Brag#609

ISSUE NO. 609 APRIL 22, 2015

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

MUSIC, FILM, THEATRE + MORE

INSIDE

THE BRAG'S GUIDE TO

This Week

Saturday april 25 INSIDE

THE AUDREYS

Back on the festival circuit and back in our hearts.

SAN CISCO

The Perth youngsters on their biggest year yet.

NOEL FIELDING

A bit of Booshy business with the master of weird.

STEPHEN K AMOS

The festival regular likes to keep his comedy fresh.

Plus

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BRAG :: 609 :: 22:04:15 :: 3

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BRAG :: 609 :: 22:04:15 :: 5

rock music news welcome to the frontline: what’s goin’ on around town... with Sarah Basford, Kelsey Berry and James Di Fabrizio

speed date WITH BRAD

BUTCHER Your Profile I guess I’m just what you would 1. expect from a country lad from Central Queensland… I love beer. I found I also love alternate country and Americana music in my late 20s and a real desire to write and create it about then too. My songs are not for everyone, but I also don’t like everyone so that’s OK by me; those that do like it are my kind of people and I hope to buy you a beer someday.

Keeping Busy I currently work as a FIFO worker 2. in a coal mine back in CQ and reside in Brisbane with my wife Erin, so my time is spit between the two and doesn’t leave much time for anything else. However I am preparing a fundraising bike ride from Mackay to the Gympie Music Muster for beyondblue in August of this year – I’m loving riding the bike and getting back into shape.

Best Gig Ever My most memorable gigs were both 3. back to back while in Toronto and London in Canada, 2013. I performed a song on Canada

AM, the country’s premier breakfast television show, and then travelled a couple of hours north to London, Ontario, to play a four-song spot which turned into a five-song spot. It’s hard to forget getting your first encore from any crowd. Great memories.

Current Playlist I’m currently spinning a few albums 4. over and over. A Nashville-based songwriter by the name of Andrew Combs has a great album called Worried Man and I’m smashing an album by John Moreland called In The Throes. Both great songwriters and well worth a listen.

Your Ultimate Rider I don’t really worry about even asking 5. for a rider. Beer on ice and I’m sorted. I’ve got a bunch of great people in the band who are level-headed and decent. If I had to put up with someone wanting to throw a TV out the window I’d probably throw them out with it.

Where: Frankie’s Pizza When: Thursday April 23

MANAGING EDITOR: Chris Martin chris@thebrag.com 02 9212 4322 ONLINE EDITOR: Tyson Wray SUB-EDITOR: Sam Caldwell STAFF WRITERS: Adam Norris, Augustus Welby NEWS: Sarah Basford, Kelsey Berry, Ayla Dhyani, James Di Fabrizio, Lauren Gill, Meggan Turner ART DIRECTOR: Sarah Bryant PHOTOGRAPHERS: Katrina Clarke, Ashley Mar 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: Sarah Basford, Sam Caldwell, Ayla Dhyani, Meggan Turner - gigguide@thebrag.com (rock); clubguide@ thebrag.com (dance, hip hop & parties) AWESOME INTERNS: Meggan Turner, Ayla Dhyani, Sarah Basford REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS: Nat Amat, Ian Barr, Prudence Clark, Tom Clift, Keiron Costello, 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, Krissi Weiss, 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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6 :: BRAG :: 609 :: 22:04:15

Mojo Juju

JUJU GOT MOJO

Mojo Juju, of The Snake Oil Merchants fame, will embark on a national tour later this year. The tour is in support of Juju’s latest album Seeing Red / Feeling Blue, the follow-up to her 2012 debut solo release. Juju will perform at the Vivid LIVE festival in May before jetting off around the country this winter.

See her play Newtown Social Club on Saturday June 20. Fans can also catch her supporting Melbourne Ska Orchestra at the Joan Sutherland Theatre, Sydney Opera House for Vivid LIVE on Saturday May 30.

In the lead-up to their June set at Tassie’s Dark Mofo festival, My Disco have announced dates in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide. Having now spread out across the globe, the Australian trio have been working with friend and producer Cornel Wilczek on their as-yetunreleased fourth album, set for a mid-year arrival. Now they’re returning home, and despite having only played one show in the last 18 months, their new material is set to be their most bleak and intense yet. My Disco will hit up Goodgod Small Club on Friday June 26.

ANATHEMA ACOUSTIC

Following a huge debut Australian tour last year, Liverpool’s Anathema are returning for a series of acoustic shows. The prog rockers will play unplugged cuts from their extensive 23-year catalogue for fans across five cities this October.

The announcement comes on the back of a big year for Anathema, which saw them release their latest album Distant Satellites as well as tour Australia for the very first time. Catch them on Friday October 30 at the Metro Theatre.

TIM ROGERS + THE BAMBOOS

After years of touring and single-making together, Tim Rogers and The Bamboos are finally making it official. The You Am I frontman has teamed up with The Bamboos for a full-length album and a tour to boot. The Rules Of Attraction is set to drop on Friday May 22 and will be followed by a string of capital city shows. One of those is Friday June 19 at the Metro Theatre.

HOZIER RETURNS

Fresh from his debut Australian performance to a 10,000-strong crowd at Bluesfest, Hozier will bring his brand of folk rock back to our shores this November. It has been a monumental few years for the Irish singer, with his breakthrough single ‘Take Me To Church’ hitting number one in 12 countries, receiving a nomination for the Song Of The Year Grammy Award and going three times platinum in Australia. Having just dropped his new single ‘Someone New’, Hozier is currently playing to sell-out audiences on his American tour. He’ll be at the Hordern Pavilion on Tuesday November 3.

DANNY MCDONALD JOINS ELECTRIC SUNDAYS

Melbourne singer Danny McDonald will return to Sydney for the first time in almost a decade later this month. Hot on the heels of his new single ‘The Melbourne Divide’, singersongwriter McDonald will join an array of other Aussie musicians at the Town Hall Hotel in Newtown later this month. Wasters and Whopping Big Naughty are set to join him onstage alongside Danny Yau, who will be releasing his new single ‘Courtney’s Moving To Newtown’. You can catch McDonald at the next Electric Sundays gig at the Town Hall Hotel on Sunday April 26.

Cosmic Psychos

COSMIC DUNE RAT PSYCHOS

Cosmic Psychos and Dune Rats are set to join forces for a huge double-header tour. The tour coincides with the release of Cosmic Psychos’ new album Cum The Raw Prawn, which is set for release on Friday June 5. It’s the band’s first album in six years and features new single ‘Better, Not Bitter’. Dune Rats have been touring relentlessly since the release of their self-titled debut album last year. Catch them on Friday June 19 at Manning Bar.

thebrag.com

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

My Disco

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BRAG :: 609 :: 22:04:15 :: 7

live & local

free stuff

welcome to the frontline: what’s goin’ on around town... with Chris Martin, Ayla Dhyani and Meggan Turner

speed date WITH

HIATUS KAIYOTE

JOEL GRIFFITH FROM THEM BRUINS Keeping Busy We’ve mainly been tending 2. to the family farm – we all live on a collective farming estate west of Melbourne where we raise miniature Scandinavian elk for the amusement of people driving to and from Adelaide. We’ve also been writing three new songs, three of which turned out to be other people’s songs, for which we got several frightening letters.

We’re now on the run/touring the east coast before the winter festivus.

swear. We’re going for the underpromise/over-deliver play. But seriously, we are but simple country

men looking for no more than 12-15,000 simple Sydneysider fans interested in moving to a secluded enclave and telling us in mantranic tones that we are still the greatest band in Australia.

Boatshed back in ’13. The place was packed for hours prior with beautiful half-nude nubile fans who screamed their heads off to our onslaught of riffs. We had to be escorted out. It was a dream gig! Actually, it was an actual dream. Manly Boatshed was the

worst show we’ve played – to two people, one of which was there to get directions on how to get away from us. We did have to be escorted out. That much is true.

Current Playlist Look up Neighbourhood 4.

Youth. Those guys made me wanna quit music and the elk farming last week.

Your Ultimate Rider We’re usually happy with 5. cooking cocoa and two space

“Making an album is like tearing your soul apart and gluing it back together, but new and improved, with anti-gravity rooms, glitter cannons, lasers and vast canyons of exotic animals,” lead singer Nai Palm says ahead of Hiatus Kaiyote’s upcoming album Choose Your Weapon.

The Melbourne soulsters have already received considerable praise from musical legends such as Prince and Erykah Badu for their debut Tawk Tomahawk, which received a Grammy nomination. With a fresh future soul sound offering poetry and polyrhythms, Hiatus Kaiyote are certainly one to watch out for. To be in the running for one of five copies of Choose Your Weapon, set to be released on Friday May 1, surf on over to thebrag.com/freeshit.

Hiatus Kaiyote

blankets between four. Tim Bruin is always asking venues for his sense of self-respect back. If he could actually get it one of these days I think we’d all agree we’d reached our ultimate rider dreams.

Hiatus Kaiyote photo by Wilk

Best Gig Ever The best gig we’ve played 3. would have to be the Manly Your Profile Firstly, we sound way better 1. than our profile picture looks, I

head to: thebrag.com/freeshit

Where: Spectrum When: Friday April 24

xxx

The Cambodian Space Project

Dave Aron

DAVE ARON WORKSHOP

Multi-platinum audio engineer to the stars Dave Aron will be hosting a two-hour workshop at Sydney’s JMC Academy next month. Aron has achieved great success over three different decades of music. He worked with the likes of U2 on their album Rattle And Hum, as well as extensively with Prince over the years, before moving onto leading hip hop record company, Death Row Records. Through Death Row, Aron has recorded and mixed with a huge collection of leading rappers, resulting in a long career as studio and live engineer for Snoop Dogg. Aron’s workshop is on Friday May 1.

COSMIC CAMBODIA

D HENRY FENTON

Sydney expat and now Los Angeles resident D Henry Fenton is back in his hometown this month for a live show accompanied by a full band. Fenton’s latest record, Turnin’, has been spun on college radio in the US, but now it’s Australia’s turn to hear the new tracks. As part of Holly Golightly, Fenton opened for The Corrs on an Australian tour, and his current US band The Elizabethans includes former Pearl Jam drummer Dave Krusen. Lianna Rose and Liz Martin will support Fenton at The Vanguard on Tuesday April 28.

JUNIOR TUNES

Sydney soul rockers Jackie Brown Jr have announced a split single release alongside a new song. The upcoming split release will be titled The 44 Project and include four singles that showcase the musical talents of Sydney’s

BEN LEE GETS INTIMATE

After a break from the Australian stage, Ben Lee is back this year with a new album and a brief run of intimate live dates. Love Is The Great Rebellion will be the songwriter’s first studio album since signing to Warner, and is due out on Friday May 29. It follows the collaborative release A Mixtape From Ben Lee and the spiritually explorative effort of 2013, Ayahuasca: Welcome To The Work. Love Is The Great Rebellion also marks the 20-year anniversary of Lee’s debut album, Grandpaw Would, back when he was a teenager who knew nothing of South American healing medicine. Lee will arrive at Newtown Social Club on Saturday June 6 to perform new tracks alongside some old favourites.

Sydney’s west will hit the stratosphere next month as The Cambodian Space Project bring their psychedelic Cosmic Cambodia show to the Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre. The Khmer pop/Motown fusion collaboration started out in 2009 after Australia’s Julien Poulson met Cambodian singer Channthy Kak in Phnom Penh, with the latter becoming familiar to hip hop audiences for her appearance on Astronomy Class’ latest album, Mekong Delta Sunrise. The Cambodian Space Project’s most recent release was last year’s Whiskey Cambodia record, and they’ll be touching on that album and much more in the semiautobiographical Cosmic Cambodia, playing Friday May 15 and Saturday May 16.

SOUNDS LIKE SOBIE

Grey Ghost

Sydneysider Sobie will be celebrating the release of her debut EP this weekend.

Following the success of her first single, ‘Our Priceless Men’, Sobie will be debuting and performing her EP, titled Lest We Forget, in Glebe on ANZAC Day. The EP is a celebration of the lives of our servicemen and women.

Sobie will be launching her EP at the Roxbury Hotel on Saturday April 25.

Ben Lee

BEYOND THE BLUES

Redfern local Charlie Dowling has put together an all-new event to help raise awareness and funds for depression and anxiety. A day filled with laughter, openness and thoughtfulness, as well as some great live music, the Beyond Blues And Roots Festival will be MCed by triple j’s Alex Dyson. It will feature live acts including Pluto Jonze, Group and hip hopper Grey Ghost, with free bowling and giveaways. The Beyond Blues And Roots Festival will take place at The Standard Bowl on Sunday May 3. Tickets are on sale now, with all proceeds going to beyondblue.

thebrag.com

xxxx xx

8 :: BRAG :: 609 :: 22:04:15

Inner West. Jackie Brown Jr, a fresh new band to come out of UNSW, have attracted attention around the country for their fiery sound, and their first single, ‘Don’t Trust Apes’, comes with plenty of soul. In addition to the release, Jackie Brown Jr will also be doing a few live shows in July. Catch them at Foundry616 on Monday July 6 and at Spring Street Social on Saturday July 11.

BRAG :: 609 :: 22:04:15 :: 9

Industrial Strength Music Industry News with Christie Eliezer

THINGS WE HEAR * Which C-grade media person, who conned himself into a conference claiming to be doing a report on the event, got tossed out when organisers discovered he hadn’t written for the claimed publication for six months? * Tame Impala’s Lonerism and Nickelback’s No Fixed Address are now both platinum in Australia. * Aussies at festivals: Thy Art Is Murder and Feed Her To The Sharks are on the US metal Mayhem Festival in June, headlined by Slayer … Emily Barker is on the bill of the UK’s Behind The Castle festival on June 13 … True Vibenation, which includes Zimbabweanborn twins Verbaleyes and Native Wit, play HIFA in

Harare, Zimbabwe, on April 29 … Knife Party did the Electronic Dance Music festival in Mumbai last week with Italy’s The Bloody Beetroots. * Of the 22 busted for drugs at the weekend’s Midnight Mafia Dance Party at Sydney Showground, one, alleged to have been in possession of 441 MDMA pills, has faced court. * Brisbane’s The Cairos have split with bassist Reuben Schafer due to “too many conflicting views and beliefs”. * Splendour In The Grass has become the latest Australian festival to ban selfie sticks. * The Queensland Government is doing a survey on whether to increase the four concerts a year allowed by law at the 52,000-capacity Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane. * On a quiet trip back to Adelaide, Sia lunched at Central Market and happily posed for pics with the owner

DIGITAL REVENUES MATCH CDS FOR THE FIRST TIME Global revenues from digital music services have matched those from physical format sales for the first time as consumers embrace digital services. The International Federation of Phonographic Industries’ Digital Music Report said that in 2014 digital revenues rose 6.9% to US$6.9 billion. Digital now represents 46% of all global music sales, which total US$14.97 billion. In further good news for the industry, a steep 39% rise in subscription consumers has offset an 8% decline in downloads.

The number of paying users of subscription services rose 46.4% to 41 million. These services are becoming more vital to the biz, representing 23% of the digital market and generating US$1.6 billion. This number is set to rise again in 2015 as three major players enter the market: YouTube’s Music Key, Jay Z’s Tidal and Apple’s unnamed service due

of a fruit and vegetable stand while buying figs. * Postcard from Coachella: Katy Perry’s tour van broke down ten minutes out from the site, and she and her entourage (including Robert Pattinson) had to walk down the road with other patrons … Just before Justin Bieber was put in a headlock and thrown out by festival security for acting a prat in the VIP lounge, he had a run-in with Australian media personality Ryan ‘Fitzy’ Fitzgerald, who was backstage for AC/DC. They accidentally bumped into each other, Bieber pushed him aside, Fitzy shoved back, and was thrown against the fence by Bieb’s security goons … George Maple made a surprise feature during What So Not’s set providing vocals for single ‘Gemini’. * Brisbane EDM duo Mashd N Kutcher, who posted some

in June. The problem that remains is the low returns artists get from the digital sphere.

SOLD #1: ARTIST VOICE TO AMERICA The Artist Voice agency, set up by Matt Gudinski and Brett Murrihy as part of Mushroom Group, has been bought out by America’s powerful William Morris Endeavor (WME). Now called WME Asia Pacific, the new-look agency retains Murrihy (under new title head of Asia Pacific for music) and six agents to work the Australian, New Zealand and Asian markets. Gudinski and Mushroom are no longer involved.

SOLD #2: NINE LIVE TO ASIA Nine Entertainment’s concert and events division, Nine Live, has been sold to Asian private equity firm Affinity Equity Partners for $640 million. Nine wants to concentrate on

of their remixes and videos where they’re cavorting with a pizza delivery guy and 7/11 shop assistant, notched up one million views in four days. * A teen who turned up to a Queensland court in a Red Hot Chili Peppers T-shirt was called a “grub” by the judge and told to go home and change. * Who will be third headliner at the UK’s Glastonbury festival alongside Foo Fighters and Kanye West? Bookies are offering 3/1 on Coldplay, Stone Roses at 4/1, Madonna and Blur at 5/1, Oasis 8/1, and One Direction at 25/1. * More problems for Marmalade Skies in Goulburn.

Last year the crowd-funded festival was axed due to fire risk. This year, the Goulburn Post reported, only 250 people attended when 1,000 to 1,500 were expected. Even worse, 13 got busted for drugs.

its TV, digital and subscription streaming businesses. Nine Live, which toured One Direction this year, may have a name change but the new owners will maintain its projects, including the Ricky Martin tour.

SOLD #3: THE BOURBON Long-time music venue, The Bourbon in Kings Cross, has been sold to a developer, Iris Capital, for a reported $25 million. It will be turned into apartments. Owner C.inc’s Christopher Cheung bought it for $22 million and spent $10 million on renovations but decided to walk away after the NSW Government’s lockout laws affected its business.

SURVEY: WHY WE LISTEN TO COMMUNITY RADIO The Community Broadcasting Association’s annual Community Radio National Listener Survey has revealed that surveyed listeners spent an average of 17 hours a week (23% of them for over 20 hours) listening to community radio, with 53% streaming online. They number 4.7 million (down from 5.2 million in 2013) and represent 26% of Australian radio listeners. 39% of music played is Australian (2,000 hours a day).

33% of the 15-24 demographic tune in because of community radio’s support for Aussie indie music; 40% of metro listeners because of specialist music programs.

The Northern Territory had the highest proportion of listeners. Of weekly listeners, 54% are male and 46% female. 26% of listeners are aged 25 to 39 and a third are aged 55. Up to 7% (1.3 million) do not listen to commercial radio, and 11% (2.1 million) don’t listen to SBS or the ABC. A high proportion of listeners are Christian (55%), while 30% have no religious beliefs. 40% of listeners work full-time, 8% are students.

MEG WILLIAMS AT INERTIA Meg Williams has been named the new head of promotions at Inertia Group. She will handle Inertia’s promo for its labels and distributions, and also launch its move into offering external PR services. She was previously the co-director of Spark & Opus, running marketing campaigns for major and indie acts; executive director at the Association of Artist Managers; and MusicNSW project manager.

WHILE MY GUITAR GENTLY SLEEPS Chet Faker is the Aussie who most puts us to sleep, and Ed Sheeran the overseas equivalent. The National Sleep Foundation says Sheeran’s soothing ‘Thinking Out Loud’ was most-streamed song in Oz and globally across 2.8 million sleep-themed playlists on Spotify. Faker’s ‘Talk Is Cheap’ was the highest local track at number six. “People tend to gravitate toward mellow, laid back vocals between the baritone and tenor range – similar to why lullabies are effective for helping people relax,” said Dr. Max Hirshkowitz of the US foundation.

SARAH BELKNER JOINS 123 Sydney singer-songwriter and arranger Sarah Belkner has joined the artist roster of 123 Agency. She released a new single ‘Humans’, following up the buzz-creating ‘With You’, and plays Brighton Up Bar on Thursday April 30. The video was shot by Nils Crompton.

10 :: BRAG :: 609 :: 22:04:15

Lifelines Expecting: Billy Joel, 65, and girlfriend Alexis Roderick, 33.

He has a daughter, Alexa Ray, 29, with supermodel ex-wife Christie Brinkley.

Engaged: Ronan Keating proposed to Aussie girlfriend Storm Uechtritz during a Thailand holiday.

Injured: Florence Welch broke her foot jumping about onstage at Coachella.

Ill: George Ezra was forced to cancel US shows due to feeling “very ill and run-down”.

In Court: a US man is divorcing his wife, claiming she had sex with every member of Wu-Tang Clan.

Sued: Lil Wayne by his former tour bus driver, who says that, at a stop in Buffalo to fill up with petrol, the rapper became irate and threatened to pistol-whip him and kill him, and “came at him with a gun, cocked it at close range”.

Fined: the Down Under Nightclub in Port Macquarie, a total of AU$4,000 plus AU$2,750 in costs, after serving two patrons who were drunk.

In Court: Rebecca Hannibal, 19, changed her plea to guilty of supplying the ecstasy pill that killed her close friend Georgina Bartter at Harbourlife last year.

In Court: two WA homophobes who killed former Sydney club DJ Warren Gerard Batchelor, 48, in an unprovoked attack after finding him having sex with another man in a Perth public toilet cubicle, were jailed for life in the WA Supreme Court with a minimum of 21 years.

Arrested: Nelly in Tennessee on drug charges. When cops pulled over his tour bus for not displaying a sticker, they smelled pot and found handguns.

Died: US soul singer Percy Sledge, best known for ‘When A Man Loves A Woman’, aged 73, from liver cancer.

Died: Gary Nessel, co-founder of groundbreaking Australian tech firms Strauss Sound Systems and Nova Sounds, 68, after a long illness.

Died: Melbourne club DJ and model Sharky Jama, 25, reportedly killed while fighting alongside ISIS militants in Syria.

Died: 23-year-old AC/DC fan and University of Colorado student Jannik Andersen, struck by a train on his way home after seeing them at Coachella.

TAFE PARTNERS WITH GROVE Hunter TAFE’s Regional Music Institute has partnered with The Grove Studio (Central Coast) to provide onsite training for its Diploma Of Sound Production. The course will be taught by Grant Walmsley (founding member of The Screaming Jets). The Grove, previously owned by INXS’ Garry ‘Gary’ Beers, is where Silverchair’s Neon Ballroom and Diorama, Delta Goodrem’s Innocent Eyes, Eskimo Joe’s Black Fingernails, Red Wine and Something For Kate’s Echolalia were made. It is now owned by producer Scott Horscroft. An open day will be held on Saturday May 16 at The Grove, an hour out of Sydney’s CBD.

KIX GOES NATIONAL Grant Broadcasters’ network of country music stations, KIX, HOT and Top Country, have been rebranded as KIX The Hottest Country nationally. The network, which has 40 stations around the country, will not change the music mix. thebrag.com

HAVE YOUR CAKE AND EAT IT TOO Beyond Blues and Roots, Sunday May 3rd, 2pm – 6pm @ The Standard Bowl

Purchase a $20 ticket to “Beyond Blues & Roots” and you’ll enjoy an awesomely entertaining Sunday arvo…AND you’ll be helping to raise funds and awareness for depression and anxiety in Australia.

Featuring live sets from Grey Ghost, Pluto Jonze & Group. MC’d by Triple J’s Alex Dyson Hit up facebook.com/beyondbluesandroots for tickets and more info

100% of ticket sales to beyond blue

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PASSION PIT

THE DEDICATION GAME

D

on’t let the press release fool you: despite its assertion that Passion Pit’s third album, Kindred, is a love letter from frontman Michael Angelakos to his wife, that is not entirely the case. In fact, when this is mentioned to Angelakos, he sounds kind of pissed off that it has somehow become part of the publicity wagon. You can’t blame the man, either. Given the energy and intimacy that comes with compiling an album, anyone would be pretty sore to be misconstrued straight out of the gate – especially when reaching people with something truthful is the bedrock of your work.

“A love letter to my wife?” he says, looking unimpressed. It must be said that for the most part, Angelakos is a pleasant, funny guy, self-deprecating and considered. This issue has clearly struck a nerve, however, and as our conversation unfolds it starts to become apparent why that is. “I don’t know where that idea came from, because it’s not true. Some songs are about her, but there are a lot of songs that don’t have anything to do with her at all. There are a couple of songs there about my brother, songs about the other band

members. Songs about dealing with and accepting love, which isn’t as easy as it sounds. It can really be quite difficult, especially if you’re not used to it. It’s something I’ve never been truly comfortable with, trusting vulnerability.”

As he talks, Angelakos moves around restlessly, pivoting on the spot or gesturing with his hands. This is not at all borne of nervousness or idle pontification.

In fact, he is a strikingly confident speaker, direct and incisive.

“All I really wanted to do was make a simple pop record, but it ended up being this multi-layered whatever. But you know, there’s not really a theme. When people talk about [debut EP] Chunk Of Change and it being dedicated to my girlfriend at the time, that was actually 100 per cent true.

Gossamer was dedicated to my wife and my friends, and dealt with this thematic, manic episode. And now this record is for them too, sure. It’s for my wife, it’s for my friends, but it’s much more of a concert record. It’s me putting all of the things that I’d experienced growing up, all of the things going on in my life, through this filter of me as a 19-year-old kid hanging out in the park. That’s the theme,

BY ADA M NORRIS

really. I can’t think of anything else.” He laughs. “It’s certainly not a love letter.”

If not a love letter, the lens of 19-year-old Angelakos is still an affecting point of view. Most of us can vividly recall the frustrations and aspirations of our teenage years, and to confront that figure from the past with our future self – in front of an audience, no less – takes a level of bravery few could muster. When asked how he faces such public exposure, though, the Massachusetts vocalist and keyboardist doesn’t feel like he responds at all differently from anybody else.

“Well, if you were in my position, would you feel freaked out? It can be totally scary, but that’s also the most therapeutic part. You’re up there and you have to own it. You can’t back down from it. The one thing I can say that I think is super, brutally honest about Passion Pit is that, as nerve-racking as [performing] can be, there’s strength in sharing it with other people. But you know how lucky I am to be able to do this as a living?

It’s an amazing opportunity. I’m so grateful, and I mean, this is what I know how to do. To be honest, and put that into making music.

“IF PEOPLE WANT TO CONNECT WITH ME, I’D RATHER CONNECT WITH THEM MUSICALLY THAN ON TWITTER, YOU KNOW? PEOPLE PAY MONEY FOR TICKETS TO SEE US LIVE, THEN I WANT THEM TO KNOW ME BY HEARING GOOD MUSIC. THAT’S THE PERSON I WANT THEM TO SEE, BECAUSE THAT’S WHO I AM.”

“With this record I wanted to be more upfront, I wanted to be clearer and share more. And I can’t think of anything better than that, can think of nothing more therapeutic, and that’s what it’s all about. If people want to connect with me, I’d rather connect with them musically than on Twitter, you know? People pay money for tickets to see us live, then I want them to know me by hearing good music. That’s the person I want them to see, because that’s who I am.”

In truth, there is no finer stance than letting your art speak for your intentions. Any explanation or close scrutiny of the artist can easily overwhelm the purpose of the music, and yet most of us remain ravenous to glean more about the people behind the songs that impact us so sweetly. Just don’t expect to see Passion Pit start replying to your YouTube comments any time soon.

“I used to,” Angelakos chuckles.

“I can’t anymore. It doesn’t strike me as being particularly truthful.

I don’t think people are often inclined to be honest when they post things online, so I don’t read it. I don’t know a lot of what people say, because it reached a point where I’d read certain things and I’d have this weird gut reaction.

It felt unhealthy. It also takes too much time and focus. I work on a lot of other projects, which helps me to keep Passion Pit in line with what I’ve always wanted it to be.

There will always be other things in my mind, other projects, and so I don’t get distracted and try to force [Passion Pit] somewhere else.

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Given the legion of fans and the top-tier music festivals to which Passion Pit are invited around the world, it’s nice to know that Angelakos has reached these heights without losing sight of what made him want to release music in the first place. That said, there is a reverse side to ambition; after performing at celebrated gigs like Glastonbury Festival or featuring on Saturday Night Live, there exists the potential for disconnection. Is this the ceiling?

Who are you once the applause dies down and the stage lights dim?

“I think there’s a certain mindset that a lot of artists have to be aware of. I mean, I’m not hugely famous. I’m still able to put out records, I’m still able to talk to people about music. Quite honestly, I’ll do what I have to do, whatever it takes, to do what I love and be able to reach people. And I’m really not at that level [of fame].

You see some of them, and their lives are fucked up. Their lives.

Are fucked. Up. I don’t think I’m ever going to have that. As long as I keep getting asked to play festivals, play gigs and reach more people … as long as I get to keep doing what I want to be doing, well, I’m happy.”

What: Kindred out now through Columbia/Sony xxx

“Like recording this new album, I really found Passion Pit to be what

we’d always imagined it to be.

Looking back to when it started in 2008 to where it sits now, I’m pretty happy with it. I think every record has been moving forward – each song, the lyrics are all building on each other. It’s nice. This is exactly how I wanted it all to happen.”

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Peaches Long Player By David James Young

H

ow’s this for a lineup: Nick Cave, Beth Orton, Courtney Love, Amy Poehler and Tim Robbins. Just to name a few. Oh, and Peaches, too. All in the name of the late, great Allen Ginsberg. This is the company in which Peaches found herself earlier this month, performing alongside former Saturday Night Live cast member Will Forte as part of a show celebrating the 60th anniversary of Ginsberg’s Howl.

The two did a very strange version of the Ginsberg poem Birdbrain – even stranger given the pair had never met prior to the night in question.

“It was fun for me because I did something out of my comfort zone,” says the woman born Merrill Nisker.

“The song Will and I did is normally more of a punk rock song, but I made a hip hop beat the night before and we just sort of rambled over the top of it. It was done in kind of a beat poetry style, which was really cool. We decided not to plan too much, just see how it went – and it was awesome!”

Peaches is soon to go on tour to promote something new, but it’ll be a different kind of tour to the kind she’s been best known for over the past 15 years. This time, Nisker is headed out on a book tour – it’s called What Else Is In The Teaches Of Peaches, named after the famous line from her breakthrough single ‘Fuck The Pain Away’, and it documents the last halfdecade of her life via the photography of Germany’s Holger Talinski, who first met Nisker back in 2008.

“We’ve been working so long on it, and I was very involved with the edits – the edits themselves took a few years,” Nisker says. “I wanted to have more funny and onstage

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pictures, and he wanted more pictures of me in the corner and me sleeping. The photographer is a skater kid that approached me six years ago to take photos at a show, and he ended up being this really lovely guy. I more or less brought him into my life. He began photographing private moments, live moments, family moments – it was all there.”

For someone best known for her public persona and her extravagance when it comes to costuming and live performance, it’s interesting to note just how Nisker’s guard has lowered at Talinski’s behest, with his entry in on some of the quieter, more intimate moments in her life.

According to Nisker, this is exactly what she wanted out of What Else as a book experience.

“It was funny – I was showing the photos to another performer friend of mine, and more or less the first thing that she noticed was the fact that I didn’t have a lot of make-up on in a lot of the shots,” she says. “‘You look rough!’ I wasn’t sure what kind of response that was, until she added, ‘I love that! I could never do that!’ I think it’s great that this book shows people the private and the public of my life. There’s humanity.

There’s ugliness.”

Peaches returns to Australia in May for the first time in years as part of the Groovin The Moo festivities.

One act on the lineup that she is particularly excited about catching up with is UK megastar Charli XCX, who is at a very different stage of her career than she was when Peaches first encountered her.

“I met Charli when she was maybe 15 years old,” Nisker recalls. “She opened for me about six years ago

at the Royal Festival Hall. It was one of the first shows I ever did in support of my last album [2009’s I Feel Cream]. She was singing songs about Darth Vader and had all these cute costumes. Years later, I get this email from her – she tells me she’s playing in Berlin, so I’m invited along. I couldn’t believe it was the same little girl. I was like, ‘Oooh! Somebody’s had sex and taken drugs!’ She’s an incredible talent and a great songwriter. It’s been amazing to see her grow.”

You can expect all sorts of craziness when Peaches plays at Groovin The Moo as well as a select run of headlining shows. As a live act, she is more or less

unparalleled; a high-energy, wildly unpredictable performer who will give you every last drop of whatever she’s got. One thing not to anticipate, though, is new material – not yet, at least. A few bits and pieces have dropped over the last few years, but the fact remains that we’re now six years without a Peaches album. According to her, that will come to change.

“I like the structure of the album.

Maybe that’s just me being oldschool. I enjoy the process of albums and making videos for every song. I like to see it as an entire body of work – it’s how I use it. I don’t know what the future holds, but maybe I’ll be the artist to

step forward and give the album format one last try.”

Well, if anyone could bring the album back into fashion, it’s her.

“I’m gonna do it,” she drawls, projecting her own headline: “Peaches Brings The Album Back!”

What: Groovin The Moo 2015 With: Charli XCX, Hilltop Hoods, Hermitude, Ball Park Music, You Me At Six and more Where: Maitland Showground When: Saturday May 9 And: Also appearing at The Hi-Fi on Friday May 8

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Baby Animals For Those About To Rock By Shane Pinnegar

W

estern Australian rockers Baby Animals are set to embark on a national tour with The Superjesus under the banner She Who Rocks. From the title of the tour alone, the intentions are clear. Baby Animals frontwoman Suze DeMarchi says the She Who Rocks banner came about after both acts were given their marching orders from the proposed Cheap Trick/The Angels tour earlier this year, which was eventually rejigged with Billy Idol brought in to headline. “[She Who Rocks] was actually a band page that began on Facebook, and it sort of took off and just started gathering a lot of likes and we decided that we would go out under that banner and see what we could do with it, you know?

“The Cheap Trick tour falling through was the beginning of it, I guess,” DeMarchi continues. “We were talking – well a lot of people actually on that site and on our page as well were saying, ‘You guys should tour together instead,’ and we had played before together, so it just kind of gathered weight.”

Baby Animals and The Superjesus together certainly makes for a great double bill, and DeMarchi is looking even further beyond the tour for She Who Rocks collaborations.

“I think it’s two very similar kind of bands, and under that She Who Rocks banner, I mean, it’s something that we could do every year if we wanted to with different bands who just have a female presence in the band.

“I see it as being a potentially ongoing thing. We’ll just see how it goes. It’s nice bringing other people into it, you know?”

There’s no shortage of Australian rock acts with female members – be it all-girl bands

or those with one or two in the lineup – so making up the numbers would pose no problems at all. In fact, the She Who Rocks crew have called for local acts with female members to enter a publicly voted poll to decide who’ll open the upcoming gigs.

“There’s a lot of girls out there playing in rock bands,” says DeMarchi. “Well, it doesn’t have to be rock, but just women who go out there and put themselves out there a bit. We’ll see how this one goes and maybe it’s something that we can do every year.”

After returning from a 20-year hiatus with 2013 comeback album This Is Not The End, DeMarchi reveals Baby Animals are gearing up to enter the studio again later this year.

“That is the plan. We’ve started writing for it, and I’m doing a little project on my own, and then we’ve got the tour in May – and then we’ll be writing pretty much the whole of the year to get ready to record and go to the studio towards the third part of the year.

We want to do another record for sure.

“I feel like we’ve been very lucky in that we had such a long break and when we did come back we found that we had such loyal fans. We’re very, very grateful for that. That’s been cool, that we could come back and we could still do shows and people still loved the music, you know? I think we’ve still got stuff to say and stuff to do and shows to do and there’s a lot to be done still, I feel.”

What: She Who Rocks With: The Superjesus Where: Metro Theatre When: Saturday June 6

Gallows Desolation Sounds By Augustus Welby

T

hey say money talks and bullshit walks.

But that’s not how it is for UK-viaCanada hard rock act Gallows. As far as this quartet’s concerned, both money and bullshit can go to hell.

Earlier this month, Gallows launched their fourth album, Desolation Sounds. Unlike many high-profile rock bands, music isn’t the four members’ primary source of income, and that serves priceless creative benefits.

“Obviously being in a band’s not work, it’s fun,” says guitarist Laurent ‘Lags’ Barnard.

“You get to tour the world and do all that kind of stuff. But sometimes it loses that creative spark that makes you want to do it. A lot of bands I know fall into traps of re-releasing the same record or not changing their sound because that’s what they think will keep them going. Whereas I feel like with Gallows, we’re basically the opposite.”

By virtue of maintaining Gallows’ hobby-like foundation, the band members didn’t burn themselves out touring behind 2012’s selftitled LP. Following the album’s release, they did head out on a global tour, but things slowed down in mid-2013. As a result, come 2014, everyone was enthusiastic about making a new record.

“We were like, ‘How fun would it be to write a new album and just try a few different ideas we’ve always wanted to do?’ and that’s how Desolation Sounds started. As a result, I feel like it’s the most free we’ve all felt making music together.

“It was a chance for us to try out different ideas and it’s nice to know we’ve got an audience,” Barnard adds. “Whether they’re going to accept what we’ve done or these new directions we’ve taken our music in is a different question, but we know they’re going to listen, which is awesome.”

So how does Gallows’ extra autonomy manifest itself on Desolation Sounds? For

the most part, the band stays true to its heavy, aggressive trademark, but there are some notable departures. The most obvious is ‘Bonfire Season’ – an especially melodic, almost anthemic rock number, which also contains a rumbling darkness.

“When I initially wrote the music for that song I was influenced by a lot of post-punk bands like Joy Division, Siouxsie and The Banshees, Killing Joke and The Cure,” Barnard says. “At the same time, getting Wade [MacNeil] to sing on it, there’s a real swampy sound. I can imagine it being used on the True Detective soundtrack or something like that. It’s got a certain kind of Americana, which I really like.”

Straight after ‘Bonfire Season’ comes a gut-punching burst of New York hardcore called ‘Leather Crown’. Rather than a balance-restoring inclusion, Barnard says this juxtaposition is another indication of the band’s no-scruples approach to Desolation Sounds.

“It wasn’t a sense of, ‘If we’re going to water down our music in one place, we’re going to have to make it even heavier somewhere else.’ It was just a case of, ‘We really love this track, let’s make it this way.’ If you listen to the whole album, while there’s different styles and a lot of different ideas crammed into that 30 minutes, there’s a real sense of atmosphere throughout. There’s big soaring guitar sounds and it’s got a real mood to it. Whether we’re playing hard or soft, it’s haunting and weird and it’s exciting.

“From the start, Gallows was a unique band,” he adds. “I don’t feel we’ve ever tried to fit in or align ourselves with a scene or a movement. We came on the scene and we’ve always done what we wanted.

We haven’t tried to pander to anything mainstream.”

What: Desolation Sounds out now through Venn/Double Cross

The Starks Lords Of The Dandenongs By Kelsey Berry

M

aking an album is a big commitment at the best of times, let alone when you’re trying to balance family and work, have two people playing the role of six and are doing the whole project yourself in a garage studio. For Jerome Higgins and Terry Gardiner of Melbourne band The Starks, the road to release for their debut album The Earth & The Ego was no light effort.

“We did it all at home,” says Higgins.

“We built a studio in Terry’s garage up in Mount Dandenong. He was on drums and vocals and I was playing guitar and keyboards. I had a lot of recording gear from being in other bands, so between us we had a whole studio’s worth of equipment.

“Before recording the album, we hadn’t really done much. We both had young families and had hit a stage in our lives where our music had been pushed to the background. We were both still writing a lot of songs, so the album was really just an avenue to get these piles of songs that we had out of our heads.”

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The process started back in 2011, with the pair initially intending to put together an EP. “It’s been a while coming,” explains Higgins. “We finished the record close to a year ago and started recording three years before that.

We’d get together once a fortnight or once a month – whenever we could.

We thought we’d put out an EP and had half a dozen songs mixed, but we ended up scrapping most of those. From that, we decided that we’d knuckle down and try to record a whole album.”

After a three-year recording process, Higgins and Gardiner were left with the task of putting together a live band. The duo was joined by fellow Mount Dandenong local Phil Moyes on drums and two of Higgins’ former bandmates – keyboardist/guitarist Paul Oswald and Tristan Querol on guitar.

The album draws on a range of influences, from Britpop to classic rock. It even features guest vocals from Dallas Crane’s Dave Larkin, who lives around the corner from

the founding members. The Starks have been categorised as playing everything from psychedelic rock to ’70s soul, but Higgins prefers a different label.

“I call it space country,” he laughs.

“That to me evokes some of our influences that haven’t been referenced so much, like Neil Young and Ryan Adams combined with more synth-based stuff like Brian Eno and Roxy Music.”

The band’s influences stretch further than just the musical sphere, sharing a name with a certain fictional family from Winterfell.

“Yeah, the name comes from Game Of Thrones,” laughs Higgins.

“When we were fi nishing the record, we thought, ‘Oh, we better get some photos done.’ Terry’s wife made these awesome jackets – they were these mountain, sort of wolf-like jackets – and we went out and took some photos up at the Mount Dandenong lookout, overlooking the setting sun and the city. It was way too Game Of Thrones – completely unintentional

– but we literally looked like we’d just come out of the northern winter.”

The album was released, quite fittingly, on Monday April 13 – the same day as the Game Of Thrones season five premiere. “Again,

completely unintentional,” laughs Higgins. “Hopefully we got mixed up in a few search terms.”

What: The Earth & The Ego out now independently through Bandcamp thebrag.com

The Audreys Roots In Americana By Adam Norris

“H

oly shit! That would be really fucked!”

We may never have met before, but already I like Taasha Coates a lot.

The Audreys’ frontwoman has just put her four-month-old second child to sleep and found herself facing the unexpected prospect of falling pregnant every time an album tour rolls around.

At least, that seems to have been the pattern so far, and with two albums left on her current record deal she might want to keep the bassinet handy. While Coates has balanced motherhood and music with gusto, my totally reasonable request for a family band is swiftly rebuked.

“I’m gonna say no,” she laughs. “Look, I’m taking your point on board, but I’m going to say no. I think there’s a word for that kind of thing, and that word is ‘exploitation’.”

Coates is a gregarious speaker, and laughs a lot; it’s next to impossible not to be entertained by her musings and odd epiphanies, which serves her well onstage. Yet for a short time, while pregnant with her first child, that inner entertainer had started to slip away.

“I’d been travelling and making music for ten years or more, and when I got pregnant I thought, ‘Here’s my chance to do something different.’ It was either that or macramé,” she laughs. “Until my baby was around six months old I just sat at home, looked after him, went out with the pram for coffee. Basically did all of that stuff you see mums do. And I didn’t really miss performing … at first.

“It’s such a nomadic life, being a musician; it’s quite rootless. I really enjoyed the complete opposite. But then I got persuaded to go along to the ARIAs. I was being a real grump about it, but my manager convinced me I’d regret it if I didn’t. So I squeezed myself into a frock, and we won! And of course

you get this massive buzz, and I got to hang out with all of my musician friends who I hadn’t seen, and I realised I’d totally forgotten about this whole other side of myself. Soon after, we did this festival that we’d booked ages ago, because festivals have such a long lead-up of course, and I found myself onstage thinking, ‘Why on earth have I agreed to this? I don’t even know who the person who would get up and sing in front of people is anymore.’ But of course I snapped right back into the persona and realised, ‘Shit! I really love it!’”

Having won the ARIA for Best Blues and Roots Album for each of The Audreys’ first three releases (and picked up the nomination for current album, ’Til My Tears Roll Away), if Coates had indeed decided to stay away from the ceremony that night, our musical landscape may well have turned out that much poorer. To that end, however, establishing just what exactly is Australia’s blues and roots scene is no simple task.

“You’re not very objective with your own music,” Coates says. “You might have an idea of what you want to sound like, but you might not actually sound anything like that at all. We went to the Americana Music Festival in Nashville last year, and interestingly, Americana in America is actually quite narrow. I talked to some people about it and they said that because there’s so much radio in America, all of the stations and all of the music magazines become quite specialised. That then starts to narrow the definition of certain music. I was complaining to them that I found the folk scene in Australia quite restrictive sometimes. There were these ideas of how you were supposed to sound, and if you went out of that, people start asking you to explain yourself. But people told me that it’s exactly the same in America. I mean, if I had to pick a genre, Americana is

wed

However you style it, the songs are superb – dark, soulful and catchy.

Coates shares writing duties with guitarist Tristan Goodall, and while there are a multitude of artists out there who struggle to find the right synchronicity with a collaborator, within The Audreys it is as natural as drawing breath.

“Tristan comes to my house and stays for a week, and he’s there every freakin’

morning for breakfast, every night after dinner. So a lot of work gets done, or at least, a lot of work gets talked about being done. I’ve found collaborating hard with other people. Tristan and I just work, for whatever reason. Part of it is having done it for so long there’s no ego involved, no-one is putting out an idea and being precious about it. If Tristan says he doesn’t like something, I’m not going to go, ‘Well, fuuuuuck you.’

I’ll more likely say, ‘Yeah, you’re right, it is a bit shit.’ It’s usually quite a fun process. And we tend to get stuck at the same time, too. We have a good flow. We’re like two halves of one songwriter, so there’s no competitiveness. It’s organic. Oh, fuck!”

Coates cries, laughing again. “I hate that word, ‘organic’. Let’s just pretend I never said that.”

Deal.

What: Kidgeeridge Music Festival 2015 With: You Am I, Mark Seymour & The Undertow, Adalita, Lior and more Where: Milton Showground When: Friday May 1 – Saturday May 2 And: ’Til My Tears Roll Away out now through ABC/Universal

thu

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what I would probably feel most aligned to, whatever you call it here. Whether that’s blues and roots, folk – whatever people want to call it, I’m happy to be playing it.”

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San Cisco Mexican Waves By Bob Gordon

I

n support of their recently released second LP, Gracetown, San Cisco are ready to step out on their latest national tour. Alongside the headline dates, they’ll play on the Groovin The Moo circuit around the country, and have just joined the Splendour In The Grass lineup for 2015. For the moment, however, drummer Scarlett Stevens is “in a hotel in the middle of nowhere, in Amsterdam”.

This is certainly no holiday. The Perth youngsters are in the midst of a European tour, following on from a very successful US visit that included a performance at Mexico’s Vive Latino Festival.

“Mexico was insane,” says Stevens. “It was like a big-scale festival. We had a big crowd and that was really nice, but the thing that kind of blew our mind was the signing that we did at a record store the next day. The line was going down the street and around the block.

It took like two-and-a-half hours to meet everyone. The fans there are so passionate and affectionate. They bring you letters and fan art. The level of enthusiasm from the fans was crazy.

“I haven’t seen that anywhere else. We meet fans all over the world but we’ve never had anything on that scale. Their energy! Maybe it’s the South American way [sic], they’re just so vibrant and enthusiastic – they want to kiss and hug you.”

And sing to you as well. San Cisco’s Mexican followers sung along to the songs from the new album quite joyously.

“It was pretty surreal,” Stevens says. “I don’t know how, because I don’t think the album had been released yet, but they knew the words.”

it’s a bit more dancey, four-to-the-floor.

It kicks in and has a really big sound … it works well at gigs. ‘Bitter Winter’ goes well – people sing along to that.”

Beyond Mexico, San Cisco’s US headline shows were also a success – so much so that they’ll be returning Stateside for a bigger jaunt in June.

The band’s bass player, Nick Gardner, has been absent from this tour, having injured his foot in a shooting accident on a farm (ironically, filling in for him is Jenny Aslett from Fremantle friends Gunns). Still, Gardner has kept in touch while all this fun’s been going on.

“We sold out both New York shows and the Troubadour in LA and they were all really fun shows. We’d been at South by Southwest just before, so we were a little bit run-down, but they were really great, fun shows.”

Despite the band’s relative youth, San Cisco are already well versed in the art of touring – so Stevens realises that ‘run-down’ may as well mean ‘keep running’.

“We’d all gotten a bit of flu at the time we went to New York, but we all had our heads in the game, I think. We were well rehearsed from SXSW, so the New York shows ended up being the best ones on the tour.”

San Cisco have been playing roughly half of the Gracetown album on their international tour dates, with the global response approaching Mexican levels of positivity.

“We’re playing ‘About You’, ‘Bitter Winter’, ‘Snow’, ‘Wash It All Away’, ‘Run’ and ‘Too Much Time Together’,” Stevens says. “That’s it for now.

They’re sounding good. I think ‘Too Much Time Together’ is a fun one for the crowds, seeing as it’s the single as well. ‘Snow’ goes down really well;

“Yeah, we have heard from him,” says Stevens. “He’s been organising some stuff for our next tour, the Groovin The Moo tour. Logistical things on the production front. Hopefully it’ll all be ready when we get home so we can start rehearsing.”

So he’s just about fit to return? “Yeah, apparently he’s walking and driving now,” Stevens says. “He’s just got a scabby bit on his foot – that’s really gross. I don’t think he’ll be dancing a lot, but he’ll be present. He should never have had a gun in the first place!”

What: Gracetown out now through Island City With: Crooked Colours, Methyl Ethyl Where: Enmore Theatre When: Saturday May 30 And: Also appearing at Groovin The Moo, Maitland Showground, Saturday May 9; and Splendour In The Grass, North Byron Parklands, Friday July 24 – Sunday July 26

Opeth Communion Rites By Peter Hodgson doesn’t mean the ‘classic’ tracks will now have lush vocal harmonies instead of growls when they’re played live.

“Basically we stay very true to the originals for the older material,” Åkesson says. “And of course we want to do the same with the new stuff. One thing we’ve started to do on the gear side of things is we’ve started using PRS guitars with Piezo pickups, which allow us to replicate the sound of acoustic guitars. That’s been a real big thing for our live sound because the older material often switches quite quickly between a full, distorted sound and an acoustic guitar with fingerpicking. That’s been really good for the sound. It works really great for the new stuff and the old stuff as well. It puts it into another dimension live because we’re not using a clean electric guitar sound for the acoustic parts. It’s much closer to the real deal.”

S

weden’s Opeth have always pushed the boundaries of heavy music. Once upon a time nobody else sounded like them, with their blend of virtuosolevel instrumental chops applied to progressive metal forms and capped off with death metal vocals.

But by the time everyone started to catch on, Opeth changed their sound. Whether driven by a need to be one step ahead of their imitators or simply because that’s where their creative muse has taken them, the band’s two most recent albums (Heritage and Pale Communion) have been dramatic departures from their earlier sound.

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Aussie audiences have always been particularly receptive to Opeth, no matter where their sonic direction takes them. “I believe this is my fifth tour with Opeth in Australia,” says guitarist Fredrik Åkesson. “I think we came down two times with each of the last two albums.”

There’s something very Laurel Canyon occultist about the sound

of Opeth today, with jazzy drums, fusion-inspired guitar lines and lush vocal harmonies. As frontman Mikael Åkerfeldt explained upon Pale Communion’s release, “A lot of metal fans might be sad to hear that I went into old man’s rock territory. I was listening to Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and I was introduced to David Crosby by Steven Wilson who played me his first solo record, and obviously he was in The Byrds and he’s a master of vocal harmonies. I picked up on that and there was a time when I was writing this record where I figured I wanted to do harmony vocals all the way through. Like, only harmony vocals.”

Fans of Opeth’s earlier sound needn’t fear: the lack of death vocals on the last two albums

“I have a few amps,” he understates with a wry smile. “I have the JVM Joe Satriani Marshall, which works really good. I have quite a few guitars. I bought a Gibson Les Paul Junior from 1955 a while back.

The latest guitar I picked up was a Japanese ’72 Fender Stratocaster reissue and it’s fun to play that around the house, but I mainly play my PRSes. I also have a 1972 Gibson SG. I was born in 1972 and it sounds brilliant, that guitar.” Åkesson has an extensive musical education and is able to integrate

complex music theory into his work without coming off sounding like a music school robot. “I started playing violin as a kid before I started playing guitar,” he says. “I wasn’t totally into it but it was probably good training for the guitar.

I started that when I was six, seven years old or something. I bought my first guitar when I was about ten and in the beginning it was just a few chords and a few riffs from AC/ DC, mainly. Then after a while it was guys like Gary Moore, Michael Schenker, Yngwie Malmsteen, Ritchie Blackmore, Tony Iommi, Adrian Smith. That evoked my interest and I started practising a lot more. By the time I was 15 or 16 I was practising eight hours a day.

I’m still trying to come back to that state! Some days I can do it. But you have kids and you have more stuff to do and more responsibilities.

But on the road I have more hours to kill so I try to play a lot more.

You can always get better, you know? That’s why it’s so fun playing guitar. I try to maintain that hungry 16-year-old-boy kind of attitude.”

What: Pale Communion out now through Roadrunner/Warner With: Sleepmakeswaves Where: Enmore Theatre When: Sunday May 3 Xxx

Some corners of the fan base outright rejected the new style.

Others found themselves loving Opeth even more for bringing those

progressive influences to the fore – not the progressive metal sound, but good old-fashioned ’70s-style progressive rock à la Mahavishnu Orchestra, Rainbow and Yes. Australian fans will get to hear how Pale Communion fits in with the overall Opeth catalogue this May when the band visits for a handful of shows.

While Åkerfeldt was ready to share his vocal influences when the album dropped, Åkesson – like many guitarists – remains quite gear-focused; he has a signature guitar model out through PRS, and likes to collect interesting gear.

In the studio he uses Marshall’s signature Yngwie Malmsteen amplifier – another Swedish guitar virtuoso who is touring Australia soon – and is always looking for unique new sounds.

“I started playing violin as a kid before I started playing guitar. I wasn’t totally into it but it was probably good training for the guitar.”

thebrag.com

Album Reviews

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

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

ALBUM OF THE WEEK CD OF THE WEEK

The Sydney quartet takes pole position with a striking debut.

MILLENCOLIN True Brew Epitaph/Warner

It felt like the end of the road for a minute. Millencolin’s last LP, 2008’s Machine 15, was decried as their worst ever, and the beloved Swedes more or less retreated with tail betwixt legs. They later re-emerged with a tour celebrating worldwide breakthrough Pennybridge Pioneers, which subsequently allowed them to reconnect with what made them such a standout band to begin with.

They return with True Brew, which may well be the best LP they have made since Pennybridge. The mojo is very much back in swing, with the band returning to sharp riffs, all-encompassing choruses and a briskness that may not even allow for the phrase “wham, bam, thank you ma’am” to pass through in its entirety. Highlights include the title track, ‘Sense & Sensibility’ and the explosive opener ‘Egocentric Man’.

They serve as exceptional takes on the foundations Millencolin have built up in 20-plus years together, amazingly sounding neither tired nor like a cowardly retreat into familiar territory.

Against the odds, the Örebo natives have revived themselves and kicked down the idea of their dream ending anytime soon. You’ll be singing along to True Brew before you’ve even finished your first listen.

GANG OF YOUTHS The Positions Sony

beat and slowly builds toward an uplifting tempo change.

One of the first singles from the album, ‘Poison Drum’ is reminiscent of early Kings Of Leon and catchy as hell.

‘The Diving Bell’ is much slower in comparison, adding keys and new amp effects to keep it fresh.

There’s an awful lot to like about talented Sydney outfit Gang Of Youths. The lads already have a reputation for constructing impressive live shows, and they recently made the news when one member got himself mysteriously trapped between two doors. But hey, any press is good press.

‘Kansas’ opens with a simple string backing behind Leaupepe’s vocals; it’s a nice and fairly unexpected change of pace. The band experiments with a huge range of instruments and configurations, which really has to be commended.

Their debut album, The Positions, confirms the band as one of Australia’s most exciting and talented acts. It’s a powerful mix of drum-heavy rhythms, varied instrumentals and raw vocals from lead singer David Leaupepe. At over seven minutes long, ‘Vital Signs’ is a surprisingly lengthy opening track. It kicks things off with a pounding drum

The album finishes strong with ‘Sjamboksa’, a slowbuilding rock anthem, and ‘The Overpass’, which is more in line with what we heard at the beginning. All in all, it’s a tight package.

Chris Bright

PAUL MAC

PITT THE ELDER

THE TANGO SALOON

TUXEDO

Holiday From Me Eleven: A Music Company

At The End Of The Day Independent/Bandcamp

Suspicion Romero

Tuxedo Stones Throw/Inertia

Things don’t get off to a flying start on Paul Mac’s first solo LP in a decade. As a matter of fact, the first 90 seconds are a glitchy, buggedout mess – you will never wish to hear the words “echo” or “brain” ever again in your life.

It’s super easy to like Melbourne’s Pitt The Elder – not to be confused, of course, with the man Wade Boggs thought to be the greatest Prime Minister in Britain’s history.

Not only do you connect with their straightforward, fat-trimmed take on melodic punk, you feel as though you’d get along with them as people, too.

Describing themselves as an “experimental tango band”, Sydneybased combo The Tango Saloon cheerfully combine elements from a variety of genres such as tango, dark indie rock and jazz on their fourth album, Suspicion.

Like a throwback to ’80s white boy funksters, Tuxedo are Mayer Hawthorne and Jake One. They’re smoother than a velvet glove and their music is a soupedup Philadelphia sound with upfront bass, synthesiser and programming. These run in tandem with the safe funk strands of a less revolutionary-sounding Simply Red.

Thankfully, business picks up substantially beyond this minor trip-up – the famed Sydney producer has come out of exile with a batch of boisterous, bubbling and occasionally brilliant popflirting dance tracks. The guestlist is smartly arranged and expertly drafted – former Faker frontman Nathan Hudson plays the nervous fodder to the extroverted Brendan Maclean in the adorable back-andforth duet ‘FAQ’, while Dappled Cities’ Tim Derricourt holds – ahem – court on the disco-friendly ‘Anechoic’. It’s also a smart move to place both collaborations from Sydney siren Ngaiire back-to-back in the middle of the tracklist – it serves as both a change of pace and a showcase of one of the city’s finest talents.

There’s no ‘Just The Thing’ on Holiday From Me, but that’s actually what makes it such a strong release. It’s not interested in retreading common ground – there’s a whole new world out there to dance through.

There’s something instantly accessible and relatable about how the band goes about writing songs and what the band sings about, respectively. We’ve all dealt with the arsehole in ‘Always Waiting’, or struggled with the direction of life the way that ‘Who’s On First’ and ‘Cliffy Byro’ suggest.

You’re more than aware that you’re being told things you already know, but it’s the lament and the empathy that strike the loudest chord on At The End Of The Day. It’s a forthright and blunt record – it quite literally takes some of the tracks less than 60 seconds to get their points across.

Don’t we all need a friend like that from time to time? One who cuts through the bullshit and calls it like they see it? Pitt The Elder could be that friend for you.

David James Young

David James Young

With an arresting CD cover that looks like an eye-catching movie poster, Suspicion proves to be suitably filmic in scope and atmosphere. Like the best movies, the album features plenty of twists and turns, such as the unexpected, yet strategically positioned explosion of impassioned lead guitar that ignites the enigmatic title track. Lead singer Elana Stone brings great drama to the haunting and quietly intense ‘Shadow Of A Dead Man’, which manages to sound epic and decidedly widescreen despite its brevity.

One of the many highlights of this addictive album is the sheer richness and breadth of the music.

There’s something deeply satisfying about immersing yourself in a sonic journey that encompasses guitar, synths, organ, viola, trumpet, castanets, alto sax, trombone, drums, accordion, bass, vibraslap, tambourine, vibraphone, piano, tuba, shaker, triangle, congas and (would you believe) tubular bell.

It’s ambition on a Hollywood scale, and it works.

David James Young

Aside from frequently bastardising the English language, the slick production should ensure they get a satisfactory amount of airplay on less critical radio stations. A heady mix of Sylvester, Sade and Edwin Starr, Tuxedo make an elegant slide into a stately kind of funk and deliberately embark on a retro grand tour. It’s a return to action in the name of an idea rather than the application of individual thought to an imagined bohemia. ‘R U Ready’ and ‘Get U Home’ have elements of chauvinism that cannot be pitied or protected, although a degree of redemption is provided by ‘Watch The Dance’ and ‘Tuxedo Groove’.

Tuxedo display an obvious and substantial talent, albeit one which is inherently confined by rigid boundaries and repeated themes. It’s pretty and listenable, but has the lasting effect of painting a watercolour in the rain.

Bronius Zumeris

Graham Blackley

INDIE ALBUM OF THE WEEK Comprehensive art exhibitions can often be somewhat denigrating to the individual works. Beholding 30 Picasso paintings in a single viewing, it’s difficult to soak up the full effect of any one in particular.

This doesn’t really apply to albums, but some artists’ compositions are definitely worth seizing in their singular purity. Thunderegg’s C’Mon Thunder was one of last year’s standout indie-pop records, and the brainchild of San Francisco’s Will Georgantas is back with the twosong EP, Ten Sleeves/Big Cigarette.

THUNDEREGG Ten Sleeves/Big Cigarette Independent/Bandcamp

thebrag.com

For the title track, foggy guitar effects build a spacious yet compact environment for Georgantas to cryptically elaborate on his hypersentimentality. This tendency is artfully summed up by the lyric “I

deceive no-one / Five layers, ten sleeves, and my heart bleeds on every one”. ‘Big Cigarette’ comes next, with a lazy polka beat and tidy country guitar licks providing a restful platform for Georgantas to paint a tale of doomed love. These lovers aren’t just doomed toward relative destruction, but also stuck in a repetitive cycle. Essentially – like a cigarette smoker – they can see things ain’t right, but just can’t let go.

Ten Sleeves/Big Cigarette helps restate Georgantas’ place on the crooked podium that houses Guided By Voices’ Robert Pollard and The Mountain Goats’ John Darnielle.

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

ARCHITECTURE IN HELSINKI - Places Like This VARIOUS - Brownswood Bubblers Ten THE BEATLES - Revolver

THE CURE - Pornography BLUR - Think Tank

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PRESENTS

“The most intimate rock doc ever” - ROLLING STONE

IN CINEMAS FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY 7 MAY 2015 Copyright © 2015 End of Movie, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

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WWW.COBAINFILM.COM

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T H E B R A G ’ S G U I D E T O W H AT ’ S O N

Saturday april 25

The Friend In Hand

The Annandale Hotel

What to see and do: Live music Friday, two-up Saturday and more music Sunday arvo. See colourful characters and weirdos of Glebe, meet Georgie the cockatoo. The pub’s like a scene from One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest!

It’s called: ANZAC Day Neighbourhood Block Party

For our ears: Friday April 24, 7:30pm: Pat Byrne, a great, talented muso. Saturday April 25: Glebe’s best two-up from 1pm, complete with a few diggers! Saturday April 26, 6:15pm: live music from Jamie Haffey, you’ll have a hoot.

Bevvy of choice: You name it, we’ve got it!

Getting in the ANZAC spirit: Play the great Aussie game of two-up within the surrounds of the Friend In Hand and its characters.

Two-up tips: Heads is a winner every time… I think?!

Cost: Two-up is absolutely free.

Where: 58 Cowper St, Glebe When: Friday April 24 – Sunday April 26

Workers Bar And Kitchen It’s called: ANZAC Day at the Workers

What to see and do: Miss Penny D will be hosting tranny two-up from 2pm to add some spice to the age old tradition.

For our ears: Live acoustic guitar with our own Heath from 6-9pm and DJs when the sun goes down till 3am.

Bevvy of choice: Tinnies of Fosters and schooners of Resch’s.

Getting in the ANZAC spirit: Prepare yourselves for some action and get your gamblin’ butts alongside Miss Penny D for an unforgettable afternoon of glitter and beer – what more could you want?!

Cost: Free entry, open till late. Once you have worked yourself up an appetite we’ve got you covered with an all-American style menu, teeming with only finger lickin’ goodness.

Where: Level 1, 292 Darling St, Balmain When: Saturday April 25, doors open at noon

Marlborough Hotel It’s called: ANZAC Day at the Marly

What to see and do: Two-up from midday, bands from 6pm and $6 snags on a roll!

For our ears: Live rock’n’roll covers bands from 6pm.

Bevvy of choice: Can’t ever go past a Resch’s or a local beer in Young Henrys’ Newtowner.

Getting in the ANZAC spirit: Beer and snag in hand and two-up in the public bar of a pub in the heart of Newtown.

Two-up tips: For good luck smooch up to our spinners, Kent and Benny on the day!

Cost: Free entry. Awesome pub meals, great selection of beers and $6 snags on a roll.

Where: The Marlborough Hotel, 145 King St, Newtown When: Saturday April 25

What to see and do: We’re holding a Neighbourhood Block Party for everyone in the area to get involved and to celebrate the centenary. Bring your family, your neighbours and your mates to the Annandale Hotel on ANZAC Day! Our Neighbourhood Block Party is a chance to get together as a community, a day for the Inner West to congregate and celebrate, which isn’t something that happens often – and what better reason than the centenary? There will be local craft beers, an all-day Aussie BBQ, great tunes… and it wouldn’t be ANZAC Day without two-up, right?

For our ears: We’ve got awesome tunes lined up for the day with some of our favourite local bluegrass bands set to take the stage. The live bands kick off from 2pm with Lucky Luke And His Shooting Stars. There will also be sets from Big Blind Ray, Laura and The Blackjacks and our headliners Green Mohair Suits. Their fun and innovative take on country, folk and bluegrass music gets the crowd up and moving every time!

Bevvy of choice: We’ll be serving Bloody Marys all day as per usual at the Annandale, they’re our favourite. We’ve also got some great local craft beers on offer, but it wouldn’t be ANZAC Day without raising a VB schooie to the diggers!

Getting in the ANZAC spirit: We’re picking Green Mohair Suits as the standout of the day, but the whole block party vibe is something that will be pretty special.

Two-up tips: We’re torn… we know everyone usually sticks to the tip ‘tails never fails in New South Wales’, but for us it’s ‘go early, go hard, go heads!’

Cost: Free – it’s a neighbourhood block party. We just want everyone to get together and get involved!

Where: 17 Parramatta Rd, Annandale When: Saturday April 25, open from 8am

Martin Place Bar Toxteth Hotel What to see and do: Two-up from midday until 6pm, hosted by ‘Magic’ Dave.

For our ears: Live music in the yard from 4pm with The Angry Scotsmen.

Bevvy of choice: Beer, beer and more beer.

Getting in the ANZAC spirit : You’ll be bragging about your two-up winnings on Monday for sure!

Two-up tips: It’s definitely going to be either heads or tails.

Cost: No entry fee and our deliciously tasty menu is available as always, as well as a spit roast in the yard.

Where: 345 Glebe Point Rd, Glebe When: Saturday April 25 from 10am

The Nag’s Head Hotel

What to see and do: Located in prime position for the dawn service proceedings in Martin Place and as one of Sydney’s much-loved CBD stalwarts, Martin Place Bar will be hosting a Diggers’ Breakfast BBQ from 6-10am on the alfresco terrace, boarding the iconic Martin Place forecourt, featuring free-range bacon and egg rolls and gourmet sausage sandwiches on Sonoma Bakery sourdough ($7 each). The bar will be in full operation offering a vast selection of wines, beers and spirits throughout the day. Following on from breakfast, a tailored bistro favourites menu will be on offer between 10am and 2pm featuring items such as Martin Place Bar’s delicious free-range chicken schnitzel and pot pies.

For our ears: Great Aussie favourites and party tunes throughout the day followed by Candelaria, the finest Latin party in the evening from 8pm.

Bevvy of choice: It’s ANZAC Day, so pretty much everything. Martin Place Bar features a large selection of local, international and craft beers and ciders available on tap and bottled, spirits and a noteworthy wine list boasting an array of cellar-aged Australian wines.

Getting in the ANZAC spirit: Prime location boarding the Martin Place ANZAC Day proceedings, killer B&Es from the Martin Place Bar Terrace BBQ and of course the large array of beers on tap.

Two-up tips: Heads!

What to see and do: We will be celebrating the ANZACs with two-up from 12pm on Saturday followed by an open mic night on Sunday to keep the festivities going.

Cost: Free entry, $6 B&Es and sausage sandwiches Where: 51 Martin Place, Sydney When: Saturday April 25, 6am – late

Bevvy of choice: The best drink for the day would be any one of our refreshingly cold beers on tap. If you do like a good ol’ drink special, try the $15 Tooheys New jugs and $5 house vodkas all day everyday.

Getting in the ANZAC spirit: The bragging rights will be for the few that end up on top after playing two-up all day.

Two-up tips: Always go heads!

Cost: Zilch, it’s a free event – it will only cost you as much as you lose on two-up.

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We’re offering a great food special with a $20 Pie’n’Pint deal – any of our delicious house-made pies with a pint of Tooheys New. Where: 162 St Johns Rd, Glebe When: Saturday April 25 and Sunday April 26 – bar opens at 9am on Saturday and 10am on Sunday

thebrag.com

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

arts in focus

stephen k amos Stephen K Amos photo by James Penlides

this charming man

also inside:

NORTHERN SOUL / HARLEY BREEN / NOEL FIELDING / TOM BALLARD / NEWS / GIVEAWAY / REVIEWS thebrag.com

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arts in focus

free stuff head to: thebrag.com/freeshit

arts news...what's goin' on around town... with Meggan Turner, Chris Martin and Ayla Dhyani

MICHAEL WORKMAN

five minutes WITH KATIE

POLLOCK, WRITER OF BLUE ITALIAN/NIL BY SEA

Blue Italian

Y

our plays Blue Italian and Nil By Sea are showing as a double bill at Leichhardt Town Hall. What links the two pieces?

Although they were written a long time apart, they are actually intended as companion pieces.

They both deal with themes of

exile and belonging, the journeys people take, either out of curiosity or desperation, and the question of what makes somewhere a home.

What is it that stands out to make each a separate play?

Nil By Sea was inspired by a

You’ve not only written for theatre, but also for radio. How did you catch the writing bug?

I’ve always written – as a child I used to type up and paste together my own magazines – and I’ve always done theatre, so it was only a matter of time before I started writing plays.

Where else do you find your inspiration – from politics,

culture or individuals in your life?

I get lots of ideas from current affairs and news, lots of anger from politics and lots of support from people around me.

How engaging do you find the Sydney theatre scene at the moment?

Very. The problem of affordable spaces is starting to be solved through pop-ups and innovative support such as Leichhardt Council’s Site & Sound season, which this show is part of. But there’s always room for more new Australian plays, of course!

What: Blue Italian/Nil By Sea Where: Leichhardt Town Hall When: Wednesday April 29 – Sunday May 17

Now, he’ll be heading to Newtown to perform at the Enmore Theatre from Tuesday April 28 – Saturday May 2 and again from Thursday May 7 – Sunday May 10. For your chance to score one of five double passes to his show on Wednesday April 29, head to thebrag.com/ freeshit.

Michael Workman

xxx

news story about a refugee who stowed away to London in the wheel arch of a plane but fell out as it came down to land. The play looks at his motivations and the effect of his death on the community in the street where he landed. Blue Italian comes from a more personal space, drawing on my own migration story. They are stylistically different too, through their physicality and language.

Imagine a comedy show that’s described as a ‘love letter’, telling unconventional tales of love and sometimes the utter lack thereof. We Have Fun Don’t We is exactly that show. It’s a show that up-and-coming comedian Michael Workman has admitted he’s scared to perform, but for all the right reasons.

Within his first six months of gigging, Workman won the national Raw Comedy competition and took the stage at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Jean Paul Gaultier by Pierre et Gilles

Ruben Guthrie

SYDNEY FILM FESTIVAL OPENING NIGHT

The 62nd Sydney Film Festival will open this June with the world premiere of an Australian film, Ruben Guthrie.

Ruben Guthrie is the directorial debut of Brendan Cowell, one of Australia’s most recognisable actors and screenwriters. Starring the likes of Patrick Brammall, Alex Dimitiades and Abbey Lee, the film is an adaptation of Cowell’s own Belvoir Street Theatre production. Fittingly, the film focuses on a party-loving Sydney advertising man seeking to turn over a new leaf. The news follows the earlier teaser announcement of the first films to appear on the 2015 Sydney Film Festival program. The full list of around 200 films will be revealed on Wednesday May 6. Ruben Guthrie will open Sydney Film Festival 2015 on Wednesday June 3 at the State Theatre.

The Enemy In Sight by Septimus Power

MAD THROUGH THE DARKNESS

To mark the 100th anniversary of the ANZAC landing at Gallipoli, the Art Gallery of NSW is hosting the Mad Through The Darkness: Australian Artists And The Great War exhibition.

The exhibition includes works by official Australian war artists including Will Dyson, George W. Lambert, Arthur Streeton, Fred Leist and Septimus Power, who were assigned the task of creating a visual record of Australian forces in action. The exhibit will run from Sunday April 26 – Friday October 9.

Blackmarket

YOU BETTER, YOU BETTER, YOU BETH

Up-and-coming American comedian Beth Stelling will bring her stand-up to Australia later this year. Stelling has become a frequent guest on late-night televison of late, appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live, The Pete Holmes Show, Chelsea Lately and Conan. Stelling has also performed at numerous comedy festivals and comedy clubs, written for Comedy Central and MTV, released an album and was a contributing writer for the play Five Lesbians Eating A Quiche. Catch Stelling at Giant Dwarf on Saturday July 4.

The Other Art Fair was launched in London in 2011 as a platform for emerging artists across the world to showcase and sell their work. After eight successful fairs in England, The Other Art Fair will be launching its first international exhibition in Sydney in September. The event aims to attract a wide variety of creatives with an interest and a passion for art. Applications are open for interested artists now. The Other Art Fair will take place from Thursday September 10 – Sunday September 13, on the same dates as the Sydney Contemporary Art Fair. For details, check out theotherartfair.com.

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The 2015 edition of Head On Photo Festival is set to showcase some of the most talented photographers in Australia and internationally. Over 50 exhibitions will be presented during the month-long festival in May. Audiences will be spoilt for choice with a wide variety of subjects to choose from.

Georges Pacheco’s Amalthée features a variety of mothers from diverse backgrounds breastfeeding their children, and explores the universality of such an act. Nic Bezzina’s Cam Girls explores women’s capabilities to restructure the culture around them.

Sandro Miller’s Malkovich, Malkovich, Malkovich: Homage To Photographic Masters, is a curious recreation of many iconic images, in which actor John Malkovich replaces the subject.

Head On Photo Festival will be taking place at a number of different galleries and other locations around Sydney from Friday May 1 – Sunday May 31.

For more details, visit headon.com.au.

THE MERCHANT OF VENICE BLACKMARKET ON SYDNEY’S STREETS

Experimental arts organisation Performance Space and media art renegades PVI Collective have partnered with the City of Sydney to present Blackmarket, a participatory work that takes place in the streets of Sydney. Blackmarket resembles a video game, but make no mistake – it’s real life. The work is an urban role-playing game, set around a global financial crisis in a fictional world. Players, or hustlers, are forced to trade their possessions in a black market economy in order to survive the night. Participants will be set loose in the city, peddling their wares and meeting with shadowy figures down dark alleyways, all in an attempt to equip themselves with skills for the uncertain future. Blackmarket will take place over four nights from Wednesday May 27 – Saturday June 6. For more information, check out performancespace.com.au.

One of Shakespeare’s masterpieces, The Merchant Of Venice, will be brought to life in Sydney this May. The controversial play explores the themes of risk and money, love and friendship, justice and mercy and hate crimes and religious intolerance. Though branded as a comedy, The Merchant Of Venice is rife with drama, danger and intelligence. Sport For Jove’s take on the play will be directed by Richard Cottrell, the legendary theatremaker with over 60 years’ experience in directing Shakespeare.

The Merchant Of Venice will play at the Riverside Theatres from Thursday May 7 – Saturday May 16 and the Seymour Centre from Friday May 22 – Saturday May 30. thebrag.com

Blackmarket photo by Lucy Parakhina

THE OTHER ART FAIR

HEAD ON PHOTO FESTIVAL

Noel Fielding [COMEDY] The Boy From The Boosh By Tyson Wray and Nick Taras

I

n 2000, the little-known UK comedy troupe The Boosh (who would later be known as The Mighty Boosh) took Australia by storm. The group, comprising Noel Fielding and Julian Barratt alongside Rich Fulcher, was performing its stage show Arctic Boosh at the 14th incarnation of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. The show saw Fielding and Barratt play postmen, and became the underground hit of the festival – as well as providing the loose basis of the Tundra episode of The Mighty Boosh television series. The Boosh’s penchant for mind-boggling surrealism and piercing dark humour ended up scoring them the festival’s prestigious Barry Award, named after Barry Humphries. 15 years later, Noel Fielding is back in Australia and performing at the Sydney Comedy Festival.

“Was it really 15 years ago?” laughs the affable Brit, mixing a tablespoon of milk into his tea. “I remember that after we won the Barry Award, about two years after, I actually saw Barry Humphries. I went up to him and told him that we had won the Barry, and he was like, ‘Is there such a thing?’ He had never heard of it. I was like, ‘Well, this is good. This is all bullshit!’ He asked what it entitled us to and I told him, ‘It means we get to keep you for a week.’”

Arctic Boosh was the second of three stage shows created by The Boosh. After working on Stewart Lee’s show King Dong Vs. Moby Dick at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Fielding and Barratt debuted their first self-titled show at the Oranje Boom Boom comedy club in London. When that show reached Edinburgh, it won them the Perrier Best Newcomer Award.

Until then, The Boosh was never intended to become a long-term project, with both parties assuming they would return to their solo stand-up not long after.

“We always thought we’d make one show and that’d be the end of it,”

says Fielding. “But after we won the Perrier, everyone was telling us that we had to do another, which we did and brought it to Melbourne and won the Barry, and then we made a radio show that won the Douglas Adams Award. We won loads. It was manic. We always thought we’d do a couple of years together and go our separate ways. We went from stages to the radio show to television to live shows. It went on and on.”

Following their snowballing success, in 2004 The Mighty Boosh transformed into the cult television series Fielding is best known for, and which eventually became a live concert in 2006. “On the first tour we didn’t really know if anyone actually liked the show,” says Fielding. “Well, you do roughly, but ratings can be quite misleading. But once we started touring and we’d see people dressed up as the characters we were all like, ‘Fuck! People actually like this show.’ Halfway through that tour we had to start doing bigger gigs and adding extra shows.

“On the second tour, we sold out a year in advance. We were performing in arenas and we had Marilyn Manson’s tour bus. I remember when we were doing a show at the O2 [in London], which is like 15,000 people. We were all, ‘This is ridiculous. There’s a been a mistake, there’s been an admin error!’ It was like being in The Rolling Stones. And we partied hard.

We gave fucking Fleetwood Mac a run for their money. We partied every night. We’d get up just before soundcheck, do the show, and then go out again. It was crazy. I encountered everyone from Pete Doherty to Courtney Love, Kate Moss to Amy Winehouse, bless her.”

Since the days of The Mighty Boosh, Fielding has gone on to become a permanent team captain on the BBC Two music/comedy panel program Never Mind The Buzzcocks, and currently writes and appears as the central character on the television show Noel Fielding’s

“We always thought we’d make one show and that’d be the end of it.”

Luxury Comedy. However, he doesn’t rule out the possibility of a Boosh reunion of some form in the future.

“The only thing that we never did was a film, which I really regret,” he says. “We do still talk about doing that, but it’s just hard to get the right time when we’re both free.

It’d take a year to write it, a year to get the money, a year to film it, a year to edit. That’s four years of our lives. I mean, that’s a long time. I hope that’s something we get to do someday, though, because then we will have done everything that we wanted to.”

Fielding’s festival show, An Evening With Noel Fielding, sees him appearing in another guise altogether. “My brother [Mike Fielding] is in the show and so is my good friend Tom [Meeten], who is also in The Boosh,” he says.

“So there’s three of us. It’s like a little gang. I’ve always liked little gangs. There’s animation, stand-up, sketches, improv and some music that I did with Serge [Pizzorno] from Kasabian. I play some of my characters; we take someone from the audience and put them into an animation. There’s a lot of weird ideas, but hopefully people who liked The Boosh will like this.”

What: An Evening With Noel Fielding as part of Sydney Comedy Festival 2015 Where: State Theatre When: Wednesday April 22, Thursday April 30 and Friday May 1 And: Also appearing at the Enmore Theatre on Tuesday May 5

Stephen K Amos xxx

[COMEDY] A World Apart By Annie Murney

A

regular visitor to Australia, the suave and sophisticated Stephen K Amos will be unleashing a new show at this year’s Sydney Comedy Festival.

Adding to his repertoire, he has just hosted his own two-night Talk Show in Melbourne, supported by singers, dancers and other performers.

So does the future spell his name out in (bigger) lights? You might recall Amos’ frequent quip about having to wait for Lenny Henry to die before he gets his own show.

“Oh, a talk show with in the title – that’d be wouldn’t it? I think I’d stroke of luck for that

your name so much fun, need a big to happen.”

xxx

Amos’ performances are often praised for his audience interaction. He is a warm and charming communicator, with an artful way of weaving spontaneous banter around the structure of his show.

“I do have the framework of an idea in my head,” Amos explains.

“But I don’t want to end up doing a theatre piece. It’s not like we’re presenting a play. I try to keep things fresh and if anything happens during that day, I just try to run with it so the audience knows there’s something genuine happening there and then for the first time. It also means they don’t get bored with me saying the same thing over and over again. And yes, I’ve been known to constantly

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change my material night to night.

You would be amazed at how the addition of one extra word can make a joke make much more sense.”

Described by the comic as a “walk down awkward street”, his new show, Welcome To My World, will tackle some prickly topics. While it may be a satisfying jab at the uptight Englishness of his home country, Amos is also looking to challenge a set of prejudices that are often left untouched. “The mood of the room changes – you can literally hear the clenching of the buttocks,” he says of his performances thus far.

Having ventured Down Under more than a few times, Amos has some insightful comments on Australia’s political landscape.

“It’s always good to challenge your audience, particularly here in Australia,” he says.

“For example, there are marches on at the moment about the closure of indigenous communities in Western Australia.

Historically, these people have been on this planet for a very long time. And if your Prime Minister is saying that it’s a financial thing, that it’s a ‘lifestyle choice’, perhaps he should have a look in his own backyard where his daughter received a scholarship that was unavailable to anyone else, a scholarship he could clearly afford. That’s a lifestyle choice we should be concerned about.”

Amos certainly doesn’t shy away from voicing his opinions. “This is the thing about social media.

I don’t feel I need to explain that ‘these views are my own’ because they are my own. And I think more often, because of social media, people are looking to be offended,” he says, identifying the online world as constantly ripe for controversy. “They will latch onto a buzzword without hearing the context of the joke and start a campaign.”

He may occasionally sound irritated, but Amos is essentially an optimist. No longer focused solely on telling jokes, he speaks to his audience on a deeper level (and not at the expense of a laugh). “The obvious thing that comedy can do to drive change is bring together people of different cultures and backgrounds,” he says. “At the end of the day, we all have stuff that happens in our lives and people’s lives are intertwined.

So if you can get an audience to laugh and think, well I think you’re well on your way.”

What: Welcome To My World as part of Sydney Comedy Festival 2015 Where: Enmore Theatre When: Thursday April 23 / Sunday April 26 And: Also appearing at The Concourse, Chatswood on Friday April 24 and Saturday April 25

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Harley Breen

Tom Ballard [COMEDY] The Rainbow Road By Christine Lan

T

om Ballard tells me he recently painted his fingernails. He was hosting an SBS special on the 37th Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade, so he was more than excited. “It was amazing fun,” the comedian says. “It was a pretty crazy night.

We were trying to cover as much as we could. You can really get distracted by everything that’s happening around you – you kind of forget that you’re making a TV show. Magda [Szubanski]’s amazing and a hero of mine. We were bringing all the crazy glamour and crazy floats and everything, but also trying to tell the stories behind the floats and the messages that we wanted to get out there. I painted my fingernails for it.”

Harley Breen [COMEDY] The Bare Truth By Liza Dezfouli

J

ust A Fully Naked Encounter is what comic Harley Breen is promising Sydney Comedy Festival audiences. Only he’s fibbing – there will be no gratuitous male nudity; Breen says he’s only exposing himself in the figurative sense.

The Australian stand-up reckons the idea of ‘climbing the comedy ladder’ might too simplistic when it comes to his career. “If it were that easy, if there was a ladder to climb, I’d have climbed it by now!” he says. His comedy is based on everyday life – specifically his own. “I don’t branch out much further than my involvement in life and my interactions with humanity.”

So what exactly is it that makes Breen funny? “A combination of nature and nurture. Most career comics have some kind of dysfunction. My life is fairly funny, being the son of a preacher man.

Growing up in organised religion, which I have nothing to do with now, meant that I watched my father perform for 20 years.

“I lost interest at an early age,” says Breen of his Methodist background, “but didn’t back out till I was around 22. It’s taken me the last 13 years to shake it off.”

Does he have a go at his family in his routines?

“No, I show them mercy. When I tell my story, it’s all my own journey.

“Christianity is based in narrative, so it makes sense that you might start life as a storyteller.

My stand-up is narrative; I don’t try to put jokes into my stories, I just tell them.”

But that’s about where the links between religion and Breen’s comedy end. “It’s pretty bloody

blue,” he says. “I really hop over the barrel … I got a wonderful review from the Adelaide Fringe that said, ‘Harley doesn’t just cross the line, he ignores it.’ I tell stories about being a single father, about being a positive role model for my little boy, who’s four, and the difficulties of living a debauched life when you’re a parent. You have to organise your partying. Doing stand-up is not a job that’s conducive to raising a small child.”

Still, Breen hints that there are some areas his comedy won’t venture into. “My job is to make the audience entertained, to make them laugh, not to shock them for the sake of it. [But] you can’t appeal to every person. If you try to do that you’ll be the most bland and beige comic.”

As a rising artist, Breen admits some envy for performers higher up the food chain –“everyone with a stable income,” he says. “People who get to plan their holidays, have them paid for, people with a super plan and sick pay.”

Not that Breen is in it for the money. He was drawn to comedy because he’d had enough of doing everything else. “It’s the last bastion of the idiot,” he says.

With his star still rapidly rising, one of Breen’s career highlights thus far was being compared to a young Billy Connolly. “I am very, very humbled by that remark,” he says. “I adore the guy, as a man and as a performer.”

What: Just A Fully Naked Encounter as part of Sydney Comedy Festival 2015 Where: Enmore Theatre When: Tuesday April 28 – Saturday May 2

Amazingly, Ballard has already built a reputable comedy career by the age of 25, with extensive work in radio, TV and standup. Ballard’s new comedy festival show, Taxis & Rainbows & Hatred, looks set to be his most compelling.

“It’s about this taxi driver I had in Newcastle who was a little bit homophobic and sort of recognised me from somewhere and it got very weird,” says Ballard. “I was thinking about what it’s like to be a young gay man in Australia in 2015 and those little moments of homophobia that I come across every now and again. I’m generally very lucky to be who I am and where I am in this place and time, but there’s still those little moments that get into your skin. And the show’s very embarrassing because I talk about my ugly body and it’s a really personal show.

against prejudice and inequality. “I’m a bit of a comedy nerd and obsessive, but I think a lot of my philosophies in life, and I’ve had my mind changed by comedy,” he says. “Seeing people from different backgrounds talk really honestly, funnily and engagingly about their life experiences taught me a lot about the world, and that’s the thing I really love about comedy.

“I think because I’m not particularly camp or feminine, sometimes heterosexual people will be able to relate to the dude onstage, and I just happen to be gay and telling them about that and my life. Hopefully that can help people understand a bit better where queer people are coming from and how we’re not too scary. I’m about being funny first. It’s a comedy festival, not a preachy festival, but if at the same time I can talk about my human experience and people get something out of that then I think that’s awesome.”

Tom Ballard

“I think the universal message of the show is everyone has that moment when you’re stopped and questioned about who you are, and whether or not you stand up and claim that or not is kind of up to you. Whether you’re gay or straight, we all have those moments where the fundamental principles we have or the basic nature of who we are is questioned or challenged, and you’ve got to have the courage to try and stand by yourself.

“When it comes to my sexuality, I’ve been really lucky to have loving and supportive friends and family, and I just know that being gay isn’t a big deal at all. And I will take anyone to task who says there’s something wrong with it, because it’s a load of bullshit, and I like calling out bullshit and arguing against it.”

As jovial as Ballard is, he’s quick to speak up

What: Taxis & Rainbows & Hatred as part of Sydney Comedy Festival 2015 Where: The Comedy Store When: Thursday April 30 and Friday May 1

xxx

Northern Soul [FILM] Inside And Out By Adam Norris promotion going on with these horrible old men trying to sell these acts that they’d ‘discovered’.

And all these compilations were coming out that were just shit, with all of this awful imagery. I used to think, ‘God, I remember how wonderful it was, and how amazing all these youths were on the dancefloor, and yet all I’m seeing is fat, bald old men with pictures of themselves everywhere telling everyone, ‘I used to be a pop DJ.’’ And every time you’d flick on the TV there’d be some documentary with one of these old horrors sitting there, and so the younger generation were left thinking, ‘God, this northern soul is just an old fogey thing.’ So I wanted to look at what it really felt like.”

Northern Soul

xxx

E

laine Constantine has one of the most chipper voices you’re likely to hear first thing in the morning (it doesn’t hurt that she has a particularly colourful Lancashire accent). Having established herself as a much-lauded photographer during the ’90s – known for her rejection of supermodels in favour of everyday youth – she has now plunged into another kind of eidetics

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altogether with her film Northern Soul, an ode to the arrival of American soul music into 1960s and ’70s Britain.

Though clearly a labour of love for Constantine, who was herself present for the tail end of the genre’s heyday, there was also an element of rescue to her undertaking.

“This is going to sound really arrogant,” she laughs, “but there was a lot of crap out there! There was a lot of horrible commercialism tried out on this scene. Especially in the mid-’70s, where they were trying to create these groups which were not northern soul groups because they were actually British. So there was a lot of awful, shameless self-

Every musical genre has its unique quirks and mannerisms, but northern soul really was something special. It was music that had to be imported in order to be legitimate, that encouraged searching record stores far and wide for American soul music unknown or forgotten. There was something of a quest to the genre, exploring a fi nite stream of sound and bringing it back to the dancefl oor. As a result, compiling the soundtrack was of crucial importance, yet this paled in comparison to the years of effort that went into writing the fi lm.

“We had a riot with the soundtrack!

It was like playing with all of your favourite toys,” says the director.

“There are some absolute clear favourites that couldn’t be ignored, and they had to go in, of course.

We did struggle with the rights to two records that were owned by the James Brown estate, so we couldn’t pick those up in the end.

“I think the main difficulty for me was the scriptwriting, because obviously I’m not a writer. That took an awful long time and I had to get a lot of advice, get a lot of people to give me feedback, and that took years and years. I watched a lot of films, read a lot of scripts, and tried to appreciate, how do you make something in a genre like this?

How do you make it authentic, how do you stay genuine to a true story? How do you not shoehorn it into some perfect three-act structure with a single clear protagonist, you know? So once the script was where I wanted it, the directing side of things was more transporting the kids 40 years back in time, behaving like they would have back in the day. I think the film turned out great! It’s exactly how I wanted it.”

What: Northern Soul (dir. Elaine Constantine) is out now digitally on iTunes and other major platforms

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As the Official Beer of the Sydney Comedy Festival, Coopers is available at these venues: Dukes Hotel Enmore Warren View Hotel Enmore

Newtown Hotel Salisbury Hotel Stanmore

Bank Hotel Newtown

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Film & Theatre Reviews Hits and misses on the silver screen around town ■ Film

TESTAMENT OF YOUTH

■ Theatre

In cinemas Thursday April 23

ENDGAME

Vera Brittain was a feminist trailblazer, pacifist and activist. Her memoir about World War I, Testament Of Youth, was a detailed account of her coming of age and experience as a volunteer nurse on the frontline. Her story has recently received its second adaptation (the first was as a TV series decades ago), and while it’s not a seamless transition to the silver screen for director James Kent, it is still a good and worthy story.

This period drama stars Alicia Vikander (A Royal Affair) as the rebellious, headstrong and determined Brittain.

Vikander absolutely shines in this role and encapsulates the heroine’s extraordinary spirit with a classy but respectful air as well as showcasing the full extent of her emotional struggles. Brittain is no saint but thanks to Vikander she is portrayed as an amazing, independent woman and role model.

The costumes in this film are quite sumptuous at times and the cinematography is warm and beautiful during the periods of peace, and raw and gritty during the war. Brittain had had a

Playing at Roslyn Packer Theatre Walsh Bay until Saturday May 9 Testament Of Youth promising career awaiting her after she passed the Oxford entrance exam but she puts this all on hold after her brother Edward (Taron Egerton); his friend, Victor (Colin Morgan); and Brittain’s fiancé Roland (Game Of Thrones’ Kit Harington) enlist and are sent to the Western front.

Testament Of Youth offers a unique, complex and female perspective on the devastation of war. It shows the life of an upper-middle-class British family and lovers struck by tragedy (and the Swedish-born Vikander does a great job with the accent).

The film is well-crafted and mostly true to the memoir, and elegant and restrained in its telling. In short, this film is something that will continue to haunt and resonate; a touching reflection on the human suffering and misfortune that is typical of war.

Natalie Salvo

■ Film

THE AGE OF ADALINE

The story begins with Adaline Bowman (Gossip Girl’s Blake Lively in her most mature performance to date), who was born in 1908. At the age of 29 she is involved in a near-fatal car accident, where a miracle occurs and she is unable to age, frozen in time for some eight decades. She lives a reclusive life in which her only true companions are her adult daughter (Ellen Burstyn) and her dog, because she wants to keep her circumstances a secret.

Things change when Bowman meets the handsome philanthropist, Ellis Jones (Game Of Thrones’ Michiel Huisman). An old-fashioned romance follows and Jones helps Bowman reignite her passion for life. After a meeting with Jones’ parents (Kathy Baker and a vulnerable Harrison Ford), Bowman is forced to make some

The Age Of Adaline

Endgame is infused with chess, and Samuel Beckett himself was a strong advocate of the game. The title itself refers to the stage of the game where few pieces remain in play, fitting for our dwindling quartet: Hamm (Hugo Weaving), Clov (Tom Budge), Nell (Sarah Peirse) and Nagg (Bruce Spence). Yet Andrew Upton’s revival of this grimly comic masterpiece might more reasonably be called Stalemate – a deadlocked production whose inconsistent pacing leads the better part of the audience to torpor (or as the couple seated beside us put it, “God, now that we’ve survived the endurance test, who’s up for a drink?”).

told, but inside isn’t faring much better. A single room perhaps at the base of a crumbling tower; the windows are certainly high enough that Clov needs a ladder to peer outside at the abandoned landscape.

He exists in the service of Hamm, a blind, saturnine figure confined to his chair, yet who is the master of this ruined house. Two bins stand nearby, the prison homes of Hamm’s literally legless parents, and although Peirse’s Nell is a wonderful invention, full of resignation and pathos, it is Spence’s Nagg who emerges as the standout. His woeful, extraordinarily expressive face brings the exaggerated responses of Nagg’s sad life to the fore, and though his circumstance is ridiculous, Spence makes his suffering seem relatable.

We’re not sure exactly where we are in this visually arresting world. Outside is death, we are

Budge is a splendid, soiled buffoon, creaking across stage like a rusty fishing hook; Clov

may never sit down, you see, and such confined movement must make for a physically demanding performance.

Weaving, curiously, is much more uneven. His Hamm is a deliciously harrowing creation, veering from simpering grandiloquence to blunt aggression in a heartbeat. Yet often he seems to lose faith in his performance, and any energy he has been investing in the role suddenly flees.

Though certainly an accomplished director, I feel the stagnation at Endgame’s heart has its roots in Upton.

A sparsely worded play in a sparsely constructed world does not itself need to be sparse, yet there are mires in this production that too often leave the audience unmoved.

As with a stalemate, we are concluded, if unfulfilled.

Adam Norris

life-altering decisions that have some predictable consequences.

The Age Of Adaline is a beautifully shot film that also features pretend blackand-white newsreel footage in order to tell Adaline’s story and evoke the past.

Hugh Ross’ voiceover as the narrator is often quite heavy-handed. But the film is redeemed by some excellent performances and great chemistry between some of the actors (especially Lively and Ford).

This film shows a woman out of time and having to deal with a flood of emotions. The story is bold and full of deep melodrama, especially in the second act. So if you can shake off your cynical side, you’ll be in for a sweet, emotional and nostalgic ride and a timeless romance.

Natalie Salvo

See www.thebrag.com for more arts reviews

Arts Exposed What's in our diary...

Lights On Later Museum Of Contemporary Art, every Thursday night

For more details on the weekly program, head to mca.com.au.

five minutes WITH

CYRUS BEZYAN

Y

our Sydney Comedy Festival show is called Reluctant Confi dence Man. What’s behind that paradox of a name?

The title isn’t about a con man, unfortunately.

The show is an hour of stories and jokes; I talk about my worldview and events in my life that have shaped me as a person. The idea of confidence and being yourself is one of many themes within the show, and being reluctant is about the hesitancy and insecurity underlying that idea. Paradox? Mayhaps. Also, it’s a fun and funny title.

You moved to Australia in 1991. What are your memories of your former home, Iran?

Tricycles, snow and religious iconography! I actually travel back there every few years. I speak the language (Persian AKA Farsi), know the history and have a bunch of family there so it’s always fascinating to go back and see how much it changes.

How much influence does your family have on your comedy?

Everyone in my family has a strong sense of humour and they were very tolerant of my weird antics while I was growing up – I would regularly create alternate egos of my mum, dad and sister, with a plethora of voices and backstories. I did have to get a commerce degree to appease my parents before taking comedy more seriously though. I talk about my family in my show, which is nice. Book now!

You’ve found success through both Raw Comedy and the ABC’s Fresh Blood initiative. How important are these various avenues for young comedians to develop in Australia?

Raw and Fresh Blood are really great for comedians to gain some recognition and get the chance to develop projects. They help give a sense of structure to a career that has many different paths and journeys. I don’t think they’re super important though – what’s important is getting up night after night, writing and making stuff, honing your craft and cultivating a strong purpose as an artist.

What’s your top tip for becoming a reluctant confidence man?

If you embrace the idea that hypocrisy is the truest freedom, the world can be many oysters!

What: Reluctant Confi dence Man as part of Sydney Comedy Festival 2015 Where: Enmore Theatre When: Wednesday April 22 – Saturday April 25

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MCA photo by Ben Symons

Art, dranks and live performances. All for free. In The Rocks. Yes, this is real: welcome to the spontaneous and ever-so-artsy Lights On Later evenings at the Museum of Contemporary Art. The MCA is leaving its lights on for a little longer (9pm, to be exact) every Thursday, hosting an evening of delightful banter, freeform musical performances and informal talks by the curators. If you like your art experimental and your drinks alcoholic, this is your calling.

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On my 21st birthday I was given two very different chess sets. One of elegant polished marble, the other an almost savage wooden set, and both totemic in their universal fashion. But while the game looked very different from board to board the rules remain fixed, and if there were surprises to be had they were at the hands of the player.

Endgame photo by Lisa Tomasetti

In cinemas now The Age Of Adaline requires a suspension of disbelief as we witness a woman who has supped at the fountain of eternal youth.

This fantasy/romance story from director Lee Toland Krieger (Celeste & Jesse Forever) is one for the hopeless romantics.

It asks the question, ‘Is it a burden or a gift to never age?’

Endgame

live reviews

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What we've been out to see...

Newtown Social Club Thursday April 16 It turns out there’s a bit of a fine line between confidence and indifference.

Justin Townes Earle is a remarkable songwriter, and without the backing of a band he does a truly commendable job painting a sad but striking canvas up there. But as good as he could be – and man, this guy can deliver moments that cut through the selfie-saturated crowd like a knife through water – this show never had that sense of crafting something unique between audience and performer.

He was strong without seeming invested, and while I admit it may sound like I’m anticipating more metaphysics than is really fair, I couldn’t help but feel that for Earle, this was just another soon-to-beforgotten gig on the road to wider things.

It wasn’t for lack of variety. This is a man who who freakin’ loves his Americana, and between a smattering of classic covers (of which some work better than others – his encore rendition of Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Dreams’ was exceptional) his set took in a great deal of his catalogue. This despite his wry admission that he tends not to take song requests from the crowd, because his

SASKWATCH, DORSAL FINS, ROBERT MUINOS Oxford Art Factory Friday April 17 It was the perfect evening for a gig: the weather was great, there wasn’t much traffic across the street, and even the security guards at Oxford Art Factory seemed in high spirits, and such was the rest of the night.

Robert Muinos opened an intimate affair with a spiritual blend of psychedelic postrock and what can only be described as a Neil Young-ian folk twang. Towards the end of his set, as the crowd’s enthusiasm may have started waning, he invited an old friend onstage to rock some quick picking for a few songs; it was a great nod to his mate, who seemed to genuinely enjoy getting up onstage, but it was a little strange to see Muinos relegated to the shadows only to play some basic rhythm chords and silently leave stage three minutes later.

Next up were Dorsal Fins, who are due to appear at the next Junkyard Festival and have been making waves on the scene lately. This seven-piece (possibly eight-piece; they rotated on and off stage quite a bit) soul-funk group could only be described as The Avalanches of indie rock.

Their style is loaded with fun and their set

up all night out all week . . .

memory is so shot that he forgets those that aren’t fresh.

In fact, outside of the music itself, Earle’s comic asides and sharp, amusing homilies (don’t even get him started on the corruption of Nashville) were the true standout. Between his set’s strongest additions – tunes like ‘Christchurch Woman’, ‘Rogers Park’, ‘Today And A Lonely Night’, ‘Mama’s Eyes’ and ‘One More Night In Brooklyn’, which had the floor reverberating from so many tapping feet – his observations on music and the world at large were the moments most memorable.

“We lose more than we win in this life.

Those people who are walkin’ on sunshine, how they fucking do it I don’t know. A song shouldn’t feel better than you do.”

Clever quips aside, there was nothing very unique about the gig, and in all honesty, why should there have been? Perhaps I’ve simply become too rapacious in my audience appetite, and expect more than I deserve. But oh, how I would have loved to have walked away awestruck by Earle – humming tunes under my breath, reeling from certain lines of lyric. Instead, we simply agreed that he was pretty good, and ambled across to the pool table.

Adam Norris

was full of energy and excitement. On the surface, it seemed like an approach that could alienate tonight’s onlookers because of the constant change between irregular time signatures, the shift from the female lead’s power crooning to the spoken-word rock-rap of the main man, and the wild genre-hopping from song to song, but the crowd was absolutely going off on these dudes. As an interesting aside, Robert Muinos was playing guitar in this band too.

gang of youths

PICS :: AM

JUSTIN TOWNES EARLE

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09:04:15 :: Frankie’s Pizza :: 50 Hunter St Sydney

After a short pause, the indie-soul/rock Melbourne natives, Saskwatch, took the stage as the crowd really thickened out and the buzz in the room peaked. Another band that constantly rotates an incredible nine members throughout their set, Saskwatch have all the bravado that comes with being one of the best doing it out of Victoria.

The greatest commendation of the night definitely goes to lead singer Nkechi Anele, exhibiting spaced-out dance moves while she effortlessly transitioned between a throaty baritone and a startlingly powerful soprano. The crowd ebbed and flowed with the set but you couldn’t help but think that the similarities between all three acts had made the night feel like one fourhour-long set. It was soon apparent why that was: Muinos was also the guitarist in Saskwatch. This guy sure gets around.

Jacob Mills

DARREN SANDERS THURSDAY 30 APRIL FROM 7:30PM

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HOST: MIKEY ROBINS

Enjoy $5 Tooheys New and Hahn Super Dry, house wines and selected spirits.

5pm – midnight. Food till late.

LEVEL 1, 80 PYRMONT STREET, PYRMONT STAR.COM.AU/ROCKLILY

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PHOTOGRAPHER :: ASHLEY MAR

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

Of The East, or the free-flowing parties on the campsite, it’s obvious that this smaller festival has created a greater sense of ease.

MARMALADE SKIES 2015 Goulburn Friday April 10 – Saturday April 11 Fledgling music festival Marmalade Skies feels very DIY. Catering to the underground indie-pop scene of Sydney, organisers have had a series of setbacks since their initial crowdfunding campaign, but have finally set up shop in a Goulburn paddock. It doesn’t have all the trappings of a fully-grown festival, but this boutique offering knows the experience it wants to provide.

There are hidden pathways through the groves and signs bearing “This Way” or “That Way”. It’s clear that festivals like Secret Garden are a source of inspiration, and Pokémon cards hang from the boughs of trees as patrons lose themselves amongst the fairy lights. If you find yourself back at the entrance, a farmhouse-cumrave tent pumps through the night for the wasted and confused.

On Friday it’s dark at the Main Stage by the time the bands start playing. The Borneo lead singer jumps off the stage and frolics with the onlookers as his band plays on. Their eclectic brand of rock’n’roll is invigorating, but never takes itself too seriously. Later The Khanz perform an electrifying set that is as fun as it is innovative. Beer and cigarettes are forced into their hands as the audience bounces to the heartfelt electronic rock. Whether it’s the jigs for Mumford & Sons wannabes Sons

Meanwhile the Market Stage is nestled past the food stalls, serving up acoustic treats as the punters devour sausages and dumplings. On Saturday, one stall owner roams the scattered flock offering samples to ease their post-Friday hangover. Callum Wylie’s soft, self-deprecating ballads are a soothing accompaniment to the morning.

His easy charisma and husky voice blend well with Paul Kelly covers and songs of unrequited love.

As the day wears on, festival heads take cover in the shade. Sam and The Bird perform mournful blues from the Market Stage while complications at the Main Stage mean Hockey Dad’s catchy surf grunge arrives with the evening light.

People seem less concerned with taking substances as watching the music today, so cocky rockers Lepers And Crooks have a tremendous crowd to pour beer over.

Continuing into the night, pop-electronic bangers and DJ sets from Olympic Ayres and KLP finish the festival.

There are still kinks to work out at Marmalade Skies. However, despite its flaws, the organisers have brought together genuinely interesting bands, and it’s their taste that gets them through in the end.

James Ross

THURSDAY

Friday

lia mice

PICS :: AM

23rd -26TH APRIL

17:04:15 :: Brighton Up Bar :: 1/77 Oxford St Darlinghurst 9361 3379

One Night Standard FT:

Froyo + Cody Munro + Moore + shag

OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHER

:: ASHLEY MAR ::

The Love Junkies + Skullcave + New Mumz $10 Vodka Redbulls

$5 Beers

Saturday +Taking Berlin $10 Vodka Redbulls

$5 Beers

DJ Lou Lou + GUESTS Sunday IN LOFI

the beards

PICS :: AM

The Zoo City Lads

17:04:15 :: Metro Theatre :: 624 George St Sydney 9550 3666 28 :: BRAG :: 609 :: 22:03:15

thebrag.com

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

WEDNESDAY APRIL 22 ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK

Happy Hippies Ettamogah Hotel, Rouse Hill.

6:30pm. Free.

Muso’s Club Jam Night Bald Faced Stag Hotel, Leichhardt. 8pm. Free.

Soda Open Stage feat.

Michelle Martine Soda Factory, Surry Hills.

5pm. Free.

Songsonstage - feat: CJ Fairleight Olympic Hotel, Paddington.

7:30pm. Free.

The Continental Blues - feat: Robert Susz + Clayton Doley + Antero Ceschin Play Bar, Surry Hills. 8pm.

Free.

JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC The String Contingent The Unorthodox Church Of Groove, Newcastle West.

8pm. $25.

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS

Australian Institute Of Music - feat: Various Artists Lazybones Lounge, Marrickville. 8pm. Free.

Citizen Bald Faced Stag Hotel, Leichhardt. 6pm. $28.

Clive Mann + Tiger Widow + Beck Fielding + Solkyn + Dali & The Paper Band Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 7pm. $10.

Mark Travers Orient Hotel, The Rocks.

9pm. Free.

Oh Mercy + Pearls Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 7:30pm. $19.

THURSDAY APRIL 23 JAZZ, SOUL,

FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC

The String Contingent + Chaika Camelot Lounge, Marrickville.

8pm. $25.

ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK

Blues Preachers The Annandale Hotel, Annandale. 8:30pm. Free.

Bush Turkey - feat: Green Mohair Suits Goodgod Small Club, Sydney. 8pm. $14.90.

Muso’s Club Jam Night Carousel Inn Hotel, Rooty Hill. 8pm. Free.

Songsonstage - feat: TwoUp + Michael Kerr + Stu Tyrrell + Guests Lazybones Lounge, Marrickville. 8pm. $10.

Songsonstage - feat: Mick Hambly + Chris Brookes Ruby L’otel, Rozelle. 7:30pm.

Free.

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS

Aaleatha And The Audio Fix Crown Hotel, Sydney. 8pm.

Free.

Australian Institute Of Music - feat: Various Artists Lazybones Lounge, Marrickville. 8pm. Free.

Citizen Bald Faced Stag Hotel, Leichhardt. 8pm. $28.

Dave White Duo Orient Hotel, The Rocks.

9pm. Free.

De’May + The Dusty Ravens Camelot Lounge, Marrickville.

7:30pm. Free.

Eugene + Pretend Eye + Shura + Bloom + And Guests Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 8pm. $10.

Hits & Pieces Pendle Inn, Pendle Hill.

7:30pm. Free.

Microwave Jenny + Tegan Wiseman + Hannah Robinson Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 5pm. $18.

No Dice Paradise - feat: Rookie + Lordstreet Collective + Colourcage +

Mannerism Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $10.

Troy Honeysuckle Hotel, Newcastle. 7pm. Free.

FRIDAY APRIL 24

pick of the week SATURDAY APRIL 25

ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK

Finn Edgeworth Tavern, Edgeworth. 8pm. Free.

Key To The Highway - feat: Not Good With Horses + Direwolf The Gasoline Pony, Marrickville. 7pm. $5.

Songsonstage - feat: CJ Fairleight Lewisham Hotel, Lewisham.

8pm. Free.

JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC

Baby Et Lulu Lizotte’s, Dee Why. 8:30pm. $45.

Lana Rita Lazybones Lounge, Marrickville. 9pm. $15.

Leanne Paris The Annandale Hotel, Annandale. 8:30pm. Free.

Mzaza + Fat Yahooza Camelot Lounge, Marrickville.

7:30pm. $22.70.

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

7:30pm. Free.

Oxford Art Factory

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS

2goodreasons The Belmore Hotel, Maitland.

9pm. Free.

Best Kept Secret Revesby Workers Club, Revesby. 8:30pm. Free.

Big Way Out Sportsmans Hotel, Blacktown. 9:30pm. Free.

Bootleg Rascal Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 8pm. $17.

Crocq Trio Honeysuckle Hotel, Newcastle. 7pm. Free.

Steve Smyth 8pm. $15.60.

Dane Fitzsimmons Pearl Beach Cafe, Pearl Beach. 7pm. Free.

DJ Marty Wentworthville Leagues Club,

songwriters’ secrets WITH

D HENRY FENTON

a guitar teacher came to my school in Brisbane and taught a small class of seven the basics. I think my first original composition was an instrumental and I remember playing it to my classmates in grade four. What a thrill, I was hooked.

your aim was true. I usually start off strumming a guitar. Random words and pictures appear in my mind. I try to give them some sort of form, but not too much as there needs to be room for the listener’s imagination.

The Last Song I Released Playing The Songs I moved to Los Angeles nine years Here I am, back in Australia for a 2.

4. ago and actually stopped playing and brief tour. I’ll be playing in Sydney at The recording for a while as there were more things to life than chasing the muse, or so I thought. Three years ago I put a band together and started playing again in LA. My most recent album is called Turnin’. The title track is a reflective pop/folk song I wrote with a Sydney musician, Ian Houston Shadwell. ‘Turnin’’ got some radio airplay in the US, which was a dream come true as I had previously had triple j and FM spins for a few songs in Australia.

Songwriting Secrets I feel one needs a muse to inspire 3. a song or piece of art. The muse can

Xxx

1.

The First Song I Wrote Many’s the time I’ve wondered why I still enjoy playing gigs and writing songs. After many years of deliberation I guess it’s just because some of us are born that way. When I was a boy, thebrag.com

Steve Smyth

be spiritual, a lover or a mentor, real or imagined. Songwriting is a very rewarding pursuit which doesn’t get any easier. There are 12 notes and all the words in the dictionary to convey a story with emotion. And Father Time or the honest listener will reveal whether

Vanguard, Tuesday April 28 with guests Lianna Rose and Liz Martin. I’ll always remember Dan Rumour from The Cruel Sea telling me to “never give up”, and so I say to you, dear reader, “follow your dreams”.

The Song That Changed My Life The first song that blew my mind 5. was ‘A Day In The Life’ – the pathos in John Lennon’s voice, the orchestration and the ending. And so I became a Beatles fan and wanted to know all about them including the magic they used to make their songs.

What: Turnin’ out now through Flight Without Wings With: Lianna Rose, Liz Martin Where: The Vanguard When: Tuesday April 28

Wentworthville. 9pm. Free.

Dr. Zoom Duo Charlestown Bowling Club, Charlestown. 7pm. Free.

Endless Summer Beach Party Camden RSL, Camden. 8pm.

Free.

Evie Dean Crows Nest Hotel, Crows Nest. 7pm. Free.

George Maple Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $22.

Georgia White Town Hall Hotel, Balmain.

5pm. Free.

GTS St George Leagues Club, Kogarah. 9pm. Free.

Hooray For Everything Petersham Bowling Club, Petersham. 8pm. Free.

Jack Horner The Oriental Hotel, Springwood. 8pm. Free.

Klo + Zuri Akoko Goodgod Small Club, Sydney. 8pm. $12.

Krishna Jones Wentworth Hotel, Homebush West. 8pm. Free.

Mar Haze Hotel Steyne Manly, Manly.

8pm. Free.

Midnight + Bulletbelt + Bastardizer + Convent Guilt + Hellbringer Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 8pm. $20.

Midnight Drifters Belmont 16s, Belmont. 7pm.

Free.

Montaigne Brighton Up Bar, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $15.30.

Oliver Gross

Orient Hotel, The Rocks.

4:30pm. Free.

Paper Hearts Quakers Inn, Quakers Hill.

8pm. Free.

Party Central Richmond Club, Richmond.

10pm. Free.

Pete Hibbert Cessnock Leagues Club, Cessnock. 7pm. Free.

Phase III The Sydney Junction Hotel, Hamilton. 7pm. Free.

Rapture Penrith Gaels, Kingswood.

8pm. Free.

Rare Finds - feat: Jenny Broke The Window + Food Court + Hedge Fund + Winston Surfshirt The Sly Fox, Enmore. 8pm.

Free.

Reckless Orient Hotel, The Rocks.

9:30pm. Free.

Rock Solid Duo Canterbury League Club, Belmore. 9pm. Free.

Ryan Daley Central Charlestown Leagues Club, Charlestown. 7pm.

Free.

Ryan Thomas Beverly Hills Hotel, Beverly Hills. 8:30pm. Free.

Sam Marks Hunters Hill Hotel, Hunters Hill. 4:30pm. Free.

Seattle Sound Colonial Hotel, Werrington.

9pm. Free.

Strange Cuts - feat: Fieldings + Mezko + Edwin Montgomery + Mleko 107 Projects, Redfern. 8pm. $10.

BRAG :: 608 :: 15:04:15 :: 29

gig picks

g g guide gig g

up all night out all week...

send your listings to : gigguide@thebrag.com Sugar Reef Ettalong Beach Club, Ettalong Beach. 8pm. Free.

The Hepburns The Sydney Junction Hotel, Hamilton. 7pm. Free.

Them Bruins Spectrum, Darlinghurst. 8pm.

Free.

Thunderstruck AC/DC Show The Henry Sports Club, Werrington County. 8:30pm.

Free.

Triple Grip Windsor Leagues Club, Windsor South. 9pm. Free.

Wildcatz Wagon Wheel Hotel, St Marys. 9:30pm. Free.

Zoltan Town Hall Hotel, Balmain.

8:30pm. Free.

SATURDAY APRIL 25 JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC

Baby Et Lulu The Basement, Circular Quay. 7:30pm. $42.

ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK

Altrabac Ruby L’otel, Rozelle. 8pm.

Free.

Atomic Hi Tones Marrickville Bowling Club, Marrickville. 8pm. $15.

Flamin’ Beauties Royal Hotel, Bondi. 9:15pm.

Free.

Laura Jean & Band + Aldous Harding Camelot Lounge, Marrickville.

7:30pm. $17.

Paul Hayward Town & Country Hotel, St Peters. 4pm. Free.

She Hangs Brightly - feat: Ruby Boots + Fanny Lumsden + Cookie Baker + Amber Rae Slade Brighton Up Bar, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $10.

Songsonstage - feat: Peach Montgomery + Stuart Jammin Petersham Inn, Petersham.

7:30pm. Free.

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS

AJ Beverly Hills Hotel, Beverly Hills. 2pm. Free.

Alex Panthers, Penrith. 7pm. Free.

AM 2 PM Parramatta RSL, Parramatta.

5pm. Free.

Andy Bull + Cub Sport Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle.

8pm. $28.60.

Annandale Anzac Day Neighbourhood Block Party - feat: Green Mohair Suits + Laura & The Blackjacks + Big Blind Ray + Lucky Luke & His Shooting Stars The Annandale Hotel, Annandale. 12pm. Free.

Armchair Travellers Duo Courthouse Hotel, Darlinghurst. 10pm. Free.

Baddies + Flipped Out Kicks + Punk Rock DJs Town & Country Hotel, St Peters. 8pm. Free.

Band Down Under Penrith RSL, Penrith. 9am.

Free.

Blake Dantier Band The Henry Sports Club, Werrington County. 6:30pm.

Free.

Blake Tailor The Oriental Hotel, Springwood. 1pm. Free.

Bobby C Honeysuckle Hotel, Newcastle. 7pm. Free.

30 :: BRAG :: 608 :: 15:04:15

Cath & Him Dee Why RSL, Dee Why. 9pm. Free.

Christie Lamb Band Colonial Hotel, Werrington.

8:30pm. Free.

Dan Runchel & Friends The Belmore Hotel, Maitland.

9pm. Free.

Dm3 + Loose Pills + The Stoneage Hearts + Michael Carpenter Petersham Bowling Club, Petersham. 8pm. $25.

Double Barrel Colyton Hotel, Colyton.

1:30pm. Free.

Double Jeopardy Duo Pittwater RSL, Mona Vale.

4pm. Free.

Gary Johns Trio Orient Hotel, The Rocks.

4:15pm. Free.

Georgia White Novotel, Rooty Hill. 6:30pm.

Free.

GTS Ettalong Beach Club, Ettalong Beach. 6pm. Free.

Halcyon Revesby Workers Club, Revesby. 8:30pm. Free.

Hooray For Everything Wentworth Hotel, Homebush West. 5:30pm. Free.

Jack Horner Penrith RSL, Penrith. 12pm.

Free.

James Osborn Pearl Beach Cafe, Pearl Beach. 7pm. Free.

Jed Zarb Wallacia Hotel, Wallacia.

8pm. Free.

Jimmy Bear Crossroads Hotel, Casula.

5:45pm. Free.

Kick INXS Show South Hurstville RSL Club, South Hurstville. 8pm. Free.

Last Stand Chisel Show Bull & Bush Hotel, Baulkham Hills. 8pm. Free.

Mark Wells Trio Jewells Tavern, Jewells. 7pm.

Free.

Marty Stewart Berowra Village Tavern, Berowra Heights. 3pm. Free.

Matt Jones Duo Town Hall Hotel, Balmain.

8:30pm. Free.

No Troubles Penrith RSL, Penrith. 7pm.

Free.

Panorama St George Leagues Club, Kogarah.

9pm. Free.

Party Central Courthouse Hotel, Darlinghurst. 9:30pm. Free.

Pete Hibbert Central Charlestown Leagues Club, Charlestown. 7pm.

Free.

Phonic Trio Honeysuckle Hotel, Newcastle. 7pm. Free.

Pierce Brothers Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 8pm. $25.

Rapture Brighton RSL, Brighton Le Sands. 8pm. Free.

Righteous Voodoo Lazybones Lounge, Marrickville. 9pm. $15.

Rock Solid Duo Ingleburn RSL, Ingleburn.

8pm. Free.

Russell Nelson Coogee Legion Ex-service Club, 7pm. Free.

Ryan Thomas Wentworth Hotel, Homebush West. 8pm. Free.

Sean Frazer Ocean Beach Hotel, Umina Beach. 7pm. Free.

Sobie + Sara + Chlor + Zach Odgers + Ryan Collings Roxbury Hotel, Glebe. 8pm. $15.

Sofar Sounds Secret Location, Surry Hills.

7pm.

Solid Gold Party Night feat: Dave Cochrane Cessnock Leagues Club, Cessnock. 7pm. Free.

Sons Of Mercury Scruffy Murphy’s Hotel,

Sydney. 8pm. Free.

Steppin Out Penrith Gaels, Kingswood.

7pm. Free.

Steve Smyth Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $15.60.

Susan Jon Rose Revesby Workers Club, Revesby. 10:30am. Free.

Talk Of The Town Belmont 16s, Belmont. 7pm.

Free.

The Atomic Hi-Tones Marrickville Bowling Club, Marrickville. 8pm. $15.

The Migrant Shop Boys + The Jarrodi$M Show + The Overtones + Aureus + Slorpian Taylor Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 8pm. $10.

The Motor City Syndicate Revesby Workers Club, Revesby. 3pm. Free.

The Tribe The Mercantile Hotel, Sydney. 8:30pm. Free.

The Zoo City Lads + Taking Berlin + Tiger Widow Standard Bowl, Surry Hills.

8pm. Free.

Two Age + Jaguar Club + Dom Kelly Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $13.50.

Wats Up Orient Hotel, The Rocks.

1pm. Free.

White Bros Quakers Inn, Quakers Hill.

6pm. Free.

Wildcatz Orient Hotel, The Rocks.

9:30pm. Free.

Wildcatz Club Engadine, Engadine.

2pm. Free.

SUNDAY APRIL 26 ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK

From Street To Stage feat: Joe Moore + Various Other Artists Soda Factory, Surry Hills.

6pm. Free.

Gabriel The Annandale Hotel, Annandale. 3pm. Free.

Peach’s Sunday Jam - feat: Peach Montgomery Garry Owen Hotel, Rozelle.

3pm. Free.

Songsonstage - feat: Stuart Jammin Harlequin Inn, Pyrmont. 3pm.

Free.

The Villebillies + Dave Price The Gasoline Pony, Marrickville. 5pm. Free.

JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC

Burlesque (The Royal Flush) Lazybones Lounge, Marrickville. 7pm. $35.

Mzaza The Rhythm Hut, Gosford.

6:30pm. Free.

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS

60s Chartoppers Penrith RSL, Penrith. 2pm.

Free.

Acrylic Acid + Sound Of The Immortals + Jackie Brown + Skinpin + Tempermore + Drones Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 2pm. $10.

Am 2 Pm Campbelltown Catholic Club, Campbelltown. 6pm. Free.

Armchair Travellers Duo Henry Lawson Club, Werrington. 1pm. Free.

Daniel Champagne Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 5:30pm. $18.

Danny McDonald + Danny Yau + Wasters + Whopping Big Naughty Town Hall Hotel, Newtown.

6:30pm. Free.

Franky & Johnny Belmont 16s, Belmont. 7pm.

Free.

Georgia White Plough & Harrow, Camden.

3pm. Free.

James Scott Hunters Hill Hotel, Hunters Hill. 2pm. Free.

Marty Stewart Waverley Bowling Club, Waverley. 2pm. Free.

Mary Cowell Duo Manly Wharf Hotel, Manly.

3pm. Free.

Ross Ward’s Xpress Bald Faced Stag Hotel, Leichhardt. 4pm. Free.

Ryan Enright Fitzroy Hotel, Windsor. 1pm.

Free.

Ryan Thomas Vikings Sports Club, Dundas Valley. 6pm. Free.

Sam Marks Oxford Hotel, Darlinghurst.

2pm. Free.

The Big Bang Honeysuckle Hotel, Newcastle. 7pm. Free.

The Coconut Trio The Sydney Junction Hotel, Hamilton. 7pm. Free.

The Slowdowns Marrickville Bowling Club, Marrickville. 4:30pm. Free.

U2 Elevation Orient Hotel, The Rocks.

4:30pm. Free.

UK Anthems Orient Hotel, The Rocks.

8:30pm. Free.

MONDAY APRIL 27 JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC

Sonic Mayhem Orchestra Lazybones Lounge, Marrickville. 8:30pm. Free.

ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK D Henry Fenton + Lianna Rose + Liz Martin The Vanguard, Newtown.

6:30pm. $18.80.

Songsonstage - feat: Stuart Jammin + Chris Brookes Kelly’s On King, Newtown.

8pm. Free.

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS A Wilhelm Scream Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 7pm. $39.

Meghan Trainor Big Top Sydney, Milsons Point. 8pm. $79.90.

Mick Hambly Orient Hotel, The Rocks.

9pm. Free.

TUESDAY APRIL 28

Citizen

WEDNESDAY APRIL 22 Citizen Bald Faced Stag Hotel, Leichhardt. 6pm. $28.

Oh Mercy + Pearls Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 7:30pm. $19.

THURSDAY APRIL 23 The String Contingent + Chaika Camelot Lounge, Marrickville. 8pm. $25.

Microwave Jenny + Tegan Wiseman + Hannah Robinson Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 5pm. $18.

No Dice Paradise - feat: Rookie + Lordstreet Collective + Colourcage + Mannerism Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $10.

FRIDAY APRIL 24 Bootleg Rascal Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 8pm. $17.

George Maple Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $22.

Montaigne Brighton Up Bar, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $15.30.

Mzaza + Fat Yahooza Camelot Lounge, Marrickville. 7:30pm. $22.70.

Rare Finds - feat: Jenny Broke The Window + Food Court + Hedge Fund + Winston Surfshirt The Sly Fox, Enmore. 8pm. Free.

SATURDAY APRIL 25 Baby Et Lulu The Basement, Circular Quay. 7:30pm. $42.

Pierce Brothers Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 8pm. $25.

Sofar Sounds Secret Location, Surry Hills. 7pm.

Two Age + Jaguar Club + Dom Kelly Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $13.50.

SUNDAY APRIL 26 Daniel Champagne Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 5:30pm. $18.

Mary Cowell Duo Manly Wharf Hotel, Manly. 3pm. Free.

MONDAY APRIL 27 D Henry Fenton + Lianna Rose + Liz Martin The Vanguard, Newtown. 6:30pm. $18.80.

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS Alma Music Presents Lazybones Lounge, Marrickville. 8:30pm. Free.

Anton Orient Hotel, The Rocks.

9pm. Free.

Live & Originals @ Mr Falcons - feat: Loretta Durso + Bek Jensen + Callum James Wylie + Katherine Vavahea Mr Falcon’s, Glebe. 7:30pm.

Free.

Baby Et Lulu

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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, Meggan Turner and Sarah Basford

five things WITH MONKEY

Oscar Key Sung

SAFARI

Growing Up We grew up in a small 1. city in Germany and the music scene was very little at that time. Our parents listened to alternative music, which is one of the reasons that our musical background is very broad. Another reason we sound like we do is that we approached electronic music quite late. We’re not stuck in one style only.

Inspirations There are many 2. inspirations. We like Jamie xx a lot but also Fatboy Slim or Moby. We also like The Doors for their special, dramatic sound and to be honest, it’s very hard to decide on just a few names!

SING, SANG, SUNG

One of the smoothest voices in the country, Oscar Key Sung, has announced a national tour in support of his forthcoming sophomore EP, Altruism. Due out on Friday May 1, the EP blends together Sung’s penchant for R&B with a pop twist. It features lead track ‘Premonition’ and new single ‘Skip’, which is available now as an instant download for those who pre-order the release. Catch him at Oxford Art Factory on Saturday June 27.

Your Crew The scene in our 3. hometown is small, but we have some new, up-andcoming artists on our label Hommage, such as Karl Friedrich or Martin Waslewski – both of which produce really good music.

We also work together with the guys from Super Flu from Monaberry now and then.

The guys supported us a lot in the past.

The Music You Make And Play 4.

We do what we love and we like to switch between different styles – it’s important that we feel the music! Usually our sets are infused with melodies and dreamy vibes but we can also be straightforward. We don’t want to stay in one genre too much. What we play really depends on the night, the crowd and the club. In terms of our own productions, please check out our latest release

HEAD TO HOME BASS

‘Cranes’, including the two great remixes by Kölsch and Wolf + Lamb. ‘Cranes’ came out on our own label Hommage, but will be re-released in Australia very soon through Sweat It Out. Music, Right Here, Right Now 5.

The commercial side of electronic music is being hyped a lot at the moment, a bit like in the ’90s in Europe. Some artists become pop stars overnight. We think it’s not as bad for the ‘real’ scene

as some people make you believe. Often young people make their first steps in electronic music with the easily accessible and often not so complex commercial tracks. Once they’re tired of this kind of music, some of them dig deeper and discover the variety of electronic music with all its different genres.

With: Danny T, Avon Stringer, U-Khan, Pharley and more Where: Chinese Laundry When: Saturday April 25

Big Village has announced the launch of a new monthly event, Home Bass. Home Bass is a hip hop night that will showcase an artist under the Big Village label or its extended family each month. The free event reflects Big Village’s strong affiliation with the spiritual home of many of its artists, Newtown. The first Home Bass features Loose Change – Ellesquire, Rapaport and DJ Sam Z – as well as resident DJs 26th Letter and Migz. Home Bass will debut at the Newtown Hotel on Thursday April 23, and it continues on the third Thursday of every month.

OOZE’S TUNES

Melbourne rapper Ivan Ooze will celebrate the launch of his mixtape, The Social Alien, by hitting the road for a national tour. The tour will see Ooze showcase his new material, which includes collaborations with producers WZRDKID and Sable, as well as a remix from RL Grime. Ooze hits the Beach Road Hotel on Wednesday April 29.

GOING ABOVE & BEYOND

The English trance group Above & Beyond will return to Sydney in September to celebrate the 150th show of Group Therapy Radio (AKA

Edu Imbernon

JUST SAY EDU

thebrag.com

SUPERHEROES AT MARQUEE

This ANZAC Day, after paying your respects and taking in the odd round of two-up, make your way to the nearest phone box and bust out your best superhero gear. That’s the dress code for Marquee’s Superheroes and Villains party, where the best lookin’ lad or lady will win $2,000 in cash. Samual James will play Superman on the night – he’s a festival favourite who’s also supported the likes of Sander van Doorn and Porter Robinson. Walden, L.A.M, I Am Sam, Zero Cool and K Note make up the rest of the crime-fighting team this Saturday April 25.

Kyle Hall

SPICE GOES VIVID

After delaying his Australian visit earlier this year due to personal reasons, Detroit selector Kyle Hall will make his triumphant arrival just in time for Vivid 2015, courtesy of the Spice crew. Hall is still at the apex of his youth, yet has been actively involved in the house music scene since the age of 11. After being taken under Mike Huckaby’s wing, Hall spent his teens performing radio and club shows, and has since released on labels like Warp, Clone, Hypercolour and Objektivity. He’ll roll into the new Spice venue at the Imperial Hotel on Saturday May 23.

BRAG :: 609 :: 22:04:15 :: 31

Xxx

Club favourite Edu Imbernon will be back on Australian soil this year, with a three-date tour announced for this May. The Valencia songwriter, producer, remixer and DJ spends his daylight hours as the head honcho of his own Eklektisch imprint, and his nighttimes spinning tracks from Goa to Ibiza to Miami. Imbernon shot into popular consciousness back in 2008 and 2009 with his Coyu collaboration ‘El Baile Alemán’ and the arrival of his label, before a record-breaking remix of the xx’s ‘Crystalised’ for Young Turks. He’s played famous international party destinations like Watergate and Fabric, but you can catch him at Chinese Laundry on Saturday May 16.

ABGT). Previously, sold-out ABGT shows have taken place in New York’s Madison Square Garden as well as Alexandra Palace in London. Now, the English trio will bring the show to Sydney’s shores for an event that will be simulcast worldwide to millions of listeners and viewers. Above & Beyond are also set to perform latest single ‘Peace Of Mind’ among others taken from their iTunes chart-topping release, We Are All We Need. Experience the sound of Above & Beyond at Allphones Area on Saturday September 26.

Off The Record Dance and Electronica with Tyson Wray

Rabih Beaini

S

omething Else and Anomaly have joined forces to bring Rabih Beaini (formerly known as Morphosis) to Sydney. With releases on the likes of Delsin, Honest Jons and Dekmantel, alongside running his own label Morphine Records, Beaini is dead set techno royalty. His club performances see him juggle two Technics 1200s, CDJs, a Roland TR-808 and Space Echo Delay, blurring the lines between a DJ set and live performance. One of Melbourne’s finest, Moopie (of A Colourful Storm) will also join the party, alongside locals Gareth Psaltis, Matt Weir, Phil Kanis, Jake Small, Marc Jarvin, Dave Stuart, Tristan Case, James Petrou and Marley Sherman.

It goes down on Saturday May 2 at the Burdekin Hotel.

Ivan Ooze Social Alienation By Tom Clift

T

oo often, success in the music industry brings with it an inflated sense of selfimportance. Thankfully that’s not the case with Melbourne rapper Ben Townsend, AKA Ivan Ooze. An up-and-coming star of the Australian hip hop scene, Townsend has plenty to be boastful about, and yet our chat reveals no trace of an ego. As a matter of fact, he says he doesn’t even like the sound of his own voice.

“It just sounds weird,” he says. “I’m like, ‘Who the fuck is this?’”

To be honest, until recently, we might have been asking the same question. While he’s been rapping for a while now, it was only in the lead-up to the release of his debut EP Ringwood Rich in August last year that Townsend really blew up, in large part thanks to a series of freestyle rap videos he released online. Since then he’s performed at the Beyond The Valley and Raggamuffin festivals as well as opening for both Ice Cube and Cypress Hill on their recent Australian tours.

“That was really crazy, because I grew up on Ice Cube and Cypress Hill,” Townsend says.

“I chatted heaps to Cypress Hill. They’re like the chillest people, which you can probably imagine. Ice Cube I didn’t get to meet until I think the last show, in Brisbane. We got to meet his whole posse, he brought his whole family … it was sick just talking to him. They’d tell you stories, and it’s just like being a little kid again.”

Touring with hip hop royalty also provided a valuable opportunity for the upstart Aussie to hone his skills. “The Cypress Hill crowd was chill,” says Townsend. “The amount of weed you could smell in every venue was sick. But the Ice Cube crowd was a lot harder. They don’t give a fuck about who’s playing at the start, because all they want to see is Ice Cube.

So you have to try really hard. [That] was probably the best experience I had; having to try my hardest just to get their attention.”

In any case, he’s certainly got our attention.

Ivan Ooze’s new release, The Social Alien Mixtape, dropped at the end of last month.

Described by Townsend as “a reflection of the good, the bad and the ugly from my life on the planet so far”, the mix sees the rapper continue to develop his style and explore “every avenue I could in terms of styles of rap”.

32 :: BRAG :: 609 :: 22:04:15

“The rhymes I used to do were a lot more violent and stuff. It wasn’t really me. I was more adjusting to a crowd, rather than being myself. I had a lot of anger in my childhood, so I pretty much just aimed it towards my music – that’s probably why, when I first started, I was writing all that hardcore shit.”

Townsend heads on the road at the end of April, touring around the country to promote the mixtape’s release. “The most fun part is that I get to see all the people who are supporting me,” he says enthusiastically. “I get to see all their faces and meet them afterwards. I’ll always drink a beer with them and get fucked up with them. I think that’s the most fun. Like, it’s fun doing the shows as well, but it’s even more fun connecting with the people that buy your music … I know that that’s what I’d like to do if I was a fan of someone. I’d definitely want to see them after the show and show [my] appreciation.”

Townsend’s relationship with his fans seems likely to hold him in good stead. “I hate it when people are dicks,” he says. “Like, I fucking hate Kanye West. I hate him. He used to be cool, but now he just sucks. All those artists.

Like they’re pretty big, but I just hate arrogant arseholes. You don’t need to be like that – you weren’t raised to be like that.”

Asked about Ivan Ooze’s future direction, Townsend says he’d like to get wider exposure, but only if he can do it on his own terms. “It’s cool to hear your stuff on the radio and get it out to heaps of people. But it’s just the way that you do it. It can be really hard to do a song that you enjoy that also gets on the radio … I’d like to see a track of mine on rotation, but one that actually means a lot to me.”

The illusive French artist Polar Inertia has locked in his debut Australian tour.

A rising name in techno, since 2010 his releases on cult label Dement3d have seen him compared to contemporaries Rrose and Sandwell District, and for his first-ever performance in Sydney, he’s bringing over his revered live show.

He’ll be supported by Asger Jorn (also performing live) and DJ sets from XXX and Jõetsu. Saturday May 9 at the Oxford Hotel. Recommended.

SATURDAY SATURDAY APRIL 25 MAY 16 Julio Bashmore The Ivy

Ø [Phase] Burdekin Hotel

Monkey Safari Chinese Laundry

Edu Imbernon Chinese Laundry

FRIDAY MAY 1

SATURDAY MAY 23

Cassius Select Goodgod Small Club

Kyle Hall The Imperial Hotel

FRIDAY SATURDAY MAY 29 MAY 2 Carmada Xxxy Chinese Laundry Rabih Beaini Burdekin Hotel

SATURDAY MAY 9 AFFKT Burdekin Hotel

Polar Inertia The Oxford Hotel

Oxford Art Factory

SATURDAY MAY 30

Steve Bug The Imperial Hotel Basic Soul Unit Burdekin Hotel

SATURDAY AUGUST 22

San Francisco artist Jessica Phillippe AKA J.Phlip has announced her return to Sydney. A key member of the Dirtybird clan for almost a decade now, 2014 saw the release of her first 12-inch in three years, having spent the past few years honing in her DJ sets at some of the biggest festivals and clubs around the world. She’ll be joined on the night by locals A-Tonez, Acaddamy, U-Khan, Aloschi, Circa87, Oscar De Lima, Husky and Adamwah. Catch her on Saturday May 9 at Chinese Laundry.

swinging into town on Saturday August 22 at the Bridge Hotel.

German DJ and producer Borrowed Identity is coming to town. One of the fastest-rising names in the game, the 23-year-old has already released on labels like Mistress Recordings, Quintessentials, Home Taping and the Berghain imprint Ostgut Ton, and has been receiving support from Mike Huckaby and Move D, Laurent Garnier, Delano Smith and Detroit Swindle. He’s

Best releases this week: K2 (AKA Kero & Kyle Hall) have knocked it out of the park with Two (on Detroit Underground), while Drexciya’s Black Sea (Clone Aqualung Series) is phenomenal, as is WK7’s Washer (Power House). Unfortunately, I’m not feeling the latest LP from Squarepusher, Damogen Furies (Warp Records). Let’s hope it’s not indicative of his upcoming performance at Vivid LIVE.

J.Phlip Chinese Laundry

Borrowed Identity The Bridge Hotel

Tour rumour: you best believe it’s finally happening. An Australian tour for Joy Orbison is 100 per cent locked in. Expect dates to surface next week.

In the meantime, he’s happy just going one gig at a time. “I guess I’d just like to see people enjoy my music for what it is,” he says. “But I’d also just like to play a lot more festivals, and just have a lot more fun. You just want to have the most fun you can over making this sort of shit. Hang out with people and meet heaps of new people, and just see what’s next.”

What: The Social Alien Mixtape out now independently Where: Beach Road Hotel When: Wednesday April 29 And: Also appearing alongside Seth Sentry, Thundamentals, Horrorshow and more at Come Together 2015, Big Top Sydney, Saturday June 6 – Sunday June 7

Borrowed Identity

Got any tip-offs, hate mail, praise or cat photos?

Email hey@tysonwray.com or contact me via carrier pigeon. thebrag.com

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“I put all different kinds of tracks down,” says Townsend. “I’ve got some trap songs on there, and some boom bap songs, and then there’s some more personal songs … I just wanted to see if people connected with it. And there was some really good positive feedback. I posted

the other night on Facebook asking, ‘What was your favourite song?’ and it was all mixed. It’s good to see that everyone has a favourite.”

RECOMMENDED

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

club pick of the week 360

SATURDAY APRIL 25

+ Danny T + Pantheon + Charades DJs + Avon Stringer + DJ Just 1 + King Lee + DJ Moto Chinese Laundry, Sydney.

8pm. $20.

Lost Disco - feat: Julio Bashmore + Late Night Tuff Guy + Cassian Dreems + Softwar + Others Ivy Bar/Lounge, Sydney.

12pm. $58.40.

Pacha Sydney - feat: Kronic + Ember + Kyro + Spenda C + Jesabel + Natnoiz + Friendless + Devola + Jace Disgrace + Samrai + Nanna Does + Skoob + A-Game + Lavida + Jonathan Terrific + Danny Lang + DJ Just 1 + Nad Ivy Bar/Lounge, Sydney.

6:30pm. $38.

Rees Hellmers + Royaal + Venuto + Rees Hellmers + M.V.P + I.K.O + Seiz + J-Reyes + Simon Lovell Home Nightclub, Darling Harbour. 9pm. Free.

Sienna Saturdays The Establishment, Sydney.

9pm. Free.

Superheroes & Villains - feat: Samual James + Walden + L.A.M + I Am Sam + Zero Cool + K Note 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.

Violet Chachki + Max Arq Nightclub, Sydney. 8pm. $15.

HIP HOP & R&B

360 + Coin Banks + Leva Metro Theatre, Sydney. 7pm. $44.05.

SUNDAY APRIL 26 CLUB NIGHTS

Distant - feat: Acaddemy + Mo’Funk + Sam Croft + Loopy Beach Haus, Kings Cross.

8pm. Free.

DJ A.K + Def Rok + Troy T + Ryan R Cue Marquee, Pyrmont. 10pm. $18.40.

La Fiesta - feat: Samantha Fox + Agee Ortiz + Av El Cubano + Resident DJ Willie Sabor The Establishment, Sydney.

8pm. Free.

Reggae Sundays Kings Cross Hotel, Kings Cross. 5pm. Free.

Rob Kay + Somatik Manly Wharf Hotel, Manly.

5pm. Free.

S.A.S.H Sundays Home Nightclub, Darling Harbour. 2pm. $10.

Sunday Sessions - feat: Cadell + Tom Kelly + Ocky Goldfish, Kings Cross. 4pm.

Free.

Sundays In The City The Slip Inn, Sydney. 12pm.

Free.

HIP HOP & R&B

360 + Coin Banks + Leva + Kale Doyalson RSL Club, Doyalson. 7:10pm. $39.80.

One Day Sundays - feat: Jaytee Hazard + Halfway Crooks + Lazer Gunne Funke + Klue + Nacho Pop + Skoob + Samrai Factory Theatre, Marrickville.

1pm. $10.

MONDAY APRIL 27 CLUB NIGHTS

Mashup Monday Side Bar, Sydney. 8pm. Free.

TUESDAY APRIL 28 CLUB NIGHTS

Chu The World Bar, Kings Cross.

9pm. Free.

up all night out all week...

Metro Theatre Note Marquee, Pyrmont. 10pm. $28.60.

Doorly

360

SUNDAY APRIL 26

7pm. $44.05.

WEDNESDAY APRIL 22 CLUB NIGHTS

DJ Tom Kelly Goldfish, Kings Cross. 9pm.

Free.

The Wall The World Bar, Kings Cross.

9pm. $5.

THURSDAY APRIL 23 CLUB NIGHTS

Home Bass - feat: Loose Change + Ellesquire + Rapaport And DJ Sam Z Newtown Hotel, Newtown.

7pm. Free.

Pool Club Thursdays - feat: Resident DJs Ivy Bar/Lounge, Sydney. 5pm.

Free.

The World Bar Thursdays The World Bar, Kings Cross.

9pm. Free.

HIP HOP & R&B

360 + Leva + Kale Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle.

7pm. $39.80.

FRIDAY APRIL 24 HIP HOP & R&B

Hustler Fridays - feat: MC

thebrag.com

Shaba Hustle & Flow, Redfern. 7pm.

Free.

Vent@Valve - feat: Izzy + DJ Maniak + 5 Finger Discount + Tampered Minds + Oblivious Gestures + Mr Speaker + Skattered Skullz + P.Crazy Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 9pm. $10.

CLUB NIGHTS

Argyle Fridays The Argyle, The Rocks. 6pm.

Free.

Bassic - feat: The Party Squad + Spenda C + Nemo + Deckhead + Gradz + Beatslingerz + Blackmale + Jose + Man Bat Chinese Laundry, Sydney.

8pm. $15.

Blvd - feat: G-Wizard Marquee, Pyrmont. 10pm. $18.40.

DJ Perry Carter 5 Sawyers, Newcastle. 8pm.

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.

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

Free.

Phat Play Fridays - feat: DJ Cman + Juzzlikedat + Benny Hinn

Play Bar, Surry Hills. 6pm.

Free.

Total Giovanni Goodgod Small Club, Sydney.

7pm. $12.

Treble N Bass Manly Wharf Hotel, Manly.

8pm. Free.

SATURDAY APRIL 25 CLUB NIGHTS

Anzac Day On The Wharf feat: Sam Wall Manly Wharf Hotel, Manly.

8pm. Free.

Anzac Day Special - feat: Doorly + Phil Smart + Black Angus + Murat Kilic + Hakan Henry + Onn The Spice Cellar, Erskineville.

11pm. $20.

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

8pm. $10.

DJ Patsan 5 Sawyers, Newcastle. 8pm.

Free.

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

10pm. Free.

Elektocute - feat: Neutek + F.E.M.A. + Danejer + DJ Voodoo + Acidtrixx Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 9pm. $10.

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

Lndry - feat: Monkey Safari

FRIDAY APRIL 24 Bassic - feat: The Party Squad + Spenda C + Nemo + Deckhead + Gradz + Beatslingerz + Blackmale + Jose + Man Bat Chinese Laundry, Sydney.

8pm. $15.

Phat Play Fridays - feat: DJ Cman + Juzzlikedat + Benny Hinn Play Bar, Surry Hills. 6pm.

Free.

Total Giovanni Goodgod Small Club, Sydney. 7pm. $12.

SATURDAY APRIL 25

Chinese Laundry, Sydney.

8pm. $20.

Lost Disco - feat: Julio Bashmore + Late Night Tuff Guy + Cassian Dreems + Softwar + Others Ivy Bar/Lounge, Sydney.

12pm. $58.40.

One Day Sundays - feat: Jaytee Hazard + Halfway Crooks + Lazer Gunne Funke + Klue + Nacho Pop + Skoob + Samrai Factory Theatre, Marrickville. 1pm. $10.

S.A.S.H Sundays Home Nightclub, Darling Harbour. 2pm. $10.

Rees Hellmers + Royaal + Venuto + Rees Hellmers + M.V.P + I.K.O + Seiz + J-Reyes + Simon Lovell Home Nightclub, Darling Harbour. 9pm. Free.

Superheroes & Villains - Feat: Samual James + Walden + L.A.M + I Am Sam + Zero Cool + K

Julio Bashmore Total Giovanni

Anzac Day Special Feat: Doorly + Phil Smart + Black Angus + Murat Kilic + Hakan Henry + Onn The Spice Cellar, Erskineville. 11pm. $20.

Lndry - feat: Monkey Safari + Danny T + Pantheon + Charades Djs + Avon Stringer + DJ Just 1 + King Lee + DJ Moto

BRAG :: 609 :: 22:04:15 :: 33

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