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X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays
SPRING’S THE THING
Neda, Telstra Road To Discovery
THEY’RE ON A ROAD TO SOMEWHERE
De La Soul
NEW YEAR’S DAY LA SOUL
Eight years on and Perth’s favourite New Year’s Day gig shows no sign of slacking off. Taking the notion of the European summer holiday as its theme, the 2014 Cuban Club (at the Flying Squadron Yacht Club, The Esplanade, Dalkeith) will be headlined by none other than De La Soul! Also on hand will be UK DJ Yoda, with more acts to be announced. If there’s a more elegant and exciting way to usher in New Year’s Day, we’ve yet to hear it. Ticket presale starts 9am today, Wednesday, September 11, while general sale kicks off 9am Friday, September 13.
It’s September and it’s spring and that can only mean one thing (for the purposes of this paragraph, anyway) - the Perth Fashion Festival is just around the corner. Check page 21 for out story on the Restyle Photo-A-Day Opshop Challenge and head to perthfashionfestival. com.au for full details about all the events that will take place around Perth from Wednesday, September 11, until Monday, September 16. By way of celebrating the spring fashion season, we’re giving away an XF Spring Must Haves pack valued at over $800, featuring key product from some of our favourite brands and retailers such as Gorman, Jurlique, Rummage, Dangerfield and Cenotes Swimwear. Just head to the X-Press Fashion Facebook page to find out how.
This Saturday, September 14, the Telstra Road To Discovery comes to Fremantle’s Kings Square Markets. From 12pm, six local talents will go head to head for an opportunity to go to a three-day mentoring boot camp in Sydney this October, with the ultimate victors in performance and songwriting receiving a 12 month music mentorship (plus an exciting development opportunity for two finalists with Bon Jovi). This heat will feature WA singer/ songwriter, Neda, who won in 2009, as the headlining act, and the competitors include Riley Pearce, Kimberley Heberley, Kiersten Fage, Mink Gardner, Danny Bau and Michelle Spriggs. Go to telstra.com/trtd for more.
XF Spring Must Haves pack Photography: Matt Jelonek
IT KEELS GOOD
Stillwater Giants
Eskimo Joe
YO JOE!
Legendary Perth-spawned rockers Eskimo Joe are taking to the road again this October/ November. Touring in support of their new album, Kay, Joel and Stuart will bring the Wastelands tour to The Astor Theatre on Saturday, November 9, with special guests yet to be announced. Tickets are on sale now head to eskimojoe.net/tours.
WAM SONG OF THE YEAR
The wait for local musos is over - WAM have this week announced the 80 nominees in 16 categories for the 2013 WAM Song Of The Year. This prestigious songwriting competition is now in its 24th year and offers more than $35,000 in prizes. Winners will be announced at the Awards Night held at the Fly By Night Musicians Club on Wednesday, October 9, from 7pm. The event will be hosted by Tomas Ford, with a stellar line-up (ticketing details will be announced soon). To check out the 2013 WAM Song Of The Year nominees - and full prize details - head to wam.asn.au/songoftheyear.
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Reactions/Comp Thing Flesh Music: The Cult / Fenech-Soler / Vista Chino Music: Emiliana Torrini / London Grammar Music: Dot Hacker / Getaway Plan New Noise Eye4 Cover: Wendy Matthews Eye4: News/Riddick/RIPD Eye4: The Gatekeepers/PFF Restyle Arts Listings Feature: ETC Salt Cover: R.A. The Rugged Man Salt: News/ Test Pad/ Behind The Decks Salt: Valentino Khan / Spenda C Salt: Rewind: Mo Kolours Scene: Live: Amanda Palmer / Snakadaktal Tour Trails Gig Guide Volume
COVER: The Cult perform their classic 1987 LP, Electric, at Metro City on Saturday, September 28, presented by X-Press Magazine. SALT COVER: R.A. The Rugged Man hits the Rosemount Hotel on Saturday, September 21. www.xpressmag.com.au
Word is from the ever-fabulous Oats Supply camp that plans are well underway for the Yacht Rock Ball, celebrating the 30th anniversary of the America’s Cup win in 1983, happening at the Fremantle Town Hall on Friday, November 1. Dress in your best ‘80s/yachting attire and get down for a set of yacht rock from The Alan Bond Project, followed by stadium-sized good times from Oats Supply. ABC 720 go-to MC Russell Woolf will talk o’ the times and the town, with DJ Vinyl Richie in charge of all matters platter. Tickets are available now from Heatseeker.com.au.
STILL HUGE
Following on from the incredible success of Fly Under The Radar by Stillwater Giants comes their follow up single, the dreamy, summery Insane. It’s sure to be just as big as its predecessor, and the boys plan on capitalising on that by heading off to New York City to showcase their talents at the CMJ Music Marathon. Still, airfare isn’t cheap, so you can help them out and catch some awesome tunes by heading to one of their fundraiser gigs, either at Bunbury’s Prince of Wales on Friday, September 20, with These Winter Nights, or Amplifier on Saturday, September 21, with Mezzanine, Morgan Bain and These Winter Nights. The Bunbury show is free, while tickets for the Amplifier gig are available now through Oztix.
Oats Supply, Yacht Rock Ball
Carus Thomspon
CARUS RISING
Folk-rocker Carus Thompson is bringing his Request Show concept to Australia, having rocked European audiences with the notion of letting the punters choose the songs he plays. Freo’s favourite son will play two sets at Clancy’s Fish Pub, Fremantle, on Friday, October 4. Go to carusthompson.com for more.
Billy Bragg
WORTH BRAGGING ABOUT
Is it weird that the announcement of Billy Bragg’s upcoming Australian tour comes so quickly after the election result? In any case, the brilliant Bard Of Barking will be showcasing his latest album, Tooth & Nail, on Sunday, March 8, Perth Concert Hall. Tickets go on sale at 9am on Tuesday, September 16, through Ticketek. 7
Enter online at www.xpressmag.com.au. Snail mail entries can be sent to Locked Bag 31, West Perth 6872. Entries close 4pm Monday. By entering you agree to X-Press Magazine’s Terms and Conditions, which can be found online. All competition entries will automatically enable you to become an X-Press subscriber! No details will be given to a third party.
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Managing Editor Bob Gordon: editor@xpressmag.com.au Dance Music & Features Editor Rachel Davison: danceeditor@xpressmag.com.au Local Music & Arts Editor Travis Johnson: localmusicarts@xpressmag.com.au Gig & Event Guides Co-ordinator guide@xpressmag.com.au Entertainment Services Co-ordinator / Competitions win@xpressmag.com.au Photography Callum Ponton, Stefan Caramia, Daniel Grant, Sammy Granville, Matt Jelonek, Denis Radacic, Emma Mackenzie, Guang-Hui Chuan, Max Fairclough Contributing Writers Henry Andersen, Ashleigh Whyte, Nina Bertok, Shaun Cowe, Derek Cromb,Chris Gibbs,Alfred Gorman,George Green,Alex Griffin,Chris Havercroft, Joshua Hayes, Brendan Holben, Coral Huckstep, Rezo Kezerashvili,Tara Lloyd, Adam Morris, Andrew Nelson, Chloe Papas, Ben Watson,Jessica Willoughby,Miki Mclay,Morgan Richards,James Manning, Joe Cassidy, Shane Pinnegar For band gigs and launches - plugyourgig@xpressmag.com.au
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WAYJO GALA
The WA Youth Jazz Orchestra (WAYJO) are celebrating their 30th anniversary with an all-star alumni lineup to tribute the past and celebrate the future. It’s happening at the Astor Theatre, Mt Lawley on Friday, September 20 with performances by internationallybased alumni, Troy Roberts, Mat Jodrell, Becc Sanderson and Chris Greive along with all three current WAYJO bands. Get your tickets via Show Ticketing or enter now to win yourself one of two double-passes.
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Blue Jasmine
After venturing to Europe for his last three films, the brilliant Woody Allen is back in the US with a drama about a Park Avenue high society wife (Cate Blanchett) who’s forced to slum it with her bluecollar sister (Sally Hawkins). The film’s called Blue Jasmine and there’s rumours that Blanchett many be already in the running for an Oscar over her performance. The film is in cinemas tomorrow and you can enter to win yourself one of ten double in-season passes.
ON CLOUD NINE
The Voodoo Lounge is presenting the Cloud 9 Birthday Party, which is happening this Friday, September 13 at the venue in Northbridge. For more info about what’s in store, head to: thevoodoolounge.com.au. We hear it will be frivolity and good times and if you’re lucky, you could be in the running to score yourself a doublepass. The winner will be notified via email.
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CAB AUDITED CIRCULATION: 38,000 OCTOBER 2011 – MARCH 2012
Deadlines EDITORIAL General: Friday 5pm,, Eye4 Arts: Thursday 10am, Comp’ Thing: Monday Noon,, Salt Clubs: Monday 5pm , Local Scene: Monday Noon,, Gig Guide: Monday 5pm ADVERTISING 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
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BYZANTIUM
MELBOURNE SKA ORCHESTRA TOUR
9213 2853 The supernatural vampire thriller Byzantium, which
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was directed by Neil Jordan (who also directed The Crying Game and Interview With The Vampire) was released last month, and it’s a story about a brotheloperating mother-daughter duo on the run from the law who find shelter in a rundown coastal town. You can now own your very own copy on Blu-ray if you email us quick! We’ve got five to giveaway.
The 30 plus members of the Melbourne Ska Orchestra are hitting the road for The Diplomat Tour in celebration of their new album released last month. The show rolls into WA in a few weeks, when they play the Fly By Night on Friday, September 27 and the Astor Theatre on Saturday, September 28. They’re also heading to Hyden for the Wave Rock Weekender. We have two double-passes to give away to either the Fremantle of Perth shows.
The Rides
TATTOO ARTIST BALL
The 9th Annual Tattoo Artist Ball is happening next Wednesday, September 18 at The Voodoo Lounge & Rocket Room, Northbridge. This year’s theme is Hillbilly Carnival, so dress to impress! There’ll be tattoo stalls, a shooting range and the tattooing of a pig. Yes, you read that right. Buy tickets from thevoodoolounge.com.au or enter now to win yourself a double-pass.
BLUESY RIDE
The Rides are rock’n’roll hall of famer, Stephen Stills; five-times Grammy-nominated singer, guitarist and songwriter, Kenny Wayne Shepherd; and Chicago rock-blues keyboardist, Barry Goldberg. They’re selfdescribed by Stills as “the blues band of my dreams” and they’ve just-released their album, Can’t Get Enough, which last week debuted at #42 on the Billboard Charts. Enter now to win yourself one of three copies.
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ROTTOFEST
Sticky Fingers Photo by Jessica Wyld Rottnest Island Saturday, September 7, 2013 Rottofest is a big, sprawling event and it’s pretty much impossible for one person to take it all in. It is, in the best possible way, a series of hard choices. Do you want to focus on the stellar comedy line-up, including Heath Franklin, Steady Eddie, Joel Creasy and rising star Sami Shah, or do you want to anchor yourself in front of the stage at Hotel Rottnest and catch the impressive musical acts on offer? Do you want to go too hard on Saturday and write off Sunday, as so many did, making the second day a much quieter if not less enjoyable affair? Indeed, for the first two-thirds, Saturday was a low key event at the Hotel Rottnest stage. Rottnest Island itself is such a beautiful, relaxing place that it’s hard to get too worked up about anything in particular, and though there’s no doubt that the crowd - which was still slowly building over the course of the afternoon, you have to understand - appreciated the efforts of Pumba, GRRL PAL and Sam Perry, they didn’t do much to show it beyond scattered applause and the odd whoop of approval. Local favourites The Love Junkies and The Brow Horn Orchestra fared a little better as the day wore on, and 44th Sunset even managed to get a few souls dancing when they trotted out a cracking rendition of their power-pop hit, Caesar. It wasn’t until erstwhile headline act Sticky Fingers took to the stage around about sunset that the crowd - fairly lubricated by this stage, let’s be honest - began to arc up. The reggae-rock five piece drew roars of appreciation from the audience as they tore into it, an intoxicating blend of musical precision and wild abandon. They’ve climbed high over the last few years (although not as high as their lead singer was about
to), and a good percentage of the crowd seemed to know all the words to such hits as Caress Your Soul. Lead singer, Dylan Frost, was a dervish, seemingly unhappy with being constrained by the relatively small stage. As it turns out, he decided he wasn’t. Constrained, that is. We might have seen it coming by the way he started swatting at the stage lights so they pointed out into the pit; this was a man with mischief on his mind. In a break between songs - and maybe 10 minutes before the scheduled end of his set - Frost hauled himself up onto the canvas roof of the playing area, perched on the edge, and decided he’d much rather sing from up there, thanks. The crowd loved it, of course, but security and venue staff were less than rapt. In seconds two burly bouncers were stage-side, waiting for Frost to come down. Seeing his egress blocked, Frost took the most obvious option and flung himself into the ecstatic crowd. It was a beautiful moment, albeit a short one, as the security guards, each about three times the weight of the diminutive Frost, were on him in seconds. The rest of the band, apparently in an allfor-one Musketeers kind of spirit, proceeded to dive off the stage themselves, before all being escorted away. Facts are hazy, but the rumour is that Frost, at least, spent the night in the island lock-up. About the only band around that could have followed such a raw moment of rock’n’roll with any kind of aplomb is Boys Boys Boys!, and as luck would have it, they were the next band on the bill. But while it’s always fun to bop along to their infectious antics and bubblegum-bright energy, it was clear to all and sundry that the night had already peaked. Bring on 2014.
MAC NOISE
Just as his second album, Head Noise, is about to surface comes the announcement that the irrepressible Kid Mac will be touring it around the country this November. Catch the architect of the awesome Bustin’ Down The Door at Mojos on Wednesday, November 13; Bunbury’s Prince of Wales on Thursday, November 14; Ya Ya’s on Friday, November 15; Settler’s Tavern in Margaret River on November 16, and the Indi Bar on Sunday, November 17.
Kid Mac
SCARY DAYS
Big Scary
Alt-poppers Big Scary (Tom Iansek and Jo Syme) are in the midst of their Not Art album tour, which brings them back to WA this week. Catch them this Friday, September 13, at the Fly By Night Club, supported by Melbourne singer/songwriter, Courtney Barnett.
VIDA CAIN
The Hunger Games
_ TRAVIS JOHNSON
SWEET BECC JAZZ NIGHTS
Long-time Perth music fans will well remember Becc (Elizabeth) Sanderson from her days fronting the Sweet Blue Midnights in the late ‘80s/early ‘90s. Sanderson has been based in Edinburgh since 2000, performing at the Royal Glasgow Concert Hall and Edinburgh’s Usher Hall with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra’s Big Band, as well as headlining performances at the Shetland Jazz Festival, and original shows at the Edinburgh International Fringe Festival in 2011-12. Sanderson will perform two hometown shows at Ellington Jazz Club this Friday-Saturday, September 13-14, at 7pm. It’s a rare treat, so head to ellingtonjazz.com. au for tickets without haste.
Mikelangelo And The Black Sea Gentlemen
GYPSY KINGS
Taking inspiration from gypsy bands of the Balkans, the multi-award winning Aussie kings of cabaret, Mikelangelo And The Black Sea Gentlemen are playing a bunch of shows in WA this weekend. This Thursday, September 12, catch them at the Margaret River Cultural Centre; on Friday September 13, at the Mandurah Performing Arts Centre; Saturday, September 14, at the Cummins Theatre, Merredin; and Kulcha, Fremantle on Sunday, September 15. Expect a mix of music, theatre and lots of black humour about the three D’s (death, desire and deception!).
Becc Sanderson
BACK IN BLACK IS BACK
Hells Bells indeed. This month marks 33 years since AC/DC’s ground-breaking Back In Black album was released in 1980 and quite frankly some noise needs to be made about it. Good thing then that Perth’s own AccaDacca salute band Hells Bells are going to perform the album in its entirety this Saturday, December 14, at the Ravenswood Tavern. Don’t worry, they’re doing a Best Of Bon set too, plus there’s support from Mick Parker (Waiting 4 Andy) and Vamp. Doors open at 7pm, tickets are available from the Ravenswood Hotel or online at Hells Bells Heatseeker.com.au. www.xpressmag.com.au
Vida Cain
Vida Cain launch their debut album, The Rule Of Gravity, at The Bakery this Friday, September 13, with guests Rag’n’Bone, Wise Oaks and Codie Sundstrom. BOB GORDON reports. Vida Cain formed in early 2012, but have already released an EP and double A-side in pretty quick succession. In terms of momentum those releases have nicely paved the way for their debut album, The Rule Of Gravity. “We’d like to think so” says vocalist/ guitarist, Josh Johnstone. “The album was always the long term goal, so yes, we feel it was a wise enough move to release a few singles to introduce the band and build up some kind of interest in the album. All of our recordings to date have been mixed and produced by Andy Lawson at Debaser Studios. It was not only great working with the same person on a few releases in a row, but with a person like Andy who is so great to work with and has an opinion that we all respect greatly. Without a doubt, his input has been a big part of the band’s sound evolving and - I like to think - improving in the ways it has. “The singles are kind of like appetisers, the EP was an entree and the album is a main course. If you can’t tell I’m kind of hungry while I’m doing this interview. For this album, we re-recorded one of the songs Only Love Things from the EP and got Karri and Sky from Brow Horn Orchestra to add some dirty brass flavour to it, and the other two singles we released are on the album too. So I think yes, these releases have no doubt increased everyone’s appetite for this rather tasty album.” Given those shorter format releases weren’t too long ago, there was a fair bit of consideration as to just what they wanted to evoke of Vida Cain on the debut LP.
“Everything we have released until now has been pretty hard-hitting riff rock,” Johnstone says. “The album shows a band who is either very versatile or very confused about what style we play... so let’s just go with versatile. “We are a band of four multiinstrumentalist musicians who have played in such a wide variety of bands, stylistically, so Vida Cain is a musical melting pot all tied together by dirty guitars, melodic vocals and pop sensibilities. The full-length album is our way of showing all of these styles and influences being brought together and hopefully sounding somewhat unified. “There is a small chance it could sound like the musical equivalent of that stupid fruit bowl everyone has that seems to contain pens, hair ties, two sets of unused keys, some 10 cent coins, elastic bands, a fuse and a number of other things you are saving for a rainy day, but then again it may just be great.” Johnstone is something of a youthful veteran of the Perth music scene, playing in bands such as Evergreen, Bordello, The Happing Endings and, of late, joining The Stanleys as a guitarist on the US/Europe tour. His experience is echoed by his bandmates, so they all bring a fair bit to the table, which is a good thing considering plenty of regional, national and international touring is in their sights. “We all bring a fair bit of knowledge of what works and what doesn’t, both musically and on the business side of the band,” Johnstone says. “We haven’t really wasted any time learning the hard way with this band, as we have all done that in previous bands. This has been pretty instrumental in us achieving what we have in such a short amount of time. “Having said that, as things progress and we look at the next step, I’m sure there will be many new hurdles, challenges and experiences thrown at us that I know we are all looking forward to enjoying as part of the ride that is rock’n’roll.” 11
THE CULT Are Friends Electric?
The Cult perform their 1987 album, Electric, in full at Metro City on Saturday September 28, presented by X-Press Magazine. JODY MACGREGOR speaks with singer, Ian Astbury.
The Cult
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Three years ago The Cult toured their 1985 album Love, playing its collection of theatrical post-punk bravado from start to finish. The tour went well enough that they’ll be repeating the trick, only this time with their 1987 album, Electric. Thing is, Electric was a very different album to Love, and deliberately so. For their first attempt at recording a follow-up they went to a manor house in Oxfordshire owned by Richard Branson, but the 12 songs they came up with in that genteel setting weren’t what they were looking for. Instead, the British band flew to New York to start over. For lead singer, Ian Astbury, an Englishman who’d grown up in Canada, New York in the 1980s was fascinatingly grimy and dangerous.
“I mean, I walked around the corner one night after there’d been a mob hit in the street on 6th Avenue,” he says. “I didn’t know until I got in the studio. Someone said, ‘A guy’s been shot around the corner’. The place where we used to get ice cream got held up; Billy Idol got arrested when we tried to cop dope in Washington Square Park. There were muggings. It was winter, it was filthy, going down Alphabet City to after-hours clubs – it was pretty exciting.” As well as spending time with Billy Idol they got to work with producer Rick Rubin for the first time. Rubin had recently become an associate of the Def Jam label, and was hanging out with the Beastie Boys, steering them away from their punk roots and into hip-hop. “Being in New York making the record had a real incredible impact on the record,” says Astbury. “Being around the whole Def Jam family, hanging out with people like LL Cool J and Run-D.M.C. and Slayer and Beasties. They were omnipresent, they always used to come over and hang out in the studio so it was like a different scene in the studio every day. “Strangely enough, they used to always come by when it was dinnertime,” he says with a laugh. “Pizza boxes would be open and beers knocking around, everyone would get stuck in and then disappear. But they knew where Rick was and everybody wanted to find Rick. Rick was in the studio 24/7. He was in the studio every day with us which I think is a bit of a rarity now. But it was great.” Rubin obviously didn’t want to push The Cult in the same direction as the Beastie Boys, but he did have an influence on their shift from the post-punk sound that had seen them labelled ‘goth rock’ (Astbury bristles at the words even today), and into hard rock and heavy metal revivalism. Astbury was already a fan of Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and especially The Doors, but it was Rubin showing them American metal pioneers Blue Cheer that had the biggest impact. “He wasn’t ‘Rick Rubin’ then,” Astbury says of the superstar producer who now works with Kanye West and Jay Z. “He was in his dorm room when we met him. He basically showed us a Blue Cheer video, said, ‘Do you want to do this or do you want to do fluffy English alternative music?’ We were looking at Blue Cheer and MC5, and we were 24 years-old. We were like, ‘We want to do that!’” And they did. You could mistake guitarist Billy Duffy’s riffs on Electric for Angus Young of AC/ DC and songs like Love Removal Machine were a million miles away from ‘fluffy English alternative music’. Their hard-edged new sound helped them break America, and Electric eventually outsold Love and was certified gold. Being big in America wasn’t just important to Astbury because of the financial rewards, but because when he’d been a kid in Canada, American culture was unavoidable. “A lot of the TV shows I was watching were broadcast from New York,” he says, “its sports teams were very dominant, the local channel was from Buffalo, New York. I mean we had 48 channels of TV and most of it was from the States. I kind of grew up with a real strong North American influence on me, which is great. When I went back to England everybody goes, ‘Why are you talking in an American accent?’ It’s because I’ve grown up in North America!” During that time in Canada Astbury’s family moved around a lot, and he attended “11 or 12 schools.” One of them he describes like something straight out of the Victorian era, a school where they still taught Latin and came down hard on anybody who was different. “I got thrown out of school when I was like 11 for having blue food colouring in my hair,” he says. “Trying to emulate, being a glam kid. It was just food colouring, it wasn’t permanent, but I got thrown out of the class immediately. And that definitely sets a boundary right there, you know? That becomes a division. I love Bowie, I get thrown out of school because I love Bowie’s music and I want to affect his look so obviously I’m going to side with Bowie as opposed to side with school.” Being a recent immigrant to the country as well as a troublemaker, the young Astbury had trouble fitting in at first. “I got ostracised by most of the other white kids at school, like the landed natives, but then my peer group was like all the other immigrant kids, native American kids, indigenous Canadians – my best friend was from Kingston, Jamaica. I had a friend from Ankara, Turkey. So that was my crew. I ran around with all the kids who were misfits, who didn’t fit in. That was a good education.” But it was the way that music helped him forge connections with others that set the young Astbury on the path that eventually led to his career. “The environment was constantly shifting but what wasn’t shifting was my taste in music,” he says. “The first thing I ever bought was David Bowie, Life on Mars, when I was like 10 or something. And I’ve probably bought everything he’s ever released since, so that was a constant. The bedroom and record player was a refuge, and also a point of reference for the kids you meet kids and say, ‘What do you listen to?’ ‘I listen to the Sex Pistols’. You go ‘OK!’ That’s instant rapport – instant bond.” X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays
FENECHSOLER Big Pop Instincts UK electro-pop outfit Fenech-Soler had to overcome some difficult circumstances in the lead-up to recording their second album, Rituals. ALEX GRIFFIN reports.
VISTA CHINO
Give Peace A Chance
Vista Chino
A hulking behemoth of groove rock, Vista Chino sees Brant Bjork reunited with former Kyuss singer John Garcia and guitarist, Bruno Fevery. SHANE PINNEGAR speaks with Bjork upon the release of their debut LP, Peace. Brant Bjork and co. were formerly known as Kyuss Lives! before a 2012 US Federal Court case ruled they could not release recordings under that name. Rebranding as Vista Chino was a simple step forward - the name literally meaning ‘the Chinese view’ - though to the band it has more personal significance. “The name itself is the name of a street where we’re from, out in Palm Desert,” Bjork explains. “So, it just kinda takes us back to our roots man, makes us feel good and reminds us where we’re from.” A hint of bitterness creeps into Bjork’s voice
when asked if the album is titled Peace as a message to Queens Of The Stone Age’s Josh Homme, the former Kyuss guitarist who wrested control of the band from Bjork, leading to him quit after the band’s third album, and who led the court case against Kyuss Lives! in 2012. “Well... I don’t have much of a message to those particular folks at all,” he says with a self conscious chuckle. “I’m more concerned with myself and my brothers in this particular band. For us, we’ve been put through a really, really stressful, unfortunate experience – even though it’s taken me to a whole new perspective on love for those things that I love. And the word Peace, it’s a word that
I thought we could meditate upon for years to come, and it can remind us of what we went through and what we accomplished and where we ultimately ended up. And it helps us get through the psychological damage and stress that we had to endure in order to get here.” Bjork is equally forthright about the rights of Vista Chino to sound like who they are as original members of Kyuss. “You know, we’re a rock band, we’re from the desert, and this is what we do, this is the kind of music we make. If you want to call it stoner rock, desert rock, Kyuss or an extension of that, we’re fine with that. And if you don’t want to call it that and just call it something fresh and new, we’re down with that as well, man. We’re just doing what we do.” The multi-instrumentalist admits that some former Kyuss members “had respect for each other in terms of what we want to accomplish and what we’re trying to do musically, but a lot of the time we’re just not on the same page as people. We’re just kind of a dysfunctional musical family.” Despite the tensions, Bjork agrees that the legend of Kyuss grew exponentially after their demise. “Yeah - it has definitely evolved,” he says, a little in awe of their retroactive fanbase growth. “It is something of legend and where there’s legend there is always a bit of a ‘fish story’, that’s for sure, man. You know, whatever makes people feel good about their relationship with the band, I’ll take the majority of it with good grace. “But we’re in the here and now, and we’re really excited to be here and we’ve got fresh music and we’re moving forward, man.”
Fenech-Soler Since forming in King Cliffe, England in 2006, Fenech-Soler have been drawing comparisons to Friendly Fires and Ou Est Le Swimming Pool. They look set, however, to transcend these with their second high-energy fluorescent triangle t-shirt album, Rituals. As Fenech-Soler’s chatty bassist, Ross Duffy explains, it feels like a great leap forward. “As a whole we’ve progressed,” he explains. “We wrote the first one quickly because we got to a point where we felt like we just had to put out an album, so it just felt like a collection of songs instead of a record. “This time, we took a year off, we stopped touring, grew up a bit and learnt how to make a better album.” Fittingly, Rituals is their biggest work yet, a massive suite of songs that’s just about the perfect soundtrack for losing a glowstick in a festival crush to. Yet, despite how huge it sounds, the band eschewed a professional studio to work around the clock at home. “It’s much cheaper!” Duffy explains. “I think we feel more comfortable without technicians looking over our shoulders or anything. It’s a trial and error process for us, producing, and we try to be as closed off as possible.” Despite savouring their solitude, the band jumped at an offer from DFA’s Tim Goldsworthy (best known for his work with LCD Soundsystem) to co-produce part of the record. “He’s massively respected as a figure within the pop and electronic worlds. and we’d never really worked with anyone, so it was a massive eye-opener to go and talk with someone we respected. The first few days we just listened to music together and chatted, which was a really nice experience, and now that it’s finished we’re still swapping playlists.” The cynicism of LCD Soundsystem is barely to be traced on Rituals though; it’s bombastic, earnest and lovelorn, which is exactly the way the band like it. “We enjoy writing that sort of music and it came out that way naturally,” Duffy says. “Those big pop instincts aren’t something we want to shy away from. It’s the message we like to give off, so it’s what we went for.” All that optimism the band shows on record, however, has been pretty hard-won. Soon after their first record dropped, singer (and Ross’s brother) Ben was diagnosed with testicular cancer. Tours were cancelled, plans were held in check and priorities reassessed. Fortunately, Ben made a full recovery, but the experience left a huge mark. “Damn sure that it was a difficult time for us,” Duffy affirms. “A lot of stuff got scuppered. We’ve been lucky this time around we’ve had a clear run, but it really showed us that things can be can taken away, and now we go out and play with as much passion as we can, because that’s the reason we started the band, to play gigs and get out there. “It brought us all together, and we feel like we’re healthier as a group now. It’s good that we’ve been able to see it as a positive.” www.xpressmag.com.au
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London Grammar Photo: Claire Pepper
LONDON GRAMMAR The Waiting
London Grammar have just released their debut album, If You Wait. ALASDAIR DUNCAN gets schooled. London Grammar’s Dan Rothman and Hannah Reid met when they were undergraduate students at Nottingham University – the story goes that Rothman saw a Facebook picture of Reid with a guitar and sent her a message, interested to see if she wanted to make music together. The pair began playing music in bars around town, and before long their friend Dot Major joined them, bringing keyboards and percussion – not least of all a collection of African drums – to the group. In those days, they stuck to low-key acoustic covers, a
d very far f removed d from f sound the lush indie/electronic ballads they now make – but the crucial element, Reid’s haunting voice, was always there. “A few months after we played our first gig,” explains Rothman, “we were spotted by a record company, and there was a bit of hype that started developing around us. We hadn’t found our sound yet, we were still working on that, but people were all incredibly taken with Hannah’s voice. There was a lot of excitement around that, and that was probably the thing that really started it.” After fielding various offers, the band eventually found a deal they liked with Ministry Of Sound, and once signed they holed up in garages and studios to tinker with their haunting, sparse sound until they had it just right for their debut album, If You Wait. “We spent a year-and-a-half making our
album, but it was only in the last six months we found a sound we were really happy with,” Rothman says. Throughout the development process, the three worked to find an identity that was uniquely theirs. “I think a lot of bands build up a lot of early excitement,” Rothman continues, “then they rush into making an album and they end up with a sound that’s not necessarily theirs, an outside producer has created it for them. We didn’t want that to happen to us.” The three members of London Grammar brought different influences to play, but Rothman says that they were all particularly inspired by the likes of Radiohead, The National and the xx.“We were listening to a lot of those three at the time we were making the record. I don’t know that we wanted to emulate them necessarily, but we liked that all those bands had a very consistent sound across each record, and that they had a sound of their own. We’re also big fans of movie soundtracks. Hannah loves Thomas Newman, and we’re all big fans of the Drive soundtrack, by Cliff Martinez. We tried to get a lot of those lush sounds on the album.” As for the more electronic sound of early singles like Metal & Dust, Rothman says the album does go into this territory a little bit. “There are a few tracks that are more beat-based,” he says, “and one or two that definitely have the influence of that ’90s electronic sound, especially of bands like Massive Attack.” Earlier this year, London Grammar collaborated with fellow UK upstarts Disclosure on the track, Help Me Lose My Mind. “We went into the studio and it happened really quickly,” Rothman reveals. “Hannah started singing some top line vocals, and the whole thing came together in about two or three days, which is really quick for us. They have an incredible sound and style.”
Emiliana Torrini
EMILIANA TORRINI Tookah While
Emiliana Torrini has just released her new album, Tookah. JODY MACGREGOR reports. It’s been five years since Emiliana Torrini released her album, Me And Armini, and its memorably bouncy single, Jungle Drum. After that she worked on but ultimately abandoned another record, and life got in the way as it tends to do. By the time Torrini started writing songs for the album she’s recently finished, Tookah, she was a different person with different ideas. “By doing records with such a big space in between you go through so many stages of development,” she says in her delightful Icelandic accent. “I guess if I would have done a record, like, three years ago, it would have been a psychedelic rock record. You just realise how much you morph into something, and also I gave birth to my son and that puts a different head on you.” Torrini discovered she was pregnant the last time she was in Australia, while preparing for a show at the Sunset Sounds festival in Brisbane. “I thought I was really jetlagged and I thought I still had the food poisoning since Mexico, but actually I was pregnant. That was huge. I have such an amazing memory from it. I was roaming around in this haze like, ‘Oh my God, this is incredible. There’s some little creature growing inside me’. It was amazing. Then being on stage playing music to all these incredibly happy people was really good for my body.” Having huge life changes affect her music isn’t new for Torrini, whose 2005 album Fisherman’s Woman was shaped by the death of her boyfriend in a car accident. “It was such an emotional record to make,” she says.“It was a really tough record in that way, but then Me And Armini taught me to let go. When we did Me And Armini we decided, ‘Everything comes out and we’re gonna leave everything alone, no matter how different everything is. We’re just gonna put it down’. So that was a very quick record to work.” Tookah was not so quick. At one point, when Torrini and her songwriting/producing partner Dan Carey gave up on work completely, they decided to just kill time watching videos on YouTube instead. That was how they discovered the swarmatron, an electronic instrument that sounds like a choir of bees and was designed by two Brooklynite cousins who also created something called a hymnotron. “We got lost in YouTube watching those cousins talk about it. It was just this incredible swarming noise. It’s the same as Trent Reznor used for a movie (The Social Network). We just fell in love with it because we were watching them play it on the internet. We became kind of obsessed with those cousins. We’re gonna go on a pilgrimage one day and meet them, I’m hoping.” Torrini and Carey liked the instrument so much they ordered one, but it had to be handmade before being sent to Iceland, a process that took months. They spent the time watching more YouTube, which is where they found the next piece of the puzzle – an Oberheim polyphonic synthesiser. “I fell in love with the Oberheim and I was like, ‘Alright, let’s do electronic music. I really need to dance’. I’ve had the baby and most women or people need to go out with friends and have a weekend of dancing. I needed to go in the studio and make dance music. So we just did (first single) Speed Of Dark and Tookah and danced around, and then we fell into making the record and it became much more natural.” 14
X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays
DOT HACKER Chili Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist, Josh Klinghoffer’s band, Dot Hacker, has finally released its debut LP, Inhibition, in Australia, some four years after it was recorded. BOB GORDON reports. Back in 2009 Josh Klinghoffer was a session musician and guitar tech for then Red Hot Chili Peppers’ guitarist, John Frusciante. His band, Dot Hacker, had just recorded its debut LP, Inhibition, when Frusciante announced was again going solo. Klinghoffer was then offered the opportunity of a lifetime and joined the Chili Peppers. As a result, Dot Hacker went into hiatus, but Inhibition has now finally seen release. It’s like a postcard from Klinghoffer’s younger self and his old life. “It very much is,” he says, “and because it took three years to see the light of day from when it was initially recorded, it was the kind of thing where a lot of myself could have wanted to change aspects about it. “The main thing I can hear in the Inhibition record is someone who is still not totally 100 per cent comfortable or confident in singing. “But like anything the more and more I do it the more I realise that that shit is just in my head. So it definitely does feel like a postcard from a little more bashful person that I know well to whom I can say, ‘good job, you’ve grown out of that’.” Klinghoffer and his bandmates first played together in the Gnarls Barkley touring band in 2007-08.
Dot Hacker
Coming from session backgrounds, there’s a feeling of realisation in the music on Inhibition. Almost in spite of the title, there’s a sense of release. “Absolutely, the title and that song comes from a long time spent wanting what we actually made happen,” Klinghoffer says. “I think the reason the band formed and got along well so well personally and musically and why we still want to keep it as something we prioritise is that all four of us missed out on something at a certain point in our lives when we were younger of having that collective band of friends who all do it together. I have that with the Chili Peppers to a degree, but at the end of the day you’ll never change the fact that I joined 27 years into their existence. “All four Dot Hacker members really wanted that collaborative band thing.” Tellingly, now that the album has been released internationally, Dot Hacker are half-way through recording a new one. “And you can hear that realisation even more,” Klinghoffer says. “The problem with Dot Hacker has always been availability and scheduling, and as much as I yell about it sometimes I can’t really argue with the fact that people have to support themselves.” When the Red Hot Chili Peppers go into album/tour mode the juggernaut unveils and they are an industry unto themselves. It makes it all the more important for Klinghoffer to do his own thing whenever possible. “It does,” he confirms. “When I was first talking about joining the Chili Peppers John Frusciante told me, ‘no matter what, anything you do on your own, will be looked upon as a side project’. You know, it’s true, to a degree, but it doesn’t really matter to me what it’s referred to as, I’m really happy that I’m able to do it. “Without my being in the Chili Peppers. I’m not sure what life Dot Hacker would have been able to have. And it’s also allowed it to have an interesting existence.”
The Getaway Plan
THE GETAWAY PLAN Post-Requiem The Getaway Plan return to WA this week for shows on Thursday, September 12, at the Prince Of Wales, Bunbury; Friday, September 13, at Players Bar, Mandurah; Saturday, September 14, at the Rosemount Hotel and Sunday, September 15, YMCA HQ (all-ages, doors 1pm). DAVID SISO reports. In 2009, Melbourne’s The Getaway Plan disbanded after releasing their breakthrough album, Other Voices, Other Rooms. To say fans were shocked by the announcement was an understatement. It was a familiar story. The quartet – barely in their 20s at the time – were flat-out exhausted by how quickly they had struck the big time. However, in 2010 The Getaway Plan reunited and later released their sophomore LP, Requiem,in 2011.The album was a notable progression from their earlier LP, trading in earlier influences like Underoath for more eclectic ones such as Radiohead. “It kinda fell into place as it did,” drummer Aaron Barnett explains. “Once we got back together and did some tours and shows, we started writing. And in between the break-up and getting back together, we went off and did our own thing – obviously we grew up in between writing the last record as well. “All those changes and influences came into place, but we never sat down and said we’re going to write the record a certain way. We just wrote www.xpressmag.com.au
and that’s what came out.” While Barnett cites the expansion of musical tastes partly for The Getaway Plan’s newfound direction, he suggests the band’s personal development played a more vital role in redefining their sound. “I think the whole growing up thing was responsible for that. It would’ve been about three or three-and-a-half years since we started writing the first album, so we grew up and matured a lot as musicians. We did start to listen to a lot more Muse, Radiohead and Coldplay, and that sort of thing comes into play without you even realising. “We were pretty young when we did the first record and we were all into the emo-screamo crap. Growing up from that, we branched out a lot more… into the weird, rocky sort of stuff. Then again, you still do keep elements of what you used to listen to and used as your influences – it still comes across when you write.” The Getaway Plan seemed to strike the right chords with that release, and with a new single, Lovesick, out now, are earning themselves new followers across the globe. In fact, the positive reception to The Getaway Plan in the UK has been so overwhelming that it’s led to two full-blown tours (with Pierce The Veil and Anberlin) in England. The band will head back there later this month. Considering the warm response in the UK, it’s unsurprising to learn that The Getaway Plan have pinpointed the European nation as their base of expansion. “In the UK they appreciate everything, and for us and our music, I think it slots in a lot better and people are already grabbing at it and we’re getting a lot of fans. Obviously we’re talking about going elsewhere as well, like Asia and America, and that will slowly come. But at the moment we’re just concentrating on building in the UK.” 15
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X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays
TONIGHT ALIVE The Other Side Fearless/Sony
THE CIVIL WARS The Civil Wars
Since the release of their debut album, What Are Columbia/Sony You So Scared Of? in 2011, Sydney’s Tonight Alive have been building a name for themselves. Joy Williams and John Paul Now they’re back with another LP, and it’s White met at a songwriting no surprise the band have been compared to the workshop in Nashville and likes of Paramore, thanks to a line-up that allows from that point the two forged a partnership that would see them go from fans to reminisce on the olden days of the nowsmall time songwriters to worldwide chart toppers. threesome, and a pop rock sound that also draws In their short career, The Civil Wars have familiar tones to the early Paramore records. Despite these similarities, in a genre where become so tight with Adele that they all share the same tattoo and have teamed up with Taylor Swift many bands struggle not to sound the same as the for the soundtrack to The Hunger Games. The self- rest it is Tonight Alive’s growth that allows them to titled album is their second full-length in almost as stand out from the pack. This is instantly noticeable in many years in spite of them recently stating they are The Ocean, which launches straight into a guitar-filled on hiatus due to internal discord and differences of beat and shows you what Jenna McDougall’s voice can do. ambition. With the usual lull in the middle as the Regardless of selling a truckload of albums The Civil Wars are anything but radio fodder. slower songs kick in, things are sparked up in The Fire Their style is dark and damaged with The One That (no pun intended) and the guitars and rock are back Got Away setting the scene for a bunch of tunes with a much-needed bang. Then, just when you think they’re going that build on the tension that is obviously present to leave us on a slower note with You Don’t Owe Me between the duo. The duo turn Smashing Pumpkins’ Disarm inside out Anything, it turns into one of those songs with a nice as they slow it down and strip it to its bare essentials. slow build, and rather leaves us on a high, waiting for The acoustic guitars and voices are still the focus, more. While McDougall showcases her wide vocal but there is a lot more diverse instruments thrown range throughout, and there is plenty of variation around on The Civil Wars. With the relationship between the two between constant pop rock (Lonely Girl), sombre songwriters being a tense one, The Civil Wars appear songs (Don’t Wish) and inspirational beats (Hell And to be aptly labelled. It is a battle that finds both sides Back), there still seems to be room for the band to of the fence containing a stellar voice and some really show their individuality. Definitely expect more from them in the special tunes. years to come. _ CHRIS HAVERCROFT
BOY AND BEAR Harlequin Dream
NANCY VANDAL Flogging A Dead Phoenix
Island/Universal
There is no doubt that Harlequin Dream will swagger its way onto your sweet side, if it hasn’t done so already. After setting Australia on fire with what became a five-time ARIA Award-winning debut, Boy & Bear have finally unleashed their hotly anticipated follow-up, Harlequin Dream. Already sitting pretty atop the ARIA albums chart, this accomplished sophomore showcases a confident Dave Hosking, comfortable in his little indie-folk corner of the world. Without pushing too far outside their realm, the Sydney five-piece has stripped down sonically and focussed more on tangling sweet melodies with a distinct commercial sensibility. At the forefront, Hosking’s vocals have a subtle echo that rings through each verse, a distinct sound that forever etches Boy & Bear into the mind. Perfect for those softly spring-flavoured days that are starting to emerge. Album opener, Southern Sun, was also the first taste of Harlequin Dream on radio, and a firm favourite it was/is. Its summery, feel-good charm digs deep at the listener and is impossible not to sing along to. Other favourites are Three Headed Woman and Harlequin Dream, the latter fading out to a rather sensual saxophone solo. The most attractive part of this album is its easiness. Quite simply, the pop-tainted indie folk sensibilities are just too easy to ingest and the gently layered production makes it all look much easier than it probably is. _ JEN WILSON
THE PAPER KITES States Wonderlick Recording Company
After two solid EPs, The Paper Kites have just dropped their debut album; a sedated, softrock synergy going by the name of States. It’s what I would like to call a ‘placid flaccid’ – easy and pleasant to listen to, but never really amounting to much, leaving you high and dry. The group’s encompassing sound is calm, steady and pleasant. The first four tracks on the album, including first single, St. Clarity, are soft and melancholy – sleep provoking like a valium, and feathered with simple acoustic guitars, echoey vocals, picked banjos, brushed snares and elongated synths. It’s almost as if they’re building up to something, when... Young and A Lesson From Mr. Gray, introduce a more upbeat tone through the recipe of electric guitar, an open hi-hat and thicker production. However, the blip of cheer dies with, Tin Lover, as the mood drops off to the same sleepy and mellow timbre dusted with distant female vocals; only to be saved briefly by track 10, In Reverie. Sad to say there’s not much to spark one’s curiosity within this album. It’s slow, mellow and soft, yet hard to get excited about. _ LIZ ELLESON www.xpressmag.com.au
_ AMY THEODORE
Erotic Volcano Records
Twenty years down the track from their last record, “seminal punk legends” (it says here) Nancy Vandal are back with another slab of fast, furious, quirky, madcap punky rock tunes that are heavy on the hooks and guitars, even if singing in tune is kinda optional. Partly crowd funded via a Pozible campaign and recorded with ex-bassist Jay Whalley, who you’ll know better as Frenzal Rhomb’s singer, Flogging A Dead Phoenix is as much fun as playing a barrel full o’ monkeys with real monkeys after a 28 hour tequila binge – Fingering Chart, Hot Pants Nation, Still Got It, Desmond Manchild, We Don’t Want Your Fun, We Fucked This City On Rock And Roll – it’s all good value snotty nosed garage punk, overlaid with dirty, sleazy horns and an overriding ability to never, under pain of death, take themselves in the slightest bit seriously. The proof is in the pudding so have a listen to the raucous drunken bash through Poison’s Nothing But A Good Time (rechristened Nowt Bar A Good Time for extra comedy irony value). It’s a brilliantly executed hot mess and what punk is all about, and bound to make them a drawcard on the big Soundwave stages early next year. _ SHANE PINNEGAR
THE GRAPES Western Sun Pandora Mink Records
Few Australian artists are as in demand as Ash Naylor. The guitarist with the asymmetrical haircut is a gun for hire for Dom Mariani, the band leader of Even and is the guitarist of choice when Paul Kelly extends invitations outside of his family members. The Grapes is Naylor’s low key project with Melbourne singer Sherry Rich where the pair get their roots on. Western Sun is the second album by the duo and follows 14 years after their debut. Sure Naylor has been busy, and Rich’s decade in the US lead to her recording an album in the fabled Wilco loft, but few would argue that Western Sun is long overdue and yet every bit worth the wait at the same time. The Grapes pull in all the favoured warm tones of the ‘60s as they tread their way through a batch of delightful country drenched tunes. Lily Darling is so toe tappingly good that you may overlook the all to brief guitar solo that bridges the gap between The Byrds and Jeff Tweedy. The centre point of the album is Interlude which is basically two-and-a-half minutes of whistling and sparse guitar that would drive Clint Eastwood out of the shadows. There may be three instrumentals on the album, but it is the interplay between Rich and Naylor’s voices that is the albums string suit. Western Sun is an unexpected gift from an outfit that many thought were dead and buried. _ CHRIS HAVERCROFT 17
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X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays
Wendy Matthews FIRE WHEN READY Touring in support of her new album, The Welcome Fire, Wendy Matthews performs this Thursday, September 12, at Friends Restaurant; Friday, September 13, at the Ravenswood Hotel; Saturday, September 14, at the Charles Hotel and Sunday, September 15, at the Bridgetown Hotel. BOB GORDON reports. The word went out last week from the ARIA people and for good reason. Wendy Matthews new album, The Welcome Fire, had put her back in the Australian charts for the first time in 12 years. The singer, herself, however, remains too focussed on the business of playing music to be much fussed over such things. “Oh God, charts smartz!” she laughs down the line from a tour stop in Adelaide. “I didn’t know I was. I’ve just been working on a brand new record and it’s out there. That’s what I know.” 2001’s Beautiful View, was Matthews’ last album release of original songs. It was followed by 2004’s Cafe Naturale and 2008’s She (online only) featuring cover versions of her favourite songs. Embarking on an original album was centred mostly on having the time to approach it properly. CONTINUED PAGE 20
www.xpressmag.com.au
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ROYAL WALK
Prince Lane
BUENO!
CONTINUED FROM COVER “Basically, it was about just taking some time to do some fantastic road trips and get together with some people and put together the personality for a brand new record,” Matthews explains. “It was brilliant, but it’s different, these days, putting a record out there. I have the luxury of paying for this whole thing myself, so I did exactly the songs I wanted to do and exactly the photo cover that I wanted to do and it was great.” The Welcome Fire includes co-writes with Josh Pyke, Megan Washington, US singer/songwriter Kim Richey and album producer, John Castle (The Cat Empire, The Drones, Bamboos). “I had a bit of a wishlist and I have a very pro-active publisher who was wonderful. She had a couple suggestions about people with similar sensibilities and I followed those. “I’m not an extremely prolific songwriter, so the people I got together with I trusted implicitly. I wasn’t holding onto anything precious, that’s for sure.” With a number of co-writers came a variety of styles. Comfort zones weren’t adhered to. “I don’t know what I’m used to,” Matthews says. “Everybody was really diverse, very different songwriters. So the songs I brought to John Castle were his forte and what was fantastic is that he put a sonic thread of similarity through the whole thing. And he played almost every instrument on the album. We had very few additional players. It was just him and me, really. “This is the only record of mine that I’ve
The 2013 Lavazza Italian Film Festival is fast approaching! Running from October 10 - 23 at Wendy Matthews Cinema Paradiso and Luna On SX, this feast of Italian feature films and documentaries is a major listened to three times, back-to-back. And that’s really highlight in the Perth film scene’s calendar. This year, saying something.” the opening film Cannes Festival favourite The Great Following their success with recent albums Beauty by Paolo Sorrentino, while the closing night by Russell Morris and Renee Geyer, Ambition/Fanfare attraction is Federico Fellini’s 1972 classic, Roma. Head Records (Matthews prefers the Fanfare aspect of the to lunapalace.com.au for tickets and information. name) have released The Welcome Fire. However it remains the singer’s album in every sense. “I’ve been very fortunate in that I don’t get how you can bow if your name’s on the cover,” she says. “It’s nobody’s else’s decision and it’s nobody else’s creative input, in that way. It’s funny, because they said I needed to list myself as Executive Producer. To me that simply means that I had a whole lot to do with what I wanted on my own record. Which of course I always have... I can’t imagine not. “My last record came out on my own label, so really there was no one to answer to whatsoever. It’s hard to go back and I wouldn’t want to go backwards on that. But you just have to find somebody who gets it and likes it as much as you do, because when things are independent the trickiest part is letting people know it’s out there.” Fellinis Roma Matthews and band are enjoying playing the new songs and the fact that Castle “has given us a few new shades to paint with.” Her hit songs such as The Day You Went Away, If Only I Could, Token Angels, Woman’s Gotta Have It and I Don’t Want To Be With This Friday, September 13, Dr Sketchy’s Anti-Art School Nobody But You are still a strong presence in her live is taking over the Art Gallery of Western Australia set, but have evolved somewhat over time. as part of AGWA Nights. It’s the art class your mum “We’ve got to keep it fresh and fun for us,” doesn’t want you going to, and this time there’s a Matthews notes, “but there is a bit of a code there, a special theme - Dali! Doors open at 5:30 pm, and basic pattern to follow. Though I also do a hell of a lot you get a guided tour of the excellent Van Gogh, Dali of work with just my guitar player and piano player, And Beyond Exhibition before the life model drawing some of the songs are really stripped back. Year-to- class kicks off at 7pm. Tickets are available through Ticketek. Head to momaseries.com.au for more info. year, they do have to change.”
IT’S ALL A BIT SKETCHY
You Lose
Directed by David Twohy Starring Vin Diesel, Katee Sackhoff, Matt Nable, Jordi Molla, Dave Bautista, Raoul Trujillo, Bokeem Woodbine The existence of this, the third film (fourth if you count the animated short, Dark Fury) in the Riddick franchise, is a testament to blind faith and willpower. It’s a passion project for producer and star Vin Diesel, who reportedly put his house on the line to finance the movie. That he managed to pull it off is heartening; that it was to so little effect, less so. Functioning more as a direct sequel/ rehash of the sleeper hit Pitch Black (the self-indulgent excesses of 2004’s The Chronicles Of Riddick are quickly and efficiently dispensed with), the film sees Diesel’s eponymous space-criminal stranded on a hostile desert planet, contending with not only the ferocious local wildlife, but also two teams of mercenaries bent on taking him in - one led by the venal Santana (Jordi Molla), the other by the phlegmatic Boss Johns (Australian actor Matt Nable). It’s rather neatly divided into three acts, each encapsulating an archetypal struggle: Act One is Riddick vs. his environment, Act Two is Riddick vs. man, while Act Three is Riddick vs. his environment and man (Riddick never confronts himself; he’s at peace with his inner Riddickness). That sounds like a pretty simple recipe for some fun violence and macho posturing, but the actual result is sluggish and tiresome. The film’s 20
remarkably low budget is always in evidence, but that’s not the problem; rather, it’s the terrible, leaden dialogue and contradictory characterisations that, coupled with the worryingly self-serious tone of the piece, means we’re laughing at the film rather than with it. There are some small setpieces that work well - Riddick’s promised decapitation of an enemy, when it finally pays off, is applause-worthy, and his interplay with a kind of alien hunting dog that he adopts is fun - but these are few and far between. The film works best when it embraces its pulpy roots. Strip all the set-dressing away, and Riddick is basically Conan In Space, and there are fleeting moments - a bored Riddick astride a throne, or fighting off an army of assailants on a storm-wracked mountain peak - that just sing. The problem is that we have to wade through a lot of risible character interaction to get there. Geek favourite Katee Sackhoff (Battlestar Galactica) is given little to do other than pose and punch, but she fares better than Karl Urban, who crops up for one fleeting scene - indeed, his appearance feels like a favour for a friend. It’s a shame. Riddick seems to be such an easy character to get right that it’s downright maddening to see him squandered, and Diesel seems like a nice guy to boot - seeing him have a win gives you a warm, fuzzy feeling. Unfortunately, despite the fact that Riddick has crushed it at the US box office in its opening weekend, creatively it’s a dud. If and when we get another episode of his adventures, it’d have to be an order of magnitude better than this to incite any interest. _ TRAVIS JOHNSON
HEYO, IT’S WAYJO!
The WA Youth Jazz Orchestra are welcoming an impressive number of acclaimed alumni back into the fold to celebrate their 30th anniversary. On Friday, September 20, the three current WAYJO bands will be joined by Troy Roberts, Mat Jodrell, Becc Sanderson and Chris Greive for a huge night of music and fun at Mt Lawley’s Astor Theatre. Head to showticketing. com.au to book now.
WHAT’S BREWING IN FREMANTLE?
On Friday, September 20, the Fremantle Arts Centre plays host to the opening of the 38th FAC Print Award supported by Little Creatures Brewing. The kick-off party features live music from the incomparable Dianas. The exhibition runs until November 17. Head to fac.org.au for details.
A CUNNING PLAN
We may never see another episode of Blackadder, but those suffering from withdrawal symptoms can alleviate them by getting along to the stage production of the acclaimed World War One-set fourth season, Blackadder Goes Forth, by Serial Productions at South Perth’s Old Mill Theatre from October 9 - 19. Go to serialproductions.com.au for more information.
THE WILD ROVER
This month, Ruck Rover General Store hosts a collection of works by photographer Emiko Watanabe. Wartanabe is drawn to otherworldly landscapes and telling details, and her knack for capturing both is on display in this exhibition of two series of her works. All images are available for purchase. Go to ruckrover. com.au for more details.
R.I.P.D.
Riddick
RIDDICK
The City of Perth recently finished doing up Prince Lane, which runs parallel to King Street in the CBD, with the installation of a series of works from six Western Australian artists. The mural runs the length of the runway and is comprised of a series of intersecting artworks from Clare McFarlane, Denise Brown, Stephen Genovese, Jae Criddle Paul Caporn and Leanne Bray. It’s open 24 hours - because it’s a street - and entry is free - because, again, it’s a street.
R.I.P.D. Off
Directed by Robert Schwentke Starring Ryan Reynolds, Jeff Bridges, MaryLouise Parker, Kevin Bacon, Stephanie Szostak, James Hong, Marissa Miller The plot, characters, tone and general intent of Men In Black get another go-round in this weary comic book adaptation from director, Robert Schwentke (RED). Ryan Reynolds is Nick Walker, a cop who, after being betrayed and murdered by his corrupt partner (a hammy Kevin Bacon), finds himself given the opportunity to work off some bad karma with a century-long stint in the Rest In Peace Department (geddit?), whose mandate is to hunt down evil ghosts that threaten earth. He is partnered up with Roy Pulsipher (Jeff Bridges, the best thing here by a country mile), a veteran R.I.P.D. officer who was an Old West Marshall back when he was alive. As is customary in these scenarios, they stumble across a plot that not only threatens the entire world, but also Nick’s widow, Julia (Stephanie Szostak). All up, it’s a laborious exercise, with very little originality to its credit. In addition to the blatant swipes from Men In Black - swap out ghosts for aliens and they’re almost indistinguishable there’s a lot of Ghostbusters in the film’s workaday approach to the supernatural and inexplicable. Don’t mistake that for a good thing, though; R.I.P.D. is comparable to Ghostbusters in much the same
way that Evolution is - a similar concept executed to much lesser effect. Bridges aside - and at this point in the game his excellence is something we can just about take for granted - the rest of the cast is a mixed bag. Reynolds is as blandly inoffensive as ever, managing to be simultaneously likable and unengaging. MaryLouise Parker has little to do as our heroes’ superior officer, while James Hong and Marissa Miller turn up as Nick and Roy’s alter egos - living people see Nick as Hong and Roy as Miller, which does lead to some fun running gags, although once again the concept isn’t original; it’s a lift from the cult series, Dead Like Me. Hell, everything’s a lift here. R.I.P.D. might be the most unoriginal non-sequel or reboot we’ve seen in years, a concoction of elements that have worked previously and, if you have a calculator where your heart is, should work here. That it doesn’t is proof that good films are more than the sum of their parts. Even the discrete pieces that do work some nice monster designs, albeit crudely executed; the odd well-timed gag; Jeff Bridges - are largely overwhelmed, lost in a wash of mediocrity. To be fair, R.I.P.D. is not the worst film ever made. It’s not even the worst film to come out this year. It is, however, a resolutely average one; a middle-of-the-road paint-by-numbers affair that, in trying to please everybody, won’t really appeal to anybody. It’s difficult to imagine never having anything better to do than watch this one. Save it for a hungover Sunday. _ TRAVIS JOHNSON X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays
The Gatekeepers
THE GATEKEEPERS Quis Custodiet Ipsos Custodes? Directed by Dror Moreh Taking his cues from the excellent documentary, The Fog Of War, by Errol Morris, Israeli director, Dror Moreh, took the bold choice of making the subject of his second feature Shin Bet, Israel’s shadowy internal security service. Securing interview time with five former heads of Shin Bet - as well as one, Yuval Diskin, who was still serving in the position at the time of filming - Moreh paints a history of the organisation from The Six Day War of 1967 to the present day. It’s never less than fascinating, gripping stuff. The six men interviewed are, given their positions, remarkably candid, and although some refuse to discuss certain matters, we still are exposed to first-hand accounts of anti-terrorist (largely, and let’s be clear here, anti-Palestinian) operations up to and including government-sanctioned assassinations, the execution of prisoners without trial, the bombing of suspected terrorist cells and strongholds and the civilian death that sadly so often accompany such acts. Moreh uses an array of techniques, including archival footage and photographs, as well as 3D modelling to deliver information to his audience in a clear and engaging way, but none of it is as engrossing as simply hearing his subjects
speak to the camera. The Gatekeepers is a remarkable film in that it merely exists, and how exactly the filmmaker convinced so many men to speak so openly about such incidents is a mystery for the ages. Fascinatingly, there are no real warhawks here. Although these are hard, deliberate individuals who freely admit to having ordered countless deaths in the name of state security, to a man they have misgivings about the efficacy of their service, with one admitting that veterans of the service have a tendency to lean leftwards after leaving it. While such revelations don’t separate the film entirely from the tricky political ground its mired in by dint of its subject matter, it does make it a more nuanced and complex piece than it might have been. The film neither champions Israeli hardline Palestinian policy nor condemns it; what it does, instead, is give us the views of individuals who have been at the coalface of it for, collectively, over half a century. The value in films like this, rare as they may be, is the humanising of systems, practices and, yes, people that otherwise remain abstract. It’s easy to hate an abstract, just as it’s easy to chant a slogan. In allowing such men to tell their own stories, The Gatekeepers makes plain the human cost of waging the Israel-Palestine conflict. Ultimately, the things these men say are not justifications or platitudes, but an honest and open plea for peace. No matter where you stand on these matters, this film comes with the highest possible recommendation. It is, quite simply, unmissable. _ TRAVIS JOHNSON
PERTH FASHION FESTIVAL: RESTYLE The Perth Fashion Festival Restyle Photo-A-Day Opshop Challenge saw seven Perth fashion bloggers create - and, more importantly, post photos of - an outfit created from upcycled fashion every day throughout the month of August. We checked in with blogger Adelle Cousins to get the scoop. Self-described ‘graphic designer by day, fashion blogger by night’ Adelle Cousins has a long-held passion for fashion, having started out in a different area of the rag trade before coming to her current position. “I started out as a photographer in the fashion industry but blogging, writing, styling and collaborating is definitely where my heart lies.” she tells us. With that comes an appreciation of and keen eye for the ancient art of opshopping. Cousins admits that she has spent countless hours poring through second-hand stores for previously loved fashion gems and accessories. “I have op shopped most of my life, and I grew up in a thrifty family so I think for me it just teaches you at a young age not to be so materialistic and to also appreciate a lot of things and keep you grounded.” Asked about her favourite op shop spots, Cousins responds “ There are just too many because every op shop has either great staff or great finds, but I have to admit I am a sucker for the Belmont op shops on Abernethy Road. And close to home, the Port Kennedy, Rockingham and Kwinana op shops are brilliant!” That enthusiasm made her a perfect participant for the Perth Fashion Festival Restyle project. As she explains, “It’s all about being fabulous on a budget! Alongside the Perth Fashion Festival, seven bloggers were given the opportunity to work with a dedicated charity op shop, my charity was The Good Sammies. Every day of August we uploaded our outfits to our blogs. Not just that; we also had prompts each day, my favourite day being Day Four because It saw me burst out of my comfort zone with mixing prints. The best thing about this year, it was interactive - giving the community and fashion lovers the opportunity to hashtag #restyle2013 and join in on the fun. There was over 2000 hashtags on Instagram alone! How awesome is that?” Cousins is also fervent in her support of The Good Samaritans, the charity she was paired with for the project, and from whom all her fashion choices were drawn. “They employ staff with disabilities which gives these beautiful people not only equality but a sense of achievement and a job www.xpressmag.com.au
Adelle Cousins at the end of the day. The money we spend at the Good Sammies helps to keep everyone employed. To me - it’s all good, there is no downside and I could bang on about it for hours!” Check out Adelle’s Restyle Photo-A-Day outfits - and all her other work - on her blog at wherethestyledthingsare.com. _ TRAVIS JOHNSON 21
The Boat Goes Over The Mountain - photo by Libby Edwards
THE BOAT GOES OVER THE MOUNTAIN Andrew Hale
used for healing and divination” that contains the hallucinogen, DMT. “I didn’t get tied up in any of the cosmology of it. I was really there to figure out who I was, as a person. And so you ask the question and then you drink, then you sort of wait for the answer, and the answer may not be the on you expected or want...Sometimes it’s a bit cryptic...It’s been great to be doing the show because it has kind of kept the whole experience present for me, and I have had to revisit and rethink some of the visions that I have had. As humans we are kind of at the coalface between mater and spirit. Our thoughts are just spirit, in one interpretation, one way of looking at it, and the ceremony lifts the veil, in a sense, on the way you are moving and working in the world.” On stage, the retelling of this journey is aided by award-winning designer India Mehta , and live music from Dave Richardson, whose mix of live and recorded music helps capture the “earthy drum feel” of the shamanic ceremony. Ultimately though, this is a personal quest for an understanding of self, told by the searcher. “If theatre is going to work at all it needs to come from a space of honesty and a space of vulnerability. I am hoping, and presuming, and I do think there are universal themes that come out from this story.”
Drawing inspiration from Herzog’s Fitzcarraldo and its setting in the jungles of Peru, The Boat Goes Over the Mountain plays at the Blue Room from September 10 - 28 . We caught up with actor, writer and director Andrew Hale to talk about this account of his personal search for enlightenment through nine ayahuasca ceremonies. The title of the piece is drawn from the documentary, My Best Fiend. On seeing a picture of the 320 ton boat being dragged up jungle slopes for Fitzcarraldo, Director Werner Herzog proclaimed, “It is a great metaphor – for what, I don’t know to this day, but I know it’s a great metaphor.” “For me,” says Hale, “The boat is the self we know and have constructed through life, and the whole idea of what some might call the search for self, some might call enlightenment, is this attempt to take this thing that we know, to a space we don’t know. In some sense it’s a crazy thing to try and do, a Sisyphean thing to do. Ultimately in one sense it is doomed to fail, because boats don’t go over mountains, but hopefully there is a victory of another For tickets and session times, seek out the sort out the other side of it ” The play chronicles Andrew’s travels to blueroom.com.au. those selfsame Peruvian jungles to take part in a _ DAVID O’CONNELL vision quest, utilising ayahuasca, “...a traditional brew
IT’S DARK OUTSIDE Arielle Gray After delighting and astounding audiences at The Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the magical stage production, It’s Dark Outside, returns to Perth at The State Theatre Centre for three nights only from September 12 - 14. We caught up with cocreator, Arielle Gray.
It’s Dark Outside
“When we started working on it, it was about the call of the wild. At the same time, Tim’s grandparents had dementia, which partly inspired the show. We heard about this phenomenon called Sundowning Syndrome, which happens in Alzheimer’s patients. At sunset, Alzheimer’s patients get really agitated and incidents of wandering increase a lot, and we found that really fascinating; that, when your capacity as a human has gone, when you are in that state, there’s this natural instinct to just want to escape into the wild at sunset. We found it really compelling as an idea and that became our central image - just an old man wandering into the wild at sunset.” Despite its potentially grim subject matter, Gray takes pains to point out that the play is by no means a downer. “As a piece, it’s not a docudrama about Alzheimer’s or anything like that - it’s a visual adventure. We didn’t want to get bogged down in the depressing nature of Alzheimer’s or dementia. It’s from the perspective of the old man and he really is going on this strange adventure and reliving parts of his old life that are funny, or full of life and joy. There are parts of the show that are funny or silly or lovely and then there are parts that are a little bit more sad. But we like to explore things through joy and fun and not just focusing on the sad. We really looked for those moments of lightness when we were working on it and, at its heart, it’s an adventure.”
When Arielle Gray and her collaborators took their show, It’s Dark Outside, to the world’s biggest Fringe Festival, they found the whole experience to be nothing less than invigorating. “It was great!” Gray exclaims. “Edinburgh’s so incredible. It’s this crazy month when there’s three dozen shows on and there’s all these people seeing five shows a day and it’s very electric. It’s a lovely place to perform at because there’s a real energy there. The audience have a lot of power because shows do well there based on word of mouth - that’s one of the strongest tools. It’s lovely when your show goes well because that means your audience is really responding to it and telling people about it, and that’s really awesome.” Audiences also responded well when It’s Dark Outside first played here in Perth, which accounts for the excitement surrounding its all too brief encore season this weekend. A combination of live performance, puppetry, mask work and more, the production is an adventure story into the mind and the wilderness, told through the eyes of an old man suffering from the onset of dementia. “It started out as the story of an old man wandering into the wild at sunset and the adventure that he goes on,” Gray explains. “The Head to perththeatre.com.au for session times kind of Western-inspired adventure through the and tickets to It’s Dark Outside. wilderness and parts of himself; that’s one way of _ TRAVIS JOHNSON saying it. 22
X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays
VISUAL ARTS Secrets of the Afterlife: The Western Australian Museum This collection of over 100 Egyptian artefacts from the British Museum collection - including two mummies! - explores ancient attitudes to life after death. The exhibition runs until September 22. Go to museum. gov.au for more.
The Boat Goes Over The Mountain: The Blue Room Theatre If you could take a medicine that would cure you, but ripped your insides out and made you look at all the dark spaces, would you drink it? Runs until September 28. Go to blueroom.org. au for more. It’s Dark Outside: The State Theatre Centre The creators of The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik: Deep Sea Explorer deliver another stunning mix of puppetry, mask, animation and live performance in this epic adventure into dementia. Go to perththeatre.com.au for more.
Recent Acquisitions Your Collection: Art Gallery of WA Many of the more recent additions to the gallery’s extensive collection are on display until October 27. Go to artgallery.wa.gov.au for more.
Broken Colour: The Blue Room Theatre Nina Pearce’s award-winning examination of the line between sanity and madness runs from September 17 - October 5. Head to blueroom. org.au for details.
Van Gogh, Dali and Beyond - The World Reimagined: Art Gallery of WA The third exhibition in AGWA’s MoMA Series encompasses works from Vincent Van Gogh, Paul Cezanne, Richard Long, Frida Kahlo and more. The exhibition runs until December 2. Go to artgallery. wa.gov.au for further information.
Storm Boy: The State Theatre Centre Barking Gecko Theatre Company presents this adaptation of Colin Thiele’s immortal Australian children’s classic, which runs from September 19 - October 5. Barkinggecko.com.au has further information. Tickets available through Ticketek.
Cavalia: The White Big Top Little Paintings, Big Stories: Lawrence Wilson Art This magnificent equestrian event combines Gallery spectacle and acrobatic skill reminiscent of Runs until December 14. Cirque Du Soleil with jaw-dropping displays of horsemanship and derring-do. From December Here & Now 13: Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery 4 - 29. Head for cavalia.net for more. This annual exhibition of contemporary Western Australian artists includes works from Katrina Barber, Patrick Carter, Clive Collender, Aquinas Crowe, David Guhl, Tim Maley, Julian Poon, Jane Ryan, Robert Turpin, Lisa Uhl and Robin Warren. Runs until September 28. Go to lwgallery.uwa.edu.au for more.
MUSIC WAYJO 30 Year Gala: The Astor Theatre An all-star alumni guest lineup, including Troy Roberts, Mat Jodrell, Bec Sanderson and Chris Grieve, perform with the WA Youth Jazz Orchestra on September 20. Bookings through Show Ticketing.
WAYJO - Photo by Peter Bui
FESTIVALS The 2013 Perth Fashion Festival: Various Locations The biggest event on the calendars of WA’s fashionistas runs from September 11 - 16.
Tales From Outer Suburbia - image by Shaun Tan Tales From Outer Suburbia: Spare Parts Puppet Theatre Inspired by Oscar-winning author Shaun Tan’s brilliant children’s book. It runs from September 28 October 12. Go to sppt.asn.au for further information.
Hola Mexican Film Festival: Cinema Paradiso This celebration of south of the border cinema runs from November 14 - 24. Go to holamexicoff.com for more.
To have your performance, exhibition or cultural event listed, get in touch via
localmusicarts@xpressmag.com.au
Beyond The Pale - Hits From Australia’s Top Rock Poster Studio: Fremantle Arts Centre This fascinating tour through the history of rock art runs until September 15. Go to fac.org.au for further info. Black Cat And Beyond... Diatribe Of The Squeegee: Fremantle Arts Centre A collection of political posters crafted by Black Cat/ Gato Negro, an anarchist collective formed in New York City in the late ‘70s. It runs until September 15. Go to fac.org.au for further details. Riley (the cow): Fremantle Arts Centre A look at the central character that has dominated the work of Perth artist Rachel Salmon-Lomas for the past 18-odd years. It runs until September 15. Go to fac.org.au for more. Mekel - Illustrative Exhibition: Tu Gallery Ethereal illustrations by Mekel, featuring model Chrystal Copland and fashion from Flannel, Dyspenea, Ae’lkemi and Kemi. It runs until September 15. Go to tu.com.au for details. New World Order: Venn Gallery A group exhibition from artists Tom Muller, Yarra Vega and Augustyn Schwarzwald that takes a look at globalisation and the shifting liminal lines between fiction and reality through print, sculpture, installation and video. It runs until October 4, and venn.net has further details. 33: Fremantle Arts Centre An exhibition of works from three Martu women Nora Wompi, Bugai Whyoulter and Nora Nungabar - that carries on from the successful We Don’t Need A Map. On display until September 15. Go to fremantle. wa.gov.au for further info. Eclectica: Emerge Art Space A group exhibition from Angela McHarrie, Pierre Capponi, Lindsay Harris, Gigi Hesterman and Kathryn Haug. Runs until September 18. Go to emerge-art. com.au for more. Aconitum: YMCA HQ Gallery The first solo exhibition by emerging WA artist Dominika Grotowski. It runs until September 12. Face Up: Wanneroo Library and Cultural Centre An exhibition of large scale portraiture by Adelaideborn artist Daniel Connell. It runs until October 13. Go to wanneroo.wa.gov.au for further information. Brief Moments Of Sanity: Blend(er) Gallery A joint exhibition by Harry Davies and Renata Wright. It runs from September 15 - 28. Lab Partners Showcase: Outré Gallery Original paintings and prints by San Francisco-based husband and wife team, Lab Partners. From November 1 - 30. Go to outregallery.com for more.
THEATRE/DANCE/ PERFORMANCE Colder Than Here: The Melville Theatre A thoughtful comedy about a woman facing terminal cancer, written by Laura Wade and directed by Susan Lynch. It runs until September 14. Go to meltheco. org.au for session times and bookings. Shrine: The State Theatre Centre Presented by The Black Swan State Theatre Company, written by Tim Winton, starring John Howard. Runs until September 15. Go to bsstc.com.au for more information. www.xpressmag.com.au
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GET CREATIVE There are a multitude of courses on offer in 2014 in the Creative Arts, and we’ve been hearing about a couple of students who studied at Central Institute Of Technology that have been excelling in their fields and winning prizes at Vibrant Visions In Design (VIVID) - a key event on the Australian furniture industry calendar.
CHRIS VINCENT
ALI SATTARPANA
COURSE STUDIED PRODUCT DESIGN
COURSE STUDIED PRODUCT DESIGN
Tell us about the course. The course is an Advanced Diploma of 3D Design - a three-year full time course but I’ve been studying part time for the past four years. I work for myself as well, so I try to fit study around work. It’s a fairly flexible course aimed at giving people very practical skills in industrial design – both furniture and products. There’s some really good grounding in design fundamentals and technical skills such as drafting. Towards the end of the course they essentially let you set your own agenda to design and if you choose, make products you feel will find a home in the market.
What did you study at Central Institute of Technology? I’m studying three-dimensional design. I’m in the fourth semester now, so I’ll finish my Diploma this year and one more year to go before I get the Advanced Diploma. The name of the course has been changed a little, but basically its product design or industrial design. How long will it take? The Central course is three years, Cert IV, Diploma and the Advanced Diploma. I’m studying full time as I’m an international student and have no other option. I’m working part time as a manager in a pizzeria and café in Victoria Park. I’m chasing a job in design but I haven’t been successful as yet.
What made you choose this course? My goal was simply to do something I’m passionate about and this course gave me the flexibility and guidance to do that while maintaining my other career. I also had a very encouraging girlfriend who, by the time I finish will be my wife. So that tells a bit about how long it’s taken me! What advice would you share with others thinking of embarking on the same path? This is a great course if you are interested in finding out why good design works and how it comes about, and like a lot of things, if you are prepared to accept advice and criticism and be patient, you’ll probably do well. The other thing is to be ready to revise and improve your ideas over and over again because there are not many designs that can’t be improved upon. How has your designs developed over the past few years? Well it’s gone from zero to something fairly substantial, where I now feel like I have a certain style and I’m confident I can start from scratch and design and make something to a brief. I’m constantly learning about how to make things most efficiently and the most effective ways to promote myself. Congrats on winning the student design award for your piece, Manifest Side Table. Tell us about that piece. Manifest Side Table is a table for a living room or bedroom that incorporates USB charging for electronic devices like mobile phones. Three USB ports are hidden away in cavities, so you can simply plug in your iPhone cable, tidy the cable away and just have the charging end hanging handily ready whenever required. The USB ports are powered by a cable that runs out the back of the table legs and plugs into a standard 240V power point. Manifest Side Table is my attempt to improve the way we manage electronic devices. We’re all buying and using more electronic devices – phones, tablets and e-readers, except we’re not really adapting the way we manage the charging side of things. As the number of devices increase, the result tends to be the creation of arbitrary charging areas within houses – a tangle of cables beside the couch or bed. This isn’t necessarily done in a way that is convenient – it’s just wherever there is a power point.
Tell us a little bit about the course. The course is great, it is very hands on and practical which is very essential for this subject. We get a brief, we brainstorm and research about it, start sketches and drawing. Then we go to making maquettes and prototypes till we get it right. Then we make it. It’s not as easy as it sounds. It takes a long time and hard work but lecturers and workshops motivate us a lot and without their help I think it’s impossible. At the end, marking is not based on the final product. It’s actually more about the design process and how creative the thought or the concept is, not the final prototype. That’s why it lets us think out of the box.
Ali Sattarpana
What have you learned over the past few years? Well since I started at Central in 2012 my skills have developed both in art and making. Now I know how the industry works and the differences between a craft piece and an actual industrial piece. The course made me have a different look at all my thoughts and more importantly how to communicate them in a professional manner and as a designer. It is a huge thing to convert what is in my mind to a 2D drawing and finally make it as a three-dimensional What made you choose this course? Well as a child I always liked drawing and object. arts, but I was also obsessed with my toys, specifically car toys and my dad’s tools. As I grew out of this I How did you find the experience of exhibiting started to point out the mistakes in products and at VIVID? thinking about developing or improving existing It was great. It was a chance to see where products. I researched and found out that there was I am in my design and more importantly to get Chris Vincent with award a subject for this and finally found it. exposed and actually see people liking what I’ve I think nothing makes me happier than made. The critics were great too and I like how people So I felt furniture could provide a solution to this, but designing, making and creative thinking. I really love commented when they see it. It made me feel really furniture has been slow to adapt to the electronic age. it and can’t see myself doing anything else in life. I good because I could get in touch with lots of people want to make better living for people; a world where and also potential customers. we throw away less and we protect our environment; Where did you make it? My part in this piece was developing the a world in which everything is interesting to use or Did you get any critique from VIVID you would concept and getting the technical side right. The touch and consume, rather than something to just like to share? Yes. “It’s crazy!” actual making was largely outsourced – the table do the job. top is CNC cut and the steel tube legs were CNC bent and then powder coated. I don’t have access to those processes so I had them done locally. The assembling and some of the smaller touches such as the sliding lids and the electrics were done by me. The entire process from first sketch to finished product probably took about eight months, very much on and off. What’s next on the cards for you? I’ve been invited to exhibit the table in London as part of 100% Design in September where I hope to expand my network and unearth further opportunities for the table. I’ve also got the small matter of finishing the course and getting married in the next few months, so I’ve got plenty to do. I am also in the midst of setting up a shared workshop space so I have a place to design and make post-Central.
Ali Sattarpana’s, The Journey Light
A SELECTION OF THE WORK SUBMIT TED BY CENTR AL STUDENTS AT VIVID WILL BE ON EXHIBIT AT GALLERY CENTRAL, 12 ABERDEEN S T R E E T, N O R T H B R I D G E BETWEEN OCTOBER 14-19. IF YOU’RE INTERESTED IN STUDYING CREATIVE ARTS O R A N Y OT H E R CO U R S E AT CENTRAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY - HEAD TO THE OPEN ARVO ON SEPTEMBER 18 BETWEEN 3.30- 6.30PM AT 30 ABERDEEN STREET, NORTHBRIDGE. Chris Vincent’s Manifest Side Table 24
Ali Sattarpana and fellow student, Chris Vincent X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays
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X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays
LIVE AND DIRECT The show must go on. Even if you do have two broken bones in your foot. Energetic American rapper, R.A. The Rugged Man, chats to RACHEL DAVISON ahead of his show in Perth later this month.
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“Yeah I fell over; jumping up and down like crazy...” says R.A. Thorburn, aka The Rugged Man, in a strong New York accent. “I do what I want to do. Three days after it happened I performed in front of 450 people and four days after it happened in front of 20,000 - so nothing can stop me unless I lose my voice.” Rugged Man is heading to Perth on the back of his second (official) studio album, Legends Never Die, which features guest appearances from Talib Kweli, Tech N9ne and Masta Ace to name just a few.
It’s been almost 10 years between albums so he’s hardly what you’d tag musically prolific, but Rugged Man keeps busy, regularly churning out the singles; plus there’s his film cameos, movie reviewing, horror screenplay writing and his recent spurt of filmaking, which includes Talib Kweli’s new video for Human Mic. There’s also the notorious live shows. His bio claims he was banned from performing in the US in the late ‘90s due to them being so out of control. So what can we expect here later this month?
Well there’s some recent YouTube footage of him throwing a wheelchair into the audience and last month he posted on Facebook: ‘An old girl friend just said this to me, “Throwing a wheelchair isn’t crazy, you’re (sic) craziness is too refined now, you used to throw your own shit on people’s faces.”… haha.’
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R.A. The Rugged Man But it’s hard to decipher the facts in amongst all the hype. “I’ll have a wheelchair, I might have crutches, I dunno but I’m gonna go crazy,” he reveals on the phone. “Expect the most energetic, outta control, unbelieveable hyped-up monster show of energy and lyricism. Barely ever in my career when I’ve performed a show have I left the crowd not amazed. Australian crowds are also very energetic and do a lot of crazy stuff, so we have fun.” Rugged Man believes Legends Never Die is his best work yet and the lyricism surely does impress. ‘A lot of rappers make throw-away music just to get shit out to blogs. I make music I’m proud of that I’ll be performing in 20 years still’ he recently stated on social media. At the start of his career he got signed and then dropped by major label, Jive Records, before the album he recorded even saw the light of day, so it’s to be expected that Rugged Man loves to talk about the current state of play in the music business. “Now every asshole with a fucking demo tape can get on Facebook, Instagram and Tumblr and get their music out to everywhere on the planet and that wasn’t happening in the ‘80s,” he explains.
“Everybody thinks they are a fucking real rapper because what happens is they put out a record and then they have all these non-musical people online saying, ‘oh that’s a great song you’re great!’ and they believe what a couple of Facebook fans say and they keep going and then get slapped in the face for it. “The average person isn’t a real musician. The average person has no clue how the beatmakers do it or the nice things the engineers do to make the record perfect… so a lot of mediocre artists are being rewarded. The average person listening to something doesn’t go, ‘this guy (let’s say Timbo King) – woah... his rhymes are better than this mediocre raper that is heavily hyped by a corporation,’ they’ll go with the more famous rapper who can’t rap. “When I was growing up I looked up to a lot of great MCs and you had to prove yourself to be put on a pedestal back then,” he says. “When I was a kid about 11, 12-years-old, the best rappers were the best rappers in the world. Big Daddy Kane, G Rap, Grandmaster Caz... all the masters that you’ve heard of and they were all the greatest.” So who is Rugged Man musically digging right now? “In my 20-something year career I’ve worked with all the heavy hitters you know Trackmasters to Erick Sermon to Buckwild and Alchemist, Ayatollah, DJ Quik and Mr Green (his current producer). “But as far as musically, there’s a lot of dope MCs out there doing dope shit, you know? Reks from Boston, Nino Bless, they’re well up there. There’s a lot of dope motherfuckers out there making hip hop.” He’s a man not afraid to be controversial and when asked what he’d like to get up to on his upcoming visit to Australia, we’re not sure any PETA supporters will be heading to the show. “One time when I was coming over there I wanted to box a kangeroo, but everyone got offended. I wanted to video tape me knocking out a kangaroo. The show promoter was like, ‘no, no... it’ll fuck you up and put you in hospital’ – he wouldn’t let me do it – especially this time, with my broken foot, right?”
» R.A. THE RUGGED MAN » SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 21 @ » ROSEMOUNT HOTEL
Nick Thayer Naysayer & Gilsun
Ahead of his appearance at Stereosonic in a few months time, Melbourne club dominator, Nick Thayer is dropping by Ambar next Friday, September Melbourne DJ/producers, Naysayer & Gilsun are a 20. A few months back he released a bangin’ bassduo you should be keeping your eyes and ears on. heavy EP, Worlds Collide and has lately been hanging They’ve been creating music together since the in the US, working with big shots like Skrillex and sweet old age of 16, and they’ve just released a new Motley Crue drummer turned DJ, Tommy Lee. EP called All That Good Work / Blue – an ultra smooth Support on the night comes from Bezwun, Micah and deep listen you can either chill or dance too. and DNGRFLD. Tickets on sale at the door. Their shows mesh electronic music with arty film sequences and you can catch them next month on October 4 at Mondo, Ginger Nightclub and October 5 at Family, Northbridge.
AUDIO-VISUAL DELIGHTS
De La Soul Miami Horror
DORIS COLUMBIA RECORDS
Odd Future wunderkind Earl Sweatshirt lives up to very high expectations on his major label debut, Doris. The lo-fi aesthetic and complex rhyme schemes of his acclaimed 2010 debut Earl are present, although its cartoonish raps about murder and mayhem have been largely abandoned in favour of dense, esoteric lyrics, and the occasional startling moment of introspection. Lead single Chum for example, deals with the pain of missing his absent father growing up, finding a big brother figure in rapper Tyler, The Creator, and the acting-out that led his mother to send him to a Samoan boarding school after the release of Earl. That’s not to say Earl’s lost his edge though as best demonstrated on Hive, where he rattles off cryptic-yet-menacing boasts and threats in a flow that barely rises above a mumble. High profile guests fit surprisingly well in Earl’s insular world with The Neptunes producing the bombastic Burgundy, while RZA delivers one of his best beats in years on Molasses – not to mention performing his most memorable chorus since Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nuthing Ta F’ Wit. The album also highlights Earl as a promising producer. Working under the guide RandomBlackDude, his beats on songs like Hive and Sunday fall somewhere between Tyler’s lo-fi thump and the genre output of the Los Angeles beat scene. At only 19, Earl has the whole world ahead of him.
The year-end isn’t that far away and Salt On The Beach and Funk Club have just announced their After relocated to Los Angeles last year, Melbourne annual event, Countdown To 2014 NYE Party at Salt On disco adventurers, Miami Horror have released a The Beach, North Fremantle. This year’s party features brand new single, Real Slow, a dreamy synth track hip hop royalty, De La Soul all the way from New that’s perfect for summer. The four-piece have York to delight and entice with their clever rhymes also announced an Australian tour in the lead-up and eclectic mix of funk, soul, jazz and reggae beats. to Christmas and they arrive in Perth to play one Also on the line-up is: The Funk Club House Band, of the best summer parties, Sets On The Beach at Junkadelic, Charlie Bucket and DJ Neil Viney. Get Scarborough Beach on Sunday, December 8. More your tickets quick for this one; it’s guaranteed to sell info about that one soon. out.
» JOSHUA HAYES
PATRIK SKOOG
UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL WITH PROFESSOR HUSH Best track to open and end a set with? LCD Soundsystem - Losing My Edge. What was the tune that got you into your favourite genre? Freestylers - Get A Life. Your favourite track to make love to? Rolf Harris - Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport.
Kit Pop IT’S A DEADWEIGHT! TING: New fortnightly Friday at venues ‘round town. Ethos: Showcasing the best underground music, with the focus back on the party. Expect to hear: “The best forward leaning, smoked out and hyper-coloured club music from the world over that you won’t hear anywhere else in Perth”. Next Lineup: Kit Pop, Bazil Zemplys, Modo, DeadWeight! Crew. Cool stuff: Positive vibes and rum and Red Bull.
What’s the weirdest thing that’s ever happened to you whilst DJing? I was playing an amazing party in an old morgue (weird enough). It was super hot in there so I took my shirt off and a young lady reached over the decks wiped the sweat off my chest and licked her hand. Your most exciting moment behind the decks? I was back in Australia earlier in the year for the Summadayze and Future Music Festival festivals. Playing at Summadayze on Subiaco Oval was a real thrill for me. To have my family in the audience and be displaying my art in the centre of a field that had so many fond memories for me as a child was a real honour. Raddest DJ trick? I can bounce up and down continuously for the entirety of my set.
» ANDREW NELSON » IT’S A DEADWEIGHT! TING @ FLYRITE, NORTHBRIDGE » FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, FROM 9PM
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BEHIND THE DECKS
Professor Hush
EXIT EARTH THIRD EAR RECORDINGS Patrik Skoog is better known as Agaric, the moniker he used to release the acclaimed deep house album, Who Made Up The Rules in 2011 and many singles on his label, We Are. But with this, the first solo long-player under his own name, he’s entrenched himself firmly in the corner marked techno, with captivating results. It’s a concept album of sorts, inspired by the twin spacecrafts Voyager 1 and 2 sent out by NASA in the late ‘70s on interstellar missions, which up to and beyond the very day of recording the album, have been exploring the planetary systems of Jupiter, Saturn and the outer reaches of our solar system. While concept albums are usually the preserve of bearded prog-rock bands of the ‘70s and are often self-indulgent, overblown fiascos it’s most definitely not the case with Exit Earth. It’s true there are some spacey references and many tracks are filled with atmospheric sci-fi bleeps and effects, but there’s enough here to also hold its own outside of the main narrative. Saturnian Acid is rammed with searing squelchy riffs; Stereo/Waves is subtler with an infectious tech-house groove; and Voyager One with its vintage saw-tooth synth stabs and everlasting reverbs, could well have been plucked from an experimental sound lab four decades prior. An interesting release from the Swede and well worth a listen.
GRINDING NEW YEAR
TAKING IT REAL SLOW
SALT NIGHTS OUT
EARL SWEATSHIRT
GLITCHIN’ BASS
» PROFESSOR HUSH » SUPPORTING RUDIMENTAL » SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 13 & 14 @ METRO CITY X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays
Valentino Khan
VALENTINO KHAN
organically sounds good; you’ve done a good job moving music forward.” The success of Bubble Butt has led to more opportunities as he progresses his sound from early hip hop influences towards dance music-centred ideas. “I think the fact that the song has been getting a lot of radio airplay is significant for me,” he says.“I knew the song would have appeal and people would gravitate towards it because of the hook, but to see it have commercial success is remarkable.” Khan was drawn into producing after As he prepares to head our way influenced by the impressive work of hip for the first time, breakthrough LA being hop producers such as Timbaland, Dr. Dre and The producer Valentino Khan wants to Neptunes. “I started producing hip hop as a teenager “do everything and do it well.” TOM and then eventually evolved into dance music after I KITSON gets the lowdown. heard Waters Of Nazareth by Justice. I think I’ve stuck with it because dance music gives you the freedom Khan’s work with Diplo on the twerk-worthy track to literally create whatever you want and it’s always Bubble Butt last year has seen him go from remixer to refreshing to be able to sit down and produce headline performer - a result of hard work, dedication something that’s as crazy as you want it to be.” and a whole ton of talent. Grateful to his hometown for its bountiful “This is my first time visiting Australia, so creative opportunities, Khan chats about the hard I’m excited to be kicking it off with a tour of my own,” work required in order to have a career in the industry. he says. “Perth is my first stop so I’m definitely going “I’ve said many times before that being to go hard. I’m bringing a bunch of unreleased stuff born and raised in LA definitely has an advantage as from my own library and some amazing tunes from far as starting a career in music,” he explains. “Living my producer friends. in a particular city can give you a leg up, but you have “I tend to play across a number of genres to perfect your craft. At the end of the day, your music so you can expect to hear a bunch of crazy different now lives on the internet so you can blow up no sounds throughout the night.” matter where you live. Utilising the same creative spark he finds “I want to do everything and do it well - it’s when producing, Khan is inspired by discovering new a lofty goal to set out, but I think I’d honestly be bored sonic territory. if I made the same thing over and over.” “I think it’s really cool when you make something unexpected that sounds great,” he explains. “That could mean taking an artist’s sound » HILINE FEAT. VALENTINO KHAN and making it unconventional or approaching a » FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 13 @ AMBAR remix and steering it in an entirely new direction. I think if you produce a track that’s leftfield but
BUBBLING OVER
SPENDA C SETTING TRAPS
Sydney DJ and producer Steve Lind, aka Spenda C, is performing at Metropolis Fremantle this Friday to promote Bass Trap, a new trap music compilation with mixes from Lind and Adelaide’s Leah Mencel. He speaks with JOSHUA HAYES. As one of Australia’s most prominent bass and trap music producers, Steve Lind is an ideal fit for Onelove’s latest compilation. “I spoke to the guys (at Onelove) about doing a compilation based more on the trap-ier styles and they were really keen on the idea,” Lind says. “It’s more than just trap; we’ve got stuff that’s really current now, like a bit of the twerk movement, 100BPM stuff, as well as some drum’n’bass, big room stuff and I’ve got a little bit of drumstep-y stuff as well. It’s got a whole lot of different genres on there, so it’s not just trap but that theme holds it all together.” Both Lind and Mencel will be performing this Friday and Lind says his set is very close to his mix on the CD. “They’re all tracks that feature heavily in my sets anyway,” he says.“It’s pretty much an accurate portrayal of what I do and what I play.” He’s particularly happy he was able to get permission to include DJ Snake’s Bird Machine (“that’s just a really cool, forward-thinking club tune”), Jackal’s Shakedown (“in my live sets that’s one of the biggest songs”) and A$AP Rocky and Skrillex’s Wild For The Night. “All the Skrillex stuff and stuff on (his label) OWSLA is quite hard to license,” Lind says, noting the song was released on A$AP Rocky’s label, Sony. “To actually get a Skrillex song and be able to put it on a mix CD was a pretty big deal because he doesn’t really licence any of his stuff to mix CDs, so I was happy we got that.” Lind’s mix also has a number of his own tracks and remixes including, Use Yo Mouf - a collaboration with fellow Sydneysider Nemo that was just released by Klub Kids; and two songs with female rapper Zuri Akoko - Another World and In The Back. He is currently working with Akoko on the Another World EP, which will be coming out soon on Klub Kids. Lind’s two other projects - The Mane Thing with Jax Carr (aka Deckhead) and The Hump Day www.xpressmag.com.au
Spenda C Project with Heath Jansson (aka Athson) are currently taking a backseat to his work as Spenda C. The Mane Thing is only throwing a monthly party, The Mane Event at Sydney’s iconic venue Chinese Laundry, while The Hump Day Project is on hold as Jansson recovers from problems with his hearing. “He’s on doctor’s orders to rest his ears,” Lind says. “He’s cancelled all of his gigs for a whole year just to try and get his ears back to normal. That’s a word of warning for all DJs out there: wear earplugs.” In the meantime, Lind continues to focus on production and remix work as Spenda C and as his music evolves, he’s heading in a direction that lends itself to working on a full-length album. “I’m moving more towards writing tracks that are more song-based with more structure… but there’s no glimpse in my eye yet about doing an album,” he says. “But I’m definitely heading in that direction.”
» » » »
SPENDA C BASS TRAP OUT NOW THROUGH ONELOVE FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 13 @ METROPOLIS FREMANTLE 29
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
AMPLIFIER/CAPITOL
THE COURT
WEDNESDAY 11/09
THURSDAY 12/09
FRIDAY 13/09
Amplifier/ Capitol - Harlem Wednesdays The Bird - Embassy Cafe ft. Andras Fox & Oscar Key Sung The Brass Monkey - Victor Captain Stirling – Lokie Shaw Club Red Sea – Cheek Gold Bar - Famous Hump Day Tunes The Grand Central – ANG3L Groove Bar (Crown) – DJ Crazy Craig Leederville Hotel (upstairs) Kreem ft. DJ Karl Blue and MishTee Leederville Hotel (downstairs) Arena Party ft. DJ Vi Son/ Pup The Llama Bar – Akuna Club Mustang Bar - DJ James MacArthur Newport Hotel - RnB Heaven with Mr Phat ft. DJs Tom Drummond/ Angry Budda/ Mel B Players Bar - DJ Ambadextrus Sovereign Arms – Fiveo The Village Bar - Village People Wednesdays
The Avenue – Jon Ee The Bakery - Ghostpoet The Beat (downstairs) - Fantasy Thursdays The Causeway - Xport Thursdays Club Bay View - Dj-Vi Son The Craftsman – Fiveo Eve Nightclub - Retro Thursdays ft. DJ Crazy Craig Flyrite - Cosmo Gets/ Savoir/ Leon Osborne/ Cambourghini The Grand Central - DJ Roger Smart Kalamunda - Grizzly Leisure Inn - DJ Molotov Malt - The Collective ft. Shaddow Brothers/ Colour X Bini/ Tom Love/ Ben Sebastian Mustang Bar - DJ James MacArthur Newport Hotel - Tiki Bar Open Mic Night Pica Bar: Omega Is The Alpha/ Ourobonic Plague/ Fancy Feelings/ Joe Stawarz
Air Nightclub - VIP Platinum Fridays Ambar – HILINE ft Valentino Khan/ Micah/ Philly Blunt Amplifier - Fridays Are Back ft. Jmac The Avenue - DJ Lokie Shaw The Aviary - Troy Division/ Paradise Paul/ Baron Gutter Bar Orient - The Reggae Club The Beat (downstairs) – PLAY The Bird – Hip Hop Karaoke 2 Chainz Bday Special C5 – Residence ft. Bass Attic vs Harlem Wednesday Capitol - Capitol Fridays ft. DJ Roger Smart Capitol (upstairs) - I Love 80’s & 90’s ft. Darren Tucker The Carine - Az-T The Causeway – Acoustic Sundowner The Como - Funadelic Fridays ft. Philly Blunt/ Jay Lee Lloyd The Court – Night Of The Living Dead The Craftsman – Michael Brittliff Devilles Pad – Friday The 13 Horror Theme Dress up Eve Nighclub - DJ Don Migi Flawless - Monarch Fridays Flyrite- It’s A DeadWeight!Ting Launch Geisha – The Enchanted ft. Claptone Ginger Nightclub - Mondos “Feel Good” Dance Party Gold Bar – Fresh Fridays The Grand Central – Jay Mackay Groove Bar (Crown) - DJ Crazy Craig The Hyde Park - DJ Hages Lakers Tavern – Grizzly/ Merqury Library - Sneaky Metro City - Rudimental, Professor Hush Mojos Bar - September Hustle ft. Motley Mustang Bar - Swing DJ/ Cheeky Monkeys/ DJ James MacArthur My Place - Karaoke Newport - Karaoke Classic with Steve Parkin with DJ Tahli Jade/ Angry Buda/ Sardi/ Mr Phat Parker – Ashton Shuffle DJs The Queens - Reuben Perth City Farm - CKA Retro Disco
Cosmo Gets
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I LOVE 80’S & 90’S
CAPITOL
Rocket Room - Howlers ft DJ Frank N Bean Sovereign Arms - ANG3L Tiger Lil’s - Paul Malone/ Adam Kelly/ Alex Koresis Tiny Club - Manimal/ Sleepyhead/ Lightsteed/ Amnesia The Vic - Friday Funktion ft Armee YaYa’s - ACE ft DJ Pup
SATURDAY 14/09 Ambar - Japan 4 ft. Mo’Fly/ Tee EL/ Philly Blunt/ Marko Paulo/ Wish Amplifier - Pure Pop ft. Eddie Electric/ KLa The Avenue - Jon Ee The Aviary – Troy Division/ Paradise Paul The Bakery – Zomby/ BadBadNotGood The Balmoral - Back To The 80’s Bar 120 – Little Nicky/ Jordan Scott Beat Nightclub (Upstairs) CANVAS Beat Nightclub (Downstairs) Runaways Brass Monkey - Grizzly/ Jewel The Brighton – Grizzly C5 Metro Freo - I Love 80s & 90s ft. Darren Tucker /Dr Wazz Capitol - Death Disco ft. Death Disco DJs Capitol (Upstairs) - Cream of the 80’s ft. Roger Smart The Causeway - House party Club Red Sea – Fresh Saturdays The Como – Jay Lee East End Bar – Home Tropical Hoedown ft. The Griswolds DJ set Flyrite - FΔMILY Flawless – Cube Geisha – HedKandi ft. Shaun Warner The Good Shepherd - Chocolate Jesus The Grand Central – DJ Armee Groove Bar (Crown) - DJ Dan Leederville Hotel (downstairs) – Under The Arena Party The Library - DJ Victor / DJ Riki Lost Society - Chalk (indie/ hip-hop) Metro City – EDM Saturdays
The Aston Shuffle Metro Freo – Metropolis Saturdays ft. Darren Tucker/ Dr Wazz/Ben Carter/ Shane Hewson Newport – Karaoke Classic with Steve Parkin Parker - Parker Saturdays Paramount Nightclub – Felix with DJ John Jordan Players Bar - LUXE ft. DJs Francesco/ DJ Tito The Queens - Kenny L Tiger Lil’s - DJ Bojan/ Benjamin Sebastian/ Alex Koresis The Wembley – Lokie Shaw YaYa’s – Arcadia All Nighter
SUNDAY 15/09 The Aviary (Rooftop) - Aviary Rooftop Sessions ft. Micah/ NDORSE/ Zel Empire Bar - DJ Victor/ DJ Riki
Eve Nighclub – DJ Slick Groove Bar (Crown) - DJ Crazy Craig Mustang Bar - DJ Rockin’ Rhys Newport - DJ Tom Drummond The Queens – Kenny L Rosemount Hotel - soundz like sundayz The Saint - DJ Jon EE/ Mikeee
MONDAY 16/09 Mustang Bar - Triple Shots The Rosemount Hotel - Bada Bingo!
TUESDAY 17/09 Mustang Bar - Danza Loca Salsa Night
X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays
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FLYRITE
MO KOLOURS
THE MUSTANG
THE COLLECTIVE
MALT
IN THE THIS WEEK Ghostpoet Thursday, September 12 @ The Bakery The Aston Shuffle (DJs) Friday, September 13 @ Parker
Claptone Friday,September 13 @ Geisha Spenda C Friday, September 13 @ Metropolis Fremantle
COMING UP
Nick Thayer Rap City 2013 ft. Talib Friday, September 20 @ Kweli/ Homeboy Ambar Sandman RA The Rugged Man Saturday, October 4 @ Friday, September 21 @ Villa Rosemount Hotel Fabulous, Omarian & Chingy Thursday, September 26 @ Challenge Stadium
Parker Saturdays ft Paul Hiline ft. Valentino Khan Scott Ministry Of Sound: Friday, September 13 @ Saturday, September 21 Clubber Guide To Spring Ambar @ Parker Friday, September 27 @ Villa
Ghostpoet Chet Faker
GHOSTPOET THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12 @ THE BAKERY
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Horrorshow Thursday, October 3 Prince Of Wales Bunbury Friday, October 4 Amplifier Saturday, October 5 Mojos Bar
Rufus Laurel Halo & Objekt Thursday, October 10 @ Friday, September 27 @ Mojos Bar Bakery Friday, October 11 @ Villa Cake ft. Fake Forward & Katie Valentine Booka Shade + Friday, September 27 Digitlism @ Villa Friday, October 25 @ Villa Illy: On & On Tour Saturday, September 28 Porter Robinson @ Villa Saturday, October 26 @ Villa King and Queen of the Decks ft. DJs Ruby Rose/ Nino Brown Chet Faker Saturday, September 29 Thursday, October 31 @ @ The Court Hotel ARTBAR The Aviary Rooftop Sessions ft. Ngaiire/ Stereosonic Morgan Bain/ Lucy Saturday, November 30 Peach Sunday, September 29 and Sunday, December 1 @ Claremont Show@ The Aviary grounds Listen Out Sunday, September 29 Salt On The Beach @ Ozone Reserve ft. De La Soul Sander van Doorn Tuesday, December 31 @ ft. Feenixpawl & North Fremantle M4SONIC Thursday, October 3rd @ Cuban Club ft. De La Metro City Soul/ DJ Yoda Rogerseventytwo Wednesday, January 1 Friday, October 4 @ @ The Flying Squadron Parker Yacht Club
Mo Kolours (Photo by Daniel Craig)
MO KOLOURS MO, MO, MO!
Ben M/Oisima/Sam K/Savoir/MO KOLOURS @ Flyrite Friday, September 6, 2013 A relatively new spot for gigs in Northbridge, the venue now known as Flyrite did a good job breaking in the sound system with the assistance of promoter, Good Company. Mo Kolours is an interesting act to have come all the way to Perth, but if it’s an indication of things to come, then they’re off to a flying start. {MOVE} crew DJ Ben M kicked off proceedings with his always deftly selected tunes. A little soul, a bit of funk and some hip hop, his set was perfect for easing into festivities. As the audience slowly built up, the scene was set for the first guest of the evening. South Australian producer Oisima juggles moments of ambience with deep, trippy hip hop beats. With layered sounds, some distorted vocals, and an almost trap-esque edge, there was an aquatic feeling to his music, something unique that made it more than the sum of its parts. While the crowd was still filtering in, he kept those that were there, intrigued and nodding their heads. Sam K from Cosmo Gets spun tunes afterwards, with some sludgy hip hop and jazzy vibes, creating an effective segue into the next live act.
Perth’s best kept secret (although surely not for much longer), Savoir is something of a mini supergroup of local electronic musicians. While Andrew Sinclair and James Ireland manipulate the beats and synths, Mei Saraswati commands the stage with ease. An engaging lead, she can be a little bit M.I.A. and a little Janelle Monae, but comes across with more soul than either. With pop melodies and tribal rhythms, the trio pushed the limits of the sound system, as it became evident you had to be up front to really comprehend the intricacies of their music, not to mention the bass. The space slowly filled, and as they reached the end of their set it seemed people were ready to dance. Luckily for them Ben M was back with more choice cuts as we awaited the main event. Our Mauritian guest (by way of London), Mo Kolours, kicked off his set with some beatboxing, which was carefully looped and effected with some dubby delay, before he added more live vocals on top. Coming across like an acid drenched version of Madlib, the beats were always fat and the melodies enticing. Although there was a lot of improvising and some awkward change-ups, it gave the man a raw and authentic vibe which was quite endearing. Those that came to dance were not disappointed either, as he created a murky haze of rhythms that seemed to be over all too soon. Seemingly quite appreciative of the crowd, he left the stage graciously, leaving people to drift away trying to comprehend exactly what just happened.
» NICK SWEEPAH
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AMANDA PALMER AND THE GRAND THEFT ORCHESTRA Die Roten Punkte/ Jherek Bischoff The Astor Theatre Sunday, September 8, 2013 What better way to break up a sleepy Perth Sunday where one ‘couldn’t even find a sandwich,’ than to spend a little time in the presence of the pure, unadulterated yet adult-oriented perfection that is Amanda Palmer? Hilarious opening act and consistent stage reoffenders, Die Roten Punkte, regaled the audience with their faux German characters, Otto and Astrid Rot, and their offbeat banter between comical songs. Among crowd favourites were Burger Store Dinosaur, Bananenhaus, an ode to the engineering genius of tupperware for your banana, and Ich Bin Nicht Ein Roboter, in which Amanda and posse crashed to dance along. Grand Theft Orchestra bassist and ukulele player extraordinaire, Jherek Bischoff, showed off his array of talents, enticing the crowd with a sea of large, looped bass sounds, followed by a dreamlike ukulele melody. In the coolest of fashions, the incomparable Amanda Palmer And The Grand Theft Orchestra took to the stage with the crushingly loud and high energy Do It With A Rockstar. As Amanda’s powerhouse vocals screamed ‘Die! Die! Die!’ while her air fucking fingers ‘shot’ at front row fans, it was clear why many would consider the concert a religious experience, as the woman herself joked. Taking a journey to the past
Amanda Palmer Photo by Rachael Barrett
with the Dresden Dolls’ deliciously mad cabaret song Missed Me, Amanda quipped ‘Sorry about your new PM, speaking about the past.’ The political jabs continued as Die Roten Punkte rejoined to partake in a lyrically impromptu ‘50s doo-wop song imploring our new PM to play nice. Perfectly covered songs, including Smells Like Teen Spirit and Common People enthralled the crowd as Amanda lunged into the pit time and again. Between powerful, keyboard punching punk songs, we heard the bitterly upbeat Want It Back and the heartbreaking Bed Song. During the set it was clear how much each performer loved their art, fans and, of course, each other. Amanda continued this love-in with a powerful piece written by a friend and fellow performer. I Love You So Much was simple yet moving, especially when the entire crowd joined in the chorus. Just when you thought the night couldn’t get more beautiful, Amanda soared gracefully over the waiting audience, arms wide as if in an embrace. As she continued to sing Bottomfeeder with not a single falter, the colossal cape fastened to her jacket slipped and rippled softly over the crowd, creating a magical atmosphere. Of course, the big band sounding Leeds United was finally cranked out, to the absolute delight of fans. After the floor was nearly stomped out and punters hands were red raw from clapping, the band came back with a flurry of pounding keys, maniacal facial expressions, screaming and thrashing for the delectably mental Girl Anachronism. To end the night on the highest and twangiest of notes, was a serenade of Ukulele Anthem, a fun and lighthearted end to a flawless set from Amanda Fucking Palmer… nipple and all. _ LIANA KELLY
SNAKADAKTAL Flower Drums/Fishing Capitol Friday, September 6, 2013 Describing themselves as ‘gaze hop dream pop,’ openers Flower Drums set the tone for an evening of dreamlike, blissed-out tunes at Capitol. With an endearing oddball at the mic and bare feet all round, this four piece encapsulate a hippie aesthetic that is neither contrived nor ironic – a rare feat to pull off in a scene stagnant with both.While clearly ahead of their time, Flower Drums evoke a rosy-tinged nostalgia that perfectly suits their musical ambiguity; they flirt with both ends of the contemporary spectrum, resulting in multi-layered, innovative pop that is at once uplifting and melancholic. As even the bar staff shimmied along to glorious final track White Waves, my suspicions were cemented – these guys are destined for greatness. Electronic duo Fishing cut somewhat lonely figures on stage, but a fleshed out crowd spoke volumes of their popularity. The Sydneysiders have created a storm of hype with their beat-driven fusion of reggaeton and trip-hop, masterfully blending danceable tunes with moodier, emotive tracks. Ear-toear grins and uncontained exuberance characterized their set – but as they found themselves facing an unusually sedate audience, we were issued with a grave warning: ‘Yo, just to let you know, Snakadaktal are like, really mean. So if you guys aren’t right up the front, things will get fucked up…like, there will be blood.’ Warning heeded, punters flocked to the front and danced with abandon, finding their reward in a
Snakadaktal Photo by Rachael Barrett
mashed up remix of TLC classic Waterfalls. As triple j darlings Snakadaktal made their grand entrance, the room was packed close and buzzing like a beehive. With sublime harmonics, stopstart drumming and smooth bass lines characterizing their multi-faceted indie pop, it was refreshing to see a young band so unaffected by success - thus far, anyway. The baby-faced five piece have been on the up since their discovery in 2011, but there wasn’t an ego in sight as frontwoman Phoebe bashfully said her hellos. Blessed with a rich, powerful voice, she took a backseat to guitarist Sean on latest single Hung On Tight – hyped as a ‘bigger, more expansive’ effort for the band, it also showcases the latter’s own stunning vocals. While boy/girl harmonies are nothing new in today’s musical landscape, Phoebe and Sean make a tired tactic feel fresh and exciting again; their dual voices complement, rather than contrast. Much to the crowd’s delight, breakout hit Air was revisited next – a newfound sensuality creeping into its catchy, sing-along sweetness. In fact, with the release of long-awaited debut LP Sleep In The Water, they’ve achieved something many bands haven’t: growth. Standout tracks like the starkly sexy Ghost and more upbeat Feel The Ocean drew punters in, while old favourites Chimera and Dance Bear kept longtime fans happy. With a diverse, eclectic repertoire to suite a range of tastes, my one tip to new listeners would be this: if you’re headed for a rowdy night out, stick to similarly rowdy tunes. Snakadaktal occupy a quieter space; a Sunday afternoon, some fruity ciders and a soft patch of grass are the perfect accompaniment. _ ELLIE HUTCHISON
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SQUIFFY RAILWAY HOTEL
THE BEAT NIGHTCLUB
Friday the 13th is upon us once again, so get out your hockey masks and plastic machetes and get down to see Prescient get down and dirty with Animistic, One Too Many Camel and Darkenium. Catch The Black Fridays afterwards til late. Saturday, Runaways dishes up a dose of heaviness with Dawn Of Leviathan and Tusk. Doors open at 10pm.
This Friday at the Railway catch Something Humble, Bury The Heard, Flyball Gov’nor and The Littlest Fox. Entry is $8. Saturday The Rumble, The Hum and Subject 2 Change join forces for some great rock action. $10 entry. Doors open 8pm both nights.
The Causeway Sunday, September 8, 2013 Sunday was the third day of The Causeway’s three day good-time party, featurung a popup shop, tattoo artists, a skating half-pipe and more. It was a cracking good weekend, as our photos do attest. Photos by Matt Jelonek
PICA BAR
It’s shaping up to be a huge week of great music at PICA Bar! US punk favourites Joyce Manor charge in on Wednesday with support from Grim Fandango Bury The Heard and Flowermouth, Omega Is The Alpha launch their new project on Thursday, The Morning Night launch their single on Friday and Puck, Dead Owls, Pat Chow and Maids (NSW) round the week out on In the lead up to this year’s Natural New Zealand Saturday night! Music Festival, which has been a host to names such as Katchafire, The Black Seeds and Kora to name a few, are holding a warm up party this Saturday, September 14, Indi Bar, with special guests ManaLion and Box Party. Closing off the weekend for the Sunday Session is Caravana Sun with support from Jacob And The Rudeboys.
INDI BAR
ROSEMOUNT HOTEL
Puck
Abby, Lachy
Holly, James & Sophie
James, Chevi, Cletus, Jim
Joel, Chrissie
Tonight, Wednesday September 11, catch Children, When It’s Over, Sail On! Sail On! and Yeti Resort, and Thursday The Aunts hit the stage with help from These Winter Nights, King Of The Travellers and The London Bureau. Friday night Queensland rockers Helm roll into town and Saturday catch hardcore heroes The Getaway Plan. Doors open 8pm each night, head to rosemounthotel.com.au for ticket info.
MOJO’S
Thursday, September 12, The Strides have become a new force for urban roots music, delivering their classic sound to crowds across the country. With two acclaimed albums already under their belt, a European label signing, festival appearances across the country and having graced the stage with the likes of Julian Marley, Tony Allen and Groundation, The Strides now play Mojo’s Bar along with Cronulla’s gypsy fuelled ska rockers, Caravana Sun. Doors at 8pm, entry $15 on the door. 32
YAYA’S
It’s a massive week, starting off with Hahas @ YaYa’s putting on their best show of the year on Wednesday with Pat Burtscher (Canada) leading the charge! On Friday you can catch Sydney locals The Strides as they take to the stage as part of their national One For One single launch tour. Finally on Saturday it’s time for another Arcadia All-Nighter, with DJs spinning your favourite party starters all night long!
X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays
Edited by T RAV I S JO H N S O N
THE MORNING NIGHT Moody Aussie alt-rockers The Morning Night offer up Valentine, the first single off their upcoming album, amberola, this Friday, September 13 at PICA Bar, with support from Runner and Silver Hills. It seemed like the perfect time to have a yarn with singer and guitarist, Adrian Hoffman. When did you guys form? Primary School! Jesse (our drummer) and I started the band nearly 10 years ago and have stuck together through a couple of line up changes until we settled on the current line up – Brendan (guitar), Ed (violin, guitar), Michael (bass) and, our newest member, Isaura (vocals, keys). What’s your sound? We’re a rock band at heart, though often likened to the expansive ‘Australian sound’ of bands like The Church, The Triffids and The Go-Betweens, and those bands have had a huge influence on us. But with six of us, we draw on lots of different inputs, which is why amberola has such a diverse sound.
LOOKING AT THE STARS
Hard-rocking south-west five piece Gutter Drakes will be making themselves heard at YaYa’s this Thursday, September 13. Support comes from local likely lads Burning Fiction, White Oak And Stuyvesant and Paper Plains. Doors open at 8pm.
How did recording go? Really good - we worked on amberola with our great friend, Ricky Maymi (The Brian Jonestown Massacre) as producer. He did an amazing job of turning the songs into something that hangs together sweetly as a whole album, which is a lost art in many ways. He made us stretch our abilities, which was demanding (and needed lots of late nights and pizza!) but the result was definitely worth it. What made Valentine stand out as a potential single? It was difficult to choose just one track because several have single potential. Valentine tells the story of love and loss and the tension within many relationships. When you add in some dramatic guitars, a bit of delicate slide, then drums and some fresh harmonies, we think it’s a song a lot of people will like. What does the future hold? We can’t wait for to get the album amberola out for everyone to hear – with the Valentine single release this month, and the album launch with another single in October. Then we have the amazing opportunity to support one of our favourite bands, Television, at the Fly By Night Club and immediately after, we head East to tour the album while we support Steve Kilbey. We’ll be aiming for a killer summer track off the album sometime after that, to help see in the new year.
FIGHT FOR YOUR RIGHT
Notorious local roister-doisterers Chainsaw Hookers recently recruited a veritable army of friends and well-wishers to help them make a music video for their song, Party Man, and now they’re ready to show the results to a waiting world. Make your way to Amplifier this Friday, September 13 to get an eyeful. Support comes from The Bob Gordons, The Lizards, The Lungs and Them Sharks. Doors open at 8pm.
A NIGHT WITH AUNTY
Get down to The Rosemount Hotel this Thursday, September 12 to watch Fremantle favourites The Aunts share the stage with Big Splash finalists These Winter Nights. King Of The Travellers will also be on hand, along with The London Bureau. Doors open at 8pm, entry is $8.
Gutter Drakes
TGIF
It’s a killer lineup at The Velvet Lounge this Friday the 13th, with five fantastic acts already straining at the leash. Check out Joe Bludge, Aborted Tortoise, Electric Toad, Cavalier and the mighty Order Of The Black Werewolf! Doors open at 7.35, entry is $6.
The Aunts
THE RETURN OF THE THING
To n i g h t , We d n e s d a y, September 11, Mojo’s takes an evening to salute twohanded hard rocking with Twin Towers, a celebration of two piece acts. Get down to Freo to catch Man The Clouds, Mudlark, Leure and Mind Canary. Doors open at 8pm, entry is $5.
Leure
SALUTE OF THE JUGGER
The MDC www.xpressmag.com.au
Night Of The Cheap Jugs, the weekly local music showcase at The Flying Scotsman’s Velvet Lounge, continues its ear-splitting tradition tonight, Wednesday, September 11. This week’s instalment sees the stage being graced by Lost Tuneless, The Stokies Project and The MDC. Doors open at 8pm, The Stokies hit the stage at 8:30, and entry is free.
12/09/2013 Omega Is The Alpha Self Titled EP Launch @ PICA Bar 13/09/2013 Chainsaw Hookers Party Man Video Launch @ Amplifier 13/09/2013 The Morning Night Valentine Single Launch @ PICA Bar 13/09/2013 Vida Cain The Rule Of Gravity Album Launch @ The Bakery 14/09/2013 TV Snow Neon Nights Single Launch @ Amplifier 19/09/2013 Julius Lutero Hazy Day Video Launch @ The Rosemount 22/09/2013 Pink & White Bridge Home & Hosed LP Launch @ The Newport 05/10/2013 Eleventh He Reaches London Bānhūs Album Launch @ The Bakery 05/10/2013 The Ghost Hotel Hell To Pay Single Launch @ PICA Bar 06/10/2013 Pink & White Bridge Home & Hosed LP Launch @ The Charles 19/10/2013 Sirgin One Love EP Launch @ The Civic
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X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays
The Getaway Plan, September 12-15 28 Astor Theatre 29 Wave Rock Weekender ANBERLIN WAVE ROCK 11 Metro Freo WEEKENDER THE PLOT IN YOU, 28 - 30 Wave Rock Park FIT FOR A KING, Caravan THE CULT STORM THE SKY 28 Metro City 11 YMCA HQ ILLY 12 Amplifier 28 Villa 29 Prince Of Wales, WENDY Bunbury MATTHEWS KIM SALMON 12 Friends 29 Mojos 13 The Ravenswood ONE DIRECTION 14 Charles Hotel 28 & 29 Perth Arena XAVIER RUDD/ BIG SCARY DONAVON 13 Fly By Night FRANKENREITER/ THE GETAWAY NAHKO & MEDICINE PLAN FOR THE PEOPLE 12 Prince of Wales, 28 3 Oceans Winery, Bunbury Margaret River 13 Players Bar, 29 Fremantle Arts Mandurah Centre 14 Rosemount Hotel LISTEN OUT FESTIVAL 15 YMCA HQ 29 Ozone Reserve NGAIRE RUDIMENTAL 13 Metro City (sold out) 29 Aviary Rooftop 14 Metro City (sold out) Sessions TINY RUINS TONIGHT ALIVE 30 Mojos Bar 14 The Astor Theatre
Big Scary, September 13
AMORPHIS 16 Capitol REGURGITATOR 16 Indi Bar 17 Prince Of Wales, Bunbury 18 Metro Freo 19 Rosemount Hotel MARINA PRIOR 18 Astor Theatre JUNGLE GIANTS 17 Newport Hotel 18 Capitol LOONLAKE 17 Flyrite SPIT SYNDICATE 17 Newport Hotel 18 Amplifier DIESEL 18 Fly By Night 19 Charles Hotel 20 Ravenswood Hotel ELECTRIC VINES 19 Oakover Winery MICKY AVALON 19 Amplifier KIM WILDE 20 Astor Theatre PAUL DEMPSEY 20 Fly By Night EVERY TIME I DIE 24 Amplifier BEHEMOTH 24 Capitol WOLF & CUB 26 Amplifier PARKWAY DRIVE OCTOBER THE AMITY 14 Metro Freo SWERVEDRIVER AFFLICTION 15-16 Capitol 3 Rosemount Hotel 26 Metro City HORRORSHOW MAIDS 27 Metro Freo 3 Prince Of Wales, 14 PICA Bar MATT CORBY Bunbury 15 Newport 27 Fremantle Arts 4 Amplifier Centre CARUS THOMPSON TELEVISION SEPTEMBER 4 Clancys Fremantle 28 Fly By Night CHOCOLATE CIRQUE DU SOLEIL: SLEEP STARFISH MICHAEL JACKSON 28 Rosemount Hotel 4 Charles Hotel IMMORTAL THE CRIBS EMMA LOUISE 18 – 22 Perth Arena 29 Rosemount Hotel 4 Astor Theatre RED DIRT ft JIMMY ANDRE RIEU JINJA SAFARI BARNES 29 Perth Arena 19 Kalgoorlie Boulder 4 Prince Of Wales, TONY HADLEY Bunbury Race Club 30 Astor Theatre 5 Astor Theatre DAN CRIBB THE BLACK SORROWS 5IVE 19 Newport Hotel 30 Metro Freo 5 Charles Hotel 20 PICA Bar CHET FAKER KATE CEBERANO KVELERTAK 31 ARTBAR 5 Regal Theatre 19 Amplifier THE BREEDERS DEAD LETTER CIRCUS SOILWORK 31 Astor Theatre 6 Rosemount Hotel 19 Prince Of Wales, ENSLAVED DEEP SEA ARCADE Bunbury 31 Rosemount Hotel 6 Amplifier 20 Metro Freo YELLOWCARD KATCHAFIRE MANTRA & GREY 31 Capitol 10 Prince Of Wales, GHOST VIOLENT SOHO Bunbury 19 Flyrite 31 Mojos Bar 11 Metro Freo 20 Mojos Bar 12 Rosemount Hotel THE PREATURES HARRISON CRAIG NOVEMBER 20 Flyrite 11 Regal Theatre VIOLENT SOHO 21 Mojos Bar ME FIRST & THE 1 Amplifier THE PAPER KITES & GIMME GIMMES YACHT ROCK BALL GEORGIA FAIR 11 Amplifier 1 Fremantle Town Hall 21 Fly By Night 12 Prince Of Wales, BABY ANIMALS THE DRONES Bunbury 2 Astor Theatre 21 The Bakery BRING ME THE JESSICA MAUBOY FOALS HORIZON 22 Metro City 12 Challenge Stadium 2 Perth Arena PITBULL & KEI$HA RIHANNA WELCOME TO THE 5 Perth Arena 24 Perth Arena VALLEY BEYONCE ROLO TOMASSI 12 Belvoir 8 & 9 Perth Arena 25 Amplifier Amphitheatre LISA MITCHELL/ JOSH LAMB OF GOD & RICKY MARTIN PYKE MESHUGGAH 12 Perth Arena 9 Wanneroo 26 Metro City THE DAVID LIEBE Showgrounds CALEXICO HART BAND DREAM ON DREAMER 27 Astor Theatre 13 Amplifier 10 Amplifier TWELVE FOOT NINJA DEVIN TOWNSEND 11 YMCA HQ 26 Prince Of Wales, PROJECT SCOTT KELLY AND Bunbury 15 Metro Freo THE ROAD HOME 27 Rosemount Hotel LLOYD SPIEGEL 10 Rosemount Hotel MELBOURNE SKA 15 Perth Blues Club LEONARD COHEN ORCHESTRA 16 Mojos Bar 13 Perth Arena 27 Fly By Night, 17 Indi Bar
THIS WEEK
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Maids, September 14-15
DANCE GAVIN DANCE 13 Amplifier KID MAC 13 Mojos Bar 14 Prince Of Wales, Bunbury 15 Ya Ya’s 16 Settlers Tavern, Margaret River 17 Indi Bar BEAUFORT STREET FESTIVAL 16 Beaufort Street DAN SULTAN 16 Fly By Night 17 Ellington Jazz Club JILL SCOTT 17 Riverside Theatre AN EVENING ON THE GREEN Hoodoo Gurus, You Am I, The Whitlams, Dave Graney & The Mistly, Rainy Day Women 16 Kings Park & Botanic Garden AN EVENING ON THE GREEN Bernard Fanning, The Cruel Sea, Sarah Blasko, Bob Evans 17 Kings Park & Botanic Garden NILE 17 Amplifier COLD GROUND 18 Beat Nightclub BELINDA CARLISE 20 Astor Theatre THE BELLRAYS 21 Fly By Night BOY & BEAR 22 Metro Freo 23 Astor Theatre FLEETWOOD MAC 22 & 23 Perth Arena HITS & PITS 2.0 Black Flag, Boysetsfire, Bad Astronaut, Snuff, No Fun At All, Good For You, Off With Their Heads, Jugheads Revenge 24 Amplifier & Capitol MOONSORROW 24 Rosemount Hotel EROS RAMAZZOTTI 23 Challenge Stadium I KILLED THE PROM QUEEM 28 Prince Of Wales, Bunbury 29 YMCA HQ 30 Amplifier 1 Newport Hotel THE ATARIS 29 Amplifier STEREOSONIC 30 Claremont Showgrounds MUSE 30 Perth Arena SCREAMING JETS 30 Astor Theatre
ENCHANTED 7 Astor Theatre/The Bakery AIR SUPPLY 8 Perth Concert Hall JUSTIN BIEBER 8 Perth Arena CHIC & NILE RODGERS 8 Astor Theatre KATAKLYSM 8 Rosemount Hotel THE BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE 10 Astor Theatre TAYLOR SWIFT 11 Perth NIB Stadium POND 12 Metro Freo BON JOVI 12 Perth Arena THE NERVE 19 Mojos Bar HUMAN NATURE 20 Perth Zoo DE LA SOUL 31 Salt On The Beach
JANUARY DE LA SOUL/DJ YODA 1 Cuban Club (Flying Squadron Yacht Club, The Esplanade, Dalkeith) SOUTHBOUND !!!, Bonobo, Crystal Fighters, Grizzly Bear, Horrorshow, Johnny Marr, London Grammar, MGMT, Neil Finn, The Roots, Vampire Weekend and more! 3-4 Sir Stewart Bovell Park, Busselton, WA PARAMORE 16 Perth Arena CELTIC WOMAN 24 Riverside Theatre
FEBRUARY BIG DAY OUT Pearl Jam, Arcade Fire, Blur, Snoop Lion, Major Lazor, Tame Impala, Flume & more! 2 Claremont Showgrounds BRUCE STRINGSTEEN & THE E STREET BAND 7-8 Perth Arena LANEWAY FESTIVAL 8 Fremantle THE NATIONAL 14 Belvoir Amphitheatre BRUNO MARS 28 Perth Arena
MARCH
SOUNDWAVE Green Day, Stone Temple Pilots, Alice In Chains, Rob Zombie, DECEMBER Megadeth, Placebo MARTHA DAVIS & THE and more! MOTELS 3 Claremont 4 Astor Theatre Showgrounds ALICIA KEYS BILLY BRAGG 5 Perth Arena 8 Perth Concert Hall THE MELVINS & 30 SECONDS TO HELMET MARS 6 Metro Freo 25 Challenge Stadium JACK JOHNSON 7 Kings Park APRIL CITY AND COLOUR 7 Belvoir Amphitheatre MICHAEL BUBLÉ 26 & 27 Perth Arena SLANTED AND
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Man The Clouds, Wednesday at Mojos
WEDNESDAY 11.09 AMPLIFIER The Academy We Are The Emergency One Last Thing The Lake And The River BAR 120 Felix THE BIRD Embassy Cafe Andras Fox Oscar Key Sung BRASS MONKEY Sugar Blue Burlesque CARINE Open Mic Night Chris O’Brien CLAREMONT HOTEL Acoustica GREENWOOD Bernardine ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB The Strides Night Cap Sessions GROOVE BAR (CROWN) 5 Shots INDI BAR Malachi Wehipeihana LUCKY SHAG Howie Morgan METRO FREO Anberlin William Beckett MOJOS BAR Twin Towers Dust Man The Clouds Mudlark Mind Canary MOON CAFÉ Going Solo Andrew Clarke Amber Fresh Sam Maher MUSTANG BAR Easy Tigers DJ James MacArthur PADDO Anderson Chris Gibbs Jamie Seinemeir PICA BAR Joyce Manor Grim Fandango Flowermouth
ROSEMOUNT Children When It’s Over Sail On! Sail On! Yeti Resort UNIVERSAL Retrofit VELVET LOUNGE Night Of The Cheap Jugs The MDC The Stokies Project Lost Tuneless VILLAGE BAR Village People - Open Mic X-WRAY CAFE Samuel Barendse YAYA’S HaHa’s @ YaYa’s Pat Burtscher Ben Darsow Peter Flanagan Brett Blake Dilruk Jayasinha YMCA HQ The Plot In You Fit For A King Storm The Sky
THURSDAY 12.09 THE ALBION Mama Red & Co AMPLIFIER The Plot In You Fit For A King Storm The Sky THE BAKERY Ghostpoet BEAT NIGHTCLUB (DOWNSTAIRS) Fantasy Thursdays THE BIRD Hip Hop Kara”Yo”ke THE BOAT Jen de Ness BRASS MONKEY Rhythm Bound Karaoke BRIGHTON Open Mic Night Rob Walker BROOKLANDS TAVERN Celebrations Karaoke THE CAUSEWAY BAR Xport Thursdays LOBBY LOUNGE (CROWN ) Monarchy DEVILLES PAD Rock & Roll Karaoke DUNSBOROUGH TAVERN Paige Trantham
Tired Lion
TIRED LION
LIONIZER BOB BUILDINGS THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12 MUSTANG BAR
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Vida Cain, Friday at The Bakery ELEPHANT AND WHEELBARROW Distant Sun ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Oehlers O’Halloran Susnjar Night Cap Sessions FLYRITE Cosmo Gets Savoir Leon Osborn Camborghini THE GATE Greg Carter GROOVE BAR (CROWN) Decoy INDI BAR Bex’s Open Mic Night LANEWAY LOUNGE Safforn Sharp Trio LUCKY SHAG James Wilson MARKET CITY TAVERN Tender Fiddle Reuben De Melo Aaron and Sean Mitchell Jones Jenia G Greys and Blues Jenn and Sean Robby James MOJOS BAR The Strides Caravana Sun MUSTANG BAR Tired Lion Lionizer Bob Buildings NORTH FREMANTLE BOWLS CLUB The String Beans PICA BAR Omega Is The Alpha Ourobonic Plague Fancy Feelings Joe Stawarz PRINCE OF WALES BUNBURY The Getaway Plan Avastera Dead Glorious ROSEMOUNT HOTEL The Aunts These Winter Nights King of the Travellers The London Bureau SETTLERS TAVERN Acoustic Open Mic Night Claire Warnock SWALLOW BAR DJ Peas UNIVERSAL Off The Record THE VIC Voudou Zazou YA YA’S Gutter Drakes Burning Fiction White Oak & Stuyvesant Paper Plains
FRIDAY 13.09 AMPLIFIER Chainsaw Hookers The Bob Gordons The Lizards The Lungs Them Sharks THE BAKERY Vida Cain Rag n’ Bone WiseOaks Codie Sundstrom
BALMORAL Mike Nayar BAR ORIENT The Reggae Club BEAT NIGHTCLUB (UPSTAIRS) Prescient Animistic One Too Many Camel Darkenium Black Fridays BEAT NIGHTCLUB (DOWNSTAIRS) PLAY BELGIAN BEER CAFÉ Jeane Proude BELMONT TAVERN Acoustic Aly BEST DROP TAVERN Carbon Taxi THE BIRD SpaceManAntics Silver Hills Moana Solar Barge THE BOAT Ben Merito THE BOAB TAVERN Frenzy BRASS MONKEY Matt Angel THE BRIGHTON Electrophobia BROOKLANDS TAVERN Jusy 4 Kix THE CARINE Velvet CHASE BAR & BISTRO James Wilson THE CHARLES HOTEL DFC Tusk Facegrinder Acrimony Severtone CITRO BAR Adrian Wilson CORNERSTONE ALEHOUSE Madam Monatge CLANCYS FREMANTLE DAVs DEVILLES PAD Friday The 13th Rocket To Memphis DUNSBOROUGH TAVERN Northern Muse EAST 150 BAR Chris Gibbs ELEPHANT AND WHEELBARROW Darren Reid & The Soul City Groove ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Becc Sanderson The Spread ft. Aaron Malone EMPIRE BAR Travis Caudle FLY BY NIGHT The Big Scary THE GATE Dirty Scoundrels THE GREENWOOD Greg Carter GROOVE BAR (CROWN) Tod Johnston & Peace Love HYDE PARK HOTEL Steve Parkin INDI BAR Vdelli
SpaceManAntics, Friday at The Bird KALAMUNDA HOTEL Almost Famous KINGSLEY TAVERN Suzi & The Reptiles KULCHA Thaylia & friends LANEWAY LOUNGE Dean Anderson Katherine Curnow Trio METRO CITY Rudimental M ON THE POINT Retriofit MAHOGANY INN Jamie Powers MOJOS BAR Hussle Hussle Motley Zeke Rob Delirious S.O.X. Gem Selector MUSTANG Adam Hall & The Velvet Playboys Swing DJ Cheeky Monkeys DJ James MacArthur NEWPORT HOTEL Karaoke Classic NORTH FREMANTLE BOWLING CLUB Tank 7even Jesse Middleton Maddie McEwen Tailored Grace PADDO Easy Tigers PADDY MCGUIRES CoverUp PEEL ALE HOUSE Back2Back PICA BAR The Morning Night Runner Silver Hills PLAYERS BAR The Getaway Plan Avastera Dead Glorious The Corner PORT KENNEDY TAVERN GhostBuskers THE PRINCIPAL Galloping Hatracks RAILWAY HOTEL Something Humble Bury The Heard Flyball Gov’nor The Littlest Fox THE RAVENSWOOD Wendy Matthews RENDEZVOUS HOTEL Nathan Gaunt ROSE & CROWN HOTEL Tod Woodward ROSEMOUNT Helm Serial Killer Smile Forstora Law Of Attraction SAIL AND ANCHOR Vanerty Brothers SAIL AND ANCHOR (UPSTAIRS) NightShift SETTLERS TAVERN Tijuana Cartel SOUTH ST ALEHOUSE Robbie King Karaoke SPRINGS TAVERN Die Hard Karaoke
X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays
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
Rocket To Memphis, Friday at Devilles Pad SWAN LOUNGE Ascending Fall Reapers Riddle Echostone Wiked Fury SWAN BASEMENT The Dead White Males Aztech Suns The Arthur Dent Project Eschaton Hive SWINGING PIG Spritzer Greg Carter TRADEWINDS HOTEL Bernardine UNIVERSAL Nightmoves VELVET LOUNGE The Order of the Black Werewolf Cavalier Electric Toad Aborted Tortoise Joe Bludge YA YA’S The Strides YMCA HQ Vice Versa I, Said The Sparrow Calm, Collected The Moment We Fall Kites Life In A Glass House
SATURDAY14.09 AMPLIFIER TV Snow ASTOR THEATRE Tonight Alive Hands Like Houses D At Sea Cupid Falls BALMORAL Retriofit THE BAKERY Zomby BadBadNotGood BEAT NIGHTCLUB (UPSTAIRS) CANVAS BEAT NIGHTCLUB (DOWNSTAIRS) Runaways Dawn of Leviathan Tusk BELGIAN BEER CAFÉ Mike Nayar THE BIRD Grace Woodroofe Lucy Peach Man The Clouds BOAB TAVERN James Wilson THE BROOK Carbon Taxi THE CIVIC HOTEL BACKROOM Afraid of Heights Severtone The Moment We Fall From Isolation Stagnant Tides THE CHARLES HOTEL Wendy Matthews THE CLAREMONT HOTEL ANTICS Place Of Indigo Red Mexico Antics DJs Lukas Wimmler CRAFTSMAN GrooVe
Place Of Indigo, Saturday at The Claremont hotel
DEVILLES PAD The Wal-Tones Les Sataniques Razorback Sugar Boy Ash DUNSBOROUGH TAVERN Pat Nicholson ELEPHANT AND WHEELBARROW Desert Bells ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Becc Sanderson Hornography ft. Aaron Malone FLY BY NIGHT The Idea Of North THE GATE Greg Carter GOSNELLS HOTEL Astrobat GREENWOOD Pretty Fly HYDE PARK HOTEL Howie Morgan Project HOTEL ROTTNEST Sophie Jane INDI BAR Manalion Box PArty INDIAN OCEAN BREWING CO Shawne & Luc KINGSLEY TAVERN Indiana KULCHA The Last Fair Deal LAKERS TAVERN Celebrations Karaoke LANEWAY LOUNGE Astrid Ripepi Mama Red & Co LOBBY LOUNGE (CROWN ) Why Georgia? METRO CITY Rudimental METRO FREO Under 18’s show Parkway Drive M ON THE POINT Rhythm 22 MOJOS BAR The Volcanics Datura The Wishers Ellie Schoen MUSTANG Shot Down From SugarTown Rockabilly DJ Milhouse DJ James MacArthur NORTH FREMANTLE BOWLING CLUB yde Turvey & Nick Gallagher Milly Taylor Ralway Bell NEWPORT HOTEL Karaoke with Steve Parkin PADDO Cheeky Monkeys PADDY MAGUIRES Madam Montage PARAMOUNT NIGHTCLUB Felix PEEL ALE HOUSE Electrophobia PICA BAR Puck Maids Dead Owls Pat Chow
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The Volcanics, Saturday at Mojos
THE FLY TRAP (FLY BY WHISTLING KITE NIGHT) James Wilson Stage Fright Open Mic MONDAY 16.09 GROOVE BAR BRASS MONKEY (CROWN) Wire Birds Hi-NRG CAPITOL INDI BAR Parkway Drive Caravan Sun Jacob & The Rudeboys ELLINGTON JAZZ INDIAN OCEAN BREW CLUB JSRHS Jazz CO GROOVE BAR Retriofit KALAMUNDA HOTEL (CROWN) Justin & Mike Alitia Martin MOJO’S BAR KULCHA Wide Open Mic Mikelangelo and the Black Sea Gentlemen MUSTANG BAR LAKERS TAVERN Triple Shots Wesley Goodlet YA YA’S Jamboree Scouts Big Tommo’s Open Mic LAST DROP TAVERN Night Domenic Zurzolo TUESDAY 17.09 LOBBY LOUNGE BRASS MONKEY (CROWN ) Open Mic Night Jack & Jill Josh Terlick M ON THE POINT THE COURT Nathan Gaunt Open Mic Night MOJOS BAR THE CRAGIE TAVERN Tijuana Cartel Open Mic Night MOON CAFÉ GROOVE BAR Golden String Mitchell Freeway (CROWN) MUSTANG Jack & Jill Tailgate Sundays ELLINGTON JAZZ The Isolites CLUB DJ Holly Doll Matt Richards NEWPORT HOTEL KALAMUNDA HOTEL Maids Open Mic Foam Anthony Kay Hideous Sun Demon LOBBY LOUNGE Timothy Nelson (CROWN) QUARIE BAR & Hans Fiance BISTRO MERIDIAN ROOM Better Days (CROWN) ROSEMOUNT James Wilson Soundz like Sundayz MERRIWA TAVERN THE SAINT Howie Morgan Project Celebrations Karaoke SUNDAY 15.09 MOJOS BAR SETTLERS TAVERN BALMORAL Mojos Monthly Comedy Tracey Barnett Andrew Winton Nick Sun BAILEY BAR & BISTRO SOUTH ST ALEHOUSE Peter Flanagan Anthony Nieves Gary Fowlie Brett Blake SWALLOW BAR BELGIAN BEER CAFÉ MUSTANG BAR Gillian Moorman Belleville Quartet Danza Loca Salsa Night SWINGING PIG BELMONT TAVERN YA YA’S Pat Nicholson Dove Fresh Jams Matt Angell BRIGHTON Matty T Wall Ross Lowe UNIVERSAL 88 Toi Yesterday BROOKLANDS Retrofit TAVERN WANNEROO TAVERN Foreign Architects Gerry Azor Jonny Dempsey Rum Punch CAPITOL Parkway Drive THE CARINE Acoustic Aly THE CAUSEWAY Accoustic Sunday CHASE BAR Chasing Calee CIVIC HOTEL Mike Nayar DUNSBOROUGH TAVERN Chainsaw Hookers Kris Buckle ELEPHANT AND WHEELBARROW Darren Reid & The Soul City Groove ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Dare To Live Sarah Ramsey Quintet ESPLANADE HOTEL Jane Germain & Ian Simpson PORT KENNEDY TAVERN Shaun Street QUARIE BAR & BISTRO One Trick Ponies RAILWAY HOTEL The Rumble The Hum Subject 2 Change ROCKET ROOM Kickstart ROSEMOUNT The Getaway Plan Avastera Dead Glorious SAIL & ANCHOR Better Days SAIL & ANCHOR (UPSTAIRS) Childs Play SETTLERS TAVERN Optamus with Downsyde THE SHED Huge SOUTH ST ALE HOUSE Robbie King Karaoke SPRINGS TAVERN Die Hard Karaoke SWAN BASEMENT Something Humble Josie Crosby Cyclone Tess The Littlest Fox SWINGING PIG Greg Crater Big Steve Spouse Band UNIVERSAL Soul Corporation WHALE & ALE Allstar Showstoppers X-WRAY CAFE Little City Dream Logan Crawford Riley Pearce
CHAINSAW HOOKERS
THE BOB GORDONS, THE LIZARDS, THE LUNGS, THEM SHARKS FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 13 AMPLIFIER
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MUSIC GEAR & TECHNOLOGY DANCE CLASSES
RECORDING STUDIOS
BELLYDANCECENTRAL.COM.AU DANCE CLASS Join us at our harem style dance studio for lots of hip shaking fun. Free classes on Fri 11/10. Term starts on Mon 14/10. For more info & free class invite contact dance@bellydancecentral.com.au
ALAN DAWSON’s WITZEND RECORDING STUDIO Prof quality albums or demos, large live room, experienced engineer, analog to digital transfers, mastering..Alan 0407 989 128 or Jeremy 0430638178 www.witzendstudios.com ANDY’S STUDIO International multi award winning songwriter / producer. No band required. Broadcast quality. A songwriter’s paradise. Ph 9364 3178 BANDS! - UNLOCK YOUR SONGS’ POTENTIAL +FREE APPRAISALS. UK Producer, 40,000+ hours studio experience. 20 yrs in London with bands and songwriters. Kicking arrangements, great studio and the ability to really listen will give your material the edge you need. Call Jerry on 0405 653 338 or visit www.jerichomusic.com.au FREMANTLE RECORDING STUDIOS MUSIC & VIDEO PRODUCTION, RECORD AT A STUDIO WITH PLENTY OF JJJ EXPERIENCE! $120 /HR, PROFESSIONAL RECORDING SESSIONS IN ONE OF THE BEST ROOMS IN WA. FROM HIP HOP TO INDIE AT FREMANTLE RECORDING STUDIOS WE’RE TWICE AS GOOD FOR HALF THE PRICE. 0415738155 GOLDDUST Production Mixing, recording and composition. Leederville $70 p/h. 0408 097 407 POONS HEAD MASTERING Master with tape, tubes & transformers. Clients include: The 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 RECORDING MIXING MASTERING PRODUCING Fremantle location. Call Pete Kitchen Cooked Records. Ph 0407 363 764 / 9336 3764 REVOLVER SOUND STUDIO Ph 9272 7505. www.revolverstudio.com.au
EMPLOYMENT & TRAINING Do you know what a roadie is? Have you got any background in AUDIO, LIGHTING or BACKLINE? Are you looking for CASUAL work in the entertainment industry? If that sounds like you contact Events Personnel Aust. On 08 9361 5005.
FOR SALE HEADPHONES all brands & styles. 23 Harrogate Street, West Leederville. Contact Headphonic 08 93886333 headphones.com.au
INTERNET SERVICES OZURBAN RADIO Soul, RnB, Hip Hop, Urban Tunes, Real music, Real presenters. Internet Radio 24/7 www.OzUrbanRadio.com
MUSOS WANTED KEYBOARD PLAYER WANTED for Perth’s premier cabaret band. Covering but not limited to 80’s dance genre. Popular rep with unique edge. Upmarket & corporate shows. Must be prof minded, team player with own equip. Email: graemesford@hotmail.com or call 0414 440 533 OPEN MIC NIGHT every Thursday night at Indi Bar. Just call Bex on 0404 917 632. OPEN MIC NIGHT @ THE CRAIGIE TAVERN Tuesdays from 8pm. Solos, Duos, Trios, Originals and Covers. Contact Paula or Ceelay 0420375670 or openmiccraigie@hotmail.com POP-ROCK DRUMMER WANTED Must enjoy Foo Fighters. Own transport req’d. Must be innovative & serious w/interest for touring. Call/text 0433 056 548 WANTER YOUND & ENERGETIC BRITISH PLAYERS FOR BRISTISH ROCK COVER BAND, GIGS AVAILABLE, WILL BE UNDER ANAGEMENT RING FOCUS PROMOTIONS MONDAY TO FRIDAY 9 TO 5, 92724144
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 * L I G H T I N G * A U D I O * S TA G I N G * w w w. n i g h t s t a r l i g h t i n g a u d i o. co m . a u www.nightstarlightingaudio.com.au www. instandt.com.au www.instandt.com.au 9381 2363/ 9444 6651 CD & DVD MANUFACTURE Check out our latest CD & DVD specials online at www.procopy.com. au 9375 3902 DISK BANK Pe r t h’s p re m i e r C D & D V D manufacturer, with options 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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Send your Volume News to musicservices@xpressmag.com.au
Edited by T R AV I S J O H N S O N
REHEARSAL STUDIOS AAA VHS REHEARSAL ROOMS Great facilities, great vibe & great price!!! Unit 5 /16 Peel Road, O’Connor. Phone 9418 5815 or 0413 732 885 BIGBEAT SOUND STUDIO Clean rooms, all new PA systems, air-con and good parking . Willetton Ph: 0425 698 117. PLATINUM SOUND ROOMS Professional rehearsal rooms, airconditioned, quality PAs mob 0418 944 722 STREAM STUDIO’S 89 Stirling St, Perth. Mobile: 0403 152 009 info@streamrehearsal.com.au VISION REHEARSAL Perth’s premier rehearsal facilities.Visit www.visionstudios.com.au for all info. East Vic Park. Email rehearsal@visionstudios.com.au or call 0432 034 122
HI, SENNHEISER
If the opportunity presents itself, we highly recommend checking out a pair of the new Momentum On-Ear range of headphones from Sennheiser. Aesthetically, they’ve gone all minimalist and stark, with the range being available in just three colours: high gloss black, classic brown and intense red. The minimalist design and Alcantara finish mean that you won’t be getting neck spasms after wearing these for too long, while the sound quality is typical of Sennheiser, which is to say excellent. Shoot over to en-au. s e n n h e i s e r. com to check them out.
Sennheiser On-Ear
MONSTROUSLY GOOD
Monster DNA in-ear audio headphones have just hit the shops, and these sleek, highquality sound machines are well worth a listen. Featuring Monster’s stylish triangular design, full, rich sound and snug cushioned ear-tips, they’re the perfect blending of fashion and performance. RRP is $129, and you can find them at JB Hi Fi, Harvey Norman and Myer. Monster DNA Earphones
GO JINJA GO JINJA GO!
The Australian Centre For The Moving Image, triple j and rage have gotten together to offer emerging filmmakers under the age of 30 the chance to shoot a music video for Jinja Safari. All you have to do is make a vdieo for the new Jinja Safari song, Mombassa On The Line, upload the thing to YouTube, then complete the entry form over at abc.net.au/triplej. The winning video will be shown in Melbourne at ACMI’s Spectacle: The Music Video Exhibition. Entries close November 3, so get a move on.
TUITION ***GUITAR LESSONS*** Perth’s ultimate guitar studio. Beg-adv, all styles and levels including bass. Cliff Lynton Guitar Institute. Mt Lawley 9342 3484 / www.clifflynton.com BASS LESSONS Rock, funk & jazz. Tony Gibbs 9470 6131 GUITAR & KEYBOARD TUITION (BeginnersProfessional) One on One lessons. Free guitar trial lesson. Burswood Ph 6460 6921/ 0415 238 729 www.gvkschoolofmusic.com.au To advertise in Classified call 9213 2888 or email musicservices@xpressmag.com.au
Jinja Safari
COUNTRY TOUGH
Entries are now open for the Go For 2&5 2014 Western Australian Country Music Awards, but they’re due to close on September 30, so if you want to throw your (Akubra, no doubt) hat in the ring, you’d best get cracking. Entries are open to pros and amateurs residing in WA, and the Awards are divided into three categories: The Songwriter Awards; the WA Best New Country Talent and Junior Vocalist Of The Year Awards; and the senior Western Australian Country Music Awards. Entry forms and further information can be found at countrymusicwa.com.au
INTO THE UNKNOWN
One of X-Press’s favourite record stores, Unknown Treasures, is holding a record fair in Morley’s Coventry Village this Sunday, September 15. A mix of records and vintage fashions, there’ll be a vast number of stalls, as well as DJs spinning discs all day. Doors open at 9am and entry is free - if that’s not a great way to kill a lazy Sunday, we don’t know what is.
X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays
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X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays