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X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays
COMPANY MEN
Bluejuice
Frat House Fridays are hosting an exclusive Bluejuice show to celebrate their new album Company. They’ve stormed their way through live gigs across the country, giving audiences a burst of energy through their ultra cool pop music and if you’re a fan, this is your only chance to catch these fellas in the metro area before they head down to Bunbury for Groovin The Moo on Saturday, May 19. See them at Metropolis Fremantle on Friday, May 18, alongside Death Disco DJs. Tickets are $15 presale or $28.50 on the door. You can book through OzTix, Moshtix or Heatseeker.
Gyroscope
BIG-HEARTED BOYS
Emmylou Harris
QUEEN OF COUNTRY
Hitting Australia to showcase tunes off her 26th album Hard Bargain, country music superstar Emmylou Harris is hitting Perth for a one-off show. She’s also known for working with a who’s who of classic rock including Gram Parsons, Roy Orbison, Bob Dylan and Neil Young, she also has a dozen Grammys. She hits up Perth Concert Hall on Tuesday, November 6. Keep an eye on Bocs for ticket details.
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Flesh
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Reactions/ Comp
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Music: Henry Rollins
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Music: Fu Manchu/ Children Collide
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Music: Six Feet Under/ Frank Turner
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Music: Black Cobra/ Electric Guest
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New Noise
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Eye4 Cover: Men In Black III
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Eye4 News/ Eye2Eye/ Movies: Ecstasy
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Eye4 Movies: Men In Black III
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Eye4 Art Stories
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Eye4 Arts List
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Salt Cover: Atmosphere
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Salt: Cover Story/ News/ Brad Strut/ W&W
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Salt: Lancelot
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Salt: Rewind: Clark/ 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
There’s an extra special benefit show going underway at the Rosemount Hotel on Friday, June 1 and Gyroscope has an extra special reason to headline it. The Benefit Show For Dana will raise funds for Dana Vulin, the Rivervale woman who was set alight at her home earlier this year. Vulin is the cousin of Gyroscope’s guitarist Zoran Trivic, who says “the boys and I are really looking forward to tearing the Rosemount apart on behalf of a brave and amazing girl”. The band will be joined by The Scotch Of Saint James and Boston & Chevy. Tickets are $35 via Oztix. Donations can also be made by direct debit through this Westpac account: BSB 036-000; Account: 939549; Account name: Foundation For Dana Vulin.
venues around town from today, Wednesday, May 2, ‘til Sunday, May 20
Salt Cover: Atmosphere play Villa on Friday, May 11 www.xpressmag.com.au
Finally! Perth gets a Splendour In The Grass sideshow! And it’s well worth the wait as Canadian indie darlings Metric will visit us in July for a show that’s proudly presented by X-Press. The band are heading our way to promote their fifth studio album Synthetica (due out on June 15) which was mixed by long-time Metric collaborator and Grammy-nominated indie rock specialist John O’Mahony at New York’s famed Electric Lady Studios. I t ’s also the first we’ve heard from the band since their breakthrough album Fantasies, which boasted the hits Gold Guns Girls and Gimme Sympathy. The Emily Haines-led quartet hit Capitol on Wednesday, July 25. Tickets are on sale now from Moshtix, Oztix and handsometours. com.
Metric
GAMBLIN’ MAN
Multi-award winning country superstar Kenny Rogers will be bringing his band to Perth on Tuesday, August 21, for a night to remember. The music legend, who boasts hits from every decade from 1950 ‘til now such as The Gambler, Islands In The Stream and Just Dropped In, will be singing classics as new material from his latest release Water And Bridges. With over 65 albums to his name, you’ll be guaranteed a grand old time when he hits the Riverside Theatre. Tickets start from $99 and are available Monday, May 7, from Ticketek.
CHUNE UP YOUR EARS
Founded in Western Australia in the late ‘90s, heavy guitar-based power rock band Rogue Sharks are set to reunite with the band’s original singer, Blair Jones, for the first time since guitarist, Mick Adkins relocated to Tasmania. The quintet will be performing alongside heavy rockers The Poor at the Newman Bike Show on Saturday, May 19, followed by an evening of rock fury on Sunday, May 20, at The Newport.
Perth’s newest art and design concept space Venn has added another helping to their already diverse plate: Chunes, a live music program which invites local musicians and DJs to enrich the Venn experience. Venn Unplugged hosts Will Stoker tonight, Wednesday, May 2; James Teague on Wednesday, May 9; Wesley Fuller from Hurricane Fighter Plane on Wednesday, May 16; Rabbit Island on Wednesday, May23; and Ash Hendriks from Wolves At The Door on Wednesday, May 30. Venn also presents a monthly residency program, Inside The City, that invites local DJs to conduct the chaos of a Friday night - this local Perth promoter and DJ, Andrew Sinclair, does the honours. Saturday nights is House Party with KZ The Boogieman, DJ GoodFoot and Andrew Mood.
RUFF DIAMONDS
HORSING AROUND
ROGUE TRADERS
In the space of a year Perth boy Johnny Ruffo has featured on The X-Factor and Dancing With The Stars, toured with One Direction and been named runnerup in Cleo’s Bachelor Of The Year competition. But he isn’t slowing down yet. The 23-year-old is getting ready to tour with New Kids On The Block and The Backstreet Boys on the Australian leg of their worldwide tour. It hits Burswood Dome on Tuesday, May 29. Tickets from Ticketek.
GIRLS INTERRUPTED
They harmonised their way into the hearts of music lovers around the globe with their tune Horse With No Name and now Grammy Awardwinning perennial classic rock band America are set to thrill local audiences with their timeless sound in the flesh. The iconic outfit are set to strut out all the hits – including Ventura Highway, Tin Man, Daisy Jane, I Need You, Lonely People and Sister Golden – when they touch down at Perth Concert Hall on Wednesday, September 12. Tickets from Bocs.
Frontman of The Beautiful Girls Mat McHugh has just revealed details of a Perth show in support of his new solo album Love Come Save Me Now. McHugh will be hitting the road for just five intimate shows to, in his own words “connect, thank and soak it all in”. Don’t miss the talented troubadour’s intimate live performance on Saturday, June 9, at Mojos Bar. Tickets are $30 plus booking fee and are available from Heatseeker and Moshtix. Love Come Save Me is currently available for digital download from matmchughmusic.com.
BITTER SUITE
Influenced by the metallic New York hardcore bands of the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, San Antonio’s Bitter End have established themselves as a brute force in the hardcore community. This May they make there way to Australia for the first time with support for our very own Blkout around the country. Catch them on Saturday, May 26, at The Den, with The Others and Dying Sun; and Sunday, May 27, for an all ages show at YMCA HQ with Vanity and No Regrets.
LIVING ON THE EDGELEY Cover: Perth International Comedy Festival hits
HERE COMES METRIC SYSTEM
Having spent the last few years touring the country alongside some of the biggest local and international names in blues and roots (including Eugene Hideaway-Bridges, Ash Grunwald, Ian Moss, Tex Perkins, Jeff Lang and Andrew Winton), UK-expat Phil Edgely is heading our way for his first ever west coast tour in support of his third LP In The Blood. The talented multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter is set to beguile local acoustic music lovers at Mojos Bar on Wednesday, May 16.
Ghostface Killah
KILLAH ON THE LOOSE
Rap City launched back in 2010 with DJ Premier, The Beatnuts, Masta Ace and Edo G selling out shows over east, and after a year off it’s back and bigger than ever! Bringing together high profile hip hop acts on one stage, it will be headlined by co-founder of the legendary Wu-Tang Clan Ghostface Killah, who will be spitting rhymes, and joining him is a man he’s been collaborating with of late, supervillain DOOM, and bodybuilder and rapper Chino XL round it out. It’s all happening on Sunday, June 3, at Metropolis Fremantle. Tickets are on sale now from Oztix and Moshtix. This will be killah!
Thick As Blood
THICK SHAKE
Miami hardcore rockers Thick As Blood are set to put on two shows in Perth this June – one for 18+ and the other for all ages. The band have built a dedicated following since 2004 through supporting big names such as Death Before Dishonor, Backtrack and Emmure. They will be in full form, performing their in-your-face metal riffs and honest lyrics. See them at YMCA HQ on Wednesday, June 13, with tickets available from Oztix from tomorrow; and at Oh Snap at Villa on Thursday, June 14, with tickets only available on the door.
WAMI BAR
Details to continue to slowly trickle out about the 2012 WAMi Festival. Happening across Northbridge on Saturday, June 2, 56 local artists are set to play on eight stages play between noon and 6pm. There’s too many amazing musicians to list so here’s one band playing at each stage: The Seals at Mustang Bar; The Brow Horn Orchestra at Northbridge Piazza; Colour The Sky at Ya Ya’s; The Tumblers at Wetlands PCC; Scenic at Universal Bar; Spoonful Of Sugar at The Court; Harlequin League at The Bird; Morgan Bain at Brass Monkey. All this plus live broadcasting from RTRFM and WAMi Craft Award presentations happening at each stage throughout the day. The Bakery will kick off and close the WAMi Festival, with the opening and closing parties happening at the venue on Saturday, May 26 and Saturday, June 2. The opening party boasts Tomas Ford, Ben Witt of The Chemist, Mmhmmm, Cow Parade Cow, Sugarpuss, Rainy Day Women and the multiple WAMi Award nominee Felicity Groom. The closing party starts immediately after the WAMi Awards ceremony and will see Sonpsilo Circus, The Chemist, Voltaire Twins and San Cisco performing. Grab your tickets from nowbaking.com.au and check out wam.asn.au/WAMiFestival for more details. WA songwriters can win insanely good prizes if they enter the WAM Song Of The Year 2012 competition. There are 16 categories, with all category winners being entered into the grand prize, which is worth $3,000 including cash, studio time, 500 CDs pressed, album distribution and a boat-load more. The awards night will be at Fly By Night on Thursday, October 11. The contest is brought in conjunction with the Mental Health Commission of WA to show music can promote good mental health. Entries close Monday, July 30. See wam.asn.au/songoftheyear. Entires are also now open for AmpFest, which has established itself as one of WA’s premier band comps in recent year. Original WA bands, duos and solo acts, aged between 12 and 25 are eligible to enter. Application forms are available from council offices, WAM, CIT Leederville or online from ampfest.com.au and wam.asn.au/ampfest. 7
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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Production
COMEDY LOUNGE
Comedy Lounge offers the best of local, national and international comedy talent every Thursday night at The Charles. We are giving you the chance to win a table for you and three mates to see Suns of Fred (Comedy Trio), Xavier Susai, Tim Beckett, Jeff Hewitt and Jon Pinder perform live on Thursday, May 10. This show is guaranteed to provide plenty of belly laughs so enter now for your chance to win.
Sleep Freak
SLEEP FREAK
After months of planning, rehearsing, and honing their show, Perth rockers Sleep Freak are proud to announce their EP release show. With a unique sound that can only be described as original, they electrify the atmosphere with addictive riffs and melodies. The guys will be lighting up the stage on May 12 at the Rosemount Hotel with special guests Adverse Reaction, Reapers Riddle and Hyte. We have two double passes to the show as well as a copy to their upcoming EP up for grabs. Get in now for your chance to win.
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CAB AUDITED CIRCULATION: 38,000 APRIL 2011 – SEPTEMBER 2011
Deadlines EDITORIAL General: Friday 5pm,, Eye4 Arts: Thursday 10am, Comp’ Thing: Monday Noon,, Salt Clubs: Monday 5pm , Local Scene: Monday Noon,, Gig Guide: Monday 5pm ADVERTISING Cancellations: Monday 5pm, Ads to be set: Monday Noon Supplied Bookings / Copy: Tuesday 12 Noon, Classifieds: Monday 4pm Published by: Columbia Press Pty.Ltd. A.C.N. 066 570 803 Registered by Australia Post. Publication No PP600110.00006 Suite 73/102 Railway Parade, City West Business Centre, West Perth, WA 6005 Locked Bag 31, West Perth, WA 6872 Phone: (08) 9213 2888 Fax: (08) 9213 2882 Website: http://www.xpressmag.com.au
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Advertisers and/or their agents by lodging an advertisment shall indemnify the publisher, and its agents, against all liability claims or proceedings whatsoever arising from the publication. Advertisers and/or their representatives indemnify the publisher in relation to defamation, slander, breach of copyright, infringement of trademarks of name of publication titles, unfair competition or trade practices, royalties or violation of rights or privacy and warrant that the material complies with revelant laws and regulations and that its publication will not give rise to any rights against or liabilities in the publisher, its servants or agents. Any material supplied to X-Press is at the contributor’s risk.
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Delicacy
DELICACY
Rural Press Printing Mandurah
KAISER CHIEFS
Australia’s favourite Leeds lads the Kaiser Chiefs are returning to rock our shores this May for a string of exclusive shows to coincide with their Groovin’ The Moo headline dates. Hot off the back of their Splendour in the Grass appearance last year, Kaiser Chiefs have released their brand new single, On The Run which bears that trademark Kaiser Chiefs sound and has a chorus filled with enough hooks to have you singing along for days. The boys step into Metro City on Friday, May 18, and we have a whopping four double passes up for grabs, along with a copy of On The Run for each winner. Enter now for your chance to win.
YOUTH FOCUS
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Kaiser Chiefs
Get your entries in now to win a double pass to the Hawaiian Ride For Youth gig on Friday, May 11, at the Indi Bar. Special guest include Rick Steele and the Hot Biscuit band, Jay Grafton and Brett Keyser. With that awesome music line-up and plenty of super prize giveaways, this event is not to be missed. Get in now to score yourself a stellar night for you and a mate.
Nathalie (Audrey Tautou) has everything to be happy about: she is young, beautiful and madly in love with her husband François. But the accidental death of the latter radically changes her life. Want to win tickets to Delicacy? Enter now as we have a bunch of doubles to give away.
Modern Songbirds features the most incredible female singers across two CDs. You’ll love every track on this double CD from Katy Perry’s recent smash The One That Got Away as well as other massive tracks including Titanium by David Guetta featuring the Aussie starlet Sia, to hits songs from Lana Del Rey, Christina Perri, Kylie Minogue, Kimbra, and Florence + The Machine just to name a few. We have 10 CDs to give away so enter now for your chance to snag a copy.
We have an awesome triple CD prize pack up for grabs that is sure to keep you on your toes during the cooler months. Thanks to our friends at Global PR, you could score yourself a copy of Ferry Corsten’s forthcoming trance album, WKND, Trancendence 2012 featuring best of the best of trance music and Rock Like This which is jam packed with broken beats and bass music! If the sound of these three albums gets you excited then enter now as these are sure to be a dance floor favourite.
Dear X-Press, I went down to the Mexican party last week and the night really opened my eyes to just how many talented bands we have here in Perth. Emperors rocked the house and Cal Peck & The Tramps were tight as! Novocaines always know how to rock it and the opening band (Sugarpuss) were amazing. That singer really has a great voice. Thanks for keeping me up to date with what’s happening around town. Much love, Pete Archibald Via Email
Dear X-Press,
MODERN SONGBIRDS
TRANCE CD PRIZE PACK
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Wavves
WAVVES
Penny Drop is pleased to announce the much anticipated return of US wunderkinds Wavves, back in Australia for a national tour this coming May. Making their Australian debut last year with a small club tour and a blistering set at Golden Plains, Wavves left quite a mark on audiences across the country with their signature lo-fi punk rock. Wavves check into Perth’s Rosemount on Friday, May 18, and we have two double passes to give away.
It was disappointing to read Jennifer Peterson-Ward and Chris Havercroft’s article in the 25 April 2012 issue of X-Press Magazine on RTRFM’s In the Pines: basically it offered a string of jibes on the performances of most of the bands in a backhanded complimentary writing style and criticised scheduling and musical influences. The pair failing to fully appreciate the overall purpose of In the Pines and the spirit of generosity from all the bands and volunteers offering their time for free to enable a unique event and radio station to continue to stand well above the musical mediocracy of others; and the diligence of the organiser making it happen. In the Pines is deeper than just glibly describing band performances and style. It can only be said that such an overall negative review went at odds with celebrating local music and RTRFM. Back to journalism and music listening school for the writers and hope that next year’s review is significantly improved! Regards, Keith Via Email
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HENRY ROLLINS Hardcore Hilarity
Rock and roll raconteur Henry Rollins brings The Long March spoken word tour to The Astor Theatre on Friday, May 11, and Saturday, May 12, as part of the Perth International Comedy Festival. TRAVIS JOHNSON talks to the outspoken icon about as many topics as could be squeezed in to a 20 minute phone conversation. Over the course of a career that has now stretched into its fourth decade, Henry Rollins has been many things: author, publisher, columnist, radio DJ, television talk show host, occasional actor, acclaimed spoken word artist, and - his words, not ours - ageing alternative icon. One thing he isn’t anymore, though, is an active participant in the world of music. Rollins, who first came to prominence as the frontman for punk bands State Of Alert and Black Flag before founding the eponymous Rollins Band has hung up his guns, musically speaking. “Well, I’m 51 now,” the tattooed titan says reflectively. “Which is half of a hundred. It’s past the halfway mark. And I kind of decided that I’d done what
I needed to with music. After 30 years, there’s not too many things you could tell me about performing or recording music. There’s really nothing more for me to do in music, so instead this is what I do now. I go to places and I talk to people.” Of course, this isn’t a sudden shift in career direction; Rollins has been bringing his sometimes hilarious, sometimes poignant, and always insightful point of view to audiences around the world for some time now Indeed, it’s arguable that Rollins is now more famous for his spoken word work than for his musical career. But though it seems obvious that he would reach a wider audience with that former rather than the latter - aggressive punk rock not being everyone’s cup of tea - Rollins himself disagrees.
Henry Rollins “I’ve never really looked at it that way,” he says. “I’ve never thought about it in terms of reaching a wider audience or promoting myself like that. I just talk to whoever shows up.” And talk he does, in a non-stop rapidfire monologue that takes in everything from dating (which he rarely does) to drugs (which he never does), The War on Terror (hates it) to world travel (loves it), music history (adores it) to his own occasional forays into acting (seems faintly embarrassed by it). Of his recent high profile role as a neo-Nazi henchman in motorcycle gang drama Sons Of Anarchy, he is typically to the point and self-deprecating. “I play a very bad guy with no redeeming qualities whatsoever, apart from the fact that he’s a father, and he likes his kids. I guess you could say that gives him some complexity, but he’s still a white supremacist and a white separatist; just a really bad guy.”
“I’m fuelled by curiosity and anger... I don’t think I’ll ever stop being either, so I’ll never run out of things to talk about” The average Rollins gabfest clocks in at around the three hour mark, and you get the feeling that, schedule permitting, he could easily double that without running out of material or even pausing for breath. “I’m fuelled by curiosity and anger,” Rollins explains.“And I don’t think I’ll ever stop being either, so I’ll never run out of things to talk about. I get angry about things I see in the world, like our needlessly protracted military involvement in places like Iraq and Afghanistan, and that makes me curious about why things are the way they are. And then investigating that almost invariably feeds back into the anger. But then that anger doesn’t make me lash out at people or property, or abuse drugs and alcohol; it leads me to do more benefit concerts, or more USO tours, and it leads me to talk about the things that make me angry in front of an audience who, hopefully, are receptive and open to my ideas on the matter at hand. I mean, I want to entertain, sure, but I want to inform as well; to provoke some thought.” Hazarding a guess, at least two topics will be on the agenda when The Long March rolls in to town: the declaring of California’s controversial antigay marriage law, Proposition 8, as unconstitutional, and the recent freeing of the West Memphis Three. Speaking on the former, Rollins, a longtime advocate for gay equality, sounds more relieved than celebratory.“I don’t see it as a big step forward, per se; I just see it as America kind of starting to catch up with the rest of the world. This isn’t really a conversation we should still be having in 2012. I mean, as long as you keep the dogs and the kids out of it, I don’t really care what you do in the bedroom.” And as for the West Memphis Three, who were freed from prison last August after serving some 18 years for a crime it is doubtful they committed, Rollins is quick to remind us that, though their release is cause for celebration, justice has not been served. “You need to remember that there is still a child murderer out there somewhere,” Rollins, whose activism for the cause of the Three included releasing the benefit album Rise Against, states.“And the nature of the bargain entered into with the state of Arkansas, the Alford plea, means that the case is now closed: there will be no further investigation, as far as I’m aware.” 10
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CHILDREN COLLIDE New Beginnings
With their third album Monument just released, Melbourne grunge gods Children Collide have to regroup before taking it out on tour. Vocalist/ guitarist Johnny Mackay and bassist Heath Crawley sit down with MATTHEW HOGAN.
in Adelaide. “There was heaps of crowd-surfing going on … two guys injured themselves and each other. Probably not the best way to start talking about the tour! There was one in Wollongong that felt like it was over-sold. It was so packed. The crowd was right in our A band you can usually always see listed in X-Press faces. Every time I’d get in there I just got scratches all Mag’s Tour Trails, Children Collide are currently out over me.” of action as they search for a new drummer. The band pulled no punches when they The remaining members seem confident originally announced the departure of their drummer, the Sword To A Gunfight Tour was a fitting send off for who has played on all three of their albums.They simply long term drummer Ryan Caesar.“Last night was crazy,” attributed the split to the “disintegration” of Mackay exclaims frontman Johnny Mackay about their show and Caesar.“It sounds harsh and it is,” admits the man in
Collingwood with Paul ‘Woody’ Annison. “He toured with us for years and recorded 99 per cent of the demos and we’ve always wanted to do a record with him, and it just kind of aligned,” says Crawley.“He set up a studio with his wife, who is our manager, and a few other people.” There’s also a hint at a new direction on Monument. Their rougher rockier songs seem to progressed into more complicated jams. “The main difference is that in both of our last two albums the songs were from throughout our main existence,” says Mackay.“Songs from when we first started writing together right up until the album came out. And then we had an abundance of these songs; piles and piles to choose from that we had to refine. The new album is all new. There’s only one that we wrote years ago. It’s evolved but it’s us where we’re at now.” One of the highlights from Monument is Black Lemon, a song in a similar vein to last year’s single Loveless, and Mackay agrees. “Most of that song was Children Collide written in my sister’s house in Coffs Harbour that she hadn’t moved into,” he says. “It was completely empty the middle of it all, Heath Crawley.“He’s one of the best and I was up there just writing by myself in the middle drummers in the country and a fucking great dude. of this empty house, which was really eerie, especially We’ve been having a great time on this tour. But after at night when there’s no furniture. That’s where most of five years together, in any kind of capacity or job or role that song came.Then I pretty much put a chorus in and will create a relationship where you’re under such close everyone chose which chorus they wanted. There was quarters, under duress at times. You know, sometimes about three or four choruses floating around.” things come up and you shouldn’t necessarily be in partnership anymore.” With their debut album The Long Now and sophomore effort Theory Of Everything recorded in Hollywood, the trio decided to keep things closer to home this time. They holed up in Red Door Studios in
Fu Manchu
FU MANCHU
Ready For Action Southern California stoner rock legends Fu Manchu will play their first Australian shows in 10 years this month. Scott Hill talks to JESSICA WILLOUGHBY ahead of their show at the Rosemount Hotel this Saturday, May 5. Released in 1997, The Action Is Go solidified what was to become the legacy of Fu Manchu. The fourth outing behind the definitive In Search Of…(1996) – an album which saw this four-piece come together in their trademark groove – this release charred the mix of Southern Californian punk and hardcore with laid-back surfer tones in the minds of many. It was also the first album to feature Bob Balch on guitar, a union that still exists despite a revolving door of line-up changes today. To celebrate the LP’s 15th anniversary, Fu Manchu will be hitting the road later this month to play its contents in full. Although the Australian run of dates this month will miss out on this auspicious occasion, fans are commemorating the shows in their own way – being the first time Fu Manchu has set foot on down under soil in over a decade. But vocalist Scott Hill says they may well come again to play the album in its entirety, for sentimental reasons.“Our first Australian tour was actually off the back of The Action Is Go,” Hill tells X-Press.“So it would be kinda cool to come back and do it there. To be honest, I don’t know why we haven’t been there in so long. The last time was 2002 and we’ve brought out four full lengths since then. But we’re the same band as before; nothing’s changed.” Finishing their time with Century Media last year, 2011 signalled a year of new beginnings for Fu Manchu. With the deal done and dusted, they set out on touring trails to play In Search Of… – in much the same fashion as they are doing with its successor this year. Working towards making the outfit selfsustaining for the first time ever, all future recordings will be released through their own label At The Dojo. “We finished with Century Media last year and now we’re free,” Hill explains. “We have been around since 1990 and never really done it ourselves. We thought, ‘hey, we know a bit about touring, putting on shows and doing records’. It’s funny because the name for the label has just really popped up out of nowhere. It’s from a 7” we put out a few years back of an unreleased song. That was the first thing we actually put out on our own and we had to think up something on the spot. It really has no meaning to it, but it kinda stuck. “So we’re saving our butts off now for our own first independent LP. Hope to get into it after this tour and release next year. I’ve never really thought we’d do it on our own, so it’s kinda exciting. And it’s the way it will continue, unless a label comes along with a great deal.” 12
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SIX FEET UNDER
The Perth Curse Longstanding Tampa-based death metallers Six Feet Under will be making their Australian debut next week. Playing alongside Devildriver and Darkest Hour on Wednesday, May 9, at Capitol – vocalist Chris Barnes talks to JESSICA WILLOUGHY about what he calls the “Perth curse”.
Six Feet Under
“I shiver went up my spine when I thought of the Perth show,” Barnes jokes. “It’s been almost a lifetime since I’ve been out there. That actually was the final show I played with the band. It was a pretty incredible day all-the-way around. We trekked off to see Bon Scott’s grave in the morning, then caught waves at the beach and the night finished off in a riot. “I don’t know if Perth is cursed for me. It’s a really great place and I’m super excited, but I’m at a crossroads on how I feel about going back there. I do know I am returning to the scene of the crime and I It has been 12 years since legendary death metal have a feeling it’s going to go a whole lot better. It’s going to be a blast.” vocalist Chris Barnes last set foot in Perth. With the release of their ninth full-length Playing with Cannibal Corpse in what was to be known as his last ever show with the outfit in WA; looming on May 22, Undead signals a new beginning the venue erupted into a riot – an ending which the for this five-piece in many ways. The first album to feature guitarist Rob Arnold, since he left Chimaira frontman remembers as a “perfect send-off”.
and dedicated himself to Six Feet Under full time, and the likes of Kevin Talley (formerly of Dying Fetus and Misery Index) on drums and ex-Brain Drill bassist Jeff Hughell – Barnes says new blood rejuvenated the longstanding outfit. “I hope it does well because I am proud of it, man,” he says. “I think we really hit the mark with everything – the songwriting, production and just the sound of the band is a lot more in-tune with how I’ve wanted it to be for a long time. “For me, working with Rob [Arnold] was like a shot of adrenaline. It really was. He woke up a beast in me, for sure. Rob is such a focused, attentive, knowledgeable player/writer. It’s just incredible how he is able to bridge his thoughts into his actual writing. It’s so rare to find those qualities in a guitar player and a friend. He effortlessly helped me vocally, by providing the syncopation I needed – as well as taking me to places I haven’t been before with tempos, time signatures and phrasings. With Kevin (Talley), I had a guy on drums that was able to achieve drumbeats that I had never been able to accomplish with Six Feet Under before. That’s something I have been salivating for, for many years. It’s just a great thing to have these guys in the band, to provide me with that fuel that I need to really get me working hard.” Changes were inevitable, according to Barnes, after tragedy stuck the vocalist after the band’s previous effort Death Rituals. “Sometimes it takes a little shock to your system for you to step back and think about what’s really important. That’s why this album is so important to me,” he concludes.
Frank Turner and The Sleeping Souls
FRANK TURNER Totally Frank
English singer-songwriter Frank Turner returns to Perth on Wednesday, May 9, at Amplifier. As he explained to BEN WATSON, he will have his band The Sleeping Souls in tow for the first time. Frank Turner is one of those particularly English, Horatio Alger musicians – like a younger and less boring Paul McCartney perhaps – whose blossoming career is one where honesty, hard work and persistence have paid off; where dues, properly paid, have produced results. But Turner, who started out in hardcore bands over a decade ago, has been around long enough to not let a little bit of success faze him. Just days before he spoke to X-Press, he had one of those career-defining moments when he headlined London’s 12,500 capacity Wembley Arena. It’s an almost unimaginable feat for a guy who started out his solo career by touring up-and-down Britain, playing in people’s lounge rooms. Now, rapid-firing down a dodgy mobile line in Canada, Turner sounds enthused, energised, but totally unfazed. “Do you know what?” he says quickly, “[Wembley] went as well as could be expected. “It’s really funny, a lot of people have asked me how the show went – and I do not at any point want to sound like I’m down about it, because it was a ridiculously over-the-top, incredible, life changing experience and a wonderful evening – but it was just so surreal and so removed from what I do with my day-to-day. “We did all the build up to the show, and we did the gig, and then the next morning I woke up and went ‘OK… and now what?’ and then I got on the plane to Canada and continued touring, the way I’ve always done. “Which is what I wanted to do, because I don’t want to change in any way. But I guess what I am trying to say is it was kind of difficult for me to compute.” And once that’s done – next week – he’s coming our way. “I am very excited about it,” he says of the upcoming tour. “Australia is a place that I have a very sweet spot in my heart. I’ve been there twice before but I’ve always absolutely loved my time out there and so regardless of anything else, I’m excited to come back. “There’s two new things about the tour that I’m really excited about. First of all, for the shows in the main metro areas, I’m bringing my band with me – The Sleeping Souls – which is great because they’re an integral part of what I do right now and I’ve never had the [ability] to bring them to Australia before. “But also I’m doing a whole bunch of shows in other places as well, like Cairns and Darwin and Townsville and Alice Springs and stuff, which is fantastic because I don’t want to be one of those people who only tours the typical metro areas or whatever. “Not just for Australia, for anywhere I go I’m always keen to get out to those places – the different places – and I’ve never been to the Northern Territory before, for example, and I’m very excited about going there.” “The tour came together because Chris Moses from Blue Murder – who has done so much for us in Australia – I was having a conversation with him and I said there must be places to tour in Australia other than Sydney and Melbourne and Perth and Adelaide and Brisbane and whatever. “And he said to me ‘well, there are, but nobody ever wants to go there’, to which I replied ‘seriously man, you’re talking to me, I wanna go there!’ – and yeah, they booked the tour and here we are.” 14
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ELECTRIC GUEST
BLACK COBRA
Head On
There is a lot of buzz around LA duo Electric Guest. After a SXSW showcase and a much-hyped single, This Head I Hold, the band chat to HENRY ANDERSEN about their debut album, working with Danger Mouse and being a band on a budget.
Frozen Planet Invernal, the fourth LP from Californian sludge two-piece Black Cobra, sees them exploring the colder and more primitive side of their doom origins. JESSICA WILLOUGHBY talks to drummer Rafael Martinez ahead of the band’s debut Perth show alongside Fu Manchu this Saturday, March 5, at the Rosemount Hotel. Daring feats performed by human beings throughout history have always served as a deep-rooted source of inspiration. From the building of the pyramids to mankind’s first tentative steps on the moon, these events have animated the minds of entire generations in wonder and awe. For Black Cobra, a sludge outfit from California, the impact of these acts were just as enlightening – both spiritually and creatively. Though it was the Antarctic expeditions of English researcher Ernest Shackleton that became the musical fount for their latest full length, Invernal. “At the end of the Chronomega run, both Jason (Landrian; guitarist) and I started reading about Shackleton and his treks to the south,” drummer Rafael Martinez explains. “We became absolutely obsessed, and fascinated, on the ambition that pushed him to make such a daring feat with such primitive methods – by today’s standards at least. The lyrics throughout the album touch on the hardships Shackleton and his crew endured during their journey and approaches they used to survive the ordeal.” Recorded at Godcity Studios in Massachusetts last year with acclaimed producer and Converge frontman Kurt Ballou, the fourth offering from the doom duo is a reflection of the trials and tribulations of the frigid crusade roaming from harsh and minimal soundscapes to
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Black Cobra roaring strings and impenetrable toms. Martinez points to capturing the unrelenting environment of the polar caps as their main goal. “We’d actually kind of thought about doing an icy theme to our previous record,” he tells X-Press.“I remember putting it to Jason at the time, but we just never followed through with it until now. Although we were inspired by Shackleton’s harrowing tale, we really made it our own – adding in this post-apocalyptic thing which was present in our minds during the writing process. Being cold, to us, was an element of absolute brutality. So our goal was to explore that and the effects that the cold has on humanity. Choosing Kurt to record with was an obvious choice throughout all of this because we felt he’d be able to capture this sound well. And ultimately do our interpretation of the Shackleton story some justice.” Wrapping up the whole tracking process in just eight days, a feat in itself for Black Cobra, Martinez puts their speed down to the Ballou factor. “We’ve always recorded live, to a certain extent,” he says. “We booked to studio for 10 days and were nervous it may not be enough time, as you would. But Kurt is really talented at what he does. We spent a lot of time organising the mics and amps for the initial sound. Then we just blasted through it. Working with someone who has such a good ear for this type of music just made everything so easy, for once.”
Of all the elements that make up indie rock, the genre’s DIY ethos is perhaps its most endearing. There is romanticism in the idea that talented kids with enthusiasm and almost no money can get noticed in an international arena, what’s more, that a homespun album can often be better than one made in a professional studio. Electric Guest sit oddly in two worlds. Their debut album, Mondo, was produced by Danger Mouse, the production guru behind Gnarls Barkley and Gorillaz’ Demon Days and undoubtedly one of the biggest names in the game. And yet, even with Danger Mouse’s involvement, the indie DIY ethos prevails on Mondo. Witness for example, the buzz-worthy single, This Head I Hold. It’s a joyous song, with chiming Motown piano, a brash beat and frontman Asa Taccone’s sugary falsetto pulling it all together. The track’s production is crisp and sleek but the song was almost entirely recorded by Asa in his bedroom. “I didn’t even have a microphone at the time,” he recalls. “So I was just listening to the song on headphones and then singing into a dictaphone. When it came to putting the album together, we didn’t try to re-record it. We just kept the take.” Joining Taccone is multi instrumentalist Mathew Compton. The two started to play together whilst living in a share-house in LA with a rotating assortment of other musician friends. “The house had instruments in every room,” says Asa.“There was a studio in the basement and people used to just snake up mics to any place in the house to record. At a certain point everybody who was living there was a musician working on some kind of project.” Before Electric Guest, both Taccone and Compton had worked on a number of musical
Electric Guest projects, Compton as a drummer in several touring bands and Toccone as a hip hop producer in Berkley. Their different backgrounds would affect the way they approached Mondo. “This is the first band where I’ve gotten to branch out,” says Compton, “to play more than just drums. It’s been a really fun experiment in doing things I normally wouldn’t do.” “It’s kind of similar for me,” adds Taccone. “I haven’t produced hip hop in so long but I guess inadvertently it’s an influence. I’m always really heavy with the drums – I want them to hit in a certain way. I don’t even really listen to hip hop anymore, but it’s interesting how it creeps into the sound.” The hip hop influence is especially apparent on the downbeat swagger of American Daydream. When they came to make a video for this song, the band’s DIY approach prevailed again.“We didn’t really have any money,” laughs Taccone.“That’s what was so great about having the clip directed by my brother we didn’t have to pay him. To get the video done we just borrowed all our friends, we borrowed our friend’s house. Our friend Ryan did all the visual effects for free as well.” The video itself doesn’t make much sense, but it was clearly a lot of fun to make. This is true too of the album. For all the studio polish that Danger Mouse might have brought, it is Electric Guest’s sense of homespun fun that shines through.
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JACK WHITE Blunderbuss
FLORENCE + THE MACHINE MTV Unplugged
Third Man Records / Sony
Jack White is one of the hardest working dudes in music. His many awesome side-projects on his label Third Man Records have given us some of the best albums of the last few years. So while it’s strange that the man himself has never released a solo album until now, the timing makes absolute sense. A year has passed since the break up of The White Stripes and Blunderbuss is here to fill the void. It’s all here, White’s trademark pitchbending, fuzz guitar, his new drumming chops complete with crashing ‘70s cymbals and cowbells and choruses that invite the listener to sing the words along with him. Stand out tracks include the catchy as fuck Love Interruption and opener Missing Pieces has a groove and guitar solo that’ll appease any White fan. But at times it does feel like a collection of B-sides from his side-projects, though great B-sides. Sixteen Saltines is a Brendan Benson away from a Raconteurs track, Freedom At 21 is an Alison Mosshart away from being a Dead Weather tune. This doesn’t so much detract from the experience, and really just highlights how strong a songwriter White is in his bands, but also I can’t help but feel that if he’d released this album a few years ago it would have hit harder. Fingers crossed that this is just the first album of many.
Universal / Island Records
Famous for showcasing big bands at their acoustic best, it was only a matter of time before the supremely popular Florence + The Machine played a set for the MTV Unplugged show. With Kanye West in the stands, CDs ready to be pressed and post-performance interviews in lieu, the Unplugged gig was a cultural landmark for the group. My own trepidation that the band could not recreate their multi-layered instrumental underlay while on the Unplugged stage was quickly quashed. Florence Welch’s belting voice was their most effective instrument, proving her ethereal vocals and evocative lyrics take centre-stage. Welch’s range is remarkable and mirrors the flightiness of her lyrics. Most impressive is her vocal control, especially on No Light, No Light. The soft piano, tambourine, and backing choir also contribute to an enjoyable set. Of the 11 tracks, seven are from the band’s second album Ceremonials. Two are from Lungs. The remaining two are covers - an Unplugged tradition.The cover of Otis Redding’s Try A Little Tenderness lacking in the original’s soul; but Welch’s duet with Josh Homme on Jackson is much better. It is refreshing to hear a female lead, with Welch’s moody vocals far from June Carter’s chirpiness. In fact, the audience’s clapping is the only reminder that this is a live recording - it’s easy to forget when the group puts on such a polished, fluid performance.
_TOM VARIAN _CORAL HUCKSTEP
KINDNESS World, You Need A Change Of Mind
SPIRITUALIZED Sweet Heart, Sweet Light
Female Energy / Polydor
Domino / EMI
World, You Need A Change Of Mind is the first fulllength offering from Adam Bainbridge, aka Kindness, a London-based photographer-turned-musician. First off, World, You Need A Change Of Mind features two of the strangest covers ever; both in terms of song choice and the way they are represented. Bainbridge’s cover of The Replacements’ Swingin’ Party is a synthed-up version that never seems to peak, and his cover of Anita Dobson’s Anyone Can Fall In Love is a disturbing reggae-slow-dub mash-up that is almost as unbearable as the original. Gee Wiz really is nothing to get excited about, particularly the weird segment mid-song that sounds like someone is trying really hard to finger pick. Gee Up, however, is a little more funkalicious - though it seems to end just as the music builds up into something positive. Cyan is definitely the most likeable track, with some real funky production and a funky beat to boot. Bombastic should be outrageous, but it isn’t; frankly it’s plain weird – wait until halfway through when a creepy deep voice pops in to list the names of famous people for no apparent reason. Overall, this is a frustratingly bland record of jazz-junk with nothing of real substance to offer. Unless you’re hipster enough to ‘understand things, man’ before everyone else does, do yourself a kindness and avoid this one.
Spiritualized is the baby of often pretentious space rock guru Jason Pierce. Rising out of the still smoldering ashes of Spaceman 3, Spiritualized have a passionate following for their sometimes comatose tunes, as the moments when they do get all things aligned they are close to untouchable. Sweet Heart, Sweet Light has been years in the making at a time when Pierce had overcome his serious brush with pneumonia, only to be struck down with liver disease. Illness may have forced Pierce to medication, but thankfully Pierce again creates hazy tunes that are full of strings, horns and the occasional gospel choir that give Sweet Heart, Sweet Light the grandiose Spiritualized treatment. Religion is again a focus for Peirce who sounds like he is finally comfortable with his lot and even embraces love. There is a stronger sense of melody and traditional song structures that you would expect from the former Spaceman, though that in no way makes the tunes pedestrian. Life Is A Problem finds Pierce singing about his two favourite topics – Jesus and drugs in an understated by his standards slice of melancholia. Sweet Heart, Sweet Light places low key redemption songs next to rolling grooves that will be a must listen for those who think Pierce can do no wrong as well as those who love to hate him. Spiritualized are anything but passive.
_CHLOE PAPAS
_CHRIS HAVERCROFT
USURPER OF MODERN MEDICINE Turbo Handshake
CHET FAKER Thinking In Textures Remote Control / Inertia
Heartless Robot
Turbo Handshake is the sophomore effort from local three-piece Usurper of Modern Medicine, already one of the bigger names in Perth’s experimental rock scene. An interesting question with any ‘experimental’ band is whether the band has an obscure, but constant, sound or whether they actually adopt an experimental approach to music making – taking risks and trying new ideas. Usurper, it seems, have a little of both. Their stock sound is one of motoric, Krautrock beats and waves of laptop texture. It owes a lot to bands like Can and Neu! but doesn’t sound like any local band on the scene today. The biggest problem with Usurper’s first release, Acid Chess, was that this sound, wonderfully mesmeric in a live setting, came off as a little unfocused when recorded. On Turbo Handshake the band have kept their basic sound but stretched it into new shapes, making it more original and effective in recorded form. Quadruple Dragon and I Am The Panopticon are the torchbearers for Usurper’s old sound. This release’s strongest track, however, is Pidgeon Religion, a Fuck Buttons-esque departure into more electronic terrain. The end of Turbo Handshake features several remixes by local producers. Ylem’s crackling, hip hop take on I Am The Panopticon is the CD’s other highlight, providing another possible angle to the Usurper sound.
Melbourne 23-year-old bearded beat-maker Nick Murphy, aka Chet Faker, recently got back from playing South By Southwest and he’s also one of the many artists playing Splendour In The Grass this year. You’d think he’d have released a few records but, in fact, Thinking In Textures is the debut EP from the ex-sound engineering student who fuses soul with electronica. Last year, Murphy released a cover of Blackstreet’s No Diggity and it took out Bon Iver for the #1 spot on Hype Machine. Now, the youngster has released a collection of easy-listening tales. Murphy has been boxed into the postdubstep genre but this EP sees Murphy intertwine swish production with instrumental beats, slices of folk and grabs of intimate moments into a chilled out, slick and catchy assortment of brilliant songs. Murphy’s soothing voice oozes cool and he’s just plain sexy, talking all sexually on EP opener I’m Into You – “the shit we do could warm the sun.” Terms And Conditions is a little reminiscent of old school Jack Johnson, Love And Feeling brings the swagger, Cigarettes And Chocolate steps up the production and Murphy’s soft drawn out vocals make for a stark contrast against the hip hop beat underscoring Solo Sunrise. If you haven’t had your ears warmed by Mr Chet Faker yet, now is the time. This is the real deal.
_HENRY ANDERSEN
_ANNABEL MACLEAN
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CLUB CULTURE
Immerse yourself in a night of audio/visual awesomeness when Club Zho 99 presents Kynan Tan and The Uneasy Valley at The Bakery on Tuesday, May 8. For 13 years, Club Zho has been hosting nights of new music experiences by local and international acts. Attendees at this upcoming event can expect their brains to be probed by Tan’s Consciousness, an exploration into the surreal subconscious through computer generated music. The Valley trio specialise in layered music and improv, creating an assault on the senses. Find out more via tura.com.au.
Shaun Micallef
HELL OF A GUY
Shaun Micallef is funny as hell. He’s also Mad As Hell and he’s ready to talk about it. Much loved by Australian audiences, Micallef will return to the small screen later this month with a new show on ABC1. Micallef will dissect the week’s news and events with an all-Australian ensemble cast including Francis Greensdale, Roz Hammond, Emily Taheny, Veronica Milsom and Tosh Greensdale. The show premieres on Friday, May 25, at 8pm. Don’t forget to tune in!
PORTRAITURE PRIZE
Are you a portrait artist interested in pocketing $40,000? If so, you’re in luck because the Black Swan Prize For Portraiture is now open for entries. There will be two winners – the Lester Group first prize of 40 grand and the Perrine people’s choice award of $7,500. Entries close July 6, head to blackswanprize.com.au for further details.
Kristin Kreuk stars in Irvine Welsh’s Ecstacy
KRISTIN KREUK Love Is Her Drug Joel Creasey
JUST FOR LAUGHS
The Perth International Comedy Festival will be done and dusted at the end of the month, but that doesn’t mean that’s Perth’s comedy fans will be left wanting. Thankfully, the Melbourne International Comedy Festival Roadshow 2012 will head to WA as part of its two month tour, offering up comedians such as Cal Wilson, Joel Creasey, Marina Franklin, David Quirk, Smart Casual and Hayley Breen. The tour stops at His Majesty’s Theatre from June 20-24. For more details visit comedyfestival.com.au/roadshow.
OFF TO SEE THE WIZARD
Tommy Emmanuel
Eric Clapton says he’s the greatest guitar player he’s ever seen, he’s worshipped by Chet Atkins as the best player on the planet and he’s a two-time Grammy Nominee. Get ready Perth - Tommy Emmanuel is coming to town. The selfdescribed ‘Guitar Wizard of Oz’, famous for playing his guitar with all ten fingers, will bring his Live And Acoustic show to the Perth Concert Hall on Sunday, August 12. He’s supported by US artist Frank Vignola. Tickets are available from BOCS.
As Canadian actress Kristin Kreuk attests, she was never a pill popper at parties but she’s hoping for a hit with her latest film Irvine Welsh’s Ecstasy. “I was totally straight,” she laughs. “I am such a square. It’s just never been my thing. I don’t judge people who do it, but I’ve always had very strong belief systems and I’m very opinionated. I am very much against the idea of depending on drugs to feel things, to feel emotions.” With such strong belief systems, it may sound like something of a stretch to be playing a pill-popping good-girl-gone-bad, but Kreuk – who spent eight years starring as Lana Lang in the smash hit TV series Smallville – says she was still able to draw on some personal experiences when preparing for the role. “I was in high school in the ‘90s which was when raves were very popular so I think it’s relevant to my experience watching my friends and other kids experimenting,” she says, admitting to sneaking out to all-night raves as a teen but adding that she managed to dance for hours without taking any illegal substances. “I went to a handful of parties and had a great experience. I used to go out with my friends and we’d just dance until the sun came up,” she says. In Irvine Welsh’s Ecstasy, Kreuk plays Heather, an unhappily married woman who finds herself embroiled in the Edinburgh rave scene when she pursues an extra marital affair with ageing drug smuggler Lloyd (played by Adam Sinclair).
“Heather’s bored in her life. She’s with a man that she doesn’t really like and who doesn’t seem to really like her that much. She’s in a job that she isn’t satisfied by, and she’s on antidepressants – although that’s not really explored too deeply in the film,” Kreuk says. “She just doesn’t have passion for her life and it comes to a breaking point where she decides to change all that and in the process she finds someone that she falls in love with, who is so not the kind of person she thought she’d fall in love with, and kind of breaks all the rules and everything changes.” It is this romantic element which Kreuk says differentiates Irvine Welsh’s Ecstasy from a slew of high profile films which have explored the seedier side of drug culture. “Compared to films like Trainspotting and Requiem For A Dream, it’s not as dark in the exploration,” she explains. “Ecstasy still has a dark side and explores issues of dependency and the drug trade – there are definitely examples of how destructive addiction can be – but Trainspotting was about heroine, and the experiences of the characters on that drug were a lot more intense. “Ecstasy is about the love drug and it also happens to be a story of love. It’s about the power that love has to help transform people and help them find their will and desire to be passionate about life,” she continues. “It feels gross to watch sometimes, but it’s also a fun movie. I hope that it inspires people to find their own ecstasy – not the drug, but that thing that inspires them to live their life to the very fullest.” _JENNIFER PETERSON-WARD
YOUNG AT HEART The 2012 KickstART Youth Festival returned, bigger and better than ever before on Saturday, April 21. As part of the national Youth Week celebrations, the Perth Cultural Centre was transformed into a vibrate market place created by the youth for the youth. The first X-Press Music Feedback concert also took place and a big thanks to Jess Morhall, The Raging Lincolns, Sugarpuss and The Cabarets for their amazing performances on the day.
Tamas & Rowena
Photographs by Matt Jelonek
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Brett & Robert
`Amy & Rebecca
Monique, Eva & Lisa
Ella & Lara
Jocelyn & Natalie
Gemma & Jess X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays
Rick Baker poses with his creations for Men In Black III
RICK BAKER The Man Behind MIB’s Monsters After virtually creating the modern make-up effects scene, Rick Baker came of age along with it, giving non-living characters in some of the most beloved films of the ’70s and ’80s the souls we all love. X-Press recalls a brilliant career with the seven-time Academy Award winner ahead of the release of Men In Black III on May 24.
of times I don’t think their ideas are any good. In film you’re not totally left alone to design what you want, there are all these other people involved in it.” Fortunately he gets to go to Cinnovation Studios to work every day. Sitting in a central exhibition room that contains original moulds, models and character designs from The Nutty Professor, 2001’s Planet Of The Apes, Mighty Joe Young and – yes – the It started with a simple decision and it changed articulated werewolf head used to attack the heroes a moviemaking craft forever. When director John on the moors in An American Werewolf In London, Landis wanted the transformation scene in 1981’s An Baker recalls a career that culminates in the arresting American Werewolf In London to be real and visceral, then 30-year-old make-up artist and creature designer “Pretty much every ’50s and Rick Baker used make-up effects, silicone rubber and an animatronic puppet for the mind-blowing shot we ’60s alien movie there ever still judge all werewolf transformations against three decades later. was formed my inspiration, In response to American Werewolf, the but there was one in Oscars invented a new category (best make-up effects). Six Oscars later and with some of the most particular called Invasion influential movies of the Spielberg/Lucas golden era to his name, the 61-year-old still can’t just do Of The Saucer Men. It was what he wants. “Rarely if ever,” is how Baker responds when a ’50s B-movie and this guy asked how often he really controls his designs. “There called Paul Blaisdell made are people who say ‘you’ve been doing this for longer than I’ve been alive, you have all these awards, how can these big brain, bug-eyed you not be in control?’. It’s just not the case. The actors and producers all have ideas. The directors have ideas, alien masks.” as they should. I’m not saying they’re wrong but a lot
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array of alien designs that line an entire wall – his work for Men In Black III. One of the reasons his third collaboration with director Barry Sonnenfeld for the Men In Black films was so much fun for Baker is because it gave him the opportunity to build a creature he’s had in mind for years, one the 1969 setting of Men In Black III gave him the chance to make. “Pretty much every ’50s and ’60s alien movie there ever was formed my inspiration, but there was one in particular called Invasion of the Saucer Men. It was a ’50s B-movie and this guy called Paul Blaisdell made these big brain, bug-eyed alien masks. And we got to do a saucer man. It’s not an exact duplicate – we made it a little cooler – but it was very much inspired by that.” As the 2012 Oscars reminded us, make-up effects aren’t just about monsters and aliens. It was the year the award they created for Baker went to Mark Coulier and J Roy Helland for making Meryl Streep look like an aged Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady. It’s an aspect of the craft we don’t equate with Baker after a career of iconic monsters and otherworldly beasts, but some of his best work has been the sort you might not notice. “I like doing both monsters and realitybased work,” Baker says. “Aliens are easier in a lot of ways because we don’t see aliens every day and human make-up is the hardest to pull off.You can have a defect in the rubber on an alien and nobody would know that’s not what the alien’s supposed to look like.
I’m really pleased with the work that was nominated this year, and I can’t say that every year.” In fact, one of Baker’s most successful results, as he himself describes it, was the old Jewish man in the barbershop for 1988’s Coming To America. Eddie Murphy and costar Arsenio Hall played several roles each, but Murphy was hardest to pick as the white, moustached Saul. But Baker says the make-up bought the character to life only because star Murphy believed in it so wholeheartedly. “The make-up was something like 15 or 17 separate pieces of foam rubber, and when we got him all made up he couldn’t believe it, it was much more real than he expected it to be. He thought the old Jewish man he did was such a stereotype and he asked if I could just improvise and play with it. So I got a video camera and it was just him in the makeup chair looking in the mirror improvising a bunch of stuff. A lot of it was hysterical but a lot of it was really serious acting. It helped him find the essence of the guy.” And even though few of us get to have this much fun at work, doesn’t it get hard to muster enthusiasm for make-up effects after doing it so long? Anything gets boring if you do it long enough, after all. “It really is hard, especially when you’re as fucking good as I am,” Baker says with a hearty laugh. _DREW TURNEY
Flight Of The Conchords star Jermaine Clement gets suited up by Rick Baker for his role in MIB III
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NATIONAL INTEREST Balibo’s Memory Keeper
The Black Swan State Theatre Company and Melbourne Theatre Company’s production of National Interest runs from Saturday, May 5, ‘til Sunday, May 20, at the Heath Ledger Theatre. Bookings through BOCS.
The Pajama Men
THE PAJAMA MEN Self Improv-Ment
American comedy duo The Pajama Men, aka Shenoah Allen and Mark Chavez, present their show In The Middle Of No One at The Astor Theatre on Friday, May 4, and Saturday, May 5, as part of the Perth international Comedy Festival. Improv - the very word can strike fear into the heart of even the most seasoned comedy veterans. It’s not the challenge of finding material on the fly, but the consequence of failure that chills; flying without a net is awesome, but falling without one can cripple. The Pajama Men, though, take it all in their stride. After all, they’ve been netless for around 12 years now. “We met in high school when we were auditioning for a high school improv company that only did one show,” Pajama Man Mark Chavez explains.“We did improv after high school with a bigger company. Then we left that little company in Albuquerque and struck out on our own and toured Canada, doing comedy. Then we went to Edinburgh in 2004, which is kind of how we landed here; our career kind of took off in the UK and Australia, and that’s it.” In that time, they’ve developed a reputation as fearsomely fast and talented improvisational comics, attracting the attention of the legendary Second City comedy juggernaut of Chicago. “It’s actually not true that we studied at Second City,” Chavez says.“We worked with them. They found us at Edinburgh a while back and they started
NEIL HAMBURGER Keepin’ It Clean
Fractured funnyman Neil Hamburger steps into the Jack High Room from Thursday, May 9, ’til Sunday, May 12, for the Perth International Comedy Festival. Bookings via BOCS. It’s hard to believe that the last time Neil Hamburger graced us with his presence was at the Big Day Out in 2003, where he was the surprise opening act for punk heroes Frenzal Rhomb. Despite his much-vocalised hatred for the riff raff of society, Hamburger has a soft spot for Jay, Lindsay and the Frenzal crew. “Those guys are the best,” he says. “They really look like dirty sorts of people but they’re actually very, very clean and careful about staying clean, you know? Some of these people that you might tour with, or some of these rock people, you can see the fleas in their hair and the lice and that sort of thing if you sit behind them on the plane. But those guys, they take several showers a day each. You could eat an egg off those guys, they’re just that clean!”
STEVE HUGHES
Has Never Had Group Sex Comic wizard and ex-metal drummer Steve Hughes is bringing his fresh show Steve Hughes: Live to Perth for one night as part of the Perth International Comedy Festival. Hughes takes to The Astor on Friday, May 18, at 9.30pm. Bookings through BOCS. Despite the fact that Steve Hughes’ latest show is touted as touching on hot topics like group sex, this is news to the Australian comedian and musician who tells X-Press that he should really start taking on the role of writing his bios and press releases for his shows. “I haven’t even had group sex in real life yet, I’m hardly going to make jokes about it,” Hughes says down the line from Sydney, clarifying that the topic of group sex won’t be touched on in his upcoming Perth show. “I find group sex beyond funny. I’d be very serious if I was involved in group sex. I’d put a 110 per cent effort in.You have to pick the right people to have group sex with. I’ve got certain best mates that I really 22
producing our shows. We actually taught at Second City for a while. It was something I wanted to do when I was much younger - study at Second City - I just never got around to it. I couldn’t afford it, I wasn’t able to go to Chicago at the time. But we ended up working with them, and they’ve always been great to us.” Though so much of the show is created in the moment, there is still an underlying theme, in this case one that both Chavez and his partner, Shenoah Allen, are intimately familiar with. “It’s about the loneliness of travel, as in whether you’re going to maintain a relationship or whether you’re going to strike out on your own and travel the world, which is something which is very near to our lives. We’re always on the road, and it can be lonesome. But really that’s just an underlying theme. It’s about time travel and an alien and a guy who’s searching for them. It’s an adventure, but really, all of that said, it’s really just a loose structure for us to hang our jokes on. We’re just trying to be ridiculous.” And that irrepressible sense of the ridiculous is certainly paying off, with a number of exciting projects looming in The Pajama Men’s near future. “We’re working on television development right now with the BBC out in the UK,” Chavez tells us. “And that’s going really well. We’re also writing a film, so that’s all going well. But we will continue to do live performances for sure, including a totally improvised show that we’re taking to Edinburgh this year. We’ll be taking that to London and Edinburgh.” _TRAVIS JOHNSON
On October 16, 1975, five journalists – sound recordist Tony Stewart, cameraman Brian Peters and reporters Malcolm Rennie and Greg Shackleton, from Australia, and cameraman Gary Cunningham, a New Zealander – were shot death when Indonesian troops overran the East Timor town of Balibo. Almost 37 years after that event, a new play is set to reinterpret the story that has haunted the Australian media for decades. Rather than retelling the story of Balibo, which was covered in detail by Robert Connolly’s film of the same name, National Interest personalises the headlines with a true story of a family still in the grip of grief. “The play looks at the events through the eyes of June Stewart – Tony’s ageing mother – and is set in 2007, 27 years on from the events that happened at Balibo,” explains James Bell, who plays 21-year-old Tony.“June’s mind is slipping away from her and she is battling with her place within the Balibo five tragedy. Tony appears to her as an apparition – he’s her guide, her guardian angel – to help her realise what is important. “Even though it really has everything to do with the Balibo five, at the same time, it isn’t – it’s about what June has been through over time, it’s a mother’s story. The characters have the same names but it’s a fictional story, their opinions and emotions are made up. It isn’t naturalistic all the way through – the story skips and jumps back and forth in time” Bell, a 22-year-old WAAPA graduate, says he knew very little about the events of 1975 when he was recruited to portray Tony, and spent months wading his way through the 2007 colonial enquiry to prepare for the role. “Being a Gen Y-er I didn’t have too much knowledge of the event, so the biggest challenge was just trying to consolidate his life with mine,” he says. “Just trying to get my head around what he was thinking during that moment – as a young man who had to face the harsh realities of war – was a huge challenge. Once that came, everything else was a bit easier.” Bell says he hopes the play will raise public awareness of events that have been shrouded in misinformation and secrecy for years, as well highlighting the importance of holding governments to account for attacks on the press. “In a political sense it’s very interesting particularly when you consider the fact that it has all been hidden away by the Australian government
Hamburger, also known as America’s Funnyman, is an avid commentator on the latest trends in pop culture and promises to bring only the latest Britney Spears jokes to Perth. He tells us who else he’s been following of late. “The guys that are all over the news right now,” he says. “You know, Steve Tyler that disgusting lead vocalist of Aerosmith. Have you ever seen him? Yuck. If you do [see him] you’re going to need laser eye surgery, because he’s really unpleasant and a bad singer too. I wouldn’t open a can for them.” No stranger to the recording studio himself, Hamburger will have a couple of releases out by year’s end. “We did a new record with the comedian Margaret Cho,” he says. “It was a duet. Just a couple of songs. That’s coming out this summer. And I just did a live comedy album produced by Jack White - he’s a hit singer now. He’s got quite a set-up in Nashville, a beautiful studio with quite accommodating staff and we did this record one night before a live audience. It came out very, very good. That’s what we want. We’ve done a lot of records that people bring up to me after the shows and they say, ‘I bought this record and fuck you - I hate this record’.” Despite the mixed reviews his career has been plagued with, Hamburger stresses the
importance of recording your material. “Because you don’t know when this planet is doomed,” he says.“If the Earth goes off its axis, that’s the end, you know?” If there was one upside to the world ending for Hamburger, it would have to be that it would mean that the Red Hot Chili Peppers would no longer be around.“We did a month’s worth of shows in the UK in August and there was a journalist there who bought the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ new single, something about some stupid idiots - I don’t know what it was called,” he recalls. “They played it for me with a blindfold on and said,‘Well, what d’ya think of this?’ trying to trick me into saying something good without letting me know it was the RHCP. You can put all the blindfolds in the world on somebody, anybody who hears this music is going to throw up over the place - because it’s just that bad. You can’t trick people, you can’t package a dog feces in some sort of package with a ribbon and expect anyone would want to eat it. That’s what the Chili Peppers have done for their whole stinking career and it’s too bad that it’s worked so well for them, and it certainly has, and I would tip my hat to them except I’m not going to because their music is awful.”
couldn’t have group sex with.You have to pick your men friends wisely.” Although Hughes has named his latest show Steve Hughes: Live, with the initial thought that he could deliver his other show Big Issues with more flexibility regarding material coverage, he says it’s basically the same show. “Now I’ve decided that I want to do the show Big Issues so even though it’s called Live now, it’s actually going to be the show Big Issues which I will then explain on stage to everybody.” Indeed, Hughes will give a thorough explanation of some of the political issues he tackles in the show but he’s happy to sum it up for X-Press in a couple of sentences. “The planet’s dying and all the money’s gone and there are terrorists everywhere and we’re going to drop weapons on anyone that’s brown skinned that decides to maybe have one and by the way watch this crap TV show and get a special light bulb and you can save the planet even though we’re dropping nuclear weapons all over and setting them off underneath the sea and we’re trying to bomb every country we possibly can,” he says, before continuing, “But, come on everybody, better like each other but don’t fight back kids, make sure you fill out a form if you get picked on but we’re going to bomb people to death but don’t you fight.”
Hughes, who has based himself in the UK for a number of years, has often thought about returning to live in Australia, but it’s not on the cards for the moment. “The culture itself is really artistic, it’s really amazing really because Australians don’t muck around when they do something, they do it properly,”he says of down under. “They’re better than a lot of overseas bands in a sense of performing live and playing well… it’s a rough around the edges culture with a conservative core.” Steve Hughes: Live won’t be Hughes’ only gig when he hits town, he’s already got a couple of plans. “I’m going to do some DJing at Extreme Aggression after the show,” he says, talking of his set at the Rocket Room. “I’ve got friends within the Perth metal scene so I’m going to stay in Perth for a week or two and hang out.” Once all of this is out of the way, he’s planning on putting his feet up after a solid year on the road and turning his attention to a book and animation film he’s working on along with his super fresh album. “I’ve just made an album with me as the only member, I play everything,” he reveals. “It’s called Eternum. I recorded it with Lachlan Mitchell who’s the keyboard player of Nazxul the band I used to be in.”
_MATTHEW HOGAN
_ANNABEL MACLEAN
National Interest for quite some time. I’m hoping that it will change people’s opinions of what the Australian government hasn’t done,” he concludes.“The events at Balibo affected the families of the victims in such a big way, so I’m hoping the play will bring some sense of justice to them. I guess the message of the play really has to do with the injustice of it all.” _JENNIFER PETERSON-WARD
Neil Hamburger
Steve Hughes X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays
VISUAL ARTS
Shaun Tan: Suburban Odyssey: Fremantle Arts Centre, Fremantle Shaun Tan has won the world’s most prestigious prizes – an Academy Award for his short film The Lost Thing, and the Astrid Lindgren Award for his work as a children’s illustrator, but he describes himself as ‘a painter who fell into illustration and book publishing’. Fremantle Arts Centre is delighted to present for the first time a collection of Tan’s never before seen paintings along with original drawings and preparatory sketches for the film The Lost Thing. Exhibited together, these works create a vision of Shaun Tan as an artist whose work across genres is built on close observation of the real world through painting and drawing. Runs May 19-Jul 15.
FutureGen 2012: John Curtin Gallery, Curtin University, Bentley On display for FotoFreo, FutureGen 2012 is an exhibition of the work of the best graduating and undergraduate photography students from the leading tertiary institutions teaching photography in Australia, together with the best student and graduate student photography from the leading teaching institutions in China. Runs ’til May 11. Projektet, Fremantle Arts Centre, Fremantle Imagine the complexity of the human immune system. There are millions of tiny soldiers inside each th Greenhill Galleries’ 40 Birthday Exhibition: of us, who process intruders and decide friends from Greenhill Galleries, Claremont foe. They are our warriors and our guard dogs, our Celebrating 40 wonderful years in business, Greenhill filters which protect us from outside influences. Now Galleries is proud to mark this auspicious occasion apply this model to society, and culture. Researchers with a showcase of works from a selection of artists and artists Ola Johansson and Amanda Newall, based the gallery has worked with over the past four in Sweden, examine the uncanny way our immune decades. This 40th birthday exhibition will not only system has influenced the way we interact with feature pieces from the gallery’s current stable of others. In a joint residency between Fremantle Arts artists, but also work from influential artists who the Centre and SymbioticA, the biological arts facility at gallery has represented in the past. This special event the University of Western Australia, Johansson and pays tribute to an exciting 40 years in the gallery’s Newall have undertaken a series of academic and personal history, as well Australia’s wider art history. artistic pursuits to investigate the similarities between Runs May 5-19. our internal and external immune processes. The pair have orchestrated performances, where cells from Home Ground: Perth Galleries, North Fremantle the body are acted out by members of the local Nicole Slatter’s recent body of work investigates performing arts community. Runs May 19-Jul 15. picturing locality. The constant development of the urban environment affects our connection and experience to a sense of place. The familiarity of place built through time and shared narrative becomes temporary. These paintings attempt to depict the temporary and record the transition as the essence of location. Runs May 4-27.
THEATRE/DANCE Skin: Blue Room Theatre, Northbridge Written, directed and performed by Helpmann Award winner Humphrey Bower, Skin tells the tale of a hairdresser on holiday in Vietnam who undergoes an unexpected metamorphosis, and an actor in search of inspiration at a remote WA salt-lake gets more than he bargained for. These the two original stories of transformation address cultural identity and difference in a rapidly changing environment, both in our own back yard and abroad. Season runs ’til May 12. Bookings can be made via blueroom.org.au.
Valley by David Ledger Remember The Future: The Oats Factory, Carlisle Showcasing the work of Marie-Annick Burridge, Neil Elliott, David Ledger, Cherish Marrington and Rebecca Morgan, Remember The Future is a playful exploration of alternate realities and offers a glimpse into a world of shifting perspectives, flying machines, wild little things and unkempt strays. Runs ’til May 18.
I (Honestly) Love You: Blue Room Theatre, Northbridge From award winning playwright Damon Lockwood comes a tale of love gained, love lost, and love thrown around a bit. I (Honestly) Love You explores what happens when two people, who share the extremely rare psychological condition of only being able to tell the truth at all times, fall deeply and madly in love. The two age-old enemies of togetherness and honesty tangle desperately in this exciting new play examining the deepest of all human emotions. Runs May 15-Jun 2. Bookings can be made via blueroom.org.au.
Larry Mitchell: A Pilbara Project Exhibition: FORM Gallery, Perth It takes a skilled and sensitive artist to interpret the complexities and contradictions of the Pilbara, and show its scenery in a fresh light. In Larry Mitchell: A Pilbara Project Exhibition, we have the opportunity to witness the encounter of one of Australia’s leading visual artists with this vast region, from the industrial landscapes of the Burrup and Port Hedland to the Spinifex-studded hills way east of Newman. Larry Mitchell’s paintings offer a perspective of the Pilbara in painstaking and sometimes painful detail. Runs ’til May 29. Tales Of Hierachy: Venn Gallery, Perth Tales Of Hierarchy is a new body of work from Western Australian artist Patrick Doherty featuring a series of paintings, drawings and prints. Doherty is known for his free-style figurative illustrations that portray fantastic sequences and contain rich, colourful imagery. These epic, imaginative landscapes echo with ancient mythologies, often referencing spiritual, bodily and religious iconography to captivate and confront the audience. Runs from May 4-Jun 8.
Fragments Of A Yesterday I Loved by Ayako Goto Fragments Of A Yesterday I Loved: Kulcha Gallery, Fremantle Japanese born, Bayswater based textile artist Ayako Goto is informed by her connection to the Australian landscape, particularly through her experiences teaching and living in the Kimberley region. She lovingly unweaves her grandma’s kimono to its vivid essence of thread and reworks this raw material on canvas into a graceful evocation of transience. Runs May 6-31. www.xpressmag.com.au
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X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays
After building a career (and a cult following) out of exploring his own foibles, Sean Daley, aka Slug, is largely at peace with himself as he approaches 40. He chats with JOSHUA HAYES ahead of Atmosphere’s upcoming tour. The subjects that once defined the Minneapolis rapper – women, alcohol, dependency issues, etc – have given way on recent albums to a more reflective and mature outlook. The turning point for both his music and his life came as he began working on what would become 2008’s When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold. “When I conceived that actual record, I didn’t want to make a record that was, like, ‘oh, here’s another record of Sean complaining about his surroundings,’ you know? A part of me has really made some proactive decisions to change my surroundings so that I didn’t have those surroundings to complain about anymore,” Daley says. “And when I did that, the funny thing was, I started to notice other people’s tragedies, if that makes any sense. I wasn’t sitting there swimming in my own tragic moment as much any more; instead I was starting to build more compassion for other people, and so that took what I was writing somewhere else.”
CONTINUED ON PAGE 34
www.xpressmag.com.au
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SEVEN DEADLY SINS
Metro City has a fresh Saturday night. It’s called Seven Deadly Sins and will focus on each of the seven deadly sins with themed drink specials, free canapés, stage performances and special guests all depending on the sin which is the theme for the evening. Seven Deadly Sins will follow on from Rhythm And Dance Saturdays which went off. It launches next Saturday, May 12, and will be rotating every seven Saturdays thereafter. Hit up Facebook.com/sdssaturdays for all the info. Get deadly.
Ghostface Killah
Atmosphere Of course, Daley’s skill at mining his “own tragic moment” for pathos and self-deprecating humour is what initially drew many fans to Atmosphere – his two-decade-long partnership with producer Anthony Davis, aka Ant. It’s no coincidence that 2002’s God Loves Ugly – easily the group’s most sardonic work – was their breakthrough album. But over six studio albums (depending on how and what you count) and a myriad of EPs and mixtapes, he has evolved from a shit talkimg rapper (1997’s Overcast) to a self-loathing Lothario (God Loves Ugly) to a wizened storyteller (When Life Gives You Lemons…). Daley, who turns 40 in September, is now living a relatively charmed life with a happy marriage, a young son (his second) and a role in one of hip hop’s most prominent independent acts.“Personally, I welcome 40. I didn’t know that I’d make it to 40, and I’m not trying to sound like a rap cliché when I say that,” Daley says. “But when I was younger I had no intention of making it to 40 man, I wanted to fucking party, live hard and burn out fast and shit. And now I’m kind of like ‘fuck, I think I want to make like 40 more children’. “I’m fine with it because a few years ago I realised that if you practice good decision making - and when I say good decision making I mean less whisky and more forethought - if you practice good decision making, things actually get better as you get older, and so I’m really looking forward to a continuation of that,” he adds. “As long as I’m taking care of myself and eating right and not wilding out, fucking drinking whisky and doing coke off a stripper’s face, I think that things with life are just gonna get better and better. But who’s to say? Who knows what’s right around the corner? Maybe 40 will be great and then at 41 suddenly I’ll get the gout and they’ll have to cut off one of my feet; I dunno.” Atmosphere’s latest album, last year’s The Family Sign, was their most musical to date,
with their touring line up – guitarist Nate Collis and keyboardist Erick Anderson – heavily involved in the studio. Although Daley says it gave the group more scope, it also made recording the album a more time consuming process. “Sometimes it can get more complicated; it can take longer, but not because what you’re doing is actually taking longer; it’s because now you’re adding elements into the process that you never even had before,” he says. “The funny thing is that we still use Ant’s drum programming, you know what I mean? Ant has been known now, for decades, as the guy with the snares that are way too loud, you know what I mean? And so we’re still making songs where the snares are way too loud but, holy shit, we’re spending all this time trying to figure out a synth-based sound,” he adds.“I really feel like on one hand it keeps the purity of what is Atmosphere in place but, on the other hand, it really gives Anthony that opportunity to evolve and to test the Quincy Jones in him.” A year on from the release of The Family Sign, Daley says he has a number of projects on the go but none are at a stage where he’s keen to discuss them. “I’ve got my hands in so many different pots right now that I have no idea which one of these dinners is going to finish first. I don’t ever quit; there’s always something a-brewing… I don’t really like to talk about something until it’s closer to arising because I don’t like to get my own hopes up high; you never know what might fall through, so, there’s no need for me to go into my collaboration with Radiohead just yet,” he deadpans. “I’m doing a lot of dumb shit and hopefully some of it will come out some day.”
» ATMOSPHERE » FRIDAY, MAY 11 @ VILLA
RAP CITY IS BACK
Rap City launched back in 2010 with DJ Premier, The Beatnuts, Masta Ace and Edo G selling out shows over east, now, it’s coming back for a big national tour, bringing together high profile hip hop acts on one stage. Co-founder of the legendary Wu-Tang Clan Ghostface Killah will be spitting rhymes as part of this super line-up. He’ll be joined by rap’s most revered supervillain DOOM and body-builder and rapper Chino XL. It’s all happening on Sunday, June 3, at Metro Freo. Tickets are on sale now from Oztix and Moshtix. Let’s hope there’s some Ironman beats on this tour, going to be killah!
Sup old-skool breakbeat crew! Get pumped because legendary pioneer of the early breakbeat scene, Skool Of Thought, is coming to the home of underground. That’s right; the UK producer is bringing his signature breakbeat and bass sound to Perth on Friday, June 8, at Ambar. Expect Against The Grain beats and a classic breakbeat set which he’s promised to deliver. It’s $20 on the door on the night or hit up the Boomtick Shop or Boomtick App to get your hands on a $15 pre-sale ticket.This will be big.
GET SYRUPED
If you’re up for partying from midnight ‘til daylight then Syrup is going to be for you. A not for profit monthly UK bass and future beats club night, Syrup is going to be a night where all you party peeps can get your dance on until the early hours. It all starts on Friday, May 18, at Gilkisons. Rolling out the beats for the opening night will be Kit Pop, Ben M, Boy Prince, Mr Starks, Clunk and Dirk Chops. It’s $10 on the door on the night and it’s bound to be a ripper. Hit up Facebook.com/ syrupdance for all the info. Groovin’ The Moo is the next day, get the party started here!
W&W
Iconic Melbourne rapper Brad Strut is touring WA for the first time in five years. The tour comes at a time of change for Strut, with work beginning on what may be his last album, and new opportunities arising. He speaks with JOSHUA HAYES.
Ward van der Harst and Willem Van Hanegem are a tech-trance DJ and production duo from the Netherlands. Relatively new to the scene, their productions and skills on stage have very quickly caught the eye of some of the game’s biggest players. RK chats with the Dutch duo who met five years ago at Trance Energy.
Switch
PON DE SWITCH
Dave Taylor, one half of Major Lazer alongside Diplo, is bringing his twisted bass beats to town. He is the one and only UK DJ and producer known as Switch. Worshipped by many of his compatriots, Switch has worked with the likes of M.I.A, Missy Elliot and Santigold. Remember Pon De Floor? Yep, that was his doing. His latest track I Still Love You is playing in clubs and cafes in Thailand right now as you read this and he’s killin’ it on the airwaves nationally and internationally. Catch the maestro when he plays Villa on Saturday, June 9. Tickets are $33 plus booking fee and are on sale now. Snatch them up from Moshtix and the Boomtick App.
WARD & WILLEM
NEW HORIZONS
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He started DJing at the age of nine and landed a spot on London’s Kool FM at the age of 11. We’re talking about one of the finest young upstarts from the underground scene – UK DJ and producer Crissy Criss. Criss now hosts his own weekly four hour show on BBC Radio 1Xtra and will be bringing his unique take on drum’n’bass, dubstep and everything in between to Amplifier on Sunday, June 3. Tickets are $25 plus booking fee, hit up Moshtix.
SKOOL OF BREAKS
BRAD STRUT
Since releasing his last solo full length Legend: Official in 2007, Strut has spent most of his time in London. However, he returned to his hometown about a year ago.“It was sort of getting to a point where me and my partner would either say we’re going to stay in London and really settle there and do our thing there, or are we going to go home and try and give Aus a crack again, and I guess get on with – it sounds really shit, but – get on with getting old, I guess,” he laughs. Now that he’s back home, Strut is starting work on his third solo full length album, which may be his last. “I’m looking at it as being my last long player, but I’ve said that sort of shit before, so it might not be but I think it’s a good way to approach records anyway - is treat it like it’s going to be your last,” he says. He describes his debut, 2001’s Authentic, as his “naïve innocence” album and Legend: Official as his “innocence lost” album. In keeping with this theme, he says his next album should be his “finding redemption” album.“I think on a personal level and an artistic level… I think I’ve just grown up to a degree, and a lot of the things that I probably used to hold as really important aren’t so important to me anymore,” he says. “The whole scene and the whole he-sayshe-say; that’s just jibber jabber. The only thing that really matters at the end of the day is the artistry,” Strut continues. “I’ve sort of come full circle and gone back to the exact reason why I fell in love with making music in the first place rather than getting caught up in the things that don’t matter.” He’s also expanding his horizons into acting with a major role in Australian crime drama Pinball, which is currently in production. The film also stars John Jarrett, and Mark ‘Chopper’ Reid playing himself. “I committed to that project this year. I said ‘well, if I’m going to do this I have to do it excellently and I have to really, really nail it’ because there’s going to be a lot of people out there that are going to be watching with
CRISSY COMIN’ AT YA
Brad Strut anticipation [going] either ‘is he going to cock it up or is he gonna do it well?’. So I’m really taking the role seriously and I hope I do it justice,” he says. But before he really gets to work on the film (most of the filming is scheduled for August) he’ll be playing three shows in WA. It will be a rare opportunity for local punters to catch one of Australian hip hop’s premier lyricists perform in the flesh. “When I do a live show, I hope people can appreciate the technical aspects of what I’m trying to do, and really check out the breath control and really understand that it’s one man, one mic,” he says. “What I aim to do with these shows is just show people what one dude can actually do one a mic by himself.”
» » » »
BRAD STRUT THURSDAY, MAY 3 @ ROCKET ROOM FRIDAY, MAY 4 @ THE BLVD TAVERN SATURDAY, MAY 5 @ PLAYERS BAR
Van der Harst and Van Hanegem are about to board a plane to Los Angeles during the time of this interview. They’ve just played At State Of Trance 550 in Moscow and are off to the States before they head to London, Poland and Taiwan ahead of their appearance at Creamfields 2012 here in Perth. Although the lads have been on the road for a while, they’re still managing to hit the studio. “We took the whole month of January off for studio time so we have plenty of new tracks coming up,” Van Hanegem says. “Our last production Invasion became the anthem of the ASOT 550 shows and it just got released and we’re happy to say it’s doing really good.” Having completed the LP Impact released on Armada Digital last year, the lads have basked in the glory of their prolific output by keeping busy ever since. “We’ve done a couple of collaborations in the last few months,” van der Harst says. “We shared the studio with Marcel Woods, Jochen Miller and the talented house duo Firebeatz. Otherwise, we aren’t working on another album just yet, but there is a plan to do something else of course. Otherwise, we have an EP due later this year. We love the studio and we’re also open to collaborating with anyone who adds something to our sound.” Indeed, Impact was a magnum opus of quality output that chartered the waters from trance and techno to sounds that could be considered more ambient and electro. “We love to produce so many different styles and the album was the perfect occasion to do more experimental things,” Van Hanegem says. “Also, we think an album gets more interesting to listen to when there’s multiple genres on it. That way
W&W you get more dynamics and we really like the mix of genres.” It’s this same flexibility and openmindedness which translates in their energetic performances. “We play all kinds of music in our sets,” Van Hanegem continues. “As long as it’s danceable and has some energy, it will fit into our sets. The album was a reflection of what we were playing at the time of course but we have so much new material coming up that we will spend more time testing those tracks out now – we’ll see!.” And, even though there’s the usual pressure which comes with the anticipated release of a sophomore record, the duo aren’t focusing too much on that as they are on their output.“That way, we feel freer in the studio,” van der Harst reasons. “Working with Armada is of course an absolute pleasure. It is such a professional team and they are all very enthusiastic.” The lads themselves are feeling pretty chuffed and enthusiastic about coming down under for Creamfields 2012. Punters can expect a fresh set that won’t be strictly all about trance. “Both of us are excited to bring an energetic set full of new and exciting material,” Van Hanegem concludes.
» W&W » CREAMFIELDS » SATURDAY, MAY 5 @ SUPREME COURT GARDENS X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays
Lancelot
LANCELOT
DOING THE DISCO DANCE Sydney based DJ and producer Lancelot has only been DJing for six months. Having studied at the Sydney Conservatorium Of Music, the 22-year-old who formerly wrote and produced electro tunes as twopiece AEONS, has just released his debut EP We Can Dance. ANNABEL MACLEAN chats with the man behind the moniker, Lance Gurisik, about the EP and the future for Lancelot. “We have a coffee machine at work and I’ve become a pro at doing double espressos,” Lance Gurisik says down the line from Sydney, revealing that he’s roughly a month behind in sleep. Reluctant to intertwine chatter about his composition and score work for film and television and Lancelot’s productions, Gurisik says there are certain elements from this studies at the Con which have influenced his work as Lancelot and he’s been conscious as to how these elements have been manifested. “There is a certain mould and there is a certain ‘you know how things work, where it should go’
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[formula] and that is a great thing but breaking away from that and doing something interesting, that’s my passion – taking all that knowledge and putting it into a cool place,” he says. That “cool” place is Lancelot’s debut EP We Can Dance which saw him become one of the top 10 most blogged artists on Hype Machine after the release of the EP’s first single Spoken Word which topped almost 20,000 streams on SoundCloud in less than two weeks. “I’ve always had an issue with sticking to a certain path of what I want to do but I think I’ve kind of found a sonic sound that I’m happy with at the moment,” Gurisik says of the EP. Gurisik invested the help of Brisbane photographer Matt Kahn whose image of a young lady curling over in a swimming pool graces the EP’s front cover. “He’s an amazing photographer,” Gurisik says. “We were actually going to go with this other image but thank god we went with that one… I wanted something that isn’t too serious and replicates that kind of poolside setting where it’s like chilled out new disco stuff; no harsh colours. People keep being like ‘Lance, is that you?’ and I’m like ‘that’s a chick, that’s not me!’. Trust me, my legs are a lot hairier that that (laughs).” Gurisik’s remix of Matt Corby’s Brother has been disco-smattering the Triple J airwaves and it won’t be long until he delivers a CatCall remix and another for Sydney three-piece Rüfüs. And, with a love for Art Department, Lovebirds, Soul Clap and Moon Boots, Lancelot fans should prepare themselves for more disco mania coming their way. “The new EP is hopefully set [to be] out end of the year and I’m still in discussions of what will be next – it could be another few EPs or if I’m ready for an album I’ll do an album but I’m in no rush to do an album,” he says. “I’m 22 and I want to make sure that it’s something that I’m ready for. It’s kind of a big commitment; writing for a long period of time and staying consistent and I don’t know if I’m ready for that yet.” As for his DJ set here tonight, he’s definitely ready for that. “I only started DJing seriously about six months ago; I picked it up really quickly,” he says. “The response has been overwhelming to be honest; DJing is a lot of fun. Being in a band – I’ve been there done that with all these sound checks at like three hours before the gig – [with] DJing your responsibility is for people to have fun and set up a sonic vibe from start to finish, there has to be a build, you kinda tell stories through tracks you love and that’s a pretty powerful thing.”
» LANCELOT » WEDNESDAY, MAY 2 @ CLUB RED SEA
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BIG APE
FRAT HOUSE FRIDAYS
SHAPE
WEDNESDAY 02/05 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 The Flying Scotsman – UniQue DJs Gold Bar–DJ Adroc Hipe Club – DJ Roger Smart Leederville Hotel – We Love Wednesdays ft DJ Slick Metro Freo - Rapture Mustang – DJ Giles Newport – Newport Wednesdays Sovereign Arms – Lokie Shaw The Deen - DJ Zelimer/ DJ Viper/ DJ Benny/ T– Zone 1 The Queens – Wriggle on YaYa’s - DJ Agent 85/ Dr Zaius
THURSDAY 03/05 Blvd Tavern – DJ Andy Clancy’s (Canning Bridge) - DJ Wrighteous Club Marakesh – DJ Simon Cottesloe Hotel – DJ Shots/ DJ Andy M Empire Bar – Halo/ DJ Bojan/ DJ Ben Sebastian
Eve – DJ Tony Allen Flawless - DJ Zelimir/ DJ Minna Flying Scotsman – Cowboys & Indie Kids DJs Leopold Hotel – DJ Riki/ Roger Smart Library - Dorcia 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 Newport – Git Go Ft local electronic producers Paramount – DJ Johnny Boi/ DJ Jordan Rocket Room - Launch Hip-Hop Party ft Brad Strut South St – DJ Castasia/ Dpad Swinging Pig – DJ Simon The Avenue – Jon Ee The Carine Tavern – Punchy & Juicy/ Little Nicky The Causeway – EMAS DJs The Craftsman – Roger Smart The Deen – DJ Flex/ DJ Nano/ DJ Surge/ DJ Don Migi The East End Bar - The Prestige The Queens – Kapitol The Whale & Ale – Josh Tilley The Whistling Kite - DJ Gareth
Tiger Lils – Paul Malone/ Adam Kelly Woodvale Tavern – DJ Melvin
FRIDAY 04/05 Ambar – District ft Phetsta/ Smile On Impact/ Kill Dyl/ DYP/ The Tapeheads/ Ol Wright/ MC Deus Amplifier – DJ Jamie Mac/ Shannon Fox Bar 459 - DJ Smurf Bar Orient – Higher Fyah Reggae Club ft Papa Flava/ Paul Gamblin/ DJ Calvin/ The Empressions Beat Nightclub - Play Boheme Bar - DJ Majiika Boulevard Tavern – DJ Andyy Broken Hill Hotel – DJ Nick Alexander Brooklands Tavern - DJ Jayden Capitol – Retro Mash Capitol (Upstairs) – I Love ‘90s ft DJ DTuck Carine Tavern – Greg Packer/ MC Assassin Clancy’s (Canning Bridge) - DJ Boogie Claremont Hotel – DJ Nick Sheppard/ DJ Max Como Hotel – DJ Gazz Empire Bar – DJs Halo/ Bojan/ Ben Sebastian Eve – DJ Don Migi/ DJ Danny Boi Flawless – Therapy ft Zelimir/ Rob Sharp Flying Scotsman – DJs Jo19/ Rok Riley
Phetsta
Bombs Away
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METRO FREO
Flying Scotsman (Defectors) - Back To Mono DJs 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 – Frat House Fridays ft Death Disco DJs 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 Johnny Boi/ DJ Jordan Players Bar (Norma Jeans Bar) – Retro DJ Queens Tav – DJ Rueben Rocket Room – DJ Brett Rowe/ DJ Cain Sail & Anchor - Balcony Beatz/ DJ J-MAC Sovereign Arms – Aiden Wallis The Avenue – JMC The Carine – Mind Electric/ Little Nicky/ Az-T The Causeway – 4by4 DJs The Generous Squire - DJ Anaru The Queens – DJ Rueben The Saint - DJ Jordan The Shed – DJ Glenn 20 The Whale & Ale – Josh Tilley Tiger Lils – Paul Malone/ Adam Kelly The Vic - DJ Giles The Wembley Hotel – Funky Bottoms/ Jon Ee Windsor – DJ Riki and Ray Villa - Dragon Fly First Birthday ft MC Rami/ DJ Junior/ DJ Karl Blue/ DJ Raji D/ MamazBoyz What! Victoria Park Hotel – DJ Giles YaYa’s – Junk ft DJ Whoa!
SATURDAY 05/05 Ambar – Japan 4 ft PDS/ DNGRFLD/ Tee El/ Micah/ Philly Blunt Amplifier – Pure Pop ft Eddie Electric Basement On Broadway – DJ Ricky Boheme Bar – Carte Blanche DJs Broken Hill Tavern – DJ Nick Alexander/ James Wilson Capitol – Death Disco Capitol (Upstairs) – Cream Of The ‘80s ft DJ Ryan Clancy’s (Canning Bridge) - DJ Dood Claremont Hotel – DJ Tone Def Club Bay View – Little Nicky Empire Bar – DJ James Ess Eurobar – Roger Smart/ DJ Raci East End Bar - Fiveo Eve Nightclub – DJ Don Migi/ DJ Stevie M
AMPLIFIER
Flawless - Stache Saturdays ft DJ Zelimir/ DJ Minna Flying Scotsman - Under The Influence DJs Flying Scotsman (Defectors) - Fore DJs Geisha - Soul Project ft JT Donaldson High Road Hotel – DJ Simon High Wycombe – DJ Matt Hipe Club – DJ E-Funk Library – MKT ft DJ Riki/ DJ Richie G/ DJ Vicktor 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/ DJ 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 Paramount- DJ Cornflake / DJ Jordan/ DJ Johnny Boi Queens Tav - Gareth Richardson Rocket Room – Delicious (Ladies Only) ft DJ Brett Rowe South St Ale House – DJ Jay Sovereign Arms – Rockwell Supreme Court Gardens - 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/ Figure/ MC Stretch The Avenue – Jon Ee The Brighton (Upstairs) – Micah/ Kill Dyl/ eSQue The Boheme – DJ Sneakee The Causeway – Sun City DJs The Clink – Az-T The Cornerstone – Dylan Hammond The Craftsman – Tammy Stevens The Deen - DJ Birdie/ DJ JJ/ DJ Tony Allen The Generous Squire – On Tap ft DJ Defanutely The Saint – DJ Anaru The Shed –DJ Glenn 20 The Wembley – Lokie Shaw The Whistling Kite - DJ Craig The Vic – DJ Kristian Tiger Lil’s – DJ Bojan/ DJ Ben Sebastian Victoria Park Hotel – DJ Melvin Villa - Sub Zero & MC Eksman Windsor – DJ Ray
Figure Woodvale Tavern – DJ Real McCoy YaYa’s – Saturday Social ft The Kings Of Cheese DJs
SUNDAY 06/05 Captain Stirling – DJ Jay Claremont Hotel – DJ Double Dee Clink – DJ Tony Allen Club Bay View – Fiveo Empire Bar – CB3/ DJ Riki/ DJ Vicktor Euro Bar – DJ Flex Eve Nightclub – DJ Birdie Flying Scotsman – Under The Influence DJs Flying Scotsman (Defectors) – Eclectic Picnic Mint - Chris McPhee Mustang – DJ Rockin Rhys Rocket Room – Coyote Ugly The Avenue – Az-T The Aviary – Backyard Disco ft Silence/ People Who Play/ Laterstyles/ Electonic/ Troy Division/ Gav T The Causeway – Lukas Wimmler The Cott – Cott Sessions The Court - Habitat Garden Party ft James Zabiela/ Alex Niggemann/ George Fitzgerald The Kiosk – DJ Cinder The Saint - DJ Anaru The Shed – DJ Andyy
MONDAY 07/05 Bar Orient - DJ White Label Broken Hill Tavern - DJ Mario Tavelli The Deen – Plastic Max/ The Token Gesture The Paddo – DJ John Paul The Shed – DJ Andyy
TUESDAY 08/05 Bar Orient - DJ Lyndon Eastern Hotel – Jon Edwards High Road Hotel – DJ Matty J High Wycombe – DJ Ricky Hipe Club – DJ Roger Smart Players Bar (Norma Jeans Bar) – Stevie M Victoria Park Hotel – DJ Melvin
X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays
THE SHED
CAPITOL
FLAWLESS
IN THE \ THIS WEEK: District ft Phetsta/ Smile On Impact/ Kill Dyl/ DYP/ The Tapeheads/ Ol Wright/ MC Deus Friday, May 4 @ Ambar Soul Project ft JT Donaldson Saturday, May 5 @ Geisha 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/ Figure/ MC Stretch Saturday, May 5 @ Supreme Court Gardens Sub Zero & MC Eksman Saturday, May 5 @ Villa
Atmosphere/ Evidence Friday, May 11 @ Villa
Friday, May 18 @ Ambar
Mord Fustang Friday, May 11 @ Ambar
Lapalux/ oOoOO Saturday, May 19 @ The Bakery
Anjunadeep Vol 04 ft Jaytech Friday, May 11 @ Shape Sky’High Saturday, May 12 @ Mojos Krafty Kuts Saturday, May 12 @ Villa Seven Deadly Sins Launch ft DJ Slick/ DJ Matty S/ DJ Stevie M/ DJ Makka/ DJ Ruthless/ DJ Kenny L/ DJ Angry Buda Saturday, May 12 @ Metro City Syrup Launch ft Kit Pop/ Ben M/ Boy Prince/ Mr Starks/ Clunk/ Dirk Chops Friday, May 18 @ Gilkinsons
Habitat Garden Party ft James Digitalism/ Adrian Lux Zabiela/ Alex Niggemann/ Friday, May 18 @ Villa George Fitzgerald Sunday, May 6 @ The Court Showtek Friday, May 18 @ Shape
COMING UP Next Hype ft Pariah/ Blawan Thursday, May 10 @ Geisha
Fresh Produce ft The Barons Red/ Tapeheads/ Punchy & Juicy/ StrangerThanDigital/ Informant
Kings Of Sound 3 ft Phetsta/ MC Xsessiv/ SBX All Stars/ Layla/ Dazastah/ Greg Packer/ MC Assassin/ Killafoe & J.Nitrous/ Rregula/ Q-BIK/ Seeka MC/ The Stoops/ Complete/ MC Bear/ Porsah Laine/ Voltron/ MC Stylee/ Slackjaw/ Zanetic/ Get More/ Armee/ LStreet and more Saturday, May 19 @ The Rosemount Hotel Groovin’ The Moo ft 360/ Hilltop Hoods/ Adrian Lux/ Beni/ Digitalism/ Hermitude/ Muscles/ Purple Sneaker DJs/ Wavves Saturday, May 19 @ Hay Park, Bunbury
The Aston Shuffle (DJ set) Friday, May 25 @ Ambar Deacon Rose Saturday, May 26 @ Capitol Mickey Avalon/ Kid Mac Saturday, May 26 @ The Rosemount Hotel Timmy Trumpet/ Tenzin Saturday, May 26 @ Villa Bad Taste Recordings ft Prolix/ Aeph/ Blokhe4d/ Neonlight Friday, June 1 @ Metro City JD4D (JesusDied4Dubstep) label launch ft F3tch/ J.Nitrous/ Killafoe/ J Switch/ Get More/ Jaydee Fordee Friday, June 1 @ Shape Slow Roast Records Tour ft Craze/ Codes Saturday, June 2 @ Villa
The Aston Shuffle Friday, May 25 @ Ambar
Rap City ft Ghostface Killah/ DOOM/ Chino XL Sunday, June 3 @ Metro Freo
Frat House Fridays ft Deacon Rose Friday, May 25 @ Metro Freo
Crissy Criss Saturday, June 3 @ Amplifier Sebastien Drums Friday, June 8 @ The Court Break-A-Holics Anonymous ft Skool Of Thought Friday, June 8 @ Ambar Sampology’s Super Visual Apocolypse Saturday, June 9 @ The Bakery Switch Saturday, June 9 @ Villa Hype Williams Saturday, June 16 @ The Bakery
Above & Beyond
CREAMFIELDS
SATURDAY, MAY 5 @ SUPREME COURT GARDENS
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360/ Hermitude Friday, June 22 @ Villa 360 Saturday, June 23 @ The Astor 360 Sunday, June 24 @ The Astor Dirtyphonics Thursday, July 5 @ The Rosemount
WARP FACTOR Clark The Bakery Friday, April 27, 2012 Life is Noise have brought an impressive roster of electronic artists to these shores, the majority of these from the quirky, cool end of the scene and they continue this excellent track record with a return visit of Clark, over here to promote his latest long player Iradelphic, recently released on Warp Records. Turnablist Zeke warmed up the crowd with a nice mix of funky treats and bass driven beats, interspersed with his trademark cutting and scratching. It’s good to see that he has managed to incorporate these tricks into his set without making them look gimmicky and upsetting the flow. Declan from RTRFM’s Trainwreck upped the bpms and managed to encourage the crowd in from the beer garden so that by time the clock struck midnight the expectancy levels had grown sufficiently for the main man to take to the stage. Clark has built up quite a reputation in the EDM world since he released his debut album Clarence Park (recorded whilst he was still at university) back in 2001 and his steady output (albeit with about three years in between each long player) since then has done it no harm at all. His most recent album was recorded in many countries and showed him turning to a vast array of older analogue equipment to play, sample and create field recordings. He had one of these vintage synths with him tonight and it was with this that he kicked off his set playing the opening chords to Com Touch off the aforementioned album, before turning to his MIDI controller and morphing the track into a pounding tech stomper which the crowd lapped up, whilst the imaginative visuals provided a fitting background on the big screen. From here, the pace didn’t really let up for the rest of the night. Wisely, Clark had decided to forego some of his eclectic down tempo output in favour of more pumping dancefloor friendly moments, and it was a grand decision as each track was greeted enthusiastically by the bobbing, swaying audience. Tracks such as Future Daniel from 2009’s Future Totem album, with its syncopated breakbeat, staccato synth stabs and soaring breakdowns, really got the pulses racing. He continued to pump the adrenalin with blasts of saw tooth synths and a brand of techno that was at times reminiscent of early ‘90s Belgian hardcore with its thumping kick drum and Beltram’esque ‘hoover’ refrains. All this was seamlessly mixed with the
Clark (photo by Matt Jelonek) electronic maestro ever active on his controls, turning occasionally to his synth to play another lead. All too soon Clark’s somewhat shortened set came to an end. It’s only been a year since he was last in these parts but judging by the crowd’s reaction (and on a night when the likes of Derrick May and the Funkoars were also playing elsewhere in town) another return visit would go down a treat.
» ANDREW NELSON
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X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays
DIG IT UP
Hoodoo Gurus / Redd Kross / The Fleshtones Astor Theatre Saturday, April 28, 2012 One of Australia’s most loved rock acts Hoodoo Gurus celebrated 30 years of making music this year by collecting their favourite bands and touring the country under the guise of the Dig It Up festival. For the Perth leg of the tour, American friends The Fleshtones and Redd Kross joined the bill. New York rockers The Fleshtones brought their sound of yesteryear and a swag of greying hair to those that had arrived early. The bands sound hasn’t changed over three decades and whether playing Way Down South or Remember The Ramones, the four piece ooze energy as if they were playing them for the first time. Peter Zaremba may be The Fleshtones front man, but it is Keith Streng who is the focal point. Whether it be his glittery blue boots, moving into the crowd to stand on a chair and pull rock moves during a solo or linking arms with bass player Ken Fox as they played the neck on each others instrument without fluffing
a note. While most bands slink quietly off stage at the end of their set, The Fleshtones with instruments in hand, walked through the crowd and played their way right out the front door. What they lack in technical proficiency they more than make up for in showmanship and style. The inclusion of Redd Kross on the bill would have assisted ticket sales no end as their shows in this town from 1994 have reached some kind of legend status. The McDonald brothers rate up there with some of the best sibling pairings to have formed a band. With just the right amount of punk edge to their melodic tunes, Redd Kross set off to lift the roof. They would have succeeded too had the mix at the beginning of their set not robbed them of some of their vocal punch. The rangy Jeff McDonald was all arms and poses as he struck quite an effeminate figure before strapping on his guitar. When the California lads played their toe tapping crowd pleaser Lady In The Front Row they were met with many grins and knowing nods. Riffs a plenty and hard hitting drums were the order of the day as Switchblade Sister, Follow The Leader and Crazy World were brought with gusto. With the suggestion of a new album in the works, hopefully it won’t be long before Redd Kross return to slay another room full of people. Blow up dinosaurs to the back of the stage signified the entrance of the headliners was imminent. With the Hoodoo Gurus playing their debut album
Stoneage Romeos from start to finish there were very few surprises in the first half of the set. The idea of performing an album in its entirety can be a good one, but in the case of Hoodoo Gurus, most people are there for the hits and memories. When songs like I Want You Back, and the tunes Faulkner took with him from the Mannequins - My Girl and Tojo - were played the crowd went ape shit, but for the remainder of Stoneage Romeos they were somewhat subdued. Granted the swampy number that gave the title to the your Dig It Up was a winner, it wasn’t until the band finished with the songs off their debut and ventured into The Right Time and Bittersweet that the band were at their most comfortable. Faulkner was chatty throughout and was keen to reference his Perth heritage at any opportunity, Encores came thick and fast with throwaway pop like Come Anytime thrown in with Axegrinder, a tune that the band refer to as nearly spelling out the end for them. Faulkner may now buy his paisley shirts from Ben Sherman, but he returned to his roots when inviting Roddy Radalj up to perform I’m In Love With Voodoo You. A finale with members of all bands then erupted to signal the end of the 30 year celebrations. Hand the men a gold watch indeed. _CHRIS HAVERCROFT
Hoodoo Gurus (Photo: Denis Radacic)
BLEEDING KNEES CLUB Dune Rats / Frozen Ocean Amplifier Friday, April 27, 2012 With a bill of three two-piece grunge-rock bands and a steady crowd of youngsters, Amplifier heated up on Friday night. Kicking things off was Frozen Ocean, a local duo with a propensity for shouty, erratic, loud music that permeates your ears like a solid punch to the face. The room was near-empty but slowly filling through the band’s set, and the band seemed a little unenthusiastic – but nevertheless put on a good show. With a song about naked vultures that will be forevermore embedded in the minds of the audience and a ridiculously contagious song about wanting more cordial (who doesn’t?), Frozen Ocean left a rad impression and ringing ears. Second off the rank were Brissy band Dune Rats, whose self-proclaimed ‘stoner pop’ bears an uncanny resemblance to the sound of Bleeding Knees Club. However, despite similarities Dune Rats held their own, particularly with beach-pop track Pogo, a song carrying on the fun vibe with a little more radio-friendly refinement. The headlining twosome watched their support from the front of the crowd, and bassist Jordan Malane hopped on stage mid-set to switch with the bassist for a few tunes. There’s no denying that Dune Rats have some sweet tracks and considerable talent, but it’s the vibe they put out – infectious, chilled, and fun – that really got the crowd. With bassist Jordan Malane sporting an NSYNC shirt and Alex Wall in the skinniest jeans known to mankind, Bleeding Knees Club’s set was off to a hilarious start. The devilish duo ran through a bunch of tracks from their recent album Nothing To Do, revving up the crowd early on with Same Game and the undoubtedly autobiographical Problem Child. Beach Slut and Lipstick went down a treat, and the crowd took advantage of the extra space in the room during titular tune Nothing To Do. As often happens at such venues, the band invited the (mostly female) crowd up onto the stage for final song Teenage Girls, and three minutes of crowd surfing and enthusiastically bad dancing occurred. Though they seemed to not have a set list and kept asking the crowd what they’d like to hear next, the band’s set was relatively solid and undoubtedly boisterous, albeit a little short. Malane and Wall really are a musically talented version of Beavis and Butthead; laughing at each others jokes on stage, scattered cursing and that constant focus on girls (Wall even gleefully exclaimed “I signed a girl’s boobs earlier!”). But maybe it’s this that makes them so popular – no pomp or pretension, what you see is what you get. Bleeding Knees Club have created a trademark brand of dirty garage rock for themselves; messy and grungy, tightened just enough to be more than just noise, and perfected to a point where their overly-similar tunes somehow don’t get repetitive. They’re a little thrashy, a little trashy, and well worth a watch. 31
_CHLOE PAPAS X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays
DISCO INFERNO
THE PRINCIPAL
Drop into The Principal this Friday, May 4, and catch The Mojos live from 8:30pm. There are a few hearty new winter dishes on their menu which will perfectly match a glass of red from their extensive wine list. Then on Sunday, May 6, relax to the sounds of Sophie Jane from 3.30pm.
Sunday, April 29, 2012 The Aviary The sounds of old and nu school collide at The Aviary on Sunday afternoons with Backyard Disco, the perfect way to cap off the weekend. With resident DJs and special guests from overseas and over east, Backyard Disco kicks off at 2pm every Sunday. Expect cocktails, city views, and a BPM that sits somewhere between funky and swinging-on-a-hammock.
BEAT NIGHTCLUB
Photographs by Matt Jelonek
Jovana & Harry
In celebration of their 3000 Facebook likes, the fine folks from Perth Sound & Found are set to present On The Beat this Friday, May 4. The Sure Fire Midnights will be starring with support from Twisted Afffection, Dead Set Radio, Blank Page Refugees and Darren Guthrie. DJ Spandex will be spinning tunes between bands.
SPRINGS TAVERN
Celebrate Mothers Day on Sunday, May 13, at The Springs Tavern with their full a la carte menu and live music from Karin Page kicking off at 3pm. Book now and receive a complementary dessert for Mum. Call (08) 9377 7000 or email info@springstavern.com.au to secure your table.
Jennifer & Angela
MOJOS BAR
Designed to play at house parties in the shady parts of Australia, DZ Deathrays are set to tear up Mojos Bar this Saturday, May 5, with a little help from local rockers The Novocaines and FOAM. Mojos is giving away a double pass to this show, just email mojos@coolperthnights.com with “death by ray” in the subject line.
Sara & River
ROSEMOUNT HOTEL
This Wednesday, May 2, the Rosemount Hotel features a cracker local line-up for those that like it heavy with Nightmare Effect, Dyatlov, Blindspot, Xtortya and Amend all lining up to bring the noise. Entry is $8 on the door from 8pm. To win a double pass to this show email win@rosemounthotel.com.au with “Win” in the subject line.
Nick, Sarah & Aaron
HYDE PARK HOTEL
BAR ORIENT
Get down to Bar Orient this Friday, May 4, as Reggae Club presents African superstar Papa Flava for a one night only show! Special guests include The Empressions, Sista Che, Mumma Trees, Paul Gamblin and DJ Calvin. The music kicks off at 8pm and the best news? It’s free entry!
PADDO
Tonight, Wednesday, May 2, Paddo POW brings to you Nymph Honey, Graphic Fiction Heroes and Dark Karma. The music kicks off at 8pm and, as always, entry is free.
HALE ROAD TAVERN
Hale Road Tavern kicks off its Friday Night Mic Night this Friday, May 4, and will run for four weeks every Friday in May from 7.30pm. Accompanied by soloist Bill Chidgzey, you can sing, play and even dance if you want! Then on Saturday, May 5, catch the races live on the big screen as well as Groove Karaoke from 7.30pm. Then on Sunday, May 6, you can watch the Eagles live on the big screen.
INDI BAR
Kick off the month with Ladies Night, this Wednesday, May 2, and indulge in cheap champers as delightful local ladies strut out their tunes. Then on Friday, May 4, The Eastern hit the stage with support from Ruby Boots and Boston & Chevy. Come down and buckle up for a good night!
RAILWAY HOTEL
This Friday, May 4, catch Melbourne punk-rockers The Smith St Band along with local mates Grim Fandango, The Decline and Ex Nuns. Entry is $10 on the door from 8pm. Then on Saturday, May 5, catch some new talent with Needles Douglas, Hello Colour Red and Jay Grafton.
THE BAKERY
Tijuana Cartel are set to impress with their deep, After work drinks on Fridays just got a whole lot better! organic grooves at The Bakery on Friday, June 15. Get down to The Hyde Park Hotel from 3pm ‘til 7pm and For tickets and info click on over to tijuanacartel.com. receive a free platter of food for you and four of your mates. The fine folks at The Hydey will also buy you and your gang the first round of drinks! Plus, Perth’s Nathan The Eastern will be taking the stage at The Gaunt plays his guitar to get you in the mood for the Mustang Bar this Thursday, May 3. The live music weekend ahead. Bookings are essential so make sure kicks off at 9.30pm. As always, DJ James MacArthur will hit the decks till late. you call to reserve your spot!
MUSTANG BAR
Patty & Amber
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Steph & Cody
X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays
JACOB DIAMOND Releasing A Gem Perth is awash with a sea of folk musicians right now, but young troubadour Jacob Diamond is set to make his mark on the local scene with a debut EP showcasing his finely-honed storytelling skills. CORAL HUCKSTEP caught up with Diamond ahead of his EP launch on Friday, May 4, at Ya Ya’s. Listening to Jacob Diamond’s six track EP will have you imagining you’re sipping cider on a deckchair and dipping your toes in sand. Perhaps it’s the remnants of summer evoked in Diamond’s youthful vocals, or the refreshing addition of mandolin and organ that makes you want to sit and revel in your own nostalgic holiday memories. The EP includes the song Moonlight, a version of the track that helped Diamond take out top honors in last years Live The Dream songwriting contest. Its dream-like vibe is a key quality, but Diamond says its narrative is probably why people resonated with it. “It was written pretty quickly while the experience in the song was still fresh, so it turned out really honest,” Diamond explains. Winning the competition gave the young musician seven days in the studio with WAMi award winning producer Chad Blondel. Diamond put a band together especially for the record and credits the influence of these other musicians with spurring him onto making music outside of the folk genre. “There is a little more groove in the songs and some nice jazzy moments that I’ve never had the chops to do myself,” says the musician who cites Joni Mitchell and The Beatles as his main inspirations to write. The double bass, courtesy of Rob Tomlin, certainly extends to this laid-back jazz vibe. Meanwhile, there’s Phil Cilli on keys and organ and Derry Doyle on lead guitar and mandolin. These three musicians play in
The Seals¸ while drummer Elliot Smith also plays alongside Diamond’s in folk outfit Spoonful Of Sugar. Diamond plays guitar harmonica and vocals in the band, who released their debut EP earlier this year. Diamond says he likes playing solo and in a band equally: “I like the comfort of playing in a great band like Spoonful [Of Sugar]. However, I also like the challenge of having to be completely in charge of the whole solo enterprise. The guys in Spoonful are all good friends so there’s a real sense of community in it, which is a lot harder to find playing solo because there’s only one of me.” For now, Diamond says he is looking forward to launching his sweet solo acoustic tunes at Ya Ya’s this Friday evening.“I love all the groovy small venues that singer-songwriters love – Ya Ya’s, Fat Shan’s, Indi Bar, Mojos Bar,” he concludes. “Patient Little Sister and Stoney Joe are supporting and they’re both sick, so punters can expect to be loving it from start to finish. Another exciting part of the gig is that I’m playing for the first time live with the band… so there’ll be a really great sound too!”
READY, SET, SNOW!
THE LOVED ONES
With their singles Be Ready When I Say Go and Plastic Guns already doing the business on radio, local rock outfit Emperors launch debut LP Stay Frosty this Friday, May 5, at Amplifier. Support comes from Sonpsilo Circus, Will Stoker & The Embers, Mezzanine and Dead Owls. Pre-sale tickets are available from the usual outlets.
DANCEHALL KINGS QUEENS UNITE!
This Friday, May 4, sees Perth’s legendary Reggae Dancehall night celebrate its sixth birthday at Mojo’s Bar. Hosts Earthlink Sound have invited Simmo T, Choppa Crucial and Isis (Sabata), as well as Kritical, Sorted, Future Soundz and Rasta Fyah to help celebrate! Runnings start from 8pm with $10 tix on the door.
Jacob Diamond
Thursday, May 3, catch the guys The Witches showcasing quirky pop songs with an amazing cast of bands including Jackie Treehorn, High Horse and The Loved Dead. Entry is $5 on the door from 8pm.
STRETCH THE IMAGINATION
Get creative, s-t-r-e-t-c-h your imagination and expect the unexpected at the Mandurah Stretch Festival this weekend. The festival program is filled with exhibitions, workshops, art installations, tasty food and great live local music courtesy of Boom! Bap! Pow!, Fingers Mitchell Cullen, Mister & Sunbird, Rachel & Henry Climb A Hill, Jonny Taylor and Knotwork on Saturday, May 5, from 10am; and Brow Horn Orchestra, Odette Mercy & Her Soul Atomics, Big Old Bears, John Read Band and a wearable art parade on Sunday, May 6, from 10am. Entry to the festival is 100 per cent free. It all goes down at Festival Square, James Service Place in Mandurah (next to the Mandurah Performing Arts Centre).
The Long Lost Brothers
THE LONG LOST BROTHERS A new local supergroup featuring members of Adam Said Galore, Fall Electric,The Tucker B’s and Umpire is set to celebrate local music in all it’s glory. Muso Andrew Ryan gives us the lowdown on his new outfit The Long Lost Brothers, who’ll be showcasing their wares at an album sampler launch at The Bird this Friday, May 4. Tell us a little about how the seeds of The Long Lost Brothers were sown… I have played music with Simon Struthers for 20 years, having started the band Adam Said Galore with him in the early ‘90s. I have enjoyed good times with Matt Rudas for quite some time too. Having been a fan of his band the Tucker B’s since their inception, me and Rudy always saw eye-to-eye when it came to bands like Trumans Water, Sonic Youth, Do Make Say Think and Ween. We got together and teased out some songs at my place, chateau Turbo, in the lounge room during 2011. We then took the tunes, enlisting Simon Struthers and a drummer to Dave Parkin’s Blackbird Studio during March this year and he captured what is now our 10 track album, Wednesday Night Party Club. Where did your band name come from? In that Strutty and Rudy are old friends and given the modus operandi of “have fun man” the name just fits. This will be album #7 for you - how has your songwriting process evolved over the years? I am a believer in the idea that a child’s mind is born in a near perfect state and it’s my opinion that what [that] child learns about processes and communications always adds – as much as it subtracts – so I kind of hope that I haven’t evolved too much [because] music has always been its most enjoyable when it’s happening, spontaneously, without agenda and without technique leading the charge. Out of all the local folks you’ve played shows with, who’s been one of your favourites? There’s actually too many, but if I were to pick one that Rudy, Strut and I all agree on, it’d have to be Dan Erikson’s contributions to his ‘90s Perth band Blue Tile Lounge. Languid, ethereal and calm inspiredness at it’s most natural with bizarre detuned guitar and a voice that for me gave birth to the phrase ‘saturated dulcet tone’. What can a punter expect from your upcoming album sample launch at The Bird? They can expect to pay $10 from 8pm and then they’ll enjoy Cam Avery’s saturated dulcet vocal tone, Frozen Ocean’s Aussie-outsidermatter-of-factness to the power of awesomely weird rock, and when we play they’ll have fun while we do and then we’ll have fun while they do – loop de loop. Punters will also get to hear the single China and remaining material that make up our forthcoming album Wednesday Night Party Club due for release later this year. www.xpressmag.com.au
The Flower Drums
THE FLOWER DRUMS Local punters might remember your previous outfit Streetlight – is the Streetlight sound comparable to The Flower Drums’ sound? Towards the end of Streetlight we recorded a bunch of songs that have similar elements, but they were never released, so I’m going to say no. The Flower Drums is definitely not as loud, and I can sing now. How would you describe your band’s sound? A friend of mine mentioned the first EP Shadows Aren’t Real gives her the same nostalgic feeling that she gets when watching cartoons made in the late ‘80s, like Raggy Dolls, Super Ted, Trapdoor etc. So if we need to be genre specific, I’m going to say ‘nostalgic Raggy Doll classic rock’. Where did your band name come from? I’ve been told there’s a film that was made in the ‘60s called Flower Drum Song, people assume I got it from that, but from what I remember it was just the name of a song I wrote a few years back, the song was rubbish but the name seemed bearable. What do you love about making music? The babes. What do you hate about the music industry? People that take it too seriously, I guess we take it seriously to some degree otherwise we wouldn’t be releasing a ‘single’, but as long as you’re writing the tunes YOU want to hear and you’re having fun, who cares. Right? Out of all the local folks you’ve played shows with, who’s been one of your favourites? I’m not sure if I have favourites, I dig both my brothers bands (Big Old Bears/Blackmilk), my housemates band Dianas are cool, Jay [Watson]’s band Gum sound great, I also like Wolves At The Door, who are playing the launch, their music is beautiful and they’re probably the most attractive duo in town. To be honest, I think Perth music is generally quite good at the moment, I enjoy a whole bunch of Perth bands, but as for bands we’ve played shows with, it’s hard to say as we’re really new still and haven’t done that many shows. What can a punter expect from your upcoming single launch? A Tupac hologram, lasers, fireworks, you know, all the classics. We also plan on playing some nice dreamy tunes for y’all to bliss out to. The Flower Drums launch their new single Outside The Province on Saturday, May 5, at The Bird. Support comes from Wolves At The Door and Amanda Merdzan. 33
The Getaway Plan, May 18, Amplifier
MAY 2 – MAY 8
MIKE STEWART 2 The Ellington
GOSSLING 2 Little Creatures Loft 3 The Bird
DZ DEATHRAYS 3 Prince Of Wales 4 Amplifier 5 Mojos Bar
TOPNOVIL 3 Villa 4 Rocket Room 5 Prince Of Wales 6 The Newport
PJ O’BRIEN 3 Albany Blues Club 4 Southwest Blues Club Bunbury 5 Hyde Park Hotel 6 Mt Helena Tavern 8 Charles Hotel
HUSKY 4 The Bakery
RESIST THE THOUGHT 4 Rosemount Hotel 6 YMCA HQ
FU MANCHU / BLACK COBRA 5 Rosemount Hotel
MAY PJ O’BRIEN 9 Mojos Bar 12 Settlers Tavern DEVILDRIVER / DARKEST HOUR / SIX FEET UNDER 9 Capitol FRANK TURNER & THE SLEEPING SOULS / WILLIAM ELLIOTT WHITMORE / THE SMITH STREET BAND 9 Amplifier DEAD LETTER CIRCUS 10 Prince Of Wales 11 Metropolis Fremantle 12 Capitol BOY & BEAR 10 Albany Entertainment Centre 11 Bunbury Entertainment Centre 12 Fremantle Arts Centre 13 Mandurah Performing Arts STEVE POLTZ 10 Fly Trap CLAIRY BROWNE & THE BANGIN’ RACKETTES 11 Fly By Night HARD-ONS 11 Civic Hotel 12 Prince Of Wales 13 Indi Bar SICK OF IT ALL / AGNOSTIC FRONT 11 Amplifier ATMOSPHERE
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The Tea Party, July 26, Metro City
11 Villa CLARY BROWNE & THE BANGIN’ RACKETTES 11 Fly By Night KRISTIN BERADI 11 & 12 The Ellington SKY’HIGH 12 Mojos Bar LANIE LANE / STEVE SMYTH 12 Fly By Night Club 13 Amplifier RALPH MCTELL 13 Fly By Night STEVE SMYTH 15 Mojos Bar 16 Indi Bar PHIL EDGELEY / DANIEL CHAMPAGNE 16 Mojos Bar THE HALF PINTS 16 Prince Of Wales 17 Ya Ya’s 19 Swan Basement DAVID CAMPBELL 16 Mandurah Performing Arts Centre 17 Queens Park Theatre Geraldton 18 Perth Concert 19 Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre ANDREW W.K. 17 The Bakery FLORENCE + THE MACHINE / BLOOD ORANGE 17 Burswood Dome BLUEJUICE 18 Metropolis Fremantle WAVVES / SURES 18 Rosemount Hotel THE GETAWAY PLAN / NEW EMPIRE 18 Amplifier THE MACCABEES 18 Capitol KAISER CHIEFS / DEEP SEA ARCADE / LOON LAKE 18 Metro City CHRIS JAGGER 18 Fly By Night Club NATASHA MOUSUFF 18 & 19 The Ellington MANHATTAN JINX 18 The Den 19 Railway Hotel DREAM ON DREAMER 18 Metropolis Fremantle 19 Amplifier 20 YMCA HQ GROOVIN THE MOO (360, Andrew W.K One-Man-Party Tour, City And Colour, Digitalism, The Getaway Plan, Hilltop Hoods, Kaiser Chiefs, The Maccabees, Public Enemy, Wavves, Ball Park Music and more TBA) 19 Hay Park Bunbury NATURALLY 7 19 Perth Concert Hall LAPALUX / OOOOO 19 The Bakery HANNIBAL MEANS 20 The Ellington CITY AND COLOUR 20 Fremantle Arts Centre MUTEMATH 20 Amplifier THE POOR / ROGUE SHARKS
20 Newport EUGENE BRIDGES 21 Charles Hotel KIMBRA / DANIEL MERRIWEATHER / SAM LAWRENCE 21 Metro City THE BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE / THE RAVEONETTES 22 Astor Theatre ANTI-FLAG / STRIKE ANYWHERE / FLATLINERS 24 Capitol S-CLUB / BIG BROVAZ 25 Metro City HANK MARVIN QUARTET 25 & 26 The Ellington CATCALL 26 Amplifier BITTER END 26 The Den 27 YMCA HQ LIAM BURROWS 26 Friends Restaurant 27 Jazz Fremantle THE OCEAN 27 The Bakery BARNEY MCALL 27 The Ellington NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK / BACKSTREET BOYS 29 Burswood Dome BOB HIRST 30 & 31 The Ellington ASH GRUNWALD 30 Indi Bar 31Redcliffe On The Murray LIZ STRINGER 31 Fly By Night Club TIJUANA CARTEL 31 Prince Of Wales
Hilltop Hoods, May 19, Groovin’ The Moo; August 17, Challenge Stadium; May 18, North West Festival
3 Metropolis Fremantle THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT / NUMBERS RADIO / GREENTHIEF 2 Prince Of Wales 3 Metro City SAMUEL YIRGA QUARTET 4 & 5 The Ellington THE JEZABELS / LIGHTS 5 Metro City SILVERSTEIN 7 Villa EAST 17 7 Metropolis Fremantle TINA ARENA 8 Riverside Theatre MAT MCHUGH 9 Mojos Bar MATT CORBY / ALPINE 9 & 10 Astor Theatre LAURA 9 Rosemount Hotel 10 Mojos Bar THE MISSION IN MOTION 9 Amplifier 10 Newport DEF FX 11 The Bakery THICK AS BLOOD 13 YMCA HQ 14 Villa FRENZAL RHOMB 14 Settlers Tavern 15 Prince Of Wales 16 Rosemount Hotel THE BLACK SEEDS 14 The Bakery TIM FREEDMAN 14-16 The Ellington GASSOLINE INC 15 Rocket Room LISA MITCHELL / GEORGIA FAIR 15 St Joseph’s Church, Subiaco LENNY HENRY JUNE 15 Burswood Theatre GYROSCOPE DEEP SEA ARCADE / 1 Rosemount Hotel THE CAIROS / WOE & ASH GRUNWALD FLUTTER 1 Prince Of Wales 15 Indi Bar 2 Karratha Tavern 16 Amplifier 3 Fly By Night 17 Mojos LIZ STRINGER TREVOR WATTS/ 1 Indi Bar VERYAN WESTON 3 Redcliffe On The 19 The Ellington Murray GUY SEBASTIAN HARRY MANX 19 His Majesty’s 1 Fly By Night Theatre REEF 1 Metropolis Fremantle 20 Mandurah Performing Arts Centre TIJUANA CARTEL CAMILLE O’SULLIVAN 1 Settlers Tavern 21 Astor Theatre 2 White Star 8 Divers Tavern Broome 360 / GOSSLING / HERMITUDE / BAM 9 Hotel Kununurra BAM 15 The Bakery 22 & 23 Villa MISSY HIGGINS / BUTTERFLY BOUCHER 23 & 24 Astor Theatre CHARGE GROUP / JOE 2 Astor Theatre MCKEE ERIC BOGLE WITH 23 Dadas JOHN MUNRO BURIED IN VERONA/ 2 Fly By Night THE PLOT IN YOU/ JOSH KYLE SILENT SCREAMS 2 The Ellington 24 YMCA HQ (Day) / KIMBERLEY MOON Amplifier (Night) EXPERIENCE KARNIVOOL (Paul Kelly, Kasey 22 & 23 Mermaid Hotel Chambers, The Black Dampier Sorrows and more) 27 Prince Of Wales 2 Jim Hughes NADIA ACKERMAN / Amphitheatre Ord BENNY LACKNER TRIO River 28 The Ellington SEAN COFFIN JUDITH DURHAM 3 The Ellington GHOSTFACE KILLAH / 30 Riverside Theatre DOOM / CHINO XL
JULY CEREMONY 3 The Den 4 YMCA HQ THE BAMBOOS 6 The Bakery BUSBY MAROU 6 Prince Of Wales 7 Rosemount Hotel 8 Newport LADY GAGA 7 & 8 Burswood Dome TERROR 12 Amplifier FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS 18 & 19 Challenge Stadium MELISSA ETHERIDGE 20 Riverside Theatre LADYHAWKE 24 The Bakery METRIC 25 Capitol THE TEA PARTY 26 Metro City KARNIVOOL 27-29 Rosemount Hotel NARISSA CAMPBELL 27 & 28 The Ellington EIFFEL 65 / N-TRANCE 28 Metropolis Fremantle
AUGUST ED SHEERAN 6 Riverside Theatre BELL BIV DEVOE / GINUWINE 9 Astor Theatre BOB BARRETT 9 The Ellington TOMMY EMMANUEL 12 Perth Concert Hall HILLTOP HOODS 17 Challenge Stadium NORTH WEST FESTIVAL (Hilltop Hoods and more TBA) 18 McGregor Street Reserve Port Hedland KENNY ROGERS 21 Riverside Theatre
SEPTEMBER THE ENGLISH BEAT 1 Astor Theatre DAMIEN LEITH 7 Mandurah Performing Arts Centre 8 Astor Theatre SUBHUMANS 12 Amplifier AMERICA 12 Perth Concert Hall WHEATUS 20 Metropolis Fremantle HANSON 22 Metropolis Fremantle
OCTOBER CANNIBAL CORPSE 9 Capitol BASTARDFEST 27 Civic Hotel ROCK IT (The Black Keys and more TBA) 28 Joondalup Arena
SEPTEMBER 2013 ONE DIRECTION 28 & 29 Venue TBA
X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays
www.xpressmag.com.au
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Sugarpuss, Thursday at Norfolk Basement
WEDNESDAY 02.05 BALMORAL Nathan Gaunt BAR 120 Felix BLACK BETTY’S Blue Gene CLANCY’S FISH PUB (CANNING BRIDGE) Justin Walshe Ben Merito CLAREMONT HOTEL Open Mic Night ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB The Airbenders HALE ROAD TAVERN Fenton Wilde INDI BAR Edie Green Jay Grafton Eloise Ashton LOBBY LOUNGE (BURSWOOD) Courtney Murphy LUCKY SHAG Howie Morgan MOJOS BAR Blues & The Davs The Layabouts MUSTANG Nitetrain PADDO Nymph Honey Graphic Fiction Heroes Dark Karma PADDY HANNANS 5 Shots ROSEMOUNT Nightmare Effect Dyatlov Blindspot Xtortya Amend ROSIE O’GRADY’S (NORTHBRIDGE) David Fyffe SOUTH ST ALE HOUSE Greg Carter SWAN LOUNGE Lain Alex Adam Julz Evans
THE MOON Adrian Hoffman Wash Michael Savage THE SHED James Wilson Huge UNIVERSAL Strutt
THURSDAY 03.05 BELGIAN BEER CAFÉ Stu Harcourt BROOKLANDS TAVERN Celebrations Karaoke DEVILLES PAD Rock‘n’Roll Karaoke ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB WAYJO Tribute To Duke Ellington FLY TRAP Phil Edgeley FUSE BAR Howie Morgan HIGH WYCOMBE HOTEL Chris Murphy HYDE PARK HOTEL Raw Hyde Open Mic INDI BAR Bex’s Open Mic Night LUCKY SHAG Nathan Gaunt MARKET CITY TAVERN Emily J Allison Bell Nick McPherson No Thru Road Southern Cross MOJOS BAR The Crooks I Of Ra Red Engine Caves Jordan McRobbie MUSTANG BAR The Eastern NEWPORT Git Go NORFOLK BASEMENT The Floors Sugarpuss Race To Your Face
Emperors
EMPERORS
SONPSILO CIRCUS WILL STOKER & THE EMBERS MEZZANINE DEAD OWLS SATURDAY, MAY 5, AMPLIFIER
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The Loved Dead, Thursday at Rosemount
Ruby Boots, Friday at Indi Bar
OCEAN BEACH HOTEL Open Mic Night OXFORD HOTEL Johnny Taylor PADDY HANNANS Dr Bogus RIGBY’S Open Mic ROCKET ROOM Brad Strut ROSEMOUNT The Witches High Horse The Loved Dead Jackie Treehorn ROSIE O’GRADY’S (FREMANTLE) Clayton Bolger ROSIE O’GRADY’S (NORTHBRIDE) Bill Chidgzey SOVEREIGN ARMS Fenton Wilde STEVE’S BAR Christian Thompson SWAN LOUNGE The Buttonettes THE AVIARY Empire THE BIRD Gossling Bears & Dolls THE BOAT Jen De Ness THE BROOK Open Mic Night THE GATE One Trick Phonies THE SHED Dirty Scoundrels UNIVERSAL Off The Record YA YA’S Delusions Of Grandeur iChoRa Midnight Boulevard Coronal Sky
PRINCIPAL The Mojos RAILWAY HOTEL The Smith St Band Grim Fandango The Decline Ex Nuns ROCKET ROOM Blazin’ Entrails Topnovil Scalphunter Bob Gordons Lungs Them Sharks ROSE & CROWN Adam James ROSEMOUNT Resist The Thought Mandalay Victory Paradise In Exile Reflections Of Ruin Storm The Shores ROSEY O’GRADY’S (FREMANTLE) Spyce SAIL & ANCHOR Howie Morgan SOUTH ST ALE HOUSE Robbie King Karaoke SPRINGS TAVERN One Trick Phonies STEVE’S BAR Big Bamboo STIRLING ARMS Dove SWAN BASEMENT Self Made Guru Chemis Three The Generators One Armed Scissor SWAN LOUNGE The Bonekickers Arcande Figure 23 Kite Magic SWINGING PIG Better Days Greg Carter THE BIRD The Long Losy Brothers Frozen Ocean Cam Avery THE BOAT Deuce THE GATE Smoking Section THE SHED Kickstart UNIVERSAL Nightmoves VELVET LOUNGE Mulder Sam Perry Ghost Drums VICTORIA PARK HOTEL Ivan Ribic YA YA’S Jacob Diamond Patient Little Sister Stoney Joe
DRAW STAGE) Decoy CAPTAIN STIRLING Bluebottles CARLISLE HOTEL Reload CHASE BAR Sugarfield CLANCY’S FISH PUB (FREMANTLE) The Amani Consort CLAREMONT HOTEL Nick Sheppard Aires Linares COMO HOTEL Tip Top Sound CRAFTSMAN Carbon Taxi Trio DEVILLES PAD Funk Club Les Sataniques EAST 150 Luke Dewing ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB TLC Organ Trio Libby Hammer Quintet Solomon Pitt EMPIRE Halo FLY BY NIGHT CLUB La Boheme FUSE BAR Groove Karaoke GLOUCESTER PARK Midnight Rambler GREENWOOD Greg Carter HIGH ROAD HOTEL Damien Cripps Band HIGH WYCOMBE Switch INDI BAR Ruby Boots The Eastern Boston & Chevy MERRIWA TAVERN Overload MIGHTY QUINN TAVERN Kontraband MOJOS BAR (ARVO) Pete Bibby FRIDAY 04.05 MOJOS BAR (NIGHT) th 7 AVENUE Earthlink Sound Pop Candy Simmo T AMPLIFIER Choppa Crucial DZ Deathrays Isis The Novocaines Sabata Foam Rasta Fyah BAILEY BAR Kritikal Mod Squad Sorted BAKERY MOON & SIXPENCE Husky Soul Corporation BALLYS BAR MUSTANG BAR Christian Thompson Oz Big Band BALMORAL Cheeky Monkeys The Other Guys NEWPORT BEAT NIGHTCLUB Party Rockers The Sure Fire Midnights NORFOLK BASEMENT Twisted Affection Hyte Dead Set Radio The Corner Blank Page Refugees Muzzle Doors Darren Guthrie OXFORD HOTEL BENNYS Recliners Faces PADDO BENTLEY HOTEL Stu Harcourt Karin Page PADDY HANNANS BLACK BETTYS Gun Shy Romeos Everlong PADDY MAGUIRES BRASS MONKEY Just4Kix Adrian Wilson PARAMOUNT Flyte BURSWOOD (PRIZE
SATURDAY 05.05 AMPLIFIER Emperors Sonpsilo Circus Will Stoker & The Embers Mezzanine Dead Owls BAILEY BAR Lush BAKERY
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.
Grim Fandango, Friday at Railway Hotel Simone & Girlfunkle Runner High Horse Sidewalk Diamonds BALMORAL The Recliners BALLYS BAR Ali Towers BAR 120 Flyte BEAT Runaways BELGIAN BEER CAFÉ Christian Thompson BELMONT TAVERN Everlong Acoustic BLACK BETTY’S J Babies BROOK One Trick Phonies BROOKLANDS TAVERN Proud Mary BURSWOOD (PRIZE DRAW STAGE) Switch CAPTAIN STIRLING Howie Morgan Duo CIVIC HOTEL OMAC Complete Down South Crew Greeley Bryte MC Dista CLANCY’S FISH PUB (CANNING BRIDGE) Mat Cal The Blackheart Sun CLANCY’S FISH PUB (FREMANTLE) The Eastern CLAREMONT HOTEL The Zydecats COMO HOTEL Tip Top Sound DEVILLES PAD Los Hombres Del Diablo ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Juliana Areias JL & The Imagin8s FESTIVAL SQUARE MANDURAH Mandurah Stretch Festival Boom! Bap! Pow! Fingers Mitchell Cullen Mister & Sunbird Rachel & Henry Climb A Hill Johnny Taylor Knotwork GLENGARY TAVERN Overload GREENWOOD Cargo Beat! HALE ROAD TAVERN Bill Chidgzey HIGH ROAD HOTEL Courtney Murphy & Murphy’s Lore HYDE PARK HOTEL PJ O’Brien Band Chris Mawer INDIAN OCEAN BREW CO The Other Guys
INDI BAR Zarm LAKERS TAVERN Dr Bogus LEOPOLD HOTEL Steve Hepple LOBBY LOUNGE (BURSWOOD) John & Shaun Sandosham MERRIWA TAVERN Celebrations Karaoke METRO FREO Hi-NRG MOON & SIXPENCE Blaze M ON THE POINT Rhythm 22 MOJOS BAR DZ Deathrays Novocaine’s FOAM MUSTANG 10 Cent Billionaire The Roadmasters NEWPORT Kizzy Gravity PADDY HANNAN’S Decoy PARAMOUNT Felix RAILWAY HOTEL Needles Douglas Hello Colour Red Jay Grafton & Band ROCKET ROOM Kickstart ROSEMOUNT Fu Manchu Black Cobra Matt Sonic & The High Times The Devil Rides Out ROSIE O’GRADY’S (FREMANTLE) Flavor ROSIE O’GRADY’S (NORTHBRIDGE) Blue Gene SAIL & ANCHOR The Mojos STEVES BAR Adrian Wilson SWAN BASEMENT The Government Yard Stray Dogs Of Athens Neutral Native New Erotic SWINGING PIG Greg Carter THE BIRD The Flower Drums Wolves At The Door Amanda Merdzan THE BOAT Free Radicals 11:11 THE GATE Dirty Scoundrels THE SHED Huge THE WHALE & ALE Damien Cripps Band TWO ROCKS TAVERN Keith McDonald UNIVERSAL Soul Corporation WANNEROO TAVERN Greg Carter WOODVALE TAVERN Zarm YA YA’S Castle Bravo Scalp Hunter
www.xpressmag.com.au
Friday Friday Simone & Girlfunkle, Travis Caudle Travis Caudle Saturday at The Bakery FlyBy ByNight Night Fly
Brow Horn Orchestra, Sunday at Mandurah Stretch Festival
Blazin’ Entrails MONDAY 07.05 Topnovil BRASS MONKEY OCEAN VIEW TAVERN The Organ Grinders SUNDAY 06.05 Chris Murphy ELLINGTON JAZZ 7TH AVENUE PINK DUCK CLUB Good Karma Kevin Conway Trinity College Jazz BALLY’S BAR PRINCIPAL LOBBY LOUNGE Greg Carter Sophie Jane (BURSWOOD) BALMORAL ROCKER ROOM John Sandosham Cranky Coyote Ugly MOJOS BAR BAR ORIENT Al Godredsen Wide Open Mic Night Clayton Bolger Chris Murphy MUSTANG BAR BROKEN HILL HOTEL QUARIE BAR Marco & The Alley Cats Nathan Gaunt Gotham City THE BIRD BURSWOOD (PRIZE SAIL & ANCHOR SAE Graduation DRAW STAGE) Shawne & Luc Celebration Plastic Max & The SOUTH ST ALE Mindfunkt Token Gesture HOUSE Boston Switch CAPTAIN STIRLING Sean Scott Disasterpiece Christian Parkinson SOVEREIGN ARMS Alphanumeric CARINE Ivan Ribic Bobby Got The Mojos SPRINGS TAVERN Saxon CHASE BAR Christian Thompson Bangs Double Take SWAN LOUNGE THE DEEN CLANCY’S FISH PUB Alteria Motive Plastic Max & The (DUNSBOROUGH) Empty Pocket Token Gesture The Eastern Kathleen Anne CLANCY’S FISH PUB The Foctaves (FREMANTLE) SWINGING PIG TUESDAY 08.05 The Zydecats ELLINGTON JAZZ CLAREMONT HOTEL Ryan Dillon THE BIRD CLUB Sunday Driver Benedict Moleta Band Edie Green COMO HOTEL The Leap Year LOBBY LOUNGE David Fyffe Craig McEihinney EAST 150 BAR (BURSWOOD) THE GATE Stu Harcourt Courtney Murphy Better Days ELLINGTON JAZZ LUCKY SHAG THE SAINT CLUB Christian Thompson The Howie Morgan Eran James MOJOS BAR Project EMPIRE Cam Avery Mike Nayar CB3 Rabbit Island THE SHED FESTIVAL SQUARE Gum The Healy’s MANDURAH PADDO Renegade Mandurah Stretch THE VIC Stu Harcourt Festival Bluebottles PRINCE OF WALES Brow Horn Orchestra TWO ROCKS TAVERN Open Mic Night Odette Mercy & Her Damien Cripps Soul Atomics SETTLERS TAVERN UNIVERSAL Big Old Bears Open Mic Night Retriofit John Read Band THE BIRD VICTORIA PARK Wearable Art Parade Stacy Gougoulis HOTEL FLY TRAP Erasers Neil Colliss Stage Fright WOODVALE TAVERN Sarah Tout & Peter HIGH WYCOMBE Mia & Good Company Milligan HOTEL MF Groom YMCA HQ The Organ Grinders The Turbinator Resist The Thought HIGH RD TWO ROCKS Paradise In Exile Mike Nayar TAVERN INDIAN OCEAN BREW Against The Tide Jump For Joy Ruthless CO Karaoke Without Conviction Dove Retriofit X-WRAY CAFE It All Ends Here INDI BAR Open Piano Night Ziggy New Generation KALAMUNDA HOTEL Berardine LAKERS TAVERN Jamie Powers LAST DROP TAVERN Brett Hardwick LEISURE INN Ivan Ribic The Sure Fire Midnights M ON THE POINT Electrophobia MOJOS BAR Calectasia Rich Widow The Dukes Of Porn Louis & The Honkytonk MUSTANG BAR Peter Busher & The Lone Rangers NEWPORT FRIDAY, MAY 4, BEAT NIGHTCLUB Tim Nelson Kill Teen Angst Chainsaw Hookers
THE SURE FIRE MIDNIGHTS TWISTED AFFECTION DEAD SET RADIO BLANK PAGE REFUGEES DARREN GUTHRIE
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Classifieds and Music Services Hotline: 9213 2888 Display ads: musicservices@xpressmag.com.au Deadline: 4pm Monday Credit cards welcome
MUSOS WANTED BASS PLAYER For “AUSSIE ROCK TRIBUTE”. Must be dedicated with experience. Vocal ability a plus. 0409 370 900. BASS PLAYER NEEDED To join Metal band, TUSK. Must have good gear, own transport & be dedicated. Gigs booked. Influences, Lamb Of God, Meshuggah, Phycoptic & Whitechapel. Call Mitch 0431 345 750. BASSIST SEEKS GUITARIST & DRUMMER Aged 20-32 to form death metal band. Influences: Cannibal Corpse, Morbid Angel, Immolation, Gorguts, Noc turnus, Agressor, Metallica. 0419 043 293. DRUMMER WANTED For original band. Influences include, Oasis, AC/ DC, The Angels & The Smithereens. Call Brett 0405 578 625. EXPERIENCED LEAD FEMALE VOCALIST WANTED For working 80’s cover band. No time wasters. Ph: 0439 408 909. E X P E R I E N C E D VO C A L I S T Fo r original electronic & house music. seerstudios@iinet.net.au OPEN MIC COMPETITION 1st prize $2000 cash. Starts Thursday April 26th. Visit marketcitytavern.com.au for details. OPEN MIC NIGHT every Thursday night at Indi Bar. Just call Bex on 0404 917 632 OPEN MIC NIGHT Every Tuesday night at the Craigie Tavern 8-11pm. Call Corey for bookings 0431 448 235 PROFICIENT KEYBOARD & GUITARIST Wanted to jam in Country Rock style band. Fremantle area. Able to learn original songs. Ph Ken 0437 225 575. WANTED: 50’s DANCE BAND FOR RESIDENCY Similar to Perth 80’s Band ‘Teddy Bears’. Send Info to Soundzmusicperth@gmail.com or PO Box 307, Joondalup DC, 6919 WANTED; SINGER/GUITARIST (25-35YO) To complete working Acoustic Duo. Must be reliable, Have quality gear and own transport. 3 Gigs per week, will pay $200 per gig. Call Scott on 0438911898. PHOTOGRAPHY PROJECT PHOTOGRAPHY Promo photography, studio, live, location. Mike Wylie 0417 975 964 www.projec tphotography.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
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M AT R I X P R O D U C T I O N S 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 s i ze. Pro E q u i p m e n t w w w. perthconcertsound.com.au.. Ph 9307 8594 / mob 0404 410 020 / 9309 6219 RECORDING STUDIOS A L A N D AW S O N ’s W I T Z E N D 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 LAYER CAKE AUDIO Fully equipped, world-class, spacious recording facility with an internationally experienced and award winning engineer. From preproduc tion through to final produc t, full showcasing rehearsals and project management. Call Sebastien or Kieran on 0437 592 849 or email us: layercakeaudio@gmail.com 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 TONE CITY RECORDING STUDIO Professional recording & mixing. Clients include Abbe May, Pond, Felicity Groom & The Silentís. Ph: 0409 297 362. 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, aircon and good parking . Willetton Ph: 0425 698 117. P L AT I N U M S O U N D R O O M S Professional rehearsal rooms, a i r c o n d i t i o n e d , q u a l i t y PA s mob 0418 944 722 STREAM STUDIOS The place to rehearse in Perth.. Phone: 0403 152 009 www.streamrehearsal.com.au
TUITION AAA CLEAVER ACADEMY OF VOICE Professional vocal training for singers All Styles and levels. Have some fun & learn new skills! Speech level training included. Phone 92724497 for info. W/Pth Mt Lawley. ***GUITAR LESSONS*** The Guitar Specialist. Beg-adv, all styles and levels including bass. Cliff Lynton Guitar Institute. Mt Lawley 9342 3484 / www.clifflynton.com BASS LESSONS Rock, funk & jazz. Tony Gibbs 9470 6131 DJ TUITION Specialises in scratching & cutting. Over 15 yrs experience. BegAdv welcome. Potential gigs waiting. Ph DJ Munch: 0412 334 510. DRUM LESSONS All styles, WAAPA prep. Modern techniques, rudiments, soloing, favourite songs. Beg-Adv. Ph: Pascal 0413 172 817. Available 7 days & all holidays. SINGING LESSONS Learn a technique that actually works! The method used by over 120 Grammy award winners. Certified Speech Level singing instructor. Call Simon 0431335495. SINGING TEACHER COTTESLOE Experienced teacher providing comfor table & fun learning for all levels and age groups Cost $55/hr. Any queries email Felicity:fpmusicservices@gmail.com
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X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays