Y A D N E P O e models t is a P 0 0 2 ore than m f o n io t c e special coll re in Australia. a m o r f ls a cymb y anywhe la p is d n o t s – the large ichie Vez, R & y e n lo o n Trio. Lee M li n o r io a t P c e i s b o m R sel’s rhyth y and the t ie s D je a y b M s k e c c la performan nd from B a s n e v E y k Ric powerhouse on finding e ic v d a ir e h nd get t the artists a r you. o f ls a b m y c the best mbalss y c ir e h t y h d find out w er the worldd. n a a li a r t s u m Paiste A mers all ov o r m f u r m d a h e t it e w to th ary status d n e g le d e have attain ne-day-only o h it w l a b Paiste cym a n o l a e d te Range. is the best a P e ir t n e ss the pricing acro e Drum n r u o b n a r C roduct at p e t is a P a e draw.* y h t u b o t u in o y o g n e l . Wh you’l 1 of 3 iPads ing the month of May, dur Super Store
TRY SEE T E E M K L A T B A R G WIN
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Ricky Evens y
Lee Molone
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* Terms & Conditions 1. One entry into the draw per Paiste Cymbal purchased at Cranbourne Drum Super Store. 2. Purchases made on lay-by must be paid in full by 31st May 2012. 3. A minimum of one cymbal must be purchased to enter, there are no maximum entries. 4. To qualify for entry the Paiste cymbal must be purchased between the 1st May 2012 and 31st May 2012 only.
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CRANBOURNE DRUM SUPERSTORE 132 High Street, Cranbourne Victoria 3977 03 5995 5933 drumshop@cranbournemusic.com.au
Beat Magazine Page 3
Beat Magazine Page 4
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Beat Magazine Page 5
RESENTS SECRET SOUNDS P
THE SMASHING PUMPKINS OCEANIA TOUR
WITH SPECIAL GUESTS
WITH SPECIAL GUESTS
WOLFMOTHER
THURSDAY 2 AUGUST HISENSE ARENA
FRI 27 JULY THE HI-FI (O/18S)
SAT 28 JULY THE HI-FI (U/18S MATINEE)
WITH SPECIAL GUESTS T
D OU MONDAY S O L 23 JULY
2ND AND FINAL SHOW ADDED!
TUESDAY 24 JULY PALACE THEATRE O N SA LE N O W
LISTEN NOW ON
Beat Magazine Page 6
/ RDIO.COM
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OFFICIAL SPLENDOUR SIDESHOWS ON SALE NOW
WITH SPECIAL GUESTS
Thursday 26th July The Corner
WITH SPECIAL GUESTS
WED 25 JULY THE HI-FI
WITH
ZULU WINTER
TUE 24 JULY - THE CORNER
MICHAEL KIWANUKA + BEN HOWARD & TIM HART
WITH
TH E CAST O F C HE E R S
TUE 31 JUL THE CORNER
WEDNESDAY 1 AUGUST
WED 25TH JULY THE CORNER
NORTHCOTE SOCIAL CLUB
WITH SPECIAL GUESTS
WITH SPECIAL GUESTS
WED 25 JULY
SUN 29 JULY / THE CORNER
NORTHCOTE SOCIAL CLUB
with special guests
FOR TICKETING INFO VISIT SECRET-SOUNDS.COM.AU CHECK OUT ALL THE LATEST NEWS, REVIEWS AND FREE SHIT AT BEAT.COM.AU
Beat Magazine Page 7
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Beat Magazine Page 9
TIJUANA CARTEL NORTHCOTE SOCIAL CLUB SUNDAY MAY 27TH Beat Magazine Page 10
OFFER YOURSELF TOUR
new single ‘offer yourself’ available now on itunes
tickets: www.tijuanacartel.com | info: facebook.com/thetijuanacartel
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“IT’S LIKE CAT POWER & PJ HARVEY ON A SOUL TRIP” DOM ALESSIO, TRIPLE J
AINSLIE WILLS SINGLE LAUNCH SHOW WITH GOLD BLOOM & LISA SALVO
o 1130 Bur w
4 758 654 9 P y l l u .a G m ntree ntreegullyhotel.co u r e F y w H od .fer www
DEAD LETTER CIRCUS Thur 17 May SUPPORTS - Fair to Midland, Twelve Foot Ninja, Involume
SATURDAY 12TH MAY AT THE WORKERS CLUB 51 BRUNSWICK ST, FITZROY
ABSOLUTELY 80’s TICKETS AVAILABLE AT WWW.MOSHTIX.COM.AU 1300 GET TIX (438 849) ON YOUR MOBILE AND ALL MOSHTIX OUTLETS
NEW SINGLE ‘FIGHTING KIND’ AVAILABLE NOW ON BANDCAMP & ITUNES
Sat 26 May Brian Mannix, Scott Carne, David Sterry, Dale Ryder
WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/AINSLIEWILLS WWW.THEWORKERSCLUB.COM.AU
CLOSURE IN MOSCOW Sat 9 June SUPPORTS -ThirtyOneFifty, Foucault, The Furys, Voxangelica
BRITISH INDIA Sat 23 June SUPPORTS - Mercury White, Scalar Fields
SYDONIA Sat 7 July SUPPORTS Holliava, ThreeTimeThrill, Isiym
TICKETS AVAILABLE FROM VENUES, TICKETMASTER & LOCAL SUPPORTS
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Beat Magazine Page 11
Beat Magazine Page 12
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Beat Magazine Page 13
IN THIS ISSUE...
16
HOT TALK
20
TOURING
22
KAISER CHIEFS
24
ARTS GUIDE, FREE SHIT, THE AUSTRALIAN POPS ORCHESTRA
26
ART OF THE CITY
28
TWISTED SISTERS: BANDS & BURLESQUE!
THE BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE P. 63
PUBLIC ENEMY P. 61
29
KINGSTON HARVEST FESTIVAL
30
ROCK THE BALLET
32
ARJ BARKER
51
dEUS
52
INDUSTRIAL STRENGTH
54
BEAT EATS
56
HEIRS, THE CHORDS
57
JOSH PYKE
58
TEN THOUSAND
59
THE MACCABEES
60
ZOLA JESUS, SANTIGOLD, ANDREW BIRD
61
PUBLIC ENEMY
62
IMMIGRANT UNION, ELECTRIC GUEST, MUTEMATH
63
THE BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE
64
CORE/CRUNCH!, HELM
65
THE MORRISONS, CALLING ALL CARS
THIS WEEK IN 100%:
AJAX
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THE AUSTRALIAN POPS ORCHESTRA P. 24
THE CHORDS P. 56
PUBLISHER: Furst Media Pty Ltd. MUSIC EDITOR: Taryn Stenvei ARTS EDITOR / ASSOCIATE MUSIC EDITOR: Tyson Wray EDITORIAL ASSISTANT: Nick Taras SUB-EDITORS: Penny Coulson, Jac Manuell, Penny Evangelou GENERAL MANAGER: Patrick Carr SENIOR ADVERTISING/EDITORIAL CO-ORDINATOR: Ronnit Sternfein BEAT PRODUCTION MANAGER: Rebecca “It’s pronounced Holden” Houlden. GRAPHIC DESIGNERS: Gill Tucker, Matt Crute, Mike Cusack. COVER ART: Luke Benge ADVERTISING: Taryn Stenvei (Music: Bands/Tours/Record Labels) taryn@beat.com.au Ronnit Sternfein (100%/Beat/Arts/Education/Ad Agency) ronnit@beat.com.au Aleksei Plinte (Backstage/ Musical Equipment) mixdown@beat.com.au Adam Morgan (Hospitality/Bars) adam@beat.com.au Kris Furst (beat.com.au) kris@furstmedia.com.au 0431 243 808 CLASSIFIEDS: classifieds@beat.com.au GIG GUIDE SUBMISSIONS: now online at www.beat.com.au or bands email gigguide@beat.com.au ELECTRONIC EDITOR - BEAT ONLINE: Paddington Wray: tyson@beat.com.au
ACCOUNTANT: accountant@furstmedia.com.au ADMINISTRATION CO-ORDINATOR: Jessica Riley: jessica@furstmedia.com.au ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE: Stephanie Mason: admin@furstmedia.com.au RECEPTION: reception@furstmedia.com.au DISTRIBUTION: distribution@beat.com.au Free Every Wednesday to over 1,500 places including Convenience Stores, Newsagents, Ticket Outlets, Shopping Centres, Community Youth & Welfare Outlets, Clubs, Hotels, Venues, Record, Music and Video Shops, Boutiques, Retailers, Bars, Restaurants, Cafes, Bookstores, Hairdressers, Recording Studios, Cinemas, Theatres, Galleries, Universities and Colleges. Wanna get BEAT? Email distribution@beat.com.au DEADLINES Editorial Copy accepted no later than 5pm Thursday before publication for Club listings, Arts, Gig Guide etc. Advertising Copy accepted no later than 12pm Monday before publication. Print ready art by 2pm Monday. Deadlines are strictly adhered to. CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS: Mary Boukouvalas, Lauren Cass, Ben Clement, Ben Gunzburg, Andrew Gyopar, CC Hug, Tim Hyland, Anna Kanci, Ben Loveridge, Mathew Murphy, Charles Newbury, John O’Rourke, Chris Parkinson, Naomi Rahim, Richard Sharman, Leon Struk, Michelle Tomadin, Peter Tsipas, Amy Wallace, Woodrow Wilson SPECIAL PROJECTS EDITOR: Christie Eliezer
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66
MUSIC NEWS
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ALBUM OF THE WEEK
73
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GIG GUIDE
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LIVE
SENIOR CONTRIBUTORS: Christine Lan, Simone Ubaldi, Patrick Emery, Jesse Shrock. COLUMNISTS: Emily Kelly, Peter Hodgson. CONTRIBUTORS: Tyson Wray, Adam Baidawi, Helen Barradell, Matt Bendall, Cam Binger, Graham Blackley, Chris Bright, Rose Callaghan, Adam Camilleri, Paige Cho, Stefan Chrisp, Nick Clarke, Talitha Conway, Dave Dawson, John Donaldson, Justin Donnelly, Georgia Doyle, Cam Ewart, Paul Fischer, Lawson Fletcher, Jack Franklin, Chris Girdler, Sean Gleeson, Aleisha Hall, Louise Hardwick, Daniel Hedger, Nick Hilton, Lyndon Horsburgh, Briony Jones, Lachlan Kanoniuk, Cassandra Kiely, Greg King, Joshua Kloke, Stuart Lynch, Rhys McCrae, Ruth McIver, Adam McKenzie, Kylie McLaughlin, Nick Mason, Tyler Mathes, Krystal Maynard, Anna Megalogenis, Al Newstead, James Nicoli, John O’Rourke, Matt Panag, Jack Parsons, Liam Pieper, Steve Phillips, David Prescott-Steed, James Ridley, Gav Ross, Leigh Salter, Tim Scott, Denis Semchenko, Side Man, Matt Sutherland, Lin Tan, Steve Tauschke, Mathew Timms, Brigitte Trobbiani, Rene Schaefer, Melanie Sheridan, Jeremy Sheaffe, Kelly Theobald, Andrew Tijs, Alistair Wallis, Etienne Waring, Dan Watt, Rod Whitfield, Katie Weiss, Tom Whitty, Cara Williams, Simon Williamson, Bronius Zumeris. © 2012 Furst Media Pty Ltd. No part may be reproduced without the consent of the copyright holder.
IMC, Beat, Rave Magazine, The Brag, MusicFeeds.com.au and Monster present
SPLIT SECONDS AND UNDERLIGHTS the SECOND LIGHT tour THURSDAY MAY 10 0
SATURDAY MAY 19
Northcote Social Club Melbourne
Sol Bar Sunshine Coast
WITH
WITH
WINDSOR THIEVES
FRIDAY MAY 11
HOLLAND
THURSDAY MAY 24
Espy Front Bar St. Kilda
GoodGod Small Bar Sydney
WITH
WITH
SURES AND DIRT FARMER RME ER
SATURDAY MAY 12 2
JEP AND DEP
FRIDAY MAY 25
Karova Lounge Ballarat
Beresford Upstairs Sydney
WITH
WITH
WINDSOR THIEVES
FRIDAY MAY 18
CROOKED SAINT
FRIDAY JUNE 1
X&Y Bar Brisbane
The Bakery Perth*
WITH
WITH
HOLLAND
EMPERORS, RUBY BOOTS AND WARNING BIRDS
Tickets from northcotesocialclub.com, karovalounge.oztix.com.au, and imc.oztix.com.au. and nowbaking.com.au // Split Seconds new single “Top Floor” out now UNDERLIGHTS debut self titled EP out now // *UNDERLIGHTS not appearing at Perth show.
Less travel time...
...more party time
Going to Splendour? Fly direct. Over 15 flights a day from Melbourne direct to Gold Coast Airport, means you’ll spend less time travelling and more time enjoying the party. goldcoastairport.com.au 12109
Fly with Jetstar, Virgin Australia or Tiger Airways direct to Gold Coast Airport.
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Beat Magazine Page 15
HOT TALK
THE BIGGEST IN INTERNATIONAL & NATIONAL NEWS
For all the latest news check out beat.com.au
LIL' BAND O' GOLD
MUDHONEY Hey Melbourne. Guess what. Mudhoney have announced one Australian headline show only around their Splendour in the Grass appearance this July, and guess who gets it? The landmark Seattle band will play at the Corner Hotel, Melbourne on Friday July 27. Forming in 1988 and made up of members of Green River and The Melvins, Mudhoney become the staple act of iconic grunge label Sub Pop when they signed to the company in the late '80s. Their debut EP Superfuzz Bigmuff and subsequent single Touch Me I’m Sick saw them rise to international attention, and were invited to tour alongside Sonic Youth in 1989. The band have gone on to release ten albums since and have established themselves as one of the most important acts to emerge from the famous Seattle grunge scene of the '90s. The band's last show at the Corner Hotel back in December sold out in less than two weeks so make sure to get your tickets quick to this exclusive Splendour In The Grass sideshow.
CANNIBAL CORPSE After three long torturous years, death metals titanic kings Cannibal Corpse are returning to Australia for a sarcophagic frenzy of sordid and demented proportions. Their new ceaselessly hostile album release Torture, proves that when it comes to combining unrestrained maliciousness, involved song writing and technical precision, they still have no equal. The band's 12th full-length, from their inspiring 24 year career, the Floridian quintet have never sounded so vital. Torture builds upon the wealth of powerful, dark, and memorable songs, comprising their earlier releases of Kill and Evisceration Plague by pointedly upping the ante at every turn. With blistering riffs, turbulent drums, ruthless and razor vocals, Cannibal Corpse are the pinnacle of death metal. Make no mistake, the sledgehammer force of the forthcoming live cannibalism will yet again prove this beyond any doubt. Don't miss 'em at Billboard on Friday October 5. Tickets are on sale noweroes For Hire.
Calling out to all good time guys and gals. It's time to move your feet in a swamp and soul groove, as the legendary Louisiana swamp pop/country/Cajun/blues/ rock'n'roll super group Lil’ Band O' Gold return to our shores. In 2010, they came twice and blew audiences away like a howling wind blows through the Louisiana swamp delta. This coming June, the band will return to Melbourne for one hot and sweaty night, revealing a brilliant musical concoction that is sure to amaze you. The band's newly released album Lil’ Band O’ Gold Play Fats, features cover versions of the bands favourite Fats Domino songs, alongside guest vocalists including Robert Plant, Lucinda Williams, Jimmy Barnes and Tim Rogers who lend a hand. Lil' Band O' Gold delivers a sweet and soulful journey through their mixture of energetic romps and soulful ballads, which deliver the diverse musical goods that are the band’s hallmark. They play The Regal Ballroom on Wednesday June 27 and Thursday June 28, plus The Espy on Friday June 29.
SIMONE FELICE Hot off the success of his latest release, Simone Felice is bringing his incomparable musical talent to our shores, with the US native set to play a show at The Corner Hotel on Wednesday July 11. After having to cancel his 2010 Australian tour due to undergoing sudden openheart surgery, Felice will be bringing his outstanding new solo material to Australia. With support coming from fellow countryman Josh Ritter and Fraser A. Gorman, it's sure to be an unforgettable night of top notch music.
GEORGE MICHAEL George Michael triumphantly returns to Melbourne to play the Rod Laver Arena on Wednesday November 21, when his Symphonica: The Orchestral Tour travels to Australia. The multi-million selling artist is back in good health and fighting fit after a battle with pneumonia at the end of last year, which unfortunately led to his Symphonica tour being postponed. Tickets go on sale from noon Thursday May 10 and are available through Ticketek.
MARK GARDENER To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Ride’s seminal shoegaze masterpiece Going Blank Again, Mark Gardener with full band will perform classic Ride hits. The tracks will include that from most incendiary of ‘90s guitar albums, new material, and recent solo and collaboration work, alongside instrumentals he previously performed for the 2011 MOJO and NME award winning Upside Down documentary. Gardener and his band will re-engage and re-ignite the songs that made Ride such a potent musical force during the '90s. Joining Gardener on this very special tour will be much loved Melbourne alternative favourites Underground Lovers, and as a special treat for Australian fans Gardener will be bringing along as special guests, the US psych rockers Sky Parade featuring ex-Brian Jonestown Massacre alumni Tommy Dietrick. Head to The Corner Hotel on Sunday August 5, with doors from 7.30pm. Tickets go on sale today.
Beat Magazine Page 16
SMASHING PUMPKINS Following the record sellout of this year’s Splendour in the Grass, The Smashing Pumpkins have announced their Melbourne sideshow. The Pumpkins will also be debuting a unique stage design in Australia, created to reflect the visual themes to go along with the full presentation of their new album Oceania, which is set for release on Friday June 22. Speaking of the new show, frontman Billy Corgan noted Australia as being the perfect place to usher in a new era for the band, where they look to combine an epic rock show with the latest in visual mapping technology, to create a one of a kind experience for fans. They'll also be joined by none other than Wolfmother. The Smashing Pumpkins play at Hisense Arena on Thursday August 2.
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HOT TALK
THE BIGGEST IN INTERNATIONAL & NATIONAL NEWS
MONEY FOR ROPE Money For Rope know how to rock a crowd, the only thing that matches the energy of the audience is that of the band itself. The jaw-dropping energy of two drumkits, two guitars, a bass, four voices and keys command the response of an electrified room. To coincide with the release of their new single the band will be bringing their electrifying show to The Curtin on Friday May 18. Adding to the party vibes will be the explosively catchy rock‘n’roll of Royston Vasie, who are on par with Money for Rope in ability to get a room stompin’, and The Staffords. Tickets on sale now through the venue.
YELLOWCARD CONVICT PARADISE Convict Paradise is a special presentation of folk ballads informed and inspired by Australian criminal histories. Melbourne bands Miserable Little Bastards, McAlpine’s Fusiliers, Taylor Project and Underlander will premier new ballads at a special event being held at the Old Melbourne Gaol. Specially commissioned original songs and a handful of re-imagined traditionals will headline the proceedings with the night also containing the launch of Convict Paradise, a special collaborative split CD documenting the project. Tickets to this unique event are available through oldmelbournegaol.com.au, or by calling (03) 8663 7228.
DAVE LARKIN BAND After a brief touring jaunt with Cold Chisel in late 2011, the mighty Dave Larkin Band are back for one very special show at Phoenix Public House on Saturday June 2. The enigmatic Dallas Crane/Gun Street Girls frontman rolls ten years of songwriting gold it into one very rockin' outfit showcasing a stellar back catalogue and a swag of new gems from his forthcoming album. Managing to talk the very awesome and much loved 67 Special out of a long hiatus, the killer lineup can also boast Davey Lane (You Am I) running a few of his own pre-album solo hits as well. Limited edition presale T-Shirt Tickets (where you buy a T-shirt instead of a ticket) are now on sale at davelarkin.com.au and have been selling extremely well already. Regulation tickets are also available from davelarkin.com.au and phoenixpublichouse. com. Put this one in your diary folks. Local lineups don’t get much better than this.
Pop-punk rockers Yellowcard are putting the finishing touches on their yet-to-be-named eighth album and to coincide with the release the boys are returning to Australia for a string of special dates. After undergoing a two-year hiatus in 2008 the band reformed to release their seventh album, 2011's When You're Through Thinking, Say Yes. The band have been recording and touring since and now the LA five-piece are returning to tour our fair land. Yellowcard play The Hi-Hi on Friday September 21,with support coming from Sydney lads Heroes For Hire.
FIRE! SANTA ROSE, FIRE! Adelaide quintet Fire! Santa Rosa, Fire! and Brisbane's unearthed Founds are coming together for a series of shows through June. After appearances at last year's Peats Ridge Festival, 2012 has seen the two bands settle down to work hard on new releases; Founds' debut Hadean is due for release soon, while Fire! Santa Rosa, Fire! have been toiling towards the follow up to their 2010 album Sea Priest. Fire! Santa Rosa, Fire! and Founds will be playing The Workers Club on Friday June 22. For more info regarding tickets head to the Fire! Santa Rosa, Fire! or Founds Facebook, or The Workers Club website.
LANA DEL REY After selling out her first Palace appearance, hype-attractant chanteuse Lana Del Rey has announced a second show. Del Rey was set to perform in Melbourne back in March at the Toff in Town, however had to cancel plans due to album promotion commitments in the US. Del Rey's second show will be again at the Palace on Tuesday July 24, with tickets on sale now.
BROTHERS GRIM & THE BLUE MURDERS Off the back of a three month hiatus The Brother’s Grim & The Blue Murders are finally returning to their home town of Melbourne to unleash some tantalising new songs in their aptly titled Whole New Beast tour. With a successful year behind them including a sold-out album launch at The Corner Hotel, a sold out double bill at The Forum with Graveyard Train, months of relentless touring and playing an impressive bill of nationwide festivals and venues, the Brothers are back and are as energetic as ever. Catch the boys before they bunker down and start work on their new album, they’ll be playing a double feature at the Tote Hotel in Melbourne on the Friday May 18 and Saturday May 19. Tickets available through the venue.
AMERICA Classic rock stalwarts, America are set to hit our shores this September with founding members Gerry Beckley and Dewey Bunnell bringing their massive 42 year back catalogue to the Hamer Hall on Thursday September 6. The Grammy Award-winning band are set play all their hits including the likes of Ventura Highway, Tin Man, Daisy Jane, I Need You, Lonely People, Sister Golden Hair and of course their signature song A Horse With No Name. Don't miss the rare chance to see these perennial rockers strut their stuff, tickets available through Ticketmaster
PBS RADIO FESTIVAL It’s 2012 and Melbourne's airwaves are in danger of being suffocated by the bland oppressive miasma of mainstream radio. Every day music loving citizens of this city are subjected to playlisted, formulaic pop pulp, constant ad breaks, and loud, overbearing boom box voices. Who will champion the cause of the underground, the independent, and be the very grass roots of real music? PBS 106.7FM answers that call- defending people’s right to intelligent, authentic music radio, 24/7. This year’s PBS Radio Festival runs from Monday May 14 till Sunday May 27. Become a hero by signing up and crusading against all things mundane and middle of the road. PBS plays a broad, eclectic mix of music 24 hours a day. No set playlists – the music is chosen by real people who are passionate about the music they play and the genres the represent. By becoming a PBS member during this year’s Radio Festival, you are not only in the running to win some great prizes, but you are also actively supporting the huge team of weekly volunteers who operate the station. Your financial support gives back to the station that gives Melbourne so much and helps the musicians who rely on PBS for their art to flourish and survive. If you’re passionate about music from beyond the mainstream, join the defenders of independent radio and support PBS. CHECK OUT ALL THE LATEST NEWS, REVIEWS AND FREE SHIT AT BEAT.COM.AU
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PURE POP – STONEFIELD
THE VASCO ERA Don’t miss The Vasco Era’s last show ever – well just for 2012. Sid O’Neil is planning on expanding his mind, body and soul, by traipsing around Europe for the rest of the year. To celebrate his journey, The Vasco Era are throwing him a going away party. All friends past, present and future are invited. The band will be playing the Corner Hotel on Friday June 22 and will be joined by some special guests. All who attend will receive at least one free cuddle. Tickets are on sale from Thursday May 10.
NUDEST FUNK ORCHESTRA
PVT Highly acclaimed experimental band PVT are returning to Melbourne to play a special one-off show at Phoenix Public House on Thursday May 24. The boys have been missing in action in our city for a while, with the band touring the world extensively on the back of their third album, Church With No Magic. In what is set to be an intimate warm-up performance for their Vivid LIVE show the following night, the trio will be showcasing a selection of previously unheard tracks from their upcoming album. Tickets to this rare performance are available now through Moshtix.
What better way to spend your Sunday evenings than down at the Espy with a few drinks and some of Australia’s most respected names in music? Well they’re thrilled to announce the return of Nudist Funk Orchestra to the front bar stage every Sunday during May, along with the Dale Ryder Band, and Bad Boys Batucada. The goovalicious sound of the seven-piece Nudist Funk Orchestra comes from a mixture of fun live performance, lots of funky grooves, a dash of tasty playing, and a great vibe that keeps audiences coming back for more. The band were Espy Sunday residents for over a decade, and after a well earned break they’re back with renewed vigour and zest. NFO will be joined by the popular and talented Dale Ryder Band. Dale Ryder is best known for his lead vocals on all seven Boom Crash Opera albums, and continues to bring his wealth of experience and wide repertoire of style to the stage. As if that isn’t enough, Bad Boys Batucada will be joining this stellar lineup. Founded in the Latin quarter of Melbourne in 1993, they have become a unique musical institution. Their energetic performances and unusual fusion of Brazilian, reggae, funk, hip hop, and rock music has blown away audiences in all corners of the world. The fun continues this Sunday May 13, with free entry.
PAUL COLLINS New York City guitarist pop singer/songwriter Paul Collins, will return to Australia for a one off series of gigs this May. This musical legend is known for his collaboration in the creation of the song Hangin’ On The Telephone- originally recorded by his seminal ‘70s pop band The Nerves, then later covered by Blondie, to become their global breakthrough hit. Collins continued his notoriety by playing in The Breakaways before forming The Beat (or the American Beat as they were known in the ‘80s) and releasing the formidable power pop albums To Beat Or Not To Beat and The Kids Are The Same. Paul Collins plays The Tote on Saturday May 12 and the Caravan Club on Oakleigh on Sunday May 13.
The Australian sister act Stonefield will headline the allstar lineup at Raise The Roof at the Prince Bandroom on Friday May 11. If you have not yet seen this amazing, talented, and beyond their years Zappa/Hendrix/ Zeppelin influenced band, well rock fans, you better get to it. Pure Pop is possibly the only record store/cafe/live music venue in the world, and they have heaps of devoted local patrons to prove it. The beer is cold, the staff is friendly and the music is beyond awesome. However, in the recent past, noise restrictions and an early curfew were imposed and nary a drum kit has graced the stage in quite some time. And so, with all this in mind, store owner Dave Stevens, has decided to love his neighbours by enclosing and soundproofing the courtyard and stage to benefit future generations of popsters and pop stars. But he needs help raising the funds. Support on the night will be from Paul Kelly, Ron S Peno & The Superstition, Henry Wagons, The Underground Lovers, Charles Jenkins, Davey Lane, Alex Lashlie, Pony Face, Hamish Cowan (Cordrazine) and Chris Rusell’s Chicken Walk. Tickets are available online or at Pure Pop Records in St Kilda for $50+bf. Doors from 8pm.
60 SECONDS WITH…
SPEAK DIGITAL WATER
Define your genre in five words or less: Mez: Muddy – water – blues – sexy – rock. Bearing the terrible clichéd nature of this question, what do you reckon people will say you sound like? Mez: We get told late ‘80s early ‘80s rock, Nirvana gets thrown around a bit, Soundgarden, Alice In Chains, Rage Against The Machine. People say we have our own sound, but we definitely have elements of those bands. But it’s current – it’s now. What do you love about making music? Mez: What’s not to love about it, ha. It’s hard work but it’s worth it. I get to give my heart through music and share it with people who can relate. If one person decides that life is worth living ‘cause of one of our songs I will die a happy man. What do you hate about the music industry? Gav: Bands who get pissed off because they’ve been around for ten years and no-one comes to their shows....maybe write some decent songs. What’ve you got to sell CD-wise? Gav: We just finished our first studio recording. It’s a five-track EP called It Is Mine. Street Corner Prophet is on it and it’s also just gone up on iTunes. The CD is available too. When’s the gig and with who? Mez: The EP Launch is on Friday May 11 at Laundry in Fitzroy. We’ve got Sudden State, The Wire from Sydney and also The Good Kept Quiet on the bill. Jump on tickets through Oztix.
KIDS OF 88 New Zealand pop duo Kids of 88 have announced a Melbourne show in support of their new single Tucan, released today. After signing a major label deal and releasing their debut album Sugarpills in 2010, two years later Sam McCarthy and Jordan Arts are preparing album number two Modern Love. Tucan is the first single from the impending album and features the vocal help of fellow New Zealander Alisa Xayalith of The Naked and Famous. Kids of 88 will be playing the Esplanade Hotel’s Gershwin Room on Friday June 15.
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So, someone is walking past as you guys are playing, they then go get a beer and tell their friend about you... what do they say? Gav: I will never be happy again unless this band’s songs are on my iPod. Anything else to add? Gav: Make peace with your family, because regret tastes bitter on the deathbed. Mez: Yeah… what he said… rock on people!
Q&A SPLIT SECONDS Your Name: Sean Pollard Define your genre in five words or less: Lyrical pedal pop. So, someone is walking past as you guys are playing, they then go get a beer and tell their friend about you... what do they say? I’d like to think they’d say we sound like a bunch of bands but also nobody. Like a mix all of the acceptable British stuff from the late ‘90s early 2000s, good American bands like Spoon and The Walkmen, and also heroes like Paul Kelly and The Triffids. If they were to say that though, they’d be creepily descriptive and probably not so fun to have a beer with. So if they just said “pretty good” I’d also be happy. Which band would you most like to have a battle/ showdown with? Old mates Emperors from Perth, but it’d be a Dream Team battle and we’d tear them a new one. What do you think a band has to do these days to succeed? If I knew that I’d probably be doing it. It probably helps if they
can watch football together. Because if you can’t do that, there’s no hope. Name an interview question you wish someone would ask you, and answer it: Who is your all-time favourite Eagle? Well, it’d be a close call between Ben Cousins and Dean Cox. I’ve got a lot of love for Cuz, despite the obvious fuck ups. When he was at his best, nobody could touch him. It’s a shame that he’ll be remembered for the antics and not how great he was at football. But I think just for being an out and out long term hero, I’ll go for Coxy. Special mentions to Peter Matera and Beau Waters. For the record, my least favourite Eagle ever is Brent Staker. Total spud. If someone made a movie about your life, who would play you? It would be one of those Mumblecore movies, because nothing much goes on. I’d be played by that guy from the Secret Life Of Us who does the Hungry Jacks voiceovers. If you could go on tour with any band, who would it be? Underlights. Dreams really do come true. When’s the gig and with who? Northcote Social Club on Thursday May 10 and then Saturday May 12 at the Karova Lounge in Ballarat, both with Underlights. Anything else to add? Josh Kennedy > Chris Judd.
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OWL EYES With her new single Crystalised gently caressing the hearts and minds of local fans around the country, it seems that Melbourne can’t get enough of this girl. Back by popular demand, Owl Eyes has announced an extra Melbourne Show to launch Crystalised to her home town crowd. The Northcote Social Club will host Owl Eyes and much vaunted support band, Brisbane’s The Art of Sleeping on Tuesday May 22. Tickets are available now through Moshtix.
WINTER BALL 4 Ladies and Gentleman, hang onto your hats. It’s back, bigger and brighter than ever. Yep, that’s right folks, the annual Winter Ball fundraiser featuring Melbourne’s finest musicians and hosted by Charles Jenkins and The Zhivagos, is back at the Corner Hotel on Saturday July 21. Frantic preparations are now under way, and a dozen or so of the greatest singer/songwriter/ performers that this country has to offer will converge on the snowflake bedecked stage at the Corner Hotel to provide an incredible night of entertainment for your listening pleasure. Past Winter Ball performances are now the stuff of legend and the event has become an annual fixture on the Melbourne entertainment and social calendar. This year, money rasied is going to Support Act, who are a registered charity and nonprofit organisation dedicated to raising funds and providing relief and assistance with dignity, respect and compassion in times of medical/financial hardship to workers in the Australian music industry.
BOY IN A BOX Melbourne band Boy In A Box are set to bring their unique blend of punk rock to Revolver with a show on Wednesday May 16. The band have been hard at work on their new record but are set to take a break to Revolver’s weekly dose of rock’n’roll, Lost & Found. Joining them is Alex Anonymous, Holliava and Mercury White, tickets are available now through Moshtix.
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TOURING
WHO'S ON TOUR, WHERE AND WHEN
PROUDLY PRESENTS:
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INTERNATIONAL THE DARKNESS Palace Theatre May 9 WAVVES Corner Hotel May 9 FRANK TURNER AND THE SLEEPING SOULS The Espy May 10 THE MOUNTAIN GOATS The Toff In Town May 9, Corner Hotel May 10 dEUS Corner Hotel May 12 PRINCE Rod Laver Arena May 14, 15, 30 PUBLIC ENEMY The Espy May 17 KAISER CHIEFS Palace Theatre May 16 THE MACABEES The Hi-Fi May 16 MUTEMATH Corner Hotel May 15, 17 NICKI MINAJ Hisense Area May 18 NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK/BACKSTREET BOYS Rod Laver Arena May 18, 19 BRIAN JONESTOWN MASACRE The Forum Theatre May 19 FLORENCE AND THE MACHINE Rod Laver Arena May 20 BARRY ADAMSON Corner Hotel May 23 S CLUB 7 The Palace May 23 VIVID LIVE Sydney May 25 - June 3 MY BRIGHTEST DIAMOND Northcote Social Club May 28 YOUNG GUNS The Hi-Fi May 30 LIGHT ASYLUM Phoenix Public House June 1 SIMPLE PLAN Festival Hall June 2 ZOLA JESUS The Toff In Town June 2, June 3 ALBARE Melbourne Recital Centre June 5 SISTER SLEDGE The Hi-Fi June 7 REEF Billboard June 8 EAST 17 Trak June 8 TRAIN The Palais June 9 MARK KOZELEK The Toff In Town June 9, Phoenix Public House June 11 THE BLACK SEEDS Corner Hotel June 15 LIL’ BAND O’ GOLD The Regal Ballroom June 27, 27, The Espy June 29 LADY GAGA Rod Laver Arena June 27, 28, 30, July 1, 3 FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS The Plenary July 14 GOATWHORE Corner Hotel July 6 SIMONE FELICE The Corner Hotel July 11 THE TEA PARTY The Palais Theatre July 14 MELISSA ETHERIDGE The Plenary July 15 THE SHINS Festival Hall July 23 LANA DEL REY Palace Theatre July 23, 24
HOWLER, ZULU WINTER The Corner Hotel July 24 THE AFGHAN WHIGS The Hi-Fi July 25 FRIENDS Northcote Social Club July 25 MICHAEL KIWANUKA & BEN HOWARD The Corner Hotel July 25 JACK WHITE Festival Hall July 25 BAND OF SKULLS The Corner Hotel July 26 METRIC Billboard July 27 MUDHONEY The Corner Hotel July 27 FATHER JOHN MISTY The Corner Hotel July 28 SPLENDOUR IN THE GRASS Belongil Fields Byron Bay July 27 – 29 DJANGO DJANGO, CAST OF CHEERS The Corner Hotel July 31 ELECTRIC GUEST Northcote Social Club August 1 SMASHING PUMPKINS Hisense Arena August 2 MARK GARDENER The Corner Hotel August 5 THE ENGLISH BEAT Corner Hotel August 30 AMERICA Hamer Hall September 6 HANSON The Palace September 14, 18 R KELLY To be announced WHEATUS Corner Hotel September 19 YELLOWCARD The Hi-Fi September 21 CANNIBAL CORPSE Billboard October 5 JOE BONAMASSA Palais Theatre October 11 THE BLACK KEYS Sidney Myer Music Bowl October 31 RADIOHEAD Rod Laver Arena November 16, 17 GEORGE MICHAEL Rod Laver Arena November 21
NATIONAL BEN WELLS & THE MIDDLE NAMES The Toff In Town May 9 KIMBRA Palais Theatre May 9 SPLIT SECONDS Northcote Social Club May 10 CALLING ALL CARS The Hi-Fi May 11 JOSH PYKE The Forum May 11 MICK THOMAS The Regal Ballroom May 11 DANIEL MERRIWEATHER Phoenix Public House Saturday May 12 CATCALL Toff In Town May 12 LEADER CHEETAH Northcote Social Club May 19 BOY & BEAR The Hi-Fi May 20 CLAG The Tote May 20
THE MACABEES THE HI-FI MAY 16 PROUDLY PRESENTS:
MUDHONEY THE CORNER HOTEL JULY 27 PVT Phoenix Public House May 24 TIJUANA CARTEL Northcote Social Club May 24 TUMBLEWEED The Tote May 25, 26 LANIE LANE Corner Hotel May 26, 27, 28 TEMPER TRAP The Forum May 29, 30 TZU Corner Hotel June 1 GRAVEYARD TRAIN The Hi-Fi June 1, 2 THE JEZABELS Festival Hall June 1 THE MISSION IN MOTION The Tote June 2 MATT CORBY The Forum June 6 BONJAH Corner Hotel June 8 THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT The Hi-FI June 8 DEEP SEA ARCADE Phoenix Public House June 8 THE HARD-ONS The Tote June 9 360 The Hi-Fi June 15 NICKY BOMBA Thornbury Theatre June 15 MISSY HIGGINS Her Majesty’s Theatre June 16 MUSCLES The Bottom End June 16 THE VASCO ERA The Corner Hotel June 22
FIRE! SANTA ROSE, FIRE! The Workers Club June 22 NED COLLETTE & WIREWALKER Northcote Social Club June 23 BUSBY MAROU The Corner June 28 CHARGE GROUP The Tote June 29 BOB DYLAN TRIBUTE TOUR Palais Theatre July 5, 6 KARNIVOOL The Hi-Fi July 5, 6, 7 LADYHAWKE Billboard July 17 YOUTH LAGOON The Corner Hotel July 29 KATE MILLER-HEIDKE Corner Hotel August 24 HILLTOP HOODS Festival Hall August 25
RUMOURS That Benge’s ding dong is hidden somewhere in these very pages. = New Announcements = Beat Proudly Presents
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Beat Magazine Page 20
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Beat Magazine Page 21
KAISER CHIEFS BY CALLUM FITZPATRICK
Few bands are able to strike the balance between cult indie status and commercial viability quite as well as Kaiser Chiefs have. Ever since they detonated onto the scene with 2005’s Employment, the quintet have amassed in excess of six million album sales globally, and have become seasoned veterans of the festival circuit. Yet with all their success and radio-friendly, chant-able choruses, the band has still managed to maintain its credibility as an outfit to be taken very seriously indeed. Their new collection of singles, SOUVENIR: The Singles 2004 – 2012, illustrates this perfectly, but is this the end of a chapter for the likely Leeds lads, or the beginning of a new one? Chief bass player Simon Rix says the band have managed to avoid crossing the daunting line into popcheese through a constant awareness of musical integrity, which stems from their working-class upbringing and British heritage. “I think that being from Leeds, and from the north of England in general, really helps because there seems to be an understanding of what’s good, bad and cheesy,” Simon croaks with a harshness he accredits to his visit to Cherry Bar the previous night. “Even though some people might think that we play bland indie music, I really don’t think that’s the case. From the very start, all the way to our latest release, we’ve always tried to have a lot of interesting stuff going on in the music and we always try out new ideas and sounds, as well as keeping things engaging in a lyrical sense. There’s nothing more boring than churning out another album and song that sounds like the last. You’ve got to keep it interesting.” The Kaisers are famously good at writing the classic British 45. If for some reason Oh My God, and Ruby didn’t push your buttons, chances are, Never Miss A Beat did. But what’s the secret behind being able to output killer hooks and infectious choruses on demand? “I think we have always liked playing gigs where everybody is singing along and having a great time. Over the last eight years, we have done millions of festivals and I think that’s one of the main things we imagine when we’re writing and rehearsing for new records. We ask ourselves ‘what is it going to be like when we’re playing it in front of 60,000 people at Glastonbury?’” Renowned for their explosive energy on stage, touring has taken the Chiefs to all corners of the globe, however they haven’t lost sight of their roots – there has always been something incredibly British and working class that has run through the spine of the outfit – all the way to the iconic image of a stick of rock adorning the front of this latest compilation. Sonically, they have openly borrowed from UK new wave and ‘60s beat bands, and their lyrics often surround witty and cynical observations which question the state of society or drop UK-specific pop culture references. Simon says this is a trait the band has “shied away from in recent times”, but was especially prominent in the group’s early years. “I think that at the beginning, we played on the British thing a lot. There were a lot of American bands like The Strokes and The White Stripes around, so we were a reaction to that – we wanted to do something different. But later on, it was just a case of realising that it’s just the way we are – we’re British and we like to bring a bit of Beat Magazine Page 22
northern humour into our lyrics.” Now, eight years down the track, the group have the release of SOUVENIR: The Singles 2004 – 2012 on the horizon – a collection of anthems which showcase the band’s extensive and successful singles career to date. “Ricky (Wilson, lead singer) is moving house at the moment, and he was saying that he’s been cleaning out his old attic and found loads of cool stuff that he’d forgotten about, and at the end of it, it was a really nice experience,” Simon explains. “That’s what Souvenir is like to us. It’s like a celebration of what we’ve achieved over the last few years, with some of our biggest songs, all put in one place for people who might not have bought all four albums.” However, he’s quick to point out that it’s strictly a compilation of singles and not a greatest hits, which would feature a completely different array of tunes. “It’s a funny thing for a band to do a singles collection of a greatest hits thing in the middle of their career, but it just seemed like we had more than enough stuff so it felt like a good time. After this, we’re just going to keep going. “Even though the mass public probably won’t notice the difference, for us, a greatest hits is something you do at the end of your career. This just seemed to be logical because we have a collection of singles, but we also have a couple of new songs we’re releasing.” These two new tracks, On The Run and Listen To Your Head could be some of the Chiefs’ finest and most ambitious work to date. “We really wanted to make sure these were on an album,” Simon explains. “It’s weird because even though the music industry is suffering and record sales are down, people are still buying albums. If you put a song out on its own, just to stick it on the radio, it gets a bit lost really. We think that the two new songs are really good, especially Listen To Your Head – I think that’s one of our best songs ever. We played it in the set and it sounded it immense straight away, so we thought it would be a waste to just release it on its own.” Kaiser Chiefs as we know them have been around for the best part of a decade, but the group also experienced moderate success as their earlier incarnation: Parva. However, Parva were later dropped by their record label – a setback which Simon says increased the resilience of the band and helped them to be savvier when dealing with the savage nature of the music industry. “Back in the days of Parva, it was all our dreams coming true; we got signed and went on tour. But then it finished
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very abruptly,” he remembers. “I said that if we were going to continue being in a band just to gig around Leeds on a part time basis, we had to do it for the love of the music – we couldn’t copy anyone, or try and be successful or commercial, we just needed to love and enjoy it. Ironically, it finally worked when we didn’t try to force it. It’s like as soon as we relaxed and resigned to the fact that success will happen if it’s meant to, that’s when we wrote some amazing tunes like Oh My God and The Modern Way. Then we got more ambitious and decided to try and make it happen. We all believed we could make it in the end. It was sheer persistence.” Success came quickly for the boys – almost too quickly, as this sudden plunge into stardom eventually took its toll, causing the quintet to take a two-year hiatus in 2009. “We didn’t really have a gap between working in jobs and doing the band as a hobby, to 2009 where we had been constantly touring for five years and three albums down the line,” Simon recalls. “We just needed a break to hang out with our girlfriends and family and live a bit of normal life. But not only that, we needed time to take it all in. I think the big difference between when we stopped and when we came back was that we had had some time to realise what had really happened. It wasn’t until 2009 that I realised that I didn’t need to think about getting another job as a barman or something. I was going to be in a band. This is it.” And Simon confesses that there are events in the period leading up to the hiatus which were lost in the flurry of a hectic touring schedule or drowned in a drunken haze, which the band are still piecing together. “Recently, I found a video on YouTube of us opening The Brit Awards and playing I Predict A Riot. I had literally, completely forgotten about it. I was watching myself playing on stage, but I couldn’t remember any of it. I found myself thinking about other, bigger bands like AC/DC, who have had an amazing career, way longer than ours, and probably with much more rock‘n’roll excess. If I’ve forgotten so much stuff, they must have had years that have just disappeared. “For us, it was probably a combination of drunkenness and being so busy back then, but it was also another reason we realised we needed a break. Brilliant things happened every day that we just took for granted and forgot about. I think now we appreciate what we have a lot more, which is good.” Coming back from this extended break was never going to be easy, and this was why the innovative release of fourth studio album, The Future Is Medieval, (which allowed fans to select ten tracks from a collection of 23, customise the cover art, and share their version of the album, pocketing £1 for every time it was sold) injected a much needed spirit back into the band. “We liked touring and making records but for some reason we weren’t that inspired to get on with it. We were probably just being a bit lazy and burnt out. We were bored with the idea of just doing another CD, then going on tour and doing the same thing we’d done before. It was important for us to try and do something different. “We had an idea which was ambitious and really quite hard. It required technology that didn’t exist, secrecy, and lots of songs and creativity. It was a huge challenge and that’s what has got us right back into it.” KAISER CHIEFS play the Palace Theatre on Wednesday May 16. SOUVENIR: The Singles 2004 – 2012 will be out on Friday May 11 via Liberation.
MEET LUCKY
PROUDLY MADE IN MELBOURNE
Lucky Duck Cider
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Beat Magazine Page 23
THIS WEEK: ON SCREEN
Fascinated by the robotic systems of Japanese culture? Excited by the table-sized menus in restaurants and pictures of bento boxes? If this and more makes the ends of your limbs tingle then Cinema Nova has what you’re after; an enlightening documentary on Ono Jiro, Tokyo’s most famous sushi maker. Head down to Carlton to view the impeccable presentation of each sushi creation and Jiro’s meticulous training of his employees. Afterwards, head next door and grab a bento box. Jiro’s Dreams Of Sushi is currently showing at Cinema Nova. Jump online to grab session times.
ON STAGE
Always exciting and always eccentric, La Mama does not disappoint with its latest production, Miracle Man. Join Derek, a man who experiences a miracle, name change (Shanti) and spiritual enlightenment in India and unfortunately, ends up worshipping an ordinary guy who likes magic tricks and hairspray. A story about finding something to believe in, Miracle Man is a humorous show for all audiences drawing on spiritual seeking and ignorant bliss. It’s currently showing at La Mama in North Carlton.
ON DISPLAY Flinders Lane Gallery is currently exhibiting Back to the Room, a celebration of well-worn surfaces, stripped paint and ripped wallpaper. Ngaio Lenz unveils and unravels the layers of decaying surfaces through his use of de-collaging, combining vintage wallpapers, paint, inks and waxes. Each of the pieces are titled as common Victorian names which aim to suggest ownership of the rooms allowing the viewer to become engaged with Victorian history. Definitely worth a look if you have ever wondered about past tenants or have been inspired to strip the paint off your walls like a contestant on The Block. Back to the Room will be showcased at Flinders Street Gallery until Saturday May 26.
BEAT’S PICK OF THE WEEK:
Take your mamma to Fred Williams’ Infinite Horizons exhibition at NGV this Mother’s Day. Treat the woman who made your lunch, treated your lice and made you wear corduroys ‘till you started high school to a free ticket on Sunday May 13. Get her in for free and then gaze at Fred Williams’ excellect exhibition, a collection of the renowned Australian artist’s greatest abstract landscapes of Victoria, Tasmania and Western Australia. Definitely better than a Body Shop collection of vanilla hand creams, definitely cheaper than high tea at the Langham – a free trip to the Nation Gallery will bring a bigger smile to your mum’s face than the time you got 1st place at school sports. NGV Mother’s Day special offer is valid from 10am–5pm on Sunday May 13. Mums receiving free admission must be accompanied by at least one paying visitor.
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THE AUSTRALIAN POPS ORCHESTRA BY SIOBHAN ARGENT
John Foreman is the well-known conductor of numerous on-screen orchestras including those seen on Australian Idol, Young Talent Time and the Logies. However, he sometimes has to play the rather unfortunate role of ‘fall guy’. While he has produced Anthony Callea’s The Prayer, was musical director on Bert Newton’s Good Morning Australia and wrote a song (sung by Tina Arena) for the 2000 Olympic Games, taking the top conducting job sometimes means getting stuck in the middle of some awkward situations. “Whenever the orchestra starts to play under a speechmaker at an awards night, I think there’s a bit of a ‘shoot the messenger’ philosophy that applies to the audience and to the person making the speech… The person making the speech assumes that the orchestra is bored and wants to get rid of them, whereas most likely it’s the director who’s up in the truck, who has then instructed the orchestra to play them off.” Foreman comes across as a charming and surprisingly modest subject in our interview. Yet modesty is an unreliable indicator of success; both he and Todd McKenney feature in the advertisements promoting their upcoming collaboration with Chloe Dallimore (from the musical Annie) in two Australian Pops Orchestra performances at Crown Casino, on Friday May 18 and Saturday May 19. Ever the professional, Foreman is eager to heap praise on his co-star. “After watching [McKenney] on Dancing with the Stars, I have to admit I got a little apprehensive about working with him.” Foreman admits. “I thought he might bring the grumpy judge attitude into work with him, but I’m thrilled to be able to report that he’s actually a great guy and lots of fun to work with…I’m really looking forward to working with him again.” It’s difficult to perceive Foreman in a bad light; somehow, he manages to be honest without ever being impolite, most likely a skill honed after years working in the media industry. Take, for example, his deliciously astute observations about piano brands when he notes, “I have a little Yamaha baby grand… They’re kind of like the Toyota or Ford of pianos. You know exactly what you’re going to get. Every
Ford Fiesta is the same as every other Ford Fiesta with the exception of the colour or the leather trim or whatever…But you know what you’re going to get.” Like any good conductor, Foreman knows that the focus should always remain on entertainment. “[My challenge] is bringing all the elements together…to navigate our way through quite a diverse range of music that will be everything from pieces like Clair de Lune, the beautiful [Claude] Debussy orchestral piece, to Todd McKenney, who will most likely be singing I Go to Rio or I Still Call Australia Home from The Boy From Oz. So there’s quite a range of musical styles there, but I think that’s what is essential to keep the audience entertained.” While Foreman is usually in the thick of the musical action, he does occasionally get to enjoy the fruits of his labours from a more relaxed perspective, such as when he composed a song for the Olympics called The Flame. “On the [opening night of the 2000 Olympics] I was sitting in the audience watching the whole thing happen, hoping that nobody fell over and forgot the words,” he says. “It wasn’t actually until about ten minutes after the song was performed that I got a little text from my friend saying, ‘I’m over here in London and I just saw your song on the BBC’—that’s when it hit me that [the Olympics] was such an incredible thing to be a part of.” Of course, the glamour of conducting an orchestra on live television has obvious appeal to outsiders. But the elements that go unnoticed are, in Foreman’s situation, the parts that remain the most crucial. As a seasoned live-television conductor, Foreman is well aware of the potential for disaster and hence
“THERE’S QUITE A RANGE OF MUSICAL STYLES THERE, BUT I THINK THAT’S WHAT IS ESSENTIAL TO KEEP THE AUDIENCE ENTERTAINED.”
constantly alert for anything that might feed the blooper reel. “Television is a bit of a microscope,” he says. “Any small blunders that you might get away with in a live environment—where you’ve got an audience there— you would never get away with in close-up [when] everything is there for all to see. And it’s also there permanently now, with YouTube and the media that surrounds that on the internet. If you make a mistake people will gleefully put it up on the internet and it will be there for all time.” With something like the Logies, the danger is magnified. “My great fear there is we’re going to mess with the order of the play-ons and play Home and Away when it’s really Neighbours that’s required. Or to play A Current Affair when the ABC has just won an award. Thankfully that has not happened so far, in all the years that I’ve done that show. That’s one particular show that keeps all of the orchestra on their toes.” One can only hope that there’ll be no speechmakers or play-ons to handle with the Australian Pops Orchestra. The Australian Pops Orchestra will be performing with Todd McKenney, John Foreman and Chloe Dallimore at The Palms Crown Casino on Friday May 18 and Saturday May 19. Tickets are on sale via Ticketek.
FREE SHIT SEVEN STORIES
Discarding the common understanding of cheesy-smiling, top-hatted magicians wearing flash jackets, Vyom Sharma’s Seven Stories embraces a seamless blend of magic and theatre. Tales of love, fear and nostalgia are underscored with elegant illusions inspired by these stories. Seven Stories is magic but not as you’d expect. We have some double passes to give away.
BRING BACK THE SHOWGIRL
Presented by Miss Burlesque World Cassandra Jane, who hails from Melbourne, Bring Back the Showgirl infuses the art of the traditional showgirl with the beauty of the new wave big burlesque into one glittery, glamorous and sexy show. Showcasing award-winning Australian performers, Bring Back the Showgirl is reminiscent of the tradition of old Hollywood and Parisian clubs. It’s on for one show only in Melbourne at Thornbury Theatre on Friday May 11 and we’ve got some tickets to give away. Clickety-clack onto beat.com.au for your chance to win.
ARTS NEWS, REVIEWS, INTERVIEWS ONLINE – BEAT.COM.AU/ARTS
Vyom Sharma
Part One MAY 19–27
AIN’T NO PARTY LIKE A NEXT WAVE PARTY OPENING NIGHT
HOUSE PARTY The Australian Shakespeare Company
“The better part of valour is discretion” (Photo Ross Williams as Falstaff)
16-26 MAY 2012 Athenaeum Theatre BOOK ticketek.com.au | PHONE 1300 795 012 shakespeareaustralia.com.au
THE SUPER-DEF, THROW-DOWN JIZZAM OF THE YEAR FOOTSCRAY COMMUNITY ARTS CENTRE FRIDAY 18 MAY, 6:30PM TIL LATE FREE ENTRY, CHEAP DRINKS, GOOD TIMES
Directed by Glenn Elston
WAKE UP PARTY WESTSPACE, LEVEL 1/225 BOURKE STREET, MELBOURNE
WEDNESDAY 23 MAY, 7PM TIL LATE, FREE
FRESH PRODUCE QUEEN VICTORIA MARKET, QUEEN ST, MELBOURNE SUNDAY 27 MAY, 8–10:30PM FREE
NEXTWAVE.ORG.AU CHECK OUT ALL THE LATEST NEWS, REVIEWS AND FREE SHIT AT BEAT.COM.AU
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THE COMIC STRIP FELIX BAR COMEDY
With Tyson Wray. Got news, gossip, reviews, thoughts, tip-offs, complaints, hate mail? Email tyson@beat.com.au or send by ESP before Friday.
BRUCE MATHISKE
BIG KIDS CRACKING NIGHT OUT Scienceworks is fucking awesome, but as you know, kids are dicks. They’re always pushing and biting your ankle and whatnot. Sometimes you wonder if Scienceworks would also be great with just adults, especially because when adults lose to Cathy Freeman in that simulated race, we can emotionally deal with the realisation that we’re talentless losers. Kids – not so much. They take it out on our ankles.Well, let your inner child run wild with Wallace & Gromit at the Big Kids Cracking Night Out at Scienceworks. Journey through a world of amazing inventions and take on the role of an apprentice inventor to create everything from household tools to logos. Enjoy the spectacular visuals of the Melbourne Planetarium with Scienceworks’ resident astronomer, be dazzled by the Fire and Light show in the Lightning Room and play with lasers in the Playing with Light exhibition – all without kids nibbling on our fucking ankles! Beer, wine, soft drink and food are available for purchase on the night. Big Kids Cracking Night Out is on at Scienceworks in Spotswood on Saturday May 26. Tickets $26 for adults, $20 concession, students and MV Members, and $44 billion dollars for kids. Tickets from museumvictoria.com.au/scienceworks
CAMILLE O’SULLIVAN You know that you must be doing something right when the Daily Telegraph says, “When she sings it’s as though her breath is soaked in paraffin; one spark, and the whole room would ignite.” IrishFrench chanteuse Camille O’Sullivan is heading to Melbourne next month to perform her “cabaret as black art”. Known for entrancing audiences around the world, performing five-star sell-out shows at the Sydney Opera House and London’s Festival Hall, as well as appearing on Later with Jules Holland, Camille has done nothing but leave her audiences wanting more. Prepare to be captivated as Camille O’Sullivan heads to the Melbourne Recital Centre on Saturday June 23.
NOCTURNAL TRANSMISSIONS: THE CINEMA OF GUY MADDIN The Australian Centre of the Moving Image is pleased to announce it’s latest collection it’s Focus On series, Nocturnal Transmissions: The Cinema of Guy Maddin. The retrospective includes selfcurated works by Maddin and the Australian premiere of his latest film, Keyhole. The collection sees the presentation of films Maddin insists be watched together and a special Friday the 13th special which including the double-billing of Dracula-Pages from a Virgin’s Diary and Brand Upon the Brain! A fascinating collection for Maddin fans and those who are unacquainted with his distinctive David-Lynch reminiscent style. Showing at ACMI from Thursday July 5 to Friday July 27.
Internationally recognised as a maestro of the guitar, Bruce Mathiske is getting ready to take his glorious strumming cross country with his GuitarUoso Australian Tour. With a career spanning three decades, Bruce has delighted audiences worldwide with not just a phenomenal level of technical brilliance, but with his seemingly instinctive ability to absorb, then consummately deliver just about any style of music that one could think of. He is the chameleon of guitar. He’s a home-grown talent, and one that should be embraced by all. Experience the brilliant talent of Bruce Mathiske as he brings his Guitar-Uoso performance to Chapel Off Chapel on Saturday May 19. Tickets from Chapel Off Chapel.
ELEMENTS OF GERTRUDE The late Whitney Houston once sang “the children are our future, let them lead the way.” With this in mind, it’s time for us to get behind our country’s future leaders as La Trobe University event management students presents Elements of Gertrude – a fundraising event to create awareness and support the community projection sites of Arts Access Victoria and Fitzroy Learning Network at the Gertrude Street Projection Festival in 2012. Like any good event, Elements of Gertrude has everything that a good festival should have – clothes, tunes and food. A great opportunity to swap clothes you’re over, listen to some tunes and help out the Projection Festival, head to The Workers Club for Elements of Gertrude on Sunday May 13, 4pm.
TOP ACTS VCE is no easy feat, but it’s always good to have a bit of fun with it. The Top Acts concert showcases the works of some of Victoria’s most exceptional emerging performers. The pinnacle of the annual VCE Season of Excellence, Top Acts is a one-night extravaganza of the very best in performing arts, showcased in the opulent surrounds of St Kilda’s iconic Palais Theatre. 40 performers have been selected as a representative sample from over 170 performing arts students who wowed audiences in the Top Class concert series earlier in the year – 11 concerts showcasing exemplary soloists and group musicians, dancers, composers, actors and singers. Have a top night out as Top Acts heads to Palais Theatre on Friday May 25, 7.30pm. Tickets through Ticketmaster.
AUSTRALIAN POPS ORCHESTRA You know the dude from Dancing With The Stars that was found unconscious from too much alcohol on a Sydney park bench? And the guy that sounds like Kermit The Frog who composes stuff? Yeah, Todd McKenney and John Foreman. Well, they, along with Chloe Dallimore are getting together for this year’s Australian Pops Orchestra. Known as the people’s orchestra, the Australian Pops Orchestra presents music for the people. Offering a contemporary take on popular classical music as well as popular contemporary numbers, the orchestra appeals to young and old. Hell, you might just want to go to see if Todd McKenney gets wasted and passes out again. With only two shows, The Australian Pops Orchestra will be held at the Palms at Crown on Friday May 18 and Saturday May 19. Head to ticketek.com.au for tickets.
BRING BACK THE SHOWGIRL Presented by Miss Burlesque World Cassandra Jane, who hails from Melbourne, Bring Back the Showgirl infuses the art of the traditional showgirl with the beauty of the new wave big burlesque into one glittery, glamorous and sexy show. Showcasing award-winning Australian performers, Bring Back the Showgirl is reminiscent of the tradition of old Hollywood and Parisian clubs. It’s on for one show only in Melbourne at Thornbury Theatre on Friday May 11, 8pm.
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CHECKPOINT CHARLIE COMEDY
HITLER: THE TRAGEDY OF GELI RAUBAL Melbourne’s acclaimed writer, poet and painter – Enzo Condello – is the author of Hitler: The Tragedy of Geli Raubal, a production centred on Adolf Hitler and the intense tragic love affair with his half niece Geli Raubal. Enzo, whom was describe by Melbourne Stage as “Shakespearean in scope,” was inspired by Enzo’s brother Mario after he read about it in German history and told him “this would make a great play”. He suggested the story to Enzo two months before Mario’s own tragic death. Geli Raubal could have changed the course of history. She was Hitler’s half niece. Hitler was deeply infatuated with her, and desired to marry her in 1931 but she took her own life before he had the chance to give her all of his. Geli Raubal was a high minded, devout Catholic who could easily have influenced him as he was madly in love with her. She is reported to have said to her friend ‘’I can twirl him round my little finger”. The marriage could have made Hitler a more moderate politician, and World War II may have been averted and 60 million lives saved. The play runs from Thursday May 17 to Saturday June 2, 8pm. Tickets via Bella Union.
NICOLAS ALTSTAEDT Love classical music or just an avid fan of the cello? Allow your heart to flutter as multi-award winning cellist Nicolas Altstaedt dons his musical glory on our city for one night of cello magic. Making his Australian National Academy of Music debut, the celebrated soloist has performed around the globe with many other high class classical performers, including Gidon Kremer, Daniel Hope, Yuri Bashmet and Pekka Kuusisto among many others. Be transported to a world of musical magic as Nicolas Altstaedt presents Nicolas Altstaedt Directs at ANAM on Friday June 8. Tickets available from anam.com.au.
STARCHASER On Saturday June 2, adults, teenagers and children alike will be delighted and mesmerised by Christian Leavesley’s latest production of Starchaser, a story of adventure, hope and curiosity. The play is an adaption of Larry Katz, renowned Australian children’s writer. Join the Arena Theatre Company through time and space and colourful costumes and cast on Saturday June 2 at the Arts Centre. Head to artscentre.melbourne.com.au to purchase tickets.
MACBETH Bell Shakespeare presents the claustrophobic and mad story of Macbeth, the first production for the 2012 season. Featuring two of Australia’s most exciting stage actors, Dan Spielman as Macbeth and Kate Maulvany as his power-hungry wife. Tyranny, guilt and violence come alive in this re-work innovative, exciting take on the Shakespeare classic. Macbeth plays at the Arts Centre, Melbourne from Thursday June 7 – Saturday June 23. Jump online to get tickets.
Cheap piss and piss-cheap entry at the city’s best above-ground underground comedy room. Tonight, come fill yourself with $6 drinks and put your continence to the ultimate test as a host of Melbourne’s comedians spit funnies into the business end of a loud stick. Check in 8pm tonight at Eurotrash Bar, 18 Corrs Lane in the CBD. $5 entry. Get down early for a seat.
THE VARIETY COLLECTIVE The inmates have taken over the asylum tonight at the Variety Collective! Join comedian and host Michael Connell as he presents the finest nut bags currently shaking up Melbourne’s variety scene, such as: Beau Stegmann (comedian with some nutty points of view), Nick Kesidis (reality-warping magician), Dr Jolene Mindtrick (sexy German psychiatrist/cabaret artist) and David Jones (mindblowing cigar box juggler). Tickets are only $10 at the door, show starts at 8pm at the Brunswick Green (313 Sydney Rd in Brunswick). Get in early for a seat, get in earlier for a meal! Visit thevarietycollective.com for more details.
LOL COMEDY Building on the momentum of the wildly successful Melbourne International Comedy Festival, The Portland Hotel and The Local have launched a comedy series – LOL Comedy – featuring some of Australia’s best comedic talent. The idea was born from the recognition that Melburnians love live entertainment in intimate spaces, and that smaller venues have an opportunity to carve a niche during the winter months when festivals in Melbourne are few and far between. With Melbourne positioned as the live entertainment capital of Australia, they are confident that this new series will fill an entertainment gap and resonate with both locals and visitors alike. This week Tommy Little will take centre stage at The Portland this Wednesday night. Coming up next week they have Lehmo at The Local on Tuesday May 15.
COMMEDIA DELL PARTE This week Commedia Dell Parte brings you an absolute killer lineup featuring Xavier Michelides, Charles Barrington, Trav Nash, Fabian Lapham, Alan Driscoll, Milky T and Jay Morrissey. This is a night you don’t want to miss, get in early to secure yourself a comfy couch, see some amazing comedy and go into the draw for some great prizes from Punchline. The room runs on a ‘pay as you like’ basis, so come along and have a great laugh, then pay what you believe the show is worth on the way out. So if you enjoy the show chuck in a few sheckles and show your appreciation. Commedia Dell Parte runs every Thursday 8.30pm at George Lane Bar, 1 George Lane in St Kilda.
SOFTBELLY COMEDY This Thursday, they’ve got Australian comedy legend Simon Palomares (Wogs Out Of Work, Acropolis Now) as headliner! Plus a very, very special guest, along with Danny McGinlay, Elbowskin, Anne Edmonds and Jonathan Schuster! It’s all happening at Softbelly, 367 Little Bourke St in the city, this Thursday May 10, 8.30pm, for only $12! Get in early for a good seat!
COMEDY AT SPLEEN
MELBOURNE FRINGE FESTIVAL Calling all artists – have you got an idea for a show? The Melbourne Fringe Festival is one of Australia’s largest open-access events, which means that anyone can take part. All you need to do is sign up, pay a small fee, and then take advantage of various professional development forums and information sessions arranged by Melbourne Fringe to help artists get the most from their event. Now in its 30th year, the event constantly excels the benchmark as it showcases talent from Victoria’s diverse and thriving independent arts scene. In the words of James Brown – Get up offa’ that things, and dance (or perform) ‘til you feel better! Registrations for the 2012 Melbourne Fringe Festival open on Monday May 14.
Felix Bar is going great guns! Last week, Arj Barker dropped in! And tonight, their headliner is Simon Palomares! He’s been part of some of the biggest comedies in Australia, like TV’s Acropolis Now, and the stage’s Il Dago. Plus they’ve got Mark Trenwith, Michael Williams, Luke McGregor, Tegan Higginbotham and heaps more! Come down and check out the biggest night of comedy in St Kilda, every Wednesday night! It’s happening this Wednesday May 2 at 8.30pm for only $12, at Felix Bar, 11 Fitzroy St in St Kilda.
ROB MCNAMARA EXHIBITION Every year, field curates the Rob McNamara Exhibition, which includes mixed media works by artists with and without disability. The exhibition is held at Collingwood Gallery in Melbourne’s premier arts precinct. The artworks are shown without differentiation to promote and embody inclusiveness. field feels strongly about using the arts as an innovative way of engaging people in learning and development, and for personal growth and understanding. They choose themes to both inspire creativity and to encourage people – both artists and audience – to think deeply and perhaps differently. field is committed to creating a more inclusive society by encouraging a culture of learning, as was Rob McNamara; husband, father, disability activist and passionate Collingwood supporter. field is proud to name this exhibition after him. Entries close at 5pm on Friday June 22. Entry is free, and the exhibition will run from August 3-16 at Collingwood Gallery.
ARTS NEWS, REVIEWS, INTERVIEWS ONLINE – BEAT.COM.AU/ARTS
It’s always a great big night at Comedy at Spleen, and this Monday is no different! They’ve got awardnominated Michael Williams (the one with the funny pictures on the easel) as host, and he’s got another great lineup to play with! Like Michael Chamberlin, Karl Chandler, Anne Edmonds, Emily O’Loughlin, Mick Neven, Tom Gaynor and more! It’s this Monday, May 14, 41 Bourke St, in the city, at 8.30pm. It may be free, but they appreciate a good gold coin donation at the door.
FUNNY BUSINESS
The Australian Screen Editors Guild are hosting a discussion panel entitled “Funny Business: The Art Of Editing TV Comedy”. Come along and hear insights and explanations from three of Melbourne’s top editors who have edited shows such as Woodley, Lowdown, Thank God You’re Here and many others. Tuesday May 15, 7pm at Swinburne, 144 High St in Prahran. $10 or $5 for students.
JUDAH FRIEDLANDER Wacky hat slogan designer, actor and comedian Judah Friedlander has cancelled his stand-up show in Melbourne at The Comedy Theatre on Thursday May 10. Friedlander has cancelled his tour “indefinitely”, noting commitments in filming 30 Rock. For refunds, contact the point of purchase. We hope to see the World Champion of the World in our cities soon.
— 10pm m p 6
For one night only, the big kids are taking over Scienceworks! Tinker in Wallace & Gromit’s World of Invention exhibition, marvel at the stars in the Melbourne Planetarium, be dazzled in Lightning Room and more! Only $22 Adults, $20 Concessions — Book online at MUSEUMVICTORIA.COM.AU/WALLACEANDGROMIT
2 BOOKER STREET SPOTSWOOD
#WALLACEANDGROMIT
CHECK OUT ALL THE LATEST NEWS, REVIEWS AND FREE SHIT AT BEAT.COM.AU
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TWISTED SISTERS: BANDS & BURLESQUE! BY BELLA ARNOTT-HOARE
Many performance critics are guilty of making lazy, label-slapping generalisations, defining works with compounded titles and ‘exciting’ buzzwords. For whatever reason, burlesque is often a victim of these conjunctions: descriptions of the performances can rest on tired platitudes and new additions to the English language. Burlesquenoir? Neo-burlesque? Gorelesque? It’s a way of delving into the mysteries of the craft, making things easier to understand the absurd or confronting, but for Miss Nic Twisted Sisters, burlesque tries to resist definition. The burlesque seductress, coated in colourful tattoos and sporting a shock of brilliant blue hair, does work in an industry that lends itself to genre-redefining, and they’ve pulled together a show with some of Melbourne’s most stimulating performers to reflect that – including the recent winner of Mr Boylesque Australia, Raven – and Lady Bird, who dresses up in a giant vagina costume. “We got sick of having to conform,” the former go-go cage dancer says. “It’s basically a bunch of performers doing what we do best, and not giving a fuck what anybody else thinks. With the burlesque industry these days, we’re looking to broaden the expectations, because sometimes it gets a little bit vanilla. And performers that we have on the show really push the limits.” And push the limits they shall. Genitals seem to be a kind of fascination for the some of the acts. According to Nic, Lady Bird “did this show for Halloween where she was a vagina and it was bleeding, and she spat out a tampon and treated it like a baby. So you can imagine the sort of content in the show.” Her own style of performance uses shock tactics, she says, and shock theatrics: “really tacky but funny.” She likes to unnerve, and gets a kick out of seeing people’s responses to what she performs, sardonically attempting to affect their sensibilities. “I like to be able to walk out on stage and do something that somebody goes, ‘I can’t believe she just did that’. “I don’t necessarily call myself a burlesque performer anymore; I say entertainer. Because there’s elements of burlesque, but there’s also elements of parody and satire, vaudeville, mixed with all my shock theatrics and tactics. Sometimes I walk out on stage and you don’t know where I could be hiding things.” Was that
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an oblique reference to her ladyparts? “Possibly.” However, there are more reserved performances for the feint of heart. Raven’s work, The Show Must Go On, is a black-feathered fan dance that explores gender norms with his androgynous, feminine garb. The subversive style of these particular performances, with dark gothic tendencies and salacious intent, has been a way of gaining attention for Miss Nic, she says. “The burlesque scene is evolving. It’s no longer big head pieces and pretty costumes – you take burlesque and it’s parody. That’s essentially entertainment in its purest form. No one wants to be put on the bill with the same performances over and over and we all have our own little niche. We’re all such crazy performers and people remember our faces.“ And nothing is out of bounds for the troupe, poking fun at all sorts of institutions; religion and politics, with unusual props like blood and guts and chocolate toppings. Nic’s warning is ominous, likening the experience of the burlesque show to that lurching illness before a rollercoaster descends. Expect the unexpected, in other words. Which is all part of her modus to make audiences uncomfortable. “I know that I ruffle feathers, and I know that the other people ruffle feathers as well. So that’s why I picked those guys to jump on the bill. It’s like a car wreck, you shouldn’t look at it but you want to anyway. We’re all twisted in our own ways but it’s how the audience sees it and reacts as well. I’ve been performing with these guys for a couple of years now. We pass ideas onto each other because it’s the stuff that we want to see performed.“ Miss Nic then talks through her acts, in every particular gory detail. She’s got an act, she says, where
she’s dragged onstage in a body bag with a heart strapped to her chest and a liver strapped to her stomach. “I remember one of the shows I did to the Twin Peaks theme song was a contemporary dance out of a body bag, and I take the heart and I bite into it. As I was biting into it I look at an audience member, and I remember looking down and seeing another performer I know, Strawberry Siren, mortified. She was like ’UGH’.” Other things she regularly works into the show are peeling her skin off, and making people cry and feint.
ARTS NEWS, REVIEWS, INTERVIEWS ONLINE – BEAT.COM.AU/ARTS
These visceral performances are aided by special effects from the Victoria Market Butcher – a gore fiend’s best friend. With Kerry X and Betty Blood also billed for the show, as well as Hatchet Dawn and DJ Simon Quinn, it may be the most horror soaked striptease you’ve ever received. Twisted Sisters: Bands & Burlesque! is on at The Evelyn on Saturday May 12.
KINGSTON HARVEST FESTIVAL BY KATE MCCARTEN
For the vast realm of music that the term “country” seems to cover, the genre is hugely underrepresented in central Melbourne and other urban centres throughout this country. Head a few kilometres out from the skyscrapers and the hipsters though, and the folks are more than inclined to throwdown a hoedown every once in a while. This Saturday in Carrum, close enough even for the most city-slicking Melburnians to venture, the City of Kingston is playing host to the Kingston Harvest Festival. Celebrating the relaxing rural lifestyle of food, family and country music, Harvest Festival attempts to slow things down for a day so we can all take a deep breath and remember what’s important. After being forced to cancel the festival last year due to less than ideal weather conditions, Kingston Harvest Festival is attempting to get its groove back at this year’s event. Aside from 2011’s setback, the festival has gone from strength to strength since its inaugural event five years ago. Less than an hour from central Melbourne, Harvest feels a lot further removed from the bustle of the city than one might expect. Located in what city-folk would describe as a paddock, the festival embraces the ideals of peace, nature, self-sufficiency and community. Harvest attempts to prove that all you need to enjoy life is a good drink, a good meal, good people and great music. Punters will enjoy carnival rides and kids’ games, roving performers and a fire twirling show. However, the festival’s predominant focus is on two distinct but perhaps equally important factors of, not just rural living, but of millions of people’s daily lives in any locale: food and music. The word ‘harvest’ immediately brings to mind visions of fields, fresh food and family and, not surprisingly, Harvest Festival is committed to reviving the kitchen table as the hub of pleasure, culture, and community within a home. Festivalgoers can watch cooking demonstrations with local chefs, devour tables upon tables of food direct from the growers, and even participate in an old fashion bake-off if they dare. But of course, the stars of the day will no doubt be the amazing array of musicians filling the air with mandolins, harps and melancholy. From local folk act The Original Snakeskins to ex-INXS front man Jon Stevens, the eclectic lineup offers something for everyone. Australian country-music veteran Luke O’Shea will take the stage in the evening, and after the disappointment of the rained-out festival last year, he promises to bring his A-game to Carrum this time around. Luke O’Shea has been a regular fixture on the Australian country scene for coming on 15 years. After a musical stint overseas in his youth, O’Shea made the decision to move back to the place he loves. “It was a conscious decision to live here and raise my kids here and sing up Australia like it’s the centre of the universe. I don’t wanna pretend that I’m American or anything like that. This is it mate; this is home right here – and I’m gonna sing it up as best I can.” While the United States is renowned for having a massive country music industry, Australia’s passion for the twangs and the heartaches
“AS LONG AS THERE’S A GOOD STORY IN THERE THAT GETS YOUR HEART STRINGS, THEN IT’S COUNTRY TO ME.” of our cowboy counterparts seems, to a lot of people, almost non-existent. But, O’Shea protests, the passion for the music is prevalent once you get outside the city limits. “[Australians are] mainly coastal dwellers; we’re all in the cities,” Luke reasons. “Unfortunately you don’t really get a lot of country music played in the cities, but once you get out to the rural areas of Australia, you find that there’s a very strong community in country music.” Although Luke concedes that ‘country music’ is a very loose term, ranging anywhere from Keith Urban to Slim Dusty right down to Kasey Chambers, he has his own set of criteria to qualify what makes country music country music. “One thing that all country [music] does have, regardless of what instruments they play, is the story in the songs. As long as there’s a good story in there that gets your heart strings, then it’s country to me.” It seems O’Shea’s newest single fits that bill, as The Drover’s Wife has recently reached number four on the Country Music Radio Charts, which has been humbling for the experienced performer. He’s very much looking forward to getting down to Carrum this weekend to see what Victorians make of his new album by the same name. Taking the stage at 7pm with old friend and fiddle playing local Johnny Kendall, Luke intends to “strip it right back and just get into the heart of the matter of the story and the lyric. The songs aren’t your atypical country songs, but they’ve still got the message and the meaning in there. And you’ll walk away whistling hopefully.” You’ll also walk away with a new appreciation for Carrum, rural living, community and the earth if the Kingston Harvest Festival has its way. The day promises to bring people back to their roots. With music, food, fire shows and an all day bar, you can’t really go wrong. But as Luke O’Shea wisely points out, “these things can have all the best intentions in the world but unless there are bums on the seats and people supporting it, then they just can’t work.” So pull on your cowboy boots (14hole Doc Martens will do) and make it work, folks. Kingston Harvest Festival is on this Saturday May 12 from 11am at Roy Dore Reserve, Carrum.
ARTS NEWS, REVIEWS, INTERVIEWS ONLINE – BEAT.COM.AU/ARTS
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ROCK THE BALLET BY KATE MCCARTEN
In 2007, highly acclaimed and accomplished dancer Rasta Thomas took the potentially premature step of founding the uniquely male-dominant dance company, Bad Boys of Dance. Fast forward five years and Thomas’ ambitious endeavour continues to silence the sceptics; the company’s first show Rock the Ballet is still selling out crowds and wowing audiences all over the world. Having been given a few days off between tours in New York and the Caribbean, Thomas caught a breath to discuss bringing Rock the Ballet to Australia for the second time in his seemingly endless world tour. Being a particularly hyperactive kid, Rasta Thomas’ despairing father put him in every extracurricular activity he could think of: soccer, basketball, swimming, gymnastics, karate. “My father had that mentality; he felt that if I came home and I wanted to sleep then I couldn’t get into trouble, so he was all about putting me in these crazy activities.” Then, after playing up in one of his beloved karate lessons, Rasta was given the ultimate punishment: ballet classes. “I hated dancing for the first couple of years, and then seeing the attention that I was getting from my friends and my teachers, I kind of started liking it just because I was good at it,” Thomas recalls. As dancing became less and less of a punishment, Thomas began looking to the likes of Michael Jackson, Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire for reassurance. When Thomas finally decided that dancing could be cool, he became unstoppable: performing in over 20 dance companies from Russia’s Kirov Ballet to Japan’s K-Ballet, dancing at the Oscars and the White House, and showcasing his talent from Broadway all the way to Hollywood alongside dance demi-god, Patrick Swayze. It would take an entire page to list all of Thomas’ dancing achievements, but you get the idea. Like all dancers however, Rasta was still “only one injury away from unemployment”, as he so candidly puts it. So instead of waiting for age or injury to catch up with him, Thomas took the foresight and the initiative to found his own dance company while he was still
in his mid-twenties. Although unusual for a healthy dancer of his age, his decision to start a company is extremely logical. “I wasn’t quite sure what was going to happen when I stopped dancing,” Thomas reasons. “To make sure it was a realistic possibility, I decided to start a company while I was still dancing. If it didn’t work out I would know that I had to listen to my parents and say, ‘Hey, I need to go back to school’. If it did work out I could say, ‘Great now I can dance for my company until I can’t dance anymore’”. And Thomas is blown away at just how well his company, Bad Boys of Dance, has worked out. One of the unique aspects . of his dance company is that it hires predominantly male dancers. The Rock the Ballet show cast comprises of six ‘bad boys of dance’ and only one female dancer; just another tool Thomas uses to combat the ballet cliché. However, Thomas was fascinated with the idea of a male dance cast for more reasons than just breaking the mould. “I always enjoyed the boy bands of the world; The Beatles and The Rolling Stones or even *Nsync and Backstreet Boys. I always thought there was some sort of magic when guys come together – even to play soccer or whatever – and I really didn’t feel there was a ‘boy band’ of the dance world,” he elaborates. “I thought it could be unique and fun.” With his newly established dance company, Thomas was determined to create something more exciting than your run-of-the-mill ballet, as even he admits: “I totally understand how ballet has gotten that
“I REALLY DIDN’T FEEL THERE WAS A ‘BOY BAND’ OF THE DANCE WORLD. I THOUGHT IT COULD BE UNIQUE AND FUN ”
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stereotype of being boring”. Taking into account Thomas’ passion for rock music, his desire to mix things up, his experience in martial arts and other more “manly” forms of dance, and the fact that the Bad Boys of Dance were standing knee deep in testosterone, it does seem only a matter of time that Rock the Ballet was born. Created by Rasta and his wife, Adrienne Canterna-Thomas, the show puts ballet-inspired choreography to music by greats like Queen, Michael Jackson, Prince and Coldplay. It can be argued that what Rasta and the Bad Boys of Dance do cannot really be classified as ballet, as it incorporates everything from tap to hip hop to jazz. Thomas has affectionately coined the term ‘pop-ballet’ which he believes is a much more accurate description of his direction. Further breaking the ballet mould, Rock the Ballet isn’t trying to tell a tale of love or morality like ballet performances of Swan Lake-past.
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“There are little emotion rollercoaster’s up and down, here and there, depending on what song we’re dancing to, but it’s not Romeo and Juliet; it’s not a story.” And with a soundtrack like that, who needs a story? There’s no doubt that what began as a trepid experiment – that even Rasta Thomas had significant doubt would work – has defied all odds. Even the harshest reviewers and ballet’s worst enemies seem to have no room for criticisms of Thomas or his dancers. As Rock the Ballet prepares to embark on its sophomore tour of Australia, it will become not a matter of whether you want to get a ticket, but if there will be any left. Rock the Ballet rocks the Arts Centre from Wednesday May 30 – Sunday June 3.
BYRON PERRY & FRONTIER DANCELAND (SINGAPORE)
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A ts Ar ts Hoouuse s is a Ci City ityy of M Meelb l ouurn rnee cont coonntteem mpo poraaryy art rts ts innit itia iati ia atiivee
‘Enthralling’ the new york times
The definitive career retrospective of the world-renowned artist and filmmaker ACMI Federation Square Melbourne www.acmi.net.au/kentridge
This exhibition is organised by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the Norton Museum of Art.
William Kentridge, Invisible Mending (stills), from 7 Fragments for Georges Méliès, 2003; Collection of the artist, courtesy Marian Goodman Gallery, New York, and Goodman Gallery, Johannesburg; © 2012 William Kentridge.
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ARJ BARKER BY TESS WOODWARD
Arj Barker is one of comedy’s big names for a good reason. He is incredibly, indubitably funny. Arj’s third DVD Joy Harvest is no exception. Performed at a packed out Sydney Opera House, his performance was adroit and absolutely hilarious. Arj loves Australia, blessing us with his presence frequently. When I questioned what it was that he loved about our country, Arj rattled off a lengthy list of quintessential Australian features including: “wildlife”, “the country’s beauty”, “friends”, “the mild Melbourne weather”. Accidently, I raised my eyebrows enough that he followed my gaze to the nearby window. The trees swayed violently in the howling wind, while the rain lashed incessantly at our window. “Well today may not be a great example,” Arj corrected. “Also my favourite two comedy festivals would honestly be Adelaide and Melbourne. “It helps that the Australian audiences have been very receptive, and grown over the years, which makes it nice to spend time here. They like to see my shows and I like doing them so it’s win-win. It’s a joy harvest, ” Arj said, cheekily throwing in a plug for his latest DVD. “The [title] idea comes from me performing shows. I’m the joy farmer and I’m harvesting the joy.” Arj plucked at the air to indicate his extraction of invisible joy from his imagined audience. “It’s pretty new-age, I suppose. In line with that, it’s packaged environmentally.” When speaking of the environment, Arj’s face became somber and he looked entirely genuine in his concern. “I care about the environment a lot. I feel overwhelmed and even a little bit cynical. I know a lot of people care, but I don’t know if it’s the right amount of people to fix the issues we face… I’m a little in awe of humans. I’m disappointed in the way we treat the planet.” To ensure he wasn’t coming across superior he confessed: “then again I’m also aware that I have a sizeable carbon footprint myself. I have to travel a lot,” Arj admitted justly. “For work, I’m not trying to brag,” he added, quick to ensure he didn’t seem like he was trying to show off. Arj truly doesn’t seem the bragging sort, he clearly
loves what he does and feels lucky to be able to do it. “My best moment was doing Letterman. It was very validating, something I had dreamed of. There’s been tonnes of great times, too many to count.” There’s an unmistakable spark in Arj’s eyes when he talks of Letterman and performing. It’s nice to know that even the most famous comedians consider themselves very lucky. Arj doesn’t seem to take anything for granted. Such passion is demonstrable when he performs; contributing to the superlative standards he bequeaths his audiences with. Nevertheless, even the greats have awkward or regretful performances, something Arj recalled with justifiable detail. An experience like this would stay with you. “I performed a gig where my fly was unzipped. I was going through a ‘heavy metal’ phase. When I look back now it looks like I was cross-dressing. I had silver spandex pants on and they were so tight I couldn’t wear underwear. The zipper came down on its own. Luckily I noticed before I finished my entire set with a tuft of… well this was before the days of Brazilians.” Oh dear. While on the topic of all things furry, Arj’s latest DVD Joy Harvest contains an abundance of animal jokes. Arj admitted he does love animals, but travelling so much he only gets to part-own a cat. “If I could I would own both a cat and a dog. I like both, I don’t see why you have to choose.” After confessing previously to loving both Sydney and Melbourne, it’s safe to assume Arj refuses to agree with preconceived rivalries. Next he’ll admit he is a fan of both Edward and Jacob – crazy nonconformist… Another theme throughout Joy Harvest is of heightened security and Illuminati conspiracy theories. “I do think that elements of Illuminati theories are real. You can see before your eyes the gradual decrease
“IT HELPS THAT THE AUSTRALIAN AUDIENCES HAVE BEEN VERY RECEPTIVE, AND GROWN OVER THE YEARS, WHICH MAKES IT NICE TO SPEND TIME HERE.”
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of privacy. I just think it’s important to keep an open mind and never assume you know everything. “I also believe in UFOs. I’m not saying they are extraterrestrial but I believe there’s unexplained sightings that are quite bizarre. They’re not always explainable. Wait explicable?” I nodded and he continued. “Yeah ok so I guess UFOs are not always something you can explic.” What’s next for Arj? “I’ll be doing some shows next year with Flight Of The Conchords.” When I asked about how his role on Flight Of The
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Conchords came about, he explained that he was already friends with the lads. They were looking for “an American, that’s kind of a dick, but kind of harmless, who thinks he’s cool. Wait I’ve got it, let’s call Arj Barker.” I’ve surely no need to explain why you should pick up a copy of Arj Barker’s latest DVD, Joy Harvest which is out now. Harvest yourself 60 minutes of pure joy and witness just how good comedy can get.
SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL The classic Stones documentary from 1968 returns to the screen, directed by Jean-Luc Godard. Also screening this weekend, selected sessions of Performance, the trippy UK gangster pic featuring the Stonesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; charaismatic front-man, Mick Jagger.
Film Season > ACMI Cinemas Saturday 12 May - Wednesday 30 May 2012 ACMI, Federation Square, Melbourne www.acmi.net.au/sympathy
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dEUS BY JOSHUA KLOKE
Tom Barman is used to taking his time. As the vocalist/guitarist and founding member of dEUS, long renowned as Belgium’s most celebrated musical export, Barman prefers never to rush the process of making records. Since 1999, the band have released only four full-length records, culminating in the three and a half years between their 2008 release Vantage Point and their most recent release, Keep You Close. And while many might consider their speed of output a bit stagnant, Barman’s explanation is really quite simple. “I don’t want to release every single fart we make. Some bands, they just work too quick. We like good sounding stuff, and that takes time, as simple as that.” A record containing nothing but the flatulence from the five members of this eccentric rock troupe might do well with their hardcore fans, sure. Yet Barman and dEUS have found a formula that works for them. And they don’t plan on straying from it anytime soon. “We usually tour for a year or so and then head back into the studio,” says the amiable 40-year-old, reached on the phone in Brussels after a day spent “recording and mixing in the studio.” “We never stopped so much, but there’s always stuff that doesn’t make it on the albums and we try to take our time with that stuff too,” he continues. “Maybe we’ve gotten a little slow, I don’t know. Keep You Close was great, but we’re enthusiastic about everything else too. The reason we’re in the studio is an attempt to combat that slowness. So thank you, for rubbing it in,” he chuckles. What dEUS will produce from these current studio sessions remains to be seen. Yet if it’s a continuation of the atmospheric push of Keep You Close, then fans have reason to be excited. Cinematic in scope, the band have continued to evolve since their first full-length, 1994’s Worst Case Scenario, and as many will agree, (and contrary to Barman’s beliefs) they show no signs of slowing down. Barman speaks in a casual tone, careful not to take himself too seriously. He’s never more than two minutes away from a self-depreciating bit of humour. And as our conversation veers towards how the music of dEUS is often perceived, Barman doesn’t seem fazed. “Unfortunately, the worry about how your music will be perceived always hangs over your head. That starts from the moment you release your first demo. You write one song and you give it to your girlfriend, there goes your freedom, you know? It’s all down the drain from there on in,” he laughs. When pressed about the writing process of Keep You Close, Barman begins describing it with one of the more overused words when it comes to musical description. Even with his wit in tow, it’s hard not to believe him. “I think we wanted to do something more dynamic instead of just a modern take on our songs. Something more organic. Everything you do goes towards that point, being organic. Once you’ve said that word and once everyone agrees, it’s sort of a hypnosis. Every instrument, every melody gets engaged by that criteria. This record was a reaction, and we wanted something warmer. “As far as it being cinematic, I know it’s in my DNA to not think about it,” Barman says. It quickly becomes clear that Barman isn’t nonplussed about his music, so much as he’d rather be making it than talking about it. “It just happens. We definitely prefer making longer songs. I love listening to three minute pop songs, but to make them, it gets boring very easily. I guess I prefer a three minute outro if anything.” The three minute outro might be a little more commonplace in the album-oriented rock of the ‘70s. Barman may consider himself a purist at heart, but certainly he can’t consider himself above the music industry that gave his band a home. Those spots are reserved for the true egomaniacs or the truly delusional. And Barman may be up for a laugh, but he’s neither of those. So through the band’s 20-plus years of existence, do dEUS consider the shifting trends in the rock music industry as they approach a new record? Barman takes an exceptionally long pause, falsely beginning his answer before noting with conviction: “I guess you have to. As much as it’s nice to be a naive, hardworking artist who’s always in the studio and thinks that beauty will simply just come to them, you have to find your way. There’s a healthy stubbornness in what we do. It hasn’t always given us pleasure, it’s given us hard times over the last 20 years. But at the same time, you cannot work against your nature. We only recognise our creativity when it’s gone well afterwards. “That’s the compromise we make with the quickly moving scene we’re involved in,” he continues. “Certainly being in Europe, being a slow-working group has given us a fantastic fanbase. A lot of people I know make records quicker, but I can’t help but question that. Is it always for the right reasons?” As our conversation winds to a close, Barman sounds convinced that the band have figured out the reason they’re still releasing records. And finally, the idea of time has finally caught up with him as well. “There’s lots of ways to look at this. You have to follow your nature. We just want to release stuff we hope our fans will like; and there’s a danger in that, because if they don’t, you’ve just lost three years of your life!”
ANOTHER VERY HANDSOME TOUR
DEUS play a special one-off show at The Corner on Saturday May 12. Keep You Close is out on Liberator.
TIX ON SALE NOW VIA HANDSOMETOURS.COM; CORNER BOX OFFICE (57 SWAN ST RICHMOND) 1 1 A M - 8 P M M O N - S AT ) , 0 3 9 4 2 7 9 1 9 8 O R C O R N E R H OT E L .C O M & P O LY E ST E R R EC O R D S
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INDUSTRIAL STRENGTH MUSIC INDUSTRY NEWS & GOSSIP
with Christie Eliezer * Stuff for this column to be emailed to <celiezer@netspace.net.au> by Friday 5pm NEW ELECTRONIC DANCE AGENCY CITY AND COLOUR MELBOURNE
CRASH
As part of Channel [V]’s Guerilla Gigs series, Canada’s City And Colour drew a rain-soaked crowd of 600 outside the State Library with a free performance.
ANOTHER EVENT FROM CHERRY ROCK PRESENTS? Cherry Rock Presents, which puts on Cherry Rock in ACDC Lane, learned a lesson this year from putting on Fu Manchu as its first international headliner. Over 800 attended, compared to the 550 of previous years. As a result, organisers are thinking of another rock’n’booze event in late November (not called Cherry Rock), most likely on a farm outside Melbourne and with four international headliners. “It’s still early days,” Cherry Bar co-owner James Young tells us, but adds it’s important to have a rock ROCK event. The Fu’s reckon their corker set was their best in a decade. Meantime, dark clouds form over ACDC Lane. A developer has been allowed to build 189-unit apartment block – some whose balconies will overlook ACDC Lane. The problem is still 18 months away. But it emphasises how important it is that the state government bring in the “agent of change” rule to protect existing music venues. Under the rule, developers should be responsible for sound proofing, and new residents can’t complain about noise. When Sydney and Adelaide are copying Melbourne’s laneway culture, why are we stomping on it? Why would a venue like Cherry Bar be expected to cop a $80,000 bill to soundproof when it can be incorporated into a multi-million dollar development?
TRIBUTES FLOW FOR ADAM YAUCH Green Day, Tom Morello, Slash, the Hilltop Hoods, Drapht, Nas, and The Strokes were among those expressed their sorrow at the passing of The Beastie Boys’ Adam “MCA” Yauch. He was 47. Billy Joe Armstrong of Green Day recalled that during Lollapalooza94, he talked to MCA “almost every day. He was full of wisdom & encouragement for a freaked out kid like I was. Thank you.” The Strokes: “Thanks for your inspiration both on the mic & off.” Tom Morello: “Ur humor, talent & gentle soul are just irreplaceable. Be at peace brother.” The Hilltop Hoods performed Jimmy James at the end of their Goovin The Moo set in Bendigo before 15,000, while Public Enemy paid tribute during their Groovin’ set in Townsville. In Hollywood, Coldplay did a piano-only Fight For Your Right (To Party) and posted it online. Jay-Z and Justin Timberlake called him “a true pioneer of art.” Drapht recalled being told at school that if you wanted to get laid, get a girl into your bedroom and play The Beastie Boys. The organisers of Occupy Wall Street: “Adam Yauch marched with us in November over the Brooklyn Bridge. He was a visionary artist who never lost sight of his community.”
Artist Voice and Maker Agency have joined forces to open a new division called Artist Voice Electronic for electronic dance acts. It will be run by Alastair Green who was with Modular Touring before setting up Maker Agency. Maker has 30 acts including Yolanda Be Cool, Nina Las Vegas, Ajax, Giselle, Tame Impala, Felicity Groom and Pond. Artist Voice CEO Brett Murrihy said, “We recognised the worldwide trend toward electronic dance music and Alastair is in our view is the most respected and talented agent in this field in Australia.”
THINGS WE HEAR * Sigur Ros are planning to tour Australia later this year. Tip is they’re on the Harvest Festival, which is back in November. DevilDriver who axed their tour two days before it started due to singer Dez Fafara’ inability to fly due to his pneumonia, looks like they’ll now be here for Soundwave. Stereosonic has confirmed it’s back in Melbourne on December 1 with the bill unveiled in July. * Farewells: at the end of an elegant state memorial at the Sydney Opera House that reflected Jimmy Little’s own life, 2,500 attendees sang along to his Royal Telephone hit, and various relatives spoke about the stories behind his songs. Tributes came from premier Barry O’Farrell, Brendan Gallagher (“That man could sing!” on how he disarmed any audience), Buzz Bidstrup, arts administrator Rhoda Roberts and Dr. Brad Murphy of the Jimmy Little Foundation. The cream of the Melbourne music industry came out to say goodbye to Greg Ham at the Fitzroy Town Hall. They remembered an “instinctive musician” and a “gentle encouraging father”, Wilbur Wilde played sax. Colin Hay sent a video tape of a song he’d written for Ham from America, and Ham’s coffin left to the strains of Sammy Davis Jr’s Please Don’t Talk About Me When I’m Gone and a musos’ guard of honour. * 360’s appearance at Groovin’ The Moo in Townsville was marked with girls rushing the stage and throwing their bras at him! * Gotye might write for Katy Perry after hanging out with her collaborator, Dr. Luke in LA. Gotye is a fan of Perry’s voice. Last September, Perry tweeted to fans to check out Gotye’s music. Gotye’s dream collaboration is Kate Bush. * If It’s Catchy, It Means You Stole It is a documentary on Nic Dalton, who’s played in over 65 bands (notably The Lemonheads) and co-founded Half A Cow Records. Funded by fans it’s up on facebook.com/nicdaltondoco * Gene Simmons reveals Eddie Van Halen wanted to join Kiss when Ace Frehley left saying, “I can’t take [Dave Lee] Roth – he’s driving me nuts.” * Hilltop Hoods were forced to play as a duo during their first trip to the US when they did nine shows in two weeks. The Adelaide Advertiser reported that they had to tour without DJ Debris because his visa was not ready in time. Their drummer’s father died four days in, and he flew back to Oz.
NEW SIGNING #1: US DEAL FOR CHET FAKER In the wake of shows at South By Southwest in Texas in March Melbourne electronica artist Chet Faker has scored a US deal with Downtown Records, home to Santigold, Spank Rock and Gnarls Barkley. His debut EP Thinking In Textures is released there on May 22. The EP, released here in March on Opulent/Remote Control, was issued on Chess Club Records in the UK where he plays the Great Escape festival and has airplay on BBC Radio One.
NEW SIGNINGS #2: PENNY HEWSON AT POPBOOMERANG Popboomerang signed Penny Hewson for the winter release of her second solo album It’s An Endless Desire. It is a follow up to 1998’s Me. Hewson and Simon Honisett formed Sea Stories who signed to America’s IRS (REM, Concrete Blonde) and stayed in LA for ten years. After fronting My Zuko she recorded the CD: lead off single is This One’s For You/My Lover’s Touch. * Callum Russell, whose acapella group Tiger Tones is on Australia’s Got Talent, is also studying for a biomedicine degree at Melbourne University. * The Billy Thorpe memorial plaque at Diggers Rest overlooking the site of the legendary Sunbury festival has been stolen. Noise 11 reported. Thorpe and Sunbury were synonymous, especially after the first one when he and The Aztecs hired every amp in town and literally blew the place apart!
ARIAs TO STAY IN SYDNEY The ARIA awards will stay in Sydney for a further three years. A deal was struck with the NSW Government through Destination NSW. As part of the deal, the city will host a program of events leading up to the awards including concerts and a music conference with international music executives. A Queensland music promoter was negotiating to move it up to the Gold Coast.
MEET THE NEW RICH, SAME AS THE OLD RICH Spotify founder Daniel Ek is the most successful British music millionaire aged under 30 (he’s actually Swede but spends half his life in the UK). The 29-year-old ranks at #5 with £190m made from setting up Spotify in 2006 and seeing it grow to 3 million subscribers and worth £1.2b. 25 of the Top 50 Sunday Times Richest Young People of 2012 made their money from music. Adele is at #20 with £20m. Cheryl Cole, Leona Lewis and Katie Melua share j24th place while Charlotte Church, Craig David and Paolo Nutini round off the top 30. Ek also made the overall Sunday Times Rich List, sitting at #10 with Mick Jagger and David & Victoria Beckham. The list was topped by Clive Calder, one time Zomba Records founder with £1.35bn. #2 is musical theatre producer Cameron Mackintosh (£725m), #3 Paul McCartney who is also the 124th richest person in Britain (£665m), #4 Lord (Andrew) Lloyd-Webber (£590m), #5 U2 (£514m), #6 Simon Fuller (£375m), #7 Simon Cowell (£225m) and #8 Elton John (£220m). At #13 are Sting and Olivia and Dhani Harrison (£180m), #15 Keith Richards (£175m), #18 Ringo Starr (£160m) and #20 Tom Jones (£140m).
LANIE LANE, MUSHROOM, LEAD APRA NOMINATIONS The nominations list of the APRA awards saw two outright winners. Lanie Lane got four, compared to Gotye, Kimbra, Matt Corby, Drapht, Potbelleez, Marvin Priest, Jebediah, Shane Nicholson and Birds of Tokyo who got two each. Up for song of the year are Lane’s (Oh Well) That’s What You Get (Falling in Love With A Cowboy), Gotye’s US chart topper Somebody That I Used To Know, Kimbra’s Cameo Lover, Corby’s Brother and The Beards’ You Should Consider Having Sex With A Bearded Man. Lane is up for Breakthrough Songwriter, alongside Boy & Bear, Kimbra, Corby as well as Drapht and his co-writer Daniel Rankine. For the full list covering all categories, see apra-amcos.com.au. On the publishers, Mushroom Music writers got 17 nominations. They were followed by Universal Music Publishing Aust (13), Sony/ ATV Music Publishing Aust (12), Warner Chappell Music Aust and Kobalt Aust (both 6), EMI Music Publishing Aust (5), Alberts (4) and Native Tongue (1).
FALLS TASSIE MISSES OUT ON GRANT The Tasmanian government rejected a funding plea from Falls Tasmania. But the event will be staged there for this year at least, thanks to a private sponsor whose identity is revealed in the next week. Falls Tassie, launched in 2003, costs $4.2 million to stage but only makes a profit of $50,000. It’s survived because of money from Falls Lorne. Co-founder Simon Daly argues that Falls brings 7,500 people to Tassie and pumps $30 million into the local economy, and deserves help. The government says it doesn’t fund commercial events.
SYN’S FREE KICKS COMP SYN’s Free Kicks band comp – to find an emerging act for the opening set at the Reclink Community Cup – is at the Tote on Thursday May 24. This year’s Cup has a Cramps theme, so you must be able to play a Cramps tune. Go to syn.org.au/freekick, deadline May 15. To volunteer at the Reclink Community Cup register at communitycup.org.au/ melbourne/volunteer-2.
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LIFELINES Engaged: Kings Of Leon bassist Jared Followill 25, and model Martha Patterson, 21 after a few months together. He quipped he looked forward to losing his virginity. Split: Lady Gaga gave Vampire Diaries star boyfriend Taylor Kinney the heave-ho as she wants to concentrate on her current 110-date world tour. Recovering: Slayer’s Jeff Hanneman has learned to walk again, gone through skin grafts and playing guitar. A year ago a serious spider bite put him in a coma and there was some talk he might have his arm amputated. Hospitalised: promoter Andrew McManus, recuperating from hospital stays for a heart stent and then a burst ulcer, took a tumble down the stairs of his Melbourne house. He fractured two vertebrae and lay on the floor for four hours before being able to make it to a telephone to call for help. Ill: ‘60s US teen idol Bobby Vee, 69, diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. In Court: Brisbane Magistrates Court fined Matthew Craig Smith, 22, of Coffs Harbour, $300 after being a public nuisance at the Brisbane Supafest concert on April 14. He kept slam dancing aggressive manner into other punters caused them to stumble and fall, and, oh dear, tried to punch a cop. In Court: The New York Supreme Court rejected a lawsuit filed by jazz/blues musicians against the Grammys for trimming categories from 109 to 78. In Court: the British High Court ordered five of the UK’s biggest ISPs to block users from accessing illegal file-sharing Swedish site the Pirate Bay. Suing: Californian band Luce hit Selena Gomez for US$1 million claiming her A Year Without Rain used a chorus of their 2005 single Buy A Dog. Died: Charles “Skip” Pitts, long-time Memphis guitarist for Isaac Hayes whose distinctive sound helped define soul and make “Shaft” cool, 65, cancer. Died: ‘80s Sydney pop singer Edith Bliss (If it’s Love You Want), 53. Died: Lloyd Brevett, co-founder and bassist of influential ska band The Skatalites, 80. following a stroke and seizures. They formed in Jamaica in 1963, and their Guns Of Navarone was later covered by The Specials.
STONEFIELD HEADLINES PURE POP GIG Stonefield will headline Pure Pop’s benefit this Friday at Prince Bandroom, so owner Dave Stevens can soundproof his place and continue with live music. Also on the bill: Paul Kelly, Ron S Peno & The Superstitions, Henry Wagons, The Underground Lovers, Charles Jenkins, Davey Lane, Alex Lashlie, Pony Face, Hamish Cowan and Chris Rusell’s Chicken Walk.
RE-LEARNING YOUR GIG The Victoria Institute at Victoria University hosts a free public seminar with Clare Bowditch and John Watson discussing education and the importance of lifelong learning in the music industry. It’s on Monday May 14, 6pm to 7.30pm at the college’s City Convention Centre, Level 12, 300 Flinders St, city.
C31 CHANGES NAME Melbourne community television station C31 has rebranded itself into We Are Melbourne and Geelong. The new position focuses on the role it plays in providing a voice for local content, voices and talent. The rebranding is the idea of Keep Left, which C31 appointed last November as its PR agency.
MORE FUNDS FOR FRINGE The Victorian state government has given an extra $22,500 in funding to the Melbourne Fringe Festival. Minister for Tourism and Major Events Louise Asher said the money is through Tourism Victoria’s Events Program to attract more interstate visitors and enhance Melbourne’s reputation as Australia’s cultural capital. The government already gives Fringe 343,000 through Arts Victoria.
KIMBRA WINS INTERNATIONAL SONGWRITING COMPETITION The Grand Prize for this year’s US-based International Songwriting Competition (ISC) went to 22-year old NZborn Melbourne-based Kimbra. She gets US$25,000 in cash and $25,000 in merchandise and services Two years ago she won the pop/Top 40 category with her Settle Down. Australian winners of other categories included Shane Nicholson (Americana), Missy Higgins (folk/singer songwriter), Natasha Duarte (teen) and Michael Paynter (unsigned only). Three Australian songs took out the rock section: it was won by Jebediah, followed by Eskimo Joe and The Living End. Emma Louise was a runner-up in three categories – pop/Top 20, folk/singer songwriter and performance). Other Orstrailian runner-up songs were by Catherine Britt (Americana), Dallas Frasca (AAA), Oh Mercy (adult contemporary), Children Collide (music video) and Wes Carr (performance). Winners were selected from over 16,000 songs submitted from 112 countries.
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A guide to eating out in Melbourne
CNR CHAPEL ST & HIGH ST WINDSOR 9525 1288
Lunch Review: Anada
BY JAMES NICOLI
MON-FRI 11.30AM-4PM MON-THU 7-11PM FRI & SAT 7-9PM SUN TILL 11PM OPEN 7 DAYS TILL 3AM KITCHEN TILL 2.30AM ............................... DJS & LIVE ENTERTAINMENT EVERY NIGHT! ............................... LUCKYCOQ.COM.AU FACEBOOK.COM/LUCKYCOQ
Beat Eats Page 54.....................
Situated in the heart of lively Gertrude Street, Anada has a prime position in amongst the trendy cafes and restaurants of the inner north; a perfect spot then for some lunch on a lovely sunny autumn afternoon. Influenced by the peasant food and flavours of Andalucía in the south of Spain as well as the Muslim Mediterranean, Anada is a tapas bar and restaurant with an abundance of interesting foods on offer. There’s more than enough variety on both the tapas and raciones’ menu to please even the fussiest of guests and for the lunch menu you get to sit through seven different courses. Although it was a close call, my companion and I decided that the Syrian lentils on crouton with crispy onion and the salt cod and garlic shoot croqueta were the pick of the bunch. The slow roasted beef cheek in oloroso with fava bean puree was a close second; the beef being tender enough to fall of the fork. By the time the last dish came out, my companion and I were well and truly full and that’s the thing about tapas; it doesn’t always look a lot but by the end of our sitting there wasn’t room for another bite. I did however manage to fit in a coffee from Gravity Espresso; a nice, smooth blend which was a perfect end to the meal. Anada also features an impressive drinks list; with a decent selection of wine, beer and sherry and there’s desserts and cheeses available as well. The place itself is of a good size, although you could imagine it would be bustling in the evening. The daytime vibe however is relaxed and pleasantly unpretentious and by the sound of things the owners have some good taste in music too. There’s also an elegant bar which you could quite easily find yourself perched at, slowly drinking and nibbling the hours away. All in all, Anada is a great place to come for a drink, some conversation and a chance to sample some of the intriguing and inspiring flavours from afar. 197 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy. Open 6.00 pm till late Monday to Friday.12.00 pm till late Saturday and Sunday.
BEAT’S GUIDE TO EATING OUT IN MELBOURNE
Mountain Goat Mountain Goat started out in Dave’s backyard in the early ‘90s. He was cranking out homebrews almost every weekend when a postcard turned up from Cam (backpacking through Canada). Cam was travelling overseas after quitting his music industry job in Melbourne. “When I turned up in Vancouver a friend took me out to some local bars serving a host of local microbrews on tap. I just suddenly got the picture and realised what Dave was striving for back home. My perception of beer got turned upside down right then and there. So I sent Dave a postcard that said something like, ‘Dave, we gotta talk, we need to start a microbrewery in Melbourne…’” After two years of frantic product development in Dave’s backyard and a lot of red tape, the first serious Mountain Goat beer was born. The Hightail Ale hit the shelves (well around three shelves) in October ‘97. Having no money, they kicked off by contract brewing their initial batches in borrowed facilities when not in use. A good way to start – but they really needed their own brewery. So while Dave was living in a disused town hall in country Victoria overseeing the brews, Cam wrote a business plan and started knocking on doors in Melbourne. “Plenty of people liked the idea of owning part of a brewery but when it came down to it we were two, young, overly ambitious guys without much business experience. We approached every banking institution imaginable and most of them wouldn’t even open our business plan. Our personal position statements included three surfboards, a couple of mountain bikes and Dave’s EH Holden,” says Cam. Not a lot of security for the banks evidently. Anyway, Dave and Cam learned to be persistent. Really persistent. They finally secured the required funds from friends, family and a business banker who wanted them out of his face. Today, the boys have built a thriving lineup of products and operate their very own microbrewery in Richmond. They craft beers such as the Hightail Ale –†an English-inspired amber ale with a rich malt body and floral hop aroma, and as always, Mountain Goat handcraft their ales with the utmost care and avoid all preservatives, additives and pasteurization. The Organic Steam Ale is a crisp, organic ale with a touch of wheat malt incorporated in the grist make-up and then fermented cool. Mountain Goat use Cascade and Citra hops to give it a fresh, lively finish. The brewery also craft seasonal beers in longnecks like the Surefoot Stout, IPA and Double Hightail –†some of Melbourne’s most loved beverages. “The plant is very labour intensive, but we can squeeze great beer out of it,” says Dave. “And after hand filling, capping and labelling just on 2 million bottles, you can well imagine we’re pretty happy about putting in a small, automated bottling line.” Mountain Goat has collected a swag of awards over the years for their traditional, all natural ales and now has about 100 bars in Melbourne pouring their beers on tap plus bottled beer distributed nationally. Now in their 15th year of brewing, Dave and Cam still own and run the company and with the new trend of people beginning to shift away from the mainstream lagers and into the exploration of a tastier beer experience, Mountain Goat has become one of the most recognisable boutique beer brewers. The guys say that the Steam Ale has been the pivotal beer for them, described as citrussy and fresh with lots of flavour. They have used it as the ‘converter beer’ as it brings people over from the traditional lagers and more conservative beers. At the other end of the scale they have their Rare Breed release – 640ml bottles that are big, robust ales like the Black IPA, Double Hightail, Surefoot Stout etc. Usually high in alcohol, malt and hops. Beers to savour rather than swill. The microwbrewery is open to the public every Wednesday and Friday night from 5pm (with a free tour each Wed at 6.30pm). There is a bar within the brewery so you can really settle in there. It has all Mountain Goats beers on tap including the one-off and specialty batches plus there are excellent in-house pizzas.
LUCKY COQ
Lucky Coq has just rejoiced in its 6th birthday and we at lucky Coq have always been proud of our selection of beers. We currently have 13 different products on tap, including two guest/seasonal taps! What drives us you may ask, well whatever we feel like, really! From their favorite local breweries to some tasty international drops; some of their most permanent taps include Little Creatures Bright Ale, Mountain Goat Steam Ale & Hightail, Budvar, Tiger and the recently added and beautiful Vale Ale I.P.A! They’ve allocated a tap to the Colonial Brewery - where they rotate between Porter and Kolsch seasonally. Of course we can’t forget their House beer Blond Coq, specially brewed for them in Western Australia. They also keep not one but two guest taps, just to keep themselves and patrons on their toes. They love and worship these taps and rotate them as much as they can. They currently have Coopers Pale Ale and Schofferhoffer Hefeweizen. Next on the line is a special batch The Quiet American from Little Creature and the Hoppy Hefe from the Mad Brewers. When it comes to cider, they pour Old Mout Scrumpy Pear and Orchard Crush Apple Cider (James Squire) and also have a whole range of packaged product, including Lucky Duck, Pipsqueak, Kopparberg and many more. Just because we all need a quick snack on the side when we drink (too much) beer, they’ve come up with a new Yummy Pizzas menu, with some great influence from all over the world. Here are a few just to get your taste buds salivating: The Mexicoq with tacos on a pizza, The Il Chorizo Supremo - chorizo sausage, beetroot, caramelized onion and tomato relish and The Cockachari with achari curry sauce, chicken and coriander. What are you waiting for? Call a taxi, jump on the tram or ride your fixie. There’s something special for everyone! Lucky Coq is located at 179 Chapel Street, Windsor. CHECK OUT ALL THE LATEST NEWS, REVIEWS AND FREE SHIT AT BEAT.COM.AU
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HEIRS BY TOM HERSEY
“If you’re not getting better as you go, there’s something wrong. Even if it’s not better in the eyes of the people coming out to watch you, if you’re feeling as a collective that things are getting better, that’s all that really matters.” Heirs’ drummer Damian Coward breaks it down pretty clearly when he’s discussing his band’s ethos. You’re either moving forward with the music you’re making, or what’s the point? It’s this dictum that has seen Heirs traverse a spectrum of thoughtful, extreme music throughout their career. From the droney, metallic rumblings of their debut LP Alchera, to the more refined post-rock of Fowl and the dark wave leanings of last year’s Hunter 10”, the five-piece are continuing to take their sound to new, interesting places. Now, as the band are writing their follow-up to Hunter, Damian affirms that the band have remained committed to evolving Heirs’ sound on a double album that should surface towards the beginning of next year. “We’re choosing more now these days to not rely on our heaviness to pull us through as a band,” he says. “It’s really easy to tune your guitar down to drop-whatever, smash out some massive chords and for everyone to be excited about that, but I think what happens is that can then become quite self-indulgent and rather formulaic. For us we just want to steer clear of any type of formula within any of these genres. “Someone can just buy a bunch of amplifiers and a bunch of pedals, tune their guitars down and play open chords. That’s fine, people can do that, but as a band, we’ve moved on from that. There’s never going to be a time when we’re a quiet band, that’s for certain. And we’ll always play stuff from the
first record, but as a band, right now, we’re more interested in melody than just slaying everybody’s faces off with big, droning riffs.” As Heirs have continued to evolve their sound, they have also invested effort into furthering the aesthetic of their live performance. In the past, the band have made use of stark, monochromatic colour schemes, smoke machines and improvised stage lighting. For their upcoming tour though, Heirs are taking it to a whole new level. “We’ve got a whole system of projection joined up with the audio stuff this time. From the Hunter film clip we’ve learnt how to use a projection-mapping program where you can pinpoint where you want projections to be. Basically you can scan a room and use objects within it to actually project on. We’re setting up a light system that is hooked up to a MIDI control which goes through my drum sampler which means we’ll have a series of lights that will work in conjunction with the music. We’re trying to expand our live show into an experience that people need to see. Not just a show, not just a band playing music, but something that has to be experienced rather than heard.” HEIRS play The Toff In Town on Friday May. Hunter 10”/CD is out now on Denovali Records.
THE CHORDS BY NICK MASON
This month, celebrated mod-revivalist band The Chords grace Australian shores for the very first time, headlining Mods Mayday 2012. According to original frontman Billy Hassett, a special opportunity kick-started their resurgence almost 30 years after their initial split. “In 2010, we had an offer to play a festival. It fell through in the end, but it initiated a string of events which culminated in us getting a tour together. I had also just seen a Julien Temple film called Oil City Confidential, about Dr.Feelgood. Lee Brilleaux died, so they can’t get back together again... and we’re not much younger than them, so I guess I just thought, ‘It’s now or never.’ Australia is the icing on the cake. We never thought it would happen. It’s a miracle we’re here, really.” Curiously, Hassett was once content to see the back of the band. “I ran away, escaped from The Chords. I didn’t want to have anything to do with them. I just got so disillusioned with the whole thing,” he recalls. “We didn’t have management or any kind of A&R guide. We had to manage business between the four of us, which always led to trouble. I got newly married then, then there were pressures of me being married to the band or her. It was just too much of a strain for me and I kind of had enough and disappeared. I tried to bury The Chords.” “He’s still got a shovel in his luggage just in case he wants to bury us again,” interjects drummer Brett ‘Buddy’ Ascott. “I’ll bury us in Melbourne when we’re finished,” Hassett laughs. The natural decline of the British modrevival arguably killed the band off the first time round. “We were superseded, if you like. We were criticised for being revivalist and retrogressive... and we were replaced by rockabilly bands. Ska bands: The Pole Cats and The Selecter. I’ve got nothing against those bands, but it was a bit ironic.” Now, hailed as an essential staple of the mod-revival era, The Chords are set to strut their stuff at the Hi-Fi as part of the upcoming Mod’s Mayday event. According to Ascott, the band’s chemistry has endured beyond their halcyon days. “We still argue! The dynamic is interesting because it’s one of the things that fired us and it’s also Beat Magazine Page 56
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one of the things that connects us to The Who: four disparate characters, pulling in different directions. It’s not always attractive but it kind of produces a lot of energy. In a way, it’s a shame Martin (Mason) isn’t here, because he was the anchor. I did say ‘anchor’, there.” In their short career, the south-east London band scaled dizzying heights. As best gigs go, it’s tough to look past their support of The Undertones in Leeds. “We got four encores that night. That was our first show with them and we got four encores. It was unbelievable. We played one encore and we could see one of the Undertones. We played another and they were all there with a stopwatch, saying ‘Get off!’. Naturally, the bands bonded and remain friends to this day. “I spoke to Damien (O’Neill) before we came here to Australia. I didn’t know it, but The Undertones have never been here. So yeah,” Ascott jokes. “In your face, Damien!” On The Chords’ legacy and cult-status, Hassett has the final word. “It’s just wonderful because, in a way, that’s what we worked for. We wanted to be in a band that people would remember, that meant something to them. It’s just wonderful that people still love the music.” THE CHORDS are involved in two Mods Mayday events this weekend – a winter warmer meet’n’greet at The LuWow on Friday May 11 (with Continental Rob’s Continental Blues Party) and playing The Hi-Fi on Saturday May 12 (with Little Murders and The Messengers, plus DJs).
JOSH PYKE BY THOMAS BAILEY
Josh Pyke is having an eventful day when I chat with him over the phone on a rainy and overcast Melbourne afternoon. “Yeah, I just finished rehearsing; a little bit of rehearsal today and tomorrow for the tour, and I’m just about to unload my storage unit,” he murmurs. Sydney-based Pyke is getting ready to move house, so he’s been pretty busy on top of the general business he’s been involved in since his third LP Only Sparrows was released in August of last year. Preparing for a national tour of theatres for one last hurrah before he settles down to begin writing his next record, Pyke is full of energy and enthusiasm as he chats about what’s coming next, his creative process and bizarre fan mail. “Well, it’s been amazing,” he gushes when I ask him whether the uniformly great reviews for Only Sparrows have been overwhelming. “It’s one of those funny things; I love the record, obviously, and I wouldn’t release something if I didn’t feel 100 percent about it. So to have that feeling reinforced from people I don’t know … to be honest, reviews can be pretty harsh, so it’s been amazing! I had a fair bit of struggle making the record and it makes it more worthwhile having that kind of critical acclaim for it.” The acclaim Only Sparrows has received is well warranted. Brimming with soulful and gorgeous instrumentation as well as deeply defined and poetic lyrics, this is a thinking person’s record. Thoughtful, poignant … not a moment of it is wasted. An avid reader, Pyke does sometimes find his literary ruminations woven into his music from time to time. “I sometimes don’t even notice,” he admits when I ask him if his reading lends itself to influencing his music, “but sometimes it’ll be a couple of years later, where I’ll go, ‘Oh right, I was referencing something or the other.’ For instance, back when I wrote Factory Fires, I had read this book about this old iron mining town in the state, just old and run-down and the people in the town – nobody had a job. “I subconsciously got influenced by the imagery of a town like that and when I wrote [Factory Fires] I realised I was kind of visualising the characters as I visualised them in the book!” It was having been brought up in a musical household that first awoke Pyke’s awareness of the power of song. His mum was a singer and accomplished pianist, whilst his father was “this music nut, he always had an amazing record collection,” recalls Pyke. “I took piano lessons when I was a kid, but it wasn’t until I was about 12, 13 years old that I realised I wanted to actually perform. But the thing that really got me into music was an emotional response that I felt through songs, and I could feel it. It was something that I became addicted to, like listening to my parents’ record collection and just getting really engrossed in the stories that were being told in the songs and how certain cadences would make me feel joy, or sadness, or whatever. “And I remember being six and bursting into tears at a song, and realising that I was getting these emotional responses, and it was just a really addictive feeling!” At the urging of some primary school chums, Pyke
joined his first band. “They asked me because they knew I could sing,” Pyke says. “We did one show, and I was literally hooked. I liken it to what it must be like if you’re a naturally good athlete and you don’t necessarily know you can do something and then all the sudden you’re playing soccer and you realise you have these natural skills!” he laughs loudly. “Cause I was never really good at anything, and then it was like, ‘Wow, I can do this!’” With his national tour coming up rather quickly, and then self-imposed exile to begin writing a new record, I ask Pyke about his writing process. Were there any lessons he’s learned since the composing of Only Sparrows, and is he planning to employ any new songwriting methods? “I’ve always like experimenting, but the one thing I’ve never enjoyed [is] writing with an agenda,” he ponders thoughtfully. “The thing that’s always worked for me is to just sit around and wait for lightning to strike. I don’t think that’s ever going to change, it’s kind of what keeps me on my toes and keeps me in a permanent state of anxiety about writing songs because you never know where they’re gonna come from! I really believe that all my best songs are the ones that have come from an unexplainable place, like I can’t explain how I wrote them, I can’t remember how I wrote them! Middle Of The Hill was like that; I still don’t remember writing that song, or how it happened.” Then, I posit, he must go through life with eyes wide opened, so as to not miss anything? “Yeah!” he exclaims. “Once I got this weird hand-written letter from this guy in Japan, and he was basically explaining how he thought these people on TV were out to get him, and they were out to get me in Japan. I mean … that’s crazy. And he had compiled this playlist – pretty good playlist too, I must add – that would protect me from these people. My partner was like, ‘Oh my God, this poor guy, you should get in touch with him and see if you can help him,’ and my initial thought was, ‘Wow, this would make a great song!’” Only Sparrows is out through Mushroom Music. Be sure to catch JOSH PYKE live when he hits the Forum Theatre on Friday May 11. Tickets available through Ticketmaster.
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TEN THOUSAND BY PETER HODGSON
When we here at Beat last heard from Ten Thousand in October last year, they were preparing to launch their EP and had just released a video for the track Like A Disease. Now half a year has gone by and the band is starting to see the rewards of their hard work. Not that they weren’t before, but the Ten Thousand of May 2012 is a slick, stageready rock machine with the rare potential to cross over into international markets. In fact, the Australian scene may be too small for them; their well-produced, grooveheavy melodic hard rock is the kind of stuff they lap up furiously in Europe and Asia, and the USA would probably take to it quite nicely indeed too. The band is not immune to the potential of overseas relocation. “We’re heading for a move next year, so everything we do this year is towards that,” vocalist Jay Bowen says. “That’s the goal. We want to not just turn up and see what happens – we want to turn up with dates booked.” The move will no doubt be ably assisted by their buddies in Juke Cartel, the Melbourne band whose stock value shot up when their singer Toby Rand appeared on Rock Star: Supernova, the TV series designed to find a singer for a supergroup featuring Motley Crue’s Tommy Lee, Metallica’s Jason Newstead and Guns N’ Roses guitarist Gilby Clarke. Ten Thousand recently hit the road with Juke Cartel, and the bands share a similar energy. “They said they’d help us out over there, so even just a good word might do a lot,” guitarist Marty K says. With the EP now on the streets, Ten Thousand is looking to their next musical statement. Two years into the band’s life – actually, this interview took place exactly two years since they first got together – they’re exploring different aspects of their sound. “We realise when we’re doing new material that we do have a sound that we have cultivated somehow, or it’s fallen into place like that,” Bowen says. “It means you can do things you haven’t aimed for before, knowing that you’re going to bring with it a certain something, knowing that it’s going to sound like you anyway.” Guitarist Brandon Valentine puts this down to the diversity and creativity within the band, where every member composes. “With five active writers, some of the stuff that comes out is really interesting to me. All of these different little flavours that you end up picking up.” Drummer Mike J Rivers says this is especially evident on the latest batch of tunes. “The song we were working on last night, our bass player Luke (McKenzie) wrote it about some experiences he’d had over in Scotland. It’s a really dark song. He wrote the lyrics and instrumentation, and then we jammed it out, but the idea came from him. It represents what he’s into, and then we all poured our influences on and turned it into something else.”
“WITH FIVE ACTIVE WRITERS, SOME OF THE STUFF THAT COMES OUT IS REALLY INTERESTING TO ME.” The material is likely to be tested live before being committed to tape or digital bits or what have you. Bowen says the band is aiming for its next release to be a solid batch of songs selected based on their strength in the live set, “rather than just ‘Oh god, we need one more song to make it complete’.” One of the reasons the EP works so well is its production quality; the sounds are up-front and threedimensional, but there are plenty of atmospherics too. Marty oversaw the production side of things, inspired more than a little by Mutt Lange’s work on Def Leppard’s Hysteria album. It’s an influence you can particularly hear on the album’s backing vocals and in the little tinges of electronica that drift in and out of the band’s live set. “With all these electronica sprinkles we put into it, they all flow into songs, which brings the show up to another level,” Mike says. It’s not just “song, rock out, 1-2-3-4, next song.” Marty agrees: “It’s like creating another world. The way I look at it is, it’s not just a show. The songs are like characters in a film. The whole show is like a film, and the songs, the structure of the songs, the interludes it links everything together.” Next up for Ten Thousand is an appearance at the Rock N Load festival with Electric Mary. “We all like Electric Mary and we were hoping for another chance to play with them,” Valentine says. Mike says the band is also looking forward to a more rocklike vibe at Rock N Load, compared to the proggier leanings of the Rock The Bay festival, which they also recently played. “That was a lot of fun! A pretty awesome night! I think we stood out a little on that bill because it was more prog rock, but this is more rock’n’roll.” ROCK N LOAD festival kicks off at The Espy on Saturday May 26 with Electric Mary, Bugdust, The Stiffys, King Of The North, Ten Thousand, Heaven The Axe, I Am Duckeye, The Charge, Anna Salen, Hailmary (WA), Shadowqueen, The Morrisons, Beggars Orchestra (NSW), Shadowgame, Bottle Of Smoke, System Of Venus, Arcane Saints, Apache Medicine Man, The Vendettas, Riot In Toytown and many more. Check out rocknloadfestival.com for lineup and ticketing info.
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THE MACCABEES BY KATE MCCARTEN
British indie rockers The Maccabees could be forgiven for basking in the attention they’ve been receiving as of late, after their third album Given To The Wild achieved chart heights previously unclimbed by the humble quintet. But, akin to the nature of most enduring rock bands, commercial success seems to be a little-relevant consequence of creating music that they’re proud of. For the first time since their debut album Colour It In launched their career in 2007, The Maccabees are finally heading to Australia. Having played alongside the likes of Digitalism and Public Enemy at this year’s Groovin’ The Moo festival, the band will also perform a handful of sideshows in the larger cities. Since touring for the most part of the year, guitarist Felix White was enjoying a brief break at home in London and had a few moments to call in to discuss Australia, the new album and Mel Gibson. Felix White didn’t try his hand at the guitar until he was about 17, which he assures me is “quite old” in the scheme of things. Half a year later, getting together with his brother Hugo and three other wannabe-musicians from his London college, the group quickly relocated to Brighton to see how far their six months of musical experimentation could get them. “[At that time] we literally didn’t have much idea what we were doing to be perfectly honest,” White admits. He fondly remembers playing hundreds of gigs in London and Brighton’s dingiest venues to non-existent crowds while holding down minimum-wage day jobs, attempting to find their direction as a group. Due to the nature of the music industry today, he now sees the slow toiling, night after night, in back street pubs as a somewhat dated route to recognition. “I suppose in hindsight now, the way we did it was quite old fashioned; slowly getting a small amount of people coming to your gigs, and getting them interested very slowly. And now we’re going to Australia!” White concludes brightly. Of course, the intervening years between then and now and are a bit more detailed. Colour It In reached #24 in the UK Top 40 chart with a few singles from the album receiving airtime on mainstream radio. Their sophomore album Wall Of Arms saw further successes: higher chart placing, more radio time and critical praise from career-making music giant NME. This slow but steady rise to Britpop stardom had fans and critics alike gagging to see what The Maccabees would do next. Enter the 22 month wait for their third make-or-break album. Given To The Wild is a hugely different sound to their two previous releases, with a lot more substance and successful experimentation. The sound is still that of The Maccabees, but it has matured and expanded to a completely different place. White attributes that change to more freedom and a completely different recording approach. “The core of the other albums were made sat together in a house from the start to finish of each song. We’d spend every day in there working it out with our guitars,” he explains. “With Given To The Wild, we had a lot more time where we were working on tiny bits; sending little loops to each other. It slowly came together that way, so in that sense it had much more purpose in the production. We had much more ownership over that side of it too.” Basing sole judgment on the extremely biblical name, it is understandable that The Maccabees are often assumed to be a Christian band. Rumour has it that they opened a dictionary and pointed blindly at the word and that was it – but the name has certainly caused a liberal amount of misunderstanding since the days of pubescent anonymity. “It’s an accidental and sometimes an unfortunate [name], but when we were young we thought it was a good name for a band. And it still is!” White defends, “But obviously it has other connotations which we just didn’t know anything about.” And lately, upon googling The Maccabees, not only will you find biblical stories of old, but there’ll also be a tonne of hits for Mel Gibson and his infamous potty-mouth – something to do with a movie script and more secretly recorded hate-rants. White laughs, “In an ideal world, we wouldn’t be associated with that. But actually, for early gigs, we used to make our own flyers and hand them out. When Mel Gibson started making The Maccabees film about ten years ago, it was in the newspaper. We cut out ‘Now Mel Wants to Be a Maccabee’ and did it as if Mel Gibson was advertising the gig”. So perhaps the association was helpful once. Although they are officially on their Given To The Wild tour, White assures me as it’s the first time Down Under, their Australian set list will include a “bit of everything”. The band are excited about their first trip here, and White gushes about playing alongside Public Enemy who he touts as “one of the greatest groups of all time”. An avid cricket fan, he is also anxious to do a tour of the MCG while he’s in town. White even ends the interview with a perhaps farfetched plea: “You know, if I could get any one of the Australian cricket team down to a gig, then that’d be awesome.” THE MACCABEES are playing at The Hi-Fi on Wednesday May 16. Given To The Wild is out now.
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Beat Magazine Page 59
ZOLA JESUS
BY LACHLAN KANONIUK
Conatus, one of the standout LPs of 2011, marked a consolidation of a relatively prolific and resoundingly attention-commanding few short years for Zola Jesus, the musical outlet from American vocalist-composer Nika Rosa Danilova. Zola Jesus’s soaring, operatic voice and haunting aesthetic resulted in many established and revered artists seeking collaboration, with an eclectic who’s who ranging from Canada’s hardcore-inclined Fucked Up to a recent appearance on resurgent UK dance duo Orbital’s latest record. Such an abundance of collaborations conflicts with the sense Danilova is an artist without peers, as she explains, “I don’t really like to know what other people are doing.” It’s one of the many delightful ostensible contradictions that define Zola Jesus – divine vocals overlaying aggressive industrial beats, resolute philosophies despite only just turning 23 years of age, and a emanating worldliness birthed from a rural Wisconsin upbringing. “It’s just based on intuition, you see something you like and then you try to find more things that make you feel that way, because it instigates this curiosity in you, this intrigue. Discovering what you like and don’t like informs what you tend to create,” Danilova states in relation to her motivation. “It’s not necessarily aesthetic, because I can read a book and gather an idea. A lot of it stems from the overarching concept of what it means – a basis of life, philosophically. I like that. That is the ideal of how I want to live my life. Not only how you want it to look, but how to wake up the next day with intention.” With a flourish of EPs and LPs leading up to Conatus, it seems Zola Jesus has reached a more stabilised echelon. “I wanted to get to a point where I could release a record and take a little bit of time off, but I knew after Stridulum (the second Zola Jesus EP, which was fleshed out into an LP) I wasn’t done yet. I mean, I’m still not done now. For me, I become very intimidated by the LP because it’s such a declaration, in a way. It’s very stressful, putting
together this kind of opus. Then to stand by it for a year and a half, you really need to believe in your material. Then to do that every year, it’s hard to keep up that momentum creatively and emotionally. So EPs are a good way of experimenting and trying new things without having that pressure put on you.” As for working on new material, the touring schedule (one which will bring Zola Jesus to Australia for the first time at the end of the month) is currently taking precedence. “I’ve been working on training myself, in a way. When I go into make the record I feel like it’s almost going to be like the Olympics. That’s where I’m at right now, I can’t really write new material until I put myself in that mindset, but right now I’m focusing on touring,” Danilova reveals. As for the aforementioned collaborations, Nika upholds a necessary selective approach. “It’s usually people that I work with that I’m familiar with, people I respect and admire. I feel like I do it because maybe I can learn something about either the process or how they’re handling things emotionally. I just like to connect with those people and join forces creatively,” she muses. “It’s fun for me, because Zola Jesus is such high stress because it’s all on me, it’s my baby. But when I’m working with other people I can be one small part of a larger thing. I almost
SANTIGOLD
BY SIMONE ZIADA
When you hear Santigold, you know it’s Santigold. The fact of the matter is, this Philadelphiaborn, musically-diverse performer knows exactly what she wants out of her own material, and will take as much time as she needs to get there. After four long years since the release of her debut album, 2008’s aptly titled Santogold, Santi White is back with her sophomore record, Master Of My Make Believe – an 11-track record that, although diverse in its genres, flows from start to finish. Speaking with Santi, it’s blatantly obvious that she’s exactly where she wants to be; making the music that she loves for the fans that she loves even more. “I feel really good about [the album], and I especially feel good that it’s finally coming out. You know, it’s been a long process and I’m just so glad that it’s out already. It’s actually been done – or mostly done – for a really long time, so I’m so happy that people are finally able to hear it.” A perfectionist in her own right, the four years between both albums was not something that the Creator intentionally made happen. Rather, after engrossing herself with performing and finetuning each facet of the new record, Santigold admits that time really does fly when you’re having fun. And if you’ve ever had the pleasure of speaking with her, you’ll know just how much fun this girl can have – giggling her
way through the entire interview. I felt like I’d met my long lost giggle twin. “Honestly, I toured for the first two years [after the release of Santogold], so I think that I took an extra year more than what most people do to tour apparently...and I only realised that afterwards. But my manager at the time suggested that I keep touring because the want was there, and I was really grateful to have people that wanted to see the show. I thought that it was really important to build a real fan base – especially nowadays when people’s tastes are so [individual]...People are so trendy in their music taste and, when you have a real fan base, that’s something that can’t be taken away really.” Like any good artist, Santi’s music is a true definition of herself, and if Santogold wasn’t a reflection of that, then Master Of My Make Believe definitely is. Tracks like Big Mouth and Go!, featuring the immaculate vocals of Yeah Yeah Yeah’s frontwoman, Karen O, began the introduction to what we were to expect from the upcoming album – or
ANDREW BIRD
BY THOMAS BAILEY
They say the early bird gets the worm. Chicago-based composer and multi-instrumentalist Andrew Bird is a prime example of this (admittedly strained) idiom. Bird first picked up the violin at the tender age of four, and his formative years were spent mastering a veritable smorgasbord of musical disciplines. Classical, jazz, blues – you name it, Bird could play it. As an adult, he’s been releasing albums since his 1996 debut Music Of Hair, he’s collaborated with the late-’90s swing revivalists Squirrel Nut Zippers and along the way has revealed himself to be a virtuoso whistler. Bird’s eleventh (sixth solo) and most recent record Break It Yourself was released earlier this month, and frankly, it’s a thing of beauty. Full of haunting melodies, plaintive soliloquies and subtle instrumentations, Break It Yourself is the product of Bird and collaborators Martin Dosh (drums), Jeremy Ylvisaker (guitar) and Mike Lewis (bass and tenor). On the phone from New York City, the well-spoken and eloquent Bird recalls started the violin at such a young age. “It wasn’t a conscious choice,” he admits; “it was my mom’s idea and I was not unwilling. I was pretty into it, and it was a social thing, not too high-pressure for the first couple of years and, you know, by the time you’re ten years old you can play pretty well! I had as much technique at the age of eight that I would need to pull off most of what I do. And then, I just had a really good ear since I started so early, and I was able to look up other musical languages like classical pretty easily!” Beat Magazine Page 60
That good ear paid off quickly, giving Bird the ability to play, well, pretty much anything. “It’s the same neural pathway you’re forging if you’re learning language, or any other thing at that age,” he explains. “That’s why you can learn multiple languages at that age. Like the mother tongue, music is a language. And it holds pretty true. I can hear any kind of music in the world and I can pick up on its accent right away, and its vocabulary. It’s the little inflections that make one type of music different than another. “Now I’m a multi-instrumentalist and songwriter. I can read and write music, but I don’t need to and I prefer to play with people who play instinctively. “At some point, I found exactly the right people to play with – but what I really had to do was just go solo for five or six years, and reinvent the type of music I was creating and control every aspect of it myself in the studio and onstage before I was ready to play with people again. “I took the violin, typically a linear instrument, and expanded its dimensions by several degrees; I could play in different layers, I could do staccato, I could play bass-lines. [The com-
feel like a session musician, like ‘what do you need from me?’ I can work on my chops as a player, as a singer, and as songwriter. I like it, it’s just fun,” Danilova beams. Following on from his debut album last year, revered filmmaker David Lynch remixed the Zola Jesus track In Your Nature earlier in the year. With Lynch crossing over from the filmic world into music, could Danilova make a similar leap into cinematic pursuits anytime in the future? “Part of me feels really curious about it, but I don’t really have the patience for it,” she muses. “I really like soundtracking and composing for film, but I really like the marriage of the visual and the sonic worlds. So that is something I’m very interested in, so who knows.” From the beginning, Zola Jesus has been beset by the label of ‘gothic’, a trend which Danilova struggles to come to terms with. “I have no idea what it means. I’m perplexed by my association with it. I like gothic architecture? It’s not my favourite architecture, but it’s nice. I think people tend to characterise darkness and the exploration of the uncomfortable because they’re not so we thought. Listening to Master Of My Make Believe, it’s evident that numerous new influences have helped shaped the singer as she delves into genres that she may have never thought that she would. Yep, she even tries her hand at her version of a ballad. “I didn’t set out saying that ‘Oh, I want to make it sound different.’ But...it’s been a while [between records], and I’ve grown as an artist and, naturally, I’m going to push myself to higher standards, and I think that the music evolved ‘cause I’ve evolved. Maybe I was a little bit more ambitious as well, trying to make songs that, I dunno, sound really big in some ways, like Riot’s Gone or God From The Machine. Riot’s Gone is quite a different song for me because it’s my version of a ballad, which I’ve never done before. I don’t know, I guess that I took some different kinds of risks.” Collaborating with some of music’s most prestigious musicians and producers in the past, the calibre of appearances for this album was nothing short of perfection. “I don’t work with people unless I get a twitch to work with [them]. I’m very particular when it comes [to the people that I work with], because when I do collaborations, I want them to be good. I wouldn’t work with somebody unless I knew that they were amazing, and that I wanted to work with them.” But what’s a good artist if their live performances don’t perfectly reflect, if not excel, their recorded tracks? Well, Santigold wouldn’t know. With live performances that get every crowd on the same hyperactive, dance-induced wavelength, Miss Santi understands what it means to keep her audiences constantly entertained. “They’re high energy, and they’re fun. There’s a lot of dancing and movement and, also, visually, there’s a lot positions] were like improvisations that ended up on a loop, and I could isolate them. I think that led to my music becoming more distinctly ‘my own,’” he concludes. Once he’d spent those years recording and performing on his own – and discovering he had an unearthly talent for whistling – he was ready to play with other musicians. In regards to the recording of Break It Yourself, he states that it was the first time he’d trusted other musicians to “use their creative instincts.” “It’s the first time I’ve let more than just one other member of my band in the studio with me at a time,” he reveals. “It was just the four of us in a room, all facing each other, playing with no headphones and no separation between us, just learning the songs while the tape’s rolling.” I mention that the record certainly has that feel to it, that it sounds as if there was a lot of trust in the making of it. Bird concurs, “Yes, [the mood] just happened, it’s the nature of having done it in eight days, in a farm in west Illinois. Living in a barn under one roof, eating together – there was definitely a mood out there. Late August, in the Midwest, in an old red barn!” Finally, this scribe has to ask Bird about his unearthly whistling abilities. More specifically about his memorable turn in The Muppets, performing the jaw-dropping whistling finale of the film, where the character Walter finally discovers his hidden talent during a telethon the Muppets have thrown to save their rundown theatre from the clutches of a greedy oil tycoon. “Well, I had my ear to the ground; I was living in LA for a period of time and I heard the film was in development,” Bird recalls fondly. “So I offered my services. All the songwriters were doing it on spec, and there were some pretty heavy people in there, doing it out of love for The Muppets!
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ready to confront it as a reality, so they create this cartoon. But also people who consider themselves ‘goth’ are part of the problem, they wear it as a funny costume, on the inside and the outside, rather than confronting the truths behind these transgressive issues.” Both in conversation and in her artistic output, Danilova displays a strong affinity for philosophy. “I’m just trying to find out more about what I love and what I believe in. Reading about all those dead white guys can help teach you things about yourself, and I’m always trying to look for more answers. At this point I really have a strong conviction in what I believe in at a fundamental level. I think that is a lot of what Zola Jesus is about, projecting that outward.” ZOLA JESUS performs at Vivid LIVE Festival at the Sydney Opera House on Thursday May 31, as well as two sideshows at The Toff In Town on Saturday June 2 with Light Asylum and Forces, and on Sunday June 3 with Fabulous Diamonds.
to take in. We’ve got costumes, and props, and dancers and a band...It’s decked out. I mean, there’s just so much going on. It’s very visual, and I really try to give a physical presence to the songs.” Master Of My Make Believe is out now through Atlantic Records UK/Warner Music Australia.
“I got the script, and it was funny, I thought it was really good and had a nice sense of humour to it. So I wrote four or five songs, either with Walter or Kermit [the Frog] in mind that had to move the story along. And the part they ended up using was the whistling finale. It was fun, because I respected the director (James Bobin) and the music supervisor from Flight Of The Conchords (Bret McKenzie), and I respected what they were going for, so I didn’t mind doing revisions,” he laughs. “I was like, ‘Sure! Got it!’ It was so much fun.” Break It Yourself is out now through Spunk Records.
PUBLIC ENEMY BY CHRISTINE LAN
Public Enemy are just as relevant now as they were 25 years ago. We can still count on Chuck D to expose injustice when others have their backs turned. Public Enemy are proof that music can effect change. They fight the power and rebel without a pause. It’s for this reason that Public Enemy possess the political power that no other group has even come close to attaining. They’re more than hip hop icons and music royalty – Public Enemy are freedom fighters, voices for the voiceless, and no other group has dealt with racism in a more powerful way. “America has to become better educated on the world,” states Chuck D. “That’s one of the things that’s hurting the United States. Its world consciousness and participation has been closed by the fact that it’s been a linearity type of existence... a world-policing type of existence.” Having an African-American as US President has been more of a symbolic progression than anything else, as the nation clearly has a long way to go in its fight against racism and social injustice. On January 15, Public Enemy set up an inspiring four-hour event, the Operation Skid Row Music Festival, to shine a light on downtown LA’s homeless district. It was an invigorating, politically-charged free concert for Skid Row’s homeless people, featuring a huge selection of local artists including Yo-Yo, Kurupt, King T, Kid Frost, X-Clan, Egyptian Lover and Knowledge. “We want to be able to make statements like ‘yo – this is what’s going on in our own backyard’,” says Chuck D. “Just the fact that homeless folks are making up a large majority of Skid Row residents is a conflict that we knew, but all the press covered it like it never existed, like it was an incident that broke out because they had never heard of it. We have to be able to pick up the ball and do something like that across the country.” It’s been 25 years since Public Enemy’s debut album introduced the world to one of the most important musical forces. Formed in Long Island, New York, Public Enemy’s debut album – Yo! Bum Rush The Show (1987) – left an indelible impression. Critically acclaimed worldwide, Melody Maker put it best when they described the impact of the record as akin to “being struck by a meteor”. The heroic group – comprising Chuck D, Flavor Flav, Professor Griff and his S1W group, Terminator X (who was replaced by DJ Lord in 1999) and Music Director Khari Wynn – stunned fans by following up that debut record with two superior albums in It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back (1988) and Fear Of A
Black Planet (1990). The former is now regarded as one of the greatest and most influential albums of all time while the latter – which inspired the name of Nazeem Hussain and Aamer Rahman’s political comedy duo, Fear Of A Brown Planet – is also a classic, colossal record. Chuck D was only a child when Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X were assassinated, but it was all about seeing the truth and remembering it: “We remember,” he affirms. “It was the bold statement that we wanted to make.” Alongside tense race relations in the US – which have been brought to the fore by the shooting of unarmed African American teenager Trayvon Martin (Chuck D has, of course, written a new song about the important overarching issue) – paranoia about religion has led to a spray of Islamophobia. A few years ago, fellow Muslim rapper Brother Ali made the vital point that hip hop and Islam tend to get caught up in the same misconceptions of being inherently violent, disrespectful of women and homophobic, and that these misconceptions come from weaknesses and insecurity within human beings. “Brother Ali is a very strong person and one of my brothers,” Chuck D expresses. “As a matter of fact, he features on the new Public Enemy album, a song called Get Up Stand Up. He’s very succinct and he’s very clear about dedication to Islam. He sees it on a minute to minute basis the way people get lost on knowing what it is and what it’s about. It has misconceptions because it seems to not have a total control of its voice. Sometimes hip hop has to have its own voice speak without having a business equation to it.” Public Enemy will release two new albums this year: Most Of My Heroes Still Don’t Appear On No Stamp in June and The Evil Empire Of Everything in September. Are they in the finishing stages now? “Yeah, I’ve just come out of the kitchen and it’s a mess,” the revered MC chuckles. “The thing about
the two records is, you know, we’re fully into the digital age now and doing two albums at the same time... in the past, this would’ve been called a doublealbum; it may’ve been called Extended A-side/ Extended B-side. We believe that today people rush through albums so quickly without even listening to it. We built upon the two albums being kind of related but bridging some topics and textures. It’s more the thrill or the audacity to make the release different from just a normal release. We wanted to put them close – I don’t think you could’ve done it back in the day with physical albums in the area of retail, warehousing, shipping,” he laughs. “All those things are what impeded it, you know, but now we have this technology, which we had waited for and we helped usher in.” Chuck D believes that Africa will be the centre-point of hip hop and rap music because the US is losing that privilege, and he’s excited about supporting the new generation of African hip hop/rap artists: “They’re doing their thing and the continent is just rich with language and colourful wordsmiths who are taking rap to the next level in South Africa, Nigeria, Gabon, and Senegal.” Chuck D’s excellent radio show, And You Don’t Stop, can be heard on rapstation.com. “I tell people ‘hey, we want to make local artists heard globally and
global artists heard locally’. Talib Kweli, The Roots, KRS-One... it’s too easy for me to name artists. I think every other continent has a large artist-base in hip hop that wants to be heard and that’s what gets me excited.” At the end of the day, it all comes back to Chuck D’s philosophy about using hip hop music as a way of illuminating a cause. Where does he find this endless verve to remain the driven and thought-provoking artist that he is? “The energy comes from travelling and seeing people around the world,” Chuck D avows. “I think the international travels have really been the thing that kept Public Enemy in existence – to be able to talk to many people of different walks of life and all in the name of hip hop; to not just come there but encourage them to do their thing (amazingly, Public Enemy have performed over 2,000 concerts across 80 countries). We haven’t been to India; we haven’t been to Kenya... there’s places we haven’t been and I’m interested.” PUBLIC ENEMY bring their special 25th Anniversary Tour to The Esplanade Hotel on Thursday May 17 (please note: new venue and new date). All tickets purchased for the original venue and date will be honoured for the Espy show.
EMPERORS STAY FROSTY TOUR TONE DEAF, GUN FEVER, SWEET MATE MUSIC & HANDSOME HOMEMADE PRESENT...
THURSDAY MAY 17 - ED CASTLE, ADELAIDE + SINCERELY, GRIZZLY + QUIET IN THE LAB!
SATURDAY MAY 19 - FIST2FACE RECORDS, MELBOURNE (ALL-AGES) AFTERNOON ACOUSTIC IN-STORE PERFORMANCE
SATURDAY MAY 19 - PHOENIX PUBLIC HOUSE, MELBOURNE + IOWA + THE STATICS + THEM SWOOPS
WEDNESDAY MAY 23 - REPUBLIC BAR, HOBART + COUNTERFEIT CLUB + LIZARD JOHNNY
THURSDAY MAY 24 - BEETLE BAR, BRISBANE + DRAWN FROM BEES + GUESTS
FRIDAY MAY 25 - CAMBRIDGE HOTEL, NEWCASTLE + LONG ISLAND SOUND + SUPER BEST FRIENDS + THE OWLS
SATURDAY MAY 26 - FBi SOCIAL, SYDNEY + SKULL SQUADRON + SUPER BEST FRIENDS + MATT BANHAM
FRIDAY JUNE 1 - THE BAKERY, PERTH + SPLIT SECONDS + RUBY BOOTS + THE WARNING BIRDS
THURSDAY JUNE 7 - PRINCE OF WALES, BUNBURY + THE DISAPPOINTED + DEAD OWLS
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Beat Magazine Page 61
IMMIGRANT UNION
BY JOSHUA KLOKE
Though he’s been living in Australia for over two years now, Brent DeBoer can’t abscond from his hometown of Portland, Oregon. While the drummer for renowned jangle-psych outfit The Dandy Warhols certainly enjoys Melbourne as his adopted hometown, when it came time to record the debut full-length with Immigrant Union, DeBoer knew he had to return to Portland, one of the great music cities of the world. “The vibe of the city was one of the biggest reasons for flying over there,” he says. “And speaking of the surroundings, one of the biggest influences was this bar that was just a block away from the studio that had this amazing free jukebox. It was full of ‘70s country music. Listening to that stuff was a big deal. At the time I was hearing a lot of these new country bands that were making these recordings that were too antiquely. Almost as if it was recorded through a microphone in front of a tape recorder. Which I enjoy at times, but we wanted to do something with texture, like those old Eagles albums. Big warm, lush bass tones. We wanted something that would sound great on vinyl. We’d go down and hear those big, booming ‘70s songs when we were down at the bar having a drink and we got a bit of validation. It worked so well.” Reached on the phone from his Melbourne home, DeBoer sounds relaxed and affable, having just finished cooking a mighty dinner of sautéed salmon and leek, steamed broccoli, mashed pumpkin and carrot and a bean salad. “I was just in Europe for a month on a tour bus,” he
notes . “You never get to cook. I’ve been looking forward to getting back into the kitchen.” As relaxed as DeBoer sounds though, the pace in which he recorded Immigrant Union with a group of Melbourne musicians including Bob Harrow (Lazy Sons) and Peter Lubulwa (ex of The Galvatrons) was anything but laid-back. The band recorded 14 songs in 14 days, and DeBoer is frank about what contributed to the inspired burst of energy. “Probably a lot of whiskey and Coke,” he says, rather seriously. “We’d get in early and stay in extremely late. We had a strong work ethic and rehearsed and planned a lot beforehand. We wanted to tackle the songs and not waste any time. Plus, it was all we could really afford after the plane tickets.” DeBoer and Harrow originally got together after a chance meeting at Cherry Bar one evening, and the idea to write countrified rock and folk came soon afterwards. “It was a bit of an outlet for me,” says DeBoer. “I wanted to play guitar instead of drums. But at the end of the day, the vibe and the trip and the goal is always
the same. We’re going for that weird hypnosis. The lyrical content isn’t that big of a departure either; the kind of lyrics you might hear on someone’s answering machine.” While DeBoer refers to the Dandy Warhols frequently throughout our half-hour interview, it becomes clear that given his surroundings, Immigrant Union is not simply a side project. Portland will always be his home, but for now, Brent DeBoer has invested enough passion into the project to ensure Immigrant Union won’t be leaving again anytime soon. “It’s too much work to consider it just a side-project,” he says. “We’re pretty focused. We’re trying to write
interesting songs, keep our gear working, loading it all into the car and getting to the gig. When you put all that together, it’s not easy, but you do it for the love of it. At the end of the day, it’s about getting more people to your party. You want people to be moved, emotionally. The more people you have showing up, the better.”
play with until they found just the sound they were looking for. These laid-back sessions make for a supremely laid-back album. In contrast, the band are finding their lives suddenly frenetic thanks to the media attention. I mention to Taccone that I enjoyed watching a YouTube video of them covering Wham!’s Everything She Wants, and he seems genuinely shocked that such a thing should even be on the internet. “Oh shit,” he says, seeming genuinely embarrassed, “I had no idea anybody was filming that. Was I dancing in it? Did I look weird?” I assure him that he looked good, and that the audience seemed to think so too. “A lot of surreal things like
that have been happening to us recently,” he says. “Not long ago, we were on a TV show in France and the host held a copy of our album up. We asked if we could hold it, because we’d never actually come in contact with a physical copy of it before.”
guys live.” Thematically, Odd Soul occasionally concerns stories of ‘awkward adolescence’. King’s own wild teenages aspirations, for example, colour the record’s second single. “The song Blood Pressure I wrote out of feeling this ambition to be a perfect Christian, to raise the dead and heal the sick at the high school and make it into the extended edition of the Bible or something like that. That’s what I thought my calling was in life: to be perfect. It wore me out, it drove me crazy. I kind of went mad in my attempts to do that for a small time,” he recalls. “I was just a strange kid, I was kind of eccentric and did some weird stuff!” These days, King’s aspires to conquer the music world with Mutemath, one town at a time. Fortuitously, life on the road suits the drummer to a tee. “My story is that I was raised in a small town in Missouri. When
given the opportunity to go to a new place, I try to do and see as much as I can and soak it in. I’m still thirsty for new experiences and new sights and to get to travel and play shows is my favourite part.” Mutemath have touched down in Australia and, according to King, one hell of a show awaits. “It’s got passion, it’s not shy. It’s social music, it’s exciting and it’s supposed to be a spectacle. Everybody plays the drums, but I play them the most. It’s a good shot of adrenaline!”
IMMIGRANT UNION launch their self-titled album in a matinee show on The Evelyn rooftop this Saturday May 12 from 2pm, with support from Royston Vasie and the Merri Creek Pickers.
ELECTRIC GUEST
BY ALASDAIR DUNCAN
Los Angeles duo Electric Guest make sprightly indie pop that recalls the cheesier side of ‘70s MOR as much as it does contemporary bands like Phoenix. The pair are on the fast-track to next big thing status – they recently played a series of showcase gigs at The Echo in Los Angeles, and in spite of the fact that they only had one single to their name at the time, the shows were a smashing success. “The first one was a big awkward, we were still finding our feet, but by the third or fourth, it was really great,” singer Asa Taccone says. Playing to audiences unfamiliar with their music just made the pair work harder. “At times, we’d ask ourselves, ‘What’s going on with this crowd?’ But then we’d remember, ‘Oh yeah, they’ve never heard half of these songs before!’” he laughs. The band’s debut, Mondo, has just released, and its vintage sound comes courtesy of producer Danger Mouse, an old friend of Taccone’s. “When I first moved to Los Angeles, I was writing a lot of songs, and quite often I’d call my brother Jorma and play him songs just to see if he liked them. One day, he said ‘Hold on, I want to play that to somebody,’ and then he put Brian, otherwise known as Danger Mouse, on the phone. This was about eight years ago. Brian said he liked it and wanted to hear more, so I just sent him a bunch of stuff I’d done in college … I ended up
moving into his old room, and he mentored me for a couple of years, and then after a while, suggested that we might do a record together.” Working with Danger Mouse was a very comfortable process for the duo – essentially, Taccone explains, it was just friends hanging out in the studio. “I think his studio has a very specific sound, and that’s down to a lot of the gear he has, which is mostly analogue stuff,” he says. “The drums in particular have that kind of dry ‘70s sound. I have a tonne of analogue gear as well, old keyboards and stuff. Sometimes we would start in the middle of a song, sometimes at the end, it was all over the place, but the sessions were very relaxed.” The producer was open to hearing any ideas the band had, and if they were stuck, was happy to let them rummage around in his gear, giving them pedals to
ELECTRIC GUEST are playing the soldout Splendour In The Grass, taking place at Belongil Fields, Byron Bay, from Friday July 27 to Sunday July 29. They also play the Northcote Social Club on Wednesday August 1. Mondo out now through Dew Process.
MUTEMATH
BY NICK MASON
Mutemath’s own Darren King is quite the connoisseur of obscure records. The temptation to pry into his purchases proves simply irresistible, the drummer only too happy to rattle off a list of recent acquisitions. “I’ve got a new one called Thai Funk. It’s great, it’s off of Bangkok ZudRangMa Records. I have another one called The Sounds Of Siam and one called Beautiful Rivers And Mountains: The Psychedelic Rock Sound Of South Korea’s Shin Joong Hyun,” he laughs. “I’ve been looking for specific stuff lately.” Indeed. One could only imagine what wild and wonderful inspirations laid the groundwork for the band’s exceptional third LP, Odd Soul. “This story of this album probably starts with us returning from Indonesia,” King recalls of the album’s origin. “As soon as we arrived in the States, our guitar player quit. He just kind of reached his boiling point finally, had all he could take of being on the road, travel... our idiosyncrasies. I had known him since I was about 12-years-old and he was one of the reasons I got started playing the drums to begin with, so it was really a sad thing. “We sat down and we talked about a few things: we decided that, for one, we didn’t feel like we were done being this band. We arrived at that conclusion very easily. Secondly – and most importantly – we realised that we needed to make this album without a producer. We needed to do a little ‘sound searching’ on our own and we needed to make sure that whatever we happened upon we liked and didn’t get pressured into,” King explains. “All of the people who would usually get to hear a song early on – either our management, family or friends, even our record label – weren’t allowed to Beat Magazine Page 62
hear anything until we had ten complete songs that we felt were a great record. We didn’t get a record budget, we didn’t borrow money from anybody. It was this lonesome, slow-moving time. I remember feeling forgotten and kind of stuck in a cave and then things got really exciting again.” In creating Odd Soul, King soon stumbled upon a crucial epiphany. “I believe now more than ever – and actually started to believe it half way through the record – that the whole point of making a record is to make a record that you would love and be really proud of what you’re doing... and not to worry about losing fans and, this is the scary one: losing your record label. Or losing money. Now we’re older and we have kids and what-not, all that stuff can weigh down on you... but if you can still just stop and follow your bliss, as they say, you’re better off and you’ll be happy. “We got to the place where we said, ‘Let’s make a record that will be really fun to play together as a band, live.’ We did that for sure,” King affirms. “That’s why this last tour’s been a blast for me. I love playing these songs. I feel spoiled! I feel guilty to get to be the drummer on these tracks and play with these
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MUTEMATH play The Corner Hotel on Tuesday May 15 (tickets available now) and Thursday May 17 (soldout) with support from The Cairos. Odd Soul is out on Warner Music Australia.
THE BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE BY LACHLAN KANONIUK The mega-prolific Brian Jonestown Massacre have attracted a lot of adjectives over the years – whether it be cries of musical genius or the dismissal of being too volatile to function. These days, however, the good ship Brian Jonestown Massacre is sailing on relatively calm seas, a trend which is consolidated by latest record Aufheben – one which continues a surprising run of consistent quality. Though having something of a rotating lineup over the years, uninhibited mastermind of operations Anton Newcombe has maintained a geyser-like rate of output. In the process of conducting a sociological experiment in globalisation, Newcombe lets us in on the mind of what many call the mind of a genius. “It’s the last track from the record, I was just messing around,” Newcombe states when I enquire about the sounds I hear in the background. “Yeah I was putting it to YouTube and giving it a name from a foreign language, seeing how long it will take that culture to find it on YouTube, using crazy tags in their language. When I did the song in Finnish, it took a day and a half and it had 3,000 people, then it was in four blogs in Finland and all of a sudden way more people were listening. It took something like five days for 25,000 spins. I find myself in a world with many different ways to express myself and entertain myself. Not entertain myself in a Brave New World way with some little distraction. It’s more like Russian Facebook or something, where I make a song in Russian and put it out, use BitTorrent, YouTube – any of this stuff – just as another medium.” Success, as we all know, can be painfully subjective at times. Raking in page views from a manner of different cultures is an equally meaningful contextualisation of success than that of sales or chart placings, Newcombe contends. “Recording in other languages – Google has made that possible. I try to go in the opposite direction of what bands tend to do in those cultures. Like a French band who is influenced by The Stone Roses or my group are going to come out and sing in English, and not very well for the most part. Or a band like Air are going to come out and sing about nothing, like ‘Sexyyy boyyy’, and do really well,” Newcombe dismisses. “I thought it was interesting to go in the opposite direction, using social media or whatever technology is available, I can ask people to do stuff because there are no rules. A perfect example is when I was recording in Russian and I did that type of song, not only was it unique as far as independent music, it’s the only song that’s ever been like that in the history of Russian culture. In thousands of years, nobody’s ever written a track like that. It’s more interesting to me – that’s going to exist forever,” Newcombe explains. “Artistically, it gives me a lot of opportunities to mess around and do something that I think is unique. To be more clear about it, I feel I can do anything now and it will be just as valid as anything else. Say the sales/volume/dollar thing that people find so important. The bar has been lowered so far it’s just meaningless. You hear, ‘One Direction, these four little sex robots that Simon Cowell has created, they’re bigger than The Beatles!’, or ‘Lady Gaga has released an internet single and done something The Beatles have never done!’, it’s just completely meaningless. People tend to get caught up in that. Even the numbers aren’t financially that impressive, compared to like how Mark Zuckerburg just bought fucking Instagram for a billion dollars. These two 26-year-old guys just made a billion dollars in one dialogue. The financial scope of that in terms of society is far more impressive than Paul McCartney amassing a wealth of 765 million dollars over the course of 40 years. See what I’m saying? If you reduce it to the sales/dollar/volume it’s completely meaningless.” The engrossment in modern outlets such as social media and torrents is juxtaposed with an adherence to a more traditional musical approach. Though delightfully experimental, Newcombe sticks to using more organic instrumentation. So don’t expect to see him hunched over a Macbook onstage anytime soon. “That’s all utterly disposable, like when a DJ is just into the newest fucking shit. All the music is just disposable. I’m interested in something else that isn’t revolving around that. I was laughing because one of my friends, a very successful photographer in Los Angeles, she had tweeted something about this DJ ‘killing it right now’, with this photo of some guy with one hand on his laptop and one hand in the air. Just think, if you stole that laptop and could operate iTunes, you could be ‘killing it right now’ too,” he laughs. “I’m interested in all kinds of things, I try to touch on those minimalist bases when I’m writing too, but I’m can never be that one-dimensional. That’s why I can’t answer when someone asks what my favourite song is, or what my favourite movie or book is. I’m not a housefly. My favourite things are eating, fucking and shitting. That is a housefly, I can’t do that.” THE BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE will be performing with support from The Raveonettes at The Forum on Saturday May 19. Aufheben is out now through Intertia. PERMIT No. 12/768
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Beat Magazine Page 63
CORE
CORE GIG GUIDE
PUNK, SKA, HARDCORE NEWS, REVIEWS AND GOSSIP BY EMILY KELLY: EK1984@GMAIL.COM
OK. No more. Enough. If you are in a band that consists of talented people, eager to pump DESCENDENTS their time and efforts into a fruitful, successful existence, then find a good vocalist. Not your mate who’s like, funny ‘n’shit and screams real loud, and not your bassist ‘cause, like, no one else wanted to do the singing. I’m over listening to new music that boasts solid potential, and possesses all the qualities of a great band, only to hear their vocals kick in and crap all over the party. I understand that the genre lends itself to minimal talent – that was the basis of its appeal when it all began – and I think to that end hardcore should be excluded, but when it comes to singing, you need to train your voice. At the very least, aim to make it into a compliant instrument and give it some edge. There are so many average vocalists in punk rock at the moment, slightly tone deaf and with limited range, pushing their band into very tidy pigeonholes with a billion of their peers. People wouldn’t endure an average drummer who keeps bad time, so why do they tolerate vocalists who are just as incompetent with their voices? The vocalist is FRONTing your band, they are the centerpiece of your ensemble. Don’t tolerate mediocrity! End rant.
CRUNCH!
Parkway Drive have announced invite-only cinema screenings of their new DVD Home Is For The Heartless that will take place all over Australia. To win tickets to your local screening just pre-order the DVD before its release on July 6. Say Anything will head to Australia on their first ever headlining tour this year. The 'Say Anarchy Australian Tour' will roll into Melbourne on Friday July 13 at Billboards and national support will be provided by The Getaway Plan. The Bride are hitting the road again in support of their debut album President Rd. They’re bringing mates Wish For Wings and Trainwreck with on their extensive trips around the country. Victoria scores shows at Bendigo’s Musicman Megastore on Tuesday July 10, The Nash in Geelong on Wednesday July 11, Karova Lounge in Ballarat on Thursday July 12 and Pheonix Youth Center on Friday July 13. Grab tickets at the door. Tour cancellations are in vogue at the moment, or more specifically, last minute tour cancellations. DevilDriver cancelled their entire Aussie tour last minute last week when he revealed the band would cancel their first ever tour due to sickness. Dez Fafra came down with pneumonia and was advise by his doctor that is ‘unsafe’ to travel to Australia.
Legendary NYC ska dudes The Toasters will bring their 30th anniversary tour to Australia this September. Inject some ska goodness into your spring this September when The Toasters and The Resignators hit Daylesford’s Palais (Friday September 14), and then Ska Nation Festival at The Espy on Saturday September 15. The Menzingers have added their name to the growing list of bands who have been robbed on tour. The band were robbed of everything besides their gear in Manchester UK to the sound of $10,000. They’re encouraging fans to buy some merch to help them out. Sounds like a good excuse to me. Gallows will release their new album via their own label this year and took a swing at the music industry in their official announcement. “For the last seven years we have trudged step by step through the dark sewers of music industry. Shaking hands with snakes and signing contracts drafted by thieves with perfect teeth. We are happy to announce that we have become part of the problem. All hail Venn Records”.
METAL, HEAVY ROCK, CLASSIC ROCK
LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL GOOD SHIT WITH PETER HODGSON: CRUNCHCOLUMN@GMAIL.COM
MUSICALLY INCORRECT ON DEMAND
Triple R’s weekly metal round-up Musically Incorrect is now available via the station’s Radio on Demand service. This means you’re able to listen to Musically Incorrect – including past shows – any time you want on your desktop, smart phone or tablet. Check it out at ondemand.rrr.org.au. Musically Incorrect is on every Monday at midnight.
HATCHET DAWN GET DOWN GIG ALERT: BURIED IN VERONA
As I write this week’s column I’m listening to Frank Zappa’s Broadway The Hard Way album. I’m in a big Zappa mood lately, partly because, well, I’ve been into Zappa since I was about 14 and used to rent the video of 200 Motels about once every three months, and partly because the recent Zappa Plays Zappa Australian tour was so awesome. But mainly because I’m excited that 18 titles from the Zappa catalog are being rereleased on June 26. Everything from Freak Out! (1966) to Zoot Allures (1976), with the exception of Uncle Meat, Burnt Weeny Sandwich and the 200 Motels soundtrack. I hope this is the start of a whole bunch of reissues, and if I might be so bold as to make a wish, I’d love to see CD/Blu-Ray sets of Uncle Meat and 200 Motels.
HELM BY ROD WHITFIELD Some say a band’s third album is often the hardest, and this is the stage that Gold Coast hard rock outfit Helm is about to enter. Forming in 2008, Helm have achieved quite a bit in their years together, but guitarist Dario is very confident that the band is in a very positive place right now, creatively, and that their third record will be the best thing they’ve ever done. “We’re pretty much on the verge of finishing up our third album,” he informs us. “Just polishing up the last couple of songs. It’s a good time, we’re getting really creative at the moment in between shows. We’re really excited about it. “I think it’ll be a pretty lengthy…I want to use the word ‘opus’, but we haven’t reached that status yet, but we do tend to write some pretty long songs. We’re branching out, and a few of the three-four minute songs are coming out. It’s a little bit of different territory for us. But it’s Beat Magazine Page 64
WEDNESDAY MAY 9: Sick Of It All, Agnostic Front, Toe To Toe at The HiFi The Darkness, Strangers at Palace Theatre THURSDAY MAY 10: Frank Turner, William Elliott Whitmore, The Smith Street Band, Jen Buxton at The Espy For Our Hero, A Sleepless Melody, In Elegance, Madison at Next Admiral Ackbars Dihonnourable Discharge, Spew n Guts, A Commoners Revolt, Where’s Grover at The Bendigo The Seraphim Veil, Culprits, I Valiance at The Gaso Upstairs FRIDAY MAY 11: Frankenbok at Pier Live, Frankston Calling All Cars, Strangers, Art Martial at The Hifi Whitehorse, Dead Boomers, Penumatic Slaughter, Israel at The Old Bar Robotosaurus, In Trenches, At Dark, Areyfu, Dude Mountain at The Bendigo Doubleback, Ramshackle Army, The Workinghorse Irons, Prostitute Killers at The Gasometer SATURDAY MAY 12: Bellusira at Bang I Explode Like, Glorified, Almaria at Bang Heaven The Axe, Bad Karma, System Of Venus, Kong Fuzi at The Bendigo Midnight Woolf, Mass Cult, Bad Vision at The Gasometer Dead, Rev Jesse Custer, Wicked City, Goon Soaked Rag, Batpiss at The Gasometer Upstairs
To celebrate the imminent release of Buried In Verona’s new album Notorious, UNFD has arranged for two special Melbourne launches for the record in a few weeks. The lead single’s lyric video from the album has already clocked up a whopping 40,000+ views, and the track has been #1 on the iTunes Metal Chart since its release. And it hit #5 on the iTunes Rock Charts last week too. On Thursday May 31 Buried In Verona will perform at the Workers Club in Fitzroy. Only 50 tickets will be released to the public for this intimate show with Brooklyn and Earth Caller. Fans can win tickets to show by heading to store, weareunified.com and pre-ordering the album. The first 50 people forwarding proof of the preorder purchase to liz@weareunified.com will get free entry. On Thursday June 1, UNFD will host a signing session at their Richmond offices. Each person that arrives will receive an A2 poster signed by Buried In Verona. There will also be a BBQ, UNFD Merch Sale and photo opportunities with the band.
all going well, our third album is coming out very, very shortly. Later this year, we hope to get it out, which will be volume three. It isn’t yet titled. We have a title in the works, but we’re not releasing that information just yet.” The band are at the tail end of their tour in support of the first single from the album, Bullets, and the tour hits Victoria this week, with a show at The Espy in St Kilda this Friday and at the Bended Elbow in Geelong the night after. They are massive fans of playing at The Espy, and can’t wait to play there once again. “The Espy, for me personally, would have to be one of the best venues in Australia that we’ve played at. I’ve been on the road with these guys for the last two and a half years, and we’ve seen a fair few venues, but The Espy is awesome. I love the food there!” Dario enthuses. The support card for the show is a real eye opener, featuring the avant garde sounds of Ennis Tola, the ballsy, in your face rock of Dive Into Ruin and in an intimate acoustic set from live wire former Mammal and Full Scale frontman Ezekiel Ox. It’s an exciting lineup that should pull a very strong crowd to St Kilda’s finest venue. “It is [a massive lineup],” he agrees whole heartedly. “We’ve got Ezekiel Ox playing an acoustic set, which I’ve never seen before. I’ve seen him play in plenty of bands, like Full Scale and Over Reactor, but keen to hear him up close and personal with his acoustic stuff. Ennis Tola, which to me are amazing. Musically it’s just far and beyond. Then there’s Dive Into Ruin, who are awesome.
Toxic horror rockers Hatchet Dawn will headline Twisted Sisters at the Evelyn Hotel this Saturday May 12 with a special selection of Melbourne’s neo/modern burlesque performers. The night will be hot, sexy and a set to provoke a exclusive night of burlesque and heavy rock madness. Cool! Hatchet Dawn will have their new album (mixed by Neil Kernon) for sale on the night with discounted merch deals, along with free sexy toy giveaways throughout the night from the Twisted Sisters crew. Phwoar. Presale tickets available through Moshtix or for $15 at the door. Doors open at 7pm, and it’s an 18+ event, naturally.
SYDONIA
Sydonia will play the Gershwin Room at The Espy on Saturday May 12 with guests Branch Arterial, Glass Empire, Sons Of Abraham (late show) and Mary Washington (CD launch). Doors open at 8pm and tickets are $12, available from the bands.
GIG ALERT: OVER-REACTOR
Tickets are on sale now for Over-Reactor’s shows in Melbourne, Bendigo and Geelong in June. Buy any ticket from the tour, put any other two items in your cart from the band’s online store and you’ll get a free classic ‘Pissed?’ Over-Reactor stubbie holder. Check out their new single Mouth Of The Ghetto, out now. Over-Reactor Victorian dates: Thursday June 7 – The Pub, Bendigo Friday June 8 – The National Hotel, Geelong Saturday June 9 – The Espy – Front Bar, St Kilda Sunday June 10 – The Loft - Warnambool Friday July 20 – Curtin Bandroom, Melbourne
DARKEST HOUR LANDS ON FEET AFTER DEVILDRIVER CANCELLATION
Last week DevilDriver had to cancel their tour after the mighty Dez Fafara came down with pneumonia. This was going to be one of the metal tours of the year, with Six Feet Under and Darkest Hour along for the ride, so it sucked to hear that it was cancelled (and that the ever-affable Dez was feeling under the weather). But Darkest Hour pulled it all together and managed to still play some shows, including at the Northcote Social Club on Sunday May 6. With DevilDriver planning to soon go into hardcore hibernation mode to work on their next album, there’s no telling when they’ll be back, but let’s hope this amazing lineup can be reconvened when the time comes.
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So yeah, really looking forward to it. “I think so,” he continues, regarding the size of the crowd the night should pull. “You never really know with the scene as it is today. Being an independent band in Australia today, it’s really hard to get people out of their comfort zones. We’ve had good long chats about it in the band room, or on the road or even just over a beer at the pub, about people being complacent about going to live shows these days. It’s hard to get people away from their home theatres, or their X boxes or Playstations to come to see a live band. We strive for live music and the scene, and it’s getting a bit harder these days. But we’re trying to up the ante with our live show, the whole lighting production and that side of it as well. We just want to push people out of their recliners at home!” he laughs. There is likely to be a second single released from the new album, and another tour to promote it, before the full album drops, to build some momentum leading into the main release. “Yeah I think we would [release another single and tour behind it],” he says. “We don’t like to sit still in one place for too long, we are a pretty busy band and we like to get on the road as often as we can. Grow our fan base and basically work for it. We’re on the road a lot, meeting new people all the time, so it’s good.” And as for the longer term future, Dario is very confident that Helm have a great deal of creative juice left in the tank. “Yeah, I definitely feel there’s more material to be
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released,” he says. “We’re playing around with a few more tunings, broadening our sounds a little bit. We’re settling in, we’re not going anywhere, we’re in it for the long term.” HELM play The Espy this Friday May 11 with Ennis Tola, Dive Into Ruin and Ezekiel Ox solo acoustic.
THE MORRISONS BY PATRICK EMERY
In 1966, The Doors, at that time a largely unknown psych-rock band from Los Angeles, opened for British R&B outfit Them at LA’s famed Whisky A Go-Go nightclub. The titular leaders of the respective bands – Jim Morrison and Van Morrison – shared both a surname, and a fondness for excessive alcoholic indulgence. The inevitable product of the bands’ professional association was a two-week binge of alcohol and erratic behaviour culminating in a show at the Whisky that would conclude with an apocryphal 20-minute version of Them’s Gloria. Had either of the frontmen been sober enough to think beyond the next beverage, this could have been the conception of the original Morrisons. Nick Morrison, guitarist with local band The Morrisons, hasn’t previously heard the story, but he does feel an affinity with the broader context. “I tend to get pretty trashed when I listen to The Doors, so I can kind of appreciate it,” Morrison laughs. The Morrisons was formed just over five years ago when a group of friends, each of whom had their individual toes in the local live scene, decided to form a new band. A pseudo-Marxist desire to control the various aspects of the band’s production and image led to the construction of The Morrisons as a punk band. “I’d been playing in bands for a few years, and I wanted to start a band where I could do all the record, and we could do all our own artwork, so it had to be a punk band – we really like Bad Brains, Black Flag and The Dead Kennedys,” Morrison says. After a pointed call-out on Facebook led to the recruitment of a drummer, The Morrisons were away. The band’s first gig was a 20-minute set supporting The Scarlets at Cherry Bar, the set truncated due to the effusive appearance of The Scarlets’ lead singer on stage. “We had to cut a couple of songs off the set because the lead singer of The Scarlets came on stage and started saying lots of stuff,” Morrison says. “I think she was pretty drunk, and she knew our drummer, so she was saying how people should really get into our music – it was pretty funny.” The Morrisons’ first recording was an EP recorded by the band in Northcote in 2007. Outside of the band, Nick Morrison was continuing his research into, and practice of recording; by the time it came to record The Morrisons’
recently released four-track 7” – this time in Morrison’s house – Morrison says he was much more aware of the potential and limitations of the studio recording process.“I’ve definitely learned a lot since we did the first EP,” Morrison says. “How to use the gear, buying the right equipment to use, and also learning how to do it more simple. I think when you start out recording, you have an idea of how simple you can make it, but as you go on, you realise how to do it even more simpler,” he says. While Morrison doesn’t construct himself as the formal leader of the band, he does admit to maintaining a controlling influence in the studio. “I can honestly say that I’m a control freak, but I think the band appreciates it!” Morrison laughs. Leadership isn’t bestowed on any one individual in the band; rather, it exists in the form of collective momentum. “I like to entertain the fact that I’m a leader, but when the band gets going, there’s no-one who can really control The Morrisons – it’s its own growing organism,” Morrison says. “But when we’re recording, I am the one who hits record, and then we just see what happens.” The Morrisons’ songwriting process is no more sophisticated than you’d expect: a riff, a melody, a half-formed lyrical idea. “It can be anything,” Morrison says. “We might be just sitting around and someone comes with a mobile phone, with an idea that we all listen to and work from there. Or an idea for a song – once Pete came in saying, ‘What’s with all these fucking fixed gear bikes!’, so we wrote a song called Fixie Fad. Another time we realised that we’d all been dropped off
at school in a Volvo when we were young, so we wrote a song about that,” Morrison says. This weekend sees The Morrisons launch the band’s new four-track 7” single at The Old Bar. Recorded in Morrison’s house, the recording shows the benefit of Nick Morrison’s experience as a producer and mixer. “With our new 7” you can definitely hear the sparseness more than with the first EP we did,” Morrison says. “I tried to do that a lot more, rather than trying to create a really dense sound – I really tried not to condense the sound too much.” The fact that The Morrisons are in a position to create and construct the band’s image and music offers a degree in freedom in planning its future. “I’d really like to tour
overseas, especially Japan, because I think our music would do really well over there,” Morrison says. “Because we can record ourselves, and we’re all mates, we really love what we’re doing.” Notwithstanding this very laissez-faire attitude, what’s the better scenario: burning bright for a few years, or burning slowly over 20 years. Morrison is prepared to take his cake and eat it. “Probably burning pretty for the next 20 years,” he replies. “The main aim is to keep making music. We’re all mates, which is the first thing about the band.”
different directions. Only four sound like something that would go on the record, so it’s too early to tell. We’re writing nonstop. “Then we’ll take it to a bunch of producers. We just want to keep it going. It’s so easy for people to forget about you these days, with so many bands going around. For us at the moment it’s all about the songs – are they any good? We believe they will speak for themselves.” Just five years into their career and this ridiculously hardworking band have already achieved so much. They are currently preparing their third full-length studio album and
they have toured with the cream of the crop as far as big international bands are concerned, as well as headlining many of their own tour across the country. One can only see them getting bigger in the years to come.
THE MORRISONS launch their new four-track 7” single at the Old Bar on Saturday May 12.
CALLING ALL CARS BY ROD WHITFIELD
Lots of people may think Calling All Cars are a knockout band, but lead singer and guitarist Hayden Ing would have probably preferred not to take that so literally at this year’s Big Day Out. At the Sydney show he did the crazy rock’n’roll thing of leaping into the crowd. Within seconds he found himself out cold on the ground and knowing nothing for the next several minutes. Fans were disappointed that their show had to be called off that day, but it makes for a great road story for the band and the footage of the incident on YouTube is quite confronting as well. The man himself tells us of his somewhat dubious (given the circumstances) memories of that impactful day. “Yeah we were just two songs in,” he attempts to recall. “I got a bit over excited and went crowd surfing. There was a circle pit happening, and I happened to fall through. I was out cold for about 15 minutes. The band were all freaking out a bit, but ultimately it was good publicity for us! Obviously Hayden subscribes to the ‘no pain, no gain’ school of band publicity. “It’s weird watching it back – looking at myself just semiawake. I was pretty sore for a few days.,” Ing says. It’s been a wild ride for the band since their inception just five years ago. In the last few years they have had the honour and privilege of joining one of the most massive rock’n’roll circuses in the world, playing with Aussie legends AC/DC across Australia. That tour has been well documented in these pages, and they have also scored other major supports such as Queens Of The Stone Age and the Foo Fighters. It doesn’t get much bigger than that in rock music these days, and it’s all still a bit surreal for Ing and the band. “Playing with the Foos and Queens of the Stone Age was
crazy,” he says. “In fact, it was a dream come true, they’re all time favourites of ours. We grew up listening to those bands. The Foos crew especially were the friendliest ever – we could go anywhere. They just told us not to be dickheads. But I could hardly talk to Dave (Grohl), I was just too nervous. “In Perth we were standing at the side of the stage,” he continues. “He turned to us and said, ‘Come up on stage’, so we got to get up and have a play with Dave and the Foo Fighters.” The band are currently at the tail end of their Delirium Tour, which has been traversing the country for the last month or so. The band have two Victorian dates and one date in Tasmania left to complete the tour, including this coming Friday night at The Hi-Fi in Melbourne. Having released and toured this single, fans will be happy to know there is a full album on the way. “We’re still in the early stages,” Ing confirms. “We want to write as many songs as possible. Our goal is to write 50 songs. We’ve got 15 at the moment, and they’re all going in
CALLING ALL CARS play Kay Street in Traralgon this coming Thursday May 10, followed by their second last date of the Delirium Tour on Friday May 11 at The Hi-Fi in Melbourne. On both nights they are joined by support acts Strangers and Arts Martial.
Q&A THE DEANS Define your genre in five words or less: Modern original soul. Bearing the terrible clichéd nature of this question, what do you reckon people will say you sound like? A little like Curtis Mayfield, a little like Jimi Hendrix, a little like a band from Melbourne, a lot like ourselves. It’s soul music, but not a retro recreation – it’s new soul, with the vibe of the city and a rock influence. What’ve you got to sell CD-wise? We’re launching our self-titled album, The Deans. We moved into a big mud brick farmhouse in country Victoria for a week to record it with no distractions, but the trees and kangaroos. Then we
mixed it in a vintage train carriage in a big industrial yard in Newport, surrounded by old wooden train carriages, with 100-year-old steam trains chooffing along in the yard. This process ensured the music is soaked in dirt, grease, and deep grooves. Our bass player Nick produced the album, he’s worked with Dan Rumour from the Cruel Sea, Nick Cave’s producer Tony Cohen, and also plays with Monique Brumby – so we trust his ears. Why should everyone come and see your band? Because you need the groove, you want the love, and we are qualified to deliver. What’s the strangest place you’ve ever played a gig, or made a recording? I guess a vintage train would count as strange. When
there was a strong gust of wind it would rock and the massive springs made an awesome creaking, like it was haunted. When’s the gig and with who? Our album launch is on the Cherry Bar Soul night,
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Thursday May 17, with Soul DJs Vince Peach and Pierre Baroni. We’ll play at 10pm, but the night goes on forever. We have some special guest ‘Deanettes’ singing with us on the night too, and you might recognise one of the girls from that TV show with Seal.
Beat Magazine Page 65
MUSIC NEWS
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T-REK
THE BOMBAY ROYALE THE BLACK SEEDS With their highly anticipated new studio album recently released through Remote Control Records, New Zealand reggae-soul heavyweights The Black Seeds will perform at The Corner Hotel on Friday June 15.
THE MAGIC BONES
THE CHORDS
‘60s and ‘70s inspired garage rock/psych band The Magic Bones are set to take the stage fresh off the back of touring their killer self-titled debut EP. They are supported by punk/grunge band Horror My Friend (SA) who have had a busy month supporting DZ Deathrays and Damn Terran in Adelade. Also playing is Pioneers of Good Science, an instrumental duo with a monster sound with influences from My Bloody Valentine and Smashing pumpkins, while Cataract George will kick off the night with their surf punk/ rad tunes. This one promises to bust one’s eardrums and move one’s feet in a rhythmic manner, or you know…start a mosh and punch your mate in the ribs. Make it happen on Saturday May 12 at Pony. Doors from 9pm.
After months of rumour and innuendo it can now be revealed that the original lineup of ‘80s mod revivalist band, The Chords will be gracing Melbourne with their presence on Saturday May 12 at The HiFi. Formed in South East London in 1978, they were one of the most successful groups to emerge during the British mod revival. The four-piece were a singles band to the core, notching up a string of classic and powerfully aggressive guitarladen 45s including Maybe Tomorrow, Something’s Missing and the iconic The British Way Of Life. And now the good folk from down under will be able to experience their legendary energy-laden live performances first hand on Saturday May 12 with special guest Little Murders and The Messengers. Tickets available through Oztix.
SPERMAIDS Spermaids don’t seem to fuck around. Since having formed less than a year ago, the two-piece from NZ have gigged relentlessly and released a unique EP that walks the line between playful experimentation and outright aggression. The live performance is full of tension as they trigger samples, loops and effects creating a cacophany usually only achieved by bands of more than two members. If you’ve not yet seen these guys live then May is the month. They play every Wednesday night at The Tote, joined each week by only the dopest of local supports. Don’t miss them this Wednesday May 9 with the pounding synth metal of Lazerface and the insanely talented Stockades.
THE WORKINGHORSE IRONS Taking the best attributes from the rockabilly and punk scenes, The Workinghose Irons are providing audiences with their own unique brand of psycho rock‘n’roll. With the anticipation of a new EP and the prospect of more international tours, this Saturday’s Pony show is not to be missed. So if you like face-melting guitar solos, thumping double bass, driving jungle beats and blood curdling vocals, then head down to Melbourne’s greatest late night venue Pony on Saturday May 12 and get loose with Melbourne’s favourite Punkabilly band.
THE DEANS Modern Soul band, The Deans (formerly The Grenadines), are a critically acclaimed original band who were nominated for Band Of The Year in the prestigious Deadly Awards in 2007. The Deans, are launching their self-titled album on the legendary soul night at Cherry, AC/DC Lane, on Thursday May 17, at 10pm. Their self-titled album introduces a post-Hendrix Modern Soul Sound. With velvet smooth vocals, sweet harmonies, soaring heartbreak guitar, deep Motown bass grooves and hip-shaking rhythms, The Deans combine soul with cool rock influences to create urban songs about a future Australia. Produced with an old school analogue vibe the tracks sound warm, shiny and crystal clear, like your favourite vinyl treasures.
MOTH Doom meets thrashing, stoner metal this Thursday May 10 as the dirtiest, angriest band in Melbourne, Moth, destroys Pony with support from doom merchants Of the Rising and sludge masters Motherslug. Moth mix early Clutch-style heavy stoner grooves with unbelievably furious vocals and complex rhythms. Emerged from untold wreckage of monoliths passed is the southern Antipodean doom, behold, Of The Rising, who afford the clergy a fearful stare at nature’s hate – an honest deliverance of rage. Motherslug are a five-piece taking protodoom, merging it with up-tempo stoner and down-tuned drone to make a unique cacophony of megalithic proportions. Doors 8.30pm.
Be transported back to the world of vintage Bollywood on Saturday May 19 when The Bombay Royale’s album launch cinematic extravaganza takes over The Hi-Fi. Dress up, get down and take your place amongst a cast of heroes and smugglers, masked dacoits and beautiful ladies on the set of a psychedelic live production where anything goes, with special guests the surfadelic Bluebottles, spectacular live footage from video artist Abracadabla, sultry Bollywood stylings from Sapphire Dance and DJ Manchild spinning his magic on the decks. Tickets on sale now from The Hi-Fi. Head to thebombayroyale.com to check out their surfadelic video for You Me Bullets Love, a roller-coaster tale of romance, kidnapping, kung fu fighting, short shorts and a maiden in distress. You Me Bullets Love is available now on CD and vinyl LP at all good record stores on HopeStreet Recordings.
THE SAND PEBBLES The Sand Pebbles are the second best kept Melbourne musical secret, for the past five years running, give or take... hypnotic, cosmic, kinetic, free-wheeling. They’re set to unleash their special brand of ‘60s psychedelic heavy riff compositions at the Great Britain of Richmond. The eve is Saturday May 12 and the damage will be debatable, but certainly non toxic. Two sets from 9pm, free entry.
Released on Friday May 4, T-Rek will be launching his 4th studio album Dance Music in Melbourne at Revolver Upstairs on Saturday, May 12. Performing a very special double set on the night, the first will see T-Rek backed by We Are Gamma! playing rock’n’roll selections from the album and then followed with the second by the T-Rek Band as seen in the Boiler Room at Big Day Out earlier this year. Written and recorded over several years between a hectic DJ, production and label management schedule, Dance Music is a collection of songs ranging in style from T-Rek’s trademark guitar heavy disco boogie, through to a more straight ahead rock n’ roll band sound, it’s out now through Freekshow Disco Productions/Rubber Records.
THE CORSAIRS After laying low the past few weeks The Corsairs are teaming up with Young Maverick and The Plains this Friday May 11 at Cherry Bar. With a bunch of new tracks to throw out as well as the songs like ‘Sounds’ and ‘Dr. Lake’ which have become crowd favourites, this will be a huge gig not to be missed. Get down early as the place is sure to fill out.
ARTIST PROFILE:
‘HUSK’
LITTLE WISE With a vocal styling not dissimilar to Angie Hart from Frente, Sophie Klein is the brainchild who fronts Melbourne based outfit Little Wise. Small in stature, she’s nevertheless got some big stories to tell and some musical wisdom to impart. Little Wise are very excited to be launching their debut EP Moments Of Clarity at The John Curtain Hotel on Wednesday May 30 with support from Lauren Glezer and Oh!Pep. Tickets are $8.50 pre-sale (incl. BF) via the venue website, or $10 on the door.
LOST ANIMAL Lost Animal celebrates the vinyl release of his debut album Ex Tropical with an all-too-rare headline show on Friday May 18 at Phoenix Public House in Brunswick. In response to significant demand, Ex Tropical has been made available on vinyl, and each copy comes with a digital download card. The pressing is strictly limited to 500 copies. See Lost Animal performing tracks from Ex Tropical, with support from Sensory Projects label-mates New War, and Pearls, plus DJ LA Pocock.
So then, what’s the band name and what do you ‘do’ in the band? HUSK and I get to fondle the low end on bass. What do you think people will say you sound like? People say we sound like a lovely bunch of gentlemen who have kidnapped some sparkly vampires from twilight, wrapped them up in duffel bags, set up a recording mic and proceeded to beat the shit out of those gumby vampire dweebs....oh, and mix in a little Rage Against The Machine, Karnivool, A Perfect Circle, The Butterfly Effect, Porcupine Tree, Nirvana, King Crimson and Faith No More. What do you love about making music? I find the little things to be the most satisfying, like having the whole band set up in the lounge room and kicking out the jams while mum tries to watch The Bold And The Beautiful. What do you hate about the music industry? The industry is rather superficial and tends to cater for the lowest common denominator. Does HUSK feel a burden to rectify this cancerous evil? No. We wanna sell out, cash in and kiss every hairy arse in the hope that we can buy fancy coats and diamond incrusted iPhones. After all, no one cares about musical ability and integrity anymore right? If you could travel back in time and show one of your musical heroes your stuff, who would it be and why? If I went back in time i wouldn’t embarrass myself by drooling over my musical hero. Instead I’d do what Biff Tannen did in Back To The Future Part II. What can a punter expect from your live show? They can expect to be inappropriately touched.
HELLHOUNDS Retro-blues trio, Hellhounds, strip it back for a month of ‘unplugged’ style shows at St. Kilda’s famous Pure Pop Records. Playing every Thursday in May from 6-8pm, the band will be performing intimate renditions from songs from their recently released debut album, and including some swampy, juke joint style jams inbetween. The Hellhounds record is available now at Pure Pop Records, Greville Records, JB HiFi, iTunes and the Hellhounds Facebook shop. Beat Magazine Page 66
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When are you playing live next and with who? We will be at the Noise Bar on Saturday May 12 for a safari expedition with Redfield, Thrasher Jynx, Inedia and Fenian. Our last hunt turned out to be rather memorable, with our drummer getting his face mauled by a smart mouth hyena. Lucky drummers are at the back of the stage, so he doesn’t ruin our overall prettiness. What’ve you got to sell CD-wise? We have an EP out called Contemplating Pupation and we also have T-shirts available. Anything else to add? Soon HUSK will be crashing on your couch expecting full fridge privileges.
BEST BEFORE’S DANCE
HIGHSCHOOL
MUSIC NEWS
For almost nine years, Melbourne trio Best Before have entertained audiences all over the country with their infectious pop grooves. After recently announcing that they have decided to call it day, Best Before gives Melbourne a one night only final performance – the High School Dance. The band invites you to The Evelyn Friday May 11 to celebrate their career and to twist the night away at their last performance together. This is a themed event, so get on your ‘50s prom outfits, call up your crush and take them as your date to Best Before’s High School Dance. Doors from 9pm.
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Q&A THE LITTLE SISTERS
IMMIGRANT UNION Immigrant Union, made up of a myriad of humans who are known by other humans as Brent DeBoer (The Dandy Warhols), Bob Harrow, Gamma, Courtney Barnett, Bones and Dave Mudie, are set to drop their debut self-titled album at the end of April. To celebrate, the gang have decided to have a day time release party On Saturday May 12 on the Evelyn Rooftop from 2pm. Killer.
ESC Esc are a noisy quartet with a shattering wall of clanging guitar and driven dissonance over a hammering rhythm section. This bright young band takes influence from grunge and shoegazing luminaries. Mature in their sound, they cannot be compared to anything in particular. Come see them yourself this Monday May 14, and every other Monday in May, at the Evelyn Hotel alongside an enthralling list of supporting bands. 8pm.
UNCOMFORTABLE KUMAR Young Melbourne guitarist Kumar Shome and his powerhouse trio The Punkawallahs are coming back to the Evelyn to bring to you colourful psychedelic harmonic progressions that make clouds burst and pone. With sounds taking you from the deserts of Ennio Morricone, to streetwise vibes of David Holmes to prog rock riffs that sets the bar for 21st century music. See them Tuesday May 15 from 9pm at The Evelyn.
THE DARLING DOWNS The Darling Downs are Kim Salmon and Ron Peno playing country flavoured songs, and they’re doing it every Sunday in May at The Old Bar. They’ve even been working on some new ones for this residency. 8pm every Sunday with some killer supports for a measly $8. What else do you need to know? It’s Kim Salmon AND Ron Peno playing together! 8pm, every Sunday at The Old Bar.
RAIN FACTORY Rain Factory are a Melbourne-based quartet that independently released two albums and three EPs between 1990 and 1998. They play traditional rock with an alternative leaning that is resplendent with big guitar riffs and melodies. Australia’s eminent youth station Triple J rated the single Solitude in the Top 100 of their summer playlist in 1992. After a long break, the band made an explosive return to the live scene in March and now bring their anthemic and emotive brand of rock to The Evelyn. Come and discover the honesty, passion and the power of Australia’s longest serving independent band this Sunday May 13 from 2pm with special guest Only Alien.
RICH DAVIES & THE DEVILS UNION This Friday at The Retreat Hotel, Brunswick – Rich Davies & The Devils Union. Bleak tales of murder, ghosts, demons and pain, on a dark backdrop inspired by alt country, folk, reverb drenched swampy rock, acoustic balladry and Dylan-esque slap-in-the face, venom-filled rockers. Haunting piano lines, mournful pedal steel and lush string arrangements augment Davies’ stark songwriting and impassioned vocal delivery, which echos the tones of Bruce Springsteen, Nick Cave and Win Butler (Arcade Fire). Born from a poetic compulsion to tell the untold stories of the wretched of heart, the Devils Union emerged like the fiery tongue of flame from a sparked match. Support from Max Savage & The False Idols. See them this Friday May 11 at The Retreat Hotel. Free from 9.30pm.
CHRIS RUSSELL’S CHICKEN WALK Having wowed audiences at the Clarksdale, Mississippi Juke Joint Festival in April where he shared the stage with Kenny Brown, L.C. Ulmer, Lightnin’ Malcom, and Old Gray Mule, Chris Russell’s Chicken Walk return to Australia, and the Old Bar every Wednesday in May. Featuring Handsome Dean Muller on drums, Chris Russell’s Chicken Walk play rollicking, hypnotic North Mississippi Hill Country Blues with supports from Jimmy Stewart (Clinkerfield), Bob Harrow (Immigrant Union), Guy Kable and a host of others. Beat the winter blues with some Mississippi heat from Chris Russell’s Chicken Walk, tonight.
Define your genre in five words or less: Endearing, thought provoking country-folkabilly. How long have you been gigging and writing? The trio of Julie Connolly, Teresa Dixon, and Lucy Rash formed in July 2010, and we’ve been gigging regularly at various Melbourne venues and interstate festivals since our debut at Fitzroy’s Buildlers Arms in that same year. We all come from vast and varied musical backgrounds; Julie is a beautiful country singer through and through, Teresa has dabbled in group and solo performance across a variety of genres, and Lucy is a classically trained violinist and budding electronic musician. Everything about our history – including our mutual love of traditional countryblues – has made writing for The Little Sisters extremely exciting and fulfilling for us over the last two years. What can a punter expect from your live shows? Intricate close harmony, big petticoats, and ridiculous gags. We like a good night out! If you could travel back in time and show your musical heroes your stuff, who would it be and why? Johnny Cash… bless his soul. I think we’d all love to go back in time and sit with him on a country verandah somewhere and share a pint and a quick blast through Folsom Prison Blues. We’d play him our Train Song too;
every country band has to have one. By the same token, I think we’d also go back to the 40s and sing songs with the Ross Sisters (go on, YouTube them), who in return would teach us to manipulate our bodies in fascinating albeit pretty scary ways. Do you have a pre gig ritual? If so, what is it? Julie’s in the car park feeding Austin, Teresa’s shooting Jager, and Lucy’s flittering about being nice to everyone. If you could go on tour with any musician or band, who would it be? Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings. What an honour that would be. Describe the best gig you’ve ever played We were onstage at the 2010 Folk Rhythm and Life Festival, and during one song everyone got up and started crazy dancing. There was even someone in full festival get up doing the chicken dance on 2m stilts. They didn’t ever become horizontal, so that was encouraging. When are you doing your thing next? We’re really excited to be launching our debut EP at The Union Hotel, Brunswick on Saturday May 12, from 5-7pm. Free entry with support from the amazing Cam Nicol. And we’re playing as a full six-piece featuring some of the most exciting musicians going around! Come join us!
JAMES D SMITH From the hit musical Wicked, Australian SingerSongwriter James D Smith is touring his new hit-filled album Invite Me Places. A beautiful storyteller with versatility and passion, a remarkable voice that is quite honestly on par with Australian icon John farnham. Come and experience the other side of James in his intimate live show, featuring his world class band at The Evelyn this Sunday May 13 from 8.30pm
DANIEL CHAMPAGNE Daniel Champagne launches his exciting new record Real Live capturing the energy and spirited atmosphere of his ‘show-stopping’ live performance, honed over more than four years on the road. Brilliant live performances here and internationally have seen him sell thousands of albums at shows and festivals around the world. His phenomenal guitar abilities often make him sound more like a threepiece band than a solo performer, pushing the instrument to beyond its boundaries, and Daniel’s now signature explosion of two-hand tapping, body percussion and fiery runs in a variety of different tunings, alongside sublime jazzy finger picking and tasteful improvisation have become hallmarks of his impressive live shows. Don’t miss Daniel Champagne at The Toff on Tuesday May 15 from 8pm with special guest Ainslie Wills.
RECLINK COMMUNITY CUP That one day in, uh, June that we like to remember is back in full force this year, with the much-loved Reclink Community Cup returning to Elsternwick after a cameo visit in Sydney earlier in the year. Just as last year’s theme was the dark prince Nick Cave, this year’s motif will be that of The Cramps. Each band performing on the day will slot a Cramps track into their setlist – those bands being none other than Boomgates, reformed ‘80s punks Blue Ruin, and Bunny Monroe. Oh, and of course there will be the main event – the mighty Megahertz will try to regain the title of reigning champions from the Rockdogs. The 2012 Reclink Community Cup takes place Sunday June 24 at Elsternwick Park.
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Beat Magazine Page 67
MUSIC NEWS
CHERRY JAM â&#x20AC;&#x201C; OPEN MIKE MONDAYS
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The always poppinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Cherry Bar wants to support the Melbourne music scene. They think bands will beneďŹ t from playing on the same stage that has hosted The Black Keys, The New York Dolls, Mark Lanegan, The Tea Party and already showcases over 550 diďŹ&#x20AC;erent booked locals acts a year. They supply the back line, the mixer and the famous stage. You and your band plug in and play. 6.30pm to 11.30pm every Monday, kicking oďŹ&#x20AC; on Monday May 14. Get involved.
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HEIRS Gothic noisescape artists Heirs are embarking on a national tour this May in support of their new EP, Hunter. Doomladen guitars, booming drums, screaming Theremin and a brutally dark atmosphere combine for one of the most sonically intense and theatrically unsettling instrumental acts. The Process will bring their post-apocalyptic bliss to the stage along with atmospheric duo A Dead Forest Index and Cocks Arquette. This will be Heirsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; last string of Australian shows before they jet oďŹ&#x20AC; for a string of dates in Europe this September. Catch the action at The Curtin on Friday May 11.
BIGSOUND 2012 With last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s event smashing home a reputation as the Southern Hemisphereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s global music gathering, Bigsound has launched its ďŹ rst announcement of speakers and live performers, who will converge on Brisbaneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Fortitude Valley Live Music Precinct from Wednesday September 12 until Friday September 14. Bigsound recently announced its ďŹ rst three keynote speakers to be one of the planetâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most perplexing artists- Ben Lee, EMI Chairmanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Mark Poston and award winning artist and activist David Bridie, to be taking the podium in September. Overseas guests include Jack Whiteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Third Man Recordâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s MD- Ben Swank, Rene Chambers, Lisa Hresko, David Jimenez-Zumalacarregui, Aly Ehlinger, Charles Caldas and both Nicky and Ben Berger. Local speakers Nick Findlay, Ian Haug, Richard MoďŹ&#x20AC;at and Jessica Ducrou round out the speaker announcement. Ten artists have also been conďŹ rmed for Bigsound Live with Kate Miller-Heidke, Violent Soho, Eagle and the Worm, The Paper Kites, King Cannons, The Cairos, Oliver Tank, Kira Puru and the Bruise, The Trouble with Templeton and The Preachers, who are all locked in to appear. Ninety more artists are to be revealed. Tickets for Bigsound are now available at the early bird rate of just $295 for Q Music members and $395 for nonmembers. This discount price is available for one month only and includes entry to all oďŹ&#x192;cial conference sessions, parties, after parties and live music events.
LOVE CONNECTION Love Connection launch their second album, Euphoria, on Friday May 25 at the Northcote Social Club. The launch of Euphoria will be one of the ďŹ nal Love Connection shows before they relocate to New York in July. Special guests on the night will be Montero, and Angel Eyes. Tickets are available from Northcote Social Club.
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MEMOIRE
THE BLOODPOETS
Memoire breathe new life into rock music with their electric concoction of dark, volatile soundscapes, mixed with pop sensibilities. Their music is an infectious infusion of lead singer Danâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s powerhouse vocals, guitarist Alexâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s violent riffs, the smooth groove of bassist Tynan, and the wild, pile-driver momentum of drummer U-Wen. They will redefine your perception of rockâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;nâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;roll, and with March in Moscow and High Side Driver also on the bill at Noise Bar on Friday May 11 , this gig will be a night youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re unlikely to ever forget! Doors at 9:30pm
The Bloodpoets have declared war against the world with the ďŹ rst assault, their new single War. They will be taking aim, with a run of East Coast shows in May, (including Pony on Friday May 11) in support of their new single. War is a power piece of weaponry in The Bloodpoets diverse arsenal packing a punch of powerful riďŹ&#x20AC;s, explodingbeats and vocals driving the song into a full attack. They will be joined in Melbourne by The Fighting with their succinct prog-induced rock formulated with a keen dose of ampliďŹ ed power and Kristian Risti, whose blend of piano and vocals connect with the crowd in the way that they connect with him. Doors 9pm.
CHARM FABULOUS DIAMONDS, BUM CREEK This Friday May 11, two of Chapterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s more musically adventurous acts link arms for Klub Lol-Fi, a tremendous night of deep times at Phoenix Public House. Solemnly sexual duo Fabulous Diamonds have a new album in the can, due out on Chapter later this year, while trippy trio Bum Creek are hard at work on the follow-up to 2010â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s modern classic AL. Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re playing with Matthew Brown and Cistern Corrupt in what is sure to be a night of magical musical mayhem. $10 on the door.
I, A MAN Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been a busy twelve months for I, a Man since launching their debut EP Ffteen Thirty Three, followed by Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re Boring Us All soon after. With the releases came two of their own east coast tours, supports shows with Red Riders, including their last Melbourne show, the Fauves album launch, a show at the French lighting installation Kubik, a Falls Festival appearance in Lorne over new years, St Kilda Festival, The Hills Are Alive and supports slots with Canadaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Yukon Blonde and UKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bombay Bicycle Club at their sold out Forum and Astor Theatre shows. Before the band have some down time to write and record their debut album due for release in early 2013, they will play with supports and good friends Iowa, who recently released their killer fuzz driven debut album Never Saw It Coming, The Kodiak Club (formally Montreal Movement), and Hope Springswho will be traveling down from QLD for their ďŹ rst Melbourne show in the front bar at the iconic- Espy on Saturday May 12. Bands kick oďŹ&#x20AC; at 9pm, with free entry.
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Charm is one of Melbourneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s young, highly-chargedby-hormones, deafening, and down right fun bands, having smashed the stages of The Prague and Rubyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Lounge they now are punching holes through the floor ofthe stage of Bar Open, supported by The Divine Fluxus are a fresh faced bi-polar rock trio. Having just released their debut EP Chaos, The Divine Fluxus hit the stage with their loud guitars and melodically, high energy shows. This artistic guitar/drum duo is made up of Victoria Dunbar and Ary Rejon, after working on separate projects in the past including Quadbox, Vespertine and Ruby Who, Victoria and Ary have joined forces bringing you old school big riff rock and swampy blues. Smash a beer with â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;em tonight at Bar Open. Its free, no excuse not to.
BONJAH Bonjah started the year off in a big way seeing in NYE at Pyramid Rock Festival, playing the Big Day Out and selling out their headline summer tour, and theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re now off to London before starting work on their third album. The band was also invited to join The Cranberries in Sydney and Auckland in March. Bonjah have made a name for themselves for their powerful and dynamic live shows, and before they head off to the mother country, you can catch them on their last Australian East Coast headline tour of 2012, including this show, for the release of new single Fall Together. With singles Something We Should Know, The White Line and Go Go Chaos on radio rotation, see for yourself why Rolling Stone nominated Bonjah for the 2011 â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Artist To Watchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; award. They play the Corner Hotel on Friday June 8 with Buckley Ward and The Dawn Chorus.
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Beat Magazine Page 68
After a four year hiatus involving Visa issues, shooting incidents (they claim they were â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;cleaning it and it went oďŹ&#x20AC;â&#x20AC;&#x2122;) and a brief jail stint (the Judge was a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;gringoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;) those crazy masked Mexican punk rockers Los Amigos return to Melbourne to get loco! Cheech Dynamite, Mudhead Menedez along with new members Fernando Fernandez (aka Big Fanny) and Sonny Ramirez junior (son of the late Los Amigos guitarist â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Psychoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Sonny Ramirez) will stage the ultimate comeback fuelled with plenty of tequila. Hang on to your VCRs because your girlfriends are gonna get pregnant when Los Amigos return at Yah Yahâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s on Friday May 11.
Redfield are four-piece alternative rock band from Melbourne who can play the hell out of their guitars and beat the drum skins as hard as any body else. Think heavy, but with melody, and you will have something that resembles Redfield. You can catch them at Noise Bar along with Husk, Fenian, Thrasher Jynx and Inedia on Saturday May 12 at Noise Bar.
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LOS AMIGOS
Experimental, instrumental, improvisational, art-electro superheroes Humans play their third show ever at Pony on Friday May 11 in the coveted 2am slot. The brainchild of Spoils frontman, Sean Simmons and innercity Casanova, Chris Chapple, Humans is far from the orchestrated beauty of The Spoilsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; dark romanticism. Swapping violin, piano, and vocals for an â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;80s drum machine, analogue synth, sampler and one guitar, Humans is a trip through electronicaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s more primitive underbelly nodding its head towards artists like Suicide, Silver Apples and great Kraut acts of the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;70s.
REDFIELD
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HUMANS
BRUCE MATHISKE Bruce Mathiske has delighted audiences worldwide with not just a phenomenal level of technical brilliance on his instrument of choice the guitar, but with his instinctive ability to absorb, then consummately deliver just about any style of music you could think of. From swing to Latin, jazz to African, folk to ďŹ&#x201A;amenco, gypsy to ambient, to didgeridoo and more, Bruce Mathiske has mastered them all. Touring to promote his latest album Guitar-uoso, heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s at Chapel OďŹ&#x20AC; Chapel on Saturday May 19. Tickets from the venue.
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SYSTEM OF VENUS After a string of awesome shows, System of Venus join forces with female fronted hard rockers Heaven the Axe, Bad Karma and Kong Fuzi on Saturday May 12 for a night of tunes, grooves and moves that will set the Bendigo Hotel on ďŹ re. Get in there early, doors at 8pm.
SPLIT SECONDS If Split Seconds were a football team their pre-season preparation for the 2012 musical season could only be described as impeccable. Entering the building on the ground ďŹ&#x201A;oor in late 2010, Splits worked their way into the hearts of local independent music fans on the back of their eminently likeable singles All You Gotta Do and Bed Down. Their self-titled EP released in March 2011 helped secure a place in the 2012 triple j Next Crop alumni, followed by national tours alongside Owl Eyes, The Panics and Jebediah, plus a publishing deal with Native Tongue. Now theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re moving on up, releasing their new single Top Floor this April and taking it to the streets throughout May, accompanied by Sydney psych-pop dreamers Underlights, who will co-headline the East Coast Second Light Tour. They bring the tour to the Northcote Social Club on Thursday May 10.
OKERA Okeraâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sound could best be described as melodic death/ doom metal, though they certainly donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t limit themselves to one genre. Progressive elements blend with melancholic overtones and subtle, dark passages to create music that is emotive, powerful and elegant. They will be performing at The Tote Hotel on Friday May 11 where they will release their debut album A Beautiful Dystopia. Intense as they are ambient, French artistic metal act HYPNO5E are a very unique band in the heavy music genre. Also supporting on the night are folk metallers Arbrynth and melodic death/ doom metallers Myridian. $15 from 8pm.
POCO LA PAX Poco La Pax are packing up their swags and venturing north-side for the month. They are delighted to announce an entire month of headline shows at The Evelyn on Wednesdays, with support from some very talented friends. The band has been quiet of late writing new material and preparing to record a new EP. But never fear you can catch them tonight from 9pm with special friends Left Feels Right
TWISTED SISTERS Roll on up to the Evelyn Hotel Saturday May 12 to witness the wilder side of alternative entertainment. The Twisted Sisters feature the Melbourne burlesque scenes leading creatures of controversy, Miss Nic: The Queen of Gore, Kerry X: The Damsel of Debauchery, Betty Blood: The Vaude-Villain and Raven: The Dark Prince. It sounds wild because it is. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t miss it! Doors from 8.30pm.
THE GROVES
MUSIC NEWS
The Groves play a dirty, swampy, garage-blues and cite influences from The Black Keys to The Bad Seeds. Their blues jams range from punchy and up-in-your-shit to freaked out walls of noise. Ten Cent Pistols have a sound that makes you wanna grow your hair long, get ripped and do the helicopter. All of which is feasible at Bar Open on Thursday night. Ten Cent Pistols will take you back well over 20 years channelling the ‘70s chock full of crunchy guitars, lengthy instrumental passages and reverb sprinkled on just about everything you can hear. Opening up is Sinister Minister the band we know fuck all about but sound as promising as a late night jaffle making invite. Don’t miss it this Thursday May 10. Doors 9pm. Free entry.
CLAG One of Australia’s oddest and most compelling bands is back. ‘90s Brisbane kiddiepunks Clag are reforming to launch Pasted Youth Chapter Music’s exhaustive and inspiring reissue of their entire recorded work. When first formed, Clag played a kind of psychotic twee punk, full of one note Casio keyboard solos with lyrics about cows, goldfish, chips and gravy. Their apparent innocence however, was merely a front, disguising the examinations of the human psyche that grew darker as the band progressed. When seen live the band would face away from the audience and play with masks taped to the backs of their heads, or dress in hospital gowns and bedeck the stage with fluffy Mr Men toys. Musically, they were equally confusing, staking out a bizarre middle ground between the Shaggs, Bikini Kill and the Banana Splits. In short, Clag were one of the most head scratchingly strange bands in the world, and those who came across them, either recoiled immediately or developed a lifelong obsession. Clag are playing Melbourne’s Tote Hotel on Sunday May 20, for an afternoon BBQ show from 3pm ‘til 8pm. Support is from the Ancients, Inevitable Orbit, Stationary Suns and Chapter Music DJs. Entry is $10+bf from Oztix or $13 on the door.
WASTE MANAGEMENT MINI-FEST A huge night of music is heading to The Curtin on Saturday May 12. Ten acts perform across the whole pub with early jams in the front bar, crossing over to later shows in the bandroom until well past the midnight hour. See the likes of Clinkerfield, The Miserable Little Bastards While The Mountain Waits, the theatre show by Josh Cameron, Pete Ewing & Ed Service, with collaborations from The MLB’s, The Steins, GALAX and many others. It all kicks off at 7pm with the festivities going through to the wee hours of the morning, $10 entry.
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TUMBLEWEED Tumbleweed return to the studio in Sydney in June with Paul McKercher (ARIA award winning these days, mind you!) who last worked with the band on the last album the original Tumbleweed line-up recorded; the Galactaphonic LP back in 1994 – a nice complete of the circle. After the success of the recent headline reformation shows which saw the band tour the country, as well as play Meredith Music Festival, Pyramid Rocks Festival, The Big Day Out (Sydney & Melbourne) and Homebake, they had the time to come up with 20 original new songs. Some of these songs will be recorded for a new Tumbleweed album in June 2012. But before all that, the band are taking some new songs out for road testing. Catch them at The Tote on Friday May 25 and Saturday May 26.
NERD VACATION
SNOOKS LA VIE
Nerd Vacation is the in holiday for all you wanna be computer geeks and lecherous librarians. It’s a no-jocks zone with nerdy bands the silly Savages and the supine surfin’ Volcaniks. Do the jerk to nerdy music from the ‘50s to ‘80s all in the luscious holiday resort of The LuWOW. Come dressed up as nerds on vacation, flunky finks in trunks, whacky weirdos on the beach and snotty swots in a hotel room. Show off your man boobs and protruding ribs in our soppy t shirt competition...all taking place at The LuWow on Saturday May 19.
BURIED FEATHER
Credited for his soulful vocals and authentic delivery of the Harmonica, Snooks La Vie has quietly secured the endorsement of the Australian music industry and proudly counts many contemporaries including Troy Cassar-Daley, Renee Geyer and Ross Wilson as fans. Snooks is back in Victoria this month to do another string of free gigs to follow up from his album launch tour. The shows will feature Nick Kipridis on guitar and Melbourne’s very own Backwood Creatures as the backing band. Snooks plays The Retreat Hotel on Friday May 18 with support from The Bell St. Delays. Free from 9.30pm.
Brunswick’s finest psych-rockers, Buried Feather, release In The Sun, the first offering from their forthcoming LP at the Grace Darling Hotel, on Saturday May 19. Recorded live to tape with Neil Thomason at Head Gap, In the Sun is slightly out of left field for a band known for dark, spaced-out sludge. Anchored on an up-tempo kick and snare pattern, the song features the band’s hallmarks – fuzzed-out guitars, swirling synth chords, vocals drowned in tape delay – condensed to a squelchy stomp. Joined by friends The Ovals and Heavy Beach, this will be one awesome night of fuzzy rock’n’roll.
TEK TEK ENSEMBLE Tek Tek Ensemble, formerly known as Croque Monsieur, is a revitalised anthropological dance band consisting of guitars, trumpet, trombone, violins, percussion, double bass, piano accordion, and the human voice. Tek Tek Ensemble creates hybridisations of most of the worlds music incorporating a startling variety of ethnographic and popular genres. The encyclopaedic repertoire of the ensemble is bound by the strict yet simple stipulation of danceability. Mondays in May Tek Tek Ensemble will be presenting three very special acts as part of their residency at The Toff, on Monday May 14 with special guest Mikelangelo.
FRASER A. GORMAN Every Thursday in May, Fraser A. Gorman and His Band will be the resident country rock’n’rollers at the Retreat Hotel. Fraser will be bringing along his smokin’ band Sam Cooper (guitar), Sophia Lubzcenko (violin), Danny Spiers (double bass) and Sturdy Leg (drums). From a recent bout’ of great shows at QMF, PFFF, Boogie and some bangin’ supports round town, now you lucky people will get a great chance to see them for a whole lotta no dollars and whole lotta great fun. This week support from Cottonbud, featuring members of The Immigrant Union. See Fraser A. Gorman and his band this Thursday May 10 at the Retreat Hotel. Free from 9pm.
SHELLEY SHORT A native of Portland, Oregon, songwriter and singer Shelley Short grew up among characters and artists in a wood-heated home full of books, records, and well-cooked meals. As Short recounts: “It was like growing up in a time machine; in some ways we lived like in 1876, chopping wood, growing our own food, wearing old clothes in a Victorian home and singing our own songs. Other times it seemed like we were living in 1955, driving around Cadillacs and Studebakers and listening to Jonny Ray and The Flamingos. And yet it all felt like growing up in a blurring movie made in 1963, full of these big personalities. As a kid I grew up so accustomed to falling asleep to the sound of talk and laughter that when I moved out, the silence got to me.” Shelley plays The Retreat Hotel tonight from 8:30pm. Free.
DE LA CALLE De La Calle are a six-piece Cumbia outfit playing early 20th century central American cumbias with a contemporary feel. An international group, De La Calle has members from Argentina, Australia, Chile and Colombia. They play Cruzao Arepa Bar this Friday May 11 at 9pm.
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THE LITTLE SISTERS On Saturday May 12, from 5-7pm at Brunswick’s legendary Union Hotel, Melbourne country-folk outfit The Little Sisters will launch their debut self-titled EP. Celebrating a long tradition of female vocal harmony, the trio – formed in July 2010 – will take to the stage with their esteemed backing band as a full six-piece. From the warm reminiscence of Dirt Track Girl to the tongue-in-cheek My House, this five-track release showcases a mutual dedication to the grit and beauty of traditional countryblues. Free entry with support by Melbourne singer-songwriter Cam Nicol. Get on down.
DREADNAUGHT Dreadnaught have been missing from the live scene in recent times and the band are currently working on new material to be recorded later in the year as well as putting the finishing touches on their first ever live DVD release. In what will be one of the few shows for the band this year, they are performing a set of older tunes from their mid’90s releases. Catch Dreadnaught along with jazz/metal legends Alarum, Paradigm (NSW) and Envenomed at The Prague in Thornbury this Saturday May 12. $15 entry.
Beat Magazine Page 69
MUSIC NEWS
YOUR COMPREHENSIVE LOCAL GUIDE
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TIJUANA CARTEL Tijuana Cartel spent the front end of 2011 riding high on the wings of their breakthrough single White Dove, and it’s follow up Letting It Go. The Gold Coast collective then set off on an audacious 32-date national road odyssey for the remainder of the year to promote their epic third album M1. After a well-earned break over New Year Tijuana Cartel is back! Prepping a new live show, sporting a new single and ensuring that their passports are sea worthy. The Offer Yourself Tour will be a joyful one month dash from the East coast to the West, including a show at the Northcote Social Club on Thursday May 24.
GOYIM
BAD VISION Bad Vision will be opening the night for an awesome evening of rock‘n’roll this Saturday May 12 at the Gasometer Hotel. Emerging from the swamps to headline the show are Midnight Woolf bringing you their primal beats and heathen tunes. These creatures from the black lagoon have grown legs and arms and those arms play guitars and drums and make one hell of a racket. Chuck Berry meets the Cramps meets the Sonics, equals one full and flailing dance floor. Also along for the ride are Mass Cult who tread between mid 80s’ indie-pop and wild abandoned garage and Bad Vision will get the party started with their noisey proto/garage punk attack. Smash a sixer whilst listening to something awesome – The Dirtbombs, or King Khan perhaps, then get on down to the Gasometer Hotel on Saturday May 12th and get wild. Doors at 9pm and entry is $10.
Join the crazy street gypsies Goyim on Sunday May 13 8pm at Richmond’s Great Britain Hotel. Bringing a fresh new take to gypsy and klezmer tunes from across Europe and New York, creating an infectious high energy street sound found among the gypsies. See Paul on the slap double bass and Esther on the fiddle with her jingly gypsy bells strapped to her skirt. Esther’s intricate and frantic rhythms on the fiddle create a sense of urgency while making full use of the catchy melodies and tones.
MANSION ALASKA, THE PRIMARY After seven months of drummers, a bass player, two guitar players and a long term relationship Melbourne noise pop band The Primary are finally ready to take to the stage. Consisting of bassist Gemma Lou Helms, Keys player Matthew Connolly, drummer Will Lovett & Singer/ songwriter/guitarist Jules Sheldon, The Primary are catchy while challenging, all at the same time. See their debut at The Great Britain Hotel, Richmond, on Thursday May 10 as they support Mansion Alaska (formerly Southpaw). Doors open 8pm, entry is free.
THE BLACK GALAXY EXPERIENCE Nothing to do on a cold Sunday? Come spend some time at Bar Open for a beer or six, whilst listening to some of the most entertaining bands in Melbourne. Headlining the night are the Black Galaxy Experience, coming fresh off the launch of their self-titled EP and having one of the most dynamic and inventive live shows around. Then breathtaker William Blaxland will get you moving through mainly mind control but also some really catchy hooks and generally accessible sounds. Opening the door of his bedroom and taking the songs that were born there to people, Squarehead will be percolating some smooth but epic loops with his trio. See The Black Galazy Experience and guests this Sunday May 13. Note that the night is free, need I say more? Doors from 7.30pm.
LOVE TEMPO Love Tempo DJs have called in their Spanish to drop Kalimotxos all night long to the sounds of bumpin-disco, dusty edits and chuggin house. LT is all about getting completely wild, sort of lost and loving the shit out of every moment of it. What’s love got to do with it? For all the action head down to The Liberty Social on Friday May 18.
Beat Magazine Page 70
On the album tour for her debut album, Townsville’s Kate Martin and her band almost died. Driving at night along the Pacific Highway between Brisbane and Sydney, the semi-trailer that they were behind burst one of its tires. Luckily, the tire bounced over the van, leaving them with only an out-of-control semi-trailer in front of them to avoid. Despite this experience on her first national tour, and after two years of recording a new album, Kate is going back on the road. Joining Kate will be Ben Wells & The Middle Names at The Toff in Town on Thursday May 10.
BAD ACHES Having already supported the likes of Moto, Ty Segall and Guitar Wolf, local garage punk trio Bad Aches are about to release their first 7”: Hypochondriac. This will coincide with their first residency every Saturday afternoon in May in the Tote front bar. Lineups will include The Exotics, Late Arvo Sons, Bits Of Shit and more. Catch them the Tote’s front bar from 5pm until 7pm on Saturday May 12 with special guest Late Arvo Sons and Big Richard Insect (SA).
CATCALL Catcall will hit the road this May to preview songs from her debut album The Warmest Place. The national tour will see Catcall and her stellar new band hit Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and Newcastle for the first time and bring the good times back to Sydney and Melbourne. Fans can expect to hear current single Satellites played by the all-star lineup, which includes Al Grigg (Red Riders / Palms), Andrew Elston (aka Toni Toni Lee), Bec Allen (The Fabergettes) and Simon Parker (Lost Valentinos). See Catcall on Saturday May 12 at The Toff in Town with special guest Palms, Fatti Francis and Dog Attack.
DAVY SIMONY
JAZZ PARTY After just rounding up their residency at Captains Of Industry the notorious Jazz Party cats bring their tootin’ horns to Bar Open. It’s a collision of screaming saxophones, busty singers, a crackling PA and hundreds of dancing youths to what your grandpa use to bump with ol’ ma to. Along with the resident Jazz Party dj’s led the house band is led by Darcy McNulty (Clairy Browne & The Bangin Rackettes, Mojo Juju, Kafka, Kooii) on sax and vocals, Lyn Wallace on drums and rotating horns , bassists, pianists and guest vocalists covering the broad spectrum of ‘Party Jazz’ music. Get on the good foot. Saturday May 12, Bar Open. Doors from 10pm. Free entry.
KATE MARTIN
MIDNIGHT WOOLF
Davy Simony is an alternative folk-roots singersongwriter hailing from Kuranda in Far North Queensland. With influences from Angus & Julia Stone and The Beautiful Girls, Simonys work is defined by his grounded and heartfelt style of songwriting. The announcement of his debut solo EP Discover has spread to fans throughout the nation, and finally, the time has come. Thursday May 10 shall host this milestone where Davy will be accompanied by double bass, strings and percussion, and supported by three amazing acts – Catch Release, Little Flame and Kerryn Fields – at The Evelyn from 8.30pm.
Midnight Woolf have been ripping upstages with the likes of Los Chicos, Guitar Wolf, Reverend Horton Heat and many others for a good while now. Delivering their untamed brand of rock’n’roll with high energy and disdain for ear drums and other body parts. This Saturday May 12 they’ll polish up the ol’boots to hit the Gasometer Hotel with garage-maniacs Mass Cult and the proto-punk kids of Bad Vision. Bands start at 9pm and entry is just $10. This is your chance to hip-shake the blues away with abandon, good tunes and a couple of sweet drinks.
PALM SPRINGS Monday nights in May at the Old Bar Palm Springs will play her first ever shows. This new project is the solo endeavour of a tri-partisan player (one part Poor People, one part Harmony, one part Zombirds) and takes inspiration from minimal blues/folk in the vein of Jessie Mae Hemphill, Karen Dalton and Scout Niblett. Each night will take a new turn as Palm Springs will be backed by the alternating supporting artists of the evenings – Extreme Wheeze, Adam Sherry, Lehmann B. Smith, Orchestra Lax to name a few. Collaborations will be encouraged, the blues will be hollered and maybe you can play the tambourine. This Monday May 14 at The Old Bar.
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SOL NATION After launching their brand new single Every Reason in New Caledonia and to a packed out crowd at the Northcote Social Club not long ago, Sol Nation are back at Bar Open playing two consecutive Fridays May 11 and 18. The band will bring their melting pot of reggae, a dash of East Timorese folk song, a punch of Cuban Salsa, a sprinkle of Latin dance, three parts Afro-beat, two parts tropical island rhythm, and a sprinkle of Brazilian samba all to the dance floor and your hips. Sick. See them this Friday May 11 at Bar Open. Free entry.
MELTING POT – LIVESTOCK Thursdays are set to come alive in Melbourne with the beginning of a weekly Melting Pot band night – Livestock. An amazing calibre of musical talent will kick off the new night this May, promising all the innovation Melting Pot is renowned for with some new twists. Livestock is run weekly, every Thursday, at the John Curtin Hotel. Doors are from 8.30pm and entry is $10.
THORNBURY SOUL SESSIONS The Thornbury Theatre and Calmer Productions is proud to present Thornbury Soul Sessions #2. The Soul Sessions will be bringing the funk to The Thornbury Theatre on Friday May 18. Boogie on down to soulful tunes reminiscent of traditional and neo-soul music from Melbourne and around the world. Featuring three of Melbourne’s most sought after soul acts, The Cactus Channel, Hiatus Kaiyote and The Putbacks, and Australia’s number one Soul DJ (Vince Peach), this is one night that lovers of groove should note in their diaries and flock to the dance floor.
THE HAMMY The Salvos are now partnering with socially minded bands across Melbourne to create a positive space called The Hammy, a booze and drug free venue open every Friday night, where youth can come and listen to live music, in a fun and safe environment. With the help of Josh Moriarty, lead singer from Miami Horror & special guests, the Salvos will launch The Hammy with a bang on Friday May 11, tix $10 & doors open from 10pm til late. The Hammy has also secured unearthed talents such as Fahrenheit 43 to rock the venue in coming weeks.
STRAW KING EYE This Friday May 11, Straw King Eye emerge from their selfimposed exile into The Grace Darling with a swag of new songs and some freshly minted - $10 - band tees for your perusal. After a gruelling trip across the strait, a haggard Ivy St. will provide some much needed support, alongside Whipped Cream Chargers and Staffan’s Songs (Francolin). Doors 9pm. $10 Entry.
CASTLE MUSIC FESTIVAL Returning for its sophomore year, the boutique Castle Music Festival is back and is bigger than last year. Featuring a slew of local talent, the 2012 lineup includes the likes of Northeast Party House, Oliver Tank, Flume, Playwrite, Tehachapi, Love Connection, The Smith Street Band, I’lls’, Drunk Mums, Animaux, Sleep Decade, The Murlocs, Electric Sea Spider, A Colourful Storm, Michael Phelps Backstroke (Indian Summer DJs), Clowns, The Bennies, Thrupence, Valentiine, OneTalk, Flash Forest, Cold Hiker, The Oil Baronn, 2Fuddha, Kyowa, Elephant Eyes and Yosemite, with many more to come. The 2012 Castle Music Festival takes place at a secret location (revealed to ticket holders) just outside of Melbourne on Friday June 29 until Sunday July 1. Head to castlemusicfestival. com for the lowdown.
NED COLLETTE & WIREWALKER To celebrate the release of their much anticipated second album 2, set for release on Friday May 11, Ned Collette and Wirewalker will perform a string of album launches over June. 2 explores themes of distance and restarting, taking up arms against the neighbours, fantasies of death and decline after the party, butterflies, salad, altering cities and forgotten home. Since relocating to Berlin, Collette has toured throughout Europe and has shared stages with the likes of Kurt Vile, Nina Nastasia, Damien Jurado and Tu Fawning. Don’t miss your chance to see Ned Collette & Wirewalker perform at the Northcote Social Club on Saturday June 23, tickets via the venue.
FROGFEST FrogFest is the amalgamation of folk and styles in the form of is a seven-date touring festival traveling along the East Coast of Australia in May. The return of FrogFest in 2012 sees some exciting bands in toe for the event including BOB (featuring Ben Hauptmann),Mr Fibby and Dave Carr’s Fabulous Contraption. FrogFest will be in Melbourne on Monday May 18 at Gertrude’s Brown Couch.
ALBARE Albare visits the Melbourne Recital Centre as part of the Melbourne International Jazz Festival, to perform songs from his forthcoming album release- Long Way, and his extensive back catalogue. Long Way was recently recorded in New York, with some of the world’s finest musicians featuring on the album. For one time only, this lineup of international players are visiting Australia to play, which include the triple Grammy Award winning drummer- Antonio Sanchez, George Garzone, Leo Genovese, Hendrick Muerkens, and Albare’s musical collaborator, bassist and composer Evri Evripidou. The Melbourne Recital Centre’s stage will be lit up on Tuesday June 5, with doors opening from 7.10pm. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster for $69+bf.
ELECTRIC MARY The mighty Electric Mary will headline the inaugural Rock N Load festival at The Espy on Saturday May 26. This rounds out an impressive 32 band lineup of local and interstate rock acts sweating it out across the entire venue. Catch Electric Mary, Bugdust, The Stiffys, King Of The North, Ten Thousand, Heaven The Axe, I Am Duckeye, The Charge, Anna Salen, Hailmary (WA), Shadowgame, The Morrisons, Beggars Orchestra (NSW), Bottle Of Smoke, System Of Venus, Arcane Saints, Apache Medicine Man, Riot In Toytown and heaps more – all for a mere 21 bucks! Check out rocknloadfestival.com for full lineup and ticketing info.
MJ HALLORAN STATESIDE MJ Halloran & The Sinners perform at Grumpy’s Green this Saturday May 12. The show will send MJ Halloran off back to the US for a series of shows in Chicago and NYC. The Sinners will be supported by the wonderful Michael McManus and Andrew Rice (ex-Guttersnipes). Free entry with fine food and great music from 9.30pm.
CLUB CRAIN Hot on the heels of the release of their killer EP Black Widow, Club Crain are ready to unleash their fresh rock energy in the Melbourne music scene. The alternative three-piece from the Mornington Peninsula have recently signed a management deal with Melodic music and feel they have something to prove to Melbourne. Head down, have a drink and start your weekend early with Club Crain on Thursday May 10 in the 1am slot.
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Q&A NOEMI LIBA
MY DYNAMITE Melbourne five-piece, My Dynamite, is fast gaining attention as the band returning the soul to rock’n’roll and live music. Filling the gap where band’s like Stonefield have broken through the indiepopelectronica overload, My Dynamite bring a much needed injection of groove and harmony driven sound, to what could have been a dying era of rock’n’roll music. My Dynamite’s self-produced, self-titled debut album is released online through French record label, Listenable Records, typically home to hardcore metal and Melbourne’s own Electric Mary. It is polished, radioready and if you haven’t yet heard of My Dynamite, put your finger on the pulse now and get acquainted. The official album launch will be at the John Curtin Band Room, Carlton on Saturday May 19 from 11pm.
ARTIST PROFILE:
‘ANSLIE WILLS’
Define your genre in five words or less: Alternative, exotic, smooth, beats. Bearing the terribly clichéd nature of this question, what do you reckon people will say you sound like? I hear all sorts of comments – Portishead, Massive Attack, a ‘cool Diana Krall’, Laurie Anderson, Björk (could be the live strings and horns) even Natasha Atlas, because of Middle Eastern influences! What can a punter expect from your live show? Beats, gutsy live strings, beauty and exploration of realms via our audio transporter. We drop you back home at the end.
NICKY BOMBA One of Australia’s busiest and highly respected musicians Nicky Bomba has jumped on his musical boat again to deliver a party filled island adventure with his new band Bustamento. The first single Manana, is a jitterbuggin, upbeat ska infused expedition that ticks all the right tropical boxes. The forthcoming album entitled Intrepid Adventures to the Lost Riddim Islands, finds Nicky sourcing both classic and rare tunes whilst writing a whole swag of new songs in keeping with the form, covering the calypso, mento, early reggae and ska styles. Catch Nicky and his new band bust out some smooth tunes as they play the Thornbury Theatre on Friday June 15 and the Williamstown RSL on Sunday June 17, tickets through the venues and Oztix.
MUSIC NEWS
YOUR COMPREHENSIVE LOCAL GUIDE
When’s the gig? Next Melbourne show is at the Wesley Anne on Thursday May 10, with our all female, rocking, six-piece band. Do you have any record releases to date? New album, See, Saw is available at our shows, and in ‘all good record stores’ this month. Our Freefall EP can be purchased at shows and online. Both albums are out on iTunes too.
When are you doing your thing next? Off to the Basement in Sydney later this month, then to Europe, then back to Oz to embark on a national tour. Deep breath. What’s the strangest place you’ve ever played a gig. The UN in New York, with 21 musicians of Middle Eastern Descent – long security checks, endless corridors. I am not political, but I felt defiant that music can challenge old grudges. Anyway, it wasn’t your regular gig. If your music was a chocolate bar, which one would it be, and why? Definitely Cherry Ripe: rich, intense, not too many ingredients, sexy, somewhat introspective and a private experience in a public space. How do you balance making and playing music with your other commitments? Who was it that said, ‘If you are not living on the edge, you are taking up too much space?’
Define your genre in five words or less: Neo – folk – rock. Bearing the terrible clichéd nature of this question, what do you reckon people will say you sound like? Well, in the past I have been compared to artists such as Fiona Apple, P.J. Harvey, Feist, Cat Power and have been told that I can sound a little like Jeff Buckley.. I hope I sound like myself. What do you love about making music? I love that you can evoke certain moods through the creation of different combinations of melodies, chords and textures and that through this you can articulate feelings that are often difficult to articulate with words only. How long have you been gigging and writing? I started writing songs when I was about 14 and my first public solo gig was in 2001 at little place called Grainery Lane in Ballarat, I studied music there for a couple of years. What’s the strangest place you’ve ever played a gig, or made a recording? Early last year myself and my guitarist Lawrence Folvig recorded a song that we co-wrote together called Satellite in a bush fire bunker that was owned my friends mum, it had great natural reverb. I also recorded a song called Liquid Paper in a car park at night where the fluro sensor light kept on going off meaning that most of the time I was in complete darkness....bliss. Why should everyone come and see your band? Because we are good at what we do and can actually play our instruments. What’ve you got to sell CD-wise? In 2010 I released an EP called Somebody For Everyone which is on iTunes and bandcamp and is available at shows to buy in tangible form. My new single Fighting Kind will also be available via aforementioned sites and at the live shows too. When are you playing live/releasing your album/EP/ single/etc? I am super excited to be launching my new single Fighting Kind on Saturday May 12 at the Workers Club, Fitzroy. Fighting Kind is a song that is off my debut LP You Go Your Way, I’ll Go Mine that is to be released in September 2012. The song is about the struggle between who we are and who we want to be and whether or not we can liberate ourselves from the binds we create.
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Beat Magazine Page 71
ALBUM OF THE WEEK
AIRIT NOW
VARIOUS ARTISTS
1. Maybe When The Sun Comes Down XTREMIX By Cloud Control RICHARD IN YOUR MIND 2. Lance Jnr. COURTNEY BARNETT 3. Sword To A GunďŹ ght CHILDREN COLLIDE 4. Tidal Wave THE LAURELS 5. Amends MERE WOMEN 6. GriďŹ&#x192;n THE MEDICS 7. Trainwreck Blues THE AUDREYS 8. Baby Thighs MAX CRUMBS 9. The Stolen Name ONLY THE SEA SLUGS 10. I Still Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Believe BUSBY MAROU
Strong Love â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Songs Of Gay Liberation 1972-1981 (Chapter Music)
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By the late â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;60s, popular music had become synonymous with the progressive causes of the day: the crusades against American involvement in Vietnam, desecration of pristine wilderness, womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s liberation and the idyllic quest for a libertarian personal and social existence. Notwithstanding the presence of (male) gay protagonists in the radical fringe of popular music â&#x20AC;&#x201C; including Danny Fields, David GeďŹ&#x20AC;en and Jan Wenner â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the cause of gay liberation remains a largely overlooked stream of the broader protestmusic canon. Released on Guy Blackmanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s always impressive Chapter Music, Strong Love â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Songs of Gay Liberation 1972-1981 compiles 15 songs composed and released in the aftermath of the infamous Stonewall riots in New Yorkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Greenwich Village in 1969. The music featured mirrors the evolution of the so-called â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;mainstreamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, from the Let It Be-era Beatles warmth of Everyone Involvedâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s A Gay Song, the Laurel Canyon hippie-folk of Charlie Murphyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Gay Spirit to the proto soul-funk of Blackberriâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Okay. Smokeyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Strong Love lays the groundwork for â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;80s new wave, Robert Campbellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Dreamboy is rich with the tightwaisted ďŹ&#x201A;ares and slip-on white shoes aesthetic of late â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;70s LA torch-rock, Bueno Vistaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hot Magazine struts with homoerotic attitude, while Chris Robison, Big Strong Man in My Life is the Big Star track never written by the late Chris Bell. The discourse is proud, and arguably provocative in its blunt honesty â&#x20AC;&#x201C; when Lavender Country recorded the fucked-up country Cryinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; These Cocksucking Tears, or Scrumbly and Martin the Pete-and-Dud piano bar ditty Hots For A Hustler, you assume neither band had pretensions of crossing over
MOTION CITY SOUNDTRACK
True Romance (Warner) Ahead of the release of their ďŹ fth studio album, Motion City Soundtrack give us a bounding pop punk-ish anthem that mashes all the good work of Blink 182 into the very bad work of The Rembrandts â&#x20AC;&#x201C; lest anyone be allowed to forget a) Friends and b) the late â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;90s. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hard to imagine that an audience still exists for this insipid man-girl music, but it obviously does. Five albums are hard to dismiss. Maybe itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the eďŹ&#x192;cient rhyme structure what keeps them fresh: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m pathetic, overly apologetic/Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m a tightrope tragedy/Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re Chicken Little/Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m a monkey in the middle/There is something wrong with me.â&#x20AC;? Roughly one quarter of the above sentence rhymes. That is exceptional value for money, presuming that depth and coherence are worthless.
JOE McKEE
Darling Hills (Dot Dash/Remote Control) In launching his solo career, Joel McKee has been identiďŹ ed as the former frontman of Perth indie anarchists Snowman, which is confusing because heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not a diminutive, vaguely threatening Southeast Asian kid. Joel was in fact the creative partner of Andy Citawarman, who was Snowmanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s actual lead singer. Joel was the other guy in Snowman, who sang sometimes. None of this is really relevant, but I have column inches to ďŹ ll. Joelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ďŹ rst solo single has a touch of the Ned Collettes about it; it is a maudlin, arty drift of music, more texture than song, ďŹ lled with sailing strings, icy drips of piano and Joelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s oddly formal, Andrew Lloyd Webber-ish baritone. If the Phantom were to drop some acid and wander about The Darling Ranges taking Instagram photos and crooning to himself, this is what it would sound like.
GYM CLASS HEROES
The Fighter feat. Ryan Tedder (Warner) This tune is notable for containing the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most eďŹ&#x20AC;eminate delivery of the phrase â&#x20AC;&#x153;give â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;em hellâ&#x20AC;?â&#x20AC;&#x201C; God did not intend us to use our soprano range when cajoling others to violence, or he would have made violence look more like ballet. Just. Sayinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.
JANELLE MONAE
Cold War (Warner) Lifted from The ArchAndroid and released ahead of Janelle Monaeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Vivid appearance, Cold War is a powerhouse tune. It doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have the funk of tightrope, but when Monae opens her mouth to wail and croon through the ďŹ nal act, there is no question about her new school diva credentials. Beat Magazine Page 72
WOOLY BULLY
immediately into the pop charts for a shot at serious commercial success. Like so much of the political-musical canon, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s arguable that the songs contained on Strong Love preached to the converted; indeed, the fact that notionally logical developments such as gay marriage remain mired in bigotry and ignorance suggests that the progressive rhetoric fell on too many deaf ears. Strong Love is inevitably and inextricably linked with its political cause; itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also a collection of protest songs worthy of the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;classicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; moniker. PATRICK EMERY Best Track: Big Strong Man in My Life If You Like This, Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll Like These: CROSBY, STILLS AND NASH, PARLIAMENT/ FUNKADELIC, MARVIN GAYE (no pun intended) and any decent â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;70s music In A Word: Proud
SINGLES BY SIMONE RIP MCA. I feel you, white man. Fight for your right to party in heaven.
TOP TENS
SOPHIE KOH
I Understand (Independent) The second single from the forthcoming Sophie Koh album Oh My Garden is a Very Serious girl pop single. With dark and heavy piano notes and a violent outburst of glitch halfway through the song, Sophie amasses some atmosphere and gravitas, but it sounds oh-so-â&#x20AC;&#x2122;90s. She sounds like Tori Amos in a world that has moved on to Joan as Policewoman.
JOEL SARAKULA
Bohemian (Independent) More crimes against rhymes this week, courtesy of Sydney groover Joel Sarakula: â&#x20AC;&#x153;I am a Bohemian, a modern stone age man/I got the world at my feet now I think that youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re neat/Well I used to get loose now Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m back on the beat.â&#x20AC;? Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the spirit, Joel. Just take a bunch of similar sounding words and slap them together against a rhythm. Worked for Bob Dylan, hey? Okay, it did actually work for Bob Dylan. But he took it seriously, Joel, he was trying to change the wind and stuďŹ&#x20AC;. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re just bouncing around words like a lazy, pleasure-cruising beach bum, and bringing your friends along for a big drunken sing-along ďŹ nale. Stop having so much fun, Joel.
RUNNING GUN SOUND
Beasts Of England (Independent) Dirty lo-ďŹ punk straight outta Brisbane, with furious drum beats and guitars strummed so hard you can almost hear the plectrums snapping. The backing vocals are also pretty hilarious, simultaneously whined and bleated and snarled, as though the melody was something to be strangled to death and spat on. I mean that in a good way. Beasts Of England kicks ass.
SINGLE OF THE WEEK WIZARDS OF TIME
Littleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Jingle (Hidden Shoal) Hidden Shoal sent me this single with a note: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Good, hey?â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Masters of understatement. This squelching, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;technicolour art-rockâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; ditty has a mess of electronic noise in the foreground and a soul-lifting emotional undertone, reminiscent of Animal Collective but rougher and more spacious. It is jarring and ambitious and also kind of brilliant â&#x20AC;&#x201C; epic, spine-tingling, innovative music. The Wizards of Time hail from Phoenix, Arizona and release their debut Will the Soft Curse Plague On? this coming July.
FOR MORE REVIEWS GO TO BEATTV.COM.AU/REVIEWS
1. Everything Goes Wrong LP CONSTANT MONGREL 2. Split 7â&#x20AC;? KING KHAN / JACUZZI BOYS 3. I Made Blood Better MAD NANNA 4. Para Vista Social Club LP SCOTT & CHARLENEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S WEDDING 5. Rave Cave LP SKY NEEDLE 6. Ghost Ghost (Reissue) 7â&#x20AC;? JACUZZI BOYS 7. Tide 7â&#x20AC;? MIKAL CRONIN 8. Medicine 7â&#x20AC;? CHOOK RACE 9. Look Forward To Nothing LP KITCHENâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S FLOOR 10. The Worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Lousy With Ideas Vol. 9 7â&#x20AC;? VARIOUS
SYN SWEET 16 1. Second Day Uptown WORLDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S END PRESS 2. The Warmest Place CATCALL 3. Fear Fun FATHER JOHN MISTY 4. Every Single Night FIONA APPLE 5. I Am Not A Game TY SEGALL & WHITE FENCE 6. Vauro SIGUR ROS 7. Youth Without Youth METRIC 8. Fuck It DUNE RATS 9. Hypocondriact BAD ACHES 10. Come Into My Head KIMBRA
THORNBURY RECORDS 1. Blunderbuss LP JACK WHITE 2. Outlaws LP THE TOOT TOOT TOOTS 3. Wrecking Ball LP BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN 4. Radiant Door EP CRYSTAL STILTS 5. Future Universe LP RON S PENO 6. Saint Jude LP SAINT JUDE 7. Muzzle Mini LP GONJASUFI 8. Between the Times and the Tides LP LEE RANDALDO 9. Port of Morrow LP THE CRIBS 10. Christmass LP FRANK BLACK
3RR SOUNDSCAPE 1. Hard Rubbish LOWER PLENTY 2. Ekstasis JULIA HOLTER 3. The Money Store DEATH GRIPS 4. I Just Want To Make Love To You ETTA JAMES 5. Ufabulum SQUAREPUSHER 6. The Warmest Place CATCALL 7. All Hell DAUGHN GIBSON 8. A DiďŹ&#x20AC;erent Ship HERE WE GO MAGIC 9. Nootropics LOWER DENS 10. Strong Love Songs of Gay Liberartion 1972-1981 VARIOUS ARTISTS
PBS TIPSHEET 1. A Great Day For The Race FLAP! 2. Self Titled BEN Lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ONCLE SOUL 3. Hidden JUNGLE BY NIGHT 4. Raza Madre MADRE MONTE 5. First Trip Los Transatlanticos 6. The Marble Downs Trembling Bells & Bonnie â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Princeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Billy 7. Dancing Time THE FUNKEES 8. Self Titled KONKOMA 9. The Rough Guide To The Music Of New Orleans VARIOUS ARTISTS 10. Five Easy Pieces THE SHEEPDOGS
BEATâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S TOP TEN SONGS ABOUT NUDITY 1. My Dick MICKEY AVALON 2. Naked Man RANDY NEWMAN 3. Get Me Naked 2: Electric Boogaloo MINUS THE BEAR 4. The Streak RAY STEVENS 5. Naked As We Came IRON & WINE 6. Hot In Herre NELLY 7. Nude Photo DERRICK MAY 8. Totally Naked TALKING HEADS 9. My Baby Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Wear No Panties GENE KELTON 10. Sugar Hill DOLLY PARTON
ALBUMS
SINEAD O’CONNOR FOR MORE REVIEWS GO TO
BEAT.COM.AU/REVIEWS
CATCALL
The Warmest Place (Ivy League) You get the impression that Catherine Kelleher has amassed a tangible level of gravitas within the environs of her local Sydney, transposing her punk musical chops (as part of outfit Kiosk) into a straight-forward, straight-faced strain of pristine pop as Catcall. That gravitas doesn’t really mean much to non-Sydneysiders. The Warmest Place marks the full-length debut from Catcall, and you gather the sense it’s been a long time coming. There’s a scattershot allegiance to many expired trends that defined the golden era of alternative pop balanced out by some impressive displays of sheer pop smarts. August grinds along with a pseudo-industrial aplomb – too down-tempo to be an outright banger, fuelling a palpable tension which explodes into the chorus. The dreamy, retro-tinged Swimming Pool is sensual pop at its finest – floating many boats with lines such as “Goosebumps all over, nipples harden.” The track gifts the listener with all the benefits of a hot tub wristie, without the hassle of the navigating the chemical problems that burden underwater lovin’. The album’s most killer hook comes in the form of Satellites, soaring with a highly singalong-worthy chorus that rivals Ladyhawke at her best. While Satellites’ title ostensibly recalls Cut Copy’s modern classic So Haunted, Shoulda Been bears many of the sonic hallmarks which defined Zonoscope – by no means to the point of being derivative. The one-note synthhorn ‘solo’ of Shoulda Been is sheer bliss – much like Neil Young’s brilliantly simple Cinnamon Girl solo. The sub-Stefani cheerlead pep of The World Is Ours is the album’s definitive lowpoint – a dull, hook-devoid, exercise in cookie-cutter pop with an over-ambitious strive for stadium-sized histrionics. It’s a shame, because the video is heaps tops. The Daft Punkworship which defines That Girl was played out by the time Miami Horror peppered their sold debut with such elements many years ago, which is why it’s pretty damn weird to hear it pop up on a 2012 LP. The repetitious white-boy funk of Art Star is spot on, made all the more better by Cat’s takedown of some unnamed hipster cunt (“Grow up, grow up, grow up, ha!”). If The Warmest Place was dropped within the context of a few years prior, there’s every chance it probably would have been the greatest shit ever. Now, it instead presents a slightly tedious launching pad for the transfixing figure that is Catcall, rather than what could have been a surefire Best Track: Art Star starmaker. If You Like This, You’ll Like These: Pnau PNAU, Best case scenario: Catcall is our next Luke Steele. Illumination MIAMI HORROR Worst case scenario: Catcall is our next Luke Steele. In A Word: Overcooked LACHLAN KANONIUK
VARIOUS
Best Of Blues & Roots 2012 (Universal) Glancing down the track list of Best Of Blues And Roots 2012, you’ll see Lanie Lane, Josh Pyke, John Butler Trio, Donavon Frankenreiter, Ash Grunwald, Blue King Brown, The Jezabels, The Waifs, Gurrumul, Justin Townes Earle, Michael Franti and Spearhead and Tim Finn. I don’t think I even need to continue with this review – you get the idea, right? The CD is jam packed with blues and roots luminaries, many of them Australian. From the gentle strumming of Jeff Lang’s Way Past Midnight to the rock’n’roll of John Butler Trio’s I Used To Get High to the sweet innocence of Caitlin Harnett’s Into The Wild, every track is a treat for attentive ears. And, that’s only disc one. Disc two’s highlights are the funky, funny chords of The Pants’ Chase The Sun, the haunting, orchestral tones of The Jezabels’ Endless Summer, the mellow Waif’s tune Buffalo and the excellent You Make My Dreams from Sarah Humphreys. In fact, it’s probably Humphrey’s offering that is the highlight of the album. It’s simple, honest, melodic and her clear, bright voice is superb. Ultimately, this compilation is fantastic – and not just for the harem-pant wearing, dreadlocked, krumping type of people you think listen Best Track:You Make My Dreams to roots music. Buy it – you’ll like it, I promise. If You Like This, You’ll Like This: Blues & Roots Festival In A Word: Cruisey KELLY THEOBALD
WHITE RABBITS Milk Famous (Mute/EMI)
Milk Famous is the third album from Brooklyn, New York-based sextet White Rabbits. White Rabbits can often create an unusual balance between the engaging and the banal, past releases sometimes feeling as though barely any personality is expressed through their songs. Milk Famous does manage to create moments of energy and enjoyment, however a frustration with the album is that it is surrounded by a feeling a restraint. Even the more engaging songs feel as though they are being held back. The album artwork of bright colours and paint splashes suggest that White Rabbit have finally let go the inhibitions that plagued the first two albums, however it still fails to completely take off, leaving the album feeling almost muted. The synthesised shuddering of a piano warping in and out opens the album with Heavy Metal, with Stephen Patterson’s voice sliding in. The almost falsetto nature of his voice creates intrigue, however, this initial moment of fascination drops off by track three, Hold It To The Fire, an unadventurous and bland piano rock song. With Temporary, momentum is picked back up again with a insistent drum beat and synthesised organ chiming in sporadically before being joined by a wiry guitar riff. The upbeat pop song shines a moment of personality that is lost on the boring ‘indie rock’ track before. The Day You Won The War ends with – heaven forbid – a tangled mess of rolling drums and sharp, distorted guitar. Another fleeting moment of a raised heartbeat. The songs have a pop-capability similar to Deerhunter and Patterson’s voice in moments can be incredibly alluring, but the songs continually feel tethered, as if the band are trying to let it all go. When it comes to committing to Best Track: Heavy Metal If You Like This, You’ll Like These: SPOON it, they fall short. In A Word: Temperate ALEXANDRA DUGUID
MAX CRUMBS
Maidenhair (Sensory Projects) Maidenhair is a party album of sorts, hitting an appealing middle ground somewhere between civilized dinner party and 3am PARTY. Bedroom electronica can be obscure to the point of only turning up in a select few other bedrooms, but the latest sampleswamped collection of collages from Max Crumbs (aka sometime hardcore drummer Max Kohane) is destined to be enjoyed by a wider audience. There’s no gradual mood-building electronica here – just wild, loopy snatches of songs that sit on a groove, twist it about a bit, then dump it and move on to the next one. Those who have downloaded the free Pieces And Portions releases will know what to expect, though Maidenhair is clearly a progressive step forward for Kohane. There’s no end to the wacky song titles which, bizarrely, somehow manage to describe the songs they are referring to: Return To The Fruity Village is a druggy skip into a camp wonderland, all woozy woodwind and delayed handclaps; Yucky Oven is disorientating and has suicidal tendencies, but is cut short by the sumptuous, shuffling morsel of Love Best Track: Choked On Yoga Mat Snack; Undies and Pants Dance are sensual but also a If You Like This, You’ll Like These: Causes Of This TORO bit... strange. It’s all every bit as fun as it sounds. Y MOI, Since I Left You THE AVALANCHES In A Word: UpDownbeat CHRIS GIRDLER
How About I Be Me (And You Be You)? (One Little Indian/Shock) Sinead O’Connor came out fighting on her 1987 debut, The Lion & The Cobra, and 25 years on, she still sounds like that girl with fire in her soul and a foot looking for an arse to kick on How About I Be Me (And You Be You)? Yes, anger has continually infiltrated her work, be it directed at her parents, the opposite sex or the Catholic church, but during the last 25 years, we have also come to know Sinead as a highly contrary artist. One thing that is a constant however, is her dissatisfaction with the status quo. Confusing and confounding fans and critics alike, in the last decade Sinead came out as a lesbian before being ordained as a priest and later rejected both lifestyles to get engaged to Australian musician Steve Cooney. No sooner had she announced she would be ‘settling down’, news came through of a quick divorce from Cooney and a further marriage to a man she met online followed. It’s this recent development in Sinead’s life that forms the basis of How I About I Be Me… The album’s title – a re-writing of the traditional marriage vows – and its content deals directly with O’Connor’s brushes with matrimony (her recent wedding to Barry Herridge lasted only 17 days) and the institution itself. As far as wedding albums go, there is little romantic merit in O’Connor’s words, as to be expected, but rather she challenges the suitor to forget the fairytale (and the Catholic church) idea of marriage. On the first single The Wolf Is Getting Married, Sinead owns the public’s image of her as an unstable – even lamentable – woman of contradictions. Firstly, she decides marriage will bring her unending happiness and keep away the ‘wolves’ – an animal, in literary terms, sometimes associated with depressive syndromes. The question that the song raises however, is how serious is she? At any given moment the listener could expect to be slapped in the face with a renouncement of all this new-found comfort. The track 4th And Vine further reinforces O’Connor’s belief that matrimony holds the key to her satisfaction, and is nothing short of a re-telling of The Dixie Cups’ saccharine 1964 hit, Chapel Of Love, yet considering the singer’s recent past, a sarcastic subtext can’t be ignored. The album takes a sudden and more familiar turn on Take Off Your Shoes, where Sinead is all ‘blood of Jesus’ and ‘hallowed ground’. Equally theological is V.I.P, which condemns both celebrity culture and the church’s elevated self-importance. Musically, her later releases veered into reggae which is reprised here. The mostly mid-tempo pace and acoustic instrumentation allows the narrative to take the lead, keeping with Sinead’s folk singer styling and the tradition of reggae’s ‘songs of rebellion’. The album overall is a fantastic observation and summary of O’Connor’s often difficult to relate to personal life and favourite subject matter. She offers an even sharper perspective than on many former revelatory releases, and is still one of the most brutally honest song-writers around - “I was always crazy”; she growls on If I Had A Baby. O’Connor is at her best when she flaunts what most of us would be happy to deny. How About I Be Me (And You Be You)? is a purposeful blurring of the singer’s wishful thinking and the stark reality of her inability to settle down and play house. Perhaps she feels such a compromise would be mean disconnecting from her muse, and so within the safety Best Track: If I Had A Baby of music, she has dared to go where she just can’t If You Like This, You’ll Like These: Her previous releases seem to in life. In A Word: Thematic LEIGH SALTER
MAGIC BONES
Magic Bones EP (Independent) When a genre has a resurgence, as ‘70s rock‘n’roll has of late, suddenly bands spring up all over the place waving the flag, and it can become a battle to sift through the debris to find a genuine article. Magic Bones, however, leave the mediocre bands in the dust, because at the core of their retro rock‘n’roll sound are quality songs. Their self-titled debut EP is lean and muscular in nature, technically proficient, sonically bold and is no doubt a tasty tidbit of things to come. Space Between Us adheres to the pysch-rock mantra as it builds predominantly around one persevering riff but a second guitar keeps your interest piqued as it weaves in and out, changing the focus as it pleases. It’s this clever guitar interplay between the Magic Bones two guitarists that keeps their sound simultaneously sprawling and engaging at every turn. Devils Spawn follows a more straight forward ‘70s rock trajectory. It’s hard not to compare this track to genre stalwarts Led Zeppelin with the vocal inflections echoing a less abrasive Robert Plant and rhythm guitarist Kiri O’Connor’s backs up nailing that uninhibited rock‘n’roll howl, adding even more fire to the furnace. Simple chord plucking see’s How Long begin with blues intentions but it’s heart remains with rock‘n’roll and it quickly finds it way back to the homeland. The intro of Gouge Out A View makes it an instant standout on the EP; it’s an inviting aural attack that reminds you just how big the sound of Magic Bones can be. Mesmerising vocals push the track along hypnotically and the killer intro riff returns on numerous occasions to jolt you back to reality. The song trails off a little suddenly, albeit this is but a minor criticism of an otherwise electrically charged and dynamic track. Closer So Long, Carry On is self reflective, melancholic and bordering on being a little bit ballady but in it’s own way caps the EP off in a suitably contemplative manner and works some psych-folk into the mix. Nicely done. Best Track: Gouge Out A View If You Like This, You’ll Like These: DEAD MEADOW, Magic Bones have got themselves a neat and tidy debut release. LED ZEPPELIN, 13TH FLOOR ELEVATORS In A Word: Tidy KRYSTAL MAYNARD
PAUL WELLER Sonik Kicks (Universal)
Sometimes it’s hard to decide whether Paul Weller really gives a flying fuck about anyone other than himself. Despite his genesis as a angry young mod, and evolution as a songwriter disposed to political tirades, Weller appears to have no loyalty to external constructions of himself, or his songwriting. That is to say, Paul Weller makes the music Paul Weller wants to make, and fuck you if you’re not interested. It’s a personal inflection that sits in the background as Weller launches into the Krautrock-influenced Green, the opening track from Weller’s latest record, Sonik Kicks. It’s Weller like he’s rarely appeared previously; not long after, Kling I Klang presents an amphetamine take on similar historical cues, while later on the album Around the Lake uses Krautrock styling to offer a dark vision of the world around us. Weller’s proven pop sensibility – as fresh as the day he first strode the streets of Woking – is there for the world to see in The Attic, the sunny California splendour of That Dangerous Age and even the blue-eyed Style Council soul of Study in Blue (featuring Weller’s latest wife Hannah). And then there’s the more occasional idiosyncratic piece, like Sleep Of The Serene, a nebulous journey into illdefined sonic pastures, the haunting Dragonfly, the meandering aural renderings of Twilight or even the Kinksat-the-Gates-of-Dawn When Your Garden’s Overgrown. And as for the concluding track, Be Happy Children – featuring two of Weller’s children – it’s soppy, but presentable in the capable hands of the Modfather. There are moments when Sonik Kicks appears as impenetrable as anything Weller has released in 20 Best track: Green If You Like This, You’ll Like These: You’ll appreciate years. And that’s probably just how the erstwhile Paul Weller for who he is, what he’s done and the fact Mr Weller wants it. that he’s apparently just bought a stack of Neu! records In a word: Weller PATRICK EMERY
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Beat Magazine Page 73
GIG GUIDE WEDNESDAY 9 MAY ROCK/POP
ACOUSTIC/COUNTRY/BLUES/FOLK
ALEX ANONYMOUS + DRIVEBY EPIC + HOMETOWN + LUNAIRE Revolver Upstairs, Prahran. 7:30pm. $10. ATTACK OF THE MANNEQUINS + CITRUS JAM + OVERDRIVE Cherry Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 7:00pm. BATTLE OF THE BANDS - FEAT: BELIEVER IN FICTION + PINBALL MACHINE + SECOND CHANCE EXIT + PROSTHESIS OF MIND + SYNDROME + THANATOSIS + THE GRACE OF GRAVEA Musicland, Fawkner. 7:00pm. $10. CHARM + THE DIVINE FLUXUS Bar Open, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. HURRICANE FIGHTER PLANE Workers Club, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $5. KIMBRA + DANIEL MERRIWEATHER Palais Theatre, St Kilda. 7:00pm. PAUL GREENE (BEHIND THE STARS TOUR) Northcote Social Club, Northcote. 7:30pm. $15. PAUL GREENE (BEHIND THE STARS TOUR) - FEAT: PAUL GREENE & THE OTHER COLOURS + EMMA ANGLESEY + JASON LOWE Northcote Social Club, Northcote. 9:30pm. $15. POCO LA PAX + LEFT FEELS RIGHT Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy. 9:00pm. SANS GRAS + PONY FACE Grace Darling Hotel, Collingwood. 9:00pm. $10. SICK OF IT ALL + AGNOSTIC FRONT + TOE TO TOE The Hi-fi, Melbourne. 8:00pm. $46. SINCE THE RIVER + MAJOR NAPIER + WINTERPLAN John Curtin Hotel, Carlton. 8:00pm. SPERMAIDS + LAZERFACE + STOCKADES Tote Hotel, Collingwood. 8:00pm. THE DARKNESS + STRANGERS Palace Theatre, Melbourne Cbd. 7:30pm. $72. THE ELLIOTS Veludo Bar & Restaurant, St Kilda. 9:00pm. THE MOUNTAIN GOATS + CATHERINE TRAICOS Toff In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. $42. THE VITRIOLS + COLLATERAL DAMAGE + WHERE YOU’D RATHER BE Empress Hotel, North Fitzroy. 8:00pm.
CARRY NATION + SHELLEY SHORT Retreat Hotel, Brunswick. 8:30pm. CHRIS RUSSELL’S CHICKENWALK + JIMMY STEWART + MAX SAVAGE & THE FALSE IDOLS Old Bar, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. DON HILLMAN’S SECRET BEACH Clifton Hill Hotel, Clifton Hill. 8:30pm. JAMES MCCANN + LINCOLN MCKINNON Kent St Bar, Fitzroy. 9:00pm. JESS BECK Bebida, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. LETTERBOX MUSIC Open Studio, Northcote. 8:00pm. MANOR Wesley Anne, Northcote. 8:00pm. OPEN MIC Dancing Dog, Footscray. 7:00pm. OPEN MIC Thornbury Local, Thornbury. 7:00pm. OPEN MIC Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick. 7:00pm. OPEN MIC & JAM NIGHT Grind N Groove, Healesville. 8:00pm. SEAN SIMMONS Standard Hotel, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. WAVVES + SURES + THE MURLOCS Corner Hotel, Richmond. 8:00pm. $45. WINE WHISKEY WOMEN - FEAT: MON KERR + ALYSIA MANCEAU Drunken Poet, West Melbourne. 8:00pm.
Beat Magazine Page 74
JAZZ/SOUL/FUNK/WORLD MUSIC ADE ISHS TRIO Horse Bazaar, Melbourne Cbd. 7:30pm. $5. BOPSTRETCH Uptown Jazz Cafe, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. CINDY VAN DER REE Paris Cat Jazz Club, Melbourne Cbd. 8:30pm. $15. DIZZY’S BIG BAND Dizzy’s Jazz Club, Richmond. 8:00pm. $14. KEWTI + JAMES MACAULAY QUARTET 303, Northcote. 8:00pm. SALVO BROTHERS TRIO Cruzao Arepa Bar, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. THE PAUL GRABOWSKY QUARTET Bennetts Lane Jazz Club, Melbourne. 8:30pm. $15.
SPLIT SECONDS If Split Seconds were a football team their pre-season preparation for the 2012 musical season could only be described as impeccable. Entering the building on the ground floor in late 2010, Splits worked their way into the hearts of local independent music fans with their strong and likable singles and a self-titled EP. Well, they were just warming up. With the release of their new single Top Floor, their premiership campaign is finally underway. They play the Northcote Social Club this Thursday May 10.
THURSDAY 10 MAY ROCK/POP 1AM LATE SHOW - FEAT: CLUB CRAIN Pony, Melbourne. 1:00am. 29TH APARTMENT ACOUSTIC NIGHT - FEAT: TIM BRAUN 29th Apartment, St Kilda. 9:00pm. ACOUSTIC NIGHT! - FEAT: TIM BRAUN 29th Apartment, St Kilda. 9:00pm. ADMIRAL ACKBAR’S DISHONOURABLE DISCHARGE + A COMMONER’S REVOLT + SPEW’N’GUTS + WHERE’S GROVER Bendigo Hotel, Collingwood. 8:00pm. $5. AMBER LAMPS + ROBOT CHILD + THE MCQUEENS John Curtin Hotel, Carlton. 8:00pm. ATMOSPHERE + EVIDENCE + HORRORSHOW The Hi-fi, Melbourne. 7:30pm. $60. DAKARA DIRT The Prague, Thornbury. 8:00pm. DAMAGE Spenserslive, Melbourne Cbd. 8:08pm. $15. DAVY SIMONY (DISCOVER LAUNCH) + CATCH RELEASE + KERRYN FILEDS + LITLE FLAME Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $5. FLOUNDER + CATARACT GEORGE + CHOPSQUAD + ROSENCRANTS + THE DOLDRUMS Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick. 8:00pm. FRANK TURNER & THE SLEEPING SOULS + JEN BUXTON + THE SMITH STREET BAND + WILLIAM ELLIOT WHITMORE Espy, St Kilda. 8:00pm. $40. HIGH FANGS + DENVER AIRPORT + SMOKE SIGNAL Yah Yah’s, Fitzroy. 9:00pm. $7. KATHRYN KELLY + FARQUARHASON + THE SPACE KEYS Idgaff Bar & Venue, Abbotsford. 8:00pm. KEGGIN’ + LIQUOR SNATCH + MADE IN CHINA + SHERIFF Old Bar, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $8. KING OF THE NORTH + CONSTANT KILLER + MUTATIONS + THEM 9’S Tote Hotel, Collingwood. 8:00pm. $5. MOTH + MOTHERSLUG + OF THE RISING Pony, Melbourne. 8:30pm. NABERUS + ARBIA + INEBRIATOR + INTERNAL NIGHTMARE Revolver Upstairs, Prahran. 8:00pm. $10. RUBY’S SHOWCASE Ruby’s Lounge, Belgrave. 7:00pm. SPLIT SECONDS (SINGLE LAUNCH) + UNDERLIGHTS Northcote Social Club, Northcote. 8:00pm. $12. SWAMPLAND Tago Mago, Thornbury. 9:00pm. THE GROVES + SINISTER MINISTER + TEN CENT PISTOLS Bar Open, Fitzroy. 9:00pm. THE HELLHOUNDS Pure Pop Courtyard, St Kilda. 6:00pm. THE MOUNTAIN GOATS + CATHERINE TRAICOS + THE STARRY NIGHT Corner Hotel, Richmond. 8:00pm. $42.
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ACOUSTIC/COUNTRY/BLUES/FOLK ASH NAYLOR Rainbow Hotel, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. ASHLEY NAYLOR Rainbow Hotel, Fitzroy. 9:00pm. AUSTIN BRADY Bebida, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. BENNY WALKER + GALLIE Drunken Poet, West Melbourne. 8:00pm. COLLARD GREENS & GRAVY + SOUTHBOUND SNAKE CHARMERS Musicland, Fawkner. 8:00pm. $10. CONTINENTAL ROBERTS’ BLUES PARTY Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East. 8:30pm. FRASER A GORMAN + COTTONBUD Retreat Hotel, Brunswick. 9:00pm. GUY KABLE Labour In Vain, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. KATE MARTIN (LET’S MEET IN THE MIDDLE TOUR) + BEN WELLS & THE MIDDLE NAMES Toff In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. $8. MANSION ALASKA + THE PRIMARY Great Britain Hotel, Richmond. 8:00pm. MARTIN MYLES Wesley Anne, Northcote. 6:00pm. MAX SAVAGE Bertha Brown, Melbourne Cbd. 9:00pm. NICOLETTE FORTE Horse Bazaar, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. $5. NOEMI LIBA + ANDREA KEEBLE & THE SILO QUARTET Wesley Anne, Northcote. 8:30pm. OPEN MIC Acoustic Cafe, Collingwood. 6:30pm. OPEN MIC Arcadia Hotel, South Yarra. 7:00pm. THE MAGIC MOUNTAIN BAND Edinburgh Castle, Brunswick. 7:00pm. THE TEN IN ONE + JULITHA RYAN + SLEEPY DREAMERS Empress Hotel, North Fitzroy. 8:00pm. $8. THRUPENCE Workers Club, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. $7. TIMOTHY HAINES + LUCY JEAN ROLEFF + YUKO NISHIYAMA Open Studio, Northcote. 8:00pm. VICUNA COAT Bar Nancy, Northcote. 8:00pm.
JAZZ/SOUL/FUNK/WORLD MUSIC ANNIE SMITH & THE JAZZ DRIVE Dizzy’s Jazz Club, Richmond. 8:00pm. $14. BEN GRAYSON TRIO 303, Northcote. 8:00pm. $10. MILANO EXPRESS Veludo Bar & Restaurant, St Kilda. 9:00pm. RBS LIVE - FEAT: VAN MYER + BEN WRIGHT SMITH + HAMISH ANDERSON + RENEE CASSAR Red Bennies, South Yarra. 7:00pm. $8. SEAN COFFIN QUARTET Paris Cat Jazz Club, Melbourne Cbd. 9:00pm. $15. SOUL SAFARI Cherry Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. $10. TANGO RUBINO Cruzao Arepa Bar, Fitzroy. 7:30pm. THE GIANNI MARINUCCI QUARTET Bennetts Lane Jazz Club, Melbourne. 8:30pm. $15.
FRIDAY 11 MAY ROCK/POP 2AM LATE SHOW - FEAT: HUMANS Pony, Melbourne. 2:00am. BAD ACHES (HYPOCHONDRIAC LAUNCH) + BIG RICHARD INSECT + GUY & MARCUS BLACKMAN EXPERIMENTATIONS + TYRANNAMEN Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood. 8:00pm. $10. BEST BEFORE + DYLAN JOEL + VELVET ARCHERS Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy. 9:00pm. $10. BUM CREEK & FABULOUS DIAMONDS + BUM CREEK + FABULOUS DIAMONDS + CISTERN CORRUPT + MATTHEW BROWN Phoenix Public House, Brunswick. 9:00pm. $10. CALLING ALL CARS + ARTS MARTIAL + STRANGERS The Hi-ďŹ , Melbourne. 7:30pm. $20. COVERS NIGHT - FEAT: RICOCHET + MEMPHIS NIGHTS Musicland, Fawkner. 7:00pm. DAN LETHBRIDGE & SHANE O MARA I Dream A Highway, Northcote. 6:00pm. DIRTY F + CUT + EARL + KILL TWO BIRDS + PETER DICKYBIRD Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick. 8:00pm. DOUBLEBLACK & THE RAMSHACKLE ARMY + THE PROSTITUTE KILLERS + THE WORKINGHORSE IRONS Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood. 8:00pm. FRANKENBOK Pier Live, Frankston. 8:00pm. $10. FUNKOARS (BEING VINCENT Dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ONOFRIO TOUR) Pier Live, Frankston. 8:00pm. $28. HAILGUN + CABIN FEVER + KREMLINGS Blue Tile Lounge, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. $5. HEIRS (EP LAUNCH) - FEAT: HIERS + A DEAD FORREST + INDEX COCKS ARQUETTE + THE PROCESS John Curtin Hotel, Carlton. 8:00pm. HELM (SINGLE LAUNCH) + CRIVE INTO RUIN + ENNIS TOLA + EZEKIAL OX Espy, St Kilda. 8:00pm. HOUNDS HOUNDS HOUNDS + JOHNNY CADBURY & THE DAIRY MILKS Victoria Hotel, Brunswick. 9:40pm. JOSH MORIARTY The Hammy, Melbourne. 10:00pm. $10. JOSH PYKE (LOVE LIES TOUR) + GOSSLING Forum Theatre, Melbourne. 8:30pm. $49. MEMOIRE + HIGH SIDE DRIVER + MARCH IN MOSCOW Noise Bar, Brunswick. 9:00pm. $5. MICK THOMAS (THE LAST OF THE TOURISTS TOUR) The Regal Ballroom, Northcote. 8:00pm. OKERA + ARBRYNTH + HYPNOSE + MYRIDIAN Tote Hotel, Collingwood. 8:00pm. $15. ORANGE STREET SKA NIGHT - FEAT: MOHAIR SLIM + DEREK DJS Luwow, Fitzroy. 9:00pm. $10. PRIVATE LIFE (SINGLE LAUNCH) + THE NEIGH-
KIMBRA
Look Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not going to lie: even to this day, despite the girlâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s massive amount of success both here and internationally, both on her own and alongside collaborative partner Gotye, I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t help but think of frigginâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; lions when I hear Kimbraâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s name. Did anybody else watch Kimbra the White Lion when they were kids? â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;60s anime rules. I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t believe I just admitted this in a print publication. I guess Kimbra the singer is cuter anyway. Sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s at the Palais Theatre on Wednesday May 9. BORHOOD YOUTH + THNKR Workers Club, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. $12. PSALM BEACH + LITTLE KILLING + NERVOUS Grace Darling Hotel, Collingwood. 9:00pm. $7. QUARTER LIFE CRISIS + AJ STEEL + GOLDALINE + THE ART OF LATER 303, Northcote. 8:00pm. $10. RALPH MCTELL + NICK CHARLES Corner Hotel, Richmond. 8:30pm. $57. RED ROCKETS OF BORNEO (EP LAUNCH) + 8 BIT LOVE + WUNDERLUST Northcote Social Club, Northcote. 8:30pm. $10. ROBOTOSAURUS + AREYFU + AT DARK + DUDE MOUNTAIN + IN TRENCHES Bendigo Hotel, Collingwood. 8:00pm. $10. SECONDS BEFORE SUNRISE + DRIVEN TO THE VERGE + STICKS TO THE SHALLOWS + THE EMPIRE + VISIONS Rubyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Lounge, Belgrave. 8:00pm. $12. SHARI WYATT + POISON FISH + SORDID ORDEAL + THE MERRIGROUNDS IdgaďŹ&#x20AC; Bar & Venue, Abbotsford. 8:00pm. SOL NATION Bar Open, Fitzroy. 10:00pm. STRAW KING EYE + IVY ST + STAFFAN SONGS + WHIPPED CREAM CHARGERS Grace Darling Hotel, Collingwood. 9:00pm. $10. THE BARON + LUCYâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S CROWN + RIKI & THE RANTS + YOSEMITE SLAM Espy, St Kilda. 8:00pm. THE BLOODPOETS (SINGLE LAUNCH) + KRISTIAN RISTI + THE FIGHTING Pony, Melbourne. 9:00pm. THE CARTIDGE FAMILY Basement Discs, Melbourne Cbd. 12:30pm. THE PATRON SAINTS Tago Mago, Thornbury. 9:00pm. THE STRAIGHT EIGHTS + THE VOODOO SWAMP DADDIES Lucky 13 Garage, Moorabbin. 7:30pm. THE SURES + DIRT FARMER + SPLIT SECONDS + UNDERLIGHTS Espy, St Kilda. 8:00pm.
THE MOUNTAIN GOATS
I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to draw accusations of product placement or whatever, but beer is pretty cool. Those Melbourne dudes behind Mountain Goat, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been responsible for some rad times, tell you what. Similarly high-quality are American folk-rockers, similarly named The Mountain Goats. Have a drink and a dance when the Mountain Goats play the Corner Hotel on Thursday May 10. THIS FIASCO + BURY THE FALLEN + CHECK YOUR SMILE + CITY OF SIRENS + INTERNAL NIGHTMARE The Prague, Thornbury. 8:00pm. VICE GRIP PUSSIES + THE COUNCIL Lyrebird Lounge, Ripponlea. 8:00pm. VICTOR PENDER Cape Cafe, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. WHITEHORSE + DEAD BOOMERS + DJ DEL AMP + ISRAEL + PNEUMATIC SLAUGHTER Old Bar, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $10. WOLFPACK + ADMIRAL ACKBARSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; DISHONOURABLE DISCHARGE + BETWEEN THE WARS + LOS AMIGOS Yah Yahâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, Fitzroy. 9:00pm. $10. YOUNG MAVERICK + THE CORSAIRS + THE PLAINS Cherry Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. $13. YOUNG RESTLESS + DJ GINGER The B East, Brunswick East. 8:00pm. ZEP BOYS Ferntree Gully Hotel, Ferntree Gully. 8:00pm. $29.
ACOUSTIC/COUNTRY/BLUES/FOLK CHECKERBOARD Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East. 9:30pm. CHERRYWOOD Gem Bar, Collingwood. 8:00pm. CONVICT PARADISE + MCALPINEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S FUSILIERS + MISERABLE LITTLE BASTARDS + THE TAYLOR PROJECT + UNDERLANDER Old Melbourne Gaol, Melbourne. 8:30pm. $15. DREAM BOOGIE Rainbow Hotel, Fitzroy. 9:30pm. JVG GUITAR METHOD Penny Black, Brunswick. 9:30pm. MICK THOMAS & THE ROVING COMMISSION (THE LAST OF THE TOURISTS TOUR) The Regal Ballroom, Northcote. 8:00pm. MODS MAYDAY - FEAT: CONTINENTAL ROBERT
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SUBMIT YOUR GIGS TO GIGGUIDE@BEAT.COM.AU
Beat Magazine Page 75
TRIO ALVORADA Open Studio, Northcote. 8:00pm. YVETTE JOHANSSON & THE JOE RUBERTO TRIO Bennetts Lane Jazz Club, Melbourne. 8:30pm. $25.
SATURDAY 12 MAY JOSH PYKE
You know, with a name like this, Josh Pyke could have been a true, epic volleyball star. The Pykester, they’d call him, as he wailed on his opponents from one side of a net. Anyway, instead, he has become one of Australia’s most celebrated singer songwriters, and before he tucks away to produce a new album, he is performing a special Theatre Show as part of his Love Lies tour at the Forum this Friday May 11. & THE RINKY DINKS + ACE THE FACE DJS Luwow, Fitzroy. 9:00pm. $10. NATASHA ROSE Edinburgh Castle, Brunswick. 6:00pm. RAISE THE ROOF - FEAT: CHARLES JENKINS + DAVEY LANE + HENRY WAGONS + PAUL KELLY + ROESY ARCHER + RON PENO & THE SUPERSTITIONS + STONEFIELD + THE UNDERGROUND LOVERS + ALEX LASHLIE + CHRIS RUSSELL’S CHICKEN WALK + HAMISH COWAN + PONY FACE + THE DARK LORDS + THE TWOKS Prince Bandroom, St Kilda. 8:00pm. $50. RICH DAVIES & THE DEVILS UNION + DJ MANTOOTH + MAX SAVAGE & THE FALSE IDOLS Retreat Hotel, Brunswick. 9:30pm. SEVEN HEARTS + MY FAVOURITE EMILY + PINA TUTERI Empress Hotel, North Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $10. TEMPLE OF TUNES Edinburgh Castle, Brunswick. 8:30pm. THE CARTRIDGE FAMILY Basement Discs, Melbourne Cbd. 12:45pm. THE PIPER OF PAN + NATHAN BIRD Balaclava Hotel, Balaclava. 9:00pm. TRADITIONAL IRISH MUSIC SESSIONS - FEAT: DAN BOURKE Drunken Poet, West Melbourne. 6:00pm. VELVET CAKE GYPSIES + THE DROOLING MOUTHS OF MEMPHIS Wesley Anne, Northcote. 8:00pm. WILD COMFORTS Wesley Anne, Northcote. 5:30pm.
JAZZ/SOUL/FUNK/WORLD MUSIC DE LA CALLE Cruzao Arepa Bar, Fitzroy. 9:00pm. JOSHUA KYLE QUINTET Paris Cat Jazz Club, Melbourne Cbd. 9:30pm. $20. ROYAL SWAZI SPA Dizzy’s Jazz Club, Richmond. 9:00pm. $20. SUNNY KOLL + DJ ARLEN DE SILVA Prince Maximillian, Prahran. 8:30pm.
ROCK/POP 2AM LATE SHOW - FEAT: THE WORKINGHORSE IRONS Pony, Melbourne. 2:00am. BAD ACHES + BIG RICHARD INSECT + LATE ARVO SONS Tote Hotel, Collingwood. 5:00pm. BANG - FEAT: EXPLODE LIKE + ALMARIA + GLORIFIED Royal Melbourne Hotel, Melbourne Cbd. 9:00pm. $20. CATCALL (SATELLITES TOUR) + DOG ATTACK + FATTI FRANCES + PALMS Toff In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. $12. CLAMPDOWN Rochester Castle Hotel, Fitzroy. 9:00pm. CLINKERFIELD + THE MISERABLE LITTLE BASTARDS + THE STEINS + WHILE THE MOUNTAIN WAITS John Curtin Hotel, Carlton. 8:00pm. DAN WEBB + MESSED UP Yah Yah’s, Fitzroy. 9:30pm. $10. DANIEL MERRIWEATHER Phoenix Public House, Brunswick. 9:00pm. $27. DINOSAURS EXIST Penny Black, Brunswick. 10:45pm. DREADNAUGHT + ALARUM + ENVENOMED + PARADIGM The Prague, Thornbury. 8:00pm. EXILE ON MAIN STREET 40TH ANNIVERSARY - FEAT: JACK HOWARD + ASH NAYLOR + BEN CURNOW & SIMON AARONS + BRUCE HAYMES + CARL TREASURE + DAVE LARKIN + MATT SONIC + NICK BARKER + RYAN BROWN + SPENCER P JONES Cherry Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. $20. GIMME SKELTER + HELTER SKELTER + WHO AU Ruby’s Lounge, Belgrave. 8:00pm. $15. HEAVEN THE AXE + BAD KARMA + KONG FUZI + SYSTEM OF VENUS Bendigo Hotel, Collingwood. 8:00pm. $10. HOUSE OF ROCK Palace Theatre, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. $15. HUSK + FENIAN + INEDIA + REDFIELD + THRASHER JYNX Noise Bar, Brunswick. 8:30pm. $10. I A MAN + HOPE SPRINGS + IOWA + THE KODIAK CLUB Espy, St Kilda. 8:00pm. I SEE THE END + CITY OF SIRENS + EVACUATE THE FALLEN + IDLE DREAMS Idgaff Bar & Venue, Abbotsford. 8:00pm. KIM CHURCHILL + BENJALU + MICROWAVE JENNY Northcote Social Club, Northcote. 8:30pm. $15. LEVITATING CHURCHES (SINGLE LAUNCH) + DANE
CERTIFICATE + NO 1 JONES Grace Darling Hotel, Collingwood. 9:00pm. $5. MIDNIGHT WOOLF + BAD VISION + MASS CULT Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood. 9:00pm. MINIBIKES + DJ FANTA PANTS + PAUL CULLEN Retreat Hotel, Brunswick. 10:00pm. MJ HALLORAN & THE SINNERS + MICHAEL MCMANUS & ANDREW RICE Grumpy’s Green, Fitzroy. 9:30pm. MODS MAYDAY - FEAT: THE CHORDS + THE LITTLE MURDERS + THE MESSENGERS The Hi-fi, Melbourne. 8:30pm. $30. NEON & VENOM The B East, Brunswick East. 9:00pm. NEST ITSELF + CLUB CRAIN + THE RAFFAELLAS + THE WINTERS Espy, St Kilda. 8:00pm. PAINTERS & DOCKERS TRIO Tago Mago, Thornbury. 9:00pm. PAUL COLLINS + WOLFY & THE BAT CUBS Tote Hotel, Collingwood. 8:30pm. PISTONBROKE + MURDER RATS + TOECUTTER Central Club Hotel, Richmond. 7:30pm. ROKUGEN MUSIC Bebida, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. SMOKE MACHINE Town Hall Hotel, North Melbourne. 6:00pm. SYDONIA + BRANCH ARTERIAL + GLASS EMPIRE + MARY WASHINGTON + SONS OFABRAHAM Espy, St Kilda. 8:00pm. T-REK (ALBUM LAUNCH) + HONEYSMACK + WE ARE GAMMA Revolver Upstairs, Prahran. 8:00pm. THE EMPIRE + CHANGE ATLANTIC + DRIVEN TO THE VERGE + SECONDS BEFORE SUNRISE + VISIONS Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick. 8:30pm. THE FRANTICS + ANNA MARIA LOUISA THERESA + DICKFINGER Cornish Arms, Brunswick. 8:00pm. $10. THE LISA MILLER TRIO + ASH DAVIES + SHANE O’MARA Labour In Vain, Fitzroy. 5:00pm. THE MAGIC BONES + CATARACT GEORGE + HORROR MY FRIEND + PIONEERS OF GOOD SCIENCE Pony, Melbourne. 9:00pm. THE MORRISONS (7” LAUNCH) + DJ SEAN SPOILS + MESA COSA + UDAYS TIGER Old Bar, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $10. TWISTED SISTER - FEAT: HATCHET DAWN + BETTY BLOOD + DJ SIMON QUINN + KERRY X + MISS NIC + RAVEN Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy. 8:33pm. $15. VICTOR PENDER Cape Cafe, Fitzroy. 8:00pm.
ACOUSTIC/COUNTRY/BLUES/FOLK AINSLIE WILLS (FIGHTING KIND LAUNCH) + GOLD BLOOM + LISA SALVO Workers Club, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. ANNA SMYRK & THE APPETITES Edinburgh Castle, Brunswick. 5:00pm. AUSTIN Drunken Poet, West Melbourne. 9:00pm. BEA’S WINDOW + PETE JONES + QUDIUM Brunswick
or ds
Beat Magazine Page 76
SUBMIT YOUR GIGS TO GIGGUIDE@BEAT.COM.AU
Hotel, Brunswick. 5:00pm. BEN WELLS + HURRICANE FIGHTER PLANE + KATE MARTIN + PETE CULLEN Pure Pop Courtyard, St Kilda. 4:00pm. COLD HEART Retreat Hotel, Brunswick. 7:30pm. COLECTIVO29 + LO-RES Open Studio, Northcote. 8:00pm. DEUS + THE PARADISE MOTEL Corner Hotel, Richmond. 8:00pm. $46. ECHO DRAMA + EL MOTH & THE TURBO RADS + KESHIE Empress Hotel, North Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $8. EVAN & THE BRAVE + THE FALLS + THE TIGER & ME Wesley Anne, Northcote. 8:00pm. FEED YOUR MUNKIE Grind N Groove, Healesville. 7:00pm. FRUIT JAR + MATT GLASS Wesley Anne, Northcote. 5:00pm. IMMIGRANT UNION + ROYSTON VASIE + THE MERRY CREEK PICKERS Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy. 2:00pm. $12. JAMES JOE & NICE BOY TOM + JAMES + JOE & NICE BOY TOM Rainbow Hotel, Fitzroy. 9:00pm. KODO MOTIF Victoria Hotel, Brunswick. 9:06pm. LITTLE SISTERS (EP LAUNCH) Union Hotel, Brunswick. 5:00pm. RECREATIONAL OUTRAGE + THE COLLECTABLES Empress Hotel, North Fitzroy. 4:00pm. $5. ROB MURRAY + BERNIE CARSON + MEG DOHERTY Idgaff Bar & Venue, Abbotsford. 3:00pm. RPG RADIO + BETH KING & THE HEMINGWAY COLLECTIVE + SHELLEY SEGAL BAND 303, Northcote. 8:00pm. SATURDAY NIGHT FISH FRY Gem Bar, Collingwood. 8:00pm. SHAMBELLES Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East. 9:30pm. SPOONFUL Post Office Hotel, Coburg. 10:30pm. THE PERCH CREEK FAMILY JUGBAND + MUSTERED COURAGE Fitzroy Pinnacle, Fitzroy North. 4:00pm. THE SAND PEBBLES Great Britain Hotel, Richmond. 9:00pm. THE SIMON WRIGHT TRIO Tony Starr’s Kitten Club, Melbourne Cbd. 10:00pm. $5. THE STETSON FAMILY Union Hotel, Brunswick. 9:00pm. TIM CROSSEY TRIO Retreat Hotel, Brunswick. 4:00pm. WARWICK MARK DUNN + DANNY WALSH BANNED + DAVE EVANS + JIMMY STEWART + PETE EWING John Curtin Hotel, Carlton. 7:00pm.
JAZZ/SOUL/FUNK/WORLD MUSIC ABBIE CARDWELL & HER LEADING MEN + ARCHER Caravan Music Club, Oakleigh. 8:00pm. $18. AFRICAN DANCE PARTY - FEAT: LEONA KAKIMA &
YOU’LL FIND US AT 99 SMITH STREET FITZROY PH: 9419 4920 YAHYAHS.COM.AU BOOKINGS: MARY@BAROPEN.COM.AU
FRI 11 MAY
SAT 12 MAY
WOLFPACK THU 10 MAY
HIGH FANGS
DENVER AIRPORT SMOKE SIGNAL DOORS 5.00PM / BANDS 9.00PM
LOS AMIGOS BETWEEN THE WARS ADMIRAL ACKBARS DISHONOURABLE DISCHARGE
THU MAY 17:
THE MEAN TIMES THE WEEKEND PEOPLE
KAISER CHIEFS ‘SOUVENIR’ SINGLES CD LAUNCH BRIT POP / SLACKER / SHOEGAZE ETC OVER TWO FLOORS FEATURING LIVE MUSIC FROM
FRI MAY 18:
DAN WEBB BAND MESSED UP
THE HARLOTS THE PRETTY LITTLES BLACK FOX
STEVE WIDE & KIERAN
DREAD, PUSSY XXX BOMBING ANGELS THRASHE JYNNX
SAT MAY 19:
TUNES BY:
DOORS 5.00PM / BANDS 9.00PM
DAVEY LANE
LATE TUNES: LATE / FREE ENTRY AFTER 2.00AM
DOORS 5.00PM / BANDS 9.00PM
JIMMY THE CLINK
TUNES: LATE / FREE ENTRY AFTER MIDNIGHT
OPEN TIL 5am
SUN 13 MAY
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PRINCE TOUR WARM UP PARTY
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ALEX WATTS & THE FOREIGN TONGUE LIBERTY PDE
FREE ENTRY / DOORS 5.00PM / BANDS 8.00PM
SUN MAY 20 & 27:
DAVEY LANE & FRIENDS FRI MAY 25:
THE PREACHERS THE MESSENGERS HOUNDS HOUNDS HOUNDS SAT MAY 26:
THE UV RACE, RAW PRAWN SOUTHERN COMFORT THU MAY 31:
LOS DOMINADOS, DIVINE FLUXUS SUN JUNE 10:
BLACK CAB
WED 9 MAY
SAT 12 MAY
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CHARM
ROYAL JELLY DIXIELAND BAND
SCREEN SECT FILM CLUB
THE DIVINE FLUXUS 8PM / FREE
10PM / FREE
‘THE IRON GIANT’ (BRAD BIRD, 1999)
7PM
THU 10 MAY
THE GROVES
SUN 13 MAY
THE BLACK GALAXY EXPERIENCE
TEN CENT PISTOLS SINISTER MINISTER 9PM / FREE
WILLIAM BLAXLAND SQUAREHEAD
FRI 11 MAY
SOL NATION
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“Shout ‘til you’re a little horse” 68-70 LIL’ COLLINS ST. MELBOURNE WWW.PONY.NET.AU 03 9662 1026
W/ GUESTS
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BAD ACHES
W/ GUESTS
LATE ARVO SONS BIG RICHARD INSECT (SA)
PAUL COLLINS BEAT
WOLFY & THE BAT CUBS RICHARD LANE (STEMS) & GLENN MORRIS (THE SCREAMING TRIBESMEN)
COMING UP WED 16: TOM DICKINS THUR 17: THE GRUNGE SAFARI FRI 18: SOL NATION SAT 19: JUDGE PINO & HIS RULING MOTIONS SUN 20: BARON SAMADHI LAST GIG EVER! WED 23: THE MOTIFS
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USA
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LOWTIDE
STEERING BY STARS, GOLD BLOOM VELCRO, MILLICENT O’SULLIVAN TUE 15 MAY FRONT BAR RESIDENCY / 8PM
MESSED UP
+ GUESTS
TIX ON SALE NOW FROM TOTE FRONT BAR & OZTIX.COM.AU:
THU 10 MAY
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8.30PM
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GEEK PIE
2.00AM FREE
SAT 19 MAY
OW DOUBLE LATE SH
ALKAN ZEYBEK & THE LESSERMEN S) W/ NAKED (TA
FRI 11 MAY
THE BLOODPOETS THE FIGHTING KRISTIAN RISTI (WA / SINGLE LAUNCH)
9.30PM
HUMANS
2.00AM FREE TUNES:
WHITE RABBIT
3.00AM FREE
SAT 12 MAY
THE MAGIC BONES HORROR MY FRIEND PIONEERS OF GOOD SCIENCE CATARACT GEORGE (SA)
9.00PM
THE WORKINGHORSE IRONS
2.00AM FREE TUNES:
MR SHARP
3.00AM FREE
COMING SOON THU 17 MAY: RHYMADA, NEW MANIC SPREE, PIRATES THU 17 MAY (LATE SHOW): CLAWS & ORGANS (FREE ENTRY) FRI 18 MAY: IDLE MINDS, AIDS, ROSS, DIPLOID FRI 18 MAY (LATE SHOW): THE AVES (FREE ENTRY) SAT 19 MAY: ALITHIA, DAZE (QLD) THE NEST ITSELF, CITRUS JAM SAT 19 MAY (DOUBLE LATE SHOW): ALKAN ZEYBEK & THE LESSERMEN + NAKED (TAS) (FREE ENTRY) THURS 24 MAY: LONG HOLIDAY, THRASHER JYNX, STREET FANGS THURS 24 MAY (LATE SHOW): SCARLET GUNN (FREE ENTRY) FRI 25 MAY: KEL SOMEONE, LUNAIRE, LIGHTS ON AT HEATHROW FRI 25 MAY (LATE SHOW): NERVOUS (FREE ENTRY)
THE LEGENDARY PONY LATE SHOW / THE LATEST GIG IN TOWN / FRIDAYS & SATURDAYS / 2:00AM / FREE ENTRY SUBMIT YOUR GIGS TO GIGGUIDE@BEAT.COM.AU
THE OCEAN (GER) THU 17 MAY BROTHERS GRIM FRI 18 & SAT 19 MAY CLAG SUN 20 MAY TUMBLEWEED FRI 25, SAT 26, SUN 27 MAY - THIRD SHOW! THE MISSION IN MOTION, JONESEZ SUN 2 JUNE COMING SOON: THURS 17 MAY: THE OCEAN (GER), COIL GUNS, KUNZ, DAGGERS MID FLIGHT FRI 18 MAY: BROTHERS GRIM DOUBLE FEATURE SAT 19 MAY: BROTHERS GRIM DOUBLE FEATURE TOTE MERCH ON SALE NOW / AVAILABLE FROM FRONT BAR: 2012 CALENDARS / T-SHIRTS / STUBBIE HOLDERS / STICKERS NEW! ‘PERSECUTION BLUES: THE BATTLE FOR THE TOTE’ DVDS ON SALE NOW! 71 JOHNSTON STREET (CNR WELLINGTON ST) COLLINGWOOD PH: 9419 5320 BAND BOOKINGS: AMANDA@BAROPEN.COM.AU WWW.THETOTEHOTEL.COM
TOTE OPEN: TUESDAY - SUNDAY 4.00pm ‘TIL LATE
Beat Magazine Page 77
CONVICT PARADISE
Talk about an arresting event. Convict Paradise is a study of Melbourne convict folk history through local music, featuring the Miserable Little Bastards, McAlpine’s Fusiliers, The Taylor Project, Underlander and other guest artists bringing buried bones to the surface in a one-off convict folk extravaganza at the Old Melbourne Gaol this Friday May 11. Catch you between the bars. IL EST BEAU BAND + AFRO GOGO SHOW + JUMPIN JOSH & BRUCE MILNE DJS + SHABBA KING OF DJEMBE Luwow, Fitzroy. 9:00pm. $10. ARAKATAKA Cruzao Arepa Bar, Fitzroy. 9:00pm. CANNONBALL Bennetts Lane Jazz Club, Melbourne. 8:30pm. $25. DIANA CLARK & DOUG DE VRIES Paris Cat Jazz Club, Melbourne Cbd. 7:30pm. $20. FEM BELLING QUARTET Paris Cat Jazz Club, Melbourne Cbd. 9:30pm. $20. FRANCISCO TAVARES + DJ ARLEN DE SILVA Prince Maximillian, Prahran. 8:30pm. HAT FITZ & CARA Palais, Hepburn Springs. 8:30pm. $15. JAZZ PARTYU Bar Open, Fitzroy. 9:00pm. JOE CHINDAMO TRIO Dizzy’s Jazz Club, Richmond. 9:00pm. $20. PATRICK ROBERTS + ALANA CONWAY + ATHOL GUY Thornbury Theatre, Thornbury. 7:30pm. $35.
SUNDAY 13 MAY ROCK/POP GO FOX ROAD The B East, Brunswick East. 8:00pm. HAT FITZ & CARA ROBINSON + JACKIE RAINEY Northcote Social Club, Northcote. 2:00pm. $12. JAMES O’BRIEN + LUKE BRENNAN + ZAC RUSH & DAN PARSONS 303, Northcote. 4:00pm. $6. LOWTIDE + GOLD BLOOM + MILLICENT O’SULLIVAN + STEERING BY THE STARS + VELCRO Tote Hotel, Collingwood. 8:00pm. PAUL COLLINS + WOLFY & THE BAT CUBS Caravan Music Club, Oakleigh. 3:00pm. $22.
RAIN FACTORY + ONLY ALIEN Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy. 2:00pm. SERI VIDA + ALEX WATTS & THE FOREIGN TONGUE + LIBERTY PDE Yah Yah’s, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. THE BLACK GALAXY EXPERIENCE + SQUAREHEAD + WILLIAM BLAXLAND Bar Open, Fitzroy. 7:30pm. THE DARLING DOWNS + DJ KEZBOT + THE WILD COMFORTS Old Bar, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. $8. THE MIGHTY 80’S TRASH BASH - FEAT: THE BENNIES + ADMIRAL ACKBARS DISHONORABLE DISCHARGE + FISTY CUFFS + LORD JUSTIN & HIS ONE MAN BAND + THE MURDERBALLS + WHERE’S GROVER? + WOT ROT Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick. 3:00pm.
ACOUSTIC/COUNTRY/BLUES/FOLK AJ LEONARD Penny Black, Brunswick. 5:00pm. CHRIS WILSON + JASON LUISSON Rainbow Hotel, Fitzroy. 4:00pm. DANIELA CORSO & GEORGE CHRIS + EMILY MEAKER + LEAH MUSCAT & PAUL VINNEY Idgaff Bar & Venue, Abbotsford. 8:00pm. DEAD RIVER + GHOSTS ON THE HIGHWAY Town Hall Hotel, North Melbourne. 6:00pm. DEAN & CARRUTHERS Bay Hotel, Mornington. 3:00pm. DOM DI BLASIO Victoria Hotel, Brunswick. 5:00pm. GEOFF ACHISON The Bay, Mordialloc. 4:00pm. GOSPEL FOR MOTHERLESS CHILDREN Wesley Anne, Northcote. 12:00pm. GOYIM Great Britain Hotel, Richmond. 8:00pm. JAM NIGHT Musicland, Fawkner. 8:00pm. JAMES D SMITH + CHRIS O’NEILL + KUKI TIPOKI Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $12. JEAN-CLAUDE SAM-DAN + ANASTASIA Bar Nancy, Northcote. 6:00pm. JEB CARDWELL Carringbush Hotel, Abbotsford. 4:00pm. JODY & LUCYS’ FAMILY BAND + KEN MAHER & TONY HARGREAVES Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East. 5:30pm. KIRTAN WITH CHAKRADHYAN AND THE CHANT CARTEL + CHAKRADHYAN & THE CHANT CARTEL Kindred Street Front Space, Yarraville. 5:30pm. LADIE DEE + THE MANDY CONNELL BAND Edinburgh Castle, Brunswick. 5:00pm. NICE TATE BAND + ASAMI + BRENDAN SKINNER + SUE RAY Wesley Anne, Northcote. 4:00pm. OPA! 303, Northcote. 8:00pm. $5. OPEN MIC Chandelier Room, Moorabbin. 4:30pm. RED WHYTE + CHARLES VEALL + RODA DE CHORO Pure Pop Courtyard, St Kilda. 1:00pm. SHANNON BOURNE Mentone Hotel, Mentone. 3:00pm. SINGER SONGWRITER SESSIONS Chandelier Room, Moorabbin. 4:00pm. THE CARTRIDGE FAMILY (CD LAUNCH) Union Hotel, Brunswick. 5:00pm. THE RECHORDS Post Office Hotel, Coburg. 8:00pm. THE SIDESHOW BRIDES + ROSIE HAYDEN Lyrebird Lounge, Ripponlea. 6:30pm. THE STETSON FAMILY Drunken Poet, West Melbourne. 6:30pm. THE TRACY MCNEIL BAND Standard Hotel, Fitzroy. 7:00pm. THREE KINGS Labour In Vain, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. WARREN EARL & THE ATOMIC ROCKERS Gem Bar, Collingwood. 8:00pm.
JAZZ/SOUL/FUNK/WORLD MUSIC
“MELTING POT’S NEW WEEKLY BAND NIGHT BEGINS IN MAY”
MELTING POT THURSDAYS @ THE JOHN CURTIN HOTEL - HOSTED BY COMEDIANS - BACKLINE SUPPLIED - PROFESSIONALLY FILMED - MULTI-TRACK RECORDINGS - ARTIST COLLABORATIONS THURSDAY 10TH OF MAY
ROBOT CHILD AMBER LAMPS THE MCQUEENS & HOSTED BY SPENCER HODGES IF YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE OR ARE KEEN TO GET INVOLVED, EMAIL US AT INFO@MELTINGPOTONLINE.COM
123 SMITH ST, FITZROY
OPEN MIC MONDAYS @
BERTHA BROWN FROM 7.30 – 11PM HOSTED BY MELISSA MAIN
TO GUARANTEE A SPOT, EMAIL US AT OPENMIC@MELTINGPOTONLINE.COM
OUR NEW WEBSITE IS LIVE - CHECK IT OUT AT:
MELTINGPOTONLINE.COM INFO@MELTINGPOTONLINE.COM FOR MORE INFO OR TO GET INVOLVED EMAIL:
Beat Magazine Page 78
ENTROPY QUARTET + MAKA KHAN Open Studio, Northcote. 8:00pm. JOSE NIETO Cruzao Arepa Bar, Fitzroy. 7:30pm. KEN SCHRODER TRIO Watermark, Docklands. 1:00pm. THE SEAN COFFIN QUARTET Bennetts Lane Jazz Club, Melbourne. 8:30pm. $15. MONDAY 14 MAY
CLASSIFIEDS
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MUSICIANS WANTED ACOUSTIC ACTS WANTED for Bar Betty in Smith Street, Fitzroy. Paid Gig. Please phone Sandra or Michelle on 9417 3937. Bar Betty - 129 Smith Street, Fitzroy. BANDS & PROMOTERS WANTED. Any style for Collingwood venue. First gigs welcome, live CD recording available. Contact Jane after 12pm on 0425 796 828. EXPERIENCED DRUMMER with a commitment to practice and regular rehearsals required for alternative rock band. Influences QOTSA, Foo Fighters, Nirvana etc. www.myspace.com/mollydredd phn: 0411 372 469
MONDAY 14 MAY ROCK/POP
+ BEAT PRESENT... whatson@thepush.com.au
CHERRY JAM Cherry Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 6:30pm. ESC + THE ALLEYS + UDAYS TIGER + WORLD AT A GLANCE Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. MONDAY NIGHT MASS - FEAT: DEEP HEAT + C*#TZ Northcote Social Club, Northcote. 6:00pm. PRINCE Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne. 8:00pm. THE MESSENGERS + LUNARS Workers Club, Fitzroy. 8:00pm.
ACCESS ALL AGES
ACOUSTIC/COUNTRY/BLUES/FOLK
With Ruth Mihelcic
DANIEL CHAMPAIGNE + AINSLIE WILLS Espy, St Kilda. 8:00pm. MILLION DOLLAR FREE JAMS Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick. 8:00pm. PALM SPRINGS + A WALLACE + ORCHESTRA LAX Old Bar, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. ROD FRITZ + + JADE MARX + WILD HONEY PIE Veludo Bar & Restaurant, St Kilda. 8:30pm. SHANNON BOURNE Post Office Hotel, Coburg. 8:30pm. THE MONDAY DRFIT Empress Hotel, North Fitzroy. 8:00pm. THE NICE TATE BAND + ASAMI + SUE RAY Wesley Anne, Northcote. 8:00pm.
There’s really only one all ages gig this week (check it out below) but plenty of news! To get this news emailed straight to your inbox each month, subscribe to the Push e-newsletter by registering your email address at thepush.com.au.
JAZZ/SOUL/FUNK/WORLD MUSIC THE RONNY FERELLA BAND + THE SAM ZERNA BAND 303, Northcote. 9:00pm. $8. THE TEK TEK ENSEMBLE + MIKELANGELO Toff In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 7:30pm. $7. THREE TURKS & A WASP Bennetts Lane Jazz Club, Melbourne. 8:30pm. $15. VCA CONTEMPORARY MUSIC PERFORMANCE Bennetts Lane Jazz Club, Melbourne. 7:30pm. $8.
Any Chromatics fans who would fancy winning a copy of their latest album, ‘Kill For Love’? This week it’s Triple R’s Album Of The Week and if you subscribe and email albumoftheweek@rrr.org.au with your full name and subscriber number in the subject line by Sunday, you could win a free copy.
TUESDAY 15 MAY ROCK/POP KUMAR SHOME & THE PUNKAWALLAHS + MARCEL YAMMOUNI + UNCOMFORTABLE SILENCE Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy. 9:00pm. $10. PATRON SAINTS Cherry Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. THE BRUNSWICK HOTEL DISCOVERY NIGHT FEAT: COCO NKRUMAH + PANTHEONS FINEST Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick. 8:00pm.
ACOUSTIC/COUNTRY/BLUES/FOLK CHARLES JENKINS John Curtin Hotel, Carlton. 8:00pm. EMMA MCDONALD DUO Veludo Bar & Restaurant, St Kilda. 8:30pm. LINCOLN MACKINNON + LIAM O’CONNELL + WINTER PALACE Old Bar, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. MUTEMATH + THE CAIROS Corner Hotel, Richmond. 8:00pm. $48. OPEN MIC Empress Hotel, North Fitzroy. 7:30pm. SKYSCRAPER STAN Labour In Vain, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. THE LIMELIGHT Order Of Melbourne, Melbourne Cbd. 7:00pm. $10.
JAZZ/SOUL/FUNK/WORLD MUSIC DANIEL CHAMPAGNE (REAL LIVE LAUNCH) + AINSLIE WILLS Toff In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. P W FARRELL’S SOUND MACHINE Dizzy’s Jazz Club, Richmond. 8:00pm. $14. THE SCOTT TINKLER QUARTET Bennetts Lane Jazz Club, Melbourne. 8:30pm. $15. VCA CONTEMPORARY MUSIC PERFORMANCE Bennetts Lane Jazz Club, Melbourne. 7:30pm. $8.
GUITARIST SEEKING DRUMMER to start band. Influences: Coldplay, Jeff Buckley. Call or message James on 0407 043 241 GUITARIST WANTED. Into Oasis, Happy Mondays, The Jam, Who, Beatles, Cream, Stone Roses, Kasabian. 0433 726 449
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SUBMIT YOUR GIGS TO GIGGUIDE@BEAT.COM.AU
There’s something for diehard Parkway Drive fans too. If you pre-order a copy of their “Home Is For The Heartless” DVD before May 13 from jbhifionline.com.au, Poison City or Fist 2 Face, you’ll be in the draw to win a double pass to an exclusive screening. The DVD is both a rare travelogue and an in-depth look at Parkway Drive on stage and off, shot in 42 countries on five continents.
The Human Rights Arts and Film Festival is running from Tuesday 15 May until Sunday 27 May across venues in and around Melbourne (full program details at hraff. org.au). Subscribers who email hraff@rrr.org.au with their full name and subscriber number in the subject line by 5pm Thursday May 10 will be in the running to win a double pass to see ‘Splinters ‘ at the festival. Catch Buried in Verona at their free signing on Friday 1 June at the UNFD Office on Wangaratta St in Richmond (near the train station), from 5pm with free entry, free posters and a free BBQ! There will also be merch on sale so if you’re a fan, put it in your calendar. Unearthed High 2012 is open once again! Triple j is looking for Australia’s best high school music act. The winning act will fly to triple j’s studio to have their song professionally recorded and played on triple j and triple j Unearthed. Plus they’ll get to put on a concert at their high school alongside one of Australia’s biggest hip hop acts Bliss n Eso. To enter, upload an original song to triplejunearthed.com by Monday 23 July. triple j Unearthed will also be giving one lucky band from anywhere in the country the opportunity to be flown to Byron Bay’s Splendor in the Grass (July 27,28 and 29), put up in onsite VIP camping and the opening set of the festival on the Supertop main stage. To be eligible you need to have your tracks by Sunday 24 June. If you already have tracks uploaded you are automatically in the running. More details at triplejunearthed.com And lastly, Mornington Peninsula Shire Youth Services are looking for young people aged 14-18 years who live / hang out in the Hastings, Westernport area to apply to become a part of a new 12 week FReeZA event management program. Go to http://mpys.com.au/ freeza/ to download an expression of interest form. Got any all ages news? Send it to whatson@thepush. com.au!
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LIVE
Even
Bitter Sweet Kicks
HENRY ROLLINS National Theatre, Friday April 20 Henry Rollins is now 51-years-old, and while there may be no band behind him he has continued to tour the world with a microphone in hand. The term ‘Spoken-word’ may make you think of bad poetry recitals, but it is a more apt term than comedy for his approach. Rapidly firing off anecdotes – sometimes deviating in the middle of one to another, then resuming the first without missing a beat – his show comes across as just a guy talking about things he has seen and done, and his views on the world. It just happens his discourse is so energetic and over the top that you wonder if he should be on Ritalin. As people were still finding their seats they were treated to the stylings of man with the exact opposite persona to Rollins. Rhys Nicholson is dry and slow, neither of which proved to be negatives as he delivered deadpan one-liners like the star of an action film. Some were absolutely painful to hear, which only seemed to add to their amusement factor. Nicholson is a master of his art. After a small break, Henry Rollins took the stage. The evenings topics – which ranged from American politics and history, his own experiences travelling abroad, and ‘Tales From the Black Flag Days’ – followed the path of a brain storm session, yet were seamlessly integrated. Starting with apologies for his countries indiscretions and asking that Americans please not be judged by their government’s actions, he discussed some of the current problems the USA is facing and historical points of relevance. Ridiculing the circus that was the Republican Primaries, he heavily criticised Mitt Romney’s attempts to come across as an average American and Rick Santorum’s general ineptitude. A number of times during his USA101 Lecture he would quote detailed sections of the American Constitution or famous political speeches. These moments lead to a sudden change in audience behaviour, as heads ceased to be held back in laughter and edges of chairs became sat on in genuine interest. Rollins’ critique of politics and government progressively expanded globally as he talked about experiences in China, Vietnam and Syria.
He would paint a picture of how each countries local citizens would live, and as with his homeland asked that a country’s people not be judged by its government’s actions. Particular attention was given to his journey in North Korea, where he illustrated many elements of the countries situation foreigners may be unaware of. He spoke of Kim, his North Korean tour guide, in great detail, illustrating a good hearted family man who loves his car-key hiding son and has a poor understanding of the principles of joke delivery. Perhaps feeling it was time to raise the mood after the harsh realities of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Rollins regaled the room with a few travel stories intended solely to entertain. Particularly hilarious was a recount of how he ended up eating rats with some snake hunters in India. Whether talking about the big trench coat bastard who took a young girls eye out at a Black Flag show or presenting his view on serious social & political issues, Henry Rollins is an adept raconteur. Though in no way preachy his performance was comparable to a sermon, full of parables intended to encourage optimism in the future, challenge his congregation to challenge themselves and others, and encourage compassion. His performance was also completely dissimilar to a sermon as almost every line was yelled with great volume and energy. Following over two hours, Rollins took his leave. As the audience members who weren’t trying to stimulate blood flow back to their arses followed his lead, there was an intense vibe in the room, almost like after a punk gig. It was the energetic atmosphere of people who have been inspired. OSCAR SCHIESSER
LOVED: Seeing Rollins’ discomfort at recalling the taste of rat-liver. HATED: My new glasses, everything looked weird. DRANK: Before arriving at the venue.
SUPAFEST The Melbourne Showgrounds, Saturday April 21 After a significant shift in the original line-up for Supafest, with Missy Elliott and P. Diddy announcing they would no longer be attending, there had been a fair amount of fury buzzing between urban fans in Australia. Regardless, the Melbourne show pulled in a huge crowd and as everyone siphoned through the various checkpoints towards the stage things were a blur of Kobe/Jordan/Garnett jerseys and YMCMB caps. Big Sean was up first performing his hit A$$ (Waikikiiiiiiiiiiiiiii. Yeah. You know the one…). Throw in I Do It and Marvin & Chardonnay you had a good mix for his first set performed Down Under. Old school classic, Naughty By Nature were up next performing hits like Hip Hop Hooray, Holiday and a special Tupac tribute, which fit in nicely with the recent Hologram performance. Now steady into the lineup, the crowd began to grow denser. The Ring Bling area was almost filled to capacity when Lupe Fiasco stepped on stage. Outfitted in a matching combat print Adidas tracksuit, rocking mini dreads, his look was conducive to the anti-U.S. Military lyrics he belted in Words I Never Said. Performing his hits like Daydream, Kick Push, Superstar and Out of My Head, the female portion of the crowd still wanted more. After they chanted T-Pain’s Take Ya Shirt Off, Lupe obliged, baring an impressive set of abs and arms while rapping his verse from Touch The Sky. While waiting for Ice Cube, DJ Scratch took the stage. Expert turntablist, he had a very unique style. Unique in that he referred to both his discs as a left and right female leg respectively. Advising the women in the audience that the harder and faster he scratches, the louder they should scream, he ultimately lowered his head toward the middle of his discs and…erm…yeah. You get the picture. Ultimate rap classic, Ice Cube was up next. Shorter than what I expected, rocking an impressive afro, his presence was nothing to be doubted. His older tracks Check Yo Self and Bow Down sparked a nerve within the hip hop purist crowd, but it was You Can Do It that had the whole audience grinding, thrusting and doing whatever else was necessary to get your back/ass into it. At this stage, we had been standing for a considerable amount of time, and a lot of people were getting restless. Kelly Rowland however, snapped everyone out Beat Magazine Page 82
of exhaustion with her stunning voice and killer legs. I can’t tell you how many times I heard “She is so hot!” murmured throughout the crowd. The only female performing, she sung Destiny’s Child classics Bug A Boo, Soldier, Jumping and Say My Name. Older solo work like Dilemma made an appearance before moving into her more recent songs with Like This, Love Takes Over and a super sexy rendition of Motivation. Trey Songz made the girls go wild, as expected. I gave him a five minute window to take his shirt off, which he managed to do with no qualms. Despite some awkward lip biting in Love Faces, Trey’s vocals are on point. I was very impressed with his pitch and control during the live performance. He was followed by T-Pain, who, dare I say it, is actually hilarious. He performed a ton of his (million) songs, shortening them down into thirty second blocks. In between, he joked with the audience about his weight, his ability and his music. Do yourself a favour and YouTube his dance moves and freestyles – they’re gold. The closing act, and indeed, the most awaited was Chris Brown. Aka Breezy. Aka Wife Beater (according to the girl standing a few metres behind me who insisted on leaving out of respect to Rihanna). His MJ-inspired dance moves are remarkable to watch in the flesh. And his flesh is remarkable to watch in the flesh. I think he took a new shirt off maybe four times, each revealing the amazing ink he has been developing around his chest and arms. He was the only performer to come down to the crowd and dance with them while singing his more upbeat hits like 3X, Forever and Look At Me Now. Throw in his older work like Run It and Wall To Wall he was one of the highlight performers, making the thirty minute shuffle to get out of the Ring Bling area worth it. TAMARA VOGL
LOVED: Kelly Rowland, Chris Brown’s tattoos. HATED: Standing with no space to move for eight hours. DRANK: (Not enough) water.
Black Cobra
CHERRY ROCK 2012 ACDC Lane, Sunday April 29 What is it with Melbourne CBD planners? I feel like we are one gastro-pub or brand-spanking new apartment complex away from living in a Jetsonsesque world where all the good, gritty bits of life are obscured by IKEA kitchens and dishes of toasted quinoa with fried avocado. Cherry Bar is the hot topic of conversation lately as a developer has been allowed to build a 189unit apartment block behind ACDC Lane (check out Industrial for more information, eh?). Word is, people who like fancy new apartments might not like loud laneway festivals happening below their balconies. Word is, first in, best dressed, yeah? Lord knows the CBD can’t lose its premier annual rock festival. Cherry Rock012, the festival’s sixth incarnation, was the first time the festival had sold out and boy could you feel it. It was a day of cutting through the crowd to secure prime position for whatever facemeltingly awesome band was due for the stage. Dusting off the previous night by mid-afternoon, I arrived to witness local stalwarts Even sharing their milestones, beautifully framed by the outdoor Cherry Bar stage. Ash Naylor laid down Rock And Roll Save My Life, the audience expressively nodded along, convinced that, on a day like today, it probably could. Inside on the Music Victoria stage I unwisely positioned myself behind an Akubra hat with a tall man attached to it and prepared for my first taste of the much-hyped King Of The North. Erupting into an epic explosion of sound, I craned my neck to take in the singer/guitarist, then the drummer, and then spent about five more neck-wrenching minutes on my tippy-toes searching for the other band members. Were they lying down? Were they in the crowd? Were they ghosts? It soon dawned upon me that this sheer volume of noise was, in fact, coming from a deceptively small amount of band members. Shit son. They even got the late afternoon crowd, still suffering largely from a dreaded case sobriety, involved in a sing along of a previously unperformed song. Impressive. James Young dutifully introduced each band in his bright blue sequin onesie and trademark cowboy hat. In talking up the next band to take the outside stage, he solemnly swore he’d “take a bullet for these guys”. The Ramshackle Army are a Melbourne-based Celtic punk band, recently returned from a
Photos by Tony Proudfoot month-long USA tour with the Dropkick Murphys – an unusual tilt away from the straight rock’n’roll genre this festival is notorious for. The band claimed intoxication, then exploded into an expertly-executed pulsating set of incredible Irishinfluenced tracks. It was the most fun I’ve ever had near a fiddle. Inside was stacked shoulder-to-shoulder as Bitter Sweet Kicks were joined by a rough and tumble crew of fun makers, flinging themselves around the Music Victoria stage like pinballs. The rowdiest fuckers of the day, the band’s antics, including a naked bass player, were matched only by the quality of their sound. Black Cobra positioned themselves in front of their instruments, took a deep breath, and began belting out their rhythmic sludge metal that clogged the laneway with noise for near to an hour. It felt like a simultaneous spine stomp and brain massage, but in the best way. Big. By this stage, the extra crowd numbers and their insatiable thirst for loud noises made entering the room for Jackson Firebird physically impossible. Reports were good. Fu Manchu hadn’t graced our shores for over a decade, which seems insane given the avid appreciation Australians have for them. They took to the outdoor stage, flinging fistfuls of sonic fuzzed-out stoner rock across the extremely energised Cherry Rock crowd. Regal Begal had knees crumbling and heads banging, and each song seemed to be pushed to its very limit. For a minute there, I was worried heads would explode. For all of us poor Monday-slaving saps, the earlyenough wrap up time was the cherry on top of, um, Cherry Rock012. As James Young himself put it, it’s “like getting a giant group hug from the rock’n’roll community of Melbourne,” with about that much full body contact if you managed to elbow your way to the front of the laneway. We can’t lose it. T-BOMB STENVEI LOVED: Cherry Rock012. HATED: Just this one guy, who was filling his mouth with beer and then spitting it over the crowd. Get bent, dingus. DRANK: Too many tinnies.
WOOLLEN KITS Grace Darling Hotel, Friday April 20 The rest of the world need to start listening: Woollen Kits are one of the best bands nobody’s ever heard of. With their self-titled debut out on R.I.P Society Records, these are the types of dudes who could go far internationally. They could easily hob-nob with constant purveyors cool such as Goner or Hozac Records and do, because they’re just that adaptable. It’s hard to imagine these guys doing anything but rolling out of bed, scratching their heads a little and stepping onto whatever stage has been set for them. A few months back, when the band playing a packed John Curtin Bandroom to celebrate the launch of their LP and the hype machine was working overtime, the band rose to the occasion. On Friday, playing in a considerably smaller room, the local three-piece still showed effortless ability while working through their set. The band hasn’t improved technically as musicians per se in the last
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few months, but with tunes as catchy and harmless as theirs, you wouldn’t really expect them too. Modern garage rock being insanely derivative of its predecessors, there’s certainly room for Woollen Kits in the rest of the world. Out Of Whack contains just enough spunk to become that kind of underground hit. You’d think they’d be up for the challenge, but to watch them roll through their set, surrounded by friends, one gets the feeling that Woollen Kits are content to be where they are right now. JOSHUA KLOKE
LOVED: The house-party feel of the whole thing. HATED: Missing UV Race. DRANK: A few beers in an alley.