Issue 1454 by X-Press Magazine

WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU

NEWSDESK

LOCAL NEWS

GLOBAL NEWS

ANNOUNCEMENTS

CBDEEP, MAN SHADY LANE SONIC DETOURS The much-anticipated Foo Fighters tour has received a slight tweak, in case you missed it, with the show at Perth’s nib Stadium being moved from Saturday, March 7, to the following day, Sunday, March 8. Existing ticket holders need not fret; their existing ticket will remain valid and their seat won’t be changed. Fans unable to attend the new show are asked to secure a refund through ticketmaster.com.au or their point of purchase prior to Friday, January 16, 2015. Foo Fighters

Mellifluous alt-country songsmith Jordie Lane is heading back to Australia with a secret weapon; duet partner, Clare Reynolds. Their lovelorn harmonies abound on Lane’s critically acclaimed EP, Not Built to Last, which recently carried him across a successful 65-date tour of North America. They’ll be found at Mojo’s on Friday, February 27, the Nannup Folk Festival from February 28 to March 2, and the Fairbridge Folk Festival from April 10-12. Tickets from mojos.com.au, nannupfolkfestival.org, and fairbridgemusicfestival.com.au. Jordie Lane and Clare Reynolds

Create + Explore is a new audiovisual series throwing the spotlight on young creatives, challenging photographers and musicians to collaborate across their different practices and arrive at a synthesis of souls, senses and styles. Described as a ‘conversation between mediums’, the fifth edition features two primo West Australian aesthetes – photographer Adam Borrello and musician Loston – exploring the landscapes of the Perth CBD and the Indonesian mountains. Head to createandexplore.com to see more, find out more about the project, and maybe even get involved. Create + Explore Pic: Adam Delborello

FAIR FOR ALL ROSIE OUTLOOK If you’re looking for a way to ring in the New Year, the beloved Rosemount is putting on a New Years Eve party to remember (even if memory is a problem come New Years Day). After a year of triumphs at the venue, including sold out album launches, The Love Junkies and Timothy Nelson will be bringing it all home to the Rosie, with Ruby Boots, Apricot Rail and more in tow. You can snaffle tickets at rosemounthotel.com. For more head to page 16. Timothy Nelson & The Infidels Pic: Rachael Barrett

Bouncing back from a broken jaw worked might be all Steve Smyth and Kanye West have in common, but the former is set to give his newly healed gob the best workout possible with a 35-date Australian tour. He and the band will be on the West Coast between Wednesday, February 18, and Friday, February 20, hitting Mojo’s, Bar 459 and Settlers Tavern, Margaret River. Tickets are on sale from stevesmyth.com.au/tickets.

Pride FAIRDAY

Steve Smyth

OUR WARMEST FESTIVE GREETINGS TO YOU AND YOURS FROM US AND OURS

DON’T EAT THE YELLOW ‘SHROOM Legendary L.A. psy-trance outfit, Infected Mushroom, claim responsibility for singlehandedly inventing the genre, and after eight albums they continue to produce nightmarish swarms of technicolour electronica. The band’s upcoming Australian tour is all about celebrating the Friends On Mushrooms compilation, which gathers together in one place the mass of EPs and experiments the Shroomers released in 2014. You can get a taste at Metro City on Friday, February 20. Tickets are on sale from earthcore. com.au. Infected Mushroom

X-Press Magazine extends its warmest festive wishes to all our readers, clients, friends, lovers, rivals, penpals, co-conspirators Facebook friends, Twitter pals and Instagram followers. Thank you for being you so that we can keep being us. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and don’t forget to download our new weekly App! (And by the way, by popular demand we’ll be printing fortnightly from Wednesday, January 21.)

CLASSIC! Registrations are now open for the Mother’s Day Classic, Australia’s largest Mother’s Day event. Since 1998, the event has seen thousands of women and their families come together to run, jog or walk towards raising money to fund vital research into breast cancer. With over 40 women in Australia being diagnosed with the condition every day, there’s never been a better time to dig deep and contribute towards finding a cure. To register, fundraise or volunteer, head mothersdayclassic.com.

WE DO LIKE TO SCULPT BESIDE THE SEA The eleventh edition of the beloved Sculpture By The Sea will be striking poses at Cottesloe Beach from March 6-23, 2015, filling the beach with more strange shapes than a MENSA puzzle. This year, there’ll be 32 sculptors on show, including controversial Czech David Czerny and locals Jen Chochrane and Lou Lambert, and an expected turnout of 220,000 lovers of art, sun and sand. For more information, check www.sculpturebythesea.com. Norton Flavel (WA), bulk carrier, Sculpture by the Sea, Cottesloe 2014 Photo: Jarrad Seng 6

GOBSMACKED

If you’re a crafty kind of character (crochet, not crime) and looking for a place to show your wares, stall applications are now open for Pride WA’s upcoming FAIRDAY, which take place in Hyde Park on Sunday, February 15, from 11am to 6pm. As ever, the event will have live entertainment, heaps of great stalls, delicious food options, a play area for the kids and the much loved dog show. Sound like you? Apply online at www.pridewa.com.au/fairday_2015.

SAVAGE GARDEN PARTY Kiwi rapper, Savage, was the man who made Akon a star by penning his breakout smash, Moonshine, and has only gone from strength to strength since then. This year, he’s had two consecutive triple platinum hits, with the Joel Fletcher collab Swing and Freaks with Timmy Trumpet exploding all over Australia. At Metropolis Fremantle on Friday, January 2, he’ll be playing all the hits from his decade at the top of Antipodean hip-hop. Tickets available from oztix.com.au. Savage WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU

WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU

WIN

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

DAVID BECKHAM: INTO THE UNKNOWN After 22 years playing for the world’s greatest football teams, David Beckham has retired. For the first time in his adult life he has freedom to do whatever he wants and to mark the occasion he’s going on an adventure. He’s chosen Brazil, and he’s taking three of his closest friends to join him on this once in a lifetime experience. Starting with beach foot volley in Rio, the friends travel deep into the Amazon, ending up with the remote Yanonami tribe, with David desperately trying to explain the beautiful game. We have five copies of David Beckham: Into The Unknown to give away. Do the App! David Beckham: Into The Unknown

MARY J. BLIGE FRONTERA A former Arizona sheriff’s wife is killed while riding on their ranch property. It would appear a Mexican man illegally crossing into the US is at fault. As the former and the current sheriff search for answers, lives are changed forever. Frontera stars Ed Harris and Eva Longoria. We have five copies of the DVD to give away. Download the X-Press App for your chance to win.

Mary J. Blige’s new album, The London Sessions, is an uptempo release and features songs that were produced and written with the help of artists such as Disclosure and Sam Smith and features a classic Blige ballad, Whole Damn Year. We have five copies to give away, just download the X-Press App for your chance to win. Mary J. Blige, The London Sessions

Frontera

THE NEW BASEMENT TAPES

Exposed during an illegal arms trade gone wrong in Berlin, a North Korean ‘ghost’ agent finds himself in the crosshairs of an international manhunt. Was he betrayed by his wife or his country? He must prepare to make the ultimate sacrifice. Thanks to Icon Films we have five DVD copies of The Berlin File to give away. Download the X-Press App now!

When Bob Dylan assembled the members of The Band in 1967 to churn through 100 songs in a West Saugerties basement, it became a moment of musical folklore. Recently it was discovered that Dylan had uncovered a pile of lyrics from that era that had yet to be put to music. With T-Bone Burnett at the helm of the group, The New Basement Tapes, was pulled together (with Dylan’s blessing) to turn these words into song. The names Elvis Costello, Jim James (My Morning Jacket), Taylor Giddens (Dawes), Rhiannon Giddens (Carolina Chocolate Drops) all inspire confidence before having heard a moment of the product. We have five copies of Lost On The River: The New Basement Tapes to give away, download the X-Press App for your chance to win.

The Berlin File

The New Basement Tapes

THE BERLIN FILE

WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU

FLESH

NEWS - INTERVIEWS - REVIEWS - CONTENTS

That ol’ Big Day Out Lollapalogo

NEW OWNER FOR THE BDO

You do not have to feel like this

HANGOVER CURES

Big Day Out has gone through yet another ownership change. It is now owned by America’s Live Nation Entertainment, Get Well Soon(ish) which late last week bought out TexasEggnog got you down? Had one too many Jagerbombs to bring in the New Year? Dad started based C3 Presents. the lawnmower at 8am while singing his favourite Christmas carol at the top of his lungs? Yeah… we feel your pain. But, we’re also here to help with our top selection of hangover cures guaranteed* to get you back on your feet.

theoretically means it can cure hangovers! Too much science and not enough remedy? Get drinking and you be the judge.

Grease Me Up It’s all about grease, baby. Golden drips of fatty goodness might not sound appetising if you are an everyday health freak, but when you’re about to bash your head against a wall to make your overall brain pain feel at ease, a little grease goes a long way! Why? You generally feel ill because your body is lacking sodium and/or something to soak up all the poison that is alcohol (shocking, we know) so a big oily feast for breaky or straight after drinking will do wonders.

Bread And Butter Spent the night hugging the toilet bowl? Try settling your belly with a couple of slices of toast. Carbs help bring your blood sugar levels back up after a night of debauchery, and will hopefully stop you feeling irritable and tired. Oh Wonder White, you’ve done it again.

Hair Of The Dog Apparently getting back on the booze bandwagon the next day isn’t such a good idea, especially in the long run, but if you really want instant gratification, pick up a Bloody Mary and drink your tomato soup (2 fruit 5 veg anyone?). It’ll numb the headache and probably get you ready for round two. Beware: If you feel bad now you’ll feel even worse once you finally decide to stop. Fizzy Dreams Sip on some Sprite in the morning and you’ll start to feel right – it’s all thanks to the way the carbonated drink speeds up the alcohol breakdown process inside your body. When we drink, our livers release an enzyme called alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), which breaks down the ethanol in alcohol into a chemical called acetaldehyde. This is then broken down into another chemical called acetate, by an enzyme called aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH). Scientists have found Sprite to speed up the activity of ALDH, which

C3, which runs the Lollapalooza festivals in five cities and Austin City Limits festival, bought a half-share in the long-running Australian

CHRISTIE ELIEZER

MURMAZIN’

High Quality H20 Although research has shown isotonic drinks such as Gatorade and Powerade do little more than water in curing hangover woes, we can’t deny their ability to help in a speedy recovery. Our method: scull two bottles right before bed and one as soon as you wake. Even if the electrolytes don’t necessarily help, the blue liquid you’re chugging down certainly will, replacing the fluids you lost from a night that started off with you breaking the seal. The End All. If all else fails, call in sick, close your bedroom curtains, crawl into bed, shut your eyes and wish to turn back time. If you’ve got a nice enough sibling, get them to bring you some toast and swear to them that you’ll ‘never, ever, eveeerrr drink Baccardi EVER again’. Well, until next weekend. *Did we say guaranteed? They worked for us but they might not work for you. Fingers crossed that they do, otherwise dude… at least you had a good night, right?

festival from founder Ken West, and later brought in Soundwave promoter AJ Maddah for a time. Live Nation Entertainment’s CEO and resident Michael Rapino said of C3’s operators Charles Attal, Charlie Jones and Charlie Walker, “The Charlies have proven they are amongst the most successful entrepreneurs in the concert industry. I have long admired what they built and now I look forward to working alongside them as they continue to build a worlMMd class festival company. “A d d i n g C 3 , t h e l e a d i n g f e s t i v a l portfolio in North America, to our global portfolio of Insomniac, Festival Republic and Country Nation provides Live Nation with the world’s largest festival platform.” Attal, Jones and Walker added, “We are excited to join Live Nation and become a part of their global family, while continuing to grow our festivals within a culture of entrepreneurship that will empower our team to keep improving these festivals and the fan experience.” Rumours are that C30 plans to rebrand Big Day Out as Lollapalooza Australia.

Mei Saraswati, Distant Murmurs

If RTRFM are royalty when it comes to promoting local art and music, the station has added another jewel to the crown with Distant Murmurs. On Saturday January 17, the Rosemount Hotel will be transformed into a four-stage mecca of sound. Catch DJ sets from 2pm ‘til late in the Rosemount Beer Garden with the 420 Crew, Cloudwaves DJs Aslan and Sleepyhead, Eddie Electric, Jamie Mac, Disco Science DJs, plus a special set from The Whipcracker, and more to be announced. Soak up some rays in the Rosemount car park with The Painkillers, Simone & Girlfunkle, Long Lost Brothers, Ghetto Crystals, Gunns, and Melbourne-based Perth natives, Split Seconds. The main room features hip-shakin’ soul, beats, hip hop and more from Tobacco Rat, Leaving, Eleventeen Eston & The Conversation, Mei Saraswati Band, Odette Mercy & Her Soul Atomics, Mathas and Naik. The 459 Bar features an eclectic and intimate array of performances covering everything from dream-pop to garage and psych, with sets from Adem K (solo), Custom Royal, The Pissedcolas, Silver Hills, Mayor Dadi and Doctopus. Presales $20 general / $15 subscribers via rtrfm.com.au and Oztix.

CONTENTS

EAGLE EYE SENTRY

THAT’S THE DEAL

SANDSTORM PREDICTED

After years of graft, pos vibes Melbourne rapper Seth Sentry’s journey to the top has been a whirlwind one. His 2012 album This Was Tomorrow saw him debut at #6 in the ARIA charts and score an ARIA nomination; not to mention being crowned Oz Artist Of The Year by Channel V. With his new single Run, he’s gearing up to go harder and higher, and he’ll be taking it to the Prince of Wales, Bunbury, on Thursday, March 19, and Metropolis Fremantle on Friday, March 20. Tickets from Oztix.com.au.

Resurgent hip-punk-hop collective 28 Days will be flying their flag over WA this Australia Day long weekend as they get raucous over their single Amber Afternoons; their first new tune for four years. Best known for Rip it Up and a decade of cross-country party starting, the Frankston boys will be bringing their (almost) original lineup to Rockingham’s Leisure Inn and the Dunsborough Tavern on January 24 and 25. Tickets through Oztix. com.au, Heatseeker.com.au and the venues.

For anyone who has worn something fluro in a nonconstruction environment in the last fifteen years, the hook of Darude’s Sandstorm is less a sequence of notes than a rallying cry. Now, Perth audiences have the chance to experience it in the flesh once more, as he joins the line-up for Future Music alongside Drake, The Prodigy and many more at HBF Arena Joondalup on Sunday, March 1. Doo do do, doo dadodadoda doo do do find tickets at moshtix.com.au.

Seth Sentry 10

28 Days

Darude WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU

6 9 10 12

Newsdesk Win Flesh Music Cold War Kids, Paul Kelly, Rosemount NYE, Chiodos, The Grates New Noise

Culture Hub Cover: 2 Cellos Lifestyle, Eye2Eye Arts Listings The Hobbit, Big Her 6, Mr Turner, We Are The Best

Scene Cover: Tomás Ford Neneh Cherry, Illy Live: Wonderland, Good Times Arts Inc, True Science Local Scene: Tired Lion, The Violent Crumble

38 52 41

X-Press Guide Social Pics What’s On

Front Cover: Cold War Kids are making their way to Southbound on Saturday-Sunday, January 3-4, at Sir Stewart Bovell Park, Busselton. Scene Cover: Tomás Ford’s Crap Music Rave Party: End Of Year Ball hits The Bakery on Saturday, December 27.

WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU

MUSIC

VIEWS

INTERVIEWS

COLD WAR KIDS The Modern Age Armed with a new album, Hold My Home, Cold War Kids are making their way to Southbound on Saturday-Sunday, January 3-4, at Sir Stewart Bovell Park, Busselton. KEATS MULLIGAN reports. In the decade since their formation, Cold War Kids have come a long way. Their first album saw quite a lot of success, even though it contrasted so heavily with the popular sound of the time. While sonically it seemed unusually buoyant, lyrically it was a rather probing examination of some of the darker elements of humanity. From alcoholism to incarceration to vehicular manslaughter and theft, each song from their 2006 debut, Robbers And Cowards, felt like an apathetic account of a life in disrepair. It was a single dark entity floating in a sea of pastel-coloured, new wave-inspired electropop music. The release of their latest album, Hold My Home, marks a shift in songwriting for the group. It’s something of a deliberate regression; an attempt to get back to basics and reconnect with the ideas and attitudes that culminated in their early releases. Rather than persevering with the extensive and laborious process of writing and recording an album as a successful band in this day and age, they’ve opted to take to songwriting as they would’ve earlier on in their careers.

“It’s funny. You get to a point where you think, ‘Do we make changes?’, and if we do are they forced? Or false? Or do we just get in there and start writing the songs we write and not think too hard about it?”

It’s rather hard to imagine. History’s littered with instances of these unique musical undertakings. Sounds that spring up in environments that most would think are too hostile for them to possibly flourish in. Musical lineage is ordinarily traceable. A sound is spawned from one genre, and informed by another. Sonic elements are exchanged and fused in a suitable setting. So it’s strange when you consider the insular world that Cold War Kids was born in. “We just had this big group of mutual friends in the LA area that were a bunch of artists or musicians. It was a big old group. It was good actually, because it meant you had about a hundred 12

WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU

STORIES

people that would come to your shows,” vocalist and pianist Nathan Willett recalls from his home in the US. “I don’t know if the scene was thriving, because it was the only scene I’ve ever really been a part of. We weren’t in LA proper, we were kinda in the Long Beach area, so it felt like we were maybe a little left of centre,” he says. “We didn’t feel like we were trying to be aware of anything in any mainstream kind of way. We just kinda had labels and booking agents come in a really organic way, which in hindsight is pretty shocking, but at the time that was just the way it happened, and looking back, I think we were insanely lucky.” Artists that make such a formidable mark on the musical landscape with their debut release are destined to always be remembered for that initial impact. When such a bold impression is made, finding a way to further yourself and maintain your audience’s interest is a task perhaps harder than making breaking through in the first place. “The first record, as so often is the case with bands, is filled with songs that you’ve been playing live for a long time, for two years or so before you ever get a chance to record them,” says Willett. “So when you do go to record them, you record them quickly and it’s fun. Then beyond that, you start to learn how to make better use of your time in the studio.” Still, with growth comes growing pains, and while their inception into the world of popular music might have been organic, their development, at least at times, has been considered and purposeful. “It’s funny. You get to a point where you think, ‘Do we make changes?’, and if we do are they forced? Or false? Or do we just get in there and start writing the songs we write and not think too hard about it?” he contemplates. “We knew who we were pretty early on, so you think, ‘How do we keep the sound this group and continue to write songs and also expand and play with the space that we’ve got?’” There are plenty of us that sit on the outside looking in, envious of the opportunities afforded to successful musicians without considering the responsibility that goes with it, but there are inevitable and unavoidable difficulties that come with trying to turn your passion into a professional pursuit. “From the very first record, and none of us would have anticipated this, but it has been a full-time job,” says Willett. “Art is a strange thing, in that you want to be able to do it for a living, but you don’t want to be able to be thinking about it professionally, you don’t want to think about making money. It’s not like real estate where the goal is to make the most money.” So with some 10 years experience in performing his balancing act, growing and developing their sound, Hold My Home has seen the group come full circle, blending the attitude that spawned their debut album with the benefits they’ve garnered from their previous successes to put together an album that attempts to build a unique, contemporary sound on a foundation of traditional instrumentation. “Inevitably, the record is going to be compared to the first one because it is probably the most direct and to the point record in many ways,” he reflects. “The last record (Dear Miss Lonelyhearts) only really came out a year-and-ahalf ago or so, and we wanted to get this one out quickly and embrace all the advantages of having our own studio. I think it’s part of the modern age of being in a band. “You don’t wait around in between records, because with the technology available you don’t need labour of it in the way that you might have had to in the past. So there’s an immediacy, lyrically and musically, that’s the way we approached it, we didn’t want it to sound or feel laboured over.”

WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU

MUSIC

VIEWS

PAUL KELLY Merri Christmas Paul Kelly has just released The Merri Soul Sessions, a new album that also features contributions from the Bull Sisters, Dan Sultan, Clairy Browne and Kira Puru. They’ll perform the album at the Fremantle Arts Centre on Saturday, January 17, and at West Coast Blues N’ Roots on Sunday, March 29, at Fremantle Park. CHRIS MARTIN reports. Paul Kelly is sitting in his Sydney hotel room, discussing his legacy as a songwriter and musician – something he’s no doubt asked to talk about quite a lot these days. He’s often held up as Australia’s folk rock poet, our bard for the masses, whose lyrics and melodies sum up not only everything that’s beautiful and tragic about the human condition in these parts, but also the land upon which it’s all built. Unsurprisingly, Kelly’s own view on his artistic legacy is rather more straightforward – and even more humble than you might expect. “Those things are unmeasurable,” he says. “I don’t particularly like my music. Some people do, but there’s other things that I like a whole lot better. I know there are people that really like my music – some do, some don’t. So it’s all out of your hands. It’s not even anything you can really think about or consider. The main thing I do think about is writing another song.” Kelly’s latest collection of songs has been translated into The Merri Soul Sessions, an album completed with an all-star cast of Australian musicians such as Dan Sultan, Clairy Browne and Kira Puru. The record fits snugly into Kelly’s perspective on his role as an individual in a long line of other talented artists. “Just like I’ve picked up stuff from other people and passed it on, people who like what I do will draw from it,” he says. “That’s being part of a line: pick it up and pass it on.”

INTERVIEWS

STORIES

the right one, so I have to go and find other people to do it. That’s what this record is about: those kinds of songs that I thought other people could sing better.” In the end, The Merri Soul Sessions came together surprisingly quickly, with time left over on the final day of the allocated two-week period to write and record a new gospel song, Hasn’t It Rained. Not bad going in a year that was “supposed to be my year off, actually,” Kelly laughs. The songwriter himself stepped into the background on most of the recordings, letting others do the singing – Linda Bull reports that even Kelly’s direction on album opener, Smells Like Rain, was quite relaxed. “He left me to it, pretty much,” she says. “I got the lyrics and the tune about six months before, and I just loved the imagery of it – a very visual song – and I thought, ‘That will suit me, he picked well’.” Kelly will, however, be front and centre with the Merri Soul Sessions band on a series of tour and festival dates this summer. All the familiar faces from the album will be along for the ride. “That was the only time we could get everyone, in January,” he says. “I think we’ve cut short a few people’s holidays to do it. But it means we get to play some festivals, play the Mona Foma in Hobart, some cool gigs; opening the PAUL KELLY WITH LINDA AND VIKA BULL Sydney Festival, things like that.”

“Calling it soul, soul is just like giving a framework to work in,” he says. “What I end up making is kind of a mutant mongrel thing anyway. So it’s not us trying to make a soul record, it’s just a certain sensibility; a certain way of attacking the thing.”

In this case, Kelly stands in a line with his favourite soul artists. Marvin Gaye, Al Green, Sam Cooke and Curtis Mayfield are the names he mentions as we discuss the decorated history of soul music. It’s a different side to Kelly – one that fans mightn’t be familiar with, but that has emerged as naturally as ever. “Calling it soul, soul is just like giving a framework to work in,” he says. “What I end up making is kind of a mutant mongrel thing anyway. So it’s not us trying to make a soul record, it’s just a certain sensibility; a certain way of attacking the thing.” Two other names involved heavily in the new record are Vika and Linda Bull, the sisterly duo who’ve sung in Kelly’s backing band for years now. It was Vika’s powerful interpretation of the iconic Kelly song, Sweet Guy, in their live sets that lit the fuse on The Merri Soul Sessions. “When I first heard the song,” says Vika, “I thought about, (sings) ‘What makes such a sweet guy…’ And then when I actually got to sing it, it was like, ‘Oh, hell’s bells, okay’ – now I understood what I had to do to make it work. I suppose it got me a little bit when I understood what the song was about… I like singing it, though. I enjoy being able to give it the power and the oomph I think it needs to get the message across. I like belting it out.” Certainly, Kelly was impressed by Vika’s delivery. “All of us kept saying, ‘We should record that version’, and we sort of had desk tapes, some live recordings and so on, but we wanted to go in and do it in a studio,” he says. “The initial thought was that it could be an EP. What happened also around that time – this is almost two years ago now – I had a songwriting session with Dan Sultan, and we wrote two songs in one day, and they were both songs that we thought, ‘Well that one’s a Vika song, and that one’s a Linda song’, so we thought that right off the bat. Then I started thinking of other singers, so that rolled on from there. It was a sort of snowball effect.” Thus a new album emerged, with the help of Kelly’s backing band (including Cameron Bruce and Peter Luscombe) and some older Kelly songs that hadn’t yet found a home, like the Sultan-fronted Don’t Let A Good Thing Go. “I wasn’t quite convincing myself when I sang it,” says Kelly, “so I thought, ‘Oh, I should try someone else singing it’. That’s often how it happens – I have a voice in mind, my voice isn’t quite WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU

HOLLY DOLL

BEX CHILCOTT/RUBY BOOTS

DIGER ROKWELL

FELICITY GROOM

NEW YEAR’S EVE FIESTA Rosey Resolutionaries The New Years Eve Fiesta returns to the Rosemount Hotel on Wednesday, December 31. We uncovered some New Year’s Resolutions from some of the folks on the line-up. Holly Doll - I’m gonna learn how to ride a skateboard and I am damn excited about it too! Tired Lion - To share with all the musical genius that is The Hamster Dance.

fingerpaint in the slop. Supposedly they get as smart as a 7 year-old human, which would mean we’re intellectually compatible. Similar sense of humour anyways. Jane Azzopardi - My resolution is ‘to lift, bro’.

Arms In Motion - My resolution is to work twice as hard to achieve my goals and forget 2014 ever happened, it was a very heavy year. Diger Rokwell - 1. Not to be the oldest ‘grommet’ down at the skate park. 2. Become a father (already happening) 3. Evolve. Felicity Groom - If the things that I want to do in my life took a break over the festive season, then I’d call them resolutions… but they have a persistency to them that knows no holiday. So therefore they are just things I want to do. Good things. Funny things. Inspiring things. Ongoing things.

Rok Riley - to keep the door ajar.

Bex Chilcott/Ruby Boots - to not to get pregnant and to not eat Nutella out of the jar by the spoonful not even once, and to eradicate all Nutella jars on earth, including the mother load at the factory in order to make this a reality.

Mitch Love Junkies - To own an animal... like a pig, or something. Name him Pigcaso and we can

The Rosemount’s New Years Eve Fiesta features live bands The Love Junkies, Timothy Nelson & The Infidels, Felicity Groom, Ruby Boots , Apricot Rail, Tired Lion, Pat Chow and Silver Hills in the main room; Diger Rokwell, Empty, Maxy Bills (Jungle Set), Setvice (live), Arms in Motion, Dejong, Sibalance, Eddy Stone and DJ Silence in the Four5Nine Bar and RTRFM’s Rok Riley, Jane Azzopardi and DJ Holly Doll in the beergarden. Tickets are $25 (plus booking fee) available through rosemounthotel.com.

ANDREW RYAN - PIC: JOHN ALIAGA

PAT CHOW

ROK RILEY

TIRED LION

Andrew Ryan - My resolution is to not drink beer unless I’m thirsty Timothy Nelson - Hello, my new year’s resolution is to be less lazy and release more music.

Pat Chow - My NYE resolution is to stop calling people “big boy”. Ain’t nobody appreciate that.

WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU

MUSIC

VIEWS

INTERVIEWS

NEW NOISE

STORIES

For more album reviews head to xpressmag.com.au

4.5 OUT OF 5

OUT OF 5

EX COPS

SHE & HIM

CHIODOS The Boys Are Back Chiodos Pic: Matt Goddard

With frontman Craig Owens and drummer Derrick Frost back in the fray, Chiodos’ original line-up have returned wit their fourth album, Devil, as they prepare for an Australian tour which brings them to Amplifier on Wednesday, February 4. AARON BRYANS speaks with synth player, Bradley Bell, about the reformation. Following the 2009 firing of Craig Owens and Derrick Frost by their bandmates, post-hardcore group Chiodos were forced to start afresh with a new frontman and a redeveloped sound, releasing their third official studio album, Illuminaudio. By 2012, Owens and Frost had returned with a fourth studio album immediately in the works. “We just wanted to, for our own good, make sure that our relationship was something that wouldn’t forever haunt us and for the fans’ sake we wanted to show everybody that it can be okay, that we can move on and be friends,” Bell retells. “It was awkward at first walking into a room with people that you haven’t seen in a few years and you’ve heard nothing but bad things said. It’s all nice going and it was very rewarding to do. You can’t hold grudges forever, life is too short for that kind of stuff.” Their fourth studio album, Devil, was well received with many critics claiming that the album continued an already increasing momentum, with the band’s growth coming full circle. “I feel like we were a lot more on the same page this time round,” Bell explains. “We grew up a lot in the few years we spent apart from each other and learnt a lot about songwriting in itself. We all had the same goal in mind and we were able to do what it takes to get to that. Being in a band is all about compromise, but at the same time finding your role and enjoy yourself while you’re doing that. “We’re still going through some changes. When we got back together it was never meant to be forever, we wanted to put a period at

the end of a story that was so dramatic and that’s what it was. We got back together, played a bunch of shows and released a record. We were able to do that and now we’re at a place where there are a lot of looming paths right now, we want to write another album, it was great to have the original line up for an album again.” In between their current touring schedules, the re-established group have been hard at work in preparation for their fifth album. With no official release date, the band are comfortable to be back at work and continuing to please fans. “It’s going good man, we’re on tour. We have two more days then we’re going home on the holidays for a little vacation and then we’re heading down Australia’s way. “We’ve already started writing stuff for another record. We don’t have a timeline for when that will be released, but we’re fortunate enough to have some great bands on tour and re-establish ourselves and what it was we were doing. We found ourselves again and what was important to us when we play live music. I feel we have a better understanding of that again. “The shows the last week-and-a-half have been great. I feel like we’re sounding better then ever, it’s real tight. Everyone that is here is having a good time and that’s what is most important. You can tell when a band doesn’t enjoy each other or being there but everybody that is here wants to be here and it reflects on the crowd and helps us step up our live performance to the next level.”

THE GRATES

we wanted to do that, it was so insular in America. It was just me and John after Alana (Skyring) left.” They hired Ritchie Daniell as a barista and now he’s their drummer. “We didn’t even know he was a drummer. The only reason we hired him was because we’d hired his girlfriend, then the day before she was supposed to start she told us she’d taken another job, but she said her boyfriend was desperate for a job so we should hire him. It was just one of the things we couldn’t believe had happened, but it was turned out to be the best things.” When the opportunity for musical creation came beckoning, Hodgson and Patterson managed to turn any sense of free time into fertile time. “There was a little period where we didn’t have the bar licence to open at night, it took five months to get,” says Hodgson. “That’s when John said we should start writing songs, because it would be the least busy we’d be for ages. At the time we were working 30 hours a week, and when the licence came through, it would be 80 hours a week, it was gonna be insane. In those three weeks, we smashed out a whole bunch of songs. “As soon as we got the opportunity to take a little bit of time off from the shop, we started playing, getting Ritchie on drums. Then it all came together really quickly,” she reasons. “We started playing with Ritchie around a year ago, that was when we starting forming the live relationship. It was probably less than six months ago when we said, ‘Let’s release an album, let’s get together every Tuesday, getting the concept of the album’. It felt good to do it all really fast; it didn’t feel like we needed to write. “Our old record label had the mindset of us chasing a commercial path. I just wanted to do whatever we wanted. Maybe it was because we’d been our own bosses for the last few years, and we can do whatever we want with our shop. Then when it came back to the band, having other opinions just didn’t work for us. It was a natural thing for us moving on to being indie, not answering to anyone we didn’t want to answer to.”

Classics Spunk

Daggers Downtown/Create Control

A couple of years ago, She & Him gave us a Christmas record that was a delightful romp through the carols. This Yuletide they are giving Santa a wide berth as they instead interpret contemporary songs that can only be described as classics. Zooey Deschanel and guitarist M Ward don’t try to reinvent the wheel, yet don’t shy away from the elements that make She & Him such a loveable outfit. Deschanel is sounding less like her quirky character from New Girl with each release having a sultry and smooth timbre, while Ward uses his voice sparingly on Classics. The early Dusty Springfield hit, Stay Awhile, is the obvious single here being amongst the most upbeat Deschanel summons her inner most maudlin housewife to make This Girl’s In Love With You remain a stand out even though it has been recorded by at least 40 artists previously. Unchained Melody is the most ambitious moment that She & Him have attempted vocally over their five albums and could well be a defining moment for them moving forward. It is nothing short of captivating. She & Him are well past the point where they are looked upon as a part-time endeavour. Classics proves that they have a deft touch no matter what era they venture into.

It’s been an interesting year for Amalie Bruun, to say the least. Earlier this year, she dropped an exceptional EP of intense black metal under the moniker Myrkur. She’s now followed that up with the second album from Ex Cops, which she fronts with multi-instrumentalist, Brian Harding. Unless you were aware of the fact prior, there is absolutely no way you could tell that both projects shared a member. If anything, it’s indicative of Bruun’s versatility and her smart approach to looking at the bigger picture from a musical perspective. Daggers arrives nearly two years following the duo’s debut, and the momentum is not dropped for a second. It’s safe to say the record’s first three tracks are less radio-friendly and more radio-hungry – in a perfect world, they’d be immovable from every radio playlist for the entire summer. Their dynamic is similar to The Kills in that they constantly play off one another’s moves, but Daggers also shows there’s something going on here that’s far greater than the sum of its parts. Absolutely anything could happen next when it comes to Ex Cops – and it probably will. The world of pop feels like an adventure all over again. DAVID JAMES YOUNG

CHRIS HAVERCROFT

3.5

After nary a musical peep from much loved garage-pop crusaders The Grates since the wind-up of Secret Rituals’ touring cycle, the Brisbanites have returned with a rock salt blast of an LP, the raw and ready Dream Team. LACHLAN KANONIUK reports. The Grates’ Dream Team is an album created on the band’s own terms, an extension of their newly hardened DIY ethic – a flipside from their US base for previous LPs. The wholly independent approach was forged in Southside Tea Rooms, a relatively new Brisbane café/bar operated by originals Patience Hodgson and John Patterson (now married, with a lil’ bub on the way), finding a balance between hospitality proprietorship and musical output. “When we came back from the States, we released Secret Rituals and had just been touring, and were excited to be back in Australia and back with friends,” Hodgson states. “That first year just got away from us pretty quickly. It often does if you don’t pay attention.” Upon their return home and inspired by the small bar scene in the US, they decided to open their own café/bar, because, especially three years ago, such a thing hardly existed in Brisbane. It was mostly unfamiliar territory for the pair, and they spent two years working hard to keep their heads above water. “That first two years of any business is really hard,” she says. “There were a lot of reasons

OUT OF 5

THE BENNIES

T-PAIN Happy Hour - The Greatest Hits Sony

Heavy Disco Poison City

It was only a matter of weeks ago that Faheem Rasheed Najm – better known as T-Pain – shocked an unsuspecting audience at NPR by performing without his infamous Auto-Tune at a Tiny Desk Concert. More than that, he sounded good. Damn good. Not only did it give listeners a chance to hear the voice behind the mountainous production, it also came in close proximity to the release of Happy Hour, his first greatest hits compilation. This gave us a chance to reconsider and revisit the work of a man who was, if only for a time, one of the most hated men in music. An immediate realisation follows: all the time we spent bemoaning the alleged death of quote-unquote ‘real’ music, we could have spent having fun with tracks like Freeze, Buy U A Drank and the Jamie Foxx collab, Blame It. It’s shiny, unabashedly commercial and often ludicrous – there’s a song called I’m ’N Luv (Wit A Stripper),for God’s sake. What’s revealed, however, is how dedicated T-Pain has been to the format, and how he still manages to make it work in his favour. Points off for shunning the anthemic Take Your Shirt Off, though.

Throughout Melbourne’s music history, ska has been a near-constant presence since the late ’70s and carries on today with bands like Area-7 and The Resignators. Although The Bennies lean towards the punk side of ska-punk, the majority of songs on their new EP, Heavy Disco, contain enough skankin’ goodness to keep fans of the genre happy. This EP has everything usually associated with ska-punk: a simple yet effective horn section, the typical upstroke style of guitar strumming, a two-tone beat, and of course, the obligatory song about weed (Green-Mix City). As a whole, it’s good fun. They tend to stay in the shallow end lyrically, but it suits the upbeat partying vibe they seem to be going for. It’s songs such as Stay Free and Party Whirlwind that’ll guarantee an excellent live show. Party Whirlwind gets a special mention for having a sweet trumpet solo. What’s Your Fuckin’ Problem? is a great example of the punk and ska fusion, with its raw, angry vocals followed quickly by a nice, uplifting trumpet riff. It’s the sweet and salty of music: kind of weird, but really fucking good.

DAVID JAMES YOUNG

Team Barista

OUT OF 5

CASSIE HEDGER

3.5

OUT OF 5

BEN FROST Variant Mute/Create Control

WU-TANG CLAN A Better Tomorrow Warner

Listening to Ben Frost’s last album, Aurora, is something like the sonic equivalent of enduring a punch in the gut. Its thundering drums and claustrophobic noise may not be easy for the ears, but there is no denying the colossal vision within Frost’s production. For something as ambitious as Aurora, it’s fitting that Frost has recruited some heavyweights for its remix EP, Variant. Evian Christ’s remix of Venter begins with long, drawn-out sounds that build and drop, seeding anticipation. It comes as a surprise, then, that the next two songs, credited to Dutch E Germ and HTRK, only seethe under the surface without amounting to anything more. While the tracks still retain Frost’s unmistakable flavour, the original’s piercing, often ugly synths are pared back for a more familiar, club-driven sound. Perhaps the most divergent is Kangding Ray’s remix of No Sorrowing; seven minutes of sparse techno that segue beautifully into Regis’ edit of Nolan, where everything escalates into faster perpetual motion before crashing back down in a catharsis of ambient noise. As a whole, Variant is fragmentary at times, as is often the case with remixes. But what it lacks in structure it makes up for in its individual moments and the artists’ intelligent treatment of Frost’s material: a clean polish to the harsh ambiguities of his sound.

It’s been a rough road to release for Wu-Tang’s sixth studio album, A Better Tomorrow, tainted by internal bickering worthy of the Kardashians, all types of delays, and a technically challenged Ol’ Dirty Bastard hologram onstage last year. The album title is almost begging you to forget the recent past. It’s hard to listen to this album without pricking your ears for any note of insurrection, and RZA engenders the image of a long-suffering parent on a road trip, just trying to get everyone home in one piece. That said, A Better Tomorrow is exquisitely produced, and by the 10th track it’s clear that we are dealing with vintage Wu, as Masta Killa lays it out: ‘This is what y’all wanted back / Classic Wu, RZA track’. He’s not wrong: the ’90s kids are grown up sufficiently to pine for the past, and this brand of nostalgia and gimmick-free hip hop strikes right at their FUBU-clad core. Old lyrics are reworked, talk of ‘legacy’ and ‘memory’ is rife, and ODB’s unmistakable whinny is the first voice that hits your ears, taking you right back to another era. Despite tight-knit production, this is nothing extraordinary. Although there are a couple of standouts, the supposedly final album for one of hip hop’s most prolific supergroups sounds more like a death rattle than an apotheosis.

AMELIA ZHOU

NIC LINEY

WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU

L I F E S T Y L E & C U LT U R E

As one half of 2Cellos, the last few years have been quiet eventful for Stjepan Hauser. World tours, sharing the stage with music legends, and two successful albums - not too shabby for someone who’s rapid rise to prominence (beginning with a YouTube clip) surprised even him. With an Australian tour beginning in Perth early next year and a new album on the way, we speak to Stjephan Hauser on how it feels to have a foot in both the worlds of classical and pop. From his earliest years in Croatia, Hauser found himself immersed in music. “My family was always surrounded by music. My mother used to play percussion, my father guitar, my sister played violin, my brother trombone, and my older brother also played cello. It was a musical family.” It was the cello that drew him as well. “I was attracted to the cello because the sound is so beautiful. Its warm, and so gentle... its, how you say, closest to the human voice. As soon as I heard it I was attracted by the sound.” As for the other half of 2Cellos, “We knew each other since we were teenagers, but we started working together three and a half years ago. We always wanted to work together , but we were studying in different countries. It was when he (Luka Sulic) came to London for his Masters we finally started.” In 2011 they posted a clip of themselves performing their cover of Michael Jackson’s Smooth Criminal. It launched 2Cellos, with the clip going viral almost overnight. “We wanted to expand our creativity, our horizons. We were only playing classical music all our lives, and we

felt restricted. We wanted to explore more. We always loved different kinds of music - pop, rock, film - and we wanted to make something new and exciting and crazy to attract a wider audience, especially a younger audience, to this instrument. Many people don’t know of all the possibilities the cello has.” Though they were prepared for success, the actual speed of their success surprised them. “It was like a dream come true for us. We didn’t know it was going to have an effect so quickly. We thought we were going to have to do more videos, but overnight everything changed. It is amazing how quickly all these influential people noticed the video, as the offers started coming in the next day.” The duo has a rather eclectic repertoire. They have supported acts from Elton John to Red Hot Chilli Peppers and released versions of songs from bands as diverse as Coldplay, NIN, Muse, and Iron Maiden. “We don’t like to divide music into categories. Anything we play is the same for us, equally enthusiastic and passionate. In classical music you don’t do a show as much. Now we have to engage the audience, to entertain all the thousands of people in a big stadium. So you have to be more of a showman.” DAVID O’CONNELL

2Cellos play at the Perth Concert Hall on Tuesday, January 6. Book via Ticketek.

WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU

A R T S & C U LT U R E

Midi Skirt

STYLIN’ NEW YEARS EVE The 2014 Way Why not pay fashion props to some of the years most popular looks on December 31? Go out with a bang, and take one of 2014’s top trends for a last lap around the block. Are those your undies, or are you just happy to see me? The underwear-as-outwear look peaked in 2014. For inspiration, well, there are too many music videos to list. Everybody wanted to shake it in briefs this year. Sheer lace on top proved a popular way to transform the style into a (slightly) more subtle statement. See-

Sustainable house

GREEN SCENE Sustainable Living Sustainable, environmentally friendly living has become a significant part of the renting, buying and building market. No longer viewed as the domain of hippies and dreamers, reducing the environmental impact of your home is now considered a clever, rational approach to the property scene. This is good news, because it means any eco queries you have are going to be addressed and taken seriously by even the most traditional of thinkers. 20

FILM

through skirts and dresses worn with a well-chosen pair of pants (remember, glamorous versions of high cut granny knickers, people) could make for a saucy New Years Eve ensemble. The Midi skirt sat at the far end of the fashion spectrum from the barely-there underwear trend. Mid-length skirts were quite glam in 2014, often flared, full fabric indulgences. Whatever the colour or print, length was more the focal point. If there’s a bold skirt buried in the back of your wardrobe that involves channelling a flower (in the best possible way), dig it out, and consider looking bloomin’ lovely again this New Years Eve. Remember how excited some people got about Normcore? Which seemed to be mostly about looking, um, kind of dull? If the whole New Years Eve fashion challenge is proving too much, throw on nondescript pieces in monotone shades from the back of your wardrobe (or your parents’), call it a tribute to Normcore 2014, and boring styling will be awarded an instant upgrade, becoming the physical embodiment of fashion’s recent introspective phase. Tre deep, considering you’re partying in trackie pants. Shorts and jeans got a lift in 2014, with high waisted denim filling Instagram feeds. Ironically, while waistlines took off for the heavens (or more accurately, the edge of ribs on the vertically challenged), the bottom of some shorts barely made it over butt cheeks. Wherever they ended, tight or with a touch of flare, this trend was all about the waist. If high waisted jeans or shorts have been faithful fashion companions this year and you’re not ready to break up, take them along into 2015. Ah, the Wob. Great for Aussie weather, the wavy bob proved perfect for West Australian beach lovers. The look also suited those who couldn’t face the heat of a blow dry/hair straightening experience on hot days. If your New Years Eve celebrations are bound to get a little adventurous, maybe try a wild wob to finish out the year in a gorgeous, messy way (just to be clear, we’re only talking about hair here). The bold lip was big this year. While a cherry kiss will always be “in,” 2014 also saw a tangerine tantrum take place on mouths. Bold, on trend, and super stylish, just right shades of orange were spotted on the runway and red carpet to pretty fantastic effect. Forget coral disasters of the past; these new interpretations work. Be inspired by 2014’s It Girls and give apricot kisses a whirl on New Years Eve. GILLIAN O’MEAGHER

Living smarter is one way to look at the concept of sustainability, in regards to real estate. This isn’t an altruistic indulgence; elements like energy efficiency aren’t just good for the environment, but also for your bills. Heating and cooling costs can make a dent in any budget when WA’s hot and cold seasons are in full swing. Solar panels, water tanks, and interior elements that have efficient energy ratings (like washing machines and refrigerators) all make a difference. If you’re building, think about double glazing and insulation. Take the time to really investigate all the factors that can make your home an eco-friendly, sustainable place to live. Those counting coins might shy from spending money on what they mistakenly view as less important aspects, but this is a shortsighted perspective you’ll regret every time bills roll in. Don’t make the mistake of underestimating the long term benefits of certain choices during construction. Build smart. A relevant part of sustainability in WA is taking the sun into account; the direction the property is facing, the location of windows, and shading. Concrete, bricks, and flooring all play a part as well, so be sure to properly read up on why these elements matter so much, and how they relate to your current real estate interest. Renters should research sustainable changes they can make, with landlord permission, and look into any current rebates the government may offer landlords for alterations to the property that increase sustainability (hey, you never know). An online hotspot to check out would be the Alternative Technology Association (ATA), a not-for-profit organisation focused on increasing sustainability in the community. Vegetable gardens have become more popular, with many subsidising their dining table intake with produce grown at home. Eating a salad you grew yourself is ridiculously satisfying. If this idea might appeal, even at a later date, check first to see if the owners of the property you’re hoping to rent would be amenable to you turning part of the outdoor space into a functioning vegetable garden. If building, be sure to include appropriate space for the possibility. (Also look at researching a composting system viable for your needs.) If you have the space, and the inclination, look into the logistics of a keeping a few chickens as well. (The WA Department of Agriculture And Food website will answer a lot of your queries about the requirements for backyard poultry care.) The great news is there are so many sites online that can help answer your eco-related questions. And these days, real estate agents, property managers and architects are generally happy to answer any sustainability questions you have in regards to property and design. GILLIAN O’MEAGHER

NEWS

EVENTS

FAS H I O N

GET WET! Beachwear 2015 Get yourself beach ready with these bather selections that are hot in store and on the shore – from the classic triangle two-piece, to the ultra-modern tankini. PENNY LANE reports. Xanadu The Label Eighty Mile Beach Bikini Knitting’s cool, younger sister is making a comeback on the beaches of Australia. The white crochet bikini is the perfect seaside staple, and with most of them handmade, you know you’re wearing a one-of-a-kind. Opt for the authentic, rather than the fake lyrca-style.

Easy Lover

Amore & Sorvete Easy Lover Strap up with a high-waisted bottom that’ll have your bum looking divine. We love the criss-cross detail on the sides of these Easy Lover bikini bottoms. Wear if you’re feeling a little devilish, have a flat stomach, and want to create some endless curves. Quicksilver’s Platypus Amphibian shorts For the guy who loves the water just as much as the bar, these boardies double as some nice casual shorts, dry superfast, and are ridiculously comfy. Wear them wet or dry. Seafolly Bandwave Feeling a little nostalgia for VCRs and block colour screens? So are we. Let us reminisce with the Bandwave tank and hipster pant, a kaleidoscope of ‘80s memory.

Tigerlily La Casita Apron Get a taste of Turkey with this Tigerlily two piece. The exotic number oozes Mediterranean vibes – its Spanish and Turkish-inspired tile print will have you wishing that you were partying on an island in Greece, but will do just as well poolside, right at home.

El Current shorts

Lululemon El Current Short II Do you like to sweat? Nuh, didn’t think so. But unless you’re some weird non-sweating human being, the salty speckles of liquid that ooze from your skin when you work out are inevitable. However, Lululemon’s new El Current Shorts will have you sweat-ready. Lightweight, four-way stretch fabric dries quickly and holds its shape, and bonded seams help to keep nasty chafing at bay. Topanga Tie Dye Bikini Top and Bottom Bring back tie dye with a blue tie-dye print bikini. Topanga’s features a super flattering cut, contrasting black piping, and adjustable shoulder straps.

All About Eve

Seafolly Block Party Sleeveless Rash Vest Talking about rashies, we couldn’t go passed Seafolly’s Charlie’s Angels-meets-scuba queen sleeveless rash vest. Its thick black zip, racer back and cropping at the waist makes it one hell-of-a-sexy-scuba vest. We’re impressed… and well… a little turned on.

All About Eve Neo Geo Crop Rashie The rashie has been given one hell of a makeover this year, so expect to see new forms, new patterns and sexy new styles to hit our shores. All About Eve’s super cool long-sleeved rashie comes in a fun multi-coloured geometric print that’ll dazzle even the brightest of fishes. become a camp counsellor. They organise a lot of the tedious tasks involved with trying to work overseas such as the Working Visa. They also tend to pay higher than the other companies out there. iep.com.au/summercampusa.

Summer Camp

SUMMER CAMP USA 2006 took JESSICA PASCO on one of the very best experiences of her life. It was then that her love for travel became her life’s passion. My Application At the end of 2005 I applied to be a Summer Camp Counsellor through the International Exchange Program (IEP) in Australia. The application process requests that you compile a bunch of photographs that show you actively demonstrating your expertise. So I included pictures of me in my job as a swimming instructor as well as playing ball games with some of my younger cousins. Once you submit your application to IEP, everything is out of your hands. IEP submit your application and from there it is up to the American Camp Recruiters/ Owners/ Managers to select you depending on the needs of their camp. A call came through to say I had been accepted as a Swimming Instructor and Lifeguard on a camp in Torrington, Connecticut. *Applications close 31 December 2014. Why International Exchange Program (IEP) I would highly recommend IEP to anyone looking to

WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU

Camp Life This really does depend on the camp you are placed in. On arrival, my first week at camp was a ‘get to know you session’ as the first week was only Counsellors and no Campers, however all of the waterfront staff were required to complete and pass the ‘American Lifeguard Association Course’. My camp had an age range of six year-olds to 17 year-olds and was both male and female. Camp ran for a period of eight weeks with parent day falling mid-way through. As a Specialised Camp Counsellor, my role was to teach the kids at camp how to swim and to complete specific milestones allowing them to pass their swimming stage. As a Waterfront Counsellor, we were probably the busiest of all counsellors on camp. During breaks from activities at camp, waterfront staff we routinely rostered on so that the pool and lake could remain open for the campers. Camp days ran to schedule, allowing the campers to stick to a routine. The flag was raised every morning and National Anthem sung followed by breakfast and then activities began for the day. Camp Counsellors were allowed to go into town to the nearby bar once the campers were getting ready for bed. Some Counsellors were put on bunk duty, which meant they would have to stay outside the bunks to make sure the kids went to sleep. Others were put on activity duty which meant they would have to stay on camp grounds and help out with camp run activities for the older children. ‘Van nights’ were held three times a week in which the Counsellors could take a van from camp into the local bar, Memories, to party and dance etc. All Counsellors were required to ‘sign in’ by curfew, 1am. Down time During the eight week camp experience, I received five days off camp and one overnight stay away from camp. Many of the American Counsellors were quite willing to provide their cars to us foreigners for our days off, which was extremely kind of them and very helpful. Whatever you choose to do, just adds to the experience that is camp. The Experience If you are looking to work hard, have fun, make lifelong friends and enjoy making memories of an experience you would otherwise never have, then the USA Summer Camp experience is for you. I’m still in contact with friends from Camp, they are the only ones who will truly understand the experience. I cannot recommend camp enough, if you are considering it, do it, do it now. You won’t regret it!

A R T S & C U LT U R E

FILM

NEWS

EVENTS

FAS H I O N

COURTYARD CLUB SERIES CLOSING NIGHT PARTY The State Theatre Centre Courtyard Friday, December 19, 2014

Bob Brown

BOB BROWN TO OPEN PERTH WRITERS FESTIVAL While it is unfortunate that the originally scheduled speaker, Geoffrey Robertson QC, has had to withdraw from the proceedings, it’s a rare cloud that lacks a silver lining Former Greens Leader Bob Brown will now make the McCusker Charitable Foundation Opening Address at the 2015 Perth Writers Festival. This will take place at the University Of Western Australia’s Octagon Theatre on Thursday, February 19, from 7pm. Ticket holders for the cancelled Geoffrey Robertson event will be contacted to organise an exchange or refund. For further information, contact the Festival Info Centre on 08 6488 5555.

It was goodbye to the Courtyard Club Series a n d g o o d b y e t o RT R Breakfast presenter Peter Barr. A horde of festive folk converged on the STC to get serenaded by The Community Supergroup, featuring Mathas, Empty, Archi, YLEM, Diger Rokwell, Archi, Ofa Fotu, and the Boost Hero Man.

Ai-ling, Adam

Cale, Alex

Holly, Merran, Rhian, Tash

Photos by Rachael Barrett

Seth, Andrew

Shannan, Shaun

The Community Supergroup

HISTORIC PHOTOS HIT THE NET The Western Australian Museum website is now hosting a collection of historic photos that detail Australian life at the dawn of the 20th century. Five thousand images by Goldfields shutterbugs John Joseph Dwyer and Thomas Faulkner Mackay describe everyday life in turn of the century Kalgoorlie and its environs, showing the rise of the mining industry, the growth of the town, and the people who lived and worked there. This is part of the Museum’s ongoing effort to make their extensive collections more accessible to the public, and is only the first of many such collections to be uploaded. Go to museum.wa.gov.au to check it out.

Those Who Fall In Love Like Anchors Dropped Upon The Ocean Floor

BLUE ROOM THEATRE AWARDS ANNOUNCED Those Who Fall In Love Like Anchors Dropped Upon The Ocean Floor took out four of the nine awards at the 2014 Blue Room Theatre Awards on Tuesday, December 16, including Best Production, Best Performance for Ben Mortley, Best Design for India Mehta and the Members Choice Award. Other winners include Werewolf Priest! (Best Host), RabbitHead (Best Publicity), This Is Not A Love Song (Audience Development Award), Giving Up The Ghosts (Best Writing - Sarah Young) and Status Room (Best Production Team - Daisy Sanders). Heartfelt congratulations all ‘round.

Missing Lives

MISSING LIVES FOUND IN BROOKFIELD PLACE Missing Lives, an exhibition of work by award-laden British photographer Nick Danziger, is on at Brookfield Place this January. The photos on display document the countless people affected by ethnic conflicts in Serbia, Croatia and Bosnia as they wait for news about loved ones who are still missing. This exhibition, put together by the International Committee Of The Red Cross, will be touring Western Australia throughout 2015/2016, starting in Brookfield Place from January 5 until January 30. Entry is free. WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU

WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU

A R T S & C U LT U R E

FILM

NEWS

EVENTS

FA S H I O N

Eastend Cabaret, appearing at Fringe World

VISUAL ARTS Factory 718: Buratti Fine Arts Australian esoteric artists Barry William Hale and Robert Buratti take their inspiration from the visual elements of Taoist thought and faith in this unique collaboration. Taking its name from the hub of Beijing’s art scene, the exhibition showcases a variety of works and forms, including calligraphy, automatic drawing, paper cut, painting and sculpture. It runs until Wednesday, December 31. Go to buratti.com. au for more info. Treasures Of The Jewish Ghetto Of Venice: The Art Gallery Of Western Australia A selection of incredible works that were hidden from Nazi forces during World War 2 are now on display at AGWA courtesy of Venetian Heritage. Marking the 500th anniversary of Venice’s’ Jewish Ghetto, this exhibition has been displayed in Vienna, New York, Houston and Venice, and now comes to Perth. It includes numerous silver and bronze artifacts used for Jewish worship and ritual purposes. The exhibition runs until March 16. Go to artgallery.wa.gov.au for more information.

Presented by Black Swan State Theatre Company and Fringe World, it runs from Thursday, January 15, to Saturday, February 8. Summer Nights: The Blue Room Theatre Presented as part of Fringe World, this short season of idiosyncratic stage performances brings you a smorgasbord of edgy theatre from January 23 until February 21. For tickets and information, go to blueroom.org.au.

FESTIVALS Fringe World 2015 From Friday, January 23, until Saturday, February 22, Perth comes alive with the best and most outrageous comedy, burlesque, circus, dance, theatre and more! For the full program go to fringeworld.com.au

Rebirth: The Art Gallery Of Western Australia Japanese artist Mariko Mori has created Rebirth, an immersive experience comprised of installations, LED sculptures, photographs, drawings and videos. It’s on display from February 8 - June 29. For more information, go to artgallery.wa.gov.au The Visitors: John Curtin Gallery Celebrated Icelandic artist Ragnar Kjartansson presents his ambitious nine channel music video installation to Perth as part of the Perth International Arts Festival. It runs from Thursday, February 12, until Sunday, May 16. Go to johncurtingallery.curtin.edu.au for more information. The Giants, appearing at Perth International Arts Festival

Perth International Arts Festival 2015 Perth’s premiere celebration of art of all genres and forms runs across multiple venues from Friday, February 13, until Saturday, March 7. Highlights this year include The Giants, the excellent range of films at the Lotterywest Festival Films Season and musical performances from Sinead O’Connor, Rufus Wainwright, J Mascis, Mogwai and more. Go to perthfestival.com.au for more information.

Lost Treasures Of The Jewish Ghetto Of Venice

THEATRE/DANCE/ PERFORMANCE The Night Zoo: Spare Parts Puppet Theatre This delightful stage production incorporates puppetry, dance and animation to tell the story of young Jamie’s adventures with the animals in the Night Zoo. Suitable for all ages, it runs until January 31. Go to sppt.asn.au Venus In Fur: State Theatre Centre A New York playwright and an actress get caught up in a fiery and destructive relationship that explores notions of domination and power in this work from writer David Ives and director Lawrie Cullen-Tait.

The Night Zoo

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

WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU

A R T S & C U LT U R E

FILM

NEWS

EVENTS

FAS H I O N

FILM

THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES Dungeons & Drudgery Directed by Peter Jackson Starring Martin Freeman, Ian KcKellan, Richard Armitage, Luke Evans So, prequel trilogies, yeah? While ostensibly set in the same world as the Lord Of The Rings films and fleshing out the adventures and histories of some of the same characters, it has become more and more apparent as time progresses that the Hobbit films are, in fact, the functional opposite of director Peter Jackson’s earlier cinematic triumph. The Hobbit is twee where Rings was sombre (or at least took itself seriously), cartoonish where it was painterly, rushed where it was thoughtful and - most importantly - boring where it was engaging. There’s a lot of action and spectacle in The Battle Of The Five Armies and while some of it is well staged, very little of it means anything. After the dragon Smaug is summarily despatched by Bard The Bowman (Luke Evans), all eyes turn to the Lonely Mountain and the treasure that lies within. Newly minted dwarf king Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) doesn’t feel like sharing, but the elves want their cut, while the refugees from the burned out husk that used to be Laketown are in need of some seed money. Before too long the orcs show up to sow a bit of chaos and it’s on for young and old. Peter Jackson has clearly hit the point in his career where he needs someone on staff whose sole function is to tell him to get his hand off it. Five

Armies is almost completely undone by Jackson’s self-indulgence, handicapped by frustratingly bad pacing and a shocking disregard for tonal consistency - Jackson’s propensity for cutting from grim battlefield carnage to slapstick comedy does him no favours here. Though it’s bookended by a dragon-slaying and a royal rumble, the film spends far too much time spinning its wheels while Thorin goes mad with “dragon sickness” and we get treated to an odd Avengers-style team up between Gandalf (Ian McKellan), Saruman (Christopher Lee), Galadriel (Cate Blanchett) and Elrond (Hugo Weaving) that adds little. By the time hordes of orcs are bouncing off ranks of elves and dwarves, the excitement comes from knowing it’ll all be over soon (but not too soon - it is, after all, 144 minutes long). Long, leaden and moribund, The Battle Of The Five Armies squanders all the goodwill and wonder that Jackson had built up with his first three excursions to Middle Earth. You could make the argument that The Hobbit is a children’s text, but Jackson’s insistence on tying his adaptation so closely to the larger story sinks that excuse. This is lazy, pompous, tone deaf filmmaking and, though it’s certain there are some people out there who will like it, they’re going to spend a goodly chunk of time in the future making excuses as to why. TRAVIS JOHNSON

BIG HERO 6 Domo Aragato, Mr Roboto Directed by Don Hall and Chris Williams Starring Ryan Potter, Scott Adsit, TJ Miller, Jamie Chung, James Cromwell Once Disney bought Marvel Comics lock stock and barrel, corporate synergy made it inevitable that the House of the Mouse’s animation studio would one day bring their vast talents to bear on some kind of Marvel IP. What was surprising was that their first effort would be centred on a fairly obscure superhero team, Big Hero 6. In an inspired move, the creative team stripped the property down to its bare bones and rebuilt it as a coming of age fable about loss, resiliency, friendship and healing. And it’s great. In the cultural mashup city of San Fransokyo, young robotics prodigy Hiro Hamada (Ryan Potter) is helped through his grief over his big brother’s death by Baymax (Scott Adsit), his brother’s robotics project. Baymax is essentially a kind of robot nurse, but when Hiro discovers that a super villain may be responsible for his brother’s death, he rebuilds Baymax into a fighting machine, also recruiting his brothers university friends to his cause. What follows is both a big, bright, brash adventure and a quite touching meditation on grief and anger. As a Disney animated project, there was never any doubt that Big Hero 6 was going to look great, but the design here is really singular,

WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU

incorporating Japanese design elements and futurist lines to create something simultaneously fresh and familiar. It’s a triumph of world building, giving the audience the sense that there is a fully realised universe outside the frame - a trick often attempted, rarely achieved. That attention to design extends to the characters, with Baymax being the most obvious example. He’s a ridiculously huggable and appealing figure, even when squeezed into his battle armour in the latter part of the film. But he’s also emblematic of how the film as a whole differentiates itself form the recent glut of super hero narratives. Central to this is the idea that Baymax is not a fighter, he is a healer, and from that key notion flows a number of interesting ideas about the nature of heroism. Most importantly, Big Hero 6 isn’t so much about punishing the bad guy as nurturing the hero, which is a refreshing change of pace. For all that, it’s still an excellent action comedy laugh-out-loud funny and fist-pumpingly exciting in all the right places, so there’s plenty of pure entertainment if that’s all you’re after. But the longevity of Big Hero 6, if it has any, will be down to the deeper ideas it explores and how they resonate with the under-12s who will flock to it this summer. TRAVIS JOHNSON

A R T S & C U LT U R E

FILM

NEWS

EVENTS

FAS H I O N

FILM

WE ARE THE BEST Punk’s Not Dead... Directed by Lukas Moodysson Starring Mira Barkhammar. Mira Grosin, Liv LeMoyne

Mr Turner

MR TURNER Pretty As A Picture Directed by Mike Leigh Starring Timothy Spall, Dorothy Atkinson, Marion Bailey, Paul Jesson Mike Leigh once again returns to the realm of historical biopic. This time he cover the life of the celebrated British painter J.M.W. Turner. Mr Turner not only looks at the last 25 years of Turner’s professional life, but also his personal proclivities and secret relationships. It is a sprawling work that talks about the price of fame, the whims of fashion and the transcendence of art. Mike Leigh manages to bring both painter and paintings to life in this extraordinary film. Magnificently shot and framed, every scene already looks a picture, so when there is a sequence that directly replicates one of Turner’s images, it is not jarring in a deliberately staged way (The Fighting Temeraire being a prime example). Instead it gives the audience a chance to admire the art (of both the painter and the director) without interrupting the flow of the piece. It is a world full of smoke and dust, making the audience conscious of the light, lending a dreamlike quality to images, but also reminding us of the industry that is encroaching on this age.

By contrast it is also a world populated by grotesques and parodies, yet strangely feeling entirely accurate to the period (early 1800s). It is a warts and all approach that is taken somewhat literally, playing in juxtaposition to the artifice of the mannered society through which Turner navigates, be that with his peers or his patrons. Leigh manages this blend of elements with a deft hand, producing a harmonious balance in his exploration of Turner’s life and work. It may lack a solid narrative to draw an audience through, but it covers the major life events of the artist, giving us a feel for his character and work while never feeling lost. A substantive part of this is Timothy Spall. It is amazing how Spall’s performance, consisting of a hundred variations of grunts, growls and glares produces a fully realised, nuanced and insightful portrayal of the artist. It is mesmerising. His guttural utterances ground to his roots in an age of shifting social mobility and class consciousness, and Spall takes great delight demonstrating playing Turner as cantankerous, brilliant, driven, unapologetic, lecherous and at times desperate for love. He is ably assisted in this by a solid cast, especially by Dorothy Atkinson and Marion Bailey. Often a more admirable film rather than a likeable one, it is still a carefully constructed work of art, demonstrating the genius of director, artist and main actor alike. DAVID O’CONNELL

Swedish director Lukas Moodysson goes back to the ‘80s in this coming of age tale. Based on his wife’s graphic novel (Never Goodnight by Coco Moodysson) We Are The Best shows a trio of teen girls holding onto the vestiges of punk at the dawn of the era of new Wave and yuppies. Growing up is never easy, especially for Bobo and Klara. It’s 1982 in Stockholm and both teen girls are fans of punk, even though it is apparently dead. Ostracised and misunderstood by classmates and teachers alike, the pair decide to form a punk band. Just one problem: neither can play a note. When the deeply religious and musically talented Hedvig crosses their path they see a solution to their problems. If only they can get her to become a punk. More of a slice of life than a coherent narrative, We Are The Best meanders as it tells its basic tale. What it does show is the life and friendship of three girls and how music is an important part of their transition into adulthood. There are the bones of a tale here, but it gets so caught up in the day to day lives of the girls that it often gets lost. Still it presents Moodysson the opportunity to play around with some of the expectations of the genre to good effect. It’s just that the film lacks focus in this regard and tends to wander, causing the pace to drag at times. Yet it is very hard to condemn something about punk for being unfocused, anarchic and messy - that’s the very ethos of old school punk. Instead We Are The Best channels that ethos to give the film an

WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU

energy and vibrancy, granting moments of joy, insight or nostalgia. It is nostalgia that this film needs to rely on. For the audience to make a genuine connection to the characters there really needs to be some connection to the music and the alternative culture. Its brashness and energy melds with the characters, giving this teenage drama some much needed life. The girls and the punk ethos are closely tied, as in their search for identity they have branded themselves to this tribe. They expound rebellion without having any grounding in politics or pure dedication to cause (a few buzz words about social justice is enough to scam them some free fries from a fast food counter). They are enthusiastic and confident about their band, despite never playing an instrument before. They are at that crossroads when they are little balls of hormones, full of passion and intensity as they seek to form their own identity in the world, but still with the wants and impatience of children. All tied together with school, friends, family, body image and blossoming sexuality. A film for all of us that have growled along to a Dead Kennedys song, or had this band as their housemates. DAVID O’CONNELL

We Are The Best screens at Somerville from Monday, December 29, until Sunday, January 4, and ECU Joondalup Pines from Tuesday, January 6, until Sunday, January 11, as part of Lotterywest Festival films. Go to perthfestival.com.au for more information.

YO U R G U I D E TO W H AT ’ S O N T H I S F E S T I V E S E A S O N

VINTAGE STIRLING

P-FUNKED

The eighth edition of the City of Stirling’s annual Summerset Arts Festival is set to bet he biggest yet, with over fifty events to tempt revelers of all ages. The month-long party will kick off with a Seaside Carnival at Scarborough Beach on Saturday, January 17. The beach is also host to the Sunset Veranda, which will be a hub of Fringe World activity, with kids events and the closing party with The Preatures and Kim Churchill also highlights on the programme. Find information and tickets at summersetartsfestival.com.au.

The legendary Funk Club New Year’s Eve countdown brings the beats to the beach for the only NYE party where you can get your toes in the sand. This year, they’ll be toting three stages including a licensed beach bar, food trucks and a champagne bar. A huge crew of international and national stars will be getting your night going, including Charli 2na (Jurassic 5), the legendary 9-piece Melburnian partystarters Saskwatch and Rahsaan Ahmed. Tickets from funkclubtix.com.au and the venue.

The Preatures

Saskwatch

AN ABBA YEAR’S EVE ABBA tribute band Bjorn Again will be performing for one night only at the El Caballo Resort NYE Concert in Perth’s Eastern Hills on Wednesday, December 31, alongside Perth showband, LA Gold. Guests can enjoy a picnic under the stars alongside a buffet dinner before catching the show, or be wined and dined like a VIP star at an exclusive cocktail party. For ticket information visit elcaball.com.au.

Davey Craddock in St George’s College Dining Hall, Hush

Bjorn Again

SILENT HOUSE The Fringe Award-winning Hush series of concerts will return to stir hearts and ruffle emotions, showcasing the best of WA songwriting in intimate, quiet and decidedly un-pub-like environs. This year, an all-star lineup will expose their souls and songs within the historic surrounds of the St George’s College Dining Hall at UWA. Hush will get low (volume) on Friday, January 30, (with Abbe May, Mathas, Odette Mercy and Davey Craddock & The Spectacles) and Friday, February 6, (with San Cisco’s Jordi Davieson & Josh Biondillo, Felicity Groom, Timothy Nelson and The Wilds). Tickets available from Thursday, December 11, from facebook.com/hushconcert.

WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU

A preview of everything happening in the Perth scene this August! advertise: advertising@xpressmag.com.au

STUDIO 54 WHERE ARE YOU? Malt Supper Club goes Studio 54 on New Year’s Eve. From 8pm a $140 tickets will get you four hours of drinks and canapes. Plus there’s amazing entertainment from Flava and Inferno, plus DJs Maxwell, Oh Dear! and the Champagne Room calling to you until 3am. For ticketing and inquires contact 9227 7555 or events@ maltsupperclub.com.au. Studio 54, it’s the only place to dance!

WILD COLONIAL BEER

Flava

COURTING NYE Are you ready to bring in the New Year with the biggest party on Beaufort Street? Rip off your bed sheet and tie it around your body. You guessed it, it’s The Court’s NYE Toga Frat Party! Check out the four massive zones we have on offer... Bust out some moves in the Front Bar with the Court Cheerleaders; get hot hot hot in the jock locker room Cocktail Bar, with DJ Angry Budu bringing you R&B all night long. If it’s all night, it’s alright! Chill out in the Beer Garden whilst playing some old time favourite Frat Party games. In The Overflow, it’s the biggest dance party of the year, with DJs Timbee, Wasteland, Sir Clancelot and P Lilly smashing out the tunes, plus shows by Hannah Conda and the girls. If Toga is not your thing come dressed as FOUNTAIN OF GOTH a burly footballer or sexy cheerleader. Better start Self-proclaimed Californian purveyors of all things ‘beach goth’, The Growlers will be tearing through WA hunting for that costume now so you can lock in that in support of their latest and greatest album, Chinese Fountain. With a live show honed to the point of first kiss of 2015! perfection by playing over a hundred and fifty shows every year, things will be getting sunburnt and sweaty Tickets available through Eventbrite. $25 over at the Dunsborough Tavern on Saturday, January 17, and on Sunday, January 18, at the Bakery. Tickets presale, $30 on the door if not sold out from oztix.com.au and nowbaking.com.au respectively. The Growlers

Hannah Conda Photo: Angelo DiBenedetto

WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU

Last week after almost a year of waiting the team at Colonial Brewing Co. in Margaret River pressed the start button on their very own canning machine. The brewery team have been working really hard to perfect the process and there has been ‘plenty of geeking out, late nights and some loving tweaking’ to get it right. The decision to put Colonial in a can was driven by a great number of things, not the least of which is that cans, for beer, are like ‘a protective suit of armour’ – shielding the precious contents from heat, oxygen and light. The highly recyclable nature of cans makes them great for the environment, and transport emissions are lower, too, as they weigh a lot less than beer in glass bottles. They also hark back to simpler times and suit the Colonial Brewery Co. philosophy. Cans of Colonial Draught are available at their Margaret River Brewery and soon at your favourite good beer stockists. Read more about it on the Colonial Brewery Co. website. Colonial Draught

CASTAWAY ANOTHER DAY Due to unforseen circumstances, the Rotto-centric Castaway Festival is moving from Saturday, January 25, to Sunday, February 15. All the originally scheduled acts, including Peking duk, Carmada, Benson and Yeo, are making the jump, with the exception of Bag Raiders. For full info go to castawayfestival.com.

YO U R G U I D E TO W H AT ’ S O N T H I S F E S T I V E S E A S O N

KNIVES OUT Beloved by everyone from Kurt Cobain to your weird aunt, Japanese twee-pop lifers Shonen Knife are finally making their long-awaited return to Perth. The trio will hit the Astor Lounge on Wednesday Jan 23 to show off their nineteenth studio album Overdrive, which filters their off-kilter songwriting through the bizarro excess of ZZ Top and heavy glam. Spanish two-piece noiseniks Za! and local heroes The Community Chest are set to support. Tickets from showticketing.com.au and from the Astor box office.

Bring in the New Year at The Saint with a good ol’ Pirate Party featuring Melbourne Bounce DJs SCNDL plus local DJs Jon Ee and DJ Az-T. There’s $5 Captain Morgan Spiced Gold Rum all night, a fire show, confetti cannons, prizes and giveaways for best dressed. Entry is $15 with ye costume or $25 without ye costume

Shonen Knife

SCNDL

TOMÁS FORD’S CRAP MUSIC RAVE PARTY

THE BASICS Some Country That We Used To Know Armed with a new EP, The Lucky Country, The Basics hit Mojos on Sunday, January 4. AUGUSTUS WELBY reports. The Basics are back with a brand new vengeance. After taking a few years off, in late October the Melbourne three-piece – comprising Kris Schroeder, Tim Heath and Wally de Backer, AKA Gotye – released a new single, The Lucky Country. Lyrically, the song is a blunt assessment of contemporary Australia, which makes it the most outwardly political move of The Basics’ decadespanning career. Thanks to an anthemic backbone, The Lucky Country isn’t overbearing, but with lyrics that describe Australia as a place where ‘pockets are deep, but hearts are empty’, it certainly leaves a sting. X-Press caught up with The Basics’ bass player and vocalist Schroeder to find out what prompted this pointed political outbreak. “I lived for three years in Kenya working with the Red Cross,” he says. “It had just started to come into the warm-up to election season (2013), where all of a sudden the media starts critiquing the current administration. I was looking at the vulnerable people struggling to get by in Africa and then reading this really petty shit that was coming second-hand from Australia and thinking, ‘Fuck, we just come across as such a bunch of spoilt brats’. “We don’t appreciate what we’ve got,” he continues, paraphrasing the song’s powerful bridge. “Someone drops the ball once or twice and all of a sudden they’re out. That reminded me of that quote from Donald Horne’s book The Lucky Country, that ‘Australia is a lucky country run by second-rate people who share in its luck’.” The Lucky Country could come as a surprise to long-time supporters of The Basics. The trio has never settled with just one style – past recordings encompass everything from British Invasion pop to atmospheric alt-rock, reggae, funk and country. But they’ve always opted for feel-good over forceful. “I hadn’t written it as a band song by any means,” Schroeder says. “I wasn’t thinking, ‘I’m going to write this and I’m going to take The Basics in a new direction and it’s going to be political’. I kind of just wrote the song and sent it to Wally and Tim just to say, ‘I’ve written something, finally’, and they were like, ‘Yeah, this is fucking great’. When months later we decided to start playing again, people really responded to it in the live sense and we started 28

looking at recording it.” The Basics’ engagement with Australian politics didn’t stop at The Lucky Country. To coincide with the single’s release and an EP of the same name, the band announced the formation of The Basics Rock’n’Roll Party. Far from an episode of ineffectual egotism, the party actually contested November’s Victorian election, with actor Jamie McCarney up for the Lower House seat of Northcote and Schroeder and Heath having a crack at the Upper House. The party’s parliamentary bid was unsuccessful, but it did strike a preference deal with the Sex Party, which is on course to win a place in the Upper House. “It looks like they actually got in,” says Schroeder. “Our votes were crucial to keeping them in the race, or else Family First would’ve won. “We only got registered at 6pm on the very last day that you can get registered before campaigning starts,” he adds. “We just looked at how we can make the most effective change in the shortest amount of time. I think we did really well in trying to combine the momentum we had with another party of similar-ish values.” The Labor Party took out said election by a hefty margin, which resembled Tony Abbott’s win over the hapless Labor in last year’s federal election. Within months of winning that poll, Abbott was already being labelled the most unpopular Prime Minister in a quarter of a century. One wonders, then, how he managed to win the election so convincingly. For starters, a pervasive societal apathy, mixed with tall poppy syndrome and media manipulation, might’ve had something to do with it. “It’s always weird when people argue about the influence that the Murdoch media has at election time,” Schroeder says. “I’ll have people saying, ‘Yes, I read the Herald Sun, but I’m not influenced by his politics’. That’s bullshit. You might not be influenced by a singular message, but all of those papers and messages put together eventually eroded enough of the confidence in the Gillard Government, or Rudd Government, for you to go, ‘Maybe they are going to ruin our economy’.” Given the Australian public’s swelling distrust and enduring apathy, right now it’s crucial that those in positions to make public broadcasts – such as musicians – stand up and voice their concern. The Lucky Country is a gutsy example of how to do this. However, the song hasn’t made the impact Schroeder hoped it would. “This single has done okay. It should have done better,” he says. “It should have been one of those moments where the Australian media goes, ‘Yes, here’s an opportunity for us to make a statement’, but everyone’s a little bit chicken. If things like this are going to make a difference, it’s really up to the media to look at itself and go, ‘Whose side are we on? Are we going to get behind these kind of questions about how this country is run?’ It’s up to the media to take a chance with the message and start to engage the Australian public. We can only do so much.”

Ending out a year that’s seen it sell-out its whole season at Edinburgh Fringe, double its capacity at Adelaide Fringe, close-out nights for Rottofest and Beaufort Street Festival and two ridiculously ridiculous parties at The Bakery, Tomás Ford’s Crap Music Rave Party is back for it’s last dash for 2014. This party has been expertly timed so you can stagger your hangovers between Christmas and NYE. It’s the day after boxing day. Which gives you a couple of days to knock your Christmas hangover on the head, and then a couple of days to recover before NYE. Expect: party poppers, stupid dancing, early 2000’s R&B, fresh Tomás Ford cover singalongs, bah mitzvah music, peak-cocaine Billy Joel, 80’s sophisti-pop, BANG0RZ, internet controversies, glosticks, faux nu-metal circle pits, The Breakfast Club soundtrack, songs by bands that sound like Cut Copy but who were actually alive in the 80s, hands in the air, Warren G, the lesser hits of S Club 7, the lesser hits of Aqua, the lesser hits of Dannii Minogue... seriously, just whatever you want so long as it sucks.

THE SAINT

NYE 2014/15 MINIFEST Amplifier and The Academy present their NYE 2014/15 Minifest featuring Finders, Pridelands, Cupidfalls, Ratking, This Other Eden, Sanctions, Havoc and Genga, Benny P, KLa, Jamie Mac and Eddie Electric. This line up has everything one needs to celebrate live music in the last hours of 2014 and into the big ONE FIVE. It’s all yours from 8pm on Wednesday, December 31. Free entry from 8-9pm; $15 on a host list; $20 general entry. Finders

Tomás Ford

SOUNDS IN THE VALLEY Lee Kernaghan returns to Perth for Sounds In The Valley, happening at Elmar’s In The Valley, on Australia Day, Sunday, January 25. Joining him will be Adam Brand, The Wolfe Brothers and Perth’s own Magnificent 7 for a top country day out from, 4.30pm. Tickets available from the venue or Ticketmaster.com.au. Lee Kernaghan

BITE HARD

NYE WHITE PARTY White Parties have been held around the world on NYE for centuries, going back to ancient Greece… Not really, but they’re pretty much a tradition and who better to host a White Party than Metropolis Fremantle favourite, Brooke Evers? The club is only just recovering from the last time she came and tore the place up, but what babe would look better in white than the blonde bombshell herself? Tickets available now from Oztix.com.au. Dtuck, DJ Sunich and Sam Spencer provide quality support. Wednesday, December 31, doors open at 10pm. Brooke Evers

WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU

Leederville favorites Bill’s Bar and Bites and The Garden are joining forces for a New Year’s Eve experience big on taste and bigger on soul. With everything from oyster and creviche stations to Cuban sandwiches and nacho pop-ups, there’ll be plenty to line your stomach with, while The Garden DJs and Randa and the Soul Kingdom set their phasers to chilled. It’ll all be going down Wednesday, December 31; head to ticketbooth. com.au for bookings.

RUNNING OF THE BULLS Sanfermines is an eight-day festival of the Running Of The Bulls. Well Halcyon don’t have eight days, so they’re cramming all the festivities into a few hours on News Year’s Eve. Your $120 ticket includes both food and alcohol from 9pm to 12.30pm after which the venue will be open to the public, while DJs play the soundtrack to your final hours of 2014 Grab your ticket from either Oztix.com.au or at the venue whilst enjoying a glass of sangria.

WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU

NEWS

Tomás Ford’s Crap Music Rave Party: End Of Year Ball is set to ruin your good taste at The Bakery on Saturday, December 27, before hitting the road. BOB GORDON checks into the Ford Clinic. Describe the Crap Music Rave Party. What can go wrong? What can go right? I spend the night playing music I genuinely hate, as requested by the audience who write down a huge list of ideas on the paper I have sprawled all over the stage. Me and my transvestite hype man, Ayden Doherty, then proceed to get everyone stupidly hyped up, project silly rave projections, light the crowd with DIY disco lights and generally put the party into maximum overdrive. We do everything in our power to make it the dumbest, funnest night you can have. I’ll play anything so long as it’s crap, but it can’t just be something you don’t like, everyone has to think it’s crap.

INTERVIEWS

REVIEWS

What do we rejoice so much in what we openly acknowledge as crap songs? The crowds I get along to these things are evenly split between people who genuinely love the worst possible shit, and people who know that what they are dancing to is awful. It’s hard to act cool while dancing to the Black Eyed Peas; the music shatters the credibility of everybody in the room, so you’re all on an even playing field. When people don’t care what other people are doing around them, that’s the kind of chaos I’ve always chased.

“The crowds I get along to these things are evenly split between people who genuinely love the worst possible shit, and people who know that what they are dancing to is awful.”

| B E AT S

LIVE

You’re taking this on the road. How does the choice of crap vary from region to region? This show actually takes a lot of research to take on the road - the variety of crap they listen to in the UK is very different from what we listen to here. I was a bit taken aback the first time I did this overseas, actually, I spent about a hundred bucks on iTunes that night just to keep up! The requests tend toward the Europop side of things over there, and crappy trance and rave tracks that I can play in Australia result in musical arguments with passionate ex-gurners. Here, people’s biggest cringes tend to be Australian; Human Nature, Savage Garden, CDB, Daryl Braithwaite, Barnsey, Farnsey and some of the cheesier INXS things - they’ll always get a huge collective groan. And then we scream the words to them. As it turns out, Crazy Frog is universal. Describe how 2014 played out for you... I built a new show, a spy thriller, The Final Chase, which I’m hugely proud of, and is coming to

WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU

VENUES

Subiaco Arts Centre in May. While I was touring that around, I started sliding Crap Music Rave Party into festivals alongside it as a bit of a laugh and it went nuts. Sold out in Adelaide and we sold almost double the capacity of the room each night in Edinburgh. Both of those festivals are usually a slog, so it was pretty amazing to have something go so nuts at those and actually come away in the black for a change! I didn’t heavily market the parties either - people just seem to love this concept. I got to take my cabaret shows around Melbourne, London, Dublin and a surprisingly kickass residency in Rockingham, too. 2015. What do you make of it? 2015 is gently terrifying - these parties make a lot more touring possible, and I love that, so my schedule is starting to get pretty hectic. I’m taking this and my other shows on the road to Adelaide, Melbourne, London, Brighton and some insane European touring that I’m not allowed to talk about yet. Not to mention Edinburgh, where I’ll be taking these parties into a huge nightclub and actually advertising them this year!

NEWS

INTERVIEWS

REVIEWS

| B E AT S

LIVE

EVENTS

Neneh Cherry | Photo: Mondino

NENEH CHERRY Moving House Neneh Cherry and RocketNumberNine will perform at the Perth International Arts Festival’s Chevron Festival Gardens on Saturday, February 28, and Sunday, March 1. BOB GORDON speaks with the influential singer/songwriter. Neneh Cherry has always lived something of a nomadic existence. Her childhood days were spent in family homes in Hässleholm, Sweden, and New Hampshire, where her stepfather, jazz musician Don Cherry, taught at Dartmouth College. Trips to New York were a constant. By the time she was 14, Cherry moved of her own volition to London, hooking into a music scene spearheaded by the likes of The Slits and X-Ray Spex. She soon joined post punk band, Rip Rig + Panic, who morphed into Float Up CP, but it was as a solo artist that she broke through internationally with her 1989 debut, Raw Like Sushi, and its big hit single, Buffalo Stance, a song that still sounds like a breath of fresh air. When a seven-months-pregnant Cherry performed the song on Top Of The Pops it created quite the controversy. The years, from 1989 to 1996, saw Cherry release two more albums, Homebrew (1992) and Man (1996) and a global 1994 hit with Youssou N’Dour, 7 Seconds. With it came the international lifestyle of a sophisticated pop star. She also started The Cherry Bear Organisation, which backed and oversaw the rise of Massive Attack and Portishead. After the Man album, however, Cherry retreated from public life and the attendant fame to focus on family (she had, after all, won a Brit Award in 1990 only to have it melted down and turned into jewellery). During this time she and her husband, Cameron McVey, and their children lived in Spain, New York and London, before settling back in Cherry’s birthplace, Stockholm. Cherry, however, made a concentrated return to her career in 2014, releasing her first solo album in 18 years, Blank Project. Geographically, things have again taken a turn. “Today I am at home in my living room in London,” she says, cheerily down the phoneline. “I’ve just permanently moved back here; I’ve been living in Sweden for 10 years. I’d been commuting a lot in the last few years, since I’ve started working again with the solo album. So I’m reacclimatising after living in Stockholm… here in London town.” While London seems to make sense purely as a business base, Cherry says there are myriad more reasons for the move. “Well you know, kind of, probably, yes. The foundations of what I do seem to be here. I always come back to London. Cameron and I find that our people are here. Our tribe’s here. We have a phonebook that works here but it’s kind of deeper than that. We find the people to be more connected to us here. “I think Cameron came back about two years ago. We’ve got a production company again like we used to in the old days around that Massive Attack time and post-Raw Like Sushi. We’ve got a similar thing going on now, we’ve revamped Cherry Bear (Organisation). Cameron is very ‘London’ and he functions in a certain way and he couldn’t find his feet, creatively, with his work in Stockholm. So he came back. 32

WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU

“And the work thing aside, now we’re here for the first time the family has sort of gathered, because two of our kids have been here, and my grandson. And then my youngest daughter and I were still in Stockholm, so it kind of makes sense on a lot of levels. “I s’pose I’m renowned for being quite slow… you know, it’s been 18 years since the last solo record and stuff. I feel like, really inspired by what I’m doing now and having a sense of urgency. I mean, we’re kind of starting on another album. So it feels good, like taking away many of the plates that are up in the air that don’t need to be there and keep things simple so it’s easier to just focus on the things on hand that we want to happen.” Part of this comfort can be attributed to The Cherry Thing, a collaborative album that Cherry made with Scandinavian jazz trio, The Thing, which was released in 2012. It’s an album that influenced what Blank Project would become? “I think that it was like such an important thing to make that record,” Cherry says. “I think Blank Project wouldn’t really have happened in the way that it did if The Cherry Thing record hadn’t been made.” “The solo record, of course, was always going to be fuelled by electronics, rather than the sound of the Thing record, which is more of a jazz set up.” Written in the wake of her mother’s passing, Blank Project seems to echo the way in which Cherry was brought up. Wherever the family lived it was an open house, with creative people going back and forth. As a toddler, Cherry was rocked on none other than Miles Davis’ knee. So while the album is ‘solo’ it was co-written by Cherry’s husband McVey, as well as UK writer/producer, Paul Simm. There’s also insight and contributions from producer, Kieran Hebden (Four Tet), RocketNumberNine, Robyn and The Child Of Lov (Dutch musician, Cole Williams, who died shortly after the album was completed). It seems that an open house – and with an open nature – continues to be the way Cherry likes to live and work. “I think so,” she ponders. “I mean, we weren’t even going to make it a solo record, it was going to be a Neneh Cherry/RocketNumberNine collaboration. A lot of thought went into it with a lot of the people who were around, the ‘Think Tank’ were feeling that it had some personal thread that made it a solo record. We worked as though it were a joint thing, but I think I’ve always worked like that. You can collaborate in different ways and of course with me having written the songs and being the lead singer you put yourself out there. But I think I try and do that with everything I do (laughs). I can’t really help it. It’s just the same as being there. “So yes, there’s a lot of similarities that come with the way that I was brought up. I’m kind of recognising that more and more and appreciating having those things. But I think all of it is part of a collaborative effort – if you don’t nurture yourself and take care of your bits then you can’t actively function in that collaboration. What you are as an individual is a really big part of being in a collaboration.”

NEWS

INTERVIEWS

REVIEWS

| B E AT S

LIVE

EVENTS

Illy captured at this year’s Groovin The Moo in Bunbury | Pic: Rachael Barrett

ILLY A Very Good Year It’s been a huge year for Illy, who has been announced as the headliner for Hyperfest 2015 happening on Sunday, March 29, at Midland Oval, along with Make Them Suffer, Japanese Wallpaper and The Bennies. AUGUSTUS WELBY reports. The history of modern Western thought comprises a number of hugely constructive teacher-student relationships. For instance, cast your eyes towards continental philosophy, which has basically progressed by virtue of younger thinkers learning from preeminent elders and subsequently positing their own novel theories. The same could be said about most major 19th and 20th century art movements, and, of course, popular music. Australian hip hop is one genre that continues to cumulatively expand, thanks largely to established artists fostering rising talent and assisting in the development of new genre variations. These days, Melbourne rapper Illy (real name Al Murray) is one of the leading practitioners of the form. Despite his current star status, Illy hasn’t forgotten the tremendous leg-up he got from his predecessors. “I’ve had a lot of people that have helped me and quite a few people who came before me,” he says. “Pegz and Phrase and Daniel Merriweather – I was doing shows with nobody and they helped me out, took me on the road with them. Then after that, Pegz put me on with Obese Records and he sort of showed me some of the ropes. Then more recently, having Drapht and the ‘Hoods as good mates, I know that I’ve still got people that I look up to who give me advice and I’ll listen to them.”

“You have to keep evolving and doing different things. If you just make the same thing over and over again, you’re going to lose touch and then people won’t come back.” It’s been a huge 12 months for Illy, whose fourth LP, Cinematic, came out in November, 2013. Shortly after he released Cinematic, Illy’s 2012 record Bring It Back won the ARIA Award for Best Urban Album. Cinematic then went on to achieve gold sales and the record’s fourth single, Tightrope (featuring San Cisco’s Scarlett Stevens) went platinum. “It’s been such a crazy year,” Illy says. “To think that Cinematic came out a year ago, everything that’s happened since is nuts. It’s just been crazy, it hasn’t really stopped.” Looking at those sales figures, it’s no surprise that Illy’s appearances on this year’s Groovin The Moo tour were feverishly received. He also found time to jump over to Europe in July for a string of dates supporting Hilltop Hoods. This feat is especially noteworthy for Illy, who describes the Hoods as “the undisputed leaders” of Australian hip hop.

“Getting to tour with the Hoods in itself is crazy,” he says. “Getting to do it in Europe is wild. For the first experiences in Europe to be with those dudes, you couldn’t really ask for a better introduction. The boys were saying it was the best response and turnout they’ve had so far, which is awesome.” Illy’s no stranger to presiding over rapturous audiences on his own terms, either. Another unforgettable moment from the rapper’s golden 12 months – one he says will be “very hard to top” – saw him headlining triple j’s One Night Stand in front a crowd of 17,000 people gathered in Victorian outback town, Mildura. Illy’s outstanding success over the last 12 months is indicative of his overall career trajectory. With each successive release, the rapper has climbed higher up the ranks of Aussie hip hop. It’s all happened in a reasonably short amount of time, as well – his debut LP Long Story Short came out in 2009, and since then Illy has scarcely been absent from the stage or the airwaves. “I got told a long time ago that from the moment you have a hit – the moment that you have people caring about your music – it’s just a race against the clock, really,” he says. “It’s a countdown to the day that no-one gives a fuck anymore. So I try to make hay while the sun shines and not be complacent. I try to make the most of this incredible position that I’ve been put in. “You have to keep evolving and doing different things. If you just make the same thing over and over again, you’re going to lose touch and then people won’t come back.” These days, Illy isn’t only kicking goals behind the mic. Prior to the release of Cinematic, he set up his own label, OneTwo. It’s increasingly common for artists to release music through their own labels, but OneTwo isn’t simply dedicated to Illy releases. The label’s roster has grown to include Adelaide (via Melbourne) rapper Allday, who’s also had a pretty unbelievable year. “He’s worked his arse off for it,” says Illy. “It’s great to see it happening. He’s done it on his own terms as well. He’s never really been too involved in the Australian hip hop scene, he’s kind of created his own lane. Some people don’t really appreciate how fucking hard that is. He’s got long hair, he doesn’t make stereotypically Aussie hip hop. That’s a lot harder to do than just follow a formula of Australian hip hop. I think what he’s done this year’s crazy.” Perhaps Illy’s decision to stretch out into label management is motivated by a desire to prolong his career by whatever means necessary. However, he suggests it’s more about taking pride in the genre and preparing the land for the next crop to rise up. “Like I said, I’ve had a lot of people that have helped me and quite a few people who came before me. So OneTwo is trying to do that with the next generation, really. I enjoy doing it and if I do get to be involved in music through that for longer than I can be as an artist, then great. But it’s more altruistic than that.” WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU

NEWS

INTERVIEWS

REVIEWS

| B E AT S

LIVE

VENUES

Rufus - Photo by Jack Lawrence

WONDERLAND The Supreme Court Gardens Saturday, December 20, 2014 The fourth Wonderland festival, befitting the Alice in Wonderland theme, delivered everything including Taro Card readers, silent discos, and hair & make-up stalls. promising the best and brightest festival yet. Undoubtedly, artists and crowd members seemed destined to lose themselves down the rabbit hole. The opening act, King Cactus, helped kick things off with their laid-back, happy-go-lucky glow. The underrated ensemble dove straight into their likeable set, despite the significant lack of crowd members. The group’s blues/reggae/rock style, amplified by a fun-loving attitude, marked a subtle

beginning to the anarchy-fuelled event. The group’s atmospheric vocals and flawless rhythms resonated immediately. Slumberjack - duo Morgan Then and Fletcher Ethers - saw fit to punch this year’s event into overdrive. Remixing a thrilling array of pop, hip hop and RnB tracks, the electronica-dance ensemble gave the ecstatic mosh pit plenty to rave about. Dropping the base instantly, the duo’s scintillating aura kept everyone entertained., with infectious rhythms and thumbing beats reverberating the Courthouse’s foundations. The troupe laid out several big, new-EP hits including Felon and The Others before hitting an already stunned crowd with more familiar sounds. The duo even wove Missy Elliot’s Get Ur Freak On seamlessly into their thunderous, show-stopping finale.

Smash-hit electronic dance troupe Willow Beats hit the stage with grace and vigour. Engaging an already manic mosh pit, Kaylani Ellis and Narayana Johnson switched effortlessly between vocal and deck duties. The group unleashed new EP, Water, upon the festival’s dance floor army. Ellis’ haunting vocals and ethereal and moody stage presence wowed fans and festivalgoers. Their remixed renditions of Elemental and Leo Haze’s Lethal were set highlights. Pushing the crowd through the sweltering hot conditions, Sydney artist Kilter threw sweat, saliva, and raw energy into his Tropicana set. Turning away from Slumberjack and Willow Beats, his first few tracks unleashed a percussive wave upon the exhausted masses. His synthesizer/drumkit set up brought Caribbean vibes to our shores and his enthusiastic performance fused effortlessly with the pacey dubstep backing track. Renditions of They Say, Hold Me and When You Walked In sent

WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU

bursts of energy across the CBD. Of course, 23-year-old hip-hop sensation Allday pushed it one step further. Living up to his remarkable reputation, he received a raucous welcome from Wonderland’s loyal legions. Jumping across the stage, and into the crowd, the ultratalented youngster made his presence known. Sporting flowing locks and a white headband, he led with an impressive cockerel strut and unadulterated enthusiasm. Sharp renditions of Cloud and Claude Monet highlighted his immense rap style and charisma. Motez, following up one of Australia’s most inspired hip-hop acts, needed to make a strong impression. As day turned to night and the sky lit up with neon bulbs and stage-set beams, the remounted house god launched straight into his dynamic and electrifying set. His heavy, rich dubstep openers sent sweat-and-hormonedrenched crowd members into uncontrollable, trance-like fits. His extensive set, blaring explosive dance-floor anthems and pop-electronica remixes - namely Lana Del Ray’s Summertime Sadness and Madison Avenue’s Don’t Call Me Baby - throughout the sunset, kept momentum going. Wave Racer, adding a dolphin theme to this sun-scorched celebration, sent waves of adrenaline across the audience. DJ Thomas Purcell’s searing stage presence and hearty remixes further elevated the crowd’s everlasting anticipation. Despite technical issues, the performer relished the crowd’s overwhelming affection and undying energy levels. His set, featuring unique and uncompromising remixes Rock U Tonite, Don’t Be Shy and Always, infused visceral motifs with catchy hit tunes. Rufus, playing their first Australia performance in several months, marked the climax of this off-the-chain electronic dance spectacular. As a smoke and light show washed over the stage, the boys jumped on stage and dove immediately into show-conquering track Tonight. The group’s haunting vocals echoed longingly across the expansive venue. The entertaining mix of 1980s synthesizer and gritty rock instrumental shocked the inescapably enthralled crowd. As the shoulder-riders and crowd-surfers took hold, the beloved dance troupe pulled off startling renditions of Rendezvous and Sundream. Living up to the hype, the group ended the events with Take Me and Desert Night. Thousands of half-dressed audience members hurriedly shuffled out, changed forever by the unforgettable performances. This Wonderland adventure was truly out of this world. THOMAS MUNDAY

NEWS

INTERVIEWS

REVIEWS

True Science- Photo by Alfred Gorman

TRUE SCIENCE 44th Sunset/The Shops/She Leaves The Mountain Astor Lounge Sunday, December 21, 2014 A unique band that has been on the scene for several years now, True Science have only played a handful of live gigs, preferring to focus on writing, recording and developing their sound, while working with some top shelf producers of international repute. They in fact recently returned from LA where they went to workshop and record new material. Local doom blues duo She Leaves The Mountain got the night off to an impressive start. End Of Fashion guitarist Rodney Aravena’s new project sees him accompanied by the powerhouse vocals of pint sized singer Dimity. Keep an eye out for these guys. The Shops followed up and took things in a more lo-fi indie direction, playing a delightfully shambolic, yet tight set of laidback rock, with melodic guitar and the gruff vocals of Sean Gorman, underpinned by a tight rhythm section. The boys have some serious chops and had a good time playing, Gorman’s jittery stage presence is a cross between Elvis Costello and Ian Curtis. 44th Sunset are a new young band destined for big things. Recently signed to Little Bigman Records (who also signed The Panics) the band are immediately striking with their bold style, angular guitar playing and snappy electronic beats and bass, and they impressed the crowd with their “moody bangers.” Normally a four piece, they were performing in duo mode tonight with dynamic frontman Nik Thompson on guitar while

| B E AT S

LIVE

VENUES

Mei Saraswati - Photo by Rachael Barrett

triggering beats and bass on an MPC. With his deep, brooding vocals, tall, skinny frame, mop of hair and nonchalant attitude, he recalls acts like Arctic Monkeys, The Libertines, Bloc Party and The Creases. Joined by Jack Hall on guitar, they moved from delicate picking to reverb-drenched riffery. With their exciting, pop-edged, original style, and an album coming, you’ll be hearing more about 44th Sunset. But the stars of the night were True Science; it was a special one for them and they had a few surprises in store for their fans. As keyboardist, guitarist and songwriter Harvey Rae kicked off the music, he was joined onstage by his songwriting and life partner, Vive Oldham, who was dressed in an amazing flowing outfit, complete with cape, as well as backing vocalist Bethany Chismark. Previous single The Beast demonstrated the gorgeous harmonies between the two girls, while featured single My Heart Is True sounded great, starting off minimally with Oldham’s emotive vocals over a simple loop, before the beat kicked in hard towards the end, building to an explosive climax. Amongst the diversity of True Science’s material, the thing that stands out is the outstanding songwriting. Each track has been finely honed, taking the simplistic core of song and fleshing it out into a grander vision – the work of accomplished writers and producers. There was a great vibe in the intimate room all night, one of camaraderie between all the bands and audience who were truly enjoying the performances, and for the grand finale, Old Coast Skyrail Track, the band got a bunch of friends and members from the other bands up on stage for a big sing-a-long to belt out the final chorus. A fitting way to end a great night of local music. ALFRED GORMAN

GOOD TIMES ARTS INC. CHRISTMAS PARTY The Bakery Friday, December 19, 2014 The Bakery was full of Christmas cheer and happy party people for the Good Times Arts Inc. Xmas Party, including some of Perth’s most talented bands and DJs to entertain the revellers. The big space of The Bakery can sometimes create a bit of isolation between crowd and artist but the audience all pushed forward to create a fantastic intimacy and sense of energy. Starting off the evening were the interestingly titled Dream Rimmy and their dreamy shoegaze stylings. Thoughtful chord progressions and smooth tides of reverb provided a chill parentheses to the otherwise driving and energetic tunes. Great music to float away with as the night got into gear. Erasers were up next with an exploration in drone and the more psychedelic side of things. Slow builds and big fuzzy basslines were the order of the day and the music provided a huge amount of energy from just a duo. Coming in waves like any good buzz, there was plenty of detail to lose yourself in as synth merged with extra terrestrial vocals.

WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU

Rabbit Island made their way to the stage next to continue the good vibes. Rabbit Island come prepared with some immensely thoughtful music courtesy of prolific local song writer Amber Fresh. The tunes ranged from tribal and pounding catharsis to mournful and considerate numbers that were almost folk like. At this point the feeling of the music was almost transcendental and the crowd eagerly nodded and swayed. Bringing a slightly funkier flavour to the proceedings and with a big line up of talented musicians, the Mei Saraswati Band took to the stage next with their soulful productions. Mei’s vocals remain crystalline and magnificent while employing up-tempo, r’n’b style rhythmic devices to push the energy upwards. Some wonderful percussion in the form of crisply mixed congas and chimes felt very big and luscious to behold in the Bakery’s cavernous space. Soda Lite closed off the night as revellers continued to imbibe and enjoy the good feeling that had been built over the night. Christmas is a great time for the various crews and scene’s to essentially put on a showcase of their favourite bands and upcoming talents, and there was plenty of wonderful music to be found at The Bakery on this night. The crowd this music pulls is also one of the most lovely, with everyone providing their energy to the bands in ways that a lot of other scene’s can’t find it hard to do. The notorious Bakery semi circle of listeners was simply not present, and everyone pushed forward to give a real feeling of holiday cheer. Well played, Good Times Inc.! JAMES HANLON

NEWS

INTERVIEWS

REVIEWS

| B E AT S

LIVE

VENUES

GET HUNG OVER WITH THE HOOKERS After all the family festivities and fights are down and the wrapping paper’s been cleared away and the leftovers have been frozen and the receipts for unwanted gifts have been surreptitiously sourced, it’s time for some good, hard rock ‘n’ roll to blow out the cobwebs and get things back on track. With that in mind, get down to Amplifier this Saturday, December 27, for the Black Christmas Hangover Party, featuring Chainsaw Hookers, Bounty Hunter, Ratking, The Light The Dark and, in their final show, The Bob Gordons. Doors open at 8pm. Chainsaw Hookers

GOIN’ OUT WEST The Railway Hotel is the place to be this Sunday, December 28, when 7 C&W-tinged Western Australian bands will be strutting their stuff for delectation. Davey Craddock And The Spectacles will be joined by The JAC, The Coalminers Sect, The City Views, The Wine Dark Sea, The Surf Mist and The Jayco Brothers. The first band plugs in at 3pm. Davey Craddock And The Spectacles

CUT THE CRAP Always willing to push the boundaries, or at least stick an annoying earworm somewhere unwanted, Tomás Ford does what he does best at The Bakery this Saturday, December 27, when he hits us with his Crap Music Rave Party: End Of Year Ball. Get down to some of the worst music ever crafted by human minds from 8pm. Entry is $15 plus booking fee via nowbaking.com.au, $20 on the door (subject to availability).

The Howzat Mini Music Fest hits the Rosemount Hotel this Friday, December 26 (that’s Boxing Day, yo). A heaving host of local music luminaries will be on hand to fill you with post-Christmas cheer, including The Volcanics, Aborted Tortoise, Emu Xperts, Reapers Riddle, The Painkillers, House Arrest, Dirtwater Bloom, Dux & Downtown, Noah Skape & The Teenage Wasteland, Worst Possible Outcome, Vanity, The Lungs, The Dead Capital, Legs Electric and more! that’s a hell of a way to see out the year. Doors open at the stroke of noon, entry is $15 until 3pm, $30 thereafter.

Tomas Ford

The Volcanics

NOT OUT!

27/12

STONE LOTUS Self Titled EP Launch @ Four5Nine

23/01

HUSBAND The Money Album Launch @ Mojos

24/01

JEFF’S DEAD Self Titled EP Launch @ Mojos

24/01

SKULLCAVE Self Titled EP Launch @ The Bird

30/01

FÖRSTÖRA All That Will Save Or Destroy Us Album Launch @ Amplifier

30/01

THE ORDER OF THE BLACK WEREWOLF Cilla Black Album Launch @ Bar Four5Nine

31/01

FOAM/PUCK Split Vinyl Launch @ The Bird

06/02

REAPERS RIDDLE Fall Away Video Launch @ The Civic

18/04

DARKYRA Fool Album Launch @ The Astor

WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU

NEWS

INTERVIEWS

REVIEWS

| B E AT S

LIVE

VENUES

written in 2002 and the latest in 2014. The songs on the CD were written during the intervening years. All of the songs gradually evolved between the lounge room and the rehearsal room, but I have a very clear idea of how I want a song to sound. What’s the story behind the recordings and the personnel you assembled? I realised that I had never made an album, despite having been in the business for 30 years. Cruiky (Mark Cruikshank, Red Jezebel) and I have jammed together for years. I roped in my brother Pete, because I wanted to work with keyboards and Waz (Warren Hall, Volcanics/Datura) was a deliberate choice because we all love his drumming. Kat came in late to add some sweetness to my admittedly harsh vocals.

TIRED LION

band play System Of A Down songs, or squishing into a hot tub at a Bunbury motel with Melbourne band The Sinking Teeth plus some other local randoms.

Summer Safari

Any notable challenges the band overcame? I think collectively we’ve all worked pretty hard together this year, the most challenging thing would probably be staying patient and waiting to release our new material. On a more personal level each of us have seen a few life changes which have been challenging but made for great song writing material.

They’ve just put a big year behind them and are now ready for the even bigger one that lies before them. We chat to guitarist Matt Tanner about the seemingly unstoppable rise of Perth’s pop-rock powerhouse, Tired Lion. How was your 2014 overall? 2014 has been an exciting and massively changing year for us. We’ve released a music video, did our first national tour, got the opportunity to perform at the Music Matters Conference in Singapore and teamed up with Jake Snell (Monster Management) who is one of the raddest dudes going around. In more recent times we’ve signed a deal with New World Artists who are going to be taking over our bookings next year and we’ve just put the finishing touches on our second EP which we can’t wait to release. So overall I’d say busy and fulfilling. What was the highlight of your year? It’s hard to say: either sitting in a strip club in Singapore with The Love Junkies, watching a cover

What’s coming up for you in 2015? Well to start the year we will be releasing our first single from the upcoming EP, which we’re pretty excited to share with everyone. Then a whole heap of touring! Firstly we head off around Australia with Tasmania’s Luca Brasi’ then once we’ve dropped our EP we plan on headlining our own national tour.

Tim Underwood

THE VIOLENT CRUMBLE Dark, Delicious...

Anything else to add? I’m really just excited for next year! Bringing out new material, music videos, touring a whole heap and writing towards a debut album. It’s going to be full on but I couldn’t imagine doing anything else, I’m sure the other lions share the same feeling.

Well-known for his days in seminal Perth bands The Rosemary Beads and Valvolux, Tim Underwood has a new band, The Violent Crumble and will launch a new album, 40° In The Shade, on Sunday, December 28 at Mojos, with guests, The Whiskey Pocket. BOB GORDON catches up with the singer/songwriter.

Tired Lion support Timothy Nelson And The Infidels at the Town Of Bassendean Australia day Celebrations at Ashfield reserve on Monday, January 26. For more info, go to australiadaybassendean.com.au

How far back do these songs go and how have they evolved over time? I write hundreds of songs every year, but only a few make the cut. The oldest song on the CD was

WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU

There’s a dark underbelly to your songs, but the hooks and melodies are often delicious. Do you enjoy the counterbalance? Yeah, absolutely. My songs, characters and stories are often disturbing. To me, telling a dark and horrible story in a melodic way opens up a new dimension. If the melody draws a person in, they might pay attention to the story, and appreciate the package in a different way. You’ve not performed a whole lot over the years, have you missed it? You bet. I love to ‘strut my stuff’ on the stage and I love the crowds, the noise, the lights and the energy. I love to prowl the stage and settle into a groove. I missed it a lot. The Valvolux reunion show for RTR a couple of years ago was incredible. It reminded me of how much fun it all was. You’re revisiting The Rosemary Beads in late January, what are your memories of the band and that era in Perth? I am looking forward to it, because we were a great band. My memories of that period remind me of how frenetic those times were... the Orient, the Harbourside, the Beat Room, bands playing from Tuesday to Sunday, great bands such as Cinema Prague, Blue Tile Lounge, Yummy Fur, and the list goes on and on, the three tours to the Eastern States, a paragraph on two occasions in Rolling Stone, writing and performing. How’s 2015 look now your album is out. More gigs? I hope so. I want to play as many gigs as I can. Music and performing are central to my life... I love to write, to jam, to play, to record. I love music and the more involvement I have with it, the happier I am.

X- P R E S S G U I D E TOURS SHAMEEM 17 Subiaco Arts BAG RAIDERS Centre 24 Left Bank NELLY, LUPE BREAKFEST 2014 FIASCO & B.O.B 26 Belvoir 17 HBF Stadium Amphitheatre DERRICK CARTER SUMMERSET 28 Stables Bar ARTS FESTIVAL FUNK 2015 CLUB’S NYE 17 Scarborough COUNTDOWN – Beach 2015 EDITION PAUL KELLY 31 Salt On The 17 Fremantle Arts Beach, North Centre Fremantle ODESZA BJORN AGAIN 18 Sets On 31 El Caballo The Beach, Resort Scarborough Amphitheatre ORIGIN 2014 ZA! 31 Patersons 21 Astor Lounge Stadium YG + TY DOLLA $IGN JANUARY 2015 22 Metro City COUNTRY SOUTHBOUND RHYTHM & SOUL 3 & 4 Sir Stewart ON THE ROCKS Bovell Park, 23 Quarry Busselton Amphitheatre 2CELLOS FAT FREDDY’S 6 Perth Concert DROP Hall ASH GRUNWALD 24 Fremantle Arts Centre 7 Redcliffe on the OZ ROCK Murray BUSSELTON ft. 8 Prince of Wales ICEHOUSE, 9 Fly By Night ABSOLUTELY 10 Wignalls ‘80S, WENDY Vintage Music MATTHEWS, Festival, Albany ROSS WILSON, 11 Clancy’s DIESEL, JAMES REYNE Dunsborough 24 Barnard Park, MARDUK & Busselton INQUISITION SUMMER OF 12 Amplifier Bar EVERY TIME I DIE MUSIC ft. PETE MURRAY, YOU 14 Amplifier Bar AM I, THE L-FRESH THE WHITLAMS, LION 15 Prince of Wales DARYL BRAITHWAITE, 16 Settlers Tavern MENTAL AS 17 Fly By Night ANYTHING CROOKED 24 Bendigo Bank COLOURS Stadium 16 Bunbury RED HILL Regional AUSTRALIA DAY Entertainment EVE CONCERT ft. Centre ICEHOUSE, JAMES THE KOOKS REYNE, DIESEL 25 Red Hill 17 Belvoir Auditorium Amphitheatre DECEMBER

FEATURED GIG

SHOCKONE

BREAKFEST BEVOIR AMPHITHEATRE DECEMBER 26, 2014

EVENING ON THE GREEN – THE ANGELS & CHEAP TRICK 8 Kings Park & Botanic Garden LANEWAY FESTIVAL ft. ANDY BULL, ANGEL OLSEN, BANKS & MORE! 8 Esplanade Reserve, Fremantle KENNY ROGERS 8 Sandalford Estate SARAH MCLACHLAN 11 Astor Theatre THE VERONICAS 12 Perth Concert Hall YNGWIE J. MALMSTEEN 12 Astor Theatre CIARA 13 Metropolis Fremantle ROXETTE 14 Perth Arena PETER HOOK & THE LIGHT 14 Astor Theatre CASTAWAY FESTIVAL 15 Rottnest Island THIRD DAY with NEEDTOBREATHE & LEVI MCGRATH 16 HBF Stadium THE BUDOS BAND FEBRUARY 2015 16 Chevron Gardens SUZI QUATRO ALED JONES 1 Regal Theatre 18 Astor Theatre BELLE & THE EAGLES SEBASTIAN 18 & 19 Perth 3 Astor Theatre Arena ANGUS & JULIA CHET FAKER STONE 20 & 21 Chevron 4 Kings Park & Gardens Botanic Garden 22 Fremantle Arts CHIODOS Centre 4 Amplifier Bar EDDIE IZZARD ONE DIRECTION 4 Riverside 20 Patersons Theatre Stadium KASEY INFECTED CHAMBERS MUSHROOM 5 Mandurah 20 Metro City Performing Arts PAUL SIMON & Centre STING 6 Bunbury 21 & 22 Sir James Entertainment Mitchell Park Centre THE ROSEMARY 7 Quindanning BEADS Inne 21 Astor Lounge 8 Sandalford 2015 PERTH Estate CHINESE NEW LAMB YEAR FAIR 6 Astor Theatre 22 Northbridge KERSER Piazza 6 Metropolis STEPHEN Fremantle MALKMUS & THE PASSENGER JICKS 7 Red Hill 22 Chevron Auditorium Gardens SOUNDS IN THE VALLEY ft. LEE KERNAGHAN, ADAM BRAND, THE WOLFE BROTHERS & MAGNIFICENT 7 BILL BURR 25 Elmar's In The Valley NAS 27 Metro City SUZI QUATRO 28, 29 & 31 Regal Theatre JOHNNY MARR 29 Astor Theatre EYEHATEGOD 29 Rosemount Hotel AMITY AFFLICTION 29 Metropolis Fremantle 30 Albany Leisure and Aquatic Centre 31 Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre THE VAMPS with SHORT STACK 30 HBF Stadium DOCTOR WHO SYMPHONIC SPECTACULAR 31 Perth Arena THE SEARCHERS 31 Albany Entertainment Centre

ERIC BOGLE 25 Albany Town Hall 27 Fly By Night 28 Nannup Music Festival NENEH CHERRY 26 Chevron Gardens RUTH MOODY 27 Mojos DAN SULTAN 27 Queens Park Theatre 28 Fremantle Arts Centre THE BEAUTIFUL GIRLS 28 Fly By Night GUY SEBASTIAN 28 Perth Arena MEGAN WASHINGTON 28 The Bakery MARCH 2015 NENEH CHERRY 1 Chevron Gardens DAN SULTAN 1 Nannup Music Festival FUTURE MUSIC FESTIVAL ft. DRAKE, AVICII, THE PRODIGY, KNIFE PARTY, AFROJACK, EXAMPLE, MARTIN GARRIX, SIGMA, 2 CHAINZ and many more! 1 HBF Arena DELTRON 3030 1 The Bakery ERIC BOGLE 1 Nannup Music Festival 5 Narrogin Town Hall 6 The Music Shack, Donnybrook 8 Mandurah Performing Arts Centre GOOD LIFE FESTIVAL 2015 ft. AVICII, AFROJACK, MARTIN GARRIX, WILL SPARKS, TIMMY TRUMPET, JOEL FLETCHER, BLISS N ESO, HAVANA BROWN and many more! 2 HBF Arena DRAKE with 2 CHAINZ 3 Perth Arena LITTLE BASTARD 5 Prince of Wales FROM THE JAM 5 Capitol FOO FIGHTERS 7 NIB Stadium SHAKEY GRAVES 8 Astor Theatre

MACY GRAY 8 Perth Concert Hall SANDRA BERNHARD 10 Regal Theatre BILLY CONNOLLY 10 & 11 Perth Arena TECH N9NE 13 The Bakery KYLIE MINOGUE 14 Perth Arena INGRID MICHAELSON 14 Rosemount Hotel ROXETTE 14 Perth Arena DJ SHADOW 14 Rosemount Hotel BILLY IDOL 14 Kings Park & Botanic Garden JESUS JONES 15 Rosemount Hotel FROM THE JAM 15 Capitol TONY JOE WHITE 15 Astor Theatre RUSSELL PETERS 19 Perth Arena VANCE JOY 20 Astor Theatre ROD STEWART 21 Perth Arena BEN HOWARD 26 Fremantle Arts Centre KINGSWOOD 27 Capitol AUGIE MARCH 28 Astor Theatre SWITCHFOOT 30 The Lakes Theatre APRIL 2015 ED SHEERAN 4 & 5 Perth Arena COUNTING CROWS 7 Perth Concert Hall ARCHITECTS 9 Capitol FAIRBRIDGE FESTIVAL 10 – 12 Fairbridge Village, Pinjarra THE BLACK KEYS 14 Red Hill Auditorium NANA MOUSKOURI 19 Perth Concert Hall DEMI LOVATO 21 HBF Stadium THE SCRIPT with LABRINTH 24 Perth Arena HUMAN NATURE 28 Perth Convention & Exhibition Centre

MAY 2015 COSENTINO 2 Regal Theatre SAM SMITH 4 HBF Stadium RICKY MARTIN 8 Perth Arena AMERICA with SHARON CORR 9 Red Hill Auditorium ANASTACIA 10 Perth Concert Hall ALT-J 15 HBF Stadium PALOMA FAITH 16 Perth Concert Hall SPANDEAU BALLET 22 Perth Arena COLIN HAY 23 Regal Theatre NICKELBACK 26 Perth Arena JUNE 2015 KARISE EDEN 10 Albany Entertainment Centre THE GETAWAY PLAN 12 Rosemount Hotel 5 SECONDS OF SUMMER 29 Perth Arena JULY 2015 YELLOWCARD 4 Metro City ADAM HARVEY 22 Albany Entertainment Centre AUGUST 2015 THE AUSTRALIAN BEE GEES SHOW 15 Regal Theatre 16 Albany Entertainment Centre PEACE TRAIN: THE CAT STEVENS STORY 21 Astor Theatre 22 Albany Entertainment Centre THE BEATLES FOREVER 27 Albany Entertainment Centre OCTOBER 2015 KITTY FLANAGAN 1 Regal Theatre

DEC 24 - JAN 21 CHRISM & FERNIS SLEUW FIRES MIDIMIDIMIDI ROLAND THE REALIST 26 Four5Nine Rosemount APACHE MOANA OLD BLOOD BLACK STONE FROM THE SUN APOLLO’S SUN JOHN MARTYRS GHOST 26 Mojos HOWZAT BOXING DAY BASH FT. THE VOLCANICS ABORTED TORTOISE EMU XPERTS REAPERS RIDDLE THE PAINKILLERS HOUSE ARREST DIRTWATER BLOOM DUX & DOWNTOWN NOAH SKAPE & THE TEENAGE WASTELAND WORST POSSIBLE OUTCOME VANITY THE LUNDS THE DEAD CAPITAL LEGS ELECTRIC 26 Rosemount Hotel CRAP MUSIC RAVE PARTY – END OF YEAR BALL 27 The Bakery

APACHE

APACHE MOANA OLD BLOOD BLACK STONE FROM THE SUN APOLLO’S SUN JOHN MARTYRS GHOST 26 MOJOS DYLAN MICHEL MEI SARASWATI RITUALS. 27 The Bird STONE LOTUS BAYOU SEPTILLION SLUDGE BUCKET 27 Four5Nine Rosemount BEAT DOWN 27 Mojos MILLENNIUM BUG II FT. KING ONION TEARS FOR ATLANTIS 13 CIRCLES TEMPEST RISING 27 Rosemount Hotel CHELSEA STORIES ZINE LAUNCH FT. CHELSEA HOPPER ALANA MINNELLI RING ALEX GRIFFIN BEN MULVEY KARAJOKE 28 The Bird TOBY 28 Fremantle Arts Centre THE VIOLENT CRUMBLE THE WHISKEY POCKET 28 Mojos

Jex, Sarah & Dean

LA XMAS 2 The Rocket Room Saturday, December 20, 2014 Christmas got celebrated in classic glam style at the Rocket Room on Saturday, complete with performances by Rocks, The 4 Horsemen, King Onion and KISSmas (aka Legs Electric).

Photos by Matt Jelonek 38

Brody & Kelly

Dan & Lauren WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU

THE WILD WEST FT. DAVEY CRADDOCK & THE SPECTACLES THE JAC THE COALMINERS SECT THE CITY VIEWS THE WINE DARK SEA THE SURF MIST THE JAYCO BROTHERS 28 Railway Hotel THE GET DOWN FT. ASLAN KLEAN KICKS PAWEL GOOD COMPANY DJS SLEEPYHEAD BENI CHILL JO LETTENMAIER TIM KING 28 Rosemount Hotel Beer Garden COLLECTIONS FT. EPITOME OF STUPIDITY EUPHORIC NOTHING LAUREN ARTHUR 30 Mojos NEW YEAR’S EVIL FT. TANGLED THOUGHTS OF LEAVING FOXES DROWNING HORSE DROHTNUNG THE DEVIL RIDES OUT KAAN SCALPHUNTER BLACKWITCH OUROBONIC PLAGUE CRITICAL MASS DJS JESSICA KILL VS CLAIRE HODGSON DOS DIABLOS CUTTERMAN 31 The Bakery NYE @ CAPITOL FT. COMMAND Q AXEN JS CASUEL X NAYSU DEATH DISCO 31 Capitol MICHAEL JACKSON TRIBUTE FT. HAZARD US 60S AND 70S SOUL BAND 31 Mandurah Foreshore SUPERCLUB FLASHBACK FT. DJ RECTANGE SMAN DANNYBOI KYTE KUTTER 31 Metro City SWEET NEW YEARS EVE SHINDOG FT. HIDEOUS SUN DEMON THE WEAPON IS SOUND MT. MOUNTAIN OLD BLOOD SPACEMANANTICS DREAM RIMMY CATBRUSH KASHIKOI VERGE COLLECTION BEN WITT 31 Mojos FULL MOON PARTY NEW YEARS EVE FT. YO! MAFIA 31 Newport Hotel FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS – NYE AT THE ODD FELLOW FT. THE STOOPS ELLI SCHOEN COOKER CHAD SPARKLEHAUS CRAWDADDT PO BOY 31 The Odd Fellow ORIGIN 2014 FT. KNIFE PARTY CHASE & STATUS ALUNA GEORGE ANDY C BAAUER NETSKY

FOR ALL WEEKLY EVENTS DOWNLOAD OUR FREE MAGAZINE APP AVAILABLE FROM FISHERMAN STYLE #103 FT. EARTHLINK SOUND 2 Mojos SHONTAY SNOW EDIE GREEN BAND 2 Rosemount Hotel

BADBADNOTGOOD

BADBADNOTGOOD COSMO GETS 2 AMPLIFIER NINA LAS VEGAS NORTH BASE RENE LAVICE MR. CARMACK KAYTRANADA & MANY MORE 31 Patersons Stadium NEW YEAR’S EVE FIESTA FT. THE LOVE JUNKIES TIMOTHY NELSON & THE INFIDELS FELICITY GROOM RUBY BOOTS APRICOT RAIL TIRED LION PAT CHOW SILVER HILLS DIGER ROKWELL EMPTY MAXY BILLS SETVICE ARMS IN MOTION DEJONG SIBALANCE EDDY STONE DJ SILENCE ROK RILEY JANE AZZOPARDI DJ HOLLY DOLL 31 Rosemount Hotel Beer Garden BRAZILIAN NEW YEAR’S EVE WHITE PARTY 31 Villa NEW WEIRD DAY FT. GANZ YON JOVI BEECROFT SUX NAT DAWS OMFOM 1 Ambar NEW YEAR’S DAY CONCERT FT. SUNSHINE BROTHERS GRACE BARBE WEAPON IS SOUND KOI CHILD EARTHLINK SOUND SYSTEM 1 Fremantle Arts Centre RESOLUTION BLUES FT. HUGE MAGNET DATURA THE GALLOPING FOXLEYS 1 Mojos BADBADNOTGOOD COSMO GETS 2 Amplifier SKULLCAVE LONG GONE MIDNIGHT PATIENT LITTLE SISTER SEA LAMB OH WHITE MARE DJ JANE AZZOPARDI 2 The Bakery DYNOMITE DJ JIMINY KICKIT & FRIENDS 2 Clancy’s Fremantle BREAKING PUNK FT. LIONIZER WELCOME THE WILDFIRE AT THE SPACEJAM TRIP HAZARD & THE RUDE BOYS DEAD SET DEAD LOST FOR REASON 2 Four5Nine Rosemount

Dave & Nerma

REFUSED RESOLUTIONS FT. JUST NUMBERS BLACKBIRD RISING LUNG CAPACITY CETANA SPACEHOUND 2 Swan Basement

WHITE AVENUE THE WORST BAD CHINA 7 Rosemount Hotel LAKESIDER ROSWELL BEN ELLIOT POOL CULTURE 8 Four5Nine Rosemount CARAVANA SUN BLUE CHILD KATIE J. WHITE 8 Mojos

PONY THE BLISSFUL KILLS & SPECIAL GUESTS 2 Swan Lounge

BLISS IN BERLIN TARP ON THE SHED FLOOR LOST FOR REASONS 8 Rosemount Hotel

CLAIM THE THRONE 3 Amplifier

THE MATCHES 9 Amplifier

SPACE DIMENSION CONTROLLER MONO LISA CLUNK SURIC MИLANOV TRED 3 The Bakery

SKISM KILLAFOE JD4D BASSMENT DJ 9 The Bakery

AL & DRAC’S FUNK DUO 3 Clancy’s City Beach JAPANESE TONGUE SISTERS TYOTA KATAYAMA THE LUNETTES GRAPHIC CHARACTERS 3 Four5Nine Rosemount DILIP ‘N’ THE DAVS AMANI CONSORT SOL-R 3 Mojos THE BASICS THE COMMUNITY CHEST DAVEY CRADDOCK 3 Rosemount Hotel THE SURF MIST BUNNY BOILER BORC SPACEHOUND 3 Swan Basement THE SHALLOWS & SPECIAL GUESTS 3 Swan Lounge

DYNOMITE DJ JIMINY KICKIT & FRIENDS 9 Clancy’s Fremantle THREE HANDS ONE HOOF 9 Four5Nine Rosemount KZNZA SUPER FLOG CASUAL SETS LOVMARK DRGOONBAG 9 Mojos LAST WEEK’S HEROES LIGHTS OF BERLIN WINDOWS TO THE WORLD TARP ON THE SHED FLOOR SEND THE SHIPS KARL MCCABE 9 Rosemount Hotel

OMAR-S MIKE MIDNIGHT (INFUSED KNOWLEDGE) JEFFREY ANNERT (METHODS OF MOVEMENT) 10 The Bakery

SHIT NARNIA (EP LAUNCH) HIDEOUS SUN DEMON CATBRUSH THE PISSEDCOLAS LAUREL FIXATION MINING TAX 7 The Bird SONGWRITER WEDNESDAYS FT. SETH ‘SQUID’ LOWE 7 Clancy’s Canning Bridge HUNT FOR DALLAS CUSTOM ROYAL THE TOMMY HAWKS CURTIS MCENTEE 7 Four5Nine Rosemount 8BALL AITKEN ONE TREE HILL 7 Mojos MELODY POOL TODD PICKETT 7 Moon Café

SAL KIMBER & THE ROLLIN’ WHEEL 11 Fremantle Arts Centre RAY FINKLE CUSTOM ROYAL APACHE GOLDEN SLUMS FASTLVE THE MOON WHORES 11 Mojos ONE DAY SUNDAYS FT. ONE DAY JOYRIDE ADIT ASLAN 11 Rosemount Hotel MARDUK 12 Amplifier MOJOS MONTHLY COMEDY FT. MATT DYKTYNSKI JON BENNETT 13 Mojos

MARIE O’DWYER (EP LAUNCH) 17 Clancy’s Fremantle L-FRESH THE LION 17 Fly By Night THE MERRI SOUL SESSIONS FT. PAUL KELLY DAN SULTAN CLAIRY BROWNE (THE BANGIN’ RACKETTES) KIRA PURU VIKA & LINDA BULL 17 Fremantle Arts Centre DISTANT MURMURS FT. 420 CREW CLOUDWAVES ASLAN SLEEPYHEAD EDDIE ELECTRIC JAMIE MAC DISCO SCIENCE THE WHIPCRACKER THE PAINKILLERS SIMONE & GIRLFUNKLE LONG LOST BROTHERS GHETTO CRYSTALS GUNNS SPLIT SECONDS TOBACCO RAT LEAVING ELEVENTEEN ESTON & THE CONVERSATION MEI SARASWATI BAND ODETTE MERCY & HER SOUL ATOMICS MATHAS NAIK ADEM K CUSTOM ROYAL THE PISSEDCOLAS SILVER HILLS MAYOR DADI DOCTOPUS 17 Rosemount Hotel

SONGWRITER WEDNESDAYS FT. BENNY WALKER 14 Clancy’s Canning Bridge KRITTA, DOWNBEAT & THE MTT 14 Mojos GOING SOLO FT. MEI SARASWATI 14 Moon Café EDUARDO COSSIO QUARTET MEI SARASWATI JACOB DIAMOND 15 Four5Nine Rosemount

BOOM! BAP! POW! 4 Fremantle Arts Centre

SWAN SUNDAY SESSION FT. MIKE CARDY 4 Swan Lounge

PULMAC FT. SAM PERRY LYNDA SMYTH & THE BORROWED FEW SHIMMERGLOOM THE REGULAR HUNTERS THE BITTER GRINS 11 The Bakery

AL & DRAC’S FUNK DUO 17 Clancy’s City Beach

EVERY TIME I DIE 14 Amplifier

MEZZANINE 10 Amplifier

AGAMOUS BETTY TAHLIA JAYE MITCHELL JONES XANTHEA SPACEHOUND JAMES ATLAS 4 Four5Nine Rosemount

THE BASICS 4 Mojos

OLD BLOOD GOLDEN SLUMS HUNTING HUXLEY HIDEOUS SUN DEMON THE WEAPON IS SOUND SOUTH SIDE COBRAS BLACK BONE GANG ISO CITY BLUES APOLLOS SON MUDLARK MOANA FOAM 10 Rosemount Hotel

COMEDY VIRGINS FT. CHARLIE BUCKET MATT HOGAN STEVE HUGHES AAROM WILSON 15 Rosemount Hotel

THE BASICS

THE BASICS 4 MOJOS AL & DRAC’S FUNK DUO 10 Clancy’s City Beach BEN DAVID DAN CRIBB TIANNOS MCSTAVROS WHEELS MCKENZIE BEC STEVENS 10 Four5Nine Rosemount SPACEMANANTICS (SINGLE LAUNCH) 10 Mojos THE CORNER IN THE NOW JUPITER ZEUS ULTRASOUND ANDERSON (BABYJANE) 10 Railway Hotel AXIOM FT. APACHE KOI CHILD DOCTOPUS

THE VANS (EP LAUNCH) 16 Amplifier PRINCESS MAY NIGHT MARKETS BENNY WALKER DYNOMITE JIMINY KICKIT 16 Clancy’s Fremantle HOUSE ARREST THE SORROW SUCKETS THEM SHARKS EMU XPERTS ROSWELL NOAH SKAPE & THE TEENAGE WASTELAND 16 Four5Nine Rosemount TROPICAL JUNGLE PARTY FT. MIGHTY DUKE & THE LORDS ENSEMBLE FORMIDABLE 16 Rosemount Hotel BLINDSPOT (EP LAUNCH) SCALPHUNTER PITT THE ELDER ALEX THE KID THE LIGHT THE DARK 17 Amplifier

KISSmas

DAN SULTAN

PAUL KELLY DAN SULTAN CLAIRY BROWNE (THE BANGIN’ RACKETTES) KIRA PURU VIKA & LINDA BULL 17 FREMANTLE ARTS CENTRE PHETSTA ZOMBIE CATS VLTRN EKKO SIDETRACK 17 Villa

MUSOS WANTED FEMALE ACCOUSTIC GUITAR PLAYER and vocalist to join our Acoustic Duo “Castaway”. Must be able to perform at an acceptable level and commit to rehearsal and regular gigs. Pref age 30-50. Call Kris: 0411 430 286 FEMALE DRUMMER WANTED Are you a punchy, mobile friendly, female drummer who wants some cold hard cash? Well then an Original Band with live shows in 2015 is looking for you. This is a paid position for rehearsal & gigs. Must be 18yrs+. Contact desertwalker or steel to arrange audition (your time is paid). Email: ameliaproductionsptyltd@gmail OPEN MIC NIGHT every Thursday night at Indi Bar. Email Trojan_johnmusic@yahoo.com.au for spot. Laneway Lounge Open Mic every Tuesday night. If you’re keen for a spot text Josh on 0430313577 OPEN MIC NIGHT/ARVO South St Alehouse, Hilton. Original songs, solo/duo, sorry no bands. Come on down for a play on a Sunday to round off the weekend..TEXT..Gus 0409 101 688 VOCALIST WANTED Established melodic thrash metal band Arkarion are looking for a professional & dedicated vocalist to join their line-up. Check us out at www.facebook.com/Arkarion and contact Chris 0423 220 916

PRODUCTION SERVICES CD & DVD MANUFACTURE Check out our latest CD & DVD specials online at www.procopy.com.au 9375 3902 MATRIX PRODUCTIONS AUSTRALIA Lighting, staging, sound systems, smoke machines, night club FX, intelligent lighting, strobes & mirror balls, crowd barriers, video projectors. 9371 1551

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 www.witzendstudios.com A N A LO G M A S T E R I N G V I N TAG E TA P E , T U B E S & TRANSFORMERS with the latest state of the art digital converters. Clients include: Melody’s Echo Chamber, Pond, Gossling, Knife Party, Felicity Groom, The Floors, Jeff Martin & The Panics. World class facility, World class results. |Www.poonshead.com. 9339 4791 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 RECORDING MIXING MASTERING PRODUCING Fremantle location. Call Pete Kitchen Cooked Records. Ph 0407 363 764 / 9336 3764 R E V O LV E R S O U N D S T U D I O P h 9 2 7 2 7 5 0 5 . www.revolverstudio.com.au SATELLITE RECORDING STUDIO WA’s only genuine mechanically de-coupled purpose built recording room, Avalon, Neve, API, Pro Tools HDX Dec/Jan/Feb special: Record drums for $80hr. Satellite Recording Studio. Ph 0419 908 766, satelliterecording.com

REHEARSAL STUDIOS BIBRA LAKE REHEARSAL STUDIO 10 mins from Freo. Superior accoustics to hear yourself and your band.Phone Nick: 0410 485 588. BIGBEAT SOUND STUDIO Clean rooms, all new PA systems, air-con and good parking . Willetton Ph: 0425 698 117. INSOMNIA STUDIOS Premium new rooms & PA systems. Airconditioned. Regular Booking gets you regular discounts. TXT or call 0474 971 830 PLATINUM SOUND ROOMS Professional rehearsal rooms, airconditioned, quality PAs mob 0418 944 722

TUITION

THE GROWLERS ABORTED TORTOISE 18 The Bakery

***GUITAR LESSONS*** Christmas vouchers avail. Online bookings. Beg to prof, all styles. Tutors WWC clearance. Cliff Lynton Guitar Institute. Mt Lawley 9342 3484/ www.clifflynton.com BASS GUITAR LESSONS AVAILABLE by WAAPA tutor. A practicle approach to learning. .All styles.Years of experience. Tony Gibbs 9470 6131

CARAVANA SUN BLUE CHILD KATIE J. WHITE 18 Rosemount Hotel

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

Kiki & Rachael WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU

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 F E AT U R E

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

Edith Cowan University

Central TAFE

CHOICES AND OPPORTUNITIES What Suits You? 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 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

Curtin University 42

EDITH COWAN UNIVERSITY (ECU) 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 MURDOCH UNIVERSITY Known For: Everything from vet science, marine biology courses and chiropractic care to indigenous communities, the 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

Murdoch University

UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME 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 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 course (like 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. 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 great 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 Known For: Being one of Australia’s most renowned arts schools (with illustrious alumni such as Hugh Jackman, Frances O’Connor and Tim Minchin) offering 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.

Notre Dame WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU

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 offer an International Academy of Law Enforcement and Security. Study Options: Full time, part time, off campus, on campus. More Info: wcit.wa.edu.au TUART COLLEGE Tuart College offers a range of programs that helps students gain entrance to university. The College offers a traditional WACE program where students study 4 courses over the year and sit the WACE examinations in November and gain an ATAR. Mature Age students can do a two course ATAR. They study two courses for the full year and sit the WACE examinations in November to generate their ATAR. Open Learning Option - Tuart College offers a wide range of WACE courses via the Open Learning Program. Students receive weekly lessons online and access lesson notes from the online learning platform. Students can study from home and prepare to sit the WACE examinations in November to generate their ATAR. Certificate IV Academic Preparation Studies - Successful completion of the Certificate IV program Academic Preparation Studies allocates students an ATAR of 70. This enables students to apply for courses at Curtin University, Edith Cowan University and Murdoch University with ATARs less than or equal to 70. Special Tertiary Admissions Test (STAT) entrance to university. Tuart College offers a threeweek program to help students to prepare to sit the STAT test. Courses run throughout the year.

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

EDITH COWAN UNIVERISTY A World Of Possibilities Can you imagine coaching a football team, designing racing cars, exploring pristine wetlands or exonerating those wrongfully convicted of a crime as part of your degree? All of these paths are possible through the range of courses available at Edith Cowan University. When it comes to sport, ECU’s innovative Bachelor of Science (Sports Science and Football) course gives students the inside track, as they use electronic monitoring, including GPS, heart rate monitors and video tracking to analyse the performance of AFL and soccer players in training and competition. The new Bachelor of Sustainability course brings students right to the forefront of how the world is responding to climate change, while showing how we can make our lives, livelihoods, communities, environments and spaces sustainable. If fast cars are more your style, the Bachelor of Technology (Motorsports) teaches students about the construction of race cars and how design influences performance. In their final year the student team builds a race car from scratch to race against other university teams. Students in ECU’s Computer and Security courses learn about physical and computer security, as well as extracting information and digital evidence from computers and storage devices for law enforcement purposes. Bachelor of Creative Industries (Game

Edith Cowan University, Mt Lawley

Design and Culture) students gain the skills to succeed in the rapidly growing computer games industry. Despite the name, this course isn’t just about console and PC games; the course also explores the possibilities for game design for workplace training, public health and the military. In ECU’s range of Law and Criminology courses, students have the option to study by working on real cases as part of ECU’s Innocence Project. They examine the cases of those who have been wrongfully convicted of a crime and work to exonerate them. Placement opportunities, fieldwork, practicums and networking events are also available for the majority of ECU’s students. The University offers more than 300 courses through the faculties of Business and Law; Health, Engineering and Science; Education and Arts and Regional Professional Studies. ATAR students can find out more information and check their eligibility for ECU courses by visiting chooseecu.com.au. For non-ATAR students, ECU offers a range of entry pathways including direct application and portfolio submission.

experiences with ECU. I had always planned to go on exchange, but couldn’t have anticipated how much it would change my perspective and my life. I made lifelong friends and developed a global mindset that I haven’t since been able to shake. Spending time with people who have grown up in a different economic climate, with different career prospects and options really forces you to broaden your horizons; I believe this is what set me on the path to where I am now.

Maeva Heim

Louis Roots

LOUIS ROOTS OWNER, SK GAMES Louis Roots has taken the path less travelled, combining tertiary study with practical life experience. After studying Games Design at ECU, he carried those skills halfway across the world to design mobile games in Denmark, before returning home to establish SK Games, one of Australia’s most innovative games studios, focused on custom hardware and community engagement. Studied: Games Design at Edith Cowan University PIKA-ECU Give us an overview of your career to date. I finished ECU at the end of 2011 and went to Europe at the beginning of 2012, before finding a job in Aarhus, Denmark, where I worked in mobile games for a year-and-a-half. I came back to Perth in mid-2013 and started up SK Games, and since then, running that is what I’ve been up to. Tell us a little about the Games Design course at ECU. The games design course was, in 2005/2006, the only game design course offered at the major unis which didn’t focus on coding. I was able to study game design, concept art, and the theory behind gaming. 44

What were the most important things you learnt that you took into your career? The most important units and projects were the ones that focussed on group work and actually producing a product. You’ve established your own games studio, SK Games. Tell us about it. SK Games is a rather unique games studio, focused on smaller games built with social interactions in mind. We put on events showcasing not only our games, but similar games from around the world, curated by ourselves. We also produce custom hardware to make these games accessible and approachable. We’ve held events all around the country and our next project will be in conjunction with the Perth Fringe Festival. What skills do you need to make it in the gaming business? The gaming industry is as broad as music, film or arts. There’s no simple list of skills needed; I’ve used experiences from my whole life when working in the industry, from travelling, working, studying, living. However, it’s a very fluid industry, and for anyone out there starting off, you’ll definitely find a good set of social skills very valuable. Game developers get together and party more than you’d think. Has your career to date panned out how you thought it was going to? My career has gone through a lot of twists and turns; at no point so far could I look ahead more than six months and know where I’d be. In fact, even though I’ve had SK up and running around 14 months now, I’d still say I couldn’t have foreseen the company in its current state six months ago. As I said, it’s a fluid industry – you need to be able to roll with the punches and pick the best path you can see. ECU offers a Bachelor in Creative Industries with a Game Design and Culture major at the Mt Lawley campus. For more info: ecu.edu.au.

MAEVA HEIM L’OREAL MARKETING MANAGER Maeva Heim began university thinking she’d be a a lawyer, but her pathway has taken her across the world and into the corridors of some of the biggest companies on the globe, including ASOS and Proctor and Gamble. Now a full-time marketing manager at L’Oreal in Sydney, she fills us in on how to know what you want, and how to make it happen. Studied: Law and Business at ECU Because She’s Worth It What made you decide to study a Law and Business double degree? I’ve always had a fascination with the law. Growing up, my favourite TV shows weren’t Friends or Dawson’s Creek – they were Law & Order, Judge Judy, and Boston Legal. In high school I was captain of the mock trial team, and then through in university I participated in the Innocence Project and undertook work experience on the defense teams of various criminal trials. However, there was always part of me that had a strong curiosity for business, which most likely developed from watching and helping my mum operate her own business for many years. To me, the world of business was a creative outlet from the sometimes dry content of the law, so I decided to study business too. Though I intended to work in law, eventually I figured out that my creative potential, and passion for branding and innovation, would be best served in the world of business and marketing. When you look back at your time at ECU, what memories spring most to mind? In 2011 I went on exchange in Ottawa, Canada, which has to be one of my most treasured

WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU

You secured a 12-month internship at L’Oreal in Melbourne and you’re now employed there. Is it glamorous? It’s not the kind of glamour that I’m sure many would imagine! Hours can often be long, and you’re expected to invest your time and energy into the brands you work on as if they were your own. In exchange, you’re given opportunities to develop your skill set, network, and gain general business knowledge must faster than anywhere else I can imagine. Plus, you work with so many like-minded, intelligent and charismatic people, who become very close friends. There are definitely perks, like attending special events, travel, product allowances, and sometimes meeting celebrities. However, the most important thing having the opportunity to own business decisions that entry level employees are rarely trusted with elsewhere. For me, there’s nothing more glamorous than that. Was moving east something you had to do to further your career? Absolutely. For me, my career decisions dictate where I need to live, and not the other way around. However, there really is no hard and fast rule. I think it’s important to assess what kind of career or life you want, and then determine what you’re willing to sacrifice in order to get it. There will always be someone willing to sacrifice more than you, or work harder than you, which is why it’s important to really figure out what you want, and more importantly, the values that underpin why you want it. Give us an overview of 2014 for you? I spent the first two months of the year living and working in Singapore as part of an internship with Procter & Gamble, working in marketing for Oral-B. This was such a wonderful experience that is only usually offered to two successful applicants per year. My time with Procter & Gamble allowed me to experience business culture in an Asian country for the first time– something I’ve been longing to do. After this, I headed back to Perth to finish off Semester 1, and worked as a Campaign Marketer for ASOS, bringing ASOS events and competitions to the students of Perth. I then completed European Summer School in Italy, and a Leadership Program called LEAP at UCLA in Los Angeles, before accepting a full time product management and marketing role with L’Oreal and moving to Melbourne in August. It’s been a whirlwind year, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. What advice do you have for those considering on embarking on a similar path? It’s a cliché, but one I truly believe in – ‘Life is what happens while you’re busy making other plans’. You don’t have to have your entire life or career planned out to a tee. Having goals is incredibly important, but so is being flexible. If you’re looking to take the plunge into your dream career, but your experience doesn’t match up, look for opportunities to gain experience wherever you can, or think about how the experience you already have can translate into the skills required for the career you want. I was able to secure a marketing role with the biggest cosmetics company in the world with nothing but a resume full of ‘legal’ experience and a truck load of determination- sometimes, that’s all it takes.

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

SARAH MARLEY

STUDY SHOWS LOWER SES STATUS DOES NOT IMPACT UNIVERSITY PERFORMANCE

Three Minute Thesis Champion Curtin University PhD student Sarah Marley was crowned 2014 Three Minute Thesis (3MT) champion at the Trans-Tasman final in Perth. The annual research communication competition challenges higher degree students by giving them just three minutes to deliver a compelling presentation on their thesis and its significance to a non-specialist audience. The competition is held in two stages with participating universities holding their own heats and finals in September and October, and the winners advancing to compete in the Trans-Tasman Final in November. Ms Marley, a first-year PhD student with the Centre for Marine Science and Technology at Curtin, won the event ahead of 47 other contestants from across Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong. Her thesis, Behavioural And Acoustic Responses Of Coastal Dolphins To Noisy Environments, investigates how coastal dolphins are responding to increasing levels of man-made noise in the ocean, which threatens to mask their means of communication. Sarah said the 3MT competition had given her an excellent opportunity to share her fascination of the marine environment with other people. “I think all scientists are excited by the opportunity to share their research, and it’s certainly a topic I enjoy talking about. I have worked with marine mammals for several years, but have only recently branched into marine acoustics. It is fascinating to investigate the marine environment in the same way that whales and dolphins do – by sound, as well as vision. “Winning the 3MT also marks a personal milestone as I used to struggle with public speaking. Four years ago, I couldn’t even present my research to a small group of friends without getting embarrassed and reading word-for-word from a script. So to now enjoy presenting to this degree is something I am both amazed at and extremely proud of.” Sarah said she is a firm believer in science communication, as there is no point doing research if no-one is going to be told about it. “Previously there has been a strong

3MT 2014 champion Sarah Marley delivers her presentation

focus on presenting research academically, through conference talks and journal articles,” she noted. “But it is just as important to communicate research to the general public. “Events like 3MT are an important way of not only training young researchers in important communication skills, but making it fun to do so.” Sarah’s research supervisor, Dr Chandra Salgado Kent, said her student’s passion for her subject matter contributed to her achievement. “Sarah has immersed herself in this interesting and fascinating research and this shone through in her presentation. I am certain that this achievement will see her put even more energy into her work and ensure a great outcome in the end,” Dr Salgado Kent said. The inaugural 3MT competition was held at The University of Queensland (UQ) in 2008, with 160 higher degree students competing. The concept was adopted by other Australian and New Zealand universities in 2009 and 2010, leading to the development of a multi-national event, and the staging of the inaugural Trans-Tasman 3MT competition in 2010. Since 2011 the popularity of the competition has increased and 3MT competitions are now held in at least 170 universities across more than 17 countries worldwide.

A study for the National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education (NCSEHE) at Curtin University has found that Australia’s higher education system appears to level the playing field in terms of academic achievement for students, regardless of their socio-economic status (SES) background. The study, Socio-economic Status of Schools and University Academic Performance: Implications for Australia’s Higher Education Expansion by researchers Assistant Professor Ian Li from the School of Population Health at The University of Western Australia and Associate Professor Michael Dockery from Curtin’s NCSEHE, focuses on the role of schools’ SES in determining academic performance at university. “We have found that students from less privileged schools performed better at university than their peers with equivalent entry scores from more privileged schools,” said Associate Professor Dockery. “O u r re s u l t s s h ow t h at i n c re a s e d pa r t i c i pat i o n by s t u d e n t s f ro m l owe r S E S backgrounds is possible without compromising academic standards.” “As students from low SES backgrounds are under-represented in higher education, their participation should be encouraged.” The study’s sample population consisted of 8,417 first-year undergraduate students at an Australian university, from 183 schools. The study showed that while prior academic achievement is found to be a strong determinant of university academic performance, a student’s personal SES background did not influence their university performance. Another key finding of the study is that neither school sector, nor resources, impact on students’ academic scores. “These findings imply that larger amounts of funding per student are not being translated into better outcomes at university, though there are probably variations in resources, such as teacher quality, that were not observable in the study,” Assistant Professor Li said. “One school effect that did impact upon university performance was that students from all-boys or all-girls schools did not perform as well

Professor Michael Dockery

as their counterparts who had attended a co-ed high school.” “The study also found that female students strongly outperformed male students in their first year of university, and older students tended to achieve higher marks.” Latest figures from the Australian Government Department of Education indicate that the proportion of low SES students enrolled in higher education in 2013 was approximately 17 per cent.

CURTIN UNIVERSITY ALUMNI AWARDS Former West Coast Eagles premiership coach and player, John Worsfold, is among the 14 recipients of the inaugural Curtin University Alumni Awards, which were presented at a special awards ceremony last month. The Awards recognise Curtin graduates for the significant and valuable contributions they make to society. These contributions could be in the local, national or international communities they support, personal achievements or success in their professions. Curtin Vice-Chancellor Professor Deborah Terry said the Awards embrace Curtin’s mission to change minds, lives and the world through leadership, innovation and excellence. “Curtin graduates are passionate and enthusiastic about changing lives for the better and it is this passion that lends itself to success,” Professor Terry said. “The Curtin Alumni Awards demonstrate that our graduates have a chance to be a beacon for positive change. “Curtin has a strong commitment to developing and strengthening links with the international community and the Awards also demonstrate the calibre of Curtin’s international alumni network, with a number of recipients achieving great success in their chosen fields around the globe.”

to bring education to African communities. In 2011, he went to Kenya to help at an orphanage in Nairobi, and on returning to Australia five months later, set up the not-for-profit organisation Ewangan Inc (ewangan.org) to give the children of Maasai cattle herders desperately needed access to education in remote areas.

Award Winners And Categories

Alumni Community Achievement Award The Alumni Community Achievement Awards recognises Curtin alumni who have personally given time to contribute to society on either a national or international level. Curtin highly values community engagement and helping others in need.

Young Alumni Medal The Young Alumni Medal recognises Curtin graduates, 30 years of age or younger, who at an early stage are excelling in their chosen career and making significant contributions to society and their community. Pooja Maru Pooja graduated from Curtin with a Bachelor of Pharmacy in 2007, and is currently part way through completing her Master of Business and Administration at Curtin. Pooja became managing partner of Craven’s Pharmacy in 2012 at the age of 27. She has been instrumental in setting up mental health services in the pharmacy, developing a supportive, non-judgmental platform for mental health patients, their case workers and their doctors. Kyle De Souza Kyle De Souza graduated from Curtin University’s Western Australian School of Mines in 2008 with a Bachelor of Mining Engineering. Kyle has given his time, skills and earnings selflessly and tirelessly 46

Distinguished International Alumni Award This award category recognises up to four a l u m n i s i t u ate d ove r s e a s . T h ey w i l l h ave demonstrated innovation not only on a business level but throughout their international community. Selection Panel’s International Award recipient Netty Muharni Netty Muharni was among the 10 per cent of her community to survive the 2004 Tsunami, but tragically, her family were lost in the disaster. In the post-disaster chaos of uncoordinated relief efforts, she became determined to learn how communities like hers could be better protected from future disasters. At her sister’s suggestion, she applied for and won an Australia Awards scholarship to study a Master of Urban and Regional Planning at Curtin.

Kristy Tomlinson Kristy Tomlinson has a Bachelor of Science (Human Communication Studies) from Curtin and is currently completing her Master of Philosophy (International Health) at Curtin. Kristy’s ambition is to use her studies to achieve optimal health and wellbeing outcomes for minority groups, enabling them to be advocates for their own health needs, and to become the best possible versions of themselves. Distinguished Australian Alumni Award The Distinguished Australian Alumni Award category is presented to an individual based on their community engagement, innovation, entrepreneurship, international engagement and/ or overall career achievements.

Alumni Award recipients and representatives with Vice-Chancellor, Professor Deborah Terry

John Worsfold John was selected as an inaugural squad member of the West Coast Eagles in 1986, the same year in which he commenced his Bachelor of Pharmacy degree at Curtin. In addition to his legendary AFL career, John Worsfold has a highly impressive array of contributions to society; this includes being an ambassador to the Shane Warne Foundation and the Australia Day Council. He has also been an active supporter of charities such as Channel 7’s Telethon, the Cancer Council and the SAS Resources Trust. Dr Davina Porock Dr Davina Porock holds a Master of Science (Nursing Science) from Curtin, and since graduating, has gone on to become one of the world’s most esteemed international experts in person centred end of life care and a leading researcher in the care of people with dementia. Marianne de Pierres Since completing her Bachelor of Arts (English) at Curtin, Marianne de Pierres has had a very successful writing career, publishing several novels and short stories, and her work has been translated into nine languages. Marianne has shaped perceptions of who and what a female Australian writer can be and achieve. She has challenged traditions by writing across genres and defied stereotyping by telling her stories on multiple platforms. Bill Beament Bill Beament holds a Bachelor of Engineering from Curtin and attended the Curtin University Western Australia School of Mines in Kalgoorlie. He is currently

WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU

the Managing Director of ASX-listed goldminer Northern Star Resources. Bill turned Northern Star Resources from a two-cents a share company with a market capitalisation of $1 million with several employees, to nearly $800 million market capitalisation, well over a dollar-a-share company and approximately 600 employees in just three and a half years. Dr Sue van Leeuwen Dr Sue van Leeuwen holds a Doctor of Business Administration and a Bachelor degree in Applied Science from Curtin. Sue is an experienced Executive Director, Non-Executive Director and Community Leader. She is a mentor and role model of ethical and valuesled leadership and was instrumental in establishing Community Leadership Australia – a national network of leadership organisations with a vision to create more sustainable and resilient communities. Inspiring Alumnus Award This is the Selection Panel’s award for a very inspiring individual. This alumnus is an individual who has overcome many hurdles to contribute significantly to their local and global community. Riyadh Al Hakimi Riyadh Al Hakimi arrived as a refugee with his family in Australia in 1995, aged 17, after spending five years of his life in a refugee camp on the border of Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Despite the personal challenges that he and his family have faced, Riyadh has completed a Bachelor of Arts and Master of International Relations at Curtin.

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

ALICE FAIRFOUL Kimberley Calling Studied: Education (Early Childhood and Care) at Notre Dame Alice Fairfoul’s real-life learning all across the state saw her in an envious position before she’d even graduated, having already accepted an offer to join Sacred Heart School in Beagle Bay for the start of the 2015 school year. She tells us about how her university experience put her in the driver’s seat. Having graduated this month from Notre Dame with a Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood and Care) to her name, Alice says the integration of theory with practical teaching experiences at Notre Dame gave her the skills and confidence to deliver the education and care that growing minds need in the classroom. Alice accepted the position with Sacred Heart while she completed an internship with the Catholic Education Office of WA’s Kimberley Calling Program. The outreach program aims to improve the literacy and numeracy outcomes of Catholic school students in some of the region’s most remote communities, including Ringer Soak, Warmun, Gibb River and Billiluna. “I chose to study at Notre Dame because of the University’s personalised approach to education and its commitment to ensuring students have opportunities to experience real-life learning,” says Alice. “All students, regardless of their age and location, need to have access to the best possible learning environment, where their educational and personal needs are met. I hope to be able to inspire the students in my classroom at Sacred Heart School just as I have been inspired by my lecturers and tutors at Notre Dame.” Inspiring kids is key to teaching, and as such, the School of Education emphasises the importance of students getting their hands dirty, experiencing practical learning opportunities where they can develop a real feel for what the actual teaching environment is like. Across the four-year Early Childhood and Care degree, students undertake a massive 32 week practicum in a number of different classroom settings from early learning centres to primary schools, in tandem with specialised early childhood units of study. These provide students with an all-inclusive, ground-up learning approach, and helps them to gain confidence in their teaching abilities. “Early childhood is a crucial time of

JUSTIN KEOGH The Thinking Man’s Lawyer Studied: Law and Philosophy at Notre Dame

Articled Clerk, Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions

Alice Fairfoul

development. Undertaking a specialised early childhood degree is recognition of this crucial time for children,” Christine McGunnigle, the co-ordinator for Childhood Education and Care Programs in Notre Dame’s School of Education, Fremantle, said. “Notre Dame’s Early Childhood and Care degree focuses on developing confident and passionate early childhood professionals who are industry ready. Upon graduation, students have worked in a range of settings, across birth to age eight, and have developed strong professional connections.” Whether you’re interested in primary, secondary or early childhood teaching, Notre Dame offers the same level of in-depth practical experience. Notre Dame offers courses in primary, secondary and early childhood education from the Fremantle campus, with applications still open for 2015. Find out more at: notredame.edu.au.

Don’t be fooled; philosophy isn’t just sitting around in togas and talking about the afterlife. For law graduate, Justin Keogh, studying the ancient discipline provided him with critical thinking and structured reasoning skills that he later found essential for succeeding in his profession. After graduating, Justin became an Articled Clerk at the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions for Western Australia, and believes the disciplines of philosophy and ethics, taught to all undergraduate students at Notre Dame as part of the University’s Core Curriculum, were key in developing his ability to succeed in such a challenging role. Having studied and tutored in the University’s School of Philosophy & Theology, Justin has seen from both sides how philosophy encourages abstract thinking and academic rigour, as well as challenging a person’s understanding of morality. “While the content of philosophy has some cross-over, particularly in jurisprudence, the skills acquired from its study are critical for identifying the heart of an argument, structuring a coherent response and exploring a viable solution. It goes without saying that these skills are not just relevant to law,” he says. “Ethics (moral philosophy) is even more applicable. An appreciation of ethics is essential for understanding concepts relating to justice, fairness and equality; concepts central to most systems of law. Further it is this appreciation, sometimes innate, that draws many people to seek out a career in law in the first place.” The Objects core curriculum program is based around the principle of growing every student not just in terms of their employability, but also personally, professionally and spiritually. As such, Notre Dame students are uniquely able to actively participate in the developing culture of campus life, in the classroom, through volunteering initiatives, religious pursuits and formation, and in a number of student clubs and societies. “By participating in the campus life you get to associate with like-minded people; many of whom will become close friends,” Mr Keogh said. “You’re in a space where you can practise

Justin Keogh

the skills you are taught in class in a safe and supportive environment, while having the opportunity to create a legacy that will exist on campus long after you leave.” The historic campus is another perk of attending the university, with classes taking place in buildings dating back to 1884 set amongst the beautiful Fremantle cafe strip, with the ocean within walking distance. Professor Doug Hodgson, the Dean of the School of Law at Notre Dame Fremantle, says that the students there gain an edge from taking practical courses, such as advocacy, alternative dispute resolution and ethics, where they are taught how to act in the courtroom and ways to deal with ethical challenges that may arise throughout their careers. “The Law School prepares students for exciting careers in a variety of fields, such as law, politics, government, business and education, through innovative course electives like Aviation Law and Social Media and Law and a host of others,” Professor Hodgson said. “These are likely significant contributors to the Notre Dame School of Law having a 90 per cent graduate employment rate, according to the 2015 Good Universities Guide. Our graduates lead by example in their careers with confidence knowing that a Notre Dame degree delivers the ability to think critically; to act justly; and to serve humanity with dignity and charity.” To find out more about a Bachelor of Laws and Philosophy from Notre Dame at the Fremantle campus, visit nd.edu.au.

Murdoch University

MURDOCH UNIVERSITY A Preference To Make A Difference It’s hard not to get wound up in results. What will my ATAR be? What university will I get into? Does my future rest on my ATAR results? The Murdoch University community of students has something in common: the desire to make a difference. That’s why a decision to make a Murdoch course your first preference is a decision to have an impact on the world, both while you’re studying and after you are employed. Our lecturers and staff carefully support and nurture this desire from the moment you begin your degree, right through to the celebration of your graduation. Class sizes tend to be smaller, lecturers are more likely to know your name. Challenging the status quo, asking the big questions and critical, open thinking are all encouraged and rewarded at Murdoch. Our team of First Year Advisors also recently achieved 48

WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU

national recognition for the support they provide our students at an individual, school and university level. It’s all part of the Murdoch experience. A Murdoch education is geared towards the world beyond university. Students work on making a difference on real, global issues such as food security, free trade agreements, democracy, mining, workplace law, healthcare and more. Practical experience is a strong focus across all our Schools. Many of our students also take advantage of the opportunity to explore a double major to make themselves even more uniquely employable. Murdoch is the only public university in Western Australia to receive a five-star graduate employment rating by students, in the Hobsons Good Universities Guide 2015. That means Murdoch students graduate career-ready and are more likely to gain employment and make a difference in their chosen field of study. Check out our Course Finder Tool at murdoch.edu.au to get suggestions for courses and careers that match your interests and personality. We offer a wide range of courses across Veterinary & Life Sciences, Engineering & IT, Law, Business, Education, Health Professions, Psychology and Exercise Science and the Arts. Still unsure which course to choose? Talk to us today about making a Murdoch course your preference. Our Student Centre is open from 8:30am4:30pm Monday 29, Tuesday 30 and Wednesday 31 December and again on Friday 2 January. Call 1300 MURDOCH or visit murdoch.edu.au to find the answers to your questions.

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

Jamie Lee Major is just one of a growing cohort of CIT fashion graduates who have seen their designs reach international notoriety. Since winning the X-Press Emerging Designer Award in 2009, her collections have attracted the attention of everyone from The New York Times to Katy Perry. Studied: Advanced Diploma in Fashion and Textile Design at CIT Starships Fixed directors Burleigh Smith and Codey Wilson

SAE Get Your Fix From the Film & Television course at The School Of Audio Engineering (SAE) comes the new student film, Fixed. Lecturer, Rob Viney, fills us in on the production. So, tell us about Fixed. Fixed is a story about a young girl who wants her dog to have puppies but does not quite understand why the parents want the dog to be de-sexed. What was your role in the production? My role on the production was producer, organising basically everything from puppies to location agreements to equipment and personnel on set. Let’s just say the old saying ‘never work with animals and children’ does have some merit, however Amara Harnisch was nothing but professional. Another role - and really my main role - was to guide the students with the filming techniques - lighting, some audio, protocols on sets and to push the students to make the best possible film. How did you assist director, Codey Wilson, with production? Was it chiefly a mentoring role, or more hands on? This is the students’ first time making a short film, so the main focus here is a scaffolding approach. The students learn by first watching,

X-PRESS GRADUATE AWARD WINNERS In the last month Curtin, Polytechnic West, Central and ECU all held their Graduate Fashion Parades, with one student from each chosen for the X-Press Award. Congratulations all!

then stepping in when they can. To be honest, the students really stepped up and worked really well. Not to take any thunder away from the directors, Burleigh Smith and Codey Wilson, who worked great. Two names that need to mentioned are Michael Titter and Nathan Smith, they both will go very far in the film industry... already very professional. The overall outcome needs to be finishing the film, so the students have a finished product to put on their show reels. Now they have a film that has made it all the way to Tropfest. They should be very proud of that achievement. What course was the film initially created for? The film was created through the new studio units, part of the Bachelor of Film at SAE. Also some extra scenes were shot outside of the unit and also a professional colour grade to polish up the film for the festival. What other SAE films have done well in festivals? My time at SAE has only been short, but with the way things are going and the excitement in the students I don’t think it would be long before more we see more success. Anything else to add? The response to film has been amazing and from all the cast and crew we like to thank everyone for the kind words about Fixed. If anyone would like to watch any of the Tropfest films, tropfest.com is the place to visit. a thorough grounding in the technical side of the fashion industry with classes on design, patternmaking, grading, construction and more to ensure you have the practical skills to bring your designs to life. How do you describe your design aesthetic? My design aesthetic is feminine and romantic with a twist. I’m inspired by many things including the Victorian era and the Pre-Raphaelite art movement, and I love to combine delicate fabrics and feminine silhouettes with darker elements. I also place a strong emphasis on attention to detail, and often use intricate embellishment and hand finishing techniques in my designs. Is there any advice you would give young, budding designers just setting out? A piece of advice that I would give budding designers is don’t be afraid of developing your own design style and aesthetic, because ultimately that is what sets everyone apart from each other. Celebrate the things that are uniquely yours and do what excites you, because that will give you the inspiration and determination to keep pushing yourself further.

Katy Perry rocks the ARIAS red carper in her Jamie Lee Major-designed outfit - Photograph: Dan Himbrechts/AAP

JAMIE LEE MAJOR Fashion Designer

When it comes to having a high profile fashion assignment, it definitely doesn’t come much bigger than designing clothes for music superstars. Such was the challenge for former Central Institute of Technology student Jaime Lee Major, when she was tasked with designing the outfit Katy Perry wore to the ARIA Awards last month. Bali-based Jaime created a two-piece, midriff-baring outfit that set tongues wagging across the globe. The stunning outfit featured a bib-style front made from lace sourced exclusively from France, with onyx crystal beads and patent leather. The highly detailed, hand-beaded number took Major nearly 400 hours to make. This commission was the latest high profile task for Jamie who remains a firm favourite in rock circles. She dressed Kimbra for the 2011 ARIAs in a gobsmacking fish tail gown made from gold lace and hand-encrusted with Swarovski crystals. The New Zealand diva also wore Jamie Lee on her appearances on Jimmy Kimmel and Saturday Night Live, bringing the CIT graduate’s designs to an audience of millions. Shakira and even Lady Gaga have also stepped out in her designs. Jaime isn’t the only famous graduate of Central’s Fashion portfolio, with other alumni including the duo One Fell Swoop (Daniel Romanin and Nikolina Ergic) and Lara Kovacevich of the Zhivago label. With such a pedigree of success, the CIT Advanced Diplome of Art and Design is the perfect place to explore a curiosity for couture. The Advanced Diploma of Art and Design (Fashion and Textile Design) is available at the Central Institute of Technology, with second round applications still open. For more information: central.wa.edu.au.

How do you describe your design aesthetic? I like clean, flowing styles that hold meaning. Is there any advice you would give young, budding designers just setting out? You have to really know what you want. Always be willing to adapt and learn new styles of design and craft because fashion is always changing. Don’t be afraid to break out and do something different, you might set a new trend.

MAEGAN DA SILVA Curtin

Joana Ehmes

When did you first realise that fashion design was the career for you? Growing up with a mother that was also very much into fashion, it has always been a dream of mine to be a fashion designer. This however only became a possibility when my family migrated to Australia in 2006; at the time I was 15 years old and began doing textiles at St Brigid’s College. I soon realised that my dreams could become my reality; I knew then that I wanted to pursue a career in fashion.

JOANA EHMES Edith Cowan University When did you first realise that fashion design was the career for you? After starting my degree at ECU I did a few electives in Textiles and Fashion. The unique approach and teaching motivated me to understand fashion as a form, supported by different materials and techniques to generate work. Jessica Jones Collection Photo: Tricia Cheah

How did you end up at Edith Cowan University? When I came to Perth to study I was a little insecure about what to study. I decided to go to ECU as they provide a great freedom and flexibility when choosing electives and experimenting units.

JESSICA JONES Polytechnic West When did you first realise that fashion design was the career for you? I started teaching myself to sew when I was in high school simply because I couldn’t find the clothes that I wanted anywhere. From that point on I knew that I wanted to pursue fashion as a career, and kept sewing while completing a Fine Arts degree at UWA to give myself a solid art foundation to draw upon.

Rini Teng Collection Photo: Darren Mok

RINI TENG Central Institute When did you first realise that fashion design was the career for you? When I was young I was always interested in the arts. My background is in traditional dance and the costumes they wore always interested me so fashion was a natural transition.

Would you say a Edith Cowan University course is a good springboard to getting started in the industry? Considering that it is not an easy industry, the lecturers provide a number of very good opportunities to participate in competitions and events that provide visibility.

How did you end up at Polytechnic? Everyone I spoke to highly recommended Polytechnic West due to their strong emphasis on the technical side of fashion, and the way that the course was structured to teach you everything from the ground up.

How did you end up at Central? I was researching courses in WA and wanted something innovative. CIT was always at the head of the page with their creative and hands on style of teaching.

How do you describe your design aesthetic? After research on the conceptual background, I usually start the process by identifying what I want to transmit to the viewer and wearer. From there my designs tend to complement the body’s physiognomy.

Would you say a Polytechnic Fashion Design course is a good springboard to getting started in the industry? I definitely think that studying Fashion Design at Polytechnic is a fantastic springboard to getting started in the industry. The course gives you

Would you say a Central Fashion Design course is a good springboard to getting started in the industry? CIT teaches you the full process a design studio would go through from start to finish. It’s a great feeling going to any designer and being able to help straight away.

Is there any advice you would give young, budding designers just setting out? I would probably let them know that like everything it is not easy and it requires a lot of work but if you passionate about what you are doing than everything is easier.

WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU

How did you end up at Curtin? I initially intended to do the TAFE course first to get hands on technical training and then complete the degree at Curtin; however at the time the course was only being offered part-time due to low numbers mid-year entry. After having done extensive research; I was drawn to Curtin because of their more concept-driven approach. Would you say a Curtin Fashion Design course is a good springboard to getting started in the industry? At Curtin, students are encouraged to push the boundaries, to think ‘out of the box’ and to explore their creativity. The Curtin Graduate Showcase is a great means of exposure and a fantastic opportunity for young up-coming designers. How do you describe your design aesthetic? Born and raised in the Caribbean; The twin Island of Trinidad and Tobago and migrating to Australia in my teens, has helped shape a distinctive design aesthetic that evokes an evocative blend of influences from two contrasting cultures. As a designer I want to deliver innovative and evocative garments while maintaining the integrity of design and quality. Is there any advice you would give young, budding designers just setting out? Stay true to who you are as a designer, it’s what makes you and your work original. Develop your own aesthetic so your work can speak for itself and has your signature. All winners will be featured in a special shoot for the next X-Press Fashion season launch in 2015. 51

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

the more water you drink the more you’ll need to go out for that sneaky toilet break/break from work. We love the giant glass VOSS bottles you can buy from most supermarkets. Earphones Hate trying to study when Gossip Girl decides to sit behind you in the library? Plug in and tune out with your favourite tunes – they’re bound to block out what happened with Johnny’s ex-girlfriend’s rash. We love the funky ear bud designs from Typo.

Pencil case from Typo SSD vs. HDD

SOLID STATE DRIVES Better, Stronger, Faster Modern life as a student is accompanied by changes in computer technology at every turn. Advancements are being made consistently and an important one to note is that of the benefits of SSD (Solid State Drive) over that of HDD (Hard Disk Drive). The important thing for students is the speed and reliability of SSD – and while it may be a bit more expensive, there are significant gains in the long term with faster and more protected data. SSDs Are More Durable Solid State Drives feature a non-mechanical design of NAND flash mounted on circuit boards, and are shock resistant up to 1500g/0.5ms. Hard Drives consist of various moving parts making them susceptible to shock and damage. SSDs Are Faster SSDs can have 100 times greater performance, almost instantaneous data access, quicker boot-ups, faster file transfers, and an overall snappier computing experience than hard drives. HDDs can only access the data faster the closer it is from the read write heads, while all parts of the SSD can be accessed at once.

STUDENT PRESS Free As A Bird Want to find your voice and hone you writing skills? Student press can be an important part of campus life. ALEX GRIFFIN reports on his experiences.

SSDs Consume Less Power SSDs use significantly less power at peak load than hard drives, less than 2W vs. 6W for an HDD. Their energy efficiency can deliver longer battery life in notebooks, less power strain on system, and a cooler computing environment. SSDs Are Lighter Flash-based SSDs weigh considerably less than hard drives – only 77g vs. 752.5g for HDDs. SSDs won’t weigh down your notebook when you’re on the go or your desktop when rearranging your office! SSDs Are Cost-Efficient Though still a higher price/gigabyte than hard drives, SSDs offer cost savings in the long run for businesses with lower energy usage and greater productivity with higher Input/outputs Operations per Second (IOPS). One SSD delivers the performance of 100 hard drives. SSDs Are Cooler As an energy-efficient storage upgrade for your desktop or laptop, SSDs require very little power to operate that translates into significantly less heat output by your system. SSDs Are Quieter With no moving parts, SSDs run at near silent operation and never disturb your computing experience during gaming or movies, unlike loud, whirring hard disc drives. Notebook/laptop experts Portacom are also SSD specialists and provide upgrades and knowledge on this topic. Head to portacom.com.au for more details.

BACKPACK ESSENTIALS ‘Back to school. Back to school, to prove to Dad that I’m not a fool’. You might not be starting kindergarten like Billy Madison, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be well prepared with these backpack essentials. Baby Wipes Never underestimate the essentialness of a baby wipe. It’s not just good for babies’ bums – think make up remover, desk cleaner, sweat taker-awayer-meetsbody refreshener. It’s the best all-in-one tissue out. We love the delicious smell of Huggies Cucumber and Green Tea Wipes, available at supermarkets, chemists and baby stores. Hand Sanitiser Ever watched your sick class partner wipe the snot from their dribbly nose with their hands, then reach for the shared document you’re working from? Mmm… keep germ-free and sick-free this year with instant hand sanitiser. Smells nice and makes you feel clean. Just don’t use your hands to eat straight after. We love Dettol Healthy Touch instant hand sanitiser with aloe vera. H2O Learning is hard so keep your mind and body alert and stay hydrated. Chuck a bottle of water in your bag for easy access, then refill when necessary. Here’s a tip:

Sunnies For those unexpected outdoors class days, or when it’s 8am and you’re feeling particularly glum after that Sunday sesh-turned-rager. Shade those eyes and your sorrows! We love the original and the best – RayBans. Pencil case Okay, there’s no point in rocking up to class with a backpack full of fun and nothing that’ll actually help you get educated. Especially if you’re expected to write! Load up on your fave pens and pencils then make it look dapper with a retro-style pencil case. We still love zip pencil cases. Planner Have gazillion units to complete this semester but also want to remember what a social life feels like? It’s time to get organised, people. Getting yourself a planner will not only make you look profresh, you might also get your life sorted too! We love Kikki K’s leather organisers, complete with diary, penholder and section dividers. Money Yes, money does make the world go round, and it definitely helps if you want to escape that boring lecture and make a day of it at the tav. Having a spare fiddy or two tucked away in a side pocket can go a little or a long way, so if you can restrain yourself from spending the dosh until you really need it, you’ll thank yourself later. We love… well… money! Sunscreen Sneaky trips to the beach, an outdoor PE session, sitting under an ozone-less sky, you look like a vampire. Slip, slop, slap doesn’t only apply to the beach – looking after your skin now means you’ll prevent pain in the future, and/or looking like a sack of leather when you’re 50. We love Banana Boat – that’s one catchy song!

If you’re staring down the barrel of a tertiary education and seeing nothing but half a decade of $400 textbooks and midnight exam slogs in the library, allow me to reassure you; there’s a lot more to campus life than keeping tabs on the price of Red Bull at the Ref. One path to getting out of university with a degree and your sanity is your friendly student magazine, which provides an eternal and slightly grimy refuge from the unreality of assignment deadlines in a creative, inclusive and encouraging space. I was lucky enough to co-edit the UWA student magazine, Pelican, and besides being a fantastic opportunity to develop administrative, editorial, organisational and sass-talking skills, it connected me with a world of new, strange and amazing people and experiences. Pelican was a hub of intelligent, stimulating and engaging debate, full of unique people who were all pulling towards a common purpose; producing a magazine that was hopefully so good it wouldn’t just be our mums who read it. Truly, working on articles, illustrations and design with deadlines hanging over your hungover heads is on-the-job journalism learning you can’t beat, and learning to pitch, critically analyse pieces of writing and independently develop content is stuff that’ll serve you well wherever you roam. Whenever I pitch writing to magazines now, it’s always with the friendly, cringing memory of the first time I wrote to a Pelican editor in mind. Even if your heart isn’t set on a long life of producing Buzzfeed listicles – as the future of journalism may seem like – there’s little more satisfying than seeing your own work in black and white, surrounded by the ideas of your peers. You become a better, richer person by exposing yourself to people who disagree with you and challenge your own ideas, and the parties are great. Promise. In Perth, it’s not just Pelican that flies the student press freak flag high; Grok at Curtin has a long tradition of playing it weird, Metior combines opinion pieces with excellent visual spreads, and ECU’s GSM is a bulwark of inclusive strangeness. With the people you meet, the free movie tickets you snaffle and the opening nights you crash at the sight of the phrase ‘wine and cheese’, you never know where student media can take you. I know student press contributors who have gone on to write episodes of Neighbours, work for the ABC, write for just about every newspaper in the country and run for Parliament. Heck, a Pelicano wrote We Are Australian. Even if student media just stacks up the ‘misc.’ section of your resume, it’s a joyous thing to reach out to. At uni, and especially in the real world, there aren’t a lot of places that’ll hug you back for turning up, being yourself and letting the world know what you think. Without wanting to sing the Saddle Club theme song at you, student media is one of them. WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU