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LOCAL NEWS
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ANNOUNCEMENTS
HIT YOU HALLEJULAH ROOFTOP BANKS
DJ RASHAD TRIBUTE
Perth emcee Coin Banks will be headlining the final Aviary Rooftop Sessions for this season. The hip hop artist rose to acclaim with his single, Think Of You, which achieved high rotation on triple j last year. After several tours including supporting Illy as well as headlining his own tour, he released his highly anticipated second EP Tails with the excellent single, Someone. Catch Coin Banks at The Aviary on Sunday, May 31, from 4pm. To reserve a free ticket go to theaviaryperth.com.au.
To commemorate the first anniversary of the passing of the legendary DJ Rashad, Lucidity is bringing an all night DJ tribute to Flyrite. The American artist was a figurehead in pushing the evolution of the Footwork genre and released singles such as Itz Not Rite, Rolling and Double Cup. The tribute night will feature DJ’s HW Sims, DJ NSFW, Bixxxler, Nebula, Henry Gillet, Frodo and Consulate and happens Friday, May 1, at Flyrite. Free entry before 10pm and $10 after with part of the proceeds going to charity.
Coin Banks
DJ Rashad
Mark Ronson will be spreading the funk around Australia after announcing three Splendour In The Grass sideshows including one in Perth. Previously creating hits with the likes of Lily Allen, Adele and Paul McCartney, Ronson became the smash hit of the summer with his massively popular single, featuring Bruno Mars, Uptown Funk. It held the number one spot in Australian chart for six weeks, and an incredible 14 weeks as number one in the US charts. He played a few DJ sets in Australia earlier this year but this new live show will be premiered at the Glastonbury Festival before heading to our shores. Catch Ronson at Metro City on Wednesday, July 22. Pre-sale tickets available Thursday, April 30, at 9am local time, and general public tickets on sale Friday, May 1, at 10am, from secret-sounds.com.au.
GANG OF YOUTHS Sydneysiders Gang Of Youths are touring the country to celebrate the release of their debut album The Positions. The album debuted at number five on the ARIA albums chart and at number two on the Australian albums chart, a huge success for the triple j unearthed band. Having previously supported Frightened Rabbit and Vampire Weekend, this tour sees Gang Of Youths hit Perth Friday, May 29, playing at Jimmy’s Den. Tickets at events.ticketbooth.com.au. Gang Of Youths
Mark Ronson
CABLE SOUNDS
PSYCHO RATS
USURPERS!
Australian punk outfit Cosmic Psychos are back with a new album and a new tour. Since the release of the acclaimed documentary about the band, Blokes You Can Trust, they’ve toured America and Europe and appeared at Big Day Out 2014. The band’s first album in six years, Cum The Raw Prawn, was recorded in January and its first single, Better, Not Bitter, is a classic Pyschos track. Joining Cosmic Pyschos on their national tour is Brisbane’s Dune Rats, who have been making waves around the world with their debut album. Come down for a night of noise, punk and madness with Cosmic Psycho and Dune Rats at the Rosemount Hotel on Saturday, June 27 .Tickets available at oztix.com.au.
Electronic post-rock locals Usurper Of Modern Having only just completed a tour of 17 sold out arenas, Medicine are playing their last headlining show before Ed Sheeran has announced he will return to Australia the band disperse to pursue art adventures around and New Zealand in November and December this the world. Usurper Of Modern Medicine have become year. Playing some of the country’s biggest venues, this big names in the Perth music scene with their singles tour will see Sheeran become the first musician to tour gaining high rotation on RTRFM and winning the Australian and New Zealand stadiums entirely solo. With Best Newcomer award at the 2011 WAM Awards. just a guitar, his voice and a series of loop pedals, the The band has a brand new EP out, Osmosis Vol.2, 24 year-old will fill arenas with the sound of some of his available for free from their Bandcamp. They will biggest hits such as Sing, Thinking Out Loud and Give Me be performing their latest visual show with support Love. Ed Sheeran will play the nib Stadium, Wednesday, from French Rockets, Dream Rimmy and Mayor Dadi, December 2, with general public tickets on sale Tuesday, at Jimmy’s Den this Saturday, May 2, at 8pm, tickets $10 at the door. May 5, from ticketek.com.au.
Cosmic Psychos
Ed Sheeran | Pic: Ben Watts
ED SHEERAN RETURNS
Two heavyweights of the Australian music scene, The Hoodoo Gurus and Eskimo Joe, are coming together for a one-off show entitled Cable Sounds. The concert kicks off the Broome Turf Club’s Broome Cup Carnival which also includes events such as Ladies Day and the Broome Cup. With both bands boasting multiple accolades and awards, it’s sure to be a massive night. See these bands perform under the stars at the Cable Beach Amphitheatre, situated right in-front of the Cable Beach Club Resort and overlooks Broome’s world-famous Cable Beach, Saturday, August 8. Tickets go on sale Thursday, April 30, at 9am from ticketmaster.com.au. Ticketholders will also gain free entry to Broome Turf Club’s Ladies Day, Tuesday, August 11. Hoodoo Gurus, Cable Sounds
Usurper Of Modern Medicine
WE WILL ROCK YOU For the first time in Australia, The Queen Extravaganza will be rocking stages across the country. Created by original Queen members - drummer Roger Taylor and guitarist Brian May - the concert show takes the music of Queen and combines it with rare video footage from the Queen archives, to create a spectacular 90 minutes for both old and new fans that celebrates the band’s music and legacy. Classic Queen songs, such as Bohemian Rhapsody and Another One Bites The Dust, are performed by four musicians handpicked by Taylor in an online talent search that culminated in the group’s performance on American Idol in 2012. See The Queen Extravaganza at Crown Theatre on Tuesday, October 13, with tickets from ticketmaster.com.au.
BAMBOO MASTER Grand Master of the shakuhachi, or Japanese flute, Riley Lee is bringing his skills in this unusual instrument to a fundraising event for The Zen Group of Western Australia. The shakuhachi is made of a piece of bamboo and was traditionally played by Zen Buddhist monks to aid meditation. In 1980, Lee was the first non-Japanese person to attain the rank of dai shihan or Grand Master of the shakuhachi and since then has performed both in his home of Australia and internationally, releasing albums and playing both solo and with bands and orchestras. See this grand master play at St Paul’s Anglican Church in Fremantle, Thursday, June 4, from 6:45pm. Tickets are $20 and can be ordered by email from info@zgwa.org.au.
IGNITION AND LIFT-OFF Applications are open for Curtin University’s 2015 Ignition Program. Run by Curtin’s Centre for Entrepreneurship, Ignition is for anyone with an idea for a business, product or venture. The fiveand-a-half-day intensive program features practical teaching sessions, expert clinics, mentor sessions and experienced advice and support from leading entrepreneurs and innovators to give you the skills to turn your idea into a successful business. The course will run from Sunday, August 23, to Friday, August 28. For more information go to ignition.curtin.edu.au.
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TAKE ME TO CHURCH Iconic Australian band The Church released one of their most popular albums, The Blurred Crusade, 33 years ago. Their 25th and most recent album Further/Deeper was released just last year. To celebrate these two albums, The Church are heading out on the Further Deeper: A Blurred Crusade national tour. Each show will feature two sets, the first revisiting the much loved, older album, and the second introducing highlights of the new album, plus a few other favourites. The tour will include Ian Haug from Powderfinger, who joined the band 18 months ago. The Church will play three dates in WA at Settlers Tavern, Margaret River, Thursday, July 16; Prince of Wales Bunbury on Friday, July 17, and at the Rosemount, Hotel on Saturday, July 18. Tickets at tickets.oztix.com.au. The Church
ALPINE HEIGHTS Melbourne indie outfit Alpine have announced a national tour to celebrate the release of their second album, Yuck. The album is out Friday, June 12, and first single Foolish was triple j’s most played song in April and its accompanying music video has been praised in the US and the UK as well as being Channel V’s Ripe Clip Of The Week. The album’s title originated from the lyrics of Foolish, in which the band explore their ‘yuck’ reactions to romance, awkward dates and first world problems. Catch Alpine at Metropolis Fremantle with support from Pearls and Darts and Olympia, Saturday, July, 4. Tickets can be bought from oztix.com.au. Alpine
BEAUFORT STREET FESTIVAL
PEEP SHOW
The annual Beaufort Street Festival is a highlight in the Perth events calendar, and the organisers want to know what you want for this year’s festival. A community consultation meeting will be held to let the public give feedback on previous festivals and put forward suggestions for 2015. The festival happens in November ever year featuring stalls, music entertainment, food and more and attracts huge numbers of visitors to Beaufort Street. The meeting will happen in the Function Room at the City of Vincent, Monday, May 4 at 6pm. More details at beafortstreetfestival.com.au.
Melbourne rock outfit The Peep Tempel are heading out on their national Gettin’ On By Tour next month, with four dates in WA. Joining them at all but the Margaret River show - at which the support is to be confirmed - is local grunge garage trio, Pat Chow. The Perth date will also feature the doom gaze, stoner rock of Skullcave and playing with them at Fremantle is the alcoholic The Fruity Whites. The Peep Tempel will be playing Jimmy’s Den in Northbridge, Thursday, May 7; the Prince of Wales in Bunbury on Friday, May 8; Settlers Tavern in Margaret River on Saturday, May 9 and Mojo’s on Sunday, May 10.
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WIN
N E W S L E T T E R - S I G N U P AT F O R E X C L U S I V E C O M P S
SONG ONE
MINE GAMES
Estranged from her family, Franny (Anne Hathaway) returns home when an accident leaves her brother musician brother Henry (Ben Rosenfield) comatose. Franny begins to use his notebook as a guide to how his life his life as an aspiring and she seeks out the musicians he loved, and meets James Forester (Johnny Flynn), Henry’s musical idol. Against the backdrop of Brooklyn’s music scene, Franny and James develop an unexpected relationship and face the realities of their lives With an original soundtrack composed by Jenny Lewis and Johnathan Rice. We have five DVD copies of Song One to give away via the X-Press App.
Mine Games follows a group of young friends as they venture in the mountains for a seemingly harmless weekend of fun in the sun. Their destination, an eerily remote cabin hidden deep in the forest and miles from the nearest town. After stumbling across an old abandoned mine, the group decide to venture into the shadowy and confining tunnels. Hiking deeper into the maze like underpass, they make a startling discover that immediately turns their weekend excitement into unequivocal terror. Released by Anchor Bay, we have five DVDs to give away via the X-Press App.
Song One
Mine Games
RELATIVE HAPPINESS
AMERICA & SHARON CORR
Plus-sized and 30 years-old, Lexie Ivy (Melissa Bergland) is a feisty Bed N’ Breakfast owner who desperately needs a date to her sister’s wedding. In the small town of Nova Scotia, that’s no easy task, especially when the most eligible bachelor is the handyman Joss (Aaron Poole). When Adrian (Jonathan Sousa), a handsome and charming guest, arrives and seems to take an interest in Lexie, she thinks all her problems are solved. But she misreads the situation and is soon reeling, believing her romantic dream has slipped away, maybe forever. After a series of hilarious mishaps and a reality check or two, Lexie discovers that love may be a lot closer than she thought. Based on the novel of the same name by Lesley Crewe, we have five DVD copies of Relative Happiness to give away via the X-Press App.
Forty-five years in the business and rock band America have become classic rock favourites. With their timeless sound, they return to tour Australia in May to play their greatest hit collection, with support from Sharon Corr, of Celtic Irish band The Corrs fame. We have four tickets to give away to their show at HBF Stadium on Saturday, May 9, via the App.
Relative Happiness
America
PRINT AND DIGITAL EDITIONS PUBLISHER/MANAGER Joe Cipriani
EDITORIAL - 9213 2888 MANAGING EDITOR Bob Gordon: editor@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
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THE SYDNEY HOTSHOTS Australia’s number one touring male revue The Sydney Hotshots are bringing their My Love Tour to Perth. The six-pack decked troupe will perform dance tributes to Michael Jackson and Justin Timberlake, special choreography celebrating Fifty Shades of Grey and Magic Mike, plus a special Mark Ronson/Bruno Mars routine. We have five double passes to give away for their show at Paddington Ale House in Mt Hawthorn on Wednesday, May 6. Enter via the App. The Sydney Hotshots
LIFESTYLE STRATEGY MANAGER – AGENCY / DIRECT Tim Milroy - entertainment@xpressmag.com.au Jennifer Groves - advertising@xpressmag.com.au ENTERTAINMENT ACCOUNT MANAGER ENTERTAINMENT / VENUES / LIVE AND DANCE MUSIC PROMOTERS / RECORD LABLES Tim Milroy - entertainment@xpressmag.com.au CLASSIFIEDS LINAGE classifieds@xpressmag.com.au
PRODUCTION DEPARTMENT - 9213 2854 CONTENT COORDINATOR Anthony Jackson - production@xpressmag.com.au ART DIRECTOR Dwight O’Neil DESIGN + PRODUCTION Andy Quilty, Anthony Jackson, Rachel Del Borrello PRINTING Rural Press Printing Mandurah DISTRIBUTION - 9213 2853 - distribution@xpressmag.com.au ADMIN / ACCOUNTS - 9213 2888 Lillian Buckley accounts@xpressmag.com.au EDITORIAL DEADLINES General: Friday 5pm, Eye4 Arts: Thursday 10am, WIN: Friday 5pm, Salt Clubs: Monday 5pm , Local Scene: Monday Noon, Gig Guide: Monday 5pm ADVERTISING DEADLINES Cancellations: Monday 5pm, Ads to be set: Monday Noon Supplied Bookings / Copy: Tuesday 12 Noon, Classifieds: Monday 4pm
STRETCH FESTIVAL The City of Mandurah presents the Stretch Arts Festival. Immerse yourself in the eclectic sounds of jazz and folk music, featuring Fox Cat Rabbit, Charlie Moon Meader, Darling, Mr Sims Quintet, Knotwork, Tahlia Hart and more. Join the delightful Owen Hinton as he hosts Festival Square presented by Healthway and Act-Belong-Commit. Soak up the atmosphere, grab some food, attend a free workshop or join in a dance battle. Get on down to Mandurah’s eastern foreshore and Mandjar Square 10am-4pm on Saturday, May 2, and Sunday, May 3. We have a six-CD compilation of Stretch Arts Festival 2015 performers to give away to one lucky winner. Fox Cat Rabbit, Stretch Arts Festival 6
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33,560 OCTOBER 2012 MARCH 2013 - AUSTRALIA’S HIGHEST CIRCULATING STREET PRESS
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FLESH
NEWS - INTERVIEWS - REVIEWS - CONTENTS
RUBY BOOTS From Her To Eternity Ruby Boots’ debut album, Solitude, has just been released and her national tour kicks of on Friday, May 15, at the Rosemount Hotel with The Ghost Hotel, Flooded Palace and Little Lord St Band. BOB GORDON chats with singer/songwriter, Bex Chilcott.
COURTNEY BARNETT Sit And Talk Touring in support of her debut album, Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit, Courtney Barnett plays two sold-out shows at The Bakery on Saturday-Sunday, May 2-3, supported by Teeth & Tongue. BOB GORDON has a chat. When we last spoke you standing in a field the day after the Nannup Festival having a quite moment. Given the last 12 months and how much has happened, what would you tell yourself about what lay ahead? I probably wouldn’t want to say anything because, you know, to kind of have that expectation of what’s going to happen during the year would probably just stress me out or overwhelm me. It’s kind of nice just letting things happen and discovering stuff along the way, but yeah it’s definitely been a huge year. I kind of feel really lucky Sometimes it’s best not to know what the journey is... Yeah, and I think, you know, when you have those high expectations, like when you go to a party that you think’s going to be really great and everyone talks it up for months and then it finally happens and it’s kind of average. Like New Years Eve? Yeah like New Year’s Eve. So I just try to take it as it comes and then you can’t be let down.
Bex Chilcott, AKA Ruby Boots
There’s a song on the album called A Long Time Coming so it must be true. For Bex Chilcott, from studying Basic Music Industry Skills at TAFE, to running open mic nights as she momentarily quit singing to save her voice, to initially embarking on her journey as Ruby Boots in 2010 to releasing her first EPs to maintaining an ever-changing cast of band members... it certainly has been a long time coming for the release of her debut album, Solitude. “Oh darling!” she laughs long and loud at the thought. “It’s been interesting doing the interviews, actually. It’s almost like a stark place to be thinking about it from; I’ve had to warm to it because I’ve been so desolate in my thought process around it. “I’m leaps and bounds away from when I finished the record and was first really excited about it. And I’m still excited about it, but it’s hard to go back to those places emotionally. I feel like I’ve been touring it already even though it wasn’t even out!” Chilcott says that for this chapter, the album had its beginnings in 2012. “I had started writing a few songs, but it was in ‘13 that the songwriting really started cranking up. I did a couple of trips overseas to Nashville and stayed with Vikki (Thorn, The Waifs) in Utah. It started in ‘12, was recorded in ‘13 and was mixed in ‘14. Nearly three-and-a-half-years ago.” During that time of with all the stops and starts of writing, recording and touring, Chilcott played a few new tracks to Universal Music MD, Michael Taylor, in Sydney (she is now signed to Universal affiliate, Lost Highway). “As I left he said, ‘just keep on writing songs Bex’,” she notes. “I really took heed of that. I wrote 33 songs or something like that. I’m so glad I did. I’m so glad I kept writing before I did the track-listing because I used some of the last of those songs. I could see myself developing away from where I was I was writing into before and where I’m writing now. It wasn’t so much that poppy/folky kind of stuff. I think internally I have a lot more grit inside of me, inside my soul, than that music displayed. I was getting bored really fucking quickly (laughs) so I’m glad I kept writing and really searching inside myself of where I wanted to write from and what I wanted to write about.” Trips to Nashville for songwriting and recording eventuated. The importance, for Chilcott, of visiting the American heartland cannot be overstated. “I think it was pretty pivotal, because in 2012 smack bang in the middle of that was when I started co-writing with people and in the heart of Nashville writing that kind of music was a real eyeopener, especially recording over there. You could get any player at any time of the day or night to come over and make shit sound good (laughs). And really have it sound authentic. Everyone was living and breathing it. “I guess I was searching for a place of belonging in it all. I’ve always written alternative country, Americana stuff, you can hear it in my very first EP. So it’s not something I’ve gravitated toward, it’s just always been that way. I don’t know why; it just has. But really feeling that sense of belonging when I was over there it was like, ‘Okay. Now I know where I can take this’. I know that I can be really true to myself just by feeling it around me.” Another important step forward for 8
Chilcott was visiting Utah to co-write songs with Vikki Thorn, after a recommendation by Waifs’ manager, Phil Stevens. “It was really daunting because I had zero idea of where I was going and what I was walking into,” she says. “I mean, there’s nothing around where she lives, so it was like throwing yourself in the deep end, with someone I’d admired for so many years, and in my formative years of writing. I still do. It was rewarding, refreshing and relieving, is probably the best way to say how it felt that we got along well. Donna (Simpson, Thorn’s sister) was like, ‘wow, I’ve never seen Vikk get along that well so quickly with another female (laughs)’. “It worked out so well that I went back a few months later to write some more. We finished Ruby Blue and I got Baby Pull Over out of those sessions. The Middle Of Nowhere was from the first one. She’s just been a really good friend and writing partner. It can be really serious at times and funny at others. We explore all the colours of the rainbow together.” While guitarist, Lee Jones, and bass player, Belle Harvey, are key members, Chilcott has a rotating line-up of members in Melbourne and Sydney, allowing her to tour more freely. “It all kind of depends on how much the tour’s paying me and how many flights I have to catch as to who I can take with me. “Emotionally it can be quite tumultuous because you are sharing the stage with people and you want to feel connected which is why I take Belle and Lee with me whenever I can. With those two guys standing by my side it always feels cool and connected, but at the same time I have a full Sydney band that I use over there now and it does make it a lot easier to tour. “I played at Tamworth on the main stage without having met my drummer other than speaking on the phone. Wow! But that’s what I can do now if it has to be done. It happened and we pulled it off. At the end of the day it taught me that I have to hold it down no matter what happens. I have to be strong enough and confident enough to hold it down. I know my songs and I know I can sing them with all my heart and hopefully that cuts through anything.” Somewhat inevitably, the stage name is taking over from Chilcott’s own. Many seem unaware about her real name while others just prefer to think of her as Ruby Boots. “It’s happening already,” she notes. “And some people ask if I mind if they call me Ruby and I’m like, ‘sure go for it!’” In some respects it seems that a persona has evolved. However, it’s not how Chilcott positions Ruby Boots, but how the stage name positions her. “I have to agree with that,” she says. “I was just thinking about this before over my morning coffee at a friend’s house I’m minding. I did 18 shows in March, and there I was sitting in silence. I lose myself in the music sometimes because it’s so hectic all the time. I forget who I am as a person at times because I’ve got my blinkers on and I haven’t seen my friends in so long. I barely have time for my family. I suddenly become Ruby Boots... just to get through it. You have to, to have that level of energy. “I sometimes have to rediscover who Bex is rather than who Ruby Boots is - who is this constant performer and artist.”
In playing in places where people have different accents or speak different languages, do you notice how your songs have arrived before you do, kind of like postcards? Yeah, it’s a weird feeling actually, and thank god for the internet because I think it takes away some of that anxiety. Just to be able to see that people, you know, in France are commenting like ‘come to France, come to France’ and kind of makes you feel like maybe it won’t be totally shit and there will be some people at the show at least. And then to get there and there’s like a full room and people seem to be enjoying themselves. And then they come up afterwards and talk and ask questions and they tell me how much a certain song means to them or something. It’s totally amazing that people on the other side of the world, that speak a different language, even though bloody nearly everyone can speak English, and makes me feel like an idiot. It’s just incredible that they connect with the idea of the song, of the emotion behind the song. When in this time did you fit the 10 days to do the album recording? It was last April, so we had gone on our first kind of band trip overseas in February, and then I came back and did a Billy Bragg tour in Australia in March. And then we recorded in April. I kind of just locked in 10 days and said that’s going to be studio time. And then literally the day after we finished in the studio we went on a three-month tour overseas. So that was kind of the biggest bit of time we did. So it’s come out a whole year later. Does it feel like a time capsule? There’s a lot of things to do after recording, obviously. It feels like I was kind of working on it every day for the whole year. Obviously it isn’t released until now. I wanted to tour the double EP properly, overseas, and then we came back and did an Australian tour, I wanted to give it the credit it deserves. And then I wanted some time off because I was exhausted. We could have released it in October last year, but it just didn’t feel right and I was still trying to do artwork and we were still touring the other album. I’m really proud of this album so I didn’t want to just chuck it out, I wanted to give it what it deserves so this is the time that fit best and it’s worked well. I guess people could think that the double EP was your first album, when this new release is actually your first album. Can you describe the feel of the ‘long player’, to finally get a larger group of songs out at once? It’s great. The two EPs were a year apart really, and even though I think they fit really well together, they’re different parts of my life. But that’s me knowing that I think. Lots of different people have told me that they feel it all works together, and they really connect with it as a group of songs. I dunno a name’s just a name so it’s a bunch of songs. The album for me, which is all I can really honestly talk about, is a collection of songs, even in recording all in one lump with the one chunk of energy, it feels pretty unified. Even sonically it all feels like one album. Your songs look at the minutiae of life and it made sense that at the triple j Beat The Drum concert you performed with Tim Rogers... I definitely connect with that kind of song writing. Especially on You Am I’s ‘90s albums, he really
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Courtney Barnett | Pic: Rachael Barrett
captured that feeling of everyday life in the neighbourhood. Is it the kind of songwriting you naturally are drawn to, like with notes you scribble down, or poetry you wrote as a kid? I think so, I’m kind of drawn to it, it’s what I connect with so in turn it’s what I write about. You connect with it because it’s you as well as them. When you hear someone like Tim Rogers singing about what you were just saying, kind of neighourhoody stuff, it’s you as well, you know? And that’s lovely because you take that around the world, whether it’s touring or just the songs being out there, and you think of it being very Australian, but I suppose when you tour you see it back to you as very universal. It’s fascinating that you can write a song and see it come back at you as recognisable by the audience. Yeah, I mean a song should be adaptable. People should be able to insert themselves into it. I mean that’s what everyone does. You listen to a love song and you’ve just broken up with someone and you’re like I can totally relate to this song because the singer’s heartbroken and I’m heartbroken, and it makes me feel better because it makes me feel less alone, because that person is suffering the same thing I am right now. And that’s how music works it seems, it’s a fucking beautiful thing. So regardless of the subject matter if someone connects with what you’re talking about then it means something. When you’re playing a show are you in the moment of the show, are you conscious of where you are, or are you in the moment of the memory and reflection of that song? It kind of always changes depending on the mood, every gig has a different energy. Even just my mood on the day, sometimes you’re transported back to the original thing you were singing about, sometimes the songs grow and you relate it to something else, or sometimes you just sing the song and you’re looking around at people wondering what they’re thinking. It’s always completely different for me.
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Newsdesk Win Flesh: Ruby Boots, Courtney Barnett Music Passion Pit, Kitty, Daisy & Lewis Ace Frehley New Noise
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Culture Hub Cover: Cosentino Lifestyle, Hitlist The Gunman, Trash, Boychoir Feature: What’s On In May Feature: Perth Comedy Festival Arts Listings
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Scene Cover: 360 EDM News, Spenda C, Paul Mac Local Scene: Cera Kymarni. Edie Green Live: Groovin The Moo, Julio Bashmore, Guttermouth 28 30
X-Press Guide Social Pics/Volume
Front Cover: Ruby Boots’ debut album, Solitude, has just been released and will be launched on Friday, May 15, at the Rosemount Hotel. Scene Cover: 360’s Retopia tour his WA this week.
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MUSIC
VIEWS
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INTERVIEWS
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STORIES
Don’t let the press release fool you: despite its assertion that Passion Pit’s third album, Kindred, is a love letter from frontman Michael Angelakos to his wife, it’s not entirely the case. In fact, when this is mentioned to Angelakos, he sounds kind of pissed off it has somehow become part of the publicity wagon. You can’t blame the man, either. Given the energy and intimacy that comes with compiling an album, anyone would be pretty sore to be misconstrued straight out of the gate – especially when reaching people with something truthful is the bedrock of your work. “A love letter to my wife?” he says, looking unimpressed. It must be said that for the most part, Angelakos is a pleasant, funny guy, self-deprecating and considered. This issue has clearly struck a nerve, however, and as our conversation unfolds it starts to become apparent why that is. “I don’t know where that idea came from, because it’s not true. Some songs are about her, but there are a lot of songs that don’t have anything to do with her at all. There are a couple of songs there about my brother, songs about the other band members. Songs about dealing with and accepting love, which isn’t as easy as it sounds, it can be quite difficult, especially if you’re not used to it. It’s something I’ve never been truly comfortable with, trusting vulnerability.”
“If people pay money for tickets to see us live, then I want them to know me by hearing good music. That’s the person I want them to see, because that’s who I am.”
MICHAEL ANGELAKOS, PASSION PIT
PASSION PIT Who I Am Michael Angelakos has just released a new Passion Pit album called Kindred. ADAM NORRIS reports.
As he talks, Angelakos moves around restlessly, pivoting on the spot or gesturing with his hands. This is not at all borne of nervousness or idle pontification. In fact, he is a strikingly confident speaker, direct and incisive. “All I really wanted to do was make a simple pop record, but it ended up being this multi-layered whatever. There’s not really a theme. When people talk about (debut EP) Chunk Of Change and it being dedicated to my girlfriend at the time, that was actually 100 per cent true. Gossamer was dedicated to my wife and my friends, and dealt with this thematic, manic episode. And now this record is for them too, sure. It’s for my wife, it’s for my friends, but it’s much more of a concert record. It’s me putting all of the things that I’d experienced growing up, all of the things going on in my life, through this filter of me
as a 19-year old kid hanging out in the park. That’s the theme, really. I can’t think of anything else,” he laughs. “It’s certainly not a love letter.” If not a love letter, the lens of 19-year old Angelakos is still an affecting point of view. Most of us can vividly recall the frustrations and aspirations of our teenage years, and to confront that figure from the past with our future self – in front of an audience, no less – takes a level of bravery few could muster. When asked how he faces such public exposure, though, the Massachusetts vocalist and keyboardist doesn’t feel like he responds at all differently from anybody else. “Well, if you were in my position, would you feel freaked out? It can be totally scary, but that’s also the most therapeutic part. You’re up there and you have to own it. You can’t back down from it. The one thing I can say that I think is super, brutally honest about Passion Pit, is that as nerve-racking as performing can be, there’s strength in sharing it with other people. But you know how lucky I am to be able to do this as a living? It’s an amazing opportunity. I’m so grateful, and I mean, this is what I know how to do. To be honest, and put that into making music. “With this record I wanted to be more upfront, I wanted to be clearer and share more. I can’t think of anything better than that, can think of nothing more therapeutic, and that’s what it’s all about. If people want to connect with me, I’d rather connect with them musically than on Twitter. If people pay money for tickets to see us live, then I want them to know me by hearing good music. That’s the person I want them to see, because that’s who I am.” Given the legion of fans and the top-tier music festivals to which Passion Pit are invited around the world, it’s nice to know that Angelakos has reached these heights without losing sight of what made him want to release music in the first place. That said, there is a reverse side to ambition; after performing at celebrated gigs like Glastonbury Festival or featuring on Saturday Night Live, there exists the potential for disconnection. Is this the ceiling? Who are you once the applause dies down and the stage lights dim? “I think there’s a certain mindset that a lot of artists have to be aware of. I’m not hugely famous. I’m still able to put out records; I’m still able to talk to people about music. Quite honestly, I’ll do what I have to do, whatever it takes, to do what I love and be able to reach people. And I’m really not at that level of fame. You see some of them, and their lives are fucked up. Their lives. Are fucked. Up. I don’t think I’m ever going to have that. As long as I keep getting asked to play festivals, play gigs and reach more people, as long as I get to keep doing what I want to be doing, I’m happy.” into music. She never did it professionally, but she was in a band when she was younger –she’s got a pretty big collection of loads of different kinds of music, so we were always just listening to everything at home.” Even as early as their teenage years, the siblings were performing together. Their knack for music raised questions early on as to what to do about their schooling, as Kitty explains. “By the time it got to me graduating high school, the band had reached a stage where it was like, ‘We may as well carry on with this, it seems to be going well’.” Indeed, two days after Kitty finished her exams, they were off to do a tour of the US with Coldplay. “We were thrown in the deep end!” she admits. “But it was really incredible. Obviously being at school we weren’t able to tour, it was just gigs on the weekend. But now it’s a full-time job, which is great because we all love doing it.”
“By the time it got to me graduating high school, the band had reached a stage where it was like, ‘We may as well carry on with this, it seems to be going well’.”
KITTY, DAISY & LEWIS | PIC: GRAEME-DURHAM
KITTY, DAISY & LEWIS Sibling Revellry Kitty, Daisy & Lewis will play a Splendour In The Grass sideshow at the Rosemount Hotel on Wednesday, August 5. GARRY WESTMORE speaks with Kitty Durham. In a day and age where, for some, using analogue technology is somehow a kind of status symbol, we’re pretty sure you can’t beat London’s Kitty, Daisy & Lewis – the trio of siblings who still record on tape. 10
On their recently released third album, the aptly named Kitty, Daisy & Lewis The Third, they’ve doubled their recording capability. “We used a 16-track recorder instead of an eight-track,” says Kitty, the youngest of the Durham family siblings. “We wanted to up our game and get more channels, and I think for this record we all kind of knew that we could put together a bigger sound, a bigger production I guess. We just wanted to add more stuff, like a string section. If we had just eight channels we would have run out!” As a result, the trio’s third outing is a notably fuller-sounding record, with strings and horns in abundance yet subtly placed behind the chief instruments. The taut musicianship and songwriting sees it traverse genres such as country (Whiskey, Bitchin’ In The Kitchen), R&B (Feeling Of Wonder), blues (Good Looking Woman) and even reggae on the thoroughly enjoyable Turkish Delight.
“When we did the overdubs we kind of had in mind what we were going to do,” says Kitty, “but then we came up with some new parts which, in a way, transferred some of the tracks, writing new bits in.” And though their producer Mick Jones (of The Clash fame) has been overseeing records since the early ’80s, the old recording gear took some getting used to. “I think he was a bit blown away, because today he’s used to working with computers – that’s kind of what he knows – and obviously when you’re working like we do you can’t add in a bit later on a computer, you just have to get it right, get all the overdubs right. He got used to that quite quickly – we were like, ‘No, you can’t go on a laptop afterwards!’” Rather than being snobbish, there’s something endearing about how Kitty, Daisy & Lewis go about recording – an approach probably influenced by their growing up in a musical household where instruments and records were always being played. “We grew up playing music,” says Kitty. “A lot of it was rock’n’roll and all that – my mum, she was always well
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In the years since their self-titled album of 2008, Kitty, Daisy & Lewis have come into their own. When they started out, they were pigeonholed somewhat, defined by the 1940s retro aesthetic that dominated their album design and marketing material – all pinned-up hair, wartime dresses and black-and-white photography. Nowadays, they seem much freer to be who they are and not necessarily prescribe themselves to a particular look. “The whole retro thing, it was weird,” says Kitty. “We play all kinds of music and it was a little frustrating people latched onto one kind of aspect of that. With this album, we didn’t say, ‘We’ll do this or do that’ or ‘We’ll go in that direction’ – everything just happened and unfolded as we went along. I think the music and songwriting came first… it’s literally just us writing about shit we’ve been through. We’ve all kind of grown up really.” Though it’s been a while between records, with their last album Smoking In Heaven coming out in 2011, Kitty insists their time was spent effectively, making sure they got it right. The band rehearsed for five months before heading into the studio to produce the 12 tracks for the record – there were 13 written, but Jones was superstitious about having 13 tracks. “It’s special to us,” says Kitty of the album. “We haven’t released anything for a long time.” And nor have they toured Australia for some time, which is soon to be rectified. “I can’t wait – I love playing in Australia, it’s brilliant.”
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“Most of the songs are all fresh, but when you posed that question the first song that came to mind was Starship. The rhythm guitar part in Starship I wrote in 2004 on a 12-string and that’s been kicking around forever. It was nice to finally get that into a song and develop it. The instrumental part of Starship went through a lot of changes (laughs). We edited a number of ways and parts of it went in another song, then we took them back, but I’m really happy with the end result and it seems the fans are too.” While some Frehley’s Kiss songs such as Rocket Ride and his cover of the Rolling Stones’ 2000 Man reflected his character, his new album invokes the space theme wholeheartedly even though he no longer wears the iconic silver make-up. The galactic theme is inherent in the title, cover art and songs on Space Invader.
“I do my best creative work when I don’t think, I do my best solos when I just kind of empty my mind and let it rip.”
ACE FREHLEY Let It Rip Ace Frehley’s Space Invader Australian tour hits the Astor Theatre on Thursday, May 7, with an array of Kiss songs and solo cuts. BOB GORDON talks space with Ace. As the original Spaceman character in Kiss, Ace Frehley has long had a very devoted fanbase, who have celebrated not only his work with the iconic rock’n’roll band, but have been hooked on his numerous band (Frehley’s Comet) and solo releases over the years.
The response to his latest album, Space Invader, has been up there with anything he’s ever done, both from the fan community and (even) from music critics. “It feels great,” Frehley says of the reception to the album. “What really solidified the record was once we came up with the title – because we came up with the title, Space Invader, before I wrote the song, it’s usually the other way around – but while we were mixing the album in Los Angeles I was in my hotel room finishing up songs, then I went into the studio with Warren Huart who mixed the record and we just knocked off the vocals and the guitar solo in one day. It turned out to be one of the best songs on the record. That was a big surprise for me.” Released in late 2014, Space Invader came almost five years on from Frehley’s previous album, Anomaly. He says the majority of the album is newly written material, with one notable exception.
“It became really fun towards the end because the space theme is obviously part of my heritage, my character that I created in Kiss,” Frehley states. “So it was fun to revisit that and think about it a little more and write songs and lyrics which reflected that Spaceman character that I created. “Pretty much I think this is the first concept album I’ve ever done as a solo artist. If you wanna call it a concept record,” says Frehley, laughing his classic laugh. “Would you?” Possibly… it’s certainly better than the last concept album you were on! (Kiss’ 1981 flop, The Elder). “(Laughs) Yeah, well it kind of just happened by accident, the record company pretty much came up with the title and I started gearing songs around that. Like I said, I wrote Space Invader at the very end of the mixing process and that was the biggest surprise to me. That and Past The Milky Way, which was also at the very end of the process and turned out to be a gem on the record. Those tracks coming in at the end it was like the icing on the cake. It tied up everything nicely with a big red bow (laughs).” It’s a unique and perhaps ethereal way of staying aligned with the Spaceman theme, though Frehley doesn’t want to get too deep about it. “Once we came up with the title the album just kind of took on a life of itself. I try not to overthink things. I try not to overthink lyrics. I do my best creative work when I don’t think, I do my best solos when I just kind of empty my mind and let it rip.”
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Interestingly, Space Invader’s cover art was designed by Ken Kelley, who also designed the famous ‘burning city’ cover of Kiss’ 1976 album, Destroyer. Much of Frehley’s past comes to revisit him despite the fact that he left the group for the second time in 2002. At a show last year he was joined by former road manager, JR Smalling, whose voice can be heard at the start of the band’s 1975 Alive! album. Smalling once again announced Frehley with the famous ‘You wanted the best, well you got the best’ intro. “I had bumped into him prior to that, but it was great seeing JR,” Frehley says. “That was at BB King’s in New York City, it was a great night. “ In a recent book written by Smalling and other former Kiss crew members called Out On The Streets, he detailed how after two years the fiercely loyal roadcrew was dumped overnight just as Kiss began to hit paydirt in early 1976. Memories are long when it comes to the business of Kiss, but as the years draw out there is still much to celebrate from all sides. “I’ve tried not to burn too many bridges over the years,” Frehley reflects. “I’ve remained friends with most of the people in the roadcrew… roadies and associates that I’ve worked with. I’m still friends with Paul and Gene and Peter. It’s just the kind of person that I am and I try to be. When I saw JR he was telling me that he’d just written a book. He looked at me and he goes, ‘Ace, you got nothing to worry about! Somebody else might have something else to worry about,’ (laughs). In a nice way he was letting me know that there was on dirt on me.” It’s already been a year since the four original members of Kiss were inducted into the Rock’n’Roll Hall Of Fame, while the quartet didn’t perform they accepted the awards together. The lead-up and post-event fall-out saw many interviews that seemed to paint each individual into a corner, by asking pointed questions that would pit them against each other, often eliciting stinging criticisms that might not have otherwise been stated. “Yeah the press exaggerates the rifts between me and Peter and Paul and Gene, you know?” Frehley says. “They’ve liked to portray that it was always me and Peter against Paul and Gene, but that wasn’t always the case. Sometimes I disagreed with Peter and vice versa. It was just that a lot of times I was hanging with Peter because we were the party animals of the band. Paul and Gene were more the serious business-minded guys in the band. “The balance of power changed once Peter left and then I left because I realised I had lost all my power. I was being outvoted by Paul and Gene on all decisions if I didn’t agree with them. So I saw the writing on the wall and I left and pursued my own career. But you know, we had some good years and a lot of fun times. Most of the memories I have of my days with Kiss are good ones.”
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NEW NOISE
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RUBY BOOTS
NOW AND ON EARTH
Solitude Lost Highway Australia
Blacked Out Epitaph Records
When Bex Chilcott moved out of home at the age of 14 in working class Balga, she would never have imagined that it would serve her so well in her future profession. That time of living rough, followed by a stint of 12-hour days on a pearl boat, has held her in good stead as she lives out of a suitcase as arguably the hardest worker in Australian music under the Ruby Boots moniker. Solitude is Chilcott’s first full-length LP for the battle weary road warrior. It was recorded over nine months in at least four different studios with a varied cast, but it was Chilcott’s focus and drive that has made this a cohesive collection from start to finish. It would be easy to focus on Chilcott’s affected drawl that could be a blessing or a curse for the powerfully voiced singer, but it is the songwriting here that matches her considerable skills as a vocalist. Ruby Boots have mastered a chorus with up tempo rockers like Cola & Wine and Wrap Me In A Fever being, but it is the sultry ache in Chilcott’s delivery on tunes such as Ruby Blue and Long Time Coming that is her greatest strength. Middle Of Nowhere was written with The Waifs’ Vicki Thorn on her ranch in Utah and when aired live over the last year or so, has come across as pedestrian as best. Such is the power of the recordings on this release that the subtle peaks and troughs make the tune is a keeper. CHRIS HAVERCROFT
Amongst the brutality and uncertainty surrounding Epitaph Record releases, six-piece band Now And On Earth have debuted a blistering and fresh approach to the post-hardcore genre. Despite expected heavy verses and clean choruses, the Quebec group harness layering and a raspier vocal tone rather then a high-pitched contrast to produce 12 unique tracks. Intoxicated kicks off the album with drummer Phil Beauchamp’s incredible double-kicking abilities and the smooth background of Phillipe Ferguson’s synth fills masking brutal chugs and gritty vocals. Second track, Majesty, is the album’s catchiest offering with an infectious clean chorus and a simple-yet-effective use of piano keys within. Each track on Blacked Out flows kindly into each other however Overtime highlights a completely new side of the band, bringing in elements of Crossfaith to generate a synth heavy, radio track full of harmonies and dance beats for what should be an energetic live track. Following tracks Now Way Out and Blacked Out continue the effective use of harmonies within their choruses to relax heavier verses, however it is the highs and lows of Your Number Is Up that conclude the album in style. AARON BRYANS
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DJANGO DJANGO
FOREVER SINCE BREAKFAST Right Time Burning Wingette Records You can be pretty sure that a band called Forever Since Breakfast aren’t going to put out an album that cost them a fortune to make in studio time. The first-ideais-the-best-idea philosophy led to a debut that was a four album box set. The same spirit applies to the follow up Right Time Burning, which was also written and recorded in a rush by the NSW trio who didn’t scrimp on the melody. The love of all things lo-fi rears it head early on the fuzzed out and somewhat chaotic 1:15 On A Friday Night that falls somewhere between Sebadoh and early Screamfeeder recordings. Timber, I Would is the sweeter side of the outfit with obtuse lyrics and a chorus that just won’t let go once it sets in. The songs rarely outstay their welcome as ideas are condensed into a few minutes at most as Forever Since Breakfast frantically throw ideas at the dozen tracks on Right Time Burning. The psych pop of Whip Bird sounds like it has been wrapped in layers of toilet paper, The Older I Get is shiny power pop and Sometimes Drugs is a loping stroll through hazy melodies and acoustic guitars. Featuring members of Muzzy Pep, The Stiffies and District Champion ensures that this is a guitar driven journey from the get go. Stopping at your favourite pitstops from the ‘90s, Right Time Burning is a collection of tunes for the latent slacker in all of us.
Born Under Saturn Because/Warner Django Django are like that dude at school who’s always really quiet and normal in class, but then you see him at the mall with a way hotter girlfriend than you. You get mad and ask yourself, ‘What does he have that I don’t have?’ The answer is a kick-arse falsetto and musical versatility. Born Under Saturn is another strong showing from the British soundslingers, and it lives up to the standard they set on their eponymous debut. Giant opens the album with Flaming Lips-esque experimentalism, layering piano on top of a walking, blues-lined bass section and pulling us into the most hard-to-define album so far in 2015. Tracks such as Shake And Tremble take us on a mini-surf voyage headed by thick vibrato, while cuts like Found You have a range of ethnic percussion elements from guiro to cabasa. As with any effective record, there has to be a consistent thread from song to song, and Born Under Saturn is tied together by the boys’ flawless vocal harmonies. Unfortunately, the album is a little fatty – you could chop it down to eight or nine tracks and not lose anything. JACOB MILLS
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BRIAN WILSON No Pier Pressure Capitol/EMI
Fans of Foo Fighters bassist Nate Mendel AKA Lieutenant will say it’s good he’s stepped away from his 20-year alma mater to do something new, but we shouldn’t care; this isn’t a departure or a coming-of-age rite. Mendel’s a dusty relic of the post-emo era, now a little less dusty. In Belle Epoque, he channels James Mercer with his verse-end diving-board sighs (they’re sort of wails in his interpretation), and sounds like he’s relieved he gets to stop singing for a bit. If I Kill This Thing... may not be a symbol for a bunch of different cosmic dramas, but it’s certainly a tour of the times when rock was up its own arse a bit too much. Mendel’s melodies meander just the way music geeks will like, though. He’s gone for the toughest crowd, those wild ones that sit, hoping and praying for a modulation or key change to relieve some deviant erotic desire. If you like silent types who seem to regret themselves ontologically, the cutesy aspect of If I Kill This Thing will never wear off and you’ve got a neat thing. If you don’t, you’ll still get a full sense of post-emo dirges that have pretty much nothing to do with Dave Grohl.
The songs for No Pier Pressure were originally bouncing around Brian Wilson’s head as a collection that would form the next Beach Boys record. As he is prone to do, Wilson changed his mind and pushed forward with a solo record, although he has brought Al Jardine and David marks along for the ride. No Pier Pressure is full of Wilson joining forces with other contemporary musicians to share to spotlight. Sebu Simonian of Capital Cities chimes in early in the piece for Runaway Dancer, a tune that differs vastly from Wilson’s bread and butter in that it is better suited to a pumping nightclub and is so sugary it could be his Kokomo. It is probably the only misfire on the latest Wilson exploration of pop. There are times when it works better than expected, like the chirpy country toned I Guess You Had To Be There with the current ‘it girl’ of country, Kacey Musgraves, and on the power pop of Saturday Night with Fun’s Nate Ruess. Wilson has said publicly that he has every intention of retiring from music in the near future, with speculation rife that No Pier Pressure could be his last release. Adding credence to this notion is the final track on the album titled The Last Song (which was said to be recorded with Lana Del Ray, but her vocals didn’t make the final cut). The ear for harmony is still well intact for one of music’s most influential. No Pier Pressure is nautical but nice.
NATHAN HEWITT
CHRIS HAVERCROFT
LIEUTENANT If I Kill This Thing We’re All Going To Eat For A Week Dine Alone Records
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L I F E S T Y L E & C U LT U R E
Renowned Australian magician Cosentino was once a shy kid who turned to magic as a way to boost his self-esteem. Now he’s the most famous illusionist in the country. He speaks to TRAVIS JOHNSON about the roots of his art. Paul Cosentino - professionally, he just goes by his surname - came to magic almost by accident, being attracted to the aesthetics of the form before he started to practice the skills. “Yes, that is true,” he tells us. “I was very shy and introverted, believe it or not, and I had a lot of learning difficulties - reading, spelling. writing. I stumbled across a magic book in the library - I was in the library supposed to do projects, but I borrowed this magic book because of the pictures in it - it had these old Vaudevillian-style posters and things like that. So, my mum being the principal, she picked up on that she realised I was looking at the pictures, so she started reading the book to me. I didn’t really care about the magic tricks, to be perfectly honest, I cared about the pictures - these old pictures of Harry Houdini with handcuffs and chains and that. You’ve got to understand, these pictures were originally created in the 1900s to attract people to come to the show. I was like, ‘Oh wow, this is really cool!’” From there he began to practice magic and sleight of hand, although he views the skills he began to develop as secondary to the main benefit, which was increasing his confidence and learning abilities. “I overcame huge stumbling blocks for me, which was reading, writing, spelling, and that increased my
confidence, and there was a side effect, and the side effect was that I gained a skill, which was magic. But that wasn’t the intention - it wasn’t like I’d seen a magician on TV or live and gone, ‘Oh, that’s what I wanna do!’ It was just overcoming these issues. And what happens with magic is you get a whole set of different skills: you learn how to stand up in front of an audience, you learn how to break the ice, how to do the trick. So it kind of became, literally, my life from when I was 12.” From there we climbed the ladder of success, doing shows at school and entering competitions. At the age of 17 he auditioned for Cirque de Soleil narrowly missing out on becoming an Artist Resource for them. His subsequent appearances on Australia’s Got Talent (he placed second) brought him wider recognition and, eventually, several TV specials of his own. Now he is benefiting from the current stage magic popularity resurgence - a trend he is, in fact, largely responsible for. “I don’t want to sound conceited - I was the first Australian magician ever, in the history of Australian television, to have their own TV show. With that being said, I was the first Australian magician in about seven years to be on TV. So once my TV specials aired and they reach two million people, there was an influx of international magicians coming on Australian TV ,and that led to other shows, touring shows coming out. But if you actually look at the timeline ,it was all after I appeared on Australia’s Got Talent.” Cosentino beings his Twisted Reality Tour to the Regal Theatre on Friday, May 1, and Saturday, May 2. Book through Ticketek.
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ERICAAMERICA Every week we bring you the best in fashion, food, shopping and lifestyle.
Photo by ericaamerica and David Collins
Defect Free
EAT AT: WASSUP DOG Serving up gourmet hotdogs at 140 Perth every Friday until the end of May. Wassup Dog
Iconic West Australian menswear brand ericaamerica is back with a new collection, Defectors, available this winter through their relaunched online store. For those unfamiliar with their output, designer Erica Wardle (one half of the design duo) says trying to describe ericaamerica to someone who’s never seen the label is impossible. “No matter what we say they will always be surprised.
You can throw around words like ‘unusual’, ‘innovative’, ‘masculine’, or ‘tailored’ but they can never really describe the totality of what ericaamerica’s style is.” The other half of the team, Lucas Bowers, points out although there is a definitive “ericaamerica signature style”, how you would describe it depends from collection to collection. “Each collection is driven by the theme we establish for it.” “This ‘ericaamerica world’ is us,” says Wardle. “We live in it. We’re so far inside it, it’s almost impossible for us to describe it from the point of view of an outsider looking in. We know we have a mission, though, and that is to bring men the ability to endorse and celebrate their masculinity while exploring their style and using their clothes to express themselves.” One glance at ericaamerica’s diverse output over the years makes it clear the label views storytelling as an intrinsic part of fashion. “Storytelling is what we do,” agrees Wardle. “Everything we’ve ever produced is decided by a pre-established theme with a strict narrative, even if it means having to discard great ideas simply because they don’t contribute to that narrative. “So it’s certainly intrinsic to ericaamerica. Whether it’s intrinsic to fashion in general is arguable, but I suppose you’d have to take it on a label by label basis.” She says that rather than listening to what conventional business wisdom tells you is “in” for the season, ericaamerica focuses on visual storytelling. “And it isn’t just in the clothing collections. It’s in the photo shoots, it’s in the catwalk shows, it’s in the gallery installations we do. It drives every creative decision we make.” ericaamerica has always celebrated the connection between art and fashion, and that
DRINK AT: BOBECHE It’s like a Parisian after hours club right here in Perth. Photo by John Lodge Bobeche
FOODI Walk On The Food Side Ever eaten a chocolate and thought, I’ll walk that off later? You’re in luck: the Chocolate Walking Tour Of Perth, organised by Foodi, makes sure you do get some cardio action happening - in between sampling chocolate at each luscious pit stop, that is. Walking tours with food-focused themes are a sociable way to check out different venues and try
SHOP AT: FREMANTLE MARKETS It’s been the mildest Autumn in history, but it can’t last forever - get down to Freo soon before the wind turns cold and shop your heart out. Fremantle Markets
VICTORIA PEEL
bookings. “So you can let us know when suits your group.” Those with a sweet tooth might consider heading off to Northbridge one day for the Cupcake And Dessert Walking Tour. It takes between two and a half and three hours, and includes five venues around town. If you’re a fan of high tea, the High Tea Walking Tour is a nice take on a traditional pastime: each of the four stops on the schedule showcases one element of the high tea experience. Breakfast more your thing? The Beaufort Street Brunch Tour is a four stop food-loving start to the day. Those curious about the dining scene in Leederville aren’t left out either: the Oxford Street Food Safari has a five-venue tour with an 11am kickoff. For day dwellers, another 11am food safari, one focusing on inner city haunts, meets at London Court. It’s important to note that while prices for each tour vary, so do the dietary specifications. Some tours cater to dairy-free, gluten-free, or vegetarian requests, but others don’t, so check the website first, or talk to someone at Foodi to clarify if your needs can be met. “Our Food Night Safari is proving to be very popular as it eases you into a night out perfectly,” says Fletcher. The late afternoon/early evening tour introduces the group to Perth cafes, restaurants and bars known for their standout fare. If Freo is more to your taste (pardon the pun), the Fremantle Night Safari could be what you’re looking for. (But you have to be over 18, and it’s strongly encouraged you don’t drive to and from the tour as alcohol is included in the samplings.) Fair to say, you’re spoilt for choice. For various tour prices and upcoming dates, you can check out foodi.com.au. GILLIAN O’MEAGHER
MICHAEL O’DOWD Good Hair Day Perth’s own king of hairdressing, Michael O’Dowd, has come home a champion, after taking out the title of WA/NT Hairdresser of the Year at the Australian Hair Fashion Awards. We find out what inspired his award-winning designs. Congratulations on the award. What inspired your award-winning designs? Thank you! There’s a lot of different inspirations that go into any collection. For this one I was inspired by international trends of structure and texture, but I also wanted to explore light and shade. Why did you want to become a hairdresser? I love the creativity that hairdressing offers, from high fashion to creating the perfect style for a client. No day is ever the same and I never stop learning and growing and creating. But it’s also a very people-driven passion, and I love the interaction with my clients and the trust they have in me.
GO TO: HATCHED What have been some of your favourite experiences The annual Hatched National Graduate Show, which with hairdres`sing? Of course winning this award is a massive showcases the best art that our young graduates have highlight! So was travelling interstate to work on to offer, opens at PICA this Friday, May 1. 14
new flavours. “They’re proving to be very popular because they’re great for both tourists who wants to get to know the place better, and locals who would like to discover new places they never knew about,” says Foodi Marketing Manager Jemma Fletcher. The Chocolate Walking Tour is a prime example, taking you to visit chocolatiers around the city, with five location stops. On the three hour tour you’ll get the lowdown on chocolate making and discover why certain chocolates are not like the other. “You’ll learn about how chocolate is produced, from a bean on the cacao tree through to the hands of the chocolate makers; and the terminology used by industry experts to describe the taste, smell, and forms of chocolate,” says Fletcher. She adds that private bookings are available for groups of eight people or more, with up to twenty guests allowed. While the Foodi website will tell you of upcoming scheduled tours and booking availabilities, dates and times are flexible for private
ethos applies to the new collection. “It’s true of everything we do,” confirms Bowers, “from our commercial clothing collections to our garmentoriented installation and artwork.” “People draw these lines between things like fashion and art, and while it’s true not all fashion is art nor is all art fashion, for us the two are indistinguishable,” says Wardle. “Each garment should be a piece of art that’s worn on the body, as opposed to, say, hung on the wall. Our parades and our photo shoots should be individual works of art in themselves - not just ways to highlight or promote the garments. All aspects of the work we do create the same narrative over a variety of media.” Bowers agrees. “For most fashion labels the clothes are the product and any other method of presentation simply a way to push that product. For us the ‘product’ is the ericaamerica world. That is expressed through everything we produce. Every picture in a photoshoot should be worthy of framing as an artwork for the wall by itself. Our other media works, like short film and installation works, should continue to carry you into that world. “The work is driven by garment, but that can be discussed and produced in terms of art that asks questions and creates aesthetics rather than just churning out another batch of this season’s current trends. What really gets exciting about that is that as soon as a customer wears one of your garments out into the world they are taking the position of art and reversing it. It is no longer stashed away in a gallery but entering the real world. It is no longer reflecting something about the world but actually changing it, just by changing the way the person who just walked past you looks.” View the latest collection online at ericaamerica.com.au
Michael O’Dowd
MBFWA, and attending Hair Expo, and getting to collaborate with my peers is a regular highlight too. But I have to admit that one of my favourite experiences happens every day – and that’s getting to work with my amazing wife Clare, and seeing our clients and making such a difference to them through their hair. A good hair cut really does change your whole outlook on life. Why have you continued to do hairdressing in Perth? Having travelled the world, I believe Perth is one of the most beautiful cities in it! Perth people are fashion-forward, they’re creative, and that makes is a great place to work. Do you think there are enough opportunities for Perth hairdressers to really challenge themselves and be recognised in the field?
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Absolutely, and I think the success that we’ve had illustrates that. We not only work locally, but we’ve worked in Sydney at MBFWA, so we’re definitely not restricted in experiences through being in Perth. I’ve worked overseas so I can say without doubt that Perth provides hairdressers great opportunity for challenge and recognition. What would you suggest to young, budding hairdressers out there, who would like to follow in your footsteps? Do it! Stay focused, get the training that you need and work hard. PENNY LANE
IHART Dwight O’Neil
In progress Biggie by: Satria Fajar Sugiarto
Lamp Skull by: A Good Looking Man
A one night exhibition/art sale, IHART 2015 sees an impressive selection of renowned artists creating works based around the iconic Crystal Head Vodka bottle. TRAVIS JOHNSON has a quick word with IHART founder, Dwight O’Neill. How did IHART come about? I H A RT o r i g i n at e d w h e n my g o o d friend and co founder Michael Prendiville asked for some guidance with an exhibition he was curating. We quickly discovered we formed a pretty solid team and between us had a sizeable network of artists and designers. The idea of working together again quickly turned into reality and in what seemed like the blink of an eye Converse had jumped on board and we were throwing a charity sneaker exhibition. Why the Crystal Head Vodka Skull as an medium base? I was travelling through the states in late 2012 and stumbled across the unique bottle, although at the time I was attracted to the bottle, its contents were more appealing. A short time later they started popping up around Perth and I rediscovered the possibility they held as a medium. The form allows a multitude of executions and allows the artist to venture from their comfort zone and simply be creative.
How do you select the artists? This year we decided to simplify the event in order for it to grow in a more organic and unique way. We decided to personally hand pick all 40 artists, ensuring a contrasting and distinctive list. The process was arduous but rewarding and allowed us to open the door to artistic trades not usually seen in this kind of event. What was the biggest challenge you faced on the project? Probably deciding which 40 artists to give the skulls to. Perth has such an abundance of super talented artists so it was a gruelling process. Any plans to expand the scope of IHART next year? We are always looking to evolve, whether its in size, scope or engagement in the art community. We have a few ideas up our sleeves for the future so if we can pull this one off, look out! IHART 2015 takes place at The Odd Fellow this Friday, May 1, from 7pm.
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A R T S & C U LT U R E
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FILM
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NEWS
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EVENTS
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FAS H I O N
FILM
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THE GUNMAN Loose Cannon
BOYCHOIR In Good Voice
Directed by Pierre Morel Starring Sean Penn, Jasmine Trinica, Javier Bardem
Directed by Francois Girard Starring Garrett Wareing, Dustin Hoffman, Eddie Izzard
Terrier (Sean Penn) finds himself on the run after his mercenary unit is involved in the assassination of a government minister in the Congo. When a hit team rediscovers him eight years later, he must once again delve into his past to find out who wants him dead and why. However, he is not as young as he once was and a lifetime of fighting has left a mark on his health. The Gunman is a bit of a mess. For everything it does right it just manages to do more wrong. On the plus side it does have an interesting take on small unit tactics, presenting a sense of realism to its action sequences. Both heroes and villains actually try to think their way through an engagement, leading to some intense action sequences that are generally above the usual Hollywood run and gun affair (where all the bad guys have the marksmanship of Imperial stormtroopers). It sets up a world of realistic, and intricate tactical engagement that can be tense and thrilling to watch... and then it kills someone with a bull, has a pistol match range with a sniper rifle or something else as equally stupid, shattering that illusion and destroying all the previous hard work of setting up that reality. Then there is the acting. Penn is serviceable, the 54 year old losing no opportunity to show off his still-buff body in numerous shower scenes. He mutters, squints and frowns his way
through the movie, convicningly portraying a professional (albeit somewhat dull) highly trained merc. He may lack chemistry with co-star Jasmine Trinca, but he is far from the worst thing in this film. It is the rest that are the problem. With the exception of Idris Elba (who is barely in it, but seems to be having a blast), and Ray Winstone (who even sleepwalking through a role is still Ray fucking Winstone) everyone else seems to have legitimately forgotten how to act. Javier Bardem (Skyfall) telegraphs everything like he is in a pantomime, presenting a character that would be more at home in Adam West’s Batman than a world of corporate black ops and intrigue. Mark Rylance doesn’t even have this much of a clue, and figures that combining blandness with the occasional mad dog rant is enough characterisation to get him across the line. There are the bones of a good thriller here. The subject of corporations hiring mercenaries to engage in negotiation and politics by other means is rich and interesting fodder for storytelling, and even though the tale of The Gunman is simple, it could produce something solid. However, Taken director Pierre Morel has just handled this poorly, seemingly unsure of what he wants to create. Instead we get a work that desperately wants to be taken serious while feeding us Hollywood action clichés, constant overacting and heavy handed messages about third world exploitation. As such The Gunman strays wide of its mark. DAVID O’CONNELL
Stet (Garrett Wareing) certainly has the gift of voice, plus a talent for music beyond what he is displaying in school. However he also has an array of behavioural issues and a distrust of authority. When his mother dies in a car crash and his absent biological father refuses to take him into his already established family, Stet’s future looks bleak. However one teacher (Debra Winger) sees the potential in him and works towards getting accepted into the prestigious Boy Choir school. What results is a battle of wills between Stet and Choir Master Carvelle (Dustin Hoffman) as he pushes him to unlock his potential. Plot isn’t the main draw card for Boychoir, as there is very little we haven’t seen here before. All the characters are predominately archetypes, and it is very easy to guess how this is all going to play out from the first five minutes. Ultimately it is the same tropes at play as you would find in any film about a specialised institute of learning, from Top Gun to Hogwarts, just with the trappings of music as opposed to jet fighters or wizardry. Instead it is two other factors that Boychoir has in its favour, that make it an enjoyable film. The first is its excellent cast. True, no one is really challenged in their roles, but with professionals of this calibre that really doesn’t seem to matter too much. It is easy to just sit back and enjoy a snappy Eddie Izzard (a rival teacher itching
to fill Cavelle’s shoes) bounce up against the irascible and intractable Dustin Hoffman, with Kathy Bates (as the headmistress) refereeing the whole show. That alone is would be fertile ground for an entire TV series. Hoffman’s crusty mentor relationship with young Garrett Wareing is also worth watching. There’s no blood on the drumsticks here as he pushes his young charge to strive for the best, instead it is charming and heartwarming to watch, with Hoffman’s gravitas doing a lot to pull it back from the brink of cheesiness. The second reason is obviously the music. To paraphrase, even if you are not religious there is a deep spirituality about that connection people experience within a moment of music. The soundtrack to this film perfectly expresses it in its numerous choral numbers stretching across many cultural traditions. You can feel the power of the vocals and are easily lost in that moment of harmonious exaltation. It is centre stage here, something to be strived for and the sacrifices in achieving that moment are integral to the plot. Rightfully it is something Boychoir takes pride in presenting, not only giving us an insight into a cloistered world, but providing compelling reason for that dedication. Uplifting and heart warming, Boychoir may be prone towards schmaltz, but at least it is done well. DAVID O’CONNELL
FILM
TRASH The Boys From Brazil Directed by Stephen Daldry Starring Martin Sheen, Rooney Mara, Wagner Moura The discovery of the wallet of a murdered man plunges three children who make a living picking through the trash of Rio into a world of corruption and political intrigue. It falls upon these powerless individuals to stand up to a crooked police and politicians in an attempt to avenge an injustice. Set amongst the garbage dumps and slums of Rio, Trash is an adaptation of Andy Mulligan’s Young Adult novel. With a screenplay penned by Richard Curtis (Love Actually) and directed by Stephen Daldry (Billie Elliot) it certainly has a pedigree, but ends up far darker than would be expected from such a pairing. Daldry makes great use of the slums of Rio to produce a tense and insightful film. Trash is certainly a crime thriller with children as the protagonists, rather than a children’s adventure. From the first judicial murder the stakes are set startlingly high and feel entirely genuine. What separates it from other Young Adult literature that has graced our screens of late is that the slum kids in Brazil do actually experience such terrible conditions, as well as the threat of death every day. As such the fate of Mockingjays or the Divergent pale by comparison to the genuine article (or at least an approximation of it). The tension built in 16
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this film is often close to unbearable, as these children face the consequences of poverty, corruption, petty graft and violence. It acts as a sobering reminder to the inequalities of this world. Rickson Tevez, Eduardo Luis and Gaibreile Weinstein all bring a believability to the trio of friends (Raphael, Gardo, Rato) eking out an existence amongst the refuse. They have a verve and life to them, but can also handle the darker scenes or be convincing when running a con. The camaraderie amongst these friends is infectious and heart warming. Brazilian actor Selton Mello carries a genuine sense of menace as a corrupt cop that poses the banal face of evil. He is able to offer a bribe, threaten a witness, or black bag a child, all without breaking a sweat or changing his tone. It is made all the more terrifying that these are all the same to him, just part of the job and the way of the world. Despite the top billing, Sheen, Mara and Moura are relegated to important but basically supporting roles. Both Sheen and Mara’s characters are fairly clichéd, but saved by the strength of performance. Sheen especially is just so darn charismatic that it is easy to forgive the stereotypical flawed, irascible but kind-hearted priest he is playing. Tense, smart, topical and well thought out, Trash delivers an unexpected thriller with emotional depth. DAVID O’CONNELL
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YO U R G U I D E T O W H AT ’ S O N I N M AY
WHAT’S ON IN MAY
DAVEY CRADDOCK & THE SPECTACLES Together Alone Davey Craddock & The Spectacles launch a new single, Better Alone, on Saturday, May 2, at The Odd Fellow with help from Odette Mercy & Her Soul Atomics and DJ Peter Barr. Tell us about the new single, Better Alone, the background and its intent? Better Alone started as a writing experiment – I’d never written a duet before and was really interested in writing a Gram Parsons/Emmylou Harris type song like Love Hurts where two parties in a relationship both have a whine together. I wrote it with the intention of having a guy and a girl trade verses but due to my manic and urgent approach to studio scheduling I didn’t have the female vocalist arranged in time for the session so I sung it all myself. I really like the result - it’s a happy accident. Now it sounds like an angry dude reading sad letters and responding to them. It’s a very sad song in many ways, from varying viewpoints... I write barely any songs about relationships because so bloody many have been written and I find it difficult to offer anything interesting on the subject. So, acknowledging that, I thought I’d try and write a really honest and unglamorous song that acknowledges how confusing and untidy things can be. It’s not a breakup song and it’s not a love song, it’s a
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‘after much discussion, we both agree it’s better this way’ song. Maybe I foreshadowed Chris Martin and Gwyneth Paltrow’s ‘conscious uncoupling’. The story in the song is much less glamorous than a dramatic blow up but maybe more interesting and realistic? There’s a line in the bridge about how love songs are usually simplified and Hollywood-ised ‘And those love songs aren’t meant to end this way, it’s all straight lines, clean cuts and no fray. It’s all come, go, cheers, tears, please just stay. Hold the credits. Fade to grey’. I think I’ve just worked it out – it’s an anti love song, love song. What’s the rest of the year look like? I’m going to be playing some solo shows in Sydney and Melbourne in May and July and then I hope to bring the full band over to launch the album in the last quarter of the year. The Americana community is really growing in Australia at the moment and my main aim is to make sure all the relevant people have heard us, and if they haven’t send them a bunch of flowers, a preview of our album and a nagging email.
Anna Mycko, Everything of Value 2, 2014 Pic: Anna Mycko
HATCHED PICA’s Hatched: National Graduate Show is a significant date on Australia’s art calendar. In its 24th year, Hatched 2015 sees 35 up-and-coming Australian artists, fresh out of art school, display their talents in the halls of the PICA Gallery.
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Hatched 2015 curator Nadia Johnson says this year’s exhibition features a range of styles, techniques and emotions. “This year there is something for everyone. Hatched artists’ attempt to unpack the more traditional notions of painting and sculptural practices. Their drawings are rendered in neon or chaotically sketched out by a pack of manic mechanical dogs. We have everything from large format photography, digital painting and crochet to animation, printmaking and endurance dance!” Although the artists come from all around Australia with a wide range of backgrounds, common themes do appear throughout the exhibition. “There are quite a few common threads amongst this year’s artists,” Johnson says. “Spirituality, and the role of religion in contemporary art. Many are concerned with ecological issues, consumerism and the consumption of media in culture.” Johnson says selecting which artists out of all the applicants to include in the exhibition is a very long and rigorous process. “We had over 90 nominations from there we narrowed it down to a selection of 35. This year’s selection panel was made up of Barry Keldoulis, director of Sydney Contemporary Art Fair and independent curator Matthew Ngui, alongside two PICA Curators: Laura Evans, from the education program, and myself. Often panellists become so invested in the process they come over to see the show and we’re excited to hear that Barry Keldoulis is coming over to check out how it all came together.” Hatched provides a significant platform for career development and exposure for these emerging artists and previous entrants have gone one to display their works internationally. It also attracts a wide variety of people to the gallery, and provides an opportunity for a younger audience, and possible future exhibitionists, to get inspiration for their own art, as Johnsons explains. “Hatched is always one of our biggest exhibitions of the year, with huge numbers of people heading into the city to catch a glimpse. Primary and high school groups as well as tertiary art students also flock to the exhibition to get a sense of what is latest in contemporary Australian art, learning about artists often only just older than them. Hatched audiences are young and older, they are inquisitive and excitable and often comment to us about how fresh and surprising the work by this crop of fresh graduates is.” Hatched 2015 has its opening night Friday, May 1, featuring the announcement of the winner of the Dr Harold Schenberg Art Prize for one of the featured artists. The exhibition will then run until Sunday, June 21. Full details at pica.org.au. LUCY RUTHERFORD
A preview of everything happening in the Perth scene this May! advertise: advertising@xpressmag.com.au
STATE OF THE ART 2015
MONTH OF MAY
MOTHER’S DAY CLASSIC
The line-up for the State Of The Art 2015 is a doozy. Headlining will be Birds Of Tokyo in their only Perth show as part of their national tour. Also performing is You Am I, The Scientists, Downsyde, Gareth Liddiard from The Drones, Katy Steele, Sable, The Love Junkies, Timothy Nelson & The Infidels, Rob Snarski, Holly Rollers (in a reunion show), Rainy Day Women, We Two Thieves, Lois Olney, Mt Mountain, Lower Spectrum, Grace Barbe, Boom! Bap! Pow!, Koi Child, Hideous Sun Demon, Lilt, Rag N Bone, Marksman Lloyd and The Community Supergroup (featuring Diger Rokwell, Empty and Wisdom 2th). A further announcement will be made for the State of the Art Surrounds and Free Stage entertainment, ensuring there’s something for all ages. This will be the fourth annual State Of The Art festival and will feature as part of the WA Day long weekend on Saturday, May 30, at the Perth Cultural Centre.
Abbe May is developing her forthcoming album, Bitchcraft, and she needs your help. Every Wednesday in May, May will be performing at Mojo’s Bar to test and try new songs in front of a live audience, before she settles down in the studio it record it all. Each week will feature different supports. May 6 sees angelic folk outfit Flooded Palace and the sassy Elli Schoen. May 13 will feature punk country band Jeff’s Dead and the garage pop trio, Abacaxuva. On May 20 see Fall Electric and dreamy folk songstress Lucy Peach. And May 27 features the scumbag guitar music of Kitchen People and the velvet baritone of David Craft. Each night begins at 8pm and tickets are $20 at the door.
The Sydney Hotshots have launched their latest show, the My Love Tour. Featuring dance tributes to Michael Jackson and Justin Timberlake plus specially choreographed dance moves celebrating Fifty Shades of Grey, and Magic Mike. Australia’s #1 Touring Male Revue – The Sydney Hotshots – once again delivers the most exciting full length, electrifying male revue show Down Under. Catch The Sydney Hotshots at the Paddington Ale House in Mt Hawthorn on Wednesday, May 6. Full details at sydneyhotshots.com.
The Perth International Jazz Festival returns for its third year with over 52 jazz performances set to play across 17 venues. There will be ticketed and free events across the Perth CBD, and for the first time the festival will team up with Celebrate WA for the WA Day Long Weekend to present Jazz At The Cultural Centre on Sunday, May 31. Festival highlights include renowned jazz bassist Richard Bona, Grammynominated pianist Barney McAll, Perth-born Parisian hip hop artist Rachel Claudio, award-winning vocalist Tina Harrod and Polish jazz band, Artur Dutkiewicz Trio. Alongside this will be performances from local artists including the burgeoning talent of WAAPA jazz students. The festival will run from Friday, May 29, until Sunday, May 31. Tickets are on sale at perthjazzfestival.com.au.
Mother’s Day is a day to give back to the pillars of our community, our mums. And what better way to give back then to help raise money for breast cancer, a disease that one in eight Australian women has a chance in getting during their lifetime. The Mother’s Day Classic is a national funrun, held on Mother’s Day each year, to raise funds for research into breast cancer. Established and organised by Women In Super, the idea was created by the late Mavis Robertson and Louise Davidson when they discovered that research can improve the survival rate of the one in eight women who will be diagnosed with breast cancer by the age of 85. The event has grown from a just a few thousand participants in Sydney and Melbourne to more than 130,000 people taking part in 104 locations including all capital cities. Co-founder Louise Davidson says the event has become a Mother’s Day tradition for many families. “ We g e t f e e d b a c k a b o u t h o w important Mother’s Day Classic is to women with breast cancer and to the families of those lost to the disease, with mums telling their kids that they’d rather walk or run for breast cancer research than have brekkie in bed on Mother’s Day. Survivors tell us that participation in the Mother’s Day Classic makes them feel supported and recognised, an experience from which they draw strength.” All proceeds from the Mother’s Day Classic are donated to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. Since 1998 the Mother’s Day Classic has raised 24.3 million dollars, funding supports a range of research projects, from enhanced detection, to improved treatment options, to support for the physical and emotional wellbeing of women with breast cancer. “We’ve been humbled that thousands of families and individuals have made the event a regular part of their Mother’s Day celebrations over the past two decades,” Davidson says. “Mother’s Day Classic is a celebration of spirit and hope that together Australians of all ages, walking and running in cities and country areas, can contribute to making breast cancer history.” Head to mothersdayclassic.com.au for more details.
The Sydney Hotshots
Barney McAll, Perth International Jazz Festival
Mother’s Day Classic
Abbe May | Pic: David Collins
You Am I, State Of The Art 2015
JAZZ IT UP HOTSHOTS!
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FREMANTLE HERITAGE FESTIVAL The City of Fremantle presents its annual Fremantle Heritage Festival, a celebration of the rich history of the port town from the distant and recent past. The vintage, retro and historical fabric of Fremantle will be on show throughout the 10-day festival. There will be returning events such as Arthur Grady Day when an array of vintage motorbikes, busses, cars, tools and even prams will be on display in Kings Square. And new events such as Disco Divas, a ‘70s themed roller disco. The West Australian Maritime museum will join in the festival with The Unknown Museum, where the public are invited to go behind the scenes in an exclusive look at the Maritime Museum’s storerooms and history workshops. This year will also feature the Conversation Heritage Awards Night, rewarding owners, architects, builders, groups and individuals who have contributed to preserving the physical and social heritage of Fremantle. The festival runs from Friday, May 8, to Sunday, May 17. 2015 Fremantle Heritage Festival
GERMAN FILM FESTIVAL Cinema Paradiso will be hosting the Audi Festival Of German Film, bringing 50 new German language films to our screens. From shorts, to documentaries to feature films, including special guests from Germany, the festival will showcase the creativity and diversity in German film from Thursday, May 28, to Sunday, May 31. Tickets available at lunapalace.com.au.
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COMEDY EDITION
STEPHEN K AMOS
NICK CODY Beardy Weirdy Nick Cody presents his new show, Beard Game Strong, at His Majesty’s Theatre from Thursday, April 30, until Sunday, May 3, as part of the Perth Comedy Festival.
What A Wonderful World Beloved British comedian Stephen K. Amos is bringing his new show, Welcome To MY World, to His Majesty’s Theatre on Thursday, April 30, Friday, May 1, and Saturday, May 2, as part of the Perth Comedy Festival. TRAVIS JOHNSON checks in. Stephen K. Amos is certainly no stranger to the Antipodes, having racked up seemingly countless tours and TV appearances ‘round these parts over the last decade or so. Indeed, we’ve just about adopted the London-born comic as one of our own. It’s a relationship he appreciates. “Well, it’s just that there’s such a massive connection between the UK and Australia.” he says. “When I first started coming out here about 10 years ago the audiences warmed to me and so I thought, yeah, I’ll keep coming back. So the more you guys keep laughing, the more I’ll keep coming and saying what I’m saying and doing what I do.” Amos describes his latest stand up show, perhaps a little unnecessarily, as “Basically, it’s a show about jokes, first and foremost. People are gonna come and have a laugh. And within that framework I’m talking about my world and slightly linking it to the world we live in, where there’s a lot of doom and gloom, never any positivity. It’s just a story about my journey, what brought me to where I am today, my influences.” But comedy shows are rarely just “shows about jokes” these days. Comedy is a hotly contested piece of ground in the culture wars, with comedians, jokes and routines frequently held up to the scrutiny of social media for good or ill. The comedian’s role as social critic and agitator has never been more prevalent, and Amos is aware of it - but he’s also aware that he still needs to be funny. “Well, there’s a fine line, isn’t there? Because you know that people want to come and see your shows, they want to go to the theatre to escape things. And they also want to have a laugh, have an insightful night out where they can be challenged by what they’re trying to escape. I think we can make
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people laugh, but we also can make them think. It’s not just one track, but it does have to be funny, or else you’re just preaching to the converted, which is pointless. “I personally believe that any subject, every subject is open and rife,” he continues. “And it just depends on how the comedian presents it, and the content and the intent. However, as much as I appreciate and uphold freedom of speech, I also uphold freedom of expression. So if you don’t like what a comedian said, you’re within your rights to challenge it. How you do that I don’t know, but you make a reasonable platform and spark a dialogue or debate, and maybe we can find a common cause at the end.” However, he believes that the tendency for the mob mentality to take over is making that common cause harder to find lately. “It’s so weird for people in this day and age to jump to a conclusion because they hear a buzzword that they don’t like. That’s what’s happened for the internet generation - someone will report on something that they were not there to see or witness and they will skew the interpretation of it and launch into some other diatribe that goes on forever, which is no reflection on what actually happened. We see it all areas and I talk about in the show, like when the TV presenter Jeremy Clarkson (Top Gear) is charged with something and before anybody knew what he was suspended for people were jumping on the bandwagon - ‘He’s the best! Keep him in the job!’ For all they knew he could have murdered someone, committed some horrendous crime, but people are always so quick to jump on the bandwagon. I’m all for having opinions, but have an informed opinion.”
When did you first realise you could make a career out of comedy? I started nine years ago and have been a full time touring act for the past four. It just got to the point where I was taking a lot of interstate gigs and I decided to chuck the towel in at the day job. Even though I was only making small amounts of money at the start, going full time was the best move I’ve ever made. Tell us about Beard Game Strong. It’s an hour of stand-up with stories about my parents that are loose units, my girlfriend and I having a 70/30 split and getting into stupid situations with the Australian SAS. No overarching themes or anything like that. Just an hour of kickass stand up. Are you a fully paid up member of the Cult of the Beard? I didn’t know there was a Cult of the Beard. A true bearded man doesn’t need to be part of any club. You are just a boss all by yourself. You draw from your own life for your routine. Have you ever gotten into trouble for oversharing on stage?
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Luckily my parents and girlfriend are pretty awesome and they know the intricate details in the stories are what makes them great. They get thrown under the bus a bit. Haha. You’ve said before that your family heavily influences your comedy. Tell us about that. I grew up in a house with parents that loved joking around and pulling pranks. Come to the show to hear about them. The stories are hilarious. What’s your go-to source when you get stuck for material? Since my material comes from stuff that happens to me, it just requires me to live a little. I’m lucky like that, I don’t get anything from sitting down at a desk, I just have to go out and do some cool shit. What’s the rest of the year got in store for you? Touring all the way until November. All over Australia, then Singapore, Hong Kong, K u a l a L u m p u r, E d i n b u rg h a n d N e w Yo r k . If you or any one you know lives in one of those places, check out nickcody.com.au for the listings!
A preview of everything happening in the Perth scene this April! advertise: advertising@xpressmag.com.au
PERTH COMEDY FESTIVAL 2015 LAWRENCE LEUNG PAUL FOOT The wilfully weird British comic returns to Perth once more, this time with a brand new show, Hovercraft Symphony in Gammon # Major. Join the Guild Of Connoisseurs and catch the alien oddness at UWA’s The Octagon Theatre on Thursday, April 30, and Friday, May1. Paul Foot
CLAIRE HOOPER
HANNAH GADSBY
A regular fixture on Australian television, Claire Hooper kicked butts and took names for ages as a team captain on Network TEN’s Good News Week. She also commits comparable acts of bad-assery on the mic in her new stand up show, School Camp, wherein she recounts all the gory and universal details of that childhood rite of passage. Watch the metaphorical marshmallow fall into the campfire at the Mt Lawley Bowling Club on Wednesday, May 13, Thursday, May 14, Friday, May 15, and Saturday, May 16.
Donkey. That’s the name of transgressive Tasmanian comedian Hannah Gadsby’s new show. What’s it about? Her new bike. Will it be funny? Have no doubt. Catch her at The Octagon Theatre on Friday, May 15, and Saturday, May 16.
Escapism has always been a big part of Lawrence Leung’s on stage schtick and now he’s making it a bit more literal. Escapist sees the star of Maximum Choppage, Choose Your Own Adventure and Unbelievable sing the praises of unsung heroes, social embarrassment and the other exquisite pains that make being a herd animal so painful. See him at The Octagon Theatre for one show only on Friday, May 1. Lawrence Leu
Hannah Gadsby
Claire Hooper.
MICHAEL WORKMAN SAM SIMMONS A cult figure in international comedy circles, it’s sometimes easy to forget that the now-Los Angeles based Sam Simmons is one of our own, even though he keeps retuning here to put on spectacularly funny and insightful shows to remind us that, yes, Australia too can produce world class comedy. Scope his latest effort, Spaghetti For Breakfast, at Heath Ledger Theatre on Friday, May 1, Saturday, May 2, and Sunday, May 3. Sam Simmons
TONY WOODS Smooth-talking Tony Woods is bringing his inimitable style to the Mt Lawley Bowls Club on Thursday, April 30, Friday, May 1, and Saturday, May 2. A veteran of Def Jam, Last Comic Standing, The Footy Show, and Just For Laughs, Woods is a master on the mic.
DANIEL SLOSS
JACQUES BARRETT
Painfully young Scottish comedian Daniel Sloss has racked up an impressive list of accomplishments in his mere 24 years on the planet, being - among other things -the youngest comedian even to perform a solo season in the West End. He’s appeared with Conan and Craig, and now he’s gonna be in Perth, performing at UWA’s Octagon Theatre on Saturday, May 9.
He may not always get the name right, but years as both a bartender and a comedian have gifted Jacques Barrett with the uncanny ability to judge people accurately and hilariously with a single glance.. His show, The Confident Profiler, is built around this X-Men-level ability, and you can see it for yourself art the Subiaco Arts Centre on Thursday, May 7, Friday, May 8, and Saturday, May 9.
Daniel Sloss
Jacques Barrett
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Master tale-spinner Michael Workman employs surrealism, surprise, humour and a cuttingly insightful grasp of human nature and relationships in We Have Fun Don’t We, his story about love and life and the way they both seem different at a distance. If you caught him at Fringe World you know that this is comedian not to be missed. See him at his Majesty’s Theatre on Wednesday, May 13, Thursday, May 14, Friday, May 15, and Saturday, May 16. Michael Workman
THE UMBILICAL BROTHERS Still conjoined after all these years! Veteran performers The Umbilical Brothers have been making audiences bust a gut for yonks with their unique combo of mime and sound effects. See (and hear!) their brand new show, Kidshow (Not Suitable For Children) at the Regal Theatre on Friday, May 8, and Saturday, May 9.
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VISUAL ARTS For Love Of Country: The Art Gallery Of Western Australia Commemorating the centenary of World War One, this exhibition draws various works from the State Art Collection to present a fascinating look at how art has responded to war and conflict over the past century. It runs until Monday, July 20. Go to artgallery. wa.gov.au for full details. My Island Home - Artists Of Badu Island: Mossenson Galleries This exhibition of works from Badu Island in the Torres Strait features works by Laurie Nona and Alick Tipoti, plus traditional Badu Island dancing on the opening night, which starts at 6.30pm on Wednesday, April 15. The exhibition continues until Saturday, May 2. Go to mossensongalleries.com.au for more details. Escape Artist: Heathcote Museum & Gallery Shot in rural Spain by photographer Pablo Hughes, this is exhibition is a kind of autobiographical travel document about the beauty of imperfection. It runs from until Sunday, May 24. Go to melville.wa.gov.au for more info.
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Rebirth: The Art Gallery Of Western Australia Japanese artist Mariko Mori has created Rebirth, an immersive experience comprised of installations, LED sculptures, photographs, drawings and videos. It’s on display until June 29. For more information, go to artgallery.wa.gov.au The Visitors: John Curtin Gallery Celebrated Icelandic artist Ragnar Kjartansson presents his ambitious nine channel music video installation to Perth as part of the Perth International Arts Festival. It runs until Sunday, May 16. Go to johncurtingallery.curtin.edu.au for more information.
THEATRE/DANCE/ PERFORMANCE Old Love: The Blue Room Theatre The creative dynamo that is theatre collective The Last Great Hunt bring us a May December romance that is sure to bush the boundaries. It runs until Saturday, May 2. Head to blueroom.org. au for more information. Armour
Armour: The Blue Room Theatre Writer and director Tom Jeffcote brings us a story of damaged masculinity in this drama, which sees four men on a weekend retreat confront both each other and their own tortured emotions. It runs until Saturday, May 9. Go to blueroom.org.au for tickets and session times. The Confidence Man: Studio Underground Side Pony Productions presents an interactive audio experience, directed by Zoe Pepper and written by Pepper and Adriane Daff, that exposes the greed and betrayal festering under the surface of ordinary suburbia. It runs from Thursday, April 30, until Sunday, May 10. Go to perththeatre.com.au for more.
A Spanish Affair - screening at the Spanish Film Festival
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Once We Were Kings: The Blue Room Theatre Written by Dure Khan and directed by Mustafa Al Mahdi, Once We Were Kings is a look at the world through the eyes of young, queer Muslims. The show is accompanied by a special art exhibition of pieces from artists who have been censored in their own countries. It runs from Wednesday, May 13, until Saturday, May 30. Go to blueroom.org.au for tickets and session times.
FESTIVALS
Cosentino - Twisted Reality Tour: Regal Theatre Known as Australia’s greatest magician, Cosentino brings his unique brand of large-scale illusion to Perth for two shows only on Friday, May 1, and Saturday, May 2. Tickets are available via livenation.com.au.
Spanish Film Festival All the passion and drama of the Latin world comes to Cinema Paradiso, continuing until Wednesday, May 6. Go to lunapalace.com.au for all the details.
Médée: Fremantle Arts Centre Darius Milhaud’s 1938 opera is brought to life by new opera company Lost & Found. Featuring infidelity, insanity, vengeance and infanticide, it runs from Monday, May 11, until Sunday, May 24. For tickets and sessions times, head over to fac.org.au.
Audi Festival Of German Films The Goethe-Institut proudly presents this showcase of new German-language films, which runs at Cinema Paradiso from Thursday, May 28, until Sunday, May 31. Go to lunapalace.com.au for tickets and session times.
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NEWS
Recently embarking on a six-week tour of Australia, Matthew Colwell, AKA 360, fills in JAI CHOUHAN about what’s been happening on his end in the lead up to his shows at the Rosemount Hotel on Wednesday, April 29; the Prince Of Wales, Bunbury, on Thursday, April 30; Players Bar, Mandurah, on Friday, May 1, and the Dunsborough Tavern on Saturday, May 2, with support from Coin Banks, LEVA and Creed Birch. Aussie rapper 360 has had a lot on his plate of late, a 24-date tour of the country, getting the ball rolling for the next album, as well as working alongside a number of charitable causes around Australia. Kicking things off at the start of April, the Retopia tour gives 360 a chance to take his third studio album out to the regional hubs where the fans have been itching to hear the songs live. “I find the people in the regional shows are quite starved for live music; they don’t always get heaps of live acts hitting their towns.” The rapper says, “So when they do, they really appreciate it a lot. I love playing metropolitan shows as well, but the regional shows just get really, really crazy.” The Melbourne-based artist took a lot out of touring with Eminem and Kendrick Lamar last year, stating Lamar’s performance as somewhat inspiring. “We were playing in massive arenas that fitted about 60,000 people and watching Kendrick I learnt so much from just watching and analysing his show. He’s probably the best performer I’ve ever seen. Everything was so effortless and he made a 60,000-person arena feel like a 5,000-person show, really intimate.” Back in the studio, 360 started working on a new album before the tour kicked off. Compiling beats and writing like a madman, he’s decided to take a somewhat new approach to his fourth full-length. “With this album I’m really trying to approach it a little bit differently because I feel that with my first three albums I usually wrote a lot from personal experience and wrote sort of deep songs about stuff that I’m going through, stuff that I’ve been through, or things that I’ve seen other people go through. I sort of want to take myself out of my comfort zone and come up with some cool concepts to switch it up a little bit.” The rapper asserts, “I don’t want to just make songs about hardships I’m going through, I want to try and be a little bit more creative about what songs I come up with and the ideas.”
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It seems that the wordsmith is adamant about a new approach, recently stepping out of his comfort zone to record an acoustic version of Early Warning with collaborator, Chris Cheney from The Living End. “I’ve known him for quite a while because my manager looks after The Living End as well, so I’ve met the dude on a number of occasions and we’ve become pretty close mates.” Colwell begins, “Just recently when he was down recording the new Living End album we decided to do an acoustic version of that song and it just brought it into a new light. “When you do an acoustic version of a song you really focus more on the lyrical content, which is what I wanted to do, for people to really hear what I was talking about. It was good to work with him. He was really open because when he sent me the song that he initially wrote, it was in a totally different ballpark to what it is now. We totally made it into a hip-hop song but I think if he had his way it would have been more on The Living End kind of tip.” Outside of music, 360 is also involved with a number of not-for-profit organisations from animal welfare to issues surrounding suicide and depression. “On social media I’m constantly getting
contacted by younger people saying that my music has helped them through depression and made them stop killing themselves. It’s crazy how many said they didn’t kill themselves because my music helped them. It’s absolutely insane. It’s really positive but it’s also negative because of how many people are going through such hardship. “I also get contacted by people who don’t know what to do with themselves, like they’re in a really bad place and they’re basically talking about killing themselves and they don’t know what to do. So it’s important to be involved and refer them onto Lifeline or Beyond Blue so they can help them professionally.”
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“I don’t want to just make songs about hardships I’m going through, I want to try and be a little bit more creative about what songs I come up with and the ideas.”
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of people come down and hang out and yeah, you get the opportunities at the residencies to try different stuff and try different records that I might not necessarily try somewhere else because I don’t know the crowd as well. “I started off playing more hip hop stuff, I was doing all vinyl back then about 10 years ago. Then I sort of moved into breakbeat, into more Baltimore club and ghetto house, then into a lot of moombahton and now trap.” Although now known for his trap sets, the producer notes the influence of his formative years in allowing himself to be more versatile on the stage.
NEW CHEMICAL BROTHERS Undisputed masters of brain-altering and transcendent electronics The Chemical Brothers are set to release their first studio album since 2010’s Further. Their eighth studio album, Born in The Echoes, comprises of 11 tracks full of propulsive machine driven music, in which you can expect everything from juddering robotic funk to unhinged futurist freakbeat, producing a fresh and reinvigorated Chemical Brothers that showcases some of their most mind-expanding music to date. Sometimes I Feel So Deserted is the first track released off the album, available now instantly with pre-orders from online outlets for the full album due for release on Friday, July 17. The Chemical Brothers
TALK BULL Alt-pop maestro Andy Bull is in the throes of his national Talk Too Much Tour and it’s Perth’s turn soon. With the incredibly successful singles Keep On Running and Baby, I’m Nobody Now, two ARIA nominations for Best Pop Release and Breakthrough Artist, and polling in the past two triple j Hottest 100s, this is your last chance to catch Bull before he returns to the studio. Supporting him on this tour is Cub Sport, who have released hit singles Evie and Do You Hear which won them Best Pop Song and Song of the Year at the Queensland Music Awards. They’ve also played internationally and will be performing some brand new songs on this tour. Bull’s show at Mojo’s has sold out but there are still a few tickets available for the Rosemount Hotel show on Friday, May 8, from Oztix.com.au. He and Cub Sport will also perform at the Mandurah Performing Arts Centre as part of the all-ages Stretch Arts Festival, on Sunday, May 10. Doors open 6pm.
OPIUO TO GO Melbourne-based electronic artist Opiuo is heading out on a national tour with The Opiuo Band. The New Zealand native won Best Dance/Electro release at the Australian Independent Music Awards for his debut album, Slurp n Giggle in 2010 and has performed sets at Coachella and Glastonbury as well as headlining tours worldwide. Catch the funkadelic bass music of The Opiuo Band at Villa Nightclub on Saturday, May 2. Tickets from moshtix.com.au.
THAT’S MORODER Regarded as one of the biggest influences on disco and electronic music, Giorgio Moroder is set to release his first solo album in over 30 years, fittingly titled, Déjà vu on Friday, June 12. The album features a superstar line-up of collaborators including Britney Spears, Sia, Charli XCX, Kylie Minogue, Mikky Ekko, Foxes, Kelis, Marlene, and Matthew Koma – with the album’s title track featuring Sia out now. Over the course of his career, Moroder has worked with some of the most famous names in music including Barbra Streisand, Elton John, Cher, Janet Jackson, Chaka Khan, Freddie Mercury, Blondie and David Bowie to name a few. He performed in Australian back in March, he touring with Kylie Minogue on her national Kiss Me Once Tour. Giorgio Moroder | Pic: Brad Elterman
“I like to play everything. That’s the really good thing about trap, it’s pretty versatile.”
SPENDA C Blending Breaks Steve Lind, better known as Spenda C, talks to JAI CHOUHAN ahead of his date with the Father Villa Takeover this Friday, May 1, alongside Just A Gent.
VALENTINO KHAN COMING TO PERTH Known as one of the most in demand remixers around the globe, producing official remixes for big names like Skrillex, Dillon Francis, Wiz Khalifa, M.I.A, Zeds Dead, The Bloody Beetroots and Paul McCartney to name a few, Khan Valentino is making quite the impact on the music world, both as a producer and DJ. The producer of Major Lazer’s huge single, Bubble Butt, Khan is set to tour Australia and will perform in Perth at Villa on Friday, May 15. Valentino Khan
Now nearly halfway through the Totally Awesome Autumn Tour, Spenda C is amped for the remaining dates, bringing his experience as the resident at Sydney’s Chinese Laundry across Australia and NZ this month. The NSW native has also recently collaborated with legendary DJ Funk on the single, Pop’n Champagne and friend, Nemo on the Rinselife EP out on Klub Kids. Holding residency at Sydney institutions, Chinese Laundry and Pacha for nearly 10 years, Lind has been able to hone his skill on the ones and twos, moving through genres towards his now grounding in Trap. “It’s really good having residencies. It’s good to have that regular spot because of the people. You see regular crew, so you really build what a nightclub should be, having the same sort
“I like to play everything.” Spenda C begins, “That’s the really good thing about trap, it’s pretty versatile. There’s a lot of bass stuff that fits into the trap genre and it’s all about the different tempos, you know? It gives you opportunity to bounce in between a lot of different tempos and a lot of different sounds.” Just ahead of the tour, Lind released Pop’n Champagne alongside legendary Chicago producer, DJ Funk who supplied vocals over a bona fide body mover. “We originally sent it to him to see if he wanted to do a remix and we didn’t know he was looking for beats. He just released his 20th year anniversary Gold album, so was looking for beats for that. He was like ‘can I rap over it?’ and I said ‘sure! You can rap over it’! He sent me his vocals, I chopped it up, put it over top, it was pretty quick and easy actually. And to have someone like that on the record, I was pretty stoked with it because he’s a bit of a legend.” On top of his international collaboration, Spenda C has also recently released the Rinselife EP with fellow Sydney-sider, Nemo. “Nemo’s great because we both live in Sydney so it’s easy for us to catch up. We shared a studio in the city but we let that go, so we just do stuff at home in some quick sessions. He comes over, I cook him a barbecue. “It’s more of a barbecue/drinking session than a studio session,” he chuckles. “It was kind of like an hour of work and four hours of playing around, but it got done. It’s great to have that out there, it’s all good things. Even got some support from Fatboy Slim on one of the tracks, which was nice.” After putting together musical sketches in tour buses and hotel rooms, he started looking for people to collaborate with and began to record demos. “I ask people that I really like to help out,” Mac says of his creative process. “Sometimes I come up with a really good verse but no chorus yet, or a good chorus but no verse, so I just invite people I really like to get involved … I guess I don’t work with people I don’t like, or people I think are fake. So I kind of adore everybody on the album because I really believe in them as musicians.”
SKYE BAR It used to be The Shed, now it’s The Skye Bar. This recently opened European-style venue boasts huge alfresco areas, an impressive bar list and a top notch menu, too - well worth your time and effort. Photos by Matt Jelonek
“It’s like trying different singers, different songs and different angles. So this album is way more pumping, way more electronic and techy, but it’s still got my thing over the top.”
Paul Mac | Pic: Tony Mott
PAUL MAC Extended Holiday After flying under the radar for almost 10 years, Paul Mac has returned with his newest album, Holiday From Me. GABBI JOHNSTON reports. Since the release of his album, Panic Room, in 2005, Paul Mac – Australian electronic pop musician, singer-songwriter and producer – has spent the decade touring, DJing, writing and collaborating on the way to some of his best music yet. However, he has also spent a lot of his time over that period assisting with other people’s music as well. `The Sydneysider has taken a particular interest in composing music for theatre and film scores, including for Kath And Kimderella. He’s also toured through Europe with his underground project, Stereogamous, and worked with huge Aussie pop names like Kylie Minogue and Sia. It seems a long time since the release of Panic Room, yet Mac began the early stages of Holiday From Me way back while he was recording and touring with Daniel Johns as The Dissociatives. 24
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Mac describes the album as very “break up-y”, as he explored ways to express how he felt about his own break-up during the early stages of the record. When talking to a friend one day, he found himself still hung up on his ex-boyfriend – to which his friend replied, ‘Why are you so upset? He’s just an idiot’. With that conversation in mind, Mac later met up with Megan Washington and said, ‘Okay, let’s write a song called Idiot’.” Later on came the suggestion Mac collaborate with Kira Puru. After going to one of her shows, Mac invited her to record a song, and then another. “I really loved meeting Kira Puru, and now that we’re doing shows together, it’s been really cool to get to know her,” says Mac. “She’s really fresh.” Mac’s collaboration with Brendan Maclean, meanwhile, came about in a more 21st century manner. After meeting on Twitter and catching up for a beer, the two started hanging out and recording demos. One day, while former Faker frontman, Nathan Hudson, was also in town, the trio decided to write a “gay duet” based on the first night you meet someone at a pub and all the dumb questions you ask them. It’s called Frequently Asked Questions. “It’s like trying different singers, different songs and different angles,” says Mac. “So this album is way more pumping, way more electronic and techy, but it’s still got my thing over the top.” Yet the question remains: why did we have to wait 10 years before Mac finally released his next album? “You know, I’m such a perfectionist,” he says. “I thought it was finished four years ago, but then I was like, ‘Nah, nah, I’m gonna keep going’. Then two years ago I thought it was finished, then finally this time around I thought, ‘Yeah. I wouldn’t change a note now’. It’s cool, I really love this album. It’s just Paul Mac.”
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Describe the moment you knew that reggae music was for you and the journey from then to here... Reggae music resonates with me, it’s such a message music. Noel Woods gave me my first opportunity to sing lead with Grove Roots a reggae band in Wellington New Zealand. I wrote some reggae songs with them; I loved ragga and wanted to try that too. It just felt right. The first time I performed was with Groove Roots at a show headlined by Katchafire that also had other great reggae bands. It was an outdoor festival in NZ, with thousands of people. I just knew that reggae was it for me!
CONTACT TIM@XPRESSMAG.COM.AU NOW!
Tell us about your single, Island Breeze, the background to the song and your feelings about it. I heard a riddim called the idrop produced by Hawaiian producer Jah Son, which featured an artist I got mad respect for, Luciano. I wrote some lyrics as I was singing along to it, and felt it inspired a laidback summer vibe - everyone can relate to wanting to go to that place - a tropical island getaway. Rootstime (label) really liked my song, and jahson blessed it up with two dub mixes to release it as an EP on his label. The quality of the production is awesome, i just love it. Are you pleased with the reaction to it thus far? I am really humbled by the amazing reviews, on iTunes and reggae websites, and the support from radio stations around the world, places like Serbia, Paris, Toronto, UK and of course Australia. What are you working towards at this point in time? I’m currently working on an album with Rootstime Productions, and a few singles with some European reggae labels to come out in the next few months. I am preparing to travel and work in Europe and the home of reggae, Jamaica!
Cera Kymarni
CERA KYMARNI The Lioness Sings Tonight Cera Kymarni, who has a new single, Island Breeze, out now has a busy month ahead in May. BOB GORDON has a chat.
You’ve scored two Shaggy supports, in Sydney and Perth. That must be exciting? I feel really humbled to be given the opportunity to work at that level so early in my career. I am playing support for three great touring acts during May - Shaggy (Astor Theatre, Saturday, May 23) , Paua (Prince of Wales Bunbury, Saturday, May 2) and Sons Of Zion (Sunday, May 31, Rosemount Hotel). Big up natural touring!
Davey Craddock 02/05
DAVEY CRADDOCK AND THE SPECTACLES Better Alone Single Launch @ The Odd Fellow
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EDIE GREEN New Heavy EP Launch @ Mojos
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THE KILLER HIPSTERS Self Titled Album Launch @ Paddington Ale House
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THEM SHARKS Double A Side Launch @ Amplifier
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AXE GIRL Beach Single Launch @ The Odd Fellow
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MICHAEL SAVAGE Runner Single Launch @ Jimmy’s Den
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RUBY BOOTS Solitude Album Launch @ The Rosemount
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DAN CRIBB AND THE ISOLATED As We Drift Apart Album Launch
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FIGHT THE MORNING 1833 EP Launch @ The Paddington
You’re performing at the Freedom For West Papua Benefit at the Railway Hotel on Sunday. How important is an event such as this given that there is very little in the mainstream media about the crisis? I believe that music can change the world, and this kind of gig, for freedom, is really important. Using our gift and our blessing to change the lives of others - it’s a blessing to bless others. When I only recently saw some footage on Facebook about some of the things going on there I was horrified, innocent people being tortured and murdered. Then to find out that this has been going on for 50 years - why haven’t we heard about this?
Edie Green
EDIE GREEN Very Heavy Edie Green launch their new EP, New Heavy, at Mojos this Saturday, May 2, with help from Kashikoi, Moana, Kitchen People, Jacob Diamond, Galloping Foxleys and Filthy Apes. We check in with lead singer Sophie Wiegele Who are Edie Green? Give us a quick history lesson. Pretty much we are four people from completely different musical backgrounds who really love a good jam and are keen to jam out anything really. We formed about two years ago and since then have had a couple of single releases, got second in the National Campus Band Competition and also became finalists for RAW Musicians Award, which was cool. But this is the first time that this band has had something down in a physical copy, so its bloody brilliant!
Tell us about New Heavy. So New Heavy is our debut EP release, with five tracks ranging from blues/rock to folk. We’ve already released two tracks off the record: Thieves and Shaky Fingers, and three more tasty tracks are coming your way: New Heavy, Guidelines To English and Siete. We worked on the record with Jim Power at Fat Shan Studios, Laurie MacCallum at Sumo Sound and Dave Parkin at Blackbird Studio. Was a bunch of fun to make and we think it sounds pretty alright! How did you pick the support line up (which is pretty impressive, by the way)? The Perth music scene at the moment has definitely been eating its vegetables, cause it is super healthy. We are really digging a lot of what Perth has to offer at the moment so we just asked some friends whose music we liked if they’d come and play our EP launch. Should be a really good night. There’s a lot of different styles in the line-up, so we think it’s a good taste of where Perth music’s at right now.
What’s your sound? Who are your key influences? What’s up next for you guys? We like a lot of different styles of music, but our sound We’re going down south to launch the EP at Clancy’s on revolves mostly around an indie/rock base. Right now we’re digging Betty Davis and Erykah Badu, but also are keen on The Strokes, Sunday, May 10, and then heading straight back into the studio Menomena, Radiohead, The Pixies, Kings of Leon and Justin Timberlake. to get to work on our second EP. And I guess just see if people are picking up what we’re putting down with this one. WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU
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LAST CHANCE TO DANCE
GROOVIN THE MOO
Shape Sunday, April 26, 2015
Hay Park, Bunbury Sunday, April 26, 2015 Perth bands were out in force with grunge unit Foam opening the Moolin Rouge stage. Opening the V stage was creative powerhouse Timothy Nelson and the Infidels, followed by the tight and progressive Doctopus. The third act on the stage was fresh Melbourne MC Tkay Maidza, whose apt combination of the thriving Melbourne beat culture and a modern rap aesthetic. Back to the Moolin Rouge stage, Northlane exploded with a hardcore edge. Hailing from Sydney and now rocking stages internationally, Northlane pumped some much needed energy into the space. The gorgeously soulful musicianship of Melbourne’s Meg Mac was one of the day’s Hilltop Hoods - Photo by Rachael Barett highlights. As beautiful to look at as she can belt that trap inspired, lyrically infantile content out a tune, watching her for the first time you becomes a distant memory. may not know what to expect, but then to hear Peaches replaced Ferg on stage, but the the captivating sound of her voice was to leave vapid populism showed no signs of waning. Lazy you thinking she does it all so effortlessly. electro beats provided a backdrop to formulaic Sydney Hip Hop supergroup One Day swearing and booty shaking. Apologies to the held an obliging crowd in the hands for an hopeless fans, but there was very little value in energetic set full of funky, feel good mixes and this performance. perfectly orchestrated MC’s timed perfectly for Back at the V stage, Hermitude were an afternoon in the Bunbury sunshine. a beautiful saving grace. Fantastic musicianship Aided by the raw power and attitude paired with wonderfully expressive modern song of Izzy Manfredi’s vocal stylings, Preatures’ live writing to create one of the more exciting acts set laid down the law with a modern definition in Australia. of rock n roll for a new generation crafting a The final word on the Moolin Rouge perfect sound akin to that of Fleetwood Mac , stage must include a discussion on the blatant The Divinyls and Doc Neeson’s Angels. attempt at this festival to appeal broadly and Brisbane five piece indie line- with little consideration for synergy. RL Grime up Ball Park Music lived up to a great reputation gave us everything wrong with EDM/Trap with for crowd pleasing shows delivering a brooding an excruciating hour of quick mixed trill, giving and enigmatic performance with no shortage of punters barely 30 seconds to fist pump and fan favourites proving they are one of the most wobble awkwardly to the same old riddim. popular festival bands going around. Always vivacious, hard hitting and UK Mod-Punksters, You Me At Six consistent, it’s no secret that Hilltop Hoods are ignited a loyal fan following in Bunbury bringing favouring as top draw cards to any festival that with them a crowd moving set direct from sold is lucky to have them on the bill. The energy that out shows across the UK, dishing up an on stage protrudes from their shows is nothing short of mood dripping with emotion and intensity. palpable and few Aussie hip hop groups these Big ticket headliner ASAP Ferg was the days are able to harness the sheer momentum punchline to the ridiculous joke that mainstream from their audience and return the love in such American hip hop has become. Complete with an welcomely invasive way. shirtless vanity revealing a poorly formed series of pectoral muscles, it couldn’t be soon enough JAMES HANLON, ROY MILTON
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Shape has been a fixture on the Perth club scene since 2007, establishing itself quickly in its lonesome location in East Perth by hosting a range of regular nights and touring artists, from house, techno and electro, to drum ‘n’ bass and dubstep – the club has evolved with the changes in the club scene. But all good tales come to an end, and Shape announced it would be closing its doors for the last time this weekend. Another sad loss to the Perth music scene that’s been hit hard with several integral venues closing down. Though the building itself won’t be totally lost, with plans to reopen sometime in the future following major renovations, what sort of club exactly it will be is yet to be seen. So to send the club out in style, a very special night was organised by the original Shape crew, featuring a host of local legends that have played there over the years, and UK bass and house badman Julio Bashmore, who was brought in to headline. It was a sold out affair and there was a veritable buzz in the line outside as conversations could be heard reminiscing about the old days and Julio Bashmore many fun nights had at Shape. Inside things were getting busy, the of beer and spirits were rapidly depleted. bottom floor hosting a ‘throwback’ selection of old Bashmore didn’t take long to settle in and within school Shape veterans with Mic Zing starting the a few tracks had lifted the vibe with some solid, night, before a rare set from Super Supreme Team chugging, deep house beats. It was the perfect party soundtrack as he rolled out a heavy set of UK bass who picked things up with a super fun and funky set infused house, dropping some of his own productions before handing over to Hickey, who along with Bad in the mix. Weather had the difficult task of competing with Towards the end he mixed in some Zed Bias Bashmore upstairs. and his huge track Au Seve, the massive bassline line The main room upstairs was rammed inciting screams from the crowd who went mental. with people all night, with the Shape sound system His other signature track Battle For Middle You made pumping out the heavy beats hard, one last time. a late appearance as well, causing mass chaos and the Willy Slade and Jack Doepel started the night before sound system to temporarily cut out. Ben Taaffe and Nik Ridik took over to take us up to Bashmore was enjoying himself so much midnight with some chunky, heavy hitting house. he played a little overtime, really smashing it out for As always the outdoor, tropical garden area his last few tracks on a harder techno tip, rattling downstairs provided a respite for smokers and jokers the bass bins and setting the dance floor alight one engaged in random conversations. It’s a shame to last time, before handing over to the Shape Allstars think we wont be able to hang out in that funny little - Horizons head honcho Saran got up for a spin, spot again. alongside Future Frog and JP Beecroft who kicked By the time Julio Bashmore made his things on into the wee hours after instigating a lockappearance just after 12 things were getting well and in, squeezing every last drop of party from the club. truly hectic on the dance floor. The crowd had been Farewell Shape, we had some good times. literally drinking the bar dry all night – being the last night, there was no tap beer and the remaining stocks ALFRED GORMAN
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NEWS
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INTERVIEWS
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VENUES
GUTTERMOUTH The Decline, Them Sharks, Blindspot The Rosemount Hotel Saturday, April 25, 2015 Guttermouth have spent the last 25 years making punk rock albums and causing trouble. Their 2013 tour of Australia, which was supposedly their last, was a disaster with fans and venues alike distancing themselves from the band - calling them everything from a train wreck to downright disgusting. After a stint in a Mexican prison, frontman Mark Adkins promised cleaner and tighter shows this time round. While the promise held true, it seems that it was more ‘slightly less intoxicated’ as opposed to ‘clean and sober.’ Opening up the night were Perth’s funloving rascals, Blindspot. The boys are quickly making a name for themselves with sets of boisterous and catchy songs. Their single You’re So Phoney has recently been picked up by triple j, so things are really looking up for them. Despite being on early they managed to bring a decent crowd to the front of the room for their whole set. Up next were funking reggae rockers, Them Sharks. Faced with the challenge of being a reggae act in a sandwich of punk bands meant they had their work cut out for them, but the disparity between them and them and the Guttermouth - Photo by Dave Mullins rest of the acts only serves to ingratiate them. Each their enthusiasm for punk rock was as strong as ever. song is a dance number, every hook is perfection – “I know the politically correct movement has Them Sharks take pride in their inimitability and the swept your country like the black plague did Europe,” crowd loves them for it. Adkins jabbed at the crowd after taking some time The Decline are a headline act within in to make fun of the Soundwave Festival. It was clear their own right, in fact they have being touring he not only loved the attention, but was still the class the country in support of their latest single Giving clown, taunting and engaging the crowd at every Up Is A Gateway Drug. With the recent departure possible moment. As they burned through their set of members Dan Cribb and Nathan Cooper, this the madness only intensified. Fans stole microphones was the first time many of their local fans would to sing along, stage dived and accosted the band at see them perform in the current line-up. They every chance they got. But it was all part of the show played through both new and old songs, giving for Adkins, he leapt into the crowd, skolled beer and newbie Ben Elliot plenty of chances to show just shared sweat with fans without thought or hesitation how amazing a vocalist he is. The Decline will – this was his comfort zone – the madness and chaos continue to move forward with a new album due a passenger to the music that has defined his life for out within a few months. so many years. Guttermouth wandered onto the stage Despite the frenzy of their performance, with their usual reverence, Adkins clasping a bottle Guttermouth show nothing but love for their craft. of wine in his hand proclaiming that it was “...cheaper Adkins had a smile on his face throughout the entire than beer.” The crowd spilled onto the stage almost show, and it’s part of what makes them so much fun immediately as Guttermouth launched into their set; – knowing that they are sharing the ride, rather than Adkins leaning and screaming into the faces of his just taking you on it. With new material on the way fans. The no-fucks-given attitude of the band was it seems that Guttermouth won’t be slowing down epitomised in a cover of World Up My Ass, a song anytime in the near future. originally by the Circle Jerks. It was a telling sign that the years have done nothing to placate them and that DAVE MULLINS
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360, APRIL 29,30,MAY 1,2
THE BEARDS, MAY 7, 8, 9
TO URS THIS WEEK
360 29 Rosemount Hotel 30 Prince of Wales 1 Players Bar 2 Dunsborough Tavern STEPHEN K. AMOS 30, 1 & 2 His Majesty’s Theatre COSENTINO 1 & 2 Regal Theatre PAUL DEMPSEY 1 Rosemount Hotel SPENDA C 1 Villa COURTNEY BARNETT 2 & 3 The Bakery APIA GOOD TIMES TOUR ft. KATE CEBERANO, BRIAN CADD, JOE CAMILLERI & GLENN SHORROCK 2 HBF Stadium MAY 2015
ACE FREHLEY 7 Astor Theatre RED FANG 7 Rosemount Hotel THE BEARDS 7 Prince of Wales 8 Settlers Tavern 9 Capitol RICKY MARTIN 8 Perth Arena ANDY BULL with CUB SPORT 8 Rosemount Hotel 9 Mojos Bar 10 Mandurah Performing Arts Centre MICHAEL SPIBY & THE BADLOVES 8 Centurion Hotel 9 Charles Hotel 10 The Ravenswood OPETH 8 Astor Theatre MILES AWAY with BLACKLISTED 8 Margaret River Football Club 9 Rosemount Hotel 10 YMCA HQ AMERICA with SHARON CORR 9 Red Hill Auditorium JOE AVATI 9 Fremantle Town Hall ANASTACIA 10 Perth Concert Hall SILVERSTEIN 10 Amplifier SUFFOCATION with
DECAPITATED 10 Rosemount Hotel ALT-J 15 HBF Stadium BACKSTREET BOYS 15 Perth Arena BRITISH INDIA 15 Dunsborough Tavern 16 Capitol 17 Newport Hotel THE ANGELS 16 Charles Hotel PALOMA FAITH 16 Perth Concert Hall RIBLJA CORBA 16 Astor Theatre BAM MARGERA AS FFU 17 Capitol ENTER SHIKARI 18 Metropolis Fremantle NECRO 20 Metropolis Fremantle SPANDAU BALLET 22 Perth Arena BABY ANIMALS & THE SUPERJESUS 22 Charles Hotel KARNIVOOL 22 Metro City COLIN HAY 23 Regal Theatre 24 Colonial Brewery, Margaret River MOTLEY CRUE 23 Perth Arena SHAGGY 23 Astor Theatre SHE WHO ROCKS ft. BABY ANIMALS & THE SUPERJESUS 23 Charles Hotel PETER BIBBY 24 Mojos NICKELBACK 26 Perth Arena DEFEATER 28 YMCA HQ 29 Rosemount Hotel ANDREW STRONG 29 Astor Theatre PANOS KIAMOS 29 HBF Stadium DARYL BRAITHWAITE 29 Charles Hotel DENMARK FESTIVAL OF VOICE 29 – 31 Denmark Civic Centre DAVE WARNER 30 Charles Hotel THE FUNKOARS 30 Amplifier
FEATURED GIG
COURTNEY BARNETT THE BAKERY MAY 2 & 3 28
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ALT-J, MAY 15
STATE OF THE ART MUSIC FESTIVAL ft. BIRDS OF TOKYO, YOU AM I, THE SCIENTISTS, DOWNSYDE, KATY STEELE & many more! 30 Perth Cultural Centre JUNE 2015
BORIS 1 Rosemount Hotel IN HEARTS WAKE 2 YMCA HQ 3 Metropolis Fremantle BEN HOWARD 3 Fremantle Arts Centre AGAINST ME! with JOYCE MANOR 4 Rosemount Hotel KINGSWOOD 4 Jimmy’s Den RILEY LEE 4 St. Paul’s Church VOYAGER with KLONE 5 Amplifier R.A. THE RUGGED MAN 5 Game Sports Bar DIESEL 6 Charles Hotel YNGWIE MALMSTEEN 6 Astor Theatre DEEZNUTS 9 YMCA HQ 10 Amplifier KARISE EDEN 10 Albany Entertainment Centre BRIAN KENNEDY 10 Victoria Hall THE GETAWAY PLAN 12 Rosemount Hotel HARTS 12 Amplifier 13 Settlers Tavern 14 Newport Hotel THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER 18 Capitol SONGS IN THE KEY OF MOTOWN 24 Mandurah Performing Arts Centre 25 Astor Theatre JEBEDIAH 26 & 27 Astor Theatre 5 SECONDS OF SUMMER 29 Perth Arena MACHINE HEAD 29 Astor Theatre JULY 2015
THE CLOWNS 3 Prince of Wales 4 Four5Nine Bar 5 Mojos YELLOWCARD 4 Metro City AUSTRALIAN ROCK WITH ANGRY ANDERSON 4 Charles Hotel THE MANFREDS 4 Astor Theatre TIM ROGERS & THE BAMBOOS 4 Rosemount Hotel JIMMY BARNES 10 Crown Theatre THE CHURCH 16 Settlers Tavern 17 Prince of Wales 18 Rosemount Hotel JOHNNY MARR 18 Metropolis Fremantle
ADAM HARVEY 22 Albany Entertainment Centre MARK RONSON 22 Metro City THE WOMBATS 23 Metro City JOSH PYKE with WASO 24 Perth Concert Hall V CAPRI 25 Charles Hotel BLUR with JAMIE T 30 Perth Arena AUGUST 2015
KITTY, DAISY & LEWIS 5 Rosemount Hotel HOODOO GURUS with ESKIMO JOE 8 Cable Beach Amphitheatre THE AUSTRALIAN BEE GEES SHOW 15 Regal Theatre 16 Albany Entertainment Centre PEACE TRAIN: THE CAT STEVENS STORY 21 Astor Theatre 22 Albany Entertainment Centre THE BEATLES FOREVER 27 Albany Entertainment Centre ELVIS MEETS THE BEATLES 28 HBF Stadium SEPTEMBER 2015
TYLER OAKLEY 9 Perth Concert Hall BLOOD SWEAT & TEARS 9 Regal Theatre JULIA MORRIS 11 Regal Theatre ROY ORBISON & THE EVERLY BROTHERS 12 Crown Theatre THE TEN SOPRANOS 25 Astor Theatre OCTOBER 2015
KISS 3 Perth Arena AT THE GATES 28 Amplifier 10CC 28 Astor Theatre HOZIER 28 Belvoir Amphitheatre FLEETWOOD MAC 30 Domain Stadium NOVEMBER 2015
ANATHEMA 1 Rosemount Hotel NEIL DIAMOND 14 Sandalford Estate 16 Perth Arena AC/DC 27 Domain Stadium DECEMBER 2015
ED SHEERAN 2 NIB Stadium THE SCREAMING JETS 5 & 6 Charles Hotel
FOR ALL WEEKLY EVENTS DOWNLOAD OUR FREE MAGAZINE APP AVAILABLE FROM DOWNLOAD OUR FREE EVENTS GUIDE APP Deadline Monday 5pm. X-Press Guide is a service to advertisers listing all entertainment events. All inclusions are at the discretion of X-Press. Email guide@xpressmag.com.au
RL GRIME, APRIL 29
THE AUTUMN ISLES, MAY 2
WEEKLY WEDNESDAY 29/04
THE BAKERY Peaches THE BEAT Street Wednesdays THE BIRD Toni Yotzi’s ‘House of Sports’ CLUB KAHUNA Ch33k – Floss Yo Teeth ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Duke Ellington’s Sound of Love Night Cap Sessions FLYRITE Northbridge Nightly Now THE GOOD SHEPHERD Herd ft. Filthy Apes The Methamphetaqueens Trustee Brown The Apollo Million Hot Rock DJs HULA BULA BAR Island Nite INDI BAR Club Acoustica METROPOLIS FREMANTLE Next Gen MOJOS Nathan Kaye Riley Pearce NEWPORT HOTEL Newport Wednesdays 459 ROSEMOUNT HOTEL Shola Lee & The Wonder Night Signals His & Herpes John Royal-tee Rex ROSEMOUNT HOTEL 360 Coin Banks Lava Creed Birch ROSEMOUNT HOTEL (BEER GARDEN) Student Night ft. DJ Anton Maz SETTLERS TAVERN Open Mic Night ft. Claire Warnock VELVET LOUNGE Electric Funeral Club III ft. Bayou VILLA RL Grime THURSDAY 30/04
AMPLIFIER Last Night - Block Party ft. Chainsaw Hookers The Light The Dark Bounty Hunter THE BAKERY Club Sandwich ft. Mathas Catlips Koi Child Mei Saraswati Elli Schoen DJ Aarom Wilson & more CIVIC HOTEL Steve’s Karaoke
CLANCY’S FREMANTLE One Thousand Years Custom Royal DEFECTORS BAR Songwriters Klub ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB MFO 10th Birthday Celebration Night Cap Sessions HULA BULA BAR Rhum Club INDI BAR Open Mic MOJOS Pulp DJ Munch MC Negrocity DJ Shobu PRINCE OF WALES 360 Coin Banks Leva Creed Birch ROSEMOUNT HOTEL RAW Artists: Exposure ft. Flighthouse DTHWBBA KNIKI Ego SETTLERS TAVERN Comedy @ Settlers FRIDAY 1/05
AMBAR MONARCH ft. Memtrix Mediks ASTOR LOUNGE Tashi Radio in Motion The Last Fair Deal Jacob Diamond THE BAKERY At The Pile ft. George Maple HWLS KUCKA Leon Osborn Lilt BEAT NIGHTCLUB (DOWNSTAIRS) PLAY THE BIRD The Spunloves (EP Release Party!) The Wheelers of Oz Dougal’s Casino CAPITOL Thundamentals & special guests CLANCYS CANNING BRIDGE Boullibass DJ Boogie CLANCY’S CITY BEACH Sunset Belly Dancers CLANCY’S FREMANTLE The Fab Three (Beatles Tribute) THE COURT Traffic Light Party ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Juliana Areias Marcio Mendes presents a Tribute to Seu Jorge FLYRITE Throw Your L’s – R.I.P DJ Rashad
GILKISONS DANCE STUDIO Bell Towers GINGER NIGHTCLUB Mondo Fridays GOLD BAR Fox Fridays HULA BULA Friday Frendzee THE MANOR TILT Launch Party METRO CITY Amon Vision Blue Party ft. Audien METROPOLIS FREMANTLE The GKM Takeover 002 MOJOS BAR Fisherman Style 9th Birthday ft. Future Soundz DJ Corby Rasta Fyah Busha D Choppa Crucial Smitch Grace Barbe NEWPORT HOTEL Friday Fiesta THE ODD FELLOW IHart Crystal Head Exhibition PARKER Candy PLAYERS BAR 360 Coin Banks Leva Creed Birch 459 ROSEMOUNT HOTEL Breaking Punk III ft. Winterfold El Capitan The Light The Dark Full Effect Longshore Pull Me Under ROSEMOUNT HOTEL Paul Dempsey Fall Electric (duo) ROSIE O’GRADY’S NORTHBRIDGE Wesley Goodley Jamboree Scouts VILLA Father Villa Takeover #4 ft. Spenda C Just A Gent SATURDAY 2/05
AMBAR Japan 4 ASTOR LOUNGE Rock Monsters Series 2 – Pop Punk: Blink 182 Tribute THE BAKERY Courtney Barnett Teeth & Tongue BEAT NIGHTCLUB (UPSTAIRS) CANVAS THE BIRD Mary Ocher Felicity Groom Golden String CAPITOL Thundamentals & special guests CIVIC HOTEL Zemilja CLANCY’S CITY BEACH The Gavin Shoesmith Trio
TIM GORDON, MAY 7
EDIE GREEN, MAY 2
CLANCY’S FREMANTLE The Rogues DUNSBOROUGH TAV 360 Coin Banks Leva Creed Birch EAST END BAR & LOUNGE Temptation ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Allira Wilson Matt Allen & Friends FLYRITE Father GEISHA BAR Carousel ft. BRVDO Jason Stone Timbee Chiari Sophie Visser GILKISONS DANCE STUDIO Dick Trevor Heath Myers Aaron Smiles Jeevan Jee Damien Blaze Stevo Red Can Oli Verb GINGER Serial. GOLD BAR Pure Gold THE GOOD SHEPHERD Chocolate Jesus HULA BULA Sailor Saturdays JIMMY’S DEN Usurper of Modern Medicine French Rockets Dream Rimmy Mayor Dadi LLAMA BAR Laundry MOJOS BAR Edie Green (EP Launch) Kashikoi Moana Kitchen People Jacob Diamond Galloping Foxleys PARKER Menagerie Nights 459 ROSEMOUNT HOTEL Unrepentant Aborted Tortoise The Pissedcolas The Reptillians Naked Wizard Tom Ware ROSEMOUNT HOTEL The Autumn Isles (final show!) Boom! Bap! Pow! The Community Chest Patient Little Sister SETTLERS TAVERN Ben Merito SHAPE BAR HUSH SKYE BAR DJ Richo HUGE VILLA The Opiuo Band SUNDAY 3/05
THE BAKERY Courtney Barnett Teeth & Tongue
BUFFALO CLUB Little Sister CIVIC HOTEL Oak Tree Suite CLANCY’S CITY BEACH The Limelights Jazz CLANCY’S FREMANTLE Decks on the Decks ft. DJ Jiminy Kickit Casual Sets ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Azucar FLYRITE MVMNT HULA BULA BAR Tropical Sundaze JIMMY’S DEN Rabih Beaini Basic Mind Allstate MOJOS BAR Katie J White The Regular Hunters Mister (Mister & Sunbird) 459 ROSEMOUNT HOTEL Bocks The Intenso Band Sprawl Sam Atkin SETTLERS TAVERN Sunday Session ft. Ben Merito SWALLOW BAR Jessie Gordon Duo MONDAY 4/05
BRASS MONKEY Monday Madness Student & Industry Night CLANCY’S CANNING BRIDGE Scotty’s Quiz Night ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Trinity College Jazz INDI BAR Nathan Kaye Jordan McRobbie MOJOS BAR Wide Open Mic PARKER Manic Mondays ROSEMOUNT HOTEL Comedy Trivia TUESDAY 5/05
THE BIRD Depressionism – New Works by Christopher Hancock CLANCY’S FREMANTLE Quiz Night ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB A Tribute to the Music of John Coltrane LLAMA BAR Ruby Tuesdays MOJOS BAR Nectar Blood Groove Ohio Sam Atkin & more NEWPORT HOTEL Quiz Show PERTH BLUES CLUB Pretzel Logic The Danny Pash Band
ROSEMOUNT HOTEL Cash Krzma Nodes Wisdom 2th Soma TORCH BAR Quiz Meisters VARSITY BAR Cinco de Mayo WEDNESDAY 6/05
THE BAKERY Doogs <3’s Bakery ft. Kirin J. Callinan Nicholas Allbrook Eleventeen Eston & The Conversation Catlips Day Woo DJs THE BEAT Street Wednesdays THE BIRD Shake ft. Dr. Bumface CLANCY’S CANNING BRIDGE Luke Dux Matt Angell CLUB KAHUNA Ch33k FLYRITE Northbridge Nightly Now THE GOOD SHEPHERD Herd HULA BULA BAR Island Nite INDI BAR Club Acoustica THE MANOR ORBiT METROPOLIS FREMANTLE Next Gen MOJOS BAR Abbe May Flooded Palace Elli Schoen NEWPORT HOTEL Newport Wednesdays ROSEMOUNT HOTEL (BEER GARDEN) Student Night ft. DJ Anton Maz THURSDAY 7/05 AMPLIFIER Last Night – Star Wars Party ASTOR THEATRE Ace Frehley THE BAKERY Baked Out ft. The Stoops Silvertongue Naik & Diger Rokwell Empty Maxy Bills Eddy Stone THE BIRD The Pissedcolas Vinyl Fundraiser Kitchen People Shit Narnia Union CIVIC HOTEL Steve’s Karaoke DEFECTORS BAR Songwriters Klub THE GOOD SHEPHERD Ego Sly Withers Figurehead Fine Court Howling Bones Tim Gordon
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SEX PANTHER, MAY 9
HULA BULA BAR Rhum Club INDI BAR Open Mic JIMMY’S DEN The Peep Tempel MOJOS BAR Yaqui Yeti The Drools Reef & The Riff Raff 459 ROSEMOUNT HOTEL The NBC Robert Hinton Matt Cal ROSEMOUNT HOTEL Red Fang (USA) & special guests SETTLERS TAVERN Open Mic Night ft. Claire Warnock FRIDAY 8/05
AMBAR J.PHLIP ASTOR THEATRE Opeth THE BAKERY The Prom ft. Client Liaison Doctopus Superintendent Bowser BEAT NIGHTCLUB (DOWNSTAIRS) PLAY THE BIRD Tobacco Rat (live) Leon Osborn Atripat Kucka CAMEL BAR The Decline CLANCYS CANNING BRIDGE Boullibass DJ Boogie CLANCY’S CITY BEACH Sunset Belly Dancers CLANCY’S FREMANTLE The Fab Three (Beatles Tribute) GEISHA CULT ft. Dpad James A All State Nathaniel Andrews GINGER NIGHTCLUB Mondo Fridays GOLD BAR Fox Fridays HERDSMAN LAKE TAVERN Never Mind the Nineties: Vol. #2 HULA BULA Friday Frendzee LIBRARY Sneaky – Camo Party MOJOS BAR Hussle Hussle ft. Ivan Ooze The Lowbrow DJs Stangelove Kissinger x Cruz Oli Thv NEWPORT HOTEL Friday Fiesta PRINCE OF WALES The Peep Tempel
459 ROSEMOUNT HOTEL Trigger Jackets Shimmergloom The Worst The Limbs Axel Carrington ROSEMOUNT HOTEL Andy Bull Cub Sport & more! SETTLERS TAVERN The Beards VELVET LOUNGE Babyjane The Silent Deeds Sleepfreak YMCA HQ Calm Collected Vice Versa Ready to Fire At the Space Jam The Encounters SATURDAY 9/05 AMBAR Japan 4 ft. Kid Kenobi AMPLFIER Jack Ladder & The Dreamlanders & special guests ASTOR THEATRE Johnny Lever THE BAKERY THE FINAL CURTAIN ft. The Sabre Tooth Tigers Sex Panther The Wednesday Society BEAT NIGHTCLUB (UPSTAIRS) CANVAS CAMEL BAR The Decline CAPITOL The Beards & special guests CIVIC HOTEL Rakrakanfest 2015 ft. Mixed Nuts Flippish Obsidian Loom 4FiftySeven When Autumn Falls 22B ft. Meg Reyes CLANCY’S CITY BEACH The Gavin Shoesmith Trio CLANCY’S FREMANTLE Three Hands, One Hoof Lunar Inverse Yaqui Yeti They’re There EAST END BAR & LOUNGE Temptation FLYRITE Father GILKISONS DANCE STUDIO Rinse Out 002 ft. Roni Size Dynamite MC GOLD BAR Pure Gold THE GOOD SHEPHERD Chocolate Jesus HULA BULA Sailor Saturdays JIMMY’S DEN Michael Savage (The Morning Night) Archer & Light Arlo Esnat Leah Miche
WANDERLUST, MAY 10
LLAMA BAR Laundry MANY 6160 Rooftop Party MOJOS BAR Andy Bull Lowbrow DJs PARKER Bollywood Fever ft. Arjun PERTH FOLK & ROOTS Braud & Beau duet Don Neander John McNair Keith Anthonisz 459 ROSEMOUNT HOTEL Ragdoll (USA Farewell) Custom Royal Nevsky Prospekt ROSEMOUNT HOTEL Miles Away Born Free Bounty Hunter Beer Fridge SETTLERS TAVERN The Peep Tempel SKYE BAR HUGE DJ Richo SWALLOW BAR DJ Peas SWAN BASEMENT Turn Out: Azteccafiesta ft. Circuit Bent VILLA Rewind SUNDAY 10/05
AMPLFIER Silverstein Dream on Dreamer Young Lions CLANCY’S CITY BEACH The Limelights Jazz CLANCY’S FREMANTLE Decks on the Decks ft. DJ Jiminy Kickit Casual Sets FLYRITE MVMNT HULA BULA BAR Tropical Sundaze MOJOS BAR The Peep Tempel Pat Chow & The Fruity Whites NORTHBRIDGE PIAZZA Sunday Sounds ft. Andrew Winton Zack Linton
459 ROSEMOUNT HOTEL Wanderlust Boston & Chevy The Littlest Fox Little Bird ROSEMOUNT HOTEL Suffocation (USA) Decapitated (POL) & special guests SETTLERS TAVERN Tracey Barnett SWALLOW BAR The Midnites YMCA HQ Miles Away Blacklisted The Others Born Free Wear Me Out MONDAY 11/05
BRASS MONKEY Monday Madness Student & Industry Night CLANCY’S CANNING BRIDGE Scotty’s Quiz Night MOJOS BAR Open Mic Night PARKER Manic Mondays ROSEMOUNT HOTEL Comedy Trivia TUESDAY 12/05
CLANCY’S FREMANTLE Quiz Night LLAMA BAR Ruby Tuesdays MOJOS BAR Mojos Monthly Comedy ft. Jacques Barret (SYD) NEWPORT HOTEL Quiz Show PERTH BLUES CLUB Empire Blues John Heussenstamm Band & guests TORCH BAR Quiz Meisters
FEATURED GIG
FINAL CURTAN FT. THE SABRE TOOTH TIGERS SEX PANTHER THE WEDNESDAY SOCIETY THE BAKERY MAY 9 29
NEWS
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THE NEWPORT
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MUSIC GEAR & TECHNOLOGY
JOJO MAYER Swiss Rhythm Legendary drummer Jojo Mayer will appear at the Drumscene Live drum clinic at the Astor Theatre on Thursday, May 28. JIM RINDFLEISH has a word. Jojo Mayer boasts one of the most creatively diverse resumes of any working musician, today. Beginning drums at the tender age of two, Jojo was considered a prodigy, being almost entirely self-taught. After getting his first break at age 18 as the drummer for The Monty Alexander Group, Jojo has gone on to work with an extensive roster of A-list musicians, from Nina Simone to Dizzy Gillespie, right through to his work as a bandleader for his own project, Nerve. Over the years you’ve conducted some lessons with other professional players, such as Steve Smith and Mike Clark. How do you go about fixing a technical problem without altering the player’s sound? Well, if anyone who’s on that level seeks me out, it’s always an exchange. They might be coming to me because they’re looking for something in particular. Sometimes it’s a technical problem and sometimes it’s less specific, like altering their approach. To me, the most important
MUSOS WANTED FEMALE SINGER/SONGWRITER/GUITARIST seeking a covers rock/rocknroll/ blues band. Wanting to gig. Only passionate musicians please. No time wasters. Call Leah 040 368 7285 PRODUCTION SERVICES CD & DVD MANUFACTURE Check out our latest CD & DVD specials online at www.procopy.com. au 9375 3902 MATRIX PRODUCTIONS AUSTRALIA Lighting, staging, sound systems, smoke machines, night club FX, intelligent lighting, strobes & mirror balls, crowd barriers, video projectors. 9371 1551 RECORDING STUDIOS ALAN DAWSON’S WITZEND RECORDING STUDIO Prof quality albums or demos, large live room, experienced engineer, analog to digital transfers, mastering. Alan 0407 989 128 www. witzendstudios.com 30
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thing is the way they sound. I do not believe in dogmas, I believe in reason. If you can execute a desired sound, by any means, your technique is justified. If Mike Clark, or anyone else comes to me and says they’re having trouble playing Single Stroke Rolls at a certain tempo, I’ll take a look at their hands and usually, I can identify the problem relatively quickly. Perhaps they’re not letting the stick do enough of the work or they need to change the angle of their stick relative to the snare drum. It’s usually quite simple. Technique is just a means to an end: you have to start with the sound.
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CLASSIFIEDS
train for a career as a session drummer is ludicrous, as the recording industry no longer exists. For example, let’s say I have a record out with a major label. Suppose I negotiate one dollar for every sale, which, at this rate, would be a fairly average royalty. This label only manages to sell 2,000 copies, earning me $2,000. Now, consider the same equation, minus the presence of a label. Now I can charge $10 per album and if I have a fan base of 10, 000 people and only 2000 of them buy my record, I stand to make much more as an artist. What a label did was give the artist a platform to reach millions of people at a higher cost. Now, I only have to reach a couple thousand people and I can enjoy a fairly comfortable existence. Have these changes informed your decision to pursue your role as a bandleader rather than as a sideman? The fees that the majority of some of the biggest, stadium Pop acts pay their sidemen, you’d make more money being a bartender in NYC. With that sort of music, the creativity in the arrangements happens in the studio. When it’s live, all they need is a guy to replicate those parts; so, I kind of have no desire to be a slave to any of that. Just to clarify, though, I still do work as a sideman. Not out of economical necessity, but because I need to escape the monoculture of my own universe every once in a while.
You’ve been rather outspoken about the current climate of the music industry and the demand for the diversification of the working musician. What do you think these changes mean for the music, itself? You have to embrace change. The current situation can seem bleak through the eyes of someone who is pre-digital native, but it actually might be better. One thing is for sure: to aspire and JOJO MAYER
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PLATINUM SOUND ROOMS Professional rehearsal rooms, airconditioned, quality PAs mob 0418 944 722 RUBBER SOUL LOUNGE Fremantle. Full backline, stage, comfy couches $60 for 3 hours. Phone: Shaun 0466 259 024 TUITION
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