AUSTRALIA DAY FEATURE 33,560 OCTOBER 2012 MARCH 2013 - AUSTRALIA’S HIGHEST CIRCULATING STREET PRESS
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ANNOUNCEMENTS
HOLA CHICOS & CHICAS! DOWNTOWN ABBE Abbe May had a killer 2013 and she’s ready to light up 2014. On Friday, February 7, the dark karma chameleon heads to the Rosemount Hotel, with help from good buddies Rum Jungle and Kučka. Presale tickets are $20 (plus booking fee) from oztix.com. au. Limited tickets will be available at the door on the night for $25 from 8pm.
HILLS FIRE FUNDRAISERS Some of Perth’s rock’n’roll community are banding together to raise funds for The Lord Mayor’s Distress Relief Fund, in aid of those affected by the Parkerville fires. The good folk at The Kalamunda Hotel are putting on a benefit show to help raise funds this Saturday, January 25, with a number of tribute and cover bands including P!nked (a Pink tribute show in acoustic format) Nitro Zeppelin, Right Now (playing ‘70s and ‘80s favourites) 50Fifty and Subject 2 Change. Next Friday, January 31, at the Rosemount Hotel, catch the likes of The Kill Devil Hills in trio mode, Blackmilk, The Right Way Up, Filthy Apes and Jonathan Brain with more to be announced. Tickets to both shows are on sale at the door from 7pm.
Spain’s Los Coronas are heading back to Australia after recently playing the likes of Woodford, Pyramid Rock, Sydney Festival and Mona Foma. The five-piece from Madrid have a distinctive blend of surf-tinged atmospheric twang that’s blended with their own Spanish musical heritage, and we hear they’re a national treasure in Spain, delivering a hip-shaking live show. Catch them at Clancy’s Red Room, Dunsborough on Sunday, March 2, before they head off around Australia. Get your tickets via Oztix. Los Coronas
Abbe May Pic: David Collins
Kill Devil Hills, Rosemount Hotel Parkerville Fire Fundraiser
GURRUMUL GUESTS
KNOCK YOUR BLOCK OFF
SOUNDWAVELENGTH Soundwave just keeps getting bigger, with last Friday’s announcement that Bon Jovi guitarist , Richie Sambora, will be joining the bill (with help from Orianthi), as well as Filter, I Killed The Prom Queen, The Ghost Inside, Authority Zero, DarkC3ll, The Defiled and The Dangerkids. That’s eight more reasons to go to Soundwave o n M o n d ay, M a rc h 3 . M o re at soundwavefestival.com.
Hits & Pits and its curation of punk, ska and acoustic acts, is back for round three in May. On Sunday, May 18, at Capitol and Amplifer you get to catch the likes of California punk/rock/ metal/whatever five-piece, Strung Out; Californian punk-rock four-piece, Face To Face, plus The Casualties, Ten Foot Pole, Death by Stereo, Big D & The Kids Table, Masked Intruder and Heartsounds, with more to be announced soon. Get your tickets from Oztix.
TAKE THREE
Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu’s concert with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra in Kings Park & Botanic Garden on Saturday, March 8, is not one you should miss. It’s just been announced that Christine Anu (you might remember her most famous song, My Island Home) along with Tasmanian-based singer/ songwriter, Dewayne Everettsmith will be Gurrumul’s special guests on the night. Get your tickets via Ticketmaster.
The popular, Live At The Quarry series at the picturesque Quarry Amphitheatre in City Beach has announced third shows for both The Whitlams on Sunday, March 16, and Kate Miller-Heidke on Sunday, March 23. It’s all in the name of demand of course, with both acts longstanding staples on the line-ups in previous years. Grab yourself a picnic and bottle of wine and get hold of some tickets from Ticketmaster.
Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu
Kate Miller-Heidke
Strung Out
Richie Sambora
BRAIN-BUSTING EXTRAVAGANZA The crew at local radio station RTR FM are more than familiar with putting on quiz nights, but it seems they’re taking it one step further with a brain-busting extravaganza called Brainspotting taking place in the Spiegeltent in The Pleasure Garden as part of Fringe World on the afternoon of Sunday, February 16. Expect kooky themed rounds, quirky guests, comedy from Tien Tran and Greg Fleet, music from Menagerie, house band Tenderhooks and a retro chocolate wheel spinning up prizes it’ll be an afternoon of frivolous trivia featuring breakfast presenter Peter Barr amongst other RTR FM personalities. Get your tickets via fringeworld.com.au.
PURVEYORS OF DARKNESS Black metal/folk seven piece, Finntroll from Finland are heading out on a medieval crusade, which swings by Perth on Sunday, June 22, at Amplifier. Since forming one drunken night in 1997, they’ve now got six albums under their belt - the latest of which is called Blodsvept, which in English means ‘Shrouded In Blood’. Expect ridiculousness by way of troll attire and death metal riffs coupled with ‘80s pop grooves. Get your tickets from metropolistouring.com with special VIP meet and greet packages also available. Finntroll
FROM GEORDIE TO JERSEY
CHEEKY TUNES
It’s all about the Shores next month at Metropolis Fremantle with Charlotte Crosby from Geordie Shore - the number one UK reality star (and winner of the UK’s Celebrity Big Brother) making an appearance on Wednesday, February 19, and the muscle-bound, Ronnie Oritz-Magro from MTV’s Jersey Shore dropping in once again for some fist-pumping on Friday, February 21. Get your tickets for both shows from Oztix. Shore thing.
Perth-based DJ duo, Sun-kissed are dishing up some house and disco tunes as part of Fringe World 2014. Featuring Delish, Amnesia and special guest, Lee O’Riordon - their three-hour sessions are all about envisioning the “beach, booze and babes”. If this sounds up your alley, then head to the Cheeky Sparrow from 7pm between Thursday, February 13, and Saturday, February 22, to hear what tunes they have on offer.
Ronnie Oritz-Magro from Jersey Shore
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N E W S L E T T E R - S I G N U P AT W W W. X P R E S S M AG . C O M . A U F O R E XC L U S I V E C O M P S
PRINT AND DIGITAL EDITIONS PUBLISHER/MANAGER Joe Cipriani
EDITORIAL - 9213 2888 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 COMPETITIONS win@xpressmag.com.au For band gigs and launches - plugyourgig@xpressmag.com.au
TOUR: JURASSIC 5
PHOTOGRAPHY Rachael Barrett, Stefan Caramia, Guang-Hui Chuan, Daniel Craig, Brandon D’Silva, Max Fairclough, Daniel Grant, Sammy Granville, Matt Jelonek, Emma Mackenzie, Callum Ponton, Denis Radacic, Bohdan Warchomij, Michael Wylie
One of the world’s most loved hip hop acts, Jurassic 5 are back in action and have been touring their new show around the world, which will visit Australia in March. The group broke up in 2007 after the six-piece consisting of Chali 2na, Mark 7even, Zaakir, Akil and DJs Cut Chemist and Nu-Mark released four successful albums and 13 singles including the now classic, Quality Control and What’s Golden. Catch them on Friday, March 28 at Metro City. Tickets are on sale through Oztix, but if you’re lucky you might just win a double pass by emailing: win@xpressmag.com.au.
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Leah Blankendaal, Nina Bertok, Lucas Bowers, Aaron Bryans, Joe Cassidy, Hayley Davis, Chris Gibbs, Alfred Gorman, Shaun Cowe, Predrag Delibasich, Jayde Ferguson, George Green, Alex Griffin, James Hanlon, Chris Havercroft, Joshua Hayes, Brendan Holben, Coral Huckstep, Ellie Hutchinson, Rezo Kezerashvili, Tom Kitson, Clayton Lin, Charlie Lewis, Daisy Lythe, Andrew Nelson, David O’Connell, Shane Pinnegar, Nick Sweepah, Jessica Willoughby
Jurassic 5
ADVERTISING - 9213 2888 SALES MANAGER AGENCY / MOVIES / ARTS / EDUCATION / SPONSORSHIP / ONLINE MARKETING Craig Mauger - advertising@xpressmag.com.au MUSIC SERVICES / MUSICAL EQUIPMENT / BANDS / RECORD LABELS Dez Richardson - musicservices@xpressmag.com.au ENTERTAINMENT VENUES / LIVE AND DANCE MUSIC PROMOTERS Tim Milroy - entertainment@xpressmag.com.au CLASSIFIEDS LINAGE classifieds@xpressmag.com.au
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FILM: PARANORMAL ACTIVITY Following on from the Paranormal Activity film series, comes the spin-off Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones out in cinemas this Thursday, January 23. To celebrate its release we’ve got 10 double in-season passes to giveaway. Check out the trailer online at facebook.com/ParanormalActivityAU and then email us to win at win@xpressmag.com.au and “prepare to be scared... again”. Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones
PRINTING Rural Press Printing Mandurah DISTRIBUTION - 9213 2853 - distribution@xpressmag.com.au ADMIN / ACCOUNTS - 9213 2888 Lillian Buckley accounts@xpressmag.com.au EDITORIAL DEADLINES General: Friday 5pm, Eye4 Arts: Thursday 10am, WIN: Friday 5pm, Salt Clubs: Monday 5pm , Local Scene: Monday Noon, Gig Guide: Monday 5pm
FILM: JACK RYAN - SHADOW RECRUIT
TOUR: OKA
The new Jack Ryan adventure, based on the popular Tom Clancy character, picks up with Jack (Chris Pine) in his pre-CIA days, working on Wall Street as a financial analyst. Ryan is recruited by the CIA (Kevin Costner) to investigate global financial terrorism. When a plot that could sink the US economy is uncovered, Jack has to travel to Moscow to confront the Russian businessman (Kenneth Branagh) behind it. Read a review of the film on page 22 and to win one of 10 double in-season passes, email: win@ xpressmag.com.au.
Folk-dance-roots four-piece, Oka from the Sunshine Coast are launching their seventh studio album, Free Spirit and heading out on tour with their didgeridoo - stopping in at Mojos on Thursday, January 30 and Sunday, February 2; at Indi Bar on Friday, January 31 and Settlers Tavern, Margaret River on Saturday, February 1. Get your tickets via okamusic.com and for the chance to win one of two double passes and a signed copy of the new album, email win@ xpressmag.com.au, letting us know which show you’d like to go to.
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit
Oka
ADVERTISING DEADLINES Cancellations: Monday 5pm, Ads to be set: Monday Noon Supplied Bookings / Copy: Tuesday 12 Noon, Classifieds: Monday 4pm Published by: Columbia Press Pty.Ltd. A.C.N. 066 570 803 Registered by Australia Post. Publication No PP600110.00006 Suite 55/102 Railway Street, City West Business Centre, West Perth, WA 6005 Locked Bag 31, West Perth, WA 6872 Phone: (08) 9213 2888 Fax: (08) 9213 2882 Website: http://www.xpressmag.com.au WARRANTY AND INDEMNITY Advertisers and/or their agents by lodging an advertisment shall indemnify the publisher, and its agents, against all liability claims or proceedings whatsoever arising from the publication. Advertisers and/or their representatives indemnify the publisher in relation to defamation, slander, breach of copyright, infringement of trademarks of name of publication titles, unfair competition or trade practices, royalties or violation of rights or privacy and warrant that the material complies with revelant laws and regulations and that its publication will not give rise to any rights against or liabilities in the publisher, its servants or agents. Any material supplied to X-Press is at the contributor’s risk.
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EVENT: SOFT SOFT LOUD Soft Soft Loud presents the finest musicians in progressive and post classical music in the beautiful inner courtyard of Fremantle Arts Centre. Special guests on Thursday, February 13 will include acclaimed Brooklyn composer (and member of The National) Bryce Dessner along with Nico Muhly - a prodigious talent and contemporary of Dessner, plus WA composer James Ledger. Get your tickets for this one via Oztix or for the chance to win a double pass, email: win@xpressmag.com.au.
The brilliant and confronting director, Steve McQueen’s new film, 12 Years A Slave, is out on January 30. It tells the true story of one man’s fight for survival and freedom. In the pre-Civil War United States, Solomon Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor) a free black man from upstate New York, is abducted and sold into slavery. Facing cruelty as well as unexpected kindness, Solomon struggles not only to stay alive, but to retain his dignity. To win one of three double in-season passes and the soundtrack from (and inspired by) the film, email: win@xpressmag.com.au.
Bryce Dessner
12 Years A Slave
FILM: 12 YEARS A SLAVE
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NEWS - INTERVIEWS - REVIEWS - CONTENTS
DECLAN KELLY The Good Oil Declan Kelly & The Rising Sun hit Mojo’s on Wednesday, January 22; The Bird on Thursday, January 23; The White Star, Albany, on Friday, January 24; Settlers Tavern, Margaret River, on Saturday, January 25, and the Indi Bar on Sunday, January 26. You’ve been working on your third album, how’s progress going? We are in pre-production for our third album after road testing some of the tunes. We’re looking to explore some electronic goodness on this one and fuse it with our live, rootsy elements. What direction has it taken? Well the band has been touring much over the last few years so we seem to instinctively know each other’s musical movements which has made us bond creatively and write from the deeper well. How much does your new material reflect the ongoing energy created by the band’s constant touring? Constantly the band evolves and moves in its own direction according to life as a band, so out of necessity and to keep it all fresh we are always mixing our older songs up and out of this new ones are born. Tell us about the reggae/dub Midnight Oil album you are producing with Mad Professor?
Declan Kelly & The Rising Sun
Diesel n Dub has been an idea of mine for a few years now in envisaging some of Midnight Oil’s songs performed in a reggae style. The idea came to fruition with some members of The Rising Sun and King Tide as the band and then asking some of my fave singers to give their take on these powerful tunes. A mutual friend brought Mad Professor into the studio whilst he was touring Womadelaide and he took to the project and was keen on mixing the album. What are your favourite versions on it so far? I love them all (laughs). What are your plans - and hopes - for 2014? Well we are set to release Diesel n Dub early in the year and start on the next Declan Kelly & The Rising Sun album in the meantime. BOB GORDON
OH BOYUP!
GODFATHER OF RAVE
The 29th annual Boyup Brook Country Music Festival is coming soon and with it the announcement of the Drug Aware Centre Stage. Bex Chilcott from Ruby Boots and Lee Jones will perform a song that they will write in a two-hour songwriting workshop in the lead up to the event. Many up-and-coming musicians will also be performing on this stage. The Drug Aware Centre Stage will take place on Saturday, February 15, in the town centre of Boyup Brook and is a smoke, alcohol and drug-free event.
UK Godfather of rave, Slipmatt, stops into Perth on his world tour, playing this Friday, January 24, at Gilkisons. Kicking off his vinyl collecting at the age of 13, he was part of the legendary production duo, SL2 and was a pioneer of the early acid house and rave scene in the UK. Catch Slipmatt along with DJ Phrenetic, DJ Mystery and Max MC with tickets on sale via Moshtix. There’s also a pre-party happening from 8pm on the same night at Bar 138 On Barrack, with an old skool line-up featuring Hutcho, Rino and Dair.
Bex Chilcott, Boyup Brook Country Music Festival
Slipmatt
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News Win Flesh Music Tomás Ford Beady Eye / Ghost / Cosmic Psychos Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings / Mac Miller New Noise Eye4 Cover: Survival Perth 47 Ronin / The Wolf Of Wall Street The Past / Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit Fringe World Arts Listings Salt Cover: Georgia Anne Muldrow & Dudley Perkins News / Producer’s Cut / Salt Nights Out Danny Daze, Mark Knight Club Manual Rewind: Juan Atkins What’s On Australia Day Weekend Scene Paramore / Grave / The Audreys / Sundown Sessions Local Scene Tour Tour Trails Gig Guide Volume
FRONT COVER: Tomás Ford’s Electric Cabaret as part of Fringe World is happening at Midlandia this Saturday, January 25 and at the Noodle Palace from February 5 to 23. Photography by Shaun Ferraloro. SALT COVER: Man and lady friends, Georgia Anne Muldrow & Dudley Perkins play this Sunday, January 26 at Dave’s Cans at Many 6160.
YLEM Playing The Field Ylem launches a new EP, Motifs, at The Bird this Saturday, January 25, with guests Setvice, Diger Rokwell, Umone and Maxybills. BOB GORDON checks in. Perth electronic artist/producer Ylem, aka Ryan Burge, has continued his exploration into sound with the release of a new EP entitled Motifs. “I wanted to make interesting and expressive music that people can enjoy,” he says, “but for it to also be a little challenging. It’s called Motifs as it’s a continuation of the synthetic vs. organic theme that I have been playing around with for the past couple of years.” Creative ambition is one thing, but as momentum increases during the creative process, that’s entirely another. How much does one allow momentum to alter that ambition along the way? “Momentum and ambition feed each other, but decent amounts certainly do not always result in making good tunes or capitalising on creativity,” Burge explains. “My project folder is testament to that. Analysing what you do and why too much will inevitably lead to self-doubt, is probably the greatest affliction to stifle any artist. I try to steer away from it, but also acknowledge its necessity as part of the creative process.” Burge - who took out the WAM Song Of The
Year Electronic/Dance category award for track, Slew - states that he’s delved back into his own sounds and work to create something new. It’s a self-referential approach that must reveal new aspects of his own creativity... “I, like anyone, am a product of my own environment and experiences,” he says, “so music for me is a way of regurgitating all of those things into something that is both self-referential and interpretive, and hopefully appreciated by someone out there. “Having said that, I have a healthy fear of being pigeon-holed and have a lot of different musical influences... which takes me back to your last question.” Part of Burge’s creative sphere involves field recordings. The open up new worlds of individuality. “One thing that you know for sure, 100 per cent, is that no one else has that sample,” he explains. “It’s unique. In a world of homogenised electronic music, it helps to distinguish yourself. “Then it’s about what you do with the sample, how you chop it, what you layer it with, how you juxtapose it with all the other sounds. Field recordings can make a lifeless track breathe.” Burge has been part of The Community music/art collective for some years now. His involvement has become more interesting than ever, as so many of its artists are finding longevity. “Yeah, the longevity is actually pretty amazing,” he says. “It’s 10 years this year. Being involved with a bunch of like-minded, talented people is both inspiring and levelling.” With the new EP out now, Burge has plenty in mind for 2014. Completion means you just begin again. “I want to keep making music that I’d like to hear,” he considers, “to get better at executing musical ideas and to travel.”
NO DISTANCE TOO FAR
SURF AND SHOOT
Buffalo folk act Lemuria kick off their first Australian tour at the Rosemount Hotel next Wednesday, January 29, touring in support of their new album, The Distance Is So Big. Quality local support will come from Grim Fandago, Dan Cribb & The Isolated and Lionizer. Doors open 8pm; tickets are available now from Oztix for $28.60.
The Australian Surf Movie Festival, presented by GoPro, is touring two movies around the country next month - The Journey and main feature Encoded, which is part three of the Blackwater series about the Teahupo’o wave located on the South Western side of Tahiti. For more information and tickets head to asmf.net.au and get yourself down to the Newport Hotel on Thursday, February 13; Hoyts Fremantle on Saturday, February 15 and Mandurah’s Readings Cinema on Sunday, February 16.
Lemuria
Kelly Slater captured in The Journey, Australian Surf Movie Festival
THE WORLD’S GOT EVERYTHING IN IT Fringe World is the talk o’ the town right now, with a multitude of shows on offer. Melbourne’s Laughing Stock agency is sending over some of its leading lights, including purple puppet guy Randy J, going solo in Randy Is Sober, at The West Australian Spiegeltent (The Pleasure Garden), from January 24-27, nightly at 7pm. Heath Franklin is also back to prove that Chopper won’t die with his new show, Garden The Fuck Up! an 11pm late night show from January 24-26 at Teatro (Perth Cultural Centre). Franklin also performs his May I Borrow A Crisis? show at Deluxe (The Pleasure Garden) from January 24-29 at 9.15pm. DJ Tom Loud is also bringing his acclaimed Edinburgh Fringe smash, Hot Dub Time Machine, to Rooftop Movies on Friday-Saturday, January 31-February 1, and Friday-Saturday, February 7-8, at 10pm. Tickets for all these shows are available from fringeworld.com.au.
Spare Parts Puppet Theatre is putting on a production, The Deep, based on Tim Winton’s classic children’s book. Running until Saturday, February 1, at 1 Short Street, Fremantle (opposite the Fremantle Train Station) artistic director, Philip Mitchell says it’s a puppetry show that will transport audiences to a magical underwater world. You can book online at sppt.asn.au or by calling 9335 5044 and the show is suitable for all ages, but especially for those aged four to 12-years-old. Spare Parts Puppet Theatre is offering complimentary family passes to those affected by the recent Parkerville bushfires to the 10am and 1pm performances this Saturday, February 25, by calling 9335 5044. The company is also accepting cash donations throughout the season in support of the Lord Mayor’s Distress Relief Fund.
Heath Franklin, Garden The Fuck Up!
The Deep
UNDERWATER WORLD
IT’S SCIENTIFIC After getting together for Melbourne’s All Tomorrow’s Parties last year (35 years after they formed), followed by a sold-out show at The Bakery last November, the original line-up of The Scientists are getting together to do it all over again, kicking off a national tour with a show at the Rosemount Hotel on Saturday, March 15. With support from The Volcanics, The New Invincibles and Helta Skelta - this one is likely to sell out all over again. Get your tickets quick from Oztix. Kim Salmon, The Scientists
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TOMÁS FORD Fringe Dweller Between the outer-suburban fantasy land that is Midlandia, the freshly-relocated inner city den of wonders, The Noodle Palace, and his own one man show, Electric Cabaret, Tomás Ford might be the busiest single human being involved in Fringe World 2014. TRAVIS JOHNSON finds out. King of cabaret, self-made electro-pop superstar, perennial Perth culture vulture - Tomás Ford is many things (not the least of which is serial accoster of unsuspecting audience members at his sweaty, sensational live shows). This year, he seems determined to add even more job titles to his already impressive resume. For starters, he’s helped to inaugurate Midlandia, the Fringe World satellite located out in the semi-rural environs of Midland. “I’m the co-producer at Midlandia and the Programme Director,” Ford explains. “And I guess the idea with Midlandia was just to try and take some the crazy, exciting, creative energy of Fringe World and take it out to a part of Perth that maybe doesn’t get a lot of that kind of stuff.” That endeavour comes with the full support of the local council, who jumped at the chance to bring some fringe glitter to the far end of the railway line. “The City Of Midland kind of came to the party supporting that idea really early and it’s actually been a really smooth and groovy ride...” Ford’s curatorial approach had to balance his own sensibilities with a notion of what would play in Peoria, so to speak. “I guess my main role has just been picking through all the shows that I had seen and been in touch with over the past year and just trying to find a programme that would serve the fairly specific needs of Midland audiences rather than that of the city. “There’s stuff we’ve got on in the city at Noodle Palace that I instantly knew wasn’t gonna work,” he continues. “Some of the super far out stuff that was not really gonna fly with a suburban audience. I guess it was just kind of a case of focussing around things that you could kind of see had a certain appeal to certain little audience demographics out there. Like, we’ve got a show about a submariner telling salty stories of the high seas, called Eric’s Tales Of The Sea. That was a bit of a no-brainer. We’ve got one called Anatomy Of A Piano, which is kind of a high art cabaret/lecture/piano recital. It was kind of a process of going through things like that where I could very directly see the audience appeal and then sprinkling on top just enough crazy so it’s there. I think it’s important with a Fringe programme that there’s things in there that will surprise you, that you don’t think you’ll enjoy, so there’s a good sprinkling of those kind of events in there as well.” Then there’s Noodle Palace, the boutique venue that drew such healthy crowds when it made its debut at its original Beaufort Street location last year. Now in 2014 the Palace returns, this time setting up shop in the regal confines of the recentlyvacated Piccadilly Cinemas in the heart of Perth. Ford is justifiably proud of being able to nail down the prestigious and iconic location. “There were a lot of people putting things on Facebook last year when the Piccadilly Cinemas closed,” Ford muses. “Just saying how sad they were that they weren’t going to be able to go there any more. And I posted a few things on there myself, but then the opportunist in me kicked in and I realised that there were three really amazing theatres in there that were just ready to go, for the kind of theatres that we were looking for. My co-producer, JumpClimb, really came on board with that straight away and we were chasing up real estate agents and having a million phone calls until we got what we wanted.” Like Midland, the Hay Street and Murray Street malls, which the Piccadilly Arcade connects, aren’t exactly renowned for their after-dark culture. Ford tells us he delights in bringing entertainment to unusual places like these. “I think me and JumpClimb both have an interest in putting culture and art into places that they don’t necessarily go all the time,” he says. “Personally, I grew up in the outer suburbs and I used to love it when cool stuff would happen in the general vicinity of wherever I was. With Noodle Palace, it’s pretty central to the Fringe Festival still, but we do have access to this audience of office workers who maybe wouldn’t be engaging with the Fringe Festival otherwise - we get right up in their faces, so that’s pretty exciting. “We have a really diverse and interesting and somewhat odd programme, so it’s really nice to be able to put that in a context that’s not just a Fringe Festival context. It’s good to be reaching out a little bit further, because I think that sometimes those shows can get stuck with the same audience, so it’s nice to be able to offer them to some different crowds.” Then there’s Ford’s own contribution to Fringe World, which should have fans of his outrageous antics salivating. “I am bringing my show, Electric Cabaret, which debuted at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival last year. It’s an hour-long nervous breakdown that basically takes a lot of what I’ve been 12
TOMÁS FORD - PHOTO BY SHAUN FERRALORO
doing and puts it into a very weird, David Lynch-y, dark, twisted shape over the course of an hour, but then ends up in a really happy place. It is definitely the weirdest, funnest thing that I’ve ever done, so I’m really happy that Perth audiences are going to freak out over it.” Let’s face it, Tomás Ford calling something the weirdest thing he’s ever done is setting the bar pretty high. He admits that, even as he debuted the piece to a hardened Hibernian audience in 2013, he didn’t know how far he’d pushed the envelope until partway through the performance. “The first night that I did it, I hadn’t really realised how the emotional arc of the character in this show, how deep and dark it went? Like, I kind of put the show together, got all my ducks in a row and then, when performing thought, ‘Aw, shit! This is really fucking hectic!’ It’s not horrific - it’s probably more intense for me than any performance I’ve ever had to do, but I think that makes it an even more wild ride.” Tomás Ford: Electric Cabaret happens at Midlandia, aka The Midland Junction Arts Centre, on Saturday, January 25, then continues at Noodle Palace from Wednesday, February 5 until Friday, February 23. For tickets, session times and all other Fringe world information, go to fringeworld.com.au.
TOMÁS FORD’S FRINGE WORLD TOP TEN 1 Tomás Ford: Electric Cabaret - I’m more excited about performing this in Perth than I am about anything else in the universe, so YES IT’S ON MY LIST. 2 Nick Sun’s Magical Cum-edy Show - My favourite Australian comedian; surreal, selfsabotaging, brain-meltingly inventive comedy. 3 Red Bastard - The most terrifying clown in the world. Masterful audience domination. An absolute must-see. 4 Anatomy Of The Piano - Amazing and eccentric pianist makes up bizarre stories about his piano while playing it like a bookish Liberace. 5 Sam Perry - Local beatboxer about to take over the world; his audiovisual show looks like it is actually going to be pretty gobsmacking.
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6 Chris Turner: Pretty Fly - His mix of one liners and hip hop shouldn’t work, but it does, which is the kind of thing Fringe comedy is all about. 7 MKA: Unsex Me - This show scarred me permanently in Adelaide. MKA are right out on the edge of in your face theatre and this one is a must-see for the brave. 8 Eric’s Tales Of The Sea - Submariner tells salty stories that’ll have you on the edge of your seat. I didn’t expect to love this show so much, but I’m evangelical about it. 9 Dr. Professor Neal Portenza - A hilarious, anarchic Australian Fringe institution makes his Perth debut with lunatic quiz show. 10 Geraldine Quinn: Sunglasses At Night Knockout amazing cabaret performer in a show full of pretentious, cold war ‘80s pop. One for fans of so-bad-it’s-good music.
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BEADY EYE BE Here Now With their second album, BE, out now, Beady Eye will play the Big Day Out on Sunday, February 3, at Arena Joondalup. PETER HODGSON reports. One of the key slots on the Big Day Out is now occupied by Messrs. Liam Gallagher, Gem Archer, Andy Bell and Chris Sharrock – all former members of Oasis – along with former Kasabian guitarist, Jay Mehler. Sharrock’s mellifluous voice booms down the line from the other side of the world and under the shadow of the polar vortex to tell us he’s looking forward to the Big Day Out – his first time playing the festival. “I’ve heard a lot about it and it’s another one to cross off the list, I suppose,” the drummer says. “I can’t wait to get out there to a bit of warm weather. That’s the main thing. It’s the coldest of the cold here!” The band is, of course, aware of the swell of calls for them to be added to the line-up in place of Blur, and the poetic justice thereof. “Yeah! The response was amazing. It’ll be great to bring it to the Aussies because we didn’t get out there last time. It’ll be nice to see everyone.” Beady Eye’s latest album, BE, is a finely crafted mix of true band vibe and studio experimentation. In amongst the organic instruments and band chemistry you’ll hear samples, answering machine messages, music apps - the whole shebang. In a live setting the band tries to capture a little of the technicolour washes of the recording without losing sight of their roots as a true band.
“We try to make it sound like the album a bit but there are a few things. We don’t even call it experimental, to tell you the truth. It’s just music. But I think our poor keyboard player’s probably a bit overworked. But it kinda rocks more live, as most things do. CD players don’t really make you jump up and down like a live band will.”
“It’s a bit of both, really. We try to make it sound like the album a bit but there are a few things. We don’t even call it experimental, to tell you the truth. It’s just music. But I think our poor keyboard player’s probably a bit overworked. But it kinda rocks more live, as most things do. CD players don’t really make you jump up and down like a live band will.” While Sharrock is primarily known as a drummer, he’s an avid guitar fan – especially of AC/ DC’s Angus Young. “I saw AC/DC with Bon Scott on vocals at the Liverpool Empire and it blew me away,” he says. “That was cool. I think it was a few weeks before he died. It was at the height of the mod revival here and I was a mod who happened to like AC/DC, y’know? It’s not like now where everyone can like pretty much everything. I had to keep it quiet! There was a big chant of ‘We hate the mods! We hate the
GHOST Last seen on our shores as part of the 2013 Soundwave Festival, Ghost bring their heavy metal ‘rituals’ down under for this year’s Big Day Out at Arena Joondalup on Sunday, February 3. SHANE PINNEGAR tries to get a glimpse behind A Nameless Ghoul’s mask.
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They’re all funny, quirky guitars. Hey, I’m not bad for a drummer, y’know what I mean? Drums don’t turn me on as much. I mean, I’ve got some nice kits that I love, but guitars are easier to bring home from Europe or Australia. Do you think I’ll get any bargains in Australia?” Well, that’ll be tricky because all the secondhand stores have smartphones now but there are still bargains to be had. Britpop fans are in for a monster set of Beady Eye tracks (and a few choice Oasis cuts, with Morning Glory and Rock ‘N’ Roll Star performed last weekend at the Auckland BDO); Melbourne’s famed AC/DC landmarks (like Swanston Street and AC/DC Lane) might just be host to a famous tourist, and the second-hand guitar dealers of Australia might want to dust off those busted-ass old pawnshop prizes.
COSMIC PSYCHOS
Mixture-And-Mesh
Despite their skeletally face-painted lead singer, five anonymous ‘Nameless Ghouls’ in black robes and masks, and cheerfully sincere satanic lyrics and artwork, Ghost sound like Blue Oyster Cult meeting The Doors in a biker bar rather than a blood curdling extreme metal band. The challenge was on to find out what makes this six-piece from Linköping in southern Sweden tick. We kick off discussing their new If You Have Ghost EP, produced by Dave Grohl, an experience ‘the Guitarist Ghoul’ says “was very pleasurable, very inspiring, and very cheerful.” Ghoul goes on to explain that the band met the Foo Fighters singer/guitarist when both played on the same festival bill, and got to work together almost immediately. “It was very spontaneous and very quickly executed,” he explains in a calm, quiet voice quite reminiscent of actor Christoph Waltz. “We met, and one month later we were in the studio. We were lucky in the sense that our time schedules, for once, all of a sudden there was a little bit of a gap that coincided, and we had a very clear idea of what we wanted to do.” Balancing the dichotomy of the extreme metal Satanist image with the ‘70s hard rock vibe, Ghoul says the band members’ influences are wider ranging than most. “It is literally everything from ABBA to Venom,” he explains. “Most of it is classical rock to hardcore and metal, but also a lot of prog stuff, and alternative, avant garde sort of music, a lot of soundtrack music... everything from the big names like Pink Floyd and The Doors to really weird, eclectic, record-collecting stuff. And that mixture-and-mesh sort of makes our sound. “We are very pop culturally oriented, and interested in different medias including music and film and art and print and all sorts of aesthetic expressions. I think that Ghost is a very good outlet for all of those things.” Despite Ghost’s Satanic lyrics and imagery, Ghoul says they haven’t attracted an abundance of religious fanaticism in America.
mods!’ just before they came on!” Sharrock is also considering a bit of a second-hand store scrounge on the look-out for cheap vintage guitars – not the nice, $250,000 Gibson Les Paul kind of vintage guitars, but the junked-up, quirky, probably-made-from-kitchencountertop-material guitars that were pedalled to students back in the ‘50s and early ‘60s. “Just sort of cheap West German, European ‘60s things that are covered in dust, really,” Sharrock explains. “I’m not really into your Gretsch or Les Paul brigade – mainly because I can’t afford it but I don’t really like those guitars either. Give me a Futurama or a Framus!” This obsession with slightly off-beat early electrics goes back to when he was 14. “I got a Hofner violin and that sort of started me off.
Pure And Simple The Cosmic Psychos will hit up Big Day Out on Sunday, February 2, at Arena Joondalup. GARRATH WESTMORE reports.
“We are very pop culturally oriented, and interested in different medias including music and film and art and print and all sorts of aesthetic expressions. I think that Ghost is a very good outlet for all of those things.” “We have, but not to the extent that you might expect,” he states. “I think the only time that we sort of noticed it is when the whole burger thing came up,” he says, referencing the placing of a ‘The Ghost’ burger featuring goat shoulder and a communion wafer on the menu of a Chicago heavy metal-themed restaurant’s menu. Catholic institutions demanded it be removed, calling it tasteless. “As much as we’re here to provoke thought,” he continues, finally shining a crack of light onto their motivations, “we’re not here to provoke just to provoke - and I think that a lot of people that see us sort of understand that. That we are not eating shit onstage, we’re not just trying to fuck things up.”
For 30 years Ross Knight has stumbled through a music career with Aussie punk rock’s most debauched outfit, the Cosmic Psychos. These days, the Vic farmer made good seems unchanged by three decades of touring, partying and generally just being a menace. Buoyed by renewed interest thanks to the Matt Weston documentary, Cosmic Psychos: Blokes You Can Trust, he and the Psychos are back to belt it out at this year’s Big Day Out. Speaking about the documentary, Knight is as typically laconic and humorous as the doco and live performances would lead you to believe. “I told him not to waste his time and money,” says Knight when asked about his reaction to Weston’s desire to make a Cosmic Psychos film. “But Matty did a fine job. I thought, ‘if he wants to do it, that’s his business’. He did a great job of documenting what a bloody car crash the band has been the whole time.” And as far as ‘history of’ stories about bands go, there’s probably none more amusing, more loose and more surprising than that of the Cosmic Psychos. Knight, a country boy and farmer from Kyneton teamed up with guys just as rag tag as he was, and ended up finding fans not just in Australia, but over the world. It’s well publicised but worth mentioning nonetheless that guys like Nirvana, Pearl Jam and the Melvins were fans of the rough and tumble trio; their antics and attitude helping endear them to audiences worldwide; unpretentious songs about farming, road kill and hitting the pub a breath of fresh air for many. “I don’t think people had seen a band that really wasn’t serious,” Knight reflects. “We were basically three drunken clowns, and I think it appealed to a lot of people that we didn’t take the music too seriously. A lot of people who did take it seriously, especially locally, they didn’t like us at all. They thought we were taking the piss out of them… which we were.” Other people took them seriously though, after impressing in the States they were signed to Amphetamine Reptile Records and sent into the studio to record Blokes You Can Trust (1991) with none other than Nevermind producer, Butch Vig. “He is just such a good bloke,” Knight says of Vig. “When he heard me fire up the bass for the first time, he came running in saying, ‘what’s that fucking noise?!’ And from there we just got along so well.” Vig in Cosmic
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Psychos: Blokes You Can Trust recalls the sheer amount of beers consumed (a studio record of 50-something slabs) and the Psychos’ haphazard approach to recording. It seems that not too much has changed. “Everything’s pretty much spur of the moment, have a few beers, get the creative juices flowing and just have a sit ‘round, and a shit and giggle,” says Knight summing up a typical Cosmic Psychos recording session.
“I don’t think people had seen a band that really wasn’t serious,” Knight reflects. “We were basically three drunken clowns, and I think it appealed to a lot of people that we didn’t take the music too seriously. A lot of people who did take it seriously, especially locally, they didn’t like us at all. They thought we were taking the piss out of them… which we were.” The topic of beer ends up being a big one, despite the fact that we have a 30-year music career to discuss. The Cosmic Psychos are famed for their ability to consume the amber ale, their best-of was even called 15 Years, A Million Beers, not a bad estimate, according to Knight. And though the calculations to find the exact figure would probably be too difficult, he does estimate the Psychos have at least consumed a million dollars’ worth of free beer over the years. Despite being a hard nut, he doesn’t mind the Pure Blondes either. “If anything you can drink more of em’, light on the fizz, they don’t fill me up. I don’t mind ‘em, simple as that. I drink a lot of different beers, but if I’ve got work to do, I’ll drink a Pure Blonde. How’s that for an ad? “If I wanna leave room for a bloody Souvlaki at 3.30 in the morning from the Souvlaki King, well I can fit one in if I drink Pure Blondes.”
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MUSIC
VIEWS
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INTERVIEWS
SHARON JONES & THE DAPKINGS It Is What It Is Sharon Jones & The DapKings have just released a new album, Give The People What They Want. She speaks with JOSHUA KLOKE about her battle with cancer and the journey ahead from here. SHARON JONES - PIC: KYLE DEAN REINFORD
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STORIES
To say that it’s been a long road Sharon Jones has had to travel to get to the release of Give The People What They Want, her sixth album, would be an incredible understatement. It would be one thing to note that the esteemed soul singer did not release her first solo record until the age of 46. That fact would serve as testament enough to the drive Jones has employed throughout her career to not let her dreams perish. Yet when the now 57-year-old singer was diagnosed with bile duct cancer midway through 2013, many believed Jones had sung her last note onstage. Even Jones herself believed she could not be saved after receiving the original diagnosis. “There was no music on my mind,” she says of the time. “I didn’t sing throughout the summer while I was going through treatment.” While Give The People What They Want was nearly complete at the time of the diagnosis, the release was delayed to accommodate Jones and her health. With the record now set to be released, Jones admits that she feels “great” and that it was “upsetting” when the record wasn’t released as it was originally supposed to in August. Still, Jones has a long road ahead of her before she begins touring confidently full-time again and delivers the legendarily energetic live show she’s built a name for herself upon. “It’s going to be a happy new year, but I think I’ll only be really happy when my hair starts coming back and when my hands, face and nose stop showing the effects of the chemo. But until then it’ll be a struggle. “Every time I look at myself I feel a little better, though. It is what it is.” Jones sounded tired throughout our conversation and spoke often of the continuing treatment she’ll have to endure to beat the cancer and return to the stage. She spoke softly and answered questions in short bursts, parcelling the little energy she did have. For a woman whose power onstage emerges from a seemingly endless supply of raw soul, it was at times terrifying to hear Jones sound so close to defeat. I asked Jones if the new record and possible touring has afforded her a “new lease on life” though she wasn’t ready to agree with any grand, affirming statements. “I’m not excited just yet,” she replied. “In January when I’m able to start working out again and get back on the treadmill and start working my arms then I’ll know if I’m ready or not. But right now, honestly, it’s pretty scary. It is what it is. I have to be truthful to myself.” She repeated this phrase often throughout our conversation: “It is what it is,” as if she came to terms with the cancer much long ago. She utilises a sense of realism regarding the process of returning to the stage that only someone who has weathered many
other personal storms could. While the cancer may have been one of the worst blows her career has ever been delivered, Jones is still nothing if not incredibly honest. “I didn’t want to go back onstage but I need to let my fans see who I am,” she says. “This is me now. I want to think of my fans, that’s been a positive and that has kept me going.” Coming to terms with the cancer and actually beating it before continuing to sing are two different scenarios altogether. So much so that it became difficult for Jones herself to imagine getting back onstage. “What had to be done to my body, from my lungs to my gall bladder, it made it impossible to sing. It took months for me to even be able to eat right. I felt such pain trying to digest food.” Still, Jones sees hope.
Something hip hop is also somewhat unfortunately renowned for is mixed success in the live arena. Miller is coming to Australia for the Big Day Out (as well as east coast sideshows supporting Snoop Dogg) and he recognises the issues rappers face in front of large audiences. “There’s people that go out and just feel a lot of energy, which is great. If you listen to the audio back, yeah it might not be the best, listenable thing, but in the moment it’s awesome. So there’s time for that but then there’s also a place to perform and instead of people jumping around and going crazy they’re just kind of taking it all in. It’s all about the balance of both. You can’t only have people stand there and take it all in because that’s boring but you can’t only have people jump around because, what do they leave with?” Speaking of leaving, the trip down under will force Miller to depart from the domain of his studio, which he says has been a rare occasion of late. “Currently I have a bedroom and a studio separate and I haven’t slept in my bedroom for a couple of weeks. I’ve just been sleeping in the studio.” Given that he’s literally living in the studio, 2014 is set to be another highly productive year for
Miller. However, his studio addiction doesn’t always prove healthy. “There’s times when I’m obsessing over trying to finish something but I’m obviously out of juice and everyone in the room – if there’s anyone still in there – doesn’t know what to do because it’s obvious if I’d just gotten sleep I could’ve fixed it,” he reveals. Seemingly Miller is not exaggerating and is in fact addicted in the true sense of the word. Thankfully his unwavering persistence does eventually lead him on the right track. “Sometimes, like last night for instance, I worked on a song for like 10 hours and then at seven in the morning I decided I’d make another one. The first one was so hard to get down but the second one came right out and it ended up being better than the first.” Miller is only 21 and still has plenty of room to expand his artistry, so such voluminous experimentation should ultimately be to his benefit. However, he should probably gain some life experience outside of the studio, in order to inform his next release. “I think the next step for me is taking some time to step away and collect my thoughts,” he ponders, “do some living and then come back and see what I’ve got.”
“I actually thought this was going to be my last record. I thought I was going to die and I thought people would be sad about this record because it would be my last one. People might say, ‘This is her last album, blah blah blah’, and I didn’t want that.” “But now I’ve got just three more treatments and then I’ll be done,” she says, and the smile she likely has on the other end of the line is near palpable. Considering how long it took for the world to be turned onto the ferocious power of Sharon Jones, it should then come as no surprise that the drive she used to succeed has also helped her through her difficult struggles with cancer. No part of her wanted Give The People What They Want to be the last Sharon Jones offered the world. “I actually thought this was going to be my last record,” she says, frankly. “I thought I was going to die and I thought people would be sad about this record because it would be my last one. People might say, ‘This is her last album, blah blah blah’, and I didn’t want that.” And so, with a will as strong as the performances she’s become renowned for, Sharon Jones came to terms with the cancer and became determined to defeat it. And Give The People What They Want was waiting in the wings all along. It will serve as a powerful reminder of just how strong that will is. “For me,” she says, it’s a reminder that I’m not gone. I’m not dead.”
MAC MILLER Obsessive Impulsive Mac Miller performs at the Big Day Out on Sunday, February 2, at Arena Joondalup. AUGUSTUS WELBY checks in with him. 2013 was a big year for Pittsburgh native, Mac Miller. In addition to turning 21, the rapper released his second album, Watching Movies With The Sound Off. The release brought Miller a lot of new fans, notably gaining the favour of many critics who panned his 2011 debut, Blue Slide Park. What’s more, Miller switched coasts and recently bought a home in Los Angeles. “I’m going to sign with a notary right now to own a house, so things are good,” he reveals over the phone just before Christmas. The majority of the new album was actually recorded in Miller’s home studio setup. Having the ability to make music so freely has evidently boosted his skills as both a rapper and producer. “I’m constantly making music. It’s disturbing. It seems like all people that make music really work hard and blah blah blah, but it’s actually like a disturbing obsession,” he admits. No matter how disturbing it may be, his obsession is generating positive results. There’s a quite obvious shift from Blue Slide Park to Watching Movies. The first record was rather frivolous and adolescent, whereas the latest record sounds paranoid, dangerous and includes substantial self-reflective lyrics. “I think the more you work and the older you get, and the more you’re committed to what you’re doing, you just learn more about what it means to write a song,” Miller says about his artistic progression. Watching Movies With The Sound Off also features a number of big name collaborators, including guest vocalists Earl Sweatshirt on I’m Not Real (Earl produces a couple of songs too) and Schoolboy Q on Gees. Miller handled a large proportion of production himself but understandably
“I’m constantly making music. It’s disturbing. It seems like all people that make music really work hard and blah blah blah, but it’s actually like a disturbing obsession.” 16
he made room for Flying Lotus to work on SDS, Diplo on Goosebumpz, and Pharrell leant his unmistakeable touch to Objects In The Mirror. Despite working closely with these talented artists, Miller says he wasn’t tempted to imitate anyone. “As far as approaching a song, it’s something I kind of had to figure out all myself.” Right now the hip hop scene is dominated by rappers of a similar age to Mac Miller. For example, the Odd Future collective, Chance The Rapper and Kendrick Lamar are all in their early-mid 20s. Hip hop has always been youth culture and this generation of MCs are adding something particularly novel to the format. “I think right now’s just a special time. This generation I think is going to do something very special,” Miller agrees. Interestingly, rap music’s reputation for inciting testosterone-fuelled feuds has been largely avoided by the current crop of trendsetters. Indeed, Miller doesn’t perceive a negative competitive dynamic. “It’s awesome that everyone’s doing well. It makes you want to be better, but I tend to just compete with myself,” he muses.
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17
NEW NOISE
For more album reviews head to xpressmag.com.au
2
3
OUT OF 5
JAMES FOX HIGGINS
3
OUT OF 5
4
OUT OF 5
REVERSE POLARITIES
KRISTIE SMITH
OUT OF 5
I, SAID THE SPARROW
1975 Quick Brown Fox Music
On The Contrary Big Village Records
Bunny Boiler Independent
Deathpop MGM
The artwork proclaims ‘stereo recording, 33 ½ R.P.M’, and divides the tracks into Side A and Side B. The title track is called, in full, 1975 (Wish I Was There). The opening 15 seconds is the crackle of a needle being placed on a record. You get the idea; this is an exercise in nostalgia. The nostalgia here is for frothy disco, and how much you enjoy the album depends on how much of that nostalgia you share; Higgins displays no interest in altering the formula. Soul Train sounds like an airbrushed Off The Wall outtake, while the jazzy take on A Change Is Gonna Come scrubs away every iota of gravitas and dignity. It’s all too clean, too relentlessly competent – he attacks his material with all the passion of a polished wedding band. The strongest moment inevitably comes when the session pros step away and we are left with just a strong voice and a piano on Brother, There’s Still Time. The preposterously titled closer Voodoolicious sum it up - its funk should explode, but ends up sounding like someone having a decent party two doors down.
Politically charged and full of passion, Reverse Polarities display the positives of focussing on lyrical content more than catchy hooks and loaded choruses. Whilst it may be a tiring 18 tracks long, the band’s debut LP, On The Contrary, manages to maintain its intrigue by providing laid-back, influential instrumental beats within a diverse range of sounds. From the darker, eerie New Beginnings to the in-yourface, double-timed BOSS, the tracks feature a collection of themes ranging from desensitisation to violence, youth suicides, overworked employees and the status of refugees, to love songs. D.O.A is one of the stronger songs, exploring the theme of teenage road accidents; its lyrical content hits hard, combining the mixing of real life news announcements and police raids in its chorus and bridge. Despite its length, the LP is a solid listen that fails to provide any standout individual tracks you would play on repeat, or spend the next fortnight obsessing over. However, the quartet deserves strong appreciation and recognition for their passion and motivation to stand up and make a difference.
In the blurb accompanying its release, Kristie Smith describes this album as coming about ‘out of necessity’. One can see her point – Bunny Boiler is so candid, so direct and unselfconscious, you feel it has just escaped out of her, entirely free of her volition. The overriding emotion is one of disappointment – the sunny opener, 38, chronicles a let-down reunion with an old lover, and a similar sentiment pervades the gentle groove of Line And Sinking. It’s hardly the mewling of a victim, though. The agitated growl of Princess Is Toughening Up and the kiss off Arsehole Man Blues both stridently earn the ‘parental advisory’ sticker on the cover. It’s all a bit stuck on the mid tempo setting – the exception being the lovely, string led ballad Angel Boy – and you get the feeling a little more musical fire might have complimented withering put-downs of the lyrics. You can’t help but feel that an album so relentlessly about the sad difference between what we want and what we get shouldn’t be such an easy listen.
CHARLIE LEWIS
AARON BRYANS
It’s been worth the wait for Perth-born I, Said the Sparrow who, after two years, have finally released their debut LP, Deathpop, a body-moving, disco-rock album that pushes previous boundaries and exhibits a punchy and pumping genre. The album as a whole has its strengths and weaknesses, with its main problem being inconsistency. Tracks such as 043Hello and December provide killer riffs, strong synth fills and authoritative drumming; however, the choice of the underwhelming Kiss And Pretend as an introductory track is a poor decision. The first half of the album maintains its strength with chorus-oriented tracks Papercup and Lust, Love And Other Devils which feature strong lead guitar and highlight vocalist Sean Hendry’s edgy and unique voice. However, following the LPs best track, and the band’s first composition I’m A Villian And I’m Online; the remaining tracks fail to continue expectations. It’s clear that I, Said The Sparrow have the ability to compose some incredible music, and whether it takes them two years or a decade, the band will provide game-changing, memorable tracks that you won’t forget.
CHARLIE LEWIS
4.5
3
4
OUT OF 5
AARON BRYANS
OUT OF 5
OUT OF 5
3.5 OUT OF 5
GRASS HOUSE
KATY PERRY
RESONANCE PROJECT
A Sun Full And Drowning Marshall Teller Records
Prism Capitol/EMI
Tale Goes On EP Independent
ANTON FRANC
There are those pop stars that are happy to fit into the mould and play the music that radio insists, yet Katy Perry is one who prefers to break the rules. The preacher’s daughter was content to shock her family by kissing a girl and going one further in an ménage a trois during the song Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F). Her third record, Prism, is another step forward in the evolution of this pop princess. Perry is growing up in front of our eyes and recovering from real life disappointments such as a short-lived marriage to Russell Brand. Perry has a couple of fine assets that have no doubt assisted in her attention, with her voice being the most potent. Not as powerful as some of the current divas, she does possess an earthy rasp that sets her apart. Roar was deservedly flogged to death on radio and any other media imaginable. It may have a verse that delivers its melody by stealth, but the chorus is a modern pop revelation that refuses to leave your head even on the first listen. There are misfires in overblown Legendary Lovers and the overbleached rap of Dark Horse, yet when Perry rolls out the disco of Birthday or the subdued Double Rainbow she corners the mainstream pop market. Prism is far from Perry’s most consistent effort, though as always the high points are well worth more than a passing listen.
There’s something reassuring about Grass House’s debut – a quiet confidence that seeps through. This certitude seems a combination of the broad, honest Yorkshire accents, the off-centre subject matter, and that it sounds like Grass House has spent years honing this material when the band actually only formed in 2010. This culminates in a promising alt-rock record. There’s an interesting balance between the big, stadium rock with frontman Liam Palmer’s downbeat vocals. The lyrics are literary and speak of solitude and reflection; some are disturbingly frank, like in the bluesy Avocado Eyes: ‘my avocado eyes / they will roll to the back of my head / and my regardless tongue / it will run back down my neck’. It’s unexpected, a bit like the music itself, which has enough twists to keep you surprised. Palmer, in his northern English accent, serves up his lyrics wryly with a tone always bleak, sometimes bordering on morose; the effect is akin to Morrissey, Nick Cave or Tom Waits. Nature and the wilderness are recurrent themes for the band (even in their name). Their album artwork always features collages of mountains and hills. Two songs feature the word ‘wild’ in their names. There’s a feeling of grandness and openness, space and exploration. There’s also an Americana influence; Johnny Cash is clearly one, especially on And Now For The Wild where Palmer strings his dark lyrics in a knowing drawl.
Husband and wife team Donna and Graham Greene need no introduction in this town, their pedigree stretching back through outfits Flash Harry, Ice Tiger, Judgement Day, The Jac Dalton Band, Graham’s globally recognised solo career and more. Resonance Project is pure, unadulterated Greenery - unfettered by collaborating and compromising with bandmates, they have free rein to be themselves. Accordingly, it sounds gloriously huge as these two generals charge into battle side by side – Donna’s velveteen vocals (in a deeper register than we’ve heard them before) and Graham’s virtuoso axework, not to mention the wonderful songwriting. Musically, Resonance Project are a product of their experience and love, with one foot definitely in ‘80s-influenced hard rock a la Heart, especially on the opening title track. Tale Goes On is no retro throwback, though – Kings & Queens and Fire In Your Liberty is reminiscent of Within Temptation or Nightwish, though without so much symphonic elements, and The Dreamed resembles nothing more than a modern, female fronted Led Zeppelin crossing swords with latter-day Whitesnake. Lyrically, it’s all heart, soul and positivity, nodding back to Hendrix and Cream’s trippiness and looking forward to the next generation of heartfelt rockers with something good to say about the world.
CHRIS HAVERCROFT
CORAL HUCKSTEP
SHANE PINNEGAR
All This Talk Firestarter Distribution Folk pop quartet Anton Franc’s sophomore effort is a bustling, melodic effort in the vein of Fleet Foxes and Josh Pyke. It starts with the oppressively cheery Moments, which just about stands up under weight of the sunshine on its shoulders until a blast of sitcom sax hobbles it fatally. Considerably more interesting is the choppier waters of Dust Storm, a rumbling dark-eyed brooder which envelopes and hypnotises despite the oddly disconnected lyrics – the line ‘I’ve seen the blood of my people flowing’ begs the question - who exactly do Anton Franc consider their people? The song doesn’t answer. We then move through the bright, summery sing-along cuddle of Water And Blue and the meandering, quietly beautiful Boat Song. Best of all, we finish on Hearts, a blue-eyed country folk ballad which strikes the perfect bittersweet repose between the EP’s light and dark ends. CHARLIE LEWIS
4
OUT OF 5
3.5 OUT OF 5
3
2
OUT OF 5
OUT OF 5
You faintly suspect that The Date’s ambition is to be the band playing in some dive in the background of an old grindhouse biker movie that would eventually descend in a bar fight which they would gleefully score. From the murderous lovers on the run set to a Stonesy early ’70s riff on opener Let Me Drive, Sedated consistently marries messy, good time rock’n’roll to joyously dark sentiment. Scarify (key line ‘Know what I like / it’s a girl with a knife’) would almost be pretty if it weren’t so sinister and Kiss And Tell, in amongst its ‘Hell Yeah’ chorus warns against self-harm. In the less complicated corner are the scuzzily catchy I Don’t Mind (probably the album’s peak) and the grinning ode to band-related alcoholism, One For My Baby. Not being an especially diverse record, it perhaps runs out of steam towards the end – those wanting ballads, or impressive vocal range are advised to look elsewhere. But if you want a sinewy chunk of party music, or just need a soundtrack to your next bar fight, The Date will happily oblige.
Philadelphia trio Swearin’ don’t sound like the abrasive hard rocking band that their name implies. Sure they brandish guitars but they err more on the side of slacker rock than the darker tones of metal. Surfing Strange is their second album in as many years. Swearin’ are fronted by Allison Crutchfield, whose twin sister Katie also had a big 2013 with the release of her folk inspired Waxahatchee album. Between them the sisters have cornered the market on the cool ‘underground’ sounds. Swearin’ also benefit from Kyle Gilbride, who has an unencumbered tone that adds a fine point of difference to the more frenetic Crutchfield. There is a healthy dose of Superchunk and The Blake Babies in the approach of Swearin’ and the boy/girl ‘unrequited grudges’ aspect of the tunes is one of this youthful acts strengths. There is a whole lot of tunes here that make you want to knock the top off an ale and sing along at the top of your lungs. The final part of the album sees Swearin’ turn back towards their punk roots with the straight forward attack of Unwanted Place and Young to show that they haven’t totally grown up between records. Surfing Strange may not be breaking a whole lot of new ground - and at worst could be called derivative - but it sure is a great little listen. Surfing Strange is one of the surprise packets of late last year.
CHARLIE LEWIS
CHRIS HAVERCROFT
FÉFÉ THE DROWNING MEN All Of The Unknown Borstal Beat Records While Californian indie rock group The Drowning Men’s third LP, All Of The Unknown, features upbeat, easy-listening rock, the album overall leaves a lot to be desired, feeling predominantly like background music that’s just… there. That being said, the LP is still a fun collection of songs that can easily be chucked on during a nice Sunday drive or hammock session at home; it just isn’t anything monumental or unique. Lost In A Lullaby is a brilliant choice for opening track; with shades of Mumford & Sons, its upbeat tempo, constant snare hits and laid-back strumming provides a fun start to the 40-minute album. Following it is The Waltz, built on Nathan Bardeen’s vocals, which on first listen will remind you of Coldplay’s Chris Martin. The track features a darker vibe and a great blend of lead guitar and backing vocals. Other songs to look into are Smile and I Am The Beggar Man; however, don’t expect anything spectacular. AARON BRYANS 18
SWEARIN’ Surfing Strange Wichita/PIAS Australia
Le Charme des Premiers Jours Polydor
THE DATE
Before we start, for those of you who can’t take a hint, the album’s in French. Nearly all of it. If you can’t deal with that then you probably shouldn’t be reading album reviews about French/Nigerian hip hop artists named Féfé. Moving on... The nostalgia-themed album kicks off with Féfé’s thick Frankish inflections spat out over distorted guitar riffs in Lalala Song, propelled by a funky drum beat and simple, unassuming synth quavers. From there the album moves to brighter melodic lines and catchier song writing with tunes like Parodie and Nous. The tracks transition nicely between heavier rap numbers and lighter songs with pop-inspired choruses, creating momentum within the album – though a lack of variety outside this juxtaposition leaves the listener’s interest waning towards the second half. Tracks such as La Somme and Ailleurs feel like musical afterthoughts, lacking the conviction and coherence that characterises the album. Overall however, Le Charme des Premiers Jours is exceptionally well-written and a strong follow-up to 2009’s Jeune à la retraite. SHAUN CROWE
Sedated Independent
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SMOKEFREE WA SURVIVAL PERTH 2014 TIMETABLE 2:00pm - 2:30pm 2:30pm - 2:55pm 3:00pm - 3:25pm 3:30pm - 4:00pm 4:10pm - 4:50pm 5:00pm - 5:40pm 5:50pm - 6:35pm 6:45pm - 7:30pm
Opening Ceremony Lil Sparks & Static Crew Halo Dancers Elizabeth Gogos Jonathon Ford & The Balija Boys Theona Councillor Oz Island DJ Zeke
Now N No w a mainstay maiin ma inst stay tay ooff Australia Aust Au stra trali lia li a Day Day observances, observances obse ob bserv rvan ance cess T The he N he National ati at tiona ionall Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee’s (NAIDOC) Survival Concert serves to celebrate and strengthen indigenous culture by showcasing the best live music, as well as providing plenty of family-friendly fun and cultural activities. This years theme is ‘Celebrating The Songlines,’ and the musical lineup certainly does that. Headlined by indigenous rock reggae outfit, Oz Island, the day will also see performances from DJ Zeke, Theona Councillor, Johnny Ford And The Balja Boys, the Elizabeth Gogos Trio, Halo Dancers and Lil Sparks And Static Crew. Smokefree WA Surivival Perth takes place at the Supreme Court Gardens on Sunday, January 26, from 2pm. For more information, head to naidocperth.org. OZ ISLAND
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FILM
CUT A RUG WITH CHRISSIE
WHAT’S OPERA, DOC? West Australian Opera’s 2014 season is about to kick off, with the inaugural production being Giuseppi Verdi’s Otello. Drawing from Shakespeare’s Othello, this is an co-production with Cape Town Opera, New Zealand Opera, Opera Queensland, State Opera of South Australia and Victorian Opera. Further down the track we’ll be treated to productions of Tosca, The Magic Flute and Il Trovatore. For full details, point your browser at waopera.asn.au.
Chrissie Parrot Arts are presenting a truly impressive range of shows at Fringe World 2014, showcasing their newly refurbished Maylands exhibition and performance space at 4 Sussex Street. The season, entitled Summer Full Of Dreams and presented by Act Belong Commit, starts on Tuesday, February 4, with Rites, a work which mashes up basketball and contemporary dance within Stravinsky’s The Rites Of Spring, followed by The Man, which looks at the burdens of masculinity, from Thursday, February 6, until Sunday, February 9. All up, a total of nine shows and workshops will be presented, including free classes in contemporary dance and hip hop. For full details, head to chirssieparrottarts.com or fringeworld.com.au. The Man
Billionaire Boys’ Club
Otello
A SKETCHY CAUSE Dr Sketchy’s Anti-Art School are actually rather fond of the notion of having a Great Barrier Reef and so, to that end, they’re mounting a huge - and we mean huge - exhibition, Artists To Save The Great Barrier Reef. Starting in Perth but aiming to encompass as many cities across the globe as possible, Dr Sketchy’s will be displaying and touring all manner of art drawings, paintings, sculpture, video installations, you name it - to raise awareness of the current plans to dredge coal ports in the Reef, endangering one of the most fragile and unique ecosystems in the world. The call is out for any and all artists to contribute, so hit up drsketchyperth.com.au for more info.
PISSED PUPPETRY Nominally part of the comedy duo, Sammy J & Randy, Randy the purple puppet is flying solo this Fringe World, having ditched his fleshy partner in order to present the one-man (one-puppet?) show, Randy Is Sober. This acerbic, molecule-sharp hour of transgressive comedy runs at The Spiegeltent from Friday, January 24, until Monday, January 27. Head to fringeworld.com.au for bookings.
THE WOLF OF WALL STREET Directed by Martin Scorsese Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, Margot Robbie, Kyle Chandler, Jon Bernthal, Matthew McConaughy
A LOADED CHAMBER Upshaw, Elgar And Grieg is the Australian Chamber Orchestra’s first concert of the 2014 season. Presented as part of the Perth International Arts Festival, the performance sees Grammy Awardwinning soprano, Dawn Upshaw, join the Orchestra to perform Maria Schneider’s song cycle, Winter Morning Walks, amongst other selections. It takes place on Wednesday, February 19, at the Perth Concert Hall. Go to perthfestival.com.au for details and tickets. Dawn Upshaw
Martin Scorsese once again demonstrates to all and sundry How It’s Done in this adaptation of Jordan Belfort’s rags-to-riches-to-slightly-less-riches autobiography. Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio in fine, fearless form) wants one thing in life: to be rich. The film charts his rise through the convoluted world of Wall Street where, as Matthew McConaughy’s jaded, coke-snorting veteran broker tells us, no one knows anything and your only goal is to move money from your clients’ pockets to yours. Assembling a cadre of money-mad sales dogs - including Jonah Hill’s Donnie Azoff, one of the most indelible cinematic creations in recent memory - Belfort builds a financial empire based on selling penny stocks - near-worthless shares in tiny start-up companies - to workaday stiffs desperate to get rich quick. The truly ludicrous amount of money that Belfort gathers is accompanied by excesses and debauchery well beyond the usual - dwarf-tossing and hooker-dallying are the least of his indulgences and also the attentions of FBI Agent Patrick Denham
(Kyle Chandler), who is determined to bring Belfort and his crew down. We’ve seen this pattern before. Hell, we’ve seen it in previous Scorsese films. The difference here is the clear contempt that Scorsese and his screenwriter, Terrence Winter, have for their characters. Sure, we’re drawn into a world of incredible opulence and excess, where $26,000 lunches are the norm, private jets are as common as chauffeured cars and drugs and booze are on tap, but at the centre of this world of wealth are Belfort and his cronies, one of the biggest collections of unctuous, immature, crass and deluded losers as ever assembled. Sure, the film says, you can have all this, but the price is you to have to be one of these guys, and who in their right mind wants that? Many people, the film goes out of its way to point out. While it’s doubtful that Jordan Belfort will become a cultural icon on par with the namechecked Gordon Gekko (please, God, let me be right about that), the wealth-without-work dream is a tasty one. The thing to keep in mind is that the people who fall for it are Belfort’s victims, not his peers. We don’t spend any time with regular people who have lost their livelihoods because of Belfort’s misdeeds, but we don’t have to anyone who lived through the last handful of years knows the score. If all that sounds a bit on the heavy side, don’t sweat it - Scorsese’s verve and energy carry the movie along at a rapid clip, even though it clocks in at a hair under three hours. While Wolf stands as a furious indictment of greed in general and sales culture in particular, it’s also flat-out hilarious - DiCaprio deserves an Oscar for the Quaaludes scene alone. Funny and furious in equal measure, this is one of Scorsese’s finest. The old maestro better rethink his mooted retirement plans - we definitely need more cinema like this. TRAVIS JOHNSON
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47 RONIN Feudal Follies Directed by Carl Rinsch Starring Keanu Reeves, Hiroyuki Sanada, Rinko Kikuchi, Tadanobu Asano, Kou Shibasaki Japan’s national myth gets the Pirates Of The Caribbean treatment, eschewing fidelity to the source material for blood and thunder action, shaky CGI and muddled meditations on honour in this debut - and, let’s face it, probably final - feature film from commercial director, Carl Rinsch. In some cheerfully anachronistic part of Japan’s feudal period, the warrior retinue of Lord Asano (Min Tanaka) are reduced to the status of ronin - masterless samurai - when Asano is tricked and betrayed by the scheming Lord Kira (Tadanobu Asano, familiar from Ichi The Killer) and his evil witch/concubine Mizuki (Rinko Kikuchi, paying the bills). Not the sort to take this kind of thing lying down, the ronin - who number well over 47 and are led by Oishi (Hiroyuki Sanada) - plot their revenge. Along for the ride is Kai, a half English, half Japanese outcast who both loves Mika (Kou Shibasaki), Lord Asano’s daughter, and gives dumb people a white guy to root for. In all fairness, Reeves isn’t that bad, and his studied woodenness could be mistaken for bushido stoicism in the right light, but he’s symptomatic of everything that’s wrong with the film. A freewheeling, 22
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high fantasy, Japanese-set action epic could be wonderful, but this is a paint-by-numbers affair, numbly checking the boxes until the climactic battle and - spoilers for a centuries-old, world famous story - downer ending. There’s a whole subplot involving the ronin acquiring magic swords which is quickly jettisoned once they actually get their hands on them. In fact, pretty much all the fantasy elements could be dropped without affecting the story at all. Still, it’s not all bad. Some of the action sequences are inventive, the production design is great and, if you’re a fan of chambara flicks - as I certainly am - the promise of some hot samurai action will probably put your bum on the seat, anyway. Rinsch, a Ridley Scott protégé, draws not only from his mentor’s style guide but also, fittingly, from Kurosawa’s, particularly in his use of colour - there are tableuax that draw directly from Kagemusha and Ran. That aside, the only other thing that Kurosawa and Rinsch have in common is that they’re both bipeds, but it is a very pretty film. The most recent cinematic point of comparison is Disney’s megaflop The Lone Ranger, which 47 Ronin resembles not only in its ham-fisted execution, but also its bloated budget and dark rumblings of post-production fiddling by the studio (47 Ronin was shot back in 2011 - parent studio Universal spent a long time trying to salvage whatever Rinsch initially handed in). If your genre fetishism and your ability to stomach a white guy playing a character of another race - was strong enough to forgive that film its many problems, then you might find something to enjoy here. Otherwise, skip it. TRAVIS JOHNSON
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THE PAST Family History Directed by Asghar Farhadi Starring Berenice Bejo, Tahar Rahim, Ali Mosaffa From Oscar award wining director Asghar Farhadi (A Separation), The Past is a multi-layered examination of the motives of a dysfunctional family. After four years of separation Ahmad (Ali Mosaffa) returns to Paris to finalise his divorce to Marie (Berenice Bejo). He finds a family much changed by time. Not only is his ex-wife living with another man (Samir, played by Tahar Rahim), but their children are in a state of crisis, especially the oldest daughter, Lucie. As Ahmad attempts to calm the situation, events spiral out of control as family secrets are revealed and the past comes back to haunt them. Farhadi (as both writer and director) presents us with meticulously conceived characters, all haunted by their own ghosts of the past that are effecting their motivations in the present. Ahmad as an outsider acts as both catalyst for change and an investigator, as this film slowly peels back the layers of motivation and guilt held by each character, each revelation building and leading to the next. At times this seems almost as much a detective story as family drama, but it is thoroughly grounded in the real world, and the emotional impact is visceral. The Past is a film that constantly reminds you that it is not traditional Hollywood stock.
Structurally it is quite different and at times jarring in its shifting focus on characters, first primarily concentrating on Ahmad and moving to Samir in the later quarter of the film as revelations expose more of his past. Shot in the streets and suburbs of Paris, it is content to present a believable sense of place without resorting to tourist landmarks to do it. Nothing is particularly avant garde here, but it does demonstrate a nuanced approach, allowing for some surprises and a certain ambiguity to the final scene that is haunting. Ali Mosaffa’s Ahmad is a wonderful creation, being able to be a calm and gentle character without being prone to stasis, the character always seems to be actively doing something but at the same time almost zen like in his purpose. By contrast Marie (Berenice Bejo) seems prone to passion, caught between two men and three children, she is often exasperated by the complications in her life. Rahim in playing Samir manages to make the character almost enigmatic in the first half of the film and it is only later that we are able to read and understand him. However it is the children that give some of the most riveting performance, the young Fouad (Elyes Aguis) with his baleful glare, or the sullen Lucie (Pauline Burlet) with her burdensome secret. A compelling and intricate family drama, The Past takes time to slowly peel away the various layers to finally expose the truth. DAVID O’CONNELL
The Past screens as part of the Lotterywest Festival Films season at Somerville from January 22 February 2 and Joondalup Pines from February 4 - 9. For more details, head to perthfestival.com.au.
FILM
JACK RYAN: SHADOW RECRUIT From Russia With Love Directed by Kenneth Branagh Starring Chris Pine, Kevin Costner, Keira Knightley Welcome to the Clancyverse 2.0, where a shadow war is fought between intelligence organisations to further geopolitical influence and to keep America safe. This is the world of Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit. Since he first appeared on the big screen in 1990s The Hunt For Red October, the character of Jack Ryan has been through four different incarnations over the course of five movies (Harrison Ford being the only to date to reprise the role). Shadow Recruit represents a substantial reboot for the Jack Ryan franchise, being the first property not actually based on an existing novel penned by Tom Clancy. As such it uses the opportunity to go back to the beginning and tell for all intents and purposes an origin story, tweaked a little from the original material to reflect the post 9/11 world. After a brief prologue covering Jack Ryan’s (Chris Pine) inspiration and early career, we cut to Jack as an established intelligence officer (albeit early in his career) undercover in a bank to monitor the flow of finances to potential threats. What he uncovers is a plot by a former Russian military man turned business
high flyer, Victor Cherevin (Kenneth Branagh), to bring America to its knees. Analyst Jack Ryan must race against time in the unfamiliar environment of Moscow to stop this dastardly plot. Although this by no means hits the heady heights of The Hunt For Red October, there is a fair amount of fun to be had in this latest outing for Jack Ryan. Branagh, doing double duty as the villain of the piece and the director, manages to tick all the boxes here and brings you everything you could want in this sort of spy thriller. Car chases, elaborate breakins, running through dimly lit streets, close quarter gunfights in bathrooms, unlikely hacking - all the regular genre tropes are on display here without feeling clichéd. Chris Pine (Star Trek) is a good fit for Jack Ryan. Something about him seems perfectly suited to playing the all-American hero, and it is again on display here. He handles the demanding physical aspects of the role well in the choreographed fight scenes or action beats and even gets to play a bad boy in a bit of sparring against Branagh and Knightley as part of a ruse. Kevin Costner is once again in his comfort zone dispensing fatherly wisdom, although this time in the role of the mentor. Kenneth Branagh’s Victor Cherevin might possibly be the best Euro villain since Alan Rickman chewed scenery in Die Hard. It is an underplayed performance that brings the right combination of sympathy and menace to a monster straight from the Cold War. As an example of its genre, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit is remarkably competent without being pretentious. Entertaining and briskly paced, it should be able to breathe new life into a flagging franchise. DAVID O’CONNELL WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU
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MIDLANDIA LAUNCH Midlandia Thursday, January 16, 2014 Midland gets its own little piece of Fringe World fun in the form of Midlandia, which will play host to a range of fun and frenetic shows and performances over the next few weeks. The smiling faces we captured at last week’s launch attest that this newest experiment from the Fringe World crew is a welcome one. Photos by Bohdan Warchomij Jim, May, Natasha
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Gregoire, Theodore
Katharine, Kathie
Mark, Abby
May, Meagan
Natalia, Maree, Nicole
Nicole, Whitney
Ruby, Sara
Tomas, Lola
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of WA’s best young acting talents, Flood details the moral tribulations of a group of friends who have determined to bury a shared secret no matter what the cost. Presented as part of the Black Swan Lab, it runs until February 2. Go to bsstc.com.au for session times and tickets. The Illusionists: Crown Theatre Seven of the best magicians in the world have come together to craft a stage show unlike anything you’ve ever seen before. For one week only until January 26. Go to crownperth.com.au for more. Summer Nights: The Blue Room Theatre Presented as part of Fringe World 2013, this incredible program of theatre and dance runs from January 24 - February 22. 32 different shows will be presented, including Squidboy, She Was Probably Not A Robot, Gym & Tonic, Run Girl Run and more. Plus, there’ll be encore seasons of the great puppet show, Bruce, and the incredible allegorical play, Great White. Head to blueroom.org.au for further information. Hamlet: New Fortune Theatre, University Of Western Australia This new interation of Shakespeare’s most renowned tragedy takes place on the only replica Elizabethan/ Jacobean stage this side of the equator. It runs from January 31 - February 15. Book tickets at grads.org.au. Stonehenge Bouncy Castle, Perth International Arts Festival
VISUAL ARTS 140 ART: 140 Nationally recognised artists and local emerging talent both contribute to this temporary gallery project that runs until January 31. Andy Quilty, Phibs, Amok, Anya Brock, Pip McManus and more will use shopfronts and walls along Wellington, William and Murray Street as a canvas for an ambitious urban art project. Head to 140.com.au for further information.
Within These Walls: Wanneroo Library And Cultural Centre Gallery A free combined exhibition collated by the Wanneroo Museum and Art Collections, this innovative and quirky exhibition will showcase rarely seen artefacts from the Museum’s collection, juxtaposed and harmonised with art works from the city’s art collection. It runs until February 2. Visit wanneroo. wa.gov.au for more.
2013 Bankwest Art Prize: Bankwest Place The exhibition of all the finalist pieces for this prestigious annual award, including works by Rachel Coad, Penny Bovell, Susanna Castleden, Thea Constantino, Penny Coss, Jo Darbyshire and more, runs until March 3. Go to bankwest.com.au for more.
THEATRE/DANCE/ PERFORMANCE
A Private View - Modern Masters From The Kerry Stokes Collection: The Art Galley Of Western Australia 26 paintings drawn from one of the most significant private art collections in Australia, representing the major art movements of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It runs until March 3. Go to artgallery. wa.gov.au for further information.
The Deep: Spare Parts Puppet Theatre Adapted from Tim Winton’s acclaimed children’s book, The Deep is a family-friendly tale that contrasts the fear of the unknown with excitement and joy of discovery and new experiences. It runs until February 1. Head to sppt.asn.au for more. Flood: Studio Underground, State Theatre Centre Directed by Adam Mitchell and starring a plethora
The Rocky Horror Show: Crown Theatre It’s Time Warp time again when this 40th anniversary production of Richard O’Brien’s essential cult show rolls into town. Featuring Craig McLachlan as the irrepressible Dr Frank N. Furter, this is one of the must-see shows of the year! It runs from February 14 - March 9. Go to crownperth.com.au for details.
MUSIC
The Illusionists
Summerset Arts Festival The City Of Stirling’s annual arts celebration runs from January 24 - February 8 and encompasses a whole range of family-friendly activities, exhibitions, demonstrations and performances across a wide number of venues. Head to summersetartsfestival. com.au for more. Emergence Creative Festival A three day themed event based on “the currency of creativity,” this conference for creative professionals runs in Margaret River from February 19 - 24, with guests and speakers including PJ Bloom, Mark Herbert, Jonathan Kneebone and Eric Phu. Go to emergencecreative.com.au for further information. Perth International Arts Festival Perth’s biggest celebration of art, film, music, theatre, dance and culture runs from February 7 March 1. Head to 2014.perthfestival.com.au for the full program.
Otello: His Majesty’s Theatre The West Australian Opera presents Verdi’s masterful piece as part of the Perth International Arts Festival. Performances from February 4 - 11. Go to waopera. asn.au for more details.
Alliance Francaise French Film Festival 2014 So Frenchy, so chic! The greatest Gallic film festival is just over the horizon, once again bringing Perth cineastes the finest of filmic treats. It runs at Cinema Paradiso from March 18 - April 6. Go to affrenchfilmfestival.org for details.
FESTIVALS
To have your performance, exhibition or cultural event listed, get in touch via
Fringe World More than 450 shows across over 60 venues, encompassing traditional entertainment forms and the most outré, avant-garde live acts. It runs from January 24 until February 23. Go to fringeworld.com. au for the full programme and ticketing.
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FRINGE WORLD On The Edge For one short month the City Of Perth becomes a different place, as strange structures arise and a carnival atmosphere drifts into town. To those of us who enjoy our entertainment a little off kilter from the traditional, that delight in being shocked and amazed, that like to be titillated by the bawdy, swept away by the fantastic, or simply wish to see grown men dressed as pirates, it’s time to set foot into Fringe World. This is the third full Fringe World festival for Perth. It will see various shows take place at over 60 venues around the CBD and greater Perth area. Included in this, of course, is the return of the Urban Orchard, a popular venue to chill out and relax before, after, or during a performance and the spectacular structure of the Spiegeltent which will now be surrounded by its very own Pleasure Garden (that is a very promising combination of words). As the last Fringe World saw almost a quarter of a million people experience the various forms of entertainment on offer, 2014 has big boots to fill. As usual, Fringe World offers an eclectic range of shows covering a wide range of cabaret, circus, comedy, dance, film, multimedia, music, performance, theatre, visual arts, and community based events. With offerings for kids to grannies, it should have something for most age groups, and with topics as varied as Hitchcock to Halflings, mermaids to manscaping, divas to dirty talk, there is likely to be something for everyone’s peccadilloes. It kicks off on Friday, January 24, with a four day opening weekend that will see: mermaids return to the streets of Perth to freely tell their story to kids and adults alike in Mermaid Tales And Pirate Sails and frolic in the tank at The Fringe World Mermaids; people strutting to the sounds of silence as they wear their own headset on the dance floor, at the Silent Disco and the beginning of the Midnight Atari PONG! Championships (great to see this gladiatorial sport again getting the respect it deserves). Fringe wouldn’t be Fringe without a strong representation of cabaret, and this year sees the return of many of last year’s favourites, as well as a number of new acts. The opening night at The Spiegeltent sees both the operatic diva stylings of An Intimate Evening With DivaLicious, and the hysterically funny albeit somewhat risqué duo of EastEnd Cabaret
EastEnd Cabaret
with Dirty Talk. Later the programme we will see the return of last year’s Best Cabaret winner, Spanky, with both a reprisal of Candice McQueen: Nasty and a new piece, Dead Bitches. There will also be Burlesque (Oh Crumbs), Boylesque, an ‘80s Apocalypse Sing Along Cabaret, and LadyNerd, just to name a few. As for comedy, we will witness a man in a penguin suit touring the streets of Northbridge in 2014 When We Were Idiots, hear Rob Lloyd talk about his Doctor Who obsession in Who, Me, see how a puppet does “on the wagon” in Randy Is Sober, hear spine-tingling tales of comic suspense in Hitchcocked, and cheer a comedic cage fight in Chopper’s Big F**ken Late Show. As well as these openers, 2014 should see the best of Fringe comedy from the UK in the aptly named Aaaaaaaargh! It’s The Best Of Fringe Comedy From The UK, learn all about whisky in Alan Anderson: Whisky For Dafties, have a night of improv in A Night In Chicago, follow comedic heavy weight Fiona O’Loughlin in My Brilliant Career, or see if Paco Erhard Can Make You German. For music the weekend kicks off with the funk/reggae/world fusion of Ziggi And The New Generation at the Flying Scotsman, and Rachel Gorman and Billie Rogers at Midlandia for their Songs In The Suburbs. Throughout the festival we can look forward to string instrument Thunderdome in Classical Vs Jazz -The Ultimate Harp Battle, dance through time at the Hot Dub Time Machine, or just chill to The Swing Revue. If you are of a theatrical inclination, then Flood examines how far people are willing to go to protect their friends. Perhaps your preference for theatre is more for the dinner variety, in which case a dose of Basil in Fawlty Towers: The Dining Experience could be in order. Maybe a recount of hallucinogenic shamanic rituals with The Boat Goes Over The Mountain, or lo-fi sci-fi She Was Probably Not a Robot, or get a dose of punk history with Vicious Circles. There is also plenty of action under the Big Top with the likes of Carousels And Clotheslines, The Luna Circus Show, or The Four Stuntmen Of The Apocalypse. If performance that involves less acrobatic antics is your style , then perhaps the unpredictability of 600 Seconds, the true life tales of Barefaced Stories, or the Middle Earth mirth of Hairy Halflings. DAVID O’CONNELL
Fringe World runs at various locations throughout Perth from Friday, January 24, until Sunday, February 23. For tickets and details, head on over to fringeworld.com.au
FAST FRINGE FACTS Keen to catch something different at Fringe World? Try these:
Shameem
THE ART OF SOUL Answered by: Shameem. Michael Workman
AVE LORETTA Answered by: Michael Workman.
What’s it about? We’ll be combining original soul/ jazz music and live performance painting together, with a little inspirational story-telling on the side, to explore the struggles and joys of the human journey.
What’s it about? A successful musician returns to his home town to visit the grave of his muse. While there he reflects on life and the desolation of the suburbs. Also it has jokes.
What’s it like? Gotye and Kimbra’s Somebody That I Used To Know video clip, only with beautiful images (not just wonky triangles) and a painter who is painting live and in time to the music – artist Phil Doncon practically dances as he paints.
What’s it like? This show is a mash of the painful and the funny. Its like thumbing through the memories of a broken man. Did I mention it’s quite funny?
Come and see it if... ...you love visual art, you love introspective original music, you love soul music or jazz music, and/ or you love to be inspired!
Come and see this if... ...you’ve ever been afraid to be different.
For session times, locations and tickets, head to fringeworld.com.au. What’s it about? The show explores Australia’s relationship with gender expression - how we present ourselves as men and women, and what that means to us. What’s it like? The whole show is performed on treadmills, with the performers pushing themselves to the limit. It’s fast-paced, funny, and very sweaty. There’s a fairly high chance one of us will break an ankle at some point too.
RUN GIRL RUN Answered by: Tom Browne.
Come and see it if... ...you’re interested in gender, or would like to see three performers almost die of exhaustion live on stage. For session times, locations and tickets, head to fringeworld.com.au. WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU
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B E AT S
Georgia Anne Muldrow and Dudley Perkins are on a mission to raise human consciousness through funk. The couple explain their philosophy to JOSHUA HAYES ahead of their Australia Day show on Sunday, January 26 at Dave’s Cans, Many 6160 (aka Myre Rooftop, Fremantle).
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“We met many, many moons ago, during an eclipse or a hailstorm while being attacked by sharks” says Perkins, as they both laugh over a distorted phone line at their home in Las Vegas. “(Stones Throw Records founder) Peanut Butter Wolf actually introduced us. He wanted us to work together on a record. We ended up becoming boyfriend and girlfriend or man friend and lady friend before we even did any music, and we ended up being together and never separated since then. We’re on the same mission, you know? Bringing the vibration
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and the funk.” These musical missionaries will be joined this weekend by Lootpack’s DJ Romes and Cola & Jimmu - a collaboration between another musical couple, eclectic Finnish musician Jimi Tenor and American soul singer Nicole Willis. “I do a set, Georgia will do a set, DJ Romes will do a DJ set. It will probably be two hours of funk and enlightenment,” Perkins says. Muldrow was born to musical parents and studied jazz at The New School, New York along with the likes of Robert Glasper
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and Bilal. A gifted singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, she released her first album Olesi: Fragments Of An Earth on Stones Throw Records at the age of 22. Perkins, meanwhile, first emerged in the mid-’90s as the rapper Declaime, but is best known for the interstellar take on soul and funk music he’s released under his own name - in particular his two Madlib produced albums, 2003’s A Lil Light and 2006’s Expressions (2012 A.U.). CONTINUED ON PAGE 30
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Continued From Cover. A modern day George Clinton, Perkins explores the ills of the world in a delivery that falls somewhere between singing, rapping and preaching. However, while Muldrow’s music has attracted critical acclaim, his output has been more divisive. Perkins’ latest album, Dr. Stokley was released late last year to a mixed response, with much of the praise directed towards Muldrow’s production. “People who get it, it’s a welcome sound to their ears,” Perkins says of the response to Dr. Stokley. “But the ones that don’t get it, that’s like the devil accidentally walking in on God and God ain’t too happy with him at that time. “When you see press people writing bad things about the music saying, ‘oh this is bad, some of the worst music’, listen with an open heart - judge for yourself. Don’t listen to what media and what people are paid to tell you to like. Listen with your own heart and then you’ll understand a lot better what we’re doing, and then you’ll see the wool that’s been pulled over your eyes. Our music is to dance to. It’s rescue music.” Muldrow released her last solo album, the Madlib produced Seeds in 2012 to wide acclaim, drawing comparisons to the likes of Erykah Badu, and last year she put out a jazz record, Denderah, under her alias Jyoti (a name given to her by Alice Coltrane). Amongst the many projects she’s currently working on is her first rap album. “(I’ll be rapping) everything that’s on my mind and everything that I want to say… there’s not a lot of party rap on there. It’s going to be more of a black leather coat with a megaphone. That kind of rap,” Muldrow laughs. When asked to elaborate on their mission, Perkins explains: “Right now, a lot of the music that’s being played on the radio stations and shown on TV and promoted is at a very, very low frequency with human nature. And there’s no excuses for it, because music is actually a spiritual thing. Music is vibration and sound, which can actually affect your emotions and subconscious. Music was created at around the same time as math, so it has a very strong, powerful science to it. “Our job is to actually raise the vibration of sound. A lot of cats can do it but a lot of cats don’t have the opportunity and the means that me and Georgia have to release records, so we’re actually on a crusade to raise the vibration of sound, whether it be by us alone or with a few of our friends who actually understand what we’re doing with music. Music is very, very precious.
DONS OF D’N’B Kings of Kiwi drum’n’bass, The Upbeats and State Of Mind will all be under the one roof on Saturday, March 8 at Villa. The Upbeats’ take on bass music that’s 170 bpm plus, has seen them work alongside the likes of Ed Rush & Optical, Bad Company and Noisia, while State Of Mind not only have their own quality label, SOM Music (home to artists such as Black Sun Empire and Nymfo to name just a few) they’ll also be soon releasing their fourth album jointly on their own and Black Sun Empire’s label, Blackout. Support on the night comes from Vltrn, Illusive, Dvise and Eyes Down and get your tickets for this one via Moshtix. The Upbeats
Ani-K
VEGAS STYLEZ “We want everyone to be rest assured that we ain’t crazy, we ain’t on no drugs or anything. There’s a little marijuana, probably me, but not Georgia,” Perkins adds. “We are on a mission, an actual mission like The Blues Brothers... to let people know that music is a divine thing; it is a main nutrient... one of the main nutrients like the sun and like air and water.”
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OUT OF 5
Sydney electronic artist, Elizabeth Rose who won the 2013 SOYA award and an FBi Radio SMAC award for ‘Next Big Thing’ is heading out on tour to promote her new chart-topping self-titled EP, which features the singles, The Good Life and Sensibility. Joining her on tour is creator of that song, Listen To Soul, Listen To Blues aka Safia along with Sydney duo, Fishing. Catch them all at Amplifer on Friday, April 11 and Mojos on Saturday, April 12. Tickets on sale via Oztix.
Nina Las Vegas
Elizabeth Rose
BEHIND THE DECKS
ILLY Cinematic ONETWO/Warner
Review routine is thus forth - sync album to all devices, listen from start to finish on loud speakers; take it out for a spin on the iPod for the ‘in ear’ experience and then finish it off in the car. You should get a fair idea of where, when and how you want to hear said album again. However, UK duo Mark Rae and Steve Christian foiled my method a bit, waving the flag of diversity in the face of my ‘Random Disco and Songs for Sunday’ playlists, going straight to ‘Tunes to Sort’. Each track deserving its own thoughtful place spread throughout my playlists. Think Chillout Sessions with a smattering of soul, hip hop and heavier sound-scaping for a run along the beach. A clever engagement of guest vocalists including indie pop favourite Mark Foster (Foster The People) showing off his inner soul man on Happy, legendary scratch artist and hip hop producer Jazzy Jeff and Australia’s Agent 86 on Check The Technique, makes this album likeable to any ears with a broad taste looking for something new to add to your summer collection. I found myself jumping to Favourite Game featuring very intriguing vocals from UK artist, Jake Emlyn.
Illy’s fourth album Cinematic shows the Melbourne MC progressively grown as a rapper and sharpening his songwriting, backed by an epic soundtrack from M-Phazes who produces 10 of the album’s 13 songs. Highlights include single Youngbloods, a booming cover of Queensland hardcore act The Amity Affliction’s song featuring vocalist Ahren Stringer; and Tightrope - a triple j favourite in-themaking with a driving, pop-tinged M-Phazes beat and a ridiculously catchy hook courtesy of singer Kristina Miltiadou. Illy has some great rapping-forthe-sake-of-rapping collaborations with the Hilltop Hoods on Come Down (featuring a banger of a beat from upcoming producer Cam Bluff) and Drapht on YoYo. On the other side of the coin, he takes on his critics with the inspiring Talk and delivers a moving tribute to his mum and her battle with cancer on Am Yours. Cinematic is bookended by celebratory tracks with Opening Night kicking off the album and the penultimate title song - both larger-than-life tunes reflecting on Illy’s career. In the liner notes, Illy describes Cinematic as his “best whole album to date”, which is hard to argue with.
Your most exciting moment behind the decks? Playing Splendour last year between Jagwar Ma and Chet Faker was amazing.
BAD EZZY Describe your genre: Sophisticated club bangers, tasteful techno and hunky haus. How long have you been hosting Thursday Sunset on FBi Radio? Two and half years of fun times. What are your tools of the trade? Serato for DJing and Ableton/Maschine for production.
DANNY HOWELLS Balance 024 Balance Music/EMI Four years on from his last release, Danny Howells takes the wheel for Balance 024 and offers up a brooding journey through the shadows of the ambient house and the techno music spectrum. A veteran of the English underground, label boss and revered mix album producer, Howells compiles a two-disc 30
What’s on the cards for 2014? We’ve got some great guests coming up on the show in the coming weeks, plus supporting one of my all time fave producers (LA-based DJ/producer) Kingdom in February. Bad Ezzy is a judge for heat two of the Bedroom To Big House DJ comp this Friday January 24 at Metropolis Fremantle.
SALT NIGHTS OUT
some tunes, but be warned it does warm up to a bit of a dance frenzy. Expect to hear: Get there early and you can expect old school reggae classics then progressing into new one drop style reggae. There’s a guest DJ with a little mix-up until we reach the last hour or so where it’s dancehall time - modern Jamaican urban dance music with a dash of reggae.
JOSHUA HAYES
collection of tracks from artists including Jamie xx, Will Saul, The Mole and Jagwar Ma. Flowing through his favoured genres of techno and progressive house while emphasising minimalism, the record has a personal value to Howells. Constructing the track-list and creative direction while at Glastonbury this year, he has carefully designed a sequence of tracks to meld together seamlessly. The timing of transitions from one rhythm to the next is excellent, with The Mole’s funk-driven beat on A Daily Affair merging into Joakim’s synth-led Another Light on disc one as if it was always meant to do so. A recurring theme of techno drum patterns blending with trance leads serves to facilitate a rising and falling of mood again and again as each new track takes over. A master of the format, Howells provides a release evocative of Balance’s reputation for timeless underground beats and reveals subtle, interesting turns around every corner.
Raddest DJ trick? I do a mean rewind.
Favourite new track? Jubilee’s new EP on Mixpak and the whole Beyonce album.
SIMONE HARLE
OUT OF 5
Where do you source new music from? Loads of promo’s, friends new productions, Boomkat, a few of my fave US radio stations for new rap, Rinse FM, Boiler Room and the good folks at FBi Radio. What’s the weirdest tune you’ve ever played? Erm there are actually too many.
Mercury Rising Late Night Music/Balance Music/EMI
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NEXT BIG THING
Nina Las Vegas - DJ and presenter of triple j’s House Party and Mix Up Exclusives, is putting on some parties around the country, which stops in at Metropolis Fremantle on Friday, February 28. For the last 18 months, Nina Las Vegas has toured and worked with the likes of Flume, Diplo, Azelia Banks, The Presets, Ta-Ku and Flight Facilities and played some of Australia’s biggest festivals including Splendour In The Grass, Big Day Out and Stereosonic. Catch her along with Motez, LDRU and Sable.
OUT OF 5
RAE & CHRISTIAN
PRE-TEEN POP 11-year-old MLC student, Ani-K has teamed up with Perth-based rapper, Crisis Mr. Swagger. He’s now her manager, label boss and producer and her first pop single, Holiday was dropped yesterday. Ani-K started singing at the age of four apparently. The first song she ever performed was Somewhere Over The Rainbow by Judy Garland, which was recorded by her mother and posted on YouTube (as one does these days). The new single is all about “Ani celebrating the summer holidays with her school mates at the beach” and it’s available on iTunes.
Answered by Mumma Trees and Sista Che
Next lineup: It’s an extra special one for January 25 as it’s our Aussie Day lineup with an all Australian (or as close to it as it gets) lineup featuring DJ Cutnice, General Justice and Mumma Trees and Sista Che aka The Empressions - Australia’s first ladies of dancehall.
When: Every Saturday night at Bar Orient 39, Fremantle from 8pm till 1am.
Cool stuff: Drinks are cheap! There’s often a free reggae mixtape to be had and special events popping up all the time.
THE REGGAE CLUB
Ethos: It’s a dedicated Reggae Club, so a place to experience old and new reggae and reggae relatives. The crowd is a beautiful mix of people from different places and ages with a common love or interest in reggae music. We would say it’s a pretty friendly club, early on it’s a good place to catch up with friends (or meet new ones) and hear
TOM KITSON WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU
You should attend if...: You’re ready to get your reggae on! The Reggae Club is happening this Saturday, January 25 at Bar Orient. The Empressions
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MARK KNIGHT 10 Years Of Dance As a record label boss, renowned house producer and a father, Mark Knight has a lot on his plate. TOM KITSON spoke to the laidback Englishman about what the future holds after a decade in the business and in prelude to a Toolroom Knights session at The Deen on Saturday, January 25.
DANNY DAZE Rave Haze The Collective at Malt Supper Club gets back into the swing of things this week with a visit from the Berlin-based, US producer, Danny Daze on Thursday, January 23. He fills TOM KITSON in about life behind the decks. Backing up a big New Year’s Eve show in Miami, Danny Daze aka Daniel Gomez is embarking on a five date Australian tour, before releasing his new classic rave and techno inspired Silicon EP. “I have absolutely no clue how to describe the EP,” he says, which has been released on Jimmy Edgar’s Ultramajic label. “It’s definitely electro influenced and very rave. Lately I’ve been influenced by older record labels like Kombination Research and Spiel-Zeug. “I’m not going as hard as the tracks that came out on those labels, but I have been listening to some of my older collection in order to remind myself what it was that I used to like about them. I’m really noticing how simple the music was back then, but how it worked so well on the dancefloor.” In 2013 Gomez was selected for a BBC Radio 1 Essential Mix, something he recognises as a career highlight. “It was massive honour to be able to do one,” he says. “Listening to the series for more than
10 years, I’m still surprised my name is stamped to it! The main goal of the mix was to show where I come from with lots of different vibes in the mix and it’s a pretty good indication of how I play at clubs.” As a rare record-collecting teen, Gomez became obsessed by the music he was finding and was soon spinning them for his friends at house parties. A fan of using analogue equipment and hardware in the studio coupled with software programs, Gomez finds himself constantly returning to his roots and the beginnings of techno itself, for motivation and new ideas. “I’ve produced drum’n’bass records, ambient records and even some trance-sounding crap that won’t ever come out,” he laughs. “It releases new ideas though and helps you constantly evolve, even if that means going back to what you were doing 10 years ago.” A fast paced and energetic DJ, Gomez likes to use short versions of tracks as linking elements in his set and believes punters shouldn’t want to leave at the end of the night. “According to pictures, I sweat like a pig behind those decks,” he says. “I feel when someone leaves the club they should be freaking out because they heard music they probably won’t hear again until next time they hear that particular DJ.” Saying he tends to neglect the preparation side of performing in favour of going with flow of the crowd, Gomez has been dropping Italo-disco records from artists likes Alexander Robotnick. “When it comes to knowing about the music, I’ve just always been obsessed with things that have deep roots,” he explains. “Techno is back to the core; simple, grime-y, DIY music. I think people are going back to the roots and staying simple.”
Performing across multiple continents in the space of eight days is all part of the holiday season for Toolroom Records founder Mark Knight, and despite being a dance music veteran, he’s always excited by the next challenge. “Doing so many shows in such a short period gives you a great opportunity to test new music,” he explains. “You can play something out and then keep tweaking it and within a week, you’ve really refined it.” 2014 marks a decade of Toolroom Records being a vehicle for some of the world’s best house and electro producers, as well as its associated club night running on dance floors from Miami to Ibiza and well, this week, Perth. The label’s key focus, despite a starstudded roster including Benny Benassi, Fedde le Grand and Wolfgang Gartner, is to seek out new talent and continue pushing the EDM envelope. “I think you really need to be passionate about your music,” he says. “It’s not something transparent or soulless that I do just to make money, I’ve tried to stay true to what I feel is right. The key thing about making music is having a great idea as it’s such a blank canvas.” Following the explosion of popular dance music in the US, Knight believes there is potential to be tapped into despite such a large volume of commercially targeted releases. “Some music coming out in the EDM scene is not brilliant, but it is attracting a new generation of fans and producers,” he says. “Some producers are targeting the lowest common denominator and making really cliché music which is a shame, but hopefully people getting into it can dig further
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and gravitate towards something a little more sophisticated.” Producing pop music and ghost writing is another exploit Knight takes on, as well as churning out remixes like his latest bouncy house re-work of Chris Malinchak’s If U Got It, and maintaining a tight tour schedule. “I think just getting on your computer and always writing the same thing gets a bit stale and affects your production, so it’s good to try different exercises and test yourself across different areas.” Working with Ministry Of Sound has been a significant career move with Knight’s tune Party Animal featuring on The Annual compilation and Knight himself playing sets at the renowned venue in London. “The Ministry Of Sound Club is just up the road from where I live,” he says. “I was listening to hip hop in the early ‘90s and not giving dance music a chance, but then I went to Ministry Of Sound, was just seduced by it and have tried to stay true to that feeling since.”
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AMPLIFIER Academy BAR 120 Lady Lauryn THE BIRD Tw!st Blind Tiger Jonathan Toubin BRASS MONKEY Vicktor CAPITOL (UPSTAIRS) Harlem Wednesdays CLUB RED SEA Cheek GOLD BAR Famous GROOVE BAR (CROWN) 5 Shots LEEDERVILLE HOTEL DJ Reuben DJ Johni Boi Ben Renna LLAMA BAR Akuna Club Lancelot THE GRAND FiveO METRO FREO Next Gen MUSTANG BAR DJ James MacArthur NEWPORT HOTEL Newport Wednesdays SOVEREIGN ARMS Britty THE VILLAGE BAR Village People Wednesdays
CONNECTIONS Bingay THE CRAFTSMAN FiveO THE COLLECTIVE The Collective Danny Daze EVE NIGHTCLUB Retro Thursdays ft. EVE DJ Team GOLD BAR OG Thursdays GROOVE BAR (CROWN) Decoy KALAMUNDA Grizzly LEISURE INN DJ Peta NEWPORT HOTEL Tiki Bar Open Mic Night FRI 24/01 AMPLIFIER Fridays Are Back THE AVENUE DJ Lokie Shaw THE AVIARY Micah Andrei Maz George Air THE BAYSWATER Mario Zuli THE BEAT (DOWNSTAIRS) PLAY
Jaguar Skills - Sun, Jan 26 @ Parker
THE BRASS MONKEY Vicktor & James Ess THE BRIGHTON DJ Peta CAPITOL Capitol Fridays ft. DJ Roger Smart CAPITOL (UPSTAIRS) I Love 80’s & 90’s THE CARINE Jimmy Beats THE CAUSEWAY Acoustic Sundowner
THE COMO Philly Blunt THE CRAFTSMAN Dazman DAILY PLANET Sundowner Sessions THE DEEN Student Night EVE NIGHTCLUB Recharge Fridays FLAWLESS Monarch Fridays FLYRITE This Is R.A.D GEISHA Kolombo
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GINGER NIGHTCLUB Mondos “Feel Good” Dance Party GOLD BAR Fox Friday THE GOOD SHEPHERD Throwback GROOVE BAR (CROWN) DJ Crazy Craig THE HIGHWAY HOTEL Crackers LAKERS TAVERN Grizzly LEISURE INN Mel Burns LIBRARY Sneaky MALT (nu disco, hip hop) MUSTANG BAR Swing DJ DJ James MacArthur METRO CITY London Elektricity/ Memtrix MY PLACE Karaoke PARAMOUNT Friday Nights THE QUEENS Reuben THE SAINT Garrison SOVEREIGN ARMS Ang3l THE WHALE & ALE Byron O’Neill SAT 25/01
THURS 23/01
THE CAUSEWAY Xport Thursdays CLUB RED SEA Thursday Night Revolution
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MY PLACE
THE SHED
BAR DE HALCYON
WED 22/01
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Laidback Luke - Sun, Jan 26 @ Club Paradiso Australia Day, Salt On The Beach
AVENUE Lokie Shaw THE AVIARY Micah Troy Division NDORSE
Memtrix - Fri, Jan 24 @ Heavyweight Soundz, Metro City
THE BALMORAL Back To The 80’s BAR ORIENT The Reggae Club BEAT NIGHTCLUB (UPSTAIRS) CANVAS BEAT NIGHTCLUB (DOWNSTAIRS) Big Kidz THE BIRD Henry Gillett Lanng Prince Ali EC & RW BRASS MONKEY DJ Peta & Jordan Scott THE BRIGHTON Miss Chief C5 METRO FREO I Love 80s & 90s CAPITOL Death Disco CAPITOL (UPSTAIRS) Cream of the 80s ft. DJ Roger Smart THE CAUSEWAY House Party THE COMO Jay Lee Lloyd
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THE CORNERSTONE Byron O’Neill DAVE’S CANS Scenic Leon Osborn Nora Zion Atripat THE DEEN Mark Knight Jason Stone Ben Yong Green George Gav Trotter Ace Basic EAST END BAR Home FLAWLESS LQ Saturdays GOLD BAR Pure Gold THE GOOD SHEPHERD Chocolate Jesus GROOVE BAR (CROWN) Hero DJs LEEDERVILLE HOTEL (DOWNSTAIRS) Under The Arena Party LOST SOCIETY Chalk
Pearson Sound
Ben UFO & Pearson Sound SATURDAY, JANUARY 25 @ HELLENIC CLUB
MY PLACE DJ Pinkham, DJ Mavoc NEWPORT HOTEL Gravity Tahli Jade PARKER Parker Saturdays PARAMOUNT Saturday Nights THE QUEENS Kenny L THE SAINT Crackers SOVEREIGN ARMS Sonny WOLF LANE Nick Sheppard FDEL THE WEMBLEY HOTEL Jon Ee YAYA’S Arcadia All Nighter
SUN 26/01
THE AVIARY Troy Division Ben Sebastian THE BRIGHTON Squinty THE CAPTAIN STIRLING Lokie Shaw LAKERS TAVERN River Milnes NEWPORT Triple J Hottest 100 Party DJ Mr Phat ROSEMOUNT HOTEL The Get Down THE SAINT Crackers Jon Ee Az-T THE SODA LOUNGE 3 Filia
THE QUEENS Australia Day Beach Party DCUP Micah Tom Drummond Reuben George Green Jon Ee Az-T MON 27/01
MUSTANG BAR Triple Shots THE ROSEMOUNT HOTEL Bada Bingo! TUES 28/01
THE BIRD The Bird’s Open Mic Night MUSTANG BAR Danza Loca Salsa Night
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
THE COURT
MONARCH - 1ST BIRTHDAY @ VILLA
THIS WEEK JONATHAN TOUBIN 22 The Bird DANNY DAZE 23 The Collective @ Malt HEAVYWEIGHT SOUNDZ ft. London Elektricity, Memtrix, MC Wrec 24 Metro City MAX VANGELI 24 Villa JESSE ROSE 24 Geisha
MOBILEE SESSION ft. Pan-Pot 27 Next Generation Kings Park Rooftop AVICII 27 Perth Arena
JANUARY OKA 30 Mojos 31 Indi Bar HIMANSHU SURI 31 Dave’s Cans HANNAH WANTS 31 Parker BENNY ILL 31 Flyrite
MARC KINCHEN 7 Geisha
AUSTRA 17 Chevron Festival Gardens
FUTURE MUSIC FESTIVAL ft. Deadmau5/ Macklemore & Ryan Lewis/ Phoenix/ Hardwell & more 2 Arena Joondalup
DJ FOOD, DJ CHEEBA, DJ MONEYSHOT 18 Chevron Festival Gardens
GOOD LIFE ft. Deadmau5/ Macklemore & Ryan Lewis/ Hardwell & more 3 Arena Joondalup
BORGORE 8 Villa
THE PARTYSQUAD 19 Newport Hotel
SUMMER CONCERT #3 ft. Naik & Mathas 9 Weld Square
THE KITE STRING TANGLE & KILTER 19 Mojos 20 Flyrite
HANDPICKED ft. Ta-Ku, Ryan Hemsworth, Flying Lotus 7 Fremantle Arts Centre
DVS1 9 The Court
CASSY BRITTON 21 The Factory
100 MILLION NIGHTS 11 Chevron Festival Gardens
SKREAM 22 Villa
ST JEROME’S LANEWAY FESTIVAL ft. Cashmere Cat/ Earl Sweatshirt/ Four Tet/ Jamie XX 8 Esplanade Park & West End, Fremantle
MIDLANDIA FRINGE 24 to Feb 9 Midland
FEBRUARY THE LUCID DREAMING BOAT PARTY 1 Carnac Island
SAM PERRY’S THE WORLD IS 24 Midlandia
DILLON FRANCIS 1 Shape
BEN UFO & PEARSON SOUND 25 Hellenic Club
PROGRESS INN, D-SENS & DREWAN 1 Matches Lounge
LADI6 & HOME BREW 13 Chevron Festival Gardens
MARK KNIGHT 25 The Deen
OKA 1 Settlers Tavern, Margaret River 2 Mojos
MIGUEL MIGS 14 Geisha
TOMAS FORD’S ELECTRIC CABARET 25 Midlandia CLUB PARADISO AUSTRALIA DAY ft. Laidback Luke, Helena & more 26 Salt On The Beach HIGHERPLANES ft. Geogia Anne Muldrow & Dudley Perkins, Cola & Jimmu & more 26 Dave’s Cans JAGUAR SKILLS 26 Parker AUSTRALIA DAY BEACH PARTY ft. DCUP, Micah, Tom Drummond, Reuben, George Green, Jon Ee and Az-T 26 The Queens
BORN ELECTRIC ft. James Zabiela, Catz n Dogz, Drew Hill & Pedestrian 2 The Court MR TIES 2 The Bird SAM PERRY’S THE WORLD IS 5-9 Noodle Palace TOMAS FORD’S ELECTRIC CABARET 5-23 Noodle Palace
THE PROM ft. Chela & more 14 Rooftop Movies JONO FERNANDEZ 14 Limelite @ Parker DJEMBA DJEMBA & DJ HOODBOI 15 Dave’s Cans MARLO 15 Metro City MIAMI HORROR 15 Amplifier
ALICE RUSSELL 6 & 7 Chevron Festival Gardens
DJ SHADOW 15 Chevron Festival Gardens
ANIME EDGE & DANCE 7 Parker Nightclub
DJEMBA DJEMBA & DJ HOODBOI 15 Dave’s Cans
TRIPPY TURTLE 7 Gilkison Dance Studio
EBONY BONES 16 Chevron Festival Gardens
ROOFTOP PARTY ft. Sonny Fodera 16 Bob’s Bar
SPEEKEASY ft. Wave Racer/ Basenji/ Sable 22 Gilkisons Dance Studio THE ASTON SHUFFLE 23 secret show ROBERT GLASPER EXPERIMENT ft. Roy Ayers 27 Chevron Festival Gardens PUBLIC ENEMY 28 Chevron Festival Gardens OLIVER TANK 28 The Bakery AUSTRALASIAN BEATMAKER INVITATIONAL 28 The Rosemount NINA LAS VEGAS, MOTEZ & more 28 Metropolis Fremantle
MARCH KERSER w/ DJ Dazastah, Bitter Belief, Complete & Omac 1 Metro City
DERRICK CARTER 7 Geisha THE UPBEATS & STATE OF MIND 8 Villa GOLD PANDA 9 The Bakery MOVE D 14 Geisha ILLY 21 Capitol BATHS 23 The Bakery JURASSIC 5 28 Metro City MINISTRY OF SOUND CLUBBERS GUIDE TO 2014 ft. Ember & Joel Fletcher 29 Villa
APRIL VENGEANCE 4 Ambar
A$AP FERG 5 The Bakery NEKO PLANET April 9 The Bakery ELIZABETH ROSE, SAFIA, FISHING 11 Amplifier 12 Mojos MAY ELLIE GOULDING May 28 Challenge Stadium
METROPOLIS FREMANTLE
JUAN ATKINS Juan In A Million Milanov, Allstate, Craig Hollywood The Court Sunday, January 19, 2014 When it comes to true techno pioneers, there are few bigger than Juan Atkins. Part of the holy trinity of Detroit techno alongside Derrick May and Kevin Saunderson, Atkins played an integral part in the evolution of the genre. It’s been a long while since Atkins has visited Perth. A cancelled Australian tour last year didn’t include Perth on the itinerary, so it was perhaps fortuitous he rescheduled. It’s a busy time of year on the gig front, so this may have been the reason for a smaller crowd than you might expect for such a legend, but it made for a relaxed, intimate Sunday Session outdoors. Milanov kicked things off from 4pm, though many punters were still hiding from the heat or down at the beach, but for those present it was a solid set of deep, heavy tech and house sounds. By the time Allstate stepped up, numbers had swelled substantially and the lad dropped a pitch perfect selection of classics and ‘90s gems that built the vibe nicely, though most folks were happy to lounge about while enjoying the tunes. With little fanfare Juan Atkins took control of the decks around seven, encouraging a small group of excited dancers. Atkins read the vibe, dropping some smooth, infectious grooves and slowly others moved forwards to join in. With so much focus on the UK and German scene, you don’t hear that classic techno sound of yesteryear often these days. There’s nothing minimal about it - it’s a more rudimental combination of mechanical percussion, driving rhythms and spacey synths. Not one to showboat, Atkins was very placid behind the decks. He kept a constant pace with a very natural style of mixing, never staying on one track for long. The evergreen veteran, at 51, could easily pass for a man much younger, though with little light on the booth in front of a black backdrop, his blue and white striped Adidas shirt was about all you could see as he methodically went about his work. As it approached eight and darkness descended, there was a tangible positive atmosphere, and Juan subtlety raised the tempo, moving into harder territory, with frenetic beats and sweeping synths, dropping old school gems like Underground Resistance’s Hi Tech Jazz. The funky groove of Peace Division’s What Is This Sound with its familiar spoken sample filtering through the mix: ‘some of the tracks were slammin’ hard, others were dreamy. This music makes me feel free’, summed things up perfectly. For the last half hour he moved into some
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Juan Atkins. Photo by Michael Caves
crowd pleasing numbers - Crystal Waters’ Gypsy Woman went down a treat, before referencing his ‘70s disco influences, dropping certified classics - Giorgio Moroder’s Chase and Cerrone’s Supernature. While some may have preferred him to keep it techier and rawer, it seemed to suit the space more and was a fun way to bring it home. To close his set Atkins chose the timeless brilliance of New Order’s Blue Monday - a track that never fails to excite a crowd. Luckily Craig Hollywood was on hand for those who had been craving something a bit harder all night. Getting straight into it with the storming Carl Craig C2 remix of Faze Action’s In The Trees, it was a relentless set from Perth’s ‘Best Techno DJ’, tearing through tracks like Benjamin Damage’s 010x and Velocity Funk by E-Dancer. A top night all round for techno connoisseurs. ALFRED GORMAN
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YO U R G U I D E T O T H E A U S T R A L I A D AY W E E K E N D
QUEENS BEACH This Australia Day the Queens Hotel are transforming their car park into Scarborough Beach with Perth’s leading DJs pumping out the sounds of summer. Headlining the day is mega guest D Cup, with able support from Micah, Tom Drummond, Reuben, Jon Ee, AZ T, George Green and Sam Spencer. Wear your bathers to the Queens Beach and enjoy a day of beers, ciders, ginger beer, wood fire pizza, fish and chips and icecream! Tickets are $30 (18+ only) available from Moshtix and the Queens.
With comedy season in full swing with Australia’s largest and most prestigious open mic comedy competition Raw Comedy kicking off in early January, the Causeway Bar in Victoria Park has opened its doors and will host a special season of stand-up comedy, every Wednesday until March 26. This Wednesday, January 22, will feature Australia’s favourite bloke, Chris Franklin, on MC duties. There’s $15 Pint & Pizza Specials between 7-8pm. It’s $5 entry (show 8.30-10.30pm) at the Causeway Bar, 243 Albany Hwy, Victoria Park.
This 2014 Australia Day weekend, The Deen welcomes Toolroom Records head honcho Mark Knight (UK) for an exclusive session featuring many of the classics from his world-respected label. The Perth event on Saturday, January 25, will take over The Deen for a night-long celebration (9pm - 2am), with a host of special guests. Head to Moshtix.com. au to book now!
D Cup, Queens Australia Day
Causeway Comedy
Mark Knight, The Deen
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AUSTRALIA DEEN FOR A GOOD CAUSEWAY
AUSTRALIA DAY CRAWL
SAIL AWAY
The folks at Day For Discovery and Sweet Mate Music present The North Freo Pub Crawl this Saturday, January 25, from 6pm. The Railway Hotel, Swan Basement and Swan Lounge will be hosting a multi-stage mega-show on Straya Day Eve to bring out the Aussie in everyone. Check out The Love Junkies, Mezzanine, Usurper Of Modern Medicine, Dead Owls, The Mighty Pirate, The Decline, Apache and Tom Fisher & The Layabouts doin’ the crawl. Tickets on sale now, $15 pre-sale (plus booking fee) from Heatseeker and Oztix, or $20 on the night.
This Australia Day, Sunday, January 26, the Sail & Anchor joins a nation wide union of craft beer venues counting down the Local Taphouse Hottest 100 Aussie Craft Beers and tapping the top 10. Of course there’s all the compulsory Australia Day stuff - triple j Hottest 100, Australia v England cricket, big burgers with egg n’ beetroot, craft ale meat pies, barbequed lamb and prawns as well as brekky from 8am. Head up to the balcony and Green Room Bar from 3pm for Scenic Cider Sundays with great priced cider and pizzas. Australia, you bloody beauty.
The Decline, North Freo Pub Crawl
Local Taphouse Hottest 100, Sail & Anchor
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BEST GHOST This Sunday, January, 26, Grey Ghost plays at Mojos Bar. Get ready for an Australia Day all-nighter from early supports Mathas and Wisdom 2th to the B2B DJs with enhanced lighting production taking it from midnight until 2am. Presale tickets are only $12 (plus booking fee) or $16 at the door on the night from 8pm. Grey Ghost
BOB DAY
Funkdafied, {move} and Good Company are proud to present Higher Planes an Australia Day celebration at Dave’s Cans (Myer Rooftop Fremantle) this Sunday, January 26. It’s an open-air, rooftop dance party in the company of a couple of their favourites, GeorgiaAnne Muldrow & Dudley Perkins with DJ Romes (Stones Throw / SomeOthaShip) and Nicole Willis & Jimi Tenor as ‘Cola & Jimmu’ (Warp / Ubiquity / Sähkö), fresh from their appearances at the Sydney International Arts Festival, both acts perform live in Perth for the very first time. Support comes from Savoir (live), Sam Kuzich, Charlie Bucket, JC (Funkdafied, Sydney) and the Greater Good DJs. Earlybird tickets are SOLD OUT! General release tickets now on sale from tinyurl.com/ HigherPlanes. Get to it!
Flying the flag as a new social hub and pop-up venue in Scarborough, Sunset Veranda will feature live theatre, comedy, music and family entertainment amidst a buzzing seaside atmosphere. Sunset Veranda will showcase local, national and international acts including musical duo Jamie MacDowell and Tom Thum, comedy hypnotist Matthew Hale, comedy burlesque show Comic Strip, Irish funnymen Lords Of Strut, Kinetica Circus and Dr. Sketchy’s Anti-Art class, all while taking in the spectacular Scarborough views. There will also be children’s shows in this stunning venue. Full program and tickets at summersetartsfestival.com.au.
What music festival has been running for 33 years, always donates part proceeds to Oxfam, gives the first 50 people through the door a free t-shirt, has food and merchandise stalls, two stages (outdoors and indoors) great vibes and showcases the very best in local, interstate and international reggae artists? The Bob Marley Outernational Birthday, of course. Headlining this year are ABC Exhumed winners Jahsifik, along with Aust/NZ sensations Jahmoko, plus the cream of WA reggae bands with The Isolites, NBA Rastaz, Downbeat, Zimbabwean/ Australian local artist Komichi Alliance and singer/ songwriter Sista Cera. There’s also seven of Australia’s top reggae DJs, featuring Veeness (reggae club DJ comp winner), King Messy, DJ K.S., DJ Simba,Tutomath and Australia’s first ladies of dancehall The Empressions - Sista Che & Mumma Trees and from RTRFM/Jah Wisdom, the one-and-only General Justice It’s all yours on Sunday, February 2, at the Railway Hotel from 2-10pm. Tickets are $25 on the door.
Higher Planes, Australia Day at Myer Rooftop Fremantle
Jamie MacDowell and Tom Thum
Bob Marley Outernational Birthday, Railway Hotel
THE ROOF IS ON FIRE!
SUNSETS ON THE VERANDA
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YO U R G U I D E T O T H E A U S T R A L I A D AY W E E K E N D
WEMBLEY GOODNESS Head down to The Wembley Hotel and join them for a full buffet breakfast in the courtyard from 8.30CITY OF PERTH AUSTRALIA DAY SKYWORKS 11:30am. Kids under 10 eat free! This year marks the 30th anniversary of the City of Perth Skyworks, with events including a free Entertainment From midday they’ll be serving up delicious Zone on Langley Park, Air and Water Show entertaining from above and on the Swan River, Survival Perth in $12 Chicken Parmys, with triple j’s Hottest 100 Supreme Court Gardens and the spectacular Skyworks fireworks finale which will include a special laser and countdown playing in the background. Hang around water show visible from Langley Park and South Perth. until 2pm and receive a free sausage sizzle. It’s all Join in with hundreds of thousands of people this Australia Day, with the soundtrack coming good! courtesy of MIX94.5. For more information about Skyworks 2014 go to www.visitperthcity.com/skyworks and check out The Wembley Hotel’s Cambridge Courtyard the new app on iTunes.
HE SHED, SHE SHED The Shed presents their Summer Sessions Australia Day party this Sunday, January 26. Things will be kicking off at 12pm sharp with a huge BBQ and $4 middies, with the triple j Hottest 100 will be blasting all day with live bands from 9.30pm. It’s free entry at The Shed Northbridge – 69-71 Aberdeen St. The Shed
City of Perth Skyworks
TIMES
EVENT
LOCATION
7:00AM
mix94.5 Australia Day Broadcast live from the City of Perth Citizenship Ceremony in South Perth Citizenship Ceremony in Victoria Park City of Perth Australia Day Citizenship & Awards Ceremony Free Movie Screening - Storm Boy (PG) Celebration Zone South Perth Smoke Free WA Survival Perth 2014 Langley Park Entertainment Zone City of Perth Air Show Water Regatta BYO Picnic Zones City of Perth Skyworks 2014 Laser & Water Spectacular City of Perth Skyworks delayed telecast (subject to programming)
Perth Foreshore
8:00AM to 9:30AM 9:30AM 11:00AM 11:00AM to 12:30PM 2:00PM to 8:00PM 2:00PM to 7:30PM 3:00PM to 7:45PM 3:30PM to 7:50PM 5:00PM to 7:30PM 6:30PM to 8:45PM 8:00PM to 8:30PM 8:00PM to 8:30PM 10:30PM
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Sir James Mitchell Park Harold Rossiter Park Council House, Perth Sir James Mitchell Park Sir James Mitchell Park Supreme Court Gardens Langley Park Perth Sky above Swan River Swan River Kings Park and Langley Park Perth Water Langley Park and South Perth Channel Seven
FISHER & CO. Tom Fisher & The Layabouts will be busy boys this Australia day weekend with a couple of big shows on the go. On Saturday, January 25, they’re part of the huge bill for the North Freo Pub Crawl, running between the Swan and Railway Hotel over six stages with an amazing line-up (see elsewhere this feature). On Sunday, January 26, the chaps will play the Kelp Bar closing party on Bathers Beach in Fremantle straight after the huge fireworks display from 8.30pm. Both events are ticketed so head to the band’s Facebook page. Tom Fisher & The Layabouts
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YO U R G U I D E T O T H E A U S T R A L I A D AY W E E K E N D
DOOGS ARE THE BEST PEOPLE
INDIAN OCEAN FIREWORKS One cool place to be this Australia Day, Sunday, January 26, is Fremantle, where the port city will host a full schedule of family-friendly events culminating in the third annual Indian Ocean Fireworks at Bathers Beach. The celebrations kick off from 3pm at the Fremantle Esplanade, with a range of family activities including a free sausage sizzle and ‘children’s corner’ and performances from local artists. The annual Australia Day citizenship ceremony and the Premier’s Active Citizenship Awards will also be hosted at the Esplanade. Following this, the cities of Fremantle and Cockburn will again team up for the jointly-hosted Indian Ocean Fireworks, at 8pm. 96fm will simulcast the event from 7.30pm, with an all-Australian soundtrack, featuring the likes of Freo friends Eskimo Joe and Birds of Tokyo. Indian Ocean Fireworks, Bathers Beach
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The Good Doogs from Camp Doogs are at it again this Australia Day, Sunday, January 26. Doog Dream Nation takes place from 11am until 10pm, at “a secret beautiful location in Perth, Australia,” (within minutes of the CBD). If you were part of the crew that went to their gathering in 2013, you’ll be up for what they describe as “a free gathering of good doogs with good vibes for a positive future for our country.” Entertainment will come from the impressive likes of Rokwell & Groom, Usurper Of Modern Medicine, Weapon Is Sound, Doctopus, Rabbit Island, Mudlark, HamJam, Dianas, Electric Toad, Lanark, Sacred Flower Union, Sam & His Hung, plus The Camp Doogs DJs (Brett Murray, Jefferson and Nay Nay) and your host, Tristan Fidler. The event is free, though donations will be graciously accepted in order to pay artists and other costs. If you can’t find out and want to know the location then you can pick up a flyer with the details from The Bird or The Moon Cafe. For other details, head to campdoogs.com. Rokwell & Groom, Doog Dream Nation
GINGERS GO NUTS
CLANCY’S WILL OVERFLOW
For a meagre gold coin entry, you can celebrate all that is rad about ‘gingers’ at an Australia Day Long Weekend party at Flyrite on Friday, January 24. Expect some bangin’ strawberry blonde, ginger and fiery red DJ sets from the likes of Aarom Wilson, Troy Division, Acebasik, Dngrfld and Genga; plus Monteith’s Ginger Beer, face painters, a BBQ and prizes for best hair, best mo and best dressed. You also get a Ginger Nut upon entry! All proceeds go to the Cancer Council WA.
Clancy’s Fish Pub Fremantle will be holding an acoustic double bill of Fremantle ex-pat, Carus Thompson and local folker, Prita on Australia Day Eve, Saturday, January 25. Thompson will be promoting his newly-released albums, Caravan and Acoustic At The Norfolk Vol II, while Prita will be busting out tunes from her own recently-released, soul-inspired album, Fairytales. Tickets are available from Heatseeker and Oztix, and doors open 8pm, so spend your balmy night in style and head down!
Aarom Wilson, Flyrite this Friday
Prita
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PARAMORE
GRAVE
Twenty One Pilots/You Me At Six
Deathfuckingcunt/ Inanimacy/Sanzu
Perth Arena Thursday, January 16, 2014
Civic Hotel, Inglewood Saturday, January 18, 2014
As enthusiastic purveyors of the dubious-sounding ‘indietronica’ genre, two-man band Twenty One Pilots’ shtick is clearly aimed at a young market. Lead singer Tyler Joseph and drummer Josh Dun’s high energy show left nothing to be desired performance wise, with Joseph’s grand piano regularly moonlighting as a springboard – but we were there for music, not gymnastics, and their schizophrenic mish-mash of pop, rap, electronica, dubstep and even reggae was frankly headache-inducing. With a hearty cheer welcoming You Me At Six, a considerably larger head count was testament to the UK natives’ growing popularity. While the five piece belong to the ever vague alternative rock category, I struggled to find the rock – moments of deceptive heaviness and requests to ‘...put your horns to the sky, Perth!’ were the standouts in an otherwise stale performance. A feeling of deja vu descended as it became disappointingly apparent that, much like their predecessors, they seem to value style over substance; their enthusiastic showmanship certainly deserves praise, but nothing really differentiates their music from all the other radio-friendly fodder out there. A glimmering soundscape signalling Paramore’s entrance compelled a throng of fans towards the stage. As the curtain dropped with dramatic aplomb, flame-haired frontwoman Hayley Williams instantly commanded attention. Marching, stomping and dancing her way around the stage, her talent for performance was eclipsed by one thing only: her astonishing voice. From a lively delivery of RIOT! favourite That’s What You Get to a tear-jerking snatch of Fleetwood Mac’s beloved Landslide, she proved her chops as a gifted and versatile songstress. Of course, it was not just Williams’ gig, with long time bandmates Taylor York (guitar) and Jeremy Davis (bass) completing the trio. Taking the recent departure of two band members in their stride, they have clearly embraced the classic adage ‘the show must go on’ – an attitude that was personally reflected by guitarist Taylor York, as he was faced with the unenviable challenge of playing with a sprained ankle. He passed with flying colours however, even employing a ukulele to accompany Williams in cute little variety show style interludes. In between hits like Decode, When It Rains, Last
It is a small world if you like death metal the classical Swedish way, but Grave are an outfit that have always done it right. Now in their 26th year, their attitude remains just as it did all those years ago – a delicious slab of hearty death metal with no strings attached. It was actually hard to believe this was Sanzu’s second show. Debuting earlier this year, the band touts former and current members from local mainstays like Malignant Monster, Tusk and Animistic. It’s that eclectic mix and obvious love for the stage that have turned these early bloomers into a well-oiled technical machine. And it’s the first time this reviewer has ever seen a slow clap for a band, mid-set – highly entertaining. Inanimacy have almost had a meteoric rise since 2011. Funnily enough, the band had also been on a line-up with the Swedish headliners before – but this was no meat-and-veg slot. Just the second show with their new drummer Brendan Nock (Nails of Imposition), Inanimacy has gone to a whole new level. Seriously evil riffs, a vocal range from Jamie Kay that’s nothing short of succinct and the addition of Nock – a combination that will see them go far. Deathfuckingcunt – the name has never been subtle. But they have been a mainstay around Perth for a long time now. This is one band that have always done things their own way – and they have got more serious about themselves in the process. That is if you can put the constantly sound bites about ‘testicles’ and ‘big breasts’ aside. Highlight track on the night Beset By Rapists just shows how good DFC has become – both technically and as songwriters. Absolutely shredding, the vibe was intense and all you could do was stand Paramore - Photo by Rachael Barrett
Hope and a beautiful acoustic rendition of The Only Exception, Williams held the audience in the palm of her hand, entreating even the most long-suffering parents to get up on their feet for ‘three minutes only’ and dance to monster hit CRUSHCRUSHCRUSH. Only one highlight among many, an encore of chart-topper Still Into You (replete with green and gold balloons and reams of confetti) was the perfect finisher for a truly excellent show. ELLIE HUTCHINSON
SUNDOWN SESSIONS Scarborough Beach Amphitheatre, Scarborough Saturday, January 18, 2014 The beach. You picture a number of things when someone says to you the word ‘beach’. You think of lazing as the sun casts its warm embrace upon those below. You think of dipping in the waters, or surf a rushing wave. You think of the times you’ve watched the sun go down as night falls, humbled. You think of the positive vibes and good times. Or ads by a certain beer company. The Sundown Sessions is pretty much most of the above, with an added mega dance party, minihawkers market serving up cuisine from the four corners, and with an open air amphitheatre for seating and a giant sandpit serving as a mosh pit, which one can never go wrong with. First on the block was Caravãna Sun, on a tour of our gorgeous west coast from Sydney. Their performance was made memorable by the lead singer, with trusty trumpet in hand, ran around the venue, blaring all the way. On stage, the entire ensemble showed great energy, jigging with genuine enthusiasm, as they play songs with a fast and upbeat rhythm, dominated by brass instruments and percussions, and drew in quite a small crowd to hang around the sandpit.
Mat McHugh came after, with entourage, just as the sun began its descent, with a much slower rhythm compared to Caravãna Sun. His vocals influenced by elements of reggae, funk and soul were clear, and easy listen to, and the slow melody worked its way through the crowd, however his set droned on for a bit too long, playing largely similar material for an hour- it was already getting dark by the time he was done. The sandpit was beginning to fill up by this time, all of them slowly jiving in appreciation. Fat Freddy’s Drop then came to entertain from dusk till night. The sunglass-donning ensemble immediately started out dropping down the relentless brass jazz that worked its way through a crowd like an aphrodisiac. Later on, one of their vocalists came in and out of stage, and did a little bit of faux hip hop with an exaggerated accent, but vocals were few and far in between as the saxophones and trumpets mixed with electronic synth dance beats. The entire sandpit was entirely packed - moving around involved either bumping into others or scraping across the litter of crushed beer cans. The effort was rewarded with a Brazilian soccer chant from the crowd begging for one last song. And indeed they scored an encore. CLAYTON LIN
Grave - Photo by Matt Jelonek
back and enjoy a slice of the brutality. Coming to Perth for the second time in as many years, Grave approached their live show as they have their whole career. They just strode on stage, picked up their instruments and fucking delivered. It was great to see a band, with such a good back catalogue, adopt this ‘no-frills’ attitude. The music spoke for itself and they just went with it. Twenty-six years on and still going strong, obvious favourites saw In Love and Christi(ns)anity get a response from the pit. But it was newer tracks from 2012’s Endless Procession Of Souls that caught the ear, with frontman Ola Lindgren even mentioning “…so you do like the new stuff, eh?”. They even played Morbid Ascent of their latest EP. Flawless, as always, there is little to fault with Grave live – a taste of death metal at its best. JESSICA WILLOUGHBY
THE AUDREYS Nathan Gaunt Mojos Bar Fremantle Monday, January 20, 2014 Blues and roots darlings The Audreys made there way to the fairer (read: hotter) side of the country this weekend. Sending their backing band back east after a whirlwind performance at the Currambine’s Music In The Park on Saturday, husband and wife duo Taasha Coates and Tristan Goodall stripped back for an acoustic session of bluesy vocals and guitar. The duo deliberately mixed the set between new and old, with many tracks from their last three albums making an appearance. The tenderness was matched with grit in equal measures, as the couple joked and bantered through the evening. Highlights of the set included the earthy Banjo And Violin – ‘one of the first good songs we ever wrote’ – that also featured one of the few melodica solos going round in contemporary music today. Coupled with this song was the bitter minor blues Oh Honey, one of the bands first big hits, described by Coates as being ‘a feel good song about unrequited love, written for a guy so he would think I was cool and like me…’ Also a highlight was the gorgeous and bittersweet country tune Lonesome Valley, wrapping up the evening in a disarmingly tender and lamenting ballad. This track told one of country music’s classic stories, and had even most obnoxious hecklers reaching for a cuddle by the end. This song was paired with a stripped back version of INXS’ Don’t Change, one of the band’s signature covers. These crowd-pleasing older tracks were interchanged with songs from their forthcoming album. These songs – including the reinvented track Comfort Me and a beautiful minor folk tune I’ll Bring The Stars Out – slotted in effortlessly to The Audreys’
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The Audreys- Photo by Matt Jelonek
set list. The duo treated these songs almost as a trial run, without the support of a band, but with the support of a very appreciative audience. Supporting The Audreys was West Australian singer/songwriter Nathan Gaunt, whose impressive vocal prowess never fails to mesmerize his audience. Gaunt’s laidback songwriting channelled some interesting jazz-like harmony and unusual chord progressions, from the upbeat Blue Skies For Miles, to the more laidback opening jazz ballad No One Comes Close. The only real criticism that could be levelled at Gaunt is that his guitar was horrendously out of tune the entire evening. For a musician of his calibre this is an odd thing to have to point out – it made some of his otherwise excellent performances almost unlistenable. The Audreys release their latest album on March 14. From all descriptions it is likely to be a little heavier than their previous earthy folk, geared towards a full band sound. If Sunday nights unplugged versions of these songs is anything to go by however, these songs will be deeply rooted in The Audreys’ signature blues/roots sound, with just a little bit of country thrown in for good measure. LEAH BLANKENDAAL
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YO! M.A.F.I.A PARTY The Newport Hotel Friday, January 17, 2014 Veteran Melbourne DJ, M.A.F.I.A, kept the mix at high heat all night at The Newport last Friday, and we were there to capture the action. Photos by Matt Jelonek
Carlie, Jessica
Alex, Kayla
Madison, Britt, Rachel
Danielle, Callum, Ebonie, Alex
Leanne, Craig
THE ROSEMOUNT HOTEL Saturday, January 25, The Rosie hosts Born Of Osiris (USA) Tomorrow We Die Alive Tour with special guests After the Burial (USA). Following up on their hugely successful 2013 Australian tour, in January 2014 Born Of Osiris is set to return - this time with Sumerian Records label mates After The Burial in tow for ten destructive shows thanks to Vanguard Touring. Tickets for these up close and personal encounters are on sale via Oztix. Walk up tickets from 8pm on the night. Born Of Osiris
BEAT NIGHTCLUB Beat Nightclub in conjunction with Clockwork, is getting their Aussie on this Saturday night for Big Kidz Blokes & Sheilas Straya Day Eve Party. Those that want to dress up like Bruce-Marie (that means ya wear ya cut-off denim shots, ya flanno shirt, ya uggies, and of couse you can’t forget ya mullet!) you will receive free entry and a tinny eh! Fair dinkum. Big Kidz fires up downstairs around 11.30pm after PLAY eh. Get it in ya.
INDI BAR Friday, January 24, do-wop soul act Boom! Bap! Pow! play the Indi Bar and Saturday night blues ‘n’ roots explosion Blue Shaddy return for their monthly residency. Roots/reggae quartet Declan Kelly And The Rising Sun are rapidly on the rise, with their third album on the way, they’ll be bringing home the Australia Day celebrations on Sunday. Joining them is Trojan John and Malachi Wehipehana.
YAYA’S Tuesday, January 28 – Fringe Festival kicks off with Comedy Heavyweights! The very first show at YaYa’s features Aussie Icon Steady Eddy from 8pm and YouTube sensation Neel Kolhatkar from 9:30pm. Tickets from fringeworld.com. Steady Eddy
MOJOS BAR Saturday, January 25, is a ‘70s party at Mojos Bar. Psychedelic flashbacks, rock ‘n’ roll legends, fluffy bushes, sizzling hot lava lamps, slappin bass, foxy mamas, far out threads with clod-hoppin’ platforms, disco moves, shaggin’ wagons, Dirk Diggler does Linda Lovelace, these are some of ingredients that made the ‘70s wild & electric. So take yourself back, get ya boogie on and step into your flares. There`ll be prizes for best dressed kindly konated from Hells Blankets, The Design Skeleton and Mojos Bar. Let it all hang out with: Rag n’ Bone, Old Blood, Hyte and Buzz Kill Vamps plus DJ LoFo and performances by Carnies With Candy. Free BBQ, funky face painting, fire, stalls. Doors open at 8pm, $10 entry. Old Blood 40
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PIG IN A POKE Following a year that included a sweet east coast tour and releasing a full length album, heavy Perth three piece, Tuxedo Pig, were a bit miffed when they were told their sound was a bit much for the Indi Bar. Taking it in their stride, this Thursday, January 23, they’re headlining the aptly titled Too Heavy For The Indi Bar show at The Rosemount Hotel. Joining them will be Just Numbers, In Orbit and Lifespan. Entry is $10 from 8pm, and scores you a free copy of their album to boot.
REGENERATIVE DISEASE The Swan Basement will be under siege this Friday, January 24, when self-described “easy listening death metal” band, Regeneracy storm the stage, alongside their cohorts, Social Madness, Nucleust and Envy Awake. It’s gonna be a hectic night of extreme metal, so get down early! Regeneracy
Tuxedo Pig
LISTEN TO THE FLOWER PEOPLE PRAY FOR DAWN Tonight, Wednesday, January 22, get down to the Amplifier Bar for the midweek madness that is Academy! Headlining this week are metal monsters Dawn Of Leviathan! Also up are Remember The South, Afraid Of Heights, Havoc and The MDC. Doors open at 8pm. tickets are available through Oztix.
RIDING THE RAILS
Some of Perth’s best indie/alternative tunes will be heard at Amplifier Bar this Saturday, January 25, when Flower Drums are joined by Our Man In Berlin and Indigo. Doors open at 8pm.
Fremantle’s Railway Hotel comes alive, Frampton style, this Friday night, January 24, when the hard-rocking Ol’ Bouginvillea head a night of hot and heavy tunes. Also up for a night of good times are Animal, Still Frame Mind and Kortisol. The action starts at 8pm.
Our Man In Berlin
Ol’ Bouginvillea
Dawn Of Leviathan
IT’S CUSTOMARY Custom Royal will be doing their thing at Mojos Bar this Thursday, January 28. Still riding high on the success of their debut single, Sweet Disguise, the quartet will be joined by special guests Aborted Tortoise and Tashi, with more to be announced. Doors open at 8pm. Entry is a mere $6.
LOVE GUN If you feel like taking a pass on the usual Australia Day combo of boozing, barbecuing, blowing up fireworks and brutality, you might want to point yourself towards Flyrite this Sunday, January 26 for the Gunfever Australia Day Party. A massive lineup of talent is on hand to mark the occasion in style, including Fall Electric, The Leap Year, Queensland’s Tape/ Off, French Rockets, Faim, Smrts and Health Legend. Doors open at 8pm and entry is $10.
NEWHOUSE IN THE HOUSE The Newhouse Collective is a new cross-genre Perth musical project brought together under the auspices of composer, Tom Newhouse. Standing at the crossroads of modern jazz, contemporary classical, soft rock and pop, they’ll be sending out their smooth sounds at The Ellington Jazz Club on Tuesday, January 28. Doors open at 7.30, entry is $15.
SIX SEASONS IN A DAY Friday, January 24, make your way to The Rosemount Hotel for a double dose of love from This Other Eden. Not only are they unleashing their debut EP, Six Seasons, but also the music video to Shake This, the first single, from local filmmaking outfit, Silver Squid Productions. Also onstage will be Avastera (headlining), Lights Of Berlin and Short Of Daybreak. Entry is $15 from 8pm. This Other Eden
GIGGIDY Tonight, Wednesday, January 22, YaYa’s is the place to be to see Big Tommo Presents Giddigy. Featuring the cream of the crop from Big Tommo’s regular open mic night at YaYas, the bands are all bound to be keen to show their quality, as this time they’re actually getting paid! Catch Pony, Pandaphobia, The Midnight Mules, Childlike Empress and Della Fern from 7pm. Entry is $6. Childlike Empress
LO C A L & L AU NC H I NG 24/01
THIS OTHER EDEN Six Seasons EP Launch @ The Rosemount
31/01
A FULL STEP DOWN Like Your Morals Video Launch Party @ Amplifier
01/02
ONE THOUSAND YEARS Get Your Rabbit’s Foot and Run Album Launch @ The Oddfellow
07/02
JONI IN THE MOON Sorrow Trees Album Launch @ Fly By Night
22/02
WIKED FURY Mummy’s Boy Single Launch @ YaYa’s
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TOUR TRAILS
ESKIMO JOE, JANUARY 25
THIS WEEK KARNIVOOL & DEAD LETTER CIRCUS 23 Red Hill Auditorium CELTIC WOMAN 24 Riverside Theatre GREY GHOST 24 Amplifier Bar 25 Prince Of Wales, Bunbury 26 Mojos Bar CARUS THOMPSON & PRITA 25 Clancy’s Fremantle PETE MURRAY 25 Leeuwin Estate Winery ESKIMO JOE 25 Wintersun Hotel BORN OF OSIRIS & AFTER THE BURIAL 25 Rosemount Hotel 26 YMCA HQ THE WOLFE TONES 25 Riverside Theatre WE ARE SCIENTISTS 26 Amplifier Bar (POSTPONED) HIGHER PLANES 26 Myer Rooftop AVICII 27 Perth Arena JANUARY LEMURIA 29 Rosemount Hotel OKA 30 Mojos Bar 31 Indi Bar FEBRUARY OKA 1 Settlers Tavern 2 Mojos SELENA GOMEZ 1 Perth Arena (CANCELLED) SUN CITY 1 Amplifier Bar BIG DAY OUT Pearl Jam, Arcade Fire, Blur, Snoop Lion, Major Lazer, Tame Impala, Flume, Northlane & more 2 Arena Joondalup CAT POWER 4 Fly By Night Club BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN & THE E STREET BAND 5,7,8 Perth Arena TILIAN 5 Amplifier Bar ASH GRUNWALD 5 Indi Bar 6 Prince Of Wales, Bunbury 7 Settlers Taver, Margaret River 8 Fly By Night 9 Ravenswood Hotel ED KOWALCZYK 5 Metro City MAIDS 6 Newport Hotel 7 Ya-Ya’s 8 Prince Of Wales, Bunbury ALICE RUSSELL & BOOKER T JONES 6 & 7 Chevron Festival Gardens
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TOURS LIVE
LEMURIA, JANUARY 29
EDDIE VEDDER 7 & 8 Riverside Theatre #TOGETHER ft. TaKu, Zeke, Kit Pop, Cosmo Gets, Sable 8 Chevron Festival Gardens D AT SEA 8 Amplifier Bar 9 YMCA HQ LANEWAY FESTIVAL 8 Fremantle SUMMERSET ARTS FESTIVAL Birds Of Tokyo 8 Scarborough Beach Amphitheatre THE BASICS 9 Chevron Festival Gardens THE LOCUST 10 Amplifier Bar JULIA HOLTER 10 Chevron Festival Gardens 100 MILLION NIGHTS 11 Chevron Festival Gardens BOYUP BROOK COUNTRY MUSIC FESTIVAL Sara Storer, McAlister Kemp, Mike Carr, Buddy Goode, The Borderers, Graham Roger, Rohan Powell, Rob Black & the Kelly Gang, Eric Erdman, Courtney Conway, Connie Kis Andersen 12 – 16 Boyup Brook Country Music Club IALARU 12 Chevron Festival Gardens LADI6 & HOME BREW 13 Chevron Festival Gardens SOFT SOFT LOUD 13 Fremantle Art Centre Courtyard HUSKY 14 Chevron Festival Gardens DJ SHADOW 15 Chevron Festival Gardens THE NATIONAL 14 Belvoir Amphitheatre MIAMI HORROR 15 Amplifier Bar PETE MURRAY 16 Astor Theatre EBONY BONES 16 Chevron Festival Gardens AUSTRA 17 Chevron Festival Gardens DJ FOOD, DJ CHEEBA, DJ MONEYSHOT 18 Chevron Festival Gardens OKKERVIL RIVER 19 Chevron Festival Gardens OLAFUR ARNALDS & KEATON HENSON 20 Chevron Festival Gardens KITE STRING TANGLE 19 Mojos Bar 20 Flyrite
UNCLE JED 20 Clancy’s Fremantle 21 Ya-Ya’s STU LARSEN 20 Mojos Bar MANGO GROOVE 21 Red Hill Auditorium DON WALKER 21 Clancy’s Fremantle 22 Civic Hotel 23 Fremantle Arts Centre DAUGHN GIBSON & OWL EYES 21 Chevron Festival Gardens POND, AAA AARDVARK GETDOWN SERVICES, FELICITY GROOM, THE SILENTS, DJ LADY CARLA 22 Chevron Festival Gardens SOUTH WEST CRAFT BEER FESTIVAL 23 Old Broadwater Farm ALTAN 23 Chevron Festival Gardens SETS ON THE BEACH #14 23 Scarborough Beach THE CORONAS 23 Capitol WIRE 24 Chevron Festival Gardens CHARLES BRADLEY 25 Chevron Festival Gardens MADELEINE PEYROUX 26 Chevron Festival Gardens ROBERT GLASPER EXPERIMENT 27 Chevron Festival Gardens DOLLY PARTON 27 Perth Arena SIX60 27 Metro City NEKO CASE 27 Fly By Night Club PUBLIC ENEMY 28 Chevron Festival Gardens BRUNO MARS 28 Perth Arena MARCH MIKHAEL PASKALEV 1 Chevron Festival Gardens KERSER 1 Metro City FUTURE MUSIC Deadmau5, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Phoenix, Hardwell, Knife Party, Eric Prydz, Rudimental, Tinie Tempah, Chase & Status 2 Arena Joondalup LIONEL RICHIE & JOHN FARNHAM 2 Sandalford Winery Swan Valley THE WONDER STUFF 2 Rosemount Hotel
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, FEBRUARY 5 - 8
SOUNDWAVE Green Day, Stone Temple Pilots, Alice In Chains, Rob Zombie, Megadeth, Placebo and more 3 Claremont Showgrounds GOODLIFE FESTIVAL Deadmau5, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Hardwell, Rudimental, Knife Party, Kaskade, Porter Robinson 3 Arena Joondalup THE BENNIES 6 Ya-Ya’s 7 Prince Of Wales DAN SULTAN 6 Art Bar BRIAN MCKNIGHT 7 Riverside Theatre GURRUMUL 8 Kings Park BILLY BRAGG 8 Perth Concert Hall GOLD PANDA 9 The Bakery QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE & NINE INCH NAILS 11 Perth Arena JOSH PYKE 12 Quarry Amphitheatre THE ANGELS, DIESEL & MI-SEX 14 Graham Bricknell Music Shell, Bunbury JURASSIC 5 14 Metro City SONGS IN THE KEY OF MOTOWN 12 Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre 13 Mandurah Performing Arts Centre 14 Astor Theatre NEIL FINN 16 Perth Concert Hall DAMIAN DEMPSEY 17 Capitol THE ROLLING STONES 19 Perth Arena SUICIDE GIRLS 19 Astor Theatre ABSU & PORTAL 20 Amplifier Bar THE SMITH STREET BAND & THE MENZINGERS 19 Prince Of Wales 20 YMCA HQ 21 Rosemount Hotel ILLY 21 Capitol KATE MILLER-HEIDKE 21 - 22 Quarry Amphitheatre SEBADOH 25 Rosemount Hotel DARK TRANQUILLITY & ORPHEUS OMEGA 25 Capitol 30 SECONDS TO MARS 25 Challenge Stadium JOHN BUTLER TRIO 27 Fremantle Arts Centre 28 Belvoir Amphitheatre 29 Old Broadwater Farm, Busselton
THE HOLIDAYS 29 Rosemount Hotel JURASSIC 5 28 Metro City HUNTER & COLLECTORS 29 (sold-out) & 30 Kings Park & Botanical Garden KRIS KRISTOFFERSON 30 Red Hill Auditorium APRIL PACOPENA 2 Perth Concert Hall SUZANNE VEGA 11 Astor Theatre WEST COAST BLUES N ROOTS Matt Corby, Michael Franti, John Mayer, Dave Matthews Band, Doobie Brothers, Boy & Bear 13 Fremantle Park BOZ SCAGGS 14 Crown Theatre 3 INCHES OF BLOOD 16 Amplifier Bar TOXIC HOLOCAUST & SKELETONWITCH 20 Rosemount Hotel SKID ROW & UGLY KID JOE 23 Metro Fremantle THE ALMOST 23 Amplifier Bar MICHAEL BUBLE 26 & 27 Perth Arena AARON NEVILLE DR JOHN & THE NITETRIPPERS 26 Riverside Theatre MAY LEE KERNAGHAN 6 Princess Royal Theatre, Albany 9 Crown Theatre JASON DERULO 10 Perth Arena ARCTIC MONKEYS 13 Perth Arena PETULA CLARK 17 Perth Concert Hall SEPTICFLESH & FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE 18 Amplifier Bar THE ENGLISH BEAT 23 Rosemount Hotel 2014 AIRNORTH KIMBERLEY MOON EXPERIENCE Eskimo Joe, The Waifs, John Williamson 24 Jim Hughes Amphitheatre, Kununurra ELLIE GOULDING 28 Challenge Stadium LARRY CARLTON 28 Astor Theatre JUNE YO GABBA GABBA! LIVE! 7 Riverside Theatre JAMES BLUNT 13 Riverside Theatre BASTILLE 18 Challenge Stadium KEITH URBAN 29 Perth Arena
TO U R TA L E S
CARUS THOMPSON Footloose Fella From Fremantle Folk-rock exponents Carus Thomson and Prita play an Australia Day Eve double header at Clancy’s Fish Pub, Fremantle. TRAVIS JOHNSON catches up with the former. When we talk to Carus Thompson, the former Fremantle boy is on the road, eating up the miles between nowhere and somewhere else - or, more accurately, between one gig and another. “ I’m driving to a gig in Deans Marsh,” he explains. “Which is about an hour inland from Lorne in Victoria. It’s a little gig at Martian’s Cafe, which is like a little surf coast version of Nimbin. It’s a little up in the hinterlands.” It sounds like a nice trip, and it speaks to the kind of troubadour romanticism that Thompson’s style of music evokes; the life of a travelling muso roaming from town to town, guitar in hand. Of course, it isn’t really like that - it never is - but it’s nice to pretend, just for a while. It’s going to be a small gig, he reckons, but these days those are his bread and butter. “Yeah, I’ve been doing a lot of these little gigs. There might be 50 or 60 people, you know, who’ve all paid 15 or 20 bucks to get in and who all love music. That’s what I’ve been doing for the last year is just searching out shows and places like this. and that’s what the future is for musicians, I reckon - gigs organised by music
lovers and venues that are about music and the love of music. You can sort of smell it a mile off when you walk in and you know it’s going to be a good gig, whether it’s 20 or 100 people listening.” Still, he’s still capable of selling out a venue, as he did when he last set foot in his hometown. “I was back on October. I did just one show at Clancy’s. I did a request show, where people told me what songs of mine they wanted me to play and it went good. We sold out Clancy’s, which is pretty nice.” Indeed, he hopes to repeat the trick this time around. “This one’s with Prita,” he says. “She’s just back from Berlin, so that’ll probably sell out as well, hopefully. It’s always a good gig for me, Freo, because I’m from there, so it’s always a bit of a hometown crowd and there’s always a few mates who will jump up. I mean, Melbourne - it’s always amazing playing in Melbourne, but I think people hit the dancefloor a bit harder in Freo.” When quizzed on his what his setlist is going to look like, Thompson admits he doesn’t really have one. “Gigs like that, I don’t really write a set list, I just go with the vibe, I guess. I’m a singer/ songwriter, but I try to get people grooving and try to make people rock out, so I like to try and sort of cover the whole dynamic range, I guess. Hopefully not make people cry, but make them think and make them feel and make them rock.” And as for the rest of the year, his time is largely going to be consumed by more familial matters. “Yeah, my wife’s having her second baby. That’s sort of the middle of the year, so I’ll be definitely out of action for a while. But I’ve got a two and a half year old son, so the last sort of serious songwriting I’ve done was about two and a half years ago, but I’ve just started writing again. So I’ll probably be looking to doing a new record next year. “I’m pretty lucky to have, I guess, a sort of loyal cult following around between Europe and Australia,” he reflects. “I have enough people interested in hearing a new record of mine, so I’ll keep writing songs and keep bringing them out.”
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GIG GUIDE
EDUARDO COSSIO/CLANCY’S FISH PUB, CANNING BRIDGE/WEDNESDAY 22
WEDNESDAY 22/01 AMPLIFIER BAR Academy Dawn of Leviathan Remember The South Afraid Of Heights Havoc The MDC BAR 120 Felix THE BIRD TW!ST Blind Tiger Jonathon Toubin BRASS MONKEY Sugar Blue Burlesque THE CARINE Open Mic Night Chris Gibbs CLANCY’S FISH PUB (CANNING BRIDGE) Eduardo Cossio Dave Robertson ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Callum G’Froerer Blowfish GROOVE BAR (CROWN) Easy Tigers GYPSY TAPAS HOUSE Zagoria Trio INDI BAR Sea Level Trio LANEWAY LOUNGE Adam Hall And The Velvet Playboys LOBBY LOUNGE (CROWN) Decoy Duo THE LUCKY SHAG Howie Morgan MUSTANG BAR Blue Gene DJ Giles MOJOS BAR Declan Kelly The Rising Sun THE MOON CAFE Matt Waring Rachael Dease Luke Dux OCEAN ONE BAR Turin Robinson Kate Gilbertson Andrew Newman Bodegas
THURSDAY 23/01 BAR ORIENT Open Mic Night THE BIRD Declan Kelly The Rising Sun BRASS MONKEY Rhythm Bound Karaoke BRIGHTON Open Mic Night Rob Walker THE BOAT Jen De Ness THE BROOK Open Mic Night Chris Gibbs BROOKLANDS TAVERN Celebrations Karaoke THE CAUSEWAY BAR Xport Thursdays DUNSBOROUGH TAVERN Open Mic Night Kris Buckle
Flower Drums
FLOWER DRUMS OUR MAN IN BERLIN INDIGO Saturday, January 25 Amplifier Bar
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MIDNIGHT MULES /YAYA’S/ WEDNESDAY 22
THE PADDO Sophie Jane and The Chilli Bin Boys 'Brendan Gaspari Belle Harvey ROSEMOUNT HOTEL Branch Circus Ascending Fall Priority One Dead SETTLERS TAVERN Open Mic Night SWALLOW BAR Razor Jack THE SWINGING PIG Open Mic Night Greg Carter UNIVERSAL BAR Retriofit THE VIC Leighton Keepa VILLAGE BAR Village People Open Mic YAYA’S The Midnight Mules Pony Pandaphobia Childlike Empress Della Fern
LOCAL GIG
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ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB MattyTWall THE GATE Greg Carter GRAND CENTRAL PARK Stella Donnelly GROOVE BAR (CROWN) Dr Bogus INDI BAR Bex’s Open Mic Night LANEWAY LOUNGE Saffron Sharp Trio LOBBY LOUNGE (CROWN) Jack & Jill LUCKY SHAG James Wilson MOJOS BAR Custom Royal MUSTANG BAR Loose Unit Black Stone From the Sun THE MOON CAFE The Shops Louis Inglis NEWPORT HOTEL Easy Tigers PRINCE OF WALES Carus ROSEMOUNT HOTEL Tuxedo Pig Numbers In Orbit Lifespan THE SHED Midnight Ramblers SWALLOW BAR Shotdown From Sugartown UNIVERSAL BAR Off The Record THE VIC Travis Caudle THE WINDSOR Acoustic Aly YAYA’S LYTS FRIDAY 24/01 AMPLIFIER BAR Grey Ghost Wisdom2th Mathas BALMORAL Mike Nayar BEAT NIGHTCLUB (DOWNSTAIRS) PLAY BEAT NIGHTCLUB (UPSTAIRS) Live Bands BELGIAN BEER CAFÉ Roger Roger BELMONT TAVERN Electrophobia BOAB TAVERN Frenzy THE BIRD Before 12 #4 Henry Gillett Lanng Prince Ali EC & RW THE BRASS MONKEY Jamie Powers
SAIL ON! SAIL ON! /YAYA’S/ FRIDAY 24
THE BRIGHTON Rob Walker THE BROOKLANDS TAVERN Vanerty Brothers THE CARINE Velvet CAVES HOUSE Carus CHASE BAR & BISTRO James Wilson CIVIC BACKROOM MDMA Dazastah & Layla Mistress Of Ceremony Mx Axis & Dsta DJ L-Street CORNERSTONE ALEHOUSE First and Final COMO HOTEL Penny King Trio CRUISING YACHT CLUB Rockin Ronnie EMPIRE BAR Howie Morgan ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Noah Shilkin Hornography FAIRLANES AMPHITHEATRE Adrian Wilson THE GATE Choppa + Ryan GOSNELLS HOTEL Frank G THE GREENWOOD Greg Carter GROOVE BAR (CROWN) James Reyne HOTEL ROTTNEST DJ Eugene HYDE PARK HOTEL Ricky Green INDI BAR Boom! Bap! Pow! JOONDALUP RESORT Gay Fowlie KALAMUNDA HOTEL B.O.B LANEWAY LOUNGE Jade Crompton Quartet Dean Anderson MAHOGANY INN Tod Woodward M ON THE POINT Retriofit MOJOS BAR The Beekeepers MUSTANG Oz Big Band Swing DJ Cheeky Monkeys DJ James MacArthur OCEAN ONE BAR Mad Agents PORT KENNEDY TAVERN One Trick Phonies THE PRINCIPAL Jonny Dempsey QUARIE BAR & BISTRO Chill Divine
RIGBY’S BAR & BISTRO Undergrowth Acoustic Open Mic ROSEMOUNT HOTEL This Other Eden Avastera Lights of Berlin Short of Daybreak ROSIE O’GRADYS FREMANTLE Madam Montage RAILWAY HOTEL Ol’ Bouginvillea Animal Kortisol Still Frame Mind SAIL AND ANCHOR Howie Morgan Duo THE SAINT Airbag THE SHED Huge SOUTH ST ALEHOUSE Robbie King Karaoke SWINGING PIG Greg Carter SWAN BASEMENT Regeneracy Social Madness Nucleust Envy Awake SWAN LOUNGE Maniac Radio Veronica’s Assassin Guy Masterman UNIVERSAL BAR Nightmoves WINTERSUN HOTEL James McDonald THE WOODVALE Flava YAYA’S Sail On! Sail On! Santa Muerte Branch Circus Closure SATURDAY 25/01 AMPLIFIER BAR Flower Drums Our Man In Berlin Indigo BAILEY BAR & BISTRO Hi-NRG THE BALMORAL Retriofit BAR ORIENT The Reggae Club BEAT NIGHTCLUB (UPSTAIRS) CANVAS BEAT NIGHTCLUB (DOWNSTAIRS) RUNAWAYS Adora Heights Atlantis THE BIRD Straya Day BENTLEY HOTEL Chriss Gibbs Band BOAB TAVERN James WIlson CIVIC HOTEL BACKROOM MDMA Mistress Of Ceremony
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
MANIAC RADIO /SWAN LOUNGE/ SATURDAY 25
Mx Axis & Dsta DJ L-Street CLANCYS FREMANTLE Carus And Prita THE CLAREMONT HOTEL ANTICS Beat Surrenders. The Beehives Gogo Dancers Coco Poppin Lucy Watusi CRAFTSMAN GrooVe DUNSBOROUGH TAVERN Ian Cocker DAVE’S CANS Scenic Leon Osborn Nora Zion Atripat ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Shameem The Amani Consort THE GATE Greg Carter GREENWOOD Pretty Fly GROOVE BAR (CROWN) Switch HOTEL ROTTNEST Howie Morgan Project HYDE PARK HOTEL Easy Tigers Ocka- Oke INDI BAR Blue Shaddy INDIAN OCEAN BREWING CO Shawne & Luc LAKERS TAVERN Celebrations Karaoke LANEWAY LOUNGE Cathrine Summers Duo LOBBY LOUNGE (CROWN) Why Georgia? MOJOS BAR Rag N’ Bone Old Blood Hyte Buzz Kill Vamps MERRIWA TAVERN Celebrations Karaoke M ON THE POINT Rhythm 22 MUSTANG Rusty & The Dragstrip Trio Rockabilly DJ Milhouse DJ James MacArthur NEWPORT HOTEL Gravity Tahli Jade PARAMOUNT NIGHTCLUB Felix PORT KENNEDY TAVERN Kevin Curran PADDY MAGUIRES SUBIACO Cherry Lips OCEAN ONE BAR Desert Bells QUARIE BAR &
MEZZANINE/SWAN HOTEL BASEMENT/ SATURDAY 25
BISTRO Back2Back RAILWAY HOTEL North Freo Pub Crawl The Love Junkies Usurper Of Modern Medicine The Weapon Is Sound Dead Owls Tape/Off Puck Mudlark Pat Chow Hunting Huxley Man The Clouds Filthy Apes ROSEMOUNT HOTEL Born Of Osiris After The Burial ROSIE O’GRADY’S FREMANTLE Flava SAIL & ANCHOR Better Days THE SAINT Mike Nayar SETTLERS TAVERN Declan Kelly The Rising Sun THE SHED Huge SOUTH ST ALE HOUSE Robbie King Karaoke SWALLOW BAR DJ Peas Of Soul Purpose Radio SWAN HOTEL (BASEMENT) Mezzanine Archer & Light Apache The Decline Girl York Indigo SWAN HOTEL (LOUNGE) King Of The Travellers Tom Fisher And The Layabouts Little Skye Husband (duo) Renae Elliot David Craft THE SWINGING PIG Frenzy UNIVERSAL Soul Corporation THE VIC Leighton Keepa YAYA’S Tom Ware SUNDAY 26/01 399 BAR Undergrowth Acoustic Open Mic THE ALBION Dean Anderson BALMORAL hades Of Indigo BELMONT TAVERN The Hitman Acoustic Aly THE BRIGHTON Ali Hill Rai Thistlethwaite Rob Walker
BROOKLANDS TAVERN Guy Tucker CAPTAIN STIRLING Australia Day Hottest 100 THE CARINE Mike Nayar THE CAUSEWAY Accoustic Sunday CIVIC HOTEL Frank G COMO HOTEL Ansell & Fretall DAVE’S CANS MYRE ROOFTOP Higher Planes Cola & Jimmu Georgia Anne Muldrow Dudley Perkins J Romes THE FLY TRAP (FLY BY NIGHT) Stage Fright Open Mic Night Australia Day Weekend Edition! FLYRITE Fall Electric The Leap Year Tape/Off (Qld) French Rockets Faim Smrts Health Legend THE GATE Greg Carter GROOVE BAR (CROWN) Darryl Braithwaite Peace Love HYDE PARK HOTEL Justin Cortorillo INDI BAR Declan Kelly And The Rising Sun Trojan John Malachi Wehipehana INDIAN OCEAN BREW CO Retriofit KALAMUNDA HOTEL The Mojos KULCHA Zukhuta Sundays LAKERS TAVERN Wesley Goodlet Jamboree Scouts LOBBY LOUNGE (CROWN) Thierynno MINNAWARRA PARK City Of Armadale Australia Day Event Kangaroo Creek Gang Gang Of 3 Australian Made KICK Feedback M ON THE POINT Two Tenors MOJOS BAR Grey Ghost Mathas Wisdom 2th MUSTANG Australia Day DJ Holly Doll
KING OF THE TRAVELLERS/SWAN HOTEL LOUNGE/SATURDAY 25
Kickstart With DJ James MacArthur NEWPORT HOTEL Australia Day Celebrations OCEAN ONE BAR Tahnee DJ Martin PADDY MALONES Sunday Sesh PEEL ALE HOUSE Sophie Jane QUARIE BAR & BISTRO Cruise Control ROSEMOUNT HOTEL Australia Day Party SAIL AND ANCHOR Childs Play THE SAINT Howie Morgan Project SEAVIEW TAVERN Jean Proude SETTLERS TAVERN Simon Kelly The Big Bamboo SOUTH ST ALEHOUSE Sawney SWANBROOK WINERY Sundowner Sessions Hayley Beth David Craft Matt Waring SWINGING PIG Aiden Varro UNIVERSAL Cartel WANNEROO TAVERN Adrian Wilson WHISTLING KITE Electrophobia THE WINDSOR Kizzy THE WOODVALE Jim Moore MONDAY 27/01 BRASS MONKEY Wire Birds THE BRIGHTON James Wilson THE CARINE Acoustic Aly
GROOVE BAR (CROWN) Justin & Mike LAKERS TAVERN Light Street MOJOS BAR Open Mic Night MUSTANG BAR Triple Shots TUESDAY 28/01 THE BIRD Beat Lounge BRASS MONKEY Open Mic Night Josh Terlick THE CHARLES HOTEL Perth Blues Club Richie Pavledis Gerard Maunick Band Mantis THE ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB The Newhouse Collective Rai Thistlewayte Ben Vanderwal GROOVE BAR (CROWN) Jack & Jill LOBBY LOUNGE (CROWN) Hans Fiance MERIDIAN ROOM (CROWN) James Wilson LUCKY SHAG Leighton Keepa MERRIWA TAVERN Celebrations Karaoke MUSTANG BAR Danza Loca Salsa Night OCEAN ONE BAR Undergrowth Open Mic Night YAYA’S Steady Eddy Neel Kolhatkar
LOCAL GIG
Scenic
SCENIC LEON OSBORN NORA ZION ATRIPAT Saturday, January 25 Dave’s Cans
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MUSIC GEAR & TECHNOLOGY
DANCE CLASSES BELLYDANCE CENTRAL STUDIO CLASSES Free class Fri 7 Feb special beg. Term 1 starts Mon 10 Feb. For brochure, info and free class invite email dance@bellydancecentral. com.au. Mob: 0409511125. www.bellydancecentral.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 GENERAL EXPRESSIONS WANTED GRAFFITI ARTISTS & GRAPHIC DESIGNERS for newly formed clothing company. Exp req’d. $$ paid for quality. Please call Mark if interested 0428 365 713. MUSOS WANTED EXP SINGER WANTED for established local original rock band. Gigs booked, recording waiting. Text or call 0448 426 491 OPEN MIC NIGHT every Thursday night at Indi Bar. Just call Bex on 0404 917 632. PHOTOGRAPHY P R O J E C T P H OTO G R A P H Y P r o m o photography, studio, live, location. Mike Wylie 0417 975 964 w w w. p ro j e c t p h o to g r a p hy.co m When its time to ice the cake... PRODUCTION SERVICES CD & DVD MANUFACTURE Check out our latest CD & DVD specials online at www.procopy.com.au 9375 3902 DISK BANK Perth’s premier CD & DVD 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 RECORDING STUDIOS ALAN DAWSON’s WITZEND RECORDING STUDIO Prof quality albums or demos, large live room, experienced engineer, analog to digital transfers, mastering.. Alan 0407 989 128 or Jeremy 0430638178 www.witzendstudios.com ANDY’S STUDIO International multi award winning songwriter / producer. No band required. Broadcast quality. A songwriter’s paradise. Ph 9364 3178 GOLDDUST Production Mixing, recording and composition. Leederville $80 p/h. 0408 097 407 POONS HEAD MASTERING Analog Master. TAPE, TUBES & TRANSFORMERS. Clients include: Melody’s Echo Chamber, Pond,
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Gossling, Knife Party, Felicity Groom, The Floors, Jeff Martin & The Panics. World class facility. World class results. www.poonshead.com 9339 4791 R E CO R D I N G M I X I N G M A S T E R I N G PRODUCING Fremantle location. Call Pete Kitchen Cooked Records. Ph 0407 363 764 / 9336 3764 REVOLVER SOUND STUDIO Ph 9272 7505. www.revolverstudio.com.au SONGWRITERS AND BANDS! - 30TH ANNIVERSARY DISCOUNTS! UNLOCK YOU R S O N G ’ S P OT E N T I A L ! F R E E APPRAISALS. UK Producer, 40,000+ hours studio experience, 20 yrs in London. Kicking arrangements. Great studio and the ability to really listen will give your material the edge you need. Call Jerry on 0405 653 338 or visit www.jerichomusic.com.au REHEARSAL STUDIOS AAA VHS REHEARSAL ROOMS Great facilities, great vibe & great price!!! Unit 5 /16 Peel Road, O’Connor. Phone 9418 5815 or 0413 732 885 BIGBEAT SOUND STUDIO Clean rooms, all new PA systems, air-con and good parking . Willetton Ph: 0425 698 117. PLATINUM SOUND ROOMS Professional rehearsal rooms, airconditioned, quality PAs mob 0418 944 722 STREAM STUDIO’S 89 Stirling S t , Pe r t h . M o b i l e : 0 4 0 3 1 5 2 0 0 9 info@streamrehearsal.com.au TUITION * * * G U I TA R L E S S O N S * * * N ew Ye a r enrolments, book online. Beg to prof, all styles. Catering to WAAPA and AMEB standards. All tutors have WWC clearance. Cliff Lynton Guitar Institute. Mt Lawley 9342 3484 / www.clifflynton.com AAA CLEAVER ACADEMY OF VOICE Voice training for singers that really works. All techniques including speech level. Phone 9272 4497 mb 0417 928 998. BASS GUITAR LESSONS AVAILABLE by WAAPA tutor. A practicle approach to learning. .All styles.Years of experience. Tony Gibbs 9470 6131
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CLASSIFIEDS
BLACKBIRD SINGING IN THE DEAD OF NIGHT Kosmic are offering a fantastic deal on the Blackbird Maton M225 right now - a guitar custom designed exclusively for Kosmic! This beautiful instrument boasts a solid spruce top, a Queensland maple back, sides and neck, gold Grover tuners and a satin black finish, and right now you can pick up one and a case to keep it in for on $999. Head to kosmic.com.au for details. Blackbird Maton M225
NOW IT IS NAMM The biggest musical conference in the world, the National Association Of Music Merchants (NAMM for short) kicks off in Anaheim, California on January 23. The biggest and best musical trade show in the world, this is when and where the big brands debut all their new toys. Now, we’re betting you probably can’t scrape together the time or money to attend at such short notice, but you can keep track of all the latest industry and technology developments by heading over to namm.org or checking out their Facebook page.
CLASSIFIEDS
YAMAHA INTRODUCES THE NEW TYROS 5 The latest from Yamaha should have keyboard wizards salivating. The latest workstation in the tyros Series, the Tyros5, contains more than 300 new voices, including guitars, synth, brass, pianos and more. The system recreates instrument sounds with amazing authenticity, making it perfect for testing out arrangements and compositions before bringing other musicians into the mix. Head to yamaha.com to check out the full range of functions. Yamaha Tyros5
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