CONNECTION

First Peoples Art And Music Light Up The Lume Melbourne

WORDS BY TAMMY WALTERS

Back in 1996, Nintendo’s Mario 64 opened up the ultimate fantasy of being able to jump inside a painting, travelling from Mushroom Castle into the technicoloured worlds of Bob-omb Battlefield and Jolly Rogers Bay. Grande Experiences have made this fantasy a reality through the 3,000 square-metre immersive gallery space, The LUME Melbourne.

Æ A permanent fixture of the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, The LUME Melbourne has transported visitors into world-famous paintings such as Claude Monet’s ‘Water Lilies’, and Edgar Degas’ ‘Ballerinas’. In 2021 they brought narratives of Netherlands, Paris, Arles, Saint-Rémy and Auvers-sur-Oise to the multi-sensory space through Van Gogh Alive with Starry Night and Sunflower. Now they are connecting the dots of Australia’s most celebrated First Nations artists, inviting visitors inside of works of the likes of Emily Kame Kngwarreye, Tommy Watson, Clifford, Gabriella and Michelle Possum Nungurrayi, Anna Pitjara, and Lin Onus for Connection

Developed across two years, Connection comprises over 500 digitised works from over 110 visual and musical artists in the largest representation of First Peoples art and culture ever assembled. Set to a score of First Nations music, Connection comes to life through an emotional soundtrack comprising legends like Yothu Yindi, Archie Roach, Emily Wurramara, and Gurrumul; renowned composers like William Barton; and emerging musicians like Alice Skye and Baker Boy.

One of the artists involved is proud Gadigal woman of the Eora nation and a neo-contemporary Indigenous artist, Kate Constantine, best known as Konstantina, presenting multiple pieces including her Raining Series.

“I think what’s so beautiful and immersive about the experience is that something that has been quite two-dimensional, or even three-dimensional in some cases, becomes more than three-dimensional. It’s almost four-dimensional because you are in the works. The works have been animated so it looks alive,” she explains.

“My Raining Series pieces actually look like they’re raining in the room, but then you put yourself into that place and it actually rains on you like you’re part of the installation. It’s quite overwhelming, to be honest. It’s epic!”

The works of Konstantina are narrative building, drawing from the bygone art forms of her ancestral past in a reimagined and recontextualised form, integrating traditional dot painting into a modern context. Connection is giving her a space to tell her truth whilst also weaving it in with those of her fellow First Nations artists to create a giant tapestry of First Nations stories.

“As Aboriginal people, we are spiritually, physically, and emotionally connected to country, and country isn’t just the physical landscape; it’s the water, the air, the sky, the animals. We have this sense of responsibility and duty to our country and it’s a very reciprocal relationship. So us artists are intrinsically connected already.

“What I think is so beautiful about the show is that there are over 100 artists involved between the musicians and the painters, and we are from all over Australia. We all don’t speak the same language, we have different cultural practices, we have different songs, different dances, but together this show has brought us together in what I would say is the largest volume of Aboriginal artists in one single show.”

Having opened Friday 23 June, Connection comes at a historic time in Australian history. The upcoming referendum on the Voice to parliament, which if the yes campaign prevails, will see the amendment of the Constitution to formally recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples with the creation of a new body to represent their interests in the running of this country. However, if the referendum campaign tilts towards no, it will be a blow to the processes of reconciliation.

“I think for the first time I’ve truly felt embraced. Think about what The LUME has had before - Van Gogh who is arguably only one of the most amazing painters ever in the world, not just in Australia, and Monet, and we’re being held up and we’re having this spotlight shone on us as this amazing movement in art, but also this cultural moment in time.

“I always think that art can change the world like that. Part of my practice is around truth-telling and identity and ensuring the sharing and continuation of culture. So for me, this moment in time is a document. We’re all going to remember this year. We’re all gonna remember 2023. It’s the only time that there’s been a referendum since like the 90’s and before that, I think 100 years or so. This is going to be a moment where we all remember and I’m really proud of the work. I think that we’ve come together and made something pretty spectacular,” explains Constantine.

“It’s a joy to say that I, as a mum and as an Aboriginal woman and as an Aboriginal artist, am afforded this opportunity to change history, to change the way people view us, to change the way people view our culture and to accept people to come and walk alongside us.”

The LUME Melbourne is open daily for visitors, including a bunch of additional activities and premium experiences. CONNECTION

POLARIS Fatalism

Æ Polaris are one of the few acts who managed to break free from the confines of being a ‘heavy band’ and win over listeners across genres. It’s propelled the Sydney act to bonafide stardom, with the scope of their output growing so far and wide over the past decade that they’re now regarded as one of Australia’s most impressive live outfits.

Making their third full-length release, Fatalism is one of this year’s most highly anticipated releases. So as a precursor to the album’s release, the group announced their biggest headliner tours to date before making the shock announcement that lead guitarist Ryan Siew had tragically passed away at 26.

The news sent shockwaves through fans worldwide. Siew had long been a crowd favourite due to his technical approach to his craft, incredible onstage presence and infectiously kind personality. So naturally for many, listening to Fatalism with the knowledge that it would be his final piece of work was always going to make for a difficult experience.

However, there was never any doubt that it was going to be a phenomenal album. Across their past two releases, Polaris have ultimately changed the landscape of modern-day metal, proving to listeners that melody and groove can comfortably sit side-by-side with sheer aggression and thrilling layers of breakdowns. Now on their third release, they’ve propelled this to new heights, taking the most prominent elements of their iconic formula and honing in on exciting new methods of style and delivery.

This is only further enhanced by the unprecedented level of frustration in the group’s sound. Sure, they’ve always had a ruthless output, but here they take it to another level, largely because the group wrote the release as a result of COVID, forcing them off the road at the height of their The Death In Me tour.

Opener ‘Harbinger’ delivers sharp, jagged riffs alongside explosions of pounding percussion and bellowing gutturals. ‘Nightmare’ adds further layers of complexity, allowing for Daniel Furnari’s intricate side-hits to add a tight tension to the song’s ascending guitar riffs and sheer drop-off breakdowns. ‘Parasites’ toys with trance programming, giving way to frenetic time signatures perfectly matched by Siew and Rick Schneider’s methodical guitar work and Jamie Hails’ impressive bent vocal inflections.

‘The Crossfire’ sees the quintet experimenting with ambient post-hardcore leads and fast-tempo breakdowns, opposing most group’s standard approach of slowing it down, while ‘Dissipate’ maintains the ambience, boasting high-pitched guitar leads adjacent to machine gun riffs and what’s arguably the album’s biggest breakdown.

In the face of adversity, Polaris have delivered their most triumphant release to date. Fatalism is an absolute tour de force and an album that will undoubtedly continue to tighten Polaris’ vice grip on the modern metal scene.

DENNIS COMETTI Suburban Condition

Æ If Dennis Cometti wrote down the lyrics to the songs on Suburban Condition, they most likely wrote them on a slew of spare tally-ho papers and leftover slab cardboard. If anything, it’s amazing that the hose reel they are using as a makeshift beer coaster on the album cover is still intact. There’s something about these blokes that gives off the impression that it should have been cut a long time ago. But that’s all part of the Perth-based punk-rock outfit’s charm – they are just your everyday blokes making brazen, riff-based bangers. What’s not to love?

Finding its sound somewhere between the larrikinism of The Chats, the twangy art-punk riffs of Eddy Current Suppression Ring and the boogie-rock rhythms of Status Quo, the group’s second album packs a slab’s worth of garage-punk fuzz alongside loaded observations of the finest aspects of Aussie living. From mentions of tough-guy “seccies” at your local “RSL”, to stories of going through RBTs in a shit-box Camry, to finding love at your local pub, there’s a lot that Aussie listeners will find earnest relatability in.

Having been recorded by guitarist/ vocalist Alex Patching’s shed on a 4 track, Suburban Condition has a sound that’s rough around the edges, which is what makes it a great listen. It’s fun, energetic punk delinquency that could blow over .05 through your speakers. It’s the kind of album that you’ll love and your neighbours will hate.

DIDIRRI Caught In The Act

Æ Didirri is more than just a songwriter, he’s a natural-born storyteller. His debut release is a testament to this. Upon listening to Caught In The Act, you don’t just feel like you’ve got a glimpse into his life, you feel like you’ve lived it alongside him.

Delivered as a culmination of the Warrnambool-raised artist’s life lessons and pathways, Caught In The Act offers stark glimpses of Didirri’s life, perspectives and tribulations, no matter how unflinching they may be.

From reflections of love and loss in the wake of his grandmother’s passing (‘Obsolete Machine’), to fears of reprisal about admitting his negative self-perception (‘You Know What’s Good For You’), Caught In The Act showcases the vulnerability of Didirri’s lyrics.

But while confessional in nature, it’s delivered in an elegant, easy-listening manner that makes it easy to resonate with. ‘Tonight’ balances elements of soul and blues-rock, simultaneously channelling different emotions as jagged electric guitar licks bounce alongside acoustic rhythms.

‘Love Can Bleed You By The Hand’ strips it back, allowing Didirri’s soulful vocals to act as the driving force beside refined piano arrangements, while ‘Under Falling Skies’ bleeds with shoegaze dissonance, ushering in powerful crescendos as it toys with heavy wobbles of wah guitar, down-tuned basslines and slacked snare hits.

The album is a credit to Didirri’s craft. Not only does every song have its own powerful narrative, but they also adopt stylistic changeups to match the tone of each anecdote, highlighting Didirri’s impressive ability to write beautiful songs that’ll completely immerse you in their stories.

DIPPERS Clastic Rock

Æ For the first time under the moniker of Dippers, Thigh Master founder and leader Matthew Ford has again teamed up with longtime collaborator Innez Tulloch, and this time around, Tulloch has stepped up to the role of being Ford’s principle songwriting partner. The results are rambunctious, with Dippers’ sound taking the unpolished jangle-pop edge of Thigh Master and running with it in fresh and exciting ways.

Their debut release, the aptly named Clastic Rock , melds aspects from a variety of different genres, eras and styles, delivering a sound that works as a combination of 70’s indie rock acts such as The Go-Betweens merged with the futuristic psych-pop of homegrown favourites The Frowning Clouds.

Opener ‘S.I.M’ provides an enriching contrast between vibrant rock riffs and despondent, dead-pan vocals. ‘Tightening The Tangles’ adds an art-pop quirk through its herky-jerky rhythms, ethereal synth arrangements and semi-spoken word vocal cadence, while ‘Comment’s Grip’ adds an early Australian punk-rock quality through its Radio Birdman-esque surf-rock riffs and rapid-fire drum-fills.

Overall, it’s an incredibly full sound, especially considering Dippers are, at the end of the day, a duo. In saying that, there are a handful of collaborators who help bring Dippers’ individualistic vision to life by adding eccentric layers of trombone, flute and harmonica throughout the release.

The result is a healthy dose of nostalgia, which also offers up something new and bohemian. It’s a debut that’ll appease even the most critical music listeners with its jovial, unpolished output.

LEAH SENIOR

The Music That I Make

Æ There’s a certain intimacy to Leah Senior’s music. It transcends just being a voice through a speaker, instead evoking the feeling that she’s sitting directly in front of you performing her songs. On her fourth effort, it’s a quality that’s quite evident, with Senior’s atmospheric vocals and unassumingly pensive lyrics cutting right through as she navigates vulnerable meditations on what it means to create.

And this time around, her lyrics couldn’t be more noticeable, with Senior stepping away from the springtime baroquepop arrangements of 2020’s The Passing Scene for more of a bedroom folk sound, allowing her adept songwriting and resolute vocals to take centre stage as she explores the trials and tribulations of her time in the music industry.

As asserted in the album’s title track ‘The Music That I Make’, “I get put out by the music business / But I’m grateful to the people who come along and listen / I’m getting older and I’ll never stop.” In other moments, the ‘Clearest View’ sees Senior discuss imperfections in the eyes of others, ceasing criticisms with acknowledgements that “I’m a daisy, imperfect daisy in the sun.”

It’s Senior in her most unyielding form – and she doesn’t care if it’s not for everyone, with The Music That I Make making it abundantly clear that she’s an artist who doesn’t bother trying to fit into a crowd, she just wants to create music that makes her happy.