ISSUE 1404
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8TH JAN 2014
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F R E E W E D N E S D AY S
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E N T E R TA I N M E N T I N P E R T H
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#XPRESSMAG
33,560 OCTOBER 2012 MARCH 2013 - AUSTRALIA’S HIGHEST CIRCULATING STREET PRESS
STORIES WE TELL
DEAFHEAVEN
PEZ
THE DISAPPOINTED
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NEWSDESK
LOCAL NEWS
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GLOBAL NEWS
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ANNOUNCEMENTS
ATOMIC POWER Few feminine art forms have made as huge a resurgence in popularity as burlesque has this past decade, and what we have seen in its wake is an absolute rise in the quality and creativity of the discipline. One of the best burlesque troupes in the world - The Atomic Bombshells - will be making their way across Australia next month, landing at the perfectly suited Deville’s Pad on Monday, February 3. If that’s not brilliant enough, the tour’s MC will be none other than El Vez, the Mexican Elvis, who is helping The Atomic Bombshells celebrate their 10 year anniversary in absolute style. Tickets and info are available through fringeworld.com.au.
IN BOB WE TRUST It’s one of the biggest and most celebratory occasions on the music calendar, and this year’s Outernational Day looks set to be the best yet. For the uninitiated, Outernational Day celebrates the birth of legend Bob Marley, and this being the 33rd year of the Outernational Day makes it one of the longeststanding festivals in the world. Providing the live music this year are local talents The Isolites, NBA Rastas, Downbeat, Zimbabwean/Australian Komichi Alliance, and singer-songwriter Sista Cera. If that’s not enough music for you, the DJ lineup will most certainly cure what ails ya, with Veeness, King Messy (Aus), DJ K.S. (Kenya), DJ Simba (Zimbabwe), Totomath (Zambia), The Empressions, and General Justice. All that, plus stalls, food and all that other good stuff. It’s all happening at the Railway Hotel from 2pm Sunday, February 2. Tickets available on the door, and the first 50 payers receive a free t-shirt.
FREMANTLE PIECE
SETS APPEAL
Both the Railway Hotel and the Swan Hotel will join forces on Australia Day eve, Saturday, Janurary 25, for the North Fremantle Pub Crawl: a multistage rock’n’roll smorgasbord. There’s a second announcement of acts on its way, but check this out for starters: The Love Junkies, Usurper Of Modern Medicine, Dead Owls, The Weapon Is Sound, Trigger Jackets, Puck, Apache, Tape Off (QLD), Archer & Light, and Husband (duo). You bloody beauty.
It just isn’t summer without Sets On The Beach, and for the lucky 13th instalment the organisers have pulled together a cracking lineup. Hitting the Scarborough Beach Amphitheatre on Sunday, January 19, will be hip hop superstars The Herd, good-time Londoners The 2 Bears (DJ set/Raff Daddy), Sydney EDM darlings What So Not, wunderkind Plastic Plates, a live set from ‘90s-infused Panama, and yet more live tunes courtesy of outstanding newcomer Hayden James... plus even more acts still to be announced! Season passes and first release tickets have sold out already, so don’t delay in scooping up a second release ticket for $64+bf from setsonthebeach.oztix.com.au, Oztix Outlets, Live Clothing stores, Mills Records, Rip Curl, Milk Fashion and Scarlet Fashion.
The Love Junkies
The Isolites
BAYWATCH
The Herd
PLANE AND SIMPLE
ARIA Award-winning Adelaide blues’n’roots heroes The Audreys will be making their way across the desert to join some of Perth’s finest acts on Saturday, January 18, for a spectacular concert in Currambine’s Caledonia Park. The final instalment of the successful Music In The Park series that kicked off in 2013, this event will feature local legends Nathan Gaunt and Dilip N’ The Davs, who will join The Audreys in front of around 4,000 people - making Music In The Park the biggest music event in the City of Joondalup.
American saxophone virtuoso Colin Stetson travels to Perth for the first time in January 2014 for two performances. The first show will be on Monday, January 20, at Mojo’s Bar Fremantle with The Tigers and Lower Spectrum, and the second performance will take place at the Hellenic Club of WA on Tuesday, January 21, with support from a Callum G’Froerer project tailored for this show. Tickets are $25+bf for both shows and are available via Oztix.
The organizers of the upcoming Bayside Boutique Festival had a few simple goals: to make a festival that didn’t cost a fortune, wasn’t a seething pit of thousands of people, and provides unique and meaningful activities for patrons to enjoy and get stoked on. So here’s what they came up with... hosted on the luscious lawns overlooking the Swan River and city skyline at Mounts Bay Sailing Club on Saturday, January 18, Bayside Boutique Festival will host a cocktail competition (with the fastest bar tender receiving a $500 cash prize), three fashion shows, gourmet meals (cooked by the Head Chef of the Belasyse Tapas Restaurant), pop-up shops, and - of course - a lineup of amazing music: Midnight Juggernauts (DJ set), SAFIA, Stillwater Giants, Crooked Colours, Palace, Zeke, Charlie Chan, Knoe, Fakelove and more. Final release tickets are $60, with a $220 VIP option that includes all meals, alcohol and access to the VIP area. Head to Ticket Booth to snap yours up.
The Audreys
Colin Stetson
Stillwater Giants
From 4pm ’til midnight on Australia Day, Sunday, January 26, Dave’s Cans On The Roof (Fremantle) will host open-air rooftop party Higher Planes - featuring the dual-couple DJ attack of Georgia Anne Muldrow & Dudley Perkins, and Cola & Jimmu (aka Nicole Willis & Jimi Tenor) spinning everything from funk, soul and hip hop, to psychedelic rock. Earlybird tickets are available now from Heatseeker.
RANGA APPRECIATION DAY (R.A.D) For a meagre gold coin entry, you can celebrate all that is rad about ‘gingers’ at an Australia Day Long Weekend party at Flyrite on Friday, January 24. Expect some bangin’ strawberry blonde, ginger and fiery red DJ sets from the likes of Aarom Wilson, Troy Division, Acebasik, Dngrfld and Genga; plus Monteith’s Ginger Beer, face painters, a BBQ and prizes for best hair, best mo and best dressed. You also get a Ginger Nut upon entry! All proceeds go to the Cancer Council WA.
CALEDONIA HERE WE COME
SAX MACHINE
THE DISAPPOINTED The Mark Of Excellence The Disappointed launch their brand new single I Disagree With Myself at Amplifier Bar on Friday, January 10. X-PRESS sits in with band member Mark Neal and asks all the tough questions. You made an impact on the scene in Minute 36. Describe the journey that took you from that band to this one... I joined The Disappointed so I could be part of something a bit more collaborative. We’ve all come from other Perth bands who have done good things, I think that’s helped us skip some of the awkward starting out mistakes. Before we even played a gig we were talking promo and launch strategies, we’ve all got to that age were we feel like we better hurry up and make a good record before our hearing goes, I’ve almost got more grey than brown hair these days. For a young chap you have a lot of experience already. How do you feel as a musician these days? Where does your passion and interest lay? I’ve been pretty lucky, played some cool shows, met some great musicians, Perth is a great place to make music, I really like being part of the little community we have here. I’ve learnt a lot playing with musicians who are better than me, and I always come home from local gigs with an urge to write songs. Watching bands live is by far my biggest influence. What’s your role in The Disappointed, and how did that affect the new single? This single took a little while to write, we tried quite a bit of different things in the writing process, I cant even remember who wrote what on this track. This song almost got cut quite a few times, but I was convinced that this song was meant to be the single. So convinced that I might have used my salesperson experience and bribery tactics to talk the rest of the band into recording this track. I hope it pays off.
us believed it was amazing from the first day, it took a lot of work to rewrite bits and convince the rest of the band that it was worthy.
Artistically speaking, what direction(s) do you see The Disappointed heading in 2014? Probably gonna see a bit more experimenting in 2014, more effects. Whatever we record next will be heavier, all the singles we’ve released so far have been Furthermore, what was the process like for this single pop songs, but our live show is more rock than pop, so - from writing to recording? we better release a rock song soon. I Disagree With Myself was destined to be a single. Ever since we recorded our first EP Stranger with Realistically or fantastically, what goals/adventures do Dave Parkin, we have been brutal in the rehearsal studio. you guys have in mind for the future? Lately we have a ‘no more screwing around’ attitude; We wanna tour lots this year, get over to any unnecessary bits are scrapped pretty quickly, we the other side of the country as much as possible, and barely ever jam on anything for very long, if it doesn’t hit regional spots when we can. We’re hoping to get take straight away, we cut it. I Disagree With Myself overseas at some point as well, I wanna go to Machu was kind of an exception to the rule, two or three of Picchu, maybe we can play a gig for the Incas. WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU
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N E W S L E T T E R - S I G N U P AT W W W. X P R E S S M AG . C O M . A U F O R E XC L U S I V E C O M P S
PRINT AND DIGITAL EDITIONS PUBLISHER/MANAGER Joe Cipriani
EDITORIAL - 9213 2888 MANAGING EDITOR Bob Gordon: editor@xpressmag.com.au DANCE MUSIC & FEATURES EDITOR Rachel Davison: danceeditor@xpressmag.com.au LOCAL MUSIC & ARTS EDITOR Travis Johnson: localmusicarts@xpressmag.com.au GIG & EVENT GUIDES CO-ORDINATOR guide@xpressmag.com.au COMPETITIONS win@xpressmag.com.au For band gigs and launches - plugyourgig@xpressmag.com.au
TOUR: DEAFHEAVEN
PHOTOGRAPHY Rachael Barrett, Stefan Caramia, Guang-Hui Chuan, Daniel Craig, Brandon D’Silva, Max Fairclough, Daniel Grant, Sammy Granville, Matt Jelonek, Emma Mackenzie, Callum Ponton, Denis Radacic, Bohdan Warchomij, Michael Wylie
Black metal/shoegaze San Franciscans, Deafheaven, will be assaulting the sun-dappled shores of Perth this Saturday, January 11, at the Rosemount Hotel. The five-piece’s latest album, Sunbather has been in the top 10 of most publications’ ‘best of 2013’ album lists and this is their first Australian tour! Support on the night comes from Tangled Thoughts Of Leaving and Drohtnung. Tickets on sale from lifeisnoise.com, but to win a double pass to the show, email us quick: win@xpressmag.com.au.
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Leah Blankendaal, Nina Bertok, Lucas Bowers, Aaron Bryans, Joe Cassidy, Hayley Davis, Chris Gibbs, Alfred Gorman, Shaun Cowe, Predrag Delibasich, Jayde Ferguson, George Green, Alex Griffin, James Hanlon, Chris Havercroft, Joshua Hayes, Brendan Holben, Coral Huckstep, Ellie Hutchinson, Rezo Kezerashvili, Tom Kitson, Clayton Lin, Charlie Lewis, Daisy Lythe, Andrew Nelson, David O’Connell, Shane Pinnegar, Nick Sweepah, Jessica Willoughby
Deafheaven
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DJ SET: MAX VANGELI Originally from Moldova in Eastern Europe, but now based in San Francisco, house DJ Max Vangeli is making an appearance at Villa on Friday, January 24. He’s now one of the hottest breakthrough electronic artists out of Eastern Europe having remixed big names likes of Steve Angello, Gorillaz, Erick Morillo, Ellie Goulding and Pendulum. Support on the night comes from Chiari, ACEBASIK, Axen, Paul Scott and Wasteland. Get your tickets for this one via Moshtix, but take a punt and potentially win one of two double passes by emailing: win@xpressmag.com.au. Max Vangeli
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ADVERTISING DEADLINES Cancellations: Monday 5pm, Ads to be set: Monday Noon Supplied Bookings / Copy: Tuesday 12 Noon, Classifieds: Monday 4pm Published by: Columbia Press Pty.Ltd. A.C.N. 066 570 803 Registered by Australia Post. Publication No PP600110.00006 Suite 55/102 Railway Street, City West Business Centre, West Perth, WA 6005 Locked Bag 31, West Perth, WA 6872 Phone: (08) 9213 2888 Fax: (08) 9213 2882 Website: http://www.xpressmag.com.au WARRANTY AND INDEMNITY Advertisers and/or their agents by lodging an advertisment shall indemnify the publisher, and its agents, against all liability claims or proceedings whatsoever arising from the publication. Advertisers and/or their representatives indemnify the publisher in relation to defamation, slander, breach of copyright, infringement of trademarks of name of publication titles, unfair competition or trade practices, royalties or violation of rights or privacy and warrant that the material complies with revelant laws and regulations and that its publication will not give rise to any rights against or liabilities in the publisher, its servants or agents. Any material supplied to X-Press is at the contributor’s risk.
CD: NEIL FINN + PAUL KELLY
CONTENTS
ADMIN / ACCOUNTS - 9213 2888 Lillian Buckley accounts@xpressmag.com.au EDITORIAL DEADLINES General: Friday 5pm, Eye4 Arts: Thursday 10am, WIN: Friday 5pm, Salt Clubs: Monday 5pm , Local Scene: Monday Noon, Gig Guide: Monday 5pm
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News Win Flesh Music The Hives / Toro Y Moi Deafheaven / Karnivool The Crimson Projekct The Offspring / Vinny Appice New Noise Eye4 Cover: Flood August Osage Country / Stories We Tell Saving Mr Banks / The Book Thief 12 Years A Slave Arts Listings Salt Cover: Phetsta News / Producer’s Cut / Salt Nights Out Pez / Freestylers Club Manual Rewind: Dave’s Cans Scene Southbound Malignant Monster Local Scene Tour Tour Trails Gig Guide Volume
FRONT COVER : The Hives are one of the replacements for Blur at the Big Day Out on Sunday, February 2 at Claremont Showgrounds. 33,560 OCTOBER 2012 MARCH 2013 - AUSTRALIA’S HIGHEST CIRCULATING STREET PRESS
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FILM: LUNA OUTDOORS
SALT COVER: Phetsta says farewell to Perth on
Saturday, January 18 at Villa.
Neil Finn and Paul Kelly got together last year for a concert tour - each delving into the other’s catalogues for their favourite tunes. Following on from this comes, Goin’ Your Way - a live recording of the show from the Sydney Opera House available on DVD, BluRay, 2CD, plus a special deluxe edition. To win one of five copies to add to your collection, email win@ xpressmag.com.au.
Luna Outdoors is up and running for the summer season featuring some great films, special nights, musical entertainment, pizzas, fine beverages and more. Screening this weekend is American Hustle starring Christian Bale and on Thursday and Friday, catch Gravity once again in 3D. In the coming weeks get set for Muscle Shoals, The Room, Spike Jonze’s Her and Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf Of Wall Street. To win one of five double passes to any film on the calendar (with conditions stipulated on the ticket) - email: win@xpressmag.com.au. American Hustle
EVENT: BAYSIDE
Based on Australian author Markus Zusak’s novel of the same name, The Book Thief is the inspirational tale of a spirited young girl’s bravery during one of the most tumultuous periods in history - World War II. Starring Geoffery Rush, Emily Watson and newcomer Sophie Nelisse as Liesel, it opens in cinemas next week. We’ve got ten double inseason passes to giveaway. Email us quick at: win@ xpressmag.com.au.
Boutique events are all the rage these days, with many punters tired of the big festivals with hordes of people. Enter: Bayside. To be held at the Mounts Bay Sailing Club on the afternoon (and evening) of Saturday, January 18 - the event brings together music, food, fashion, cocktails and pop-up shops - all in a beautiful location. Special guests include a DJ set from Midnight Juggernauts, Canberra’s SAFIA and locals Stillwater Giants, Crooked Colours, Palace, Zeke, Charlie Chan and more. To get yourself a standard or VIP ticket (you must be over 20 years of age or older) - head to Ticket Booth, but if you’re damn lucky, you might just win yourself a double pass. Email: win@xpressmag.com.au.
The Book Thief
Midnight Juggernaut DJs
FILM: THE BOOK THIEF
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THE HIVES Tick Tick Blur The Hives have been announced as one of the replacement acts for Blur at the Big Day Out, happening in Perth on Sunday, February 2, at Claremont Showgrounds. BOB GORDON reports. Chris Dangerous, drummer of The Hives, is no doubt dressed to the nines and sipping on a Heineken somewhere as he waits for the operator to hook up this interview call. “I’m pretty fucking good,” he affirms, with bandmates chatting up a storm backstage, as the line is connected. “I just played a show in a huge arena in Newark, New Jersey.” It’s fitting, really, that The Hives would already be out there on the road at a time when they have come to save the day (along with Deftones and Beady Eye), filling in for UK icons, Blur, who backed out of their forthcoming Big Day Out appearances. That the Swedes’ inclusion comes at the cost of some rare downtime at home only adds to their rockworthiness. “Actually that fill-in spot has worked out perfectly because we were just gonna be at home,” Dangerous says. “We were going to try to rehearse some new stuff, but then the question was asked and we looked at our calendar and it just fit perfectly. “I mean, we love playing in Australia. We’ve had so many great tours over there and the Big Day Out is such a great experience for any band. We’ve done it before and we know they’re serious about anything they do. So it’s really a no-brainer for us.” The added bonus of squeezing a little more summer into their year would appear to have sealed the deal. “Exactly,” Dangerous states. “It’s always good to be at home, you know, when you have some downtime with your family, but when there’s an offer to come to Australian we hardly ever say no. The audience, the country, everything about it... it’s just a place that we really love. We’re definitely stoked to be playing the Big Day Out again. It’s going to be so much fun.” After playing in Australia back in January, The Hives have been busy touring in support of 2012’s Lex Hives album, mainly in the US. “We’ve toured so much in the US this year,” he explains. “More than ever before. I don’t know why it happened that way. It’s always great to anyway, but we were offered some fun tours to be part of, pretty much just like the Blur thing. They just happened; the fun stuff that just comes up.” Part of that fun stuff was the opportunity to support Pink on numerous stops of her The Truth About Love US tour. It’s a different experience for The Hives, playing shortened sets to mainstream pop audiences. “It’s quite interesting,” Dangerous ponders.” We were quite scared in the beginning but we’ve always been really good in the face of difficult competition. We love to walk into these arenas and try to explain to people what we’re doing and why they should love us. Pretty much every night we’ve gained some 15,000 new fans who would never have heard us before. “It’s challenging, it sure is, because you’ve really got to win them over. It’s a huge crowd and
VIEWS
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no one’s heard of you but by the end of the set people are just cheering and really loving what we do... and at least then they promise to come back too (laughs). It’s fun for both of us.” Even if you’ve seen The Hives perform there’s always room for surprise anytime you see them live. Pity the poor Pink fans who don’t know what they’re in for... “Exactly, it’s probably a shock for them,” Dangerous laughs. “It’s gonna change their lives, because they’ve probably never seen anything like it. “I wish I could be that person. To not know about our band and go see us for the first time and just get fucking blown away. I would like to be those people.” There’s always a room for a first with The Hives and one came recently on the US jaunt when they were part of the Cyndi Lauper & Friends concert at New York’s Beacon Theatre. Lauper and The Hives were presented with a rare moment to perform their 2008 festive season single collaboration, A Christmas Duel. “Yeah, that was fantastic,” Dangerous enthuses. “It’s the first time ever that song had been played live. We’d only played it once before and that was in the studio when we recorded it. It was so great. And Cyndi Lauper is such a great person... what a voice, you know? To be able to do it at last... it was just perfect.” As perfect as it seems, it also gets unpredictable at times, and it certainly did a fortnight ago when vocalist, Pelle Almqvist, dedicated a song to the people of Boston during a show in that city. Unfortunately that song happened to be Tick Tick Boom and was deemed by some to be too soon/too much after the Boston Marathon bombing earlier this year. The Hives apologised via Facebook and it seems the slip-up was accidental rather then ill-considered. “When we’re up on stage - and we do this a lot - we always want to dedicate a song to people who came to the show,” Dangerous says. “It was really unfortunate that it happened to be that song. When we’re onstage we don’t really think about anything but trying to make the best show possible.
“It’s always good to be at home, you know, when you have some downtime with your family, but when there’s an offer to come to Australian we hardly ever say no. The audience, the country, everything about it... it’s just a place that we really love. We’re definitely stoked to be playing the Big Day Out again. It’s going to be so much fun.” It’s unfortunate, but we’ve had so many comments coming back just saying, ‘you don’t have to apologise; you’re a rock band who just like to dedicate their songs’. “You could probably interpret a lot from the lyrics into whatever you want, but it’s still just a song. The title of the song is Tick Tick Boom but it doesn’t have to do with bombs. It’s not about that. It’s just very unfortunate and unlucky.” Another tour, another raft of experiences it would seem. Earlier this year, when LA skatepunkers, FIDLAR, hit our shores they sang the praises of The Hives, who took them on their first tour of Europe and gave them a little advice along the way.
“That first tour we did was with The Hives,” FIDLAR vocalist/guitarist, Zac Carper, recalled. “And after the tour Nick (Arson) the guitar player came up to me and said, ‘This is the first tour you’ve ever done. What did you learn?’ I said straight away, ‘not to bring my skateboard ever again’ (laughs) because we’d play then just get wasted and go skating all night and wake up the next morning and go, ‘oh my god what the fuck did we do?’ “That’s what The Hives guys had found too; after their first tour they never brought along their skateboards again.” When reminded of this Dangerous laughs and explains simply that when your business is showbusiness you simply can’t be letting the show down. “For us it’s all about every show being as good as the other one,” he says. “I’ve played the same night that I was robbed with pepper spray; or when my body’s been in such bad shape that I couldn’t even stand up but somehow I’ve pulled through and played a show. “The main thing is if you’re in a band and you go out on a six-week-long tour you might not want to do everything you can to destroy yourself on the first night. It’s gonna bite you back and it’s gonna hurt. There’s not really much advice you can give, it’s really just being able to play the show every night. Whatever situation you face, somehow you gotta pull through. It’s easier if you don’t try and hurt yourself (laughs).”
The Lex Hives Australian tour last summer saw the band resplendent in tuxedos. As Dangerous hit the drum riser, readying to pound into album/ set opener, Come On, he flicked his tuxedo tails dramatically behind him before sitting on his drum stool, in the manner most associated with classical pianists. It was a nice touch, to say the very least. “I do that every night when I have a tux on,” he laughs. “It just felt right, having a tux on when you’re about to play a song, no matter if it’s the piano or the drums! “For this tour, at least, we’re wearing mariachi outfits so I can’t do it now. I’m not sure what we’re wearing for the Big Day Out. We’ll see what is fitting for the occasion.” A new album from The Hives, meanwhile, looks a little further off, given they’ll be rockin’ the Antipodes for several weeks in the New Year, rather than hitting the studio. “We’ll see what happens,” Dangerous says. “It’s always a work in progress. You never know when things will feel right for us to release but we’re definitely gonna try and work on stuff as soon as we can. It’s just very hard for us while we’re on tour; it’s always been like that and we need a little bit of downtime at home before we can start. You’ve got to reset your mind into that kind of mode.”
TORO Y MOI
football and things like that. I didn’t really start listening to electronic music until college, though.” Fair enough. We’re probably not going to be trading any anecdotes about Final Fantasy X, so I press on in a different direction. Anything In Return has way more of a loose, R&B and hip hop sound than anything Bundick has recorded before, and I wonder if he was listening to a lot of that music when he started work on the record. “I was, yeah,” he replies. “I was listening to a lot of The-Dream, and a lot of Kanye, and a lot of older stuff too, stuff from the ’90s.” Would he one day be interested in producing for a Kanye or a Kendrick Lamar? “Yeah, that’s never really been proposed, but I’m down for working with anybody as long as I’m into their stuff.” Anything In Return is that little bit bolder, that little bit louder than the music that Bundick has made in the past. “I was really just thinking about finding groovy beats and making fun songs,” he says. One particular thing on his mind, however, was the need to play the songs live. “Whenever I’m making music in the studio, I’m always thinking about how it’s going to be performed. I mostly focus on sonics, so it’s sort of fun to think of ways to make the music sound good live, the way it does on the record.” In a recent Rolling Stone interview, Bundick said he was starting to feel a little bit bored of electronic music – that it was beginning to feel more like work than the hobby it has always been, and that he was contemplating making a different kind of record altogether. It’s a new direction that Bundick expects to embark on soon. “I think there are always lots of sounds that I still want to experiment with. It’s hard to say right now, but I am always open to trying new things in different genres.” So is he working on anything right now? “Nothing in particular,” he says, “I’m just working on relaxing right now – that’s definitely in the works.”
Keeping It Chill Part of the gargantuan Big Day Out lineup, Toro Y Moi will perform at the Claremont Showgrounds on Sunday, February 2. ALASDAIR DUNCAN speaks to the man himself. When we speak, Toro Y Moi (aka Chaz Bundick) is in a van speeding down the highway towards Los Angeles, where he and his band will be performing on Jimmy Kimmel Live! the following night. Bundick is at the tail end of a long run of shows, and this is one of his last stops before taking a break over the holidays ahead of the Big Day Out. He’s a man in demand and is clearly feeling the strain of life on the road. His last album, Anything In Return, was his biggest yet, taking the woozy melodies and hazy electronics of Toro Y Moi to an all-new level. A higher profile, however, means lots of touring, and lots of touring makes for a tired Toro. I try to get the conversation started with a little light chat about video games – scratch the surface of most electronic musicians and you’re likely to find a nerdy suburban teen who spent the better part of the 2000s huddled over a PS2. I ask Bundick if he was much of a gamer in that era, and if perhaps any key elements of video game soundtracks might perhaps have worked their way into the music he makes now. “Was I a gamer?” he asks. “No, not really. I mean, I had a PlayStation growing up, but that’s about it. If anything, I’d say I was more into sports; 8
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DEAFHEAVEN Shades Of Black Californian black metal ensemble Deafheaven make their Perth debut at the Rosemount Hotel on Saturday, January 11. DAVID JAMES YOUNG speaks with frontman George Clarke about the band’s breakaway success, 2013’s Sunbather. Heavy metal – both with its wide musical spectrum and as a subculture unto itself – is a peculiar beast. It’s safe to say that no-one – whether they be a fan, a critic or merely a spectator – could have quite predicted this outcome: that the year’s most talked-about, critically acclaimed album within the metal world was a seven-track black metal release with a pink cover made by some relatively clean-cut and unassuming Californians. Not even the band responsible for the album in question, San Francisco’s Deafheaven, had any idea just what kind of impact Sunbather would have. “It’s definitely left us very surprised,” says George Clarke, the band’s lead vocalist and cofounder alongside guitarist Kerry McCoy. “It’s nothing that we could have really anticipated or expected. At the same time, above anything else, I’m just really appreciative of the support that we’ve gotten from any direction. It’s crazy and really cool that so many publications that aren’t necessarily open to metal music, or don’t really have a focus on it, were really positive about what we do and were really open to our record – I’ve had a really good time with it.” Sunbather was written by Clarke and McCoy as a duo, although by the time it was recorded and released the band had expanded to a quintet. Deafheaven welcomed guitarist Shiv Mehra, bassist Stephen Clark and drummer Daniel Tracy to the fold in 2013 – and Clarke feels they have assimilated well within the group. “They’ve handled it wonderfully,” he says. “That was one of the biggest accomplishments for us this year – solidifying this new lineup and picking people that are really dedicated, talented and enjoy making music. I’m really looking forward to working with them more and more into next year and after that.” The album is a visceral, unforgiving listen, drenched in feedback and sprawling progressions. The vocals are often cloaked behind the force of the music itself. It’s not for the easily distracted, either – some
tracks on the album go for as long as 15 minutes. There are plenty of descriptive terms to be bandied about when it comes to Sunbather, but ‘user-friendly’ and ‘accessible’ certainly aren’t ones that immediately come to mind. Its failure to comply with a single mould within the confines of metal can be traced to the band’s interest in sounds and musical styles outside the proverbial square – namely, the shoegaze movement; with bands like My Bloody Valentine, Chapterhouse and Slowdive serving as an inspiration. “That style of music is a really large influence on us,” says Clarke. “It always has been. I think that we were able to blend it in a really smart way on this album. It was a very conscious decision to include that element, and I think that we pulled it off. We just write things that we like – and we happen to like a lot of different styles of music. It’s just a natural outcome of writing songs.” Clarke is also calm when responding to a relatively small yet vocal backlash from various purists, questioning just how ‘metal’ an album like Sunbather is. “No-one’s ever going to write an album
that every single person likes,” he says nonchalantly. “There’s always something to attack or resist when it comes to music, and that’s okay. I don’t think much of it – that’s just how it goes. I went into making this album knowing that.” The aforementioned pink cover art of Sunbather was inspired by what one sees when they stare at the sun and close their eyes. It was designed by Nick Steinhardt, who plays guitar for fellow genre outsiders Touché Amoré. The cover drives a visual aspect behind the music itself, lending a vivid imagery to the already provocative soundtrack – but don’t expect anything similarly stunning on the eyes when it comes to the band’s live performances. Clarke is quick to point out that although a lot of thought went into how the album itself looks – arguably, almost as much as to how it sounds – a Deafheaven show is definitely a ‘what you see is what you get’ kind of deal. “The art aspect – at least up until this point – has been separate from our live show. The show is
definitely a lot more focused on the sound and the presentation of the songs themselves, as opposed to an overbearing visual accompaniment. We definitely have a large focus on aesthetics – it just doesn’t play into our live show super heavily.” January will see the band touring Australia for the first time ever, bringing the songs from Sunbather (as well as their 2011 debut, Roads To Judah) to life across a slew of intimate club shows. Anticipation is high among local fans – and Clarke himself is intrigued and very ready to kick off 2014 Down Under. “We’re just very excited to be travelling somewhere new,” he says. “We always love experiencing new culture and visiting new cities. From what I’ve been told about Australia, it seems really exciting. Shows seem to do really well there, and people that I know in bands always talk about what a great time they have over there. I think it’s going to be a really positive experience – we’re so happy that we finally get to go.”
“There are many countries we are still yet to make it to,” he says, “but this is all so exciting and we can’t wait to keep going back and playing festivals and shows to new and familiar faces, not to mention experiencing the vast array of amazing culture that Europe has to offer. You drive for a few hours and you’re in a completely new country with a completely different culture and language. You don’t get to see too much on tour, apart from the few blocks around the venue, but at least you get a taste of each place and know where you want to venture back to in your own time to really discover what’s on offer. “I really need to learn some more German/ French/Spanish/Italian though. I’m trying as best I can, but I’ve forgotten most of what I learnt in primary school and I get tongue-tied all too often and
come off looking like a silly Aussie douche bag. ‘Howz it garn!? Parlaay vewl Anglaayyz... bro?’ (laughs).” 2014 is also looking very busy for Karnivool, with additional Australian touring, a bunch of European festival shows and other overseas plans that are still being inked in. Goddard s also keen to make a real dent in record #4, “so we can try, let me repeat try, to get it about before 2047. In the meantime there’s this month’s national tour with good mates, Dead Letter Circus. What’s not to enjoy indeed? “They’re good friends of ours,” Goddard enthuses. “We first heard them back when they released their EP around 2007. I remember getting in touch with the guitarist at the time Rob and told him that I’m a sucker for dotted delays and that we
should play together sometime. We took them out for a bunch of shows on the East Coast around that time and have been friends ever since. We rarely have a conversation with someone overseas without talking about our ‘Aussie scene’, particularly DLC. So we thought it’s about time we toured together, first in Aus of course but maybe we will play some shows with them OS in the future. Who knows? I think we’re both very different bands but there is an obvious connection between us, musically and personally. “So playing a bunch of shows together and running amok around the country seems like the obvious thing to do right about now. Along with the amazing sleepmakeswaves, of course. Bloody champs, the lot of ’em.”
KARNIVOOL Shiny Pointy People The mighty Karnivool are out and about on their Polymorphism tour, which places them in front of a hometown crowd on Thursday, January 23, at the Red Hill Auditorium. BOB GORDON sits down for a chinwag with Karnivool mastermind, and recent ARIA Award winner, Drew Goddard. Sometimes, even for hard touring heavy rockin’ bands, there comes a moment to don the gladrags and live it up a little. And so it was for Karnivool, who, after a year back on the road in support of their acclaimed Asymmetry LP, went to the ARIA Awards for the first time last month. The fact that they picked up an award for ‘Best Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Release’ was icing on the cake. “It was never something that was on any of our bucket-lists,” says guitarist, Drew Goddard, “but receiving that award felt pretty good, I must admit. It was my first ARIA experience. Once I got through the somewhat unnatural and awkward red carpet affair, I had a super evening. Ran into a whole bunch of mates, drank heaps of free piss, ate yummy battered prawns, had a yarn with Molly Meldrum and watched my wife in her mum’s amazing dress from the ‘70s own the joint. Plus we picked up a shiny, pointy thing to boot. What’s not to enjoy? “ W h at e ve r yo u m ay t h i n k o f t h e ARIAs you gotta admit it’s great to have heavy music recognised in this way in this country, any opportunity to remind people that riffing the fuck out and beating your drums like a primate is incredibly fun and cathartic. Everyone’s welcome to join the party, as players or participants. Us ‘heavy metal folk’ are actually pretty friendly ya know! (laughs).” A few fr iendly f- b om b s p e p p e re d Goddard’s acceptance speech on behalf of the band, which may or may not have had it deleted from the broadcast. No that he’d change it for the world… “No,” Goddard laughs, “apart from missing a few vital ‘thank you’s, like the people that come to our shows and support us and our live crew. Oops!” Karnivool spent the Aussie spring touring Europe, working on previous strongholds and establishing new markets. The band are a few tours in now on the continent, but Goddard maintains that it’s still early days.
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THE OFFSPRING Tour De Friends KRISSI WEISS sits in with the man known as Noodles... the bespectacled guitar hero of Californian punk/rock icons The Offspring. As it turns out, life on the road is as grand as ever. The Offspring have never pretended to be anything more or less than what they are – and they’ve had fun along the way. For those of you just joining us, here’s a quick recap: they’re rocking nine studio albums and one seemingly pre-emptive ‘greatest hits’ album. They’ve had modest success with some awesome tracks (Self Esteem, Come Out And Play) and massive chart success with some shaky tracks (need we mention Pretty Fly (For A White Guy)?). They’re a party-starting punk rock band dripping with ’90s shout outs and they do it well – without perfect hair. Whispers of the band returning to the studio have been around for months and months, but The Offspring are still busy taking their latest album, Days Go By, around the world. With a massive back catalogue that is heavily weighted with singles, riff-man Noodles (Kevin John Wasserman) admits the setlist is becoming a mammoth task. “We’ve been playing stuff as far back as Smash and moving forward to Days Gone By,” Wasserman says of the recent tours. “It’s not so much audience expectation, but we know there are certain deep cuts, you know – ones that never got played on the radio, that certain fans in certain countries have come to expect to hear. It’s more frustrating in what we don’t get to play. I’ve been putting our entire playlist on shuffle and certain songs come on and I think, ‘Why don’t we ever play that song?’” Nonetheless, Noodles says there’ll be a few surprises on the band’s upcoming tour. “We still will bust out a song, they’ll go off and we’ll be surprised at an audience’s reaction. We just played South America – that’s where you get some of the craziest audiences in the world, they’re passionate and loud and moving. How we feel about the song, though, that doesn’t change; how we feel about it now is how we felt about it when we wrote it. I probably feel differently about some songs than what Dexter [Holland] does or what Greg [Kriesel] does, though, you know? But
when we give it to the world, we don’t have any control over how the audience relates to it and we don’t try to. Well, unless they greatly misinterpret the lyrics.” The most notorious example for The Offspring would have to be their breakthrough single. “Yeah, like with Come Out And Play people thought the ‘You gotta keep ’em separated’ line was about separating races and we were like, ‘Whoah no, no no. That is wrong!’” While it may seem laughable that The Offspring’s lyrics were misinterpreted as some white power bullshit now, racial tensions were at an all-time high in their backyard of southern California around the time Smash was released. The fires of the Rodney King riots were still smouldering and SoCal was on edge. Around that time The Offspring were pushing forward with their music, trying to fit into to the hardcore scene but existing on the fringe with the like of Sublime and Bad Religion. Noodles is transported back to that time
and place when I suggest the release of Pretty Fly... was a tenacious, hilarious but potentially disastrous move. “Ha, yeah,” he begins with a laugh. “I think having played for years as a band in a hardcore punk rock scene where we really didn’t fit, trying to do songs that were melodic when that just wasn’t the scene we figured we never fitted [into] in the first place – why ever bother, you know?” Fast forward to 2013 and they’re still here, still making music and still trying to get just a little bit better at what they do. “When we’re working on songs we’ll notice if we’re repeating patterns. I might say to Dexter, ‘Hey, that’s like a song we did on Ignition’, but if we love it we keep going. We do try new styles, we try to take what’s good about The Offspring and mix it with other styles of music that we really enjoy, and use that to occasionally try and break those habits. But we just love playing music, we really do; we travel the world and play music for crazy fans for a living.
“ I t h i n k w h e n we s t a r t t o ove r intellectualise it then that’s when you have to step away and listen to it with fresh ears. Sometimes you write something and in two days it’s done, but with other things you labour over things and change it and change it and something can get lost when things all start to sound the same.” With drummer Pete Parada having joined the band many years ago, Days Go By is the first full studio album he’s played on. Nothing much changed for the band in the studio – prolific producer Bob Rock returned a second time as well – but the energy and happiness of the band has increased. They’re doing what they have done and will always do. “Pete’s awesome,” he says. “He lives just outside of Nashville so it’s hard to get him out sometimes but he’s super easy to work with and he’s a great guy. He’s helped us move our game up in a lot of different ways … We’re not prolific writers, we’re really not, we don’t labour over this stuff for a long time, we just kinda get in there and do it.”
“I don’t think really that this is a supergroup. A supergroup would be four or five guys who are all from amazing bands. Maybe if there was Robert Plant singing and Eddie Van Halen playing guitar that would be a supergroup. This band is not really a supergroup, it’s just a great band that plays together well.” Appice says guitarist Mark Zavon suggested the band name themselves after the actual place in North Carolina where the Wright Brothers first flew an aircraft. “Mark is into aviation, he took flight lessons and stuff,” he elaborates, “and that [name] sounded really cool. And it kinda described the music with the
words ‘kill’ and ‘devil’ in it, and it kinda describes the music as heavy and aggressive and dark - so we liked the way it sounded!” After such an illustrious career, Kill Devil Hill means a lot to Appice for one very personal reason – finally, this is his band. “It’s been a pretty good career and I’ve played with some major people,” Appice expounds. “The difference is, I played with people who were already established, you know. Even when I started, I played with Rick Derringer - I even played a little bit with John Lennon. Then Black Sabbath - they were pretty freakin’ known when I joined the band! So I just added to it - I wasn’t a major part of it.
“Dio was a major part’cause we started the band together, Ronnie and I – [but] Ronnie was a major rock star, you know, I wasn’t as big as him! So I’ve always had to work under the umbrella of ‘this is already a built-in success’. I’m grateful I did - I got to play with two amazing bands, you know, but this thing, it’s like building the house right from the beginning. “If it becomes successful, then I can pat myself on the shoulder and go ‘well done!’ It’s been a dream of mine my whole career to have my own band. “This will be the last dream of my career, you know.”
VINNY APPICE Better The Devil You Know Vinny Appice’s name is synonymous with heavy metal drumming, having played with Black Sabbath, Dio and Heaven And Hell. Appice tells SHANE PINNEGAR that after having teamed up with Pantera & Down bassist Rex Brown to form Kill Devil Hill in 2011, they are back with album number two, Revolution Rise. Revolution Rise is a masterclass in modern metal, all underpinned by Appice’s incomparable power and groove behind the drumkit and fronted by young vocalist Dewey Bragg, who eschews traditional metal vocals, singing in a grungier style. “I didn’t want somebody that sounds sorta ’80s,” Appice explains, “lots of vibrato and stuff - I wanted kinda more Alice In Chains stuff, where the notes hang out a little longer and are drawn out, some strange harmonies and stuff, and as soon as I heard him I said ‘that’s the guy!’ “He came down and we really started hearing a sound. Then eventually I called Rex, he came down and it was all complete once he added that big baddass bass sound of his, it was like, monstrous. It came together well!” Revolution Rise features an enormous sound that sometimes harkens back to the ’80s days of Sabbath and Dio, and Appice isn’t afraid to admit he occasionally caught himself thinking what his old bandmates would do with the material. “I would say maybe more with Tony Iommi with the riffs,” he admits, “not so much Ronnie James Dio with the vocal lines, because Dewey is a different singer than Ronnie is. Dewey doesn’t use a lot of vibrato and things like that - but there are some little places where it reminisces of Ronnie, and I go ‘wow, that’s something that almost Ronnie would do!’ “And then Tony is the riff master, so it’s a real delight to go ‘what would Tony do?’ That’s a good way to figure out some things. But you know, we do what feels right in the song, and we try to keep it nice and tight and heavy.” Despite the presence of Appice and Brown, the drummer is quick to refute talk that Kill Devil Hill is a ‘supergroup’. 12
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NEW NOISE
For more album reviews head to xpressmag.com.au
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OUT OF 5
OUT OF 5
JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE
THE STEVENS
The 20/20 Experience Sony
A History Of Hygiene Chapter Music
Myspace-owning, Fallon-frequenting, oval-headed pop star, Justin Timberlake has come out with a bassheavy dance album full of early soul influences and syncopated rhythms. Beginning with Give Me What I Don’t Know (I Want), a track full of bright, slick synth lines and thickly layered samples, tied together by Timberlake’s strong vocal foundation; it then makes the ill-advised decision to include the somewhat ridiculous True Blood, which takes the classy sexuality of Future Sex/Love Sounds and turns it into the musical equivalent of a dancefloor fingerbang. The classic disco and RnB lines and engaging, visceral dance rhythms Timberlake has sourced are definite album highlights; likewise, the vocal melodies float nicely, and if you close your eyes and really try, you can almost blot out the album’s embarrassingly corny lyrical content. It’s not a ground-breaking album, but it has its moments. Perhaps the most important lesson we can take from The 20/20 Experience, however, is found in the sort-of-for-a-bit ballad Only When I Walk Away, that Justin Timberlake should never, ever do reggae.
Melbourne quirky bedroom popsters crammed six songs on to a 7” single and have upped the ante for their debut album with 24 songs clocking in at a little less than three quarters of an hour. That is not to say that The Stevens don’t think through their ideas, it’s just that they cram a lot into their concise melodic moments. When confronted with the prospect of a full length, the band possibly thought their usual jangle may be a bit of a tall ask for a full 40-odd minutes, and have opted at times for a more rocking shade that often hints at some Pavement-like slacker ethos. The delightfully titled From Puberty To Success shares this reference point with a little Velvet Underground to show the bands apparent ethos. There is enough jangle to make The Stevens a Flying Nun’s favourite habit on Elpho Beach, but it is on tunes like the bouncy single Hindsight where these young upstarts really hit their straps. The Stevens tunes aren’t likely to trouble your radio anytime soon and can be a little too hip for their own good. With a fine handle of melody and the bedroom recording sound A History Of Hygiene has the right balance of self-obsession.
SHAUN COWE
CHRIS HAVERCROFT
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1.5 OUT OF 5
SCAR THE SURFACE From The Shadows To The Fire Rocket Distribution Australian metalheads craving for demonic thrash has been answered. Following two EPs and a demo album, Scar The Surface has arrived, providing a combination of brutal thrash and surreal melodies that could be Australia’s answer to In Flames. For a ‘debut’ album, the Melbourne-based quintet have released a cohesive and perfectly produced record that retains a raw and impactful sound without feeling overdone. Whilst maintaining its explosive and heavy vibe, frontman Daniel White is able to mix heavy growls with clean harmonies, providing intense screams at the required times and leaving behind the overwhelming feeling many newcomers may steer clear of. All of that aside, the true highlights of the album are the instrumental introductions. Songs like I, The Obscene and The Traveller Has Come throw you immediately into an incredible atmosphere that live fans dream of. Opening track, Ladotd, is another solid inclusion that reveals the potential Scar The Surface have and provides an interesting comparison between Daniel White and Ben Burnley of Breaking Benjamin. From The Shadows To The Fire won’t revolutionize the metal-scene but it is a fun listen for fans of the genre. AARON BRYANS
MAPS Vicissitude Mute Records Electronic music has grown on me in the last few years. Moving away from the ideology that it wasn’t ‘real’ music and instead realizing its endless potential as yet another tool at a musician’s disposal, the genre can be hit-and-miss for numerous artists. For James Chapman (Maps), his 2007 debut LP, We Can Create, produced numerous singles that resulted in waves of pleasing reviews. The album was soon nominated for a Mercury Prize and Maps was set to take off. However, Chapman’s second LP failed to live up to the hype, and unfortunately his third LP, Vicissitude, has continued the downward trend. The 10-track LP runs for 54 minutes and feels like drag. It’s uneventful, repetitive and lacks creativity. The opening track, A.M.A, is the only real head-bopper, featuring radio-friendly robotic grooves that unfortunately would do nothing for a live crowd. Tracks like Nicholas and You Will Find A Way have lengthy running times and honestly could cure insomnia. The LP picks up slightly towards the end, but overall fails to leave a strong impression. AARON BRYANS
3.5
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OUT OF 5
OUT OF 5
FOREVER THE SICKEST KIDS J.A.C.K Fearless Records
DR ERROL H TOUT The Post Tumour Humour Album Independent
Following the loss of Marc Stewart and Kent Garrison, Forever The Sickest Kids set out on the next chapter of their careers. Rejuvenating their structure and sound, the quartet has maintained their cliché poppunk characteristics of fun melodies and upbeat vibes whilst also moving towards a newer electro-pop sound. The approach will inevitably draw you in, but ultimately leave you feeling disappointed with its lack of creativity. After a convoluted and confusing starter, the LP really kicks off with Nice To Meet You, a solid mix of synth and harmonies that screams Motion City Soundtrack. The momentum continues with Nikki, which features pumping choruses and Kesha’s mixing crew. After 10 solid tracks, Forever The Sickest Kids, closes off J.A.C.K with the exploration of young adulthood in Cross My Heart. The song contains the strongest lyrical content of the album but its ideologies contradict prior track, My Friends Save Me, leaving us wondering the overall message of the album. Forever The Sickest Kids have almost reached the peak of their sound and once they fix a few tiny errors, their next LP should be one to remember.
Since this guitar genius was a staple on the Perth live scene in the late ’80s, Errol H Tout has added a Dr to the start of his name and dispensed with a 2.2kg tumour (and the kidney it was attached to). For someone who uses music as an expression of feelings and life’s moments, his illness and hospital experience gave him plenty of inspiration for a new album. The Post Tumour Humour Album is a concept record that has a particularly easy story to follow. There may not be as much delay and echo adorning the guitar as during the Tout heyday, but as per usual this is not your typical standard guitar record. The unique sounds of Tout conjure up vivid images whether his instrument is pulling tones that describe pharmaceutical mind-altering on Dreaming Late At Night – Oh The Drugs, or the stuff that is loosely termed a meal during Well – It’s Food So I’ll Eat It. Tout delivers most of his music online, yet the appreciation of life that he has been gifted from this aggressive medical experience again dragged Tout on the stage for a rare performance. Let’s hope that situations are less stressful and life-altering before we hear from the talented instrumentalist again.
AARON BRYANS
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WILL O’MAHONEY In the Black Swan State Theatre Company’s Flood, a group of six friends must deal with the consequences of a horrific accident that threatens to alter the course of their entire lives. We caught up with actor Will O’Mahoney, who plays Sal. When you’re young, you think you’re bulletproof. Being confronted with the folly of that assumption is almost inevitably a traumatic experience, as evinced in Flood, written by award-nominated playwright, Chris Isaac.
Will O’Mahoney, a key member of the production’s ensemble cast, explains. “It’s a story about six friends who all decide to go on this expedition into the Kimberly, camping, and they’re involved in an awful, awful accident - which I can’t really give away. They have to make the terrible decision whether to attempt to cover it up or own up to it. Like any good drama, they choose to do the wrong thing and try to bury this secret. The play then explores how a secret can tear apart a group and those people keeping those secrets.” It’s a meaty and intriguing premise, even it does have shades of the ‘90s teen horror schlocker, I Know What You Did Last Summer. Still, that’s where the similarities end, O’Mahoney assures us. “Genre-wise, I think it’s kind of got an element of Wolf Creek but take away the horror of it,” he says.
“Really, it’s a story about friendship and guilt. There’s almost an element of Stand By Me to it. Obviously the characters aren’t as young as those, but it’s about a group of friends who go through something together and come out, if not better people, then certainly wiser people on the other side.” O’Mahoney himself is used to being both in front of the audience and behind the scenes. A 2007 graduate of WAAPA’s prestigious acting program, he returned to the school to undertake the directing course. Since then, he’s written and produced the surreal allegorical piece, Great White - itself receiving a short encore season as part of Fringe World. O’Mahoney describes his character, Sal, as a both a leader and provocateur. “There are many references in the script to him being a bit lost
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and frustrated. I guess he’s at that point in his life where he’s neither 20 nor 30 and is a bit aimless and directionless. After the incident happens, he’s the one who puts his foot down and is successful in convincing every other member of the group is the best thing to do is to cover up the secret - to try to move on with their lives in spite of the fact that this secret will weigh them down. He’s a key decision maker in the group and he is very persuasive probably to the group’s detriment.” TRAVIS JOHNSON
Flood plays at the State Theatre Centre’s Studio Underground from Friday, January 17 until Sunday, February 2 as part of Fringe World. For tickets and session times, head to bsstc.com.au
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THE BIG BLUE HOUSE
FILM
To celebrate the start of their Summer Nights program, the good folks at The Blue Room Theatre are throwing a soiree. Summer Nights: Housewarming is your opportunity to sample the sheer range of experiences on offer at Perth’s favourite indie theatre venue over the next few months. A plethora of surprises will be on offer, so head over to blueroom. org.au for full details.
BACK TO THE BEACH
MIDSUMMER MADNESS Having delighted and scandalised 2013 audiences when it played at the State Theatre Centre, David Greig and Gordon McIntyre’s Midsummer (A Play With Songs) is set to do it all over again, this time at The Mandurah Performing Arts Centre. Georgina Gayler and Brendan Hanson star in this debauched and hilarious tale of love, lust and drunkenness. It’s on for one night only on Thursday, January 30. Go to manpac.com.au for details.
Stephen Draper’s new exhibition, Beachhouse Art, runs at the Alcoa Mandurah Art Gallery from Friday, January 17 until Sunday, February, 9. A collection of sculptural works that incorporate timber and other media, Draper’s forms evoke the ocean, the shore, and our cultural and physical relationships with both. Go to manpac.com.au for further information.
THE NUMBERS GAME From the creative team behind Driving Into Walls, Barking Gecko’s ONEFIVEZEROSEVEN is another look into the hopes, dreams, fears and anxieties of contemporary young Australians. It runs at the State Theatre Centre’s Studio Underground from Saturday, February 22, until Saturday, March 1. Go to perthfestival.com.au for more.
Hell Is Other People
Midsummer (A Play With Songs)
Directed by John Wells Stars Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Ewan McGregor, Chris Cooper, Benedict Cumberbatch, Juliette Lewis
DOUBLE YOUR PLEASURE Two local independent outfits are teaming up this January to present Pandora, With Love? a new look at the old Greek myth of Pandora’s Box. The production by Hybrid Soul theatre company and Deftone Digital Productions runs at the State Theatre Centre from Thursday, January 28 until Saturday, February 1, before moving to Hale School’s Stowe Theatre from Wednesday, January 5 until Friday, January 7. Shoot over to fringeworld.com.au for details and tickets.
SHEER LUNACY The 2014 Western Australian Circus Festival hits Karridale, Margaret River for three days over the Australia Day weekend. With a grab-bag of entertainment including comedy, cabaret, theatre and - of course - circus performances running from noon until midnight every day, as well as food and market stalls, there’ll be something for everyone. Plus, weekend ticket holders get free camping access to a neighbouring paddock, so your accommodation is sorted - assuming you own a tent, or at least a can of Aerogard. Go to lunarcircus.com for more info.
AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY
CAUSE FOR APPLAUSE Victoria Park’s Causeway Bar is keen to make you cackle! To that end, they’re hosting a special season of stand up comedy every Wednesday from January 15 until March 26. A mix of seasoned comedians and first time fools will be working the mic at Causeway Comedy, evincing a heady atmosphere of anything goes possibility. The opening night is MCed by none other than Sami Shah, plus 10 -15 eager jokesmiths champing at the bit to strut their stuff. Entry is $5 from 8.30pm. Sami Shah, Causeway Comedy
As the final leftovers of Christmas lunch disappear, August: Osage County seems a timely reminder of the joys of family and how excruciating a reunion with them can be. A family tragedy brings the strong willed women of the Weston family back together. With her marriage already in distress, Barbara Weston (Julia Roberts) must survive the next couple of days with her drug-addled matriarch of a mother (Meryl Streep) and her sisters in the small country town from which she fled. As the reunion progresses, tensions simmer, fights burst out, and a surprising number of skeletons tumble out of the family closet. August: Osage County is the star-studded screen adaptation of Tracy Letts’ Pulitzer-winning play. With Letts’ also writing the screenplay, the stage DNA of this piece is extremely evident in every cell of its being (not the least of which being its long winded title, which rolls off the tongue like a brick). If this was an original script, its tone, pacing, performances and characterisation would all be very different. That’s
not to say it is a bad thing, just that its heritage is noticeable in the long dialogue scenes and the reliance on limited locations. As recompense however we get a strong drama with some darkly comedic elements. Its razor sharp wit is so honed that at times it functions like a stiletto. It is a powerful script, but occasionally uncomfortable to watch. In part this is due to the universal nature of its themes. Audiences will find something relatable in the family dynamics, although probably not as extreme or catastrophic as in this case. With such a dialogue driven script and ensemble cast, performance is key for this film. Again the plate smashing, door slamming melodrama reeks of the stage, but with such a great cast performing these acts it is easy to just get caught up in the moment. Meryl Streep dominates as the formidable family head, Violet Weston, lurching from monstrous gargoyle to confused object of pity. It is a powerful performance, never leaving the audience (or her children) sure as to whether she is deserving of hate or sympathy. Julia Roberts is in no-nonsense mode as the older sibling who has abandoned family responsibility in an attempt to pursue her own life, more than holding her own against an imposing Streep. Benedict Cumberbatch is also worthy of note, as it is interesting to see him cast against type as the bumbling and earnest Little Charles. Theatrical but full of solid performances, August: Osage County is a worthy adaptation, with its stage roots clearly showing. Cleverly written with great characterisation, at times it cuts uncomfortably close to the bone when it comes to representing family. Worth viewing if you can bear the discomfort of being at one of the worst family reunions ever. DAVID O’CONNELL
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STORIES WE TELL A Fractured View Directed by Sarah Polley Stars Michael Polley, John Buchan, Mark Polley This is definitely one of those movies where the less you know going in, the better off you are. Stories We Tell is a multi-layered exploration of the Polley family history, with surprises scattered throughout. It is also more than that, presenting a discussion about the creation of family mythos, and the nature of truth. At the heart of this documentary is the story of Diane Polley, an aspiring actress and mother, whose actions have had ramifications for the Polley family stretching to the present day. Her daughter Sarah tries to reconstruct her life to discover a mother she lost during her early childhood. What she uncovers grants us an intimate window into her family life and a number of progressively more startling revelations. Actor/director Sarah Polley (Away From Her) brings us a deceptively simply formatted documentary that demonstrates a mastery of the craft. Diane’s tale is told through a combination of interviews, 8mm family film, TV appearances, reenactment, letters and the narration of her father, Michael Polley. All apparently fairly standard stuff. What lifts this above the normal is how Sarah uses this to construct the tale. Her mother’s story is far from simple. The audience starts with the picture of Diane as a mother, then we shift back 16
to how she met her husband. As more is revealed, subsequent revelations making us question previous events. To add to this uncertainty the accounts given by the interviewees are often somewhat contradictory, not just in the sequence of events, but often in accounts of motivation or even the characterisation of Diane. Hence we are presented a multifaceted portrait of Diane, pieced together from friends, family and coworkers, all with different experiences of her, some with differing agendas. In part that is the crux of this documentary. In her examination of her mother’s life, Sarah Polley not only looks at telling the story, but the methods of telling the tale. She is neither an impartial or nonintrusive director, but is willing to break the fourth wall. At times this is to elicit a reaction from an interviewee, or to emphasise a certain point, at other times it is to give direction, taking us out of the moment and making us realise how constructed a situation is. Through various methods we are made to question how truth is constructed by a storyteller, and dispute the authority they have to shape it. A marvellously crafted piece that somehow manages to give a very private insight into a families tale, while making you question the exact truth of what you are being told. This really is a movie that keeps you guessing though out, with even the end credits revealing a number of shocking twists. Definitely a movie that will promote discussion, but hopefully only with those who have already seen it so as not to wreck the surprise. DAVID O’CONNELL Stories We Tell screens as part of the Lotterywest Festival Films Season at Somerville until January 12 and Joondalup Pines from January 14 - 19. For more details, head to perthfestival.com.au
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12 YEARS A SLAVE The Skin I Live In Directed by Steve McQueen Starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Benedict Cumberbatch, Brad Pitt, Paul Dano, Lupita Nypong’o For his third film following the searing and confrontational Hunger and Shame, British filmmaker Steve McQueen again uses the body and our relationship to it as one of his central themes in this adaptation of the memoir by Solomon Northrup. When we meet Northrup, played with incredible expressiveness and dignity by Chiwetel Ejiofor, he is a free black man living in 1840s New York. Tricked by two conmen, he is sold into slavery in the Deep South, where he is subject to horrifying torture and degradation at the hands of a wide range of persecutors, all the while desperately trying to prove his true identity and reunite with his family. Superficially, McQueen’s film resembles last year’s Django Unchained, at least in terms of its period setting and concern with the slave trade, but anyone expecting the cathartic rush that Tarantino’s film supplies is in for a hell of a shock. 12 Years is a hard watch at the best of times; at others it’s nigh-on unbearable. Which is not to say it is a bad film; on the contrary, it is masterful - an exquisitely constructed indictment of institutionalised cruelty and those who are complicit in it. And that is what may cause audiences to recoil. Almost no characters - white characters,
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if we’re being explicit - are let off the hook here and, by extension, neither is the audience. It’s easy enough to point at Michael Fassbender’s zealous drunkard as a villainous figure, but even the most benign white characters are part of an inhumane system. Consider Northrup’s first master, played by geek favourite Benedict Cumberbatch, who is portrayed as a kind and educated man, but he still refuses to listen to Northrup’s pleas that he has been wrongfully enslaved, unable to place himself outside of the economic and social system he inhabits and see it for what it is. Indeed, what horrifies most about 12 Years is how workaday the depicted atrocities are treated by the characters in the film. The cruelties we see are not outrageous or unspeakable in the world of the film - they are The Way Things Are. No scene chills the blood so much as the one in which Northrup, strung from a tree and close to suffocation, tries to stand on his toes to breathe while the world around him goes about its business. A few odd notes aside - the endless parade of recognisable faces, including Scoot McNairy, Paul Giamatti and Garret Dillahunt, does become distracting at times, while Brad Pitt’s turn as a bearded, humanitarian carpenter pushes the Christ motif a touch too far - 12 Years A Slave is a demanding, confronting and ultimately rewarding film, and one that is sure to do remarkably well this awards season. Just don’t expect to come out feeling too good about the general state of humanity. TRAVIS JOHNSON 12 Years A Slave screens as part of the Lotterywest Festival Films Season at Somerville from January 13 -19 and Joondalup Pines January 21 - 26. For more details, head to perthfestival.com.au.
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SAVING MR BANKS A Spoonful of Sugar Directed by John Lee Hancock Starring Emma Thompson, Tom Hanks, Annie Rose Buckley This is the story of both the making of one of the most beloved movies in Disney’s catalogue and the story of the events that inspired the novel. All in perfect time for the 50th anniversary of Mary Poppins’ big screen debut. Apparently the herculean task in the making of Mary Poppins was not the groundbreaking animation or the inspired musical numbers, but rather obtaining the rights from the rather proper yet cantankerous author, P L Travers. Saving Mr Banks dips back into the extensive Disney archives of this negotiation to bring us a marvellously entertaining fictional account of it. We are presented with a comedy of cultures as the uptight P L Travers (Emma Thompson) squares off against the Disney dream industry and its head showman, Walt Disney (Tom Hanks), over the fictitious nanny that holds a special place in both their hearts. At the same time we glimpse flashbacks into the past of the young Ginty (Annie Rose Buckley) and her relationship with her doting, yet alcoholic father (Colin Farrell). As the
nature of these recollections become more apparent, the audience begins to see the importance of Mary Poppins to the author, and who the mystical nanny is truly there to save. In a movie about the presentation of an idealised but flawed father figure, it seems strangely appropriate for Tom Hanks to play Disney’s founder. Although he seems almost nothing like the very recognisable Walt Disney, Hanks always brings a certain homespun likeability to all his roles that is very much in evidence here. As such he is appropriately charming, earnest and very much the showman you would expect the maverick entertainer to be. In all fairness a similar complaint could be levelled at Emma Thompson’s characterisation, but as P L Travers is less iconic than Walt it is not as jarring that Thompson’s performance channels more of Julie Andrews than a historically accurate version of the author. That said, she is wonderful, a lot of the comedy being provided by her curmudgeonly ways coming into conflict with the almost saccharine Disney staff. Yet as more of her back story is revealed, Thompson gets to stretch her acting muscles and demonstrate the emotional heart of the character, bringing a genuine fragility to a very hardnosed woman. For further insights into the historical events it is worth staying through the end credits for actual photos, sketches, and recordings from the Disney archives. Saving Mr Banks is old school Disney magic at some of its finest, balancing its three layers of story perfectly. It pulls the heart strings, prompts howls of laughter and makes spirits soar. DAVID O’CONNELL
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THE BOOK THIEF Page Turner Directed by Brian Percival Starring Sophie Nelisse, Geoffrey Rush, Emily Watson Brian Percival’s film is a look at life in Germany at the dawn of the Second World War through the eyes of a young girl. Taken from her family and fostered by Hans (Geoffrey Rush) and Rosa (Emily Watson), young Liesel (Sophie Nelisse) finds solace in books and a newly discovered love of reading. As her country slips further into the grip of fascism, she finds herself stealing books to share with a young Jewish man her foster parents are hiding in the cellar. As she does she becomes more aware of the power that stories have. Adapting Australian author Markus Zusak’s 2005 bestseller, Percival does a great job of bringing this era to the screen. Having previously directed television period pieces such as North And South and the popular Downton Abbey, Percival brings an eye for detail that richly realises pre-war Germany. The result is a charming and thoughtful tale about the power of words and ideology during the darkest hours. Sophie Nelisse as the young Liesel is a revelation. Not only can she hold her own in scenes with more experienced actors such as Geoffrey Rush, but she is also capable of bringing the right balance of
playfulness and seriousness to the role - it genuinely feels that the character is maturing both emotionally and physically over the course of events. Rush brings all the charm and warmth you would come to expect of an actor of his talent to the role of the loveable Hans. He is the personification of the older indulgent father figure any child would want to have. However, it is probably Emily Watson who gives one of the best performances in the relatively low key role of Rosa. She imbues the formidable hausfrau with real heart, while still presenting a steely front, especially in the earlier sequences. Yet for all its charm, The Book Thief seems to punch slightly below its weight. Perhaps it is its attempt to make its narrator the Angel Of Death, a clunky device that never really seems satisfactory on the screen. Perhaps it is just such a charming, gentle, and ultimately uplifting movie that its darker themes don’t feel adequately explored. Maybe that matters little, as we are given a humanising perspective of a society falling into war, its effects on people’s everyday lives and the resistance of those that dislike the direction their government has chosen. Yet it seems to lack a bit of a gut punch.in comparison to similarly themed cinema - Grave Of The Fireflies for example, Richly realised, beautifully shot and competently acted, The Book Thief is charming and entertaining enough, but given its subject matter, somewhat lightweight. A good movie experience at the time, but not really one that will stay with you. DAVID O’CONNELL WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU
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The Problems Of Explaining A Thunk: Fremantle Arts Centre Set in an installation reminiscent of 2001: A Space Odyssey, Steven Dickie’s newest work explores the limits of conventional knowledge through a series of video and installation works that look at our inability to express and explain thoughts. It runs until January 19. Go to fac.org.au for more. 2013 Bankwest Art Prize: Bankwest Place The exhibition of all the finalist pieces for this prestigious annual award, including works by Rachel Coad, Penny Bovell, Susanna Castleden, Thea Constantino, Penny Coss, Jo Darbyshire and more, runs until March 3. Go to bankwest.com.au for more. Against The Grain: Alcoa Mandurah Art Gallery An exhibition encompassing the four decade career of Australian multimedia artist and provocateur Tim Burns. It includes over 350 images and a number of video installations. It runs until January 11. Go to manpac.com.au for more information. A Private View - Modern Masters From The Kerry Stokes Collection: The Art Galley Of Western Australia Twenty six paintings drawn from one of the most significant private art collections in Australia, representing the major art movements of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It runs until March 3. Go to artgallery.wa.gov.au for further information.
Flood - photo by Rob Frith
VISUAL ARTS Being Eurasian: Fremantle Arts Centre Abdul Abdullah and Dr Leslie Morgan examine identity, history and ancestry in contemporary Australia. Abdullah’s paintings explore the ways in which people of mixed Asian and European heritage define themselves, while Morgan’s work looks at the entry of Anglo-Indians into the country in the time of the White Australia Policy. The exhibition runs until January 19. Go to fac.org.au for more details. 140 ART: 140 Nationally recognised artists and local emerging talent both contribute to this temporary gallery project that runs until January 31. Andy Quilty, Phibs, Amok, Anya Brock, Pip McManus and more will use shopfronts and walls along Wellington, William and Murray Street as a canvas for an ambitious urban art project. Head to 140.com.au for further information.
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Within These Walls: Wanneroo Library And Cultural Centre Gallery A free combined exhibition collated by the Wanneroo Museum and Art Collections, this innovative and quirky exhibition will showcase rarely seen artefacts from the Museum’s collection, juxtaposed and harmonised with art works from the city’s art collection. It runs until February 2. Visit wanneroo. wa.gov.au for more.
THEATRE/DANCE/ PERFORMANCE
The Deep
the fear of the unknown with excitement and joy of discovery and new experiences. It runs until February 1. Head to sppt.asn.au for more. Flood: Studio Underground, State Theatre Centre Directed by Adam Mitchell and starring a plethora of WA’s best young acting talents, Flood details the moral tribulations of a group of friends who have determined to bury a shared secret no matter what the cost. Presented as part of the Black Swan Lab, it runs from January 17 - February 2. Go to bsstc.com. au for session times and tickets. The Illusionists: Crown Theatre Seven of the best magicians in the world have come together to craft a stage show unlike anything you’ve ever seen before. For one week only from January 18 - 26. Go to crownperth.com.au for more.
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 derringdo. Until January 12. Head for cavalia.net for more.
Summer Nights: The Blue Room Theatre Presented as part of Fringe World 2013, this incredible program of theatre and dance runs from January 24 - February 22. 32 different shows will be presented, including Squidboy, She Was Probably Not A Robot, Gym & Tonic, Run Girl Run and more. Plus, there’ll be encore seasons of the great puppet show, Bruce, and the incredible allegorical play, Great White. Head to blueroom.org.au for further information.
The Deep: Spare Parts Puppet Theatre Adapted from Tim Winton’s acclaimed children’s book, The Deep is a family-friendly tale that contrasts
The Rocky Horror Show: Crown Theatre It’s Time Warp time again when this 40th anniversary production of Richard O’Brien’s essential cult show
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rolls into town. Featuring Craig McLachlan as the irrepressible Dr Frank N. Furter, this is one of the must-see shows of the year! It runs from February 14 - March 9. Go to crownperth.com.au for details.
FESTIVALS Fringe World More than 450 shows across over 60 venues, encompassing traditional entertainment forms and the most outré, avant-garde live acts. It runs from January 24 until February 23. Go to fringeworld.com. au for the full programme and ticketing. Perth International Arts Festival Perth’s biggest celebration of art, film, music, theatre, dance and culture runs from February 7 - March 1. Head to 2014.perthfestival.com.au for the full program.
To have your performance, exhibition or cultural event listed, get in touch via
localmusicarts@xpressmag.com.au For more Art Stories head to
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Perth bass music icon, Whetu Kay aka Phetsta is getting ready to follow in the footsteps (or flight routes) of Pendulum and ShockOne and move to London, but not before playing one more set for his hometown on Saturday, January 18 at Villa. He speaks with JOSHUA HAYES about his big move and next EP. Kay is playing his ‘Farewell Perth Set’ at Villa supported by Sydney’s Doctor Werewolf - one of a number of goodbye shows around Australia before he moves over to London in early March. It’s a move
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he’s been considering since he last returned from touring the UK, five or six years ago. Kay cites a number of reasons for deciding to head over to London including broader touring opportunities and the opportunity to work face-toface with labels and other artists, not to mention his regular collaborator ShockOne encouraging him. “Every time he’s back here, he’s ‘oh comee on, just move over, move over’,” Kay says. However, the main reason seems to be to push himself. “You get a bit comfortable here, so I thought it might be time to step out of the comfort zone and jump into the deep end, I guess,” he says. “Just to... I can’t think of a better way to say it but, light a fire under my arse a bit.” CONTINUED ON PAGE 20.
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Continued From Cover. He says local punters can expect a drum’n’bass-heavy set on the night. “I’ve been going right back to drum’n’bass roots a lot in the last few months, so I’m going to try and keep that vibe for most of the night,” Kay says. “I’m gonna play a few new things off this EP that I’m still trying to rush to finish before I go… There’ll be actual fresh drum’n’bass from me for the first time in about three years. I suppose (punters are) going to have to get down and hear it because it won’t be out for a few months after that, so that’ll give them all a sneak peak.” Kay is aiming to have the currently untitled EP out mid-year. The project has been in the works for some time and like his farewell set, will have a strong drum’n’bass focus after years of working on dubstep and trap. “I needed some time off doing the drum’n’bass thing, because I’m 30 now, and I made my first drum’n’bass track when I was 16 or 17, so it kinda felt like I’d milked all the ideas out of myself and took some time off that style. “I made a conscious decision to stop making drum’n’bass for a while, because I was feeling quite uninspired with the whole genre, just because that’s how I felt I suppose, after so long, but now it’s like, so many cool drum’n’bass tracks are coming out again, I really started getting hooked on it and thought, ‘you know what? I think it’s time I jumped back on this thing’.” Kay first got introduced to drum’n’bass as a teenager. After moving from New Zealand to Perth as a 13-year-old and growing up a fan of metal, he was introduced to drum’n’bass at the iconic Drum Club as a 16-year-old with fake ID. “I looked up and saw people DJing and I just mistakenly, in my ignorance, thought that they were making the music live on weird machines, so I thought ‘Oh okay, I’ll go and make music too’ and I just accidentally did it,” he explains. He cites spots like Drum Club and DJs like Greg Packer, for pushing drum’n’bass in Perth at a time when it wasn’t big in other cities as a major reason for the rich scene that has produced the likes of other Perth-raised, London-based acts like Pendulum and ShockOne. “We were quite lucky to get people like that and get exposed to it… I’m not really sure what it was, but I found we were all ex-metal heads, so we just liked heavy music and all of us, unrelated to each other, got into the same sort of stuff. I think people with a sense of how to keep the momentum of a close-knit, small music scene were, instead of doing it willy nilly, doing it intentionally to keep it going and give it some longevity,” he reflects.
FREAKY BEATS LA producer and all-round nice guy, Alfred Darlington aka Daedelus is heading back to Perth. He’s in the country as part of the Redbull Music Academy’s free monthly club night series on the east coast, and luckily for us, he’s popping over to Perth too, for a show at The Bird this Sunday, January 12. Having collaborated with the likes of MF Doom, Flying Lotus, Madlib etc, he’s released records for beat music’s most respected imprints including Ninja Tune, Brainfeeder and his own Magical Properties. Support on the night comes from Ben Taaffe and Dr J, it kicks off at 6pm and entry is only $5!
ORIGINAL NINJA International man of mystery, London based DJ, Jaguar Skills is returning to Perth on the Australia Day Long Weekend - Sunday, January 26 at Parker. With fast mixing, kung-fu scratching and a killer tune selection - it’ll be one helluva party, that’ll basically be a mish mash of everything bass heavy and funky. Local guests on the night are Slumberjack and Bezwun. Door sales only. Jaguar Skills
Daedelus
BRAND UNTO HER OWN “A lot of people are very protective, especially about drum’n’bass; they can be kind of snobby about other types of music and stuff, and to outsiders it seems a bit daunting. I didn’t really get it for a while… but now I do, because it’s still going and it’s stronger than ever and it’s probably because people were protective of it and intentionally kept it going in the right way,” he continues. “That’s the best explanation I can come up with. A lot of things in the right place at the right time have come together.”
Electronic producer, Danny Harley aka The Kite String Tangle out of Brisbane, who had that wonderfully catchy hit single last year called, Given The Chance is heading out on a national tour before he goes off to conquer America. With Sydney beatmaker Kilter in tow, they’ll be dishing up the goods on Wednesday, February 19 at Mojos and Thursday, February 20 at Flyrite. Get your tickets from Oztix.
Sydney model, TV personality and yes a DJ too, Emily Scott, has made a name for herself for her good looks, great body (and talent) and is gracing us with her presence at Parker this Friday night, January 10 and at Metro Freo on Saturday, January 11. Voted by multiple magazines in the USA, UK and Australia as one of the world’s sexiest women, she caught the attention of Pioneer in 2009, who signed her as a ProDJ and since then, has performed fully clothed alongside the likes of Deadmau5, Erik Morillo, Tommy Sunshine and Skrillex. Local supports include Kastel, Paul Scott and Jackness. Tickets are on sale at the door.
The Kite String Tangle
Emily Scott
HIP AND HAPPENING
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When are you at your most creative? I freestyle on stage and I’m always surprised at what the crowd can draw out of a freestyle. Creativity for me seems to peak on stage. Producers you’re digging? Mathas, Creed Birch, Chu., Diger Rokwell, DJ Silence, The Boost Hero Man, Suhnraw, Central Parks, Esta, Kev Brown to name a few.
THE EMPTY CUP What kind of music do you make? The Empty Cup is a rock/hip hop band. Latest release? An EP called Sojourn, which can be found at emptysounds.bandcamp.com. Tools of your trade? The band is made up of two violins, guitar, bass, drums and myself on vocals. We use Ableton Live, Acid Pro and Pro Tools to get the job done, from sketching to serious studio recordings.
BEHIND THE DECKS
What’s next on the cards? We’re working on releasing a double single with a video sometime in the first quarter of 2014. Then looking to release a full length album towards the end of this year and take it over to the eastern states. Anything else you’d like to tell us? While The Empty Cup is the band, as Empty I’m a beatmaker /rapper with many projects. My latest single, The Lowlights has an accompanying video made by David Vincent Smith. Check it out! The Empty Cup plays this Friday, January 10 @ Mojos with Weapon Is Sound, Child’s Play, Leon Osborn and Cam Scott. Empty from The Empty Cup
this special store! It’s also a fundraiser to help us get an RTRFM Radiothon subscription, so we can get some radio ads happening. We also want to say thank you to all of our wonderful customers who have supported us since we opened, although everyone is welcome to join in on the party! Expect to hear: We’ll be setting up a record stall out the front of 399 Bar from 4pm so you can check out a selection of our vinyl. Myself and the Unknown Treasures crew will be playing all of your favourite indie and alternative classics. Cool stuff: 399 bar staff will be doing classic rum cocktail specials all night and grilling free hotdogs.
RUM & TREASURE Answered by: Sarah Stanley W h e n : S at u rd ay, J a n u a r y 1 1 at 3 9 9 B a r, 3 9 9 W i l l i a m S t r e e t , N o r t h b r i d g e . Ethos: It’s a one-off special event to promote Unknown Treasures and spread the word about 20
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Attend if...: You are a music lover. Whether you are a collector of vinyl or not, show your support for this independent record store. Have a rummage through the record stall, stay for a cocktail and chat to us to find out more about Unknown Treasures (located at Coventry Square Markets, Morley). Rum & Treasure is happening this Saturday, January 11 @ 399 Bar from 4pm to 8pm. Sarah Stanley, owner of Unknown Treasures
FREESTYLERS Longevity Rulez Twenty years of success in the music industry is a lifetime. To achieve that requires talent, tenacity and congeniality. Busting out with chart-topping albums isn’t easy, but there’s proof a smattering of key hits throughout one’s career will keep fuel in the tank and see you placed well in the longevity race. SIMONE HARLE talks to Aston Harvey ahead of the Freestylers gig with Colombo, Pyramid and James D’Ley on Saturday, January 11 at Villa. So three 20-somethings get in my Tarago, we’re headed for the Southbound Festival and we’ve got a two and a bit hour journey ahead of us. The conversation’s grinding away - mostly about Australia’s most deadly animal stuff. Then we get on to another deadly subject - the music industry. After a lot about them, they politely asked about me. I told them I had just interviewed a Freestyler, to which one replied, “I love them, I listened to them all the time when I was a kid.” The thought did not escape me that the kid would have been six when the Freestylers started their journey, but it did please me with goosebumps, that a great act was able to remain present without a huge trail of industry plug-ins to keep them firing in the public eye. The three kids were London Grammar. The Freestylers aka Aston Harvey and Matt Cantor have enjoyed some great musical moments in Perth over the years. A solid friendship forming with Boomtick after a memorable performance at Perth’s favourite dance festival Breakfest, and if you were lucky (or unlucky) enough to be locked in the Boiler Room at the Big Day Out in 2005, you would have witnessed them commit headline robbery from The Chemical Brothers when they debuted their high energy, live show in WA. Harvey recalls that day. “It was the final date of the Big Day Out and I heard that thousands of people were trying
to get into this room with a limited amount being allowed in. I just remember it heaving and obviously being the last show, we really wanted to leave everyone on a total high. But it was weird because for people who knew Freestylers before Push Up our sound was quite underground; so when we had this quite commercial funky track, it appealed to a different audience we wouldn’t have normally reached, and they were singing along that day and it was great.” It’s been over five years between albums for the Freestylers and while current release, The Coming Storm sits in wait for its day in the sun (in Australia anyway - it was released overseas last July), an extensive back catalogue of hits including collaborations with the likes of Pendulum (Fasten Your Seatbelt), Stanton Warriors and Flux Pavilion (Cracks) keeps Freestylers on European festival bills alongside the biggest dance acts in world. Harvey doesn’t seem too worried about airplay or album sales. “I heard a great track by Basement Jaxx recently that didn’t get airplay and I thought, well, if they can’t get airplay, none of us from that era can. I think in a way, it’s better, because it takes the pressure off and you’re left to do your own thing. Hopefully people will hear it and your fan base will lock on to it. There’s always going to be new people coming along.”
PEZ Looking Ahead Melbourne rapper, Perry Chapman aka Pez was at the forefront of a new generation of Australian hip hop acts when he blew up nationally with The Festival Song in 2008, until a health scare put him out of action for two years and robbed him of his momentum. He speaks with JOSHUA HAYES about picking up the pieces ahead of his appearance at Big Day Out on Sunday, February 2 at Claremont Showgrounds. When Chapman’s thoughtful and feel good debut, A Mind Of My Own (2008) put him in the national spotlight, he says it was initially like a dream come true; however, he struggled with his sudden fame. “You might dream about it and think it’s going to happen and it seems so perfect in your head. When it actually does happen, really quickly, it’s pretty bizarre,” he reveals. The naturally shy young rapper recalls his uncertainty around going from recording music in his bedroom to fronting festivals with thousands of punters chanting his name, and being surrounded by people with questionable motives. The pressures built up until he was diagnosed with Graves’ Disease - an autoimmune disease affecting his thyroids, which led to a two year hiatus from writing and recording music. “As I was that little bit shy, I didn’t really deal with the attention very well… It was literally throughout that period that my thyroids started going crazy and I knew something was a bit wrong.” Unable to capitalise on A Mind Of My Own with a follow up, Chapman watched as other rappers who emerged at the same time - such as his ForthWrite partner 360 - went on to reach new levels of success. And then, having overcome his illness, Chapman faced another challenge - anxiety over starting to write and record again. “I hadn’t made any music and wasn’t really sure how to start,” he says. “You kind of pop up and everyone’s like ‘Oh your new album must be almost ready, Pez is back and it’s going to be on, blah blah blah’ and I’m like ‘Oh shit, I haven’t even written a song’ and ‘How do you do this again? I can’t even remember what the hell I was doing’.” It took time, but Chapman says he was able to remember how and why he loved making music. He’ll explore these challenges on his new album,
Don’t Look Down, which he hopes to release early this year. Big Day Out attendees will get a sneak preview of some of his new material. “I’m looking forward to really testing a whole bunch of new stuff on an unsuspecting audience and see how it goes down,” he says, noting that he will be exploring new sounds on the album. “I was always pretty much known as that guy who makes chill, happy, relaxed, laidback music… so the fact that some of the newer stuff is sonically so much more impressive and bigger and a bit more epic and has a lot more energy, I think some of those songs will translate really well live.” Chapman is not planning to disappear after Don’t Look Down with a ForthWrite album also on the cards; he feels ready to handle the spotlight. “In hindsight, stepping back now, I’ve had time to grow and make sense of it,” he says. “I think I feel much better equipped to go out there and deal with it and do it all over again properly.” WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU
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B E AT S
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NEWS
THURS 09/01 THE BIRD KARA”YO!”KE THE CAUSEWAY Xport Thursdays CLUB RED SEA Thursday Night Revolution CONNECTIONS Bingay THE CRAFTSMAN FiveO EVE NIGHTCLUB Retro Thursdays ft. EVE DJ Team GOLD BAR OG Thursdays GROOVE BAR (CROWN) DJ Bogus KALAMUNDA Grizzly LEISURE INN DJ Peta
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NEWPORT HOTEL Tiki Bar Open Mic Night FRI 10/01 AIR NIGHTCLUB VIP Platinum Fridays AMPLIFIER Fridays Are Back THE AVIARY Hykus TFord THE AVENUE DJ Lokie Shaw THE BAKERY Paleman THE BEAT (DOWNSTAIRS) PLAY THE BIRD Voyage Into Ben Taaffe Raaghe Bullok B2B Lengman Ben M THE BRASS MONKEY Green George & James Ess THE BRIGHTON DJ Peta CAPITOL Capitol Fridays ft. DJ Roger Smart CAPITOL (UPSTAIRS) I Love 80’s & 90’s THE CARINE Jimmy Beats
INTERVIEWS
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REVIEWS
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EVENTS
OCEAN ONE BAR
DAVE’S CANS, MYRE ROOFTOP
METRO FREO
WED 08/01 AMPLIFIER Academy THE BIRD Jack Doepel Morgan St Soundsystem BRASS MONKEY Lokie Shaw Jon Ee CAPITOL (UPSTAIRS) Harlem Wednesdays CLUB RED SEA Cheek GOLD BAR Famous GROOVE BAR (CROWN) DJ Crazy Craig LEEDERVILLE HOTEL DJ Reuben DJ Johni Boi Ben Renna METRO FREO Next Gen MUSTANG BAR DJ James MacArthur NEWPORT HOTEL Newport Wednesdays THE VILLAGE BAR Village People Wednesdays
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Paleman - Friday, January 10 @ The Bakery
THE CAUSEWAY Acoustic Sundowner THE COMO Philly Blunt THE CRAFTSMAN Britty DAILY PLANET Sundowner Sessions THE DEEN Student Night EMPIRE BAR Howie Morgan, DJ Wasteland, Jordan EVE NIGHTCLUB Recharge Fridays FLAWLESS
Monarch Fridays FLYRITE Swindle GEISHA Deekline Janette Slack GINGER NIGHTCLUB Mondos “Feel Good” Dance Party GOLD BAR Vanity THE GOOD SHEPHERD Throwback THE HIGHWAY HOTEL Azman
Luke Million - Fri, Jan 10 @ Metro Freo & Sat, Jan 11 @ Amplifier
LAKERS TAVERN Grizzly LEISURE INN Mel Burns LIBRARY Dorcia MALT (nu disco, hip hop) MUSTANG BAR Swing DJ/ Cheeky Monkeys/ DJ James MacArthur METRO FREO Ego & Luke Million MY PLACE Karaoke PARAMOUNT Friday Nights PARKER Emily Scott THE QUEENS Reuben THE SAINT Garrison SHAPE BAR The Switch Presents Welcome Home SOVEREIGN ARMS Ang3l THE WHALE & ALE DJ Spinback SAT 11/01 AMPLIFIER Ego & Luke Million AVENUE Lokie Shaw THE AVIARY Troy Division, Paradise Paul, NDORSE THE BALMORAL Back To The 80’s BEAT NIGHTCLUB (UPSTAIRS) CANVAS BEAT NIGHTCLUB (DOWNSTAIRS) Big Kidz THE BIRD Good Buddies BRASS MONKEY DJ Peta & Jordan Scott THE BRIGHTON Miss Chief C5 METRO FREO I Love 80s & 90s
Felguk - Friday, January 17 @ Parker
CAPITOL Death Disco ft. Death Disco DJs CAPITOL (UPSTAIRS) Cream of the 80s ft. DJ Roger Smart THE CAUSEWAY House Party THE COMO Jay Lee Lloyd THE CORNERSTONE Byron O’Neill EAST END BAR Home EMPIRE BAR DJ James Shipstone, Miggy FLAWLESS LQ Saturdays FLYRITE Swindle GEISHA BAR Deekline & Janette Slack GOLD BAR Pure Gold THE GOOD SHEPHERD Chocolate Jesus GROOVE BAR (CROWN) Hero DJs LEEDERVILLE HOTEL (DOWNSTAIRS) Under The Arena Party
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THE LIBRARY DJ Victor / DJ Riki LOST SOCIETY Chalk MALT (house, deep disco, hip hop) METRO FREO Emily Scott NEWPORT HOTEL Gravity Tahli Jade PARKER Parker Saturdays PARAMOUNT Saturday Nights PLAYERS BAR LUXE THE QUEENS Kenny L RAILWAY HOTEL Eightoeight ft. Oliver B, Kinshin, Paul Devins THE SAINT Crackers SOVEREIGN ARMS Jinx Project VILLA Freestylers Colombo Pyramid James D’ley THE WEMBLEY HOTEL Jon Ee
Daedelus
Daedelus SUNDAY, JANUARY 12 @ THE BIRD
WOLF LANE Nick Sheppard, FDEL YAYA’S Arcadia All Nighter SUN 12/01 THE AVIARY Rooftop Sessions Paradise Paul, Ben Sebastian, Zel THE BIRD Daedelus Ben Taaffe Dr J THE BRIGHTON Squinty
THE CAPTAIN STIRLING Lokie Shaw EMPIRE BAR DJ Viktor, Riki LAKERS TAVERN Jinx Project MANY 6160 (prev Dave’s Cans) Freoasis Community Garden project MUSTANG BAR DJ Rockin’ Rhys NEWPORT DJ Tom Drummond THE PEEL ALE HOUSE Hages
ROSEMOUNT HOTEL The Get Down THE SAINT DJ Jon Ee & Az-T THE QUEENS Fiveo & Sam Spencer MON 13/01 MUSTANG BAR Triple Shots THE ROSEMOUNT HOTEL Bada Bingo! TUES 14/01 MUSTANG BAR Danza Loca Salsa Night
Deadline Monday 5pm. The Club Manual is a service to advertisers listing all DJs & Dance Music. All inclusions are at the discretion of X-Press. Email guide@xpressmag.com.au
MY PLACE
MULLALOO BEACH HOTEL
THIS WEEK
EMILY SCOTT 10 Parker 11 Metro Freo EGO & LUKE MILLION 10 Metro Freo 11 Amplifier DEEKLINE & JANETTE SLACK 10 Geisha PALEMAN 10 The Bakery FREESTYLERS, COLOMBO, PYRAMID, JAMES D’LEY 11 Villa SWINDLE (DeepMedi/ Butterz) 11 Flyrite DAEDELUS 12 The Bird JANUARY
LADY LAURYN 15 Bar One Twenty ELITE FORCE & FELGUK 17 Parker THE FUNK HUNTERS 17 Metro Freo MIDLANDIA LOCALE 17 to Feb 2 Midland HOOCH ft. Dunerats 17 Players Bar MONARCH PRESENTS DJ BUTCHER 17 Villa
SUNDOWN SESSIONS ft. Fat Freddy’s Drop 18 Scarborough Beach PHETSA FAREWELL 18 Villa
MARK KNIGHT 25 The Deen LAIDBACK LUKE 26 Salt On The Beach
BAYSIDE ft. Midnight Juggernauts (DJ set), SAFIA & more 18 Mounts Bay Sailing Club
HIGHERPLANES ft. Geogia Anne Muldrow & Dudley Perkins, Cola & Jimmu & more 26 Dave’s Cans On The Roof, MYRE
CADELL 18 Geisha
JAGUAR SKILLS 26 Parker
SETS ON THE BEACH # 13 ft. The Herd, The 2 Bears, What So Not & more 19 Scarborough Beach Amphitheatre
MOBILEE SESSION ft. PanPot 27 Next Generation Kings Park Rooftop
HABITAT ROOFTOP PARTY ft. Pleasurekraft 19 Bob’s Bar HABITAT ROOFTOP PARTY ft. Pleasurekraft 19 Bob’s Bar JUAN ATKINS 19 The Court DANNY DAZE 23 The Collective @ Malt HEAVYWEIGHT SOUNDZ ft. London Elektricity, Memtrix, MC Wrec 24 Metro City
AVICII 27 Perth Arena HANNAH WANTS 31 Parker FEBRUARY
THE LUCID DREAMING BOAT PARTY 1 Carnac Island HABITAT GARDEN PARTY ft. James Zabiela, Pedestrian, Drew Hill 2 The Court ALICE RUSSELL 6 & 7 Chevron Festival Gardens
MAX VANGELI 24 Villa
ANIME EDGE & DANCE 7 Parker Nightclub
MIDLANDIA FRINGE 24 to Feb 9 Midland
MARC KINCHEN 7 TBC
ST JEROME’S LANEWAY FESTIVAL ft. Cashmere Cat/ Earl Sweatshirt/ Four Tet/ Jamie XX 8 Esplanade Park & West End, Fremantle #TOGETHER ft. Ta-ku, Zeke, Kit Pop, Cosmo Gets, Sable 8 Chevron Festival Gardens BORGORE 8 Villa SUMMER CONCERT #3 ft. Naik & Mathas 9 Weld Square
THE KITE STRING TANGLE & KILTER 19 Mojos 20 Flyrite SKREAM 22 Villa THE ASTON SHUFFLE 23 secret show ROBERT GLASPER EXPERIMENT ft. Roy Ayers 27 Chevron Festival Gardens PUBLIC ENEMY 28 Chevron Festival Gardens MARCH
DVS1 9 The Court 100 MILLION NIGHTS 11 Chevron Festival Gardens LADI6 & HOME BREW 13 Chevron Festival Gardens MIAMI HORROR 15 Amplifier DJ SHADOW 15 Chevron Festival Gardens EBONY BONES 16 Chevron Festival Gardens AUSTRA 17 Chevron Festival Gardens DJ FOOD, DJ CHEEBA, DJ MONEYSHOT 18 Chevron Festival Gardens
AMPLIFIER
KERSER w/ DJ Dazastah, Bitter Belief, Complete & Omac 1 Metro City FUTURE MUSIC FESTIVAL ft. Deadmau5/ Macklemore & Ryan Lewis/ Phoenix/ Hardwell & more 2 Arena Joondalup GOOD LIFE ft. Deadmau5/ Macklemore & Ryan Lewis/ Hardwell & more 3 Arena Joondalup ILLY 21 Capitol BATHS 23 The Bakery JURASSIC 5 28 Metro City
DAVE’S CANS Destination MYRE Myre Rooftop Friday, January 3 to Sunday, January 5, 2014 Fremantle has had a rough trot over the last few years, becoming a wasteland filled with fallen victims of the various financial changes happening in the area. Empty buildings are scattered amongst the soulless chain stores and tourist focused ventures, and seeing as Freo used to be the hub of adversity, its decline meant the good ol’ south side had lost most of its appeal. The ugly, old and barren Myer building in Kings Square was emblematic of Fremantle’s decline, and stuck out like an old promise taken back. Most of us would ignore it whilst we walked past; maybe reminisce about going to Myer with our pocket money in the ’90s but luckily, there are bunch of artistic driven people in Perth that have managed to infuse some of that old Freo essence back into Perth’s little gem. After Spacemarket teemed up with the City Of Fremantle to turn the ghastly Myer building into that of the MYRE project, housing pop-up retail stores and artist spaces, another exciting venture took place, Dave’s Cans. Situated on the rooftop of the Myre building, Dave’s Cans is an open air bar offering a birdseye view of Fremantle. It accesses the brilliance of Perth’s summer weather in an oddly urban environment, this paradox furthered with the few trees on the concrete floor. Certainly an interesting space; its intimacy offset by the ubiquitousness of the Myer building itself and the vastness of the harbour in twilight. With beer by the can, the notion of accessibility springs to mind with all aspects of the venue. It has the vibe of The Bird in Northbridge but up much higher, and if the wind gets a little cold the blankets at the bar will keep you warm.
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The camera-shy, Ben M @ MYRE Rooftop. Photos by Matt Jelonek
With capacity at 400 for smaller events, Dave’s Cans is open Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 4pm offering block parties, dub nights, old school tunes. Over the weekend DJs, Ben M, Ben Taaffe, Nik Ridik, Clunk, Sleepyhead, Andrew Sinclair, Jack Doepel and dub/reggae crew, KBI Sound System all graced the venue. The Myre rooftop has held hugely successful events over the last few months, having over a thousand people bringing the New Year in for Gong On (The Roof), boutique festival Wonderland (up the rabbit hole - quite literally) enticed festival goers up a secret elevator into the open air to enjoy the likes of Peking Duk, Indian Summer and Sampology. There’s always been a divide between the north folks and the southsiders, north of the river kids having less and less of a reason to spend their time due south except perhaps, to visit those long-standing music venues. If you do live north though, Dave’s Cans soon to be named MANY 6160 is definitely worth the journey. NAOMI FAYE
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LOCAL NEWS
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INTERVIEWS
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REVIEWS
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Q & A
THE BEAUTIFUL SOUTH
Violent Soho. Photos by Rachael Barrett
SOUTHBOUND 2014 Sir Stewart Bovell Park, Busselton Friday, January 3-Saturday, January 4, 2014 The annual New Year pilgrimage to Busselton was on again, with Southbound 2014 celebrating the 10th Anniversary of the camping music festival. It’s been through some logistical changes and settled on a winning recipe that seems to have secured its place in the volatile festival market. It’s just a great festival, that doesn’t complicate things. With only two main stages in close proximity, the clashes are minimal and it’s easy to get around. Being down south, and one of the only multi-day camping festivals in WA, Southbound attracts a certain type of punter. Music lovers, those up for an adventure and a good time. And the 12,000odd folks in attendance were a top bunch that made for a truly great vibe. Everything seemed to align this year to deliver one of the best Southbounds in recent times. It was a solid and diverse lineup, with some singular performances and a few special moments. Rising star Chet Faker played a great Friday arvo set that got things underway, but things really move up a notch when UK beats outfit Bonobo took to the stage and blew everyone away. Kicking off with Cirrus, the bass drop had everyone moving. Simon Green is the main man behind the name, having created five albums of lush, layered, organic yet electronic grooves. Live, Bonobo are a full band featuring keyboards, sax/flute, guitar, drums, as well as Green on ‘bass and buttons’. Current vocalist, the striking Szjerdene, stepped up to the mic to perform Towers and Stay The Same, while Chet Faker made a surprise return to the stage to sing on First Fires. Legendary UK guitarist Johnny Marr of The Smiths put on an energetic show with as much bravado as a man half his age. He featured some tunes from his debut solo album of last year including the cracking Upstarts, but it was his old band’s tunes that really set the crowd alight. There Is A Light That Never Goes Out had the crowd singing along. He covered Sonny Curtis’ I Fought The Law, and Electronic’s Getting Away With It – before ending on How Soon Is Now? Just brilliant. As darkness fell, Grizzly Bear’s beautiful stage setup accompanied their unique brand of underwater indie with shimmering vocal harmonies best exemplified on Two Weeks and While You Wait For The Others. The Roots came and conquered. A truly incredible live act of virtuoso musicians, they put on a real show. As anyone who’s seen them before knows
– they’re not the sort of band to get up and play song after song. They just jam. And it’s a joy to witness. With ?uestlove keeping the beat throughout and one of the best rappers in the game in Black Thought, the rest of the band take turns in the spotlight. Bass, keyboards, the amazing Captain Kirk on guitar, and sousaphonist Tuba Gooding Jr. What’s even more incredible is how they never miss a beat during their synchronised dance moves. You Got Me was a highlight, before a megamedley that blended together tracks including Sweet Child O’ Mine, Jungle Boogie and Move On Up. Vampire Weekend have reached headliner status now and seemed comfortable with their position closing off the Friday night festivities (apart from a rather unfortunate salutation error, “Hello Bunbury!”). While the preppy boys might lack something in terms of stadium rock anthems, their infectious, upbeat melodies had the crowd bopping and singing along. With three albums under the belt, it was a solid set, kicking off with new single Diane Young, they charged through the hits – Unbelievers, Horchata, Cousins, A-Punk and the one, two academic punch of Campus and Oxford Comma, before finishing with an encore of Walcott. Saturday saw a more weary looking crowd return. Early on Beyonce’s little sister Solange brought some smooth R&B sounds to the main stage. Meanwhile over in the big top comedian Dave Callan was performing his hilarious parody of Single Ladies. Tame Impala brethren Pond rocked it out hard early on then moved on to more mellow psychrock sounds. The boys seemed to be having a great time onstage. They cruised through a new country number, as well as Leisure Pony and You Broke My Cool, with a little bit of help from Gumby who came on stage to dance with them. Emma Louise really immerses herself in her music. The rising Queenslander starlet gave an impassioned performance featuring Jungle, Boy and Pontoon, as well as a smooth cover of Alt-J’s Tessellate. The Violent Femmes seem to retain their appeal to every new generation of teenagers, and it was testament to their enduring popularity that crowd members from 18-40 were singing along to every word. The reformed group (sporting a new drummer) played their entire self-titled debut from start to finish, and it was glorious. They even threw in a few other favs including Black Girls and American Music. If the Femmes wasn’t enough of a nostalgia trip, then Neil Finn along with his band featuring his two sons and wife took us fully back in time, with a
MGMT
The Roots
Vampire Weekend
!!! (Chk Chk Chk)
Neil Finn
Solange
crowd pleasing set of Crowded House and Split Enz favs. All the classics were there sounding as wonderful as ever; Fall At Your Feet, Distant Sun, One Step Ahead and in a beautiful tribute to the late Phil Everly, Neil sang Don’t Dream It’s Over and blended it seamlessly into All I Have To Do Is Dream, as couples embraced and swayed in the cool night air. An inflatable dinghy appeared onstage which Neil decided to sit in to perform Better Be Home Soon, and was then carried offstage in it. Over in the big top Hermitude were dropping bombs. These boys have real skills and deliver a huge live sound. Heavy dubstep basslines clash with electro and hip hop. They dropped a massive new tune, as well as their hit, Speak Of The Devil. WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU
The Wombats are a fairly polished act these days, and the UK lads belted out a tight set featuring all their big tunes. One of the most anticipated sets of the weekend was that of London Grammar, and anyone who had any doubts about their abilities in the live arena would have been silenced, as they launched into Hey Now. The trio of youngsters put on a captivating and dazzling show. The sparse, minimal beauty of their music was allowed to shine with the incredible voice of gorgeous Hannah Reid taking centrestage. Their cover of Nightcall sounded great live, as did Strong and the finale of Metal & Dust with live MPC. Reid sincerely commented that this last week in Australia has been their best ever, and introduced their ‘shy guitarist’ Dan Rothman, who countered “I’m not blushing, I’m just fucking sunburnt.” Then it was down to MGMT to bring it home on the main stage, backed by psychedelic visuals. They didn’t waste time pulling out the big guns, Time To Pretend and Weekend Wars appearing early in the set, sitting comfortably alongside new tracks like Introspection, but their set lacked a little energy. However things did pick up as some lucky contestant winners joined them onstage to hit a giant cowbell for Your Life Is A Lie. The effervescent strains of Kids saw vocalist Andrew VanWyngarden jump off the stage to mix with the people. Then they were joined onstage by Gumby, Neil Finn and Pond’s Nick Allbrook for a rendition of Split Enz’s Six Months In A Leaky Boat, during which Gumby was carried from the stage, to the crowd, in the inflatable boat, setting him free on a sea of hands. It was quite a moment, before they finished with Alien Days. Over in the big top Crystal Fighters were sending us off in a more triumphant and energetic fashion. The Fighters fusion of dance, rock and basque is performed with reckless, percussive enthusiasm. They brought their set to a close with a joyous communal singalong to At Home, before returning with Hannah from London Grammar to belt out the frenetic Xtatic Truth to end things on a high. Then it was off into the night, safe in the knowledge that whatever the year may have in store, it got off to a great start. Happy 10th birthday Southbound and here’s to many more. ALFRED GORMAN 24
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of mixed lineups, reminding us how much world-class potential still resides here. In Sydney, we watched Predator in the morning and took our unique brand of extreme aggression to The Bald-Faced Stag that night where we discovered, “if it bleeds, we can kill it.” In Brisbane, we witnessed Toddy Hansen (Rome/ The Berzerker) perform Heavy Metal Karaoke where he busted out flawless Ice Cube rhymes and an old guy dressed as a Viking sang a particularly memorable version of Anthrax’s Caught In A Mosh. How do WA crowds compare with other states? WA crowds generally tend to engage a lot more with bands, whether local or otherwise. The scene has ebbed a little over recent years but there is still a strong trace of that remarkable spirit which WA crowds have become known for. This show marks the live debut of Sanzu. What can we expect? Two ex-members of Malignant Monster and a shit-tonne of crushing groove.
MALIGNANT MONSTER Having just returned from a continent-spanning series of gigs, metal madmen Malignant Monster blow the doors off The Charles Hotel this Saturday, January 11, along with Epignosis, Wrath Of Fenrir and, making their live debut, Sanzu. We had a quick catch-up with lead singer Cain Cressall. How was your recent Australian tour? Getting back on the road with Melbourne thrash-demons, Desecrator, was the perfect way to get us re-energized for our next studio project. Highlights: tearing Melbourne to shreds and leaving the bar staff clutching their tanned hides. Perth saw two powerful shows
GET MANIC WITH THE MONICANS This Friday, January 10, The Rosemount Hotel will be graced by the gorgeous presence of Perth three-piece The Monicans, whose psychedelic stylings will be aided and abetted by The Crossbars, Echostone and Shineybeast - quite the lineup. Doors open at 8pm, entry is $8. The Monicans
How would you compare your work in Malignant Monster with the stuff you do with The Amenta (Cressall’s other band)? While we’re on the subject, why the decision for The Amenta to no longer perform live? Malignant Monster has always been about instilling a sense of horror in the listener and has a very personal, grotesque, human quality to it. The Amenta is more of a cold, destructive machine which is more about thought-provoking, whilst retaining a keen attention to dynamics and high-energy, which are important elements within both bands. The Amenta have been battling it out a bit longer and have been extremely consistent with recording and touring. It’s reached a stalemate and priorities are shifting for some members. Malignant Monster has been around almost as long but have always been so stop/ start, we feel the current lineup deserves a solid run before we can start thinking about chucking it in. What does 2014 hold for you and Malignant Monster? A lot of new material, assorted art projects and (hopefully) plenty of memorable shows.
WHITHER GOES WILL?
IN THE SWING OF THINGS Fantastically fun, hysterically huge party band Ensemble Formidable have returned from a massive tour caked in road dust and clutching a brand new EP, Swing Swang Swung, which they’re launching this Sunday, January 12, at Fly By Night. Along for the ride are The Brow Horn Orchestra and Pimps Of Sound. Doors open at 6pm, entry is $18.50 including booking fee through flybynight.org, $28.50 on the door, subject to availability. Ensemble Formidable
DO YOU FEEL LUCKY? Folk-rock favourites The Lucky Numbers and Edie Green play Mojos Bar this Thursday, January 9, in what is sure to be a rousing and reflective evening of soulful tunes. Support comes from Blue Lucy and David Craft. Doors open at 8pm, entry is $10.
Odlaw are saying goodbye to their drummer, Will Blackburn. Rather than cry into their beers, they’re sending him off in fine style this Thursday, January 9, at YaYa’s, with support from Faim, Fait Accompli and The Mighty Pirate. Doors open at 8pm, entry is $10. Odlaw
A MINOR DISAGREEMENT Showing that they’re seemingly of two minds or possibly five- The Disappointed have decided to set loose their new single, I Disagree With Myself, this Friday, January 10, at Amplifier Bar. Along for the ride on this auspicious occasion are the effervescent Boys Boys Boys!, Sydney band Fait Accompli, power-pop favourites Tired Lion and New Animals. Entry is $15 from 8pm.
LO C A L & L AU NC H I NG 09/01 LIONIZER The Same Way Single Launch @ Mustang Bar 10/01 THE DISAPPOINTED I Disagree With Myself Single Launch @ Amplifier 12/01 ENSEMBLE FORMIDABLE Swing Swang Swung EP Launch @ Fly By Night 17/01 THE DEVIL RIDES OUT Empty Sky Video Launch @ The Rosemount 17/01 THE SPITFIRES Spooky Doo Single Launch @Amplifier 21/01 EMPIRE BLUES Blue Diamonds Album Launch @ Perth Blues Club 24/01 THIS OTHER EDEN Six Seasons EP Launch @ The Rosemount
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TOUR TRAILS
PARAMORE, JANUARY 16 THIS WEEK WATAIN 9 Amplifier Bar BONJAH 9 Prince Of Wales, Bunbury 10 Redcliffe On The Murray 11 Mojos Bar 12 Indi Bar EGO & LUKE MILLION 10 Metro Freo 11 Amplifier Bar DEAFHEAVEN 11 Rosemount Hotel I DECLARE WAR 12 YMCA HQ 15 Amplifier Bar DAUGHTERS 14 Amplifier Bar JANUARY EYEHATEGOD 16 Rosemount Hotel PARAMORE 16 Perth Arena HALF MOON RUN 16 Fly By Night Club SUNDOWN SESSIONS Fat Freddy’s Drop, Mat McHugh 18 Scarborough Beach Amphitheatre BOYS OF SUMMER TOUR BlessThisFall, Like Moths To Flames 18 Amplifier Bar 19 YMCA HQ MISFITS 19 Amplifier Bar SETS ON THE BEACH #13 19 Scarborough Beach FAT FREDDY’S DROP 19 Clancy’s Dunsborough THE AUDREYS 19 Mojos Bar COLIN STETSON 20 Mojos Bar 21 Hellenic Club KARNIVOOL & DEAD LETTER CIRCUS 23 Red Hill Auditorium CELTIC WOMAN 24 Riverside Theatre GREY GHOST 24 Amplifier Bar 25 Prince Of Wales, Bunbury 26 Mojos Bar CARUS THOMPSON & PRITA 25 Clancy’s Fremantle PETE MURRAY 25 Leeuwin Estate Winery ESKIMO JOE 25 Wintersun Hotel BORN OF OSIRIS & AFTER THE BURIAL 25 Rosemount Hotel 26 YMCA HQ THE WOLFE TONES 25 Riverside Theatre WE ARE SCIENTISTS 26 Amplifier Bar (POSTPONED) HIGHER PLANES 26 Myer Rooftop AVICII 27 Perth Arena LEMURIA 29 Rosemount Hotel OKA 30 Mojos Bar 31 Indi Bar
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TOURS LIVE
AVICII, JANUARY 27
FEBRUARY OKA 1 Settlers Tavern 2 Mojos Bar SELENA GOMEZ 1 Perth Arena (CANCELLED) SUN CITY 1 Amplifier Bar BIG DAY OUT Pearl Jam, Arcade Fire, Blur, Snoop Lion, Major Lazer, Tame Impala, Flume, Northlane & more 2 Claremont Showgrounds CAT POWER 4 Fly By Night Club BRUCE STRINGSTEEN & THE E STREET BAND 5,7,8 Perth Arena ASH GRUNWALD 5 Indi Bar 6 Prince Of Wales, Bunbury 7 Settlers Taver, Margaret River 8 Fly By Night 9 Ravenswood Hotel, ED KOWALCZYK 5 Metro City ALICE RUSSELL & BOOKER T JONES 6 & 7 Chevron Festival Gardens EDDIE VEDDER 7 & 8 Riverside Theatre #TOGETHER ft. Ta-Ku, Zeke, Kit Pop, Cosmo Gets, Sable 8 Chevron Festival Gardens D AT SEA 8 Amplifier Bar 9 YMCA HQ LANEWAY FESTIVAL 8 Fremantle SUMMERSET ARTS FESTIVAL Birds Of Tokyo 8 Scarborough Beach Amphitheatre THE BASICS 9 Chevron Festival Gardens THE LOCUST 10 Amplifier Bar JULIA HOLTER 10 Chevron Festival Gardens 100 MILLION NIGHTS 11 Chevron Festival Gardens BOYUP BROOK COUNTRY MUSIC FESTIVAL Sara Storer, McAlister Kemp, Mike Carr, Buddy Goode, The Borderers, Graham Roger, Rohan Powell, Rob Black & the Kelly Gang, Eric Erdman, Courtney Conway, Connie Kis Andersen 12 – 16 Boyup Brook Country Music Club IALARU 12 Chevron Festival Gardens LADI6 & HOME BREW 13 Chevron Festival Gardens SOFT SOFT LOUD 13 Fremantle Art Centre Courtyard HUSKY 14 Chevron Festival Gardens DJ SHADOW
15 Chevron Festival Gardens THE NATIONAL 14 Belvoir Amphitheatre MIAMI HORROR 15 Amplifier Bar PETE MURRAY 16 Astor Theatre EBONY BONES 16 Chevron Festival Gardens AUSTRA 17 Chevron Festival Gardens DJ FOOD, DJ CHEEBA, DJ MONEYSHOT 18 Chevron Festival Gardens OKKERVIL RIVER 19 Chevron Festival Gardens OLAFUR ARNALDS & KEATON HENSON 20 Chevron Festival Gardens KITE STRING TANGLE 20 Flyrite STU LARSEN 20 Mojos Bar MANGO GROOVE 21 Red Hill Auditorium DON WALKER 21 Clancy’s Fremantle 22 Civic Hotel 23 Fremantle Arts Centre DAUGHN GIBSON & OWL EYES 21 Chevron Festival Gardens POND, AAA AARDVARK GETDOWN SERVICES, FELICITY GROOM, THE SILENTS, DJ LADY CARLA 22 Chevron Festival Gardens SOUTH WEST CRAFT BEER FESTIVAL 23 Old Broadwater Farm ALTAN 23 Chevron Festival Gardens SETS ON THE BEACH #14 23 Scarborough Beach THE CORONAS 23 Capitol WIRE 24 Chevron Festival Gardens CHARLES BRADLEY 25 Chevron Festival Gardens MADELEINE PEYROUX 26 Chevron Festival Gardens ROBERT GLASPER EXPERIMENT 27 Chevron Festival Gardens DOLLY PARTON 27 Perth Arena SIX60 27 Metro City NEKO CASE 27 Fly By Night Club PUBLIC ENEMY 28 Chevron Festival Gardens BRUNO MARS 28 Perth Arena MARCH MIKHAEL PASKALEV 1 Chevron Festival Gardens KERSER 1 Metro City
HUSKY, FEBRUARY 14 FUTURE MUSIC Deadmau5, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Phoenix, Hardwell, Knife Party, Eric Prydz, Rudimental, Tinie Tempah, Chase & Status 2 Arena Joondalup LIONEL RICHIE & JOHN FARNHAM 2 Sandalford Winery Swan Valley THE WONDER STUFF 2 Rosemount Hotel SOUNDWAVE Green Day, Stone Temple Pilots, Alice In Chains, Rob Zombie, Megadeth, Placebo and more 3 Claremont Showgrounds GOODLIFE FESTIVAL Deadmau5, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Hardwell, Rudimental, Knife Party, Kaskade, Porter Robinson 3 Arena Joondalup THE BENNIES 6 Ya-Ya’s 7 Prince Of Wales DAN SULTAN 6 Art Bar BRIAN MCKNIGHT 7 Riverside Theatre GURRUMUL 8 Kings Park BILLY BRAGG 8 Perth Concert Hall GOLD PANDA 9 The Bakery QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE & NINE INCH NAILS 11 Perth Arena JOSH PYKE 12 Quarry Amphitheatre THE ANGELS, DIESEL & MI-SEX 14 Graham Bricknell Music Shell, Bunbury JURASSIC 5 14 Metro City SONGS IN THE KEY OF MOTOWN 12 Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre 13 Mandurah Performing Arts Centre 14 Astor Theatre NEIL FINN 16 Perth Concert Hall DAMIAN DEMPSEY 17 Capitol THE ROLLING STONES 19 Perth Arena SUICIDE GIRLS 19 Astor Theatre ABSU & PORTAL 20 Amplifier Bar THE SMITH STREET BAND & THE MENZINGERS 19 Prince Of Wales 20 YMCA HQ 21 Rosemount Hotel ILLY 21 Capitol KATE MILLER-HEIDKE 21 - 22 Quarry Amphitheatre SEBADOH 25 Rosemount Hotel DARK TRANQUILLITY & ORPHEUS OMEGA 25 Capitol 30 SECONDS TO MARS 25 Challenge Stadium
JOHN BUTLER TRIO 27 Fremantle Arts Centre 28 Belvoir Amphitheatre 29 Old Broadwater Farm, Busselton JURASSIC 5 28 Metro City HUNTER & COLLECTORS 29 (sold-out) & 30 Kings Park & Botanical Garden KRIS KRISTOFFERSON 30 Red Hill Auditorium APRIL PACOPENA 2 Perth Concert Hall SUZANNE VEGA 11 Astor Theatre WEST COAST BLUES N ROOTS Matt Corby, Michael Franti, John Mayer, Dave Matthews Band, Doobie Brothers, Boy & Bear 13 Fremantle Park BOZ SCAGGS 14 Crown Theatre 3 INCHES OF BLOOD 16 Amplifier Bar TOXIC HOLOCAUST & SKELETONWITCH 20 Rosemount Hotel SKID ROW & UGLY KID JOE 23 Metro Fremantle MICHAEL BUBLE 26 & 27 Perth Arena AARON NEVILLE DR JOHN & THE NITETRIPPERS 26 Riverside Theatre MAY LEE KERNAGHAN 6 Princess Royal Theatre, Albany 9 Crown Theatre JASON DERULO 10 Perth Arena ARCTIC MONKEYS 13 Perth Arena PETULA CLARK 17 Perth Concert Hall SEPTICFLESH & FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE 18 Amplifier Bar THE ENGLISH BEAT 23 Rosemount Hotel 2014 AIRNORTH KIMBERLEY MOON EXPERIENCE Eskimo Joe, The Waifs, John Williamson 24 Jim Hughes Amphitheatre, Kununurra ELLIE GOULDING 28 Challenge Stadium LARRY CARLTON 28 Astor Theatre JUNE YO GABBA GABBA! LIVE! 7 Riverside Theatre JAMES BLUNT 13 Riverside Theatre BASTILLE 18 Challenge Stadium KEITH URBAN 29 Perth Arena
PUB BLURBS
MOJOS BAR
THE MIDNIGHT MULES
ROSEMOUNT HOTEL After a blistering New Years Eve, it’s back to regular programming at the Rosie, kicking off tonight, Wednesday, January 8, with Midnight Mules, Something Humble, Mind Canary and World A Fuzzy (8pm, $5 entry). On Thursday, January 9, it’s all Bastian’s Happy Flight and guests from 8pm. Catch The Monicans, The Crossbars, Echostone and Shineybeast on Friday, January 10 (8pm, $8 entry). Saturday, January 11, San Franciscans Deafheaven hit the Rosie with Tangled Thoughts Of Leaving and Drohtnung (8pm, tickets from rosemounthotel. com.au). Last but not least, Wednesday, January 15, belongs to Nevsky Prospekt, Hyte, September Sun and Arkayan (8pm, $8 entry).
THE BIRD The Bird’s first event of the year kicks off tonight, Wednesday, January 8, with three hours of b2b sets from Morgan St Soundsystem, plus DJ Jack Doepel (free entry from 8pm). Hip Hop Kara’Yo!’Ke returns on Thursday, January 9 (8pm $5 entry). On Friday, January 10, Ben M, Raaghe, Modesty Blaze and Bullok B2B Lengman bring you the ultimate dance night (8pm, $5 entry). Mt Mountain, Electric Toad and DJ Ben Stewart take part in the Good Buddies Fundraiser to help bring Ican to Perth (8pm, $10 entry). The Redbull Music Academy and The Bird present Daedelus on Sunday, January 12, with support from Ben Taaffe and Dr J (6-10pm, $5 entry). Tw!st returns on Wednesday, January 15 (free entry from 8pm).
CLANCYS FREMANTLE Get your lucky numbers ready for Chet Leonard’s Bingoteque tonight, Wednesday, January 8. Tim Gordon Band, These Winter Nights, Moana and John Martyr’s Ghost provide the tunes on Friday, January 10, with solo songstress Toby doing the honours on Saturday, January 11. Rounding out the weekend will be The Zydecats on Sunday, January 12.
Tonight, Wednesday, January 8, Fremantle Blues And Roots Club present 8Ball Aitken and Tim Nelson. Tickets are $10/$5 for FB and RC members. Doors at 8pm. Thursday, January 9, catch The Lucky Numbers, Edie Green, Blue Lucy and David Craft ($5 from 8pm). Friday, January 10, is Beat Bread With Dub Butter with The Weapon Is Sound, The Empty Cup, Childs Play, Leon Osborn with Cam Scott, and Girlfriend Material ($10 from 8pm). Saturday, January 11, is Bonjah with Jake And The Cowboys and Tanya Ransom. Presale are $20+bf thru Oztix. com.au or $25 at the door from 8pm. Sunday, January 12, Lionizer launch their first single The Same Way, with support from Vida Cain, Being Beta, Radio In Motion and Dan Cribb And The Isolated ($5 from 8pm). Monday, January 13, Wide Open Mic night. To play, call Bruno Oliver Booth 0424 606 437 or email him brunooliverbooth@gmail.com. Venue open from 5pm. Live music starts at 8pm. Entry is free. Tuesday, January 14, sees SicNote feature Rae, Joshua Charles, Shobu, Bockman and King Kee ($6 from 8pm).
THE BEAT This Saturday, January 11, Runaways kick off the Summer Break Tour 2014 with US giants I Declare War with support from East coasters Graves and I, As One and Perth favourites Iconoclast. Doors from 9pm.
METROPOLIS FREMANTLE It’s a mammoth weekend at Metropolis Fremantle, with Ego and Luke Million packing the dancefloor on Friday, January 10. The following night, Saturday, January 11, über DJ (and one of FHM’s ‘sexiest women alive’) Emily Scott takes over for an night not to be missed. Just a heads up, but The Funk Hunters will hit Metropolis Fremantle the following Friday, January 17, so best you find some damn good dancing shoes this week.
INDI BAR This Sunday, January 12, Bonjah will play The Indi Bar bringing with them their infectious single Blue Tone, Black Heart, with support from Turin Robinson. The acclaimed band have built a reputation for captivating live shows and have been filling rooms around the world so get down early. Oh, and if you have been living under a rock and missed them covering Lorde’s Royals on Like A Version, go and check it out this very minute!
THE AVIARY Hykus and TFord spin the tunes on Friday, January 10, before Samuel Spencer, NDORSE and Paradise Paul have their turn on Saturday, January 11. The Rooftop Sessions kick into gear on Sunday, January 12, with Paradise Paul, Ben Sebastian and Zel.
WOLF LANE Nick Sheppard and FDEL take over the decks for a month of Saturdays, kicking off on Saturday, January 18 right through ’til Saturday, February 1.
MUSTANG BAR Every Wednesday is Perth’s best Backpacker & Student $5 fest. For a mere $5 you get yourself an Aussie barbecue plate with all the goodies, drink inclusive and a ticket to win the door prize of $100 cash. Free pool comp from 8.30pm, but get in early as spots fill up quick! Catch Perth’s hottest band Envy on stage from 9.30pm with DJ Giles on the decks.
CHAINSAW HOOKERS
YA-YA’S HaHa’s @ YaYa’s returns tonight, Wednesday, January 8, with headline Ben Darsow (SA) and MC Sami Shah, plus heaps of local comedy support. Thursday, January 9, sees Odlaw play their very last show with drummer Will Blackburn before he leaves for Sydney. They’re supported by local punk legends Faim, Sydney’s own Fait Accompli and The Mighty Pirate. Chainsaw Hookers take to the stage once more on Friday, January 10, while on Saturday, January 11, YaYa’s are throwing a massive party to celebrate Tom Mantle’s (of The Midnight Mules) 27th Birthday with free entry and bands all night.
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GIG GUIDE
JORDAN MCROBBIE/CLANCY’S APPLECROSS/WEDNESDAY 8 WEDNESDAY 08/01
AMPLIFIER Academy Battle Of The Bands Round 1 Santa Muetre From Isolation Ratking The Lake & The River 88 To Yesterday THE BIRD 2014 Year of Friends & Vibes Morgan St Soundsystem DJ Jack Doepel THE CARINE Open Mic Night Chriss Gibbs CLANCYS APPLECROSS Jordan McRobbie Chris Ravat CLANCYS FREMANTLE Chet Leonard's Bingoteque ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB GITS GROOVE BAR (CROWN) 5 Shots LANEWAY LOUNGE Adam Hall & The Velvet Playboys THE LUCKY SHAG Howie Morgan MUSTANG BAR Envy DJ Giles MOJOS BAR Fremantle Blues and Roots Club 8 Ball Aitken Justin Walshe Tim Nelson THE MOON CAFE Eduardo Cossio Andrew Ryan Shane Corry
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BASTIAN’S HAPPY FLIGHT/THE ROSEMOUNT HOTEL/THURSDAY 9
OCEAN ONE BAR Overgrown Uncle Bob Young Beast Andy J & Bodegas Band THE PADDO The Red Embers The Date Ben Wolf ROSEMOUNT HOTEL Midnight Mules Something Humble Mind Canary World A Fuzzy SETTLERS TAVERN Open Mic Night Claire Warnock THE SWINGING PIG Open Mic Night Greg Carter UNIVERSAL BAR Retriofit VILLAGE BAR Village People Open Mic YAYA’S Haha’s @ Yaya’s THURSDAY 09/01
AMPLIFIER Watain Advent Sorrow Malignant Monster BAR ORIENT Open Mic Night THE BIRD Hip Hop Kara”Yo”ke BRASS MONKEY Rhythm Bound Karaoke BRIGHTON Open Mic Night Rob Walker THE BOAT Jen De Ness THE BROOK Open Mic Night Chris Gibbs
LOCAL GIG
BROOKLANDS TAVERN Celebrations Karaoke THE CAUSEWAY BAR Xport Thursdays DUNSBOROUGH TAVERN Open Mic Night Kris Buckle ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Jasmine Nelson THE GATE Greg Carter GROOVE BAR (CROWN) Dr Bogus INDI BAR 8 Ball Aitken LANEWAY LOUNGE Howie Morgan Project LOBBY LOUNGE (CROWN) Jack & Jill LUCKY SHAG James Wilson MOJOS BAR The Lucky Numbers Edie Green Blue Lucy David Craft MUSTANG BAR Aimee Francis Lionizer DJ James MacArthur NEWPORT HOTEL Easy Tigers PRINCE OF WALES Bonjah ROSEMOUNT HOTEL Bastian’s Happy Flight SETTLERS TAVERN Andrew Winton YAYA’S Odlaw Faim Fait Accompli The Mighty Pirate FRIDAY 10/01
INTRASONIC
INTRASONIC Omega is the Alpha, LYTS, Enabler Saturday, January 11 The Bakery
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AMPLIFIER The Disappointed Boys! Boys! Boys! Fait Acompli Tired Lion BALMORAL Mike Nayar THE BAKERY Paleman SnB Clunk Ben T Cat Lips
GONE BY MORNING/THE SWAN HOTEL FRIDAY 10
BEAT NIGHTCLUB (DOWNSTAIRS) PLAY BEAT NIGHTCLUB (UPSTAIRS) Live and Local III BELGIAN BEER CAFÉ Roger Roger BELMONT TAVERN Electrophobia BOAB TAVERN Frenzy THE BIRD Ben M Raaghe Modesty Blaze Bullok B2B Lengman BISTRO 38 Gary Fowlie THE BRIGHTON Rob Walker THE BROOKLANDS TAVERN Venarty Brothers THE CARINE Velvet CHASE BAR & BISTRO James Wilson CIVIC BACKROOM Sabotage Brutus Bayou CLANCYS APPLECROSS DJ Boogie CLANCYS CITY BEACH Sao Paulo CLANCYS FREMANTLE Tim Gordon Band These Winter Nights Moana John Martyr’s Ghost CLANCYS DUNSBOROUGH Chelsea Morgan CRUISING YACHT CLUB The Hitman DUNSBOROUGH TAVERN Qynn EMPIRE BAR Howie Morgan ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Prita Grealy Howie Morgan GOSNELLS HOTEL Frank G THE GREENWOOD Greg Carter GROOVE BAR (CROWN) Tod Johnston & Peace Love
HYDE PARK HOTEL Ricky Green INDI BAR Vdelli KALAMUNDA HOTEL B.O.B. LANEWAY LOUNGE Reilly Craig Just For The Night METRO FREO Ego & Luke Million M ON THE POINT Retriofit MOJOS BAR Beat Bread and Dub Butter The Weapon Is Sound The Empty Cup Childs Play Leon Osborn Cam Scott Girlfriend Material MUSTANG Adam Hall & The Velvet Playboys Swing DJ Cheeky Monkeys DJ James MacArthur OCEAN ONE BAR Mad Agents PADDY MAGUIRES Cherry Lips PORT KENNEDY TAVERN One Trick Phonies THE PRINCIPAL Justin Cortorillo REDCLIFFE ON MURRAY Bonjah ROSEMOUNT HOTEL The Monicans The Crossbars Echostone Shineybeast SAIL AND ANCHOR The Mojos THE SAINT Airbag SETTLERS TAVERN Matt Gresham THE SHED Huge SOUTH ST ALEHOUSE Robbie King Karaoke SWAN HOTEL (BASEMENT) Gone By Morning Remember The South Social Madness Nucleust
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
EPIGNOSIS/THE CHARLES HOTEL/ SATURDAY 11
WINTERSUN HOTEL Brian Alleume YAYA’S Chainsaw Hookers Castle Bravo Burning Fiction The De Niros SATURDAY 11/01
AMPLIFIER BAR Ego & Luke Million THE BAKERY Intrasonic Omega is the Alpha LYTS Enabler THE BALMORAL Retriofit BEAT NIGHTCLUB (UPSTAIRS) CANVAS BEAT NIGHTCLUB (DOWNSTAIRS) RUNAWAYS I Declare War Graves Iconoclast I, As One THE BIRD Good Buddies Fundraiser Mt Mountain Electric Toad Ben Stewart DJs BENTLEY HOTEL Chriss Gibbs Band BOAB TAVERN James Wilson CIVIC HOTEL BACKROOM Victory! Rick Some Lone Ranger Lip Service Danny Bau THE CLAREMONT HOTEL ANTICS Maurice Flavel’s Intensive Care The Disintegrates Eerie Serpent Antics DJs ft Luke Dux ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Graeme Blevins and Grant Windsor Why Georgia THE GATE Greg Carter GREENWOOD Baby Piranhas GROOVE BAR (CROWN) Hi-NRG INDI BAR Blue Shaddy INDIAN OCEAN BREWING CO Shawne & Luc
THE DISINTEGRATES/THE CLAREMONT HOTEL/SATURDAY 11
LAKERS TAVERN Celebrations Karaoke MOJOS BAR Bonjah Jake And The Cowboys Tanya Ransom MERRIWA TAVERN Celebrations Karaoke M ON THE POINT Rhythm 22 MUSTANG Shot Down From SugarTown Rockabilly DJ Milhouse DJ James MacArthur NEWPORT HOTEL Gravity Tahli Jade PARAMOUNT NIGHTCLUB Felix OCEAN ONE BAR Desert Bells PORT KENNEDY TAVERN Joppy QUARIE BAR & BISTRO Acoustic Flavour ROSEMOUNT HOTEL Deafheaven Tangled Thoughts Of Leaving Drohtnung ROSIE O’GRADY’S FREMANTLE Flava SAIL & ANCHOR Better Days THE SAINT Mike Nayar SETTLERS TAVERN Dilip & The Davs THE SHED Huge SOUTH ST ALE HOUSE Robbie King Karaoke SWALLOW BAR DJ T King THE SWINGING PIG Frenzy UNIVERSAL Soul Corporation YAYA’S Tom Mantle Scott Aitken & The Deloreans Noah Skape & The Teenage Wasteland Limpin’ Dave Foley & The Straight Legged Freaks The Three Mulegos
YMCA HQ Emberville Cupidfalls The Moment We Fall Calm Collected To Catch A Fox Voices & Vices SUNDAY 12/01
BALMORAL Electrophobia BELMONT TAVERN Acoustic Aly BIRD Daedelus Ben Taaffe Dr J THE BRIGHTON Nate Lansdell BROOKLANDS TAVERN Gerry Azor THE CAUSEWAY Accoustic Sunday CIVIC HOTEL Frank G COMO HOTEL Ansell & Fretall CLANCYS FREMANTLE The Zydecats DUNSBOROUGH TAVERN Steve Spouse ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Closed THE FLY TRAP (FLY BY NIGHT) Stage Fright Open Mic Night THE GATE Greg Carter GROOVE BAR (CROWN) Peace Love HYDE PARK HOTEL Justin Cortorillo INDI BAR Bonjah INDIAN OCEAN BREW CO Retriofit KALAMUNDA HOTEL The Mojos LAKERS TAVERN Wesley Goodlet Jamboree Scouts MERRIWA TAVERN North Coast Jam Session M ON THE POINT Siren & Assassin MOJOS BAR Lionizer Vida Cain Being Beta Radio in Motion Dan Cribb And The Isolated
LIONIZER/MOJOS BAR/SUNDAY 12
MUSTANG DJ James Mac NEWPORT HOTEL Fait Accompli Apache Indigo NORTH BEACH BOWLING CLUB Gary Fowlie OCEAN ONE BAR Tahnee DJ Martin PEEL ALE HOUSE Sophie Jane QUARIE BAR & BISTRO Better Days ROSIE O’GRADY’S FREMANTLE The Dublin Brothers THE SAINT Howie Morgan Project SEAVIEW TAVERN Dean Anderson SETTLERS TAVERN The Bothers Thin SOUTH ST ALEHOUSE Jonny Dempsey SWINGING PIG Aiden Varro UNIVERSAL Retrofit YMCA HQ Summer Break I Declare War Graves Anchored Iconoclast Mindless Exanimis Idle Eyes I As One Protest Monolith Hollow Ground Vultures
MONDAY 13/01
BRASS MONKEY Wire Birds XBOX Mondays ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Closed GROOVE BAR (CROWN) Justin & Mike MOJOS BAR Wide Open Mic MUSTANG BAR Triple Shots THE SAINT Celebration Karaoke YAYA’S Big Tommo’s Open Mic Night TUESDAY 14/01
BRASS MONKEY Open Mic Night Josh Terlick THE CHARLES HOTEL Perth Blues Club Pete Gavin Midnight Sun Gary Cox Band ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Oehlers Susnjar O’Halloran Eamon Dilworth GROOVE BAR (CROWN) Jack & Jill LUCKY SHAG Ben Merito MERRIWA TAVERN Celebrations Karaoke OCEAN ONE BAR Undergrowth Open Mic Night YAYA’S Fresh Jams
LOCAL GIG
EMBERVILLE
EMBERVILLE Cupidfalls, The Moment We Fall, Calm Collected, To Catch A Fox, Voices & Vices Saturday, January 11 YMCA HQ
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MUSIC GEAR & TECHNOLOGY
FOR SALE HEADPHONES all brands & styles. 23 Harrogate Street, West Leederville. Contact Headphonic 08 93886333 headphones.com.au MUSOS WANTED BASS PLAYER WANTED for new Rock band based Sth of river. Contact Budge 0438 142 552 BASS PLAYER WANTED reliable & capable bass player reqd by working rock covers band. Must have good groove, timing & tempo. Good gear, own transport plus a willingness to gig are also reqd. Contact 0427 471 423 or email pjkm@westnet.com.au for further info, audio, demo’s etc EXP SINGER WANTED for established local original rock band. Gigs booked, recording waiting. Text or call 0448 426 491 GUITARIST WANTED for original Rock/ Alternative Songs. Must sing backing vocals Call Jax 0433 632 772 LEAD GUITARIST WANTED 18-30 yrs old for Vida Cain. Backing vox essential. Trav 0404 556 312 OPEN MIC NIGHT every Thursday night at Indi Bar. Just call Bex on 0404 917 632. OPEN MIC NIGHT @ THE CRAIGIE TAVERN Tuesdays from 8pm. Solos, Duos, Trios, Originals and Covers. Contact Paula or Ceelay 0420375670 or openmiccraigie@hotmail.com PHOTOGRAPHY PROJECT PHOTOGRAPHY Promo photography, studio, live, location. Mike Wylie 0417 975 964 www.projectphotography.com When its time to ice the cake... PRODUCTION SERVICES CD & DVD MANUFACTURE Check out our latest CD & DVD specials online at www.procopy.com.au 9375 3902 DISK BANK Perth’s premier CD & D V D m a n u f a c t u r e r, w i t h o p t i o n s for all budgets. (08) 9388 0800. www.diskbank.com.au/specials. MATRIX PRODUCTIONS AUSTRALIA Lighting, staging, sound systems, smoke machines, night club FX, intelligent lighting, strobes & mirror balls, crowd barriers, video projectors. 9371 1551 RECORDING STUDIOS ALAN DAWSON’s WITZEND RECORDING STUDIO Prof quality albums or demos, large live room, experienced engineer, analog to digital transfers, mastering..Alan 0407 989 128 or Jeremy 0430638178 www.witzendstudios.com ANDY’S STUDIO International multi award winning songwriter / producer. No band required. Broadcast quality. A songwriter’s paradise. Ph 9364 3178 GOLDDUST Production Mixing, recording and composition. Leederville $80 p/h. 0408 097 407 POONS HEAD MASTERING Analog Master. TAPE, TUBES & TRANSFORMERS. Clients include: Melody’s Echo Chamber, Pond, Gossling, Knife Party, Felicity Groom, The Floors, Jeff Martin & The Panics. World class facility. World class results. www.poonshead.com 9339 4791
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RECORDING MIXING MASTERING PRODUCING Fremantle location. C a l l Pe t e K i t c h e n C o o ke d R e co rd s . Ph 0407 363 764 / 9336 3764 REVOLVER SOUND STUDIO Ph 9272 7505. www.revolverstudio.com.au S AT E L L I T E R E C O R D I N G S T U D I O www.satelliterecording.com 0419 908 766 - NEW ProTools HDX System. 17 Years exp SONGWRITERS AND BANDS! - 30TH ANNIVERSARY DISCOUNTS! UNLOCK YOUR SONG’S POTENTIAL! FREE APPRAISALS. UK Producer, 40,000+ hours studio experience, 20 yrs in London. Kicking arrangements. Great studio and the ability to really listen will give your material the edge you need. Call Jerry on 0405 653 338 or visit www.jerichomusic.com.au REHEARSAL STUDIOS AAA VHS REHEARSAL ROOMS Great facilities, great vibe & great price!!! Unit 5 /16 Peel Road, O’Connor. Phone 9418 5815 or 0413 732 885 B I G B E AT S O U N D S T U D I O C l e a n r o o m s , a l l n e w PA s y s t e m s , a i r con and good parking . Willetton Ph: 0425 698 117. P L AT I N U M S O U N D RO O M S Professional rehearsal rooms, a i r c o n d i t i o n e d , q u a l i t y PA s m o b 0418 944 722 STREAM STUDIO’S 89 Stirling St, Perth. Mobile: 0403 152 009 info@streamrehearsal.com.au TUITION * * * G U I TA R L E S S O N S * * * N e w Ye a r enrolments, book online. Beg to prof, all styles. Catering to WAAPA and AMEB standards. All tutors have WWC clearance. Cliff Lynton Guitar Institute. Mt Lawley 9342 3484 / www.clifflynton.com BASS GUITAR LESSONS AVAILABLE by WAAPA tutor. A practicle approach to learning. .All styles.Years of experience. Tony Gibbs 9470 6131
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CLASSIFIEDS
RAINBOW MACHINE, EARTHQUAKER DEVICES. A tab of acid in guitar pedal form, the Rainbow Machine can act as a delayed arpeggiator, polyphonic harmoniser, pitch shifter and just about all conceivable brain bending nonsense in between. The real kicker is the ‘magic’ setting and its interplay with the tracking control, throwing up an at times overwhelming cacophony of oscillation, discordance and warping. More conventionally, in can produce a beautiful, warm psychedelic sound, and a lush slapback echo. Word to the wise: if you do hit upon a sound you love, make rigorous notes on the settings; with 6 knobs and 2 switches, all of which have such extreme effects, the temptation to tinker can lead you to lose a sound that you can’t seem to get back. RRP $275. Rainbow Machine
ARPANOID POLYPHONIC PITCH ARPEGGIATOR, EARTHQUAKER DEVICES. The first dedicated arpeggiator pedal for electric guitar, the Arpanoid has step and rate control, to allow you a range of arpeggios, from a slow, gentle melodic tail to a frantic tweaked out symphony. It has eight settings, which allows the player major and minor scales in ascending or descending. It’s perhaps a luxury item, an answer to ‘what do I get the muso who has everything?’ It’s delightfully good fun, and produces a lovely sound, but it’s far from essential. RRP $255.
MOOG MINIFOOGER MF DRIVE.
CLASSIFIEDS
Moog has long been famous for their range of synths and analogue effects pedals. The Minifooger range is, as the name suggest, a compaction of the Mooger Fooger processing pedals range, well regarded by guitarists and keyboardists alike, into a more manageable, performance friendly size. The MF Drive is a diverse and distinctive overdrive pedal, offering a ‘low pass to peak’ filter that allows the player an almost wah-wah sound. The array of distortion is impressive, from muddy and dark, to lacerating, thin and bright, from a gentle wash to a fat, fuzzed out wall of sound, all the time providing great sustain and a nice clear presentation of notes. RRP $229. Moog Minifooger MF Drive
Arpanoid Polyphonic Pitch Arpeggiator
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CHARLIE LEWIS
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