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X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays
Dexter Jones
CALLING DR JONES
The Smashing Pumpkins
SMILING POLITELY
It’s official: there is not going to be an On The Bright Side festival in Perth this year, but we can tell you that at least one of the Splendour In The Grass headliners is making their way to Perth in 2012! The Smashing Pumpkins are true survivors of the ‘90s grunge movement. Billy Corgan has lead them through good times and bad, and only time will tell which of those two categories their new album, Oceania, falls into. It comes out on June 22, and the band will debut a unique stage design to go with the album at Challenge Stadium on Thursday, July 26. Tickets go on sale today at 9am from Ticketmaster.
ANARCHY IN THE AU
Californian emo punk rock indie six-piece Say Anything have announced their first Australian headlining tour. The Say Anarchy tour is set to kick off July, stopping off in most capital cities. Support comes from Australia’s own The Getaway Plan, who’ll be fresh from their own recent national tour. For those not too familiar with Say Anything their sound is loud, brash, brattish and good old wholesome punk fun. So if you like fist pumping and head banging be sure to grab a ticket and head on down to the WA show at Amplifier on Wednesday, July 11. Tickets from Moshtix, Heatseeker or Oztix.
SAMPOCALYPSE
If you’re into experimental audio visual DJs then look no further than Sampology. The Brisbanebased DJ is heading to Perth to perform his monumental mash-up – Sampology’s Super Visual Apocalypse. Yup, it’s a night to celebrate doomsday and it’s going to be an all-out party. It all happens at The Bakery, Northbridge, with Sam Perry, Charlie Bucket and DJ NDORSE (Brow Horn Orchestra) on Saturday, June 9. Tickets on sale at nowbaking.com.au.
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Reactions/ Comp
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Music: Lanie Lane
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Music: Sick Of It All/ Santigold
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Music: Clairy Browne/ Wavves
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Music: Hard Ons/ The Maccabees
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New Noise
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Eye4 Cover: Shaun Tan
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Eye4 News/ Movies: Dark Shadows/ Iron Sky
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Eye4 Arts List
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Eye4 Arts Stories/ Education Feature
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Salt Cover: Krafty Kuts
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Tour Trails
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Gig Guide
The 2012 WAMi Festival just keeps getting bigger and better! But before you read on any further, head to wam.asn.au/publicvoting before midday this Friday to vote in the WAMi Awards! X-Press Magazine is proud to present the Music Industry Reunion Sundowner at the Charles Hotel Front Lounge on Friday, May 25. 2012’s WAM Hall Of Famers will be inducted (we’ll tell you who’s getting inducted next week), and Matt Taylor of Chain, Dom Mariani, Paul McCarthy of The Wishers, and soul diva Annie Neil will hit the stage alongside MC Bob Gordon. It kicks off at 6pm. X-Press Magazine also brings you The Bird Sundowner Series. Taking place at the Northbridge bar 5.30-6.30pm daily from Monday, May 28, ‘til Friday, June 1, Leah Miche Suite, The Whistling Dogs, Kizzy, Jacob Diamond, Adem K & Kevin Gillam, Death And A Cure, Moustache, Elk Bell, Anton Franc, and Simone & Girlfunkle will be wooing audiences in stripped back mode. A number of other events will also be running on those same days, such as the The Community Beat Canteen taking place from noon-1.30pm at Northbridge Piazza from Marksman, The Empty Cup, Mostark, Diger Rokwell, Rae, Joshua Charles, Wisdom 2th, Andre Fuzz, Naik, Mei Saraswati and YLEM; and the Lunchtime Malls Sessions noon-2pm in the Murray and Hay Street Malls with Julius Lutero, Benny Mayhem, Tomas Ford, Blue Lucy, James Rogers, Tim Gordon, Joel Barker, Jennifer Renee, Cody Sundstrom and maybe a surprise or two as well. In the lead up to releasing their debut album A History Of Houses, folk rockers The Siren Tower headline the WAMi Festival Wheatbelt Tour. Along with Ryan Webb, they play Merredin’s Commercial Hotel on Friday, May 18, with locals Vanila Pils; Grass Valley Tavern on Saturday, May 19, with Doris; and Ye Olde Quindanning Inne on Sunday, May 20, with Tim Dawes.
Friday, May 11; and Amplifier on Sunday, May 13
Salt Cover: Krafty Kuts plays Villa this Saturday, May 12 www.xpressmag.com.au
Did you know that there’s a Western Australia Day? Neither did we until we heard about this gig! Henceforth replacing the public holiday formerly known as Foundation Day, the first ever WA Day takes place on Monday, June 4, and the best of the best as far as WA musicians are concerned are coming together to celebrate it in style! On WA Day Eve, Sunday, June 3, at Perth Concert Hall and surrounds State Of The Art - A Celebration Of WA Music goes down. Inside the concert hall there are three separate shows: Eskimo Joe and Jebediah at 1pm; Hoodoo Gurus and Kryptonics at 4pm; and Drapht and Bitter Belief at 7pm. Outside the venue and Abbe May, San Cisco, Sugar Army, The Brow Horn Orchestra, Split Seconds, Felicity Groom, The Ghost Hotel, Ruby Boots, Steve Parkin, Sunshine Brothers, Carus Thompson, Sonpsilo Circus, The Novocaines, Emperors and Boom! Bap! Pow! will be playing across two stages. Tickets to this all-ages and licensed event start at $10 plus BF from Bocs.
Perth Arena is almost alive!
WAKE ME UP
After pulling the pin on his proposed stop in WA earlier this year due to a stirring bout of pneumonia, George Michael has announced dates to make up for it, including a stop in WA which will go down in history. Yep, the former Whamster’s Symphonica tour will be the first ever major show to take place in the confines of the Perth Arena on Saturday, November 10. Michael will appear with a large scale orchestra and play material from across his entire career in a completely fresh way! Grab your tickets from Ticketek from tomorrow, Thursday, May 10, at noon. Stay tuned for news regarding the official opening of Perth Arena, which is due to take place the weekend before George Michael’s show.
EVEN FLOW
The list of bands calling it a day in 2012 is growing a little too fast for comfort the latest is our very own Break Even. After six strong years, the outfit have announced a three WA shows to thank loyal local audiences who have supported them over the years. Join in the last hoorah at the Prince Of Wales on Friday, June 29 with Sixer Vegas; Amplifier on Saturday, June 30 with The Others and Foxes; and lastly at YMCA HQ on Sunday, July 1 with Vanity, Monuments and Ruthless.
A SHAUN THING
Having only picked up a guitar for the first time in 2004 at age 16, Melbourne born troubadour Shaun Kirk has achieved a great deal in such a short time. With a gift for storytelling and an undeniable connection with the guitar, Shaun is set to beguile audiences when he plays a string of dates here this week. Catch him tonight, Wednesday, May 9, at Indi Bar; Clancy’s Freo on Thursday, May 10; Settlers Tavern on Friday, May 11; Yallingup Caves Hotel on Saturday, May 12; and Redcliff On The Murray on Sunday, May 13.
HANLY’S CAFE
Don’t you just love cosy gigs filled with wine, stories, and warmth? There’ll be three such gigs occurring in WA when Freya Hanly returns from Melbourne. Described by Claire Bowditch as “blindingly talented”, Hanly will move you with her sweet acoustic melodies. She plays Settlers Tavern on Thursday, May 24; X-Wray Café on Saturday, May 26, with That Velvet Echo and Sian Brown; and Sunday, May 27, at Scarborough’s Wild Fig Cafe.
KIM POSSIBLE
21-year-old Kim Churchill’s talent is beyond his years. The bluesy guitarist/singer-songwriter is embarking on a national tour to celebrate the release of his album Detail Of Distance. He’s been a regular at Byron Bay Bluesfest since 2009 so now it’s time for WA to catch on. See him at Settlers Tavern on Wednesday, May 16; Dunsborough Tavern on Thursday, May 17; Prince Of Wales on Friday, May 18; Norfolk Basement on Saturday, May 19; and Indi Bar on Sunday, May 20. Presales from Oztix and Heatseeker. Microwave Jenny supports.
KEEP THE FAITH
Australia had previously lost Rory Faithfield to Dublin, where the former punk rocker fell in love with Celtic folk and produced romantic, inspiring tunes that captured the hearts of Irish critics. But Faithfield is back in Australia to woo us with stories, harmonicas and acoustic guitar. See him at Mojos Bar on Wednesday, May 23; Fremantle Fibonacci Centre on Saturday, May 26; and Denmark Festival Of Voice from Friday, June 1, ‘til Sunday, June 3.
BEHIND THE MASK
Sonic worlds, pulsing waves and haunting melodies: these are just some of the things you can expect when electronic artist Bee Mask comes to town. In his first Australian tour, Cleveland musician Chris Madak will be putting on an otherworldly performance. He’s playing Pica Bar in Perth on Saturday, June 16, ahead of his fourth album Vaporware/Sacanops’ release in July.
Dallas Frasca
MAVERICK ON YA BIKE
Cover: Lanie Lane plays the Fly By Night this
REASON TO CELEBRATE
WAM BAM
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Drapht
Fresh from their Clipsal 500 support for Aussie rock icons INXS, Dexter Jones are raring to hit the road on the WA leg of their national tour this June. Joining forces with local outfits The Spitfires and The Disappointed, the indie rock quartet hit Settlers Tavern on Friday, June 22; Albany’s White Star on Saturday, June 23; the Newport Hotel on Sunday, June 24 (also with The Insatiables); Breakers Bar on Thursday, June 28; Beat Nightclub on Friday, June 29 (also with Twisted Affection, Honeywheelers and iChora); and Prince Of Wales on Saturday, June 30.
Head on down to the Indi Bar this Friday, May 11, for The Hawaiian Ride For Youth fundraiser with the legendary Rick Steele & The Hot Biscuit Band, Jay Grafton and Brett Keyser performing to raise funds for independent WA charity group Youth Focus which promotes better mental health amongst today’s youth. There’s a trip to Karajini Eco Retreat up for grabs and tickets are through Heatseeker.
BURIED ALIVE
Sydney’s Buried In Verona are set to embark on a massive national tour to showcase tunes from their third album Notorious, which hits shelves on June 1. The record follows their acclaimed 2010 album Saturday Night Sever. The six-piece will play YMCA HQ alongside Saviour and Aveira Skies on Sunday, June 24, during the day. They will then hit the stage at Amplifier with Mandalay Victory that same evening.
It’s been a rough ride for Melbourne girl Dallas Frasca and her band, but she’s persevered to release her album Sound Painter. The album is a blend of true rock, with all songs recorded live and loud in Brooklyn with great result. Catch Frasca and band at Settlers Tavern on Friday, June 15; Albany’s White Star Hotel on Saturday, June 16; Clancy’s Dunsborough on Sunday, June 17; Indi Bar on Friday, June 22; Prince Of Wales on Saturday, June 23; Mojos on Sunday, June 24. Rick Steward supports at select dates. 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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NKOTBSB Lanie Lane
NKOTBSB Thanks to insatiable fan demand, the unstoppable phenomenon that is NKOTBSB will officially bring their show down under! With over 200 million albums sold between both bands, and smash hit after smash hit, these two pop sensations have dominated the music scene for over three decades. In May, New Kids On The Block and Backstreet Boys will hit Australia and send hearts fluttering. The boys check into Perth on Tuesday, May 29, at the Burswood Dome and have a stack of double passes to give away to our lovely readers! Enter now as show is sure to be a sell out.
ROAD TRIP FREO & LANIE LANE Our RoadTrip Freo competition will give four mates the chance to hit the streets of Freo with their pockets full of complimentary bar cards and bellies full of tasty treats, making the most of Freo’s wide array of pubs, clubs and music venues. This awesome prize consists of an $80 food and drink voucher for both X-Wray café and the Norfolk hotel, free entry and a $80 bar card to the Newport and Metro Freo and four tickets to Lanie Lane’s show at The Fly By Night Club on Saturday, May 12. This is seriously one of the best giveaways we’ve had in a long time so get on board and enter now for your chance to win!
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The Dictator
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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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THE DICTATOR Written by and starring the controversial Sacha Baron Cohen, The Dictator tells the story of a dictator who risked his life to ensure that democracy would never come to the country he so lovingly oppressed. Guaranteed to provide plenty of belly laughs and put a few noses out, this film is a definite must see for Cohen followers. Get in quick as we have five in season passes to give away.
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AMPED UP Dear X-Press,
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SAFE
Director Boaz Yakin (Remember the Titans) brings Jason Statham to the screen taking on the triads and the mafia in Safe, in cinemas May 10. Statham plays a former elite agent who encounters and rescues a 12 year-old Chinese girl who has been abducted by the Triads. Armed with a safe-cracking combination, they find themselves in the middle of a stand off between the Triads, the Russian Mafia and high-level corrupt New York City politicians and police.
TRISHNA
From acclaimed director Michael Winterbottom comes a modern day re-telling of Thomas Hardy’s classic novel Tess Of The d’Ubervilles. Starring Slumdog Millionaire’s Freida Pinto, Trishna is a beautifully shot tale of love and tragedy set across modern day rural Rajasthan and the thriving metropolis of Mumbai. Want to win tickets? Enter now as we have five doubles up for the taking.
Naturally 7
NATURALLY 7 Naturally 7 infuse hiphop, beatboxing, jazz, gospel, motown and R&B in an astounding style called ‘Vocal Play’. Lending their phenomenal musical talents to some of pop’s greatest hits and originals, they pump out not just the melodies and harmonies, but the drums, guitars, horns and beats - with nothing but the human voice. The boys check into Perth Concert Hall on Saturday, May 19, and we have three double passes to giveaway. Enter now as this is a show not to be missed.
JIRO DREAMS OF SUSHI
Jiro Dreams Of Sushi is the story of 85 yearold Jiro Ono, considered by many to be the world’s greatest sushi chef. Despite its humble appearances, Jiro’s restaurant is the first of its kind to be awarded a prestigious three star Michelin review, and sushi lovers from around the globe make repeated pilgrimage, calling months in advance, shelling out top dollar for a coveted seat at Jiro’s sushi bar. We have five double passes up for grabs to see beautifully made feature film. Get in now for you chance to win.
How dare you embarrass me with the defamatory accusation of pissing in the corner of a dancefloor, and then, without a shred of evidence (not even bothering to check the surveillance footage on repeated demand) being unceremoniously frogmarched out of what has essentially been my second home for the last five years. The place I would attend religiously in worshipping the power of music and dance while mixing leisure with pleasure and researching a PhD on the small world of Amplings and party times in Perth. Hey, you poor excuse for crowd control, just say I am too drunk. Just say I am a menace to society, having too much fun as a rabble-rouser harnessing creativity in chaos. Milking dry the adolescent wet dream for all that it has been worth. Guilty as charged! An Angry Ampling Via Email
MUM’S THE WORD Dear X-Press, Is Wayne Swan currently being advised by Al-Quaida? If you were to read between the lines of news items circulating on May 4 2012 you could perceive that Swanny has acted on foreign advice to slash the single mother’s pension, instead make prostitute of all these lonely woman to the boatmen. 10 boatman = a) 1 cell b) a gangbang and c) $3000 p/w for mum and the kids. Bedtime stories would be “How to Make a Bomb” and how to kill dead-beat dad infidels. The Eshevelas South Freo
X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays
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Lanie Lane
LANIE LANE
Even Cowgirls Get The Blues Australia’s new queen of rockabilly is none other than Lanie Lane, who hits town with her band this weekend for shows at Fly By Night on Saturday, May 12; and Amplifier on Sunday, May 13. MATTHEW HOGAN talks to Lane about her recent adventures in the US of A.
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Fresh from picking up four APRA Award nominations last week, Lanie Lane’s hard work in recent years is paying off. Unfortunately her rising profile didn’t stop much of the press call her of a ‘bluegrass’ artist when announcing the news. “When all these APRA Awards started happening two days ago, someone started writing about me as an upcoming bluegrass solo act or star or whatever they said, and then other websites started publishing the same article and I was just like ‘who wrote that? It’s a bit weird!’ It’s nothing against bluegrass, I love bluegrass personally, I just think it’s funny.” The nominations came during some downtime for what is a hectic time for the Sydneybased songstress. A couple of months ago she found herself at the centre of the rock’n’roll universe; South By Southwest in Austin, Texas. “It was pretty hectic,” Lane says. “My tour manager told me on the flight over there to prepare for a battle zone ‘cause it’s horrendously busy and there’s like 300 venues or something. I don’t know what the stats are, but it’s crazy.” Lane found herself on one of the most buzzed-about bills of the whole festival; the Third Man Records showcase, also featuring Jack White’s new solo outfit/s, The Black Belles, Karen Elson, Pujol and actor-turned-country singer John C. Reilly, who the tourist hit it off with. “He drove me around town in his Cadillac after the gig,” brags Lane. “He was kind of just standing around, after the night was over, he was standing there in the middle of the room with his guitar. Everyone was just lining up to meet him and I was just like ‘hey John! I’m Lanie”. He was like ‘Lanie? I love your stuff, man’. And he was the nicest guy! Then he said, ‘are you coming to the party’, and I was like, ‘I don’t know, what party?’ and he said ‘the after party!’ And he drove me there in his Cadillac and it was amazing! We’ve kept in contact and he’s really awesome. “And the Black Belles are really cool girls as well,” she continues. “They actually inducted me into their band on stage and I missed it at the time but they told me after that they had inducted me into their band and I’m the white witch!” Ms Lane got in with the former White Stripe a year ago and headed to Third Man Studio in Nashvville to record Ain’t Hungry, the single that made people open their eyes to her the nation over. Unfortunately she’s not at liberty to spread too much info about White’s playground in Tennessee. “It’s awesome, you can’t take photos or anything, you’re not allowed to really indulge that much about it,” she says. “It’s very rock’n’roll but really stylish. There’s amazing detail in everything, it’s perfectly amazing. In the studios, there’s no computers, it’s just pure rock’n’roll, like tape
machines and amazing equipment, great amps, great guitars, great drum kits, everything is great! It’s just done to perfection in my mind. I love it! Everything that comes out of there sounds so good.” She followed up the single with her debut album of late last year To The Horses, and one gets the feeling the title might have come from her time in Nashville. “It’s really cool, I think if you get away from Broadway, which is the main strip; it’s pretty, like, Darling Harbour, obviously without the water,” she says. “It’s a beautiful area, we went horse riding in the middle of nowhere and I’ve been there twice so the second time, we knew the good places to go. It’s like going to any place, sometimes it takes a few places to get used to. Horse riding was awesome though, yes!” Lane has played in WA a small amount of times with her biggest tour to date stopping by Fly By Night and Amplifier this weekend. She kicked off her year playing to a packed tent at Southbound, but she says this week’s show will be different for obvious reasons. “That was an interesting show for me, actually, as I didn’t have any of my original band members,” she says. “It was a completely different band as none of my band members could make it. Two were at a wedding, two were on tour with another band, so I had to get a complete replacement. It was an interesting gig. So this time it’s good, it’s really got to the stage with this band where I don’t feel like it’s me and the band, I feel like we are me. I mean, pick any band in history, they’re not the front person’s name, they are the band and that’s what we are, the way we play together and communicate musically. So I’ll be really happy to be able to bring them all over and have them over in WA and it’s really exciting. It’s all the guys who played on the record.” Following the Bangity Bang Tour, she has a quick run of dates with Jack White up and down the east coast before she gets to work on album #2. As we speak, Lane was holed up in her room writing new tunes. “I’ve been in my bedroom for five days now just going a bit stir-crazy,” she says. “I’ve been writing songs and drawing and reading and on Facebook and stuff but I made the effort to go out for a big walk this morning to make myself feel a bit less cabin fever-ish. I don’t have a car and I live in the middle of nowhere. I supposed I could have walked to the train station and got a train to the city but it’s nice to have time to myself and of course, my job is to write songs, I’ve been tempted to work a bit on new songs and be as creative as I’m meant to be.” X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays
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SANTIGOLD Master Of The Universe
Following up her groundbreaking debut album Santogold, eclectic pop songstress Santigold is back with Master Of My Make Believe. SIMONE ZIADE chats to Miss Santi White herself. When you hear Santigold, you know it’s Santigold. The fact of the matter is, this Philadelphia-born, musically-diverse songstress knows exactly what she wants out of her own material, and will take as much time as she needs to get there. After four long years since the release of her debut album, 2008’s Santogold, Santi White is back with her sophomore record, Master Of My Make Believe – an 11-track record that, although diverse in its genres, flows from start to finish. Speaking with Santi, it’s blatantly obvious that she’s exactly where she wants to be;
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Santigold making the music that she loves for the fans that she loves even more. “I feel really good about [the album], and I especially feel good that it’s finally coming out,” she says.“You know, it’s been a long process and I’m just so glad that it’s out already. It’s actually been done – or mostly done – for a really long time, so I’m so happy that people are finally able to hear it.” Like any good artist, Santi’s music is a true definition of herself, and if Santogold wasn’t a reflection of that, then Master Of My Make Believe definitely is. Tracks like Big Mouth and Go!, featuring the immaculate vocals from Yeah Yeah Yeahs frontwoman Karen O, began the introduction to what we were to expect from the upcoming album – or so we thought. Listening to Master Of My Make Believe, it’s evident that numerous new influences have helped shaped the singer as she delves into genres that she may have never thought that she would. Yep, she even tries her hand at her version of a ballad. “I didn’t set out saying that ‘Oh, I want to make it sounds different,” she says. “But... it’s been a while between records, and I’ve grown as an artist and, naturally, I’m going to push myself to higher standards, and I think that the music evolved ‘cause I’ve evolved.
Maybe I was a little bit more ambitious as well, trying to make songs that, I dunno, sound really big in some ways, like Riot’s Gone or God From The Machine. Riot’s Gone is quite a different song for me because it’s my version of a ballad, which I’ve never done before. I don’t know, I guess that I took some different kinds of risks.” Collaborating with some of music’s most prestigious musicians and producers in the past, the calibre of appearances for this album was nothing short of perfection. “I don’t work with people unless I get a twitch to work with them,” White says. “I’m very particular because when I do collaborations, I want them to be good. I wouldn’t work with somebody unless I knew that they were amazing, and that I wanted to work with them.” But what’s a good artist if their live performances don’t perfectly reflect, if not excel, their recorded tracks? Well, Santigold wouldn’t know. With live performances that get every crowd on the same hyperactive, dance-induced wavelength, Miss Santi understands what it means to keep her audiences constantly entertained. “They’re high energy, and they’re fun. There’s a lot of dancing and movement and, also, visually, there’s a lot to take in. We’ve got costumes, and props, and dancers and a band. It’s decked out. I mean, there’s just so much going on. It’s very visual, and I really try to give a physical presence to the songs.” Listen to Master Of My Make Believe and you’ll realise just why Santigold has the following that she does. With her perfectly-crafted old and new tracks, we can expect Santi and her high-octane live performances heading down under very soon.
Sick Of It All
SICK OF IT ALL
United By Sound American hardcore legends Sick Of It All will be out in Australia again as part of the New York United tour this week. Joined by fellow HC giants Agnostic Front, vocalist Lou Koller talks to JESSICA WILLOUGHBY ahead of their show this Friday, May 11, at Amplifier Bar. Sick Of It All need little introduction. As one of the mainstays of New York hardcore punk for 25 years, their reputation proceeds them. For many fans growing with them, the echoes of classic albums’ Just Look Around (1992) and Scratch The Surface (1994) still ring as true now as they did back in their day. Each new full-length also enlisted a wave of new people enlisted into the SOIA army. A young group of hardcore enthusiasts that identified with the newer material first-off, then used picks from the band’s balls-out live shows to trail back to eras’ they most enjoyed. A difficult process, according to frontman Lou Koller, when the earlier recordings leave a lot to be desired. “We picked up a lot of new fans from Death To Tyrants (2006) and Based On A True Story (2010),” he tells X-Press.“Younger fans actually. So when we’d play the older songs live, they’d always come up and ask what album these songs were from. I’d always feel really bad, because the recordings on the older albums just suck. These songs are so much better live. “So we came up with the idea to re-record them. Me, personally, I love these new versions better than the originals. The originals had a lot of personal stuff attached – the writing and recording of them and what we were doing at that age. But, for pure musical enjoyment, I’m down with Nonstop.” Nonstop, released last year, is a celebration of a quarter of a century of dynamic outfit. Reinventing 20 tracks from their entire repertoire, the retrospective looks at ways they could improve some of their most loved songs in the studio. “There’s certain aspects of each record I like,” Koller explains. “But there’s also some things I hate. We chose based off a mixture of things. From me not being happy with my vocal delivery to the tempo being off or just general bad production. The songs have just changed so much over time. The only thing I wish is that we had touched more on the Yours Truly (2000) release. I wanted to re-do a few off this, but I was voted down because everyone else thought the production was fine.” Laying low since November last year to spend time with their families, Sick Of It All plan to continue that trend for much of this year. Joining mates Agnostic Front for the New York United tour in Australia this month, they hope to lock away the latter half of 2012 for writing their ninth full-length.“We’re at the very beginning at the moment,” Koller says. “We maybe have two songs in the works right now. We’ve really fallen into our roles now. When we wrote our early albums, we’d get together and start from scratch. Now, we write most of our individual music before we get together and hash it out. I do long for those days when we just used to jam but things do change.”
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WAVVES
Sweet Valley High Despite punters at The Bakery stealing their equipment off the stage from them last year,Wavves are coming back for more! Ahead of their shows at the Rosemount Hotel on Friday, May 18; and Groovin The Moo on Saturday, May 19, Nathan Williams talks to MATTHEW HOGAN. Californian noisy surf rockers Wavves are unlikely to forget their maiden voyage to Perth anytime soon. Their show at The Bakery a year ago culminated in an overzealous crowd rushing the stage with some even pocketing the band’s equipment. But Wavves leader Nathan Williams also remembers a certain audience member. “That Perth show, yeah,” he recalls.“Steve [Pope - bass] and I gave a guy a bunch of
Wavves mushrooms and then this dude freaked out! “Some guy was in our backstage area - he was like this photographer backstage and we were talking to him backstage and we gave him these mushrooms and he freaked out and ran off,” Williams explains. “I don’t know what his name was, but I just remember that show was really fun, and I saw him in the crowd and I said, ‘Hey I gave this guy mushrooms!’ I saw the look of fear on his face. I still remember, he looked like a ghost. Sorry to that guy, if he reads this...” One thing noticeably absent from their tour a year ago was their ‘herb and spice’ grinder. “We had trouble getting them over,” says Williams. “We might not have been able to ship them or something... I don’t remember. There was a law. I think that Australia has a paraphernalia law or something like that.” I thought they were for grinding herbs and spices... “Oh yeah,” he chuckles. “It’s my herb and spice grinder... and coffee, sometimes... We’ll definitely try to
bring them this time. We have like a package this time, with a lighter, grinder and papers. So hopefully we can bring ‘em!” Wavves might be bringing some new tracks with them too as they’ve been holed up in the studio working on the full-length follow-up to the Life Sux EP. “We just got out of the studio about an hour ago and we’re working on another record with this producer John Hill, who has done a bunch of interesting stuff,” he says referring the producer who is best known for working on shiny pop albums with Rihanna and Christina Aguilera, as well as Portugal. The Man and Wu-Tang. Predicting a September release, Williams gives us a hint of a change in direction for the band.“It probably won’t be as, I guess, lo-fi sounding,” he reveals. “It will be different. I feel like, I mean it’s not all the way done yet and until it’s fully done I couldn’t really tell you, but it sounds like the obvious next step of Wavves for me. But people always seem to be shocked at news things, so who knows?” Followers may be surprised to hear about Williams new musical project with his brother.“I’ve just bought a house in east LA and my little brother has moved in here with me and we’ve been working on a project together that’s kind of beat-oriented called Sweet Valley,”reveals Williams, before his brother Kynan chimes in on the other line: “Nathan, there’s something in the garbage disposal - you’ve got to pull it out man!” “That’s my little brother right there,” informs the Wavves frontman.“We’ve done a couple of remixes, we’ve remixed Gift Of Gab and we’re talking to some labels right now, and we have a mixtape probably coming out in the next month or two.”
Clairy Browne & The Bangin’ Rackettes
CLAIRY BROWNE & THE BANGIN’ RACKETTES Hey Soul Sisters
In keeping with the current mood for retromania, Clairy Browne & The Bangin’ Rackettes drag dirty doo wop and sultry soul out of history’s bin and give it a modern twist. JENNIFER PETERSON-WARD gets nostalgic with Browne ahead of their performance at the Fly By Night on Friday, May 11. From reunion tours to revivalism to deluxe reissues, there’s mounting evidence to indicate music lovers everywhere have an unhealthy fixation on the bygone. But why the fatal attraction? According to Melbourne - bred songstress Clairy Browne, the fascination with retromania can be attributed to the “totally wild and surreal” tunes of bygone eras. As Browne attests, there is something in past music’s adventurousness and innocence which makes it so tempting to revisit and replicate. “It’s music that makes you want to get up on your feet and dance one minute and then cry into a glass of whiskey the next,” she says. Browne and her and her band, the eight-piece Bangin’ Rackettes, are at the forefront of a soul revival that has been steaming up stages across the country for twoand-a-half years. They’re a high-camp affair, with bouffant hairdos, winged eyeliner and knee-high boots.“Showmanship is as important as the music to us,” Browne attests. “That whole style of putting on a show where people can dress up and get loose. It’s what we’re about – it’s what we’ve always been about – from when we first starting playing tiny shows to just our friends, to now.” Browne says her performance style has been inspired by influences ranging from Donny Hathaway through to Erykah Badu, Prince and OutKast. “The visual aspect has been influenced by artists from a broad range of genres – from early rock‘n’roll to contemporary R&B to Northern Soul to blues,” she says. Browne and her band wowed crowds when they filled in for Seasick Steve at the Perth International Arts Festival in February this year, and are set to do so once again when they hit town this weekend. “It’s going to be a kinda mini-festival of racket, rather than your usual style of live performance. Expect high hair, cigarettes hidden in beehives, tough women and fresh choreography,” Browne says. The band will be touring nationally in support of its current single, Love Letter, which has a raucously fun video recently shot at the Geelong Gaol. “It’s hyper real – it’s a bit John Waters and a bit David Lynch. We lovingly call it ‘Prince goes to jail’,” Browne laughs. As for her plans for the rest of 2012, Browne says she is looking forward to touring Europe with The Cat Empire in December, but, in the meantime, she’s happy simply “cranking out the tunes and keeping up the groove.” 14
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Hard-Ons
HARD-ONS Erectile Issues
Venerable Sydney-based punk rockers the Hard-Ons bring the Smell My Finger Tour to the Civic Hotel on Friday, May 11; Prince Of Wales on Saturday, May 12; and the Indi Bar on Sunday, May 13. TRAVIS JOHNON talks to bass player Ray Anh about longevity and line-up changes. Discounting their ‘93-’98 hiatus, the Hard-Ons have been going hard for more than 30 years now. But like almost any long-running outfit, they’ve seen their share of personnel changes, with the latest being the replacement of long-serving drummer Peter Kostic with newcomer Murray Ruse. According to bassist Ray Anh, it’s been a relatively smooth transition. “It’s been really easy,” he says. “I mean, no matter what you do, your friends tend to reflect the things that you do. So, for example, if you’re a sportsman then your friends tend to be sporting types, and if you’re a musician then your friends tend to be musicians or actors or something in the arts field, you know? And if you’re a soldier then your friends tend to be soldiers. We certainly have a lot of friends who are drummers, and it was a matter of going ‘okay, which one of our friends can drum really well?’ And so we called Murray because,
first and foremost, he was a really good friend of me and Blackie’s [guitarist/singer Peter Black] - we knew him really well. It’s easier to play in a band with him, because he’s a friend. We already knew he was a shit hot drummer - he’s an incredible drummer. He’s a far better musician than so many people give him credit for, because he’s such a laid back, easy going guy, but he’s actually a genius drummer.” Good enough that, even though Ruse dwells in the just-far-enough-away-to-be-a-pain city of Newcastle while Anh and Blackie are based in Sydney, the band have worked to overcome the tyranny of distance in order to integrate their newest member into the fold. “It’s not too bad,” Anh reflects. “We just make sure that we’ve all got free time. There’s usually a little window of opportunity where all of us are free. That tends to happen Sunday and Friday evenings. Those things are pretty meaningless - you go and find a really good drummer and then work around that. I mean, people put ads in the paper like ‘Drummer wanted. Must have transport and good gear’. What if Keith Moon’s ghost turns up and says ‘listen, I’m Keith Moon from The Who! I’m a ghost and I’m dead but I’m the world’s greatest drummer! But I’ve been dead for the last 40 years, so I don’t have a drum kit.’ I’d rather find a really good drummer and work out what we’re going to do. And it’s not that hard.” And as for the band’s long life, Anh attributes it to one thing only: “I think having an attitude where we don’t have anything to lose. That was the attitude we had when we formed the band, so every time we play we think, well, if we break up tomorrow, it’s no big deal. When you’ve got nothing to lose, it’s easier to have freedom to do what you want. Once you have something to lose, then you have pressure on you and you break up.”
Kimbra
KIMBRA
Top Of The World In the middle of the busiest year of her life, Kiwi chanteuse Kimbra returns to the southern hemisphere for Groovin’ The Moo on Saturday, May 19; and Metro City on Monday, May 21. She chats to MATTHEW HOGAN on a career-defining day. While everyone else in the world was going about their daily business, Kimbra was waking in LA to news that she’d hit the top of the US Billboard singles charts for that song she did with Gotye. A feat that hadn’t been repeated by an Aussie (or New Zealand) act since 2000’s I Knew I Loved You by Savage Garden, Kimbra’s star is rapidly rising in the United States. More impressive, in this writer’s opinion, than topping the US charts is going on Saturday Night Live. “It was really great,” says Kimbra of her SNL appearance alongside Gotye. “Definitely a little nerve-wracking but we had a lot of fun and it was an awesome show to be a part of, such a kind of a defining show over there, people coming in and out from the sidelines, changing costumes, and we got to be part of it all and it was really fun.”
Even more impressive than performing on SNL is being parodied by the stars of the show, which is exactly what happened when both Andy Samberg and Taran Killam donned black wigs in a successful attempt to freak out one Wally de Backer. “Oh man, it was so cool, I thought that was so hilarious,” she laughs. “I was almost crying when I was watching it, it was so funny. And then I had to go on stage, I was like, ‘ah, have to check my makeup’, it was so funny.” A few hours after their slot in New York’s Rockefeller Centre, Kimbra and Gotye reconvened in the Californian desert for the first weekend of Coachella. “It was a crazy experience, we had a really great set time of seven o’clock, so while I was singing the song the sun was setting over the mountains and the desert and it was just really special,” she says.“The crowd was singing so loud, I could hardly hear myself, it was a really crazy experience for me. After that I got to see At The Drive-In, who was one of my favourite bands throughout high school, and I also got to see the Dr Dre set, which was totally mind-blowing.” Perhaps her mind was blown at the thought that as she can’t be in two places at once, Gotye might start packing a Tupac-like hologram of her to bring out for that one verse of Somebody That I Used To Know. Kimbra’s debut album Vows has gone platinum in Australia and was just reissued as an Australian Tour Edition with six new tracks, including another high profile collaboration with Mark Foster of Foster The People and A-Trak on Warrior.“That’s just a collaboration for Converse shoes that they do every so often,” she says casually.“They pick artists, the last one they picked was Andre 3000. I was super excited to be a part of that company. You know, they just selected us and three artists that could come up with something original and it was really fun. Following her upcoming Australian tour, which includes a stop at Metro City and Groovin’ The Moo, the Kiwi pop starlet returns to the US to release Vows their and embark on a tour with the aforementioned Foster The People.“I am really excited to finally part with it,” she says of the album which she began work on all the way back in 2009. “As much as it’s my baby, I think I’m finally ready to let it go, and it will be really good to start on something else. “I’ve met some exciting people in the past few months, which are definitely options to work with,” she continues. “I recently met and started working with a guy called Damian Taylor; a producer who recorded the last two Bjork records, he’s worked with The Prodigy and The Killers. So, you know, we really seemed to click and maybe some exciting stuff could come from that. Everything’s just up in the air at the moment.”
The Maccabees
THE MACCABEES The Wild Ones Hot on the heels of their criticallyacclaimed third album Given To The Wild, The Maccabees guitarist Felix White talks to JENNIFER PETERSONWARD ahead of their performances on Friday, May 18, at Capitol; and Saturday, May 19, at Groovin’ The Moo. Touted as “the future of rock”, South London’s The Maccabees have spent the last six months fielding the kind of hyperbole that hits British pop once or twice a decade. Earlier in the year NME has declared the outfit to be “the best young guitar band in Britain at the absolute peak of their powers”, while BBC Music’s Alex Denney announced “If only all bands had the guts and honesty of The Maccabees, maybe they’d get round to making third records as good as this.” The reason for the excitement is that the quintet has emerged at a point when British rock is sorely lacking in genuinely thrilling guitar bands. The Maccabees, who play ambitious pop-rock giftwrapped in walls of noise, seem to fill a hole that no one realised was there. “To be honest we were ready for it,” says guitarist/backing vocalist Felix White of their increased exposure. “We’ve been playing together for 10 years and every gig we’ve played to more and more people and we’ve gotten better and better at playing as well.” While White says it’s “difficult to read about something you’ve put your life into summed up in 16
two sentences”, he knows it’s worse to be ignored. “Though The Maccabees fans that have always been around are still here, there seems to be more people turning their heads to the band in general and that’s a lovely thing,” he says. White also attests that his band’s recent chart success will help give them “more creative freedom”. “If you’re on the first rung of the ladder you’ve got to do everything you can to survive, whereas when you’re a little higher up you’ve got more freedom to do what you like,” he says. White attributes the positive critical reception to the fact his band’s personality has “come through more fully” on the “bigger sounding” Given To The Wild.“We had much more ownership of this album, we produced it ourselves and the vision is ours, and that’s something we’d never done before. The writing process was intense and we put so much detail into the songs. It was a more involved process than ever before,” he explains. With this bigger sound now at their disposal, White says the outfit have had some difficulties translating the recorded tunes during their live shows. “We never wrote it as a live album, so it’s been a learning experience working out how to arrange some of the songs for our shows. But that’s life, isn’t it? Sometimes you just have to move the goalposts.” Having recently embarked on an extensive European tour, White says the band are champing at the bit to showcase their live tunes during their first ever tour down under. “I’m well excited. We were mainly playing songs from the new album during the European tour but we’ll bring out a few older ones during our Australian shows, just to serve as a sort of introduction as people won’t have seen us play them before,” he concludes.“I also love cricket so I can’t wait to visit some of the famous grounds.” X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays
MADONNA MDNA
MORRISSEY Viva Hate
Interscope / Universal
His Masters Voice / EMI
Madge’s last album was Celebration, a greatest hits record. Fortunately she released it before this one, because none of these 17 songs would have made the cut. Following in her penchant for acronyms, Madonna is back with MDNA. She’s still in her dancefloor phase which has seen her produce some hits and others which fell flat. Her latest double disc follows in this vein. The excitement of Madonna’s collaboration with William Orbit, whose past collaboration brought her the hugely successful Ray Of Light, soon fades through lacklustre mechanical tracks such as Gang Bang. There are a few good moments, including I’m A Sinner, which is reminiscent of Beautiful Stranger. Collaborations with M.I.A and Nicki Minaj lift some songs, especially Give Me All Your Luvin’, a pop number produced by Martin Solveig. It will probably be the biggest radio hit. It’s a shame that trailblazer Madonna gets lost in the electronic pop crowd with singles that don’t match the success of her contemporaries. Even she seems to know it. “I’m so tired of playing this game” Madonna proclaims on Turn Up The Radio. The lyrics on Masterpiece, Falling Free and Best Friend are personal and emotional, far from all the other vapid statements she sings. It’s times like these when Madonna’s in full form. Unfortunately these moments are few and far between on MDNA.
With their four studio albums hitting the charts in the top two positions in the mid ‘80s it would be hard to argue that The Smiths called it a day prematurely. Irreconcilable differences between Morrissey and Marr put an end to the headline creating four-piece and it is Morrissey who has had the last laugh with his output since. Hot on the heels of The Smiths bust up came Morrissey’s first solo album Viva Hate, which has now been reissued and remastered for the second time. There is no doubt that the new version sounds crisp and clean and doesn’t suffer from some of the trappings of other releases from the ‘80s, but the biggest talking point comes with the track listing. Morrissey has insisted on dropping the tune The Ordinary Boys from the release and adding the outtake Treat Me Like A Human Being. Very little is gained or lost in this substitution. Suedehead and Everyday Is Like Sunday still bring back memories of winter past and Late Night, Maudlin Street presses the right buttons, but efforts like Margaret On The Guillotine and Angel, Angel, Down We Go Together don’t have any of the punch they once held. There is little doubt that Viva Hate has aged better than John Farnham, but a reissue like this without added material of note seems pointless. _CHRIS HAVERCROFT
_CORAL HUCKSTEP
BEACH HOUSE Bloom
CATCALL The Warmest Place
Sub Pop / Inertia
Ivy League
A warm place indeed is where you will go when listening to this album. The first track entitled The Warmest Place is a smooth intro track lasting no more than 40 seconds and feeding into the second track August which demonstrates a steady tempo of indie pop sounds. This is of course our first sampling of the debut album from Catcall, the pseudonym of Catherine Kelleher, entitled The Warmest Place. Previously having been associated with punk outfit Kiosk, Catcall was created by Kelleher to allow her explore her pop self, and that she has done. Undoubtedly destined to be the hit track from the record, Satellites has already received plenty of attention on their airwaves and it’s plain to see why. It’s incredibly catchy, employing a steady beat that allows Kelleher’s vocals to quicken the pace and drive the song creating pure pop loveliness. Unfortunately the lyrics for each of the other songs on the record are not complex in anyway but that seems to be masked by the compilation of pop sounds; this being a downfall. It is because of this that a few too many tracks seem to blend into one another a little too monotonously, but there are stand out tracks that pull you back. Paralysed and That Girl liven the mix in the middle of the record, while punk tune Swimming Pool is catchy as hell.
If it’s a pleasantly summery sound you’re after while the sun beats down – best not get too used to it, eh? –then you could do a lot worse than seek out the second album from Baltimore-based duo Beach House. Bloom is an immediate, inviting listen. It’s not breaking any boundaries of inspired expression, but for what it is it’s a fine set indeed. In 2010, the band embarked on a considerable upswing with the release of Teen Dream, its third album and first for iconic indie label Sub Pop. On Teen Dream, the duo abandoned some of the more abstract sounds found on earlier records in favor of more fully realised pop elements. The resultant record was the band’s most successful and accessible album to date. Although Teen Dream is a rather intimidating yardstick with which to measure the band’s next record, Bloom does quite well for itself. The record starts wonderfully, with opening track Myth swelling like shore-kissing waves ripe for riding. From here the band coasts to solid ground, with subsequent tracks Wild and Lazuli rather more steady of footing and stirring thoughts of the gently rocking likes of Band Of Horses and Midlake. In all, this is an album that you might want to really like, but ultimately you’ll probably feel a bit cold and aloof at the general lack of variance in the band’s sound.
_HAYLEY MIDDLETON
_JENNIFER PETERSON-WARD
KILLING JOKE MMXII
YOUNG GUNS Bones
Spinefarm / Universal
Live Forever / Liberator
Brit-rockers Young Guns have just dropped their sophomore album Bones, and it doesn’t live up to expectations. Title track Bones is weak and unoriginal, Towers (On My Way) sounds like every punk song ever written complete with angry ‘woah-oh’s’. I Was Born, I Have Lived, I Will Surely Die and Headlights are the least offensive, both pleasantly listenable rock tracks heading towards a heavier edge. A Hymn For All I’ve Lost and You Are Not will appeal if you’ve just had a break-up and are too tough to listen to Adele. Perhaps the most frustrating aspect of this record is that there is no defined sound, and the only consistency is the confusion felt at the shitfight between pretentiously produced punk-pop and almost-rock. This is also unfortunately reflected in frontman Gustav Wood’s vocals, which fluctuate between classic rock baritone and strained whining. Young Guns have always received relatively positive press, and are often compared to fellow Brit-rockers You Me At Six – and their debut All Our Kings Are Dead definitely reflected that. But Bones has thrown them out of that ball park and back a few steps. This reviewer usually has an embarrassing penchant for whiny punk-pop, but this record is far too over-produced, auto-tuned and undefined to stick up for.
It ain’t right. After a three decade career, most bands are just pushing out new material for the money, creativity be damned. Even the most diehard fans know in their heart of hearts that the best you can expect from the average latecareer outfit is “middling,” and “good” is just too much to hope for. The fact that this, the 15th album from industrial pioneers Killing Joke, is not just good but great is almost impossible to fathom. Built around the theme of the mooted 2012 apocalypse, MMXXII is dark and brooding conceptual trawl through many of frothing-mouthed frontman Jaz Coleman’s pet obsessions: societal collapse, ecological disaster, corporate control, media malfeasance. Structurally, it’s all of a piece; although comprised of 10 tracks in total, and with even an obvious single or two, such as the synthy, anthemic In Cythera, this is an album best listened through from go to whoa. Realistically, you could argue that Killing Joke’s sound hasn’t changed too much since their heyday, when they were the soundtrack to the dark future of 1997, but when they sound this good that’s a trifling complaint. This is a pounding, propulsive, and politically combative album, and we just plain need more of those. Newcomers will be impressed, while old hands will find it’s as good as or better than the bulk of their back catalogue.
_CHLOE PAPAS _TRAVIS JOHNSON www.xpressmag.com.au
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Shaun Tan
Suburban Odysseus
Iron Sky Film
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WINTER WONDERLAND
Not ones to hibernate during winter, the folks over at The Ellington Jazz Club have curated a Winter Jazz Fest, featuring performances from some of the world’s best live musicians. Kicking off on Friday, May 25, with a performance by the Hank Marvin Quartet, the Fest will also see the likes of Josh Kyle, Sean Coffin, Bob Hurst and Barney McAll, take to the stage to warm up punters on chilly winter nights. Find out everything that’s on offer and reserve your table at ellingtonjazz.com.au.
FUN TIMES IN FREO
Studio Bomba presents First Comes Love
People from all walks of life will gather en masse in Fremantle come Friday, May 25, when the 2012 Fremantle Heritage Festival gets underway, celebrating the vibrant history of WA’s favourite port city. From historical walking tours to live music, a vintage market, an awards ceremony, a motorbike ride and more, there’s something for everyone during the Fremantle Heritage Festival, and best of all, most events are free! To find out exactly what’s on offer and when hit up fremantle.wa.gov.au/festivals.
GETTING HITCHED
If you’re going to the chapel and you’re going to get ma-a-a-rried, then you owe it to yourself to mosey on down to the Oxford Hotel later this month for First Comes Love, an ‘alternative’ bridal fair for couples who don’t want a cookie cutter wedding. Created by those lovely ladies at Studio Bomba, First Comes Love is a two day bridal fair that covers everything from dresses to flowers, rings to cakes and everything in between. Entry is only $10 on the door and First Comes Love will be open from 11am-4pm on Saturday, May 26, and Sunday, May 27. Check out the full list of exhibitors at firstcomeslove.studiobomba.com.au.
The Vintage Vixens & Vamps Fair returns for the Fremantle Heritage Festival on May 27
AS GOOD AS IT GETS
The GoodTommy Food &Emmanuel Wine Show
It’s time to crack out your comfy pants because The Good Food & Wine Show is set to return to Perth in July, and unless you’re a seasoned gorger, you’ll need an elasticised waist line to facilitate the consumption of copious amounts of delicious food and drink. Set to take over the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre from July 13-15, The Good Food & Wine Show will boast demonstrations from celebrity chefs such as Ainsley Hariott, Adriano Zumbo, Manu Feildel and George Calombaris, plus tastings, cooking classes and displays from WA’s best purveyors of fresh produce. Tickets are on sale now from Ticketek.
TIMO VUORENSOLA Blitzkrieg Bop
Finnish industrial musician turned film director Timo Vuorensola has finally shepherded the longgestating sci-fi satire Iron Sky into existence. In the near future, the long-hidden Fourth Reich strike at a troubled Earth from a hidden base on the dark side of the moon, where they have laid their plans for global domination since fleeing there after the Allied victory in Europe back in 1945. Our only hope for salvation lies with James Washington (Christopher Kirby), a not-too-bright male model turned astronaut. That, in the shell of a nut, is the premise of Iron Sky, a low budget, high concept science fiction comedy. So where did all that come from? “It all started, like all the good ideas for films, in a sauna,” explains director and co-writer Timo Vuorensola. “We were sitting there having a drink, and a friend of mine said ‘let’s make a film about Moon Nazis’. It was really a cool idea because it was not something that I had heard about before - I hadn’t seen this type of film before. And then we started to look into it and we realised that yes, actually there was a big conspiracy theory on the internet, and people do believe that the Nazis went to the moon, which we thought was such a hilarious thing that we just had to make a movie. People don’t like the idea that the Nazis just vanished; that they lost the war and then suddenly nobody was a Nazi any more. It’s a persistent thought that they escaped somewhere.” Even with such an audacious core concept, the wheels of produc tion turned incredibly slowly. Teaser images and trailers found their way on to the internet, but the film itself was a long time coming. “It took years and years to set up the whole project,” Vuorensola recalls. “We started in 2006. At first it was going to be just a few million Euros to film it in Finland. Then we got Germany involved and got some German actors and a bit more money. Then we got Australia involved. It was a really long process, but as we went along we realised that so many people in the world want this film, that we have to make it better and better and better all the time, and then realised our budget wasn’t enough, so we had to go further to get more money.” But it was the off-kilter concept, not the money, that attracted the attention of horror and sci-fi stalwart Udo Kier (Blade, Johnny Mnemonic) to the project, in which he plays the Moon Nazi leader.
Timo Vuorensola “He is a genre legend,” Vuorensola says fondly. “I’d never met him before. He got involved, he read the script and really liked it, and wanted to be a part of it. He’s played Hitler so many times, but he’s never played Hitler on the moon, so he wanted to do this. But at the same time I cast him, I started to hear all these stories: strange stories, weird stories about him, and it created a kind of legend in my head, like what kind of person is Udo Kier? And then I met him, and he turned out to be an excellent, professional, nice gentleman.” _TRAVIS JOHNSON
Dark Shadows
DARK SHADOWS Balony From Burton Iron Sky
IRON SKY
Achtung Baby Directed by Timo Vuorensola Starring Christopher Kirby, Julia Dietze, Gotz Otto, Peta Sergeant, Stephanie Paul, Udo Kier After years in development - and a level of internetgenerated buzz not seen since the ill-fated Snakes On A Plane - the tongue-in-cheek Space Nazi flick Iron Sky finally hits our screens. But is it a blitzkrieg or a Barbarossa? It all depends on how your expectations are calibrated, really. If you’re one of the netizens who have already proclaimed the film as the ‘BEST SCi-FI IDEA EVAR!’, you’re in for a dose of disappointment; this is a low budget B-movie, and while the effects and production values are quite impressive considering the financial constraints, it was never going to be Star Wars with actual stormtroopers. What it is, when its overly convoluted plot isn’t tripping it up, is a fairly fun and brazenly bawdy scifi romp wrapped around a core of political satire. In the near future, a moon mission designed to give the incumbent American president (Stephanie Paul impersonating Sarah Palin) a popularity boost instead uncovers the secret lunar base where the remnants of the Third Reich have been hiding out since WWII. The Moon Nazis scramble a scouting mission, headed by the megalomaniacal Klaus Adler (Gotz Otto), to pave the way for a full scale invasion of Earth, but things go awry, and the Aryan astronauts wind up advising 20
the president’s campaign manager (Peta Sergeant), and find that a dose of National Socialist dogma does wonders for the president’s approval ratings. Caught up in all this is the hapless male model turned astronaut James Washington (Christopher Kirby), who might just be able to save the world if he can convince sympathetic fraulein Renate Richter (Julie Dietze) to help him. It sounds packed with incident, but the film is largely dialogue driven, with the limited effects budget largely reserved for the third act, when the epic space battle promised in the film’s promotional material is finally trotted out. What saves the film is not spectacle, though, but a rich vein of audacious black humour. Nods to famous films will keep the cinema-literate smiling - Kubrick in particular gets several tips of the hat - and the cast are gleefully committed to absurd premise and B-grade aesthetic; Udo Kier once again proves he can class up even the cheesiest joint with his turn as the Moon Nazi fuhrer, while the fearless Christopher Kirby displays leading man charm as the African American astronaut who has to cope with being Aryanized by twisted Nazi science. At its best, Iron Sky feels like a Heavy Metal comic strip come to life, all big, bold ideas, playful sexuality, cynical politics, and anarchic humour. True, its everything-and-the-kitchen-sink approach doesn’t always work, and another script draft or two would have done wonders for its pacing problems, but as a pure display of cinematic audacity, there won’t be another wide release this year that tops it. _TRAVIS JOHNSON
Directed by Tim Burton Starring Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Eva Green, Michelle Pfeiffer, Chloe Grace Moretz, Bella Heathcoate, Gulliver McGrath, Jackie Earle Healy Based on the supernatural soap opera that attracted a cult following during the mid ‘60s to early ‘70s, Dark Shadows opens with a brief prologue that sets the scene: Barnabas Collins (portrayed by director Tim Burton’s long-time collaborator Johnny Depp – who also functions as the film’s producer) and his family set sail from England to the New World in the 1700s and settle in gloomy Maine, where they establish a fishing empire. But good fortune in business is paired with personal tragedy once Barnabas spurns his lover, the comely serving girl Angelique (Eva Green), for the more delicate lady Josette (played by former Neighbours alumni Bella Heathcoate). Unfortunately for Barnabas, it turns out that Angelique is a witch and a jealous one at that – after witnessing Barnabas and Josette sharing a tender kiss, she curses the lovers, resulting in Josette’s unwilling suicide and Barnabas’ transformation into a blood thirsty vampire. Shackled in a coffin and buried by the townsfolk, Barnabas is eventually freed two centuries later, in 1972. During this time, the Collins family has devolved into a handful of shunned misfits – there’s the sleazy womaniser Roger (Jonny Lee Miller with an absolutely awful blonde wig) and his macramé-loving money hungry sister Elizabeth (the overly plasticised Michelle Pfeiffer), Elizabeth’s quasi-rebellious 15-year-old daughter Carolyn (played by the usually fantastic Chloe Grace Moretz in her most mumbling, unconvincing role to date)
and the youngest Collins, David (portrayed by another local in Gulliver McGrath), who claims he can converse with the dead. Holed up in their dusty, dilapidated mansion, the dysfunctional quartet live in the company of an alcoholic servant (Jackie Earle Haley) and their in-house psychiatrist (played by a criminally underused Helena Bonham Carter). Freed from his casket and chains, Barnabas makes his way back to Collinwood. With the mantra “blood is thicker than water” firmly in mind, Barnabas sets out to reverse his family’s fortunes. Meanwhile, the grudge-holding Angelique is still around and, as the owner of her own fishing empire, she becomes Barnabas’ rival once more – this time in business. And then there’s the wide-eyed, secretive governess Victoria Winters (portrayed in a dual role by Bella Heathcote), who is drawn to Collinwood for mysterious (though pretty predictable) reasons. As usual with Burton, the visuals are much better than the story, with everything from the set decoration (troll dolls and lava lamps) to soundtrack (which features a veritable mix of ‘70s hits courtesy of everyone from The Carpenters to Alice Cooper) aiding this delightful trip back in time. Unfortunately the screenplay (courtesy of Seth Grahame-Smith, who may be known to bookworms as the author of cult novel Pride And Prejudice And Zombies) is full of holes and ‘WTF’ moments. Worst of all, after spending the first half of the film setting up Barnabas as a kooky fish out of water, the Byron-esque hero is still expected to scare as when he shows his fangs as a bloodthirsty vampire, a move which provokes more laughs than the shrieks obviously intended. Leaden and doomy and generically plotted, this periodically amusing film may satisfy dedicated Burton fans, but is unlikely to charm anyone else. Perhaps it’s time for Burton and Depp to start thinking about seeing other people. _JENNIFER PETERSON-WARD X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays
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 Home Ground: Perth Galleries, North Fremantle thread and reworks this raw material on canvas into a Nicole Slatter’s recent body of work investigates graceful evocation of transience. Runs ’til May 31. picturing locality. The constant development of the urban environment affects our connection and Tales Of Hierachy: Venn Gallery, Perth experience to a sense of place. The familiarity of place Tales Of Hierarchy is a new body of work from Western built through time and shared narrative becomes Australian artist Patrick Doherty featuring a series temporary. These paintings attempt to depict the of paintings, drawings and prints. Doherty is known temporary and record the transition as the essence of for his free-style figurative illustrations that portray location. Runs May 4-27. fantastic sequences and contain rich, colourful imagery. These epic, imaginative landscapes echo with ancient Larry Mitchell: A Pilbara project Exhibition: FORM mythologies, often referencing spiritual, bodily and Gallery, Perth religious iconography to captivate and confront the It takes a skilled and sensitive artist to interpret the audience. Runs ’til Jun 8. complexities and contradictions of the Pilbara, and show its scenery in a fresh light. In Larry Mitchell: A Pilbara Monster: The Oats Factory, Carlisle Project Exhibition, we have the opportunity to witness Monster is an exhibition of the work by 12 West the encounter of one of Australia’s leading visual artists Australian contemporary artists exploring the theme with this vast region, from the industrial landscapes of of Monstrosity. The exhibition, much like the concept the Burrup and Port Hedland to the Spinifex-studded of the monster itself, is a chimera of kinds; it is a hills way east of Newman. Larry Mitchell’s paintings conglomeration of disparate parts, a stitching together offer a perspective of the Pilbara in painstaking and of twelve interpretations of the concept of monsterism. sometimes painful detail. Runs ’til May 29. Features work by Stuart Elliott, Sue Starcken, Geoff Overhue, Ashley Porter, Sonja Porter, Jacqui Monks, Luisa Projektet, Fremantle Arts Centre, Fremantle Hansal, Pat Thomas, Jennie Newman, Marek Syzler, Ruth Imagine the complexity of the human immune system. Halbert and Matthew Jackson. Runs Jun 2-22. There are millions of tiny soldiers inside each of us, who process intruders and decide friends from foe. Rückenfigur: Perth Centre For Photography, Northbridge They are our warriors and our guard dogs, our filters which protect us from outside influences. Now apply In Rückenfigur, Melbourne based photographer David-Ashley Kerr continues his ongoing exploration into cultural identity and its relationship to physical environment. The exhibition features a series of this model to society, and culture. Researchers and artists Ola Johansson and Amanda Newall, based large-format landscape works that acknowledge the Rückenfigur, (or ‘back figure’) but also inquire into the relationship between the lone identity and the environment to which they are placed. Runs May in Sweden, examine the uncanny way our immune system has influenced the way we interact with others. 24-Jun 24. In a joint residency between Fremantle Arts Centre and SymbioticA, the biological arts facility at the University of Western Australia, Johansson and Newall have undertaken a series of academic and artistic pursuits to investigate the similarities between our internal and external immune processes. The pair have orchestrated performances, where cells from the body are acted out by members of the local performing arts community. Runs May 19-Jul 15.
VISUAL ARTS
Jeff Wall Photographs: The Art Gallery Of WA, Northbridge Jeff Wall is recognised throughout the world as one of the most innovative and influential artists working today. Jeff Wall Photographs, this first Australian survey of his work brings together 26 mostly largescale photographs to present an overview of his extraordinary achievements and features major works from over three decades of artistic and photographic innovation. Runs May 26-Sep 10.
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Rückenfigur by David-Ashley Kerr
Love Story: Elements Art Gallery, Dalkeith With a determination to create art that can touch the human heart and inspire one to lose oneself in the passion of love and the wonderment of life, Liz McKay has successfully established herself with her Swing Era inspired paintings of romantic couples and loving families. Her latest exhibition Love Story continues to be about love, belonging and friendship, which are essential elements in her paintings. Runs ’til May 27.
Love Story by Liz McKay 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.
THEATRE/DANCE 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.
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X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays
Glenn Wool
GLENN WOOL Happily Homeless
Globe-trotting, hard-living, rock‘n’roll stand-up Glenn Wool brings his show No Land’s Man to the Jack High Comedy Club as part of the Perth International Comedy Festival from May 16-19. Bookings through BOCS. Since last toasting Australian audiences with his unadulterated comic tipple as part of the Sydney Comedy Festival in 2010, Canadian comic Glenn Wool has become a man of no fixed address – conquering the world one country at a time, dispensing his own brand of caustic wit and wisdom along the way. “I’ve used the term ‘technically homeless’ before, but I’d hate for anyone to get the wrong idea – I’m homeless by choice,” Wool begins. “At the moment I split my time between North America, Australasia and Europe, so to have
a home would be to own a place I was technically not living in which would be pretty pointless. I’m lucky in that most of the festivals I go to will put me and my girlfriend up in a hotel room for a whole month or so, so I’m not couch surfing or sleeping on the streets or anything like that.” Although Wool says he detests the longhaul flights that come hand-in-hand with intense bouts of globe-trotting (“I fly a lot and I don’t fly first class,” he notes with a dry laugh), being footloose and carefree has helped him keep his comic routines fresh. “Travelling allows me to do my job better. If you stay in one place as a comic it’s really easy to stagnate – you end up making the same jokes about the same places and people and it gets really old,” he explains. Wool also prides himself on his ability to succeed with any crowd, any time, anywhere. “Funny is funny across the board. I do write political comedy but only about world politics. That way, everyone can get it,” he explains. “There are subtleties here and there but I really don’t change the routine too much. I find there are some audiences who really want you to acknowledge where you are, but it’s such a cheap joke. I’ve found that if there’s one part one audience doesn’t find very funny, there’s usually always another part that they find more funny than another audience. So I don’t really have to edit what I’m going to say, I just have to work out how I’m going to stack it.” It doesn’t always go well though, as Wool recently experienced after receiving a particularly vitriolic review of a Sydney show: “Generally I won’t read reviews but somebody told me about [the negative review] when I was drunk. I wouldn’t have been so offended if it weren’t for the fact that it was so badly done – all that she had written was what the jokes were about and how hot it was in the room. I was like ‘you’re a professional?’ – it was the perfect review for anyone who didn’t have eyes or ears,” he says. “Naturally, in my drunken state, I looked her up and found out she was a failed author. I wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt – maybe this was just one really badly written review and everything else she’d done was brilliant – so I did a Google search to see if there were any reviews of her book and there was one search result which said ‘excellent’ so I clicked that and it was actually a link to this person on Amazon who was trying to sell their copy of her book and it was referring to the condition of the book. It just said ‘Price: $2.00; Condition: Excellent. I didn’t feel so bad after that.” _JENNIFER PETERSON-WARD
Gleeson will feature on The Chaser’s new panel show The Unbelievable Truth which is soon to air on Channel 7, he’s also working on another TV show he can’t talk much about and will be performing Good One If six or less people rocked up to watch one of Tom in Sydney and Brisbane after hitting The Astor shortly. Gleeson’s gigs, he’d “definitely cancel”. Gleeson, “The great thing for me is that I’ll probably catch a few who recently became a father, is bringing his shows [in Perth] because my shows are often in prime new show Good One to town as part of Perth time during the festivals, quite often I miss a lot of shows International Comedy Festival. Tom Gleeson hits because they’re on at the same time so I’ll probably see a few shows over there that I missed in Melbourne. I The Astor on Friday, May 11, and Saturday, May might go to Cottesloe and go for a swim at the beach. I 12. Bookings through BOCS. know it might be cold but I always like the idea of going for a swim at least.” The last time Tom Gleeson was in town was mid 2010 when he performed at the Art Bar and there was a _ANNABEL MACLEAN somewhat strange exhibition taking place. “It was sort of weird art with babies hatching off backs, it was all that creepy looking gear that looks like it’s from that movie the Naked Lunch,” he recalls, talking down the line from Melbourne. Having sold out over three weeks worth of shows at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, performed for five weeks at the Adelaide Fringe Festival, a stint in Brisbane and Sydney, Gleeson says he’s looking forward to holidaying in Byron Bay for two weeks before he hits Perth. Good One will see Gleeson talk about becoming a father for the first time along with a story about his mother trying stand-up for the first time.“She’s like five months old and she’s got a full head of hair,” he says, talking of his daughter.“Everyone keeps telling me ‘ah yeah but it’ll fall out’… why do people tell me that? What possible joy am I going to get out of watching my own child go bald? She looks like Justin Bieber pretty much. She looks like she’s in One Direction I think.” Gleeson’s had a grand run with Good One around Australia and – as he says he always learns something about himself with each of his shows – this year, he’s learnt that reviews still annoy him and are “something you can never escape”. “This year, I’ve got nothing to complain about, it’s ludicrous,” he says, acknowledging his petty complaint. “The only time I got angry at a review, and my wife pointed out how stupid I was, I got a review by the Herald Sun in Melbourne that was glowing and they gave it three and a half stars. And I got annoyed at it because they made it sound boring. They should have given it four or four and a half and that would have been great. I was like ‘this is a great review, why are you giving it a three and a half rating?’.” There have been some shows that weren’t so great though, including a show which Gleeson and a friend decided to only publicise through MySpace seven years ago. “At the first gig only two people showed up for it and they were from Perth,” he says. “They’d flown over because they’d seen us on MySpace and they were really excited about it because they were like ‘you are our two favourite comedians’ and I felt bad for these two people and I said ‘look, we’re not going to do the gig’ so I ended up giving them a lift to another comedy show (laughs).”
Shaun Tan at work
SHAUN TAN
Suburban Odysseus Shaun Tan’s new exhibition, Suburban Odyssey, opens at the Fremantle Arts Centre on Friday, May 18, and is on display ’til Sunday, July 15. It’s very hard to fit Perth-raised artist Shaun Tan into a neat little box. ‘Illustrator’ seems like a useful enough label, but it ignores every other field at which he’s turned his hand - and there are many. “I often stumble when people ask me what I do for a living,” Tan tells us. “A bit of painting, writing, film things, and interested in ‘Fine Art’ as much as comics, children’s books, science fiction, and lots more. I often end up sounding like I’m still making up my mind - or unemployed and just pottering around at home. But if I had to pick, I’d just call myself an artist, since every other activity has developed from a lifelong love of painting and drawing. If I had nothing else on my table, I would just go out with a box of oil paints and little wooden panels, painting impressionistic landscapes all day, something I started doing in my late teens and routinely return to when I feel I’m getting ‘rusty.’” This brings us to the upcoming exhibition, featuring a large selection of Tan’s landscape work, many painted around the Perth area, that eschew Tan’s usual cast of spiky creatures and thoughtful loners. “These are large paintings, mainly of familiar suburban landscapes,” Tan says.“And I’d love to get back to doing more of this kind of work - just standing in front of
something and just painting it as honestly as possible, as simple as it gets.” The last year or so have seen Tan receive accolades for a number of works, with the most high profile one being the Oscar he won for the short film, The Lost Thing. Perhaps surprisingly, though, it’s not the award dearest to his heart. “The first most personally significant one was the Children’s Book Council Award for The Rabbits in 1998,” he explains. “That was a big deal because it had been such a monumental project: I felt I’d really entered some strange new artistic territory, pushed myself to the limit, and to have that formally acknowledged was a very welcome affirmation. The second most significant recent award was the Astrid Lindgren Award. It’s an acknowledgement of an entire body of work, which has been intensively researched and debated by a jury of children’s literature experts. To receive such a big international prize is really amazing - I’m still coming to terms with it really.” The Lindgren Award also came with a significant cash endowment, which allows certain freedoms. “I can now probably spend more time doing the kind of projects that have been most important to me,” Tan reflects. “The more personal, idiosyncratic ones. So it’s not unlike receiving an arts grant, something I used to apply for in order to avoid other better-paying freelance illustration. But I’m still working in a space that’s virtually identical to the one I began drawing in as a student, and I haven’t registered any particular mental shift.” _TRAVIS JOHNSON
TOM GLEESON Is Now A Father
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WCIT APPRENTICE OF THE YEAR Natäsha Cooks For The Queen At 22, Natäsha Stubbs from Beechboro has carved a successful career as a chef which has seen her travel the world, win a raft of industry medals and cook for the Queen. Stubbs has just been named West Coast Institute of Training’s Apprentice Of The Year and is currently in training with the Australian National Junior Culinary Team to compete in the Culinary Olympics in Germany. “Becoming an apprentice at the West Coast Academy Of Hospitality And Tourism was the best thing I ever did,” she says. “It has put me 100 per cent in control of my pathway and given me hundreds of opportunities to succeed.” She says her most memorable moment was preparing 600 macaroons for CHOGM late last year. “I got to make a macaroon for the Queen!,” she says. She would like to continue her industry training by doing a pastry apprenticeship with WCIT.“If you can make 600 Pavlovas and they all look the same, you should have a career in pastry,” she says. Stubbs plans to open her own catering business one day.
TRADES NORTH Celebrating One Year WCIT Apprentice Of The Year Nätasha Stubbs
SAE OPEN NIGHT Find Out More For over 30 years, SAE Perth has been committed to offering professional hands on training. SAE Perth is holding an Open Night next Friday, May 18, from 6pm ‘til 9pm. On the night anyone can come along and tour SAE’s recording studios, film and media facilities and find out more about their courses. If you’re interested in attending the Open Night, contact SAE Institute on (08) 6217 4100 or email infoperth@sae.edu.
17-year-old tiling student Breigh Ferguson joined the Minister for Training & Workforce Development Hon Peter Collier MLC, fellow students, lecturing staff and industry partners recently to celebrate the first birthday of Clarkson’s new trades training facility, Trades North. “Trades North is a fantastic place to learn a trade so I feel very honoured to be here,” Breigh says. She opted to do a Pre-Apprenticeship in Floor & Wall Tiling at the facility after completing Year 12 at Irene McCormack Catholic College. “I chose tiling because I’ve always had an artistic flair and I decided that it would be an interesting trade that would lead to a successful career,” she says. West Coast Institute of Training Acting Managing Director Norman Baker says with the City of Wanneroo growing at a rapid rate, Trades North is working hard to provide local people with training that will fill jobs in the north-west metropolitan region. For more info on Trades North, call (08) 9233 4600. 23
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X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays
y t f Kra
S T KU
ManOf His Word
The man known as Martin Reeves used to run a popular record store in Brighton back in the ‘90s before his track Gimme The Funk got signed to Fatboy Slim’s label Southern Fried Records. Since then, he’s cut his skills in the scene and become one of the biggest names in breaks worldwide. ANNABEL MACLEAN chats with the legendary UK DJ and producer about his new record Let’s Ride and why it’s some of his best work to date, Instant Vibes and what’s in store for 2012. Martin Reeves is not a man of few words. The friendly lad who is praised globally and who regularly smashes the Breakspoll Awards, had just landed in Sydney during the time of this interview, having just flown first class on the Airbus A380 from England on Qantas. Before he’d even landed in Australia, he’d had his first delightful experience of the trip. “They said ‘oh did you want to go and check out the captain’s cock-pit’ and I said ‘I certainly would love to go in there and see what it’s like’ because obviously all boys want to see loads of flashing lights and things and so they let me go in there and I got a picture and it was amazing,” Reeves says in his rather upbeat English tone.
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Krafty Kuts Reeves is happy to have arrived in Sydney and although his sophomore album Let’s Ride was due out last December, he says the delayed March release has coincided with his upcoming Australian tour which is, in fact, perfect timing. “[It’s been a] bloody nightmare,” he says, regarding the record’s delayed release. “There was another track that we couldn’t get on there called Get Up And Dance. It’s a hip hop track with Dynamite and we just had a sample of it and we just couldn’t. They just wanted too much money to clear the sample so it just wasn’t feasible in this day and age unless it was going to be a hit record so we couldn’t take that chance so that’ll probably be given as a free giveaway. But, we had to clear two other samples and it’s just taken a lifetime to do it... It’s like you do the product, you’re really excited, you want it out and then you’ve got to wait all that time before it gets out, it’s fucking frustrating. “We’ve got a video now to go along with Pounding which is an official video and I’ve just done a new remix of that and I suppose it’s just coming out as I’m touring and people can get to hear it and it’s fresh. If it had come out then [December 2011], people might have heard the record so much that by the time that I come out, they might be thinking ‘what’s new?’. So the timing’s really right, I’m really excited about it.” The delayed release of Let’s Ride has given cause for Reeves to call it some of his best work to date. “Where the album’s taken so long to put together, it’s given me time to digest different musical flavours and different aspects of music that I’ve taken in from my travels whether it be South America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland, wherever,” he explains.“I’ve heard different things - just waking up in the morning hearing sounds and creepy noises... I wanted the album to be fresh and exciting with lots of good songs and I just took my time with it rather than rushed it. I think the good thing about Krafty Kuts is it’s not commercial, they’re not pop records
but they’re sort of likeable records in their own right so there’s a nice balance to it.” Aside from being focused on Let’s Ride, Reeves has his other project, his super fresh label Instant Vibes which he launched last year, which he’s excited about. “I’m taking my time with it,” he says. “The label Instant Vibes is a good representation of where Krafty Kuts is going and what I’m trying to achieve and also trying to nurture new artists is something that I’ve always wanted to do. I wanted to do it with Against The Grain [UK DJ and producer Skool Of Thought and Reeves’ joint label] but I couldn’t do it because I didn’t have full control but with this label, it’s mine and it’s for me to control. “I’ve just signed a few acts… I’ve got a new J Robinson track - which I’m going to be playing exclusively on this tour - that he’s done with Stereo MCs and The Jungle Bothers… I’ve got like two or three new Krafty singles and I’m working with this girl from Sydney, Stellar MC, and she’s doing an EP with me.” The beginning of 2013 marks the 10th anniversary of Tricka Technology, the 2003 record by English breakbeat DJ and producer A.Skillz and Reeves which went wild. Reeves says they’ll be writing part two of Tricka Technology next year and they’ve got a celebration planned. “We’re putting something really special together, me and A.Skillz with Dynamite in May,” he says. “We’re going to be working in the studio to write some new material and be doing a tour together. I can’t really say too much but basically it’s like combining Krafty Kuts and A.Skillz set into one powerful, monster contraption where basically you’re just going to hear all your favourite records all combined into a special, little crazy conundrum; you won’t be able to go for a piss, you won’t be able to have a drink, you’ll be just so intoxicated with excitement.” And that’s just how Reeves hope punters will feel when he hits town shortly in celebration of Let’s Ride. “I want everyone to come and have a good time and I like to bring the best music that I can possible and spend as much time as I can giving people something back. I’m not all about flashy lights and lasers and strobes and gimmicks. I’m just about music and having a good time. I’ve never been more excited about the music that I’ve got to play than right now. Every year that goes by it just seems to get better.”
» KRAFTY KUTS » SATURDAY, MAY 12 @ VILLA
EVIDENCE
Dirtyphonics
GET DIRTY
French electronic producers Dirtyphonics are coming back to town to warm up our winter. These guys are the shit. They played here roughly a year ago and it got mental. Known for their ridiculously energetic live show, the lads will be bringing their innovative bass music to town on Thursday, July 5, at The Rosemount Hotel. Tickets are $35 plus booking fee and are on sale now from loadeddice.com.au, Moshtix, Mills Records and the DJ Factory. Smash this.
PARTY AND BULLSHIT
JumpClimb and WAMi have got together to create The JumpClimb Party Showcase. It’s all about showcasing local beats from some of Perth’s brilliant party creators and dancefloor creators. Expect a night of disco, dub, beats and hip hop when Bastian’s Happy Flight, Sam Perry, the Sunshine Brothers and The Empty Cup all take to the stage on Thursday, May 31, at The Bakery. Hit up nowbaking.com.au for tickets. Get on down and support local beats y’all!
KINGS OF SOUND #3
Local bass culture festival Kings Of Sound #3 will now feature Australian DMC Championship triumphant and skilled turntablist DJ Perplex. Having already established a name in Melbourne’s club scene, Perplex has supported the likes of Chase & Status, Cypress Hill, Diplo, M.I.A, Hot Chip, Busta Rhymes and more. Expect massive party tunes from this lad. Optumas (live) will also be joining the lineup too. Due to unforeseen circumstances, Dazastah and Layla will no longer be performing. It all goes down next Saturday, May 19, at The Rosemount Hotel. Get on down from 2pm. Tickets through Moshtix.
PAPER CHAINING IT
For the first time since supporting MPC destroying AraabMuzik, the Paper Chain two piece of Zeke and Kit Pop will be hitting The Bird to showcase some turntable trickery, electronic sonics and a smorgasbord of brilliant beats. It’s all happening this Saturday, May 12, at The Bird. Ben M, Mathas and Clunk are on support duties. It’s $10 on the door from 8pm. Do it.
TRUMPETING WEST
After a sell out show over Easter with Sydney duo Bag Raiders and Cassian, Limelite is back delivering the goods – Sydney based DJ and producer Timmy Trumpet has just returned from a huge sell out tour in America and will be bringing his Sassafras beats to Villa on Saturday, May 26. Sydney DJ Tenzin will also be behind the decks on the night, taking a night off from smashing out tunes at Marquee in Sydney. Tickets are $20 plus booking fee and are available now from Moshtix. Check it.
STEREO BUSINESS
Lock in Saturday, November 25, 2012, as the date for this year’s Stereosonic festival. Lineup and venues will be announced in early July and tickets go on sale in early August. Get pumped!
IAN CAREY PROJECT
All you house music fans, listen up. The one and only Ian Carey is coming to town. The American DJ and producer will be bringing his big tracks to Villa on Saturday, June 16. With over 50 million YouTube views, Carey is a legend in the house music scene and there’s no doubt that this gig will feature some of his signature funky basslines. Tickets are $35 plus booking fee. Snatch them up from Moshtix at once or hit up the Boomtick iPhone App or Boomtick Shop. Get shaky!
MORE THAN A MIAMI SHOWDOWN
Since deeply respected Los Angeles hip hop trio Dilated Peoples went on hiatus in 2007, Michael Perretta, aka rapper and producer Evidence, has established himself as a prominent solo artist. He speaks with JOSHUA HAYES about working independently, and reuniting Dilated Peoples, ahead of his upcoming tour with Atmosphere.
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UK DJ and producer Ant TC1 is the co-founder of Dispatch Recordings, one of the most forward thinking drum’n’bass labels around. Now, he’s bringing his liquid drum’n’bass to Shape next Wednesday, May 16. Ant’s productions have featured of a bunch of compilations compiled by the likes of Shy FX, LTJ Bukem, Total Science, Klute and more. Grooverider and Fabio & Bailey have even showcased his work on their respective BBC Radio 1 shows over the years. What’s even better, it’s free! Get on down from 9pm and jump on the drink specials train.
DIGITALISM
RETURN OF THE BOOM BAP
Perretta is touring to promote his second solo album, Cats And Dogs, which was released in September last year. The album, a follow up to 2007’s The Weatherman, has received critical acclaim for combining the hard hitting boom bap Perretta and Dilated Peoples are renowned for quite personal subject matter. It was a long time in the making for Perretta. “With a follow up comes pressure; people talk about the sophomore jinx, things like that, so, I just took my time making it, did a lot of touring, lived a lot of life, went through some ups and downs and decided to document it for better or for worse, and I think people appreciated it, he says. “It’s not a real guarded album; I definitely let my guard down on a lot of things. It’s risky sometimes but I think when it pays off, it pays off well.” The album features production by DJ Premier, regular collaborator The Alchemist and Perretta (who owns a Grammy for his co-production work on Kanye West’s The College Dropout) as well as guest verses by artists as far-ranged as Raekwon, Aloe Blacc and Atmosphere’s Slug – who he is touring Australia with. Perretta says fans can expect the same energy from his solo live set as from a Dilated Peoples performance. “Certain aspects of Dilated come through but it’s solo so the records are maybe a little more personal on certain topics; the reason I created the solo records is to talk about stuff like that,” he says. “I think the balance of the two creates a great show.” Perretta is currently working on a full length album with producer The Alchemist, called Step Brothers, which he says is nearly finished. “I’m sitting here working on it right now, so it’s playing in
UP TO HIS ANTICS
Evidence the background. I’m trying to get of this much down right now as I can before I get on the plane,” he says. Once Step Brothers is finished, Perretta’s next project will be a long-awaited Dilated Peoples reunion. “[I’ll] scratch the touring stuff hopefully later in the year; lock out from probably August, September to January and just hibernate and record,” he says. Although the group hasn’t released an album since 2007’s The Release Party documentary DVD and EP, Perretta and fellow rapper Rakaa Iriscience have collaborated on each other’s albums, and the group has toured regularly. Notably, they helped Perth welcome in 2010 at Origin NYE. “The relationship is still great. We didn’t split up because of money or I fucked his girlfriend or something like that,” he laughs. “[Although] I am nervous about it, a little bit, just because we haven’t done a lot of recording together in the last years, but I think it’s good because we’ve learned to respect each other from a distance a little bit, and when we come back people will know about us as individuals, not just a collective.”
» EVIDENCE » FRIDAY, MAY 11 @ VILLA
German electro-punk duo Digitalism started DJing in Reeperbahn, Hamburg’s famous red light district in the early noughties. Having released their sophomore record I Love You Dude last year, the lads have virtually been on the road since. ANNABEL MACLEAN chats with one half of the duo, Ismail Tüfekçi, about why they think dubstep is unsexy, their first award and their fresh live show which they’ll be showcasing at Groovin’ The Moo. Ismail Tüfekçi and Jens Moelle have just arrived home in Hamburg, having finished up their first live tour for 2012 in Italy and France. But, before that, the lads were venturing around the States – they played No Sugar Added and Ultra Music Festival in Miami and South By Southwest in Texas. They’ve virtually been on the road since they played Parklife last year and it’s non-stop for the rest of the year with the lads playing Groovin’ The Moo shortly accompanied by a national club tour and then a bunch of festivals throughout Europe which will see them on the road until September. But, the duo are pretty content with their schedule at present, they’ve been changing up their live show to keep up with their short attention spans. “After Parklife, we did another three months of heavy touring, almost until Christmas, playing the same show,” Tüfekçi says. “We always keep on changing the sets though so usually once you’ve seen us play, the next time it’ll be different. And for this year, we prepared a whole new show; it’s totally different to what you’ve seen at Parklife. We get bored easily so we want to keep on changing things - and after 90 gigs with last year’s show, it was time to do something new. We’re super excited to bring that over to Australia.” Their fresh live show isn’t the only thing which has recently got the boys pumped – they
Digitalism won their first award in November last year – Best Live Domestic Artist thanks to German magazine Musikexpress. “That was great!,” he says, still in awe. “We’ve never won an award before so it was pretty special for us. Also, getting the Best Live Domestic Artist award means that the jurors appreciated our live shows and that means all the hard work everyone in the band and our crew has put in it was recognised. It was an award for more people than just us so we dedicated it to our crew and audience. We had to run in and out during the ceremony though because we had a sold out show in Berlin to play like an hour later so that was our celebration that night.” Fans can expect an “intense” live show from the duo when they hit town for Groovin’ The Moo but, as always, there won’t be any dubstep whatsoever.“Our views on dubstep are still the same we respect it but it’s nothing that really appeals to us,” he says. “In a way the current ‘main-stage dubstep’ is an electronic version of white metal music; you know where they head-bang and grow long hair. That was never our thing. We like dub and bass music that’s more black, soul influenced instead.” After having some time in the studio at the beginning of this year, Tüfekçi says punters should have their ears pricked as new beats are on the way. “There’s a whole bunch of new Digitalism stuff coming up real soon - just watch out!,” he says. And, as for Australia having some sort of influence (as it did with regards to the title of their second record I Love You Dude), on upcoming productions from the duo, well, we’ll just have to wait and see. “We don’t know, you never know where and when inspiration will hit you!,” he concludes, excited by the mere prospect.
» DIGITALISM » FRIDAY, MAY 18 @ VILLA X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays
BARE MINIMUM OPPORTUNITIES SEIZED
Broome hip hop act Bare Minimum are about to kick off a seven stop tour to promote their self titled debut EP and to show that Western Australian hip hop isn’t all about the South West. Ben Thoars speaks with JOSHUA HAYES. The trio – Thoars is joined by fellow rappers Filth and Silasybin – began collaborating through the small Broome music scene, making demos with what Thoars describes as “a bare minimum of budgets.” “There’s not really a big music scene [in the Kimberley], let alone a hip hop scene, mate. It was pretty much us when it came to the hip hop in Broome,” he says.“There’s a couple of pubs and in the dry season we get a lot of tourists coming to Broome so you get a few bands coming through but in the wet season there’s absolutely nothing, mate. You don’t get to see live music. “It makes it very difficult to get any exposure; get your name out there to people. So it’s been a hard road but we’ve been lucky enough to meet some of the right people, which is what it’s all about in music; making the most of opportunities,” he adds. The first opportunity came about when they supported Bliss N Eso on the Broome leg of last year’s Running On Air tour. “In a way it worked well for us that we were all the way up in Broome because Bliss N Eso were looking to cover as much of Australia as they could,” Thoars says. The second opportunity came when they met Dazastah – who was holidaying in town – at the gig. After seeing Bare Minimum perform he chatted with the lads backstage. “Ever since, we’ve kept in touch with Dazastah and let him know how we’re doing. He liked our music and he said he’d love us to come down and do some recording in Dazastah’s Lair,” Thoars says. The group took Daz up on his offer, resulting in their EP. Perhaps the third opportunity is the chance to introduce the sound of the Kimberley to Perth hip hop heads. Thoars says the group’s early demos used a lot of didgeridoo and they’re
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Bare Minimum influenced by the likes of Yothu Yindi and the Pigram Brothers. “We love the old laidback style of music, crossed in with that American style of music. I’m a big fan of Eminem, Wu-Tang and KRS-One, so we’ve kind of mixed the both together; our love of hip hop with our love of the Kimberley lifestyle, and it’s come off a little bit different which is what you really want in music.” Dazastah will be joining the group on their state-wide tour, as will upcoming artists Bryte and DJ Zeke. After this trip, Bare Minimum plan to run hip hop shows and workshops around the Kimberleys. “There’s a lot of communities up here and kids are starting to get right into the drugs and stuff like that, so we figure we might as well go out there, do shows and tell them ‘hey, it’s not on’, in our style of doing it – not trying to tell them off and stuff like that,” Thoars says. “That’s the sort of direction we want to go in; we’re not gonna go for the big money and chasing the fans straight away.”
» » » » » »
BARE MINIMUM BARE MINIMUM EP OUT NOW FRIDAY, MAY 11 @ EXIT NIGHTCLUB, BUNBURY SATURDAY, MAY 12 @ THE EASTERN HOTEL, MIDLAND SUNDAY, MAY 13 @ SWAN BASEMENT, FREMANTLE FRIDAY, MAY 18 @ BREAKERS BAR, GERALDTON
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FRAT HOUSE FRIDAYS
METRO CITY
WEDNESDAY 09/05 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 L e e d e r v i l l e H o t e l – 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 10/05 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 Geisha - Next Hype ft Pariah/ Blawan 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 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 11/05 Ambar – Mord Fustang/ Deady Easy/ Philly Blunt/ Beatsmack Amplifier – Cowboys & Indie Kids Bar 459 - DJ Smurf Bar Orient – Higher Fyah The Reggae Club ft Mumma Trees/ Sista Che/ General Justice/ RAS Mwas/ H-Mut 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 Club Bayview – Amnesia ft Fendi/ Axon/ Fellis Como Hotel – DJ Gazz Eastern Hotel – DJ Munch Empire Bar – DJs Halo/ Bojan/ Ben Sebastian Eve – DJ Don Migi/ DJ Danny Boi Flawless – Therapy ft Zelimir/ Rob Sharp
Blawan
METRO FREO
Flying Scotsman – DJs Jo19/ Rok Riley 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 – Fiveo Shape - Anjunadeep Vol 04 ft Jaytech The Avenue – JMC The Carine – Mind Electric/ Little Nicky/ Az-T The Causeway – 4by4 DJs The East End Bar – Funk Fridays 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 Th e We m b l ey H o t e l – Fu n k y Bottoms/ Jon Ee Windsor – DJ Riki and Ray Villa - Atmosphere/ Evidence Victoria Park Hotel – DJ Giles YaYa’s – Junk ft DJ Whoa!
SATURDAY 12/05
Evidence
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Ambar – Japan 4 ft DNGRFLD/ Oli/ Wish/ Ben Mac/ Micah 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
AMPLIFIER
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 Flawless - Stache Saturdays ft DJ Zelimir/ DJ Minna Flying Scotsman - Under The Influence DJs Flying Scotsman (Defectors) - Fore DJs 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 - Seven Deadly Sins Launch ft DJ Slick/ DJ Matty S/ DJ Stevie M/ DJ Makka/ DJ Ruthless/ DJ Kenny L/ DJ Angry Buda Metro Freo – DTuck/ Darren Briais/ DJ Wazz Mint Nightclub – Pop Life ft DJ Aaron/ AJ Mojos - Sky’High 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 S w a n V i e w Yo u t h C e n t r e – Aftershock/ Defekt/ Omac/ Cynical World/ 6.0 Krew/ Aero D The Avenue – Fiveo The Brighton (Upstairs) – Micah/ Kill Dyl/ eSQue The Boheme – DJ Sneakee The Causeway – Sun City DJs The Clink – Az-T The Cornerstone – Tammy Stevens The Craftsman – Dylan Hammond 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 – Az- T The Whistling Kite - DJ Craig
Krafty Kuts The Vic – DJ Kristian Tiger Lil’s – DJ Bojan/ DJ Ben Sebastian Victoria Park Hotel – DJ Melvin Villa - Krafty Kuts Windsor – DJ Ray Woodvale Tavern – DJ Real McCoy YaYa’s – Saturday Social ft The Kings Of Cheese DJs
SUNDAY 13/05 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 Causeway – Lukas Wimmler The Cott – Cott Sessions The Kiosk – DJ Cinder The Saint - DJ Anaru The Shed – DJ Andyy
MONDAY 14/05 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 14/05 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
FRAT HOUSE FRIDAYS
METRO CITY
WEDNESDAY 09/05 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 L e e d e r v i l l e H o t e l – 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 10/05 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 Geisha - Next Hype ft Pariah/ Blawan 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 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 11/05 Ambar – Mord Fustang/ Deady Easy/ Philly Blunt/ Beatsmack Amplifier – Cowboys & Indie Kids Bar 459 - DJ Smurf Bar Orient – Higher Fyah The Reggae Club ft Mumma Trees/ Sista Che/ General Justice/ RAS Mwas/ H-Mut 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 Club Bayview – Amnesia ft Fendi/ Axon/ Fellis Como Hotel – DJ Gazz Eastern Hotel – DJ Munch Empire Bar – DJs Halo/ Bojan/ Ben Sebastian Eve – DJ Don Migi/ DJ Danny Boi Flawless – Therapy ft Zelimir/ Rob Sharp
Blawan
METRO FREO
Flying Scotsman – DJs Jo19/ Rok Riley 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 – Fiveo Shape - Anjunadeep Vol 04 ft Jaytech The Avenue – JMC The Carine – Mind Electric/ Little Nicky/ Az-T The Causeway – 4by4 DJs The East End Bar – Funk Fridays 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 Th e We m b l ey H o t e l – Fu n k y Bottoms/ Jon Ee Windsor – DJ Riki and Ray Villa - Atmosphere/ Evidence Victoria Park Hotel – DJ Giles YaYa’s – Junk ft DJ Whoa!
SATURDAY 12/05
Evidence
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Ambar – Japan 4 ft DNGRFLD/ Oli/ Wish/ Ben Mac/ Micah 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
AMPLIFIER
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 Flawless - Stache Saturdays ft DJ Zelimir/ DJ Minna Flying Scotsman - Under The Influence DJs Flying Scotsman (Defectors) - Fore DJs 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 - Seven Deadly Sins Launch ft DJ Slick/ DJ Matty S/ DJ Stevie M/ DJ Makka/ DJ Ruthless/ DJ Kenny L/ DJ Angry Buda Metro Freo – DTuck/ Darren Briais/ DJ Wazz Mint Nightclub – Pop Life ft DJ Aaron/ AJ Mojos - Sky’High 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 S w a n V i e w Yo u t h C e n t r e – Aftershock/ Defekt/ Omac/ Cynical World/ 6.0 Krew/ Aero D The Avenue – Fiveo The Brighton (Upstairs) – Micah/ Kill Dyl/ eSQue The Boheme – DJ Sneakee The Causeway – Sun City DJs The Clink – Az-T The Cornerstone – Tammy Stevens The Craftsman – Dylan Hammond 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 – Az- T The Whistling Kite - DJ Craig
Krafty Kuts The Vic – DJ Kristian Tiger Lil’s – DJ Bojan/ DJ Ben Sebastian Victoria Park Hotel – DJ Melvin Villa - Krafty Kuts Windsor – DJ Ray Woodvale Tavern – DJ Real McCoy YaYa’s – Saturday Social ft The Kings Of Cheese DJs
SUNDAY 13/05 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 Causeway – Lukas Wimmler The Cott – Cott Sessions The Kiosk – DJ Cinder The Saint - DJ Anaru The Shed – DJ Andyy
MONDAY 14/05 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 14/05 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
EAST END BAR
CAPITOL
NEWPORT
IN THE \ THIS WEEK: Next Hype ft Pariah/ Blawan Thursday, May 10 @ Geisha Atmosphere/ Evidence Friday, May 11 @ Villa Mord Fustang Friday, May 11 @ Ambar Anjunadeep Vol 04 ft Jaytech Friday, May 11 @ Shape Sky’High Saturday, May 12 @ Mojos
Syrup Launch ft Kit Pop/ Ben M/ Boy Prince/ Mr Starks/ Clunk/ Dirk Chops Friday, May 18 @ 45 Murray Street, Perth Digitalism/ Adrian Lux Friday, May 18 @ Villa Showtek Friday, May 18 @ Shape Fresh Produce ft The Barons Red/ Tapeheads/ Punchy & Juicy/ StrangerThanDigital/ Informant Friday, May 18 @ Ambar
Paperchain Showcase ft Kit Pop/ Zeke/ Mathas/ Ben Lapalux/ oOoOO Saturday, May 19 @ The Bakery M/ Clunk Saturday, May 12 @ The Bird Kings Of Sound 3 ft Phetsta/ MC Xsessiv/ SBX All Stars/ Krafty Kuts Optumas/ DJ Perplex/ Greg Saturday, May 12 @ Villa Packer/ MC Assassin/ Killafoe Seven Deadly Sins Launch ft & J.Nitrous/ Rregula/ Q-BIK/ DJ Slick/ DJ Matty S/ DJ Stevie S e e k a M C / Th e S t o o p s / M/ DJ Makka/ DJ Ruthless/ DJ Complete/ MC Bear/ Porsah Kenny L/ DJ Angry Buda Laine/ Voltron/ MC Stylee/ Saturday, May 12 @ Metro City Slackjaw/ Zanetic/ Get More/ Armee/ LStreet and more S a t u r d a y, M a y 1 9 @ T h e Rosemount Hotel
COMING UP
Ant TC1/ Mulla/ Jazza/ Groovin’ The Moo ft 360/ Deflo Hilltop Hoods/ Adrian Lux/ Wednesday, May 16 @ Shape Beni/ Digitalism/ Hermitude/ Muscles/ Purple Sneaker DJs/
Wavves Get More/ Jaydee Fordee Saturday, May 19 @ Hay Park, Friday, June 1 @ Shape Bunbury F r a t H o u s e F r i d a y s f t Craze & Codes Saturday, June 2 @ Villa Deacon Rose Friday, May 25 @ Metro Freo Nick Skitz/ MC James The Aston Shuffle (DJ set) Spy Friday, May 25 @ Ambar Saturday, June 2 @ Gilkisons Timmy Trumpet & Slow Roast Records Tour ft Tenzin Craze/ Codes Saturday, May 26 @ Villa Saturday, June 2 @ Villa Deacon Rose Saturday, May 26 @ Capitol Crissy Criss Saturday, June 3 @ Amplifier Mickey Avalon/ Kid Mac Saturday, May 26 @ The Rap City ft Ghostface Killah/ Rosemount Hotel DOOM/ Chino XL The JumpClimb Party Sunday, June 3 @ Metro Freo Showcase ft The Empty Cup/ Sunshine Brothers/ Sebastien Drums Bastian’s Happy Flight/ Sam Friday, June 8 @ The Court Perry Thursday, May 31 @ The Break-A-Holics Anonymous ft Bakery Skool Of Thought Bad Taste Recordings ft Friday, June 8 @ Ambar Prolix/ Aeph/ Blokhe4d/ Neonlight Sampology’s Super Visual Friday, June 1 @ Metro City Apocolypse ft Sampology/ JD4D (JesusDied4Dubstep) Sam Perry/ Charlie Bucket/ label launch f t F 3 t c h / DJ NDorse J.Nitrous/ Killafoe/ J Switch/ Saturday, June 9 @ The Bakery Switch Saturday, June 9 @ Villa Hype Williams Saturday, June 16 @ The Bakery Ian Carey Saturday, June 16 @ Villa 360/ Hermitude Friday, June 22 @ Villa 360 Saturday, June 23 @ The Astor 360 Sunday, June 24 @ The Astor
Atmosphere
ATMOSPHERE & EVIDENCE FRIDAY, MAY 11 @ VILLA
www.xpressmag.com.au
Dirtyphonics T h u r s d a y, J u l y 5 @ T h e Rosemount Hotel Stereosonic ft lineup TBC Sunday, November 25, at venue TBC
PARIAH
PERFECTING THE BEATS For Arthur Cayzer, better known as dubstep producer Pariah, a change of scene to the countryside promised plenty of creative stimulation. “I’d been in London for about six years,” he says. “And one day, I looked around at my apartment and thought it’d just be nice to have a bit of space and see what I can come up with, you know?.” BENJAMIN COOPER chats with the UK maestro ahead of his club tour down under. After packing up his things, Cayzer ventured north to the comforting climes of his parents’ house in Scotland and waited for his equipment to arrive. However, when his assorted gear arrived, his desire for relaxation and recording was dealt a significant blow. “I’d arranged to have all my gear couriered because the kind of music I make requires quite a lot of stuff,” he explains. “But when it arrived and I started unpacking all the boxes, I realised that pretty much everything inside was broken. “I’m fairly sure that the couriers had actually just been throwing the boxes against the wall, that’s how damaged it all was. Thankfully I’d brought a laptop which had quite a few back-ups but then the speakers I was forced to use were woefully inadequate, in terms of producing different kinds of sound. It was nice to be around my parents but I felt quite frustrated at all the sound limitations. The only positive was my mum’s home cooking. I got absolutely no writing done, but I came back to London much healthier!” If Cayzer seems like a perfectionist, it’s because of necessity; the genre was exacting enough without the pressure of its rapid popularisation, and the huge levels of competition. In 2009, he released the twin singles Detroit Falls/Orpheus to universal acclaim from dubstep aficionados and the release of the EP Safehouses a year later saw Cayzer venture into more driven techno territory with a smoothness that was absent
Pariah on his debut. But after dropping these releases in a relatively short space of time, Cayzer decided to take time off recording to finish university studies. The real reason, though, was to make something much more technically accomplished than previous efforts. “It has taken me quite a while, but I’m finally getting a sound I’m really happy with,” he says. “I think I may have potentially narrowed my range a bit but the music is much more on point.” A big influence on the new sound of Pariah is his label mate at R&S Records and Australian touring partner Blawan, aka Jamie Roberts. The two artists, who go by the moniker Karenn when performing together, last year launched their own record label Works The Long Nights.“It’s been great fun with the label,” Cayzer says. “I’ve personally learnt a great deal from Blawan. As I’m self-taught at what I do, it’s been invaluable to have him there giving me pointers. He has a really deep knowledge of the technical aspects of production that he’s been sharing, which is good because I just studied literature at university.” Fortunately Cayzer’s perfectionist streak is tempered by a balanced awareness of the necessity for patience.“Basically, I just want to keep learning - I’m more than happy to gradually chip away at it until I’m confident it’s perfect. People keep pressuring me to release an album. In fact, someone even told me the other day that I definitely was releasing an album this year which was news to me,” he says, laughing. “The bottom line is - I know it [the album] could be perfect and I want it to be – so it’ll happen when it needs to.”
» PARIAH » NEXT HYPE » THURSDAY, MAY 10 @ GEISHA
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X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays
FU MANCHU Black Cobra / Matt Sonic And The High Times / The Devil Rides Out Rosemount Hotel Saturday, May 5, 2012
Fu Manchu (Photos: Denis Radacic)
EMPERORS
Sonpsilo Circus / Will Stoker & The Embers Amplifier Saturday, May 5, 2012 This was always going to be a great show, if simply for the fact that Emperors have worked so hard, for so long, and have built up such a large community of fans and well-wishers that a packed house was an inevitability. Indeed, friends and strangers of all stripes descended early and hit the bar with enthusiasm. It was a good thing too, because no one would want to have missed Will Stoker & The Embers. It’s been a good couple of years since Stoker and his band last graced Perth stages – in the meantime he has been off performing solo in the USA. The interim has seen two developments.The obvious one is the Embers’ lineup. There were three new faces in the band this evening (one was a fill-in), and they played straight rock – no keyboards or other wayward hubris. The second, more subjective, development is the maturation of Will Stoker as a frontman. This band has always been about him, which is fine, but in his younger days he would seem to swing wildly between awkward introvert and petulant rock’n’roll maniac. Tonight though, he seemed totally confident and comfortable in his own skin, allowing the extraordinary melody and talent – which permeates every note of the band’s set – to do the talking for him. Sonpsilo Circus have also grown up, swapped some members and ditched some wankery – although it should be said that their early, ‘60s acid
SIMONE & GIRLFUNKLE Runner / High Hopes The Bakery Saturday, May 5, 2012 With a line-up boasting some of the local scene’s most charming and heart-warming musicians it was little surprise that the audience for Simone & Girlfunkle’s slyly poppy, ambitiously arranged folk-pop on Saturday evening was comprised of a hundred or so hipsters in flannel button-downs and ironic grandma dresses. Making their debut appearance early in the evening was folk-tinged vocal-focused outfit High Hopes. With local songstress Hayley Beth in command, their charming and surprisingly muscular set impressed the ever growing crowd of punters who found shelter from the rain close to the stage. In fact, the control over their instruments these musicians displayed, combined with their ability to bounce of one another to great effect, made them shine brighter than some of their more established counterparts playing around town. It will be interesting to see where they go to from here. Next up Runner proved they are not a band in need of guidance. The young quintet arrived with a fully formed, authentic voice, and their set drew from an engaging catalogue of songs about small things rendered widescreen by the skill of their melodies. Their performance swerved from virtually a cappella vocals layered over faint pickings of guitar before slowly building into a full stomping rush as all five members roared “Oh to see it.” The song was Indiana, a track which shares its name with (but unfortunately 31
pop style was always pretty damn good. Indeed many of their first generation songs still seem to be in the set, but what has improved is the way they play, and the way they carry themselves on stage. It should be mentioned that this less-retro-more-rock transition has happened gradually enough for it to feel organic. They’re still reasonably young, as far as bands go, so one can postulate that they’ve simply grown up. It’ll be interesting to see where they go from here, because the last thing any band with pop sensibility should ever do is lose that knack for hooks, but tonight Sonpsilo simply had more balls and felt less pretentious – and you can’t argue with that! Make no mistake, it’s been a long road for Emperors. They’re a band whose members have been at it for the best part of a decade; project after project pushing just that little bit further up the ranks before dissolution, reevaluation, re-invention and another big push toward infinity. And now, suddenly but not undeservedly, it all seems to be paying off. There is absolutely no doubt that this album’s lead track Be Ready When I Say Go is a killer song, full of hooks the ever-so-illusive break Emperors have been looking for. So tonight’s launch was perfect timing. By the time they hit the stage, Amps was chock-a-block full of punters. There were kids, barely out of their teens, dancing in the front row, dodging a phalanx of photographers, singing every word of every song while tourists, no doubt enticed by one track from the radio, straggled in and out. It’s the rock‘n’roll dream in action, and the band handled it all with due grace and put on a great show. The key now for Emperors is to capitalise on the foot they have firmly stuck in the door. If they can keep the hooks coming and avoid playing it too safe there’s little doubt they’re in with a chance. For now though, well done! _BEN WATSON
West Coast stoner rock fans have been well catered for over the past 12 months. 2011 saw Kyuss Lives slow burn down the inner city with their deadly desert sounds, and even a reformed Tumbleweed made their way west from the ‘gong. Now, California’s Fu Manchu, legends of surf punk stoner metal (and ‘90s road trips) grace us with their presence, a full decade since they last damaged Perth punters’ ear drums. Local heavy rockers The Devil Rides Out monstered the early arrivers with their typically raw stoner sound. Following them were Melbourne’s Matt Sonic And The High Times, fronted by heart-on-his-sleeve Matt, and his Dee Snyder inspired hair. They’re an Aussie pub band with a psych-rock bent and a heavy driven rock sound. The fast and fucking heavy Bay Area two-piece Black Cobra are mad prophets of metal punk mayhem. Their psychotic down tuned riffs, effortless and endless drum and guitar solos, double kick insanity and hard core vocals, well it makes a mockery of doom outfits. Drummer Rafa Martinez and guitar/vox Jason Landrian offer up ethereal moods and dark dark thrashings of heavy metal awesomeness to all their new fans. Fu Manchu hit the stage early and launched a full scale attack on the entirely suspecting crowd. Likeminded folk passed one around as Hell On Wheels, Squash That Fly and Asphalt Risin’ set the early tone. That big Marshall sound, crowd surfing and nodding heads, set minds back to the ‘90s. Fans shouted out for favourites from across the Fu’s 20 plus year career. They played track after kick ass track from all their albums, but nothing from their best known release until Evil Eye – they’re touring through Europe later this year playing The Action Is Go album in full, hopefully that tour makes it to Aus! Since Scott Reeder replaced Brant Bjork on drums in 2001 the lineup has remained unchanged, and with a legion of fans
Black Cobra across the globe they’re looking and sounding rock solid. They did go to bed early though, without playing an encore, but finished with (as predicted) Godzilla. Fu Manchu: Gargantuan indeed. _DANIEL PARKINSON
doesn’t appear on) Runner’s debut EP, released locally earlier this year, and rightly acclaimed by critics and a fast-growing audience for a sound equally delicate and explosive. But not even the album quite captures the full, celebratory effect of Runner live. Taking turns to share lead vocals saw percussionist Chris Watson shine on Flaws, while guitarist Jason Pang brought a beautiful frailty with his softer voice on Pilgrim. Bassist Scott Kay (best known around the local traps as a member of prog metal outfit Voyager) filled in for the holidaying Cameron Stewart to great effect, and brought a new energy to RTRfm favourites Outlines And Colours and Four Flowers. After Runner’s set those punters who were loosened up from glasses of vino flocked to the dancefloor, where DJ Tristan Fidler spun party tunes like it was 1999 (with the aid of his ‘party stick’). Before anyone’s feet could begin to ache, however, the music stopped and lights dimmed. Moments later the crowd was treated to a preview screening of Simone And Girlfunkle’s new video clip for Blown Into The Wind, a beautifully crafted piece featuring beautiful girls dancing in beautiful party dresses. Following the subsequent rapturous applause, the outfit quickly thanked punters and wasted no time kicking into a set of their easy strumming and likeable melodies, a PG distillation of vintage country influences and spot-on harmonies. From the way co-frontwomen Bridget Turner and Gabrielle Lammers sing – in big gulps and high-pitched growls – to the mystical arty ballads they bedazzle with hand claps and flailing arms, there was enough drama here for a Broadway musical. But their delivery was so raw that every mess felt genuine. Simone & Girlfunkle may not believe in standing still, but with a live performance style this fun and engaging it would be sacrilege to ask anything else of them. _JENNIFER PETERSON-WARD X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays
METRO CITY
We have five double passes to give away to Metro City’s brand new Saturday night - Seven Deadly Sins - simply email your name to win@xpressmag.com.au with “sin” in the subject line.
THE SHED
For your chance to win a $100 voucher. Simply email your name to win@xpressmag.com.au with “Shed” in the subject line.
MOJOS BAR
This Saturday, May 12, hip hopper Sky’High plays alongside Hyclass, Pauly P, Cortext and DJ Rudeburger. Mojos’ is giving away double passes, simply email mojos@coolperthnights.com with “High as The Sky” in the subject line.
KALAMUNDA HOTEL
Kalamunda Hotel is serving a three course $30 buffet for lunch and dinner this Mother’s day.
ROSEMOUNT HOTEL
We Are The Emergency launch their new EP this Thursday, May 11. To win a double pass to this show email win@rosemounthotel.com.au with ‘Win’ in the subject line.
MUSTANG BAR
This Thursday, May 10, The Blazin’ Entrails hit the stage supported by DJ James MacArthur.
RAILWAY HOTEL
Saturday, May 12, catch Nymph Honey, Sons Of Savior, When Summer Ends and Graphic Fiction Heroes.
HYDE PARK HOTEL
Get down to The Hyde Park Hotel this Friday, May 11, from 3pm ‘til 7pm and receive a free platter of food and the first round of drinks for you and four of your mates. Bookings are essential.
THE CLINK
The Clink Nightclub in Fremantle is hosting the 2012 Face Of Origin modelling competition throughout May and June. For your chance to win amazing prizes (including $2500 cash) call (08) 9336 1919 or head to faceoforigin.com.
EAST END BAR
Every Thursday East End Bar brings you The Prestige, a night of house, funk and electro from 9pm til late. Entry is free before 10pm.
THE BAKERY
Tijuana Cartel play at the Bakery on Friday, June 15. For tickets click on over to tijuanacartel.com
BEAT NIGHTCLUB
This Friday, May 11, Beat Nightclub hosts The Bootleg Jam Band and DJ Sets from Gareth Bird and Moosh. $10 Entry from 8pm.
PADDO
Tonight, Wednesday May 9, Paddo POW sees Nevsky Prospekt, Hailmary and We Build Pyramids taking the stage.
EXTREME AGGRESSION
Catering to all your hard and heavy needs, Extreme Aggression is Perth’s premier rock and metal club at the Rocket Room. Ahead of the official launch party this Friday, May 11, we asked the four guest DJs what tunes they’ll be spinning… DJ CAIN: Extreme Aggression Host Kreator: Extreme Aggressions - The opener from the classic 1989 thrash metal masterpiece, Extreme Aggression, from which I stole the event title. The name was the perfect representation of what I envisioned for a weekly metal DJ set. ANDREW HAUG: Ex- JJJ Racket Host Metallica - Disposable Heroes -This track is the epitome of all things METAL! Speed, melody, groove, aggression what more could you ask for and it’s just amazing to hear how darn great this band was in their prime, lest we forget! DJ DYSIE: Soundworks Touring/Prime Cuts Music Pungent Stench: Viva La Muerte - Probably my all time favourite metal song. One of the first death metal bands to incorporate groove riffs and humour into death metal and as soon as I was exposed to it, I was hooked. This will be a fun song to play. DJ DAZ: Western Front Online Allegiance: Downward Spiral - Allegiance were what got me into the local metal scene - being one of the bigger bands in it’s history (not to mention playing awesome thrash) I’d heard about them before I realised there were any local metal bands. When I was able to go to some of their shows I was exposed to other local metal acts and was blown away by the quality we have in our own backyard, and so my love of Australian metal began.
FISHY FUN Mojos Friday, May 4, 2012 Perth’s #1 reggae/dancehall night, Fisherman Style, celebrated its sixth birthday last Friday, May 4, attracting plenty of punters down to Mojos. Featuring sets from Simmo T, Choppa Crucial, Isis, Future Soundz, Kristical and Sorted, the night was all about Jamaican music and those who love it. Happy Birthday Fisherman Style!
Chris, Aidan
Joe, Jemma
Rietgi, Ajay
Jay, Virginia
Photographs by Matt Jelonek
Tito, Bev, Brian
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Amy, Macdara
X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays
WE ARE THE EMERGENCY Rational Thinking
After nearly two years We Are The Emergency are finally set to launch their long awaited follow up to 2010’s Whispers & Fragments. The much-loved local outfit will showcase tunes from their brand-spankingnew three-track EP Rations on Friday, May 11, at The Rosemount Hotel; and Sunday, May 13, at YMCA HQ. Given the seemingly infinite sub-genres derived from the original blueprints of blues rock, hard rock, psychedelia, heavy metal and punk — to name only the most basic varieties — it’s hard to get any agreement on what counts as rock any more. Alt-rock radio emits a steady stream of emopunk and post-grunge that’s big on aggression but often limited in terms of everything else. Thankfully, this is not true of one outfit that is bound to dominate the local charts and playlists this winter. With a burly, bruising new EP and full-throttle live shows, We Are The Emergency are a bona-fide rock act still capable of reaching (and exciting) a wide audience. “I feel like the new stuff is a continuation from the sound of our last album [2010’s Whispers And Fragments], so people who enjoyed that we hoped would like this,”explains bassist Sam Hart.“But the strange thing we’ve encountered is that there is a dedicated faction who seem to have ignored, or are simply unaware of, our last release. They were for whatever reason expecting us to keep our initial heavy, for lack of a better word, ‘screamy’kind of sound, which just wasn’t going to happen. Our first release [2009’s] Seizure will always be special to us, but we’ve grown so much since then, as musicians tend to do, and we were never going to release that CD again. It sucks that some people feel the need to get abusive about this but hey I guess that’s what the internet is for.” WATE builds on its considerable strengths with its new EP, Rations, released this week, but, as Hart attests, the new material has been a long time coming for the sextet.
“[2010] was a weird one for us, we released our debut album, and our guitarist/singer quit. James had been basically the cornerstone of our band since day one, and him and I were the only original members, for him to turn around and quit was kind of like ‘shit, if he doesn’t think it’s still worth doing this should we?’” he says. “But we all really felt like we still had songs to write, and we hadn’t given it our best shot yet. We, after much debate, recruited our friend Matt Dewson to replace James, who well and truly proved himself, as we were initially very hesitant to bring him on board. We took a while after that to learn all of the old stuff and get into a groove writing again, and I guess that’s why it took so long, we didn’t want to rush into another release, after losing such a vital member it takes a while to find your feet again and almost rediscover yourself. We wanted to be sure that we were happy with the new songs, and the direction they were going.” The band has already garnered positive reviews for Splinters, the lead track from the Rations EP, which finds the outfit combining hardcore-punk bluster with more radio-friendly elements. “I wouldn’t go so far as to say it validates us, [but] it definitely makes us feel a whole bunch better about being broke musicians who people tend to look down on,” Hart laughs.“We’re really, really stoked with the response we’ve had, we couldn’t have asked for better, but we know we have a long way to go as a band.”
We Are The Emergency
SLEEPFREAK Fixx It
With a dynamic style incorporating metal, blues and alternative rock, local hard rockers Sleepfreak are out to prove they’re not some provincial bunch of subLeppard metal throwbacks or Maiden wannabes. JENNIFER PETERSON-WARD chatted to Aaron Simich ahead of the launch of their debut self-titled EP at The Rosemount on Saturday, May 12. Local rock lovers may think they’ve never heard of Sleepfreak before, but they’d be wrong. Previously playing around the traps under the moniker Fixxer, this quixotic quartet have been charming local audiences with their fast and furious sound. “We changed the name about a year ago, as Fixxer wasn’t as dynamic as our music would suggest.If we were going to move forward,we needed to feel fresh and Fixxer was too old and restrictive for us. Changing to Sleepfreak has given us a new beginning and our music is sounding a lot more modern and energetic as a result,” explains bandmember Aaron Simich. “We have a very strong blues background so a lot of that has seeped into our music. In terms of the style and sound, Chris Martin from Spaceship News summed it up pretty well; ‘Take everything that’s good about hard rock, stick it in a blender with metal, blues and a bit of prog and you have Sleepfreak’. We couldn’t have said it better ourselves!” While the members of Sleepfreak have been a presence on the local scene for more than six years, it is only now that they are ready to release their debut EP. “Back in 2006 the band originally started the EP with John Villani.We had recorded some of the drum and bass tracks however during this process John became quite ill. After a prolonged delay due to his poor health it was discovered that John had passed away. It was quite surreal for us… after quite some time we managed to retrieve our work from John’s studio, we collected ourselves and got in touch with the very talented Ben Morris at Ampersonic Studios. He did a fantastic job at combining the old
LUCK OF THE IRISH
Sleepfreak tracks and creating the new ones,” Simich explains. “Once we completed the recording, it was given to the talented Shaun O’Callagham for mastering. He was well known for recording many fantastic local artists including John Butler. With yet another set of unfortunate events, Shaun also passed away during the final process of mastering. Whilst we managed to complete the tacks, we couldn’t believe what had happened. “It has been a bit of a long hard road, but it has been a great learning curve. We couldn’t be happier with the end result, and we hope our audience feels the same. We are really excited now to finally release the EP.” As Simich attests, Sleepfreak are champing at the bit to showcase the new tunes and says punters can expect “a massive SLAP TO THE FACE” if they head down to their launch at The Rosemount next Saturday evening. “We love loud booming energetic music, so that’s what we’ll give.We also really want the visual side of the show to have a major impact so we have brought in some awesome guys to sort out the staging and production for us,” he concludes.“It’s about experiencing the show rather than just sitting back and having a listen.”
TEEN DREAMS
Fremantle band Dublin Jazz Aunts will be playing at the Norfolk Basement on Thursday, May 10. Their roots-based electric cello rock is a crowd-pleaser, to be sure. They’re joined by Justin Walsh, Thee Gold Blooms and DJ Cookie. Tickets are $10 on the door from 8pm.
It looks set to be a big night at Norfolk Basement on Saturday, May 12. The Prevues will launch their debut single Teenage Love. There will be indie folk tunes by Rainy Day Women and World A Fuzzy. Doors open at 8pm and tickets are $8. Sweet!
MARVELLOUS MEDICINE MEN
METAL JUSTICE
Following the launch of their latest eight-track EP Turbo Handshake last month, local experimentalists Usurper Of Modern Medicine are about to embark on their first national tour so get excited and join them at The Bird on Sunday, May 13. Support comes from Runner and Race To Your Face from 6pm.
COPY & PASTE
This Saturday, May 12, head to The Bakery to catch Rabbit Island, Frozen Ocean, Runner, Cow Parade Cow, Candied Limbs and Gunns at the launch of Human Xerox’s double CD My Own Private Compilation, which features a slew of covers of Rabbit Island’s song My Own Private. Entry is $15 and includes a copy of the double CD.
ON THE MANTLPIECE
Formed from the remnants of what had been State Of Order comes MANTL. Catch the new outfit with Ozmonaut, This Other Eden and Muzzle at The Rocket Room on Friday, May 11. Doors open at 8pm. www.xpressmag.com.au
Love Metallica but wish you could see them live? Well, awesome tribute band Justice For All has just announced two shows and they promise to deliver! In true Metallica fashion, they will offer two different set lists and material covered will range from Kill ‘Em All to Death Magnetic. The first gig is at the Railway Hotel on Friday, May 11, with support act Reapers Riddle. The second is a double-whammy of tributes as the band is joined at The Civic, on Saturday, May 12, with Foo Fighters tribute outfit Foos Gold. Doors open at 8pm both nights, tickets are $10 pre-sale or $15 on the door.
MUM’S THE WORD
Treat your mum to an afternoon of blues this Mother’s Day when the Matthew Richards Quartet struts out classic blues, jazz, and a dabbling in African bell music and African Kalimba music patterns at Jazz Fremantle at The Navy Club. They’ll be covering classic blues hits such as B.B. King’s Every Day I Have The Blues as well as some of Richards’ originals. Funky! They are playing from 4pm and tickets are just $15. 33
Shaun Kirk, May 9-13
MAY 9 – 15 PJ O’BRIEN 9 Mojos Bar 12 Settlers Tavern
DEVILDRIVER / DARKEST HOUR / SIX FEET UNDER 9 CANCELLED
FRANK TURNER & THE SLEEPING SOULS / WILLIAM ELLIOTT WHITMORE / THE SMITH STREET BAND 9 Amplifier
SHAUN KIRK 9 Indi Bar 10 Clancy’s Fremantle 11 Settlers Tavern 12 Yallingup Caves Hotel 13 Redcliffe On The Murray
STEVE POLTZ 10 Fly Trap
DEAD LETTER CIRCUS / FAIR TO MIDLAND / TWELVE FOOT NINJA 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
CLAIRY BROWNE & THE BANGIN’ RACKETTES 11 Fly By Night
SICK OF IT ALL / AGNOSTIC FRONT 11 Amplifier
ATMOSPHERE 11 Villa
KRISTIN BERADI 11 & 12 The Ellington
HARD-ONS 11 Civic Hotel 12 Prince Of Wales 13 Indi Bar
BARE MINIMUM 11 Exit Nightclub Bunbury 12 The Eastern Hotel 13 Swan Basement
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
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MAY STEVE SMYTH 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 KIM CHURCHILL 16 Settlers Tavern 17 Dunsborough Tavern 18 Prince Of Wales 19 Norfolk Hotel 20 Indi Bar ANDREW WK 17 The Bakery FLORENCE + THE MACHINE / BLOOD ORANGE 17 Burswood Dome BARE MINIMUM 17 Breakers Bar Geraldton 19 Karratha Tavern 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 MANAIA 18 Railway Hotel 19 The Den 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 WK, City And Colour, Digitalism, The Getaway Plan, Hilltop Hoods, Kaiser Chiefs, The Maccabees, Public Enemy, Wavves, Ball Park Music and more) 19 Hay Park Bunbury DANIEL CHAMPAGNE 19 Ya Ya’s 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
Kaiser Chiefs , May 18, Metro City ANTI-FLAG / STRIKE ANYWHERE / FLATLINERS 24 Capitol FREYA HANLY 24 Settlers Tavern 26 X-Wray Cafe 27 Wild Fig Scarborough 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 31 Redcliffe On The Murray LIZ STRINGER 31 Fly By Night TIJUANA CARTEL 31 Prince Of Wales
JUNE GYROSCOPE 1 Rosemount Hotel REEF 1 Metropolis Fremantle ASH GRUNWALD 1 Prince Of Wales 2 Karratha Tavern 3 Fly By Night LIZ STRINGER 1 Indi Bar 3 Redcliffe On The Murray HARRY MANX 1 Fly By Night TIJUANA CARTEL 1 Settlers Tavern 2 White Star 8 Divers Tavern Broome 9 Hotel Kununurra 15 The Bakery MISSY HIGGINS / BUTTERFLY BOUCHER 2 Astor Theatre ERIC BOGLE WITH JOHN MUNRO 2 Fly By Night JOSH KYLE 2 The Ellington KIMBERLEY MOON EXPERIENCE (Paul Kelly, Kasey Chambers, The Black Sorrows and more) 2 Jim Hughes Amphitheatre Ord River THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT / NUMBERS RADIO / GREENTHIEF 2 Prince Of Wales 3 Metro City SEAN COFFIN 3 The Ellington STATE OF THE ART (Drapht, Hoodoo Gurus, Kryptonics, Eskimo Joe, Jebediah, Abbe May, San Cisco, Split Seconds, Steve Parkin and more) 3 Perth Concert Hall & Surrounds GHOSTFACE KILLAH / DOOM / CHINO XL 3 Metropolis Fremantle SAMUEL YIRGA QUARTET 4 & 5 The Ellington
Manhattan Jinx, May 18, The Den & May 19, Railway Hotel
THE JEZABELS / LIGHTS 5 Metro City SILVERSTEIN 7 Villa EAST 17 7 Metropolis Fremantle TINA ARENA 8 Riverside Theatre MANAIA 9 Settlers Tavern 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 DEEP SEA ARCADE / THE CAIROS / WOE & FLUTTER 15 Indi Bar 16 Amplifier 17 Mojos DALLAS FRASCA 15 Settlers Tavern 16 White Star Hotel 17 Clancy’s Fish Pub Dunsborough 22 Indi Bar 23 Prince Of Wales 24 Mojos BEE MASK 16 PICA Bar TREVOR WATTS/ VERYAN WESTON 19 The Ellington GUY SEBASTIAN 19 His Majesty’s Theatre 20 Mandurah Performing Arts Centre CAMILLE O’SULLIVAN 21 Astor Theatre CHARGE GROUP / JOE MCKEE 22 Mojos 23 Dadas 360 / GOSSLING / HERMITUDE / BAM BAM 22 & 23 Villa 23 & 24 Astor Theatre KARNIVOOL 22 & 23 Mermaid Hotel Dampier 27 Prince Of Wales BURIED IN VERONA 24 YMCA HQ (Day) / Amplifier (Night) DEXTER JONES 22 Settlers Tavern 23 White Star Albany 24 Newport 28 Breakers Bar Geraldton 29 Beat Nightclub NADIA ACKERMAN / BENNY LACKNER TRIO 28 The Ellington JUDITH DURHAM 30 Riverside Theatre
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 SAY ANYTHING / THE GETAWAY PLAN 11 Amplifier 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 THE SMASHING PUMPKINS 26 Challenge Stadium 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
NOVEMBER EMMYLOU HARRIS 6 Perth Concert Hall GEORGE MICHAEL 10 Perth Arena STEREOSONIC 25 Line-up & Venue TBA
SEPTEMBER 2013 ONE DIRECTION 28 & 29 Perth Arena
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Dublin Jazz Aunts, Thursday at Norfolk Basement
WEDNESDAY 09.05 AMPLIFIER Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls William Elliott Whitmore The Smith Street Band BALMORAL Nathan Gaunt BAR 120 Felix BLACK BETTY’S Blue Gene CLAREMONT HOTEL Open Mic Night ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB The Collaboratory HALE ROAD TAVERN Fenton Wilde INDI BAR Shaun Kirk Mick Parker LOBBY LOUNGE (BURSWOOD) Courtney Murphy LUCKY SHAG Howie Morgan MOJOS BAR PJ O’Brien Chris Mawer MUSTANG Nitetrain PADDO Nevsky Prospekt Hailmary We Build Pyramids PADDY HANNANS 5 Shots ROSEMOUNT Law Of Attraction Further Earth Red Sky This Other Eden ROSIE O’GRADY’S (NORTHBRIDGE) David Fyffe SWAN LOUNGE Dinosaurchestra Keegan Ross THE MOON Pete Bibby Joe Bludge Hayley Beth
UNIVERSAL Strutt YAYA’S Oak Tree Suite Sound The Rescue Here Come The Cavalry The Bears
THURSDAY 10.05 BELGIAN BEER CAFÉ Stu Harcourt BROOKLANDS TAVERN Celebrations Karaoke COMO HOTEL Courtney Murphy DEVILLES PAD Rock‘n’Roll Karaoke ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Sly-tly FLY TRAP Steve Poltz FUSE BAR Howie Morgan HIGH WYCOMBE HOTEL Chris Murphy HYDE PARK HOTEL Axe Girl The Spitfires INDI BAR Bex’s Open Mic Night LUCKY SHAG James Wilson MARKET CITY TAVERN Serge Sharrinovsky Sally Hodgeson Fiachra Judge Mike Anderson Andrew Smith Riley Pearce MERRIWA TAVERN Overload MOJOS BAR Blackmilk Rainy Day Women The Flower Drums MUSTANG BAR The Blazin’ Entrails
We Are The Emergency
WE ARE THE EMERGENCY BLACK BIRDS THE MAIN ATTRACTION LANARK FRIDAY,MAY 11 ROSEMOUNT HOTEL
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Justice For All, Friday at Railway Hotel NORFOLK BASEMENT Dublin Jazz Aunts Justin Walshe The Gold Blooms OCEAN BEACH HOTEL Open Mic Night OXFORD HOTEL Johnny Taylor PADDY HANNANS Dr Bogus RIGBY’S Open Mic ROSEMOUNT Hyte Arkayan Supersalt The Whores ROSIE O’GRADY’S (FREMANTLE) Clayton Bolger ROSIE O’GRADY’S (NORTHBRIDE) Fenton Wilde STEVE’S BAR Luke Dewing SWAN LOUNGE Miranda & Gordo Nyanda J THE BOAT Jen De Ness THE BROOK Open Mic Night THE GATE One Trick Phonies THE SHED Dirty Scoundrels UNIVERSAL Off The Record WOODVALE Two Plus One YA YA’S The Lammas Tide Aurora Rhys Watson Sexy Robot
COMO HOTEL Leighton Keepa CRAFTSMAN 5th Avenue DEVILLES PAD Pat Capocci Rusty Pinto Les Sataniques EAST 150 Luke Dewing EASTERN HOTEL Dave Fyffe EDZ SPORTS BAR Ali Towers Duo ELEPHANT & WHEELBARROW Daren Reid & The Soul City Groove ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB The Russell Holmes Trio Kristin Berardi Kanye West Interpretations EMPIRE Halo FLY TRAP Clairy Browne & The Bangin’ Rackettes FUSE BAR Groove Karaoke GREENWOOD James Wilson HERDSMAN Sugarfield HIGH ROAD HOTEL Damien Cripps Band HILTON PARK BOWLING CLUB Jane Germain, Ian Simpson & The Yahoos HYDE PARK HOTEL Bob Marley Tribute Howie Morgan Nathan Gaunt FRIDAY 11.05 INDI BAR 7th AVENUE Hawaiian Ride For Pop Candy Your Youth Fundraiser AMPLIFIER Rick Steele Sick Of It All Jay Grafton Agnostic Front Brett Keyser BAILEY BAR KALAMUNDA Mod Squad HOTEL BALLYS BAR Christian Thompson Dirty Scoundrels BALMORAL KULCHA The Other Guys Ulla Shay BEAT NIGHTCLUB METRO FREO Bootleg Dead Letter Circus BENNYS MERRIWA TAVERN Faces Overload BENTLEY HOTEL MIGHTY QUINN Trevor Jalla TAVERN BLACK BETTYS Kontraband Everlong MOJOS BAR (ARVO) BRASS MONKEY Peter Bibby Bernadine CAPTAIN STIRLING Jefferson Axel Carrington Bluebottles MOJOS BAR CARLISLE HOTEL (NIGHT) Reload Ol Wright & Delirious CIVIC HOTEL The Empty Cup Hard Ons The Stoops Project Mayhem Wisdom 2th Puck CLAREMONT HOTEL MOON & SIXPENCE Nick Sheppard Soul Corporation
Mantl, Friday at RocketRoom MUSTANG BAR Harry Deluxe Cheeky Monkeys NEWPORT Party Rockers NORFOLK BASEMENT The Witches Shock Octopus Atticus Finch NORTHWOOD ALEHOUSE Indigo Alley OXFORD HOTEL Recliners PADDO Stu Harcourt PARAMOUNT Flyte PRINCIPAL The Mojos RAILWAY HOTEL Justice For All Reapers Riddle ROCKET ROOM Mantl Ozmonaut This Other Eden Muzzle ROSE & CROWN Tod Woodward ROSEMOUNT We Are The Emergency Black Birds The Main Attraction Lanark ROSEY O’GRADY’S (FREMANTLE) Spyce ROSEY O’GRADY’S (NORTHBRIDGE) Neil Colliss SAIL & ANCHOR Bluebottles SOUTH ST ALE HOUSE Robbie King Karaoke SPRINGS TAVERN One Trick Phonies SWAN BASEMENT The Government Yard Neutral Native Empty Pocket The Violet Scene SWAN LOUNGE Rubbertime Helen Shanahan Fellow Or Foe SWINGING PIG Better Days Greg Carter THE BIRD The Love Junkies Stereoflower THE BOAT Undercover Acoustic THE GATE Smoking Section THE SHED Kickstart UNIVERSAL Nightmoves VICTORIA PARK HOTEL Ivan Ribic WOODVALE TAVERN Blue Gene YA YA’S Big Old Bears The Shallows Our Man In Berlin
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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.
The Prevues, Saturday at Norfolk Basement
SATURDAY 12.05 AMPLIFIER Colour The Sky BALMORAL The Recliners BALLYS BAR Sophie Jane BAR 120 Flyte BEAT Runaways BELGIAN BEER CAFÉ Mike Nayar BLACK BETTY’S J Babies BROOK Better Days BURSWOOD (PRIZE DRAW STAGE) Hi NRG CAPTAIN STIRLING Howie Morgan Duo CAPITOL Dead Letter Circus CIVIC HOTEL Justice For All CIVIC HOTEL Seven Vegas Aces Purpose Mr Hill Creed Birch CLAREMONT HOTEL The Zydecats COMO HOTEL Bernadine DEVILLES PAD Johnny Nandez Hammond Explosion EASTERN HOTEL Bare Minimum ELEPHANT & WHEELBARROW Gun Shy Romeos ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Kristin Berardi The Dynamites FLY BY NIGHT CLUB Lanie Lane FREMANTLE ARTS CENTRE Boy & Bear GREENWOOD Local Heroes HIGH ROAD HOTEL Dr Bogus HYDE PARK HOTEL The Disappointed Zeks Heytesburg Geronimo INDIAN OCEAN BREW CO Dove INDI BAR Matt Gresham KULCHA Bluegrass Parkway LAKERS TAVERN Lush LEISURE INN Inferno LEOPOLD HOTEL Steve Hepple LOBBY LOUNGE (BURSWOOD) John & Shaun Sandosham
MERRIWA TAVERN Celebrations Karaoke MOON & SIXPENCE Blaze M ON THE POINT Rhythm 22 MOJOS BAR Sky’High Hyclass Paully P Cortext MUSTANG The Roadmasters Milhouse NEWPORT Kizzy Gravity NORFOLK BASEMENT The Prevues Rainy Day Woman World A Fuzzy OLD BAILEY Daren Reid & The Soul City Groove PADDY HANNAN’S Decoy PARAMOUNT Felix RAILWAY HOTEL Nymph Honey Sons Of Savior When Summer Ends Graphic Fiction Heroes RAVENSWOOD HOTEL Swamp Donkey ROCKET ROOM Kickstart ROSEMOUNT Sleepfreak Adverse Reaction Reapers Riddle Hyte ROSIE O’GRADY’S (FREMANTLE) Flavor ROSIE O’GRADY’S (NORTHBRIDGE) Blue Gene SAIL & ANCHOR The Mojos SETTLERS TAVERN PJ O’Brien STEVES BAR Ezereve SWAN BASEMENT Rich Widow Calectasia Celebrator SWAN LOUNGE Mooch & Manfrey Subject To Change Riley Pearce Jessica Morhall SWINGING PIG Greg Carter THE BIRD Zeke + Kit Pop Ben M Mathas Clunk THE BOAT Free Radicals THE GATE Dirty Scoundrels THE SHED Huge
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Friday Friday Bernardine, Sunday at Travis Caudle Travis Caudle Kalamunda Hotel FlyBy ByNight Night Fly THE WHALE & ALE Renegade TWO ROCKS TAVERN Keith McDonald UNIVERSAL Soul Corporation WANNEROO TAVERN Greg Carter WOODVALE TAVERN Damien Cripps Band YA YA’S The Shakey’s The Lungs The Kuillotines Lucille
Usurper Of Modern Medicine, Sunday at The Bird
NEWPORT Tim Nelson The Disappointed The Autumn Isles Sidewalk Diamonds OCEAN VIEW TAVERN Free Radicals PINK DUCK Neil Colliss PRINCIPAL Adam James QUARIE BAR Double Take QUEENS TAVERN Big Al & The Deacons ROSE & CROWN Stella Donnelly SUNDAY 13.05 SAIL & ANCHOR 7TH AVENUE Shawne & Luc Reckless Kelly SOUTH ST ALE AMPLIFIER HOUSE Lanie Lane Anthony Nieves BALLY’S BAR SOVEREIGN ARMS Greg Carter Ivan Ribic BALMORAL SPRINGS TAVERN Cranky Karin Page BROKEN HILL SWAN BASEMENT HOTEL Dazastah Nathan Gaunt Layla CAPTAIN STIRLING Bryte MC Christian Parkinson SWAN LOUNGE CHASE BAR Daisy Clover James Wilson SWINGING PIG CLAREMONT HOTEL Ryan Dillon Sunday Driver THE BIRD COMO HOTEL Usurper Of Modern David Fyffe Medicine EAST 150 BAR Runner Stu Harcourt Race To Your Face ELEPHANT & THE GATE WHEELBARROW Better Days Daren Reid & The Chris Gibbs Trio Soul City Groove THE SAINT ELLINGTON JAZZ Threeplay CLUB Mike Nayar Random Act THE SHED EMPIRE The Healy’s CB3 Blue Hornet FLY BY NIGHT CLUB THE VIC Ralph McTell Bluebottles HIGH WYCOMBE TWO ROCKS HOTEL TAVERN The Organ Grinders Everlong Acoustic HIGH RD UNIVERSAL Mike Nayar Retriofit INDIAN OCEAN VICTORIA PARK BREW CO HOTEL Dove Paul Foster Retriofit Ivan Ribic INDI BAR The Hard Ons Project Mayhem The Publican Band KALAMUNDA HOTEL Bernardine LAKERS TAVERN Jamie Powers LEISURE INN Steve Hepple M ON THE POINT Electrophobia MOJOS BAR Beastie Boys Tribute Diger Rokwell Felicity Groom MUSTANG BAR Peter Busher & The Lone Rangers
WOODVALE TAVERN Good Karma YMCA HQ We Are The Emergency Black Birds The Main Attraction Make Believe Me
MONDAY 14.05 BRASS MONKEY The Organ Grinders ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Corpus Grooves LOBBY LOUNGE (BURSWOOD) Courtney Murphy MOJOS BAR Wide Open Mic Night MUSTANG BAR Marco & The Alley Cats THE DEEN Plastic Max & The Token Gesture
TUESDAY 15.05 ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Tal Cohen Quartet LOBBY LOUNGE (BURSWOOD) John Sandosham LUCKY SHAG Nathan Gaunt MOJOS BAR Steve Smyth Wolves at the Door Sean O’Neill PADDO Stu Harcourt PRINCE OF WALES Open Mic Night SETTLERS TAVERN Open Mic Night TWO ROCKS TAVERN Jump For Joy Karaoke X-WRAY CAFE Open Piano Night YAYA’S Mat Cammarano Sarah Pellicano Kate Gilbertson Japanese Tongue Sisters
Sleepfreak
SLEEPFREAK
ADVERSE REACTION REAPERS RIDDLE HYTE SATURDAY,MAY 12 ROSEMOUNT HOTEL
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Classifieds and Music Services Hotline: 9213 2888 Display ads: musicservices@xpressmag.com.au Deadline: 4pm Monday Credit cards welcome
HAIR, HEALTH & HAPPINESS PHAT DREADS HAIR DESIGN Your One Stop Dread Shop. Top Quality, Inexpensive & Personalised service. Hayley - 0488450023 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. BASS PLAYER WANTED 40+ for new cover band playing 70s-90s Rock/Pop material. Must be an experienced & diverse player who can commit to rehearsing & live gigging. E.g. of bands include Midnight Oil/ Hoodoo Gurus/ Hunters/T-Rex. Looking at doing both electric & acoustic gigs. Prefer someone with low level commitment. Ph: 0430695287. BASSIST SEEKS GUITARIST & DRUMMER Aged 20-32 to form death metal band. Influences: Cannibal Corpse, Morbid Angel, Immolation, Gorguts, Nocturnus, Agressor, Metallica. 0419 043 293. DRUMMER WANTED Chick or bloke. Original songs and local gigs. Ph: 0415 252 323. DRUMMER WANTED For original band. Influences include, Oasis, AC/DC, The Angels & The Smithereens. Call Brett 0405 578 625. DRUMMER/ BASS PLAYER WANTED To join guitarist/singer/songwriter in forming altrock/ new metal band. Influences Deftones, Tool, APC etc. Must be committed. Call Pete 0412 322 037. EXPERIENCED GUITARIST WANTED 30+ for working original hard Rock band. Recording & touring in plan. Oh: 0435 825 090. EXPERIENCED VOCALIST For original electronic & house music. seerstudios@iinet. net.au
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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 ROBBIE WILLIAMS TRIBUTE Performing to backing tracks. Focus Promotions. Mon-Fri. 9-5pm. 9272 4144. WA N T E D : 5 0 ’s D A N C E B A N D F O R 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 PHOTOGR APHY Pro m o photography, studio, live, location. Mike Wylie 0417 975 964 www.projectphotography. com When its time to ice the cake... PRODUCTION SERVICES CD & DVD MANUFACTURE Check out our latest CD & DVD specials online at www. procopy.com.au 9375 3902 MATRIX PRODUCTIONS AUSTRALIA Lighting, staging, sound systems, smoke machines, night club FX, intelligent lighting, strobes & mirror balls, crowd barriers, video projectors. 9371 1551 PA HIRE FX Lights club to concert size. Pro Equipment www.perthconcertsound.com. au.. Ph 9307 8594 / mob 0404 410 020 / 9309 6219 PA HIRE, PRO SYSTEM, FULL FOLD BACK Experienced operator. Optional light show. Fidelity sound on 0404 331 320.
RECORDING STUDIOS ALAN DAWSON’s WITZEND RECORDING STUDIO Prof quality albums or demos, large live room, experienced engineer, analog to digital transfers, mastering..Alan 0407 989 128 or Jeremy 0430638178 www. witzendstudios.com ANDY’S STUDIO International multi award winning songwriter / producer. No band required. Broadcast quality. A songwriter’s paradise. Ph 9364 3178 AVALON STUDIOS BIBRA LAKE One of Perths best equipped studio. Record to analog tape or digital, Avalon pre amps, Neumann mics, the latest and best universal audio, plug in’s for digital recordings. All styles of music, $55 per hour call Tony 0411 118304 email avalonstudios@bigpond.com GOLDDUSTCONSTRUCTION.COM Pr o d u c t i o n , m i x i n g, r e c o r d i n g a n d composition for your music. Unique award winning skills to take songs from ideas to finished mixes or to fulfill the potential in existing ones. Located in Subiaco. $60 p/h. Andrew 0408 097 407 POONS HEAD MASTERING Analog mastering at its best. Clients include Mink Mussel Creek, Jeff Martin, The Panics, Pond + The Floors. World class facility. World class results. www.poonshead.com 9339 47 91 R E CO R D I N G M I X I N G M A S T E R I N G PRODUCING Fremantle location. Call Pete Kitchen Cooked Records. Ph 0407 363 764 / 9336 3764 REVOLVER SOUND STUDIO Ph 9272 7505. www.revolverstudio.com.au SONGWRITERS! - UNLOCK YOUR SONGS’ POTENTIAL +FREE BAND APPRAISALS. U K Pro d u ce r, 4 0 , 0 0 0 + h o u r s s t u d i o 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 REHEARSAL STUDIOS AAA VHS REHEARSAL ROOMS Great facilities, great vibe & great price!!! Unit 5 /16 Peel Road, O’Connor. Phone 9418 5815 or 0413 732 885 BIGBEAT SOUND STUDIO Clean rooms, all new PA systems, air-con and good parking . Willetton Ph: 0425 698 117. PLATINUM SOUND ROOMS Professional rehearsal rooms, airconditioned, quality PAs mob 0418 944 722 STREAM STUDIOS The place to rehearse in Perth.. Phone: 0403 152 009 www. streamrehearsal.com.au TUITION ***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. Beg-Adv 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. S I N G I N G L E S S O N S Av a i l a b l e f r o m professional singer. G oogle Monica Diamont for more info. Ph: 0415 496 632. 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.
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