Soul stories meet jazz vibes in the realm of funk...
NATIONAL TOUR Melbourne show w K a ren M or a le s & Ar o we
Sunday 29th July 8:00pm Venue: 303 303 High St Northcote
Entry: $10
Details at:
www.shameemmusic.com
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Performs a greatest hits set followed by The Blue Album from start to ямБnish
Wednesday 16 January Sidney Myer Music Bowl ticketmaster.com.au or 136 100
ON SALE THURSDAY 26 JULY WEEZER.COM | CHUGGENTERTAINMENT.COM
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THE CARTRIDGE FAMILY PLAYING TUNES FROM NEW ALBUM THE ORIGINAL CARTRIDGE FAMILY, THEY ARE SUZANNAH ESPIE, SARAH CARROLL, RUSTY BERTHER AND GREG FIELD.
THEN FROM 9.00PM
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BOWERS DUO FRESH FROM EUROPEAN TOUR, THE BOWERS (DUO) PLAY AN ACOUSTIC ARVO SESSION.
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FRIDAY JOHNNY GIBSON & THE HANGOVERS, WALLY CORKER TRIO FREE ENTRY - 9:00PM
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SECRET SOUNDS PRESENTS
THE SMASHING PUMPKINS OCEANIA TOUR
WITH SPECIAL GUESTS
WOLFMOTHER
THURSDAY 2 AUGUST HISENSE ARENA TICKETS: TICKETEK.COM.AU 132 849
TICKETS ON SALE NOW THE NEW ALBUM OCEANIA OUT NOW secret-sounds.com.au smashingpumpkins.com
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ESENTS SECRET SOUNDS PR
OFFICIAL SPLENDOUR SIDESHOWS ON SALE NOW THE SMASHING PUMPKINS
TUESDAY JULY 24 THE CORNER VENUE AND DATE CHANGE
WITH SPECIAL GUESTS
THE LAURELS T OU D 26th Thursday July SOL
WITH SPECIAL GUESTS ROYSTON VASIE
WED 25 JUL THE HI-FI
WITH SPECIAL GUESTS
WITH SPECIAL GUESTS
WOLFMOTHER
THU 2 AUG - HISENSE ARENA
2ND SHOW ADDED
Sun 22nd Jul - The Corner
SURES & THRUPENCE
SUN 29 JULY / THE CORNER
WITH SPECIAL GUESTS with special guests
THE TROUBLE WITH TEMPLETON AND JOE McKEE
LISTEN NOW ON
/ RDIO.COM
WED 1 AUG NORTHCOTE SOCIAL CLUB
with special guests BOY IN A BOX
FRI 27 JULY - THE HI-FI (0/18S)
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Secret Sounds presents
Special Guests
EDWARD SHARPE & THE MAGNETIC ZEROS plus WILLY
MASON
Thu-25-Oct ROD LAVER ARENA MELBOURNE Tickets from ticketek.com.au & 132 849
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mumfordandsons.com
Pre-Order the new Mumford and Sons album. More details soon at mumfordandsons.com
IN THIS ISSUE...
18
HOT TALK
22
TOURING
24
JINJA SAFARI
26
ARTS GUIDE, BLOODY WEDDING METAPRAXIS
28
ART OF THE CITY, COMIC STRIP
29
SMARTBAR
30
GERTRUDE STREET PROJECTION FESTIVAL
32
BAYSIDE FILM FESTIVAL
45
MARK GARDENER, MIKELANGELO & THE TIN STAR
MARK GARDENER P. 45
46
INDUSTRIAL STRENGTH
47
BEAT EATS
48
ROCKABILLY SPECIAL
51
THE BLOODY BEETROOTS
52
THE STORY SO FAR, MIDNIGHT WOOLF,
A DEAD FOREST INDEX P. 52
A DEAD FOREST INDEX 53
LIARS
54
BEAST RECORDS FESTIVAL, THE HORROTONES
55
WINTER BALL 4
56
CORE/CRUNCH! MASSIVE
57
VALENTIINE
58
MUSIC NEWS
64
ALBUM OF THE WEEK, SINGLES, CHARTS
THIS WEEK IN 100%:
PHD
MIDNIGHT WOOLF P. 52
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PUBLISHER: Furst Media Pty Ltd. MUSIC EDITOR: Taryn Stenvei ARTS EDITOR / ASSOCIATE MUSIC EDITOR: Tyson Wray EDITORIAL ASSISTANT: Lachlan “Rick Paris” Kanoniuk SUB-EDITORS: Michelle Aquilina, Alexandra Duguid, Tegan Butler, Corinna Sheppard, Zoe Radas GENERAL MANAGER: Patrick Carr SENIOR ADVERTISING/EDITORIAL CO-ORDINATOR: Ronnit Sternfein BEAT PRODUCTION MANAGER: Pat O’Neill GRAPHIC DESIGNERS: Pat O’Neill,Gill Tucker, Mike Cusack, Bailey Gaudin. COVER ART: Pat O’Neill 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 Jessica Riley (Indie Bands/Special Features) jessica@furstmedia.com.au CLASSIFIEDS: classifieds@beat.com.au GIG GUIDE SUBMISSIONS: now online at www.beat.com.au or bands email gigguide@beat.com.au
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ALBUMS
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GIG GUIDE
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LIVE
SPECIAL PROJECTS EDITOR: Christie Eliezer 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, 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. COVER IMAGE: Milana Radojcic www.milanaphotography.co.nz © 2012 Furst Media Pty Ltd. No part may be reproduced without the consent of the copyright holder.
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HOT TALK
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- FREE SHIT MIKELANGELO AND TIN STAR Mikelangelo And The Tin Star play their last headline show this Friday July 20 at The Regal Ballroom before returning to the studio to record their sophomore album. There’ll be a stellar cast joining them onstage including St Clare, The ReChords, Miles Brown (Night Terrors), Jack Howard (Hunters & Collectors) and JP Shilo (Adalita, Rowland S Howard, Hungry Ghosts). We have three double passes up for grabs. Head to beat.com.au/freeshit for your chance to win!
REGINA SPEKTOR New York virtuoso Regina Spektor is finally returning to Australian shores. This will be Spektor’s first run of headline shows in Australia and New Zealand since 2010’s sold-out tour that introduced her music to a new legion of fans. Spektor’s phenomenal voice has guided the way through a prolific catalogue filled with songs of satire, heartache and novelty, manifested in six critically acclaimed studio albums. Regina Spektor plays The Plenary on Friday December 14. Tickets on sale through Ticketmaster onThursday July 26.
JORDIE LANE Jordie Lane returns to his beloved High Street for a one night only, full band show in his first since the East Brunswick Club earlier this year. In the meantime, Jordie has been busy making his theatre debut at The Athenaeum as the lead role in Grievous Angel: The Legend Of Gram Parsons, and writing a fresh batch of tracks from his time spent cruising around the US in a caravan. They’ll be plenty of stories to share, with support on the night coming from locals Francolin and 15-year-old up and comer Thommy Wilson. Jordie Lane plays The Regal Ballroom, Friday August 17. Tickets and details at jordielane.com.
LOON LAKE Loon Lake have done it again – tickets to their Thirty Three EP launch at the Northcote Social Club on Saturday September 1 have completely sold out. Due to overwhelming demand, Loon Lake have announced a second show at Ding Dong Lounge in Melbourne on Friday August 31. Support will come from Brisbane’s Club Scouts and Sydney’s Glass Towers. Tickets to the Ding Dong show are available now via Oztix, so get in quick.
Red Hot Chilli Peppers
BIG DAY OUT Ahem. AHEM. Is this thing on? Oh! Very good then. Well, here we go. The biggest name on the Australian festival calendar, the Big Day Out, has finally revealed their lineup for 2013. The 2013 Big Day Out, which marks the festival’s 21st birthday, will be the first Australian event since the introduction of the Big Day Out’s partnership with C3 – the promoters responsible for Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits and thousands of other yearly concerts and tours. Headlining will be the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The Peppers, who were wildly rumoured to take the headline slot since bassist Flea leaked that they’d be heading to Australian shores early in the year on Twitter, last toured Australia in 2007, and headlined the Big Day Out back in 2000. They’ll be joined on the main stages by fellow Big Day Out alumni, The Killers alongside Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Vampire Weekend. Taking headlining privileges of the Boiler Room will be notorious Italian electro outfit The Bloody Beetroots whom will be debuting their brand new live show, whilst taking to the Green Stage will be Baltimore experimental pioneers Animal Collective on the back of their upcoming ninth studio album Centipede Hz. Also joining the traveling circus this January will be Band Of Horses, Kaskade, B.o.B, Sleigh Bells, Foals, Death Grips, Alabama Shakes, 360, Crystal Castles, Pretty Lights, OFF!, Grinspoon, Against Me!, Gary Clark Jr, Nicky Romero, Morgan Page, Logo, Every Time I Die, Delta Spirit, Childish Gambino, Me, Hunting Grounds, Jeff The Brotherhood, Adventure Club, Jagwar Ma, House vs Hurricane, Avalanche City Toucan, Helena, Nina Las Vegas and Sampology. Phew! Not bad, eh? The 2013 Melbourne Big Day Out takes place at the Flemington Racecourse on Australia Day, Saturday January 26. Tickets go on sale at 9pm, Thursday July 19 through the Big Day Out website.
TIM HART Boy & Bear’s Tim Hart will be stepping out on his own this August to bring to life his solo record Milling The Wind. Having swapped his drumsticks for a guitar on the new record out August 17, Milling The Wind shines a light on Hart’s genuine talent for pensive lyrics and passionate folk. Nine regional centres along with all capital cities will provide the perfect setting for his intimate acoustic shows, which will include Bacchus Marsh and Geelong. Tim Hart plays Beav’s Bar in Geelong on Thursday, September 6, Friday September 7 at The Workers Club and Saturday September 8 at Baby Black Cafe in Bacchus Marsh. Tickets on sale now from the venues and Oztix.
Hot Chip
FALLS FESTIVAL Following on from a pretty freakin’ large first announcement, the stream of top shelf talent continues to join this year’s Falls Music and Arts Festival. The second announcement brings Bombay Bicycle Club, First Aid Kit, Hilltop Hoods, Hot Chip, Maximo Park, Millions and Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs into the fold. These seven artists join the already announced acts Beach House, Best Coast, Boy And Bear, Coolio, Sampology presents A Falls Anniversary Live AV Show, SBTRKT, The Flaming Lips and The Vaccines. Falls Music and Arts Festival takes place from Friday December 28 until Tuesday January 1 at Lorne, and from Saturday December 29 until Tuesday January 1 at Marion Bay.
GOOD CHARLOTTE This September, Good Charlotte bring their anthems back to Australia. Following the success of last year’s sell-out tour, the band will stop in to Melbourne on their way to Newcastle for the Fat As Butter Festival. With five studio albums already in the bag, it may be their last tour to Australia for some time before twins Joel and Benji Madden hit the studio to record their debut as The Madden Brothers, due for release next year. Good Charlotte play an all ages show at Festival Hall, Thursday September 20. Tickets on sale through Ticketmaster.
Beat Magazine Page 18
SOUL IN THE BASEMENT 12TH BIRTHDAY Cherry celebrates the historic 12th birthday of its legendary Soul In The Basement night with original DJs Pierre ‘Soul Groove ‘66’ Baroni and Vince The ‘Soul Time’ Peach, at the world’s longest running weekly soul night. Vince and Pierre only play original 45rpm vinyl singles that they personally own, and from 8pm to 5am, the two will be joined by a special celebratory live performance from the one-off Cherry All-Star Soul Revue featuring The Bamboos’ horns, Ella Thompson, Phil Gionfriddo, Steve Hesketh, Yuri Pavlinov and more. It’s at Cherry Bar, Thursday July 19.
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FEAR FACTORY Following the release of their latest album The Industrialist, Fear Factory are returning to Australian shores armed with a whole new batch of sonic weaponry. Having sold over three million records worldwide, Fear Factory have had a career of creative and commercial success which boasts five critically acclaimed albums. They’ve also been plagued by bitter in-fighting and have emerged from it all in 2012 with a new alloy of aggression. Fear Factory play The Hi-Fi on Friday September 28. Tickets through the venue.
CHET FAKER After swiftly selling out his first Melbourne performance, Chet Faker has announced his second. The headlining tour marks Faker’s return to Australia following stand-out appearances at SXSW and as support to The Temper Trap throughout Europe. Support will come from special guest Thrupence. Chet Faker’s second Melbourne show takes place at Revolt Artspace on Saturday September 8.
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SNOW PATROL UK outfit Snow Patrol have announced a select few Australian dates to showcase their work in an intimate acoustic mode. The tour comes hot on the heels of the release of their new record Fallen Empire. Expect to hear stripped back versions of your favourite Snow Patrol songs, including the one that has pretty much soundtracked every TV hospital drama since 2006. Snow Patrol perform at Regent Theatre on Sunday September 30. Tickets on sale through Frontier.
WEEZER The legendary Californian four-piece, Weezer will finally be making their return to Australia next January. A mere 16 years after their last visit in 1996, Weezer have been rumoured for almost every festival under the Australian sun for the past five years. Speculation of a pending tour ran rampant last month when front man Rivers Cuomo posted “Australia!” on his Facebook page, and Beat can confirm that they will indeed be visiting our little island in the sun. The tour will see Weezer perform a selection of their greatest hits, as well as a full performance of The Blue Album. Weezer will play the Sidney Myer Music Bowl on Wednesday, January 16. Tickets go on sale from Thursday July 26 through Ticketmaster.
SHIHAD
REGURGITATOR After an overwhelming response to the announcement of their Retrotech tour, Brisbane trio Regurgitator have announced a second show in Melbourne. The Retrotech tour will see the band, who are celebrating their 19th year, perform their 1996 album Tu Plang and 1997’s Unit in their entirety. Supported by Indonesian “two-piece phenomenon” Senyawa, the additional show takes place on Thursday October 11 at The Hi-Fi. Their show the evening after, Friday October 12 has sold out. Tickets from the venue.
One of New Zealand’s finest musical exports have announced their triumphant return to Australia. After launching a career-spanning greatest hits late last year, Shihad toured their homeland to a rapturous response. Now the band’s devout Australian following can once again witness the hard-rocking Kiwis in all their glory as they hit the road for a national tour. Support at the Melbourne show comes from Money For Rope. Shihad perform at The Hi-Fi on Thursday September 6. Tickets from the venue.
DRUNKEN MOON FESTIVAL AT THE CORNER Get ready for rockin’, blues‘abilly, gospel, filth, torque-action with the Drunken Moon Spring Festival happening across The Corner Hotel this September. Featuring Brothers Grim & The Blue Murders, Midnight Woolf, Kira Puru & The Bruise, Mother And Son, Frank Sultana, Gruntbucket, Little Bastard, and Papa Pilko & The Binrats, celebrate the arrival of Spring with a boogie to this awesome bill of talent on Sunday September 2. Tickets go on-sale Monday July 23 from The Corner box office.
XIU XIU Xiu Xiu, the fearless brainchild of singer-songwriter Jamie Stewart, have announced a run of Australian dates for this October. Combining confronting lyrical matter with tansfixing sonics, Xiu Xiu present a potent and captivating musical force. The tour follows on from the release of their new album Always - a record which has built upon the outfit’s imposing body of work. Xiu Xiu perform at The Gasometer on Friday October 19.
POND One of the sickest bands in the country have announced a Melbourne date at The Corner. Despite the latter half of 2012 looking fairly busy for Tame Impala, sister act Pond have managed to squeeze in a cheeky set of local shows. Pond released the very ace record Beard, Wives, Denim earlier in the year to critical acclaim and will be playing The Corner on Sunday September 23. Tickets on sale now from the Corner website.
SMASH MOUTH Movie-trailer soundtrack suppliers and US pop rockers Smash Mouth are the latest to join the flood of ‘90s revival bands reaching our shores. The band, known for their songs All Star and Walkin’ On The Sun, are set to bring the nostalgia to The Palace Theatre on Thursday October 25. Tickets through Ticketek and Oztix and are on sale on Monday July 30. CHECK OUT ALL THE LATEST NEWS, REVIEWS AND FREE SHIT AT BEAT.COM.AU
Beat Magazine Page 19
HOT TALK
WASH WINTER’S WILLIES AWAY WITH WHISKEY FESTIVAL
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Waste Management, Public Bookings and The Tote Hotel are pleased to announce the lineup for The 8th Annual Wash Winter’s Willies Away With Whiskey festival. Like years past, 2012’s WWWAWW will feature both “the cream of Melbourne’s music scene” and give the stage over to many emerging artists, with a line-up including Liz Stringer, Clinkerfield, Psalm Beach, Hoy, The Gypsy Curse, The Steins, Jemma Rowlands & The Wise Young Ambitious Men, Large No. 12’s, Buried Horses, Raised By Eagles and Jack On Fire. What began as a small Tote show has evolved into an institution, and it serves to showcase and celebrate the music of Ol’ Melbourne town. Wash Winter’s Willies Away With Whiskey VIII will be at The Tote Hotel on Sunday July 29, starting at 3pm. Pre-sale tickets are $20 and available through trybooking.com.
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BOY IN A BOX + KINGSWOOD
BONNIWELLS Hailing from Geelong and originally New Zealand, Bonniwells play garage songs about religion, bad health, solidarity and girls and have just announced the release of their debut album Sneezeweed, through Z man Records. Bonniwells have churned out garage punk, slop-hop and sonic explosions in the form of the eleven songs that make up Sneezeweed, and will be launching the album at The Tote Hotel on Saturday July 28, along with fellow Geelong bands The Murlocs and The Living Eye.
HOLGATE BREWHOUSE
DIE! DIE! DIE!
Everyone loves a good bevvy, and we at Beat cannot for one go past Holgate Brewhouse for a damn fine ale. Brewed in the scenic Macedon Ranges of Woodend, you can visit Holgate’s and take home a Growler or two of one of their draught beers. With limited edition and seasonal brews on offer, the chance to take it home and share with friends is easy when you can buy empty growlers to keep and reuse for $15, at re-filing costs of between $20 and $27. Or bring your own growler. After all it is real beer, no bull.
Hailing from New Zealand, the raw energy, savantpop DIY punk’s Die! Die! Die! are bringing back their reputable live show to Melbourne in August. This year’s latest release, Harmony, proves the band are continuing to evolve and perfect their sound, thanks to production from Chris Townsend (Portishead, D12, Violent Femmes). Vocalist Shayne P. Carter is back on board and bassist Michael Logie (The Mint Chicks, Opossom) has joined in for the tour. Catch Die! Die! Die! play Ding Dong Lounge Saturday August 25. Tickets $15 pre-sale and $18 at the door from 8pm.
LOST & FOUND RECORD FAIR Lost And Found Market in Brunswick is proud to announce the inaugural Lost And Found Record Fair. For blues, soul, jazz and ska junkies and PBS fans, there’s extra incentive as Mohair Slim’s Blue Juice will be broadcast live from 11am, with a performance from rockabilly duo Two Shots. Be sure to head down to the top end of Lygon Street, East Brunswick on Sunday July 29. Entry is free.
f r o n t s p a c e 212a Whitehall St
Two bands alike in virtue and acclaim will be going head to head to form the Split Ends Tour, travelling around the country this August and September. With a new EP to offer, Boy In A Box have been getting huge raps of late for their catchy as hell single On My Mind as well as their incendiary live shows. Taking on Kingswood fresh from tour with Money For Rope, the four-piece have just been awarded the green light to kick off main stage proceedings at Splendour In The Grass festival next weekend. A co-headline tour without recent parallel, the Split Ends Tour will arrive in Melbourne for a hometown show at Ding Dong on Friday September 7.
KING CANNONS Fresh from wrapping up a massive east coast album tour, King Cannons are gearing up to launch themselves into an even bigger tour, hitting a multitude of regional dates in the process. The tour will celebrate the single release of their LP title track, The Brightest Light. Joining the band on the tour will be the UK’s All The Young and local outfit The Hello Morning. The tour will hit Warrnambool and Geelong before arriving at The Corner Hotel on Saturday September 1. Tickets available from the Corner Hotel website.
HEART - OF ST KILDA Fiona O’Loughlin
Ya r r a v i l l e
Ph 9687 0233 www.kindredstudios.com.au Saturday 28th July 7 . 0 0 P M
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5 . 0 0 P M
MASTER DRUMMER DAVID JONES GROOVING AND SOLOING DRUMMING WORKSHOP MELBOURNE MUSICIAN OF THE YEAR 2010
Tonight, some of Melbourne’s finest musicians, comedians and personalities are donating their time to be a part of the Sacred Heart Mission’s Heart Of St Kilda fundraiser, with proceeds going to their meals program which feeds 400 people in need every single day of the year. Awesome cause. Awesome fun. Awesome acts, including Lanie Lane, Even, Nick Barker and Tim Rogers, plus comedians Greg Champion, Ian Bland and Fiona O’Loughlin. Fiona answered a few questions for us in preparation for tonight’s event. What prompted you to become involved in Sacred Heart Mission’s Heart of St Kilda Concert? Who could ever say no to Brian Nankervis! He gives and he gives and he gives and he brings out the giver in the rest of us. What’s the best thing about being involved in a fundraising concert with so many big names from Australia’s entertainment industry? The backstage laughs are always the biggest bonus. How do you think a concert such as this can highlight the work of the Mission with people who are homeless and disadvantaged? Getting the dollar and the message and then spreading it like peanut butter. What can the audience expect from you on the night? My A game. I promise. Who are you most looking forward to seeing on the night and why? The door guy. He’s hot!
TICKETS $25 FULL AND $20 CONCESSION
w w w. f a c e b o o k . c o m / k i n d r e d s t u d i o s
Beat Magazine Page 20
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The HEART OF ST KILDA CONCERT takes place tonight at The Palais Theatre. Head to ticketmaster. com.au or phone 136 100 for ticketing details.
THE LAURELS
THE FROWNING CLOUDS Off the back of a European tour and a coveted spot on the prestigious Dig It Up Festival, The Frowning Clouds are set to release a new 7” single, Propellers/Bad Vibes. Oozing with that hip-shakin’, sing along goodness the boys from Geelong do so well, Propellers is the second single to be taken from their forthcoming album, Paper Jungle, and will be played live when they headline two awesome shows at The Grace Darling before month’s end. Catch them on Thursday July 26 with The Living Eyes, and Friday July 27 with The Murlocs. Tickets $6 on the door.
ROYSTON VASIE Releasing their debut EP Welcome To The Pop Boutique in 2011, Royston Vasie have had an incredible rise through the ranks since their humble beginnings in the inner suburbs of Melbourne. The band’s reputation as a formidable live act has resulted in sold out headline shows and a number of decent support slots, and can now add The Afghan Whigs to the list. The band will be support The Afghan Whigs in Melbourne at The Hi-Fi on Wednesday July 25. Tickets are still available through the Hi-Fi website.
Red-hot Sydney four-piece The Laurels have revealed details of their much-anticipated debut Plains, as well as the announcement of a national headline tour. The Laurels have developed a reputation as a live act to behold, touring alongside acts such as Wooden Shjips, Tame Impala and The Black Angels. Support at The Tote comes from the very ace Witch Hats and Lowtide. Before hitting The Tote, The Laurels will play an instore performance at Polyester Records’ city store at 6pm on Friday August 10. The Laurels hit The Tote on Saturday August 11.
BLUEJUICE Due to liquor licensing issues at Deakin University, Bluejuice’s planned shows at the campus on Friday August 17 and Saturday August 18 have now been combined into one massive show at La Trobe University. Students and fans alike can now see Bluejuice in all their sweaty, live glory at The Eagle Bar at the Bundoora campus, supported by Deep Sea Arcade and The Preachers. As a consolation for the venue swap, Deakin will be running a free bus to La Trobe and back again after the gig. Find out more info about transport and get your tickets if you haven’t already from the student union offices of both unis. Tickets are $25 at the door, or available online through Oztix.
HOT TALK For all the latest news check out beat.com.au
THE BIGGEST IN INTERNATIONAL & NATIONAL NEWS
COMMUNION Communion, the UK’s hottest live music club night, is pleased to announce further details on their move into Australia. After the success of the recent expansion into the US with ongoing monthly residencies in Brooklyn and San Francisco, the collective is proud to confirm a new installment of its regular monthly event at The Toff In Town, beginning Sunday July 22. Initially formed in 2006 by musicians Ben Lovett (Mumford & Sons), Kevin Jones (Cherbourg, Bear’s Den), and producer Ian Grimble (Manic Street Preachers, Travis, Beautiful South), Communion features a different lineup each month, offering a creative platform for emerging, developing and established artists to perform in an environment that embraces collaboration and mutual support. This month will see The Tiger & Me, Liz Stringer, Sam Lawrence and Al Parker play The Toff, this Sunday July 22. Presale tickets available through Moshtix, or $20 at the door. Doors 6pm.
SETH SENTRY Melbourne MC Seth Sentry has announced the release of his debut album, This Was Tomorrow. To celebrate, Seth has also announced a lengthy national tour, with a Melbourne show at The Corner Hotel and another at Karova Lounge in Ballarat. This Was Tomorrow will be released September 14 through Seth’s own record label, High Score Records and will be hitting Karova Lounge in Ballarat on Friday September 28 and The Corner on Saturday September 29.
KERISE EDEN HEAVENLY SOUNDS Karise Eden, the 19 -year-old winner of The Voice 2012 from New South Wales’ Central Coast, will perform her first capital city live performances under the banner of the Heavenly Sounds tour this October. Following on from its beginnings in 2011 with Seeker Lover Keeper, the inaugural Heavenly Sounds tour again sold out swiftly last month when Lisa Mitchell played to sold-out crowds in the architectural splendour and rich acoustics of church settings across the country. Now it’s Eden’s turn to wow audiences when she plays at St Michael’s Church on Collins St on Thursday, October 11. Support on the night comes from Lakyn Heperi. Tickets on sale this Friday July 20 from Ticketek.
TEX PERKINS FOR THIN GREEN LINE The dark horse of Australia music, Tex Perkins has signed on to the Thin Green Line as an official ambassador for the Melbourne-based charity and will headline a forthcoming event to support the foundation’s work. Tex was inspired to support the work of the Thin Green Line after meeting one of the inspirations behind the Foundation’s formation, Uganda wildlife crusader, John Makombo. He joins a growing list of Australian and international musicians lending their support to the foundation dedicated to preventing wildlife ranger deaths in conflict zones across the world. Tex Perkins will headline the annual World Ranger Day dinner on Friday July 27, with support from Nick Barker and Triple R’s DJ Max Crawdaddy. More info and tickets are available from thingreenline.org.au.
SUN 30 SEPT REGENT THEATRE
WANGARATTA FESTIVAL OF JAZZ AND BLUES The 2012 line-up for Australia’s much-loved Wangaratta Festival Of Jazz And Blues has finally been announced, revealing an exciting program of international jazz and blues artists from the USA, France, Germany and the UK, performing alongside the cream of Australian artists. Staged over four days and nights, the 2012 Festival program features more than 90 events at eight venues all within walking distance from the Wangaratta township, as well as some additional shows. Headlining the jazz program include Lighthouse (UK), Trio M (USA), Christina Fuchs and her No Tango Quartet (GER), rising star from the New York jazz scene Gregory Porter (USA), and Cyrille Aimee (France/USA) performing with Australian expats, drummer Raj Jayaweera and bassist Sam Anning. Heading up the Blues Marquee will be pianist-singer Jon Cleary and band (USA), Australian blues artists Ray Beadle, Dom Turner, Ian Collard, Darren Jack and Wangaratta’s own Dallas Frasca. For the full list of artists and ticket info, head to wangarattajazz.com. The Wangaratta Festival Of Jazz And Blues takes place Friday November 2 to Monday November 5.
ON SALE THIS THURSDAY NEW ALBUM FALLEN EMPIRES OUT NOW! CHECK OUT ALL THE LATEST NEWS, REVIEWS AND FREE SHIT AT BEAT.COM.AU
Beat Magazine Page 21
TOURING
WHO'S ON TOUR, WHERE AND WHEN
PROUDLY PRESENTS:
For all the latest touring news check out beat.com.au
INTERNATIONAL THE XX The Forum July 18 OF MONSTERS AND MEN The Corner Hotel July 20 BAND OF SKULLS The Corner Hotel July 22, 26 THE SHINS Festival Hall July 23 LANA DEL REY Palace Theatre July 23, 24 HOWLER, ZULU WINTER, FRIENDS The Corner Hotel July 24 THE AFGHAN WHIGS The Hi-Fi July 25 MICHAEL KIWANUKA & BEN HOWARD The Corner Hotel July 25 JACK WHITE Festival Hall July 25 HYPNOTIC BRASS ENSEMBLE The Espy July 26 FUN. The Hi-Fi July 27 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 YOUTH LAGOON The Corner Hotel July 29 DJANGO DJANGO, CAST OF CHEERS The Corner Hotel July 31 MIIKE SNOW The Palace July 31 ELECTRIC GUEST Northcote Social Club August 1 SMASHING PUMPKINS Hisense Arena August 2 MARK GARDENER The Corner Hotel August 5 TOUCAN Northcote Social Club August 10 JINJA SAFARI, OPOSSOM, WHITE ARROWS The Hi-Fi August 10, 11 BILLY TALENT Billboard August 12 KING SALAMI AND THE CUMBERLAND THREE The LuWow August 17 ZOOBOMBS The Espy August 18 OBITS Northcote Social Club August 24 1927, THE REMBRANDTS The Palms At Crown August 24 DIE! DIE! DIE! Ding Dong Lounge August 25 SLASH Hisense Arena August 26 PENNYWISE The Palace August 26 PITBULL Rod Laver Arena August 27 THE ENGLISH BEAT The Corner Hotel August 30 JOSE FELICIANO Palais Theatre August 31 THE BEACH BOYS Rod Laver Arena August 31 APOCALYPTICA The Hi-Fi September 1 MARIA MINERVA The Toff In Town on September 1 AMERICA Hamer Hall September 6 SHIHAD The Hi-Fi September 6 THE BRAND NEW HEAVIES Trak Lounge Bar September 7 PATRICK WOLF Forum Theatre September 11
Beat Magazine Page 22
EARTH The Toff In Town September 12, The Corner Hotel September 16 INGRID MICHAELSON The Corner Hotel September 13 JONATHAN WILSON The Corner Hotel September 14 HANSON The Palace September 14, 18 RUFUS WAINWRIGHT Hamer Hall September 15 FUTURE ISLANDS Northcote Social Club September 19 WHEATUS The Corner Hotel September 19 YELLOWCARD The Hi-Fi September 20, 21 GOOD CHARLOTTE Festival Hall September 20 NADA SURF The Corner Hotel September 21 MACY GRAY Hamer Hall September 23 LADY ANTEBELLUM September 25, 26 JAMES MORRISON Forum Theatre September 26 MARTIKA Trak Lounge September 28 FEAR FACTORY The Hi-Fi September 28 RUSSIAN CIRCLES, EAGLE TWIN The Corner Hotel September 28 TIM & ERIC The Forum September 29, 30 SNOW PATROL Regent Theatre September 30 KELLY CLARKSON Rod Laver Arena October 1 STEVE MALKMUS & THE JICKS The Corner Hotel October 3 CANNIBAL CORPSE Billboard October 5 PARKLIFE Sidney Myer Music Bowl October 6 STEEL PANTHER Festival Hall October 7 XIU XIU The Gasometer October 9 JOE BONAMASSA Palais Theatre October 11 MAROON 5 Rod Laver Arena October 12 EVERCLEAR The Hi-Fi October 13 TORTOISE The Corner Hotel October 13 GOMEZ The Corner Hotel October 21, 22 MUMFORD & SONS Rod Laver Arena October 25 SMASH MOUTH The Palace October 25 SUNN O))) AND PELICAN The Hi-Fi October 26, The Corner Hotel October 27 WEDNESDAY 13 The Espy October 27 THE BLACK KEYS Sidney Myer Music Bowl October 31, November 1 THE CHERRY POPPIN’ DADDIES The Corner Hotel November 5 BEN HARPER The Plenary November 10 HARVEST FESTIVAL Werribee Mansion November 11 COLDPLAY Etihad Stadium November 13 RON POPE Chapel Off Chapel November 15 RADIOHEAD Rod Laver Arena November 16, 17 GEORGE MICHAEL Rod Laver Arena November 21 SIMPLE MINDS, DEVO Palais Theatre November 29, A Day On The Green - Rochford Wines December 1
BAND OF SKULLS The Corner Hotel July 22, 26 RICK ASTLEY The Palace November 30, Chelsea Heights Hotel December 1 REGINA SPEKTOR The Plenary December 14 FALLS MUSIC AND ARTS FESTIVAL Lorne December 28, Marion Bay December 29 WEEZER Sidney Myer Music Bowl January 16 BIG DAY OUT Flemington Racecourse January 26 KATE MILLER-HEIDKE Corner Hotel August 24 HILLTOP HOODS Festival Hall August 25 XAVIER RUDD The Palace September 13
NATIONAL LADYHAWKE Billboard July 17 SASKWATCH Ding Dong July 20 MIKELANGELO & THE TIN STAR Regal Ballroom July 20 I, A MAN Ding Dong July 21 DON WALKER Northcote Social Club July 26, The Caravan Club July 27 DAN KELLY Ding Dong July 27 BONNIWELLS The Tote July 28 THE HELLO MORNING Northcote Social Club August 3 TWERPS The Tote August 3, 4 CHILDREN COLLIDE The Corner Hotel August 10, 11 NEW WAR Northcote Social Club August 11 THE SMALLGOODS The Toff in Town August 11 THE LAURELS The Tote August 11 THE JUNGLE GIANTS Northcote Social Club August 12 KATE MILLER-HEIDKE The Corner Hotel August 14, 15, 16 JORDIE LANE Regal Ballroom August 17 SNAKADAKTAL The Corner Hotel August 17, 18 BLUEJUICE Monash University Gippsland August 16, Deakin University Melbourne August 17, 18 THE SMITH STREET BAND The Tote August 25 HILLTOP HOODS Festival Hall August 25 HUNTING GROUNDS The Toff In Town August 25
WATCH INTERVIEWS, CHATS & AWKWARD SILENCES..... WWW.BEAT.COM.AU/TV
LOON LAKE Ding Dong Lounge August 31, Northcote Social Club September 1 KING CANNONS The Corner September 1 JULIA STONE The Forum September 7 TIM HART The Workers Club September 7 BOY IN A BOX, KINGSWOOD Ding Dong Lounge September 7 CHET FAKER Revolt Artspace September 7, 8 ILLY The Corner Hotel September 7, 8 ALPINE The Corner Hotel September 8 THE GANGSTERS’ BALL Forum Theatre September 8 XAVIER RUDD The Palace September 13 THE MEDICS The Toff In Town September 15 KATCHAFIRE Ferntree Gully Hotel September 20, The Forum Theatre September 21 MIA DYSON The Corner Hotel September 22 POND The Corner Hotel September 23 SETH SENTRY The Corner Hotel September 29 THE AMITY AFFLICTION Palace Theatre October 4, 5 REGURGITATOR The Hi-Fi October 11, 12 ROCKWIZ Festival Hall October 12, 13 OH MERCY The Hi-Fi October 25 QUEENSCLIFF MUSIC FESTIVAL Queenscliff November 23-25 GOTYE Sidney Myer Music Bowl December 8 THE LIVING END The Corner Hotel December 11 - 17
RUMOURS Shania Twain, Krispy Kreme feat. Moneymaker Mike, Japandroids, Action Bronson, Insane Clown Posse. = New Announcements = Beat Proudly Presents
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Beat Magazine Page 23
JINJA SAFARI BY TEGAN BUTLER
When long-time friends Marcus Azon and Cameron ‘Pepa’ Knight started making music together as Jinja Safari in 2010, they named their then two-piece after the tribal nuances and mythical themes that became the soul of their instant crowd-pleasers such as Peter Pan and Mermaids. It was also somewhat of an ode to co-frontman Marcus’s missionary grandmother, who had been stationed in the East African town of Jinja in Uganda, since his childhood. From what started as the soundtrack of this unknown far-away land formulated within the realms of Azon’s runaway imagination, Jinja Safari have taken their unique brand of Afro-pop/ jungle rock to new heights thanks to some serious expeditions abroad. It has led them to grow in leaps and bounds as a debut album and national tour wait patiently in the wings. For Azon, Pepa and their bandmates Joe Citizen (bass/vocals), Alister Roach (percussion) and Jacob Borg (drums), their reputation of a wild live show and ability to sell-out venues across Australia has resulted in a case of namesake mirroring reality, having headed out on their own whirlwind safari late last year. Taking to stages in New York and London on the band’s first international tour, the experience cemented the notion that your first time, is one you never forget. “It was just so incredible”, Azon fondly recalls. “It’s very lovely to go back to those early days where you have to really work for the attention of every audience member, because sometimes things get taken a bit out of perspective at our shows. Like currently, on our last Australian tour when it was sold out for the majority, there were just so many people hyped up and I think they kind of forgot what it was all about – but maybe that is what it’s all about, just the mayhem and the fun and the nonsense”, he contemplates. “But going into the overseas shows, where they are a lot smaller and we’re supporting other bands, it’s like we had to focus a bit more on the musicality of our approach, and we all tried to step it up in the vocal department and work on really hitting what we needed to hit. I know for myself, I was getting up and running and doing vocal rehearsals and kind of being as professional overseas as possible. Because I don’t drink, I kind of put that bit of focus into trying to be a young professional musician. ” Playing to bustling, energetic crowds is something party bands like Jinja Safari could easily become accustomed to. But in the face of adversity and with a larger, more beady international eye cast upon them, the band found it better to stick with what works. “We kind of just had to give it everything every time, like it was our last show. So much of our music only works on vibe. If there’s fighting in the band over something stupid that happened on tour, or there’s just people in the crowd that aren’t getting into it, then you kind of respond off each other. Because we’re still a young band, you kind of need to give it everything and leave all your band shit at the door, and leave all your preconceptions of who you think you are the door before you get on stage.” It was an approach that paid off for the band by the time the UK leg of the tour rolled around. Surprised by a warm turnout at a local dive bar just days after a revered set from industry keynotes at Beat Magazine Page 24
Brighton’s Great Escape Festival, Azon remembers feeling stunned at the reception of the crowd. “When we got to London, we were supporting another band in Camden, there were a tonne of people that came out to see us, it was just incredible! They all knew the lyrics to the songs and they were singing along and the whole place was like, old-school jivin’! We were just feeling fantastic – we were on the other side of the world and there were people singing songs that I had written in my bedroom a year and a half earlier. So for a first young band experience overseas, that’s as good as it can get – that kind of surreal experience.” It’s not the only surreal experience Azon encountered while in a foreign land over the last six months. The opportunity to tour the northern hemisphere, also meant the chance to test out new material that was inspired by lead songwriter, Azon and production mastermind, Pepa’s independent ventures abroad late last year. Both journeys of self-discovery, what resulted was a wealth of new found ideas on the identity of the band that has also helped shape the sound of the forthcoming album and the likes of their latest single, Toothless Grin. “In October last year, I went to Uganda and Pepa went to India, and we came back with just a whole bunch of samples. We had these stereo wave recorders we got from the music store, and we just recorded as many samples as possible. One in particular, was just these kids near the border of Sudan, playing a bunch of drums and bells and what not, and I sampled a bunch of that. It was a really interesting way of working – finding a way to put a melody and vocal line over the top [of the samples] and then adding some guitar. It just adds another element of something a bit more real,” Azon says. “I just watched Paul Simon’s documentary, Under African Skies, and when people ask you what it means to be in an Afro-beat band, I feel like we’ve had nothing to say about that”, Azon says. “When you compare it to Paul Simon’s Graceland project and what he was doing, there was so much political turmoil that inspired the whole project and all we’ve had is this over-privileged, white Australian indie band trying to replicate an East African sound with very token East African rhythms and melodies. So to actually have been there, in a third world country and have heard some of the stories of these kids and their parents, particularly where war has been going for 20 years and the horrors that
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have happened there, are just beyond what we could perceive here in Australia”, Azon tells with passion in his voice, making it clear it’s a topic close to his heart. “To bring that back to music; to have some of those things in our tracks gives us the sort of weight you need in Afro-beat for it to make a bit more sense, as opposed to just cutesy drums and forest rock.”
“WE WERE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD AND THERE WERE PEOPLE SINGING SONGS THAT I HAD WRITTEN IN MY BEDROOM A YEAR AND A HALF EARLIER. ” Currently safe and sound in their hometown of Sydney, Jinja Safari are now getting ready to launch into a national triple headlining tour come August with fellow cosmic-pop craftsmen; Los Angeles’ White Arrows and New Zealand’s Opossum. The Blind Date Tour, dubbed from a joke that stuck about all three bands having never actually met, will mark the first chance for the band to showcase their new found perspective on song writing and production to homeland fans. Having previously recorded and produced material independently from their bedrooms, Jinja Safari have taken yet another evolutionary leap for the band – working with a producer. “We got this guy in Brooklyn that started working on a couple of tracks of ours. He did Toothless Grin and another one, just to see how we’d go with working together. What he did with Toothless Grin was restructure it; slight changes, just repeating some things and cutting some things, and made it into a lot more of a cohesive pop song. It’s just been really great working with him”. The guy is Chris Zane, producer of records for bands such as Friendly Fires, Passion Pit and Mumford And Sons. Azon continues, “Obviously we were over the moon when we found out he’d be working with us – then we found out he was actually excited about our music! We’re finishing the whole album with him now, so there’s going to be a lot more of going into the studio and recording, but it’s all going to plan. We’ve been trying to get a closer sound in our recordings to what we have in our live shows.” And the plan for said upcoming shows? “It’s kind of always going to be a bit of a manic dance party, and I think a lot of our new songs are a bit more raw, a bit more rough and ready, and not so kind of light and fluffy/ forest animals. We’re moving out of the forest so to speak”. JINJA SAFARI hit the road with White Arrows and Opossum throughout August, playing The Hi-Fi on Friday August 10 (18+), and Saturday August 11 for an under 18’s show. Jinja Safari’s current LP Locked By Land is out now through Dew Process.
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Beat Magazine Page 25
THIS WEEK: ON SCREEN
BLOOD WEDDING BY BELLA ARNOTT-HOARE
Get ready to be blown away by an eclectic mix of award-winning short films and music videos from the best directors and bands from around the world and our own backyard. Red Hot Shorts is an evening of short films that offer a window into the reality of conflict and armed violence around the world. Working with Amnesty International, this showcase is put together by ACMI to remind us of the forces that restrict basic freedoms and the strength of individuals who overcome them. Red Hot Shorts is at ACMI on Friday July 20.
ON STAGE Dancers Company, the regional touring arm of The Australian Ballet, are making their way down to Frankston to present a dazzling production of Don Quixote. 31 of the company’s young performers will dance across the stage of the Frankston Arts Centre for three stunning performances, including the gravity defying leaps and speed-of-light pirouettes from Chengwu Guo, star of the film Mao’s Last Dancer. Don Quixote is at Frankston Arts Centre on Friday July 21 and Saturday 22 July.
ON DISPLAY Design:Made:Trade is a completely unique design fair, and coming up to its 5th annual event, it has become one of Australia’s biggest celebrations of design. Design:Made:Trade will be full of designrelated workshops, talks, exhibitions and displays. Used as a great stepping stone for emerging designers, it is a special opportunity to help build business partnerships and gives designers the chance for profile elevation, while balancing a consumer market atmosphere with trade opportunity. Design:Made:Trade takes place July 19 - 22 at the Royal Exhibition Building.
BEAT’S PICK OF THE WEEK:
In 2009, the Melbourne Theatre Company was ordered to address the gender imbalance in their productions. The result: Queen Lear. The slight-reworking of Shakespeare’s famous tragedy is not dominated by its swapped gender roles, but with the heavy-weight of Australian theatre Robyn Nevin wearing the crown, it’s an exciting and refreshing interpretation of a play historically drenched in male-driven malice. Watch as Queen Lear abuses and loses her power and sanity at the Melbourne Theatre Company, Sumner Theatre, July 7 to August 18.
Beat Magazine Page 26
There’s something compelling about tragedy — within all of its force, brutality and anguish. Tragedy was certainly Shakespeare’s formula, and for playwright Federico García Lorca, dubbed the ‘Shakespeare of Spain’, his Blood Wedding harnesses the potency of strong emotion in a retelling of a rural Spanish drama which unfolded, in real life, in the early 20th Century. In playing Leonardo’s wife, lead actress Nicole De Silva discovered how the history of the event inspired the playwright. “It was written in the ‘30s and it’s based on a true story from a little Spanish village where a woman was about to get married, and on the day of her marriage she ran off with her teenage love. Her sister, among others, went and tried to kill the two of them and the bride actually survived. But it’s a really powerful story that for this small village was huge at the time and even now has repercussions, because they still won’t talk about it. They still won’t acknowledge that Blood Wedding was written because of it. So it’s quite interesting culturally. It’s a pretty huge deal.” In a pared back production to be staged at The Malthouse, Blood Wedding shows us the romantic variants popular culture necessarily avoids, eschewing the formulaic and providing something of an anti-ending by Hollywood standards. De Silva plays the ousted annex of a love triangle, the forgotten wife of Leonardo, whose repressed love affair with a character called The Bride lands his wife “on the rough end of his desires.” “(She’s) very much the outer (of a love triangle). It’s a very sad journey my character goes on unfortunately,” she says, reflecting on her own understanding of the role. “I think love is such a delicate and difficult game that of course there are things that you’re going to draw on for a particular role.” Drawing on real events adds universality to the production, says the actor, in a Romeo And Juliet style story that transcends its Spanish setting. “Though we do delve into the ethereal and the symbolic, everything is grounded in this
earthy sense of what it is to be human, and what it is to love, and what it is to cave to our desires and impulses.” One of the outward expressions of this carnality is the use of violence, which is expressly implied by the title. “Lorca was pretty specific when he called it Blood Wedding. What’s great about Lorca and the Spanish culture specifically is that they embrace not only the lighter side of life, and the light side of love, but the dark side. And inherent in that is violence. A dark passion and a dark desire that we’ve all experienced and sometimes we succumb to for good or bad. So Blood Wedding is true to its title.” To heighten the drama of Lorca’s prose with musical embellishments The Malthouse have brought on a highly qualified Tim Rogers (You Am I frontman) to provide artistic soundscapes. The cast have enjoyed working with the guitarist, though he’s a distance from his local-venue roots. “He’s great. He’s so much fun and certainly a talented musician and composer, and he brings a really great collaborative energy to the room.” His work in the piece has been in animating the poetry of the play. “There are chunks in the texts that are poetry, or the next passages should be sung, or there’s violins and guitars. So it’s music that he’s imposed on it, and Tim’s job has been to extrapolate that and give his own flavor. Certainly on the Spanish heritage of the piece, but to also make it Australian. And make it accessible to audiences.” Although originally set in rural Spain the direction
hasn’t been too specific about time period and setting, extrapolating and pulling apart the original to the fact that this is an Australian production, says De Silva. Director Marion Potts was perhaps behind the decision to simplify the piece to covey a greater meaning. “It’s quite a simplistic set and it’s quite bare. So she’s given a lot of power to the actors and to the power of performance for us to convey these stories, and convey what’s going on.” Though it does remain true to the bilingual nature of the play. The entire cast speak Spanish and English throughout. Lorca, says De Silva, uses fierce imagery and poetry to convey meaning without necessarily adhering the literal or the real. “He kind of goes for grand theatrical images, and uses theatrical devices like song and poetry. I think it’s going to be a really beautiful piece. Aesthetically, and emotionally.” And as a result, in casting the play its actors have found themselves in a lively rehearsal room full of Spaniards and South Americans – Silvia Colloca is Italian, De Silva’s Portuguese. The “firey blend of cultures” is a melting pot representing a mixture of origins not often seen in contemporary theatre. “Australia’s such a multicultural place and so often in the industry that just isn’t reflected on stage or screen. But I think it’s going to be quite an enlightened experience, and I think above all it is a theatrical experience in all senses of the word.” The tragedy transcends culture, time and race in a feat of realism, and narrates all of our demons. Blood Wedding is showing at The Malthouse Theatre from Saturday July 21 until Thursday August 9.
METAPRAXIS BY JAMES NICOLI
Greek composer Jani Christou was well versed in psychology, anthropology and metaphysics so when it came to music his approach was to challenge conventions and push boundaries. Inspired by Christou’s philosophy, Metapraxis is a new and innovative approach to traditional 20th and 21st century string compositions and will see the Australian premier of Christou’s famous 1966 masterpiece Praxis For 12 as well as iconic Australian composer Jon Rose’s new work String And Fences 2. Led by Rose himself, Metapraxis will also feature local string quartet Atticus who have been honoured with the task of performing the rarely played and complex compositions. “One of the works that we’re playing is Praxis For 12 which is a piece that he (Christou) composed to explore the idea of metapraxis,” explains one-fourth of Atticus, Judith Hamann. “So in a sense the praxis is, if you go to a concert and musicians are playing; that’s typically praxis, an everyday (performance), what you’d kind of expect from the experience. The idea of metapraxis is where it pushes it into another realm of experience. So it kind of primarily is occupied with the idea of music’s potential as a transformative experience.” Getting to work alongside a composer of the calibre of Jon Rose, who is well known and highly regarded both here and overseas, is a rare opportunity for an independent group like Atticus. “He (Rose) is pretty amazing. He’s probably one of the most important instrumental musicians in Australia,” muses Hamann. “In fact when you travel overseas in any kind of instrumental community one of the first things they’ll ask is do you know Jon Rose? He’s kind of really been a trailblazer and set the precedent for experimental improvisation and composition in Australia. He’s also written a lot about the importance of us being aware of our own musical heritage. We don’t always need to be looking overseas, there’s a wealth of talent here that’s been going on here for a long time.” Whether it is because of this country’s relatively short history when compared to say Europe or America or in part due to our place on the world map, there has been a tendency for people in the musical world to overlook and perhaps disregard Australian music in favour of that
which comes from aboard. Yet Hamann believes that contrary to popular belief Australia actually has a very proud and a very rich musical history. “Most people aren’t really aware of that (history) particularly with avant-garde experimental, progressive music because of our cultural and geographical isolation,” says Hamann. “People seem to come up with interesting ideas here that have maybe less value because you’re Australian.” It could be argued that this is commonplace amongst just about every Australian musical community regardless of genre. However Hamann is adamant that in more recent times this perception has slowly begun to change. “In most art forms there’s definitely a culture that you need to go overseas and do your time there; it’s like you have to prove that you can make it overseas before you’re often regarded as credible here,” she says honestly. “I think it’s just how our cultural heritage has evolved and you know there are definitely people out there changing that.”
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Despite this perhaps rather out-dated perception, the reality is that Australia produces some of the finest and most gifted musicians across all genres and styles, as good as any in the world. For a group like Atticus, confronting a piece of music such as Christou’s famous Praxis For 12 not only presents itself as a real challenge but also shows off this country’s raw, home grown musical talent.“The music itself that we play; a lot of the music we play is probably at the most difficult end of the spectrum,” Hamann admits. “There’s a lot of work involved; countless, ridiculous amounts of hours of individual practice before you even get into the rehearsal situation and then putting it together is another thing completely. Also, when you’re working with things that have never been played by anyone before or have never been played in Australia before you don’t have anyone to help you. There are a lot of production and problem solving that has to go into rationalising something from a page and turning it into a performance.” Continuing with the philosophy of pushing musical boundaries and challenging conventions, alongside Atticus there will be a number of guest artists who will be performing improvised works and using electronics and multimedia to further explore new territory. “The idea was to draw musicians from a range of backgrounds and all engage in this repertoire. You know, bringing lots of different kinds of disciplines together to react to the music,” says Hamann. Metapraxis will be performed at The Arts House from Thursday July 19 until Saturday July 21.
Malthouse Theatre presents
BLOOD WEDDING By Federico García Lorca Adapted by Raimondo Cortese Directed by Marion Potts Composition by Tim Rogers
WHERE THERE IS LOVE, THERE IS PAIN As relationships tangle and desire clashes with tradition, this is romance at its most devastating. With a stellar international cast, Blood Wedding marries the lush lyricism of Lorca’s timeless tale to an utterly modern sensibility.
21 JULY - 19 AUGUST malthousetheatre.com.au or 9685 5111 Developed in the Engine Room thanks to support by CAL Cultural Fund. Blood Wedding is proudly supported by
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Beat Magazine Page 27
THE COMIC STRIP THE VARIETY COLLECTIVE
With Tyson Wray. Got news, gossip, reviews, thoughts, tip-offs, complaints, hate mail? Email tyson@beat.com.au or send by ESP before Friday.
PERSONAL POLITICAL PHYSICAL CHALLENGE When you have relationship problems, you try and deal with it the “regular” way, right? Not always. The Personal Political Physical Challenge follows a couple trying to reignite the fire of their relationship in a very unusual manner. Rather than doing what most normal people would do, the couple try to find their passion through a series of emotional pressure cooking techniques and radicalising exercises undertaken in their garage. Unlike the melodrama that we’re used to, this world presents to us a few bigger ethical fish to fry. Presented by Perth’s Hydra Poesis, Personal Political Physical Challenge will head to Malthouse Theatre from August 11-25.
UNAUSTRALIA
DOKU RAI
Cronulla Beach represents the Australian dream. A paradise of white sand and blue sky stretching as far as the eye can see. But when a lifeguard is beaten by a young man of ‘middle-eastern appearance’ some start to question who really is ‘local’? And more importantly, who are the ‘real’ Australians? Unaustralia tells the story of Ali, a devout Muslim teenager who loves to surf who watches in dismay as his younger brother is involved in a racial battle with two lifeguards. Written by Red Cribb and directed by Tim Nolan, Unaustralia brings a few home truths to the table. La Mama will present Unaustralia from August 1-19.
Melbourne’s acclaimed Black Lung Theatre and Whaling Firm will embark on an utterly unique collaboration with East Timorese companies Liurai Fo’er and Galaxy, to present the Victorian premiere season of Doku Rai. Directed by Thomas M Wright, the performance is born of an improbable union of artists, drawn together by their need to eat, sleep and work together with barest of materials – resulting with an intense and consuming production. Framed and documented by the work of acclaimed award-winner Amiel Courtin-Wilson, Doku Rai will head to the Arts House’s Meat Market from August 29 – September 2.
THEATRE WORKS SEASON TWO
BEETHOVEN 9, ODE TO JOY
Starting this week, Theatre Works will begin the celebration for their July-December season of this year, kicking off with a creative development showing of The Rabble’s new work, Room of Regret. But that’s just the beginning! The season itself will see numerous events including This Is a Door, Hello My Name Is and Margaret Fulton: Queen of the Dessert. Yep, there’s something there for everybody. To check out what’s up and coming for the entire season, head to theatreworks. org.au to get some answers. And while you’re there, why not grab some tickets?
Vintage classical or modern classical, the everlasting beauty of classical music will be brought to life, paying homage to one of music’s greats. This concert is the much awaited climax of the ACO’s internationally-acclaimed Beethoven symphony series. Reaching its apogee in Symphony No. 9; easily one of the biggest, best known and most loved works in the Western classical repertoire, the ACO, assembling a stellar line-up of guest players from around the globe, will play Beethoven’s Ninth on period instruments. True to form and classical at heart, witness the beauty of Beethoven’s work as expressed in modern day times with classical mentalities as Beethoven’s Ninth makes its mark on Hamer Hall on August 12 & 13. Bookings can be made through the Arts Centre website.
THE CRAFT OF STREET ART World-renowned street artist and illustrator Pose is getting ready to visit Melbourne, unveiling a first-ofits-kind art installation, handcrafted in collaboration with Coopers Dark Ale. The Chicago-based artist will utilise his signature style and a few special, yet to be revealed, secret ingredients to hand craft the public art installation. Paying homage to something that we as a nation love to do – and that is drink, the collaborative Pose and Coopers Dark Ale art installation will be unveiled on Monday July 23.
RRAMP With its multi-faceted genre approach, RRAMP – the Collector, the Archivist & the Electrocat features the vocal beauty of Christine Johnston – the Collector, the intense precision of Lisa O’Neill as the dancing Archivist, as well as the dynamic sounds of Peter Nelson as the Electrocat who helps the Collector live her dream. Perfectly animated to Ahmaryna Price, this electronic-dance-metal-rock outfit takes on unexpected and compelling tales of archives, collections, pets, childhood imaginings and human frailty. Sharp as ice and bittersweet, RRAMP will make its mark at the Arts House from September 5-8.
WHAT ARE WORDS WORTH ANYWAY? No No Gallery is getting ready to say goodbye in its current incarnation, so they’re going to go out with a bang. An accumulation of ARI’s, increasing rent and shithead landlords won’t let them get in the way of one final hoorah. What Are Words Worth Anyway? will be the gallery’s final exhibition, bringing together works from artists such as Tul Suwannakit, Leonie Connellan, Michael Carolan and Beka Hannah. Each artist, in their own right, explaining the worth of words in our current society. Head along to No No for one more piece of gallery action before they have to say their farewells. What Are Words Worth Anyway? will exhibit from July 21 – July 31.
THE SCHOOL FOR WIVES This is the story, like many others, of a man with a problem. See, this guy desperately wants to get married but is afraid that a smart woman will cheat on him. So what does he do? He enlists the help of a local convent to raise a girl so stupidly innocent that she won’t know the first thing about cheating. She’ll be the perfect little wife. Hopefully. A beguiling comedy filled to the brim with witty repartee, hilariously misguided decisions and a delightful feeling that we should all just chill out and have a wine. Bell Shakespeare’s The School For Wives will head to the Art Centre’s Fairfax Studio from September 11-22.
WOMBMAN Choreographed by LA-based artist Ashlee Katrice Thomas, Wombman (pronounced woman) is a choreo-story that plays out issues of gender, race, power, and obsession from a female perspective, with significant life experiences expressed through female anatomy – that biologically determined, user-modified expression of the individual and the individual potential for transformation. Making is its debut on Saturday July 28 at 8:30pm at The White Room – located at Level 1, Kindred Studios: 212a Whitehall Street, Yarraville, (free street parking).
Catch some of Melbourne’s best variety acts before they head off to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival! The week the Variety Collective presents brilliant clowning from Derek Ives, stand up comedy from John Conway and Timothy Clark, plus much more! All held together by your host with the most Michael Connell. Tickets are just $10 at the door. Get in early for a seat, earlier for a meal. From 8pm, Wednesday July 18 at the Brunswick Green.
CHECKPOINT CHARLIE COMEDY The past few weeks Charlie has featured a time helmet, a crowd member hypnotise the audience and a European celebrity sharing the stage with a singing busker. It got weird. No idea what will happen tonight but as always there’ll be cheap piss and piss-cheap entry. So come fill yourself with $6 drinks and put your continence to the ultimate test as Melbourne’s best comedians spit funnies into the business end of a loud stick. Check in at 8pm Wednesday July 18 at Eurotrash Bar, $5 entry. Get down early for a seat.
FELIX BAR COMEDY This Wednesday, the awesome Lawrence Mooney (Agony Uncles) comes down to Felix Bar Comedy to rip the roof off once more! Plus a great supporting lineup including Xavier Michelides, Jason Chong, Pete Sharkey, Ryan Coffey and more! Come down and check out the biggest night of comedy in St Kilda, every Wednesday night! It’s happening this Wednesday July 18 at 8.30pm for only $12, at Felix Bar, St Kilda.
COMMEDIA DELL PARTE This Thursday Commedia Dell Parte welcomes back one of our favourite international headliners. Who is it you ask? Well come along and find out. We also have an amazing line up of Melbourne’s finest. Stepping up to the mic will be Sean Ryan, Dilruk Jayasinha, Sam Petersen, Adam Knox, Daniel Connell, Mark Conway, Frederich Jones , and an extra special guest headliner! Commedia Dell Parte runs every Thursday from 8.30pm at the George Lane Bar, St Kilda.
SOFTBELLY COMEDY Another huge Thursday night at Softbelly Comedy with the first lady of Australian comedy, Fiona O’Loughlin headlining! Plus a cracking lineup including Dave Williams (Sydney), Nazeem Hussain, Adam Zwar, Pete Sharkey and a very special surprise guest! It’s an amazing lineup! It’s all happening at Softbelly, this Thursday July 19, 8.30pm, for only $12! Get in early for a good seat!
COMEDY AT SPLEEN Mondays at Spleen are always a full house and a great night! This week looks like another cracker with Melbourne favourite Lawrence Mooney hosting! Plus Adam Rozenbachs, Don Tran, Pete Sharkey, Jonathan Schuster, Aunty Donna and heaps more! It’s this Monday July 23, 41 Bourke St, in the city, at 8.30pm. It may be free, but we appreciate a good gold coin donation at the door!
MICHAEL J FOX
BLUE TILE COMEDY
Good news! Marty McFly is back from the past to the future, bringing his pumped up Nikes and floating board to our shores for the very first time. Acclaimed actor and humanitarian, Michael J Fox, will head down under with his spectacular one-night only event hosted by Shane Jacobson, A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Future. Don’t let the opportunity slip you by, folks. Marty McFly will be in town for one night, and one night alone. A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Future will head to Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre on Tuesday August 14. Tickets available from Ticketmaster.
Blue Tile Comedy boasts some of Melbourne’s finest comedians trying out their new material. It’s a fun night where the audience can get involved and witness the birth of some truly great jokes. Alternatively you could also catch some absolute shockers. Either way you will have a laugh with some of Melbourne’s favourites. This week at Blue Tile Lounge we have Michael Williams, Pete Sharky, Karl Chandler, Cambo, Mike Nayna, Mark Conway plus whoever else decides to drop past. Catch some of Australia’s rising stars for only $5. The Blue Tile Lounge, Fitzroy every Tuesday from 8.30pm.
A spellbinding nine hour theatrical event Arts Centre Melbourne presents
Lipsynch Directed by Robert Lepage Five performances only Production Partners
Directed by Robert Lepage Produced by Ex Machina (Canada) & Théâtre Sans Frontières (UK)
Beat Magazine Page 28
4 – 12 August 2012 l Exclusive to Melbourne Arts Centre Melbourne, State Theatre Visit artscentremelbourne.com.au l Call 1300 182 183
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SMARTBAR BY ALEXANDRA DUGUID
Vincent van Gogh, Napoleon Bonaparte, Al Capone and King Henry VIII all allegedly had it. According to the 2008 Annual Surveillance Report, the rate of men diagnosed with this more than doubled, from 3.1 per 100,000 to 6.6 per 100,000 and if left to its own devices, it can evolve into an infection of the central nervous system causing meningitis, dementia and seizures. I’m talking about syphilis. Well, Melbourne Museum experts will be talking about syphilis, as part of the Melbourne Museum’s second-coming of SmartBar, their entertaining-and-educational over 18s night. However before you worry about turning up to one big high school sex-ed chat, the subject of this up-coming evening is in fact the brain, how it works and how it can just as easily not. Lauren Ellis is the public programs officer at the Melbourne Museum and helped put together the upcoming SmartBar, in order to try and make us question, just Where Is My Mind? Similar to Scienceworks and their Big Kids Night Out, SmartBar was an opportunity for the Melbourne Museum to give an older crowd the chance to explore what was on offer, Ellis explaining that while children often come in as part of school excursions, there was a large gap in visitation from people in their 20s and early 30s; “We really wanted to create an event that would attract that audience that had really been missing out.” The inaugural SmartBar was held only back in March this year, and concentrated on Australia’s wildlife, such as native animals and conservation, “We were just so pleased with how interested people were with natural sciences. What we have here at the Museum, our native flora and fauna collections are really unique, and we were able to offer an experience and learn about something that wasn’t really on offer anywhere else.” Moving on from our own backyard and into our own heads, SmartBar’s July event plans to “delve into the deepest depths of the human mind”, Ellis hoping it will encourage the same level of fascination; “It’s a really rich topic, and the way we’ll be looking at it from a whole range of different facets- the physiology, the body, as well as the emotional and psychological.” Schizophrenia and sexual transmitted diseases are certainly not the most comfortable subjects to discuss, which is why SmartBar have taken it upon themselves to choose topics that serve a purpose and create the perfect balance between education and entertainment, “All the people that will be discussing the subjects on the night will be experts, leading in their field. They’ll be treating the topics with great respect, and hope to raise people’s understanding of them. Being an adult’s event, it gives older people the opportunity to have conversations about some of these subjects that can be confronting.” Part of the exhibition includes the Psychiatric Services Collection, with artefacts such as an isolation cell, straitjackets and locked gloves on display, “It is quite confronting and there are a lot of shocking stories told through the exhibition and some quite sad stories, but I think it’s a really interesting window into Australian medical history, our scientific history and it shows just how far we’ve come.”
“BEING AN ADULT’S EVENT, IT GIVES OLDER PEOPLE THE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT SOME OF THESE SUBJECTS THAT CAN BE CONFRONTING.” So why discuss the syph’? “It’s an interesting one because it was something that, once upon a time in the 1800s, it was attributed to almost half of the admissions to Australia’s psychiatric institutions. And then the discovery of [penicillin] saw huge reductions in the number of patients. It’s an interesting example of the connection between the body and the mind, because it begins as a bacterial infection but the symptoms you can end up displaying are very much psychological. Delusion, euphoria and even psychosis.” Before things get too serious, there is also plenty of opportunity for visitors to go and experiences the Museum’s other exhibitions, such as the Science and Life sections. This means all the bugs and dinosaurs will be available for your viewing pleasure, there are plenty of chances to get your hands dirty and listen to some scientists as they debunk the myths about various venomous animals. Also happening on the night will be tunes being spun by popular comedian and “part-time DJ” Andrew McClelland, the music however will be programmed by you, on the proviso it is somehow related to the big globe of grey matter we call ‘the brain’, Ellis’s own suggestion introducing a little Elvis Presley action to the night with Suspicious Minds (my own would be The Music Goes Round My Head by The Easybeats, though preferably the Saints’ cover.) SmartBar is not strictly educational, nor is it strictly entertainment. It is an evening that hopes to encourage young people to “consider the Melbourne Museum as interesting,” Ellis explained, “We hope that people will be more aware of the positive experiences you can have here, and just enjoy our exhibitions!”
eMotion Free @ the New Hamer Hall 28 – 29 July Between 2 – 4pm
An online to real world dance intervention.
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SmartBar is happening on Thursday July 26 from 6pm till 10pm at the Melbourne Museum.
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Beat Magazine Page 29
GERTRUDE STREET PROJECTION FESTIVAL BY PATRICK EMERY
Fitzroy has undergone something of a radical architectural transformation in recent years. Once dominated by a mixture of Victorian terrace houses, semi-industrial premises and drab business premises, Melbourne’s oldest suburb has become a hotbed of gentrification. Derelict warehouses have been converted into funky residential premises; high price apartments now cast a shadow over the narrow streets. Yet to some extent Gertrude Street has remained largely immune to Fitzroy’s transformation. The streets remain dotted with motley local characters; the original architecture, save for the occasional notable radical change such as the change in use of the former Aboriginal health centre opposite Napier Street, has largely retained its original character. Five years ago the Gertrude Association established the Gertrude Street Projection Festival. The Festival provided a focusing event for local residents and businesses to showcase the area’s unique charm to visitors, and for artists to create installations sympathetic to the area. Fitzroy resident and artist Yandell Walton has seen the festival evolve over the past five years, including as a participant. “I live in Fitzroy, and I’ve also got a studio in Fitzroy,” Walton says. “I suppose I’ve seen the area develop a lot over the years. It’s my local neighbourhood – I hang out there, I eat there. And from being involved in the Gertrude Street Projection Festival I’ve learnt a lot about the history of the area, and the more I learn about the area, the more I enjoy it, including the rich Aboriginal history,” she says. Walton first exhibited at the Gertrude Street Projection Festival in 2009 as the feature artist. “I did a number of projects, including an installation called ‘Night Walkers’, and a gallery exhibition,” Walton says. “Since then I’ve exhibited as an artist at the festival, and I’ve been on the organising committee for the event.” Walton says her particular organisational focus has been on identifying particular sites, especially buildings, where installations can occur. “I’ve been really interested in trying to secure more sites, and to get more site-specific artists. In previous years there’s been more general sites, but we’ve been looking beyond that recently.” This year Walton’s installation, Human Effects, looks at the impact of humans on the environment. “It’s a large interactive public art work, that will be located on Little Smith Street,” Walton says. Funded with the assistance of Yarra City Council, Walton intends to re-work the
ABOVE: PASSPORT - SHEPARD FAIREY, FAILE ($80) This coffee table book explores the artwork of ABOVE, the prolific anonymous street artist who has thrown up art in over 90 cities in 60 different countries. ABOVE got his start tagging trains in California in 1995 and has been creating public art ever since. Designed as a giant passport album / scrapbook / manifesto by Blaine Fontana, this title is both a beautiful street art volume and a virtual journey around the world, and is packed with hundreds of full-color plates accompanied by insight by those who know ABOVE or are awed by him.
installation over the coming months for exhibition at the Melbourne Festival. “I’ve been working with a programmer and animator, so I’ve been able to develop my art both technologically, and conceptually,” she says. Human Effects takes as its focal point the life cycle of a plant. “As the audience moves closer, the plant shrivels up; as you walk away, the plant begins to grow again.” While it’s easy to see Human Effects as including an eco-political message, Walton says it’s not her intention to preach through her art. “My work doesn’t give a message,” she says. “A lot of my work is about living, and life, mortality and death. I’m not creating an installation necessarily to give a message, though it is interesting for the audience to consider how plant life does regenerate. I suppose the beauty of public work is that you can read it as you want to read it,” Walton says. Notwithstanding the Exhibition Gardens at the western end of Gertrude Street, and the trees on the nature strip, Gertrude Street isn’t necessarily an area brimming with natural plant life. Walton acknowledges that there is an interesting duality between an installation that explores the evolution of nature, and the occasional bleak reality of urban space. “It’s an interesting juxtaposition between lush plant life and urban space,” Walton says. “In some ways, this work is a representation of what was once growing around the area.” In addition to Walton’s installation, the Gertrude Street Projection Festival will feature exhibits from other local artists, including Aboriginal social documenter and artist Arika Waulu, a joint collaboration between animator Lindsay Cox and Deaf theatre artist Nina Mishriky, projection artist
CALLIGRAFFITI - NIELS “SHOE” MUELMAN ($39.95) ‘Niels Shoe Meulman is a contemporary Dutch calligrapher, typographer and designer who successfully made the transition from the street to high end design. His work can be described as classical freehand calligraphy combined with street edge and contemporary design aesthetic. With firm roots in graffiti, Shoe is a member of Europes infamous Crime Time Kings who ruled supreme in the 80s and 90s.Today, his design and typographic works are included in the permanent collections of MOMA San Francisco and the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam.
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THE COLORING BOOK PROJECT - BRETT HERMAN, MIKE DEVRIES ($34.95)
KACAO77 is a Berlin graffiti writer recognized the world over for his complex style, elaborate sketches and most notably his large scale trademark graffiti comics that depict super heroes and villains in a science fiction universe all their own, not unlike a hip hop Fantastic Planet. The work is so elaborate he often spends weeks on each panel. Universes showcases exclusive, never before seen work of KACAO77 since 2001 including his comics, sketches, stunning wall pieces, and peeks inside his blackbook.
This wonderfully imaginative book brings together inspiration and ingenuity from an all-star cast of artists, each contributing their own enchanting sketches, and then handing them off to you to complete with your own touch of artistic magic. With 215 pages of designs to color and activities to execute, colorists can dive into the pages full of tattoo-related artwork and escape to a creative world through their pencils, markers, and crayons.
BEYOND ILLUSTRATION - PATRICK HARTL, YVONNE WINKLER ($34.95) For many postmodern artists there is a very fine line between illustration and art, and that line occasionally disappears. As is demonstrated by many of the works published here the traditional border drawn between art as an autonomous project and illustration as a service product is becoming less and less clear. More and more illustrators are creating art for art’s sake and in both the US and Europe their works are being shown in leading galleries and at art exhibitions.
GRAFFITI TATTOO 2 - ALAIN KET MARIDUE ($44.95) Since the 70s, graffiti artists have made the leap to become muralists, fashion designers, art directors, and now tattoo artists. Similar to the graffiti movement, in which the artists battle with one another in the public eye to be the best and most respected, the same competitive spirit holds within the tattoo world. These tattoos are a language filled with graffiti style burners and characters that are a departure from the standard tribal design and sailor styles. While the first book allowed a rare glimpse into this movement, this much larger successor provides a full-blown compendium of these fantastic burners on skin.
Beat Magazine Page 30
Nick Azidis, photographer Jacqueline Mitelman, animator and multimedia artist Olaf Meyer and exhibition of the work of the late sculptor Russell Gray Goodman (who was murdered outside his St. Kilda flat in 1988). As an artist specialising in public installations, Walton has tended to focus more on outdoor installations rather than the typical gallery exhibit. It’s an approach that allows her to build on the most interesting aspects of Gertrude Street public space. “I don’t do a lot of gallery installations, so my work doesn’t sit that well with the gallery format. I’m inspired by distinctive architectural features, so I tend to work in that context.” Walton admits that her own favourite works exhibited at the festival – other than her own – are those which explore and exploit unique aspects of the local architecture. “I like the works
THESE OLD BLUE ARMS VOL 1 - JON REITER ($64.95) Over 200 pages of hand painted flash, historic photographs, and a peek into the life of one of tattooing’s most celebrated figures: Milwaukee tattooer Amund Dieztel. From subordinate sailor, to carnival curiosity, to one of the consummate masters of American tattooing: with 60 years in the trade, Amund Dietzel was at the forefront of modern electric tattooing. This book profiles the perseverance and accomplishments of a craftsman, a gentleman, and one of tattooing’s most celebrated figures. Volume 2 also available.
FAST OR DIE - ALEX FAKSO ($39.95) Italian photographer Alex Fakso got his start at the age of 13, photographing his own works of graffiti on trains. Since then, Fakso has become a prominent personality in the underground world of street art. His latest project “Fast or Die” is a raw and honest portrayal of the often chaotic lives of subway graffiti artists from London to Tokyo.
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that aren’t necessarily projected over the whole building,” Walton says. “I like projections that utilise features or objects in the windows of buildings.” As a local resident and artist, Walton is already aware of the cultural and architectural charms of the Gertrude Street precinct. Walton hopes that the festival will encourage people outside Fitzroy to travel to the air to experience the beauty of the area. “Everyone I speak to loves the festival,” Walton says. “People travel across town to see it – and it’s great to see people walking around smiling in the middle of winter,” she laughs. Gertrude Street Projection Festival is showing at Gertrude Street, Fitzroy, 6pm-midnight from Friday July 20 until Sunday July 29. Visit thegertrudeassociation. com for more information.
late bit
Thursday nights, 6-9pm at ACMI See the Game Masters exhibition after hours and stay for drinks, free music and games-inspired mayhem in the ACMI Lightwell. www.acmi.net.au/latebit Thu 2 Aug â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Thu 23 Aug
Thu 30 Aug
DJ Residency with Ms Butt
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Beat Magazine Page 31
BAYSIDE FILM FESTIVAL BY JAMES NICOLI
According to Bayside Film Festival artistic director Amadeo Marquez Perez, film has the unique ability to engage all parts of a community, capture our imaginations and change our perceptions. More than simply a festival showcasing films and their creators, Bayside Film Festival focuses on working with young, independent and emerging filmmakers from both here in Australia and overseas and showcases a diverse range of film ranging from drama to comedy to documentary and animation. Now in its ninth year and with a three-day program that is packed full with the best up and coming films, the theme of this year’s festival is transition. “The reason why we chose transition is how people walk in and out of the cinema; so how we engage with cinema per say, explains Marquez Perez. “So a lot of people actually walk in and they sort of see it as a moment of ninety minutes where they walk into a film then walk out again. (It’s about) how they’ve actually evaluated that ninety minutes. So people are becoming a lot savvier about how they evaluate film, how they evaluate the process of actually watching a film and how people are changed by a certain event. I find that really fascinating.” This year’s program, which includes a number of short films and documentaries as well as full-length feature films made both locally and abroad, will again be shown at the Palace Cinema in Brighton. The program continues its strong support and focus on young filmmakers; giving them a chance to experience the art of filmmaking as well as being a vehicle for them to show their films to a live audience. “It’s really (about) showing and demonstrating the diversity of the program,” says Marquez Perez. “So we’ve got films
like the Jump Cuts which shows films from around the world. We have the Youth Documentary program and we then have a collection of three feature films coming in from all different parts of the world.” A unique feature of Bayside Film Festival is the aforementioned Youth Documentary Project. The project is designed to engage young people and assist them in the creation of a series of short documentaries that are told from their own view points. The program not only features a number of films from students from local secondary schools but also works in partnership with students from a school in Kabul in Afghanistan showcasing the true diversity of the program. “It really is about engaging young people in the film process,” explains Marquez Perez. “Some of them have actually done films before, some of them haven’t and it’s almost like an A to Z version of filmmaking. So it takes you right through from content development right through to story development, storyboards, cameras, lighting and then actually developing that, shooting skills
“THERE’S SOMETHING QUITE AMAZING ABOUT WHEN YOU COME INTO THE PROGRAM WITH ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA WHAT’S GOING TO BE SHOWING AND THEN YOU’RE WATCHING IT AND YOU GO ‘WOW’”.
and there’s editing as well. So it’s really a great crash course where it’s been facilitated and you’re actually part of the process as well.” Now in his fourth year as director, Marquez Perez has over 15 years worth of experience and has been artistic director of a number of film festivals throughout his career. For Bayside Film Festival, his main focus was to create a program that would entertain, enlighten and engage the audience; whether it is the insightful student documentaries of the Youth Documentary Project, the vast collection of local and international short films from young filmmakers in Jump Cut or the full feature films. The program was also designed to assist young, aspiring filmmakers and features a number of guest speakers which are presented by local, up and coming filmmakers working in and around the industry. “I like the idea of people coming to films and they have an idea of what they’re going to see but they’re not certain what they’re going to see,” says Marquez Perez. “And every experience surprises them and you’re not sure when the next change is going to come and it just feels more like you’re having a conversation with the screen and the different
stories that are unravelling.” For Marquez Perez, Bayside Film Festival is all about engaging the wider community; whether they are film buffs or just the occasional viewer and presenting them with a program that showcases the best local, independent films and filmmakers. It’s also about assisting young people and reaching out to the community and teaching them about not only the art of filmmaking but also about the power of film and its ability to transcend boundaries and engage our imaginations. “I do have a soft spot for the Youth Documentary Project,” admits Marquez Perez when reflecting on the program. “There’s something quite amazing about when you come into the program with absolutely no idea what’s going to be showing and then you’re watching it and you go ‘Wow’. Every year they always surprise me, the filmmakers step up to the mark and they come with really amazing stories.” Bayside Film Festival runs from Wednesday July 25 until Saturday July 28 and takes place at Palace Cinema Brighton.
Alexandra harrison
Dance as Forecast, Forecast as Festival
Nikki Toole Daniel Whitechurch and Laura McKellar, Fitzroy, Melbourne, Australia (detail) 2009 inkjet print Reproduced courtesy of the artist
Skater—
portraits by Nikki Toole
Photograph by: Steven R DeLuzuriaga
5 different programs over 5 evenings with 65 artists July 31st – August 4th 6.30PM – 9PM bookings
dancehouse.com.au
until 9 September Since July 2009 Nikki Toole has been making photographic portraits of skateboarders around the world. Her subjects are photographed in the spaces they inhabit, captured in still frontal pose against the textured backdrop of the urban environment. National Portrait Gallery and Geelong Gallery touring exhibition
Geelong Gallery Little Malop Street Geelong 3220 T +61 3 5229 3645
Beat Magazine Page 32
Free entry Open daily 10am – 5pm Guided tours of the permanent collection Saturday from 2pm
geelonggallery.org.au
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Exhibition partner
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JULY AUGUST
BRAWTHER [FRA] Friday August 3, Mercat Basement ALVIN RISK [USA] Saturday August 4, Prince Bandroom KATE SIMKO [USA], CHLOE HARRIS [USA] Friday August 10, Brown Alley JONWAYNE [USA], MONO/POLY [USA], KASRA [UK] Friday August 10, Roxanne Parlour HYBRID [UK] Friday August 10, New Guernica HOME BREW [NZ] Friday August 10, The Espy DJ SS [UK], KENNY KEN [UK], SKIBADEE [UK] Friday August 10, Brown Alley PERC [UK] Friday August 17, Brown Alley PHIL REYNOLDS [UK], JAMES LAWSON [UK], SKOL [UK], RIKSTA [NZ] Friday August 17, Room680 CHRIS LAKE [UK] Saturday August 18, Seven THE PHARCYDE [USA] Thursday August 23, The Espy JOCHEN MILLER [NED], RANK 1 [NED], LEON BOLIER [NED] Saturday August 25, Room680 ALEXKID [FRA] Friday August 31, Revolver I:CUBE [FRA] Friday August 31, Mercat Basement
UPCOMING
ONTOUR LIL’ LOUIS [USA] Friday July 20, New Guernica CHEZ DAMIER [USA] Friday July 20, Brown Alley SVEN WEISEMANN [GER], BASIC SOUL UNIT [CAN] Friday July 20, The Liberty Social SKREAM [UK], PLASTICIAN [UK], JOKER [UK] Friday July 20, Billboard RENNIE PILGREM [UK], LEE COOMBS [UK] Friday July 20, Royal Melbourne Hotel THOMAS SCHUMACHER [GER] Friday July 20, Onesixone J PERIOD [USA] Saturday July 21, Laundry Bar VAKULA [UKR] Friday July 27, Mercat Basement GIRL UNIT [UK], NGUZUNGUZU [USA] Friday July 27, Revolver Upstairs BARE [USA] Friday July 27, Brown Alley MAELSTROM [FRA] Saturday July 28, The Bottom End MIIKE SNOW [SWE] Tuesday July 31, Palace Theatre
RICK ROSS [USA] Thursday September 6, Festival Hall RED RACK ‘EM [UK] Friday September 7, The Croft Institute JOHN ‘00’ FLEMING [UK] Friday September 7, Brown Alley TIEFSCHWARZ [GER] Friday September 7, New Guernica OCTAVE ONE [USA] Friday September 14, Mercat Basement ROGER SHAH [GER] Saturday September 15, Room680 HERNAN CATTANEO [ARG], FRITZ KALKBRENNER [GER] Friday September 21, Brown Alley NARI AND MILANI [ITA] Friday September 21, Royal Melbourne Hotel RICK WADE [USA] Friday September 28, The Croft Institute DAS EFX [USA] Friday September 28, Prince Bandroom GIGAMESH [USA] Saturday September 29, Seven PAUL OAKENFOLD [UK] Friday October 5, Festival Hall PARKLIFE: JUSTICE [FRA], PASSION PIT [USA], PLAN B [UK] + MORE Saturday October 6, Sidney Myer Music Bowl ROBERT HOOD [USA] Friday November 9, TBA ECLIPSE: PERFECT STRANGER, OLIVER LIEB, ADAM FREELAND + MORE Saturday November 12 – Friday November 16, TBA STRAWBERRY FIELDS: JAMES HOLDEN [UK], TYCHO [US] PREFUSE 73 [USA] + MORE Friday November 23 – Sunday November 25, TBA STEREOSONIC: TIESTO [NED], AVICII [SWE], CALVIN HARRIS [UK] + MORE Saturday December 1, Melbourne Showgrounds TERRENCE PARKER [USA] Friday December 21, TBA FALLS FESTIVAL: SBTRKT [UK], COOLIO [USA] + MORE Saturday December 28 – Tuesday January 1, Lorne BIG DAY OUT: THE BLOODY BEETROOTS [ITA], KASKADE [USA], CRYSTAL CASTLES [CAN] + MORE Saturday January 26, Flemington Racecourse
REAL TALK
Normally I’d spent hours upon hours crafting an insightful and yet firmly humorous anecdote to introduce the week’s issue, but I gotta’ be honest, I’ve got the new Breaking Bad waiting for me at home and I’m too scared that it’ll get spoiled by social networks if I stick around for any longer. So, yeah. SEEYA. Wamp wamp (what it do, what it do). Tyson Wray
Here not too long ago and a firm favourite of Melbourne crowds for his ability to whip a dancefloor up into a frenzy (as evidenced by his appearance at last year’s KUBIK Melbourne), Alexkid is a truly masterful musician. With roots in the early nineties Paris rave scene alongside other French house luminaries including St Germain and Mr. Oizo, Alexkid has spent years being one of the most forward-thinking and exciting acts on the revered Laurent Garnier’s label F Communcations as well as on Radio Slave’s own imprint Rekids and Luciano’s Cadenza Split Composition project, defining good music for connoisseurs of French techno and electronica. He’ll be joining Melbourne favourites Safari and Mike Callander to DJ on multiple decks, just as they did last year at the closing party for KUBIK - and trust us, we can be certain Alexkid’s return will be nothing short of immense. Catch Alexkid et al at Revolver on Friday August 31.
&
Aoki
Included in the opening season program for the newly redeveloped Hamer Hall precinct, the Arts Centre Melbourne are presenting two exciting, pop up, late night electronic music events dubbed The Sound Lounge. The first event takes place on Saturday August 25 and features a DJ set from old techno favourite Kazu Kimura as well as a live performance from Japanese experimental artist Aoki Takamasa (think Autechre meets Boards of Canada). They will be joined by Melbourne’s QUA and DJs Matt Radovich and Dave Pham. The event runs from 10pm until 3am.
Eclipse 2012: Solar Sounds
While other festivals in Australia compete for number one status with superstar-powered lineups and all manner of shenanigans, you can trust the Victorian institution Strawberry Fields for a sunsplashed and serene experience, alongside electronic music’s finest and most underground talent from international quarters. Last year’s full lineup was a killer one, featuring everybody from Trus’Me to Moodymann and Mad Professor, and 2012 is again shaping up to be a summer season highlight. Fresh off the announcements come the UK-based Border Community head, musician and tastemaker James Holden, alongside the talents of Ghostly International’s electroacoustic wunderkind Tycho, Warp Records favourite Prefuse 73, Brainfeeder upstart Teebs, alongside an irresistably jampacked first lineup – Strawberry Fields forever. It takes place from Friday November 23 – Sunday November 25, with a venue soon to be announced.
DJ Profile: Jody McLeod
A hotly-tipped name for awhile now, Minneapolis-based Matthew Thomas Masurka (better known as up-andcoming disco superstar Gigamesh) has been storming the international dance music scene of late with the same sense of style and self-assurance that runs through his musical output. Most well-known for his breakout remixes of Foster the People’s Pumped Up Kicks as well as Radiohead’s Everything In Its Right Place, Gigamesh’s fondness for feelgood disco and 80s electro-boogie can also be traced back to previous work with the equally notorious Danny Daze and Joe Maz. Now a firm favourite of cutting-edge record label Kitsuné, the recent release of his EP All My Life just over a month ago, it’s high time for Gigamesh to make his first trip down to Australia - catch him at Seven on Saturday September 29.
Nari and Milani: Mamma Mia Meeting in ‘96 and forming a friendship that was to see them through some of house music’s formative years, together the Italian powerhouse that consists of Maurizio Nari and Ronnie Milani is a highly-regarded one to this day. Forever at the forefront of house music producing classics such as Sunshine and Happiness and slotting comfortably into the higher ends of the Billboard Charts and working under a number of aliases, it was the launch of the Nari and Milani project a few years on that was their greatest success. A regular feature in Italy’s trendiest clubs as well as the international touring circuit, the duo have also established themselves as highly respected producers gradually becoming renowned for their unique brand of electronic house music. With heaps of local support also on board, join Nari and Milani at the Royal Melbourne Hotel on Friday September 21.
Where’s the strangest place you’ve woken up? Under a table, in the metal room of Plastic at the Colonial. All kinds of nasty! Describe yourself using the title of a song. Wreckx-NEffect - Rump Shaker What was the weirdest thing you believed as a child? That cats where girls and dogs where boys. Come on, you thought that as well! The most awkward moment you’ve had as a DJ? Watching Miami Horror pull out Carl Cox’s USB during his last track. What would be the worst dance track in the world to be tortured with on repeat? Popcorn. Respect and all, but my god that would damage your brain after about the 3rd repeat! What’s the most played record in your bag? Operation Blade. Every set without fail. What question would you like to ask an omniscient, allknowing being before you die? Do blondes really have more fun? If you hadn’t made it as a DJ, what job would you choose to work in instead? Currently adding flying to my bag of tricks so let’s go with pilot. When and where is your next gig? Fusion at Crown, this Saturday July 21.
DJ Profile: Big Chocolate
Hybrid: Duality
With announcements for Parklife and Stereosonic fresh off the presses of late, it seems that festival season is already raring and ready to go in the depths of winter’s gloom - hoorah! Teaming up for this special something are the crews behind some of your favourite musical meccas - Rainbow Serpent, Glade Festival in the UK and Mother in Japan alongside Subsonic, Shine On, Symbiosis in the USA, and Bar 25 in Berlin - the global tribe are set to converge on Australia, gathering for seven days to celebrate a spectacular natural phenomena, a total solar eclipse of the sun. Think everything from psytrance to techno to breakbeats and plenty more with an all-star lineup featuring everyone from Perfect Stranger, Oliver Lieb, Adam Freeland, and a bucketload more - check it out! Eclipse 2012 lands in far north Queensland from Saturday November 10 - Friday November 16.
RESPONSIBLE: Managing Editor: Ronnit Sternfein ronnit@beat.com.au Editor: Tyson Wray tyson@beat.com.au Sub-editor: Nick Taras Listings: club/promoter submissions clubguide@beat.com.au - now online at beat.com.au - it’s free! Production: Pat O’Neill art@beat.com.au Typesetting: Gill Tucker Cover Design: Pat O’Neill Advertising Senior Sales: ronnit@beat.com.au (03) 8414 9710 Taryn Stenvei taryn@beat.com.au Fashion and Beverages: Tamara Perenic tamara@furstmedia.com.au Ph: 03 8414 9732 Deadlines: Editorial Friday 2PM – absolutely NO exceptions. Club photos Monday 9AM (email only clubpics@beat.com.au). Advertising artwork Monday 12PM. Photographers: Callum Linsell Contributors: Rezo Kezerashvili, Miki McLay, Shane Scott, Simon Traspier, Brian Rotide, The Knowledge, Ellen Devenney, Dan Watt, Aaron Ralston, Birdie, Liam Pieper, Simon Hampson, Chad-Michael Michaelson, Mikolai, Reuben Adams, David Edgley. Publisher: Furst Media, 3 Newton Street Richmond 3121 Ph 03 9428 3600 www.beat.com.au
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Strawberry Fields: Sweet Sounds
A longstanding figure on the thriving wave of French house producers, I:Cube has been making music for a long time since 1996, in fact. Part of the first wave of house producers alongside other luminaries including Daft Punk, Cassius and Etienne de Crecy, Nicolas Chaix has also played an essential role in fostering and nurturing the sounds of Paris’ Versatile Records, one of the definitive labels of the locality and continues to maintain serious influence when it comes to what’s hot. This year’s release ‘M’ Megamix comes as yet another demonstration of this keen instinct for thrilling dancefloor grooves, cramming in twentyfour snippets of tracks into one truly thumping mix, with influences spanning Italo, disco, proto-house, techno and everything beyond - a perfect match, then, for the alwaysamazing Animals Dancing crew. Catch I:Cube at the Mercat Basement on Friday August 31.
Gigamesh: Electro Mayhem
Alexkid: Parisian Paradise
Kazu Kimura Takamasa: Hamer Time
I:Cube: Animals Dancing
UP TO DATE
Widely regarded as pioneering forces in the development and the ubiquity of electronic music, Swansea’s Hybrid have been in the game for a long time - since bursting onto the scene back in 1999 with the now-classic album Wide Angle, a cutting-edge take on progressive house and nu-school breaks with a cinematic feel, and orchestral and vocal collaborations drawing them comparisons to the likes of Massive Attack and Underworld. Since then, with four extremely well-received albums and over twenty singles, plus countless remixes and a raft of movie and game soundtrack work to their CV, things still haven’t showed any sign of slowing down with their latest effort Classics set for release soon in celebration of their longstanding presence within dance music. The Hybrid soundsystem will be well and truly thumping with a four-hour set to be delivered on one of the first dates on this upcoming national tour - don’t miss out! New Guernica, Friday August 10.
Das EFX: Bigger Than Hip Hop Both originating from the super-real streets of Brooklyn in New York, Andre “Drayz” Weston and Willie “Skoob” Hines are the two minds behind hardcore rap outfit Das EFX was the result of a chance meeting in college, cemented into place by taking out the top spot in a talent contest judged by EPMD - resulting in them being signed to the well-respected label and their career making a stratospheric launch into the higher echelons of rap fame after their first album went platinum and was released to much critical acclaim. With more than 20 years, five albums and an endless number of singles to their names, we’re pretty pleased to announce the next Das EFX tour down under - catch them at the Prince Bandroom on Friday September 28.
Where’s the strangest place you’ve woken up? Underneath a coffee table. Nothing crazy, just was super tired and crawled under my parents coffee table and passed out! Woke up in a coffin like confusion. Describe yourself using the title of a song. The Lion King opening credits. What was the weirdest thing you believed as a child? If your finger nail came completely off, you were 50% dead. The most awkward moment you’ve had as a DJ? Opening up with Stayin’ Alive by The BeeGees and standing there with a blank expression on my face. Nothing but seriousness. What would be the worst dance track in the world to be tortured with on repeat? Levels. What’s the most played record in your bag? Soilwork - Stabbing The Drama. Literally cannot stop listening to it. Gold. What question would you like to ask an omniscient, all-knowing being before you die? Would probably just have small talk about where this ‘being’ came from over a bowl of cereal. If you hadn’t made it as a DJ, what job would you choose to work in instead? Would have been a cop for sure. When and where is your next gig? Eurotrash on Thursday July 19.
MELBOURNEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S NEW EPIC SATURDAY CLUB NIGHT TATE STRAUSS s PHIL ROSS s MATTY G SARAH ROSS s JOE SOFO s FINLO WHITE DEAN T s SARAH ROBERTS
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PHD PURE PARTY: 10 YEARS OF PURE HARD DANCE The Pure Hard Dance (PHD) concept has and always will be thinking of ways to create a personal environment where everyone can feel comfortable and safe. “Not to mention a brand with a high level of standard in terms of music, DJs and stage production,” explains Brendan (Soul-T), the man behind the name. “PHD is a result of how I want to feel in a club and what I believe clubbing should be, he says humbly. “And although I own and run PHD, I am just a person with a hope and ambition to achieve all of this. The bigger stars are the rest of the guys involved in making all this possible.” To backtrack for a moment though - musically, life for Brendan began when he bought his first vinyl single with money given to him by his mum. “She actually gave me the money to buy a small toy way back when I was four years old,” he explains. “My mum always reminded me of that as my musical career progressed!” Indeed, he has moved from running his own mobile DJ business; to undertaking smaller and larger scale events that would ultimately see him release mixed compilation albums, own a record store and later kick another goal with his own label, PHD Digital Recordings which has had numerous #1 releases on dance portals around the world. And that magical spirit – the sound – has always inspired him. While musically, the brand is associated with harder, more energetic electronic sounds, Brendan admits music has always been an inspiration and as such, narrowing his love down to a specific, single genre would be false economy. “It’s really shallow in my opinion,” he chimes. “Having been a part of the many changes in styles and sounds over the years has helped me to keep an open mind. There is music for any time and place, occasion and emotion. On a professional level I choose to work within the harder styles of electronic music but that’s not all I listen to. From a trance music point of view, the energy and emotion, the ambience and reaction it creates in a club environment is what appeals to me most. There are a lot of international artists and producers that this applies to as well and there are plenty of local producers that inspire me as well. All artists deserve our full respect.” No doubt. So to celebrate the trademark’s 10th birthday, Brendan is all about a party. “We can’t just let ten years of PHD pass us by and not celebrate so I’ve been working hard on the party of a lifetime! I want a celebration party that will be remembered for years to come as well as setting a totally new benchmark for these kinds of events. I can’t reveal too much but I suggest people bring their cameras or wait for the DVD documentary to be released after the Melbourne gig! We are also proud to announce that for $5 extra, we will be giving the first 150 people an opportunity to upgrade their entry tickets to VIP, where our good friends from The Home Baking Company will be
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showcasing their selection of finger food.” To be sure, Brendan has gone one better - commissioning another little surprise for fans. “The 10 Years Of Pure Hard Dance double CD is what we’ve done.” The compilation will underpin the Australia-wide tour that will also take in Malaysia and potentially some other dates as well – and it’s available now. Brendan continues: “the first CD takes in the first ten years with every track being carefully selected to represent the entire period. From tracks that date right back to the beginning, to newer tracks people are hearing right now, each one is relevant and each will arouse memories of fans’ experience at our events in the past.” The first CD features artists such as Technoboy, Scot Project, DJ Isaac, Cosmic Gate and many more which Brendan hopes will have punters listening to it for a while. The second CD represents tracks licensed and released on the PHD Digital imprint. Artists featured on this CD include Karpe-DM, DJ eM, DJ Husband, Bexta and Soul-T himself. “This CD makes a statement that Melbourne has the talent to take to the rest of the world,” says Brendan. “All of this, 38 tracks and an awesome 12 page full color lift out booklet will make this a double CD compilation that people will definitely want in their collection.” That said, it hasn’t been easy to incorporate things across two CDs into a single, congruent whole. The scene has changed considerably, people have grown older and new fashion trends now reign across the airwaves. And Brendan agrees: “it would be a lie for anyone to say the scene hasn’t changed. If the scene didn’t change then it would never progress and for something to never progress would be sad, boring and totally unnatural. The same applies to music. Sure people have fond memories of a particular sound or even an era that was years ago, it doesn’t mean that that was in fact the best time for music and the best days of the scene. “Different people perceive and expect different things from their clubbing experience. Fashion changes, music changes, people change. Even though the scene has become less of a priority for some people these days, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it doesn’t exist. There are still producers that are writing great music and promoters that are working very hard at putting on shows people will enjoy and talk about in years to come. I hope others would consider me as one of these people!” So after it’s all said and done, is the lad happy about things right now? “I am stoked yes,” he professes proudly. “Ten years is a long time by any measure and particularly in the music scene where attention spans are low, music and people are always evolving and brand shelf life is usually limited. I am proud to say that most people have had some contact with PHD in their lives and I believe that this is a result of the admiration and respect I have shown the
COVER STORY
“A lot of the album is about being contemplative and questioning the things that have happened in my life, as opposed to maybe just laying doing my stance on things and that’s it.” people that I have come into contact with.” “We always book DJs to play that are always of the highest calibre possible; we always want to bring it to the punters and that helps people to believe in the love that the PHD family represents. Our many ‘sons and daughters’ are growing up; others have become our good friends and continue to follow us through our journey.” Finally, he busts a few words on the local gig to celebrate all things PHD. And it would be remiss of us to dismiss his desire to marvel in the glory just a little more. “I’m looking forward to playing on the night; I am a flexible and versatile DJ and play according to my set time, venue and audience. I play old school trance, hard trance or hardstyle anthems as well as the harder sounds coming out of Holland and Italy right now. In some sets, I will incorporate everything. The people in front of me are my priority during my set. I never plan things and I try very hard to please everyone. Most times I pull it off,” he adds in jest. So expect the following on the night: “from the DJs and promoters, to the lighting guys and door staff, we are
all really looking forward to PHD’s 10th Birthday party at The Hi-Fi. I am sparing no expense to make this a night to remember for all involved. I have people working with me that share my passion in relation to events. There will be caterers in the exclusive VIP area, stage and film production crews to DJs and promoters working in front and behind the scenes. You can also get your limited PHD merchandise online at pureharddance.com, at facebook. com/brendansoult or at any of the PHD 10 events. You can also get the CD at all good record stores and online. This night will raise the bar in big room events and will be talked about for many years to come!” Here’s hoping. RK PHD’s 10th Birthday Party goes down Saturday July 28 at The Hi-Fi. 10 Years Of PHD mixed by Soul-T [AUS] is available in stores and iTunes from Friday July 20.
THE BIG MAG FOR CLUB CULTURE
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SATURDAY21ST EMPIRE
WEDNESDAY18TH WEDNESDAYS AT CO. Don’t have lectures tomorrow? Need a break from writing that last-minute assignment? Or simply just celebrating the end of hump day? Don’t miss Melbourne’s biggest midweek party night – Wednesdays @ Co.! With free entry and discounted drinks for students all night long! Co., Crown Entertainment Complex, Lvl 3, 8 Whiteman St, Southbank
WEDNESDAYS AT LOUNGE Enter the middle of the week; for some it’s the beginning of the weekend, for others it’s a break from study, for those of us who are travelling, it probably has no real significance (unless you’re wanting to party with the hot European girls from the hostel...because any day is simply another day when you’re travelling). Your midweek stomping ground, featuring DJs Danny Silver, Manchild & Mu-Gen. Free entry. From 10pm. Lounge, 243 Swanston Street, Melbourne
WEDNESDAYS AT THE ORDER Deep, dark, minimal dubstep and drum and bass. Laundry Bar, 50 Johnston Street, Fitzroy
THURSDAY19TH DUBSTEP THURSDAYS It’s Dubstep, it’s Eurotrash, it’s new, it’s the vibe, it’s Thursdays, it’s weekly and it’s free. So get down to Eurotrash and get your wobble on. Eurotrash Bar, 18 Corrs Lane, Off Chinatown, Melbourne CBD
FUN HOUSE Celebrate Thursday night at Co. with club classics and dance floor anthems. Co., Crown Entertainment Complex, Lvl 3, 8 Whiteman St, Southbank
THURSDAYS AT LOUNGE The Black Pancake Club is where disc-jockeys bring in their treasured record collections to share with yaw’ll. Expect undiscovered nuggets, lost gems, far out there covers, moog inspired themes, and a host of other eclectic delicacies and toppings for your black pancakes! Taste makers on rotation include Shags, LA Pocock, Slim Charles, Andras Fox, Richie 1250, Simon Winkler, Danielson, Ms Butt and Mike Gurrieri. Free entry. From 10pm. Lounge, 243 Swanston Street, Melbourne
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WONDERLUST Fate, karma, the yin and the yang, the balance between chaos and order or divine intervention? A new spiritual high has emerged from the cosmic energies of the universe and it’s called Wonderlust! As luck would have it you can come and experience the effects of this strange new phenomena every Thursday night at The Carlton! Carlton Club, 193 Bourke Street, Melbourne
Get ready for the mega sounds at Empire, Melbourne’s epic new Saturday club night with 5 places to party! Mega sounds from top acts Hed Kandi, Piero and Chris Luder plus resident DJs Tate Strauss, Miss Sarah, Nova, Johnny M, Matty G, Dean T, Joe Sofo, Marcus Knight, Dinesh, Chris Ostrom, B-Boogie and Sarah Roberts. Co., Crown Entertainment Complex, Lvl 3, 8 Whiteman St, Southbank
EDEN SATURDAYS Stunning new venue in the heart of the city – one BIG Party! We bring you the best Top 40 dance, house & R&B in a state of the art venue you have to see! Eden, 163 Russell St, CBD
FRIDAY20TH CQ FRIDAYS The weekend starts here! Get on down for after work drinks from 5pm with DJs Marcus Knight, Mark Pellegrini, Nick Van Wilder & DJ Anferny getting your weekend started right. 5pm til 3am. CQ, 113 Queen St, Melbourne
FIRST FLOOR FRIDAYS A journey of international music from all over the world; past, present and future rhythms incorporating afro, soul, funk, world and deep house elements! First Floor, 393 Brunswick St, Fitzroy
FREEDOM PASS Friday’s at Freedom with 2 premier clubs, 5 huge rooms, 10+ local and international DJs blending their unique sets across countless styles of tunes – vocal house, smooth R&B, electro and commercial top 40. Throw in a few sexy podium dancers, a world-class lights show and drink specials, the Freedom Pass is your personal ticket to a night you won’t soon forget! Fusion, Crown Entertainment Complex, Lvl 3, 8 Whiteman St, Southbank
FRIDAYS AT LOUNGE “It might blow up but it won’t go pop” is the philosophy at Buhloone Mindstate and features Melbourne’s finest bands and DJs playing every Friday night, late. That’s just how we roll. We’re all about the late night boogie. Expect all things funk, hip-hop, soul, reggae, disco, boogie and house. Lounge, 243 Swanston Street, Melbourne
RETRO SEXUAL FRIDAY DJ Grandmaster Vicious spins Fitzroy’s finest mix of ‘80s and ‘90s pop, rock, new wave, hip hop, disco classics and cheese to please plus dance floor anthems from then to now. One Twenty Bar, 120 Johnston St, Fitzroy
ESSENTIALS
EUROTRASH HOUSE PARTY Put your hands in the air with some of Melbourne’s best party DJs, including including Mu-Gen, Lace em’ Tight and more. Eurotrash Bar, 18 Corrs Lane, Off Chinatown, Melbourne CBD
EY:EM EY:EM at Lounge features residents Boogs & Who, who will host Melbourne’s top purveyors of club music, showcasing both local and international DJs playing the most upfront club music. With rotating DJs Dave Pham, Sleep D, Bryce Lawrence, Louis McCoy, Caine Sinclair, Glyn Hill & Toby Mackisack. Expect nothing but excellent house music all night long. And remember, clubbing happens in the EY:EM. $10 from 11pm. Lounge, 243 Swanston Street, Melbourne
FIRST FLOOR SATURDAYS It’s house, electro, dub, anthems, disco and funk with guest DJs Genetix, B-Two and Oohee rocking til the break of day. Doors open 10pm with $5 basics til midnight! First Floor, 393 Brunswick St, Fitzroy
SATURDAYS AT ONE TWENTY BAR DJ CKass will take you on a musical journey to the retro sounds of the ‘70s and ‘80s, followed by Top 40. One Twenty Bar, 120 Johnston St, Fitzroy
TEXTILE Saturdays at Lucky Coq tick all the boxes so start your night early and stay til close! Famous $4 pizzas from 7-9pm (that’s dinner sorted) then from 9pm spread over two levels with DJs playing hip hop, funk, disco, house and electro. Rotating guests on both levels keep the tunes fresh. Free entry. Lucky Coq, 179 Chapel St, Windsor
SUNDAY22ND SOUTH SIDE HUSTLE The perfect Sunday soundtrack with DJs Askew, Peter Baker, Booshank, Paz, Miss Butt, Junji, Disco Harry and guests. They will be laying down disco, afro beat and deep house til 3am. For lovers of good music - South Side Hustle. Lucky Coq, 179 Chapel St, Windsor
STAR BAR SUNDAYS The original and still the best Sunday in Melbourne. Star Bar, 160 Clarendon St, South Melbourne
SUNDAE SHAKE Our Signature serve. Each and every Sunday we play host to a self professed vinyl junkie caught between the golden years and boogie wonderland. A mouthful? Perhaps. Phato Amano perfectly sets the mood for an audio-adventure that redefines the dance floor weekly. Our Sunday aficionados Agent 86 and Tigerfunk stir up a full cream shake to the flavour of your liking. Forget everything you thought you knew about losing yourself to the grooves. Bimbo Deluxe, 376 Brunswick St (Cnr Rose St), Fitzroy
MONDAY2ND IBIMBO Have you always wanted to be a DJ but been cruelly cursed with tone deafness and a general inability to version excursion? Well Bimbo Deluxe saves the day once again.. All you need is an iPhone and you’re set. Just download the free ‘remote’ application from the app store, log into the Bimbo DJ wireless network and you choose which song plays next. Bimbo Deluxe, 376 Brunswick St (Cnr Rose St), Fitzroy
TUESDAY3RD BIMBO TUESDAYS
Star Saturdays - smashing it every Saturday! Phil Ross, Scotty Erdos, DJ Ontime, LC, Nick James, Dane Gains, Ryan Hamill, Deja, Phil Isa, Nixon, Azza M, Scotty Nix, DJ Ryza, C Dubb, Alex-J, G-Funk, Dylisco, Achos, Az, Shaggz and guests. Star Bar, 160 Clarendon St, South Melbourne
Bimbo Tuesday’s have long been the discerning DJs midweek breath of fresh air. An opportunity to indulge in, and to each parade their individual takes on music. A night where by the weird and wonderful is not frowned upon but rather celebrated. Resident selectors Matt Radovich, Andras Fox and Henry Who draw from a colorful array of sounds that warm your midweek blues. From 8pm, free. Bimbo Deluxe, 376 Brunswick St (Cnr Rose St), Fitzroy
TEMPERANCE SATURDAYS
COSMIC PIZZA
STAR SATURDAYS
DJ Marcus Knight & DJ Xander James drop sexy house, dance and drum and bass all night from 8pm. Free entry. Temperance Hotel, 426 Chapel St, South Yarra
NHJ and friends host every Tuesday night upstairs at Lucky Coq. Playing uneasy listening, freaked out bass jams, romantic comedy disco, tropi-jazz, soundtracks and shit you won’t hear on the other nights. Lucky Coq, 179 Chapel St, Windsor
LIL’ LOUIS
“I wanted to make sure my perspective was as objective as possible and transcends what I love, like or think.”
BUILDING HOUSE: SWEET HOME CHICAGO There is an inextinguishable flame burning within Lil’ Louis and it’s fuelled by his passion for life, love and the constant desire to discover, learn and create. Not only is the Chicagoan one of the few DJs who can truly say “I was there” for the dawn of house music, he is but one of a clutch who can honestly say “I will always be there”. Lil’ Louis has been a beating heart continually pumping lifeblood through the veins of house music and is an integral part of its DNA. It’s not unheard of for Lil’ Louis to be likened to a kind of visionary, founding father or even house music Nostradamus. Lil’ Louis began DJing in a time when most of us weren’t even a twinkle in our parents’ eyes. Thirty-eight years later he has seen many trends come and go, but like a proud and puffy-chested parent, Lil’ Louis has not only watched house music ferry itself from ground-breaking to influential genre, he was a guiding hand in a movement that saw house music become as culturally relevant as rock and roll, punk or hip hop.
been given their dues - that people don’t even know about. I’ve interviewed about 165 DJs and I’ve spoken to some of the ‘veteran DJs’ and mentioned a name and they’ll say ‘I’ve never heard of this person’ and i’ll say ‘well you should have because that person is very instrumental in house music and this is how they are instrumental in house music’. So I’m going to connect all those dots so that even an ‘educated house aficionado’ will learn something,” he says. “There are people in the documentary whose style of music I may not love, or I may not get some of the songs they have produced, but that has nothing to do with this film. This film covers house music and it covers the love of house music and the evolution of house music, so I removed myself from all that as a director and just frankly covered it. I think that is going to be pretty refreshing too and perhaps a bit controversial.”
“Square one is the result of what happened, what I want to do is explain what led up to that result, what led up to that action. I’m delving as deeply as I can go within my fibre to articulate to people what this [house music] is really all about.” he says.
High Tech Soul: The Creation of Techno Music and Pump Up The Volume: The History Of House Music (worthwhile viewing until house music reaches the UK) are two films that made significant steps in giving these electronic and long-standing genres a voice. Other films to recently document the importance of house and techno include; Paris/Berlin: 20 Years of Underground Techno, Sub Berlin: Story of Tresor Club and Back In The House: NYC House Scene Documentary. Together these films have mustered a voice that can explain to people that not all DJs wear sunglasses at night in tight T-shirts branded “Fuck Me I’m Famous” and that club goers aren’t drug fuelled ravers in gas masks and happy-pants. “The funniest thing about the house music culture is sometimes it can be misconstrued. I know doctors that love house music, I know lawyers that love house music, I know people from all walks of life that love house music, but people do other things; you make love, you make mistakes, you evolve in life,” he says.
The documentary is far from being a film focused on big noting iconic legends and praising the already sung heroes of house music. It is also geared toward uncovering a brethren of behind the scenes players and modern days messiahs that helped define and redefine the genre. It canvasses a far flung body of DJs from Frankie Knuckles and Theo Parrish to David Guetta and Armin Van Bureen to Ben UFO and Kode 9. “There are a lot of unsung heroes that I am going to introduce to the world, there are a lot of people [DJs and producers] that have never
Lil’ Louis’ The House That Chicago Built plans to leapfrog the efforts of previous film-makers in documenting house music and he says, “I wish people had done their due diligence, had done more research, had spoken with people and not taken advice from people that weren’t there the entire time [when making their films]. If I give a view point of something that has spanned many decades, and if I give a view point of a few years in one decade, there’s no way I can say I covered it. So many things lead up to things which helped it evolve,” he says while adding
He is now amid the editing process of his game-changing documentary The House That Chicago Built, which according to a confidently spoken Lil’ Louis, excavates deeper into the roots and happenstances of house music more than any other documentary before it.“We are going back to the roots of square one, I’m going back even further. I don’t want it to be a film of ‘I did this and I sold six million copies of French Kiss and we did that’ - it’s so much more deeper than that. There’s a reason why people love this type of music and there’s a reason why we wrote what we wrote, felt what we felt and expressed what we expressed - so that’s going beyond square one,” he says.
DR. NO + MINISTER PARTNERS IN CRIME: ADMINISTERING BASS Minister aka Scotty Hinds is the man behind the new Oh My Didays video – well worth a check. His emceeing is raw, the beats are fat and the connection he has with dubstep, drum and bass as well as hip hop – completely evident. Doubtless, this is a unique sound and one that the lads can genuinely call their own. Lads by the way are the duo that call themselves Dr. NO + Minister - and consist of DJ Cubist and Scotty Hinds. Their musical collaboration began in 2009 yet individually, they go back years before that. Indeed, Minister’s partner-in-crime Dr. NO (Cubist) has released on some reputable UK labels and has now hooked up with Scotty to really drop the bass. And now, the boys bring everything together to create their new swag. “I got started at about 16 years old,” explains Scotty. “I was part of a small crew and we made a bit of a name for ourselves. We were getting out there with our music around 2005, which was about four years after we’d been established in England. By then we’d also made some good contacts in Australia with guys like Flagrant and as
a result, we did a little tour out here as well. From there, some of us stayed in Australia and some members were back in England.” But things have changed now – it’s onwards and upwards without looking back. Only the benefit of hindsight remains. And Scotty continues: “the thing with Dr. NO was that he was part of a local crew; we got to know Eden through the local Wobble nights and we realised that he had the same insights into music as us. We understood the way our music worked and he had the same idea. We started on the Dr. NO + Minster project and decided we’d see what we were doing - and we did pretty well out of it. It got to a point where we thought we’ve got something quite nice that we’re happy with. The next thing we knew we wanted to do was get into the studio – and things there have been going well for two years.” “Writing songs in the studio, you have to watch things as they happen around you; it took us a while to find our feet but working with Eden, the way he puts a tune together, someone might record a vocal a sample or a
LEE COOMBS THEMS THE BREAKS: WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE “There wasn’t a scene really,” says Lee Coombs of his formative days in the late 1980s. “We made the scene back then by going to very small events and warehouse parties. Everything was so new and exciting. What made it special was the fact that it was new to everybody at the time.” While much has changed since he first hit the scene in 1989 the passion and energy that inspired a young Coombs is still there. That energy will be with him as prepares to head back down under. “I try and come every year, I think I have only missed one year since coming for the first time,” the veteran DJ says with reverence. The man behind anthems like Feel It and Out Of My Mind will be embarking on his 10th visit to Australia and says fans can expect his live show to feature “lots” of new music. “I have been writing nonstop, I spend a lot of time in the studio writing new material, remixing and re-editing tracks so I can have new stuff to play in my set that no one else has. Stuff to keep me ahead of the game. Also I love to play a few classics.”
DJ” likes to maintain his roots, despite technological changes. “I don’t want to look at a computer screen when I DJ. I don’t think the crowd wants me to either,” he proclaims adamantly. “I played records for years so the next step was to play CDs which is fine because you can still beat match and mix them basically the same as record. But as far as a laptop goes I’m not there.” While he appreciates technology and software like Ableton Live, Coombs believes that a part of the dance scene is being lost. Even so he sounds to be excited by the growth the scene has experienced in the past few years. “Now it’s enormous, way too big to even compare [to before]. All the genres of music and different artists out there, this year looks like it has changed things too with the mass exposure of certain artists winning Grammys.” As many things have changed, dance music is still ultimately about having a good time. “People still want to go out and listen to good music and dance with their friends. That hasn’t stopped and it won’t either.”
Always the consummate DJ, he hasn’t slowed down when it comes to touring. “I just went to Bangkok, Thailand and Phnom Penh in Cambodia and had a great time.” Throughout his travels the self-professed “old school
The mainstream acceptance and sprouting up of festivals and gigs is clearly in a different stratosphere from what Coombs and his cohorts experienced in the budding days. “I went to quite a lot of illegal warehouse parties
House music is no longer combing the underground and a certain strain has long been staple in top 40 charts, but is this something people realise? “If you think about it, house music has permeated every aspect of society and that’s the most beautiful thing about being the founding father, I’ve seen something that I started in 1974 and I’ve seen it grow into this amazing thing. Now everywhere you look, every single place you go - television commercials, film, whatever - you see house music, you feel house music, you are in the presence of house music. Because of that I wanted to expand the scope and the definition of house music,” Lil’ Louis says. House music has become one of those classic clichés, where if you were to ask someone like Lil’ Louis if they thought it would ever amount to what is has today, most would likely say no, but Lil’ Louis remains adamant he has always knew it could be this big and bigger. “I always felt what I was doing was really special and I knew it had serious potential. People have likened me to a visionary, but I don’t think there is a visionary outside of God that can predict the complete end of something, so I wouldn’t say I could have predicted house to be as ensconce as it is, but I can definitely say I thought it was bigger than what most people thought it was,” he says. Ironically a life source of house music came in 1979 when disco was “declared dead” by popular Cleveland radio shock jock Steve Dahl, who in a rapacious publicity stunt - by the way of a Chicago White Sox vs Detroit Tigers baseball game - filled a crate with disco records and blew it up on the field to the raucous stadium chants of “disco sucks”. Many disco producers at the time felt the stunt carried ill-boding and racial undertones, but disco was not dead, it just burrowed deeper underground. “When disco was declared dead in 1979 there were a lot of people that completely abandoned house music, particularly in Chicago. I remember having some conversations with prominent DJs and I kept telling them to stay the course - this music is going to be big again and it will be bigger than ever - people used to laugh all of the time at my predictions,” he says. Lil’ Louis is as much a house music pioneer, as he is a producer, filmmaker, historian or educator, but it is his DJ sets that remind us why we are here in the first place. “I don’t divide my set up, or divide my crate up - I’m still going to call it create by the way - and say OK 47 per cent is going to be educational and 20 per cent will be what they want and the rest will be whatever. I don’t look at it that way.” After all his years of DJing and touring, Lil’ Louis will finally play Australia for the first time and excitedly says “I know whatever I am feeling you are going to feel and I think that is what has sustained in me for 38 years, people know that when I am up
there [DJing] I am not compromising, I’m not faking, I’m very focused on pleasure and that’s a two way pleasure - pleasing and being pleased. So that is what I am going to bring to Australia and everywhere I go,” he says while adding “One thing I have noticed about the Australian’sis that they are passionate people and I am a passionate person - so passion meets passion.” James Manning Lil’ Louis [USA] plays New Guernica on Friday July 20.
beat and we go from there. Now that we’ve worked out the best way for us to work, things are getting there! The way we see it, music genres are coming full circle. I love drum and bass; I was into it at the beginning and then, it was one of those things that we got into because we could basically just enjoy it and chill out to it. Then it moved into drum and bass and became a bit more banging; and then it was mixed with dub and hip hop and then really became mad! For me, there are only two types of music. Good music and bad music; I’ve grown up in the carnival type of environment because my uncle was the carnival king of Reading in England where I’m from! Believe that.” So as a result of that and no doubt various other influences, the guys wanted to do the same with a club night. “We wanted to get the vibe massive, so what we’ve done here is just married music to different genres,” chimes Scotty. “We said that 140 beats per minute was going to be our restraint so as long as things fit into that square, it works. The Wobble nights are usually pretty big but we also wanted to ensure they were accessible. It’s the same reason people listen to hip hop – we keep it gritty and it’s got to be something you can move to.” Finally, the crew is getting together to down a few brews and enjoy the night out, Wobble style. Scotty wraps up with this: “we’ve got our launch party this month which we’re all pretty excited about; I think it’s on the 21st July down at Wobble. All of us will be playing the tunes from the EP. There are five tracks in total of which four are completely new and original – unplayed!
around 1989-90, they were dangerous as hell to be honest, with the police trying to stop them all night and arrest the DJs and promoters.” The opposition and threat from authorities bonded these music rebels together. “It felt special to be together with like-minded people in this underground scene with all the new music. I fell in love with the whole thing and it’s the reason I still continue to DJ and write music today.” Before Lee Coombs ‘the producer,’ he was focused solely on developing his craft as a DJ and learning as much as he could. “I got so far into the music that I wanted to meet anybody who could help me get access to more of it.” It wasn’t until the early 90s that he first made his foray into producing. He was invited by fellow house legend Nick Annies to write a track with him on a sampler and 4-track recorder at his studio. “It was a very basic setup but it worked and all of a sudden I had something I could play with other records when I DJd. That was a real buzz and it became very addictive.” The duo continued to write more tunes and ended up pressing their own records. “It all went from there really. If you’re passionate about something you will always find a way to achieve your goal.” Along with his original productions, Coombs has built quite the reputation for remixing the likes of UNKLE, Paul Oakenfold and Plump DJs and doesn’t appear to be slowing down. “I still do plenty of remixes, I probably have one or two on the go at anytime. It might be the groove of the track or the sounds in it which pull me in. But normally it’s the other artists that approach me and ask me to do the remixes of their tunes.” As much as he has enjoyed collaborating with the likes of Meat Katie, Nick Thayer and Katherine Ellis, Coombs enjoys being a self-sufficient artist. “I have a great setup in my studio and I love working there, doing my own mixing FEATURES
We’ll still throw some things in that we’re feeling and if it fits, we’ll give it a run. As long as a beat or a track is ok, I can spit a verse over it. Should be good.” Truer, more modest words never spoken. RK Dr. NO + Minister [AUS] launch their self-titled EP at Wobble at The Night Owl on Saturday July 21. It’s released on Friday July 20 through Stamper Records.
and production. Years ago I used to take my tracks to other studios to get them mixed but now I do everything myself.” Keeping things in-house, no pun intended, he recently remixed Kosheen’s latest single Manequine and is in the process of writing an album under his moniker of The Freakazoids. He is also pumped about his production work on the next album from The Drumattic Twins. “It has never sounded so big. I’m very excited about it and can’t wait to get it out to the world.” Andrew ‘Hazard’ Hickey Lee Coombs [UK] performs alongside Rennie Pilgrem [UK] at The Royal Melbourne Hotel on Friday July 20.
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got in on the action, hey. Saturday August 10, The Espy, The Espy, 11 The Esplanade, St Kilda
THE PHARCYDE
WEDNESDAY18TH COMPRESSION SESSION Reggae at E55 every Wednesday night. Resident selectors play stricly vinyl. Free entry. 8pm. E55, 55 Elizabeth St, Melbourne CBD
THURSDAY19TH RHYTHM-AL-ISM Start the weekend early with Fusion’s Resident DJs. Music for your funkin’ soul. Fusion, Crown Entertainment Complex, Lvl 3, 8 Whiteman St, Southbank
FRIDAY20TH FAKTORY This is it. Faktory Fridays are open for business at Melbourne’s home of R&B, Khokolat Bar. Where else? Damion De Silva, Ken Walker, Durmy, K Dee, Simon Sez, Yaths and Jacqui Dusk spinning all night long. Khokolat Bar, Basement, 43 Hardware La, Melbourne
LIKE FRIDAYS Like Fridays at La Di Da serves up R&B and electro house across two rooms giving you a fun filled end to your week. DJs Dinesh, Dir-X, Sef, NYD, Shaun D, Shaggz, Broz and more. La Di Da, 577 Little Bourke St, Melbourne
LIGHT The buzz is Light at RedLove every Friday. Hitting out that R&B flavour of old, new and everything in between! RedLove Resident DJs Stel, Harvey Yeah, TMC and Ripz on the wheels of
steel from 6.30pm. If you don’t know, now you know! Check it! Red Love, Level 1, 401 Swanston Street, Melbourne
THE LOOSE GOOSE The Loose Goose is focused on providing a wonderful array of cocktails and offers a great CBD location to lounge and relax in while overlooking busy Flinders Lane. A small plates menu is available to graze on whilst trying our delicious cocktails from the classics to contemporary, beer on tap and a wide range of beers, wines and spirits. Every Friday evening DJ Jumps of The Cat Empire will take to the decks at the bar spinning his rare afro Latin funk vinyl collected from around the world from 6.30pm until late. Papa Goose Cocktail Bar, 91-93 Flinders Lane, Melbourne
SWEET NOTHING FRIDAYS DJ Marcus Knight and DJ Xander James spin hip hop, R&B and house tunes all night from 8pm. Free entry and early drink specials. Temperance Hotel, 426 Chapel St, South Yarra
THE NICE UP Tom Showtime presents The Nice Up. All flavours of hip hop, ghetto funk and reggae niceness provided. Sailor Jerry nice up the cocktails, Dos Blockos nice up the $5 beers. Fridays done proper. George Lane Bar, 1 George Lane, St Kilda
SATURDAY22ND REDLOVE SATURDAYS RedLove Saturdays is all about solid classics from the ‘80s, ‘90s and into the ‘00s! Dropping beats of retro pop, disco classics, old school funk, and certainly some of that old school r&b and house to kick! RedLove Resident DJs Phil, HB Bear and Da Gato bringing down the house every Saturday night. If you’re looking for quality service, music to rock, sumptuous drinks and just a cold hard good time; look no further!
Red Love, Level 1, 401 Swanston Street, Melbourne 24 Moons, AC/DC Ln, Melbourne
UPCOMING HYPNOTIC BRASS ENSEMBLE After stunning Harvest Festival-goers late in 2011, Chi-town brothers Hypnotic Brass Ensemble have announced their welcome return to Australia. Born and raised in Chicago, the eight siblings which make up Hypnotic Brass Ensemble have gone on to captivate audiences worldwide with their impeccable blend of jazz, soul, funk and hip hop. Support on the night comes from our very own soul-proponents Saskwatch, plus Judge Pino & The Ruling Motions. Thursday July 26, The Espy, The Espy, 11 The Esplanade, St Kilda
RICK ROSS After cancelling his planned visit for this year’s Supafest, Rick Ross is set to make do with an Australian tour this September. Rickay Rozay has established himself as one of the biggest titans in modern rap, guesting with the likes of Kanye West and Diddy and building the Maybach Music Group empire in the process. The tour comes after the long-awaited release of God Forgives, I Don’t. Thursday September 6, Festival Hall, 300 Dudley Street, West Melbourne
HOME BREW Don’t know who New Zealand hip hop crew Home Brew are? That’s weird. You should ask NZ Prime Minister John Key or the University Of Auckland about them - after causing a bunch of people with their knickers in a twist to lose their shit over a music video poking fun at idiots who drink-drive, the group’s propensity for irreverence and cheeky laughs is sure to appeal to Australian crowds. Having recently released their eponymous debut album to critical acclaim and finding it debuting at #1 on the New Zealand music charts, throwing a 48-hour party to celebrate in an old brother, then having their controversial pop up store shut down early, it’s high time we
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Los Angeles hip hop outfit The Pharcyde have been kicking it together for two decades, now. Doesn’t feel like it, given their enduring reputation for cutting-edge, forward-thinking beats and rhymes. Go on, have a listen to Bizarre Ride II: The Pharcyde again, 20 years on - its sense of timelessness is a rare thing, with classics such as Oh Shit, Otha Fish, Ya’ Mama, and hit single, Passing Me By guaranteeing the record its rightful place in best-of collections by everyone from Pitchfork to the Source. It isn’t often a group with their cheeky self-deprecating and incisive humour come along and set to make a return to Australia soon, we can guarantee this is one gig you definitely don’t want to pass you by. Thursday August 23, The Espy, The Espy, 11 The Esplanade, St Kilda
ILLY Laying relatively low since absolutely smashing it last year with his sophomore LP The Chase, Illy has announced his return to the stage in preparation for his third LP. As well as showcasing his massive hits, none moreso than the ubiquitous It Can Wait, the tour will be the first chance for fans to hear material from the upcoming album. The first taste of the new record comes in the form of Heard It All, a single which is already gaining traction on national radio. Friday September 7, The Corner Hotel, 57 Swan Street, Richmond
BONE THUGS-N-HARMONY Grammy Award winning hip hop legends Krayzie Bone and Wish Bone from Bone Thugs-N-Harmony are returning to their “second home” Australia, having already sold out over 20 Australian performances in the past. Having reformed for a upcoming performance at Rock The Bells in August this year, the group have created their fair share of interest regarding the possibilities of a new album, and have been introduced to a new generation of hip hop fans thanks to the likes of Drake and Wiz Khalifa expressing their admiration. Thursday September 20, The Espy, The Espy, 11 The Esplanade, St Kilda
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THE BIG MAG FOR CLUB CULTURE
MARK GARDENER BY CHRIS GIRDLER
When is a reunion tour not a reunion tour? Well, the short answer is: when you don’t bring the rest of your band with you and only half your material is from what is documented as your heyday. There has recently been a surge of early ‘90s British bands such as The Stone Roses, Suede and Blur enjoying the lucrative benefits of nostalgia, but Ride’s Mark Gardener isn’t playing that game. While his upcoming tour will deliver on some of his former band’s shoegaze classics, he’s integrating new material, including an unreleased collaboration with Robin Guthrie and soundtrack music from the excellent Creation Records documentary Upside Down. Gardener’s new round of shows mark the 20th anniversary of the release of Ride’s sophomore album Going Blank Again. This reveal instantly started online debate about what Ride’s best album was (most people’s answer seemed to be their 1990 debut, Nowhere). I asked Gardener if he considered Going Blank Again the best Ride album or whether it was more that its anniversary coinciding with a good time for him to get back on the road. “Making that album was the most enjoyable experience I had being in Ride,” recalls Gardener. “It’s an album where we all felt like we were working well together and firing on all cylinders. And, on a personal note, I had more of the writing input with that record. I do have to stress, though, that it’s not me coming out and playing the album from start to finish, because only Ride could do that. The anniversary was timely in that I had quite a lot of collaborations over the last few years that haven’t been heard, so it’s a chance to play lots of new stuff to people as well. These sets will span my last 20 years and Ride was a good part of that, but this is not me coming to be Ride, because only Ride could do that. It will include some older, familiar songs, but it will be taking people to new places as well. I have to strike the right balance.” Gardener is currently touring with a full backing band, Sky Parade, so the shows will be a marked contrast from the acoustic solo performances of his last visit to Australia. “It
kind of puts the edge back onto some of the early material, but they’ve also been learning the new stuff,” he explains. “I will strip down part of the set as well, but it will be nice to have a band there to get it noisy. I had such a good time on the last tour and remember thinking I’d love to come back here with a band one day. I didn’t think it would take this long!” I asked whether a reunion tour with Ride was ever something that was on the cards. “We have talked about it because we do get together each year,” says Gardener. “We do get offers and would be paid very well for doing it, but we’ve been busy living in the present and I just think it would be a bit weird to go back to it all. I don’t mind playing songs I did years ago and I’ve always addressed them acoustically, but the band had a natural end point in 1996. I’m not dissing other bands for doing it, but the obvious reason is that they didn’t take out a pension plan and they’ll be paid handsomely. Ride never played any commercial games in that way and, other than money, I don’t see any reason why we’d be doing that now. A lot of younger people say, ‘But I never saw Ride live’, but you can’t rewind back to another time.” When Ride eventually did leave it all behind, it was with the cough and splutter of the much-maligned Tarantula. As the new millennium approached, a disenchanted Gardener travelled to and spent large chunks of time in France and
India, during what he calls his ‘cleansing period’. After returning to writing and performing in America, he has now settled back in Oxford and is enjoying his jack-of-all-trades roles of performer, collaborator, engineer and producer in his own studio. “For me, variation keeps life interesting,” concludes Gardener. “Ride was an incredible band to be a part of, but it was just one thing. After living and eating and breathing it for several years, it was tough to remove yourself from it,
but I was kind of relieved as well. I’ve never lost the passion for music and I like new challenges. The way I live my life now is how I always wanted it.”
night residency at The Old Bar in Fitzroy, playing albums by Tom Waits (Frank’s Wild Years), Leonard Cohen (Songs Of Love And Hate), Nick Cave (Your Funeral, My Trial) and Johnny Cash (American Recordings) in their entirety. While the opportunity to play some of his favourite albums, and formative influences, was exciting, it was also a heavy experience. “With Leonard Cohen, doing those songs was a bitter pill – some of them are very bleak,” Mikelangelo says. “And even with Nick Cave, that’s a very personal album. Doing the whole album was like going into Nick Cave’s dirty laundry and putting it all on!,” he laughs. This week Mikelangelo And The Tin Star play the Northcote Theatre, as part of that venue’s 100th anniversary celebrations. “I’ve been asked to play there a few times, but this is the first time it’s all worked out,” Mikelangelo says. Joining Mikelangelo on the night will be
St Clare, JP Shilo, Jack Howard (Hunters And Collectors) and Miles Brown (Night Terrors). “We’re also off to Europe soon, so it’ll be my bon voyage show. It’s a great spot, and a great room, and I think we can make it work.” Mikelangelo is one of relatively few musicians who’ve managed to make music a full-time career. It’s a challenge, and occasionally tough to manage. “I’m lucky that I do a lot of different things – MCing, theatrical performance, rock’n’roll,” Mikelangelo says. “I don’t expect everyone to like everything I’m doing, though I’d love it if they did. I’m my own artist, and that’s what I do. I bite off more than I can chew – that’s just my nature!” he laughs.
MARK GARDENER will perform at The Corner Hotel on Sunday August 5 with support from Underground Lovers and Sky Parade.
MIKELANGELO AND THE TIN STAR BY PATRICK EMERY
The fact that Mikelangelo – singer, guitarist, performer and eponymous front man of Mikelangelo And The Tin Star – grew up in the notionally staid pseudo-city of Canberra might be seen as incongruous. After all, Canberra doesn’t exactly have a reputation for cultural vibrancy. “It’s actually quite the opposite,” Mikelangelo counters. “I can understand why people passing through there might think that, but there’s this whole subterranean life going on there. It’s definitely a hard place to stay, but as a place to grow up in, it was fantastic. So many artists are from regional towns that don’t seem very exciting, but you have to look past the fence sittings – and Canberra is a bit like that.” Mikelangelo grew up in Canberra in the ‘70s and ‘80s, listening to his parents’ music collection. “I think one of the reasons I like Tom Waits is because of the grounding I had listening to music when I grew up,” he says. “Mum used to sing me these old gunfighter songs – which isn’t far from what I do now!” Mikelangelo said, laughing. By the early ‘80s Mikelangelo, though only in his early teens, was already checking out the local Canberra band scene; eventually he made his way to Sydney to see the various local and international bands on offer. “I remember seeing The Cramps in Sydney and thinking ‘That’s the man!’,” Mikelangelo recalls. Having already made the decision to become a musician and performer, Mikelangelo eventually formed the theatrical musical act the Black Sea Gentlemen, touring across Australia and into Europe. It was while playing the Edinburgh Festival with the Black Sea Gentlemen about seven years ago that Mikelangelo first crossed paths with Amanda Palmer, lead singer with The Dresden Dolls. It was a meeting that would subsequently lead to a tour, and onstage collaborations at both the Sydney Opera House and at The Old Bar in Fitzroy. “She was in the audience at a Black Sea Gentlemen show at the Edinburgh Festival, and she absolutely loved it,” Mikelangelo says. “I remember seeing this woman in the front row and thinking, ‘She’s really enjoying the show’. After the show she came up and said we should do some shows together. We ended up doing our first tour together in 2010. She’s a very dynamic
person, and both of us highly value spontaneity,” he says. It’s that sense of spontaneity that Mikelangelo says is at the heart of his own personal enjoyment of music, both as a performer and as a member of the audience. “For the audience, that sense of spontaneity is fantastic,” he says. “So often there’s a lack of spontaneity in what’s being performed. Rock’n’roll should always have some of that excitement — in some ways, having that openness and vulnerability is the opposite of self-indulgence.” A few years ago Mikelangelo decided to introduce another string to his performance bow, when he returned to another critical ingredient in his musical upbringing, the distinctive tremolo guitar sounds of surf and western music. While there’s a consistent musical edge to surf and western music, culturally they’re a mile apart – unless, of course, if you consider surfers to be the cowboys of the beach. It’s an association Mikelangelo hasn’t contemplated before, but which seems to resonate. “I’ve never thought of it that way!” he says. “And they’re out on the prairies of the waves! But for me it’s a musical link – it’s that twangy guitar, and the tremolo drenched guitar sound of the late ‘50s that’s common to both styles of music. I find that style both spooky and exciting at the same time. But it’s melancholy at the same time. Between that breakneck excitement and lonesome tunes, that suits my personality,” Mikelangelo laughs. Recently Mikelangelo decided to indulge other elements of his musical education, when he played a Wednesday
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MIKELANGELO AND THE TIN STAR play Northcote Theatre on Friday July 20.
Beat Magazine Page 45
LIVE ROUNDTABLE LOOKING “POSITIVE” The first Live Music Roundtable was convened by the state government. As reported here last week, it was attended by politicians, police, venue owners, Liquor Licensing and music industry representatives. The first meeting was essentially working out terms of reference and working agenda. Music Victoria CEO Patrick Donovan told us, “We were heartened by the Government and Liquor Licensing’s open mind and commitment to achieve some positive outcomes for the music industry.” First two topics to be discussed: “agent of change” (to stop people moving into neighbourhoods with a live music venue and then whine about its noise) and developing an all-ages gigs circuit.” In May, The Toff In Town hosted a forum on problems live music venues will face in the future. An audio is up on Music Victoria’s website. Some sobering facts were brought up. Up to 5,000 new apartments will come into the city a year (said Melbourne City’s Cr. Ken Ong). The “agent of change” is meant to force developers to insulate apartments but by current law, they are not forced to (music activist Dr Kate Shaw). Actual enforcement is difficult because it is costly and councils have different priorities (Ong). As more musicians flood into Melbourne there are less places to play (SLAM’s Helen Marcou). Cherry Bar owner James Young, who moderated the panel, recommended that part of the problem is that authorities don’t realise Melbourne’s standing as the music capital; should we sport that on vehicle number plates?
SONY, WONDERLICK, ANNOUNCE LABEL DEAL Sony Music Entertainment Australia and Gregg Donovan & Stu MacQueen of Sydney management company Wonderlick have entered a joint venture record label deal. The first two signings are singer songwriter Jackson McLaren and pop duo Max & Bianca, whom Wonderlick manage. Denis Handlin AM, Chairman & CEO, Australia & New Zealand and President Asia Sony Music Entertainment said, “Gregg and Stu are among the most successful managers in the market today and we look forward to working with them to bring exciting new acts to the Australian market and beyond to continue to build Australia’s music heritage.”
MELBOURNE RATES HIGH IN POLLSTAR LIST
Melbourne’s reputation as a great music city was confirmed in US-based international live music bible Pollstar magazine’s Mid-2012 List. It looks at the best performing promoters, tours and venues around the world. Eight Australian promoters made the Top 100, four of them from Melbourne. Highest placed company was Sydney-based Chugg Entertainment, at #23 after selling 394,202 tickets in the period for its various international and Australian tours. Following were Melbourne-based Michael Coppel Presents at #26 with 359,830, NSW’s Bluesfest at #47 with 152,649 and Melbourne’s Frontier Touring at #50 with 147,974. Others on the list were at #61 Adelaide-based Adrian Bohm Presents (114,982), at #68 Melbourne’s Garry Van Egmond (99,923), at #73 Sydney’s XIII Touring (88,678) and at #78 Melbourne’s Dainty Consolidated Entertainment (75,450). Of arenas outside North America, Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena was #3 after selling 316, 582 tickets. There were five other local venues, four from Sydney and one from Brisbane. Of theatre venues, Melbourne’s Palais Theatre was #39 with ticket sales of 73, 540 and Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre at #95 with 30, 889. Of the myriad clubs around Australia which showcase live acts, only Melbourne’s Corner Hotel made the Clubs list. Its sales of 67,332 put it at #11. Two Australian venues appeared on the Amphitheatre category. Melbourne’s Sidney Myer Music Bowl was #19 after drawing 60,838 paid patrons, while Brisbane’s Riverstage made it to #49 with 15,425.
BLINK-182 FOR FEBRUARY Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker has leaked they’re here in February – all but confirming they’re on Soundwave. Barker was in fact tweeting a fan to explain he might not be touring Australia as he is scared to fly after the 2008 plane crash in South Carolina that killed two friends and left him with burns all over his body.
Q&A
INDUSTRIAL STRENGTH MUSIC INDUSTRY NEWS & GOSSIP
with Christie Eliezer * Stuff for this column to be emailed to <celiezer@netspace.net.au> by Friday 5pm US PRODUCER NICK DiDia MOVES TO AUSTRALIA Nick DiDia, who’s helmed recordings by Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam, Rage Against The Machine and Stone Temple Pilots, is moving to Australia. He’ll work at Studio 301 in Sydney and Byron Bay. DiDia has worked with many Oz acts including Powerfinger, The Living End, Trial Kennedy and Katie Noonan.
THINGS WE HEAR * The next Empire Of The Sun is being recorded all over America, with members living in different cities in the US. * Muse won’t be back in Oz until 2014, they told triple j magazine, while Canadian duo Japandroids told triple j they’re “working very hard” to get here in early 2013. * Speaking of triple j, ABC-TV’s Media Watch gave it a rap on the knuckles. MW played a clip of j’s Zan Rowe, Tom Ballard and Alex Dyson hyping up Kimbra, Foster The People and A-Trak’s collaboration on a track as part of a campaign by Converse Shoes. As part of the ABC, triple j is not allowed to promote or endorse brand names. The announcers didn’t mention Converse by name but yapped away about “a love for shoes” and announced a link to the Converse site where listeners could see the product-laden video and buy shoes. Triple j management has since taken the link down. “Totes amazeballs!” MW snorted. * At his show at the Palais Omnisports de Paris Bercy theater in Paris, Bruce Springsteen did the usual routine of pulling a girl out of the crowd during Dancing In The Dark. This time, though, it was his 20-year-old daughter, Jessica. The song’s original video made a star out of Courtney Cox as the girl from the audience but Jessica has no showbiz aspirations. She’s studying at Duke University and is an accomplished equestrian who is on the reserve to compete with the USA equestrian team at the Olympics. * Kylie Minogue sports fake tattoos in her next movie, lesbian werewolf flick Jack And Diane, in which she plays a tattoo parlour owner. Speaking of our Kyles, her presence at the Sydney Gay And Lesbian Mardi Gras attracted 29,000 people from outside NSW and post its smallest loss in years – just $73,057 compared to $133,678 in 2011 and $575,627 in 2010. * Nine Network’s attempt to continue it’s The Voice success by screening the US. version of the show has been a disaster – the first night drew a miserable 669,000, which freefell to 635,000 the second night. * Pink scored her sixth #1 single in Australia this week. * Another Sydney venue is in trouble: the Sandringham Hotel went into receivership owing $3.6 million to the bank. * Nicky Minaj got booed after every song at a Scottish festival: she was 50 minutes late and then mimed. Earlier she’d whinged that the grass outside her dressing trailer was too long and for someone to get it cut pronto. * Rick, an unemployed father of three from Taralgon won a new Ford ute and $60,000 worth of cash in Radio TR FM and Gold 1242’s Ute Fulla Loot. It’s the biggest prize ever given away by ACE Network stations in the Gippsland market. * Radio circles are buzzing whether a bored Lady Gaga phoned 3AW just before 2am. The caller, claiming to be “Stefani from Richmond” had a strong American accent and told Andrew McLaren and Mark Petkovic of the Overnighters program she’d just returned from the Gaga show. “It was one of the best concerts I’ve ever been to, I was absolutely speechless, her shows, her performance, it was unbelievable.” The radio hosts insist it was her, a rival station is doing voice tests on the audio of the phone call. In Sydney, she spotted this bloke in bright yellow pants dancing in the front row, and told him “You’re fabulous!” It was triple j’s science nerd Dr. Karl Kruszelnicki. Yellow pants? What was he thinking? * Who stole Bryan the yak’s head from the B.East bar in Brunswick East? If you know, call them on 9036 1456. They’re fond of him and want him back.
CHERRY CELEBRATES 12 YEARS OF SOUL Phil Gionfriddo, Steve Hesketh, Yuri Pavlinov and more. How come a little bar in Melbourne, Australia hosts the world’s longest running soul night? Let’s scratch the surface with these Questions and Answers with PBS radio icons Pierre and Vince:
On Thursday July 19 the Cherry Bar in AC/DC Lane Melbourne will celebrate the historic 12th birthday of its legendary Soul In The Basement night, with original DJs Pierre ‘Soul Groove ‘66’ Baroni and Vince ‘The Soul Time’ Peach, at the world’s longest running weekly soul night! Vince and Pierre only play original 45rpm vinyl singles that they personally own, and from 8pm to 5am on this special eve they will be joined by a unique celebratory live performance from the one-off Cherry All-Star Soul Revue, featuring The Bamboos’ horns, Ella Thompson,
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How did this Soul night begin? PIERRE: The way I remember it; there was a soul night on Thursdays in the first days of Cherry. It wasn’t going too well, crowd-wise, and one night Vince and I went there and Billy [Walsh, founding Partner] said he was going to can it, as it wasn’t working. Vince and I offered to take the night over and eventually we did. Slowly it built up, and within a few months was pulling the big crowd it still does today. VINCE: The soul night was started by Chris from Collectors Corner [on Bourke Street, Melbourne] and I used to do a guest spot most weeks. Chris had other commitments so me and Pierre carried it on. Bill from the outset said he would give us at least 12 months, but it was always popular after the first couple of months. Why has it endured for so long at Cherry? PIERRE: I think Vince and I have a pretty healthy attitude
CARR MANAGING MARK VINCENT Ralph Carr Management signed on Mark Vincent. He emerged in 2009 when he won Australia’s Got Talent as a 15-year-old. He’s since signed to Sony and released four albums that have achieved multi platinum and gold status.
NEW SIGNINGS #1: TIM ROGERS SEES FOUR | FOUR New ABC Music imprint FOUR | FOUR, set up this year as a home for more left-of-centre acts, has signed Tim Rogers. His Rogers Sings Rogerstein is out on August 24, to be followed by a national tour with Catherine Britt.
NEW SIGNINGS #4: FUSE TO DISTRIBUTE WAGRAM Fuse Group scored the Oz distribution of Paris-based Europe wide Wagram Music, whose styles include French, rock, world, roots and gypsy-swing.
MAJESTIKA CREATIVE WIDENS SERVICES Mandy Kane’s production house Majestika Creative (themajestikacreative.com) has widened its business. Aside from producing CDs demos and remixing for bands (the latest being Dancing Heals) he’s now also working on composition and production for advertising, TV/film, video games and more. Kane informs us his record label, also Majestika Creative, has a large catalogue of existing material of all genres available for sync and licensing.
TRIPLE R(INGS): ANSWER THE CALL The theme for this year’s Triple R 102.7 FM Radiothon campaign is “Answer The Call”. The station is once again asking listeners to answer their annual call for subscriptions and support the station for another 12 months. Station manager Dave Houchin warns, “Listeners should expect to hear a lot of wild animal action over the airwaves as the station’s volunteer broadcasters channel their own inner animal and remind listeners that free radio is not a gibbon!” It runs for ten days from Friday August 17.
MEG WILLIAMS AT AAM Meg Williams is the new executive director of the Association of Artist Managers, (AAM) after Nicole BrantZawadzki resigned. The AAM provides encouragement, workshops, networking opportunities, exclusive events and is about to introduce an online mentoring program. Williams, a manager herself (Melodie Nelson, megastick fanfare, Shady Lane) worked at MusicNSW as Indent project manager and Sound Summit coordinator. She is at meg@aam.org.au.
PARKWAY DVD GOES GOLD Parkway Drive’s new DVD Home Is For The Heartless has gone gold after it sold 7,500 copies on its first day of sale. Their first DVD, Parkway Drive (2009), went platinum and won the Rolling Stone Award for Best Music DVD. The 75-minute Home Is For The Heartless is as much about the power of music to break language and cultural barriers as it is about them on a 42-country world tour. Parkway are currently recording in Los Angeles.
GOOD WORKS #1: KOR FEST 2
LIFELINES Born: daughter Scarlett, to Emma Wiking of Remedy PR and husband record producer Matt D’Arcy of Basin Studios. Expecting: Lily Allen just months after giving birth to daughter Ethel Mary. Injured: nine people at a Swedish House Mafia’s show in Dublin, four stabbed by one person, the others hurt in a brawl. A 20-year-old died of a drug overdose. Recovering: Crunchy Black – a former member of the rap group Three 6 Mafia – is after being shot in the face and the leg in Las Vegas. Cops are calling it a murder attempt. Injured: during a German tour, Rory from Rudely Interrupted fell and cut his head open, but is okay now. In Court: WA traffic cop Sen. Const. Shane Clark fined $1,250 and lost his licence for six months after he and two colleagues exceeded the speed limit by 48km/h when they gave Cold Chisel a police escort to their gig in Margaret River (WA) last November. Clark said he feared the 12,000 strong crowd which had been drinking heavily would have created problems if the band arrived late. The magistrate said there was no real emergency. Sued: Justin Bieber for US$9.2 million by a mother claiming her hearing was permanently damaged by shrieking fans at a US concert two years ago. In Court: a judge has demanded to see proof of the community work Chris Brown has done as part of six months manual labour he had to do for his assault charges. A prosecutor complained there was a discrepancy on how much and where he’d done this work – including roadside cleanup and graffiti removal. Arrested: original NY punk band Cro-Mags bassist Harley Flanagan allegedly attacked three new members of the band before a New York gig, miffed they had no right to play the songs he helped write. (He left the band in 2002). He allegedly stabbed his replacement and bit the other two. Suing: Meat Loaf took action against a Meat Loaf impersonator who registered the name MeatLoaf.org and promoted his shows through it. Died: Dennis Flemion of ‘90s influential US band The Frogs, drowned during a boating trip. Died: Shahgopal Whybrow aka Melbourne drag singer Pussy Willow, 38, in his sleep from heart failure. Willow performed at Love Machine’s Gossip Sundays, Diva Bar, The Peel and the GH and was described in Facebook tributes as “an inspiration” and a ‘truly great, funny guy.”
GOOD WORKS #2: BASTARD CHILDREN PLEDGE TO SACRED HEART The Bastard Children are giving 8% of all the money pledged for their album to the Sacred Heart Mission in St Kilda. By pledging your support through pledgemusic.com. au you can get an advance copy, maybe choose the title and art work, or sing backup vocals or even have them play at your party.
GOOD WORKS #3: WROKDOWN Anita Monk and Anita Sulcs hold a fund raiser called The Age Of Rockers to keep their community television retro show Wrokdown on the air. It’s this Saturday July 21 at The Village Green Mulgrave, with acts like Ronnie Charles, Mick Pealing, Neale Johns and Marcie Jones. For more info, anita.sulcs@gmail.com.
Infamous shock rockers The Deadthings reform after a three year hiatus to headline Friday July 20’s KoR Fest 2 at The Espy. It’s a fund raiser for Bowel Cancer Australia in memory of Catwitch singer Kieran O’Reilly who passed away from the disease last year. Also playing: The Eternal, Decimatus and Overproof Groove. Entry $15, Doors at 8pm, an auction of Catwitch memorabilia is on.
WANNA RUN A STALL AT MANNINGHAM MULTICULTURAL FESTIVAL?
to playing to crowds. We kind of have a ‘give them one they know and then one they don’t know’ attitude. Eventually, the one they don’t know becomes another one they do know... and so on. I’m a bit more populist out of the two of us and I don’t need to sleep, so eventually I gravitated to the later ‘party’ spot. Along the way we seem to have acquired a large Uni student crowd, that I like to call “the one o’clock shift”. VINCE: Mainly because it was for years the only place you could hear soul music. And it’s a groovy bar.
How is it different today to 12 years ago? PIERRE: It’s kind of pretty much the same to me, except the crowd seems to get there a little later every year. VINCE: A different crowd to when we started, though still some drop in early. Before going home to the wife and kids; today’s crowd are not so savvy and not so keen on stuff they don’t know, but still a few get into it.
What’s been your most memorable experience/night? PIERRE: They kind of all blur into one for me. Maybe the night all the Rolling Stones’ crew came down. I was spinning away when this young beautiful girl came up to me and handed me a tiny piece of paper. I thought it was another song request and didn’t look at it straight away. Then a guy ran up and excitedly said, “Do you know who that is?” I said I didn’t and the guy told me it was Theodora Richards, Keef’s daughter. I decided to look at the piece of paper she had handed me, and it was a cigarette paper. On it she had drawn a picture of me playing my 45s, all on this tiny Ventti cigarette paper. It was Dali-esque. VINCE: My most memorable night was Thursday November 16 2006, when we had 100+ Northern Soulies in from around Australia. It was the dance lesson the locals needed.
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The deadline to apply for a stall at the Manningham Multicultural Festival is this Friday July 20. Manningham City Council is seeking interest from individuals, organisations and businesses, go to manningham.vic.gov.au/events. The festival is on Saturday November 17, 11am to 5pm at Ruffey Lake Park, Doncaster.
What famous people have you seen enjoying your music? PIERRE: It seems to be a favourite haunt for overseas bands to have their ‘end of tour’ party: we get all kinds. Pearl Jam, Oasis, The Dap-Kings, The Stones, Bowie, Betty Harris, Eagles of Death Metal, Arctic Monkeys... Ryan Adams was a beauty; bugged me all night about every record I played and then invited me to his show the next night. An out-of-it genius. VINCE: Cathy Freeman, the cast of The Secret Life of Us, Melbourne International Film Festival identities such as Geoffrey Rush… loads. Always someone in I am supposed to know. Any other comment to add? PIERRE: I love the fuckin’ place! Thursday July 19 celebrates a dozen years of Cherry’s Soul In The Basement. 8pm to 5am, Cherry All-Stars Soul Revue play live at 10pm. Tix $10, only on the Cherry door.
Do you want to be added to the menu? Advertising/editorial inquiries - adam@beat.com.au
HOLGATE BREWHOUSE Visit Holgate and take home a growler of one of their fine draught beers. They do a number of limited edition and seasonal brews that are available draught only, so this gives you a chance to take it home and share it with friends. Empty growlers sell for $15, and it’s yours to keep and is almost endlessly reusable. Fills cost between $20 and $27 depending on the beer. They also accept growlers from other venues and breweries as long as they’re in the standard 1.89 L size. 79 High Street, Woodend
PIZZA E VINO Northcote’s favourite pizza restaurant, Pizza E Vino are offering a special deal right now, which is sure to drive out your winter blues. For just $19.90, you can grab any 9” pizza, plus a glass of wine. To top it off, we recommend you give the desert pizza a whirl. Open till late, six days. 232 High Street, Northcote.
CACAO GREEN Come get your breakfast fix at Cacao Green! They are now serving a wide range of healthy, organic and glutenfree breakfast items exclusively at their Bourke St. and Glenferrie stores. Get your morning kick with Cacao Green’s heart-healthy Bircher Muesli. Served with organic yogurt and a choice of mixed berries or tropical fruits, this flavorful menu item is guaranteed to satisfy your appetite. Cacao Green also recently introduced Quinoa Pudding into their menu. Known as the “mother of grains”, quinoa is a wheat free whole grain. Similar in texture to rice pudding, the pudding is served warm with fruit toppings. In addition to their range of frozen yogurt, Cacao Green is also now serving organic yogurt muesli; flavors include passion fruit & apple, orange & honey or fruits and crunchy nuts. This is a great option for those who are on the run! Craving for something even sweeter? Try Cacao Green’s gourmet waffles, available in Crispy Almond, Blueberry/Raspberry Almond, Cinnamon Apple and Signature Chocolate, guaranteed to satisfy those cravings! And don’t forget to try their latest specialty dessert: Honey Bread! The crispiness and softness of the bread, combined with the sweetness of our compotes and honey will be perfect for sharing with your loved ones –that is if you’re willing to share. For more updates on Cacao Green’s latest offerings and exclusive promotions, ‘Like’ them on Facebook at www.facebook. com/cacaogreenAUS. 235 Bourke Street and 696 Glenferrie Road.
UPON THIS ROCK CAFÉ Union Road presents a multitude of café’s, however one is a particular stand out. Situated on the corner of Union Road and Munro Street, the new owners have transformed this period building into a vibrant hub for couples, families and groups. Experienced barista’s proudly serve organic coffee, and the menu is not only extensive, but very affordable. Offering a range of delicious breakfast and lunch options, a toasty open fire place and a complimentary freshly baked mini muffin with every coffee served, what more could you ask for? Reservations are available via uponthisrock.com.au or 03 9372 7566. 169 Union Road, Ascot Vale.
KitcCh BY ROD WHITFIELD
A suburb or two North West of Melbourne’s bustling CBD lies the little hamlet-like stretch of shops, cafes and restaurants known as Kensington. And the quirkily named ‘KitcCh’ is a small but charming café in its heart, and a warm and welcoming oasis on a chilly Melbourne mid winter’s day. The décor is modern but rustic at the same time, if that’s even possible. Whatever the case, it’s very neat and well set out, and makes the customer feel right at home upon entering. The dulcet tones of soft ‘70s and ‘80s music (Paul Young, The Carpenters, Annie Lennox) and warm and smiling service greets you as you enter Kitcch. An extensive menu caters for vegans and gluten-free preferring folk, and is exceptionally well priced. There’s even a full kid’s menu which includes a free milkshake or juice. So to sum up early impressions, Kitcch is comfortable, value for money, family friendly and catering to a broad range of dietary tastes and requirements. Speaking of juice, the Energiser juice, which contained apple, pineapple, watermelon, ginger and orange, was sweet, although not overpoweringly so, and very refreshing and cleansing of the palette. One small complaint was that the coffee could have been a little warmer, but it’s a small one in the greater scheme of things. The tuna salad was tasty and zesty, and made with an excellent blend of all fresh ingredients, without one single element standing out or dominating too much. Salads can often be a little hit or miss, but
this one was a definite hit. As was the veggie burger. And how. It was very sizable, hearty, and rustic to match the décor. The patty was thick and delicious, and came with lashings of other fillings. It came with a solid serving of freshly cooked French fries, and the presence of a slice of pan fried capsicum was unusual for any kind of burger, but ultimately added positively to the burger’s flavour and texture and made it quite unique. There’s an art to producing a burger that doesn’t rely on meat for its taste and heartiness, and this one was a winner. The owner offered us some of her homemade bread, which we accepted with enthusiasm. It was served warm, and was crumbly (in a good way) and was
melt in the mouth delicious, just the way warm, freshly baked bread should be. KitcCh is a very relaxing place to go to experience a flavoursome and very hearty breakfast or lunch, or to just sit and sip a coffee or juice and read. The food is homely and cooked with love and attention, and the service warm and attentive. Macaulay Road in Kensington may not be the best known cafe strip in Melbourne, but KitcCh is definitely worth a stop if you’re in the inner northwest. And make sure you bring your appetite. We walked out of Kitcch feeling more than satisfied. KitcCh, 512 Macaulay Rd, Kensington
pizza e vino WOODFIRED P I Z Z A R E S TA U R A N T FULLY LICENSED, BYO WINE ONLY
IAL! A SPEC Z ” PIZ
ANY 9 S OF WINE LAS & A G R $19.90! E, FO IL LAT 5PM T MON N 12-5PM SU ) ONLY (DINE
IN
KITCCH CAFÉ Do you have specific dietary requirements and find that ordering breakfast at a café can be an unnecessarily arduous chore - and that you’re served a meal that looks far less than appetising? Kitcch Café in Kensington gets this, and has started baking their own, freshly home-made gluten free bread, to accompany a made to order breakfast, which is available all day. Pop in and try one of the homemade cakes and muffins - you won’t be disappointed! 512 Macaulay Road, Kensington.
WE OFFER HOME DELIVERY TO OUR LOCAL AREA WITHIN A 3KM RADIUS, MINIMUM ORDER $25 PICK UP ORDERS RECEIVE A 10% DISCOUNT
9489 9444 MON, WED-SAT - 5PM TIL LATE SUN 12PM TIL LATE
232 HIGH ST, NORTHCOTE
BEAT’S GUIDE TO EATING OUT IN MELBOURNE
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Beat Magazine’s
ROCKABILLY, RETRO AND ROCK ‘N’ ROLL SPECIAL INTRODUCTION Q&A 1929 STUDIOS BY TAMARA PERENIC
Is 1920s vintage attire encouraged for your classes? If no, WHY NOT! Of course! We love seeing people making the effort to embrace the cultural history of our dance. Mostly the classes are casual because not everyone wants to gussy up on a Tuesday night, so no pressure. Be warned though, a feather boa can be a weapon on the dance floor.
These colder months might make you want to abandon your fully blown rockabilly looks, but don’t think for a second that winter means that it’s time to store away your cinched in skirts, greaser t-shirts and dancing shoes. This month we’re bringing you all the best clothing stores, dance studios and bars so that you can step back in time to the ‘50s and ‘60s – when the music was great and style was all about looking dapper as hell. Set your rollers, lipstick and leather jackets out. We’re kickstarting a rockabilly revival!
FASTER PUSSYCAT Originating in Sydney, Faster Pussycat set up shop in Melbourne’s Gertrude St, Fitzroy in 2006 and has been picking up speed ever since. Both men and women are catered for with clothing, shoes and accessories alongside books and magazines. There’s even something there for the little fashionistas, with an extensive kids and babies range for the little kittens. The team holds true to the timeless ‘50s pinup and hot rod look, which always remains in style. Faster Pussycat also has a love for punk rock, burlesque, hot rods and roller derby dames. Be it a gorgeous dress, stylish heels, a greaser t-shirt or a rock ‘n’ roll jacket, Faster Pussycat has it covered. Head to their Facebook [www.facebook.com/FasterPcat] where regular special sales and deals are offered to friends! Visit Faster Pussycat at 120 Gertrude St, Fitzroy, Ph: 03 9417 7449. Open 7 days a week from 11am6pm (Sunday 12pm-5pm) and also available online at www.fasterpussycatonline.com
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Ready to party like it’s 1929? Sure you are! It can’t be a party without dancing, so get into the swing of things with 1929 Studios! Lexi Keeton and Michael Collins founded the Melbourne based swing dance company back in 2010 and have been preaching the virtues of swing ever since. Lexi and Michael sit down with us to answer our questions. How did the idea for a 1929 dance studio come about? We had just got off a rollercoaster and decided life should always be fun. Sharing that ethos became a priority 1929 Studios was born. What can people expect from one of your 1929 Studio dance classes? You’ll learn to dance! That may sound obvious, but many people think they’re not capable. We prove them wrong every time. We also guarantee you’ll have fun and make new friends.
BEAT MAGAZINE’S ROCKABILLY SPECIAL
Along with swing, what other dances do you offer at the studio? We teach Lindy Hop, Solo Jazz, East Coast Swing, Charleston, Balboa and Blues. All of these dances come from the 1920’s, 30’s and 40’s and fall under the broad umbrella of ‘swing dancing’. We really enjoy the contrast of moving from the fast, energetic Charleston to slow, groovy Blues and everything in between. Why 1929, what do you love about that era? It was a time of genuine creativity inspired by a cultural revolution that abandoned the relative formality of the past. Tough economic conditions drew people to the simple pleasures of song and dance. What up coming events should us ‘20s loving, swing dancing enthusiasts be marking on the calendar for 2012? Melbourne Lindy Exchange is a mammoth event that brings dancers together from all over the country. They are always inspirational – I’ll never forget the night they threw in an Essendon airport hanger with a WWII era aeroplane as a backdrop to the live band. And Sweet & Hot 2013 of course! For more information on 1929 Studios visit www.1929studios.com
BEAT MAGAZINE’S ROCKABILLY SPECIAL
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OFF YA TREE
LUCKY 13 GARAGE Created out of an old garage, this great venue which has been looks to be a great home for rockabilly in Moorabbin. The venue its self is a great size, with a dance floor in the middle to loose your inhibitions to the great tunes that are played on stage. With great bands taking the stage every Friday night it is the place to be if you feel like getting that ol’ ‘50s vibe going again. So get down and have a drink with Ignition this Friday as they grace the stage. Ignition are a Hi Energy hard hitting Rockabilly/ Rock ‘n’ Roll / Blues / Country Band. Consisting of three experienced musicians who love to make an impact on
there audience. Dave Attana (Lead Guitar / Slap Bass / Lead Vocals), Peter Mawson (Slap Bass / Lead Guitar / Lead Vocals) and Dave Hudson (Drums / Slap Bass / Lead Vocals). These lads play a whole bunch of tunes ranging from 1950s to original songs and are guaranteed to get you out onto the dancefloor.
Lucky 13 Garage is located at 8 Cochrans Road, Moorabbin
It all started on a cold Sunday morning in the winter of 1981 with a ’72 Falcon, a boot full of retro vintage inspired stock and a couple of card tables at the Queen Victoria Market. Today, rockabilly merchants (slash piercing and tattoo parlour) Off Ya Tree boasts stores in Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sydney, Adelaide, Perth, Cairns, Darwin, Townsville, Ballarat, Bendigo, as well as the several Melbourne-based sites. Since opening their first Melbourne city store in the early ‘90s, Off Ya Tree has been making a name for itself in the best way possible. While they’ve been recognised as one of the best in their field for their tattoos and piercings, Off Ya Tree surprises with a collection of cute and quirky rockabilly vintage pieces that embrace that “old time rock ‘n’ roll”. The Hell Bunny Dresses, Pop Soda petticoats and Sweet Vengeance handbags combine a cutesy vintage feel with a rock ‘n’ roll hit, while Mobtown suspenders and funky fedoras will have you decked out for day and night. And when it comes to piercings, the team have insisted from the beginning on clinics that cut no corners in offering professional and up to date services and with a full range of new stock, there’ll be something for everyone. Thinking about a cheeky tattoo? They’ve got that too, with three studios now open on Swanston and Elizabeth street in Melbourne’s CBD. So let Of Ya Tree ‘rock you like a hurricane’, no doubt you’ll find one close to you!
Stores located at: 249 Swanston Street, Melbourne, CBD Ph: 03 9663 8496 143 Swanston Street, MelbourneCBD Ph: 03 9639 4135 475 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne, CBD Ph: 03 9328 5840 For further store locations and information visit www.offyatree.com.au
ROCKABILLY GIG GUIDE FRIDAY JULY 20 IGNITION Ignition hit the stage at Lucky 13 Garage and are sure to bring you a night of boppin’ show stopping tunes at Lucky 13 Garage. Lucky 13 GARAGE - 8 Cochrans Rd Moorabbin
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ELVIS MOVIE MEMORIES For you Elvis hit this week you have to come and check out the theatrical performance of Al Morgan and Rock a Hula Dancers as they recreate some of the best moments of all things Elvis. This is running at Simbar in Hughesdale. Limited seating please phone to book on 9569 5509. Dinner available from 6.30pm and Show starts at 8.30pm. Simbar, 94 Poath Road, Hughesdale
SATURDAY JULY 21
SUNDAY JULY 22
SPEEDSTERS This Saturday 21 july the Speedsters hit Coburg town hall with Renegade Rockers and DJ Stingray, this should make for a great night. The Speedsters have been working there wears for years now and are a well polished ‘50s style machine. Coburg Town Hall, Bell St, Coburg, Bookings: 9364 6765 or 0418 132 532
WARREN EARL AND THE ATOMIC ROCKERS Warren Earl And The Atomic Rockers are coming to The Gem this sunday with there energetic rockabilly styles. These guys have been hanging around the gem for a while now and its for a reason. Go down with your dancing shoes and check them out. The Gem 289 Wellington Street Collingwood VIC 3066
BEAT MAGAZINE’S ROCKABILLY SPECIAL
THE BLOODY BEETROOTS BY ANDREW ‘HAZARD’ HICKEY
“The Bloody Beetroots as a project has undergone significant changes over time which has led it to being greatly hated and greatly loved.” These are the words of Sir Bob Cornelius Rifo, the mastermind behind The Bloody Beetroots. As prominent and acclaimed as The Bloody Beetroots name has grown to become the people behind it have remained mysterious in the dance community. Founded by Italian producer Rifo, real name Simone Cogo, the Beetroots are always sure to sport their trademark black venom masks in public. “The idea is much older than you might think,” Rifo says of the band’s image and mythology, with an air of seriousness. “It comes from the preciousness of the Italian commedia dell’arte, although the current masks remind me more of Spiderman or Venom, its use is a direct theatrical reference.” The idea of Rifo bringing a taste of 16th century Italian theatrics to the music game may be an odd concept but it’s not as wanky as it sounds. Rifo and The Bloody Beetroots are never afraid to bring the noise. Take that concept, sprinkle in some classical music, old school electro and 1970s punk and it all adds up to make the intriguing package that is The Bloody Beetroots. Like a musical scientist with a flair for marketing, Rifo puts great care into everything with The Bloody Beetroots moniker attached to it, from on-stage presentation to recorded work. “The visual and music go hand-in-hand and they constantly evolve and are directly proportional with each other.” As Rifo works on the next Bloody Beetroots studio album, he also reveals that the band will be part of the Big Day Out lineup coming up in January. This is exciting news for fans of musical mayhem and creativity. The enthusiasm his Aussie fans will surely have can only be matched by Rifo’s enthusiasm. “I have been in Australia a lot in the last five years. I love the Australian summer,” Rifo enthuses. Since he last visited our shores for a solo DJ set at Stereosonic 2011 Rifo and the Beetroots have released the epic
Romborama and fine-tuned their fusion of dance, rock and pop. “I’m looking forward to coming back and presenting the new live show,” the Beetroots mastermind says excitedly. During his past visits Rifo has been impressed with Aussie fans and made some interesting observations. “Australia has a young dance music crowd, which often means they are open to change and more intelligent and versatile about their music.” These qualities could just as easily describe The Bloody Beetroots and their unique concoctions. Having been around the world and back again in the past few years Rifo and the Beetroots have almost had no choice but to evolve. “Travelling gives you the opportunity to expand your horizons by making your mind more versatile and focused.” This worldly approach extends throughout The Bloody Beetroots empire, from Rifo’s solo DJ sets to BB Death Crew 77, the band comprised of Rifo and partners-incrime Tommy Tea and Battle. “It’s me playing lots of instruments, Battle playing drums, Tommy playing swooshes on Kaoss Pads and everything is controlled by Pro Tools linked with the Venue profile system.” When it comes to the recording process in the studio it is an extension of Rifo’s life and his tireless enthusiasm. “The studio and production allows me to tell the stories of my life. I live, I compose, I produce, I release.” Before you think Rifo is the musical equivalent of Anthony Robbins you simply need to
“AUSTRALIA HAS A YOUNG DANCE MUSIC CROWD, WHICH OFTEN MEANS THEY ARE OPEN TO CHANGE AND MORE INTELLIGENT AND VERSATILE ABOUT THEIR MUSIC”
listen to one of his blistering productions, such as 2nd Streets Have No Name or Anacletus. While the genesis of The Bloody Beetroots began with Rifo he enjoys the collaborative process. “I love producing alone but this [new] album has a lot of collaborations on it so it will be a new experience. I am open for socialising,” he says with a chuckle. Whether live or in studio the energy of The Bloody Beetroots is always intense but varies depending on the environment. “It’s totally different, I always try to create a synergy between me and the audience. Creating a vibe by getting and reading the vibe back.” From music to imagery The Bloody Beetroots gives Rifo the chance to explore his creative instincts. “This whole project reflects my life, it’s something very natural and relaxed; it probably comes from the art school I attended over the years.” The idea of having a musical project that covers different elements of art was more of a natural process than a conscious choice, according to Rifo. “It is my way of relating with everything. Everyone should expand their horizons
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and should be able to answer all the questions that life offers every day. My work and all the different projects I have are a vision for the person I am and what I want to be. I will never stop evolving.” While those are lofty expectations to place on music you can’t blame Rifo and his cohorts for exploring their ideas in a personal way. The Bloody Beetroots in addition to being a vehicle for Rifo to bang out epic tunes has also been a personal journey, one that began at an early age. “I started studying music seriously when I was nine years old, it has helped me to express concepts summarised in compositions. I realised quickly that music would never leave my life.” Lucky for us it hasn’t so far. THE BLOODY BEETROOTS will perform at the 2013 Big Day Out alongside Kaskade, Crystal Castles, Pretty Lights, Nicky Romero, The Red Hot Chili Peppers and heaps more, taking place Saturday January 26 at Flemington Racecourse.
Beat Magazine Page 51
THE STORY SO FAR…
BY JAMES NICOLI
Taking place each Sunday throughout July and set to the backdrop of a wintry Melbourne afternoon, The Story So Far… is a live talk show featuring intimate conversations and performances by some of this country’s finest musicians. The freewheeling lifestyle of the rock’n’roll musician has always had a certain kind of mystique about it. The touring, the late nights, the after parties; together it can conjure up some pretty fascinating and intriguing images. And that’s where The Story So Far… comes in. The concept was born out of a want to get to know some of our best and most well respected musicians on a more intimate level and learn of some of the stories they have collected along their journey. Hosted by Sunny Leunig and Triple R’s Jacinta Parsons, the show aims to delve deep into the hearts and minds of its guests and uncover some of those tales that fascinate us so much. “It was actually the producer; Nat Camilleri who came up with the idea,” says Leunig on how the concept for the show came about. “She’s been around the industry for a long time, her father is Joe Camilleri from Black Sorrows so she’s grown up in a musical household and she’s also married to drummer Pete Luscombe who’s from RockWiz and Paul Kelly. So I guess she hasn’t been able to escape the music industry her whole life so she’s grown up listening to stories of musicians, you know great touring stories and all that kind of thing, and I think she has just always been fascinated with the stories that songwriters have to tell.” Not content with simply scratching the surface, The Story So Far… aims to uncover the real gems; the anecdotes and stories that can only come from a life on the road, stories which have perhaps been laid dormant for years. Already two weeks into the program, so far Leunig is quite pleased with how the show has been received. “It’s been great.
We’ve been really surprised at how open our guests have been,” he says. “Angie Heart spoke about some really confronting stuff which was really beautiful. Joe Camilleri last week just really opened up and talked about early childhood. Just really entertaining stuff for the crowd and heartfelt stuff as well which has been great for everyone involved.” For Leunig and co-host Parsons, the idea is to have a real conversation with their guests as opposed to simply interviewing them and to just see where it takes them. “We map out a sort of narrative; the way the interview might go,” he muses. “But if it doesn’t go to that then we just chat. I think we want to make it more conversational rather than ‘What was the first band you played in?’ So encouraging anecdotes I guess is what our aim is.” The Story So Far… is yet another creative outlet for the extremely busy Leunig. A self-described musician, filmmaker, actor, magician and philosopher, it seems that he just can’t say no to creativity. “I guess you work out what you value in life and for me creativity is something that I
put at the top of the food chain,” he says. “I guess you just make time, dedicate your time to being creative. I mean the definition of creativity is to produce something from nothing. I guess that’s what I’m constantly doing and it does take up many hours of the day but I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Being co-host of a live chat show has not only thrown up a new set of challenges it has also been an entirely new experience for Leunig. “I’ve found it to be less intimidating than I thought because the guests have been so open that it’s made my job a lot easier,” he says. “And of course Jacinta is there as well who’s a great co-host. Just the idea of bouncing of each other is a less intimidating notion I guess.” As well as the conversations and live performances there are also a number of segments that are designed to keep the show rolling and keeping an eye on all of these components has proved quite the challenge. “That’s been the biggest challenge just kind of moving it along and making sure we cover all our segments,” admits Leunig.
“We’ve got segments like ‘Songs they wish they had of written’. Another one is called ‘Desert Island 3’ which is three songs they would take if they were stuck on a desert island. So we’ve got little segments just to break it up a bit.” Through their in-depth research, The Story So Far… has allowed its hosts to discover a great deal more about their guests then they would have ordinarily and for Leunig it has been one of the most rewarding aspects about his role. “That’s the great thing about it is because I’m more familiar with some of them than others but then when we can delve into them and research them, Jacinta and myself have been putting a lot of research into it, you’re sort of living in their world for a while so each then becomes really fascinating. So even guests that I wasn’t as familiar with, you just end up uncovering all these treasures.”
you get treated with respect,” Sanchez says. “You get taken out to dinner by the promoter, and you’re really looked after.” Sanchez doesn’t expect Spain’s current economic woes to present too much of an impediment for Midnight Woolf’s impending Spanish tour. “We’ve been to Spain when it’s been in economic trouble before, and it’s been fine,” Sanchez says. “With the Spanish, when it comes to partying, they don’t care if they’re poor or rich. And we’ll fleece them for whatever they’ve got!” he laughs. Despite being a few years older than his brother, Sanchez says he steers clear of telling his younger brother what to do, whether it’s musically or in the design of Midnight Woolf’s very colourful album covers and promotional material. “One time before I had an idea for the cover art, but Lluis said he’d do whatever the fuck he wanted!” Sanchez laughs. “Democracy is too slow in a band – you need some executive dictatorship. While I’m four years
older than Lluis, everyone who knows him, know that he’ll do what the fuck he wants to do.” That said, Sanchez says there’s a constructive, and non-combative partnership between the siblings. “We understand each other,” Sanchez says. “We take the path of least resistance – there’s none of the Gallagher brother fireworks!” This week Midnight Woolf will launch their new album, I’ll Be A Dog (in mid-August Sanchez’s other current outfit, River of Snakes, will launch its new single, a cover of Bikini Kill’s Rebel Girl). Sanchez sees no immediate limit to its mining of garage-blues material. “I reckon it’s endless,” Sanchez laughs. “Maybe in about four or five years’ time we’ll start covering ourselves, and we’ll rip ourselves off!”
are some of the ideas communicated through the band’s songs. Images of such are always part of the creation. “I do a lot of line drawings, original little fragments of whatever,” explains Sherry. The band’s tour poster features a simple but evocative drawing of a series of little tipped lines or slashes, “kind of like a blur to another time.” Immediately reminiscent of the symbols in Jim Jarmusch’s 1996 film Dead Man, there’s an odd parallel. Notwithstanding the fact the Sherry brothers’ sound is often very like Neil Young’s incredible soundtrack for the film, Jarmusch’s focus on Romantic writer and artist William Blake resonates with Sherry’s own visual interests. “He’s always been the biggest inspiration because of the kind of atmosphere he created; the power of what he was doing. So revolutionary,” he says. Although Blake is well known for his writings, his art is truly staggering and iconoclastic in its depiction of scenes from Dante, and Blake’s own imagined visions of biblical events coupled with alchemic mythology. “I just came across it in
a book in my mum’s bookshelf,” Sherry says. “As a kid I was always fascinated with the imagery. The engravings are just so beautiful. The lines are so strong and precise, and the light source in most of his work is pretty breathtaking.” Now proper Melbourne boys, Dead Forest are keen to show us a little more of their stuff in their upcoming show at The Toff, a venue Sherry rates highly. “We supported a friend’s band there and the sound was just so good on stage it’s ridiculous. For sound, it’s got to be one of the best places in Melbourne to play, for sure. I’m really looking forward to it.” For a band that is all about light, shade and space, the venue will surely be appreciative too.
THE STORY SO FAR… takes place each Sunday in July from 3pm at Bella Union, with Lisa Miller and Kevin Mitchell featuring on Sunday July 22 and Tim Rogers and Jane Clifton on Sunday July 29.
MIDNIGHT WOOLF
BY PATRICK EMERY
Raul Sanchez was born in the Spanish city of Valencia, just inland from the south-east coast of Spain. Best known outside of Spain for the juicy oranges that bear the city’s name, Sanchez maintains affection for the city of his birth, though his musical exploits on the other side of the world have ensured his cultural ties extend far beyond Spain. Sanchez first came to prominence when he joined Magic Dirt in 1997; some years later, he teamed up with his brother Lluis to form the garage-blues outfit Midnight Woolf. “When we’re over in Spain we’re an Australian band, and when we’re here, we’re a Spanish band,” Sanchez laughs. “I’ll play that card wherever I have to!” Midnight Woolf began as Sanchez’s pet project in 2004, when he decided to transpose his interest in blues into an album of songs. “I had time alone at home, and I fell in love with the blues,” Sanchez says. “I recorded an album and gave about 50 copies for my friends.” When Lluis came over to Australia from Spain, the embryonic Midnight Woolf concept began to evolve. “My brother was really getting into bluesy-garage music,” Sanchez says. Sanchez had already seized upon the name Midnight Woolf for his ‘solo’ outfit. “The name was a bit of a nod to Virginia Woolf, who I was reading a lot of at the time.” Having started out originally as an instrumental outfit, Midnight Woolf evolved into a ‘proper’ rock’n’roll outfit. “In 2006 we went over to Spain and did a record in three months,” Sanchez says. “Whereas I was writing the songs early on, now my brother is doing a lot of the writing.” The songwriting partnership is fraternal, and organic. “If a song doesn’t seem to work straight away, then it’s dropped,” Sanchez says. “With this record [I’ll Be A Dog] I recorded and mixed the record, but Lluis and I work on the lyrics together. For the first few times we play the songs live we
don’t really know what we’re doing – we’re just yelling shit out!” Sanchez laughs. Sanchez doesn’t have any illusions about the originality of Midnight Woolf – this is a celebration of blues music, in all its raw, regularly plagiarised glory. “When we record, we do it quickly, and we don’t think about it too much,” Sanchez says. “We’re not trying to re-invent anything new, and we’re not trying to be particularly original. Sometimes I play with musicians who get offended if they’re compared to someone else. But as long as you sound like the right people, I’ll take those sorts of comparisons!” Midnight Woolf has managed to exploit its familial and cultural ties to Europe with a couple of overseas tours already, with a further tour later this year. “There’s a great rock’n’roll scene in Europe. All the people over there seem to know each other, and they’re at the same gigs. And those people love our type of music – we’ve been to Holland, France, Spain. It’s chaotic mayhem, a sort of speed-fuelled frenzy,” Sanchez laughs. And then there’s the legendary European hospitality, a cultural-professional attribute all touring artists wax lyrical about. “As an artist
MIDNIGHT WOOLF play The Old Bar on Saturday July 21. I’ll Be A Dog is out now through Off the Hip records.
A DEAD FOREST INDEX
BY ZOË RADAS
percussive sluice of Adam Sherry’s voice, layered upon itself like a spanikopita, is given careful room to move beautiful steps on A Dead Forest Index’s EP Antique. The aural world Sherry and his brother Sam have created for it is not threatening, exactly, but it’s a place where light and dark can be oddly interchanged. Having just signed with Denovali Records in Germany and OSCL in Melbourne, the Sherry brothers are about to re-release Antique on vinyl as a joint venture between the two labels. Adam speaks from the home he shares with Sam about how the two came to play together, the imagery evoked by their music, the Federation Bells event of earlier in the year and the international interest their singular sound has garnered. “They sort of wanted something before an album,” Sherry says of the dual label release, “so instead of doing a single, we had these recordings, and it’s nice for them to be released in a way that has some weight instead of them being so throwaway.” The four tracks were recorded in Auckland, where the boys predominantly grew up. “I was born in London and Sam was born in New Zealand so we go back and forth. We have a lot of family and friends [in Auckland] so we go back quite a bit.” With the project about three years old, Sherry speaks warmly about his musical relationship with his brother. “He’s the only one that can fit in with what I’m doing,” he says simply. “He’s a drummer but doesn’t come from a drumming background; he’s more of a guitarist and singer and pianist so it’s not a traditional way of playing. It’s very instinctive. I think my timing is pretty shabby so it’s really good having Sam here. He’s put so much energy into what we’re doing. It’s equal parts now; the time was right to work together again.” Sherry also plays guitar, but is self-taught. “I have the guitar skills of probably a 14-year-old boy,” he laughs, “but Sam helped me find a way to play that kind of works. I play a few different instruments like harmonium and organ. Harmonium is a beautiful kind of drone instrument; like a Beat Magazine Page 52
reed organ, pretty much.” In February, A Dead Forest Index played at the relaunch of the Federation Bells sculpture, an installation of 39 harmonic bells. Originally created in 2001 by Anton Hassel and Neil McLachlan to mark the centenary of Federation, it had been closed while various restorations were made including new striker mechanisms, computer controls and lids. “We had an idea to get a couple of bands to intertwine with the bells, and we wrote a few pieces,” says Sherry. “We had a friend with a midi-controlled trigger kind of [set-up]; he controlled the bells for us and we played with them. It was a great experience. It was pretty funny, the actual performance,” Sherry laughs huskily, “because at the MCG there was a Collingwood game that’d just finished. It was surreal, all these football fans streaming out of the stadium.” Pies fans would certainly add a certain something to the ambience. On the band’s Facebook page there are links to writeups from Italian and German publications, which Sherry credits Denovali with putting up. “[They] have really good distribution and promotion behind them in Europe, through Cargo,” he says. It’s cool that interest has been sparked abroad when long distances, travels, and faraway lands
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A DEAD FOREST INDEX play The Toff In Town on Saturday July 21. The newly remastered and re-released EP Antique is out now through OSCL Records
LIARS BY LACHLAN KANONIUK
WIXIW (pronounced “wishyou”), the sixth full-length from renowned sonic experimentalists Liars, is a monster. Crafted with the benefit of a relatively elongated gestation, the record is a contradictory mix of the group’s most experimental impulses presented in the trio’s most accessible artefact yet. The predominantly electronic compositions aren’t what you’d expect from Liars, but then again, the unexpected is what you’d expect from Angus Andrew, Aaron Hemphill and Julian Gross. As the band prepare to return to Australia for the upcoming Harvest Festival, expat Andrew rationalises the constant stylistic leaps and bounds. With WIXIW having freshly entered the world, the band are busy transposing these electronic tracks into the live setting. “We’ve done a short European tour already, it was just a promo tour,” explains Andrew. “It’s a difficult record to try and figure out how to play it live. The record was mostly created within the computer, so there’s this disconnection that was already there when making it. You don’t have this physical recognition of how you made the songs, it’s more to do with mouse clicks and keyboard strokes. The question has really been how to inject that physicality back into it after it was made so artificially, as well as dealing with a bunch of new technology.” Judging from the production diary clips posted ahead of the release of WIXIW, the process was an allencompassing one – looking like something of a psychological experiment at times. The act of pushing things out of their comfort seems to be an inextricable ethic within Liars, one that no doubt results in such an unpredictable body of work. “To be honest, I kind of pine for the idea or admire the artist that can find this one way of working and then spend their time constantly refining it. It would be great to be like The Ramones or something and know what you do and just do it,” Andrew laughs in his undiminished Australian accent. “The fact of the matter is that it’s something that wouldn’t keep us excited or interested. The point and the reason we change and evolve so much is that we want to challenge ourselves to think about music in different ways. That’s what keeps us excited about it. That can pose some issues for anyone who wants to follow us in a sense where they want to know what they’re going to get with each record. Unfortunately it’s not the way we function, and it’s not something that I spend too much time taking into account when making it. We feel that if we make something we’re interested in and proud of then people will appreciate it for that. At the same time, I’m aware that there are people that like some of our records more than the others. I think that in the end people can just understand it and know that when you’re dealing with Liars you can’t be certain of what you’re going to get but you should always give it a go. We are investing a lot into our work and it’s not made by some sort of formula,” Andrew reasons. “One of the first goals with the record was to give ourselves as much time as possible to experiment, so for the first six months we just spent time creating lots of weird sounds and ended up with this catalogue,” he continues. “Then there was this point where we had to figure out how we were going to make any songs out of these sounds. It’s a very different way than how we would normally work, as in working out a melody or an idea for a song then add textures and interesting sounds. In this way of working it was backwards. It was a real challenge for us to make a song that justified these interesting sounds, to make a song that was worthy of all the great things we came up with while experimenting so much.” WIXIW highlight No. 1 Against The Rush was given a remarkable video treatment, which makes sense considering Liars’ reverence for the form. Since the beginning, the group have extended beyond the aural form and explored many of the extracurricular aspects that stem from being in a band. “I don’t feel like it’s something that’s compulsory or something that we force ourselves to do. Since we began making music at art school, I felt that being in a band was one of the best multimedia platforms for an artist to utilise all this different media under the one umbrella. It’s not just about music – it’s about graphic design or photography or performance or lyrics. There are so many different ways of expressing yourself with one platform. It’s what attracted me to be in a band in the first place.” As to what we can expect from Liars’ Harvest Festival set, don’t anticipate your standard festival fare. “We are more of a situationist band. The goal is not to come out and play the songs how you would hear them at home. I think that’s not the point of seeing a band live, we allow for the possibility for things to go wrong and to accommodate chaos and the risk for things to fall apart,” he wryly smiles.
LIARS perform at this year’s Harvest Festival alongside Beck, Grizzly Bear, Fuck Buttons and many more, taking place at Werribee Park on Sunday November 11. WIXIW is out now through Mute/EMI. DISCUSS WHAT? BEAT.COM.AU/DISCUSSION
Beat Magazine Page 53
BEAST RECORDS FESTIVAL
SixFtHick
BY PATRICK EMERY
As a teenager growing up in Rennes in the Brittany region of Western France, Sebastian Blanchais was confronted by the pummelling rock’n’roll sounds of AC/DC. “Then when I was 16 I heard Beasts Of Bourbon on the radio, and I thought ‘That is exactly what I want to hear’,” Blanchais recalls. Some years later, and Beasts Of Bourbon rolled through Rennes, waist deep in a typically debauched Beasts tour. “Spencer [P. Jones] and I became good friends, a lot of booze and a lot of concerts,” Blanchais laughs. Blanchais was so infatuated with Beasts Of Bourbon’s dark, tribal rock’n’roll attack that he named his fledgling label Beast Records. And Blanchais’ support for Australian musicians went far beyond simply providing a platform for performing and recording: Australian bands touring France would receive the full suite of French hospitality, with Blanchais and his family offering a level of hospitality largely unimaginable on the Australian touring circuit. “Seb’s always there to help out when you’re over there,” says The Spoils’ Sean Simmons, whose band enjoys a cult following in continental Europe. “And when things don’t go quite right – which sometimes they do – Seb and his girlfriend, or even his mum and dad will cook dinner, which was the last time we were there” Simmons says. “I’m not a professional, so I want to make a difference,” Blanchais says. “All the Beasts artists are my fucking family.” While France is renowned for its institutionalised support of the arts, Blanchais says he was impressed with what he describes as the “humble and simple” attitude of the Australian musicians he came to know. “If you start to play in France in front of 200 people then you get a big head, and you start to change.” Blanchais also points to the creative edge common to the Antipodean acts he’s signed and supported. “They are not scared to write some poetry in their lyrics,” Blanchais says. “Someone like Spencer is not afraid to write about his life. If you have a French band singing in English it will be a story about someone else – no-one wants to have poetry because they are afraid what people will think.” Blanchais differentiates the social intercourse of the residents of Brittany to the more stuffy, and sometimes brusque style of Parisians. “In Paris it is very hard to
make conversation, even when you buy a beer the guy will not even look at you,” Blanchais says. “But in Brittany you have a good sense of humour about booze, about parties, you have the same type of culture in Brittany that you do in Australia,” he muses. “I think we have a connection between Brittany and Melbourne. And I think Memphis as well.” With the 80% local content and language requirements on French radio stations, it’s often difficult to find a regular medium for showcasing rock’n’roll in France. Add to that the prevailing disdain for down-and-out rock’n’rollers, and it’s clear rock’n’roll has a long way to go before it’s anything more than a cult interest in France. “In France everybody knows you can’t become a professional musician – it is a one in a million chance,” Blanchais says. “The government only wants polite, common people – if you are a drug addict, then no way. There is this cycle, and it is impossible to get into it. You can’t make something if you don’t someone.” Blanchais puts his Australian bands into two broad categories – the deep, brooding style most often associated with Nick Cave (Sean Simmons is surprised and flattered when Blanchais puts him into this grouping) and the frenetic, take no prisoners style of SixFtHick. Blanchais tells a story of a woman at a SixFtHick gig in Rennes rubbing her crotch on Ben Corbett’s leg before being turfed directly into the crowd; Simmons affectionately labels the Brittany audiences as “crazy”, and describes gigs where glasses were routinely broken as an indicator of the audience’s sense of excitement and satisfaction. When Blanchais mentioned that he’d be coming to Australia for a holiday with his partner and young child, there was a mad rush to offer Blanchais a local reception
to pay back the Frenchman and his family for their support. SixFtHick and The Holy Soul will travel to Melbourne from Brisbane and Sydney respectively; local artists including James McCann, Michael O’Halloran, Spencer P. Jones and The Spoils welcomed the opportunity to participate in the hastily convened three-day Beasts Records festival. “When Justin [Cusack (Black Pony Express)] started off with this event, it was just going to be one night with four bands, and it’s now grown to 14 bands playing over three nights,” Simmons says. Just before leaving France, Blanchais received a plaintive email from another grateful musician, former Powder Monkeys guitarist John Nolan. “John sent me a message before I left and said ‘Do you think I’m not good enough to play! Doesn’t he know that I love you!’” Blanchais laughs. Blanchais is, not surprisingly, looking forward to this weekend’s trio of gigs, beginning with shows on Friday
and Saturday night at The Retreat, and concluding with a Sunday night show at Yah Yah’s. Blanchais recognises that seeing out 15 bands over 72 hours will have its challenges – though he’s going to seek out some survival tips from an unlikely source. “I think I will need some help to stay alive after three days. I will speak to Spencer and see if he can help me,” Blanchais smiles.
gatefold single. “We took this idea to a few printing shops up here, and they just couldn’t get their head around it,” Collins laughs. “So we thought ‘OK, we’ll put the 7”s in a box instead’.” The resultant 7” boxset features six tracks that showcase the Horrortones’ invigorating rock’n’roll-infused soul style. “We wanted to steal that Ultraglide In Black thing that The Dirtbombs did – taking other peoples’ songs and making them your own,” Collins says. “What we’ve got on the boxset is a mixture of stuff, including a Bob Seger track. I’m a massive fan of early Bog Seger – actually, I really like his lame 80s stuff as well,” Collins laughs. This weekend sees The Horrortones’ first foray into Melbourne, when the band plays the Beasts Records Festival Showcase over three nights. Collins and Dougherty first met Beasts Records owner Sebastian Blanchais through SixFitHick – Beasts Records having released and supported SixFtHick in its various European forays. “He helped us out when the Vegas Kings went overseas for the first time, and we started a friendship with him,” Collins says. “He’s put out some of our bands over there, and we’ve helped him
out with bands like Dimi Dero.” Back in Brisbane, and Collins says the local music scene is already feeling apprehensive at the impact of the new Queensland government, though the artist community is doing its best to keep its head up. “Brisbane actually has more artist-run initiatives than Melbourne or Sydney, which is quite amazing,” Collins says, “and people are finding new and different ways of getting their art out.” But this weekend the focus will be on Melbourne, and The Horrortones’ party world. “We’re not sure how people will take to us, and whether they’ll just think we’re a cover band,” Collins says. “I always say the difference with us is that a cover band plays songs the audience wants to hear, but we play songs that we want to hear.”
THE BEAST RECORDS FESTIVAL SHOWCASE will be held on Friday July 20 (Sixfthick, The Spoils, Holy Soul, Sonny Chiba) and Saturday July 21 (James McCann And The New Vindictives, Spencer P. Jones, SixFtHick, Horrortones) at The Retreat, and at Yah Yah’s on Sunday July 22 (Roller One, MJ O’Halloran And The Sinners, Bad Vision, Head One and The Horrortones).
THE HORRORTONES BY PATRICK EMERY
Former Vegas Kings guitarist Pete Collins says the idea for his current sometime party band, The Horrortones, came after watching Melbourne band Dynamo in full, partystyle flight. “They were having such a great time – it was just like watching a party band,” Collins says. After the gig, Collins, fuelled by excitement and alcohol, mused about a possible entrepreneurial concept. “I remember talking with Phil Gionfriddo when we were in Melbourne once, and saying we wanted to start a Brisbane Dynamo cover band,” says Collins. “We’d have a Brisbane Dynamo, and a Sydney Dynamo band – we’d just franchise it, with matching uniforms. Then once a year we’d all get together and play!” he laughs. The Dynamo cover band didn’t eventuate in its original conceived form; Collins did, however, get together a few friends to form The Horrortones, a band featuring a rotating line-up of guests that endeavoured to capture and exploit the party band concept. “When I was growing up, my dad was really into Australian pub rock, and a big fan of The Party Boys,” Collins says. “I just loved that idea of having a band made up of guys from all these different bands. If you look through the history of The Party Boys, it’s absolutely insane how many people from the pub rock scene, and overseas, played in that band. I even heard a rumour – I’m not sure if it’s true – that Stevie Ray Vaughan got up and played with them one time.” A few years ago the Vegas Kings were asked to play Brisbane’s Ramone-athon; unable to make the commitment, Collins and fellow Vegas Kings member Ben Dougherty decided to seize the moment and bring the nascent Horrortones party band concept to fruition. “We just pulled together a band for the event, and we did Ramones songs, and some soul songs,” Collins says. Later on, when Collins and Dougherty organised the inaugural Mere Noise Meltdown Festival (Mere Noise
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being the Brisbane-based label established by the pair), The Horrortones appeared again. “Over the years the band line-up has changed depending on who’s available at the time,” Collins says. “The Horrortones will never not play just because someone’s not available – we’ll draft someone in, have a rehearsal and then play.” It was never intended that The Horrortones actually recorded anything, or even toured outside Brisbane – this was simply a live band that came, gave the audience a good time, and disappeared back into the wings. Over the years The Horrortones featured an impressive cast of guest players, including Ben Corbett (Sixfthick, Gentle Ben), Andy Moore (Digger And The Pussycats), Jo Nilson (Butcher Birds) and Spencer P. Jones. “We were never going to record anything, but we were getting paid for gigs, and one day we realised that we actually had all this money, and we wondered what to do with it,” Collins says. “So we banked it, and realised we had all this money and we could do something stupid with it!” he laughs. The initial idea was to record a series of 7” singles, and release a new single each time the band played; this idea evolved to the very idiosyncratic concept of a triple 7”
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THE HORRORTONES play Saturday July 21 at The Retreat Hotel with James McCann And The New Vindictives and Spencer P. Jones And The Escape Committee and Sunday July 22 with MJ O’Halloran And The Sinners, Bad Vision, Head One and Roller One.
4TH ANNUAL WINTER BALL BY PATRICK EMERY
Charles Jenkins is clear on the highlight of each year’s Winter Ball. “It’s that two hours when I’m up on stage, performing – that’s really rewarding,” Jenkins says. “There’s a lot of organisation that goes into the Winter Ball, and I’ve got some great people helping out with the event, and doing the things that I couldn’t do. But just to get up there and play for a couple of hours, with all these great musicians – that’s what it’s all about,” he says. “In fact, if it wasn’t for that time on stage, I don’t think I would have been convinced to do another Winter Ball this year.” Next Saturday night will be the fourth annual Winter Ball, headlined by Charles Jenkins and the Zhivagos, and featuring a cast of talented local musicians, each of whom will play one of Jenkins’ tracks, an honour reciprocated by Jenkins and his band. “It’s not like I’ve got this massive black book of names, it’s just there’s so many great musicians in this town,” Jenkins says. “And there’s plenty of people who’ll suggest names to put on the bill – ‘Yes, I know it’d be great to get Bruce Springsteen ... ‘,” Jenkins says dryly. “I like to make it as easy as possible for myself – I don’t really like cold calling. I’ve done that for a job in the past, and at least I got paid for it then,” he laughs. With Springsteen still yet to confirm his availability, this year’s Winter Ball line-up includes Suzannah Espie, Joel Sibersher (God, Tendrils, Hoss), Fraser A. Gorman, Quincy McLean (Blue Ruin), Cash Savage, The Orbweavers and Linda Johnston
(Bulls, Dacios, Little Ugly Girls). “Suzannah is a good friend, and it’s great to have someone you can turn to in a crisis, when you need a huge show stopper, Queen at Live Aid at Wembley finale,” Jenkins laughs. “And Joel, I’ve been trying to get him for years – he’s just hilarious. It was also great to get The Orbweavers, Fraser, Cash Savage and Linda. And with Quincy, I wanted to get him on stage with Mikelangelo at the same time – I think that’d be fantastic!” Jenkins says it’s important to ensure the final line-up has a suitable mix of styles, lest it be too narrowly defined. “Once you’ve got someone like Suzannah, you know there’s so many other great country singers out there, but you don’t want to have it all like that,” Jenkins says. “I think this year there’s a really good variety of voices on the bill – and I always look for that variety each year. And there’s class as well – if you look
Q&A NICOLETTE FORTE So then, what’s the band name and what do you ‘do’ in the band? My band’s called Nicolette Forte and Friends, and I’m a singer/songwriter who loves to jam with my friends that I’ve met while hosting open mic nights around Melbourne in the last couple of years. My bandmates are Chris Brooker, Kevin Etcell, Duncan Yardley and Jamie MacDowell. Bearing the terrible clichéd nature of this question, what do you reckon people will say you sound like? Take: some solid roots, a pinch of folk, a spoonful of sweet pop; all thrown in a blender with the smoothest of souls, and served with a sneaky wedge of pineapple. That’s what I reckon people would most likely say about our sound.
What do you love about making music? Freedom, collaboration, improvisation, and the creative spark shared between amigos through music. What do you hate about the music industry? Having to wear a lot of hats when I only have one head! After you’re done planning the budget, designing gig posters and booking shows you wonder when you’ll find time to write a song. Thankfully my sister Bianca, and friends like Bree, are geniuses with this stuff. If you could travel back in time and show one of your musical heroes your stuff, who would it be and why? I’d say take me back to last week and book me a brunch date with Tracy Chapman, because I’d love to talk about matters of the heart with her. She’s one beautiful soul.
around Melbourne for a class act, then you can’t go past The Blackeyed Susans, so it’s great to have Rob Snarski playing.” At the other end of the age spectrum is 21-year-old Fraser A. Gorman, whom Jenkins met after a Queenscliff Music Festival show. “Back then I think he was wearing striped pants and playing power pop, which was different to what he’s doing now. Fraser came up to us after the show, and we really enjoyed each other’s company,” Jenkins says. “He was a huge fan of Davey Lane, so I’m pleased that he was able to play this Winter Ball.” Each year a percentage of the proceeds of the Winter Ball goes to a nominated charity. This year’s charity beneficiary is Support Act, a group established to assist musicians with paying medical bills. “When it came time to look for a charity, this one just made complete sense,” Jenkins says. “Musicians these days tend to play more so in their old age than they used to. So Support Act just seemed like the perfect fit for the show this year.” Jenkins is supportive of, but certainly not fixated on, the efforts of members of the audience to dress up for the evening. “It’s great when people go to the trouble of dressing up, but it’s always a mixed bag – for everyone who dresses up, there’s a Cal Walker,” Jenkins laughs. “So if you want to dress up, then good on you – but if you don’t, I don’t care!”
Despite invested considering physical and psychological effort into organising this year’s Winter Ball – with the very valuable assistance of Justin Rudge (booking) and Karen Conrad (publicity) – Jenkins has still managed to keep up his own musical efforts. In Spring Jenkins will embark on a minitour to promote his latest album, while also pursuing other songwriting and performing activities. “I’ve done a country/ folk record called Love Your Crooked Neighbour and Your Crooked Heart. I had a whole lot of two or three chord songs with lots of words, so without boring myself, I sat down and finished them all off,” Jenkins says. “And I’ve also just got an Australia Council grant, plus there’s my songwriting coaching and teaching stuff. When the Winter Ball is gone, I always know we’re not far from spring – we’ve got through the hardest times.” The 4TH ANNUAL WINTER BALL features Charles Jenkins & The Zhivagos, Rob Snarski, The Orbweavers, Suzannah Espie, Joel Silbersher, Angie Hart, Pony Face, Jon Von Goes, The Killjoys, Alex Lashlie, Cash Savage, Douglas Lee Robertson, Fraser A. Gorman, Mikelangelo and Linda Dacio. The Winter Ball takes place at The
Corner on Saturday July 21.
If you could assassinate one person or band from popular music, who would it be and why? I’d love to assassinate the bad rap that genre pop music gets. Mind you, you can’t blame people for thinking that after being force-fed reality TV talent shows. What can a punter expect from your live show? A guitar, sometimes a second guitar, a voice, on occasion a second voice, stories, violin, djembe, Cajon, didgeridoo, dreadlocks, shakers, stomping feet and edible smiles. What’ve you got to sell CD-wise? My debut EP Rescue Me will be available direct from gigs, independent CD stores and iTunes from July 25. When’s the gig and with who? The EP launch is on Wednesday July 25 at Topolino’s: 87 Fitzroy Street, St Kilda. You can pick up a ticket at trybooking.com or at the venue. Our special guests on the night are Brooke Taylor, Luke Smith, John Lillis and Jamie MacDowell.
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Anything else to add? Check out nicoletteforte.com, which has links to our YouTube channel and also our Facebook fan page.
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CORE
CORE GIG GUIDE
PUNK, SKA, HARDCORE NEWS, REVIEWS AND GOSSIP BY EMILY KELLY: EK1984@GMAIL.COM
Parkway Drive look set to have yet another excellent year. Their new DVD Home Is For The Heartless debuted at number one on the ARIA charts this week, knocking One Direction off their top spot. They’re currently in LA recording their follow up to the crazy successful Deep Blue with Matt Hyde.
THURSDAY JULY 19:
So Swedish metal legends At The Gates have announced an Aussie tour despite very rarely performing shows and no longer recording new material. The band released what is generally considered to be their greatest ‘genre defining’ album way back in 1995 then split up. They reformed about ten years later to tour intermittently but still refuse to record any new material saying new stuff “would just disappoint people” and that they’d rather keep the legacy of their much-celebrated album in-tact. It’s an odd decision and I can’t decide whether it smacks of fear or pride and realism. If you don’t feel you can top your greatest album, what if you just stopped trying? What if you just toured your best work forever, never souring your reputation or ‘legacy’. As a fan, it wouldn’t be the worst thing to have your favourite band immortalize their reputation by sitting on their back catalogue and touring it for you occasionally. You’d never again have to experience witnessing the downward spiral of a band past their prime and releasing rubbish that sours their place in your heart. See At The Gates perform their hits from the mid-’90s when they embark on their first ever Australian tour on Friday November 2 at Billboards. Melbourne locals Anchors have announced that they’ll release their new album Lost At The Bottom Of The World independently on Friday August 3. The album was recorded by Joel Taylor at Three Phase and mastered by Alan Douches. You can see Anchors supporting Transit on their Australian tour this August.
Fear Factory have announced their return to Australia to play some rather intimate shows at Melbourne’s The Hi-Fi this September. They’ll be banging out jams from their new album The Industrialist on Friday September 28.
CRUNCH!
The Big Day Out lineup announcement on Monday revealed that the Red Hot Chili Peppers would be the festival’s flagship act, while the promoters have also nabbed performances from OFF!, Against Me! and Every Time I Die.
MASSIVE BY PETER HODGSON
It pretty much sucked when Fastrack called it a day. But you can’t keep good rock down, and vocalist/guitarist Brad Marr is back with a new outfit called Massive. Massive’s sound isn’t a million miles removed from the down and dirty rock that made Fastrack so much fun, but there’s something else going on in Massive, that indefinable quality that adds purpose and impact to the energy. While Fastrack excelled at youthful energy and bravado, Massive seems to allow themselves more distinctiveness, more dirt, more considered songwriting and more of a direct line to the same mojo that populates the best LA hard rock. So what happened to Fastrack? “I guess in the end we weren’t exactly happy with things,” Marr explains. “We were just losing our love for music. It was a pretty hasty Beat Magazine Page 56
Empra at Saloon Bar, Traralgon Crowned Kings, Moment Of Truth, Declaration, Free World, Gold at Gasometer Sommerset, Blueline Medic, Harmony, Margins at The Tote Vicious Circle, Blood Hammer, The Worst at The Bendigo
SATURDAY JULY 21: Frank Turner has spoken more about his plans to form a new hardcore band, saying his ensemble will sound like The Jesus Lizard, The Hot Snakes as well as Mclusky. He says current material is “quite depraved” and features a song about Natalie Portman being infected with tapeworm. Murder By Death have launched a kickstarter account to assist them in recording their new album Bitter Drink Bitter Moon on vinyl. You can pledge anywhere from $1 to $10,000 but the latter will score you flights to Louisville to hit the Kentucky Bourbon Trail with the band, dinner with the band, a private photographer, and several billion other additional perks. Or cough up $5000 and have the band play in your living room.
4ARM ESCAPE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE
Check out The Time Traveller, the new album by Sydney’s Breaking Orbit. It’s a complex album which manages to somehow bridge the divide between alternative and progressive rock without alienating fans of either genre. Check it out if you’re a fan of Karnivool, King Crimson and A Perfect Circle.
4ARM have been forced to walk off The Zombie Apocalypse Tour (with Deprivation, Casket For Cassandra and Prey For Sleep) due to what they say were sub-standard arrangements and communications on behalf of the tour promoters, Nemesis Records. The band sent out a photo to media of what can only be described as a ramshackle shed which they say is an actual venue at which the band were expected to perform. “Needless to say, this was the final straw triggering 4ARM’s exit from a poorly organised and misinformed operation,” they wrote. “4ARM warn all bands to exercise caution in dealings with Nemesis Records. 4ARM apologise to fans who were planning on attending any of the US dates, but would like to assure them of a return to the US under better circumstances.” The band later went into further detail, explaining “We pulled out because we had absolutely no itinerary and the communication with the promoter on our end was very poor if not nonexistent, we would find out venue addresses on the day, not be told load in times, set times, line-up, or even be given any kind of idea of the running of any of the shows. We are a band that likes to have things very well organised and none of our performance needs were met in any way. We were promised certain advances to help financially and never received them. It is because of the total lack of organisation and professionalism in which the tour was expected to run that we were forced to re-asses the benefit to the long term interest of the band. We were accused of not showing solidarity toward the other bands on tour with no justification to the claims. Everyone claims to throw their arms in the air when they hear stories of bands having to pay to play. We spent in excess of $20,000 to come to the US for a run of shows where we never received what we were told we were going to receive.”
decision to split and go our separate ways. It wasn’t a horrible break-up or anything.” But even with the sound of the closed door echoing in Fastrack’s collective ears, Marr realised he still had the muse. “The day after Fastrack broke up I called a few mates and said ‘let’s jam!’ So I hooked up with Jarrod Medwin from a band called The Deep End and we sat in his attic and jammed for a couple of days.” Boosted by the change in scenery, Marr and Medwin wrote five or six songs during this initial session. Brothers Ben and Aaron Laguda complete the lineup. “They’re the most monstrous musicians you ever heard, man,” Marr says. “I’ve never seen anyone play like either of these two. We all just quit what we were doing at the time and put all our focus on this band.” The band’s official live debut is at the Espy on Friday July 27, but they’ve already played a few gigs on the sly. “We did a couple of secret shows under a fake name,” Marr explains. “They were great! We did it kind of like the Living End do when they call themselves the Long Necks or the Safety Matches. We opened for a couple of mates’ bands - Attack Of The Mannequins, Nat Allison… We didn’t tell anybody until the day, and everybody was like, ‘Fuck. This is rock n’ roll’.” Massive is upfront about their influences — Motley Crue, Guns N’ Roses, AC/DC, Foo Fighters — but good luck spotting any borrowed riffs or purloined rhythms. They manage to somehow sound like they belong to the
lineage of those bands without actually sounding like them. “We try to get a bit of a mix,” Marr says. “We don’t want to sound like an ‘80s band or any of our influences. We want to sound like ourselves, and we think we’re getting there. It’s got that LA vibe but it’s still got that Australiana, four-to-the-floor, badass rock sound.” Next up, Massive is taking on America. After recording with Ricky Ray (check out some of the results on Reverbnation), they’ve booked a 50-show tour of Canada and America already with tattoo/burlesque fashion show Miss Ink. And Marr hints at something else the band has booked, ‘the biggest thing I’ve ever done in my life,’ which will see the band exposed to a potentially vast audience. News of that little venture will be officially announced in a couple of weeks. A video for One By One will be online soon too. It
LONG HOLIDAY MAKE RODE TOP 10
Melbourne rockers Thunderstag (great name) return to the stage Friday July 20 at the Ferntree Gully Hotel with Australia’s hottest KISS tribute show Kisstroyer and High Voltage: The AC/DC Show. Thunderstag is a glamrock/psychobilly juggernaut comprising of members of The Shine, Voodoo Love Cats, Road Ratz and Rock City Riff Raff. Their CD launch late last year saw them sell-out the Corner Hotel so get in early and witness Thunderstag doing their thunderry, staggy thing.
Tassie singer/songwriter Lincoln LeFevre have been welcomed into the Poison City Records stable this week with the label announcing that his newest album will be released on the label later this year. The uniquely Aussie and ever so talented LeFevre is recording now at Sing Sing Studios in Melbourne.
FRIDAY JULY 20:
The Nation Blue, Blueline Medic, Sommerset, Grenadiers at The Tote Barbarion, The Creptter Children, Asleep At Last at Bang Moment Of Truth, Right Mind, Hard Reign, Head First at The Place (2pm) Rise From Ruin, Gold, Declaration, Moment Of Truth, Wonders at The Nash, Geelong
METAL, HEAVY ROCK, CLASSIC ROCK
Death Audio have issued a ten minute update on YouTube to explain what the fuck they’ve been up to for the last year. The short version is “recording, rerecording and being brutal,” but you can get the full lowdown here: bit.ly/Lk8ckM
GIG ALERT: THUNDERSTAG, KISSTROYER, HIGH VOLTAGE
Enter Shikari have made a swift return to Australia following the success of their new album A Flash Flood Of Colour and warm reception at this year’s Soundwave Festival. You can go see ‘em again at Billboards on Saturday September 22 (18+) and Sunday September 23 (U18).
LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL GOOD SHIT WITH PETER HODGSON: CRUNCHCOLUMN@GMAIL.COM
DEATH AUDIO UPDATE
A few weeks ago I told you about Long Holiday, the new Melbourne post-grunge band who had just released the video for the song Hate Potion No. 8. The song has been selected as one of the ten finalists in the Rode Rocks! international band competition (out of over 500 entries). It was selected by the likes of Alain Johannes, Dave Catching and Matt Sorum. Vote for them at rodemic.com/roderocks/long-holiday to Hollywood to record with Alain Johannes at the Record Plant.
Blueline Medic, These Hands, The Union Pacific at The Reverence Buried In Verona at Karova Lounge, Ballarat In Fiction, Raise The Stakes, Savior, Villany at Next
GIG ALERT: KOR FEST II Melbourne’s infamous shock rockers The Deadthings have reformed after a three-year hiatus to headline KoR Fest 2 at the Gershwin Room at The Espy on Friday July 20. It’s a fund raiser for Bowel Cancer Australia in memory of their close friend and Melbourne metal icon Kieran O’Reilly (Catwitch) who passed away from the disease last year. The line-up includes The Eternal, Decimatus and Overproof Groove. Entry is $15 and doors are at 8pm. There will also be a one-off auction of Catwitch memorabilia on the night, with all proceeds and door takings being donated to this important cause.
BREAKING ORBIT GET THEIR PROG ON
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VOYAGER WANTS TO MAKE A VIDEO WITH YOU Voyager is asking fans to participate in the video for the song Seize The Day from their latest album The Meaning of I. Here’s the deal, in the band’s own words: 1. Learn the lyrics to Seize The Day 2. Film yourself on your smartphone singing the song (ridiculous costumes and antics preferred - interpretive dance also accepted). Seriously – GO NUTS! 3. Send us the footage via www.wetransfer.com to voyager.management@gmail.com or upload it to your YouTube account and email us 4. We edit the footage to the song. Send us the footage by July 21, 2012!
BARONESS: YELLOW & GREEN Just a reminder: Baroness’s Yellow & Green is out this week and it’s …how do I put this… one of the best albums ever.
WEDNESDAY 13 SUPPORT ANNOUNCED DARKC3LL have picked up the support slot for October’s Wednesday 13 (of Murderdolls) tour, which is on the verge of selling out. The Melbourne show is at the Espy on Saturday October 27.
ORDNANCE RELEASE DEBUT EP New Melbourne death metal band Ordnance have just released their debut EP Blight and have a big launch show coming up at The Prague in Thornbury on next Friday July 20. Feedback Send your news to crunchcolumn@gmail.com
was supposed to be a low-budget affair, with the band bringing in their own lights and editing it themselves to keep costs down, but somewhere along the way it got a little more expensive than they’d planned: “We broke two Gibson guitars in one day.” Marr says. “It was stupid! Ben was supposed to throw his guitar off camera and I was going to catch it but I was still putting my guitar down. He threw it and it bounced off the wall and broke in half. I thought I could top that, so… y’know those wankers on YouTube who try to swing their guitar around and they fail and it flies off? Yeah. I’m one of them guys now. I smashed a Gibson SG into a drum riser.” MASSIVE perform at The Espy on Friday July 27 with Heaven The Axe, The Prophets Of Addiction, Arcane Saints and Three Time Thrill.
VALENTIINE BY KRISSI WEISS
Melbourne-based dirty rock/grunge/pseudo-pop band Valentiine are busy embarking on the standard indie slog – playing as much as possible around Melbourne and beyond, releasing singles as they are finished ahead of an album and jetting off to Europe for their first international tour in September that will be great for exposure and sure to send them broke. But who cares when you’re doing what you love and you’re pretty sure you’re damn good at it? With the European tour finalised, vocalist and guitarist Vanessa V. is getting ready for a few months of couch-surfing both before the band leave and for their time overseas. “We’re so fucking pumped,” she says with a wave of earthiness, enthusiasm and grit. “We’ve wanted to do it for a few years and we all got jobs but each time it came around we hadn’t saved up enough money; same old shit. So last year we decided to save our asses off and thought we’d really take it seriously. At the exact time we were talking about it we got an email from a UK grunge/’90s rock band and they asked us if we were ever in the UK or Europe and wanted to tour they would love to play with us. So we just jumped on it. We’re lucky enough to be doing half the tour with these guys. And we took out loans so the saving totally didn’t work.” Despite all of the notoriety, exposure and experience that a European and UK tour will bring, without a label or even a distribution deal to support a band things are sure to be expensive. “We’ll be losing, well, god knows, in terms of money,” she laughs. “But the experience of playing in another country, to expose yourself to different audiences and bands, and just being able to see how it works over there is just amazing.”
Before the band departs our shores they’re releasing their latest single, Chucky, and hoping to leave Australia with a bit of Valentiine buzz to keep things going while they explore the northern hemisphere for two months. “We’re really excited about the song; it’s kind of dirty pop, I guess?,” she says. “It’s a nice way to wrap up here before the tour. For us releasing the single will just mean doing a launch. A lot of people haven’t heard the song yet, and we will also do a clip for it and get that onto the internet. We’re really hoping to push it as hard as we can and hopefully get some radio support. I guess it’s just a case of us doing as much as we can with what we’ve got and getting as much exposure for the song as we can and really trying to get the help from radio.” Valentiine happen to be an entirely female lineup. That shouldn’t matter at all in this day and age. After all, surely the Riot Grrrl movement, among many other moments in music, changed audience perceptions about women and music? Apparently not. “This is the thing, I say this all of the time, we didn’t fucking plan on being an ‘all girl band’, you know?”
60 SECONDS WITH SYSTEM OF VENUS
she laughs. “We were mates and we all decided to have a jam and it worked. There’s no political statement, it was never a conscious decision, we fucking play, we’re fucking good and it’s got nothing to do with being all females. It’s bullshit but it’s somehow still the hot thing to focus on. We had no idea, you know? We just thought that if you’re in a band and you can play then that’s all that would matter but we got a real shock.” The sexualisation of women in music seems to be unavoidable and the propagators of this image are both audience and, to a degree, some artists who lazily use it as a selling point. While Valentiine’s local audience focus on the music, venturing to smaller towns seems to provide the band with an old man contingency in the crowd. “I don’t know what the fuck it is but it’s 2012 and this shit should not be relevant,” she says. “In all honestly, I’m just gonna be honest,
Tell us about the last song you wrote. BEAST – it is a song about the irrational greed, power-mongering and cruelty that drove a culture to commit heinous and mass crimes against their neighbours. The song loosely uses Jack and the Beanstalk as a narrative metaphor.
When’s the gig and with who? Friday July 20 at Cherry Bar. Bugdust and The Dukes of Deliciousness will be supporting us for what will be an epic night of hard rock!
What inspires or has influenced your music the most? All members have come from different walks of life, with influences ranging from rock, metal, stoner rock and blues. We take inspiration from other bands, world events, great live shows and each other. Warm and fuzzy or what?!
Bearing the terrible clichéd nature of this question, what do you reckon people will say you sound like? Hmm…the bastard lovechild of Soundgarden and Kyuss, after a dirty one night stand.
When are you doing your thing next? We are heading into the studio to finish our album which
How long have you been gigging and writing? Individual members have been haunting the Melbourne
So, someone is walking past as you guys are playing, they then go get a beer and tell their friend about you... what
What can a punter expect from your live show? An intense, explosive energy that will blast the paint off any room’s walls.
Valentiine, with support from Iowa and All My Alien Sex Friends, will be launching their latest single, Chucky, at The Worker’s Club on Friday July 20.
music scene for around 15 years now in various projects. System Of Venus have been creating havoc for over two years now – it’s only the beginning!
should be ready for release by the end of September. In the mean time you can catch our tunes on the upcoming covermount compilation CD for UK magazine Alternative Female Voices Magazine (http:www.afvmagazine.com). Online orders for the next issue are available from July 20.
Define your genre in five words or less: Low-end riff laden heavy rock.
but fuck yeah, they are there in droves sometimes. We’ve been pretty lucky in Melbourne; it’s pretty good here. But in the smaller towns, oh god. You forget you’re an all-girl band and then there’s the sexual comments, fuck, but what can you do but laugh at it?” The plan upon their return is clear – finish the album and get it out there as soon as possible and when asked whether Valentiine have any official distribution support Vanessa V. continues with her charmingly brutal honesty. “Not at this stage but fuck man, come along and fucking help, motherfuckers!” That sums it all up, really.
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do they say? “Intense... have you seen these guys? I think I might need a stronger beverage! I can’t pick it... they’re like stoner rock with a side of metal... with mood-driven melodies... and a female lead and rhythm section… and a three piece... sick! Suck down that ciggy, get in there and check ‘em out!”
Beat Magazine Page 57
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THE OCEAN PARTY The Ocean Party return with In A Knot, the first single from their forthcoming sophomore album, Social Clubs (Vinyl LP out in October through Birds Love Fighting). To celebrate the release of In A Knot, The Ocean Party will play a Saturday front-bar residency at the Tote Hotel in Collingwood throughout July, joined by two guests each week. This Saturday July 21, they are joined by Cat Cat and Grand Prismatic.
BEYONDBLUE FUNDRAISER The Doghouse Music Roadshow in proud to be supporting BeyondBlue, a national depression and anxiety initiative. The Roadshow has pulled together ten of its favourite Melbourne bands to provide a day of music at The Tote. Bands that will be donating their time are River Of Snakes, The Vagrants, Cold Harbour, Rob Jones and The Melancholic Anonymous, Diana’s Bow, The Loveles, The General, The Jimmy Deadman Communinion and Drew Harrison. Head to The Tote on Sunday August 5 at 1pm for some great music and an even greater cause. $10 entry and all money goes to BeyondBlue.
VALENTIINE Catchy dirty pop hooks drowned in pretty harmonies and the occasional screaming vocals. It’s raw, its melodic, and it rips your heart out. Valentiine’s honesty in their songs and live performances sets them apart from other bands. They never think before playing, they never write a set list, they just get up and do what they love and they don’t do it for anybody else, just themselves. They play the Workers Club on Friday July 20.
THE FUMES
DAVE LARKIN BAND After wowing the masses on their recent tour with INXS, Dave Larkin Band are back for their first Melbourne show, joining the wonderful Ronson Hangup on a blinder of a double header. Special guests on the night will be Them Bruins. Catch them all at Yah Yah’s on Saturday July 21.
THE SPHERES AV ensemble The Spheres launch their first single Mahagonny from their newly-recorded song cycle The Book of Hours at the Northcote Social Club on Sunday July 22, with support from iconic electronic composer and musician Ollie Olsen. Inspired by critical aesthetics and the great ‘City Symphonies’ of the silent cinema era, Mahagonny is the first official release from The Spheres collective in almost three years. Catch The Spheres soundtracking the light thrown from projectors and Ollie Olsen (teaming up with visual artist and VJ James Wright) from 2pm for a very special matinee performance of experimental sound and cinematics that is not to be missed. Entry is $10.
PORTRAITS OF AUGUST Portraits Of August began way back in 2008 with three mates from high school who were searching for more than the school band could offer them and had a shared goal to play on triple j Unearthed and in venues where they had seen their idol bands play. They have come a long way since then, having now grown to a four-piece band, with an impending EP release and a number upcoming gigs on the cards, and they are looking forward to the good times ahead. Leeroy’s Giants will be supporting their good pals Portraits Of August, bringing their unique rock sound. The Hammy, Friday July 20.
SHERIFF Batten down the hatches. Lock up your children. Round up your friends and family. And bring ‘em down to Yah Yah’s. Why? The Sheriff’s in town and he’s got company! Melbourne’s finest southernpsychedelic-horror-blues-rock trio, fresh off the back of their rampaging video launch earlier this month for new single Simon Young, are ready to take to the stage with their own brand of bedlam. The show will be the triumphant family reunion with their inappropriate uncle, I Am Duckeye and sexy cousin, Sun God Replica, so escape the cold and descend into the fiery pits of a Sheriff gig. Yah Yah’s, Friday July 20.
Beat Magazine Page 58
AGENTS OF ABHORRENCE Joining Agents Of Abhorrence, fresh from clonking heads across the USA are Forces, dark industrial wizards who craft the sort of tunes most people would kill to plagiarise, let alone write. Headless Death’s old school grindcore is clouded with the terrible stench of tomb and the stain of rusty old death metal, and Nun are the oppressive synth/industrial steamroller starting the night, carpet bombing The Tote with low-end throb insidious hooks. It’s a Thursday, not a weekend so write it in your diary, peanuts. The Tote, Thursday July 19. Doors at 8pm, tickets are $15.
The Fumes are an Australian-bred, two-piece outfit, comprising of Steve Merry and Jacob Mann who have been creating intense blues riffs since the beginning of 2011. Over the last few years, The Fumes have gained international success and enough accolades, such as Blues Artist of the Year at Oz Music Awards, to make any band green with envy. In early 2011 original drummer Joel Battersby left The Fumes and was replaced by the young drumming aficionado, Jacob Mann. With new blood in the band The Fumes headed back into the studio to pen their new EP Franky due for release in August 2012. The first taste of what they have created is the brand new single Dance In Costume, which they launch at The National Hotel in Geelong on Friday July 20 and The Workers Club on Saturday July 21.
THE VAGRANTS The Vagrants, Melbourne’s best high energy band are in the middle of recording their fifth CD. They have also done two live CDs which capture the band’s intense energy, and they are hoping to combine the live feel on a studio CD. When listening to all of their music over the past eight years, it is always hard to put them in a genre. It will always get you up dancing though. All are hugely competent musicians, and can play just about anything, and that is always witnessed at the live shows, but the CDs seem to only scratch the surface. They must be seen live. Along with Home to Kelly, Romeo Knights, Black Tea House, and Fine Motor Skills, the Vagrants play The Espy on Saturday July 21.
VERDAINE Though it’s clear that their musical DNA formed in the passions of the post-punk era, Verdaine’s musical mission skims across genre, chasing that timeless sound and lyric. Formed in Germany in 2006 by frontman Steve Zafir, Verdaine played their first shows in Munich before re-materialising in Melbourne in 2008. Joined by fellow ex-Silent Reach drummer, Scott McKenzie and Empty Orchestra’s Lisa Gibbs on bass, Verdaine have refined a raw, intensive live sound to offset the dreamy polish of their upcoming album. After lifetimes of recording and mixing, Verdaine launch their debut single Electron supported by Duet and Transit Lane at the Grace Darling on Friday July 20.
Q&A THE LIKELY SUSPECTS
NATHAN JOHN KEARNEY Minimalistic DIY musician Nathan John Kearney will be releasing his debut solo album Pockmarket in the chapel at Schoolhouse Studios. The night starts at 7PM with an atmospheric DJ set from Jade McInally from T A N T R U M S and a chance to walk around the chapel and check out a new series of artworks from Sinuet (Darcy McCrae). Kearney will be playing two sets starting from 8pm, followed by a second DJ set from Jade McInally to round out the night. There’ll be a bar, finger foods, low priced art and copies of the album available on CD and cassette. Saturday July 21, Schoolhouse Studios.
What’s your name and what do you do in the band? Bob Crain, and I sing, play guitar and write songs.
GHOST TOWNS OF THE MIDWEST
Define your genre in 5 words or less. Hate the term but INDIE FOLK ROCK, if you must.
Having recently made their triple j debut with lead single Gallow Birds, and having the front bar of the Regal Ballroom dancing along to their tales last Friday, Ghost Towns Of The Midwest haul themselves into The Tote’s front bar. Four men armed with nothing but an array of instruments and stories to tell, and like the settlers of old, it was these stories that meant most to them. Settling closer to the city, they tirelessly hit taverns and saloons playing their music and telling their stories to anyone who would listen. And listen they did. The Drooling Mouths of Memphis follow as part of their July residency. The Drooling Mouths Of Memphis are manic up-and-comers whose take on country music incorporates influences oscillating from melodic jazz to spooky blues. With their eclectic musicianship tied with vivid narratives, the Drooling Mouths deliver refreshing originality. The Tote front bar, tonight.
What do you love about making music? Everything really, but since musically I come from a place long ago and far, far away when the music delivered a message, I really love my little journey trying to bring a bit of that message in the music back to the surface. What do you hate about the music industry? The Voice, the ‘idols’, the ‘judges’ and mostly the idea that you can create an idol on TV via a phone poll, WTF? What’ve you got to sell CD-wise? I have a new solo CD titled Humanology 101 which The Likely Suspects along with some other fantastic musicians and vocalists helped me out on. It is available ‘pre-release’ on my website: bobcrain.com.au.
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When’s the gig and with who? Thursday July 19, 8pm at Gertrude’s Brown Couch in Fitzroy. TASTY TRIOS is the event; our little collective of trios will be playing on the night. So it’s Chambers, Temple Of Tunes and us. All of these bands really put in to make it a great night of original music. Why should everyone come and see your gig? They should all come out to enjoy an entertaining and diverse night of original music from three very cool trios – acoustic, electric, vocals, alternative, indie, folk rock... absolute foot stompin’ stuff, with a surprise ending. If your music was a chocolate bar, which one would it be, and why? Interesting comparison. It would have to be a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup. It’s an American thing: creamy, smooth and tasty with a deep and meaningful message in the middle. What part of music excites you the most? Writing a good song and performing it well – on stage, recording, rehearsal, in the shower, wherever.
VICIOUS CIRCLE Influential hardcore band Vicious Circle will launch their 12th album Don’t Lose It this Friday. Vicious Circle formed in Melbourne in the early ‘80s and between releasing albums have toured Australia, the United States and Europe. In a return to their roots, Don’t Lose It is a blistering 20 minutes in length and will be available on vinyl and CD. Completing the great lineup on the night will be Bloody Hammer, The Worst and 12FU at the Bendigo Hotel on Friday July 20.
BRONSAN CENTRE 25TH ANNIVERSARY GIG The Jesuit Social Services are celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Bronsan Centre in Brunswick. Named after legendary Catholic priest Father John Brosnan, the centre has provided major help in housing, employment and relationships for thousands of Victorians exiting the Justice System since its doors were opened in 1987. Acts at the benefit include Jesse and Ella Hooper (ex-Killing Heidi), Peter Ewing, Kerri Simpson, Dave Arden, Etienne Dianga, The Flybz, and Angie Hart. Paul Stewart will be MC. It’s all happening at The Cornish Arms this Sunday July 22 from 3-6pm.
KING LEGHORN King Leghorn was born in and of the early Melbourne punk scene, spawning a reputation as a weird band of fowl-worshipping, fruit splattering performance artists and (on better days) an eclectic mix of musical excretion who were unjustly marginalised by the internet and the iPod, and symbolic of the shift of cacaphonic creativity from the chicken coop onto the stages of Melbourne pubs. Now, in their revival at The Tote, where their debut album Bogman was launched on cassette (remember them?) in 1990, King Leghorn will take to the stage, promising a crunching Sunday night of burning laughter, running amuck. The Men They Call Jayne arrived on the scene of the crime roughly a year ago. The scene of the crime being bad pop music. Ever since, they have been battling this murderous foe with the influence ‘70s punk (both post and pre), love of ‘50s rockabilly and a staunch musical integrity. Little Band Of Wild are a dynamic new music outfit that defy convention. The kicker here is the unpredictability of the players who thrive on free-form and love to take a chance which tends to create special moments on stage. Catch this awesome triple bill at The Tote this Sunday July 22 from 6pm. Tickets are $10.
CASADELDISCO RECORDS TENTH ANNIVERSARY Casadeldisco Records is celebrating its tenth Anniversary of releasing records by throwing one hell of a party weekend at The Tote. On Friday July 20, catch Sommerset, Blueline Medic, Harmon and Margins, and on Saturday July 21, The Nation Blue, Sommerset, Blueline Medic and Grenadiers. Bangin’. Tickets are pretty much gone, but perhaps a handful of extra tickets will be released for both shows. Stay glued to The Tote facebook. Kicking off at 8pm, both nights.
MUSIC NEWS
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Sub Atari Knives
THE GIN CLUB The Gin Club are playing a one-off stripped back show this Saturday to celebrate the release of their new live album. With Ben Salter and Ola Karlsson overseas, and Dan Mansfield busy in Brisbane with other projects, the remaining six Gin Clubbers decided to head south, or stay south for the Melbournites in the collective, and have a little release party at one of their favourite watering holes. The Gin Club Live was funded via crowd sourcing site IndieGoGo and has been assembled from a stockpile of live recordings that the band have amassed over their eight year history. They play the Post Office Hotel on Saturday July 21.
THE FINAL CUT Relaxed and reborn Mornington Peninsula band The Final Cut have been working endlessly on their much anticipated self titled EP. Launching Saturday September 22 at The Hi-Fi with local support from Mercury White, The Communists, and Scalar Fields to wind up an exceptional bill of live music. Previous works express bluesy bass lines and spiralling guitar riffs, mixed with skittering drums and increasingly strident vocals they bring together a joyful blend of old school rock and bubbling dance. Their progressive style of indie/pop/rock makes for a fantastic live show full of infectious melodies and lively beats.
SHAKY STILLS Shaky Stills are playing on Friday July 20 at The Edinburgh Castle, Brunswick. They’re back together at last, playing their brand of alt country and dirty blues tunes with eclectic jams to boot. Shake on down and walk right in – it’s free for all to enjoy the warm surrounds of one of Melbourne’s great traditional pubs with good food and original music from 9pm. See you there.
SHOWDOWN AT THE CORNER The fourth installment of Showdown At The Corner is set to land in August, featuring ten of Melbourne’s best live acts rocking out across The Corner Hotel’s two stages. This year sees Byron Bay expats Engine Three Seven headline the event, breaking their six month hiatus and launching their new single. Other acts on the lineup are Bellusira, The Khyber Belt, Sub Atari Knives, Moroccan Kings, Fisker, One, Kettlespider, The Fighting and Hotel On Mayfair. The Corner Hotel, Friday August 3.
MIKELANGELO AND THE TIN STAR
MILLIONS
Mikelangelo is heading off to the UK with the Famous Spiegeltent and there will be a huge farewell show at The Regal Ballroom featuring The Tin Star, St Clare, and The ReChords. The Tin Star will be joined by theremin genius Miles Brown (The Night Terrors) and trumpet maestro Jack Howard (Hunters & Collectors), with more guests to be announced. This will be the last Mikelangelo and The Tin Star show before the group head back into the studio to record their next album. Be sure to head to The Regal Ballroom to help give them the giant send off they deserve, Friday July 20.
In a history spanning less than 18 months, Brisbane four-piece Millions have been unearthed by triple j, played at 2011’s Splendour In The Grass festival, shared the stage with the likes of Unknown Mortal Orchestra, The Grates, Bluejuice, Bleeding Knees Club and completed extensive national tours alongside Gold Fields, Nantes and Northeast Party House. The garage-rock band signed to Stop Start earlier this year, have released their Nine Lives, Six Degrees EP and will play a launch show at The Northcote Social Club on Friday 20 July.
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Beat Magazine Page 59
MUSIC NEWS
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SAM COOPER BAND
Crystal Thomas
Every Tuesday night in July at The Tote front bar, Sam Cooper Band are playing with a cracker bunch of musicians. The band consists of members of Sleep Decade, Facetime, Fraser A. Gorman band, The Murlocs, and King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard. It’s free and every week will feature a brilliant support act. 8pm kick off. This Tuesday July 24 features Chris Jennings as support.
ACOUSTIC COMPETITION Acoustic Comp is a place in the eastern suburbs for original musos to score some great prizes and spread their musical goodness. There’s over $5,000 worth of goodies to win, with Maton and Mackie on board as a major sponsor. The nights are streamed live with guest judges and interactive voting. Head to facebook.com/acousticcomp for more details as spots are limited and filling up. The competition goes for 12 weeks, every Thursday night at Bazoo Bar in Croydon.
MONEY FOR ROPE Fresh from tearing the eastern seaboard a new one (in the nicest possible way) alongside Damn Terran and Kingswood on This Epic Tour, Melbourne sextet Money For Rope return home to launch their new single Misery Lane on Saturday July 28 at Ding Dong Lounge. Misery Lane is the second track to roll out from the band’s forthcoming self-titled debut LP and hints at the illicit goodness lying within – a three-minute package of sex and danger. The stage at the newly reopened Ding Dong Lounge is set to quiver and heave under the weight of sheer awesomeness on offer for the launch. Joining Money For Rope in the danger zone are The Treatment (SYD), Drunk Mums and The Fifth Friend. Tickets are $12+bf from Oztix or available from all good record stores
BEAST RECORDS NIGHT In another Beast Records celebration, to commemorate label head Seb Blanchais’ second visit to our shores, The Beast Records Festival Showcase culminates in a massive free entry party night at Yah Yah’s on Sunday July 22. After the two-night rager at The Retreat, Yah Yah’s is open very late on Sunday to put on five acts and celebrate into the wee hours. The Horrortones (featuring members of SixFtHick), MJ Halloran & the Sinners, Bad Vision, Head On (France) and Roller One are part of the lineup. It could get messy and it will definitely be a lot of fun.
BODIES Bodies: a trio of assorted body parts. One of them had too much skin and the other two were both missing kneecaps. Weird, I know, but whilst they were in treatment at an exclusive medical centre, they met and immediately hated the sight of each other. They had to form a band as part of their ongoing therapy. Seems to be going alright, but they still hate each other. Joined by Ouch My Face, Dead Riber and Euphoriacs, catch them at the Reverence Hotel on Saturday July 21.
MIDNIGHT WOOLF
KOR FEST 2
I’ll Be A Dog is the brand new album by Melbourne’s wildest garage band Midnight Woolf, packed with 14 of the craziest, fuzziest and furriest tracks this winter. With hand-drawn artwork by Lluis Fuzzhound and out on Off The Hip Records, the album is bound to set the cats a-running and the dogs a-chasing. Vinyl will be out once they return from their European trip in September, so round up the chickens and tie down the hen-house, the Woolf are back on the prowl. Launching at The Old Bar on Saturday July 21 with the infectious madness of Mesa Cosa and the filthy Murder Rats. Entry is $10 and bands start at 9pm.
Melbourne’s infamous shock rockers The Deadthings have reformed to headline KoR Fest 2, a fundraiser for Bowel Cancer Australia in memory of close friend Catwitch singer Kieran O’Reilly who passed away from the disease last year, with other friends The Eternal, Decimatus & Overproof Groove, this stellar line-up is set to rock The Espy Gershwin room with all proceeds being donated to this great cause. Friday July 20 from 8pm, tickets are $15 on the door.
OLMEG
That’s right folks! This Monday July 23, bring yer’ banjo, mandolin, washboard, fiddle, flatmate and join in the old time bluegrass jam session. Or just come down and watch as The Oldie get’s transformed to a scene from an Appalachian mountainside. 8pm start and it’s always free.
Join Olmeg on their neverending search for the big riff and the heaviest curly groove, whence bluesy, fuzzed-out, psychedelic rock power trio deliver masses of deep rolling riffs that intertwine into spatial atmospheres that get inside your head and proceed to blow the top off. Accompanying Olmeg on the night will be Red Sky Burial, whose hypnotic drums, undulating bass lines and riff-laden guitars provide a solid grounding for their commanding live set which has cemented the band as a force to be reckoned with in the Melbourne live music scene. Opening proceedings are Tzolkin, three journeyers of the universe manifested into mind, body and spirit vehicles, creating progressive, psychedelic, funky metal. The Bendigo Hotel, Thursday July 19.
RELAX WITH MAX Relax With Max are a Melbourne institution and are bringing their unique blend of funk and Afrobeat back to the Espy. Playing to capacity houses on the north side of town, this 12-piece band, led by entertaining frontman Max Vella, know how to get a groove on. The best players from some of the most popular bands in town are part of this powerful outfit. The four piece horns and thumping rhythm section with African percussion makes for an ‘Old School’ funky good time! They will join Espy favourites The Dale Ryder Band and Bad Boys Batucada in the front bar every Sunday in July.
Beat Magazine Page 60
GERRY HALE’S SESSIONS
BLUEGRASS
HYFRYDOL With a debut EP released in late 2011 and a much anticipated follow up in the works, Hyfrydol are proud to announce a special headlining show for a sneak peek of the new tracks before the band head back into the studio, and to celebrate the release of their new single, Something More. Having garnered fans in Australia and internationally with their kitchenware percussion, complex harmonies and luscious arrangements, Hyfrydol have already gained comparisons with the likes of Beach House, Dirty Projectors and Sleeping States. Supports will be provided by the ever-captivating experimental electronica-pop DJ set by The Townhouses and formidably talented Melbourne multi-instrumentalist Great Earthquake and Albert Salt. The Toff In Town, tonight, $8 on the door from 8pm.
EDDIE JAMES AND THE PROWL Eddie James And The Prowl take you back to a time when Sunday church wasn’t good enough to wash away the guilty sweat marks off your best secondhand outfits, borrowed, stolen or legally purchased for the night before. A sinful night spent in a backyard shed stomping and grinding to a band of misfits soaked in whiskey baring their souls to the rhythms of the blues. They strip it back to the bone – be warned! Hold onto your hearts, your heads, your fingers and your legs because Eddie James And The Prowl will leave you wanting and panting for so much more. The Old Bar, Sunday July 22.
SHAMEEM Soulful songstress Shameem, dubbed Australia’s answer to Alicia Keys and often compared to British chanteuse Sade, will be performing in Melbourne in July as part of her first national tour. This young Perth artist has been turning heads in the music industry following the recent release of her debut self-titled album. Her latest credits include performing support sets for Ronan Keating and Belinda Carlisle before audiences in the thousands, and being invited to Toronto to perform at NXNE Festival 2012. Catch her at Bar 303 on Sunday July 29. 9pm, $10.
TARCUTTA, CRYSTAL THOMAS & BEN BUNTING The swirling, atmospheric Hammond tones of local instrumental three-piece Tarcutta are back. In their debut, Justin Buckley (electric guitar), Justin Wheelahan (organ) and Pete Barrett (drums) delve into old and new material, which has been described variously as punk, post rock and progressive. Crystal Thomas and Benjamin Bunting will be warming up the night in their first public performance since the launch of Crystal’s new album A Chance In Hell, out now through Off the Hip. Catch it live at the Great Britain on Sunday July 22. 8PM, free.
OVER-REACTOR
SIB SiB is the stage name of French-born Australian singer/songwriter Adrien Siboulet. SiB and his band comprised of members from Whitley, Eagle & The Worm and The Hello Morning (to name a few) have picked up a Thursday evening July residency at The Grace Darling. Sib’s sound tends more towards a blend of blues, rock, country and soul – think The Black Keys meets Ryan Adams and The Cardinals. SiB has two independently released EPs under his belt, with more than enough hits to entertain a weary winter crowd for a month of Thursdays. This week will be the country genius of Eaten by Dogs and Melbourne Folk legend Jack Mcloskey. The Grace Darling, Thursday July 19.
MASSIVE Massive have arrived. The four-piece Melbourne rock and roll juggernaut formed for one reason: to create high energy rock and roll that will get your blood pumping and leave you begging for more. After launching the band and the three track single in late July, they have one more Melbourne show before they take off to The United States for a promotional tour. Alongside Heaven The Axe, The Prophets Of Addiction, Arcane Saints and Three Time Thrill, catch them at The Espy on Friday July 27.
STANDISH/CARLYON Chapter Music is excited to announce a new addition to its world-renowned stable of Australian pop auteurs. Standish/Carlyon is the new duo project for Conrad Standish and Tom Carlyon, both formerly of suave rock-noir outfit Devastations. Returning to Melbourne after a number of years based in London, the duo unveil their futurist dub pop with a Tuesday residency at the Toff In Town in July. Support this Tuesday July 24 is Kangaroo Skull and Forces DJs. Tickets are $8 on the door, with a 7.30pm kick off.
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The dates are locked in for Over-Reactor’s national winter tour, and the good news is they’ll be playing the entire new album Mouth Of The Ghetto at these shows, plus a few old favourites. They’ve been feeding the bass-lines and beats nothing but butter, wrapped in bacon, smeared with chocolate, and then letting them sit around all day on the couch watching Jimi Hendrix at Woodstock. Suffice to say, they have grown fat and tripped right out. They play the John Curtin Bandroom on Friday July 20.
PAPA CHANGO Off the back of their sold out launch for The Matador and PBSFM album of the week, everyone’s favourite Afro-funkers Papa Chango play a Saturday night residency in July at Bar Open. Known for their heavy afro grooves and hypnotic, ethio-jazz inspired melodies, Papa Chango will be bringing plenty of bump and grind to your Saturday night. The nine-piece afro-funk collective storm back onto the scene to present a solid month of serious dancefloor demolition. Partnering up with very special guests, fellow afro-funk merchants The Afrobiotics and cumbiareggae juggernaught Madre Monte. All other shows will be two sets from the Papa. Papa Chango lay it on you every Saturday in July. Always funky and always free! Doors open at 10pm.
EL MOTH Melbourne’s favourite party perpetrators, El Moth have burst back onto the scene this year and are showing no signs of slowing. Armed with their unique blend of funkin’, punkin’, drunkin’ reggae, these hooligans are known for their high energy shows with slick, yet accessible musicianship that is topped off with a charismatic rock ‘n reggae attitude. The sixpiece has been responsible for countless sleepless nights and angry neighbours around the underground Melbourne party scene over the years. Recently, El Moth has wowed audiences at the St Kilda and Apollo Bay music festivals and has been playing to capacity crowds at venues, always creating good vibes and a memorable experience that won’t be forgotten…. or at least until the hangover kicks in. The boys have been working hard writing a bunch of new material for their debut EP, which is set to be released later in the year. Catch them at Bar Open every Friday in August where they will be unleashing some fresh tracks along with the old favourites.
ALISON FERRIER
MUSIC NEWS Carus Thompson
London born singer-songwriter Alison Ferrier will be performing from 4pm every Sunday in July in The Retreat Hotel front bar. She began her musical career in Melbourne playing acoustic guitar and fiddle with country duo The Wayward Fancies and then four-piece band The Hallrunners. She has recently released her debut solo album. Full of dreamily melodic waltzes, heartsick ballads and haunted blues, Sugar Baby is evocative of the timeless, romantic music of years gone by. She is joined by Tim Murphy on double bass and Matt Green on electric guitar and dobro. Also, it’s free.
Acoustic At The Norfolk.
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John Butler
The Waifs.
SYSTEM OF VENUS Cherry Bar will be hosting an earth shattering rock show this Friday July 20 with three of Melbourne’s fiercest rocks acts sharing the stage including System Of Venus, Budgust and The Dukes Of Deliciousness. This stellar selection of bands will undoubtedly be tearing it up for guests with their own brand of heavy, grit ridden, venom tinged, ear smashing, riff laden, hypnotic, pelvis thrusting, stylistic infused performances. This will be a particularly awesome gig for System Of Venus as it will be their last chance to cut loose before they knuckle down with studio time and finish off their new album due for release in late 2012. Avoid getting sucked into an infinite vortex of repetition and get along to this show. Bands kick off at 9pm sharp.
ESTHER HOLT Melbourne-based folk pop chanteuse Esther Holt writes songs which are melodic, catchy and honest. In preparation of her debut EP release, Esther Holt and her band will be taking over Wednesdays in July with a sling of great supports. Tune in for an awesome winters night out. The Evelyn Hotel, tonight.
HOLLOW EVERDAZE Four-piece Hollow Everdaze will take the stage to play the first show since recording their debut album. They will be supported by good friends Amanita, Apes, new noise project Ghost Vein, and The Call Up. The Evelyn Hotel, Saturday July 21. 8pm, $8.
CASH SAVAGE & THE LAST DRINKS Known as 2012’s must see artist of the year Cash Savage & The Last Drinks will be bringing their rootsy, rock tunes to Revolver Upstairs as part of their Lost & Found Series tonight. Joining Cash and her band is APRA award winners The Fire Alive, blues rockers Red Eagle and coming all the way from Queensland on their EP tour is Barefoot Alley. Doors 8pm, tickets are $10 on the door.
ANIMAUX Make sure you’re down at the one and only Evelyn Hotel on all five Mondays (yes, five) in July to dance away those winter blues with Animaux. With a month’s worth of shows boasting lineups featuring some of the hottest young talent in the country, let alone Melbourne, you’d be crazy to miss a single week! 8.30pm.
Three Boxes Creature Of Habit
Acoustic At The
CARUS THOMPSON After more than a decade of touring, recording Norfolk
and performing, Carus Thompson is a veteran on the Australian live music, singer-songwriter landscape. Carus will be performing at The Retreat Hotel every Thursday in July as part of his tour for his latest release, Acoustic At The Norfolk Volume II. Thompson is relishing settling back into his beloved, adopted home town of Melbourne, and it finally gives him a chance to play in venues like The Retreat. 9pm start and best of all, it’s free.
TIMOTHY CARROLL Timothy Carroll is the son of Irish migrants and raconteur of warm folk tales. The past months have seen the Brisbane (and occasionally Stockholm) based musician return to the studio for the follow-up album to his heralded 2009 release, For Bread And Circuses. The first single, being toured nationally in July is titled If I Were You. Recorded live to tape at Grandma’s Place, the creative home of producer Matt Redlich (Emma Louise, Hungry Kids Of Hungary, Ball Park Music), Carroll has departed from the warm tones and soft brushed snares and wandered into heavier electric lands with driving rhythms and wailing guitars. He plays The Grace Darling on Sunday July 22.
Acoustic at The Norfolk Volume II
A DEAD FOREST INDEX
GRANSTON DISPLAY A message from Granston Display: It’s kind of loud in here, we’re sorry! There’s not much room either, apologies! It gets a little overcrowded. We’re Granston Display by the way. Appreciate you coming down. It’s just the three of us James, Jimmy and Shags - experimenting with a concoction of sounds. Although a jazz/funk/ blues/roots synthesis is where we’re at. Don’t mind the Sopranos DVDs, socks, blow up dolls and cider... They’re just riders from our gigs at Revolver, Mynt Lounge and as a part of the FreeZa Push series. You’ve caught us putting together our ridiculously sexy hippy get ups for the Woodstock themed party we’re playing at in support of The Kilniks residency at Noise Bar. The Mind Flowers and Howard are also on the lineup on Saturday July 21. Doors open at 7pm and make sure you get down early to smash a bunch of drink specials before losing your shit on the dance floor. End message.
Thompson
Thomas
Tim Rogers.
Brothers Adam and Sam Sherry form minimalist two piece A Dead Forest Index. Originally from Auckland/ London, A Dead Forest Index formed in 2009 and are currently based in Melbourne. A Dead Forest Index create a sound ambitious in contrast and depth. Drawing on simple yet dynamic elements, leaving sparse but deliberate structures and washes of sound that centre around the voice. Their songs draw from a wide range of influences such as William Blake, Taraf De Haidouks, Scott Walker and Arvo Part. A Dead Forest Index released their first work, Antique EP in early 2011. Expanding on their minimal, layered live performance, Antique brings to life a sound that is strikingly original and sincere. This collection will be re-released on 10” vinyl and CD in July by OSCL in Australia and Denovali in Europe with two new tracks included. They are currently working on their first full-length album due out early 2013. A Dead Forest Index are touring Europe in September/October 2012 with label-mates HEIRS, and this show will be supported by the likes of Sarah Mary Chadwick (Batrider) and The Process. Come send them off in style. The Toff In Town, Saturday July 21, tickets are $10+bf available from Moshtix.
What do you love about making music? Telling a story and taking people on a journey. What do you hate about the music industry? Snobs – people who are close-minded about different styles, or lesser-known emerging artists. If you could travel back in time and show one of your musical heroes your stuff, who would it be and why? Sting, but he’s still alive. Hang on – Michael Jackson! Or maybe one of the great jazz songwriters, like Billy Strayhorn.
Carus Thompson
RIKI & THE RANTS Head down to Yah Yah’s on Thursday July 19 to hear the dynamic and vibrant Riki And The Rants. They will be supported by the royal combination of the Martian Kings and The Ugly Kings, it’s bound to be a night of live music fit for monarchy. Get your dancing shoes on because it’s going to be wild, and it is free entry.
Q&A SHAMEEM
Bearing the terrible clichéd nature of this question, what do you reckon people will say you sound like? People have told me that I’m like a more jazzy/arty version of Alicia Keys or Sade.
Paul Kelly Mick
Acoustic At The Norfolk Volume II
Acoustic At The Norfolk Volume II
Define your genre in five words or less: Soul with a jazz tinge.
Caravan
Minds Eye / MGM
What inspires or has influenced your music the most? Probably the inspiration I get from the Bahá’í Writings. And the rollercoaster of experiencing that amazing thing called life!
visit www.carusthompson.com for all tour dates
What do you think a band has to do these days to succeed? Make great music (not just good music). And work hard, hard, hard at self-managing. Do you have any record releases to date? What are they? Where can I get them? Yes – there’s my new, self-titled debut album, and my 2009 EP Universe For Afternoon Tea. You can grab them at my website: shameemmusic.com. When are you playing live? Sunday July 29, at the 303. This will be the only Melbourne show of my national tour. Four shows in four capital cities, then back home to sunny Perth.
What can a punter expect from your live show? Funky grooves, super-tight band, passionate vocals and a message or story in each song. CHECK OUT ALL THE LATEST NEWS, REVIEWS AND FREE SHIT AT BEAT.COM.AU
Beat Magazine Page 61
MUSIC NEWS
LEVITATING CHURCHES YOUR COMPREHENSIVE LOCAL GUIDE
For all the latest news check out beat.com.au
The Levitating Churches are the sort of band Australia was once famous for: passionate and tough garage punk. Think Roky Erickson, MC5, the Nomads. Loud, brash and rocking, their debut 7” single Fuck Blues (now that’s punk!) has been received to wide acclaim. This is the sort of grimey, back alley rock that the Europeans go crazy for and it’s easy to see why. Hard as nails and as unforgiving as an outback summer. Joined by Fortress of Narzod, formed in late 2009 over a love of early ‘70s hard rock, ‘70s punk and all forms of stoner rock, they are veterans of the Melbourne rock scene, along with new rock and roll outfit Chaingun. The Bendigo Hotel, tonight.
HAYDEN CALNIN Having recently finished touring with Gossling on her Intentional Living tour, Hayden Calnin will be getting straight back into it with a residency at The Toff every Monday in July. At only 22-years-old, singer/songwriter/producer Hayden Calnin has begun to build a following for himself after garnering the attention of triple j and its listeners with comparisons to international acts such as Bon Iver and James Blake. His debut track Summer showcases mesmerising a cappella vocals partnered with looping and layering techniques. Support is from Manor, doors open at 7.30pm and tickets are only 7 bucks.
DON WALKER THE BEAST RECORDS FESTIVAL SHOWCASE French label, Beast Records has been dedicated to releasing rock and roll bands from across the globe since 2003 with a special focus on Australian acts including Beasts Of Bourbon, Cosmic Psychos, Kill Devil Hills, Digger & the Pussycats, The Spoils, Gentle Ben & His Sensitive Side and more. Some of Beast Records’ favourite Australian acts come together over two nights, at The Retreat Hotel for Beast Records Festival Showcase. Featuring rare live appearances from Six Foot Hick and The Holy Soul plus The Spoils’ first show for 2011. Presale tickets available – it descends on the Retreat Hotel on Friday July 20 and Saturday July 21.
GLEN & THE PEANUTBUTTERMEN Glen & The Peanutbuttermen blast back onto the scene with their fourth album of pure mayhem and chaos. Introducing Dik Butter (No Idea) on bass and Rory The Panther (Sebas Rockets) on drums to help create 12 blistering new tracks of punk rock classics. The Peanutbuttermen heritage owes more to The Dead Boys, Johnny Thunders, Damned, Germs, Fear, Dead Kennedys and ‘80s Australian punk than to any formulaic style. Expect the unexpected! The Return Of The PeanutButterMen rocks out on a new level of creative rock disdain, so it’s time to step forward into the serious sonic guitar-driven double vocal attack and fun-fuelled antics of these eccentric creative stalwarts of the Australian scene. They launch their latest album at Pony on Friday July 20 with a huge show starting at 9pm and kicking on through the late show until 3am. That’s six bands in one night, including Last Call, The R.I.P. Rides, Unaustralians, K-Mart Warriors and Super Saloon. So get on down and sing along. Doors 9pm. Glen & The Peanutbuttermen also play Cherry Bar on Sunday July 22 with Crackwhore, Wolfpack and Liquorsnatch from 7pm, free entry.
The legendary Don Walker (Cold Chisel, Tex, Don & Charlie, Catfish) will be heading out on the road again to tour the country performing some old and new songs with his band The Suave Fucks. Tales and songs, some old, some new. He hits the Northcote Social Club on Thursday July 26 and The Caravan Club in Oakleigh on Friday July 27. Tickets on sale now from the venue and Oztix.
SARA RETALLICK It was either the ancient Greeks or perhaps Confucious who once said “cold winter nights need only the sweet sounds of a guitar and woman’s voice… oh, and perhaps an autoharp too”. This pretty much sums up every Tuesday in July as Jimmy Tait frontwoman Sara Retallick plays an intimate solo residency at the Retreat. Over these five Tuesdays she will be joined by a number of wonderful local singer/songwriters, including members of The Gin Club, Hoy and Howl at the Moon. Ah, the simple things in life.
HUGO & THE TREATS Hugo & The Treats and Ghost Orkid play Bar Open four Sundays in a row. Hugo is an esoteric rap exile from the UK and with The Treats, they are a feature in the North Side hip hop scene, known for their theatrical, comedic and spiritually uplifting shows. Ghost Orkid boast a lineup of members from Ether, El Moth, Matt Kelly, Simon Wright Band (and more!) who share a wealth of experience, and have honed an experimental and highly accessible style. Come check them at Bar Open this Sunday July 22. Every show is free, too.
THE FUTURAS + THE KAVE INN If you like your rock’n’roll raw and served up sans frills, come dig the raw garage beats with The Kave Inn, featuring members of The Breadmakers, Johnny Curtin and The Pelmets, The Shimmys and Pretty Green. These guys and girls are beyond primitive – they make Shad and Gronk seem positively sophisticated in comparison. This is the twangin’ sound of the primordial swamplands. Joining the prehistoric debutantes are this city’s best kept secret, The Futuras. These Hammondtastic hipsters will warm your soul on a cold Melbourne night - and your feet too. And like all the best things in life, it’s free! The Great Britain Hotel, Saturday July 21. 9pm, free.
FIERCE MILD Brothers To Ghosts are your good old hearty three-piece rock band from Melbourne. Only just formed this year, they are fresh, eager and chomping at the bit to play Pony. Brothers To Ghosts are sure to get your feet tapping and heads bopping with honesty, groove and hearty, hearty tunes. Fierce Mild are pretty fresh themselves, just coming off their EP release at Cherry Bar and a recent tour in Sydney earlier in the year. Their unique smooth bluespsychedelic-funky-indie sound will impress. Chief loves Pony. They’re pleased to have him and his rock’n’roll back, although he never really left. You’ll find him most weeks at Pony in the wee hours of the morning down stairs or up until close. But this night you’ll also find him onstage. Thursday July 19, doors from 8.30pm.
KHS BLUES BAND Every Friday in July the Balaclava Hotel will host the KHS Blues Band. Three sets of psychedelic grooves, jumpin’ rhythms and plenty of good vibrations in the lounge bar. Tunes from 8pm with a special guest support each week
60 SECONDS WITH…
ANIMAUX
THE KODIAK CLUB The Kodiak Club is a progressive art rock band from Melbourne. Their notoriously enigmatic association with the ‘walrus’ image is open for discussion and to interpretation, but is essentially and paradoxically irrelevant to their inception as an Australian musical quartet. The important thing to note is that they are here to stay, here to play, here to perform and here to take care of business. Though what can one expect from a night with The Kodiak Club? An enticing affair combining sentiment and sound. An unpredictable twist down the spirally path of apprehension and adventure. Head down to Pony on Thursday July 19 for the 1.30am late slot.
HAYLEY COUPER BAND From the moment you hear her voice, you know it can’t be anybody else. It’s raw, expressive and unfeigned, described as somewhere between ‘Mazzy Star meets Souxie & The Banshees’. Having previously packed out Melbourne venues with hypnotic live shows, this extra special show is not to be missed. Hayley Couper Band will be launching their wonderfully dark and dreamy EP Turn To Wolves at the Toff In Town, Thursday July 19, with great support from Lowtide and Baptsim Of Uzi. Doors are 7.30pm and tickets are $10 on the door or available from Moshtix.
CATCH RELEASE Catch Release groove with a darker sense of space and a compositional complexity that is both unique and challenging. The songs are coloured by the often cinematic sound of French horn, violin, organ, percussion, and a unique style of beat boxing. Having just emerged from Sing Sing Studios, they are keen to push new tracks from their first official EP. Support comes from a surprise entry, not known by them nor us – mysterious. Catch them at the Great Britain Hotel Thursday July 19. 8pm, free.
THE SHOWCASE SERIES II Here comes the second installation of Bill And The Jerks Presents: The Showcase Series II. Following the success of the first installment, this is set to be an awesome sequel with ten bands set to rock. Jane Ln, Burnham Beeches, Forever Young, Jared Chase Quartet, Gabe Chowanetz, The Experiment, Pancromatic, Polygasm, Purple Tusks and Bill And The Jerks all take to the stage to create one night of wonder. For your dose of musical mayhem come to the Evelyn Hotel, Sunday July 22. Beat Magazine Page 62
WATCH INTERVIEWS, CHATS & AWKWARD SILENCES... BEAT.COM.AU/TV
So then, what’s the band name and what do you do? The band name is Animaux and I [Sammo Jeffreys] play guitar and sing to myself because I am not allowed a microphone (which is fair enough). What do you reckon people will say you sound like? This one is such a hard question for us. A lot of people will liken us to The Cat Empire and The Bamboos because we are a Melbourne band with horns but I don’t think this is really accurate. From some of the older generation I’ve heard that we sound like The Specials, and one of the tracks on our upcoming release definitely has a ska vibe going on, but we are from the reggae-dub grooves that they play. The other track on the release actually has a Jezabels sound about it and our latest composition is very Jamiroquai so there is definitely some variety in what we write and play, which we all enjoy. What do you love about making music? I really love the spontaneity that can happen when making music with six other people. The feeling in the room when you take a riff or groove to the group, and then someone else starts playing something or singing something and then other people join in and everyone says ‘Wow! What was that?’ or ‘Yeah, that’s cool!’ is one that never gets old. What do you hate about the music industry? Not much to complain about. We’ve had a pretty fun and friendly run so far. If you could travel back in time and show one of your musical heroes your stuff, who would it be and why? Jeff Buckley, for no other reason than I love his songs! What can a punter expect from your live show? Some good songs to sing along to, plenty of dancing and some funky slapping on the bass from Will Base. What’ve you got to sell CD-wise? We have a four-track EP, which we released in the second half of last year and we have a double A-side coming out in August with some recordings that we are really happy with so far. When’s the gig and with who? We have the Monday night residency at the Evelyn Hotel this July with some great support acts.
THE SIMON WRIGHT BAND
MUSIC NEWS
A few of you may remember the good ol’ days of Monday nights at the Evelyn with Simon Wright and the Eclective. Well, they’re back - except now it’s Tuesdays. Each week The Simon Wright Band will be joined by some of Melbourne’s freshest funk, soul and hip hop acts as well as the newest groove director, straight out of Adelaide, DJ Big Kahuna Burger. So pull your drinking hat out of the closet and dust off your dancing shoes – Tuesday nights just got awesome. The Evelyn Hotel, Tuesday July 24.
SERI VIDA The best rides in showbiz usually end bloody. Considering the blood, sweat, and tears it took to produce a debut album of this caliber, Seri Vida aren’t the kind of band you sip martinis to – unless they’re dirty. The quartet has chosen to celebrate in fancy fashion, which may conjure thoughts of Carrie on prom night, strapped to a guitar and joined by an ensemble as talented, angsty, and dangerous as she. You wouldn’t be wrong. Supported by These Hands Could Separate the Sky and Constant Killer it’s set to be a huge night. The Grace Darling, Saturday July 21.
THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEWOMEN From the crew that brought you Metropolis 2040, From Dusk ‘Til Dawn and Gorelesque, comes Melbourne’s next big burlesque event, The League of Extraordinary Gentlewomen performing at The Regal Ballroom as part of their 100th Anniversary celebrations on Saturday July 21. This cinematic time warp plunges its audience into the era of Golden Age Hollywood, a world where colourful chorus girls, top and tailed dandies, vaudevillian comics and devilishly handsome leading gents reigned supreme. A time where film moguls and starlets, bent on fame and fortune, bathed in champagne and the lime light. A time where men were men, women could be men, and everything in-between. Featuring live big band music and the best in circus and burlesque from around Australia, The League promises to be the black-tie event of the year. A show for the dandies, the divas, seductresses, swindlers, crooners and cross-dressers. Northcote Theatre, Saturday July 21.
YOUR COMPREHENSIVE LOCAL GUIDE
For all the latest news check out beat.com.au
DEAD BOOMERS
MOTH If you haven’t been along to see Moth perform live yet, do it! After destroying Cherry Bar last Saturday night with a solid set of old and new songs these guys are looking to be on top of their game. They call it stoner hate rock, but it could also be described as a ferocious unstoppable aural assault! It is definitely a new take on stoner/metal and after listening to their debut album Plod The Snake Charmer and then seeing their live performance, which incorporates some tasty new songs... bring on the new EP! The lads are due in Melbourne next on the 17th of August at the Brunswick Hotel with Swidgen, Xenos and Ol’Meg. They also have shows in Newcastle, Sydney, Warrnambool, Canberra and Brisbane over the coming months so get along to one! The new EP is scheduled for release in late 2012, with a high calibre of the new songs. Head to mothmetal.com.
DIPROSUS Saturday July 21 at Pony is set to be a ripper night of super heavy bands. Kicking things of are Devoid Of All, from Mornington Peninsula, but the one thing they’re not devoid of is arse-kicking riffs and super heavy breakdowns. Their heavy sound complements a range of influences guaranteed to get heads banging. Next up is Jet Black Pope who describe themselves as “four mental dudes that thrive on old school music and unleashing a confusing yet powerful live show”. Sounds good to us. Overproof Groove will be bringing some huge groovy hooks to the night, and Diprosus will be closing the night with their four-man wrecking crew armed with mammoth riffs, brutalising beats and bass lines that will turn your mind into a gooey grey mess. So head down to Pony on Saturday, July 21, for a night of unbridled brutality and some good honest riffing. Doors 9pm.
BARB WATERS AND THE MOTHERS OF PEARL Barb Waters And The Mothers of Pearl will play Sundays in July at the Retreat Hotel. Deftly supported by a host of great Melbourne bands, Barb and the Mothers will play tunes from Barb’s several albums, including those inspired by her country beginnings, to reveal the heart of one of Australia’s finest singersongwriter. This week support comes from Hired Guns at the Retreat Hotel on Sunday July 15. 7pm, free.
Dead Boomers gift a listener sub bass frequencies that pulsate and rumble, from where anxious industrial electronics are thrown up. Dire samples and a single harrowing baritone voice boom out from between these finely tuned but grim compositions. A shiftless drum machine, and warped drones provide the shadow over which repetitive and elegantly foggy melodic fragments fall. Tidal, cold incantations slip in and out of the foreground rounding out the sound world of Rites Wild. Fractured pop is at the heart of Angel Eyes’ creation. With slightly damaged synthetic tools, places of warmth are slowly distorted until broken, slowly rebuilt and broken again, presented under a mid-fi sheen. Dense textures drift between sheet of paper thin to concrete slab thick. Sounds that are sourced from god knows where, discretely morph from stable clock like rhythms into nervous jitters. Sounds like Glass Bricks. It all happens tonight at Bar Open from 8pm, free entry.
THE DUB CAPTAINS The Dub Captains continue their love affair with Bar Open on Friday July 20 with yet another pseudo-reggae dance party. Those who have witnessed the band perform live will look forward to the tight knit group’s pure musical energy and party vibe. They have certainly carved out a spot for themselves in Melbourne’s famed music scene over the last year (including supporting the likes of reggae prince Ziggy Marley) and will certainly a band to watch as they continue to evolve. Supporting the 14 piece Pacific-reggae behemoth are Canberran legends Fun Machine, in town launching their latest single Ready For The Fight. It is the threepiece jungle-pop group’s first trip down to Melbourne promoting this new release and comes on the back of some recent triple j airplay and run of notable support slots for the likes The Darkness and Philadelphia Grand Jury. Make sure you get in nice and early to avoid the bitter disappointment at missing out on a spot on the crowded dance floor. Two great live bands performing extended sets with free entry. You in?
THE MORRISONS
UNCOMFORTABLE BEATS
The Morrisons are gearing up for what should be the sweatiest, loudest, stinkiest, stingiest, hottest, sexiest, smelliest, drunkest, stonedest, meanest, angriest, happiest, greatest, funnest, funniest, fastest, fullest, silliest, haziest, craziest and most definitely latest gig in their short career as Melbourne’s bestest punk band. Saturday July 21. The Morrisons in the 2am slot at Pony. Touch the rock, it’s warm.
Thursday July 19 brings a beastly line-up to Bar Open’s for its monthly Uncomfortable Beats residency. The ShifteQ will be dropping his ever changing, multi tempo, bass driven, organic, bombardment of sonic strangeness designed to tickle your mind. Panoptics are the newly formed local hip hop trio comprised of Dj Sizzle and the MC styling of Julez and Manix. Come down and check out some of the freshest local hip hop. Residents Ghostsoul and DJ ShiKung will be holding it down as usual. Entry is free as always, entry from 9pm.
CHECK OUT ALL THE LATEST NEWS, REVIEWS AND FREE SHIT AT BEAT.COM.AU
Beat Magazine Page 63
ALBUM OF THE WEEK
PBS TIPSHEET
FIONA APPLE
1. Ondatropica ONDATROPICA 2. Swing Lo Magellan DIRTY PROJECTORS 3. Haptics CACTUS CHANNEL 4. O, Devotion LIZ GREEN 5. Howlin’ Steam Train HOWLIN’ STEAM TRAIN 6. Papa Pilko & The Binrats PAPA PILKO & THE BINRATS 7. The Lizard Years BENNY SOEBARDJA 8. Bigger Pictures RAINMAN 9. The Tarnished Gold B BEACHWOOD SPARKS 10. Oshin DIIV
The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than The Driver Of The Screw And Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do (Epic Records/Sony)
WEDNESDAY 18 JULY RESIDENCY
ESTHER HOLT
(EX SNOWY BELFAST) LOW SPEED BUS CHASE SAM COOPER DONATION ENTRY, 8.30PM
THURSDAY 19 JULY
ALICE D
RIDERS OF SIN THE PSYCHODAISES ENTRY $6, 8:30PM $2.50 POTS, $5 VODKAS!
FRIDAY 20 JULY
DAYDREAM ARCADE THE RED LIGHTS SECOND HAND HEART TIME MACHINE THE VAUDEVILLE SMASH DJS ENTRY $7, 8PM
SATURDAY 21 JULY
LOVE, EVELYN MARKET FREE ENTRY, 12PM
HOLLOW EVERDAZE AMANITA APES GHOST VAIN THE CALL UP
ENTRY $8, 8:30PM
SUNDAY 22 JULY
“THE SHOWCASE SERIES III”
BILL AND THE JERKS PURPLE TUSKS POLYGASM PANCROMATIC THE EXPERIMENT GAB CHOWANELZ JAROD CHASE QUARTET FOREVER YOUNG BURNHAM BEECHES JANE LN
ENTRY $5 DOOR, $4 PRESALE THRU MOSHTIX, 7PM
MONDAY 23 JULY RESIDENCY
ANIMAUX TULLY ON TULLY
LA NOUVELLE EAGLE AND THE WORM DJS ENTRY $8, 8:30PM $10 JUGS!
TUESDAY 24 JULY RESIDENCY
SIMON WRIGHT BAND SURE SHOT HUNTERS MATT KELLY DJ HUW JOSEPH
DONATION ENTRY, 9PM $10 JUGS!
COMING UP TIX AVAILABLE THRU MOSHTIX: ANIMAUX (MON IN JULY) THE SIMON WRIGHT BAND (TUE IN JULY) ESTHER HOLT (25 JULY) A MILLION DEAD BIRDS LAUGHING – ALBUM LAUNCH (27 JULY) HEAVY MAG LAUNCH PARTY (28 JULY) DEAR STALKER – SINGLE LAUNCH (29 JULY) AGILITY (WED IN AUG) SINCE THE RIVER – SINLGE/VIDEO LAUNCH (2 AUGUST) DTHE PRETTY LITTLES (3 AUG) 28 DAYS (4 AUGUST) KING OF THE NORTH – EP LAUNCH (11 AUGUST)
She’s back. Once again, placing her heart firmly on her sleeve and her hands on the piano, Fiona Apple returns with an album of ten deep, whimsical, brazen and honest songs about…well, love. For those who aren’t familiar, (and hey there could be a few as it’s been seven years), these love songs aren’t the kind you’ll find on any other female songstress catalogue. Actually, you could say that if Feist, Regina Spektor and Fiona Apple threw a party, Fiona wouldn’t come. If she did, she’d probably smash the plates and leave. Only Fiona could come out with lines such as “While you were watching someone else, I stared at you and cut myself,” and have it sound as good as it does on track Valentine. For those who still buy their albums physically, the booklet is a full of her handwritten lyrics filling the pages. Even without the music, these lines are a great read and prove what comes first and foremost for this songwriter. Lead single Every Single Night is a great indication of how sparse instruments and simple arrangements can give radio listeners a breath of fresh air, and on the track Regret Fiona’s voice doesn’t hold back. A few tracks sound reminiscent of When The Pawn… in terms of style, however this album is definitely a step in a different direction. The use of ‘field recordings’ is great too, managing to use the sounds of shuffling feet, or trains, as percussion. Musically, this album, her second that uses a short poem as a title, is a natural next step after her third record Extraordinary Machine. Full of heavy-handed piano clunking, drums that sit somewhere between a smoky
FOX + SUI
Summer Storm (Two Bright Lakes/Remote Control) Melburnians Andras Fox and Sui Zhen bring some lilting tropicalia to Two Bright Lakes. Swinging in at less than three minutes, Summer Storm is a breezy, water-caressed slip of an indie pop tune. It skates very close to unbearable twee-ness but avoids falling off the precipice into valley of pink marshmallows below. Just.
CARL FOX
Pencil Warrior (Independent) Perth electro pop artist Carl Fox follows his 2010 Chunky Rainbows LP with this very odd and distinctive track – the musically thin but lyrically arresting Pencil Warrior: “I was walking home from the shops. Some fucking guy wanted to shoot me in the face with a gun. Blood from on his face flicked onto my skin.” Carl sings his surreal lyrics in a pinched, boyish voice while his beat patterns and synth melody tick and float like pearls in bubble tea.
SASKWATCH
Your Love (Northside Records/Shock) Saskwatch’s spritely interpretation of ‘60s R&B would make the Daptones proud. Your Love swings and pops effortlessly, with Nkechi Anele’s hearty vocal set right back in the mix, just under the sunny sprays of brass and the skipping bass line. If they have a fault, it’s just that their diligent homage sticks too closely to the script. No rehab or Tanqueray for this Melbourne collective, just the safe and well-worn tropes of classic soul, as evidenced in the lyrics: “I’ve tried to find a way to free myself from pain, and you came along and showed me how to love again.” Think I’ve heard that one before.
JANE DUST & THE GIANT HOOPOES
The Jungle (Independent) The Jungle is a thunderous, theatrical slice of Jane Dust’s third record, a “space concept album” called The Space Hunters Episode I: The Creature. I’d be lying if I said I understood it, or that I liked Jane’s muscular voice, but the string and horn arrangements are grand. The scenes playing out in Jane’s head are obviously pretty intense, but they don’t clearly translate in this song.
TOURISM
City Never Sleeps (Major Label) Brisbane four-piece bubble rock outfit Tourism owe a fairly monstrous debt to Arctic Monkeys, what with their heavily-accented lead singer and their jangly, angular guitars. City Never Sleeps also bears the mark of UK punk folk singers like Jack Penate and Eugene McGuinness, the boyish energy and arch lyrical tone all too familiar. But anyway, they do it well, even if they didn’t do it first.
Beat Magazine Page 64
3RRR SOUNDSCAPE
jazz bar and Tom Waits’ toolshed, and her uncanny knack to take a song somewhere you never expected make this album one for the fans. Newcomers to her work would be best to go back and go through her discography chronologically, as the at times heavy lyrics and circus waltzes are an acquired taste. However, that said, acquired tastes are always the sweetest tastes of all. CAM EWART
Best Track: Changes every time… If You Like This, You’ll Like These: All of FIONA APPLE’s back catalogue. In A Word: Triumphant
SINGLES BY SIMONE I don’t file my column on time because nobody likes a kiss-arse. [Look, I might - ed.]
TOP TENS
SPIRITUALIZED
Little Girl (Domino/EMI) The second single from Sweet Heart Sweet Light has a heavy tread, an elephantine sway amid the swelling strings, gospel choir backing vocals and electric guitar noodling. It’s a weirdly memorable tune, reminiscent of the Happy Mondays but way more relaxed.
JESSICA MAUBOY
Gotcha (Sony) The first single from The Sapphire’s soundtrack has a distinctly non-’60s feel. Co-written by Jessica and a couple of guys from The Potbelleez, Gotcha is a swinging dance track with definite Motown influences but a fierce rhythm and electric guitar samples that are all primed to storm our 21st century charts. It’s cute. Close your eyes and you can all but see the hilarious Debra Mailman-led action montage that will accompany this track.
NEWTON FAULKNER
Clouds (Sony) I just realised that Newton Faulkner looks like John Butler mixed with the dude from Simply Red. After three long years, ginger rasta Newton Faulkner returns, following the success of his embarrassingly affecting Dream Catch Me single with this biggish tune about clouds. It’s maybe overly-produced, considering that Newton is supposed to be one of those plainspoke singer-songwriter types, but Clouds has an appropriately optimistic and encouraging vibe.
PET SHOP BOYS
Winner (EMI) Winner is Pet Shop Boys at their most saccharine or most deeply ironic, it’s hard to say. The lyrics are sincere as shit, ready-pressed for the 2012 Olympics (“It’s been a long time coming, we’ve been in the running for so long, but now we’re on our way…you’re a winner, I’m a winner, this is all happening so fast”) but it’s hard to believe they mean it. Surely there is some arch undertone here? The music doesn’t help at all – as dreamy and soporific as it is, you could almost imagine that Pet Shop Boys have gone soft in their old age.
SINGLE OF THE WEEK NORTHEAST PARTY HOUSE
Pascal Cavalier (Stop Start) One of the myriad bands Unearthed by The Js, Melbourne’s Northeast Party House have adapted Bloc Party’s agitated pop aesthetic to a more smooth and expansive synth rock sound. With a wet slap of drums on the downbeat and some unashamed eighties synth chord hopping, plus a killer new soul vocal by singer Zach Hamilton-Reeves, this is one impressive single.
FOR MORE REVIEWS GO TO BEATTV.COM.AU/REVIEWS
1. Swing Lo Magellan DIRTY PROJECTORS 2. Commercial Music FABULOUS DIAMONDS 3. Lake Air DAPPLED CITIES 4. Slay Me In My Sleep GRAND SALVO 5. Haptics THE CACTUS CHANNEL 6. Our Will EP BROTHERS HAND MIRROR 7. The Tarnished Gold BEACHWOOD SPARKS 8. Channel Orange FRANK OCEAN 9. Stung EP THE BLUEBOTTLES 10. O, Devotion! LIZ GREEN
SYN SWEET 16 1. Forget The Song BEACHWOOD SPARKS 2. Displacement Song LIZ GREEN 3. Sugar Plum EUGENE MCGUINESS 4. Manners ARCA 5. Apocalypse Dreams TAME IMPALA 6. Aeroplane Snacks ELECTRIC SEA SPIDER 7. Emotion NO ZU 8. Revealer NEW WAR 9. Rubbing Your Gums DRUNK MUMS 10. Headache METZ
COLLECTOR’S CORNER MISSING LINK 1. Post Ending//Pre Completion LP USELESS CHILDREN 2. All Gone LP/CD POP SINGLES 3. Dopesmoker SLEEP 4. Ravage And Conquer IMPIETY 5. Near Death Experience HARRY HOWARD & THE N.D.E. 6. World THE BUNYIP MOON 7. Reign Supreme CD/LP DYING FETUS 8. Hard Rubbish LP LOWER PLENTY 9. Big Lebowski Soundtrack LP 10. Kvelertak 2LP KVELERTAK
WOOLY BULLY 1. Split 7” TERRIBLE TRUTHS/HISSY MIAKE 2. All Gone LP POPSINGLES 3. Warbuton 7” PER PURPOSE 4. Tales Designed To Thrizzle # 8 (Comic) MICHAEL KUPPERMAN 5. Mob Reality 7” WHORES 6. Palestine # 9 (Comic) JOE SACCO 7. Box Of Wine 7” MEAT THUMP 8. Reset # 2 (Comic) PETER BAGGE 9. Meta Maus (Book) ART SPIEGELMAN 10. Facetasm (Book) CHARLES BURNS & GARY PANTER
AIRIT NOW 1. Changing The Timeline THE LAURELS 2. Revealer NEW WAR 3. She’s A Riot THE JUNGLE GIANTS 4. Gasoline ALPINE 5. Your Love SASKWATCH 6. Deeper NAOMI BRAUN 7. For My Help HAYDEN CALNIN 8. Born At The Right Time DAPPLED CITIES 9. Amber In The Sun ANDREW EWING 10. Hospital Song FRANCOLIN
THORNBURY RECORDS 1. Hard Rubbish LP LOWER PLENTY 2. Aufheben LP BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE 3. Blunderbuss LP JACK WHITE 4. Valtari SIGUR ROS 5. Bloom LP BEACH HOUSE 6. Vaya 10” AT THE DRIVE IN 7. Off! OFF! 8. Heavy Blanket LP HEAVY BLANKET 9. Noctourniquet LP MARS VOLTA 10. Super Treatment LP HEAVY CREAM
BEAT’S TOP TEN SONGS ABOUT GINGERS 1. The Red Headed Stranger WILLIE NELSON 2. Ginger Meggs JOHN STUART 3. Jolene DOLLY PARTON 4. Blazing Redheads BLAZING REDHEADS 5. Ginger Bread FRANKIE AVALON 6. Martha’s Foolish Ginger TORI AMOS 7. Red Headed Woman BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN 8. Redheaded Woman EL RIO TRIO 9. Drunk ED SHEERAN 10. Born Free M.I.A.
ALBUMS
NICKY BOMBA’S BUSTAMENTO
Intrepid Adventures To The Lost Riddim Islands (Transmitter) FOR MORE REVIEWS GO TO
BEAT.COM.AU/REVIEWS
HOWLIN’ STEAM TRAIN Howlin’ Steam Train (Independent)
Steam trains are the romantic manifestation of the industrial revolution. Compared to the image of a steam train in full flight – huge clouds of smoke billowing into the sky, the air thick with the scent of burnt coal and the roar of 19th century engineering – your average suburban train is as invigorating as a bowl of soggy white bread. Bugger the environmental impact – this is beauty in its finest industrial guise. Howlin’ Steam Train might not be as romantic as a steam train comin’ down the line, but it’s still an event worth celebrating. Howlin’ Steam Train follow in the path of the exuberant country-infused bands of the current era – Graveyard Train, Brothers Grim et al – but with a tougher, R&B edge. Ramblin’ Man is as sharp as Brian Jones swanning down Carnaby Street, and as arrogant as a Chicago hustler blazing a trail through town with a bag full of Muddy Waters riffs. On All Day And Night Howlin’ Steam Train catch jump on the back of some rolling stock and head deep south in search of Them’s spiritual antecedents. Captain Thunderbird is bar room attitude with a shot of amphetamines and a barrel of moonshine, while Ain’t Coming Home leaves the safety and sanctity of home in search of booze, drugs and a world of ill repute where Jerry Lee Lewis is king, and Pat Boone is beaten to a battered pulp. Steam trains are cool. Howlin’ Steam Train is the shit. End of story. Best Track: Ramblin’ Man If You Like These, You’ll Like This: GRAVEYARD PATRICK EMERY TRAIN, JERRY LEE LEWIS, THEM In A Word: Pumpin’
OLMEG
Slab (Independent) Psychedelic/stoner rock is an acquired taste. Unfortunately it’s not a taste that this writer has acquired, even after years of trying. It’s one style of music that just doesn’t seem to progress in any way shape or form, heavily restricted by its very nature. And it seems more than happy with this situation. It’s the type of music that if you’re into it, you’re way into it. If not, you really don’t care for it at all. Whether you like the style or not, Olmeg are a Melbourne three-piece who do the fuzzed up stoner thing extremely well. In fact, the riffs are so fuzzy that they’re almost indistinguishable. It’s very heavy, in a bluesy sorta way, and the grooves are fatter than a tub of lard. The production is typically unpolished, and the artwork is none too pretty. This is ugly music, in the grand stoner tradition. Olmeg may not be for these writer’s ears, but if you dig the stoner sound, then you will find Slab Best Track: Still Searchin’ If You Like These, You’ll Like This: FU MANCHU, very satisfying indeed. Crack open a slab of your own, sit back and enjoy the fat and the fuzz. QUEENS OF THE STONEAGE, ELECTRIC WIZARD In A Word: FUZZ! ROD WHITFIELD
PEAKING LIGHTS Lucifer (Domino / EMI)
The third album for Peaking Lights signals a shift into a slightly lower gear from the husband-and-wife duo. Indra Dunis and Aaron Coyes have recently become parents and this new factor comes through in this new collection of songs, quite literally via the infant gurgle that drifts into Lo Hi. Theirs has always been an intimate world to venture into and the presence of their latest release makes it an even more personal affair. As well as a softening of the act’s sound, there’s a cleaner, lighter production; it’s a progression similar to Beach House’s swing from Devotion to Teen Dream. The only drawback is that some of the grit of previous release 936 is lost and the end result is less textured and can verge on feather-light. Other than this, the band continue to play not just to their strengths, but also their lengths, with most songs having a full six minutes to stretch out and gently riff on a lulling, dub-flavoured groove. In the end, the key to Lucifer’s success is its simplicity, though this is also the root of its limitations. There’s a warm glow of new parenthood that pulsates throughout, but its child-friendly dreamscape puts the music at risk of fading into the background – though there’s no denying it’s a beautiful place to get lost in. If Best Track: Beyond The Bridge you want a bit more grit in your oyster, seek out If You Like These, You’ll Like This: New Chain SMALL their free mixtapes on Soundcloud. BLACK, Smother WILD BEASTS In A Word: Balanced
CHRIS GIRDLER
- KITCHEN TACOS: $8.00 FOR 2 SLOW COOKED BEEF PULLED PORK SHOULDER WILD MUSHROOM
Industrious multi-instrumentalist Nicky Bomba has brought much joy to music fans during an energetic and eclectic career. His band Bomba has generated ecstatic responses from audiences around the country who are moved by the band’s feel-good rhythms and undeniable zest for life. Nicky’s funky powerhouse percussive impact has been a grand addition to the John Butler Trio and his work with the esteemed Joe Camilleri on the wellreceived Limestone album displayed both musicians at their inspired best. His latest project Bustamento embraces the sunny vibe of calypso, mento, ska and reggae. The overall feel of this buoyant album will transport you to some relaxing and far-flung tropical paradise where the stresses of our hurried-up world dissipate as you sip the magical coconut juice and gaze out to the sparkling ocean. The reworked Automatically Man, a song that appeared on Bomba’s debut album in 2000, swings with such happiness it’s impossible to avoid smiling while the Harry Belafonte/Irving Burgess number Coconut Woman (originally recorded by Belafonte way back in the late ‘50s) has an authentic old-school feel and some wonderful instrumentation. Intrepid Adventures To The Lost Riddim Islands, bursting with balmy and uplifting rhythms, is sure to brighten even the darkest of Best Track: Ghamillu Karta days and to lighten the most sullen of moods. If You Like These, You’ll like This: Limestone JOE CAMILLERI & NICKY BOMBA In A Word: Joyful
GRAHAM BLACKLEY
LAWRENCE ARABIA
The Sparrow (Spunk/Bella Union) The Sparrow reintroduces us to James Milne’s mysterious persona, Lawrence Arabia. He marks a new direction with a new look, regenerating from hippie sailor to the pensive, well-groomed crooner of his recent promo shots (or did he just have a shave?). Even more telling is the pasted-on brain and mustache featured on the album’s cover, suggesting this is a more serious Lawrence Arabia, though with a dash of pastiche. But let’s move on from observations on facial hair and cut to the chase here – is this as good as the New Zealander’s previous album, 2009‘s Chant Darling? While there’s certainly no Apple Pie Bed equivalent here, the harmonious opener Travelling Shoes comes close in terms of catchiness. Throughout the album, Milne adopts Scott Walker as his muse, but it’s not the latter-day avant-garde Walker being resurrected here (thankfully), more the classic ‘60s version. This, considering Milne’s past work, doesn’t come as a huge departure, though there is a delicate shift from immediate, hook-laden pop to a more refined sound that allows Milne to get swept up in his sumptuous orchestral surroundings. Despite fun titles like Early Kneecappings and The Bisexual, it takes a little longer to connect to his tragicomic character studies and Best Track: Travelling Shoes fully appreciate his skills as a wry wordsmith on If You Like These, You’ll Like This: Structure And this occasion. But once you’ve warmed to it, The Cosmetics THE BRUNETTES, Histoire de Melody Sparrow reels you in with its charm and wit. Nelson SERGE GAINSBOURG In A Word: Clean-cut CHRIS GIRDLER
MAROON 5
Overexposed (A&M/Universal) Maroon 5’s fourth studio album Overexposed sees the band stray from their funk-rock orientated roots in favour of an unashamedly dance-pop style. Like their previous releases, this album is heavily studio-polished, but it’s also deliberately more digital in sound: they’re striving to be the next club-bangin’ supergroup, and it’s obvious they want to retain the wider fan-base achieved through the success of recent hit Moves Like Jagger. Although this ambition somewhat painfully underlies the album, it makes for a pretty successful transition to full-pop mode. A few well-placed curse words within charming (if slightly formulaic) lyrics give the album a sense of explicit maturity and separate it from other teenage-girl-pop efforts. This coupled with sufficiently simple and melodically catchy choruses will ensure these songs linger both on the charts and in the heads of listeners. The instrumentation blends funk-esque guitar tones, heavy synths and an array of digital layering considerably well, creating a smooth and polished recording which has received input from several notable producers (including pop-guru Max Martin). At times the recording leans too heavily on the glossy sheen of its post-production, which may leave a bitter taste in the mouths of Maroon 5’s older fans, but this is the nature of their new direction in genre. Overexposed was released last month on A&M/Octone Records. Its lead single Payphone (featuring the rap-vocal talent of Wiz Khalifa) has already achieved huge success in the charts. Other standout tracks are the offbeat dance anthem One More Night, the strangely classy disco-flashback Doin’ Dirt, and the pulled-back, piano-driven Sad. In fact, all of the songs on the album are easily accessible and instantly memorable: Overexposed is written well and will no doubt continue to do well commercially. While too contrived to be a considered a lasting popular Best Track: Payphone success, it’s a decent flavour of the month If You Like These, You’ll Like This: THE WEEKEND, for fans of easy listening danceable pop. KE$HA, or any of BRITNEY SPEARS’ dirty club tracks In A Word: Self-indulgent JEREMY MILLAR
WED 18TH MELBOURNE FRESH PRESENTS
BRAVO JULIET
THU 26TH MELTING POT ‘LIVE STOCK’ PRESENTS
W/ BLACK HAND AND HALCYON DRIVE
SINISTER MINISTER W/ INDIGO & THE BEAR
THE TWOKS
LAMARAMA W/ FIERCE MILD AND MUNRO MELANO
THURS 19TH MELTING POT ‘LIVE STOCK’ PRESENTS
- BUCKETS SALT & PEPPER CHICKEN WINGS $12 DRY RUBBED PORK RIBS $15 HAND CUT FRIES W AIOLI $7
W/ PAPER HOUSE AND GABRIEL LYNCH
- THURSDAY 280G GRAIN FED AGED ANGUS PORTERHOUSE STEAK $14
W/ MOSE + THE FMLY AND FREAKS OF THE DEEP
- FRIDAY CHICKEN OR EGGPLANT PARMA $14/$12 PLUS OTHER CURTIN CLASSICS!!
W/ CLAWS & ORGANS MMDELAI AND STAR LIFTER RADIO DJS GOLD COIN ENTRY!!
FRI 20TH
OVER - REACTOR SAT 21ST
SCOTDRAKULAR
FOR MORE ALBUM NEWS AND REVIEWS GO TO WWW.BEAT.COM.AU
FRI 27TH
SAT 28TH
PRETTY STRANGERS W/ GUESTS - COMING SOON -
2/8 - ROSETTA (USA) & CITY OF SHIPS (USA) TIX THROUGH WWW.JOHNCURTINHOTEL.COM
3/8 - INTO THE WOODS ‘ STOLEN EQUIPMENT FUNDRAISER ‘ 11/8 - SPINSET ‘ CREATURES’ EP LAUNCH 17/8 - ASSEMBLE THE EMPIRE - SINGLE LAUNCH
Beat Magazine Page 65
GIG GUIDE WEDNESDAY 18 JUL ROCK/POP COLLAGE - FEAT: THE ELLIOTS + THE TWOKS + TOM TUENA BAND Espy, St Kilda. 8:00pm. DEAD BOOMERS + ANGEL EYES + GLASS BRICKS + RITES WILD Bar Open, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. HEART OF ST KILDA - FEAT: GREG CHAMPION + IAN BLAND + NICK BARKER + REBECCA BARNARD & BILLY MILLER’S SINGALONG + EVEN + LANIE LANE + MICHAEL PAYNTER + NORMIE ROWE + STONEFIELD + TIM ROGERS Palais Theatre, St Kilda. 7:00pm. $79. JACKSON FIREBIRD + THE REPROBETTES Cherry Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. LEOPARD SLUGG + MYYTH + NATURAL BORN CHILLER Espy, St Kilda. 8:00pm. LEVITATING CHURCHES + FORTRESS OF NARZOD Bendigo Hotel, Collingwood. 8:00pm. $6. LOST & FOUND - FEAT: CASH SAVAGE & THE LAST DRINKS + BAREFOOT ALLEY + RED EAGLE + THE FIRE ALIVE Revolver Upstairs, Prahran. 8:00pm. $7. MELBOURNE FRESH - FEAT: BRAVO JULIET + BLACK HAND + HALCYON DRIVE John Curtin Hotel, Carlton. 8:00pm. MICHAEL ROBINSON + LACHLAN CROSS + MAT JONES Gertrudes Brown Couch, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. $10. MOON REPUBLIC Veludo Bar & Restaurant, St Kilda. 9:00pm. MRSPKR + JAMES VAN CYLEBURG + NEDWELLYN Old Bar, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $8. OWL CITY (U18 SHOW) Corner Hotel, Richmond. 1:00pm. $57. SKYSCRAPER STAN & THE COMMISSION FLATS + OSKAR HERBIG Retreat Hotel, Brunswick. 8:30pm. THE HERBS (SPICE GIRLS TRIBUTE) + MR. 95 Corner Hotel, Richmond. 8:00pm. $15. THE XX + FLUME DJ Forum Theatre, Melbourne. 8:00pm. TOM DICKINS Chapel Off Chapel, Prahran. 8:00pm. $20. WHITAKER Empress Hotel, North Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $15.
ACOUSTIC/COUNTRY/BLUES/FOLK ADRIAN STOYLES + WAYWARDBREED Standard Hotel, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. ALEYCE SIMMONDS & KRISTY COX Hallam Hotel, Hallam. 8:30pm. $23. ESTHER HOLT + LOW SPEED BUS CHASE + SAM COOPER Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. HYFRYDOL (SINGLE LAUNCH) + ALBERT SALT + GREAT EARTHQUAKE Toff In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. $8.
OPEN MIC Dancing Dog, Footscray. 7:00pm. OPEN MIC Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick. 7:00pm. OPEN MIC Thornbury Local, Thornbury. 8:00pm. OPEN MIC Great Britain Hotel, Richmond. 9:00pm. OPEN MIC & JAM NIGHT Grind N Groove, Healesville. 8:00pm. THE DROOLING MOUTHS OF MEMPHIS + GHOST TOWNS OF THE MIDWEST Tote Hotel, Collingwood. 8:00pm. WINE WHISKEY WOMEN - FEAT: KATE MULQUEEN + JULES HUTCHESON Drunken Poet, West Melbourne. 8:00pm.
JAZZ/SOUL/FUNK/WORLD MUSIC BOPSTRETCH Uptown Jazz Cafe, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. BRASS BEAR CABARET Red Bennies, South Yarra. 7:00pm. $20. DAN SHEEHAN QUARTET Bennetts Lane Jazz Club, Melbourne. 8:30pm. $15. DIZZY’S BIG BAND Dizzy’s Jazz Club, Richmond. 8:00pm. $14. HETTY KATE 303, Northcote. 8:00pm. JAMES MACAULAY QUARTET Paris Cat Jazz Club, Melbourne Cbd. 9:00pm. $15.
THURSDAY 19 JUL ROCK/POP 1AM LATE SHOW - FEAT: KODIAK CLUB Pony, Melbourne. 1:00am. AGENTS OF ABHORRENCE + FORCES + HEADLESS DEATH + NUN Tote Hotel, Collingwood. 8:00pm. $15. ANDREW WISHART Northcote Social Club, Northcote. 8:00pm. $27. BLUELINE MEDIC + THE UNION PACIFIC + THESE HANDS Reverence Hotel, Footscray. 8:00pm. $12. BOB HARROW Tago Mago, Thornbury. 9:00pm. CALL THE COPS - FEAT: DZ DEATHRAYS + BLEEDING KNEES CLUB + DRUNK MUMS + YACH CLUB DJS Corner Hotel, Richmond. 7:30pm. $22. CATCH RELEASE Great Britain Hotel, Richmond. 8:00pm. DEMIAN + CLEVER AUSTIN + KIRKIS Workers Club, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. $7. FIERCE MILD + BROTHERS TO GHOSTS + CHIEF Pony, Melbourne. 8:30pm. HAYLEY COUPER BAND (EP LAUNCH) + HEAVY BEACH + LOWTIDE Toff In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 7:30pm. $10. LITTLE TWO EYES + BRIGHTLY + ROSLYN HEAVY + SUN & THE SKY Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick. 8:00pm. MELTING POT - FEAT: THE TWOKS + GABRIEL LYNCH + PAPER HOUSE John Curtin Hotel, Carlton. 8:00pm.
MIKELANGELO & THE TIN STAR Apparently it’s going to be kind of fancy at Mikelangelo’s last gig before going back into the studio: you can go the ‘dinner and show’ option (anything to expand a Mikelangelo gig into a feasty event would definitely be worth it). Held at The Regal Ballroom this Friday July 20 as part of the venue’s 100th Anniversary Celebrations under its former name The Northcote Theatre, just check the big guy doesn’t put any of his famous formidable marinade on your meal. OLMEG + RED SKY BURIAL + TZOLKEIN Bendigo Hotel, Collingwood. 8:00pm. $6. RED ACES + GHOST VEIN + PRETTY HIGH + THE MODERN AGE Espy, St Kilda. 8:00pm. RIKI & THE RANTS + MARTIAN KINGS + THE UGLY KINGS Yah Yah’s, Fitzroy. 9:00pm. RUBY’S SHOWCASE Ruby’s Lounge, Belgrave. 7:00pm. TEMPLE OF TUNES + THE CHAMBERS BAND + THE LIKELY SUSPECTS Gertrudes Brown Couch, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. $5.
ACOUSTIC/COUNTRY/BLUES/FOLK ALEYCE SIMMONDS & KRISTY COX Thornbury Theatre, Thornbury. 7:30pm. $15. CARUS THOMPSON + SAM COOPER Retreat Hotel, Brunswick. 9:00pm. DAN WATERS Labour In Vain, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. JEN CLOHER + MATTY GREEN BAND + MERRI CREEK PICKERS Empress Hotel, North Fitzroy. 8:30pm. JOHN MAZUR + JAMIE LOCKHART Drunken Poet, West Melbourne. 8:00pm. MCALPINE’S FUSILIERS + AUSTRALIAN KINGSWOOD FACTORY + CHRIS RUSSELL’S CHICKENWALK Old Bar, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $8. OPEN MIC Lyrebird Lounge, Ripponlea. 8:00pm. OPEN MIC Acoustic Cafe, Collingwood. 6:30pm. OPEN MIC Arcadia Hotel, South Yarra. 7:00pm. SHERRY RICH Basement Discs, Melbourne Cbd. 12:45pm. SIB + EATEN BY DOGS + JACK MCLOSKEY Grace Darling Hotel, Collingwood. 9:00pm. $8. SKYSCRAPER STAN The B East, Brunswick East. 8:00pm. STRINGFELLOW HAWK Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East. 8:30pm.
JAZZ/SOUL/FUNK/WORLD MUSIC CHERRY SOUL 12TH BIRTHDAY - FEAT: CHERRY ALLSTAR SOUL REVUE Cherry Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. $10. CLAUDY KNIGHT + VIBRAPHONIK ORCHESTRA Veludo Bar & Restaurant, St Kilda. 9:00pm. EM RUSCIANO Butterfly Club, South Melbourne. 7:00pm. $30. HAMMOND SESSIONS - FEAT: JAKE SAVONA BAND 303, Northcote. 8:00pm. $10. HUE BLANES TRIO Bennetts Lane Jazz Club, Melbourne. 8:30pm. $15. JOHN MONTESANTE QUINTET + RITA SATCH The Commune, East Melbourne. 6:00pm. KRISTINA MILTIADOU Bennetts Lane Jazz Club, Melbourne. 8:00pm. $15. KUNATAKI Open Studio, Northcote. 8:30pm. LYN GILLETT & THE ADAM RUDEGEAIR TRIO Paris Cat Jazz
Club, Melbourne Cbd. 9:00pm. $15. OUT FOR THE COUNT Musicland, Fawkner. 7:30pm. $10. ROYAL SWAZI SPA Dizzy’s Jazz Club, Richmond. 8:00pm. $14. THE HUGH STUCKEY TRIO Uptown Jazz Cafe, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. UNDERGROUND JAZZ Bluestone Downstairs, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm.
FRIDAY 20 JUL ROCK/POP BEAST RECORDS FESTIVAL - FEAT: SIXFTHICK + HOLY SOUL + SONNY CHIBA + THE SPOILS Retreat Hotel, Brunswick. 8:00pm. $7. CASADELDISCO 10TH ANNIVERSARY - FEAT: BLUELINE MEDIC + SOMMERSET + HARMONY + MARGINS Tote Hotel, Collingwood. 8:00pm. CLASSIC COVERS NIGHT - FEAT: STRAIT SHOOTERS Musicland, Fawkner. 7:30pm. $10. CLOWNS + HAILGUN + INEBRIATOR + PARTY VIBEZ Old Bar, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $10. FAR FROM NOWHERE Espy, St Kilda. 8:00pm. GLEN & THE PEANUTBUTTER MEN (ALBUM LAUNCH) + KMART WARRIORS + LAST CALL + SUPER SALOON + THE RIP RIDES + UNAUSTRALIANS Pony, Melbourne. 9:00pm. $10. JOHNNY GIBSON & THE HANGOVERS + WALLY CORKER TRIO Victoria Hotel, Brunswick. 9:00pm. $6. KISSTROYER + HIGH VOLTAGE Ferntree Gully Hotel, Ferntree Gully. 8:00pm. $20. KOR FEST II - FEAT: THE DEAD THINGS + DECIMATUS + OVERPROOF GROOVE + THE ETERNAL Espy, St Kilda. 8:00pm. LA DANSE MACABRE - FEAT: BRUNSWICK MASSIVE Rainbow Hotel, Fitzroy. 9:00pm. MILLIONS (NINE LIVES SIX DEGREES TOUR) + LES GARCOS + STEP PANTHER Northcote Social Club, Northcote. 8:30pm. $12. OF MONSTERS & MEN + THE FALLS + THE TROUBLE WITH TEMPLETON Corner Hotel, Richmond. 8:30pm. OVER-REACTOR + FREAKS OF THE DEEP + MOSE + THE FMLY John Curtin Hotel, Carlton. 8:00pm. PORTRAITS OF AUGUST + LEEROYS GIANTS 8:00pm. SHERIFF + I AM DUCKEYE + SUN GOD REPLICA Yah Yah’s, Fitzroy. 9:00pm. SYSTEM OF VENUS + BUGDUST + DUKES OF DELICIOUSNESS Cherry Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. $13. THE CORSAIRS + KIDS WITHOUT BIKES + THE RUN RUN
BAND OF SKULLS Band Of Skulls are lots of things. Badarse. Babely. Daring. Darling. Sweet. Sour. Gritty. Good. The UK alternative rockers got mad props for their latest release Sweet Sour. They’ll be showcasing this, plus ditties from their first album Baby Darling Doll Face Honey at their Splendour In The Grass sideshow at The Corner Hotel this Sunday July 22. (There’s another sold-out show taking place at The Corner on Thursday July 26.) Beat Magazine Page 66
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Cornish Arms, Brunswick. 8:00pm. THE DARK ALES + SARAH TAYLOR + SCHINA COY 303, Northcote. 8:00pm. $5. THE PASS OUTS + ARCANE SAINTS + CITRUS JAM + GRETCHEN LEWIS Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick. 9:00pm. THE SHINY BRIGHTS (EP LAUNCH) + BRAVE FACE + THE GRAND RAPIDS + THE MESSENGERS Revolver Upstairs, Prahran. 8:30pm. $10. THE STEINS + BAND BAND Tago Mago, Thornbury. 9:00pm. VALENTIINE (SINGLE LAUNCH) + ALL MY ALIEN SEX FRIENDS + IOWA Workers Club, Fitzroy. 9:00pm. $12. VERDAINE (SINGLE LAUNCH) + HARRY HOWARD + TRANSIT LANE Grace Darling Hotel, Collingwood. 9:00pm. $10. VICIOUS CIRCLE + 12FU + BLOODY HAMMER + THE WORST Bendigo Hotel, Collingwood. 8:00pm. $10. VICTOR PENDER Cape Cafe, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. WHITAKER + THE HELLO MORNING Penny Black, Brunswick. 9:30pm. X (FINAL SHOW) + BUGDUST + MERCY KILLS + MURDER RATS Espy, St Kilda. 8:00pm.
ACOUSTIC/COUNTRY/BLUES/FOLK CASH SAVAGE & THE LAST DRINKS + MERRI CREEK PICKERS + THE NYMPHS Empress Hotel, North Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $15. DRU & THE INTENTIONS Wesley Anne, Northcote. 5:00pm. HULLABALOO - FEAT: CLAIRY BROWNE + CONTINENTAL ROBERT + LORETTA MILLER + TRACEY MILLER Caravan Music Club, Oakleigh. 8:00pm. $25. JIMI HOCKINGâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S BLUES MACHINE Micawber Tavern, Belgrave. 9:00pm. LOWRIDERS Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East. 9:30pm. OPEN MIC St Andrews Hotel, St Andrews. 8:00pm. PAUL WINTER MOON YOUR MOUCHE Open Studio, Northcote. 7:00pm. THE 3 TONES Thornbury Theatre, Thornbury. 8:00pm. $15. THE MOONLIGHTERS Pascoe Vale Rsl, Pascoe Vale. 8:00pm. $8. THE RAZZ + AFRO JUNK + KOALA GRUNGE Palais, Hepburn Springs. 8:30pm. TRADITIONAL IRISH MUSIC SESSIONS - FEAT: DAN BOURKE Drunken Poet, West Melbourne. 6:00pm.
JAZZ/SOUL/FUNK/WORLD MUSIC DJ UNCLE G Bebida, Fitzroy. 10:00pm. DUB CAPTAINS + FUN MACHINE Bar Open, Fitzroy. 10:00pm. EDO SANTONI Bennetts Lane Jazz Club, Melbourne. 8:30pm. $25. EM RUSCIANO Butterfly Club, South Melbourne. 7:00pm. $30. JERSON TRINIDAD Prince Maximillian, Prahran. 8:30pm. KUNJANI Dizzyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Jazz Club, Richmond. 9:00pm. $20. NICHAUD FITZGIBBON QUARTET Paris Cat Jazz Club, Melbourne Cbd. 9:30pm. $20. PRESSURE DROP Rubyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Lounge, Belgrave. 8:00pm. $15. SASKWATCH Ding Dong Lounge, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. $12. THE PAUL WILLIAMSON QUARTET Uptown Jazz Cafe, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. WAZ E JAMES Gem Bar, Collingwood. 8:00pm.
CASH SAVAGE & THE LAST DRINKS Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve admitted touring in winter is kind of dumb, but hopefully Cash Savage & The Last Drinks will get some warm glowing warming glow when The Fire Alive join them at the Revolver Bandroom for Lost & Found tonight. Beginning at 8pm, you can get three shiny dollars off of the door price ($10) if you book online through moshtix.com.au.
60 SECONDS WITH
SERI VIDA
Define your genre in five words or less: Rockâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;nâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;roll with swagger. Bearing the terrible clichĂŠd nature of this question, what do you reckon people will say you sound like? PJ Harvey, Divinyls and Mclusky all thrown into a blender and chucked into a milkshake glass with a cherry on top. What can a punter expect from your live show? Energy, a raucous performance and a very good chance of me falling over at some point. Whenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the gig and with who? This Saturday July 21 with These Hands Could Separate The Sky and Constant Killer. How long have you been gigging and writing? The band has been hard at it for just over two years now. Do you have any record releases to date? What are they? Where can I get them? We are about to release our first album To Be Free which will be available at independent record stores in Melbourne. Earlier this year we released a single The Hound and weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be selling CDs at the launch, and of course everything is available from Bandcamp.
Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the strangest place youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve ever played a gig, or made a recording? Strangest place weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve played would probably be in the main hall of a building that was once a funeral home. Tell us about the last song you wrote. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s called Mine Now and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s about the desire to possess someone you love. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s our answer to I Put a Spell on You by Screaming J Hawkins. If you could go on tour with any musician or band, who would it be? The Red Coats, because theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re a great band and theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d be awesome to hang out with on a tour bus.
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Beat Magazine Page 67
Suzannah Espie
4TH ANNUAL WINTER BALL Charles Jenkins and The Zhivagos have organised a pretty damn awesome lineup for the fourth annual Winter Ball at The Corner this Saturday July 21. You should probably pre-purchase your tickets at cornerhotel.com because you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to get smooshed at the box office on the night, when youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got your posh velvet gloves on and everything. Other acts fancying up for the evening include Fraser A. Gorman, Mikelangelo, Suzannah Espie, Angie Hart and a gloveload more.
SATURDAY 21 JUL ROCK/POP 2AM LATE SHOW - FEAT: THE MORRISONS Pony, Melbourne. 2:00am. 4TH ANNUAL WINTER BALL - FEAT: CHARLES JENKINS & THE ZHIVAGOS + ALEX LASHLIE + ANGIE HART + CASH SAVAGE + DOUGLAS LEE ROBERTSON + FRASER A GORMAN + JOEL SILBERSHER + JON VON GOES + LINDA DACIO + MIKELANGELO + PONY FACE + ROB SNARKSI + SUZANNAH ESPIE + THE KILLJOYS + THE ORBWEAVERS Corner Hotel, Richmond. 8:00pm. $25. A DEAD FOREST INDEX (CD LAUNCH) + SARAH MARY CHADWICK + THE PROCESS Toï¬&#x20AC; In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 7:00pm. $10. ALEKS & THE RAMPS + MONTERO + VELCRO Empress Hotel, North Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $15. BANG - FEAT: BARBARION + ALEI CALUSIN + ASLEEP AT LAST + BRIGHTER AT NIGHT + CREPTTER CHILDREN Royal Melbourne Hotel, Melbourne Cbd. 9:00pm. $20. BAREFOOT ALLEY + DEAD SET DREAM + MYYTH Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick. 5:00pm. BEAST RECORDS FESTIVAL - FEAT: SIXFTHICK + JAMES MCCANN & THE NEW VINDICTIVES + SPENCER P JONES & THE ESCAPE COMMITTEE + THE HORRORTONES Retreat Hotel, Brunswick. 8:00pm. $7. BODIES + DEAD RIVER + EUPHORIACS + OUCH MY FACE Reverence Hotel, Footscray. 8:00pm. BRANCH ARTERIAL (SINGLE LAUNCH) + AUBREY GROVE + GLASS EMPIRE + HARLEQUIN Rubyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Lounge, Belgrave.
8:00pm. $12. CASADELDISCO 10TH ANNIVERSARY - FEAT: SOMMERSET + THE NATION BLUE + BLUELINE MEDIC + GRENADIERS Tote Hotel, Collingwood. 8:00pm. CLAMPDOWN Rochester Castle Hotel, Fitzroy. 9:00pm. DIPROSUS + DEVOID OF ALL + JET BLACK POPE + OVERPROOF GROOVE Pony, Melbourne. 9:00pm. EDDIE JAMES & THE PROWL + JOHNNIE & THE JOHNNIE JOHNNIES + PUGSLEY BUZZARD Old Bar, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $10. EUGENE HOLOCOMBE + FIRST CHORUS Open Studio, Northcote. 2:30pm. GREASY HAWAIIANS Town Hall Hotel, North Melbourne. 9:00pm. HOLLOW EVERDAZE + AMANITA + APES + GHOST VAIN + THE CALL UP Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. $8. I A MAN + LOVE MIGRATE + SLEEP DECADE Ding Dong Lounge, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. $10. JIMMY HAWK & THE ENDLESS PARTY + MINIBIKES + MUTATIONS Cornish Arms, Brunswick. 8:00pm. MATT THOMAS & BABY LEMONADE Prince Maximillian, Prahran. 8:30pm. MIDNIGHT WOOLF + MESA COSA + THE MURDER RATS Old Bar, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $10. MY FAVOURITE ACCIDENT (EP LAUNCH) + SUMMERSET AVENUE + THE PLAYBOOK + WHILE THE CITY SLEEPS Revolver Upstairs, Prahran. 8:30pm. $10. NAKED BODIES + GUESTS OF GHOSTS + RAIN PARTY + SHERIFF + VILLAINS Espy, St Kilda. 9:00pm. RED HOT RHYTHMAKERS Victoria Hotel, Brunswick. 8:00pm. $15. RONSON HANGUP + DAVE LARKIN + THEM BRUINS Yah Yahâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, Fitzroy. 9:00pm. $12. ROSENCRANTS + PIXIE JUICE + THE PHANTOM AGENTS + UNICYCLE INVENTORS Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick. 9:00pm.
WANTED: DRIVERS
TO DELIVER BEAT MAGAZINE.
WEDNESDAY MORNINGS!
A DEAD FOREST INDEX Adam and Sam Sherry look kind of like Owen and Luke Wilson, but there wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be any shitty romcom gaffs during their show at The Toff this week. Expect awesome harmonies and magic guitar delay with thumping drums when the aesthetically pleasing brothers take the stage this Saturday July 21. SCOTDRAKULA + CLAWS & ORGANS + MMDELAI John Curtin Hotel, Carlton. 8:00pm. SERI VIDA (ALBUM LAUNCH) + CONSTANT KILLER + THESE HANDS Grace Darling Hotel, Collingwood. 9:00pm. $8. SUGAR GHOULS + FLYYING COLOURS 8:00pm. THE CAIROS (COLOURS LIKE FEATURES TOUR) + LES GARCONS + THE PREACHERS Northcote Social Club, Northcote. 8:30pm. $12. THE COUNCIL + DIRTY HARRIET & THE HANGMEN + ROAD RATZ Cherry Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. $13. THE FUTURAS + THE KAVE INN Great Britain Hotel, Richmond. 9:00pm. THE GROOVETONES Blarney Stone Irish Pub, Yarraville. 8:30pm. THE OCEAN PARTY + CAT CAT + FRAND PRISMATIC Tote Hotel, Collingwood. 5:00pm. THE VAGRANTS + FINE MOTOR SKILLS + HOME KELLY + ROMEO KNIGHTS Espy, St Kilda. 8:00pm. THE VELVETS + QUINCE Penny Black, Brunswick. 9:30pm. TIN CAN RADIO + NEIGHBOURHOOD YOUTH Gertrudes Brown Couch, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. $5. TUNES BY VINNIE Gem Bar, Collingwood. 8:00pm. UNDERGROUND Tago Mago, Thornbury. 9:00pm. VICTOR PENDER Cape Cafe, Fitzroy. 8:00pm.
ACOUSTIC/COUNTRY/BLUES/FOLK ACOUSTIC REVUE - FEAT: THE PHEASANT PLUCKERS + DOC WHITE + EMMA HALES Chandelier Room, Moorabbin. 8:00pm. $10. BEN SMITH Drunken Poet, West Melbourne. 9:00pm. BUCK JUNIOR BAND Palais, Hepburn Springs. 8:30pm. CHRIS RUSSELLâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S CHICKENWALK Union Hotel, Brunswick. 9:00pm. COLD HEART Labour In Vain, Fitzroy. 5:00pm. COSMIC TONIC Veludo Bar & Restaurant, St Kilda. 9:00pm. CRAIG WILLIAMS & SARAH EIDA St Andrews Hotel, St Andrews. 1:00pm. DANDELION WINE Victoria Hotel, Brunswick. 3:00pm. DOC HALIBUT Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East. 9:30pm. GRAVEYARD TRAIN + HOWLINâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; STEAM TRAIN + THE PRETTY LITTLES Espy, St Kilda. 8:00pm. $20. JAMES SOUTHWELL BAND St Andrews Hotel, St Andrews. 9:00pm. MARK SEYMOUR + LOW SPEED BUS CHASE Caravan Music Club, Oakleigh. 8:00pm. $30. MELBOURNE SCOTTISH FIDDLE CLUB (ALBUM LAUNCH) + NEIL ADAM & JUDY TURNER Thornbury Theatre, Thornbury. 7:00pm. $26. NEATLY FOLDED GOAT + COLTH RAMES + CONSCIOUS MONSTER 303, Northcote. 8:00pm. PINA TUTERI + BILL PAPA + DJ LEE + M.S.O Bendigo Hotel, Collingwood. 8:00pm. $12. REFLEJOS Open Studio, Northcote. 8:30pm. SATURDAY NIGHT ACOUSTIC REVUE Chandelier Room, Moorabbin. 8:00pm. $10. THE CARTRIDGE FAMILY Union Hotel, Brunswick. 5:00pm. THE FUMES + BON SCOTTS + THE DEATH RATTLES Workers Club, Fitzroy. 9:00pm. $20. THE NICHAUD FITZGIBBON QUARTET Paris Cat Jazz Club, Melbourne Cbd. 9:30pm. $25.
JAZZ/SOUL/FUNK/WORLD MUSIC BRUNSWICK ST TO BOURBON ST Paris Cat Jazz Club,
Melbourne Cbd. 7:30pm. $20. EM RUSCIANO Butterï¬&#x201A;y Club, South Melbourne. 7:00pm. HETTY KATE & CHRISTOPHE GENOUX QUINTET Paris Cat Jazz Club, Melbourne Cbd. 9:30pm. $25. JOHN MONTESANTE QUINTET Dizzyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Jazz Club, Richmond. 9:00pm. $20. PAPA CHANGO + THE AFROBEATS Bar Open, Fitzroy. 10:00pm. STEVE GRANT BAND Uptown Jazz Cafe, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. THE DO YO THANGS & SUSY BLUE Rainbow Hotel, Fitzroy. 9:00pm. THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEWOMEN The Regal Ballroom, Northcote. 7:00pm. $24. TIM WILSONâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S CANNONBALL Bennetts Lane Jazz Club, Melbourne. 8:30pm. $25.
SUNDAY 22 JUL ROCK/POP BAND OF SKULLS + THE LAURELS Corner Hotel, Richmond. 7:30pm. $50. BEAST RECORDS FESTIVAL - FEAT: MJ HALLORAN & THE SINNERS + THE HORRORTONES + BAD VISION + HEAD ON + ROLLER ONE Yah Yahâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, Fitzroy. 6:30pm. BUCK JR + JIMMY JAMES Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick. 5:00pm. COMMUNION - FEAT: AL PARKINSON + LIZ STRINGER + SAM LAWRENCE + THE TIGER & ME Toï¬&#x20AC; In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 6:00pm. $17. DALE RYDER BAND + BAD BOYS BATUCADA + RELAX WITH MAX Espy, St Kilda. 6:00pm. GLEN & THE PEANUTBUTTER MEN + CRACK WHORE + LIQUOR SNATCH + WOLFPACK Cherry Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 6:30pm. HIGH SUBURBAN + EMALII-ANNIE + INAGONI Gertrudes Brown Couch, Fitzroy. 7:00pm. $10. JAMIE HAY BAND + BRAD VINCENT + NATHAN SEECKTS Reverence Hotel, Footscray. 3:00pm. KING LEGHORN + LOBW + THE MEN THEY CALL JAYNE + THE UNMISTAKABLE Tote Hotel, Collingwood. 6:00pm. $10. MOUNTFIELD PLAINS + BY THE NIGHT + SWERVE Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick. 9:00pm. SHOWCASE SERIES II - FEAT: BILL & THE JERKS + GAB CHOWANELZ + PANCROMATIC + POLYGASM + PURPLE TUSKS + THE EXPERIMENT Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy. 6:00pm. $4. TARCUTTA + CRYSTAL THOMAS & BEN BUNTING Great Britain Hotel, Richmond. 7:30pm. THE BEDROOM PHILOSOPHER + DD DUMBO Empress Hotel, North Fitzroy. 7:30pm. $15. THE HIRED GUNS Standard Hotel, Fitzroy. 7:00pm. THE MERCURIALS Town Hall Hotel, North Melbourne. 6:00pm. THE PLAYBOOK + CASH NO! + THE SPINSET Bendigo Hotel, Collingwood. 4:00pm. THE SPHERES (SINGLE LAUNCH) + OLLIE OLSEN Northcote Social Club, Northcote. 2:00pm. $10. WARREN EARL & THE ATOMIC ROCKERS Gem Bar, Collingwood. 8:00pm.
ACOUSTIC/COUNTRY/BLUES/FOLK ALISON FERRIER Retreat Hotel, Brunswick. 4:00pm. BARB WATERS & THE MOTHERS OF PEARL + RORY ELLIS Retreat Hotel, Brunswick. 7:00pm.
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SUBMIT YOUR GIGS TO GIGGUIDE@BEAT.COM.AU
YOU’LL FIND US AT 99 SMITH STREET FITZROY PH: 9419 4920 YAHYAHS.COM.AU BOOKINGS: MARY@BAROPEN.COM.AU
FRI 20 JULY
FREE ENTRY
SHERIFF
I AM DUCKEYE SUN GOD REPLICA
RIKI & THE RANTS
JOE KOKOMO
FREE ENTRY
MARTIAN KINGS THE UGLY KINGS DOORS 5.00PM / BANDS 9.00PM
COMING UP: SAT 28 JULY
DAN BRODIE & THE GRIEVING WIDOWS LP LAUNCH + GUESTS
TUNES: LATE / FREE ENTRY
SUN 22 JULY BLACK PONY PRESENTS
FREE ENTRY
“NIGHT OF THE BEAST” THE HORRORTONES THE BEAST RECORDS (FRANCE) FESTIVAL SHOWCASE
DOORS 5.00PM / BANDS 9.00PM / FREE ENTRY
THU 19 JULY
OPEN THU, FRI, SAT, SUN, 5:00PM TO LATE WITH DJs SPINNING YOUR FAVOURITE SOUL, 60s, ROCK’N’ROLL, SURF & GARAGE ALL NIGHT
OPEN TIL 5am
(BRIS)
SAT 21 JULY
MJ HALLORAN & THE SINNERS BAD VISION HEAD ON ROLLER ONE
THE RONSON HANGUP DAVE LARKIN THEM BRUINS
(FRA)
DOORS 5.00PM / BANDS FROM 6.30PM / FREE ENTRY
DOORS 5.00PM / BANDS 9.00PM TIX ON SALE NOW FROM WWW.RONSONHANGUP.COM AND WWW.DAVELARKIN.COM.AU OR ON THE DOOR
DR LUDWIG
LATE TUNES: LATE / FREE ENTRY AFTER MIDNIGHT
COMING UP THU JULY 26:
THE CHROME NIPS THE TREATMENT SYD (TOURING NATIONALLY W/ MUDHONEY SIDESHOW) THE WARM UPS FRI JULY 27 / FREE ENTRY:
THE NAXALITES PONY FACE, THE QUIVERS SAT JULY 28:
DAN BRODIE AND THE GRIEVING WIDOWS LP LAUNCH SAINT JUDE MERRI CREEK PICKERS MOLLY JEAN MORRISON (THE LEVEL SPIRITS)
SUN JULY 29 / FREE ENTRY:
SPENCER P JONES HOLY TRASH THU AUG 2:
DARTS MEZZANINE THE PRETTY LITTLES HIGH FANGS, BAD VISION THE NO REAL NEED
THE DROOLING MOUTHS OF MEMPHIS
WEEKENDER
GHOST TOWNS OF THE MID WEST
FRI AUG 3:
SAT AUG 4:
OPEN TIL 5am
WED 18 JULY FRONT BAR RESIDENCY / 8PM
W/ GUESTS
THU 19 JULY
BAR
OPEN 317 BRUNSWICK STREET FITZROY WWW.BAROPEN.COM.AU 03 9415 9601
WED 18 JULY
FRI 20 JULY
MON 23 JULY
DEAD BOOMERS
THE DUB CAPTAINS
SCREEN SECT FILM CLUB
RITES WILD ANGEL EYES GLASS BRICKS
FUN MACHINE (ACT)
8PM / FREE
SAT 21 JULY RESIDENCY
10PM / FREE
“THE LONG GOOD FRIDAY”
(JOHN MACKENZIE, 1979)
PAPA CHANGO
THU 19 JULY
SATURDAYS IN JULY
THE AFROBIOTICS
7PM
TUE 24 JULY
10PM / FREE
SHIFTEQ PAN OPTICS K HAT GHOSTSOUL SHIKUNG
MAKE IT UP CLUB
SUN 22 JULY
7PM
9PM / FREE
GHOST ORKID
UNCOMFORT -ABLE BEATS
LAST SUNDAY IN A ROW
HUGO & THE OMEGA CHORUS
COMING UP WED 25: SQUAREHEAD THUR 26: GUERRE (SYD) / NAMINE FRIDAYS IN AUG: EL MOTH
7.30PM / FREE
68-70 LIL’ COLLINS ST. MELBOURNE WWW.PONY.NET.AU 03 9662 1026
THU 19 JULY
FIERCE MILD BROTHERS TO GHOSTS CHIEF
8.30PM
THE KODIAK CLUB
1.00AM FREE TUNES:
GEEK PIE
2.00AM FREE
FRI 20 JULY
GLEN & THE PEANUT BUTTERMEN LAST CALL R.I.P. RIDES UNAUSTRALIANS K-MART WARRIORS SUPER SALOON (ALBUM LAUNCH - 2AM)
9.00PM TUNES:
SAT 31 AUG
KING PARROT + GUESTS
SAT 21 JULY
DIPROSUS OVERPROOF GROOVE DEVOID OF ALL JET BLACK POPE
9.00PM
THE MORRISONS
2.00AM FREE TUNES:
MR SHARP
3.00AM FREE
WHITE RABBIT
3.00AM FREE
FORCES, HEADLESS DEATH, NUN FRI 20 JULY CASA DEL DISCO 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY*
SOMMERSET
NZ
BLUELINE MEDIC, HARMONY MARGINS
SOLD OUT
SAT 21 JULY FRONT BAR RESIDENCY 5-7PM
THE OCEAN PARTY W/ GUESTS
CAT CAT, GRAND PRISMATIC SAT 21 JULY CASA DEL DISCO 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY*
THE NATION BLUE
SOMMERSET NZ, BLUELINE MEDIC GRENADIERS
SOLD OUT
SUN 22 JULY 3PM BOOKINGS: LUKE@BAROPEN.COM.AU
“Shout ‘til you’re a little horse”
AGENTS OF ABHORRENCE
Rockin ‘til 7:00am! BOOKINGS: ANDY FANTAPANTS@BAROPEN.COM.AU PH: 9417 2326
COMING SOON THURS 26 JULY (LATE SHOW): SIDAIR, FREE ENTRY FRI 27 JULY: LACED IN LUST (ADEL), THE VENDETTAS, THE VOLATILES, SEXXX FRI 27 JULY (LATE SHOW): THE OWLS (NSW), FREE ENTRY SAT 28 JULY: KASHMERE CLUB THE 80 ACES (EP LAUNCH) RED EAGLE, NO ZEBRA SAT 28 JULY (LATE SHOW): BRAVO JULIET, FREE ENTRY THURS 2 AUG: OVERPROOF GROOVE, JET BLACK POPE, DEVOID OF ALL FRI 3 AUG: ROUSSEMOFF (ALBUM LAUNCH), EM VÉCUE AQUIEU, WARPIGS,SLEEP DECADE FRI 3 AUG (LATE SHOW): ALKAN ZEYBEK & THE LESSERMEN FREE ENTRY
NOW OPEN
WEDNESDAYS 6.00PM - 1.00AM
THE LEGENDARY PONY LATE SHOW / THE LATEST GIG IN TOWN / FRIDAYS & SATURDAYS / 2:00AM / FREE ENTRY SUBMIT YOUR GIGS TO GIGGUIDE@BEAT.COM.AU
KING LEGHORN
THE UNMISTAKABLE THE MEN THEY CALL JAYNE, LOBW TUE 24 JULY RESIDENCY / 8PM / FREE
SAM COOPER BAND W/ GUEST
CHRIS JENNINGS TIX ON SALE NOW FROM TOTE FRONT BAR & OZTIX.COM.AU: WASH WINTERS WILLIES AWAY WITH WHISKEY 8 SUN 29 JUL TWERPS FRI 3 & SAT 4 AUG - SELLING FAST! THE LAURELS (SYD) SAT 11 AUG THE ZOOBOMBS (JAPAN) FRI 17 AUG BOB LOG III FRI 24 AUG - JUST ANNOUNCED! THE SMITH STREET BAND SAT 25 AUG POISON CITY WEEKENDER FEST 2012 FRI 14 SEP - SOLD OUT! 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! *CASA DEL DISCO SHOWS ARE ACCESS ALL AREAS 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 69
60 SECONDS WITH
NATHAN JOHN KEARNEY
Define your genre in five words or less: Minimalistic alternative rock.
house that was about 150 years old. We used to put on shows there with me and my friends’ bands.
When are you playing live/releasing your album? I’m launching my album Pockmarket this Saturday July 21 at Schoolhouse Studios in Collingwood. We’ve hired out this little old chapel and my mate Darcy, who does these really intricate ink and acrylic paintings, is going to have his art up on the walls. So people can come in and check out his stuff, get a drink from the bar, and Jade from Tantrums is going to be doing some atmospheric DJ sets before and after I play. I can’t wait; it’s the kind of show I personally love going to see.
What inspires or has influenced you the most? All the early Palace albums, Shellac, old blues singers like Blind Willie McTell and Son House. I just love all those guys that managed to cut the shit. I’m trying to do the same thing in a lot of ways: just strip everything back to its most basic state and get whatever message I’m trying to put across as simply as possible.
How do you balance making and playing music with your other commitments? At the moment I work two days a week in a video store and get the rest of my cash from Newstart. It’s not that hard to be honest. What’s the strangest place you’ve ever played a gig, or made a recording? I had a sweet deal in the town where I grew up with this guy who ran an art gallery out of an old converted stableBOWERS Union Hotel, Brunswick. 5:00pm. BROKEN SPLENDOUR + HUGH MCGINLAY + PUERTO RICO 303, Northcote. 3:30pm. $5. CHRIS RUSSELL’S CHICKEN WALK + DEAN MULLER Cherry Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 2:00pm. COLLARD GREENS & GRAVY Rainbow Hotel, Fitzroy. 4:00pm. GALLIE + GREG FIELDS + THE BONAFIDE TRAVELLERS Drunken Poet, West Melbourne. 4:00pm. GREEN’S DAIRY ANGEL ENSEMBLE + RUTH LINDSAY Tago Mago, Thornbury. 5:00pm. JIMI HOCKING’S BLUES MACHINE Daveys Bar & Restaurant, Frankston. 3:00pm. LEGENDS ENCOURAGEMENT JAM - FEAT: PAUL NORTON + WENDY STAPLETON Musicland, Fawkner. 2:00pm. MATTY GREEN BAND Labour In Vain, Fitzroy. 5:00pm. OPA 303, Northcote. 8:00pm. $5. RAISED BY EAGLES Carringbush Hotel, Abbotsford. 4:00pm. ROSCOE JAMES IRWIN + DUKE BATAVIA + SWEET JEAN Workers Club, Fitzroy. 2:00pm. $10. SHANAKEE Bay Hotel, Mornington. 3:00pm. SINGER SONGWRITER SESSIONS - FEAT: SUSAN LILY + LEIGH SLOGGETT Chandelier Room, Moorabbin. 4:00pm. SLEEPING BAG + MOU TRIO Open Studio, Northcote. 4:30pm. THE TATTERED SAILS + MICHAEL PLATER Victoria Hotel, Brunswick. 6:00pm. TIMOTHY CARROLL (SINGLE LAUNCH) + AINSLIE WILLS + NATHAN HOLLYWOOD Grace Darling Hotel, Collingwood. 7:00pm. $10. TWENTY 20S Penny Black, Brunswick. 5:00pm. ULTRAFOX + KEN MAHER + TONY HARGREAVES Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East. 5:30pm. UNDER THE ANNEXE - FEAT: GRUNDEN FAMILY BAND + TWO BOB WATCH Caravan Music Club, Oakleigh. 3:00pm. $10.
JAZZ/SOUL/FUNK/WORLD MUSIC DJ MAX BAY Bebida, Fitzroy. 4:00pm.
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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. BANDS WANTED for artist showcase in the Espy Gershwin Room. A great step towards bigger shows. Contact mark@ gunnmusic.com.au SEEKING FUNK/SWING/JAZZ BANDS. We want to hear from bands looking for regular gigs at Smith streets newest venue. Shoot through an email with demo and pics to: drink@the86.com.au.
Beat Magazine Page 70
+ BEAT PRESENT... whatson@thepush.com.au
ACCESS ALL AGES Wednesday July 18, 2012 With Ruth Mihelcic Got a band you really wanna see on stage at Push Over next year? Well now’s your chance to vote! Head over to the front page of our website and tell us which Aussie and local bands you’d love to see.
Tell us about the last song you wrote. I got an old pump organ for really cheap a few weeks ago and I’ve been writing a bunch of stuff on that since. It has this weird sound that somehow manages to be both comforting and creepy at the same time, which is kind of how the last song I wrote turned out as well.
What does it take to set up and run your own business in the music industry? In a couple of weeks The Push will be posting our interview with BLOK Entertainment founder Kate Beasy, so stay tuned for a whole lot of good advice and an inspiring story that’s sure to get you motivated. The Push will also be posting up some rad interviews with Melbourne punkers Anchors and funk aficionado’s The Cactus Channel.
Anything else to add? Just that if people are reading this and interested, they should come down to Schoolhouse on Saturday. It’s only $5 entry and starts at 7pm, so still early enough that they can come and see something really interesting before they go out and do whatever else it is they have planned... plus there will be cheese and crackers. EM RUSCIANO Butterfly Club, South Melbourne. 6:00pm. $30. JOSH OWEN St Andrews Hotel, St Andrews. 3:00pm. THE VAMPIRES (ALBUM LAUNCH) Bennetts Lane Jazz Club, Melbourne. 8:30pm. $15.
TUESDAY 24 JUL ROCK/POP
MONDAY 23 JUL ROCK/POP ANIMAUX + EAGLE & THE WORM DJS + LA NOUVELLE + TULLY ON TULLY Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $8. CHERRY JAM Cherry Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. KING OF THE NORTH + BLACK ACES Espy, St Kilda. 8:30pm. LANA DEL REY Palace Theatre, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. MONDAY NIGHT MASS - FEAT: LOWER PLENTY + MILK TEDDY JAMS + THE CLITS Northcote Social Club, Northcote. 6:00pm. THE SHINS Festival Hall, West Melbourne. 7:00pm. $81.
ACOUSTIC/COUNTRY/BLUES/FOLK BLOOD RED BIRD Post Office Hotel, Coburg. 8:00pm. BLUEGRASS NIGHT - FEAT: UNCLE BILL Old Bar, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. HAYDEN CALNIN + MANOR Toff In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 7:30pm. $7. SCOOBY DREW Veludo Bar & Restaurant, St Kilda. 8:30pm. SECRET MONDAY ACOUSTIC Labour In Vain, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. THE MONDAY DRFIT Empress Hotel, North Fitzroy. 8:00pm.
JAZZ/SOUL/FUNK/WORLD MUSIC ALLAN BROWNE & THE MARC HANNAFORD TRIO Bennetts Lane Jazz Club, Melbourne. 8:30pm. $15. ATLANTA COOGAN (AMY WINEHOUSE TRIBUTE) Bennetts Lane Jazz Club, Melbourne. 8:30pm. $30. LEBOWSKIS - FEAT: HELEN CATANCHIN GROUP + WARREN PIPERS MCNAB 303, Northcote. 9:00pm. $8.
COLLAGE - FEAT: ANDREW SWIFT BAND + FREE TO RUN + LEADLIGHT + WACO SOCIAL CLUB Espy, St Kilda. 8:00pm. FRIENDS + HOWLER + ZULU WINTER Corner Hotel, Richmond. 7:30pm. $44. LANA DEL REY Palace Theatre, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. PATRON SAINTS Cherry Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. STANDISH & CARLYON Toff In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 7:30pm. $8.
ACOUSTIC/COUNTRY/BLUES/FOLK ALEX WEYBURY Veludo Bar & Restaurant, St Kilda. 8:30pm. BLUES ALIVE Royal Standard Hotel, West Melbourne. 8:00pm. BREAKING HART BENTON + HOUNDSTEETH + MOOSEJAW RIFLE CLUB Old Bar, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. JEB CARDWELL Labour In Vain, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. OPEN MIC Empress Hotel, North Fitzroy. 7:30pm. SARA RETALLICK + LADIE DEE Retreat Hotel, Brunswick. 8:30pm. SATURDAY ACOUSTIC REVUE - FEAT: STEWART KOHINGA + JAMIE MACDOWELL & TOM THUM Chandelier Room, Moorabbin. 8:00am. $10. JAZZ/SOUL/FUNK/WORLD MUSIC HUGH STUCKEY TRIO Bennetts Lane Jazz Club, Melbourne. 8:30pm. $15. SIMON WRIGHT BAND + MATT KELLY + SURE SHOT HUNTERS Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. THE ELECTRIC GENERALS Northcote Social Club, Northcote. 7:30pm. $15. YOUTH JAZZ NIGHT - FEAT: MENTONE SECONDARY COLLEGE Dizzy’s Jazz Club, Richmond. 8:00pm. $14.
MAN WITH A VAN. Best value movers in Melbourne. Now with trucks!!!! Equip with 1 or 2 experienced men, trolleys and removal blankets. Available 7 days. Check out www. manwithavan.com.au or call us on 9417 3443. CAMERON’S LAWN MOVING & GARDENING small jobs, big clean ups & rubbish removal. Call for a free quote 0458 431 815.
EMPLOYMENT EXPERIENCED BAND BOOKER WANTED. If you’re experienced in booking bands and want to work with an experienced well known venue booker at a great venue in Melbourne’s music heartland then send us an email. Let us know a bit about yourself, what type of bands you’ve booked, where, contacts you have and how long you have been in the game and importantly what you may be able to bring. Be quick. Send email to: shimgapi@gmail.com.
NEW DJ/SOUND N LIGHT BUSINESS SEEKS PARTNER. Must be driven to succeed and have relevant contacts. Text if interested: 0411 024 794.
We have something pretty awesome for your eyeballs too. For ten days Gertrude Street in Fitzroy will be illuminated across 30 sites by the visions of talented projection artists for the Gertrude Street Projection Festival. Now in its fifth year, the festival will see windows, laneway walls, footpaths, shop interiors, tree-trunks, and whole buildings lit up with art inventions, created by award winning projection artists, community groups and individuals. It kicks off this Friday and will be running every night from 6pm to midnight until next Sunday. There’s more info over at thegertrudeassociation.com. There’s no less than three Push Start Battle of the Bands heats happening this Friday, so if you’re in Bendigo, Wyndham or Hamilton then get down and show your support for local talent. If you’re in the Mornington Peninsula or Wangaratta areas and in a band, then you still have time to enter the competition, just make sure you contact your local FReeZA worker by July 27. Keep sending your all ages news to whatson@ thepush.com.au!
ALL AGES TIMETABLE Wednesday July 18 Heart of St Kilda w/ Brian Nankervis, Nick Barker, Rebecca Barnard and Billy Miller’s sing-along, Ian Bland, Greg Champion, Raymond Crowe, EVEN, Lanie Lane, Lawrence Mooney, FIona O’Loughlin, Michael Paynter, Tim Rogers, Normie Rowe, Stonefield, and Cal Wilson, Palais Theatre, Lower Esplanade, St Kilda, 7:30pm – 11pm, $79.00 - $101.23, ticketmaster.com.au or 136 100, AA
SERVICES
FLAUNT IT. Internationally acclaimed producer of profeminist erotica looking for confident, adult women to smash the stereotypes and earn good money ($500 and up). Don’t overlook this til you’ve found out more about it. Rebecca 9495 6555 or www.feck.com.
In band news that’ll make your ear holes smile (and brace themselves) Parkway Drive are currently bunkered down in a Los Angeles studio working hard on their fourth album. The yet-to-be-named recording is due to take seven weeks, which is the longest time the band has spent on any album. Keep an eye out for further details, which are going to be painfully dripped out in coming weeks.
MIDNIGHT WOOLF Did you know that Virginia Woolf had a dog called Hans which was known for being sick on the hearthrug at parties? Fully sick I bet. Dirty and furry garage band Midnight Woolf launch their new album I’ll Be A Dog at The Old Bar this Saturday July 21. Entry is $10 and supports begin at 9pm.
SUBMIT YOUR GIGS TO GIGGUIDE@BEAT.COM.AU
Friday July 20 Bendigo FReeZA Push Start Battle of the Bands w/ local artists, McGillivray Hall, Mcrae St, Bendigo, 6pm – 10pm, $2, Rory White on 5434 6092, AA Wyndham FReeZA Push Start Battle of the Bands Heat 2 w/ Adjusting to Light, Sun’s Delusion, This Fiasco, Shotgun Funk, Heretik, and Buried In Verona, Wyndham Youth Resource Centre, 86 Derrimut Rd, Hoppers Crossing, 6pm – 11pm, $8, Nunzio Giunta on 9742 8155, AA Hamilton FReeZA Push Start Battle of the Bands w/ local artists, Monivae College, Ballarat Road, Hamilton, 7pm – 10pm, Briana Picken on (03) 5551 8450, AA Monday July 23 The Shins w/ Husky, Festival Hall, 300 Dudley Street, West Melbourne, 7:30pm, $80.50, ticketmaster.com.au or 136 100, AA
GS T GI TS A L AL VEN GB ! E E & THE FRE E AR
FRIDAY JULY 20TH SATURDAY 21/7, 9PM
WAZ E JAMES
GREASY HAWAIIANS SUNDAY 22/7, 6PM
THE MERCURIALS
SATURDAY 28/7, 6PM
STACKFUL
SATURDAY JULY 21ST
TUNES BY VINNIE
THEN FROM 10PM
THE BOMBSHELLS & BIG FIRE SUNDAY 29/7, 6PM
JACOB S. HARRIS & THE DISAPPOINTMENTS SATURDAY 4/8, 10PM
SUNDAY JUL 22ND
WARREN EARL & THE ATOMIC ROCKERS
THE CORSAIRS SATURDAY 11/8, 6PM 6PM SMOKE MACHINE 10PM THE VOLCANIKS
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THURSDAY JULY 19TH DAN WATERS
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• • • • • WEDNESDAY • • • • •
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COMEDY TRIVIA QUIZ MEISTER FROM 8PM. GREAT PRIZES & GIVEAWAYS.
wine, whiskey, women
8pm: Jules Hutcheson 9pm: Kate Mulqueen Thurs. July 19th:
8pm: Jamie Lockhart 9pm: John Mazur Fri. July 20th:
• • • • • THURSDAY • • • • •
UNI NIGHT
DERBY THURSDYS
CHECK OUT DERBY THURSDAYS ON FACEBOOK.
6-8pm: Trad Irish Music Sesh with Dan Bourke & friends Sat. July 21st:
9pm: Ben Smith solo
• • • • • SATURDAY • • • • •
SHE BAR
EVERY 2ND SATURDAY PRESENTS SHEBAR AN ALL GIRL NIGHT 9PM
Sun. July 22nd:
4pm: The Bonafide Travellers 6:30pm: Gallie (Ire) & Greg Fields Tues. July 24th:
8pm: Weekly Trivia
“All Shows Always Free”
• • • • • SUNDAY • • • • •
BBQ
STARTS 5PM TILL LATE
The Drunken Poet, 65 Peel Street (directly opposite Queen Vic Market), Phone: 03 9348 9797. www.thedrunkenpoet.com.au
SUBMIT YOUR GIGS TO GIGGUIDE@BEAT.COM.AU
Beat Magazine Page 71
BACKSTAGE
HIRE PROFILE
PRO LIGHT & SOUND
THE PLACE FOR MUSICIANS
for more information or ad bookings call Aleksei on 9428 3600
18 Duffy street Burwood 3125 30m rooms s Air-con and ventilation in s 10everylargeroomand identical s PA/foldback combos at 1000w s Storage and amp/kit hire s Acoustic Engineer-designed soundproofing 2
PH: (03) 903 88101 M: 0417 000 397 Email: hydrastudios@bigpond.com
Location: 934 North Rd East, Bentleigh 3165. Established: We’ve been in operation for 22 years and counting. What exactly do you provide for hire: Sound, lighting, DJ gear, iPod packages, projectors, staging, draping and specialty lighting. What events you can cater for: We cater for dozens of events every week, from small home or venue parties to large scale corporate events with multiple screens, lighting shows and band sound systems. We also have styling products specifically for weddings including white speaker systems, lighting fixtures, draping and dance floors. In regards to weddings and corporate launches, you should ask about our personalised monograms or logo projections which can add that special touch to your event. Your point of difference: We offer 24 hr back-up service and our equipment is always up to date and in top notch condition. We’re open Monday through to Saturday too for added value and convenience.
STUDIO PROFILE
Toyland
Recording Studio Live Bands, Singers, Demos, Albums Analog or Digital, Neve Pres, Neumann mics Recording, Editing, Mixing, Mastering 25 Years Experience, we get the job done! Call Adam Cal on 9482 2111 or 0412 060 664
www.toyland.com.au
mage Asylum Photography
BACKSTAGE NOW RUNS IN FULL COLOUR! For new full colour ad pricing please contact Aleksei on 9428 3600 or email mixdown@beat.com.au Beat Magazine Page 72
Your favorite sound or lighting package: The best value hire package is the medium iPod Party Package that caters for up to 100 people and includes RCF speakers, lights and costs $253 if picked up from our store. Also, if you “check in” at Pro Light & Sound on Facebook when you pick it up, we’ll further discount the package to only $240, which is even better value. Artists and companies you have worked with: Kiss My Grass Festivals, Good Life Music Festivals, LMFAO and literally hundreds of other well known Australian and International artists and event companies. Pick up and or delivery of equipment available? Yes, with a minimum hire threshold. Call us or see us online to find out more. Any current special packages: We’re currently offering a free fat beam blue or green laser with any lighting hire package. Phone: 9579 2332 Website: www.prolightandsound.com.au E-mail: hire@prolightandsound.com.au
AESTHETIC STUDIOS
Location: 12 Talbot Road Strathmore. 3minutes off Citilink at the Pascoevale road exit. Also located just across the road from Strathmore train station. What you provide: We have 4 rehearsal/recording rooms all acoustically treated and sound proofed ranging in size from 25sqm to 75sqm. We cater to all styles of music and arrangements from world wide number one artists such as Gotye’s amazing 10 piece band, to smash hit TV show The Voice auditions and many of Melbourne/Australia’s finest bands have rehearsed and recorded here too. We can also cater for video clips and wedding band showcase too. Digital or analogue capabilities: We aim to record your sound in a relaxed atmosphere to capture an accurate, real example of what you do best! Recording gear available: We take care of both live or tracked recordings to suit every need from pre-production to shiny radio ready production. For the in and out recordings we offer live tracking from $150 for 6 hours. For the higher production recording, your tracks are recorded at Aesthetics and then mixed and mastered in Sweden, which is all watchable via webcam and a direct feed from our engineers mixing desk. We use Beyerdynamic, Shure, Rode, Audix and Seinheisser microphones and offer a relaxed recording environment like no other. Instruments available to use or hire: If you’re lacking an instrument or just cant be bothered lugging your heavy guitar cab, we have everything from Marshall,Orange,Ampeg to Pearl and they’re all available for hire. Artists you have worked with: Gotye, King Cannons, Gold Fields, Carpathian, Confession, Coerce, Lovers Grave, Strickland and we also play home to many other great musicians involved in the Weekend Warrior programs.
BACKSTAGE: BEAT’S ONE STOP SHOP FOR MUSICIANS
In-house engineers: Alex will be your guy to fill in the blanks, push you that little bit harder or give you the freedom to spend your time exactly how you want to spend it. Extras: Oh, and we sell Dr Pepper. Phone: Alex on 04333-76-392 Website: http://www.aestheticstudios.com.au E-mail: aestheticstudios@hotmail.com
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PHOTOGRAPHIC AND VIDEO STUDIO Pro & Conc. Rates Available For Photographic, Music Video & Band Shoots Starting From $150 Multi-Purpose Change & Makeup Room Grip & Lighting gear available Communal Lounge & Wireless Internet Excellent on-site parking CONTACT: CY -ARTISTIC DIRECTOR- 0401 379 973 w w w . t h e w h i t e r o o m . n e t . a u
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EQUIPMENT HIRE Vocal PA’s from $80, amplifiers and drumkits available.
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BACKSTAGE: BEAT’S MUSICIANS DIRECTORY
HUNDREDS OF OTHER PACKAGING OPTIONS AVAILABLE! FOR A PRICE ON ANY PACKAGE AT ANY TIME VISIT: WWW.IMPLANT.COM.AU/QUOTES Beat Magazine Page 73
LIVE
Photos: Richard Sharman
CAMERAS The Workers Club, Saturday July 14 Despite some initial sound and setting-up issues which saw them begin almost half an hour late, Cameras did an incredible job of creating the deep atmosphere which swirls up around you when listening to their tracks recorded. Lead vocalist and keys player Eleanor is very tall with exceptionally long legs and a haughty mouth, and as such had some problems deciding whether to use the rickety chair provided for her or get her band mates to lift her enormous instrument while she adjusted its stand. Once they were on their way though, Cameras had the crowd’s attention for the whole set. Opening with Polarise, Eleanor’s brilliant projection saw her thick but delicately controlled voice bowl to the room’s corners. Drummer Ben Mason (who looks rather like John Turturro in Barton Fink) used open snare to great effect, and the 16ths on the hats were just crisp enough to make the awesome light/dark duality work. Vocalist and guitarist Fraser Harvey showed his graceful ease on stage straight away, and his voice provided a great James Murphy-esque counter to the female vocals. Break Hands’ intro was absolutely gorgeous, with Eleanor really showing her piano chops. At its conclusion she seemed quite genuinely emotionally affected from playing it. During Patience, It Was The Truth guitarist Mike Murphy (whose birthday we all applauded) sang along to himself while Harvey took the lead mic. In fact, Murphy sang happily along to most tracks which I just love seeing; there’s an uninhibited joy in it, when the audience
obviously can’t hear (hence not for their benefit). The following track saw Eleanor back on the mic and bawling it out like a zeppelin coming down on fire: slowly, with incredible mass and gravity, and scarily beautiful. Just before Kruezberg, Harvey needed a break. “Wait, wait wait,” he said, picking up his glass and zooming it towards his face, “it’s been like three songs since I had wine.” I think a good portion of the audience realised this was true of themselves as well, as the show was so intense it promoted short-term amnesia. During this track and the next, Eleanor got a little excited and rushed her thumping keys which detracted slightly from the gallop but otherwise it was hard to fault her – an excellent musician. I understand now why, as Harvey said during our Beat interview a few weeks ago, people stand quietly and just ‘take it in’ at Cameras’ shows: you want to thrash around to the drums beating against your ribs (this is certainly danceable stuff), but you also want to keep still to make sure you hear every single note. ZOË RADAS LOVED: So loud. HATED: Extended equipment soundcheck prior? DRANK: Dirty Granny.
problems.
No
SIMONE FELICE The Corner Hotel, Wednesday July 11 For lovers of Americana, there’s something mystical about artists who visit our shores from places like Moscow, Idaho or the Catskill Mountains, New York. It bares far more romance than Glen Iris, Victoria ever will. With a simple ‘howdy’ and a school boy smile that could chew corn for days, Josh Ritter’s excitement reflected his audience. A masterful finger-picker with a lyrical prowess, he truly sang from the heart as he blessed the crowd with Monster Ballads and Good Man. His Folk Bloodbath saw him etching love hearts into warheads as he contemplated the “w w i i i”, while Snow Is Gone breathed more fresh air into the night. Ritter relentlessly shared his chipmunk grin through observations of rugby and how koalas didn’t smell as minty as he expected. Needless to say the boy had charm and his music will be equally embraced when he returns with his band ‘soon’. Singing tales of heartache and woe involves far more liquor, loose women and the lure of drugs when Simone Felice takes the stage. Tonight he lines up alongside three bandmates; an asylum-cropped head of hair and underweight, the glaring eyes of a guard dog with a voice as warm as a hug. New York Times sets a stern warning that he isn’t here to drop one liners about our cultural quirks. Intense and articulate, it’s an incredibly haunting appetiser; drums, guitars and violinist, Simi Sernaker, rising in spectacular fashion. An author, drummer, survivor of a brain aneurysm (which clinically killed him as child) and recipient of a pacemaker after open heart surgery two years ago, it was the recent
arrival of Pearl Felice that prompted the upbeat You & I Belong, which rocked out early. Charade is reflective of his father’s advice to break your back for a dollar. These inspirations seeing Felice instinctively engage so deeply; his face contorting menacingly, his intonations meaningful. When The Felice Brothers toured earlier this year there was a distinctive element missing from the line-up; brother Simone. Tonight witnesses wonderful renditions of Don’t Wake The Scarecrow and Radio Song (minus the amazing vocals and accordion of James Felice). Less focus on his solo album meant the inclusion of his The Duke & The King tracks such as Summer Morning Rain, Union Street and the unhampered, earnest One More American Song performed truly solo. It captured the artist and his instrument in all purity; often what attracts many to the genre. Offering tribute to neighbour and idol Levon Helm, Felice and band ended the evening with a flurry of hits; I Shall Be Released, Helpless and Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door. Artists prerogative, yet a little long-winded for much of the audience and even band members to endure. Still, a night to remember. JOHN DONALDSON LOVED: The genuine joy and gratitude each performer brought to the stage. HATED: Missing the end of MasterChef. Go red team! DRANK: Two light beers, officer.
Q&A HARTS seven inch double A side vinyls available for purchase online or at the shows. Gonna be killer!
Define your genre in five words or less: Indie Electronic Rock/Soul/Pop. What do you love about making music? What I love about making and playing music is the feeling of connecting to something otherworldly. Music is very much a feeling to me. Not only a means of expressing particular feelings/emotions, but also a way of connecting with the timeless, spiritual side of one’s own character. What can a punter expect from your live show? Punters can expect a high-energy rock show, with just as much groove to make you move! But I think the main thing I’m trying to do live is bring back good, impressive musicianship and impressive playing. I think extending sections of songs to show off musical ability is something that’s missing in the live scene these days, particularly with indie bands. When are you playing live/releasing your single? I’m playing a residency at The Toff, kicking off with the All Too Real single launch on Wednesday July 25; followed by Wednesday August 1 and Wednesday August 8. The single is getting released on iTunes on July 20, with a limited run of
Beat Magazine Page 74
What makes you happiest about what you’re doing? As simple as it sounds, it’s just the pure fact that people dig the music. Music is a thing from the heart, regardless of genre. When you create the music you want to create, saying the things you want to say and remain honest about your craft, you’ll be over the moon with the fact that people like what you’re doing. What’s the strangest place you’ve ever played a gig, or made a recording? Well, I still live at home, so sometimes I can’t record or create when I need to. One time I really needed to record the vocal for a song so I took my laptop and a USB mic, drove to an empty parking lot at night and recorded the whole vocal sitting in my car. It will be interesting to see if anybody picks which song it was when my EP is released. What makes a good musician? I think what makes a good musician is learning as many aspects of music and playing as many styles as you can. I think it’s learning how to play a few instruments well that will give a musician longevity in music. And of course, songwriting. I’m not one for slagging off bands but there are so many indie bands I’ve seen that can barely play their instruments. They just write their songs to fit the already overcrowded trends and disappear in a few months’ time. If they spent the time to truly develop as a musician they would be a helluva lot more flexible to create something truly unique and lasting
THE TEA PARTY The Palais Theatre, Saturday July 14 After seven years languishing in unremarkable side projects, The Tea Party have returned to their spiritual home of Australia to spectacularly announce their return, whip up a little religious fervour in the over-30 bogans with the dubious facial hair and no doubt, pocket a tidy amount of cash. Backlit to highlight their mystical silhouettes we welcomed them only after the loudest world music intro I’ve heard, as they then launched into the loudest and longest guitar intro I’ve heard. This fret wizardry then flowed smoothly into The River, and we were off floating into another dimension. The next two hours were filled with the hits, expanded into jams and tastefully showed off their chops. Each song started softly and built to a foundation shaking crescendo, centring on weird Eastern guitar tunings and a sea of double kick-drum lunacy, as bassist Stuart Chatwood darted between harmonium, mandolin and some sort of weird foot keyboard. While there’s no doubting the effectiveness of using varied instrumentation and extreme volume disparity within a single song, the formula got old after a while. The entire band are rock solid musicians in their own right, but this is solely The Jeff Martin Show. Prone to more Jimmy Page-isms than you could poke a double-necked violin-bowed guitar at, this is a guy who looks no further than the Holy Burnout Trinity of Led Zep – Doors – Hendrix for inspiration and if you too smoked
a lot of weed in your formative years, there’s a lot to get excited about in The Tea Party. What I had no time for was the unnecessary cover of Hallelujah, which the trench coated dude in front recognised as “Orrr yeah… Buckley!” If there’s one song that I need not ever hear covered again, it’s Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah. If there’s two, it’s Hallelujah and Paint It Black (they played that too). Martin said recently that they came back to fill a void that was left when The Tea Party split in 2005. With all his theatrical hand fluttering and self-mythologising of his drug taking and sexual habits, he comes off like an arrogant dick. But you couldn’t say The Tea Party aren’t an incendiary live band. And yeah, he was kinda right: no three-piece today is doing a Led Zeppelin and Doors pastiche with Eastern scales with such self belief, conviction and absolute power. NICK HILTON LOVED: Authentic psychedelic magic. HATED: The tool who told everyone to stand up halfway through, as I was supremely baked and enjoying the comfy chairs and my Golden Gaytime. DRANK: Only what one can smash in the foyer before showtime.
MARK LANEGAN Ding Dong Lounge, Sunday July 8 Returning to the Ding Dong Lounge tonight was like revisiting a childhood holiday home after an extensive renovation. While the original north-south orientation of the venue has been retained, the length of the room has been reduced to make way for a relaxing foyer area. It’s difficult to work out if the bar is located in the original position; ultimately, it doesn’t really matter. The acoustics are in a transitional phase, with the inter-band DJ set beset by frustrating audio engineering problems. Mike Noga is on stage well after the advertised starting time of 8.30pm. Noga, ever the debonair fashionista, is wearing a slick white jacket that could have been procured from swinging London. Noga’s voice is edging closer to the East Village coffee shop folkies of yore. There are moments when you can hear the distinctive vocal style of Bob Dylan; Noga’s elegant and colourful lyrics are a quantum leap beyond the average earnest folk singer. The set ends with an acoustic cover of Down Like John Kennedy, originally recorded by Noga’s Gentlemen of Fortune. It’s already a great song, and it’s even better stripped back to its basic elements. Mark Lanegan shuffles onto stage half an hour later, offering the barest of acknowledgement to the welcoming crowd. Lanegan has the weathered appearance of a man who’s spent his life battling demons. His eyebrows might be permanently furrowed; Lanegan’s face betrays the emotional dramas of a man forever remembering the last bad thing he’s done. Lanegan grips the microphone like a crippled man holding a crutch; occasionally, his eyes lift
toward the audience and there’s a morsel of stage banter. The wit is dry, almost barren, and conversation occurs largely under sufferance. Like his psychological make-up, Lanegan’s vocal style is ravaged by years of addiction, his vocal chords are as rough as a country road, his delivery gruff as the resident old bastard in a festering public house. On Lanegan’s right is guitarist Jerry Fielder, as energetic and excited as Lanegan is proudly enigmatic. Fielder is the entertainer playing to the crowd; when Fielder is forced to borrow Noga’s guitar after a second string malfunction, Fielder chastises Noga for having an ‘upside down’ guitar – “That’s because I’m a drummer,” comes the reply. The set is predominantly Lanegan solo material – One Way Street, One Hundred Days, Hit The City and Phantasmagoria Blues, The Gravedigger’s Song and St Louis Elegy from the excellent Blues Funeral album. The Screaming Trees tracks – Where The Twain Shall Meet, Traveller and Halo Of Ashes – elicit a passionate audience reception. There are a couple of surprises thrown in for good measure, including a cover of Pink Floyd’s Julia Dream. Eventually it all comes to an end, and Fielder declares the night over. Mark Lanegan is a true survivor, and a legend to boot. PATRICK EMERY LOVED: Everything. HATED: The absence of Coopers on tap. DRANK: Little Creatures and Mountain Goat.
BITS OF SHIT, BATPISS, BAD VISION Yah Yah's, Saturday July 14 Saturday night saw Yah Yah’s on Smith Street fully exposed to the dirtiest, drunkest, scuzziest punk-rock that Melbourne has to offer. As a prelude to their upcoming record release shows, Bits Of Shit organised this pearler of a freebie. Upbeat garage rockers Bad Vision opened the evening’s antics with their brand of raw, lo-fi indie-rock: reminiscent of early Yeah Yeah Yeahs with a distinctly punk edge. Their lead guitarist wailed biting solo licks over fast, frantically strummed rhythms, held together by a tight, energetic drummer and slathered in the rock‘n’roll squeals of a slightly over-the-top vocalist. As they loosened up this band only got better and if the venue had been packed early, Bad Vision would have killed it. Regardless, the fourpiece instantly involved a pretty drab early crowd that slowly built to full capacity over the night. BATPISS generated a wall of noise with their brand of punk-grunge, characterised by bodacious chunky riffs, hard-hitting drums and stoner-doom vibes. They seem to draw influence from all the best ‘70s heavy metal, ‘80s hardcore/punk and ‘90s punk rock, in the vein of modern hardcore/metal bands like Doomriders and Witch, with a healthy dose of straight rock‘n’roll. These boys smashed out thick, bass-heavy tones, shouted gang choruses and shredded blisteringly loud, pestilential, crunchy guitar leads with savage energy that the crowd lapped up for the
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entirety of a solid set. Bits Of Shit put on the best show of the night. Their old-school American hardcore meets UKpunk sound sprayed a packed crowd for a solid hour with loose, insane crassness. Their vocalist screamed and spat in a helium-pitched rage, simultaneously theatrical and terrifying like The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Aggressive drums packed in fast, groovy fills, pulling together dirty distorted riffs and thrashing bass guitar. Any selfrespecting young musician should hope that when he/she hits 40 that they’re half as cool as these badarse bastards. Bits Of Shit are holding release shows for their Cut Sleeves LP in August. If you like denim jackets, beer and screaming at the top of your lungs: attend. There’s something so refreshing about seeing a bunch of honest people play music that they genuinely love playing. Especially when what they love playing is noisy, boozy and crazy as fuck. Get out and see these bands immediately, it’s even better than the movies. JEREMY MILLAR LOVED: The lack of any onstage pretence from the bands. HATED: The ringing in my ears: things got unbearably loud at times. DRANK: Cider and beer.