous productions of the Queen-inspired musical, We Will Rock You, as Galileo Figaro. However his love of Queen goes back even further, with the Bohemian Rhapsody single being one of the first records he ever bought (on 45RPM vinyl, no less). Years later he would be receiving instructions from Brian May and Roger Taylor on how to sing the same song. “Brian May would sit in my dressing room and tell me stories about Freddie, and tell me things I did that reminded him of Freddie, then also tell me to try this on this song, or give it that. So I felt I really got the best tutelage I could possibly get. Not that I’d ever try and emulate Freddie, because there is only one, but there are certain things you must understand to give the essence of the music of Queen.” MiG sees The Music Of Queen: A Rock And Symphonic Spectacular as quiet different from We Will Rock You, offering new challenges and opportunities. “Not hiding behind a thousand lights and costumes and 50 dancers and a story written by Ben Elton. This is purely a celebration of the music itself. It really centres on how beautiful the music is. You hear the melodies played with a symphony. You’ve got 60 people on stage belting out the most amazing rock tunes ever written. It really is something.” As to how the music of Queen melds with a symphony orchestra, “Queen are very dramatic, they love the melodrama. Let’s take Freddie Mercury for example; he’s larger than life. The breakout hit, Bohemian Rhapsody, is an operatic masterpiece. Their album was called A Night At The Opera for God’s sake! Every song is like an epic, their lyrics are talking about esoteric things, they’re talking about mythical creatures, so built for melodrama. I mean, you listen to the original orchestration and it feels like a symphony going anyway, but to hear it amped up by putting a whole symphony orchestra behind it, you really get a sense of the melodrama, the thematic influence, or the spectacle. Each and every song that they do really has its own spectacle.” With an all-strings version of Love Of My Life performed by female vocalist Carly ThomasSmith, and MiG engaging in a vocal sparring match WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU
against another singer for One Vision, The Music Of Queen promises some unique interpretations of classic songs. “Every song is challenging. We’ve got some big shoes to fill for one thing. Secondly they are incredibly high and very diverse, and we are also singing on top of an orchestra and an eight piece rock band, so we have to give a bit of chutzpah to this. The melodies are beautiful. I think that’s the trick to Queen’s music, the melodies are beautiful. You just have to engage yourself with the music, and once you do that it kind of sings itself.” DAVID O’CONNELL
The Music Of Queen: A Rock And Symphonic Spectacular is on at The Perth Convention And Exhibition Centre on Friday, February 14. Tickets are available through Ticketek.
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While many of us will be hoping to ‘Romanticise’ that special someone this Valentine’s Day, nu-disco queen Chela will be providing the soundtrack. TROY MUTTON chats to the lady behind the moniker, Chelsea Wheatley, ahead of The Prom this Friday, February 14 at Rooftop Movies, Northbridge. Following a pretty great 18 months that involved releasing a hit single with Melbourne’s Clubfeet and her own EP Romanticise, Chela is (deservedly) enjoying her 2013/14 summer. “We’ve just been travelling around having a massively fun time together,” Wheatley begins down the line from Melbourne. “Last time we played was in Adelaide for an unofficial Big Day Out after party, and I ended up at Arcade Fire’s after party and DJing with them and hanging out with The Hives who are one of my all time favourite bands. So yeah, we’ve just been having lots of fun making summer time memories, it’s been great.” It caps off a darn great year for the singer/songwriter, the highlight of which being a release on French taste-maker label Kitsuné. But it hasn’t just been one big party, with Wheatley finding herself doing plenty of writing - a lot, in fact. “I’m always working on new music. There’s always time to write new music I find. Only because when you’re a songwriter, you’ve got ideas coming to your left, right and centre. Normal life experiences you think, ‘there’s a song in that’. “There’s a song in everything really,” she continues, “so I’m constantly coming up with new ideas and writing new songs for certain things; it’s good.” And by new things, Wheatley is in fact referring to an album, one that if she had her way, would have already been released. CONTINUED ON PAGE 26
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Continued from cover. “I wanted to release an album last year,” she laughs, somewhat wryly. “So I’m definitely focusing on making the album happen. I’ve written an album’s worth of songs, so it’s more about trying to look for the right record label and the right producer for it. We’re just going through the motions of that right now.” And while he may or may not be that producer, Wheatley has been having fun working with ARIA Award-winner Styalz Fuego, who in 2012 produced 360’s massive Falling & Flying album, which went on to win him the ARIA for Producer Of The Year. “I wrote a great song with Styalz late last year which we were gonna release as my first single this year but we decided to save it for the album - that’s how good it is,” she half-jokes. “I really wanted to save it. I’m dying to get that song out though. I’ve also got a session with Styalz in a couple of weeks and we’ll hopefully write some new tunes then. We just keep constantly writing.” Wheatley’s also been working on some new material with Aussie electro producer Cassian, however that one’s a little while away and highlights the frustrations artists can feel when it comes to releasing songs at the right time. “These things can sometimes take a really long time. They can even take years to come out in public, and by then you’ve even changed your sound... but if you write a good song, if it’s really good, then it’s timeless and it doesn’t matter when it comes out. It can get really frustrating, but you need to learn how to deal with the time releases can take.” Working with a dancefloor-friendly producer like Cassian does give some kind of indicator of where Wheatley’s new songs are meant to be heard. “I’m definitely not changing my style too far from what people have already heard, but I do want to delve deeper into more dance-heavy music. I’ve still got quite a few ballads and stuff, and making tunes people can really dance to, so I’ve been turning the tempo up a bit on certain songs.” Another aspect that Chela has always explored - be it through photo shoots or her entertaining live shows - has been fashion, and while she may not have an extensive background in the field, it’s something held dear to her heart. “Yeah I have a big passion for fashion,” she laughs/groans at the rhyme. “... I just have always been really interested in it, and I think it’s really important to support Australian and local labels as well. So I’m always on the search for new labels that pop up around Australia.”
THE FUTURE OF FUTURE Future Music Festival is giving you the chance to join the likes of Phoenix, Deadmau5, Hardwell, Knife Party and Sven Väth and DJ at the massive event happening on Sunday, March 2 at Arena Joondalup. So whaddo you have to do to win? Well, get your mix up on SoundCloud by February 9 and send a link of it to: athina@mellenevents.com. Make sure you include at least one of the artists playing at Future in your mix and, if you’re one of the eight contestants chosen, you’ll have to strut your stuff in a live 15-minute DJ set at Parker and impress the pants off the judges. For more info head to: mellenevents.com
WITH JACK FAULKNER
GET DIZZ-Y WIT IT Melbourne-based turntablist and producer, Dave Norris aka Dizz1 is launching his new Everyday Grind EP (out via Tru Thoughts) this Friday, February 14 at Flyrite. Starting off as a DJ, he’s worked alongside the best including Grandmaster Flash, Jazzy Jay, D-Styles, A-Trak and J. Rocc and collaborated with Mark Pritchard, Steve Spacek and Roots Manuva, to name just a few. Support on the night comes from Zeke, Modo, Joe Macc and Aslan. It’s only $5 if you’re a lady or have a membership card, otherwise it’s $10 on the door.
Former 1200 Techniques frontman N’fa Jones is in town again this weekend to promote a new single, Money Better Come off his forthcoming full length album Black + White Noise out in early April. The track apparently sums up the way Jones often feels the life of an artist plays out, but there’s not even a door entry charge with Jones playing with Charlie Bucket for absolutely free in the Rosemount Hotel Beer Garden this Sunday, February 16.
Dizz1
N’fa Jones
BEHIND THE DECKS
The B side on the latest single for Berlin’s tastemaker label Cocktail D’Amore is a sublime cosmic journey drenched in glittering synth lines. Released on a limited edition with no repress, this record has an exquisite, cinematic quality that has me eager to snap up a copy.
MASSIMILIANO PAGLIARA Flying Away From You Love On The Rocks
Androgynous vocals echo over a driving disco bassline and handclaps while fuzzy, spacey synths help create a soundscape that wouldn’t be out of place in a ‘70s science fiction movie. The spoken word elements that come in after the break complete the effect.
WALTER JONES Lower Chakra Safari Permanent Vacation
A downtempo jungle groove encourages shimmying before the deep bassline kicks in followed by a jungly flute. Lashings of acid jazz appear later in the track as it builds to a smooth breakdown before kicking back into a solid groove.
THE PARTYSQUAD Describe your genre? Music that’s really good and gets the crowd going. Quick overview of your year so far? Surinam, Curacao, Aruba, Belgium, Italy, the United States and the studio. Best track to open and close a set with? A bad ass reggae track.
SALT NIGHTS OUT
KZA Want No Other Endless Flight
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A smooth modern disco rework that layers a small vocal line from Last Night A DJ Saved My Life with some big drums and a deep bassline. Extra cowbell and glittery chiming synths make it a genuinely catchy track.
Found on KZA’s excellent new nine track release Dig & Edit Vol. 2, this reasonably respectful edit/ rework of My Forbidden Lover gives the original a dancefloor-friendly kick and bumps up the pace a considerable amount. Sections of the classic piano hook are looped for effect, with the result being a high energy extended disco jam.
Tools of your trade? A Shure PGX24 / Beta 58 K5E.
What’s the weirdest tune you’ve ever played? A trap song called Oh My (a collaboration between The Partysquad and Boaz). What’s next on the cards? A new EP on Mad Decent, a new single on our own imprint Rebel Yard (Spinnin’) and a collab with Aussie Rob Pix called Born To Rave which will be released on Ministry of Sound Australia. The Partysquad are DJ/production duo Jerry Leembruggen and Ruben Fernhout from The Netherlands. They play the Newport Hotel’s Back To Uni party on Wednesday, February 19.
What can we expect to hear? Eclectic tunes - anything from jazz, funk, soul, electronica, hip hop, folk and much more. What’s on? Ladi6 + Home Brew, Husky, DJ Shadow, Sampology, Ebony Bones, Austra, DJ Food + DJ Cheeba + DJ Moneyshot, Okkervil River, Olafur Arnalds, Jagwar Ma, Owl Eyes, Pond, Altan, Wire, Charles Bradley, Madeleine Peyroux, Robert Glasper Experiment, Public Enemy and Mikhael Paskalev.
Sampology
LEO ZERO Down The Drain Trackwork
WHAT’S TO COME
Favourite new track? The still to be created future Partysquad collab song with Outkast, CeeLo, Chromeo and Smokey Robinson. I believe Beyonce is on the hook too.
The Monarchy’s Jack Faulkner gives us a run down of the best in disco, Afro/cosmic, nu disco and reworked classics. FOREVER SOUND The Fold Cocktail D’Amore
Local electronic outfit, Lilt, is launching a new live set this Valentine’s Day - Friday, February 14 at the Astor Lounge, featuring new member Dan Firkin (from Seams) on drums. The new set also features some VJ projections from Michael Terren AND they’re launching a new single called Coming Down along with other new tracks. With Sam Perry and Sarah Pellicano also on the billing, head on down and show your love for all things local. Presale tickets are available via ticketbooth for $10 or pay $15 entry on the door on the night. Lilt
Sven Väth
Combining the audio with the visual is something Wheatley strongly believes in: “I do think it’s super important, because often when people listen to things they have a visual in their mind and if you give them the visual and the sound at the same time you’ve set it for them... Personally I really love to be entertained. Some of my favourite artists in the past are the whole package, they dance and sing and they’ve got the right look. And that’s something that I’ve always looked up to, even as a kid. I’ve always aspired to be the whole package, and I’ve always placed a huge emphasis on the visual as well as the sound.” And that’s something she’s looking forward to replicating for The Prom this Friday, although there is the small issue of figuring out what to wear. “Now I’ve gotta put my head down and find an outfit. I don’t wear dresses though! I’m gonna have to wear a suit.”
GOOD THINGS COME IN THREES
CHEVRON FESTIVAL GARDENS Answered by Sarah Dennehy, Program Manager: Contemporary Culture (Perth Festival) When and where? In the Perth Cultural Centre until Saturday, March 1. We’re open every night from 6.30pm on Sunday to Tuesday and 5pm Wednesday to Saturday. It closes at midnight Sunday to Tuesday, 1am on Wednesday and at 2am Thursday to Saturday. Vibe? A cool party in the backyard of your best friends house with drinks and food and stuff. Oh and some great international and Australian bands playing too.
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Cool stuff? Everyone is welcome to enjoy a drink in the bar area even if they don’t have a ticket to see the show. Dutch DJs Radio Barkas will be spinning some vintage vinyl and the bar is now serving espresso martinis. You should attend if... You want to see really cool bands in a really cool space. Anything else to tell X-Press? You need to make the most of the Chevron Festival Gardens because it’s only around for three weeks every year! Chevron Festival Gardens is in the Perth Cultural Centre during Perth Festival until Saturday, March 1. Entry to the bar area is free, but tickets for the shows are on sale via perthfestival.com.au.
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DJ MONEYSHOT 3-Way Mix One of Perth International Arts Festival’s coups is Caught In The Middle Of A 3-Way Mix - a tribute to the Beastie Boys’ legendary 1989 album Paul’s Boutique by UK DJs Moneyshot, Food and Cheeba, which has previously only been performed in Paris and London. JOSHUA HAYES chats to Roy Spencer aka DJ Moneyshot ahead of the show on Tuesday, February 18 at Chevron Festival Gardens. Paul’s Boutique was unlike anything else when it was released 25 years ago. The Beastie Boys and Dust Brothers drew samples from across the musical spectrum – from traditional funk staples to classic rock to the notoriously lawsuit-happy Beatles, to produce a psychedelic soundscape. Public Enemy’s Chuck D later remarked it was a dirty secret in hip hop that Paul’s Boutique had the genre’s best beats. “I just remember it being unlike anything else,” Spencer says of the album. “The things (Beastie Boys) were messing around with, from the topics to their clothes to the samples and their style, it was almost like they were incubating it away from centralised hip hop. It just looked so personal, and like they didn’t give a damn about what anyone thought.” The project has its origins in a DJ mix of samples from the Beastie’s 1992 album Check Your Head, which Spencer released through Ninja Tune’s webcast Solid Steel in 2009. “You start thinking about ‘what other album would you like to do?’” Spencer says. “And of course it would be Paul’s Boutique, the kind of high water mark in the magpie approach to sampling.” A few emails later, DJs Moneyshot, Food and Cheeba were working on Caught In The Middle Of A 3-Way Mix, a 60 minute mix of samples used on Paul’s Boutique, with a collage of Beastie Boys a capellas and interviews thrown in. Each DJ worked on their own 20 minute routine, focusing on one third of the album, before bringing them together and working them into a single cohesive mix. Halfway through working on the project, Beastie Boys’ Adam ‘MCA’ Yauch passed away after
THE KITE STRING TANGLE Leaving Nothing To Chance
a battle with cancer. “It had an effect on the mood of (the mix), I think… it ends on a kind of sober tone” Spencer says. “The success (of the mix) is probably down to the tragedy of him dying and people looking for a fitting way to commemorate and celebrate, and this mix is a good way of looking at all the fun and frolics, goofiness and essentially Beastie Boys-ian elements in a way that respects them.” The trio first performed the mix live in late 2013 at Paris and London shows celebrating Solid Steel’s 25th anniversary. The live show runs on a four turntable setup, with each DJ performing their third of the mix on two decks in the middle of the stage, as the other two DJs throw in additional samples, scratches and a capellas. “It was meant as a mixtape with no possible idea of transferring it to a live set, so we spent a lot of time just thinking, ‘How the fuck do we get this section where there’s 15 things happening and turn it into a four deck routine?’” Spencer says, before adding that they figured it out. “Everything’s pretty much nailed… The whole set is regimented and airtight.”
Danny Harley, aka The Kite String Tangle, spent Australia Day 2014 listening to his first official release reach the top 20 in one of the world’s largest music polls. TROY MUTTON reminisces ahead of his shows at Mojos on Wednesday, February 19 and Flyrite on Thursday, February 20. If you’re reading this, you probably gave triple j’s Hottest 100 a listen on January 26, but some were listening more than most… And when you’re Danny Harley and your single Given The Chance has a pretty good chance of polling well, that’s kinda fair enough. So how did the young producer from Brisbane spend his day, not knowing 100 per cent if his track would poll? “It was fairly epic. I didn’t really know if I was gonna be in and if I was, where I was gonna be, but it was good fun… and very messy,” Harley adds, a sly grin trickling down the line. “We had a few offers for a few different things on Australia Day but I’m really happy with my choice just to do nothing really.”
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Harley, who also plays in live electro-rock outfit Pigeon, sounds grounded about the success he’s achieved since the release of Given The Chance, which was quickly picked up by our national youth broadcaster and run with by an exponentially-growing fanbase. And given his somewhat-rapid rise, you’d think there would be a fair amount of added stress on the producer/ songwriter, who many have tipped as a force to be reckoned with in 2014. According to Harley, “Expectation management is tough I guess. But I’ve sort of come to terms with the fact that there’s not much I can do about it besides write what I wanna write, and hopefully it’s what people have liked about what I’ve already written. So yeah, the method I’m working on right now is to just keep doing what I’m doing and hopefully it works!” While we’re yet to hear what he does next – last year saw the release of a couple of remixes, and his first EP under The Kite String Tangle moniker is in the pipeline. “The EP is pretty much all written and I’m working on finalising everything now, and finding the time to get into a studio and add the final touches. “We’re finalising label conversations now and then we can put a proper plan into place, and hopefully by the latest, it’ll be the end of April/May and it’ll be out.” Unsurprisingly given his massive 2013, Harley has some big plans to get 2014 rolling, starting with his upcoming - and almost sold out - national tour (which he says will feature a Nikola Tesla-esque light show) followed by the stuff dreams are made of. “In March I’m heading over to the US for South By Southwest and then hopefully doing a little run of shows while I’m over there. “And then I did a guest vocal for an electronic act called Adventure Club and I’m gonna be doing a live guest vocal for them at Ultra (Music) Fest and Coachella and then come back in time for Groovin’ The Moo and yeah, it’s pretty much all full throttle until about May… it doesn’t really stop.”
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AMPLIFIER Academy BRASS MONKEY Vicktor CAPITOL (UPSTAIRS) Harlem Wednesdays CLUB RED SEA Cheek GOLD BAR Famous GROOVE BAR (CROWN) 5 Shots LLAMA BAR Akuna Club METRO FREO Next Gen MUSTANG BAR DJ James MacArthur NEWPORT HOTEL Newport Wednesdays SOVEREIGN ARMS Jordan Scott THE VILLAGE BAR Village People Wednesdays THURS 13/02
THE CAUSEWAY Xport Thursdays CLUB RED SEA Thursday Night Revolution CONNECTIONS Bingay THE CRAFTSMAN FiveO MALT BAR The Collective EVE NIGHTCLUB Retro Thursdays ft. EVE DJ Team GOLD BAR OG Thursdays GROOVE BAR (CROWN) Dr Bogus LEISURE INN DJ Peta NEWPORT HOTEL Tiki Bar Open Mic Night
FRI 14/02
AMPLIFIER Fridays Are Back THE AVENUE DJ Lokie Shaw THE AVIARY Ben Sebastian Hykus THE BAYSWATER Mario Zuli THE BEAT (DOWNSTAIRS) PLAY THE BRASS MONKEY Vicktor & James Ess THE BRIGHTON DJ Peta CAPITOL Capitol Fridays ft. DJ Roger Smart CAPITOL (UPSTAIRS) I Love 80’s & 90’s THE CARINE Jimmy Beats THE CAUSEWAY Acoustic Sundowner THE COMO Jon Ee THE CRAFTSMAN Dazman DAILY PLANET Sundowner Sessions THE DEEN Student Night EVE NIGHTCLUB Recharge Fridays
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MY PLACE
Ta-Ku - Fri, Mar 7 @ Fremantle Arts Centre
MY PLACE Karaoke PARAMOUNT Friday Nights THE QUEENS Fiveo & Reuben THE SAINT Britty SOVEREIGN ARMS Mikeee THE WHALE & ALE DJ Spinback SAT 15/02
Rok Riley - Fri, Feb 14 @ Defectors Bar
FLAWLESS Monarch Fridays GINGER NIGHTCLUB Mondo Dance Party GEISHA BAR Miguel Migs GOLD BAR Fox Friday GROOVE BAR (CROWN) Tod Johnston & Peace Love DJ Crazy Craig THE HIGHWAY HOTEL Crackers
LAKERS TAVERN Grizzly LEISURE INN Mel Burns LIBRARY Sneaky MALT (nu disco, hip hop) METRO FREO Frat House Friday’s MUSTANG BAR Swing DJ DJ James MacArthur MYRE ROOFTOP Dave’s Cans DYP X CLUNK
Gesaffelstein @ Future Music Festival, Sun, Mar 2 @ Arena Joondalup
AVENUE Lokie Shaw THE AVIARY Zel Troy Division NDORSE THE BALMORAL Back To The 80’s BAR ORIENT The Reggae Club BEAT NIGHTCLUB (UPSTAIRS) CANVAS BEAT NIGHTCLUB (DOWNSTAIRS) Big Kidz BRASS MONKEY DJ Peta & Jordan Scott THE BRIGHTON Miss Chief C5 METRO FREO I Love 80s & 90s ft. Darren Tucker & Dr Wazz CAPITOL Death Disco CAPITOL (UPSTAIRS) Cream of the 80s ft. DJ Roger Smart THE CAUSEWAY House Party CHEVRON FESTIVAL GARDENS DJ Shadow THE COMO Byron O’Neill EAST END BAR Home FLAWLESS LQ Saturdays GOLD BAR Pure Gold
ADAM FREELAND Back To Nu Skool Villa Friday, February 7, 2014 Photo by Michael Caves
Rising up out of the murky stew of sounds during the explosion of electronic creativity in the early ‘90s rave scene, breakbeat grew as a heady hybrid of acid house, hardcore techno and drum‘n’bass. And in 28
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the UK a new sub-genre emerged dubbed ‘nu skool breaks’. Leading the charge of this new sound were Rennie Pilgrim, Tayo and perhaps most importantly, Brighton’s Adam Freeland.
Ebony Bones - Sun, Feb 16 @ Chevron Festival Gardens
DJ Shadow
Charlie Bucket - Sun, Feb 16 @ The Rosemount
THE GOOD SHEPHERD Chocolate Jesus LEEDERVILLE HOTEL (DOWNSTAIRS) Under The Arena Party LOST SOCIETY Chalk MATCHES LOUNGE Get Funk’d METRO FREO Metropolis Saturday’s ft. Mr T, Dr Wazz, Ben C, DJ Shane NEWPORT HOTEL Gravity Tahli Jade PARKER Parker Saturdays PARAMOUNT Saturday Nights PLAYERS BAR Luxe ft. THE QUEENS Dan Walker & Jay Lee Lloyd THE SAINT Crackers
SOVEREIGN ARMS River Milnes THE WEMBLEY HOTEL Jon Ee YAYA’S Arcadia All Nighter SUN 16/02
THE AVIARY Troy Division NDORSE THE BRIGHTON Squinty GROOVE BAR (CROWN) Peace Love LAKERS TAVERN River Milnes ROSEMOUNT HOTEL The Get Down THE SAINT Jon Ee Az-T THE QUEENS Fiveo & Jay Lee Lloyd
DJ Shadow & Sampology SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 15 @ CHEVRON FESTIVAL GARDENS
MON 17/02
CHEVRON FESTIVAL GARDENS Austra GROOVE BAR (CROWN) Justin & Mike MUSTANG BAR Triple Shots THE ROSEMOUNT HOTEL Bada Bingo! Djemba Djemba - Sat, Feb 15 @ Gilkisons
TUES 18/02 THE BIRD The Bird’s Open Mic Night CHEVRON FESTIVAL GARDENS DJ Food, DJ Cheeba, DJ Moneyshot GROOVE BAR (CROWN) Jack & Jill MUSTANG BAR Danza Loca Salsa Night
Freeland’s Coastal Breaks I & II mix CDs in the mid ‘90s were seminal releases that gave way to such names as Plump DJs, Stanton Warriors and Hybrid. Freeland kept pushing the envelope, formed his own Marine Parade label, released a couple more mixes, until he tired of the nu-skool tag and sound, moved to LA and started getting into more electro and rock sounds. He formed his own band Freeland, which released the smash hit We Want Your Soul, released a Global Underground mix, a brilliant, eclectic instalment in the Back To Mine series and another album, Cope. He’s toured constantly, but it’s been a long time since he’s played a club set in Perth. So the question has to be asked of the Perth breaks scene, for a name as esteemed as Adam Freeland, where the bloody hell were ya? One would have expected more than the sparse crowd at Villa that greeted him around midnight. As he stepped up to the decks, the fate of the night seemed uncertain, but within half an hour, almost magically, something happened. This is the sign of truly great DJ. He started slowly with some melodic, house-y numbers, before working in some darker, breaks sounds. A few tweakin’ 303 lines, some deft EQ and FX sleight of hand, a breakdown, a huge drop, and bam! Everyone was going mental in a dancing frenzy. By 12.30 numbers had swelled and he had the whole crowd in front of the decks, immersed in the mix. Out of nothing, he had conjured an electric vibe in the room. Freeland has a unique style - deep, dark and dirty. Often simplified as a breaks DJ, he’s so much
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Bastian’s Happy Flight - Fri, Feb 14 @ Rooftop Movies
more than that, and it was all on display on Friday night. He dropped one of the best DJ sets this town has seen in many years. You can take your Plump’s and your Stanton’s and your vocal, party breaks. This was the real shit. No cheese. Just pure, uncut, dancefloor rocket fuel. He seems to have gone back to his roots somewhat, whilst at the same time moving forward. Giving a nod to one of his biggest signings, he dropped Evil Nine’s heavy tune Crooked. A remix of LCD Soundsystem’s Get Innocuous got a spin, Rob Made’s wicked new tune Can’t Stop These Feelings got a big reaction, and Scuba’s The Hope did some damage. Freeland really seems to enjoy himself, closing his eyes, head back as he worked the mixer. Shooting tequila and jumping around, his energy and enthusiasm was infectious, and the crowd reciprocated - bouncing around to the big beats and basslines. The familiar strains of Smells Like Freeland drifted into the mix – his massive reworking of Smells Like Teen Spirit that draws out a huge breakdown before dissolving into Cobain’s scream and finally dropping that guitar riff. Bringing things to an epic climax with his own remix of Om Unit’s Searching, and Caribou’s beautiful Sun, you could feel the love in the room as he waved goodbye. Hopefully it won’t be so long till his next visit. And when that time comes, make sure you don’t miss it. To those who were there and rocked, I salute you.
ALFRED GORMAN
Deadline Monday 5pm. The Club Manual is a service to advertisers listing all DJs & Dance Music. All inclusions are at the discretion of X-Press. Email guide@xpressmag.com.au
ROCKET ROOM
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THIS WEEK
LADI6 & HOME BREW 13 Chevron Festival Gardens MIGUEL MIGS 14 Geisha THE PROM ft. Chela & more 14 Rooftop Movies JONO FERNANDEZ 14 Limelite @ Parker RUN DMT 14 Shape BEDROOM TO BIG HOUSE DJ COMPETITION: HEAT 3 ft. Cosmos Midnight 14 Metropolis Fremantle DIZZ1 14 Flyrite LIMELITE & AMON VISION ft. Seven Lions, Jono Fernandez 14 Parker
ROOFTOP PARTY ft. Sonny Fodera 16 Bob’s Bar AUSTRA 17 Chevron Festival Gardens DJ FOOD, DJ CHEEBA, DJ MONEYSHOT 18 Chevron Festival Gardens FEBRUARY
AUSTRALASIAN BEATMAKER INVITATIONAL ft. DJ Houseshoes 23 @ The Rosemount
THE PARTYSQUAD 19 Newport Hotel
SLOW MAGIC 26 Akuna Club @ Llama Bar
XILENT & HIGH MAINTENANCE 19 Shape
ROBERT GLASPER EXPERIMENT ft. Roy Ayers 27 Chevron Festival Gardens
THE KITE STRING TANGLE & KILTER 19 Mojos 20 Flyrite YOUNG FRANCO 19 Akuna Club @ Llama Bar 21 Mondo @ Ginger CASSY BRITTON 21 The Factory
MARLO, AMBA SHEPERD, NEW WORLD SOUND & BOBBY VENA 15 Metro City
BRILLZ 21 Ambar
MIAMI HORROR 15 Amplifier
JUBEI 21 Shape
DJ SHADOW & SAMPOLOGY 15 Chevron Festival Gardens
DETROIT SWINDLE 21 Shape
DJEMBA DJEMBA & DJ HOODBOI 15 Gilkisons
SETS ON THE BEACH ft. The Aston Shuffle, Jinja Safari, Goldroom & more 23 Scarborough Beach Amphitheatre
KUTMAH 21 Geisha
SKREAM 22 Villa
N’FA JONES 16 The Rosemount
SPEAKEASY ft. Wave Racer, Basenji, Sable 22 Villa
EBONY BONES 16 Chevron Festival Gardens
THE ASTON SHUFFLE 23 secret show
GOOD LIFE ft. Deadmau5, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Hardwell & more 3 Arena Joondalup
Fletcher 29 Villa
HANDPICKED ft. Ta-Ku, Ryan Hemsworth, Flying Lotus 7 Fremantle Arts Centre
A$AP FERG 5 The Bakery
GET WEIRD ft Roland Tings, Tornado Wallace 7 Ambar DERRICK CARTER 7 Geisha THE UPBEATS & STATE OF MIND 8 Villa
PUBLIC ENEMY 28 Chevron Festival Gardens
GOLD PANDA 9 The Bakery
OLIVER TANK 28 The Bakery
MOVE D 14 Geisha
DAMIANO VON ERCKERT 28 Hellenic Club
PHARRELL WILLIAMS 14 Challenge Stadium
NINA LAS VEGAS, MOTEZ & more 28 Metropolis Fremantle
FORCE MAJEURE ft Nick Thayer 14 Ambar
D-JAHSTA 28 Shape MARCH
KERSER w/ DJ Dazastah, Bitter Belief, Complete & Omac 1 Metro City FUTURE MUSIC FESTIVAL ft. Deadmau5, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Phoenix, Hardwell & more 2 Arena Joondalup
BLACK SUN EMPIRE, SHAPESHIFTER, DILLINJA & more 21 Metro City ILLY 21 Capitol BATHS 23 The Bakery JURASSIC 5 28 Metro City MINISTRY OF SOUND CLUBBERS GUIDE TO 2014 ft. Ember & Joel
THE COURT
APRIL
VENGEANCE 4 Ambar
DUB FX & OPIUO 5 Villa NEKO PLANET 9 The Bakery ELIZABETH ROSE, SAFIA, FISHING 11 Amplifier 12 Mojos MAY
BLISS N ESO, HORRORSHOW, SETH SENTRY 2 Signal Park, Busselton 3 Wellington Square THE PRESETS, WORDLIFE, DJ BENI 8 Capitol HOLY FUCK 8 The Rosemount 9 The Odd Fellow GROOVIN THE MOO ft. Disclosure, Dizzee Rascal, Holy Fuck, Illy & more 10 Hay Park, Bunbury ELLIE GOULDING 28 Challenge Stadium JUNE
THE PRESETS (with the Australian Chamber Orchestra) 4 Concert Hall
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Q & A
ST. JEROME’S LANEWAY FESTIVAL Esplanade Park & West End, Fremantle Saturday, February 8, 2014 In antithesis to all the disparaging festival talk of late, if there’s one event returning to WA next year, it’s St. Jerome’s Laneway Festival, which relocated to a new home in Fremantle. After outgrowing its space in the Perth Cultural Centre but also to make room for more Fringe World and Perth Festival activities, the move proved to be a great choice on the grassy Esplanade Park and adjoining West End streets - to still keep that urban vibe. The Growl had a hell of a time last week, but must have somewhat buoyed by the fact that appeal for injured bassist Marc Earley - who suffered a vicious and unprovoked attack after the Sydney Laneway show - raised in excess of the $20,000 they were aiming for. Pond’s Nick Allbrook stood in on bass and The Growl were as usual led in all their manic splendour by Cam Avery, taking it to the hometown. Our best and warmest wishes to Marc for a speedy recovery. Cass McCombs is often spoken of in glowing terms for his songwriting prowess, yet few of his songs get the accolades of the singer himself. This was again evident in his set as the tunes are adequate enough on their own, but maybe they are too cerebral for a festival event, being better suited to coffee shops where people can scratch their beards and ponder. There were some nice moments, particularly in the form of Angel Blood that had some delightful pedal steel and the spritely country pop of Brighter. When McCombs turned to the more bluesbased tunes his voice sounded forced and the set lost some of its mid-afternoon sun appeal. Drenge are a punk rock duo comprised of a set of English siblings that are meant to be this year’s answer to Japandroids. Rory and Eoin Loveless certainly cornered the market on dirty fuzzed out guitar and solidly hit drums, yet some of the tunes had less than inspired arrangements or melody. That said, they made up for lack of finesse with some almighty power and a set that got better as it went along. Each member faced 45 degrees to the stage and involved themselves in next to no recognition of the crowd opting to let their brazen tunes do the talking. Early in the afternoon ex-Mercy Arms member, Kirin J Callinan played provocative tunes like Embracism and The Toddler solo – with just vocals, guitar, pedal looping and backing track. While a fascinating performer to watch, his genius was lost on most curious onlookers.
Haim
Kirin J Callinan
Kurt Vile
Lorde
A Sold-Out Laneway Festival
The Growl’s Cam Avery
Trevor Powers’ bedroom recording outfit Youth Lagoon has grown into a four-piece live experience. From close to the first note it was apparent that this day’s set would display a sound that is considerably larger than records would suggest. Powers is a Jad Fair lookalike (and sounds somewhat like him) who works over at least three keyboards and is constantly adjusting knobs, hitting various organs with a closed fist, setting off samples and playing chords. These indie nuggets were presented with a surprising wall of sound from a crack band with extended arrangements that saw time for only half a dozen songs pulled from both Youth Lagoon albums in a set that wouldn’t have got tired had it gone on for hours. An exceptional little band. The US hip hop acts on the bill were all big draw cards, with revered member of the Odd Future collective Earl Sweatshirt making a return to Perth, along with first time visitors Run The Jewels and rapper Danny Brown (aptly wearing an AC/DC t-shirt in Bon Scott’s hometown). Brown was one of the festival’s highlights, getting the party started as night fell and dropping 25 Bucks and the hectic, Dip - taking party-goers to the next (excited) level. It would be hard to find a band that were having more fun than Dick Diver at this year’s festival. Bassist Al Montfort wearing a home-made Hawthorn t-shirt greeted the crowd with shouts of ‘Freo Heave Ho’ and when that feel on deaf ears, cries of ‘Rove, Rove, Rove’. Montfort would later get in the crowd’s good books by sledging Adelaide. With the truncated set size, Dick Diver went straight into their better known tunes. Water Damage came out early, and Steph Hughes stepped out from behind the drums to lead Standard Time. Continuing to be the leaders the Dolewave indie crew New Start Again was aired. Such was the appeal of their bright pop tunes that the punters pushed a fence in during their set seeing 50-60 people scamper into the venue. Naughty!
Vance Joy aka James Keogh was all smiles in the sunny sunshine and it proved infectious indeed. While he’s admitted to nervousness as a live performer, Keogh’s earnestness and humility in songs such as Play With Fire is a real crowd-winner, though it was clear the people were dying to hear that song, the triple j Hottest 100-winning Riptide. And when they did? Well, memories are made of such things. For a bunch of Scottish lads caught in the afternoon sun, Frightened Rabbit sure do put on a show. The bands tunes may be introspective and downright miserable at times, there was no signs of impending doom or a predisposition to self-harm in the way that they churned through their songs. Scott Hutchison bounced around in energetic fashion as he worked through a wave of melodic songs about heartbreak. Using the breadth of their catalogue, Frightened Rabbit delved into their finest record The Midnight Organ Fight for much loved tunes like the self-deprecating My Backwards Walk. Introverted US slack-rocker, Kurt Vile kept himself hidden behind luscious locks and sunglasses, only occasionally looking up to greet those who’d gathered to watch him on his second visit to Perth. He alternated between acoustic and electric guitar, occasionally showing-off his shredding dexterity (on an acoustic no less), as he played tunes spanning his last three albums - Freak Train and The Hunchback from Childish Prodigy, Was All Talk and Jesus Fever off Smoke Ring For My Halo, and the self-titled track off latest record, Wakin’ On A Pretty Daze. Parquet Courts bring all the energy of the city that never sleeps to their performance as the buzz band flew through tunes with ragged ease. Such is the bluster that they have recorded their material to date, the live show is a far more polished and tight affair as the in-demand band have become gighardened in the last 12 months. All the rock moves were there - beer bottles being used and guitar slides
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and the necks of instruments being rubbed along amps. Master Of My Craft and Borrowed Time got the crowd going and by the time a rapid fire Stoned And Starving had been aired, a punter had already left the zealous mosh pit with a broken nose. Parquet Court took no prisoners and made the crowd controllers earn their money. Counter to the relaxed day, some people displayed all of their worst festival behaviour as they scrambled for room to see Haim. A dozen people linking hands and forcing their way between people is rude festival behaviour indeed! Luckily offsetting that is there are few better feel good bands on the planet at the moment that the Californian sisters. Kicking off with Falling, Este Haim’s much talked about bass face was well and truly on display. In spite of their youth Haim were the most accomplished band to embrace the big stage. No shortage of hits kept the energy high as the crowd sang along to Don’t Save Me and The Wire as Danielle showed up many of the guitarists before her with impressive chops. The three sisters all surrounded floor toms and kick drums to end the night with some high octane percussion to accompany their impressive harmonies and Fleetwood Mac like songwriting smarts. Haim well exceeded the high expectations placed on them. Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s relentless touring schedule has honed this trio into something magical - you would’ve been hard-pressed to find any acts on this year’s billing that could surpass the soulful voice and technical prowess of Ruban Nielson on guitar and newest member, Riley Geare on drums. Tracks like Ffunny Ffrends and So Good At Being In Trouble are pure pop perfection and live, when combined with their extended psychedelic jams - it’s truly mind-blowing.
Parquet Courts
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Scottish newcomers Chvrches appeared to come out of nowhere but have cut their teeth in bands such as Aerogramme and The Twilight Sad. With many of the bands on the bill only having one album to their credit, Chvrches were armed with one of the better set of tunes of the day but one of the least dynamic live shows. There is no disputing that We Sink and Gun are synth pop gold and sounded spectacular, they just appeared to be delivered by a trio of introverts. With two-thirds of the band behind keyboards and samplers for a large part there is not a heap to work with visually, and the tiny Lauren Mayberry being swamped by darkness on stage or hidden in strobe lights, Chvrches let their music do the talking. Mayberry has a voice sweeter than golden syrup and carried the tunes in style. Martin Doherty came out from behind the keyboard for a stunning and energetic Under The Tide, before Mayberry rounded out a sweet sounding set than again saw a considerable amount of the crowd get on peoples shoulders to ‘dance’ to Mother We Share. Backed by a keyboardist/programmer and drummer, the Woman Of The Moment brought a mass of curiosity to the Ferris Wheel Stage as folks drained every other Laneway location to witness Lorde’s firstever WA set. Cutting a dark, enigmatic figure, Ella Yelich-O’Connor proved quite the alluring performer, though it seemed her set would potentially prove more dynamic with a fuller band, rather than 50 minutes dancing in the shadows. That said, Tennis Court, Royals and Team were greeted with hunger and satisfaction from a crowd that was beyond party-driven. Testament that you can shine brighter if you set yourself apart from the rest of crowd, UK post-punk four-piece Savages, opened with No Face off their critically-acclaimed debut, Silence Yourself. French vocalist Jehnny Beth has powerful and sexy stage presence to match the voice, which is stylishly backed up by the all girl group on guitar and the integral driving rhythms. In comparison to cute indie-pop vibe from most females on the festival lineup, this was raw and empowering, especially on the finale Fuckers with Beth urging, ‘don’t let the fuckers get you down’. With a brand new album just landed, The Jezabels provided the last stand for this year’s Laneway. Fatigued from a year of recording and touring, plus more recent adventures due to last week’s release of The Brink LP, they nonetheless soared, taking the crowd with them into midnight. The End indeed, but in many ways, it’s only the beginning. RACHEL DAVISON, BOB GORDON & CHRIS HAVERCROFT PHOTOGRAPHY BY RACHAEL BARRETT
The Jezabels’ Hayley Mary woos the crowd
LOCAL NEWS
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BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN The Wild, The Innocent & The Heart-Stopping, Pants-Dropping, House-Rocking, Earth-Quaking, Booty-Shaking, Viagra-Taking, Love-Making, Le-gen-dary E–Street–Band!
Bruce Springsteen & The E-Street Band, Perth Arena
Pic: Denis Radacic
Right there inside, behind the giant doors, a dizzyingly recognisable voice was taking The E-Street Band through a soundcheck. A score of print, radio and television personnel waited in a hallway for the nod to walk into Bruce Springsteen’s inner sanctum. Through the doors we could hear This Is Your Sword and Frankie Fell In Love, two songs from the new High Hopes album (which has since achieved Gold status in Australia). The nod came. We could go in. By this time The Boss was taking the band through Dream Baby Dream, a cover of the old Suicide song from 1979 which also features on the aforementioned LP. It sounded grand and gentle at once; quite beautiful. But The Boss was unsure... “It feels like something’s breaking up the flow,” he said, before enunciating to saxophonist Jake Clemons (nephew of the late, great Clarence), holding a big bass drum. “Duh duh duh, on the brushes... maybe some towels on it? Let’s try it one more time.” Springsteen turns to the media pack. “You know, you’ve stumbled into an actual rehearsal,” noting that this was not simply yet another soundcheck. They ran through it one more time and we stood in the presence of all kinds of greatness. Even so, it was close but no cigar. “Alright,” Springsteen said by way of declaring a break. “Further study... further study. “Come on up,” he said to us, invitingly. “How can I help?” Last week Bruce Springsteen opened his sold-out Australian tour with the first of three shows at the Perth Arena, less than a year after his 2013 Wrecking Ball tour of the East Coast. It is unheard-of business in this day and age of low record sales and
concert/festival market over-crowding. That this is achieved by a man in his fifth decade of a performing career, seemingly returning because he simply had a nice time 11 months ago, is nothing short of phenomenal. Of course, this was his first time in Perth, a significance lost on no one. In that time the evergreen New Jersey rocker’s popularity has skyrocketed once again, not only in Australia but globally, with the loveletter documentary, Springsteen & I, and a revealing authorised biography, Bruce, penned by writer, Peter Ames Carlin, opening the door more than ever into his work, heart and mind. Not that he’s feeling over-exposed. “I kind of do what I want and people get to say what they want about me,” he said, taking a seat on a foldback speaker at the front of the Perth Arena stage. “It sort of comes with the work that I do. “Generally, my press agent tries to keep me out of the newspapers,” he laughed. “On a scale of 1-10 what usually gets out there about me is so much less than the amount of information that people are spewing onto the internet, about so many things. So it’s not as though it’s a full-scale publicity blitz. I don’t even notice it, to be honest with you.” This tour sees the return of long-time foil, guitarist, ‘Little’ Steven Van Zandt, absent from last year’s visit due to filming commitments. His replacement, Rage Against The Machine’s Tom Morello - Springsteen’s ‘muse’ for the High Hopes album - also returns for this jaunt. Springsteen promised the usual amount of surprises in his setlist - which he subsequently made more than good on in his three Perth shows - including
a version of The Saints’ Just Like Fire Would. Pondering what other Australian artists he could potentially cover, Springsteen was curious when X-Press suggested former Perth band, The Triffids. “The Triffids you say? What’s the song called? Wide Open Road? Can somebody please write that down?” As Friday and Saturday night’s shows ended, Wide Open Road played over the PA system. It’s a mark of the man that he can himself be such a musical icon yet take on board a song so strong in Perth history and tip his hat to it and us. Hopefully it may even find its way into his East Coast shows. Of course, the man with such classic songs as Born To Run, The River, Dancing In The Dark, Badlands, Hungry Heart and many more doesn’t really need to consider covers, but even his iconic talents are tinged with an endearing modesty. “ I n eve r t h o u g h t o f mys e l f a s a n interpretative singer,” he said. “I didn’t quite have the feel like Rod Stewart or Ray Charles. ‘Singer’ singers. I made myself sing. I make a sound that sounds like singing (laughs). It’s communicating, as I call it.”
THE SHOWS Wednesday, February 5 - It said 7.30pm on the ticket and people wanted 7.30pm. By 8pm last Wednesday they were excited beyond belief when the houselights finally went down. A silhouetted Springsteen could be seen at the microphone stand. There was something to say first...
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‘It’s great to be in the most remote-est place on earth. We’ve travelled thousands of fucking miles to prove that one-and-one does not make two. The E-Street Band and the good people of Perth... the two of us are about to make three. It’s a magic trick, but it’s not a trick. I’ve had my vegemite sandwich and all I need to know is... are you ready?’ That they were and then some. Before we knew it a triple threat from the new album had the show already on the highway - Frankie Fell In Love, High Hopes and The Saints’ cover that The Boss has already made his own, Just Like Fire Would. But just when it seemed that it was all about the new, the stuff of legend made itself known, with Badlands, Hungry Heart and The E Street Shuffle, vintage songs that had the crowd singing word-forword, seemingly whether they were a Springsteen aficionado or not. The man himself gave his band room to move and be stars as well, graciously and often. Little Steven Van Zandt, back with his New Jersey pal, shared the mic with The Boss and was huge in terms of stage presence. Tom Morello duetted on The Ghost Of Tom Joad, ending with a blistering solo that left the audience nothing less than spellbound (and still seems to amaze the band itself). Nils Lofgren darts about the stage the whole time, but his guitar solo on Because The Night was a showstopper in itself. He also shared it with the audience; from the little girl who helped him sing Waiting On A Sunny Day (young James from Cottesloe, whom he met on the beach, would do the same on Friday), to the girls he christened ‘Stevie’s Angels’ taking the stage for a shimmy, to the moment in Dancing In The Dark where a lucky girl - and in one case, guy - would be invited up for a dance, echoing that now iconic 1984 film-clip with Courtney Cox. Springsteen, however, can’t help but shine, The River being soulful case in point. Taking a request for the 1973 track, For You, he sat alone at the piano, rendering a big song small, yet no less epic. There’s big heart in them there tunes, as Born To Run would typify, and Wednesday’s closer, a lone, acoustic version of Thunder Road would exemplify. For anyone thinking that Friday and Saturday would simply be minor variations on a theme, you’ve got a hell of a lot to learn about rock’n’roll. While Night 1 started with a new album blast, Night 2 kicked off with a vintage onslaught of Badlands, Out In The Street, Sherry Darling and Two Hearts. Concert lynchpins such as Death To My Hometown, Shackled And Drawn, The Rising, Hungry Heart, Born To Run, Dancing In The Dark and Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out were joined by Light Of Day, Girls In Their Summer Clothes, a band version of Atlantic City, the good-time call of Rosalita and The Beatles’ Twist And Shout. Saturday’s concert made waves around the world as the final show tore off the blocks with AC/DC’s Highway To Hell, a salute to Bon Scott and to WA. The concert staples were on this occasion sidled with Adam Raised A Cain, Spirit In The Night, Wrecking Ball, No Surrender, Bobby Jean, Downbound Train, Radio Nowhere, The Promise, American Land and an emotionally moving Terry’s Song. Over three nights Bruce Springsteen & The E-Street Band played 83 songs, with 56 individual songs within (thanks ‘Bruce Springsteen Perth’ Facebook page). In the midst of all these, he crowdsurfed from the back of the standing area to the stage, ran ragged around the Arena high-fiving and shaking hands all the way, whilst singing his heart out and playing guitar like a demon for over three hours each night. The man knows that he makes people feel special and is nothing less than generous with it. When Paul McCartney wrote When I’m 64 he clearly didn’t have The Boss in mind. For that is Springsteen’s age, yet his hunger for (and devotion to) performing renders it nothing more than a number. Not that numbers don’t matter. After all, last week at the Perth Arena Bruce Springsteen & The E-Street Band made one and one equal three. On three occasions. It’s a magic trick, but it’s not a trick... BOB GORDON
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LOCAL NEWS
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INTERVIEWS
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Q & A
CAUSEWAY COMEDY The Causeway Bar Wednesday, February 5, 2014 Wednesday nights at The Causeway have fast become one of the brightest points in the Perth comedy firmament, with plenty of great local stand up talent working the mic to the delight of the audience. Photos by Matt Jelonek
CJ, Rishi
SWALLOW BAR Live music this week kicks off on Thursday night with Rusty, Jay & Jonny of Shotdown From Sugartown, with their ‘50s honky tonk blues and rockabilly. Saturday night Mayland’s own DJ Tim King is back on the decks with his surprise bag of fabulous vinyl - expect some serious soul, funk and trip hop. Sunday Sessions at Swallow Bar welcomes back The Odette Mercy Duo, for an afternoon of amazing soul sounds, kicking off at 5pm. Check swallowbar.com.au for details. Odette Mercy
REDCLIFFE ON THE MURRAY Redcliffe On The Murray, Pinjarra, showcases a fantastic range of local and touring artists. This Sunday, February 16, is no exception, with an intimate performance from the talented Perth blues and roots musician MattyTWall, with support from Freo band Old Blood. On Sunday afternoon, if you’re looking for a place that’s not too much of a drive, to get away from it all, Redcliffe On The Murray is worth a quick search on your GPS. Entertainment commences from 3pm and entry is free.
INDI BAR Attention: Original musicians! Perth’s biggest open mic night, Thursdays at Indi Bar, has changed hands and is now being programmed and hosted by Josh Terlick (Bears and Dolls, Lacrymae) and friends (familiar faces around the original scene). All original acoustic acts are welcome. To book a spot, drop Josh an email at josh.terlick@gmail.com.
MOJOS Thursday, February 13, Light And Shade Productions are at it again, bringing another intimate show to Mojos. Busting out more of Perth’s finest indie, rock and folk talent, including Moana, Black Stone From The Sun, Little Skye, The Cold Acre and Kyle Bonser. Entry is $10 from 8pm.
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YAYA’S Fringe World continues at YaYa’s with Comedy Heavyweights! For the rest of February they’re putting on the very best of Australian comedy, featuring greats like Greg Fleet and up-and-coming talents Khaled Khalafalla, Cameron James and Jared Jekyll. Check out our website for show times! We’ve also got more great live music with Gutter Drakes launching their latest with support from The Big Splash champions Scalphunter, Alex The Kid and Hello Colour Red. Greg Fleet
THE BEAT NIGHTCLUB
Aaron, Daniella
Charmion, Karina
Quentin, Evana
Thomas, Josephine, Elizabeth, Rhys
This Valentine’s Day, so why don’t you get to know someone special… y wearing their clothes! Friday, February 14, upstairs at The Beat, Big Kidz presents Valentines Day Rubik’s Cube Party! Starts at 11pm with special guests Rock Candy playing all the Big Kidz ‘90s tunes! Photobooth all night, Drink specials. Arrive wearing multi-coloured clothes, and leave wearing just one colour (and maybe with someone else too!).
THE ROSEMOUNT HOTEL Friday, February 14, get down to The Rosie for Threesome - A Valentines Special! Bands appearing live: Sunshine Brothers, who will make you wiggly with big dub; Grace Barbe, who will help you jiggle with rhythmic love and The Weapon Is Sound will make it ... Bigger no trubs! Don’t be too serious come get delirious (from the music!) Also reppin in fine style for this show are three of Perth’s finest DJs going B2B - Jo Lettenmaier, Maria Mendes and Mama Cass. $10 at the door - bring a friend!
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Put the word to the herd about upcoming album, EP, single or video releases by dropping us a line at plugyourgig@xpressmag.com.au
INFIDEL MUSIC Timothy Nelson And The Infidels will be doing their thing at Mojos this Saturday, February 15. Fresh out of the studio where they were presumably laying down their recently crowdfunded album, they’ll be dropping new tunes and old favourites, with help for friends Autopilot, These Winter Nights and Villain. Doors open at 8pm, tickets are $10 through Oztix, $15 on the door. Timothy Nelson And The Infidels
WE’RE ALL IN THE GUTTER FUNK AS PUCK Once again it’s time or anther heady instalment of Feel Lucky Punk, the semi-regular punk/hardcore night that invades The Rosemount Hotel’s 459 Bar every so often. This Wednesday, February 12, see Lucille, The Reptilians, The Lungs, Health Legend and Prag in all their gory glory. Doors open at 7.30pm, entry is $8. The Reptilians
Perth punk five piece, Gutter Drakes, are letting their second EP, Sleep, loose this Friday, February 14, at YaYa’s. Support comes from Scalphunter, Alex The Kid and Hello Colour Red. Doors open at 7.30pm, entry is $10.
ACCIDENTS WILL HAPPEN Last week we inadvertently published a photo of Cavalier without giving due credit to the photographer, whose name was watermarked onto the original shot. Apologies to Lynnsey Warren. Check Lynnsey’s work at her Facebook page, Lynnsey Warren’s Photography.
BETTER GET DOWN TO BONFEST
CRYING WITH THE LIONS Get an earful of the increasingly high profile Lionizer next Wednesday, February 19. With the success of their single, The Same Way, pushing them further into mainstream prominence, this might be one of your last chances to be able to say “I saw them when...” Also along are Dan Cribb And the Isolated, Paper Plains and Being Beta. Copies of the Perth Punk Erotic Calendar, which strikes us as a contradiction in terms, will also be on sale on the night, along with Bailey Lion’s new free ‘zine, redlionsoul. Doors open at 8pm, entry is $8.
Celebrating the 40th anniversary of the formation of seminal Aussie rock band, AC/DC, Bonfest 2014 goes off this Saturday, February 15, at The Astor Theatre. Special guest of the night is original AC/ DC frontman Dave Evans, plus Andy Sutton, Wayne Curnow, Hells Bells and Rose Tattoo cover band, Scared For Life. Doors open at 7pm, tickets through showticketing.com.au Hells Bells
FUN TIMES IN FREO Friday, February 14, the Fremantle Arts Centre plays host to down and dirty rock triumvirate, The Floors, along with Blackmilk, Red Engine Caves, plus Blind Tiger Blues Box working vinyl magic. Doors open at 6pm and tickets can be had via Oztix.
Lionizer
NO PAIN WITH THE NOVOCAINES Saturday, February 15, The Novocaines are headlining a killer roster of local talent at The Rosemount Hotel. In addition to the Marriott’s and their mates, Pat Chow, Bob Saget’s Full House, Doctopus and Depth Boys will be keeping it rocking all night long. Doors open at 8pm, entry is $10.
PLANET SHAKING NEWS
SO LONELY
Battle Of The Planets will be playing their first show for 2014 on Wednesday, February 12, at The Rosemount Hotel, joined by Perth locals Applebite The Beggars on Acid, Reapers Riddle and One Too Many Camel. Doors open at 8pm.
Staring down the barrel of a solitary Valentine’s Day? Screw that! Make you way to The Flying Scotsman on Thursday, February 13 (which is, technically, the day before Valentine’s Day) for Lonely Hearts Club, featuring Rhys Watson, Patrick Chow, Ben Limbs, Black Swan, and Drage Lyon. Kick off is at 8pm, entry is free.
Battle Of The Planets
LO C A L & L AU NC H I NG 14/02
GUTTER DRAKES Sleep EP Launch @ YaYa’s
21/03
RAGDOLL Break You Video Launch @ The Rocket Room
22/02
WIKED FURY Mummy’s Boy Single Launch @ YaYa’s
07/03
MORGAN BAIN In The Middle Single Launch @ The Astor Lounge
29/03
MATT WARING Smoking Gun EP Launch @ The Causeway
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TOUR TRAILS
STONEFIELD, FEBRUARY 13 - 15
THIS WEEK BOYUP BROOK COUNTRY MUSIC FESTIVAL Sara Storer, McAlister Kemp, Mike Carr, Buddy Goode, The Borderers, Graham Roger, Rohan Powell, Rob Black & the Kelly Gang, Eric Erdman, Courtney Conway, Connie Kis Andersen 12-16 Boyup Brook Country Music Club, Boyup IALARU 12 Chevron Festival Gardens LADI6 & HOME BREW 13 Chevron Festival Gardens SOFT SOFT LOUD 13 Fremantle Art Centre Courtyard STONEFIELD 13 The Prince Of Wales, Bunbury 14 Clancy’s Dunsborough 15 Capitol HUSKY 14 Chevron Festival Gardens MIGUEL MIGS 14 Geisha Bar DJ SHADOW 15 Chevron Festival Gardens HAND OF MERCY 15 Prince Of Wales, Bunbury THE NATIONAL 14 Belvoir Amphitheatre MIAMI HORROR 15 Amplifier Bar PETE MURRAY 16 Astor Theatre EBONY BONES 16 Chevron Festival Gardens AUSTRA 17 Chevron Festival Gardens DJ FOOD, DJ CHEEBA, DJ MONEYSHOT 18 Chevron Festival Gardens FEBRUARY OKKERVIL RIVER 19 Chevron Festival Gardens OLAFUR ARNALDS & KEATON HENSON 20 Chevron Festival Gardens KITE STRING TANGLE 19 Mojos Bar 20 Flyrite UNCLE JED 20 Clancy’s Fremantle 21 YaYa’s STU LARSEN 20 Mojos Bar JOE CAMILLERI & THE BLACK SORROWS 20 Friends Restaurant 21 Ravenswood Hotel 22 Mundaring Weir Hotel VELUDO 21 Rosemount Hotel BONFIRE 21 Metropolis Fremantle MANGO GROOVE 21 Red Hill Auditorium JAGWAR MA & OWL EYES 21 Chevron Festival Gardens MISSY HIGGINS/ JAE LAFFER/ SARAH BLASKO 21 Scarborough Beach Amphitheatre 34
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TOURS LIVE
OKKERVIL RIVER, FEBRUARY 19
DON WALKER 21 Clancy’s Fremantle 22 Civic Hotel 23 Fremantle Arts Centre SUNDOWN SESSIONS Missy Higgins, Sarah Blasko, Jae Laffer (The Panics) 21 Scarborough Beach Amphitheatre POND, AAA AARDVARK GETDOWN SERVICES, FELICITY GROOM, THE SILENTS, DJ LADY CARLA 22 Chevron Festival Gardens HEATHER PEACE 22 Fly By Night SOUTH WEST CRAFT BEER FESTIVAL 23 Old Broadwater Farm ALTAN 23 Chevron Festival Gardens SETS ON THE BEACH #14 The Aston Shuffle, Jinja Safari, Goldroom, Motez, The Swiss, Glen Horsborough, Louisahhh!, Maelstrom, Client Liason, Mighty Mouse 23 Scarborough Beach LOS CORONAS 23 Capitol PAPA VS PRETTY 23 Mojos Bar WIRE 24 Chevron Festival Gardens CHARLES BRADLEY 25 Chevron Festival Gardens MADELEINE PEYROUX 26 Chevron Festival Gardens TIGERTOWN 27 Mojos Bar ROBERT GLASPER EXPERIMENT 27 Chevron Festival Gardens DOLLY PARTON 27 Perth Arena SIX60 27 Metro City NEKO CASE 27 Fly By Night Club MAJOR LEAGUES 27 Newport Hotel 28 Prince Of Wales, Bunbury PUBLIC ENEMY 28 Chevron Festival Gardens NINA LAS VEGAS 28 Metropolis Fremantle BRUNO MARS 28 Perth Arena GAY PARIS 28 Swan Basement MARCH MAJOR LEAGUES 1 Amplifier Bar GAY PARIS 1 YaYa’s 2 Indi Bar MIKHAEL PASKALEV 1 Chevron Festival Gardens KERSER 1 Metro City FUTURE MUSIC Deadmau5, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Phoenix, Hardwell, Knife Party, Eric Prydz, Rudimental, Tinie Tempah, Chase & Status 2 Arena Joondalup
LIONEL RICHIE & JOHN FARNHAM 2 Sandalford Winery Swan Valley THE WONDER STUFF 2 Rosemount Hotel SOUNDWAVE Green Day, Stone Temple Pilots, Alice In Chains, Rob Zombie, Megadeth, Placebo and more 3 Claremont Showgrounds GOODLIFE FESTIVAL Deadmau5, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Hardwell, Rudimental, Knife Party, Kaskade, Porter Robinson 3 Arena Joondalup THE BENNIES 6 YaYa’s 7 Prince Of Wales, Bunbury DAN SULTAN 6 Art Bar STICKY FINGERS 6 Prince Of Wales, Bunbury 7 White Star, Albany 8 Settlers Tavern, Margaret River BRIAN MCKNIGHT 7 Riverside Theatre GURRUMUL 8 Kings Park BILLY BRAGG 9 Perth Concert Hall GOLD PANDA 9 The Bakery QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE & NINE INCH NAILS 11 Perth Arena JOSH PYKE 12-13 Quarry Amphitheatre THE ANGELS, DIESEL & MI-SEX 14 Graham Bricknell Music Shell, Bunbury JURASSIC 5 14 Metro City PHARRELL WILLIAMS 14 Challenge Stadium THE WHITLAMS 14-16 Quarry Amphitheatre KASEY CHAMBERS AND BAND 15 Quindanning Inne SONGS IN THE KEY OF MOTOWN 12 Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre 13 Mandurah Performing Arts Centre 14 Astor Theatre NEIL FINN 16 Perth Concert Hall DAMIAN DEMPSEY 17 Capitol THE ROLLING STONES 19 Perth Arena SUICIDE GIRLS 19 Astor Theatre CLOUD CONTROL Acoustic Tour 20 The Saint, Innaloo 21 Settlers Tavern, Margaret River 21 Caves House, Yallingyup 22 The OBH, Cottesloe 22 The Northshore, Whitfords 22 The Empire Bar, Riverdale 23 The Brisbane, Perth ABSU & PORTAL 20 Amplifier Bar THE SMITH STREET BAND & THE MENZINGERS 19 Prince Of Wales, Bunbury
PAPA VS PRETTY, FEBRUARY 23
20 YMCA HQ 21 Rosemount Hotel CALLING ALL CARS 21 Amplifer Bar 22 Prince Of Wales, Bunbury 23 Indi Bar ILLY 21 Capitol KATE MILLERHEIDKE 21-23 Quarry Amphitheatre KING GIZZARD & THE LIZARD WIZARD 22 Rosemount Hotel 23 Mojos Bar CASPIAN 22 Mojos Bar GANG OF FOUR 23 Capitol SEBADOH 25 Rosemount Hotel DARK TRANQUILLITY & ORPHEUS OMEGA 25 Capitol 30 SECONDS TO MARS 25 Challenge Stadium THE STRAY SISTERS 26 Fly By Night JOHN BUTLER TRIO 27 Fremantle Arts Centre 28 Belvoir Amphitheatre 29 Old Broadwater Farm, Busselton THE HOLIDAYS 29 Rosemount Hotel BRITISH INDIA 28 Indi Bar 29 Amplifier Bar HUNTER & COLLECTORS 29 (sold-out) & 30 Kings Park & Botanical Garden KRIS KRISTOFFERSON 30 Red Hill Auditorium THE STRAY SISTERS 31 Albany Entertainment Centre APRIL PACOPENA 2 Perth Concert Hall MONSTER MAGNET 3 Amplifier Bar KYLESA 6 The Bakery SUZANNE VEGA 11 Astor Theatre ELIZABETH ROSE 11 Amplifier Bar 12 Mojos Bar WEST COAST BLUES N ROOTS Matt Corby, Michael Franti, John Mayer, Dave Matthews Band, Doobie Brothers, Boy & Bear 13 Fremantle Park BOZ SCAGGS 14 Crown Theatre 3 INCHES OF BLOOD 16 Amplifier Bar TWELVE FOOT NINJA 19 Rosemount Hotel TOXIC HOLOCAUST & SKELETONWITCH 20 Rosemount Hotel KREATOR & DEATH ANGEL 20 Amplifier Bar SKID ROW & UGLY KID JOE 23 Metropolis Fremantle THE ALMOST 23 Amplifier Bar JEFF BECK 24 Perth Concert Hall
BALL PARK MUSIC 24 Astor Theatre 25 Studio 146, Albany 26 Prince of Wales, Bunbury 27 Newport Hotel MICHAEL BUBLE 26 & 27 Perth Arena AARON NEVILLE DR JOHN & THE NITETRIPPERS 26 Riverside Theatre BOY & BEAR 30 Divers Tavern, Broome MAY BLISS N ESSO 2 Signal Park, Busselton 3 Wellington Square LEE KERNAGHAN 6 Princess Royal Theatre, Albany 9 Crown Theatre THE JEZABELS 9 Astor Theatre THE JUNGLE GIANTS 9 Rosemount Hotel JASON DERULO 10 Perth Arena GROOVIN THE MOO Action Bronson, Andy Bull, Architecture In Helsinki, Disclosure, Holy Fuck, The Jezabels, The Jungle Giants, Karnivool, Kingswood, The Kite String Tangle, Loon Lake, The Naked And Famous, Parkway Drive, The Presets, Peking Duk, Robert Delong, Thundamentals, Vance Joy, Violent Soho, Wave Racer, What So Not & more 10 Hay Park, Bunbury ARCTIC MONKEYS 13 Perth Arena JONNY CRAIG 14 Amplifier Bar 15 YMCA HQ PETULA CLARK 17 Perth Concert Hall SEPTICFLESH & FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE 18 Amplifier Bar HITS & PITS 3 Strung Out, Face To Face, Unwritten Law, Implants 18 Capitol & Amplifier Bar THE ENGLISH BEAT 23 Rosemount Hotel 2014 AIRNORTH KIMBERLEY MOON EXPERIENCE Eskimo Joe, The Waifs, John Williamson 24 Jim Hughes Amphitheatre, Kununurra ELLIE GOULDING 28 Challenge Stadium LARRY CARLTON 28 Astor Theatre JUNE YO GABBA GABBA! LIVE! 7 Riverside Theatre JAMES BLUNT 12 Crown Theatre 13 Riverside Theatre BASTILLE 18 Challenge Stadium FINNTROLL 22 Amplifier Bar KEITH URBAN 29 Perth Arena JULY THE CRIMSON PROJEKCT 2 Fly By Night
TO U R TA L E S
THE PORKERS Ska For Life After six long years ‘resting on their laurels’, ska punk party rockers The Porkers are back for a lap of Australia on the Soundwave tour, hitting Claremont Showgrounds on Monday, March 3. SHANE PINNEGAR finds out what they have in store. Forming in Newcastle in 1987, The Porkers released a clutch of albums and EPs and toured as far afield as Japan and Germany before laying down their guns after 2009’s Persistence Is Futile DVD. Founding member and singer Pete Cooper says their reformation for Soundwave came after “running in to A.J. (Maddah, Soundwave promoter) backstage at a show in Sydney and, by the end of the conversation, The Porkers were playing Soundwave.” He goes on to say that he didn’t believe it was true at first. “Until we were on the poster,” he laughs, “it was like, ‘is this really happening… or is someone fucking with us?’” Cooper says the band will deliver a set of “Hits and memories,” spanning the whole of the band’s career. “2014 is 20 years since the release of our debut album, Grunt,” he says, “so there’s definitely a couple of tracks from Grunt in the set and, then, bits and pieces from all the way through.” Cooper says the band was an excuse for a party more than an alternative career plan. “Yeah, we never really saw it as full-time employment and it never, ever was,” he says, realistically. “So it never, ever got us out of our rut jobs. It got us away as much as possible, but we were playing ska music; it was something fun to do. So, it has led to us being able to see more of the world.”
Are The Porkers the most underrated band in Australia? “I’d hate to say that myself,” Cooper says, “but, yeah, it’s been a bit of a struggle and being a party band and a ska band and a band with a silly name, I don’t think we’ve ever quite been taken as seriously as we possibly could have been. Maybe, in a way, we’re a serious joke that not everybody gets.” Having only made it to WA once before, with the 1999 Vans Warped Tour, Cooper is ready for another visit. “We played Vans Warped and a local Perth show,” he recalls, “and then one down at Margaret River and that’s all we’ve done so, we’ve been itching to get back since 1999.” Cooper maintains that he would never have imagined The Porkers would still be going strong in this day and age. “It’s just crazy thinking about it now,” he says. “It was always, ‘hey, let’s get a band together and play a gig at a party’. We did that and it was, like, ‘let’s go and play at a bowling club’, and we did that. ‘Let’s go and play a gig at a real pub’ and then, ‘let’s go and play in Sydney’ and, it’s been just, kind of, me, going one goal after another and once that box is ticked, I find another one.
“We never really saw it as full-time employment and it never, ever was,” he says, realistically. “So it never, ever got us out of our rut jobs. It got us away as much as possible, but we were playing ska music; it was something fun to do. So, it has led to us being able to see more of the world.” “It was not the money,” he laughs sombrely. “It’s not the girls either because, after 27 years, I’m still single! I don’t know what keeps me doing it... probably the love of performing, and the response that we do get from crowds. That’s probably been the biggest buzz I’ve had in life. It’s like that addictive thing; you just want one more hit of it, so we keep going back.”
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GIG GUIDE
THE MONICANS/MOJOS/WEDNESDAY 12
WEDNESDAY 12/02
AMPLIFIER BAR Academy Prepared Like A Bride Arturo Animistic Natron THE BIRD Friendsdays James Ireland Dr J J Tanner BRASS MONKEY Sugar Blue Burlesque THE CARINE Open Mic Night Chris Gibbs CHEVRON FESTIVAL GARDENS Ialaru CLANCYS CANNING Adele Oliver Hope Road ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Helen Shanahan Night Cap Sessions THE GREENWOOD Bernardine GROOVE BAR (CROWN) 5 Shots INDI BAR Songwriter Sessions Adam Tatana Natasha Shanks James Rogers Clint Bracknell Holly Norman LANEWAY LOUNGE Adam Hall And The Velvet Playboys LOBBY LOUNGE (CROWN) Decoy Duo THE LUCKY SHAG Howie Morgan MUSTANG BAR Easy Tigers DJ Giles MOJOS BAR The Monicans Cavalier The Georgians Mind Canary THE MOON CAFE Ashlyn Tahlia Miller Hayley Beth OCEAN ONE BAR Overgrown Teischa Turin Bodegas THE PADDO Ben Catley Liam Naughton Band Tim Roose
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RED STONE SINNERS/MUSTANG BAR/ THURSDAY 13
459 ROSEMOUNT HOTEL Feel Lucky Punk Feel Lucky Lucille The Reptilians The Lungs Heath Legend Prag ROSEMOUNT HOTEL Applebite The Beggars On Acid Reapers Riddle Battle Of The Planets One Too Many Camel SETTLERS TAVERN Open Mic Night THE SWINGING PIG Open Mic Night Greg Carter UNIVERSAL BAR Retriofit THE VIC Leighton Keepa VILLAGE BAR Village People Open Mic X-WRAY CAFE Rich Keam Samuel Barendse When Autumn Leaves YAYA’S Fringe Festival Heavyweights Of Comedy Khaled Khalafalla’s Fresh Greg Fleet’s Sports Illustrated Cameron James & Jared Jekyll’s Paradise THURSDAY 13/02
BAR ORIENT Open Mic Night THE BIRD Hip Hop Kara”Yo”ke Lovers Edition BRASS MONKEY Rhythm Bound Karaoke BRIGHTON Open Mic Night Rob Walker THE BOAT Jen De Ness THE BROOK Open Mic Night Chris Gibbs BROOKLANDS TAVERN Celebrations Karaoke THE CAUSEWAY BAR Xport Thursdays CHEVRON FESTIVAL GARDENS Ladi6 & Homebrew DUNSBOROUGH TAVERN Open Mic Night Kris Buckle ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Sinatra Songbook With Trent White Nightcap Sessions
LOCAL GIG
FLY BY NIGHT The Fender Roadshow FREMANTLE ARTS CENTRE Soft Soft Loud THE GATE Greg Carter GRAND CENTRAL PARK Stella Donnelly GROOVE BAR (CROWN) Hi-NRG INDI BAR Bex’s Open Mic Night LANEWAY LOUNGE Catherine Summer Trio LOBBY LOUNGE (CROWN) Jack & Jill LUCKY SHAG James Wilson MOJOS BAR Moana Black Stone From The Sun Little Skye The Cold Acre Kyle Bonser MUSTANG BAR Red Stone Sinners Mentok Commandz Yu DJ James MacArthur NEWPORT HOTEL Surf Film Festival OCEAN ONE BAR Marcio Mendes Band PEEL ALE HOUSE Open Mic Danny Bau PRINCE OF WALES Stonefield Mt. Mountain ROSEMOUNT HOTEL The Great Rosemount Train Robbery The Seals Tom Fisher And The Layabouts Billie Rogers And The Country Gentleman SETTLERS Eric Erdman Hussy Hicks Edged in Blue SWALLOW BAR Shotdown From Sugartown UNIVERSAL BAR Off The Record THE VIC Harry Moore VILLA NIGHTCLUB Hand Of Mercy For All Eternity Emberville Aveira Skies Afraid Heights X-WRAY CAFE Jack Doepel Quartet YAYA’S Fringe Festival Heavyweights Of Comedy Khaled Khalafalla’s Fresh Greg Fleet’s Sports Illustrated Cameron James & Jared Jekyll’s Paradise FRIDAY 14/02
THE SEALS
TOM FISHER AND THE LAYABOUTS BILLIE ROGERS AND THE COUNTRY GENTLEMAN Thursday, February 13 The Rosemount hotel
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AMPLIFIER BAR For All Eternity Common Bond Dyatlov Illuminator Friend Zone The Reptillians ASTOR LOUNGE Lilt Sam Perry Sarah Pellicano BALMORAL Mike Nayar BEAT NIGHTCLUB (DOWNSTAIRS) PLAY
ZARM/CLANCY’S CITY BEACH/ SATURDAY 15
BEAT NIGHTCLUB (UPSTAIRS) Rag N Bone Rock Candy BELGIAN BEER CAFE Roger Roger BELMONT TAVERN Electrophobia BEST DROP TAVERN Driven By People BELVOIR AMPHITHEATRE The National Luluc THE BIRD Holy Lotus Tristan Fidler’s Love Complications Doctopus Erasers Orlando Furious BOAB TAVERN Easy Tigers BOYUP BROOK TAVERN Matt Angell BRASS MONKEY Acoustic Aly THE BROOKLANDS TAVERN Siren & Assassin THE CARINE Velvet CAVES HOUSE YALLINGUP Ivan Zar Dee Dee Baynton CHASE BAR & BISTRO James Wilson CHEVRON FESTIVAL GARDENS Husky CIVIC BACKROOM Hidden Intent Cold Fate Arkarion Psychokinetic CLANCYS CITY BEACH Zarm CLANCYS DUNSBOROUGH Stonefield Mt. Mountain CLANCYS FREMANTLE Valentine’s Day - Ladies who Lead Boom! Bap! Pow! Pimps Of Sound Odette Mercy And Her Soul Atomics COMO HOTEL Penny King Trio CRUISING YACHT CLUB Rockin Ronnie DUNSBOROUGH TAVERN Cuddles EAST 150 BAR Jean Proude ELMARS IN THE VALLEY Dove EMPIRE BAR Howie Morgan ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Valentines Day Concert Victoria Newton Late Night Groove Series with Astrid Ripepi FAIRLANES AMPHITHEATRE Bernardine FLY BY NIGHT Big Boss Beaver Cross Eyed Cats FREMANTLE ARTS CENTRE The Floors Black Milk Red Engine Caves Blind Tiger Blues Box FREMANTLE WORKERS CLUB The BordererS Fundraiser for Ride for Youth THE GATE Choppa And Ryan
GOSNELLS HOTEL Chris Gibbs Trio THE GREENWOOD Greg Carter GROOVE BAR (CROWN) Tod Johnston & Peace Love HERDSMAN Elemental HOTEL ROTTNEST DJ Eugene HYDE PARK HOTEL Frenzy INDI BAR Axe Girl KT Rumble Aborted Tortoise KALAMUNDA HOTEL Vendetta LANEWAY LOUNGE Hans Fiance Just For TheNight LOBBY LOUNGE (CROWN) Nightowl MAHOGANY INN Monique Serpell M ON THE POINT Retriofit MOJOS BAR Childs Play Silvertongue Moondog J MUSTANG Adam Hall & The Velvet Playboys Swing DJ Cheeky Monkeys DJ James MacArthur OCEAN ONE BAR Mad Agents PADDY MALONES Gary Fowlie PORT KENNEDY TAVERN Keira Jane Duo PRINCE OF WALES MattyTWall Old Blood Bonekickers QUARIE BAR & BISTRO Back 2 Back RIGBY’S BAR & BISTRO Undergrowth Acoustic Open Mic ROLEYSTONE COUNTRY CLUB Sophie Jane 459 ROSEMOUNT HOTEL Black Swan King Crime Order Of The Black Werewolf Silver Foxes ROSEMOUNT HOTEL Threesome: A Valentines Party Sunshine Brothers Grace Barbe & The Weapon Is Sound DJs Jo Lettenmaier Maria Mendes Mama Cass ROSIE O’GRADYS FREMANTLE Madam Montage SAIL AND ANCHOR Howie Morgan Duo SETTLERS The Brow SOUTH ST ALEHOUSE Robbie King Karaoke SWINGING PIG Greg Carter SWAN HOTEL (BASEMENT) Branch Circus UNIVERSAL BAR Nightmoves WINTERSUN HOTEL Shane Dickson THE VIC Nathan Gaunt
Deadline Monday 5pm. The Gig-Guide is a service to advertisers listing all LIVE MUSIC. All inclusions are at the discretion of X-Press. Email guide@xpressmag.com.au
TIRED LION/THE CLAREMONT HOTEL/ SATURDAY 15
YAYA’S Gutter Drakes Scalphunter Alex The Kid Hello Colour Red YMCA HQ Heatwave Minifest Hand Of Mercy Emberville Aveira Skies Fallback This Existence Vultures Just Say Mercy Acoustic Stage Cupid Falls Tim Tan Life In A Glass House Adora Heights SATURDAY 15/02
AMPLIFIER BAR Miami Horror Client Liaison ASTOR THEATRE Hells Bells THE BALMORAL Retriofit BAR ORIENT The Reggae Club General Justice Mumma Trees Sista Che The Empressions DJ K.S BEAT NIGHTCLUB (UPSTAIRS) CANVAS BEAT NIGHTCLUB (DOWNSTAIRS) For All Eternity Anchored BENTLEY HOTEL Chris Gibbs Band THE BIRD Spacemanantics Rabbit Island Leure Hunting Huxley BOAB TAVERN James Wilson BREAKERS GERALDTON Mixtape Band CAPITOL Stonefield Mt. Mountain Apache CHEVRON FESTIVAL GARDENS Husky THE CIDERY BRIDGETOWN Ivan Zar Dee Dee Baynton CLANCYS CITY BEACH Zakhuta CLANCYS FREMANTLE Old Blood Moon J THE CLAREMONT HOTEL ANTICS Tired Lion The Morning Night Antics DJs Ft John Black CRAFTSMAN Funksta DUNSBOROUGH TAVERN Kniki Mike Beale ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Penny King Trio With Jamie Oehlers And Harry Mitchell GrooVe THE GATE Greg Carter GOSNELLS HOTEL Pretty Fly GREENWOOD Cargo Beat GROOVE BAR (CROWN) Decoy INDI BAR The Sunshine Brothers
SPACEMANANTICS/THE BIRD/ SATURDAY 15
Wham Jam Thank You Band INDIAN OCEAN BREWING CO Shawne & Luc KULCHA Duo Caliente LAKERS TAVERN Celebrations Karaoke LANEWAY LOUNGE Trevor Jalla Astrid Ripepi LOBBY LOUNGE (CROWN) Felicity Visic Duo MOJOS BAR Timothy Nelson And The Infidels Autopilot These Winter Nights Villain MERRIWA TAVERN Celebrations Karaoke M ON THE POINT Rhythm 22 MUSTANG Bang Bang Betty And The H-Bombs DJ Holly Doll Milhouse DJ James MacArthur NANNUP HOTEL KNiKi Mike Beale NEWPORT HOTEL Gravity Tahli Jade PADDY MAGUIRES Madam Montage PARAMOUNT NIGHTCLUB Felix PORT KENNEDY TAVERN Stu McKay PRINCE OF WALES Hand Of Mercy OCEAN ONE BAR Desert Bells QUARIE BAR & BISTRO DJ Eugene RAILWAY HOTEL The Devil In Miss Jones The Mondays Aishl The Right Way Up ROSEMOUNT HOTEL The Novocaines Pat Chow Bob Saget’s Full House Doctopus Depth Boys ROSIE O’GRADY’S FREMANTLE Flava SAIL & ANCHOR Better Days THE SAINT Mike Nayar SETTLERS TAVERN Ben Merito Band THE SHED Huge SOUTH ST ALE HOUSE Robbie King Karaoke SWALLOW BAR DJ T King SWAN HOTEL (LOUNGE) Ascending Fall The Liarbirds Goooses Jeff’s Dead THE SWINGING PIG Rockit UNIVERSAL Soul Corporation THE WOODVALE Gunshy Romeos YAYA’S Fringe Festival Heavyweights Of Comedy Cameron James & Jared Jekyll’s Paradise Tien Tran YMCA HQ AFTERNOON Up & Coming #1
Mourning Lilith Atlantis Kites Pirate Theme Park Ain’t No Grave Once Almost Never EVENING For All Eternity Anchored Dropbears Hollow Ground Voices And Vices SUNDAY 16/02
399 BAR Undergrowth Acoustic Open Mic ASTOR THEATRE Pete Murray Patrick James BALMORAL Shades Of Indigo BELMONT TAVERN Jonny Dempsey THE BRIGHTON Nate Lansdell BROOKLANDS TAVERN Gerry Azor CAPTAIN STIRLING Open Mic Night Josh Terlick THE CARINE Justin Cortorillo THE CAUSEWAY Accoustic Sunday CHEVRON FESTIVAL GARDENS Ebony Bones CIVIC HOTEL Frank G CLANCYS CANNING Squid Live CLANCYS DUNSBOROUGH Sunshine Brothers CLANCYS FREMANTLE The Zydecats COMO HOTEL Ansell And Fretall DUNSBOROUGH TAVERN Kris Buckle THE ELLINGTON Music Of Whitney Houston With Amanda Dee THE GATE Ryan Webb GOSNELLS HOTEL Sophie Jane GROOVE BAR (CROWN) Peace Love HYDE PARK HOTEL Mike Nayar INDI BAR AFTERNOON Seveno70 Turin Robinson EVENING The Lucky Numbers Dirty Folk The Littlest Fox INDIAN OCEAN BREW CO Retriofit KALAMUNDA HOTEL The Mojos KULCHA Zukhuta Sundays LAKERS TAVERN Wesley Goodlet Jamboree Scouts LAST DROP TAVERN Brett Hardwick MERRIWA TAVERN North Coast Jam Session Geoff Eastwood Malcolm Skinner George Perkins M ON THE POINT Nathan Gaunt MOJOS BAR Aborted Tortoise Dream Rimmy Kitchen People Naughty Disco Beam Kashikoi
ASCENDING FALL/SWAN HOTEL/ SATURDAY 15
THE MOON CAFE David Craft Band Jacob Wylde MUSTANG DJ Holly Doll NEWPORT HOTEL Red Stone Sinners Kat Wilson Nicky Sandover OCEAN ONE BAR Tahnee DJ Martin PADDY MALONES Gary Fowlie QUARIE BAR & BISTRO The Gypsy Minions REDCLIFFE ON THE MURRAY MattyTWall Old Blood ROSEMOUNT HOTEL The Get Down SAIL AND ANCHOR Childs Play THE SAINT Threeplay SEAVIEW TAVERN Jean Proude SETTLERS TAVERN Ben Merito Solo SOUTH ST ALEHOUSE Kate Gilbertson SWALLOW BAR Odette Mercy Duo THE SWAN HOTEL (LOUNGE) Weathered Skeletons James Bosley The Shops SWANBROOK WINERY Sundowner Sessions Todd Pickett Tim Gordon Ellen Oosterbaan SWINGING PIG Danny Bau Choppa & Ryan UNIVERSAL Retriofit WANNEROO TAVERN Steve Hepple THE WINDSOR Adrian Wilson THE WOODVALE Ade Payne X-WRAY CAFE Click Brown Fox John Bannister The Charisma Brothers YAYA’S Fringe Festival Heavyweights Of Comedy Cameron James And Jared Jekyll’s Paradise Tien Tran MONDAY 17/02
THE BIRD Bradley Johnson Solo Exhibition
Bradley Johnson & Mei Saraswati BRASS MONKEY Wire Birds CHEVRON FESTIVAL GARDENS Austra ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Toby GROOVE BAR (CROWN) Justin & Mike MOJOS BAR Wide Open Mic MUSTANG BAR Triple Shots YAYA’S Fringe Festival Heavyweights Of Comedy Cameron James And Jared Jekyll’s Paradise Tien Tran TUESDAY 18/02
THE BIRD Open Mic Night James Gates BRASS MONKEY Open Mic Night Josh Terlick THE CHARLES HOTEL Perth Blues Club Ruby Boots Eric Erdman Hussy Hicks CHEVRON FESTIVAL GARDENS DJ Food DJ Cheeba DJ Moneyshot THE ELLINGTON Memory of Elements GROOVE BAR (CROWN) Jack & Jill LANEWAY LOUNGE Perth Jazz Society Nick Abbey, Chris Foster, Daniel Susnjar LUCKY SHAG Leighton Keepa MOJO’S BAR Cameron James Nick Sun Pat Burtscher Jared Jekyll MERRIWA TAVERN Celebrations Karaoke MUSTANG BAR Danza Loca Salsa Night OCEAN ONE BAR Undergrowth Open Mic Night YAYA’S Fringe Festival Heavyweights Of Comedy Cameron James & Jared Jekyll’s Paradise Greg Fleet’s Sports Illustrated
LOCAL GIG
BOOM! BAP! POW!
PIMPS OF SOUND ODETTE MERCY AND HER SOUL ATOMICS Friday, February 14 Clancy’s Fremantle
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MUSIC GEAR & TECHNOLOGY
FOR SALE HEADPHONES all brands & styles. 23 Harrogate Street, West Leederville. Contact Headphonic 08 93886333 headphones.com.au GENERAL EXPRESSIONS WANTED GRAFFITI ARTISTS & GRAPHIC D E S I G N E R S fo r n ew l y fo r m e d c l o t h i n g company. Exp req’d. $$ paid for quality. Please call Mark if interested 0428 365 713. MUSOS WANTED BASS PLAYER WANTED for estab Perth band Hailmary. Available for tours. Stage presence a must. Contact Kevin 0401033743 hailmaryband@hotmail.com KEYBOARD PLAYER WANTED wanted for working cover band Vendetta. Must have backing vocals ability. Rock/pop genre. Contact Suzanne 0414 35 0001 OPEN MIC NIGHT every Thursday night at Indi Bar. Just call Bex on 0404 917 632. SINGER/GUITARIST/SONGWRITER seeking band. Rock/RocknRoll and very versatile. Jam for fun or would prefer gigs. 0403 687 285 PHOTOGRAPHY PROJECT PHOTOGRAPHY Promo p h o t o g r a p h y, s t u d i o , l i v e , l o c a t i o n . Mike Wylie 0417 975 964 www.projectphotography.com When its time to ice the cake... PRODUCTION SERVICES C D & DV D M A N U FAC T U R E C h e c k o u t our latest CD & DVD specials online at www.procopy.com.au 9375 3902 DISK BANK Perth’s premier CD & DV D m a n u f ac t u re r, w i t h o p t i o n s for all budgets. (08) 9388 0800. www.diskbank.com.au/specials. MATRIX PRODUCTIONS AUSTRALIA Lighting, staging, sound systems, smoke machines, night club FX, intelligent lighting, strobes & mirror balls, crowd barriers, video projectors. 9371 1551
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***GUITAR LESSONS*** New Year enrolments, book online. Beg to prof, all styles. Catering to WAAPA and AMEB standards. All tutors have WWC clearance. Cliff Lynton Guitar Institute. Mt Lawley 9342 3484 / www.clifflynton.com AAA CLEAVER ACADEMY OF VOICE Voice training for singers that really works. All techniques including speech level. Phone 9272 4497 mb 0417 928 998. BASS GUITAR LESSONS AVAILABLE by RECORDING STUDIOS WAAPA tutor. A practicle approach to learning. ALAN DAWSON’s WITZEND RECORDING .All styles.Years of experience. Tony Gibbs STUDIO Prof quality albums or demos, large live room, experienced engineer, 9470 6131 analog to digital transfers, mastering.. Alan 0407 989 128 or Jeremy 0430638178 www.witzendstudios.com ANALOG MASTERING VINTAGE TAPE, TUBES & TRANSFORMERS with the latest state of the art digital converters. Clients include: CLASSIFIEDS Melody’s Echo Chamber, Pond, Gossling, Knife Party, Felicity Groom, The Floors, Jeff Martin & The Panics. World class facility, World class results. Www.poonshead.com. 9339 4791 ANDY’S STUDIO International multi award winning songwriter / producer. No band required. Broadcast quality. A songwriter’s paradise. Ph 9364 3178 GOLDDUST Production Mixing, recording and composition. Leederville $80 p/h. 0408 097 407 RECORDING MIXING MASTERING PRODUCING Fremantle location. Call Pete Kitchen Cooked Records. Ph 0407 363 764 / 9336 3764
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robust shell as the Midi Fighter 3D and Spectra, but instead of their classic arcade triggers, it has 16 click rotary encoders, with RGB illumination and a built in midi step sequencer. This will allow you to plug it into any drum rack in any program and instantly have a full range drum programmer. Where this really explodes is when you plug it into a Traktor remix deck that has been populated by drum hits. So, it’s a plug and play USB box that turns your DJ software into a live electronic performance tool, with effects, level, and bank memory adjustment for each slot. Just imagine having four remix decks with two Twisters and two Midi Fighters, lower decks for drums and upper decks for your pre-written melodic loops, hits and fills. No price has been announced yet, but it will probably be around $300 to $400. The most popular system right now is the Ableton Push. As it comes with Ableton Live 9, you can produce your tracks in the studio and then throw those loops directly into the clip launcher, allowing you to trigger your prerecorded loops on command, all perfectly in time. Normally the controller of choice for this was the APC 20 and APC 40, but the new
Midi Fighter Twister
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laying down your beats and melodies as well as the clip launcher. This gives you heaps of opportunity for improvisation and live remixing. Also, when using it to control a synthesizer or melodic sample bank, you can lock the pads into any scale, meaning it is impossible to hit a wrong note on stage. This can also introduce you to exotic scales not popularised in western music, and you can shift the key of your piece to match the next track and still use the same gestures for chords. Finally, there is the Bridge. Serato Scratch Live and Ableton can sync together using this software, which puts your Ableton clip launch groups on screen in Serato. Using a set of DVS turntables and a couple of USB drum pads, you can perform and scratch your tracks all from one program. This gives you all the benefits of vinyl turntablism with, the freedom to trigger your track elements in whatever order or combination that takes your fancy. This is certainly the most expensive way to go, as you will need a Serato Scratch Live kit, CDJs or turntables, mixer, and pad controller, but if you’re really after a scratch element for your tunes then it’s the way to go. TULLY JAGOE
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