Brag#596

ISSUE NO. 596 JANUARY 21, 2015

FREE Now picked up at over 1,600 places across Sydney and surrounds. thebrag.com

MUSIC, FILM, THEATRE + MORE

INSIDE This Week

ALSO: THE

BRAG'S BONZA GUIDE TO

L I T T L E DR A G ON

On their early days and writing songs with personality.

BL A K C A B A R E T

“We’re a proud race of people.

We just like being who we are, outside the politics.”

THE TRIBAL REVIVAL

FAT F R EDDY ’ S DROP

A huge Australia Day gig with our friends from across the ditch.

K ID M A C

The musician and filmmaker is back on the scene.

Plus

POND EAGULLS BILL BURR

99% GENRE FREE

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JAN 21ST

DAFT PUNK TRIBUTE

+ YOUNG FRANCO + VAN SHE DJ’S WWW.BEACHROADHOTEL.COM.AU

BRAG :: 596 :: 21:01:15 :: 3

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rock music news

the BRAG presents

welcome to the frontline: what’s goin’ on around town...with Chris Martin, Kelsey Berry and Gloria Brancatisano

the hottest artists on tour...

he said she said WITH

JAMIE CROFT FROM SOFAR SOUNDS the Binrats, Lupa J, Nova and the Experience, Jones Jnr., Oxblvd and many more. We have some really exciting things planned for 2015 and are looking forward to working with some amazing musicians!

T

Tell us about the concept behind Sofar Sounds.

Sofar Sounds is now the world’s largest live music discovery community, curating secret, intimate gigs in unique spaces all

around the world. Born in London, the idea is to reinvigorate the way we experience live music and give the opportunity for artists to share their music with an attentive audience.

We know you can’t give away the secrets of upcoming lineups, but what acts have played in the past?

We have had some incredible local talent come and play for us – The Preatures, Iluka, Papa Pilko and

If you could choose any act in the world, what would be your

How do artists, fans and hosts get involved with a Sofar event?

You can apply to do all of those things on the website – visit sofarsounds.com.

And check us out on our Facebook page, facebook.com/ SofarSoundsSydney. Alternatively, artists can drop us a line by emailing sydneysofar@gmail.com.

We would love to see you at an upcoming show!

What: Sofar Sounds Where: Secret Location When: Sunday January 25

CALIGULA’S HORSE ▲ Factory Floor Friday January 23

SOHN Oxford Art Factory Thursday January 29

BALKAN BEAT BOX Oxford Art Factory Wednesday March 11

PAOLO NUTINI

xxxx

here’s no better place to discover new music than the underground. Sofar Sounds is a grassroots music community with branches all over the world, and we asked the Sydney team to let us in on a few secrets.

How does Sofar reflect the diversity of Sydney’s live music scene? What about its audiences?

I think Sofar really showcases what Sydney has to offer in its live music scene. One of our objectives is to program amazing music across a wide range of genres, from folk to rock to electro to hip hop. We believe this caters to the wide range of musical tastes that our audience has and keeps things exciting and interesting. We also love it when we hear people say, “I don’t normally listen to that kind of music, but that was amazing.”

dream Sofar lineup?

Both myself and Therese Watson are the leaders of Sofar Sounds Sydney and we program each show together, so our combined list would be: The Staves, Passenger, Chet Faker, The War On Drugs and Alt-J.

Enmore Theatre Tuesday March 31

THE OCEAN Factory Floor Friday April 10

The Beards

MANAGING EDITOR: Chris Martin chris@thebrag.com 02 9212 4322 ONLINE EDITOR: Tyson Wray ONLINE COORDINATOR: Emily Meller SUB-EDITOR: Emily Meller STAFF WRITERS: Adam Norris, Augustus Welby NEWS: Tori Bedingfield, Kelsey Berry, Gloria Brancatisano, Nicholas Hartman, Spencer Scott ART DIRECTOR: Sarah Bryant PHOTOGRAPHERS: Katrina Clarke, Ashley Mar, Prudence Upton, Jamie Williams ADVERTISING: Georgina Pengelly - 0416 972 081 / (02) 9212 4322 georgina@thebrag.com ADVERTISING: Les White - 0405 581 125 / (02) 9212 4322 les@thebrag.com PUBLISHER: Furst Media MANAGING DIRECTOR, FURST MEDIA: Patrick Carr - patrick@furstmedia.com.au, (03) 9428 3600 / 0402 821 122 DIGITAL DIRECTOR/ADVERTISING: Kris Furst kris@furstmedia.com.au, (03) 9428 3600 GIG & CLUB GUIDE COORDINATORS: Tori Bedingfield, Nicholas Hartman, Emily Meller, Spencer Scott - gigguide@thebrag.com (rock); clubguide@thebrag.com (dance, hip hop & parties) AWESOME INTERNS: Tori Bedingfield, Lachlan Mackenzie, Spencer Scott, Nicholas Hartman REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS: Nat Amat, Ian Barr, Prudence Clark, Keiron Costello, Marissa Demetriou, Christie Eliezer, Fergus Halliday, Cameron James, Tegan Jones, Lachlan Kanoniuk, Mina Kitsos, Emily Meller, Annie Murney, Adam Norris, Kate Robertson, Erin Rooney, Raf Seneviratne, Leonardo Silvestrini, Rod Whitfield, Harry Windsor, Tyson Wray, Stephanie Yip, David James Young Please send mail NOT ACCOUNTS direct to this NEW address 100 Albion Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010 ph - (02) 9212 4322 fax - (02) 9319 2227

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THE BRAG

6 :: BRAG :: 596 :: 21:01:15

SMILING POLITELY

Following on from their recent inclusion on the Soundwave bill, The Smashing Pumpkins have locked in Sidewaves in Sydney and Melbourne. Joining official Pumpkins members Billy Corgan and Jeff Schroeder for the tour will be Rage Against The Machine’s Brad Wilk on drums and The Killers’ Mark Stoermer on bass. The band’s latest album Monuments To An Elegy was released late last year, with part two (Day For Night) set for release in 2015.

Catch The Smashing Pumpkins at the Hordern Pavilion on Wednesday February 25.

SECRET GARDEN 2015

Secret Garden 2015 is on the way, and the secret is out: the sold-out event’s lineup has now been revealed. The festival, held over two nights on the outskirts of Sydney, attracts a dress-up crowd each year for some spectacular international and local acts. All proceeds are donated to a range of charities. This year’s event features the likes of Parquet Courts, Sharon Van Etten and Lunice, plus local legends like Little May, Oh Mercy, Client Liaison and Velociraptor. Also on the bill are Remi, Steve Smyth, Milwaukee Banks, Little Bastard, The Griswolds and many more. For full event and scheduling details, visit secretgardenfestival.com.au. Secret Garden 2015 is on Friday February 27 and Saturday February 28.

JOHNNY MARR TOUR POSTPONED

Following on from the cancellation of his remaining US and Canadian dates, Johnny Marr has been forced to postpone his upcoming Australian and New Zealand tour due to ongoing family illness. The former Smiths guitarist released a statement saying: “I’m really disappointed to not be able to play these shows.

The touring has been so enjoyable for me and the band and the audiences have been great everywhere. If it was about just me just being unwell I would have found a way to continue as I did when I broke my hand last year, but to not

BY THE BEARD OF ZEUS

Some people say The Beards are just one big gimmick. That their songs are merely bubblegum rock ditties, all beard and no brains. Who says that? Beardless heathens, that’s who. Of course, you needn’t be able to grow a beard to appreciate one. But a world in which beard admiration is encouraged – nay, demanded – unquestionably makes it a better place to live for all. And so Australia’s finest bearded band is back for the Strokin’ My Beard Tour, backing up a brand new single (it’s called ‘Stroking My Beard’) and joined by The Stiffys.

They play Newcastle’s Bar On The Hill on Wednesday April 15, The Entrance Leagues Club on Thursday April 16 and the Metro Theatre on Friday April 17.

be there for one of my family is not right. Thank you to everyone for the kind messages. See you soon. Johnny. X” Follow thebrag.com for updated dates as they arrive.

INCUBUS JOIN SIDEWAVE ACTION

Another Sidewave has been added to the growing list, with Incubus announcing a show in Sydney. The Californian rockers will be joined by Antemasque – formed in 2014 by former members of At The Drive-In and The Mars Volta – and Mexican garage-punk trio Le Butcherettes. They’ll take over the Enmore Theatre on Friday February 27.

DAVID LYNCH REVISITED

JESSIE J

Jessie J will return to Australia this March for a run of headline shows. To date, her fulllength debut album Who You Are has sold over three million copies worldwide, debuting in the top 15 of the Billboard 200 and going multiplatinum in over 15 countries. The album’s debut single ‘Price Tag’ reached number one in 18 major territories. Meanwhile, her recently released third album, Sweet Talker, features the likes of Ariana Grande, Nicki Minaj, 2 Chainz, De La Soul and American violinist Lindsey Stirling. Jessie J will play at the Big Top, Luna Park on Saturday March 14. Tickets go on sale Friday January 23.

Owen Pallett

In Dreams: David Lynch Revisited, making its Australian premiere at the Sydney Opera House this March, has announced a new round of performers to take the stage in tribute to one of music and film’s most influential artists. Interpreting the classic sounds from Twin Peaks, Mulholland Drive, Blue Velvet and Eraserhead, among others, will be Owen Pallett, Sarah Blasko, Kirin J Callinan and Marshall McGuire. These new artists join a lineup that already boasts the likes of Mick Harvey, Sophia Brous, Cibo Matto and Camille O’Sullivan. In Dreams: David Lynch Revisited takes over the Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House on Saturday March 14.

thebrag.com

Xxx

EDITORIAL POLICY: The views and opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher, editors or staff of the BRAG.

Billy Corgan

BRAG :: 596 :: 21:01:15 :: 7

live & local

free stuff

welcome to the frontline: what’s goin’ on around town... with Chris Martin, Tori Bedingfield and Spencer Scott

five things WITH

KIM CHURCHILL MEET & GREET

EDI POU FROM ZA! maybe the only link between all of them is music that surprises us (we both remember the first time we listened to the Akira film soundtrack and feeling this was new music for us; the same happened with Fugazi, Don Caballero, Kongar-ol Ondar…), and music that lo trae caliente (literally it means “to bring it hot”). Sun Ra brings it hot, and Captain Beefheart obviously brings it hot.

Your Band We are two – Pau plays 3. trumpet, guitar, sampler and

Growing Up We come from families where 1. we sing a lot at celebrations. Pau always remembers how his father always showed up with his guitar and sang rumba classics from Ruben Blades or Los Chichos.

At my home, we always sang Brazilian hits from Vinicius de Moraes, as my father used to

work in Brazil. This background taught us that megaflow music is collective, changing, independent from your virtuosity and with no boundaries between the artist and the audience.

2.

Inspirations We like a huge variety of music and musicians, and

voice. I play drums, keyboards, clarinet and voice. We met in another band where Pau played bass and I played guitar. We’re the typical story of guys that have spent our teenage years in practice rooms in the suburbs playing whatever we got with whoever was there.

The Music You Make We play a mixture of all 4. the things we like: post-rock, math, jazz, Latin or African beats, electronic, loops recorded live, et cetera. We think that experimental music should

not always be serious and ‘intellectual’ – experimenting is playing! We’ve recorded several albums with our own DIY label, co-releasing with other independent labels in UK, Japan, Germany and Australia. We’re lucky to have toured from the USA to Russia, from Brazil to Switzerland. Never in Australia – we are really excited.

Music, Right Here, Right Now 5.

We are part of what we call our ‘Mundo Estrella’, our secret Star World (like on the Super Mario World game). A group of bands, venues, promoters, all around different countries, with whom we share the same view about music, also socially and economically.

Thanks to the internet, I have the feeling that there’s plenty of Star Worlds, self-organised and independent. Now our intention is to find this in Australia.

What: Wanananai out now through Valve/MGM Where: The Famous Spiegeltent When: Saturday January 24

Sarah McLeod and Mick Skelton

SARAH AND SKELTON

Relapse Records signees and raging rockers Iron Reagan have announced a run of east coast dates this April. The five-piece from Richmond, Virginia refuses to hold back, as evidenced in 32 minutes of hardcore heaviness on new album The Tyranny Of Will. Iron Reagan comprise members and former members of Municipal Waste, Darkest Hour and Cannabis Corpse, but it’ll be a wholly original happening when they arrive at Newcastle’s Cambridge Hotel on Thursday April 9 and The Bald Faced Stag on Friday April 10.

DALLAS CRANE AND FRIENDS

Music venue/pizza emporium Frankie’s has announced it will be holding a vinyl fair on Sunday February 15. Frankie’s will open its doors for free at midday on the day, welcoming punters in to browse racks of rare, collectable, modern and vintage vinyl records. Some of Sydney’s hottest record stores will showcase their wares as well as spin some of their favourites. From 6-8pm, the tables will be turned as guests are allowed to spin the records of their choosing, which could be LPs bought from the fair that day, or classics brought in from home.

Oz rock mainstays Dallas Crane head out this week on their latest run of tour dates, getting a head start on Australia Day celebrations at Newtown Social Club on Friday January 23. Their guests at the show will be Child and Brobort. The more Dallas Crane in your life, the better, we reckon.

NEW XAVIER RUDD ALBUM, TOUR

Aussie troubadour Xavier Rudd hit lucky number seven with his 2012 album Spirit Bird, and now he’s set to return with his eighth full-length, Nanna. Mixed by Bob Marley collaborator Errol Brown at the Tuff Gong Studios, the record is due out independently on Friday March 13. The album’s lead single,

‘Come People’, suggests Rudd is moving even deeper into exploration of his chosen spiritual themes. In support of the release, Rudd and his band The United Nations will step out on a national tour, arriving at the Metro Theatre on Saturday March 21 ahead of his Bluesfest engagements. Tickets go on sale Thursday January 29.

WANDERLUST MUSIC TIX

Wanderlust Festival, a multi-day retreat that combines yoga, food and music, has announced music-only tickets, on sale now.

Designed to appeal to punters who can’t tell the difference between a Maty Ezraty and a Downward Dog, the music lineup offers acts such as Yolanda Be Cool, Yoyo Tuki and Nahko and Medicine For The People, with more names to be announced. Wanderlust Festival runs at Cockatoo Island from Friday February 20 – Sunday February 22.

JUMP INTO THE POND

To coincide with their appearances at Laneway Festival, Pond have announced sideshows in Sydney and Melbourne. The Perth psych rockers, led by Nick Allbrook (playing his sixth consecutive Laneway) and featuring a revolving cast of members taken from bands including Tame Impala, The Growl and The Silents, will be celebrating the release of their new album Man It Feels Like Space Again. Pond take over Oxford Art Factory on Thursday February 5. thebrag.com

xxxx xx

8 :: BRAG :: 596 :: 21:01:15

First Aid Kit, those venerable folkster sisters from Sweden, are returning to our warm shores to play an east coast tour in March, as well as the Golden Plains and WOMADelaide festivals. After releasing their third album, Stay Gold, last year, and rocking everyone’s socks off at Splendour, they’ll again serenade the crowd on Wednesday March 11 at the beautiful Enmore Theatre. We’ve got a First Aid Kit prize pack to give away including a copy of Stay Gold and a double pass to the show. For your chance to win, visit thebrag.com/ freeshit and tell us the novelty item you’d keep in your personal emergency first aid kit.

IRON REAGAN

Goodgod Small Club is gearing up for the long weekend with a bumper lineup of entertainment, kicking off by entering the danger zone at an Archer trivia night this Wednesday January 21. On the musical front, appearances from Spookyland and Au.Ra (Thursday January 22) and Om Unit (Friday January 23) lead into the Australia Day Eve party on Sunday January 25, featuring B Wise, Marky Vaw, Joyride, Adit, Raph and more.

FRANKIE’S VINYL FAIR

FIRST AID KIT

Iron Reagan

A GOOD WEEK AT GOODGOD

Frankie’s

The Canberra-born and Merimbularaised Kim Churchill has been making a right old splash on the folk scene, with last year’s release Silence/Win the fruit of a long labour. The 24-yearold surfi ng songwriter has played sets at Glastonbury Festival and in support of Billy Bragg and Michael Franti. Now he’s coming to town to play Oxford Art Factory on Saturday January 24, and we’ve got a special meet-andgreet package to give away. Two BRAG readers will each win a double pass for themselves and a friend to meet Churchill after soundcheck and then check out the show. To be in the running, head to thebrag.com/freeshit and tell us what you reckon you and Kim will chat about.

xx

Coming off a tour with The Superjesus supporting The Tea Party, Sarah McLeod has teamed up with Mick Skelton from Baby Animals to play a handful of shows this February. The energetic duo will be performing a mix of songs from McLeod’s solo career, as well as some Superjesus favourites and covers. Newtown local and The Art bassist KJ will get the Sydney shows fired up with her support performance. You can catch McLeod and Skelton on Friday February 6 at The Basement and Sunday February 15 at The Brass Monkey.

head to: thebrag.com/freeshit

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WITH SPECIAL GUESTS CASSIUS SELECT

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BRAG :: 596 :: 21:01:15 :: 9

Industrial Strength Music Industry News with Christie Eliezer

THINGS WE HEAR * Which record producer and his ex-wife gave each other death glares after bumping into each other in the drinks queue at a premiere? * At a Foo Fighters surprise show at the LA Forum for Dave Grohl’s 46th birthday, Alice Cooper came out and joined them for ‘School’s Out’. * Hilltop Hoods’ DJ Debris told triple j last Friday’s Beat The Drum concert to 25,000 people was the first show he did after having his gall bladder removed after the last tour. The Hoods will do more Australian festivals (including Future) before heading back to Europe and the

US during the northern summer. * The Country Music Channel (CMC) Awards will be held in Brisbane for the next three years, starting from the sixth edition on Thursday March 12.

The ceremony coincides with the CMC Rocks Queensland festival in Ipswich, March 13-15. * Australian producer and engineer Victor van Vugt’s work with the likes of Depeche Mode, The Bad Seeds and PJ Harvey has paid off. He and his wife Felicia have just sold their 3,000-square-foot New York loft in the Tribeca district for US$5.42 million after buying it for $2.46 million in 2005. * At an academic forum next week at UK Aston University, among discussions about business psychology and the future of welfare is a

AIR EXTENDS RDIO PARTNERSHIP Rdio has extended its deal with the Australian Independent Record Labels Association (AIR) as its official digital music streaming partner. Through the year, AIR and Rdio will collaborate on various initiatives to “promote and widen the reach of Australian independent artists”. Rdio is also extending its involvement in the Carlton Dry Independent Music Awards, which it already sponsors.

Under the agreement, Rdio will stream the Carlton Dry Independent Music Charts every week via rdio.com/people/ausindies.

SPOTIFY HITS 15 MILLION SUBSCRIBERS Spotify now has 15 million paying subscribers and 60 million active users. As an indicator of how fast the service is growing, it had 12.5 million paying subscribers and 50 million active users last November, and 10 million subscribers in May. 80% of new subscribers came from the free mobile app. Mobile devices now account for over half of all

two-day look at Kraftwerk.

Topics include Fun Fun Fun On The Autobahn: Kraftwerk Challenging Germanness, and We Are The Robots! On The Cultural-Historical Origins Of The Man-Machine. A disco will replace the usual formal dinner. * Josh Pyke is working on a project with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra which includes performing his songs with them at the Sydney Opera House in April. * Wollongong’s The Farmer and the Owl Festival’s “pay what you like” plot for its first release tickets worked: the 500 available sold out in five minutes. * The Majestic Theatre in Pomona, Queensland has hired paranormal investigator Kade Jones to investigate long-time rumours it is haunted.

* Teenage Wollongong musicians Nicholas Kyrakoudes and James Cooper have set up a new label, Live Acoustic Wollongong (LAW) Records. * The Sportsman’s Hotel in Bingara, which features live music, has been bought by new locals Belinda Eykamp and David Barnes. * Sydney’s Lepers & Crooks spent the summer break writing songs in a beach shack near Byron Bay, and are now recording a single with The Tea Party’s Jeff Martin. * Eminem dropped around to the house of a Detroit fan, Gage Garmo, who was dying of bone cancer and wanted to meet him as his final wish. They spoke about hip hop and football at length. Garmo died the next day.

Spotify listening, with 42% from smartphones and 10% from tablets.

another music venue, the Newington Inn, but sold that recently to Solotel.

MORE AUSSIES HEADING FOR SXSW

ROCK BEATS HIP HOP IN THE US

14 more Australian artists will showcase at South by Southwest 2015. They are Peter Bibby, Kirin J Callinan, DCM, The Delta Riggs, DMA’s, Falls, Fraser A. Gorman, The Kite String Tangle, Jack Ladder and the Dreamlanders, Meg Mac, Tkay Maidza, Oscar Key Sung, Remi and San Cisco. Previously announced acts include The Church, Angus & Julia Stone, Ball Park Music, Courtney Barnett, Bloods, The Gooch Palms, Demi Louise, Luluc, Twerps, Mansionair, Hiatus Kaiyote, Gang Of Youths and Lenka.

Rock is the most popular genre in the US, according to info collected by Nielsen Music. Rock represented 29% of all sales and streams in 2014. R&B/hip hop was second (17.2%) and pop was third (14.9%).

But when it came solely to streaming, R&B/ hip hop (28.5%) leads with rock at 24.7%.

NEW OWNER FOR THE ROXBURY The Roxbury in Glebe has changed hands.

New owner Tim Condon is keeping the music alive upstairs while the ground floor will focus on craft beer and dining. After a revamp, the Roxbury re-launches in March. Condon owned

L-FRESH THE LION JOINS ELEFANT TRAKS Sydney hip hopper L-Fresh The Lion is the latest to join Elefant Traks. Label manager Tim Levinson AKA Urthboy noticed him six years ago when he booked him to open events at the Factory Theatre and was knocked out by his “powerful presence, optimism and unexpected lyrics”. L-Fresh, who released his debut album One last year, is an ambassador for the anti-racism charity All Together Now and founded the Power To The Peaceful Community, a clothing label and online community that exists to encourage peace.

PANDORA SPONSORS TWILIGHT AT TARONGA FACEBOOK/THEHIFI TWITTER.COM/HIFI_SYD

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FRI 20 MAR

BONOBO

SAT 14 FEB

INFECTED MUSHROOM

THIS WEEK

SUN 25 JAN ALL AGES

KERSER

COMING SOON

FRI 13 FEB

MODESELEKTOR

Internet radio service Pandora has signed up as a sponsor for the Twilight At Taronga concert series as part of its “commitment to artists [which] is an important part of how we work amongst the music community,” said Pandora ANZ’s industry relations manager Hazel Savage.

DOG WHISTLE LINKS WITH UNIVERSAL MUSIC Sydney label Dog Whistle Music has struck a distribution deal with Universal Music, with the first releases to be by Victoria Avenue and Melanie Dyer. Dog Whistle was set up last year by HSF Artist Services owner and former EMI and Festival exec Tom Inglis and Brisbane-based producer Andrew Cochrane.

MUSICNSW JOB: EXECUTIVE OFFICER (MATERNITY LEAVE) MusicNSW is searching for someone to step in while its executive officer is on maternity leave. It’s for a minimum six months part-time, with a possible three-month extension. The deadline for applications is Friday February 13; check out musicnsw.com for details.

SAT 28 FEB

DELTRON 3030

MORE HARDWARE FIRMS GETTING INTO MUSIC

THU 12 MAR

DJ SHADOW & CUT CHEMIST

SAT 18 APR

BLACKSTREET

More hardware companies are moving into the music business. Technics is about to launch its music download platform Technics Tracks. Bose has been setting up its own next-generation streaming music platform to take on Spotify and Pandora. Wearable technology firm Muzik’s latest headphones come with one-touch social sharing. Going the other way, UK dance music brand Ministry of Sound has teamed with audio product manufacturer Bullitt Group for a new range of devices including high-quality headphones, including a DJ-spec overear model, and wireless Bluetooth and connected multi-room speakers.

WED 01 APR ALL AGES

SWITCHFOOT

THU 30 APR

SUN 28 JUN ALL AGES

B-BOY WORLD CHAMPIONS TOUR BRIBRY

ENTERTAINMENT QUARTER, BUILDING 220, 122 LANG RD, MOORE PARK, SYDNEY

10 :: BRAG :: 596 :: 21:01:15

LIFE IS NOISE TO OPEN MELBOURNE OFFICE Perth-based national touring company Life Is Noise is this year starting to focus more on the Sydney and Melbourne markets. It is

Lifelines Dating: guitar hero Jimmy Page, 71, and actress Scarlett Sabet, 25.

Dating: Kylie Jenner and Tyga spotted hanging out.

Married: The X-Factor’s Nathaniel Willemse and Fujan Erfanian in Langkawi, Malaysia.

Ill: an “unexpected illness” saw 360 postpone his national tour after two shows.

Ill: a fund-raiser is being held in the Whitsundays for local musician Mark Nicol, who is battling cancer.

Jailed: Darren Partington, DJ and keyboard player for UK acid house pioneers 808 State, for 18 months after police stopped him with wraps of heroin and crack cocaine, as well as £145 in cash. His lawyer told the court he did it because he had a debt of £300.

In Court: Dashrath Thapa, 24, one of 103 busted at Stereosonic Brisbane last month, was fined $400 for sneaking in four ecstasy pills, but no conviction was recorded. The magistrate offered a stern warning, citing a festival at Byron Bay where “on the first day a young fellow died from popping one tablet. Dead.”

In Court: Van Halen have allowed drummer Alex’s ex-wife to use the band name on pillows, blankets and ponchos.

Died: Ray McFall, 88, one-time owner of Liverpool’s Cavern Club, where The Beatles got their start.

Died: Clifford Adams, trombonist with Kool & the Gang, 62, of liver cancer.

Died: Canberra pop culture journo, author and screenwriter Mark Juddery, 43, from cancer, which spread to his lymph nodes, liver and lungs.

Died: US bassist Tim Drummond, 74. He played on classic records by Neil Young (Harvest), Don Henley, Bob Dylan and Ry Cooder.

Died: Bill Thompson, longtime manager of Jefferson Airplane and its offshoots Hot Tuna and Starship, 70, of a heart attack.

Died: Alex Omes, co-founder of Miami’s Ultra Music Festival, 43.

Died: Trevor ‘Dozy’ Ward-Davies, 70, bass player for British ’60s hitmakers Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich (‘The Legend Of Xanadu’, ‘Bend It’).

Died: US producer/songwriter Kim Fowley, 75, of bladder cancer.

He put the Runaways together, championed Tasmania’s Innocents and wrote for KISS, Warren Zevon, The Seekers, Alice Cooper and Helen Reddy. about to open a second office in Melbourne, to be run by its new operations manager, Jack Midalia. He can be contacted at jack@ lifeisnoise.com.

UNIVERSAL’S VINCENT HEADS TO SPOTIFY Andy Vincent has joined Spotify as label relations manager for Australia and New Zealand. He was previously the key account manager for streaming at Universal Music.

He will head up key stakeholder relationships with major labels, indies, artist management and industry bodies, and be responsible for spearheading artist marketing campaigns, content and initiatives throughout the region.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK Following a social media flurry over whether a “leaked” track called ‘Another World’ was a new Avalanches track or a bogus (but damn good) imitation, their record label Modular responded: “If that’s what The Avalanches dished up after 15 years I would be bitterly disappointed.”

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vodafone.com.au/spotify The nitty gritty: Compatible handsets only. Data not included. Extra data automatically added at $10/GB. Plan chosen determines free Spotify access period. Spotify access starts when you activate your Vodafone account not when you activate with Spotify. Usually $11.99/mth. A plan upgrade in the future will not increase your offer period. Full terms at www.vodafone.com.au/spotify/terms VBRA0306/BRAG

BRAG :: 596 :: 21:01:15 :: 11

THIS IS HOW IT GOES

BY AUGUSTUS WELBY

N

collaborative synergy is what builds strength.

ew York hip hop has a fiercely guarded history.

From the genre’s inception in the early 1970s, to the breakthrough success of Grandmaster Flash and Run-D.M.C. in the ’80s, and the ’90s heyday for artists like A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, The Notorious B.I.G. and Nas, New York has long been a breeding ground for legendary, world-changing hip hop.

Even though the likes of Jay-Z remain in the public eye, in recent years there haven’t been many pages added to New York’s hip hop history. That’s not to say there’s a dearth of quality artists – at present, you’ve got youngsters like Joey Bada$$ delivering highcalibre throwbacks to the ’90s glory days, while Azealia Banks has dished out some damn fine tunes despite her provocative public persona. Still, nothing has yet initiated a dazzling new era in the city’s hip hop lineage.

In the early months of 2014, Manhattan crew Ratking released their debut record So It Goes. There’s no denying the young trio (made up of MCs Wiki and Hak and DJ/ producer Sporting Life) are indebted to the city they hail from. So It Goes moves at cutthroat pace, comprising street-wary observations and cluttered production that echoes the industrial clamour of the Upper East Side. Prior to Ratking’s imminent Australian visit for Laneway Festival, the BRAG spoke to Sporting Life to discuss the record’s construction.

“I had an idea in my head of what, in my opinion, a complete album would sound like and how varied it would need to be,” he says. “You start there, but then things develop over time.

Some of your ideas work really well and some of them don’t work at all, and that all leads to making what it ended up sounding like. I try to plan 100 per cent, but it ends up being like 70 per cent and then 30 per cent of what happens during the process.

12 :: BRAG :: 596 :: 21:01:15

Sporting Life’s pointed deliberation has paid off. It might be too early to proclaim that So It Goes heralds a new age in New York hip hop, but Ratking have certainly introduced themselves as a unique entity. While the threesome readily acknowledge their hometown’s formidable hip hop background, they’re not looking to rehash past triumphs. Wiki makes this clear in ‘Protein’ when he melodiously raps, “This ain’t ’90s revival / It’s earlier, it’s tribal revival”. The lyric underlines Ratking’s autonomous constitution as well as their disinclination to adhere to a prescribed value system.

Despite this air of irreverence, the youngsters aren’t afraid to acknowledge their forebears – and these aren’t just artists from New York, explains Sporting Life. “[I like doing] my own groundwork of what the influences are going to be, track by track, and how I’m building it out, just by listening to so many classic albums, like albums Dre produced and stuff like that. A song like ‘Remove Ya’ is sampled from Sanchez, and it’s also

a sample that [The Diplomats] use on ‘Dipset Anthem’, but the direction of the track was more influenced by producers like Wiley and early grime.”

This willingness to take cues from reggae mainstay Sanchez and the godfather of grime, Wiley, shows that Ratking’s listening habits aren’t limited to the terrain of hip hop. On this note, So It Goes harnesses punk rock energy, which is no coincidence.

“We definitely listen to Bad Brains and skateboarding tapes,” Sporting Life says. “The fact that we play a lot gives it more of the punk element to it.

Then we try to double back and add that into the record, so there’s not a difference between what it sounds like live. It’s going to be different, definitely – the micro version’s the album and the macro version’s the live version.”

There’s no denying So It Goes is a well-crafted record, armed with plenty of intellect and tricky wordplay. It’s also prone towards bursts of youthful rebellion. But even when things get a little heated, Ratking are careful to prevent irrational impulses from impinging on their creative agenda.

“There’s definitely parts in there and subjects that we’re angry about, but I don’t know if anger necessarily drives

it,” Sporting Life says. “It’s more like just trying to push out a certain energy and a certain frequency. If anger mixed with this can do that, then so be it. If a chill vibe does it, so be it. You try to keep those things controlled, not be controlled by them.”

Ratking’s animated spirit and broad influences combine to make So It Goes a distinctly modern hip hop record. On top of this, the utilisation of advanced studio technology further differentiates So It Goes from the prized hip hop releases of yore.

“You’re using new programs, you’re using new drum machines,” says Sporting Life. “It’s being recorded with this technology, so in a way it’s going to be new anyway. You don’t necessarily have to stress that, you just have to set up a system and then put things through that system and see if they come out listenable. If it’s listenable people will consider it new, if it’s not they’ll be like, ‘That’s just some noise.’”

Sporting Life produced the entire record, but Wiki and Hak weren’t denied their say on the production choices. Similarly, Sporting Life weighed in on the merits of what was coming from the two vocalists. After all, Ratking are a crew, and the trio’s

“[THERE ARE] SUBJECTS THAT WE’RE ANGRY ABOUT, BUT I DON’T KNOW IF ANGER NECESSARILY DRIVES IT. IT’S MORE LIKE JUST TRYING TO PUSH OUT A CERTAIN ENERGY AND A CERTAIN FREQUENCY.”

“That’s the only way you can improve,” he adds. “None of these albums that are considered great were [made] where one person did it all. You get to the point where you’re comfortable letting other people give you ideas or pointers on stuff. That’s another level of creativity – more successful or more cohesive creativity.”

Ratking are a dominating force on record, but unlike so many other contemporary hip hoppers, condescending bravado isn’t their stock in trade. So It Goes is evidence of the ultimate dividends this attitude supplied.

“I think we’ll get better at it over time,” says Sporting Life. “But at the end of it, when [So It Goes] was finally mastered, in my opinion it gave people a balanced feel of what we’re trying to present at this particular point in time.”

What: So It Goes out now through Hot Charity/Remote Control With: Cassius Select Where: The Basement When: Thursday January 29 And: Also appearing alongside Jungle, Flying Lotus, St. Vincent, Courtney Barnett and more at Laneway Festival, Sydney College of the Arts, Sunday February 1

thebrag.com

xxx

“I get kind of uneasy if I don’t know what direction I’m going,” he adds.

“I just want to take everything into account. You can say, ‘OK, I want to have this with that and this with that.’

Somebody might not even hear it, but as long as you know you’ve taken it into account.”

“I think when we do it right everybody can breathe within their own space without necessarily encroaching on the artistic sensibilities of the other person,” Sporting Life says.

“To a certain degree it’s left up to the individual, but then at the end of the day we all have to agree with it. If there’s a part that sounds really corny we’re all going to say something about it, so there might be a little bit of back-and-forth about it. Over time you get more and more comfortable with maybe not having all of your ideas go in.

Little Dragon The Danger Zone By Adam Norris

W

hen Erik Bodin calls, I have just finished herding peacocks off the roof and bottle-feeding a belligerent lamb. I thought my evening was tipped to win the Unusual Location Game, but the Little Dragon drummer is thinking two moves ahead.

“I’m in a weightlifting gym in Gothenburg,” he informs me. “I joined a little community of Olympic weightlifters, so in comparison I’m not very good, but I’m ambitious. You should always shoot for the moon, and if you don’t make it, well, there’s always the Olympics.”

“Well, it’s taken years!” he exclaims. “I think we all work on finding ways of giving criticism with love, and go straight to the point rather than go through this boring, roundabout way because you’re afraid of stepping on toes. But I think we’re all grown up enough now that we can be very straight with each other without being arrogant. That’s the trick. It takes trust.

But collaborating with people who aren’t in the band, that’s where you have to be careful from the beginning.

There’s nothing worse than being polite from the very start and find[ing] yourself agreeing to something that nobody likes.”

Little Dragon’s fourth album, Nabuma Rubberband, features several notable collaborations including Robin

“I remember one of the first shows we did at home,” Bodin recalls, and breaks off laughing. “And the reviewer really murdered us! She was so negative. I remember almost looking up her number to call and say, ‘What the fuck, lady!’ That didn’t happen, thankfully. It’s a nice thing to go out and do all these shows, tour around and then step back to a normal life in Sweden. But we’re growing very, very slowly here as well. We’re nominated as one of the bands of the year on the radio, but I don’t think we’re going to get it. We’re up against Robyn, First Aid Kit, some of the big names. And we’re not really big in Sweden. We’re big in America, but at home we’ve got a way to go. We never really stressed about making it big here, though.

We’re a little nation, nine million people. If they don’t like us, well, we can always go elsewhere.”

With such a small population, it’s nice to imagine Sweden as place full of musical overlap, with songwriters and musicians high-fiving each other as they wander down the street, streaming in conga lines from venue to venue. But then you remember, of course, that Sweden is a land of ice, snow, and, presumably, yetis.

“You know, we try and spend time with other bands we know here in Gothenburg. Bands like The Knife, José González, Studio. It’s typical of living in Sweden though that, well, in summer things are good, you’re outside. But it’s such a short summer, and in winter we hibernate. It’s very

productive, we’re high on coffee all the time, making tunes. So there’s just not much time for hanging around! If we’re lucky we might go out and grab a beer.”

The hibernation has certainly paid off, and the album includes several stand-out tracks – ‘Klapp Klapp’ and ‘Pretty Girls’ are both impressive and feature a fantastic set of related videos. The entire album, in fact, carries a connectedness from song to song that is partly inevitable, and partly by design.

“When you’re in a songwriting period, they’re all siblings. Some have strong personalities, and really stick out. You might love that song, but it might be too schizophrenic somehow, it might sound out of place. We write so many,

but you feel quite instantly which songs are related to each other. I don’t know what that is exactly, other than it’s something that we all just happen to like. With so much writing, that’s the first challenge, finding those songs that everyone likes. But on this album they all feel related, and we’re happy with them.”

Before I return to peacock-wrangling and Bodin hits the weights, I wonder how comfortably the band sits with the name Little Dragon after all this time; if it is still meaningful, and if there were ever any other contenders.

“Yellow Danger,” he replies instantly.

“It’s a name, and also a bit of a safety message here in Sweden. But we’ve been Little Dragon so long. It’s a difficult question. Of course, you

could change it; it’s just a name after all, it doesn’t really say anything. It’s just two empty words. They mean something, but what we’re doing is so much bigger than a name. Musically, emotionally. There’s always things you want to change at different times, but we’re mostly settled with the past.”

What: Nabuma Rubberband out now through Because Music/ Warner Where: Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House When: Thursday February 5 And: Also appearing alongside Jungle, Flying Lotus, St. Vincent, Courtney Barnett and more at Laneway Festival, Sydney College of the Arts, Sunday February 1

MARY TOBIN PRESENTS

STEPHEN K

AMOS WELCOME TO

MY W RLD

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PHOTO: HO JAMES PENLIDIS

Little Dragon poto by Nick Hartley

Bodin’s phone demeanour can only be described as ‘bubbly’. He is excitable and quick to laugh about the band’s foibles, which, for a group closing in on its 20th anniversary, is rather refreshing. There is nothing tired or jaded in his outlook on Little Dragon’s success abroad (quite strong) or at home (much more modest). Similarly, tensions within the band seem to have carved an easy groove over time.

Hannibal and David ‘Trugoy’ Jolicoeur of De La Soul, so the chances of producing dud tracks out of politeness were fairly slim.

Impressively, the Grammy Awards clearly agree, nominating the release for Best Dance/Electronic Album. It’s quite an achievement for a band yet to really take off in its native Sweden.

MARYTOBINPRESENTS.COM.AU BRAG :: 596 :: 21:01:15 :: 13

there so we could play in front of people that had not seen us before and show our music to new people.

And people that didn’t want to hear it had to hear it.”

Flying High By Augustus Welby

T

Strange to think, at the turn of the 21st century home recording was still an elite luxury. Back then, musicians would work their guts out playing live, hoping to scramble together enough cash to record a demo tape. While the online reality hasn’t stopped bands gigging consistently, today’s

PRESENTS

break from the stage. Later this month they’ll head our way for the Laneway Festival and sideshows. As always, the Laneway lineup spotlights stacks of fantastic contemporary acts. Eagulls’ life on the road means they’re constantly seeing other bands, and there’s one in particular that has inspired Mitchell’s admiration.

“It’s definitely been the busiest year,” Mitchell says. “One of us added up how many shows we’ve played this [past] year and it was something stupid, like over 200. Then again, that was Tom [Kelly, bass] who added it up and he can’t count.”

“There’s a band called Protomartyr, I really enjoyed seeing them,” he says.

“It was just really good seeing a band like them, because in this day and age that sort of music doesn’t usually come across as being very honest. I think they was probably the most honest band I’ve seen for a long time.”

Either way, it’s a heck of a lot of gigs, and things are only getting bigger.

“Before the album came out we’d never really played our own headline shows,” Mitchell says. “Usually we’d be supporting a band on tour or something like that, but now we try to make it our own show. We’ll usually have some visuals onstage and make sure that the lighting is the way that we want it to be and things like that. Obviously we’ve focused a lot on playing live and we’ve progressed.”

Eagulls he minute you mention playing in a band, it’ll either prompt the question, “Do you have anything online?” or the simple statement, “I’ll look it up.” These days, some form of basic recording technology lives in the majority of homes, and uploading tunes to the internet couldn’t be easier.

band’s debut LP (released early 2014 via Partisan Records) is a sharply drawn showcase of the group’s various strengths. Rooted in snarly punk energy and backed up by loads of effortless melody and shoegazey guitar sounds, Eagulls secured global praise, intensifying the band’s touring schedule.

norm is to record before playing live, which gives rise to stacks of undernourished releases.

Still, there are those who choose to buck the trend, such as Leeds fivepiece Eagulls. Forming in 2010, the bunch of scraggly punk dudes set out on a mission to occupy every stage they could find, as vocalist George Mitchell explains. “We came from a hardcore background where people just go, ‘Oh, we’ve got a show. Do you want to play it?’ and you just say, ‘Yeah.’ When we first started, if there was a show and someone asked us to play it, we’d just go ahead and do it, and made the best effort to get

ON SALE NOW

It didn’t take long for Eagulls to attract interest from London indie imprint Not Even Records, which helped release the band’s debut seven-inch Council Flat Blues in 2011. From here, buzz attached itself to the fivepiece, leading to 2012’s self-titled EP (this time through Sexbeat Records) and an ever-expanding gig itinerary.

“We used to play festivals and there’d be old people there and people that didn’t want to hear us,” Mitchell says.

“They’d end up having to hear it and we always thought that was pretty funny.”

Nearly five years into their history, Eagulls’ commitment to incessant gigging remains. As a result, the

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Indeed, the do-or-die nature of performance makes it an excellent opportunity for bands to identify what is and isn’t working. Like the existential project of individuals, a musician’s resolve is never absolute.

Mitchell explains that the last 12 months of gigging have left them with plenty of ideas to move forward with.

“If you’re playing the same songs from an album every night for over a year you do think of things like, ‘Oh, I wish I’d done this’ and ‘I wish I’d done that’.

But then you start to think, ‘What can I do on the next record?’ I’m always thinking of things to do. We’ve just started writing for the new album, so we are starting to now do those things that have been festering in the backs of our minds.”

While new material is already brewing, Eagulls haven’t taken a

ALSO TOURING

With a sound that falls somewhere in between The Feelies, The Walkmen and Fugazi, Detroit foursome Protomartyr invite the tag ‘post-punk’.

As Mitchell acknowledges, those who delve into this stylistic territory often go awry. Indeed, Eagulls themselves tread through similar terrain, but like Protomartyr, the band’s authenticity is undeniable. “[The album’s] been taken very well and I feel people have understood it and they realise what was going on when we was writing the album,” Mitchell says. “It’s nice when people come up to you and say that they understand what the music is about and it does make you realise that you’ve achieved something. It’s like, I’m going to Australia – I must have done something to please someone to let me go to Australia, right?”

What: Eagulls out now through Partisan/Popfrenzy Where: Oxford Art Factory When: Friday January 30 And: Also appearing alongside Jungle, Flying Lotus, Little Dragon, Courtney Barnett and more at Laneway Festival, Sydney College of the Arts, Sunday February 1

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Pond Space Jams By Adam Norris

E

ach and every musician hopes to improve over time.

Part of it is wanting to stay relevant, of course. Part of it is knowing that anyone would be bored by playing the same brace of sounds without any growth (which might go some way to explain the trajectories of massive millennial artists like Celine Dion, who pretty much faded away into casino residencies and frightening hair). Perth outfit Pond take this a little bit further, with an evolving lineup and songs that step across genres as easily as stepping into another room. Jay Watson and Joe Ryan kick back at Newtown’s Courthouse Hotel over beer, wedges and neighbouring construction work to think about how far they’ve come.

“I remember when we were starting off,” Watson says to an overture of bulldozer and crumbling masonry, “those hopes of notoriety or getting somewhere never really factored into what we were doing, which was good. Put it this way, we used to come to Sydney when Tame Impala started getting signed –” “Can’t use those words,” Ryan quips, referring to Watson’s other musical venture. I promise not to mention them in the article.

“But we’d come,” Watson continues, “and always think that bands here were a bit weird. Not that they acted strange, but it was just different to how we were doing things. I think that’s because we always saw other bands [in Perth] were trying a bit harder, because the possibility of people ever even hearing you was lower. I mean, even acts that people talk about now in Perth, like The Scientists, they were kind of an underground band.”

“It was more making music to try and impress your friends,” Ryan agrees.

“When we started, a lot of our music was a lot more pop, a lot more listenable. But nobody ever thought about it as a way of making money.

It was about writing interesting songs that you could show to the people you already knew.”

Pond have without doubt come a long way from their pop-friendly beginnings. They now sell out shows here and overseas, and Man It Feels Like Space Again is their sixth album in seven years. They’re known for their ever-changing lineup, which does suggest a risk of losing cohesion – a case of too many cooks spoiling the broth.

“I think it’s more that we change with each [record] anyway,” Watson says.

“We’ve been a six-piece for a while, but we get depressed if it sounds the same for more than a year. We have to change, and touring this album it will be way different again.

Stripping back down to a four-piece, so there’ll be no more lineup changes. Unless we suck, then we might need to get people who can actually play.”

“They’re like really shitty concept albums,” Ryan chuckles. “Halfformed. Like your classic concept album, that someone forgot to put a concept to. That’s every Pond record.”

“Recently we’ve been going back, playing stuff from every album…”

“All but the second album,” Ryan reminds.

“Oh yeah,” Watson laughs. “But nobody needs that. We’ve even gone back to the first album and redid it. A lot of music we like, say Ween or The Beatles, their songs

sound so different, you can’t really put them all under one genre. I’d like to do a country song followed by an electro song, then some kind of hair metal number, all in a row, and try to somehow make it sound not quite as terrible as I’ve just described it.”

As the wedges dwindle, the pair seem slightly weary from their travels (though they’re doing better than the rest of the band, who missed their flights here completely).

Given they have only just returned from another US tour, it’s no surprise; from festival to theatre, Pond have been damn busy. “I always prefer playing a festival,” Watson considers. “One, the pressure’s off. If you suck, you might be ruining a few people’s day, but not the whole event. And two, you get to convert people who are open to hearing new stuff. There’s

always a far larger portion of people than you think who’ve never heard of you before at a festival, which is awesome. If there’s one person at a festival who has no idea who you are, but by the end –” Ryan quickly cuts him off with a heavy Geldof-accented caricature.

“If you can change one small child’s mind, if we can corrupt one lil’ innocent youth…”

“Are you kidding?” Ryan exclaims. “If I went to bed at home and woke up in Glastonbury I’d freak the fuck out.”

“But that zero to hero thing happens pretty rarely,” says Watson. “It’s all through touring and rehearsing and practice. It’s so gradual you don’t really notice. But so far, it’s been pretty great.”

What: Man It Feels Like Space Again out Friday January 23 through EMI With: Peter Bibby Where: Oxford Art Factory When: Thursday February 5 And: Also appearing alongside Jungle, Flying Lotus, St. Vincent, Courtney Barnett and more at Laneway Festival, Sydney College of the Arts, Sunday February 1

Watson laughs, shaking his head. “It’s pretty cheesy, it’s true. Even at the worst show, if I can walk away thinking that at least one person enjoyed it, I’m OK with that. But the venues have slowly been getting bigger. It’s amazing, but you don’t really notice the change, it’s so slow.

It’s not like we were playing at some tiny pub and suddenly woke up and found ourselves at Glastonbury. Even that probably wouldn’t flip you out.”

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Art Of Sleeping The Latest Craze By Augustus Welby

W

hile we often try, it’s futile to search for a standard rate of artistic productivity.

For example, the notion that an artist ought to release a new record roughly every two years relates to a commercial norm, rather than the nature of creativity itself.

Unfortunately, many artists hurry out new material in order to comply with this industry standard. But it’s far from compulsory.

In December last year, Brisbane’s Art Of Sleeping dropped the new single ‘Crazy’ – more than two years on from their previous release, 2012’s Like A Thief EP. Undeniably, this qualifies as a prolonged gap. But according to the band’s frontman and main songwriter Caleb Hodges, the lengthy interval was wholly worthwhile.

“We didn’t want to release music just for the sake of it,” he says.

“We’ve kept quiet, but we’ve also grown into our own shoes as a group and discovered what we are and the kind of music we want to

make. I think that just takes time. It doesn’t happen overnight.”

or note or lyric from the day it was first written.”

Distinguished by a brooding-toballsy dynamic polarity, ‘Crazy’ is a big step forward for Art Of Sleeping. While Like A Thief was a competent collection of tunes, the band wasn’t yet in charge of its allotted digits. In comparison, ‘Crazy’ sounds far more sincere. As Hodges remembers it, the song’s composition couldn’t have been easier.

‘Crazy’ will appear on Art Of Sleeping’s forthcoming debut LP, due out in the first half of this year.

During the record’s construction, the band brought in Big Scary/#1 Dads main man Tom Iansek for some in-studio guidance. Even though Hodges admits to being a controlling perfectionist, he welcomed Iansek’s input.

“Some songs I’ll work on for six months or something and then collectively we’ll work on it for another few months, but ‘Crazy’ just fell out of my mouth when I was sitting in the kitchen one day. It just felt right.

“I’m a big perfectionist – I always go back and change things – but I wanted it to be one of those songs that came out and I left it exactly how it was. I showed the guys and it all fell together really quickly. We literally didn’t even change one bar

“Obviously we really like a lot of his music and felt he would really fit the dynamic well of what we were trying to do,” Hodges says. “It was a really wonderful experience – seeing how he thinks and looking at songs in a different way. It was good to let go of old habits and explore the music in a different way.

“I think playing music with other people is one of the beauties of playing music,” he adds. “If you wanted to do something all yourself you’d just be a solo artist. But part of the joy is sharing it with other people

and also being able to access all their creativity and intelligence as well. It’s exciting to create something and then see it become something that you never expected it would because of working in a group.”

This weekend, Art Of Sleeping launch ‘Crazy’ on a run of dates around the country. It’s the beginning of a busy year and the band can’t wait to hit the road and showcase the progress made over the last couple of years.

“We’ve got all this new music in our pockets and we’re itching to release it all,” Hodges says. “It’s exciting.

Writing and recording’s really enjoyable but then obviously the payoff is getting to tour and share that music with everyone. It’s going to be an exciting year.”

With: The Lule Raes, Fade In Mona Lisa Where: Newtown Social Club When: Saturday January 24

Caligula’s Horse The Thought That Counts By Rod Whitfield

A

lthough it’s been a year and a half or so since the release of their very wellreceived album The Tide, The Thief & River’s End, Queensland-based progressive alternative rockers Caligula’s Horse have an absolutely massive 2015 coming up. It’s a year that should see them stepping up into a bigger league. Frontman Jim Grey is only too happy to give us the rundown on their brand new video and all of the other exciting things going on in Caligula’s Horse world.

“It’s for the new single, which is ‘A Gift To Afterthought’, which is the opening track to our album,” he explains. “It’s a really exciting clip, and we can’t wait to share it with people, and then reflect that energy into the live show as well.”

The clip is out now on YouTube and across the web, and is an exciting visual feast – much more than your average performance clip from a rock act. To celebrate its completion and release, the band is undertaking a huge summer tour of the nation.

“On the back of the video and single release, we’re doing a tour throughout all of the metropolitan areas in Australia, with some incredible bands like Interim, Orsome Welles

are coming with us for a lot of it, Breaking Orbit, Rise Overrun, an awesome Brisbane band as well, and a whole bunch of others. So it’s going to be a hoot!”

As if all that weren’t enough, Caligula’s Horse recently announced they have inked a deal with the prestigious multinational booking firm The Agency Group for their North American touring endeavours. It is a truly global company, with offices in Los Angeles, London, Miami, Nashville, New York, Toronto and Malmo, and the band will be looked after by Josh Kline, who currently works with the likes of Bring Me The Horizon, Trivium and Protest The Hero.

It is huge news for Caligula’s Horse, and should lift them to the next level in their career. Grey is absolutely chuffed about this development. “It’s very, very exciting for us,” he enthuses. “Josh has been really forthcoming in how much of a fan he is. He’s an incredible guy to have on your side, and he’s doing great work for us already. So in 2015 we’re hoping to take this internationally and tour over there as well. It’s pretty hectic times!”

Grey is actually unclear himself as to how Kline got wind of the band and how it all came

about, but is glad it did all the same. “It could have happened a number of different ways,” he says. “He books for Protest The Hero, and we recently played with them in Australia, so I’m not sure if that’s how he heard our name or not, or whether he just came across it.

“He basically got himself a copy of The Tide, The Thief & River’s End somehow and loved it that much – he says it’s one of his favourite albums, which was really touching, and he’s basically wanting to do good things for us.

It’s a massive opportunity for us, it was very fortuitous and we’re totally ready for it.”

Above and beyond all this, the band should also have some brand new material to release in 2015, so it’s looking like it’s going to be the year of the C-Horse. “We’re working on some new material now, Sam [Vallen, lead guitarist] and I,” Grey reveals. “He and I are in a production phase and things are going very well.”

With: Breaking Orbit, Orsome Welles, Red Bee Where: Factory Floor When: Friday January 23

Shonen Knife Step Into Overdrive By Augustus Welby e all know Japan is a technological wonderland. It’s the place that gave birth to such novelties as the Nintendo Entertainment System and the Tamagotchi, for crying out loud. But Japan isn’t usually thought of as a centre of innovation in Western pop music.

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“[The] Japanese music scene is a little far from rock music and a little more artificial or computer,” says Shonen Knife bandleader Naoko Yamano. “When I started Shonen Knife, Western rock music was more popular, but recently many people like to listen to Idol songs or Vocaloid songs.”

Despite this, over the last 30 years Japanese technology has catalysed several major alterations in music industry operations. For instance, Japanese tech wizards brought us both the CD player and digital recording technology. In recent years, another Japanese invention, Vocaloid, has started to influence global pop music. Put simply, Vocaloid is a singing voice synthesiser application, which has led to an unsettling outbreak of virtual pop stars.

This hasn’t impeded on Shonen Knife’s commitment to good-times punk rock, however. Last year the band dropped its 19th album, Overdrive. Shonen Knife are known for writing unflappably ecstatic tunes, heavily influenced by ’70s punk and ’60s pop, and there’s one band, more than any other, that’s had a bearing on Shonen Knife’s creative path.

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While Yamano’s affection for ’70s punk stands firm, when working on

“For the new album, I decided to write songs of a ’70s style. Our last album, Pop Tune, the theme was pop. And another previous album, Free Time, the theme was punk. So punk, pop and then, what was the next? So I decided British hard rock and ’70s American rock. I wanted to change, because I don’t want Shonen Knife fans to get bored,” she laughs.

Overdrive might be derived from some relatively darker reference points, but the band’s emphasis on fun is no less pronounced. As per usual, the record is an exceedingly positive affair, which includes songs extolling the virtues of ramen noodles (‘Ramen Rock’) and green tea icecream (‘Green Tea’).

“Hard rock music, the lyrics are sometime very, very negative or sometimes very scary, but the purpose of scary lyrics is to make people have fun,” Yamano says.

“I like such an attitude. I don’t like snobbish music. I just like fun, fun, fun music.

“If I listen to negative, depressed songs, I might be negative,” she adds. “But if I listen to happy songs,

I can be happy. I want Shonen Knife fans to get happy, so I write happy songs. Then if Shonen Knife fans get happy, I can be happy too.”

What: Overdrive out now through Valve/MGM With: Step-Panther Where: Factory Floor When: Saturday January 24

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Anyway, what’s all this got to do with Japanese punk rockers par excellence Shonen Knife, you ask?

Well, formed in Osaka in 1981, the three-piece retains its rock’n’roll spirit.

But these days, the band’s authentic rock band approach is something of a marginal pursuit.

“When I listened to radio when I was a teenager, the Ramones songs were played,” says Yamano. “I was very shocked and I was very inspired by the Ramones. And then I started Shonen Knife – inspired by the Ramones and also other late-’70s bands, like Buzzcocks or Jam.”

Overdrive she took pointers from the likes of Black Sabbath and Judas Priest. “Recently, for four or five years, I like to listen to ’70s American rock and British hard rock,” she says. “’70s rock is very new for me. When I was a teenager I listened to punk/nu-wave bands and I didn’t like hard rock bands, but recently I discovered them and I was so inspired.

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arts in focus

BRAG’s guide to film, theatre, comedy and art about town

arts news...what's goin' on around town...with Tori Bedingfield, Chris Martin and Nicholas Hartman

free stuff

five minutes WITH DARREN Darren Gilshenan in Absent Friends

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Absent Friends builds comedy from a place of grief. Why is it such a fruitful avenue for a narrative?

Well, they say comedy is pain plus truth or drama amplified, so the premises of death and loss is fertile ground for a laugh. Alan Ayckbourn was exploring character in this play, not so much

GILSHENAN FROM ABSENT FRIENDS

plot or narrative. He sets up a group of unhappy people who are not looking forward to a tea party and then he dumps the eternal optimist amongst the deeply depressed types. The comedy is that of recognition. It’s awkward and revealing. I’ve always thought the line is paper thin between comedy and drama, and this play rides that line.

Mark Kilmurry is an experienced director of theatre. How would you describe his style?

Very collaborative, like all good directors. He is meticulous in his attention to detail and thorough.

He has absolute respect for the punctuation and clues in the text. He encouraged us to keep it real and not be seduced by the laughter.

The cast is also a strong one. Does a story like this necessitate a good working relationship with your fellow players?

Very much so, because the material is so specific in its punctuation and prescription. We all need to stay disciplined in executing this play and that requires everyone to do his or her part for the whole. A strong ensemble is borne out of this and creates a great working relationship.

You’ve come a long way from your days on Full Frontal – how has Australian comedy changed over this time?

That’s a rather large question. It’s become more sophisticated in parts. Shows like The Moodys, Chandon Pictures, Lowdown, Upper Middle Bogan and Utopia all have strong narratives and social comment. Sketch comedy like FF is on a hiatus at the moment – people seem to prefer stories again. There could always be more. People love to laugh.

What: Absent Friends Where: Glen Street Theatre When: Wednesday January 28 – Sunday February 1

THRILLER LIVE

If you love all things Michael Jackson, this is your chance to shine. Thriller Live, a West End production, is touring Australia and visiting Sydney in February. The show is two hours straight of MJ hits, with a live extravaganza matching the King of Pop’s stage verve. Australians MiG Ayesa (whom you might remember from Rock Star: INXS) and Prinnie Stevens Thriller Live have both featured in the London production and will take centre stage on the Australian tour. Thriller Live plays at the Sydney Lyric from Thursday February 26 – Sunday March 15. We’ve got two double passes to give away to opening night – to be in the running, visit thebrag.com/freeshit and tell us why Michael Jackson is still the King of Pop.

Carmen Geddit photo by Peter A. Hoyle

The Lanterns Of The Terracotta Warriors

How vital is the theatre scene in Australia these days?

I think it’s in a good state. A few more venues have popped up in Sydney over the last couple of years. Theatre reflects who we are and tells stories we can see ourselves in. It’s not only vital but essential in combating the self-serving lowest common denominator of reality television.

Absent Friends photo by Katy Green-Loughrey

lan Ayckbourn’s dark comedy Absent Friends comes to Sydney’s north this month with an all-star cast including Queenie van de Zandt and Darren Gilshenan.

We asked Gilshenan all about it.

head to: thebrag.com/freeshit

Nakkiah Lui in Kill The Messenger

A TERRACOTTA INVASION

The Lanterns Of The Terracotta Warriors installation, showing for the first time outside China and the UK, will feature as part of Chinese New Year celebrations in Sydney.

Inspired by the iconic terracotta warriors unearthed in Shaanxi Province in 1974, the installation features 90 brightly illuminated warriors fashioned out of cloth and wire that each stand 2.1 metres tall. Created for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the installation envisioned by Xia Nan and team seeks to re-captivate an audience with the historic discovery. Building accurate replicas of the 8,000 original statues, Nan has made one small change in the addition of women and children as a representation of inheritance and the future. Set to stand at the edge of Sydney Harbour, the exhibition is described by festival director Gill Minervini as the most breathtaking display yet for Sydney’s Chinese New Year celebrations. The Lanterns Of The Terracotta Warriors will be on show from Friday February 13 – Sunday February 22.

JURASSIC LOUNGE RETURNS

The Festivalists’ ever-popular arts event, Jurassic Lounge, is coming back for one night only to host a Mardi Gras party. If you love mixing science with good times, then you’ll be in paradise at Jurassic Lounge’s return, where you can check out specimens of the reptile and human kind while enjoying performances by fabulous drag queens Carmen Geddit and Andea Darling as well as DJ Sveta and Unicorns. It’s on Thursday February 19 at the Australian Museum.

RIVERRUN

The Sydney Theatre Company has announced a new production, Riverrun, performed and directed by Olwen Fouéré.

Fouéré, a renowned Irish theatre-maker, is bringing her show based on the conclusion of James Joyce’s legendary novel Finnegans Wake to Australian shores at the STC. It is a solo 70-minute extravaganza performance

by Fouéré, which has played in the UK and Ireland to rave reviews. Riverrun will arrive at STC’s Wharf 2 from Tuesday March 10 – Saturday April 11.

MARDI GRAS FILM FESTIVAL Garry Who

The weekly Happy Endings Comedy Club night continues at The Unicorn this week, with the prolific Garry Who next on the bill for Wednesday January 28. Who was that? Yes, Who. Joining him are the very funny Chris Radburn and the quickfire Jonas Holt.

But Who’s headlining? Yes. Right.

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KILL THE MESSENGER Based on a true story, new production Kill The Messenger explores observations made about institutionalised racism towards indigenous Australians from the perspective of Nakkiah Lui. Outraged by her experiences in the community, the Mount Druitt resident and law student began writing a play in protest. Soon afterwards, Lui’s grandmother fell through a hole in the floor of her public housing home and passed away. Lui will play herself in the show, making her debut on the professional stage. Kill The Messenger will run from Saturday February 14 – Sunday March 8 at Belvoir Street Theatre.

Following a successful past few months, Moonlight Cinema will continue to entertain the masses this February with advanced screenings, dress-up events, kids’ nights and more every Tuesday through Sunday. Punters can catch some of the most anticipated fi lms of 2015 in advanced screenings, kicking off on Sunday February 1 with Selma, the historical drama documenting the voting rights march of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. For a romantic Valentine’s Day, head over for a classy screening of Breakfast At Tiffany’s with complimentary bubbly. If you’re into gaudy cult classics, meanwhile, you’ll love the themed Rocky Horror Picture Show evening on Friday February 13. Comedy gets its fair airing as well with screenings of Monty Python’s Life Of Brian and controversial new release The Interview. For the full program and ticketing information check out moonlight.com.au. The season continues at Centennial Park until Sunday March 29. thebrag.com

Kill The Messenger photo by Ellis Parrinder

WHO WANTS A HAPPY ENDING

The 2015 Mardi Gras Film Festival will encapsulate a diverse and thought-provoking discussion of themes from filmmakers all over the world. Event Cinemas George Street will host the event, with the full program for 2015 announced by festival director Paul Struthers.

The festival has selected a diverse spread of films this year, including contributions from the Netherlands, the Philippines, Kenya, and the first-ever queer feature from Sri Lanka. New Australian films are well-represented, with the premiere of dramas Drown, All About E and Skin Deep. Mala Mala celebrates the Puerto Rican trans community, while Out In The Night documents the mistreatment of a group of lesbians in New York. The Mardi Gras Film Festival will run from Thursday February 19 – Thursday March 5. For the full program and tickets, visit queerscreen.org.au.

MOONLIGHT CINEMA FEBRUARY PROGRAM

Bill Burr [COMEDY] Stand Up To The World By Anthony Edward Bell

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Ben & Jerry’s Openair Cinemas [FILM] Movies With A Message By Avrille Bylok-Collard

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t’s time for all cinephiles to bask in the summer sun. Ben & Jerry’s Openair Cinemas will be returning to Bondi this week and boy, does the program look tantalising. Jam-packed with new releases, including Gone Girl, Interstellar and The Imitation Game, cult classics and sing-alongs, plus music nights that will get your booty shaking to the likes of Dax Golding and Husky, this season is something to be excited about. In anticipation of Openair 2015, the BRAG caught up with film programmer Juliana Chin to talk movies and all the rest. “[The regular cinema] is quite an isolated experience,” says the self-confessed film buff.

“You know, at the cinema, you are in a room and sharing that experience with people you don’t know – but I think with Openair there’s definitely an environment cultivated for people communicating, engaging and interacting.

Bill Burr photo by Brian Friedman

“We have a pop-up pizza [stand], so they’ll be cooked onsite, and we have salads as well – they’re really good. On Sundays we have unlimited Ben & Jerry’s ice-cream and afternoon activities, so you can come down and get some food, bring your friends, have a drink, have a picnic if you want, or hire a bean bag or you can sit on a rug with your friends. It’s not just about seeing the film.”

Expect plenty of interaction and discussion around the cult classics on the program, like Dirty Dancing or The Breakfast Club. “As a rule across the board, we always have a really good mix of new releases and cult classics,” says Chin.

Openair has always been a strong advocate for environmental conscientiousness. All proceeds from this year’s Sundae Sessions Charity Launch, which will feature critically lauded UK film Pride and a performance from Melbourne’s Husky, will be donated to the WWF and their

attempts to help conserve Australian marine turtles. Last year, Federal Environment Minister Greg Hunt approved the development of Carmichael, the largest coal mine in Australia off the coast of central Queensland, whose establishment could mean great peril for the Great Barrier Reef’s fragile ecosystem and the habitats of the turtles that live there.

“I think it’s extremely important,” says Chin of the cause, adding that WWF will be screening its award-winning film, Sending The Gungu Home, about their turtle-saving efforts. “I think we should really get behind any organisation protecting animals or the environment.”

In the past, Openair has been supportive of many environmentally and charitably minded causes, including Sea Shepherd, Take 3 and OzHarvest. All these initiatives have one thing in common: minimising environmental damage and pollution.

“It’s [really] about how we are minimising the damage we do to the environment by resourcing. A really big part of Openair is getting behind and supporting these organisations, particularly the smaller ones that are growing and emerging, and helping nurture those relationships between our audiences and their work – so basically engaging the community and getting people aware and able to do something”.

Despite the seriousness of this message, Chin assures us that Openair is ultimately about “uniting together and having fun together. It’s not like sitting in a closed environment watching a film. It’s fun, summery and upbeat.”

What: Ben & Jerry’s Openair Cinemas Where: Bondi Beach When: Thursday January 22 – Sunday March 1

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ill Burr has been called a ‘comedian’s comedian’, a relatable performer who works hard and stays humble. He brings this attitude and reputation into not only stand-up, but his acting and voiceover work too. But he remains conscious of his roots. “I’ll always enjoy stand-up,” he says. “I still love it.

If you maintain your comedy following you’re never unemployed. That’s something you can’t [often] say in show business – it’s brutal.

“With each hour I do I try to expand where I tour. I get to see the world and meet all these different people, get a different perspective … It adds layers, hopefully, to my act. I’m learning how to curse better through my travels, too!”

In conversation, Burr is topical, honest about his personal oddities, and opinionated – a mix that makes for fantastic comedy. To audiences, however, he is popular for just being brave enough to be himself. He has a swagger onstage and leans on his mic like a tradie at a job site chatting with his mates.

Offstage, he’s a down-to-earth character and a thankful spectator of the world. He’s also unashamed about his ‘Acca Dacca’ obsession – though he sheepishly admits he does practise riffs in his sweatpants. What’s not to love about the guy?

But Burr’s upcoming Australian debut tour isn’t to cover an AC/DC pilgrimage. It comes off the back of a vinyl album release, a new special called I’m Sorry You Feel That Way, as well as the announcement of an upcoming movie role (Black Or White) and an animated series, F Is For Family.

Alongside his own work, Burr is just as obsessed with the newest series out there – The Killing and Silicon Valley. But a personal highlight was his appearance on one of television’s biggest recent hits.

“I was totally engrossed in Breaking Bad before I was even on it,” he says. “When I finally got a part in it, it was unbelievable – to be that emotionally invested in a show and be following all these characters and their storylines and then all of a sudden you get a part in the show? It was surreal.”

As a multifaceted talent, Burr is aware that stepping into the larger arenas of the pop culture domain doesn’t mean it’ll be a Hollywood dream. Social media gives fans a greater opportunity to observe and talk about their favourite obsessions, but it also means artists are being watched – all the time. Nothing you say or do escapes critique or ridicule. Does it bother Burr? The answer is yes and no.

“I gotta be honest, I don’t take it all too serious.

I try to have a good time. I try to improve. But as a comedian, when comedy fans talk about your specials to debate which one is their favourite, that’s all you can ask for.”

And those who aren’t such fans? “I don’t think about it too much,” he calmly starts. But then he opens up. “Some deliberately take things out of context – they’ll take what you say and try and redefine it. Like, they’ll take a recording from a comedy club – the comic tells a joke and you hear the crowd laugh, but because one person didn’t like it they’ll play it on the news and speak over the laughter.

‘Controversy erupts down at the comedy club!’ They say there was controversy, yet people laughed, the jokes worked. It’s disgusting.”

The spirit Burr brings is infectious. He can be talking over the phone or slouched on the couch with Conan, and it’s great. So if he brings us the same level of personality, professional intensity and genuine happiness and hunger to perform, his Australian tour will be an experience to remember.

Where: Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House When: Sunday February 1

Blak Cabaret [CABARET] History On Its Head By Liza Dezfouli

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lak Cabaret, a satirical comedy featuring some of Australia’s finest Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander performers, has evolved from being a showcase for various indigenous artists to a full-scale theatrical production. Creative producer Jason Tamiru is looking forward to seeing the show in The Famous Spiegeltent during Sydney Festival this week.

“It’s become more of a theatrical production and there’s a story that goes from beginning to end,” explains Tamiru. “It’s a comedy gig, a music gig, theatre – it’s got a little bit of everything.”

Without giving too much away, we ask Tamiru what the storyline involves. “The Aboriginal invasion,” he says. “The Aboriginals are coming!

And find the place needs fixing up a bit. Blak Cabaret puts the mirror up to people. The show is very provocative; it plays with people’s feelings.

It will make you laugh, make you cry, make you think, feel uncomfortable. Maybe enlightened too.

History is told by so many people. Australia has an Aboriginal history – our show has a look at what Australian history really was. We’re having a little bit of fun with Australian history. We flip Australian history on its head.”

As the creator of the Blak Cabaret concept, Tamiru got the writer of television’s Black Comedy to get it onto the page and then the

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stage. “Nakkiah Lui [is] a contemporary comedy writer from NSW who put together Black Comedy that’s aired on TV,” says Tamiru. “I made contact with her and asked if she was interested, how she felt about writing it. I had it all in my head and needed to get it out of her head, so she was able to do that.”

Despire his creative involvement, Tamiru doesn’t appear in the production himself. “I’m not going to embarrass myself in front of these artists! I’m a producer; I’ve been producing various [things] for seven or eight years. I produce festivals, music gigs, comedy gigs and theatre, a bit of everything. The thing I find most enjoyable is doing gigs for my people – the community gigs.”

Tamiru has a strong idea of what he wants audiences to take away from the show.

“The majority of our audiences will be nonindigenous. People will see this project as something – not just special, as in Aboriginal special, just a special Australian show, and an Aboriginal Australian cabaret show. It will be judged on whether or not it’s a good or bad show. People will say, ‘It’s good for diversity,’ put it under a label; people will put it in some kind of box. Blak Cabaret is a platform for our people, but it’s not under the banner of NAIDOC or the Sorries or Recognition. It’s a cabaret show, featuring some wonderful performers who also happen to be Aboriginal.

Constantina Bush in Blak Cabaret “I’ve seen all these people perform, worked with all the artists before Blak Cabaret. Everybody ‘gets’ the show. They all want to invest their time in it.

“We’re a proud race of people,” Tamiru continues. “We just like being who we are, outside the politics and so forth. We want to just go about doing our business, and that’s not making boomerangs or nets or anything, not hunting or fishing. We’ve been prodded and poked and it’s having a negative effect. Australia’s having an identity crisis.

Constitutional recognition isn’t an issue for a lot of us – we can’t go back to yesterday – but we

want our connection to our land acknowledged.

We just want to live and breathe as indigenous people. We’re just telling the world we are who we are. People aren’t listening. We just want to be recognised and respected as the traditional owners of this country, and to share the fruits of this country. I’d absolutely love to tour Blak Cabaret round the country, take it round Australia.”

What: Blak Cabaret as part of Sydney Festival 2015 Where: The Famous Spiegeltent When: Until Sunday January 25

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Theatre Reviews

Arts Giveaway What's been on our TV screens this week Head to: thebrag.com/freeshit

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he Australian Ballet’s 2015 season is starting with a bang. The Capitol Theatre will play host to a week-long Sydney exclusive production of the classic Swan Lake. Graeme Murphy is at the helm of this rendition, having taken it on tour to Los Angeles and San Francisco, and it’s also had a soldout season in Melbourne, too.

Murphy’s interpretation is inspired by, of all things, the royal love triangle between Princess Diana, Prince Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles, and plays from Friday February 20 – Saturday February 28.

■ Theatre

Radiance

RADIANCE Playing at Belvoir Street Theatre until Sunday February 8 Radiance is the story of three half-sisters drawn back to the North Queensland home of their youth following the death of their mother. Middle child Mae (Shari Sebbens) has been dutifully looking after the sickly matriarch in her last days, a task that has clearly taken its toll. When their mother finally passes on, the baby of the family, the untamed and animated Nona (Miranda Tapsell), returns home for the funeral (and to potentially claim some of her inheritance). At the same time, eldest sister Cressy (Leah Purcell), a successful opera singer, returns to Australia from her busy European touring schedule to be with her sisters. None of the three know who their fathers are and with their mother now in the ground, it seems some questions are destined to go unanswered.

Non-indigenous playwright Louis Nowra’s 1993 work was released as a film in 1998.

Coincidentally, it was the breakthrough role for Deborah Mailman, whose The Sapphires co-stars (Sebbens and Tapsell) appear in this current adaptation. Alongside them is the always-tremendous Purcell, who not only delivers another powerhouse performance, but dons the director’s hat as well.

The unpredictable nature of the stories and secrets exposed throughout this work is highly refreshing. However, the set-up needed in the first half to facilitate the big reveals in the back end leaves the first 45 minutes feeling a little long. Nonetheless, once the pace intensifies there’s no looking back as the sisters hurtle to their final crescendo.

Radiance photo by Brett Boardman

S AY W EA IV G

SWAN LAKE! AUSTRALIAN BALLET! WIN TIX!

Hits and misses on the bareboards around town

The play’s use of the space in Belvoir’s Upstairs Theatre is effective in its simplicity thanks to Dale Ferguson’s set design depicting the mud flaps of Northern Queensland. Damien Cooper’s lighting design is also highly evocative.

Although dealing with some distressing subject matter, this production is highly watchable, universally relatable and skilfully staged.

Lee Hutchison

Right: Adam Bull and Amber Scott in Swan Lake ■ Comedy

Asking For It

ADRIENNE TRUSCOTT’S ASKING FOR IT

Swan Lake photo by Liz Ham

WIN!

The BRAG has three double passes to give away to the Saturday February 21 performance. To be in the running, head to thebrag.com/freeshit and tell us which famous romance would inspire your version of Swan Lake.

Reviewed at the Seymour Centre for Sydney Festival One half of the risqué cabaret/circus duo The Wau Wau Sisters, Adrienne Truscott takes on rape culture in her first stand-up show. While the comedic merit of rape is her focus, Truscott effectively demonstrates that the hypocrisy, misogamy and ignorance often employed when addressing the subject is too hilarious and ridiculous to make up.

The use of clever video projections and satirical striptease helps lift the mood when necessary, and although audience reactions sometimes bring the pace to a grinding halt, Truscott’s charm and intelligence guide us back to familiar territory.

This may seem shocking enough, but throw in the fact that the woman delivering these lines is dressed only from the waist up and ankles down, and jaws are dropping all over the Seymour Centre tonight.

A highly entertaining and completely original work, this show manages to achieve both tact and hilarity when dealing with a highly sensitive subject.

Truscott keeps telling us she isn’t a

Lee Hutchison

See www.thebrag.com for more arts reviews

Arts Exposed What's in our diary...

Yabun Festival 2015 Victoria Park, Camperdown, Monday January 26 Yabun Festival, Australia’s biggest one-day celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, is being held again this Australia Day. There’ll be stalls and various tents to visit, live music, art and dance on display, as well as a variety of speakers from a number of indigenous nations. Everyone is encouraged to come down to the festival, especially in light of the recent SBS series First Contact, which revealed that six out of ten Australians have never had contact with Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Entry is a simple gold coin donation. For more information, visit yabun.org.au.

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Yabun Festival

thebrag.com

Asking For It photo by Jamie Williams

Tonight’s show is, in part, a response to American comedian Daniel Tosh’s infamous rape joke in which he allegedly responded to a female heckler with, “Wouldn’t it be funny if that girl got raped by five guys right now?” In a similarly provocative but wholly tonguein-cheek manner, Truscott opens the show by asking, “Anyone here been raped? Anyone here raped anybody?”

She pauses while the audience gets its bearings before exclaiming, “Fuck! Tough crowd.”

comedian, deliberately playing up her naïveté. Yet she navigates through topics of date rape (with a gender twist), duck vaginas (real and decoy), legitimate rape (a term coined by US Republicans for rape resulting in pregnancy) and rape whistles (and their matter-of-fact distribution to female college students in the US), all with the wit, sophistication and humanity of a pro.

queer screen presents the

nd

FEB19 MAR 5 A GIRL AT MY DOOR

SAT 21 FEB 9PM

DROWN

A Girl at My Door starring Donna Bae (Cloud Atlas) is Korean cinema at its finest, it’s a tense thriller where nobody can be trusted. In the Un Certain Regard section at the Cannes Film Festival, the film received a three-minute standing ovation.

XENIA

WED 4 MAR 8:30PM In a heartfelt road movie, two handsome brothers travel Greece in search of their estranged father.

This bizzare yet gorgeous film, selected for Cannes, is an exceptional example of contemporary queer cinema.

WED 4 MAR 7PM Lifesavers, Sydney’s beaches, and an over-drive of male competitiveness frame this exciting new Aussie film.

Handsome young Len, can’t stand new lifesaver, Phil, who he thinks is gay –but just how far will he take his rage?

Followed by filmmaker Q&A

LIFE PARTNERS

FRI 27 FEB 7PM Sasha (Gossip Girl’s Leighton Meester) is gay, her best friend Paige (Community’s Gillian Jacobs) is not. Paige is lucky and meets Tim (The OC’s Adam Brody) and sparks fly. Can the girl’s friendship survive dating and growing up?

QUEERSCREEN.ORG.AU

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what’s on

BRAG’s bonza round-up of Australia Day events called: Marrickville Bowlo Australia Day Long Weekend 3. It’s What to see and do: Marrickville Bowlo has a massive long weekend lined up for the Inner West.

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On Friday January 23, Iron Dubz meets Inner West Reggae Disco Machine, 10pm till late. Tickets are $15 at the door.

On Saturday 24th, Dungeon and Inner West Reggae Disco Machine presents Thelem, 10pm till late. Ticket details TBA. Saturday January 25 is our SkaBQ, featuring Strange Tenants with All Nighters, Club Ska, The OzSkas, The Hangovers and Ska’d For Life, plus DJs. 1pm till midnight. Tickets are $50 through Stickytickets. Kids under 15 are $15.

On Australia Day, we’re your official triple j Hottest 100 countdown venue. The day features the countdown on the green plus $5 barefoot bowls all day and $10 Resch’s jugs. It runs from midday till late.

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Where: 91 Sydenham Roadd, Marrickville

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It’s called: Get Down Under at The Argyle

Venue Name: The Argyle What to see and do: Party it up at the extravagant Hed Kandi party, grab some snags, shrimp skewers or an Aussie burger with the lot off the giant Aussie BBQ and slurp down the Snake Bite cocktail. Don’t forget your dance shoes, because you’ll also want to dance up a storm with the live band, triple j Hottest 100 countdown live and DJs all weekend.

For our ears: On Friday January 23, it’s the Hed Kandi Residency Launch Party with Piero, Adrian Benedek, Tass, Sabio and more. Saturday January 24 sees Arrnott Olssen Trio, Erin Marshall, Tass, Lavida and Liam Sampras. On Sunday January 25, it’s Gemma Lyon, Erin Marshall and more, while Australia Day has the triple j Hottest 100 countdown live from midday, Martini Club and Crazy Caz live.

Bevvy of choice: Snake Bite cocktail – a true-blue Aussie concoction of apple cider, beer and Monin blackcurrant.

Waving the flag – what’s the highlight: The moment you realise you’re absolutely killing it with babes by your side, beers in your hand and surrounded by your besties listening to the number one track of 2014, which hopefully isn’t Taylor Swift.

Finish this sentence: Australia is the lucky country because… we have a Great Barrier Reef, an Uluru, plentiful wineries, pristine beaches, rainforests and landscapes and generally a very cheerful bunch of people that live here.

Cost: Door charge is variable (dependant on time). $14 Aussie Burgers with the lot, $12 shrimp skewers and $10 hot dogs with all the trimmings.

The BRAG’s bonza guide to called: Rock Lily at The Star 2. It’s What to see and do: Rock Lily is celebrating Australia Day with drink specials and a range of free live music across the long weekend.

For our ears: Check Your Head featuring Mahalia Barnes – Sunday January 25 from 8pm. Musician Mahalia Barnes (daughter of rock royalty Jimmy Barnes) will perform her own songs and a range of Aussie classics. Six-piece soul and R&B band Suite Az will also perform a repertoire of your favourite hits. Hosted

by DJ D-Flat and DJ Troy T. Shannon Noll – Australia Day, Monday January 26 from 5pm. The quintessentially Australian singer who rose to fame as runner-up of the first series of Australian Idol will perform at Rock Lily this Australia Day. Shannon will perform some of his popular hits such as ‘What About Me’ and ‘Shine’, just to name a few.

Bevvy of choice: $14 Rum Rebel and $14 The First Fleet cocktail, $8 Convict Juice and $8 schooners of James Squire 150 Lashes Pale Ale and Tooheys New.

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Finish this sentence: Australia is the lucky country because… we love to party!

Cost: Free entry all night long

Where: 18 Argyle St, The Rocks

Where: Level 1, Casino, The Star, 80 Pyrmont Street, Pyrmont

When: Friday January 23 – Monday January 26, 11am till late

When: Open daily from 12pm until late

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called: The Glenmore 5. It’s What to see and do: We’ve got some great entertainment all weekend, culminating in a rooftop party on the Monday pumping out the triple j Hottest 100 countdown.

For our ears: Friday it’s Matthew Hoare from 5pm till late. Saturday is Dan Wheeler from 5pm till late. On Sunday it’s London Cries, then the triple j Hottest 100 countdown on Monday.

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to Sydney’s hottest rooftop. Think turf, Hills Hoist, Foster’s tinnies, great food and killer tunes, all whilst enjoying our stunning views of Sydney Harbour and the CBD. Finish this sentence: Australia is the lucky country because… we’ve got everything that makes up a brilliant lifestyle at our doorstep. Great food and culture and plenty of sunshine!

Cost: Free entry, regular food and drinks menu with a special on Foster’s tinnies.

Bevvy of choice: Foster’s tinnies.

Where: 96 Cumberland Street, The Rocks

Waving the flag – what’s the highlight: Bringing the Aussie backyard BBQ vibe

When: Friday January 23 – Monday January 26, 12pm-late thebrag.com

called: Newtown Hotel 6. It’s

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What to see and do: Friday and Saturday see our usual offering of evening DJs. Sunday sees the King Street Dub boys come through with their monthly offering of reggae and dub.

For Australia Day, we are hosting our own Hottest 100 party followed by our DJs: PhDJ, Shantan Wantan Ichiban, Tokoloshe and Shag. On Australia Day we’ll also be putting on a pool party in the cider yard complete with Super Soaker action.

Bevvy of choice: We’re offering cheap twolitre cider towers all month in the cider yard.

Waving the flag – what’s the highlight: You spend your Australia Day chilling by a pool, listening to the Hottest 100, sipping on cheap cider, and dancing away to the best DJs Newtown has to offer.

Where: 174 King Street, Newtown When: Monday January 26 from 12pm

8 called: Australia Day Eve Party 4. It’s Venue Name: The Workers Bar & Kitchen What to see and do: Warm up for Australia Day by celebrating Australia Day Eve at The Workers Bar & Kitchen. We’ll get you fit for the real thing with tinnies of Foster’s, $10 Aussie burgers and sweet tunes on the rooftop so come Monday you can smash through your Aussie Day like a true champion.

For our ears: Live music and DJs playing classic Aussie tunes till late.

Waving the flag – what’s the highlight: Summer beats, brews and burgers on the roof – what’s not to love? Couple that with a few games of pool, some ping pong, a bit of foosball and a go on the pinball machines and you’ve got yourself a cracker of a Sunday.

Finish this sentence: Australia is the lucky country because… we make great music, great beer and know the importance of a good rooftop bar.

It’s called: Code Presents Sankeys 20th 8.

Anniversary World Tour

Cost: It’s free! If you want to reserve a table for you and your mates just email hello@ theworkersbalmain.com.au.

Venue Name: Greenwood Hotel What to see and do: Open-air daytime clubbing with a slice of Ibiza in Sydney!

Where: 1/292 Darling Street, Balmain Bevvy of choice: Foster’s tinnies, of course.

At a measly $5 it’d be rude not to.

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When: Sunday January 25 from 12pm

called: The Rocks Australia Day 7. It’s Venue Name: The Rocks What to see and do: The Rocks is the only place to party on George Street on Australia Day and is the perfect place to listen to free live music with up-and-coming Aussie artists.

With two live stages, astroturf, breakdancers, croquet, beatboxing and The Rocks markets, there will be something for everyone at the transformed precinct with street party games, and of course triple j’s Hottest 100 countdown.

For our ears: The Green Stage at First Fleet Park will host some of Australia’s best contemporary performers, including Thelma Plum, Dustin Tebbutt and Saskwatch. The Laneway Stage at Atherden Street will showcase the harmonies of female folk trio Little May, Fishing feat. special guest Al from Cloud Control, and The Morrisons.

Bevvy of choice: Grab a drink and some mouth-watering treats from your favourite local

called: ulgar Display Of Pizza II 9. It’s

international craft beers or your selection of 100 weird and wacky bottles.

Venue Name: Frankie’s Pizza By The Slice

Waving the flag – what’s the highlight: Despite the bombastic moshpit, Frankie’s refuses to install a barrier between crowd and band. Full-frontal, face-to-face interaction is the order of the day and is often the most talked-about aspect of a big show at Frankie’s. We’ve had icons like Angry Anderson wrestling fans off the stage. Always makes for a very exciting, no-holds-barred experience.

What to see and do: We’re giving our staff the public holiday off so will be working them extra hard over the weekend. Punters can see Frankie’s at full tilt with hot pizzas flying out of the ovens, craft beer taps rotating, a curation of amazing rock’n’roll DJs and our trademark debauchery in the lead-up to Sunday January 25’s Vulgar Display Of Pizza heavy metal festival.

For our ears: DJs spinning classic tracks on Friday and Saturday, and Sunday we’re in meltdown mode with the most impressive metal lineup in Oz all on the same bill: Bastardizer, Arteries, Sumeru, Rise Of Avernus, Gutter Tactic and Sorcery. Prick and the Big Dog Beer Monster will be spinning metal from 6pm. Bands wrap around midnight.

Bevvy of choice: One of the 18 revolving Oz and thebrag.com

at The Rocks Markets on Argyle Street and refresh with a hand-crafted beer or cider at The Rocks Brewing Company open-air bar at First Fleet Park.

Waving the flag – what’s the highlight: Come to enjoy the unforgettable summer and street festival in celebration of our country with more than 100,000 others, with the sun on your shoulders and sea breeze in your hair.

Finish this sentence: Australia is the lucky country because… from the foreshore to the beautiful weather Aussies never need to miss the opportunity to be outdoors and enjoy themselves.

Cost: Free activities and concert performances will entertain a huge array of people from all age ranges. Prices vary at each individual food and drink vendor.

For our ears: Three international headliners: Darius Syrossian, Yousef and 16 Bit Lolitas plus local legend Robbie Lowe and 25 Sydney DJs across four rooms from Start:Cue, Digital Therapy, Engine Room and Summit DJs. Bevvy of choice: Vodka Red Bull so we can dance all day long!

Waving the flag – what’s the highlight: Sankeys is the undisputed leader of house music in Ibiza – voted best nightclub in the world by DJ Mag. Their parties in Ibiza, New York and Manchester are infamous, because for Sankeys it’s all about the music playing.

Sydney is their only exclusive show in Australia.

Finish this sentence: Australia is the lucky country because… we get to party outside in the sunshine with our mates all year long!

Cost: $55 +BF via Moshtix

Where: George Street, First Fleet Park and Atherden Street, The Rocks

Where: Greenwood Hotel, 36 Blue Street, North Sydney

When: Monday January 26, 12-6pm

When: Sunday January 25, 1-10pm

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Finish this sentence: Australia is the lucky country because… the salt of our seawater counterbalances the tang of pussy juice beautifully, a pairing no scientist could concoct!

Cost: Free entry always. Pizza goes from $5 slice to $20 whole pie. Beers from $7 (Pistonhead) to $160 (Duvel Jeroboam).

Where: 50 Hunter Street, Sydney When: Sunday January 25, 4pm-3am BRAG :: 596 :: 21:01:15 :: 23

Album Reviews What's been crossing our ears this week...

ALBUM OF THE WEEK BELLE AND SEBASTIAN

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Girls In Peacetime Want To Dance Matador/Remote Control

Belle and Sebastian’s career can be split into two eras – lo-fi twee and hi-fi twee. The second era now has as many albums as the first, and while their first era might be the most loved, the second has been just as impressive.

Girls In Peacetime Want To Dance continues the winning streak, an album that sees them incorporating dance elements into their now-perfected approach to songcraft.

Remove those, and you have a 50-minute late-career album that introduces ten new gems into their songbook, with some of those – the klezmer-tinged ‘The Everlasting Muse’, ‘Nobody’s Empire’ (Stuart Murdoch’s personal account of chronic fatigue syndrome) and Sarah Martin’s ‘The Power Of Three’ – among the best they’ve ever done.

Leonardo Silvestrini

xxx

Scotland’s most adventurous indie kids introduce some dance into their step.

The Glaswegians have flirted with dance styles since their debut. But for this album, they seem to have looked to ‘I Didn’t See It Coming’ (the sole highlight from Write About Love) as a guide and made an album indebted to disco. The change comes remarkably easy to the group. ‘Enter Sylvia Plath’ and ‘Play For Today’ are extended, synth-driven raves that help make the

album the longest in the band’s discography, giving it an hour runtime. The length might not be justified; ‘The Party Line’ seems forced, and the chorus on ‘Perfect Couples’ is extremely awkward.

1200 TECHNIQUES

THE GRATES

PANDA BEAR

FENCES

COLD SNAP

Time Has Come Rubber Records

Dream Team Death Valley / Create/Control

Panda Bear Meets The Grim Reaper Domino/EMI

Lesser Oceans Atlantic/Warner

World War 3 Eclipse

In 2001, 1200 Techniques were at the forefront of the burgeoning Australian hip hop scene.

Specialising in funky guitar riffs and live drum beats, their energetic styles played a vital role in popularising a genre that was barely acknowledged at the time.

After nearly a decade without a release, the band has foregone the intricate jokes that peppered its earlier albums in favour of a heavier, more introspective sound.

The Grates have accomplished a lot in their three-year musical absence. A marriage, a pregnancy and a café opening later, the band has come back kicking with fourth LP Dream Team. New drummer Ritchie Daniell in tow, Patience Hodgson and John Patterson have definitely made an entrance.

After four years, Lesser Oceans marks the return of Seattle band Fences, the project of frontman Christopher Mansfield. While their self-titled debut album had some cute indie/alt-country sounds, this album sees them transform the same sound for a full-blown mainstream pop record, with a style that resembles City And Colour and Owl City.

If you took Korn, Lamb Of God, DevilDriver and a pinch of Meshuggah and put them into some sort of German-made metaphorical music blender, then the resulting mush would resemble Cold Snap.

New EP Time Has Come operates as a manifesto for the new 1200 Techniques vision. They maintain the rawness of their original material while reflecting on their time as hip hop pioneers. The songs which follow the funkrock formula of Choose One can feel a little stale, but the inclusion of DJ Peril’s remix of ‘Move On’ demonstrates that 1200 Techniques are still on point. Through clever use of distortion and electro melodies, he reinvigorates the lyrics with a freshness that reminds us why the DJ is still king in hip hop.

Recorded in just six days, the artistic process of the album resembles the three Grates themselves – compact, punchy and full of emotion. With tracks averaging two-and-a-half minutes in length and featuring sudden swaps between melody and Hodgson’s punkish shrieks, Dream Team holds that abrupt quality that tried and true Grates fans have come to know and love.

Tracks like ‘Holiday Home’ and ‘Friends With Scum’ revel in youthful debauchery and pack just the right amount of attitude. However, calmer tracks like ‘It Won’t Hurt Anymore’ and ‘What’s Wrong With You’ are speckled throughout, and while pleasant, lull the pace.

Eight years after he redefined a genre with Person Pitch, Panda Bear has released Panda Bear Meets The Grim Reaper, an album that shows that in eight years the Animal Collective man’s approach to his solo material hasn’t changed that much at all.

At least, not in the melody department. Panda Bear is back to embracing samplers and electronic elements, and the sounds he produces on this album put his new tricks on display. Check the gurgling beat behind ‘Come To Your Senses’, or the mystique of ‘Butcher Baker Candlestick Maker’. But on every track bar one, he employs the same vocal techniques he always has (double tracked with lots of reverb) leaving one wishing it were an instrumental album instead. The exception is ‘Tropic Of Cancer’, an exquisite ballad set to a plaintive harp sample that sees Panda adapt his voice into a sort of croon.

Along with other notable banger ‘Switch’, it makes clear that 1200 Techniques still have styles upon styles to explore.

For now the EP provides fans with a nostalgic reminder of the past and an exciting glimpse of what’s to come.

The Grates have not disappointed with their long-awaited return.

If anything, one is left feeling that the album ends too quickly.

Dream Team manages to encapsulate all The Grates have to offer – blending raw attitude and power with a professional and concise finish.

Given the album’s title, one would be forgiven for thinking this album would feature darker material. Instead, it’s another set of standard Panda Bear songs. Which is OK; he is a fine pop craftsman and fans will find something to love. But from a member of one of the most unpredictable bands of the modern era, the whole thing seems like a let down.

James Ross

Tori Bedingfi eld

Leonardo Silvestrini

Mansfield is a more than competent songwriter, and catchy pop moments are scattered throughout this album.

A lot of heavy production colours some of the songs, with the softer tracks such as ‘Running Off The Gods’ shining through with their minimal instrumentation. The lyrical content is honest and emotional, but the tracks sound like they could be the backing for a commercial that shows teenagers partying on a beach.

Lead single ‘Arrows’ features rap sensation Macklemore in a song that sounds like it would fit well on his album The Heist. Macklemore delivers a verse towards the end of the song that’s worth the price of admission simply for the line, “I don’t recall Tom Petty in this motherfucker / All I wanna do is free fall”.

Lesser Oceans is a solid pop album that departs from Fences’ indie roots, but it’s a departure that will see them land on more than a few summer soundtracks.

You may be thinking that these fellas are behind the times, and you wouldn’t be totally wrong.

Cold Snap are from Croatia, in the former Eastern Bloc, yet disappointingly, they haven’t exploited their context as interestingly as Rammstein have, for instance. Simply, Cold Snap sound very American.

The tracks on World War 3 are hard to distinguish from one another, all of them built on the band’s nu-metal/groove metal mix, except for middle track ‘Freedom’, a short electronic ditty, and closing track ‘My Emptiness’, the obligatory long and mellow metal track.

Although they may be retreading old ground, at least World War 3 isn’t full of tiresome breakdowns. Cold Snap aren’t too worried about pushing any envelopes, but they seem rather happy bolting all their favourite metal influences into one nice, easy-going mixture that you’ll be sure to enjoy if you’re a metalhead.

Spencer Scott

INDIE ALBUM OF THE WEEK Yon Yonson are clever guys. Like, scary clever. There are so many ideas bursting through this album, both musically and thematically, that it’s hard to keep your head steady.

The sophomore album for the Sydneysiders, who fall under any combo of hyphenated sub-genres you want to string together, is another giant step into the weird rabbit hole they’ve been digging for themselves lately.

YON YONSON It’s Natural Independent/Bandcamp

24 :: BRAG :: 596 :: 21:01:15

Yon’s last album exclaimed “I never finish songs / I just glue all my demos together”, which sums up the duo’s scrapbook aesthetic perfectly, following in the neo-psychedelic vein of Fishing, Animal Collective and Baths. Here, rabid syncopations and polyrhythms are bundled up with guitar licks and hip hop samples, a wash of poppy synths

and crooning falsettos. ‘Synthetic’ and ‘Am I A Hero Now?’ are emblematic of their style: well-constructed and tightknit, with boundless energy.

The nice thing about It’s Natural is that it could have been an overly cerebral album. Soundbites of Bertrand Russell and sci-fi undertones seep in and out, potentially rendering the record as douchey stoner material. Instead, the songs flit between deadpan observations of a humdrum life and crippling self-awareness.

It’s Natural is a colourful cornucopia, which is great for an invested listener. It’s like a thrift shop: just take what you want, and leave what you don’t.

Nicholas Hartman

OFFICE MIXTAPE And here are the albums that have helped BRAG HQ get through the week...

CLOUD NOTHINGS - Here And Nowhere Else SYLVAN ESSO - Sylvan Esso SILVERCHAIR - Frogstomp

ALVVAYS - Alvvays RODRIGUEZ - Cold Fact

Nic Liney

thebrag.com

snap sn ap

16:01:14 :: Sydney Festival 2015 :: Parramatta Gaol, Parramatta

marduk + inquisition

PICS :: KC

far from folsom

PICS :: PU

up all night out all week . . .

17:01:14 :: The Hi-Fi :: 122 Lang Rd Moore Park 1300THEHIFI

Performing live at outdoor stages: Dustin Tebbutt · Saskwatch · Thelma Plum Little May · The Bombay Royale · Winterbourne Fishing with Special Guest Al (Cloud Control) · Benny Walker The Morrisons · The Lulu Raes Plus more summer fun: The Rocks Markets · Games Lawn · Croquet · Beat boxers Interactive Sound Garden · In an Instant Photo Booth The Rocks Brewing Co Open Air Bar · Triple J’s Hottest 100

26 January, 12 noon – 6pm, free event

thebrag.com

BRAG :: 596 :: 21:01:15 :: 25

snap sn ap

live reviews

up all night out all week . . .

What we've been out to see...

BEAT THE DRUM The Domain Friday January 16 What does a typical triple j listener really look like? It’s hard to know from radio surveys alone, and scrolling through the Matt And Alex Facebook page can only tell so much. Sure, the station has captured the 18-to-35s demographic of left-leaning and gig-going Australian youth from the inner city to suburbia and beyond. But on the evidence of its 40th anniversary birthday bash, triple j’s appeal actually stretches much further.

Turning out at the party is everyone from hip hop kids to old-school rock’n’rollers and even a few baby boomers. Hell, Tim Rogers is here too – as is Peter Garrett, who says a few words then disappears offstage without singing a note. It’s one of the few disappointments in a day-long celebration of contemporary Australian music and the radio station that, if you believe the musicians themselves, makes it all possible.

There’s nary a shirtless knobhead in sight as Ball Park Music open proceedings on a bright summer’s afternoon, easing into their set with the rambling ‘Surrender’ before introducing one of the many, many (read: many) special guests for the day: Dave Faulkner, who does his Hoodoo Gurus hit ‘Like Wow Wipeout’ for a few confused teenagers.

Later, the likes of Briggs, Gotye, Sarah Blasko (with Paul Dempsey) and Tkay Maidza will play brief changeover sets between the main acts. Warm and fuzzy feelings abound.

The cameos aren’t confined to the breaks between bands, as Bernard Fanning and Tom Iansek crash Vance Joy’s set to cover Australian Crawl’s ‘Reckless’, while You Am I’s selfstyled rock’n’roll icon Rogers welcomes on Adalita, Joelistics and Courtney Barnett to do most of his singing for him.

But while there are bands that do the hard

yards to eventually nestle into a home on triple j, like Rogers’ crew, there are those that use the station as a launching pad for international success. The Preatures may well end up one of them – the bigger the crowd they play for, the more it’s clear they have every right to be massive for years and years to come.

Speaking of these triple j springboard acts, will we ever hear again from Silverchair?

Perhaps, perhaps not, but Daniel Johns is here for a rather bizarre piano rendition of ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ with harp accompaniment. Anxious looks are exchanged between crowd members as the cover drags on, but it’s nice to see him again.

The Cat Empire arrive onstage as the sun drops behind the Sydney skyline, and they’re as consistent as ever – a true party band suited to the occasion.

Next, The Presets take advantage of the cover of night with an evocative light show. It can be hard to deal with a banger at six o’clock in the morning as the triple j all-genres-are-equal charter takes over after the news bulletin, but with 25,000 others here in The Domain it really is time to move those feet. Hermitude, Megan Washington and DZ Deathrays are on hand to do just that.

Headlining duties go to a band that’s been as much responsible for pioneering Aussie hip hop as the Js themselves: Hilltop Hoods. By this point, special guest fatigue has set in, so it’s refreshing that Suffa, Pressure and co. simply motor through their radio hits – ‘Chase That Feeling’ and ‘I Love It’ alongside newer material.

But the communal fun ain’t over yet, as Illy walks on for a verse during “the most unfortunately named song of 2014”, ‘Cosby Sweater’. Horrorshow follow, then Drapht, Seth Sentry, Maidza again and Thundamentals. Out the back somewhere is Remi, too. If this is what triple j’s midlife crisis looks like at 40, we’re looking forward to the half century.

Chris Martin

so frenchy so chic

PICS :: KC

PHOTOGRAPHER :: ASHLEY MAR

17:01:14 :: So Fenchy So Chic :: St. John’s College, Sydney University 26 :: BRAG :: 596 :: 21:01:15

thebrag.com

snap sn ap

VIEW FULL GALLERIES AT

thebrag.com/snaps

up all night out all week . . .

using video game technology (similar to a Nintendo Wii controller) to trigger sounds by slashing through the air. It was freakyfuture shit, alright.

KIRIN J CALLINAN The Aurora Spiegeltent Thursday January 15 Answering the question “What does Kirin J Callinan sound like?” again and again proves difficult. You could say he’s part industrial destroyer, part goofy ’80s enthusiast, who occasionally manoeuvres into hard-throbbing European electronica.

It’s experimental, but not a parade of weirdness. And his guitar suffers from split personality disorder, frequently mimicking an interstellar broadcast. But this attempt at a description doesn’t quite illuminate what makes Callinan so gosh darn enthralling. A better response, perhaps, is that the KJC phenomenon must be seen to be believed.

Shaking together this aforementioned cocktail of ingredients, a disorienting mess seemed imminent. But Callinan’s perverse powers of seduction made it all work out. Garbling away in a rugged Aussie tongue, at times it wasn’t clear whether or not he was joking. But that was hardly a matter of concern. It’s not that he reverts to silliness or depends on sarcasm – rather, his songs come across as a comment on certain pop cultural trends and stereotypes (including cheeseball FM radio and the masculine ideal, for instance), while also boasting clever songcraft and purposeful intent.

While his Embracism LP is a brilliantly convincing ball of idiosyncrasies, it’s onstage that Callinan demonstrates the extent of his cunning individuality. And he’s not alone either. After moving unsteadily from solo performances into a full-band set-up, his live show has advanced considerably in the last few years, featuring the son of a tsar on keys/bass and a menacing humanoid sitting behind drums. For this performance, the band grew another member: essentially a man

After the anthemic highs of ‘Love Delay’, Callinan encored with his a cappella and almost tuneless live staple ‘The Toddler’. A thumping number, featuring Seekae’s Alex Cameron, was to follow, before the rest of the band returned to the stage for a group embrace. Meanwhile, everyone who’d made it through this ride was left stupefied and beatific.

Augustus Welby

colytons

PICS :: AM

E UPTON PHOTOGRAPHER :: PRUDENC

18:01:14 :: Frankie’s Pizza :: 50 Hunter St Sydney

DEBASHISH BHATTACHARYA City Recital Hall Angel Place Thursday January 15 Debashish Bhattacharya, India’s prominent inventor and champion of slide guitar, showcased his astonishing fusion of Western and Indian music at Sydney Festival, melding traditional raga-style music with elements of rock and blues.

client liaison

PICS :: PU

Having fallen in love with the Hawaiian lap steel guitar at the age of three, Bhattacharya has made a lifelong career out of creating hybrid instruments that allow him to capture the essence of Indian and Western music in a single body. Many guests attending the City Recital Hall performance would not have seen or heard the instruments that littered the stage, like the 24-string ‘Hindustani’ lap guitar, or the ukulele-esque four-string anandi, reminiscent of a sitar. The setting and instruments were just as breathtaking as the performance itself.

16:01:14 :: Sydney Festival 2015 :: The Famous Spiegeltent, Sydney CE UPTO KE :: ASHLEY MAR :: PRUDEN TOGRAPHERS :: KATRINA CLAR

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Accompanied by his teenage daughter Anandi on vocals and renowned tabla player Tanmoy Bose, who has collaborated with the likes of Ravi Shankar, Bhattacharya weaved a 90-minute performance highlighting the past, present and future of Indian music. A triptych of sorts, the show moved from a gentle and rhythmic piece focusing on Anandi’s vocal talent to an energetic and intricate

scattering of single notes underpinned by the cascading percussion of Tanmoy’s masterful drumming. The artists’ ability to sync up during segments of extraordinarily fast and complex improvisation was astounding, and the ease with which the musicians transitioned from one movement to the next made it hard to work out who was leading and who was falling in line.

At times it looked like there was a friendly duel underway between Tanmoy’s tabla and Bhattacharya’s Hindustani, each challenging the other to go faster and harder. The dexterity of Bhattacharya’s fingers flying over the hybrid instruments was hypnotic in itself, but what was just as captivating was Tanmoy’s percussive style, which resembles fingers playing a piano that hammers out a drum beat. As the show progressed, Anandi’s voice became bolder, plummeting from high to low with impressive control, enhancing the narrative of the instrumental music.

To close the evening and signify the ‘future’ of Indian music, special guest Jeff Lang appeared onstage with a slide guitar in hand and added a Mississippi Delta element to the final chapter. The scene resembled a group of talented friends jamming on a Friday night, comfortable in their surroundings. The result was nothing short of brilliant and earned them a standing ovation and cries for an encore.

Nena Serafim

OUR LOVELY PHO :: JAMIE WILLIAMS ::

thebrag.com

BRAG :: 596 :: 21:01:15 :: 27

g g guide gig g send your listings to : gigguide@thebrag.com

pick of the week Swans

THURSDAY JANUARY 22

FRIDAY JANUARY 23

Manning Bar

Swans + Oren Ambarchi 8pm. $72.45.

WEDNESDAY JANUARY 21 ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK

Constance Fairleight + Monica + Gavin Fitzgerald Olympic Hotel, Paddington.

7:30pm. free.

Lucky Oceans + Hamish Stuart + Brett Hirst + Gary Daley + Bruce Reid Venue 505, Surry Hills. 8pm. $15.

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS

28 :: BRAG :: 596 :: 21:01:15

JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC Ali E’s Sky Terrace, Pyrmont. 6pm. free.

Lionel Cole Imperial Hotel, Paddington.

8pm. free.

THURSDAY JANUARY 22 ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK

Greg Byrne Manly Leagues Club, Brookvale. 7:30pm. free.

Mick Hambly Ruby L’otel, Rozelle. 7:30pm. free.

The Swampy Tonk Drifters The Annandale Hotel, Annandale. 8pm. free.

JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC 45 Sessions - feat: Toon + Makoto + Frenzie + Graham

Mandroules + Benny Hinn + Trevor Parkee + Josie Styles + Funkafied DJs Sky Terrace, Pyrmont. 6pm. free.

Jah Prayzah + Chris Gudu + Afro Pamoja Factory Theatre, Marrickville.

8pm. $62.

Maria Schneider + Jeff Neve City Recital Hall, Sydney.

8pm. $50.

The Kitchen Seymour Centre, Chippendale. 7:30pm. $30.

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS

#1 Dads The Famous Spiegeltent, Sydney. 5:45pm. $29.

A Team Duo Crows Nest Hotel, Crows Nest. 9pm. free.

Alex Hopkins Wenty Leagues Club, Wentworthville. 8:30pm. free.

Angelo Pash Fortune Of War, The Rocks.

7pm. free.

Black Diamond Hearts Soda Factory, Surry Hills.

10pm. free.

Body/Head - feat: Kim Gordon + Bill Nace Aurora Spiegeltent, Sydney.

5:15pm. $49.

Dan Deacon Aurora Spiegeltent, Sydney.

11:45pm. $39.

Dave White Duo Maloney’s Hotel, Sydney.

9:30pm. free.

Drew Panthers, Penrith. 6:30pm. free.

Gemma Observer Hotel, The Rocks.

8:30pm. free.

Glamma Rays + Trish Young The Gasoline Pony, Sydney.

7pm. $10.

Greg Agar

JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC Divyatma Saraswati Kareela Golf Club, Kareela.

6:30pm. free.

Jazz Hip Hop Freestyle Sessions Foundry616, Ultimo. 11:30pm. $5.

Norman Jay Sky Terrace, Pyrmont. 6pm. free.

Phat Play Fridays - feat: Louis Headnod + Makoto + Juzzlikedat Play Bar, Surry Hills. 6pm. free.

The Kitchen Seymour Centre, Chippendale. 7:30pm. $30.

ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK

Angelena Locke Panania Diggers, Panania.

8pm. free.

Jep And Dep + Lisa Carsuo + Ben Horder Petersham Bowling Club, Petersham. 8pm. $8.

Sam Newtown Chatswood RSL, Chatswood.

5pm. free.

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS AJ + Lochie Hornsby RSL, Hornsby. 8pm. free.

Andy Mammers Cyren Restaurant, Darling Harbour. 6pm. free.

Angelo Pash Rose Bay Hotel, Rose Bay. 8pm. free.

Antoine Observer Hotel, The Rocks.

6pm. free.

Bill Kacir Yardarm Taphouse, Manly.

7:30pm. free.

Bo Ningen Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $66.

Brad Johns Duo Ettamogah Hotel, Rouse Hill.

7pm. free.

Cambo Town Hall Hotel, Balmain.

8:30pm. free.

Cath & Him Quakers Inn, Quakers Hill.

8pm. free.

Cornelius Presents Salyu X Salyu Aurora Spiegeltent, Sydney.

5:15pm. $49.

Courtyard Sessions feat: Caitlin Park + Lady Sings It Better + Okenyo + Flowertruck + Dr. Goddard + The Liberators + Emma Swift Seymour Centre, Chippendale. 6pm. free.

Dallas Crane Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 8pm. $28.

Dan Spillane Harbord Beach Hotel, Harbord. 8pm. free.

Dave White Duo Kirribilli Hotel, Milsons Point. 8pm. free.

David Agius Castle Hill RSL, Castle Hill.

10pm. free.

Downside + Oppressor + War Torn + Time Crisis + Primitive Blast Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 8pm. $10.

Georgia White Town Hall Hotel, Balmain.

5pm. free.

Greg Agar Duo Hillside Hotel, Castle Hill.

8pm. free.

Halcyon Scruffy Murphy’s Hotel, Sydney. 9pm. free.

Harbour Master Fortune Of War, The Rocks.

8pm. free.

How To Dress Well Aurora Spiegeltent, Sydney.

11:45pm. $39.

Ironbark Rock Colonial Hotel, Werrington.

8:30pm. free.

Jed Zarb PJ Gallagher’s, Enfi eld, Enfi eld. 9pm. free.

John Vella Mill Hill Hotel, Bondi Junction. 7:30pm. free.

Kris Mcintyre Greystanes Inn, Greystanes Inn. 8pm. free.

Luke Dolahenty Northies Cronulla Hotel, Cronulla. 9pm. free.

Luke Zancanaro Parramatta RSL, Parramatta. 5pm. free.

Matt Jones Duo Emu Sports Club, Leonay.

7:30pm. free.

Matt Lyon Club Rivers, Riverwood.

8:30pm. free.

Matt Price The Mean Fiddler, Rouse Hill. 6:30pm. free.

Max Power Overlander Hotel, Cambridge Park. 7pm. free.

Melody Rhymes Orient Hotel, The Rocks.

4:30pm. free.

Michael McGlynn Harlequin Inn, Pyrmont.

8pm. free.

Noel Macdonald Castle Hill RSL, Castle Hill.

6:30pm. free.

Panorama Crows Nest Hotel, Crows Nest. 10:30pm. free.

Pop Fiction Revesby Workers Club, Revesby. 8:30pm. free.

Riz Hallowes Family Inn Hotel, Rydalmere. 7:30pm. free.

Rob Henry The Oriental Hotel, Springwood. 8pm. free.

Russel Hull Wentworth Hotel, Homebush West. 8pm. free.

Selina’s Rocks For Charity - feat: Ian Moss + Eurogliders + Choirboys Coogee Bay Hotel, Coogee.

8pm. $50.

Senyawa The Famous Spiegeltent, Sydney. 5:45pm. $29.

Sharron Bowman Ettamogah Hotel, Rouse Hill. 3:45pm. free.

The Baby Boomers Ramsgate RSL, Sans Souci.

7:30pm. free.

The Vamps + Short Stack + AJR Hordern Pavilion, Moore

Park. 6:30pm. $63.30.

Thunderstruck - AC/DC Show Bull & Bush Hotel, Baulkham Hills. 10pm. free.

Tim Conlon Mona Vale Hotel, Mona Vale.

6pm. free.

Triumph Over Logic + Psychic Sun + Wasters + Emerald Scar Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 9pm. $10.

Yuki Kumagai & John Mackie Winston Gardens Chinese Restaurant, Winston Hills.

7:30pm. free.

SATURDAY JANUARY 24 JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC

Dutty Dancing - feat: Louis Basslines + Nick Toth + Shantan Wantan Ichiban Goodgod Small Club, Sydney. 11pm. $10.

Steve Clisby Lizotte’s, Dee Why. 8pm. $60.

The Kitchen Seymour Centre, Chippendale. 7:30pm. $30.

ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK

Angelo Pash Marrickville Ritz Hotel, Marrickville. 8pm. free.

Dusty Ravens The Annandale Hotel, Annandale. 8:30pm. free.

Kye Brown Huskisson Hotel, Huskisson.

8pm. free.

Matt Toms Yardarm Taphouse, Manly.

2:30pm. free.

Rob Eastwood Yardarm Taphouse, Manly.

7:30pm. free.

Ted Nash Fortune Of War, The Rocks.

8pm. free.

The Loaded Six Strings Manly Leagues Club, Brookvale. 9:30pm. free.

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS

After Party Band Campbelltown Catholic Club, Campbelltown.

9:30pm. free.

Andy Mammers Le Pub, Sydney. 9pm. free.

Angie Dean Castle Hill RSL, Castle Hill.

6:30pm. free.

Anthems Of Oz Vinyl Room, Gymea.

9:30pm. $10.

Art Of Sleeping + The Lulu Raes + Fade In Mona Lisa Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 8pm. $17.

Aussie Rock Revival St George Leagues Club, Kogarah. 7:30pm. free.

Bad Day Out #2 - feat: TV Colours + Donny Benet + Bearhug + Dreamtime + Mangelwurzel + Unity Floors + Tees + Bad Family + Burlap + Noire + Miners Petersham Bowling Club, Petersham. 12:30pm. $17.80.

Black Diamond Hearts Crows Nest Hotel, Crows Nest. 10:30pm. free.

Blank Realm The Famous Spiegeltent, Sydney. 12pm. $20.

Bobo & John Epping Club, Epping. 7pm. free.

Cara Kavanagh And Mark Oats Duo PJ Gallagher’s, Leichhardt.

thebrag.com

Swans photo by Samantha Marble

Andy Mammers Duo Maloney’s Hotel, Sydney. 9pm. free.

Bach And The Italian Style feat: Trio Arcomelo City Recital Hall, Sydney.

8pm. $35.

Cambo Observer Hotel, The Rocks.

5pm. free.

Dave White Duo Ettamogah Hotel, Rouse Hill.

6:30pm. free.

Evie Dean Hillside Hotel, Castle Hill.

7pm. free.

Fat Bubba’s Chicken Wednesdays Soda Factory, Surry Hills.

5pm. free.

Firekites Aurora Spiegeltent, Sydney.

5:15pm. $29.

Iceage Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 7pm. $43.

Icehouse + Mark Wilkinson Panthers, Penrith. 7:30pm. $59.64.

Iva Bittova The Famous Spiegeltent,

Sydney. 5:45pm. $39.

Jamie T Metro Theatre, Sydney. 8pm. $61.17.

Mark Wilkinson Evan Theatre, Penrith.

8:30pm. $55.

The Broken Heart Band + Tess & Brigit + Hurray For Kej The Gasoline Pony, Sydney.

7pm. $5.

Vibrations At Valve - feat: Feytalistic + Sobie + Ugly Mondays + More Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 8pm. $15.

Scruffy Murphy’s Hotel, Sydney. 10pm. free.

Hannah Joy Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 8pm. $11.

Jamie Lindsay Dee Why Hotel, Dee Why. 7pm. free.

Marty From Reckless Northies Cronulla Hotel, Cronulla. 8pm. free.

Matt Price Hillside Hotel, Castle Hill.

7pm. free.

Paul Woseen Brass Monkey, Cronulla.

8:30pm. $16.

Phil Gray Gladstone Hotel, Chippendale.

7:30pm. free.

Sound Concern + Matt Battaglia + The Divas Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 8pm. $10.

Swans + Oren Ambarchi Manning Bar, Camperdown.

8pm. $72.45.

The Coathangers Frankie’s Pizza, Sydney.

10pm. free.

The Late Night Soda Social Soda Factory, Surry Hills.

5pm. free.

g g guide gig g send your listings to : gigguide@thebrag.com 10pm. free.

Carl Fidler Observer Hotel, The Rocks.

5:30pm. free.

Cath & Him Cronulla Leagues Club - Sharkies, Woolooware.

8pm. free.

Commandohs + Kang + Nudist Colonies Of The World + Distorted Hearts + Speedball Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 8pm. $10.

Dan Spillane PJ Gallagher’s, Enfi eld, Enfi eld. 9pm. free.

David Agius Duo The Mean Fiddler, Rouse Hill. 6pm. free.

Death Mountain + Oslow + Burners Blackwire Records, Annandale. 6pm. $10.

Ed Kuepper City Recital Hall, Sydney.

9pm. $35.

Errol Buddle Quintet Penrith RSL, Penrith. 2pm. free.

Get Rocked Ramsgate RSL, Sans Souci.

7:30pm. free.

Greg Agar Duo Ettamogah Hotel, Rouse Hill. 7pm. free.

Kid Congo & The Pink Monkey Birds Aurora Spiegeltent, Sydney.

11:45pm. $39.

Kim Churchill Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $18.50.

Lara & Jack Duo Town Hall Hotel, Balmain.

9:30pm. free.

Matt Lyon Plough & Harrow, Camden.

8pm. free.

Matt Price Harbord Beach Hotel, Harbord. 8pm. free.

Melody Rhymes Novotel, Rooty Hill. 6:30pm. free.

Mental As Anything Cronulla Leagues Club - Sharkies, Woolooware.

8pm. $10.

Michael McGlynn Kirribilli Hotel, Milsons Point. 8pm. free.

Mum - feat: Cakes + Playmode + D*Funk + Vivi The World Bar, Kings Cross.

8pm. $20.

One Hit Wonders Revesby Workers Club, Revesby. 8:30pm. free.

Rob Henry PJ Gallagher’s, Moore Park.

7:30pm. free.

Shane Flew Observer Hotel, The Rocks.

4pm. free.

Soft Rocks Sky Terrace, Pyrmont. 6pm. free.

Steve Tonge Duo Northies Cronulla Hotel, Cronulla. 9pm. free.

The Bobhawks Macarthur Tavern, Campbelltown. 8pm. free.

The Fuelers The Gasoline Pony, Sydney.

5pm. $5.

The Mad Hatters Kareela Golf Club, Kareela.

8pm. free.

The Matchbox Tribute Show Penrith RSL, Penrith. 9pm. free.

The Predictors Bull & Bush Hotel, Baulkham Hills. 9:30pm. free.

Tony Williams New Brighton Hotel, Manly.

10pm. free.

Wildcatz Scruffy Murphy’s Hotel, Sydney. 10pm. free.

Yuki Kumagai & John Mackie Winston Gardens Chinese Restaurant, Winston Hills.

7:30pm. free.

Za! The Famous Spiegeltent, Sydney. 5:45pm. $39.

thebrag.com

SUNDAY JANUARY 25 JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC

Ska-BQ - feat: Strange Tenants + The Allniters + Club Ska + The Ozskas + The Hangovers + Ska’D 4 Life Marrickville Bowling Club, Marrickville. 1pm. $55.

ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK Craig Woodward Huskisson Hotel, Huskisson.

4pm. free.

Lucky Oceans + Brendan Gallagher + Ivy Jane Petersham Bowling Club, Petersham. 8pm. $20.

Roger Knox Aurora Spiegeltent, Sydney.

5:15pm. $39.

Steve Crocker Yardarm Taphouse, Manly.

2pm. free.

Ted Nash Fortune Of War, The Rocks.

1pm. free.

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS

3 Wise Men Observer Hotel, The Rocks.

4pm. free.

Alex Hopkins Buena Vista Hotel, Mosman.

2pm. free.

Andy Mammers Harbord Beach Hotel, Harbord.

4pm. free.

Anthems Of Oz Orient Hotel, The Rocks.

4:30pm. free.

Augie March Sydney Opera House, Sydney.

8pm. $59.

Bill Kacir Ingleburn Hotel, Ingleburn.

3pm. free.

Bloody Oath 2015 - feat: Breaking Orbit + Lycanthia + Kunvuk + The Murdering + Tensions Arise + Not Another Sequel Just Another + Noveaux + Drillsaw + Copia + Flaming Wreckage + Grim Demise + The Arbitrary Method + Diminish The Gods + Trollgasm + A Gentleman’s Agreement + Beneath The Tides + Squawk + Sodomiser + Natiramas + Dead Cast Opera + Billabong Of Blood Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 12pm. $20.

Cambo Observer Hotel, The Rocks.

5:30pm. free.

David Agius Family Inn Hotel, Rydalmere.

2pm. free.

Dwayne Elix Penrith RSL, Penrith. 2pm. free.

Fat Freddy’s Drop + DJ Fitchie + Chopper Reeds + MC Slave The Soda Factory, Surry Hills.

7pm. free.

Greg Byrne Duo Hillside Hotel, Castle Hill. 3pm. free.

Jess Dunbar PJ Gallagher’s Whisky Bar, Jacksons On George, Sydney.

8pm. free.

Jess Dunbar Pritchards Hotel, Mount Pritchard. 1pm. free.

Lace Curtain The Famous Spiegeltent, Sydney. 5:45pm. $29.

Lara & Jack Duo Wentworthville Leagues Club, Wentworthville. 10pm. free.

Leon Vynehall The Famous Spiegeltent, Sydney. 12am. $30.

LJ The Mill Hotel, Milperra. 12pm. free.

Lorna Clarkson Sky Terrace, Pyrmont. 6pm.

free.

Mandi Jarry Duo Commodore Hotel, Mcmahon Point. 2pm. free.

Matt Price Greystanes Inn, Greystanes Inn. 8pm. free.

Melody Rhymes St Marys Rugby Leagues Club, St Marys. 1pm. free.

Mister Saturday Night + Tornado Wallace National Art School, Sydney.

2pm. $38.95.

Nightmares On Wax Aurora Spiegeltent, Sydney.

11:45pm. $30.

Oz Rock Festival St Marys Rugby Leagues Club, St Marys. 1pm. free.

Penny Lane Plough & Harrow, Camden.

8pm. free.

Rob Eastwood Marrickville Ritz Hotel, Marrickville. 5pm. free.

Rock Down Under Crows Nest Hotel, Crows Nest.

9pm. free.

Ron Ashton Ramsgate RSL, Sans Souci.

2pm. free.

Sons Of Mercury The Macquarie Hotel, Sydney.

8pm. free.

The Mondays The Mean Fiddler, Rouse Hill.

1pm. free.

Tori Darke Kirribilli Hotel, Milsons Point.

7pm. free.

Vulgar Display Of Pizza II - feat: Gutter Tactic + Bastardizer + Arteries + Sumeru + Rise Of Avernus + Sorcery Frankie’s Pizza, Sydney. 4pm. free.

Zoltan Ettamogah Hotel, Rouse Hill.

1pm. free.

26.01.15

J u m pin

g C a stle

VEN O D E R I F D WOO

rowing g th on ETITION h P T M CO

BEER CREATIVE WORKSHOP

BACKYARD TENNIS

Pop up Bar

R A F F L E RAISING MONEY

for the

ADDISON ROAD COMMUNITY CENTRE

292 Stanmore Road, Petersham | newingtoninn.com.au (02) 9568 3703 | info@newingtoninn.com.au The_Newington TheNewingtonInnHotel |

MONDAY JANUARY 26 JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC

Fat Freddy’s Drop Sydney Opera House, Sydney.

9pm. $59.

ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK David Beniuk + The Shop Steward Ruby L’otel, Rozelle. 6pm. free.

Ted Nash Marrickville Ritz Hotel, Marrickville. 5pm. free.

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS

Anthems Of Oz Sydney Harbour, Sydney.

6pm. $50.

Aussie Rock Revival Sydney Fish Markets, Pyrmont. 11:30am. free.

Band Down Under North Ryde Common, Sydney. 6pm. free.

Blake Tailor Duo Wentworthville Leagues Club, Wentworthville. 11am. free.

Bowles Bros The Oriental Hotel, Springwood. 5pm. free.

Brad Johns Observer Hotel, The Rocks.

3pm. free.

Carl Fidler Observer Hotel, The Rocks.

7:30pm. free.

Darren Johnstone Pioneer Tavern, Penrith.

1pm. free.

DJ Alan T Sky Terrace, Pyrmont. 6pm. free.

Double Barrel Horse & Jockey Hotel, Homebush. 3:30pm. free.

wed

21 Jan

thu

(9:00PM - 12:00AM)

22 Jan

(9:00PM - 1:00AM)

fri

23 Jan

sat

24

(4:30PM - 7:30PM)

(9:30PM - 1:30AM)

(4:30PM - 7:30PM)

Jan

(1:45PM - 4:45PM)

mon

26

(9:30PM - 1:15AM)

sun

25 26

(5:30PM - 8:15PM)

(9:00PM - 1:00AM)

(4:30PM - 7:30PM)

mon Jan Jan

Jan

tue

(9:00PM -- 12:00AM) 12:00AM) (8:30PM

27 Jan

(9:00PM - 12:00AM)

BRAG :: 596 :: 21:01:15 :: 29

g g guide gig g send your listings to : gigguide@thebrag.com Greg Agar Le Pub, Sydney. 3pm. free.

Jimmy Bear Town Hall Hotel, Balmain.

3pm. free.

Last Stand Chisel Show Macarthur Tavern, Campbelltown. 3pm. free.

Luke Dolahenty Kirribilli Hotel, Milsons Point. 7pm. free.

Mark Kristian North Ryde Common, Sydney. 5pm. free.

Mark Travers Ettamogah Hotel, Rouse Hill. 1pm. free.

Marty Stewart Smithfi eld RSL, Smithfi eld.

1pm. free.

Matt Jones Family Inn Hotel, Rydalmere. 5pm. free.

Matt Lyon Harbord Diggers, Sydney.

2pm. free.

Pop Fiction Cyren Restaurant , Darling Harbour. 3pm. free.

Spit Roasting Bibbers Yardarm Taphouse, Manly.

2pm. free.

Steve Tonge Observer Hotel, The Rocks. 1pm. free.

The Rockaholics Duo Ramsgate RSL, Sans Souci. 1pm. free.

The Strides + DJ Lou Lou + DJ Bel West Annandale Hotel, Annandale. 2:30pm. free.

They Call Me Bruce St George Rowing Club, Wolli Creek. 1pm. free.

Triple J Hottest 100 Party Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 12pm. free.

Whispering Jack Show North Ryde Common, North Ryde. 7:30pm. free.

TUESDAY JANUARY 27 INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS

Antoine Observer Hotel, The Rocks.

7:30pm. free.

Gary Johns Hillside Hotel, Castle Hill.

7pm. free.

Highasakite Metro Theatre, Sydney.

8pm. $48.

Triumphant Tuesdays - feat: Dave Eastgate Karaoke Frankie’s Pizza, Sydney.

8:30pm. free.

gig picks up all night out all week...

WEDNESDAY JANUARY 21

Miners Petersham Bowling Club, Petersham.

12:30pm. $17.80.

Firekites Aurora Spiegeltent, Sydney. 5:15pm. $29.

Death Mountain + Oslow + Burners Blackwire Records, Annandale. 6pm. $10.

Iceage Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 7pm. $43.

Ed Kuepper City Recital Hall, Sydney. 9pm. $35.

Jamie T Metro Theatre, Sydney. 8pm. $61.17.

THURSDAY JANUARY 22 #1 Dads The Famous Spiegeltent, Sydney.

5:45pm. $29.

Body/Head - feat: Kim Gordon + Bill Nace Aurora Spiegeltent, Sydney. 5:15pm. $49.

Jah Prayzah + Chris Gudu + Afro Pamoja Factory Theatre, Marrickville. 8pm. $62.

The Kitchen Seymour Centre, Chippendale. 7:30pm. $30.

FRIDAY JANUARY 23 Bo Ningen Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $66.

Cornelius Presents Salyu x Salyu Aurora Spiegeltent, Sydney. 5:15pm. $49.

Dallas Crane Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 8pm. $28.

Senyawa The Famous Spiegeltent, Sydney.

5:45pm. $29.

The Vamps + Short Stack + AJR Hordern Pavilion, Moore Park. 6:30pm. $63.30.

SATURDAY JANUARY 24 Art Of Sleeping + The Lulu Raes + Fade In Mona Lisa Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 8pm. $17.

Bad Day Out #2 - feat: TV Colours + Donny Benet + Bearhug + Dreamtime + Mangelwurzel + Unity Floors + Tees + Bad Family + Burlap + Noire +

30 :: BRAG :: 596 :: 21:01:15

Kim Churchill Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $18.50.

Steve Clisby Lizotte’s, Dee Why. 8pm. $60.

SUNDAY JANUARY 25 Augie March Sydney Opera House, Sydney. 8pm. $59.

Bloody Oath 2015 - feat: Breaking Orbit + Lycanthia + Kunvuk + The Murdering + Tensions Arise + Not Another Sequel Just Another + Noveaux + Drillsaw + Copia + Flaming Wreckage + Grim Demise + The Arbitrary Method + Diminish The Gods + Trollgasm + A Gentleman’s Agreement + Beneath The Tides + Squawk + Sodomiser + Natiramas + Dead Cast Opera + Billabong Of Blood Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 12pm. $20.

Nightmares On Wax Aurora Spiegeltent, Sydney. 11:45pm. $30.

Ska-BQ - feat: Strange Tenants + The Allniters + Club Ska + The Ozskas + The Hangovers + Ska’d 4 Life Marrickville Bowling Club, Marrickville.

1pm. $55.

The Strides + DJ Lou Lou + DJ Bel West Annandale Hotel, Annandale. 2:30pm. free.

Vulgar Display Of Pizza II - feat: Gutter Tactic + Bastardizer + Arteries + Sumeru + Rise Of Avernus + Sorcery Frankie’s Pizza, Sydney. 4pm. free.

MONDAY JANUARY 26 Fat Freddy’s Drop Sydney Opera House, Sydney. 9pm. $59.

TUESDAY JANUARY 27 Highasakite Metro Theatre, Sydney. 8pm. $48.

thebrag.com

BRAG’s guide to dance, hip hop and club culture

brag beats

inside: + club guide + club snaps + weekly column

plus:

fat freddy’s drop

darius syrossian

kid mac head in the game

thebrag.com

BRAG :: 596 :: 21:01:15 :: 31

brag beats

BRAG’s guide to dance, hip hop and club culture

dance music news club, dance and hip hop in brief... with Chris Martin and Nicholas Hartman

five things WITH

Private Parts

LADI6 and loads more friends and family like Tyra Hammond and Scribe. We don’t have day jobs and haven’t had a day job since 2004, but I have decided fairly recently to study another passion of mine, psychology at the Auckland University this year.

The Music You Make And Play 4.

We’re listening to Black

Messiah a lot at the moment, also a lot of Freddie Gibbs, always Madlib… we just hooked up the record player in our new place, so we’re rediscovering our records and have been playing Arthur Verocai, Black Milk’s last record, choir stuff with Georgia Anne Muldrow. It’s eclectic around here for sure!

We’re working on an EP and hopefully will be out in the first semester break.

Music, Right Here, Right Now 5.

Right now it’s about stability

Growing Up I’m from a large family 1. of six siblings and loads of close first cousins, a very typical Samoan family. We all are natural singers so music and singing was something easy and shared.

2.

Inspirations My first inspirations, as were everyone’s, were the people that raised me, and that I was raised with. Their musical tastes inspired me.

We watched a lot of musicals and I was exposed to a lot of theatre at a young age,

which I think gave me an interest in entertainment and acting. We were absolutely immersed in all things Motown and heavily raised in black music, be it soul, funk, reggae or rock’n’roll.

I imitated, idolised and am naturally drawn to artists that feel authentic and real.

Your Crew My main crew are 3.

Parks producing all my music, [alongside] him are our friends who always contribute live and in the studio: Bharu, Julien Dyne

PACHA’S NEW RESIDENCIES

The party people behind Pacha Sydney have revealed their full program for the year ahead. After the announcement of newly appointed creative directors The Squared Division, Saturday night revellers now have a greater idea of what to expect at Ivy each weekend. Not only will MaRLo play a series of exclusive residency shows at the venue this year, Tigerlily and Timmy Trumpet will join the fun with their only Sydney headline appearances of 2015. Meanwhile, The Squared Division will present new productions including Private Parts (a burlesque-inspired celebration of the female form), Objektophilie and Maison De Fous. MaRLo gets the fun started this Saturday January 24. For more details on the weekly lineups, visit pachasydney.com.

and being able to navigate your way through to make a viable living that leaves one satisfied and fulfilled. I am inspired by Fat Freddy’s Drop, Little Dragon; bands that I see push the envelope with their musicality and musicianship but also maintain a hard touring schedule and produce incredibly diverse and interesting music that caters to all.

MYKONOS CLUB SESSIONS Horrorshow

This weekend might mark Australia Day, but there’s nothing more Australian than a properly multicultural experience. When it comes to music, Marquee is stepping up to the plate with a taste of European party life, inviting the Mykonos Club Sessions selectors Agent Greg of Cavo Paradiso and 15 Grams of Paradise Club up to the decks on Sunday January 25. Expect three rooms of house, R&B and European action, with support from 15 local DJs and live artists.

What: Wanderlust With: Yolanda Be Cool, Nahko and Medicine For The People, Freq Nasty and more Where: Cockatoo Island When: Friday February 20 – Sunday February 22

Frank Wiedemann

FAT FREDDY’S DJ SET Hayden James

Raise those vowels, bro, cause Wellington’s finest exports Fat Freddy’s Drop are going to be on deck for a DJ set at the Soda Factory this Australia Day Eve. Fat Freddy’s Drop have awakened from a deep slumber in their hobbit holes in Wellington only to discover that the planet is in urgent need of partying. After playing all three nightclubs in New Zealand, this fellowship of looseness has come over (along with friends DJ Fitchie, Chopper Reeds and MC Slave) to spread the message of love and jandals. Fat Freddy’s Drop will be playing a DJ set on Sunday January 25 at the Soda Factory, before their Australia Day performance at the Sydney Opera House.

DIXON

IT’S SOMETHING ABOUT YOU

Arguably one of Australian dance music’s biggest success stories of 2014, breakout star Hayden James, has locked in a national live tour on the back of single ‘Something About You’. James’ tracks have amassed millions of plays on the net since his first hit ‘Permission To Love’ took command of the triple j airwaves in 2013. You have permission to freak out when James plays Oxford Art Factory on Friday February 20 with support from Mickey Kojak.

32 :: BRAG :: 596 :: 21:01:15

Following up their work in the One Day collective and a short acoustic tour of their own tracks, Horrorshow will return to the road this March on a national unplugged run. Horrorshow’s most recent album, King Amongst Many, climbed to number two on the ARIA albums chart, another instalment of thought-provoking hip hop from Sydney boys Solo and Adit.

Joining them on the new intimate dates are Tuka and Tom Thum.

The show rolls into Giant Dwarf on Saturday March 14.

of the biggest names in melodically infused production and DJing, having spread his wings from his early days in ’90s Germany to become a household name. He’ll be in town on Saturday March 21 to light up AGWA Yacht Club.

ÂME LIVE

After the recent visit to our shores of Âme member Kristian Beyer, his other half, Frank Wiedemann, is set to return this year with the Âme live show. It’s a hot ticket indeed, and the first time Aussie dancers will experience Âme in live form for some seven years. Beyer and Wiedemann joined forces in 2003, combining dancefloor-friendly beats with a more imaginative approach to instrumentation and composition.

The Innervisions duo is among the most sought-after combinations in contemporary EDM, and Wiedemann’s visit to AGWA Yacht Club on Saturday March 21 is sure to send the vibes into the stratosphere.

Horrorshow photo by 1Chris Frape

Resident Advisor’s number one DJ for 2014, Dixon, is making his way across the seas for a weekend-long Australian east coast tour in March. Berlin-born and raised, Dixon is one

HOUSE OF HORRORSHOW

Kid Mac Kick Out The Jams By Annie Murney

W

ith the vast majority of Sydney’s live music venues clustered around the CBD, other neighbourhoods tend to be a bit deprived. Bondi’s Beach Road Hotel, for instance, is one of the few live music destinations in the Eastern Suburbs. But a stone’s throw away, Jam Gallery is fleshing out the scene with the introduction of What?! Club, a new underground party night. Headlining the Australia Day launch is Kid Mac (or Macario De Souza as he is otherwise known), a musician and filmmaker who can vouch for the amount of talent that resides south-east of the city. “I’m really looking forward to it,” he says. “For me, living in Maroubra, it’s a new local. I’ve had some of my favourite shows at Beach Road, so it’s cool to see something new popping up.”

De Souza rose to prominence as the co-director of the film Bra Boys: Blood Is Thicker Than Water back in 2007. Since then, he has made another documentary and launched a successful music career. After a busy few years balancing different creative pursuits, De Souza is taking some well-earned time off.

“The last five months have been fairly chilled – I’ve been thinking about what angle I want to take this year. But I’m slowly getting back into the studio and starting to write a new record. I’m just gathering myself and getting hungry for the road again.”

While the Bra Boys documentary drew both praise and criticism

for its rough-and-ready aesthetic, De Souza’s second fi lm, Fighting Fear, was a similar exploration of the gritty side of surf culture.

It seems he has a penchant for documentary fi lmmaking, but he is quick to clarify: “To be honest, it was something I fell into. I was studying at uni and started working on the Bra Boys documentary and it just grew from there. Then I got more and more documentary projects, particularly in the surf world. But now with a few successes under my belt, I really am trying to branch out into feature fi lms. I have a few ideas in the pipeline but it’s a big leap.

You’re dealing with a much bigger budget and you have to prove you’re worth a couple of million dollars.”

On the music side of things, De Souza is about to start work on his third album. After releasing Head Noise in 2013, he has toured extensively, enjoying a stint at SXSW and performing a handful of shows across Canada, the UK and Singapore. He has met some of his musical idols and won support slots for the likes of Bliss N Eso and raucous rapper Mickey Avalon. He has also collaborated with Mat McHugh from The Beautiful Girls, releasing the single ‘Hear You Calling’ in 2011. Citing McHugh as one of his formative musical infl uences growing up, De Souza explains, “We had mutual friends who connected us and we hit it off. We kept sending ideas back and forth

until we found what was the right sound for both of us.”

there by myself, I tend to be a bit more in my shell.”

Typically set up onstage with a three-piece band, De Souza belts out catchy tunes, blending his hip hop roots with more danceable beats. He aims for an atmospheric live show. “The reason why I have a live band is to step up the energy.

I just got a bit bored with the microphone-and-DJ vibe. I mean, I don’t think of myself as a hip hop artist. A lot of my influences are hip hop, but there are a lot more electronic influences, like party music. The band really takes it to a new level and it’s great having my mates behind me onstage. If I’m up

Constantly moving between film and music can be an exciting and fertile place to be. But as De Souza spreads himself across multiple projects, things can become a bit difficult to manage. “In the past, it has been a bit of an issue,” he admits. “At first, I didn’t mind it – it was a great way of being creative and generating new ideas. However, when crunch time rolls around and you have conflicting deadlines, it gets really intense. I suppose that’s what the last year has been – learning to compartmentalise things and finish projects before I start new ones.”

“The reason why I have a live band is to step up the energy. I just got a bit bored with the microphone-and-DJ vibe. I don’t think of myself as a hip hop artist.”

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While the rewards have been fruitful, cross-disciplinary ways of working can be both productive and stagnating. “Yeah, it’s a both a blessing and a curse,” he agrees, “but I’m sure it affects a lot of artists.”

Talking about his plans for 2015, it seems De Souza is close to mastering the art of multi-tasking. “I have a TV project that I’m working on, so that takes up a lot of my time,” he says, referring to another series of The Crew, a reality program which follows a group of aspiring musicians, surfers and fighters. De Souza’s main role is mentoring young musicians and showcasing emerging talent. “But in the meantime, I’m just going to get right into this record,” he says. “The plan is to do a couple of odd shows here and there, where it makes sense, but I’ll mainly be focusing on the studio and hopefully get a third record out late this year.”

What: What?! Club Launch Party With: Captain Franco Where: Jam Gallery When: Saturday January 24

BRAG :: 595 :: 14:01:15 :: 33

Darius Syrossian All In The House By Augustus Welby

S

ome nightclubs were always destined to stretch beyond a single setting. UK electronic music institution Sankeys is one such place. Starting as Sankeys Soap in Manchester in 1994, the club quickly attracted hoards of devotees thanks to a focus on underground electronic music of various persuasions.

Staying strong well into the new century, in 2011 Sankeys opened a summer club in the dance music mecca Ibiza. It seems two successful ventures weren’t enough, and in 2013 Sankeys launched another club in Brooklyn, NYC. Running three popular venues is no mean feat, but that still left much of the globe’s electronic music territory untouched. Thus, in celebration of its 20th anniversary, last year Sankeys set off on a tour through many of the world’s major cities.

This Australia Day long weekend, Sankeys’ 20th anniversary tour finally makes it way to Sydney.

Headlining the event is Leeds DJ and house music producer Darius Syrossian, who’s long been affiliated with Sankeys.

“I actually went to the club in 1994 when it opened,” he says. “I saw Chemical Brothers there back then.

Also Daft Punk, when they literally just started and played for a few hundred pounds. It’s crazy that

20 years on I mixed the Sankeys anniversary album. But I have been DJing for them since 2006 too.

“Even when I signed to Viva Music, I still stayed loyal to Sankeys and played monthly for them for a number of years,” he adds.

“Manchester is a strong fan base for me, which is important, because Manchester is one of the cities that has a big history with house and techno. Remember, the acid house explosion happened at two places in the UK when it all started: Hacienda in Manchester and then Shoom down south with Danny Rampling and his parties.”

In conjunction with the 20th anniversary celebrations, last September Sankeys held its very first underground awards ceremony.

Syrossian took home the trophy for Best House DJ. Indeed, Syrossian’s deft productions suggest his commitment to house music is almost obsessive. That said, he’s not the type to get on his high horse about genre purity.

“I am not one of these older DJs that has beef with younger DJs,” he says. “In fact, most of my fan base is younger. I love the fact that the younger generation are really embracing house and techno.

It shows the scene is vibrant and healthy. It always bothers me when I hear DJs complain, saying,

‘Look at the crowd, how young they are.’ So what? It means they’re loving the music we all work so hard to get out there. Regarding people who maybe try to fake it, old or new, I say let them carry on. I concentrate on my own work and let others get on with it.”

Yes, rather than pontificating about stylistic authenticity, a musician’s time is better spent being creative.

In addition to performing at and booking acts for Sankeys Ibiza’s

Tribal Sessions parties – as well as plenty of gigging around the world – Syrossian has let loose a staggering string of productions and remixes over the last few years. 2015 is set to be his busiest year yet, and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I’m such a workaholic,” he says.

“Music is my passion and I eat, drink and sleep it. I actually go to bed thinking about what project I want to do next. I work quickly if you think of it in days, rather than weeks. But

I work sometimes 16 hours a day in the studio. Because it’s my passion, it doesn’t feel like work. I love it.”

What: Code Presents Sankeys’ World Tour With: Yousef, Dillan Joseph, Space Junk, Tristan Case, Ed Wells and more Where: Greenwood Hotel When: Sunday January 25

Fat Freddy’s Drop Ten Years Of The Truth By Augustus Welby suggests it’s time to break out of that fouryear release pattern. The septet has been busier than ever over the last couple of years, which has provided a stash of inspiration to keep pushing forward.

“We’re just fairly productive at the moment,” Faiumu says. “We’ve been doing lots of jamming. There’s quite a bit of raw material there that needs to be sorted through and turned into more refined songs for an album, but it’s all there. We enjoyed so much touring Blackbird that we don’t really want to do too much touring without another album.

“It is a job and it’s our income,” he adds.

“There’s seven core members and every core member in the band has a family to feed. So it’s kind of striking a balance of keeping the enjoyment but also just staying busy – trying [to keep going] onwards and upwards really.”

It’s thanks to their seven-piece configuration that Fat Freddy’s Drop have developed such a texturally deft and multi-faceted sonic identity, which encompasses future-funk and roots-reggae with a hearty dose of brass. Still, coordinating input from seven active participants could quite easily get overwhelming. Conversely, Faiumu says the more time they spend together, the better their group understanding becomes.

T

pat now. But Australia’s also a really good territory numbers-wise for us – obviously without as much hassle and as much expense to make it happen.”

he Australian media has a long history of claiming excelling New Zealanders as our very own. Even with this in mind, it seems somewhat ironic that our city’s most internationally recognised cultural centre, the Sydney Opera House, welcomes Wellington’s Fat Freddy’s Drop to its stage this Australia Day. It’s now ten years since the Kiwi funkdub maestros launched their debut LP Based On A True Story, and they’ve been a favourite among Australian listeners ever since. In fact, the Australia Day gig isn’t even Fat Freddy’s first appearance at the Opera House.

In recent years, Fat Freddy’s Drop have become familiar with numerous venues around the globe that are of a similar stature to the Opera House. In the wake of their third LP, 2013’s Blackbird, the band’s fortunes in the Northern Hemisphere rose considerably, which led to sold-out shows in various European meccas.

The band’s seven members might not be vying for citizenship just yet, but Australia has naturally become a home away from home. “For me to go to Sydney, it’s not much more of a big deal than going to Auckland,” says producer and MPC operator DJ Fitchie (AKA Chris Faiumu). “It’s a very familiar place and we’ve got lots of friends there. Our main touring is Europe and we’ve got that down

“We did a big show in October last year at Alexandra Palace in London,” Faiumu says.

“It’s probably the biggest show we’ve ever done. We’ve never played to 10,000 fans in our own room. That stuff’s just crazy. We’re very blown away and it still feels great. Now we’ve done that, we’ve got to try to find something else to do. We’ve got to move on and try to do something bigger and better.”

34 :: BRAG :: 596 :: 21:01:15

On that note, in October Fat Freddy’s Drop released a brand new single, ‘Slings And Arrows’. The upcoming Sydney show is part of the ‘Slings And Arrows’ tour, but that won’t be the only new song to feature in the setlist.

Right this minute, the band is holed up in its Wellington studio, chipping away at album number four.

“The stuff we’ve been writing lately is great,” Faiumu says. “We took over a new space just down the road – we just moved in there and then we did Blackbird. It’s such a good space that we just seem to be banging out lots of stuff, so it doesn’t feel too hard really. There’s lots of material around, so we might as well let people hear it.”

Blackbird came four years after Dr Boondigga And The Big BW, which itself emerged four years after Based On A True Story. The fact the band is already making serious headway with album number four

“I think we all know our strengths now, in the studio and in regards to writing music. Some people’s skill in the band lies primarily in playing live and some of the band members are more at home in the studio. We’ve been together for so long and we even knew each other for a number of years before we started this band – we’re really good mates. It goes wrong occasionally, but mostly we just sort it out.”

This certainly bodes well for the upcoming fourth Fat Freddy’s Drop LP. While the record is still a little way off, Faiumu confirms some brand new tracks will be debuted at the Australia Day gig. He also indicates when we’re likely to hear the finished product. “We head off to Europe halfway through June.

It’ll be mostly done by the time we take off on that tour. Then when we come back we’ll probably finish and mix the album for a, hopefully, September/October release. That’s what we’re chasing, but albums are funny things. Good intentions may fail, but we’re definitely going to give it a go.”

Where: Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House When: Monday January 26 And: Also appearing at Soda Factory (DJ set) on Sunday January 25

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snap

live review

up all night out all week . . .

What we've been out to see...

ATOMIC BOMB! THE MUSIC OF WILLIAM ONYEABOR Enmore Theatre Friday January 16 An air of mystery surrounds the subject of tonight’s proceedings, William Onyeabor.

The Nigerian’s music didn’t infiltrate the Western mainstream at the time of its creation (the late ’70s and mid-’80s), but his albums became prized finds for record hunters in the decades following.

Otherwise, he remained largely unknown until 2013’s David Byrne-endorsed Who Is William Onyeabor? compilation. Last year, awareness of Onyeabor’s genius spread further thanks to the Vice documentary, Fantastic Man, and the creation of the Atomic Bomb! live band.

No, Onyeabor wasn’t onstage tonight – he left music behind for the Christian ministry decades ago, or so the story goes. But this group of savvy musicians, spanning multiple generations (from bandleader Sinkane to Wally de Backer/Gotye, Beastie Boys keyboardist Money Mark and 74-year-old sax legend Pharoah Sanders), gave us a performance brimming with life.

Unlike the man, Onyeabor’s music doesn’t keep much a secret. The synth-heavy take on Afrobeat/funk is possessed of an exceedingly positive spirit. Onstage we had two men behind drum kits, as well as a hand-drum percussionist and the odd appearance of an African drum specialist.

Safe to say, the rhythm was insistent. That

said, the Sydney crowd took a little time to warm up, but when quasi-hit ‘Atomic Bomb’ came around, bodies needed no instruction to get moving.

Vocals were shared between Sinkane, De Backer and The Rapture’s Luke Jenner.

All three singers mustered the necessary enthusiasm, and Jenner was the standout tonally and technically. But no matter who was holding the mic, the idea wasn’t to occupy the spotlight. In each of these songs – most of which ran for close to ten minutes – upright rhythms, willfully cheesy synth melodies and brass flourishes were just as central as the vocals.

If there was anyone stealing the spotlight, it was the three South African backing vocalists, The Mahotella Queens, who took an eccentric approach to their requisite synchronised dancing. Money Mark was a close second; though a veritable keyboard wizard, he couldn’t help from running wild onstage, at one point even attempting a hapless cartwheel.

The evening’s final number was Onyeabor’s first significant breakthrough, ‘When The Going Is Smooth & Good’. By now, the entire Enmore Theatre floor area had developed into a united community of moving limbs, and the song’s chorus of “Higher, higher, higher, higher, higher – higher!” was bellowed with ecstatic devotion.

Augustus Welby

live review What we've been out to see...

OMAR SOULEYMAN The Aurora Spiegeltent Friday January 16 Music is the language of us all. It’s been reiterated to the point of cliché, but it’s something that gets proven time and time again – especially when it’s Sydney Festival season. Acts that normally exist on the fringe and would not normally find acceptance from a wider audience strike a chord and enter into a spectrum in which they are revered and admired. This much is true of Omar Souleyman, the Syrian performer who stands as one of the most peculiar and intriguing acts of the entire festival. An artist initially only known for performing at weddings, here he finds himself in a room full of adoring, borderline hysterical fans. The audience across the entire room is spread – ages, races, demographics – with the front few rows taken up by the diehards who have clearly been to their fair share of Souleyman performances over the years. Some reach

IAMS PHOTOGRAPHER :: JAMIE WILL

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out to touch his hand, as if he were some kind of Elvis-type figure. Others even dressed like him, or hold up photos bearing his face as if he were some kind of Jesustype figure. All of us are brought together by this inimitable performance, combining the sounds of his nation and heritage with booming, four-on-the-floor electronic beats.

The only words of English, either spoken or sung, are the phrases “thank you” and “one more” from Souleyman himself. He sings and occasionally toasts over his extensive, sprawling songs – which often go on past the ten-minute mark – in both Arabic and Kurdish tongue. Although many within the crowd share some degree of heritage with Souleyman, there were many more that do not, and potentially don’t understand a single lyric. This just goes to further iterate the point that there are no boundaries in this world – only joyful dance.

David James Young

E UPTON PHOTOGRAPHER :: PRUDENC

BRAG :: 596 :: 21:01:15 :: 35

club guide g send your listings to : clubguide@thebrag.com

club pick of the week Kerser

SATURDAY JANUARY 24 HIP HOP & R&B

Hip Hop Invasion - feat: Benji + Hard Evidence + Kaoe + The Fresh Testament + Mc Thorn & Ivey + Douch Bag Music + Dr.Geeza + That Guy Dave + DJs Myme + Tera Byte + Skae Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 8pm. $10.

CLUB NIGHTS

SUNDAY JANUARY 25 The Hi-Fi

Kerser 7:30pm. $25.50.

WEDNESDAY JANUARY 21 CLUB NIGHTS

DJ Tom Kelly Goldfi sh, Kings Cross. 9pm. free.

Kill Bill - A Burlesque Tribute Parody The Vanguard, Newtown.

6:30pm. $38.80.

The Wall The World Bar, Kings Cross.

9pm. $5.

THURSDAY JANUARY 22 CLUB NIGHTS

Cargo Bar Oz Day Long Weekender - feat: DJ Samrai Cargo Lounge, Sydney.

6pm. free.

Chubby - feat: Zeus + Daniel Lupica + Aaron Andrew + Steven Sullivan The Spice Cellar, Sydney.

7pm. free.

El Loco Later - feat: DJs On Rotation Excelsior Hotel, Surry Hills.

10pm. free.

Kill Bill - A Burlesque Tribute Parody The Vanguard, Newtown.

6:30pm. $38.80.

Mess+Noise Presents: Spookyland + Au.Ra 36 :: BRAG :: 596 :: 21:01:15

Goodgod Small Club, Sydney. 8pm. free.

Nas Enmore Theatre, Newtown.

8:15pm. $91.65.

No.Sleep feat: Odesza + Juan Du Sol + Surprise Guests Goodgod Small Club, Sydney. 10pm. $22.

Pool Club Thursdays feat: Resident DJs Ivy Bar/Lounge, Sydney.

5pm. free.

The World Bar Thursdays The World Bar, Kings Cross.

9pm. free.

FRIDAY JANUARY 23 HIP HOP & R&B

Hustler Fridays - feat: MC Shaba Hustle & Flow, Redfern.

7pm. free.

Nas Enmore Theatre, Newtown.

8:15pm. $91.65.

Rhythm & Rhyme Hip Hop Night The Annandale Hotel, Annandale. 8pm. free.

CLUB NIGHTS

Argyle Fridays - feat: Resident DJs The Argyle, The Rocks.

6pm. free.

Cargo Bar Oz Day Long Weekender - feat: The

Bratpack Crew + Jam Xpress Cargo Lounge, Sydney.

6pm. free.

El Loco Later - feat: DJs On Rotation Excelsior Hotel, Surry Hills.

10pm. free.

Factory Fridays - feat: Resident DJs Soda Factory, Surry Hills.

7pm. free.

Feel Good Fridays Bar100, The Rocks. 5pm. free.

Frisky Fridays Scubar, Sydney. 5pm. free.

Kill Bill - A Burlesque Tribute Parody The Vanguard, Newtown.

6:30pm. $38.80.

KLParty - feat: KLP + Paces + Youth Chinese Laundry, Sydney.

7:30pm. $22.60.

L.A.M Marquee, Pyrmont. 10pm. $18.40.

Loco Friday - feat: Various Live Bands And DJs The Slip Inn, Sydney. 5pm. free.

Om Unit + Tokoloshe + 8 Diagram + Klevaone Goodgod Small Club, Sydney. 9pm. $29.70.

Thank Funk It’s Friday The Ranch, Eastwood.

9:30pm. free.

Treble N Bass - feat: DJ Jamin + Agent Smith Manly Wharf Hotel, Manly.

8pm. free.

American Apparel Ad Girls Australian Tour feat: Courtney + Alaska + Willam Arq Nightclub, Darlinghurst.

8pm. $25.

Cakes - feat: 4 Rooms Of Live Music + DJs And International Guests The World Bar, Kings Cross.

8pm. $10.

Cargo Bar Oz Day Long Weekender - feat: Dave Winnel Cargo Lounge, Sydney.

6pm. free.

Ego Cliff Dive, Darlinghurst.

8pm. free.

Frat Saturdays - feat: DJ Jonski Side Bar, Sydney. 6pm. free.

Garden Party - feat: Andy G + State Of Mind + Royalston + Andrew Wowk + Typhonic + Daschwood & Kyphosis + Open-Eye Chinese Laundry, Sydney.

1pm. $53.30.

Infamous Saturdays - feat: Live DJs Scubar, Sydney. 7pm. free.

Kill Bill - A Burlesque Tribute Parody The Vanguard, Newtown.

6:30pm. $38.80.

LNDRY - feat: Nicky Night Time + Kaz James + Generik + Acaddamy + Avon Stringer + Unknown Associates + Jac Frier + Fingers + King Lee + DJ Just 1 + Daggers + Alexander Mason Chinese Laundry, Sydney.

7:30pm. $22.60.

Masif Saturdays Space, Sydney. 10pm. $25.

Pacha Sydney - feat: Marlo + Ben Morris + Nick Arbor + Archie + DJ Moto + Spenda C + Matt Nugent + Mo’Funk + Dylan Sanders + Samrai + Nanna Does + Stu Turner + DLE + Pro/ Gram + Chris Fraser Ivy Bar/Lounge, Sydney.

6pm. $27.70.

Return Of The Raver feat: Abel + Eden + Ming D + Paul Holden + Hi Shock + Nik Fish + Mark Dynamix Manning Bar, Camperdown.

8pm. $30.

Sam Wall + DJ Ray Antonelli Manly Wharf Hotel, Manly.

6pm. free.

Sienna Saturdays - feat: Resident DJs The Establishment, Sydney.

9pm. free.

Something Else Burdekin Hotel, Darlinghurst. 9pm. $20.

Spice - feat: Murat Kilic + Robbie Lowe + Kato + Sam Francisco The Spice Cellar, Sydney.

9pm. $25.

Stafford Brothers Marquee, Pyrmont. 10pm. $28.60.

The House Of Who - feat: Rotating DJs + Levins + The House Of Who + Nacho Pop + Kato’s Wig Shop Goodgod Small Club, Sydney. 8pm. free.

UNDR CTRL Summer Rooftop Series - feat: Harvey Sutherland + Ben Fester + Adi Toohey Kings Cross Hotel, Kings Cross. 10pm. free.

SUNDAY JANUARY 25 HIP HOP & R&B Kerser The Hi-Fi, Moore Park.

7:30pm. $25.50.

One Day Sundays Factory Theatre, Marrickville. 1pm. free.

CLUB NIGHTS

Cargo Bar Oz Day Long Weekender feat: Discovery + The Backhanderz Cargo Lounge, Sydney.

6pm. free.

Courtyard Party - feat: Doctor P + Nina Las Vegas + Finnebassen + Just A Gent + Safi a + Habstrakt + Slumberjack + Indian Summer + Hydraulix + Secret International Ivy Bar/Lounge, Sydney.

1pm. $45.

Fat Freddy’s Drop (DJ Set) + DJ Fitchie + Chopper Reeds + MC Slave Soda Factory, Surry Hills.

7pm. free.

Good Times - feat: Norman Jay MBE Manly Wharf Hotel, Manly.

3pm. $20.

Kill Bill - A Burlesque Tribute Parody The Vanguard, Newtown.

6:30pm. $38.80.

La Fiesta - feat: Samantha Fox + Agee Ortiz + Av El Cubano + Resident DJ Willie Sabor The Establishment, Sydney.

8pm. free.

Mykonos Club Sessions - feat: Agent Greg + 15 Grams Marquee, Pyrmont. 10pm. $28.60.

Public Holiday Eve - feat: B Wise + Marky Vaw + Booby Baby AKA B00bjob + Joyride + Adit + Raph + Soul Clap

YG Levins + Captain Franco + Jayteehazard + Mike Who + Batesy Goodgod Small Club, Sydney. 10pm. $10.

Reggae Sundays Kings Cross Hotel, Kings Cross. 5pm. free.

S.A.S.H Sundays Home Nightclub, Darling Harbour. 2pm. $10.

Soul Clap + Funkineven + Nick Monaco + Dreems + Ben Fester + Slow Blow + Andy Webb + Adi Toohey + Kali Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 9pm. $34.

Summer Dance - feat: Mister Saturday Night + Tornado Wallace + Mike Who + Magda Bytnerowicz National Art School, Sydney. 2pm. $35.

Sunday Sessions - feat: Cadell + Tom Kelly + Ocky Goldfi sh, Kings Cross. 4pm. free.

Sundays In The City - feat: Various DJs The Slip Inn, Sydney. 12pm. free.

Together At Home Reunion - feat: Roger Sanchez + Alex Taylor + Goodwill + Illya + John Devecchies + Johnny Gleeson + Cadell + Husky + Yogi + Jackster + Loose On 12s + Pitty The Kidd + Saywhut! + Homegrown Home Nightclub, Darling Harbour. 9pm. $50.

MONDAY JANUARY 26 HIP HOP & R&B

DJ Klevakutz Sky Terrace, Pyrmont. 2pm. free.

YG + Ty Dolla $Ign Enmore Theatre, Newtown.

8pm. $72.10.

CLUB NIGHTS

Australia Day Party - feat: Devola Manly Wharf Hotel, Manly.

11am. free.

Ember + A-Tonez Cargo Lounge, Sydney.

6pm. free.

Kill Bill - A Burlesque Tribute Parody The Vanguard, Newtown.

6:30pm. $38.80.

TUESDAY JANUARY 27 CLUB NIGHTS

Chu The World Bar, Kings Cross.

9pm. free.

Kill Bill - A Burlesque Tribute Parody The Vanguard, Newtown.

6:30pm. $38.80.

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Off The Record

club picks p send your listings to : clubguide@thebrag.com

THURSDAY JANUARY 22

Alexander Mason Chinese Laundry, Sydney. 7:30pm. $22.60.

Mess+Noise Presents: Spookyland + Au.Ra Goodgod Small Club, Sydney. 8pm. free.

Return Of The Raver - feat: Abel + Eden + Ming D + Paul Holden + Hi Shock + Nik Fish + Mark Dynamix Manning Bar, Camperdown. 8pm. $30.

Nas Enmore Theatre, Newtown. 8:15pm. $91.65.

Stafford Brothers Marquee, Pyrmont. 10pm. $28.60.

No.Sleep - feat: Odesza + Juan Du Sol + Surprise Guests Goodgod Small Club, Sydney. 10pm. $22.

The House Of Who - feat: Rotating DJs + Levins + The House Of Who + Nacho Pop + Kato’s Wig Shop Goodgod Small Club, Sydney. 8pm. free.

FRIDAY JANUARY 23

UNDR CTRL Summer Rooftop Series - feat: Harvey Sutherland (DJ Set) + Ben Fester + Adi Toohey Kings Cross Hotel, Kings Cross. 10pm. free.

KLParty - feat: KLP + Paces + Youth Chinese Laundry, Sydney. 7:30pm. $22.60.

L.A.M Marquee, Pyrmont. 10pm. $18.40.

Om Unit + Tokoloshe + 8 Diagram + Klevaone Goodgod Small Club, Sydney. 9pm. $29.70.

SATURDAY JANUARY 24 Hip Hop Invasion - feat: Benji + Hard Evidence + Kaoe + The Fresh Testament + MC Thorn & Ivey + Douche Bag Music + Dr. Geeza + That Guy Dave + DJs Myme + Tera Byte + Skae Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo.

8pm. $10.

American Apparel Ad Girls Australian Tour - feat: Courtney + Alaska + Willam Arq Nightclub, Sydney. 8pm. $25.

Garden Party - feat: Andy G + State Of Mind + Royalston + Andrew Wowk + Typhonic + Daschwood & Kyphosis + Open-Eye Chinese Laundry, Sydney. 1pm. $53.30.

Lndry - feat: Nicky Night Time + Kaz James + Generik + Acaddamy + Avon Stringer + Unknown Associates + Jac Frier + Fingers + King Lee + DJ Just 1 + Daggers +

SUNDAY JANUARY 25 Fat Freddy’s Drop (DJ Set) + DJ Fitchie + Chopper Reeds + MC Slave Soda Factory, Surry Hills. 7pm. free.

Public Holiday Eve - feat: B Wise + Marky Vaw + Booby Baby Aka B00bjob + Joyride + Adit + Raph + Levins + Captain Franco + Jayteehazard + Mike Who + Batesy Goodgod Small Club, Sydney. 10pm. $10.

Soul Clap + Funkineven + Nick Monaco + Dreems + Ben Fester + Slow Blow + Andy Webb + Adi Toohey + Kali Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 9pm. $34.

Summer Dance - feat: Mister Saturday Night + Tornado Wallace + Mike Who + Magda Bytnerowicz National Art School, Sydney. 2pm. $35.

Dance And Electronica With Tyson Wray

DJ HMC

C

armelo Bianchetti, known to many as DJ HMC, is in this column’s opinion the greatest electronic artist Australia has ever produced. From humble beginnings in Adelaide in the early ’80s, over the course of his esteemed career the DJ and producer has released dancefloor weapons such as ‘LSD’, ‘6AM’ and ‘Phreakin’’ and is one of the few Aussies to ever garner true international underground acclaim. In the past he’s been dubbed “the godfather of Australian techno” – and when you see him manning the decks it’s hard to argue against it. He’ll play a rare Sydney show on Saturday February 7 at the Burdekin Hotel. Highly recommended.

Two of the biggest names in the game – Dixon and Âme – will be returning to Sydney in March. Dixon took out the number one spot on Resident Advisor’s hallowed Top DJs of 2014 list (for the second year running), while Âme landed at Dixon

MONDAY JANUARY 26 Ember + A-Tonez Cargo Lounge, Sydney. 6pm. free.

YG + Ty Dolla $ign Enmore Theatre, Newtown. 8pm. $72.10.

After being revamped last year, Festival Village is one of the best things about Sydney Festival. With DJs, lawns to sprawl out on, wine to drink, and deliciously deceiving desserts (Messina, we’re looking at you), it is a swell place to spend a balmy summer evening. Of course, the other recurring favourite is The Famous Spiegeltent, that 18th-century-style pop-up that plays host to a range of music and cabaret. Intimate and old-worldly, it is a vision of dark polished timber and glittering stained glass. It’s probably fair to say this is not where you would expect to find futuristic party-starters Frikstailers. And with a midnight kick-off, you could almost forget about the lockout laws.

Taking the stage in brightly coloured wigs and luminous white goggles, the Argentinean duo is here for a good time.

Purveyors of eclecticism, they bundle elements of hip hop and reggae into an electropop package. There are strong beats and chirpy little melodies that

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Tour rumours: A little birdie tells me that one of the best DJs I have ever seen in my goddamn life, Detroit don Marcellus Pittman, will return to Sydney in early March. Oh, and expect an Australian sojourn from Daniel Howells next month.

Best releases this week: Lnrdcroy is now an early contender to take out the coveted Off The Record Album Of The Year™ award with his killer full-length Much Less Normal (on Firecracker Recordings). Other highlights include Nummer’s To The D (Nummer Music) and Klaus’ Tele (Tanum).

It’s been a strong start to the year for electronic music, eh?

RECOMMENDED

What we've been out to see...

The Famous Spiegeltent Saturday January 17

Looking for a dancefloor to get down on this weekend? If so, we strongly suggest heading to the next instalment of Lost Disco. Headlining this time around are two of the biggest names in house and disco – London’s legendary party-starting collective Horse Meat Disco and Joe Goddard’s Hot Chip side project The 2 Bears. It goes down on Sunday January 26 at the Beach Road Hotel. Make the most of Monday being a public holiday.

Sweet merciful Jesus, Levon Vincent is finally releasing his debut album.

The always on-point producer took to Facebook over the weekend to make the announcement and also release the tracklist and a free download of one the tracks titled ‘Anti-Corporate Music’. It has us salivating already. No confirmed dates yet, just that it’s coming “very soon” on his label Novel Sound. Stay tuned.

live review FRIKSTAILERS

number two on RA’s Top Live Acts of 2014 list. Says it all, really. The Innervisions label heads will close out the current series of Finely Tuned’s AGWA Yacht Club parties, and will be joined by an all-star cast of locals including Co-op, Gabby, B_A and Tristan Case. The party sets sail on Saturday March 21.

provide a very danceable backbone, definitely more groove than bounce. It’s the perfect kind of music to summon your inner hippie and pull some creative shapes.

FRIDAY JANUARY 23 Om Unit Goodgod Small Club

With remixes of the likes of Die Antwoord and Major Lazer, it’s as if these tracks have been filtered through Cumbia and dubbed up, taking on a more spacedout and exotic feel. In fact, there’s rarely a lapse in energy. With Auto-Tuned commentary between songs, the pair holds onto otherworldly stage personas.

SATURDAY JANUARY 24

There’s also some pretty cool equipment onstage. Occasionally, Frikstailers slide out from behind the decks for a shredding solo on Guitar Hero controllers or some (slightly awkward) choreographed dancing. They’re also known to use Nintendo Wii controllers and Dance Dance Revolution equipment, turning the world of arcade games and kids’ consoles into something a bit more psychedelic.

Mister Saturday Night National Art School

All in all, these neon Martians are dedicated to putting on a good show. Their music is fresh, funky, and damn catchy.

Annie Murney

Marcel Dettmann The Imperial Hotel

SUNDAY JANUARY 25 Darius Syrossian The Greenwood Hotel Soul Clap, Nick Monaco, Funkineven Oxford Art Factory Leon Vynehall The Famous Spiegeltent

Horse Meat Disco, The 2 Bears Beach Road Hotel Nightmares On Wax The Aurora

WEDNESDAY JANUARY 28 Rustie Oxford Art Factory

SATURDAY JANUARY 31 Lee Burridge, Matthew Dekay TBA Nico Stojan The Spice Cellar

TUESDAY FEBRUARY 3 Flying Lotus, Caribou Sydney Opera House

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 6 Theo Parrish Oxford Art Factory

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 7 Kolombo Chinese Laundry DJ HMC Burdekin Hotel Mr. Scruff Metro Theatre

SUNDAY FEBRUARY 8 DJ EZ National Art School

Got any tip-offs, hate mail, praise or cat photos?

Email hey@tysonwray.com or contact me via carrier pigeon.

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