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X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays
FEELS LIKE HOME
Bombay Bicycle Club
BICYCLE BUILT FOR TUNES
Bombay Bicycle Club isn’t from India, nor will any of its members roll ride across the country on bicycles during their upcoming tour. But the four British indie rockers are set to bring the sounds of their 2011-released LP A Different Kind Of Fix to local audiences on Sunday, March 17, for a special all ages show at the Astor Theatre. Tickets will be available to purchase through BOCS from this Friday onwards.
OLD COUNTRY
More than 40 years after his debut single (Old Man Emu) reached pole position in the national charts, John Williamson is still touring the country at a pace that would destroy most younger bands, selling a cool four million albums along the way. Showing no signs of stopping, Williamson is set to release his 48th album, The Big Red, nationally on Friday, January 27. He hits WA for shows at the Swan Yacht Club in East Freo on Friday, February 24; Bunbury Entertainment Centre on Thursday, May 17; Mandurah Performing Arts Centre on Friday, May 18; and Geraldton’s Queens Park Theatre on Saturday, May 19.
TANGLED UP IN BREW
Since the release of Tangled Brew early last year, Lloyd Spiegel along with former Blue Shaddy percussionist Arunachala Satugunasingam have endured a non-stop tour across Australia, touring to every major city at least three times, for a total of 212 performances in all. They head out on one final tour together, so be sure to see them on Thursday, February 2, at the Albany Blues Club; Friday, February 3, at South West Blues Club in Bunbury; Saturday, February 3 at The Hills Blues Club in Mt Helena; Sunday, February 5, at Redcliffe On The Murray; Tuesday, February 7 at the Charles Hotel for Perth Blues Club; Wednesday, February 8, at Mojos and Friday, February 10, at the Indi Bar.
ADVANCE AUSTRALIA FAIR
What does Australia Day mean to you? BBQs with mates? Counting down the top songs of the previous year with Triple J’s Hottest 100? But what happens after the last song is announced? For those punters who want to keep the festivities going, the Fly The Flag Festival is set to offer a night of live entertainment which will make you proud to call Australia home. Kicking off at 4.00pm at Dixon Road Reserve in Rockingham, Fly The Flag will feature sets by Aussie rock band The Super Group, internationally acclaimed DJs the Stafford Brothers, Australia’s Got Talent favourite Bandit, Melbournian indie rockers The Latonas and local talents Sisters Doll and Custom Royal. Presale tickets are on sale now for $99 from Ticketek.
JEWEL PALACE
One of the shining stars on the Perth Festival music program this year, Bonnie Prince Billy has added a pair of once-in-a-lifetime shows to his forthcoming WA tour. In addition to stopping by the new Festival Gardens on Friday, February 24, the man known to his mother as Will Oldham will also play at Jewel Cave in Margaret River on Saturday, February 25, and Sunday, February 26. These shows will be completely acoustic with a capacity of 40 people. Tickets are $45 from Moshtix.
Gimme Shelter, the annual fundraiser for the homeless on the south lawn at Fremantle Arts Centre is on again on Wednesday, Februar y 25, with another amazing line-up including members of the Triffids Jill Birt and Alsy Macdonald together with Adrian Hoffman from The Morning Night, sultry songstress Felicity Groom, balladeer Dave Mann and The Starlight Hotel Choir. Gimme Shelter is a not-for-profit event with every cent from ticket sales going directly to feed and nurture the homeless. Tickets are dirt-cheap at $25 plus booking fee in advance from fac. oztix.com.au, Fremantle Arts Centre and usual outlets (or $35 on the door).
NEVERENDING STORY
FOR FOLK’S SAKE
After wowing audiences across the country with the sublime Seeker Lover Keeper outfit, the wonderful Holly Throsby has announced a return to the solo format for a headline tour. The tour marks Throsby’s first headline tour in over a year, and will see her band The Hello Tigers accompanying her at each show. These gigs are set to be her last before beginning work on new material. Catch the charming chanteuse at the Norfolk Basement on Saturday, March 31. Tickets are available through Heatseeker.
News
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Reactions/Comp
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Music: Tim Minchin
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Music: Lamb Of God/ Rodrigo Y Gabriela
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Music: Hed (PE)/ Twin Shadow/ Jack On Fire/
With a signature sound and unforgettable live reputation, indigenous roots outfit Oka are hitting the west coast to launch their new album Milk & Honey. Catch them kicking off at the Nannup Music Festival on Sunday, March 5, as well as at the White Star Hotel in Albany on Monday, March 5, at the Indi Bar on Wednesday, March 7, Mojos on Thursday, March 8, the Prince of Wales Hotel in Bunbury on Friday, March 9 and the Settlers Tavern in Margaret River on Sunday, March 11.
TRAVELLING TROUBADOUR
UK born and bred yet very much an adopted Australian son, Passenger (the moniker of Mike Rosenberg), has announced his largest ever Australian tour, set to take place nationally this April. The tour comes following the release of his new album, All The Little Lights, in late February, and will include a show at the Fly By Night in Fremantle on Friday, April 13.
Aussie rock icon Jon English is bringing his latest hit production, The Rock Show to WA. Covering two decades of classic rock music in one night of amazing rock theatre, the show features songs from such acts as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, Led Zepplin, Queen, The Kinks, Cream, Bob Dylan, Joe Cocker, Deep Purple, Pink Floyd, David Bowie, Janis Joplin, Elton John, Mamas and The Papas, AC/DC, just to name a few. Don’t miss the theatrics, the history and the humour on Friday, March 3, and Saturday, March 4, at the Astor Theatre. Tickets through BOCS.
THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT
Let The Cat Out 16
New Noise
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Eye4 Cover: Hijacked 3
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Eye4 News/Art Stories/ Movie: A Few Best Men
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Eye4 Movies: The Darkest Hour/ J.Edgar/
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Eye4 Arts List
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Salt Cover: Tomas Ford
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Salt: Cover Story/ News
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Salt: Stafford Brothers/ Andy C
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Salt: Rewind/ Club Manual/ Scenery
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Scene: Live
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Scene: Pub Blurbs/ Pub Scene
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Scene: Local Scene
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Tour Trails
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Gig Guide
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Volume
A Few Best Men Interview
Cover: Tim Minchin plays Challenge Stadium on Friday, February 10, and Sunday, February 12
Salt Cover: Tomas Ford plays Amplifier this Friday, January 27 www.xpressmag.com.au
John Cleese
Sydney’s exuberant power pop band The Never Ever are heading our way for two special shows in support of the release of their anticipated single Love’s Got Me Tipsy from their second EP Breathe. The Never Ever will be performing the new single and all their old favourites on Thursday, February 2, at Oh Snap at Villa; and Saturday, February 4, at the Shout It Out festival being held at the YMCA HQ.
HONEY JOYS
ALL TOGETHER NOW
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Felicity Groom
Indie pop lovers are in for a treat with muchloved locals San Cisco adding an additional all ages show on Sunday, February 26, at the Fremantle Arts Centre. Tickets are still available for their regional show in Bunbury on Thursday, February 9, at the Prince of Wales and their over-18s show at the Fremantle Arts Centre on Friday, February 24, however organisers predict the remaining tickets to be exhausted soon. Tickets are available from Oztix and Heatseeker. Sugarpuss support all shows.
The Mountain Goats
GOLDEN BOYS
After releasing All Eternals Deck to critical acclaim last year Californian three-piece The Mountain Goats will be bringing their unique brand of American indie storytelling to Australian audiences once again playing a series of headlining shows in May, which kicks off on Tuesday, May 1, at The Bakery. Click over to Heatseeker to purchase your tickets to what will surely be one of the most entertaining performances of 2012.
AXE & SMASH
Influenced by punk, glam, rock and rave, Londoner Axe Girl plays play original power pop punk electro anthems with guts. Catch her with specially formed local super-group comprised of Vanessa Thronton (Jebediah), Nat Ripepi, Arunachala Satugunasingam (Blue Shaddy) and Narelle Smalls (10cent Billionaire). Axe Girl plays the Treasure Chest on Saturday, January 28; Mojos on Saturday, January 4; and The Bird on Saturday, February 11.
MONKEYING AROUND
Finally Australian fans who have been waiting over a decade for the live soul and folktronic Bonobo experience to hit local shores, can enjoy the live experience as Simon Green and band come to WA for a one-off performance at Capitol on Friday, March 9. Tickets are available now through Moshtix.
THE MINISTER OF SILLY WALKS
Star of Monty Python, Fawlty Towers and currently Twitter, John Cleese is one of the funniest person to ever walk the Earth. Right now he’s walking the streets of Perth as part of his first ever Australian tour, and he’s just added an 11th and final show to his stay. Head to Ticketek to grab your tickets to the remaining shows, which are nightly until Friday, February 3 (except Australia Day).
WALKIN’ TO WA
Critically acclaimed and ludicrously prolific roots singer-songwriter Van Walker is hitting the road to commemorate the launch of his latest album Underneath The Radar. Catch the talented troubadour on Thursday. February 23 at the Settlers Tavern in Margaret River, on Friday, February 24 at the Indi Bar or on Sunday, February 26 at the Fly By Night.
MISSION POSSIBLE
Soundwave organisers have announced that Australian rockers The Mission In Motion will now join the likes of Limp Bizkit, Marilyn Manson, A Day To Remember, Lamb Of God and more at the Claremont Showgrounds on Monday, March 5. Tickets are still available from Oztix and Ticketek.
Hoodoo Gurus
GURUS OF GOOD TIMES
What better way to celebrate 30 years of your recording history than by inviting your favourite garage rock bands to Australia to tour with you? That’s exactly what the Hoodoo Gurus are doing to celebrate three decades since the release of debut single Leilani. Dig It Up The Hoodoo Gurus Invitational hits the Astor Theatre on Saturday, April 28, and will see the Gurus perform Stoneage Romeos in its entirety along with other hits and feature support sets from Redd Kross and The Fleshtones. Tickets go on sale Monday from Bocs, Feel Presents, Oztix and 78 Records.
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with Melissa Erpen... Send your name, address and daytime phone number to win@xpressmag.com.au with the name of the competition in the subject line or enter online at www.xpressmag.com.au. Snail mail entries can be sent to Locked Bag 31, West Perth 6872. Entries close 4pm Monday. By entering you agree to X-Press Magazine’s Terms & Conditions which can be found online. All competition entries will automatically enable you to become an X-Press subscriber! No details will be given to a third party.
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MOVIES IN THE VINEYARD
What more could you ask for on a summer’s evening than being in our beautiful south-west! Movies In The Vineyard is being held in the Cape Mentelle Winery, Margaret River, and is the perfect way to make the most of your trip down South. Bring a picnic basket and blanket to spread out on the winery’s lawn to watch the films as the sun goes down. With screenings from Saturday, December 17, to Wednesday, February 22, Cape Mentelle is Margaret Rivers’ only outdoor cinema and is truly a magnificent spot. We are giving you the chance to win one of two double passes we have to giveaway to Movies In The Vineyard, get in now as they are sure to go quick.
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AUSTRALIAN HIP HOP SUPPORTS CANTEEN
Artists and music industry people from all over the country will be flying in to Perth to celebrate the release of the Australian Hip Hop Supports CanTeen album on Saturday, February 11, at the Bakery. Three hundred lucky VIPs will get a chance to attend the national album listener party with celebrity DJ’s manning the decks and the 32-track album played at intervals during this most auspicious of hip hop nights. The charity album was the final project directed by the late Robert Hunter who died of cancer aged 36. More than 40 artists including ARIA winners Hilltop Hoods, Drapht, and Koolism donated a brand new track to the late Robert Hunter for inclusion on the charity album which is raising funds for CanTeen, an Australian charity that supports young people living with cancer. We have 25 double passes up for grabs to this awesome event so get your entries in now to win a special spot on the guest list!
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UNDERWORLD
Kate Beckinsale, star of the first two films, returns in her lead role as the vampire warrioress Selene, who escapes imprisonment to find herself in a world where humans have discovered the existence of both Vampire and Lycan clans, and are conducting an all-out war to eradicate both immortal species. To celebrate the release of this highly anticipated movie, we are giving our wonderful readers the chance to win one of ten double passes we have up for grabs. Enter now to avoid disappointment.
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Underworld
A FEW BEST MEN
From the director of The Adventures Of Priscilla Queen Of The Desert, and the writers of Death At A Funeral, A Few Best Men features a stellar cast including; Xavier Samuel, Kris Marshall, Kevin Bishop, Tim Draxl, Rebel Wilson and Olivia NewtonJohn. When English lad David (Xavier Samuel) announces he is getting married to an Australian, his hapless mates give a whole new meaning to the phrase ‘for better or worse’! The chaos-filled wedding day tests their new marriage, challenges David’s relationships with his three best men, and risks turning what should be the best day of their lives into the worst. We have ten double passes up for grabs so get in now for your chance to win tickets to this hilarious film that is guaranteed to have you in fits of laughter.
DJ Yoda
Movies By Burswood is Perth’s family-friendly, affordable outdoor cinema. Screenings are held in the Burswood Parklands near the Causeway. Lying back watching a movie under a starry sky is one of the magical joys of our lifestyle - knowing that you are helping out local children’s charities is a bonus. Organised and run by a team of over 400 volunteers the event benefits local children’s charities seeking to improve the quality of life of children in a health or physical ability crisis. Get in now to be in the running to win a double pass to see any of the movies showing during the Movies By Burswood season. It’s got to be one of the best things to do on a summer’s night so you don’t want to miss out!
DJ YODA @ VILLA
DJ Yoda isn’t just a DJ, he’s like the culture collector you always wanted to be and the exhibitor you never could be for every style of music and entertainment you can wrap your head around. Applying his ridiculously astute ear for mixing and blending 12” a capellas on top of seemingly disparate genres, DJ Yoda will take you on a tour from underground rap to TV themes, nursery rhymes, country, soul, reggae, drum ‘n bass and 80s pop – and then add in the visual element. The Wonderful World Of DJ Yoda checks into Perth’s Villa nightclub on Saturday, January 28, and we are giving you the chance to win a double pass. Get in now as this is set to be a knockout show.
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Deadlines EDITORIAL General - Friday 5pm, Arts - Thursday 10am, Comp’ Thing Monday Noon, Clubber’s Guide - Monday 5pm, Rock X-tras - Monday Noon, Gig Guide - Monday 5pm
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After a long time off the charts, Santigold released new single and clip Big Mouth last week. It’s not getting rave reviews in the X-Press office but our Facebook friends seem to be digging the tune. Steven What’s wrong with it? It’s perfect for remixes. Peter At 1.05 did they do farts and try and wave them away??? Donna I heard it on Triple J this morning and thought it was quite good! They are giving it rave reviews too. I am a massive fan though! Anthony I love Santigold but this track is pretty boring.
HARVEY FRESH Dear X-Press (and Jennifer Peterson Ward), You don’t know me, but I’d like to congratulate you on your review of PJ Harvey from Friday night. It certainly runs rings around that hideous ABC review by Ian Clarke*** and shows there are some talented music writers in this city. Keep up the great work! Kate Ferguson *** Ian Church. Sorry, I have already tried to remove his name from my memory!
Catherine I think it’s pretty good, just sounds different to Santi’s last album. More upbeat? If that makes any sense. I’m interested to see what the whole thing sounds like.
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he wrote the music and lyrics for, and has been removed from The Jonathan Ross Show. Minchin’s performance of Woody Allen Jesus on The Jonathon Ross Show was gentle and tame compared to some of his other songs which challenge ideas associated with sex, religion, love and death but nevertheless, it was cut from the episode and the news went viral. Minchin says the situation will not affect the content of songs he writes in the future. “If the question is whether I’ll be more cautious – I mean that’s [more cautious] than most of my material,” he says. “Woody Allen Jesus was meant for a late night television audience and when it got cancelled by someone gutless, I put it on my website and did a little rant for people who were interested in my career. “What the right wing press did over here is… put the video in front of the opposite of my audience so The Daily Telegraph in the UK (which is fine, I’m not complaining, I asked for publicity), but it’s completely ridiculous that I should feel accountable to an audience for whom it was not desired… they say I’m being contentious but I’m not being contentious, they are by putting it in front of an audience who don’t care and who unfortunately believe a 2,000 year old Jewish rabble-rouser was magic and that you should follow him in order to live an ethical life which is absurd.”
Tim Minchin
TIM MINCHIN
From The West To The West End Australian musician, composer, songwriter, actor, comedian and writer Tim Minchin recently performed Woody Allen Jesus (his song comparing Jesus to Woody Allen) on British television. He was cut from the show by someone he deems “gutless”.“In Thank You God For Fixing The Cataracts Of Sam’s Mum which is a song about prayer, I call god a sexist, racist, murderous c*nt,” he tells ANNABEL MACLEAN, making light of the situation. Tim Minchin Vs The Orchestras Round II hits Challenge Stadium on Friday, February 10, and Sunday, February 12. Tim Minchin has just put his two-and-a-half year old son Caspar in front of the idiot box so he can spare a few moments to chat with X-Press about the crazy year that’s been. “It’s the best parenting tool ever - you have to be quite disciplined about not overusing it because there’s always really good, really educational, really colourful stuff on tele all day,”
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he says down the line from his home in the UK. Since he last performed at Kings Park alongside the West Australian Symphony Orchestra in March 2011, Minchin has convinced someone to admit they committed a murder on English illusionist and mentalist Derren Brown’s show The Guilt Trip, has seen the success of The Royal Shakespeare’s musical version of Roald Dahl’s Matilda for which
“I went to the 02 Arena - a bit like Challenge Stadium but bigger - because I knew I had to play in it and I saw Alicia Keys and she came out in a cage and I thought ‘fuck, I’ve gotta come out in a cage now, what a nightmare!’”
Having written the music and lyrics for Matilda The Musical which is currently holding up an extended season at London’s West End and is likely to head to Broadway, Minchin says the whole experience has been fantastic.“On some level it’s so absurd that it barely holds up to description – the idea that I left Perth when I was 26 and I was writing for Barking Gecko and Black Swan and getting slammed by X-Press Magazine,” he says, laughing. “I’ve now ended up back writing theatre again. Except now it’s on the West End… it’s really, really, really good. It was hard and it was scary because I’m not trained and like everyone I suppose, people try to convince themselves that they’re one type of person but they never are so you’re half full of self doubt and half full of confidence. So with Matilda, part of me was like ‘Jesus, I can’t bear the responsibility’ but then the other part of me was thinking ‘this is the perfect project for me and if they had got anyone else they would’ve been idiots’. “It was that fine balance between self loathing and megalomania. Not that it’s really that dramatic… the process was amazing and there were lots of difficult times… but I loved collaborating with smart people. I’ve done a lot of solo work over the last few years and just collaborating with people that are smarter than me is just so invigorating.” Minchin even got to meet illustrator, cartoonist and author Quentin Blake at a Matilda gala fundraising event in which sketches by Minchin, Blake and others were auctioned off for charity. Minchin drew Blake. “Course not but he’s a lovely guy,” he says when asked if Blake liked his sketch. “He’s a quiet guy. I really liked meeting him and I had a brief chat but he was quite distracted that night because it was a bit of a gala event and obviously everyone wants to talk to him because he’s such a legend.” As for the musical reaching Australia, time will tell. “It’s not the most expensive show to put on ever but it does require to find 30 incredible kids under four foot seven and because Australia’s population is so small and spread out, it’s obviously going to be harder finding those kids but we’ll do it I think,” he says. Although we may have to wait a while for Matilda to reach our shores, it’s only a couple of weeks until Minchin graces us with his presence – in a cage, again. “I was inspired by Alicia Keys actually,” he says of his cage entrance at last year’s show. “I went to the 02 Arena - a bit like Challenge Stadium but bigger - because I knew I had to play in it and I saw Alicia Keys and she came out in a cage and I thought ‘fuck, I’ve gotta come out in a cage now, what a nightmare!’ so I’m doing that again. The show is exactly the same [as last year]. I’m a bit of an idiot but I’m not an idiot enough to write two whole orchestra shows in 18 months!”
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want to make records, but we don’t need to, so if it’s any way subpar we should just stop and not water it down.” It’s clear that the notion of Lamb Of God’s legacy is very much on Adler’s mind these days, coupled with a determination not to simply retread old ground on the new album. When asked how he thinks the band’s sound has developed since their formation in 1994, he pauses thoughtfully. “It’s a good question,” he says at last. “And it’s a question that we had to ask ourselves coming into the writing process of it. You have a band that has done six, seven, eight records, you never hear anyone say, ‘Oh yeah, my favourite album is their seventh record’. always, ‘I love the first one’, or ‘I love the second one, Metal madmen Lamb Of God play It’s and then they changed’. For me the goal of this record the Claremont Showgrounds as part was to put out something as relevant and well done as we’ve done before, and to hopefully use the of Soundwave on Monday, March 5. anything experience we’ve acquired over all this time to make TRAVIS JOHNSON talks to drummer something better.” Adler describes the actual nuts and Chris Adler about the challenges the bolts writing process as “ Ver y democratic”. band faced when recording their new “With the five us from day one in a room together, kind of hashing it out,” he offers.“There’s not one main album, Resolution. songwriter in Lamb Of God. Mark [Morton - guitarist] and Willie [Adler - guitarist] bring the bulk of the ideas, “It was an intimidating process,” Chris Adler says of and I have different rhythmic ideas for the drums the writing of Resolution, the seventh studio album that I come up with outside of listening to their stuff, from Lamb Of God. so I contribute in that way. It’s really just everybody “Because we weren’t content to rest on our bringing in the best stuff that they got, and we see laurels,” he says.“We wanted to beat ourselves, and we what we can stitch together, what we can make of it. knew that if we couldn’t, if we were holding on to some Every day we’d work for six or seven hours, and they kind of past glory, we really needed to just walk away. guys would go home and I’d stay longer and do my At this point we don’t really need to make records; we homework with the drums.”
RODRIGO Y GABRIELA
LAMB OF GOD
Paradise City
As half of the hybrid Latin rock duo Rodrigo Y Gabriela,Sanchez tells JOSHUA KLOKE that Ixtapa is the perfect place to base himself. Their new album, Area 52, is out now through Rubyworks/ Warner.
Chapter And Verse
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Lamb Of God That work ethic is a direct result of the band’s commitment to breaking new creative ground on the album, rather than just rehashing old tropes. As Adler explains, “We’ve done seven records that we like fairly well, and it was going to be hard to continue to beat ourselves; and we’re not really getting any younger, so do we really deserve to keep playing this game? Are we kind of maybe in the process of fading away? You can’t go backwards, you can’t repeat yourself; we want Rodrigo Y Gabriela this record to be better than all of them. I think that, internally, we pushed harder than we ever had before. It’s not okay to just float and go with the past success. “It’s a beach town, so it’s pretty calm. When we come We really gave it our all. Performance-wise, I think it back from work and touring, we feel like we’re on vacation.” matches, if not beats, any of our other albums.” If there’s a group that deserves the odd vacation or two, it’s Rodrigo Y Gabriela. From humble beginnings as buskers on the streets of Dublin, the pair have grown into an acclaimed act worldwide. Their innate ability to fuse colourful Latin rhythms into their brand of acoustic rock is superseded only by the fact that they don’t seem to take their fame lightly; their career has been marked by steadfast determination. It’s no surprise then that when the duo originally conceived Area 52, their fifth and latest full-length, they didn’t go half-assed into the project. Originally just a simple idea to re-work some of the band’s older material, it was quickly transformed into a full-blown commitment with a 13-piece Cuban orchestra. Rodrigo Y Gabriela, adhering to authenticity as they are wont to do, recorded Area 52 in Havana. But as Sanchez details over the phone from Ixtapa, Area 52 took on a snowball effect. “Knowing that we still had another year to go on the 11:11 tour, management was still asking us when we’d be back in the studio. So we had to come up with a project that was going to help us buy some time. My original idea was much simpler; I would pass some songs over to be arranged and they can record an orchestra in the back. But they loved the idea. And once I got into the whole process of producing these albums, I became consumed by it.” Elements of jazz are noted throughout the record; there is a palpable groove throughout Area 52 that will soon take to the road.“We didn’t just rearrange the songs; we reinvented nine songs from past albums. It became a very serious project, changing solos, changing parts. We obviously wanted to go to Cuba to record it as well. It was a long process from start to finish, but now we’re very happy with the results. And we hadn’t even planned on touring; now we think we’ll tour for six months or so, even though it was only conceived as just a project.” The manner in which Area 52 came to life draws striking parallels to the path of the duo as well. Far from the sultry Latin fusion act that they are now, the pair originally met while playing in a thrash metal outfit in Mexico City. It might be a tad perplexing to try and form the musical lineage between Area 52 and thrash metal. But for Sanchez, it’s all about keeping an open mind and lending yourself to the world and its many musical influences. “We come from a heavy metal background. But we were still surrounded by Latin rhythms, coming from Cuba and South America as well. We didn’t want to play that; we wanted to play heavy metal and we thought we’d become rock stars. Yet when we left Mexico for Europe, we realised we had a Latin side to us. We started to discover all these different cultures, and they found their way into the music. All the music we didn’t know about as kids, Indian music, Middle Eastern music now inspires us a lot. We grew up, somehow.”
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(HED) PE TWIN SHADOW
The Truth Is Out There
Full of anguish and unbridled joy, Twin Shadow’s songs are not in the least bit complacent or preachy, which is why it may come as a shock to listeners that the chillwave superstar attributes his success to the influence of religion throughout his life. JENNIFER PETERSON-WARD sat down with the indie icon ahead of his performance at the St Jerome’s Laneway Festival on Saturday, February 11.
Jared Gomes, also known as MC Underdog, is an interesting character. Constantly chuckling down the phone, yet extremely set in his opinions, you can tell there would never be a dull moment being a part of (Hed) PE. The band’s eighth studio album, Truth Rising, was released last year, and Gomes explains the direction they’ve taken. “This album musically is really hardcore,” Gomes begins. “The message is more empowering, like, ‘I’m not a victim’ is the message. Where previous albums were like ‘Hey, look what the New World Order is doing, look at what this secret government wants to do’. This one’s more like ‘well this is what I do, and this is how I empower myself’.” Gomes has previously expressed interest in extra terrestrial life and when asked about it, he is excited to express his view – it’s something that doesn’t usually come up in interviews for either interviewer or interviewee. “I think philosophically, if anyone sits there and thinks about how big the universe is, you’ll come to the conclusion that we’re not the only thing out there,” he believes. “But then if you want to go and do research on lost civilisations and some of the structures on the planet that are more advanced than we are right now, and just witness testimony and government whistleblowers. I mean if you spend a day on the internet and you’re smart enough to know how to research, then you’ll definitely walk away going, ‘Oh wow, we’ve been interacting with off-world entities forever.’ So I’m just waiting right now for the full exchange between us and another civilisation out in the open. The scales have tipped in our favour, the favour of the more galactic human being. We’re going to be turning into a more galactic species where we’re just going to interact with our space family.” (Hed) PE are traditionally a politically focused band, and Truth Rising is no different. There are a number of tracks that clearly illustrate Gomes’ political leanings, but one in particular, Whitehouse, shows that he may not be so disenchanted with the American government
(Hed) PE have been hitting the hardcore scene hard for the better part of two decades now, and are currently touring their latest album Truth Rising. Frontman Jared Gomes talks to CHLOE PAPAS about the album, the American government and aliens ahead of their show at Amplifier on Wednesday, February 1.
Holy George
The concept of spreading goodwill, positive thoughts and happiness is nothing new. It is an idea which religious teachers, philosophers and musicians have been handing down for centuries, and it is also Dominican-born George Lewis Jr’s self-described “hope”. While listeners aren’t likely to hear Lewis Jr singing literally about his faith in his songs recorded under the Twin Shadow moniker, the indie icon says his musical influences have always been of a religious nature. “It’s certainly something that spurs me on,” he says. “It affected me in a profound way. I can’t even explain how much it influenced me, but I think it’s always there in the background when I’m making music. I’m sure if you read into it more deeply, it probably becomes quite apparent.” Lewis Jr attributes his spiritual affinity to a childhood spent singing in his church’s choir, however the twenty-something admits he “strayed from the path” later in life. “I once was a very devout person, and I would eventually like to get back there,” he says, citing a hectic touring schedule as one of the main reasons for his lack of religious practice: “I’m trying to be a religious person, but it’s hard.”
Twin Shadow Lewis Jr also claims his meteoric rise to fame (following the release of his critically acclaimed 2010 debut Forget) and the ensuing demand for his name to appear on the bills of festivals around the world has “somewhat deflated” his creativity. “I used to prefer writing, but now I’m probably most excited about the recording process. Either way, it’s definitely not the performing aspect,” he explains. “We’ve been out on tour all year without a vacation. It’s hard to stay interested and passionate about something when you’re doing it every day. The desire slips away.” Despite a professed “exhaustion”, Lewis Jr promises he will be ready and raring to go by the time he hits local shores in February. “I won’t have had a vacation as such, but I’ll be spending more time in the studio over the next couple of months, so by the time I get to your part of the world I’ll be refreshed and ready to get on stage again.
(Hed) PE anymore, but that they’ve got bigger fish to fry. “Obama seems to be a good guy, but he’s in a dysfunctional government where there’s still so many evil reptiles - mostly republicans. But you know, our government is broken because the lobbyists, and now corporations, are considered legally to be people. The real problems are in corporations and European banking families and royal families. They are the ones that are on top of the pyramid. It’s a very complex story, that people a lot of times like to simplify and say it’s us versus the government. And believe me, the corporations want you to hate your own government. Because that leaves a vacuum for them to step in and just do whatever they want for a profit and pollute the planet.” (Hed)PE have toured Australia throughout all their different albums and lineups, and this one is no different. The band are heading over in February for the Hed to Head tour with fellow hardcore dude Jeffrey Nothing of Mushroomhead. “What’s great about the (Hed) PE live shows are the people that go to the show,” Gomes concludes . “Australian people that come to our shows are so cool and they’re high energy but not really aggravated, so there’s not that many fights in the pit or anything like that. There’s a lot of love at a hardcore show.”
JACK ON FIRE
Sunday Sermons Jack On Fire have been kicking around for a few years now, but Sermons From The Eastern Seaboard signals a band that have well and truly completed their apprenticeship. CHRIS HAVERCROFT spoke to multiinstrumentalist Sam Wass ahead of their shows at Settlers Tavern on Friday, January 27; the Rosemount on Saturday, January 28; and Mojos on Sunday, January 29.
Jack On Fire
Jack On Fire may have humble beginnings in Perth, but it is Melbourne where the band have truly found their feet. Sharing members with Institut Polaire, the grittier Jack On Fire found themselves on the other side of Australia when the much loved pop of Insitut Polaire found themselves drawn to the eastern states on the back of airplay and the lure of bigger gigs. As things would turn out, it is Jack On Fire who have stood the test of time and become the longer lasting of the two. “When we moved over (to Melbourne) with Institut Polaire, Ben [Blakeney] wasn’t really in the band anymore,” explains Wass. “Ben had mentioned he was going to leave [Institut Polaire], but would move over with us until we found someone else. Over half of Jack On Fire were moving over anyway, so we kept going after Institut Polaire broke up. They are both pretty separate bands anyway so Jack On Fire never felt like an offshoot or a side project.” The move has been kind to Jack On Fire who have found a greater audience for their niche tunes that embrace country, swamp rock and bluegrass. Wass doesn’t feel like they are treated any differently in Melbourne than they were in the West, just that there is now more opportunity for them to show their wares. There are more venues and more bands to play shows with, so Jack On Fire have been able to play regularly
without saturating the market. “We didn’t have any expectations when we came here. We didn’t come here with the aim of ‘cracking it’,” says Wass. “It was just a bit of a challenge for us. Because Institut Polaire weren’t as well known in Melbourne as they were in Perth, we were also able to separate the two a little bit more as well. When you play too much you have to find the happy medium between keeping the momentum going and people getting bored of you. It is the same in Melbourne, it is just on a larger scale. It hasn’t been any easier or harder than it is in Perth.” It is more than the location that has changed for Jack On Fire who started as an outlet for the fertile mind of Ben Blakeney to exercise his songs. Blakeney remains the frontman, but now there are songwriting and singing contributions from both Wass and George Hyde giving the band an even broader palate (although the shades are still predominantly a dark hue). “All the songs are quite different to each other. Having more songwriters makes things different, but having all the same band members helps to tie them all back together. You have that consistent sound of the band as a whole across everything. They are all Jack On Fire songs, but they each have a little signature of the person who wrote them.”
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Let The Cat Out
LET THE CAT OUT Tasmanian funky blues group Let The Cat Out are in WA this week for a full run of shows that will take in Mount Helena, Pinjarra, Albany, Margaret River and Quindanning in addition to their gigs at the Charles Hotel’s Perth Blues Club on Tuesday, January 31; and Mojos on Wednesday, February 1. BEN WATSON spoke to vocalist, rhythm guitarist and songwriter Jane McArthur. Ah, the trials that await those who wish to spread their wings! A bluesy funk band originally based in Tasmania, Let The Cat Out have been slowly – but surely – rolling out their sound across the nation. For half the band this has entailed the well-worn move to Melbourne, where McArthur is now based, and she says the difficulties associated with relocation have certainly had an influence on their second album, entitled Swimming Upstream. “[The title] is pretty relevant to the way the process turned out,” she explains, “because we had a few battles – a few hurdles to overcome. With half the band living in Melbourne, and the other half living in Tas’, everyone was pretty busy with family and all these other type of things - so it was a little bit like swimming upstream. We were really happy with the product in the end.” Let The Cat Out are a band who seem to be happy to take their time, patiently releasing the album city by city, state by state, and this tour will be their first in WA. “It’s pretty exciting actually!” she says of the trip. “I think we’ll probably go down well over there, especially in the summer time. We usually do well at outdoor gigs where there’s grass, and wine, and people are feeling pretty cruisy. So I think that sort of vibe will be a good starting point for us for getting people to
our gigs, [to] get people enjoying the music, which is good.” McArthur is clearly a determined, patient leader who seems to employ a systematic approach, and while she enjoys the unexpected musical magic that group work can bring, she says this latest, genre-hopping album has ultimately proved a more controlled offering. “I write the songs, but more and more with this album I’ve had more ideas about the arrangement of the song as well, so I’m hearing specific chord lines and that sort of thing: bass lines, harmonies… So I’ve come probably with more of a better idea of how I want the songs to be this time, which is good. But the guys totally put their magic all over it and often the songs end up being different to what I imagined - in a really good way. “So it’s collaborative in that sense. It’s not as though we sit down all together and work out how the song will be, it’s a bit more organic than that. I’ll send them a dodgy GarageBand demo with me singing the parts and stuff,” she laughs. ”And then they’ll go ‘hmm… interesting!’ and then make it sound great, as opposed to dodgy. There’s a lot more extras on the songs in this album, whereas our first album was sort of a bit more free and easy – unarranged, maybe – everything was just a bit freer. X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays
www.xpressmag.com.au
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BENJAMIN GOLBY A Progress
DIAMOND EYE Sound Of The Guns
Independent
Independent
As an integral member of indie pop outfit Split Seconds, who are undoubtedly one of Perth’s busiest and most promising new acts, you have to wonder how Benjamin Golby has found the time to complete second solo outing, A Progress. The secret may be in Golby being older than his years would suggest, as portions of A Progress are simply Victorian in nature. When I Lapse is baroque pop from a time that should be long past, and is a classy pondering. The pedal steel laced Gone! is the type of pop tune that considering his credentials, you would expect Golby could write during a visit to the can. For What It Is Worth ebbs and flows more than should be allowed in its brief duration, demanding repeated listens. It has one of those hooks that sneaks up on you like a serial killer. Having spent some time living in Hove must have rubbed off on the literate Golby who uses the Queen’s English with the grace of a playwright. Golby’s musically and verbally dense take on pop/folk is unique around these parts, with A Progress being an even more risky effort than his debut. This album is more than a progress, it’s a damn revelation. _CHRIS HAVERCROFT
Following the successful live CD/DVD release, Alive And Kicking, the longawaited debut studio recording from WA’s premier hard rock band gives fans a taste of what Diamond Eye can deliver in a studio setting. Five-track EP Sound Of The Guns serves to prove that Diamond Eye is a band that proudly wears its influences on its leather-clad sleeve. The combination of American hard rock and European metal tones, delivered in the band’s unique hardhitting melodic rock style serves to place Diamond Eye in a hard rock sub-genre of their own creation. The title track Sound Of The Guns is a notable example of this combination of styles, yet despite the band’s WAM Song Of The Year category winner serving as the centrepiece, the standout moments on this EP come from the two hardest-rocking numbers, Closer To The Sun and Machine. Vocalist Will Kelly delivers strong, clean vocal performances throughout the five-track EP, balancing his approach with equal parts earnestness and swagger. Crunchy rhythm work and slick lead breaks from guitarist Greg Fawcett set the tone from the get-go, backed by solid foundations from Chase Cameron’s thundering bass and Geoff Keating’s pounding drums. _CHRIS GIBBS
LIGHTS Siberia
NERVES JUNIOR As Bright As Your Night Light
Last Gang Records/Lights Music
sanoBLAST! Records
As Bright As Your Night Light is the debut album from Kentucky based band Nerves Junior and it comes with some pretty serious hype. Comparisons to juggernaut acts like Radiohead do nothing but raise expectations very high. Thankfully Night Light mostly lives up to its lofty praises. Opener Champagne & Peaches is sonically soothing with vocals and a lead guitar that fulfil its reputation and comparisons. Building up with the rising sound of an effects laden guitar, it’s a sound familiar yet at the same time completely original. The lead guitarist is the most obvious Radiohead influence with a sound laden with effects and a harsh attack, like Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood. The eponymous track on the album is a brilliantly catchy tune that nicely sums up the sound of the band, with a looping, crashing drum beat and a seriously infectious chorus. Lo-fi electronic keys buzz out as simple a melody as you can get while a sleazy bass line pushes the whole thing forward. But that is where Night Light draws its appeal. While at times it shares similarities with electronic music, it has enough gnashing guitar parts for people who usually find that sort of music boring. It’s that mashing of genres that makes Night Light a hard album to pin down, or categorise. Bursting with fresh energy and creativity, Night Light is an impressive debut not with out its flaws. But that’s only because the parts that shine, shine so well.
Valerie Poxleitner, the Canadian pop starlet who records as Lights, certainly has no fear of the wretched lyric. “When the riots stir, you are a sound mind/In the disorder you are a peace sign,” she sings on Peace Sign. It’s one of a succession of horrific turns of phrase that litter her second album, grains of grit that strike a jarring note among the smooth synthpop. Much ire has been directed at Poxleitner for her stylistic debt to the Postal Service, but her modus operandi suits her apparent worldview. The yearning chord progressions, the Auto-Tuned voice, the lyrics that combine the everyday and the fantastical all contribute to Poxleitner’s wide-eyed ingenue persona. But what sounds charming on the first few listens quickly loses its attraction, the sugar rush turns sickly and it becomes a little hard to stomach. Serving as the album’s co-producers, Holy Fuck’s Graham Walsh and Brian Borcherdt attempt to pepper the record with their trademark organic edginess, however Poxleitner’s soughing delivery and nasal enunciation (Strikingly reminiscent of Owl Eyes’ Adam Young) prevail over all else and it becomes blaringly clear that the young songstress will need to move beyond brittle pastiche if she hopes to reinvent such over-familiar electro-pop fluff ingredients. _JENNIFER PETERSON-WARD
_TOM VARIAN
DIRECTIONS IN GROOVE Clearlight
TRAILER TRASH TRACYS Ester Domino/EMI
ABC Music
Aussie jazz/funk veterans Directions In Groove ( known as D.I.G) are back with their first album in 13 years. All original members are back on board with an added D.I.G newbie, Laura Stitt (best known for her work with Sydney funk band Uncle Jed), lending her clean and chic vocals to the mix. As lovely as Stitt’s voice is, the vocal tracks (namely Blind and Sunnyside) risk being pushed towards a mainstream/pop arena. While this may not be necessarily be a bad thing, these tracks are likely to disappoint D.I.G fans who have been waiting for something more authentic during the long break. Fortunately, the instrumental pieces are closer to the straight up smooth and moody late night acid jams long-time listeners will know and love. There are many highlights: Euphonic Depth is a sneaky, twistyturny acid fuelled groove. Oberon is a nod towards Herbie Hancock and Soulive. Bassick InSync is, simply put, enjoyable and one can’t help but wonder why this immediately ear-catching track wasn’t chosen as the opener for the album. Another thing worth mentioning is the drums are recorded beautifully with much of the acoustic life and intricacies captured so vividly. Also, unlike much complicated acid jazz, Clearlight goes down without the burn of overproduction. There are some killer muso’s around our good country but the group really do wave the flag for serious music-making. _CHELA WILLIAMS 16
With a band name like Trailer Trash Tracys you would likely be expecting a band that sounds like a hard rocking posse of bourbon swilling badass chicks, or a toothless brand of ladies with a penchant for the front step and a collection of out of tune banjos, but neither comes anywhere near touching on the sound from this London four piece. With a name so abysmal, the casual listener would be excused for having low expectations when placing Ester in the CD player. It comes as quite the shock then, when what comes out of the speakers is an ambitious melding of analogue and digital. Swirling instruments and chaotic percussion kick things off with Rolling – Kiss The Universe, but this only hints at what is to come. Vocalist Susanne Aztoria sounds like she has been dragged straight out of a girl group to front the reverb heavy, dreamy shoegaze of You Wish You Were Red while the rest of the band hint at an admiration for Bachman-Turner Overdrive. Candy Girl covers similar territory while taking the band for a short journey through Twin Peaks. Trailer Trash Tracys do run the risk of being dumped in with the many female-fronted bands hiding behind a wall of reverb that have been well document in the world of blogs, but Ester offers an outfit that surely possess many more strings to their bow. _CHRIS HAVERCROFT X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays
www.xpressmag.com.au
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X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays
HIJACKED 3
www.xpressmag.com.au
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FOTOS IN FREO
Staged as part of the FotoFreo festivites, the Magnum Workshops will take place over five days, allowing 36 photographers to brush up on their skills under the watchful eyes of acclaimed photographers Antoine D’Agata, Donovan Wylie and Trent Parke. With a focus on developing photographic identity, the Workshops will take place at the beautiful Fremantle Arts Centre, and are a must for anyone who takes their photography seriously. Applications close on Monday, February 6, so you better hop to it! Find out more at events.magnumphotos.com/magnum-workshop.
Havaianas Australia Day Thong Challenge
LET ME SEE THAT THONG
The Zephyr Quartet
MICROMACRO MUSIC
Hailing from South Australia, the Zephyr Quartet is a group of bold and adventurous musicians who innovate with everything they do. True to their reputation, the Zephyr Quartet will get tongues wagging come February when they join forces with visual artist Jo Kerlogue for MICROmacro – a combined music and improvised visual art performance. Set to invade the Bakery on Monday, February 13, and Tuesday, February 14, MICROmacro will take audiences on a 50 minute journey that is both intimate and extraordinary. Tickets are on sale now from fringeworld.com.au.
Cottesloe Beach will play host to a sea of inflatable thongs this Australia Day and Havaianas want you to be part of the fun! An attempt to break the record for the longest line of giant inflatable Havaianas joined in the water, the event is always lots of fun, and since Bondi Beach took out the title last year, 2012 has got to be Cottesloe’s time to shine! Entry is only $25 and all funds raised go to charity; so grab your mates, a whole lot of sunscreen and get down to Cott this Thursday from 8am to register. The world record attempt is set to get underway at noon. Find out more at havaianasthongchallenge.com.au.
IT’S FUN TO SHOW AT THE YMCA
A fantastic gallery space smack bang in the middle of Leederville, YMCA HQ is dedicated to supporting young artists and as such, are offering free gallery hire for artists under 26 who earn less than $30,000 per year. The gallery has professional lighting, a hanging system and exhibitions presented at the space are supported with a full time gallery attendant and publicity. To register your interest hit up poppy.vog@ ymca.org.au.
(CON)WAY TO GO
He’s travelled the world performing at some of the best comedy festivals this side of the Milky Way and next week, Perth’s own John Conway will return home with The New Conway Explosion. Sure to be a highlight of the Fringe World calendar, the New Conway Explosion will take over the Perth Town Hall from Wednesday, February 1, ’til Sunday, February 5, promising to confuse, confound and confront audiences. Tickets are on sale now from fringeworld.com.au.
John Conway
A Few Best Men
A FEW BEST MEN Whirlwind Romance
Directed by Stephen Elliot Starring Xavier Samuels, Olivia Newton-John, Kris Marshall If you’re a fan of the nail-bitingly cringey humour of The Office and Death At A Funeral, you should definitely save the date for A Few Best Men. Xavier Samuels (fresh from being a vampire in the Twilight series) plays David, who proposes to fellow backpacker Mia (a desperately overacting Laura Brent) after a whirlwind holiday romance on a remote tropical beach. There’s only one hitch; he lives in England, she lives in Australia, and after they get back from holiday, they’ll spend three months apart before meeting up in Australia the day before the wedding. After a surprise welcome home party, which he manages to accidentally walk into buck naked, David breaks the news to his friends that he’ll be getting married and leaving England. His best friends range from the mischievous party boy Tom (Kris Marshall) to the gormless Graham (Kevin Bishop) to the recently dumped and almost suicidal Luke (Tim Draxl). Although they have some reservations about their friend settling down into married life, they accompany him on his trip to Sydney, and that’s when the real trouble starts. Mia’s family are, to put it simply, a bunch of loons. Mia’s father (Jonathan Biggins) is a senator who’s strangely obsessed with his prized ram; her sister (a hilarious Rebel Wilson) is trying to rebel against her family by pretending to be a lesbian; and her mother (Olivia Newton-John) seems perfectly normal - until she gets some alcohol and drugs into her.
There’s a clash of cultures when the boys arrive - Graham refers to Australia as “a nation of pointy-headed sheep fuckers who think culture is yoghurt” - and the mishaps and offensive statements only get worse in the lead up to the big day. From accidentally stealing a bag of cocaine from a deranged drug dealer (Steve LeMarguand), to having to put their hand up the back end of the prized ram, to awkward best man speeches about anal sex, it’s a series of unfortunate events that makes Mia question whether she can really marry someone she barely knows. While the groomsmen gone wild storyline is more than a little bit reminiscent of The Hangover, A Few Best Men is a fine movie in its own right. Although the premise of the movie is kind of weak - who gets married to a random English backpacker after seeing them for 10 days, even if he is ridiculously handsome? Luckily the hilarious events that follow more than make up for the lack of plot. Kris Marshall and Kevin Bishop are definitely noteworthy as the odd couple who keep getting themselves into increasingly ludicrous situations, but Olivia Newton-John steals the show as a cocainefuelled, champagne-swilling, and generally badbehaving mother-in-law. You haven’t lived until you’ve seen one of Australia’s national treasures snorting lines of coke Scarface style, dirty dancing and swinging from chandeliers. It’s a pity that lead actors Mia and David have pretty much no chemistry and about as much acting ability as a piece of cardboard. Taking the romcom genre and mixing it up with some dirty debauchery, A Few Best Men has something for everyone. _TARA LLOYD
HIJACKED 3
Life Through The Lens Hijacked 3 opens at the Perth Institute of Contemporary Art on Friday, February 17, as a part of the Perth International Arts Festival. Admission to the exhibition is free and extends until April 8. For more information visit pica. org.au, perthfestival.com.au. H i j a c ke d 3 , t h e l a t e s t i n s t a l m e n t o f t h e Hijacked series from Big City Press founder Mark McPherson, invites the viewer to take a trip into the strange and surreal worlds of 24 photographers from both Australia and the UK. Coinciding with a simultaneous exhibition at the QUAD Gallery in the UK and the launch of an 400 page publication under the same name, this adventurous instalment documents photographers at the cutting edge of their field, exploring the wild and fantastic universes that belong to each artist. Hijacked 3 c o - c u r a t o r Le i g h R o s s describes the exhibition as something particularly beautiful and different. “It’s quite a diverse selection of artists, so thematically there are always things that come out of it... they ’re definitely incomplete anthologies or snapshots of some tendencies in photography at the moment going into the second decade of the 21st century.” Featured amongst this exhibition is Melbourne artist Christopher Day. Day’s creation, The End, a digital collage exploring endings and end points, features images that range from sublime, to ridiculous, terrifying, and hilarious. “In many ways he’s looking at notions of apocalypse, but also end points, but also there’s whole a lot of... asses and ass-ends!” laughs Ross. “So he’s looking at really both the physical and philosophical ideas of end points, both corporeal, bodily, and otherwise imagined or feared. There’s sort of incredible collages that look like sort of great film posters for almost Antonioni films, but then they’re also quite pop culture. ” UK artist Sarah Pickering will also have her work displayed in Hijacked 3. Startlingly beautiful and catastrophic, Pickering’s series Explosion captures fleeting moments of combustion, from the minuscule to the devastating. “They’re incredible because some of them look as elegant and ethereal as a sort of breath on the air, and others are huge violent explosions that she’s caught on her camera,” Ross says. 20
“Obviously there’s a real technical aspect to being able to capture these things which are fleeting and instantaneous and disperse immediately but are also both violent but incredibly beautiful.” This incredible energy and diversity make Hijacked another stunning example of the quality of work on the Perth Festival line up this year. “The Perth Festival is both always internationally ambitious, in terms of the people it brings over, and diverse,” says Robb. “I think with Hijacked, because it’s both Australia and the UK... there is something that does connect with the larger idea of the festival with being something that is ambitious and international but does have a certain amount of local authenticity which connects it with the community here.” _LEAH BLANKENDAAL
PROXIMITY It Takes Two
Proximity takes over the Blue Room Theatre on Sunday, February 5; Sunday, February 12, and Sunday, February 19, at 3pm, 4pm and 5pm. Find out more at proximityfestival.com or blueroom. org.au. Confronting, intimate and engaging, Proximity challenges both audience and performer in a microfestival of one-on-one theatre works, set to take over the Blue Room Theatre as part of the Summer Nights program next month. A platform for performance in which the audience and the performer co-exist, Proximity is the brainchild of Sarah Rowboattam and James Berlyn, featuring 12 artists in 12 spaces with shows that last for 12 minutes each, 12 times a night. “James Berlyn has been touring a one-onone show called Tawdry Heartburn’s Manic Cures and the idea for Proximity came from that,” Rowbottam explains of the festival’s conception. “James burst into my office and said ‘I want to create a one-on-one festival’ and I said ‘I want to help you do that’ and that’s basically how it started. We brainstormed together and came up with the idea for Proximity. One-on-one festivals exist around the world already, just not here, there’s one in the UK and there’s one in America, so
King Billy by Christian Thompson is on display for Hijacked 3 for us it’s an opportunity to create an incubator for people who want to create one-on-one work and take them through a workshop and mentoring process.” As for the appeal of one-on-one theatre over the traditional format, Rowbottam says the relationship between audience and performer is key, with each performance varying slightly depending on the audience member’s level of participation. “The relationship between the audience and the performer are central to one-on-one work, so there’s a really special exchange that can happen there. I’m not saying people can’t be affected by normal theatre and dance shows but with one-on-one it’s all about your engagement and communication with the audience. So each time the show is performed with a different audience member the show is going to be slightly different because the performer has to be really perceptive of the audience member and gauge their comfort levels and whether they are willing to participate or not. So every artist has to have a backup plan. “It’s confronting for the audience and the performer. Janet Carter is doing a show called Flushed and it’s a one-on-one game of strip poker. She’s constantly renegotiating how she feels about getting her clothes off for art in that situation.” Alongside Janet Carter playing strip poker, audience members can expect to encounter
Proximity Jen Jamieson having a three minute shower, Russya Connor telling a bedtime story and Sarah Nelson taking folks on a ride through the cultural centre in the afternoon sunlight. “It can appear confronting from the outside but a lot of the works are really fun. The way we’ve shaped the program is that there are works that are confronting which are eased by works that are humorous or are a breath of fresh air. We purposely did that rather than clumping all the confronting works together and all the fun works together so that we can give an audience member an overall journey.” _EMMA BERGMEIER X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays
KEVIN BISHOP The Best Man
It’s a beautiful, sunny Tuesday morning in Sydney when X-Press calls up Kevin Bishop. Unlike his character Graham in the hilarious new comedy A Few Best Men, Bishop isn’t nearly as wary at the idea of staying in Australia. “Graham is basically a neurotic guy, he’s got certain kinds of neuroses about certain things,” explains Bishop. “He’s not too keen about going to Australia to celebrate the wedding, because it means getting on an airplane and he hates air travel, he’s frightened of eating cheese because he suffers from malaise, and basically everything scares him.” In the film, Graham is the childhood friend of David (Xavier Samuels), who proposes to his girlfriend Mia (Laura Brent) after a whirlwind holiday romance. After deciding to get married in Australia, David is joined for the ride by Graham and their two best friends Tom (Kris Marshall) and Luke (Tim Draxl). “It was brilliant, it was really great,” Bishop says of working with the cast, which also includes Olivia Newton-John and Rebel Wilson. “I’ve actually been a close friend of Kris Marshall’s for the last 12 years, so me and Kris working on anything together is just basically a holiday, we go back such a long way. Xavier Samuels is just lovely, he’s like my little brother. I love spending time with him. After having done this film, the boys really are like my best mates now, it’s been brilliant.” Bishop’s pretty familiar with the ol’ acting business; his first acting gig was in UK television series Grange Hill, which then led to a lead role in Muppet Treasure Island. “It was a huge audition process,” says Bishop. “But it was a wonderful experience; it was great working with the Muppets and working with a great cast on that as well. It was absolutely fantastic.” Although he enjoyed success at an early age, Bishop then took a break from acting to experience some more conventional jobs. “I was also a chef for about four years. I think if I hadn’t been an actor, I would have been a chef. I could work out the back and earn some money and do what I love doing, which is cooking.” It wasn’t all frying and flambeing, though. Bishop has also had his fair share of crappy jobs. “I had some terrible jobs, I’ve done
The Darkest Hour
THE DARKEST HOUR You’ll Spend At The Movies Kris Marshall, Steve Le Marquand and Kevin Bishop star in A Few Best Men them all. Before I started to make an actual living out of acting, I would do a lot of labour work. I remember one job I had, I was in a park in London and we were underpinning a bandstand. It was October and I was up to my neck in mud, and I looked up into the sky and said ‘I promise, I will never, ever moan on a film set again. Just get me out of here. Just get me a job, any job. If I survive, I will never moan again’. I think you need to do those bad jobs because you just think back to those times and it suddenly puts everything into perspective.” The chances of Bishop going back to manual work are pretty slim. Besides the success of his television career, including The Kevin Bishop Show, and of course A Few Best Men, he’s just wrapped up filming of May I Kill You?, loosely based on the London riots. “It’s about a psycho copper who’s been affected by the riots and decides to take the law into his own hands,” Bishop explains. “It’s a black comedy and we had a lot of fun making it. It was quite a low budget and we shot it in quite a short period of time, so I’m really excited to see how it’s going to turn out.” _TARA LLOYD
Directed by Chris Gorak Starring Emile Hirsch, Olivia Thirlby, Max Minghella, Rachael Taylor Boy, where to start? The Darkest Hour is one poorly conceived, written and executed piece of work. Forgetting, and even forgiving, the terrible plot holes and one dimensional characters still won’t give you anything positive to grab on to. You are left with cheap effects, unintentionally hilarious moments and suspenseful scenes that fall flat like a fat man running a marathon. Here’s the plot, served to you in a similar manner to the movie; straight up like a shot of shit. Two young American dudes find themselves in Moscow, hoping to sell their latest social network app. Hey it’s 2012, that’s what kids do, okay? But some Swedish big shot steals their idea! Douche move, but that’s business in Europe bitch, deal with it. That night they go to the hottest bar in downtown Moscow to drink away their recent business defeat and our American duo, Sean (Emile Hirsch) and Ben (Max Minghella), manage to hook up with what seems to be the only other two users on their newly stolen social networking site, another American chick and Australian Anne, played by Rachael Taylor. During the night strange lights fall from the sky. But as the lights get closer to the ground, they start destroying things in their path, forcing our group to stick together and survive a mysterious
invasion. Yeah that’s right, the aliens are totally invisible. While in the hands of better film makers this may have been a thrilling plot point, in this movie it seems like an easier option than animating real aliens. And when they finally reveal themselves, you’d wish they’d just stayed invisible because of their ridiculous form. The movie even seems to go out of its way to make its own name make absolutely no sense. It shows the first 15 minutes of the alien invasion, then straight away cuts to the main characters locking themselves in a basement for five days. Okay, so no hour there yet, maybe when they get out of the basement, the next hour of their lives will be terrifying? Oh nope, they spend the day walking, then some more nights hiding out. So maybe this last day, when they possibly reach rescue? … Apparently not. At no point does this movie show one hour, darkest or not, thus not even achieving what its name implies and instead showing large swathes of time which get vaguely brushed over and in which the men don’t grow stubble and the women’s hairstyle remains unchanged. Sure, as the movie ended the audience in the cinema erupted in to a pretty joyous laugh. Only problem is that at no point did the movie try to be funny and it certainly didn’t end on any funny notes. I think the smiles people had were for the one good grace the makers of The Darkest Hour gave to their audience - a run-time of under 90 minutes. Thank you gentlemen, you are too kind. _TOM VARIAN
J.Edgar
J. EDGAR Federal Follies Directed by Clint Eastwood Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Armie Hammer, Naomi Watts, Judi Dench, Josh Lucas It’s pretty much taken for granted these days that Clint Eastwood is a master filmmaker, and it’s hard to argue against such works as Unforgiven, Million Dollar Baby, and The Outlaw Josey Wales. Having said that, it’s worth remembering that not every Eastwood production is a masterpiece; the man’s body of work also contains such duds as Firefox, Blood Work and Hereafter, and while it’s not a complete write-off, his latest effort has more in common with those mediocre misfires than the aforementioned masterworks. On paper it looks like a sure thing: a biopic of the fascinating and conflicted founder of the F.B.I., with DiCaprio in the title role and a screenplay by Oscar-winning writer of Milk, Dustin Lance Black, delivered with Eastwood’s usual subtlety and control. The actual result is a shapeless and meandering film that touches on most of the key elements of Hoover’s life without illuminating them. It’s a film without a theme; a Cliffs Notes biography that has all of the facts and none of the truth. The one interesting choice the filmmakers have made is to treat Hoover’s alleged homosexuality as fact rather than widely-believed conjecture, and much of the running time focuses on his relationship with right hand man and longtime companion Clyde Tolson (Armie Hammer, www.xpressmag.com.au
memorable as the Winklevoss twins in The Social Network). But even here the treatment is fairly rudimentary, with the tacit implication being that Hoover’s sexuality is a result of his overly close relationship with his mother (Judi Dench). It’s lazy writing, the cheapest kind of pop psychology, reducing a complex and contradictory figure to a caricature easily understood by armchair Freudians. Frankly, it’s amazing that DiCaprio is so good in the role, given the material he has to work with, but he disappears completely into the role, bringing the pugnacious, paranoid keeper of secrets to vivid life. To be fair, the entire cast is uniformly excellent, managing to imbue characters that are both thinly written and secretive by nature with individuality and texture. The production values are also of a high standard, but that’s a given; this is a big, glossy prestige picture, after all. Only some of the makeup prosthetics used to age the characters let the side down, with Hammer’s being particularly unconvincing. In the end, J. Edgar isn’t so much a bad movie as a profoundly disappointing one. It’s almost incomprehensible that artists of this calibre could take a subject so fascinating - a man who wielded unimaginable political power for half a century, and was almost inevitably corrupted by it - and reduce it to such a dry and by-the-numbers story. It’s a film that wants to be stately and profound, but instead comes across as smug and shallow. Obviously conceived as award bait, J. Edgar’s actual destiny is to be quickly and quietly forgotten, a minor and faintly regrettable footnote on the resumes of all concerned. _TRAVIS JOHNSON
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VISUAL ARTS
THEATRE/DANCE
Processed!: Free Range Gallery, Perth Seventeen young artists are revealing the closely guarded process of art making. Processed! is a series of short term exhibitions, workshops and open studio events, traversing visual art, performance and writing. Many of the events include audience participation opportunities such as performance artist Laura Hopwood’s Dick Tracy-style investigation of the people of Perth, visual artist Nick Zafir’s drawing shoes, and the Perth Zine Collective’s marathon zine making workshop. Find out what’s on and when at processed-art.com. Runs Jan 25-Feb 7.
Die Roten Punkte – Eurosmash: Spiegeltent, Northbridge Eurosmash! is Die Roten Punkte’s fourth fulllength show and comes after nearly five years of genuine acclaim, touring worldwide. A Die Roten Punkte gig is a wild, rock‘n’roll cabaret ride, full of hilarious, truly catchy and award winning pop songs, constantly interrupted by the squabbling of the dysfunctional siblings. Season runs from Jan 27-Feb 1. Bookings via fringeworld.com.au. The Day The Sky Turned Black: PICA Performance Space, Perth Following critically-acclaimed seasons at the New York, Edinburgh and Sydney Fringe Festivals, The Day The Sky Turned Black heads to PICA for its West Australian debut. Written and performed by Ali Kennedy Scott, the play chronicles the poignant stories of everyday heroes who fought the Black Saturday bushfires, one of Australia’s worst natural disasters. Season runs from Jan 31-Feb 4. Bookings via pica.org.au or fringeworld.com.au. Polly’s Waffle: The Treasury West Wing, Perth Polly’s Waffle is edgy, provocative theatre for those who like their entertainment dark and risqué. It’s an ultra-black, high-impact comedy dealing with female lust and gluttony and uses explicit language and bawdy humour to explore the link between sexual anorexia and gluttony, and the anorexia and gluttony we more commonly associate with food. Season runs from Feb 2-7. Bookings via fringeworld. com.au.
Hope Is The Saddest Hope Is The Saddest: PICA Performance Space, Perth Returning to Perth after it’s sell-out debut season in 2007, Hope Is The Saddest is a bright black comedy about death, delusion, and Dolly Parton. Winner of The Blue Room Theatre’s Best Production Award, Hope Is The Saddest is an unmissable play about three loners whose lives crash together in a pool of blood. Marion has inherited a mansion and moved out of the suitcase she grew up in. Theo is a would-be inventor working on his first masterpiece. Hope is a vibrant optimist set to win over the homosexual love of her life with the music of Dolly Parton. Season runs from Feb 7-11. Bookings via pica.org.au.
Processed The Conservatorium: The Paper Mountain (267A William St), Northbridge The Conservatorium emanates a curious atmosphere that’s somewhere between a scientific laboratory and a kitchen cupboard. The exhibition consists of work by 80 invited artists, who were given the brief that their work must be contained, at least partially, in a glass, plastic or ceramic jar. Runs Jan 27-Feb 5. Inside The Little Kingdom: Kurb Gallery, Northbridge On show as part of the Fringe World Festival 2012, Inside The Little Kingdom, a solo exhibition of recent work by Abdul-Rahman Abdullah, explores a search for identity, sorting through the cultural baggage of a childhood buried in faded memories and family lore that resonates from a time of absolutes. Runs from Jan 29-Feb 3. Beautiful War: Moores Building, Fremantle In 5,600 years of recorded human history, 14,600 wars have been documented. Has its ubiquity normalised the state of war or is war itself the problem? Perhaps it is a primordial force, an archetype. What is it that attracts men to war? Artist Peter Ellis has become increasingly fascinated over the past decade with the nature of war, as expressed in its objects and occasions. Ellis depicts military objects and events, which exist in a world adrift of real time. Runs Feb 3-19. Spaced: Art Out Of Place: Fremantle Arts Centre, Fremantle Explore the relationship between globalisation and local identity with imaginative and stimulating works in sculpture, photography, painting, installation and multi-media. The culmination of a two-year cycle of residencies, this ground-breaking project involved 24 Australian and international artists spending time in 16 regional WA communities to consider their social and physical environments. Runs Feb 4-Mar 11. RedBall Project: Various locations across the city. Appearing in entranceways, basking beneath bridges or wedged into alleyways, the irresistible RedBall sneaks into well-known places and halfnoticed spaces, transforming the City into an unexpected canvas of possibilities. Photograph it, touch it or bounce against its slick soft surface. This award-winning project from New York artist Kurt Perschke pops up in 15 locations throughout the Perth Festival, in Perth and the Great Southern. Keep your eyes peeled and your camera ready. Runs Feb 10-Mar 3. The Unknown By The More Unknown: OK Gallery, Northbridge In his first solo exhibition, The Unknown By The More Unknown, David Egan presents a charismatic constellation of paintings and objects examining pop culture mysteries and vernacular theories - in which established methods of knowing are hijacked and subverted by the incurably curious investigating the infinite potential of interpretation and understanding in cultural communication. Runs from Feb 15-Mar 18.
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Checkout - The Musical: Treasury Postal Hall, Perth Welcome to Super Savings, a local supermarket that brings you more! Run by six hopeless misfits completely unaware of their own peculiarities. When their beloved store manager Yasmin is murdered, everyone is a suspect, but who done it? Was it Vince the footy obsessed deli boy; the psychic Fruit stacker Rhys; Wendy the animal loving vegetarian; the food loving Italian Conchetta; the flirty Tiffany or the lovably confused foreigner Alexei? Season runs from Feb 2-8. Bookings via fringeworld.com.au. Virgie: The Blue Room Theatre, Perth Facts are stubborn things and so was Virgie Vivienne, the 19th Century trailblazer who brought Shakespeare to the harsh Australian Outback. Spanning 70 years, Virgie tracks her story through Australia and Europe, her loves and tragedies, using verbatim material, original writing, and a soundtrack ranging from Tchaikovsky to Nick Cave to capture snapshots of an extraordinary life. Season runs from Feb 6-11. Bookings via blueroom.org.au. Super Night Shot: Studio Underground, State Theatre Centre of WA, Perth Romance, action, strange men in rabbit masks, Super Night Shot has it all. This Perth Festival production proves that all the world’s a stage, as renegade theatre making collective Gob Squad sync their watches, pick up their video cameras and take to the streets of Northbridge exactly one hour before start time to make your show. Runs Feb 10-13. Bookings via perthfestival.com.au. Place Des Anges: St Georges Terrace (outside Council House), Perth Cast your eyes to the skies as heavenly bodies glide, float and careen through the air, leaving a burst of feathers in their wake. Beginning with a single quill, a trickle grows into an incredible cascade, a seemingly endless blizzard of white, showering you in two tonnes of downy bliss. Les Studios de Cirque have been creating unforgettable aerial spectacles around the globe for a decade - and this once-in-alifetime event on show as part of the Perth Festival places you in the centre of the action. Performance on Feb 11. Free event. Standing Bird: PICA Performance Space, Perth Sally Richardson is proud to present the world premiere of Standing Bird, a dynamic dance/ film/theatre collaboration between West Australia’s leading independent artists. In a bravura solo performance by Jacqui Claus, one of the State’s most exciting young dancers, Standing Bird spirals the audience into an experience of submersion, dislocation, isolation and transformation. Season runs from Feb 7-12. Bookings via fringeworld.com.au. Walk In Dirt: PICA Performance Space, Perth Accompany AWGIE Award-winning playwright and actor Stephen House on a dangerously beautiful walk into a beautifully dangerous world as he brings his solo show Walk In Dirt to The Blue Room Theatre. In 2000, Junction Theatre Company (SA), Leigh Warren and Dancers SA commissioned four writers around Australia to create a new work that shows what it’s like being in their body. House’s monologue was then developed into a stand-alone one man show – Walk In Dirt. Season runs from Feb 14-19. Bookings via pica.org.au. X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays
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X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays
S Á M O T D R FO
Feeling Dirty
Perth’s premierr electro-pop ellectro pop showman Tomás Tomá ás Ford wanted to be a goth. The Adelaide-born entertainer is about to unleash An Audience With Tomás Ford - 12 slices of twisted, messed up strange disco otherwise known as his sophomore “accidental concept” album. The crowd-surfing showman chats with ANNABEL MACLEAN about the record, the Rockingham club scene, touring with Birds Of Tokyo and being assaulted. There is a mixture of concern, utter repulsion, anxiety and excitement spread across the naïve faces of those who have never seen Tomás Ford perform before. It’s a rarity in his home-base Perth where his high energy, adrenaline-fuelled; crazy ‘what the fuck was that’ show has astounded many a venue around town over the last eight years. There is glitter, crazy outfits, outrageous dance moves, cords and disco equipment strung across stage and, of course, what he’s known for – a fair dose of closer encounters with his audience. It is Ford’s experiences with his audience over the years which sparked his concept record An Audience With Tomás Ford, due to take over Amplifier this Friday night supported by the likes of Sydney’s 8bit star Simo Soo, Boys Boys Boys!, destructive rockers Injured Ninja and a bunch more – not to mention accompanied by a splash of drag and a few comedians. Six years in the making, the first generation of songs on the record came together through a show Ford did back in the mid-noughties called Tomás Ford Vs. The Audience. “I just wanted to write about the relationship that I was having with my audience because even with the last batch of songs, the show had evolved into this confrontational, bizarre thing,” he says of the record’s evolvement. “So I generated this batch of songs which was just about what was happening in the space, there were no little narratives taking people’s minds in other directions or anything. That show was really intense and then I got really intense and dark and wrote some more songs which were more industrial because I thought I wanted to be a goth for a while (laughs).”
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Tomás Ford But, that sub-culture didn’t work out too well for Ford.“Goths aren’t really into the things that I enjoy with audiences,” he says.“A gothic crowd would just want to stand around and stand back and that’s just boring for me.” Although there are some darker themes scattered throughout the record, Ford says he had to force himself to write positively. “Because I had to reflect on the nature of the live show a lot, a lot of it [the music of the record] was quite negative - some of the bad things that happened. I ended up having to have to really force myself to write about the awesome things because it is actually awesome to be me and get to do all this awesome shit.” Tracks Bash Myself and I Feel Dirty showcase Ford’s inner battle with his career choice, both coming from this place of “ergggh, yuck I feel horrible.” “I Feel Dirty is just that feeling of – I used to play shows at The Castle. It was a shithole. It was
like worse than the [old] Hydey but I love both those places. I didn’t have a driver’s license at that point and I would catch public transport home from shows. I’d finish the show at midnight and have to run to the train covered in make up and glitter and all kinds of shit and it was just about that feeling of ‘this feels disgusting, I feel so gross’ but it’s also super empowering like ‘I can do this despite the fact it is kind of revolting and that all these bogans look like they’re about to glass me’.” Newcastle is another place Ford has felt like he was going to be glassed mid-performance. “It’s like Bunbury to the max,” he says of Newcastle. “There was just this one show I played on the Birds Of Tokyo [The Wild Eyed Boy] tour at the Panthers which is their big RSL and I thought I was going to die – it was like dudes who wanted to kill you as the audience.” Ford has been physically assaulted twice when playing alongside punk bands.“I would put my music there as a provokatory act and so you expect to get a little bit of punch in the head but when you’re on stage, you’ve got the adrenaline going, it doesn’t really matter. You just roll with it. “Someone punched me really hard in the face once and I was just so high on adrenaline for the rest of the show, it was fantastic. Now, I will tend to kind of manage it by approaching the biggest, toughest, scariest meanest looking dude in the crowd early on in the show and play around with him and at first he’ll generally be like ‘oh this is really fucked up, I hate this’ but generally people I fuck around with come around to realise that I’m not going to do anything particularly bad to them most of the time.” Luckily Ford hasn’t been punched in the head down in Rockingham where he grew up, in fact, his view of Rockingham is slightly more uplifting than his 2001 tune A Night Out In Rockingham. “The club scene is amazing!,” he says of Rockingham. “When I used to go, there were two joints. There was Liquids which is like a two level nightmare dance club that cost someone a lot of money in the ‘90s and just looks horrible and then there’s Vibe. That’s where you go if you get kicked out of Liquids and you’re too drunk to pick up anywhere else. The music used to be crossed between AC/DC and commercial trance bullshit.” There’s only one thing to expect this Friday night – pure, mad entertainment.
» TOMÁS FORD » AN AUDIENCE WITH TOMÁS FORD LAUNCH PARTY » FRIDAY, JANUARY 27 @ AMPLIFIER
Modek
Flight Facilities
GET SET TO TURN UP THE VOLUME
Just in case you haven’t seen it yet – the lineup for Sets On The Beach Vol 6 is out. The legendary UK act Soul II Soul will be smashing it out Sound System mode, led by the founder Jazzie B who is bringing Caron Wheeler and MC Chickaboo along for the party ride too. Foreign Language and Crave You stars Flight Facilities will also be bringing back their flight goggles and gearing up for take up. The legendary Greg Wilson is going to be bringing his edits and mixes to the party for your aural pleasure – he is regarded as one of the most important figures in the UK dance scene! Triple J’s Nina Las Vegas and Belgium production team The Glimmers will also be gracing Sets with their presence. It’s all happening on Sunday, February 19, at Scarborough Beach Amphitheatre. Tickets are $41 plus booking fee, snatch them from Moshtix now.
Greg Wilson
MODEKING IT
UK based DJ Ado will be a fresh face for most of us down under but this Scottish lad is putting out dark and super heavy beats. Check out the teaser for his latest EP The Ultra on his Soundcloud, it’s filled with scissoring bass beats and is up there with clever dance music being produced right now. Ado is heading to the home of underground alongside Modek, the artist formally known as Mellow. Modek has released on Mental Groove and Dim Mak just to name a few. If you’re into Felix Cartal or Porter Robinson, you may like his work. The lads hit Ambar on Friday, February 17. Hit up the Boomtick Shop for $15 presale tickets from next Monday, January 30, or risk it on the door for $20.
BE OUR GUEST
If you missed the epic Aaron Clevenger, aka AC Slater smash beats out last year at Villa, not to worry because - the American DJ and producer is hitting up Villa again shortly. This is no Saved By The Bell bullshit, this is big bass from a lad who was raised on ‘90s hip hop. It’s banging, dancefloor driven beats courtesy of Brooklyn’s Trouble & Bass party starters which got Slater moving. The dude hits Villa on Saturday, February 18. Beware – this is a guest list only show so you’ll need to head to facebook.com/VillaNightclub to get on the guest list. All guests will be sent a ticket. No ticket, no entry. Numbers are limited and there are no door sales. Get on it.
GOING WILD
Wild Energy 2012, the three disc compilation which is put out by Central Station has arrived. Mixed by Hard Dance Alliance, aka Steve Hill, Suae, Pulsar and Oh Snap!!, it’s a killer mixing of pulsating basslines and club bangers. Suae & Pulsar are the go-to guys for the mix of the Ministry Of Sound Maximum Bass compilations and have smashed out sets at Future Music Festival and Stereosonic. Steve Hill is one of the undisputed kings of hard dance and Oh Snap!! is not to be confused with the pop-punk night at Villa, he is a killer DJ from the U.S. A tour is in the works so watch this space for details. 26
X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays
STAFFORD BROTHERS A NON STOP PARTY
Matt and Chris Stafford want a #1 chart smasher. The sibling party DJ duo have been touring globally over the last year whilst filming season two of their reality TV series The Stafford Brothers which premieres this Friday, January 27, at 5.30pm on FOX8. ANNABEL MACLEAN chats with the laidback lads about the series and what’s in store for 2012.
“I think he just absolutely hated us,” Matt Stafford says, having just landed in Perth and talking on the topic of Joey, their fiery manager, who spent a few days at a wellness centre in Thailand while the boys played gigs and wined and dined in Thai heaven. “We were having the time of our lives. He had to do that for his health. He was quite fat in the first series.” But, it wasn’t all fun and games for the boys, Chris ended up getting a foot infection and Matt almost got smashed by a Muay Thai championship boxer. In an episode of the second series, a Thai ‘doctor’ attempts to help Chris by pouring warm water on his infected foot – an act which did not help the cause. “I’m going to have to say no,” Chris says, laughing, when asked whether he chose to not mix alcohol while on antibiotics for the infection. “I definitely did drink while on antibiotics. To be honest, it was quite painful walking on it.” The filming for the second series began early last year and the final episode hasn’t been filmed yet. With roughly a year of footage from so many different countries, Matt says “Season one has got nothing on season two, that’s for sure.” The goal that is set by the boys at the beginning of the second series is to have a #1 track and the series is centred on that – aside from the distractions of general party behaviour, Joey’s outbursts and Brooke Evers’ (Matt’s girlfriend) media and DJ career. “We auditioned vocalists and we ended up working with a really big Australian producer and we got an amazing female vocalist,” Matt says, talking of the filmed journey to create a #1 tune. “The track has been building throughout this time and should release on the last episode.” Although it’s been exciting globetrotting non-stop for the duo, the lads wish they could spend more time in the countries they tour. “We went to Whistler and we only got to do a show there, we didn’t even get to go snowboarding there so that’s something that you always miss out on,” Chris says. “Even in Thailand, every day we’d do a show and then we’d have to fly to another place so for us there’s so many places that I’d like to stay like Canada in the snow and places like Ibiza.”
Stafford Brothers Touring has also stretched the relationship between Matt and his girlfriend Brooke who recently moved to Sydney from the Gold Coast. “It’s been really tough and it’s not getting any easier to be honest,” he says. “She just had three weeks off and I’ve seen her two days because I just haven’t been home so it’s just bananas.” The lads have two singles coming out on Ministry Of Sound as well as their own compilation Season 2: Stafford Brothers Soundtrack amongst others. And, of course, “the big one is [the one] you’ll see on the TV show and that’s our #1 record that we’re trying to get,” Chris says. But, for now, it’s all about partying it up at their two shows on Australia Day here in Perth. “We bring the party and Australia Day is a massive day here so we’ll be right amongst it!,” Matt concludes.
» » » »
STAFFORD BROTHERS THURSDAY, JANUARY 26 FLY THE FLAG FESTIVAL @ DIXON ROAD, ROCKINGHAM CLUB PARADISO AUSTRALIA DAY EDITION @ SALT ON THE BEACH
ANDY C AT THE SPEED OF SOUND
When Andy C played Stereosonic, his first ever festival in Australia last year, the crowd went mental.(“The Perth show was just mind-blowing and I’ve got some wicked photos”). Now, the legendary drum’n’bass pioneer is back headlining Heavyweight Soundz. ANNABEL MACLEAN chats with the UK DJ, producer and founder of RAM Records about the Perth’s drum’n’bass scene, 20 years of RAM Records and lecturing at Oxford University. When Andrew Clarke, better known as Andy C, first came to Australia 10 years ago, there were too many people at the Loaded Dice gig he played that the doors had to be shut and people were crushing into the door. “That was like the first time we did Perth,” Clarke recalls, having a bit of a wander in Cottesloe. It’s not strange for the man, whom most drum’n’bass artists admire, to fathom the fact that 2012 marks the 10th year in which he has been venturing down under for Loaded Dice gigs.“The years have just absolutely flown by,” he says. “It’s crazy coming over here because I only did it once a year and every time you come out, you obviously see the same people every year and the years just seem to be rolling by so fast and it just seems like a few years to me… it’s still a privilege because the Australian crowd is incredible.” Not only is the mark of a decade touring down under worth celebrating, it’s also his label RAM Records’ 20th anniversary this year.“It’s amazing isn’t it, it’s like ‘wow!’,” he says.“We was just talking about it yesterday - we’re obviously going to be doing some celebrations, we’re going to be doing some albums, we’re going to be doing some big projects and we’re going to be doing some tour nights around the world for it. I’m really proud. It’s not like we’re sitting here going ‘it’s 20 years, what the hell do we do?’, the 20 year thing just popped up out of the blue while we’re here going full steam ahead. “We’ve got this amazing roster of artists and we’re all still hungry and I actually feel we’re in a far stronger position at 20 years than what we was at 10. We’ve had an incredible couple of decades and I can see it going on a long, long time hopefully – touch wood (laughs).” In between RAM anniversary celebrations, releases and tour nights, Clarke is touring Europe and America for the first part of this year with his fresh live project before hoping to get in the studio towards the end of the year. As for Nightlife installation #6, well, he might just be able to squeeze that in.“I just had an email from the office yesterday and it read like a novel man, it’s like ‘oh my god’ but I wouldn’t change it for the world,” he says of the work schedule mapped out for www.xpressmag.com.au
Andy C the year.“I did a remix, for example, for Laidback Luke at the end of last year… it really reminded me of the fun that you can have in the studio and it reignited my hunger for it.” And then, of course, Clarke may be called on to lecture at a university again like he was last October when Oxford University asked him to come down for a chat.“They send you a booklet of all the amazing people that have spoken over the years and you look at it and you’re just like ‘bloody hell, this is incredible’, they’ve had Nelson Mandela and Churchill, presidents, prime ministers… then they ask me – a drum’n’bass DJ to come down and have a chat. I thought it was a joke at first to be honest with ya. I was a little bit [nervous] to be honest with ya. I was a little bit like ‘maybe I need a quick pint before I go in there’... it was a massive honour – [it shows] how music speaks to people. It really shows how it invigorates and enlivens them.”
» ANDY C » HEAVYWEIGHT SOUNDZ » WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25 @ METRO CITY 27
FLUXX
AMPLIFIER
GINGER
DEAR FRIENDS MATTHEW DEAR Nedlands Yacht Club Friday, January 20, 2012 Multi-talented Detroit techno artist Matthew Dear’s name has been on many people’s lips since his defining fourth LP Black City was released in 2010, and Friday saw the enigmatic man fly into town for a much anticipated DJ set. It was set to be a unique gig, with The Likes Of You staging one of their secret shows, reminiscent of the old warehouse parties, that was all a mystery until the day. There was much speculation over the “secret waterfront venue”, many believing it to be on a boat, but on the day the word spread that Dear was set to rock Nedlands Yacht Club! It was a simple set up, but with all the essential ingredients. Great location, pumping soundsystem, quality tunes, friendly crowd and of course, the open bar. The old clubhouse is set right on the bank of the river with a magnificent view across to the city and the DJ set up in the corner of the veranda took full advantage of that. A perfect spot to spend a balmy summer’s night and enjoy some deep techno over a few cold beverages. Recent winner of Best Techno DJ at the Perth Dance Music Awards - Craig Hollywood kicked off proceedings at 8pm, as keen punters gathered around the watering hole. Playing numerous nights round town as well as co-hosting RTR’s Train Wreck, techno aficionado Hollywood displayed restraint with some intelligent track selection – a well suited mix to start the evening, of atmospheric tech and glitchy beats. Steffan Gooch took over, and slowly raised the level a notch or two, which saw some heads bobbing, but still most people were content to hang back, socialise and soak up the serenity. Charged with the warming up for Dear, Lloyd did a fine job, lifting the mood noticeably with a more upfront selection of chunky tech-house beats, enticing a few dancers into the light, but not blowing it out too much. Matthew Dear took over the reins around 11pm and as soon as his distinct sound started to emerge, it attracted those scattered around like moths to the flame ‘til a tight group had huddled around the decks, combining with the music, smoke and lights, to create a real old school party vibe. As he relaxed behind the decks, and settled into a groove, he proved why he’s such an in demand DJ the world over, rolling out a smoothly mixed selection of mid-tempo beats. While influenced by the classic
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Matthew Dear (photo by Stefan Caramia) sounds of Detroit techno, Dear’s style is not to bang it out hard and fast - he is part of a new generation, carrying the legacy on, but also taking in elements of Chicago house, the minimal sounds of Berlin, dark wave electro and even classic pop. He weaves a rich, dark and intoxicating tapestry. As we passed midnight, he shifted up a gear with melodic synths stabs, smatterings of pads, sparse rhythmic repetitions that unravelled in exquisite breakdowns. Deep, throbbing, wonky house grooves and quirky syncopated beats that shuffled along like a disabled spider. And just as things were really starting to get going, he had to wind things up, with a cruisey house number that had everyone dancing. Dear had a smile plastered across his face as enthusiastic cheers erupted, managing to entice one more track out of him before shaking the hands of smiling fans and bidding us a fond farewell. » ALFRED GORMAN
METRO CITY
WEDNESDAY 25/01
FRIDAY 27/01
Ambar - Bart B More Amplifier – Fluxx Beat Bar (Bar Open) – DJ Antrax Boulevard Tavern – Aussie Eve Urban Bassline Anthems ft DJ Charles Captain Stirling – Fiveo Clancy’s (Applecross) – Upbeat – DJ Andy Connections – DJs Joby /JJ /Rueben Double Lucky – Last Wednesday Eurobar – Wild Wednesdays - DJ iPod/ Ben Pettit Eve – DJ Don Migi/ Skooby Gold Bar–DJ Adroc Hipe Club – DJ Roger Smart Leederville Hotel – We Love Wednesdays ft DJ Slick Metro City - Heavyweight Soundz: Australia Day Eve Annual ft Andy C/ MC GQ/ Camo & Krooked/ DJ Fierce Metro Freo – Australia Day Eve Party ft DTuck/ Ben Renna/ Wazz Mustang – DJ Giles Norma Jeans – DJ Mischief Perth Cultural Centre - Prins Thomas Sovereign Arms – Abstar The Deen - DJ Zelimer/ DJ Viper/ DJ Benny/ T– Zone 1 The Newport - Hed Kandi Australia Day Eve ft Chiari/ Mitchell Smith/ Wasteland The Rosemount - Cowboys & Indie Kids DJs The Queens – Wriggle on Villa - Plump DJs YaYa’s – Twist ft DJs Agent Double O Soul
Ambar - Bass Kleph Amplifier – Tomas Ford’s An Audience With Tomas Ford album launch ft Tomas Ford/ Simo Soo/ Diger Rokwell/ L-Burn DJs and more Bar 459 - DJ Smurf Barrack St Jetty - Boom Box Boat Party ft DJs Don Migi/Danny Boi/ Skooby Boulevard Tavern – DJ Andyy Broken Hill Hotel – DJ Nick Alexander Brooklands Tavern - DJ Jayden Capitol – Retro Mash Carine Tavern – Greg Packer/ MC Assassin Clancy’s (Canning Bridge) - DJ Boogie Claremont Hotel – DJ Nick Sheppard Club Bayview - Infexious ft Ben Stevens/ Nomad Como Hotel – DJ Gazz Double Lucky – Deadweight/ Bad Things Eve – DJ Don Migi/ DJ Danny Boi Ginger Nightclub – Rondevoo Fridayz Gosnells Club – DJ Now Hipe Club - DJ E-Funk Lakers Tavern – Fresh Fridays - DJ Dooey Left Bank – DJ Frankie Button Library – Sneaky Little Creatures Loft – Marine Beats Llama Bar – DJ Reuben/ DJ Morris Malt Super Club - Fiveo Merriwa Tavern – DJ Real McCoy Metro City (Solace Bar) – DJ Slick Metro Freo – Big House Fridays ft DTuck/ Ben Renna Mint Nightclub – Club Retro ft Chris McPhee Mullaloo Beach Hotel - DJ John Paul Mustang – Swing DJ/ DJ James MacArthur Paddy Hannans – Crazy Craig Paramount - DJ John/ DJ Jordan Queens Tav – DJ Rueben Railway Hotel - DJ Rontings/ DJ Rastafyha/ Simmo T/ DJ Corby Sail & Anchor - Balcony Beatz/ DJ J-MAC Sovereign Arms – Az-T The Avenue – JMC The Carine – Budda/ Dekoyfox/ L Street The Causeway – DJ Clint Turner The Craftsman – DJ Abstar The Eastern – DJ Midfield
Plump DJs
THURSDAY 26/01
Clancy’s (Canning Bridge) - DJ Wrighteous Claremont Hotel – DJ DD Club Marakesh – DJ Simon Cottesloe Hotel – DJ Shots/ DJ Andy M Duchess - Fiveo Eve – DJ Tony Allen Leopold Hotel – DJ Riki/ Roger Smart Llama Bar – DJ Maxwell/ EMAS/ Lukas Wimler Mint Nightclub – DJ Simon Barwood Mt Henry Tavern - DJ Matty J Mullaloo Beach Hotel - DJ John Paul/ DJ Slick Mustang – DJ James Paddy Hannans – Dr Bogus/ Crazy Craig Salt On The Beach - Club Paradiso Australia Day Edition ft The Stafford Brothers/ tyDi/ Hook N Sling and more South St – DJ Castasia/ Dpad Swinging Pig – DJ Simon The Avenue – Jon Ee The Craftsman – Roger Smart The Deen – DJ Flex/ DJ Nano/ DJ Surge/ DJ Don Migi The East End Bar - The Prestige The Overflow (The Court) - Zeds Dead/ Kito The Queens – Kapitol The Whale & Ale – Josh Tilley Camo & Krooked The Whistling Kite - DJ Gareth
Woodvale Tavern – DJ Melvin
MC GQ
tyDi
X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays
NEWPORT
METRO FREO
The Generous Squire - DJ Anaru The Queens – DJ Rueben The Saint - DJ Jordan The Shed – DJ Glenn 20 The Whale & Ale – Josh Tiley Tiger Lils – Paul Malone/ Adam Kelly The Vic - DJ Giles Wembley Hotel – Funky Bottoms/ Jon Ee Windsor – DJ Riki and Ray Victoria Park Hotel – DJ Giles Villa - Speakeasy ft Indian Summer DJs/ Metric DJs YaYa’s – Junk ft DJ Whoa
SATURDAY 28/01 Ambar – Japan 4 ft Bezwun/ Dead Easy/ Marty McFly/ Philly Blunt/ Mr Ed Amplifier - Pure Pop ft Eddie Electric Basement On Broadway – DJ Ricky Broken Hill Tavern – DJ Nick Alexander/ James Wilson Capitol – Death Disco DJs Capitol (Upstairs) – Cream Of The 80’s ft DJ Ryan Clancy’s (Canning Bridge) - DJ Dood Club Bay View – VIP Saturdays ft DJ Ryan Double Lucky – DJ Jehan/ DJ Cee East End Bar – Jon Ee Eurobar – Roger Smart/ DJ Raci Eve Nightclub – DJ Don Migi/ DJ Stevie M High Road Hotel – DJ Simon High Wycombe – DJ Matt Hipe Club – DJ E-Funk Library – MKT ft DJ Riki/ DJ Richie G/ DJ Vicktor/ DJ Kevvy T Little Creatures Loft – Marine Beats Liquid Nightclub - DJ Klar55/ DJ Stevie M Llama Bar – DJ Reuben/ DJ Melvin Malt Super Club – Fiveo Metro City (R&B Lounge) - DJ Slick/ DJ Ruthless/ DJ Soso Metro City - DJ Stevie M/ DJ Matty S/ DJ Ruthless/ DJ Makka Metro Freo – DTuck/ Darren Briais/ Wazz Mint Nightclub – Pop Life ft DJ Aaron/ AJ Mullaloo Beach Hotel – DJ Danny Mustang – Rockabilly DJ/ DJ James MacArthur Niche – Frankie Button/ Cee/ Jonny Zimber Norma Jeans – DJ Darren Oxford Hotel – DJ Sequeria
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Paramount- DJ Cornflake / DJ Jordan Queens Tav - Gareth Richardson Rocket Room – DJ Brett Rowe South St Ale House – DJ Jay Sovereign Arms – Rockwell The Brighton (Upstairs) – Micah/ Kill Dyl/ eSQue The Boheme – DJ Sneakee The Causeway – Sun City The Clink – Az-T The Cornerstone – Aiden Wallis The Court - Big Gay Out ft Ruby Rose/ Skarlett Saramore/ Alex Taylor/ Judas Twins/ Timbee/ Dannyboy & Skooby The Deen - DJ Birdie/ DJ JJ/ DJ Tony Allen The Generous Squire – On Tap The Gosnells Club – Az-T The Saint – DJ Anaru The Shed –DJ Glenn 20 The Wembley – G Martin The Whistling Kite - DJ Craig The Vic – DJ Kristian Tiger Lil’s – DJ Bojan/ DJ Ben Sebastian Velvet Lounge – Open Decks Sessions ft DJs Nexus/ Digital Deckhand/ DJ Veness/ Brother Nemsi/ Tekneeqzz/ Gemini Victoria Park Hotel – DJ Melvin Villa - The Wonderful World Of DJ Yoda ft DJ Yoda/ Buda/ Charlie Bucket/ Tee EL Windsor – DJ Ray Woodvale Tavern – DJ Real McCoy Yaya’s – Saturday Social ft The Kings Of Cheese DJs
THE CAUSEWAY
IN THE THIS WEEK
Ruby Rose
MONDAY 30/01 Bar Orient - DJ White Label Broken Hill Tavern - DJ Mario Tavelli Eastern Hotel – Adam Morris The Deen – Plastic Max / The Token Gesture The Paddo – D J J o h n Pa u l The Shed – DJ Andyy
TUESDAY 31/01 Bar Orient - DJ Lyndon Eastern Hotel – Jon Edwards High Road Hotel – DJ Matty J High Wycombe – DJ Ricky Hipe Club – DJ Roger Smart The Cott (Upstairs) –Maxwell/ Jus Haus?/ Damian John Victoria Park Hotel – DJ Melvin
SUNDAY 29/01 Broken Hill Tavern - Sophie Jane Captain Stirling – DJ Jay Claremont Hotel – Az- T Clink – DJ Tony Allen Euro Bar – DJ Flex Eve Nightclub – DJ Birdie Mint - Chris McPhee Mullaloo Beach Hotel – DJ Slick/ DJ John Paul Mustang – DJ Rockin Rhys The Cott – Cott Sessions The Kiosk – DJ Cinder The Saint - DJ Anaru The Shed – DJ Andyy The Wembley – DJ Funkybottoms/ Boogie/ Dekoyfox
Fisherman Style #69 ft Million Stylez/ DJ Lee Burridge Friday, February 24 @ Venue TBC Peril Heavyweight Soundz: Australia Day Friday, February 3 @ Mojos Force Majeure ft Designer Drugs Eve Annual ft Andy C/ MC GQ/ Camo & Japan 4 ft Stickybuds/ PDS/ Tee EL/ Marty Friday, February 24 @ Ambar Krooked/ DJ Fierce McFly Wednesday, January 25 @ Metro City Danny Daze Saturday, February 4 @ Ambar Saturday, February 25 @ Geisha Plump DJs Big Day Out ft Odd Future/ Girl Talk/ Wednesday, January 25 @ Villa The Cuban Brothers/ Buda/ Charlie Royksopp/ Nero/Q-BIK and more Bucket/ Tee El Sunday, February 5 @ Lathlain Park Bart B More Saturday, February 25 @ The Bakery Wednesday, January 25 @ Ambar Outernational Bob Marley Birthday 2012 Prins Thomas ft Jesse Proverbs/ Ngati/ The Isolites/ Jah Mask2012 ft Benny C/ Double Dee Wednesday, January 25 @ The Spiegeltent, Era/ Riverbeats/ JamDown Kingz/ The Saturday, March 3 @ The Empyrean Perth Cultural Centre Empressions/ General Justice/ Simba/ Hudson Mohawke/ Rustie/ Rok Riley/ Ben Tutomath/ Mumma Trees/ Sista Che Taaffe/ Move and more Hed Kandi Australia Day Eve ft Chiari/ Sunday, February 5 @ Railway Hotel Mitchell Smith/ Wasteland Saturday, March 3 @ The Bakery Wednesday, January 25 @ The Newport Ambar 11th Birthday ft Too Fresh/ Devo/ Future Music Festival ft Swedish House Black & Blunt/ Dead Easy/ Oli Zeds Dead/ Kito Mafia/ Fatboy Slim/ Tinie Tempah/ Paul Friday, February 10 @ Ambar Thursday, January 26 @ The Overflow (The van Dyk/ Chase & Status/ Skrillex/ Aphex Court) Twin/ Die Antwoord/ Gareth Emery/ Space Dimension Controller James Murphy & Pat Mahoney (LCD Friday, February 10 @ Venue TBC Club Paradiso Australia Day Edition ft The Soundsystem/ DFA)/ Sven Vath/ Alex Stafford Brothers/ tyDi/ Hook N Sling St Jerome’s Laneway Festival ft M83/ Metric/ Azari & III/ Horse Meat Disco/ and more / Frank Ocean/ The Stafford Brothers/ SBTRKT/ Washed out and more Thursday, January 26 @ Salt On The Beach Saturday, February 11 @ Perth Cultural Friendly Fires/ Knife Party/ Professor Green/ Dubfire/ Flux Pavilion/ Orjan Centre Bass Kleph Nilsen/ Porter Robinson/ Ruby Rose/ tyDi/ Friday, January 27 @ Ambar Kill The Noise/ Timmy Trumpet and more Dem Slackers Sunday, March 4 @ Arena Joondalup Tomas Ford’s An Audience With Tomas Ford Friday, February 11 @ Shape album launch ft Tomas Ford/ Simo Soo/ Mickey Avalon ill.Gates Diger Rokwell/ L-Burn DJs and more Friday, March 9 @ Villa Friday, February 11 @ The Rosemount Friday, January 27 @ Amplifier Chic ft Nile Rodgers/ Bastian’s Happy Loaded Dice Presents DJ Qbert & Flight/ Charlie Bucket/ Randa & The Soul Speakeasy ft Indian Summer DJs/ Metric Reeps One DJs Kingdom Friday, January 27 @Villa Thursday, February 16 @ The Rosemount Saturday March 10 @ Fremantle Arts Centre Boom Box Boat Party ft DJs Don Migi/ Balam Acab Danny Boi/ Skooby Friday, February 17 @ The Bakery Friday, January 27 @ Barrack St Jetty Soul Project ft James A The Wonderful World Of DJ Yoda ft DJ Yoda/ Friday, February 17 @ Geisha Buda/ Charlie Bucket/ Tee EL Saturday, January 28 @ Villa Ado & Modek Friday, February 17 @ Ambar Big Gay Out ft Ruby Rose/ Skarlett Saramore/ Alex Taylor/ Judas Twins/ AC Slater (guest only show) Timbee/ Dannyboy & Skooby Saturday, February 18 @ Villa Saturday, January 28 @ The Court Lloyd Tuesday, January 31 @ Metro City
Andy C
HEAVYWEIGHT
SOUNDZ
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25
@METRO CITY
COMING UP
RTRfm’s Saturday Night Divas ft The Foxman/ Super J/ General Justice/ Microgroove/ Mama Cass/ Claude Mono/ Spud Murphy Saturday, February 18 @ The Grey Door (Upstairs at The Claremont Hotel)
Limelite 5th Birthday ft Laidback Luke/ Sets On The Beach Vol 6 ft Soul II Rogerseventytwo/ Zelimir/ Jus Haus?/ Soul (Sound System)/ Greg Wilson/ Flight Mel B Facilities/ Nina Las Vegas/ The Glimmers Friday, February 3 @ Metro Freo Sunday, February 19 @ Scarborough Beach Amphitheatre District Relaunch ft Breadway/ Zeke/ FTW/ Jus Haus?/ Hykus/ Marko Paulo The Game Friday, February 3 @ Ambar Tuesday, February 21 @ Metro City
360 Friday, March 16 @ The Rosemount Hotel KRS-One Friday, March 23 @ Metro City Hermitude Friday, March 30 @ Mojos Hermitude Saturday, March 31 @ Amplifier The Herd/ Thundamentals Saturday, April 14 @ The Rosemount Supafest ft P.Diddy/ Ice Cube/ Rick Ross/ Trey Songz/ Kelly Rowland/ Lupe Fiasco and more TBC Sunday, April 22 @ Arena Joondalup Creamfields ft David Guetta/ Above & Beyond/ Dirty South/ Alesso/ Excision/ W&W/ Giuseppe Ottaviani (live)/ Congorock/ Vitalic/ Sied van Riel/ Tritonal/ Downlink/ ShockOne/ MaRLo/ Bombs Away/ MC Stretch Saturday, May 5 @ Supreme Court Gardens
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X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays
WHITEST BOY ALIVE Sets On The Beach Vol 5 Scarborough Beach Amphitheatre Sunday, January 23, 2012.
Vengaboys (photo: Courtney McAllister)
VENGABOYS Metropolis Fremantle Friday, January 20, 2012 Maybe our childhood ‘worshipping’ perceptions of the Vengaboys weren’t all that accurate. Sure, the Netherlands foursome are renowned for being one of the most – if not the most – influential Euro-pop group of the ‘90s but, considering they have only taken two years off between ’07 and ’09 (yes, they only quit for two years despite the fact you didn’t hear of them), this show was mighty average. But, that didn’t stop crazy punters lapping it up – cowgirls, sailors, sexy outfits, trashy outfits and even a young lad wearing a native Indian-American head-dress were amongst the sold-out crowd squashed against the melting walls of Metro Freo. Resident DJ DTuck was the star of the night. He played an absolute cracker of a set filled with classic ‘90s tunes and no one was afraid to show they enjoyed every single minute of it. Every male in the big house turned into Justin Bieber when a communal war-cry sing-a-long to Backstreet Boys’ Everybody pumped through the speakers. Either that; or they were unashamedly showcasing their ‘groovy’ moves to potential mates across the room. The Spice Girls’ Wannabe and Wigfield’s Sexy Eyes went off but there was nothing like a bit of boot-scootin’ action during Steps’ 5678 and Rednex’s Cotton Eye Joe. It was such a ridiculously mad build up to the Vengaboys’ entrance that when the
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foursome, dressed in glittering plastic costumes, tassels, cowboy hats and pink stockings (Denise van Rijswijk, I feel for you), graced the stage, it was a bit of a let down. This was made even more so by the fact that the group lip-synced for the majority of their average set. Although most fans present were obviously in attendance for novelty or nostalgic value, it was still disappointing to see that the group didn’t sing and dance to their full energetic possibilities. A six year old could’ve choreographed their dance routines and would’ve done a better job. The routines and their songs were slowed down which resulted in a few crazy punters singing out of time – or was it the group themselves? No one looked sure. Cowboy dressed gentleman Donny Latupeirissa did opt out of the routine at one point just to casually have a glass of water so that may have taken them by surprise. They ran through all their hits – including We Like To Party which received the biggest reception and We’re Going To Ibiza which also resulted in crowd mayhem but there were more confused faces in the crowd when Uncle John From Jamaica and fresh tune Rocket To Uranus hit the speakers. Surprisingly, there weren’t even more confused faces when the group decided to perform Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom! not only during their set but also as their encore. Maybe it’s worth another decade before the group tour again down under so they can get some new material under their belt. But, then again, who cares. _ANNABEL MACLEAN
Every week that goes by seems to bring a fresh story from the music press about a festival on the rocks. No doubt there is truth to the stories, especially at the top level, but when promoters get it right – and let’s get it straight, the promoters of the sold-out Sets On The Beach Festival did get it right – then all the hassles and bull-crap one has to go through at an outdoor festival melt away into irrelevance. You couldn’t argue with the setting, for a start. What a nice afternoon for it! The Freo Doctor was whipping in from Rotto; the sun was hiding just behind the clouds, ready to drop onto the horizon; and the deep blue sea was heaving in weird synchronicity with the towering whacky
THEE OH SEES The Growl / The Painkillers / Frozen Ocean The Bakery Friday, January 20, 2012 Unfortunately the popularising of tonight’s band’s name has come in recent years not from the post punk garage they perpetuate, but from an unhealthy obsession with rich white kids and their problems. The good news is that the Californians on this line-up are just the antidote to MTV and reality TV we appreciate around here. Early in the evening, a decent-sized early crowd saw Frozen Ocean deliver punk guitar and drums coupled with left field rock jams straight from lounge room to stage, with improvisation mostly hitting the mark. The Painkillers followed, showcasing their legitimately blues infused lo-fi ramblings. Rather hypnotic sound issues coming through in waves added rather than took from the early part of the set, which included shout outs to Perth’s (least)
waving inflatable arm-flailing tube men either side of the refreshingly small main stage. Whitest Boy Alive could not have asked for a better timed set. Against a fucking magnificent sunset this band of understated Norwegian indiedance-rock crossover weirdos played the crowd like a genius. Mostly shoeless and partially shirtless, the punters rose and fell almost on cue -- lulled into a false sense of security then skewed sidewise once or twice… just enough to keep ‘em on edge before dropping back into groove like nothing happened. As the sky turned crimson and the production lights crept into action, one increasingly admired the sublime nature of it all and just when one’s mind began to wander, singer/ guitarist Erlend Øye came out of his reserved little shell and got the crowd clapping… before dropping 2006’s Burning, at just the right moment, to a truly pumped reception. And so on. Seriously, everything about this was so well done - emphatic proof that the big guys might be struggling, but the niche market dances on. _BEN WATSON favourite train stations in Bayswater and Midland. Fronted by a voice that could strip rust off an exhaust pipe, tonight’s performance from The Growl proved pretty awesome. Their fuzzed out, percussion heavy modern blues, encompassed riffs reminiscent of stoner legends followed by melody and jazz infused breakdowns. As the clock struck 12, Thee Oh Sees frontman John Dwyer and his band of misfits emerged to twin drummers making a heavy sound. Musical meanderings early in the set merged into delta blues inspired jams for the bass/guitar/12-string swapping band members. Adventurous and decadent mixing made for a lush exposition of their genre defying sound. The talented outfit partied through tracks from across their prolific career, but most of the slices were plucked from their 2011 releases Carrion Crawler/ The Dream, showing off their array of cool guitars and their take on psychedelic rhythms in tracks like I Was Denied and Born Slime. The full Bakery remained thoroughly entertained all night with an excellent line-up of bands – well done to the promoters – though the main event was only as good as their supports. _DANIEL PARKINSON
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MOJOS BAR
Sunday, January 29, Jack On Fire will launch t h e i r n e w E P S ermons From the Eastern Seaboard with help from friends The Seals and Rachael Dease. Then on Saturday, January 28, The Kill Devil Hills play, with Black Milk and Black Board Minds in support. Entry will be $15 from 8pm sharp and X-Press is giving away two double passes to the show, just email mojos@coolperthnights.com with “Cheese Devils” in the subject line.
INDI BAR
Sydneysiders King Tide bring their rock steady reggae-got-soul good times back to the west coast this Sunday, January 29 with support from Matt Cal.
RAILWAY HOTEL
The Railway Hotel continues its brand new open-mic sessions in the Beer Garden this Sunday, January 29 from 2pm. Interested acts should contact the arvo’s host Turin Robinson on 0425 171 585, or just pop on down and enjoy a free sausage sizzle and some acoustic tunes.
THE NEWPORT
The Newport is your one stop shop for Australia Day shenanigans with a Hed Kandi party cracking on Australia Day eve (Wednesday, January 25) featuring Chiari, Mitchell Smith and Wasteland. Then from midday on Thursday, January 26, The Newport will count down the Hottest 100, with ping pong and a free BBQ.
THE ROSEMOUNT
Grunge rockers Cavefire Cinema will be headlining the Rosemount’s Hottest 100 after party this year. They will be supported by Sleeping Giant, Gombo and Animal. There will be door prizes and covers of previous year’s Hottest 100 songs all with free entry. The after party starts after the Hottest 100 finishes at 6pm through to 10pm.
THE NORFOLK HOTEL
The Norfolk Basement lounge is an intimate performance space and bar which features live original entertainment all weekend. This weekend, Freo boy-turned-international troubadour Carus Thompson will be performing live and recording the performance over two intimate evenings on Friday, January 27 and Saturday, January 28.
MUSTANG BAR
Get your Australian on down at The Stang’ this Australia Day, doors open from 11.30am playing Triple J’s Hottest 100 live, and you can chill out with a cold frosty beer in the cool air con. Catch The Flamin’ Mongrels from 9.30pm playing all your fave Aussie tunes, with DJ James Mac spinnin’ the wheels till late.
THE ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB
The amazingly captivating Grace Woodroofe returns to The Ellington Jazz Club on Friday, January 27 and Saturday, January 28, to play two special shows before she flies out for an extended stay in the USA. Also catch Mae Sta (Singapore) on Wednesday, January 25 and Rupert Guenther (with support from Robbie Jalapeno And The Fabulous Band Of Faceless Bureaucrats) on Sunday, January 29.
BRASS MONKEY
The Brass Monkey will be putting on one hell of a party come Australia Day Eve. Come down and enjoy the free event featuring an “Aussie Made” fashion show, cool giveaways, live entertainment, $15 rump steaks and $7.50 Kopparberg Ciders. Plus, on Australia Day, the Triple J hottest 100 will be counting down from 11am!
THE QUARIE BAR
Finally, The Quarie Bar and Brasserie opens! The freshly completed venue is everything a neighborhood pub should be. On Australia Day, chefs will carve and serve lamb rolls from a five-hour spit roast in the beer garden with a Triple J Hottest 100 simulcast from start to finish. Purchase any selected craft beer on the day to go in the chance to win a mega-esky full of Aussie session beer!
HIGH TIMES High Road Hotel Friday, January 20, 2012 The High Road Hotel located in Riverton is the perfect spot for a great time out. A large public bar with screens showing all the latest sporting action and music clips adjoins a pool room with three great pool tables to play against your friends whilst listening to the in-house music or on weekends, live entertainment. Feeling hungry? Between 12pm and 2pm daily you can enjoy a great meal for just $15 with a free drink included. Weekly events include poker nights every Monday from 6pm, student night every Wednesday with a $2 pool competition and $10 jugs, Crankin’ Fridays which is all about playing all the best hits of classic rock acts such as Green Day, Pearl Jam, Oasis from 8.30pm, Saturdays is live entertainment with a rotating line up of cover bands from 8.30pm. Photographs by Matt Jelonek
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Brittany, Lucas, Louise
Michelle, Steph
Rhyse, Aleisha
Steve, Kate, Cam
Tegan, Daniel
Alana, Josh
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HYDE AND SEEK
Summer is well and truly here and what better way to enjoy a balmy Sunday arvo with an ale or two in the courtyard at The Hydey for Booze & Roots, the launch party of a weekly Sunday sesh featuring an amazing array of Western Australian’s finest blues and roots musicians in one spot. This week’s edition features the smooth stylings of Dave Mann, Morgan Bain, Lucy Peach, Odette Mercy Trio and Patient Little Sister among others. Proceedings kick off at 1pm and entry is free.
DANCE WITH THE DEVIL
Having travelled all around Europe in 2011, country-tinged five-piece The Kill Devil Hills are set to play an exclusive one-off show at Mojos on Saturday, January 28 to raise funds to pay off their hefty blue cheese debts. Support will be coming from Black Milk and Black Board Minds. Entry will be $15 at the door from 8pm sharp.
PRAISE THE LORD
Junkadelic
JUNKADELIC Junk Of The Heart
Clay flowerpots, washtubs, garbage bins, assorted kitchenware, rusted out combine harvesters and more. What may look like clutter to the average eye has been given a second life as finely tuned, amplified musical instruments thanks to local 15-piece Big Band, Junkadelic. JENNIFER PETERSON-WARD reports. What began 10 years ago with a cartoonist, an environmentalist and a “wheely bin” has grown to be the brass blasting, barrel banging, beatbox busting, bucket breaking funk band Junkadelic. As Junkadelic director Mick “Schmikky Fingers” Brazel attests, the percussion group uses recycled and found objects as instruments as a way of making funk music and spreading the recycling message. “Modern music owes its legacy to slavery, deprivation, and the need for release,” he says. A cornerstone of community arts performance in Perth, the band has travelled all over Western Australia performing and conducting percussion and instrument making workshops in the last decade. “We gate crashed a Blues and Roots festival in Kings Park by playing at the gate after the gig as people left,” Junkadelic manager Ken Allen says of their most memorable gig. “The promoters bribed us to stop playing with the promise to book us for a gig. They later honoured their promise and gave us a support gig for Ozomatli at the Fly By Night Club.” This week the local veterans are calling on Junkadelics past, present and future to join the festivities as they celebrate 10 years of doing what they do best on Friday, January 27 at the Artrage Bakery Complex in Northbridge as part of the 2012 Fringe Festival. “For the past 11 or 12 months we’ve been working on pumping out a really tight, really thumping stage show. We’ve been working with local composer Pippin Kenworthy, adding guitar and some nasty bass. He’s also built up a full brass section that’s able to match the classic Junkadelic percussion sound for intensity and fatness,” band member Paul “Hoodwynk” Hood says. “That said, for better or worse, one thing Junkadelic has always aimed for is to not give people what they expect… But you can definitely expect to hear ‘Junkadelic’ called after we shout ‘Ragga!’”
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Hailmary will start 2012 off with a bang with the release of a double A side single featuring two tracks off their forthcoming debut album (set for release later this year) and a massive show at The Rosemount Hotel on Friday, January 27. The line-up is a cracker, with top notch diverse support acts in the form of the prog-rock entertainment unit The Brown Study Band, alt-rock power trio Nevsky Prospekt and one man blues/rock band Heath Marshall. The local hardrockers will also showcase the new tunes at The Fly Trap in Fremantle on Sunday, January 29.
RUN MDC
2011 has been a busy year for the boys of The MDC. Releasing their debut EP Heartbreaker! in August to a sold-out crowd at The Rocket Room, gigging around town, doing their part to help out various charities throughout the year, and lets not forget the constant debauchery and shenanigans they have become known for. It’s time to start all over again for 2012 and continue to do what they do best; work hard, play hard, and party even harder. Stepping out to be both seen and heard, The MDC will be releasing their first video clip, for new single Burn, on Friday, January 27 at the Rocket Room, with a little help from Project Mayhem, 10past6 and Rich Widow.
SHAKE RATTLE AND ROLL
Perth’s favourite all girl rock band The Shakeys will belt out tunes from their debut EP at Ya Ya’s on Australia Day. Also featuring the talents of The Pain Killer, Cal Peck and The Tramps and The Bob Gordons, the gig will offer an alternative to boozy, brawling fireworks at the foreshore although the girls’ headliner performance promises to be just as explosive. Entry is $15 and doors open at 8pm.
ALL THAT JAZZ
This Sunday, January 29, Rupert Guenther will present rock, psychedelic and blues-influenced originals with his dynamic power trio of electric violin, bass and drums at The Ellington Jazz Club. Supported by local left-of-centre post punksters Robbie Jalapeno And The Fabulous Band Of Faceless Bureaucrats, this is sure to be one unique show local audiences won’t want to miss. Click on over to ellingtonjazz. com.au for more details.
GROUND EFFECT
Dynamic gypsy folk rock outfit The Renzullo Project will launch their debut album Touch The Ground this Sunday, January 29 at The Blvd Tavern in Joondalup. Doors open at 3.30pm, with support coming from Leah Grant (performing as The Pat Malone Project) and Lynda Smyth & The Borrowed Few. Entry is $5 on the door, with discounted copies of Touch The Ground available for sale on the night.
A QUICKIE
Broken Royale
BROKEN ROYALE Bearing the terrible clichéd nature of this question, how would you describe your band’s sound? We try not to fall under a particular genre. We draw inspiration from artists like Magic Dirt, Nine Inch Nails, Divinyls and Regurgitator. We sometimes refer to the phrase “electro garage rock with a twist of sawtooth”. What do you love about making music? No matter how much you could try and vision the end product a song can start with an idea and lead it into so many different paths it almost becomes a choose your own adventure of sound. Music can be therapeutic in so many ways. It can bring upon any mood you desire. It also helps keep the right side of the brain active which makes us question things. And in the current times we live in, we believe that is vital. Music is the one drug which is ok to be addicted to. How did The Swallow come about? Are you happy with the final product? We are stoked with they way the track turned out. It’s changed a lot from when we first started it. We worked for months focusing on writing and recording, developing and creating our sound/style. Once we had this concreted we went back to re-work The Swallow. Lyrically the song is loosely based on the swallow bird which has a reputation for going on far journeys but always returns home. What can a punter expect from your upcoming single launch? A Broken Royale electro rock regression and the usual kick arse performances from local hero’s Boom! Bap! Pow! Mezzanine and Stereoflower. Fireworks and midget clowns are a possibility. Broken Royale launch their debut single The Swallow at Amplifier on Saturday, January 28. Doors open 8pm and entry is $12.
ACCESS ALL AGES
Fresh from their recent performance at the Southbound festival, Sonpsilo Circus will bring their distinctive psych-pop-rock to the Rock Scholars Garage (14 McDonald Street, West Osborne Park) tonight, Wednesday, January 25 for an exclusive all ages show. With support coming from grungy punk-rockers The Love Junkies and indie rock aficionados Nosey Park, this is one mid-week gig worth skipping your homework for.
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The Stepkids, January 25, The Bakery LET THE CAT OUT 1 Mojos Bar 3 Whitestar Hotel THE STEPKIDS 4 Settlers Tavern 25 The Bakery 5 Quindanning Tavern NINA FERRO BETH ORTON 2 Ellington Jazz Club PRINCE RAMA 25 & 26 Quarry 2 Mojos Bar Amphitheatre 3 The Bakery THE NEVER EVER KING TIDE 2 Villa 25 Prince Of Wales 3 YMCA HQ 26 Settlers Tavern LLOYD SPIEGEL 27 Devilles Pad 2 Albany Blues Club 28 Fly By Night Club 3 The South West 29 Indi Bar Blues Club Bunbury 4 The Hills Blues Club Mt Helena OSCAR & 5 Redcliffe On The MARTIN/ GUERRE/ ITAL Murray 7 The Charles Hotel 26 The Bakery 8 Mojo’s Bar 10 Indi Bar OLIVER TANK ROD STEWART / 26 Fat Shan Records DIESEL 4 NIB Stadium THE WHITLAMS REGURGITATOR 4 Indi Bar 27 & 28 Quarry AXE GIRL Amphitheatre 4 Mojo’s SCOTT KELLY CARUS (NEUROSIS) / THOMPSON JOHN BAIZLEY 27 & 28 The Norfolk (BARONESS) Basement 4 Civic Hotel BIG DAY OUT ROGER WATERS (Soundgarden, Kasabian, My THE WALL Chemical Romance, 27 & 28 Burswood The Living End, Dome Röyksopp, Boy & Bear, Parkway JACK ON FIRE Drive, Architecture 27 Settlers Tavern In Helsinki, Battles, 28 Rosemount Hotel The Jezebels, Odd 29 Mojos Bar Future, Frenzal Rhomb, Girl Talk, The Getaway Plan, PUGSLEY The Elephant, BUZZARD TRIO Cage Foster The People, 27 - 31 Perth Town Hall Best Coast, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, Nero, LET THE CAT The Vaccines, Bass OUT Nectar, Regurgitator, 27 Mounties Mount Drapht, Kimbra, Helena Bluejuice, Tonight 29 Redcliffe On The Only, The Bronx & Murray Mariachi El Bronx) 31 Perth Blues Club 5 The Victoria Park Foreshore (McCallum AXE GIRL Park) 28 Treasure Chest HORSE 9 The Ellington BACKTRACK / HILLTOP HOODS / VENTS / DAZASTAH IRON MIND / LAYLA 28 The Den 9 & 10 Capitol 29 YMCA HQ LITTLE ROY 10 Perth Festival RUPERT Gardens GUENTHER TIM MINCHIN 29 Ellington Jazz Club 10 & 12 Challenge Stadium RACHEL CLAUDIO LLOYD 10 & 11 The Ellington 31 Metro City ST. JEROME’S LANEWAY FESTIVAL FEBRUARY (Active Child, Anna Calvi, Austra, Bullion, SEETHER Cults, The Drums, 1 Rosemount DZ Deathrays, EMA, (HED)P.E. / JEFFREY Feist, Geoffrey NOTHING O’Connor, Girls, 1 Amplifier
JAN 25 – JAN 31
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Regurgitator, February 4, Indi Bar Glasser, The Horrors, John Talabot, Jonti, Laura Marling, M83, Oneman, The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart, Pajama Club, The Panics, SBTRKT, Toro Y Moi, Total Control, Twin Shadow, Washed Out, Yuck and more TBA) 11 Perth Cultural Centre SEAL 12 Sandalford Estate Swan Valley THE MEDICS 12 Perth Festival Gardens DENNIS’ ROLLINS VELOCITY TRIO 13 Perth Festival Gardens FAUSTIN PACT 14 Perth Festival Gardens CLAIRY BROWNE & THE BANGIN’ RACKETTES 15 Perth Festival Gardens LA DISPUTE 15 Amplifier 16 YMCA HQ LUCIE THORNE & HAMISH STUART 16 Ellington Jazz Club THE SUITCASE ROYALE 16 Perth Festival Gardens RONAN KEATING 16 Kings Park JOSH PYKE 16 Prince Of Wales 17 Settlers Tavern BALAM ACAB 17 The Bakery DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE 17 & 18 Perth Festival Gardens RACHEL CLAUDIO 17 & 18 Ellington Jazz Club ICEHOUSE / WASHINGTON / JOSH PYKE / CLARE BOWDITCH 18 Kings Park DONOVAN FRANKENREITER 18 Newport CORNERSHOP 19 Perth Festival Gardens CASS MCCOMBS 20 Perth Festival Gardens CARNIVAL OF SOULS 21 & 22 Perth Festival Gardens IL DIVO 23 Kings Park STONEFIELD 23 Rosemount Hotel 24 Prince Of Wales VAN WALKER 23 Settlers Tavern 24 Indi Bar 26 Fly By Night (Fly Trap) OLIVIA NEWTON-
Best Coast, February 5, Big Day Out
JOHN/ JON ENGLISH 24 Burswood Theatre BONNIE PRINCE BILLY FEAT. THE CAIRO GANG 24 Perth Festival Gardens THE PLATTERS FEAT. MONROE POWELL 24 Fly By Night COERCE 23 Prince Of Wales 24 Rosemount Hotel MATT CORBY 24 Amplifier JOHN WILLIAMSON 24 Swan Yacht Club JONATHAN BUTLER 25 Riverside Theatre MEN 25 Perth Festival Gardens RYAN ADAMS/ JASON ISBELL 25 Perth Concert Hall ERYKAH BADU / FAT FREDDYS DROP / MAYER HAWTHORNE 25 Belvoir Amphitheatre HETTY KATE 25 The Ellington BONNIE PRINCE BILLY 25 & 26 The Cave Margaret River NEON INDIAN / SLOW CLUB 26 Perth Festival Gardens ENNIO MORRICONE 26 Sandalford Winery Swan Valley PUGSLEY BUZZARD 26 The Ellington SWAY MACHINERY 27 Perth Festival Gardens BARO BANDA 28 Perth Festival Gardens ROXETTE 28 & 29 Challenge Stadium DAN MANGAN 29 The Fly Trap EDDIE PAMIERI 29 Perth Festival Gardens DAN MANGAN 29 The Fly Trap
MARCH THE MAGNETS 1 Perth Festival Gardens GOSSLING 1 The Bird STICKY FINGERS 1 Indi Bar 2 Ya Ya’s 3 Settlers Tavern STAFF BENDA BILILI 2 Perth Festival Gardens PENGUIN CAFÉ 3 Perth Festival Gardens TAYLOR SWIFT / HOT CHELLE RAE 2 Burswood Dome NANNUP MUSIC FESTIVAL (Lanie Lane, Mojo Juju, Lou
Bennett, Adalita, Oka, Sietta, Swamp Thing, Gossling, Tinpan Orange, Albert Wiggan Band, Bobby Alu, Kavisha Mazella, Neil Murray, Jordie Lane and more) 2 - 5 Nannup BON IVER/ SALLY SELTMAN 3 Red Hill Auditorium FUTURE MUSIC FESTIVAL (Swedish House Mafia, Fatboy Slim, Tinie Tempah, Paul van Dyk, The Wombats, Chase & Status, Skrillex, Jessie J, The Rapture, Aphex Twin, Die Antwoord, Gareth Emery, James Murphy & Pat Mahoney (LCD Soundsystem/ DFA), The Naked & Famous, Hercules & Love Affair, Sven Vath, Alex Metric, Azari & III, Horse Meat Disco, The Juan Maclean, New Order, Friendly Fires, Gym Class Heroes, Mark Ronson vs. Zane Lowe, Knife Party, Professor Green, Dubfire, John O’Callaghan, Oliver Huntemann, Fluxx, Pavilion, Orjan Nilsen, Porter Robinson, Kill The Noise, TyDi, Ruby Rose, Timmy Trumpet) 4 Arena Joondalup SOUNDWAVE (System Of A Down, Slipknot, Limp Bizkit, Marilyn Manson, A Day To Remember, Machine Head, Lamb Of God, Trivium, Alter Bridge, Lost Prophets, Angels & Airwaves, Cobra Starship, The Used, You Me At Six, Devin Townsend Project, Unwritten Law, Coal Chamber, Dashboard Confessional, Thursday, Forever The Sickest Kids, Raised Fist, Dillinger Escape Plan, Zakk Wylde’s Black Label Society, Mastodon, Underoath, Saves The Day, Circa Survive, Steel Panther, Jack Mannquin, Meshuggah, The Sisters Of Mercy, Enter Shikari, Four Year Strong, Black Veil Brides, Madina Lake, Zebrahead, Hatebreed, Biohazard, Times Of Grace, CKY,
X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays
Listing deadline is Monday 5pm. The Gig-Guide is a service to advertisers listing bands. All inclusions are at the discretion of X-Press Magazine. Email reception@xpressmag.com.au or fax 9213 2882.
Toro Y Moi, February 11, St. Jerome’s Laneway Festival Street Dogs, Gojira, Kvelertak, Letlive, Hellyeah, CroMags, The Cab, Relient K, Framing Hanley, Watain, Royal Republic, I Am The Avalanche, Turisas, River City, Extension, Bad Religion, Strung Out, Staind, Wednesday 13, Unearth, The Pretty Reckless, Cathedral, Shadows Fall, Tonight Alive, Motionless In White, Heaven Shall Burn, Your Demise, A Rocket To The Moon, The Ready Set, The Menzingers, Dream On Dreamer, Kittie, Dredg, Attack! Attack!, The Smoking Hearts, The Summer Set, Bush, In Flames, The Black Dahlia Murder, Holy Grail, Hyro Da Hero, These Kids Wear Crowns, In This Moment, Black Tide, Kids In Glass Houses, Fireworks, Conditions, Cherri Bomb, Switchfoot, Paradise Lost, Mission In Motion) 5 Claremont Showground JESSIE J / PROFESSOR GREEN 5 Challenge Stadium OKA 5 White Star Hotel Albany 7 Indi Bar 8 Mojo’s 9 Prince Of Wales 10 Settlers Tavern 11 Mojo’s
Bombay Bicycle Club, March 18, Astor Theatre
ADAM COHEN / GOSSLING 6 Fly By Night MARILYN MANSON 6 Metro City WILD FLAG 7 The Bakery BLACK LIPS 8 The Bakery ST. VINCENT 8 The Rosemount DIRTY THREE 9 Astor Theatre KERSER 9 Civic Hotel BONOBO 9 Capitol THE BEARDS 9 Settlers Tavern 10 Fly By Night 11 Indi Bar NANO STERN 13 Burswood Theatre FAITH HILL & TIM MCGRAW 14 Burswood Dome CHARLES BRADLEY 14 The Bakery DIESEL 16 & 17 Quarry Amphitheatre 360 16 Rosemount Hotel BELINDA CARLISLE 16 Mandurah Performing Arts Centre 17 Astor Theatre SEEKAE 17 The Bakery 18 Mojos Bar AQUA 18 Metropolis Fremantle BOMBAY BICYCLE CLUB 18 Astor Theatre BORIS 20 The Bakery DANIEL O’DONNELL 24 Riverside Theatre
BRIAN SETZER’S ROCKABILLY RIOT 24 Fremantle Arts Centre DURAN DURAN 24 Sandalford Estate Swan Valley DARYL BRAITHWAITE 24 Bunbury Entertainment Centre NICK LOWE 26 Astor Theatre FRANKIE VALLI & THE FOUR SEASONS 27 Kings Park PIERRE BENSUSAN 27 The Ellington LENNY KRAVITZ / THE CRANBERRIES / WOLFMOTHER 28 Athletics Stadium Mount Claremont WOODEN SHJIPS 30 The Bakery SNAKADAKTAL 30 Villa CHILDREN COLLIDE 30 Capitol 31 Players Bar GEORGE MICHAEL 31 Sandalford Estate Swan Valley HERMITUDE 31 Amplifier EDDI READER QUARTET 31 Fly By Night Musician Club PETULA CLARK 31 Mundaring Weir Hotel HOLLY THROSBY 31 Norfolk Fremantle
APRIL PETULA CLARK 1 Albany Entertainment Centre CHILDREN COLLIDE 1 Mojos Bar
WEST COAST BLUES ‘N’ ROOTS (Crosby, Stills & Nash, The Pogues, The Specials, My Morning Jacket, Buddy Guy, Keb Mo, Steve Earle, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Husky and more TBA) 1 Fremantle Park DEAD MEADOW / PINK MOUNTAINTOPS 7 The Bakery STRAWBERRY JAM MUSIC FESTIVAL (P.O.D., Hawk Nelson, Mike Mains & The Branches and more TBA) 8 Albany SUBLIME WITH ROME / MATT McHUGH 11 Metropolis Fremantle PASSENGER 13 Fly By Night Club FAIRBRIDGE FESTIVAL OF WORLD & FOLK MUSIC (Paul Brady, Seth Lakeman, My Friend The Chocolate Cake, Chipolatas, Chris While, Julie Matthews, Kavisha, Tjupurru, Stiff Gins, The Woohoo Revue, Linsey Pollak, Mal Webb, Fred Smith & Liz Frencham, April Verch Band, Blu Guru, Dry Bones, Totally Gourdgeous & more TBC) 13 - 15 Fairbridge Village Pinjarra THE HERD 14 Rosemount Hotel JUSTIN TOWNES EARLE 14 Fly By Night 15 Rosemount Hotel SUPAFEST (P. Diddy,
Snakadaktal, March 30, Villa Ice Cube, Rick Ross, Trey Songz, Kelly Rowland, Lupe Fiasco and more TBA) 22 Arena Joondalup LOU BARLOW 22 Rosemount Hotel BURT BACHARACH 23 Riverside Theatre HOODOO GURUS / REDD KROSS / THE FLESHTONES 28 Astor Theatre
MAY THE MOUNTAIN GOATS 1 The Bakery KRISTIN BERADI 11 & 12 The Ellington DAVID CAMPBELL 16 Mandurah Performing Arts Centre 17 Queens Park Theatre Geraldton 18 Perth Concert 19 Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre FLORENCE + THE MACHINE 17 Burswood Dome GROOVIN THE MOO (line-up TBA) 19 Hay Park Bunbury NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK / BACKSTREET BOYS 29 Burswood Dome BOB HIRST 30 & 31 The Ellington
JUNE TINA ARENA 8 Riverside Theatre NADIA ACKERMAN 28 The Ellington
JULY MELISSA ETHERIDGE 20 Riverside Theatre
ROGER WATERS’ THE WALL
A partially constructed version of The Wall
Pink Floyd’s famous crossed hammer logo adorns props used in the show
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Released in 1979, Pink Floyd’s The Wall is one of the most enduring albums in rock history. Rich in the band’s often-explored themes of isolation and abandonment, the album’s popularity has never faded, and now local fans can witness it remastered, expanded and played out in grand multimedia splendour during Roger Waters’ massive production of The Wall which hits the Burswood Dome on Friday, January 27 and Saturday, January 28. Since 2010, Waters has performed The Wall more than 120 times. That’s a far cry from 1980 when then-current concert technology limited Pink Floyd to playing the album in only 29 cities. Extravagantly tricked out with 3D animations, pyrotechnics and inflatables, the construction of the eponymous 250-foot Wall and preparation for the 90-minute rock opera has taken nearly two weeks, with more than 70 official crew members and 150 local professionals working to make sure the entire production goes off without a scratch. As in 1980, but with newer technology, The Wall has animations, giant marionettes and a physical wall that goes up, brick by white brick, in front of the band. Fans can also expect to see more than 10, 000 shots of pyrotechnics, and videos projected from five points of projection which will come together to look like one seamless image spanning the whole length of the wall. Plus, a state-of-the-art surround sound system will ensure the quality of sound is nothing less than top notch. Visit ticketek.com.au for ticketing information. For more information about the show head to coppel.com.au.
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The Shakeys, Thursday at Ya Yas
WEDNESDAY 25.01 BAKERY The Stepkids Tusk Felicity Groom Diger Rokwell BALMORAL James Wilson BALLY’S BAR Greg Carter Karaoke BAR 120 Felix BELGIAN BEER CAFÉ Red Beret BLACK BETTY’S Everlong BROOKLANDS TAVERN Bonfire CAPITOL After Life CLANCY’S FISH PUB (CANNING BRIDGE) Jennifer Hardy & Jay Howie CLANCY’S FISH PUB (DUNSBOROUGH) Ten Cent Shooters CLANCY’S FISH PUB (FREMANTLE) Seth ‘Squid’ Lowe CLAREMONT HOTEL Open Mic Night DEVILLES Rock N Roll Karaoke EASTERN HOTEL The Other Woman ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Mae Sta HALE ROAD TAVERN Kevin Conway INDI BAR The China Blue Experiment KALAMUNDA HOTEL Bernardine Grigson LOBBY LOUNGE (BURSWOOD) Skye Fitzgerald LUCKY SHAG Howie Morgan METRO FREO The Other Guys MOJO’S Nathan Kaye Hombres Del Mar MUSTANG Party Rockers PADDO Bluebottles PLAYERS BAR Johnny Ruffo PRINCE OF WALES King Tide
QUARRY AMPHITHEATRE Beth Orton Sam Amidon ROSIE O’GRADY’S (NORTHBRIDGE) David Fyffe ROSEMOUNT Sail On! Sail On! Zeks Spilt Cities Our Fallen Legacy SOUTH ST ALE HOUSE Christian Thompson SWAN LOUNGE B.D. Dinosaurchestra Count THE GATE Dirty Scoundrels THE MOON Jay Watson Todd Pickett Davey Craddock UNIVERSAL Strutt YA YA’S Agent Double O Soul
THURSDAY 26.01 BAKERY Oscar & Martin Guerre Ital BOAB TAVERN Dom Zurzolo BOULEVARD TAVERN The Crusaders Trio BURSWOOD CASINO Plastic Max & The Token Gesture BROKEN HILL TAVERN Chris Murphy BROOKLANDS TAVERN Celebrations Karaoke COMO HOTEL The Other Guys DEVILLES PAD Jon Madd’s Karaoke FAT SHAN RECORDS Oliver Tank FUSE BAR Howie Morgan HYDE PARK HOTEL James Wilson INDI BAR Bex’s Open Mic Night LUCKY SHAG James Wilson MERRIWA TAVERN James Wilson MOJO’S BAR Matt Gresham The Walkabout Boys
Cavefire Cinema
CAVEFIRE CINEMA SLEEPING GIANT GOMBO ANIMAL THURSDAY,JANUARY 26 THE ROSEMOUNT
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The MDC, Friday at the Rocket Room MOON & SIXPENCE Bob & Clem MUNDAIRING HOTEL Overload MUSTANG BAR The Flamin’ Mongrels OCEAN BEACH HOTEL Open Mic Night OXFORD HOTEL Jonny Taylor PADDY HANNAN’S Dr Bogus QUARRY AMPHITHEATRE Beth Orton Catherine Triacos RAVENSWOOD HOTEL Flammin Rascals ROSEMOUNT Cavefire Cinema Sleeping Giant Gombo Animal ROSIE O’GRADY’S (NORTHBRIDGE) Bill Chidgzey ROSIE O’GRADY’S (FREMANTLE) Clayton Bolger SETTLERS TAVERN King Tide SWINGING PIG Better Days THE BROOKE Open Mic Night THE GATE Chris Gibbs Trio THE SHED Zenburger Unplugged TWO ROCKS TAVERN Tornados UNIVERSAL BAR Retriofit Off The Record WANNEROO TAVERN Steve Hepple YA YA’S The Shakeys Carl Peck & The Tramps The Painkillers The Bob Gordons
FRIDAY 27.01 7th AVENUE Juliet’s Diary AMPLIFIER Tomas Ford Simo Soo Boys Boys Boys! Injured Ninja Felicity groom Diger Rokwell ASCOT QUAYS Trevor Jalla BAILEY BAR Modsquad BAKERY Junkadelic The Brow Horn Orchestra Odette Mercy Ensemble Formidible R.I & Soda Seasta Chani Toobaboo The Junk Funktion BALLY’S BAR Jamie Powers BALMORAL The Other Guys BAR ORIENT Crown Jewels BELMONT TAVERN Everlong Acoustic BENNY’S Faces BLACK BETTYS J Babies BOHEME BAR Soul Corporation
BUNBURY VINEYARD AUDITORIUM Confession Mandalay Victory Lakeside Sixer Vegas BURSWOOD DOME Roger Waters CANTON LOUNGE Aaron Woolley CAPTAIN STIRLING Bluebottles CARLISLE HOTEL Reload CHASE BAR James Wilson CIVIC HOTEL (THE DEN) Empires Laid Waste Reflections Of Ruin Storm The Shores Misery Dilation CLANCY’S FISH PUB (FREMANTLE) Miracle Band X CLAREMONT HOTEL Nick Sheppard COMO HOTEL Tip Top DEVILLES PAD King Tide EDZ SPORTZ BAR Acoustic Nights ELEPHANT & WHEELBARROW Timeout ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Grace Woodroofe D Money & The Dynamites FLY BY NIGHT CLUB Matt Gresham FUSE BAR Groove Karaoke GLOUCESTER PARK Kenji GREENWOOD Opus 22 HARBOUR TERRACE Neil Colliss HERDSMAN LAKE TAVERN Chris Gibbs Duo INDI BAR Toby KINGSLEY TAVERN Dominic Zurzolo LEFT BANK Frankie Button LEISURE INN Rock A Fellas LOBBY LOUNGE (BURSWOOD) Pop Candy MERRIWA TAVERN Overload MIGHTY QUINN TAVERN Kontraband MOJO’S BAR Apricot Rail Sugarpuss Subtle & The Undertones Blue Lucy MUSTANG Oz Big Band Cheeky Monkeys NEWPORT Party Rockers NORFOLK BASEMENT Carus Thompson OXFORD HOTEL Recliners PADDO Stu Harcourt
Minute 36, Sunday at The Bird PADDY HANNANS Blaze PADDY MAGUIRE’S 43 Cambridge PARAMOUNT Flyte PEEL ALEHOUSE Next Generation Karaoke PERTH TOWN HALL Pugsley Buzzard Trio PICKLED FIG Minky G PRINCIPAL Acoustic License QUARRY AMPITHEATRE The Whitlams The Autumn Isles RAILWAY HOTEL The Partisan Approach Neutral Native Micheal Antonas ROCKET ROOM The MDC Project Mayhem 10past6 Rich Widow ROSE & CROWN Adam James ROSEMOUNT Hailmary The Brown Study Band Nevsky Prospekt Heath Marshall ROSIE O GRADY’S (FREMANTLE) Daren Reid & The Soul City Groove SAIL & ANCHOR Switchback SETTLERS TAVERN Jack On Fire SOUTH ST ALE HOUSE Robbie King Karaoke SPRINGS TAVERN Greg Carter SUBIACO HOTEL Empire SWAN BASEMENT The Partisan Approach Neutral Native Micheal Antonas THE BIRD Ben M Rok Riley THE BOAT Deuce THE GATE James Wilson Smoking Section THE SHED Kickstart UNIVERSAL Nightmoves VELVET LOUNGE The Long Strides The Good Sons The Forest Bells The Dead Hours VICTORIA PARK HOTEL Ivan Ribic WANNEROO TAVERN Clayton Bolger WOODVALE TAVERN Dr Bogus X-WRAY CAFE The Painted Bird Paul McCarthy The Miche Suite YA YA’S The Insatiables Violet Scene Pallas Athena
X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays
Listing deadline is Monday 5pm. The Gig-Guide is a service to advertisers listing bands. All inclusions are at the discretion of X-Press Magazine. Email reception@xpressmag.com.au or fax 9213 2882.
Harlequin League, Sunday at the Newport Hotel
SATURDAY 28.01 AMPLIFIER Broken Royale Boom! Bap! Pow! Mezzanine Stereoflower BAILEY BAR Insideout BALMORAL The Recliners BALLYS BAR Christian Thompson BAR 120 Flyte BELGIAN BEER CAFÉ Chris Murphy BLACK BETTY’S Redstar BOAB TAVERN Cold Steel Blooz BOULEVARD TAVERN Peace Love & All That Stuff BROOK James Wilson BURSWOOD CASINO Hi- NRG BURSWOOD DOME Roger Waters CIVIC HOTEL The Rubber Bandits Big Ears CIVIC HOTEL (THE DEN) Backtrack Iron Mind Blkout The Others Negative Reinforcement CLANCY’S FISH PUB (DUNSBOROUGH) Dr Fish CLANCY’S FISH PUB (FREMANTLE) That Velvet Echo COMO HOTEL Tip Top CRAFTSMAN The Damien Cripps Band DEVILLES PAD Tabas.Co ELEPHANT & WHEELBARROW Daren Reid & The Soul City Groove ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Grace Woodroofe Empire FLY BY NIGHT CLUB King Tide Grace Barbe GRASS VALLEY TAVERN Hay Bales Fieltrip Minute 36 The Menu HIGH ROAD HOTEL Millhouse INDI BAR Blue Shaddy INDIAN OCEAN BREWING COMPANY Retriofit LEOPOLD HOTEL Steve Hepple LOBBY LOUNGE John Sandosham Duo M ON THE POINT Rhythm 22 METRO FREO Dr Bogus
Friday Friday Travis Caudle Robbie Jalapeno, Sunday at Travis Caudle FlyBy ByNight Night Ellington Jazz Club Fly
MOON & SIXPENCE Blaze MOJOS BAR The Kill Devil Hills Black Milk Black Board Minds MUSTANG The Rusty Pinto Combo 10 Cent Billionaire NEWPORT Kizzy Gravity NORFOLK BASEMENT Carus Thompson PADDY HANNAN’S Decoy PARAMOUNT Felix PERTH TOWN HALL Pugsley Buzzard Trio QUARRY AMPITHEATRE The Whitlams Blanche DuBois RAILWAY HOTEL It All Ends Here Hairy Buffalo Safety In Numbers Ol’ Bouginvillea RAVENSWOOD HOTEL Proud Mary ROCKET ROOM Kickstart ROSEMOUNT Jack On Fire Ruby Boots Sonpsilo Circus Cal Peck & The Tramps ROSIE O’GRADY’S (NORTHBRIDGE) Blue Gene ROSIE O’GRADY’S (FREMANTLE) Flavor SAIL & ANCHOR Better Days SPRINGS TAVERN Jamie Powers SWAN BASEMENT Medusas Gaze Left To Die All The Filth Fatal Intentions SWINGING PIG Greg CarterDexter THE BIRD Allbrook/Avery Doctopus Peter Bibby THE BOAT 11:11 THE GATE Dirty Scoundrels THE SAINT Bluebottles THE SHED Huge THE VIC James Wilson THE WHALE & ALE J Babies TWO ROCKS TAVERN Brett Hardwick UNIVERSAL Soul Corporation WANNEROO TAVERN Greg Carter WOODVALE TAVERN Renegade X-WRAY CAFE Minky G YA YA’S Mod Squad Quizzy Angry Al Jamie “Animal” T
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SUNDAY 29.01 7TH AVENUE Good Karma 150 RIVERSIDE EAST (ASCOT QUAYS) Adrian Wilson BALLY’S BAR Greg Carter BALMORAL Cranky BENTLEY HOTEL Adam James BOULEVARD TAVERN Acoustic Courtyard Annabelle BRAITHWAITE PARK The Jayco Brothers BROKEN HILL HOTEL Switchback BROOKLANDS TAVERN Greg Carter BYFORD TAVERN Steve Hepple CAFÉ 58 The Aces CAPTAIN STIRLING Sean Scott CLANCY’S FISH PUB (DUNSBOROUGH) Grace Barbe CLANCY’S FISH PUB (FREMANTLE) The Zydecats CLAREMONT HOTEL Sunday Driver COMO HOTEL Jonathan Dempsey CRAFTMAN David Fyffe EASTERN HOTEL Mike De Velta ELEPHANT & WHEELBARROW Daren Reid & The Soul City Groove ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Rupert Guenther Robbie Jalapeno And The Fabulous Band Of Faceless Bureaucrats FERAL BREWING Luke O’Connell FLY BY NIGHT CLUB Hailmary Ozmonaut FREMANTLE ARTS CENTRE Grace Woodroofe GLOUSTER PARK Kenji GREENWOOD Chris Gibbs Duo HIGH ROAD HOTEL Mike Nayar HIGH WYCOMBE HOTEL The Organ Grinders HYDE PARK HOTEL Dave Mann Morgan Bain Lucy Peach Odette Mercy Trio Palatial Digs Turin Robinson Patient Little Sister Matt Cal DJA Polly Medlan INDI BAR King Tide Matt Cal INDIAN OCEAN BREWING CO Retriofit Dove K1 BAR Damien Cripps
Lucy Peach, Sunday at Hyde Park Hotel
LAKERS TAVERN Jamie Powers LAST DROP WAMBRO Brett Hardwick LEISURE INN Kevin Conway LOBBY LONGE (BURSWOOD) Courtney Murphy M ON THE POINT Bluebottles MOJOS BAR Jack On Fire Seals Rachael Dease MUSTANG Marco & The Rhythm Kings NEWPORT Harlequin League Blackmilk OCEAN VIEW TAVERN David Fyffe PERTH TOWN HALL Pugsley Buzzard Trio PINK DUCK LOUNGE BAR Paul Foster QUARRY AMPITHEATRE The Whitlams Husband QUEENS TAVERN Soul Empire RAILWAY HOTEL Beer Garden Open-Mic Session SAIL & ANCHOR Shawne & Luc SOVEREIGN ARMS Ivan Ribic SWAN BASEMENT Nymph Honey Mudfly When Summer Ends New Mono SWAN VELLEY CAFÉ Kenji SWINGING PIG Sophie Jane THE BIRD Minute 36 Goodnight Tiger Fieltrip THE GATE Better Days Chris Gibbs Trio THE SAINT Howie Morgan Project THE SHED The Healy’s Renegade TWO ROCKS TAVERN Flamboyant UNIVERSAL Retriofit
VICTORIA PARK HOTEL Neil Colliss WANNEROO TAVERN Chris Murphy WHISTLING KITE James Wilson WOODVALE TAVERN Mia & Good Company YMCA Backtrack Blkout Vanity Wild Sense No Regrets
MONDAY 30.01 LOBBY LOUNGE (BURSWOOD) Courtney Murphy MOJO’S BAR Open Mic Night MUSTANG BAR Marco & The Rhythm Kings PERTH TOWN HALL Pugsley Buzzard Trio THE DEEN Plastic Max & The Token Gesture
TUESDAY 31.01 CHARLES HOTEL Perth Blues Club Let the Cat Out Moondog Blackmarket EASTERN HOTEL Groove Karaoke ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Ben Falle Trio LUCKY SHAG Leighton Keepa METRO CITY Lloyd MOJOS BAR Seer Cya Darren Guthrie The Corner Taun PADDO Stu Harcourt PERTH TOWN HALL Pugsley Buzzard Trio PRINCE OF WALES Open Mic Night SETTLERS TAVERN Open Mic Night THE BIRD Wil Thomas X-WRAY CAFE Open Piano Night
Hailmary
HAILMARY
THE BROWN STUDY BAND NEVSKY PROSPEKT HEATH MARSHALL
FRIDAY, JANUARY 27 THE ROSEMOUNT
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Classifieds and Music Services Hotline: 9213 2888 Display ads: musicservices@xpressmag.com.au Deadline: 4pm Monday Credit cards welcome
DANCE CLASSES BELLYDANCE CENTRAL CLASSES Free class Fri 27th Jan. Special fun beginners courses. Term 1 starts Mon 30 Jan. For brochure, info & free class invite shaheena@iinet.net.au 0409 511 125. www.bellydancecentral.com.au HAIR, HEALTH & HAPPINESS MENS WAXING/CLIPPING Itís a guy thing! Hair removal for men, private, qualified, experienced. Ph Athletes Effigy 9384 2950 MUSOS WANTED “OB” MIC NIGHT Ocean Beach Hotel. Thursdays. Interested open-mic artists contact Jysae on obhmicnight@gmail. com or 0429 779 744 BASS PLAYER WANTED For the Seraphyn Project. Must have all that. Those who think they have, call Tony 0414 409 949. DRUMMER REQUIRED Quality, working rock covers band requires solid, reliable drummer. Must be tight. We have gigs booked through to April and have our own PA, lights etc. Please phone 98814283 or 0427 471423 or e-mail pjkm@westnet.com.au for more info. DRUMMER WANTED For 90’s grunge/ alt Rock band. Inf. AIC, STP, Mother Love Bone, Pearl Jam etc. All ages welcome. Call Jarrod 0424 448 289. D R U M M E R WA N T E D Fo r l a r g e production Aussie Rock Tribute. Dedication + experience a must. Ph: 0409 370 900. GUITARIST WANTED For Police/ Sting cover band. Vocalist, bassist and drummer waiting for the guitar lines of Andy Summers to complete the lineup. Eugene 0449000973. GUN SHY ROMEOS ARE SEEKING SINGER / GUITARIST Vocalists or Lead Guitar Players are also welcome to apply. Experienced male or female professional musicians that are committed to a minimum of 2 gigs a week + rehearsal only. Contact Boris 0403 771 040.
JAZZ KEYBOARD PLAYER WANTED To complete quartet playing popular standards, some blues & original compositions. Performance experience preferred. Gigs waiting. Mature age musicians. Rehearsing SOR. Ph James 0467459156 or Steve 93141021. MEGADETH COVERBAND Drummer, lead guitarist. 28-40. Gear, transport and employed. Know you have the ability to play any of the Megadeth catalogue. Call or txt 0414 063 600. E: megahurtz@live. com.au MUSICIANS WANTED BY MANAGER to form all female punk/top 40 covers band. Lead guitar, drums, bass guitar, vocals. Guaranteed work waiting. Tony 0411118304 OPEN MIC NIGHT every Thursday night at Indi Bar. Just call Bex on 0404 917 632 PHOTOGRAPHY PROJECT PHOTOGRAPHY Promo photography, studio, live, location. M ik e Wylie 0417 975 964 www. projectphotography.com 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 MATRIX PRODUCTIONS AUSTRALIA Lighting, staging, sound systems, smoke machines, night club FX, intelligent lighting, strobes & mirror balls, crowd barriers, video projectors. 9371 1551 PA HIRE FX Lights club to concert size. Pro Equipment www.perthconcertsound.com. au.. Ph 9307 8594 / mob 0404 410 020 / 9309 6219 RECORDING STUDIOS ALAN DAWSON’s WITZEND RECORDING STUDIO Prof quality albums or demos, large live room, experienced engineer, analog to digital transfers, mastering..Alan 0407 989 128 or Jeremy 0430638178 www. witzendstudios.com ANDY’S STUDIO International multi award winning songwriter / producer. No band required. Broadcast quality. A songwriter’s paradise. Ph 9364 3178
AVALON STUDIOS BIBRA LAKE One of Perths best equipped studio. Record to analog tape or digital, Avalon pre amps, Neumann mics, the latest and best universal audio, plug in’s for digital recordings. All styles of music, $55 per hour call Tony 0411 118304 email - avalonstudios@bigpond.com GOLDDUSTCONSTRUCTION.COM Production, mixing, recording and composition for your music. Unique award winning skills to take songs from ideas to finished mixes or to fulfill the potential in existing ones. Located in Subiaco. $60 p/h. Andrew 0408 097 407 POONS HEAD MASTERING Analog mastering at its best. Clients include Mink Mussel Creek, Jeff Martin, The Panics, Pond + The Floors. World class facility. World class results. www. poonshead.com 9339 47 91 RECORDING MIXING MASTERING PRODUCING Fremantle location. Call Pete Kitchen Cooked Records. Ph 0407 363 764 / 9336 3764 REVOLVER SOUND STUDIO Ph 9272 7505. www.revolverstudio.com.au SONGWRITERS! - UNLOCK YOUR SONGS’ POTENTIAL +FREE BAND APPRAISALS. UK Producer, 40,000+ hours studio experience. 20 yrs in London with bands and songwriters. Kicking arrangements, great studio and the ability to really listen will give your material the edge you need. Call Jerry on 0405 653 338 or visit www. jerichomusic.com.au
BANDHAPPY School of Rock Want to take a music lesson from your favorite international artist? This week Volume explores Bandhappy, a new online music community reshaping how music teachers and students connect. A first-of-its-kind music community is set to change the way aspiring musicians learn their craft. Taking full advantage of the Internet’s vast interactive capabilities, US based online music service Bandhappy has created a robust learning environment for music teachers and students across the globe. Unlike other static video learning methods seen before on DVDs or other websites, Bandhappy offers online music lessons anywhere on the planet via a custom-built, in-house video chat system. In addition to instrumental tuition, the site also provides lessons in studio production and song writing. Bandhappy offers students access to one-on-one lessons with the teacher of their choice, which can be chosen from an impressive roster of professionals in every possible genre. One of the site’s more tantalising features is the possibility of direct, personal instruction from a high-profile musician, the likes of whom currently include Ben Wienmann (Dillinger Escape Plan), Tosin Abasi (Animals as Leaders), Rich Redmond (Jason Aldean Band), AJ Minette (The Human Abstract), Evan Brewer (The Faceless), Paul Waggoner (Between the Buried and Me), Rody Walker (Protest the Hero), Peter Wichers (Soilwork), Chris Adler (Lamb Of God), Louis Cato (Marcus Miller Band), and more. Founded by Matt Halpern (best known as the drummer for metal band Periphery) Bandhappy also makes it easy for established musicians to manage their teaching schedules effortlessly and earn an income while they’re out on the road. Everything from scheduling to payment is handled seamlessly on the easy-to-navigate, user-friendly site. As Chris Adler, drummer for American heavy metal band Lamb of God, attests: “I’ve given and taken lessons on here myself and even picked up something I used on the new Lamb Of God recording. Bandhappy really spent the time gathering information from students, teachers and touring artists to create the most well-rounded and groundbreaking online music tool that I’ve seen.”
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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. CVP Private Rehearsal studio, excellent facilities.Protools,Recording and Mastering. Demos to albums,Musos avail.Ph 9349 9365, Yokine area. www.clearviewproductions. com.au PLATINUM SOUND ROOMS Professional rehearsal rooms, airconditioned, quality PAs mob 0418 944 722 ROCK FORCE PRODUCTIONS For more information please visit www.rockforceproductions.com 0409 102 246. STREAM STUDIOS The place to rehearse in Perth.. Phone: 0403 152 009 www. streamrehearsal.com.au TUITION ***GUITAR LESSONS*** JAN/FEB ENROLMENTS NOW. Beg-adv, all styles and all levels including bass. Cliff Lynton Guitar Institute. Mt Lawley 9342 3484 / www. clifflynton.com BASS LESSONS Rock, funk & jazz. Tony Gibbs 9470 6131 GUITARTUITION Tired of theory and scales? Learn your favourite songs instead - in my studio or at your place. 19 yrs experience. Call Jay 0403 223 958 VOICE COACH/ SINGING TEACHER All levels, all styles. This is the year to Find Your True Voice. Ph: 0407 260 762 or 9407 9078.
Chris Adler Registration for students is currently open, however the site has received thousands of requests from students seeking lessons so far, and so eager participants must be willing to be patient as Bandhappy is approving students on a rolling basis. Bandhappy is also still accepting applications for teaching positions. Interested musicians should check out the site’s Teacher Registration page. Introductory videos for teachers and students are also currently available on YouTube. The clips walk new students and teachers through the registration process, demonstrate how to create a profile and provide other useful tips. For additional information please visit bandhappy.com or email contact@bandhappy.com. X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays
www.xpressmag.com.au
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X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays