Issue 1405

EDUCATION, TRAINING & CAREERS FEATURE

33,560 OCTOBER 2012 MARCH 2013 - AUSTRALIA’S HIGHEST CIRCULATING STREET PRESS

WHAT SO NOT

PORTUGAL, THE MAN

HER

THE SPITFIRES

2

WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU

EDUCATION, TRAINING & CAREERS FEATURE

33,560 OCTOBER 2012 MARCH 2013 - AUSTRALIA’S HIGHEST CIRCULATING STREET PRESS

WHAT SO NOT

PORTUGAL, THE MAN

HER

THE SPITFIRES

4

WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU

WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU

5

6

WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU

NEWSDESK

LOCAL NEWS

|

GLOBAL NEWS

|

ANNOUNCEMENTS

THE WIZARD OF AUS Sporting perhaps the best name seen in Australian music since The Fuck Fucks, King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard have been tearing it up across the country of late, and their latest single, Vegemite, is further proof of the band’s sheer awesomeness and fair dinkum bloody Australianness. Good on ‘em. The single is taken from their forthcoming fourth album, Oddments, due for release on Friday, February 14, with a collector’s edition vinyl release on April 19.

Check out the Vegemite clip at the band’s facebook page: facebook.com/kinggizzardandthelizardwizard.

King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard

IT’S A TRAP! The first Australian headline tour of A$AP Ferg has been announced, which follows in the wake of fellow A$AP Mob member, A$AP Rocky, rocking Australian audiences last year. Ferg’s debut studio album Trap Lord hit the Top 10 in the US Billboard Chart, and he found himself being named BET’s Rookie Of The Year. Not bad.

Catch A$AP Ferg on Saturday, April 5, at The Bakery. Tickets go on sale January 17 from nowbaking.com.au.

A$AP Ferg

ALMOST FAMOUS Fronted by former Underoath drummer and backing vocalist, Aaron Gillespie, The Almost will be returning to Australia in April for the first time in three years. Performing material from all three of their studio albums, including the most recent - Fear Inside Our Bones - The Almost will be making a big deal of the tour, taking Brisbane’s Young Lions and Canberra’s Drawing North out on the road with them. Catch them all at Amplifier Bar on Wednesday, April 23. Tickets are on sale from oztix.com.au.

BAYSIDE CITY ROLLERS It has been a year of trials and tribulations for NYC’s Bayside, but amidst personal loss and struggle the band have managed to emerge with their strongest album to date. Due for Australian release on February 21, Cult is the sixth studio album for the Queens natives, who kicked off in 2000 and have since forged one of the strongest and most consistent careers in rock. Cult is available for pre-order on iTunes for a limited time, running from January 17-23. Get on it!

The Almost

Bayside

GROOVE IS IN THE HEART

GREAT SCOTT Producer Loston - aka Perth artist/musician/allrounder Scott Mellor - has been making international waves recently, gaining a ton of props for his Sampha remix, which has been making its way up the Hype Machine charts. What started out as a bedroom studio project last May has since become a phenomenon for Loston, with one of his first releases - a remix of James Blake’s Retrograde - gaining over 25,000 plays on Soundcloud. Comparisons to Flume have been flowing, and, not surprisingly, a lot of sources are calling Loston one of the artists to watch out for in 2014.

Iconic South African band Mango Groove are heading down under for their first Australian tour in two decades! So it has been a while between drinks to say the least, but the band have only gone from strength to strength, with their new album Bang The Drum arguably the best of their illustrious career, which has seen them transcend political and cultural upheaval in one of the world’s most intense societies. Perth gets the first show of the tour, with the 11-piece band hitting the Red Hill Auditorium on Friday, February 21. Tickets are available from mangogrooveaustralia. com.au and oztix.com.au.

Mango Groove

PLEASE REWIND

GOT IT MAID

The City Of Wanneroo is excited to launch a new night of entertainment - Retro Rewind - which will take over the Yanchep National Park on Saturday, March 8 - providing fun entertainment flashbacks for the whole family. Soul and funk ensemble Stratosfunk will perform hits from the Motown era, while ninepiece band Cottontail Trio & the Supper Club, will bring the music of the Golden Era back to life. Check out www.wanneroo.wa.gov.au/retrorewind for more info.

Newcastle has provided the Australian music scene with some legendary acts, and The Maids are looking to maintain this tradition with their genre-bending heavy rock. Their debut single, Mechanism, has blown the doors wide open for The Maids, who spent 2013 kicking goals such as winning triple j’s Unearthed competition. Catch them Friday, February 7, at YaYa’s with Mezzanine and Retina, and on Saturday, February 8, at Bunbury’s Prince Of Wales with Puck and Pat Chow. Hit facebook.com/maidsmaids for more info.

Street Smugglers is an organisation that believes in creating a world where homelessness is a remnant of the past, and this week they are participating in A Week On The Streets, which - as it sounds - is a week spent living on the streets. Each day is bringing with it strong experiences and stories from the real homeless of Perth, which will be added as content to the Street Smugglers facebook page. Head over, check it out and get inspired... facebook.com/StreetSmugglersAU.

Loston

STREET SIGNS

WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU

7

WIN

N E W S L E T T E R - S I G N U P AT W W W. X P R E S S M AG . C O M . A U F O R E XC L U S I V E C O M P S

PRINT AND DIGITAL EDITIONS PUBLISHER/MANAGER Joe Cipriani

EDITORIAL - 9213 2888 MANAGING EDITOR Bob Gordon: editor@xpressmag.com.au DANCE MUSIC & FEATURES EDITOR Rachel Davison: danceeditor@xpressmag.com.au LOCAL MUSIC & ARTS EDITOR Travis Johnson: localmusicarts@xpressmag.com.au GIG & EVENT GUIDES CO-ORDINATOR guide@xpressmag.com.au COMPETITIONS win@xpressmag.com.au For band gigs and launches - plugyourgig@xpressmag.com.au

PARTY: BAYSIDE

PHOTOGRAPHY Rachael Barrett, Stefan Caramia, Guang-Hui Chuan, Daniel Craig, Brandon D’Silva, Max Fairclough, Daniel Grant, Sammy Granville, Matt Jelonek, Emma Mackenzie, Callum Ponton, Denis Radacic, Bohdan Warchomij, Michael Wylie

Boutique events are all the rage these days, with many punters tired of the big festivals with hordes of people.

Enter: Bayside. To be held at the Mounts Bay Sailing Club on the afternoon (and evening) of this Saturday, January 18 - the event brings together music, food, fashion, cocktails and pop-up shops - all in a beautiful location. Special guests include a DJ set from Midnight Juggernauts, Canberra’s Safia and locals Stillwater Giants, Crooked Colours, Palace, Zeke, Charlie Chan and more. To get yourself a standard or VIP ticket (you must be over 20 years of age or older) - head to Ticket Booth, but if you’re damn lucky, you might just win a double pass. Email: win@xpressmag.com.au.

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Leah Blankendaal, Nina Bertok, Lucas Bowers, Aaron Bryans, Joe Cassidy, Hayley Davis, Chris Gibbs, Alfred Gorman, Shaun Cowe, Predrag Delibasich, Jayde Ferguson, George Green, Alex Griffin, James Hanlon, Chris Havercroft, Joshua Hayes, Brendan Holben, Coral Huckstep, Ellie Hutchinson, Rezo Kezerashvili, Tom Kitson, Clayton Lin, Charlie Lewis, Daisy Lythe, Andrew Nelson, David O’Connell, Shane Pinnegar, Nick Sweepah, Jessica Willoughby

ADVERTISING - 9213 2888 SALES MANAGER AGENCY / MOVIES / ARTS / EDUCATION / SPONSORSHIP / ONLINE MARKETING Craig Mauger - advertising@xpressmag.com.au MUSIC SERVICES / MUSICAL EQUIPMENT / BANDS / RECORD LABELS Dez Richardson - musicservices@xpressmag.com.au ENTERTAINMENT VENUES / LIVE AND DANCE MUSIC PROMOTERS Tim Milroy - entertainment@xpressmag.com.au CLASSIFIEDS LINAGE classifieds@xpressmag.com.au

PRODUCTION DEPARTMENT - 9213 2854 CONTENT COORDINATOR Anthony Jackson - production@xpressmag.com.au ART DIRECTOR Dwight O’Neil DESIGN + PRODUCTION Andy Quilty, Anthony Jackson, Kasia Mazurkiewicz

PRINTING Rural Press Printing Mandurah DISTRIBUTION - 9213 2853 - distribution@xpressmag.com.au ADMIN / ACCOUNTS - 9213 2888 Lillian Buckley accounts@xpressmag.com.au

Stillwater Giants

CLUBBING: MAX VANGELI Originally from Moldova in Eastern Europe but now based in San Francisco, house DJ Max Vangeli is making an appearance at Villa on Friday, January 24. He’s one of the hottest breakthrough electronic artists out of Eastern Europe having remixed big names likes of Steve Angello, Gorillaz, Erick Morillo, Ellie Goulding and Pendulum. Support on the night FILM: LIVE IN THE comes from Chiari, Acebasik, Axen, Paul Scott and Wasteland. Get your tickets for this one via Moshtix, AMPHITHEATRE but take a punt and potentially win one of two double The City of Wanneroo is putting on a free fourpasses by emailing: win@xpressmag.com.au. week outdoor cinema program at the Jacaranda Max Vangeli Amphitheatre at the Wanneroo Civic Centre, which kicks off on Friday, January 31 with a screening of the classic Aus comedy, The Castle. For the rest of the season you can catch everything from Red Dog to The Avengers, Finding Nemo and The Lion King.

Check out the program at wanneroo.wa.gov.au and reserve your tickets (even though it’s free you need to book), but to win a VIP package for two people to the opener, including a prime spot, picnic blanket and more, email: win@xpressmag.com.au.

The Castle

DVD: SUNSET STRIP The doco Sunset Strip premiered at South By Southwest and is a “colourful” and sometimes sordid account of West Hollywood’s Sunset Boulevard and its culture of sex, drugs and rock’n’roll over the last century. The mile and a half strip of road where dreams are started, chased, displayed (and sometimes go to die) is memorialised on-screen by celebrities including Johnny Depp, Mickey Rourke, Keanu Reeves, Dan Akroyd, Tommy Lee, Sharon Stone, Ozzy Osbourne, Dave Navarro, Alice Cooper and more. To win one of five copies of the doco on DVD, email: win@xpressmag.com.au.

EDITORIAL DEADLINES General: Friday 5pm, Eye4 Arts: Thursday 10am, WIN: Friday 5pm, Salt Clubs: Monday 5pm , Local Scene: Monday Noon, Gig Guide: Monday 5pm ADVERTISING DEADLINES Cancellations: Monday 5pm, Ads to be set: Monday Noon Supplied Bookings / Copy: Tuesday 12 Noon, Classifieds: Monday 4pm Published by: Columbia Press Pty.Ltd. A.C.N. 066 570 803 Registered by Australia Post. Publication No PP600110.00006 Suite 55/102 Railway Street, City West Business Centre, West Perth, WA 6005 Locked Bag 31, West Perth, WA 6872 Phone: (08) 9213 2888 Fax: (08) 9213 2882 Website: http://www.xpressmag.com.au WARRANTY AND INDEMNITY Advertisers and/or their agents by lodging an advertisment shall indemnify the publisher, and its agents, against all liability claims or proceedings whatsoever arising from the publication. Advertisers and/or their representatives indemnify the publisher in relation to defamation, slander, breach of copyright, infringement of trademarks of name of publication titles, unfair competition or trade practices, royalties or violation of rights or privacy and warrant that the material complies with revelant laws and regulations and that its publication will not give rise to any rights against or liabilities in the publisher, its servants or agents. Any material supplied to X-Press is at the contributor’s risk.

33,560 OCTOBER 2012 MARCH 2013 - AUSTRALIA’S HIGHEST CIRCULATING STREET PRESS

8

FILM: HER @ LUNA Spike Jonze’s futuristic narrative starring Joaquin Phoenix and (the voice of) Scarlett Johansson, ponders the nature of love in the virtual world.

Phoenix plays Theodore Twombly, a man who makes his living writing personal letters for other people and who becomes intrigued with Samantha - an advanced operating system, which develops into an intuitive entity. While the idea of a romantic relationship with an operating system over a physical human being might have been a ludicrous concept in years gone by, the fact that it could one day (come close) to being plausible, makes it all the more fascinating.

To win one of five double passes to a screening at Luna Palace Cinemas, email win@xpressmag.com.au, letting us know which session you’d like to attend.

CLUBBING: MONARCH PRESENTS DJ BUTCHER Monarch/Disclosure Promotions is celebrating its first birthday and you’re invited! They’ve “done a lot, drunk even more and can’t remember a thing”, but to celebrate, they’re throwing a massive party in the theme of a “when I grow up...” party. So dress as what you wanted to be when you were growing up and check out the bass heavy, hip hop beats of Brisbane producer, DJ Butcher. It’s all happening this Friday, January 17 at Villa, so to win double pass, email us quick at win@xpressmag.com.au letting us know what you intend go as. If you’re not so lucky, you can buy a ticket via Moshtix.

DJ Butcher

WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU

WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU

9

10

WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU

FLESH

NEWS - INTERVIEWS - REVIEWS - CONTENTS

The Isolites

SKA TISSUE

The City Of Vincent’s Summer Concert series continues with a scorcher this weekend, when Perth’s two ska supergroups - The Isolites and Special Brew - team up for all the skankers from 5pm Sunday, January 19, at Mt Hawthorn’s Braithwaite Park. The event is free, there will be a charity sausage sizzle and ice cream van, and Kazz’s Caribbean Kitchen will be there with authentic Jamaican food.

WAM CEO SWITCHEROO

EYEHATEGOD Open Mike Iconic New Orleans sludge outfit Eyehategod will be making their way to the west for the first time this week, as part of their 25th anniversary tour. JESSICA WILLOUGHBY chats to frontman Mike IX Williams ahead of their show at the Rosemount Hotel on Thursday, January 16.

Eyehategod will have a new album out in 2014. With a 14-year break between LP releases, this is good news for sludge fans.

Considering these New Orleans-based sludge metal greats are set to celebrate their 25th anniversary this year, this yet-to-be-named full length could not have come at a better time. But so much has happened since the band began to play Confederacy Of Ruined Lives (2000) live. After a period of intense touring, the five-piece scattered to delve into various side projects like Corrosion Of Conformity, Soilent Green and Crowbar. 10 Years Of Abuse (And Still Broke), their live album, was released – along with their 2005 stop-gap compilation offering, Preaching The “End-Time” Message. Singer Mike IX Williams was arrested on a narcotics charge and finally kicked his heroin habit after spending 91 days in jail.

But in August last year, one event changed the face of Eyehategod forever. Founding drummer Joey LaCaze passed away suddenly from respiratory failure. The band had recently come back from a

European tour, including their first ever east coast Australian tour, and celebrated his 42nd birthday. A shock to all, Williams says the band chose to forge ahead to keep the spirit of LaCaze alive.

“It took some time to recover, you know?” he tells X-Press. “I knew that’s what he wanted, to keep the band alive. He told us before he went. We have a really morbid sense of humour. We would joke around and say ‘…who are you getting to replace me when I die?’. You have to laugh about it. He definitely wanted us to keep going. It was never an option of quitting; that was never in our head. It was never even a thought that we wouldn’t continue. We took some time off, but in the back of our heads we were thinking about who we were going to get to play drums now.

“This is just what we do; this is my life. I don’t know anything else. I play music, that’s what I do. If something happens, you either give up or you keep going. That’s what you do in life – I’ve known that since I was a kid.”

Aaron Hill (Missing Monuments, Mountain Of Wizard) was chosen to fill the void left by LaCaze’s passing. A long time friend of the band, Williams notes Hill was a perfect fit for EyehateGod. “He’s a great drummer and he’s got a really good sense of humour,” he says. “He fits in really well with us. He’s strange, just like we are. He’s a pretty weird guy – that’s all we needed.”

But LaCaze’s drumming will still feature on their to-be-released fifth full length. Luckily, he recorded with Dopesick (1996) producer Billy Anderson earlier last year.

“We started to do the album with Billy, but it just wasn’t the right time,” Williams explains. “A few band members were having some problems. There’s no hard feelings, nothing like that. He’s one of my good friends. We just told him we’re not using the rest of the record, but we’re keeping Joey’s drums.

He’s really happy about that too because he was good friends with Joey. He’s got a connection there, so at least that was done by Billy.”

Congratulations to both former WAM CEO Wendy Were and new guy Mike Harris, on their recent appointments. Harris’ background with governments, councils and the arts puts him in good stead to take over from Were, who resigned late in 2013 after a successful stint at the helm.

HAVE MERCY Iconic Aussie hardcore band, Hand Of Mercy, have just announced a national tour for February, with three Perth dates - including an all-ages show. If that’s not enough, Sydney’s For All Eternity will be featured on all shows, which also sport a serious local contingent.

Catch Hand Of Mercy on Thursday, February 13, for the Jurassic Club Night launch at The Villa (w/ Embervill, Aveira Skies and Afraid Of Heights), on Friday, February 4, for Heatwave MiniFest at YMCA HQ (all-ages), and on Saturday, February 15, at Bunbury’s Prince Of Wales (w/ Embervill, Aveira Skies, The Moment We Fall and Broken Silence).

PICK OF THE BUNCH Excitement abounds with the announcement that Ta-Ku will be curating the next Handpicked, on Friday, March 7. The main details are yet to come, so watch this space for more.

BORN TO BE WYLDE Zakk Wylde’s Black Label Society have announced they will drop their new album, Catacombs Of The Black Vatican, on Friday, April 11. While that might seem like an eternity for hardcore ZW fans to wait, at least there’s a trailer to tide you over. Check it out on youTube.

CONTENTS 7 8 11 12

17

21

26

30 32 34

News Win Flesh Music Northlane / Portugal The Man Austra / Mick Turner New Noise Eye4 Cover: David Sedaris Her / A Hijacking Inside Llewyn Davis Arts Listings Salt Cover: What So Not News / Producer’s Cut / Salt Nights Out Safia / Peking Duk Club Manual Rewind: Daedelus Scene Intrasonic / The Monicans Deafheaven / The Weapon Is Sound Local Scene Tour Misfits Tour Trails Gig Guide Volume

Flip ETC FRONT COVER: Canada’s Austra plays the Perth Festival on Monday, February 17 at Chevron Festival Gardens.

FLIP COVER: Famous Sharron’s The Fame Game stars Sean Walsh - an ex-WAAPA student and Sam Longley, who began his career at Murdoch Uni. SALT COVER: Flume and Emoh Instead’s What So Not plays Sets On The Beach this Sunday, January 19 at Scarborough Beach.

DEE DEE BRIDGEWATER ADDED TO PIAF

SUNDOWN SESSIONS 2014 Offworld Productions has inked in the details for the next instalment of Sundown Sessions, which takes over Scarborough Beach Amphitheatre on Saturday, January 18, featuring Fat Freddy’s Drop, Matt McHugh (The Beautiful GIrls) and Caravãna Sun - plus more acts to be announced.

Tickets start at $66+bf for General Admission.

Premium tickets and accommodation packages also available through www.sundownsessions.oztix.com.au.

Perth International Arts Festival is delighted to announce that Grammy and Tony Award-winning jazz icon Dee Dee Bridgewater will be replacing #Together at the Chevron Festival Gardens lineup on Saturday, February 8. All ticketholders for #Together will be notified and offered a transfer or refund. Please contact the Festival Info line on 6488 5555 for further information.

WANNA VOLUNTEER AT FAIRBRIDGE? If you’re looking for hands-on experience working in the music industry, the fine folks of the Fairbridge Festival have several volunteer positions available that might be just the ticket you are looking for.

There are many positions available, which you can apply for online via folkworldfestival.com.au. You will be able to select your preferred area and shift times and get immediate confirmation online, with training commencing from 3pm, Sunday, March 30 at the Claremont Bowling Club. The Fairbridge Festival itself will run from 25-27 April.

FREE AMIGOS Celebrating their seventh (and aptly titled) studio album, Free Spirit, OKA will be touring WA this month, bringing their reggae and soul-infused goodtime vibes to: Mojo’s Bar on Thursday, January 30, Indi Bar on Friday, January 31, Settlers Tavern (Margaret River) on Saturday, February 1, and then back to Mojo’s Bar on Sunday, February 2. Presale tickets and the new album are available at okamusic.com

FRIDAY ON MY MIND HAVIN’ A BASH Local promotion and events collective Teledex have had a busy 12 months, but they get to let their hair down this Friday, January 17, for their 1st Birthday Bash. Taking over Amplifier, the birthday shenanigans will feature expats The Spitfires launching their new single Spooky-Doo, plus local favourites The Novocaines, Faim, The Caballeros and Apache. Entry is $15. Happy birthday, Teledex!

WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU

Straight from the horse’s mouth: DeadWeight!

Fortnightly Fridays return for 2014 with more variety, more candy, more bullshit and just as much of that cutting edge type shit. So, assuming you’re not part of Perth’s Fuckboyz or Pushy Ratchetz community, you’re more than invited to the kick off of this year’s DeadWeight! Fortnightly Fridays, on January 17 at Flyrite. Providing the sounds will be Kit Pop, Dr Space, Saxon & Toy P, Modo and Untitled Sound Alliance. $10 before 11PM / $15 thereafter / $5 all night with membership card.

11

MUSIC

VIEWS

|

INTERVIEWS

|

STORIES

AUSTRA Back To Olympia AUGUSTUS WELBY interviews Austra frontwoman Katie Stelmanis about her band’s latest album, growing up as an artist, and Canada’s own renter-unfriendly ‘boomtown’, Toronto. Austra perform as part of PIAF, on Monday, February 17, at Chevron Festival Gardens.

In June this year Canadian darkwave electro outfit Austra released their second album, Olympia.

The pulsating record demonstrates a group rich in confidence thanks to the global pervasion of 2011 debut LP Feel It Break.

The cleverly immediate and dance-heavy record is a considerable progression from frontwoman Katie Stelmanis’ instigating recording experiments.

“When I first started making music as a solo artist I really would sing gibberish. I was okay with that because those were songs that I was writing for myself in my bedroom,” she reveals.

Indeed, Austra has long stretched beyond its humble origins in Stelmanis’ Toronto bedroom, but the city’s influence still remains. “I feel like I shaped my identity, my formative musical years, in Toronto,” explains Stelmanis.

Over the past few decades Toronto has fostered the pop-music innovation of artists such as Broken Social Scene, Peaches and Feist.

Stelmanis describes how artistically inspiring the city has been for her.

“I spent my early 20s in Toronto and it was a pretty exciting time for the city. Blocks Recording Club was putting out artists like Fucked Up and Owen Pallett and a lot of other really experimental music. It was a totally DIY artist-run collective that was actually pretty successful. I feel lucky to have grown up in this really vibrant scene.”

Unfortunately, like many other artistmetropolises (eg Manhattan, San Francisco), Stelmanis reports that big business has begun to besmirch Toronto’s bohemian core. “It’s kind of sad when I go home now because it feels like Toronto’s changed a lot. Toronto’s had the biggest condo boom in all of North America. It’s made rent skyrocket. It used to be this cheap place to live where lots of artists lived, now you really have to work three jobs to have an apartment in Toronto.”

However, this increasing gentrification has not quelled Stelmanis’ creative motivation.

Austra expanded into a six-piece band to perform Feel It Break live and the group quickly developed a lively chemistry. Olympia is a collaborative effort, which widely incorporates the band’s onstage energy.

NORTHLANE

“The live show had become something so different than [what] the album was. [It] had become this really high energy dance party and the album is a lot more introspective and a lot darker. We wanted to put this energy into the new record and into the new songs. So now we have a balance of the old, more ethereal material and the new songs, which I think are a little bit more direct,” says Stelmanis.

Olympia’s dance-focused uplift is paired with emotionally driven lyrics, looking at themes such as relationship decay and social adversity. Placing personal revelations in front of an extroverted musical backdrop is a duality Stelmanis was interested in exploring.

“We made a conscious effort to make this album a lot lighter musically; it’s a lot more rhythm based rather than big dramatic sweeping vocals and harmonies. The lyrics on this album deal with some pretty dark subject matter and it’s a very personal record,” she says.

The extended Feel It Break touring cycle saw Austra progress from playing small clubs to being festival drawcards and selling out theatres. Stelmanis says that Austra’s updated habitat encouraged her to write more immediately affecting lyrics.

“I had an intention to make lyrics that were very direct and narrative and cohesive and would have obvious interpretations. I’m writing it for a live stage; I want to write songs that will translate on a live stage.”

Upon the release of Olympia, Austra downsized to a four-piece, parting ways with their two backing vocalists, Romy and Sari Lightman (who are working on their own project Tasseomancy).

Austra will make their anticipated return to Australia next February and, despite the reduced personnel, Stelmanis indicates the live show still provides plenty of stimulation.

“It’s cool with less people onstage because we’ve also been able to expand in other ways. We have a DIY light show now that somebody made for us, which adds a different element. Then of course we can also bring [in] other musicians. We’ve been touring for a while with a trombone player and we had a flute player at a couple of shows. It’s nice to have flexibility.”

“We made a conscious effort to make this album a lot lighter musically; it’s a lot more rhythm based rather than big dramatic sweeping vocals and harmonies. The lyrics on this album deal with some pretty dark subject matter and it’s a very personal record.”

Opportunities

Vocalist Adrian Fitipaldes discusses the release of Singularity and the importance of representing Australian music internationally ahead of Northlane’s 2014 Big Day Out appearance. AARON BRYANS reports.

Living the definition of the boyhood dream, Sydney metal group Northlane have achieved the goal they had never expected to reach. Forming in 2010 and quickly became a standalone act in their local scene; the quintet released their debut EP Hollow Existence independently with only one goal in mind.

“We were insecure, unsure, uncertain; with the attitude of wanting to have fun and play some shows and share some music with some people. We weren’t really expecting much to come out of it to be perfectly honest.”

However, in 2011, the band signed to the Australian label UNFD, releasing their debut album Discoveries on 11/11/11 and embarking on a 20 date headline and supporting tour with bands such as August Burns Red, Blessthefall and Parkway Drive.

“We did a string of shows. That period was the first time for us where we were doing a lot of international support and it definitely helped our band out and expose us to more listeners.”

Adrian isn’t taking the opportunity lightly though. The importance and meaning of being able to write and perform influential music internationally is one very few get to experience.

“It’s definitely a blessing. Not many people get the opportunity to do what we do.

Even on the scale that we’re doing it. We may not be the biggest band in the world but we’ve managed to reach some success. You can’t spend your time thinking about bigger and better things, you’ve got to appreciate what you have. I’m very appreciative and very thankful for what we’ve managed to achieve so far. Representing Australia is very important. Mainly because Australia has only just started to be on the map in regards to music. People are starting to realise there is a market here for music and it’s exciting to be one of the bands alongside the greats like Parkway Drive to really show the world what Australia has to offer.”

2013 saw the release of the band’s critically acclaimed sophomore album Singularity, which was recorded between tours during a brief four-week stop in New Jersey with Will Putney of Machineshop. Singularity debuted at #3 on the ARIA charts and was also nominated for Triple J’s Album On The Year as well as the ARIA’s 12

“I guess you always want to evolve your sound… I’m a big fan of anything that is weird, because if it’s weird, it means you’re not used to it. It’s different, which means it’s unfamiliar and you haven’t heard it before.”

Best Hard Rock/ Heavy Metal Album. The album catapulted Northlane into the spotlight worldwide.

“It’s pretty much a sign for us that what we’re doing is right and that the ball is still rolling.

I guess for any band the worry is that people stop listening or people stop caring; but with things like this it’s a clear indication that people do care, people are interested and it’s being recognised which is amazing.”

The cover art for Singularity is indistinguishable and a clear highlight amongst mass releases in 2013.

“The initial concept was thought up by myself with the supervision of the rest of the band. An artist from a group called Apollo Collective, Pat Fox, helped us to get it out into a visual format. Running through the album art; it’s set in Egypt and it’s got the three pyramids of Giza. We’ve always been fascinated with ancient history, especially for myself, I’ve always been fascinated with ancient Egypt. It is the home of a lot of knowledge for the human race. To put it very simply, a lot of Western society is based off a lot of Greek philosophy and a lot of Greek philosophy and mathematics came from Ancient Egypt. A lot of people call it the womb of knowledge or the cradle of knowledge. The man and the women on the left and right symbolize duality, good and bad, right and wrong, male and female, day and night. The singularity is supposed to be within the cube that has been the symbol of Northlane on the last two records. It brings the idea of the two sides coming together to become one, which is the singularity.”

Singularity is only the beginning though, with the band looking to constantly expand its musical talent and range.

“I guess you always want to evolve your sound… I’m a big fan of anything that is weird, because if it’s weird, it means you’re not used to it. It’s different, which means it’s unfamiliar and you haven’t heard it before. I’m all for pushing things to obscene, weird, different areas just to get peoples eyebrows raising and push the boundaries a little further.”

For Northlane, performing at Big Day Out to a ‘mainstream’ crowd is pushing the boundary itself; but that isn’t holding them back.

Festival goers can expect a slightly catered setlist, but an incredible atmosphere.

“It’ll be a different string of shows for us as we are probably the heaviest band on the lineup. I really think that it will be fun to get the crowd involved and get everyone jumping up and down. Even though we are a heavy band we still have a lot of groovy, bouncy beats that you can get into just like a hip hop band. I’m hoping that

WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU

people will feel the music and get into it. We’re going to play most of our singles as they are most likely the songs that people who attend BDO have heard from us. We’re going to try and play our best hits and get everyone into it.”

Northlane are touring nationally at Big Day Out in late January/early February before undergoing a 63-date tour that will take them to America, Europe and the UK. If you’re a first-time listener be sure to check out Adrian’s favourite song Dream Awake.

“The song is all about being in the present moment and being attentive and noticing your immediate surroundings whether it be any moment in your life. Sometimes in life you do have to stop, take in the experience. Whether it’s with your girlfriend or with your family or at a beautiful location or on tour with a band or in an airplane, sometimes you really need to bring your attention to the present moment and remember that’s where the happiness and peace truly lies.

It’s about that awareness. Life is an amazing thing.

It’s a really positive and powerful song.”

MUSIC

VIEWS

|

INTERVIEWS

PORTUGAL. THE MAN 10 Degrees Below Zero From the cold and beautiful Alaska, Zachary Carothers spoke with AARON BRYANS about the growth of psychedelic pop band Portugal. The Man ahead of their trip down under for Big Day Out 2014.

It was May 2004 when John Gourley and Zachary Carothers were faced with the difficult decision of moving on from their previous band Anatomy Of A Ghost and beginning a new path in their musical careers.

The decision would change their life forever.

Joining forces with Wesley Hubbard, Nick Klein and Harvey Tubleson, the quintet formed Portugal. The Man. “Portugal is an alter ego that we created, [similar to] how David Bowie created Ziggy Stardust.

But we weren’t just one guy; we were a group of people.

We figured a country is one name for one group of people with one voice in the world and we randomly thought Portugal would be a cool name for our guy.”

Described as a mixture of rock’n’roll and punk rock, with a very deep hip hop and classical influence, John and Zachary had ambitions from the very beginning.

13

“I don’t think we’ve got there yet, but when John and I first started the band, we wanted to make something that sounded like a mix between The Beatles and Wu-Tang Clan, and I don’t think we’ve got there yet but that was the basic idea from the beginning.”

After a few demos and a tour in the United States, Portugal. The Man was signed to Fearless Records, releasing their first LP Waiter: “You Vultures!” in early 2006.

“I’m very proud of that record… It was pretty crazy when we were going in to do it.

Obviously our old band had just broken up and our label at the time was very pissed off at us for breaking contracts early. Luckily, our lawyer worked it out so we could go in and make another record and make up for our last contract. We did not know what we were doing at all. We went in and we pretty much did everything backwards and everything wrong about

|

STORIES

that record. In the long term we learned a lot and we made one of our best friends, Casey Bates, who recorded our first two records. He is one of our best friends in the world. I’m very proud of that and we’ve come along way since then.”

The album was a hit, and now eight years later, the band have released eight full-length albums and five EPs, so its fair to say picking a favourite song overall was no easy task.

“If I had to pick a song overall, I’d pick All Your Life off, In The Mountain And The Cloud. Just because I think it really encompasses everything we’ve done as a band. It’s got a hip-hoppy feel which is stuff we did from earlier releases like Waiter: “You Vultures!”; it’s got soulful, bluesy, gang vocals like we did on Church Mouth; dark song writing like we did on Censored Colors, and its got a jam in the middle of it, a really crazy fast bridge. We’d jammed really fast and heavy stuff live but we’ve never put it on a record before. If I had to tell somebody to listen to one song who’d never heard us before I’d probably say that one ’cause that’s what our shows sound like.”

Of all eight albums, none has received as much attention as Portugal. The Man’s most recent release Evil Friends, which has generated numerous covers by bands such as Passion Pit and Bear Mountain. The album was produced by Danger Mouse who is well known for his work on Gnarles Barkley’s St. Elsewhere, Gorillaz’s Demon Days and The Black Keys’ Attack And Release.

“He had a huge impact. Honestly we started from scratch going in with him, and wrote all of the songs together except for two. We’ve been fans of that guy for so long, and we really wanted to write songs with him; a lot of artists are scared of that these days… We want to collaborate; we want to make music with people. We think that one of the funniest things about music is reaching out to other people and working with a lot of people. He brought a lot of very interesting styles and tastes that we had never used before. We learnt a lot about the music industry and we learnt a lot about ourselves as people.”

The production of Evil Friends was not an easy one. With a tight schedule and numerous tracks to record, the band pushed on overcoming a huge obstacle on the last day.

“The song Holy Roller (Hallelujah) from Evil Friends… we literally finished that song the very last day of recording. It was one of the first songs that we started, but it just didn’t have that thing.

It wasn’t done and we were going to scrap it from the record; but I loved it so much… I knew it had potential and wanted to see it through. It got to the point where two days before we finished recording it was scratched from the record, it wasn’t going to make it. It was during the very last day we were in

WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU

the studio, we were talking and I said ‘let’s just give a go at Holy Roller again and lets see if we can come up with something’. We pretty much knocked out that song in a day. We stayed up ’til about four or five in the morning on the last day of recording and got it done and it made the record by the skin of its teeth. I love the song, the concept, the bass line and everything about it, the whole groove. But mainly because I’m very proud of all my boys, the engineers and the producers… it was a testament to good solid work and a healthy studio environment.”

It was mid-last year that Portugal. The Man set foot on Australian soil for Splendour In The Grass 2013, a festival which would form an incredible moment in Carothers life, and add to his love of the life down under.

“We grew up hiking and camping and fishing all our lives. When I go down to Australia I’m fascinated. You guys have animals and plant life, we don’t have anything that comes close to resembling it where I’m from and that fascinates me. It’s so different, there’s crazy marsupials… I look up and the sky is even different. It’s exciting and new. Splendour In The Grass was so much fun… it was more of an earthy, hippie deal. A lot of mud, a lot of dirty people.

I like that kind of shit. That music makes me think of Woodstock. We always have a good time in Australia, everybody we meet is amazing, the people are so nice and beautiful, its really cool down there. And we got the nicest hotel we’d ever stayed in. This one was out in the middle of a rainforest; we were half a mile away from a beach. It was amazing to go back after playing that festival to that room. I brought some friends with me, but before they got there I just laid down on the bed and couldn’t believe it. I was in this beautiful room, in this beautiful forest, right next to the beach and I’m like ‘this is my job, I came here to work’. It was a really surreal moment... it was unbelievable, I never thought we’d be able to do this, I felt very lucky.”

The Alaskan quintet are coming back down under for Big Day Out 2014 in late January/ early February and it’s going to be an unpredictable experience.

“We don’t like to plan so much, we like the element of surprise, we like being spontaneous. We’ve never been to Big Day Out, so we get there, we’ll soak in the mood and the vibe and then decide from there…

When it comes to the covers, a lot of it we figure out five or 10 minutes before we get onstage, it feels more real. It’s weird, we change the keys to songs to make them blend into songs better, we change a lot of things last minute… there’s something about doing it live for the first time, there’s a connection on stage between us and it projects onto the audience very well… the energy that comes off us onstage, that’s what people will notice.”

MUSIC

VIEWS

|

INTERVIEWS

|

STORIES

MICK TURNER Guitar Solo Legendary Australian musician Mick Turner has recently released Don’t Tell The Driver - a solo album that bears all of the marks of Turner’s highly creative stance, with a few new tricks thrown in for good measure. ALEX GRIFFIN gets the lowdown.

Unsurprisingly for someone who has been letting his guitar do the talking for over three decades now, Mick Turner isn’t the type to waste his words; on the phone, he takes long pauses while answering questions, long enough that by the time he picks up the thread of his response, I’m interrupting with a new question.

By the fourth time round, it’s nervewracking. As such, it might be surprising that his new solo album Don’t Tell The Driver sees him put words in the mouths of a wide supporting cast of musicians, with vocals abounding from a range of contributors. Opera singer Oliver Mann lends his profound pipes out of nowhere on Open Waves, and Caroline Kennedy-McCracken provides vocals on the title track, to beautiful effect.

To Turner, though, it’s nothing to get worked up about – it’s just things falling into place. “We’ve worked with vocals before in Dirty Three (Cat Power on Cinder, for example), so it wasn’t a completely new thing. I’m not the first person to decide to bring in a singer, and vocals are such a powerful instrument on the record. The songs needed vocals to help with the narrative.”

To listen through his resume is to pretty much run through the history of Australian rock music. With Fungus Brains he made eargouging punk, with the Moodists, some of Australia’s finest and weirdest post-punk, and over the course of two decades Dirty Three have redefined the boundaries of what people can do with guitar, violin and drums. Don’t Tell The Driver is his fourth solo record, and his best yet; a swirling gambol through tangled waves of melody and dreaming.

Ye t , h av i n g c o m e t o g e t h e r o v e r four years of woodshedding in between other commitments, working solo isn’t the easiest process for Turner. “In some ways it’s harder, because it’s difficult to make decisions on things when you’re working by yourself. It can help to have someone else throw in their two bob when you’re at a crossroads because things get decided then; you don’t have arguments with yourself so much. In Dirty Three, like every band, we have a lot of arguments.”

To hear Turner play the guitar is like watching a spider build a web around you.

Bobby Gillespie of Primal Scream once described Turner’s guitar style as playing in ‘the way that stars are spaced out across the sky’. Yet, even after everything he’s accomplished with six strings, Turner is still excited about the possibilities of his instrument.

“Guitar is the most popular instrument ever, because it’s really expressive, especially when you compare it to a piano or something.

You can just extend the sound so much. Aside for the voice, which always rests at the top, the guitar can do the most things, especially the electric guitar. It’s infinitely variable. Like, that guy Beirut, who seems to be anti-guitar; like, his shtick is that the guitar is overdone. I think he’s great that he’s doing that, but the guitar is popular because you just can’t express as much when you try to use a trumpet or a piano instead.”

Another dimension of Turner comes through the instantly recognizable paintings that adorn the covers of Dirty Three albums and his own solo records. The art for Ocean Songs and Whatever You Love, You Are are iconic, evocative images, but Don’t Tell The Driver might sport my favorite Turner painting yet; a yellow path fanned by verdant bush opens onto an endless beach, as a figure stands at the center, dwarfed by but strangely conjoined with the landscape. It puts you perfectly in the frame for the music to follow, which is something that naturally arises out of Turner’s approach.

“Most of the paintings that are used for artwork are chosen from things I’ve been doing at the same time as recording. They haven’t been particularly painted for the album cover. Since I’m working on them at the same time, my head is in the same space, so they’re naturally related, the same things are going on in my head.” Turner doesn’t have to talk about what he’s doing for it to work; the best thing to do is to sit back and watch.

14

WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU

NEW NOISE

For more album reviews head to xpressmag.com.au

4

4.5

OUT OF 5

THE BEATLES

OUT OF 5

NEIL FINN & PAUL KELLY

On Air – Live At The BBC Vol. 2 Apple Universal

Goin’ Your Way EMI

On Air comes about as Brian Epstein had the good fortune and business savvy to sign an ‘Application For Audition By Variety Department’ with the British Broadcasting Commission in January 1962. Passing this audition led to The Beatles having a national audience by March of the same year, months before they had signed with EMI and recorded their debut single.

The second volume of On Air – Live At The BBC collects tunes from the era of March 1962 to July 1965 where they would play songs, read letters and conduct interviews with the plum-mouthed announcer to make the BBC a little less sterile that it had previously been.

There is plenty here for collectors and passing fans alike with 10 of the songs from these sessions never having been recorded by the band for EMI. The Beatles show what great interpreters they were as they take on old standard Beautiful Dreamer and Chuck Berry’s I’m Talking About You. This snapshot of the youthful Beatles highlights that George had plenty of admirers, and Ringo enjoyed his moment to shine behind the microphone on tunes such as Boys. Plenty of feelgood moments are interspersed with classics like Do You Want To Know A Secret, I Want To Hold Your Hand and Please Mister Postman.

The internet may have made music disposable and ‘on tap’ but there is something special about having a new release by The Beatles that you can hold in your hand. There is no reason not to own this snapshot of history.

Paul Kelly and Neil Finn have plenty in common.

As well as being from close knit Irish families, they are each considered the finest songwriter in their country of origin either side of the Tasman.

The two joined up in 2013 to play their own and each other’s songs with the result being some classic tunes given a new lease on life.

Goin’ Your Way captures the final performance of that memorable tour from Sydney on Monday, March 18. The temptation when two songwriters tour together is to stand in the centre of the stage with acoustic guitars in hand as they work over the hits. Goin’ Your Way takes a different approach, with the band assembled for the shows having strong links and passion for the songs.

Finn’s son plays some tasteful and deft drums, while Dan Kelly shows off his dexterous guitar work. All band members sing to add layers not heard before on these tunes in the live setting. Finn wouldn’t be used to being trumped when on stage, but it is hard to compete with Kelly’s Leaps And Bounds, How To Make Gravy and To Her Door as highs of the recording.

There aren’t too many pairings that could work their way through almost 30 high quality tunes between them and still have overlooked almost as many stellar moments. Formidable on their own, Finn and Kelly are a spectacular team. Goin’ Your Way is one for all occasions. _CHRIS HAVERCROFT

3.5

_CHRIS HAVERCROFT

OUT OF 5

4

OUT OF 5

OLIVER TANK Slow Motion Music Create/Control

PIERCE THE VEIL “We wanted to travel the world and play music together… The search was on for the most amazing shows we could find around the world…

We were all ready to take in as much culture as possible and do as much crazy shit as we could along the way.”

Following Pierce The Veil around their first worldwide tour (including an awesome recap of their Australian trip for Soundwave), This Is A Wasteland follows traditional band DVD structures, providing exclusive access to one of post-hardcore’s fastest rising stars.

Firstly, Pierce The Veil have achieved some incredible footage. The band really delves deep into the culture of every country they visit and as a result have proven the privilege and joys of being a band.

Whether you’re a fan of Pierce The Veil or not, you’ll have no choice but to accept the respect that these guys have for their fans, going above and beyond to setup outstanding shows, meet and greats and casual fan appearances.

Featuring guest appearances from Jason Butler, Sleeping With Sirens, Miss May I and All Time Low, the documentary is hilarious and remarkable; filling you with the dream of one day touring the world as a beloved musician. The documentary comes with Pierce The Veil’s third LP Collide With The Sky that shook 2012 as one of the top albums of the year.

Oliver Tank’s album does as it says on the packet.

Slow Motion Music is an incredibly atmospheric record and if ambience is what you’re after then this should hit the spot. Without any immediate sparks (it is a slow burner, after all), Tank’s music has a rhythm that takes a few plays to really get into, but once you’re there you’ll pick up on a dreamy wave and in there find some complex layers.

Slow Motion Music is a follow-up to Tank’s 2011 EP, Dreams, and a reference to his song Last Night I Heard Everything In Slow Motion. Both EPs are very similar – textual if a little predictable.

Tank’s recent support for acts like Lana Del Rey, James Blake and Lorde prove he can warm up big crowds even though his chilled electronica might not be the type to get to get you pumped for a night out.

Listened to in full, the album is bliss.

Different Speed, featuring producer Ta-ku, has lyrics that could be a slogan for the entire album: ‘slow down world, you move too fast for me’. A collaboration with UK producer Stumbleine reveals similarities between the pair – both produce electronica with a lot of feeling. The opener, Stay, features Tank’s long-time collaborator Fawn Myers whose ethereal vocals complement his music. Meanwhile, Hayden Calnin’s unique voice is the main attraction in Name.

The album flows nicely with the guest vocalists / producers although they’re all similar to Tank which means there’s nothing completely unexpected cropping up. A highlight is Home, a dedication to Australia and which shows Tank can produce a stunning track alone.

_AARON BRYANS

_CORAL HUCKSTEP

This Is A Wasteland: Documentary Fearless Records

4

OUT OF 5

GOSSLING Harvest Of Gold Dew Process / Universal There is a pleasing duality at play throughout Harvest Of Gold – for every electronic sparkle of its starbright production is a moody left turn, and for all the ‘broken hearted child’ tremble in Gossling’s voice, it’s a decidedly adult record – a sexy, lived in and

deeply felt reflection on loss.

These traits reach their apex on the mournful, graceful Songs Of Summer, a duet with Alexander Burnett chronicling the descent of romance into ‘just TV and a permanent furrowed brow’. But they are present from the offing, when the delicate intro of Big Love gives way to the bass rumble of the chorus.

Harvest Of Gold is in a state of perpetual slow burn from start to finish, from the moody pulsing tease of Never Expire to the stately heartbreak of Pulse, finally paying off with the melancholy, soulful ache of A Lovers Spat. It’s a great break up album, sure, but it’s beautiful and weighty enough to stick just as well to those of us who’re mended. _CHARLIE LEWIS WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU

15

16

WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU

A R T S & C U LT U R E

|

FILM

|

NEWS

|

EVENTS

Wit

&

Wisdom

Writer, raconteur and comedian, David Sedaris, is renowned as warm, humanistic and fearless teller of tales, famed for his numerous books and essay collections - the latest being Let’s Explore Diabetes With Owls - his appearances on NPR and more. We caught up with him all too briefly ahead of his one and only Perth spoken word appearance.

What does the show encompass? What can we expect to see and hear?

I just stand at a podium and read out loud. Sometimes, while reading, I look up. I realise I’m not selling it very hard but honestly, that’s all it amounts to.

How have international audiences generally reacted to your work, both written and spoken.

Have you had any issues with cultural translation, or does American cultural hegemony generally mitigate that?

I often don’t realise until I begin reading something how American it is, not just in terms of its references, but also in regards to its attitudes.

That said, I seem to go over well in Germany, Austria and, oddly, The Philippines.

DAVID SEDARIS

How much will Let’s Explore Diabetes With Owls inform the show?

I might read a thing or two, but will hopefully have a fair amount of new material by then.

What’s your work routine like, particularly your writing schedule?

I get up at the crack of 10:00, go straight to my desk and stay there until lunch time. At night I sit down for another quick session. It is, at most, a four and a half hour day. That said, I never take time off - not even on vacation.

Any upcoming projects you want to let us know about?

I’m recording a new series for the BBC Radio 4 and have another book in the works. I’m also fixing up a beach house. Does that count?

TRAVIS JOHNSON

Catch An Evening With David Sedaris at the Perth Concert Hall on Friday, January 24. Tickets are available through Ticketek.

DAVID SEDARIS - PHOTO BY HUGH HAMRICK

WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU

17

A R T S & C U LT U R E

|

FILM

|

NEWS

|

EVENTS

FILM

COMEDY CAPERS AT THE NATIONAL Starting Wednesday, January 22, Fremantle’s heritage watering hole, The National Hotel, will be hosting weekly comedy nights to help you get over the mid-week doldrums. Ushering in this new era of hilarity will be Lawrence Mooney, host of ABC2’s Dirty Laundry Live and the man behind the acclaimed one man show, Lawrence Of Suburbia, and veteran Australian comedian Fiona O’Loughlin, along with expatriate American MC Mike Goldstein.

Doors open at 7.30 and entry is $10. Shoot over to national-hotel-fremantle.com.au for details.

Lawrence Mooney

GET TWISTED Perth production company, Twisted Vaudeville Circus, are mounting three shows as part of Fringe World this year, all taking place at Metcalfe Playhouse, an intimate venue in the heart of Northbridge. Dark Cabaret, The Best Of Fringe Spectacular and The Birdcage include over 35 cabaret artists performing everything from burlesque drag, circus, acrobatics and more. Get over to fringeworld.com.au for info and tickets.

HIGH TIMES AT THE HYDEY For those who missed out on seeing Perth rock doco Fridey At The Hydey at its sold-out screening during RTR’s Gimme Some Truth, it’s screening again on Tuesday, January 21, at Bamboo Outdoor Cinema, alongside Gavin Bond’s documentary about cult muso, Todd Rundgren, Todd Who?. DJ Nathan Nisbett will be spinning classic Perth rock, punk and indie tunes from 6.30pm, and the filmmakers will be participating in a Q&A session after the screening.

Head to lunapalace.com.au for tickets.

PAINT MY SOUL Geraldton visual artist, Phil Doncon and Perth soul singer, Shameem have collaborated on a unique and striking project at Fremantle’s Kulcha for this year’s Fringe World. The Art Of Soul is an evening of song, narrative and art as Doncon interprets Shameem’s music through paint in front of a live audience, in time with the music. This singular act takes place for one night only on Friday, January 31. For more information and tickets, go to perthfestival.com.au.

The Art Of Soul

RETURN TO THE ROOF Northbridge’s beloved sky-level cinema experience, Rooftop Movies, is teaming up with Fringe World to represent some very exciting events in the near future.

In addition to the usual run of great new and classic films, including The Goonies, Anchorman 2, John Dies At The End, Jiro Dreams Of Sushi and The Wizard Of Oz, the venue will also play host to Hot Dub Time Machine, the world’s first time-travelling dance party, The Bourgeois Bogan Prom (on Valentine’s Day, naturally) and the World Press Photo Multimedia Contest. Shoot over to rooftopmovies.com.au for full details and tickets.

PATTERN SEEKING TL;DR, a new cross-stitch exhibition by artists Claire Bushby and Steven Tapping, examines how contemporary humans are constantly exposed to multiple streams of drama and how those streams impact not only the receiver but each other. The exhibition is officially opened by Dr Nicola Kaye at the Heathcote Museum And Gallery on Friday, January 24, and runs until Sunday, February 23. Go to melville. wa.gov.au/heathcote for further information.

HER Electric Dreams Directed by Spike Jonze Starring Joaquin Phoenix, Scarlett Johansson, Amy Adams, Chris Pratt, Rooney Mara There’s a lot going on in the fourth film from director, Spike Jonze - ruminations on our relationship with technology, the inherent loneliness of the urbanised human, the life cycle of relationships, the nature of consciousness, identity and selfhood, and more - but at its heart, it’s a love story. The thing is, it’s a love story between a lonely man, Theodore Twombly (Joaquin Phoenix), and Samantha (Scarlett Johansson, or at least her voice), an artificially intelligent computer operating system with the capacity to learn from experience.

Straight out of the gate, Her speaks of loneliness and the difficulties of honest, open communication. Twombly works for a company that writes personal letters for those who lack either the time or the ability to do so themselves. He’s great at his job, but at the same time is putting off signing divorce papers following the failure of his marriage to Catherine (Rooney Mara). Socially isolated and emotionally fragile, is it any wonder he bonds with Samantha, the Siri-like tech toy he bought on a whim?

What really makes Her stand out from the pack is the way it treats the character of Samantha, detailing not only the growing relationship between

her and Twombly, but also her growth as a self aware being and her relationship to the world. Her status as a non-physical entity is addressed - a sequence with a human sex surrogate ends disastrously - as is her capacity for learning and growing far beyond human mental capabilities. At first Twombly is delighted by her ability to read a book in nanoseconds, but is appalled when she is capable not only of holding simultaneous conversations with hundreds of partners, but of loving more than one person, unfettered by human social and emotional conventions.

This makes Her not just a great love story but also great science fiction, the relatively minor technological fictions depicted in the film being used to explore and comment on universal human emotions and experiences. The future Jonze details is the very near now and viewers will recognise familiar habits, behaviours and technologies that are only slightly exaggerated for comic effect. The mum-simulator game Twombly is shown by his friend, Amy (Amy Adams) is funny as hell, but it’s not exactly a quantum leap from The Sims or any of a thousand social media games out there right now.

And Her is funny - for all its heady themes and intelligent probing, it’s a frequently hilarious film when it isn’t busy being painfully accurate and soberingly trenchant. This is easily Jonze’s most assured film yet; tellingly, it’s also his first solo effort as screenwriter as well. A complex, layered, nuanced piece that retains a direct and achingly familiar emotional throughline, Her is simply a fantastic piece of cinema.

TRAVIS JOHNSON

FILM

A HIJACKING Nautical Negotiations Directed by Tobias Lindholm Starring Pilou Asbæk, Soren Malling This terse Danish thriller is many nautical miles away from last year’s similarly themed Captain Philips. No swelling orchestral score to drag you along emotionally, no heroic action beats or daring last minute rescue by the American navy. A Hijacking, instead of offering pure escapism, treats us to an intense game of brinkmanship while giving us insight to the lives that are at stake. It is a tense slow boil thriller that feels at times almost unbearably realistic.

The cargo ship MV Rozen is hijacked by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean. Shipping company CEO Peter Ludvigsen (Soren Malling) is an expert in the art of playing hard ball and ignores advice. preferring to carry out the ransom negotiations with the pirates himself. Meanwhile Mikkael (Pilou Asbaek), the Rozen’s cook, must learn how to survive under the hijackers’ regime. As the haggling draws out, the weeks take a toll on both men’s psyche.

There is more than a slice of vérité in writer/director Tobias Lindholm’s (Borgen) work.

He makes some brave choices in his portrayal of events that pay off - for example, the key sequence of the hijacking is seen from the shipping company’s perspective as an irregularity in the ship’s speed and position as reported by GPS. From here it cuts straight to Mikkael and the chaos on the ship as armed intruders make demands in a foreign language (that is never subtitled), and become increasingly agitated 18

WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU

as the demands are not met. It is tense, disorientating and disturbing. In A Hijacking’s realistic world the stakes appear strangely magnified, as the audience acknowledges that its conventional understandings of story are not in play here and reality can be brutally uncaring.

Lindholm delights in his setting, almost making the Rozen a character. The shipboard scenes revel in their sense of claustrophobia, always appearing crowded with all the actors crammed tightly in frame. Even on deck, the camera almost always finds a bulkhead or a railing to frame the shot in. Like the crew of the Rozen, we are never treated to a sense of freedom. This claustrophobia is carried over to the boardroom negotiation. Peter is boxed into a small situations room, with information splashed on the walls and whiteboards. Both men are obviously prisoners of the situation.

Soren Malling’s Peter is controlled and confident, although as the situation drags out we see his nerves fray. Pilou Asbaek’s portrayal of Mikkael, however, is heartrending. As he is manipulated as a bargaining chip, you can see his posture change as his shoulders slump and his gaze becomes fixed. His character truly loses hope and Asbaek conveys this with chilling effect.

A powerful thriller, A Hijacking raises the tension early and keeps it on a slow simmer for the entirety of its run by never stretching the bounds of believability. Its strong sense of veracity makes for rewarding viewing.

DAVID O’CONNELL

A Hijacking screens as part of the Lotterywest Festival Films season at Somerville from January 20 - 25 and Joondalup Pines from January 26 - February 2. For more details, head to perthfestival.com.au.

FILM

INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS Folk Zero Directed by Joel and Ethan Coen Starring Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, Justin Timberlake, John Goodman, Garrett Hedlund As they did in the excellent O Brother, Where Art Thou?, the brothers Coen are exploring a somewhat marginalised musical genre, only this time it’s the folk scene of early ‘60s New York rather than bluegrass. It’s about there that the similarities end, though. Those expecting more of the earlier early film’s amiable slapstick sensibilities are going to be disappointed; the boys are in much more impenetrable form here.

Llewyn Davis (Oscar Isaac) is drowning, not waving. Struggling to cope with the recent suicide of his singing partner, he ekes out a living performing in coffee houses and bars, crashing on couches and playing the token Bohemian for rich acquaintances.

Informed by Jean (Carey Mulligan), performing partner and lover of his friend, Jim (Justin Timberlake), that she is pregnant, possibly by Llewyn, he tries to scrape together the money for an abortion.

That’s more or less the plot - although there’s Llewyn’s unwilling stewardship of a stray

tabby cat thrown in to complicate things as well but the film is far more concerned with engendering a melancholy mood than charting a narratively consistent course. Inside Llewyn Davis throws out more questions than answers and is sure to provoke vigorous post-screening debate. Llewyn is a misanthrope and opportunist when we meet him, but he is also deep in grief - is the latter the cause of the former, or has he always been this way? Characters are picked up, dallied with and discarded, as are plot threads; the fate of John Goodman’s oafish, self-absorbed jazz musician is left up in the air, as is that of a possible child Llewyn fathered some years back. It’s a meandering film and ultimately a cyclical one, with perhaps the name of the errant cat - Ulysses - giving some clue as to the Coens’ literary inspirations this time around.

Yet the central question remains whether Llewyn is an artist or an asshole, a poet or a poseur, and it’s one the film steadfastly refuses to answer.

It’s this question, this duality, that permeates every part of the film, right down to the soundtrack - why else would the Coens pair their acclaimed frequent collaborator, T-Bone Burnett, with professional pain Marcus Mumford, the poster child for false sincerity?

That’s a bit cruel, but this is a cruel film, if ultimately a humanistic one. Often the Coens are accused of disliking their characters, but there’s a warmth and sympathy here for all the players on their stage, even Llewyn, who surely qualifies as one of the most unlikeable protagonists in recent years. For all his flaws - and they are legion - Llewyn engenders our sympathy. He is, after all, one of us. We never find what’s really inside Llewyn Davis, but that’s pretty much the point.

TRAVIS JOHNSON

X-PRESS FLICK PICKS Beat the January heat in the airconditioned interior of your favourite cinema - or, indeed, under the stars with one of the great films recommended by X-Press’s crack team of film critics.

AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY “With such a dialogue driven script and ensemble cast, performance is key for this film. Again the plate smashing, door slamming melodrama reeks of the stage, but with such a great cast performing these acts it is easy to just get caught up in the moment.

Meryl Streep dominates as the formidable family head, Violet Weston, lurching from monstrous gargoyle to confused object of pity. It is a powerful performance, never leaving the audience (or her children) sure as to whether she is deserving of hate or sympathy.”

KILL YOUR DARLINGS “...the performances are strong, and Krokidas does manage to capture, at least to some degree, not only the exhilarating, white-hot thrill of youthful artistic creation but also the sometimes inevitable self-involved wankery that accompanies it. It’s a film that assumes you’re at least somewhat au fait with the Beats, their work and milieu, while also taking for granted that their genius and importance are accepted dogma, which may not be too far off the mark. “

BLACKFISH “Wisely, the film doesn’t rely solely on pushing emotional buttons, also consulting a number of scientists and animal behaviour experts in order to delve into the root causes behind the orcas’ aggression, coming to the consensus that the effect of captivity on such intelligent and highly social animals is invariably psychologically distressing, with unpredictable and dangerous behaviour being the inevitable result.”

AMERICAN HUSTLE “...American Hustle winks at the audience, transforming what could have been a rather strained attempt at affectation into a fun romp. Everyone’s having a blast portraying the film’s gallery of selfdeluded grotesques, with Bale in particular seeming much more comfortable now he’s shed the action hero straitjacket. The whole affair is a tightrope walk along the line between drama and farce, and all involved seem to understand the exact level at which to pitch their performances.”

THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG “This fifth voyage to the land of Middle Earth is full of all the richness of location that we have come to expect of Peter Jackson and Weta. The production design is exquisite and really manages to flesh out this fantasy realm, bringing it to life with incredible attention to detail.”

WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU

19

A R T S & C U LT U R E

|

FILM

|

NEWS

|

EVENTS

The Problems Of Explaining A Thunk: Fremantle Arts Centre Set in an installation reminiscent of 2001: A Space Odyssey, Steven Dickie’s newest work explores the limits of conventional knowledge through a series of video and installation works that look at our inability to express and explain thoughts. It runs until January 19. Go to fac.org.au for more.

2013 Bankwest Art Prize: Bankwest Place The exhibition of all the finalist pieces for this prestigious annual award, including works by Rachel Coad, Penny Bovell, Susanna Castleden, Thea Constantino, Penny Coss, Jo Darbyshire and more, runs until March 3. Go to bankwest.com.au for more.

A Private View - Modern Masters From The Kerry Stokes Collection: The Art Galley Of Western Australia 26 paintings drawn from one of the most significant private art collections in Australia, representing the major art movements of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It runs until March 3. Go to artgallery.wa.gov. au for further information.

Within These Walls: Wanneroo Library And Cultural Centre Gallery A free combined exhibition collated by the Wanneroo Museum and Art Collections, this innovative and quirky exhibition will showcase rarely seen artefacts from the Museum’s collection, juxtaposed and harmonised with art works from the city’s art collection. It runs until February 2. Visit wanneroo.wa.gov.au for more.

THEATRE/DANCE/ PERFORMANCE

Alan Davies

VISUAL ARTS Being Eurasian: Fremantle Arts Centre Abdul Abdullah and Dr Leslie Morgan examine identity, history and ancestry in contemporary Australia. Abdullah’s paintings explore the ways in which people of mixed Asian and European heritage define themselves, while Morgan’s work looks at the entry of Anglo-Indians into the country in the time of the White Australia Policy. The exhibition runs until January 19. Go to fac.org.au for more details.

140 ART: 140 Nationally recognised artists and local emerging talent both contribute to this temporary gallery project that runs until January 31. Andy Quilty, Phibs, Amok, Anya Brock, Pip McManus and more will use shopfronts and walls along Wellington, William and Murray Street as a canvas for an ambitious urban art project. Head to 140.com. au for further information.

20

The Deep: Spare Parts Puppet Theatre Adapted from Tim Winton’s acclaimed children’s book, The Deep is a family-friendly tale that contrasts the fear of the unknown with excitement and joy of discovery and new experiences. It runs until February 1. Head to sppt.asn.au for more.

Flood: Studio Underground, State Theatre Centre Directed by Adam Mitchell and starring a plethora of WA’s best young acting talents, Flood details the moral tribulations of a group of friends who have determined to bury a shared secret no matter what the cost. Presented as part of the Black Swan Lab, it runs from January 17 - February 2. Go to bsstc.com. au for session times and tickets.

The Illusionists: Crown Theatre Seven of the best magicians in the world have come together to craft a stage show unlike anything you’ve ever seen before. For one week only from January 18 - 26. Go to crownperth.com.au for more.

Bianco - playing as part of the Perth International Arts Festival

Summer Nights: The Blue Room Theatre Presented as part of Fringe World 2013, this incredible programme of theatre and dance runs from January 24 - February 22. 32 different shows will be presented, including Squidboy, She Was Probably Not A Robot, Gym & Tonic, Run Girl Run and more. Plus, there’ll be encore seasons of the great puppet show, Bruce, and the incredible allegorical play, Great White. Head to blueroom.org.au for further information.

The Rocky Horror Show: Crown Theatre It’s Time Warp time again when this 40th anniversary production of Richard O’Brien’s essential cult show rolls into town. Featuring Craig McLachlan as the irrepressible Dr Frank N. Furter, this is one of the must-see shows of the year! It runs from February 14 - March 9. Go to crownperth.com.au for details.

FESTIVALS Fringe World More than 450 shows across over 60 venues, encompassing traditional entertainment forms and the most outré, avant-garde live acts. It runs from January 24 until February 23. Go to fringeworld.com. au for the full programme and ticketing.

WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU

Summerset Arts Festival The City Of Stirling’s annual arts celebration runs from January 24 - February 8 and encompasses a whole range of family-friendly activities, exhibitions, demonstrations and performances across a wide number of venues. Head to summersetartsfestival. com.au for more.

Perth International Arts Festival Perth’s biggest celebration of art, film, music, theatre, dance and culture runs from February 7 - March 1.

Head to 2014.perthfestival.com.au for the full program.

Alliance Francaise French Film Festival 2014 So Frenchy, so chic! The greatest Gallic film festival is just over the horizon, once again bringing Perth cineastes the finest of filmic treats. It runs at Cinema Paradiso from March 18 - April 6. Go to affrenchfilmfestival.org for details.

To have your performance, exhibition or cultural event listed, get in touch via

localmusicarts@xpressmag.com.au For more Art Stories head to

xpressmag.com.au

B E AT S

|

NEWS

|

INTERVIEWS

|

REVIEWS

|

EVENTS

PERFECT MATCH One of the most eagerly anticipated acts going around, duo What So Not featuring Flume and Emoh Instead (aka Harley Streten and Chris Emerson) are two producers reaching the top of their games, both individually and as a formidable production team. TOM KITSON spoke to Emerson about his transition from party DJ to full time touring artist, ahead of his appearance this Sunday, January 19 for Sets On The Beach #13 at Scarborough Beach Amphitheatre.

Starting up together about three and a half years ago, What So Not have gone from a casual studio collaboration to a trailblazing act, making waves not only

WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU

in Australia but overseas, with a recent set at Miami’s Holy Ship!!! in the US. Emerson is the main man in terms of performance, touring solo with Stereosonic late last year and building a rapport with the Destructo-led Hard Events group. He says the project is a purposeful endeavour between the two artists to play out and produce music that they want to hear.

“We planned to write music we wanted to play out in clubs that we weren’t really hearing,” he says. “Harley just heard me play one night in Sydney and we’d only met once before that, but he liked the sort of stuff I was playing.

It also happened to be an uninspiring time, so we were both keen to get in the studio and work together.”

Ready to expand into the field of technical music production, Emerson combined with Streten to release their debut EP, 7 Dollar Bill; follow-up The Quack, and tunes like High You Are and Jaguar - all “because the world needs more bangers” according to their Facebook page.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 22

21

B E AT S

Continued From Cover.

Their first exhibits were rooted in four-tothe-floor house beats and short chord progressions, and they’ve since branched into slower tempo jams reminiscent of Streten’s Flume project.

“I’m more into the harder, heavier sounds and Harley likes the soulful, melodic style,” he says.

“We really find common ground on things though and that complements what we put out.”

That difference in taste has enabled the two to create tracks like Touched with a melodic, slow tempo build that transforms into a warbling, bassheavy hook that clearly is the result of two people making the music.

“We just started working on some tracks with Skrillex and the A$AP crew when they were out here,” he says. “Skrillex booked out Studios 301 in Sydney for a few days and invited us to come in and hang out and swap some tunes, so we were able to get a few things done and really enjoyed it.”

The obviously fruitful endeavour has resulted in plans for a single release around March through Skrillex’s label OWSLA and Australian label, Sweat It Out, and Emerson is convinced that continuing the frantic but consistently fresh releasetour-release-tour cycle is in their best interests.

“Coming up with tunes is different every time and it depends what setting you’re in,” he says.

“Touring a lot means I might be on a plane, in a car or at a hotel, usually on the laptop hashing out chords, melodies or little grooves and then using the studio to hone in on the engineering side of things.

“I have been learning the piano for the last

|

NEWS

|

INTERVIEWS

six months to help with writing, but at the moment the DJ sets are going really well so there’s no need to change that up in terms of how we perform,” he says. “Putting out singles and EPs periodically is really working for us as well, so we aren’t planning extended releases in the short term.”

Drawing inspiration from bands like Gorillaz as a youngster and more recently the work of DJ Ajax and Diplo, Emerson’s career quickly spiralled and a desk job career flew out the window.

“I started DJing for fun when I was 18, so it wasn’t a career plan or anything; I was actually an accountant for four years before music took over full time,” he says. “I put out an EP and did a 20-date tour as Emoh Instead and now the focus has turned to What So Not, so what I’m doing depends on the time of year and what’s bubbling”.

Bringing their energetic, fast-paced show to Sets On The Beach #13 at Scarborough Beach Amphitheatre along with The Herd, The 2 Bears, Plastic Plates, Panama and Hayden James this Sunday, Emerson (who’s also an avid body-boarder and will no doubt be dipping into the Indian Ocean) hinted at a few tunes that may get a spin, and the direction the sets are heading in 2014.

“We’re trying to move away from trap music while taking some influence from it still,” he says. “The genre is a little over-rinsed and pigeonholed, and we want to use melodic chords and more transient, chillwave elements in our music.

“Something that’s been amazing recently is Africa by Toto, and also a great edit Astronomar did of Diplo’s Earthquake have been highlights of the set in the last month.”

|

REVIEWS

|

EVENTS

DUBSTEP TO DISCO

ROSE AMONGST THORNS

London producer, Skream aka Olly Jones - best known for his key role in the emergence of dubstep is heading back to Perth for a show at Villa on Saturday, February 22. He became a household name for his remix of La Roux’s smash hit, In For The Kill, but these days he hosts a BBC Radio 1 show with Benga and has turned his hand to soulful disco, leaving the dubstep tag behind him “until further notice”. Get your tickets for this one from Moshtix.

LA house (and techno-tinged) DJ/producer, Jesse Rose is heading to Australia to promote his album, The Whole Twelve Inches and is playing a Habitat show at Geisha on Friday, January 24. Being a pillar of the electronic community, he’s also got his own label Play It Down; plus he’s the curator of the event series Made For The Night, which has residencies at Berlin’s Watergate and London’s Fabric. Get your tickets for this via Eventbrite.

Skream

Jesse Rose

HOUSE FACTORY Rough Love Productions, the promoter behind the deep house Thursday night, The Collective at Malt, is starting a new night at a mysterious new venue called The Factory, which is a licensed warehouse somewhere in Perth. The opening party for this new night that’ll be focused on deep and tech house is Friday, February 21 with special guest Cassy Britton - a Berlin-based DJ who has a residency at Panorama Bar in Berghain. Local support includes Kid Deep, Shaddow Brothers, Colour and Locky Mazzucchelli.

Head to facebook.com/TheFactoryAU for updates.

Two thirds of Hessle Audio, which broadcasts on UK radio station, Rinse FM every Thursday night i.e. Ben UFO and Pearson Sound will be dishing up their deep mix of Chicago/Detroit house and techno, grime, Baltimore, UK garage, dubstep and whatever else is rocking their boat at the Hellenic Club of WA on Saturday, January 25. You’re not going to want to miss this one. Get your tickets for this Next Hype event from Ticketbooth.

Cassy Britton

Ben UFO

BEHIND THE DECKS

OTHERWORLDLY TALENT

Best track to open and close a set with? Something soulful that we produced. We’ve got a new original tune called Soul City - been finishing our sets on tour with it and it’s been working a real treat. Deep soulful vibes would be a perfect opener too!

Tools of your trade? We perform our DJ sets on four turntables and also mix custom synced visuals. In the studio we produce using Ableton, a ton of software plugins, and few hardware synths.

Producers you’re digging right now? Gramatik, Exmag, Pretty Lights, FKJ, Opiuo, K+Lab, Stickybuds, R.O, Oliver, Rudimental, Romare and Sharam Jey.

THE FUNK HUNTERS Describe your genre? The funkiest side of electronic music spanning all tempos and genres.

What happened in 2013? We spread the funk to over 12 countries and rocked over 100 DJ sets, including 25 festivals. We also started a new record label for original music (Westwood Recordings), launched a podcast series (The Detour), and debuted the first of our new live shows with our full band!

Last release? Keep On Moving was a collab tune with our friends Skiitour, featuring original guitar, organ, and saxophone. It was just released on Simplify Recordings and is available on Beatport.

First thing you’re going to do in Australia? Well we just went bungee jumping on our first day in New Zealand, so now we gotta top that! We’re trying to organise some skydiving for Nick’s birthday later this month.

SALT NIGHTS OUT

Strangest thing that’s happened behind the decks?

At this warehouse party in Vancouver a few years back we had a full beer spill onto one of our laptops.

We turned it upside down and watched the beer pour out as the music played on. Somehow the computer was fine and is still working to this day.

What’s on the cards for 2014? We plan on taking a fair bit of time off from touring in 2014 to hit the studio and begin production on a full length album.

We’ve also got another crazy North American festival circuit planned from June to September.

Anything else to tell X-Press? We got mad love for our Aussie friends and fans and it feels good to finally make it down here. Feeling grateful to get to perform at so many festivals on this tour!

The Funk Hunters play Metro Fremantle this Friday, January 17.

The Funk Hunters

Ethos: Scorching good music and devilishly delicious drinks served on a cool breeze through a hot and balmy dance dimension.

Expect to hear: Disco treats, soulful sweets and tropical treats from all stretches of the world and beyond!

Next line-up: DJs Jo 19 and Jade Nobbs.

Cool stuff: The signature cocktail ‘Black Magic Potion’ is a hoot.

BLACK MAGIC DISCO Answered by Ben Taaff Name of night? Black Magic Disco When: Every Saturday night ‘til 2am at Devilles Pad, unit 1, 3 Aberdeen Street, Perth. Free entry.

22

WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU

You should attend if...: You know what’s best for your hips.

Black Magic Disco is happening this Saturday, January 18 at Devilles Pad. Ben Taaffe

SAFIA Soul Sides Safia’s Listen To Soul, Listen To Blues has been a triple j staple and it’s not surprising given the indie electro outfit’s accessible sound bridges the gap between soulful emotion and synth driven pop. NAOMI FAYE checks in with the trio ahead of their appearance at Bayside this Saturday, January 18 at Mounts Bay Sailing Club.

It was a wild ride for Canberra’s Safia in 2013, the guys winning triple j Unearthed’s Groovin’ The Moo competition early in the year for their single, Stretched & Faded, which set the pace for the year to come.

“Winning that competition was by far one the most memorable moments of last year,” says producer and vocalist Ben Woolner. “It was definitely a huge sense of achievement for us.”

The achievements didn’t stop there. The three-piece then released Listen To Soul, Listen To Blues in June and had no idea how popular it would become.

“We knew it had something special when we wrote it, but we didn’t expect it to blow up” says Woolner, and blow up it did.

The track was a remix favourite, with the likes of Pigeon, Indian Summer and Akouo playing with its sound. It was ranked #7 on the 50 most played tracks on triple j in 2013, and Safia was listed in triple j’s ‘Next Crop: The Ones To Watch In 2014’.

“It feels incredibly surreal, we just started this project for a little fun, producing songs in our bedroom and never expected much to come from it.”

Inspired by the “commercial dubstep movement, may it rest in peace” laughs Woolner, Safia made the uneasy switch from rock to electronic with Skrillex in particular a huge influence. “At the time those sounds were so foreign… they really enticed us into doing the electronic thing.”

Safia write the bones of their songs acoustically before playing with production, Woolner believing this initial organic process makes the recording process more creative.

“Rather than thinking about chords, structure and melody you can focus more on sounds and other interesting and weird elements,” this he says, makes their songs stand out. Of course, listening to Safia it’s apparent that electronica isn’t their only source of inspiration.

“As a singer some big inspirations come from people like Nina Simone to Otis Redding and Louis Armstrong.” Combine this with their electronic sound and well, it has definitely played a part in their initial success to date. This year promises more touring and recording for the trio.

“We plan to continue writing the music we love and hopefully people continue to love the music as much as we do. Our next single will have that Safia sound, production and vocal that people are familiar with, but at the same time it explores a whole new territory.”

They kick off their 2014 adventure in Perth this Saturday, playing Bayside with Midnight Juggernauts, who’ll be doing a DJ set along with local acts, Stillwater Giants and Crooked Colours.

“We’re looking forward to playing on a beautiful sunny day near the water, and soaking up all that the Bayside has to offer.”

PEKING DUK Top Gear With new tune Mufasa doing the rounds and three tracks in the first 25 spots of the 2013 ARIA Top 50 Australian Club Tracks, Canberra duo Peking Duk are just hitting top gear. TOM KITSON chats to one half of the duo about mateship in the music industry in prelude to the Big Day Out on Sunday, February 2 at Claremont Showgrounds.

As the New Year holiday period ends and artists recover from weeks of relentless shows and travel, Adam Hyde of Peking Duk is already thinking about 2014, with a swag of new releases and big dates on the horizon.

“We’ve just done a collaboration on Mufasa with Laidback Luke, have two singles coming out soon and we’ve got about seven demos that we’ve been going back and forth on,” he says. “We’re trying to figure out which ones to put out first because they’re all very different styles.

“We’ve been really stoked with the reception of both I Love To Rap and Feels Like. The support from the public and radio alike has been a surreal experience because we never thought we’d get that or have our own proper fans, which is a really good feeling.”

Hyde and band mate Reuben Styles came together in Canberra, inspired by hard electro sounds and getting to work using affordable software programs.

“I was doing a bunch of hip hop stuff and Reuben was in an indie rock band (Rubicon) that was doing really well,” he says. “Guys like Fake Blood, Crookers and The Bloody Beetroots really intrigued us, so we decided to sit on our computers using Reason every day until we could get something sounding semi decent.”

Now based in Sydney the guys have joined the ranks of Australian electronic music’s elite and benefitted from the competition.

“We share a studio with artists like Yolanda Be Cool, Flight Facilities, Beni and Cassian, which makes it a really cool building,” he says. “We’ve met a lot of guys just through seeing them out at clubs and using other contacts. The electronic music community in Australia is really tight knit since everyone knows everyone, and everyone’s quick to offer a helping hand.”

Hinting at constructive criticism from their peers, Hyde is grateful for objective viewpoints while still maintaining an enthusiastic approach to coming up with ideas.

“We can definitely bounce a lot of stuff back and forth with these guys and get their vibe on it,” he says. “It’s really helpful when they don’t like it because they’ll tell you what to change up.

Our process changes every time – I’ve been trying to figure out what the formula is so I can nail it... but it’s always different.

“I think the best thing to do is keep an open mind and have fun with it, because a lot of the time I’ll be working on an idea and I’ll get stuck with that idea and forget about the bigger picture, which can get frustrating.”

Building the suspense about their upcoming set at Big Day Out, Hyde says there’ll be new music and some other faces in the mix.

“I can’t say too much about our Big Day Out sets, but we will have a few guests on stage with us and a pretty cool set up,” he says. “We love both festivals and club tours, but festivals are just out of control.”

WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU

23

B E AT S

|

NEWS

24

KALAMUNDA Grizzly LEISURE INN DJ Peta NEWPORT HOTEL Tiki Bar Open Mic Night FRI 17/01 AIR NIGHTCLUB AIR Nightclub’s 2nd Birthday AMPLIFIER Fridays Are Back THE AVIARY Hykus TFord THE AVENUE DJ Lokie Shaw THE BAYSWATER Mario Zuli THE BEAT (DOWNSTAIRS) PLAY THE BIRD City To City Henry Maxwell, Viv G b2b Henry Sims, Andre THE BRASS MONKEY Vicktor & James Ess THE BRIGHTON DJ Peta CAPITOL Capitol Fridays ft.

DJ Roger Smart CAPITOL (UPSTAIRS) I Love 80’s & 90’s THE CARINE Jimmy Beats THE CAUSEWAY Acoustic Sundowner

Dunerats - Fri, Jan 17 @ Players Bar

THE COMO Funky Bottoms THE CRAFTSMAN Dazman DAILY PLANET Sundowner Sessions THE DEEN Student Night EMPIRE BAR Howie Morgan, DJ Wasteland, Jordan EVE NIGHTCLUB Recharge Fridays FLAWLESS Monarch Fridays FLYRITE Black Stone From The Sun, Tired

INTERVIEWS

|

REVIEWS

|

EVENTS

MY PLACE

I LOVE 90s @ CAPITOL

FRIDAY @ BAR DE HALCYON

WED 15/01 AMPLIFIER Academy BAR 120 Lady Lauryn THE BIRD Feel Up Ben M, Michael Jaction, Pete BRASS MONKEY Vicktor CAPITOL (UPSTAIRS) Harlem Wednesdays CLUB RED SEA Cheek GOLD BAR Famous GROOVE BAR (CROWN) 5 Shots LEEDERVILLE HOTEL DJ Reuben DJ Johni Boi Ben Renna THE GRAND FiveO METRO FREO Next Gen MUSTANG BAR DJ James MacArthur NEWPORT HOTEL Newport Wednesdays SOVEREIGN ARMS Britty THE VILLAGE BAR Village People Wednesdays THURS 16/01 THE BIRD Seams, Leure, Methyl Ethel THE CAUSEWAY Xport Thursdays CLUB RED SEA Thursday Night Revolution CONNECTIONS Bingay THE CRAFTSMAN FiveO EVE NIGHTCLUB Retro Thursdays ft.

EVE DJ Team GOLD BAR OG Thursdays GROOVE BAR (CROWN) Decoy

|

Lion, Rag N’ Bone, Hideous Sun Demon GEISHA Kolombo GINGER NIGHTCLUB Mondos “Feel Good” Dance Party GOLD BAR Fox Fridays Launch THE GOOD SHEPHERD Throwback GROOVE BAR (CROWN) DJ Crazy Craig THE HIGHWAY HOTEL Azman and Swami

Pleasurekraft - Sun, Jan 19 @ Bob’s Bar (limited door sales)

LAKERS TAVERN Grizzly LEISURE INN Mel Burns, Smoking Joe Makhael LIBRARY Sneaky MALT (nu disco, hip hop) MUSTANG BAR Oz Big Band, Swing DJ, Cheeky Monkeys, DJ James MacArthur METRO FREO The Funk Hunters MY PLACE Karaoke PARAMOUNT Friday Nights PARKER Elite Force & Felguk PLAYERS BAR Hooch Dunerats THE QUEENS Reuben THE SAINT Garrison SOVEREIGN ARMS Ang3l VILLA Monarch presents DJ Butcher THE WHALE & ALE DJ Spinback SAT 18/01 AVENUE Lokie Shaw THE BALMORAL Back To The 80’s BAR ORIENT The Reggae Club BEAT NIGHTCLUB (UPSTAIRS) CANVAS BEAT NIGHTCLUB (DOWNSTAIRS) Big Kidz THE BIRD Mudlark, Brown, Ben Witt, Nora Zion BRASS MONKEY DJ Peta & Jordan Scott THE BRIGHTON Miss Chief

Kolombo - Fri, Jan 17 @ Geisha

C5 METRO FREO I Love 80s & 90s CAPITOL Death Disco CAPITOL (UPSTAIRS) Cream of the 80s ft. DJ Roger Smart THE CAUSEWAY House Party THE COMO Jay Lee Lloyd THE CORNERSTONE Byron O’Neill DAVE’S CANS MYRE ROOFTOP Skeet II Prince Ali & Superflog Arms In Motion Boltsy Sleepyhead Childsplay EAST END BAR Home FLAWLESS LQ Saturdays GEISHA BAR Hedkandi presents Cadell, Chiari, Henton, Adam Kelly GOLD BAR Pure Gold THE GOOD SHEPHERD Chocolate Jesus GROOVE BAR (CROWN) Hero DJs

WWW.XPRESSMAG.COM.AU

LEEDERVILLE HOTEL (DOWNSTAIRS) Under The Arena Party THE LIBRARY DJ Victor / DJ Riki LOST SOCIETY Chalk MOUNTS BAY SAILING CLUB BAYSIDE Midnight Juggernauts (DJ set), Safia & more MY PLACE DJ Pinkham, DJ Mavoc NEWPORT HOTEL Gravity Tahli Jade PARKER Parker Saturdays PARAMOUNT Saturday Nights PLAYERS BAR Ministry of Sound Annual Tour 2014 Chardy THE QUEENS Kenny L THE SAINT Crackers SCARBOROUGH BEACH AMPHITHEATRE Sundown Sessions Fat Freddy’s Drop Mat McHugh

Juan Atkins

Juan Atkins SUNDAY, JANUARY 19 @ THE COURT

SOVEREIGN ARMS Britty THE WEMBLEY HOTEL Jon Ee VILLA Phesta Farewell YAYA’S Arcadia All Nighter SUN 19/01 BOB’S BAR Pleasurekraft THE BRIGHTON Miss Chief THE CAPTAIN STIRLING Lokie Shaw THE COURT Juan Atkins EMPIRE BAR DJ Viktor, Riki

LAKERS TAVERN Jinx Project MUSTANG BAR DJ James Mac DJ Holly Doll NEWPORT DJ Tom Drummond THE PEEL ALE HOUSE Hages ROSEMOUNT HOTEL The Get Down THE SAINT Shann and Smoking Joe Makhael SCARBOROUGH BEACH Sets On The Beach #13

The Herd, The 2 Bears, What So Not & more THE QUEENS Jay Lee Lloyd and Sam Spencer MON 20/01 MUSTANG BAR Triple Shots THE ROSEMOUNT HOTEL Bada Bingo!

TUES 21/01 THE BIRD The Bird’s Open Mic Night MUSTANG BAR Danza Loca Salsa Night

Deadline Monday 5pm. The Club Manual is a service to advertisers listing all DJs & Dance Music. All inclusions are at the discretion of X-Press. Email guide@xpressmag.com.au

THE COURT

REGGAE CLUB

THIS WEEK LADY LAURYN 15 Bar One Twenty ELITE FORCE & FELGUK 17 Parker THE FUNK HUNTERS 17 Metro Freo MIDLANDIA LOCALE 17 to Feb 2 Midland HOOCH ft.

Dunerats 17 Players Bar MONARCH PRESENTS DJ BUTCHER 17 Villa KOLOMBO 17 Geisha SUNDOWN SESSIONS ft. Fat Freddy’s Drop 18 Scarborough Beach PHETSA FAREWELL 18 Villa BAYSIDE ft.

Midnight Juggernauts (DJ set), SAFIA & more 18 Mounts Bay Sailing Club CADELL 18 Geisha SETS ON THE BEACH # 13 ft.

The Herd, The 2 Bears, What So Not & more 19 Scarborough Beach Amphitheatre HABITAT ROOFTOP PARTY ft. Pleasurekraft 19 Bob’s Bar JUAN ATKINS 19 The Court

JANUARY DANNY DAZE 23 The Collective @ Malt

FEBRUARY THE LUCID DREAMING BOAT PARTY 1 Carnac Island

DJEMBA DJEMBA & DJ HOODBOI 15 Dave’s Cans

HEAVYWEIGHT SOUNDZ ft. London Elektricity, Memtrix, MC Wrec 24 Metro City

OKA 1 Settlers Tavern, Margaret River 2 Mojos

MIAMI HORROR 15 Amplifier

MAX VANGELI 24 Villa JESSE ROSE 24 Geisha MIDLANDIA FRINGE 24 to Feb 9 Midland

BORN ELECTRIC ft. James Zabiela, Catz n Dogz, Drew Hill & Pedestrian 2 The Court ALICE RUSSELL 6 & 7 Chevron Festival Gardens ANIME EDGE & DANCE 7 Parker Nightclub

BEN UFO & PEARSON SOUND 25 Hellenic Club

TRIPPY TURTLE 7 Gilkison Dance Studio

MARK KNIGHT 25 The Deen

MK 7 Geisha

LAIDBACK LUKE 26 Salt On The Beach

ST JEROME’S LANEWAY FESTIVAL ft. Cashmere Cat/ Earl Sweatshirt/ Four Tet/ Jamie XX 8 Esplanade Park & West End, Fremantle

HIGHERPLANES ft. Geogia Anne Muldrow & Dudley Perkins, Cola & Jimmu & more 26 Dave’s Cans JAGUAR SKILLS 26 Parker MOBILEE SESSION ft. Pan-Pot 27 Next Generation Kings Park Rooftop AVICII 27 Perth Arena

BORGORE 8 Villa SUMMER CONCERT #3 ft.

Naik & Mathas 9 Weld Square DVS1 9 The Court

MARLO 15 Metro City

DJ SHADOW 15 Chevron Festival Gardens DJEMBA DJEMBA & DJ HOODBOI 15 Dave’s Cans EBONY BONES 16 Chevron Festival Gardens ROOFTOP PARTY ft. Sonny Fodera 16 Bob’s Bar AUSTRA 17 Chevron Festival Gardens DJ FOOD, DJ CHEEBA, DJ MONEYSHOT 18 Chevron Festival Gardens

FUTURE MUSIC FESTIVAL ft. Deadmau5/ Macklemore & Ryan Lewis/ Phoenix/ Hardwell & more 2 Arena Joondalup GOOD LIFE ft. Deadmau5/ Macklemore & Ryan Lewis/ Hardwell & more 3 Arena Joondalup HANDPICKED FT TA-KU 7 TBA DERRICK CARTER 7 Geisha THE UPBEATS & STATE OF MIND 8 Villa GOLD PANDA 9 The Bakery MOVE D 14 Geisha

THE KITE STRING TANGLE & KILTER 19 Mojos 20 Flyrite

ILLY 21 Capitol

CASSY BRITTON 21 The Factory

JURASSIC 5 28 Metro City

SKREAM 22 Villa

MINISTRY OF SOUND CLUBBERS GUIDE TO 2014 ft. Ember & Joel Fletcher 29 Villa

100 MILLION NIGHTS 11 Chevron Festival Gardens

ROBERT GLASPER EXPERIMENT ft.

Roy Ayers 27 Chevron Festival Gardens

HIMANSHU SURI 31 Dave’s Cans

LADI6 & HOME BREW 13 Chevron Festival Gardens

PUBLIC ENEMY 28 Chevron Festival Gardens

HANNAH WANTS 31 Parker

MIGUEL MIGS 14 Geisha

OLIVER TANK 28 The Bakery

OKA 30 Mojos 31 Indi Bar

MARCH KERSER w/ DJ Dazastah, Bitter Belief, Complete & Omac 1 Metro City

THE PARTYSQUAD 19 Newport Hotel

THE ASTON SHUFFLE 23 secret show

SATURDAY @ METROPOLIS FREMANTLE

BATHS 23 The Bakery

APRIL A$AP FERG 5 The Bakery NEKO PLANET April 9 The Bakery MAY ELLIE GOULDING May 28 Challenge Stadium

Daedelus. Photo by John Aliaga

DAEDELUS Wielding Magic Ben M & Dr J, Catlips The Bird Sunday, January 12, 2014 On a blazing hot weekend when bushfires abound, one could have been forgiven for turning in early and giving Sunday night a miss. Whether daft, plain curious or just knowing the depth and breadth of Daedelus’ talent, The Bird felt like the crowded musical hub it’s known to be.

Opening with a two-hour set by Ben M & Dr J, the duo spun a set filled with a mix of pop, ethereal and various worldly sounds. The latter stood out the best, the soundtrack of an Egyptian pharaoh and Indian village; an exotic sound that blended well with the Asian delicacies on menu. That said, half the duo chatting and drinking with their mates centre stage detracted from the vibe of the music, a rather jarring ending not helping matters.

Up next was Catlips aka Katie Campbell whose ethereal beatmaking and active movement brought an energy that was missing up until this point of the night. Taking a couple songs to hit her stride by the third, things flowed well and transitions were distinctly smoother than earlier on. Several samples also brought reminders of Campbell’s involvement with Kučka, though a limited variety in musical tone led to a set that sounded similar throughout and didn’t evolve much.

WWW.XPRESSMAG.COM.AU

The main act was still to follow however, and Daedelus aka Alfred Darlington delivered like a man on a mission. Dressed in dapper formal attire, Darlington (and his epic mutton chops), took to the mic to discuss with the crowded venue how, being the end of one week and almost the beginning of a new one, that he wanted to make the night something magical for everyone there, and to the sound of a very vocal crowd, he did just that.

Opening with a Flume sample, he almost immediately escalated things by placing numerous beats over it, moving with the speed of a creature catching prey, his Monomes lighting up like a Christmas tree with every button press. By the end of his set the audience would have been treated to musical samples from every genre, never content to stick in the same place for very long.

What clicked the most, however, was the energy Darlington brought to his performance. One moment he could be the most calm and collected person in the room, hand on his heart and a smile on his face. The next, moving like he was on fire and unable to stop. Every beat press seemed to elicit its own emotion from its instigator and combined with the musical prowess he created, made this a perfect performance – everything you would expect from someone who has been actively making music for the last 12 years.

The world needs more performers like Daedelus, willing to bring absolutely everything they have to the stage, but never letting themselves get so swept up in it all that they ignore the audience.

JOHN ALIAGA

25

LOCAL NEWS

Intrasonic - Photo by Matt Jelonek

|

INTERVIEWS

The Weapon Is Sound - Photo by Matt Jelonek

|

REVIEWS

|

Q & A

Deafheaven - Photo by Rachael Barrett

The Monicans - Photo by JF Foto

INTRASONIC THE WEAPON DEAFHEAVEN THE MONICANS Tangled Thoughts Of Enabler/Omega Is The The Crossbars/The IS SOUND Alpha/ LYTS Leaving/Drohtnung Georgians/Shineybeast The Bakery Saturday, January 11, 2014 Kicking off the proceedings was electronic duo LYTS. The brainchild of Laith Tierney and Yaegar Mora-Strauks, both previously of Perth art rock group, Fear Of Comedy, LYTS are incredibly hard to place in a genre box. They seemed to draw heavily from modern R’n’B in regards to their beat style, offset by a rather beautiful and airy vocal style. In what seemed a slightly strange juxtaposition, the lyrical content was sometimes plain murderous which seemed at odds with their self described desire to create ‘dance oriented pop music’.

Having said this, the performance was flawless.

Local DJ and industrial producer Omega Is The Alpha was up next. It’s no small feat to support live bands as a DJ/producer, but an array of thumping beats were triggered which was a great showcase for some of Perth’s unique musical artistry.

Enabler were next to saunter to the stage.

Opening with heavily distorted and processed vocals, the instrumentation was driven by dark and Moog-ish synths. While the music was often sparse, moody and laden with cacophonous resonance, there was an awesome energy in the room which had a solid cohort of fans cheering and dancing throughout the majority of the set. An absolutely perfect industrial cover of Ginuwine’s ‘90s classic Pony showed that these blackclad filth wizards had a sense of humour to go with their well-honed ability.

As the night rolled on and the grog continued to flow, Intrasonic collected themselves to provide the ultimate performance of the night. Theirs is a wonderfully heavy sound that is complemented perfectly by electronic nuances. The musicianship alone made for a hugely engaging experience as precise guitars and synth lines danced with the sombre yet powerful vocals. It was a strangely enlightening experience, witnessing first hand a style of music that bridges the gaps between goth and techno. Like all great performers and song writers, Intrasonic were able to create moments of timeless musical progression and build lush, serotonin-triggering sonic architecture.

For a scene best known for its dark dress and macabre leanings, you would be hard pressed to find a more social, creative and downright interesting event and group of players. The music progressed from band to band with great thoughtfulness and each flavour was dished up at just the right time. Intrasonic represent a specific colour in a vast palette of possible permutations, and it stood out with a vividness that made them unforgettable.

JAMES HANLON

Leon Osborn And Cam Scott/Girlfriend Material/ Child’s Play/Empty Cup

The Rosemount Hotel Saturday, January 11, 2014

The Rosemount Hotel Friday, January 10, 2014

On an otherwise average, sweltering Friday night in Fremantle, The Weapon Is Sound unleashed a devastating sonic barrage to all those who rocked up (and rocked out) and backed up with a high volume of supporting fire.

First into battle were a reconnaissance team that consisted of electronic producer/DJ Leon Osborn and guitarist Cam Scott. They laid down mellow, watery beats that could be best described as a psychedelic take on synthpop. Cam’s vocals were rather inconsistent, clear one moment, muffled the next. Leon carried most of the set. At this point, the venue was relatively empty, so most were spared the relatively average performance.

Hip hop duo Girlfriend Material moved into position (along with Leon Osborn on the synths) and eased into it with almost nonsensical wordplay that jumped from topic to topic. The vibe they presented could be compared to Justin Northcote or Flight Of The Conchords if they were hip hop artists and their delivery reminiscent of old school hip hop from the ‘90s.

Child’s Play took it upon themselves to lead the charge. They led the crowd on the d-floor straight into dance formation, resulting in a quite cramped, sweaty and dehydrating experience. They included some smooth brass instruments and put them to good effect, emanating an easy-going and all-ages friendly vibe.

Brian Kruger, aka The Empty Cup, came afterwards, along with entourage. Unleashing a fusion of hip-hop, rock and some violins, the crowd truly surrendered by this point. In contrast to Girlfriend Material and Child’s Play, Empty’s set went along at a slower rhythm, but traded this for high fidelity and the chance to actually hear what he’s saying.

Each instrument distinguished itself, and all of them together synergised for a very, very enjoyable set.

The hour struck midnight when the headline act, The Weapon Is Sound, jumped on stage, complete with a smoke machine to herald their arrival.

Their arsenal is an explosive mix of old school rock riffs, the clear influence of reggae, echoing vocals, and packaged with psychedelic tunes loud enough to bust a bunker.

Hot. A word that has been routinely attached to the San Francisco stylistic mashup that is Deafheaven.

Also a word that will come to define the final show of their first Australian tour, as the mercury slowly starts to head back below the 40 degree mark.

First on stage were Perth natives, Drohtnung. After releasing a handful of demos as a one man outfit, the group is now a five piece and all the better for it. The lashings of depressive rage found on the formative releases are continued, but the bigger band is better rounded and creates a gloomier feel. Having played only a handful of live shows there were some early sound problems, however they seemed largely unruffled and shambled bleakly onwards. The stage presence of singer and band founder, Old, is unusual but effective, and his howling vocals polished off a suitably grim stage presence.

Next on stage were Perth genre benders and stalwarts, Tangled Thoughts Of Leaving. Having shared stages with a acts as diverse as Boris, Russian Circles, Nadja and now Deafheaven, TTOL have rightly built a dedicated following, and a reputation as a somewhat chameleonic band. Dense, shifting, and covering a wide range of territory in stark contrast to Drohtnung’s ethereal stage presence, TTOL were all buzz, energy and nervous movement. By the time they hit the midway point of their set, the crowd had swollen and found its voice.

So finally, the band that 2013 seemed to spend a hell of a lot of time chatting about – praising or pillorying – Deafheaven, nonchalantly strolled onto stage. The anticipation that hangs thick in the air threatens to explode into mayhem as the opening strands of Vertigo gave way to the twin guitar and vocal howls. As gloved phalange acrobat George Clarke began the first of what will be many cantilevering adventures into the crowd, voices howled back at the stage wildly. Until the dying moments of debut release Roads To Judah’s Violet, the crowd remained captivated, bathing George in hands and screams, and applauding enthusiastically.

Speaking to the band some 20 minutes before they took to the stage, they conceded that they, too, felt the energy swelling around them, and revel in these moments of future uncertainty and possibility.

On a day history will remember for breaking weather records, a diverse crowd of the obsessive, curious and in tune, will remember this performance above all else.

Maybe it was the epic hangover that only Christmas cheer can provide, but Friday night at the Rosemount was definitely a quiet one. Nevertheless The Monicans put on a solid show to some loyal family and friends, pounding out catchy tune after catchy tune.

The band opened their set with some heavier tunes, swinging between softer lyrical sections to heavier guitar based riffs in almost every song. These guitar riffs regularly extended into all out psychedelic anarchy, with guitarist Paul Beard sparing no notes, in his search for what could only have been total guitar annihilation. Highlights included the band’s biggest single Go Away, which had a funky little surf pop melody interchanged with heavier guitar breaks. The closing song Evangeline was an interesting little tune that carried its own, with catchy lyrics and regularly dispersed heavy guitar.

The Monicans have an interesting and at times very original sound that could represent a new turn in the music that is coming out of this city. What is striking therefore is that they seem to be making an attempt to fit into the psychedelic trend that is currently sweeping Australian pop/rock. It is easy to understand why: bands like Tame Impala have inspired a new generation of psychedelic rockers particularly in Perth.

Supporting the Monicans were Darwin based Shineybeast and the ever-energetic The Georgians, who did a solid job of filling in last minute for Echostone. These baby-faced rockers definitely knew their way around a tune and played to the crowd that they had.

Also supporting were The Crossbars, who had all of the energy if not all of the chops. Two things were clear from The Crossbars set: a) that they are a band that has all of the passion and the stage presence to put on a very solid show, and b) that their technical ability on their instruments at times let them down.

It might be very un-rock’n’roll, but the best advice these young rockers could take would be to sit down and do continual slow practice with a metronome.

Friday night was a good example of what it can be like gigging in Perth. Fortunately The Monicans and friends didn’t let this deter them, with each band working to put on a solid show. It would be worth catching them again when they have the support of a lively crowd to bounce off.

CLAYTON LIN

CRAIG PATRICK

LEAH BLANKENDAAL

Mojos Bar Friday, January 10, 2014

SWALLOW BAR

MOJOS BAR

Tonight, Wednesday, January 15, catch DJ Raw Sugar from 7pm, while Thursday, January 16, get some rockabilly action courtesy of Shotdown From Sugartown from 7pm. DJ T King brings the soul on Saturday, January 18, and the Odette Mercy Duo brings even more soul the day after, Sunday, January 19, from 5pm.

Tonight, Wednesday, January 15, is General Eclectic night featuring Pat Chow, Little Sky, John Mrtyrs Ghost, Radio In Motion and Curtis McEntee. $6 entry from 8pm. Thursday, January 16, Caravana Sun (NSW) play Mojos Bar as a part of the AYA Album Tour. Special guests Tanya Ransom and Bodhi Zafa support. Entry is $15 at the door from 8pm. RTRFM present Woodstock Rock on Friday, January 18, featuring Shallow Creek, Thee Children Of Nuggets, Kevin Chennell and Sam Blight - plus DJs Captain Trips, Deep Purple Pete, The Fabulous Furry Freak, Paisley Ray, Richie Rich, and Rhymin’ Simon. Tickets are $15 / $10 for RTRFM subscribers. There will be tickets available at the door for $20 from 8pm. Puck and Foam launch their respective sides from their upcoming vinyl split on Saturday, January 18, with support from Mt Mountain and Catbrush. $10 entry from 8pm. The Audreys play on Sunday, January 19 with Nathan Gaunt as support. Tickets are $28+bf through Heatseeker, or more on the door from 6pm. On Monday, January 20, American saxophone virtuoso Colin Stetson will perform as part of his first ever Perth visit. The Tigers and Lower Spectrum support from 8pm. Tickets are $25+bf from Oztix or $30 on the door. Laugh your arse off on Tuesday, January 21, with comedians Ben Darsow (SA), Sami Shah (Pakistan), Dan Rath (QLD), and locals Sean Conway and Ciaran Lyons. Tickets are $20 on the door from 8pm.

RAILWAY HOTEL Leure

THE BIRD Tonight, Wednesday, January 15, Feel Up - featuring Ben M, Michael Jaction, Pete and Rok Riley - hits you with disco, house, boogie, funk and everything else worth dancing to. Free entry from 8pm. On Thursday, January 16, Seams, Methyl Ethyl and Leure provide live music from 8pm for a fiver. Henry Maxwell, Viv G b2b Henry Sims and Andre team up for To Live And Die In LA on Friday, January 17, presented by Untitled Sound Alliance. $5 entry from 8pm. Mudlark launch their debut 12”, Zimdahl, on Saturday, January 18, with support from Brown, Ben Witt and Nora Zion. Entry is $10 from 8pm.

Open Mic Featuring Joni In The Moon takes over on Tuesday, January 21, with sets from Tomas, Kate Stroud, Laura Scafidi and Rachel Jarman. Free entry from 8pm.

26

Saturday, January 18, is the monthly Teachings In Dub night with The KBI Sound System and more.

Doors open 8pm, entry is $8. Sunday, January 19, it’s the monthly Gignition new band showcase in the beer garden, this edition featuring Beltane Fire, Shineybeast, Indigo, The Liam Naughton Band and Culetto. Doors open 4-8pm and entry is $8.

YA-YA’S It’s all about the punk on Friday, January 17, as Big Splash champions Scalphunter join The Bob Gordons, Them Sharks and Medicine. From 2pm on Saturday, January 18, Perth City Battles returns for its first event of 2014, hosting local rap battlers, including headliners Donkey (WA) vs. Dunn D (TAS). Following up on their single Miles Away, Casinodreams are at it again, launching their new single Throw on Saturday, January 18. Supports for the night include special guests Indigo, fresh off their performance at Southbound.

Nevsky Prospekt

ROSEMOUNT HOTEL Tonight, Wednesday, January 15, catch Nevsky Prospekt, Hyte, September Sun and Arkayan, while Thursday, January 16, metal legends Eyehategod hit the stage with special guests Bayou. Local rock heroes The Devil Rides Out launch their new video on Friday, January 17, with support from Bayou, Blackwater Station and Ol’Bouginvillea, while on Saturday, January 18, Welcome The Wildfire launch their debut EP along with Lights Of Berlin, Lunar Inverse and Oakland.

Check out rosemounthotel.com.au for ticketing and other info.

WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU

WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU

27

28

WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU

LOCAL NEWS

|

INTERVIEWS

|

LIVE REVIEWS

|

Q & A

THE SPITFIRES The Spitfires launch their new single, Spooky Doo, at Teledex Collective’s first birthday party at Amplifier Bar this Friday, January 17, with support from The Novocaines, The Caballeros, Faim and Apache. We put vox/guitar exponent, Sean Regan, to the question.

What made Spooky Doo stand out as a potential single?

I suppose once I started getting people coming up to me saying, “Hey Spooky” after the gigs we realised it must have been sticking in people’s heads - though maybe that was just because I dance a bit weird when I’m on stage. It also sounds mint so it would have been a bit silly not to release it.

How did the song come together? Who wrote it?

I wrote the lyrics because I’m better at that than Paul (Bovenkerk, bassist), then we cobbled the guitars together between the two of us and that was it really. I wrote it to impress a lady but to be honest she was just confused about it, what with it being a song about stalking her and all.

Where did you record and who with?

Our good man Jerry from Jericho Studios tracked the drums and bass in Perth, then me and Dean Andersen from The Water Board recorded the guitars and vocals in a practice room in Sydney. I think he then went and mixed it in his flat with all his rabbits that he likes to keep.

Once it was mixed we went round JB HiFi and tested the track out on different stereos to make sure it sounded good.

Are you still unhappy with being lumped in with the punk scene? If you had to pin yourself to a genre, what would it be?

Well, punk isn’t cool, so I’m concerned we’ll be considered less cool by our association with it. Being cool is an essential thing for getting by in the music industry, and we need to get by in the music industry in order to get more money and nicer looking groupies. Then again, perhaps the punk scene may benefit from having a band as cool as ourselves associated with it, though nobody I’ve met from the punk scene seem particularly concerned with being cool, which is a shame as they all have very excellent haircuts. Steve Knoth (Scalphunter) in particular has a standout quiff which you could lose yourself in for days.

If we had to go with a specific genre it would probably be somewhere between No-Fi and New Dad.

Our office antivirus suite says your website is “Dangerous - verified fraudulent page or threat source.” Any comment?

Not really - antivirus software tends to be fairly accurate. But I would quite like to be on Spicks And Specks as the new Myf, or failing that replace whichever member of Tom and Alex retired recently. Just so long as I get to ruin a few Australian cultural institutions along the way I’d feel the band had really achieved something worthwhile - apart from our music, which is mostly a vehicle for me to conduct trad interviews in the press and piss off more deserving bands by getting on the radio all the time.

What’s up next for you guys?

Touring the East Coast, then another single later in the year followed by a big tour of the UK and some festivals. I’m going to run a marathon too.

HARD AS THEY COME

Make your way to the Indi Bar this Saturday, January 18, for a heavy dose of rock ‘n’ roll from Perth perennials, The Volcanics. Joining them will be Perth’s most mysterious band, The Fortunados.

You’re gonna want to be at The Beat Nightclub this Friday, January 17, Band Aide’s Hard Rock Party. Headliners Hailmary will be playing a loud and loose extended set, as will their stagemates, Gombo, Nevsky Prospekt and Dan Peters. Plus, members of the aforementioned, along with personnel from Serial Killer Smile, Ragdoll and more, will be jamming out some old Zep, Beatles and Doors tunes. For true rock fans, this is a can’t-miss night.

The Volcanics

Hailmary

SCARBOROUGH ERUPTION

ROCK BACK THE CLOCK

HELL IS EMPTY AND ALL THE DEVILS ARE HERE

Venerable RTRFM favourite, Woodstock Rock, is celebrating its 30th anniversary as Perth’s favourite repository of groovy ‘60s and ‘70s tunes with a blowout at Mojos this Friday, January 17. Get down for a number of onceonly performances, including the psych-rock of Shallow Creek (featuring members of Deep River Collective), the garage rock of Thee Children Of Nuggets, Kevin Chennel And Sam Blight plus the Woodstock Rock DJs. Tickets are $10/$15 for subscribers from rtrfm.com. au,$15/$20 on the door. Gold subscribers get in for free!

A top-notch collection of Perth’s hardest and nastiest rockers are gathering at the Rosemount hotel this Friday, January 17, to mark the release of the new video, Empty Sky, by The Devil Rides Out. This marks the fifth and last video in the Ugly Creatures series. Alongside The Devils will be Bayou, Blackwater Station and Ol’ Bouinvillea. Doors open at 8pm, entry is $12.

The Devil Rides Out

LO C A L & L AU NC H I NG 17/01

THE DEVIL RIDES OUT Empty Sky Video Launch @ The Rosemount

17/01

THE SPITFIRES Spooky Doo Single Launch @Amplifier

21/01

EMPIRE BLUES Blue Diamonds Album Launch @ Perth Blues Club

24/01

THIS OTHER EDEN Six Seasons EP Launch @ The Rosemount

06/02

MEZZANINE Strange Paradise Album Launch @

07/02

JONI IN THE MOON Sorrow Trees Album Launch @ Fly By Night

22/02

WIKED FURY Mummy’s Boy Single Launch @ YaYa’s

WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU

29

TOUR TRAILS

KARNIVOOL, JANUARY 23

THIS WEEK EYEHATEGOD 16 Rosemount Hotel PARAMORE 16 Perth Arena HALF MOON RUN 16 Fly By Night Club SUNDOWN SESSIONS Fat Freddy’s Drop, Mat McHugh 18 Scarborough Beach Amphitheatre BOYS OF SUMMER TOUR BlessThisFall, Like Moths To Flames 18 Amplifier Bar 19 YMCA HQ MISFITS 19 Amplifier Bar SETS ON THE BEACH #13 19 Scarborough Beach MENTAL AS ANYTHING 19 Groove Bar (crown) FAT FREDDY’S DROP 19 Clancy’s Dunsborough THE AUDREYS 19 Mojos Bar COLIN STETSON 20 Mojos Bar 21 Hellenic Club

JANUARY KARNIVOOL & DEAD LETTER CIRCUS 23 Red Hill Auditorium CELTIC WOMAN 24 Riverside Theatre GREY GHOST 24 Amplifier Bar 25 Prince Of Wales, Bunbury 26 Mojos Bar CARUS THOMPSON & PRITA 25 Clancy’s Fremantle PETE MURRAY 25 Leeuwin Estate Winery ESKIMO JOE 25 Wintersun Hotel BORN OF OSIRIS & AFTER THE BURIAL 25 Rosemount Hotel 26 YMCA HQ THE WOLFE TONES 25 Riverside Theatre WE ARE SCIENTISTS 26 Amplifier Bar (POSTPONED) HIGHER PLANES 26 Myre Rooftop AVICII 27 Perth Arena LEMURIA 29 Rosemount Hotel OKA 30 Mojos Bar 31 Indi Bar

FEBRUARY OKA 1 Settlers Tavern 2 Mojos SELENA GOMEZ 1 Perth Arena (CANCELLED) SUN CITY 1 Amplifier BIG DAY OUT Pearl Jam, Arcade Fire, Blur, Snoop Lion, Major Lazer, Tame Impala, Flume, Northlane & more 2 Claremont Showgrounds

30

WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU

TOURS LIVE

ASH GRUNWALD, FEBRUARY 5 - 9 CAT POWER 4 Fly By Night Club BRUCE STRINGSTEEN & THE E STREET BAND 5,7,8 Perth Arena TILIAN 5 Amplifier Bar ASH GRUNWALD 5 Indi Bar 6 Prince Of Wales, Bunbury 7 Settlers Taver, Margaret River 8 Fly By Night 9 Ravenswood Hotel ED KOWALCZYK 5 Metro City MAIDS 6 Newport Hotel 7 Ya-Ya’s 8 Prince Of Wales, Bunbury ALICE RUSSELL & BOOKER T JONES 6 & 7 Chevron Festival Gardens EDDIE VEDDER 7 & 8 Riverside Theatre #TOGETHER ft. Ta-Ku, Zeke, Kit Pop, Cosmo Gets, Sable 8 Chevron Festival Gardens CANCELLED D AT SEA 8 Amplifier Bar 9 YMCA HQ LANEWAY FESTIVAL 8 Fremantle SUMMERSET ARTS FESTIVAL Birds Of Tokyo 8 Scarborough Beach Amphitheatre THE BASICS 9 Chevron Festival Gardens THE LOCUST 10 Amplifier Bar JULIA HOLTER 10 Chevron Festival Gardens 100 MILLION NIGHTS 11 Chevron Festival Gardens BOYUP BROOK COUNTRY MUSIC FESTIVAL Sara Storer, McAlister Kemp, Mike Carr, Buddy Goode, The Borderers, Graham Roger, Rohan Powell, Rob Black & the Kelly Gang, Eric Erdman, Courtney Conway, Connie Kis Andersen 12 – 16 Boyup Brook Country Music Club IALARU 12 Chevron Festival Gardens LADI6 & HOME BREW 13 Chevron Festival Gardens SOFT SOFT LOUD 13 Fremantle Art Centre Courtyard HUSKY 14 Chevron Festival Gardens DJ SHADOW 15 Chevron Festival Gardens THE NATIONAL 14 Belvoir Amphitheatre MIAMI HORROR 15 Amplifier Bar PETE MURRAY 16 Astor Theatre

EBONY BONES 16 Chevron Festival Gardens AUSTRA 17 Chevron Festival Gardens DJ FOOD, DJ CHEEBA, DJ MONEYSHOT 18 Chevron Festival Gardens OKKERVIL RIVER 19 Chevron Festival Gardens OLAFUR ARNALDS & KEATON HENSON 20 Chevron Festival Gardens KITE STRING TANGLE 19 Mojos Bar 20 Flyrite UNCLE JED 20 Clancy’s Fremantle 21 Ya-Ya’s STU LARSEN 20 Mojos Bar MANGO GROOVE 21 Red Hill Auditorium DON WALKER 21 Clancy’s Fremantle 22 Civic Hotel 23 Fremantle Arts Centre DAUGHN GIBSON & OWL EYES 21 Chevron Festival Gardens POND, AAA AARDVARK GETDOWN SERVICES, FELICITY GROOM, THE SILENTS, DJ LADY CARLA 22 Chevron Festival Gardens SOUTH WEST CRAFT BEER FESTIVAL 23 Old Broadwater Farm ALTAN 23 Chevron Festival Gardens SETS ON THE BEACH #14 23 Scarborough Beach THE CORONAS 23 Capitol WIRE 24 Chevron Festival Gardens CHARLES BRADLEY 25 Chevron Festival Gardens MADELEINE PEYROUX 26 Chevron Festival Gardens ROBERT GLASPER EXPERIMENT 27 Chevron Festival Gardens DOLLY PARTON 27 Perth Arena SIX60 27 Metro City NEKO CASE 27 Fly By Night Club PUBLIC ENEMY 28 Chevron Festival Gardens BRUNO MARS 28 Perth Arena

MARCH MIKHAEL PASKALEV 1 Chevron Festival Gardens KERSER 1 Metro City FUTURE MUSIC Deadmau5, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Phoenix,

OKKERVIL RIVER, FEBRUARY 19

Hardwell, Knife Party, Eric Prydz, Rudimental, Tinie Tempah, Chase & Status 2 Arena Joondalup LIONEL RICHIE & JOHN FARNHAM 2 Sandalford Winery Swan Valley THE WONDER STUFF 2 Rosemount Hotel SOUNDWAVE Green Day, Stone Temple Pilots, Alice In Chains, Rob Zombie, Megadeth, Placebo and more 3 Claremont Showgrounds GOODLIFE FESTIVAL Deadmau5, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Hardwell, Rudimental, Knife Party, Kaskade, Porter Robinson 3 Arena Joondalup THE BENNIES 6 Ya-Ya’s 7 Prince Of Wales DAN SULTAN 6 Art Bar BRIAN MCKNIGHT 7 Riverside Theatre GURRUMUL 8 Kings Park BILLY BRAGG 8 Perth Concert Hall GOLD PANDA 9 The Bakery QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE & NINE INCH NAILS 11 Perth Arena JOSH PYKE 12 Quarry Amphitheatre THE ANGELS, DIESEL & MI-SEX 14 Graham Bricknell Music Shell, Bunbury JURASSIC 5 14 Metro City SONGS IN THE KEY OF MOTOWN 12 Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre 13 Mandurah Performing Arts Centre 14 Astor Theatre NEIL FINN 16 Perth Concert Hall DAMIAN DEMPSEY 17 Capitol THE ROLLING STONES 19 Perth Arena SUICIDE GIRLS 19 Astor Theatre ABSU & PORTAL 20 Amplifier Bar THE SMITH STREET BAND & THE MENZINGERS 19 Prince Of Wales 20 YMCA HQ 21 Rosemount Hotel ILLY 21 Capitol KATE MILLER-HEIDKE 21 - 22 Quarry Amphitheatre SEBADOH 25 Rosemount Hotel DARK TRANQUILLITY & ORPHEUS OMEGA 25 Capitol 30 SECONDS TO MARS 25 Challenge Stadium JOHN BUTLER TRIO 27 Fremantle Arts Centre

28 Belvoir Amphitheatre 29 Old Broadwater Farm, Busselton THE HOLIDAYS 29 Rosemount Hotel JURASSIC 5 28 Metro City HUNTER & COLLECTORS 29 (sold-out) & 30 Kings Park & Botanical Garden KRIS KRISTOFFERSON 30 Red Hill Auditorium

APRIL PACOPENA 2 Perth Concert Hall SUZANNE VEGA 11 Astor Theatre WEST COAST BLUES N ROOTS Matt Corby, Michael Franti, John Mayer, Dave Matthews Band, Doobie Brothers, Boy & Bear 13 Fremantle Park BOZ SCAGGS 14 Crown Theatre 3 INCHES OF BLOOD 16 Amplifier Bar TOXIC HOLOCAUST & SKELETONWITCH 20 Rosemount Hotel SKID ROW & UGLY KID JOE 23 Metro Fremantle THE ALMOST 23 Amplifier Bar MICHAEL BUBLE 26 & 27 Perth Arena AARON NEVILLE DR JOHN & THE NITETRIPPERS 26 Riverside Theatre

MAY LEE KERNAGHAN 6 Princess Royal Theatre, Albany 9 Crown Theatre JASON DERULO 10 Perth Arena ARCTIC MONKEYS 13 Perth Arena PETULA CLARK 17 Perth Concert Hall SEPTICFLESH & FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE 18 Amplifier Bar THE ENGLISH BEAT 23 Rosemount Hotel 2014 AIRNORTH KIMBERLEY MOON EXPERIENCE Eskimo Joe, The Waifs, John Williamson 24 Jim Hughes Amphitheatre, Kununurra ELLIE GOULDING 28 Challenge Stadium LARRY CARLTON 28 Astor Theatre

JUNE YO GABBA GABBA! LIVE! 7 Riverside Theatre JAMES BLUNT 13 Riverside Theatre BASTILLE 18 Challenge Stadium KEITH URBAN 29 Perth Arena

TO U R TA L E S

MISFITS The Only Ones JESSICA WILLOUGHBY chats to Misfits founding member Jerry Only ahead of their show at Amplifier Bar on Sunday, January 19.

The influence the Misfits have on the nature of punk is undeniable. With a career spanning more than 30 years in one formation or another, these American horror rockers are back in Australia this month to celebrate the release of their third live effort, Dead Alive!

There have always been two kinds of Misfits fans. Traditionalists, on one side, carry the banner of the punk outfit in the Glenn Danzig-fronted ‘glory days’ of the late ’70s / early ’80s era with a fierce resolve – shunning the commercialisation of his legacy. Others welcome the second foray for the group, with original bassist Jerry Only at its helm, along with a more ‘wholesome’ approach to newer material. Long fought out in the press, this division of the tastes was also disputed – in the past – between band members alike.

But with age comes a certain wisdom. Or at least one would hope, according to Only. Although repeatedly making comments in seminal music publications that the fundamental difference between himself and Danzig came down to religion, with the current 53-year-old singer raised as a Catholic himself, he seems happy to wash over former rifts now.

“I think me saying that in the past was a little bit bold and out of line,” he tells X-Press. “We both come from a culture and a country that places religion first and into a personal status. Glenn has always been my friend and I totally think he still is.

We still run in the same circles. If anybody laid a hand on Glenn, I’d be on their back in a flash. I wish him all the luck in the world. He can do what he wants and he does come from a Catholic family too. Religion is something that should be personal and you should be able to believe whatever you want.”

But Only still felt the need to draw the line between his former frontman and the Misfits of

today. “The metal scene is always trying to be dark and sinister,” he says. “I think really the trick for us is not to venture into this dark atmosphere. We just try to be genuinely scary now, without having to say we’re really scary because we like Satan. I think having a science fiction and horror image is more gratifying than having a demonic kind of thing. We’re a positive energy vibe, that’s really where I wanted the band to go. The last thing I would want to do is to have a bunch of young kids follow us and get these bad messages. I do believe you are accountable for what you do. To me, my path is crystal-clear.

“Kids come to see me, and their parents let them listen to my records. Our last few records don’t even have swearing on them at all. When we were young and we used to sing Attitude, we used to think we were tough because we were swearing.

We were doing that before there was rap. Now, you’ve got rap guys and every other word is a swear word. I think it ruins the attractiveness; the vulgarity. It stands in the place of really coming up with substance. I think we’ve become a very artistically based entity, from both a musical and visual standpoint. I think we’ll also be here for many, many years to come.”

Releasing Dead Alive! last February, their third live album over their three-decade lifespan, Only pointed to this PG-rated approach reinforced throughout with a focus on post-Danzig material. He even got his own family on the Misfits bandwagon, adding substance to his sermons. “My son is my tour manager and my sound guy,” he explains. “My two nephews are my guitar and bass technicians. I’ve got all my boys on tour with me now. So the Misfits are completely a family affair these days.”

Never being the one to shy away from collaboration, the latest formation of the band sees Dez Cadena (ex-Black Flag) on stings and Eric ‘Chupacabra’ Arce (Murphy’s Law) on drums. A lineup which Only says is their strongest yet.

“When the band came back in ’95, I think that a lot of people didn’t think it would work and it actually worked out really well,” he says. “But it was short lived. After some restructuring again at the end of 2001, I think I’ve finally got the guys who really want to do the project.

“This is a live album for the recent Devil’s Reign tour. We ended up recording the album at our Halloween gig in New York in 2012, as well as our hometown New Jersey show on the same tour.”

WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU

31

GIG GUIDE

I DECLARE WAR / AMPLIFIER / WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 15

WEDNESDAY 15/01 AMPLIFIER BAR Academy I Declare War Iconoclast Monolith Illuminator THE BIRD Feel Up Ben M Michael Jaction Pete The Spirit of Rok Riley BRASS MONKEY Sugar Blue Burlesque THE CARINE Open Mic Night Chris Gibbs ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Amanda Dee GROOVE BAR (CROWN) 5 Shots INDI BAR Rob Hinton Minky G Ricky Green LANEWAY LOUNGE Why Georgia?

LOBBY LOUNGE (CROWN) Decoy Duo THE LUCKY SHAG Howie Morgan MUSTANG BAR Blue Gene DJ Giles MOJOS BAR General Eclectic Pat Chow Little Sky John Martyrs Ghost Radio In Motion Curtis McEntee THE MOON CAFE David Craft Kaurna Cronin Mercia Wise OCEAN ONE BAR Overgrown Bodegas Teischa Nic Brown Andy Newman THE NEWPORT Full Moon Party Generik

THURSDAY 16/01 BAR ORIENT Open Mic Night THE BIRD Seams Methyl Ethel Leure BRASS MONKEY Rhythm Bound Karaoke BRIGHTON Open Mic Night Rob Walker THE BOAT Jen De Ness THE BROOK Open Mic Night Chris Gibbs BROOKLANDS TAVERN Celebrations Karaoke THE CAUSEWAY BAR Xport Thursdays DUNSBOROUGH TAVERN Open Mic Night Kris Buckle ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Victoria Newton and Jamie Oehlers

SHOTDOWN FROM SUGARTOWN Saturday, January 18 The Mustang

WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU

NEVSKY PROSPEKT / ROSEMOUNT / WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 15

THE PADDO Peter Conaty Mario McClean Zev Levi ROSEMOUNT HOTEL Nevsky Prospekt Hyte September Sunday Arkayan SETTLERS TAVERN Open Mic Night Claire Warnock SWALLOW BAR DJ Raw Sugar THE SWINGING PIG Open Mic Night Greg Carter UNIVERSAL BAR Retriofit VILLAGE BAR Village People Open Mic YAYA’S The Lammas Tide The Eerie Serpents We Move Walls Michael Macintosh

LOCAL GIG

32

DOWNLOAD OUR FREE EVENTS GUIDE APP

FLY BY NIGHT Half Moon Run Tigertown FLYRITE Black Stone From The Sun Tired Lion Rag N’ Bone Hideous Sun Demon THE GATE Greg Carter GRAND CENTRAL PARK Howie Morgan GROOVE BAR (CROWN) Decoy INDI BAR Bex’s Open Mic Night LANEWAY LOUNGE Libby Hammer Trio LOBBY LOUNGE (CROWN) Jack & Jill LUCKY SHAG James Wilson MOJOS BAR Caravana Sun Tanya Ransom Bodhi Zafa MUSTANG BAR Natalia Eggett 46 Brigade DJ James MacArthur NEWPORT HOTEL Easy Tigers PERTH ARENA Paramore You Me At Six Twenty One Pilots ROSEMOUNT HOTEL Eyehategod Bayou SETTLERS TAVERN Pete Ladd McGovern THE SHED The Mystrey Men SWALLOW BAR Shotdown from Sugartown UNIVERSAL BAR Off The Record YAYA’S Junkadelic Brass Band FRIDAY 17/01 AMPLIFIER BAR The Spitfires The Novocaines Faim The Caballeros Apache BALMORAL Mike Nayar BEAT NIGHTCLUB (DOWNSTAIRS) PLAY BEAT NIGHTCLUB (UPSTAIRS) Band Aide Hard Rock Party Hailmary Gombo Nevsky Prospekt Dan Peters BELGIAN BEER CAFÉ The Crux BELMONT TAVERN Electrophobia

GOMBO / BEAT, FRIDAY / JANUARY 17

BOAB TAVERN First & Final THE BIRD City to City Henry Maxwell Viv G b2b Henry Sims Andre THE BRIGHTON Rob Walker THE BROOKLANDS TAVERN Venarty Brothers THE CARINE Velvet THE CHARLES HOTEL Wardaemonic Advent Sorrow Mhorgl Ilemauzar The Uncreation Maleficar CHASE BAR & BISTRO James Wilson CIVIC BACKROOM Drown The Faith Atlantis Just Say Mercy Psychokinetic CLANCYS FREMANTLE Huge Magnet CORNERSTONE ALEHOUSE 5th Avenue COMO HOTEL Fiona Lawe Davies CRUISING YACHT CLUB Frank G DAVE’S CANS MYRE ROOFTOP Rabbit Island Man The Clouds Runner EMPIRE BAR Howie Morgan ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Bronwyn Sprogowski & The Graham Wood Trio Dd Soul with Chelsea Cullen GOSNELLS HOTEL Choppa THE GREENWOOD Greg Carter GROOVE BAR (CROWN) Tod Johnston & Peace Love HYDE PARK HOTEL Ricky Green INDI BAR Vdelli KALAMUNDA HOTEL Vendetta LANEWAY LOUNGE Hans Fiance Just For The Night MAHOGANY INN Leah Grant METRO FREO The Funk Hunters M ON THE POINT Retriofit

MOJOS BAR Woodstock Rock 30thAnniversary Shallow Creek Thee Children of Nuggets Kevin Chennell & Sam Blight Captain Trips Deep Purple Pete The Fabulous Furry Freak Paisley Ray Richie Rich Rhymin’ Simon MUSTANG Oz Big Band Swing DJ Cheeky Monkeys DJ James MacArthur OCEAN ONE BAR Mad Agents PADDY MAGUIRES Cherry Lips PORT KENNEDY TAVERN Adam James Duo THE PRINCIPAL Siren & Assassin QUARIE BAR & BISTRO Blackbirds RIGBY’S BAR & BISTRO Undergrowth Acoustic Open Mic ROSEMOUNT HOTEL The Devil Rides Out Bayou Blackwater Station Ol’ Bouginvillea ROSIE O’GRADYS FREMANTLE Easy Operator SAIL AND ANCHOR Howe Morgan THE SAINT Airbag SETTLERS TAVERN Tony Lane Band THE SHED Huge SOUTH ST ALEHOUSE Robbie King Karaoke SWINGING PIG Greg Carter UNIVERSAL BAR Nightmoves WINTERSUN HOTEL Joppy THE WOODVALE Sweet Surrender YAYA’S Scalphunter Bob Gordons Them Sharks Medicine YMCA HQ Calm, Collected Welcome The Wildfire Adora Heights The Take Over Voices And Vices SATURDAY 18/01 AMPLIFIER BAR Boys Of Summer Tour 2014 Blessthefall

Deadline Monday 5pm. The Gig-Guide is a service to advertisers listing all LIVE MUSIC. All inclusions are at the discretion of X-Press. Email guide@xpressmag.com.au

THE DEVIL RIDES OUT / ROSEMOUNT / FRIDAY, JANUARY 17

Like Moths To Flames The Color Morale THE BALMORAL Retriofit BAR ORIENT The Reggae Club The Empressions Mumma Trees Sister Che General Justice BEAT NIGHTCLUB (UPSTAIRS) CANVAS BEAT NIGHTCLUB (DOWNSTAIRS) RUNAWAYS Adora Heights Atlantis THE BIRD Mudlark Brown Ben Witt Nora Zion BENTLEY HOTEL Chriss Gibbs Band BOAB TAVERN Chris Gibbs Duo THE BROOK Tandem CIVIC HOTEL BACKROOM Werhmacht Grave Primate Worst Possible Outcome THE CLAREMONT HOTEL ANTICS Community Chest Whails Little Sky Antics DJs CRAFTSMAN GrooVe DUNSBOROUGH TAVERN Travis Caudle ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Marnie Kent Quintet Sambalicious THE GATE Greg Carter GREENWOOD After Hours GROOVE BAR (CROWN) Hi-NRG HOTEL ROTTNEST Karin Page Duo INDI BAR The Volcanics The Fortunados INDIAN OCEAN BREWING CO Shawne & Luc LAKERS TAVERN Celebrations Karaoke LANEWAY LOUNGE Bernardine LOBBY LOUNGE (CROWN) Why Georgia?

MOJOS BAR Puck Foam Mt. Mountain Catbrush MERRIWA TAVERN Celebrations Karaoke M ON THE POINT Rhythm 22

CATBRUSH / MOJO’S / SATURDAY, JANUARY 18

MUSTANG Shot Down From SugarTown Rockabilly DJ Milhouse DJ James MacArthur NEWPORT HOTEL Gravity Tahli Jade PARAMOUNT NIGHTCLUB Felix OCEAN ONE BAR Desert Bells THE ODD FELLOW The Belle Ends Elli Schoen The King Of Travellers PORT KENNEDY TAVERN Stu McKay QUARIE BAR & BISTRO Chill Divine RAILWAY HOTEL The KBI Sound System ROSEMOUNT HOTEL Welcome The Wildfire Lights Of Berlin Lunar Inverse Oakland ROSIE O’GRADY’S FREMANTLE Retro SAIL & ANCHOR Better Days THE SAINT Mike Nayar SETTLERS TAVERN Timothy Nelson & The Infidels Kaurna Cronin THE SHED Huge SOUTH ST ALE HOUSE Robbie King Karaoke SWALLOW BAR DJ T King SWAN HOTEL (BASEMENT) Ascending Fall Psychokinetic Branch Circus Ain’t No Grave Pop Culture Manifesto SWAN HOTEL (LOUNGE) Wiked Fury Social Madness Lightshift Sciatica THE SWINGING PIG Frenzy UNIVERSAL Soul Corporation YAYA’S Casino Dreams Indigo Curtis Mc Entee Ricky Green YMCA HQ Against The Tide Idle Eyes The Skin We Live In Distant Lights A Sinister Calling

SUNDAY 19/01 399 BAR Undergrowth Acoustic Open Mic AMPLIFIER BAR The Misfits BALMORAL Andrew Winton BELMONT TAVERN Acoustic Aly THE BRIGHTON The Hitman BROOKLANDS TAVERN Gerry Azor CAPTAIN STIRLING Open Mic Night Josh Terlick THE CARINE Mike Nayar THE CAUSEWAY Accoustic Sunday CIVIC HOTEL Frank G COMO HOTEL Ansell & Fretall CLANCYS FREMANTLE Fat Freddy’s Drop CLANCYS FREMANTLE The Zydecats DAVE’S CANS MYRE ROOFTOP Katie J White Ewan Buckley Dilip n the Davs ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Closed THE FLY TRAP (FLY

BY NIGHT) Stage Fright Open Mic Night THE GATE Ryan Webb GROOVE BAR (CROWN) Mental As Anything HYDE PARK HOTEL Justin Cortorillo INDI BAR Simon Kelly & The Big Bamboos Jamie Hall INDIAN OCEAN BREW CO Retriofit KALAMUNDA HOTEL The Mojos KULCHA Zukhuta Sundays LAKERS TAVERN Chris Gibbs Band LAST DROP TAVERN Fenton Wilde M ON THE POINT Siren & Assassin MOJOS BAR The Audreys Nathan Gaunt MUSTANG DJ James Mac DJ Holly Doll NEWPORT HOTEL Trigger Jackets Pat Chow OCEAN ONE BAR Tahnee DJ Martin

THE AUDREYS / MOJO’S, SUNDAY / JANUARY 18

PADDY MALONES Gary Fowlie PEEL ALE HOUSE Sophie Jane PORT KENNEDY TAVERN Greg Carter QUARIE BAR & BISTRO Better Days RAILWAY HOTEL Gignition Beltane Fire Shineybeast Indigo The Liam Naughton Band Culetto THE SAINT Howie Morgan Project SEAVIEW TAVERN Jean Proude SETTLERS TAVERN 10 Cent Shooters SOUTH ST ALEHOUSE Blackhart & Stangelove SWALLOW BAR Odette Mercy Duo SWANBROOK WINERY Sundowner Sessions Kaurna Cronin Hayley Beth Duck Duck SWINGING PIG Aiden Varro UNIVERSAL Retrofit WANNEROO TAVERN Adrian Wilson WHISTLING KITE James Wilson THE WINDSOR Kizzy THE WOODVALE Jim Moore YMCA HQ Boys of Summer 2014 Blessthefall MONDAY 20/01 BRASS MONKEY Wire Birds XBOX Mondays

ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Closed GROOVE BAR (CROWN) Soul Doubt MOJOS BAR Colin Stetson MUSTANG BAR Triple Shots THE SAINT Celebration Karaoke YAYA’S Big Tommo’s Open Mic Night TUESDAY 21/01

THE BIRD Open Mic ft.

Joni & The Moon Tomas Kate Stroud Laura Scafidi Rachel Jarman BRASS MONKEY Open Mic Night Josh Terlick THE CHARLES HOTEL Perth Blues Club Empire Blues The Nervous Investors Lez Karski ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB The Ray Walker Trio GROOVE BAR (CROWN) Jack & Jill HELLENIC CLUB Colin Stetson LUCKY SHAG Ben Merito MERRIWA TAVERN Celebrations Karaoke OCEAN ONE BAR Undergrowth Open Mic Night YAYA’S Kaurna Cronin Tim Gordon Blue Lucy Escalade

LOCAL GIG

HOWIE MORGAN PROJECT Sunday, January 19 The Saint

WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU

33

MUSIC GEAR & TECHNOLOGY

FOR SALE HEADPHONES all brands & styles. 23 Harrogate Street, West Leeder ville.

Contact Headphonic 08 93886333 headphones.com.au MUSOS WANTED B A S S P L AY E R WA N T E D r e l i a b l e & capable bass player reqd by working r o c k c o ve r s b a n d. M u s t h ave g o o d groove, timing & tempo. Good gear, own transport plus a willingness to gig are also reqd. Contact 0427 471 423 or email pjkm@westnet.com.au for further info, audio, demo’s etc EXP SINGER WANTED for established local original rock band. Gigs b o o k e d, r e c o r d i n g w a i t i n g. Te x t o r call 0448 426 491 GUITARIST WANTED for original Rock/ Alternative Songs. Must sing backing vocals Call Jax 0433 632 772 OPEN MIC NIGHT every Thursday night at Indi Bar. Just call Bex on 0404 917 632.

PHOTOGRAPHY PROJECT PHOTOGR APHY Pro m o p h o t o g r a p hy, s t u d i o, l i ve, l o c a t i o n .

Mike Wylie 0417 975 964 www.projec tphotography.com When its time to ice the cake...

PRODUCTION SERVICES CD & DVD MANUFACTURE Check out our latest CD & DVD specials online at www.procopy.com.au 9375 3902 D I S K B A N K P e r t h ’s p r e m i e r C D & D V D m a n u f a c t u r e r, w i t h o p t i o n s for all budgets. (08) 9388 0800. www.diskbank.com.au/specials.

MATRIX PRODUCTIONS AUSTRALIA Lighting, staging, sound systems, smoke machines, night club FX, intelligent lighting, strobes & mirror balls, crowd barriers, video projectors. 9371 1551 PROMOTION & MARKETING PRINTING & GRAPHIC DESIGN posters, flyers, business cards, websites, t-shirts, banners, car signage. Ph: 0409 316 696 RECORDING STUDIOS ALAN DAWSON’s WITZEND RECORDING STUDIO Prof quality albums or demos, large live room, experienced engineer, analog to digital transfers, mastering..

Alan 0407 989 128 or Jeremy 0430638178 www.witzendstudios.com ANDY’S STUDIO International multi award winning songwriter / producer.

No band required. Broadcast quality. A songwriter’s paradise. Ph 9364 3178 GOLDDUST Production Mixing, recording and composition. Leederville $80 p/h. 0408 097 407 POONS HEAD MASTERING Analog Master. TAPE, TUBES & TRANSFORMERS. Clients include: Melody’s Echo Chamber, Pond, G ossling, K nife Par t y, Felicit y Groom, The Floors, Jeff Mar tin & The Panics. World class facility. World class results. www.poonshead.com 9339 4791

34

R E CO R D I N G M I X I N G M A S T E R I N G PRODUCING Fremantle location. Call Pete Kitchen Cooked Records. Ph 0407 363 764 / 9336 3764 REVOLVER SOUND STUDIO Ph 9272 7505. www.revolverstudio.com.au 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 - NEW ProTools HDX System.

17 Years exp SONGWRITERS AND BANDS! - 30TH ANNIVERSARY DISCOUNTS! UNLOCK YOUR SONG’S POTENTIAL! FREE APPRAISALS. UK Producer, 40,000+ hours studio experience, 20 yrs in London. Kicking arrangements. Great studio and the ability to really listen will give your material the edge you need. Call Jerry on 0405 653 338 or visit www.jerichomusic.com.au REHEARSAL STUDIOS AAA VHS REHEARSAL ROOMS Great facilities, great vibe & great price!!! Unit 5 /16 Peel Road, O’Connor. Phone 9418 5815 or 0413 732 885 BIGBEAT SOUND STUDIO Clean rooms,all new PA systems, air-con and good parking .Willetton Ph: 0425 698 117.

PLATINUM SOUND ROOMS Professional rehearsal rooms, airconditioned, quality PAs mob 0418 944 722 STREAM STUDIO’S 89 Stirling St, Perth. Mobile: 0403 152 009 info@streamrehearsal.com.au TUITION ***GUITAR LESSONS*** New Year enrolments, book online. Beg to prof, all styles. Catering to WAAPA and AMEB standards. All tutors have WWC clearance. Cliff Lynton Guitar Institute.

Mt Lawley 9342 3484 / www.clifflynton.com AAA CLEAVER ACADEMY OF VOICE Voice training for singers that really works.

All techniques including speech level.

Phone 9272 4497 mb 0417 928 998.

BASS GUITAR LESSONS AVAILABLE by WAAPA tutor. A practicle approach to learning. .All styles.Years of experience. Tony Gibbs 9470 6131

CLASSIFIEDS

|

CLASSIFIEDS

MATTYTWALL Wall Of Sound Guitar maestro MattyTWall is, unsurprisingly, not just a gun when it comes to blues and jazz, but also a Hammett-esque shredder o’ the metal. Matty will be performing alongside some WAAPA cats at The Ellington on Thursday, January 23, so VOLUME pulled him aside to find out the lowdown on the show, and also take a peak at his gear.

Tell us about your background. How did you get into music?

I started playing guitar at age 11/12.

I was heavily influenced by watching Dire Straits and Eric Clapton concerts on TV. After that I started listening more to my older brother’s music collection: AC/DC, Metallica, Sepultura, Pantera, and going down the technical and aggressive way of playing. I still get a kick out of riffing along to a metal song.

Why the blues? How did you find yourself drawn to the genre?

Firstly, my dad was always a big Clapton fan, and my hero at the time - Metallica’s Kirk Hammett - had been trying to play bluesier lines in his metal solos. So when I followed the roots of Clapton’s style and Kirk Hammett’s influences, I discovered the blues, and found the two greatest: Robert Johnson and BB King.

WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU

What’s the concept behind your collaboration with the China Blue Experiment? How did that come about?

I hooked up with a booking agent recently, and I started looking through their client list and found The China Blue Experiment. Checking them out online, I really loved Darren’s vocals – very strong and soulful. And Gordon’s keyboard work was very tasty indeed. I am looking forward to playing with them and getting everyone up on stage for a massive blues jam – that will be very cool. Let’s hope the Ellington stage fits us all!

How did you come to be working with WAAPA students on this? How were the students selected?

Who will be playing?

Well, when I was looking for a drummer, I needed someone who could swing like nothing else and I came across Jazz Miller, who plays the drums currently in the band. He is studying at WAAPA, so has a good opportunity to play with some very talented musicians, I am very happy to invite them to play the Ellington Show. We will be featuring the brilliant Tim Newhouse from the Tim Newhouse Collective on grand piano and organ, and we will also feature the talented David Gioia on saxophone.

What rig/rigs will you be using and why?

Guitar: I had the opportunity to travel to New York and go guitar hunting recently and I happened upon a vintage 1961 Gibson LP/SG Custom – a little beat up, but plays so amazingly well and sounds ballsier than any guitar I have played. My daughter named the guitar ‘Josie’. I prefer the LP/SG over the Les Paul standard because of the upper fret access and incredible lightness. Awesome guitar.

Amp: Carol Ann OD-3. This is a hand-built boutique amp from the US, meant to be a cross between a Dumble and a vintage Marshall (dumble pre circuit – Plexi power circuit). It is so fat sounding, which is why I love it so much. I used to play Fender strats and Fender amps, but could never get them to sound as huge (didn’t want to use tree trunk strings as I bend a lot) as a Gibson/Dumble.

WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU

35

E D U C AT I O N , T R A I N I N G & C A R E E R S F E AT U R E

JULIAN HEWITT, MEDIA ARTS LAWYERS

Famous G E T ST U DY I N G DA R L S

BEN SUTTON, PERFORMER

PAUL O’CONNOR, AURELIO COSTARELLA

WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU

47

WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU

46

E D U C AT I O N , T R A I N I N G & C A R E E R S

UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME

COLLEGE BOUND

Known For: Having a cool campus down in Freo and being a Catholic higher education provider.

FYI: Law, health science and nursing are popular courses chosen at Notre Dame. Notre Dame also has a number of partner universities overseas (Boston College in America is one of them) and in Broome and Sydney.

Study Options: Full time, part time, on campus, off campus (Broome only).

More Info: nd.edu.au

Better Shop Around If there are any words of wisdom we can impart, it’s to always shop around! Three years of your life and a likely HECS-HELP debt, means you’re going to want to compare apples to apples and check out who’s lecturing, the course structures, the campus and its location - to work out the best option for YOU. Here’s a snapshot of the universities and institutes on offer.

ACAE Known For: Awesome hospitality and tourism training along with business and management courses.

FYI: They’ve got purpose built training facilities with commercial kitchens, hotel reception, restaurant, bar as well as library, cafe, IT rooms and student services.

Study Options: Full time, on campus.

More Info: acae.edu.au

CENTRAL INSTITUTE Known For: Fashion courses, beauty therapy and massage therapy courses, sport and education courses, music industry skills courses.

FYI: Campuses are centrally located. They’ve got apprenticeships, traineeships and customised training programs on offer, providing any number of alternatives to help students forge powerful careers.

Study Options: Full time, part time, flexible.

More Info: central.wa.edu.au

CHALLENGER INSTITUTE Known For: Practical, hands-on learning in a variety of expansive industries highly relative to West Australians such as oil and gas, building and automotive tech, IT and maritime studies.

FYI: Challenger has multiple campuses throughout Perth, Freo and WA. If you’re interested in doing an apprenticeship, this could be the place to check out.

Study Options: Full time, part time, on campus.

More Info: challenger.wa.edu.au

EDITH COWAN UNIVERSITY (ECU)

CURTIN UNIVERSITY Known For: Its impeccable reputation for technical education, one helluva tavern, hands-on courses in architecture, fashion, design and more.

FYI: Main campus is in Bentley but they do have campuses in Kalgoorlie, Margaret River, Northam, Singapore, Sydney and more.

Study Options: Full time, part time, on campus, off campus.

More Info: curtin.edu.au

Known For: Excellent research, hands-on teaching and breaking down barriers that restrict access to education.

FYI: Better known as ECU, it has two campuses – Mt Lawley and Joondalup. The Joondalup campus has a multi-million dollar sport and fitness centre and an outdoor cinema in the summer months. There’s also on campus accommodation. ECU has a great rep for the arts – WAAPA (Western Australian Academy Of Performing Arts) is located on their Mt Lawley campus.

Study Options: Full time, part time, on or off campus.

More Info: ecu.edu.au

UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA (UWA) Known For: Being one of the world’s top-ranked universities, offering top notch degrees in medicine, law, finance and engineering. Boasts one of the most historic and beautiful campuses in Australia.

FYI: They’ve got a bunch of residential colleges for those who want to live on campus. If you’re looking to do a specialist type course, medicine or law for example, you’re going to have to do an undergraduate degree first. They’ve got four undergrad degrees in areas of sciences, arts, business and design which are available for mid-year entry. Check out their open day coming up.

Study Options: Full time, part time, off campus, on campus.

More Info: uwa.edu.au

WA ACADEMY Known For: Certificates, courses, fully accredited qualifications and workshops in beauty, massage, nails, makeup, business and hairdressing. WA Academy employs passionate lecturers with expertise and up to date knowledge of their specific industry to deliver qualifications.

FYI: They’re located on Albany Highway and have state-of-the-art training facilities and equipment to learn your chosen career.

Study Options: Full time, part time, on campus.

More Info: waacademy.com

WAAPA MURDOCH UNIVERSITY Known For: Vet science, marine biology courses, chiropractic care to indigenous communities, awesome sports science performance lab and law moot court.

FYI: It has over 22,000 students and 2,000 staff from across 90 different countries. There are seven undergraduate degrees with over 80 majors, and around 100 postgraduate courses across a range of disciplines including law, veterinary science, teaching, psychology, business and nursing.

Study Options: Full time, part time, on campus and off campus. Students also have access to lecture recordings for most courses on a 24-hour basis.

More info: murdoch.edu.au.

SAE INSTITUTE Known For: Leading the way in audio, film and tech education.

FYI: SAE is all about audio, film, design and games, covering all aspects of audio engineering, live sound, post-production, mixing, acoustics, filmmaking, game design, animation and more. Their partner school QANTM is also worth looking into if you’re into any of the SAE courses on offer.

Study Options: Flexible, on campus, off campus.

More Info: sae.edu / qantm.com.au 45

WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU

Known For: Being one of Australia’s most renowned arts schools (with illustrious alumni such as Hugh Jackman, Frances O’Connor and Tim Minchin) with courses covering all aspects of performing arts costume design, acting, musical theatre, dance, music, broadcasting and arts management.

FYI: Courses are rigorous and many require auditions and/or interviews as part of the application process.

Teachers emphasise support, creativity and creating an environment conducive to both. WAAPA puts on over 300 public performances a year at a range of venues.

Study Options: Full time. Hardcore.

More Info: waapa.ecu.edu.au

WCIT Known For: Industry-led training.

FYI: West Coast Institute Of Training (WCIT) is the premier large training provider in Perth’s northern suburbs, with campuses in Joondalup, Clarkson and Wangara. As well as offering exceptional education and training in the areas of commerce and technology, health, education, social sciences, hospitality, culinary arts and trades, the Institute is partnered with the WA Police to create an International Academy Of Law Enforcement And Security.

Study Options: Full time, part time, off campus, on campus.

More Info: wcit.wa.edu.au

WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU

44

E D U C AT I O N , T R A I N I N G & C A R E E R S

FAMOUS SHARRON

SAM LONGLEY

Get Studying Darls

The comedy improv show, Famous Sharron’s The Fame Game has been a longstanding fixture at Perth’s annual Fringe World. Winning ‘Best Local Comedy’ at Fringe World ACTOR / COMEDIAN / FOUNDER 2012, followed by Famous Sharron hosting the Fringe World Awards at last years OF THE BIG HOOHAA event, the production returns as part of the 2014 program.

Studied: Theatre Arts at Murdoch University But Famous Sharron isn’t solely just about Sharron entertaining us with her excessive use of the word ‘darl’ - there’s also her fabulous Famettes starring Andrea Gibbs, Sean Walsh and Sam Longley - with Walsh and Longley beginning their careers studying at WAAPA and Murdoch Uni respectively.

What year did you graduate?

I didn’t graduate. Half way through my course I started getting acting work and realised that I had already achieved what I had set out to do, get work as an actor.

What made you choose theatre studies at Murdoch?

My stepmother worked there and encouraged me to go. I didn’t look around much at other courses, which I would advise everyone to do. Murdoch was the closest university to my house so it kinda made sense as far as my carbon footprint went.

What aspects of the course do you remember most?

Contact improvisation. It was such a dancers exercise that I found it hilarious rolling around on the floor with other non-dancers. I already had a background in improvisation and understood the lessons it was trying to teach us, so I didn’t find it enjoyable at all. I think the term I would use is “a complete wank”.

You went on to train in the US after your studies at Murdoch. How important was this stint overseas in terms of advancing your career?

This was a huge step for me. I got to learn stuff that nobody in Perth could teach me. I was able to see a lot of improv comedy that was not happening in Australia at the time. It’s what inspired me to create The Big HooHaa, now in its 12th year as Perth’s premiere improv comedy show. Also it doesn’t matter how hard you work in Perth, people will always respect the two years you worked overseas far more. We have no confidence in what Perth offers. We need to change that.

What’s been your career highlight to date?

Filming the Spike Jonze movie Where The Wild Things Are was huge (Longley performed as Ira).

So freaking amazing to work on such a big and expensive project, it was awe inspiring. However, when I’m onstage with fellow Perth actors, whether it be improv comedy or a local scripted show, and the audience are laughing right along with us - that’s what it’s all about - connecting with an audience. And every time that happens, it is a career highlight.

The Fame Game starring Famous Sharron aka Bonnie Davies (centre), Sean Walsh (left), Sam Longley (front), Andrea Gibbs (right).

SEAN WALSH PERFORMER / COMEDIAN Studied: Arts Management at Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) at Edith Cowan University (ECU).

When did you graduate?

Graduation is such as a loose term...

Give us a quick overview of Famous Sharron’s The Fame Game.

Sharron is the most famous woman on the planet and lends her tremendous celebrity clout to help out somewhat famous Perthonalities conquer the world. Plus some lucky punters might find themselves rocketing towards stardom. It only takes a touch of Sharron magic...

Any surprises in comparison to the show at Fringe last year?

Lycra. A lot of Lycra.

How much prep goes into preparing in the lead up to Fringe?

Heaps; we drink at least three lattes a day. There’s at least two hours of Facebooking a week and brushing up on Sharron’s fame tips. If I could be half as famous as her, I’d be bigger than Brangelina. And the Bedazzler got a workout too! Oh, and we also spent quite a few hours developing the show.

When you think back to your time studying, what aspects of the course have helped you in your career?

43

Looking over your biography, how does working on a production like Famous Sharron compare to the likes of the more serious theatre work you’ve done, like Shakespeare?

It’s all about the fun you have with the audience.

Shakespeare would have loved Famous Sharron.

She is hilarious, intelligent and one of the common people and yet she has risen to rub shoulders with the elite. If Famous Sharron had an identical twin brother and fell in love with a noble man during a bear-baiting incident, she could totes be in one of his plays. Me, I love it all.

What advice do you have for those thinking of embarking on a similar path?

You have to absolutely love performing, that’s the only way to survive in this business. Accept that you won’t make a ton of money or become a movie star or be able to put your kids through university, and you’ll be fine. Every second week I seriously contemplate packing it all in and getting a 9-5 job with a stable income and life insurance.

Then Famous Sharron calls and says we are playing Fringe World in Perth AND the New Zealand Fringe Festival and I’m all, “sheet yeah bro!”

What other productions are you involved in?

The Big HooHaa continues to perform every Saturday night at Lazy Susan’s, upstairs at The Brisbane Hotel. I’m also about to go on tour to the US with a great show, The Adventures Of Alvin Sputnik: Deep Sea Explorer. I’m also working on my tax.

You should only enter the performing arts world if....

You are a Sagittarian with a slightly inclination towards masochism and body paint.

Is there anything else you would like to tell us?

Go and see more Perth shows. Some of them are world class.

Famous Sharron’s The Fame Game at Fringe World 2014 runs from January 29 to February 3 at Casa Mondo, The Pleasure Garden, Northbridge. Tickets on sale from fringeworld.com.au.

The Big Hoohaa runs every Saturday night at Lazy Susan’s Comedy Den at the Brisbane Hotel. Tickets on sale via ticketek.

You can study a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and Drama over three years full-time or the part-time equivalent at Murdoch’s South Street campus.

For more info head to: www.murdoch.edu.au.

Learning how to read; that and understanding what people who administrate the arts have to go through a lot of hard work and dealing with high maintenance performers. That’s why I became an actor... wait a second...

Have people from uni become your peers in the industry?

A few, but I think most of them were quite intelligent and actually got real jobs.

What other productions are you involved in?

We’re pretty committed to conquering the world, but in the meantime I can occasionally be seen at Lazy Susan’s Comedy Den at The Brisbane Hotel with The Big HooHaa! There’s also a trip to the New Zealand Fringe Festival in the pipeline, plus a couple of fabulous web series that are due for release next year.

What’s your bread and butter work as an actor?

I’m currently getting into shape for The Fame Game so I’ve given up bread AND butter - they’re pure carbs and fat. I’m just not quite sure what shape I’m going for yet. But when I’m not scoffing salmon and eggs for breakfast I have a myriad of different things to keep the wolves from the door, like voice-overs, event management, corporate role-play and girls with baskets and red hoods.

What advice do you have for those thinking of embarking on a similar path?

I would strongly advise coming to see The Fame Game at Fringe World 2014 because you’ll get some fantastic tips on how to get noticed. I don’t want to give too much away, but don’t be surprised if you get mobbed by admirers when you leave the show.

If that still doesn’t work, then go see as much live performance as you can, meet like-minded people and

Sean Walsh (in the middle)

just go for it. Be prepared to live without things, like food and beer for a bit while you’re trying to establish yourself. And don’t wait for the phone to ring - you could be waiting a while.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years time?

On a yacht in the Mediterranean - thanks to Sharron!

WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU

WAAPA offers the only full-time undergraduate Arts Management course in Australasia. It’s a three-year full time course held on the Mt Lawley campus. For more info head to: www.waapa.ecu.edu.au.

WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU

42

E D U C AT I O N , T R A I N I N G & C A R E E R S

PAUL O’CONNOR

to improve my skills and being taught to not look at the obvious to make an idea come to life, to be taught to be as creative as you can be, has shaped my way of approaching work. I often say university is where you grow and learn just as much about yourself as the course you are majoring in.

BRAND MANAGER, AURELIO COSTARELLA

What does a typical day at work entail?

I look after all aspects of media, PR and wholesale for the company. Most days I’m choosing clothes for a celebrity appearance or a magazine editorial and organising the next event or sales trip somewhere in the world. Currently I have the WA Museum show on and then the Royal Botanic Runway Parade in Melbourne (January 30) and our showings in Paris (February) then Australian Fashion Week (April) will become the next focus.

Studied: Visual Arts at Curtin University

Living An Artistic Life Paul O’Connor has been working as the brand manager for designer fashion label, Aurelio Costarella since 2005, but his career path, which began after completing a Visual Arts degree, majoring in textiles, has take him down many creative paths.

When you chose to study Visual Arts at Curtin Uni, did you have a vision of what you wanted to do, or has your career path been more organic?

Growing up, I always loved the arts. I went through the Applecross Special Arts program. Originally I enrolled in graphics at Curtin but quickly changed to Visual Arts, which better suited my approach to creativity. When I graduated I knew I wanted to live an artistic life, but wasn’t sure what that meant in the real world… it has been a very frenetic but cyclic journey.

Have your classmates at uni become your peers in the industry?

Due to my many roles over the years, I have crossed paths with fellow graduates along the way. With the diversity of skills learnt in my course, I have taken several paths in my career - as an artist, lecturer, arts editor, stylist, working in the Public Arts program, creative director for advertising campaigns, and now brand manager for Aurelio Costarella; they all fit under a broad creative umbrella.

When you think back to your time studying... what aspects of the course really helped you in your job today?

Being taught by professional artists and being surrounded by a mix of ages and cultures broadened my mind and approach to learning. Being challenged

MICHELLE OSBORNE GAMES DESIGNER, ENTROPIC ENTERTAINMENT Teaches: Games Design at SAE Institute Australia

Breaking Archetypes Michelle Osborne is one of a few females successfully working in the gaming industry. Apart from being a full time lecturer in Games Design at Perth’s SAE, she also runs her own gaming business, Entropic Entertainment. She developed the game, Brave Kingdom available on Google Play.

Give us an overview of your career to date.

I taught at TAFE for three years, covering programming and database design, among other things. But in that time I started up a games company, Entropic Entertainment, through which I developed games in what little time I had spare and release them on the side. I taught 3D modelling and Games Design briefly at a youth film school and then made my way to SAE. It’s certainly been hectic, as I’m only 22. But I wouldn’t say that’s a bad thing.

Tell us a little about the Games Design course at SAE. Well contrary to the name, it’s very programming orientated (which is wonderful for me). We take the students through logic and mathematics, basic scripting and design in the early stages. But then later on, we move to a more creative approach, allowing the students to build a game that they really want to exist. ‘Psychology of Play’, ‘Level Design’ and the finer points of scripting and game creation are what allow the students to really make it their own.

41

You created the game, Brave Kingdom. Please tell us about that.

Brave Kingdom was quite an exciting title to work on. It was the first 3D open RPG for smart phone platforms. I actually made the first version while I was in hospital after an accident. It’s a game where the player can do it the way they want. There are no restrictive rules so characters can do quests, collect weapons and armour, learn magic, catch pets, make items and find treasure completely as they please.

What skills do you need to make it in the gaming business?

Most importantly - determination. People build something to a point and then stop and lose interest.

Maybe they think learning a programming language is too difficult or maybe they are beaten down by people online not liking something they made.

Determination and the ability to compromise when something doesn’t particularly go as planned.

Why is there a lack of females in the gaming world?

I can’t remember how many people have told me that programming is a man’s job. I find that women have a poor representation in the gaming community which could be for a number of reasons.

But it’s something that’s definitely changing; more women are showing they can do it just as well. It’s got a way to go, but maybe someday soon.

Has your career to date panned out how you thought it was going to?

It really hasn’t! And I love that is hasn’t! I actually did quite terribly in high school. I was too preoccupied with building little games and mods instead. From there I just did what I enjoyed and what I loved and I ended up here. But especially for someone who did so badly in school, becoming a university lecturer was certainly something I never saw coming.

Is there anything else you’d like to tell us?

I have been building games for years, it’s tough work and it takes a lot of patience. But taking a bus to work and hearing a sound effect play from someone’s phone - from your game; is honestly the most satisfying thing you can imagine. It’s always worth it in the end.

SAE has courses in Games Design, ranging from a Games Programming Diploma through to a Bachelor of Science (honours) in Games Programming. For more info, head to: www.sae.edu, but also check out the Computer Science courses at ECU, Games Software Design and Production at Murdoch and Digital Arts at Curtin Uni. WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU

You’ve won a stack of awards including WA Young Australian Of The Year (Arts); Finalist, Young Achiever Of The Year (WA), a City of Perth ‘Craft Award’ etc. What feels like the most significant?

That I have helped shape the WA fashion industry by being part of the original Premier’s taskforce to implement a grants system at the Department of Culture and the Arts to support Fashion Designers. I am also proud that whenever I have the opportunity I engage/employ other WA creative’s to showcase their talents at our events, locally or internationally.

I am constantly surrounded by other amazing people that inspire me and make my work enjoyable.

Last season I worked with singer Grace Woodroofe and painter Waldemar Kolbusz to add another dimension to our Australian Fashion Week show.

Who are you favourite designers?

Of course Aurelio Costarella! His achievements and survival in the fashion industry over the last 30 years was one that needed to be celebrated. I also respect Kris Van Assche and Martin Margiela and creative directors Jean-Paul Goude and David LaChapelle.

You should only enter the world of fashion if...

You like hard work, can handle the uncertainty of the market from one season to the next and enjoy champagne.

The Aurelio Costarella: A 30 year Retrospective is on until Sunday, February 2 at the WA Museum. Entry is free.

Curtin University has a range of art courses on offer including Art and Design Studies, Fine Art and Photography and Illustration Design. For more info visit: www.curtin.edu.au

WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU

40

E D U C AT I O N , T R A I N I N G & C A R E E R S

JULIAN HEWITT PARTNER, MEDIA ARTS LAWYERS Studied: Law and Commerce at University of Western Australia

High Flyer Julian Hewitt, now located in Sydney, is a partner at Media Arts Lawyers representing artists, managers, record labels and publishers. He’s also a musician - a founding member of synth pop band Clubfeet and previously of The Hampdens. He fills us in on the path from law student to wheeling and dealing in the world of entertainment law.

What made you decide to study law?

I’d decided to study law as an eight-year-old. I’m pretty sure my dad was the commercial equivalent of a stage mum and gave me a gavel as a childhood toy.

Entertainment law seems like the most glamorous of all the law practices. Is it?

It’s certainly stimulating and full of interesting problems to solve - from negotiating sexual harassment suits with listed companies, to representing ‘serial killer groupies’ in defamation cases, to suing Chilean political parties over copyright infringement. A decent chunk of my client base is in music and part of picking up the best talent, is identifying what is actually good - so we always have music blaring in our office and people sending through new things they’re listening to... and it’s good going to music festivals and parties as genuine ‘work’.

What does a typical day involve?

We don’t open our office until 10am so usually I have a swim before work and then will often have breakfast or a morning coffee with a client or someone from a label. The majority of my day is on the phone/email negotiating deals, reviewing contracts, and trying to resolve disputes. I usually work until seven or eight,

39

and the start and end of the day is when I do all my international Skypes/calls.

Who are some of your clients?

A lot of music related clients like Flume, Chet Faker, Boy & Bear, Flight Facilities, Future Classic, Bluesfest, Vance Joy, Matt Corby, Illy, Courtney Barnett, Wave Racer etc, as well as film projects, ad agencies, fashion labels, celebrities, actors and tech companies.

Was moving east something you had to do to further your career?

I moved to Melbourne playing music originally. I think it would be pretty hard to build and sustain a full-time entertainment practise out of WA unless you travelled constantly, but it could be done. The hard thing would be actually learning; it’s a specialised area and most part-time practitioners are at a massive disadvantage if they don’t have well developed relationships for their clients to benefit from. Certainly if I’d stayed in Perth I would never have ended up in this area.

Give us an overview of your year.

I go to SXSW in the US every year to catch up with the US and UK music industry and generally to close off a few outstanding international deals. This year I’m heading back again in April for Coachella, and then heading to the UK in July for Glastonbury and more meetings. The rest of the year I’m based in Sydney, but spend a fair bit of time in Melbourne (as we have an office there). I also play in a band that tends to do a couple of national tours each year plus a smattering of DJ slots and one-off gigs, so I’m in every city a bit and will usually tee up meetings when I’m in town.

It’s rare that I’m at home for more than a couple of consecutive weeks throughout the year.

You’re also in a successful band, Clubfeet. How are you finding juggling two careers?

It’s actually great - the creative outlet is something I cherish and it justifies my slightly dishevelled dress sense. It also keeps me in touch with artists and the experience of being a working creative, which is really important.

What advice do you have for those thinking of embarking on a similar path?

I would recommend being engaged as fully as you can be in the area you want to move into. We get hundreds of job applications every year, but we don’t even take someone on as an unpaid intern unless they have demonstrated a real connection with the business by working with talent managers, touring companies, labels etc. I’d go one further and start your own business if you can, and then you can just hire us instead of working for us. And don’t wear a suit to your interview.

To qualify as a lawyer via UWA you need to complete an undergraduate bachelor’s course in Arts, Commerce, Design, Science or Philosophy and then complete a postgraduate Juris Doctor. For more information, head to: www.uwa.edu.au. ECU, Curtin Business School and Murdoch Uni also offer Bachelor of Laws degrees.

WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU

E D U C AT I O N , T R A I N I N G & C A R E E R S

How did your time at WAAPA assist you to get to where you’re at today?

It’s assisted me in so many ways and I’m very grateful for it. You learn so much in those three years that it’s impossible to list everything, but mostly WAAPA gave me a real love of stories and a passion to be involved in the telling of them. Before that, I was mostly up on stage trying to impress girls.

Also having ‘WAAPA graduate’ on your CV doesn’t hurt. It lets people know that you’ve served your apprenticeship, so to speak, and can sometimes help in getting your foot in the door for auditions.

Do you need to keep studying in your profession?

I think it helps, definitely. The nice thing about being an actor or a comedian is that your career isn’t over by the time you’re 16. You get to develop over time and I think some performers get better with age.

Any course or workshop that you do only helps to add to that development, which makes you more versatile and ultimately more employable.

What’s been your career highlight to date?

Appearing in the feature film These Final Hours was pretty special because it’s always been a dream of mine to be in a feature. But I’d have to say the short film, The Fan because it was my film writing debut.

What’s been the low point?

Edinburgh 2010. Opening night of my show, a crowd of 150 and everything went wrong. Everything. The audience was clearly embarrassed for me by the end of it. The show quite simply wasn’t ready and I watched as it just crumbled beneath me. I nearly quit performing after that.

BEN SUTTON WRITER, PERFORMER, COMEDIAN Studied: Acting at WAAPA

Bomb Diggity Ben Sutton had a great 2013. He hosted the Perth International Comedy Festival as his pimp comic creation, Diggy Bones.

He’s been involved in the web series The Legend Of Gavin Tanner and Henry & Aaron’s Xmas Quickie for ABC2. He also appeared in Zak Hilditch’s debut feature film These Final Hours - due for release next year; as well as producing his first short film, The Fan, which he wrote and starred in.

CHRIS MALONE APPRENTICE CHEF, FRASERS Studied: Hospitality & Culinary Arts, West Coast Institute

The Apprentice Last October, Chris Malone is Australia’s number one apprentice chef. With an apprenticeship at Frasers Restaurant, Kings Park and coupled with training at West Coast Institute, following his win, he went onto the Junior Australian Chef’s challenge in Seoul, Korea - a team of five competed against 19 other countries, and they walked away with a silver medal.

What course did you study?

I studied a Certificate III in Hospitality (Commercial Cookery Apprenticeship) at WCIT. I’m due to receive my qualification this month. My course was a threeyear full-time paid apprenticeship at Frasers with one day per week of study at WCIT. What made you choose Hospitality & Culinary Arts?

I’ve always wanted to be a chef, and I have always been passionate about cooking. Once I completed year 10, I decided that an apprenticeship was the

It’s not an easy profession to earn a living in. What other jobs do you do (or have had to do) in order to get by?

I gave up my day job seven months ago, but I’ve had plenty of other jobs in the past like plastering and tour guiding.

Has your career panned out how you thought it was going to?

I’d have to say no. I never thought I’d be involved in comedy like stand up or improv. I always wanted to be a serious and prestigious actor like Patrick Stewart. But that didn’t quite work out, so I gave comedy a go on a friend’s insistence and I haven’t looked back since. I still get the odd occasion where I’m asked to do more serious work, which is nice and can be refreshing, but comedy is where my heart lies.

What’s on the cards for 2014?

I’m currently co-developing a show for Fringe World 2014 entitled These Guys and projects like The Legend Of Gavin Tanner and These Final Hours are due for release, which is exciting. Plus, I’m looking forward to seeing how The Fan does at film festivals in 2014. I’ll also be writing and developing a horror feature film, which I’m really looking forward to.

Outside of that, more live stand up comedy and improv shows.

For more information about a Bachelor of Arts (Acting) from WAAPA visit: waapa.ecu.edu.au.

RILEY PEARCE

I really enjoy the hands-on approach. I did a Uni degree before this and I felt very lost in the classroom... My teachers at Central are always coming to me with opportunities to benefit my career or gigs and I really appreciate all they do for us.

MUSICIAN

When did you first develop an interest in playing music?

I started playing guitar when I was in grade one. I can’t remember whether it was my parent’s decision, but I loved it. I didn’t like learning songs that my teacher wanted to teach me though. I always would bring songs to them, hoping they could teach me how to play my favourite songs.

Studied: Certificate IV in Music Business at Central Institute

Mixing Business With Pleasure Riley Pearce released his debut EP, We Are Fools last year - and he’s now in the US for six months working on new material.

He enrolled in the Music Business course at Central Institute Of Technology to gain practical knowledge about how the music industry works and how to promote himself as an artist.

What did the course teach you?

I went into the course wanting to learn more about how the music industry operates and how to put myself in better stead to make a career from my music. I’ve met some amazing people and had chances I might never have had, or even known were possible.

What was great about going to Central Institute?

Tell us about the making of your new EP. It was very much a case of me just wanting to get something out and give to people at shows, or when I busk. I had a lot of fun making it and the EP launch night was one of the best night’s I’ve had.

How do you find the process of writing lyrics?

It’s always hard. I try very hard and pride myself on having songs with good meaningful lyrics. Sometimes it comes naturally, other times it can take you months just to get one line right.

Who’s been the biggest influence on you to date?

Probably my dad. He works really hard, and a lot of the time in music you won’t get anywhere if you don’t work hard and chase the chances that come up.

We Are Fools is out now through iTunes.

You can get your music qualifications from Central Institute Of Technology in the areas of Sound Production and Music Business, with both Certificate and Diploma courses available. See: central.wa.edu.au.

path for me, so I left school and have never looked back since.

You’re Australia’s number one apprentice chef after winning the national Australian Culinary Federation competition. Tell us about the comp! We’re picturing MasterChef here...

I qualified for the national competition after winning the WA Apprentice competition and flew to Canberra to compete against the winners from each state. The competition was pretty stressful as I was competing against the best chefs in Australia, and I only had a two-hour deadline to plate an entrée, main, and dessert. I still can’t believe I won. It really is pretty cool to be named the best!

What advice do you have for those thinking of embarking on a similar path?

If you want to do it, give it a go. Follow your passion and just run with it. If you have a lot of patience for stressful situations and are prepared to put in the hard yards it can be very rewarding. A 16-hour day is not unusual so make sure you love a cup of coffee to keep you going!

Which chefs do you admire?

Heston Blumenthal – I don’t think there is a chef in the world that doesn’t admire him. Ben Shewry – Attica Restaurant, Melbourne. Paul Bocuse – amazing French Chef. Roux Brothers – The Waterside Inn, London. I really admire these chefs because they have made such an impact in the culinary industry.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years time?

Hopefully owning my own fine dining restaurant and still competing around the world. I would love to work and travel in different corners of the world too.

West Coast Institute offers courses in Hospitality, Kitchen Operations, Commercial Cookery, Retail Baking and Cake and Pastry. For more info, check out: wcit.wa.edu.au.

WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU

38

E D U C AT I O N , T R A I N I N G & C A R E E R S

JOAN DELLAVALLE OWNER, EBONY & IVORY Studied: Bachelor of Business Management, Edith Cowan University

Perfect Harmony Joan Dellavalle moved from Zambia to Perth in 2001. She finished her hairdressing apprenticeship in 2004 and then learned the skills she needed to start her own business by studying Business Management at ECU. She now runs a successful business, Ebony & Ivory, which specialises in African, Asian and Caribbean hair. In 2011, she launched her fashion label, Joan DellaValle.

GEORGIA STEWART EVENT MANAGER, EMERGENCE CREATIVE FESTIVAL Studied: Bachelor of Arts (Mass Communications - Journalism & Public Relations), Curtin University

You’ve created a unique business in Ebony & Ivory.

Was there a particular moment that sparked the idea to start it up?

Yes I knew I wanted to have my own business since I was young. The biggest moment came when I went to a hair salon in Australia for the first time and the poor stylists did not understand my hair and had no idea what to do with it. From that moment I went, ‘this is it’ and I decided to start what I had always planned - my own business.

When you think back to your time studying at ECU - what springs to mind?

I’m so glad I did what I did because my dream has come true - I have created my very own successful business.

Who have been your mentors, inspirations and helpers along the way?

My father has always been my inspiration, may his soul rest in peace. My husband, Oprah Winfrey, Beyonce, Maya Angelou. Any person out there that’s hard working and trying to get somewhere. I always say my clients and all the beautiful people that work for me are my mentors. I learn so much from each and every one of these amazing people every day.

What’s the best thing about your job?

Every day is different and special. That smile I see on my client’s face when I finish their hair, or when they just pop in to chat about hair products. That smile is overwhelming and incredible and I can’t put a price on that. Just knowing you have made a difference in someone’s life somehow is such an amazing feeling.

AINE RYAN ASSISTANT PRODUCER, 6PR Studied: Bachelor of Communications (Broadcasting & Journalism) followed by a post-graduate Diploma in Broadcasting, Edith Cowan University

Pressure Down Aine Ryan graduated from ECU with a Communications degree, majoring in broadcasting and journalism and a few months ago, she completed a postgraduate in broadcasting. Since her second year of uni, she’d been working as a casual producer at radio station, 6PR and about a month before graduating, was offered the role of assistant producer on the Drive program with Paul Murray.

She tells us about her job and study.

What does a typical day at work involve?

The Drive program on 6PR is a news and current affairs show, so in the morning I try and find stories that will be relevant and of interest to our audience. I might find them in the newspaper, on online news, on social media, wherever really. Then I’ll have a meeting with the executive producer (EP) of the show and our presenter, Paul Murray and we’ll decide what we’re going to discuss, who Paul will interview and at what times. I’ll then call talent, make sure they’re prepared and available to be interviewed on whatever the topic might be, and with the EP, put together a rundown that’s ready for 3pm when we go to air. When we go to air my job involves calling the talent so they’re 37

Creative Flair

What was it like coming from Zambia to Perth back in 2001?

It was so special. People ask me if it was a culture shock and I say no, because Zambia is very multicultural, so Australia just felt like home. The only thing that was different I guess, was the weather.

How did you get an invitation to the secret jam session with Beyonce’s band when they were in town?

My beautiful client of 10 years, Perth singer and musician Jade-Lori Crompton was invited to perform on stage with the band and she brought me along as her special guest.

Do you have any celebrity clients you’d like to share with us?

I do, but I think I better share their names later in 2014 because I have some big names coming to Ebony & Ivory this year!

Georgia Stewart is the Marketing & Event Manager at Emergence Creative - a conference for creatives working in advertising, film, music, communications and the design and digital industries.

She’s also worked on large scale events such as the 2011 City to Surf for Activ, the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting and Perth’s Festival of Cycling, which came second in the Major Festivals & Events category at the 2013 WA Tourism Industry Awards.

Tell us about your role at the Emergence Creative Festival.

I oversee the strategic planning, implementation and execution stages for every aspect of the event. Working very closely with the guidance of the chairman, Mat Lewis, I create, organise and implement everything from website content, marketing strategies and graphic design work to speaker invites and logistics, program creation, delegate registrations, venue coordination and team management.

ready for their interview, answering calls from listeners and putting them through to Paul if they want to talk about something and generally making sure the show runs smoothly. It’s a team effort really, and we all do our bit to make sure the show runs smoothly.

Best bits about your job?

The adrenaline rush when a big story breaks, the fast-paced nature of the job and the people I work with. Also the hours - I work from around 10.30am to 6.30pm and it’s great.

What personality traits do you need in broadcasting to succeed?

Thick skin – you need to be able to take criticism and grow from it, and sometimes you get the odd angry talkback caller who might call and complain, so it’s important not to take it personally. Initiative is important and also the ability to cope under pressure.

When stories break you have to be on the ball and on the phone calling someone who is across the situation and ready to go to air.

W h at m a d e yo u c h o o s e t h e B a c h e l o r o f Communications at ECU? I knew in high school that I wanted to work in radio, so I researched some courses across different Perth universities that offered broadcasting and journalism and ECU just seemed to fit because of how practical it is.

You went on to study a Graduate Diploma in Broadcasting. How much do you apply the skills you learned in that course in your current role?

The grad dip is such a practical course. We did weekly radio shows and TV news programs, learning to edit, film etc. Our radio studios and TV studios were of a really professional quality and we learnt about a huge number of roles in TV and radio and how to fulfil them. We also learnt a lot about how to behave in the media, phone manner, presentation, interviewing techniques etc. I use a lot of the skills we picked up at work, and the rest of it is in the back of my mind ready for me when I need it. The fact that the course provides so much work experience also helps - I picked up a lot simply by being in newsrooms, TV production areas and radio stations.

WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU

What’s the best thing about your job?

The best thing about my job is being able to collaborate with some fantastic creative minds and seeing ideas evolve into something really cool and out there. Not only for Emergence but for other events also, there’s a creative side to implementing and running events and it’s great to listen to all the ideas out there. Also that feeling at the end of a successful event.

What’s the worst?

The worst is the uncertainty of not knowing the end result. You can plan everything down as much as possible however you’ll never know what’s going to happen until event day.

Event management can be a pretty stressful role.

What’s the secret to holding it all together?

There’s nothing more valuable in event management than having a team that you can trust and that supports you every step of the way. The real secret is to be able to find that team and come up with some awesome ideas together. It’s the people you work with that keep the job fun. As one of our keynote speakers, Ben Akers, is discussing this year – you need positive partners. So many people are doubtful about ideas. You need to work with people who are brave enough not to know the answer. That’s where the great work comes from.

What aspects of the course have helped you in your job today?

The practical areas of the course have helped me the most through my career. Your assignments are actually documents that you will create in the real world, such as a media release for PR students. I believe that has been the most valuable for me.

What advice do you have for those thinking of embarking on a similar path?

Take every opportunity you’re given - whether it is unpaid, voluntary, interning or (for some lucky ones) a paid position. No matter what situation you end up in, you will learn something new. I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for a few people providing me with internship opportunities.

Has your career to date panned out how you thought it was going to?

No way! I was supposed to be a journalist! Now I can see that was definitely not the right career path for me.

WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU

36