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PLAGUE OF LOCUST
SIMPLY FABBELOUS
San Diego hardcore act, The Locust is bringing their unique mix of grindcore speed and aggression, mathcore complexity, and new wave weirdness to Perth for a show at Amplifier on Monday, February 10. Their latest release, Molecular Genetics From The Gold Standard Labs features 44 tracks of hard-to-find and out-of-print material from their early years. Get your tickets from locustpresale.bigcartel.com & Oztix.
Set to hit the road around the country on her final tour for 2013, Perth grrrl Abbe May has unleashed her new video for the single, Perth Girls. With a nod and a wink to Robert Palmer, it appears that our Abbe is having more fun than ever. She hits The Bakery (with Mathas Kücka and DJ Rex Monsoon in support) on Friday, December 13. Tickets via www. oztix.com.au and www.nowbaking.com.au.
GET VOTING IN THE PDMA’S
Voting is now open in the 15th Annual Perth Dance Music Awards presented by X-Press and RTRFM. It’s your opportunity to have a say and acknowledge Perth’s best DJs, promoters, venues and flyer ar twork. Just head to perthdancemusicawards.org and click ‘vote’ by Wednesday, November 13. Given we sadly lost two of Perth’s most instrumental contributors to the early dance music scene in Jeremy Junk and John ‘Gully’ Rodgers this year, the PDMA committee felt it only fitting to honour their memory by inducting them into the 2013 Hall Of Fame.
Dustin Tebbutt
ROOFTOPPERMOST OF THE POPPERMOST
West Australian folk-blues chanteuse, Grace Woodroofe and NSW indie folk artist, Dustin Tebbutt are heading up the next big Live @ The Aviary Rooftop Session. Tebbutt relocated to Sweden for two years to live, work, write and record and on his return to Australia, he’s just released the result - a four-track EP called The Breach. This free Sunday sesh is happening on November 24 from 4pm with local guests Lyndon Blue and resident DJ, Troy Division.
Abbe May
SWEETDOG SOIREE
If you’re already thinking about New Years Eve then consider a Sweetdog Soiree being held by indie label, Bruno Sweetdog Records at Mojos on Tuesday, December 31. Already added to the billing is locals, Foam, Flower Drums, Mt Mountain, Red Engine Caves, Moana, Childsaint, SpaceManAntics, Hideous Sun Demon and Whails and there’s more to be announced soon. Tickets will be on sale at the door from 7pm.
VENUE CHANGE FOR JILL SCOTT
The Locust
TWO SONS OF N’AWLINS
Aaron Neville of the Neville Brothers and “voodoo music masters” Dr John & The Nite Trippers who are heading to Australia for the East Coast festival, Bluesfest 25, will now be popping across to Perth for a side show on Saturday, April 26, at the Riverside Theatre. Coming together to celebrate the musical diversity of New Orleans blues, Dr John will dish up some voodoo-funk and Creole blues, which will be followed by the sweet, soul of Neville. Tickets on sale now via Ticketek.
Avicii Photo: Alex Wessely
The An Evening With Jill Scott tour is just a few weeks away, but due to scheduling conflicts, the Perth show has now been moved to a new date and venue. The show is now happening at the Astor Theatre on Wednesday, November 27. All purchased tickets for the previous date are valid for the new venue, but get your tickets quick via showticketing.com.au, as there’s not many left now.
SWEDISH GIANT
MARIO TAVELLI RIP
The WA music and dance community was saddened to hear the news late last week of the passing of Mario Tavelli after a long illness. As well as playing all the major early ‘90s raves, Mario DJ’d at such venues as Palladium, Hannibals, Arcadia, Freezer, Infirmary, F. Scotts, Cagneys, James Street, Network, Connections, Aqua, Berlin, Hippodrome, The Firm, Elevation, Globe, Dual Control (DCs), Racquet Club, Club Bayview, The Claremont Hotel, The Lone Star, Aberdeen, Exit, Delirium, Geisha, Luxe, Bar Open, Double Lucky and many more. and He was also an accomplished photographer, working throughout Australia and Europe. Mario’s funeral is this Friday, November 1, from 2pm at St Peters Church, Bedford. Condolences to his family and many friends.
Dr John & Aaron Neville
Swedish DJ Avicii is bringing his epic arena True Tour to Australia in January. The 23-year-old is one of the biggest DJs in the world. He’s just released a new single, Hey Brother off his hugely popular debut album, True, which reached #2 on the ARIA Album Charts, #5 on the US Billboard 200, and #2 in the UK and last week in Sweden, he sold 30,000 tickets in just three minutes! This all-ages show is happening on Monday, January 27, at Perth Arena. Pre-sale tickets via Frontier and Future Music go on sale at 12 noon on Wednesday, October 30, for 24 hours. General public tickets are on sale at 12 noon on Friday, November 8, via Ticketek.
Moana
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Win Flesh Music: Wendy Were/Grace Barbe Music: Adalita/WAM Conference Music: Golden WAMi Noms Music: Baby Animals New Noise Eye4 Cover: Josh Pyke Eye4: Andy Brown Eye4: The Butler/Fly Me To The Moon Arts: Rooftop Movies/Graduates 2013 Arts Listings Salt: News/WAM Awards/Behind The Decks Salt: Lemaitre/Andre Crom Salt: Club Manual Salt Rewind: Booka Shade + Digitalism Scene Live Local Scene Tour Trails Gig Guide Volume
Cover: Adalita - a keynote speaker at the WAM Conference on Thursday-Friday, November 7-8. Salt Cover: Didier Cohen plays Pridefest Celebration on Saturday, November 2. www.xpressmag.com.au
Mario Tavelli Photo: Brandon Silva
FACE-OFF
Roller Derby is one of the fastest growing women’s sports in the world and on Saturday, November 2, at Kingsway Indoor Stadium in Madeley, Bunbury Vs Ward is taking place - the last bout of 2013 for the Waywards, WARD’s B-team, who trained hard alongside the A-team (Wards Of The Skate) over the last six months. They recently faced-off against Bunbury in a WA tournament and emerged victorious, so they’re eager to retain their victory! Doors open at 7.15pm and tickets are on sale from trybooking.com/65283.
BE PROJECT
The Be Project is a new competition asking young Aussies to produce an inspirational song or action sports film - and be part of a collective voice challenging Australia’s binge drinking culture. Hip hop artist, Pez is working with The Be Project to encourage young Aussies to get involved. Footage from the 10 winners of the amateur filmmaker’s category will have their clips mashed together and played over the soundtrack of the winning song to produce a music video, plus there are prizes to be won! For more info head to: tacklingbingedrinking.gov.au/thebeproject. Entries close on Friday, December 20. 7
Enter online at www.xpressmag.com.au. Snail mail entries can be sent to Locked Bag 31, West Perth 6872. Entries close 4pm Monday. By entering you agree to X-Press Magazine’s Terms and Conditions, which can be found online. All competition entries will automatically enable you to become an X-Press subscriber! No details will be given to a third party.
Print and Digital Editions Publisher/Manager Joe Cipriani Editorial
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Managing Editor Bob Gordon: editor@xpressmag.com.au Dance Music & Features Editor Rachel Davison: danceeditor@xpressmag.com.au Local Music & Arts Editor Travis Johnson: localmusicarts@xpressmag.com.au Gig & Event Guides Co-ordinator guide@xpressmag.com.au Entertainment Services Co-ordinator / Competitions win@xpressmag.com.au Photography Callum Ponton, Stefan Caramia, Daniel Grant, Sammy Granville, Matt Jelonek, Denis Radacic, Emma Mackenzie, Guang-Hui Chuan, Max Fairclough Contributing Writers Henry Andersen, Ashleigh Whyte, Nina Bertok, Shaun Cowe, Derek Cromb,Chris Gibbs,Alfred Gorman,George Green,Alex Griffin,Chris Havercroft, Joshua Hayes, Brendan Holben, Coral Huckstep, Rezo Kezerashvili,Tara Lloyd, Adam Morris, Andrew Nelson, Chloe Papas, Ben Watson,Jessica Willoughby,Miki Mclay,Morgan Richards,James Manning, Joe Cassidy, Shane Pinnegar For band gigs and launches - plugyourgig@xpressmag.com.au
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EVENING ON THE GREEN
A bunch of Australia’s most loved, classic bands including Hoodoo Gurus, You Am I, The Whitlams, Dave Graney & The mistLY are set to join forces for a sensational night of music under the stars in Kings Park for An Evening On The Green on Saturday, November 16 with support from Rainy Day Women. Get your tickets for these five great bands from Ticketmaster, or if you’re lucky we’ve got some double passes up for grabs. Enter by emailing: win@xpressmag.com.au.
After a winter hiatus, Rooftop Movies, the pop-up venue on top of the Roe Street car park, Northbridge is set to reopen this week on Halloween - Thursday, October 31 with a screening of 2008’s cult Swedish romantic horror film, Let The Right One In. The season runs until April 2014 and you can expect something for everyone including old school gems, blockbusters and cult and art house movies. Rooftop Movies will be open nightly from 6pm (excluding Mondays) and to see the full program and pre-purchase tickets, head to rooftopmovies.com.au, or enter now to win yourself a double pass.
Rooftop Movies. Photo by John Leonard
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You Am I
WA BEER WEEK: GOLDEN TICKET
Like beer? Love craft beer? Then we’ve got the prize for you. The WA Brewers Association, WA Beer Week and X-Press are giving you the chance to win a Golden Ticket for WA Beer Week. Encompassing over 40 events across nine days, you’ll have access to 15 ticketed events including the Fremantle Beer Fest, Double Night Of The Barrels at Sail & Anchor, Beer Fact Hunt at Clancy’s Fremantle and the title fight between Josie Bones and Five Bar. As well as winning a limited edition beer lover’s pack. Check out the full list of events at wabeerweek.com.au and email us at win@xpressmag. com.au, letting us know why you deserve to win!
MEET SNEAKY SOUND SYSTEM!
Now in its 24th year, PRIDEFEST kicks off with their much loved parade through the streets of Northbridge this Saturday, November 2 at 12pm the first time the parade has been held during the day. Following this is a massive party at 1.30pm called Pride Celebration - a ticketed all day music and arts festival in Russell Square starring Sneaky Sound System, Didier Cohen, Sun City and Sarah McLeod to name just a few. To win tickets for you and three mates to the Pride Celebration and for two of you to get up close and personal with Sneaky Sound System, email: win@xpressmag.com. au telling us what Pridefest means to you.
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SPRINGSTEEN & I
We’re all aware that The Boss will be in Perth early next year, but if you can’t wait that long, Shock Entertainment has provided us with three copies of the Springsteen & I documentary to be released on DVD and Blu Ray on November 1. The film’s already enjoyed a successful theatrical release with Springsteen fans helping to create the film, which reflects on their personal experiences amidst performance footage and insight into the great man. As director Judd Apatow says, “There is nobody like Springsteen.” Enter now to win yourself a copy.
SUB FOCUS: TORUS
THE BUTLER
Kicking off in cinemas this week is the film, The Butler, which is based on a true story about Cecil Distribution 9213 2853 Gaines (Forest Whitaker) who served as the chief butler for eight US presidents including Dwight Distribution distribution@xpressmag.com.au D Eisenhower, John F Kennedy, Richard Nixon CAB AUDITED CIRCULATION: and Ronald Reagan, where he witnessed radical 34,000 OCTOBER 2012 – MARCH 2013 transformations in American history through the civil rights movement to the Vietnam and Cold War. The Deadlines film stars Oprah Winfrey, Jane Fonda, John Cusack EDITORIAL and Robin Williams. To win one of ten season passes, General: Friday 5pm,, Eye4 Arts: Thursday 10am, Comp’ email: win@xpressmag.com.au. Lillian Buckley
ROOFTOP MOVIES
Sneaky Sound System
REAWAKENING X11
ReAwakening X11 presented by Expl osive Pro Wrestling is happening on Saturday, November 2 at the Cryil Jackson Recreation Centre, Bassendean. It’s one of the biggest events on the Explosive Pro Wrestling calendar, which features the best pro wrestlers from Perth and around Australia including an EPW Championship match between the current champion - ‘The Behemoth’ Sebastian Sander and challenger ‘The Smashing Machine’ Chris Vice. Get your tickets (including family passes) from epwperth. com, or enter now for the chance to win one of two double passes.
Sub Focus has recently dropped his second studio album, Torus full of wobbly basslines and drum’n’bass beats and some special guest vocalists including Foxes, Alpines and Kele. For a bit of trivia about the album’s name, Torus is the geometric name for the shape of Sub Focus’ logo, which has played a big part in his live shows, promo and artwork. There’s a Behind The Scenes YouTube doco floating around too, which gives you insight into the inspiration and vision behind his live shows. Anyway... to win of five copies of the album, email: win@xpressmag.com.au and you might get lucky.
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Sheppard
SHEPPARD
Universally Yours After a full on year, Sheppard hit WA this week, performing on Friday, November 1, at The Leisure Inn; Saturday, November 2, at Amplifier, and Sunday, November 3, at Mojo’s. ALEX GRIFFIN reports. “It’s music, man! It’s like a universal language!” It might be a whale-sized cliché – like, as whale-sized as ‘whale-sized’ - but coming from someone as wildly enthusiastic as George Sheppard, it’s impossible not to let slide. Considering how far the technicolour pop of Sheppard has travelled over the last year, his optimism is pretty well-earned. Starting off as selfconfessed “nobodies” from Queensland, 2013 has seen the band travel all over the globe making their name, and Sheppard’s description of his week is a patter of place names most 20-somethings would only encounter back-to-back in an atlas. “We’re in London right now, but we left New York a week ago where we played CMJ. Next is Amsterdam!” If it all sounds a bit intense, Sheppard don’t know about it, happy just to ride the wave that the day-glo Fleetwood Mac of Let Me Down Easy set them rolling on wherever it goes. “When we got picked up by radio it was pretty surreal,” he explains. “It was like, ‘Oh my god we’re platinum!’ all of a sudden. We were nobodies. I don’t think it’s been going to fast for us, though; it’s just like someone put the speed up on the treadmill, and we just have to keep on running to keep up.” With roots in Papua New Guinea, the band hasn’t been averse to going off the beaten track on that treadmill, something they find mutually rewarding.
“With music you get to transcend barriers; no matter where you’re from or what language or culture you have, you get to express yourself, and no one needs to understand the lyrics to get the emotion. India, Thailand and South Africa were places where a lot of people don’t speak English, but the music comes across anyway. Universal language! You know what I’m talking about!” (This love of music I’m stressing here extends to George advising me on the playlist for my housewarming; he suggests the ultimate party song is Float On by Modest Mouse, and that the opposite of an ultimate party song is Rip it Up by 28 Days. All very sage advice indeed.) Sheppard have a pretty unconventional lineup, half comprised of siblings from the Sheppard clan (vocalists George and Amy, and bassist Emma) alongside guitarists Jason Bovino and Michael Butler and drummer, Dean Gordon. While many might find the idea of travelling around the world and singing for their supper with their sisters daunting, Sheppard haven’t found it too much trouble yet. Mostly. “For the most part, it’s really nice. We get back from tour and we’re like, ‘what an amazing adventure!’ It’s like a family holiday everywhere. Though, since we are organising everything from our end when we go on tour, it’s very easy for something to turn into a bust up; but everything is usually over within 10 minutes.” All of that stress has a goal, though, and that’s building the groundwork for the band’s debut album, which Sheppard reckons isn’t too far away from being a reality. “We’ve done all the recording, and are now just looking at a release date towards February. We’ve got 30 songs, so we have to cull that down. It’s exciting, because we’ve been plugging this EP since last August now, and as much as we like those five songs, we can’t wait to release something new.” Ultimately, touring and recording aside, just to make a living out of making music is “the real dream.” “We want to do this for the rest of our lives. That’s when we’re happy; it’s one of the best jobs anyone can have. You come out on stage, you express yourself, and thousands of people share one experience together. It’s music, man!” Universal language! I feel you, man.
Tom Fisher And The Layabouts
TOM FISHER AND THE LAYABOUTS The Other Half
Alt-country exponents Tom Fisher And The Layabouts launch their new EP, Half A Man, at the Railway Hotel this Sunday, November 3, with support from Billie Rogers and Huge Magnet. TRAVIS JOHNSON caught up with the eponymous frontman. Tom Fisher got the music bug at a very early age, picking up the habit from his father. “I started as a nine year-old singing with my dad’s band doing rockabilly songs in a very high pitched voice,” he explains. “My dad is a successful muso (bluegrass musician, Jim Fisher) so I guess I just watched and followed suit.” His current project, The Layabouts, started as a down and dirty pub rock act in the middle of the century’s first decade, although rehearsing and gigging together had to be fitted in between other commitments. “We had a long spell while I was touring
with a Melbourne-based act for a few years and when I came back we morphed in to a bit of an alt-country, blues rock sound. We love gigging as we have all been ‘professional musicians’ at stages but this is a great fun project we all enjoy.” Now they’re on the verge of putting out Half A Man, a seven-track EP recorded with Rob Grant at Poons Head Studio which was then mixed by Andy Lawson at debaser before Magic Garden’s Brian Lucey did the final master in the US. Fisher describes the writing process in typically self-effacing style. “I generally get the guts of it happening and take it to the lads to arrange and make it sound cool.” He does, however, admit to being proud of one tune in particular. “My personal fave is the first track, Turning 30. I wrote it the night before my 30th birthday so I could play that instead of doing a speech. It also features Lucky Oceans on pedal steel, which I love.” After pushing the new disc around the local traps, Fisher plans for himself and his bandmates to try their luck further afield. “A trip to Melbourne is on the cards early next year to play some cool shows and festivals - then we’ll think about doing the whole recording thing again.”
VALE LOU REED
Lou Reed
The great Lou Reed passed away on the weekend, following a recent liver transplant at age 71. A terroriser of interviewers, Reed’s work, from the Velvet Underground through to his many solo albums, speaks for itself, in much the same manner as his plaintive, no-fuss, talky singing voice, cutting through all else as a remarkable presence. His final released work, 2011’s muchloathed Lulu collaboration with Metallica, might not have seemed the way to go out for some, but in retrospect he left this life doing as he always had - exactly what he wanted. He will be greatly missed.
Fleetwood Mac
FLEETWOOD MAC CANCEL AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND DATES
Legendary rockers Fleetwood Mac have cancelled their Australasian Tour due to founding member John McVie’s ongoing battle with cancer. Originally scheduled to play 14 dates in Australia and New Zealand, including two shows at Perth Arena on Friday, November 22, and Saturday, November 23, the band decided not to continue with their tour shortly after completing the European leg. Refunds are available from original ticket vendors and points of sale.
Useless ID, Blood Rock Fest
NEW BLOOD FOR BLOOD ROCK FEST
Founded by infamous local rockers, Chainsaw Hookers, in 2009, Blood Rock Fest is a manic night of hard and heavy tunes that celebrates the darkest and dirtiest sounds that Perth has to offer. The sixth iteration of the DIY mini-festival hits The Rosemount Hotel on Saturday, November 9, when more than 15 bands will rip it up on two stages. Local talent Chainsaw Hookers (naturally), Bayou, Legs Electric, Medicine, The De Niros, Troll, The Kuillotines, Order Of The Black Werewolf, Amidst The Broken, The decline, Monuments and Silver Foxes will be joined by interstate acts The Hard Aches, Clowns, Declaration and Firearms, as well as Israeli punk rock veterans, Useless ID. That’s an impressive line up in anyone’s language. Tickets are $20 from Oztix, Heatseeker, 78s Records and Mills Records www.xpressmag.com.au
Sebadoh Photo: Bryan Zimmerman
SEBADOH MARCH DOWN UNDER
Essential ‘90s lo-fi outfit, Sebadoh, will be heading for Australia in March 2014. Lou Barlow and company play Melbourne’s Corner Hotel on Friday, March 21; Sydney’s Annandale Hotel on Saturday, March 22; Brisbane’s Zoo on Sunday, March 23 and Perth’s Rosemount Hotel on Tuesday, March 25. Tickets are on sale now through handsometours.com. Flannel optional. 11
WENDY WERE, WAM CEO The Brand And The Bands
“It hasn’t helped that historically we’ve been rubbish at communicating what we do. That’s a trap into which service organisations like WAM often fall - being too focussed on the people we’re working for and forgetting that we need to bang our own drum a bit. But I think now that we are providing greater insight into all the things we do, it’s all starting to change. Inclusivity and diversity are two of our core values and I think there’s a growing recognition that the value WAM offers isn’t just for indie musicians.”
house that had multiple extensions over the decades and you could get lost in the rabbit warren. So through talking with industry, we identified the key areas on which we need to focus - audience development, industry development, recognition and advocacy and are in the process of aligning all our programs to achieving those goals. There seems to be a lot of fresh energy in the WAM team. How has this helped with rebranding and the reassessment of goals? We’ve made some great hires - really good people with exceptional knowledge of the industry. All the WAMsters are so passionate about what they do, and they’re connected and actively participating in the scene and they are respected and genuinely liked. We also have a ridiculously broad knowledge base across genres. We also implemented the Music Council, so we have a direct feed to folks from all aspects of WA music who can help us make sure we’re on the right track.
What do you think will be the highlights of the forthcoming WAM Festival? I’m excited about the new awards format - I think this is a great way of taking this important recognition a little more seriously and inviting the insight into all the things we do, it’s all starting to greater community, not just the industry, to celebrate change. Inclusivity and diversity are two of our core WA music talent. Saturday Spectacular is a monster values and I think there’s a growing recognition that this year and the addition of the outdoor stages in the cultural centre is going to be tops. the value WAM offers isn’t just for indie musicians. Is this where the rebranding came in? Yes - the rebrand is more than just a new Wendy Were logo. WAM has been around for 28 years, and it was time to go back to the very essence of why WAM Dr Wendy Were has taken WAM into a new era, but will soon depart the exists and think about what change was needed to us to where we want to be. As part of this process organisation in pursuit of new opportunities. BOB GORDON chats with Were get WAM’s mission has been revised from developing in the lead-up to the WAM Festival taking place from Thursday-Saturday, the industry to championing West Australian music. We’re now know as West Australian Music. This reflects November 7-9. Head to wam.asn.au for full details. our outward-looking perspective, recognising WAM’s growth from a local industry organisation into a major So. You’re leaving. What’s up with that, Doc? membership value, and business development was national player. We also have a new approach to our programs and our activities; new and relevant value I wasn’t looking to leave WAM but a critical to turn that around. for members; and fresh initiatives that engage with the little while ago I was approached by the Australia Council to join their leadership team. It’s a major Some of the criticism of WAM over the years has rapidly evolving music landscape. opportunity, they were very persuasive and so the derived from weaknesses in certain areas. That’s story goes. And they agreed that I could stay at WAM natural in any organisation, however a lot of that What were targeted as areas in which WAM needed until January, so I could finish the change process I has come from the perception of weakness. WAM to improve? The external communications were a big started almost two years ago, so I can leave feeling has been criticised for being too niche (too indie!) as like my work here is done. well as being too broad (what exactly do they do?) in area for improvement. That started by bringing in fresh blood into the team and establishing a weekly its outlook. Has this been hard to tackle? e-news that tells people what WAM is doing while also In some ways it seems your time at WAM was A lot of people think WAM is only the WAM giving them valuable information about happenings, cut short but in another way you’ve evolved Festival and don’t realise that we operate a suite of opportunities and industry news. On the marketing WAM significantly and introduced a whole new programs year-round, including Song Of The Year, the side, the new visual branding much better reflects who level to step up upon. How important was that regional program, the work we do in schools and the we are as organisation. We’re also moments away from development to you from the outset? industry development work. Most of WAM’s programs launching an awesome new website which provides I was attracted to this job in the first place and offerings provide value to all contemporary that important point of digital engagement. because I saw major unrealised potential. WA music musicians, but the Festival has a strong indie bent and We considered who we wanted as members has a formidable reputation and WAM’s brand holds that’s what WAM is known for, hence the perception. and what they wanted, and developed a brand new greater currency nationally and internationally than It hasn’t helped that historically we’ve been membership offering. We wanted to take people from it does here in WA. Our dated identity and failure to rubbish at communicating what we do. That’s a trap ‘why would I join?’ to ‘I can’t afford not to be member’. We clearly communicate the rationale and breadth of into which service organisations like WAM often fall now have more members than we ever had, so that’s our programs was impacting on the local perception - being too focussed on the people we’re working for obviously working. of WAM’s relevance and effectiveness. So major and forgetting that we need to bang our own drum Some of the program and activities had foundational work around external communications, a bit. But I think now that we are providing greater been the same for a long time. WAM was a little like a
GRACE BARBÉ
Parable Lines Nominated yet again for a WAM Award in the ‘World Music Act Of The Year’ category, Grace Barbé launches her second album, Welele!, at the Fly by Night this Saturday, November 2. BOB GORDON reports. There’s barely a week when Grace Barbé isn’t playing several gigs. It has been five years though, since her last album, Kreol Daughter, and there were certain sounds the multi-award winner was keen to bring to the fore on her new LP, Welele! “More of the Seychelles and Indian Ocean rhythms and influences,” she notes.“With a live band feel and sound reflecting our years of touring and performing following the Kreol Daughter album. The concept is something that could have been produced in Seychelles during the ‘70s.” Welele! explores a variety of styles and influences, including Afrobeat, rock, Congolese soukouss, disco, Latin, classic Seychellois sega and moutya rhythms, seggae, funk, soul and reggae. This stuff don’t write itself, it comes together... “Gradually,” Barbé affirms. “Some of the songs myself and (musical partner) Jamie Searle have been writing are over five years-old while others are quite new. Because we wanted to work on a concept album, we had to be selective of which songs would make it on the album and only 10 would. We also 12
wanted to stay true to the aesthetics of the music.” Given the amount of time that has passed since Barbé has written songs for a new album, it’s understandable that her writing process has matured over this period. “I’m older and my mind is a lot more opened to write about more diverse topics,” she says. “We are approaching some serious issues such as the impact of global warming and ocean acidification in the Indian Ocean region. The islands are being hit hard and it is top of the agenda in the Seychelles. “Also, one topic which we are very much passionate about and standing behind is the very sad history of Diego Garcia, a group of Indian Ocean islands and part of the British Indian Ocean Territory. Between 1968 and 1973, the population of Diego Garcia was expelled by the British government to Mauritius and Seychelles to allow the United States to establish a military base on the island. Today, the exiled islanders are still trying to return. The forced expulsion and dispossession was illegal and inhumane. It’s time to let the world know about Diego Garcia and be the voice for these people.” In a similar-yet-different vein a traditional Seychellois song, Mous Pran Fler, is also featured on the new album. It’s a song that resonates for Barbé on several levels. “Mous Pran Fler is a love song and a dance song,” she explains. “It is sung in ‘paraboles’ so the song has a double meaning. A lot of the old Seychelles songs are like that. Sometimes it’s hard to analyse what the singer is really saying. “I find old Kreol lyrics fascinating. You don’t really hear that style in Seychelles music nowadays. I chose that song because I grew up listening, singing and dancing to it.” Elsewhere, Tou Lannwit is a rearrangement of Lionel Richie’s All Night Long. If you think that sounds surprising you’re not alone. “We wanted to do something that showcased the type of rhythms we’re using like seggae, sega and soukouss in a context that people were familiar with,” Barbé explains.“It could have been almost any song but for some reason it ended up being this one!”
How important is the conference element? That’s my third highlight. The Music Conference is a major event this year - we’re now having high level industry reps asking if they can join the speakers list. It’s so damn affordable that anyone who wants a career in music would be a numpty to miss it. In the big picture vision, industry development is one of the key things WAM does. We know geographical isolation is one of the challenges for the local music industry and the conference plays a vital role in enabling access to the major players to learn from them, network with them and make lasting connections. What advice would you give to the incoming WAM CEO? I think it’s so important that WAM continues to engage in a meaningful way with our stakeholders. The musicians are at the heart of what we do, and also the industry and the music consumers. If we don’t have those people on board with where WAM is going, then we’ve failed. WAM isn’t a closed shop - it’s a cornerstone. What were your expectations of this role... and what will be your memories? I knew there was lots to do, but I like being busy. It’s been an enormous privilege to guide WAM through this evolution. I have some wonderful memories - from live moments on stage and the team itself. Professionally, I take deep satisfaction from seeing a big spike in engagement with WAM in the last year or so, and seeing some bands move through WAM programs and start smashing it. That makes me happy. And it’s pretty awesome that my memories have a WA music soundtrack.
Grace Barbé Barbé and her band, Afro-Kreol, play many a headline show in pubs and clubs, as well as major festival appearances. Importantly, however, they also still perform at community-based events. It’s an important link for Barbé to maintain. “Community events are where I started before pursuing a music career,” she says.“I have been very much active with the Seychelles community in Perth over the years and still am when the time allows. “For me it is very important to reconnect as it gives me a sense of pride of my culture and a reminder of where I come from. I still play community
events, whether for Seychelles or other communities where I can. I started singing Mous Pran Fler in my community with the Seychelles community band years ago!” With the release of a second album it now, in a sense, all begins again. It seems Barbé can hardly wait. “I want to continue touring and take the Afro-Kreol sound internationally,” she enthuses.“I am hoping that with Welele! we will be able to take our sound to the next level and be one of the leading acts in world music internationally.” #youshouldreadxpress
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Adalita
ADALITA
WAM Like You With her second album, All Day Venus, out now, Adalita will be a keynote speaker at the WAM Conference, happening Thursday-Friday, November 7-8. BOB GORDON speaks with Adalita and her fellow keynoters, Catherine Haridy and Michael Chugg.
Adalita’s self-titled solo debut appeared in 2011 and while the singer/songwriter had already made her presence felt fronting Geelong rockers Magic Dirt the impacting yet sparse album, flavoured by the passing of bandmate, Dean Turner, revealed a new side to the artist. Her recently released second LP, All Day Venus, picks up from where the debut left off. And while it’s two years since the last release, creative work began not longer after it was newly pressed. “It felt very natural to keep writing,” Adalita says. “There wasn’t really that much of a gap between the last one finishing and starting the new songs. It felt like a continuation of the songwriting process. I was really in my own bubble writing rather than thinking about anything else. “Then, when I emerged from the songwriting, I was in a whole new feeling and a whole new time
WAM CONFERENCE KEYNOTE SPEAKERS CATHERINE HARIDY
I absolutely do think it contributes to a healthy music scene and a better skilled army of creative talent. Whether it be in order to improve an artist’s performance or writing craft, a young manager’s advancement through networking with new connections or learning a new skill and having One Movement was sadly cancelled after two a better understanding of the nature of the way the years, so the WAM Conference is at this point WA’s only major industry gathering of this type. broader music community interacts and works. We How important for the WA music industry is it to can all gather to discuss what the broader industry is looking for in their talent both on stage and have such events? I think it’s really important to have an behind the scenes, the movements and trends that event that celebrates the best contemporary music currently exist and what’s on the brink of happening in the West. It gives both native West Australians in terms of the ever changing world of marketing, the chance to get out there and support their promoting and digitally connecting with supporters. thriving music scene but also allows the scene itself to get together and network, listen to new What sort of things do you plan to touch upon in and exciting developments in the industry locally your appearance? That’s a good question. The relationship and nationally while having some of the most interesting and influential industry pundits from the that exists between a manager and their artist is east coast around to share their secrets and stories. sacred. It’s closer and more intense in dynamic than most marriages in many ways. This is the first time Do you feel that the sharing of experience and that I have seen a manager and their artist together knowledge at such conferences helps to improve on stage talking openly and honestly about the way their relationship works and functions on a daily the industry in general?
where I was pretty much on my own trying to get the band together, trying to pick the songs for the record, trying to find the studio and the producer. So there was all this kind of practical side of the record that I had to conduct and organise, which was really tough for me because I’d never had to do it before. “I was just taking chances with people I was hiring and people I was auditioning; I was fumbling around, really, in the dark, but I think I sort of knew what I was doing. And when I got to the end of it I feel I pretty much made all the right decisions. The album is what it is and I think I did my best. I’m really happy with the results.” All Day Venus retains the intimate sounding approach of the debut, what Adalita refers to as a “minimalist aesthetic.” The music sounds like it’s in the room with you, rather than merely coming out of a speaker that’s in a room with you. The space is often like another character in a song. “It is more of an invitation rather than something that you’re supposed to listen to,” Adalita notes. “It’s a world that I hope the listener goes into; it’s creating that magic and you have to find your own recipe for that as an artist. I just kind of go on the fly and just listen to my inner voice and gut and at least don’t think about anything too much. I just write... and write things that make me feel good and happy or right at the time. Whatever it is I’m trying to say. “So I wanted to retain the spaciousness and the mood. That dark aspect; I’ve always written dark material and that definitely comes through on this album. It’s just like the first record but souped up with a band and keeping it lean. Space. I like a lot of space, because when something does actually come in - a new guitar or vocal part - it’s really heavy and you notice the change because it has been flat-lining for a while. But it’s for a reason, you can really get the impact of whatever the element is that comes in. I like to hypnotise with songs. I like them to be hypnotic. It’s like a spell.” Adalita states that she always writes specifically for albums (“I don’t write outside of that space. I wonder if I should...”). From this LP, Too Far Gone was written a few years ago but most were more recent, leading Adalita into know what she was on to and what she was in for. “Yeah I’ll pretty much know the songs that’ll make it and the ones that are important, or the lynchpins of the record,” she says. “I was writing for a while before I hit songs like Trust Is Rust, Warm Like You and Homesick, which came in a bunch and that was the first time I felt really good about the songs and that they were strong. “Trust Is Rust was probably the one where I thought, ‘this is the single’, and everyone really responded to it. It was an immediate sigh of relief, I guess, all ‘round from myself, the label and my
Catherine Haridy
Bob Gordon will moderate the Opening Keynote In Conversation with Adalita & Catherine Haridy, at the State Library Of Western Australia Theatre on Thursday, November 7, from 10-11am.
basis. So it’ll be an insight into that co-dependency really. I’m looking forward to exploring it with Ad. You’ve always had a bit of an affinity with Perth and its music scene... My first visit which was for the WAMIs in 1999 back when the epicentre of activity surrounded the Hyde Park Hotel and the Grosvenor! I was a young A&R representative at Festival Mushroom Records and found a family of talented people I could relate to musically and personally who were creating music because there was an undeniable drive to create. From the very first moment it was obvious how friendly, open, relaxed and above all talented musicians from WA are - unusually talented, there really must be something in the water. The attitude that regardless of distance or expense people are creating unique music and taking it both nationally and internationally. Over three-quarters of my roster has always seemed to include natives of WA. I found a second home here. What’s your favourite thing to do in Perth? I love popping into 78’s and Dada Records - I collect vinyl and always find the most incredible pieces in Perth!
MICHAEL CHUGG One Movement was sadly cancelled after two years, so the WAM Conference is at this point WA’s only major industry gathering of this type. How important for WA music industry is it to have such events? It is ver y impor tant to have these conferences and I’m pleased to participate. The Big Sound conference in Brisbane is becoming a very powerful meeting place for international business, the results already overseas from a conference only six weeks are astounding. I’m sure the WAM Conference can become what David (Chitty), his team from Sunset Events, Sat Bisla (A&R Worldwide’s President & Founder) and I envisioned One Movement could be. Do you feel that the sharing of experience and knowledge at such conferences helps to improve the industry in general? 100 per cent. It gives young people learning the industry a super short cut in learning about the latest innovations worldwide and confidence to move forward.
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various close friends. It was quite an undeniable, instant moment. That one led the way, I guess.” Adalita’s new music can get heavy but in a different way to Magic Dirt. She’s been playing solo gigs of late as well as band shows with minimal backing of second guitar, bass and drums. It’s an approach that is evolving her own guitar playing. “Well I’m a rhythm guitarist,” she says. “I really enjoy being a rhythm guitarist and I think that’s probably my forte so I guess the songs, thinking about them now, they very much have that one line going through them, or are very rhythmic. I don’t do a lot of lead breaks or stuff like that. I’ve noticed a lot of my songs are like that; they’re on a loop, which I enjoy. “I really love working with rhythm. With extra guitar parts I love melodic things and I think I want to explore that a bit more, but I’m not really fanatical about putting on too many decorative layers.” Vocally, Adalita continues to evolve as well. When Magic Dirt released the single, Dirty Jeans, in 2000, it hallmarked - at the time - a more melodic vocal from Adalita, in the vein of Deborah Harry. Emerging as a solo artist has also taken her singing voice to new places. “It’s definitely changed,” she notes. “I’ve tried, consciously, to sing a bit softer. I’m really trying to open out my throat centre. I’m really trying to free it up because singing solo, when your voice is so exposed, I tend to retreat into my throat a bit and hold back. I don’t want to do that; I want to let it run free and be as open and resonating as possible. It’s a confidence thing; it’s not that I can’t do it, I know I can do it. It’s not being afraid to, because it’s a very vulnerable thing, singing. It’s very personal. Your voice, when you have to be that open with it and somewhat use your emotions, which I think it’s connected to... you have to really be free and let it really come out. “So I’m definitely using my voice a bit differently. There’s definitely a lot of courage needed in the solo thing. You can’t really fake it, playing solo, and you’d find out pretty quickly if it wasn’t your thing. It’s a hard gig.”
Michael Chugg the international market place; social media; the ability to make and release your own product; what it takes to be in the industry and, of course, a few war stories. Your book, Hey You In The Black T-shirt, was a great read. Reckon you’ve got another one (or two or three) in you? I think one is enough. My keynote is a bit like the second book and if I get going, look out. What’s your favourite thing to do in Perth? Walking around the Swan, hanging in Freo, catching up with friends, wine and food; a few interviews and doing some work on Laneway and West Coast Blues N’ Roots.
In Conversation With Michael Chugg will be moderated by Leigh Treweek (Director, The Music/ What sort of things do you plan to touch upon in Street Press Australia) at the State Library Of Western Australia Theatre on Friday, November your appearance? Oz music here and overseas; radio in Aus; 8, from 10-11am. #youshouldreadxpress
www.xpressmag.com.au
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THE GOLDEN WAMI
and first love. If I am not working in the business then I am playing or jamming in one of my bands. The Chevelles are going to SXSW in Austin, Texas in March and my surf band, The Stingrays, are close to coming out of our winter slumber now that the sun is starting to shine. I also still very much enjoy good live gigs and coming across that extra special local band still gets me seriously excited.
Names & Noms
This year’s Golden WAMi nominees come from a diversity of backgrounds, but all share a whole lotta experience. BOB GORDON checks in with each in the lead up to the awards night on Friday, November 8, at the Astor Theatre.
JEFF HALLEY
act in varying capacities depending on each act/ Can you please describe what you do and how management’s needs, but normally in a promoter or local representative role. you do it? Monster also do as the name says and have I have quite a varied set of roles and guises these days. It’s often hard to describe exactly what I do a small boutique artist management roster. This arm of but essentially I am the Managing Director at Monster the business currently looks after the affairs of Stillwater Giants who just back from CMJ in New York, Sean Management. We predominantly work across three Pollard/Split Seconds who are currently recording for different facets of the music and hospitality industries early 2014 release and the amazing Boom! Bap! Pow! including venue- booking, marketing and consulting. whose new album, So Heavy, was just released and are We are fortunate to list amongst our client roster, just back from an East Coast run. long-term profile establishments such as Amplifier Capitol, Mustang Bar, Newport, Hotel, Civic Hotel and Describe the year you’ve had... 2013 has been a rewarding, yet highly also Metropolis down in sunny Fremantle. Monster also bring into WA many national challenging year on many levels. All of our venues and international touring acts every year and we continue to trade amongst the market leaders but we
Jeff Halley all have to work extra hard to get the same or close to the same results we were posting say five years back. That’s just business though and the state of economic play in WA always corresponds to how our businesses ultimately perform. On a personal level my family have had a difficult year, but a positive included a major move of residence from inner city Mount Hawthorn down to East Fremantle... or headed South to Mexico as one of my good buddies described it. Does music still get you all excited like you’re some kind of 12 year-old? Yes I totally dig music, always have and am so very lucky to make a living out of my hobby, passion
What are the major changes you’ve noticed in the West Australian music industry in the time you’ve been involved in it? My first involvement was managing a young local band of my high school mates and they were called The Freuds. I used to just get on the phone and hassle local booking agents and venues for gigs. I pretty much kept ringing and drove them mad until they gave us shows and it all just evolved from there. I had a tiny little home office and it was a super big deal amongst my peers when I saved up enough dollars and purchased a fax machine. All of my documents were handwritten and my writing has been compared to a Grade 3 and every now and then I uncover some old files with some of those early pages and I cringe. There was no internet, no social media, no laptops, no iPhones and technology, local and national industry contact and interaction for me was very limited. With regards to the local music industry there was no triple j and 6UVS, God bless them (now RTRFM) was everything and is still extremely important. Australian music magazines such as RAM and Juke were my gateway to what was going on at a national level and I would wait with anticipation for their monthly releases. Now with triple j on a national scale, cheaper airfares and an advanced international communication network the world is our oyster and the West Australian music industry in now able to thrive, interact and compete on a worldwide scale. Just look at the huge leaps and bounds Tame Impala and many others have taken over last few years, totally amazing, mind-blowing and much deserved success. The notion of awards in music attracts various opinions, but it’s kinda nice when the industry tips its hat to you innit? I am not a big one for music industry nor arts awards in general but hey yes of course it’s nice to be recognised. This will probably get me in the shit but the ARIAs and others have become a joke and a parody of themselves in my opinion. That said, WAM do a great job and just the fact that they raise the West Australian music industry profile for a few weeks on a local and national scale is reason enough for me to justify their ongoing existence. WAM at the core has always been about the greater good for local WA music and run by passionate local music people. So with that in mind I say big thanks and tip my hat back their way.
Andrew Ryan Photo: Felicity Groom
ANDREW RYAN
Can you please describe what you do and how you do it? I book 15-20 local music shows a week, give three hours a week of my time to RTRFM for the Out To Lunch radio show, play music in Perth with a couple of different bands and help local venues. I have done this for about a decade. Describe the year you’ve had... Much the same as the past 10 years. Of course there’s new venues, new bands and a newborn... Does music still get you all excited like you’re some kind of 12 year-old? I still am some kind of 12-year-old; because of music. What are the major changes you’ve noticed in the West Australian music industry in the time you’ve been involved in it? Evolving internet and cheaper flights to and from Perth has brought more national and international live shows to our shores and taken a bit more of the locally-developing near-infinite set of ‘Perth-class’ music genres to the world. The notion of awards in music attracts various opinions, but it’s kinda nice when the industry tips its hat to you innit? I have been nominated three or four times for a Golden WAMi, but am yet to win. Whilst I’ve learned that WAM is afraid of commitment, I still get a buzz when she asks me out for a drink. 16
#youshouldreadxpress
GRAHAM WOOD
JODIE REGAN
Can you please describe what you do and how you do it? I do four things. Professional pianist – this is what I have been doing since 1989 and it has taken me all around the world, performing in an wide variety of festivals, concerts and club gigs – as well as 300+ gigs a year in Perth . I am just about to release my firth CD on November 28. Director of Music at WAAPA – I look after 25 fulltime and 100 part time staff for 500 tertiary music students majoring in Classical, Jazz, Contemporary Music, Composition and Music Technology. Co-owner and Artistic Director at The Ellington – this is where I mainly perform now as I’m programming and promoting 600+ shows a year employing 3000+ musicians. Founder and Artistic Director at Perth International Jazz Festival – we had our inaugural festival in 2013 and are planning the 2014 festival for May as we speak. I hope to grow this event to be one the best jazz festivals in Australia. A dad (smiles). I do it by being organised, getting up early - not very rock’n’ roll - practicing, rehearsing and always trying to keep an eye on what’s coming over the horizon and acting on that now. Describe the year you’ve had… I’ve had an absolute shit of a year as well as the luckiest year of my life. I was diagnosed with a rare cancer of the bile duct called Cholangiocarcinoma in March. It’s basically a death sentence but I was extremely lucky to fit into a very narrow window of surgical opportunity. I went under the knife in April and they removed the bile ducts, half my liver, my gall bladder and reconstructed my bile ducts with intestine in a 13 hour operation - being completely sincere, it was extremely grim after the main surgery and I nearly died. All in all I was in hospital for eight weeks and underwent four separate procedures under general anaesthetic. It will take 12 months to recover from the epic operation - I had a very grave winter indeed - and now I am a proud owner of a very impressive 12-inch scar on my abdomen. I went back to WAAPA in August, started playing gigs in October and should be back to full health with a complete cure by April next year – I’m a lucky bugger as it looks like all the cancer is gone and I didn’t have to have chemo or radiotherapy. It could have ended up with a much more depressing prognosis.
Can you please describe what you do and how you do it? I am a band manager who manages only West Australian artists and I also have a small record label that releases only West Australian records. I kinda didn’t plan it that way, that’s just how its turned out because these West Australian artists keep me very busy! How I do it? With a lot of love and a fair amount of inefficiency!
Jodie Regan
Describe the year you’ve had... I have had a pretty enormous year of growth this year on both the management and label front. A couple of the bands I manage ( Tame Impala and Pond) released amazing albums in the past year which have garnered some international success, so I have learned a lot about the music biz outside of Australia which has been both ver y challenging and very rewarding. In fact, I have probably spent more time overseas than at home in the last 12 months - which sounds exciting but I’d really rather be in Freo! Just about every other artist I manage have recorded albums in the past year (Felicity Groom, Gum, Shiny Joe, Nick Allbrook) and I am very much looking forward to releasing them on our label with our new partner - that I can’t announce just yet! No rest for the wicked, as they say.
Does music still get you all excited like you’re some kind of 12 year-old? Good music still does for sure. Although as I get older I often find myself getting tear y and emotional as much as excited! What are the major changes you’ve noticed in the West Australian music industry in the time you’ve been involved in it? Oh wow this is a question that is forcing me to actually look back to the very beginning and I’m not sure I want to do that that would be way too exhausting! But I think I can say that the most obvious major change would be how the world wide web and the power of Facebook, Twitter and YouTube has made WA a lot less isolated. It’s become a lot easier for anyone from anywhere to have their music heard without spending a lot of money. WA used to feel like it was far, far away from anyone you might want to hear your music. The notion of awards in music attrac ts various opinions, but it’s kinda nice when the industry tips its hat to you innit? It is very lovely indeed!
Does music still get you all excited like you’re some kind of 12 year-old? Absolutely, yes. Music is the most powerful force in life and I’m extremely blessed to be able to perform and be involved in music every minute of my life. What are the major changes you’ve noticed in the West Australian music industry in the time you’ve been involved in it? It has grown significantly since I started in 1989. When I started, there were a lot of venues putting on gigs but there was a limited pool of top level professional musicians on any given instrument – I’m talking about the musicians who have devoted a big chunk of time to seriously practice their instrument. Now it has flipped 180 degrees where there is a big pool of highly skilled musicians with about the same amount of gigs as when I started. I started at the end of the big rock cover band era of the ‘70s/’80s where the most popular bands would smash 1000+ people, three nights a week and after the gig most of the punters would jump in their Kingswood and drive home drunk. At that time people were used to paying a cover charge to see live music (usually $5). Then we went through the RBT era and the Brewtech pubs with yuppies, polished floor boards, terrible acoustics and no cover charge. Venues got smaller, bands got smaller and generally the scene was a bit more restricted in the ‘90s. The simple fact is that if people don’t pay a cover to see music, then they don’t think it is worthy of respect – it’s a perception thing. I think the reason for opening a venue like The Ellington was to get back to the core of a live music venue, with real musicians playing real instruments to entertain real people. No big screen sports, no bain marie, no DJ, no karaoke, and a focus on listening to great music... like they do in the great clubs in NYC, London, Paris, etc. The notion of awards in music attracts various opinions, but it’s kinda nice when the industry tips its hat to you innit? I agree, it’s about recognition, not competition. It might sound like a cliché, but being nominated is an honour.
Graham Wood www.xpressmag.com.au
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BABY ANIMALS
Happy Campers Touring in support of their new album, This Is Not The End, Baby Animals perform this Saturday, November 2, at the Astor Theatre. SHANE PINNEGAR reports.
Baby Animals Photo: Jez Smith
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The Baby Animals are back with This Is Not The End, their first rock album in 20 years. Guitarist, Dave Leslie, who, along with former Perth girl Suze DeMarchi, are the only remaining original members of the band, says it wasn’t too hard to make This Is Not The End sound like a modern take on vintage Baby Animals as it does. “I actually think it came really naturally,” Leslie says, “It’s funny ‘cause Email, which was the first single, was the last song written for the record. That was kind of a formula thing – well, not a formula thing, but that just evolved like it
was a bit of a rocker. It’s got a sing-along chorus and all those elements that people who follow our band really love, like Rush You and Early Warning and songs like that. It ticks those boxes, so that was sort of a natural thing to choose. As far as the sound goes, the two new guys (bassist Dario Bortolin and drummer Mick Skelton) slotted in really easily and that’s what came out, really.” Having formed in 1989, it only took one year before the band were signed to a worldwide deal with Imago/BMG, a deal which led to the band’s two outstanding albums and worldwide sales of over a million copies of 1991’s self-titled debut alone. Some 20 years on there’s no major label and no mega-recording budgets, making it a rather different experience, this time round. “Abso-totally-different!” Leslie agrees, “Above and beyond having to pay for everything, we were also given so much more control over the whole project – more so than in the past. Dave Nicholas was the producer and engineer and we worked really closely with him, and we did it in a smaller studio ‘cause we didn’t have the big budget or anything like that. “It was refreshing to do it that way, ‘cause we’ve never been privy to be able to sit in on the mixing or the mastering or things like that, so we had a lot more control over the actual product than we previously had. We were making calls, having got stuff back from mastering, saying ‘a little less of this, a little more of that’ or whatever. Stuff that back in the olden days – 20 years ago – your album was mixed and taken away to New York to get mastered and then you were given a copy and told, ‘this is your record’. “Your control was removed – but by the same token, you pay for it, working with an independent label. It streamlines the decision making process – so there wasn’t some secretary who doesn’t like the kick drum sound, or the tea lady has a problem with the bass or whatever! It was all pretty much kept into a really small group of people, the creative process. It has its advantages, definitely, but at the end of the day it’s all coming out of your pocket, there’s no major label paying for everything and sending you over to Europe to tour.” The response to the band’s reformation has been overwhelmingly positive, proving that in this country at least, the name – and, crucially, the brand – Baby Animals is still commercially viable. Without the pressure of trying to prove themselves and break their name, is it more enjoyable being par t of the Baby Animals nowadays? “Yeah, I guess it is as enjoyable, if not more,” Leslie says. “Because you’ve had the benefit of hindsight, and we’re all a little more mature now – and we’re all enjoying the opportunity to be able to do it again. We’re all enjoying being able to get out and play with people that we love, that’s the enjoyment now. “Twenty years ago when we were all kinda younger, it was just great fun, we were riding a wave and that was awesome fun too – lots of parties and stuff. Whereas these days I go on the road to get a good night’s sleep!” says the father of three boys, including twins. “ True man – if I can sleep in past 8 o’clock I’m happy – and you can fuckin’ do that on the road, most days!” The Feed The Birds national tour kicked off a few weeks back. It sounds as though there’s a diversity of the band’s material on offer. “I t sounds good!” says Leslie. “ We actually did a warm-up gig in Newcastle last Saturday night. It was great to do some songs that we’ve never done before, because we put it to a bit of a vote on the internet so people could vote for what songs they want to hear on the DVD we’re going to be doing at the end of it. “And some of the song choices were surprising – I wasn’t expecting to play them! So it was good, everyone’s in a good headspace, the band’s playing well, we all get along great, we’re all great mates and it’s a very pleasurable experience. It really is. “ There’s a couple from Suze’s solo record (1999’s Telelove) which, because it’s not a Baby Animals record, she was always a bit reticent to play, but we’ve given those a couple of airings. There’s a few more from (1993’s) Shaved & Dangerous. It’s a real mixed bag actually – I was surprised at some of the songs that were voted for, genuinely surprised. “It’s light and shade. It goes from a pin drop to an absolute scream.” So, almost 25 years after forming the band, having done all the pub gigs, US and European arenas, experienced so many of the highs and lows that being a successful muso can engender, how does Dave Leslie feel about the ride so far? “Ahh, it’s great man, you know?” he says, genuinely happy. “Having the chance to sort of recall events and a bit of the journey, it’s awesome, and no-one’s more happy than I am to have the chance to keep getting away with it – it’s really good. I’m a pretty happy camper.” #youshouldreadxpress
LIMP BIZKIT The Wheels On The Truck
Limp Bizkit perform at Metro City this Thursday, October 31. PETER HODGSON reports.
The John Steele Singers
THE JOHN STEELE SINGERS
Limp Bizkit are stayers. They’ve had their ups and downs, their band member comings and goings, and they’ve ridden out a particularly intense backlash against the genre they helped to define, maintaining their attitude and sense of humour along the way. A triumphant Australian return at Soundwave 2012 helped solidify the rap-rockers’ place within the current metal landscape, and they’re back to do it again this month with a series of headline shows. “It was redeeming,” guitarist, Wes Borland, says of the band’s last Australian visit. “And it kind of felt like us resurrecting ourselves, in a way, with what had happened at the Big Day Out with the young girl’s death, as well as Australia and us.” The sense of sadness in Borland’s voice as he speaks of the tragic 2001 death of Jessica Michalik is palpable.
“When I think about the two combined, Australia has always been tied to grief in the past, and it was nice to kind of obliterate that and meet Jessica’s family, meet the friends that had been there at the show with her when she died, and in some ways the whole thing has come full circle for us to forgive ourselves and make new memories and have the air cleared. And now this’ll be our first headlining tour of Australia that is not linked to a festival, so it’s nice to kind of hit the reset button, in a way.” Following the departure of DJ Lethal, that particular area of sonic real estate has been commandeered by Borland, although the change hasn’t particularly shifted the dynamic of the writing process. “We’ve always written as a four-piece, or drums, bass and guitar with Fred (Durst, vocals) conducting or producing, and Lethal always came in after the fact, after almost everything was finished, so it’s not a big difference to how we wrote before.” A fiercely individual guitarist, Borland was one of the first wave of groove-and-texture-oriented metal guitarists to embrace the seven-string guitar, and yet he was also one of the first to abandon the seven in favour of six or even four strings. And he has no intention of dipping into the current trend of ultra-low-tuned eight-string guitars, Meshuggah-style. “I like less strings. I even play four-string guitars, and I’ve found that once you get into guitars that move away from what’s generally accepted and what the generally standard model of the guitar is, you lose out on all this shared technology. You isolate yourself. “People are like, ‘Oh, this is an eight-string, it sounds so heavy,’ but dude, you can put one extra
Limp Bizkit heavy string on a one-string guitar and it’ll sound the same. There’s all sorts of things that you miss when you limit yourself to something that’s that specific. So that’s why I got away from using guitars like that. It was just too much. I just didn’t need all of that, and I just found I got over that, ‘I’m jacking off 10 times a day, I’m 18 years-old and full of testosterone’ part of my life. “It’s not about how big the tyres on my truck are. I just started looking at it in more of an adult way, I guess, as far as guitar playing goes – says the guy who still dresses like a moron in costumes onstage!”
Right Said Thread The John Steele Singers release their new album, Everything’s A Thread, on Friday, November 8, and will perform as part of Slanted And Enchanted on Saturday, December 7. ALEX GRIFFIN reports. I t’s always nice to start an interview off by agreeing about something. Having endured a lengthy period of sub-Santana hold music while waiting to chat to him, John Steele Singers vocalist, Tim Morrissey, is more than ready to empathise with me. “ANZ, if you’re reading this, your hold music is the fucking pits! It’s this girl singing some song about ANZ trying to humanise themselves which repeats over and over again. Just give me some elevator punk or something or slow jazz; something inoffensive!” ‘Inoffensive’ definitely isn’t a word you can readily apply to the forthcoming JSS record Everything’s A Thread, though; any fairweather fans who climbed on with the jaunty Overpass three years back mightn’t find as much to latch on to this time around. “We definitely wanted to make something more groove-based,” Morrissey admits. “Something people could dance to a little bit. The more poppy stuff on (previous album) Tangalooma was written very early on in the band, and we still enjoy good hooks, but Everything’s A Thread is more about making what we enjoy and prefer to hear, compared to Overpass.” This process of getting back to what the band wanted to do explains the three-year gap between records, but it’s not the only reason. “It’s hard to find time to write together. In the ‘60s and ‘70s it seemed like bands could whack out an album every year, but that doesn’t seem to be the case now. You have to tour for an extended period of time after finishing anything, and that restricts your ability to work on stuff. On top of that, we recorded it all ourselves, so we had to learn to do that, as well as spending time rerecording things until they felt right.” Despite Everything’s A Thread being a selfproduced effort, renowned sound maven Nicolas Vernhes was again behind the mixing desk. Vernhess? Vernes? “It’s pronounced like ‘vaaaairn’, I think. I wish I’d asked him about that. Anyway, he did our first album and we’d chosen him because he’d worked with Deerhunter, Spoon and Dirty Projectors, and when it came to this album he just seemed like the logical conclusion. About that time we were listening to the new Deerhunter record Monomania, and we were like ‘oh god, Nic is so good!’ When we got in touch he said, ‘I love the album but you know I’m gonna fuck with this for you’ and we were like, ‘oh perfect’, so that’s why we’re doing that again.” Considering the ‘Singers are going to be playing alongside Deerhunter at Slanted & Enchanted in Perth, is there any chance of a bit of nerding out when it comes to meeting up with Bradford Cox and co. again? “We’re really looking forward to S&E in any case, because the Astor Theatre is an amazing spot and there are some great bands playing. We met Deerhunter in 2011 when we played Laneway with them; they were rad guys. Obviously Bradford is a crazy, eccentric dude, as well as being a lovely guy, but that’s never gonna stop us being gushing fanboys when we see them.” www.xpressmag.com.au
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JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS Unvarnished VARIOUS ARTISTS Crucible - The Songs Of Hunters & Collectors
Liberator Music/Blackheart Records
Liberation Music
With an AFL Grand Final appearance and a tribute LP sorted in their honour, it’s no wonder Hunters & Collectors have booked a sold-out tour of the country in early 2014. With their beginnings as inner city darlings, to their eventual life as an Aussie pie-and-beer icon, there’s a diversity of flavours in the Hunnas ethos, which are well explored here. Eddie Vedder & Neil Finn (Throw Your Arms Around Me), The Living End (Say Goodbye) and Something For Kate (When The River Runs Dry) all offer faithful-to-the-original versions, playing to their own strengths as well as the strengths inherent in the songs. Oh Mercy off a suitable creepy The Slab (Betty’s Worry) but this songs was always superior in the live form. Birds Of Tokyo (Talking To A Stanger), Matt Corby & Missy Higgins (This Morning) and Abbe May (Dog) offer unique interpretations. The Rubens scored the obligatory Holy Grail, which comes across as overdone as the TV sports broadcast usage of the song in the last decade or more. Alpine’s take on Hear No Evil, meanwhile, is icy and distant, at odds with the trademark passionate delivery of Mark Seymour, but strangely compelling as a result. A second disc of H&C’s original versions sets the record straight again, but all up there’s plenty of interest (new and old) on here.
From the opening bubblegum hook and power chords of Any Weather – featuring superfan Dave Grohl producing and playing – the former Ms Larkin plays to all of her formidable strengths on her first album in seven years. Listening to Unvarnished against her I Love Rock’n’Roll or Bad Reputation albums shows that Joan Jett has rediscovered herself after letting her music and image go down the commercially unrewarding road into the murky waters of S&M and androgyny over her last few releases Naked, Fetish and Sinner. Her success as Executive Producer of The Runaways biopic seems to have invigorated her with a good rummage through her celebrated past. Gone is the peroxide buzzcut in favour of her familiar shaggy dark locks, and Unvarnished is unabashedly an album for old school Jettsters, with irresistible hair shakers TMI, Hard To Grow Up and Bad As We Can Be all striking the balance between pop rock bliss and punky grit. Jett cites this as her most introspective album yet, and she tackles lost love tenderly and compassionately on Soulmates To Stranger. Everybody Needs A Hero closes the album, a more plaintive string-laden rock ballad that shows how talented she really is, these 10 tracks proving that Joan Jett still undoubtedly loves rock’n’roll.
_ SHANE PINNEGAR _ BOB GORDON
ELEANOR FRIEDBERGER Personal Record
AVENGED SEVENFOLD Hail To The King
Merge Records
Warner Bros
Eleanor Friedberger has one of the better surnames going around and with her brother was the brains behind the erratic and off-kilter arrangements of their band, The Fiery Furnaces. With that outfit on hiatus, Freidberger has taken to releasing another album under her own name. Friedberger’s second solo LP, Personal Record, continues the singer’s exploration of more straight-forward pop structures. There is a naivety to When I Knew as Friedberger reflects on the youthful exploration of relationships that only adds to the charm instead of being nauseating. The glitz of My Own World hints at the possibility of becoming a major label attraction somewhere between Liz Phair and Gwen Stefani. There is unbridled honesty on Personal Record as the varying reason for failed romances are brought to the fore. I’ll Never Be Happy Again and I Am The Past could have run the risk of becoming overly earnest, but Friedberger knows when to pull a melodic gem back from the brink of becoming to packed, polished and produced. Friedberger appears to have shunned her art-rock past for an album that lacks any of the indulgence that was known to hinder some of her previous albums. Personal Record offers no left turns or surprises, it may not be her coolest record, but it is clearly her finest.
Hail To The King is what happens when a band tries to consciously write a ‘c l a s s i c ’ a l b u m . A l o t of work went into constructing the album around the framework already set by the likes of Metallica, Black Sabbath and Guns N’ Roses and so, like a high school essay, Avenged Sevenfold’s sixth album makes some fine points about the forefathers of modern metal, but neglects to say it in their own words. This Means War has more than a dash of Metallica’s Sad But True flavouring its sound, and to mention it the album cover is mostly black. Just a thought. Aside from an iffy reference section to make any English teacher tut-tut, Hail To The King’s biggest crime is that it’s boring. While some choice guitar work is littered through the rest of the album is hammed up with bog-standard lyrics and way too many GNR-style ballads (is one too many?). If you’re a fan of slow-tempo dull as shit drumming you’re in luck, Hail To The King boasts about 60 minutes of the same dun tsch beat over and over. Fans should dig the album with Doing Time and Coming Home offering a few highlights, but new listeners may struggle to find a reason to not just listen to Avenged’s influences instead.
_ BRENDAN HOLBEN
_ CHRIS HAVERCROFT
THE FUTURE BIBLE HEROES Partygoing
KORN The Paradigm Shift Prospect Park/Caroline
Merge
In spite of themselves and even the new album’s title, Korn have managed to reinvigorate their sound by going back to their roots with The Paradigm Shift. They’re a band whose ground-breaking in the genre invariably tied them to the nu-metal era, and despite a steady stream of releases struggled to find relevancy as the 2000s rolled on. Guitarist Brian Welch’s return to the band seems to have made the difference, especially after the 2011 dubstep trainwreck The Path Of Totality. Shedding most of the fairly awful experimental electronic-fusion junk from the last album, The Paradigm Shift winds nearly everything back to ‘classic’ Korn. Downtuned bass and pogo beats dominate the album, while Jonathan Davis’s solid vocal work is pure ‘90s nostalgia. First single, Never Never, has a reality cooking show title sequence vibe going for it and is the album’s low point, notably it’s also their most electro-influenced track. A subtle approach using dance influences serves the album far better in Victimized and What We Do. The tracks where these influences are the most subtle such as Mass Hysteria and Paranoid And Aroused, however, are far better. As paradigm shifts go it’s more a step backwards, but they prove the old formula still works.
_ BRENDAN HOLBEN 20
Tin Pan Alley will never die. It just gets reincarnated, and the extant Dalai Lama of the two-minute ditty is (and has been for two decades) Stephen Merritt. For those of you who know him best as the 69 Love Songsmith with his primary project The Magnetic Fields, Partygoing will come as another hit from the same highball glass, complete with punning lyrics, wry sadness and dinky keyboard action. The record is true to its title, as Merritt and co-vocalist Claudia Gonson take in hanging out at John Waters’ house, hooking up with a clown and a whole lot of drinking as they carouse from heartbreak to headache. When the formula hits, Partygoing is perfect; Living, Loving, Partygoing is like a camp, haughty Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and Keep Your Children In A Coma is the most fun you can have telling kids to get off your lawn. Not everything catches fire, and if you don’t guess seconds in advance where the rhymes are going in songs like A Drink Is Just The Thing then you’re not listening hard enough. Ultimately, this is more solid stuff from Merritt and co. after his slump last decade, but if you’re not already on the bandwagon, there’s not much. _ ALEX GRIFFIN #youshouldreadxpress
SHINING BIRD Leisure Coast
AFI Burials
Spunk
Republic Records
ALICE IN CHAINS The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here
A SKYLIT DRIVE Rise Tragic Hero Records
Capitol
Any band that has got together over a shared passion for Denis Wilson’s Pacific Ocean Blue are one that are worthy of your attention. Illawarra natives Shining Bird are one such outfit who espouse their love of all things to do with the ocean on Leisure Coast. Shining Bird may have only played their first gig in late 2012, but the five members have been fossicking around in the studio for a few years with Leisure Coast being the culmination of their efforts to date. Tunes that clock in at under five minutes are in the minority for Shining Bird who appear to be in no hurry when it comes to do with anything with the band. The songs rely heavily on atmosphere and, well, times flourishes. Breaking out of the mould somewhat is Distant Dreaming which is more playful in its approach as Dane Taylor’s voice sits a little further back in the mix, whereas Don’t Get Down has his rich baritone as the driving force behind the snail-paced lament that would make The National blush. Leisure Coast alternates between sprawling tunes about the ocean and more intimate tales of loss and heartache. Shining Bird have some tricks up their sleeve that make them one to keep a very close ear on.
It’s been four years since AFI’s last album, Crash Love, and boy has it been worth the wait. Burials, the band’s ninth studio album, is the combination of years of genre experimentation into one cohesive and captivating record that long-time fans or newcomers will be glad to have in their music collection. Burials starts with the dark and haunting combination of The Sinking Night and the album’s first single, I Hope You Suffer, that not only flows seamlessly, but is incredibly impactful, with powerful vocals and a momentous drum build. Maintaining its eerie atmosphere, AFI then begin to blend in some pop rock with the fast-paced and catchy tunes A Deep Slow Panic and 17 Crimes. Both tracks are built around their energetic choruses, with simple melodies and upbeat tempos. Songs like Rewind and Anxious showcase Davey Havok’s incredible vocal control; a strength that when combined with outstanding musical composition has built an album that cannot be ignored. Burials for mine, is one of the greatest musical surprises of 2013, showcasing AFI’s versatility and providing a cohesive and layered work of genius.
In the sexually frustrated, Cobain-emulating days of my youth, Alice In Chains was a musical staple. It is painful, therefore, to be the one to perform the Old Yeller style execution of their tired, lazy, latest release, The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here. Much like any Coldplay album, there’s nothing wrong with the songs individually, but combined, the compilation seems superfluous and uninspired. By the second track it’s apparent that the listener is settling themselves in for one hour and seven minutes of largely indistinguishable retrophilic droning. To be fair, Stone is pretty badass, with an inexorably brooding rhythm section and deliciously satanic guitar riffs lending weight to this wellconstructed song. So too, Scalpel, which makes a conscious effort to break away from the pack and show some originality – and deserves credit for such. Frankly though, only finding two worthwhile songs in an album of this length is a pretty poor effort and it is purely by the merits of those songs, as well as for my teenage self, that they even get this rating.
High-pitched vocals, heavy beats, fast melodies? A first listen of A Skylit Drive’s fourth album, Rise, will feel like a Sleeping With Sirens side-project, and whilst it provides so much more then that, it ultimately suffers from predictability. Long-time fans of A Skylit Drive will notice a more professional sound, exemplifying the band’s growth through solid tracks like the introductory piece, Save Me Tragedy, which combines hard-hitting drums with energetic riffs. The title track is easily one of the better songs on the album, blending relatable lyrics with an electrifying and catchy chorus. However, it is Just Stay, the only soft song on the album, that is the highlight. With emotionally honest vocals and a perfect instrumental build, it gives Memphis May Fire’s Miles Away a run for its money. For fans of the post-hardcore genre, Rise features characteristics we all love, with strong melodies, heavy breakdowns and a solid blend of clean and unclean lyrics. However, the album as a whole fails in its lack of diversity and inability to offer much that we haven’t heard before.
_ SHAUN CROWE _ AARON BRYANS
_ AARON BRYANS
_ CHRIS HAVERCROFT
SPEEDY ORTIZ Major Arcana Carpark
‘And you picked a virgin over me!’ goes the hook to Plough towards the end of Speedy Ortiz’ proper fulllength debut and it cuts like standing too close to a helicopter’s blades. For anyone whose ears pricked up to the likes of Parquet Courts last year, this is a record of wall-to-wall mid-’90s indie comfort food, like stirring together a more melody-focused Kathleen Hanna, a more pissed off (i.e. less stoned) Doug Martsch and a more urgent Terror Twilight. There are oodles of chewy, dissonant guitar hooks and loping rhythms, but the real focus is Sandie Dupuis’ voice and her lyrics. Whether she’s mourning a broken leg in high school or talking about getting her dick sucked on the regular, she has a rare presence and charisma that makes most white-boy guitar music seem lily-livered in comparison. Though there’s a lot of spleen-venting on Major Arcana, it’s never comes across as merely angsty, partially because Dupuis is a poetry major at UMass and partially because of the level of control and invention her songwriting has when it comes to making a feeling simmer instead of hiss. She also fronted an all-female Pavement cover band called Babement, so add that to list of reasons why you need to check this out.
_ ALEX GRIFFIN
JAMES FERRARO Hell, NYC 3am Hippos In Tanks
It takes all of eight seconds for James Ferraro to take you completely into his world. Hell, NYC 3am begins with disembodied, robotic female voice intones the word ‘money’ over and over again, before the sound parts into a sad, crackling midnight street scene. From there, the bleakness is unremitting. Where his incredibly alienating hyperbright 2011 release, Far Side Virtual, used the sickly sheen of computer start-up sounds and new-age coffee machines to both send up and commune with the gaudy meaninglessness of millennial technology, N.Y.C. uses grim drones, unresolving melodies and the most inhuman sound of them all (autotune) to stare deep into the techno-cultural abyss. This is dank, dark and sometimes frankly upsetting listening, but few are brave enough to set the controls for the heart of the information age, let alone return with such a black, dripping heart of a record. If you can make it through Hell, you’ll leave a piece of your old self with it. Is there anything more real that’ll happen on a record this year than a shifting, half-heard club anthem cut off suddenly by a voiceover announcing ‘Toyota’? Music needs to be this uncomfortable, this real, this ready to make the familiar terrifying. Listen to it while on Facebook. _ ALEX GRIFFIN www.xpressmag.com.au
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#youshouldreadxpress
Josh Pyke is joined by Lisa Mitchell for a special free City of Wanneroo concert on Saturday, November 9, at Wanneroo Showgrounds (tickets essential, via wanneroo.gov.au). KATIE DAVERN checks in with the singer/songwriter. The pressure to create a lasting legacy is one that often weighs down the shoulders of musicians – and it was certainly at the front of Josh Pyke’s mind while recording The Beginning And The End Of Everything. On first glance, the name of the new record seems eerily foreboding. “A few people have said, ‘Oh God, does this mean...is it the end? Is this your last album?’” Pyke chuckles. The name’s origin is a lot less dramatic in reality. “When I was making decisions about songs and writing songs – the production, the lyrics and everything – it kept on coming back to ideas about desire and leaving a legacy and how you want to present yourself,” he says.“That was always at the beginning and end of every decision I was making.” Since Pyke’s ARIA-award winning 2007 debut, Memories And Dust, he’s crafted an enviable career as Australia’s foremost proponent of folk-pop. Besides releasing three more successful albums, he’s also been involved with the Indigenous Literacy Foundation, pioneering the Busking For Change initiative, and has even found the time to play in Basement Birds with Bob Evans, Eskimo Joe’s frontman Kav Temperley and Steve Parkin. Yet the notion of legacy is still one Pyke tries to reconcile with on his latest record. Ironically, this fourth studio album was perhaps the most natural record to produce for Pyke. “I just felt like this album, more than any other album I’ve done, was really instinctive and really flowed from beginning to end. Creatively, I felt really... virile, for lack of a better word,” he laughs. The Beginning And The End Of Everything is a record where the creative process
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transpired quite quickly.“It just felt really creatively exciting the whole time, so it was something that I just wanted to pursue. If it hadn’t felt right I wouldn’t have done it,” he says. Pyke just finished touring his previous album Only Sparrows in December and said a lot of the songs for this album were written on tour, simply because that’s when he is most musically focussed. Pyke talks about being inspired and intimidated by Leonard Cohen and Paul Kelly, two highly revered and prolific artists still forging incredible creative careers. And Pyke’s new record is not without inklings of self-doubt, especially so in Feet Of Clay, an affirming toe-tapper that recognises these feelings and overcomes them. “I basically had a full meltdown. My confidence had gone, I was thinking, ‘I don’t want to do this anymore, I just want to have a normal job’,” he says. “Then I was reflecting on what I was saying and I was like, ‘You’re being a dickhead, you’re being pathetic. You’ve got this beautiful life, you’re able to do this thing that you love for a job’,” Pyke said, telling himself, ‘You’re just being an idiot, this is constantly your weakness!’” It seems like a gift for storytelling is a requisite for venturing into the ether of folk songwriting and Pyke is no exception. He says that he has always been an imaginative person and he clearly finds an outlet through his music. He recalls a speech at his own wedding where his friend spoke about Pyke’s vivid imagination and the imagination games they’d play all together as kids. “I don’t remember being the kind of leader of those things, but apparently I was,” he laughs.“I remember always writing stories and stuff and I see now in my older son, he’s just like me. He just loses himself in these imagination games for ages, and I was like, ‘Where does he get that from?’, and my wife was like, ‘That’s you, that’s exactly you!’” In terms of his own music, Pyke says he finds it hard to be objective about his progress and development.“Musically, I’m a much better player these days, he says.“I think I have a more refined idea of what I want to do with songs. I used to be really afraid of resolving something in a way that would be really pleasing to the ear and I would always try and find some other way to do it, but now I just think, if something sounds right, it’s right you know?” Josh Pyke will also perform as part of the Live At The Quarry series on Wednesday, March 12, at the Quarry Amphitheatre.
X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays
11T7
FIT TO A TEE
Sick of the dearth of imagination seen on Perth chests of late, designers Damian and Lauren Ots decided to do something about it. The result is 11T7, a new tee-shirt company designed to encourage and showcase the work of emerging and underground Perth artists. To mark the launch, on Saturday, November 2 and Sunday, November 3, 11T7’s tee-shirt police will be on the streets of Perth and Freo, handing out ‘fines’ to those they judge have questionable taste in torso-wear. The ‘fines’ are actually discounts from the company’s online store at 11t7. com.au, where recipients will be able to rectify their poor sartorial choices with shirts designed by Damian Ots, Jesikah Kipps, Nick Williams and Ben Brennan.
PERTH GETS A FILM STUDIO
Australian production house Impian Films and British organisation Extraordinary Group have announced plans to build a 50 million dollar studio complex in Perth, with operations scheduled to commence in 2016. This marks a new milestone in the recent upswing in Perth’s film industry, which has seen the city host productions such as Son Of A Gun, starring Ewan McGregor; The Reckoning, from Needle director John V. Soto, and Kill Me Three Times, which stars Simon Pegg and is directed by Red Dog helmer, Kriv Stenders. The studio is expected to house both local projects and international productions.
ACADEMIC REVELATIONS
Keen to get your hands dirty in the cut and thrust of rigorous cinematic debate? Revelation Perth International Film Festival is calling for papers to be presented at the festival’s academic Conference in July 2014. All topics are up for grabs, but dissertations on contemporary independent cinema, world cinema, documentary, emerging genres, neglected histories and fresh perspectives are particularly encouraged. The deadline for submissions is Wednesday, April 30, 2014. For further information, head to revelationfilmfest.org.
BURATTI BRANCHES OUT Buratti Editions has opened its doors in the new Myre Development in Fremantle. Located on the ground floor of the multi-level arts and retail complex, Buratti Editions specialises in art prints, books, limited edition works, collectibles and design items, complementing the existing Buratti Fine art Gallery in North Fremantle. Check out their online presence at burattieditions.com.
The York Medieval Fayre
OLDE SCHOOLE The York Medieval Banquet And Fayre is back for 2013. The York Mill’s Saw Tooth Shed is where we lay our scene on Saturday, November 2: long-table dinner with mead and light sustenance on arrival and a three course banquet to follow. The following day sees The York Medieval Fayre take over Avon Park, with entertainment including swordfighting demonstrations, period costumes galore, a fencing tournament, craft stalls and more. Head to theyorkmill.com.au for more info.
Thor: The Dark World
THOR: THE DARK WORLD Simply Marvelous
Directed by Alan Taylor Starring Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Christopher Eccleston, Anthony Hopkins, Stellan Skarsgard While not a terrible film, 2011’s Thor was perhaps the most poorly received of the early Marvel Studios releases. What a pleasant surprise it is, then, that its sequel is such a resounding success, simultaneously ramping up the scale of the conflict and continuing the ongoing storyline in an organic and more or less logical manner. Picking up some time after The Avengers, this outing sees Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and his fellow Asgardians contending with the threat of the Dark Elves of Svartalfheim, an evil race with their origins in the darkness that preceded creation. Led by Malekith The Accursed (Christopher Eccleston), the Elves want nothing else than to undo all creation. If that wasn’t bad enough, they also put Thor’s main squeeze, Jane (Natalie Portman) in danger, which means it is, in the parlance of our times, on like Donkey Kong. It’s a hugely enjoyable film, deftly directed by television veteran Alan Taylor, who brings a truly impressive sense of grandeur to the proceedings. Tonally, the film is a triumph, making light of the more fantastical elements while playing its emotional throughline with an admirably straight face. We get more Asgardian politics and family drama, mainly down to the welcome presence of Tom Hiddleston’s delightfully droll Loki, who this time must team 24
up with his blonde-locked brother for the good of the universe - not to mention some much needed revenge. The expected links to the established Marvel canon are all present and correct, complete with cheer-worthy cameos and references to the events of The Avengers, not to mention hints of coming developments. Whether that’s a positive or a negative depends wholly on how invested any given viewer is in the ongoing Marvel saga, but it does go a long way to replicating the feeling of reading the comics on a monthly basis. Where Thor: The Dark World really triumphs is its sense of scale, which is truly cosmic. One of the biggest pitfalls of the first film was how prosaic the whole affair felt - an odd complaint for a movie that deals with multiple worlds, godlike beings and millennia-long feuds. This latest effort gets it right, though - the film feels huge, culminating in a knockdown, drag-out superhuman brawl that literally spans universes. Complaints are few, and largely niggling. At times - especially in the third act - the film swings too far towards the humorous, which does undercut the drama somewhat. That compounds the sometimes goofy narrative window-dressing that it was always going to be saddled with; indeed, there’s a battle sequence in Asgard that feels like a po-faced take on the legendarily garish 1980 Flash Gordon film. But so what? That goofiness is part of the fun of cosmic-scale Marvel madness, and doing away with that would rob the film of at least some of its considerable charm. It’s been a bit of a fallow year for blockbusters, but Thor: The Dark World is streets ahead of the competition. _ TRAVIS JOHNSON #youshouldreadxpress
The Butler
THE BUTLER
What the Butler Saw Directed by Lee Daniels Starring Forest Whitaker, Oprah Winfrey, David Oyelowo Following the fictional life of Cecil Gaines (Forest Whitaker) and his family, The Butler encompasses over eight decades of social change in America. From ‘house boy’ on a cotton plantation to butler in the White House through the terms of eight presidents, Cecil’s life intersects with many of the significant changes in race relations of the 20th Century, and places him at arm’s length of the decision makers. By contrast, the life of his family charts the social developments of the time, particularly his son Louis (David Oyelowo) who demonstrates the evolution of the civil rights movement . This rather Forest Gump-like tale from Director Lee Daniels (Precious) presents a fairly standard look at American history, although from a black perspective. Competent and workmanlike, it approaches the subject mater without being too heavy handed or preachy. That is not to say that it is neither of those, but it keeps it down to the minimum. Danny Strong’s (better known as Jonathan in Buffy) script takes us on a whistlestop tour of the civil rights movement from integrated schools to Obama, hitting all the major touchstones along the way. It may be somewhat general, but that is forgivable when covering such a broad segment of history. With more stars than Old Glory herself,
the Butler almost stumbles under their weight, with the stunt casting of many of the presidents being particularly egregious. Both John Cusack as Richard Nixon and Alan Rickman as Ronald Reagan are baffling and distracting. However, the principals do deliver solid performances. Forest Whitaker injects the character of Cecil with the right amount of gentle consideration, while maintaining a core of strength. and dignity. Oprah Winfrey as the housebound Gloria runs an emotional gamut from alcoholic, unfaithful wife to loving mother to devoted partner, mostly within the confines of one house set. David Oyelowo as Louis gives an earnest and driven performance, and allows us to see some of the most genuine aspects of Cecil in his strained interaction with his son. Surprisingly non-confrontational in its approach given its subject matter, this piece of light entertainment ennobles the African-American domestic worker’s place in history. As Doctor King himself states, the black domestic is subversive in its nature by breaking down negative stereotypes. By contrast the more assertive policies of the Black Panthers are lampooned, to the extent of them appearing almost as Blaxplotation caricatures. Finally, with it’s presentation of Obama’s election as a symbol of achieving true equality, The Butler is perhaps too optimistic. Looking at issues such as the Trayvon Martin shooting, we see there is still further to go. Ultimately there is the nub of an interesting story here and some great acting, but it is just too slight. Entertaining, but nowhere as significant as it pretends to be. _ DAVID O’CONNELL
Fly Me To The Moon
FLY ME TO THE MOON Magical Marital Matters
Directed by Pascal Chuameil Starring Diane Kruger, Dany Boon, Robert Plagnol, Etienne Chicot, Alice Pol True love triumphs - as if there was ever any doubt - in this formulaic but frothy French romantic comedy. Framed as a kind of family legend, the film is framed by a family Christmas dinner scene where a recently divorced young woman (Laure Calamy) is comforted by her more worldly relatives. All the first marriages in their matrilineal line end in divorce, they explain. Corinne (Alice Pol goes on to tell the story of her sister, Isabelle (Diane Kruger). Determined to spend the rest of her life with her dentist love, Pierre (Robert Plagnol) but all too aware of the family curse, Isabelle hits upon the idea of finding an unwitting patsy for a quickie wedding and divorce that will hopefully solve her metaphysical marriage issues. She finds the perfect candidate in travel writer Jean Yves (Dany Boon). Can you see where this is heading? Leaving aside all questions about predictability for the moment, Fly Me To The Moon (originally titled Un Plan Parfiat - A Perfect Plan) is certainly a charming enough effort, light on its feet and infused with that odd kind of goofy Gallic charisma unique to French rom-coms. There’s more than a hint of the old Hollywood screwball www.xpressmag.com.au
comedies to the proceedings here, which is certainly not accidental, and if Kruger and Boon aren’t exactly Hepburn and Tracy - or Hepburn and Grant for that matter - they share an easy chemistry and a refreshingly ego-free willingness to go for the belly laughs where appropriate, dignity be damned. The film flits quickly between globe-spanning locations, encompassing scenes in Africa and Russia before settling in for a Parisian comedy-of-errors climax. Tying off all the loose ends and getting us back to our framing story requires some narrative contortions that don’t quite convince, but the film more or less gets there in the end. The question is whether anyone will get to the film? No sane punter would put money on Fly Me To The Moon being a cross-cultural breakout hit, and while the subtitle set will find plenty to enjoy here, it’s doubtful if more mainstream filmgoers will take a chance on the film. It does, however, seem ripe for an Americanised remake, as crass as that may sound; the imagination doesn’t have to stretch much at all to sub in Sandra Bullock for Kruger, for example. That such an exercise is so obvious speaks to the easy and accessible charm of the film, should also clue you in as to whether it’s the cut of your jib. Fly Me To The Moon is a warm, welcoming, unsurprising but comfortable flight of fancy. Anyone who got a kick out of the recent Paris-Manhattan or Happiness Never Comes Alone should enjoy themselves here. _ TRAVIS JOHNSON 25
here. Three tours and countless memories later, I can more than confidently say that they were 100 per cent correct. It’s truly become my home away from home.” Brown is a three-time International Songwriting Competition Finalist (2010, 2011, 2012, Folk/Singer-Songwriter Category), and a finalist in both the 2013 UK Songwriting Contest and 2013 Unsigned Only Music Competition. These successes have certainly helped him along his way. “Being recognised as a finalist in these competitions has definitely helped open up a lot of doors for me,” he notes, “especially with creating opportunities for songwriting c o l l a b o r a t i o n s w i t h a r t i s t s t h a t I a d m i r e. Credibility matters so much in this industry that unfortunately sometimes without it, making yourself stand out can be that much more difficult.” Not surprisingly, given he’s toured here now three times, Brown sees many similarities in the Canadian and Australian music industries. “Oh for sure,” he affirms. “Folks here in Australia seem to carry the same love and Andy Brown appreciation for music as Canadians, and are “ H o n e s t l y, I d i d n’t k n o w w h a t t o certainly never ones to shy away from a good ol’ fashion sing-a-long.” expect when first heading Down Under,” he Brown’s new album is entitled Tinman says, “but I’ve probably never been so nervous/ and it takes on a particularly personal note, excited about something in my entire life. A theme-wise. Canadian singer/songwriter, Andy Brown, first lot of incredible Canadian musicians had been “Tinman is a very personal album for toured Australia last January and so far it’s regularly migrating to Australia, and everyone me and is all about reaching your breaking I’d talked to told me how amazing it was down point and finding your way back,” he explains. worked out better than he even hoped for.
ANDY BROWN Open Hearts
“Sometimes no matter how hard we try, things just don’t go the way that you planned… but if you keep your head up, and your heart open, life has a beautiful way of working itself out.” This Australian visit sees Brown touring in support of Damien Leith. The two musicians have become good friends. “I had the opportunity to sit in on a songwriting session with Damien earlier this year, and we quickly realised that there was a strong songwriting chemistry between the two of us. “Damien is a great artist, and I particularly love his honesty as a songwriter. Two of the songs that we wrote together, See You Again and Never Forget, appear on Damien’s upcoming new album, and I couldn’t be happier.” With Tinman still a fresh entity, Brown is very much looking forward to 2014. There’s much to do. “2014 is going to be a very busy year,” he enthuses. “I’m currently writing songs for the next album, which I hope to have out by next October-November. Obviously, there’ll be lots of time on the road around Canada and hopefully Europe, definitely a few trips Down Under, plenty of songwriting, and a beer or two.” Andy Brown supports Damien Leith at Ellington Jazz Club this Thursday, October 31, and Friday, November 1. _ BOB GORDON
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GAME OF THRONES FANCY DRESS WEEKEND The Shed Saturday, October 26, 2013 Plenty of punters went to some serious effort in the costume department to show their love of the most popular show on TV at the moment, and our shooter was on hand to capture the moment. Photos by Matt Jelonek
Venetia, Becky, Clem
Nika, Shibani, Gautier, Rini
Jennifer, Ben
David, Trudi, Trent
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THE GRADUATES 2013 Up And Comers
The hard work of students in the ‘Advanced Diploma of Fashion And Textile Design’ at Central Institute Of Technology will culminate this Monday, November 4 with the design parade, The Graduates 2013. Fifteen graduates all fully engaged in the creative process from inspiration to the final garment, plus the organisation of a parade and exhibition. It’s the final step in graduating from the one-year Advanced Diploma course before they embark (and continue) on their careers in fashion, plus a chance to display their work to friends, family, industry and the public. While the parade is an annual event, each year it’s a little different, with students able to influence the direction of the show. “Students started working on their concepts in July and have been working heavily on their collections since,” says Kirsten Shadbolt, Fashion and Textile lecturer at Central Institute Of Technology. “As always the last few weeks before the show are full of activity. The students are getting very confident with a lot of multi tasking, heavy involvement in setup of installations and the production of the show. They’re up to the finishing touches on garments and preparing the whole concept for industry judging this coming Friday.” The parade and exhibitions will be held in the downstairs and upstairs gallery spaces at PICA in the Perth Cultural Centre. There’ll be a runway especially created to suit the space, plus post show
Transferred leather by Christina Chortis
Garment in progress - stitched plastic and wool by Jessica Wang (A Dreamer Dreams She Never Dies) trade viewing of the students’ full collections with textile samples and the chance to meet and chat with them in person. “We have also been very fortunate to have a promotional screening on the Cultural Centre screen hosted by the MRA,” Shadbolt says. “We have promotional videos screening throughout this week and on the night before the show from 5:45pm 7pm. They’ll also be a re-run of the show on Sunday, November 10 for public viewing.” The Graduates 2013 is happening on Monday, November 4 at PICA. Doors open at 6pm and the post parade graduate collection viewing is between 8-9pm. Tickets on sale via pica.org.au/tickets _RACHEL DAVISON
Textiles preview by Sam Balcombe (ΔNAVOTAS NAVOTASΔ Δ)
Let The Right One In
ROOFTOP MOVIES Flying High
With Per th’s favourite summer cinema destination reopening this week with the one-two punch of Swedish vampire thriller Let The Right One In on Thursday, October 31 and David Lynch’s delirious Wizard Of Oz paean, Wild At Heart on Friday, November 1, we spoke to Rooftop Movies Programmer Jessica Darlow about what to expect this season. “This year we’ve instigated two themed days,” Darlow explains to us. On Tuesdays we’re putting in films that people have requested through our People’s Choice Competition. There’s lots of classic and retro and kitsch films that we’d love to be able to screen and we thought that, rather than sitting there having all the fun, we would put it out to the people and see what they wanted to see. So that starts on the 5th of November and continues for every Tuesday of the whole program up until April.” Although the opportunity to demand a screening of V For Vendetta has been missed, November 5 sees the Coen brothers classic, The Big Lebowski, getting an airing, followed by Donnie Darko, Dirty Dancing, Mean Girls and Blade Runner in Lab Partners Showcase: Outré Gallery Original paintings and prints by San Francisco-based husband and wife team, Lab Partners. From November 1 - 30. Go to outregallery.com for more. Printmakers Landscape: Heathcote Museum & Gallery An investigation into landscape and environment through the medium of print from Robyn Collins, Emily Douglas, Kay Gibson, Jane Hardy and MaryLynne Stratton. The exhibition runs from November 16 - December 22. Head over to melville.wa.gov.au for further info.
140 ART: 140 Nationally recognised artists and local emerging talent both contribute to this temporary gallery project that runs from November 2 - January 31. Andy Quilty, Phibs, Amok Island, Anya Brock, Pip McManus and more will use shopfronts and walls along Wellington, William and Murray Street as a canvas for an ambitious urban art project. Head to 140.com.au for further information.
THEATRE/DANCE/ PERFORMANCE
Andy Quilty - Photo by Daniel Craig
The Collective Focus: Fremantle PCYC Presented as part of the Fremantle Festival, this photographic exhibition presents works from young Van Gogh, Dali and Beyond - The World Reimagined: women aged between 11 and 19, all of whom were Art Gallery Of WA mentored by professional WA photographers an The third exhibition in AGWA’s MoMA Series encouraged to find their own creative voice. It runs encompasses works from Vincent Van Gogh, Paul from November 2 - 16. Entry is free. Cezanne, Richard Long, Frida Kahlo and more. The exhibition runs until December 2. Go to artgallery. Exploring Arcadia: wa.gov.au for further information. Linton & Kay Galleries Little Paintings, Big Stories: Lawrence Wilson Art Having sworn Gallery t o n e ve r a g a i n Runs until December 14. paint negative images following alltervatn: Feast Your Eyes Outpost the September The inaugural exhibition at the new art space in 11 attacks, artist Fremantle’s old Myer building features a selection D o n a l d Wa t e r s of stunning aerial photographs by Jarrad Seng. The has instead exhibition runs until November 3. dedicated himself to producing City Of Fremantle Arts Collection - Pristine: The uplifting and Fremantle Arts Centre idyllic works. His A collection of printed artworks consisting of abstract latest exhibition interpretations of shapes and forms found in the is a further natural world. It runs until November 17. Go to fac. exploration of his org for details. constant themes of peace, joy and Momentum: The Perth Centre Of Photography simplicity. It runs A free exhibition curated by Paulo Anselmi that from November celebrates the 21st birthday of PCP. Featured artists 7 - 21. Go to include Max Pam, Toni Wilkinson, Juha Tolonen, Flavia lintonandkay.com. Schuster, Perdita Phillips, Graham Miller and Chris au for more. Young. It runs from October 31 - December 8. Go to pcp.prg.au for more details.
VISUAL ARTS
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The Tribe: The Blue Room Theatre The latest confrontational work form Renegade Productions is a multi-part performance piece that examines the darkest parts of the human psyche. It runs until November 2. Go to blueroom.org.au for session times and tickets. When The Lights Go Down: Phoenix Theatre The latest effort from Dark Psychic Productions is a backstage drama set in a Las Vegas cabaret club. It runs until November 9. Tickets are available through TAZTix.com.au.
subsequent weeks. Rooftop Movies has also taken care to cater for those cineastes who have bred with their Sunday night screenings.“We’re going to have a new night called Family Matters, which is where people with young kids can bring their kids up to the rooftop and see some classic films on the big screen. Some films we’ll be showing will be The Princess Bride, Spirited Away, The Fantastic Mr Fox... movies that are suitable for kids that adults will enjoy as a kind of alternative to going and watching, like, Cars 4 at Hoyts or something.” The 2013/14 season will also see a lot of newer films added to the mix. As Darlow explains, “We also have access to new release pictures this year. We started in the last season, but we’re really kind of running with it this time around, building a really eclectic mix of classic films, retro films, arthouse films and new releases, so there’s something for everyone.” Rooftop Movies opens on Thursday, October 31 on the roof of the Roe Street Carpark in Northbridge with a special Halloween screening of Let The Right One In and continues until April 2014. For the full program, session times and tickets, head to rooftopmovies.com.au _ TRAVIS JOHNSON Midsummer (A Play With Songs): The State Theatre Centre The last production of the Black Swan State Theatre Company’s 2013 season is uproarious romp through an unstable landscape of love, intoxication and chaos. It runs from November 2 - 24. Go to bsstc.com.au for session times and tickets. Bruce: The Blue Room Theatre A new two man, one puppet show by Tim Watts and Wyatt Nixon-Lloyd that runs from November 19 December 7. Go to blueroom.org.au for more. Cavalia: The White Big Top This magnificent equestrian event combines spectacle and acrobatic skill reminiscent of Cirque Du Soleil with jaw-dropping displays of horsemanship and derring-do. From December 4 - 29. Head for cavalia. net for more.
MUSIC Nosferatu - Symphony Of Horror: Perth Cultural Centre A Halloween screening of F.W. Murnau’s seminal vampire film, with live musical accompaniment by MotET (Music Of The Electronic Times). Film begins at 8pm on October 31, entry is free.
FESTIVALS Proximity Festival: PICA 12 intimate performances created for an audience of one. One artist and one audience member alone in a space together. Runs until November 2. For details, head to proximityfestival.com. Fremantle Festival: Various Locations, Fremantle Over 100 events across two weeks, encompassing a staggering variety of forms and media. Runs until November 10. Go to fremantle.wa.gov.au for details. Hola Mexican Film Festival: Cinema Paradiso This celebration of south of the border cinema runs from November 14 - 24. Go to holamexicoff.com for more. The Beaufort Street Festival: Beaufort Street, Mt Lawley On Saturday, November 16, Beaufort Street is transformed into a Mecca of music, art, culture, shopping and food in a celebration of the inner city spirit. Go to beaufortstreetfestival.com.au for details.
To have your performance, exhibition or cultural event listed, get in touch via
localmusicarts@xpressmag.com.au New Dawn by Donald Waters 27
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Didier Cohen – Dids to his friends – is rightly considered an inspirational and upstanding figure and perhaps, a misunderstood pretty boy. From a seemingly difficult upbringing, to living the high life, to battles with depression and drugs, he’s now come full circle. RK speaks to the actor, model, TV and radio personality, ahead of his DJ set at Pridefest Celebration. “Where do you start talking about yourself?” asks the American-born Cohen as the discussion opens with the inevitable question about his challenging life as a teen. “I mean there’s no quick answer.” His response isn’t stymied by reservation or reluctance. Rather, it becomes apparent that for Cohen, life is an opportunity not to be overlooked, despite its trials and tribulations. “I had great parents and growing up for me was great, but things started going downhill for me when I was about 12-years-old,” he explains. “I was a really insecure young kid and got into trouble and ended up going to four middle and five high schools.” This eventually saw him kicked out of home.“My life at that time was a product of me; I was a fighter and rebel, a real troublemaker. I talk to my parents and their friends now about my behavior and they all agree that I was just an insecure child.” There’s no doubt that as a teenager, Cohen fell on some very dark times. “I was homeless and I really had to find my own way. As a result I’m a huge advocate for the notion that people need to go through hard times to get to the good. There is no light without the dark,” he states. “At 17, I got this job with Sony in A&R and instead of using that as an opportunity to turn my life around, I kept going down the same path - I was in trouble with the law and if I hadn’t been discovered by a model scout on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles at 21, who knows what might have happened?” CONTINUED ON PAGE 30.
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you from being successful is stopping. You know you’re going through bad times but you also need to know that things will improve - they have to.” So the adage goes something like this: you’re nothing without your past and as a 28-yearold, Cohen’s thankful that it was the opportunity to migrate to Australia that transformed his life and ultimately rehabilitated him. “I’m not a jock,” he claims defensively. “I didn’t grow up playing sport and doing all that. Modeling just became a platform for me. I took it as a blessing and stopped partying hard and quit everything, essentially cold turkey.” Admitting it was hard at first, coupled with the negative thoughts permeating through his psyche, things weren’t immediately easy. Perseverance paid though. “I don’t think I’m this good-looking dude or whatever. When someone says, ‘come to a country where you don’t know anyone’ - that isn’t easy. But at the same time, it was physically impossible to get caught up with the people I was involved with in the past. I just realised I needed to better myself and wanted to grow and grow.” And grow he did. Fast-forward to 2013 and Cohen is a leading voice of his generation, the golden pinup boy for his younger compatriots. His resume is extensive now - and he isn’t yet done. Appearing in film shorts and on the TV series The Apprentice has given him the opportunity to pursue a creative outlet through his relationship with fashion retailer, Cotton On. “I quit modeling in 2009 and didn’t think I would ever do it again but when they (Cotton On) contacted me, something clicked - a quintessential brand that wanted to give me a voice and the chance to create my own collection. It has been a great partnership.” You can also add to his resume his work as host on a revamped judging panel alongside Jennifer Hawkins on Australia’s Next Top Model, he’s also a DJ, producer and ambassador and tireless volunteer for underprivileged youth. “I could never CONTINUED FROM COVER. be one of these people who turned up once at a Didier Cohen fundraiser. I’ve lived the dream now and this is Living in the City Of Angels with its perpetual what I want to do with my life. I want to make my sunshine, celebrity and pizzazz - it wouldn’t be mark on this world and give back - there is still so too hard to get caught up in the whirlwind of it all. much to do. Every day people contact me and ask, But partying as a 17-year-old in the music industry ‘Is there a point?’ The simple answer is yes - never give up.” didn’t get him very far. “It all came back to find me,” he admits, reflecting on his time in the music business. “I knew what I wanted to do and I thought I knew how » DIDIER COHEN to do it. What I learnt from that period was that » SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 2 @ PRIDEFEST CELEBRATION, if you’re going to make bad choices, make sure RUSSELL SQUARE, NORTHBRIDGE you learn from them. The only thing that stops
WAM AWARDS - ‘ELECTRONIC ACT OF THE YEAR’ AND THE NOMINEES ARE... It’s interested to see most of the nominees in this year’s ‘Electronic Act Of The Year’ category have kept things relatively underground over the past six months, yet their mix of psyched-out, experimental and soul flavours have earned them an industry-voted nomination. RACHEL DAVISON takes a look at the contenders.
Savoir Diger Rokwell
DIGER ROKWELL
Rokwell is the only nominee in the category this year who has actively been churning out the records and pushing things forward in a big way. He won ‘Electronic Producer Of The Year’ in last year’s WAM Awards, released the Build My EP and followed it up in July with Innersense. Last week he also launched his debut album, New Parts with Felicity Groom. “It’s always nice to be recognised for something that you make in your home studio that you really make for yourself as a form of expression, and then release to the wider world and people actually listen?! I am really proud to be nominated (in three categories all up), it’s been a good year.”
SAVOIR
Savoir is Andrew Sinclair, James Ireland and Mei Saraswati. They put out some African inspired percussive beats and M.I.A style vocals on single, Zinli Rhythm which they released in January and have been slowly working on more material. But given Mei Saraswati has also been nominated in her own right, it’s not surprising that Sinclair has a more community orientated approach to awards: “I’m very happy enough people enjoy Savoir, but I don’t really have any desire to be seen as better or more successful as any of the many other fantastic WA musicians out there. We’re all part of an amazing artistic community that exists because of many unique artists, not because of any one exceptional individual(s).”
Skarlett Saramore Sven Väth
Pridefest’s Rainbow Nation, running from November 2-23 will close with a bang on Saturday night, November 23 at The Court Hotel with Sydney’s drumming DJ, Skarlett Saramore. She’s taken The King of Ibiza, Sven Väth, will bring his Cocoon Stage Court by storm every time she’s played there in full techno glory to Future Music Festival on Sunday, sometimes stripping to her underwear and jumping March 2 at Arena Joondalup. Väth is coming off from behind the decks to belt it out on a drum kit. the back of another successful season at Amnesia, On the night she’ll be joined by party boy Adam Ibiza, and this will be his sixth visit to the festival! Love and urban DJ, Nino Brown. Get your tickets He’s crafted a stellar lineup to join him including via Eventbrite. Chilean-born star Luciano plus Dubfire, Maya Jane Coles, Guy Gerber and some local artists to be announced soon. Head to futuremusicfestival.com. au for ticket info.
FESTIVAL COCOON
Cyril Hahn Alex Metric
BASIC MIND
Basic Mind aka Tim Loughman is perhaps better known as guitar/bass player and then drummer in the band, Mei Saraswati Astral Travel and Bermuda, but over the past year he’s been riding an electronica wave, creating some interesting minimal techno and nostalgic ambient The lovely Mei Saraswati has taken a bit of step back works. A surprising, but not undeserving nominee, from things of late after being pretty active for the given he’s been playing some well chosen shows at last two making her tribal pop and soul creations. The Bakery and The Bird. Check out: soundcloud.com/ She tells us she actively rested after getting offers basicmind. from people that sounded too much like business - “I realised how much music has become commodity. I’ve thought a lot about music and its spiritual role and how instead, music is being prostituted... I spent » WAM AWARDS this year picking everything apart and reflecting.” » FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8 @ THE ASTOR THEATRE Take a listen at: soundcloud.com/mei-saraswati
MEI SARASWATI
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BOY WONDER
Swiss-born producer Cyril Hahn has been making a name for himself remixing R&B royalty like Destiny’s UK DJ/producer Alex Metric is heading to Perth for a Child, Mariah Carey and Jessie Ware. With a unique show at Parker on Friday, December 13. He took out ability to strip back iconic pop tracks into a new Breakthrough Producer at the 2008 Breakspoll Awards, realm of atmospheric bliss, Hahn has reworked recent produces for the likes of The Infadels, Charli XCX and hits by Sigur Ros, Solange and HAIM and collectively Adam Freeland, and earlier this year dropped his clocked over 10 million plays across YouTube and latest EP, Ammunition Pt 3 on Skrillex’s OWSLA label. SoundCloud. With the release of his debut single, Expect face-twisting basslines and support from Perfect Form, he’s heading to Aus for the very first locals, Philly Blunt, Axen and Paradise Paul. Tickets time, playing The Bakery on Saturday, January 4. Tickets details to be announced soon. on sale via Moshtix.
THE METRIC SYSTEM
BEHIND THE DECKS UP CLOSE & PERSONAL WITH LEWI MCKIRDY Quick overview of your year: Well in 2013 I once buried 12 dead birds with my friends. I haven’t told anyone about that yet because I don’t know if it was the right thing to do or not. Also I’m now debt free (besides HECS) so I’ve been blowing my disposable income on minerals and rocks, just like (spoiler alert!) Hank in Breaking Bad. My fav is Pyrite. Best track to open Lewi McKirdy and close a DJ set with? Open? Elton John - Bennie And The Jets. Close? Beastie Boys and Biz Markie covering Elton John’s Bennie And The Jets. Give me a microphone I can sing like Biz! Favourite new track? Well right this second I’m hard out into Jake Bullit’s Moonshine. It’s a racing car funk breakdown.
Basic Mind
BURSTING WITH PRIDE
Weirdest tune you’ve ever played? San Cisco’s Beach - not weird normally but if you play it backwards the chorus vaguely says some shit about the dark lord eating ribs. It’s fucked up. Strangest thing that’s happened while on the radio? Once at a community radio station I was doing a show at 3am and a guy broke in, but get this - he didn’t have hands! I have no idea how he did it. I asked and he wouldn’t say so the cops came and arrested him and now he’s in jail and writes me letters saying he’s going to get me. I don’t know how he’s doing that either. Freaky! How did they handcuff him? Apart from hosting the WAMi’s, playing a DJ set and checking out WA bands... what else are you going to do in Perth? My mate Mill lives there. He’s a bloody legend. Last
time we were in Perth together we found a gun in a bin. We should’ve handed it to the cops but instead we went and shot the remaining bullets at his boss’s car because his boss made him stay late once. It was so fun. You should have seen his face!
» LEWI MCKIRDY » FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8 @ WAM AWARDS, THE ASTOR THEATRE [MC] » SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 9 @ WAM FESTIVAL’S NIGHT VISIONS #1, THE BAKERY [DJ SET]
SALT NIGHTS OUT
Invictus
FLEX When: First Saturday of every month at Flawless Nightclub, Subiaco between 9pm and 4am. Ethos: Get loose and party! Expect to hear: Electro, booty breaks, jump-up/ neuro/drum’n’bass, trap, dubstep, drumstep. Next lineup: Invictus & MC Webbz, The Neurocyantists, Castasia b2b XFade, Rexop, Breaks Media, LWood, Jaawa. Cool stuff: You can purchase VIP booths with table service. There’s drink promotions at all events including shots and cocktails. In December they’re having a “beach wear” party so it’s likely to get hectic. Attend if...: You want a good night out with a diversity of heavy bass music
» FLEX » SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 2 @ FLAWLESS #youshouldreadxpress
LEMAITRE
MUSICAL SCIENCE Multi-instrumental Norwegian duo, Lemaitre, have snuck their name onto the Stereosonic bill next month, bringing their ideal mix of disco-infused sounds from their Relativity EP series. TOM KITSON spoke to Ketil Jansen and Ulrik Denizou ahead of their visit.
Andre Crom
ANDRE CROM
Sharing an interest in disco-house influenced production, the guys got together straight after high school to start the Lemaitre project, named after Belgian physics Professor Georges Lemaitre. In four years they have released five EP’s, with songs like this year’s Continuum earning considerable online attention and radio airplay. The feel-good nature of their music fits perfectly within a summer setting, as does their relaxed attitude, despite the swift-making of a global name for themselves. “We were influenced originally by Daft Punk and Justice,” says Jansen. “Now we like to think we’ve become our own little niche in a way. We didn’t have
many expectations to begin with, but we were really confident in the music we wanted to make and are really proud of it so far.” “We’ve always made the music we wanted to make,” Denizou elaborates further. “We just find grooves and really don’t think too much about it.” The chilled vibe of the band shows they have the utmost confidence in their music and are simply doing what they like, bouncing off the influences of music they like and coming out with a disco-pop sound that seems to have broad appeal. Their formation came from the decision to commit to music for at least a year together to see where it went, and this early focus and drive has reaped rewards. “We decided to take a year off to do music,” Denizou explains. “It just went uphill from there and continued, so here we are.” As many musicians do today, they found an early following through social media and online channels. “We just put our music out there from the start,” Denizou says. “We had a Soundcloud and Facebook page to feature our music. Pretty soon we got picked up by blogs, with a lot of help from the videos that our friend Joe makes for us, and eventually we went to number one on iTunes.” Speaking about their career as if they just fell into it, it seems the band best express themselves through the music they create together. Both sing and share duties on the various instruments and on the electronic side of things as well.
Lemaitre Choosing their name also seemed obvious to them, since they like to utilise scientific influences in their music videos. “Georges Lemaitre came up with The Big Bang Theory,” Jansen says. “So from that, science has been a recurring theme in our music and visuals.” They’ll be aiming to produce an album in 2014 or as soon as they have time to, with their hectic touring schedules they have to balance playing shows and making new music. “Hopefully we can make an album next year, but we will need quite some time,” Denizou says. “We are working on some stuff now which will be finished in time for Stereosonic - so we’ll see; we might premiere a few new tracks.”
» LEMAITRE » SUNDAY, DECEMBER 1 @ STEREOSONIC, CLAREMONT SHOWGROUNDS
LABELLED OFF
As an up-and-coming producer, Andre Crom began experimenting with Ableton software and quickly garnered a name for himself as a stellar DJ and producer. Being picked up by labels like Liebe*Detail, Leftroom, Sender and Bpitch didn’t hurt either. RK talks with the deep house master about all things OFF. The softly spoken and unassuming Crom can’t contain his excitement as he chimes down the line from his hotel room in Amsterdam, where he’s staying for the Amsterdam Dance Event festivities. “I’m pretty busy preparing for our (OFF Recordings) label night; we’re really excited about that,” he says. With that he reminisces about the influence ‘90s dance culture had on him - and to some degree still has. “This all started really, when I was coming up; I was massively into ‘90s house and still like it today,” he explains. “With time passing and my taste evolving, nowadays my inspirations are more diverse.” He now describes his sound as more of a tool-based and modern tech-house vibe, akin to more electronic pop like SBTRKT and The xx. His studio work too is keeping him busy as he proudly describes a recent collaboration with newbie, Chi Thanh. “His name may be new, but he is a very experienced producer and songwriter who has finally started his solo project,” Crom says. “Together we’ve just remixed the #1 UK charting band, The 1975 as well as having a few more projects in the works.” He suggests the project showcases a more melodic and musical approach to club music than people might recognise him for presently. It also affords him the luxury of steering clear of the commercial mediocrity often associated with electronic music. His words of wisdom to this end are profound. “Commercial music - those songs are designed to catch the biggest possible audience within the first second and they do this pretty well for many people, but the price is that the music is superficial and mostly cheesy. Underground dance music works differently, you need to take time to get into it and let yourself fall into it, but the reward is that it can touch you on a deeper level and arouse more refined emotions - that’s what I love about it.” And that opinion is one commonly shared by many of his colleagues also based in his native Berlin. “The scene there is exciting and we are all working hard to do good things; the extremely liberal laws and general attitude in the city allow for things that are impossible in other places - like parties that last the whole weekend. And the low living costs and great number of artists, labels and clubs in Berlin make it very attractive for DJs and producers.” He rolls into what we can expect from his sets in Australia. “I love playing a mix of deep, tech, and more ‘wasted’ house music, depending on the time, location and crowd. If I play a three-hour set, I usually mix in a lot of influences and styles to tell a real story. I have heard nothing but good things about the crowds there (in Aus) and all the Aussies I’ve ever met were really great people!”
» ANDRE CROM » THURSDAY, OCTOBER 31 @ THE COLLECTIVE HALLOWEEN PARTY, MALT www.xpressmag.com.au
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Deadline Monday 5pm. The Club Manual is a service to advertisers listing all DJs & Dance Music. All inclusions are at the discretion of X-Press. Email guide@xpressmag.com.au
CAPITOL
THE COURT
WEDNESDAY 30/10
THURSDAY 31/10
Amplifier/Capitol – Halloween Wednesdays The Bird – Internet Rap is Fking Up My Social Life The Brass Monkey – Victor Captain Stirling – Lokie Shaw/ Jason Dewey The CauseWay - Dialectrix Club Red Sea – Cheek Halloween Party Gold Bar - Famous Wednesdays Halloween edition with The D’Vauz Bros The Grand Central – Fiveo Groove Bar (Crown) – DJ Crazy Craig Leederville Hotel (upstairs) – Haunted Hotel Halloween Eve The Llama Bar – Akuna Club Mustang Bar - DJ James MacArthur Newport Hotel – Zombie Ball Players Bar - Why Wait Wednesday? ft. DJ Ambadextrus Sovereign Arms – Jordan Scott The Village Bar - Village People Wednesdays The Velvet Lounge – Vida Cain/ Rag’N’Bone
Artbar – Chet Faker The Beat (downstairs) - Fantasy Thursdays The Bird – Back In The Day Reloaded The Brass Monkey – Vicktor & James Ess The Causeway - Xport Thursdays Club Bay View - DJ Matty S & DJ Ben Renna Club Red Sea – Candyshop The Craftsman – Fiveo The Dusborough – RoK DJ Eve Nightclub - Retro Thursdays ft. DJ Crazy Craig Flyrite – Pat Chow Single Launch Geisha Bar – Darkness Falls On Wonderland Kalamunda - Grizzly Leisure Inn - DJ Peta Malt – Andre Crom Mustang Bar - DJ James MacArthur Newport Hotel - Tiki Bar Open Mic Night Ocean One – Lokie Shaw Villa – Metric Halloween Party
14KT - Sunday, November 3 @ The Rosemount
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FRIDAY 01/11 Air Nightclub - VIP Platinum Fridays Ambar – Challenger Ready Halloween Amplifier - Fridays Are Back The Avenue - DJ Lokie Shaw The Aviar y - Troy D i v i s i o n / NDORSE/ Tomas Ford The Bakery – ICSSC Floor Show #2 The Beat (downstairs) – PLAY The Bird – Electric Toad/ Rum Jungle/ Yokohomos The Brass Monkey – James Ess & George Greene C5 – Residence ft. Bass Attics Capitol - Capitol Fridays Capitol (upstairs) - I Love 80’s & 90’s Daily Planet - Sundowner Sessions The Carine – Jimmy Beats The Causeway – Acoustic Sundowner The Como – Garrison Connections - Aerea Negrot The Craftsman – Sonny The Deen - Student Night Empire Bar – Howie Morgan/ Matt Riley/ Jordan Flawless - Monarch Fridays Flyrite – Friday Night Market The Generous Squire – Defanulty Gilkinsons – Halloween Fest 2013 Ginger Nightclub - Mondos “Feel Good” Dance Party Gold Bar – Friday Vanity
The Good Shepherd – Throwback! The Grand Central – Jay Mackay Groove Bar (Crown) - DJ Crazy Craig Lakers Tavern – Grizzly Library – Sneaky Mustang Bar - Swing DJ/ Cheeky Monkeys/ DJ James MacArthur My Place - Karaoke Newport - Gravity Paramount – Flyte/ Dj John/Jordan Players Bar - Hooch The Queens - Reuben Rocket Room - Howlers ft DJ Frank N Bean The Saint – Mikeee Shape Bar: The Switch Sovereign Arms – Jordan Scott Tiger Lil’s The Whale & Ale – DJ Spinback YaYa’s - ACE ft DJ Pup
SATURDAY 02/11 Ambar - Japan 4 ft. Mo’Fly/ Dead Easy/ Tee EL/ Bezwun/ Marko Paulo Amplifier - Pure Pop The Aviary – Zel/Samuel Spencer/ NDORSE The Bakery - Anton Franc EP Launch The Balmoral - Back To The 80’s Bar 120 – Little Nicky/ Jordan Scott Beat Nightclub (Upstairs) - CANVAS The Bird – Sugarpuss/ Thee Gold Blooms/ Steve A Hughes Brass Monkey – DJ Peta & Grizzly The Brighton – Squinty C5 Metro Freo - I Love 80s & 90s Capitol - Death Disco ft. Death Disco DJs Capitol (Upstairs) - Cream of the 80s The Causeway - House Party The Civic Hotel – Forstora/ Got Sharks?/Medicine/Constructs
AMPLIFIER
Club Red Sea – Fresh Saturdays The Como – Jay Mackay The Court – Pride Parade Day East End Bar – Home Empire Bar – James Shipstone/ Miggy Flawless – LQ Saturdays Flyrite - FΔMILY Flawless – Cube Generous Squire – Jon Ee Gold Bar – Saturday Pure Gold The Good Shepherd - Chocolate Jesus The Grand – Armee Groove Bar (Crown) - DJ Dan Leederville Hotel (downstairs) – Under The Arena Party The Library - DJ Victor / DJ Riki Lost Society - Chalk (indie/ hip hop) Metro Freo – Metropolis Saturdays Mojos - Dialectrix Parker - Parker Saturdays ft Tone/ Lukas Wimmler/ Axen/ KNO Agents/ Jackness Paramount – Felix/DJ John/Jordan Players Bar – LUXE The Queens – Kenny L Russel Square Northbridge Rainbow Nation ft. Sneaky Sound System/ Didier Cohen/ Sarah McLeod/ Sun City/ Tomas Ford The Saint – Aviji Dey Sovereign Arms – Dazman Tiger Lil’s – Dj Bojan/Benjamin Sebastian/Alex Koresis Villa – Halloween @ Villa The Whale & Ale – DJ Spinback The Wembley Hotel – Lokie Shaw William St & James St – Pride Parade Wolf Lane - Soulville YaYa’s – Arcadia All Nighter
Lowtec - Friday, November 1 @ Geisha
SUNDAY 03/11 The Aviary (Rooftop) – Rooftop Sessions NDORSE/Troy Division/Ben Sebastian Empire Bar - DJ Victor/ DJ Riki Eve Nighclub – DJ Slick Groove Bar (Crown) - DJ Crazy Craig Lakers Tavern - DJ Hages Mustang Bar - DJ Rockin’ Rhys Newport - DJ Tom Drummond Rosemount Hotel – The Get Down ft. 14KT The Saint - DJ Jon Ee/ Az-T
The Queens – Jimmy Beats & Sam Spencer
MONDAY 04/11 Mustang Bar - Triple Shots The Rosemount Hotel - Bada Bingo!
TUESDAY 05/11 Mustang Bar - Danza Loca Salsa Night
Sneaky Sound System
PRIDEFEST’S RAINBOW NATION FT. SNEAKY SOUND SYSTEM & MORE
Chet Faker - Thursday, October 31 @ ARTBAR
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 2 @ RUSSELL SQUARE
#youshouldreadxpress
See yourself? Tag yourself! Head to facebook.com/XPressMagazine
PORTER ROBINSON
VILLA
MUSTANG BAR
CAUSEWAY
IN THE HIS WEEK
Saturday, November 9 @ Geisha Skarlett Saramore, Adam Alex Metric ft. Philly Blunt, Love & Nino Brown and The Bakery Axen & Paradise Paul Saturday, November 23 @ The Friday, December 13 @ Parker Chet Faker Court Thursday, October 31 @ ARTBAR Chela Sunday, November 10 @ The Tube & Berger Art Department and Jacques Friday, December 13 @ Geisha Bird Metric Halloween Party Lu Cont ft. Shadow Brothers Thursday, October 31 @ Villa Sunday, November 24 @ Parker Looptroop Rockets/Sage Kid Mac Wednesday, November 13 @ Andre Crom Francis D u s t i n Te b u t t & G r a c e Mojos Bar Thursday, October 31 @ Malt Wednesday, December 18 @ Thursday, November 14 @ Woodroofe Sunday, November 24 @ The Villa Challenger Ready: Halloween Prince Of Wales, Bunbury Friday, November 15 @ YaYa’s Aviary Friday, November 1 @ Ambar Waka Flocka Flame Saturday, November 16 @ Settlers Tavern, Margaret River Wild for the Night ft. Kid Thursday, December 19 @ Aerea Negrot Metropolis Fremantle F r i d a y , N o v e m b e r 1 @ Sunday, November 17 @ Indi Bar Kenobi Friday, November 29 @ Parker Connections Dim Mak presents Botnek Shed Thursday, November 14 @ Stereosonic Friday, December 20 @ Parker Lowtec S a t u r d a y, N o v e m b e r 3 0 Ambar Friday, November 1 @ Geisha and Sunday, December 1 @ Breakfest ft. Stanton Warriors/ Claremont Showgrounds Tama Sumo & Heatsick Dialectrix LTJ Bukem/Plump DJs & Saturday, November 2 @ Mojos F r i d a y, N o v e m b e r 1 5 @ More The Bamboos Connections Thursday, December 26 @ Thursday, December 5 @ Anton Franc EP Launch Belvoir Amphitheatre Capitol Saturday, November 2 @ The Fresh Produce Friday, November 15 @ Ambar Bakery Salt On The Beach ft. De La SCNDL Soul Rainbow Nation ft. Sneaky Back 2 The Old Skool Anthems Friday, December 6 @ Parker Tuesday, December 31 @ North Sound System/ Didier Cohen/ Night ft. Ian M Fremantle Sarah McLeod/ Sun City/ Saturday, November 16 @ Todd Terry Saturday, December 7 @ Gilkisons Tomas Ford Origin ft. Wiz Khalifa/A$AP Geisha Bar Saturday, November 2 @ Russell Rocky The Beaufort Street Festival Square, Northbridge ft. Lilt, Bastian’s Happy Flight, Slanted & Enchanted ft. Jon Tuesday, December 31 @ Ozone Hopkins/Le1f/Kelpe/Lower Reserve Anton Franc & more The Get Down ft. 14KT Sunday, November 3 @ The Saturday, November 16 @ Spectrum & more Saturday, December 7 @ The Cuban Club ft. De La Soul/ Beaufort Street, Mt Lawley Rosemount Bakery DJ Yoda Allday Wednesday, January 1 @ The Saturday, November 16 @ The Natural NZ Music Festival ft. Flying Squadron Yacht Club Kora, Nesian Mystik, Optimus Bakery Gryme & more Suburban Dark ft. Jewson Club Paradiso ft. Bag Raiders & Saturday, December 7 @ Red Finnebassen Thursday, November 7 @ Flyrite Yacht Club DJs Saturday, November 16 @ Hill Auditorium Wednesday, January 1 @ Salt On Getter Geisha 15th Annual Perth Dance The Beach Friday, November 8 @ Shape Music Awards Big Sean Amon Vision: Black & Red Party Sunday, November 17 @ Capitol Sunday, December 8 @ The Cyril Hahn Saturday, January 4 @ The Court Friday, November 8 @ Villa Bakery Mix Master Mike Chic & Nile Rodgers Optiv & BTK Friday, November 22 @ Villa Sunday, December 8 @ The AVICII Saturday, November 9 @ Villa Astor Theatre Monday, January 27 @ Perth Andy Stott Container Friday, November 22 @ Gilkisons Arena Sets On The Beach ft. Miami Saturday, November 9 @ The Horror/DJ Snake/Alison St Jerome’s Laneway Festival ft. Velvet Lounge District Friday, November 22 @ Ambar Wonderland/Fort Knox Five/ Cashmere Cat/ Earl Sweatshirt/ Psychemagik/Punks Jump Four Tet/ Jamie XX Alex Smoke Up Saturday, November 9 @ Geisha Mr Grevis S a t u r d a y, F e b r u a r y 8 @ Friday, November 22 @ The S u n d a y , D e c e m b e r 8 Esplanade Park & West End, @ Scarborough Beach WA M Fe s t i va l ’s S a t u r d a y Rosemount Fremantle Spectacular ft. Bastian’s Happy Saturday, November 23 @ Amphitheatre Flight, Ylem & Dease, The Prince Of Wales, Bunbury M inistr y of Sound: The Future Music ft. Deadmau5/ Weapon Is Sounds & more Saturday, November 9 @ venues Bombs Away & Ivan Gough Annual Tour ft. Uberjak’d Macklemore & Ryan Lewis/ Phoenix/ Hardwell in Northbridge Saturday, November 23 @ Metro and Chardy Friday, December 13 @ Parker Sunday, March 2 @ Arena City Joondalup WAM Festival’s Night Visions
COMING UP
www.xpressmag.com.au
Booka Shade. Photo by Ben Riches
BOOKA SHADE + DIGITALISM WUNDERBAR! Micah/DIGITALISM/BOOKA SHADE @ Villa Friday, October 25, 2013 Welcome Germans, welcome! Come back anytime please because holy diggity, you take care of us. No not via pretzels and beer, but by the two shit hot, classy acts you graced us with at Villa on Friday night. Digitalism and Booka Shade. Boys, you delivered. There are a few fantastic people in and around the place at the moment, mainly for the Fat As Butter festival in Newcastle so for a sideshow, we thank those responsible. Evident from the profuse love above, they were wunderbar! Let’s flesh out the details. Major props go out to our local boy, Micah for winding up the room until witching hour. Villa’s punters were well beginning to frenzy before Digitalism took to the decks thanks to Micah (Ambar resident and one half of the WAM Song Of The Year-nominated Black & Blunt whose EP comes out in November). He was definitely proof that we know how to kick it locally. That said we always open our arms, hearts, our semi-destroyed eardrums to those who come across the seas to visit. Cue Digitalism - Hamburg heroes and the two boys that brought us Pogo and Zdarlight way back on their 2007 EP, Idealism. Though they were perhaps fresher back then and have maybe lost a bit of their edge, playing it pretty safe this time around. It seemed to suit the night’s ambiance though and the crowd really dug what they were throwing out.
Jens Moelle and Ismail Tuefekci were characteristically relaxed. They tended towards a more electro-house repertoire, mixing in some of their regular Daft Punk and The Prodigy, but also a little Run-DMC, which is always appreciated at Villa. The atmosphere was absolutely pumping and the duo managed to contain the energy, driving it up and settling it, but never fully letting it go out of control. This could have faltered if the crowd wasn’t with them - it was a tease, but it worked. It was Booka Shade though that really lifted the lid on the joint. They took over like the daddy’s of EDM. Their hypnotic sounds, synths, and drum beats had every person in the palm of their hand - and they knew it. Walter Merziger is incredibly sexual… basically caresses the decks. Like seasoned professionals, Merziger and Arno Kammermeier seemed to move around each other like they could have done it with their eyes closed, laying driving techno-house over the crowd. At one point after such a build up, the two just raised the level and the volume and the floor went collectively nuts. They kept things minimal - no drum kits this time, just DJing and some bits of hardware, but still entertaining to watch, despite the subtlety. They kept spinning after their 3am finish time, much to the delight of a chockfull Villa.
» HAYLEY DAVIS
33
SATURDAY SPECTACULAR WHERE TO BEGIN? Perth Cultural Centre PICA Amphitheatre - X-Press Launch Stage
Abbe May Photo: David Collins
Jordi Davieson
Tomás Ford
WAM FESTIVAL 2013 Let’s Go...
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 7
WAM Festival Music Conference Time: 10am – 4.30pm Place: State Library of Western Australia Theatre, PICA Performance Space and West Australian Museum Tunnel Theatrette About: The ideas fest continues. Let you conference be your guide! showticketing.com.au/events/music/wam-conference/
WAM Festival Music Conference Time: 10am – 4.30pm Place: State Library of WA Theatre, PICA Performance Space and WA Museum Tunnel Theatrette About: Two days, 50 industry speakers including keynoters Michael Chugg, Adalita and Catherine WA Music Awards Haridy, plus one-on-one sessions. Tickets $100-$130. showticketing.com.au/events/music/wam-conference/ Time: 8pm – late Place: The Astor Theatre, Mount Lawley About: The WA music industry’s night of nights to FULL LIST OF SPEAKERS Adam Trainer (RTRFM 92.1), Adam Zammit (Big Day celebrate the year that was, plus live performances Out/Peer Group Media – NSW), Al Dawson(Earache from San Cisco’s Jordi Davieson, Mama Kin, The Records’ – USA), Allegra Caldwell (InSync – Love Junkies, Abbe May and more. Tickets $50. NSW ), Andy Rantzen (Australia Council for the showticketing.com.au/articles/events/music/wamArts – NSW), Annmarie McMath (I Hear Motion awards/ - VIC), Becc Bates (Arts South Australia – SA), Bob Gordon (X-Press Magazine), Cam Merton (Hidden Shoal Recordings), Chloe Goodyear (Woodford Folk Saturday Spectacular Festival – QLD), Clive Hodson (Perfect Pitch Publishing Time: Midday – midnight – NSW),Danny Rogers (St. Jerome’s Laneway/Lunatic Place: Various venues throughout Northbridge Entertainment - NSW), Darren de Mello (96FM), About: Over 100 WA acts across 12 stages, including 4 David Chitty (Sunset Events), Dom Alessio (Triple outdoors, and all free. See line-up on this page J – NSW), Emily Lubitz (Tinpan Orange - VIC), Evan Alexander (Heapsaflash - QLD), Grace Barbé, Hayley Night Visions Dart (Country Arts WA),Heath Bradby (Fidelity Time: 7pm ‘til late Corporation/Warner – NSW), Jodie Regan (Spinning Place: The Bakery or Geisha Bar, Northbridge Top Music/Tame Impala), John Wardle (National Live About: Your choice of two huge after parties to send Music Office – NSW), Kate Mills (Native Tongue - off the festival, it’s up to you to make up your vision. VIC), Kurt Beaudoin (Meerkats), Lee Hunter (YouTube It’s indie-beats at The Bakery with Lewi – USA), Leigh Treweek ( The Music – VIC), Leon McKirdy (triple J), Gilded, Masonik, Craig McElhinney, Ewing (WAM), Luke Rinaldi (Sweet Mate Music), Mama Adam Trainer (DJ set), Smrts, Usurper Of Modern Kin, Martin Elbourne (UK), Meg Williams (AAM – Medicine, Pex (DJ set), Boys Boys Boys! and GRRL PAL. NSW), Michael Szumovski (Alberts - NSW), Millie Free entry ‘til 10pm, $15 thereafter or presales $8 Millgate (Sounds Australia - NSW ), Nicholas from nowbaking.com.au Jones (Tone Deaf - VIC), Nick O’Byrne (AIR/BIGSOUND Or it’s underground electronica at Geisha – VIC), Sebastian Chase (MGM – NSW ), Noah with Alex Smoke (Soma, Glascow), Leure and Future Shilkin (Sonic Lolly), Paul Cashmere (The Noise Network Classic’s Scenic, plus The Monarchy, Craig Hollywood, – VIC),Pete Guazzelli (Department of Culture and the Emerald Cabal & Reece Walker, James A and JK Robot. Arts), Rene Chambers (Spotify – NSW),Samantha Entry is $10 for members, $15 for general public on the Nakhoul (WSOU – USA), Scott Fitzsimmon (TheMusic. door. com.au/Your Daily SPA - NSW), Simon Collins (The West Australian/The Wire), Steve Kulak (Fuse Music Group Kiss My Camera Exhibition - NSW),Aarom Wilson (WAM/aaromedia) and Will Time: 9.30am – 5pm (continues every day until Lanarch-Jones (Parallel Management – NSW). Sunday, 8 December) Place: Western Australian Museum, Perth Singapore Showcase About: An exhibition of 50 of the best images Time: 5pm – 7pm showcasing the exciting and dynamic work of WA’s Place: PICA Bar, Northbridge music photography community. Photographers: About: A free performance featuring three acts Alanna Kusin, Amber Bateup, Brad Lambert, Brandon from Singapore as part of the Singapore WA Music Davies, Caleb Macintyre, Courtnie Hayes, Dan Bedford, Exchange. Charlie Lim, Sezairi Sezali and The Sam Dan Grant, David McLoughlin, Dean Smith, Denis Willows will take the stage. Radacic, Dhyan Verco, Elle Borgward, Gareth Andersen, James Gifford, James Kilian, Jasmine Eales, Karen WA Export Showcase Wheatland, Martin McClellan, Michael Farnell, Michael Time: 8pm – late Spencer, Michael Wilson, Nicholas Cooper, Renae Place: The Bakery, Northbridge Harkins, Robert Simeon, Ryan Ammon, Samuel Allen, About: A showcase of some of the best acts WA has Shaun Ferraloro, Suzanne Crosbie, Tanya Voltchanskaya, to offer, featuring Ku ka, Rainy Day Women, Simone & Thomas Davidson and Tracey Wilson. Girlfunkle and Stillwater Giants, plus newly announced acts Warning Birds, Tracksuit and WAM Song Of The Year Winner, Mathas. By The Throat’s 2nd Birthday supported by the WAM Festival WAM Black Metal Showcase Time: 6pm – 10pm Time: 8pm – late Place: YMCA HQ, Leederville Place: Rocket Room, Northbridge About: Celebrating their 2 nd bir thday, BT T About: A heavy-hitting showcase of the most brutal presents a huge line-up of hardcore and metal bands from WA, with Malignant Monster, Advent bands, featuring Common Bond, Xenobiotic, Sorrow, Psychonaut, Mhorgl and Nails Of Imposition, I co n o c l a s t, D ro p b e a r s, As ce n s i o n , H o l l ow plus DJ Cain. Ground and This Existence It’s an all-ages gig, supported by WAM. $5 on the door. By The Throat’s 2nd Birthday Time: 8pm – late Place: Amplifier Bar, Perth About: Celebrating their 2nd birthday, BTT presents a huge line-up of hardcore and metal bands, featuring Common Bond, Iconoclast, Animistic and This Existence, supported by the WAM Festival. $10 on the door.
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 9
Mama Kin
Emperors 34
KUČ KU ČKA
Sugar Army
12.00 - 12.30
Cow Parade Cow
1.00 - 1.30
Apache
2.00 - 2.30
Tired Lion
3.00 - 3.30
Antelope
4.00 - 4.30
Foam
5.00 - 5.30
Husband
6.00 - 6.30
44th Sunset
7.00 - 7.30
Sugarpuss
Universal Bar, Presented by Fairbridge Festival 12.00 - 12.35
Andrew Winton
12.50 - 1.25
Pimps of Sound
1.40 - 2.15
China Doll
2.30 - 3.05
David Craft & Friends
3.20 - 3.55
Justin Walshe Folk Machine
4.10 - 4.55
Ensemble Formidable
5.10 - 6.00
The Weapon is sound
6.20 - 7.00
Grace Barbé
8.00 - 8.30
Sugar Army
The Brass Monkey
9.00 - 9.30
Sons of Rico
12.00 - 12.25
Jordan McRobbie
10.00 - 10.45
Emperors
12.35 - 1.00
Natasha Shanks
1.10 - 1.35
Codie Sundstrom
1.45 - 2.10
Adem K
2.20 - 2.45
Tracey Barnett
Perth Cultural Centre Urban Orchid - Electric Blossom 12.00 - 12.40
The Amani Consort
1.00 - 1.40
Sam Perry
2.00 - 2.40
D-Jeong
3.00 - 3.40
KU KA
4.00 - 4.40
Diger Rokwell
4.40 - 5.40
Everyteen
5.40 - 6.20
NAIK
6.20 - 7.20
Kit Pop vs Zeke
7.20 - 8.00
MmHmmm
8.20 - 9.00
Bastian’s Happy Flight
9.20 - 10.00
Tomás Ford
2.55 - 3.20
Rachel Gorman
3.30 - 4.00
Elk Bell
4.10 - 4.40
Clint Bracknell
4.50 - 5.20
Amanda Merdzan
5.30 - 6.00
Patient Little Sister
Flyrite 12.00 - 12.30
Jack Doepel DJ Set
12.30 - 1.00
Shimmergloom
1.20 - 1.50
Minute 36
2.10 - 2.40
The Disappointed
Perth Cultural Centre Wetlands Stage - Supported by Central Tafe
3.00 - 3.30
True Science
3.50 - 4.20
Our Man in Berlin
12.30 - 1.00
Mentok Commandz Yu
3.50 - 4.20
Sarah Pelicano
1.30 - 2.00
Riley Pearce
5.30 - 6.00
Anton Franc
2.30 - 3.00
ENAV
6.20 - 7.00
Boom! Bap! Pow!
3.30 - 4.00
Elkwood
7.20 - 8.00
The Brow Horn Orchestra
4.30 - 5.00
Kat Wilson
5.30 - 6.00
Edie Green
6.30 - 7.00
The Insatiables
Mustang Bar 12.00 - 12.35
Oz Island
Singapore WA Music Exchange Showcase
12.50 - 1.25
Simon Kelly & The Big Bamboo
7.30 - 8.00
Charlie Lim
1.40 - 2.15
Jake & The Cowboys
8.30 - 9.00
The Sam Willows
2.30 - 3.05
Stoney Joe
9.30 - 10.00
Sezairi
3.20 - 3.55
Graphic Fiction Heroes
4.10 - 4.55
Family Shoveller Band
Northbridge Piazza Featuring RTRFM LIVE BROADCAST and Craft Award Presentations 12.00 - 12.40 1.00 - 1.40 1.20 - 2.00 2.00 - 2.40 2.40 - 3.00 3.00 - 3.40 3.40 - 4.00 4.00 - 4.40 4.40 - 5.00 5.00 - 5.40 5.40 - 6.00 6.00 - 6.40 7.00 - 7.50
Mt. Mountain Flower Drums Craft Award Presentation - Male vocalist or the Year & Female Vocalist of the Year Simone & Girlfunkle Craft Award Presentation Keys/Synth Artist of the Year & Electronic Producer of the Year Dianas Craft Award Presentation Bassist of the Year & Guitarist of the Year Red Engine Caves Craft Award Presentation Drummer/Percussionist of the Year & Multi-Instrumentalist of the Year Man the Clouds Craft Award Presentation - Live Sound Engineer & Recording Engineer of the Year Daramad Autopilot
5.15 - 6.00
Ruby Boots
6.25 - 7.00
The Ghost Hotel
The Bakery 7.00 - 7.30
Gilded
7.30 - 7.50
Masonik DJ Set
7.50 - 8.20
Craig McElhinney
8.20 - 8.40
Adam Trainer DJ Set
8.40 - 9.20
Masonik
9.20 - 9.40
Craig McElhinney DJ set
9.40 - 10.20
Smrts
10.20 - 10.40
Chris Wheeldon DJ set
10.40 - 11.30
Usurper of Modern Medicine
BEAT NIGHTCLUB, Presented by Gun Fever 4.00 - 4.30
Race To Your Face
4.45 - 5.15
Trigger Jackets
5.30 - 6.00
Puck
5.15 - 6.45
Mezzanine
7.00 - 7.30
The Community Chest
7.45 - 8.15
Kill Teen Angst
8.30 - 9.00
Dead Owls
THE BIRD 12.00 - 1.00
Rok Riley
YA YA’S
1.00 - 1.40
Pumba
12.00 - 12.35
2.00 - 2.40
Rabbit Island
12.50 - 1.25
Dux n Downtown
3.00 - 3.40
Flighflow
1.40 - 2.15
Valdaway
4.00 - 4.40
Coin Banks
2.30 - 3.05
Vida Cain
5.00 - 5.40
Lo & Behold
3.20 - 3.55
The Flying Embers
6.00 - 6.40
Wisdom 2th
4.10 - 4.55
Sludge Bucket
7.00 - 7.40
Lilt
5.10 - 6pm
Leeches
8.00 - 8.40
Ylem and Dease
6.15 to 7pm
Scalphunter
8.40 - 9.40 9.40 - 10.20
Sid Pattni Sable
6.15 to 7pm 7.15 to 8pm
Scalphunter Axe Girl
10.20 - 11.20
Ekko and Sidetracked
8.15 to 9pm
FAIM
The Coal Miners Sect
#youshouldreadxpress
SLEEP
The Devil Rides Out/Bayou The Rosemount Hotel Monday, October 28, 2013
THE MORNING NIGHT Warning Birds/Flower Drum Fremantle Arts Centre Saturday, October 2013 The gorgeous Fremantle Arts Centre was filled with beautiful music for the launch of amberola, the new album from talented local six piece The Morning Night. With production by Ricky Maymi of The Brian Jonestown Massacre fame, this well polished offering delighted an audience from across a vast age range under a star-accented sky. The first group to lay down their sweet sounds were the marvellous Flower Drum. While depleted in numbers with two of the usual four piece currently away, the emotional content and almost meditative precision of the group’s work remained rich and full. Awesome ability and a subtle use of effects, paired with exquisite vocals, were the common theme. Through creative use of pitch effects, they also built alien soundscapes that still possessed an organic warmth. The Warning Birds were next to take their place under the softly coloured lights. With a style that is relaxed and genuine while still maintaining a great energy, soaring vocals in the higher register created a mesmerising effect. A variety of instrument changes, including the addition of synth keys, bluesstyle guitars and even a change in lead vocalist made for a varied and well textured listening experience. It was akin to sailing over an ocean of perfectly placed sounds and true inspiration, which included their new track Horrors which apparently stemmed from our
The Morning Night - Photo by Rachael Barrett recent federal election. The Morning Night finally entered the stage for the main event. While the majority of their compositions are positive in nature, their lyrical content seemed to cover anything from love strengthened by pain to images of a fiery personal hell. The Art Centre inner courtyard was filled with the full spectrum of sound aided by measured processing, controlled feedback and outstanding musicianship. From what has obviously been a significant amount of hard work emerged a performance invoking trance-like awe. The harmonies by lead singers Isaura Campbell and Adrian Hoffman were as powerful as ever and at each pause between songs the crowd showed their delight with cascades of applause. There were moments where the smiles painted across each band member’s faces were simply glorious. It’s always wonderful to feel that the love of the music is shared by everyone in the space. For the final few numbers, the band was joined by an expert trumpeter and they finished with an incredibly emotional rendition of George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass. This evening of music was something rare indeed. All three bands managed to create a feeling of timelessness and a sense of something deeply human. The collaboration of artists and bands together was in itself a sort of magic that left me affected by a kind of euphoria. If this is something that The Morning Night can recreate as their path continues, this launch will spark a brand new day and continued success for this ambitious group.
There are few bands where you can actually feel their sound in the pit of your stomach. Legendary San Jose stoner metallers Sleep are one such outfit. Although certain members of the band had played in Perth before in different projects – most notably OM and High On Fire – this was the first chance many of us were gifted the chance to see Sleep on home soil. But first locals Bayou had the opportunity to open for these Californian greats. Creating waves earlier this year with the release of their debut fulllength, these boys are heady proponents of the southern sludge genre. Although a popular choice for many up-and-comers these days, this five-piece hearken back to the glory days of Grief in ’94 – with animal sound samples, gritty vocals and crushing guitars in tow. Definitely a little bit different from the normal fanfare. The Devil Rides Out has had a rollercoaster of a year. And it’s hard not to appreciate just how far they’ve come. Ugly Creatures, the band’s latest EP, reveals an even darker side to this doom ’n’ blues ensemble, one which has seen frontman Joey K spew his soul for audiences more than ever, with the band landed some pretty highranking supports in the last 12 months. Tonight was no different. Following the headliners to Sydney as part of the touring bandwagon, The Devils were well greased for their hometown show – playing a set that treaded between moments of lucidity and madness. New tracks like Empty Sky were slotted between older picks like Mean Season – with the churning guitar rhythms of Andrew Ewing and drummer Nathan Sproule driving their set to that sweet moment of revelation. Seeing Sleep live was an experience that many of us thought we would not see within our lifetime. Another notch in the growing Life Is Noise touring belt, bringing Sleep to Perth after their widely publicised stint at Melbourne’s Release The Bats festival was a coup in itself. But all the hard work was fully realised when the sound of that first riff from 2003’s Dopesmoker hit. You could literally feel the vibration travel through your entire body.
_ JAMES HANLON
Sleep - Photo by Denis Radacic The trio, fronted by bassist Al Cisneros with guitarist Matt Pike and drummer Jason Roeder (Neurosis) treated the Rosemount as their very own studio – shutting out the crowd and just jamming their way through a full hour-and-a-half set of tunes. Working their way through favourites Dragonaut and The Druid, the band even gave a glimpse of newer material – with the hard-hitting rhythms of Magnatar getting some airplay. But it wasn’t until the quieter moments, when the music was given time to build, that we could really appreciate the less-then-delicate nature of Sleep’s art – it’s all in the dynamics, with Holy Mountain’s From Beyond leaving a lasting impression on the ears for days after. _JESSICA WILLOUGHBY
Television - Photo by Rachael Barrett
TELEVISION The Morning Night Fly By Night Monday, October 28. 2013 Without a doubt one of the year’s most anticipated gigs, on Monday night those lucky enough to secure themselves a ticket descended upon the Fly By Night to witness New York underground legends Television perform their landmark debut album, Marquee Moon, on their first ever visit to Australia. With the news of Lou Reed’s passing still fresh in everyone’s minds, the chance to see the original CBGB house band seemed even more poignant and was no doubt exactly what most of the audience was needing. The Morning Night’s Adrian Hoffman & Isaura Campbell kicked things off in fine form, the impressive song writing of Hoffman complimented by the duo’s impeccable voices along with some dreamy guitar, keys and violin. It wasn’t long after the pair left the stage that the venue well and truly packed out and when Tom Verlaine, Fred Smith, Billy Ficca and Jimmy Rip (replacing original guitarist Richard Lloyd) finally walked on stage, the reaction from the crowd sounded as if most people felt they’d already got their money’s worth. The problem with such expectations of a band that some people would’ve been waiting to see their whole lives is the risk of being disappointed. That wasn’t exactly helped by a tediously slow start and some short, disinterested banter. Despite this, the opening riff of See No Evil was so pleasing to the www.xpressmag.com.au
ears that all was forgiven, mostly. Granted, no one was expecting any theatrics but for the first few songs, it seemed a bit of a lost cause… then something happened. During Little Johnny Jewel, front man Verlaine quit staring aimlessly above the crowd, shut his eyes and got completely immersed in the song. Suddenly he had the whole crowd in there with him too and the band well and truly kicked into gear, making it even more exciting than on the record. Opting to play the album on shuffle, so to speak, they prevented the hour and a half set from being predictable, quickly deciding on each song as they went along. Classic tunes like Venus, Torn Curtain and Guiding Light further cemented how Television can fill a song with both swagger and substance with such effortlessness. Although the band didn’t quite play the whole album (Friction was omitted completely), fans were treated to both Glory (from 1978’s ‘Adventure’) and the instrumental Persia, a live jam from their 2002 reunion tour. The twin guitar onslaught from Verlaine & Rip was a true highlight, staying faithful to the more memorable lines before straying into some beautifully out-there tangents that still managed to hold the audience’s attention for the whole journey. Eventually, after teasing everyone with two false starts, they launched into the album’s 11-minute title track and it was an absolute monster of set closer. After a short breather, they encored with Count Five’s Psychotic Reaction before waving goodbye one last time to an adoring crowd who, with word of a new album nearing completion, hopefully won’t have to wait so long until next time. _ TIMOTHY NELSON
Jae Laffer and Paul Otway - Photo by Rachael Barrett
JAE LAFFER Karl Smith/Georgia Fair Upstairs At The Astor Friday, October 25, 2013 Good heavens, there was all sorts of excitement at the Astor Theatre last Friday, even before the show, as the evening’s musicians and familiar faces quaffed a few pre-gig pints at the Scotto. Old friends in new clothes. Whether it was Karl Smith being back in Perth for a rare hometown gig (the night before at Mojo’s Thermos Cardy actually played a few tunes), or ol’ mate Jae Laffer from The Panics, doing his bit in support of his debut solo LP, When The Iron Glows Red, with a new band backing him. There was plenty of opportunities for handshakes and hugs, but added to that was the unveiling of the Astor Theatre’s brand new small band room. Note that the new upstairs venue is not merely the bar area, but the stripped theatrette/green room. It’s a 250-capacity spot; imagine a Shetland version of Sydney’s Metro Theatre, if you will. Karl Smith and his band opened and it was a pleasure as always. The lead guy from Thermos Cardy and Sodastream sang behind keyboards, gently yet confidently taking the audience through his first solo album proper, Kites. The growing audience was entranced, though a little awkward as it tried to feel
comfortable within a new band viewing experience. This room is all about focussing on the artist. Georgia Fair, with a debut album, Trapped Flame, ready to spruik, performed with a unique, shy confidence. Jordan Wilson’s voice rose into the rafters as he strummed acoustically, while Ben Riley tested the soundman’s patience with his repeated requests to turn up the monitors. All in good spirit though, and the pair’s chemistry no doubt won them some new fans here. Jae Laffer and band (including Panics bassist, Paul Otway) took to the stage with a filled room and friendship in the air. Launching into When The Iron Glows Red, the Working Class Hero-recalling title track of his album, the die was cast early. Laffer’s songs evoke strength in subtlety as the countrytinged To Mention Her soon proved. ‘I feel like a lab rat’ Laffer joked, being the room’s first headliner. He wasn’t alone though, as guests like Kill Devil Hills’ Alex Archer and fellow Panic Drew Wootoon (the latter reprising their band’s rarely head Sleeps Like A Curse) joined him onstage. Riley from Georgia Fair also provided some tasty guitar backing on Right Above My Heart. A departing triumvirate of Leaving On Time, Don’t Make Me Wait and Leave A Light On ended this opening night starring a gentleman in a cool new room within a magnificent venue. Well done, Astor people (again, old and the new). _ BOB GORDON 35
Beyond Never
THE BEAT NIGHTCLUB
It’s Halloween week at The Beat starting Thursday, October 31 with Nightclub Of The Living Dead giving you all your ghoulish metal needs from Beyond Never and guests. Friday starts at 8pm with Halloweenfest! Perth’s best post-hardcore bands will tear it up, including Emberville, who recently debuted their new video clip Til Death Do Us Part. At midnight, the Halloween Spooktacular kicks in with the Black Fridays! Last but not least, Saturday Vice Versa and Short Of Daybreak rip up the floor of the downstairs bar with special guest DJs Tylar Existence and Spandex.
Sheppard
MOJOS
Sunday, November 3, Sheppard play Mojos Bar. The Brisbane pop six piece have become one of 2013’s breakout radio acts with sing-along hit Let Me Down Easy igniting airwaves around the country and are pleased to announce their first ever shows in Western Australia. The band takes their show on the road this month with a string of shows in the USA, UK and now, for the first time, in Western Australia. Get your very cheap presale tickets for $10 plus booking fee thru Oztix.com.au. Tickets are $15 from 6pm on the night.
RAILWAY HOTEL
This Friday, November 1 catch Sun Tied Down, Red Penguin, Mad Rabbit and Cyclone Tess. Doors open 8pm, entry is $10. Saturday, catch Midnight Boulevard launching their new EP with support from The Lunettes, Ultra Sound and Ichora. Doors open 8pm and entry is only $5. Sunday catch Freo favourites Tom Fisher And The Layabouts launching their new EP with help from Billie Rogers. Doors open 5-9pm and tickets are available at the door.
ROSEMOUNT HOTEL
This Wednesday, October 30, catch Echostone, Bury The Heard, September Sun and Needles Douglas, and Thursday night it’s Norwegian metal masters Enslaved with special guests Rise Of Avernus, Malignant Monster and Wardaemonic. Saturday night catch US noiserock legends Lighting Bolt, supported by Usurper Of Modern Medicine and Bamodi. Doors open 8pm each night.. Head to rosemounthotel.com.au for ticket info.
YAYA’S
After a massive weekend with their third birthday party, YaYa’s are right back into it with a huge week of local music. Local MC Empty releases his new single and video clip, The Lowlights, on Friday, November 1, with DJ Silence spinning beats between sets. Then on Saturday, November 2, get ready for the very best of punk as The Bennies hit town as part of their Rainbows In Space tour!
THE BIRD
This Friday, November 2, Party initiators Electric Toad return to The Bird. Support comes from the likes of Rum Jungle and Yokohomos. Entry is $5 from 8pm. Then, on Saturday, it’s been long overdue - Sugarpuss and Thee Gold Blooms grace the bar with their sounds. Again, $5 from 8pm.
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YAYA’S THIRD BIRTHDAY Saturday, October 26, 2013
The Midnight Mules, Burst And Bloom, Turin Robinson, Three Hands One Hoof and Pat Chow all took turns keeping the crowd pumped at the birthday bash of one of Perth’s finest local music bars! Photos by Matt Jelonek
Julia, Jake, Luke, Lisa, Kirk, Rebecca
Ashlee, Andrea Sam, Emily, Stacey, Sarah
Casey, Claire 36
Sarah, Latoya, Raymond, Kate #youshouldreadxpress
Edited by T RAV IS JOHNS ON
CYPHER Veteran instrumental three-piece, Cypher, launch their latest album, One Thousand Birds, at PICA Bar this Saturday, November 2, with support from The Silent World, Mudlark and DJ Adam Trainer. Cypher have been around since the late ‘90s, when they began as a five piece. They’re down to a trio now - Sebastian Parsons on guitar, Alec Monger on bass and Sam Pugsley on drums - but they’re still producing ambitious, difficult to pigeonhole soundscapes. “We started in the vein of our heroes Mogwai and Trans Am long before the term “post rock” became a genre name,” Pugsley explains. “But I guess that’s where we fit these days.” Still, there’s a certain respect for the traditions of music making, as evidenced by the care and effort that has gone into not only the recording
but also the packaging of their latest release, the upcoming One Thousand Birds, which is coming out on coloured 12 inch vinyl with a beautiful gatefold cover. “Now that we’re older and wiser we have been able to spend on a high quality studio recording and producing 250 limited edition coloured vinyl records overseas, importing them from Pirates Press in Czech Republic. It’s been a labour of love, two years to write, record and produce and receive. “ The theme of the record is our guitarist, Sebastian’s, trip to Chernobyl, Ukraine.” Pugsley continues. “They are road trip songs for an abandoned, radioactive ghost town. The gatefold artwork consists of photos taken at an abandoned children’s playground at the town of Pripyat which was left to rust and return to nature.” Launching at PICA Bar has also allowed the band to put together something that goes beyond the usual gig structure. “There will be an installation combining pictures, sound and video relating to the Chernobyl theme. There will be a gallery of these photos presented, along with our live set which will feature props and video projection while we play.”
Förstöra
UMLAUTY BUT NICE
Heavy-handed hardcore hombres, Förstöra, will be tearing it up at The Civic Hotel this Saturday, November 2, alongside Got Sharks?, Medicine and Constructs. Doors open at 8pm, entry is $10.
Hyte
SOARING TO NEW HYTES
Good music is an integral part of the Fremantle Festival, as this show at The Fly Trap tonight, Wednesday October 30, proves. Port city groovers, Hyte, will be doing an unplugged set, serving up old stuff and new melodies to the crowd with support from Queens Boulevarde and Darren Guthrie. Doors open at 6pm, entry is $10 plus booking fee through flybynight.org, with $10 door sales subject to availability.
MODERN LOVE Anton Franc
SPEAKING FRANCLY
Get down to The Bakery this Saturday, November 2 for the launch of All This Talk, the second EP from Perth folksters, Anton Franc. Also along for the ride are Ruby Boots, PUMBA, Louis And The Honkytonk and, from out of the east, New South Welshman Daniel Champagne. Doors open at 8pm, tickets are $12 via nowbaking.com.au, $15 on the door.
Aborted Tortoise
PUNK AND PROUD
The latest instalment of the ongoing saga of noise and aggression that is Feel Lucky Punk hits The Rosemount Hotel’s 459 Bar this Friday, November 1. Catch The Lungs, Cavalier, People Problem, Goat, Aborted Tortoise and Trip Hazard And The Rude Boys from 8pm.
SUNRISE, SUNSET
Alt-rock duo Sun Tied Down will be at it at The Railway Hotel this Friday, November 1. Also taking the stage will be Cyclone Tess, Mad Rabbit and Red Penguin to deliver up a night redolent with the ‘90s-style rock tunes. Doors open at 8pm, entry is $10.
THE USUAL ANTICS
Things are definitely on the up and up for Usurper Of Modern Medicine. Fresh from launching their new single Motorolla Borealis, the tripped-out trio will hit the Rosemount this Saturday night to support US legends Lightning Bolt, along with fellow locals Bamodi. After that Usurper will play at The Bakery as part of the WAM Festival on Saturday November 9.
01/11/2013 Empty The Lowlights Video Launch @ YaYa’s 02/11/2013 Anton Franc All That Talk EP Launch @ The Bakery 02/11/2013 Cypher One Thousand Birds Album Launch at PICA Bar 02/11/2013 Grace Barbe Welele! Album Launch @ The Fly By Night 03/11/2013 Tom Fisher And The Layabouts Half A Man EP Launch @ The Railway Hotel 07/11/2013 Scalphunter 10” Vinyl EP Launch @ C5 15/11/2013 Leeches Lords Of Dullsville Album Launch @ 459 Bar 15/11/2013 Mezzanine Strange Paradise Album Launch @ Amplifier 22/11/2013 Rag N’ Bone Single Launch @ PICA Bar 23/11/2013 Our Man In Berlin Airhead Single Launch @ Flyrite 30/11/2013 Falling In Waves EP Launch @ PICA Bar 06/12/2013 Penny King Quartet Journey Album Launch @Tthe Ellington Jazz Club 20/12/2013 Kristie Smith The Bunny Boiler Album Launch @ The Fly Trap
The live scene at The Claremont Hotel continues to impress with this weekend’s edition of Antics, which features Doctopus, Aborted Tortoise, and Moana, along with DJ Lukas Wimmler. Doors open at 8pm, entry is free. www.xpressmag.com.au
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Violent Soho
VIOLENT SOHO Ghost Nation
Touring in support of their third LP, Hungry Ghost, Violent Soho hit Mojos on Thursday, October 31, and Amplifier on Friday, November 1. AUGUSTUS WELBY speaks with vocalist, Luke Boerdam. It’s been three years since Brisbane’s Violent Soho released their self-titled second album. Violent Soho came out on US label Ecstatic Peace! (run by Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore) and a favourable reaction abroad sent the band on a protracted stint of US and European touring. Returning home at the end of the touring cycle, the exhausted four-piece struggled to feel motivated about writing their next album. Frontman, Luke Boerdam, admits there was a touch of despair in the rehearsal room during initial preparations for album number three. “Everything sounded boring,” he says. “We were writing and doing demos and nothing excited us like it used to. We were like, ‘Fuck, this sucks, none of us are getting excited about this’.”
“All the songs up until that point had been really simple personal stories and I wanted to shed that. I started writing about weirdo characters down the street and adventure stories. I was writing stories that I thought added an interesting imagery to the album, and trying to have some sort of central theme to the record.” Travelling the world and living with their music for a couple of years altered the band’s personal expectations and Boerdam admits this hindered their progress. “When you do all of that touring your list of influences grows phenomenally. As a band we got to quit our jobs and focus on music 24/7; after two years of that you come back and the same songs that excited you four years ago just don’t do it anymore.”
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Nowadays, Boerdam explains, the group doesn’t release new material without first reaching a mutual consensus among themselves. “ W e s e t a pretty high bar when we go to actually release something. We make sure we’re all saying, ‘Yep, this is where we want it to be’. It’s kind of tough because you can throw out a lot of work along the way. Because you put a lot of work into it you’re like, ‘Oh, I don’t want to just throw it out,’ but you’ve got to.” Violent Soho’s determined commitment to broaden their sonic palette prevailed and the results are there to savour on their new LP, Hungry Ghost. The experience gathered from touring alongside the likes of Dinosaur Jr., The Bronx and Cloud Nothings was the crucial factor pushing the band to expand their sound. Boerdam says Built To Spill, his “favourite band to tour with,” were a major reference point when recording Hungry Ghost. “Built To Spill showed us how to layer guitars heaps and how to create this whole sonic soundscape. There’s a few songs in the middle of the record where we tried to work that in. It wasn’t just 10 to 11 songs with the same formula repeated. We really wanted to move on from that.” The thematic focus of Boerdam’s lyrics has also developed significantly on Hungry Ghost. He describes how he’s stepped away from his former preference for episodic suburban tales. “All the songs up until that point had been really simple personal stories and I wanted to shed that. I started writing about weirdo characters down the street and adventure stories. I was writing stories that I thought added an interesting imagery to the album, and trying to have some sort of central theme to the record.” The band are following up the release of Hungry Ghost with their current national tour. Boerdam underlines their intentions to comprehensively hit the road domestically before looking elsewhere. “Basically the whole idea behind this record is to tour as much in Australia first. On the other record Australia wasn’t first. It was a bit of a shame because when the album came out we weren’t even here and it just felt weird. This time around we will do all the touring in Australia required for the record and then we’ll worry about the US and UK.”
#youshouldreadxpress
Chet Faker, October 31
THIS WEEK TONY HADLEY 30 Astor Theatre 5IVE 30 Metro Freo CHET FAKER 31 ARTBAR THE BREEDERS 31 Astor Theatre ENSLAVED 31 Rosemount Hotel YELLOWCARD 31 Capitol VIOLENT SOHO 31 Mojos Bar LIMP BIZKIT 31 Metro City VIOLENT SOHO 1 Amplifier YACHT ROCK BALL 1 Fremantle Town Hall SHEPPARD 1 Leisure Inn 2 Amplifier 3 Mojos EL VEZ/ JORDAN C THOMAS BAND 2 Devilles Pad BABY ANIMALS 2 Astor Theatre JESSICA MAUBOY 2 Perth Arena BLUEJUICE 2 Capitol 3 Prince Of Wales, Bunbury THE SEEKERS 2, 3 & 4 Riverside Theatre
NOVEMBER AURORA JANE 6 Mojos Bar 7 Indi Bar 9 White Star Tavern BEYONCE 8 & 9 Perth Arena USELESS ID 8 Prince Of Wales, Bunbury 9 Rosemount Hotel LISA MITCHELL/ JOSH PYKE 9 Wanneroo Showgrounds ONEREPUBLIC 9 Metro City DREAM ON DREAMER 10 Amplifier 11 YMCA HQ SCOTT KELLY AND THE ROAD HOME 10 Rosemount Hotel LEONARD COHEN 13 Perth Arena DANCE GAVIN DANCE 13 Amplifier BLACK REBEL MOTORCYCLE CLUB 13 Metro Freo
Aurora Jane, November 6 - 9
KID MAC 13 Mojos Bar 14 Prince Of Wales, Bunbury 15 YaYa’s 16 Settlers Tavern, Margaret River 17 Indi Bar SINCERELY, GRIZZLY 14 Newport Hotel 15 Amplifier BODYJAR 15 Rosemount Hotel 16 Prince Of Wales, Bunbury THE MEMBERS 16 Rosemount Hotel BEAUFORT STREET FESTIVAL 16 Beaufort Street DAN SULTAN 16 Fly By Night 17 Ellington Jazz Club THE RED JUMPSUIT APPARATUS 17 Villa Nightclub BIG SEAN 17 Capitol JILL SCOTT 17 Riverside Theatre AN EVENING ON THE GREEN Hoodoo Gurus, You Am I, The Whitlams, Dave Graney & The Mistly, Rainy Day Women 16 Kings Park & Botanic Garden AN EVENING ON THE GREEN Bernard Fanning, The Cruel Sea, Sarah Blasko, Bob Evans 17 Kings Park & Botanic Garden NILE 17 Amplifier SARAH BLASKO 18 Fremantle Arts Centre Courtyard IAN BALL(GOMEZ) 18 Mojos Bar 19 PICA Bar TEX PERKINS 19 Fremantle Arts Centre Courtyard BELINDA CARLISE & 1927 20 Astor Theatre THE BELLRAYS 21 Fly By Night BOY & BEAR 22 Metro Freo 23 Astor Theatre JEDWARD 23 Regal Theatre FLEETWOOD MAC 22 & 23 Perth Arena CANCELLED HITS & PITS 2.0 Black Flag, Boysetsfire, Bad Astronaut, Snuff, No Fun At All, Good For You, Off With Their Heads, Jughead’s Revenge 24 Amplifier & Capitol MOONSORROW 24 Rosemount Hotel EROS RAMAZZOTTI 23 Challenge Stadium
www.xpressmag.com.au
I KILLED THE PROM QUEEN 27 Prince Of Wales, Bunbury 28 Players Bar 29 YMCA HQ 30 Amplifier 1 Newport THE ATARIS 29 Amplifier STEREOSONIC 30 Claremont Showgrounds BIRDS OF TOKYO 29 Metro Freo MUSE 30 Perth Arena SCREAMING JETS 30 Astor Theatre
ARCHIE ROACH 12 Fremantle Arts Centre Courtyard 13 Quarry Amphitheatre POND 12 Metro Freo BON JOVI 12 Perth Arena ABBE MAY 13 Bakery 19 Prince Of Wales, Bunbury CLAIRY BROWNE & THE BANGIN’ RACKETTES 14 Rosemount Hotel THE NERVE 19 Mojos Bar WAKA FLOCKA FLAME 19 Metro Freo HUMAN NATURE 20 Perth Zoo SMOKE MY TOUR FlipTrix, Dirty Dike, Jam Baxter, Ed Scissortounge and DJ Sammy B-Side 24 Metro Freo BREAKFEST 2013 26 Belvoir Amphitheatre DE LA SOUL 31 Salt On The Beach
Dream On Dreamer, November 10 - 11 LANEWAY FESTIVAL 8 Fremantle THE LOCUST 10 Amplifier Bar THE NATIONAL 14 Belvoir Amphitheatre DOLLY PARTON 27 Perth Arena BRUNO MARS 28 Perth Arena
MARCH
FUTURE MUSIC Deadmau5, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Phoenix, Hardwell, Knife Party, Eric Prydz, Rudimental, Tinie DECEMBER Tempah, Chase & I KILLED THE PROM Status QUEEN 2 Arena Joondalup 1 Newport Hotel THE WONDER STUFF SCREAMING JETS 2 Rosemount Hotel 1 Wintersun Hotel, SOUNDWAVE Geraldton Green Day, Stone SIMPLE PLAN Temple Pilots, Alice 3 Challenge Stadium In Chains, Rob MARTHA DAVIS & Zombie, Megadeth, THE MOTELS Placebo and more! 4 Astor Theatre 3 Claremont ALICIA KEYS Showgrounds 5 Perth Arena BRIAN MCKNIGHT THE BAMBOOS 7 Riverside Theatre JANUARY 5 Capitol BILLY BRAGG DE LA SOUL/DJ THE MELVINS & 8 Perth Concert Hall YODA HELMET 1 Cuban Club (Flying QUEENS OF THE 6 Metro Freo STONE AGE & NINE Squadron Yacht METRIC INCH NAILS Club, The Esplanade, 7 Metro City 11 Perth Arena Dalkeith) NATURAL NZ MUSIC SOUTHBOUND JOSH PYKE FESTIVAL 12 Quarry !!!, Bonobo, Crystal 7 Red Hill Auditorium Fighters, Grizzly Amphitheatre KYLESA Bear, Horrorshow, KATE MILLER-HEIDKE 7 Rosemount Hotel Johnny Marr, London 21 - 22 Quarry CAVE Grammar, MGMT, Amphitheatre 7 Astor Theatre Neil Finn, The Roots, SEBADOH Vampire Weekend JACK JOHNSON 25 Rosemount Hotel and more! 7 Kings Park DARK TRANQUILLITY 3-4 Sir Stewart Bovell & ORPHEUS OMEGA INSANE CLOWN Park, Busselton, WA POSSE 25 Capitol WATAIN 7 Metro Freo 30 SECONDS TO 9 Amplifier CITY AND COLOUR MARS DEAFHAVEN 7 Belvoir 25 Challenge Stadium 11 Rosemount Hotel Amphitheatre HUNTER & DAUGHTERS SLANTED AND COLLECTORS 14 Amplifier ENCHANTED 29 (sold-out) & 30 PARAMORE 7 Astor Theatre/The Kings Park & Botanical 16 Perth Arena Bakery Garden HALF MOON RUN METRIC 16 Fly By Night APRIL 7 Metro City MISFITS WEST COAST BLUES AIR SUPPLY 19 Amplifier N ROOTS 8 Perth Concert Hall CELTIC WOMAN JUSTIN BIEBER 24 Riverside Theatre Matt Corby, Michael 8 Perth Arena WE ARE SCIENTISTS Franti, John Mayer, Dave Matthews CHIC & NILE 26 Amplifier Band, Doobie RODGERS AVICII Brothers, Boy & Bear 27 Perth Arena 8 Astor Theatre 13 Fremantle Park, KATAKLYSM FEBRUARY Fremantle 8 Rosemount Hotel BIG DAY OUT BOZ SCAGGS SETS ON THE BEACH Pearl Jam, Arcade 14 Crown Theatre 8 Scarborough Beach Fire, Blur, Snoop MICHAEL BUBLÉ Amphitheatre Lion, Major Lazer, 26 - 27 Perth Arena THE BRIAN Tame Impala, Flume JONESTOWN & more! MAY MASSACRE 2 Claremont JASON DERULO 10 Astor Theatre Showgrounds 10 Perth Arena TAYLOR SWIFT BRUCE STRINGSTEEN JUNE 11 Perth NIB Stadium & THE E STREET STEEL PANTHER JAMES BLUNT BAND 12 Metro City 13 Riverside Theatre 5,7,8 Perth Arena
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Echostone, Wednesday at The Rosemount
WEDNESDAY 30.10 AMPLIFIER Academy Halloween House Party Cupid Falls Illuminator Finders This Existence ASTOR THEATRE Tony Hadley BAR 120 Felix BAR ORIENT Karaoke BIRD Internet Rap is Fking Up My Social Life Clunk Sleepyhead Aslan BRASS MONKEY Sugar Blue Burlesque CARINE Open Mic Night Chris Gibbs CLAREMONT HOTEL Acoustica GREENWOOD Quinton Going ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Jazz Graduation Recital Jacob Mitchell Gabriel Fatin James Cross Alex Reid Night Cap Sessions FLY TRAP (FLY BY NIGHT) Hyte Queens Boulevarde Darren Guthrie GROOVE BAR (CROWN) 5 Shots INDI BAR Rob Walker Jordan McRobbie LUCKY SHAG Howie Morgan METRO FREO 5ive MOJOS BAR Fremantle Blues and Roots Club Rockin Hendy The KNiKi and Mike Beale Project Blues Stooges MOON CAFÉ Going Solo Jonathan Brain Andrew Ryan Benedict Moleta MUSTANG BAR Kickstart DJ James MacArthur
PADDO Lost Pilot Effect Cowboy X Omaha Anxiety ROSEMOUNT Echostone Bury The Heard September Sun Needles Douglas ROSEMOUNT 459 Chaos Club Helchild Jon Madd Dead Babies In Vomit, Aborted Tortoise SWINGING PIG Open Mic Night Greg Carter UNIVERSAL Retriofit VELVET LOUNGE Vida Cain Rag&Bone Tracksuit THE VIC Leighton Keepa VILLAGE BAR Village People - Open Mic X-WRAY CAFÉ Lauren O’Hara Leah Grant YAYA’S Seams Welcome The Wildfire Apache Shaun McIlroy
THURSDAY 31.10 ASTOR THEATRE The Breeders ART BAR Chet Faker AMANI WINE BAR Live Jazz Night BEAT NIGHTCLUB (DOWNSTAIRS) Fantasy Thursdays BEAT NIGHTCLUB (UPSTAIRS) Beyond Never Tempest Rising Buzz Kill Vamps BALMORAL Howie Morgan BAR ORIENT Open Mic Night THE BIRD Back in The Dayyay Sleepyhead Mary J Blunt Raaghe Pete THE BOAT Jen de Ness Duo BRASS MONKEY Rhythm Bound Karaoke BRIGHTON Open Mic Night Rob Walker
Pat Chow
PAT CHOW DEAD OWLS,TIRED LION, ELECTRIC TOAD, BLACK STONE FROM THE SUN
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 31 FLYRITE
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Emberville, Friday at The Beat Nightclub BROOKLANDS TAVERN Celebrations Karaoke CAPITOL Yellowcard Toy Boats THE CAUSEWAY BAR Xport Thursdays DEVILLES PAD Halloween Karaoke DUNSBOROUGH TAVERN Open Mic Night Pat Nicholson ELEPHANT AND WHEELBARROW Pink And White Bridge ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Damien Leith Night Cap Sessions FLYRITE Pat Chow Dead Owls Tired Lion Electric Toad Black Stone From The Sun FLY TRAP (FLY BY NIGHT) Dave Robertson & The Kiss List Lady Luck el Mundo THE GATE Greg Carter GRAND CENTRAL PARK Matt Angel GROOVE BAR (CROWN) Dr Bogus INDI BAR Bex’s Open Mic Night LANEWAY LOUNGE Voudou Zazou LOBBY LOUNGE (CROWN) Monarchy LUCKY SHAG James Wilson MARKET CITY TAVERN Original Night Kyran Walsh Tender Fiddle Tim Roose Mitchell Jones Kimberley Heberley Luke Argall Robby James Emma METRO CITY Limp Bizkit MOJOS BAR Violent Soho MOON CAFÉ Them Sharks MUSTANG BAR Customer Royal Odlaw DJ James MacArthur NEWPORT HOTEL Tiki Bar Open Mic Night NORTH FREMANTLE BOWLS CLUB The String Beans ROSEMOUNT HOTEL Enslaved Rise of Avernus Malignant Monster Wardaemonic SETTLERS TAVERN Acoustic Open Mic Night Claire Warnock SWALLOW BAR DJ T King UNIVERSAL Off The Record THE VIC Harry Moore X-WRAY CAFÉ The Jack Doepel Jazz Quartet YAYA’S Gloria Ironbox Order Of The Black Werewolf The Branson Tramps Splintergroup
Odette Mercy And Her Soul Atomics, Friday at Devilles Pad
FRIDAY 01.11 AMPLIFIER Violent Soho Straight Arrows THE ALBION Jen De Ness Trio THE ASTOR Clannad Daniel Champaine THE BAKERY ICSSC Floor show #2 BALMORAL Mike Nayar BEAT NIGHTCLUB (UPSTAIRS) Halloween Fest Emberville Dawn of Leviathan Defy the Leader Hello Darling Pending the Silence The Black Fridays BEAT NIGHTCLUB (DOWNSTAIRS) PLAY BELMONT TAVERN Matt Angell BEST DROP TAVERN After Hours THE BIRD Electric Toad Yokohomos Rum Jungle THE BOAT Acoustic Aly THE BOAB TAVERN Frenzy BRASS MONKEY Jamie Powers THE BROOK Adam Morris THE BROOKLANDS TAVERN Cheek2Cheek THE CARINE Velvet CAVES HOUSE Kris Buckle CHALLENGE STADIUM Youth Alive Evermore CHARLES HOTEL John Schumann & The Vagabond Crew CHASE BAR & BISTRO James Wilson CITRO BAR Adrian Wilson CIVIC BACKROOM Soul Benefits Morse Gang Trooth Bsyde Switchblade ReDe Sho CLANCYS FREMANTLE Toby CRUISING YACHT CLUB Dean Anderson DEVILLES PAD Odette Mercy & Her Soul Atomics Les Sataniques Vintage Reds Burlesque Mondo Inferno DJs DUNSBOROUGH TAVERN Northern Muse EAST 150 BAR Stella Donnelly ELEPHANT AND WHEELBARROW Darren Reid & the Soul City Groove ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Damien Leith Late night groove Anea Duratovic EMPIRE BAR Howie Morgan THE FLY BY NIGHT Motown & Soul Night FLYRITE Friday Night Market
Sarah Pellicano Codie Sundstrom Natasha Shanks Zara Huts FREMANTLE TOWN HALL Yacht Rock Ball The Alan Bond Project Oats Supply Some Like It Yacht THE GATE Dirty Scoundrels GILKISONS DANCE STUDIO Halloween Fest 2013 GOSNELLS HOTEL Chris Gibbs Trio THE GREENWOOD Greg Carter GROOVE BAR (CROWN) Tod Johnston & Peace Love HYDE PARK HOTEL Ricky Green INDI BAR Vdelli KALAMUNDA HOTEL B.O.B. KULCHA Cafe Folklorico LANEWAY LOUNGE Soulchild Hans Fiance LEISURE INN Sheppard Timothy Nelson & The Infidels LYNWOOD ARMS Mustangs M ON THE POINT Retriofit MAHOGANY INN Sophie Jane MOJOS BAR Fisherman Style #89 Earthlink Sound feat Drummie & Sherrif Lindo Corby DJ Sorted & Rasta Fyah MUSTANG Adam Hall & The Velvet Playboys Swing DJ Cheeky Monkeys DJ James MacArthur NEWPORT HOTEL Karaoke Classic PADDO Easy Tigers PEEL ALE HOUSE Vanerty Brothers PLAYERS BAR Shortnotice DJ Cookie PORT KENNEDY TAVERN One Trick Phonies THE PRINCIPAL Electrophobia RAILWAY HOTEL Sun Tied Down Red Penguin Mad Rabbit Cyclone Tess RENDEZVOUS HOTEL Nathan Gaunt ROCKET ROOM Kickstart ROLEYSTONE COUNTRY CLUB Jonny Dempsey ROSIE O’GRADYS FREMANTLE Pump SAIL AND ANCHOR Howie Morgan Duo SETTLERS TAVERN The Vans SOUTH ST ALEHOUSE Robbie King Karaoke SPRINGS TAVERN Die Hard Karaoke SWAN HOTEL (LOUNGE) Ascending Fall One Last Thing Girl York
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Deadline Monday 5pm. The Gig-Guide is a service to advertisers listing all LIVE MUSIC. All inclusions are at the discretion of X-Press. Email guide@xpressmag.com.au
Sugarpuss, Saturday at The Bird Dead SWINGING PIG Rock It Greg Carter UNIVERSAL Nightmoves WINSTERSUN HOTEL Josh Johnstone YAYA’S Empty Ladywood Wisdom 2th Boost Hero Man DJ Silence YMCA HQ The Milkshake Strategy It All Ends Here Mr Chance Kites Adora Heights
SATURDAY 02.11 AMPLIFIER Sheppard Timothy Nelson & The Infidels ASTOR THEATRE Baby Animals BALMORAL Retriofit THE BAKERY Anton Franc Ruby Boots Daniel Champagne Pumba Louis And The Honky Tonk BEAT NIGHTCLUB (UPSTAIRS) CANVAS BEAT NIGHTCLUB (DOWNSTAIRS) Runaways Vice Versa Short of Daybreak BELGIAN BEER CAFÉ Mike Nayar BIRD Sugarpuss Thee Gold Blooms Steve Aaron Hughes BOAB TAVERN James Wilson THE BROOKLANDS TAVERN Hitman CAPITOL Bluejuice THE CHARLES HOTEL The Zep Boys THE CIVIC BACKROOM Förstöra Got Sharks? Medicine Constructs THE CLAREMONT HOTEL ANTICS Doctopus Electric Toad Moana. Antics DJs DEVILLES PAD Halloween – Monster High School El Vez Jordan C Thomas DUNSBOROUGH TAVERN Brett Donald EAST 150 BAR Adam James ELEPHANT AND WHEELBARROW Blue Hornet ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Sarah McLeod Elouise and the Infinite Squeeze FLY BY NIGHT Grace Barbé Boom! Bap! Pow! Beleza Show Tropical Addiction
DJ Charlie Bucket THE GATE Greg Carter GOSNELLS HOTEL Light Street GREENWOOD Pretty Fly HOTEL ROTTNEST Soultown HYDE PARK HOTEL Sea Level Trio INDI BAR Matt Gresham INDIAN OCEAN BREWING CO Shawne & Luc KULCHA Cafe Folklorico LAKERS TAVERN Celebrations Karaoke LANEWAY LOUNGE Astrid Ripepi Band Trevor Jalla MERRIWA TAVERN Celebrations Karaoke M ON THE POINT Rhythm 22 MOJOS BAR Dialectrix Mathas Empty Chu MUSTANG Shot Down From SugarTown Rockabilly DJ Milhouse DJ James MacArthur NEWPORT HOTEL Gravity PADDO Cheeky Monkeys PADDY MAGUIRES Frenzy PARAMOUNT NIGHTCLUB Felix PEEL ALE HOUSE Spritzer PICA BAR The Insatiables Edie Green Eloise Ashton Amanda Merdzan PORT KENNEDY TAVERN Stu Mckay QUARIE BAR & BISTRO Adam Morris Duo RAILWAY HOTEL Midnight Boulevard The Lunettes Ultra Sound Ichora RIVERSIDE THEATRE The Seekers ROSEMOUNT HOTEL Lightning Bolt Usurper Of Modern Medicine Bomodi SAIL & ANCHOR Voudou Zazou SETTLERS TAVERN Timothy Nelson & The Infidels THE SHED Huge SOUTH ST ALE HOUSE Robbie King Karaoke SPRINGS TAVERN Die Hard Karaoke SWALLOW BAR DJ Peas SWAN HOTEL (LOUNGE) Rum Punch Stephen Teckenoff SWAN HOTEL (BASEMENT) Like Food For The Soul 6.0 Krew Emcee Joely Switchblade Dismay Kogz
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The Insatiables, Saturday at PICA Bar Irone SWINGING PIG Tandem Greg Carter UNIVERSAL Soul Corporation YAYA’S The Bennies Grim Fandango Chilling Winston Being Beta YMCA HQ Tusk Transcendence Pending The Silence Defy The Leader Distant Lights Pirate Theme Park
SUNDAY 03.11 BALMORAL Electrophobia BELGIAN BEER CAFÉ Big Al & The Deacons BELMONT TAVERN Dove THE BRIGHTON Ali Hill BROOKLANDS TAVERN Gerry Azor THE CARINE Jonny Dempsey THE CAUSEWAY Accoustic Sunday CIVIC HOTEL Frank G COMO HOTEL Velvet CLANCYS FREMANTLE The Zydecats DUNSBOROUGH TAVERN Kris Buckle ELEPHANT AND WHEELBARROW Darren Reid & the Soul City Groove ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Sarah McLeod THE FLY TRAP (FLY BY NIGHT) Stage Fright Open Mic THE GATE Greg Carter HYDE PARK HOTEL Bernardine INDI BAR The Crooked Cats INDIAN OCEAN BREW CO Retriofit KALAMUNDA HOTEL Ricky Green LAKERS TAVERN Roger Roger M ON THE POINT Nathan Gaunt MOJOS BAR Sheppard Timothy Nelson & The Infidels MUSTANG MattyTWall Bang Betty & The H-Bombs Blue Gene DJ James MacArthur PEEL ALE HOUSE Pat Nicholson PRINCE OF WALES Bluejuice QUARIE BAR & BISTRO Darren Gibbs RAILWAY HOTEL Tom Fisher And The Layabouts Billie Rogers RIVERSIDE THEATRE The Seekers THE SAINT Howie Morgan Project SEAVIEW TAVERN Jean Proude SETTLERS TAVERN
Midnight Boulevard, Saturday at The Railway Hotel
The Brothers Thin SOUTH ST ALEHOUSE Blackhart & Strangelove SWALLOW BAR Shotdown from Sugartown SWINGING PIG Matt Angell Steve Hepple UNIVERSAL Retrofit WANNEROO TAVERN Dean Anderson WHISTLING KITE James Wilson
MONDAY 04.11 BRASS MONKEY Wire Birds XBOX Mondays ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB WAAPA Jazz Vocal Showcase MOJOS BAR Fremantle Festival’s Doco Nights MUSTANG BAR Triple Shots RIVERSIDE THEATRE The Seekers THE SAINT Celebration Karaoke YAYA’S Big Tommo’s Open Mic Night
TUESDAY 05.11 ALBION Carbon Taxi BALMORAL The Dirty Birds BELGIAN BEER CAFÉ Mike Nayar BRASS MONKEY Open Mic Night Josh Terlick BRIGHTON Electrophobia THE BROOK Chris Gibbs CAPRICORN BAR & GRILL Josh Johnstone THE CARINE Acoustic Aly THE COMO Shades Of Indigo THE COURT Open Mic Night THE CRAGIE TAVERN Open Mic Night DUNSBOROUGH TAVERN Northern Muse EAST 150 BAR Adam James
ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Maputo GOSNELLS HOTEL Light Street GREENWOOD Cargo Beat GROOVE BAR (CROWN) Threeplay HOTEL ROTTNEST Morgan Bain Band HYDE PARK HOTEL Adrian Wilson INDIAN OCEAN BREWING CO Retriofit INGLEWOOD HOTEL Sophie Jane KALAMUNDA HOTEL Kizzy Open Mic Anthony Kay LOBBY LOUNGE (CROWN) Hans Fiance MERRIWA TAVERN Celebrations Karaoke MOJOS BAR Scarlettt Therapy Oak Tree Suite Say Sky MUSTANG BAR Danza Loca Salsa Night PADDO The Wire Birds PEEL ALE HOUSE The Hitman PORT KENNEDY TAVERN One Trick Phonies THE PRINCIPAL Bernardine QUEENS TAVERN Dirty Scoundrels QUINDANNING TAVERN Andrew Winton RENDEZVOUS SCARBOROUGH Jess Patterson ROLEYSTONE COUNTRY CLUB Jonny Dempsey THE SAINT Howie Morgan Project James Wilson SEAVIEW TAVERN Jean Proude SWINGING PIG Shameem THE VIC Harry Moore Nathan Gaunt WANNEROO TAVERN Wikid YAYA’S We Move Walls Nevada Pilot Black Birds
Gloria Ironbox
GLORIA IRONBOX ORDER OF THE BLACK WEREWOLF,THE BRANSON TRAMPS, SPLINTERGROUP
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 31 YAYA’S
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Cypher MUSIC GEAR & TECHNOLOGY
One Thousand Birds 12” LP Released: Nov 2nd 2013 Recorded: Poon’s Head Studio, Fremantle WA. Describe your sound. Heavy psychedelic post-rock. Who are your biggest influences? Trans Am, Mogwai, Smashing Pumpkins, Helmet, Swervedriver. What’s the theme of the album? The album is the soundtrack for a road trip to the infamous Chernobyl reactor in Ukraine and the surrounding abandoned city. The 12” Gatefold LP features photos taken on the road trip by our guitarist, Sebastian. Creating a devastating instrumental rock album of booming drums and thundering guitars, it was mastered for vinyl and 250 limited edition copies on yellow 180g vinyl were imported from Pirate’s Press in the Czech Republic. What is the standout track? Wiretap. Who is your favourite Perth band? Usurpers of Modern Medicine. What is your favourite Perth live venue? PICA Bar. Any shows we should know about? Cypher Vinyl Album Launch, PICA Bar, Northbridge. 8pm Saturday November 2. cypher.net.au
GEARBOX DUESENBERG STARPLAY TV GOLDTOP ELECTRIC GUITAR
A company established in the ‘80s, Duesenberg switched to retro designs in the mid-90s after initially developing futuristic designs aimed at the heavy metal market. The company has since taken on endorsees such as Keb Mo, Chris Cornell, Steve Earle and Ron Wood. One of the brand’s most popular guitars is the Starplayer TV. Featuring a punchy, open sound and Deluxe Tremola system, the Starplayer is versatile instrument. An arched top and back gives the guitar a very stylish retro look. The Domino P-90 neck pickup and the Grand Vintage Humbucker bridge pickup give the Starplayer TV its classic sound. As well as the special gold top model, the Starplayer TV is also available with many variations including Skai leather covering, piezo acoustic bridges, aluminium stop-tailpieces, mother-of-pearl guitar tops, sparkle finish and Little-Toaster-Pickups. Check out Duesenberg guitars at The Rock Inn.
The Date Sedated Released: July 2013 Recorded: Yo-Yo Studios, Osborne Park with Malcolm Clark and Brendan Tompsett. What’s your sound? Fluid hard blues, melodic, distinctive, insightful, commercial yet edgy. Who are your biggest influences? Roy Buchanan, Lou Reed, Robbie Robertson, ZZ Top, Stan Ridgway, Buddy Guy. Can you tell us a bit about the album? A look at a slice of life that so many people fall foul of – the peer pressure of the youth lead by the youthful, the jaded musings of the aged trying to recreate what they missed out on and the thin line everyone walks as they try to get ahead of everyone else walking the same thin line. What’s the standout track? Scarify. Who are your favourite Perth bands? The Red Embers, Graphic Fiction Heroes, Rag Doll. What is your favourite Perth live venue? The Paddo. What’s in the pipeline? The Paddo on Wednesday, November 13 with The Red Embers and Ben Wolfe and The Paddo on Wednesday, December 11 with Rag Doll and The Red Embers. thedate.com.au facebook.com/TheDateBand
Scalphunter Self Titled – EP III Released: November 2013 Where did you record? Recorded at Begerk! Studios by Al Smith. Mastered by Alan Douches at WWSM, New York. Describe your sound. Rock and roll thrash/punk. We do try to push as many other influences into our music as possible, however. We aren’t a one trick pony. Who are your biggest influences? There is no denying our punk/ hardcore roots, it’s just who we are. The Bronx, Cancer Bats, Every Time I Die and Turbowolf have all played a part in our sound. What’s the general theme of the album? For us it’s all about energy and playing live. This is our closest attempt at capturing the rawness and the energy the whole band puts into a live show. As a band this EP is the next step in our developing song writing and definitely reflective of the direction we are heading. What is the stand out track? There Will Be Change (music video coming soon!) Who’s your favourite Perth artist? Them Sharks and Dyatlov. What is your Favourite Perth venue? Amps, but of late Beat has been showing us heaps of love - the guys there run a great venue. Are there any upcoming gigs we should know about? The WA EP launches are; Prince of Wales, Bunbury. Wednesday, November 6 C5 (Metros Freo), Thursday, November 7 Amplifier Bar, Friday, November 8 scalphunter.bandcamp.com facebook.com/ScalphunterRock
MARSHALL AMPLIFICATION BAR FRIDGE
For the rocker who already has enough amps and guitars (unlikely but possible), Marshall have come to the rescue in recent years with plenty of additional merchandise for devotees of the iconic amplifier, including pens, robes, bar stools and even board games. The most unique piece of Marshall merchandising however is surely the Marshall Bar Fridge. Styled after a classic JCM800 stack and including trademark Marshall logo, casing, cloth and even Nigel Tufnel-inspired knobs that go to 11, this one will be a hit at summer parties and would be perfect for offices or studio kitchens too. The bar fridge has a 124.6 litre capacity with 57.5cm x 51.5cm x 83cm dimensions and weighs 26kgs. Check out the Marshall Bar Fridge at Concept Music.
Marshall Bar Fridge
Tempest Rising
The Disappointed
Dominion That Falls
Stranger
Released: August 2013
Released: 2013 Recorded: Blackbird Sound Studio, produced by Dave Parkin. Mastered at King Willy Sound by William Bowden. What’s your sound? New wave alternative rock. Who are your biggest influences? The drummer likes Kiss, the keyboard player loves Radiohead, the guitarist wants to be Brand New, The singer is obsessed with Kanye and the bass player is pretty into Dillinger Escape Plan. Tell us a bit about the album. We tried to make a pretty honest EP that sounds like us, but not too much like us, because we are all a little bit mental. What’s the standout track? Every Made Up Eye In The City Favourite Perth band/artist? Abbe May, The Love Junkies, The Community Chest and Mathas. Favourite Perth live venue? Amplifier, Rosemount and PICA bar What’s coming up? WAM Festival Saturday Spectacular - Flyrite at 2pm, on Saturday, November 9. Beaufort Street Festival - Music Feedback stage, on Saturday, November 16 . thedisappointedband.com youtube.com/thedisappointedvideo facebook.com/thedisappointed twitter.com/thedisappointe3
Recorded: Oracle Sound in Perth WA. What’s your sound? Disturbed, Korn, Pantera and Slipknot all spliced together. Who are your biggest influences? Metallica, Slayer, Dream Theatre and August Burns Red. What’s the general theme of the track? Fuck society. Fuck authority. Who’s your favourite Perth band? Chaos Divine. What’s your favourite Perth live venue? YMCA HQ. Those kids understand how a metal crowd is supposed to act! Any upcoming gigs you think we should know about? Neck Wreck Festival in Brisbane! Headliners Psycroptic, King Parrot and Synthetic Breed!! facebook.com/tempestrisingofficial iTunes, Spotify, Soundcloud, Reverbnation, Amazon and more! 42
Duesenberg Starplay TV Goldtop
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Edited by TRAVIS JOHN S ON
PIGTRONIX PEDALS
With endorsees including d ding Aerosmith, Vernon Reid, Andy Summers, m mers, Bootsy Collins and The Mars Volta you just j know that Pigtronix are onto something. i ing. Based in Long Island NY, Pigtronix is one o of the fastest growing companies in the t industry, with design, manufacturing n ng and distribution all contained under one n ne roof. An increasing number of Pigtronix n nix products are making their way onto t to the pedal boards of session musicians, ns, touring bands, and local musicianss worldwide. With cool retro designss and inventive names such as the e Gatekeeper, Philosopher’s Tone, Fat Drive and Polysaturator the Pigtronix line has captured the imagination of countless guitarists and bassists. Made in the US for the high-end market, these are serious pedals for tone connoisseurs. Check out Pigtronix effects pedals at Kosmic.
Graphic Fiction Heroes Who Will Save Us Now?
Pigtronix
JOHN TROTTER’S ‘THE WORKING DRUMMER’ INSTRUCTIONAL BOOK
Expatriate UK and now in-demand Perth drummer John Trotter has seen a dream and several years of intense work come to fruition with the release of the complete version of his debut instructional book, The Working Drummer. The book essentially takes you through the basics of drumming, including posture, stick positioning, timing and drum char t reading through to styles, grooves and solos most contemporary music genres. Of particular interest is the innovation displayed in the section on 21st Century drumming in which Trotter has devised a way to notate triggers and samples along with standard drum notation for musicians working with additional percussive technology in a constantly evolving musical landscape. Well organised, easy to read and presented with accompanying DVD and CD recorded with Rob Agostini at Soundbaker, this is one of the most concise and complete drum instructional packages on the market. Each section is interspersed with photos, quotes and tips; and the book includes Trotter’s The Working Drummer impressive biography as well as a highlydetailed further reading, listening and viewing recommendations list. The author’s passion for percussion is evident on every page and encourages enthusiasm with each notated groove, many of which are from some of the most famous songs of all time. The book is published by AMA in Germany, who is currently gearing up to translate The Working Drummer into four other languages for worldwide release. Visit johntrotterdrums.com for more information. _ CHRIS GIBBS
Jordan McRobbie
Released: December 2012 Recorded: Soundbaker Studios and Noise-a-thon Records. What’s your sound? Guitar-based sophisticated rock with a strong focus on melody. Who are your biggest influences? The Police, Cheap Trick, Yes, Free, Journey, Enuff Z’Nuff. What’s the general theme of the album? There is an underlying theme throughout many of the songs on the album dealing with the challenges of the music industry; sometimes immediately evident, sometimes hidden inside other stories. As a result, at one stage of the recording process we were considering a concept album. What’s the standout track? We wrote it as an album and designed it to be enjoyed as a complete work; all of the songs compliment and interact with each other. All killer no filler! So who is your favourite Perth band? Collectively: Ragdoll, Nathan Gaunt, Bird Of Tokyo…there are so many! What is your favourite Perth live venue? We have had some of our best gigs at The Paddo. What’s coming up? Wednesday, November 6 at The Fly Trap with Rob walker and Jordan McRobbie. Saturday, November 9 at Mustang Bar as part of the WAM Saturday Spectacular - we are on from 3 - 4pm.
ONOMY (Hybrid) I, Pariah Released: November 6, 2013 Can you describe your sound? ONOMY is an experimental fusion between a fairly aggressive approach to dark ambient/ soundscaping, industrial electronic, classical and old-school alternative music. Who/what are your biggest influences? Tool, Meshuggah, Mike Patton, Rob Dougan, Lustmord, NIN, science fiction and horror soundtracks such as The Matrix and Silent Hill, the darker side of 1900s classical music. Can you tell us a bit about the general theme of the album? The CD is comprised of three 20-minute sections making up a three act concept album. The tracks flow seamlessly - for the most part - articulating a story of dystopian body horror with themes of self-liberation, drug abuse, political conspiracy, physical and mental slavery, and existentialism. What is the stand out track? Pariah Who is your favourite Perth artist? Nexus What is your Favourite Perth live venue? Metro City/Civic Hotel. onomy.bandcamp.com/ youtube.com/user/ONOMY01 facebook.com/ONOMY01
MattyTWall
Jordan McRobbie (Self Titled) Released: Late 2012 Recorded: Poons Head Studio. Describe your sound. Intricate, guitar-driven blues and roots music with catchy pop hooks and stripped back percussion. Who are your biggest influences? John Butler, Pearl Jam, Days of the New, City and Colour.
Who are your biggest influences? As a guitarist, the usual trio of Hendrix/Clapton/StevieRay are there, but I really love guitarists such as Django Reinhardt and the funk jazzer John Scofield – awesome stuff.
Can you tell us a bit about the general theme of the album? The EP is a commentary on life growing up in the port city of Fremantle, family conflicts and self-discovery.
Who’s your favourite Perth artist? Dave Hole – he’s still got it.
What’s the stand out track? High Tide – 2013 WAM Song Of The Year for Blues/Roots category. Who is your favourite Perth band? John Butler Trio. What’s your favourite Perth live venue? Mojos. Are there any upcoming gigs we should know about? Playing the WAM Saturday Spectacular at the Brass Monkey at 12pm. So where can we find your music on-line? www.facebook.com/wayfarersongs www.xpressmag.com.au
What’s your sound? Blues is my core, but having been so influenced by bands like Metallica and Led Zeppelin from my older brothers album collection when I was growing up, I definitely prefer a stronger, more dramatic type of music with plenty of dynamics – which comes across in my sound I think.
What ‘s your favourite Perth live venue? Ellingtons for the intimacy of the room, The Charles Hotel for the onstage sound. Any upcoming gigs we need to know about? The Mustang Bar this Sunday and Blues At Bridgetown 2013! Friday, November 8 at The Bridgetown Hotel, and Saturday, November 9 @ The Bridgetown Hotel from 11-1pm, then Scots Tavern from 2.30pm. So where can we find your music on-line? Best way to check out my music is to check out the video clips on www.mattytwall.com or my YouTube channel for some recent performances. 43
MUSIC GEAR & TECHNOLOGY
CRAFTY CUTS On the eve of the 2013 WAM AWARDS, we thought it germane to take a moment out and touch base with some of the hugely talented Craft Award Nominees, whose skill in their chosen field has been noted and lauded by their fellow musicians.
FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR ABBE MAY How did you feel when you heard you’d been nominated? Pretty good. I work hard so recognition is always pleasant. When did you first realise you wanted to sing? I have always sung but I guess I just fell into doing it as a career around 22. I was a shit waitress so it seemed like a good move. Which artist is the single biggest influence on your style? I’m influenced by lots of different types of musicians; some novelists like Toni Morrison, Rushdie; photographers like Toni Wilkinson; artists like Lauren Fenlon and CJ Hendry and film makers like Wes Anderson and David Lynch... too many to list them all, really. What single song do you think best demonstrates what you do? Probably someone else’s, like maybe Total Eclipse Of The Heart or anything with accompanying displays of terrible interpretive dancing. Fill in the blank: “If I weren’t a singer, I’d be a...” ...very bad waitress.
Georgi Kaye
GEORGI KAYE How did you feel when you heard you’d been nominated? Pleasantly surprised! When did you first realise you wanted to sing? I tried getting a job once at a local bakery, but they wouldn’t take me. So I said to myself, ‘Georgi ya muppet, you’ve got a voice – use it! Then you can get your hands on all the jam donuts in the world.’ Which artist is the single biggest influence on your style? Depeche Mode. What single song do you think best demonstrates what you do? I have a song for my upcoming album called God Of A Girl. It’s dark, cinematic, and epic – a mix between ominous synths and dramatic strings – it’ll blow your face off!
Abbe May
Fill in the blank: “If I weren’t a singer, I’d be a...” ...elasmobranchologist. Google it ;-)
LAURA JANE LOUTHER (Kucka)
How did you feel when you heard you’d been nominated? Excited, it’s awesome to get some recognition for what you do. When did you first realise you wanted to sing? I think I always knew. I annoyed my parents a lot when I was a kid singing around the house. Which artist is the single biggest influence on your style? Maybe Beck because he covers so many genres and always reinvents himself in new fresh ways, whilst still keeping true to his own aesthetic. What single song do you think best demonstrates what you do? I have a new single coming out called Backyard Plastic Surgery. The lyrics are pretty dark and humorous, I like to play around with impossible scenarios. Fill in the blank:“If I weren’t a singer, I’d be a...” ...rollercoaster designer.
Boom! Bap! Pow!
NOVAC BULL (Boom! Bap! Pow!)
How did you feel when you heard you’d been nominated? Blissfully aware. When did you first realise you wanted to sing? When I recited Ba Ba Black Sheep for my entire family in the living room when I was just three years of age. Everyone clapped, and from then on I wouldn’t shut up. Which artist is the single biggest influence on your style? I’m feeling as though it’s Betty Davis today. The soul/funk/rock Goddess Betty Davis. What single song do you think best demonstrates what you do? That would have to be ‘So Heavy’. The title track from our LP.
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Fill in the blank: “If I weren’t a singer, I’d be a...” ....unicorn. #youshouldreadxpress
Send your Volume News to musicservices@xpressmag.com.au
Edited by TRAVIS JOHN S ON
MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR TIMOTHY NELSON (Timothy Nelson & The Infidels)
How did you feel when you heard you’d been nominated? Warm and fuzzy, particularly when Luke nearly got nominated for Best Bass Player, until they realised the typo and changed it. That would’ve been hilarious. When did you first realise you wanted to sing? When my career in ballet and my passion for rugby,both took a serious plummet in activity in the early 2000s. Which artist is the single biggest influence on your style? I think it was Pablo Picasso that said ‘Good artists borrow, great artists steal’. What single song do you think best demonstrates what you do? Definitely Gangsta’s Paradise by Coolio. May as well have written it myself... Fill in the blank: “If I weren’t a singer, I’d be a...” ...lumberjack.
Timothy Nelson
CAM AVERY
(The Growl, Allbrook/Avery) How did you feel when you heard you’d been nominated? Tired and thirsty, but glad that I was up against that sucker from Allbrook/Avery. When did you first realise you wanted to sing? It was less of a realisation, it was just something I always did. Which artist is the single biggest influence on your style? Presley. What single song do you think best demonstrates what you do? I’m not sure, plus mum says it’s not polite to talk about yourself.
The Growl
Fill in the blank: “If I weren’t a singer, I’d be a...” ...brick layer most likely
NICK ALLBROOK (Pond, Allbrook/Avery)
How did you feel when you first heard you got nominated? I know and am fucking shocked that anyone listens to my music more than anyone else’s. It’s pretty flattering. But it doesn’t affect the making of the music, I don’t think... that much.
Pond
IAN KENNY (Karnivool)
How did you feel when you heard you’d been nominated? Great. A nod from the home town is always cool. When did you first realise you wanted to sing? I came out of the womb singing…. so I’m told. Which artist is the single biggest influence on your style? Tom Yorke and Kurt Cobain are a close first. What single song do you think best demonstrates what you do? New Day. Fill in the blank: “If I weren’t a singer, I’d be a...” ...person who didn’t sing? www.xpressmag.com.au
Ian Kenny 45
Send your Volume News to musicservices@xpressmag.com.au
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VOLUME NEWS GET YOUR HANDS ON A PIANO
Korg Micropiano
You’ve got until, well, tomorrow, Thursday October 31, to take advantage of Sound Centre’s massive piano sale. Both acoustic and digital pianos are on the block, with discounts as huge as 50% being touted. Floor stock models and pre-loved instruments from such famous brands as Yamaha, Kayersburg, Kurzweil, Casio, Korg and more are up for grabs, so point your browser towards soundcentre. comau for the full scoop.
VINTAGE HOT ROD SERIES HITS DOWN UNDER
Fender’s Vintage Hot Rod Series is now available in Australia. Combining vitnage styling with modern functionality, these are a dream for veteran Fender fans and newcomers alike. Features include compound radius fingerboards, new pickup configurations, vintage-style locking tuners, S1 switching and more. Cruise over to fender.com.au for full details and to locate your nearest Fender dealer.
Fender Vintage Hot Rod Fender Vintage Hot Rod
DIG INTO DISKBANK
To celebrate WAM Festival week, our friends at Diskbank are turning on some package specials for local bands and artists. You can pick up 100 CDs with cardboard sleeves for just $295, 250 units for $545, or 500 units for $850. There’s even an extra bonus for X-Press readers: mention X-Press, and you receive 50 A3 sized posters free when at least 100 units are purchased. See Diskbank’s website for details at diskbank.com.au
GET ON A WINNER WITH WAM
WAM isn’t just a giant backslapping party and week-long gig marathon; WAM members get access to heaps of discounts, special offers, workshops, opportunities and more. You can become a WAM member for as low as $30 right now, and get discounted tickets for the WAM Festival Music Conference and the WA Music Awards on Friday, November 8. Additionally bonuses include free checked music baggage with Qantas and Virgin Australia, reduced fees on Pozible, 25% off the Australian Music Industry Directory, concession rate tickets at Luna Cinemas and more. Head over to wam.asn.au for full details of the brilliant bennies membership has to offer.
IND ALL THE LATEST WAM FESTIVAL INFO AND UPDATES ON THE X-PRESS APP, AVAILABLE FOR IOS AND ANDROID. HEAR MUSIC BY THE ARTISTS FEATURED IN THIS WEEK’S MAG BY ACCESSING THE NOW PLAYING FEATURE.
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