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ACTION TIME American rapper Action Bronson has announced a run of headline shows in March to coincide with his sophomore album, Mr. Wonderful. Mr. Wonderful expands Bronson’s artistry, teaming up with collaborators Party Suppliers and The Alchemist, to produce a personal and grandly tongue-in-cheek affair. The album was a commercial smash hit, debuting at Number 7 on the Billboard 200. The tour kicks off at Villa Nightclub Monday, March 7. Tickets are available from actionbronson.com.
THE BIG 4-0 Perth nightspot, and centre of support and celebration of Perth’s LGBTQI community, Connections, will celebrate its 40th anniversary on Saturday, December 5. The event will include guests from both the past and present – a line-up of DJs and performers to celebrate 40 years’ worth of diversity and delightful decadence. Since its doors first opened in December, 1975, Connections has remained the longest running gay club in the Southern Hemisphere and a host of four decades’ worth of art, culture, and dance. Tickets for the 18+ event are going for $40. For more details head to connectionsnightclub.com.
Action Bronson
BACK IN BUSINESS
Get ready for Connections 40th birthday
In February 2016, acclaimed frontman – and key songwriter for Matchbox Twenty – Rob Thomas, will begin his Australian tour in support of his first solo album in more than six years, The Great Unknown. The stops by for A Day On The Green appearance at Kings Park & Botanic Gardens on Wednesday, March 2, 2016. Thomas delivered his first solo album in 2005, and has achieved platinum status with each successive solo release since. For event and ticketing information hit up mellenevents.com.
DOWN & DIRTY Dirtybird artists Worthy and Ardalan will be heading to Australia this coming December for five club shows. The handful of shows includes an appearance at the Conservatory Rooftop Bar on Sunday, December 13. The duo blends their unique mix of energetic bass funk and grimmer, less euphoric sounds. They have a versatility that stretches to appealing the underground basement dwellers and those dancing away on the most opulent of dancefloors. Worthy
Rob Thomas
FOREVER AND EVER Sydney-based electronic three-piece Art vs. Science have announced their new tour dates in support of their recent album, Off The Edge Of The Earth And Into Forever, Forever. The tour will cover five capital cities as well as select regional areas from March 3-19, including a show in Perth on Saturday, March 5 at Capitol. Tickets are now on sale. For more information, head to artvsscience.net/shows.
BACK IN TOWN Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals will soon be embarking on their first Australian tour since 2007. The American rockers will begin their tour at the Sydney Opera House in early March, wedging in a show at Kings Park & Botanic Gardens on Tuesday, March 8, and will eventually wrap up in Melbourne. The tour will coincide with the release of their latest album, Call It What It Is, due for release in April, 2016. Tickets will go on sale from Monday, November 23. For more information on the tour, head to mellenevents.com.
Art vs. Science
Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals
CONTENTS 4 6 8 10
Newsdesk Win Flesh: Amplifier (Not So) Sweet 16th Music Dream On Dreamer, Jackson Firebird, Kerser The Meanies, Ron Sexsmith New Noise
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Culture Hub Cover: Sumer Fashion Style That Sizzles The Hitlist, Lifestyle Graham Miller, Clare Bowditch, Arts Listings The Program, Mockingjay Pt 2, David Walsh, Tom Vincent (PIAF) Feature: Summer Fashion Feature: What’s On
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Scene Cover: Regurgitator/Astor Theatre’s 100th Local: Bloom/Richmond St Records Volume Live: Pat Chow/A Day On The Green/Def
FIRED UP Perth’s locally produced and internationally acclaimed event, Breakfest, has announced their Boxing Day, Saturday, December 26, line-up. The event, hosted at Belvoir Amphitheatre, includes locals D-Funk, Beatslappaz, Childish Antics, Dngrfld & Parakord, Gracie & Sistym, Invoker & Meet Mark, Junglebuss, Miss Demeanour & Jordan Scott, Pussymittens & Mo’fly, Rivers & Wolv, Tee El & Bezwun, joining the Tiny Club (featuring Bad Habits, Bambi, Bandicoot, JP Beecroft Lemon Lime & Biddiss and Not So Hot) and internationals Stanton Warriors, Danny Byrd, DJ Marky and more. Tickets via ticketmaster.com.au.
American thrash metal band High On Fire have announced their upcoming Australian tour, with a Perth show kicking off proceedings on Wednesday, February 17, at the Rosemount Hotel. The band has become well known for their conceptually bombastic albums and incredibly intense live shows, headed by frontman Matt Pike, drummer Des Kensel, and bassist George Rice.
Stanton Warriors, headlining Breakfest
High On Fire Pic: J. Hubbard
BREAKFEST IS BACK
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Leppard 30
X-Press Guide
Front Cover: Amplifier Bar celebrates its (Not So) Sweet 16th Birthday with The Meanies. Live photography montage: Michael Wylie. Scene Cover: Regurgitator headline the Astor Theatre’s 100th Anniversary celebrations on Friday, December 18. 3
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SWEET MEMORIES Amplifier Bar celebrates its (Not So) Sweet 16th this year, and is going all out with a birthday party of huge proportions on Friday, December 4. They’ll be bringing in legendary blokes The Meanies to headline, who will be launching their new album It’s Not Me, It’s You, plus local luminaries Sugar Army, Umpire, Chainsaw Hookers, Leeches, The Ghost Hotel and a bunch of the venue’s dearest DJs from over the years. We have five double passes to this impressive milestone to give away. Chainsaw Hookers, Amplifier Bar’s (Not So) Sweet 16th
DVD 3-PACK GIVEAWAY Thanks to Entertainment One Home Entertainment we have a special DVD giveaway of three titles due for release on Wednesday, November 18. There’s Season 5 of Haven; Bitten: Season 1 and a new movie, The Enfield Haunting, inspired by the world’s most documented poltergeist incident and adapted from Guy Lyon Playfair’s book, This House is Haunted. Haven Bitten and The Enfield Haunting
THE PROGRAM An Irish sports journalist becomes convinced that Lance Armstrong’s performances during the Tour de France victories are fuelled by banned substances. With this conviction, he starts hunting for evidence that will expose Armstrong. Based on the shocking true story of Lance Armstrong’s downfall the critically acclaimed piece starring Ben Foster and Chris O’Dowd is a must-see. We have 10 double passes to give away so you can do just that. The Program
PRINT & DIGITAL EDITIONS Publisher/Manager Joe Cipriani EDITORIAL - 9213 2888 MANAGING EDITOR Bob Gordon: editor@xpressmag.com.au GIG & EVENT GUIDES CO-ORDINATOR guide@xpressmag.com.au COMPETITIONS win@xpressmag.com.au For band gigs & launches: plugyourgig@xpressmag.com.au ADVERTISING - 9213 2888 LIFESTYLE STRATEGY MANAGER – AGENCY / DIRECT Jennifer Groves: advertising@xpressmag.com.au ENTERTAINMENT STRATEGY MANAGER ENTERTAINMENT / VENUES / LIVE AND DANCE MUSIC PROMOTERS / RECORD LABELS Zac Nichols: entertainment@xpressmag.com.au CLASSIFIEDS LINAGE classifieds@xpressmag.com.au PRODUCTION DEPARTMENT - 9213 2854 ART & CONTENT COORDINATOR Anthony Jackson: art@xpressmag.com.au DESIGN & PRODUCTION Anthony Jackson, Andy Quilty PRINTING Rural Press Printing Mandurah DISTRIBUTION - 9213 2853: distribution@xpressmag.com.au ADMIN / ACCOUNTS - 9213 2888 Lillian Buckley: accounts@xpressmag.com.au EDITORIAL DEADLINES General: Friday 5pm, Eye4 Arts: Thursday 10am, WIN: Friday 5pm, Salt Clubs: Monday 5pm , Local Scene: Monday Noon, Gig Guide: Monday 5pm
MAN UP A single woman who’s mistaken for a stranger’s blind date, leads to her finding the perfect boyfriend. Starring Simon Pegg and Lake Bell, we have 10 double passes to give away. Man Up 4
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ADVERTISING DEADLINES Cancellations: Monday 5pm, Ads to be set: Monday Noon Supplied Bookings / Copy: Tuesday 12 Noon, Classifieds: Monday 4pm Published by: Columbia Press Pty.Ltd. A.C.N. 066 570 803 Registered by Australia Post. Publication No PP600110.00006 Suite 55/102 Railway Street, City West Business Centre, West Perth, WA 6005 Locked Bag 31, West Perth, WA 6872 Phone: (08) 9213 2888 Fax: (08) 9213 2882 Website: http://www.xpressmag.com.au WARRANTY AND INDEMNITY Advertisers and/or their agents by lodging an advertisment shall indemnify the publisher, and its agents, against all liability claims or proceedings whatsoever arising from the publication. Advertisers and/or their representatives indemnify the publisher in relation to defamation, slander, breach of copyright, infringement of trademarks of name of publication titles, unfair competition or trade practices, royalties or violation of rights or privacy and warrant that the material complies with revelant laws and regulations and that its publication will not give rise to any rights against or liabilities in the publisher, its servants or agents. Any material supplied to X-Press is at the contributor’s risk.
33,560 OCTOBER 2012 MARCH 2013 - AUSTRALIA’S HIGHEST CIRCULATING STREET PRESS
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5
AMPLIFIER’S NOT SO SWEET 16TH Rock Up, Jeff Amplifier Bar celebrates its (Not So) Sweet 16th with a birthday party of huge proportions on Friday, December 4, with The Meanies, Sugar Army, Umpire, Chainsaw Hookers, Leeches, The Ghost Hotel and fave DJs Luscious Leah, Brett Rowe, MelnKel, Rinnaz, Fang, Eddie Electric, Deejay K La and Jamie Mac. BOB GORDON chats with venue honcho, Jeff Halley. What was the background leading up to the opening of Amplifier almost 16 years ago? Way before Amps was conceived straight out of high school I was very lucky to get taken to see more underground/original bands playing around Perth back in the late ‘80s/early ‘90s via a best mate’s older brother and sister. The Triffids, Silent Type, Scientists, The Stems and so many more were all starting to appear and break ground. I was immediately taken by these bands and life was never going to be the same again. The scene had been dominated by big cover bands and beer barns for many years but times were slowly changing. Remember we are talking 20+ years pre triple j and no internet. My good buddy Duane Smith and I were sure that a fully dedicated original band venue early/then indie, alternative DJ
Chainsaw Hookers and so many, many more great local acts have sweated their guts out on the Amplifier stage. If I had to nail it down to a personal past local fave then possibly Jed Whitey win the cake. They always gave 1000 per cent onstage and were always hilarious but at same time so fucking powerful.
music late - thinking previous great small clubs The Firm, Freezer, Limbos and original Loft on Hay St - would surely work and over many beers and other the Amplifier Perth concept was born. It was just what the Perth scene needed at the time wasn’t it? And continues to be... Over time the Old Melbourne, Shenton Park Hotel, Wizbah, Grosvenor Front Room, Hyde Park and many other great Perth live music venues have slowly disappeared and the stage was set for a new initiative. Amplifier was and is very much ongoing – as a venue dedicated to giving local national and international live music artists both new and old, established or not - a great space to play within. The people running the venue from the sound guy - the brilliant long-running, loyal, dedicated Ian Stuart - through to venue managers, bar staff, glassies, office staff, right through to the Favourite national/international acts to have owners, simply dig their live music. played? The Hellacopters, Evan Dando, What are your favourite local bands to have Something For Kate, You Am I, British India, Jet, played at Amps? Eddy Current Supression Ring, Guitar Wolf, Rise Off the top of my head in no Against. real order - Flanders, Three Orange Whips, I could go on forever. The Strokes played an Autopilot, Red Jezebel, Capital City, Team amazing two-night stand way, way back in the Jedi, Full Scale, Eskimo Joe, Jebediah, Adam Globe days (now Capitol) as support to You Am Said Galore, Mach Pelican, Grand Central, Karnivool, Mink Mussel Creek, Sex Panther, The I. Possibly one of the most amazing live sets i have ever seen in the Murray Street complex Kuillotines, Little Birdy, End Of Fashion, Birds and the sheer volume yet control and finesse Of Tokyo, Turnstyle, The Stems, Tame Impala,
AMPLIFIER MEMORIES
they displayed still resonates with me today. They never officially played the Amplifier stage but post-show they certainly played Amplifier in many other ways ‘til very late the next day. Any scandals to share given that years have passed and no one can get in trouble now? No comment!
In the eye of the Amplifier storm with Brutus, 2012 Pic: Michael Wylie
Would you have believed in 2000 that you’d be celebrating a 16th birthday all these years later? Duane and I certainly didn’t look beyond the first few months back in 2000 when Amplifier kicked off and I’m not sure where those 15-16 years actually went. It’s been a great ride, a most excellent experience and I’ve met so many good people along the way... and it just keeps rolling on.
“I remember playing a Red Jezebel show and lugging a five-foot speaker box down the stairs when I misjudged the footings and backflipped down to the basement. Once I hit the floor I looked up to see this monolith 6x10 box tumbling slowly towards my face. By the
16 Candles “Amplifier has always been my favourite place to shoot bands, and not just ‘cause my good mates Jeff and Duane started the place and looked after me. Amplifier has the most spectacular lighting Jebediah bring in another New Year at Amps, 2007 Pic: Michael Wylie production rig permanently in-house. A band once told time I realised the gravity of the situation, I me they called Amplifier The Death Star ‘cause you could get zapped in inadvertently stopped the thing breaking apart on the concrete floor with my head. After laying the eye by a laser beam, at any time, there under the stack for about five minutes no matter where you were looking. in hope someone would notice, I managed to “The venue has always been supportive of my photographic exploits, in particular the master of sound, Ian Stuart, whose patience was relentless as I gaffer taped flashes, sometimes up to five, all over the stage, and then used them to blind band members.” Michael Wylie (Photographer, his selection of live @ Amplifier images adorns the front cover). “My favourite memory of the Amplifier would have to be playing with The Hellacopters in 2003 and seeing them completely blow the roof off the place. They were incredible and my favourite band at the time. Either that or the Screwtop Detonators USA fundraiser show, having sold the joint out we proceeded to rip into our first song, only to blow up my Marshall head after the first chord, massive fail. Amplifier holds so many fond memories for me. It has been the breeding ground of so many amazing Perth bands. There’s just something in the air.” Benny J. Ward (Screwtop Detonators, Leeches) 6
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crawl out from under and back up the stairs, straight to the bar where the dude behind said, ‘Ooh you look like you’re having a bad night’. And I remember thinking, ‘Eh, could’ve been worse’.” Paul Wood (Red Jezebel, Ghost Hotel) “Many a year ago as a young snotty nosed punk kid, I always aspired to play Amps. It was a home for great music and amongst my circle of mates was seen as a rite of passage of sorts. Indeed if you couldn’t play Amps you hadn’t made it as a Perth band. Jump forward over a decade and two bands I play with have had the chance to enjoy playing this awesome WA venue numerous times, both for our own album launches and with numerous international bands. My wish is that Amps continues to be a staple for WA live music for years to come. Happy sweet 16!” Alex Cotton (The Chainsaw Hookers, Scalphunter)
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DREAM ON DREAMER Finding Yourself Dream On Dreamer’s rise as one of Australia’s most popular post-hardcore bands looks set to continue with their third album, Songs of Solitude. Vocalist, Marcel Gadecz, speaks with AARON BRYANS in the lead up to their show at the Rosemount Hotel on Friday, December 18. After two highly successful albums, Melbourne four-piece Dream On Dreamer have evolved from breakdown-heavy tracks into melodic masterpieces, in order to fine tune their raw and emotive sound on their third LP, Sounds Of Solitude. “We just really tried to push, to craft our own sound,” vocalist Marcel Gadecz explains. “Our first album we tried to find ourselves (Heartbound, 2011); on Loveless (2013) we found it a bit more and this time we feel like this is a sound we’re truly proud of. It doesn’t sound like anything and that’s what we wanted to produce - an honest, heavy album. It’s really raw, for people to feel like what it felt writing those songs. It has that honest factor to it and I think that’s what we’ve achieved on this album more then the others before.”
KERSER New Horizons Kerser catches up with JAI CHOUHAN to talk about the new direction of the Campbelltown MC’s career, in the form of his fifth album, Next Step. His national tour will stop by Metropolis Fremantle on Friday, March 4, 2016. Dropped into hip-hop from an early age, Scott ‘Kerser’ Barrow has never been a stranger to the mic. Learning the trade as a battle rapper, Kerser quickly rose through the ranks of Australian hip-hop to where he is today with five albums, a label, and a clothing line in the works. “My neighbour at the time in the townhouse next to me actually helped fund my first few mixtapes,” Kerser says of his beginnings. “I was listening to a lot of rap music growing up and just walking around the streets with my brother and my best friend who I went to school with. We started taking it a little more seriously and borrowed enough money to go to the studio and took it from there.” Now a far cry from borrowing money from a neighbour, the MC has just dropped his latest album, Next Step. A slightly more reflective effort, Kerser’s rectitude is clear throughout. “On this one I’d say I’m reflecting a lot more. I’ve always been brutally honest with my albums and I’ve had previous ones where I was rapping about what I was going through then. But now I’m looking back a little bit. I think a big 8
The group’s year hasn’t always been an easy one with the release of former drummer Aaron Fiocca following his personal battle with cancer. “Aaron’s been one of my really close friends for years now,” Gadecz explains. “We sort of had a big meeting at the start of the year with the band and came to the conclusion that it was better for him to not be with us anymore. It was a brewing thing; there was a lot of turmoil and priority issues. It was for the better. It made it extremely hard for us to work together in the end. We’re still friends, we really wanted to see what it would be like not having him in the band. It was a mutual thing.” The line-up change hasn’t held them back however with the group’s well-known Dream On Dreamer
dedication to touring continuing to assist in their continual development. “If anything, music for us, it’s your life. When we first started in the band we had a label behind us and management and stuff and after years and years of knowing what the industry is like we wanted to do our own thing. What’s going on in the industry isn’t what we were about, so we tried to put in the hard yards and develop something that we created without another person’s input.
JACKSON FIREBIRD In-Laws Mildura power duo, Jackson Firebird, have just released their second album, Shake The Breakdown. BRYGET CHRISFIELD speaks with vocalist/ guitarist, Brendan Harvey. The Jackson Firebird boys have been playing together for nine years, which Brendan Harvey admits is “pretty scary”. So we’re either sucking at it or it’s just gone really quickly,” he laughs. Even scarier for the frontman is the amount of years the duo has spent jamming together. “I think it’s nearly 20 years!” he estimates. “We were kids, I think I was, like, 13 when I contacted Dale (Hudak) to see if he could drum in a band and we were sort of the only two rockin’ up to band practice.” The pair’s intuitive playing is pretty much why Jackson Firebird wound up as a twopiece. “We tried to get the bass player and the singer and the lead guitarist, and it just never gelled,” Harvey reveals. “And the two of us have been bashing our heads together for that long that we just know when we’re gonna change, like, in a riff... we sorta just turn into one brain. Even on the road we start eatin’ the same food,
“For about five years now it’s been my aim to own my own record label and be able to put out artists that maybe wouldn’t have got the shine they deserved.”
with the likes of G-Unit and DMX - for Next Step. “I was leasing beats off him, which is how he usually operates. Every time I’d drop on a Sinima beat it’d just go crazy, like over a million views. Some fans
turning point was when I was doing a signing in Sydney and had a 15 year-old kid come up and talk about weed and I was like, ‘nah, this isn’t the message I want to be sending. Sorry that it came across that way but it’s not meant to be like that. I’m just telling you what I’ve gone through’.” Adopting a single producer for the entire album, Kerser employed the likes of Sinima Beats - who has worked
were like ‘how come your album doesn’t sound like this?’ So I just thought I’d give the fans a chance to hear an album with this producer. It was a long shot because he doesn’t really work on people’s albums. But once the money situation was worked out we started working on the project. Since then we just stayed in regular contact for every step of the album.”
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“Even on the road we start eatin’ the same food, which really scares me.” which really scares me. It’s just really weird: you turn into this four-armed, four-legged, one-brain machine.” His bandmate is also his brotherin-law so we’ve just gotta know when Hudak started dating Harvey’s sister. “Oh, I don’t wanna know,” he cringes. “I think they’d hooked up pre-band just for a, you know, a bit of the old...” When Harvey took over the lease for a house his parents had rented for years (“which I got thrown out of through excessive partying”) Jackson Firebird
he reckons Hudak and his sister “really hooked up and got very serious”. “And I think not that long after that, I was standing there as one of the best men in the wedding party thinkin’, ‘This is too weird.’” So did he try to turn a blind eye and hope that it wouldn’t work at first? “Ah, no, I just thought it was cool ‘cause, you know, he wasn’t a dick,” he laughs, “and we got along pretty well... And he’s got a coupla kids now so I’m the crazy uncle and, yeah! It’s good fun.”
Outside of his own music, Kerser is somewhat diversifying his bonds. Now the head of his own label, the NSW rapper also sees opportunity in a clothing line. “For about five years now it’s been my aim to own my own record label and be able to put out artists Kerser that maybe wouldn’t have got the shine they deserved and some new artists that might’ve been ignored by the scene. By owning my own record label it gives me an opportunity to do so. Once I spoke to Warner, they said I could keep full creative control, pick my artists and nothing had to change. I would’ve been stupid to knock it back, to be honest. Merchandise is definitely a big thing. We’re looking into an ABK clothing line with the label pushing artists.”
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9
THE MEANIES
it just felt right. The 25th anniversary probably played a big part in that, getting all our records re-released and just raising the excitement level a little bit. Wally’s (Meanie, bass) been pushing me to record a bunch of old demos - a lot of them I did in the early
level.” Pressure, stress and unhealthy decisions fuelled the original breakup of the band. Does Link have any regrets taking that step back in the late ‘90s? “The only reason I regret it is purely
100% Weird The Meanies
Seminal Aussie punk four-piece, The Meanies are coming to Perth for Amplifier Bar’s Not So Sweet 16th birthday party on Friday, December 4, supported by Sugar Army, Chainsaw Hookers and more. SHANE PINNEGAR speaks with chief rabble-rouser, Link Meanie. The Meanies were Big Day Out regulars through the early ‘90s, spearheading the indie rock scene in this country and touring with – and influencing – such acts as Nirvana, The Lemonheads, Beastie Boys and Pearl Jam. It’s a fine pedigree, but apart from an EP or two and a few sporadic shows here and there, The Meanies camp has been far too quiet for far too long. But why now for a new album? “Why not?” Link Meanie audibly shrugs. “We’ve been talking about doing a new album for the last 15 years and just being the hopeless c*nts we are, we never really got around to it. We were just taking it pretty casually since 2000, really. Just playing a handful of shows every year and we all had other bands that were taking up most of our time. “We just got to that point where
RON SEXSMITH
‘90s - for a long time. I’m glad he did because it would’ve been a shame to waste a lot of those songs, they’re really quite good. I’m very happy with how the album’s gone. “It’s never been in a better place with The Meanies. Love the guys and we play better than we ever did and have a little more selfcontrol with not getting too drunk before we play. Just paralytic as opposed to a ‘getting dragged off the stage three songs in’ sort of
“I have always - even when I came out in the ‘90s - seemed to be out of step with what the radio was playing.”
on a monetary level,” he confesses. “We were at a point when we broke up, where we were just starting to go up to that next level and we quit and then a lot of these other bands that were supporting us and playing with us went on and took advantage of that. Not cynically, but they just kept going. It would be nice to have a little more security in my life, but on an artistic level I don’t regret it at all. I was pretty off my head, going a bit crazy at
the boat on that whole deal, but there are other ways in this business to make a living.” Sexsmith isn’t one to play the radio game. Sexsmith finds himself at the
Playing His Own Game having been a roller coaster in itself. He is doing very well in the UK at the moment, but recalls a ten year period where he would regularly tour, but there didn’t appear to be a lot of interest. Although few people sell records in the numbers that they used to, Sexsmith is an This trip will be the first time that Ron Sexsmith has been on Australian shores in artist who has always flown a bit under the six years. radar. Since he was last in the country, “It hurts Sexsmith has notched up a couple of top everyone, but you ten hits in the UK, had his tunes covered hear that the big pop by the likes of Leslie Feist and has won a stars are selling a lot spate of awards. relatively speaking,” he “The main reason is that I didn’t says of the downturn want to go down there any more without in the music industry. my band and I couldn’t really afford to “It is like a parallel bring them,” explains Sexsmith in terms of universe. I have his six year absence. “I wanted to be able always - even when to put on the same show in Australia as I came out in the a put on everywhere else. So, I was just ‘90s - seemed to be being patient and hoping that it would out of step with what come around again when I could bring my the radio was playing. guys because it is just more fun for me and At that time when more of a show. I honestly didn’t know if everyone was selling I’d ever get the opportunity again, so I am records and making pretty happy it’s come around.” money, I never did. I Sexsmith is aware of the ups feel that I have missed and downs in the industry with his career
Canadian singer, Ron Sexsmith, started his first band when he was 14 years of age. Now at the age of 51, he has seen plenty to sing about. CHRIS HAVERCROFT speaks to Sexsmith who has just released his 14th album, Carousel One, in the lead up to his show at the Rosemount Hotel on Wednesday, November 25.
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the time and I just couldn’t handle it. It wasn’t an option to keep going at that stage. “Would we have killed ourselves if we’d carried on? Well I think there’s a good chance of that,” admits Link, confirming come of the crazy stories of hedonistic abandon that circulate around the band’s history like flies on a corpse. “Not that we... we didn’t think of it in terms of going to a mainstream level, we just thought of it in terms of reaching a wider audience on the same label that we were on, if you know what I mean. We would’ve stayed with Au-Go-Go Records and just kept doing it. The 2006 The Meanies: A Seminal Australian Punk Tale DVD included a documentary titled Sorry ‘Bout The Violence, and a Meanies gig 20 years ago was no place for the faint-hearted. Much of the violence though, occurred onstage, with Meanie often subscribing to the Iggy Pop School Of Self Harm, not to mention collateral injuries sustained from falling or being wrestled off the stage. Are Meanies gigs a little tamer now? “A little tamer onstage?” Meanie repeats incredulously. “No, no, not at all. No. I’ve got the pain to vouch for it. No, I just think it’s just the delivery and just being a little more professional about it. As I said, not getting too wasted before a show is the main difference. I still love knocking them back and I still love partying. I love getting out on the road more than I ever did. The intensity is 100 per cent.”
local pool where they play the hit music station. Often he has to stop swimming just to confirm that he is actually hearing what is coming out of the radio. “I am a 51 year old guy, so the music that comes out these days is Ron Sexsmith not really aimed at me and it doesn’t speak to me. It is either too repetitious or the lyrics are too stream of consciousness and I don’t know what they are going on about so it tends to leave me cold, but again it is not written for me, it is music for this generation. I am a bit of a purist and it’s like I am trying to make these antique tables and chairs. A lot of the music these days is for clubs and for dancing and I don’t know how to do that.”
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11
NEW NOISE
½
BIRDS OF TOKYO
½
SHANE NICHOLSON
BEAUTIFUL LOSERS
RW GRACE
Playlist EMI
Hell Breaks Loose Lost Highway/Universal
Fade Out Independent
Love It Need It Miss It Want It Liberation
After an 11-year domination of the Australian music landscape, Birds of Tokyo have decided to blend all their hits into a wonderful compilation showcasing their tremendous growth from an energetic, frantic rock group into their current melodic, pop-driven direction. Whilst the contrasts between age-old classic Silhouettic and recent radio sensation Anchor are endless, shuffling between them is a testament to the group’s ability to evolve and succeed in numerous genres. Recent single I’d Go With You Anywhere is one of Birds of Tokyo’s finest works providing a well-crafted, joyous and catchy tune foreshadowing their continued success.
Shane Nicholson still remains a criminally under-appreciated artist. Hell Breaks Loose is another album that is full of radio worthy tunes, even though it follows the dissolution of his marriage to country music sweetheart, Kasey Chambers, but it isn’t an album full of self pity. Single Fathers is an obvious tale of his current circumstances and Secondhand Man shows Nicholson may feel discarded but not totally broken. In a just world, Hell Breaks Loose would be aptly titled and would see Nicholson become the household name he deserves where he would be playing towards the pointy end of roots festivals.
Greg Dear clearly ‘got the bug’ and resurrected his Beautiful Losers project with a three-disc compilation last year, but Fade Out is the first swag of new tunes from this incarnation. There is a sensitive side to Beautiful Losers this time around with Home being a mid-tempo heartbreaker with slide guitar added by gun for hire, Luke Dux. How Funny is another for the wounded to cry into their beers to, and would be a favourite during happy hour at 90 per cent of the bowling clubs in this town. Fade Out is solid from start to finish without attempting to turn the clock back, or survive solely on nostalgia. Hopefully the next release isn’t two decades in the making.
Some refer to what RW Grace does as ‘future pop’. It appears the future is now. What she does is make textured liquid synth pop with an intriguing ability to sound effortless, yet feel of struggle. That struggle and loss can be relationship-based, but might have echoes of her own career’s false start with another label and another name. Songs like Down Looking Above have a restrained ache, the voice and pain lunging for your chest. But it’s the layered All The Friends I Lost, with its sliding doors not taken, that knows she can’t escape her dreams — nor should she.
AARON BRYANS
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CHRIS HAVERCROFT
CHRIS HAVERCROFT
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ROSS CLELLAND
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So what’s hot this season? Fashion continues to hold hands with boho, while fans of black and white are in luck. On the swimwear front, Daneechi Shop Buyer, Claire Collister, says summer 15/16 has something for everyone, from sexy plunging one pieces to Athleisure. “The bohemian trend that features crochet detail, beads and lace is also a key look this season, along with ‘90s inspired styling that features double denim and stone washed textures.” Denim is up there as a summer must-have: shirt, shorts, jacket, jeans, and
playsuits. The ‘90s trend leans to later in the decade, when the remnants of fabulous ‘80s flair were falling away, and a cleaner, sleeker look was gaining attention. Boho is also a little less wild and messy than it has been in past years, honing in on a casual yet sophisticated take. Collister says sophistication is a key trend when it comes to colour, both in and out of the water. “Think precious stone colours, navy, emeralds and earthy reds. The strongest palette is monochrome, as black and white are featured across many collections this season. The high neck bikini and one-piece continue to be prominent styles this season followed by plunging necklines and cut-outs.”
The penchant for a suggestion of “shaped” fashion bleeds through to frocks and tees: square cut-outs in necklines, v-necks, off-the-shoulder and strapless, as well as crop tops, hint at a touch of the linear, often worked into styles that otherwise tend to flow. Colour comes in patterns and print form - whether floral, graphic, or tropical. In contrast, think monochrome, or soft pastels for the win. If you prefer a sporty athleisure vibe, stripes hang in there, as do endless shades of grey. For the transition from beach to party, Collister says this summer the idea is to make your swim style part of the look. “High neck apron-style bikini tops or one pieces with striking cut-outs can double as outwear.
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Go from beach to pool party by throwing on a pair of shorts or a crochet mini dress that tie back with your swim look.” Finally, the eternal summer question—bikini or one-piece? “There will always be a place for both in our wardrobes,” assures Collister. She points out the monokini is back this season, calling it the perfect mix of the two. “Choose a monokini with strategically placed and flattering cut-outs, and you’re bound to have a winner.” GILLIAN O’MEAGHER
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Every week we bring you the best in fashion, food, shopping and lifestyle.
PERTH GAMES FESTIVAL Games On
EAT AT BUDBURST SMALL BAR Yes, the wine list is impressive, but the food is also divine, and scoring serious kudos. Budburst in Mount Hawthorn have a constant stream of special dinner events and workshops; stay informed on what’s coming up with a Facebook follow. Budburst Small Bar
DRINK AT MECHANIC’S INSTITUTE You can buy an Epic Bloody Mary on a Sunday - and some public holiday Mondays - with a mini burger on the skewer! In terms of extended hours, this much lauded Perth small bar is now also open 12-12 on Sundays and from midday Mondays. Mechanic’s Institute
SHOP AT ETSY MADE LOCAL MARKETS Stop in at the State Theatre of WA Courtyard on Saturday, November 28, and get that Christmas shopping done early(ish). Handmade gifts by the talented local Etsy community make for perfect pressies. 10am-4pm, with a food and bar area and live music. Etsy Made Local Markets
After the resounding success of last year’s Perth Games Festival, KANE SUTTON has a chat to Let’s Make Games’ Cade Henley about what to expect from this year’s event, which takes over two floors of Perth Town Hall on Saturday, November 28. Given the sizeable crowds that flocked to last year’s Perth Games Festival, it was a nobrainer to the organisers of this year’s event to quickly decide to utilise a bigger space. “We had a huge response to last year’s inaugural festival, so the first thing we did was organise with the Perth Town Hall to use the entire space. This year the undercroft,
FREMANTLE SOCIAL FARM Sun Come Down With Fremantle Social Farm’s annual Sundowner taking place at North Fremantle Bowling Club on Sunday, December 6, with entertainment from Stratosfunk, DJs Chicken Wing, Lil Cakes, Peggy Sue, Sugar Dixon, Phil Cooker, Mike Lowrey, and Funkarse Phil. KANE SUTTON talks to event organiser, Layla Henderson, about the organisation’s hugely exciting 2015, and what they have planned for the near future. Fremantle Social Farm, organised by Growing Change, is an initiative that promotes social connection and positive health and wellbeing through participation in their 12-week horticultural program, mostly reserved for people “experiencing mental health concerns and social isolation.”
SOUTHBOUND Roll Up, Roll Up
GO TO SWIM+RESORT SERIES 2015 Australian label Camilla will showcase their resort and swimwear designs along with eight West Australian labels at Bathers Beach House in Fremantle on Sunday, November 29. Think drinks, canapés, and after-party entry. Tickets through Ticketek.com.au. Swim+Resort Series 2015 | Pic: Cheyne Tillier-Daly 14
It’s not long now until WA’s most exciting music and camping festival hits town, and to make you while away the time until Southbound even faster, the festival extravaganza have announced an amazing line of delectable delights, DJs and an incredible circus tent.
foyer and main hall will be filled with games, so you’ll be able to start playing before you even walk in the door!” Henley enthuses. “But the other major point is that attendees want to see a variety of games, so we’ve worked hard to encourage not only video game developers to show off their games, but also tabletop and pervasive (liveaction) games as well.” The extensiveness of the event is such that even Henley doesn’t know every game on display, but there’s a guarantee that there will be something for everyone willing to have a look around. “I do know we have tactical space combat, endless runners, platformers, puzzle games, co-operative fun, board games, classic point-and-click adventure games and everything in-between. Many of the developers will be showing their games on mobile, tablet and PC, however there are also a number of console, tabletop and pervasive games as well.” Another major aspect of the event is Backyard SK’s Extended Play Unconference,
Perth Games Festival
which allows an open forum for people to bounce around ideas. “It’s a series of very short talks given by whomever wants to get up and talk on the day, as well as some physical games, a BBQ and plenty of time to talk. It’s open to absolutely anyone, whether they’re into games or not. It’s really taking the playfulness of games and combining that with a conference and a relaxed open-house kind of vibe.”
Those who complete the program have a number of great opportunities open up for them. “Graduates of the 12-week course have the opportunity to rent a plot in the garden and harvest produce for sale through our customer networks, setting up a micro-business and generating a small bus sustainable income,” says organiser, Layla Henderson. The program allows participants to not only develop a useful skillset, but allows them to do so in a very social way. “Through team work and interaction with the public people can also develop softer social and life skills leading to increased confidence, developing friendships and support networks beyond the program. Our courses aim to fill two basic gaps in people’s care, which are connection to community and opportunities for employment. These two things are critical to supporting people on their path to mental health recovery and there is a huge need for social and vocational opportunities for people experiencing mental illness and isolation.” The group’s dedication to the cause saw Growing Change take out the
Fremantle Impact100 Grant this year, which gave the group $100,000 to put towards the farm. Naturally, the money will go to great strides to improve the initiative. “Winning the Impact100 Fremantle this year is absolutely massive for us,” Henderson enthuses. “It means that we can set up the farm as a fully operating commercial facility from the outset, which will allow us to
retro-themed area. When you’re not hanging at TruckStop, Commedia dell’ Southbound will be at the festival for the very first time.
Expect a huge pitched circus tent with a craft beer bar and pizzeria inside, along with a program of comedy, burlesque and circus acts that are still being finalised. Adding to the Coconut Club DJ line-up, including Elk Road, Luke Million, Kilter and more, you’ll also be able to catch the Changeover DJs spinning on the decks between sets. You can catch triple j’s Zan Rowe and Alex Dyson along with Perth locals Craig Hollywood and Dennis Gedling (RTRFM), Simon Collins (The West), Aarom Wilson (WAM), and Aaron Rutter and Paul Fletcher (JUMPCLIMB). Wonder-kid Kilter & GC Lord Paces will not only be playing the Coconut Club but will also closing the Bigtop stage over the weekend.
Truckstop is heading to Southbound
TruckStop will be on site offering the best food and booze that you can think of — a mixture of street food, craft beer, local wine, DJs and local music in a dandy little WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU
Stratosfunk
generate an ongoing income from selling our produce. This majorly reduces our reliance on external funding and sets up the farm as a self-sustaining social enterprise, which can continue to deliver social horticulture programs for vulnerable people in the Fremantle community.”
GRAHAM MILLER can be more than a pedestrian experience: the simple act becomes a window to, or The latest artist to be maybe a momentary celebrated in the Art reflection of, the Gallery of Western intricate psychology Australia’s WA Focus of the everyday Showcase is photographer world. Miller’s Graham Miller. Spanning beautifully lit, more than 15 years immersive yet of Miller’s vision, the ambiguous visual showcase highlights two moments speak Graham Miller recurring focal elements: deeply to the Cottesloe #1 2015 viewer’s psyche. portraiture and landscape. pigment print 90 x 60 cm One can’t help Courtesy Graham Miller and wondering if Miller Miller says AGWA Curator Turner Galleries © Graham Miller, 2015 identifies more of Contemporary International Art with portraiture, or Robert Cook did the bulk of the landscape. “When I started I became known selections for the exhibition. Describing the more as a portrait photographer, because selection as well thought out, he said Cook I had a series called Suburban Splendour picked up on the motifs in his work, and which was predominantly portraits. That was used the space to display them in a way that utilised a central division, with images on the probably the series that got me noticed, and got me a fair bit of attention. So from that left and right loosely mirroring each other. “I series many thought of me as the portrait just helped him finesse the selection. It was guy, the guy who did suburban portraits. But actually really nice working with him.” more and more, I’ve been taking landscapes, Miller’s creative output always and now I feel like there is equal weighting: feels cinematic: not in a large, bold way, but the landscape and the portrait are equally in quiet, emotive sense. There is a story at important elements of my work.” hand, an impression of emotional weight, WA Focus—Graham Miller shows and a suggestion of inner landscapes that at The Art Gallery of Western Australia until are complex and enthralling. Miller’s work Sunday, February 28, 2016. whether staged or documentary - reminds us, makes us understand, that a glance at GILLIAN O’MEAGHER a passerby or a street you’ve driven down
Windows And Reflections
CLARE BOWDITCH Choosing Tunes Clare Bowditch will appear with members of The Royal Jelly Dixieland Band at ARTBAR on Thursday, November 26. BOB GORDON checks in with the acclaimed singer/ songwriter. You’ve been very busy with Big Hearted Business (‘a resource that exists to teach creative people about business, and business people about creativity’), and I believe there’s an album in the works too and another season of Offspring has come to light. That’s all been shot hasn’t it? No, Offspring is still one that’s in discussion and of course I’d love to be part of it again. Most of my time has been spent working on album number eight and bring this incredible band that were bring to Perth. The Royal Jelly Dixieland Band? Do tell... It’s a nine-piece, and it’s members of the original Feeding Set and the Royal Jellys who are an incredible good times band. It’s really quite exciting and there’s also Tommy Spender who’s an incredible solo artist and music maker in his own right. So they’ve been involved in your albums before?
collection of eclectic influences, ranging from EDM to jazz – and is tinged with ethereal elusiveness.
VISUAL ARTS
Yeah, they’ve been involved with most of my albums but we’re actually putting this band together especially for this show in Perth. We haven’t been there in a while and we wanted a very special and big sounding show. And you don’t get many opportunities to play on a Claire Bowditch wetland stage in WA! So where are you at with the album? When did you start writing it? The Winter I Chose Happiness (2012) and all your albums are a big thing evolution-wise, but certainly that had a really lovely theme about it and a lot of depth. I feel like every album becomes a bit of PHD for me. In 2012 we chose winter, but in 2013 I thought we should do this little love project that was Big Hearted Business that was very much about creating a conversation between creative people and how to amplify their voices and being able to make a living doing what they love without giving up on their ideals and understanding that we needed their voice in the arena, and it really took off. I’ve never had such a big gap in between albums. So, I made a pretty conscious decision to give Big Hearted Business two dedicated years to get the community up and running. But, in the meantime I’ve been clocking up the songs, I never really stop writing songs. So when it came down to deciding ‘what is album eight?’ we sat down with nearly 150 or so sketches, so now were probably halfway through recording the album and we’re looking to release it the middle of next year. But I’m looking forward to trying out a few new songs in Perth.
Titanic The Exhibition: Perth Convention & Exhibition Centre Titanic The Exhibition, which tells the most recognisable story of maritime accomplishment and disaster, arrives for the first time ever in Australia at the Perth Convention & Exhibition Centre on Saturday, December 12. Open for a limited engagement through to February 2016, the story of Titanic’s first and final voyage is told through dramatic room re-creations and 100-year-old artefacts. Tickets from ticketek.com.au. Treasure Ships - Art In The Age Of Spices: The Art Gallery Of Western Australia A collaboration between AGWA and the Art Gallery Of South Australia, this exhibition features the spectacular and exotic art produced for global markets from the 1500s to the early 1800s. Included are a selection of artifacts retrieved from the wrecks of the Batavia and the Gilt Dragon. The exhibition runs until Sunday, January 31, 2016. Go to artgallery.wa.gov.au for full details.
Mary Black - The Last Call: Astor Theatre Irish folk singer Mary Black has announced her next Australian tour will be her last. The tour will begin at the Astor Theatre on Sunday, March 6, 2016. Black has remained a prolific artist for over 25 years, with 11 of her studio albums becoming platinum hits. She’s shared the stage with some of the most revered performers of all time, and has been credited for an ever growing global appreciation for Irish music. . For more information, check out: theticketgroup.com.au The 78 Project, RTRFM’s Gimme Some Truth Festival
Hoon: Heathcote Museum & Gallery A collection of works by artist Andy Quilty runs until Sunday, December 20, at Heathcote Museum & Gallery. Titled Hoon (yes, referencing burnouts), the exhibition is part of the Tilt program, which supports local artists and their interpretation/response to the Heathcote heritage site. “Consider the notion o`f hooning in the context of European settlement and the post-colonial Australian experience,” Quilty notes. “What better personification of the allegorical kinship between the Anglo-Australian mindset and that of the ‘hoon’ than the act of the burnout - a marking of territory made with aggressive disregard to the area’s occupants, altering both the physical and psychological landscape of the environment in which the act is committed.” For further details go to melvillecity.com.au. Hoon, Heathcote Museum & Gallery
THEATRE/DANCE/ PERFORMANCE Tina Arena - One Night Only Tour: Perth Concert Hall Australian icon and ARIA Hall of Famer Tina Arena, has announced a one night only tour in Sydney, Perth, Melbourne and the Gold Coast. The tour will hit the Perth Concert Hall on Friday, February 26, 2016. Her latest album, Eleven, garnered widespread critical acclaim and proves she is as relevant now as she was on her debut in 1988. Eleven is a
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FESTIVALS Gimme Some Truth: Luna Outdoor RTRFM’s music documentary festival, Gimme Some Truth, is back for its third year showcasing seven films over six days at Luna Outdoor in Leederville, FridayWednesday, December 4-9. The event features five Australian premieres and one world premiere, including Latin music documentary We Like It Like That: The Story Of Latin Boogaloo; The 78 Project, which allows artists one single take to make music in a space of their choosing; Prison Songs, which takes viewers to Darwin’s Berrimah Prison; a wonderful insight into former RTRFM breakfast presenter Peter Barr’s life away from the mic in Barr None: The Peter Barr Story, and more. For the full program, head to gimmesometruth.com.au. Get Your Game On: Perth Town Hall Perth Games Festival will be hosting an event to showcase games produced by more than 30 local developers. This event will be at the Perth Town Hall from 10am to 5pm, on Saturday, November 28.This is set to be a packed event, with the opportunity to play games in a family friendly environment – on PC, mobiles, consoles, table tops – and creators scheduling talks about making and playing games in Perth and beyond. This year’s game lineup includes: StarHammer: The Vanguard Prophecy, BrambleLash, and a selection of games created by kids aged from 7-17, aka ‘Ninjas’. Summer Street Vibes: Victoria Park From Sunday, November 29, the Town of Victoria Park will be closing their streets as a new street festival begins. Summer Street Vibes will run from 2pm-8 pm and will consist of three main stages, and three street bars, with an array of diverse activities on offer. The announcement of this festival has stirred much excitement, with Town of Victoria Park Mayor Trevor Vaughan adding, “There is so much happening; entertainment with over 30 live acts a day, a huge range of food offerings and street bars popping up in our laneways.”
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THE HUNGER GAMES: THE MOCKINGJAY PART 2 PROGRAM Sic Semper Tyrannis Directed by Francis Lawrence Starring Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth With the war against the Capitol entering its final stage, Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) is coming to terms with her political value to President Coin (Julianne Moore). As Katniss begins to distrust Coin’s motivations, she seeks to directly end the war by mounting an attack on President Snow (Donald Sutherland). Soon she finds herself bogged down in street-tostreet fighting, as the Gamemakers turn the streets of the Capitol into a macabre parody of the Hunger Games - a series of deadly traps that Katniss must navigate, with a squad she doesn’t entirely trust, including the brainwashed Peeta (Josh Hutcherson). Strangely lacking the impetus of the other Hunger Games films, Mockingjay Part 2 bogs down in both the street-to-street fighting and the relationship indecision of Katniss. When it has its action beats the film does land them solidly, making a lot of emotional capital out of a number of scenes. For the rest though it feels like the film has been given too much room to breath, and bogs down in the grind of the slow block-by-block advance. Here the decision to split the final book into two films affects the quality. It feels padded and drawn out. The same political, emotional and character notes are hit time and
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time again, hammering home the point. Yet, it would also be hard to decide what elements to remove. The final product fits well together, highlighting the themes of political power plays versus the suffering of the everyday grunt on the ground. Katniss is a hero through her perseverance, her beliefs, and her willingness to Jennifer Lawrence stars in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2
act on them. It would be churlish not to show that perseverance in action, but it does draw out. Perhaps the fault lies in the source material, rather than the adaptation, as the book is often regarded by fans as the weakest of the trilogy. Yet it also maintains the distinction of being slightly smarter than its competing young adult dystopia clones. The Hunger Games themes have always been central - looking at power, class divide, and political manipulation by media. Here they are again at the front, and their exploration impacts significantly on the plot. They are integral and interwoven elements. The result is a film that doesn’t talk down to its younger demographic, but treats the various age groups of its audience equally. DAVID O’CONNELL
The Armstrong Lie Directed by Stephen Frears Starring Ben Foster, Chris O’Dowd, Jesse Plemons Perhaps the biggest scandal to rock sports, certainly in the last 20 years, Lance Armstrong was an idol to millions, but with feet of clay. His sporting drug scandal shocked the world, and brought him crashing down to earth. This film presents an exhaustive insight to Armstrong’s career, setting the stage with a meeting between sports journalist, David Walsh (Chris O’Dowd) and Armstrong (Ben Foster) at his first Tour de France. After recovering from testicular cancer, Armstrong vigorously pursues a regimen of illegal doping under the auspices of Dr Ferrari (Guillaume Canet) that radically alters his performance. With Armstrong’s victorious return to the Tour, Walsh’s suspicions mount, and he seeks to uncover the story. The Program is one of the sleekest, most cut-down examples of storytelling to be seen on the big screen. Based on Walsh’s 2012 book (Seven Deadly Sins: My Pursuit Of Lance Armstrong) the film quickly conveys all the nuance of the sport, the decades of cover-up and web of lies. Each scene is short, precise and on point, yet it manages to loose none of its
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emotional resonance. It is a streamlined piece combining form and function. Ben Foster brings us an Armstrong that is driven by his obsession to be the best, to such an extent that in everything else he seems lacking. It consumes him, leaving just a shell, making Foster’s performance bordering on the sociopathic, as any empathy is jettisoned for the all consuming goal. So as where we see a charismatic Armstrong on display for the press, at home we see a man practising his lines in front of a mirror.
The Program
The foil to this is O’Dowd’s Walsh. Equally driven to uncover Armstrong’s regimen of deception, Walsh acts as a lone voice in the wilderness during the period of Armstrong’s reign. Often a whipping boy, thanks to cycling’s code of Omerta, Walsh is dogged in his determination. O’Dowd also brings his wellspring of charisma to the portrayal, bringing the audience instantly onside. Packing a lot into its 103-minute run-time, The Program feels like a race, but still provides its subject matter with room to breathe and develop. It is compelling viewing that takes great pleasure in toppling an idol with its sardonic wit. DAVID O’CONNELL
DAVID WALSH Tour De Force David Walsh’s book, The Seven Deadly Sins: My Pursuit Of Lance Armstrong recounted his battle to prove the use of EPO and other substances by cycling’s then golden boy. His tireless journalism exposed one of the most public sport’s cheats in the world, and now forms the basis of the new movie The Program. Walsh spoke to X-Press Magazine about Lance Armstrong, what it’s like to be the inspiration for a film, and about the current state of drugs in sports. Having been glad to see his 2012 book move quickly from page to screen, he was pleased with the results. “It’s really hard to shoot an authentic sports scene. If you like Rugby Union and you watch Invictus, you might like Freeman playing Mandela, but you don’t like watching the Springboks train. It didn’t look like the Springboks, it didn’t feel like the Springboks. I think Stephen Frears has done a good job recreating that cycling milieu. The shots are authentic.” For many years Walsh was a voice in the wilderness, questioning Armstrong’s miraculous success and his connection with Dr Ferrari. “I wasn’t the only guy with a lack of belief in what I was seeing. “What happens in the Tour De France
is, as the pilgrimage progresses there is an esprit de corp. You develop an empathy for your fellow travellers. By the time Lance got to the end, people had come around to accepting him as a champion. Even if you had reservations, you could see he was so good for cycling. He had come back from cancer, he was an American, he had a raw charisma. If you could put your doubt away and embrace him, he was a fantastic story. You’re writing a story everyone wants to read, you could understand why so many people got seduced by it. “Many of the writers saying he was a great champion didn’t believe it. They became as imprisoned by the story as Lance became imprisoned by the lie. If I have any sympathy for Lance, it is that.”
TOM VINCENT Under The Milky Way The PIAF Lottery West Festival Films season provides a unique opportunity to experience some of the best world cinema underneath the stars.
This year sees Program Manager (Film) Tom Vincent’s first film program as Programming Manager. Having recently moved to Perth, he was lured from the National Media Museum (UK) by the opportunities offered by the festival. “The idea of being in a really big arts festival is something I thought would be really interesting, because I enjoyed collaborating with different departments of the museum, and I thought I would Chris O’Dowd portrays sportswriter, enjoy finding different ways to engage David Walsh, in The Program with audiences. I thought I could apply all I knew about cinema and developing audiences and apply it in a completely new context. With the recent Olympic doping I’ve been here for a year now and I’ve already scandal being revealed by a German learnt a lot of new stuff as to how Australian documentary team, it is certain that clean audiences engage with cinema. It’s different sports are still a long way off. than UK audiences. Per capita, Australians go “I don’t think there is any chance of to the cinema more, and then there is the getting rid of drugs in sports. It is wonderful in this internet age that journalists can bring down whole outdoor experience.” The outdoor venues of Somerville a system of corruption in Russia. As long as stuff like that happens, we have a chance of a cleaner and ECU Joondalup, provide a distinctive setting. Vincent is conscious that it sporting world.” encourages a different atmosphere in its DAVID O’CONNELL audience, and looks specifically for films that
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play best in that environment. “For me, I program outdoor screenings, and think of the audience in a different way. Some amazing films work better outdoors. It’s hard to articulate why that is, some response to the social aspect. The venue is a bit more romantic, the senses are heightened, and we are more conscious of being in public. For a film to work in such venues it has to have an aspect that will work with such a large number of people, so they are all swept along. Those shared dreams are heightened in an outdoor space.” This year sees the first time that there has been a split program for the 21 In Harmony opens the Lottery West Festival Films season at UWA’s Somerville Auditorium this week
films of the festival. It is an innovative move with certain advantages. “To get a better program, it occurred to me, that if we had a second deadline in December then we would be able to show films that premiered in Toronto, Venice, and San Sebastian. A lot of the best films from the subsequent years will come from those film festivals. I also wanted a bit more diversity.” For more information on the program visit perthfestival.com.au. DAVID O’CONNELL
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GRADUATE SHOWS 2015
The Graduates 2015
Final year fashion students are in the midst of last minute preparations for their end-of-year graduate shows. Here’s what’s happening... CIT - THE GRADUATES 2015 The Central Institute of TAFE 2015 Fashion & Textile Design Graduate show, aptly titled The Graduates 2015, takes place on Thursday, November 26, at the Central Art School in Northbridge. Come down and check out an array of inspiring creations - while enjoying drinks and nibbles. Tickets available through Ticketbo.com.au. The night is an 18+ event and minors attending require a guardian.
NUCLEO The 45th annual fashion show for Polytechnic West Centre for Fashion saw designs from advanced diploma students showcased at Bendat Basketball Centre in Floreat on Wednesday, November 24. Nucleo, Italian for ‘family unit’, was the theme of the night. Final year students each sent eight creations down the runway. Nucleo also marked the first graduate show for Polytechnic to feature plus size models on the catwalk.
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SHIFT
NO. 13
Spectrum Project Space sees 14 contemporary fashion graduate students present their work on Friday, December 11, both in exhibition form - photographs, artwork, and video pieces - and on live models. Garments will be paraded through the gallery space, accompanied by studentselected soundtracks manipulated by local musician, Jake Steele. Tickets for the licensed event from stickytickets.com The exhibition will be open to the public until Thursday, December 17.
Nucleo (flowing red dress) Model: Paloma Hill Photographer: Meiji Nguyen
Design by Ryan Oates - Shift @ Spectrum Project Space
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Curtin’s Fashion Graduate Show for 2015 happens this Saturday, November 28, at Brookfield Place in Perth. Titled No. 13 - to celebrate the 13th year of the event - the show includes capsule collections from 18 student designers. This is also the first time the work of Honours and Masters students will appear alongside the graduating class. Tickets can be purchased from S2, Love In Tokyo, Peachy and Alpha 60. No. 13 - design by Daphne Diting Wong, from her Trinities collection
SUMMER TRENDS & ACCESSORIES Here Comes The Sun BOHO LUXE Nothing says, ‘I’m ready for a balmy summer’ like an array of beautiful boho-inspired swimwear. For a choice poolside look, pair your Tigerlily Basak bikini with the brand’s Melite kaftan or Derya skirt, making for a perfect fashion transition from the water to casual cocktails. Available from Daneechi. Tigerlily Basak bikini
POUT UP Face it - red lipstick can be hella hot, adding a slash of sass and sophistication. Perfect for the holidays, aka party season. Take the time to hunt up a shade that works; the beauty menu of reds is epic. Clinique’s combo of Quickliner for Lips Intense and Pop Lip Colour+Primer make for a killer kiss of colour. Quickliner for Lips Intense and Pop Lip Colour+Primer
WHAT THE BLOOM Radiant beauty works with the season’s boho-esque styles and ‘90s inspirations, so don’t hesitate to get a touch pink and pretty, with hints of lush, darker shading. Shiseido teams up with Yohji Yamamoto’s iconic fashion brand, Y, to launch a fly palette for the holidays inspired by different camellias. Y’s Shiseido
FABULOUS FRUITS Summer style lends itself to bright, fun extras, whether you’re adding visual zest to crisp monochromes or a dash of spice to boho-inspired looks. Apple of someone’s eye? These fruity accessories by Perth-based AI-Jewellery make for a great gift idea. Available from Uncharted Collective, Beaufort St, Mt Lawley.
FREE SPIRIT
THOUGHTFULLY STYLISH
DOUBLE DARE
Fair trade fashion continues to grow in popularity and accessibility thanks to conscientious shoppers taking an interest in retail production. Upgrading your wardrobe for summer? Consider investing in at least one fair trade piece, and ‘frock’ an ethical look as the weather warms. The Cotton Puff Dress from Bhalo is cute-as. www.bhaloshop.com
Nothing like a warm day to inspire a spritz of scent. For many, a change of season equals a change of fragrance, with new releases spiking over the next couple of months. When creating Guess’ Double Dare (think a floral woody amber), Perfumer Maypierre Julien of Givaudan was inspired by ever-smokin’ icon Marilyn Monroe.
Time to get your eyewear on: ‘tis the season for serious glare. Summer 15/16’s freshest lens styles lean toward the subtle and slick; invest in a pair of designer frames for a kicking finish to your fashion. Shades pictured from specialty sunglass boutique Sunglass Society in Cottesloe.
This season’s loose, fresh fashion inspires spinning under the stars with your arms wide, and running on the beach in slow motion. A touch folksy, a little boho, and a bit ‘70s luxe, the dreamy look is everywhere— especially in white. Consider the Ministry of Style Zingara Ruche dress, set to drop in stores. Stockists: 08 9218 8166.
Cotton Puff Dress from Bhalo
Guess’ Double Dare
Shades from Sunglass Society
Free Spirit
AI-Jewellery
THROWING SHADE
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FUTURE RUNWAY The Winners Are... GILLIAN O’MEAGHER speaks to the student winners of Telstra Perth Fashion Festival’s Future Runway 2015 and gets the lowdown on their designs, creative processes and what comes next. Photography: Stefan Gossati
PHOEBE D’ARCY EVANS Category: Contemporary Eveningwear (Central Institute of Technology) How did you Phoebe D’Arcy Evans - Contemporary interpret Eveningwear Contemporary Eveningwear for the runway? My concept was blending sportswear with evening wear - sports luxe - taking what I found were to be the key elements of both and then putting them back together.
What would you recommend to people considering an eveningwear purchase, who want to freshen up/modernise their look? There’s a lot more that is considered evening wear now and it’s really exciting to look at other options instead of buying a dress that you only wear once. I really love the idea of wearing trousers for evening wear as a transitioning item in your wardrobe rather then a one-wear buy.
I more drawn to the androgynous side of fashion but my tastes are always changing!
Are you focused on one category of design, or do other areas also fascinate you? I like to be open minded to any category of fashion design - I think they all have a lot of really interesting elements and techniques that can be taken and put into other areas. I’m starting to realise now that
What are your future fashion plans? My plans at the moment are to finish off second year and then go into advanced diploma at CIT next year, then after that maybe go overseas; I just want to keep learning!
How do you begin to visualise a new design or fashion collection? Normally I start off looking at the little thoughts I have (rather then a larger initial idea) and then with research building it up and adding to it until it’s as pushed far as it can and feels well explored.
Celia Friebe Ready To Wear Women’s
CELIA FRIEBE Category: Ready To Wear Women’s (Central institute of Technology) How would you describe the aesthetic of your Ready To Wear collection? My piece for Perth Fashion Festival was inspired by the film Grey Gardens. The aesthetic is a combination of the preppy style of life in the Hamptons along with the descent into dilapidation. The ties wrapped around the body are used to represent the feeling of being bound to someone or something, and being restricted by that relationship. The open back portrays a sense of vulnerability and the distressed material represents disintegration. The idea is that the wearer is holding on by a thread. When designing, what inspires your vision? I find myself drawn to sensitive, emotional concepts. When something speaks to you on an emotional level it really resonates with you. In terms of design, what are you currently working on? Currently I am working on a threepiece menswear look at TAFE. The idea was to create garments that combined classic menswear tailoring with an edgy, street style approach. I wanted my design to have a subtle exterior with a soft, sensitive interior. I made a boxy jacket out of a mid-weight grey cotton with knitted panels on each sleeve, lined in a blush-tone felt which I made myself. This is the first time I have produce menswear garments and I’ve really enjoyed the experience. Did winning the award have a positive impact? Well, it was a huge confidence boost. I was surprised to even have been accepted. Winning has definitely given me more motivation to continue designing and see what more I can achieve. What are your future fashion-oriented goals? I’ve always appreciated the journalism side of fashion. One of my favourite things about each season is the reviews of all the collections on voguerunway. com. I’d love to study a journalism course and intern at a magazine. 20
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about the life of that fabric, to show that it was a blanket but also that it has ongoing Category: Eco Design potential. Wool is a beautiful and giving fibre, (Central Institute of Technology) it’s durable and it doesn’t have to be discarded when it’s no longer needed for its initial What about the Eco Design market appeals purpose. So, the blanket was spray painted, to you? to show it could have had a life on the street, I think it’s important to make more giving someone in need warmth. It was given people aware of the state of the fashion design lines to look like a industry, it’s the second jacket; it could easily have Simone Squires - Eco Design most polluting industry in been remade into a coat. the world, it’s just incredibly But it’s a dress, a dress wasteful and unethical. with a little history, a little People buy into this industry story, potentially something with very little thought, fast more than just a dress... fashion is cheap and glossy hopefully! and appealing and people buy things that they might What does the future hold never even wear. We just for you and your designs? need to re-think that process, and the market I’m currently in my second year of study at needs to think about creating new alternatives. Central TAFE, so there is so much more to learn, although study is so expensive these How would you describe your winning days! I also have my own lingerie label, that collection? I’ve had for nine years now, I create luxury My winning garment was a strapless hand made lingerie and my business is called dress; it is made out of a recycled wool blanket Kiss Me Quick, you can find me on Facebook from the Salvation Army. I wanted to speak or on Insta as @kiss_me_simone.
SIMONE SQUIRES
GIORGIA SANTACATERINA Category: Costuming (West Australian Academy of Performing Arts) Can you describe your winning entry in your own words? The original design of the gown is based off ‘Nyx’, the Greek mythological personification of the night sky. The midnight-
SETH CRAY Category: Ready To Wear Men’s (Curtin University)
to what I would want to wear, or perhaps a more confident version of myself would want to wear. I wish more designers would focus more so on menswear, especially locally as there is so much talent in Perth, I think we should be able to side-step from womenswear.
How would you describe your winning menswear output? I’d probably describe my design as What are your future street wear for the modern plans in terms of your Seth Cray dandy male. I wanted to Category: Ready To Wear Men’s design career? make something fun, and (Curtin University) I recently a bit more unexpected for discovered that I am a the runway. It was also recipient for the Hyogo/ fun to combine a bunch Perth Banshu Program for of different materials from 2016, which allows me a knitwear, to leather, to trip to Japan to see first hand the production embroidered cottons (which was a tedious of high-end textiles. This has really inspired endeavour). My mum did help the design process though as she said I use and wear too me to go forward with textile design and the use of high-technology involved with modern much black; I thought I would listen and use an abundance of yellow - mother knows best! textile production. I think the next five years will involve developing my skills with Why does designing menswear appeal to you? said machinery, which will probably involve interning or seeking overseas specialist I would say designing menswear is training. appealing cause I can relate a little more so
blue hand-dyed silk was hand-draped into girdle, draws the eye upwards to the neckline, a waterfall column skirt where a matching jewelled Giorgia Santacaterina reminiscent of a Greek chiton. circlet rests atop of the Costuming The cape is brushed Japanese model’s head. The look satin, hand-accented with is completed with an gold foiling to reflect the Elizabethan-inspired wire marbled surface of the moon. collar, edged with dyed and At the hem, over 7,000 gold beaded lace. rhinestones sweep upwards into a fading gradient, and What are you working on at are reflected in the gathered present? neckline. A jewelled belt, similar to a medieval I have just completed my studies
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at WAAPA, and I am about to embark on a new career. Presently, I am working on smaller freelance projects in the arts sector, while building up my portfolio. I’m also in the process of setting up my personal studio to work on commissions, as well as create some new designs and personal projects for upcoming events. Earlier in the year I had some work experience with Opera Australia working on Aida, so I’d very much like to get back into that line of work, creating elaborate costumes for theatre and the arts.
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GET IN THE SWIM Wear And Flair
ONE-PIECE WONDER ACCESSORIES THAT CARE
ALL IN ONE For the fun at heart, playsuits are de rigueur this summer, and great for the beach. Wilde Heart romper from Meg & Wally.
Pick up a shoulder bag from a charitable store for feel-good shopping. Recycled Saree Kantha Stitch Patchwork Handbag from Oxfam. Saree Kantha Stitch Patchwork Handbag
Swimwear with a twist: Suboo’s Kasbah Halter Mesh One Piece equals wow factor. From The Annex.
STYLIN’ SWIMWEAR As seen on the Culture Hub cover (page 13) Amuse Society’s bright and bold studded bikini is so hot you won’t be able to resist taking a selfie. Available From Daneechi.
Suboo Kasbah Halter Mesh One Piece
FLAMINGO FLAIR Pool party time! Float the day away on your new best friend. Sunny Life’s Inflatable Flamingo from Pigeonhole.
Amuse Society studded bikini Sunny Life Inflatable Flamingo
Wilde Heart playsuit
FAUX GLOW Wanna up the bronze? Fake Bake Flawless Darker Self-Tan Liquid delivers deep, rich colour. Stockists: fakebake.com.au Fake Bake Flawless Darker
SHE’S GOT PRESENCE The Jets Illuminate collection aims to capture ‘ultra sleek attitude’. Mission accomplished. Stockists: jets.com.au Jets - She’s Got Presence
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PRINT HALL NYE
WINTON SUMMER Multiple award-winning WA musician, Andrew Winton, is excited to announce the upcoming release of his new album, GloryBox Mechanics, his first since 2011’s Happy. The lap-slide guitarist will also be touring nationally in support of the upcoming release, including shows between now and April at Clancy’s Fish Pub in Dunsborough, The Deck Marina in Busselton, The South West Blues Club in Bunbury, Howard Park Winery and The Settlers Tavern in Margret River, Camelot Theatre in Mosman Park, The Fremantle Arts Centre, Nannup Music Festival and Fairbridge Festival. Winton will perform two album launch shows, this Saturday, November 28, at Ellington Jazz Club and Sunday, December 6. at Kidogo Arthouse. For more details hit up andrewwinton.com. Andrew Winton
EXPECT THIS! UK singer-songwriter Jamie Lawson has made a huge impression of recent playing with Taylor Swift, One Direction, appearing on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and being the first signee to Ed Sheeran’s label along with supporting him on his sold-out tour. Off the back of his chat-topping single, Wasn’t Expecting That, and his recently released selftitled album, Lawson has announced his triumphant return to Australian shores in April of 2016. His acclaimed show comes to the Astor Theatre on Saturday, April 9. For more details head to astortheatreperth. com.
New Yyears Eve at the Print Hall will feature ticketed events in both the Print Hall Bar (James Bond Theme) and Bob’s Bar (Austin Powers Theme) from 7pm–2am, with the doors to be opened at midnight for guests to mingle between the two venues. Print Hall Bar - an elegant night of Bond-themed celebrations with DJ, Print Hall gambling tables, projections, and photo booth to capture the evening. Entry to include a drink on arrival and canapés throughout the evening for $80 p/p. Bob’s Bar - spend your night under the stars getting groovy, baby. $15 cocktails, $10 pints, DJ, photo booth and entry to include a drink on arrival and canapés throughout the evening for $70 p/p. For full details head to printhall. com.au.
THE SOUNDS OF WILSON Legendary Beach Boy, Brian Wilson, is arriving in Perth next year for the 50th anniversary celebration and final performances of the iconic album, Pet Sounds. Wilson will be performing the resounding masterpiece live in its entirety including the hits Wouldn’t It Be Nice, Sloop John B and God Only Knows. This rare and unforgettable live experience will be performed with a full band including original member Al Jardine and long-term member Blondie Chaplin at Riverside Theatre, Thursday, April 7, 2016. For tickets and details head to Ticketek.com. au. Brian Wilson
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HYPERFEST 2016 Alcohol-and-drug-free youth event, HyperFest, has announced a killer line-up for 2016 to get extremely hyped about — Sydney metalcore royalty Northlane, along with Brissy indie pop outfit Ball Park Music and dance-punk duo DZ Deathrays. Set to take over Midland Oval on Saturday, February 20, you can also catch The Hunting Birds, Surroundings, Young Robin, Dropbears, Jamboo, Ratking, Dan Cribb & The Isolated, Iceage Sugar, Solution, Small Town Heroes, Ready To Fire and The Keeblers among gourmet food vans, a dunk tank, a foam dance pit, a photo booth, rides and a live graph wall. Local DJs Branxy, Teflon, Madzz, Boston Switch, Valour, Willco, Crumbd n Seasond, Gambol, Mat Frankland, DJ Didier, Mikonic, Six Sense and RJ Rich will be spinning tracks at the silent disco beach party, too. Book now via Ticketbooth.com. au.
Secret Sounds are thrilled to announce that Australian rock legends Spiderbait are hitting the road in February of next year, in celebration of an incredible 25-year career. With humble beginnings in rural NSW Spiderbait had no idea they’d become one of Australia’s most cherished rock acts of the 1990’s and 2000’s, with over half a million records sold, double platinum albums and multiple ARIA awards. The power trio will also be releasing their greatest hits on vinyl and will be playing at Metropolis Fremantle on Friday, February 12. For tickets and pre-order information on the vinyl head to Spiderbait.com.au.
POTATO STARS Some 20 years have elapsed since a clueless bunch of stoners first set foot upon a carpet-stage in the purple shaded jacaranda in the wicked Wickham Street backyard dubbed the Gaskrankinstation. They plugged guitars into amps, smashed the crap out of drums, wailed into mics though a dodgy PA and gave birth to that which simply will simply not die – Potato Stars. To celebrate 20 years, the spirit of Gaskrankinstation is revived and Potato Stars will be hit Jimmy’s Den on Saturday, December 5, for a party you won’t remember. $10 entry with all tickets entered into a raffle to win a Cort guitar and Park amplifier.
ROCKIN’ ROBIN
Ball Park Music, HyperFest
FROM PORT TO PORTALS
FREAKFEST
THE BASSO The Bassendean Hotel continues its season of original live music with the first four Fridays seeing great performances from the likes of Ruby Boots, The High Learys, Stillwater Giants and The Disappointed. Friday, November 27, sees a rock’n’roll feast with Will Stoker & The Embers, The Coalminers Sect, Catzilla and The Secret Buttons; while the following Friday, December 4, you can catch Robbie Jalapeno and the Bureaucrats, Patient Little Sister, The Jayco Brothers and Delilah Rose & The Gunslingers. Doors opens 7.30pm and entry is $10.
Hip-hop and dance music fans will rejoice with the exciting showcase of some of the best acts that WA has to offer at this year’s GDF-Suez Mitsui Freakfest. Kwinana’s premier free youth festival, a standalone music event for the first time this year, is taking place on Saturday, December 5, in Kwinana City centre between 3pm and 7pm. Coin Banks will headline, along with performances from Pimps of Sound, Marksman Lloyd, Wisdom2th, Midnight Boulevard, Ru, Xyanthe Lee and Jamilla. For more details check the Zone Youth Space Facebook page.
Portals: past present future is a thoughtprovoking exhibition by local artists that evokes the imagination of maritime exploration. The exhibition at the WA Maritime Museum in Fremantle until Sunday, 13 December 2015. Portals offers a unique opportunity to experience the work of 23 emerging and established local artists whose artworks were inspired by the Western Australian Maritime Museum Collection and the working Port of Fremantle. For full details head to museum.wa.gov.au.
Coin Banks
canvas, by Lorraine Spencer Pichette
On Friday, November 20, Perth indie pop outfit Young Robin launched their single, Ferndully, to a sold-out audience at The Good Shepherd in Leederville, with support from Iceage Sugar, The Encounters and the Kyle Bonser Band. Ferndully is available via Spotify, iTunes, Soundcloud, expect an EP titled Tether in early 2016. Gaining momentum with their first release, Young Robin are also part of the Hyperfest line-up on February 20, at Midland Oval. Young Robin
Journey’s End I, inkjet digital print on
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REGURGITATOR Still Going Strong
Ahead of Regurgitator’s longawaited headlining of The Astor Theatre’s 100th Anniversary celebrations on Friday, December 18, TIM MAYNE speaks to singer/ guitarist, Quan Yeomans, about success, life changes and survival in the music industry. Regurgitator vocalist Quan Yeomans is the first to admit the years have been kind to him after more than two decades in the music business. The 42-year-old recently relocated to Melbourne from Hong Kong and he says he has seen some drastic changes in the music scene. “I don’t give a shit about legacy and it is such a ridiculous thing to take seriously but so long as you are doing good and not being a complete prick about it all
the time, then you will last,” Yeomans says. “There are a lot of damaged people in the industry and they are good because they are damaged, but the price of fame can be horrendous. “I am happy at being mediocre and the rest of it is timing and luck and whether you become successful in the industry. I am happy not to be obsessive and lead a normal life. “If I was obsessive I would not have the great wife and child I have, so it can sometimes be a terrible price to pay to have that brilliance.” After 10 albums, plus numerous EPs and awards, Yeomans says he is still flattered when approached by younger fans and artists. “I had the bass player from Jet come up to me and say I used to listen to you guys all the time and Alison Wonderland came up to me and said she was a big fan, which was a surprise.
“Audiences to me have become old and that is the great thing for us - we did look after ourselves,” Yeomans chuckles. “There are audiences that are really young and listen to triple j or internet music and are at the cutting edge. “I played in Newcastle and it was a really young crowd and pretty intense and enthusiastic, but not many of them knew our older stuff as they weren’t born then, then we played a uni and they were a more mature audience. “People raised on ‘90s music seem to have more of an analogue response and that is what happens between us and a mature audience, who grew up on the likes of Nirvana. “Kids today are happy to listen to electronic music and some of these new singers are incredibly talented and have higher expectations but people from our era don’t seem to mind a sloppier sound and a
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sense of humour.” Regurgitator has just released a live album, Nothing Less Than Cheap Imitations, which has been out a couple of months to critical acclaim from fans, something Yeomans says surprised him. “I heard it and thought, ‘Oh my God, we are going to release this?’” “We didn’t want any dubs, just the raw live sound, and fans said they loved it and I said, ‘You don’t mind that it sounds like shit?’” “But there is no point in polishing something like this, because that is what we sound like.” The music veteran says his teen angst from the early days has eased and he now takes a wider perspective on life, politics and the music industry. Continued on next page...
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Continued from cover... “Kids today are happy to listen to electronic music and some of these new singers are incredibly talented and have higher expectations but people from our era don’t seem to mind a sloppier sound and a sense of humour.” Regurgitator has just released a live album, Nothing Less Than Cheap Imitations, which has been out a couple of months to critical acclaim from fans, something Yeomans says surprised him. “I heard it and thought, ‘Oh my God, we are going to release this?’” “We didn’t want any dubs, just the raw live sound, and fans said they loved it and I said, ‘You don’t mind that it sounds like shit?’” “But there is no point in polishing something like this, because that is what we sound like.” The music veteran says his teen angst from the early days has eased and he
now takes a wider perspective on life, politics and the music industry. “People talk about changing the system; the problem is a people problem - people go on about socialism and capitalism - that is not important what is important is instilling better values in our kids. “This attitude that we need to have more in our lives to be happy is nonsense, you can be perfectly happy on a moderate wage and you put a lot less strain on our society. “It’s not about mass political change, it’s about individual change and helping your family and by doing that your family helps the community by being a happier, more integrated unit. That is the way change has to happen.” Regurgitator are joined by Sugar Army, Boys Boys Boys!, Day Of The Dead and DJ Brett Rowe for the Astor’s 100th. Tickets from astortheatreperth.com.
ASTOR THEATRE HISTORY • • •
•
Originally constructed in 1914-15. The Federation Free Classic style building is owned by the Zimmermann family. From its beginnings as Lots 427 and 428, on the corner of Beaufort and Walcott Streets, Mt Lawley, the building was originally designed for a mixture of vaudeville and lantern slide shows and retail stores and with the popularity of film, would be advertising motion pictures and orchestra under the name the Lyceum Theatre by 1922. In 1938 the theatre underwent extensive Inter-War Art Deco style renovations, transforming the appearance and design of the building to one which we still know it by today, reopening under the new name of State Theatre in 1939, before being renamed as the Astor Theatre in 1941.
RICHMOND STREET RECORDS The Perfect Blend Richmond Street Records’ showcase launch for the 2015 Blender compilation happens at the Rosemount Hotel on Thursday, November 26, from 7pm. The night is also an awards night for Central Institute of Technology music graduates. KANE SUTTON chats with Marketing Manager, Kelly Miglori. What skills and opportunities are students able to take away from CIT’s music course as they graduate? Students are able to take away a vast array of skills from the music courses, such as event management, promotion, creating electronic press kits, recording and mastering skills, writing and song arrangement, music distribution to name a few. The course also provides plenty of opportunities to network and volunteer with in the industry, and encourages students to go out an volunteer, whether it is at music festivals, WAM or RTR. What does Richmond Street Records offer artists and bands? Richmond Street Records (RSR) offers CIT artists and bands a platform to enter the music industry from. The label organises two live music events where student bands are selected to play. These events allow artists to showcase their talent to industry and to a greater audience, outside of family and TAFE. RSR releases a compilation CD at the end of each year, featuring the best acts. This CD is sent out across WA to industry, media and to Community radio stations across the country. 26
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What sort of styles and genres are covered across the CD? The CD covers a variety of genres, from prog-rock to acoustic, country, electronic pop, and a variety of indie sounds. This year’s Blender has a strong female presence across all genres, as well, which is great! What’s the best advice you could give someone thinking Blender 2015 of applying for compilation the course and forming a band? If music is something you want to do and pursue then do it! The course gives you a great insight into the workings of industry and the WA scene. Hands-on experience into various areas of the industry, from marketing to booking gigs, distributing music, and recording, mastering and live performance. The course is also great for people wanting to be in a band. It’s a great environment to meet like-minded people and to start building your networks.
me and my parents would tell me to go and sing. “When I was in my teens it became a hobby but I didn’t have confidence at first and it scared me and then I joined bands and saw bands in pubs. “The stage fright stuck with me for a very long time, Ghost it has only been in the last year I have been comfortable on Story stage, but before that I would think silly things like, ‘am I good enough, am I pretty enough?’ “I think it is a maturity thing and as you mature you get more comfortable with yourself and I just think, ‘well I am getting up there and this will have to be good enough and hopefully they will like me’.” Bloom says her inspiration for taking singing and songwriting seriously came from the heart. “All of the songs are about either love, loss or death, very dark topics because that is what I can write about. “Cheating Heart is about my own experiences and Ghost is about an accident at Bibra Lake. “Some people went to work on Monday morning It’s not everyday you are invited to a 30th and a girl said goodbye to her fiancé then got hit by a car on birthday party and an EP launch, but that is North Lake Road. He saw the accident and rang his fiancé and what talented Perth-based vocalist Bloom did then went back to the scene and realised it was her. at the Ellington Jazz Club last week. “I didn’t even know these people but the whole The cosy venue was host to a small, but appreciative day I was sad and I wrote Ghost from the perspective of the crowd as Bloom sang her self-titled debut album with passion, person who has gone and the other half of the song about the person left.” humour and at times a sense of melancholy. Bloom’s self-titled debut EP will be available online Bloom, real name Amanda Canzurlo, says her start in from December 10 on iTunes and most online platforms. the business is a clichéd one, but one she doesn’t regret. “It’s that clichéd story that I have been doing it since TIM MAYNE I was 4, which started off as a hobby but it was forced upon
BLOOM
Pic: Jackie Jet
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Richmond Street Records Blender LP Launch @ Rosemount Hotel
27/11
Yarkhob Surface Waves EP Launch @ The Bird
27/11
Joni In The Moon Tarantella Single Video Launch @ Rosemount Hotel
28/11
Andrew Winton GloryBox Mechanics Album Launch @ The Ellington
11/12
Diger Rokwell Sprouts EP Launch @ The Bird
11/12
Sanzu H.O.T.H. Album Launch @ Amplifier
Joni In The Moon
CONTACT MUSICSERVICES@XPRESSMAG.COM.AU
Gear and tech reviews by CHRIS GIBBS
Guthrie Trapp Overdrive
Fender Fatfinger
ROCKETT PEDALS GUTHRIE TRAPP OVERDRIVE FENDER FATFINGER SUSTAIN ENHANCER If you’ve ever played a gig where you need a capo midway through the set so you attach it to your guitar’s headstock for easy access, or use a neck tuner, you may have hit upon a way to improve your guitar’s resonance and tone. Fender have addressed this with the Fatfinger sustain enhancer. The Fatfinger sustain enhancer clamps on to the headstock of any guitar or other stringed instrument. The concept is to add mass to the weak end of the instrument, in order to get strings to resonate longer, louder, and with increased balance. Then ‘dead spots’ can be tuned out by experimenting with the Fatfinger’s positioning on the headstock. The Fender Fatfinger sustain enhancer would be a great stocking filler for the serious tone enthusiast. Check with your favourite Fender dealer for pricing and availability.
When is an overdrive not just another overdrive? When it’s a J Rockett Audio Designs Guthrie Trapp Overdrive, that’s when. In a fairly conservative, unassuming chassis, with standard control knobs (Level, Gain, and ‘Accent’ which is essentially a tone control) this unit delivers a gorgeous, transparent, authentic drive that sounds like it’s coming straight from the recording sessions of your favourite laid-back rock, country, and blues albums. Played using a PRS through a small, simple valve amp on a clean setting, the Guthrie Trapp Overdrive, when set right down the middle for each control knob, delivered punch when played hard, sensitivity when played light, all with perfect, rich overtones, that makes the ears desperate to hear more. This pedal was specifically designed for Guthrie (one of Nashville’s most popular session guitarists) to achieve quality tones for multiple styles. In that simplicity it delivers just about everything a tone-hungry all-rounder could need. The J Rockett Audio Designs Guthrie Trapp Overdrive retails for $229 US. Check out rockettpedals.com for more information. WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU
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PAT CHOW
A DAY ON THE GREEN
FOAM, Verge Collection, Hip Priest Amplifier Bar Saturday, November 21, 2015 As the punters slowly tumbled in Hip Priest took the stage to kick things off. It didn’t matter that it was early, the boys cranked up their amps and slaughtered everyone’s ears with deafening guitar solos and driving bass lines. The small gathering of fans closest to the stage danced and jumped along with the music, enthralled by the catchy melodies that are at the heart of the songs – each of which would end in a bombardment of feedback and noise. The room was starting to look a lot smaller by the time Verge Collection to the stage, as they leapt into their first song fans flooded the area, cheering and raising their glasses to a band they were all excited to see. Fronted by the unassuming Ben Arnold, this is another band that has been getting some rave reviews over recent months, including winning a spot at Southbound courtesy of triple j Unearthed. Verge Collection are an oddly familiar, but somehow fairly original band – they sound like something you’d expect to hear wandering into a country pub, yet modern and enchanting. If you check out any top 10 of Australian bands you should be listening to chances are that you’ve seen FOAM somewhere in that list. The guys have a solid reputation around the country and with a polished live sound you can expect to see a lot more of them. They took to the stage and it was instantly as if everyone forgot grunge
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James Reyne/The Whitlams/Mark Seymour & The Undertow/ Diesel/ Moving Pictures Kings Park & Botanic Garden Sunday, November 22, 2015
Ben Protasiewicz, Pat Chow Pic: Juliet Duval
had died 20 years ago, but it didn’t matter – the crowd was loving it. As Pat Chow walked on stage the crowd filled Amplifier wall to wall. Amidst a wall of fuzzed out bass and guitar feedback the chaos began. As fans jumped and shouted, frontman Ben Protasiewicz launched into song, screaming his lungs out and attacking his guitar like it owed him money. Despite the absolute intensity of the performance there was a clarity to their music, the melody always cutting through the madness. The pure catchiness of songs like Don’t Talk and Outta Words prove the immense talent at the centre of this band, both in Protasiewicz’s writing, and the band’s rhythm section. Each song is well manicured, and stands up to a drunken and erratic performance – these guys don’t just pull it off live, they annihilate it. DAVE MULLINS
It’s not really spring until Kings Park & Botanic Garden fills up with wine-sipping music fans of a certain age, and on this glorious summery day Moving Pictures’ singer Alex Smith wrang every ounce of emotion from their biggest hit, What About Me, helping us to forget Shannon Noll’s onedimensional cover, and rounded their set out with a tremendous Bustin’ Loose and covers including The Boss’ Born to Run. The dapperly attired Diesel and his power trio shredded through a handful of hits, the soulful blues rock of Man Alive, Tip Of My Tongue and Come To Me sat comfortably next to the bluesier pub rock of Soul Revival and Don’t Need Love from his Injectors days. He made a strong claim for most dynamic performer of the day. Mark Seymour & The Undertow delivered a fine set of folky rock tunes, including Football Train, FIFO and Westgate, each one telling an engrossing story. Softly spoken and humble, he politely turned down a cry out for Holy Grail, explaining that the Reclaim Australia buffoons used it at a rally yesterday, so he was boycotting the song in protest of their barely-veiled racism. Hunters favourites When The River Runs Dry and Throw Your Arms Around Me more than made
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up for its omission and Seymour won new fans with his moral stand. The Whitlams’ piano-led quirky pop perhaps would have better suited earlier in the afternoon. Whilst No Aphrodisiac and I Make Hamburgers are popular enough, the rest of their set lacked the energy of the other acts, and attentions wandered. James Reyne may not have Seymour’s humility, nor Diesel’s conviviality – in fact, at times he seems positively aloof, James Reyne
even arrogant. But even he melted as the crowd showed their approval so readily in honour of his killer back catalogue, especially since re-embracing his days with Australian Crawl. Mixing up that band’s biggest and best with his many solo hits proved a winning combination with Beautiful People, Errol, Boys Light Up, Reckless, Hammerhead, and Fall Of Rome keeping the Kings Park crowd singing and dancing late into the night. SHANE PINNEGAR
DEF LEPPARD
Def Leppard had no such problems, bursting onstage with new single, Let’s Go, and delivering a selection of their greatest hits with a couple of surprises thrown in for good measure. Guitarists Vivian Campbell and the seemingly permanently topless and babyoiled Phil Collen threw all the right shapes Live/ Baby Animals as their guitars meshed perfectly, while the Red Hill Auditorium faultless rhythm section never skipped a beat. Saturday, November 21, 2015 With so much material to choose from, these old pros did a good job cherry Idyllically set in bushland, with the city and picking a hit-packed 90 minutes. Animal and sunset glinting in the distance, Red Hill is a hidden treasure, and one well-catered for with Armageddon It had the crowd singing along, excellent facilities and a bevy of shuttle buses ferrying punters in and out. The scene was set for a great night of rock’n’roll. Baby Animals took the stage as the sun edged lower, local frontwoman Suze DeMarchi packing as powerful a punch as always through a set which focussed Def Leppard’s Joe Elliot | Pic: Linda Dunjey on their 1991 debut. Favourites their modernisation of David Essex’s Rock Rush You, One Word and Ain’t Gonna Get On was a winner, and singer Joe Elliot’s solo were all delivered with rocking fury, with last acoustic performance of the band’s best nonyear’s scathing Email a more contemporary album track, Two Steps Behind, was a treat. highlight. At their rocking best for the early Americans Live seemed an odd instrumental Switch 625 and the doublefit and stood out like a sore thumb on the whammy encore of Rock Of Ages and night. Bookending their set with their big Photograph, Def Leppard gave Perth a little bit hits All Over You, Lightning Crashes and I of everything that has made them endure so Alone at either end of a too-long set, they well for so many years, leaving Red Hill well played all the wrong cards. New singer, Chris Shinn, resembled a tribute band version of Ed and truly Rocked. Kowalczyk, and the rest of the band had no engagement with the crowd at all, resulting in a tedious hour or so.
SHANE PINNEGAR
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29
X-press AC/DC, NOVEMBER 27 & 29
COURTNEY BARNETT, JANUARY 7 & 8
TO UR S THIS FORNIGHT RON SEXSMITH with BOB EVANS & TIMOTHY NELSON 25 Rosemount Hotel KINGSWOOD 26 Settlers Tavern 27 Jack Rabbit Slims NERDLINGER 27 Amplifier 28 Camel Bar 29 Four5Nine Bar JON TOOGOOD 27 Four5Nine Bar 28 Indi Bar 29 Mojos Bar AC/DC with THE HIVES & KINGSWOOD 27 & 29 Domain Stadium UB40 28 Metropolis Fremantle SIX60 28 Astor Theatre SAM SMITH 28 Perth Arena KORA 28 Rosemount Hotel STEREOSONIC ft. DIPLO, CLEAN BANDIT, ARMIN VAN BUUREN, MAJOR LAZER, PEKING DUK & more 29 Claremont Showgrounds RUDIMENTAL 1 Metro City DECEMBER 2015 ED SHEERAN 2 NIB Stadium THE SCREAMING JETS 3 Prince of Wales 4 Settlers Tavern 5 Charles Hotel 6 Ravenswood Hotel MONO 4 Rosemount Hotel BRITISH INDIA 4 Gloucester Park CITIZEN KAY 5 Jack Rabbit Slim’s CHRIS CORNELL 8 & 9 Perth Concert Hall TIM & ERIC 8 & 9 Astor Theatre NEVER SHOUT NEVER 10 Rosemount Hotel MY DISCO 11 Rosemount Hotel 12 Mojos Bar YELAWOLF with B WISE 11 Villa KARISE EDEN 11 Ravenswood Hotel 12 Charles Hotel 13 Friends Restaurant UNWRITTEN LAW with GRENADIERS 12 Capitol DISCONNECT FESTIVAL ft. CHET FAKER, FLIGHT FACILITIES, FATHER JOHN MISTY, MERCURY REV & more 11 – 13 Fairbridge Village MY DISCO 12 Mojos Bar LITTLE SEA 12 Astor Theatre THE VANNS 12 Jack Rabbit Slim’s 12 White Star Hotel LUCINDA WILLIAMS with DAN SULTAN 13 Kings Park & Botanic Garden MISFITS 13 Rosemount Hotel SNEAKY SOUND SYSTEM 13 Gloucester Park THE AMITY AFFLICTION & A DAY TO REMEMBER 14 Perth Arena THE EXPLOITED 14 Capitol 30
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guide
MODELS 16 Astor Theatre KIM SALMON 17 Mojo’s Bar DREAM ON DREAMER 18 Rosemount Hotel KATY STEELE 18 Jack Rabbit Slim’s BEN ELY 19 Four5Nine Bar NEVER SAY DIE RECORDS 18 Metro City JEBEDIAH 24 Four5Nine Bar BREAKFEST 2015 ft. STANTON WARRIORS, DANNY BYRD, STICKYBUDS, SPENDA C, HYDRAULIX & more 26 Belvoir Amphitheatre JANUARY 2016 NECK DEEP & STATE CHAMPS 6 YMCA HQ & Rosemount Hotel COURTNEY BARNETT 7 Astor Theatre 8 Southbound Festival ICEHOUSE 8 Castelli Estate, Denmark 10 Hotel Rottnest SOUTHBOUND ft. ALPINE, BIRDS OF TOKYO, BLOC PARTY. GARY CLARK JR., HILLTOP HOODS, JARRYD JAMES, SETH SENTRY, MEG MAC & more 8 – 10 Sir Stewart Bovell Park LOU DOILLON 12 Rosemount Hotel NIGHTWISH 15 Metropolis Fremantle SHORT STACK 16 Astor Theatre WALK THE MOON 21 Astor Theatre FAT BOY SLIM 22 Red Hill Auditorium JOHN BUTLER TRIO 22 Belvoir Amphitheatre 23 Leeuwin Estate 24 Quindanning Tavern THE 1975 23 HBF Stadium THE OH SEES 23 Mojo’s Bar THE WAIFS 24 Fremantle Arts Centre HOODIE ALLEN 28 Rosemount Hotel JAMES BAY 30 Fremantle Arts Centre BOY & BEAR 30 Red Hill Auditorium FEBRUARY 2016 NICK OFFERMAN & MEGAN MULLALLY 2 & 3 Astor Theatre SOILWORK 2 Rosemount Hotel KEVIN HART 3 Perth Arena JIMMY CARR 3 Riverside Theatre JOHN MELLENCAMP with JEWEL 6 Sandalford Estate TEX PERKINS 6 Fremantle Prison SIMPLY RED with NATALIE IMBRUGLIA 9 & 10 Kings Park & Botanic Garden SOILWORK 10 Rosemount Hotel MAXI PRIEST 10 Astor Theatre WELCOME TO NIGHT VALE 11 Octagon Theatre, UWA NIGHTMARES OFN WAX 11 Chevron Festival Gardens
JOSE GONZALEZ 12 Chevron Festival Gardens SPIDERBAIT 12 Metropolis Fremantle DIANA KRALL 13 Kings Park & Botanic Garden FAT FREDDY’S DROP 13 Red Hill Auditorium 14 Clancy’s Dunsborough THIEVERY CORPORATION 13 Chevron Festival Gardens LANEWAY FESTIVAL ft. THE SMITH STREET BAND, GRIMES, HERMITUDE, FLUME, CHVRCHES, DIIV & more 14 Esplanade Reserve, Fremantle WILLIAM FITZSIMMONS 14 Chevron Festival Gardens THE TRIFFIDS 15 Chevron Festival Gardens WAXAHATCHEE 16 Chevron Festival Gardens HIGH ON FIRE 17 Rosemount Hotel DUB PISTOLS 17 Chevron Festival Gardens KEV CARMODY 18 Chevron Festival Gardens BANANARAMA with WANG CHUNG 19 Astor Theatre BAND OF BROTHERS 19 & 20 Chevron Festival Gardens JOSE JAMES 20 Chevron Festival Gardens DIESEL 20 Rosemount Hotel JOSH PYKE 20 Astor Theatre GORDAN BREGOVIC 21 Chevron Festival Gardens DARK MIRROR WHITE NOISE 22 Chevron Festival Gardens THE CHAOS RAIDS 23 Amplifier LEFTFIELD 23 Chevron Festival Gardens GBH 24 Rosemount Hotel THE NECKS & HAUSCHKA 24 Chevron Festival Gardens MARU TARANG 25 Chevron Festival Gardens BETWEEN THE BURIED & ME 25 Rosemount Hotel TINA ARENA 26 Perth Concert Hall LITTLE SIMZ 26 Chevron Festival Gardens EFFIE 26 & 27 Astor Theatre OCEAN COLOUR SCENE 27 Capitol TIM ROGERS & THE BAMBOOS 27 Chevron Festival Gardens A$AP ROCKY 28 Metro City MARLON WILLIAMS & THE YARRA BENDERS 28 Chevron Festival Gardens JOHANN JOHANNSSON 29 Chevron Festival Gardens
DAWN FRENCH 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5 Riverside Theatre SUFJAN STEVENS 2 Red Hill Auditorium SLEATER-KINNEY 2 Chevron Festival Gardens ROB THOMAS with PETE MURRAY 2 Kings Park & Botanic GardenS WE THE KINGS 3 Rosemount Hotel SEUN KUTI & EGYPT 80 3 Chevron Festival Gardens IBEYI 4 Chevron Festival Gardens G-EAZY 5 Villa HOUSE GOSPEL CHOIR 5 & 6 Chevron Festival Gardens ADAM BRAND & THE OUTLAWS 6 Ravenswood Hotel ACTION BRONSON 7 Villa BEN HARPER & THE INNOCENT CRIMINALS 8 Kings Park & Botanic Gardens SONGHOY BLUES 9 Astor Theatre STEVE EARLE & THE DUKES 11 Astor Theatre TOM JONES 13 Kings Park & Botanic Gardens SEVENDUST 13 Capitol THE CHARLATANS 16 Capitol IAN MOSS 19 Astor Theatre A DAY ON THE GREEN ft. HOODOO GURUS, SUNNYBOYS & VIOLENT FEMMES 19 Kings Park & Botanic Garden THE WAILERS 21 Astor Theare BRYAN ADAMS 21 Kings Park & Botanic Gardens THE SELECTOR 22 Rosemount Hotel WILEY 22 Capitol BUZZCOCKS 23 Rosemount Hotel
MARCH 2016 BELINDA CARLISLE with PSEUDO ECHO 1 Astor Theatre NATALIE PRASS 1 Chevron Festival Gardens
IRON MAIDEN 14 Perth Arena
APRIL 2016 TAJ MAHAL 3 Astor Theatre GRAHAM BONNET 6 Amplifier BRIAN WILSON 7 Riverside Theatre JAMIE LAWSON 9 Astor Theatre NICO & VINZ 13 Villa BLACK SABBATH with FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH 15 Perth Arena DAMIEN LEITH 15 Astor Theatre GANG OF YOUTHS 16 Astor Theatre THE STRANGLERS 23 Metropolis Fremantle TOMMY TIERNAN 25 Riverside Theatre SARAH BLASKO 30 Astor Theatre MAY 2016
JUNE 2016 WES CARR 30 Albany Entertainment Centre
incorporating
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DJ TRAVIS, THURSDAY 26
W E E K LY WEDNESDAY 25/11 BABUSHKA Open Mic THE BIRD Chicken & Beer (Radio Edit) CLANCY’S CANNING BRIDGE Songwriter’s Night ft. Little Lord Street Band Duo CLANCY’S CITY BEACH Commander Cody’s Seaside Quiz ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB AJ Quartet FLY BY NIGHT Gaslight Club THE FLYING SCOTSMAN Sound Tracks ft. DJ Charlie Bucket INDI BAR Club Acoustica LANEWAY LOUNGE Shahirah THE LOST SOCIETY WDNSDY SOC. MALT SUPPER CLUB Don Migi & guests METROPOLIS FREMANTLE Zakk Wylde’s Black Label Society MOJO’S BAR Swamp Stompers Jordan McRobbie THE MOON CAFÉ Stella Donnelly Steve Hensby MUSTANG BAR Wild Wednesday ft. PUMP DJ Giles NEWPORT HOTEL Newport Wednesdays 459 ROSEMOUNT HOTEL Mom’s Spaghetti ft. Ricky B Vic The Bitter Zeetha Vee Persona ROSEMOUNT HOTEL Ron Sexsmith (CAN) Bob Evans Timothy Nelson ROSEMOUNT HOTEL (BEER GARDEN) Student Night ft. Anton Maz SETTLERS TAVERN Open Mic UNIVERSAL BAR What’s The Fuss THE VELVET LOUNGE Wayne Slater WHITE STAR HOTEL Thunderwave THURSDAY 26/11 AMPLIFIER Last Night - Marvel vs. DC Universe Party ft. Ratking Vultures Hercules Morse ART BAR Clare Bowditch BABUSHKA Suburban & Coke Damn Spirits Being Beta Mindboy Together Alone Laurel Fixation THE BIRD Villain Fine Court Great Gable SAGA CLANCY’S FREMANTLE Mooj Kenny Austin DEFECTORS BAR Songwriters Club ft. Lee Lampropoulos Kim McDonald Brandon Davids Ralway Bell ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Fatai
HIGH WYCOMBE TAVERN Sweet Surrender INDI BAR Bernardine JIMMY’S DEN Live Benefit for Interplast ft. Valdaway Ryan Webb Graphic Characters LANEWAY LOUNGE Adam Hall & The Velvet Playboys MOJO’S BAR The Southern River Band Edie Green Marmalade Mama Big Orange MUSTANG BAR Thumpin’ Thursday ft. Madam Montage DJ James Mac NEWPORT HOTEL Childs Play Pow Negro Nodes THE ODD FELLOW Chicks with Decks PRINCE OF WALES Gay Paris 459 ROSEMOUNT HOTEL Nerds! Nerds! Nerds ROSEMOUNT HOTEL Blender CD Launch ft. Bad Habit Federico Occasional Symmetry The Depthless The Wondering SETTLERS TAVERN Kingswood Stillwater Giants UNIVERSAL BAR Off the Record THE VELVET LOUNGE ISOLATION ft. DJ Travis Petrohex Yallerhon & more WHITE STAR HOTEL Tai Fighters X-WRAY CAFÉ Rupert Guenther FRIDAY 27/11 AMBAR Yum Cha - Return of the Young Blood AMPLIFIER Nerdlinger The Decline Scalphunter Blindspot At the Space Jam ASTOR THEATRE Rebecca O’Connor as Tina Turner THE AVIARY Ben Renna Dura BABUSHKA Sealamb Pow! Negro Buzz Aldrin & The Second Best Nectar Lincoln Mackinnon BASSENDEAN HOTEL Will Stoker & The Embers The Coalminers Sect CATZILLA The Secret Buttons BEAU RIVAGE (GLOUCESTER PARK) Robert West THE BIRD Yarkhob Maxy Bills DJ Silence LC McKenzie DJ Rad One THE BOSTON The Hotelier (USA) CAVES HOUSE Riley Pearce CLANCY’S CANNING BRIDGE DJ Boogie CLANCY’S FREMANTLE The Zydecats
WILL STOKER, FRIDAY 27
GUNNS, SATURDAY 28
DOMAIN STADIUM AC/DC Kingswood The Hives ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Jessie Gordon Quartet R ‘n B Party with Elise Lynelle THE FLYING SCOTSMAN DJ Rok Riley GEISHA Oxia GERALDTON HOTEL Rock Candy GLOUCESTER PARK Barry Gee GOLDEN NUGGET ROOM (GLOUCESTER PARK) DJ Stevie D. THE GOOD SHEPHERD Throwback INDI BAR The Volcanics Custom Royal Paul McCarthy JACK RABBIT SLIM’S Kingswood Old Blood Filthy Apes JIMMY’S DEN Bernardine Neda Tenielle David Craft Alex Brittan Ru LANEWAY LOUNGE The 4 Peace Band Dean Anderson LOBBY LOUNGE Decoy Duo MOJO’S BAR Mt. Mountain Hideous Sun Demon Dougal’s Casino Moistoyster MUSTANG BAR The Oz Big Band Flash Nat & The Action Men NEWPORT HOTEL Tiki Beats OCEAN REEF SEA SPORTS CLUB Remi Mura THE ODD FELLOW Gay Paris PRINCE OF WALES Oakland QUALITY HOTEL DJ Veeness RADIANT ORO (GLOUCESTER PARK) Grant Hart 459 ROSEMOUNT HOTEL Jon Toogood & guests ROSEMOUNT HOTEL Joni In The Moon Felicity Groom Rabbit Island Racoo Charles & the Moke Folk ROSEMOUNT HOTEL (BEER GARDEN) Some Like It Yacht DJ Mouse Stash SETTLERS TAVERN MattyTWall STATE THEATRE CENTRE OF WA Courtyard Club #5 ft. Methyl Ethel DJ Coel Healy SUBIACO HOTEL Madam Montage UNIVERSAL BAR Nightmoves THE VELVET LOUNGE Night of the Swamp ft. Bayou Sexpiss Blackwitch Snake Reviver VILLA Father Villa Takeover VI - Wild West ft. 8er$ Ozzie Charlie Traplin WHALE & ALE Two Tenors WHITE STAR HOTEL Swamp Stompers
ROSEMOUNT HOTEL Kora (NZ) P-Digsss ROSIE O’GRADY’S FREMANTLE Sensation SETTLERS TAVERN Ben Merito SKYE BAR HUGE SWAN LOUNGE Slick & The Oilys Greys & Blues Entry Bead Blackjack UNIVERSAL BAR Soul Corporation URBAN ORCHARD Live at the Orchard ft. Panama VILLA DJ Yella WHALE & ALE DJ Rony Ronald WHITE STAR HOTEL Riley Pearce
SATURDAY 28/11 AMBAR Japan 4 - EMAS Takeover
AMPLIFIER The Mark of Cain ASTOR THEATRE Six60 THE AVIARY Zel Bfix BABUSHKA Stillwater Giants The Durongs Wanderlust & more THE BIRD Terrible Truths Jimmy Chang Kitchen People THE BOSTON Gay Paris CAMEL BAR Nerdlinger CAVES HOUSE Jonny Taylor CIVIC HOTEL Summercore 2015 ft. Cupid Falls Roses for Ghosts Call Upon Crows CLANCY’S CITY BEACH Gillian Moorman Group CLANCY’S FREMANTLE Parmezan King of the Travellers Dan Howler CONSERVATORY ROOFTOP BAR David Keno THE CRAFTSMAN 5th Avenue Duo DELICIOUS Delicious Sexy Mexican Night ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Andrew Winton Zain & Zoe’s Neo Soul Late Show FAULKNER PARK MC Tom Tapping FRAYED FRAYED GERALDTON HOTEL Rock Candy GROOVE BAR Decoy HERDSDMAN LAKE TAVERN Brothers in Arms Beatz Wurkin HOTEL ROTTNEST Jesse & Joey INDI BAR Jon Toogood JACK RABBIT SLIM’S The Belligerents Gunns The Wheelers of Oz JIMMY’S DEN The Kill Devil Hills Maurice Flavel’s Intensive Care The Darling Rangers LANEWAY LOUNGE Brenda Lee Duo LEISURE INN Something Humble Occasional Symmetry Beyond Stone Rising St. James Sirens LLAMA BAR TILT LOST SOCIETY CHALK METRO CITY TYGA & special guests METROPOLIS FREMANTLE UB40 MOJO’S BAR Shit Narnia Childsaint The Pissedcolas The Shops The Government Yard Fingernail The Regular Boys MUSTANG BAR Shotdown from Sugartown DJ Holly Doll PERTH ARENA Sam Smith Emma Louise PRINCE OF WALES The Hotelier (USA) QUAIRADING HOTEL Dirty Harry
SUNDAY 29/11 THE AVIARY Genga DJ Neil Viney NDorse BABUSHKA Manifest 2015 ft. Reef & the Riff Raff The Body Boys Fine Court Gryff Villain Max & The Electric The Hunting Birds Nodes Sounduh The Sophists Wisdom 2th Beckon Hyclass THE BIRD All Fruits Ripe CAVES HOUSE The Shops CLANCY’S CITY BEACH Limelights Jazz CLANCY’S DUNSBOROUGH Dave Mann CLANCY’S FREMANTLE The Crux CLAREMONT SHOWGROUNDS Stereosonic 2015 ft. Armin van Buuren Axwell Ingrosso Major Lazer Showtek Peking Duk Oliver Heldens Galantis Generik Diplo DJ Snake Duke Dumond Tchami Carmada Clean Bandit & many more DEFECTORS BAR Sunday Record Hop DOMAIN STADIUM AC/DC Kingswood The Hives FREMANTLE ARTS CENTRE Sunday Music ft. Suzannah Espie THE GOOD SHEPHERD Manifest 2015 ft. The Piscos Howling Bones Foxton Kings Cavalier YOSH Great Gable Vorsen Fuzz Toads INDI BAR Once Upon A Time In The West ft. Ralway Bell Robbie Jalapeno & The Bureaucrats JIMMY’S DEN The Last Stand LAST DROP TAVERN Barry Gee MOJO’S BAR Jon Toogood & guests
SUGAR ARMY, FRIDAY 4 THE MOON CAFÉ Childsaint Mitch McDonald NEWPORT HOTEL The Hotelier (USA) & guests NORTHBRIDGE PIAZZA Sunday Sounds ft. The Swingin’ Gypsies Summer Groove RAILWAY HOTEL An Afternoon in the sun with Sea Shepherd ft. Mitchell Cullen Ben Catley Trouvaille REDCLIFFE ON MURRAY Riley Pearce 459 ROSEMOUNT HOTEL Breaking Punk ft. Nerdlinger Blindspot The Bob Gordons Them Sharks Two For Flinching Castle Bravo Castiel Ben Elliot Being Beta ROSEMOUNT HOTEL (BEER GARDEN) Sunshine Brothers SETTLERS TAVERN Sunday Session ft. Ben Merito UNIVERSAL BAR Retrofit URBAN ORCHARD Live at the Orchard ft. WAFIA THE VELVET LOUNGE Alt Blues ft. The Whiskey Pocket Them Jackdaws Delilah Rose The Gunslingers Flyball Gov’nor WHITE STAR HOTEL Lez Karski MONDAY 30/11 THE BIRD Xhai Middleton Exhibition CLANCY’S CANNING BRIDGE Quiz Night ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Chamber Jam Finale ft. ISQ Just Sax Gone Astray MOJO’S BAR Wide Open Mic ROSEMOUNT HOTEL Comedy Trivia THE VELVET LOUNGE Infinite Jest TUESDAY 1/12 AMBAR Rudimental After Party ft. Rudimental (DJ set) CLANCY’S CITY BEACH Summer Songwriter Sessions CLANCY’S FREMANTLE Quiz Night DEFECTORS BAR Seinfeld Top 10 Episodes Night ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Steve Tallis METRO CITY Rudimental MOJOS BAR Golden String QITO Divorce Party Nyanda J. PERTH BLUES CLUB Awesome Wells Stone Free Richie Pavledis ROSEMOUNT HOTEL Simon Kelly’s Big Bamboo
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WEDNESDAY 2/12 THE BIRD Shake ft. Bee Bee Ramone CLANCY’S CITY BEACH Commander Cody’s Seaside Quiz CLANCY’S FREMANTLE Chet Leonard’s Bingoteque ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB TRISK FLY BY NIGHT Gaslight Club THE FLYING SCOTSMAN Sound Tracks ft. DJ Tomas Ford THE LOST SOCIETY WDNSDY SOC. MOJO’S BAR The Klatsch ft. King of Travellers Blood Groove Bowser & more THE MOON CAFÉ Liam Strakh Grant Touchell NEWPORT HOTEL Full Moon Party ft. Angry Buda NIB STADIUM Ed Sheeran Passenger ROSEMOUNT HOTEL Rock ’n Roll Karaoke with Magnus Danger Magnus ROSEMOUNT HOTEL (BEER GARDEN) Student Night ft. Anton Maz SETTLERS TAVERN Open Mic THURSDAY 3/12 AMPLIFIER Last Night Summer Party ft. Lights of Berlin Paper Walls Hiccups ASTOR THEATRE Unknown Mortal Orchestra BABUSHKA Segue Safari Desert Sonnes GAMBA Emily Garlick CHILL Enter the Jungle ft. Merlo Tuzz Vert TBA DEFECTORS BAR Songwriters Club ft. Nicky Sandover Beau Torrance Death & A Cure The Foxton Kings ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Daniel Susnjar AfroPeruvian Jazz Night Cap Sessions HIGH WYCOMBE TAVERN Sweet Surrender LANEWAY LOUNGE Adam Hall & The Velvet Playboys MOJO’S BAR 56 Hope Roads THE ODD FELLOW Great Gable Slick Monks Villain PRINCE OF WALES The Screaming Jets ROSEMOUNT HOTEL RAW Artists Showcase SETTLERS TAVERN Dallas Royal THE VELVET LOUNGE Lost for Reason Ascending Fall Nautical Mile Cellophane
FRIDAY 4/12 AMPLIFIER Amplifier’s Not So Sweet 16 ft. The Meanies Sugar Army UMPIRE Chainsaw Hookers Leeches The Ghost Hotel ASTOR LOUNGE Explosion of Sound ft. The Dirty Feels Windswell Room 17 Transnational Crash THE AVIARY NDorse Ben Renna BABUSHKA Braves Hip Priest Verge Collection BASSENDEAN HOTEL Basso Fridays #6 ft. Robbie Jalapeno & The Bureaucrats Patient Little Sister The Jayco Borthers Delilah Rose & the Gunslingers CIVIC HOTEL Souls of Ghouls Nucleust Owed to Damnation Aviscerus Enemy For My Enemy CLANCY’S CANNING BRIDGE DJ Boogie THE CORNERSTONE Sweet Surrender ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Morgan Bain Stratosfunk GEISHA Habitat’s 11th Birthday Bash ft. Kink Dense & Pika GERALDTON HOTEL Madam Montage GLOUCESTER PARK British India Robert West GOLDEN NUGGET ROOM (GLOUCESTER PARK) DJ Stevie D. THE GOOD SHEPHERD Bad Noose Fridays #4 ft. Hidden World Ray Finkle Apollo Zen Territory Bad Noose DJs MOJO’S BAR Fisherman Style #114 ft. Earthlink Sound Killa Elite Crucial Rockers NEWPORT HOTEL Tiki Beats PRINCE OF WALES Great Gable Slick Monks Fauna 459 ROSEMOUNT HOTEL Yokohomos The Sperts Wound Culture Dr. Bumface ROSEMOUNT HOTEL MONO (JPN) Mt. Mountain Tangled Thoughts of Leaving SETTLERS TAVERN The Screaming Jets STATE THEATRE CENTRE OF WA Courtyard Club ft. Joni In The Moon DJ Apple Bagios SWAN LOUNGE The Entertainers TRAVELLERS INN HOTEL MOTEL Great Aussie Bite Duo THE VELVET LOUNGE Julz Evans Death & A Cure Nicky Sandover Curtis McEntee YMCA HQ Sweet Oblivion #9 ft.
SIDEWALK DIAMONDS, SATURDAY 5 Last Lions Puzzle Red Moon Matthew Gudgeon SATURDAY 5/12 THE AVIARY NDorse Zel BABUSHKA Sully Sidewalk Diamonds Odlaw Segue Safari CIVIC HOTEL Vanessa Hopes Jamahl Ryder Traditional Emcee Tera CLANCY’S CITY BEACH Danny Moss Jr. CLANCY’S FREMANTLE Odette Mercy & Her Soul Atomics Child’s Play ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Hetty Kate Quartet with Russell Holmes Ben Grigson & Liam Hickey Double Drum Show FLY BY NIGHT Eurogliders THE GAME SPORTS BAR Lucid VIP Record Label Launch ft. Daveed Dewy McGill Six-0 Shortcut GERALDTON HOTEL Madam Montage JACK RABBIT SLIM’S Citizen Kay Coda Conduct Marksman Lloyd LLAMA BAR TILT LOST SOCIETY CHALK METROPOLIS FREMANTLE The Coronas MOJO’S BAR Beat Down #8 PERTH URBAN ORCHARD Salut ft. Sacha Mambo Ruf Dug Fantastic Man PORT BEACH Sundown Sessions ft. Angus & Julia Stone Mansionair Dan Kelly Jordan McRobbie PRINCE OF WALES Brufield ROSEMOUNT HOTEL Roller #16 Festivus ft. Figurehead Moth Belgrade Sorry About Your Vinyl SETTLERS TAVERN Manalion SWAN LOUNGE Orquestra Yambeque THOMAS HOGG OVAL All Star Showstoppers INXS Tribute Perth UNIVERSAL BAR Live Forever THE VELVET LOUNGE Bowzer Destroyer of Worlds LC McKenzie Mike Slade VILLA Ministry of Sound: The Annual 2016 ft. Ember Terace SUNDAY 6/12 AMPLIFIER Lagwagon The Flatliners THE AVIARY Sam Spencer Genga CLANCY’S CITY BEACH Limelights Jazz CLANCY’S FREMANTLE Old Blood
ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Oz Big Band FRAYED Castaway After Party MOJO’S BAR Stu Orchard Band Meraki Los Porcheros Mossy Fogg Terror Adaptors THE MOON CAFÉ Great Gable & guests NORTH FREMANTLE BOWLING CLUB Social Farm Summer Sundowner ft. Stratosfunk OCEAN REEF SEA SPORTS CLUB Cargo Beat PORT BEACH Sets on the Beach ft. Bag Raiders CLN Friend Within Just a Gent Matoma Nicky Night Time POOLCLVB Torrenfoot Wolf & Lamb 459 ROSEMOUNT HOTEL Peeler’s Paradise ROSEMOUNT HOTEL (BEER GARDEN) One Day Sundays ROTTNEST ISLAND Castaway ft. Sticky Fingers George Maple Ganz Bootleg Rascal SETTLERS TAVERN Sunday Session ft. Manalion TRAVELLERS INN HOTEL MOTEL Great Aussie Bite Duo URBAN ORCHARD Live at the Orchard ft. special guests YMCA HQ Psychedelic Porn Crumpets Said The People Tunnel Vision MOTH Harrow Lodge MONDAY 7/12 ASTOR THEATRE Sticky Fingers CLANCY’S CANNING BRIDGE Quiz Night CLANCY’S FREMANTLE Shanty Club ft. The Lost Quays ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB The Fix with Sean Little MOJO’S BAR Wide Open Mic PERTH ARENA An Evening with Oprah ROSEMOUNT HOTEL Comedy Trivia THE VELVET LOUNGE Infinite Jest TUESDAY 8/12 ASTOR THEATRE Tim & Eric CLANCY’S CITY BEACH Summer Songwriter Sessions CLANCY’S FREMANTLE Quiz Night ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB James Sandon MOJO’S BAR Bryan Dalton Galloping Foxleys Simon Phillips PERTH BLUES CLUB Red Stone Sinners Third Time ‘Round Andrew Farrell PERTH CONCERT HALL Chris Cornell
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