Prince Bandroom Friday August 3 8:00pm
Special Guests: Diamond Conker
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The
140 Sydney Rd
9387 6637
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Cornish Arms
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WEDNESDAY THE 1ST OF AUGUST - FROM 8PM
THE BRUNSWICK HOTEL’S OPEN MIC WITH YOUR HOST BRODIE EVERY WEDNESDAY NIGHT REGISTER ON THE NIGHT FROM 7PM ONWARDS $10 JUGS OF BRUNSWICK BITTER
THURSDAY THE 2ND OF AUGUST - FORM 8PM TILL MIDNIGHT
$3 SCHOONERS, $5 BASICS FROM 8PM LEGACY (RE-UNION SHOW) IN A MEMORY ASLEEP AT LAST DAMN THAT RIVER
Kitchen Specials Mon - $12 Burger and $12 Parma +
OPEN MIC NIGHT Tues - Trivia Night Wed - $14 Porterhouse Steak
FRIDAY THE 3RD OF AUGUST - FROM 9PM
THE GROVES THE INSTINCTS DEAR STALKER CHARM
Friday Aug 3rd
SATURDAY THE 4TH OF AUGUST - FORM 9PM
BETTER THAN THE WIZARDS TWOKS CAPTAIN GROOVE THOMAS TUENA FROM 5PM
THE FIRE ALIVE (EP LAUNCH)
W/ THE ATTICS
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THE LAUGHING LEAVES THE WEARY
REFLEX REX SPEAK EASY DAN KROCHMAL SUNDAY THE 5TH OF AUGUST - FORM 9PM
ERRANT VENTURE FRITZWICKY
MONDAY THE 6TH OF AUGUST - FROM 8PM
THE BRUNSWICK HOTEL’S MILLION DOLLAR MONDAYS! $10 JUGS OF DRAUGHT
Saturday Aug 4th BAYOU W/ FLYYING COLOURS
HOUNDS
TUESDAY THE 7TH OF AUGUST - FROM 9PM
THE BRUNSWICK HOTEL DISCOVERY NIGHT
GIVING CHANCES TO UP AND COMING LOCAL TALENT! THIS WEEK:
LEONARD’S BEARD COLLISION, SEX ST, DIPROSUS
Monday nights Open Mic Function Room Available Kitchen Open Every Evening
JORDIEAND LANE BAND
FRI17AUG REGAL BALLROOM
W/ Special Guests
Francolin
& Thommy Wilson
Tickets & Info at jordielane.com
WEDNESDAY TRIVIA
FREE ENTRY - 7:30PM
FRI 3rd Aug 9.30-11.30PM
THE JUNES
SATURDAY 4TH AUGUST 5.00PM
THE SIDESHOW BRIDES
THE FIBBINS SISTERS TAKE TO THE STAGE FOR A ROOTSY ARVO OF SUPERB HARMONIES AND GUITAR.
SAT 4th Aug 9.30-11.30PM
CISCO CEASAR SUN 5th Aug 5.00-7.00PM
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FREE ENTRY - 9:00PM
EXPECT ASTOUNDINGLY GOOD HARMONICA, COOL BLUES GUITAR, BANTER EXTRAORDINAIRE AND THAT BIG BAND SOUND AS WILSON CUTS LOOSE EVERY SATURDAY NIGHT IN AUGUST.
SUNDAY PING OF PONG
FREE ENTRY - 9:00PM
$10 ENTRY PER TEAM - 4:00PM
LUAU COWBOYS
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MONDAY $12 STEAK & FREE POOL SUNDAY 5TH AUGUST 5.00PM
COLLARD, GREENS & GRAVY SWAMPY DELTA BLUES FROM THIS LOVABLE, LONG-TIME TRIO.
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FRIDAY THE COVES & GIANT MOTH
SATURDAY NIGHT AUGUST RESIDENCY
OPENING HOURS
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TUESDAY $10 VEGETARIAN MEALS FOX FOOTY & FOX SPORTS ON THE TV ALL WEEK KITCHEN OPEN: MON-WED DINNER, THURS-FRI LUNCH & DINNER, SAT-SUN ALL DAY.
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MASSIVE ENTERTAINMENT AND ARTIST VOICE PRESENTS
AUSTRALIAN TOUR
F R I SEPT 28 MELBOURNE FORUM 'sonic hum of synthetic electro bass, acoustic guitar and soft, fluid vocal….Six60 plan to rock you into a new here and now……' - Brisbane Times 'the crowd went wild. I lost my mind…..they were electric…. I witnessed history in the making' - whoisscout.com 'High in torque and riding well at low RPM, this is a sublime record that deserves full attention' - Brisbane Times
TICKETS FROM: WWW.TICKETMASTER.COM.AU
DEBUT ALBUM OUT NOW ON M A S S I V E E N T E R TA I N M E N T / M G M WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/SIX60
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GOES LIVE
ENJOY LIVE MUSIC FROM SOME OF MELBOURNE’S BEST LOCAL MUSCIANS
FRIDAY AUGUST 3RD FROM 8PM
JOHN DELORD PROJECT SATURDAY AUGUST 4TH FROM 4-7PM PM
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JAHMAKN IT FUNKY SUNDAY AUGUST 5 SHARE THE EXOTIC LATIN AND CUBAN SOUNDSS TH
SON 3 3-6PM RUMBA MANANA 6:30-9:30PM
SHAR THE EX OTIC LATIN &ES CUBAN SO UNDS ENJOY LIVE MUSIC FROM SOME BEST LOCAL MUSICOF MELBOURNE’S IANS
EVERY SUNDAY
SON 3 SANTIA G
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ADRIAN BOHM PRESENTS THE STAR OF ABC TV’S BLACK BOOKS
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THURSDAY 18 OCTOBER REGENT THEATRE BOOK AT TICKETMASTER 1300 111 011 TICKETMASTER.COM.AU
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IN THIS ISSUE...
18
HOT TALK
22
TOURING
24
ROCKWIZ
26
ARTS GUIDE, MELBOURNE FESTIVAL
28
ART OF THE CITY, COMIC STRIP
30
ALL THAT WILL EVER BE JEFF DUNHAM THE PUNCH BROTHERS
32
FUCK BUTTONS THE FLAMING LIPS
49
INDUSTRIAL STRENGTH
56
DAPPLED CITIES SONS THE CACTUS CHANNEL
FUCK BUTTONS P. 32
DAPPLED CITIES P. 56
57
SANAKADAKTAL
58
LIVE SOLUTION SERJ TENKIN
59
BILLY TALENT 28 DAYS
60
CORE/CRUNCH! VERSUS THE WORLD
61
LINKIN PARK
62
MUSIC NEWS
68
ALBUM OF THE WEEK, SINGLES, CHARTS
THIS WEEK IN 100%:
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SPECIAL PROJECTS EDITOR: Christie Eliezer SENIOR CONTRIBUTORS: Christine Lan, Simone Ubaldi, Patrick Emery, Jesse Shrock. COLUMNISTS: Emily Kelly, Peter Hodgson. CONTRIBUTORS: Mitch Alexander, Siobhan Argent, Bella Arnott-Hoare, Thomas Bailey, Graham Blackley, Chris Bright, Joanne Brookfield, Tegan Butler, Rose Callaghan, Kim Croxford, Dave Dawson, John Donaldson, Alexandra Duguid, Alasdair Duncan, Cam Ewart, Callum Fitzpatrick, Jack Franklin, Chris Girdler, Megan Hanson, Rebecca Harkins-Cross, Chris Harms, Andrew Hickey, Nick Hilton, Peter Hodgson, Lachlan Kanoniuk, Cassandra Kiely, Joshua Kloke, Nick Mason, Krystal Maynard, Miki McLay, Jeremy Millar, James Nicoli, Oliver Pelling, Matt Panag, Jack Parsons, Sasha Petrova, Liam Pieper, Steve Phillips, Zoe Radas, Adam Robertshaw, Leigh Salter, Side Man, Jeremy Sheaffe, Sisqo Taras, Kelly Theobald, Tamara Vogl, Dan Watt, Katie Weiss, Krissi Weiss, Rod Whitfield, Jen Wilson, Tyson Wray, Simone Ziada, Bronius Zumeris. © 2012 Furst Media Pty Ltd. No part may be reproduced without the consent of the copyright holder.
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Shellac
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- FREE SHIT ALBARE Australian jazz guitarist Albare has recently completed a six-date jazz club tour in Europe, playing in France, Italy, Germany, Holland and the UK and is now returning home for a string of shows - he’ll also be joined by Hendrik Meurkens, a virtuoso on both the chromatic harmonica and the vibraphone. We’ve got a double pass to show at Bennett’s Lane gig on Wednesday August 8 plus copies of Albare iTD’s Long Way and Hendrik Meurkens’ Celebrando to giveaway.
MELBOURNE FESTIVAL Direct your browser of choice to www.beat.com.au/freeshit for all the details on how to enter!
MISSY HIGGINS As Missy Higgins’ new single Everyone’s Waiting zooms up the local charts, the beloved singer/songwriter has announced The Razzle Dazzle Summer Tour to weave around Australia. The Razzle Dazzle Summer Tour follows Missy’s recent totally sold out tour of more intimate theatres and last week’s US launch of her album The Ol’ Razzle Dazzle. While in the US Missy also did sold out launch gigs in Nashville, New York and Los Angeles as well as performing Hello Hello on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno. She’ll be joined by very special guests in iconic Australian vocalist Gurrumul and triple j darling Emma Louise. As well as playing Queenscliff Music Festival, taking place from November 23 - 25, Missy Higgins will also play the Palais Theatre on Tuesday December 4. Tickets on sale Thursday August 9 through Ticketmaster.
Brett Sheehy’s final Melbourne Festival as Artistic Director stays true to form as an exploration of artistic innovation. Spanning music, theatre, visual arts, dance and opera, the 2012 program includes international premieres, stirring collaborations and long-awaited returns. The contemporary music program – co-curated by Artistic Associates Tom Supple and Hannah Fox – begins on the first weekend of the Festival with Antony And The Johnsons performing Swanlights, a transcendental work that sees the sublime vocals of Antony backed by a 44-piece orchestra and an unforgettable visual aesthetic. The festival will play host to some of the world’s most legendary and seminal musicians with a sweep of Australian premieres including one of the true icons of alternative music, Sonic Youth frontman Thurston Moore, complimented onstage at Hamer Hall by an ensemble including harp and violin. Fellow Sonic Youth bandmate and one of the world’s greatest guitarists, Lee Ranaldo will bring his powerful and ever-changing live show to The Hi-Fi. Abrasive, wild and fiercely independent, minimalist punk provocateurs Shellac will descend on Melbourne for two rare live appearances at The Hi-Fi, returning to Melbourne for their first Australian shows since their 1993 tour. Other musical highlights include THEESatisfaction, Big Freedia & The Divas, Puro Instinct and Billy Bragg celebrating the legacy of Woody Guthrie. The 2012 Melbourne Festival runs from Thursday October 11 - Saturday October 27 all around the city. For the full program, ticketing and more information visit melbournefestival.com.au.
EMPERORS It’s been a huge couple of months for Emperors. Their debut album Stay Frosty had the prestigious honour of being named a triple j feature album and more recently their single Be Ready When I Say Go was Single Of The Week on US iTunes, which along with Song Of The Year continues to receive substantial airplay nationally. With recent and upcoming supports for the likes of Ladyhawke and Shihad, along with a coveted slot on Rock It 2012 headlined by The Black Keys, there’s no sign of things slowing down anytime soon for the explosive four-piece. Catch Emperors when they headline The Workers Club on Saturday September 15 with special guests Royston Vasie, Super Best Friends and Darts. Tickets are on sale now from the venue.
THE MYSTERY JETS Hitting the country this September as part of Newy’s Fat As Butter festival lineup, Mystery Jets have announced a headline Melbourne date. The Australian tour will support the release of the band’s fourth LP Radlands. The quirky UK pop outfit are no strangers to Australian shores, pulling off barnstorming appearances at many of our major festivals many times in the past. Mystery Jets perform at The Corner on Wednesday September 26. Tickets onsale Friday August 3 from The Corner box office.
PIGEON 2011 was a massive year for Pigeon. Following knockout sets at Splendour In The Grass, Parklife, Peats Ridge Festival, Fat As Butter and Festival Of The Sun, their first EP Parallels debuted at #6 in the Australian iTunes Electronic Album charts upon its release. And indeed, as far as 2012 is concerned it’s so far so good. In between completing an east coast headline run of their own as well as joining Tijuana Cartel’s Offer Yourself national tour, the band have been locked away in their Brisbane studio working on new material, of which single Oh Hebe is the first taste. A more refined/polished sound, the new tracks see Pigeon further showcasing a meeting point of organic and electronic music, an eclectic treat for a new modern audience that crave diversity within their music. Pigeon tour their single Oh Hebe this August, bringing it to The Workers Club on Thursday August 23 and The Loft in Warrnambool on Friday August 24. Beat Magazine Page 18
NICKI MINAJ One of the world’s biggest contemporary pop stars, Nicki Minaj, is returning to Australia this October with a brand new full-scale arena show. Nicki Minaj, the Trinidadian-born American rapper, singer-songwriter, raised in Queens NYC, is a global sensation. After wow-ing audiences with her sold out Pink Friday tour in May, she’s returning with the Pink Friday Reloaded tour, along with special guest Tyga. Nicki Minaj and Tyga play Rod Laver Arena on Saturday October 6. Tickets go on sale on Friday August 3 through Ticketek.
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ROSETTA Philadelphian post-metal entity Rosetta return to Australia this month for no less than 15 dates. Having captivated Australian audiences with an overwhelmingly powerful live show the tour will be professionally filmed and included in the band’s forthcoming documentary release. Fellow US group and partners in crime City Of Ships are also along for the ride. Defying specific classification the band draws comparisons to latter-career Thrice, Cave In and Isis. Brisbane-based and self-proclaimed ‘sunshine metal’ group Nuclear Summer, and atmospheric black metallers Nontinuum, round out the bill. They play at The John Curtin Hotel this Thursday August 2. Tickets are $25 on the door.
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JOE McKEE Joe McKee is embarking on an album tour this August to launch his debut solo record Burning Boy. Recorded with long time collaborator Dave Parkin in Perth, Burning Boy was written in various countries over a three year period, all over the globe. Burning Boy itself is a bold shift for McKee. Gone is the pulsing rhythm section so often omnipresent in his work, replaced by a breathy and somewhat unexpected baritone. Catch Joe McKee at The Grace Darling on Saturday August 11.
KELLY BREUER After charming the crowds with her captivating song writing, Kelly Breuer is about to visit some of Australia’s most beautiful cities, intimately sharing her debut EP Smile, It’s Free. The first single and title track has been well loved by community radio including Melbourne’s PBS and Brisbane’s 4ZZZ, in turn helping it to debut at number three on the National Great Southern Charts with AMRAP’s AirIt. Kelly stops in to Bar 303 on Saturday September 1 with support from Rokeby Venus and Little Wise.
60 SECONDS WITH… SINGLE MANS DRINKING CLUB
SCISSOR SISTERS Despite ringing in the new year at Pyramid Rock by getting “bottled by a bunch of Aussie rednecks”, the always amazing Scissor Sisters are making a swift return to our shores. The tour follows on from the release of the star-studded LP of this year Magic Hour – featuring guest spots from Calvin Harris, Diplo, Azealia Banks and more. Chances are there’ll be little to no bottling taking place at Hamer Hall when Scissor Sisters take the stage. Scissor Sisters perform at Hamer Hall on Wednesday September 26. Tickets through The Arts Centre from 9am today.
JAMES TEAGUE Following on from the launch of his debut album Lavender Prayers, lyrical minstrel James Teague, will be bringing his captivating live show to Melbourne. Teague’s melodic soliloquies afforded him the opportunity to represent his hometown of Perth at the West Coast Blues ‘n’ Roots festival last year, supporting the revered Bob Dylan, Elvis Costello and Grace Jones. James will be backed by a smokin’ hot band, freshly assembled for the tour. He plays the Wesley Anne (solo) this Saturday August 4 from 6pm, and The Grace Darling with The Bon Scotts and Sleep Decade on Friday August 10 from 8.30pm.
ED SHEERAN Currently heading around Australia for a sold-out national tour, lovable Briton Ed Sheeran has promised a much bigger return in 2013. The Ron Weasley-alike has gained an exponentially-increasing following since breaking through with platinum singles Lego House and The A-Team. Ed is set to hit The Palais this Friday, tickets to which sold-out nearinstantaneously. Be sure to get in quick when tickets go onsale for his 2013 tour. Ed Sheeran performs at Festival Hall on Tuesday March 5. Tickets onsale 3pm Monday August 6 through Ticketmaster.
Define your genre in five words or less: Not suitable for children. Bearing the terrible clichéd nature of this question, what do you reckon people will say you sound like? Nick Cave’s car accident, particularly if he had the Beasts Of Bourbon on the stereo at the time and if Midnight Oil were driving the tow-truck. What can a punter expect from your live show? Four battle-scarred alcoholics and one wild animal wrestling with a violin. So, someone is walking past as you guys are playing, they then go get a beer and tell their friend about you... what do they say? I thought I was manly till I walked past that band – now my balls are internal. Which band would you most like to have a battle/ showdown with? One Direction. I could be wrong, but I reckon we could take ‘em. What do you think a band has to do these days to succeed? Regurgitator pretty much summed it up on Tu-Plang in 1996. I don’t think anything’s really changed. What inspires or has influenced your music the most? Our debut record Last Laugh For The Landscape was inspired by the story of Gordon Wood and Caroline Byrne. She went off a cliff in Sydney in the ‘90s and he was recently acquitted of her murder – the court decided it was suicide. The record sets a man in the same situation, did she jump or was she pushed? And, as he runs from the scene of the crime into the Victorian wilderness, his reckoning is close behind and gaining ground. Do you have any record releases to date? What are they? Where can I get them? We’re three days away from releasing the album – but it’s already available at Thornbury Records, Readings Bookshops and online (Bandcamp, CDBaby, iTunes), just don’t tell anyone till Saturday. Why should everyone come and see your band? Because we’re the best damn band in this town – come along, buy me a drink and tell me why you disagree. When are you playing live/releasing your album/EP/ single/etc? We’re launching our record Last Laugh for the Landscape this Saturday August 4 at The Grace Darling Hotel in Collingwood, with Brightstar and Pony Face. CHECK OUT ALL THE LATEST NEWS, REVIEWS AND FREE SHIT AT BEAT.COM.AU
Beat Magazine Page 19
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- STONEFIELD VS. OWL EYES -
THE SCARLETS
AMY FINDLAY ASKS BROOKE ADDAMO What made you want to be a musician? I started singing lessons at the age of 12 and fell in love with music. I progressed to writing and other types of music at 16 and haven’t stopped. I love the beautiful way it allows me to express things I can’t always in my daily life. What has been the biggest challenge with recording your album? I think it’s really a mental thing for me sometimes I over think things way too much and I get a bit lost inside my own head so clearing my mind and thinking positive has been a bit of a struggle. What are you most looking forward to about having an album out? I am really looking forward to playing my new songs live and mixing up my set. There are a variety of songs to play around with now, which is exciting. What are your plans for the future? Overseas? I have really strong plans to head overseas next year but want to focus on getting my album out first and getting a reaction in Australia first.
BROOKE ADDAMO ASKS AMY FINDLAY What made you get involved with The Line? The Line approached us about being ambassadors and to be honest, we weren’t quite sure of what it was all about. After doing a bit of research and learning that the main message is about respect, we felt strongly about spreading this message that we feel not only ourselves, but everyone can relate to. It’s a bigger issue than a lot of people realise, so I think if we can make some people stop and think about where they draw the line, then that’s great. What song of your own are you most proud of so far and why? Ruby Skies (our new single) is our proudest song. It’s a track that has a depth that our other songs don’t have both musically and lyrically. It’s a strong story that is very close to us and I think that when you have that deeper emotional attachment to a song, it’s a powerful thing. What are you most looking forward to on this tour? We’re really looking forward to going to new places that we have never been before. One of my favourite things about music is being able to use it as a tool to spread a good message. We also get to go to the snow which is pretty cool, and we have never had so many girls on the one tour so that will be a lot of fun and something different! What are your plans for the future? Lots more new music and hopefully having a crack overseas! We would love to play at the Great Escape and begin touring internationally. Who knows what it holds for us, but we just hope to be able to continue what we’re doing, working towards bigger and better things. STONEFIELD and OWL EYES are touring this August for The Line – a government initiative promoting respectful relationships amongst young people and raises awareness about everything from sexting, texting and cyber-bullying. They play Karova Lounge tonight, Kay St in Traralgon on Thursday August 2, Macgillivray Hall on Friday August 3 (U18 only), Westernport Hotel in San Remo on Saturday August 4 and Monash Uni on Thursday August 23.
f r o n t s p a c e 212a Whitehall St
Ya r r a v i l l e
Ph 9687 0233 www.kindredstudios.com.au Saturday 4th August
BILLY BRAGG Modern day troubadour Billy Bragg comes to the Melbourne Festival this October, with two special performances: one celebrating the legacy of Woody Guthrie, the original alternative musician, and the second exploring Billy’s own extensive repertoire, highlighting the songs that have made him famous over his almost three decade, 14-album career. 2012 marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Woody Guthrie, folk singer and ‘dust-bowl troubadour’, a prolific writer whose songs, ballads, prose and poetry championed the plight of the underdog. Billy Bragg celebrates this legacy at an exclusive Hamer Hall show on Friday October 19 in an evening of song and spoken word. The following night, Saturday October 20, at the Melbourne Recital Centre, Billy Bragg will take a trip through his back catalogue in his own inimitable style. Tickets are from the venues websites and Ticketmaster.
PUTA MADRE BROTHERS The loose-ended Jalapeno garage triplets Puta Madre Brothers have landed back on Australian soil with a box of their latest album It’s A Long Long Way To Meximotown on blue vinyl. The dirty philandering trio recently toured Europe which included such misadventures as electrocutions, the tour bus being quarantined in Austria, guitars falling to pieces mid set, and a head on collision with cult band No Means No somewhere in Belgium. Wild. These music matadors will sting you with their sharp geetars, conquer you with their infected melodies and beat you near to a heart attack with the triple bass drum boom. They play their final Melbourne show for 2012 (sad face) at Cherry Bar on Sunday August 12. Head along for the ride.
8 . 0 0 P M
A GIFT TO THE FUTURE W R I TT E N A N D P E R F O R M E D B Y COLIN REESE SHAKESPEARE UNBOUND TICKETS $25 FULL $15 CONCESSION
Saturday 11th August 3 . 0 0 P M
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MASTER DRUMMER DAVID JONES GROOVING AND SOLOING
JAMAICA NIGHT The LuWOW celebrate 50 years of Jamaican Independence. Starring the authentic reggae, lovers rock and dancehall sounds of Judge Pino And His Ruling Motions, with special DJ sets from Jumpin Josh and 3RRR’s Dan The Man playing a rum-barrel full of classic Jamaican and tropical tunes. Appleton Rum cocktails at special prices and a very saucy dance show from Zelia Rose plus the The GoGo Goddesses’ gogo show. Too fun. This Saturday August 4.
DRUMMING WORKSHOP MELBOURNE MUSICIAN OF THE YEAR 2010
TICKETS $25 FULL AND $20 CONCESSION PRE-PURCHASE ONLINE FOR DISCOUNTS! @ W W W. T R Y B O O K I N G . C O M / B R S Y
Sunday 12th August 7 . 3 0 P M
-
9 . 3 0 P M
SWEET SOUND OF SARANGI 2012 TOUR FROM INDIA PANDIT SANTOSH KUMAR MISHRA & SRI SANGEET MISHRA A C C O M PA N I E D O N TA B LA BY GLEN KNIEBEISS TICKETS $28 FULL AND $25 CONCESSION PRE-PURCHASE ONLINE FOR DISCOUNTS! @ W W W. T R Y B O O K I N G . C O M / 2 9 5 6 5
Saturday 18th August 7 . 0 0 P M
JOURNEY INTO SPACE TERRY OLDFIELD 2012 TOUR MASTER OF THE FLUTE TICKETS ON THE NIGHT $30 FULL $25 CONCESSION TICKETS $25 FULL $20 CONCESSION F R O M W W W. T I C K E T B O O T H . C O M . A U
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
WATCH INTERVIEWS, CHATS & AWKWARD SILENCES... BEAT.COM.AU/TV
LAURA Fresh back from a west coast tour celebrating the release of their third studio album Twelve Hundred Times, Laura are returning to a Melbourne stage. Laura have refined their wall of sound on the road with bands on the more experimental side of heavy music such as Isis, Cult Of Luna, Mono, Trail Of Dead and more recently supporting Japanese genre benders Boris. Laura’s controlled chaos will be complemented by live projections. Laura will take over The Tote on Saturday August 18. Tickets through Oztix.
HOT TALK For all the latest news check out beat.com.au
THE BIGGEST IN INTERNATIONAL & NATIONAL NEWS
HOWLIN' STEAM TRAIN RED INK Red Ink will be releasing their second EP The Colour Age next month. The Colour Age marks a sonic shift for Red Ink; shedding the cathartic intensity of their celebrated debut EP Catching A Killer, The Colour Age reveals a pop sensibility which is broad-stroked with vulnerability and hope. Catch them at Ding Dong Lounge on Friday August 17.
After the overwhelming response received when they recently supported Graveyard Train in The Gershwin Room, Howlin' Steam Train are back and set to headline The Espy front bar on Friday August 31. Howlin› Steam Train is made up of four lads from Melbourne who have combined their love of swamp rock, country, blues and boogie to engineer a sound that resonates the thrill of their high energy live show. With a new EP titled Howlin Steam Train! under their belt, the boys have been playing shows both locally and interstate and are ready to bring their much talked about wild live show back to the Espy, guaranteed to get your feet into a toe-tappin’ frenzy. Catch Howlin’ Steam Train with guests Papa Pilko & The Binrats and The Pretty Littles, Friday August 31 at The Espy. Free entry.
JOHNNY CASINO Y LOS SECRETOS The ramblin' gamblin’ man has a band just about everywhere on this planet and this time he brings to you a rock’n’roll fiesta direct from Spain. The band was roped together for Johnny’s last tour of Spain and had so much fun they decided to make their way down under. The shows will be launching the new Johnny Casino double gatefold 7” Ahora Es El Momento/Now Is The Time.The singles were recorded in Australia and Spain featuring two new Casino penned originals and a cover of Spencer P. Jones Trick My Boat Wrong and Nic Nicotine’s I Let You Down. Johnny Casino Y Los Secretos play The Espy on Friday August 17 (with Midnight Woolf and The Delicates), Yah Yah’s on Saturday August 18 (with The Swingin Nutsacks and The Reprobettes) and The Retreat Hotel on Sunday August 19 (with Bratwurst Brats).
THE TOOT TOOT TOOTS The Toot Toot Toots will be performing their critically praised, spaghetti western rock opera Outlaws in full over two nights at The Workers Club in Fitzroy. Out through Spooky Records, Outlaws is set in the fictional gold rush town of Gomorrah Fields and follows the story of émigré Eli Rayne and the vengeance and bloodshed that shadows his arrival. These very special performances see The Toots stepping outside of the typical gig format with the inclusion of added theatrics, narration, video projections and special guests to bring to life the ruthless tale told in the 12 tracks of the album. This unique event commences Friday August 10 and ends Saturday August 11. The mysterious, infamous and idiotic ragtime music of Made For Chickens By Robots will be kicking off proceedings on both nights with main support on Friday coming from garage-gospel and country blues wunderkind Fraser A Gorman and his band. Main support on Saturday is the charasmatic crooner Mojo Juju and her Hoodoo Blues Boogie. This will also be The Toots last shows until Summer as they’ll be hunkering down to work on their next album. 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 ELECTRIC GUEST Northcote Social Club August 1 ROSETTA John Curtin Hotel August 2 SMASHING PUMPKINS Hisense Arena August 2 MARK GARDENER The Corner Hotel August 5 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 BOB LOG III The Tote August 24 HAYES CARLL Northcote Social Club 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 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 MARIANAS TRENCH Corner Hotel September 24 LADY ANTEBELLUM September 25, 26 JAMES MORRISON Forum Theatre September 26 MYSTERY JETS The Corner September 26 SCISSOR SISTERS Hamer Hall September 26 MARTIKA Trak Lounge September 28 FEAR FACTORY The Hi-Fi September 28 RUSSIAN CIRCLES, EAGLE TWIN The Corner Hotel September 28
Beat Magazine Page 22
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 NICKI MINAJ, TYGA Rod Laver Arena October 6 STEEL PANTHER Festival Hall October 7 XIU XIU The Gasometer October 9 JOE BONAMASSA Palais Theatre October 11 MELBOURNE FESTIVAL Various Venues October 11 - October 27 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 GREGORY PORTER The Toff In Town November 3, Wangaratta Jazz Festival November 4 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 VILLAGE PEOPLE The Palais November 24 NICKELBACK Rod Laver Arena November 27 SIMPLE MINDS, DEVO Palais Theatre November 29, A Day On The Green - Rochford Wines December 1 RICK ASTLEY The Palace November 30, Chelsea Heights Hotel December 1 THE SELECTER The Corner Hotel November 30 MEREDITH MUSIC FESTIVAL Meredith Supernatural Amphitheatre December 7 - 9 REGINA SPEKTOR The Plenary December 14 FALLS MUSIC AND ARTS FESTIVAL Lorne December 28, Marion Bay December 29 NIGHTWISH Palace Theatre January 14 WEEZER Sidney Myer Music Bowl January 16 BIG DAY OUT Flemington Racecourse January 26
JINJA SAFARI The Hi-Fi August 10, 11
NATIONAL LIME CORDIALE Ding Dong Lounge August 2 THE HELLO MORNING The Northcote Social Club August 3 TWERPS The Tote August 3, 4 GLASS VAULTS Grace Darling Hotel August 9 RICHARD IN YOUR MIND Ding Dong Lounge August 10 TOUCAN Northcote Social Club August 10 CHILDREN COLLIDE The Corner Hotel August 10, 11 CALLING ALL CARS Ding Dong Lounge August 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 LAURA The Tote August 18 THE SMITH STREET BAND The Tote August 25 DIE! DIE! DIE! Ding Dong Lounge August 25 HILLTOP HOODS Festival Hall August 25 HUNTING GROUNDS The Toff In Town August 25 SEEKAE The Corner August 31 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
WATCH INTERVIEWS, CHATS & AWKWARD SILENCES..... WWW.BEAT.COM.AU/TV
ILLY The Corner Hotel September 7, 8 ALPINE The Corner Hotel September 8 THE GANGSTERS’ BALL Forum Theatre September 8 THE SMART The Hi-Fi September 8 XAVIER RUDD The Palace September 13 TIM ROGERS The Regal Ballroom September 14 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 SIX60 The Forum September 28 SETH SENTRY The Corner 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 LAST DINOSAURS Ding Dong October 21 (U18), The Corner October 26 CLAIRE BOWDICH The Regal Ballroom October 26 KASEY CHAMBERS & SHANE NICHOLSON The Regent Theatre October 27 QUEENSCLIFF MUSIC FESTIVAL Queenscliff November 23-25 MISSY HIGGINS Palais Theatre December 4 GOTYE Sidney Myer Music Bowl December 8 THE LIVING END The Corner Hotel December 11 - 22
RUMOURS Something For Kate, Cold War Kids, Dirty Projectors, Kate Bush = New Announcements = Beat Proudly Presents
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8.
Beat Magazine Page 23
ROCKWIZ BY MARK LIEBELT
“I’m right here,” announces head SBS RocKwiz-zer Brian Nankervis as he answers the phone, to which I reply with Keith Richards’ oft-quoted line: “It’s great to be here, it’s great to be anywhere”. (It’s incorrectly attributed though – it is actually a line from 50’s British Music Hall performer Max Miller.) “It’s great to be anywhere,” Nankervis concurs. Although when we speak it’s several months until the RocKwiz Some Kind Of Genius national live tour, Nankervis is already very busy at RocKwiz HQ. “We are getting fired up for the big touring show. We are also in the process of making series ten of RocKwiz. We’re halfway through – we’ve made six and we have another six to go. It’s wonderful; we were just watching a couple this morning, having the final frosting put on them, there’s some really great shows. It’s like a dream come true sometimes, particularly for me as a music fan. Or you could even call me a music tragic.” To be able to reach the magical double digits for a TV series (the RocKwiz team has remained together since 2004, and according to Andrew Denton makes Australia’s most beloved music show) is indeed a milestone. “I know, it’s incredible,” says Nankervis. “It’s been a really wonderful ride. SBS have always been very encouraging and very supportive, and also very happy to let us make the shows that we want to make. I’ve never ever experienced such freedom in a TV show… If we were making the show at one of the commercials, there’d be a lot more blokes in suits telling you what to do. But right from the start SBS have trusted us and given us a lot of freedom, which is wonderful.” I previously spoke with Nankervis ahead of the Rockwiz Christmas Tour last year; it was September, and he’d just come from a meeting on Phillip Island, where a controversial plan for re-zoning farmland had been successfully overturned thanks, in part, to his actions. I wanted to know the latest on his ‘civil unrest’. “It was a win for people power if you like – a bit of a cliché, but I think it actually worked. We were rather lucky; one of the families down there has a connection with Miley Cyrus and she got on the Tweet and suddenly people all around the world were up in arms about this planning decision. Yeah – it was incredible, and it worked.” So a future RocKwiz guest could well be one of the Cyruses? “Miley,” he answers quickly. “I gotta say, she did a version of a Dylan song [You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go] on that Dylan album that came out for Amnesty International [Chimes Of Freedom], and it’s really good,” he enthused. “It’s incredible.” The Some Kind Of Genius tour is playing selected regional cities and state capitals across Australia, including sacred musical sites like Melbourne’s Festival Hall and Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion. Julia Zemiro, Beat Magazine Page 24
Brian Nankervis, RocKwiz Orkestra and the human scoreboard, the housewife’s choice, Dugald will all be there, with high profile stars and up and coming artists rubbing shoulders with contestants (or should that be music trivia tragics?) selected from the audience. It follows on from the huge 35 date tour in 2010 and the six date Christmas tour last year – and the whole team is pumped. “We are pretty excited about Festival Hall, it’s such an iconic venue,” says Nankervis. “The very first international act I ever saw was at Festival Hall… I saw The Kinks in about ‘71/’72 [June 3 1971 to be precise, with
“SBS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN VERY ENCOURAGING AND VERY SUPPORTIVE, AND ALSO VERY HAPPY TO LET US MAKE THE SHOWS THAT WE WANT TO MAKE. I’VE NEVER EVER EXPERIENCED SUCH FREEDOM IN A TV SHOW…” Chain and Ted Mulry Gang as supports]; Lola had just come out and it had been banned. And now all these years later I have a daughter called ‘Lola’… I’ve never seen a show at the Hordern, that’s the other iconic venue so I’m looking forward to playing there in Sydney.” The name of the tour had me intrigued. “We realise that a big part of the RocKwiz experience are the contestants, and every now and again Julia [Zemiro the host from coast to coast] will delight the crowd by telling someone that he or she is some kind of genius,” Nankervis explains. “We are taking the Bull Sisters on the road this year, and there will be the usual multiple guests… The shows, they’re bigger, they’re louder and they’re looser, because there are no TV cameras.
DISCUSS WHAT? BEAT.COM.AU/DISCUSSION
Essentially they follow the structure of the TV show, but with Contestant Karaoke which we don’t do in the Gershwin Room.” I’ve managed to appear on two touring shows, the 2011 Clipsal V8 Supercar Thursday night concert in Adelaide, and the 2011 Christmas Tour. If you are lucky enough to score a ticket to the regular tapings at the Espy in Melbourne, though, you’re surrounded by about 400 people, potentially all intent on making it to the stage. Still, your chances are good – two episodes are filmed per night. “There are 12 tables and every table has to elect one rock brain, and then I get 12 from the standing room,” Nankervis paints the picture. “I sort of move around and we run a little quiz out the back to get the 24.” The chosen few are again whittled down in rounds of six to the final four – and let no RocKwiz-zer be under the delusion that this is your typical local pub trivia night, as the wildcards make clear: ‘The wildcard should be used by an audience member with excellent music trivia knowledge, the willingness to participate in the contestant selection process and, if successful, the desire and confidence to be part of the show. If you don’t think you’ve got what it takes, please pass this card to somebody around you who does’. Thus you have been warned: be nice to the people around you! The elimination rounds take place on stage, in front of what is, perhaps, a jealous audience, under the substantial lighting rig and the gaze of the RocKwiz Orkestra. And then there is you surrounded by the heat, the nerves, the intensity and the perspiration! To come out on top as a contestant (in a process taking close to an hour without a drink, mind) is a win in itself – but we do receive a bit of a pep talk from Brian first: we (the contestants), Brian, Julia, The Orkestra and, of course, Dugald are all in the cast, and we need to work together. One must also be entertaining, so if the answer disappears the moment you have buzzed and Julia focuses on you with those piercing hostess eyes, make your answer something funny or be prepared to incur a cutting remark. (And for the cynics who think that the contestants know who the guests are, well guess what, we don’t – such is the secrecy.) Finally don’t be too much of a know-all, as the crowd doesn’t like smart arses and can turn quickly. Talk about a red rag to a bull for those of us competitively minded! So when the curtain goes up, the Orkestra plays the RocKwiz theme, and you walk on stage, you all of a sudden go ‘Shit!’. This is as real as the enormity of the room, the nerves, adrenaline, humour, pathos, sitting with performers of the calibre of Vika Bull, Dave Gleeson, Josh Pyke and Rebecca Barnard, who all kick in as it’s game on. And then in what seems a blink of an eye it’s over – and you wish that you could do it all over again. The ROCKWIZ Some Kind Of Genius tour reaches Festival Hall on Friday October 12 and Saturday October 13.
‘ILL MANORS’ IS THE MOST IMPORTANT ALBUM OF 2012. THE TRUTH IN BLACK & WHITE
2CD DELUXE EDITION AVAILABLE FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY PERFORMING AT PARKLIFE - VISIT WWW.PARKLIFE.COM.AU FOR TICKETS AND INFO
THIS WEEK: ON SCREEN Established in 1952, the Melbourne International Film Festival has become the most significant screen event in Australia. The festival takes place annually in the heart of the city, presenting an acclaimed screening program alongside industry events. The festival showcases current cinema from around the world as well as retrospectives, tributes and discussion programs, and with an unwavering commitment to local film it screens a wide array of Australian films every year. The festival begins Thursday August 2 and runs until Saturday August 18, spreading itself across the city’s venues including ACMI, Greater Union Russell Street and the Forum Theatre Festival Club. Head to miff.com.au for film, session and | ticketing information.
ON STAGE Jack’s mum is constantly on guard, hovering over him, keeping an eye out for risk and danger. Though not the sort of danger their young neighbour Thomas lived through in the war zone of Southern Sudan. Nor the danger raised by Jack’s dad reversing his luxury 4x4 out of their drive. Following a sell-out season and rave reviews comes award-winning playwright Angela Betzien’s latest work Helicopter. Betzien takes a slice of life from a privileged Australian suburb to explore the dichotomy between first and third world problems. As part of MTC’s 2012 Education Season, Helicopter has been commissioned by MTC and developed with the assistance of Playwriting Australia. See Helicopter at the The MTC Theatre from Wednesday August 2.
ON DISPLAY Melbourne Art Fair is an exhibition of leading contemporary art presented by over 70 selected national and international galleries. Open to the public from Wednesday, the biennial event features paintings, sculpture, photography, installation and multimedia art works of over 900 artists, all on display at the Royal Exhibition Building. Rarely is such a diverse collection of artists from so many countries presented under one roof. Melbourne Art Fair offers the public a fantastic chance to view and purchase quality artwork by some of the best Australian and international emerging and well-known artists working today. Presented by the Melbourne Art Foundation, it’s a-not-for-profit event with a primary goal of raising awareness of artists working today. For more information and to buy tickets, head to artfair.com.au. Running from Wednesday August 1 - Sunday August 5.
BEAT’S PICK OF THE WEEK:
Married life is a killer. Devastating romance, a clash between desire and tradition, a rich paean to the Spanish soil and its culture of passion and ritual — Lorca’s tour de force is all of these things. Here, with music by Tim Rogers and a cast of actors from all around the world, Blood Wedding speaks of love’s impossible magnetism. Blood Wedding is a bilingual production directed by Marion Potts, with the lush lyricism of Federico García Lorca’s writing, matched with a “contemporary sensibility utterly of the now.” Blood Wedding is currently showing at the Merlyn Theatre in the Malthouse Complex until Sunday August 19.
Beat Magazine Page 26
MELBOURNE FESTIVAL BY TYSON WRAY
For the past 27 years the Melbourne Festival has been the sovereign celebration of this city’s eternally rich culture and prestige. Since its introduction in 1986, for 17 days each October the festival has presented an unparalleled multi-arts banquet of theatre, dance, music, visual arts and multimedia performances. Its everlasting influence on the city’s cultural progression is immeasurable – and each year its growth of breadth, scale and innovation is nothing short of remarkable. “The reality is that there’s a real dynamic in this city and I don’t quite know what it is,” notes Brett Sheehy, who is returning for his fourth and final year as Artistic Director of Melbourne Festival. “Something happened in this city. For many years it’s been known as the cultural capital of the nation. It’s automatic that its premier international and national celebration of that in a condensed period is so significant to the city.” Sheehy, who was recently appointed as the Officer of the Order of Australia in this year’s Queen’s Birthday Honours, previously worked as the Artistic Director of Adelaide Festival and the Festival Director and CEO of Sydney Festival. Through his work within these titles amongst his many other accolades and achievements, Sheehy has been allowed an incredible insight like few others into the artistic culture of Melbourne. “In this city, more than any other in Australia, whether they partake in arts and culture or not, the vast majority of people will say that ‘Arts and culture are a critical part of the fabric of our town’,” he shares proudly. “That’s unique to Melbourne. It’s why people refer to Melbourne as the ‘cultural capital’ and all of those other clichés – but they’re clichés for a reason.” The 2012 program, which will mark Sheehy’s swansong before he embarks on the role of Artistic Director of the Melbourne Theatre Company, stays true to form as an exploration of artistic innovation. Spanning theatre, visual arts, dance and opera, the program
was revealed on Monday including international premieres, stirring collaborations and long-awaited returns. Local artist Yandell Walton will display her unique projection art in Melbourne’s laneways, Human Effect, with flowering vines in an interactive animated jungle. Seminal artist Gregory Crewdson’s elaborate still photographs will be displayed in a retrospective at CCP In A Lonely Place, whilst this year’s guest of honour will be the stunning Antony Hegarty, who Sheehy who first presented to Australian audiences in 2005. “When I was putting this program together knowing that it was my last I was wondering if there was anything that I could bring to it that was really special – simply because I’ve just had so much experience. That’s when I began to think about all of the most extraordinary artists that I had worked with over the past ten years, whether they were Australian or international, and began to wonder about revisiting them and looking at the most recent work that they were making. “Whilst I’m looking back historically, all of the art is completely new. I’m looking back and drawing upon the experience and how privileged I’ve been to come into the orbit of some of these artists. What I’ve loved is being able to find for Australian audiences, artists and companies who have never been here before, and that Australians have never heard of by-and-large, and actually taking the risk and saying ‘These people are incredible. You’ve never seen them, you’ve never heard them, but that ends now.’ Because I’ve had
FREE SHIT JO NESBØ’S JACKPOT Oscar Svendsen wakes up terrified and bloodied, a shotgun in his hands, in what was once a respectable strip joint near Svinesund, Sweden. He’s surrounded by eight bodies, and police detective Solør, who is convinced of his guilt, has a gun aimed at his chest. Jackpot is an exciting, playful and bloody comedy, based on a story by Norway’s leading crime writer Jo Nesbø. Thanks to Rialto Distribution, we have some double passes to give away to Jackpot, in cinemas from Thursday August 2.
these amazing jobs I’ve had the opportunity to do that time and time again. Now I can say ‘okay, Akram Khan, William Forsythe, Antony Hegarty – you were special, and you were amongst the most special. Let’s have a look at what art you’re making now.’” Reflecting on his time both as a director and a patron of the festival, Sheehy admires its longstanding influence on the city’s culture. “I was recently going through a list of companies that have been involved in Melbourne Festival over the past 27 years. Whenever I talk to patrons and they recall highlights of past festivals, whether it be Einstein on the Beach or Hedda Gabler – any of these productions that people remember fondly would never have been seen in this city without the festival presenting it. No arts centre ever presented this work, no commercial producer ever presented this work. “When you go through each program, about 80% of the work presented in every Melbourne Festival was work that was only ever presented by the festival. That’s incredible. Say there’s an average of 60 shows for each of the 27 festivals – and you then take 80% of that - you’re talking about hundreds of productions that would have never have happened in this city if it wasn’t for Melbourne Festival. If you look at those works and realise not just how much poorer this city would be, but its artistic community would be for not having seen these works it would break your heart. People probably aren’t even aware of it, but Melbourne Festival has helped define culturally what this city has been for nearly three decades. If you look at the work, if you ask our artists what international work they’ve seen in Melbourne that has changed their lives, 90% of it will have been through the festival. The impact is huge - it’s incredibly significant. I think that the legacy that this festival has left behind [of] our own artists and our own artistic community has been staggering. I don’t think that Melbourne could be the city that it is without its festival.” The 2012 Melbourne Festival runs from Thursday October 11 - Saturday October 27 all around the city. For the full program, ticketing and more information visit melbournefestival.com.au
ALL THAT I WILL EVER BE From the creator of HBO’s Emmy Award-winning True Blood, Six Feet Under and the Oscar winning screenwriter of American Beauty, Alan Ball’s play All That I Will Ever Be is a dark-yet-funny tale of cultural provocation and our endless search for belonging, shown through the relationship of two young gay men in present Los Angeles – Dwight, a good-looking and privileged Los Angeles native and Omar, an enigmatic immigrant from the Middle East. On behalf of Dramatists Play Service Inc. New York, Fly-On-The-Wall Theatre has brought All That I Will Ever Be to Australia and given us some double passes to the Chapel Off Chapel production. For your chance to win head to beat.com.au/freeshit
ARTS NEWS, REVIEWS, INTERVIEWS ONLINE – BEAT.COM.AU/ARTS
DAVID BRIDIE
MARIA MINERVA
TEK TEK
PICO IYER
LIBBY GORR
COLLIDER: SOLO IN RED
FRIDAY NIGHT LIVE
3RRR Presents LYRICAL
An extraordinary fusion of music, text and images led by acclaimed Melbourne composer Kynan Robinson, Solo in Red is inspired by the unmistakable writing of Cormac McCarthy and performed by the renowned contemporary music sextet blending brass and strings Collider.
Start your Festival weekend with Friday Night Live in the spectacular BMW Edge. Join Australia’s sharpest siren, Libbi Gorr, for the Festival’s Letterman meets-Jon Stewart late-night talk show, with provocateur Germaine Greer, comedian and author Mark Watson, science writer Margaret Wertheim, comedian Lawrence Leung and musicians Maria Minerva and house band Tek Tek.
On Saturday 1 September, two musical events at The Toff in Town explore storytelling through song, as celebrated songwriters showcase their work in an intimate evening of show and tell. The artists will let us in on the stories behind their songs as they perform them.
Presented by Melbourne Recital Centre and Collider in association with MWF WHEN FRI 24 AUG 6pm + 8pm, SAT 25 AUG 8pm TICKETS $40/$30 WHERE Melbourne Recital Centre BOOKINGS melbournerecital.com.au or 03 9699 3333
LINER NOTES One of Melbourne’s best-loved spoken word events, Liner Notes is a poetic tribute to a classic album, song by song. This year, we salute David Bowie’s leper Messiah from outer space, Ziggy Stardust, on the album’s 40th anniversary. Tim Flannery, Deborah Conway, Joumana Haddad, Benjamin Law and First Dog on the Moon, Emilie Zoey Baker, Sean M. Whelan, Omar Musa, Yana Alana, Ben Pobjie, Alicia Sometimes, and Michael Nolan WHEN SAT 25 AUG, 8pm WHERE Regal Ballroom TICKETS $25 BOOKINGS mwf.com.au
WHEN FRI 31 AUG, 9pm WHERE BMW Edge TICKETS $25
THE RADIO HOUR Be part of the audience for a unique radio event recorded live for broadcast on ABC Radio National’s 360documentaries. Telling stories on the theme ‘Do You Read Me?’, Pico Iyer, Chloe Hooper, Jon Tjhia and Jessie Borrelle (from audio journal Paper Radio), Natalie Kestecher (ABC Radio National) and Rachel Maher will be accompanied by musicians James Cecil, Shane O’Mara and Dan Marsh. Hosted and produced by Jaye Kranz, this is documentary radio like you’ve never seen before.
LYRICAL: FROM THE GROUND UP With the eclectic David Bridie, the alt-country folk of Kate Fagan and Hello Satellites’ Eva Popov. WHEN SAT 1 SEP, 3pm (Doors open 2.30pm) TICKETS $25
LYRICAL: BREAKING AND ENTERING With gothic electro of Maria Minerva (UK), lounge-pop duo Fox + Sui and the sensual stylings of Lost Animal. WHEN SAT 1 SEP, 8pm (Doors open 7:30pm) TICKETS $25
Proudly supported by APRA and 3RRR
Proudly supported by ABC Radio National WHEN SUN 2 SEP, 6pm TICKETS $25 WHERE Fairfax Theatre BOOKINGS artscentremelbourne.com.au or 1300 182 183
CHECK OUT ALL THE LATEST NEWS, REVIEWS AND FREE SHIT AT BEAT.COM.AU
Beat Magazine Page 27
THE COMIC STRIP CHECKPOINT CHARLIE COMEDY
With Tyson Wray. Got news, gossip, reviews, thoughts, tip-offs, complaints, hate mail? Email tyson@beat.com.au or send by ESP before Friday.
THE MOVEMENT Despite ongoing indecision about the classification of ‘street art,’ many have proven the artistic merit behind these works – Views in particular. The Melbourne-based street artist and designer’s solo show, The Movement, will showcase a variety of original artworks for your visual pleasure. The exhibition is a whirlwind of edgy, colourful, in-yourface art that jumps off the canvas and slaps you in the face with a backhand. Not to be missed by any fan of street art, The Movement will head to the Old Bar Upstairs Gallery from August 14-25, open from 12pm - 8pm.
MORE SEX PLEASE... WE’RE SENIORS! MELBOURNE FESTIVAL Brett Sheehy’s final Melbourne Festival as Artistic Director stays true to form as an exploration of artistic innovation. As well as coinciding with Federation Square’s 10th birthday, we can recommend a number of highlights. Flagship visual arts display Destroyed Word is the final installment of an ongoing global art phenomenon. Created by Spanish artist Santiago Sierra, giant letters will be constructed then set alight in ACCA’s forecourt. The last in a series of burning displays, his meaning will finally be illuminated for Melbourne audiences, while La Soiree will bring a concoction of vaudeville, circus and cabaret to the forum theatre. The festival will run from October 11 – 27, and for details about these, and many more, head to melbournefestival.com.au.
You generally don’t want to think about your grandparents, or even your parents doing the deed. But with a wink and a nod to the popular 1970s farce No Sex Please, We’re British, John-Michael Howson puts his own hilarious spin on Australia’s less inhibited culture, and a golden generation confronting morality. Directed by Pip Mushin and featuring actors such as Mark Mitchell and Jane Clifton, the play takes aim at those who see no value in ‘grey power’ and are quick to relegate seniors to the scrap heap. More Sex Please...We’re Seniors! will head to the Comedy Theatre from October 31. Tickets can be purchased from Ticketmaster.
CURATORS CONFERENCE Following on from the announcement of Portable’s Curators Conference 2012 in New York City, Portable is proud to present the Australian edition in Melbourne. This one day event will be presented as an intimate and open conversation featuring pioneering Australian and international influencers across all facets of the arts, including film, fashion and design, publishing and much more. Hosting the likes of online entrepreneur Jonathan Barouch and filmmaker Kirby Ferguson, as well as many others, the Curators Conference will head to Fitzroy Town Hall on Tuesday October 2.
RHONDA IS IN THERAPY We tend to find the best sorts of stories are the ones that we can relate to. Loss and grief? Yep, everyone can relate to those. Hoy Polloy Theatre Productions and Baggage Productions are getting set to present the world premiere of Rhonda Is In Therapy. Written by Bridgette Burton and directed by Wayne Pearn, the performance tells of the aftermath of an accident. Rhonda takes flight from reality and seeks refuge in a delusional world, searching for emotional and physical relief. Moving and honest, Rhonda Is In Therapy is sure to be an emotive production as it heads to fortyfivedownstairs from September 7-23.
THE MOVEMENT Despite ongoing indecision about the classification of ‘street art,’ many have proven the artistic merit behind these works – Views in particular. The Melbourne-based street artist and designer’s solo show, The Movement, will showcase a variety of original artworks for your visual pleasure. The exhibition is a whirlwind of edgy, colourful, in-your-face art that jumps off the canvas and slaps you in the face with a backhand. And then does it again. Not to be missed by any fan of street art, The Movement will head to the Old Bar Upstairs Gallery from August 14-25, open from 12pm - 8pm.
Beat Magazine Page 28
CCP Declares is a major ‘declarative’ exhibition featuring work by eight artists at the forefront of contemporary Australian photography and video, and its expanded field. This ambitious project is the first in an occasional series of statement exhibitions for CCP that will take position on developments in contemporary practice from across the country. Curated by Kyla MacFarlane, the exhibition brings together work by emerging and mid-career artists that is loosely connected by their relationship to ‘things’ – as both subject matter and in the artist’s attention to the photographic object. CCP Declares: On the Nature of Things will head to the Centre for Contemporary Photography from August 3 – September 16.
MADE TO FIT If the Olympics aren’t enough to make you lament your level of fitness, this sure will be. Made To Fit features NICA’s exuberant second year artists in a theatrical contemporary circus performance that holds a mirror up to our expectations and desires to fit in. Featuring a cast of 27 second-year students mid way through their Bachelor of Circus Art degree, these talented artists go to great lengths to explore the boundaries of social norms while pushing their own physical boundaries in this new show. High-octane and energetic, Made To Fit will be performed at NICA from September 12-22.
FELIX BAR COMEDY Another big Wednesday night with Charlie Pickering (The Project, Talking ‘Bout Your Generation) headlining Felix Bar Comedy! Still one of Australia’s very best standup comedians, it’s his first headline set down at Felix Bar! Plus another bursting lineup including Joel Creasey, Geraldine Hickey, Mat Kenneally, Michael Connell and more. Come down and check out the biggest night of comedy in St Kilda, every Wednesday night! It’s happening this Wednesday August 1 at 8.30pm for only $12, at Felix Bar, St Kilda.
SOFTBELLY COMEDY This Thursday, comedy sensations The Nelson Twins headline Softbelly Comedy! You’ve seen them on Australia’s Got Talent, now see them without Kyle Sandilands distracting you. Plus we’ve got Joel Creasey, Jonathan Schuster, Khaled Khalafalla, Michael Connell and Toby Halligan! It’s all happening at Softbelly, 367 Little Bourke Street in the city, this Thursday August 2, 8.30pm, for only $12. Get in early for a good seat.
POSE
THE SHRINK AND SWELL OF KNOTS A man starts to build his own coffin but decides to turn it into a raft. Why? He’s struggling to unravel his emotional and mental knots so that he can leave his grandchild one simple, important piece of advice. But is it possible to give useful advice to anyone but yourself? And is being negative actually a negative? Written, directed and performed by Ben Grant, The Shrink And Swell Of Knots is a show filled with music, ideas and a struggle that will keep you thinking long after the hour is over. It’s a show about death, negativity and conservation, as well as the usefulness of giving advice and living a ‘good life’. La Mama will present The Shrink And Swell Of Knots from August 8-19. Head to lamama. com.au for tickets.
CCP DECLARES: ON THE NATURE OF THINGS
Cheap piss and piss-cheap entry at the city’s best above-ground underground comedy room. Tonight, Charlie has a special treat with the legendary Justin Hamilton headlining! Room favourite Ryan Coffey will rule MC duties while Dingo and Wolf, Tony Besselink, Mark Conway and a surprise guest brings support. It’s going to be good. 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 8pm tonight at Eurotrash Bar. $5 entry. Get down early for a seat.
ONE MAN, TWO GUVNORS The Arts Centre Melbourne and MTC have announced that Richard Bean’s riotously funny adaptation One Man, Two Guvnors will make its way to Melbourne. Unfortunately we’re going to have to wait until next year though. Directed by Nicholas Hytner, this British slapstick hit received seven 2012 Tony nominations and was awarded Best New Play in the 2011 Critics’ Circle Award. Oh, and did we mention it’s currently running in the West End and on Broadway, where it received the Outer Critics’ Circle Award for Outstanding New Broadway Play 2012? One Man, Two Guvnors will head to the Arts Centre’s Playhouse from May 17 – June 22, 2013.
KORALY DIMITRIADIS AND BEN JOHN SMITH This is a tale of a sexually repressed, separated Greek girl on a rampage meeting a playboy from the burbs. Following the controversial photoshoot to promote the packed-out success of Koraly and Ben’s latest poetry war, the pair are meeting once again under the roof of the freakiest bookshop in Australia. It’s head-to-head, poem for poem, for a battle where there can only be one winner. Whilst Koraly is using the event as a warm-up to her yet-to-be-announced book launch, Ben will also use the event promote his soon-to-launch chapbook. It’s a war with purpose and will commence at Polyester Books on Friday August 3, 7.30pm. Get down there for a battle royale like none other.
THE VERNISSAGE Premier social event The Vernissage will mark the beginning of the Melbourne Art Fair (MAF) this year. Australia’s premier fair presents contemporary art from some thousands of artists, represented by over 70 selected national and international galleries. Additional programs will run alongside the exhibitions, such as Artist Commissions, Project Rooms, an Education Program and numerous free public lectures and forums with artists, curators and international guests. Generally a sell-out event, be sure not to miss your chance as the Melbourne Art Fair 2012 Vernissage heads to the Royal Exhibition Building on Wednesday August 1. Tickets available from melbourneartfair.com
We told you about his collaboration with Coopers Dark Ale a couple of weeks back, and now all has been revealed. World-renowned street artist and illustrator Pose has finally unveiled his first Australianbased work in Fitzroy. Inspired by Australia’s night owls, the underground and those that rise at the demise of daylight, Pose’s Life After Dark installation is a world-first in street art, handcrafted using luminous paint that literally comes to life after dark. From conception to completion, the art installation handcrafted in Coopers’ hometown of Adelaide was months in the making before being shipped to Melbourne for display. Paying homage to the night’s musicians, mixologists, rhymers, riders, writers and midnight marauders, Pose’s Life After Dark is now on display at the corner of Rose and Brunswick Street.
RUNAWAY CIRCUS Take a journey on a twisted road full of dreamlike sequences and morphed realities and you may find yourself at Auguste Clown, a Melbourne underground gallery dedicated to pop surrealism art. While a relatively new genre, pop surrealism has a history dating back as early as the 1930s after the invention of the camera and the subsequent artistic rebellion against realism. Today, pop surrealism continues to challenge the boundaries and offers a provoking social commentary on life and perceptions. Auguste Clown Gallery has searched far and wide, and works from 40 of the most interesting pop surrealism artists from around the globe will be shown at the gallery from August 24 – September 9.
SHAKESPEARE UNBOUND It’s 1623. John Hemings returns to his house on the site of the Globe Theatre with a precious package – the first edition of William Shakespeare’s Comedies, Histories and Tragedies which he’s just collected from the printer, Isaac Jaggard. Throughout his life John had been at William’s side. As he starts to read through the plays, the memories come flooding back. Colin David Reese will recreate the life of John Hemings, expressing his voice and inviting the audience into his amiable onstage persona. Shakespeare Unbound will head to Kindred Studios for two shows only, August 4 at 8pm and August 5 at 6pm. Head to trybooking.com for tickets.
AICE ISRAELI FILM FESTIVAL There’s nothing we love more than the celebration of multiculturalism, and the AICE Israeli Film Festival may well be the place for it. Produced by Palace Cinemas and the Australia Israeli Cultural Exchange, the AICE Israeli Film Festival will screen over more days than ever before, with an expanded program of some of the best Israeli films from the last twelve months. Get a glimpse of Israeli lifestyle as the festival holds up a mirror to the society, exploring the myriad of stories from one of the most diverse and multi-racial countries in the world. The AICE Israeli Film Festival will hit Palace Como and Brighton Bay from August 28 – September 9. Tickets available from palacecinemas.com.au.
ARTS NEWS, REVIEWS, INTERVIEWS ONLINE – BEAT.COM.AU/ARTS
COMMEDIA DELL PARTE For the month of August Commedia Dell Parte is bringing back some of the Melbourne Comedy Festival magic with our mini festival. Kicking off the Commedia Dell Festival will be Moosehead Award winners This is Siberian Husky, joined by Simon Keck, Fabian Lapham and Trav Nash. The room still runs on a ‘pay as you like’ basis, so come along for a great laugh, then pay what you believe the show is worth on the way out. Commedia Dell Parte runs every Thursday from 8.30pm at George Lane Bar, St Kilda
LOL COMEDY LOL Comedy is spreading the laughter around Melbourne, launching their 3rd comedy room in Melbourne since opening in May. The next coming week will include some of Australia’s best comics, with Damian Callinan, Greg Fleet, Tom Gleeson , Bob Franklin, Harley Breen, Mick Neven & Xavier Michelides hitting the stage, just to name a few! Tuesdays at The Local Port Melbourne, Wednesday at The Portland, CBD and now Thursdays at Hawthorn Hotel. Shows start at 7.30pm.
COMEDY BITES DOG A lineup of some of Melbourne’s best and most outrageous comedians including Bev Killick, Puppetry of the Penis, Dave Callan and many more will share the stage at Comedy Bites Dog. This fundraiser event promises to be a great night of comedy and head banging, and best of all, it’s all for a good cause. MC Bev Killick, who was also the driving force behind the recent highly successful Shaun’s Kick Ass Party is now raising funds for her son, Abel, in support of him taking up The Black Dog Institute’s Peru Challenge 2012, an organisation that works with rural and metropolitan communities to raise awareness of mood disorders. Comedy Bites Dog will be held at the Order Of Melbourne on Sunday September 9. Tickets can be purchased at epodcentral.com.au/comedybitesdog.
THE SWEETEST PLUM When Declan Fay (former Art Of The City writer) and Nick Maxwell (former Rove cast member) started their podcast, The Sweetest Plum, they were just hoping to make each other laugh between comedy writing gigs. But a few weeks back, The Sweetest Plum was picked up by leading Internet Radio Site, Stitcher Radio, where they joined some of the biggest comedy podcasts in the world, such as Marc Maron, Adam Carolla and Joe Rogan. The show recently featured on the front page of the site, gaining them thousands of new listeners across the world, although Declan is still trying to explain to his Mum what a podcast is. If you’re not a Stitcher user, you can find The Sweetest Plum on iTunes or listen to it on thesweetestplum.com.au
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Beat Magazine Page 29
ALL THAT I WILL EVER BE BY SIOBHAN ARGENT
All That I Will Ever Be has returned for a second season at Chapel Off Chapel. The play revolves around a prostitute named Omar (Francisco Lopez) and his various clients, including one curious young man called Dwight (Christian Heath). But if you’ve ever been a fan of True Blood, Six Feet Under or American Beauty, there’s one significant reason to see this play – it’s written by Alan Ball, who wrote and created both shows, and wrote the screenplay for the film. There are some excellent reasons to see anything Alan Ball has touched. Sure, you’ll see this play for the dark explorations of sexuality and human relationships, but when Christian Heath (playing Dwight) outlines his opening scene, you see the slightly-more-obvious appeal of Alan Ball’s writing. It’s about as subtle as one of Brynne Edelsten’s eye-watering outfits. “[Dwight’s] a gay, prostitute-using, weed-dealing layabout. My opening scene is a nude sex scene on the couch with Omar the prostitute,” Heath says matter of factly. While nude sex scenes may not be everyone’s cup of tea, they’re certainly part of the appeal that has seen a previous sell-out performance of the play go so well. “It was supposed to be a very small reading and then it turned into a 200 [person] sell-out reading,” Heath says. “We ended up actually putting on the play and that went really, really well, so we are back for another season.” There are obvious benefits to seeing a play that many of the cast are already familiar with; the primary benefit being, of course, that you get actors who know their characters better than ever before. “We all want to investigate the characters a little bit more.” Heath says. “I think it’s about spending that extra bit of time and trying new, different angles, and trying to bring these characters to life a little
bit more. There is definitely a change, it will be different.” So what are the big drawcards? Well, there’s Alan Ball and, of course, there’s sex within an Alan-Ball-written-play. But, as in True Blood and American Beauty, sex is simply a vehicle for a broader discussion that attempts to explore the gaping holes regarding what we know about humans and sexuality. As Heath notes, hiring a prostitute like Omar is “Dwight’s way of feeling normality. So he hires a prostitute to get that feeling of a relationship and of love. He uses prostitutes and paid sex as a means of feeling what a normal relationship might be like” This is not a two-person show, as the cast list demonstrates. But Heath notes that Omar is the play’s central character, one who exploits his ‘ethnic’ and sexual identity to satisfy the desires of his clients.” [This play is] all about the characters [Omar] meets during his journey,” Heath notes. “But Dwight is a surly customer that sticks and resonates, and [Omar] builds a close relationship [with him]. At the end of the day, it starts with Omar and ends with Omar. Dwight seems to be the character who stays a little longer.” The marketing material for All That I Will Ever Be relies heavily on how Omar is there to fulfil fantasy. Yet Heath agrees enthusiastically when I point out that Omar’s job,
particularly in Dwight’s case, seems more geared towards simulating reality. “I think that’s why this play has this deep irony all the way through it. What really brings it together is this loneliness, this needing to belong with people. Dwight is a very lonely, untrusting character who has experienced a lot in his life, the loss of his mother, who committed suicide, and he’s got this massive distrust [of] his father, and he blames the whole world for his problems and issues. With this connection [that] he has with Omar, one evening, it’s this connection no one would see coming, but something clicks between the two of them and he finally feels this connection. It’s completely out of the blue. No one really expects it.” It’s this kind of clever mix of sex, brains and humour that seems to have successfully drawn people to previous performances of All That I Will Ever Be. And it may well be the brutally confrontational honesty of such a piece that makes it memorable.
“It is very confrontational,” Heath says. “As [it is] an Alan Ball play, he writes very brutally and honestly, and he does cover a wide list of contemporary issues, whether it be sexuality, racism, he deals with it through irony and humour. I guess that’s what people get out of this play. They see all this confrontation, some of it funny and some of it extremely sad. But I think people can relate to a lot of issues inside the play, even from characters [whom they would] never see themselves having a connection with.” So if you don’t like sex, black humour, or the brains behind American Beauty or True Blood, then you’re royally screwed if you think this play is for you. But then, you would have stopped reading after the first quote, wouldn’t you?
since day one. We started out doing a high-concept classical record, music that was composed with the structural rigour of classical music but executed on bluegrass instrumentation. The one after that was weird, dense, art-music songs. This recent one is a lot more distilled, I think we were all listening to a lot more rock music in the two years leading up to this record. It has been a steady evolution. It is hard to define what the music actually is, even giving you those labels, it’s tough because I don’t feel they are necessarily super accurate, it is hard to talk about music without actually hearing it.” So best focus on what I do know, The Punch Brothers have the instrumentation of a bluegrass band: banjo, mandolin, fiddle, bass and guitar. “We try and take the music we love the most, the most meaningful to us, that gets under our skin and in our ears, makes us unable to think about anything else, and try and figure out why it does that,” Eldridge says by way of explaining the band’s mission statement. “Why is it that we love it so much? What makes it tick? We deconstruct these ideas and build them into our music. Everybody in the band, and I don’t say this in an insincere way at all, they are some of the best musicians in the world, my dream band mates. Chris Thile, the
most well known guy in the band, on mandolin, is an utterly brilliant musician, unbelievable instrumentalist, a visionary guy. Noam Pikelny (banjo) is the most surprising, tasteful improviser you will ever hear. Gabe Witcher (fiddle) has the deepest connection to funky, American music and high-minded music – an interesting combination of those two things. Paul Kowert is as good a musician as you will find.” Together they are really something, a new version of blue grass, a version that sounds alive, like someone is living in it and with it. It’s not static, old and dusty, it breathes. “It is really important that it is engaging for both us and the audience, everybody has a great time that way,” he says. “Live is really where we are most comfortable, we can stretch out a bit. We all grew up improvising, so in a live situation, we get to live in the moment. It’s cool to have the band existing in the same moment together with the audience. That is something we all live for.”
someone to play this very goofy part, and the thing I loved about it is that I was making fun of them, but also myself. I’m a man who gets up on stage with a doll and makes it talk – that’s not a serious profession, and I don’t take myself at all seriously. People get upset at me for picking on certain things, certain groups, but I always ask them to take a step back and watch my entire show. I make fun of myself more than anybody else.” Every comedian has a line that they refuse to cross, and when it comes to his material, Dunham certainly has his. “There are certain subjects that you can joke about and certain subjects you know you shouldn’t,” he says. “For example, disasters where a lot of people were hurt or killed, or any kind of abuse. Those things for me aren’t funny. Child abuse, spousal abuse – there are too many victims of that kind of thing, and those are areas I would just never go to.” At the same time, he says, there are universal subjects that everybody laughs at. “Marriage, children, health, being fat – these are things that a lot of people confront on a daily basis, and you know you can joke about. If you make jokes about a bad marriage or a
divorce, there are probably a few people who will be stung by them, but the majority will laugh, and when it comes to something like that, I’m okay with it.” Dunham will return to Australia next month with his Controlled Chaos tour, and I ask him what exactly fans can expect from this. “Well, for anybody who’s seen my show before, it’s not going to be the same,” he says. “We’ve just finished shooting a new special which is due to come out in October, and a lot of that new material will actually be in the show that I bring down to Australia with me. It’s stuff that people have never seen before, and it’s going to look and feel completely different. More than anything, though, it’s going to be a lot of fun, and the audience will definitely get what they pay for and more.”
All That I Will Ever Be is playing at Chapel off Chapel from Wednesday August 1 – Sunday August 12. See chapeloffchapel.com.au for tickets and further details.
THE PUNCH BROTHERS BY JACK FRANKLIN For the first few minutes of this interview I thought The Punch Brothers had named themselves after a computer game I used to play on the Commodore 64 in the ‘80s, but I was thinking of Bad Dudes Vs. DragonNinja. Turns out the name is way more high-falutin’ than that. “The name is taken from a Mark Twain short-story called Punch Brothers Punch,” the band’s guitarist, Chris Eldridge, rather patiently explains to me when I share this theory. “The narrator, Twain, gets a train conductors jingle, a rhyming one, stuck in his ear. ‘Punch brothers punch, punch with care. Punch in the presence of the passenjaire!’ It goes on, anyway the whole thing is it gets stuck in his ear and it dominates his life and his consciousness, rendering him utterly worthless, until he passes the rhyme onto the next guy. Then he is free of it and the next guy has it! We thought, we want our music to be something like that and there is nobody better to ally yourself with than Mark Twain.” Twain and that Huck Finn era is a fitting reference point for you to picture The Punch Brothers’ sound. If you remember all the hullabaloo around the O Brother Where Art Thou soundtrack, a much less archaic, contemporised version of that. Mumford and Sons without the rock pretentions, Bon Iver with fun added. Look up their song This Girl or Google a live performance with Steve Martin (yes THAT Steve Martin) for a complete picture. The kind of band that are likely to don bowties or wearing vests with a ’kerchief jutting out of a top pocket on their album cover. Eldridge came from a folk music house, so maybe that’s how they dressed too. “Music for me was the most natural thing in the world growing up,” he says. “My dad is a musician, my mom is a musician, they are both banjo players actually, my brother is a musician, my grandparents met each other because their big thing was a love of classical music. So my family is one of musicians and music lovers. Being so surrounded by it, singing
became as natural as talking for me as a little kid.” The Punch Brothers are something of a progression for Eldridge. He left a band he helped form for the chance to grow as a musician. “I love The String Dusters, the band I started right out of college with some of my best friends and favourite musicians,” he says, explaining the decision to move on. “But The Punch Brothers offered me an opportunity to explore some music along with some other musicians who were further along a path that I knew very little about. It just seemed like an area I really loved and was curious about, so I followed that. It was sad leaving the Dusters, I miss those guys and that music.” It is strange to hear a musician say it, but makes perfect sense. Like a career move really, why should bands be any different? At least that’s what I took away from the movie That Thing You Do. “Ultimately it provided me with an opportunity to go learn things I really would have never gotten to otherwise,” he continues “The band has evolved
The Punch Brothers will perform at Melbourne Recital Centre on Monday August 6.
JEFF DUNHAM BY ALASDAIR DUNCAN
For a comedian, the ability to deal with hecklers is a vital skill. Effective engagement with the more belligerent members of your crowd can make the difference between walking offstage with your head held high or cowering off in shame – depending on the circumstances, it’s been known to make or break careers. In this respect, stand-up comic Jeff Dunham finds himself in a somewhat unique position. He’s a ventriloquist, a rare enough profession in this day and age. However, when audience members get a head full of steam, it’s often the puppet, not Dunham himself, who takes the heat. “I do come across that situation every once in a while,” he says with a laugh. “I know how to handle myself when it does, and I won’t say I look forward to it, although I definitely don’t fear it.” One recent and particularly mortifying example of this took place at one of Dunham’s corporate gigs. “I was performing for a big company in a room full of hundreds of people,” he says. “I was making fun of the boss, but I wasn’t paying much attention to his wife, and she’s the one I really should have been watching out for.” The more pointed Dunham’s jokes became, the angrier the seething spouse became. “The point came where she’d had enough so she launched herself onto the stage, put her finger right in the dummy’s face, and started shouting at him that he shouldn’t be so rude to her husband,” he says. “She was really shouting, and she was dead serious. People laughed and it was really awkward, and eventually she stumbled back off the stage and the poor boss was just sitting there with his head in his hands, and the show went on. These are the kinds of situations I find myself in from time to time.” Fortunately, physical confrontations like this are a rarity for Dunham at this point in his career – from the small comedy clubs where he started out, he now plays to sold-out arenas around the world. The venues may have become significantly
Beat Magazine Page 30
bigger, but Dunham says that his act remains fundamentally the same. “The entertainment value is the most important thing to me,” he says. “When I first started doing arena tours, my number one concern was how I would connect with the audience, and even more simply than that, how everyone would be able to see. We have video screens for that, so people can get a good view of what’s going on, although ultimately the comedy comes from the spoken-word. It’s all about the conflict and tension on stage, the acting and reacting. Whether you’re 100 feet away or 25 feet away it works, and you get a great show.” In the past, Dunham has ruffled feathers with the wilfully offensive tone of his comedy, however he insists that he is an equal-opportunity offender, and that those who are paying attention will realise that his number one target is always himself. His appearance in an episode of the cult-comedy show 30 Rock seemingly acknowledged this. “They were doing an episode that had a bad ventriloquist in it and somehow thought of me!” he says, chuckling. “They just wanted
ARTS NEWS, REVIEWS, INTERVIEWS ONLINE – BEAT.COM.AU/ARTS
Jeff Dunham brings his Controlled Chaos tour to the Rod Laver Arena on Tuesday August 21.
Nikki Toole Daniel Whitechurch and Laura McKellar, Fitzroy, Melbourne, Australia (detail) 2009 inkjet print Reproduced courtesy of the artist
Skaterâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; portraits by Nikki Toole 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
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Beat Magazine Page 31
FUCK BUTTONS BY LACHLAN KANONIUK
Broadcast to hundreds of millions around the globe, the opening ceremony to the 2012 Summer Olympics encompassed centuries of British culture. Designed by contemporary UK auteur Danny Boyle, the extravaganza told the narrative of Britain’s industrial revolution, all the while showcasing some of the nation’s most iconic figures – Bond, Bean, Bill Shakespeare, Beatles, just to name a few. Music, of course, played a massive part in proceedings. Directed by frequent Boyle collaborators Underworld, the soundtrack featured a diverse range of selections from the British canon. In amongst the more obvious choices of Tubular Bells, Bowie, U2, The Who and The Rolling Stones were selections from electronica experimentalists Fuck Buttons. Surf Solar, the opening track from the duo’s immaculate second LP soundtracked the crowd’s entrance to the stadium, while a commissioned remix of the aptly titled Olympians heralded the parade of nations. It’s a curious distinction for Fuck Buttons to be championed as bastions of British culture, but a deserved one at that. Their studio output has been critically worshipped since the release of debut record Street Horrrsing, continuing with the 2009 follow-up Tarot Sport. Save for Benjamin John Power’s solo project Blanck Mass (who also provided music for the Opening Ceremony, including a reworking by the London Symphony Orchestra), there has been little in the way of new material from the Fuck Buttons camp. Not only that, but live appearances have been kept to a bare minimum – they waivered their 2011 moratorium on live sets only once, for a benefit for Japanese tsunami victims. Anticipation for the band’s upcoming record, and their return to Australia for Harvest, is at fever pitch, to say the least. “We’re working on the next record as we speak, actually,” reveals Ben, as he and bandmate Andy Hung speak from their studio, staying hush about their Olympic involvement the week before the ceremony. “We just got back from Russia where we played a festival show, and that was the first show we played together in 17 months – the last one was in Japan a year and a half ago. Since then we’ve been writing and we’ve just started to record. If you haven’t heard from us for a while, that’s why.” Despite there being a long time between drinks in the live setting, Fuck Buttons’ timeless qualities extend to their ability to delve back onto the stage. “We played a new track, the show was really good. We’ve never been to Russia before, it’s quite an
amazing place. It was very alien to us, we had a great time. We had a couple of weeks practice beforehand, but before that we had just been working on new material. It went really well, we went straight back into it like we’d never stopped playing live, really. So that’s definitely a good feeling, and we’re looking forward to doing more of it in the next few months – and we’re definitely looking forward to coming back to Australia,” Ben declares. “Last time we were there was for the two ATPs curated by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds at Mount Buller and Cockatoo Island. Then we had some sideshows with Afrirampo and Dead Meadow supporting. It was just a really fun tour, we really love the pace of Australia. We love everything about it and we’re really looking forward to coming back. It’s going to be a lot of fun.” Though there has been a perceived dormancy, the duo assure us that the band’s hiatus has never really extended beyond the period of one week – the rest of the time has been spent crafting new material. “The only time we ever take a break is if we’re tired due to extensive touring, and that will only last a week,” Andy states. “There’s been no break. We’ve not been very active in the public eye, we’ve been active away from that.” Since the last release from Fuck Buttons, the musical landscape has seen the rise of the titan that is EDM – for better or worse. But don’t expect the genre’s newfound dominance to shape the upcoming output from Fuck Buttons. “I definitely wouldn’t say it’s influenced the new material at all. It never has, really. Just because it’s become more fashionable doesn’t mean me and Andy were listening to electronic music before. Andy and I, when we were practicing for the live show in Russia, we were having a chat and discussing that we don’t really see ourselves as
“WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO US IS FINDING WHAT INTERESTS US. SO STAYING STATIC ISN’T REALLY CONDUCIVE TO THAT PROCESS.”
an electronic act in the live sense,” Ben recalls. “It certainly has more of a live band feel to it. Which is nice, we certainly wouldn’t want to pigeonhole ourselves into anything. It gives us more scope to experiment more, we’ve never been interested in that kind of thing.” As for the development of new technology and software in the past few years, Ben and Andy are capable of adapting their studio ethos to current means. “We’ve never had attachments to instruments, because it’s just not important to us. What is important to us is finding what interests us. So staying static isn’t really conducive to that process. It’s really about what we enjoy listening to, at the end of the day,” Andy muses. “Going back to Andy’s point, we don’t get attached to any instrumentation just because we like to explore every avenue,” Ben adds. “That obviously manifests itself in a very different sound from record to record. Having said that, the next record is going to sound very different to Tarot Sport, just as Tarot Sport sounded different than Street Horrrsing. We don’t like to stick around in the same place. The worst thing ever would be just to play songs for people and not necessarily for yourself. We enjoy every aspect of what we do at the moment, and we’d like to preserve that and keep ourselves interested and entertained. And I think momentum and movement is very important when considering that.” Both Fuck Buttons records have enjoyed nearunanimous critical acclaim. That’s not to say the band are feeling the pressure to live up to their
track record in that sense. “I definitely wouldn’t say scared or concerned because we’re never going to put out a record that we don’t think is great, basically,” ponders Ben. “If other people take to it, then that’s a bonus. As long as that we’ve made something that we’re happy with and that we can listen to, then we’ve done our job as best we can.” As for when we can expect new material? “We don’t have a confirmed release date or a schedule or anything like that, we’re still working away on it,” Andy states. With new material currently in its gestation period, we can tentatively expect some to be showcased when Fuck Buttons hit the stage at Harvest. “We’re not sure [if new material will be played], but you can expect a good time. Festivals are a funny one and you make the best of the situation that you’re in, it’s quite nice to be adaptable in that sense – which is something that I think we’ve been pretty good at. When we first started out we’d be playing on bills that had bands that had such an odd and interesting contrast. And I kind of like that about us. It keeps us on our toes,” Ben reasons. “I don’t think we have a personal preference, but saying that, I do quite like playing at night.”
[7 Skies H3] that was 24 hours long, and so I think this idea of 24 hours had sort of become a thing. I know we’re going to release two movies next year, and a revamped version of our classic documentary Fearless Freaks, and I think we’re going to try to have a thing in theatres, where you go in and spend 24 hours in a theatre watching Flaming Lips movies and documentaries and concerts, and then there will be a quiet time about six hours in starting at about three in the morning where we’ll all be sleeping in sleeping bags in the theatre. I think more and more we’re thinking of events like that. Just really great special once in a lifetime events that we can do with our fans.” Early last year, Coyne and his cronies set out to record new material every month and release to their fans. This morphed into a project where they collaborated with an artist on a release every other month, and eventually it turned into Heady Fwends, a full-length features a massive list of collaborators. “When this
year began, I really just pushed full force and ended up doing most of the Bon Iver, Ke$ha, Erykah Badu, My Morning Jacket, and Chris Martin collaborations,” he recalls. “That was all done in January, so you could imagine what those days were like with one day you’re recording with Ke$ha and then two days later you’re recording with Erykah Badu, and then a couple of days later you’re recording with you know... These are all big songs. There’s a lot going on. It’s not nothing. I think by then we’d worked our way into a pretty good way of working very intensely, but efficiently, and getting the most bang out of our buck, or the most out of our time together.”
FUCK BUTTONS perform alongside Beck, Sigur Rós, Santigold, Liars, and plenty more at Harvest, held at Werribee Park on Sunday November 11.
THE FLAMING LIPS BY MATTHEW HOGAN
In the first half of this year Oklahoma’s favourite sons have written a fight song (based on Race For The Prize) for NBA finalists the Oklahoma City Thunder, broken a Guinness World Record for most gigs played in different cities in 24 hours, released a 24 hour song encased in a gummy foetus, released a split single with metal titans Mastodon, and collaborated with Coldplay main man Chris Martin, pop skank Ke$ha, soul queen Erykah Badu (which resulted in a music video featuring Badu’s nude sister amid much controversy), and Perth’s own Tame Impala, among others. The collaborations resulted in The Flaming Lips & Heady Fwends, originally a Record Store Day vinyl release. After all those copies sold out, along with the super limited edition which featured the featured artists’ blood encased in the vinyl, a CD version was released earlier this month. At the time of our chat last week, head Lip Wayne Coyne was still recovering from playing shows in Memphis, Clarksdale, Oxford, Jackson, Hattiesburg, Baton Rouge, and New Orleans all in a 24 hour period. “When you think about something like that and you’re three months away from it, you think ‘On that day I’ll sleep ‘til four in the afternoon and I’ll just get up and we’ll start,” Coyne says. “But it does not happen, you don’t really sleep for five days before then because it’s so much work. So even when we got done with it, we finished and it was probably about 7.30 at night when we actually finished. I was still very wired up until about one o’clock in the morning. Delusional, but wired up. Delusional because I was thinking I was going to sleep for an hour and then go out and party. That was the dumbest thing because I lay down and then I didn’t want to get up for a couple of days!” While the likes of Jackson Browne and Neon Indian joined them on stage throughout the 24 hour tour,
Coyne says it wasn’t about the celebrity or even getting into the record books, it was about the fans. “I think that was the main reason we set it up the way that we did,” he says. “We were in a bus with the TV crew, and there was a bus full of crew, and there was a bus with all the other band members, and there was giant bus full of about 50 of our greatest craziest fans that would be at every show, having breakfast with us, and stopping at places to get gas. Doing everything together, we’d see each other in the middle of the night. That was the real reason I wanted to do it. The world record is fine, I’m not dismissing that at all, but I really like the idea of these really special moments that we get with our fans.” While it might be a while before the Lips do another 24 hour tour, their appetite for day-long activities is still there. “This idea of doing 24 hour things started when we did this song that was six hours long,” he says referring to the track I Found This Star On The Ground. “That made us think we could do a song
“THE WORLD RECORD IS
FINE, I’M NOT DISMISSING THAT AT ALL, BUT I REALLY LIKE THE IDEA OF THESE REALLY SPECIAL MOMENTS THAT WE GET WITH OUR FANS.”
Beat Magazine Page 32
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The Flaming Lips & Heady Fwends is out now on Warner. THE FLAMING LIPS play the Falls Music & Arts Festival taking place in Marion Bay from December 29 - January 1, and in Lorne from December 28 - January 1.
INDUSTRIAL STRENGTH MUSIC INDUSTRY NEWS & GOSSIP
with Christie Eliezer * Stuff for this column to be emailed to <celiezer@netspace.net.au> by Friday 5pm ARIA BRINGS BACK #1 CHART AWARDS
THINGS WE HEAR
ARIA is bringing back its #1 Chart Awards next month to honour Aussie acts that have had a number one single, album or music DVD from August 2010 to August 2012. In this period, Aussie acts spent a total of 61 weeks at the top. They included Powderfinger, Guy Sebastian, The Wiggles, AC/DC, Hilltop Hoods and Missy Higgins, alongside newer names such as Gotye, Reece Mastin, Karise Eden, The Temper Trap, Drapht and Bliss N Eso. Of these, Universal Music acts spent 32 weeks on top, followed by Sony at 24. Generally music DVDs tended to stay longer at the top: AC/DC’s Live At River Plate for 15 weeks and Powderfinger’s Sunsets Farewell Tour for seven. Australian singles and albums tend to stay at the top for a week or two, the exception being the freak Somebody That I Used To Know by Gotye which had the penthouse view for eight weeks. Over this same period, 84 singles and 73 albums from Aussies reached gold, platinum or multi-platinum. The awards will be held at the Ivy Sunroom on Friday August 10. They will serve as the launch of the revamped ariacharts. com.au site and the relaunch of the Sony/Universal streaming service Songl which is sponsoring the awards.
* Will we see INXS tour Australia playing the Kick album in its entirety? A deluxe 25th anniversary version of the album is on its way, with unused tracks featuring Michael Hutchence and memorabilia of his handwritten lyrics. * Corey Taylor let it slip that Stone Sour are returning for Soundwave 2013. * Was it sheer coincidence that Jack White’s first song during his Splendour In The Grass set was Dead Leaves And The Dirty Ground, as he came on after hail storms turned the site into Splendour In The Mud? Among other highlights: Smashing Pumpkins and Bloc Party blew the place apart, Gossling jammed with 360, Ball Park Music hit a golf ball in the crowd, The Kooks’ set was delayed for 20 minutes after some Einstein climbed up the pole in the Supertop, Missy Higgins fans sang along to every lyric, Lana Del Rey wore what was her “death wedding” dress to symbolise her divorce from her current world tour while crowd costumes included the entire cast of Sesame Street and a trio of intergalactic Beastie Boys suits. * Not sure how authentic this one is, but apparently some hacker fed a virus into the computer system of Iranian nuclear scientists which caused AC/DC’s Thunderstruck to be played at full volume. * Onesixone club report they had their best week since they opened 13 years ago – and had to get vodka supplies from Cushion Lounge when they ran out! * Johnny Rotten is getting rid of his trademark broken teeth, because doctors warned him that his diseased gums could kill him. * To honour the 25th anniversary of North Fitzroy’s Empress Hotel (given that it gave them their first gigs), Gotye reassembled The Basics with Tim Heath as a duo. Bassist and vocalist Kris Schroder is in Kenya doing volunteer work for International Development coordinating its food supplies. * On his way back to the US from his Oz/NZ promo visit, Justin Bieber got ticked off by a mother in Air NZ First Class for swearing with his entourage. * Someone posted Reece Mastin’s phone number on twitter forcing him to get a new one when the first one went into meltdown. * Stereophonics have parted with drummer of eight years Javier Weyler. * At the Entech Connect conference in Melbourne, t7 Event Solutions hosted an ‘Am I seeing things?’ 3D holographic projection and how it is changing live events. Ever since Tupac emerged at Coachella with Snoop Dogg, the question is which music festival or tour will try it here. Its MD Daniel Saward told Music Feeds that there “had been some interest” in the Musion Hologram Technology which t7 licenses for Oz. But he warned that the cost ($45,000 for hardware and installation, which doesn’t include content cost) could be prohibitive. It takes six hours to set up, and most effective only at night.
SONY MUSIC SIGNS THE JANOSKIANS Sony Music Entertainment Australia has signed Melbournebased YouTube sensations The Janoskians. They formed as a bored after-school project, calling themselves Just Another Name Of Silly Kids In Another Nation Skip doing mockumentaries and pranks for YouTube. They got over two million views of their Awkward Elevator Situations prank, 270,000 subscribers to their YouTube channel and 28 million views in total, with 800,000 Facebook friends, and close to 900,000 Twitter followers. They got on America’s Ellen TV show. On a national tour, 10,000 turned up in Sydney, 8,000 in Queensland while Luna Park Melbourne was shut down over fears for fans’ safety.
AUSSIES ABROAD #1: WANTOK MUSIK HITS THE UK Wantok Music’s Frank Yamma and Sing Sing shows in the UK received glowing reviews. The group of over 30 artists represented Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji, Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Timor Leste, Tonga, Tuvulu, Vanuatu and West Papua. Aussies included David Bridie, Phil Wales, Vika & Linda Bull, Albert David and joined onstage by The Black Arm Band, the West Papuan Chorus and the Narisarato Pan Pipers. The gear and costumes took in conch shells, gourds, lava rocks, grass and Pandanus leaf skirts, a five foot wooden bow and arrow, boar tusks, feather headdresses, 250 cubic kgs of log drums and 43 cultural items from Vanuatu of pretty much every listed organic material not to be taken on board an airplane. Everything arrived. Yamma played WOMAD (UK); the BT River of Music (London); the Hebridean Music Festival (Scotland); Sidmouth Folk Week (England); and Festival BLED (Slovenia); plus arts centres in Inverness, Edinburgh, Bath and London. “(He) exuded integrity,” reckoned The Times. Said The Telegraph of the Sing Sing showcase at BT River of Music: “There’s not much that London hasn’t heard before but this must surely come close”.
AUSSIES ABROAD #1: ZOOPHYTE HEAD TO NOUMEA Zoophyte will do their first show outside Australia, appearing at the Live en Août Festival in Noumea, Caledonia. They return to Australia for a run around Victoria to set up the September release of their next album Somewhere Elsewhere. The band just finished opening for INXS’s regional tour, playing to a total of 20,000, doing 6,000 km in the first ten days as members drove back in between shows for their day jobs. Their single Let You Go is picked up by Triple M and regional radio, with an interesting video shot over two freezing days at the Rye beach where singer Cam Lee almost drowned during a sequence where he played guitar in five foot waves!
GOOD WORKS #1: HAUNTING AUGUST FOR PUPPIES New band Haunting August launches on August 24 at Cherry Bar. 100 copies of new single Oscar’s Song are on sale, with proceeds going to raise awareness about Deb Tranter’s Oscar’s Law (oscarslaw.org) set up to ban puppy factories. Band member Kat (ex-Kathematics) got to know about them after adopting a dog from dog shelter Pets Haven in Woodend.
GOOD WORKS #2: FUND RAISER FOR INTO THE WOODS Into the Woods play a fund-raiser for themselves at the John Curtin Hotel on Friday August 3 after some fascists stole $12,000 of their equipment. They are joined by AntiFall Movement, The Staffords and The Bon Scotts.
JOY MEMBERSHIP UP JOY 94.9’s annual membership drive in June was a success, reports GM Conrad Browne. Membership was up 5% in numbers, 10% in dollar figures plus a 40% increase in donations. The grand prize, the $35,000 Jeep Wrangler Sport (donated by Essendon Jeep) was won by Jack from Brunswick. Drive team David and Sue gave him a heart scare by telling him they accidentally drew $26,000 from his bank account than the $26 pledged.
Q&A KYUSS 20TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
LAUNCHING PAD #1: AUSTRALIAN MUSIC BUSINESS MANUAL Long time manager, tour promoter and venue operator Darrel Baird of Blue Tongue Management has launched The Australian Music Business Manual. It is published online (musicbusinessmanual.com) with an annual subscription which allows him to constantly update chapter contents. These cover everything including setting up a business structure, accounting, copyright, tour logistics, sponsorship, media opportunities and associations. Baird says, “With less than 6% of Australian musicians able to gain professional management in their careers, I believe this management system can and will upskill self managed artists in all facets of the music industry.”
LAUNCHING PAD #2: EVENT SAFETY ALLIANCE SET UP To ensure that Australia doesn’t have the recent staging tragedies of overseas, top members of the live events industry have formed an association called Event Safety Alliance Australia. It will device event safety code and run workshops to protect workers. See eventsafetyalliance.org.au.
LAUNCHING PAD #3: MURRAY SETS UP PROBLEM CHILD Jim Murray has left Get Notorious after a year to set up his own company Problem Child. Aside from tour booking and management, artist management, it books venues in Melbourne as The Esplanade, Strange Wolf and The Resurrection, and also provides IT service and website design. Taking over at Get Notorious in the magazine and venues sector is Nicole LaBianca.
NEW PROGRAMS FOR PBS In August, PBS 106.7FM rolls out new programs. On Saturdays 10pm-12am slot Press Gang’s Zen Arcade covers indie and DIY music, while Matt McFetridge’s Jungle Fever is on Fridays 7-8 pm. The fortnightly insomnia slots include Contact with Adrian Meade (alternate Mondays 2am-6am) focusing on Kraut rock, noise, art rock and experimental, Bangin’ Radio with Grace K covering hardcore, punk and alt/ indie alternate Thursdays 2am- 6am, while Zero Sum with Kate Reynolds (alternate Saturday mornings 2am-6am) covers triphop, chilled electronic, dub, glitch and soundscape.
SHIRLEY REMEMBERED
VALE CHRIS DUFFY Jazz guitarist and Australia’s first national banjo champion Chris Duffy died in Melbourne on July 24 after a six month battle with pancreatic cancer. An album of swing, ragtime and bluegrass which he was working on will be released in September under the title Banjo Time. Emerging 40 years ago as a backup player for big name country acts (he was , he launched a solo career releasing five albums on the Larrikin label. He toured the US many times and brought back artists to like Byron Berline, Dan Crary, Vince Gill, Bill Keith and Mark O’Connor to tour. In the ‘90s a motorcycle accident put him out of commission for a long time. Friends remember him as a cultured gentle man who loved books and rugs and delighted in culinary delights.
PLAY LIVE? GET ROYALTIES VIA APRA
VALE DARYL COTTON
APPLYING FOR SXSW
In the ‘60s, Daryl Cotton was part of an outrageous pop gimmick, his band Zoot dressing themselves up in all-pink. They had a series of hits, the biggest being a heavy rock Eleanor Rigby. Visa problems axed a US deal with RCA and they split in 1971. Cotton went to America where he wrote songs for Olivia Newton-John, The Osmonds and Cliff Richard and Shaun Cassidy. He returned to Australia in 1978 where he had a Top 10 with Same Old Girl, starred in musicals, hosted TV shows and toured with Jim Keays and Russell Morris. Plans to reunite Zoot for a tour were abandoned after May when Cotton was diagnosed with liver cancer, and died last Friday. He was 62 and survived by his wife Cheryl, a former EMI PR rep, and children Amy and Tim. He was remembered as a cheerful dude who never had a bad word to say about anyone, and worked tirelessly for charity.
particular period of history. An amazing creation, fuelled by a strong scene and some seriously talented musicians.
Matt is a singer why did you bring in Chappy for this? Have you heard the vocal range on this man? He is amazing! And it’s also one of his favourite albums. Getting Chappy to do the vox also lets Matt focus on pure riffage – a true sight to behold.
How important is Kyuss as a band? Kyuss are one of my favourite bands of all time, they manage to achieve pure power combined with beautiful melodies (sure, not the kind you might get from pop music). They also epitomise the US desert stoner rock scene and the success of a style of music growing in a scene in a
Engaged: actress Jessica Biel has revealed she and Justin Timberlake got engaged last Christmas after a five year relationship. Marrying: after calling off his wedding last week, The Game will get married after all, this month – with a reality TV series covering it. Ill: 360 revealed he suffers from a rare disease called keritikonis which has left him blind in the right eye and starting to affect vision in the left one. Ill: Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker was forced to give up drugs after doctors found six ulcers in his stomach. Recovering: what Darlene Love thought was indigestion was a heart attack. Sued: Pete Doherty had to pay £10,000 to poet/ punk Nick Toczek for stealing the line “It’s a lousy life for the washed up wife of a permanently plastered, pissed up bastard” for his song Baddie’s Boogie. Kate Moss’ co-credit is removed from the Babyshambles song. Doherty was recently thrown out of a Thai rehab centre for being a bad influence on other inmates. Sued: Lady Gaga for $10 million by Bratz dolls toy maker MGA Entertainment which says she sabotaged a deal to make a doll in her likeness that would play snippets of her songs. She changed her mind about allowing her songs and tried to delay the doll until next year when her next album is out, and stopped cooperating when she went on a world tour. In Court: oil rigger Shane Leon Lovell, 38, convicted and fined $500 by Warrnambool Magistrates Court for punching an undercover cop trying to calm down a drunken crowd at a 2010 Port Fairy Folk Festival venue. In Court: Snoop Dogg banned from entering Norway for two years after trying to enter the country with a small amount of marijuana last month. Died: Samuel Guetta, key figure in the Ibiza clubbing scene, unknown cause. The cousin of David Guetta was also head of Cadenza Records, ran music website Ibiza Voice and operated a booking agency.
Out this month is Shirl, Jeff Apter’s book about the late Skyhooks singer. Apter spoke to his family including first wife Sandi, the band (Greg Macainsh wrote the foreword) NRL hero Gary Belcher and ironman Trevor Hendy. And Norm the Kangaroo with whom he did Shirl’s Neighbourhood, with stories of the time Shirl took up the crew and kids on a DC3 for a segment and taking over camera duties when everyone threw up, or commandeered a tank at Pukapunyal army base and roared through the scrub. Shirl's relationship with Red Symons makes for interesting reading. “We ended as we began,” Red said. “Two people with nothing in common who became incredibly close.”
Why is the Blues For The Red Sun album important to you? Blues for the Red Sun has been, for a very long time, my favourite album of all time. It has a particular place in my heart as an album that grabbed me, shook me, and pulled me towards music I found more meaningful. It taught me that heavy music can be beautiful. Remembering I was eight when this record was released, it already had an aura around it when I discovered it.
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the stoner rock masterpiece KYUSS Blues For The Red Sun Cherry Bar presents Matt Sonic & The High Times with Chappy (My Left Boot) performing the album live track-for-track with support from Battle Axe Howlers on Saturday August 4. We spoke to Megan Sheehy from the High Times.
LIFELINES
Will you be trying to do note for note replicas of the songs or re-interpretations or what? For me, there are many psychedelic jam parts of the album that would be silly to try to play note for note. That’s the joy of recording a jam and then never playing it the same again. But never fear, the riffs will be there! We might play with a few bits though. Brant Bjork and the Kyuss band and Josh Homme at other times have all come in to
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Songwriters who play live can be paid for their efforts by submitting an APRA Live Performance Return (LPR) before August 31 to get paid in November. APRA members should register all the songs they’ve played live in pubs, clubs and other public places over the past 12 months. Last year, APRA collected and distributed more than $4 million to APRA members who perform live. These royalties make all the difference. Boy & Bear utilises it for touring, and Jen Cloher and indigenous performer Kevin Bennet used their first payment to buy new guitars. APRA is also holding open days to help writers submit their LPR: Melbourne’s is August 20 and 27. See apra.com.au. South By Southwest begins registrations for attendees to its Texas event March 8 to 17 at sxsw.com/attend. Band submissions will be done through Sonicbids at sonicbids. com for $35. Deadline is November but get in early so they assess your music before the rush. They’ll announce the first round of international acts in late September, and you need to sort out visas and grants well before!
MOBBS LEAVES BAY FM After 16 years on Geelong radio, Peter Mobbs was made redundant by Bay FM. “I will be OK, lots of peeps losing their jobs in GTown who are worse off than me,” he said.
BALL AT FOX Jack Ball is the new music director at FOX, formerly with SAFM Adelaide.
party at Cherry Bar. Did this make it the logical place to host this special tribute? Cherry Bar loves Kyuss as much as we do, it was a match made in heaven. How challenging is it to pay tribute to one of your personal favourite and one of the most influential records of your generation? For me, extremely challenging. I started learning it thinking it could either be an amazing experience, or one that destroyed my love of my favourite record. I’ve never been keen on playing covers, of anything, so my favourite album was an interesting place to start! It has certainly given me some interesting insights into riffs that I never realised were as complex as they are. It might take me some time to get over though! But it’s one of those experiences that really deepens your connection with an album, Kyuss and I now have a new relationship. What can people expect from this Kyuss 20th celebration with the High Times? A glorious celebration of the wonder of an album that has had a passionate following for 20 years. Probably lots of beer, lots of love and long hair. KYUSS BLUES FOR THE RED SUN gets the High Times’ treatment, Saturday August 4 at Cherry Bar. Tickets are $22 from cherryrock.com.au.
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AUSTRALIAN ACADEMY OF DESIGN 220 INGLES STREET, PORT MELBOURNE TEL (03) 9676 9000 INFO@DESIGNACADEMY.EDU.AU DESIGNACADEMY.EDU.AU
If you’re considering embarking on a career in graphic design, get some inside industry advice on areas that are expanding in the digital realm and specialist streams of learning. Graphic Designer and AAD tutor, Gerard Brennan, will discuss the demands of the current design job market and the requirement for designers to master as many different skills as possible. Designers today are expected to understand the print, digital and interactive realms and how markets react in each. Other hot topics covered by recent Academy graduates include advice about starting out in advertising and fashion design and how participating in an international exchange can work for you.
QANTM COLLEGE
235 NORMANBY ROAD, SOUTH MELBOURNE (03) 8632 3400 INFOMELBOURNE@QANTM.COM.AU QANTM.COM.AU
Offering courses in Games Programming, Games Design, Animation and Graphic Design, Qantm College offers four large computer labs featuring all the latest professional games and animation software you could want, It also offers a laptop work room, a drawing room, lounges and chill spaces, a hundred seat lecture theatre, green screen room and a vast range of equipment for hire. Students will leave with a Bachelor Degree in Interactive Entertainment or a Bachelor In Creative Media. Qantm offers a vibrant community of practice where students can interact with a wide range of people who are just as passionate about their craft as they are, as well as being mentored by industry professionals, also top-notch academics, as well as professionals from successful local companies to lead senior projects. To apply submit an application form at melbourne. qantm.com. All potential students must be 18 years or older. Programming majors need to have done Math Methods, otherwise all we normally ask is a Year 12 pass with English. We also have post-VET and mature entry paths. For more information come down to our Open Day on September 1 from 11am – 3pm.
BILLY BLUE COLLEGE OF DESIGN 595 LITTLE COLLINS STREET, MELBOURNE 3000 INFO@BILLYBLUE.EDU.AU BILLYBLUE.EDU.AU
Billy Blue College of Design began as Billy Blue Creative in 1977, a magazine publishing colloquial Australian writing. In 1987, Billy Blue Creative decided to open a tiny design school to train people who would eventually work in the studio. Today the Billy Blue community has campuses in Sydney, Brisbane, with the newest addition in Melbourne. The school was created by industry for industry and has been building on that concept ever since. All of the teachers at Billy Blue are industry professionals and over the years, some of the college’s best graduates have worked at the consultancy itself and Billy Blue Creative staff members have, in turn, taught
at the school. It’s a unique and fun relationship. Industry permeates everything the college does. Billy Blue’s positive partnership with the design industry is the key to the college’s reputation and success. The college is constantly consulting with experts in the field to ensure that students are learning the most valuable skills. To make sure that all students have access to the industry in their own right, each is given free membership to the Australian Graphic Design Association in a partnership that is unique to Billy Blue. The Melbourne College offers Bachelor Degrees in Communication Design, Commercial Interiors, Residential Interiors and Branded Fashion.
WIN A FREE 8 HOUR RECORDING STUDIO SESSION Register at the event. Prize drawn 2pm
COMMUNITY OPEN DAY SATURDAY 25TH OF AUGUST 10:00 TO 3:00PM
ACTIVITIES ON THE DAY LIVE BANDS ROBOT RACES SAUSAGE SIZZLE FACE PAINTING & HAIRSPRAY RAFFLE PRIZES ART WORKSHOPS PHOTO BOOTH
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ART & DESIGN ACTIVITIES TRADES & TECHNOLOGY ACTIVITIES TOURS OF SUSTAINABLE FACILTIES DANCE PERFORMANCES ROCK CLIMBING WALL BICYCLE WORKSHOPS ELECTRIC CARS DISPLAY GLIDER MAKING & COMPETITIONS
NCAT specialises in
Teaching spaces include
Music Performance Sound Engineering Technical Production Lighting
MIDI labs Apple Mac computers Professional software Recording studio Practice rooms
www.ncat.vic.edu.au
OPEN YOUR MIND! BEAT’S NEW YEAR EDUCATION SUPPLEMENT 2012
3 MONTHS FULL-TIME OR 1 YEAR PART-TIME OPEN NIGHT, THIS FRIDAY 3 AUGUST 6PM
Level 9, 55 Swanston St Melbourne (03) 9663 8444 shillingtoncollege.com.au facebook/shillington.fb twitter.com/shillington_ 39$.%9 s -%,"/52.% s "2)3"!.% ,/.$/. s -!.#(%34%2 s .%7 9/2+
World class design education neednâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t take forever. It should be well planned, continually adapted to the times and presented by passionate professionals. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what happens at Shillington College and we have the record to prove it. Our students are taught by outstanding designers and are getting top design jobs. Starting with no prior experience they graduate with a professional portfolio and an in depth knowledge of the design programs. Enrolling now for September full-time intake.
The college will be open from 5.45 to 7pm on Friday 3 August with a 45 minute presentation starting at 6pm. Check out the facilities, meet the lecturers, chat to some graduates and get the low-down on the course. Bookings are not required to attend the Open Night.
COLLARTS
55 BRADY STREET, SOUTH MELBOURNE (03) 9281 8888 INFO@COLLARTS.EDU.AU WWW.COLLARTS.EDU.AU
JMC ACADEMY
171 BANK STREET SOUTH MELBOURNE, (03) 9624 2929 MELBOURNE@JMC.EDU.EU JMCACADEMY.EDU.AU
The Australian College Of Arts (Collarts) provides high-quality, professional training for musicians, audio production specialists and industry music business leaders. Students can enrol in either a diploma or degree course in Contemporary Music Performance, Audio Production or Music Business. Regardless of which course you take, you can be assured you’ll receive the best training available. You will put your coursework, both practical and theoretical, to use collaborating with other students and industry professionals.
SHILLINGTON COLLEGE
LEVEL 9, 55 SWANSTON STREET 3000 (03) 9663 8444 INFO@SHILLINGTONCOLLEGE.COM.AU SHILLINGTONCOLLEGE.COM.AU
SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN, UNIVERSITY OF TASMANIA INVERESK CAMPUS, 8 INVERMAY RD, LAUNCESTON (03) 6324 4488 ENQUIRIES@ARCH.UTAS.EDU.AU ARCH.UTAS.EDU.AU
By nurturing, supporting and mentoring students who share a true passion and dedication for these industries, they are able to guide them into rewarding careers. JMC Academy is holding an Open Day on August 18 and now accepting enrolments for October 2012 and February 2013 intake.
PHOTOGRAPH: NORTH SHORE RIVERSIDE PARK, DESIGN BY VIVO DESIGN, PDT ARCHITECTS, BORNHORST & WARD CONSULTING ENGINEERS AND URBAN ART PROJECTS
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JMC Academy remains Australia’s leading Creative Industries institution, offering Degrees and Diplomas in Music, Audio Engineering, Film And Television Production, Entertainment Business Management, 3D Animation and Game Design. JMC Academy enables students from all departments to work together on collaborative projects, providing them with diverse opportunities to apply their skills and obtain an understanding of how the real creative industries operate. JMC Academy students expand their creative network while they study, which will support them when they enter the workforce. In addition to their leading edge programs and unique integration opportunities, there are world class facilities, facility upgrades, industry connected lecturers, student showcases and restricted class sizes, giving students an optimum learning experience. JMC Academy’s ultimate focus is to deliver inspiring and technologically sophisticated programs, which cater to the global needs of the Creative industries.
Students are encouraged to pursue excellence and innovation through creativity, critical reflection, individual endeavour, exploration and experimentation, unconstrained by style or genre and informed by scholarship and best practice. Collarts values its artistic and academic integrity, as well as its engagement with the entertainment industry and the resultant currency of its programs. Led by Dean Dr. Raffaele Marcellino, an award winning Australian composer and music educator, all Collarts staff have extensive and continuing industry experience and involvement, as well as experience as educators and trainers. Students are offered a state of the art learning environment using industry standard equipment from the world’s leading makers of audio, AV and musical products including Digidesign, Apple, Soundcraft, Abelton, Kurzweil, Fender, Roland, Mackie, Sony, Zildjian and Canon, along withl two recording studios, an auditorium, computer labs and standard teaching, lecture and practice rooms.
Shillington College is a specialist graphic design college located in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, London, Manchester and New York. Our Graphic Design Course can be studied for three months full-time (Mon-Fri from 8am to 5pm) or one year part-time (two evenings a week from 6pm to 9.30pm) where you will be taught by talented, passionate and friendly design professionals in a studio environment. The focus of the course is for students to create an outstanding portfolio of commercial quality work, using industry standard software software which and to will have allow athem strong to knowledge have a strong of design knowledge theory of design by the theory time they by graduate, the time they making graduate, the transition and make from the transition student to designer from student as streamlined to designer as aspossible. streamlined You do as not need You possible. to have do not any need designtoexperience have any design to do this course. to experience Come do this along course. to one Come of our along Open to Nights one of our to find Open outNights more. to find out more.
The School Of Architecture And Design at the University Of Tasmania offers degree programs in Architecture, Interior Design, Furniture Design and Landscape Architecture, each with a strong focus on environmentally sustainable design. The School is located in an award-winning building in the heart of Launceston’s arts and cultural precinct. Multidisciplinary integration is central to the School’s programs and aims to replicate reallife practice and provide students with a variety of design ‘languages’ and broadened design sensibility. Students enjoy world-class facilities with state-ofthe-art workshops, advanced technologies and digital studios. The School offers both undergraduate and postgraduate programs, equipping students with the knowledge, skills, competencies and awareness to practice architecture, interior design, furniture design or landscape architecture – in, out and all about. The School Of Architecture And Design proudly advocates sustainable design and practice, supporting the principles of The Australian Institute Of Landscape Architects: value our landscape; protect, enhance, regenerate; design with respect; design for the future. Applications for 2013 open 1 August 2012.
NORTHERN COLLEGE OF THE ARTS & TECH 62 MURRAY RD, PRESTON 3072 (03) 9478 1333 NCAT@EDUMAIL.VIC.GOV.AU NCAT.VIC.EDU.AU
CREATE A BETTER WORLD FROM THE INSIDE OUT.
ARE YOU PASSIONATE ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT?
INSPIRATION BEGINS WITHIN. Learn how to balance the natural and built environment through sustainable solutions. Study our Bachelor of Environmental Design (Interior Design) or Bachelor of Environmental Design (Interior Design) with Honours. Apply online at: www.utas.edu.au For info visit: www.arch.utas.edu.au or phone: 03 6324 4488
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BEYOND THE SURFACE. Do you want to design a better world? Learn how to balance the natural and built environment through sustainable solutions. Study our Bachelor of Environmental Design (Landscape). Apply online at: www.utas.edu.au For info visit: www.arch.utas.edu.au or phone: 03 6324 4488
Whether you sing rap, play the drums, guitar – as long as you have a passion for music and creative ideas up your sleeve, our music performance and technical production courses will take you from brain wave to sound wave. The College cultivates a vibrant atmosphere for student exploration and development, guiding artistic and technical skills for further education with tertiary institutions, TAFE institutions or specialist education providers in music. Students can elect to study Music as a specialisation or as an elective within VCE, VCAL,
OPEN YOUR MIND! BEAT’S NEW YEAR EDUCATION SUPPLEMENT 2012
or VET streams. Combinations of these can be tailored to suit the individual student. Following Year 12, these Certificate IV programs comprise an intensive year of study in all aspects of music, including production and promotions. Students develop a folio of work to use in order to gain work in the industry or pursue tertiary studies. These programs also form part of the VCAL Senior Extension (Folio Enhancement) qualification. This is a VCAA-recognised qualification offered only by three other colleges in Victoria.
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at www.billyblue.edu.au or be our friend on Facebook
explore our innovative communication design and branded fashion bachelor degrees
experience true BILLY BLUE at our open day saturday august 18, 11-3pm To register for our interactive Open Day, buzz billy at 1300 851 245
MELBOURNE | SYDNEY | BRISBANE Think: Colleges Pty Ltd trading as Billy Blue College of Design, ABN 93 050 049 299, RTO No. 0269, HEP No. 4375, CRICOS Provider Codes: NSW 00246M, QLD 03107J, VIC 03252M.
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Beat Magazine Page 53
THE BLACK ANGELS BY MICHAEL HARTT
The whistles and bangs of fireworks can be heard down the phone line as I talk to Alex Maas. It’s July 4 in Austin, Texas and The Black Angels’ singer is taking a break from festivities to talk about the progress on the follow-up to 2010’s Phosphene Dream, and his band’s upcoming appearance at the second installment of Harvest Festival. Debuting in 2005 with their self-titled EP, the quintet have established themselves as one of the leading lights in American psychedelia across three albums and a handful of singles and EPs. Beginning recording sessions in January, the band has, to date, 30 tracks under consideration for inclusion on their next release. As Maas explains, having an abundance of tunes to choose from is a blessing. “Any time you’re in a creative moment you sit there and you just try and document everything, you just let it spill out and then you take a step back and think, ‘OK, what’s this? What’s that? How do you make sense of all of this?’ That’s kind of the spot that I’m in right now,” he says. “I believe in every single one of these tunes. We’ve been sitting here trying to work out our top 15 or top 20, and it’s tough. You kind of look at your songs as little pieces of yourself.” The most recent Black Angels release came in the form of the Record Store Day 7-inch ‘Watch Out Boy’/’I’d Rather Be Lonely’. Both tracks stepped away from the garage rock sound that was prevalent throughout Phosphene Dream, and in its place listeners heard a softer, more introspective side to The Black Angels. Maas says that what they’ve written during the current sessions shows another side of the band again. “You evolve as a band and you evolve as a person, and I want to continue to grow,” he explains. “If you listen to Revolver and Sgt Pepper’s, there’s a lot of evolution in there. If you hear these [new] songs, it’s going to sound like The Black Angels – take that however you want to take it. When I listen to these songs, it has this feel to it and it’s hard to describe. The songs that we released on Record Store Day were a different direction, but to me they still had our
touch on them. The songs that we’re working on now sound completely different to the songs we released on Record Store Day, and I want to continue to put out things that are new and interesting, for people who give a shit about our music.” With so many great songs to choose from, a double album hasn’t been ruled out. “We’ve thought about that a lot recently, because we have so much material. If you look at a record like Siamese Dream or you look at a record like The White Album, every single song on there is great,” Maas says. “[But] if you’re putting out 30 songs, it’s very trying. For one, it’s difficult in terms of, what are you going to play when you go out on tour? Are you going to play all 30 songs? Do you play your five favourite then your five favourite from the last three records? I don’t know. “I don’t know if, realistically, that makes a lot of sense,” he continues. “Not only from a touring perspective, but if you talk to a businessperson they’d probably say that’s a bad idea – not that business should interfere in that at all. What I do know is that I want to give people who give a shit about our music the best songs that we have available, and then not make them wait as long as they did for this next record, if they are waiting…” Indeed, the lengthy gap between Black Angels releases is something that Maas really hopes to curtail in the future – but it’s a tricky venture for all involved. “One thing I’d like to be doing with our band is to be releasing something every three months,” he says. “That’s going to be really difficult on the people that work for us and it’s going to be kind of difficult on us, and it’s going to be hard for people to keep up with it – but I just want to get it out there, even if it’s for free.”
“YOU EVOLVE AS A BAND AND YOU EVOLVE AS A PERSON, AND I WANT TO CONTINUE TO GROW”
While there’s no concrete release date yet for any new Black Angels recordings, one thing that is a definite is the group’s appearance at Harvest Festival in November – the second time the group have visited Australia after touring mid-2011. The Black Angels are no strangers to festival curation themselves, having staged Austin Psych Fest in their hometown for the past five years, and Maas is happy to be a part of the Harvest bill. “I’ve always wanted to see Beck and never have. I know it’s the obvious thing to say [but] that’s an artist I would love to work with. He’s such an active player. He’s transcended time with his music.
If you listen to his drumbeats and his samples and his vocals, just his concept of songwriting is great. I’m looking forward to seeing our friends The Dandy Warhols too. The lineup’s insane – the people who are behind the festival obviously have great taste!”
THE BLACK ANGELS perform alongside Beck, Sigur Rós, Santigold, Liars, and plenty more at Harvest, held at Werribee Park on Sunday November 11.
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Pizza e Vino CACAO GREEN Start your day with a fix at Cacao Green! They are now serving a wide range of healthy, organic and gluten-free breakfast items exclusively at their Bourke St. and Glenferrie stores. Get your morning kick with Cacao Green’s hearthealthy Bircher Muesli. Served with organic yogurt and a choice of mixed berries or tropical fruits, this flavourful 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; flavours 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! Check out Cacao Green’s breakfast menu at 235 Bourke Street and 696 Glenferrie Road.
HOO HAA If you are looking for a place to grab a bit to eat while reading this week’s Beat, Wednesday nights at Hoo Haa is Superparma night. 100% free range chicken breast lightly crumbed, topped with Napoli sauce, layered with prosciutto and mozzarella served with fries and a fresh salad and it’s $15. So for a cheap great feed along with a happy hour from 4pm till 7pm you should pop into Hoo Haa on Chapel St.
I once visited a friend in her ancestral home in a tiny town in Umbria. There wasn’t much to do there, except eat, which was fortunate because I couldn’t stop doing so. It was the first time I tasted Italian food as it was meant to be. Everything I ate, every slice of pizza was amazing; stripped down to the tenets of taking a few perfect ingredients and cooking them just enough that the flavours collapsed into one brilliant explosion on the tastebuds. It was pizza, but it was pizza on another level. In the three days I stayed there I put on six kilos. I ate like an anaconda, gorging myself in panic in case I could never find food like that again. For a long time I didn’t. When I did, I didn’t expect to find it in Northcote.
Pizza e Vino lies behind an unassuming glass shopfront down the Berlin end of High Street. Nestled in a belt of eateries and bars, just across the road from Joe’s Shoe Store, there’s nothing about the low-key ambience of the place that suggests it’s about to serve you up a dinner to blow your fucking mind. The menu is Italian, with regional treats from across the country dotting the menu. There’s gentle nudges to its Mediterranean neighbours – a saganaki on the entrée menu, a crème brulee on the dessert – but the soul of Pizza e Vino is quintessentially Italian in the way Lygon Street was in a long forgotten age. Everything we ate was, for a lack of a better word, perfect; fresh, quality ingredients, treated with respect by a chef that clearly knew what they were doing. Every flavour worked in harmony with the one next to it, delicate and bold and wonderful. If I closed my eyes while I ate I could have been back in that little village in Umbria.
Take the calamari, which comes dusted in flour and salt, fried to that elusive-near melting texture that’s so hard to get right in squid, and tossed with a zesty-palette cleansing, roquette salad. Or the Vitellino saltimbocca – fine steaks of tender veal layered with sage, pecorino and prosciutto served over a tantalising salad of balsamic-caramelized tomato. The pizzas, baked in a wood-fired oven to the rear of the restaurant are no different; carefully considered, perfectly balanced, with crunchy bases, flash-baked toppings and a tang of wood smoke. If there’s any fault with Pizza e Vino, it’s the impossibility of eating through the menu at one sitting, although God knows, I tried. Pizza e Vino, 232 High St, Northcote
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HIGH TECH BURRITO With Mexican places popping up all over town at the moment it is great to find a gem like High Tech Burrito. After kindly guided through the menu by store owner Gary Mink I was finally ready to get stuck into one of their delicious burritos. It was hand’s down one of the best I have had in a long time, if burritos aren’t your thing they also have a bunch of other stuff on the menu. Do yourself a favour and pop in at 838 Glenferrie Road, Hawthorn.
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DAPPLED CITIES
BY ALASDAIR DUNCAN
The new Dappled Cities album, Lake Air, is the musical distillation of pure joy – the equivalent of feeling the sun on your face, or the waves lapping your ankles at the beach. Singer and guitarist Dave Rennick tells me that, in a large part, this sense of joy came about because making the album was an act of wilful escapism for the band. “This record kind of represents where we ended up after making and touring our last one, Zounds,” he says. “It ended up being a gigantic record that we focused every last inch of our souls upon, and really tried to make it Dappled Cities’ masterpiece. We put a lot of pressure on ourselves, and off the back of that and some pretty intense touring, we were just in the mood to take a load off, but we wanted to make another record. So we thought,” he pauses for a second, “Why don’t we make a record and simultaneously take a load off?” The ultimate aim of Lake Air, Rennick tells me, was simply to create a light and bright album that might make people happy. “We wanted to make the arrangements as airy and spacious as we could,” he tells me. “That was a big part of it. I think that comes from being more experienced – we’ve learned that to make a song big and engaging and exciting, you don’t pile everything on, you let it speak for itself, and breathe.” In the past, Rennick explains, Dappled Cities have been prone to writing a melody, then stacking it with as many different sounds as possible in order to create something original and layered. That method, however, proved to be exhausting after a while, essentially a process of throwing everything at the wall in the hopes something might stick. “This time,” Rennick tells me, “we just decided we’d write some clear, beautiful, lyrically-delicate songs, and record them with space, and this is what happened. Space is good.” For Dappled Cities, this new approach to song writing
and arranging also meant a different approach to gear in the studio. “We’re huge fans of vintage keyboards, as most bands these days are,” Rennick says, “so we tried to collect as many of them as possible and stack them around the studio, all plugged in.” With the guitars, however, they tried to keep it as simple as possible. “You see studio shots of bands in the studio with a dozen guitars and a dozen amps all stacked up around the place,” he says with a laugh. “This time we just took two really tiny amps and that was it. The other thing we did was we made minimal use of effects with the guitars. We unplugged all the pedals, and all the outboard stuff, reverbs and what have you, and recorded everything clean. That’s why it’s got that sheen to it, which we were going for.” Lake Air came together in Paris, Los Angeles and Sydney, with each city adding its own particular influence to the songs. “When you’re travelling, your environment definitely
acts as a muse for what you’re doing at that particular time,” Rennick says. “I was living in Paris last year, and as a result, was writing all these euro pop songs and sending them back to everyone. They were sort of taken aback, and suggested I start a side project. Tim and I worked on pre-production for the record in San Francisco and LA – we love those places, and they really set the vibe for the record. Everyone’s so chilled-out in LA, and it’s so airy – I don’t know, it’s just relaxed. You really can’t be stressed out in Los Angeles, unless you’re in traffic.” Given the beautiful simplicity of the arrangements, integrating the new songs into the live show has been a breeze. “The cool thing about this record is that we don’t have to stack it with stuff,” Rennick tells me. “We don’t have to replicate anything crazy, it’s just the band having a good time. We can just get out there with guitars and a keyboard and play the damn songs.” It sounds pretty straightforward, but in fact, this newfound simplicity took the band by surprise, as in the beginning they didn’t quite know how to deal with it. “We were baffled by the idea that we didn’t have to work a bunch of samples into the songs to make
them work,” he says. “A song like Lake Air is an excellent example, it’s just a delicate song with guitar playing and singing. It took us a bit of time to nail that simplicity, because we’d been doing things so big for so long, but once we got there it was an easy thing to do.” Just for the record, that euro pop side project of Rennick’s may yet see the light of day. “It’s well on its way!” he says with a laugh. “I’ve been working with Berkfinger, otherwise known as Simon Berckelman of Philadelphia Grand Jury. It’s going to be interesting – around the same time we were doing that, Tim was working on his side project, which is equally poppy.” Rennick has written the songs, but may or may not be contributing vocals. “I don’t consider myself to be the ideal pop star,” he says. “I mean, for one thing, I’m too old, and I’m also an Australian dude. You’ll probably hear the songs at some point, but I might well end up bringing in a vocalist for them.”
and clear when one hears the sonic goodies that litter Haptics, their gleamingly exciting debut LP. Thor laughs fondly when I ask him what the highlights of recording it were. “I think it’s pretty funny that we recorded it a couple of weeks before our final school sessions,” he admits. “I think back on it and I think I should have been more stressed out. But yeah, I just [got] into the music and didn’t really care about the whole ‘English thing’ at the time. I mean, we recorded it in a whole week, going into the studio pretty much from nine to five. It was pretty tiring, but thinking about this album and making our debut…” Pretty damn exciting, isn’t it? “Exactly,” he states emphatically. One recurring theme that has consistently shone through the course of our conversation has been one of friendship. Early on, when I mention to Thor the inherent soul that’s evident in their music, especially considering their relatively tender ages, he’s quick to point out how incredibly close they are. “I think it all comes back to the fact that we’re all amazing friends,” he says affectionately. “When we’re not
rehearsing and whatnot, we’re actually just hanging out and having a good time.” Now that Haptics is out, they’re preparing themselves up for their album launch next weekend at The Toff In Town. “It’s coming up really soon actually!” he exclaims. “There’s going to be a lot of dancing, and a really great vibe.” Then the planning for a national tour. “We’re actually organising that at the moment,” Thor informs me. “We’ll have it all locked in by the end of next week. And that’s really exciting, we’ve never really done a tour like this before – the only other show we’ve done out of Victoria has been [the one with] Charles Bradley in Sydney.” Listening to him, I’m thinking they’re on the cusp of taking on the world.
a removalist, and the lady there said, ‘Look, we’ve got no idea what to do with the piano. If you guys can get it, you can have it for 250 bucks.’ It was the greatest thing ever. It’s an awesome old piano, and it helps with the really basic writing of the songs.” Tickell says they’ve all learned to play piano quickly since grabbing the baby gem, and that all songs begin their life on the keys. “You can tell with our music, I think,” he ponders. “They’re songs that could be stripped back to just keys.” Tickell himself “can’t afford a million guitars”, but he does have his two “old faithfuls,” a Gibson 335 and a Fender Telecaster. “I love guitars,” he says warmly. “I think they’re the sexiest instrument ever.” I mention the clip for The Good The Bad track 030 in which the heroine makes out with an electric guitar, and Tickell says, “I have dreams like that! It’s weird. I can’t tell what’s sex and what’s guitars and music. They come together.” Despite having enjoyed recording in a small studio, the band
prefer a big stage to perform on, and are looking forward to their upcoming gig at the Prince. “It’s probably our favourite venue to play. Just ‘cause it’s so big, and we’re all pretty big guys, and we’ve got lots of shit on stage,” Tickell explains with a smile. “We love the Prince; it’s by far one of the best venues in Melbourne for sound. Also they allow you to smoke. We’ll play any place that allows you to smoke in the back room, that’s the deal.” With their walls of alternately haunting and joyful synths, hopeful Brandon Flowers style vocals and modestly electro beats, Sons. should have no trouble filling the Bandroom with dancing admirers.
Lake Air is out Friday August 3 on Hub The Label / Inertia.
THE CACTUS CHANNEL
BY THOMAS BAILEY
Pop Haptics, the debut record from Melbourne ten-piece funk ensemble The Cactus Channel, into your hi-fi stereo system. Turn the volume knob up to its highest setting, sit back and soak in the tasty stew of raw and nasty funk served up alongside the sweetest soul-drenched R&B, then watch, bewilderingly, as your legs begin to shake uncontrollably. By then, you’re standing up and dancing like a mad person, seemingly possessed by the desire to move. The music, both technically proficient and fundamentally funky, is brilliant. But that’s not the surprising bit. It’s the age of these ten Melbournian funketeers. The Cactus Channel have just graduated from high school, and at the tender age of 18 are poised to take over the world with their sweaty, nasty, funky sounds. Funk-soul masters The Dap-Kings’ Tom Brenneck and Tennessee soul legend Charles Walker are big fans, and back in March The Cactus Channel had an incredible opportunity to play with one of their heroes, Charles Bradley, in Sydney. Cactus Channel guitarist Darvid Thor laughs as he recounts this experience to me over the phone. “It was awesome,” he says understatedly, “And I think, ‘Wow, that actually happened!’ We had been listening to a lot of [Charles Bradley’s bands] Menahan Band and Budos Band, and to actually meet with him and play with him was absolutely unreal. And he’s such a lovely man, too.” The seeds that would become The Cactus Channel were first germinated in Year Eight in the confines of Princes Hill Secondary College, where Thor and his mates were jamming away in the Junior Stage Band, exploring their shared love of nitty-gritty soul and classic funk. “Yeah, we were mucking around in the music department,” he recalls. “After [playing together] for a while we started heading in our own direction, more or less. We decided to get a few more
horn players, to bring our sound out a bit more, and then [added] another guitarist. Then that was the complete lineup; that was towards the end of 2008, which was Year Nine.” After jamming for a while, the idea of becoming a bona fide band began to gel for the young musicians. “We started writing our own material, which was pretty bad back then,” laughs Thor. “We realised early on that we wanted to write our own songs rather than just be a cover band. I think we’ve come a fair way from some of those early crappy recordings I don’t want anyone to hear,” he laughs again, and it’s easy to tell that he and the rest of his partners-in-funk are having the times of their lives. So with ten individual voices, what’s the writing situation like? Do they just break out into jams and see what works best? “Sometimes,” admits Thor, “but it’s quite hard to break out into a jam with ten people. With horn players it sounds a bit funny when they play over each other. Generally, someone will bring an idea to the band, and then we’ll all see where it goes from there. People will add parts to where they’d play, or ideas might get changed around. But either we write songs where there’s been half an idea and the rest just happens, or [one] brings in a full idea and plays it how [they’ve] imagined it. Yeah, it’s a big collaboration too.” And it’s that collaborative effort that shines through loud
THE CACTUS CHANNEL hold their album launch at The Toff In Town on Saturday August 4. Their debut Haptics is out now through HopeStreet Recordings and Fuse Music Group.
SONS.
BY ZOË RADAS
Deciding to ditch their old name, aesthetic and songs doesn’t sound like it was a hugely gutwrenching decision for the members of Melbourne’s thoughtful pop-electronic foursome Sons.. While guitarist Kyle Tickell concedes the shed skin of San Fran Disco “shaped what [they] wanted to do”, the idea was to pull things back: simplify, imbue true meaning, and create an EP of which they could be really proud. The new band name in particular communicates their presser’s assertion that “everything is equal and opposite at the same time, at once self-assured and vulnerable, unusual and strangely familiar.” It’s such a small word, demanding nothing, and yet every man is a son. Tickell talks macro and micro on the cusp of the boys’ self-titled EP launch, to be held at the Prince Bandroom. “For now we’ll use San Fran as a bit of a launching site for Sons., but after that we just don’t want to have anything to do with it,” laughs Tickell from the home he shares with brother and bassist Lachie. “We’re only playing one song [from those days], which we never actually recorded, and everything else is brand new. By the end of playing San Fran shows we were so over playing those songs and it was just not what we wanted to do at all. We thought, ‘We’ll start something completely fresh.’” The name change symbolised a concerted, definite break from the past. “We love the name, but it’s pretty ambiguous to find on the internet,” Tickell says. “It’s been tough in that sense, because we’ve had a lot of people say they can’t find it.” Aside from this, it sounds like transferring their fan base wasn’t the headfuck you’d imagine. Some good oldfashioned nepotism amongst band-related roles has Beat Magazine Page 56
ensured each of the band members’ large, interlocked friendship groups have remained informed, and the guys weren’t afraid to utilise their mate’s skills to craft the new band identity either. The design work of close friend Dan Evans features in Sons.’ posters and promo material, and perfectly imparts the understated theme. “He’s got his own design studio in the city called Motherbird,” explains Tickell. “It’s him and two other dudes who are doing really cool stuff, and we got them on board.” Kyle, Lachie, drummer Carey Watkins and lead singer and keys player Nick Acquroff are all self-taught, and the DIY theme has extended to their studio in Moorabbin. “Nick’s dad had a factory there and so we basically just built a rehearsal space in there. It’s a big warehouse-type factory, and we rent that out. It’s our HQ,” Tickell says. “We have a baby grand piano in it. Me and Carey used to work for
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SONS. play the Prince Bandroom on Friday August 3, to mark the launch of their new EP. They’ll be joined by Diamond and Conker. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased through either the Prince Bandroom’s site (princebandroom.com.au) or Moshtix.
SNAKADAKTAL BY TEGAN BUTLER
Not yet one year on from their fateful unearthing, teen sensations Snakadaktal are kicking some serious life and career goals. This includes but is not limited to becoming high-school graduates (with the exception of one – vocalist Phoebe), releasing a highly acclaimed debut EP, and selling out not one, but two previous national headline tours. Fresh from a national tour as the highly coveted support slot for fellow Triple J darlings The Jezabels, the boys and girl that make up the dreamy shoe gaze pop quintet from the outer suburbs are getting ready to do it all again. With news of a debut album in the works and yet another sure to be sell-out national tour fast approaching, Snakadaktal are growing up and quickly moving away from their pesky high-school wunderkind label by preparing to take on the big bad world, one hit single at a time. Having written and recorded the material from their current self-titled EP from the comfort of their homes, Sean (vocals/guitar), Phoebe (vocals/synth), Barna (drums), Joseph (guitar) and Jarrah (bass), are well and truly examples of the natural talent spawned from pure enjoyment. Getting together to play two years ago, Snakadaktal were primarily a band for pleasure that has since turned into pretty big business. It’s this relaxed, home-grown attitude that has seen the band and their sweet, swoon-worthy tracks Air and Chimera catapult them to instant indie-star status and highlight their knack for penning tunes all about fantasy, youth and love. Common themes for most, Snakadaktal’s genuine innocence and ability to be playful in their song writing has yet to put them a foot wrong. Now facing big changes and developments in their personal life, with vocalist Phoebe battling through her final year of high school and the boys now free from its former holds, the band are collectively thinking forward to the writing of their debut album. “Our ideas are always changing, just through what we’re doing at the time or what we’re thinking about,” Sean relates. “We always try to have fun songs and try to have written a happy album, but then I guess we find what works well with us is being more sad lyrical writers over nice melodies, which sound very sad. I guess we kind of do that too much.” Dance Bear, their latest single, and a track from their upcoming album, is of a different breed though. Incorporating heavier guitars and louder synth, Snakadaktal appear to be leaning towards more of a grown-up rock sound. “That song was always, when we made it, a much rockier song, but we definitely developed it into a more poppy tune. We recorded it with Malcolm Besley from Northeast Party House, who’s a good friend of ours. He really helped us along the way and taught us a new way of looking at it and recording, and that’s why it’s really clean, and a really good recording.” “All the ones we’d done ourselves beforehand was the way we were so used to doing it, but his [method] is obviously a lot better quality than ours, so he had a lot of influence on the recording of the track. A lot of us are listening to a lot more electronic music, and we’ve all got very different tastes in music, so I guess we’ll kind of always change a bit when we’re doing it as a group.” Change, perhaps, but don’t call it maturing – that’s one thing Sean sees as irrelevant in music. “I think all sounds and all words, they’re timeless things and I don’t think with music you can say what is mature and what isn’t – it’s all basically just sounds. It’s like art – you’ve got little kids drawing these paintings that are worth thousands of dollars, but it’s not about skill and maturity, it’s about the moment and the meaning.”
“I THINK ALL SOUNDS AND ALL WORDS, THEY’RE TIMELESS THINGS AND I DON’T THINK WITH MUSIC YOU CAN SAY WHAT IS MATURE AND WHAT ISN’T“ The opportunity to work alongside more established people within the music industry has also helped with the growth of the band, particularly having toured with the likes of The Jezabels. “That was an amazing experience and opportunity to be given,” Sean recounts. “The whole crew and everyone involved were absolutely delightful people to know and to have met and be travelling around with. It taught us so much, just what’s in them every night – huge performers, so professional about everything. We really watch that and think, ‘whoa, we’re going to be like that one day if we work a bit harder.’” Snakadaktal are definitely well on their way, having just booked a fresh run of tour dates across the country to celebrate the launch of Dance Bear, with three shows in Melbourne alone. With these kinds of numbers it’s hard to argue that the young band have an expiry date. “We’re going to have longer sets this tour with a lot of new songs that are going to really change people’s opinions of us – they can either really hate us or decide that we’re not a one hit wonder,” Sean says, with a hint of trepidation. “We really just want to prove that we can be around for longer than a year.” They needn’t be worried. While a quick rise to the top of indie music ranks can more often than not mean a quick and fairly brutal fall in this fickle business, Snakadaktal are gradually growing into their own and shaking off any ill-informed judgements. “I guess we’ll not always want the high-school band label, just because you want to be known for your music, not really your age. It’s probably something we’d definitely want to lose in the future, but we’re really grateful to have had that publicity about us to help us in our music life.”
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SNAKADAKTAL play The Corner Hotel on Friday August 17 and Saturday August 18 with support from Sures and City Calm Down. They’ll also play a special under 18 matinee show on Sunday August 19. DISCUSS WHAT? BEAT.COM.AU/DISCUSSION
Beat Magazine Page 57
LIVE SOLUTION BY ZOË RADAS
Most of us have experienced the irritation or plain dread of alcohol’s effects on fans’ behaviour at live shows. Things can swing from fun to foul rather quick-smart if fans don’t know their limits, or even intentionally breach those limits for the sake of getting too loose. The broad issue of binge drinking is presently receiving a lot of press due to its perceived rise; discussions in various circles around the country, with interviews, articles and podcasts created to attempt to illuminate the catalysts and ramifications of the problem, are growing. Mushroom Music and the Australian government have teamed up to establish Live Solution, an initiative which utilises the vocal might of some of the music industry’s members who consider the matter close to their own hearts and concerns. “There’re so many awesome established artists who’ve put their hand up and said ‘Yes, I’ll straightup talk about this,” says Melbourne hip hop icon Mantra. Eloquent to the point of practically creating an impulsive speech-rap in a few sentences, Mantra is passionate about his involvement in the plan. “From my point of view it’s great to see my hip hop contemporaries involved: Pez, Bliss N Eso, Illy. It’s an issue at hip hop shows, like it is at any live show: there’s a lot of binge drinking and rowdy behaviour. And whilst we encourage people having a really good time and getting a bit loose and letting it all hang out, there’s a difference between that and straight-up destructive and disruptive behaviour. “I think more dangerous than the drinking itself is the kind of mentality behind that,” he continues. “The importance people place on alcohol; the associations between alcohol and being out at a live gig or whatever; it’s very common on a cultural level in Australia.” Joined by the star punch of Cameras and Stonefield among others, Mantra will be working with Mushroom Marketing to bring the message through live music performances, workshops and social media. Chairman of the Mushroom Group Michael
Gudinski speaks warmly of the Australian live music scene, deeming it “one of the best... in the world”, and credits the musicians, their live talent, well-managed venues and ardent live music fans with the scene’s incredible health and verve. “Binge drinking has never added anything to this world and never will,” Gudinski says simply. “The Live Solution program recognises this and provides a powerful way for young Australians to do the same.” Mantra is especially fervent about working with Mushroom. “They’re using the powerful forum that they have in the music industry to kind of attack things that are important to our society in general; not just the music industry, but our community and our culture in general. I’ve been involved in a number of projects with them; a bunch of workshops over the last couple of years in schools, promoting the themes of respect and responsibility towards others. The projects which they’re doing are really good; really noble.” It’s interesting to contemplate the artists’ take, at their own shows. Mantra assures me that even in a crowd of thousands, you can immediately pick where the problem pockets of an audience are. “I think in any music scene, the vast majority of people are
“THE IMPORTANCE PEOPLE PLACE ON ALCOHOL; THE ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN ALCOHOL AND BEING OUT AT A LIVE GIG OR WHATEVER; IT’S VERY COMMON ON A CULTURAL LEVEL IN AUSTRALIA.”
peaceful and considerate as punters. There’s just a small amount of people that get carried away and let things like alcohol get the better of them. And it’s just sad because that can totally screw up a whole gig: not just for the crowd but for the artist themselves. If that kind of negative stuff happens it can totally mar the whole event for you.” The Managing Director of Mushroom Marketing, Carl Gardiner, supports Mantra’s words by highlighting the connections and credibility that musicians develop with their fans. “The Live Solution program taps directly into this space to challenge the culture of binge drinking,” he explains. “Artists involved with the program all have different experiences to draw on when they talk about binge drinking and how it can impact a live music experience. The range of perspectives from the artists is a real strength of the program; and the mix of print and online channels they are integrated into allow and encourage this diversity.” The propulsion behind Mushroom’s sincere love and support for Melbourne and its live gigs is also manifest in the Group’s Managing Director’s remarks about his own encounters: “Working in the music industry and running all sorts of events including
many catering to under 18s and a youth audience, I see firsthand the positive influence live music can have on young Australians – it’s an experience that can inspire and motivate,” Matt Gudinski says. “The Live Solution program is a fantastic initiative that recognises live music’s importance in keeping this city vibrant and its youth engaged, while reminding music fans that binge drinking doesn’t improve the outstanding scene Melbourne continues to build.” Who’d want to be the one either directly affecting artists’ and fans’ gig experiences, or indirectly encouraging friends’ bingeing through inaction or passivity? Look out for the discussion-provoking messages and stories from Live Solution’s participants over the coming months, and get involved. Raising awareness among your mates can only do good, and could do a lot more than that.
“I think doses of humour are very important in terms of not coming across as preachy,” Tankian says. “And it helps understand the them better. Figure It Out is a great example, because it’s a very political theme, but also ultra-simplified to make CEOs the target of all of our economic woes. However, the issues are much more complicated than that. But making it a political satire and going after one villain makes it more fun, and it makes the song jump up and be a good time. It’s also part of my character; I don’t like to sit down and brood all day, or laugh all day, or do just one thing all day. your day is mixed with emotions, varied emotions, so why shouldn’t a record be?”
And, despite appearances, Tankian remains, at heart, an optimist, both personally and politically. “I do believe in the power of the person,” he says. “I don’t believe we’re stymied by systems; I believe we created those systems, and we can take ‘em down – it’s as simple as that. But it requires a monumental effort, and it requires an awareness of the interconnectivity of all of the things we originally spoke about. I think it’s doable, bro.”
Check facebook.com/LiveSolution to see what the LIVE SOLUTION artists think about the program. You can also win a gig in your hood, and there’s info on how to stage a live music event with free advice from music industry experts.
SERJ TANKIAN BY TRAVIS JOHNSON
For a man responsible for so many varied and successful endeavours - he’s not only a singer/songwriter, but also an acclaimed producer, a published poet, and a respected and provocative political activist - Serj Tankian is surprisingly and refreshingly humble. When asked about his new solo album, the boldly titled Harakiri, he is self-effacing to the point of being dismissive. “I think it’s a very straight-up kind of record with some punk influences, some ‘80s influences, and more traditional rock playing.” he says, and fair enough. But when he begins to elaborate, the complexity of the album becomes apparent. “However, there are a lot of different sounds and scapes that are layered in there. There’s three songs that I sketched out on the iPad, for example, that are kind of ethno-electro, like Ching-Chime, Reality TV, and Deafening Silence. It just brings a different colour palette and a different sensitivity to the music, having those elements. Like the way Occupied Tears starts, for example: a very brooding, kind of ‘80s goth vibe with the vocals really low, and beats, and these beautiful soundscapes turning into a rock kind of song. It’s interesting. I like it when people pick up influences.” And while the album is certainly an accomplished piece of musicianship, it’s on that thematic level that it becomes really interesting. Dealing with such subjects as mass extinction, economic malfeasance, the tyranny of mass media and the hijacking of democracy, Harakiri sounds like nothing less than Tankian’s grand unified field theory on what’s wrong with the world. “I never thought of it that way,” he laughs. “But I guess that could play into it. All of those things are interconnected. Ecological change forces political change. Lack of rainfall creates migration. Migration creates anti-immigration, right wing policies. There’s many things that are interconnected: culturally, economically, ecologically, politically, So they all play into the same sphere of conversation, so the songs naturally kind of include all of that. Although there
are songs that are personal, humorous, and all that; that’s my kind of exclusion clause with every record that I’m not just a political artist, you know? But yeah, I like to tackle politics a little.” “A little” is an understatement. Tankian’s work is underpinned by a set of strong political convictions, and driven by a sense of righteous outrage at what he sees as the coopting of the democratic process by threatening forces. A simple question about the subject of the song Uneducated Democracy elicits a short lecture in response. “I think we are uninformed,” he states firmly. “There’s a lot of information out there, definitely more than ever before in the history of civilisation. However, knowledge, true knowledge, is lost, and what we can do it about it is build awareness. Read! Fucking read, mate! That’s what it comes down to. For example, the American populace is being slowly but surely revved up for a possible war with Iran. However, if people in America were aware of the US foreign policy having to do with Iran as one country, and if they were aware that, in the 1950s, with the help of the CIA, we helped overthrow a democratically elected Iran and brought in a king, people might want to apologise to Iran before threatening to bomb them. This is just simple history, you know? This is basic knowledge, and it’s only 60 years ago, for God’s sake. But ask ten Americans, and if one of them knows, I’d be fucking surprised.” Still, Harakiri doesn’t come across as a grim polemical, thanks in large to the injection of a strong line of wry, albeit dark, humour throughout the record.
“KNOWLEDGE, TRUE KNOWLEDGE, IS LOST, AND WHAT WE CAN DO IT ABOUT IT IS BUILD AWARENESS. READ! FUCKING READ, MATE!”
Beat Magazine Page 58
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Harakiri is out now on Reprise Records/Serjical Strike/Warner.
BILLY TALENT BY JOSHUA KLOKE
In one of his few pearls of wisdom, Bono once stated something to the effect that every band is allowed to make one bad record; it’s when they release two bad records in a row that bands should become worried. While Bono ought to be worried sick by now, Ben Kowalewicz isn’t that concerned. The lead singer of Toronto-based punk rockers Billy Talent understands that while some of the band’s fans felt a disconnect with their Juno-award winning 2009 release, Billy Talent III, he’s still proud of it. Kowalewicz just knows that there are some things that are out of his control. “I don’t know?” he laughs, after being asked if he felt the disconnect. “Disconnect might be a little dramatic, but people like to put you in a box,” says the 36-year-old, reached on the phone from an Amsterdam tour stop. “They like to say, ‘this is you. This is the kind of music you play.’ And whenever you stray away from that, people get confused. I love the record though, I stand by it,” he continues. “It was a different record; I’m glad we have it in our Rolodex of a career. I think this record is going to re-establish that connect. The second record was cool, because it was heavy. We just wanted to go down those roads and explore them a little more, as we did on this record. But not in an alienating way.” With their fourth album Dead Silence on the horizon, Billy Talent remain focused towards moving on, despite recent setbacks. This desire can be heard in spades on Viking Death March, their recently released lead single. Utilizing blunt force to assure fans their harder edges have not been smoothed over, Kowalewicz details how the song came to fruition, including the effects that recent Occupy movements had on the writing of the song. “Lyrically, it’s quite serious. Having been home for the
last year and working on the record, we witnessed the Occupy movement in Toronto, and we also had the G20 gather in Toronto. The whole city turned into a complete militant state before our eyes. The song is about empowerment and standing up for yourself. As we’ve seen all over the world over the last two years, the power of change is possible. You can stand there, speak your mind and change can happen. As much as we think about that happening in a ‘60s, nostalgic way, it still works. It’s been pretty eye opening for us to witness that. It’s just us tipping our hats to those people who speak their minds and try and make the world a better place.” Kowalewicz speaks with the pensive clarity of a man who is indeed ready to use his band to better the world. It’s been three years since Billy Talent’s last release, and the only time Kowalewicz becomes defensive is when he’s questioned about the rumoured delay of Dead Silence. The Billy Talent camp was recently dealt a serious blow to their future. It’s the kind of hardship however, that makes a band stronger in the long run. “I wouldn’t say we delayed it,” he says pointedly. “(Drummer Aaron Solowoniuk) had open heart surgery. And there’s any reason to wait on anything,
I’d say that’s it. There wasn’t any crisis with the record so to speak. The problem with bands nowadays, not to point my finger, but there’s an emphasis on maintaining relevance in this disposable society that we’ve become, so bands rush albums. We just believe that good food takes a long time to cook. We’d rather give our fans a quality record than a record that meets a label’s quarterly, fiscal quota. I think some people that work with us on different levels jumped the gun a little bit.” If there’s to be a renewed energy on Dead Silence, it wouldn’t be a stretch to credit the band’s new lease on life. They’re appreciating what’s truly important, and fans have reason to be excited. “At the end of the day, (Solowoniuk) is my best friend. We grew up together. So first and foremost, when you see your buddy having to go through something like that, it opens your eyes. And as you get older, and you start to lose people and all the other things seem very trivial and insignificant. Your friends, family and your wellbeing are what remains important. And we’re a band of brothers. We now, more than ever, appreciate our opportunities. “I don’t know if it’s our age, or if it’s because we
still have the privilege of playing rock’n’roll shows and writing records that people want to hear and enjoy. There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t feel thankful. I’ve sacrificed a lot to get there and maintain what we do. It becomes a bizarre, cosmic kind of thing where you stop and say, ‘Wow, what am I doing?’” What the band is doing is marching along with the same emotional mustard that they showed on their breakout debut, Billy Talent I. Yet now, clichéd as it may sound, the band is stopping to smell the roses. Or in their case, stopping to smell over 100,000 sweaty bodies and still enjoying themselves. “The other day we co-headlined a festival in Germany with Metallica in front of 110,000 people. I turn back and see my best buddy playing drums, laughing his arse off, when two months ago he simply couldn’t move. There’s moments like that when you get a bit overwhelmed with emotion.”
something that 28 Days, and Gardiner, are in a perfect position to comment on. “It’s fucking sad,” he says. “When we’re gone, all of the bands, people will realise it. I mean, it probably won’t happen that [badly] but it’s pretty scary right now. You spend all of this money on recording an album and then you basically have to give it away. We’ll have to basically give ours away but we’ve planned for that. We’ve seen a lot of change from the days when you had to go to Sing Sing Studio for weeks and spend over $100,000. A lot of heart has been taken out of the recording process with everyone choosing to record at home. Nothing beats going into these old studios like Sing Sing and 301 in Sydney. Being able to record in a place of history inspires you more than just tracking drums at a friend’s house. That’s the sad part of it all, but the good thing is that these studios are
dropping their prices so smaller bands are able to access them.” With the mention of studios and albums, it’s obvious 28 Days have something in the pipeline, but the timing is up in the air. “Hopefully, well it’s basically done, but hopefully by the end of the year if not next year we’ll have it out,” he says. “We’re trying to get back on the Big Day Out because that’s awesome fun and we had so many cool Big Day Out tours over the years but they’re a funny lot, they want you to have something out before they’ll let you on. But if it doesn’t happen, it doesn’t happen,” he finishes with a cackle of acceptance.
What special delights can punters expect from you dudes at Showdown? Mate! We will be bringing the full tilt, silo-styled beats and blasts along with our mega flashy, flashy light projection show extravaganza! Like camping, it’s intense! Is Nick your real name or your nick name? No. I actually nicked the name Nick just in the nick of time from another Nick. I think Nick was his nickname though.
Being a “supergroup”, does anyone in the band actually possess any super powers to speak of? I once saw Forbes impregnate an avocado with his eyeballs. What can we expect from TKB at Showdown? AND, do you guys keep your rider anywhere specific or...? High-octane ear explosions and a general transference of the mind and soul to a higher realm of understanding, love and joy. That’s also where we keep our rider.
Nick (Sub Atari Knives) harasses Tyson (The Khyber Belt)…
What does the near future hold for TKB? We’re all going to see Batman, again.
BILLY TALENT roll into Billboard on Sunday August 12. Their new record, Dead Silence is out September 7.
28 DAYS BY KRISSI WEISS
28 days have seen it all – ultimate highs (through a host of national and global tours and a solid level of notoriety in the Australian punk/nu-metal scene), coupled with devastating lows (the death of their drummer, Scott Murray, in 2001) and now the band have settled into what bassist Damian Gardiner describes as a “well-paid hobby.” While audiences were led to believe the band broke-up in the mid ‘00s, it was simply an extended hiatus that ended in 2009 via a tour with fellow grit rock stalwarts Bodyjar. Since then, 28 Days have chosen to do things at a temperate pace with no real desire to return to the hedonistic heights of days gone by. “We all work normal day jobs and have lenient bosses who give us time off and the odd long weekend,” Gardiner laughs as he explains the new era of 28 Days. “You know, we probably make more out of it now than what we ever did. At the moment it’s really cool. We had the explosion and a couple of years of total madness, which I would never give back; it was awesome fun, but you can’t maintain that sort of lifestyle and touring schedule. We’re lucky because we’ve got some really die-hard fans who’ve stuck with us through everything and we get a lot out of that. It’s like playing to a bunch of old friends now.” Gardiner talks of the old days and the new journey of the band with fondness and an almost selfdeprecating attitude. There are a few small regrets but all in all it appears that the band are more than happy with the path they’ve taken. “There are a few things that we still stew over, a few managerial mistakes,” he admits. “Like, we should’ve played Europe instead of going to America. At the time it meant a lot more and there’s still a little frustration. Things were going really well in Europe but our manager decided for some reason that we needed to play the Vans Warped tour in the States and we had to cancel the European tour. At the time we were a bit pissed off but looking back the Vans tour
Q&A
was so much fun – we had the absolute best time. But seriously, I guess even if it had’ve panned out in Europe we were never gonna be the biggest band or anything. We could’ve maybe lived off the band for another year or so but that’s probably it.” In a musical landscape where the lifecycle of a band seems to be but a few years, up-and-comers are still citing 28 Days as a massive musical influence. They arrived at a time that the morphing of the punk revival with the nu-metal genre appeared to be a strictly American affair and it’s no exaggeration that 28 Days paved the way for many bands. When presented with this idea Gardiner returns to his humble and humorous self. “I don’t know if we paved the way ‘cause we ripped off a lot of bands that we liked and just blended them all together,” he says with a laugh. “If there’s one legacy, not so much paving the way, but we gave Gyroscope their first tour, and After The Fall when they were around, so we helped out a lot of young bands. We still try and do it now. People are always saying, ‘Oh you should do a tour with Frenzal Rhomb,’ which would be great, but we’d just like to help out younger bands. With all of the venues closing it’s impossible for some young bands to get a show, let alone a fairly good show.” The steady decline of the creative economy is
SHOWDOWN AT THE CORNER
THE KHYBER BELT VS SUB ATARI KNIVES Tyson (The Khyber Belt) questions Nick (Sub Atari Knives)… What is a Sub Atari Knife and how did you get so many? Well, when you buy the Sub Atari Blender from Demtel you get a free set of Sub Atari Knives. Needless to say we are pretty big on home shopping. How can the kids get a hold of your tunes? We are releasing our debut EP around mid Sept. Get it via our FB page, iTunes or by picking up a copy at a show. Within the animal kingdom who would be your ideal fan base? Humans I’d say. None of the other animals we invite tend to show up to our gigs for some reason. Stuff ‘em.
Recently The Khyber Belt stood up Sub Atari Knives (yeah, whatever....) to go off and tour stadiums with Evanescence. What was that like? It really woke me up inside. It saved me. It saved all of us really.
28 DAYS will play at The Evelyn, Saturday August 4 with And Burn and The Union Pacific.
THE KHYBER BELT and SUB ATARI KNIVES play SHOWDOWN AT THE CORNER, taking place this Friday August 3 at The Corner Hotel with Bellusira, Hotel On Mayfair, Engine Three Seven and heaps more.
You guys are comprised of previous members of three other awesome Oz bands. Has it been hard to find a common ground when it comes time to write? Not really, we have an app for that.
DISCUSS WHAT? BEAT.COM.AU/DISCUSSION
Beat Magazine Page 59
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PUNK, SKA, HARDCORE NEWS, REVIEWS AND GOSSIP BY EMILY KELLY: EK1984@GMAIL.COM
When I was younger I used to have a set of rules pertaining to music and associated fandom. It was in the days when accusing people of being posers was rife, and the word ‘teenybopper’ was legitimately in use. For some reason we were all so protective of our music back then and we were so desperately keen to weed out the betrayers amongst us and expose them for faking fandom for social status. And when chain stores started stocking aged Metallica t-shirts? I could barely contain my self-righteous anger. Well, those days have passed now. It could be because I’m no longer a suburban uni student who has nothing better to do than hypothesise (and occasionally pen long-winded essays) about societal injustices and pop culture. I used to declare that one should only be allowed to wear a band’s merchandise should they know the lead singer’s name and be able to list four album titles on the spot. What a fuckwit. Honestly. Now I’m just stoked to see anyone sporting band merch and increasing band awareness, as it’s infinitely preferable to types who promote brand names as though they are something to throw your support behind with any kind of serious conviction. I’d prefer to encounter a pimply dildo trying to bluff scene cred in a Municipal Waste shirt than a sad young lady trotting about with a $1,200 Louis Vitton handbag.
Sydney’s Phantoms have revealed that their current tour with Harms Way (which hit Melbourne last weekend) will most likely be their final tour. Their Facebook entry read “this will ‘most likely’ be out last tour as a band… Thank you for the support it’s been so much fun”.
Bad Religion are recording…AGAIN. The legendary punk rockers have started recording already at Joe Baressi’s JHOC studio. This is to be their 16th studio album and will be co-produced by band members Brett Gurewitz and Greg Graffin.
Electrik Dynamite have teamed up with metal band Lord to tour Australia and New Zealand on the Digital Live Tour 2012. You can see them both at Newmarket Hotel in Bendigo on October 26, Bang on October 27 and Geelong’s National Hotel on October 28.
Chopdog have revealed a large local lineup for an event it has coined ‘Fest-Mas 2012’. Scheduled to take place at The Evelyn venue and rooftop(?!) on December 1, USA’s Pour Habit will be headlining. Local contingent includes Anchors, Hightime, Totally Unicorn, Jamie Hay, The Bennies, The Gun Runners, Ramshackle Army, Cavalcade, Clowns and Take Your Own.
CRUNCH! NASUM SAY HELLO & GOODBYE TO AUSTRALIA They’ve never toured Australia before, and they never will again: Nasum are here this month as part of their 20th anniversary/final farewell tour. Nasum terrorized the underground with their unique and unmistakable blend of brutal musical madness from their inception in 1992. With four full length albums, countless 7”s, MCDs and a plethora of compilation appearances, Nasum were unstoppable and the undisputed kings of the grind scene until their untimely and tragic end. The band parted ways after their vocalist Mieszko Talarczyk died in Thailand during the tsunami of 2004. After long deliberation and scrutiny they decided to reunite and do a handful of shows around the world in 2012 to celebrate their 20th anniversary and say a final goodbye to the fans and Mieszko. Rotten Sound vocalist Keijo Niinimaa is at the mic. Supports include Dyscarnate (UK), Captain Cleanoff, and Tasmanian extreme metal horde Psycroptic. It’s Psycroptic’sfirst Australian tour since the release of their critically acclaimed new album The Inherited Repression. Sunday August 19 at The Hi-Fi.
BILLY TALENT AUSTRALIAN SUPPORTS ANNOUNCED After winning triple j Unearthed and a spot at Splendour last weekend, Kingswood will put their thunderous rock anthems on show with Billy Talent for their sold out Melbourne show on Sunday August 12. Brisbane support on August 9 is The City Shake Up, and Sydney gets Far Away Stables on August 10.
VERSUS THE WORLD BY KRISSI WEISS
A few friends in California decided to have a jam in the back of The Ataris old record store about seven years ago with former Ataris bassist Mike Davenport initiating the idea with Donald Spence taking on the vocal duties. The band’s self-titled punk-rock release, Versus The World, appeared and then things became a little quiet for the band. Versus The World looked as though it might be a one-off side-project but with a line-up reshuffle, including the addition of Lagwagon’s Chris Flippin on guitar and Crooks & Liars’ Bryan Charlson, the four-piece decided to take things a little more seriously from 2010. Despite a solid reputation from their varied punk and rock projects, Versus The World were left to put together their sophomore album at mostly their own expense with little in the way of label support. There are whispers they might be appearing in Australia for Soundwave, but even Flippin is unsure as to whether that is a definite possibility. Beat Magazine Page 60
NBC have announced that Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong will join the panel on the US version of The Voice. He will serve as a mentor to Christina Aguilera’s team. Shudder.
Hellcat Records rockabilly outfit Nekromantix have announced a tour in support of new album What Happens In Hell, Stays In Hell. They will play Melbourne’s The Hi-Fi on Saturday October 6, with tickets going on sale this Friday July 3. Keen?
WEDNESDAY AUGUST 1: House Vs Hurricane, While She Sleeps, Northlane, Heights at Bended Elbow, Ballarat High Side Driver, Sierra Leone at The Espy THURSDAY AUGUST 2: Rosetta, City Of Ships, Nuclear Summer at Curtin Bandroom Mezzanine, Darts, Going Swimming, No Zebra at Yah Yahs Boris The Blade, Storm The Sky, Good Will Hunting at Next FRIDAY AUGUST 3: Graft Vs Host, Damn The Torpedoes, Aids, Being Amazing, The Out Of Towners at Gertrudes Brown Couch Frenzal Rhombs, I Exist, The Hard Targets at The HiFi Rosetta, City Of Ships, Nuclear Summer at National Hotel, Geelong House Vs Hurricane, While She Sleeps, Northlane, Heights at EVS, Croydon The Corps, Denouncement Pyre, Kromosom at Bendigo Hotel Rousemoff, Em Vecue Acquieu, Warpigs, Sleep Decade at Pony Cave Of The Swallows, Contrive, Envenomed, Abreact, Artilah at The Espy Gershwin SATURDAY AUGUST 4: Ramshackle Army, Bennies, The Playbook, Kill The Matador at The Bendigo Hotel Frenzal Rhomb, The Shit Cunts, Bombs Are Falling at Pier Live, Frankston Rosetta, City Of Ships, Nuclear Summer at Black Goat Warehouse House Vs Hurricane, While She Sleeps, Northlane, Heights at The HiFi Bar Slow Chase, The Quarters, The Red at Gertrudes Brown Couch For Our Hero, Never Ever, A Sleepless Melody at Bang 28 Days, And Burn, The Union Pacific at The Evelyn SUNDAY AUGUST 5: House Vs Hurricane, While She Sleeps, Northlane, Heights at Phoenix Youth Centre Eaten By Dogs, Teresa Dixon and Tamarin Young, Samara Cullen at The Reverence
METAL, HEAVY ROCK, CLASSIC ROCK LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL GOOD SHIT WITH PETER HODGSON: CRUNCHCOLUMN@GMAIL.COM
JOE MATERA GETS IN THE HABIT Melbourne guitarist Joe Matera (ex-Geisha) releases his debut solo album, Creature Of Habit, in September. The album features American drummer/ bass player James Strickler (Angelic Rage), Tony Dolan (Venom, Mpire Of Evil), Rich Davenport, Rick Brewster (The Angels), Mick McConnell (Smokie) and Fred Mascherino (Taking Back Sunday).
KENEALLY, PARTRIDGE COLLABORATE Multi-instrumentalist Mike Keneally has played with Frank Zappa, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, and Dream Theater’s James LaBrie and is even part of the Dethklok live band, as well as a brilliant solo artist in his own right. Andy Partridge is one of the masterminds behind XTC, one of the coolest nonmetal bands of the ‘80s. Mike has just released Wing Beat Fantastic, a twelve-track album featuring eight songs co-written with Partridge. Says Partridge: “How does he do it? When Mike took away the demo we made for a freshly cowritten song You Kill Me, he had in his hands a rather lumpen campfire strum on acoustic guitars. What came back to my ears sometime later was a totally pulled apart, beautifully arranged minifilm for the ears, flowing like sonic liquid from one section to another, effortlessly moving from one time signature to the next. He’d made a tiny symphony, turning a bitter little protest tune into a well-crafted, cool, gliding, chrome...well...big protest song! Mike, what is your secret?” “We’d love to come out there and do Soundwave but nothing has been officially set up yet,” Flippin explains. “We would really like to but we need to set up some other shows to make it viable. Nothing is confirmed yet.” Sneaking into a local studio in between official bookings to make things a little more inexpensive meant that the band’s latest release Drink. Sing. Live. Love. took a lot longer to record than they planned and getting it released was an even harder prospect. The music industry seems to be allowing the idea of creative economy to disappear and even a band, albeit relatively new, but consisting of players from so many other successful groups, struggle to get their music into the world. “In the ‘90s the labels were going to pay $200,000 for you to make an album and now they’re wanting you to do an album for $20,000 if they even pay at all,” he says. “Everyone can have a home studio but there has to be the guys behind the knobs with the good ears for sound, you know what I mean? Anyone can push the button and record the stuff but it takes a lot of people who are dedicated just to the sound of the albums and producing and that spend so much time making the album sound as good as it can. We spent so much time with label shopping and everything else it has all been a labour. I like the songs so I hope people like it and we can do some touring and play these songs for people.” Despite the history of Lagwagon, The Ataris and Crooks & Liars on the group’s CV, it is a little like climbing the ladder from the garage up with any new project. “There are still
BMUSIC HARD ROCK/METAL GRANT Bmusic, a music store in Gawler, South Australia, is running a huge giveaway/grant for one lucky – no, scratch that – hard-working hard rock/metal band. They’re offering a non-repayable grant of $1,500 to an Australian band, as well as a DR Strings endorsement, Seymour Duncan guitar pickups, a TASCAM DR-680 8-track portable digital recorder and MXR pedals. I’ll also interview the winner on my blog, I Heart Guitar, about guitar nerd stuff. Check out Bmusic’s site for info, but don’t expect to just mail a link to your Soundcloud page and be done with it: the winner has to prove they have the determination and hussle to deserve it.
NEW QUEENSRYCHE PLAYS FIRST GIG Queensryche have just played their first official gig with new singer Todd La Torre (Crimson Glory) at the Halfway Jam festival in Minnesota. And how was it? Well Todd’s vocals were a little shaky in places and he doesn’t seem to have the stage presence of Geoff Tate, but the general consensus is that it kicked ass, with the band focusing exclusively on material from their debut EP and first four albums, up to and including Empire. It’ll be cool to see what they come up with in the studio. Here’s the setlist: Queen Of The Reich, Speak, Neue Regel, Walk In The Shadows, En Force, I Don’t Believe In Love, Child Of Fire, The Whisper, Warning, Spreading The Disease, The Needle Lies, Prophecy, Take Hold Of The Flame, My Empty Room, Eyes Of A Stranger, Empire, Wrathchild (Iron Maiden cover), Jet City Woman And Roads To Madness. people that know the band from the first album that show up to gigs,” he says. “There are two new members so the sound’s changed a lot and it is all a bit like starting over. We lost the momentum from the first album. In today’s world, god, the music changes so quickly. It feels like every three months there are a new set of bands where as it was about every three years before.” Despite the album coming together with a staggered approach to recording, the band slowly shaped an overall sonic concept as the tracks were layered. Despite not having an initial focus, a distinct Versus The World punk sound evolved. “It was a really fun time making the album because we all live really close and we had such a fun time hanging out and playing music together,” he says genuinely and yet his gruff don’t-fuck-with-me voice gives a whole new energy to his positive words. Talking to Flippin is a conversation of contrasts. “I still really enjoy playing so much. Sure, sometimes when you travel for a gig and there’s a small turn-out of people it can get you down and just like any other job it can become a job but there’s more good days than bad days. It’s the best job I’ve ever had.” There is always a conception that any project outside of the well-known work of an artist is a side project. The Ataris may be releasing a new album, and despite that being a seminal part of Davenport’s history he has long since moved on from that band. Lagwagon appear to be in an unofficial hiatus and Spence and Charlson, despite having other projects keeping them occupied,
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NEW VAI ALBUM Speaking of guitar nerds (in the nicest possible way) Steve Vai’s new album The Story Of Light is out on August 17 through Sony Music Australia. It’s an eclectic, compositional, shred-worthy follow-up to 2004’s Real Illusions: Reflections. Steve is also releasing a new set of signature DiMarzio guitar pickups, called the Gravity Storm. They’re available in neck and bridge models and they sound fatter and thicker than Vai’s previous DiMarzio models.
NEW CITY OF FIRE TRACK City Of Fire – the Vancouver-based hard rock/metal band featuring Burton C. Bell of Fear Factory and Byron Stroud (ex-Strapping Young Lad, ex-Fear Factory) have released a new track from their forthcoming second album. Deliver Me features a stomping triplet groove that gives it a slight sped-up Down groove, although the production is like if Jane’s Addiction had an angry, ballsy metal jam when nobody was looking. City Of Fire’s debut album was criminally overlooked but if Deliver Me is any indication then album number two will find a much bigger audience. Don’t forget Fear Factory are at The Hi-Fi on Friday September 28.
are thoroughly dedicated to Versus The World. For a side project, this seems to be occupying the time and minds of the members entirely. Flippin seems surprised when asked how much of a “side project” Versus The World really is and laughs at his own lack of awareness about audience pre-conceptions. “Oh god, I dunno,” he says. “Yeah I guess the audience do see it as a side project. I guess we need to work on that.”
Drink. Sing. Live. Love. is out on Friday August 3 via 3Wise.
LINKIN PARK BY PETER HODGSON
Linkin Park’s 2010 album A Thousand Suns divided fans. Some felt it was a step too far away from the rhythmic, anthemic, alternative-tinged hybrid of hard rock, nu metal and rap that helped them make their name. That didn’t stop it from debuting at number one on various charts and ultimately selling almost a million copies, but it still meant the band had to step up to reclaim a few skeptical fans when it came time for the follow-up. And they did: Living Things debuted at number one on the Billboard charts and sold almost a quarter of a million copies in its first week. It seems the shorter-than-usual break between albums and the return to certain old-school Linkin Park elements paid off. “I think for us we have a habit of releasing albums every three or four years,” guitarist Brad Delson says. “In Linkin Park time, this is like lightspeed!” The band started writing and recording in between tour legs for A Thousand Suns. By the time they’d finished that album cycle, they already had a huge stash of ideas to work on, so for the last year up until just a couple of months ago they were nutting out Living Things. It’s an album which doesn’t really revisit the band’s past so much as take the occasional fond glance back at it in the rearview mirror. “Yeah, that’s fair,” Delson confirms. “It’s like putting to work the life lessons of where we’ve been, but through the present point of view. I think sonically or maybe in terms of song approach this album is very different from A Thousand Suns, and part of that was the inspiration of doing something in contrast to what we’d just done. That’s what makes the studio so fun. There are no rules.” Once again Delson’s guitar is up front on Living Things, including a few moments that border on thrash. There’s no real pattern to how Linkin Park songs get written or at which point the guitar role takes shape for any given track. It’s a very fluid process. “Sometimes songs will start with words, which is rare but possible. Sometimes it starts with a melody and piano, or a melody and guitar. Sometimes it starts with a beat and we’ll layer melody over it. One thing that Rick [Rubin, producer] would encourage us to do is to put vocals on it right away. That helps us to know if the content is good. Is this song in its bare bones form a good song? Whereas our method of working on our first two albums was almost entirely music-focused first, and then the vocals would go last. People say ‘Is there a message in the album?’ and it’s like, ‘I don’t know! We don’t even know what we just said! We don’t even know what we just played!’ In fact, we make the songs in such a postmodern way that when it’s time to prepare for our tours we literally have to learn how to perform the songs for the first time. In every case, no one has a clue what we’re gonna play and how we’re gonna play it. I literally have a CD right now of parts that I’m going to play. We have the song on the left and my part on the right and I’m literally trying to figure out how I played it or how Mike [Shinoda, guitar/vocals] played it, and how I’m going to play it live to make it sound like it does on the record.” One of Delson’s favourite guitar moments on the new album is Victimized. “I love it. It’s got like a thrash, punk, super-heavy edge. There’s enough of a distinction between that and something that’s more metal-influenced that makes that song so awesome for me. Ugh! I love that song! We’re going to play that song live too. That’s one
“WE MAKE THE SONGS IN SUCH A POSTMODERN WAY THAT WHEN IT’S TIME TO PREPARE FOR OUR TOURS WE LITERALLY HAVE TO LEARN HOW TO PERFORM THE SONGS FOR THE FIRST TIME.” of the ones I was just listening to to try and figure out how to play it. Sometimes we’ll try things that seem like it would be the worst idea, and that’s the thing that you hear and go ‘What is that?’ There’s a lot of experimentation, and that’s one of the reasons why we spend a year working on an album. If there’s a part we know we need for a song we’ll try for weeks until we find a part that works for the album.” Recently the band introduced a killer merchandise item that’s utterly unprecedented: a limited edition Transformers set made in collaboration with Hasbro, featuring Linkin Park branding. Based on the 1984 originals, there will be 2000 sets manufactured, featuring Soundwave, Lazerbeak, Buzzsaw, and Ravage. “Joe Hahn [Linkin Park’s DJ] is our resident Transformer connoisseur,” Delson says. “I’ve definitely put in a request for at least one of them. I think I deserve to get at least one of those, don’t you think! I know they’re in very high demand. Those collectibles, especially for people who have a love for avant-garde toys and collectibles, it’s just such a creative world. Joe has such a huge collection of toys and art objects. He went to an exhibition in Berlin last month of someone’s private collection of street culture toys and artist collaboration collectibles. Joe was totally inspired and demoralised at the same time. Whatever Joe had amassed over the last decade, this guy had taken it to such an extreme degree that it was staggering.” So when can we hope to hear Linkin Park live in Australia again? Delson says the band hopes to be here “Sooner rather than later - maybe even next year. So I hope for my sake that those rumours are true, because I would love to spend as much time as possible in your neck of the woods.”
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ROYAL HELL Open Studio will again host Royal Hell this August with a stellar line-up in store for you. This third installation will feature Melbourne’s future soul group Hiatus Kaiyote, R&B outfit Project Puzzle and a solo appearance from singer song-writer Charlie Lim. All this and much more on Saturday August 4. 7pm. $8 entry. 10% goes to WSPA Save The Bears campaign.
CLAIRY BROWNE & THE BANGIN’ RACKETTES Following on from their Love Letter tour, power diva Clairy Browne and her harmonising girl gang The Bangin’ Rackettes are getting ready to settle in at The Toff for the month of August. Known for their dynamic live shows and their contemporary take on old sounds of soul, R&B and doo-wop, the songs tell a story of the here and now and are delivered through Clairy’s voice and choreography of the Bangin’ Rackettes and McNulty’s baritone sax leading the big band. Clairy Browne & the Bangin’ Rackettes will unveil their culty, family ways with a series of collaborations and special guests. Their residency begins at The Toff on Tuesday August 7. Tickets are $20 on the door.
THE FIRE ALIVE SASKWATCH For this special Bon Voyage show, Saskwatch have been given the entire John Curtin Hotel to throw a giant house party. After a huge three years of shows including Falls, Golden Plains, Maceo Parker, Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, Earth Wind & Fire and lots of shows at Cherry, Saskwatch are packing their bags to go and show the rest of the world how they light up a dancefloor. To celebrate their closest friends and family will be crashing the party, including White Boyz Can’t Funk, Animaux, DJ O, DJ Jumps, DJ Manchild, and none other than 2010 Australian Of The Year, DJ Prof. Pat McGorry. This farewell party is on Saturday August 4 with tickets $10 on the door or through the Saskwatch bandcamp page with free download.
OVERPROOF GROOVE
CHERRYWOOD
In what will be one of the heaviest Thursday nights in a while, Overproof Groove will be headlining a night of riffs to kill for. 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 compliments 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. So head down to Pony this Thursday August 2 for a night of unbridled brutality and some good honest riffing. Doors 8.30pm.
Cherrywood are going to be playing at (one of) their local watering holes again – the Great Britain Hotel. The “talented train-wreck” (Unpaved) are playing two sets of their take on country, punk and bluegrass. Just ahead of their imminent single release, they’ll be thrashing out songs about lightning strikes, broken hearts, bar stools and prisons. It’s all foot stomping fun, from a double bass, mandolin, acoustic guitar, a snare drum and a bunch of raucous vocals. It’s a perfect sing-along Saturday. Two sets of malarkey on this Saturday August 4 from 9pm ‘til late, and it’s a freebie.
BITS OF SHIT What’s in a name? Bits Of Shit. Three words. Three syllables. Countless connotations. At least they rhyme. Forming about three years ago, Bits Of Shit are moving out of their probationary period and it is now time to set a standard. Cut Sleeves is the soundtrack to the Bits Of Shit bylaws: an exe-stench-y’all call to arms and a show of class. They may not be the best band you’ve ever seen or heard but they’re probably the hardest shit you’ve ever had. Bits Of Shit will be launching Cut Sleeves at The Grace Darling on Friday August 5, supported by Ally Oop And The Hoopsters and Tyrranamen.
THE CORPS The Corps, Denouncement Pyre, Kromosom, Hordes Of The Black Cross and Havittajat will be gathering for a night of rock, metal and punk at The Bendigo Hotel this Friday August 3. It’s going to be busy, rockin’ and fun! Head down.
THE DARK ALES Joined by Someone Else’s Wedding Band, The Dark Ales are venturing into new territory for a Sunday evening rock’n’roll serenade at the Bendigo Hotel in Collingwood. The Dark Ales are purveyors of intense, brooding and frequently explosive vintage ballad rock. They play rock’n’roll the old-school way, with attitude and dirty guitars, layered on thick with stomping drums, growling bass guitar and wailing retro organ sounds. The Dark Ales can be compared to their name sake: fullbodied and complex, with a rich, rounded flavour and lingering headiness. This is all happening at The Bendigo Hotel on Sunday August 5.
GIMME SKELTER Gimme Skelter play tribute to the greatest rock’n’roll band ever as they play their hits from the ‘60s and ‘70s era to celebrate their 50th anniversary, with some extras include saxophone, back up singers and costume changes! You ain’t never seen skinny ass swagger like Jagger in a jumpsuit like this before. It’s all happening at Weekender at Yah Yahs this Saturday August 4 from 9pm. Get your Mick n Keef fix and get yer Ya-Yas Out! Beat Magazine Page 62
SARAH CARNEGIE Richmond’s Great Britain Hotel sees singer/ songwriter Sarah Carnegie present a unique musical offering that has constructed a world where her voice powerfully conveys the emotions of her lyrics, from subtle sweetness to heartfelt passion. With the dominant element of storytelling, her lyrics and vocal melodies are accessible to a wide audience through a folk/pop style. Catch her on Sunday August 5, 8pm with free entry.
DARTS Fresh from launching their debut album Habitual Slack only a couple of weeks ago, Darts will be playing a headline show at Yah Yah’s. Joining Darts will be Mezzanine all the way from Perth, who are in the midst of their first national tour in support of their critically acclaimed new EP Vile Horizons. Opening the night will be No Zebra, and newcomers Going Swimming, all playing Yah Yah’s on Thursday August 2 with entry only $6.
Hailing in from the Otway’s in Victoria, The Fire Alive are a great up and coming act. 2011 was a big year for The Fire Alive both receiving the APRA Award for Song Writing at the Push Start grand final held at PushOver Festival Melbourne, whilst also advancing to the Australasian final of the Global Battle Of The Bands held in Sydney in March of 2012. The Fire Alive are set to release their self titled debut EP in this Friday August 3 at The Cornish Arms. It is guaranteed to be a great night of tunes with The Attics, The Laughing Leaves and The Weary.
LEEZ LIDO Thursday August 2 Leez Lido will be showcasing new material fresh from finishing in the studio. Leez Lido has been cited as one of Melbourne’s great upand-coming indie rock bands of this year. They will be cranking up the volume and raising the stakes in the music industry. Being supported by another one of Melbourne’s great local bands with triple j exposure, Monkey’s Pirate. They present a stripped back, acoustic rendition of their swashbuckling folk and roots rhythms. Expect folk fairy tales, sea shanty explorations and crocodile mythology in the form of stringed instruments and vocal melodies. Dust off the peg leg, grab Peter’s parrot and get down to the Great Britain on Thursday August 2, 8pm and entry is free.
SWEET TEENS Sweet Teens bring endless dangerous possibilities to The Tote for a month of Wednesdays this August. Hitting up the front bar for the first three weeks and followed by two weeks in the band room out back. Sweet Teens recently released a free download only album This Ain’t England & The Ominous Horror
HARTS Harts is a solo artist. He writes music and plays all the instruments, making electro dance with shredding guitar solos, over synth pads and pounding electro drums, topped with surreal melodies and edgy vocals. And he is doing a Wednesday night residency at The Toff In Town, starting tonight, August 1. Doors are open from 7.30pm and it costs only $10 on the door.
CISCO CEASER Cisco Caesar are a Melbourne-based funk/soul/rock band, and features Paul “Caesar” Slattery on vocals and bass, James Cisco on vocals and guitar, Damien Slingsby on vocals and keyboards, and former Australian childhood TV star Jason Torrens on drums. Catch Cisco Cease playing this Saturday August 4 at the Penny Black in Brunswick from 9.30pm.
COLD HIKER Since forming in late 2010, alternative rock outfit Cold Hiker have hit the ground running. Their unique, hard-hitting sound has already seen the fourpiece support the likes of British India, Stonefield and Custom Kings. Having only released two singles so far, the public have eagerly been awaiting their debut EP to hit the streets. Come join them and help celebrate the release of their EP on Thursday August 2 at The Toff In Town with support from Lowlakes and I’lls. Tickets are $10 and available from Moshtix or on the door.
THE CACTUS CHANNEL Hear that sound? Raw, loose and nasty funk, recorded straight to analog tape. It’s just like the old days, but so new it’s sporting a badass teenage moustache. Now that Melbourne funk sensation The Cactus Channel have graduated high school, they’re taking their own brand of high-octane, instrumental car chase funk and smooth soundtrack soul to the people with their debut, Haptics. It's chock full of deep funk, jazzed-up soul and boogaloo hits, all informed by a canny sense of soundtrack-ready drama, loaded with tight, hard grooves and one strong track after another. The Cactus Channel is ready to roll at The Toff In Town on Saturday August 4. Tickets $15 at the door.
CYLINDERS Cylinders is the new pop guise for Matty Vehl, recognised for his tenure as keyboardist with Charles Jenkins & the Zhivagos, Clare Bowditch, Davey Lane and most recently The Bombay Royale. Produced by Beats Radical Dan West (Mantra; Diafrix), the Cylinders debut EP entitled Communion combines analogue synths with drums both live and programmed to evoke a restless, synth-pop topography of glam prowl and phantasmagoric futurism. Cylinders will launch the EP ‘at The Workers Club on Thursday August 2, with a brand new band formed especially for the gig. Support comes from very special guests Evelyn Morris (Pikelet), Andras Fox (3RRR), and DJ Shags. Tickets are $10, and doors are at 7.30pm.
Q&A ROSETTA
HIGH FANGS Melbourne three-piece High Fangs are a blisteringly raw combination of dirty rock’n’roll, ‘60s garage howl, ‘70s classic power pop hooks and Swedish punk energy minus an Ikea™ allen key. This Friday August 3 at Yah Yah’s sees their return to form after Andy has returned from bass duties in Europe with The Bowers. The gig will feature a stellar line-up including Bad Vision and The No Real Need. Even better, entry is free!
JEMMA AND THE WISE YOUNG AMBITIOUS MEN Jemma And The Wise Young Ambitious Men have been around a short while, with a mighty large name. They are pretty excited about spending two planned Sunday evenings in a row at Yah Yah’s instead of accidentally leaving on a Sunday morning at 5am. They prefer their whiskey with sorrow on the rocks, and wash it down with songs about chickens, leaving people in Kansas City, and stealing klondike claim from thieven’ fishermen. They even have backup singer women. Jemma and the Wise Young Ambitious Men will be joined by The Bitter Sweethearts and Matty Green Band on Sunday August 5 and Sunday August 12.
Define your genre in five words or less: Psych-rock to stage dive to. What do you love about making music? Connecting with people. Getting crusty and going to weird places and making noise. What do you hate about the music industry? The hype machine. Bands that get big because some guy in a suit is betting that he can sell their persona to a marketing demographic. Spectacle is rewarded over substance. What do you think a band has to do these days to succeed? Be as independent as possible. Don’t sign anything. Don’t be obligated to anyone if you can help it, and do as much as you can yourself. Pour gasoline on the ‘music industry’ and light a match. If your music was a chocolate bar, which one would it
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be, and why? One of those 80% cacao bars with chili peppers and cherries inside. Looks like a regular chocolate bar, but it’s sweet and gnarly and makes you cough. How do you stop your pre-gig jitters? By making sure that there are much more catastrophic things to worry about. Like, will the airline lose my luggage? Will my guitar get confiscated? Will the van break down? Actually, more like WHEN will the van break down? Anything else to add? More stage dives. ROSETTA play The John Curtin Hotel on Thursday Auguat 2, Black Goat on Saturday August 4 and The Bendigo Hotel on Tuesday August 7.
NMIT BAND COMPETITION Long before triple j Unearthed, the national campus band competition has seen the likes of Eskimo Joe, Frenzal Rhomb and The Vasco Era on their way from campus to greatness. Two Sunday afternoons in August will see The Prague in Thornbury transformed into a battle ground of barbaric blood-shed, as over a dozen NMIT bands fight their way through two scorching heats, on the long road to the finals in Adelaide. So armour-up and ride on down to The Prague for heat one, Sunday August 5 and show your support for the first round of bands, including Manatarms, Polygasm and Pixie Juice. With $2 entry for students, $4 for the public and $5 drink specials, you’d be a donkey to miss it. Doors 2pm, bands 3pm.
THIS IS YOUR CAPTAIN SPEAKING Melbourne instrumental veterans This Is Your Captain Speaking have teamed up with like-minded hombres from the Lofly Collective in Brisbane to present an evening of atmospheric sounds at The Gasometer. This is Your Captain Speaking will preview tracks from their third LP Arc with support from Brisbane’s Mr. Maps and Hazards Of Swimming Naked and locals Red Hymns. Be sure to be at The Gasometer on Friday August 3.
WINTERCOATS Before heading off to tour Europe the following week and putting out new releases in August and September, Wintercoats and The Townhouses will be doing one more show in Melbourne as a matinee at The Toff In Town with another act to be announced soon. Come along, have a drink, say hello, or goodbye, and drink a little more. This afternoon of ethereal delights is on Sunday August 5. Cost is $8 on the door and begins at 4pm.
28 DAYS Remember the first time you saw 28 Days? Come relive those times at The Evelyn Hotel on Saturday August 4, when these local punk rock legends storm the venue for the first time since 2007. Having had a relatively quiet year the boys have decided to break rank and play a one off special show with the support of young local upstarts And Burn and The Union Pacific. Tickets are $20 through Moshtix and $25 dollars on the door and doors open from 8.30pm.
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BRIGHT STAR Bright Star are a new Melbourne-based band, who have spent the last 12 months finalising their lineup and honing their live set before playing their first live shows in June this year. Having played in many bands before, the members see this as a project that has culminated in a new creative peak for them. The result draws on the sounds of punk rock, shoegaze, dream pop, and post-rock. Delicate yet cathartic, chimerical and ethereal, Bright Star will be bringing their powerful live set to The Bendigo Hotel on Thursday August 2. Joining them will be established Melbourne band Drawing Arcs, who channel a ‘90s guitar sound (think Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr and Built To Spill) accompanied by driving drums and a vocal/bass approach that harks back to ‘70s UK (think Wire and The Cure).
RED SKY BURIAL Red Sky Burial are set to tear The Tote apart on Friday August 10 to launch their self-titled debut album. Joining them are the mighty riff-lords Don Fernando, purveyors of technical sludge, Broozer and the progalicious, Sons Of Abraham. This is a show not to be missed!
THE ESPY OPEN MIC Fancy yourself to be the next rock legend? Do you have the moves like Jagger? Come and strut your stuff at the new open mic night at The Espy, happening every Thursday in the front bar. Launch night is tomorrow, Thursday August 3, with the theme Sex, Drugs, and Rock’n’Roll. Sign up from 8.30pm in The Espy front bar. Entry is free.
THE RAMSHACKLE ARMY Just over two years ago, The Ramshackle Army set out on what has thus far been a wild and manic ride. Having a number of interstate tours, with some of the country’s best proponents of punk rock, international supports and countless local shows under their belts, the band set off on their next challenge. This took the form of a US tour with Dropkick Murphys and Frank Turner. Having since returned, the band have spent the last two months taking stock before recently embarking on a run of East Coast shows as they prepared to smack the 2nd half of 2012 across the arse. Fast forward to now and the realisation that two years have passed since the first time they hit the stage as the unit known as The Ramshackle Army. Never one to pass up an excuse for a party, the RSA are returning once again to the scene of their first crime, The Bendigo Hotel in Collingwood. They have assembled some choice cuts of the Melbourne punk scene for the affair, bands who themselves scream party in the face of anyone who’ll listen! The Bennies have been tearing their punk/ska/reggae/whatever-the-hell-they-feel-like train across the country and through Asia for the last couple of years and have left a trail of hangovers and comedowns where ever they have been. The Playbook are all that’s right, and some of what is wrong with pop punk. Getting audiences on their feet and making old blokes think they’re young again, these boys are as infectious as a dose of the clap and at least twice as fun. Kill The Matador can simply be described as face-melting. Intense, honest and to the point, these melodic punks may easily be one of the most underrated live punk bands in Melbourne, often drawing comparisons to Propaghandi. Now how can that be a bad thing? This Saturday August 4, The Bendigo Hotel.
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Over the past nine months, Cam Ewart’s new band of brothers Ghost Towns Of The Midwest have tirelessly hit Melbourne and the surrounds crafting their set of alt-country tales of gallow birds and whorehouses. Having debuted on triple j, received praise from 3RRR’s ‘The Ghost’ and made some great friends along the way, they play their last show before Cam heads to the USA to get lost in the deep south. Ghost Towns Of The Midwest play Saturday August 4 at Horse Bazaar. Show starts at 10pm and entry is free.
ADAM HYNES Australia’s Got Talent season five finalist Adam Hynes will play an early acoustic set in The Espy’s front bar on Friday August 3. The 23-year-old singer songwriter was born in Canada in 1989 and moved to Australia in 1996. The first musical instrument he picked up was the trumpet, but it never felt right. It was the guitar that really caught his imagination. Hynes, who now lives in Melbourne, has been influenced by the great Damien Rice, Ani DiFranco, The Rocket Summer and early Jason Mraz. His biggest influences are Dallas Green and Dashboard Confessional.
CHILDREN OF THE WAVE
AGILITY
Children Of The Wave will grace The Empress to share the unique musical vision that is their forthcoming album, Children Of The Wave Present: The Electric Sounds Of Far Away Choirs. To date, Children Of The Wave’s gentle washes of heartbreaking beauty remain an undiscovered precious stone, but their new album is a sonic opus that will cement their place in your heart and mind. Support comes from the multi-talented Great Earthquake and the majestic Major Chord. Be sure to be at The Empress on Thursday August 2.
Melbourne psychedelic grunge band Agility are playing every Wednesday in August. With support from some of Australia’s best young bands, every Wednesday is sure to be absolutely banger! Get down to The Evelyn every Wednesday in August. $5 on the door.
THE SCATTER SCATTER TROPICAL DISCOTHEQUE The Scatter Scatter Tropical Discotheque is back with two big August shows at The Prince! Get down to nothing but the deepest afro grooves and tropical funk. The first installment sees the triumphant return of The Shaolin Afronauts, launching their new LP Quest Under Capricorn. Alongside them will be local afro cats Papa Chango playing tracks from their recent album The Matador, as well as The Public Opinion Sound System with MC’s N’fa and 1/6 will bring their percussive dancefloor fire. Head to The Prince Bandroom on Friday August 10. Tickets are $15 and available via Moshtix.
BIG SEAL & THE SLIPPERY FEW Friday August 3 promises to be a great night for Footscray as four of Melbourne’s top acoustic acts take on The Dancing Dog café for a night of sweet strumming and melodies of gold. Show kicks off around 8pm with Spindickle (ex Adelaide) at 8.30 followed by Unfurling, Dirtbird and finishing with Big Seal & The Slippery Few. Come and beat the cold at The Dancing Dog. $5 entry.
SIX60 Since their last sold-out Australian tour in April, Six60 have not slowed down, living up to their reputation of being one of today’s hardest working bands. They return to Australia this September, playing The Forum on Friday September 28. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster and are on sale now.
ENGINE THREE SEVEN E37 have just announced they will be launching a full length live album at Showdown At The Corner this Friday August 3. Also playing are Bellusira, The Khyber Belt, Sub Atari Knives, Moroccan Kings, Fisker, One, The Fighting, Kettlespider and Hotel On Mayfair. Doors open 6.30pm.
SALAD DAYS Salad Days, a born and bred Melbourne rock outfit, are coming straight from the garages to you with their Pony debut in this Thursday August 2’s 1am Late Show. Featuring Pat ‘The Mad Dog’ Pleash on guitar, Josh ‘SongBird’ Burton on vocals, Rob ‘The Mantis’ Clifford on drums and on bass Cal ‘The Battle’ Royle, these guys tick all the boxes for a late night rock’n’roll band. Come and get a taste.
KEITH IS DEAD “Nobody said the party was over, we’re partying harder than ever, no offense Keith.” With their front man dead at the hands of a maniac, Keith! Party bring you the first of four mourning parties. Analogue synth lord Matthew Brown and garage rock trio ScotDrakula perform live while Mexican punk rockers Mesa Cosa DJ for the evening. The evening is rounded out by a Keith! Party DJ set. Keith Is Dead will be held every Monday night in August.
SINCE THE RIVER After a short circuit around Melbourne’s live music scene, bleak romantic pop duo, Since The River release their debut single and music video for Winter Teeth on Thursday August 2 at The Evelyn Hotel. Their music is described as dark yet romantic, with influences such as HTRK and Fever Ray, the electronic duo creative soundscapes of aggressive tones with smooth haunting lyrics. Their live shows combine visuals from Gertrude Street Projection peeps and Projector Obscura, who experiment with strange visuals projected in unusual ways. To help transform The Evelyn into an electronic symphony, Since The River are joined by The Menstrual Cycle, Brightly and These Patterns. Free digital download at the door.
KING OF THE NORTH The powerhouse, hard rockin’ duo King Of The North have been on the road nation-wide launching their debut (self titled) EP. On Saturday August 11, the rock fury hits The Evelyn Hotel as King Of The North launch their debut effort with Europe’s favourite Aussie stoner band Don Fernando, the almighty (zep meets Queens) My Left Boot, Perth’s hottest rock export Hailmary and House of Rock’s DJ Danger. This will be one of the hottest local rock shows of the year! So do yourself a favour and get down to The Evelyn Hotel on Saturday August 11.
DAVEY LANE You Am I lead guitarist, front man of The Pictures and guitarist in supergroup The Wrights, Davey Lane has quite the rock pedigree. Don’t miss a string of intimate front bar gigs that Davey will be performing throughout August. Supported by John Patrick. Join Davey Lane in the front bar of The Retreat Wednesday August 1 (tonight!) for free. 9.30pm start.
THE VELOCETTES Surf’s up! We’ve not seen this spunky bunch since they wound up their month long residency earlier in the year. New songs, same sound that you know and love. Don’t miss The Velocettes this Saturday August 4 at The Retreat, supported by Children Overboard.
MALUMA
THE JED ROWE BAND
Larry Maluma is a member of a big African tribe called Bantu Tribe who for the first time in Australia will be paying tribute and celebrating the life and music of Lucky Dube, a roots reggae legend who was slain in an attempted hijacking in Johannesburg in South Africa in 2007. The Roots & Herbs, a tough roots reggae band will be playing most of Lucky Dube’s hits from albums such as Taxman, Trinity, House Of Exile and many more plus special guests Ras Jahknow band and DJs. The celebration will be on Friday August 3 at The Thornbury Theatre.
The Jed Rowe Band have released their second album, The Ember And The Afterglow, through Fuse, with an extra special home town launch show at The Toff In Town. Fronted by singer-songwriter Jed Rowe, the band fuses Rowe’s electric, acoustic and lap slide guitars with a rock-solid rhythm section in double bassist Michael Arvanitakis and drummer Michael DiCiecco, allowing the songs to shine through with Rowe’s expressive vocals. Be sure to head to The Toff In Town to hear Rowe’s stories in the flesh, Sunday August 5. Support comes from Nigel Wearne. Tickets are $15 on the door.
Q&A MEZZANINE
LIME CORDIALE Lime Cordiale are a Sydney-based quartet who grew out of the Northern Beaches music scene. Drawing from their classically trained background and experiences from their awkward teenage years, Lime Cordiale strives to create strong pop music with a fresh sound. The new EP Faceless Cat features all new tracks including the new single Pretty Girl, which will be officially launched their Melbourne show at Ding Dong Lounge on Thursday August 2.
KYUSS TRIBUTE NIGHT Cherry Bar in AC/DC Lane Melbourne is celebrating the 20th anniversary of the greatest and most influential stoner rock album of all time KYUSS’ Blues For The Red Sun: the masterpiece which hatched in Van Nuys, California, in 1992 by Josh Homme, Nick Oliveri, Brant Bjork and John Garcia. Saturday August 4 at Cherry, Australia’s premier psychedelic hard rockers Matt Sonic & The High Times, in a one-off special event, will team with My Left Boot vocalist Chappy to perform the classic album in its entirety track-for-track from Thumb to Yeah and everything in-between. Yes, Green Machine, yes 50 Million Year Trip (Downside Up), yes Thong Song, fuck yes, Mondo Generator. All 14 mindchanging desert-dust stoner sensations. Support will be from surf-coast stoner new-comers Battle Axe Howlers.
SEX ST Sex St are a hard hitting grunge rock’n’roll band ready to tear apart The Prague on Friday August 3. They like to keep it raw and simple but yet dynamic. No fancy clothes, lighting or gear, just straight up and down rock’n’roll with attitude. The kick arse three-piece just want to rock cocks off with heaps of energy. Head down to The Prague and get amongst it. You won’t be disappointed. Beat Magazine Page 64
So then, what’s the band name and what do you ‘do’ in the band? We are called Mezzanine and I am the singer and lead/ rhythm guitarist, we never really figured out who was which. What do you think people will say you sound like? I don’t want to put words in other people’s mouths, but a certain decade springs to mind, starting with ‘9 and finishing with a 0s. We play loud guitars and sometimes shout loudly also.
THE CHARLIES The LuWow is easily one of the hottest new venues in Melbourne, with it’s fabulous cocktails and tiki-licious decor you know you’re in for a treat. Now what happens when you mix cocktails with some of the best funk and soul music your ears can handle? You have the night of your life, that’s what! The Charlies, Melbourne’s funkiest, foxiest and freakiest dirty funksters will blow your mind and you’ll have a soul fist of a time on Friday August 10. Joined by some mighty fine DJs Jumpin’ Josh and Mickster, entry is $5.
What do you love about making music? Everything. I love the empty page, the fact that who can write whatever you want and generally get away with it. I love the feeling of a squally amp three inches from my head, I love singing about things I possibly shouldn’t. Everything. What do you hate about the music industry? Common sense sometimes takes a vacation in this business, if there is anything I hate more than alien-nazipunks it’s when people make life harder for themselves or harder for me. Luckily the other guys in the band and our manager often shield me from this kind of stuff and I can continue on my merry way.
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If you could travel back in time and show one of your musical heroes your stuff, who would it be and why? Well I think most of my musical heroes would laugh in my face or pat me on the head or even worse say something to make me hate them, so I think I’ll set the bar really low. I’d like to show Mozart the intricacies of a fuzz factory pedal. What can a punter expect from your live show? Loud guitars, lots of movement, passionate vocals. What’ve you got to sell CD-wise? We are touring the country on the back of our new EP Vile Horizons, not literally, that would be odd. We also have our debut Novella along for the ride as well. When’s the gig and with who? Well we are playing two shows in your fair old city, tonight at The Evelyn with Agility and The Pretty Littles and the following night, Thursday August 2 at Yah Yah’s with Darts and The Red Lights. Can’t wait. Anything else to add? I like aged cheese.
CRY BABY SESSION Cry Baby Session happens on the first Sunday of every month at The Old Bar. Watch as The Old Bar gets transformed from a bunch of drunks acting like children to a bunch of children acting like drunks. A kid-friendly day with no smoking anywhere in the venue, BBQ, face-painting and a band to entertain the wee ones as you get to relax and have a beer with other grown-ups. 1pm start with surprise musical acts. This Sunday August 5.
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THE SINGLE MEN’S DRINKING CLUB The Single Men’s Drinking Club sway majestically between spitting, brutal chaos and lush sonic expanse. Last Laugh for the Landscape is the band operating at all of its compass points. Recorded by Dave McCluney (Bad Seeds, Kim Salmon) and mixed by Casey Rice (Dirty Three, Tortoise, Aleks And The Ramps), the record is a gothic road trip though the desolation and despair of one man’s fever dream. With the help of Pony Face and The Pretty Littles, head down to the Grace Darling Hotel on Saturday August 4 to celebrate The Single Men’s Drinking Club’s new album. Door open at 9pm and cost is just $10 on the door.
GUITAR GALLERY BLUEGRASS SESSIONS
THE OX AND THE FURY The Ox and The Fury have announced shows at the Laundry Bar on Thursday August 2, Thursday August 30 and Thursday September 13. They will be playing two sets a night, including the entire new album Peace Love And Music along with all the hits from their previous release Guitars Die In Hot Cars. Tickets are $10, available on the door, and support comes from the wonderfully dexterous Dom Italiano and The Upbeat Mafia (yes that Dom Italiano). And Zeke’s Mum is doing the door and merch, it’s a family thing.
That’s right folks! Every Monday night in every month bring your banjo, mandolin, washboard, fiddle, flatmate and join in the old time bluegrass jam session. Or just come down and watch as The Oldie gets transformed to a scene from an Appalachian mountainside. A band plays first then the jam starts. 8.30pm start and it’s always free. Monday nights at The Old Bar. Cheap jugs all night.
THE HARLOTS The Harlots are playing every Sunday in August at the Old Bar, the ‘Pryde of Fytzroy Towne’, but they aren’t doing it alone: The mesmeric Mojo Juju and the serendipitous Saint Jude are in on it too! Raw power. It works like this: August 5 and 12, you get The Harlots and Mojo Juju. On August 19 and 26, you get The Harlots and Saint Jude. They’ll be solving locked-room murder mysteries, creating perpetual motion, stalking your dreams and entering the dragon. Every night, the bill will be opened by another of Melbourne’s finest boutique handcrafted micro-brewed short-batch artists, all for only six of your shiny dollars. Sundays in August at The Old Bar. Yeah!
ALKAN ZEYBEK & THE LESSERMEN It’s with great sadness that we announce that this will be the final show for Pony favourites Alkan Zeybek & The Lessermen. After playing only a few handfuls of shows, the guys have decided to part ways. I’m sure we’ll hear from them again in various guises, but for now we have one final show from which to take home some memories. So head on down to Pony and buy these lads a drink. They’ve put on some shit-hot late shows over the past 12 months or so, and this will be no different. Goodbye Alkan Zeybek & The Lessermen. This Friday August 3 at 2am.
VHS CLUB Barfly Trevor Block wanted to recreate an archetypal ‘80s shelf of VHS tapes. He’s been sharing his collection at a casual, weekly VHS night at Fitzroy’s Old Bar. There’ll be cult classics like Mad Max, fan favourite sequels like Beneath The Planet of the Apes, and defiantly obscure movies like Syngenor. There’s no big projection to watch it on, just sit at the bar and watch it on the big TV. Although Trev might not be there every Monday, they’ve decided to keep it going. Popcorn, booze and VHS. Every Monday from 6pm, free. Check the website for which movies will be shown. Monday nights at The Old Bar.
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.
ALBARE iTD ALBARE iTD has just completed a six-date jazz club tour in Europe, playing in France, Italy, Germany, Holland and the UK. His recent Australian tour garnered critical praise. Albare returns to Australia in August for a string of performances at both jazz clubs and festivals, including the Monash University Music Auditorium on Saturday August 15 and Bennetts Lane on Sunday August 26 and Monday 27.
THEDOWNGOING Coming down from Sydney are the menacing two-piece, Thedowngoing. They are touring for the release of their chaotic new album, Athousandyearsofdarkness. An apt occasion will be held at Bar Open, where the duo will be joined by two Melbourne based bands: the all encompassing Penguins and the embittered, mathy rock of Seesaw. Tonight, 8pm, free entry. CHECK OUT ALL THE LATEST NEWS, REVIEWS AND FREE SHIT AT BEAT.COM.AU
Beat Magazine Page 65
MUSIC NEWS
NO ACTION , MAD NANNA YOUR COMPREHENSIVE LOCAL GUIDE
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No Action make the long drive over from Adelaide to dazzle Melbourne audiences with their energetic, jangly punk songs, such as the one from their brand new split seven inch with Brisbane’s Tangle. It’s been a few months since they were last over here, so get down and welcome them back. They’re joined by good pals Mad Nanna, who compose loosely structured tunes for guitars, drums and voice. They’ll be playing songs from their recently released debut album I Made Blood Better as well as a couple of newies, perhaps…it’s 2am, so anything goes. 2am double late show at Pony this Saturday August 4.
HISTORY IS MADE AT NIGHT
KING PARROT King Parrot make their first live appearance at Melbourne’s House Of Rock this August. This will be the most extreme night of music ever assembled at House Of Rock, and is set to shake the foundations of the new venue at Inflations nightclub on King St. King Parrot have spent much of the last few months in the studio writing and recording new material for their debut album to be released in October on Impedance Records. Plenty of new material will be on offer as well as the trademark intensity, pace and insanity of King Parrot live show. All the regular drink specials and HoR DJs will be spinning your favorite rock and metal tracks ‘til the wee hours. Head to House Of Rock on Saturday August 4.
Popular live-music commentator Clinton Walker mourns the closing of pub rock music venues in our cities and suburbs, and offers the vivid and controversial history behind this process. From the (now revived) Tote in Melbourne to the Hopetoun in Sydney and the Cloudland in Brisbane, he laments the demise of venues which gave us such iconic acts as Nick Cave, the Go-Betweens and Powderfinger, and defends the cultural vitality being lost while calling for a change to the policies and state and local council regulations that stand in the way. New research shows that the venue-based music industry has an annual output of $1.21 billion, creates 15,000 full-time jobs and draws audiences of over 41 million. Contemporary music is a legitimate and integral branch of arts and culture, he says, but one that has for too long suffered discrimination and contempt from the elites. The launch of History Is Made At Night happens at The Tote from 6pm, upstairs, this Friday August 3.
THE SPOILS
SHOWDOWN AT THE CORNER
Having been dragged out of hibernation for The Beast Records Festival, Melbourne’s dark-romantics, The Spoils have decided to do it one more time before returning to their winter hollow to begin work on their fourth album. It’s at The Old Bar on Friday August 10 with help from The Slaughtermen (gothfolk-gospel from the 80’s feat. members from The Birthday Party, Models, The Sports, Sacred Cowboys & JAB), Skyscraper Stan & The Commission Flats and The 10 To 1s.
Friday August 3 sees the fourth installment of Showdown At The Corner, 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. Tickets just $16.50+bf from The Corner Hotel or online at cornerhotel.com. Doors open 6.30pm with Hotel On Mayfair kicking off the night at 7pm.
RECORD PARADISE
ROUSSEMOFF
DAN AND HANNAH ACFIELD
A small odyssey… a day of guerrilla recording in sweltering February heat… cavernous guts of a now-demolished Amcor printing and packaging facility. This is Roussemoff’s debut album Roussemoff: Special Long Decay Version. A week before the building was due to go down, Roussemoff lugged their tools of destroy deep into an abandoned packaging facility, to a gutted laboratory; a room rich with swirling reverb and dead industrial memories. Surviving potentially hazardous chemicals, oppressive heat and even electrocution, the Melbourne trio made it out alive with six tracks,40 minutes and 40 seconds, and a full length album of nothing but pure vibe. Join Roussemoff on Friday August 3 as they launch the digital version of their debut full length album at the infamous Pony, with supports from Em Vécue Aquieu, Warpigs and Sleep Decade. Doors 9pm.
For years, the Acfield name has been popping up over the country. Whether it be the solo songstress Hannah captivating festival crowds in Victoria, or the enigmatic Dan charming his way along the East Coast of Australia, siblings Dan and Hannah Acfield are accomplished songwriters and performers in their own right. Now, the pair have finally decided to pool their musical talents and embark on a journey together as Dan and Hannah Acfield, and are proud to announce their first release together, a Double A Side (TWO singles) After You and Sorry I’ve Taken So Long To Love. You you can catch them this Saturday August 4 at The Empress. Doors 8.30pm, tickets $12.
Q&A LAMARAMA
Record Paradise are having their big Garage Sale this Sunday August 5 at 15 Union Street Brunswick with over 2,000 titles added to the sale this month including country, soundtracks, classical and world music. Record Paradise recycle all second hand vinyl that goes their way and nothing goes into land fill. All records that don’t make it into their shop at 100 Chapel St, St kilda are stored at their warehouse, Record Paradise Garage in Brunswick. They currently have over 100,000 records there. Any unplayable records are recycled as art materials and if they can be played they go into the garage sale. Most of the records are priced at $1. There are over 100 crates to dig through and people prepared to dig rarely leave empty handed. Check it out from 10am-4pm.
ACTS OF DISRUPTION Acts Of Disruption is a series of free one-of-akind live rock shows from Converse designed to disrupt the traditional live music tour experience by inviting bands to perform in unique and unexpected locations chosen by them, no matter how wild the location. In May, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard kicked off the event’s proceedings, taking to the eerie environs of the vacant Rozelle Hospital in Sydney. There’s more shows coming next month, with one in Melbourne where the location will be chosen by acts to come, such as Bleeding Knees Club, Drunk Mums, Royal Headache, Kitchen’s Floor, Die! Die! Die!, and No Aloha.
THE SMART The Smart are heading to the Melbourne Hi-Fi complete with 3D Glasses, headsets and a key-tar as they support the upcoming single release Hands Of Shelter. Following the airplay success of City Lights, Electrical and Cold Dark Room, The Smart Silent show puts the crowd front and centre, wherever they are, and gives the audience the chance to take control of their own destiny with volume control to create their own personal atmosphere. This visually enticing performance will be an assault on the senses across three dimensions. Supported by Sounds Of Troy, Inc3do, Pludo and Pretty Dulcie, whilst encompassing the next generation of visual and performance artistry, The Smart’s electrifying sound and visuals are a must. See and hear live music your way as the Hi-Fi goes sci-fi for The Smart Saturday September 8. Doors from 7.30pm.
JANTINA & THE JAGUARS This Saturday August 4 at Pony is a chance to catch four great local bands, including the mighty Jantina & The Jaguars who will be stopping by for a headline show as part of their tour to support the release of their new single and video Sit There. Also onboard for the night are Vultures Of Venus, Band Band and The Divine Fluxus. Be sure to head down for a drink and send Jantina a big cheerio as she hits the bitumen and clocks up the kms over the next few weeks. Doors 9pm.
Q&A DIRT RIVER RADIO
Describe the best gig you have ever played. The Little Buckley Festival would definitely be up there. It always hosts a bevvy of beautiful people, an incredible vibe and some amazing artists. That’s our cup of coffee. We’ll be there again this October 27 – 28. It’s a festival really worth checking out.
Define your genre in 5 words or less: In five words?! Well I’d… Bearing the terrible clichéd nature of this question, what do you reckon people will say you sound like? A psych-funkadelic-folktronic-auralgasm. But they might have trouble pronouncing that. It’s a bit different to your usual rock line-up, with a saucy horn section of flute and sax, some intoxicating guitar work and some squelchy synth tones, with a bearded man roaring over the top of it all. If you could travel back in time and show one of your musical heroes your stuff, who would it be and why? Somebody from a different era who would be impressed purely by our use of electricity. An easy crowd, really. What inspires or has influenced your music the most? Anal sex, beer, the Beatles, Melbourne’s musicians and vaginal sex also. Just to clarify.
Beat Magazine Page 66
Tell us about the last song you wrote. The night we got home from recording our debut EP in Wagga we began writing the tracks for the second EP before even hearing the masters of the first record. I think we got a little excited, but we now have the next round sorted. The debut EP ETC will be launching in early November. The Lamas can’t wait to release this record, it’s the brand new line up with new tracks that really showcase the band’s unique sound. Name an interview question you wish someone would ask you, and answer it. Q: “Why is your music so effortlessly brilliant?” A: “Well, I wouldn’t put it THAT way…” When’s the gig and with who? We’ll be playing this Thursday August 2 at Bar Open with our funky friends Better Than The Wizards and the quirky Domini Forster and her travelling ukulele. It’s free entry and everything! We’ll be debuting our brand new sound and also our audiovisual team’s antics! Bring your 3D goggles kids. What can a punter expect from your live show? An explosive 45 minute psychedelic rock show, backed by a full blown lighting, sound and visuals team. Show also includes beer, babes and jellybeans. (May not include babes or jellybeans.)
Who is Dirt River Radio? We are St Kilda’s answer to a long forgotten question, “What the hell did you put in my drink?“ Or maybe it was, “How the fuck does he get his hair to stay like that?” Or, “Who let Brady write his own interview?” Regardless, DRR are a debaucherous gang of mates who play rock’n’roll roots-blues-alt country with a Melbourne attitude and a drinking team the size of a small army. How long have you been gigging and writing? Al Raunjak (Electric Mary, ex-Bugdust) and I used to play together in Couchgrinder in the late ‘90s, and when Ryan Adams blew his mind in El Paso (and subsequently a passion for Gram Parsons ensued) we formed in 2007 based on his new found love for roots music. I was raised on country, but denied it in myself for a lot of years (my Dad was a rodeo cowboy). Putting the O back in country indeed! What has inspired or influenced your music the most? Credence Clearwater Revival, Cosmos Factory, Rolling Stones, Exile On Mainstreet, Bad Seeds, Murder Ballads, The Pouges, Rum Sodomy And The Lash, Avett Brothers, I And Love And You, AC/DC, Powerage, Frenzal Rhomb, Not So Tough Now.
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Any previous releases? 2008’s Come Back Romance…All Is Forgiven EP (Amphead) and 2010’s Beer Bottle Poetry (MGM). Where are you playing, what are you selling? To celebrate the Australasian Release of our brand new album RocknRoll is my Girlfriend, we will be performing at Revolver Upstairs, Friday August 3, supported by White Summer, Road Ratz and Winter Moon. Tickets are $10 presale, $15 door. To buy tickets for this drunken sing-along go to dirtriverradio.eventix.com.au and check out dirtriverradio.com for East Coast Tour dates and our plans for Europe and USA in 2013. What are your favourite gigs you have played? Our second stint at the Apollo Bay festival was huge, in the tent. Australian festival crowds have a reputation all over the world for being the real deal for good reason. But the gig we cut our teeth on was three years in a row summer residency at St Kilda’s Pure Pop Records. The response we used to get, even playing sitting down with a packed courtyard on a Thursday is still causing problems with city council. Sorry. Best gig in the free world. Tickets are set to sell out at Revolver so come down and see us make history for ourselves. Yeehaw!
MUSIC NEWS
60 SECONDS WITH…
GLASS VAULTS
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BLOOD SUGAR SEX MAGIK
Define your genre in five words Post ambient, glacial, stoner gospel.
or
less:
Bearing the terrible clichéd nature of this question, what do you reckon people will say you sound like? Sigur Ros/Thom Yorke. What do you love about making music? Meditation. What do you hate about the music industry? Business. What can a punter expect from your live show? Spaciousness and melodic clarity that stretches into tangible wall of sound environments. Moving through lush, fully realised universes of textural sound to meditate to and be transported by. What’ve you got to sell CD-wise? Glass EP 12 inch Vinyl, Into Clear EP 12 inch vinyl. When’s the gig and with who? Thursday August 9 at the Grace Darling with Glass Vaults, These Patterns, Colourwheel and DJ Lotion. What inspires or has influenced your music the most? New Zealand, its landscape and its beautiful people.
In 1991 the Red Hot Chili Peppers released the seminal album Blood Sugar Sex Magik. In 2008 a group of musicians in Melbourne sharing a love for this album and this band came together to tribute the Red Hot Chili Peppers, naming themselves after that album. Blood Sugar Sex Magik bring all the funk, rock, and bombastic energy of the Red Hot Chili Peppers to the stage, playing songs from their near 30 year career. On Saturday August 4 at The Espy Gershwin Room, BSSM perform the classic 1999 album Californication, cover to cover, presenting the album as an authentic replication of the Red Hot Chili Peppers live experience.
THE PRETTY LITTLES The Pretty Littles have started this year with a huge bang. The release of their latest single Mumma has been met with widespread praise and was even picked up by triple j’s Dom Alessio. The last six months has seen them support The Reubens, Trial Kennedy and The Vasco Era. Finally though, on Friday August 3 they shall grace The Evelyn Hotel with their first headline gig of the year. Support comes from City Vs Country who are gearing towards a single release, Maids and Grunt Bucket. Entry is $10 and doors open from 9pm.
JACINTA CARUANA Jacinta Caruana will be officially launching her debut solo EP on Sunday August 5 at The Evelyn Hotel. The EP, written and produced with grammy nominee Phil Turcio (Gary Pinto, Guy Sebastian) and talented young musician Bradley J. Green (Daniel Merriweather, Jade Macrae), is a blend of R&B, pop and soul tunes inspired partly by an old ‘90s sound that Jacinta grew up listening to.
THE BATTERY KIDS After a short hiatus for overseas travel and to record their new EP, garage rock’n’rollers The Battery Kids are back to showcase their new tunes, promising more distorted organs and spooky theremin solos than ever before. The Battery Kids play what will be their debut show at The Grace Darling with Shoot The Sun and Heavy Beach on Thursday August 2, $8 on the door.
LAMARAMA Lamarama, the 14-legged monster collective, will be bringing their psychefunkadelic folktronic auralgasm to Bar Open on Thursday August 2. Sporting past and present members from Relax With Max, SS Pecker and The Woohoo Revue, this band is a force to be reckoned with. Having just returned to the real world after serving time in the studio to record their debut EP, Lamarama is back on the gig train. Keep an eye out for this record ETC, it’s sure to be a cracker. Melbourne’s Better Than The Wizards will be bringing the funk to the table. You’re going to need to bring your dancing shoes kids. Domini Forster will be kicking off the night with her quirky folk musings and her travelling ukulele. Kicks off 9pm. Free entry.
GLASS VAULTS
DIRT RIVER RADIO
Wellington band, Glass Vaults, make emotive music that could be described as layered-ambient-glacialpop. Their live show takes the spaciousness and melodic clarity of their recorded work and stretches it into wall of sound environments moving through lush, fully realised universes of textural sound. They are currently touring in the US and Canada on the back of a two month residency in New York. Before heading back to their home land, they will be performing an especially intimate show in Melbourne at The Grace Darling on Thursday August 9 with support from These Patterns, Colourwheel, and DJ Lotion. Presented to you by Wolfie and Lotion, who champion music from the New Zealand and Melbourne underground.
Dirt River Radio are getting set to release their anticipated follow-up to 2010’s critically acclaimed Beer Bottle Poetry. The new album, Rocknroll Is My Girlfriend is set for release in August. The boys from St Kilda have had a big year with UK, European and Asian releases, their song Chase The Sun becoming the theme song for Nat Geo’s The Aussie Way Up, countless shows and airplay around the country with All My Friends. Join them this Friday August 3 at Revolver Bandroom for the launch before they head out nationally promoting the new record, supported by White Summer, Road Ratz and Winter Moon. Doors 8pm. $10 Eventix and Moshtix and $15 on the door.
CHECK OUT ALL THE LATEST NEWS, REVIEWS AND FREE SHIT AT BEAT.COM.AU
Beat Magazine Page 67
ALBUM OF THE WEEK
3RRR SOUNDSCAPE
FABULOUS DIAMONDS
Commercial Music (Chapter Music)
WEDNESDAY 1 AUGUST
RESIDENCY - OPENING NIGHT
AGILITY
THE PRETTY LITTLES MEZZANINE (WA) THE SWEETS ENTRY $5, 8.15PM
THURSDAY 2 AUGUST SINGLE/VIDEO LAUNCH
SINCE THE RIVER BRIGHTLY THE MENSTRUAL CYCLE THESE PATTERNS DJ’S ENTRY $5, 8.30PM $2.50 POTS, $5 VODKAS!
FRIDAY 3 AUGUST
THE PRETTY LITTLES CITY VS COUNTRY MAIDS GRUNTBUCKET ENTRY $10, 9PM
SATURDAY 4 AUGUST
LOVE, EVELYN MARKETS FREE ENTRY, 12PM
RARE SHOW
28 DAYS
AND BURN THE UNION PACIFIC
ENTRY $25 DOOR, $20 PRESALE THRU MOSHTIX, 9PM
SUNDAY 5 AUGUST EP LAUNCH
JACINTA CARUANA NUSSY TOM KILINE
ENTRY $12, 2PM
SINGLE LAUNCH
MOTION PICTURES APRIL MAZE MATT KELLY BOYRED
ENTRY $6, 8.30PM
MONDAY 6 AUGUST
RESIDENCY - OPENING NIGHT
KEITH! PARTY SCOTDRAKULA MATTHEW BROWN MESA COSA DJS
DONATION ENTRY, 8:30PM $10 JUGS!
TUESDAY 7 AUGUST
There are very few elements which conspire to form Fabulous Diamonds’ inimitable output. Nisa Venerosa’s hypnotic drumwork and detached vocals, Jarrod Zlatic’s methodical synthesised organ lines – that’s pretty much all there is to it (though Mikey Young’s production is not to be discounted). Commercial Music, the first Fabulous Diamonds record with a title, and the first to contain songs with titles, still operates within these bounds, but it does so with far more levity and a more uninhibited approach than what is found on previous material. That’s not to say the record isn’t anchored by uneasiness – the cleaner, more conventional elements of the album’s six tracks often serve as a means to accentuate the troubled drone and acerbic stabs which formerly sat at the surface. The album opens with a blaring synth organ, sustaining a single note for the course of two minutes and thirty seconds – punctuated by a hammering piano strike and a repetitive, exclusively toms drumline – before manipulating gears into a gentle soar. The layers are placed upon each other violently, with the track’s crescendo forming a cyclone of ill-fitting high-pitched squeals and percussive debris. There’s a subtle chiming sample underlying the intro to Lothario. It doesn’t stay for long. The second half of the track explores and has its way with a basic melody to the point of near-erotic asphyxiation. On first listen, ??? sounds resoundingly hi-fi. The playful synth toots eventually make way for something more drawn out, then into something ridiculously chirpy, before culminating in an abrupt orchestral close. Wandering Eye has a chorus. Perhaps it’s the first Fabulous Diamonds track to have one, I dunno. It’s the most conventional the duo have sounded, something more likely to be found on Venerosa’s concurrent outfit Bushwalking. Of the album’s six tracks, John Song is the only one that fails to fire. The track never deviates from its set course, providing a shallow and unfulfilling, and ultimately
6. Ride One MICHAEL MEEKING & THE LOST SOULS 7. Can Your Monkey Do The Wurst KING SALAMI AND THE CUMBERLAND 3 8. The Invitation To The Voyage EUGENE MCGUINESS 9. Cut The World ANTONY AND THE JOHNSONS grating, tale of Barkly Square, cider bottles and lines of speed over sub-standard instrumentation. Dole-core isn’t one of Fabulous Diamond’s strengths. Downhill’s playful synth bounce hammers in a sublimation from a clean, The Knife-like, bounce into something far nastier. Then at the six minute mark, a spaced out melody intrudes to provide the ultimate payoff, utilising tones which are foreign to Fabulous Diamonds, tones which would make Wendy Carlos proud. The album closes with a soothing dissipation from the jarring syncopation into a wash of uplifiting synths. Commercial Music is Fabulous Diamonds’ best record. Whether or not its title is a sardonic label of what is perceived to be a charting of progression or success, the product itself shows that the outfit are most definitely on the right track.
10. Devotion ISAAC TICHAUER
COLLECTOR’S CORNER MISSING LINK 1. Off! CD/LP OFF! 2. Post Ending/Pre Completion LP USELESS CHILDREN 3. Beards, Wives, Denim CD/LP POND 4. Horizontal Action (7”) PSYCHOSURGEONS 5. Posthuman J.K. FLESH 6. Angel Of Darkness Demons Of Light II EARTH
LACHLAN KANONIUK Best Track: Downhill If You Like These, You’ll Like This: Little Joy MY DISCO, First Time BUSHWALKING In A Word: Polished
SETH SENTRY
7. Linea De Fuego BITTER SWEET KICKS 8. Eremita CD/LP IHSHAN 9. Dummy LP PORTISHEAD 10. The Kremlings CD THE KREMLINGS
WOOLY BULLY 1. Split (7”) TERRIBLE TRUTHS/HISSY MIYAKE 2. Cleveland (Book) HARVEY PEKAR 3. Bring Me Your Love (Book) CHARLES BUKOWSKI AND ROBERT CRUMB 4. Clyde Fans Book 1 (Book) SETH 5. Nationalism (7”) STRAIGHTJACKET NATION 6. Cut Sleeves LP BITS OF SHIT 7. S/T (Tape) EASTLINK 8. Interiorae (Book) GABRIELLA GIANDELLI 9. Tales Designed To Thrizzle (Book) MICHAEL KUPPERMAN
Go On Out, Get Back Home (Four Four/Universal) Tim Rogers’ new album was written in collaboration with Shel Rogerstein, who Tim met on a train. It’s called Rogers Sings Rogerstein, Ya-har. Go On Out, Get Back Home features Tim at his most silken and coquettish, a banjo and some twanging Hawaiian surf guitar, all wrapped up in a tripping bluegrass rhythm. S’nice. Only Tim Rogers could make a sweet line of “I’m the gristle in your tenderloin”.
BAND OF HORSES
Beautiful Son (Domino/EMI) The partners in Wisconsin duo Peaking Lights wrote Beautiful Son for their kid, a milky electro folk update of John Lennon’s Beautiful Boy. It’s wistful and understated, softly radiant, with samples shivering around a warm, noodling electric guitar and vocals that verge on a lullaby. Lovely.
THE VERONICAS
Lolita (Warner) Boom Boom Boom goes the bass, and so return The Veronicas. Their first single in roughly five years features a lot of awful rhyming couplets and not a single guitar sound – looks like the girls have abandoned their hammy rock posturing in favour of the globe-storming dubstep sounds of Skrillex (or some shitful, watery, chart-muddled version of Skrillex, anyway).
THE FROWNING CLOUDS
Propellers (Independent) Geelong’s Frowning Clouds play Mersey Beat-influenced pop here, complete with bleating harmonies and a bouncing rhythm. The song is overly polite and beat gets a bit metronomic at times, but they are otherwise cute and harmless.
Beat Magazine Page 68
5. A Is For Alpine ALPINE
CLARE BOWDITCH
PEAKING LIGHTS
KEITH! PARTY (MON IN AUG) THE SIMON WRIGHT BAND (TUE IN AUG) AGILITY (WED IN AUG) ROYAL CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL FUNDRAISER (10 AUG) KING OF THE NORTH – EP LAUNCH (11 AUG) MANSION, ALASKA (16 AUG) PANDORUM (17 AUG) SYDONIA – SINGLE LAUNCH (18 AUG) RMIT PHOTOGRAPHY FUNDRAISER (23 AUG) CLINT BOGE (24 AUG) THEY – VIDEO CLIP LAUNCH (25 AUG) URTHBOY (31 AUG)
4. Leave It All Behind SASKWATCH
TIM ROGERS
COMING UP TIX AVAILABLE THRU MOSHTIX:
3. It’s U HOLY BALM
Sarah (Independent) Melbourne’s Brightly have written a warbling, melancholic single that seems to rise bubbling out of water. Because the song itself is naïve and earnest indie folk, the rippling electro effects dressing the vocals and guitars are unsettling and hypnotic.
BRIGHTLY
DONATION ENTRY, 9PM $10 JUGS!
SIMON WRIGHT BAND SOUL SAFARI
2. Never MICACHU AND THE SHAPES
Float Away (Independent) I’m not a fan of Seth Sentry’s plodding lyrical flow, but the actual lyrics in Float Away are interesting. The tune is basically about Seth’s lack of focus and motivation; a weed-fuelled drift through life punctuated by the comically detached hook, “Don’t be upset, but I really didn’t hear a fucking word you just said.” The tone of the song is what makes it strange – gentle, cruising and (maybe it’s just me, but) kind of sad.
Knock Knock (Sony) Lifted from their forthcoming Mirage Rock album (out September 14), Knock Knock sees Band Of Horses in energetic near-country form. The guitars race and the vocals come out in a hefty gust while hands clap stoically. Big sound, but it has no heart.
RESIDENCY
1. Channel Orange FRANK OCEAN
SINGLES BY SIMONE As regular readers of this column may have ascertained, I basically just disagree with certain verb conjugations.
TOP TENS
Thin Skin (Universal) Clare’s bounding adult contemporary pop has returned from a brief sojourn into synth-fuelled electro to a more organic sound. Thin Skin, the first single from the portentously titled album The Winter I Chose Happiness, is a hearty assemblage of skittering drums and booming claps, with Clare’s voice a constant swoon, sailing in between. It’s a lovely warm sound but wordy and sanctimonious, as usual. Per this song, Clare has just discovered that happiness is a choice and being sensitive is a virtue. Some radical thinking there.
10. S/T EP WHITE COP
THORNBURY RECORDS 1. Sleeping Dogs Lie LP VICTIMS 2. Cut Sleeves LP BITS OF SHIT 3. Hard Rubbish LP LOWER PLENTY 4. Valtari LP SIGUR ROS 5. Aufheben LP BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE
CHILDISH GAMBINO
Fire Fly (Liberator) More unexpected delights from Childish Gambino: “This rap stuff is magic. I used to get called Oreo and faggot, I used to get more laughs when I got laughed at. Oh you got a mixtape? That’s fantastic. But everybody thought it was jokes though, they half right: the joke is, I got flow.” And then a whole bunch of stuff about how he’s a kid from the projects but his mama worked hard to give him an education and now all his friends look like Carlton from Fresh Prince. And then this, my favourite line: “No live shows though, ‘cause I can’t find sponsors for the only black kid at a Sufjan concert.” The tune is a slightly dorky, slightly dazed, slightly triumphant reflection on Donald’s unlikely rise as a hip hop star, which contains an interesting argument – Donald thinks black audiences are hungry for a little cerebral hip hop. And I’m sure all his white fans agree.
6. Vaya 10” EP AT THE DRIVE IN 7. Your Love 7” SASKWATCH 8. in/CASINO/out LP AT THE DRIVE IN 9. Ex Tropical LP LOST ANIMAL 10. Noctourniquet LP MARS VOLTA
BEAT’S TOP TEN SONGS THAT ASK QUESTIONS 1. Are You The One? THE PRESETS 2. Why Can’t I Be You? THE CURE 3. Is It Really So Strange? THE SMITHS 4. Can I Kick It? A TRIBE CALLED QUEST 5. Was There Anything I Could Do? THE GOBETWEENS
SINGLE OF THE WEEK KING GIZZARD AND THE LIZZARD WIZARD
Elbow (Flightless) Phwoar, etc. The Gizzards release a teeth-rattling, bone-shaking, party-starting garage punk single par excellence; a churning assault of drums and guitar with a Ramones-worthy hook. Ey, ey, ey, ey – that’s all it takes. But you need mad skills to make something so simple sound so good. Having 38 band members also helps.
FOR MORE REVIEWS GO TO BEATTV.COM.AU/REVIEWS
6. What Would I Want? Sky ANIMAL COLLECTIVE 7. Where Is My Mind? PIXIES 8. Who’s In Control? EAT SKULL 9. Have You Ever Seen The Rain? CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL 10. Who Let The Dogs Out? THE BAHA MEN
ALBUMS
CAMERAS
In Your Room (Speak N Spell/Inertia) FOR MORE REVIEWS GO TO
BEAT.COM.AU/REVIEWS
A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS Worship (Dead Ocean)
The so-called loudest band in New York is back, and this time it’s electronic. A Place To Bury Strangers is the band you want to play at a dinner party to separate the heavy duty wheat from the pissweak pop chaff, the litmus test for appreciating the power, potency and intensity of rock’n’roll in its deepest, darkest psychedelic guise. And Worship is the next stage in the band’s evolutionary journey. More Krautrock than psychedelic, more Ministry than Velvet Underground, this is an album that demands attention like a barking sergeant slicing through the facade of your pathetic psychological resistance. The opening track Alone sends Al Jourgensen into the corner to take a long hard look at himself; the brutal Mind Control sneers at Killing Joke and threatens physical violence and life-long rehabilitative therapy. You Are The One shadow boxes with Ali-like dexterity, the title track takes stock and offers a temporary reprieve before the gradual crescendo of Fear does exactly what you’d expect, and secretly hope for your troubled mind. In that context, Dissolved is a surprise – a trip back into the smoke-filled rooms of ‘80s England, where Ian McCulloch holds court against a backdrop of Thatcherism and social discontent. Why I Can’t Cry Anymore rights the dark ship, replete with shards of noise and an attitude that’s in danger of being criminalised in today’s nanny state; Revenge is straight out anti-social anger, and fuck it’s good. If Simon Katich chose the slightly-pop And I’m Up as the theme song for his return to the Australian cricket team, I’d forgive him for his regular transgressions in technique and general ugliness in style; Leaving Tomorrow is the ultimate dirty electronic-psych-grind fuck-off parting shot, and something to go on with. Next time you’re offered the chance to DJ at a work or social event frequented by punters with whom you Best Track: Mind Control If Your Like These, You’ll Like This: KILLING JOKE, ECHO have nothing in common, chuck on Worship. It might AND THE BUNNYMEN, MINISTRY, and subjecting yourself just bring surprising results. to a serious aural pounding PATRICK EMERY In A Word: Brutal
DROKK
Music Inspired By Mega-City One (Invada/Fuse) Listening to Drokk one can imagine how in the ‘80s Kraftwerk eventually became, for all intents and purposes, a stadium act. Drokk: who are Geoff Barrow (Portishead, Beak, Quakers..) and Ben Salisbury, re-energise the retro electronic sound of early ‘80s icons like Giorgio Moroder, Harold Faltermeyer and Jean Michel Jarre and suggest at least that the acclaim which met the forefathers of primitive electronica and pop and it’s progressive faces was justified. It’s coy yet theatrical in tone, a little like modernism set to music. That said, there are two rather distinct aspects to the tunes here; cinematic, hyper-electro pop, and less stylised, more motorik/minimalist Kraut-inspired pieces harking directly back to Barrow’s recent project BEAK>. It is the latter which free up this record, removing it from homage to something which is highly listenable. Tracks like Exhale and Dome Horizon, filled with texture and scale offset the ‘template sound’ of Helmet Theme and much of the rest of this record, with its stylistic, Blade Runner-inspired synths and drum machines. There’s additional joy when Drokk re-hash BEAK> on Inhale; its Krauty rhythm colliding with an explosion of sound design before segueing back into the science fiction vibe for a few more installments. The final piece reprises Helmet Theme, the iconic sound that perhaps defines the Drokk sound, and one Best Track: Inhale that completes the Drokk experience. If You Like These, You’ll Like This: BEAK>, KRAFTWERK In A Word: Neo-futuristic STEVE PHILLIPS
VAN SHE
Idea Of Happiness (Modular Recordings) The ‘80s influenced electro-pop sound has certainly been bludgeoned to death and Idea Of Happiness does not contain any moments that are particularly innovative. With that said, Van She are damn good at what they do. There are several moments throughout the album that inspire a feeling of déjà vu while putting a new spin on the well-worn genre. Those ingredients are a large part of what makes Idea of Happiness so warm and inviting. The songwriting also happens to be inspired by the band’s personal experiences. The positive vibes even extend to the ultra-colourful album cover art, which deserves an A+ on its own. You can’t help but be in a dancing mood when hitting play on anthems like Jamaica and the cowbell-laced Calypso. While maintaining a consistent electro-pop sound, the Sydney quartet is able to weave in and out of various influences from dubstep and chillwave (is that still a genre?) to arena rock. Continuing on the genre-straddling path two of the album’s best moments are instrumental pieces, the Neon Indian-style Radio Waves I and its follow-up Radio Waves II. The album’s only take-it-or-leave-it moment for this writer was the rather trite You’re My Rescue. What Best Track: Calypso you’re left with though is a super catchy collection, If You Like These, You’ll Like This: Funkapolitan perfect for our eventual summer. FUNKAPOLITAN, The Lateness Of The Hour ALEX CLARE, Brotherhood NEW ORDER ANDREW ‘HAZARD’ HICKEY In A Word: Catchy
EVERY MONDAY
The debut release from rising Sydney trio, Cameras, finally sheds some light on the dark force that is their undeniable live show, with the recorded version of their latest material almost doing them justice. Funnelling emotion and depth into any sort of recording is difficult at the best of times, let alone the type of moody, atmospheric sounds on offer on In Your Room. Expertly packaged into nine sprawling tracks, In Your Room is just as diverse in style as it is grand in concept; as the vocals bounce between the effortlessly ethereal Eleanor Dunlop and co-frontman and guitarist Fraser Harvey, each track has a decidedly different feel from the last. However, far from seeming incoherent, this approach gives the record a depth and texture that act well to link all the elements into one lengthy journey from start to finish. Opening track Polarise is an easing introduction, with Dunlop’s sweet vocals playing a key role in creating epic, broody pop, while Kreuzberg ups the ante by showcasing Harvey’s slightly haunting vocal styling set against urgent guitar and frantic piano. It’s difficult not to draw worthy comparisons between Harvey’s powerful vocals to those of Interpol frontman, Paul Banks in the track Patience, It Was The Truth, as his authoritative tones sounded eerily reminiscent of Interpol’s, Stella Was A Diver And She Was Always Down. Regardless of influence, In Your Room is cinematic and expansive, and easily transcends the traditional notions of the genre of pop. Its sweeping instrumental moments are haunting and executed superbly, bringing the complexity of their fine musicianship to the fore, while the big choruses of Best Track: End Of This Line tracks such as June and End Of This Line show off the If You Like These, You’ll Like This: Turn On The Bright band’s instinct for melodic, yet dynamic song-writing. Lights INTERPOL, Fractions DECODER RING TEGAN BUTLER In A Word: Atmospheric
THE LOVETONES
Provenance – Collected Works (Yep! Records) Nothing like Hoodoo Gurus inviting you on their 25th anniversary super tour to inject a new lease of life into your band. According to front man Matt Tow, a ‘best of’ has been in the works for some time, and coming off the back of the Dig It Up! tour couldn’t be a more perfect time for Provenance to hit the shelves. The Dig It Up! bill featured both new and old bands that float the Gurus musical boat and no doubt attracted some fresh faces to the event. It’s these fresh faces that The Lovetones’ latest release is aimed at. It’s a fantastic introduction to the band’s back catalogue and at a time where psychedelic rock is experiencing a resurgence, it’s seems apt that the youth look to bands who have been playing it for over a decade. The tracks are carefully chosen, with The Lovetones stronger and more immediately engaging songs making up the bulk of this release, as would be expected. Be What You Want, Love And Redemption, and Give It All I Can are all stand out tracks. If Provenance is your first exposure to the band, it showcases fantastically how deftly the songwriting echoes the greats – Stars sounds like Sgt Pepper era Beatles with a more contemporary shoegaze feel to it and Winter Time In Hollywood could have easily been penned by The Kinks main man Ray Davies. The Sound And The Fury from 2003’s Be What You Want album has touches of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club with a ‘60s psych edge. Provenance is a wellrounded release; and a reminder of the wealth of Australian bands that too often get forgotten about. The retro revival, in all reality is nothing new and it’s important when you’re exploring for inspiring new sounds to take a look in your own backyard and rummage for all the treasure that slipped by you due to age, environment, or its inability to penetrate the musical landscape of the time. What’s happening now is great, but it’s good not to let it overshadow the Best Track: The Sound And The Fury If You Like These, You’ll Like This: THE KINKS, THE fantastic musical gold that was produced in the not-solong ago past. BEATLES, BRIAN JONES TOWN MASSCRE In A Word: Encompassing
KRYSTAL MAYNARD
KING SALAMI AND THE CUMBERLAND 3 Can Your Monkey Do The Wurst (Off the Hip)
In the beginning, rock’n’roll’s celebration of the gyrating and thrusting desires of the adolescent population had conservative interests proclaiming this deviant musical form as the devil’s music. By the ‘70s, rock’n’roll had become as mainstream as sliced bread and processed meat. The offensive dross that clutters up the Top 40 charts suggests the devil has returned to fray, this time using turgid shite to numb the minds of a once vibrant population. Enter King Salami And The Cumberland 3 to save the world from this insipid attack on its senses. At its most fundamental, King Salami is a celebration of social excitement, whether it’s in its dancing form – Do The Wurst, Do The Climb, Funky Walk, Pawnee Stomp, The Birdog – or a manic assault on dominant social and political paradigms (Ma Juju Girl, Wigs, Wigs, Wigs, Black Santa, Trubble, Trubble). But it’s more than subtle messaging that’s on offer here. Ma Juju Girl wreaks havoc with Willie And The Hand Jive’s timehonoured formula, Bloody Mary pulls out the longboard and shrieks its way into your consciousness with ne’er a care, Hang Off jumps on the running board of your wood-panelled station wagon and whisks you off to a place Jan and Dean could only ever dream of and Do The Climb offers a perspective on life you’ll never forget. Do The Wurst is as slick as a used car salesman offloading a shiny red sports car to a businessman having a mid-life crisis, Funky Walk shoves Rufus Thomas, James Brown and Mick Collins into a cocktail shaker and creates a concoction of unfathomable excellence and Trubble, Trubble is as dangerous as a night on the sauce with Chuck Berry. King Salami And The Cumberland 3 aren’t on a quest to change the world, but they’re certainly not hanging Best Track: Do The Wurst If You Like These, You’ll Like This: CHUCK BERRY, original around waiting for something to happen. If apathy is a issue ROLLING STONES, THE CRAMPS, PINK FAIRIES, disease of the soul, King Salami is the cure. RIVIERAS In A Word: Spicy
WED AUG 1ST
WINTER YORK
PATRICK EMERY
THURS 9TH
POP CULTURE TRIVIA TUES JULY 31ST JIMMY STEWART
MADDISON WILSON, JACKSON THORNTON AND SIMON WINDLEY
JUDE ST JUDE AND POLICE & THIEVES
TUES AUG 7TH
ROSETTA (USA)
HEIRS, CITY OF SHIPS (USA) NUCLEAR SUMMER AND THE BRODERICK
THE UGLY KINGS
(CLINKERFIELD)
JAMES McCANN (EX DRONES)
THURS AUG 2ND
YOG, RAINBOW MASSACRE AND ROYAL ACE
FRI AUG 3RD
SAT 11TH
INTO THE WOODS
THE BON SCOTTS, THE STAFFORDS AND THE ANTI- FALL MOVEMENT
(EAGLE & THE WORM) TUES AUG 21ST
SASKWATCH FAREWELL HOUSE PARTY
(THIS PUBLIC LIFE)
TIX THROUGH: SASKWATCH.BANDCAMP.COM
JIMMY PHOENIX
FRI 10TH
TIX THROUGH WWW.JOHNCURTINHOTEL.COM
TUES AUG 14TH
GRIZZLY JIM LAWRIE
CERES
SAT AUG 4TH
WHITE BOYS CANT FUNK AND ANIMAUX + DJ O, DJ JUMPS, DJ MANCHILD AND DJ PROF. PAT MCGORRY
FOR MORE ALBUM NEWS AND REVIEWS GO TO WWW.BEAT.COM.AU
THE SPINSET ‘CREATURES’ EP LAUNCH
THE PLAYBOOK, MY FAVOURITE ACCIDENT AND RAISE THE STEAKS - COMING LATER -
17/8 - ASSEMBLE THE EMPIRE ‘RECORD LAUNCH’ 18/8 - NEBRASKATAK ‘IN A CAGE’ SINGLE LAUNCH 25/8 - THROWING FRISBIES PRES... TEENAGE MOTHERS, RICHIE 1250 AND THE BRIDES OF CHRIST, FLYING COLOURS + LOADS MORE 1/9 - FABULOUS DIAMONDS ‘RECORD LAUNCH’
Beat Magazine Page 69
GIG GUIDE WEDNESDAY 1 AUG ROCK/POP
AGILITY + MEZZANINE + THE PRETTY LITTLES + THE SWEETS Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy. 8:15pm. $5. COLLAGE - FEAT: HIGH SIDE DRIVER + RED X + SIERRA LEONE + THE BALLS Espy, St Kilda. 8:00pm. ELECTRIC GUEST + YESYOU Northcote Social Club, Northcote. 7:30pm. $39. ELEPHANT + THE INDIAN SKIES + WHEREâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S NICK? Empress Hotel, North Fitzroy. 8:00pm. HARTS + GATHERER + MULHOLLAND ToďŹ&#x20AC; In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 7:30pm. $10. LIEUTENANT JAM + FIERCE MILD + KITE CLUB & THE TARANTINOS Revolver Upstairs, Prahran. 8:00pm. $7. NEDD WELLYN + WHR EWING Kent St Bar, Fitzroy. 9:00pm. PENGUINS + SEESAW + THE DOWNGOING Bar Open, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. SWEET TEENS + SHIFTYT & TOM Tote Hotel, Collingwood. 8:00pm. VICE GRIP PUSSIES + THE UNAUSTRALIANS Cherry Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. WINTER YORK + JACKSON THORNTON + MADDISON WILSON + SIMON WINDLEY John Curtin Hotel, Carlton. 8:00pm.
ACOUSTIC/COUNTRY/BLUES/FOLK BRYEN WILLEMS Standard Hotel, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. DAVEY LANE + JOHN PATRICK Retreat Hotel, Brunswick. 8:30pm. JUSTIN CUSACK + NATHAN HOLLYWOOD + ROLLER ONE Old Bar, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $8. MATT GLASS + AL PARKINSON Veludo Bar & Restaurant, St Kilda. 9:00pm. MYYTH + HUNGRY JESUS + THE WILD COMFORTS IdgaďŹ&#x20AC; Bar & Venue, Abbotsford. 8:00pm. OPEN MIC Dancing Dog, Footscray. 7:00pm. OPEN MIC Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick. 8:00pm. OPEN MIC Great Britain Hotel, Richmond. 9:00pm. OPEN MIC Thornbury Local, Thornbury. 8:00pm. OPEN MIC Musicland, Fawkner. 8:00pm. OPEN MIC & JAM NIGHT Grind N Groove, Healesville. 8:00pm. RUTH ROGERS-WRIGHT (ALBUM LAUNCH) + DJ MYT-JAXX Gertrudes Brown Couch, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. $10. WINE WHISKEY WOMEN - FEAT: TASH SULTANA + RUTH LINDSAY Drunken Poet, West Melbourne. 8:00pm.
JAZZ/SOUL/FUNK/WORLD MUSIC BOHJASS + THE DAMIEN ELLIS BAND + TOM NOONAN BAND 303, Northcote. 8:00pm. BOPSTRETCH Uptown Jazz Cafe, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. DIZZYâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S BIG BAND Dizzyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Jazz Club, Richmond. 8:00pm. $14. JAMES MACAULAYâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S NEW OLD JAZZ BAND Open Studio, Northcote. 8:00pm. THE GIANNI MARINUCCI NONET Paris Cat Jazz Club, Melbourne Cbd. 9:30pm. $15. THE JAMES ANNESLEY QUARTET Bennetts Lane Jazz Club, Melbourne. 8:30pm. $15.
THURSDAY 2 AUG ROCK/POP
1AM LATE SHOW - FEAT: SALAD DAYS Pony, Melbourne. 1:00am. COLD HIKER (EP LAUNCH) + Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;LLS + LOWLAKES ToďŹ&#x20AC; In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. $10. CYLINDERS (EP LAUNCH) + ANDRAS FOX + DJ
SHAGS + EVELYN MORRIS Workers Club, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. DARTS + MEZZANINE & THE RED LIGHTS Yah Yahâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. $6. DIRTY F + LOUIS ARTEC + THEM BRUINS + TWIN AGES Gertrudes Brown Couch, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $8. GLACIERS + GRAND PRISMATIC + LUNAIRE Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood. 8:00pm. LEGACY + ASLEEP AT LAST + DAMN THAT RIVER + IN A MEMORY Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick. 8:00pm. LIME CORDIALE (EP LAUNCH) + ANIMAUX + YEO Ding Dong Lounge, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. $10. LUKE ESCOMBE ButterďŹ&#x201A;y Club, South Melbourne. 7:00pm. MAX IMPACT Tago Mago, Thornbury. 8:00pm. MKO + CREEP & HARP + HONEYBADGERS Tote Hotel, Collingwood. 8:00pm. ONE DAY MAYBE + LONG HOLIDAY + STATE OF SILENCE + THE UNMISTAKABLE The Prague, Thornbury. 8:00pm. OVERPROOF GROOVE + JET BLACK POPE Pony, Melbourne. 8:30pm. ROSETTA + CITY OF SHIPS + HEIRS + NONTINUUM + NUCLEAR SUMMER John Curtin Hotel, Carlton. 8:00pm. RUBYâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S SHOWCASE Rubyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Lounge, Belgrave. 7:00pm. SINCE THE RIVER (WINTER TEETH) + BRIGHTLY + THE MENSTRUAL CYCLE + THESE PATTERNS DJS Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $5. SMASHING PUMPKINS + WOLFMOTHER Hisense Arena, Melbourne. 7:00pm. THE BATTERY KIDS + HEAVY BEACH + SHOOT THE SUN Grace Darling Hotel, Collingwood. 9:00pm. $8. THE JOHN BACON BAND Musicland, Fawkner. 8:00pm. THE ROBOT KINGS + BLUE PRINT + EUTHYMIA IdgaďŹ&#x20AC; Bar & Venue, Abbotsford. 8:00pm. THREE QUARTER BEAST + CALADONIA + RIFF FIST Espy, St Kilda. 8:00pm.
ACOUSTIC/COUNTRY/BLUES/FOLK 8 FOOT FELIX + RAPSCALLION + SAFFRON AVENUE Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East. 8:30pm. APES + KILLING LIARS + STAVROS BROTHERS Old Bar, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $8. BONNIE ANDERSON + CALLE Retreat Hotel, Brunswick. 9:00pm. CHILDREN OF THE WAVE + GREAT EARTHQUAKE + MAJOR CHORD Empress Hotel, North Fitzroy. 8:00pm. $8. CHRIS RUSSELLâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S CHICKEN WALK Labour In Vain, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. JUNIOR BOWLES + THE ELLIOTS Veludo Bar & Restaurant, St Kilda. 9:00pm. KATHRYN ROLLINS Wesley Anne, Northcote. 6:00pm. LEEZ LIDO + MONKEYâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S PIRATE Great Britain Hotel, Richmond. 8:00pm. OPEN MIC Lyrebird Lounge, Ripponlea. 8:00pm. OPEN MIC Acoustic Cafe, Collingwood. 6:30pm. OPEN MIC Arcadia Hotel, South Yarra. 7:00pm. THE WEIGHT Fleece Hotel, South Melbourne. 8:00pm.
JAZZ/SOUL/FUNK/WORLD MUSIC ALEISTER JAMES CAMPBELLâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S EMBRACEABLE FEW Open Studio, Northcote. 8:30pm. JAMES MACAULAY QUINTET Uptown Jazz Cafe, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. LAMARAMA + BETTER THAN WIZARDS + DOMINI FORSTER Bar Open, Fitzroy. 9:00pm. RBS LIVE (MELBOURNE UNCOVERED) Red Bennies, South Yarra. 7:00pm. $10. REWOUND Dizzyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Jazz Club, Richmond. 8:00pm. $14. SALSA EXPLOSION - FEAT: DEL BARRIO First Floor,
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Beat Magazine Page 70
ENGINE THREE SEVEN
SHOWDOWN AT THE CORNER Like any good showdown thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be tension in the air and a ďŹ erce rumbling in the crowdâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s loins. With all the shimmering choreographed complexity of a Highschool Rock Eisteddfod, Showdown At The Corner will be see rock groups Engine Three Seven, Bellusira, The Khyber Belt, Sub Atari Knives, Moroccan Kings, Fisker, One, The Fighting, Kettlespider and Hotel On Mayfair face oďŹ&#x20AC;. Friday August 3 at The Corner. Hold onto â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;yer hats. Fitzroy. 10:00pm. SOUL SAFARI Cherry Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. $10. THE AIRBENDERS 303, Northcote. 8:00pm. $10. THE AUSTRALIAN ART ORCHESTRA Bennetts Lane Jazz Club, Melbourne. 8:30pm. $20. THE LUKE HOWARD TRIO Paris Cat Jazz Club, Melbourne Cbd. 9:00pm. $15.
FRIDAY 3 AUG ROCK/POP
2AM LATE SHOW - FEAT: ALKAN ZEYBEK & THE LESSERMEN Pony, Melbourne. 2:00am. ACOUSTIC BEATLES Beaumaris Rsl, Beaumaris. 8:00pm. ATOMIC BLISS + ANNA LIEBZEIT + DIRT UNIT + THE WEATHER Espy, St Kilda. 8:00pm. BITS OF SHIT (ALBUM LAUNCH) + ALLY OOP & THE HOOPSTERS + TYRRANAMEN Grace Darling Hotel, Collingwood. 9:00pm. CAVE OF THE SWALLOWS + ABREACT + CONTRIVE + ENVENOMED + WHITE CELL Espy, St Kilda. 8:00pm. CITRUS JAM + DJ DIAMOND DEB + DJ MAMA ROCK + GOLD GULL First Floor, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. $10. CZARINA + JACINTA BLAMPIED The Hammy, Melbourne. 8:00pm. DIRT RIVER RADIO + ROAD RATZ + WHITE SUMMER + WINTER MOON Revolver Upstairs, Prahran. 8:00pm. $10. DIRTY RATS + THE KLANSMEN Haâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;penny Bridge, Frankston. 8:00pm. $10. EINSTEIN TOYBOYS Musicland, Fawkner. 8:00pm. FENIAN + ALTAR EGO + SEX ST + SIGNALS IN SILENCE The Prague, Thornbury. 8:00pm. FOOTY Sporting Club Hotel, Brunswick. 7:00pm. FORTY THOUSAND SISTERS (ALBUM LAUNCH) + SIRENS OF VENICE + WARMTH CRASHES IN Ding Dong Lounge, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. $10. FRENZAL RHOMB + I EXIST + THE HARD TARGETS The Hi-ďŹ , Melbourne. 8:00pm. $25. GRAFT VS HOST + AIDS + BEING AMAZING + DAMN THE TORPEDOS + THE OUT OF TOWNERS Gertrudes Brown Couch, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. $8. HIGH FANGS + BAD VISION + THE NO REAL NEED Yah Yahâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, Fitzroy. 9:00pm. INTO THE WOODS + THE ANTI-FALL MOVEMENT + THE BON SCOTTS + THE STAFFORDS John Curtin Hotel, Carlton. 8:00pm. $10. JUNE FLIGHTS + BRENDAN KELLY THUNDER HORSE + COINTERVILLE GHOSTS + MYSTRY BAND IdgaďŹ&#x20AC; Bar & Venue, Abbotsford. 8:00pm. LITTLE SECRET WAREHOUSE PARTY - FEAT: NICE & EGO + MUFFIN + PRIVATE LIFE + STICKY FINGERS + THEM SWOOPS + TIN LION Secret Warehouse, Collingwood. 7:30pm. LUKE ESCOMBE ButterďŹ&#x201A;y Club, South Melbourne. 7:00pm. $23. NEON & VENOM + THE BLACK GYPSIES: EP LAUNCH + THE REPROBETTES Cherry Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. $13. NO BIRTH VOL 2 - FEAT: THE UV RACE + DEAD CHINA DOLL + THE AESTHETICS Empress Hotel, North Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $10. OUCH MY FACE + DJ KEZBOT + HIRA HIRA + IVY ST Old Bar, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $10. PEGAZUS + IRON MADNESS + KILL EM ALL Rubyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Lounge, Belgrave. 8:00pm. $15. ROUSSEMOFF (ALBUM LAUNCH) + EM VECUE AQUIEU + SLEEP DECADE + WARPIGS Pony, Melbourne. 9:00pm. SHOWDOWN AT THE CORNER - FEAT: BELLUSIRA + ENGINE THREE SEVEN + SUB ATARI KNIVES + THE KHYBER BELT + FISKE + HOTEL ON MAYFAIR + KETTLESPIDER + MOROCCAN KINGS + ONE + THE FIGHTING Corner Hotel, Richmond. 6:30pm. $17. SONS + CONKER + DIAMOND Prince Bandroom, St Kilda. 8:00pm. $10.
SUBMIT YOUR GIGS TO GIGGUIDE@BEAT.COM.AU
THE CORPS + DENOUNCEMENT PYRE + KROMOSOM Bendigo Hotel, Collingwood. 7:00pm. THE COVES & GIANT MOTH + GIANT MOTH + THE COVES Victoria Hotel, Brunswick. 9:00pm. THE FIRE ALIVE (EP LAUNCH) + THE ATTICS + THE LAUGHING LEAVES + THE WEARY Cornish Arms, Brunswick. 8:00pm. THE GROVES + CHARM + DEAR STALKER + THE INSTINCTS Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick. 9:00pm. THE HELLO MORNING & IMMIGRANT UNION + IMMIGRANT UNION + THE HELLO MORNING: ALBUM LAUNCH + MINIBIKES Northcote Social Club, Northcote. 8:30pm. $12. THE JUNES Penny Black, Brunswick. 9:30pm. THE PEEP TEMPEL + BANG! BANG! ROCK & ROLL + KIDS OF ZOO Workers Club, Fitzroy. 9:00pm. THE PRETTY LITTLES + CITY VS COUNTRY + GRUNT BUCKET + MAIDS Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy. 9:00pm. $10. THE TWERPS + FULL UGLY + PEAK TWINS Tote Hotel, Collingwood. 8:00pm. THIS IS YOUR CAPTAIN SPEAKING + HAZARDS OF SWIMMING NAKED + MR MAPS + RED HYMNS Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood. 8:00pm. $10. VELOCIRAPTOR + ADAM HYNES + DAMN TERRAN + THE MESSENGERS + UDAYS TIGER Espy, St Kilda. 9:00pm. VICTOR PENDER Cape Cafe, Fitzroy. 8:00pm.
ACOUSTIC/COUNTRY/BLUES/FOLK BRYEN WILLEMS BAND Pascoe Vale Rsl, Pascoe Vale. 8:00pm. $8. ED SHEERAN Palais Theatre, St Kilda. 7:30pm. GABRIEL LYNCH Wesley Anne, Northcote. 8:00pm. GATOR QUEEN & J GOODY GOODMAN Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East. 9:30pm. HEATHER STEWART Wesley Anne, Northcote. 6:00pm. JOHN LILLIS + JASON SEEMAN Balaclava Hotel, Balaclava. 8:00pm. LUCKY DUBE BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION - FEAT: THE ROOTS & HERBS + THE RAS JAHKNOW BAND Thornbury Theatre, Thornbury. 8:00pm. $15. MITCH & THE DAWN CHORUS + DJ KEN EAVEL Retreat Hotel, Brunswick. 9:00pm. OPEN MIC Tonyk, Northcote. 7:00pm. PEON Conduit Arts Studio, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. SEAN MCMAHONâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S WESTERN UNION Basement Discs, Melbourne Cbd. 12:45pm. SONS OF LEE MARVIN Gem Bar, Collingwood. 8:00pm. THE LUCKY WONDERS + JACQUI STERLING Westernport Hotel, San Remo. 8:00pm. TRADITIONAL IRISH MUSIC SESSIONS - FEAT: DAN BOURKE Drunken Poet, West Melbourne. 6:00pm.
JAZZ/SOUL/FUNK/WORLD MUSIC DANY MAIA Paris Cat Jazz Club, Melbourne Cbd. 9:30pm. $20. GRACE KNIGHT Bennetts Lane Jazz Club, Melbourne. 8:30pm. $40. HUGH STUCKEY HAMMOND TRIO Uptown Jazz Cafe, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. JENNY M THOMAS & THE SYSTEM Bennetts Lane Jazz Club, Melbourne. 8:00pm. $18. JOHN STEVENS + NICOLETTE FORTE Caravan Music Club, Oakleigh. 8:00pm. $32. LYNDA LAWRENCE WITH GIL ASKEY & THE ROGER CLARK QUARTET Dizzyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Jazz Club, Richmond. 9:00pm. $20. MASSA CYGNET + LOANWOLF Tago Mago, Thornbury. 9:00pm. THE ROYAL JELLY DIXIELAND BAND + DJ BARBARA BLAZE The Luwow, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. $5. TONY KOPA Prince Maximillian, Prahran. 8:00pm. TRIO ALVORADA Open Studio, Northcote. 8:30pm.
SATURDAY 4 AUG ROCK/POP 100% KYLIE - FEAT: LUCY HOLMES Palais, Hepburn Springs. 8:30pm. $30. 28 DAYS + AND BURN + THE UNION PACIFIC Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy. 9:00pm. $20. 2AM DOUBLE LATE SHOW - FEAT: MAD NANNA + NO ACTION Pony, Melbourne. 2:00am. BANG - FEAT: FOR OUR HERO + A SLEEPLESS MELODY + THE NEVER EVER Royal Melbourne Hotel, Melbourne Cbd. 9:00pm. $20. BAYOU + FLYYING COLOURS + HOUNDS Cornish Arms, Brunswick. 8:00pm. BETTER THAN THE WIZARDS + CAPTAIN GROOVE + THOMAS TUENA + TWOKS Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick. 9:00pm. BITS OF SHIT (ALBUM LAUNCH) + POPPINâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; MOMMAS + THE KREMLINGS + THE LIVING EYES National Hotel, Geelong. 9:00pm. $10. BLOOD SUGAR SEX MAGIC (CALIFORNICATION) + CAT OR PILLAR + FEATHERED FRIENDS + KUMAR SHOME & THE PUNKAWHALLAHS Espy, St Kilda. 8:00pm. $15. BRIDGETOWN Tago Mago, Thornbury. 9:00pm. BURIED HORSES + FRASER A GORMAN Tote Hotel, Collingwood. 5:00pm. CHARLOTTE NICDAO 303, Northcote. 8:00pm. $10. CISCO CEASAR Penny Black, Brunswick. 9:30pm. CLAMPDOWN Rochester Castle Hotel, Fitzroy. 9:00pm. COSMIC TONIC Veludo Bar & Restaurant, St Kilda. 9:30pm. DAN TROLLEY + DYLAN STEWART + LIAM STEWART Empress Hotel, North Fitzroy. 3:30pm. $5. FRENZAL RHOMB Pier Live, Frankston. 8:00pm. $25. HOUSE OF ROCK - FEAT: KING PARROT InďŹ&#x201A;ation, Melbourne. 9:00pm. HOUSE VS HURRICANE (CROOKED TEETH TOUR) + HEIGHTS + NORTHLANE + WHILE SHE SLEEPS The Hi-ďŹ , Melbourne. 8:00pm. $25. JANTINA & THE JAGUARS + BAND BAND + THE DIVINE FLUXUS + VULTURES OF VENUS Pony, Melbourne. 9:00pm. JED ROWE BAND (THE EMBER & THE AFTERGLOW TOUR) Baha Tacos & Tapas Bar, Rye. 9:00pm. $15. JUDGE PINO & HIS RULING MOTIONS + DJ DAN THE MAN + DJ JUMPINâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; JOSH The Luwow, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. $10. KYUSS 20TH ANNIVERSARY TRIBUTE - FEAT: MATT SONIC & THE HIGH TIMES + BATTLES AXE HOWLERS Cherry Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. $22.
MARCHING ORDERS + BLOODY HAMMER + EVIL WAYS + THE CORPS Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood. 8:00pm. MARTYR PRIVATES + EAST LINK + RATSAK + SEWERS Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood. 8:00pm. MY FAVOURITE ACCIDENT + LESS THAN ZERO + SCALEM + SECOND CHANCE EXIT IdgaďŹ&#x20AC; Bar & Venue, Abbotsford. 8:00pm. $6. NOTHING HURTS ROBOT (ALBUM LAUNCH) + BRAVE JULIET + THE MECURY THEATRE + THE RAVEN Rubyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Lounge, Belgrave. 8:00pm. $10. OWL EYES & STONEFIELD (WINTER ROAD TRIP TOUR) Westernport Hotel, San Remo. 9:00pm. $15. PSEUDO ECHO (SUDDENLY SILENTLY TOUR) + CHEETSTREET + THE ELLIOTTS Corner Hotel, Richmond. 8:30pm. $25. SASKWATCH + ANIMAUX + WHITE BOYZ CANT FUNK John Curtin Hotel, Carlton. 8:00pm. $10. SKRYPTCHA (MINDFUL LAUNCH) + BBS CREW + REMI Workers Club, Fitzroy. 9:00pm. SLOW CHASE + THE QUARTERS + THE RED Gertrudes Brown Couch, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. $8. SORDID ORDEAL + FOXTROT + PLASTIC SPACEMAN + THE INSTINCTS Espy, St Kilda. 8:00pm. THE BONNIWELLS + ROSS DE CHENE HURRICANES Godzilla Bar, Melbourne. 8:00pm. THE CORSAIRS Town Hall Hotel, North Melbourne. 10:00pm. THE DC3 + QUANG DINH Northcote Social Club, Northcote. 8:30pm. $13. THE FAUX FIGHTERS + NO STAIRWAY + THE NARROW ROAD Ferntree Gully Hotel, Ferntree Gully. 8:00pm. $15. THE LIKELY SUSPECTS + CHAMBERS Edinburgh Castle, Brunswick. 9:00pm. THE OUT OF TOWNERS + CLOWNS + DIRTY CHAPTERS + DIXON CIDER Reverence Hotel, Footscray. 8:00pm. $7. THE RAMSHAKLE ARMY + KILL THE MATADOR + THE BENNIES + THE PLAYBOOK Bendigo Hotel, Collingwood. 8:00pm. THE SINGLE MENâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S DRINKING CLUB (ALBUM LAUNCH) + PONY FACE + THE PRETTY LITTLES Grace Darling Hotel, Collingwood. 9:00pm. $10. THE SONS OF MAY + CRAVEN SOULS + KASHMERE CLUB Noise Bar, Brunswick. 8:30pm. $15. THE TWERPS + BUSHWALKING + THE STEVENS Tote Hotel, Collingwood. 8:00pm. THE VELOCETTES + CHILDREN OVERBOARD + DJ SHAKY MEMORIAL Retreat Hotel, Brunswick. 10:00pm. THE WACO SOCIAL CLUB + LANECHESTER The Prague, Thornbury. 8:00pm. THESE HANDS + DJ SEAN SPOILS + FATHOMS +
60 SECONDS WITHâ&#x20AC;Ś BLOOD SUGAR SEX MAGIK
Bearing the terrible clichĂŠd nature of this question, what do you reckon people will say you sound like? The Red Hot Chili Peppers. Whenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the gig and with who? Saturday August 4, The Espy Gershwin Room with Feathered Friends and Cat or Pillar. So, someone is walking past as you guys are playing, they then go get a beer and tell their friend about you... what do they say? â&#x20AC;&#x153;They sound like The Red Hot Chili Peppers!â&#x20AC;? Which band would you most like to have a battle/ showdown with? The Word (original band from the boys in BSSM!) Why should everyone come and see your band? Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cheaper than the Big Day Out. What makes you happiest about what youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re doing? Getting to recreate one of our favourite albums! If you could go on tour with any musician or band, who would it be? Aerosmith, Pearl Jam, and an old man fashioning a kayak from a log.
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SUBMIT YOUR GIGS TO GIGGUIDE@BEAT.COM.AU
Beat Magazine Page 71
SASKWATCH
THE RAMSHACKLE ARMY The Ramshackle Army have one of the most fitting titles ever. Playing a mixture of punk, ska and reggae, even they haven’t made up their minds yet. Celebrate at their two year birthday party, heading back where it all began, The Bendigo Hotel in Collingwood with their dilapidated frenzy of tunes on Saturday August 4.
It seemed like only yesterday a young Saskwatch burst forth in a blaze of trumpets and snake-hipped soul. But they have plans to conquer the world and their omnipresence on a Cherry Bar Thursday will be sorely missed. Head to their farewell party at the John Curtin on Saturday August 4 to say your goodbyes. Go forth and prosper, dear Saskwatch.
FLYYING COLOURS Old Bar, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $8. THREEZZACROWD Malvern Vale Hotel, Melbourne. 8:00pm. VICTOR PENDER Cape Cafe, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. WAR IN ARCADIA + FAHRENHEIT 43 + QUARTERDRIVE + ROSLYN HEAY + THE KODIAK CLUB Revolver Upstairs, Prahran. 8:00pm. $12. WEEKENDER - FEAT: GIMME SKELTER Yah Yah’s, Fitzroy. 9:00pm.
THE CHRIS WILSON BAND Union Hotel, Brunswick. 9:00pm. THE PHEASANT PLUCKERS Labour In Vain, Fitzroy. 5:00pm. THE RECTIFIERS Standard Hotel, Fitzroy. 7:00pm. THE SIDESHOW BRIDES Union Hotel, Brunswick. 5:00pm. VERY HANDSOME MEN + THE IAN ARCHIBALD BAND Musicland, Fawkner. 8:00pm.
ACOUSTIC/COUNTRY/BLUES/FOLK
JAZZ/SOUL/FUNK/WORLD MUSIC
CANVAS + AMY ALEX Victoria Hotel, Brunswick. 9:00pm. CHERRYWOOD Great Britain Hotel, Richmond. 9:00pm. DAN & HANNAH ACFIELD + THE FALLS Empress Hotel, North Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $12. FATS WAH WAH Rainbow Hotel, Fitzroy. 9:00pm. GHOST TOWNS OF THE MIDWEST + KITCH KINSKI + THE WILD COMFORTS Horse Bazaar, Melbourne Cbd. 10:00pm. HOWLIN’ STEAM TRAIN (EP LAUNCH) + MAJOR TOM & THE ATOMS Ding Dong Lounge, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. $12. JAMES TEAGUE Wesley Anne, Northcote. 6:00pm. JUDE ST JUDE Drunken Poet, West Melbourne. 9:00pm. JUNIOR BOWLES Elwood Lounge, Elwood. 8:00pm. LINCOLN MACKINNON Retreat Hotel, Brunswick. 4:00pm. NICK LOVELL Wesley Anne, Northcote. 8:30pm. OPEN JAM Open Studio, Northcote. 4:30pm. SATURDAY ACOUSTIC REVUE - FEAT: JAMIE PYE + THE GATHERERS + TWYCE DAILY Chandelier Room, Moorabbin. 8:00pm. $10. SATURDAY NIGHT ACOUSTIC REVUE Chandelier Room, Moorabbin. 8:00pm. $10. SPENCER P JONES Pause Bar, Balaclava. 8:00pm. THE BAKERSFIELD GLEE CLUB Retreat Hotel, Brunswick. 7:30pm. THE BRYEN WILLEMS BAND Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East. 9:30pm.
GRACE KNIGHT Bennetts Lane Jazz Club, Melbourne. 8:30pm. $40. HIGH STREET BELLS CHOIR Northcote Uniting Church, Northcote. 7:30pm. HIP HIP HARAMBEE Thornbury Theatre, Thornbury. 7:30pm. $17. JEFF LANG + ALISON FERRIER + SEAN MCMAHON’S WESTERN UNION Caravan Music Club, Oakleigh. 8:00pm. $22. MICHAEL DUCHESNE Prince Maximillian, Prahran. 8:00pm. ROYAL HELL - FEAT: HIATUS KAIYOTE + CHARLIE LIM + MODERN DAY MUSE + PROJECT PUZZLE Open Studio, Northcote. 8:30pm. $8. SUINGUE BRAZUCA Dizzy’s Jazz Club, Richmond. 9:00pm. $20. TAMARA KULDIN’S DIRTY MARTINI Paris Cat Jazz Club, Melbourne Cbd. 9:30pm. $25. TANIA BOSAK & THE BAIO + KESHIE + REFLEJOS 303, Northcote. 2:00pm. $10. THE CACTUS CHANNEL (HAPTICS LAUNCH) + DJ CHRIS GILL + THE PUTBACKS Toff In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. $12. WRONG ROOM + TIM FARRELL + TODD ANDERSON-KUNERT Conduit Arts Studio, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. $10.
SUNDAY 5 AUG ROCK/POP
Q&A NEON & VENOM
Steve Lucas has a new band, Neon & Venom. We spoke to him to get the skinny. You played your final X show at the Tote the other week, will we still hear some of your X songs played live? As long as I play music I will play X songs. I have been doing this (X) for 35 years, that’s two-thirds of my life, or close enough. I am those songs, and those songs are me. I could no sooner stop playing those songs than stop breathing. They are my life and I would not dishonour myself or other members of the band in such a way. The music will live, though X may not. Tell us about your new band Neon & Venom? It is a great band. Neon and Venom will incorporate the current X rhythm section into the music. We already have a bond so it will be a natural progression. Plus I have the added pleasure of co-fronting the band. Joey Bedlam, founder and lead singer of DollSquad will be there by my side. It takes some of the pressure off me and allows me to actually have a bit more fun. Songs that I guess I would have presented to X will be included in the set and we are more than capable of tossing out a few X faves if the mood suits us. Dare I say it? We look good and sound better. I love the band and everyone in it. Who is Neon and who is Venom? After all this time in the business the Venom is mine. Joey brings some light into the equation. She is Neon she glows in the dark and is radiant. I am the dark onto which she sheds the light. Rick and Phil are the maintenance crew. They turn on the lights and milk the venom. (Ha! That is so wrong.) Describe the sound of this new band? Who else is in it? Phil Grinder and Rick Student will be tagging along. The Beat Magazine Page 72
5 SECONDS OF SUMMER (U18) Corner Hotel, Richmond. 1:00pm. $25. ACTOR SLASH MODEL (ALBUM LAUNCH) + EAST BRUNSWICK ALL GIRLS CHOIR + FOOTY Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood. 8:00pm. DEAR PLASTIC + ELEPHANT EYES + KATHERINE HARDY Bar Open, Fitzroy. 7:30pm. ERRANT VENTURE + FITZWICKY Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick. 9:00pm. GIRLS WITH CAKE + DAVE JKES + THE DARK FAIR Idgaff Bar & Venue, Abbotsford. 8:00pm. HARLOTS + DJ SHITSHAKE + MOJO JUJU + STELLA ANGELICA & THE SWITCH Old Bar, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. $6. HOUSE VS HURRICANE (CROOKED TEETH TOUR (ALL AGES)) + HEIGHTS + NORTHLANE + WHILE SHE SLEEPS Phoenix Youth Centre, Footscray. 2:00pm. $25. JACINTA CARUANA + NUSSY + OM KILINE Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy. 2:00pm. $12. JED ROWE BAND (THE EMBER & THE AFTERGLOW TOUR) + JEFF LANG + LIZ STRINGER + NIGEL WEARNE Toff In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 7:30pm. $12. LUKE ESCOMBE Butterfly Club, South Melbourne. 6:00pm. $23. MARK GARDENER + SKY PARADE + UNDERGROUND LOVER Corner Hotel, Richmond. 7:30pm. $58. MOTION PICTURES + APRIL MAZE + BOYRED + MATT KELLY Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $6. THE DAMES Tago Mago, Thornbury. 5:00pm. THE DARK ALES + SOMEONE ELSE’S WEDDING BAND Bendigo Hotel, Collingwood. 4:00pm. $6. THE PROSTITUTE KILLERS + BIG FACE & THE BOOGIE WOOGIE BOARD BOYS + HARRISON GROVE Cherry Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. TINA ARENA Hamer Hall, The Arts Centre, Melbourne. 6:00pm. WINTERCOATS + THE TOWNHOUSES Toff In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 4:00pm. $8.
ACOUSTIC/COUNTRY/BLUES/FOLK ANNE OF THE WOLVES Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick. 5:00pm. BACKWOOD CREATURES Labour In Vain, Fitzroy. Recording is going to happen. It is a must. Will the Cherry Stage be big enough for the personalities of both Joey Dollsquad and Steve Lucas? Ha! We may have to add an extension. They used to have a special platform for Joey, I wonder if they still have it? Joey and I are cool, we don’t need to compete though we do like to ‘challenge’ one another to a degree. Joey is also pretty mobile - she likes to go out into the audience and mix it up a little. I don’t think it will be too much of an issue.
sound of the band has a garage psych-punk fusion thing going on. Our youthful musical influences are given free reign. There is a strong ‘60s – ‘70s undercurrent but it still maintains a contemporary feel. I am reinventing the wheel to a small degree and picking a few stray threads from my past ventures like Groody Frenzy. There is also a bit of an X/ DollSquad hybrid thing going on. An intoxicating vibe with a grinding feel behind it. We all bring something to the party. What can people expect from the live show? People can expect to have a good time. They can expect to be entertained, it’s okay to use such an old fashioned term these days. We are presenting ourselves to the public for a mutual kind of pleasure. They can expect to be expected to move and dance. They can expect me to give my all as well as the other members of the band. It is about having fun and we are quite serious about it. Have fun or face the consequences. It is a chance to escape from today and tomorrow and yesterday. Is this your first major Neon & Venom live show? Yes it is. We did one out at Geelong ages ago, before my accident and recently played at Yah Yah’s. So yes, this is our first major event I guess. We are most delighted that The Cherry Bar has let us in, but then James is a true believer in rock and roll and has a keen eye for talent. Are there any recordings planned? Yes many plans. I am constantly writing and making demos for the band. We hope to get something together before the New Year but will be content to see how things play out. We have our eyes on Europe, the kind of music we play would go down extremely well over there. I have written more than enough for two albums. We just need to gig them about a bit so as to grow into them a little more.
How is your health Steve? People in Melbourne are worried and want to know what’s wrong, and are you recovering? Please quash the rumours with some fact and hopefully some good news? My health? In many ways I am more healthy than I have been in years. I am suffering the after effects of a severe spinal trauma. My life is constant pain. How does that sound? Grim, huh? Well I am getting used to it. I have a good team behind me medically and musically and I have the love of an amazing woman. I am not about to complain. In many ways I have never been more happy. Life is like that sometimes. You need to lose a little to appreciate a lot. I appreciate the concern and need some support but I don’t want anyone to worry. You use Facebook almost as a sage, sharing reflections on life as opposed to mundane updates. What does Facebook mean to someone of your experience in the music game? Speaking words of wisdom from the mountaintop? For a long time I was pretty much stuck in bed. It gave me a lot of time to reflect upon things and to grow. Facebook gave me access to the hearts and minds of, well, thousands of people. Sometimes I wonder if I said too much, or was maybe too honest about who I am and how I exist, but my views were so well received that in the end I just could not shut myself up. It became a confessional (almost) and people seemed to appreciate what I had to say. A lot people shared similar fears or pain or experiences. It opened the world up to me on a totally new level. It gave me a sense of purpose. Now that I am playing again I have a little less time to postulate. I have been referred to often as an ‘ elderly Statesman of Rock,’ and if I am going to walk the walk I have to talk the talk. It’s really that simple. NEON & VENOM play their first Melbourne show this Friday August 3 at Cherry Bar with The Black Gypsies (EP Launch) and The Reprobettes. Tix $13, only from the Cherry Door.
SUBMIT YOUR GIGS TO GIGGUIDE@BEAT.COM.AU
TWERPS Twerps are playing back-to-back shows over two nights for us because they like us so much. They even gave up their weekend to be with us. Isn’t that nice? Catch them Friday August 3 and Saturday August 4 at Tote Hotel. Good beards on board. Both shows are sold out 5:00pm. BANDSLAM The Prague, Thornbury. 8:00pm. CARINO SON Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East. 5:30pm. CATHERINE SIETKIEWICZ & JACK DONNE Town Hall Hotel, North Melbourne. 6:00pm. CHRIS RUSSELL’S CHICKEN WALK + DEAN MULLER Cherry Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 2:00pm. COLLARD GREENS & GRAVY Union Hotel, Brunswick. 5:00pm. EATEN BY DOGS + SAMARA CULLEN + TERESA DIXON & TAMARIN YOUNG Reverence Hotel, Footscray. 3:00pm. JEMMA & THE WISE YOUNG AMBITIOUS MEN + THE BITTER SWEETHEARTS + THE MATT GREEN BAND Yah Yah’s, Fitzroy. 7:30pm. JIMI HOCKING Westernport Hotel, San Remo. 5:00pm. JULES BOULT & THE REDEEMERS Rainbow Hotel, Fitzroy. 4:00pm. LAKE PALMER Retreat Hotel, Brunswick. 4:00pm. LINDSAY FIELD SAM SEE & GLYN MASON Carringbush Hotel, Abbotsford. 4:00pm. LOUISE & THE PRIDE Wesley Anne, Northcote. 8:00pm. NICK CHARLES + CHRIS WILSON Drunken Poet, West Melbourne. 4:00pm. PHIL MANNING Bay Hotel, Mornington. 3:00pm. RED MOON JUKE + BILL & THE JERKS Empress Hotel, North Fitzroy. 4:30pm. SARAH CARNEGIE Great Britain Hotel, Richmond. 8:00pm. SONGWRITERS IN THE ROUND Wesley Anne, Northcote. 2:00pm. $8. SUNDAY SINGER-SONGWRITER SESSIONS - FEAT: DAVE DIPROSE + BARRY CALLISTER Chandelier Room, Moorabbin. 4:00pm. TARNATION Penny Black, Brunswick. 5:00pm. THE KIERON MCDONALD COMBO Gem Bar, Collingwood. 8:00pm. THE LUAU COWBOYS Victoria Hotel, Brunswick. 4:00pm. THE LUCKY WONDERS Retreat Hotel, Brunswick. 7:00pm. THE REVELATORS The Flying Saucer Club, Elsternwick. 3:00pm. $20.
60 SECONDS WITH…
DIANA’S BOW
When’s the gig and with who? On Sunday August 5 at The Tote nine bands are playing for $10 entry. All money is going to support Beyondblue. Other bands playing are River of Snakes, The Vagrants, Cold Harbour, Rob Jones and The Melancholics Anonymous, The Loveless, The Jimmy Deadman Communion, 12 Inch Clocks and Drew Harrison. It’s going to be huge. How long have you been gigging and writing? Diana’s Bow have been writing for 12 months and gigging for 6 months. What can a punter expect when they come to your gigs? Some awesome original tunes to rock out to, played by four awesome chicks! What do you love about making music? We love the creative process, and we always have fun when we’re together. Who would you tour with? KISS – ‘cause they wanna rock ‘n’ roll all night and party every day.
SUBMIT YOUR GIGS TO GIGGUIDE@BEAT.COM.AU
Beat Magazine Page 73
+ BEAT PRESENT... whatson@thepush.com.au
ACCESS ALL AGES Wednesday August 1st, 2012 With Ruth Mihelcic
KYUSS 20th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
SMASHING PUMPKINS Smashing Pumpkins have returned with a new album showing they’re not a relic best left abandoned in a burning pyre of ‘90s latex. Playing Thursday August 2 at Hisense Arena they’ll perform songs off their latest record Oceania and some old ones too, we hope. Smashing Pumpkins 4eva. TIM MCCALLUM + ALEX RATHGEBER + EZEKIAL OX + MARINA PRIOR + NONI MCCALLUM James Tatoulis Auditorium, Kew. 2:30pm. UNDER THE ANNEXE - FEAT: CHRISTINA GANGEMI + JOJO POVITRO Caravan Music Club, Oakleigh. 3:00pm. $10. WHITAKER + BLUE SUN + ROSCOE JAMES IRWIN Workers Club, Fitzroy. 2:00pm.
JAZZ/SOUL/FUNK/WORLD MUSIC BLACK JESUS EXPERIENCE The Horn African Music Lounge, Collingwood. 7:00pm. CLUNK ORCHESTRA 303, Northcote. 4:00pm. ENTROPY QUARTET Open Studio, Northcote. 4:30pm. GEMMA TURVEY & THE NPCO Bennetts Lane Jazz Club, Melbourne. 8:30pm. $18. OPA! 303, Northcote. 8:00pm. $5. ORACLE Open Studio, Northcote. 8:30pm. QUARTER STREET ORCHESTRA The Night Cat, Fitzroy. 8:00pm.
MONDAY 6 AUG ROCK/POP
CHERRY JAM Cherry Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. KEITH! PARTY - FEAT: SCOTDRAKULA + MATTHEW BROWN + MESA COSA DJS Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. KING OF THE NORTH + SHERIFF Espy, St Kilda. 8:00pm.
ACOUSTIC/COUNTRY/BLUES/FOLK JOEL MUSTON 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 BENNETTS LANE BIG BAND Bennetts Lane Jazz Club, Melbourne. 8:30pm. $15. LEBOWSKIS 303, Northcote. 9:00pm. $8.
TUESDAY 7 AUG ROCK/POP
HIATUS KAIYOTE + PROJECT PUZZLES Workers Club, Fitzroy. 9:00pm. PATRON SAINTS Cherry Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. ROSETTA + CITY OF SHIPS + COERCE + NUCLEAR SUMMER + VEHEMENT Bendigo Hotel, Collingwood. 7:30pm. $20.
ACOUSTIC/COUNTRY/BLUES/FOLK BEN MASON + EMILY ULMAN Old Bar, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. $5. CHARLES JENKINS Labour In Vain, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. CLAIRY BROWNE & THE BANGIN’ RACKETTES + ARCHER + LORETTA + TRACEY MILLER Toff In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. $15. COLD SNAP Royal Standard Hotel, West Melbourne. 8:00pm.
CLASSIFIEDS
33c PER WORD PER WEEK (INC GST) • Send your classified listing information to Beat Magazine at 3 Newton St, Richmond 3121 with a cheque, money order or credit card number (including expiry date and name on card, NOT AMEX or DINERS) (1.5% surcharge on Visa and MasterCard) OR deliver it yourself with cash OR you can email your classifieds to us - classifieds@beat.com.au with credit card details • DEADLINE IS THURSDAY 5pm, prior to Wednesdays publication • Minimum $5 charge per week. We do NOT accept classifieds over the phone - sorry.
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
Beat Magazine Page 74
Queens Of The Stone Age forefathers Kyuss, the beer drinkin’, gas-pumpin’ stoner-rock outfit, will be celebrated at Cherry Bar this weekend. Twenty years on since the release of Blues For The Red Sun, Matt Sonic And The High Times with Chappy will perform the album track-for-track with support from Battle Axe Howlers on Saturday August 4. Like BABBA but better.
JACK JOHNSTONE Veludo Bar & Restaurant, St Kilda. 8:30pm. JAMES MCCANN John Curtin Hotel, Carlton. 8:00pm. JUNIOR BOWLES Espy, St Kilda. 8:00pm. KLUB MUK 303, Northcote. 7:30pm. OPEN MIC Empress Hotel, North Fitzroy. 7:30pm. OPEN MIC Wesley Anne, Northcote. 7:00pm.
60 SECONDS WITH…
HENDRICK MEURKENS
JAZZ/SOUL/FUNK/WORLD MUSIC ALBARE Bennetts Lane Jazz Club, Melbourne. 8:00pm. $35. ENGINEERED SOUND - FEAT: MONASH ENGINEERING SOCIETY BIG BAND Dizzy’s Jazz Club, Richmond. 8:00pm. $14. THE SIMON WRIGHT BAND + DJ HUW JOSEPH + SOUL SAFARI Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. MARCHING ORDERS + BLOODY HAMMER + EVIL WAYS + THE CORPS Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood. 8:00pm. MARTYR PRIVATES + EAST LINK + RATSAK + SEWERS Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood. 8:00pm. MY FAVOURITE ACCIDENT + LESS THAN ZERO + SCALEM + SECOND CHANCE EXIT Idgaff Bar & Venue, Abbotsford. 8:00pm. $6. NOTHING HURTS ROBOT (ALBUM LAUNCH) + BRAVE JULIET + THE MECURY THEATRE + THE RAVEN Ruby’s Lounge, Belgrave. 8:00pm. $10. OWL EYES & STONEFIELD (WINTER ROAD TRIP TOUR) Westernport Hotel, San Remo. 9:00pm. $15. PSEUDO ECHO (SUDDENLY SILENTLY TOUR) + CHEETSTREET + THE ELLIOTTS Corner Hotel, Richmond. 8:30pm. $25. SASKWATCH + ANIMAUX + WHITE BOYZ CANT FUNK John Curtin Hotel, Carlton. 8:00pm. $10. SKRYPTCHA (MINDFUL LAUNCH) + BBS CREW + REMI Workers Club, Fitzroy. 9:00pm. SLOW CHASE + THE QUARTERS + THE RED Gertrudes Brown Couch, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. $8. SORDID ORDEAL + FOXTROT + PLASTIC SPACEMAN + THE INSTINCTS Espy, St Kilda. 8:00pm. THE BONNIWELLS + ROSS DE CHENE HURRICANES Godzilla Bar, Melbourne. 8:00pm. THE CORSAIRS Town Hall Hotel, North Melbourne. 10:00pm. THE DC3 + QUANG DINH Northcote Social Club, Northcote. 8:30pm. $13. THE FAUX FIGHTERS + NO STAIRWAY + THE NARROW ROAD Ferntree Gully Hotel, Ferntree Gully. 8:00pm. $15. THE LIKELY SUSPECTS + CHAMBERS Edinburgh Castle, Brunswick. 9:00pm. THE OUT OF TOWNERS + CLOWNS + DIRTY CHAPTERS + DIXON CIDER Reverence Hotel, Footscray. 8:00pm. $7. THE RAMSHAKLE ARMY + KILL THE MATADOR + THE BENNIES + THE PLAYBOOK Bendigo Hotel, Collingwood. 8:00pm. THE SINGLE MEN’S DRINKING CLUB (ALBUM LAUNCH) + PONY FACE + THE PRETTY LITTLES Grace Darling Hotel, Collingwood. 9:00pm. $10.
Define your genre in five words or less: Jazz harmonica, composer, jazz and Brazilian jazz. Bearing the terrible clichéd nature of this question, what do you reckon people will say you sound like? Probably like Toots Thielemans, the pioneer of jazz harmonica. What do you love about making music? I don’t know how it would be NOT making music. Is that love? What would you say are the main challenges of being in the music industry? Not making any money. Don’t get into music expecting to get rich. It can happen and it might happen, but expecting it is the wrong start. If you could travel back in time and perform for one of your musical heroes, who would it be and why? I would be wise enough not to play for my musical heroes, but I would ask them to play for me. Charlie Parker, Art Tatum, Mozart and Bach would be on top of that list. What advice do you have for musicians who are trying to succeed these days? If you feel that you need to be a musician than you don’t need any advice, you will do it anyway through thick and thin. Do you have any record releases to date? What are they? Where can I get them? This tour is promoting Albare’s album, Long Way, on which I perform, and I have about 20-something CDs under my name which I recorded over the years. They are all listed on my website and also available there. Do you have a pre-gig ritual? If so, what is it? I do 354 one-handed push-ups and then I recite Shakespeare in Kisuaheli. That brings me a certain focus. What makes a good musician? If people connect to his music he is doing something right. It is never about technique or being a virtuoso, it is only about people being touched. How do you stop your pre-gig jitters? Drugs, sex and rock’n roll. HENDRICK MEURKENS accompanies Albare at Bennett’s Lane Jazz Club on Tuesday August 7 and Wednesday August 8.
DRUMMER WANTED for Ambient/Alt Rock/Experimental band. Influences: Tori Amos, Jeff Buckley, Radio Head, The Doors, Lana Del Rey, Pink Floyd, Tool, Portishead. Email a bit about yourself to lynettemellado08@hotmail.com *
KILBY (INDIE/ROCK/AFROBEAT) LOOKING FOR MUSICIANS! Drums, Bass, Guitar/Keyboard/Female backing vox required. Please email kilbytheband@gmail.com - Demo available at triplejunearthed.com/Kilby *
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. *
SERVICES 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.
FLAUNT IT. Internationally acclaimed producer of pro-feminist 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. NEW DJ/SOUND N LIGHT BUSINESS SEEKS PARTNER. Must be driven to succeed and have relevant contacts. Text if interested: 0411 024 794.
WE SEEK AN EXPERIENCED BAND BOOKER/ PROMOTER with drive and enthusiasm to work with a well established venue in Collingwood. You will be working with an experienced booker who has been in the industry for over ten years and well respected in the industry at a venue which has been hosting great local and interstate talent as well as oversees touring bands. Remuneration will be based upon experience and value you can add to an already successful venue. If you want to be part of this great team and have experience in booking bands which will fill the 300+ capacity venue then don’t wait, send me an email today so you can be part of the hype. guy.bendigo@gmail.com ROCK N ROLL!
SUBMIT YOUR GIGS TO GIGGUIDE@BEAT.COM.AU
House Vs Hurricane are absolutely pumping out the gigs this week, playing in Ballarat on Wednesday, Croydon on Friday, and Footscray on Sunday. Along for the ride are While She Sleeps, Northlane, Heights, and Delaware Wolves. In the past few weeks the Minister for Youth Affairs Ryan Smith has made an announcement we’ve been waiting to hear. It’s about the new changes to the popular Youth Central Roving Reporter program. The Get Published program will provide three categories for participation: Guest Reporter, which is where all young people can submit their article ideas to the team for consideration; Roving Reporter, available to apply for once more than four guest articles have been submitted; and Youth Central Blogger, for Roving Reporters who have completed their tenure and want to remain regular contributors for another year. If you’re interested in writing or journalism, then you should definitely head over to youthcentral.vic.gov.au and check it out. For you youngin’s interested in building your skills in beat production, lyrical storytelling and song development, then the Fresh Mob music mentoring program just might be for you. Each week, professional mentors specialising in hip hop, reggae and dancehall production will assist and guide young artists through the process of developing their own music to record and perform. International artist Lotek (UK/Jamaica) will lead the mentor crew for Fresh Mob with up and coming rapper young G-Storm (Burundi) from Fly Bz. You can attend solo or with your crew. It’ll be happening on Mondays during November from 5-8pm at the Arts Centre’s Digital Learning Hub. For more info contact Penne Thornton on 9188 3681 or email youth@ multiculturalarts.com.au. All of these fantastic opportunities will also be available on our website at thepush.com.au and are sent out in our monthly newsletter. Register you deets with us to get it straight into your inbox!
ALL AGES TIMETABLE Wednesday August 1 House Vs Hurricane w/ While She Sleeps, Northlane, and Heights, Bended Elbow , 120 Lydiard St (North), Ballarat, 5:45pm, $23.50, oztix.com.au or 1300 762 545, AA Thursday August 2 The Smashing Pumpkins w/ Wolfmother, Hisense Arena, Olympic Boulevard (formerly Swan Street), Melbourne, 7:30pm, $89.50 - $104.45, ticketek.com.au or 132 849, AA Friday August 3 Stonefield & Owl Eyes, McGillivray Hall, Mcrae St, Bendigo, Bendigo Musicman Megastore on (03) 5443 3299, U18 House Vs Hurricane w/ While She Sleeps, Northlane, and Heights, EV’s Youth Centre, 212 Mt Dandenong Rd, Croydon, 6pm, $28.60 + bf, oztix.com.au or 1300 762 545, AA Rampage, Camperdown Theatre Royal, Little Manifold Street, Camperdown, 6:30pm – 11pm, $20, Katie McKean on 5593 7100, U18 Ed Sheeran, Palais Theatre, Lower Esplanade, St Kilda, 7:30pm, $77, ticketmaster.com.au or 136 100, AA Saturday August 4 Palooza Battle of the Bands w/ This Fiasco, The Basement People, Anchored Before Isis, Caitlyn Can Wait, Break The Wall, Walker, and Soapbox, The Ajani Centre, 284 Thompson Road, Lower Templestowe, 7pm – 10:30pm, $10, AA Dream On Dreamer w/ Like Moths To Flames, Hand of Mercy, and In Hearts Wake, Kangaroo Flats Leisure Centre, 9 Browning St, Bendigo, oztix.com.au or 1300 762 545, AA Sunday August 5 5 Seconds Of Summer w/ special guests, Corner Hotel, 57 Swan St, Richmond, 1pm, $25+bf, cornerhotel.com or 9427 9198, U18 House vs. Hurricane w/ While She Sleeps, Northlane, Heights, and Delaware Wolves, Phoenix Youth Centre, 72 Buckley Street, Footscray, 2pm – 6:30pm, $25, Dejah Grull on 9091 4700, AA
GS T GI TS A L AL VEN GB ! E E & THE FRE E AR
FRIDAY AUG 3RD
SUNDAY 5/8, 6PM
SONS OF LEE MARVIN
CATHERINE SIETKIEWICZ & JACK DONNE
SATURDAY 11/8, 6PM
SMOKE MACHINE FROM 10PM
SATURDAY AUG 4TH
TUNES BY DAVE LARKIN SUNDAY AUG 5
WINTER PALACE
SATURDAY 18/8, 10PM
TH
WARREN EARL & THE ATOMIC ROCKERS
FREE ENTRY ALWAYS!
289 WELLINGTON ST COLLINGWOOD 94195170 WWW.THEGEMBAR.COM.AU
TOWN HALL HOTEL
KITCHEN OPEN 6 NIGHTS
THE STAFFORDS
33 ERROL STREET, NORTH MELBOURNE (03) 9328 1983 FOR BAND BOOKINGS PLEASE CONTACT MILES: TOWNIEBANDS@GMAIL.COM
THURSDAYS IN AUGUST FROM
8.30PM
SATURDAY AUG 4TH PHEASANT PLUCKERS
COOL COUNTRY SESSION
5PM TIL 7PM TH
THE VOLCANIKS
SUNDAY 12/8, 6PM
THURSDAY AUG 2ND CHRIS RUSSELL’S CHICKEN WALK
SUNDAY AUG 5 BACKWOOD CREATURES 2 HUGE SETS FROM 5 TIL 7PM
MONDAY AUG 6TH
SECRET MONDAY ACOUSTIC SHOW FROM 8.30 PM WITH GUEST MUSOS
TUESDAY AUG 7TH CHARLES JENKINS
TUESDAYS IN AUGUST FROM 8.30
GREAT BRITAIN HOTEL THURS 2 AUG
LEEZ LIDO + MONKEYS PIRATE 8:00PM
SAT 4 AUG
CHERRYWOOD (TWO SETS) 9:00PM
SUN 5 AUG
SARAH CARNEGIE 8:00PM
WEEKLY ASSORTMENTS MonDAYS
FREE POOL ALL NIGHT $10 PIZZA & POT
TueSDAYS
MRS SMITH’S TRIVIA $10 PIZZA & POT 9PM
WEDNESDAYS
OPEN MIC NIGHT 9PM
447 CHURCH ST RICHMOND 9429 5066 www.greatbritainhotel.com.au
Wed. August 1st: wine, whiskey, women
8pm: Ruth Lindsay 9pm: Tash Sultana Thurs. August 2nd:
8pm: Open - Mic Fri. August 3rd:
6-8pm: Trad Irish Music Sesh with Dan Bourke & friends Sat. August 4th:
9pm: Jude St. Jude Sun. August 5th:
4pm: Chris Wilson 6:30pm: Nick Charles Tues. August 7th:
8pm: Weekly Trivia
“All Shows Always Free” 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 75
BACKSTAGE
STORE PROFILE
ALLANS BILLY HYDE - FLEMINGTON
THE PLACE FOR MUSICIANS
for more information or ad bookings call Aleksei on 9428 3600
18 Duffy street Burwood 3125
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10 large and identical 30m2 rooms Air-con and ventilation in PA/foldback combos at 1000w Storage and every room Acoustic Engineer-designed soundproofing amp/kit hire
s s
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PH: (03) 903 88101 M: 0417 000 397 Email: hydrastudios@bigpond.com
Established: 1962. Location: 100 Mt Alexander Rd, Flemington. Hours of operation: Monday - Thursday: 10am - 5:30pm Friday: 10am - 7pm Saturday: 9am - 5pm Sunday: Closed Main brands and products you specialise in: The Allans Billy Hyde Flemington store is the premier go-to shop for Melbourne’s leading musicians. We boast a comprehensive range of music instruments from the world’s leading brands. We stock an extensive range of guitars, drums, amps, audio technology, PA and keyboards. Flemington has a long proud history which radiates throughout the whole team, we are here to serve
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you for all things “ROCK!” Services offered: We also offer, music lessons, instrument repairs and in-store clinics and masterclasses as advertised on our website. Upcoming events/sales: The Allans Billy Hyde MAX YOUR TAX SALE is on now for a limited time! Make music with your tax return and max your tax with insane prices on the biggest names in musical instruments like Line 6, Pearl, Gibson, Marshall, Mesa Boogie, Ampeg and more. Offset your assets with smashing deals on Pearl, DW and Ludwig Drums to name a few. Haven’t got a return? Layby till it comes, or use our payment plans.
Phone: 9695 0690 Website: www.allansbillyhyde.com.au
AA DUPLICATION SERVICES
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
Location: Suite 42. Level 1, 247 - 255 Drummond St Carlton Victoria 3053
tend to use a thermal print for quantities under 500 which guarantees a permanent gloss finish.
Established:1998
Artists and companies you have worked with: We have a large range of clients ranging from local, state and federal government sponsored initiatives to bands and artists who have performing for 2 - 40 years, musicals that require CDs and DVDs for their upcoming premiere to be sold in the foyer.
What exactly do you provide: We provide a complete packaged solution to the music industry whether it is for a simple single launch to a full on production run of CDs or DVDs with all the merchandise included. Runs ranging from 50 – 50,000 units can be produced. Digital or screen printing capabilities for printing and replication: We have some of the latest digital printing equipment available to ensure our clients will receive the best possible finished product. Our liaison with screen and offset printers enables us to quickly turn around the 500+ runs within 8 – 10 working days. If clients require help with the design and placement of their artwork we are here to help. What sets you apart from other replication/ duplication/printing facilities? What sets us apart from other companies is that we care, we take a personal interest in the artists’ projects and launches, making sure that the items are ready on time and the quality is better than the industry standards. Any favorite printing finishes? Most artists and designers require a highly visible disc, colorful and most importantly long lasting. We
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BACKSTAGE: BEAT’S ONE STOP SHOP FOR MUSICIANS
Average turn around time: Turn a round times depend on the quantities usually for under 500 it is 24 – 48 hours where 500+ runs are 8 – 10 working days depending on the packaging required. Special packages: The cardboard digipack has made a very strong comeback along with the 4 panel wallet. The look and feel of the cardboard packaging gives the album a higher visibility with a quality finish. Extras: Along with the usual merchandise we are heavily involved in the production of printed guitar picks, bumper bar stickers, button badges and fridge magnets. A3 band posters that don’t require tape and can be adhered onto practically any surface and reused.
Phone: (03) 9347 9311 Website: www.aaduplication.com.au E-mail: design@aaduplication.com.au
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PHOTOGRAPHIC AND VIDEO STUDIO Pro & Conc. Rates Available For Photographic, Music Video & Band Shoots Starting From $150 Multi-Purpose Change & Makeup Room Grip & Lighting gear available Communal Lounge & Wireless Internet Excellent on-site parking CONTACT: CY -ARTISTIC DIRECTOR- 0401 379 973 w w w . t h e w h i t e r o o m . n e t . a u
PA HIRE
Vintage, New & Second Hand Amps, Effects Pedals & Rigs
Huge Selection – All major Brands
Comprehensive PA systems delivered, set up and operated with crew. Compact, easy, sound systems you can pickup and assemble yourself.Components such as microphones, speakers and effects are also available separately. Lights also available. For details phone Mark Barry on 03 9889 1999 or 0419 993 966
www.bssound.com.au bssound@bigpond.com
571 High Street Preston VIC 3072 Tel (03) 9471 1023 Fax (03) 9471 1919 Internet: www.jamhutstudios.com
Guitars and Amps wanted Top CA$H Paid
Clean and fully ventilated rooms with professional equipment. Complimentary tea & coffee.
REHEARSAL
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EQUIPMENT HIRE Vocal PA’s from $80, amplifiers and drumkits available.
IMPLANT MEDIA CD with 2 PAGE INSERT
SPECIAL! 100 A3
colour posters for
in PVC (sleeve)
100 - from $2.35 each 500 - $1.40 each 1000 - $1.08 each
CD with 4 PAGE INSERT + INLAY Jewel case (black tray)
100 - from $3.15 each 500 - $1.80 each 1000 - $1.45 each
CD in CARD SLEEVE 100 - from $2.95 each 500 - from $1.80 each 1000 - from $1.30 each
CD with GATEFOLD
4 panel gatefold, single or double pocket
100 - from $3.95 each 500 - from $2.40 each 1000 - from $1.60 each
CD with DIGICASE 100 - from $4.45 each 500 - from $2.70 each 1000 - from $1.70 each
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With any disc order of 50 or more.
12” Vinyl in PRINTED SLEEVE
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300 - from $9.19 each 500 - from $6.49 each 1000 - from $5.04 each 7” and 10” also available
DVD with CASE & SLICK Black DVD case
100 - from $3.25 each 500 - $2.19 each 1000 - $1.85 each
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 77
Photos: Alex Brunacci
LIVE Photos: Mary Boukouvalas
THE SHINS Monday July 23, Festival Hall The Shins live onstage is something to behold. Any thoughts I had of the band being introspective were blown away when the first notes of Caring Is Creepy were delivered by a band clearly in festival mode. With the added help of an extra guitarist the sound was huge, and although singer James Mercer is the head of the beast, the intricate pieces that make up The Shins' signature sound had me going from member to member trying to figure out who was doing what. Kissing The Lipless was up next, and Simple Song followed close behind in an epic three punch opener. A quick chat and the set was rolled out before us superbly, with the band tight and ready for Splendour. A fair chunk of new album Port Of Morrow was given the live treatment, some sounding note perfect (40 Mark Strasse), while others, such as No Way Down, were given a nice rhythmic twist that had me not realising the song until the first words. On the topic of words, Mercer has really hit his stride with this new album, and the audience ate up both the musicianship and lyrics of these new songs. Unlike other bands lumped into the indie category whose songs can
be quite same-ish, and performed by bands trying too hard to look like they’re not enjoying themselves, these songs were dynamic in the fact that they managed to go from subtle to gigantic over the course of four minutes. Not ones to forget the past, fan favourites such as Know Your Onion! and of course, New Slang were also fantastic, the latter on this occasion featuring an entire Festival Hall audience on backing vocals. Personal favourite It’s Only Life was a highlight, and although time restrictions are usually enforced strictly at this venue, the band returned for a 25 minute encore that began with a beautiful solo rendition of September, in which the band joined James only for the closing minute. A 15-minute noise jam rendition of One By One All Day concluded the evening, and it being a Monday, the audience were out the door before the final cymbal crash had rung out. CAM EWART LOVED: Guitarist Jessica Dobson. Cool as Kim Deal. HATED: The fact I didn’t go to Splendour to see them again. DRANK: Fruit Cup Cordial. (Monday is liver recovery day.)
FATHER JOHN MISTY Saturday July 28, Corner Hotel “You’re a fucking idiot,” my boyfriend told me. In the weeks preceding the Father John Misty gig, he had twigged to my secret crush on Josh Tillman, largely because I kept posting about it on Facebook. Here’s a video of Father John Misty on Letterman, sa-woon. Here’s J Tillman in a fake five-and-a-half-minute-long commercial for Japanese whisky. Here are some of the many hilarious things J Tillman has posted on Twitter. My partner thought I was a fucking idiot not because I had developed a crush on a musician (which happens every two to three minutes) but because the musician in question is clearly a massive fucking idiot. In the six months since Tillman liberated himself from the Fleet Foxes, moved to LA and started his new musical venture, the music world has become a dumping ground for his seemingly gargantuan ego. I personally have sat through (read: encouraged) two awesomely pretentious and long-winded interviews with Tillman, and read countless others. (At the end of my first interview his tour manager said, “Was that okay? I heard him say ‘Schopenhauer posits’ and I thought, oh shit.”) Tillman is, in many ways, an unbearably smug individual, perpetually hurling himself at the spotlight – the kind of person who only looks into your eyes to see his own reflection. But, he is also one talented motherfucker. I mean Christ, that man can sing. (He is also horrifically good-looking, but this has no bearing on my feelings towards him whatsoever). When Tillman opened his mouth to croon the first lines of Fun Times In Babylon at The Corner, you could feel the crowd lean back, eyes wide. It was a golden moment. With a full band around him – two gifted guitarists, a bass player, a guy on synth and a drummer – the beautiful opening track from Fear Fun soared out in pristine condition, teeming with all the melancholy, nihilism and romance of the original recording, but bigger; impossibly big and warm and lovely.
I brought a couple of male friends to the gig with me – a few female friends, too, but it was the guys’ reaction I was interested in (ladies are not to be trusted when it comes to Father John Misty, the uterus starts giggling and drowns out the brain). I turned to the boys a few minutes in and asked how they liked it. “Fucking amazing,” they said. “He’s the real deal, isn’t he?” (I’m not making that part up, my mate Daniel is very sweet and earnest. Although he did thank me the next day for what he called an “arse-numbingly good” show.) Unlike the sets I saw at SXSW, where Tillman spent as much time making surreal jokes as he did playing songs, his gig at The Corner was all music, bringing every seedy, glorious track on the album to swollen life with a sonorous voice that would kill it in both ‘70s folk and musical theatre. Honestly, it makes me feel sick to think about how nice it must be to sing that well. And live, even the least listenable tunes on Fear Fun were fantastic, even Writing A Novel, which was transformed from hokey twang fest to stomping hoe-down on stage. That song, which I hate, provided one of the best moments in the show. That goofy, bouncy throwaway tune saw Tillman come alive as this flailing, acid-tripping shaman who dances like no-one is watching. Seeing him fling his hips around in a semi-retarded fashion I thought, sa-woon. It’s impossible not to love this very strange, very charismatic fucking idiot who knows he was born to be a star. SIMONE UBALDI LOVED: My boyfriend’s refusal to acknowledge musical genius in good-looking people. HATED: The kids in front of us who watched the whole set through their goddamn iPhones. DRANK: Jagermeister. Did not end well.
HOWLER/FRIENDS Tuesday July 24, Corner Hotel It was a weird set, just a little off-kilter. Howler’s four smirking rabble-rousers were obviously jet-lagged. They had come a long way to play a not-very-full room populated by people who clearly didn’t know their band – excluding a thuggish knot of fans at the foot of the stage who tried very hard to get the Howler party started. It didn’t quite fire, despite their best fist-pumping efforts. Singer Jordan Gatesmith strained to recreate the bawling post-pubescent energy of the band’s debut album, America Give Up, but there was no real playfulness in Howler’s performance. Slower tunes like Too Much Blood and Back To The Grave seemed to drag while the grinning garage pop nostalgia of songs like Beach Sluts and Back Of Your Neck came out perfunctorily, noisy but dispirited. Meanwhile between song banter – usually the band’s forte – was kept to a minimum. What the boys did say was awkward and loaded with subtext, as though these Minnesotan kids were unsure how to address a room full of politely disinterested kangaroo herders (we Australians are, after all, a frightening alien breed). When a small crowd of enthusiasts stormed the stage at the end of Howler’s set, it seemed to take the band by surprise, along with everyone else, and it was hard to not feel slightly embarrassed for those involved – not least the fan who tried to strike up a conversation Beat Magazine Page 78
with guitarist Ian Nygaard in the middle of the song. His misplaced enthusiasm capped off a performance that could have been magic but fell disappointingly flat. In the headline slot, Brooklyn’s Friends fared a little better, their insipid jungle pop drawing the crowd in; uber-hipster vocalist Samantha Urbani doing her very best hip-swinging rockstar impression for a warm and welcoming crowd. In the flesh, bass player Lesley Hann was impossibly skinny, thrumming away with all the power her bony little fingers could muster (presumably to make the most of the three notes she’s learned how to play), while Samantha wailed breathlessly in her monotonous Cyndi Lauper-cum-ESG fashion. Beside these two, the older male players in Friends looked positively dadlike, and I couldn’t help but wonder how all this sultry, disposable art pop could possibly be of interest to them. I guess Samantha is pretty interesting to look at, no matter what the angle. SIMONE UBALDI LOVED: Jordan’s mid-’90s high school basketball top. A gentle ‘fuck you’ to fashion. HATED: Meh. Nothing. DRANK: Beer. Probably not enough.
METRIC Friday July 27, Billboard A great song is a powerful thing, though it can sometimes create an overabundance of goodwill. Gimme Sympathy, a pure and ecstatic pop song in the vein of Portions For Foxes, gets bonus points for mentioning another great song in Here Comes The Sun, as well as The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. Another great song is The Strokes’ The End Has No End, which was my first introduction to Metric when I stumbled across their cover on JTV late one night. Put these all together and you’d think I had just discovered the next big thing that were gonna change lives. Although delving deep into their back catalogue and experiencing them up close at Billboards, I discovered a cosmic existential abyss. Kinda like The Killers with a blonde babe up front instead of a pious Mormon, Metric are both blessed and cursed with an ability to consistently retain their pop sheen, which only makes them come off as cold and distant. In fact 90% of the show tonight is so dominated by synth, backing tapes and vocal effects that it’s hard to tell if the singer is miming and the instruments aren’t just props. Maybe to a crowd raised on a steady diet of Nova this could pass as a rock show, but for this rock hound doggy it lacked depth and spontaneity. That they’ve played the same setlist
throughout the tour should reinforce the fact this is all a little too safe and over-rehearsed. And while I’m bitching about stuff, what’s with Billboards continuing to serve all booze in plastic cups, no matter what kind of crowd it is? When was the last time you know of that someone got glassed on the set of a Libra Fleur commercial? So in the end, it all came down to the great song, with a warm introduction speech about being a stranger in a strange city, wanting to sleep in her own bed and feeling more at home playing at a smaller venue like Ding Dong. (The band all went for a drink to the new Ding afterwards. Have you been? It’s awesome.) Played on just an acoustic and with a clean, unprocessed vocal, Gimme Sympathy provided the most human moment of the night. If they played all night like this, they’d be back in my good books as the life changers with the singer who’s also a bit of alright. NICK HILTON LOVED: The disappearance of the DAT. HATED: The plastic cups. DRANK: For all I knew it could’ve been Asahi, Cascade Light or frothy apple cordial. Photo: Ben Clement
LANA DEL REY Monday July 23, Palace Theatre For die-hard Lana Del Rey fans, her first Australian tour has been a long time coming. While she has just one successful record under her vintage belt, this is Del Rey’s second attempt at coming to our shores and this tour includes solo shows in just Sydney and Melbourne. So it was hardly surprising that the venue was packed before the support act even hit the stage. Even a toilet break was out of the question for fear of losing a good view. The stage was lavished with foliage and an eerie light set the scene for what could be one of the year’s most deliciously dark, haunting performances. No pressure. Right on time, she stepped gingerly onto the stage, low lighting glinting off her bejeweled wrists and shoes, her tiny frame complemented perfectly by a ‘60s mini and matching bouffant hair. Let’s be honest, her beauty has had a huge impact on her popularity and will continue to do so – it’s how she maintains the rest of her image that will keep her fans believing. Sadly, this is what let her down at The Palace. The roar from her avid fans permeated the theatre as the first bars of Blue Jeans kicked the concert into motion. Del Rey’s voice did not disappoint, dripping with every ounce of sadness and tragedy her recordings are so well known for. A pedestal just inches away from the front row closed the barrier between superstar beauty and regular gal, a few people even got to touch her hands.
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Her few big hits such as Video Games and Born To Die – and it really is too early for her to have more than just a few – were definitely the highlights of a set that ran for under an hour. With no encore. The album tracks chosen for the set list were a little damp and anyone familiar with her body of work to date would surely agree there wasn’t a real flow to the show. To make matters worse, the giggly little school girl we were met with between each song was so disconnected from the dark, often confronting air of Del Rey’s music that it kinda ruined the vibe. Not that the crowd seemed to care – they would’ve followed her to the toilet and applauded her performance there too. What makes artists like Lady Gaga or the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ Karen O so enthralling is that they embody what they create, they make you want to believe in them, and that theatrical element is hard for anyone to resist. What Del Rey needs is a bit more time to develop who she is as an artist, but the clock is ticking. The huge hype that surrounds her is as much a curse as it is a blessing. She is a classic beauty – but is that enough to stand the test of time? JEN WILSON LOVED: The vintage styling. HATED: Too much hype. DRANK: Alcohol – it’s a depressant, right?