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The Cat Empire
APOCOLYPSE MEOW
Yolanda Be Cool
The Cat Empire have returned with a new single, Brighter Than Gold, and an Australia tour that will see them performing at Fremantle Arts Centre on Sunday, March 19. The track is the band’s first official single from their forthcoming fifth studio album, due for release mid-year. The Cat Empire are always a hot ticket item in Perth make sure you head to heatseeker.com.au soonest.
SO COOL IT’S HOT
Yolanda Be Cool struck a chord around the globe back in 2010 with the unique swing house groove of We No Speak Americano. After touring everywhere from Hungary to Mozambique and staging a fake recall of said blockbusting hit, they’re back in Australia with a new album and tour to boot. Check ‘em at The Newport this Friday, March 1.
Paul Simon, West Coast Blues ‘N’ Roots
BLUES ‘N’ ROOTS PLAYING TIMES REVEALED
And not a minute too soon, either. For those who want to get the most bang for their buck at the impressively populated West Coast Blues ‘N’ Roots, whose line-up this year includes such luminaries as Robert Plant, Iggy & The Stooges and Paul Simon, now is the time to head over to page 15 to find out how the lineup shook out. Is it relatively free and clear, or will terrible choices have to be made? Only one way to tell....
Arts Martial
CELLO, NURSE!
HEARTS OF ROCKROUGH
Homegrown heroes Arts Martial and Warning Birds will team up to rock a little more love into the world at the Hearts Of Rock fundraiser, at the Indi Bar this Saturday, March 2. A full 100 per cent of ticket sales will be donated to House Of Hearts – a small charity making a massive difference to girls and women in West Bengal; one of the poorest places on earth where young women are especially vulnerable to sex trafficking and exploitation. A simple and practical way to help is to provide a safe place to learn skills which lead to economic empowerment and independence. Perth’s Renee Passell, who has just returned from a sabbatical year of working with the grassroots charity in West Bengal, has already raised enough money to purchase land on which to build the centre. Hearts Of Rock will raise funds to put the building in place providing a facility which will save and improve the lives of so many. Head on down to help. It’s $15 door sales (and presale at reception).
Celebrated one woman orchestra Zoe Keating returns to Perth, cello and laptop in hand, at The Bakery this Thursday, February 28, before heading down to the Nannup Music Festival on March 2-3. Renowned for mixing an astute grasp of the application of music technology with a strong DIY ethos, Keating has garnered a cult following for her intricate and involving performances. Head to nowbaking.com.au or nannupmusicfestival.org for more details.
Zoe Keating
Iva Davies, Icehouse
FIRE AND ICE
Legendary Australian rock band Icehouse will, ironically enough, brave Broome’s heat to perform at the Cable Beach Amphitheatre on Sunday, June 2. One of the biggest Aussie outfits of the 80s and early 90s, Iva Davies and co. will be joined by The Steve Pigram Quartet and Desert Child. Tickets go on sale Thursday, March 7, from Ticketmaster.
The Rubens 8 Reactions/Comp Thing 11 Flesh 12 Music: Bullet For My Valentine/Garbage/ Soundwave Info 14 Music: Antibalas/ Diva Demolition 16 Music: Stone Roses/Future Music Festival
HEY, RUBE!
Four piece alt-rock outfit The Rubens will be looping their way through WA as part of their Never Be The Same Tour this May. The brothers Margin and their drummer mate, Scott, will be at Bunbury’s Prince of Wales Hotel on Thursday, May 2; Capitol on Friday, May 3, and Margaret River’s Settler’s Tavern on Saturday, May 4. Support comes courtesy of Oh Mercy and Foam, and tickets are available through Oztix.
Info 18 Music: Deer Hoof/Fucked Up 19 New Noise 21 Eye4 Cover: Save Your Legs 22 Eye4 Movies: Cloud Atlas/ The Impostor 24 Eye4 Arts Stories 25 Arts Listings 27 Salt Cover: Kill The Noise 28 Salt: News/AEPH/ Shakers/ Test Pad 29 Salt: Steve Aoki/ Slaughterhouse 30 Salt: Club Manual 31 Salt: Rewind: Huxley 32 What’s On 39 Live
In The Pines
PINING AWAY
The first line-up announcement for the 20th anniversary RTRFM In The Pines Festival has been announced, and it’s a doozy. Not only will The Volcanics, The Panics, and Usurper of Modern Medicine be strutting their stuff, but a whole host of well-regarded WA acts will be reforming for the occasion, including Adam Said Galore, The Bank Holidays Lite, Circus Murders, and Schvendes! This is just the tip of the iceberg - get over to rtrfm. com.au for more on the subject.
43 Tour Trails 44 Gig Guide 46 Volume Cover: Bullet For My Valentine hit the Soundwave Festival on Monday, March 4, at Claremont Showgrounds. Salt Cover: Arena Joondalup is set to be torn up for this Sunday’s Future Music Festival. See page 27 for an interview with Kill The Noise, who’ll be joined by giants of dance music The Prodigy, Avicii, Dizzee Rascal and more. www.xpressmag.com.au
Empra
HAIL EMPRA!
Ramping up to their imminent sojourn in the US, Melbourne rock gods Empra are taking some time to tear up WA this weekend, starting with a show at the Mustang Bar on Thursday, February 28; swooping down on Bunbury’s Prince of Wales Hotel on Saturday, March 2, before wrapping it all up with an appearance at the Railway Hotel’s Make Some Noise! festival on Sunday, Match 3. Limited copies of their new live EP will be for sale, as will special merch deals and download codes. For more info, empraonline.com is your destination. 7
with Casey Hayes... 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 and Conditions, which can be found online. All competition entries will automatically enable you to become an X-Press subscriber! No details will be given to a third party.
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Managing Editor Bob Gordon: editor@xpressmag.com.au Fashion Editor Emma Bergmeier: fashion@xpressmag.com.au Dance Music & Features Editor Jo Campbell: danceeditor@xpressmag.com.au Local Music & Arts Editor Travis Johnson: localmusicarts@xpressmag.com.au Gig & Event Guides Co-ordinator Casey Hayes - guide@xpressmag.com.au Entertainment Services Co-ordinator / Competitions Casey Hayes - win@xpressmag.com.au Photography Callum Ponton, Stefan Caramia, Daniel Grant, Sammy Granville, Matt Jelonek, Denis Radacic, Emma Mackenzie, Guang-Hui Chuan, Max Fairclough Contributing Writers Henry Andersen, Ashleigh Whyte, Nina Bertok, Shaun Cowe, Derek Cromb,Chris Gibbs,Alfred Gorman,George Green,Alex Griffin,Chris Havercroft, Joshua Hayes, Brendan Holben, Coral Huckstep, Rezo Kezerashvili,Tara Lloyd, Adam Morris, Andrew Nelson, Chloe Papas, Tom Varian, Ben Watson, Jessica Willoughby, Miki Mclay, Morgan Richards, James Manning, Joe Cassidy, Shane Pinnegar For band gigs and launches - plugyourgig@xpressmag.com.au
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Deep Purple
DEEP PURPLE RE MACHINED
To celebrate Deep Purple coming to Perth on Thursday, March 7 we are giving away copies of Re-Machined: A Tribute to Deep Purple’s Machine Head. Featuring covers from the legendary album by the Flaming Lips, Iron Maiden, Metallica and Jimmy Barnes. This is a truly unique release that will appeal to everyone. So get your entries in to grab one of five copies we are giving away.
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Production
MISFITS SEASON 4
The court ordered superheroes are back! With all the remaining originals having left the community centre, we’ve gotten four new characters and four new super powers! Misfits Season 4 is as hilarious and original as ever, the series brings you a killer rabbit, a stolen penis and a Lionel Ritchie clay sculpting sub-plot. We have five DVD’s of series four to giveaway.
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CAB AUDITED CIRCULATION: 38,000 OCTOBER 2011 – MARCH 2012
BEACH PARTY IN THE HILLS
Who would have thought it!? Get your bathers and boardies and head down to the Kalamunda Hotel Beach Party this Saturday. Party away in the sand filled courtyard, have a go at the mechanical surfboard and dunk tank or enter into the bikini and iron man competitions to win some great prizes. With live music to start the day from Almost Famous and sets from DJ Grizzly and Jeremy Stark taking you into the night. It’s set to be a big one! Enter now to grab a double pass and a $50 voucher for food & drinks on the night! We are also giving away a double pass for the runner-up. Winners announced Friday at noon.
David Bridie & Frank Yamma
DAVID BRIDIE & FRANK YAMMA
This Friday spend an intimate evening with David Bridie and Frank Yamma at the Fly By Night. A warm up gig before they head down to play separate shows at The Nannup Music Festival. Frank is the voice out of the central Australian desert, he is joining his musical mentor David, who is a seven time ARIA wining songwriter, musician and composer to play honest and heartfelt music. Do not miss this rare performance! We have two double passes to the show on Friday! Get your entries in!
Deadlines EDITORIAL General: Friday 5pm,, Eye4 Arts: Thursday 10am, Comp’ Thing: Monday Noon,, Salt Clubs: Monday 5pm , Local Scene: Monday Noon,, Gig Guide: Monday 5pm ADVERTISING Cancellations: Monday 5pm, Ads to be set: Monday Noon Supplied Bookings / Copy: Tuesday 12 Noon, Classifieds: Monday 4pm Published by: Columbia Press Pty.Ltd. A.C.N. 066 570 803 Registered by Australia Post. Publication No PP600110.00006 Suite 55/102 Railway Street, City West Business Centre, West Perth, WA 6005 Locked Bag 31, West Perth, WA 6872 Phone: (08) 9213 2888 Fax: (08) 9213 2882 Website: http://www.xpressmag.com.au
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Advertisers and/or their agents by lodging an advertisment shall indemnify the publisher, and its agents, against all liability claims or proceedings whatsoever arising from the publication. Advertisers and/or their representatives indemnify the publisher in relation to defamation, slander, breach of copyright, infringement of trademarks of name of publication titles, unfair competition or trade practices, royalties or violation of rights or privacy and warrant that the material complies with revelant laws and regulations and that its publication will not give rise to any rights against or liabilities in the publisher, its servants or agents. Any material supplied to X-Press is at the contributor’s risk.
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Misfits
Flickerfest
FLICKERFEST
Flickerfest, Australia’s most important short film festival is going on tour! It hits Perth March 7 - 10, screening at Camelot Outdoor Cinema. The opening night will play host to the Best Of Australian Shorts including Lois, starring Oscar-nominated acting legend Jacki Weaver. The quirky, highly crafted animation A Cautionary Tale voiced by David Wenham, Cate Blanchett and Barry Otto and the slightly twisted comedy The Captain by Nash Edgerton. It’s all happening on the Thursday, March 7 and will include free drinks, food and musical entertainment by Villa Cuba. We have five double passes for the opening night to giveaway. Enter now to grab one!
Tommy Lee & DJ Aero
MEET TOMMY LEE?!!!
The opportunity to party with Tommy Lee doesn’t come around very often. He’s joining DJ Aero at the Official Monster Tour after party. They are hitting the decks at Metro City tomorrow night straight after Kiss, Mötley Crüe and Thin Lizzy rock the Perth Arena. We are giving away five exclusive VIP Prize packs to X-Press readers. This prize includes a meet and greet with Tommy Lee and VIP bar access. Winners drawn Thursday at noon! You gotta be in it to win it, email us now!
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X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays
The Pajama Men Emerald City
FUNNY FEST
The colder climes of year are coming but it’s looking funnier with Perth International Comedy Festival set Perth hard hitters Emerald City have scored a US gig to keep us warm from May 1-19. International acts this May, playing Rocklahoma Festival alongside Guns include US kings of physical comedy, The Pajama n’ Roses and Alice in Chains. They’ll be warming up Men, the UK’s cheeky observationalist, Gina Yashere, in ‘80s style this Sunday, March 3, at Black Betty’s for and UK hypnotist Peter Powers. Tickets are now a back to the ‘80’s night, where they’ll be joined by on sale via showticketing.com.au. There’ll also be a Psychonaut and Legs Electric. Prizes will be given huge local contingent, including John Robertson’s for best ‘80s attire, so get your stone-washed jeans The Dark Room, Mike G and Tien Tran. The full hardand questionable wigs out. Doors open at 8pm. copy program will be announced at the Gala Launch Entry is $12. Party, March 22.
OFF TO SEE THE WIZARDS
Born Of Osiris
UNGODLY TOUR
Chicago’s Born Of Osiris are bringing their groundbreaking progressive sound to Australia, stopping in at The Bakery on Saturday, May 25. Carrying a remarkable amount of notches on their belt for a band so young, the six-piece are fresh from the studio where they’ve been working on their third full-length, due for release soon. They’ll be joined by Feed Her to The Sharks and A Breach Of Silence.
Tropic-tinged songster Bobby Alu will be introducing adoring crowds to his new single, You Know, with support from Nick Saxon. Catch him on Thursday, March 14, at Mojos; Friday, March 15; at the Indi Bar; Saturday, March 16, at Margaret River’s Settlers Tavern and Sunday, March 17, at Clancy’s Fish Pub in Dunsborough.
Kira Puru & the Bruise
PURU BLUES
It’s been a big year for Kira Puru & the Bruise. Having collaborated with Paul Mac, Blackfella Films, Mark Opitz and Sonar Music, and winning Triple J Unearthed’s APRA/AMCOS Song Summit competition, they are to perform their last few shows before starting work on their debut album. Their genredefying live shows have earned them a throng of dedicated fans Australia-wide as well as industry accolades. See them at The Bird this Thursday, February 28, with Hayley Beth and Jimi Sanz; the Nannup Festival (March 1-2) and at Mojos this Sunday, March 3, with Felicity Groom.
GLACIAL COOL
Perth indie rockers Sons Of Rico unleash their new album, In Rico Glaciers, a sordid collection of tales of cannibalism, infidelity, and moral terror, this March 29, and to celebrate they’re embarking on a nationwide tour. Catch them at Amplifier on Friday, April 5, and at Settlers Tavern in Margaret River on Saturday, April 6. www.xpressmag.com.au
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s seminal Jesus Christ Superstar is on its way to Perth Arena Friday, May 31. Perth’s own Tim Minchin will play Judas Iscariot, former Spice Girl Melanie C will perform Mary Magdalene, while the critically acclaimed newcomer Ben Forster will take the role of Jesus. The new production’s run in the UK late last year broke previous audience records with 74,000 fans seeing the show in its opening weekend. Tickets go on sale to the general public next Friday, March 8 from ticketek.com.au.
Stephanie Gilmore
MAKING WAVES
Surfer’s Point, Margaret River will be transformed into a hotbed of surfing competition March 16 - 24 for the 2013 Drug Aware Margaret River Pro. Newly crowned world number one’s Joel Parkinson and Stephanie Gilmore will headline an incredible field of the best global surfing talent with the lowest ranked surfer in the men’s round of 96, currently ranked at 101. Might want to think about booking accommodation!
EAST COMES WEST
From Port Lyttelton, New Zealand, to Port Fremantle, The Whitlams non-stop touring string band The Eastern will drop by for a one-off show at Mojos. One of New Zealand’s hardest working bands, they’ve recently toured and opened for Fleetwood Mac and Steve Earle. They’ll The Whitlams are once again joining forces with be joined by the Ruby Boots and Lucy Peach on the West Australian Symphony Orchestra at the Thursday, March 21. Tickets are $20 on the door. Perth Concert Hall on Friday, August 30. Their current line-up has remained unchanged for the last seven years and four albums, consisting of Tim Freedman on piano and vocals, Jak Housden on guitar, Warwick Hornby on bass guitar and Terepai Richmond on drums. Tickets go on sale this Friday, March 1 from waso.com.au.
WHITLAMS’ SYMPHONY
The Black Seeds
SEED SOWN
Described by Rolling Stone as being the best reggae band on the planet right now, New Zealand reggaesoul heavyweights The Black Seeds have announced an Australia tour, which will see them docking in to Metro Freo, Wednesday, April 24. Last year saw the release of their fifth studio album, Dust And Dirt, which was lauded by both critics and fans alike. Tickets are $40+bf from metropolisfremantle.com.au.
Kerry King
IT’S GOOD TO BE THE KING
Slayer’s Kerry King will be at Guitar World in Cannington this Sunday, March 3, from 1pm. The riffmaster general himself will be signing autographs and shaking hands courtesy of BC Rich Guitars and Guitar World before going on to doubtless dominate the stage at Soundwave.
Kim Gyngell, A Number
THE NUMBER OF THE BEST
The Perth Theatre Company presents Caryl Churchill’s enigmatic and provocative play, A Number, starring legendary Australian comedian and actor Kim Gyngell, at Studio Underground from April 11-27. Also starring award-winning WAAPA graduate Brent Hill, the piece deals with a young man’s emotional turmoil when he discovers that his father (Gyngell) cloned him some 30 years ago. Tickets are available through Ticketek.
Baby Animals
BABY ANIMALS Riff Rocks
With a new album up their sleeve, Baby Animals perform for the Make A Difference Foundation at the Quarry Amphitheatre this Sunday, March 3. BOB GORDON speaks with vocalist, Suze DeMarchi. Pimps Of Sound
Sons of Rico
SUPERSTAR LINEUP
The Eastern
Bobby Alu
ISLAND JIVE
Tim Minchin, Jesus Christ Superstar
PIMP THAT SOUND
Featuring vocalist, Millie James, drum’n’bass outfit Pimps Of Sound have had a dream first year, supporting international acts, headlining local events, playing major local festivals and generally delivering high energy tunes to packed dance floors. The good times continue for Pimps Of Sound at Nannup Music Festival. They close the Town Hall Stage on Sunday, March 3, with a set starting at 11.15pm.
It’s the start of a big year for The Baby Animals, one that’s taken a few years to get to. “I only moved back to Australia a couple of years ago,” says vocalist/guitarist, Suze DeMarchi. And for a year before that we’d been talking seriously about another record and doing some shows. We did a little bit, slowly, but the last two years have really been concentrating on writing. “ We r e c o r d e d a n e w a l b u m i n November and finished it a month later so it’s all ready to go. We’re just doing all of the scheduling and planning it all really at the moment.”
Other than an acoustic album of previous hits, Il Grande Silenzio, released in 2008, the new album is essentially the follow-up to 1993’s Shaved And Dangerous LP. Not that the band have really looked at it like that. “You can’t really plan that stuff,” DeMarchi says. “It needs to be an organic approach. You just put out what you’ve written; we don’t consciously think, ‘is there a direction and what is it?’ Lyrically, the songs are all about stuff that’s been going on... all personal stuff, I guess. Generally, that’s what I ended up writing about. “Dave (Leslie, co-founding guitarist) always sends me these great riffy, rocky things that I just love. I always respond to the stuff he sends me. A lot of the songs I’d written on my own completely changed when I sat with him. He would just take them to a different place, musically. “We just wanted to make a true sounding record that represented the stuff we love. Guitar-based music with real melodies and pop. There’s a lot of pop in our music, but it’s always an edgy guitar sound. It’s what we love to play.” In the meantime Baby Animals will perform an acoustic show for the Make A Difference Foundation (gates open at 6pm, tickets via Ticketmaster) in the beautiful surrounds of the Quarry Amphitheatre. “I’m excited,” DeMarchi says. “I’ve never played there I’ve only seen it online. It looks like Red Rocks (Amphitheatre, in Colorado), quite gorgeous. This will be a nice little acoustic thing and we’ll have a string quartet. I always love playing in Perth... any opportunity to get back there.” 11
“It’s similar to Fever,” explains lead guitarist, Michael ‘Padge’ Paget, “but I think the songwriting, and the songs in general, are a lot more stripped away, a lot rawer and a lot fresher this time. “We really wanted to not sort of re-write stuff from the past and try and come up with some sort of fresher vibe. The sound is pretty much the same: same amps, same guitar pretty much, same drums, you know, so it’s all pretty much the same. I think we use a different bass on the songs…” As for claims that the album might be a ‘modern classic’, Padge is nonplussed. “Yeah, that sounds great.” he says, nonchalantly. “It’s great to get feedback like that, especially when people have heard it for the first time and stuff. I mean, we just hope that the fans feel the same way.” Last visiting our fair shores for Soundwave 2011, this time around Aussie audiences will be With a new album just released, amongst the first to hear the new album live. “We have started putting together a setlist. Welsh modern metal giants, Bullet US are getting the set first, then we’re in Australia, For My Valentine, have their sights set The so we’re excited for that. I don’t know really, every first firmly on Soundwave at Claremont tour we do is always weird because playing our new a bit different, but it should be a lot of fun.” Showgrounds on Monday March 4. stuff live is With over three million records sold before Lead guitarist, Michael ‘Padge’ Paget, this album’s release, Bullet For My Valentine are defying the trend in modern music, yet tells SHANE PINNEGAR that the band seemingly Padge is painfully aware how different things might have been in the pre-file sharing era. are ready to roll. “I’m sure it’d be probably sell two or three The Soundwave roadshow brings us a refreshed times more, unfortunately,” he says, wistfully. “But in Bullet For My Valentine and for good reason. The this generation physical records aren’t being sold so band have just released their fourth album, Temper, much. It’s very unfortunate for bands, but at the same Temper, the follow-up to 2008’s acclaimed Fever LP. time we never would have thought we were going to
BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE A Design For Life
Bullet For My Valentine sell three million records anyway. For us not having the pre-download stage in our career, we’ve never known anyway. So it’s awkward for us, you know?” So what is it that sets B4MV apart from other modern metal bands? “We definitely toured our arses off over the last 10 years,” says Padge, “and it’s got to have something to do with the songs, and how we put them together. I think a combination of both is pretty much why we are still around today, and putting a lot of melody into the songs regardless of if they are
heavy or not.” Spending his spare time in his home studio recording local bands, Padge says “there’s such a great scene here in Wales, and it’s just nice to get ‘em in and make ‘em approach music in a professional way. I think that’s important for a musician these days.” With typical Welsh pragmatism Padge is adamant that the meaning of life is, “just don’t be a dick!” It’s an answer almost worthy of a tattoo, I suggest. “If you can wake up and not be a dick all day,” he says with a laugh, “then you’re on to something.”
Garbage
GARBAGE
Shirley, She’s Serious Garbage take the stage in Perth for the first time in eight years at Soundwave this Monday. ALASDAIR DUNCAN speaks with Shirley Manson. When you see her on stage, firebrand Scottish singer Shirley Manson seems to overflow with confidence. She stalks, she howls, she hollers, and she carries herself with the air of someone who is essentially unfuckwithable. “When I start to sing, I come into my body,” Manson says. “It’s like my best version of myself – it’s my most open, honest, generous, fierce, furious version of myself. I stop feeling scared. I have to confess that all through my life, I’ve struggled with insecurity and self-doubt and malaise, even. When I’m on stage, all of that just goes away. Everything comes into sharp focus. When I’m singing, I think, ‘this is my purpose’.” Strange though it seems, for all of Garbage’s success, it was only recently that Manson felt confident enough to call herself a musician. “For whatever twisted reason, I always felt like I was much less of an artist than anybody else,” she admits. It was only during an extended hiatus from the band that Manson realised her calling.“I had seven long years to sit and think about it, and I realised that since childhood, all I’ve ever done is music,” she says.“At that point, I realised it was really simple. I realised I don’t have to be famous; I don’t have to play a character, I just have to make music. I realised at that point that I’d never felt happier or freer or more confident.” It’s not too big a stretch to say that Manson and her bandmates are a self-deprecating bunch. It’s all right there in the band name, which, if you choose, you can read as a one-word review, an attempt to put themselves down before anybody else gets the chance. This can be both a blessing and a curse – it keeps Manson and her three boys grounded, although it sometimes gets them in trouble… “That tendency has been with us since the start, and it definitely keeps us from taking ourselves too seriously,” Manson says with a chuckle. “A little of that can be fun, but when it becomes too powerful, it can have a very negative effect. Before we took our big hiatus, we’d reached a point where it actually became destructive to the band.” Manson still has her bad days, but she finds it easier to stay on top of them now. “If you’re born with those kinds of insecurities, I don’t know that they ever leave you,” she says, “but you learn to manage them. You learn to read the signals that these creeping thoughts are about to enter your brain – you learn how to switch them off faster and more effectively. They’re always there, but you can learn to turn the volume down and say, ‘I’m not going to listen to that, because you’re going to take me down a really bad path – I’m going to listen to something more positive and jolly’.” Last year, Garbage returned with Not Your Kind Of People, their first album since 2005’s Bleed Like Me. They were unsure how they’d be received after such a long break, but Manson realised that, in their absence, Garbage had been greatly missed.“This current tour has been a very emotional one!” she says with a laugh.“I think in part, that’s because we’ve been so inaccessible for so long. When people can’t get to you, they tend to yearn for you, you know?” 12
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ANTIBALAS At Attention This year, the Chevron Festival Gardens’ closing honours on Saturday, March 2, go to Antibalas, a worldmusic/afrobeat collective that hasn’t seen WA for three years. Fresh off a solid six months of shows touring their new self-titled album, founding member and saxophonist Martín Perna speaks to SABIAN WILDE. Originally hailing from Philadelphia, Martin Perna founded Antibalas with his co-conspirators in Brooklyn, New York, some 15 years ago. It’s a place perhaps more famous for the Beastie Boys than Antibalas’ Fela Kuti-inspired sounds. “It depends on where you live,” laughs Perna. “There are at least 200 languages spoken in Brooklyn.” Perna makes it clear that New York is a place where you can find anything, if you’re paying attention - and Antibalas are very much about paying attention, drawing from their combination of multiculturalism and urban America to make pointed political comment on their world. “I’ve been playing since I was 19; about half of my life now,” says Perna.“Antibalas is a band, but it’s also all the musicians and experiences its connected us with. A lot of musicians are fans of the band and invite us to collaborate in different ways, which has put us in the orbit of people like Paul Simon and Public Enemy. “I think part of it is maintaining a conscious and sustained critique of the hypocrisy in America. It’s a country that has a lot of promise, but it hasn’t achieved it yet, although it pretends it has in the
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Antibalas
decisions it makes. “Most of our songs revolve around that, whether it’s questions of security, identity or how the country runs in times of crisis,” he says. “But all of that has been going on for a long time and we can only record so many songs for an album. Like, we’ve been playing Dirty Money since a couple of years before the financial crisis, but it’s the single from our new record.” Of course, many of Antibalas’ songs eschew English, which in itself is a pointed statement. “The concept that different people can live in a community with cultural diversity is one of the things that’s possible, but I don’t think it’s in the DNA of the country,” Perna says. “The people that started this country owned slaves, people could be property and there were very definite ideas on who had a voice. Women didn’t have a voice. If you were black you didn’t have a voice. If you didn’t own property you didn’t have a voice. “The United States is not a bad place to live, but a lot of people live under the illusion that everything is right here... and it’s not. “It’s kind of natural, if you’re paying attention, to pick up things in your community, elements of different languages coming together to become a new language, a new kind of conversation. I think the same thing is true of music. “As musicians and people that are paying attention, this is one of the things we can do, it’s our responsibility to question. But there can be no one voice of America, because the country is so fragmented.” Perhaps naturally, Antibalas is a shifting scape of committed musicians sharing a question, more that a message. Perna says that songs develop through both individual and collaborative efforts. “What we each bring to it are our own melodies and inspirations.”
DIVA DEMOLITION Brisbane she-devils Diva Demolition scored the opportunity of a lifetime to support KISS, Motley Crue and Thin Lizzy on the biggest touring circus of the Australian summer, which descends upon Perth Arena this Thursday, February 28. Singer/bassist Kylie Cowling shares her excitement with SHANE PINNEGAR. “Oh yeah, absolutely thrilled, the excitement hits at least five times a day!” Kylie Cowling gushes when asked about scoring the national support the Monster tour. “It’s a rock’n’roll dream come true... no words can really explain!” Cowling admits that getting the gig had little to do with them and was all about hooking up with the right team. “Well, it’s still a bit of a mystery to us,” she says, somewhat conspiratorially,“but I’ll tell you what I know. “Last year, we played a support in Brisbane for Doc Neeson’s solo band, and those guys really loved us. They went back to their record company friends, and all of a sudden it all started. The record company that we’re with, Spitfire Music, they’ve driven this whole thing. I don’t know what they do, I don’t know how they do it, but the good news is that they have been in the industry for a very, very long time. The guy who owns the record company started out as a roadie and he’s done all the biggest bands that you’ve ever known. So he’s friends with a lot of those people and I guess he’s got a few strings
Diva Demolition
he can pull, and a few favours he can pull in, and a bit of back scratching, and that’s how it’s really come about. “So it has had nothing to do with us, aside from the fact that our concept, our act, and our genre sort of ticked the boxes, I guess.” Since the tour was announced before Christmas, life has changed somewhat for Cowling and co. “We’ve sort of been told to give up our day jobs,” she says laughing at the thought, “and really start to work the social networking, as that’s where all the hype of things in popular culture spring from nowadays. So we’re glued to Facebook and Twitter. Basically we’re stuck to our phones like some sort of 14 year-old child!” With histor y in Adelaide outfits Kaleidescope and Legless, Cowling laughs when she says Diva Demolition is “a combination of all the fuck ups that have happened in the past to now. “The experience that I have gathered from all that, certainly equipped us for what we’re about to do, I think. I guess I can appreciate it as a person that has been in the industry a lot of time, and had the roller-coaster of good and bad happen. This is the top of the roller-coaster I guess, not that it’s all downhill from here, but...” Hopefully this isn’t the band peaking early and is, instead, just a stepping stone. “I know!” exclaims Kylie, before laughing loudly again, “One day I’d hope that we might headline something!” As for the show itself, and how to make an impact ahead of three era-defining, stadium sized mega-bands, Cowling is nervous but confident. “We’ll have probably 20-25 minutes at the most,” she accepts, “so it’s going to be intense. We’re just gonna give it everything we’ve got, and hopefully the performance will see it through!”
X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays
www.xpressmag.com.au
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The Stone Roses (Photo: Kevin Cummins)
THE STONE ROSES The Third Coming The Stones Roses return to Perth as one of the headliners of the Future Music Festival on Sunday, March 3, at Arena Joondalup. Death Disco DJ/impresario ANTON MAZ recalls a good life with The Roses. Back in 1989 I was a typical spotty adolescent listening to dodgy Top 40 - no Triple J at that stage and I was way too uncool to know about RTR. I think at this stage my music appreciation extended as far as The Proclaimers, Travelling Willburys and Fine Young Cannibals. That is until I discovered The Stone Roses... and then everything changed. I vividly recall the video for Fools Gold coming up on Video Hits or MTV and it completely blowing my mind. The image of four super cool lads strolling in slow motion through the Penines, wearing the baggiest flares and psychedelic hoodies, with all the swagger and confidence of the coolest band on the planet. I was sold!
For my 13th birthday I got given The Stone Roses self titled LP... but no Fools Gold? WTF? At first I was disappointed that their debut didn’t contain those acid house-tinged baggy grooves. It wasn’t until the epic outro of I Am The Resurection that it all clicked. Here was a band that could blend political and poignant lyricism with sun-kissed, pastoral melodies, John Squire’s unbelievably good guitar work and by far the funkiest white rhythm section in the history of rock. Yeah, Ian Brown isn’t the most dynamic vocalist but his swagger matched with Reni’s sweet harmonies masked any flaws and rounded out this influential young Mancurian rock band, who, along with another influential band of misfits, the Happy Mondays, would
FUTURE MUSIC PLAYING TIMES STAGE 1 FUTURE MUSIC
STAGE 2 MAZDA2 MARIACHI
9.00 8.00 7.00 6.00 5.00 4.30 3.30 2.30 1.45 1.00 12.00
9.00 Bloc Party 7.40 The Stone Roses 6.25 The Temper Trap 5.10 A-Trak presents A 4.15 Azealia Banks 3.10 Fun. 2.00 Ellie Goulding 1.00 Gypsy & The Cat Hosted By Tenzin
Avicii Hardwell Dizzee Rascal Madeon Steve Aoki PSY Rudimental Live Rita Ora Nervo Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike Stafford Brothers & Timmy Trumpet
STAGE 4 COCOON HEROES STAGE 3 THE PRODIGY Pres. WARRIORS DANCE
8.45 7.30 6.15 5.15 4.00 3.00 2.00 1.00 12.00
The Prodigy Borgore Boys Noize Live Zeds Dead Feed Me With Teeth Kill The Noise Zanes Lowe DJ Fresh Live Sun City
STAGE 5 WAKE YOUR MIND
9.00 7.00 5.30 4.30 3.30 2.00 1.00 12.00
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Andy Moor Cosmic Gate feat. Emma Hewitt W&W tyDi Super8 & Tab Ben Gold German Jason Creek
8.00 6.00 4.30 3.15 2.00 12.45 12.15
Richie Hawtin Sven Vath Ricardo Villalobos Seth Troxler Magda Darren J vs. Craig Hollywood Nylon
STAGE 6 STRONGBOW SUMMER FOAM PARTY
8.00 7.00 6.00 5.00 4.00 3.00 2.00 1.00 12.00
Jack Masel Wasteland Jackness Chiari Paradise Paul Rob Sharp Luke P Samuel Spencer Dan Van Halen
STAGE 7 V ENERGY GREEN ROOM
STAGE 8 JACK DANIEL WHITE RABBIT SALOON
8.00 7.00 6.00 5.00 4.00 3.00 2.00 12.30
8.00 7.00 6.00 4.00 3.00 2.00 1.00 12.00
Ekko & Sidetrack JD4D Junior Black & Blunt Kenny L Mind Electric Kno Agents Declan
Melotyx & Boston Switch Lukas Wimmler Professor Hush Death Disco DJs Eddie Electric Jo Lettenmaier Aarom Wilson Alfie Gorman
turn this tired ex-industrial city of the north into the coolest place on the planet. “It’s not where you’ve been it’s where you’re at.” - Ian Brown So not only did they give us the coolest debut LP ever they gave me, my brothers and best mates a design for life. So enthralled by this one band were we that we decided to start one too. Reni became my drumming idol; my twin bro, Jerome, grabbed a bass; Andrei, was to be our singer; Jack and Julian the guitars and Travis beats, bleeps, synths and loops. Only Julian and Travis could play, but that didn’t stop us. Two years of intensive jamming - covering The Roses, Happy Mondays, Smiths, The Fall, James and Depeche Mode and our band, Yummy Fur, was born.
Fast forward to 1995 and The Roses had just released their long awaited follow up, Second Coming, after almost a decade of false starts, legal wrangles, fall-outs and all the rest. Musically the band were better players, the instrumentation was mind-blowing, it sounded to me as if they had been listening to a lot of Led Zeppelin in the interim... not a bad thing, but I am biased. When news broke on an impending Australian tour I was ecstatic and started hustling or should I say harassing Squasha the local promoter to try and get Yummy Fur the local support. I couldn’t believe it when that fateful, earthshatteringly cool night came along and here we were sharing a stage with our idols. The fact that Reni had just quit the band did put a dampener on things, but we turned in a pretty solid and well received set. We then got to see our heroes live with Robbie Maddox stepping into Reni’s sizable shoes. Now maybe nostalgia has clouded my memory but I do recall them being awesome on both nights. Again, Ian’s vocals being carried by some nice backing vocals from the guest keys man. John Squire’s guitar work was exceptional; Mani was the crowd favourite, interacting and bantering with the crowd whilst Ian ‘King Monkey’ Brown was just the coolest motherfucker I’d ever seen front a band. Something that made him even cooler in our eyes was during the soundcheck he walked around with a massive bag of stinky buds, distributing handfuls to each crew member... a true man of the people. The following day myself and my girlfriend (now wife), hung around the bar at the Tradewinds Hotel hoping to catch the band and get our CDs and posters signed. Well we did but we also got to play pool and hang out with Mani and Ian for about an hour. We were humbled by how approachable and down to earth they were. For once, our idols lived up to all expectations. Just a few years back Mani was in town with his other band, Primal Scream - how many legendary bands can one dude be in any way? I managed to get a hold of him through the intraweb and convince him to come do a DJ set at The Flying Scotsman. What started as an absolutely off the hook crazy-ass celebration of all things Madchester and Britpop turned into an epic three-day bender, finishing up around 6am when we were turfed out of the Duxton, the location of a very memorable Big Day Out after party. For the whole three days Mani made us feel like the coolest guys on the planet. His warmth, sincerity and exuberant spirit confirmed my love for The Roses, a quartet of shaggy haired, working class kids from Salford who dared to think big and produce some of the most listenable and memorable music of the last 30 years. I cannot wait to see them again at Future, it’s what the world’s been waiting for. Long live The Roses.
HOW TO GET TO THE FUTURE AND BACK GATES OPEN 12.00PM PUBLIC TRANSPORT Public Transport is the easiest way to get to and from the Festival and it’s FREE! Future Music Festival is a joint-ticketed event, meaning your ticket to the Festival includes travel on all Transperth services, for three hours before, during and after the event, until the end of service. Simply show your ticket to the driver or inspector on your way to the Festival and your wristband on the way home. Catch the train to Joondalup Station which is a quick walk or free shuttle bus ride to the venue.
TRANSPERTH TRAINS The Joondalup Station is within walking distance from the venue and extra trains are scheduled to run from midday until 12midnight. The last train scheduled from Joondalup Train Station to the city is 12midnight, with connecting services departing from Perth.
TRANSPERTH BUSES Free shuttle buses will be running from Joondalup Train Station (departing Stand 9) to Joondalup Arena from 11.30am to 6.00pm. Buses will be running from Joondalup Arena back to Joondalup Station from 7.30pm. Please visit www.transperth. wa.gov.au or call 13 62 13 for more information.
Joondalup Drive between festival patrons are: McLarty Avenue Car Park Shenton Avenue and Boas Avenue Car Park Grand Boulevard Davidson Terrace Car Park Additional road closures will Central Park Car Park be set up and in operation Please do not park at by 8.00pm to ensure Lakeside Joondalup patrons depart the venue Shopping Centre as it is safely. These additional open for retail trading. closures apply to: Joondalup Drive from TICKETS Collier Pass to Shenton Limited tickets remain Avenue through ticketmaster. Shenton Ave between com.au (136 100) and the Pontiac Way and Lawley following retail outlets: 78 Court Records (Perth), Blue 62 Signage and traffic (Busselton), Collins Music management personnel will (Bunbury), DJ Factory be in place to direct vehicles (Northbridge), Geraldton through detour routes. CD Centre (Geraldton), Motorists are requested Goldfields Art Centre to obey all instructions (Kalgoorlie), Live Clothing from personnel and be (All Stores), Mills Records patient if there is any traffic (Fremantle), Planet Video congestion. (Mt Lawley) and Urban 280 Freeway Traffic – use (Albany). Hodges Drive exit only for Joondalup CBD access. LINE UP
If you can’t get them before the event, your tickets can be collected on the day from the Ticket Box located outside the Main Gate.
WRISTBANDS You will be issued a wristband upon entry. Patrons found within the venue without a valid entry wristband will be removed from the venue at the promoter’s discretion.
CONDITIONS OF ENTRY All bags are subject to a safety and security search upon entry. Prohibited items will be confiscated. No Pass Outs.
OVER 18S ONLY
This event is strictly for those aged 18 years and over. Current photo ID must be shown upon entry to the event. The only acceptable Occasionally changes to the forms of photo ID are: DROP OFF / TAXI ZONE line-up and / or program current WA drivers license, There will be a dedicated times occur that are out current passport or current drop off/pick up area for of the Promoter’s control. WA proof of age card. Entry patrons getting dropped The Promoter reserves may be refused without off/picked up by car or taxi the right to change the adequate ID and there will located at Lawley Court lineup and program times be no refund on your ticket. car park. Cars will enter via without prior notification ATM Shenton Ave and Lawley and refunds may not be Court. It is then a short walk available. There will be ATM facilities to the venue. onsite.
EVENT PARKING
For those of you who drive to the event, please ensure you have a nominated skipper for your safety, and ensure you do not drink and drive. There is no parking available for festival patrons at Arena Joondalup. Festival patrons ROAD CLOSURES are also not permitted to FROM 10AM park at Lakeside Joondalup Shopping Centre. From 10.00am the following roads within the vicinity of There are many car parks within walking distance of Arena Joondalup will be closed and detours in place: Arena Joondalup and all parking is FREE on Sundays. Waabiyn Way Car parks available for Kennedya Drive
COLLECTIONS & ENTRANCE
DOS AND DON’TS
No recording equipment If you don’t already have (e.g. video, tape recorders your tickets, we STRONGLY or professional cameras) recommend you visit your No alcohol, soft drinks local Ticketmaster outlet or food is allowed to be to collect them or if you brought into the venue bought them online, print No glass items them out before going Drugs of any sort won’t be to the event. If you have chosen the Ticketfast option tolerated. Don’t be stupid and be safe. then remember that you Sealed bottles of water will need to log into your are allowed Ticketmaster account to Remember to slip, slop, print the tickets. We want slap! to make your entry as quick Big smiles are a must! as possible! For a full list of outlet locations, please go See playing times and to www.ticketmaster.com. map on page 3. au/h/tcentres/wa.html X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays
www.xpressmag.com.au
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FUCKED UP
Glisten In The Sun Fucked Up hit Soundwave on Monday and headline their own show at Capitol on Sunday, March 3, with The Dear Hunter and O’Brother. ANDREW ‘HAZARD’ HICKEY reports. Fucked Up, the name, is a real ball-grabber. Fucked Up the band is intimidating, to some at least. Ultimately though, this Toronto five-piece is an eccentric collective of musical shit-stirrers who are passionate about what they do. “I wouldn’t say we’re normal. We are oddballs and we have a different way of thinking, but we’re not as crazy as some make us out to be,” says Fucked Up’s trusty bass player/backing vocalist and all-around cool rock chick Sandy Miranda. Leaving a trail of sonic destruction and creating an aura that has squares shaking in their loafers, the band will be making their awaited return to Aussie shores. The upcoming tour as part of the
Fucked Up massively epic Soundwave lineup is the first time they’ve invaded another country in some time. “We haven’t really been playing much lately. We took a bit of time off last year because a couple of the guys have kids, so they wanted to spend time with the family.” Despite a brief break, this sonic beast is going back into hyperdrive as they embark on their Soundwave adventure, in addition to working on a new group album.“We’ve started working on new material recently, which has been good. Our last album [David Comes to Life] came out two years ago in June. We’re just getting back into it, but so far so good.” As a bass player, Miranda – also known by her charming stage moniker Mustard Gas – has a
unique role, joined by three guitarists, Mike Haliechuk, Josh Zucker and Chris Colohan, along with Jonah Falco on drums and one of modern rock’s most explosive frontmen in Damian Abraham. The process of all these moving parts coming together during recording is one that appears to be both natural and chaotic. “Those of us in the band that just play instruments have a different role in the creative process,” says Miranda. “We jam a lot and are usually laying stuff down most of the day. Then we’ve got our key songwriters, who are Mike, Jonah and Damien.” The fact that there are essentially four guitar-wielding beasts going at it makes the process that much more unique, as Miranda explains. “Because I play bass and we have three guitarists, it’s a unique challenge because there’s not always a lot of room. So it’s a creative process to try and find your spots within the song and slot in some interesting parts. I like to describe it like we’re making a suit together. A metal suit, glistening in the sun.” No strangers to diverse line-ups, Fucked Up will be sharing the Soundwave stage with the likes of Metallica, Slayer, Cypress Hill, and one of the bands Miranda is most excited for, Blink 182. The idea of all these titans in their own right chilling out backstage, swapping stories and techniques, is enough to make your head explode. However it’s not necessarily the case. “We get to hang out with people from some of the smaller bands, which is fun and a good way to meet like-minded people, but the bigger bands are normally in their own area.”
Deerhoof
DEERHOOF Noise From The Boys
San Francisco noise-pop artistes Deerhoof play at the Rosemount Hotel this Thursday, February 28, with local support from Runner and Doctopus. TRAVIS JOHNSON has a word with drummer, Greg Saunier. Greg Saunier barely noticed when the new year started. It just kind of passed him by. When everyone else was celebrating the silly season, he was on the road, spruiking Breakup Song, the latest album by Deerhoof. It has, he admits, put him out of synch with the world. “While the rest of you all start your year in January,” he explains, “Deerhoof start ours when our album comes out, and our album came out in September, so that was our beginning. I’m still right in the middle of it. We’ve done two US tours, a Japanese tour and a European tour already... and you’re next.” It ‘s a routine he’s become at least partly used to, though. Since their formation in 1994, Deerhoof - aka Saunier, Satomi Matsuzaki, John Dieterich, and Ed Rodriguez - have been remarkably prolific, releasing 12 LPs and an impressive amount of other material. With so much recording work under his belt, Saunier has a fair idea of how far along he is in the process. “ To me, we’re k ind of mid-way through,” he says. “This will be out first trip to Australia since the new album came out, so it’s hard for me to feel reflective about it. I still have this sense of anticipation, and the music still feels kind of new to me, so it’s exciting. I won’t be able to reflect yet - gimme a call in another year or so!” He laughs, but he sounds tired - the functional exhaustion of a marathon runner at the end of his race. Much of that is because, since they first formed, Deerhoof have adhered to a DIY work ethic; Saunier and, by extension, his bandmates, would much rather drive themselves to the limits of their endurance than become reliant on outside help. “If we had a team of producers or mixers or whatever to do the music for us and all we had to do was just walk in and play, then it would be different, but we started out as a band with a zero budget, and we learned to do everything ourselves, and so it basically stayed that way. “We got so used to doing everything ourselves, from writing the songs, to recording it, to mixing the songs, to coming up with artwork and stuff, we kind of do everything ourselves at home. So that last month before a record gets done contains a lot of ‘round the clock mixing sessions, and panicked remixing of songs, and rewriting of lyrics and stuff like that, just trying to make the deadline.” Add the rigours of touring on top of that, and you begin to get a picture of a life with very little downtime. Still, Saunier wouldn’t have it any other way, citing the band’s fans as his chief motivation. “Deerhoof fans are the best fans that a band could ever have, because they don’t expect us to play the hits or repeat ourselves on every record - they expect us to do something surprising and that kind of pressure forces you to be creative.”` 18
X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays
Nonesuch Records/Warner
Rodney Crowell may be best known for being Mr Roseanne Cash for some time, but he was a member of Emmylou Harris’ Hot Band in 1975 where he played guitar and sang harmony. Nearly 40 years on the two join up again for an album of duets that will warm the hearts of fans of these two country music heavy hitters. Old Yellow Moon collects a dozen tunes that draw from the music that Harris and Crowell became synonymous with when the Southern Californian music scene was blending country music and rock’n’roll. Hank DeVito’s Hanging Up My Heart has the right amount of honky tonk as Harris plays the lead role. Invitation To The Blues has the deft hand and the stirring harmonies that were the trademark of Parson and the Flying Burrito Brothers. Crowell is no slouch in the voice department, more than holding his own in a genre that he knows so well. The interpretations of others songs are timelessly done, but it is Crowell’s own tunes that are the brightest moments here. Bluebird Wine is given a makeover from the time when Crowell was travelling the heartworn highways. Harris and Crowell have little to prove and can make albums without expectation or pressure. Old Yellow Moon is the sound of a couple of legends having fun and delivering the goods.
Tweetyrecords
Universal
Epitaph
EMMYLOU HARRIS AND RODNEY CROWELL Old Yellow Moon
CHUCK LOEB Plain’n’simple
POPSTRANGERS Antipodes
BAD RELIGION True North Despite frontman Greg Graffin’s tongue-in-cheek assertion that after this album they would “all join the navy, do honest work,” Bad Religion are showing no sign of slowing down despite most of the band members now being in their 50s. True North, the band’s 16th album, has peaked at number 19 on the US Billboard charts, the band’s highest ever ranking, as well as hitting number #1 on the iTunes rock chart. For some bands this would signal a compromise to the mainstream, but when it comes to Bad Religion it simply means that the fans they have gathered over the last 34 years are now legion, despite belonging to straight-up punk fraternity. Graffin’s lyrics are layered, angry and challenging, delivered in his distinctive voice just as powerful as it ever was. Frenzied guitar work and whiplash-fast drums underline the politically-charged material which is all written by either Graffin or guitarist ‘Mr Brett’ Gurewitz. There’s some excellent stuff here – Robin Hood In Reverse, Past Is Dead, Popular Consensus and singles True North and Fuck You are all great tracks, and listening to the album in one sitting leaves you somewhat exhausted and a little knocked up, like being punched in the face. It’s a lesson in punk from the true masters.
Th e t h r e e m e m b e r s o f Popstrangers (yes a moniker that was clearly made up at the 11th hour) all bonded over their shared histories of dead end day jobs and passion for skewed guitar rock. Popstrangers have a string of singles that found a home on the Flying Nun record label that have set them up for the onslaught of their debut album, Antipodes. Antipodes is a darker beast than the Auckland band’s pedigree would suggest with busy rhythms and fuzzed guitar being the trio’s main arsenal. The art rock approach comes to the fore on Jane that starts sedately enough with a single organ before steadily building before erupting into a wall of sound. It is when Popstrangers play it straighter that they are at their most potent. What Else Could They Do chugs along at a steady pace and stumbles into the realms of shoegaze without overdoing the dream factor. Heaven is succinct and the bands best bet of being played regularly on the airwaves with a chorus that is both claustrophobic and catchy as hell. With Antipodes, Popstrangers have delivered a full-length that sounds like it was recorded when they were on the run. There are so many twists, turns and detours that it is a sonic delight which offers something new around each corner.
_ JOSH FERGEUS
_ CHRIS HAVERCROFT
More than just a jazz guitar player, Chuck Loeb is the consummate all-rounder. With a career that spans over four decades, he has proven himself to be a versatile arranger and producer in a wide range of styles. His current release, Plain’n’Simple, exemplifies that from the sizzling prestissimo tempo and agility of Organeleptic, to the straight-ahead swing of The Blues App - with a burning organ solo by Pat Bianchi – feet and all. The music compass then turns towards Brazil with an authentic interpretation by vocalist, Carmen Cuesta, of E’Com Esse Que Vou Eu followed by Loeb’s You Got It – and do we ever. Then out of the blue comes a poignant vocal version of the Hoagy Carmichael/Johnny Mercer standard, Skylark, by his daughter, Lizzie Loeb. His last track, Hello shows the full artistry and musical skills of Chuck Loeb and his handpicked musicians (Harvey Mason on drums, Pat Bianchi on organ and special guests Eric Marienthal on sax, trumpeters Til Bronner and Nathan Eklund and percussionists Mauricio Zoratelli and David Charles). Sublime.
_ HELEN MATTHEWS
_ CHRIS HAVERCROFT
JOHNNY MARR The Messenger Warner
Johnny Marr is a god. If you doubt that, listen to the intro of The Smiths’ Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now, or How Soon Is Now? – surely only a divine being could make a guitar sound so sublime. Now that’s been established, let’s be objective about Marr’s new solo album, The Messenger. Disappointingly, God created a dud. It opens strongly enough, with The Right Thing Right, a song driven by a stomping Northern soul beat. It’s fun, but nothing that Paul Weller or Doves haven’t done better. As the album continues, a stronger new wave influence is evident – Marr is revisiting the sounds of his pre-Smiths years. And it occasionally works, as on the funky, angular title track, which boasts the album’s best guitar solo. Yet there are too many bland, guitar-led tracks that verge on MOR. The pub rock of Upstarts is almost offensively dull. Generate! Generate! tries harder, and at least makes you sit up and listen, but includes even more facile lyrics (‘Generate! Generate! Generate!/ You’ve got know-how, I got to know now/Calculate! Calculate! Calculate!’). You beg for it to offer more, but it never does, and in that respect it’s representative of the album as a whole. The Messenger is at best pleasant but instantly forgettable. Save your cash and put it towards the Smiths box set, Complete, instead.
_ DAVID WILD
EELS Wonderful, Glorious E Works/Cooperative
Mark Oliver Everett, AKA E, has been the nucleus of Eels since their debut album (as the actual band Eels) in 1996. Band members have come and gone, mostly at the behest of Everett, and through this revolving-door collection of musicians, E has kept the Eels sound inventive and eclectic. Wonderful, Glorious – the band’s tenth studio album – sees Everett loosening his grip on what has been his musical baby. He escaped his basement homestudio and went into a proper recording facility with no set plan. He, along with four other guys (who have, surprisingly, been a constant in Eels for the last few years at least), just had a jam, and the 13 cuts on this latest album are the fleshed-out results. There’s no real set theme on Wonderful, Glorious, which is exactly how E wants it, it seems. Perhaps it’s his personal reaction to the focussed direction of the trilogy of Eels albums released throughout 2009 and 2010 where themes of loss and rejuvenation were heavy in the mix. One does get a sense of resolution in this new LP, though. In album opener Bombs Away, E rasps ‘I’ve had enough of being complacent/I’ve had enough of being a mouse’ over the backdrop of skulking bass and glitchy guitar noise, and the sense of inner strength reappears in the folky On The Ropes. However, it’s the building, joyous title track, Wonderful, Glorious that is the perfect summation of the album’s vibe. A lot of Wonderful, Glorious sounds like a patchwork of ideas pieced together, as a jam album should. But amongst the diverse sounds, there’s also a feeling of familiarity that comes with the songwriting skill of E. _ RICK WARNER www.xpressmag.com.au
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X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays
IT’S NOT JUST CRICKET Your Legs!, in which he plays cocksure cricketer Stavros, he admits that it wasn't so much the script as the opportunity it represented. "It doesn't really matter what the script is like." he says candidly. "To go to India to play cricket and do a film over there - part of the reason you become an actor is to go other places and do interesting things. I think I was always going to be lenient on the script no matter how it read." Perhaps it's lucky that the script, by co-star Brendan Cowell and based on the true story of a minor cricket team, The Abbotsford Anglers, who went on a tour of India, is pretty decent. It's a fairly Damon Gameau, familiar to audiences from a fair range of material from traditional larrikin comedy with a big heart, and Gameau, along with Underbelly to Balibo, and even an episode of How I Met Your Mother, is a Cowell and star Stephen Curry, give the proceedings an amiable charm. fairly laid back and unpretentious kind of guy. So much so, in fact, that when asked what attracted him to the new Aussie sports comedy Save CONTINUED PAGE 22
X-Press Magazine and Bankwest Movies by Burswood present a special charity screening of the knockabout cricket comedy Save Your Legs! tonight, Wednesday, February 27, at Burswood Park, with music from DJ Charlie Bucket, gates open at 6:30. Seats are still available, and entry is by gold coin donation. TRAVIS JOHNSON talks to actor Damon Gameau.
www.xpressmag.com.au
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FLIGHT TO FREEDOM
Cedric and Hope, Flickerfest
FLICKER THE WRIST
Australia’s only Academy Award accredited short film festival is rolling into town next Wednesday, March 7, at The Camelot Outdoor Cinema. Showcasing the best short subjects the Australian film scene has to offer, as well as the finest international short films, Flickerfest is a must for serious cineastes. Featuring the talents of David Wenham, Cate Blanchett, Barry Otto, Nash Edgerton, and local animation mavens Jakob Fjord and Pierce Davison, who will be presenting their short stop motion film, Cedric and Hope. The programme runs until Sunday, March 10. Head to lunapalace.com.au for details.
New Zealand born, Perth based artist Fern Petrie exhibits Flights of Fancy, her latest collection of paintings and three-dimensional works, at Linton and Kay Galleries City Space from Thursday, March 7, until Thursday, March 21. Drawing on such influences as Victorian and Edwardian children’s books, reclaimed toys, and old furniture, Petrie’s work merges the fantastical and the possible in a captivating and often haunting way. Head to lintonandkay.com.au for further information.
Flights of Fancy
SEASIDE STONEWORK Damon Gameau in Save Your Legs! CONTINUED FROM COVER
According to Gameau, it was a fairly relaxed shoot, with everyone being able to contribute. “Brendan wrote the script,” he says. “But to his credit, he was always very open about going, ‘Look, you guys know the characters better than I do. If you want to chuck in some lines, go for it.’ Which is nice, because sometimes script writers can be a bit precious.” With his previous acting experience being mostly confined to dramatic roles, Gameau found the opportunity to try his hand at comedy both liberating and educational. “ You’ve almost got to be more committed,” he maintains. “If that makes sense. It’s all about timing in comedy, as I’m gradually learning, and if you’re not present, if you’re not listening and engaged in the scene it’s not funny. It’s all about that timing and getting it right.
The intuitive element comes from practice, and I’m really enjoying it. It’s so buoyant; everyone’s playing, and you’re encouraged to play. You feel like a child - it’s a group of men behaving like 10 year olds.” Gameau’s next acting gig was a more serious affair, although one that still took place in the cricketing world; he essayed the part of Greg Chappell in the Channel 9 series Howzat! Kerry Packer’s War. He assures us that it was a coincidence.“I hadn’t looked at cricket in 12 years, and then boom! Suddenly I’m in India. Then I had a week off, and I started Howzat! I don’t know, I guess I had to get it out of my system; maybe I hadn’t put a full stop on my cricket interests as a child. It was interesting, because I was playing a real person. I love that - you get to research them and learn interesting things about their lives.” _TRAVIS JOHNSON
The ninth annual Sculpture by the Sea exhibition at Cottesloe is almost upon us. Featuring works from over 70 different artist ranging from local creators, nationally renowned sculptors, and international contributors, this year’s exhibition is expected to attract in excess of 220,000 visitors. It runs from Friday, March 8, until Sunday, March 24. scuplturebythesea.com has all the details. childhood-morning by Chen Wenling, Sculpture by the Sea 2012
IN ON THE GROUND FLOOR
As part of Ground Floor, an initiative designed to give emerging Western Australian playwrights a leg-up in the often competitive and confusing world of theatre production, Stages WA, in conjunction with The Blue Room Theatre, recently announced that four local writers have been accepted into their ten month Playwright Mentor Programme. Jessica Messenger, Kevin Mararo Wangai, Ian Sinclair, and Melissa Egan will each receive intensive feedback from a range of theatre professionals cover the rest of the year, with focus on dramaturgy, network development, and professional observation.
LOOK BEFORE YOU LEAP
Buzz Dance Theatre presents their latest performance piece, Look the Other Way, at UWA’s Dolphin Theatre from Friday, March 8. A look at the immigrant experience through the lens of modern dance, this is sure to be a provocative and engaging show. Head to buzzdance.com.au for more.
CIRCUS BERSERKUS
From Friday, March 15, the good folks of The Twisted Vaudeville Circus will be strutting their stuff as guests of the Canning Agricultural, Horticultural, and Recreational Society. Having retooled their often risqué show into something more suitable for a 15+ audience, the Circus will invite their audience into a world of patomime, dancing, derring-do, and old fashioned entertainment from the dawn of the 20th century. Head to cahrs.com.au for more information.
The Impostor Tom hanks and Halle Berry star in Cloud Atlas
CLOUD ATLAS The Works
Directed by Andy Wachowski, Lana Wachowski, Tom Tykwer Starring Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Doona Bae, Hugo Weaving, Ben Whishaw, Jim Sturgess, Jim Broadbent, Hugh Grant The Wachowski siblings, along with German director Tom Tykwer, swing for the fences with this flawed, but hugely ambitious and affecting adaptation of David Mitchell’s acclaimed novel. A sprawling epic that encompasses six diverse but interconnected stories in settings ranging from shipboard life in the 19th century Pacific to a barbaric post-apocalyptic milieu, the film explores the ways in which the effects of human behaviour ripple out from their origin, setting in motion events and consequences beyond anyone’s ability to predict. Along the way, we’re invited to ruminate on life, death, hope, courage, oppression, empathy - the works. It’s a film that stretches itself in terms of both narrative and theme, and while it’s not always successful - for all its alleged ambiguity, the filmmakers have a tendency to really beat their audience over the head with their sub-textual intentions - the sheer ambition in display is breathtaking. Liberties have been taken with the source material, but not as many as one might expect. Backstories have been simplified and potentially confusing complexities have been sanded off, but by and large the story works better as a film because 22
of these alterations. Also gone is the novel’s nested box chronological structure; instead, we cut rapidly between the various narrative threads, which helps to both highlight the thematic links between the stories and to keep the whole thing moving along at an engaging clip - something that, at almost three hours in length, the film definitely needs. The connective tissue is also strengthened by the choice to cast the same actors as different characters in each of the stories, so, for example, Tom Hanks crops up as a travelling doctor in the 19th century chapter, a criminal-turned-author in the sequence focused on Jim Broadbent’s beleaguered publisher, and a primitive tribesman in the far-future tale. While this tactic is largely successful, at times the makeup effects are woefully amateurish - particularly in the story set in a cyberpunk near future Korea, which sees a number of Caucasian actors, including Hugo Weaving and Jim Sturgess, donning yellowface, which caused a bit of a stir. There are other minor flaws that we could focus on - a tendency towards the mawkish in the big emotional beats, the sense that the filmmakers don’t entirely trust their audience to keep up with them, which leavens the film with a hint of arrogant condescension - but they are fairly insignificant in the face of the intellectual and artistic ambition on display. The Wachowksis and Tykwer are really trying to push the envelope here, experimenting both formally and thematically. That Cloud Atlas doesn’t quite hit the distant target it aims for is almost par for the course; the prize is in the effort, and this is a very impressive effort by anyone’s measure. _ TRAVIS JOHNSON
THE IMPOSTOR Lost Boys
Directed by Bart Layton Starring Frederic Bourdin, Charlie Parker, Nancy Fisher There’s an old axiom that says, more or less, that the world is not only stranger than we imagine, it is stranger than we can imagine. This gripping documentary from British filmmaker, Bart Layton, goes a long way to proving it true, starting out as a true-crime thriller and then slowly but surely leading us to a place where every certainty becomes about as stable as a sandcastle in a hurricane. In 1997, Texan family, the Gibsons, were apparently overjoyed to hear that their son, Nicholas Barclay (his surname from his mother’s former husband), who had disappeared three years previously at the age of 13, had been found in a Spanish orphanage. The boy, who claimed he had been kidnapped by a military conspiracy and sold into sex slavery, was promptly returned to the bosom of his kin, where he was enthusiastically welcomed back to the life he’d been stolen from. Of course, the years had wrought many changes; Nicholas, originally blonde-haired and blue-eyed, was now dark-haired and brown-eyed; he spoke with a continental accent; oh, and he looked about 23. Could it be that the boy claiming to be Nicholas was someone else? Well, of course - he was actually French conman Frederic Bourdin, who had made a career of impersonating minors. That’s not a spoiler,
though, and it doesn’t explain why the Gibsons claimed him as their own. That question is at the crux of this troubling, haunting film. Layton uses a combination of interviews, archival footage, and re-enactments to slowly build up a kind of jigsaw puzzle with a disconcerting hole in the middle right where the child Nicholas Barclay ought to be. The idea that the Gibsons accepted Bourdin in order to cover up the true cause of Barclay’s disappearance seems more and more likely as the film progresses, particularly to FBI investigator Nancy Fisher and private investigator Charlie Parker (who comes across like something right out of an early Coen Brothers film). Layton paces his film like a thriller, parcelling out information and revealing clues with Hitchcockian skill, but the film’s greatest asset is Bourdin himself, who willingly, eagerly, submits to being interviewed on camera. He’s a fascinating creature, charming and engaging, but hollow and seemingly completely free of remorse. He cheerfully admits to his wrongdoing, but hints that the Gibsons are responsible for worse, leaving us utterly confused as to who to believe - or how to believe anything. The ground is always shifting in The Impostor, and watching Bourdin being interviewed is like staring at a Magic Eye 3D poster and trying to find an image of a human being. Not just a procedural thriller, The Impostor uses the events it relates to make us question the very nature of truth, and the improbability of knowing anything for certain. Smart, thrilling and ultimately chilling, it’s well worth your time and effort. _ TRAVIS JOHNSON X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays
The Paperboy
THE PAPERBOY Southern Comfort
Directed by Lee Daniels Starring Zac Efron, Matthew McConaughey, Nicole Kidman, David Oyelowo, John Cusack, Macy Gray, Scott Glenn Lee Daniels, director of the harrowing Precious, has chosen to serve up this overcooked slice of Dixie noir for his follow-up effort, to mixed effect. Set in the late ‘60s and based on the novel by Pete Dexter, the film concerns the efforts of a disparate group of characters to prove the innocence of a violent and antisocial man, Hillary Van Wetter (John Cusack, somewhat miscast as a white trash alligator hunter), who is sitting on death row in rural Florida. There’s the idealistic journalist Ward Jensen (Matthew McConaughey) and his partner, Yardley Acheman (David Oyelowo), who have returned to Ward’s home town to investigate the case, hoping the resulting article will snag them a Pulitzer. There’s Ward’s younger brother, Jack (Zac Efron), a troubled young man who is drawn into the events. And then there’s Charlotte (Nicole Kidman), the oversexed death row groupie who is determined to put a ring on Van Wetter’s finger. It is she who has drawn all these people together, and it is she, a figure of unbridled sexuality, that motivates the plot more than any unsolved murder. It’s all a bit of a hodgepodge, really, as Daniels drags his narrative thread from the investigation, to Jack’s pretty much inevitable fatal
attraction to Charlotte, to issues of class, race, and sexuality that often seem at odds with the actual meat and potatoes plot. It’s never uninteresting, though, and the whole thing is drenched in a sweaty, garish, swamp-fever aesthetic, redolent of mean sex and damaged nerves - if Fellini had ever adapted Tennessee Williams, it might have wound up looking and feeling something like this. It’s the cast that really saves the day. Efron, rather surprisingly, is developing into a solid if not particularly nuanced performer, and McConaughey’s recent renaissance continues unabated - his sudden shift from romcom punchline to daring and committed indie mainstay is now clearly a tactical decision, and not a fluke. However, it’s Kidman’s turn as the seductive and short-skirted Charlotte that will attract the most attention, and that’s hardly surprising. It’s a sexy, showy role that demands fearlessness, and Kidman commits fully. The Paperboy was roundly derided at Cannes, and it’s easy to see why: it’s a bloated, brazen mess, and wholly unrepentant about it to boot. That’s a core part of its appeal: it’s a bad taste bouillabaisse of sex, shock, and secrets, and though Daniels occasionally takes a shot at elevating the material, he’s canny enough to understand that, at base, this is pop trash. Perhaps more than any other film of the last 12 months or so, this is certainly not for everyone, but if you’re up for a wallow in the dark end of human sexuality and desire - or simply want to see Nicole Kidman urinate on Zac Efron - this is well worth a look. _ TRAVIS JOHNSON
WA FASHION AWARDS Everyone’s A Winner, Baby
As the heat and humidity soared on Thursday evening most of Perth hunkered down in front of air conditioners or fans, while Perth’s ever growing fashion community stepped out into the hot night air in their finest frocks and suits for the 17th annual WA Fashion Awards. After enduring an hour outside in the punishing heat while fashionistas queued to have their photo taken on the red carpet, guests were ushered into the air conditioned foyer of Brookfield Place for the awards presentation, ready to find out who would take home one of the Lust Pearls diamond encrusted black pearl WAFA key rings valued at $4200 each. The model categories were first and the competition for all three was fierce. Recognising a runway model who has worked in Australia and overseas in the past 12 months, the Mercedes-Benz Runway Model Of The Year title was taken out by superstar Gabrielle Sullivan from Chadwick. The Lauren Wood Photographic Model Of The Year WAFA went to Nicole Harrison (also from Chadwick), and last but certainly not least, the Hatch Hot New Talent WAFA went to fellow Chadwick beauty Grady Wulff. Next up and it was time to recognise the work of an independent store that has showcased and nurtured local labels over the past year with the STM Best Dressed Boutique WAFA. Nominees included Claremont retail queen Zara Bryson, established boutique Varga Girl and newcomer Hatch. Considering Hatch only stocks WA labels, the Carillon City store was the clear favourite to take out this award and sure enough, they came up trumps. The final award for the first half of proceedings, the Betts Best Fashion Blogger saw Bonnie Friday, It’s Now Cool and Le Fanciulle stand off in a battle of online savvy and style, with newcomer It’s Now Cool (edited by Josephine Clough) taking out the title. After an acrobatic, aerial interlude, models painted head to toe in silver stepped up onto the stage for a brief ‘fashion moment’, showcasing oneof-a-kind designer creations crafted especially for the WAFAs, by designers such as Tindale, Garth Cook, Ae’lkemi and Zsadar. Back to the awards ceremony and the Total Digital Creative Edge WAFA, open to photographers, stylists, makeup artists, hair stylists, artists and creative directors, was presented to acclaimed fashion illustrator Pippa McManus. www.xpressmag.com.au
WA Fashion Awards winners Teagan Sewell of Sewellery (Fine Details), Alvin Fernandez of Ae’lkemi (City of Perth Most Innovative Designer of the Year) and Pippa McManus (Creative Edge). (Photo by Stefan Gosatti) On to the designer awards and the Fitness First Platinum Fine Details prize, recognising accessory designers, saw Sewellery taking home the top honours. One of the most hotly contested WAFAs, the Commonwealth Bank Designer For Tomorrow WAFA was next. Menswear designer Shane Newton took home the WAFA, graciously thanking his family and the industry for their support. The final category of the evening, the City of Perth Most Innovative Designer of the Year award, presented by Lord Mayor Lisa Scaffidi, saw three very different designers go head to head, with Ae’lkemi, Flannel and Garth Cook all vying for the prize. Ae’lkemi’s Alvin Fernandez who won the title, receiving rapturous applause from all in attendance as silver confetti rained from the sky. _EMMA BERGMEIER
Models backstage at the WA Fashion Awards (Photo by Stefan Gosatti) 23
The Soska Sisters, American Mary
JEN AND SILVIA SOSKA Twisted Sisters
American Mary screens as part of the Monster Fest horror film festival, which runs at Luna Cinemas from Thursday, February 28, to Wednesday, March 6. Go to lunapalace.com.au for details. Canadian twin horror auteurs Jen and Sylvia Soska’s first film, Dead Hooker in a Trunk, made an impact in horror circles, but didn’t get much notice outside of the genre community. However, their follow up, American Mary, has made quite an impact, winning acclaim from both audiences and critics, and drawing comparisons with noted Canadian body horror pioneer, David Cronenberg. It’s a notable improvement in both technique and narrative over the gonzo, low-budget aesthetic of Dead Hooker, and marks the pair as a filmmaking team worth keeping an eye on. Sylvia admits that the learning curve between Dead Hooker and American Mary was a steep one, but their experiences on their micro-budget debut prepared them for working on the larger-scale following film.“I’m very grateful for the experience we had with Dead Hooker in a Trunk because we would be the first to set, we would set up, bring food, bring wardrobe, go over makeup, go over shots, direct, shoot, then be the last ones to leave after cleaning up the location, then going home to dump footage and cut a bit if there was time. But everyone who was there on Hooker was there because they believed in the project and wanted to be there - no one had only one job, we did what we had to to make the film happen.”
“Every project is different,” Jen says. “One of the best lessons we took from our experiences on Dead Hooker was to teach ourselves how to roll with the punches. Hooker was an experience that had us involved in literally every aspect of filmmaking. It was a much better film school than any film school could ever hope to be.” More a revenge thriller than a straight-up horror movie, American Mary concerns the eponymous medical student, played by Ginger Snaps star Katharine Isabelle, who starts performing illegal operations for the extreme body modification community in order to pay her tuition. The film is a deliriously provocative trawl through the extremes of physical modification, but it’s also a pointed meditation on the nature of normality and individuality, anchored by a strong central performance by Isabelle, who was the Soskas’ first and only choice for the role. “I fell in love with Katie after seeing Ginger Snaps,” Jen tells us. “We were bullied throughout our youth and something we were called was the Fitzgerald sisters. We picked up the film and by the opening titles decided that wasn’t such a bad thing to be called. That film was huge for girls like us who were a bit outside the cookie cutter image that’s expected.” Sylvia concurs, saying, “We felt that she should have a film that rests on her ability to perform multi-dimensional real characters. I met her in passing on set once and decided there that one day we would work with her. When Jen and I decided to write the script, we wrote the part of her.” _TRAVIS JOHNSON
The Last Stand
THE LAST STAND
He Told You He’d Be Back Directed by Kim Ji-woon Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Forest Whitaker, Johnny Knoxville, Rodrigo Santoro, Peter Stormare, Luis Guzman Ten years since the regrettable Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines, Big Arnie is back in this formulaic but fun action flick from Korean director Kim Ji-woon (A Tale Of Two Sisters; The Good, The Bad, The Weird). Arnie stars as Arnie, a former LAPD Arnie who, sick of all the bloodshed being a big city Arnie, moved to the small border town of Sommerton Junction to be their Arnie. When a ruthless drug dealer (Eduardo Noriega) breaks out of death row and makes a run for the order in a souped-up sports car, only Arnie and his small but loyal team of deputy Arnies stand in the way. So, it’s not the most original story ever captured on film, but it makes up for that with enthusiasm and an infectious sense of fun. Plotwise, it’s essentially a Western of the High Noon or Rio Bravo variety, with a small group of locals stepping up to the plate when the forces of evil descend on their sleepy town. Nobody takes things too seriously, either - though Johnny Knoxville’s turn as local whack-job and gun nut Dinkum is easily the most outlandish thing on screen, everyone seems to grasp that they’re operating within a heightened reality and act accordingly - witness Peter Stormare’s deliciously drawling henchman, for example, or Luis Guzman’s put-upon deputy. 24
That doesn’t mean they skimp of the violence, though. At times, the film is ridiculously bloody, and that’s just as it should be. No one really wants a bloodless Arnie action romp, do they? Kim Ji-woon’s overblown sensibilities are perfectly suited to the excesses of 80s-style action cinema, and he acquits himself with aplomb. But the question remains: how is the big guy? Just fine. Age has not wearied him; in point of fact, Schwarzenegger makes a virtue of his advancing years (he is, almost unbelievably, 65 now), cracking more than a few jokes about his creaking joints. Weirdly enough, for the film that is supposed to herald his return to front-and-centre action filmmaking, there’s not nearly as much Schwarzenegger here as you might expect. The Last Stand is more an ensemble piece, and we spend a lot of time with the various townsfolk and deputies, as well as the Forest Whitaker-led FBI task force charged with bringing in Noriega’s villain, rather than just focusing on Schwarzenegger’s iconic presence. Overall, it works, but you have to wonder if both the big guy and his director were perhaps hedging their bets against his star power not being what it once was. All up, The Last Stand is a good time but not a great one. Arnie’s reputation was built on only a few great films, really, and we should know by now that your Terminators and Predators are actually few and far between. Seeing him tear up the big screen once again is a lot of fun though, and this is an enjoyable mid-range addition to his body of work. _ TRAVIS JOHNSON X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays
Sculpture By The Sea: Cottesloe Beach, Perth Over 70 local, interstate and international artists will transform Perth’s most popular beach into a stunning sculpture park overlooking the Indian Ocean with some of the most glorious sunsets of any major city in the world. Runs from Mar 8 - Mar 24. Entry is free. Not A Still Life: The Moore Gallery, Fremantle An exhibition by Daveena Cox. Runs Feb 22 - Mar 10. Climb: Free Range Gallery, Perth An exhibition of sculpture and drawings by Renae Coles explores the notion of the playground as a conceptual space. Runs Feb 22 - Mar 5. Ngaaditj Boodja (Salt Country): emerge Art Space, Inglewood Lindsay Harris’ new solo exhibition looks at the devastating effects of unchecked land clearing and the subsequent encroachment of salt upon once-fertile soil. Runs Feb 27 - Mar 23.
Amour
AMOUR
Death And The Maiden Directed by Michael Haneke Starring Emmanuelle Riva, Jean-Louis Trintignant, Isabelle Huppert, Alexandre Tharaud, William Shimell As far as pop culture is concerned, love is the province of the young. With this quietly devastating drama, dour Austrian provocateur Michael Haneke looks at the inevitable final act of a lifelong romance in a way that is profoundly moving and strangely disquieting. The film centres on Anne (Emmanuelle Riva) and Georges (Jean-Louis Trintignant), two retired music teachers in their 80s who are still very much in love. After Anne suffers a stroke, her condition deteriorates until, after surgery on a blocked artery, she is partially paralysed and confined to a wheelchair. Their daughter, Eva (Isabelle Huppert) urges Georges to put Anne into permanent care, but Anne insists on remaining in their Paris apartment, refusing to return to hospital. Inevitably, inexorably, the horrible fact that they are facing the slow and painful end of Anne’s life becomes inescapable. It’s an overwhelmingly affecting story, made all the more so by Haneke’s unflinching, unsentimental, but ultimately humane handling of the material. Confined largely to the ageing couple’s apartment and shot, for the most part, in long, static takes, as an audience we’re forced to derive our meaning solely from the performances of the actors within the frame. Jean-Louis Trintignant is excellent as the long-suffering but endlessly patient Georges, whose desire to keep his beloved wife alive
for as long as possible is at odds with his growing knowledge that she is in unbearable distress and agony, but the film truly belongs to the incredible Emmanuelle Riva. Perhaps still best known for her appearance in Alain Resnais’ Hiroshima mon amour, her performance here is nothing short of incredible, fearlessly capturing Anne’s hopeless and gradual physical degradation while never letting us lose sight of the essential humanity trapped within. It’s a riveting, heartbreaking turn. Indeed, it’s a riveting, heartbreaking film. Haneke has spent his career staring unblinkingly at the human condition, and his decision to turn his gaze on the subject of love uncovers some uncomfortable truths. Here is your happily ever after, he says; here is your forever. The notion of eternal fidelity is one that is well entrenched in our culture, but so rarely do we contemplate the horror, both physical and emotional, that comes with ageing and senescence. Our idealised eternity is eternal youth physical mortality rarely enters into our dreams of tomorrow. Hard-nosed Haneke has chosen to make us confront the inevitable. Doing so is a harrowing experience. Though Amour is an excellent film and welldeserving of the accolades heaped upon it, it is an uncomfortable experience, and not one to be entered into lightly. It is a brave and truthful film, though, so anyone feeling brave enough to confront some truths is advised to seek it out.
Two women with trident and spotty dress - Wendy Sharpe Wendy Sharpe - Artist and Model: Buratti Fine Arts, Fremantle A selection of works by the Australian painter Wendy Sharpe. Runs Mar 16 - Apr 18
The City of Melville Sculpture Walk: Deep Water Point, Mt Pleasant Now in it’s 10th year, the Sculpture Walk presents 26 new sculptures and installations set against a picturesque backdrop. It runs From 23 Mar - April 7, and entry is free.
THEATRE/DANCE/ PERFORMANCE
Ballet At The Quarry: Quarry Amphitheatre, Floreat Bring a picnic, relax under a starry sky and be immersed in three superbly choreographed works from around Picturing New York: Photographs From The Museum the globe as part of the 20th anniversary of Ballet At The Quarry. Showcasing two world premieres, Yes, I’ll Of Modern Art: Art Gallery Of WA, Northbridge Depicting the iconic New York that captivates the Move For You from Cass Mortimer Eipper and Jubilaté world’s imagination and the idiosyncratic details that from Daniel Roberts, and by the great Glen Tetley define New Yorkers’ sense of home, this exhibition the West Australian premiere of a modern Everest, from MoMA’s extraordinary photography collection Voluntaries, this special season includes the music of celebrates the city in all its vitality, ambition and Poulenc, Mozart and the American band, Beirut. Runs beauty. Made by approximately 90 artists responding Feb 8-Mar 2. Bookings via perthfestival.com.au. to the city as well as professionals on assignment, including Henri Cartier-Bresson, Walker Evans, Lewis Look the Other Way: The Dolphin Theatre, UWA Hine, Helen Levitt, Cindy Sherman, Alfred Stieglitz, Buzz Dance Theatre presents their latest work, which delves into the immigrant experience. Runs Mar 8 and Weegee. Runs ‘til May 12. Mar 16 Made To Remember : Ar t G a l l e r y O f WA , Hamlet: Subiaco Arts Centre Northbridge Made To Remember is a beautifully considered display WAAPA, in conjunction with Barking Gecko of significant Indigenous objects from the State Theatre Company, present a new interpretation of Art Collection. With a diverse selection of works Shakespeare’s immortal tragedy. Runs Mar 16 - Mar _TRAVIS JOHNSON including glass and ceramic objects, textiles and 22. Bookings via Ticketek. Amour screens as part of the Lotterywest Festival clothing, as well as examples of traditional sculpture, Films season at UWA’s Somerville Auditorium until Made to Remember encourages dialogue about the March 3 and Joondalup Pines from March 5-10. For place of an object not only in Indigenous art and culture, but in the broader Australian context. Runs Laurie Anderson & Kronos Quartet: Perth Concert more details, head to perthfestival.com.au. ‘til Jun 30. Hall, Perth Performance Feb 27. Bookings via Ticketek. Perth International Comedy Festival: numerous locations across Perth Western Australian Police Pipe Band, The Quarry Encompassing over 50 acts and 150 performances over 19 days, the 2013 Perth International Comedy Festival brings together the world’s top comic talent for a concentrated blast off laughs. Guests this year include 30 Rock’s Tracy Morgan, Margaret Cho, Jim Jefferies, Stephen K. Amos, and The Wayans Brothers. Amphitheatre It runs May 1 - 19. Head to perthcomedyfest.com.au for details Performance March 13. Tickets via Ticketmaster
VISUAL ARTS
MUSIC
FESTIVALS Perth Festival: numerous locations across Perth Bringing together the best in visual arts, theatre, dance, classic and contemporary music, films, opera and more, the Perth Festival is an all encompassing celebration of art. Runs Feb 7-Mar 2. Fremantle Street Arts Festival: City of Fremantle The streets of Fremantle come alive over the Easter weekend with a range of performances spread over 10 stages, including busking, street theatre, comedy, circus acts, cabaret, and more. Runs from Mar 30 - Apr 1.
Tracy Morgan, The Perth International Comedy Festival
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FolkWorld Fairbridge Festival: Fairbridge Village A friendly celebration of folk, roots, blues, acoustic, Celtic, a capella and world music in a traffic-free, selfcontained bushland site at Fairbridge Village. Three days of the best folk music that Australia and the world has to offer, including Kristina Olsen, Tinpan Orange, and Pugsley Buzzard. It runs Apr 26 - Apr 28. Bookings through folkworldfestival.com.au
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X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays
His branding might affect a dark vibe and his mostly-dubstep sound is injected with a certain brutality, but the man behind the Kill The Noise bandana is chilled and open as he discusses his friendship with Skrillex and his role in Korn’s massive shift in sound ahead of his Future Musicc appearance. JO CAMPBELL reports. With an intense take on dance music that combines a courageous blending of genre with immaculate production, LA-based Kill The Noise, aka Jake Stanczak’s career is burgeoning, not least down to support from Sonny Moore, aka Skrillex.
His tunes have been released on some of electronic music’s most prestigious labels including Deadmau5’s Mau5trap Recordings, and his own boutique imprint, Slow Roast Records, co-owned with turntablist DJ Craze. He’s also remixed some big tracks, including Noisia’s Diplodocus from last year’s groundbreaking Split The Atom. Stanczak’s most recent offering, a seventrack EP entitled Black Magic, released on Moore’s own OWSLA imprint, channels a slightly less aggressive dubstep journey than previous outputs, outputs seamlessly traversing varied tempos, incorporating less jolt and more melodic depth. The video-clip for Kill The Noise Pt. 2, the second instalment to part one of the same title on his first EP Kill Kill Kill,l recently dropped, showcasing a delightfully twisted claymation from UK director Lee Hardcastle. The vid exhibits clay-dough figures sacrificing each other in black magic fashion. Gore ensues.
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Kill The Noise “He was already doing his thing in a big way but he’d never really gone across anyone’s radar,” Stanczak says of Hardcastle. “I just happened to stumble across his stuff when I was looking for somebody to do the video for that song. I just wanted to do something different because the video for part one was done so well that it ended up winning an award through MTV. I thought: ‘there’s never gonna be any chance of trying to top that one’. “So instead of trying to top it, I thought I’d maybe just do something different. So I was like ‘perfect’ - I grew up in the ‘90s with Three Little Pigs claymation videos and Radiohead. There’s kind of a nostalgic thing with claymation that’s kind of classic and timeless and bizarre and there’s so many people making videos these days that I think it’s important to stand out from the crowd.” Non-conformity is something Stanczak excels in with his non-adherence to genre, but it may come as a surprise to Kill The Noise fans that he spent a former life solely producing D’n’B. His first foray into production was made under the alias ‘Ewun’ and included tech-step number 8 Bit Bitch collabed with Evol Intent, which rinsed many a-dancefloor during the mid 2000s. “I think most people in the States don’t know that exists,” he explains. “I think the genre thing isn’t as important as it once was but I haven’t really ended the Ewun thing, although I haven’t released anything under that moniker for four or five years. I think it’s nostalgia that makes people connect with old projects like that but at the end of the day Ewun was Jake, Kill The Noise is Jake. I’m still the same guy and I’m still making drum’n’bass. “The reason I ‘started over’ as Kill The Noise from the Ewun project was to start fresh with that prospective. I don’t want to just do drum’n’bass and just do things to cater just to that one audience. I’ll still do drum’n’bass, but I love house music and I love dubstep and hip hop and all kinds of stuff. I pigeon-holed myself so much in that one project that I was really pissing people off messing around with
things that weren’t drum’n’bass. So I thought, well I’ll separate them and make everyone happy.” Stanczak’s friendship with Moore is well documented, with much of his current success down to being aligned to Moore’s OWSLA label, recently enjoying a tour with his label buddies. But the two also enjoy a friendship outside of the studio. “Part of the reason we’ve become such great friends is that there are really high highs when everything is going you’re way and then those low points when you need a friend that understands the stress and how hard it is to stay inspired. Sonny is an amazing person in that sense. He can kind of sense when someone is having a rough time and, go down to the beach and just not think about music, just talk. So that’s what we do.” This partnership also led to Stanczak being instrumental in Korn’s experiment into dubstep on last year’s The Path of Totality, marking a massive change in direction for them. Stanczak worked on two tracks, Narcissistic Cannibal and Fuels The Comedy from that LP, a project he says came about when he met front-man Jonathon Davis via Moore at Coachella 2011. “And Jonathon turns out to be a really honest, great, awesome person who has a real passion for electronic music that stands outside of just dubstep; he’s into all kinds of stuff. We hit it off and I went down to the studio for about a week and that’s how Narcissistic Cannibal came about. He and Skrillex had already started that together and I came in and helped finish it with the rest of the band. “I had just as much of a role as everyone else, I felt that it was a group project. There weren’t really a lot of rules. They were like ‘hey, let’s just vibe out and make something fun, and something that we can all sort of agree on as being cool’. You know, it was an experiment and obviously people have all different kinds of opinions about it but at the end of the day I felt like it was successful. It was fun and that was the most important thing.” While this fun-loving attitude is in stark opposition to the image presented by the Kill The Noise terminator-inspired skull mascot, it’s obvious that Stanczak’s ability to merge seemingly ambiguous elements is part of his unique appeal. To quote the title name of Black Magic’s last track, the story of Kill The Noise is clearly To Be Continued.
» KILL THE NOISE » FUTURE MUSIC FESTIVAL » SUNDAY, MARCH 3 @ ARENA JOONDALUP
Borgore Tom Piper
GORE-STEPPING
Israeli-born producer Borgore aka, the man who claims he “ruined dubstep,” is in town this weekend as part of the mammoth Future Music Festival lineup. He’s not only bringing his Cream Machine show to the fest, but has also just released an exclusive Australian edition of his Flex and Decisions EPs for fans. See him along with The Prodigy, The Stone Roses, Avicii, Steve Aoki, Sven Vath and Boys Noize this Sunday, March 3 at Arena Joondalup.
Flume
FLUME TO INFINITY
Tickets go on sale this Friday, March 1 for man-of-themoment, Flume’s Infinity Prism Tour. Set to play Metro City on Sunday, May 12, the day after his Groovin’ the Moo appearance, Flume will be joined by fellow Laneway performer, Chet Faker. The show will feature a hexagonal infinity mirror embedded with LED lights... trippy. Tix from flumemusic.com.
MINISTRY OF PIPER
The Aviary rooftop is putting on a free party with Ministry of Sound’s Tom Piper on the decks this Saturday, March 2. Piper has remixed artists from Britney Spears to Dizzee Rascal and comes with a record box armed with his own tunes and the likes of Laidback Luke to Tiesto. Support from Zel, The Barons Red and Electonic DJs. Did we say it’s fo’ free?!
DJ Darren Briais
ORIGINAL FEEL GOOD VIBES
Take a step back in time to when helium vocals and piano riffs were king this Saturday, March 2 with Pure Old Skool III. From 6pm, Rosemount’s side bar will be decked out in all the signifiers of the early rave scene, lasers and all. Darren Briais, Hutcho, Leroy, NVS, Rob Fender, Rousa and Steil will be taking the decks. Tickets are $10+bf from Moshtix and DJ Factory. Smiley faces all-round.
AEPH
THE WHOLE PACKAGE Rome-born, UK-based AEPH is not your run-of-the-mill dubstep/ drum’n’bass producer. He chats with JO CAMPBELL about his journey to fame and about being asked to score an IBM commercial. Making the move to London five years ago marked the start of more than just a physical journey for Rome native and drum’n’bass producer Simone Vallecorsa (AEPH). Not knowing a single utterance of English didn’t prevent his futurist, cinematic sound from being noticed, with Blokhe4d’s Michael Wojcicki (Vegas) approaching him to sign to his Bad Taste Recordings imprint. “When I arrived I had no English. I didn’t even know how to say ‘hi’, so it was very difficult,” he explains in a thick Italian drawl. “The first two, three years I was just doing my thing, nothing special, I released a few things with a few different labels but then one day, Michael Vegas and Jonas Ullmann from Blokhe4d approached me through the Internet and asked me to do some things with them.” Bad Taste released Vallecorsa’s dubstep/ tech number, When You, creating a snowball effect that has seriously ramped-up his career, with the track being made into AEPH’s first ever video-clip, directed by Luisa Carnello. “She was very into the tune and sent me a script and I thought that it was great. I really loved the concept; it was just so different. With dubstep videos it’s all about parties, people screaming or robots and I’m not really into this. So when she showed me the script, I was impressed. All the actors and crew were great. There were a lot of people involved and I couldn’t say thankyou enough to them. It was a great moment and a great opportunity for me.” The vid received attention from UKF, which Vallecorsa says was instrumental in him being asked to collaborate with Hadouken! on Bad Signal, released on Ministry Of Sound. He was also invited to score the soundtrack to the TV and cinema advert for IBM’s Lenovo Yoga laptop, made by Casino Royale director, Martin Campbell. The Pursuit, features supertight production and the dark, cinematic sound that threads through all of Vallecorsa’s work. “I’ve always been into soundtracks, into scoring and when this opportunity came up - yes, I took it. It took a month and a half and they asked for 13 versions. Cinematography is very important to me. 28
DJ Qwerk
DJ QWERK AEPH I’m not going to say that I’ll put that into every track, but so far I have, and it’s worked. “Every time I make a tune I always try to imagine the environment that surrounds it, like a movie. And I think of a story for it and the art work the whole package. To me it’s pointless to just make music for the dancefloor or because of what’s going on in the market at the time.That’s why I never release so many tunes during the year because quantity is very important nowadays; if you release something and it’s not good enough, people forget about it in two weeks. So for me, it’s all about just releasing quality.”
» AEPH WITH MOVING FUSION » FRIDAY, MARCH 7 @ GEISHA
Eliot Mireylees, aka DJ Qwerk, will be popping his District cherry this Friday as part of the night’s first b’day celebrations. He’ll be accompanied by Philly Blunt, Rekab, Marko Paulo, Hammer & Nailz, Get More and Miss Demeanour for a spin-fest of the cross-genre variety.
What’s your genre/s and do you also produce? Old and new-skool house, deep-house, tech-house, techno and UK bass. I went to Europe three times before I was 21, which changed my perspective on music and really made me realise how unique the Perth scene is. That trip also gave me a huge appreciation for techno and house, which evolved more and more, dragging me out of breaks and deep into 4/4. I don’t produce yet, but will be moving to Sydney later in the year to complete a Bachelor of Audio Production at SAE. What are your main influences/ artists you admire? Artists like Seth Troxler and Richie Hawtin have always been inspiring DJs, from mixing purely classic vinyl to using eight decks on two laptops on a full digital set-up. Production-wise anything from Eats Everything, Justin Martin, Josh Butler, Dusky, Boddika, Joy O, Maceo Plex, Disclosure, Shadow Child & Cecyl. But I could prattle on with both of those lists!
How long have you been DJing and how did you get into it? I’ve been DJing for four years. I spent most of my last year of school frequenting the serious music venues Three words to describe your set? around Perth, spending all my money on touring DJs. Bass driven house. I was lucky enough to miss out on the commercial clubbing scene and had a real interest in EDM from a young age. I found my way into trance briefly, then » DJ QWERK spent about a year in the drum’n’bass scene, which then » DISTRICT lead me to the Ambar family, which is when I started » FRIDAY, MARCH 1 @ AMBAR mixing breaks and electro.
X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays
STEVE AOKI AOKIFIED
He might be one of EDM’s biggest proponents and isn’t a dance music purist’s top pick but KISH LAL discovers Dim Mak Records owner Steve Aoki is more humble than his ostentatious stage show might suggest. Never being one to shy away from all things considered extravagant, Steve Aoki has had a few things to answer for in recent times. Riding the wave of EDM’s long awaited popularity saw him nominated for a Grammy. “Oh my god, they were awesome”, his zeal at the very mention of the ceremony completely taking me off guard. “You know I’ve never been to the Grammys before? I’ve never been invited and not only to be invited but nominated and to be respected in the highest accolades of music history is just like, I can’t even describe the feeling; it was awesome.” To dance music fans, Steve Aoki has never been an unfamiliar name but with the explosion of EDM, it’s taken a giant leap. “Because of what’s been happening right now with dance music I’ve been playing a lot more places that aren’t clubs and more ticketed venues… and I’d rather play to fans who are going to buy tickets to a show rather than in a nightclub where you’re not sure if the people who are there actually care about your music.” With EDM’s upsurge comes the demand of constant touring but that has come under scrutiny too. Last year his rider was leaked on the Internet and the exuberant list brought its fair share of flak. “There’s all this shit that’s totally unnecessary on a rider, like the two bottles of Cristal, which I just took off because I don’t even drink”. When I ask why he would put the Cristal on the rider since he refrains from drugs and alcohol he confesses “I’m just collecting them, I have 80 bottles at my house”. His nonchalance disappears as he stresses that the performance rider is all very necessary.“I have cakes and I have boats and I have king-sized mattresses and a canon gun and I use all of that!” His flamboyant stage antics have come with a price and he admits, “I stopped doing the
MARC ROMBOY & KEN ISHII TAIYO SYSTEMATIC/BALANCE/ EMI
Steve Aoki high jumps into the crowd for safety’s sake.” While his stage antics are being turned down, Dim Mak Records has moved into unexpected territory. The release of Booka Shade’s Honeyslave EP on Aoki’s label was a real surprise. While touring comes with the downside of exhaustion and undrinkable Cristal, it’s here that Aoki met the legendary Germans and got them on board.” The thing with Dim Mak is that we’re looking to support newer artists riding this evolution of sound. I’ve just been influenced and inspired by a plethora of diverse sounding artists like Booka Shade.” As I hear the beeps of what I think is an ATM in the background, I remember I’m speaking to one of the busiest touring artists on his way to
Australia for Future Music Festival. “I love coming down to Australia”. I hear his interest pique as he continues without prompting, “You have something unique down there. It’s an accessible culture that a lot of places probably dream of having.” I’m taken aback upon the realisation that Aoki isn’t the supercilious reveller we’ve made him out to be but an unlikely pioneer of what used to be an underground music culture.
Romboy and Ishii are two heavy hitters in the techno world, seemingly worlds apart. Both active DJs and producers since the early ‘90s, the German Romboy runs Systematic and was also responsible for pioneering ‘90s label Le Petit Prince. Japan’s Ishii has built a reputation as one of his country’s finest talents. The two master craftsman’s mutual respect sees them join forces to bring us Taiyo. The resulting seven tracks are a marvellous fusion of great musical minds. The opener Gosa gently ushers us into their world – minimal bass drum and shimmering hi-hats collide as robotic electro noises gain momentum, falling into place over a sinister synth riff. The album consists of seven distinct tracks, but no gaps, rather each track blends slowly into the next, working as one continual morphing piece of music. Seiun takes a minute or so before its noodling melody is underpinned by a heavy, marching beat, and builds into a monster techno tune. Dopplerekkeft is a beautifully layered track, full of tweaking 303 lines that wind around a throbbing bass; while the title track is a slow burner that builds from a mechanical, ticking beat into a densely woven, insistent groove, before disintegrating into the liquid sounds of Der Strand. A quality work of sonic art from two talents still at the top of their game, who seem to perfectly complement each other – let’s hope it’s not the last of their collaborations. While it’s not much to call this the best techno release of the year, it would not be surprising if this ends up being ranked among the best at year’s end. » ALFRED GORMAN
» STEVE AOKI » FUTURE MUSIC FESTIVAL » SUNDAY, MARCH 3 @ ARENA JOONDALUP
SLAUGHTERHOUSE BRINGING THE A-GAME
Hip hop supergroup Slaughterhouse have perfected the non-too-easy art of straddling both commercial and underground spheres. NICK SWEEPAH speaks with rapper Royce da 5’9” about the outfit’s creative process and their plan to rip up big stages across Australia, plus maybe hold a Koala or two. Supergroups have long appeared in the hip hop sphere. Most of the time they’re announced,highly anticipated, and then never release an album (Weathermen, Crooklyn Dodgers). Other times, they’re really just a bunch of friends who release some posse cuts (Golden State, HRSMN), or a great idea that just never seems to reach their collective potential (The Firm).Occasionally the stars align,and it all comes together.Slaughterhouse is that kind of group. Royce da 5’9”, Crooked I, Joe Budden and Joell Ortiz first teamed up in 2008 to collaborate on the track Slaughterhouse,from Budden’s album Halfway House.From there,a reported six day recording session led to the release of a self-titled album in August 2009. As solo artists, they’ve released close to 20 studio albums, over 30 mixtapes, and have countless guest spots between them.The ride hasn’t been easy though, with each member having battled through the major label system at times,and embracing the independent circuit at others, but as a group they’re all the more interesting thanks to this collective experience. They currently find themselves in a position where they’re about to tour Australia, and have possibly the coolest boss in the world - Eminem. “Em is great, he leaves a lot of the creative control to us, so working with him is fantastic. He does give a lot of input and we refer to him as the fifth member of the group,” says Royce da 5’9” of the label head, who signed the group to Shady Records in 2011. While both Eminem and Royce are based in Detroit, the rest of the crew all come from different cities, which could make recording as a group quite difficult. However, Royce explains “we try our hardest to always work together in the same city, so we catch a flight and meet where ever we need to and smash it out.” It’s this focus and unity as a collective that’s been the driving force of their success. However, with www.xpressmag.com.au
Slaughterhouse four highly independent creative individuals working together, you would think the song writing process might be a struggle. It’s easy to imagine constant bickering, or a kind of one-upmanship going on, but Royce advises this isn’t the case. “Never,” he firmly states, “we all bring our A-game when we are together and none of us have to worry about the other. We are very fortunate to have such a great bond... we’re all on a similar vibe when it comes to our music and it just gels.” He even admits: “to be honest, when I am not recording with them, I kind of miss them and their creative energy... I want to send them what I’m working on and ask them to jump on my track real quick!” In 2012, the group released Welcome to: Our House, their first album for Shady Records. The clubheavy first single Hammer Dance, with a beat laced by Araabmuzik, paved the way for My Life, featuring Cee-Lo Green - possibly their most accessible single yet. However, the crew has somehow maintained a hold on the underground heads whilst dabbling in the world of billboard charts, keeping their old fans engaged while reaching out for new audiences at the same time. This concept is a product of having all grown up in vastly different scenes across the US, and as Royce explains, they all, “bring different life experiences and stories from our respective areas, and that reflects in our rhymes.” When asked about their upcoming Australian shows, he comments: “It will be our first time down there as Slaughterhouse and we cannot wait to rip these shows apart... I’m the only member that’s been to Australia before so the guys are excited,” sneakily adding,“I know Joell is dying to hold a koala.” Perth, get ready to meet Detroit, California, New Jersey and Brooklyn - all at once.
» SLAUGHTERHOUSE » SATURDAY, MARCH 2 @ METRO CITY 29
RL GRIME
AMBAR
WEDNESDAY 27/02 Bar Orient – DJ Ben Renna Beat Nightclub (Downstairs) – Soul Seduction Boulevard Tavern – Wub Wub Wednesday Capitol – Harlem Wednesdays Captain Stirling – Fiveo Club Red Sea – Cheek Connections – DJs Joby /JJ /Reuben Dusk Lounge – Lucas Willmer Flying Scotsman – DJ Armee/Raaghe Flying Scotsman (Defectors) – Bodega ft Philly Blunt/Keysey Indi Bar – Chance Waters Leederville Hotel – DJ Slick/DJ Reuben/DJ ViSon Llama Bar – Jo 19 Mustang – DJ Giles Niche Bar – Juicy ft Frankie Button Newport Hotel – Back To School Party ft Tom Drummond/Angry Buda/ Vandalism Rosemount Hotel – DJ Anton Maz Sovereign Arms – Jeremy Stark The Court – Wicked Wednesday The Grand Central – DJ ANG3L The Velvet Lounge – Face ft Natural Instinct/Mark Kaminski/Wilder & Wilder/Savage Garden
THURSDAY 28/02 Boulevard Tavern – 151 Thursdays Old Skool R&B Claremont Hotel - Institution Thursdays ft DJs Bryn Jones/ James Thorne Connections - BINGAY Eve Nightclub – Retro Thursdays DJ Tony Allen Flying Scotsman –Gidget Duck/ Muldoon Wing
THE SHED
Leisure Inn – DJ Peta Metro City - Monster Tour After Party ft Tommy Lee/DJ Aero Mullaloo Beach Hotel - DJ John Paul/ DJ Slick Mustang – DJ James MacArthur Newport Hotel – Chance Waters Paramount –DJ Jordan Rosemount Hotel – Sons Of Rico DJs The Avenue – Fiveo The Deen – Chase The Sun ft DJ Flex/ DJ Nano/ DJ Surge/ DJ Don Migi The Grand Central – Roger Smart The Queens – DJ Riki The Velvet Lounge – Tyto Kings/ Silver Hills/The Witches/New Animals Toucan – DJ Matty J
FRIDAY 01/03 Admiral Hotel – DJ Beats & MC Amplifier –DJ Jamie Mac Ambar – District’s First Birthday ft QWERK/Miss Demeanour/Rekab/ Philly Blunt/Hammer & Nailz/Get More/Marko Paulo Bar One Twenty – DJ Grandmaster Vicious Bar Orient - The Reggae Club ft General Justice/DJ Ray/Black Knight/ The Empressions/Mumma Trees/ Sista Che Beat Nightclub (Downstairs) - Play Boheme Bar - DJ Majiika Boulevard Tavern – Habit@ ft DJ Andyy/(6-8) Sea Level Brass Monkey - DJ Viktor/DJ James Ess/Green George Brighton Hotel – Peta C5 – Underground ft DJ K-La Capitol – Soul II Soul Capitol (Upstairs) – I Love ‘90s Claremont Hotel – The Soul Purpose/Tea King
Funk Club House Band
30
THE NEWPORT
Toucan – Misschief Whale & Ale - DJ Spinback Ya Ya’s – DJ Pup
SATURDAY 02/03
Doshy Club Bayview – Fresh Devilles Pad - Funk Club 10th Anniversary ft Funk Club DJ’s Eastern Hotel – DJ Munch Empire Bar – James Shipstone Eurobar - DJ Fat Albert/DJ ZOOM Eve Nightclub – DJ Havana Brown Flying Scotsman – Back To Mono DJs Flying Scotsman (Defectors) – Rok Riley Geisha Bar - Get Weird ft Thomas Von Party/Aslan/Likemind/Armin Van Gough/Cambourgini/Lazy Gravy/ Craig Hollywoo/Roulade/Lightsteed/ Manimal Ginger Nightclub – Mondo Fridays Lakers Tavern –Grizzly And Friends Library - Sneaky Llama Bar – Jim Pearson Malt Supper Club – Cheecho Brothers Metro Freo – Frat House Fridays ft Death Disco DJs Mint Nightclub – Club Retro Mojos Bar – Fisherman Style ft Crucial Rockers/Tom Takeover/Sheriff Lindo/ Kritical/ Drummie/ DJ Sorted Mustang – Swing DJ/ DJ James MacArthur Newport Hotel – Yolanda Be Cool ft Sardi/Evan Niche Bar – Let Loose ft DJ Jonny Zimber Paramount - DJ John/DJ Jordan Prince Of Wales – Chance Waters Rocket Room – Coyote Ugly Sail & Anchor - Balcony Beatz Shape – Journey Into Bass ft Blu Mar Ten/Optimus Gryme/Royalston/Gracie/ Sistym Sovereign Arms – Fiveo The Avenue – Lokie Shaw The Bakery - Doshy ft Zeke/Nebula/ Pussy Mittens The Bird – Ku ka Dance Party ft Deepel/ Capelas/Yarhkob/Wasabi Peas The Carine – Mikeee The Court – DJ Flex/DJ TimBee The East End Bar – Az-T The Generous Squire – DJ Anaru The Grand – Ruben The Saint - Abstar The Shed - DJ Glenn 20 The Velvet Lounge – RTR Presents: Rhythm Trippin
Admiral Hotel – Insane Dwaine Ambar – Japan 4 Amplifier –Eddie Electric Bar One Twenty – Little Nicky Bar Orient – DJ Troy Beat Nightclub (Upstairs) - Canvas Boheme Bar – Amanda Power Brass Monkey - DJ Peta (downstairs)/ DJ Jewel (upstairs) Brighton Hotel - Misschief Capitol – Death Disco Capitol (Upstairs) – Cream Of The ‘80s ft DJ Ryan Civic Hotel – Chance Waters Claremont Hotel - Safari Club Bay View – DJ Roger Smart Devilles Pad –Razor Jack/Safari Empire Bar –James Shipstone Eurobar – DJ Fat Albert/DJ Zoom Eve Nightclub – DJ Crazy Craig Flying Scotsman – Andrei Maz Flying Scotsman (Defectors) – Future Wives Club Kalamunda Hotel – Beach Party ft DJ Grizzly/Jeremy Stark Leederville Hotel –Slaughterhouse ft Full Tote Odds Library – DJ Victor/DJ Riki Liquid Nightclub - DJ Klar55/ DJ Stevie M Llama Bar – DJ Reuben Metro Freo – Roger Smart/DJ Wazz/ Ben Carter Metro Freo (Upstairs) – I Love 80s 90s DJ DTuck Mint Nightclub – Pop Life ft DJ Aaron/ AJ Mullaloo Beach Hotel – DJ Danny Mustang – Rockabilly DJ/ DJ James MacArthur Newport Hotel – Tahli Jade/Tom Drummond/Sardi/Lucas Paramount- DJ John/DJ Jordan Rosemount - Pure Old Skool III ft Darren Briais/Hutcho/Leroy/NVS/Rob Fender/Rousa/Steil Sail & Anchor – Catch The Child’s Play DJs Sovereign Arms – The Jinx Project The Avenue – Lokie Shaw The Aviary – Tom Piper ft Zel/The Barons Red/Electonic DJs The Bird – Fantastic Mr Fox ft Leon Osbourne The Boheme – Amanda Power The Causeway – Luke Miguel/Clint Turner The Cornerstone – Michael Brittliff The Court – DJ Flex/DJ TimBee The Craftsman – DJ Shortz The East End Bar – Little Tim/DJ John Carder/DJ Loki/DJ Janoek The Generous Squire – On Tap ft DJ James Nutley
The Prodigy The Grand Central – Armee The Queens – Kenny L The Saint – DJ ANG3L The Shed –DJ Andyy The Velvet Lounge – China Blue The Wembley – Jordan Scott Tiger Lil’s – DJ Bojan/Benjamin Sebastian Toucan – DJ Samuel Spencer Ya Ya’s – DJ Pup
Club Bay View - Fiveo Devilles Pad - Keb Darge ft Seventh Son/Charlie Bucket/Mamba Snake Charmer Empire Bar –DJ Riki/ DJ Victor Eve Nightclub –DJ Slick Flying Scotsman – Cal Peck and The Tramps/Goldwater Blooms/The Gold Blooms/DJ’s Tyranny/DJ Luke Dux/DJ Noise Pollution/DJ Kavebeat/ Nathan J/ Nizbet/ Pasha/ Chris Ginger Nightclub – DJ Rudebean Mustang – DJ Rockin Rhys/DJ James McArthur Arena Joondalup - Future Music Nannup Amphitheatre – Nannup Festival ft The Prodigy/ The Stone Roses/ Music Festival ft Chance Waters AVICII/ PSY/ Dizzee Rascal/ Bloc Party/ Newport Hotel – Tom Drummond Azealia Banks/ /Rita Ora/ Boys Noize (live)/ Hardwell/ The Temper Trap/ Fun./ Rosemount – DJ Benny Mayhem The Avenue – Az-T Madeon/ Rudimental/ Ellie Goulding/ The Bird – Lumiere/Shy Panther DJs Steve Aoki/ Alesso/ Gypsy & The Cat/ A-Trak (live)/ Feed Me (live)/ Zeds Dead/ The Court - Exposed Foam Party ft Hanna Conda/DJ Flex/DJ P Lilly Kill The Noise/ DJ Fresh (live)/ Nervo/ Zane Lowe/ Borgore/ Sven Vath/ Richie The East End Bar –DJ Gold Finger/AZ-T Hawtin/ Ricardo Villalobos/ Seth Troxler/ The Grand – Lockie Shaw/Philly Blunt The Queens – Samuel Spencer Magda/ Cosmic Gate ft Emma Hewitt/ W&W/ tyDi/ Andy Moor/ Super8 & Tab/ The Saint - DJ Anaru Ben Gold/ The Stafford Brothers/ Timmy The Shed – James Wilson and more Trumpet/ Tenzin/ Bombs Away Just Announced Professor Hush/Sun City/ Black & Blunt/Nylon/Death Disco DJs/ Kenny L/Mind Electric/Junior/Declan/ Eve Nightclub - DJ Don Migi Jason Creek/GeRmAn/JD4D/Darren J/ Llama Bar – Jo 19 Craig Hollywood/Flex/Jo Lettenmaier/ Malt Supper Club – Industry Night Aarom Wilson/Chiari/Lukas Wimmler/ The Deen – DJ Birdie Wasteland/Rob Sharp/Jackness/Kno Agents/Jack Masel/Ekko & Sidetrack/ Paradise Paul/Samuel Spencer/Luke P/Melotyx & Boston Switch/Dan Van Bar Orient - DJ Lyndon Halen/Alfie Gorman/Eddie Electric High Road Hotel – DJ Matty J Claremont Hotel – James Thorne/Dan Llama Bar – Charlie Bucket Delstra Victoria Park Hotel – DJ Melvin
SUNDAY 03/03
MONDAY 04/03
TUESDAY 05/03
X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays
AMPLIFIER/CAPITOL
SASS
YA-YA’S
METRO FREO
IN THE THIS WEEK Chance Waters Wednesday, February 27 @ Indi Bar Thursday, February 28 @ Newport Hotel Friday, March 1 @ Prince Of Wales Saturday, March 2 @ Civic Hotel Monster Tour After Party ft Tommy Lee/DJ Aero Thursday, February 28 @ Metro City Yolanda Be Cool Friday, March 1 @ Newport Hotel Doshy ft Zeke/Nebula/Pussy Mittens Friday, March 1 @ The Bakery Journey Into Bass ft Blu Mar Ten/ Optimus Gryme/Royalston/Gracie/ Sistym Friday, March 1 @ Shape Get Weird ft Thomas Von Party/ Aslan/Likemind/Armin Van Gough/ Cambourgini/Lazy Gravy/Craig Hollywoo/Roulade/Lightsteed/ Manimal Friday, March 1 @ Geisha Bar District’s First Birthday ft QWERK/ Miss Demeanour/Rekab/Philly Blunt/Hammer & Nailz/Get More/ Marko Paulo Friday, March 1 @ Ambar Soul II Soul Friday, March 1 @ Capitol Funk Club 10th Anniversary ft Funk Club DJ’s Friday, March 1 @ Devilles Pad DJ Havana Brown Friday, March 1 @ Eve Nightclub Tom Piper ft Zel/The Barons Red/Electonic DJs (FREE) Saturday, March 2 @ The Aviary Pure Old Skool III ft Darren Briais/ Hutcho/Leroy/NVS/Rob Fender/ Rousa/Steil Saturday, March 2 @ The Rosemount Fantastic Mr Fox ft Leon Osbourne Saturday, March 2 @ The Bird Slaughterhouse ft Full Tote Odds Saturday, March 2 @ Leederville Hotel
Future Music Festival ft The Prodigy/ The Stone Roses/AVICII/ PSY/ Dizzee Rascal/ Bloc Party/ Azealia Banks/ /Rita Ora/ Boys Noize (live)/ Hardwell/ The Temper Trap/ Fun./ Madeon/ Rudimental/ Ellie Goulding/ Steve Aoki/ Alesso/ Gypsy & The Cat/ A-Trak (live)/ Feed Me (live)/ Zeds Dead/ Kill The Noise/ DJ Fresh (live)/ Nervo/ Zane Lowe/ Borgore/ Sven Vath/ Richie Hawtin/ Ricardo Villalobos/ Seth Troxler/ Magda/ Cosmic Gate ft Emma Hewitt/ W&W/ tyDi/ Andy Moor/ Super8 & Tab/ Ben Gold/ The Stafford Brothers/ Timmy Trumpet/ Tenzin/ Bombs Away Just Announced Professor Hush/Sun City/Black & Blunt/ Nylon/Death Disco DJs/Kenny L/Mind Electric/Junior/Declan/ Jason Creek/GeRmAn/JD4D/ Darren J/Craig Hollywood/Flex/Jo Lettenmaier/Aarom Wilson/Chiari/ Lukas Wimmler/Wasteland/Rob Sharp/Jackness/Kno Agents/Jack Masel/Ekko & Sidetrack/Paradise Paul/Samuel Spencer/Luke P/ Melotyx & Boston Switch/Dan Van Halen/Alfie Gorman/Eddie Electric Sunday, March 3 @ Arena Joondalup Keb Darge ft Seventh Son/Charlie Bucket/Mamba Snake Charmer Sunday, March 3 @ Devilles Pad Exposed Foam Party ft Hanna Conda/DJ Flex/DJ P Lilly Sunday, March 3 @ The Court
COMING UP George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic ft Greg Wilson Thursday, March 7 @ Metro City
FANTASTIC MR FOX SATURDAY, MARCH 2 @ THE BIRD
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Bastian/MCS: Xsessiv, Stylee & Bear Saturday, March 30 @ Villa
Maiko Boat Cruise 003 ft Lovebirds/Adam Carter/Rob Sharp/Luke P Saturday, March 9 @ Barrack St Jetty
XXYYXX ft Modo/Water Graves/ Zehnmee/Clunk Saturday, March 30 @ Gilkisons Dance Studio
The Heroes Of Villa ft The Only/ Peking Duk/Saccas/Knoagents/ Tapeheads Friday, March 15 @ Villa
Stanton Warriors ft Far Too Loud/ Micah Sunday, March 31 @ Villa
Skool of Thought ft Ed Solo Friday, March 15 @ Ambar
The xx Tuesday and Wednesday, April 1 - 2 @ Metro City
Native Bass ft Filth Collins/ Zanetic/Killafoe & J.Nitrous/J Switch/JD4D/Poseidon Friday, March 12 @ Shape Actress ft Oneohtrix Point Never/Leaving/Basic Mind/ Reece Walker/Emerald Cabal/ Kynan Tan/Ben T & Clunk Saturday, March 16 @ The Bakery Infexious UV Party ft Ben Stevens/Kermit The Prog & Dr Stem/Damien Blaze & Ball-Z / Josh Cube & Jt/LK & King Owl/ Grin & Remarc/Alleyycat & Beni C/Rinski & ST/Shie’ox/Clint Scott Saturday, March 16 @ Gilkisons Dance Studio Sets On The Beach ft Hermitude/ Strange Talk/DJ Lord/Yes You/ Twinsy/Drop Out Orchestra/ Luke Million Sunday, March 17 @ Scarborough Beach Amphitheatre t
Smokey’s Tour ft Urthboy Friday, March 8 @ Mojos AEPH ft Moving Fusion/ N1/T’Dodge/Skoptix (Network)/ Rexop/MC Stylee & X-Sessiv Friday, March 8 @ Geisha Bar
Jason Lema Friday, April 4 @ The Dusk Lounge RAW ft Mobin Master/J-Trick/ Micah/Chris Moro Friday, April 5 @ Villa Yacht Club DJs Friday, April 12 @ Amplifier Sound Utopia ft Lazy J/Big Guy/ Israel Cruz Saturday, April 13 @ Red Hill Auditorium Plump DJs ft Black & Blunt/Marko Paulo/Tonic Friday, April 19 @ Villa Spit Syndicate ft Jacki Onassis Saturday, April 20 @ Amplifier Sunday, April 20 @ Metro Freo The Potbelleez Friday, April 26 @ Capitol
Ministy Of Sound Clubbers Guide To 2013 ft Denzal Park/ Uberkak’d Friday, March 22 @ Villa
Handpicked ft ShockOne/ Baauer/ Eats Everything/Mosca Friday, April 24 @ Metro City and The Bakery
Gemini ft Genga/Micah/JS Friday, March 22 @ Ambar
Rufus Saturday, April 25 @ Newport Hotel Sunday, April 26 @ Prince Of Wales Monday, April 26 @ Amplifier
Sampology ft Micah/The Arsonist/ Nina Las Vegas Electonic DJ’s Saturday, March 23 @ Amplifier Friday, March 8 @ Leederville Hotel Japan 4 ft LKiD/Qwerk/ Oli/Dead Easy/Tee EL Bastians Happy Flight Saturday, March 23 @ Ambar Friday, March 8 @ Amplifier
Fresh Produce: Prime Cuts Edition ft Defyre/Qwerk/Sequeira/From Hell/Bronsonic Friday, March 8 @ Ambar
Fantastic Mr Fox
Japan 4 ft Savage Skulls Saturday, March 9 @ Ambar
Netsky ft Ekko & Sidetrack/ Blend/Bezwun Saturday, March 23 @ Villa
Movement Festival ft Nas/2 Chainz/Chiddy Bang/Joey Badda$$/Angel Haze/Spit Syndicate Tuesday, April 30 @ Red Hill Auditorium Blokhe4d Friday, May 3 @ Geisha Bar
Black Sun Empire ft Voltron/Skoptix Thursday, March 28 @ Amplifier
Example ft Sun City Friday, May 10 @ Metro City
The Uni-Verse Tour ft Drapht Thursday, March 28 @ The Rosemount
Seth Sentry Friday, May 10 @ Villa Sunday, May 12 @ Newport Hotel
Easter Thursday ft Mark Pritchard/Dan The Man/Mathas/ Diger Rokwell/Ylem/Vishnu/FG Thursday, March 28 @ The Bakery
Groovin The Moo Festival ft Alison Wonderland/DZ Deathrays/ Example/Flume/Midnight Juggernaughts/Pez/Seth Sentry/ Shockone/Tuka w/ Ellesquire/ Urthboy/DJ Woody’s Big Phat Mixtape/Yacht/Yolanda Be Cool Saturday, May 11 @ Hay Park Bunbury
Hugo Mendez ft The Brown Horn Orchestra/Charlie Bucket Friday, March 8 @ Railway Hotel
Roller Easter lineup TBC Thursday, March 28 @ The Rosemount
Smokey’s Tour ft Urthboy Saturday, March 9 @ Amplifier
Jason Lema Friday, March 29 @ Mullaloo Beach Hotel
Flume ft Chet Faker Sunday, May 12 @ Metro City
PVT Saturday, March 30 @ The Bakery
Atari Teenage Riot Sunday, May 19 @ The Bakery
Cyantific ft The Prototypes/ Utah Jazz/Illusiv & Dvise/Qbik/
A$AP Rocky Sunday, June 30 @ Metro City
State Of Mind ft Voltron/ Network/Nartex/Darren D/MCs Xsessiv,Stylee & Armee Saturday, March 9 @ Villa
Huxley (Pic: Lach Parkin)
HUXLEY
CLEVER BUT NOT OUT OF THE BOX Bolsty/ DYP/ HUXLEY/ Craig Hollywood Gilkisons Saturday, February 23, 2013 House has made a fresh-ass comeback of large proportion in recent years, with artists releasing on UK labels such as Night Slugs, 20:20 Vision and Hessle Audio making their way to our shores with more and more frequency, clearly influencing our local scene. It was obvious at Gilkisons last Saturday that this bass-meets-garage-meetstechno mutation of house is here to stay. In position for the warm up set, Bolsty may not have had much of a dancefloor to work with, but his selection was high-energy with a definite nu-house sprinkled with a little garage flair.
He showed appreciation to the headliner, playing the track that put the Huxley name on the radar, Let It Go. Hard to believe this guy was playing dubstep not long ago. DYP started slow then lifted the tempo to channel a definite ‘90s vibe, spinning some tasty house classics such as Harddrive’s Deep Inside. A very tight set that inspired sheer joy and got the punters boogiebound and Huxley-ready. The first half of Huxley’s set was pure dynamite, embossed with the hybrid house sound he’s known for. The crowd, clearly acquainted with his work, noticeably responded to the tunes from the Out Of The Box EP that made him famous but unfortunately, momentum was lost half way through,as the dancefloor ebbed. The absence of fellow UK house/techno-head Blawan, who had to cancel a week or so before the gig, most definitely effected turn out. Craig Hollywood stepped up to the decks and instantly lifted the tone, ramping things up with a techno set. He brought his A-game to a small yet committed dancefloor crew. The night was only slightly marred as the mostly male contingent scrambled to pick-up in non-subtle fashion before close.
» JO CAMPBELL
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YOUR GUIDE TO WHAT’s HAPPENING IN MARCH
THE FUNK CLUB 10 Years In A Funky Boat
The Funk Club celebrates its 10 anniversary this year, with a number of celebrations planned, kicking off on Friday, March 1, at Devilles, featuring the House Band and guest DJs. BOB GORDON catches up with funky honcho, Jimmy ‘The Lips’ Murphy. It seems like only yesterday in many ways, but it is indeed a decade ago that a cheeky-grinned trumpet player started the Funk Club in its first home at the Leederville Hotel. “I was a young ambitious guy, fresh out of university, with a few friends that shared similar dreams and we worked at achieving them,” Jimmy ‘The Lips’ Murphy recalls. “Heaps of fun, heaps of reward, a lot of work but it never felt like real work, just stuff that needed to be done to set up for the next party. “I think the model - setting up the organisation as a non profit - was quite forward thinking for the time, it was something I wanted to do after enduring three years of a degree in commerce as a bit of a ‘fuck you world we can make great lives for ourselves and not have to focus on trying to eke out massive profits or work 9-5 making some corporate entity extra dough they don’t really need’ - which is basically what my degree was prepping me to do. So I went and studied music and started Funk Club.”
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Funk music had never really previously been brought to the fore in such a collective fashion in Perth. They were they both exciting and difficult times. “Yes,” Murphy says, “though I don’t remember it being that difficult, there’s certainly something to be said about doing something that you love and believe in, the ‘difficulty’ simply erodes into challenges amidst the excitement and fun! Though of course in hindsight if I knew what I knew now I think the Funk Club would be a very different organisation today, in the sense it would be more far reaching and would have been able to achieve a bit more of what we originally set out to do. In saying that, though, I look back and remember constantly being amazed as many of the dreams we had were being struck off the list one by one - crowd levels, band tours, opportunities that presented themselves for the artists and crew as a result of the organisation - but we only got about halfway down the list... it was an ambitious list (laughs).” Murphy feels that Funk Club really got into its swing around 2005-07, both in terms of crowd sizes and being influential in the Perth music scene. The challenges, of course, are many. “I’d say any organisation is only as good as the people who are a part of it and the vision that everyone is working toward and the values it was created from,” he says. “It’s very easy to let that slip so I think keeping the ‘fires burning’ whilst staying on the straight and narrow is most difficult and we let it slip a few times, in terms of moving away from what we initially were and were working toward, which was an organisation that put on great parties for people to be exposed to great local musicians and artists and help develop careers out of that for people. “I think our national tour in 2007, although really, really successful in that we drew big Eastern States crowds to our shows, came at a cost as that’s when things started ‘getting difficult’ and tensions between the crew frayed and my own motivations were tested when the going got tough trying to create a national brand. I guess we changed tack after that and just stayed local but if I had my time again I would have really pushed for us to stick to our dreams, so to say, as in retrospect I can see openings for such a national brand and network.
The Funk Club House Band Dance music and national festivals proved in the last 10 years that national music brands can be achieved; which would have really done some great things for Perth and people around the Funk Club.” 2013 looks set to be a big year ahead as the Funk Club celebrates a decade of togetherness. New initiatives are in the pipeline, but for now there’s 10 years of history and highlights to raise a glass to. “Other than the weekly party, which was always heaps and heaps of fun, the highlights for me have been meeting and making friends with some of the most amazing and inspiring people I have ever met,” Murphy says.
“Creating a New Year’s Eve event for 2000 people with just local acts and repeating it year after year was heavy! The national tour of about 15 crew to four states and 15 shows in three weeks was hard work. Meeting my wife, I think we met at the fourth anniversary. Seeing other people from Funk Club go on and create lives and careers for themselves out of what we learned doing Funk Club has been really, really satisfying, not only musicians and DJs, but sound guys, designers, plus the hundreds of people who met at Funk Club and have gone on and created lives together, babies and stuff. “It’s really satisfying. Ultimately many of us managed to avoid having that 9-5 day job so I guess we were ultimately successful in the end (laughs).”
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OZ CONCERT 2013 WA’s leading multicultural arts organisation, Kulcha Multicultural Arts, presents the free Oz Concert on Sunday, March 17, at Government House Gardens. KULCHA CEO, Jon Cope, explains about the background to the event and the upcoming show. The Oz Concert has a long history. What is the thinking behind it? WA hasn’t always embraced the vibrancy of diversity like we do now. In the late 1980’s there were dumb racist attacks on people with Asian heritage and Chinese restaurants were being firebombed. The people responsible, some of whom were hypocritically of migrant heritage, were caught and imprisoned, and have since been deported from WA. But the Chinese Chung Wah Association brought together many of the cultural groups and political leaders in 1989 to put on a concert at the Perth Entertainment Centre and called it Oz Concert. The point was that Australia is a multicultural country made up a many people with different heritage, but we are all Australian and the ignorant racists need to understand the modern world. What is the process through which acts are selected? Kulcha is the Event Producer and we put out a call for expressions of interest from culturally diverse Australian artists and community groups. We then have a hard selection process of putting together a tight 90-minute program of complimentary acts. Frank Italiano, our Artistic Director, has encouraged a greater focus on live music this year and getting bands to collaborate with dance groups, so we’re getting people to work together more, which creates further opportunities for the artists to grow and develop. What looks to be highlights of the day? There will be a mini-documentary with the Oz Concert Founding Chairman, Dr Eric Tan, to highlight the history of the event, then a range of vibrant and diverse music acts an groups. Its artists are a combination of professional musicians and dancers working with community performers, so the whole project is very inclusive. The finale will feature commissioned original songs by a number of diverse singer/
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AMANDA MERDZAN
Once More With Feelings Amanda Merdzan launches her new EP, The Map Has Been Redrawn, at Mojos this Saturday March 2, with support from Davey Craddock & The Spectacles and Rachel & Henry Climb A Hill. BOB GORDON reports.
The Oz Concert happens on Sunday, March 17, at Government House Gardens Photo: Jon Green songwriters, backed by an Oz Concert band made up of different musos from different bands throughout the night. There’ll be the Chinese band rhythm section of Naomi Tan (drums) and Malcolm Mah (bass), with Stephen Livanos (bouzouki), Andrew Voon (erhu), Mark Cain (sax) and Ray Martinez (guitar). How’s 2013 look for KULCHA? It’s our 30th anniversary year in 2013 and KULCHA is now doing better than ever, due to some big strategic changes in recent years. We’ve just refurbished the KULCHA venue in Fremantle, which looks absolutely fantastic and we present a strong program of international, national and local acts. We won a national AbaF Award last year for our work in the Pilbara, and we’re getting huge interest from external clients, including Consulates and the like. We’ll also be launching our new website in the next month. So thanks to our staff, sponsors and stakeholders, it’s all coming together for our 30th birthday, which is perfect timing and, as we all know in the music biz, timing is everything!
The Map Has Been Redrawn is the first EP from Amanda Merdzan, coming after a debut that initially wasn’t intended for a full release. “This is technically my first EP release,” Merdzan explains. “My first release was an album, which wasn’t intended to be a debut, but more a collection of songs so I had something to give my audiences. “I really wanted to bring to life all the songs I had written acoustically for the EP, so I collaborated with a few friends and the songs eventually came to sound as they did in my head.” The EP was recorded in March, 2012, with the songs only written a few months before Merdzan went into the studio. “I had scrapped everything I had originally intended to record and essentially re-wrote the EP in a very short period of time,” she recalls. “I wasn’t happy with the original songs, and I’m incredibly lucky that everything seemed to come to me in such a strong wave all at once.” Are you a prolific writer? What moves you to write when you do? “I am constantly writing,” Merdzan says, “or recording little melodies into my phone to come back to later. But more often than not I seem to scrap everything. Only the songs that really mean something special to me will I keep. I either have to be in a really good mood or really terrible place to produce anything worth keeping. Mediocre feelings produce mediocre songs, I find.”
Merdzan has been performing in Perth for some time (including a spot at the Fringe Awardwinning show, Hush). She’s happy to have been inspired along the way a variety of performers she has shared bills with. “There are so many artists and bands in Perth that I think are incredibly talented, but lately for me it’s Jacob Diamond and David Craft,” she notes. “I could listen to these gentlemen all day. They both have incredible voices and write beautiful lyrics, which is something important to me in my writing and something I always notice when I listen to other artists.” Now that The Map Has Been Redrawn is released the hard work has just begun, both home and away. “In March I’m heading to Canada to perform at their largest festival, Canadian Music Week,” Merdzan says. “That will be followed up with two shows in New York City, then an Australian tour in April alongside Timothy Nelson & The Infidels, which sees us visit most of the country. Hopefully in May I will have some time to write and start working on the next record.”
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The East End Bar & Lounge
Every Thurs
Hashtag Thursdays It’s Thursday night, you can’t wait for the weekend, you know you’re not going to be doing anything productive on Friday anyway (face it you’re in ‘weekend mode’ already). Embrace the facts and get down to The East End for ‘Hashtag’. We missed having something good to do on Thursday nights so we are bringing them back! Doors from 9pm. Student priced drinks all night long. ADDRESS: 189 High Street, Fremantle PRICE: $5 entry
Future Music Festival It’s the ‘Day Of The Dead-Set Awesome’ and this year Future Music Festival is set to rock your skulls off! We’ve been brewing something special, and full of more mind-blowing music than you can poke a cactus at... Future Music Festival 2013 is going to kick harder than a Tijuana donkey on peyote! Where else would you want to be? Our casa is your casa muchacho! THE PRODIGY | THE STONE ROSES | AVICII | PSY | Dizzee Rascal | Bloc Party | Azealia Banks |Rita Ora | Boys Noize (Live debut) | Steve Aoki | Hardwell |The Temper Trap | FUN. | Madeon |Rudimental | Ellie Goulding | Gypsy & The Cat | A-Trak (Live) | Feed Me (Live) | Zeds Dead | Kill The Noise + MUCH MUCH MORE!! ADDRESS: Joondalup Dr, Joondalup WA 6027 PRICE: Tickets rrom $140.00(+BF & Service Charges)
Contact: Ticketmaster 136 100, www.ticketmaster.com.au
Contact: (08) 93353331, www.theeastendbar.com.au
The Rosemount Hotel
Mar 3
Arena Joondalup
Mar 1
Mar 3
Metropolis Fremantle
FAIM! [Pretty Well Over The Bay Album Launch] With special guests Scalphunter + Dead Owls + Them Sharks.
The Foam Party
After five years kicking around Perth trying to find their sound, eclectic theatric punk rockers FAIM (formally known as The FAIM! Project) have finally managed to channel and bottle their charismatic and unique live energy with their debut album, Pretty Well Over The Bay.
What else are we bringing to you!? three HUGE UV Paint parties, we felt it was time for a change, so Metropolis Fremantle is proud to present the long weekend FOAM PARTY! Ditch the heat and come and get foam-y as we fill the dance floor with the stuff. DJs DTuck, Ben Carter and Ben Renna will be smashing out all of your favourites, so you’re set for an awesome night!
ADDRESS: Cnr Angove & Fitzgerald Streets North Perth, 6006 PRICE: $10 @ the Door.
ADDRESS: 58 South Terrace, Fremantle PRICE: $15 or free entry with a FMF wrist band
Contact: (08) 9328 7062, www.rosemounthotel.com.au
Contact: Facebook.com/MetropolisFreo, www.amplifiercapitol.com.au
Ambar Niteclub
Mar 1
Mar 3
Amplifier
District 1st Birthday
Gallows (Soundwave Sidewave)
Ambar’s monthly night of pure, get down ’n dirty bass – District – is about to pop its first bass birthday cherry! Featuring the baddest boys (and gal) in their hood: Philly Blunt, Rekab, Marko Paulo, Hammer & Nailz, Get More, Miss Demeanour and Qwerk, there’s no doubt this is the crew who are built to help you get down. PLUS – the whole night will be simulcast on digital radio powerhouse The Backyard Project!
Gallows will bring a genuine slab of working class anarchy to Soundwave this February and we are stoked to announce they will be performing two sidewaves with very special guests Shai Hulud, Confession and Milestones. ADDRESS: 383 Murray Street, Perth PRICE: $45 for all tickets
ADDRESS: 104 Murray Street, Perth PRICE: $12
Contact: Facebook.com/amplifier.capitol.fan, Www.amplifiercapitol.com.au
Contact: info@boomtick.com.au, Facebook.com/DistrictTimes
Paddington Alehouse
Mar 1-4
Mar 3
Capitol
Labour Day Long Weekend
Fucked Up (Soundwave Sidewave)
Friday 1st March: live AFL, NRL and Super 15’s on our LED mega screen. Booty Jooce live on stage from 9pm. Saturday 2nd March: Live AFL, NRL and Super 15’s pus Cheeky Monkeys live on stage from 9pm. Sunday 3rd March: $12 Pizza and Pint all day plus Zenburger Unplugged live from 7:30pm. OPEN UNTIL 11pm. Monday 4th March: OPEN ALL DAY FROM 10am, Rick Steele live from 6:30pm. Tiger and T-bone only $20 from 5pm.
Fucked Up perform with The Dear Hunter and O’brother at their Capitol Sidewave the eve before Soundwave! ADDRESS: 393 Murray Street, Perth PRICE: $50 all tickets
ADDRESS: The Paddo: 141 Scarborough Beach Road, Mount Hawthorn PRICE: Entry is free all weekend
Contact: (08) 92423077,www.paddo.com.au,damian@paddo.com.au, noeleen@paddo.com.au
Chevron Festival Gardens 2013
NOW - Mar 2
Contact: Facebook.com/amplifier.capitol.fan, Www.amplifiercapitol.com.au
Mar 3
Mojos bar
Final Four Nights Of The 2013 Chevron Festival Gardens!
Paddy’s Welcome To the Week
Cat Power – James Carter Organ Trio – The Tallest Man on Earth + Buke & Gase – Antibalas
Presents all manner of performances every Sunday afternoon. Free BBQ – Priceless good times! Open 1-4pm
Don’t miss out on your last chance to experience Perth Festival’s ultimate summer hangout zone before it gets packed up for another year.
ADDRESS: 237 Queen Victoria St North Fremantle PRICE: Free Entry
ADDRESS: Western Australian Museum Grounds, Perth Cultural Centre PRICE: $42–$60
Contact: (08) 6488 5555, www.perthfestival.com.au
The Rocket Room Kickstart Saturdays
Contact: (08) 9430 4010, www.mojosbar.com.au
Mar 2
Kickstart are Perth’s premium rock band with three-part harmonies they have played for bands like Steel Panther, Machine Head, Mumford and Sons, and entertained stage crews, road crews and tour managers from Guns & Roses, Sebastian Bach and Slash. These boys are here to stay with a wildly interactive stage show and 80’s hits like Here I Go Again, Bed Of Roses and a set list of over 160 songs they know their music! so come on down midnight to 4am Saturday nights little secret.
Tuesday Nights Open Mic Night
The password to get in for free is ‘I’m rocking out at the Rocket Room’.
ADDRESS: 119 Eddystone Ave Craigie PRICE: Free Entry
ADDRESS: 174 James St Northbridge PRICE: $10
and every Tuesday there after
Come down and strut your stuff amongst your peers, and our friendly and supportive Tuesday Night Open Mic’ers! Music, Magic, Comedy, Poetry, show us what you’ve got. Prizes to be won! Also come down and be a part of the ‘Chase The Ace’ draw every Tuesday Night. Happy hour is from 5.30, and enjoy a selection of tasty $10 meals all night!
Contact: craigietav@optusnet.com.au, Facebook The Craigie Tavern / Bull and Bush Restaurant
Contact: (08) 6188 1218, www.rocketroom.com.au
Indi Bar
Mar 5
Craigie Tavern
Mar 2
Mar 7-10
Camelot Outdoor Cinema
Hearts Of Rock Fundraiser
22nd International Short Film Festival Flickerfest
Local heroes Arts Martial and Warning Birds team up to rock a little more love into the world. 100% of ticket sales will be donated to HOUSE OF HEARTS – a small charity making a massive difference to girls and women in West Bengal.
Australian and International Short Films Celebrating its 22 year, Flickerfest has grown to become Australia’s only Academy® accredited & BAFTA recognised competitive International Short Film Festival with entries coming from filmmakers across the globe. Screening over four days in Perth, opening night will showcase best of Australian shorts with a number on WA talents – including Yardbird by Julius Avery and Michael Spiccia and Polarised by Steve Fleming.
ADDRESS: 27 Hastings Street, Scarborough PRICE: $15 door sales & presale at reception.
ADDRESS: 16 Lochee St, Mosman Park WA 6012 PRICE: $17 adult, $13 concession. Tickets on sale and online.
Contact: Anna Kouts anna@lunapalace.com.au, www.flickerfest.com.au, www.lunapalace.com.au
Contact: (08) 9341 1122, Reneepass@hotmail.com , www.ioh.com.au
Kalamunda Hotel
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Mar 2
Mar 8
The Leederville Hotel
Kalamunda Hotel Beach Party Come and see Almost Famous live on stage downstairs from midday, plus DJ Grizzly upstairs from 5pm and DJ Jeremy Stark downstairs from 6.30pm. To really get the beach vibe happening, we’ve got plenty of activities to get you into the mood - a mechanical surfboard, dunk tank, and best of all, bikini and iron man competitions. So get your bikinis and boardies on, because we’ve got some amazing prizes to give away.
Sampology Live AV Set
ADDRESS: 43 Railway Rd Kalamunda WA 6076 PRICE: Tickets $20 (after 24 Feb = $25, on the day = $40)
ADDRESS: 742 Newcastle Street PRICE: $20 + booking fee from moshtix
Contact: (08) 9257 1084, Facebook.com/KalamundaHotel
Contact: (08) 9202 8222, www.leedervillehotel.com
Sampology is no ordinary artist. His legendary “Super Visual” live video show series has earned him an undeniable reputation as one of the leading Audio Visual DJs, playing a number of the world’s greatest music, film and arts festivals. With specials guests Micah, The Arsonist and Electonic DJs.
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Villa Nightclub
Mar 9
Fremantle Park, Fremantle
Mar 23-24
Inhibit pres. State of Mind
West Coast Blues ‘n’ Roots Festival
Presented by the biggest and best drum n bass crew in Perth, Inhibit, Kiwi drum & bass gods, STATE OF MIND, return to Villa for one massive night. Never been to a drum & bass show at Villa? Where have you been?! This will be one of those DO NOT MISS nights of pure power.
The West Coast Blues ‘n’ Roots Festival on creating truly the most incredible line up yet, for this extra special edition 10th anniversary festival for the true music lover! The lineup is so big in fact that there will be a whole weekend to celebrate this milestone. See the likes of Paul Simon, Robert Plant, Iggy & The Stooges, Ben Harper, Chris Isaak, Jason Mraz, Steve Miller band and so much more! Check out www.westcoastbluesnroots.com. au for more info.
ADDRESS: 187 Stirling St, Perth WA 6000 PRICE: $25+BF from Moshtix
ADDRESS: Fremantle Park, bordered by Ellen, Ord and Parry Streets, Fremantle PRICE: Ranging from $159 to $500
Contact: info@villanightclub.com.au, http://www.villanightclub.com.au
Ya-Ya’s
Contact: Info@sunsetevents.com.au, Www.westcoastbluesnroots.com.au
Mar 9
Unwrapped: South Perth
Mar 24
Morgan Bain
Perth’s favourite designer market and street festival
Morgan Bain is a unique Singer, Songwriter and Multi-Instrumentalist. His song writing is insightful, powerful and emotive, Morgan Bain Will Play Ya Ya’s on the 9th of March. With support from Logan Crawford and Boston & Chevy. For your chance to win a double pass email: admam@ya-yas.com.au with Morgan Bain in the Subject line.
Now in its seventh year, Perth’s original and best designer market, Unwrapped, presents this exclusive annual event, in the leafy riverside setting of Angelo Street, South Perth. The theme for this year is Vintage, so expect to see ‘new meets old’ amongst WA’s rich pool of emerging textile, fashion and visual artists. This one-day event has something for everyone, including a gourmet food corner, laneway art gallery, live music by WAMi finalists, street entertainment and kid’s activities throughout the day.
ADDRESS: 147 James St Northbridge PRICE: $10 entry
ADDRESS: Angelo Street, South Perth PRICE: FREE!
Contact: adam@ya-yas.com.au, www.ya-yas.com.au
Contact: perth@unwrapped.com.au, www.unwrapped.com.au
Mullalloo Beach Hotel
Mar 10
Charlotte & James from Geordie Shore here at MBH! Oceanside Bar – Mullaloo Beach Hotel Mullaloo Beach Hotel Sunday Sesh on the 10th March is going to be massive! Charlotte and James from MTV’s hit series Geordie Shore will be here to party and play in the Oceanside Bar. Presented by Millers they’ll be drink specials all day, VIP tickets to be won and DJs Matty S, Slick & Vison pumping out the tunes all night long. This will be one Sunday Sesh you won’t want to miss!! ADDRESS: 10 Oceanside Promenade, Mullaloo WA 6027 PRICE: Free Entry
Contact: (08) 9401 8411, https://www.facebook.com/mullaloo.sundaysesh
RTRFM Presents Pass The Mic
Mar 15
RTRFM Presents Pass The Mic RTRFM presents a night featuring some of the best MCs and beat-makers this city has to offer. Pass the Mic will descend upon the Rosemount Hotel for a huge night of hip hop on Friday March 15 from 7pm til late. Spittin’ rhymes and dropping beats on the night will be a super-talented roster of local MCs and producers, including Pauly P, FG, Cortext, Archi aka ASAP, Wisdom2th, Tripl M.U.M. With RTRFM DJs Nick Sweepah and Eddie L. ADDRESS: Rosemount Hotel, Cnr Angove & Fitzgerald Streets North Perth, 6006 PRICE: Presale tickets: $10 - RTRFM subscribers / $15 - general public
Contact: (08) 9260 9234, Martine Linton mlinton@rtrfm.com.au, http://rtrfm.com.au/event/pass-the-mic/
Beat Nightclub
Mar 15
Mutants of Desire - Re-Animation Upstairs @ The Beat After 27 years of lying dormant, the Mutants of Desire will reanimate for a one off show at the Beat Nightclub on Friday 15th March 2013. Featuring all original members, Dave “DJ” Johnson, Phil Foord, Mark “Hungry” Hutchinson, Leon Kotz and Phil Bradley, and very special guests Steve Tallis & the Holy Ghosts and the Disintegrates, this show will be one to get your jaded middle aged arses to, and hopefully snap you out of your dormant state so you can rock the fuck out. Really. ADDRESS: 234 William St, Perth WA 6000
Contact: thebeatnightclub@gmail.com, facebook.com/thebeatnightclub
Perth Cultural Centre
Mar 16
2013 City of Perth International Student Festival 11:00am-4:00pm A free non-profit event held in the Perth Cultural Centre from 11am-4pm, which brings together newly arrived and established international students studying in Perth. The Festival presents an opportunity for international students to meet others, be acknowledged by the city, through the Rt Honourable Lisa Scaffidi, Lord Mayor of the City of Perth, enjoy a day of live bands including the Stillwater Giants and Brow Horn Orchestra and to receive information on Perth’s lifestyle and attractions. ADDRESS: Perth Cultural Centre PRICE: Free
Contact: (08) 6253 7490 (Admin), pertheducationcity.com.au/English/Study-in-Perth/Campaigns/festival2013/
The Newport Hotel
Mar 17
St Patricks Day Special The Bar is open from 12 and starting our St Patricks Day Special off, at 2pm, is Sea Of Tunes, our very special Beach Boys Tribute Band. After 6pm we have QLD band Hey Geronimo hitting the stage with special guests TBA ADDRESS: 2 South Terrace, Fremantle PRICE: Free entry all day
Contact: Tessa Druce tessa@thenewport.com, http://www.thenewport.com/
The Shed
Mar 17
Live Broadcast On St. Patricks Day The Shed will broadcast live from The Shed, Flash Mob singing planned, Irish dancing, three live bands, wellie toss and much more ADDRESS: 69-71 Aberdeen St. Northbridge PRICE: Free Entry
Contact: 08 9228 2200, www.the-shed.com.au, FACEBOOK: “The Shed” www.xpressmag.com.au
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BUKE & GASE
The Yada They Fall Brooklyn’s Buke & Gase perform at the Chevron Festival Gardens on Friday, March 1, along with The Tallest Man On Earth. BOB GORDON reports. The best thing about the music of Buke & Gase is that it’s unlikely. Via homemade instruments and the addition of effects, they head into a world that goes against the grain of conventional contemporary music, yet strangely complements it. They’ve just released their second album, General Dome, with no real thought about evolving from their first LP release, Riposte. It’s about what comes out in improvisation. “It’s pretty much whatever comes out, comes out,” explains Arone Dyer. “We were aware that this was our second full-length album, but there wasn’t necessarily anything that pressured us or made us do things because of that. “We get in to a room together and we play our instruments and we record ourselves playing the instruments, the improv. Then a little bit later we listen to the hours of improv we have and listen for something that pricks our ears up then we work with it.” Knowing when to stop listening and went to start recording is a malleable concept. “Well each album has been a little bit of a different process as far as recording goes,” Dyer says. “We’re probably getting better at recording as of now, the more we work we work together the more efficient we become with the process. “As far as us knowing when we’re ready to record. well we kind of forced ourselves to get recording on this last album (laughs). It’s not like we weren’t prepared, but it was just time.” How do you know when you’ve finished recording? “It’s the deadline,” Dyer laughs. “That’s really what does it. The end is pretty practical.” Dyer’s musical upbringing was furtive without being formal. It’s shaped her to this day.
Buke & Gase “My pop played music. He played guitar and I was encouraged to play music quite often as a child. I had piano lessons as a little kid, did percussion in school and sang in the choir, yada yada. “Then, when I was nine years old my dad gave me a guitar and I started playing with that. I sang all my life. I was very encouraged.” Dyer and Sanchez came to Buke & Gase via their previous outfit, Hominid. Dyer plays the buke - a self-modified six-string baritone ukulele - and Aron Sanchez performs on the gase, a guitar/bass hybrid of his own design. “It was the process of making music and wanting to have a bigger sound that influenced the need to create or modify our instruments or add effects to them in order to make a bugger sound which then in turn affects the process of making music and having sounds come about, etc etc. “It’s a big cycle. It’s a very natural process, it’s instinctive.” How do you know when you’re proficient enough to actually record or perform on an instrument of you creation? “I was thinking about this not too long ago,” Dyer considers. “What I play is basically a small scale guitar. It’s just a guitar, but it’s small (laughs). When I play my friends’ regular guitars the only difference is that I have to spread my fingers out an awful lot more. “Aron’s instrument is much more versatile as far as the sounds you make and in learning how to play it. His is like in A major and mine’s in double drop-D. It’s good for like, rock (laughs).”
THE HERBALISER Get Down
The Herbaliser
The Herbaliser join Antibalas to close the Chevron Festival Gardens this Saturday, March 2. ALASDAIR DUNCAN reports. Over the past two decades, The Herbaliser have established themselves as one of Britain’s most beloved electronic acts, their records drawing on a deeply-ingrained affection for both jazz and hip hop. Producer, Ollie Teeba, who formed the group with Jake Wherry in the early ’90s, has been a hip hop lover almost all his life. Do not, however, get him started on current trends in the musical mainstream.“Americans created house music, but it’s only over the past five years that they’ve embraced it full-on. They’ve even renamed it!” he says with a cackle. “They’ve called it EDM, like it’s something new!” The house music sound has, in turn, bled into hip hop, though Teeba bemoans the current state of the genre.“We grew up on the hip hop of the ’80s and ’90s, which was rich and diverse in terms of the palette of sounds,” he says. “Today’s hip hop, at least the mainstream, is dull as dishwater. It’s all got the same drum sound – there’s a Roland 808 sound on every single track, and it’s boring as hell.” While he despairs for the mainstream – Nicki Minaj, in particular, is a target of some choice words – Teeba is not yet ready to concede his beloved hip hop to the all-consuming pop charts. “The underground, certainly in this country, is starting to regenerate itself,” he says.“It went through a period of non-development, but I think that it’s back now.” It’s difficult, in the present climate, for independent artists to make money from their work, but rather than holding people back, Teeba insists that this has led to a newfound sense of creativity. 36
“There’s less expectation,” he says. “When you’re working on that independent level, you don’t have MCs walking in with this idea that they have a dollar value. Because no one’s making money, people will work on a project if they’re into it. That’s when you’re going to get the best results – you’ll get a great collaboration with someone who’s inspired by your music, rather than someone who was paid to be there.” The chaps from The Herbaliser are all set to return to Australia for a DJ tour; after his rant against the mainstream, Teeba is quite keen to clarify that he and Wherry aren’t old fogeys. “We hear new sounds all the time!” he says with a laugh. “We hear the dubsteps and the drums and basses and all the newfangled dance music styles!” It’s safe to say that we won’t be hearing any Nicki or Justin, although not all contemporary music is out. “I loved Otis by Kanye West and Jay-Z,” Teeba says. “It was so great to hear proper hip hop in the charts. I mean, don’t get me wrong, we take influences from new music, but our primary interests are the same as always. We love soul, funk, jazz and hip hop. That’s very much what you’ll hear in a Herbaliser set.” Teeba maintains that being a DJ is his true passion. “I was a DJ before I ever made my own music,” he says. “I learned about arrangements, and about the kind of records I wanted to make, via DJing. “The DJ’s job is to expose you to music that you may not have heard before, be it old or new. A good DJ can get you to come down and have a bit of a dance while you hear stuff you haven’t heard elsewhere. That’s what I love to do.” X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays
CHANCE WATERS
Winning Odds After years on the hip hop beat performing as Phatchance, Sydneysider Chance Waters has crossed into popular consciousness with tearaway Triple J hits Young And Dumb and Maybe Tomorrow. He performs tonight, Wednesday, February 27, at the Indi Bar; Thursday, February 28, at the Newport Hotel; Friday, March 1, at the Prince of Wales, Bunbury; Saturday, March 2, at the Civic Hotel and Sunday, March 3, at the Nannup Music Festival. SABIAN WILDE reports. As Phatchance, Chance Waters had taken his shots in the Aussie hip hop scene, including an audacious sold-out acoustic hip hop tour in 2011. But as his songwriting interests developed, he decided to perform under his own name with the 2012 release of Infinity. “I’m really happy with the decision,” Waters says. “Phatchance really reflected a different time in my life. I chose the moniker when I was 15 or 16, so it was about time for a reboot. “I also write from a ver y personal place a lot of the time. It didn’t feel appropriate anymore to keep writing under a pseudonym.” Waters says that while he will always be a rapper, as a songwriter and producer, the song always comes first. “ There are songs on Infinity with production which wouldn’t be out of place on a Motown record, there are others that owe a lot to folk, or indie or pop, but there are some that are clearly in the hip hop domain.
Chance Waters “I think I have a tendency to write from a pop perspective because I really love songwriting, playing around with hooks, bridges and pre-choruses and not always getting carried away writing lengthy verses when I’m looking at the structure of a song, which obviously is something that lends itself to radio.” The innate radio-friendliness of the first two singles have certainly helped Waters beat the odds and exceeding his expectations, as he had set a goal of quietly sneaking his way into the Hottest 100 this year. “Getting two entries was absolutely unexpected and mind-blowing, that’s kind of made this year a winner for me regardless of how anything else goes,” he says. “I think I’ve got about 40 shows in the first half of the year and I’m churning through the next album as quickly as I can in between those commitments. “I’m actually writing more now at my busiest than I did with very little going on a couple of years ago. Which is probably a good sign.” Amid this sudden flurry of activity, Waters is quite literally being very productive. “At the moment I’m recording and engineering for a couple of other artists, I think a co-production role is kind of par for the course with my approach to that sort of work, I definitely see the whole thing as a creative process rather than a mechanical one. “My top priority right now though is working on my next record and touring as widely as I can, particularly to a lot of the regional spots I could never play previously because of lack of publicity.”
PRESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Thank You Madonna
Presidents Of The United States Of America singer/guitarist Chris Ballew tells SHANE PINNEGAR that he’s eager to get to Australia to play their debut, selftitled album in its entirety. Catch them at Metropolis Fremantle on Saturday, March 16, supported by Hey Geronimo. “I love Australia. I feel very, very at home there.” Chris Ballew tells us from his Seattle home. “I love the people. I love everybody’s attitude. I love how people are friendly and interested. It’s like a hot Moscow.” The Australian tour will see PUSA played their debut LP from start to finish. It’s been working a treat. “We’ve played the debut album from start to finish a few times actually here in Seattle,” Ballew explains. “I gotta say, it’s kind of fun for me as the singer because those songs are easier to sing. There’s less shouting and yelling and sustaining high notes on that first record because we didn’t know we were going to be rock stars, so we weren’t writing songs to make a 5,000 seat venue stand up and take notice. “I had no idea it was going to go the way it went.” Ballew insists he was as surprised as anyone when the 1996 album sold more than six million copies around the world. “I really thought we were making something to give to our parents!” When asked to explain the appeal of the album, Ballew is contemplative. “People were kind of ready; things got pretty heavy and serious and tense for a while and I guess I never thought about this before, but in a funny way it’s a roll on effect. Like when President Kennedy was killed in the ‘60s and then The Beatles exploded. Everybody was so bummed out and then they saw these lads come from Liverpool and they made everybody feel better. When Kurt Cobain killed himself and then all of a sudden it’s time to shift the party to light and we were the band to cure it, I guess.” Ballew explains that he has an unlikely megastar to thank for some golden advice. “Does it bug me that I’m not taken as www.xpressmag.com.au
Presidents Of The United States Of America seriously because of the humour in my lyrics? No,” he says, “and you know who I have to thank for not suffering that burden… Madonna! “When we were coming up she saw our band and wanted to sign us. And during that meeting she took me aside and said, ‘You will never get respect for your craft because you’re funny’. And she was right. So, I didn’t ever expect it since that.” Being on tour so often, it’s unsurprising what Ballew reveals as his go-to comfort. “I love my food,” he says. “So, for me, travelling to other countries on tour it’s about music, botanical gardens, walking and food. I love to walk in nature when I’m not on a rock stage. “There was a Thai restaurant in Sydney that was amazing,” he explains, “I can’t remember the name of it but I kind of remember where it is, so I want to eat there. I had a plate one time in Sydney that had crocodile and kangaroo. I want to see some funny little animals and then I want to eat them.” When it’s suggested that it’s a far cry from the more hedonistic pursuits of the average snorting-cocaineoff-stripper’s-butts kind of touring rock star, Ballew laughs heartily. “Well,” he laughs, “I like to do cocaine off stripper’s butts down at a botanical garden!” 37
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X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays
TIM ROGERS AND THE BAMBOOS The Brow Horn Orchestra Chevron Festival Gardens Saturday, February 23, 2013 The Perth Cultural Centre was bustling on Saturday night, despite an unseasonably cool evening, for a sold-out show in the Perth International Arts Festival Gardens – Tim Rogers and The Bamboos sharing the stage in what was billed as a Rock ‘n’ Soul Medicine Show. After collaborating on I Got Burned, the standout song from one of last year’s standout albums – The Bamboos’ Medicine Man – the You Am I front man and Melbourne funk and soul outfit kicked off a joint national tour with one of the most highly anticipated shows at PIAF. Fremantle party starters The Brow Horn Orchestra opened the night with their inimitable blend of electronica, reggae and hip hop. Their energetic set – at different points, vocalist Nicholas Owen and trombonist Karri Harper Meredith jumped off stage to perform in the crowd – touched on a number of tracks from 2012’s Two Fires EP, including the popular We Are Home Again and the dub-tinged We Climbed Phaser Mountains, as well as older crowd favourite Goliath. Loud cheers from a full venue greeted The Bamboos as they made their way onstage. Soulstress Kylie Auldist warmed the crowd up with Medicine Man tracks What I Know and Cut Me Down, before Tim Rogers stepped out onto the stage, dressed in an all-white suit, and belted out a joyous rendition of The Impressions’ Civil Rights anthem We’re A Winner. The question of whether Rogers
(Photo: Toni Wilkinson)
had soul was answered quickly, even if he couldn’t match Curtis Mayfield’s falsetto. Lance Fergusson, meanwhile, played a searing guitar solo as Rogers and Auldist shared hits from a wine bottle. The cover set the tone for the first half of the set, with a funky detour through New Orleans touching on Allen Toussaint’s Am I Expecting Too Much? and The Meters’ Just Kissed My Baby followed by performances of Dr John’s Right Place Wrong Time and Eddie Floyd’s Things Get Better. In between, Rogers left the stage, giving Auldist another chance to shine with Community Service Announcement from her 2008 album Just Say. Backup singer Ella Thompson also stepped up with The Wilhelm Scream, showing off a strong vocal range as The Bamboos’ James Blake cover reached its powerful, horn-driven crescendo. The crowd’s constant cheers turned to roars as Rogers stripped off his shirt and began belting out I Got Burned, the track that sparked this tour and charted at #56 on the 2012 Triple J Hottest 100. Everyone briefly left the stage after a performance of Ike and Tina Turner’s Contact High, before returning for the night’s first down tempo performance, of You Am I’s Heavy Heart, which had older punters singing along. Proving that the Rock ‘n’ Soul Medicine Show couldn’t be farther from an opportunistic tour to capitalise on a popular single, Rogers and The Bamboos’ treatment of this sombre rock ‘n’ roll number – imbuing it with a soulfulness worthy of Motown – revealed a promising new artistic direction for one of Australia’s rock icons, and a world-class soul band. _JOSHUA HAYES
SARAH BLASKO WITH WASO The Necks/Wintercoats Kings Park Saturday, February 23, 2013 After spending the past few years on the wildly successful Seeker Lover Keeper project, Sarah Blasko returns with a new album and a run of shows under her own steam. For the ambitious I Awake tour, Blasko has been enlisting the help of an orchestra in each city to bring to life her ambitious new album. Early revellers got to experience James Wallace’s one man band Wintercoats. The twee ambience should have been at odds with the sizeable Kings Park venue, yet Wintercoats are the perfect accompaniment for afternoon canapés and wine. Wallace is clearly Australia’s answer to Andrew Bird. Avant jazz luminaries The Necks are usually seen in dark rooms surrounded by men stroking their beards. The outdoor venue offered a different backdrop for the trio who would again impress many and confound some with their experimental, improvisational, instrumental piece. It has been customary for artists who have teamed up with WASO to alter the arrangements of their tunes to bring a new feel to an old favourite. Sarah Blasko would take a different approach by bringing her own band along for the ride and use WASO in almost a secondary nature to accompany them and fill in the orchestral moments from her new record. You can be assured that Sarah Blasko owns more black dresses than a convent and she was again draped in a flowing number that made her look part gypsy, part sorceress. Motioning to the sky she launched into {explain}, a tune seemingly written for a night like this under the stars. Guitarist Benjamin Fletcher took to changing to a new guitar after almost every song, but the touring mate who received the most accolades was conductor Roland Peelman who had lead all of the orchestra’s during this jaunt across the country. As always, Blasko was a haunting figure as www.xpressmag.com.au
Sarah Blasko (Photo: Matt Jalonek) she swayed like a tree in the wind or gyrated during what can only be described as interpretive dance motifs during her tunes. No Turning Back found the singer jumping and flailing like a crazed character from a Bjork video as the band followed her spritely approach. A significant part of the start of the set came from the album As Day Follows Night with Blasko donning a pair of white gloves during Sleeper Awake. It was at this point that she announced that the remainder of the show would see them work their way through the whole of I Awake from start to finish. The need for an encore saw Blasko break the flow of the album. After a short break she returned to sit at the piano for the delightfully sparse Your Oyster Your Pearl. It is in these moments of quiet that Blasko’s voice comes into the fore. Not Yet was bombastic with the orchestra building to a crescendo. It is the tune where Blasko most embraced the power of having a dynamic orchestra behind her to finish the evening on a high note. _CHRIS HAVERCROFT 39
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X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays
Simone & Girlfunkle
SIMONE & GIRLFUNKLE
spent as much time as we needed rather than as long as we could afford, which was so great and gave us time to play around with a million dorky instruments and ideas. Rob is a genius at this stuff and very good natured. I really enjoyed the cups of tea on the porch, the afternoon frozen coke runs with the most beautiful and hilarious bunch of people I will ever meet in my life. We mixed the record with Laurie and with Parko at Blackbird, then mastered with Simon Strut.
Folk-pop mavens Simone and Girlfunkle launch their inaugural LP, Hurry, Harry, at The Bakery on Saturday, March 2, with support from The Flower Drums and Mei Saraswati. Bridget Turner gives us the lowdown.
How does the album compare to the live experience of Simone & Girlfunkle? We added a few trumpets, glocks, and strings that are just for the record. It was too tempting not to play with the flexibility that being in a stained, padded mattress studio brings, and Perth has so many talented musicians, it was really rewarding to spend time with them and have them on our keepsake.
How would you describe your sound? Steeped in folk but in love with pop. Girl harmonies and lots of them. Probably earthed by ‘60s influences, but eager to potter around wherever it feels best at the time.
You’ve engaged in crowdfunding in the past, notably to finance a music video. How viable did you find the process, and is it something you think independent musicians need to embrace? It’s an excellent way to presale your record. I have nothing but love for the idea and for the people who supported us. Can’t wait to finally How did Simone & Girlfunkle first come into being? honour the promise of our record - sorry it took so long! Everyone We formed originally as a two-piece comprised of two old school knows that it’s tough to finance local music, but with physical sales friends. After releasing our first EP in 2008 we realised that having pretty non-existent and arts funding getting tighter and tighter, any more complex arrangements gets you places so we formed a huge way you can keep your dream alive is worthwhile. Plus I think it’s a band of seven people and haven’t looked back since. We’ve been great way to actually meet the people who support your music that lucky enough to tour around the east coast, have our songs played you wouldn’t normally meet or get to know. We’ve made actual friends on television shows and perform for the premier a few times. Pretty out of strangers from the experience and were able to support local okay for some dork kids from the ‘burbs. Take that! filmmakers, too. I think crowdfunding will be around for a while, but you can’t continually use it over and over as your mum only has so Where did you record the new album, and what was the much money to give you and your friends will get cranky! experience like? Recording the album was a pretty relaxed process. Ideally, everyone What’s up next? should make records with their friends - it’s a pretty fab and The launch of our record, then the following week we are supporting unforgettable experience. We tracked in numerous places. We started Wendy Matthews. Following that we are looking at adding new friends all the drum beds with Laurie McCallum at Sumo Sound Studios then to our lineup, unfortunately we’re losing some old ones to travel. We retreated to an old share house in Northbridge. Once there, we went have planned to tour the eastern states in the months following the to our bass player’s bedroom and made a castle cubby of mattresses launch of our record, just waiting on the miracle dream-funds to do and soiled sleeping bags and locked ourselves in there until it was that but fingers crossed Cliff Richard reaches out to us and finally mostly done. We called this space ‘Pinkeye Palace.’ It’s where all the becomes our patron. Maybe a little unlikely but we’ve had so much magic and pinkeye happened. He (Rob Stephens) produced the luck so far with our music that one must remain ultimately optimistic recording, and with the extra advantage of tracking ourselves we and full of sunshine.
Worst Possible Outcome Amanda Merzdan
PUNKING IN THE PARK
Banks Reserve in Mt Lawley will play host to an ocean of leather jackets and torn jeans this Sunday, March 3, when Punk Picnic 2013 goes off. Featuring performances from YOB MOB, Pitbullfromperth, Georgetown Murderers, (GENOCIDAL), 34A9ER, Worst Possible Outcome, The Lungs, and more, this promises to be a fun and furious day of music and mayhem. Head to strangefreaks.com for further information.
NO MAPS FOR THESE TERRITORIES
Amanda Merdzan launches her new album, The Map Has Been Redrawn, this Saturday, March 2, at Mojo’s Bar, before she departs for the frozen north at the invitation of Canadian Music Week. The folk chanteuse will be joined by Davey Craddock And The Spectacles and Rachel and Henry Climb A Hill. Doors open 8pm, entry is $10.
TOBY OR NOT TOBY
Western Australian performer Toby brings her trademark feisty energy and rocking guitar work to The Fly By Night Club this Thursday, Februar y 28. A seasoned touring musician who has played nearly 1000 shows over the past seven years, she’ll be joined on stage by Kim Churchill. flybynight.org has all the details.
Misty Mountain
JAMMY GITS Toby
Tonight, Wednesday February 27, YaYa’s once again plays host to Fresh Jams, their showcase for up and coming Perth musical talent. Catch In Orbit, Misty Mountain, The Loved Dead, and former Arcade member Danny Rodgers on stage. Entry is $6.
IT’S TAMIKA TIME
Ingenue songstress Tamika launches her first EP, This Is Who I Am, this Saturday, March 2, at the Fly By Night Club. Having received high praise from a number of industry insiders and professionals, Tamika is now ready to share her prodigious talent with the world. Doors open at 7pm, tickets are $15 at seatadvisor.com. or $20 on the door. www.xpressmag.com.au
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X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays
Cat Power, Feb 27
Birds of Tokyo, Mar 8
DEEP PURPLE/JOURNEY 7 Perth Arena GEORGE CLINTON & PARLIAMENT FUNKADELIC/ 2 Perth Arena LAST DINOSAURS/ GREG WILSON 7 Metro City RAINY DAY WOMEN BOB SEDERGREEN 27 Curtin University ANTIBALAS The Ellington 2 Chevron Festival Gardens 7BIRDS OF TOKYO 7 Prince Of Wales BAND OF FREQUENCIES 8 Fremantle Arts Centre 27 Ellington Jazz Club PETE MURRAY URTHBOY 28 Prince Of Wales Bunbury 2 Capitol 8 Mojos 1 Settlers Tavern 3 Fremantle Arts Centre 9 Amplifier 2 Nannup Music Festival 4 Fremantle Arts Centre GUNS N’ ROSES / ZZ TOP / 3 Clancy’s Fish Pub Canning ROSE TATTOO 9 Perth Arena Bridge SLAUGHTERHOUSE SAMPOLOGY 8 Leederville Hotel 2 Leederville Hotel GARY PUCKETT & THE UNION CAT POWER GAP 27 Chevron Festival Gardens NANNUP MUSIC 9 The Astor FESTIVAL (Mama Kin, CAT EMPIRE Fremantle Arts Centre HAND OF MERCY Chance Waters, Busby 10 DINOSAUR JR/ THE JON 27 Amplifier Marou, B2M, Zoe SPENCER BLUES EXPLOSION/ 28 YMCA HQ Keating, David Bridie, MOON DUO Dillip N The Davs, Pimps 12 The Astor KEATING/ BRIAN LAURIE ANDERSON & Of Sound, Hussy Hicks, RONAN MCFADDEN Crown Theatre KRONOS QUARTET Frank Yamma & more) 12 TITLE FLIGHT/LUCA BRASI 27 Perth Concert Hall 3 Nannup Amphitheatre, 13 Amplifier Nannup Hotel, Blackwood 14 YMCA HQ Winery, Town Hall KISS/ MOTLEY CRUE/ THE JACKSONS 14 Perth Arena THIN LIZZY/DIVA PAUL KELLY/ NEIL FINN/ BABY ANIMALS DEMOLITION LISA MITCHELL/GRACE 3 The Quarry Amphitheatre WOODROOFE 28 Perth Arena 14 & 15 Kings Park Botanical Gardens JAMES CARTER ORGAN HOODOO GURUS GLENN SHORROCK/ WENDY MATTHEWS/ DOUG 3 Hotel Rottnest TRIO PARKINSON 28 Chevron Festival Gardens 14 & 15 Quarry Amphitheatre THE ONLY/PEKING DUK GALLOWS 15 Villa JACK CARTY AND THE 3 Amplifier DAMIEN DEMPSEY FALLS 15 The Bakery FESTIVAL OF THE WIND (Dan 28 The Ellington FUCKED UP Sultan, French Butler Called 3 Capitol Smith and more) 16 The Sound Shell Esperance DEERHOOF BOB MOULD 28 The Rosemount FUTURE MUSIC 16 The Rosemount FESTIVAL 2013 (The PRESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA / HEY Prodigy, The Stone CHANCE WATERS GERONIMO Roses, PSY, Dizzee 27 Indi Bar 16 Metro Freo Rascal, Bloc Party, 28 Newport Hotel IN HEARTS WAKE 1 Prince Of Wales Azealia Banks, Rita Ora, 16 Amplifier 2 Civic Hotel Boys Noize, Hardwell, 17 YMCA HQ 3 Nannup Music Festival ON THE BEACH VOLUME The Temper Trap, FUN, SETS 10 (Hermitude, Strange Talk, Madeon, Rudimental, DJ Lord, Yes You, Twinsy, Drop Out Orchestra, Luke Million) SOUL II SOUL Ellie Goulding, Steve Scarborough Beach 1 Capitol Aoki, Alesso, Gypsy & 17 Amphitheatre The Cat, A-Trak, Feed THE MARK OF CAIN NANNUP MUSIC Me, Zeds Dead, Kill The 17 Capitol FESTIVAL (Toby, Kim Noise, DJ Fresh, Nervo, MUTEMATH 19 The Astor Churchill , Jake And The Zane Lowe, Borgore, NINA LAS VEGAS Cowboys, Siskin River, Cocoon Heroes ft Sven 21 Prince Of Wales 23 Amplifier Minni Marks, Hussy Väth, Richie Hawtin, JOY Hicks, Kira Puru & The Ricardo Villalobos, Seth VANCE 22 St Josephs Church Troxler, Magda, Wake WILLIAM ELLIOT WHITMORE Bruise) 23 Mojos Bar Your Mind ft Cosmic 1 Nannup Amphitheatre COAST BLUES & ROOTS Gate & Emma Hewitt, WEST FESTIVAL (Sensational Space W&W, tyDi, Andy Moor, Shifters, Iggy & The Stooges, YOLANDA BE COOL Super8 & Tab, Ben Gold, Chris Isaak, Jason Mraz, Staus 1 Newport Hotel The Stafford Brothers, Quo, Manu La Ventura, Tedeschi Timmy Trumpet, Tenzin, Chao Trucks Band, Fred Wesley & THE TALLEST MAN ON Bombs Away & more) The New JB’s, Julia Stone, Newton Faukner, Kitty, Daisy EARTH 3 Arena Joondalup & Lewis, The Music Maker 1 Chevron Festival Gardens Blues Revue, Grace Potter, Russell Morris, Mama Kin, S OUNDWAVE 2013 Blue Shady & Breakthrough DAVID BRIDIE AND (Metallica, Linkin Park, Winner) FRANK YAMMA 23 Fremantle Park Blink-182, A Perfect 1 Fly By Night DEBORAH CONWAY Circle, The Offspring, 23 The Ellington Paramore, Garbage, THIS WILL DESTROY YOU NANNUP MUSIC 23 Rosemount Hotel Slayer, Cypress Hill, FESTIVAL (Band Of Bullet For My Valentine WEST COAST BLUES & Frequencies, Emma ROOTS FESTIVAL (Ben Louise, Dillip N The Harper, Santana, Paul & more) Davs, Pimps Of Sound, 4 Claremont Showgrounds Simon, Steve Miller Band, Hussy Hicks, Mister And Wilco, Bonnie Raitt, Jimmy Cliff, Rufus Wainwright, Sunbird, Jake And The Michael Kiwanuka, Gossling, Cowboys, Ngaiire, Steve RUSSELL PETERS Ash Grunwald, Graveyard Smyth, Frank Yamma, 5 Perth Arena Train, Brothers Grim, Sticky The Underskore Fingers, Benjamin Francis Orkestra, Ainslie Wills, Leftwich, The DomNicks & Morgan Bain, Mitch RICKIE LEE JONES Davey Craddock And The Becker, The Lammas 5 The Astor Spectacles) Tide, The Company, 24 Fremantle Park China Doll, Ned Wishart STICKY FINGERS/LYALL & more) MOLONEY 2 Nannup Amphitheatre, NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS/ 27 Rosemount Nannup Hotel, Blackwood DRAPHT MARK LANEGAN 28 The Rosemount Winery, Town Hall 6 Red Hill Auditorium
THIS WEEK
NEIL YOUNG/ HUSKY
MARCH
www.xpressmag.com.au
Counting Crows, April 3
PVT 30 The Bakery GUY SEBASTIAN 30 Crown Theatre STANTON WARRIORS 31 Villa
MAY
THE RUBENS 2 Prince Of Wales 3 Capitol 4 Settlers Tavern BOB EVANS 2 Settlers Tavern 3 The Bakery 4 Prince Of Wales HITS & PITS 2013 (Mad BLACK SABBATH Caddies, Good Riddance, A 4 Perth Arena Wilhelm Scream, Voodoo Glow Skulls, The Flatliners, HAPPY MONDAYS Diesel Boy, One Dollar Short, 8 Capitol Jamie Hay, Jen Buxton, Totally NORMA JEAN Unicorn & Paper Arms) 8 Amplifier 1 Metropolis Fremantle TEGAN AND SARA THE XX 9 Metro City 1 Metro City 11 Hay Park, Bunbury 2 Metro City EXAMPLE PENNYWISE 10 Metro City 2 Metro Freo THE BRONX/DZ DEATHRAYS LUKA BLOOM 10 Capitol 2 Fly By Night 11 Hay Park, Bunbury COUNTING CROWS THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS 3 Perth Concert Hall 10 The Rosemount THE SCRIPT 11 Hay Park, Bunbury 3 Perth Arena SETH SENTRY FRANK TURNER 10 Villa 4 Amplifier 12 Newport Hotel DEAD LETTER CIRCUS GROOVIN THE MOO (Alison 4 Prince Of Wales Wonderland/Alpine/ 5 Rosemount The Amity Affliction/ GRINSPOON 5 Prince of Wales The Bronx/DZ Deathrays/ 6 Amplifier Example/Flume/Frightened SONS OF RICO Rabbit/Hungry Kids Of 5 Amplifier Hungary/The Kooks/Last 6 Settlers Tavern Dinosaurs/Matt And Kim/ ICEHOUSE/MARK SEYMOUR Midnight Juggernauts/Pez/ 5 Perth Zoo Regurgitator/Seth Sentry/ BIRDY Shockone/Tame Impala/ 6 Riverside Theatre Tegan And Sara/The Temper ROGER HODGSON Trap/They Might Be Giants/ 7 Riverside Theatre HUNGRY KIDS OF HUNGARY Tuka With Ellesquire/ Urthboy/DJ Woody’s Big Phat 11 Newport Hotel 90’s Mixtape/Yacht/Yolanda 12 Capitol Be Cool) YACHT CLUB DJS 11 Hay Park, Bunbury 12 Amplifier THE KOOKS 13 Prince Of Wales 11 Hay Park, Bunbury JOSH GROBAN 16 Kings Park Botanic Garden 12 Fremantle Arts Centre FLUME/CHET FAKER ZUCCHERO 12 Metro City 17 Regal Theatre CRADLE OF FILTH STU LARSEN May 12 Metropolis Fremantle 17 The Ellington BUZZCOCKS TENACIOUS D 18 Rosemount 15 Riverside Theatre 28 DAYS EVERMORE 19 Capitol 16 Newport Hotel THE DRONES/KING GIZZARD 17 Players Bar AND THE LIZARD WIZZARD 18 The Charles 19 The Astor CHRISTINE ANU REWIND SPIT SYNDICATE/JACKIE – THE ARETHA FRANKLIN ONASSIS SONGBOOK 19 Prince Of Wales 17 & 18 The Ellington 20 Amplifier TAME IMPALA 21 Metro Freo RTRFM’S IN THE PINES (Adam 18 Belvoir Amphitheatre FUNERAL FOR A FRIEND Said Galore, The Bank Holidays Lite, Circus Murders, 18 Prince Of Wales Bunbury 19 Amplifier The Panics, Schvendes, Usurper of Modern Medicine ATARI TEENAGE RIOT 19 The Bakery & The Volcanics) THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM 21 Somerville Auditorium 19 Metro City SILVERSTEIN DEFTONES 22 Amplifier 21 Metropolis Fremantle EPICA 23 Capitol THE GHOST INSIDE THE BLACK SEEDS 23 Amplifier 24 Metro Freo AIRNORTH KIMBERELEY DAVE JACKSON MOON EXPERIENCE (Guy 24 The Ellington Sebastian, Mark Seymour, RUFUS James Reyne, Gurrumul 25 Newport Hotel Yunupingu) 26 Prince Of Wales 25 Jim Hughes Amphitheatre 27Amplifier Kununurra BRITISH INDIA BRITISH INDIA 25 Prince Of Wales April 25 Prince Of Wales 26 Settlers Tavern April 26 Settlers Tavern 27 Capitol April 27 Capitol MARILYN KELLER THE SEEKERS 26 The Ellington 30 Riverside Theatre THE POTBELLEEZ DRAGON 26 Capitol FAIRBRIDGE FESTIVAL (Tinpan 31 The Astor Theatre Orange/ Bustamento/ Frank Yamma/ Kristina Olsen) 26-28 Fairbridge MIDGE URE KILLING JOKE 27 Charles Hotel 9 Rosemount SIX60 PINK 27 Metro City 25, 26 & 28 Perth Arena DIG IT UP (Hoodoo Gurus, A$AP Rocky Flamin’ Groovies, Blue Oyster 30 Metro City Cult, Buzzcocks, Peter Case, The Stems) 28 The Astor MOVEMENT FESTIVAL (NAS, Bliss N Eso, 2 Chainz, Chiddy AMANDA PALMER & THE Bang, JOEY BADA$$, Angel GRAND THEFT ORCHESTRA 8 Astor Theatre Haze, Spit Syndicate) ONE DIRECTION 30 Red Hill Auditorium 28 & 29 Perth Arena
APRIL
JUNE
SEPTEMBER
43
Xenobiotic, Friday at Amplifier
WEDNESDAY27.02
AMPLIFIER Hand Of Mercy BAR 120 Felix BEAT NIGHTCLUB (DOWNSTAIRS) Soul Seduction BRASS MONKEY Sugar Blue Burlesque CHEVRON FESTIVAL GARDENS Cat Power CLAREMONT HOTEL Acoustica ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Band Of Frequencies FLYING SCOTSMAN DJ Armee GREENWOOD Bernardine GROOVE BAR (CROWN CASINO) 5 Shots HALE ROAD TAVERN Fenton Wilde INDI BAR Chance Waters LUCKY SHAG Howie Morgan MOJOS BAR Fremantle Blues And Roots Club Fay Blais Geneveve Chadwick Minnie Marks MOON CAFÉ Neil Fernandez Steve Tallis Paul McCarthy MUSTANG BAR Kill The Director DJ Giles NEWPORT HOTEL Back To School Party Tom Drummond Angry Buda Vandalism PADDO Nat Ripepi Rose Parker Annabelle Harvey PERTH CONCERT HALL Laurie Anderson & Kronos Quartet ROSEMOUNT The Southwicks Lionizer The Crossbars Black Stone From The Sun DJ Anton Maz ROSIE O’GRADY’S (NORTHBRIDGE) David Fyffe THE BIRD FOAM Red Engine Caves Doctopus THE BROWN FOX Courtney Murphy UNIVERSAL Strutt Ses Sayer UWA Last Dinosaurs Rainy Day Women VILLAGE BAR Village People - Open Mic YAYA’S Danny Rogers In Orbit Misty Mountain The Loved Dead
THURSDAY 28.02
ADMIRAL Greg Carter Karaoke BELGIAN BEER CAFÉ Howie Morgan BRASS MONKEY Rhythm Bound Karaoke
BRIGHTON Open Mic Night BROOKLANDS TAVERN Celebrations Karaoke CHEVRON FESTIVAL GARDENS James Carter Organ Trio CLANCY’S CANNING BRIDGE Tom Fisher The Layabouts Duo COMO HOTEL Adam James DEVILLES PAD Rock’N’Roll Karaoke DUNSBOROUGH TAVERN Open Mic Night ELEPHANT & WHEELBARROW 5 Shots ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Jack Carty And The Falls FLY BY NIGHT Toby Kim Churchill FLYING SCOTSMAN Gidget Duck & The Muldoon Wing GREENWOOD Monarchy GROOVE BAR (CROWN) Decoy HIGH WYCOMBE HOTEL Flyte INDI BAR Bex’s Open Mic Night LUCKY SHAG Christian Thompson MALT SUPPER CLUB Kaberet Thursdays Howie Morgan MARKET CITY TAVERN Sami Moore Arthur King And The Silly English Kniggits Brothers Of Angac Kap T METRO CITY Tommy Lee & DJ Aero MOJOS BAR Loose Lips Parmezan Spaceman Antics The Daniel Firkin Trio MT HENRY TAVERN Neil Adams MUSTANG BAR EMPRA HailMary Brown Study Band DJ James MacAurthur NEWPORT HOTEL Chance Waters OXFORD HOTEL Perth Folk & Roots Club Dilip Parekh Justin Walshe John McNair Keith Anthonisz PERTH ARENA Kiss Motley Crue Thin Lizzy Diva Demolition PORT KENNEDY TAVERN Adam James PRINCE OF WALES Band Of Frequencies ROSEMOUNT Deerhoof Runner Doctopus Perth Sons Of Rico DJs ROSIE O’GRADY’S (FREMANTLE) Clayton Bolger ROSIE O’GRADY’S (NORTHBRIDGE) Neil Colliss SETTLERS TAVERN Hussy Hicks
The Southwicks,Wednesday at The Rosemount SOVEREIGN ARMS David Fyffe STEVES BAR Dove THE BIRD Kira Puru & The Bruise Hayley Beth Jimi Sanz THE BOAT Jen De Ness THE BROOK Open Mic Night THE GATE Greg Carter THE PRINCIPAL Bernardine THE SHED The Mystery Men THE VELVET LOUNGE Tyto Kings Silver Hills The Witches New Animals UNIVERSAL Off The Record WOODVALE Two Plus One YA YA’S Solkyri The Silent World Makegocrazy YMCA HQ Hand Of Mercy
FRIDAY 01.03
AMPLIFIER Xenobiotic I Am Eternal Befallen Inconoclast 7th AVENUE Free Radicals BAILEY BAR Mod Squad Tip Top Sound DJ Bren BALLYS BAR Anderson BALMORAL Mike Nayar BAR ORIENT The Reggae Club General Justice DJ Ray Black Knight The Empressions Mumma Trees Sista Che BEAT NIGHTCLUB (DOWNSTAIRS) PLAY BEAT NIGHTCLUB (UPSTAIRS) El Capitan Idle Eyes Hello Darling To Catch A Fox BELMONT TAVERN Electrophobia BENTLEY HOTEL Sophie Jane BLACK BETTYS Everlong BLVD TAVERN Sea Level Trio BRASS MONKEY Adrian Wilson BROKEN HILL HOTEL Matt Milford BROOKLANDS TAVERN The Bluebottles BROWN FOX Easy Tigers CAPITOL Soul II Soul CAPTAIN STIRLING Chris Gibbs CARINE Pop Candy CHASE BAR & BISTRO James Wilson
FAIM
FAIM
SCALPHUNTER DEAD OWLS THEMSHARKS
FRIDAY 28TH THE ROSEMOUNT HOTEL
44
The Volcanics, Saturday at Amplifier
CHEVRON FESTIVAL GARDENS The Tallest Man On Earth CIVIC HOTEL Reapers Riddle Wicked Wench Tempest Rising Adverse Reaction CLANCY’S CITY BEACH Dave Brewer Trio CLANCY’S DUNSBOROUGH Qynn Beardman CLANCY’S FREMANTLE The Domnicks COMO HOTEL Trevor Jalla CORNERSTONE Krakatini’s CRAFTSMAN Masterplan DEVILLES PAD Funk Club 10th Birthday Funk Club House Band Funk Club DJs DUNSBOROUGH TAVERN Kamikaze Pilots Ben Campain EAST 150 BAR Ali Towers EDZ SPORTZ BAR Sugarfield ELEPHANT & WHEELBARROW Darren Reid & The Soul City Groove ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Libby Hammer Quintet Deuces Cristal Phillips Solomon Pitt EMPIRE BAR Howie Morgan FLY BY NIGHT David Bridie & Frank Yamma FLYING SCOTSMAN Back To Mono GLOUCESTER PARK Acoustic Licence GREENWOOD Chasing Calee HERDSMAN The Mojos HIGH ROAD HOTEL Envy HIGH WYCOMBE HOTEL Dr Bogus HIGHWAY HOTEL Northern Muse HYDE PARK HOTEL Steve Parkin INDI BAR The Amani Consort INDIAN OCEAN BREW Ben Merito KALAMUNDA HOTEL Frenzy LAKERS DJ Grizzly Slickenside Melee LEFTBANK Groove Acoustics LEGENDS BAR The Organ Grinders LYNWOOD ARMS Mustangs MAHOGANNY INN Kate Gilbertson MALT SUPPER CLUB Illusion Cheecho Brothers MARKET CITY TAVERN Matt Burke Mike Anderson MERIDIAN ROOM Local Heroes MERRIWA TAVERN Nasty Dogz M ON THE POINT Third Gear MOJOS BAR (ARVO) Captn K Simmo T MOJOS BAR (EVE) Crucial Rockers Tom Takeover Sheriff Lindo Kritical Drummie DJ Sorted MOON & SIXPENCE Soul Corporation MUSTANG BAR Oz Big Band Swing DJs Cheeky Monkeys DJ James McArthur NANNUP AMPHITHEATRE Nannup Music Festival Jake and the Cowboys Siskin River Minnie Marks Hussy Hicks Kira Puru & The Bruise Kim Churchill Toby NEWPORT HOTEL Yolanda Be Cool
PADDO Stu Harcourt Booty Juice PADDY MAGUIRES Madam Montage PARAMOUNT Flyte PEEL ALE HOUSE Astrobat PINK DUCK LOUNGE Jonathan Dempsey PLAIN ST BAR Kizzy PRINCE OF WALES Chance Waters PRINCESS ROAD TAVERN Local Heroes ROCKET ROOM Coyote Ugly Kickstart ROLEYSTONE COUNTRY CLUB Bernardine ROSE & CROWN Tod Woodward ROSEMOUNT FAIM Scalphunter Dead Owls Them Sharks ROSIE O’GRADY’S (FREMANTLE) Flash Nat & The Action Men SAIL & ANCHOR Howie Morgan Duo Nightshift SETTLERS TAVERN Band Of Frequencies SOUTH ST ALE HOUSE Robbie King Karaoke SPRINGS TAVERN Greg Carter Karaoke STEVE’S BAR Velvet SWAN BASEMENT Andrew Mullane Vincent Romeo Colour Control Amadeum Obscenium One Too Many Camel SWAN LOUNGE Caroline J Dale Kathleen Anne Josie Crosby The Sign SWINGING PIG Easy Tigers Greg Carter THE BOAT The Organ Grinders THE BROOK Anthony Buttaccio THE EASTERN Nat Ripepi THE GATE Dirty Scoundrels THE PRINCIPAL B.O.B THE SAINT Almost Famous THE SHED Krank THE VELVET LOUNGE RTR Presents: Rhythm Trippin THE VIC Jen De Ness UNIVERSAL Nightmoves Soul Corporation Retriofit VICTORIA PARK HOTEL Ivan Ribic WOODVALE TAVERN Wayne Stanley Tip Top Sound YA YA’s The Devil Rides Out Fear Of Comedy Leaches!
SATURDAY 02.03
AMPLIFIER The Volcanics Axe Girl Paul McCarthy Loose Lips BAILEYS BAR HI-NRG Tip Top Sound DJ Bren BALLYS BAR Dove BALMORAL Astrobat BAR 120 Flyte BEAT NIGHTCLUB (DOWNSTAIRS) Runaways Vanity Foxes Adrift BEAT NIGHTCLUB (UPSTAIRS) CANVAS BELGIAN BEER CAFÉ Mike Nayar
BELMONT TAVERN Stu Harcourt BLACK BETTY’S J Babies BLACKWOOD WINERY Nannup Music Festival Codie Sundstrom Faye Blais Short & Curly The Rambling Bilbies BREAKERS Masterplan BROOKLANDS TAVERN Carbon Taxi CHEVRON FESTIVAL GARDENS Antibalas The Herbaliser CIVIC HOTEL Chance Waters CLANCY’S CITY BEACH The Crux CLANCY’S FREMANTLE The Lucky Wonders COMO HOTEL Acoustic Aly DEVILLES PAD The Crawdads Razor Jack Safari Les Sataniques DUNSBOROUGH TAVERN Kris Buckle Rok DJ ELEPHANT & WHEELBARROW Timeout ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Juliana Areias Empire Elise Lynelle ELMARS IN THE VALLEY Chris Gibbs FLY BY NIGHT Tamika FLYING SCOTSMAN Under The Influence Andrei Maz FORRESTFIELD TAVERN Christian Thompson GOSNELLS HOTEL Chasing Calee GREENWOOD Pretty Fly GROOVE BAR (CROWN CASINO) Hi-NRG HIGH ROAD HOTEL Renegade INDI BAR Heart Of Rock Fundraiser Arts Martial The Warning Birds INDIAN OCEAN BREW Blackbirds KALAMUNDA HOTEL Beach Party Almost Famous DJ Grizzly Jeremy Stark LAKERS Celebrations Karaoke LANGFORD ALEHOUSE Die Hard Karaoke LEEDERVILLE HOTEL Slaughterhouse Full Tote Odds DJ Junior LEOPOLD HOTEL Steve Hepple M ON THE POINT Rhythm 22 MERIDIAN ROOM (CROWN PERTH) Howie Morgan MERRIWA TAVERN Greg Carter Karaoke MOJOS BAR Amanda Merdzan Davey Craddock The Spectacles Rachel & Henry Climb A Hill MOON & SIXPENCE The Damien Cripps Band MUSTANG The Rusty Pinto Combo Rockabilly DJ Milhouse DJ James MacAurthur NANNUP AMPHITHEATRE Nannup Music Festival Emma Louise Band Of frequencies Ned Wishart China Doll The Company The Lammas Tide Mitch Becker Morgan Bain Ainslie Wills The Underskore Orkestra Frank Yamma Steve Smyth Ngaiire NANNUP HOTEL Nannup Music Festival Jordan McRobbie & Wayfarer Ralway Bell
X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays
Listing deadline is Monday 5pm. GO TO www.xpressmag.com.au /PLUG YOUR GIG and plug away! The X-Press Guide is a Perth metropolitan service for advertisers listing tours, live, dance and arts events. All inclusions are at the discretion of X-Press Magazine. The one entry system will update our print edition, website and App
Arts Martial, Saturday at Indi Bar Reverend and the Deathbed Conversions Rebecca Ireland Anton Franc Ricky Green Mitch Becker Siskin River Morgan Bain Jake and the cowboys Mister and sunbird Hussy Hicks Dilip n the Davs Pimps of Sound feat. Milly James NANNUP TOWN HALL Nannup Music Festival Seeds of The Sea Toobaboo Anton Franc Ange Takats Jack Carty The Stalkers Faye Blais Genevieve Chadwick London Klezmer Quartet Tank 7even Zoe Keating Ainslie Wills The Picture Box Orchestra Mama Kin The Falls David Bridie The Company China Doll NEWPORT HOTEL Kizzy Gravity OSBORNE PARK HOTEL Plastic Max PADDO Cheeky Monkeys PADDY MAGUIRES Parker Avenue PARAMOUNT Felix PEEL ALEHOUSE Chris Gibbs Duo PERTH ARENA Neil Young Husky PORT KENNEDY TAVERN Dean Anderson QUARIE BAR Electrophobia RAILWAY HOTEL Bontide Bath Ibis Elm The Itch ROSEMOUNT Tangled Thoughts Of Leaving Solkyri Antelope ROSIE O’GRADY’S (FREMANTLE) Flavor ROYAL PALMS RESORT Ben Campain SAIL & ANCHOR Better Days Childs Play SETTLERS TAVERN Carus Thompson Band STEVES BAR Sue Johnson SWAN BASEMENT Black Stone From The Sun I’m A Spaceship Shimmergloom Dirtwater Bloom SWINGING PIG Big Steve Spouse Greg Carter THE BROOK Shawne & Luc THE EASTERN Choking Stanley Delusions Of Granduer Aztech Suns THE GATE Dirty Scoundrels THE PLAYGROUND Nannup Music Festival Mary Myfanwy Faye Blais Lucy Peach Rebecca Ireland Genevieve Chadwick Innes Campbell Elk Bell Plastered Bastard Sisters The Stalkers Sam Buckingham Jack Carty Eli Wolfe The Bad Influence THE SHED Huge THE VELVET LOUNGE China Blue UNIVERSAL Soul Corporation WANNEROO TAVERN Chris Gibbs WHALE AND ALE Surrender
WOODVALE TAVERN HI-NRG YAYA’S Doctopus Man The Clouds Mild Child
Friday Friday Travis Caudle Emerald City, Sunday at Travis Caudle FlyBy ByBetty’s Night Black Fly Night
WHEELBARROW Daren Reid & The Soul City Groove ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Masina Miller EMPIRE BAR CB3 FLY BY NIGHT Open Mic In The Fly Trap FLYING SCOTSMAN 7TH AVENUE Cal Peck and The Tramps Reckless Kelly Goldwater Blooms ADMIRAL The Gold Blooms Sugarfield DJ’s Tyranny James Wilson DJ Luke Dux AMPLIFIER DJ Noise Pollution Gallows DJ Kavebeat Shai Hulud Nathan J Confession Nizbet Milestones Pasha ARENA JOONDALUP Chris Future Music Festival GOSNELLS HOTEL The Prodigy The Stone Roses Conny The Clown PSY GROOVE BAR (CROWN Dizzee Rascal CASINO) Bloc Party HI-NRG Azealia Banks HIGH WYCOMBE HOTEL Rita Ora The Organ Grinders Boys Noize HIGH ROAD HOTEL Hardwell Nat Ripepi The Temper Trap HOTEL ROTTNEST FUN Hoodoo Gurus Madeon INDI BAR Rudimental The Lucky Numbers Ellie Goulding Matthew Hatch Steve Aoki The Pachamama Alesso Collective Gypsy & The Cat The Whiskey Pocket A-Trak INDIAN OCEAN BREW CO Feed Me Shawne & Luc Zeds Dead Retriofit Kill The Noise INGLEWOOD HOTEL DJ Fresh James Wilson Nervo KALAMUNDA HOTEL Zane Lowe Bernardine Borgore LAST DROP TAVERN Cocoon Heroes ft Sven John Unitt Väth M ON THE POINT Richie Hawtin Velvet Ricardo MERIDIAN ROOM Villalobos (CROWN PERTH) Seth Troxler John Sandosham Magda Wake Your Mind ft Cosmic Courtney Murphy Gate & Emma Hewitt MOJOS BAR (ARVO) W&W Paddy’s Welcome To The tyDi Week Andy Moor MOJOS BAR (EVE) Super8 & Tab Kira Puru & The Bruise Ben Gold Felicity Groom The Stafford Brothers MUSTANG BAR Timmy Trumpet Peter Busher & The Lone Tenzin Rangers Bombs Away DJ Rockin Rhys BALMORAL Blue Gene The Blackbirds DJ James MacArthur BELMONT TAVERN NANNUP Frank Gemmiti AMPHITHEATRE BLACK BETTY’S Nannup Music Festival Emerald City Innes Campbell Psychonaut Genevieve Chadwick Legs Electric Toobaboo BLACKWOOD WINERY Greg Hastings Nannup Music Festival Kite Magic Mary Myfanwy The Falls Seeds of The Sea London Klezmer Quartet The Rambling Bilbies The Picture Box Orchestra Franca & The Sound of The Underskore Orkestra Gravity Zoe Keating BLVD TAVERN B2M JOONDALUP Busby Marou Open Mic Night Chance Waters BREAKERS BAR Mama Kin Chris Gibbs BRIGHTON NANNUP HOTEL James Charles Nannup Music Festival BROKEN HILL HOTEL Short & Curly Chris Murphy Codie Sundstrom BROOKLANDS TAVERN Elk Bell Mike Nayar Ricky Green CAPITOL Lucy Peach Fucked Up Sam Buckingham O’Brother The Lammas Tide The Dear Hunter Franca & The Sound of CAPTAIN STIRLING Gravity Jamie Powers Anton Franc CARINE Plastered Bastard Sisters Wesley Goodlet Jamboree Stoney Joe Scouts Ned Wishart CHASE BAR Tank 7even Chasing Calee NANNUP TOWN HALL CLAREMONT HOTEL Nannup Music Festival Sunday Driver Short & Curly DJ Dan Mister and Sunbird CLANCY’S CANNING Rebecca Ireland BRIDGE Mitch Becker Band Of Frequencies Innes Campbell CLANCY’S Eli Wolfe DUNSBOROUGH Jake and the Cowboys Antibalas Afrobeat Steve Smyth Orchestra Kira Puru & The Bruise Grace Barbe CLANCY’S FREMANTLE Lucy Peach Ngaiire The Zydecats Jess Ribeiro and The Bone COMO HOTEL Ali Towers Collectors DEVILLES PAD Frank Yamma Keb Darge Hussy Hicks Seventh Son Minnie Marks Charlie Bucket Dilip n the Davs Mamba Snake Charmer Pimps of Sound feat. Milly Les Sataniques James ELEPHANT &
SUNDAY 03.03
www.xpressmag.com.au
NEWPORT HOTEL Tim Nelson Sea Of Tunes OCEAN VIEW TAVERN One Trick Phonies PADDY MALONE’S Gary Fowlie PADDO Groovetube Acoustic PEEL ALEHOUSE Christian Thompson PERTH CULTURAL CENTRE Rachel Dillon Jook Joint Band John McNair Keith Anthonisz PINK DUCK LOUNGE BAR Kevin Conway POINT WALTER FORSHORE Darren Reid & The Soul City Groove PORT KENNEDY TAVERN The Mojos PORTOFINO’S RESTAURANT Matt Milford QUARIE BAR & BISTRO Better Days QUARRY AMPHITHEATRE Baby Animals QUEENS TAVERN Velvet RAILWAY HOTEL Stone Circle Babyjane Diamond Eye Empra Axe Cane Hailmary In The Now Paul McCarthy & Friends Jupiter Zeus Ultrasound Bashamm The Red Embers ROSEMOUNT FAIM Acoustic Ben David Pat & Dan Decline Noah Skape Mossy Fogg Yiannos McStavros Wheels McKenzie DJ Benny Mayhem ROSIE O’GRADY’S (NORTHBRIDGE) Neil Colliss SAIL & ANCHOR Mike Nayar SOUTH ST ALE HOUSE Kizzy SOVEREIGN ARMS Craig Ballantyne SWAN BASEMENT Falloway Ethereal Black Ink Astro Pig The Fix SWINGING PIG Adam James Stu Harcourt THE BIRD Lumiere Shy Panther DJs THE DEEN Plastic Max & The Token Gesture THE DEPOT Nannup Music Festival Railway Bell Ange Takats Jack Carty Morgan Bain Ralway Bell The Picture Box Orchestra Eli Wolfe China Doll Jess Ribeiro and The Bone Collectors
Falloway, Sunday at Swan Basement The Falls David Bridie THE GATE Greg Carter THE PLAYGROUND Nannup Music Festival Seeds of The Sea Ricky Green Codie Sundstrom Elk Bell Jordan McRobbie & Wayfarer The Lammas Tide The Underskore Orkestra Anton Franc Ralway Bell The Bad Influence Ned Wishart Seeds of The Sea Jordan McRobbie & Wayfarer The Melody Sistas Mary Myfanwy Iona Jane Grace Armstrong Franca & The Sound of Gravity Reverend and the Deathbed Conversions Mister And Sunbird Siskin River THE PRINCIPAL Adrian Wilson THE SAINT Howie Morgan Project THE SHED Astrobat UNIVERSAL Retriofit WANNEROO TAVERN Acoustic Aly WHISTLING KITE Nathan Gaunt WOODVALE TAVERN Free Radicals
MONDAY 04.03
BRASS MONKEY Nathan Gaunt CLAREMONT SHOWGROUNDS Soundwave Metallica Linkin Park Blink 182 A Perfect Circle The Offspring Garbage Paramore Tomahawk Killswitch Engage The Vandals Orange Stone Sour Slayer Cypress Hill Bullet For My Valentine Bring Me the Horizon Billy Talent Kyuss Lives Anthrax Sum 41 Dragonforce Flogging Molly All Time Low Ghost Duff McKagan’s Loaded Motion City Soundtrack Lawrence ARms Kingdom of Sorrow Fozzy Sleeping with Sirens Cancer Bats Madball Vision of Disorder Pierce the Veil Periphery Shai Halud Of Mice & Men Miss May I Danko Jones Woe Is Me
The Wonder Years While She Sleeps Such Gold Lucero Six Feet Under Deaf Havana Red Fang Chunk! No Captain Chunk! Memphis Mayfire! Mindless Self Indulgence The Blackout Sick Of It All Fucked Up Gallows This Is Hell The Amity Affliction Cerebral Ballzy Polar Bear Club The Early November The Dear Hunter Blood on the Dancefloor Versus the World Sylosis Confession Goblin The Sword Chelsea Grin The Chariot Sharks Dr Acula O’Brother Northlane Milestones Living With Lions ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Alies Sluiter The Picture Box Orchestra GROOVE BAR (CROWN CASINO) Chris Murphy & Courtney Murphy MOJOS BAR Wide Open Mic Night MUSTANG BAR Tripple Shots PEEL ALE HOUSE Stu Harcourt THE DEEN Plastic Max & The Token Gesture YA YA’S Big Tommo’s Open Mic Variety Night
TUESDAY 05.03
ASTOR Rickie Lee Jones BRASS MONKEY Open Mic Night ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Fancy Meeting You – The Songs Of Harold Arlen GROOVE BAR (CROWN) Ruby’s Groove LUCKY SHAG Ben Merito MERIDIAN ROOM (CROWN) Courtney Murphy MERRIWA TAVERN Celebrations Karaoke MOJOS BAR Red Engine Caves Mt Mountain Silver Hills Spaceman Antics Trash House MUSTANG BAR Danza Loca Salsa Night PERTH ARENA Russell Peters PERTH BLUES CLUB Hussy Hicks SETTLERS TAVERN Open Mic Night THE COURT Open Mic & BBQ Night TWO ROCKS TAVERN Jump For Joy Karaoke YA YA’S We Move Walls Nevada Pilot Apache
Diamond Eye
DIAMOND EYE
STONE CIRCLE BABY JANE EMPRA AXE CANE AND MORE SUNDAY 3RD THE RAILWAY HOTEL
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MUSIC GEAR & TECHNOLOGY EDITED BY TRAVIS JOHNSON
HAIR, HEALTH & HAPPINESS MUSO INJURIES? Acupuncturist in Maylands specializes in carpal tunnel, RSI, wrist pain, shoulder pain. Call METRO HEALTH 1300 132 830
ANDY’S STUDIO International multi award winning songwriter / producer. No band required. Broadcast quality. A songwriter’s paradise. Ph 9364 3178 AVALON STUDIOS BIBRA LAKE One of Perths best equipped studio. Record to analog tape or digital, Avalon pre amps, Neumann mics, the latest and best universal audio, plug in’s for digital recordings. All styles of music, $55 per hour call Tony 0411 118304 email - avalonstudios@bigpond.com GOLDDUSTCONSTRUCTION.COM Production, mixing, recording and composition for your music. Unique award winning skills to take songs from ideas to finished mixes or to fulfill the potential in existing ones. Located in Subiaco. $70 p/h. Andrew 0408 097 407 POONS HEAD MASTERING Analog mastering at its best. Clients include Mink Mussel Creek, Jeff Martin, The Panics, Pond + The Floors. World class facility. World class results. www.poonshead.com 9339 47 91 RECORDING MIXING MASTERING PRODUCING Fremantle location. Call Pete Kitchen Cooked Records. Ph 0407 363 764 / 9336 3764 REVOLVER SOUND STUDIO Ph 9272 7505. www.revolverstudio.com.au S AT E L L I T E R E C O R D I N G S T U D I O www.satelliterecording.com 0419 908 766 SONGWRITERS! - UNLOCK YOUR SONGS’ POTENTIAL +FREE BAND APPRAISALS.UK Producer, 40,000+ hours studio experience. 20 yrs in London with bands and songwriters. Kicking arrangements, great studio and the ability to really listen will give your material the edge you need. Call Jerry on 0405 653 338 or visit www.jerichomusic.com.au
MUSOS WANTED BAND MEMBERS WANTED 21 y.o. Guitarist. Infls Marty Friedman and early Megadeth/GNR. Call 0439 976 770. (West Perth Abode) BASS GUITARIST REQUIRED For establishing Blues/Rock cover band. Reliable and professional. Email trevorkidd@y7mail.com GUITARISTS WANTED Experienced 30+ guitarist & bassist wanted to complete new lineup of established orig hard rock band. 0435 825 090 KEYBOARDIST/PIANO PLAYER WANTED For Alternative Indie Band. Contact 0415 252 323 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 POP/POP-ROCK - ALL BAND MEMBERS WANTED Triple J influenced with a touch of Rise Against, Gyroscope, Grinspoon. Serious musos only. Must be able to write and be innovative. Ph 0433 056 548 SUPREMES TRIBUTE Wanted 2 female vocalists for a Supremes tribute. Aimed at corporate events market. Call Brian Davidson at Focus Promotions 9 - 5 Mon - Fri 9272 4144 REHEARSAL STUDIOS WANTED BASSIST For power/blues outfit, original AAA VHS REHEARSAL ROOMS Great facilities, tunes. Ph 0415 252 323 WANTED KEYBOARDIST For Funk/Soul/R&B/ great vibe & great price!!! Unit 5 /16 Peel Road, O’Connor. Phone 9418 5815 or 0413 732 885 Smooth Groove cover band. Ph: 0423 429 363 BIGBEAT SOUND STUDIO Clean rooms, all new PHOTOGRAPHY PA systems, air-con and good parking . Willetton P R O J E C T P H O T O G R A P H Y P r o m o Ph: 0425 698 117. p h o t o g r a p h y, s t u d i o , l i v e , l o c a t i o n . PLATINUM SOUND ROOMS Professional M ik e Wylie 0417 975 964 www. rehearsal rooms, airconditioned, quality PAs mob p r o j e c t p h o t o g r a p h y . c o m 0418 944 722 When its time to ice the cake... TUITION PRODUCTION SERVICES * L I G H T I N G * A U D I O * S TA G I N G * ***GUITAR LESSONS*** The Guitar Specialist. w w w . n i g h t s t a r l i g h t i n g a u d i o . c o m . a u New year enrolments. Beg-adv, all styles and levels w w w . n i g h t s t a r l i g h t i n g a u d i o . c o m . a u including bass. Cliff Lynton Guitar Institute. Mt w w w . i n s t a n d t . c o m . a u Lawley 9342 3484 / www.clifflynton.com w w w . i n s t a n d t . c o m . a u BASS LESSONS Rock, funk & jazz. Tony Gibbs 9470 6131 9381 2363/ 9444 6651 CD & DVD MANUFACTURE Check out our latest DRUM LESSONS All styles, all ages. WAAPA prep. CD & DVD specials online at www.procopy.com.au Modern techniques & rudiments, Beginner to advanced. Ph Pascal: 0413 172 817. 9375 3902 MATRIX PRODUCTIONS AUSTRALIA Lighting, FREE MUSIC LESSONS Book your free 30-min trail staging, sound systems, smoke machines, night club lesson. All instruments, all ages, all experience levels. FX, intelligent lighting, strobes & mirror balls, crowd 0403 162 641 | walthermusic.com barriers, video projectors. 9371 1551 GUITAR & KEYBOARD TUITION (BeginnersProfessional) One on One lessons. RECORDING STUDIOS ALAN DAWSON’s WITZEND RECORDING STUDIO B u r s wo o d P h 6 4 6 0 6 9 2 1 / 0 4 1 5 8 8 9 6 4 5 . Prof quality albums or demos, large live room, www.gvkschoolofmusic.com.au experienced engineer, analog to digital transfers, GUITARWORKS JOONDALUP Guitar tuition. ALL mastering..Alan 0407 989 128 or Jeremy 0430638178 levels from beginners to advanced. Ph 0414 448 907 guitarworks@iinet.net.au www.witzendstudios.com
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PHONE HOME
Everyone owns headphones, right? Even if you’re not a muso, you need something to plug into your iPod/Phone/Whatever to keep your personal soundtrack ticking over. We had a chat with Marcus Miller, head honcho of headphone specialists Headphonic and an avowed audiophile, to find out what recent additions to the world of portable audio headgear had pinged on his radar.
BEYERDYNAMIC CUSTOM ONE PRO
For those who like to be able to change their look and sound on the fly, this is a robust and malleable mid-range set of headphones. Featuring high levels of isolation and solid bass response, it’s a flexible system that also comes with custom style parts which enable the wearing to change the configuration and design of the actual headset to their own desires. RRP $299.
Beyerdynamic Custom One Pro
Alessandro MSPro
ALESSANDRO MSPRO
For the professional musician, the Alessandro MSPro is definitely worth considering - so long as you’re willing to shell out a little more for quality. Their most distinctive features are the hand-crafted mahogany earcups, and they’re suitable for monitoring pretty much any style of music. Even without amplification, they reproduce sound with such accuracy that even the most pedantic producer will be mollified. RRP $749
MOTORHEADPHONES BOMBER
Endorsed by none other than Lemmy and the boys, these aren’t just a cheap grab for name-brand recognition. They’re a solid, well made, budget set of headgear, great for those who want a good looking, good sounding set of phones but don’t want to break the bank. RRP $99.
AUDEZE LCD-3
AUDIO TECHNICA ATH-AD900
Motorheadphones Bomber
For those with no upper budge limit, you can’t go past Audeze’s flagship Sadly soon to be discontinued, product. These bad boys anyone wanting to get their were designed to be the hands on this top-value set of best, and many critics and open ‘phones had best act soon, musicians think they hit as they’re about to be replaced their mark. Designed to by a newer model that’s 150 per reproduce music as closely cent more expensive with no to the orignal recordings noticeable gain in sound quality. as currently technically With across the board decent p o s s i b l e, t h e y a r e t h e sound from bass to treble, and Excalibur of headphones. clear, detailed vocal ranges, these They come with a kingly Audeze LCD-3 retail for $269. pricetag, too - RRP is $2280. For further information and technical specifications, head to headphones.com.au
Audio Technica ATHAD900
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www.xpressmag.com.au
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