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FREE #071 July ’12
rock You’re a Freak!
The Tea Party Return from the Edge
Ladyhawke Back in Flight
Say Anything Prepared to Admit It
plus: Afghan Whigs + Karnivool + Edward Sharpe + Van She + Muscles
Newcastle Panthers SATURDAY JULY 14
TIX
4th July
Hellnights (cheap drinks) 5th July
Deep Water Blues 6th July
KARNIVOOL
Hansel + Guests
PRE-SALE $40 + BF, DOORS 8PM, OVER 18’S.
8th July
Kristina Scott, Lovechild
FRIDAY AUGUST 24
11th July
TIX
Hellnights (cheap drinks) 12th July
Clowns (melb), Excitebike 14th July
Cloud Four, Hack, The Worstmn
STAN WALKER & YOUNG MEN SOCIETY
15th July
Little King 18th July
PRE-SALE $30 + BF, DOORS 7PM, ALL AGES 14+.
Allay The Sea, Graves 19th July
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 28
Swiss Army Wives
TIX
20th July
Moth (melb), Fusaurus, Granny Fist 22nd July
Jessica Cain 25th July
Rad Beligion
THE AMITY AFFLICTION
26th July
Eye On You
ON SALE JULY 6, ALLAGES.
27th July
Unda Dwella, Nhostic, Fowl Mouth, Jordan Oliver + Djs
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 29
28th July
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The Virtue, Roses For Rachel 29th July
The Bangin Molls
MARTIKA
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No. 71
Reverb Magazine is locally owned & published by The Lockup Garage. Printed by Spotpress, Marrickville: sales@spotpress.com.au
index
contents
News 8-12 Kingswood 14 Karnivool 14 Say Anything 15 Edward Sharpe 16 The Cairos 16 The Tea Party 17 Muscles 19 Van She 19 Afghan Whigs 21 RocKwiz 23 Ladyhawke 25 Fashion 26-27 Beer review — Monteith’s 28 Cartoon 29 Horoscopes 29 Live reviews 30-31 Album reviews 32-34 Motoring — Porsche Boxster 35 Film reviews 36 Matt Nable 36 DVD reviews 37 Gig guide 38-40
Loving the leaf
editor’s letter
Credits
Following the upheaval that is occurring at Fairfax and the Newcastle Herald, the pressure that is being placed on print media hit real close with the closure of Rave Magazine (Brisbane). A truly independent streetpress that has been in print for 21 years with over 1000 issues under their belt, to see these guys close their doors has certainly brought the changing fortunes of the print media to our doorstep. The saving grace for Reverb is our low overheads, and our wonderful contributors. We have slashed our costs out of necessity, and our position is that we break even most months — some, we actually make a few dollars. What the closure of Rave has highlighted is that pressure is being felt across the board, and this is survival of the fittest. Much love guys, Kevin
Editor
Senior Writers
Mark Henderson
Lee Tobin
Editorial
Kevin Bull
Birdy
Charli Hutchison
Rod Whitfield
kevin@reverbstreetpress.com or 0410 295 360
Peter Douglas
Jessica Kellar
Mel Woodward
Sub-Editor
Nick Milligan
Nick Mackay
Kristen Wright
Kate Hamilton
Matt Petherbridge
Jonathan McCallum
Sallie Maree Pritchard
Brooke Nash
Photogs
Mark Snelson
Jamie Nelson
Kevin Bull
Sales, North Coast
Cormack O’Connor
Jim Curran
stephen@reverbstreetpress.com or 0458 559 938
Writers
Amelia Parrott
Courtney Fitzsimmons
North Coast Mgr
Kevin Bull
Thomas Peasley
David Jackson
Gig guide
Stephen Bocking
Louisa Bulley
Max Quinn
Timmy Johnston
gigguide@reverbstreetpress.com.au
Steve Burrito
Chelsea Reed
Julie Lowe
Cartoonist
Eliza Church
Melissa Roach
Madeline Smith
Production
Tony Jenkins
Josh Clements
Geoff Ruddick
Brooke Nash
cam@reverbstreetpress.com
Mick Daley
Luke Saunders
Glen Pearson
HOROSCOPES
Sean Degan
Martin Slade
Linda Wales
Postal address
Steve Burrito
Stephanie De Vries
Byron Struck
Jessica Ward
PO Box 843, Woy Woy NSW 2256
Cameron Edney
Roger Thornhill
Kristen Wright
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magazine issue #07 1 — July 2012
art director
Contacts
Cam Bennett
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Sales, Newcastle & Central Coast kevin@reverbstreetpress.com or 0410 295 360
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Give aways
PARKLIFE 2012 LINEUP
SPLENDOUR IN THE GRASS — SIDESHOWS
just email your postal address to editorial@reverbstreetpress.com.au First come, first served
5 copies
Five copies of 50/50 on DVD
5 copies
Five copies of Bikie Wars: Brothers in Arms on DVD
2 double pass/ album packs
Win one of two double passes to see Ladyhawke at the Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle, on Thursday July 19. Plus there’s a copy of Ladyhawke’s current album, Anxiety.
whilst all care is taken, some giveaways may change due to circumstances beyond our control
smashing pumpkins
Jack White Thursday July 26 Hordern Pavilion, Sydney
Smashing Pumpkins
Hypnotic Brass Ensemble
The Afghan Whigs
Sunday July 29 Oxford Arts Factory, Sydney
Thursday July 26 Factory Theatre, Sydney
Band Of Skulls
Tuesday July 31 Sydney Entertainment Centre
Friday July 27 Factory Theatre, Sydney
The Shins
Monday July 30 Metro Theatre, Sydney
Wednesday July 25 Hordern Pavilion, Sydney
Miike Snow
fun.
Metric
Wednesday July 25 Metro Theatre, Sydney
Thursday July 26 HiFi, Sydney
Lana Del Rey
Yuksek Saturday July 28 Oxford Art Factory, Sydney
Thursday July 26 and Friday July 27 Enmore Theatre, Sydney
Michael Kiwanuka, Ben Howard Tuesday July 24 Factory Theatre, Sydney
Django Django, The Cast Of Cheers Wednesday August 1 and Thursday August 2 Oxford Art Factory, Sydney
Friends, Howler, Zulu Winter Wednesday July 25 Oxford Art Factory, Sydney
Electric Guest
The wait is over and the end of hibernation is nigh as Australia’s premier touring festival, Parklife, reveals its 2012 lineup, guaranteed to make music heads buzz and dancing feet jump in excitement. Set in the most beautiful green parklands, Parklife welcomes us all into spring/summer 2012 with open arms, brand new music, treasured tunes and a collective record bag full of surprises. If you prize great music as much as your party surroundings, Parklife 2012 will blow your mind. Parklife 2012 happens at the Riverstage and Botanic Gardens, Brisbane, on Saturday September 29, and Centennial Park, Sydney, on Sunday September 30. The Lineup includes The Presets, Tame Impala, Hermitude, Passion Pit, Chairlift, Chiddy Bang, Plan B, Wiley, Labrinth, Charli XCX, Jacques Lu Cont, Justice, Robyn, DJ Fresh, NERO, Rusko, Benga, Modestep and Jack Beats.
Tuesday July 31 Oxford Art Factory, Sydney
Father John Misty Friday July 27 Oxford Art Factory, Sydney
Youth Lagoon Saturday July 28 Factory Theatre, Sydney
betty zhang with reverb’s stephen bocking
BETTY ZHANG TAKES OUT REVERB’S STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Good charlotte
FAT AS BUTTER LINEUP ANNOUNCED
Let’s face it, the Fat As Butter Festival just gets fatter as it gets older, and this year features something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue. Joel and Benji Madden are bringing Good Charlotte to headline the day in the only way they know how; loud and proud, foul-mouthed Melbourne rapper, 360, is set to be an act that just can’t be missed; Aussie rock legends Grinspoon will add some classic Aussie rock to the bill; US pop-punkers Yellowcard are returning to the stage after a two-year hiatus; college rockers Wheatus will undoubtedly bring back teenage dirtbag memories; while Mystery Jets, bring a taste of UK indie pop. Rounding out the lineup are Canada’s Marianas Trench, Urthboy, Seth Sentry, Hungry Kids of Hungary, Art of Sleeping, Pond, Hunting Grounds, The Rubens, Rufus, Hey Geronimo, Kill City Creeps, Yacht Club DJs, Bombs Away, Rebecca & Fiona, Nick Thayer, Jamxpress, Feenixpawl, Tenzin, Dr Don Don, The Only, Shockone, and Doctor Werewolf. Adding some old skool fun for the day will be Eiffel 65 and N-Trance. Fat As Butter happens on Newcastle Foreshore on Saturday September 22.
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magazine issue #07 1 — July 2012
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Kingscliff’s Betty Zhang, who studied a Diploma of Graphic Design at North Coast TAFE, received the Creative Industries Student of the Year Award, sponsored by Reverb. Zhang, a single parent who migrated to Australia from China in 2004, completed her Diploma of Graphic Design in 2011 and has already won numerous competitions including designing an animated e-Christmas card and corporate identity for the Clarence Valley Industry Education Forum. She is now furthering her skills by undertaking a Bachelor of Digital Media at Griffith University. Craig Elliot, teacher of information technology and creative industries at Kingscliff Campus, said Zhang deserved the award for her high standard of work and application to her studies. “Betty consistently presented a very high standard of work demonstrating conceptual thinking and application to project briefs, very high level of competence using design industry standard computer software and presentation of completed work, often going above and beyond the level of expectation in technical achievement and scope with the work she presented,” Craig said. “Betty was able to balance the demands of being a single parent and a student for whom English was a second language to consistently produce design work of a very high quality in concept and production values.”
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THE BEAUTIFUL GIRLS SAY GOODBYE
beck
HARVEST 2012 LINEUP
In November 2011, Australia experienced a festival akin to Europe’s most picturesque. Acres of magnificent, natural space beautified and transformed with surreal lighting and visual displays lighting the paths from one stage to the next, and mesmerising sculptures and art installations colouring the mind and inspiring the heart. Within the stunning tactile environment drifted sounds and songs — many known, others not. They included the ethereal, the explosive, the experimental and the prolific, as well as the new, and by day’s end they shared one common theme — they were adored. This November, Harvest will once again add its rich tapestry to the Australian music and arts calendar, proudly unveiling a lineup spanning artists with decades-long prominence to pioneering trailblazers. Harvest 2012 returns to Parramatta Park, Sydney, on Saturday November 17, and Brisbane City Botanic Gardens on Sunday November 18, with a lineup that includes Beck, Sigur Ros, Mike Patton’s Mondo Cane, Grizzly Bear, Ben Folds Five, Beirut, Santigold, Cake, The Dandy Warhols, The Black Angels, Chromatics, Ozomatli, Liars, Fuck Buttons, The War on Drugs and Dark Dark Dark.
Lanie lane
SYDNEY BLUES AND ROOTS FESTIVAL LINEUP
Sydney’s finest blues and roots event, the Sydney Blues and Roots Festival, returns to Windsor in 2012 for its fourth year, with a diverse and exciting musical lineup that’s destined to impress. Headed by Ian Moss, one of Australia’s most iconic musicians, and with legendary Mississippi-born harmonica master Charlie Musselwhite making his long-awaited return to Australia, alongside girl of the moment, Lanie Lane, this year’s event promises a veritable blues and roots smorgasbord. The first full lineup announcement includes Ian Moss, Charlie Musselwhite, Lanie Lane, Mia Dyson, Ray Beadle, Backsliders, The Trews, Chase The Sun, Jill Barber, Billy TK Junior, Captain Matchbox Whoopee Band, The Darren Jack Hammond Trio, Sam Cutler, Dave Tice and Mark Evans, Microwave Jenny, 8 Ball Aitken, Benjau, Lloyd Speigel, The Lazys, Ashleigh Mannix, Marshall Okell, Genevieve Chadwick, Two Girls Will. The Sydney Blues and Roots Festival takes place at Windsor between October 25 and 28.
For 10 years The Beautiful Girls has been the vehicle that has taken Mat McHugh and his boot-full of songs from country to country, stage to stage and heart to heart. But there comes a time when a restless heart needs to take a leap of faith; to step away from what is known and find out what is possible. This is the end of The Beautiful Girls — an immense celebration of 10 incredible years. It’s time to take her on one last unique adventure: 26 stops around the nation, shows unlike anything The Beautiful Girls have done before. In a night more reminiscent of theatre, McHugh invites you along to ‘An Evening With The Beautiful Girls’ – a two-part show reflective of a decade, divided into a stunning acoustic set to warm the heart, followed by a second set plugged in and electric to warm the bones. Like the days of yesteryear, there will be an intermission in which you can dance, drink and remember all The Beautiful Girls shows you’ve been to in the past and toast this as the last. The Beautiful Girls perform at the Entrance Leagues Club on Saturday September 1; Bar on the Hill, Newcastle Uni, on Thursday September 13; Port Macquarie Panthers on Friday September 14; Hoey Moey Hotel, Coffs Harbour on Saturday September 15.
nine sons of dan
NINE SONS OF DAN ARE THE NEW KIDS
Gold Coast band Nine Sons of Dan have released their highly-anticipated new single ‘Diamond Skin’, the first single to be lifted from the band’s forthcoming EP, titled The New Kids. JR McNeally (Anberlin/Paramore) mixed ‘Diamond Skin’ while the remaining five songs were left in the hands of the highly reputable Forrester Savell (Karnivool/The Butterfly Effect/Dead Letter Circus). It’s onstage where Nine Sons of Dan are truly at home. The young sons humbly began independently booking shows up and down the east coast, developing a strong live presence that landed them in front of crowds in excess of 20,000. Living the dream, Nine Sons of Dan will be hitting the road for their national headlining tour, The New Kids, performing at the Port Macquarie Hotel on Thursday July 12; Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle, on Friday July 13; Youth Art Factory, Gosford, on Saturday July 14.
FOX TAKES CONTROL
king tide
WOLLOMBI MUSIC FESTIVAL’S LINEUP ANNOUNCED
Now in its third year, the Wollombi Music Festival will have more bands, great markets, fantastic food, a VIP camping area and heaps of creative surprises. Located two minutes outside the historic village of Wollombi, at 2758 Wollombi Rd (next to Wollombi Wines), in a field looking up into the mountains, it is just one-and-a-half hours from Sydney, one hour from Newcastle and the Central Coast. All bands are locked in and it’s an incredible, eclectic lineup of Australian talent, that includes Aya Larkin, King Tide, Marshall Okell, Casino Rumblers, Zoe K and the Shadow Katz, The Widowbirds, Josh Watkins, The H Gang, Tom Ugly, Shris Gillespie, Jimmy Willing, Belle Benet, and Abrie, on Saturday September 22.
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Huw Jones aka Fox Control is a new and unique loop artist out of Newcastle, linking live instruments, samples, breaks and people. Live, you will see roots style guitar, plodding bass and MPC for voices, synths, sampled breaks and constructed grooves. By the way, if this sounds like 10 people on a stage then you are mistaken. This plethora of audio delights is all created by one person. Fox Control has been recording and filming guerrilla-style around Newcastle, before he bunks down in the studio later this month to produce his debut release. Fox Control performs at the Lass O’Gowrie Hotel, Wickham, on Wednesday July 4.
JED ROWE TOURS SECOND ALBUM
The Jed Rowe Band are touring to promote their second album The Ember & The Afterglow. Produced by Jeff Lang, the album was recorded in just seven days in Lang’s own studio. Guest performances from Lang himself, Liz Stringer, Suzannah Espie and a string section, further enhanced the creative spirit captured on the album from the wellregarded Victorian three-piece. A mix of foot-stomping rock, blues and folk, with touches of bluegrass and alt-country, and occasional flashes of gospel, soul and world music permeate the songs, and have earned high praise from early reviews. The Jed Rowe Band perform at the Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland, on Sunday July 1, and the Brewery, Byron Bay, on Friday July 6.
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money for rope bill bailey
BILL BAILEY RETURNS TO NEWCASTLE
British comic, actor and musician Bill Bailey returns down under in August for his eighth Australian tour, with his brand new live show. Bailey’s new show, Qualmpeddler, has all the trademark Bailey elements — musical mash-ups, twisted logic, some political ranting, brilliant visuals and animation, a clear-eyed yet surreal view of the modern world, plus some new explorations of language inspired by a trip to China. According to the UK’s Daily Star, “Bill Bailey is the most talented comic on the scene…Do yourself a huge favour and see Qualmpeddler”. Bill Bailey performs at the Newcastle Civic Theatre on Monday September 3.
THE GUPPIES RETURN TO THE LOFT
Newcastle’s up-and-coming fresh grunge rockers, The Guppies, return to the Loft Youth Centre after their sold out February show. Armed with new tunes and on the back of a Groovin’ The Moo appearance, the boys are ready to once again evoke those wild memories of sneaking out at 2 am, the warmth of Grandpa’s favourite loafers and everything in between. Along for the ride will be Flight to Dubai so get your hair cut and be ready. The Guppies with Flight to Dubai perform at the Loft Youth Centre, Newcastle, on Friday July 6.
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MONEY FOR ROPE BASSIST BREAKS ARM PLAYING AFL
Play hard or go home — it’s the adage of every AFL player that’s ever strapped on a boot and driven a Sherrin full tilt through the two big sticks. Unfortunately, for Money For Rope’s Michael Cini playing for the Rockdogs at this year’s Reclink Community Cup, he did both; going home via hospital. You can’t fault the kid’s dedication; 90 seconds on the field and with the spirt of EJ Whitten clearly pumping through his veins, Cini took a controversial tackle, emerging from the scrap with an arm so broken it required surgery to install a metal plate which, luckily, will come out just in time for 2013’s Community Cup. Cini will be sidelined during Money For Rope’s upcoming This Epic Tour with Kingswood and Damn Terran. But in the name of team spirit, The Vasco Era’s Ted O’Neil has courageously stepped up to Cini’s side of stage, offering both his time and exceptional bass skills to ensure that This Epic Tour stays epic. Money for Rope, with Kingswood and Damn Terran perform at the Great Northern Hotel, Newcastle on Thursday July 5, and Beach Hotel, Byron Bay, on Friday July 13.
reverb magazine issue #07 1 — July 2012 9
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JULY
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the rescue ships the phat controller
MUSIC AND MOVIE TRIVIA TURNS 100
Newcastle’s biggest Tuesday night party, Music and Movie Trivia, has reached a large milestone – its 100th birthday. On Tuesday July 17, the Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle will host a special 100th edition of the weekly event, with live performances by The Phat Controller and chip music’s Man 64. House band Hells will perform live music questions with wild abandon. Hosted, as always, by music journalist and all-round raconteur Nick Milligan, festivities will kick off at 6.30pm and will finish at 10pm. Entry is free but get in early to register and get the best seats. As always there will be $10 jugs of beer available, plus $10 pizzas and cheap schnitzels. Lots of prizes up for grabs too. To keep up-to-date with news on the event head to www.facebook.com/musicandmovietrivia.
HOUSE VS HURRICANE’S CROOKED TEETH
DR BAZ
FR E E POOL FROM 5PM TR IVIA WITH J E R EMY – 6.30PM
PARTY HARD WITH THE MAIN GUY & OTHER GUYS
Exploding out of Newcastle comes four-piece The Main Guy & the Other Guys – a musical comedy that aims to make you laugh, dance and hopefully undress. The Main Guy used to play in a band with Some Different Guys, but decided to go solo for a while before he ran into The Other Guys. They had themselves spent years playing with Another Guy, but as he seemed bland and somewhat generic, they dumped him and went with The Main Guy. With songs titled ‘P-A-R-T-Y-H-A-R-D-D-D-D-D-D-D-D-D’, ‘Tambo Rambo’, ‘Colin Loves His Tuna’, ‘The Prince of the Night’, ‘Cheese’ and ‘The Stalker’, TMG&TOG brings the party to you and, through tight arrangements and four-part harmonies, will melt you with their musical lava! An EP will be released early 2013, and in the meantime the guys hope to travel far and wide to set a new standard in the music scene — a standard that will make the current standard seem... pretty standard. The Main Guy & the Other Guys perform at the Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle on Saturday August 4, and Lass O’Gowrie Hotel, Wickham, on Friday August 24.
JULY
SUN 1 THE JED ROWE BAND THU 5 LIZ MARTIN & JACQUELINE AMIDY SAT 7 THE BLUE RUINS SUN 8 BLUES B O M B E R S T H U 12 B E T H & B E N S U N 15 C A S S E A G E R T H U 19 E R R O L J . M F R I 2 0 THE G. NUNAN BA N D SAT 21 AS T R ID AND THE ASTEROIDS THU 26 THE MAGPIE DIARIES FRI 27 TBA SUN 29 T H E F L A T T R A C K E R S
ADDRESS
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MONDAY NIGHTS ZU M BA – 6PM
As House Vs Hurricane gear up for the release of their long-awaited sophomore album, Crooked Teeth, and its subsequent capital cities run, it has been confirmed that the first pressing of the album will include a free DVD that features studio diaries, interviews and the ‘Blood Knuckles’ music video. The package will be a six panel soft pack with a huge booklet. Fans in regional areas will be stoked to hear that House Vs Hurricane are not just hitting capital cities this winter. Immediately following the massive Crooked Teeth Tour, they will commence Crooked Teeth Part II, a regional run that will take in most of the east coast. House Vs Hurricane perform at the Oasis Youth Centre, Wyong, on Sunday July 29; Plantation Hotel, Coffs Harbour, on Wednesday August 22; Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle on Thursday August 23; Loft Youth Centre, Newcastle, on Friday August 24.
ABOARD THE RESCUE SHIPS
Having just returned from two tours promoting their last single ‘On The Air’, the second of which was a national run as main support for Josh Pyke on his Only Sparrows tour, Sydney’s The Rescue Ships are back with a brand new single, ‘City Life’. Formed around the core of Brian Campeau and Elana Stone, two nationally recognised singer/songwriters in their own right, The Rescue Ships will be touring the east coast throughout July to launch the single. Between them, Campeau and Stone have worked with many prominent Australian artists including Angus & Julia Stone, Josh Pyke, Bluejuice, Washington, The Cat Empire, Katie Noonan, Urthboy, and internationals – including Joanna Newsom, Passenger and Kaki King. In 2010 they were the musical directors of the Australian drama series Underbelly: Razor. Right now though, it is to ‘City Life’ and the impending tour that all ears are bent. The Rescue Ships perform at the Lass O’Gowrie Hotel, Wickham, on Wednesday July 18, and 5 Church Street, Bellingen, on Friday July 20.
HEY!, LET’S SET SAIL
After a turbulent start to 2012, Sydney-based folk/indie-pop trio Set Sail are ready to once again make their mark on the Australian music scene, embarking on a mammoth 18-date tour of the country, parading a new collection of heartfelt rhythms in the form of their new sixtrack, Hey!. Set Sail made national headlines earlier in the year when lead singer Brandon Hoogenboom was literally forced to set sail after being deported by Australian authorities for breaching his visa conditions. With their singer back on Australian soil, Set Sail went on to record a stellar follow-up release and are jumping at the chance to get back on the road and unleash Hey! for their Australian fans. Set Sail perform at the Beach Hotel, Byron Bay, on Friday July 20, and Great Northern Hotel, Newcastle, on Saturday July 21.
MONDAY TO SUNDAY
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magazine issue #07 1 — July 2012
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AMITY AFFLICTION CHASE GHOSTS
2012 is The Amity Affliction’s year. This spring, The Amity Affliction will embark on their biggest run of Australian dates yet, in support of the highly anticipated release of their Roadrunner Records debut Chasing Ghosts. The tour features a massive international undercard that ticks all the right boxes. Featuring California’s metallic hardcore kings, The Ghost Inside, Brighton’s modern metal lords, Architects, and capped off with local juggernauts, Buried in Verona, every date on the Chasing Ghosts Tour will start hard and not relent. The Amity Affliction perform at Newcastle Panthers on Friday September 28.
HOUSE OF SHEM DEBUT AUSTRALIAN TOUR
mojo juju
MOJO JUJU SIGNS TO ABC
After five years as founding member, songwriter and vocalist for notorious seven-piece noir punk/garage swing band, The Snake Oil Merchants, a favourite on the Australian festival circuit, Melbourne artist Mojo Juju has made a bold departure from the band and set out on her own. Mojo Juju will release her debut self-titled album through ABC Music on September 14 with a national tour planned for later in the year.
This July, House of Shem, one of New Zealand’s premier reggae bands, land on Australian shores for their debut nationwide headlining tour, traversing the country and taking in new and historic venues. They take to the road with a selection of favourites from their debut album, Keep Rising, and 2011’s Island Vibration. Both records have been certified Gold in New Zealand and anticipation is building for the release of the bands third album, due to be recorded upon returning from tour. The House of Shem experience is one not to be missed. Witnessing the band as they weave together traditional and contemporary reggae, it’s clear why they have won thousands of fans the world over. House of Shem perform at the Coolangatta Hotel on Friday July 20; Brewery, Byron Bay, on Sunday July 22; Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle, on Thursday July 26.
regurgitator
REGURGITATOR PERFORM TU PLANG AND UNIT IN THEIR ENTIRETY
In an era beset by an abscess of competition, an influenza of celebrity, a continental flux of technology… and the gasping breath of Regurgitator’s nineteenth year, without looking back for the sake of cutting back... they take a knife to the face of nostalgia and sculpt it a new nose with the highly unexpected — playing Tu Plang and Unit back-toback. The idea for this concept has wafted around for a few smelly years, and now, the time for a retrotech makeover of these seminal albums is upon us. Regurgitator perform Tu Plang and Unit back-to-back, at the Great Northern Hotel, Byron Bay, on Wednesday September 26, and Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle, on Sunday September 30.
ELLIOT THE BULL TOUR DEBUT EP
Central Coast four-piece, Elliot the Bull, will hit the east coast road this July, performing music from their soon-to-be-released selftitled debut EP, produced by Lachlan Mitchell (The Jezabels). Formed on the foundations of strong friendships, and musical diversity, Elliot the Bull’s sound is an honest reflection of each individual member’s influences and creates a unique and eclectic harmony within their music. Difficult to fit into any one genre, the bands’ sound is a melting pot of folk, rockabilly, punk/hardcore and indie-pop – carving a unique sound. Elliot the Bull perform at HQ, Terrigal, on Friday July 6, and Great Northern Hotel, Newcastle, on Saturday July 7.
daniel champagne
CHAMPAGNE IN MULLUM
At the age of 22, singer/songwriter and gun guitarist, Daniel Champagne, has already lived the life of many musicians twice his age. Having cut his teeth on the Australian and international music scene with two independent EPs, My Own Design (2009) and Wide Eyed and Open (2010), full-length album, Pint of Mystery (2011), and many hundreds of live shows, the hard work and constant performing has paid off, with Champagne reaching a level of musicianship far beyond his young age. Champagne is now heading out on the road again to support his latest release Real Live. This new release captures the energy and spirited atmosphere of Champagne’s show-stopping live performance, honed over more than four years on the road. Daniel Champagne performs at the Mullum Drill Hall on Saturday July 21.
LIVE & LOCAL AT LIZOTTE’S
Lambton Lizotte’s: Wednesday July 11, Jacob Emerson, Gambirra, Grant Wolter, Kirsty Larkin & The Pocket Trap; Wednesday July 18, Cormack & Emily, Cathy & Greg, Brian Dillon, James Thomson; Wednesday July 25, The Wooden, QnRoo, Bye Bye Birdy; Wednesday August 1, Danica Browne, The Delta Lions. Kincumber Lizotte’s: Wednesday July 11, Jason Rooke, Michael Peter, Joe Kalou, Kita Kerford; Thursday July 12, Mark Moldre, Sarah Humphreys, Mike McCarthy; Wednesday July 18, Dominique Morgan, Tim Hill, Nathan Jensen; Friday July 20, Taylor and the Makers.
bluejuice
WARM AND TOASTY WITH BLUEJUICE
Winter at university was never a good time for the members of Bluejuice. Concentrating on Oedipal Complexes of The Leopard Slug and the Resulting Ramifications For High Density Housing was difficult in all that cold, and all that darkness. Hard times indeed. They survived though, and this winter, instead of insisting daily that their manager make them slow-cooked meals with polenta on the side, Bluejuice have decided to ease the plight of freezing students by touring the universities of Australia. The Winter Of Our Discotheque Tour coincides with the release of Bluejuice’s fourth single, ‘The Recession (Winter Of Our Discotheque Remix)’, a song re-assembled for the dancefloor by multiplatinum producer, Styalz Fuego — who wrote and produced the mega-hit ‘Boys Like You’ for 360. Bluejuice, with Deep Sea Arcade and The Preachers supporting, will be performing at the Bar on the Hill, Newcastle Uni on Wednesday August 8; Entrance Leagues Club on Tuesday August 21; Hoey Moey Hotel, Coffs Harbour, on Wednesday August 22; SCU Unibar, Lismore, on Saturday August 25.
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magazine issue #07 1 — July 2012
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Love Police presents
THE ROCK & ROLL SHOW OF 2012
with special guests Royal Headache
ON SALE NOW! Tickets: www.ticketmaster.com.au
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reverb magazine issue #07 1 — July 2012 13
kingswood — karnivool
Built for Cruising Like the car they are named after, Melbourne four-piece KINGSWOOD are old-school and built for cruising. Their origins go back four or five years, although even the band members are sketchy on exactly when they formed. Their retro, 70s-influenced blues/indie-rock sound has earned them high rotation airplay on Triple J, and they are about to embark on a nationwide jaunt, presumptuously titled ‘This Epic Tour’ (the naming of which the band claim they had no hand in). From the heavily pimped-out surrounds of their permanent rehearsal room in Melbourne’s Revolver Arcade, the boys discussed the tour and its title, the band’s history and all things Kingswood, with ROD WHITFIELD. “It’s hard to define when we actually began,” says Kingswood guitarist Alex Laska. “Because we set off, and Dave (Powell, band manager) got sick.” While Powell dealt with his serious heart problems, the band put things on ice. “We wanted to continue as a band but not do anything officially. Then we started recording our CD and it was the start of this year, where it was like ‘Dave’s clear, he’s got 40 per cent heart function, that’s good enough for us!’,” laughs Laska. The tour features fellow bluesy rock warriors and Triple J darlings, Money for Rope and Damn Terran, and rolls into Newcastle on July 5. The boys couldn’t be happier to be on the road again. “It’s our second [tour] and we’re very excited for it,” enthuses Laska. “It’s epic,” chides singer Fergus Linacre. “It’s not
the greatest tour name, we know that,” says drummer Justin Debrincat. “But we got outvoted.” “It’s a little bit lame and arrogant,” Laska adds. “And none of the bands are that epic. We’re not, man, we’re just dudes from Melbourne.” “It’s like me walking round with a t-shirt that says ‘This Epic Singer’,” says Linacre. “Which I plan on doing,” he jokes. “Well, back to the tour,” says Laska. “It’s a triple bill. We were going to do our own thing but then we realised that it was a more viable thing to do it with more bands. We start in Melbourne then go to Adelaide, and then up the east coast, which is always good. We had great experiences doing it with Stonefield and the Delta Riggs.” “But we’re playing at good venues, so it might
be a bit different this time,” Linacre says. So what do punters get at a Kingswood show? “You get to see the best band you’ve never seen,” quips Laska. “It’s epic,” jokes Linacre. “We go wild on stage. Alex was crowd surfing in Warrnambool last Saturday night, whilst playing guitar, and he came back to the stage without his guitar!” “Some guy gets on the stage and says ‘I’ll play the blues for you’,” says Laska. “I don’t know who he was, but he started playing guitar and he sucked arse (mocking laughter all round).” “So as a snapshot, our shows are a lot of fun,” says Linacre. “And it’s not always the same. We just have a party and try and get everyone to have the best time that we can, in whatever way possible.”
“That’s our ‘all about partying’ answer,” interjects Laska. “We’re real rock ‘n’ roll dudes. But really, we’re musically spectacular (more mocking laughter).” Once the tour winds down, the band will not be resting for the remainder of the year. “We’ve got more songs to release, and maybe we’ll think about another tour later in the year,” Linacre foresees. “We’re playing (Brisbane festival) ‘Bigsound’, and we’re playing the Queenscliff Music Festival. And just whatever comes to us this year, we’re ready to take it on!”
the boil. All of this adds up to lengthy waits between releases. “Last year we did just one Aussie tour as well,” says Goddard. “Although we did four European festivals in August and one festival over in Mumbai, in September, which was awesome. But this year it’s just the one tour. We’re going to showcase a whole bunch of new stuff, get out on the road again and say hello to some friendly and familiar faces.” Since they only tour the country once a year at this point in their career, the band members are absolutely champing at the bit to get back out on the road, and they plan to make it special. “I really like studio time and being creative. But I think I prefer getting up on stage and playing live. The energy’s unbeatable”. And the other good thing about getting out on the road while incubating a new album is that the band get to road test some of the new material they’ve been working on. And
this tour, no doubt to the delight of hardcore fans, will be no exception. “Last year we showcased just one new track, called ‘The Refusal’,” says Goddard. “So that will be getting an airing again. Plus probably another three. It’s a great way to do it. I think the two or three songs on the last album that had the benefit of getting road-tested, ended up being my favourites. It’s a good way to see what works and what doesn’t. You tweak and perfect when you get home, or even on the tour. I daresay some of these songs will be developing and taking twists and turns as the tour goes on. Every soundcheck is going to be used to work on the new songs.” Speaking of the new album, there were reports from the Karnivool camp, in 2011, that it would surface this year. However, in true Karnivool style, the release date has been revised, and 2013 appears more likely. “Definitely maybe, probably not, definitely
not!” laughs Goddard, regarding the chances that the album would be released this year. “[It’s] funny how things change. It actually has to be out by early 2013. Otherwise I think we’re going to drive ourselves into the ground, in a stream of smoke and chaos. We need to set these deadlines, and that’s kind of what this tour is — a way to say, ‘Write some songs! Get it done!’ If we didn’t have deadlines we’d keep writing for years. I’d say it’s about 60 per cent done.” And progressive and alternative rock fans worldwide are waiting with bated breath for the other 40 per cent.
Kingswood, with Money for Rope and Damn Terran, perform at the Great Northern Hotel, Newcastle, on Thursday July 5, and the Beach Hotel, Byron Bay, on Friday July 13.
The Great aussie Road-test KARNIVOOL are bunkered down writing and recording their third full-length release, leaving little time for on-theroad antics. But with their annual Australian tour looming, an excited (and just a little toey) DREW GODDARD spoke to ROD WHITFIELD about the prospect of surfacing from their studio in the west to hit the road after a long dry spell. “We’re psyched,” enthuses Karnivool guitarist Drew Goddard on the band’s upcoming national tour. “But there’s a shitload of work to do before we start. It’s approaching fast and we haven’t had a singer here for quite a while.” With Karnivool vocalist Ian Kenny away working with the popular, and perhaps poppier, Birds of Tokyo, in LA, the band are itching to get him back into the practise room. “He’s coming back in a few days,” says Goddard. “I can’t wait to get out on the road, I’ve got itchy feet!” Karnivool have been likened to Tool over the years and Maynard Keenan’s band has certainly exerted an influence over the sound of Perth’s finest, but the similarity does not end there. The ’Vool also like to take their time when it comes to writing, recording and releasing their albums. Like the Americans, their music is complex and powerful and members of both bands have a clear idea of what they want. Both bands also have enigmatic frontmen with other high profile musical projects on 14 reverb
magazine issue #07 1 — July 2012
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Karnivool perform at the Entrance Leagues Club on Wednesday July 11; Newcastle Panthers on Saturday July 14; Great Northern Hotel, Byron Bay, on Thursday July 19; Coolangatta Hotel on Saturday July 21.
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le 0 0 4 , a litt B ack in 2a li for n ia n k no w n C a s e d a n ba nd releat w ou ld a lbu m th touch s tone b e come a te e n age r s for m a ny que s tion ing who w e re e in the the ir plac S AY w orld . A s G prepa re s to A N Y T H IN a li a , M A X tou r Au s troke w it h QU IN N sp , M A X B E M IS , frontm a n defi n ing .. .Is ab out the y, a nd A Re a l B o d the m a n d isco v e re e my th . b eh ind th Your first album, …Is A Real Boy, is a very important album to a lot of people who were growing up and finding their place in the world at the same time as you. Why do you think it became such an important body of music so quickly? As much as I’ve been able to accept that it is an important album to a lot of people, it’s still a very surreal fact to me. I guess if I had to analyse it, it was a record that approached two angles of songwriting that hadn’t been combined in a really long time. Definitely, I wasn’t the first person to do this, but I feel like the mixture of angst – I was nineteen and at the peak of my dysfunction when I wrote that record – and self-awareness and humour, was maybe the reason I was able to reach a lot of people. I can never take myself super-seriously. I think that invited people into what I was saying. Can I tell you what it boils down to for me? It’s the sense of vindication. I can’t listen to a song like ‘Admit It!’ without feeling vindicated. I think that it’s important to a lot of people to be able to take a stand against pretentiousness. And as much as there have been people talking and writing
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about that for a long time, it’s easy to go the other way - to be a complete dork, and not in a charming way. I’m a definite dork, of sorts, but I still have, as you said, a sense of vindication and I think I tapped into that with that song. People like to separate themselves from pretentiousness and I’m no exception. That song isn’t necessarily like somebody standing up and saying ‘I’m not cool’ or ‘I don’t have anything worth saying’, as much as it is saying ‘the way that you are saying it happens to be elitist’. I think you can have a sense of pride and still not be an arsehole, and that’s what that song is championing. At that time, there were a lot of people who, I’m sure, felt like they wanted to be a part of progressive culture without giving in to the most pretentious parts of it. And then you skip forward some eight years and we arrive at a song called ‘Admit It, Again’. When did you decide it was time to admit it, again? I think it was around the time that I’d written the first couple of songs for the new record, and I saw the direction I was heading in. In context, I think it makes a lot of sense. I felt like there was a real sense of
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‘who gives a crap?’ about this record, and so I thought, ‘why not write a sequel? It’s going to be fun and people will dance and sing along and feel joyful’. The biggest discernible difference that I see between ‘Admit It’ and ‘Admit It, Again’ is that ‘Admit It, Again’ is a lot less self-deprecating. Do you agree with that? Yeah. To be honest, I’m an extremely selfdeprecating person when it comes to my idiosyncrasies and my habits and the way I dress and the way I feel, and how much of a clumsy, neurotic bastard I am in daily life. But at the same time, I don’t know that I’m as self-derogatory when it comes to how I live my life. When I wrote the first ‘Admit It’, I was having a hard time separating myself from what I was criticising. That was an element of the first song. And I think that may have been the first time where I was able to say: ‘I may have my quirks, and my flaws, but I’m not like you.’ And, from my perspective, it’s been interesting to watch that progression from album to album. It seems to me that there has been less self-deprecation since a song like ‘Mara And Me’, which has that line about not defining yourself through
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irony and self-deprecation. Do you think you’ve been true to your word in that sense? I do. I think there’s a way to have the Say Anything voice without falling into the Kurt Cobain trap. As much as he’s one of my idols, he defined himself by a certain type of self-reflection or persona, which led to a style of songwriting that he got caught up in. All of us do the same thing on different levels at different times in our lives. A lot of people, especially artists, can’t escape it. It stunts your growth - you end up with arrested development. Is there a different kind of vulnerability to the way that you write now? Completely. It’s a different kind of vulnerability altogether, because I think that you can really cut yourself off as a writer by making the excuse that, ‘I’m just a piece of shit’. There’s only so much of that you can do before you really start to hurt the people around you. I’m an adult now, and I have to be proud of my decisions and be looking out for people beyond myself and my own screwed up background. Say Anything performs at the Hi-Fi, Sydney, on Saturday July 14.
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E d w a r d S h a r p e a n d t h e M a g n et i c Zer o s — t h e c a i r o s
W
hen Christian Letts moved from England to America as a child, one of the first friends he made was a boy called Alex Ebert. The pair stayed friendly and, along with a bunch of old friends and blowins, later formed Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. “I got a call from Alex about five-and-a half years ago asking me to join his band,” says Letts. “I turned up to his studio apartment and we just went hard at it. For the first time I’d found something that I really wanted to put my soul into. I’d never felt that before. We booked a show without even having a band and just rang old friends up and asked if they wanted to join us. Even some people we didn’t know… I know we have past-life connections, though.” The band’s second single, ‘Home’, jumped to number 28 on Billboard’s Alternative Song chart and propelled the group into
The Sweet Hereafter About five years ago, Alex Ebert had hit rock bottom, landing himself in rehab after an intervention from friends. While there, he started writing a story about a man named Edward Sharpe, then invited his friends to join his musical adventures. CORMACK O’CONNOR chatted to CHRISTIAN LETTS, lead guitarist of the MAGNETIC ZEROS about love, beauty and being free. hot demand all over the world. “We worked really hard on the first album. It took us about two years all up. I realised ‘Home’ was big when we went to Australia for the first time and everybody was singing along. I was like ‘fuck, I remember writing this in Alex’s apartment’ and I could hardly believe that it had travelled so far. It was beautiful and humbling. It’s a great feeling to have something that’s important to you spread like that.”
Edward Sharpe can be seen as a new lease on life for Ebert. And one of the band’s mottos is to approach life as a child would. “It’s about enjoying every moment,” Letts explains. “Time seemed to go a lot slower when I was a kid and everything was so brand new. [But] as I got older I became a little jaded. The music is about just enjoying and not getting caught up in bullshit. I try and live in the moment.”
Australian band THE CAIROS have exploded onto the airwaves in recent months, realising the high school dreams of a couple of kids from Brisbane. CORMACK O’CONNOR chatted to lead singer ALISTAIR RICHARDSON about girlfriends, aliens and the radio.
You guys used Triple J Unearthed. Do you think it was one of the keys to your success? Definitely, because nobody really knows how to get into contact with Triple J. All of these bands that don’t know what they’re doing can just put a song up and Triple J gets into contact with you. We won an Unearthed competition with a song called ‘Listening Party’ about two years ago and that got their attention to wait for our next release.
You just mentioned touring with cool people. What was it like touring with Julian Casablancas? That was intimidating. It was a few years
The Colours of Cairo What’s the story behind the song ‘Shame’? That song is actually about two years old now. It was written when I found out my 16 reverb
magazine issue #07 1 — July 2012
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, supporting Mumford & Sons, perform at the Sydney Entertainment Centre on Thursday October 18. interpretation and the feelings that are brought out in me. No matter what, no one will be put in the exact same place as I was. It doesn’t worry me that much. The video is like a separate entity.
The Cairos have been together for a while now, what have been some of the highlights? There have been some really cool musical ones, like the bands we’ve played with. But half the time it’s just the shit we do on the road. I think the highlight has been just enjoying ourselves — like going to the snow last week. It’s random stuff that we normally wouldn’t do.
ago, so we were a bit younger. And he’s an absolute legend that has influenced so many people. After the first couple of shows we were knocking on his door and asking for a photo but the whole crew and everyone was so nice. It was inspiring. It made us really want to dedicate ourselves a lot more to music.
The new album, Here, was written in any spare time the band had between touring. “We did it all ourselves, even producing. We do everything as a family and I think we are really fortunate to have the knowledge within the group to pull it off. We can guide it and direct it without pressure, if something takes three months, it takes fucking three months.” Letts has also taken up the role of lead vocals on ‘Child’. “I’m excited!” he says. The Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros phenomenon has continued to make an impression, with the first single from Here, ‘Man on Fire’, picked up quickly by radio stations. “‘Man on Fire’ is one of my favourite songs,” says Letts. “The lyrics are so beautiful and it means a lot to me. I really love creating stuff and being able to share it. I’m so proud of the whole album.” Other projects in the works include a 12-part music video series, entitled Salvo!, the first three parts of which have already been released. “We just need to get the others done and that should hopefully happen in the next couple of years,” says Letts. “It all came from a brainstorming session.” Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros have confirmed an Australia tour this year with folk legends Mumford and Sons. “I don’t really know what the plan is at the moment. The tour is in September. We met Mumford and Sons at a festival a few years back and we hung out with them one night and that sparked it all. They make beautiful music and they are some of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet. It’s going to be fucking amazing.”
ex-girlfriend happened to be dating my old best friend. I didn’t find out until six months after it happened and it was kind of shame on me for not realising. It was pretty funny. There’s been a bit of talk about the video clip as well. What the hell is up with that? I know! We got offered a few different plot lines and stuff and then we got sent this plot line and a picture of the weird alien and we picked it. We just wanted some type
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of grotesque, foetus alien thing at the end so that was awesome. We got to play around with it as well. With video clip story lines being different to what the song is actually about, do you think that affects the music in any way? I think that the songs are open to interpretation, regardless, because nobody is going to know what I was feeling when I wrote them. I like that when listening to others people’s stuff — it’s all about my
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Can you tell me about the recording of Colours Like Features? We recorded with Wayne Connolly and he came and saw us play before we recorded. He had really great ideas and was really enthusiastic. It was great to have someone interested in us. It’s brought out the best in us and it was a great experience. We recorded it in Sydney and it was such an adventure. There are a few different styles on the EP. Who inspires you? I think The Raveonettes and our friends’ bands, like Lost Dinosaurs, influenced us. There is everything from disco songs to piano ballads though, so it’s a bit weird. A novel influenced ‘We All Buy Stars’. I like the idea of the main lyric, “We all buy stars, try to reach them somehow,” because I don’t know what it means. The Cairos play The Great Northern Hotel, Newcastle, on Friday July 6. Follow us on Twitter
photo by kate nutt
t h e te a p a rt y
Powerful Brew “ I remember, from before the split, just how powerful The Tea Party was, on-stage. But… I can say with all certainty that it’s even more powerful now.” These words, from Jeff Martin, main man of the legendary Canadian power trio, The Tea Party, will bring joy to the hearts and anticipation to the loins of Australian fans of the band, of which there are plenty. Indeed, any punter who appreciates great rock music should be salivating over the prospect of this classic line-up coming back together. Yes, it’s really happening, and yes, they are touring Australia. By ROD WHITFIELD. In 2005, The Tea Party decided to call it a day, after an incredible 15-year run — a run that featured seven seminal albums, countless sold-out tours, many awards and a legacy that has influenced any number of rock, progressive, blues and world music acts. Fast forward to 2011 when the three members agreed time and space had healed all wounds and decided to fill the hole in rock music left by their demise. It was time for The Tea Party to rise again. “We decided that whatever issues we had when we separated, enough time had gone by to put that behind us, for the betterment of music,” explained Jeff Martin, sitting down with us in the bar of a swanky hotel in Melbourne’s Crown Casino. “It seems to be a type of rock music that no-one else is doing. There’s a big void that needs to be filled, and we’re the only ones that can fill it. And it’s been wonderful. The first two tours we did — we did one in June [2011] in Canada, and then we did another run in November/ December — it was like we’d never left. And I do believe that seven years apart did wonders for us. Just the vibe on-stage — it’s absolute power. It’s crazy. “I think there’s a purpose again now in the band. There’s a vitality… something that’s just ethereal, going on. And it’s very exciting to wonder where it’s all going to Find us on Facebook
go. Live, we’ve got it down. When you come to see the show, you’re just going to be walking away, shaking your head going ‘what the fuck was that!’.” And it isn’t just a few rounds of touring to play their numerous classics that the band has in mind. This is no nostalgia/ cabaret reunion. There is a very real promise of brand new Tea Party material in the not-too-distant future. The only possible stumbling block being the tyranny of distance — Martin lives in Australia and the other two members in distant parts of Canada. “There’s the possibility of new music, which will be incredible,” said Martin. “But one step at a time. Geography is going to be the only chink in the wheel, so to speak. But we’ll get over that. The thing is we need to be together to make music. This is not the type of band we can do over the internet. So we have to figure out how to do that. Probably after the Australian tour I’ll be going back to Canada. We’re doing another run of dates in Canada at the end of August, with some festivals and such. So I’ll talk to the two boys about doing some work while I’m over there. “I’m writing constantly, so I have a vault of music. If Jeff and Stuart play on it, it’s The Tea Party. So we need to sift through all of that, and maybe get some bed tracks
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down. Then I can come back here to Australia as I always do. Where there’s a will there’s a way.” With their Australian tour imminent, fans are probably wondering whether the band will be focusing on a particular era or album. Many will be pleased to know that they will concentrate a large part of their set on 1995’s Edges of Twilight record, with a sprinkling of other classic Tea Party songs. “When we were rehearsing, it was that material that really stood out for us,” said Martin. “With the show that we’ve put together, a good hour of that show is music from the Edges of Twilight and the other hour will be the ‘signpost’ songs from different albums. So it’s a great show for Tea Party fans and rock fans — you get everything. You get the world, you get the acoustic side, you get the full guitar thing, me wanking...” he chuckles. Jeff was even kind enough to put a tentative timeline on the production and release of new Tea Party material for us. “I think that, in a perfect world, I would want The Tea Party to have new material by March of next year. So that’s what I’ll be working on with the boys. We’ll see if we can make that happen.” Time to get excited. The Tea Party perform at the Hordern Pavilion, Sydney, on Saturday July 21.
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reverb magazine issue #07 1 — July 2012 17
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van s h e — m uscle s
The new album sounds great. Why did you pick ‘Idea Of Happiness’ as the lead single? We just thought that was the tune that expressed what we wanted to capture, most accurately. I think everyone’s idea of happiness is different and making the record made us happy. I heard you guys recorded the album yourselves in Kings Cross. What was that like? For the first record we went to the UK and paid a big producer a lot of money. This time around we thought we had enough knowledge, knew what we wanted and knew how to get it, so we built our own studio. It was cool because we didn’t have the usual budget and time constraints and if we wanted to go down the street for an espresso martini that was what we did. These days you can do a lot with a computer anyway. It’s been a while since V in 2008. How long did Idea of Happiness take to complete? After we finished the first record, we toured for nearly three years. [We] did some DJ stuff then worked a little on our solo stuff. I think without that we’d all go a little bit crazy. It keeps things fresh and when we come back together no one is frustrated because everyone has outlets. Eventually we wrote tunes and then built the studio. It’s actually been finished for a year but you have to go through all of the mechanisms. This is going to sound a bit cheesy, but what’s your idea of happiness? It’s X-rated (laughs).
Yeah, but I think the world is a different place now. I think the most accurate description of whether our music is successful is if people listen to it. If that’s the case, then they’ll come to the shows. I don’t think sales really mean anything to us. Who picked the cover art for V ? A friend of ours had taken some photos. In fact, he took the most recent press photos we did. When we were looking for artwork for V he suggested the girls making the V sign.
Happiness is an Espresso Martini Sydney’s VAN SHE are all set to share the happiness on their upcoming tour. CORMACK O’CONNOR sat down with synth/guitar player MICHAEL DI FRANCESCO to talk it up.
A little bit more than an espresso martini? You could say that. So the album was mixed in Los Angeles by Tony Hoffer, did you travel over for that? No, only Nick (Routledge, vocals/guitar) did. We just wanted someone there so we got a product that we were really happy with. Tony basically chiselled it and refined it; his mixes sounded bigger, better refined and more unified than the reference mixes that we sent him. What’s your favourite song on the album? A song called ‘Sarah’. The way we’ve been rehearsing that to perform it live is different to the album version. The new version should be available on iTunes as an additional download to one of the singles. V got to number 10 on the ARIA charts. Are you hoping for similar success with this album?
What are your personal projects? Tomek (Archer, drums/sequencer) is a furniture designer; Matt (Van Schie, bass/ vocals) is an architect; and Nick and I just produce and write. We’ve been going to weird places like Brazil and Taiwan for one-off shows. It’s weird playing the first time for other audiences. The last time we went to Brazil we didn’t play on stage until 5am. People don’t go out until 1am over there. I saw that Rufus is supporting you on selected dates. Why did you choose them? We chose supports by just throwing around a couple of different names. We wanted someone that wasn’t a traditional band and someone that would complement us as well. Do you have a preference for a certain type of show? Not really. As long as we are playing to people, we are happy. Of course all-ages shows are always more energetic. Van She plays The Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle, on Sunday July 8, and the Brewery, Byron Bay, on Wednesday July 11.
Road to Manhood Having inflicted a five-year wait on his fans, Australia’s one-man party machine, Muscles, is about to launch his sophomore album, Manhood, and head back out on the road. MEL ROACH spoke with Muscles about finding his feet in the music industry and his new stage show. What are the benefits of a stage name? There were a few names before Muscles but this is the one that stuck, and I forget the other ones. I guess you can’t rhyme it with anything negative, from a press point of view, and generally it’s strong and it sticks. I think if I went under my own name, it would be strange, having to split yourself into two different people. If I was Muscles every day I’d probably be dead. You self-released your first album and burned 80 copies. Yeah, back in 2005/2006, when I first started doing open mic nights, I met a lot of bands and they asked me about it. I just gave them away at gigs. In 2009 you had a disagreement with a festival organiser, and the resulting media made you think about retiring from the industry - what happened there? It’s not just me. There are a lot of other artists, such as Missy Higgins, that have felt the same. I think it’s more the stress of touring - when you tour for too long and you’re away from your friends, family and those you love, you kind of get in this weird tour mentality. I just needed a break, a holiday. I never went on holidays, it was all focused on my career. I never knew how
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take our time. The music industry in general, it’s all very innovated and online as well as doing video clips and touring. I think every artist needs to find what their image is and how they want to present themselves and what opportunities come from that. There’s just so many bands out there, so many DJs, so many artists that crave attention, putting pictures up of themselves and their girlfriends. I really want to take a step back from that.
things would be — doing an album; touring; going overseas, supporting The Chemical Brothers, and meeting all my heroes; playing these huge gigs. It made me want to step back and think about why I started doing Muscles in the first place. You were added, last minute, to the first ever V-Festival line-up, due to a cancellation of another artist — do you think that contributed to your exposure and success? I definitely think doing festivals contributes to your exposure. You play in front of people that have never even heard of you. I can’t wait for Splendour in the Grass and can’t wait for my album launch tour which starts this week. I’m bringing a whole different live show. There’s a helmet I wear on my head with colours that go with the synthesiser. I have some customised Muscles sunglasses – they’re like LED, with an ‘M’ up the top. It’ll be more interactive, more colours. Just from an audiovisual experience, it’ll blow people’s socks off, I think. Triple J and other community radio stations picked you up six months prior to you getting a record deal. How important is community radio to you and what
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differentiates it from commercial radio? From my point of view as a songwriter and producer, dance music has pretty much taken over the top 40 — really over the top, really auto-tuned. I don’t know how long it will last but I’ve really stood my ground with this second album. There’s no sampling of old jazz records or collaborations with other people. It’s all just Muscles, just party.
Your new album, Manhood, has just been released — what’s it about and what else is coming our way? I think it’s perfect and I think it’s exactly what the fans want. The first couple of tracks are reminiscent of the first album, very pop and very over the top. Then it will take a detour into the future sound of Muscles - a lot darker, a lot more club-like. I think I’m shedding my pop influences. I’m moving into a darker, moodier, more abstract kind of music. I want to take risks, I don’t just want to be recreating 80s disco. I’m in a position where my label’s been really good and they’re like ‘’just go off and make your crazy album”.
Why so long between albums? Well, talking to other artists, we all seem to
Muscles performs at the Woodport Inn, Erina, on Saturday July 7.
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reverb magazine issue #07 1 — July 2012 19
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afghan whigs
You’ve just finished up a run of shows in Europe. Have you made your way back home yet? We’ve just finished our first leg of touring in Europe. I got home a couple of days ago. We have a couple of weeks off and then we come to see you guys. Were there ever any plans to come down here in the 90s? You know we had always talked about it, but never quite made it. How did the band end up getting back together? Did it come as a surprise? A little bit. Certainly up until a year ago all the conversations that we had ever had about it were basically [about] how we weren’t interested in doing it. I had played with Greg (Dulli, vocalist) on his solo tour at the end of 2010 and we had a really good time playing. Even at the time that we were playing together on stage, [re-forming the band] wasn’t in my mind. But the fact that we played some of these songs together — you know, it was the most music that we had played together since the band broke up — it really brought back a lot of positive memories about how much we enjoyed doing it. And I think that made it easier to have that conversation six months later. When it finally did come up, there was this positive emotion to draw upon. It all kind of went together. Do the songs now feel like your teenage children rather than newborns? There’s definitely a familiarity. I wouldn’t call it nostalgic. It’s kind of like finding an old pair of jeans in your draw that you forgot you had, and you put them on and they still look pretty good and they’re still pretty comfortable. So it’s old and new at the same time, and really — they’re fun songs to play, and they feel as fresh as they ever did. At the time of your signing to Sub Pop, in 1990, the label had become synonymous with the Seattle grunge movement. Do you feel that this grunge tag was inappropriately placed on Afghan Whigs? I think it was a double-edged sword. Certainly we benefited from the association with Sub Pop and the fact that people were turned on to this label and were excited by what was going on there. I think sometimes it was a little weird when we would play a show and people were expecting one thing and getting something else. I think in some cases they left disappointed. But I think, more often than not, they left with a little bit of a surprise, and they had a new band that they liked. We were extremely fortunate to get linked up with
The Gentlemen Return Back in the early 90s, a band from Cincinnati, Ohio, would emerge from the grunge haze to release one of the defining albums of that decade. Afghan Whigs’ fourth album, Gentlemen, thrust the band into the public eye as a forerunner of the American alternative music scene. Two more albums would follow but by 2001 it was all over. Until now. AFGHAN WHIGS re-formed last year and will be visiting Australia for the first time in July. KEVIN BULL spoke with bassist JOHN CURLEY about the break-up, their Sub Pop days, and the possibility of new original material. Sub Pop at that time, and they are good friends to this day. They are really good people and continue to do great stuff. Nothing but love. Can you explain what led to the move from Elektra to Sony, following the Black Love album? Well, the label had changed. The label that we had signed with [Elektra] was a small label that put out 40 records a year, had a diverse artist roster [and] was a very artist-driven label. Really, looking back on it, it wasn’t just the label changing — the whole industry had begun to change and I think that’s quite clear now but that was the beginning of what we have today. Basically Elektra merged with another label, and they shifted their focus — it became less of an artist-driven boutique label, if you will, and more of a singles-driven, ‘let’s try and get this stuff played on the radio’ [label]. I think a lot of the rock acts that had been around for years felt things changing and a lot of them jumped ship. We weren’t the only ones.
Did you foresee the break-up announcement in 2001? No, not really. I think a big part of it for me was my wife and I had our first daughter and something changed for me at that point — the thought of being away from home on tour when my daughter was walking and talking for the first time was a big part of it for me. I think, creatively, everybody was ready to move on. It was time, you know. It happened naturally, with love and respect, and we stayed good friends. And now, our girls are older and they can come to shows, they can participate in it and experience it and share in it. It’s one of the great things about being a dad and being a parent. It’s lovely to see that a number of wellchosen covers are included in the current set. You even closed with ‘Helter Skelter’ in your most recent Israel show. What’s the appeal in adding someone else’s song to an Afghan Whigs set-list? First of all, I think any kid that’s ever picked up a guitar, a bass or [another]
instrument, or sung a song, probably sang [or played] someone else’s song first. And certainly we were inspired to be musicians by [those] that came before us, so it’s fun to play other people’s songs. I think in a weird way, every cover band wishes they played originals, and every originals band wishes they played covers [laughs]. In terms of the show, it’s a nice little breath of fresh air, to keep it exciting and interesting. We have seen a recent recording of Marie Lyon’s ‘See and Don’t See’. Can we expect to see new original material? Well, you know, here’s what I’ll say about that. Greg is constantly coming up with riffs and writing songs, and we’re certainly enjoying playing together, so definitely the door is more open to that than it’s been in a long time. That’s as much as I will say for now. Afghan Whigs performs at the Factory Theatre, Sydney, on Thursday July 26, and at Splendour in the Grass, Byron Bay, on Friday July 27.
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reverb magazine issue #07 1 — July 2012 21
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The Rock Genius within R e t u r n i ng to Au s t r a l i a a f te r si x w e ek s i n Eu rop e , co v e r i ng t he Eu ro v i sion song conte s t , R o cKwi z qu i z m a s te r J U L I A Z E M I RO i s h it t i ng t he road aga i n w it h t he ne w R o cKwi z l iv e s ho w ‘ S ome K i nd of G e n iu s ’. She sp oke to A M E L I A PA R RO T T.
“I
hope they’re going to pay me, because it’s my expression,” says Julia Zemiro, the host of SBS Television’s popular music quiz show RocKwiz. She is referring to the title of the new RocKwiz live show, ‘Some Kind of Genius’. “When I first started doing the show, after the first 20 episodes, I started thinking, ‘what’s another way I can say ‘well done’ or ‘that’s correct’’. So sometimes I’d say ‘you’re amazing’ or ‘you’re a freak’. Then I started saying ‘you’re some kind of genius’,” Zemiro explains. “It became my expression and then the producers said to me, 50 episodes in, ‘can you stop saying ‘some kind of genius’, because you say it all the time’. Then 100 shows later my producer says, ‘you know how we told you you’ve got to stop saying ‘some kind of genius’? Well, we’re actually going to call the tour that’. So ‘Some Kind of Genius’ is not actually about us, it’s about the amazing people we
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get on the show.” After filling venues Australia-wide, in 2010, alongside artists like Claire Bowditch, Tim Rogers, Patience Hodgson of the Grates, Megan Washington, John Paul Young, Marcia Hines and Angry Anderson, Zemiro and the gentlemen of the Gershwin Room, Brian Nankervis, Dugald ‘Human Scoreboard’ McAndrew and the RocKwiz Orkestra, will be giving music trivia junkies their chance to shine, with more than you expect from the usual 30-minute TV program. After the contestants are selected from the audience, the usual rounds of ‘Who Can it Be Now?’, ‘Local and/or General’, ‘Million Dollar Riff’, ‘Master Blaster’ and ‘Furious Five’ are played out with the addition of a karaoke round, where contestants sing accompanied by the RocKwiz Orkestra. “Last time the girls did ‘I Love Rock and Roll’ and the boys did ‘Khe Sanh’,” says Zemiro. “That is a fabulous moment in the show because all of a
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sudden you see an accountant from Canberra turn into Jimmy Barnes — not always a great singer but so fabulous in his passion for performance that he brings the house down.” There’s also way more music than what you see on the tellie. The quiz is broken up with performances from a number of musical guests, in addition to the ones on the panel. However Zemiro declines the offer to spill the beans on which artists will be joining her on tour this time around. “I can’t tell you because then I’d have to kill you and that would be terrible. We pride ourselves on the fact that our audience trust us. They know they are going to get a fantastic show — they’ll get big names and new names; they’ll get up-and-comers and they’ll get people who have been around a long time.” The two-month long tour covers capital cities and regional towns across the whole country giving Zemiro the opportunity to prowl the
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massive stages of iconic concert venues like Festival Hall in Melbourne and the Hordern Pavilion in Sydney. Although the stadium smell of decades of sweat is a buzz, Zemiro says she loves the diversity of largescale touring. “Every city has a different feel. Newcastle has a different feel because it’s a little bit more intimate. Sydney — they’re a little bit rowdier. Darwin — they’re kind of more laid back. Perth are mental and love music, so it’s a pleasure to go such a long way and be so rewarded. Adelaide — they’re big on music as well. Sometimes after a show when we’re signing CDs and things, people will say, ‘thanks so much for coming to us because we can’t get to you’, and that’s the whole idea of it, that’s the whole point of touring.” RocKwiz ‘Some Kind of Genius’ performs at the Newcastle Civic Theatre on Thursday August 30.
reverb magazine issue #07 1 — July 2012 23
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l a d y h a w ke
Coming in to
land
LADYHAWKE has returned with her second album, Anxiety, a canvas of introspective,
punchy guitar-pop. Shortly before its release, MAX QUINN caught up with Pip Brown, the Kiwi singer/songwriter behind the name. Thanks for taking the time to chat. I’m not a very agile man, so I had to run and jump to catch the phone. Believe it or not, I’m not a very agile man either. Sorry. That was terrible. There is no such thing as a terrible joke. I told such a shocking one the other day. I can’t remember what it was, but I was with all of my friends and I think only one person laughed. Even then it was probably out of sympathy. My dad is my inspiration for bad humour. Yesterday he told me he wants to invent Bum Book, as in the opposite of Facebook. Your dad sounds like a resourceful man. I would totally join Bum Book. That’s awesome. I was wondering if you could talk a little about how this new record came to be – it’s been a few years since the touring cycle for your first album ended.
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I ended up touring the first record for two years. I finished touring in February 2010. I tried to start writing for this new record but I was too tired… so I took some time off. I started writing the record around July of 2010. I wrote the majority of the album in the south of France. It was done quite sporadically. I would go to Europe and then I’d go back to New Zealand for a few months, and then go back. It took about a year to complete. I have no conception of geography whatsoever, but when somebody says ‘south of France,’ I assume love and roses and romance. Totally. There are romantic, rolling hills and vineyards. Men with little moustaches selling baskets full of fresh bread door to door. That’s exactly what it’s like. Is this an environment that’s conducive to writing love songs, then? It’s conducive to writing, period. More than anything it was my producer’s
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ploy to get me out of London. I wasn’t living in London at that time – I am now – but London isn’t an easy place to write songs. It’s hard to get around, and there’s horrible traffic, so it became a huge trek to get from my hotel to the studio every day. My producer has a house in a village in the South of France where there are literally about 500 people. Nobody speaks any English, and there wasn’t a TV, so there were no distractions. There was absolutely nothing to do but write and record music. That was his little ploy to lure me into the music world again.
It took me so long to get over the two years of touring. Those two years went by in an absolute flash. My feet never touched the ground, and then when I stopped, everything shut down. I wanted to sleep forever. And I think it took me a really long time to get past the post-tour blues. No matter how long you’re on the road, when you finish you feel like you don’t have a purpose anymore. It’s hard to adjust to normal life. I didn’t unpack my suitcase for three or four months even though I had a house to live in.
You make it sound so devious! It worked, though, so I can’t complain! I find that living in London is okay because you’ve got a place to come home to and a little base, but when you’re there in a hotel it’s much harder. You don’t have a kitchen so you have to eat out, and it’s really stressful.
Looking forward, do you expect it to be a similar situation this time, or have you learned to navigate it. I would like to think I have learned to navigate it, but there really is only one way to find out. I guess we’ll see – at this stage it looks like I’ll be touring this record until around September next year.
Is that partly what was contributing to making you so tired?
Ladyhawke performs at the Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle, on Thursday July 19.
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reverb magazine issue #07 1 — July 2012 25
fa shion — photogr aphy by linda wale s
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magazine issue #07 1 — July 2012
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fa shion — photogr aphy by linda wale s
Leather hippy jacket, $75
Photography by Linda Wales Style by Dapper Darlings Modelling by Sophie Crenigan, Cameron Locklee Make-up by Jess Juarez Flowers by Emily Immerse, Gnostic Bunch
Clothing by Dapper Darlings Available at Avoca Markets, Salt Water Markets in Swansea, and online.
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reverb magazine issue #07 1 — July 2012 27
m o n te i t h ’ s b eer s
Monteith’s Brewery
monteithsbeer.com.au $52.99 per case of 24
brewing with the All Blacks Hailing from the land of the long white cloud, New Zealand’s Monteith’s Brewery have made the step over the ditch, bringing with them some fine beers. Our very experienced tipple team put Monteith’s to the test and found that like any great brewery with a long history, what ends up in the
Golden Lager
Celtic Red
5.0 per cent
4.4 per cent
330 ml
330 ml
With a table full of Monteith’s to choose from, the Golden Lager was my first pick. Honey-coloured with an off-white head and some spicy hops to the nose, it is refreshing and clean to the taste, with a smooth finish. There is a slight maltiness there, with a touch of bitterness and faint hops. Carbonation was on the flat side, and the body was a bit thin. An appealing beer with some interesting components that would go down a treat all afternoon.
In the glass, the Celtic Red is exactly that — burnt red amber with a creamy head and proper carbonation. The aroma carries some light roasted caramel malts which pleasantly flow through to the taste. It’s quite dry on the palate and moderately sweet, with a hint of hazelnut chocolate and light hop bitterness. The Red is quite a complex beer, and a step back from Montieth’s Black Beer. This became the go-to beer for all our reviewers, and one that I would buy again.
bottle can be hit and miss.
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Radler
Pilsner
Original Ale
Autumn Amber Ale
5.0 per cent
5.0 per cent
4.0 per cent
4.6% per cent
330 ml
330 ml
330 ml
330 ml
In a word – shandy. The Radler has a light golden colour and a momentary head, with an aroma of sweet artificial lemon. As a beer drinker, it was not the best introduction. The flavour is sweet and citric, and quite sticky in the mouth. The finish is rather dry with a sharp tingle from the bubbles. This, my friends, is Monteith’s Cruiser. “Who wants a lemon whip? Lemon whip? Lemon whip?” Three lemon whips.
Hazy golden colour, light carbonation, and a stark white head that leaves a fair amount of lace as it recedes. This beer does all the right things. To the nose, there’s mild lemon and cut grass, and a balancing noble hop aroma. In the mouth, the honey malts are subdued; there’s a breadiness with the grain, and a clean hop bitterness that fades quickly. Clean and crisp, though a touch sweet, this one is a thirst-quencher.
Clear copper in colour with an off-white head that began impressively but receded too fast. There’s a dusty, mild malt aroma and a pleasant earthiness. There are some nice characteristics to the taste — smooth malty hops, yeastiness, and a sweet mid-palate but it is all over too soon. The mouthfeel is quite watery and could do with more body. Not unpleasant but nothing special.
Monteith’s most recent seasonal release is more yellow than amber, and very clear. I was hoping for something with a bit more body as the weather turns cooler. To the nose, there is a light yeastiness and a fruity aroma. In the mouth, it is very light-bodied and dry, some doughy malts, a hint of caramel and bitterness. It’s an unusual combination of flavours, but not autumnal, as promised.
magazine issue #07 1 — July 2012
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t o e n a i l c l i p p i n g s — c r u n c h y f o rt u n e s
Beer of the Month — MAD BREWER’S HOPPY HEFE
fortunes
Steve Burrito’s crunchy fortunes
Cancer: Very soon you will be given the whole kit and caboodle. You’ll be happy with the kit, but somebody’s been licking your caboodle. This month is the perfect time to open your Jim’s Brazilians franchise.
Scorpio: A suspicious email will arrive in your inbox from braaains@zombie. comomnomnomnomnom . I told them it was pointless looking at you. Your idea of opening a German beer hall circa 1923 will be a huge hit in redneck Queensland.
Pisces: Your efforts to change your name to Mike Litorus will finally be successful, but unfortunately 80 per cent of men will never be able to find you again. I don’t know what it is, but you scare the shit out of howler monkeys. Froth on.
Leo: Silently mouth the words “nut bar” for me. Nut bar, oh yeah! I love it when you do that. This month you will get lost in your thoughts. It’s unfamiliar territory for you. Your lucky saddle part is the girth strap.
Sagittarius: Your retake on the children’s classic Rumpleforeskin seems to have gotten off to a bad start. Far away in a distant land a goat herd called Terry thinks that’s hilarious. What would Jesus do in this situation? She’d buy lubricant.
Aries: You will soon be known far and wide as “The Great Cornholio”. Unfortunately your catch cry “rejeculation away” proves both confusing and unpopular. Your lucky Chinese dynasty is the Wang King.
Virgo: Your extensive range of corduroy evening wear will render you an electric lover of dangerous proportions. You will also develop the ability to set off fire alarms just by farting. Your lucky hairstyle died in the 80s.
Capricorn: The winner of Australia’s Got Talent just rang. Your cheese pizza is ready. The next time there’s pee on the toilet floor blame an echidna. They have a four-headed penis. It’s true. Your lucky eight-legged instrument is the Guitarantula.
Taurus: Who made you look at your horoscope? I made you look at your horoscope. That’s right, you’re my bitch now. You’ll be lucky to get out of this without being used as a canoe. Your lucky person this month isn’t me.
Libra: This month you will see a big cat. Admittedly not a “big cat”, but a big cat. Shut up. You try writing these stupid things. Your lucky sock puppet will soon be replaced by a meat puppet, and that’s lucky, for someone.
Aquarius: Most people are other people, except you. You’re different. Maybe it’s the beer talking, but I really like beer. You will soon change your name to the Chinese symbol for Chinese symbols. Your lucky knuckle is the third. Deep.
Gemini: This month you’ll meet a girl who can’t say no. But she can say herpes in seven different languages. Forty-seven naked midgets will soon ride shaved ponies past your house singing sexually suggestive German folk tunes. You’re hard to live near.
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Do you like the hops in your beer to grab you by the throat and nose, and not let go until you have polished off a longneck or two? Well the Mad Brewers at Malt Shovel Brewery have produced a limited edition brew that carries some serious attitude, and a major hoppy punch. Miss Hefe is a cloudy wheat beer that has an outrageous amount of hops added late, producing a strong citrus aroma kick. Once the Hefe hits the mouth, there is that moment where you stop, and the eyes widen as you take it all in — definite hop bitterness and flavour, but there is a fruitiness that dances around the periphery, with the sweet malts and light wheat. Each of the characteristics take their turn without being overpowering. It’s quite a sensation. At seven per cent alcohol, this one will sneak up on you real quick if you are not careful. It’s more for sharing a couple of longies with a mate, than rocking up to a party with a case, and at around $80 for a case of 12 x 640ml bottles, you’ll want to hold them pretty close to your chest. This is a very special beer and with only 8,700 cases produced, get on the phone and track a bottle down right now (Dan Murphy’s, but don’t tell anyone). ~Kevin Bull
Herb of the Month — SERENITEA
Welcome to Rancho Relaxo. About half an hour ago I tried my first cup of Serenitea from the guys at Happy High Herbs, and now I’m just kicking back. Serenitea is a liquid herbal extract — just add boiling water. It’s got an odd taste — not exactly bitter or sweet, but it does have a bit of a liquorice aftertaste. The effect is quite pleasant though. To be honest, I could hardly be arsed writing this review. I should try I suppose. Looking at the packet, Serenitea is apparently made of ingredients. There’s stuff, and other stuff. And oh look, the sunshine looks warm out there. I might make another cup of tea and go and hang out in the sun for a while. Maybe this is a good time to take a nap in the sun / do an album review. La la la la lahhh. Oh, you’re still there. Where was I? Oh that’s right, the review. I think this stuff will make a nice addition to my herbal tea tool box at work. I’m not sure how much work I’ll get done, but at the moment I don’t give a toss. ~Steve Burrito Taking it for the team
reverb magazine issue #07 1 — July 2012 29
LIVE Reviews Dead Letter Circus
deep sea arcade
Simple plan
Lisa Mitchell
Missy Higgins
Entrance Leagues Club Saturday, May 26
Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle Friday, June 1
Newcastle Panthers Sunday, June 3
Christ Church Cathedral, Newcastle Monday, June 4
Newcastle City Hall Wednesday, June 13
©Jessica Ward
©Madeline Smith
The Dead Letter Circus headed a strong four-band bill at The Entrance Leagues Club. Teal warmed the steadily growing crowd early on, before Melbourne band Twelve Foot Ninja played an energetic set of their eclectic rock. Meshing melodic rock with reggae, funk and hardcore stomp, their odd formula delivered a solid set with plenty of twists and variety. Experienced Texan band Fair to Midland was the heaviest band on the bill and they played a tight, frenzied set, incorporating arty rock, prog-metal and experimental elements. Dead Letter Circus was the band most punters had come to see and they didn’t disappoint. Despite only having one fulllength album, their well received debut This is the Warning, Dead Letter Circus have built a large fan-base through their excellent live reputation and expansive, melodic rock sound. The hourlong set-list mostly featured cuts from their debut, beginning with opener ‘Here We Divide’. They played new song ‘Wake Up’ as well as popular anthem ‘One Step’. The overall sound was well balanced, clear and crisp, doing justice to the raw energy, soaring melodies and hyperactive rhythms of the band. Kim Benzie is a confident frontman and his vocals sounded superb live, as he commanded the stage and connected with the audience. The rest of the band was in fine form, particularly drummer Luke Williams. While Benzie’s attention grabbing vocals are a main attraction, the jittery, complex rhythms and creativity of Williams propels their sound. After a brief encore, Williams delighted the crowd with an inventive drum solo, integrating live drums with his electronic kit. The invigorating set ended with several photosnapping fans onstage and a powerhouse rendition of ‘Next in Line’. If Dead Letter Circus can hone their songwriting and transfer the sonic power of their live show onto disc, the next album should be a corker. ~Luke Saunders
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magazine issue #07 1 — July 2012
In England, during the early 90s, Stone Roses and The Charlatans were making waves in the indie rock/psychedelic rock scene. For 20 years, I have been desperate for someone to take me back to my youth and the music I loved. The Cairos set me up and Deep Sea Arcade smashed me out of the park. The Cambridge Hotel was the first stop on the road to promote their debut album Outlands. Deep Sea Arcade have been the talk of the town and they certainly didn’t disappoint, with their energetic, melodic, psychedelic, indie-pop helter-skelter ride. Singer Nic Mackenzie swaggered on-stage, captivating the crowd, and sending them swaying with him through ‘Seen No Wrong’, ‘Girls’ and ‘Don’t Be Sorry’. But it was his vocals that got me, especially during their most incredible cover of the Chemical Brothers smash ‘Let Forever Be’, which left the crowd amazed. The five Sydneysiders with soaring guitars and catchy hooks lived up to the hype and then some. ~Martin Slade
Busby Marou Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle Friday, June 15
©Jim Curran
The angelic vocals of Tom Busby side by side with the barefoot and brilliant Jeremy Marou got Newcastle chanting and huddling together on one of its coldest nights. Busby Marou filled the Cambridge to the brim, starting their set with ‘All of you’ and ‘Paint my Cup’. With their own audience choir, these boys need no publicity — they sell themselves. With perfect pitch harmonies, Newcastle had the perfect winter’s night. Finishing off with a parody of Neil Finn’s ‘Better Be Home Soon’, Busby Marou and their entourage are freaks of nature that better be back soon. ~Mel Roach
©Jim Curran
©David Jackson
©Brooke Nash
Simple Plan played to a packed Newcastle Panthers, full of young and old. I had no idea what to expect, having never seen the FrenchCanadian pop-rockers live and I hadn’t exactly payed attention to any of their releases since 2004. However, I was pleasantly surprised. My young teenage self singing along to songs from their earlier releases, such as classics ‘Addicted’ and ‘I’m Just A Kid’ from the band’s first album released back in 2002. The show was a perfect mix of old and new songs, energetic and entertaining from start to finish. The crowd didn’t miss a beat — lighting up the venue with their mobile phones and lighters during the band’s recent single ‘Astronaut’, indulging lead singer Pierre Bouvier and bassist David Desrosiers in some call and response, and of course laughing at all the “that’s what she said” jokes and Blinkesque conversation on-stage. Interestingly, the show included a medley of hit pop songs ‘Moves Like Jagger’ (Maroon 5), ‘Dynamite’ (Taio Cruz) and ‘I’m Sexy and I Know It’ (LMFAO), which featured some amusing dance moves both on stage and off. The young X-Factor finalist from Sydney, Christina Parie, also made an appearance to do guest vocals for one of the band’s recent hits, ‘Jetlag’, and an epic display of huge beach ball were thrown into the crowd during their song ‘Summer Paradise’. Heartwarming thanks poured from Bouvier as the show neared the finish line, and the crowd was treated to the band’s hit single ‘Welcome To My Life’, and a stage-dive from Desrosiers during older song ‘I’d Do Anything’. The band then finished the show with hit single ‘Perfect’, to the delight of the crowd. ~Brooke Nash
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Patrons shuffled into the beautifully lit Christ Church Cathedral beneath a full moon - a warm haven on a blisteringly cold night. Georgia Fair kicked off the festivities with their beautiful dual vocals and intricate guitar riffs. Soon enough Lisa Mitchell took to the stage, beginning her set with a nature poem by John Burroughs, invoking the joy of a full-moon gathering. Mitchell’s vocals were beautifully light and airy as she offered new songs and old favourites like ‘Neopolitan Dreams’ and ‘Coin Laundry’. The surprised fan that received a letter on their seat, inviting them on to the stage, almost cried with excitement. Later on the band stepped out while Lisa played a rendition of ‘Love Letter’, returning with news of a lunar eclipse. An excited Lisa was keen to finish the first part of her set and sneak outside for a look. Wrapping up with ‘Oh! Hark!’, the moonlight flooded through the stained glass windows as Lisa melted hearts, warming us up for the cold walk to the car. ~Cormack O’Connor
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Missy Higgins’s co-producer, Butterfly Boucher, opened the night dressed in top-to-toe in black, like Johnny Cash, and was almost as captivating. She played songs from all three of her releases. Check her out! After her stellar performance, Boucher returned to the stage as a member of Higgins’ band, which included bass, drums, keys, guitar, cello and trumpet, and the night began in earnest. The Newcastle Town Hall was a brilliant choice of venue by the promoter, with its acoustics playing to Higgins’ advantage. After the opening track, she let it be known that this tour was promoting her new album, The Ol’ Razzle Dazzle, and promised a lot of new tracks. Her delightful delivery would have won over even those for whom this was unfamiliar material. Nor did Higgins neglect old favourites. ‘Special Two’ and ‘Peachy’ saw the crowd ignite with excitement. From the sparkle of Higgins’ sequinned top to the banter between band-mates, there was a sense of light-heartedness and fun throughout the show. Higgins’ was vibrant and didn’t hold back when it came to talking about her songs, creating a sense of intimacy between performers and audience. Towards the end of the set, Higgins declared her distaste for encores and let it be known that the next two songs would be her finale. As the band played Higgins’ debut single ‘Scar’, the audience leapt to their feet for a boogie. The dancing continued as the band closed the night with ‘Steer’, and Higgins and her comrades were applauded with a standing ovation. A wonderful comeback. ~Sean Degan
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LIVE Reviews Silverstein
Hugo Race
Ash Grunwald
Sampology
The AUDREYS
Entrance Leagues Club Friday, June 15
Great Northern Hotel, Newcastle Wednesday, June 20
Level One, Newcastle Leagues Club Friday, June 22
King Street Hotel, Newcastle Friday, June 22
Lizotte’s, Lambton Thursday, June 28
©Kristin Wright
Four support acts ensured the crowd was primed to rock by the time Silverstein hit the stage. This was the band’s second last stop before concluding the Australian leg of their Rescue tour, and moving on to Asia. Silverstein hit the stage with an almighty bang, and left nothing in the tank during their hour-long set. They punctuated their familiar tracks with a number of tunes from their latest album Short Songs. With each of these new tracks only 90 seconds long, they provided a bite-sized taste of some of their new sounds, while ensuring the satisfaction of their diehard fans. While the crowd obviously preferred the tried and tested favourites they could sing along to, I preferred the short songs for their energy and intensity. The absence of a security fence at the front of the stage proved a blessing and a curse. While it made for an intimate gig where the crowd could really connect with the band, some of the punters used this as an opportunity to climb on to the stage, and launch themselves into the crowd. Ordinarily, I am a big fan of crowd surfing but the audience was becoming a little too tired and emotional for this to end well. Silverstein are amazing entertainers, with loyal and energetic followers. While I am not sure that they would have won over any new fans, they certainly pleased their existing ones. ~Kristen Wright
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©David jackson ©Julie Lowe
Coming onstage with nothing but his sexy voice and a guitar, Hugo Race began with no introduction. Opening with the traditional American folk song ‘In the Pines’, Race succeeded in charming the talkative crowd into submission within a matter of minutes and from that point on he had the crowd in the palm of his hand, dedicating each of his songs to a room in the Great Northern Hotel. Race’s guitar was all the accompaniment he needed with a voice that, as one punter put it, “would be perfect for reading you a book on a rainy day”. When halfway through his set the power to the stage was cut, Race didn’t flinch, attributing the power outage to “those people up in Room 23 that keep sticking their fingers in the power socket”. His chilling rendition of Arthur Hamilton’s classic ‘Cry Me a River’ could have convinced you that he himself had written the song. Moving effortlessly between this laidback mood and rocking out with his stomp box, Race gave the audience everything they wanted while keeping the mood solid with that entrancing voice. For the last few songs, Race invited up musicians from the support band (and the first band to sign with Race’s new record label), Leek and the War Wick Tragedy, giving him the opportunity to rock out with some other musicians, including a rendition of Emmylou Harris’ ‘No Regrets’, as a duet with Leek’s lead singer. With his masterful balance of humility and charm, neither Race nor his audience seemed willing to break the spell. The crowd begged for an encore and were granted it, with ‘Night Vision’ dedicated to Room 96. ~Louisa Bulley
Although the coats, beanies and chequered flannel gave a hint of winter, the temperature inside Newcastle Leagues Club’s Level One rose in anticipation of the night ahead. The show was opened by Central Coast altrockers Stolen Memories, who demonstrated why they have been on the music scene since 2005. They were followed by dubstep producer Fingers Malone Ensemble, a solo electronic songwriter, and longtime music associate and collaborator of Ash Grunwald. Although affected by feedback, his use of drum machines and synthesisers set the tempo in the lead-up to the headliner. Touring to promote his sixth studio album Trouble’s Door, which was funded through pledges and promises of guitar lessons, surf trips and eternal concert tickets, Grunwald’s lyrics provide social commentary on issues of racism, injustice and environmental mismanagement. Combining delta blues, dance floor rhythms and vocal distortion, the appeal to “shake your booty for change” was embraced by the crowd. Old favourite ‘Serious’ mixed with new tunes ‘The Demon In Me’ and ‘Longtime’, showcased his ability to push the boundaries of traditional blues and roots. Grunwald called to Fingers Malone, “bring me up a beer, brother, I wanna get down with these Novocastrians”, before ripping into new cover ‘Sail’ on his beloved Gibson. As always, his finger work, catchy guitar hooks and raw emotion were captivating. And the audience was left with the knowledge that music is the best way to warm the soul. ~Mel Woodward
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©Timmy Johnston
Brisbane’s Sam Poggioli, aka ‘Sampology’, brought his Super Visual Apocalypse Tour down south and saw us kicking off our Friday night at midnight, with a very young crowd, in the basement of Newcastle’s King Street Hotel. But it was well worth the wait. This guy is one clever cookie and no ordinary DJ, combining film and cartoon clips and working them into the beats. Poggioli asked us if we were ready, but I was unprepared for the adventure he was about to take us on. On the screens we were treated to Will Ferrell (Anchorman), followed by Futurama robot, Fender, Bruce Willis in Die Hard, Wayne’s World and more of Willis, dancing, singing and presenting the news, to the funky disco beats. I was so engrossed with the clever mixing and visual trickery (how did he work Bruce Willis into so many different tunes?), that I spent the whole night gawking at the screens behind the DJ booth instead of dancing. The night was certainly a pleaser for fans of pop culture, with awesome heavy party beats and some serious (but totally cool) nerd talent on display. ~Stephanie De Vries
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©Courtney Fitzsimmons
As the Audreys walked on to the stage at Lizotte’s, Lambton there was an air of laid-back intimacy, like friends arriving with their guitars, in your own lounge room. Jumping straight into ‘Paradise City’, the duo flawlessly plugged, strummed and hummed but something was missing. Deciding to cut the usual five-piece to a duo for the sake of the tour had its advantages — perfect chemistry and the opportunity to use a stupid range of instruments, including the melodica and an iPad. But the paring back also had its draw backs. I found myself looking for the little violin riffs and booming drum sounds that finish off the Audreys’ music for me. Don’t get me wrong, these Adelaide folk have some serious talent and personalities to match — Taasha chatting on a range of topics including mic stands and her son, Finlay, and Tristan mixing cocktails for the audience. The vocal sound was truly amazing and Tristan mastered the guitar in such a way that it looked effortless. They told stories of mums, Springsteen, bad tambourine playing and “happy sounding sad songs”, bringing a smile to everyone’s faces. Highlights included a beautiful rendition of ‘Susanne’ and the night’s closer, ‘Sometimes The Stars’. They were even nice enough to have a chat after the show! ~Cormack O’Connor
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album Reviews Feature albums
Dirty Projectors
Lisa Mitchell
Cock Rockin’
Domino/EMI
Warner Music
Warner Music
4/5
4/5
Jackson Firebird
Swing Lo Magellan
It’s hard to believe that just two guys pulled together this killer album of blues rock ‘n’ effing roll. Cock Rockin’ is in your face with dirty riffs, tight beats and as much oozing energy as a hardcore five piece. This Mildura set will soon enough be filling our arenas to capacity and filling our heads and ipods with a rocking new beat. By stripping it back to basics — hooking up megaphones and smashing plastic bottle bins and old cake trays — these guys have found a unique sound, with a touch of The White Stripes and Rage Against the Machine. Jackson Firebird are the new rad! ~Mel Roach
New York’s art rock darlings, Dirty Projectors, seem set to light the world on fire with their sixth studio album, Swing Lo Magellan. Their sound is so unique it can’t be compared to anything else. Hand claps, African drums, harps, hums and hoots all make an appearance, pulling the finished product together like laces on a sweet pair of kicks. The opening track ‘Offspring Are Blank’ moves from soft beats and moans to screaming vocals about people being made to love each other. Expect cool effects and strange arrangements. David Longstreth has been quoted as saying he wanted to pen some distinct tunes this time around and he has definitely delivered. Top tracks include ‘Dance For You’ and ‘About To Die’. ~Cormack O’Connor
By Design
Joe Bonamassa
4.5/5
Independent
Driving Towards The Daylight
4.5/5
J&R Adventures
Spaces
From the southern rock of ‘Part One’ to the synth filled ‘The Aconda’, Spaces has it covered. Lead single ‘Relaxed In Orbit’ kicks you straight in the teeth with a riff you’d expect to hear from Tom Delonge’s Boxcar Racer, and a chorus that may very well be the greatest thing Jayson Evans has ever written, complete with haunting piano that takes the listener to another dimension. Despite having five minds behind production, By Design have avoided horrible clashes on this album. From the sometime subtle hint of dub step, to the inclusion of some of Newcastle’s finest heavy vocalists, Spaces works. To top it all off, the boys in By Design are offering Spaces for free! ~Sean Degan
4/5
Cancer bats
Electra Heart
Dead Set on Living Shock
4/5
Following 2010 release, Bears, Mayors, Scraps & Bones, Cancer Bats were in need of redemption and this time they’ve come up with the goods. With a chorus of “There’s a special place in hell for people like you”, in opener, ‘Rats’, you immediately know you’re in for a treat. This album could be called many things, but boring sure as hell ain’t one of them. There’s an abundance of killer, dirty southern rock riffs (think Black Label Society but better) in conjunction with explosive, manic choruses and some outstanding production, that all together makes for a massive sounding, skull-crushingly awesome release with few, if any lowlights. ‘Road Sick’ proves a standout — a tongue-in-cheek touring ballad, packed full of energy. Dirty, heavy, love it. ~Thomas Peasley
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magazine issue #07 1 — July 2012
Joe Bonamassa’s Driving Towards the Daylight demands your attention right from the get-go. Solid opener ‘Dislocated Boy’ sets the groove for the whole album, and does not disappoint. While the majority of the album is made up of covers, Bonamassa delivers them with respect, throwing in a couple of his own compositions along the way. Standouts include the funky ‘Who’s Been Talking’ and smooth title track ‘Driving Towards the Daylight’. Bonamassa’s stellar guitar-work and charming voice should have no problem converting new listeners to his blues-rock sound. The album ends on a high note with ‘Too Much Ain’t Enough Love’, featuring Jimmy Barnes. ~Louisa Bulley
Marina and the Diamonds Atlanta Music
3.5/5
The first in a new wave of poppets who keep their clothes on, Welsh sensation Marina Diamandis teams lyrical cheekiness and infectious synthesised pop with a pinch of attitude and a hint of sarcasm, in her sophomore effort, Electra Heart. Her ballsy lyrics express frank opinions with a feminist bent, on subjects such as raunch culture. Upbeat pop tracks such as ‘Prima Donna’ boast strong subjects in an uplifting, danceable disco but her vocals tend to outshine the music at times. Away from the bright, fun first quarter, there is a darker more brooding side to Elektra Heart — ‘Teen Idle’ and ‘The Valley Of The Dolls’ take the tempo down to an eerie place where Marina bares all in ‘Fear and Loathing’. Unlike the record companymoulded Gagas and Katy Perrys, Marina is the genuine article, with a musical style and image of her own, flaws and all. ~Charli Hutchison
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Spiritus
Three things are certain in life: death, taxes and the fact that no one will ever uncover the lyrical mysteries of Lisa Mitchell’s latest single. Her tendency to mumble aside, one thing is clear: the Albury songstress knows how to write a damn catchy tune. ‘Spritus’ channels the sing-along quality of ‘Neopolitan Dreams’ and ‘Coin Laundry’. But, with upbeat worldly beats, it has a refreshingly fuller sound than Mitchell’s past hits. The four tracks that follow see Mitchell return to her typically sparse style. ‘Diamond in the Rough’ has an almost tearinducing quaintness; ‘Erik’ shows off Mitchell’s delicate vocals against the backdrop of simple piano; and ‘Parade Song’ experiments with lazy, humming melody. However, no Mitchell release would be complete without mention of the humble cuppa — giving the indie kids their fix. “Mother makes her tea in the morning, father lets his bread rise,” Mitchell sings in the folky, Joanna Newsome-esque ‘I am a Traveller’. Basically, if you’re not already a Lisa Mitchell fan (in which case, probably don’t speak to me again, ever), her latest offering isn’t likely to sway you. If she does indeed make you swoon (correct answer), get your mittens on a copy of this EP immediately. It is a promising, organically-produced, intentionally imperfect and completely intimate prelude to Mitchell’s forthcoming sophomore album. ~Lee Tobin
Hot Chip
In Our Heads EMI
2.5/5
Since their breakthrough in 2007, British electronic act Hot Chip have given us some massive club hits — ‘Over and Over’, ‘Boy From School’, ‘Ready for the Floor’ and, more recently, ‘Hand Me Down Your Love’ and ‘One Life Stand’. Between releases members of the band have explored other creative projects. Joe Goddard released ‘Gabriel’ and material with The 2 Bears, while Al Doyle and Felix Martin joined New Build and Alexis Taylor pursued improv jazz. Perhaps because of too much time invested in side projects, Hot Chip’s fifth record, In Our Heads, doesn’t deliver as expected. With the exception of the familiar sounding but undeniably catchy ‘Night and Day’, with its pitched down vocal reminiscent of 2 Bears’ ‘Bear Hug’, and the epic and original ‘Flutes’, In Our Heads lacks innovation. Let’s hope the lads divert their attention back to Hot Chip and release an amazing sixth album in a couple of years. ~Amelia parrott
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Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeroes Here
Vagrant/Shock
4/5
From its opening track, ‘Man On Fire’, the new album by Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes promises more of the psychedelic folk sound the troupe established on their first album. The album is a light-hearted, laidback jaunt through some enjoyable folk songs, although none of the tracks reach the pure accessibility that ‘Home’ from the first album achieved. Standout tunes such as ‘One Love To Another’ showcase the echoing vocal tracks and groovy bass lines the band does so well. Here is an improvement on the first album but offers nothing new. A safe but enjoyable sophomore effort. ~Jonathan McCallum
Metric
Synthetica Create/Control
2.5/5
This album is the exact reason why I haven’t paid Metric much attention in the past. With a title like Synthetica, I expected something huge and Muse-esque, not boring synth-driven songs in a monotone voice. The album is one long flat line, lacking dynamics of any sort. They try to mix it up a little with their synth take on country music, ‘Speed The Collapse’. Haunting electric guitar humming over acoustic guitars and a monotone vocal melody make this the album highlight. The following track ‘Breathing Underwater’ sees the band at their most pop-influenced, with vocalist Emily Haines using her voice to capacity. With some chilling falsetto and shredding guitar, ‘Breathing Underwater’ is set to be a crowd favourite on an album that is at times monotonous and lacking creativity. Metric will need to do more if they are to survive in the growing synth pop scene. ~Sean Degan
Patti Smith Banga Sony
3.5/5
Banga is a mishmash of different styles, with each song seeming to contradict the mood set up by its predecessor. But somehow this works in the album’s favour, keeping the listener’s interest and curiosity piqued. If Clint Eastwood’s voice is a 10 on the gravelly scale, then Patti Smith comes in at about seven. With large spoken sections in many of the songs, Smith’s increasingly raspy voice demands attention, sometimes sounding like Joni Mitchell, and, at other times, possessing a timbre similar to Neil Young. It might get off to a slightly slow start, but all up Banga holds your attention and never lets the mood drop. ‘Seneca’ and ‘Tarkovsky (The Second Stop is Jupiter)’ were the stand-outs for me, but there is a little something for everyone on this album. Definitely worth a listen. ~Louisa Bulley
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album Reviews album of the month
Jack Colwell and the owls
Ned Collette + Wirewalker
Missy Higgins
2
The Ol’ Razzle Dazzle
Independent
Inertia
Eleven
2.5/5
4/5
4.5/5
Picture Window
Sydney’s very own classical-composerturned-alternative-pop-star, Jack Colwell, brings his self-described ‘chamber-pop’ to life on his debut, Picture Window. With piano, flute and creepy vocals, Colwell unveils a world of labyrinths and banquets, but doesn’t quite pull it off, musically. The woodwind and Antony Hegarty-esque vocals, coupled with Colwell’s baroque style, just don’t sit right. However I did enjoy ‘Captain’s Melody’ and the haunting shake of Colwell’s voice, tinged with frustration, on ‘The Labyrinth’. The lyrics also rate high. ~Cormack O’Connor
hot Water Music Exister
Rise Records
3/5
It has been a while since we heard from Hot Water Music. But they are back with an album full of energetic, raspy vocals and aggressively delivered songs. Album highlight ‘State of Grace’ sees the band at their most popinfluenced. It’s not hard to picture a sweaty mosh pit screaming back the chorus “our state of grace is gone”. The repetitiveness and catchiness of this tune leaves it ringing in your ears for a long while. As a comeback album, Exister is nothing spectacular, but nor is it anything to sneeze at — there are plenty of better things to sneeze at than a CD. And if you downloaded it, then you’d just be sneezing on your computer screen and that does nobody any good. ~Sean Degan
Muscles Manhood Modular
4/5
The follow-up album to 2007’s Guns Babes Lemonade has been a long time coming but sees Melbourne electronica sensation, Muscles, reach new heights in his exciting career. In an interesting approach, each song on Manhood is a prelude to a track off his earlier album. The vocals are a bit of an acquired taste but if you like Muscles’ previous work this is an album for you. Everything from the wailing siren synth of ‘Boys Become Men’ to the thudding drums of ‘Heatwave’ will have you begging for more and possibly jumping about in fits of happiness. Muscles is letting down his hair, going out and fucking up the night one banging dance track at a time. Yeah, uh-huh, uh-huh, yeah! ~Cormack O’Connor
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Angular yet soft; lush but still sparse; unsettling and, at the same time, vaguely familiar. Ned Collette’s new album, 2, eludes simple description. Recorded between Berlin and Melbourne, this is not the bass/guitar and drums line up of Collette’s previous release. The songs on 2 are shaped around nylon string guitar and floating layers of keyboards. ‘Il Futuro Fantastico’ opens the album with witty rapid fire lyrics and jazzy, noodling guitars, followed by the loungey croon of ‘Stampy’. There’s an uneasy mix of funk and folk, 80s synths and lyrical, left-of-centre storytelling. The uneasiness works in Collette’s favour, drawing us in with hushed overtones and an intimate sense of space that permeates the nine songs in this collection. Collette continues to explore his musical vision by taking us on a journey with unexpected twists and turns. ~Roger Thornhill
Neil Young and Crazy Horse Americana Reprise/Warner
3/5
In his 66th year, and with five decades of music behind him, it’s not a stretch to assume Neil Young doesn’t have a lot left in the tank. For Americana, his 34th studio album, Young has called upon his longsuffering, consistently brilliant backing band, Crazy Horse, to create a playful collection of contemporary folk songs, ranging from ‘Tom Dooley’ and ‘This Land is our Land’ to a perplexing version of ‘God Save the Queen’. At this point in his Hall of Fame career, Young clearly owes the world nothing. But, compared to Bruce Springsteen’s recent inspired effort, this collection of standards is disappointing, to say the least. Young is still capable of brilliance, given the scope of recent works like Le Noise and Chrome Dreams II. Americana simply isn’t in the same league. Better to burn out than to fade away? Time will continue to tell. ~Nick Mackay
Regina Spector What We Saw From The Cheap Seats Warner Music
4/5
Regina Spektor is cool. Listening to her newest album What We Saw From The Cheap Seats is like hearing stories you’ve heard somewhere before. Spektor’s quirky and unique piano, accompanied by bilingual vocals, is masterful. Opener ‘Small Town Moon’ is a catchy start to an epic album. Slower tracks like ‘Firewood’ and ‘How’ illustrate beautiful stories, adding emotion. Regina Spektor has done it again with this offering of happiness and hope. Be excited and listen with greed. ~Eliza Church
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Missy Higgins’s third studio album almost didn’t happen. After a five-year break from music, it seemed we might never hear from the jazzy-voiced, piano balladeer again. However, there’s nothing like a well-timed comeback to re-ignite a career. Higgins’s voice has never sounded so strong, emotional and empowered as it does on these tunes, and the time spent in the States has done wonders for her songwriting. The Ol’ Razzle Dazzle is her most varied, interesting and beautiful collection of songs so far. She has taken risks with production but nothing sounds trite or forced. The current single ‘Unashamed Desire’ is a standout, with its big chorus and passionate lyrics adding a classic pop feel with edge. Elsewhere, there’s signature piano ballads (‘All In My Head’, ‘Cooling Of The Embers’), a touch of blues (‘Watering Hole’), and the kind of pop songs that wouldn’t feel out of place on a Supertramp album (‘Temporary Love’). Missy Higgins has always been ahead of the pack with her mature and heartfelt songwriting, and this album proves she still has what it takes. Inspiring. ~Chelsea Reed
Jonathan Boulet We Keep The Boat, Found The Sound, See The Need, Start The Heart Modular
4/5
The elaborately titled second long-player from Jonathan Boulet is a mature, sophisticated indie-pop adventure. Boulet has a knack for writing interesting and unconventional pop tunes which can alternately sound edgy and uplifting. The gifted multi-instrumentalist creates complex arrangements featuring an array of instruments and a rhythmically exciting sound. The drumming is relentless throughout much of the album, providing a core of energy that drives the colourful tunes. Some of the songs are instantly catchy and compelling, including single ‘This Song Is Called Raggard’ and the breezy charms of ‘FM AM CB TV’. Others require multiple listens, in order to appreciate the choppy rhythms and layered complexity of Boulet’s songwriting, such as the creeping melodies on ‘Black Smokehat’ and the foreboding atmosphere of ‘Hallowed Hag’. Boulet’s subtle melodies and smooth, expressive vocals have the individuality and range to match his ambitious songwriting. This is intelligent, eclectic pop. Give the hooks time to sink in and those jarring rhythms will make a lasting impression. Stay tuned — this guy is just warming up. ~Luke Saunders
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adam miller Delayed Independent
4/5
On his fourth studio record, Delayed, Newcastle’s Adam Miller showcases his musicianship, performing all of the album’s 13 tracks on a custom-built Jeff Taugot acoustic guitar — not an easy feat, considering the symposium of sounds and moods on the record. Every track has its own unique elements and style within Miller’s technical and intriguing jazzy groove, making it difficult to choose a standout. The record opens with the smooth and soulful ‘Noah’s Little Nod’ before it begins to twist and turn, from the slow, emotional sounds of ‘Last Kiss’ to the brilliant blend of speed and technique on ‘The Sleazy Song’ and ‘Honeysucker’. Guitar enthusiasts take note — Miller has delivered a string of crisp, funky songs perfect for a lazy Sunday afternoon. ~luke henderson
Resist The Thought Sovereignty
Skull & Bones Records/Shock
3.5/5
To describe this album as heavy would be an understatement — opener ‘Legion’ makes this clear from the get-go. There are some earth-shatteringly huge moments, like the bangin’ opening riff of ‘Extermination’. Some breakdowns resemble a home-brand Parkway Drive and the album tends toward the repetitive. However, quality metalcore riffs and great vocal layering make it easy to forget the mediocre moments. This heavy Aussie album will please most metal heads… Enya fans need not bother. ~Thomas Peasley
The Gaslight Anthem Handwritten Universal
4/5
Four records into their career, it’s pretty clear what listeners can expect from any new Gaslight Anthem release: out-and-out, heart-on sleeve rock and roll, that punches hard and fast and then scrambles to sustain that intensity for 40 more minutes. That’s exactly the case with Handwritten, the Jersey quartet’s fourth and perhaps finest record to date. Nods to Springsteen and Strummer run throughout – the ‘Thunder Road’ harmonica at the beginning of ‘Keepsake’, the ‘hey hey hey’ refrain of ‘Howl’ – more homage than hackneyed, however. Fans expecting a return to the scuzzy punk production of debut Sink Or Swim will be disappointed. But Handwritten is considerably dirtier than the band’s last release, American Slang. Not every track is a winner – ‘Too Much Blood’ proves that the band is at their best when they keep to a tight three minutes – but there are certainly enough winners here to keep you warm through winter and into the spring. Excellent. ~Max Quinn
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album Reviews Feature albums
Slash
Apocalyptic Love Sony
4/5
Slash is a rock icon and guitar legend but his solo output has mostly failed to live up to his enormous talents, despite some solid offerings. On Apocalyptic Love, Slash has employed the vocal talents of Alter Bridge frontman Myles Kennedy, touring vocalist and guest on his previous album. Kennedy has an impressive range and although his higher register is an acquired taste, he brings a dynamic, cohesive edge to this stadium-sized rock. Throughout the album Kennedy holds his own, belting out addictive vocal hooks and soaring choruses, but Slash’s virtuoso talents emerge as the centrepiece of the album. His riffs are consistently strong – funkinfused hard rock foundations rippling with an undercurrent of the sleazy punk-rock of his heyday. The solos are occasionally overblown but nonetheless mesmerising, and are some of his finest in recent years Most of the songs are memorable and of a high standard, however some of the weaker tracks could have been cut for a leaner collection. Highlights include the undeniably catchy ‘You’re A Lie’ and ‘No More Heroes’, the killer riffs and swagger of ‘Bad Rain’, and the addictive title track. This is a no-brainer for Slash fans and an excellent rock album. ~Luke Saunders
Gaz Coombes
Here Come The Bombs
Hot Fruit Recording/Inertia
4/5
In which Britrock’s answer to Monkey Magic goes all Radiohead. The smart, frantic rock and roll that Supergrass parlayed into serious stadium currency is here subdivided and deconstructed like a minor Euro-economy, only with more finesse. Demonstrating a dab hand at the kind of epic electro-pop that Supergrass were hinting at when they called it a day, Coombs goes further with the dramatic digital diligence of the Chemical Brothers. Add some lurid pop philosophies and you have a satisfying modern album, based on a reasonably cohesive post-Occupy world-view, not to mention some fast and furious pop-rock gems, where the guitars have been usurped by computers. ‘Bombs’, a truncated techno-ballad, packs in pithy observations, while ‘Whore’ explodes in anti-capitalist rage against a world where “everybody’s gettin’ sold out”. ‘Hot Fruit’ expands into tougher rock territory, while ‘Daydream on a Silent Corner’ auto-parks for about a minute. But that’s the privilege of a rock star who’s earned his stripes, and as Coombs remarks in ‘Universal Cinema’, “this is my universe”. ~Mick Daley
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magazine issue #07 1 — July 2012
ST Vitus
Sam Sparro
Joey Ramone
Seasons of Mist
EMI Records
Liberator Music
4/5
3.5/5
4/5
Lillie: F-65
Return To Paradise
Finally, the quintessential American doom institution that is Saint Vitus has returned with new material. Regrouping with new drummer Henry Vasquez, (who replaces the late Armando Acosta), Lillie: F-65 (a reference to a powerful downer), sees the familiar lineup of Dave Chandler, Scott ‘Wino’ Weinrich and Mark Adams doing what they do best – grooving on downtuned, post-Sabbath riffs with all the frustration, dread, mysticism and misery that Saint Vitus know how to deliver so well. Wino’s man-getting-angry-slowly vocals are matched perfectly to the feedback-drenched, dirt-bike sludge that spews from Chandler’s guitar, while the consistently solid, low-end thud of the rhythm section weaves around the pulse of each song like a clock counting down the hours until the final judgement. Lillie: F-65 sits comfortably beside the band’s previous classics but also benefits from a spacious, clear and organic production that demands to be played on vinyl. At seven tracks in roughly half an hour, this isn’t the longest album from the band (more tracks would have been nice), but it’s definitely worth the long-awaited return. Highlights are ‘Let them Fall’ and ‘Blessed Night’, but it’s a solid listen from start to finish. Crank this one up with a bourbon and experience doom from the masters! ~Byron Struck
The Hives Lex Hives Dew Process
3.5/5
The Swedish veterans return with a fifth album of typically energetic garage rock that pulls no punches. The Hives refrain from reinventing their raw, trademark sound, and although the new album delivers some surprises, for the most part they stick to their formula of punk-fuelled garage rock in its purest form. Lex Hives is fast, loud and a hell of a lot of fun, with more of the catchy hooks, tight musicianship and tongue-in-cheek charms that have defined their career. After the rather short and forgettable ‘Come On!’ the album kicks into gear with the fuzzy riffs and groove of lead single ‘Go Right Ahead’, featuring the raw vocals of frontman Pelle Almqvist. ‘I Want More’ takes it back a notch before raising the stakes during the noisy chorus. The gritty and more serious ‘Patrolling Days’ is the longest song on the album, just cracking the four minute barrier, and one of the best cuts, driven by its anthemic chorus and powerful rhythms. The Hives deliver more of the same but they do so with enough flair and fresh ideas to maintain their strong reputation and please their large fan-base. ~Luke Saunders
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There has been a resurgence of vintage funk and soul drifting into dance music over the past few years, with many new acts’ modern compositions influenced by 60s funk and 80s dance. Sydney’s Sam Sparro is a case in question, with his self-titled debut kick-starting the renaissance of electronic-funk music in 2008. Sparro’s sophomore album Return To Paradise follows in the footsteps of its predecessor and features more funky slap bass lines than Chic and Boney M’s record collections combined. Despite its lack of groundbreaking material, it would be pretty hard not to enjoy Return To Paradise with its catchy lyrics and solid dance rhythms. First singles ‘Happiness’ and ‘Let The Love In’ might even get the most inanimate of us onto the dancefloor. For fans of: Sneaky Sound System, Scissor Sisters, Pnau. ~Josh Clements
Scissor Sisters
Ta Know....
The godfather of punk is back from the grave to share his voice with us once more. Legendary vocalist for punk rock icons The Ramones, Joey gives his fans everything they want and more on this killer album. There are plenty of tracks that will remind hardcore fans of Ramones classics. Standouts in the punk style include ‘I Couldn’t Sleep’ and, what I consider the best song on the album, ‘Life’s a Gas’. Some of the tracks evidence a heavier, more rock-oriented Joey Ramone but they are just as enjoyable as the fast punk-fuelled songs that we know and love him for. This album will appeal to Ramones fans old and new. If you love your classic punk, you would be crazy to pass up an album from one of the genre’s iconic figures. ~cameron edney
Motion City Soundtrack Go
Magic Hour
Epitaph
Polydor/Universal
3.5/5
3.5/5
Motion City Soundtrack are so in tune with their melodies and loser personas that they could create hopeless pop in their sleep. Their fifth album, Go, leans away from the punk in pop punk, driving toward a sugary sweet sun on a melancholy, yet naively optimistic, horizon. It doesn’t fail to reflect on romances, goals and attitudes but fails to find that standout climactic mountaintop (‘L.G. Faud’ on 2005 album, Commit This To Memory), instead generating an over-supply of instantaneously catchy choruses. If you’re paying attention this makes each song fantastically smart and saturated with lyrical gymnastics: “Drowning in a heavy stock of teenage girls and indie rock/I flunked out of each college course and set my sails for no remorse”. And of course the rest of the album provides plenty more anecdotal heartaches and pessimistic assumptions about society, locking the band into the mind of a teenage screw-up. Hopefully that is where they will stay. ~Jamie Nelson
The Cult
Donavon Frankenreiter
Two years after the release of their last record, Night Work, New York five-piece, Scissor Sisters, are back with Magic Hour, an album chock-full of sexy, electro-pop tracks. ‘Baby Come Home’ sets the tone for the record and features uplifting trance-inspired piano, gospel harmonies and singer Jake Shears missing his lover. In true Scissor Sisters fashion, most of the tracks on Magic Hour feature lovers in the club. Adding to the club vibe, Alex Ridha, aka German DJ and producer Boys Noize, produces and co-writes most of the tracks on the record. Pharrell Williams lends his writing and production skills to the soulful R ‘n’ B vibe of ‘Inevitable’ and Calvin Harris produces on lead single ‘Only the Horses’. Ridha has clearly stamped his production style on the record so the four tracks he doesn’t contribute to stick out like a sore thumb. But the quirky writing of Scissor Sisters runs strong throughout the record and makes for a fun listen. ~Amelia parrott Choice of Weapon Cooking Vinyl/Shock
Start Livin’
4/5
Liberator Music
The album kicks off with a classic riff and continues to get better and rock harder as it goes on. The band has not done anything special with this album which is what makes it so enjoyable. Choice of Weapon is ‘pure Cult’ - classic riffs, great choruses and outstanding vocals delivered by one of rock’s most distinctive voices. Fans of these class rockers will love tracks like ‘Amnesia’ and ‘The Wolf’. The Cult’s Choice of Weapon is my pick for this month’s top album. Rock fans will not be disappointed. Play this one LOUD! ~Cameron Edney
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2/5
Paul McCartney once wrote ‘You’d think that people would have had enough of silly love songs’. Apparently Donavon Frankenreiter didn’t get the memo. His latest album Start Livin’ is jam-packed with quirky, banjoinfused love letters to his wife, proving yet again that he is not as charming as his friend Jack Johnson. There are a couple of tracks on which Frankenreiter seems to branch out, such as the slightly funky ‘You’ and ‘Same Lullaby’. But for the most part he sticks to a relaxed formula, providing plenty of cheese. As mediocre as a Katherine Heigl movie. ~Louisa Bulley
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g e n er a l m o t o r i n g
Purest Porsche Given the readies, we’d be in a Porsche 911 Carrera S with PDK and Sports Chrono in a flash. It will set you back about a quarter of a million in Oz, a lot less in the US and Europe. That’s because Porsche really sticks it to Aussie punters and the federal government takes a large tax rake off to pay for something or other. But now, there’s an alternative that offers nearly as many jollies, a similar feel, arguably better styling and that quintessential Porsche six sound — for a much more affordable $107,500. It’s the base model, six-speed manual Porsche Boxster — the new generation twoseat roadster that arrives here this month, in Boxster and Boxster S variants, with sixspeed manual or optional seven-speed PDK ‘manumatic’ transmission. You’d be happy with the base model with no options – believe me. That’s because you can drive the wheels off the bugger and go really fast too. It’s Porsche in its purest form from the current crop that includes Carrera, Cayenne, Cayman and that hideous, but extremely competent, Panamera rocket bus. This is only the second generation platform for Boxster (other models were updates). It’s a car that saved Porsche from oblivion in the mid-1990s. They cobbled it together from Carrera parts and some specifically designed components and made an affordable Porsche sports car with links directly back to the good old days of the 1950s and 60s. Even now, there’s plenty of Carrera DNA under the sexy skin but nowhere near the 45 per cent of earlier models, that even had carry-over doors. Naturally, Porsche makes flow-down technology available from its classy stable that sees the new Boxster get a composite alloy/steel chassis and body to yield weight savings of between 25-35 kilograms depending on the model.
THE LINE-UP
Two versions are available, Boxster and Boxster S, the former with a 2.7-litre flat six, down from the previous 2.9, and Boxster S with a 3.4-litre flat six, lifted from Carrera,
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with modifications. New Boxster is bigger than before, rides on a longer wheelbase and wider track, and the body offers considerably more room than we have come to expect. But storage is still at a premium apart from the bonnet and boot which provide reasonably large storage bins. A classic soft top roof is retained this time, with a hard magnesium plate underneath the fast-operating Z-fold structure. There’s even a larger rear glass screen for improved visibility. The magnesium plate boosts security and also roof rigidity, especially at high speed.
STYLE
The Carrera GT influence on Boxster’s face and flanks is obvious. It looks bad-arse and angry but at the same time aerodynamic and curvaceous. The front is drop dead gorgeous, as are all other angles of the new Boxster, with particular emphasis on the wide, stylised bum. It looks sensational heightened by those greedy side air intakes that channel air into the engine compartment of the mid-engine missile. Overhangs front and rear are shorter than before and the car looks compact and ready to pounce. Open the door and it’s a bit of a revelation for Porsche which in the past has been somewhat dowdy inside. Not any more. This car looks just as impressive inside as it does outside. The dash for example is highlighted by contrast stitching and the seats can be specified in two-tone, or even an incredible red. The dials are classic sports car round, while the centre stack contains all the latest in audio, communications and connectivity.
UNDER THE BONNET
They don’t really want you to have access to the engine compartment in the Boxster so it’s a bit of a challenge to see what’s actually in there — a lot of piping, covers and wiring. But under the birds nest, both boxer engines (six cylinders, horizontally opposed, three a side) provide more power
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Porsche Boxster re vi e we d by
Peter Douglas than before thanks to a suite of high technology, including direct fuel injection and Variocam valve actuation for lift and timing on the intake side. The 2.7 is good for 195kW/280Nm while the 3.4 generates some 232kW/360Nm running a high compression ratio of 12.5:1. Like the 911 Carrera, a seven-speed PDK dual clutch ‘manumatic’ transmission is available, with a six-speed manual standard. Both models have a Sport button that sharpens the car’s dynamics and throttle response. Optional Sports Chrono brings further dynamic adjustment options and launch control as well as an old school chronograph (clock) in the middle of the dash. Porsche has implemented various fuel saving techniques on the new Boxster, including auto stop/start (switchable) and clever stuff like on-demand oil pump and decoupling ancillaries like the alternator and aircon pump. The engines themselves have been friction reduced inside and everything optimised including the inlet and exhaust tracts. Emissions are also down considerably on the previous model. A dynamic exhaust system is also available, offering a more strident trumpet to the centre mounted exhaust. It should be standard on both models.
DYNAMICS
It’s a rock solid chassis with the roof up or down, the latter taking about nine seconds. There are new brake calipers and suspension geometry, as well as bushes that have been altered for improved responses and less dive under the brakes. But in general, the basic elements of the previous model’s underpinnings have been carried over – with modification. Porsche was able to pull 55 kilograms out of the body shell by using the steel/ aluminium combination. But good old boron steel remains the metal of choice for critical areas such as the A-pillars. Active transmission mounts stiffen under hard use, such as ventures to the race track for some serious driving. They use a metal
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filled oil inside that is magnetically excited to stiffen and lock the engine in place for outright handling, or soften it when driving normally. Torque vectoring is available to selectively apply the brakes individually to help Boxster around corners (as if). A limited slip mechanical diff’ also helps in this regard. Wheel sizes vary from the standard issue 18s through to optional 20s and the steering system is electric – no complaints at all on this score.
FASTEST?
Though not the fastest car on the road by a longshot, the Boxster is one of the very best to drive (and drive hard), because it has the necessary feel and systems to deliver on its promise. The more expensive Boxster S with Sports Chrono will put away a 0-100kph sprint in a scant 4.8 seconds and has clocked a lap of the Nurburgring at 7 minutes 58 seconds. The low centre-ofgravity and mid-mounted engine make Boxster arguably the best steerer in Porsche’s line-up, and don’t believe any criticism of the electric steering – it’s bullshit. This car fairly rips - rampaging through corners like a racing kart and blasting out the other side before lining up the next challenge – a real attack dog of a sports car. We got a crack at the base and the top of the range and really, would be happy with the starter model. The S is quicker and faster but with Sports Chrono, costs upwards of $130,000. It was a superb thing to whip along a mountain road and equally as good on the freeway. Few cars would be as quick point to point. We bonded with the red Boxster manual and found it hard to give it back and the dudes in the other S cars couldn’t shake us on the road no matter how hard they tried. We drove the wheels off it (within the law of course) and thrilled to that snarling, cackling, popping exhaust. With the roof down, it’s a raw experience you want to go on and on (constable).
VERDICT
In love all over again. Gorgeous, properlymade sports car using quality material by committed people.
reverb magazine issue #07 1 — July 2012 35
Film Reviews
Heart of Darkness r e vi e wed
Snow White & The Huntsman r e vi e wed by
Mark Snelson r ated
3/5
Last year we had a rather woeful version of Red Riding Hood and now we have another revamp. Director Rupert Sanders comes from advertising, which explains his impressive visual flair but also the weak storytelling. The film wastes no time cutting to the action. Shortly after Snow White’s mother dies, her king father is tricked into a war against a mysterious army whose soldiers shatter like glass when attacked. Once they have won the battle he finds a single prisoner in the form of Ravenna (Charlize Theron). The King falls for her beauty and marries her the following day. But it turns out Ravenna is a nasty piece of work and kills him on their wedding night to become the new ruler of the land. Ravenna is obsessed with her looks and has the power to retain her youth by sucking the life out of young women. However her magical mirror advises her that this is a temporary measure and if she wants eternal youth she must take it from the heart of her stepdaughter (Kristen Stewart). Snow White has been locked in a tower for years but once she learns of Ravenna’s plan to kill her she makes a daring escape. This leads her to the Dark Forest. No one
Thank You, Mr Granville r e vi e wed
Hysteria r e vi e wed by
Mark Snelson r ated
4/5
I never imagined I would be able to write “a charmingly whimsical romantic comedy about the invention of the vibrator” in a film review, but that is what director Tanya Wexler has delivered in Hysteria. In Victorian England, the medical term ‘hysteria’ was used to describe women prone to paroxysms of high emotion. The cure, pioneered by Dr Robert Dalrymple, was to massage a lady’s private parts to relieve the ‘tensions’ that were believed to cause the hysteria. However, in sexually-repressed nineteenth-century Britain, it was not for a moment considered to have anything to do with sexual arousal. In Wexler’s film, Dalrymple’s clinic starts to become overrun with patients, so he enlists the assistance of Dr Mortimer Granville (Hugh Dancy), a young and eager doctor 36 reve rb
magazine issue #07 1 — July 2012
dares chase her in there as there is usually no return. This is where the huntsman (Chris Hemsworth) comes in. He is a broken-hearted drunk but he is also the only person known to have survived a journey into the Dark Forest. Ravenna orders him to hunt down Snow White and bring her back to the castle. But once the huntsman learns of Snow White’s plight, he joins her side. They need to get to Duke Hammond’s castle in order to form an uprising to take down the evil queen and her dark reign. Along the way they meet a band of dwarves who turn out to be skilled fighters and are persuaded to join them in the revolt. Of the three leads, it is Chris Hemsworth that stands out. He has the hero look, as well as the ability to play it seriously and deliver a bit of comedy here and there. Kristen Stewart seems to have spawned a career playing forlorn and teary heroines. Her character here is not far off her role in Twilight, only armed with a sword. Theron has her moments but is over the top at times, prompting laughter from the audience when she is supposed to be menacing. The dwarves are the film’s saving grace with a cast of great (digitally shrunk) English actors, including Bob Hoskins, Ian McShane, Nick Frost and Ray Winstone, who all had a ball with their roles. The effects are top-notch with some jawdropping battle scenes and there is some breathtaking cinematography to go with it. The pacing is the major let down with various drawn out scenes making it feel epic for all the wrong reasons. Snow White & the Huntsman is another blockbuster with far more style than substance. The special effects are unmatched so far this year but flat scenes drag it out. Had they trimmed the fat, this could have been a far more effective fairytale rework.
keen to make his mark on the world. After many days of endless ‘massaging’, Granville begins to show signs of repetitive strain injuries with continual cramping in his hands. While visiting his rich inventor friend Edmund St John-Smythe (Rupert Everett) he becomes intrigued by an electric feather duster in his workshop and soon realises it, with some modifications, could help him with his work. Hence, the world’s most popular sex toy is born. Dr. Robert Dalrymple (Jonathan Pryce) is so impressed that he lines up Mortimer to take over the practice once he retires and also hands up his youngest daughter Emily (Felicity Jones) for marriage. It should have been a match made in heaven, but it is Dalrymple’s eldest daughter Charlotte (Maggie Gyllenhaal) who catches Mortimer’s attention with her fiery feminist ways. She is an activist who stands up for the poor and is unafraid of speaking her mind in a male dominated world. Wexler has cleverly written a sweet film brimming with Jane Austen-esque humour, rather than going for the crude and innuendofilled farce that it could have been. She has chosen a strong cast with Gyllenhaal lighting up the screen whenever she appears and Everett almost stealing the show in his all too brief appearances. The sets and costuming are fantastic with impressive attention to detail in recreating the era. It is also worth sticking around for the closing credits to see the illustrations and hilarious names of vibrators over the years. Hysteria is a rare treat that successfully manages to combine romance, history and drama with strong wit while dealing with a risqué subject.
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The First Bikie War
Admit it. There’s a small part of you that’s hanging out to grow a long dirty beard, throw on some leather, straddle a road hog and intimidate the living shit out of anyone who crosses your path. Ex-rugby player Matt Nable, who starred in the SBS series East West 101, got to do just that as Scottish bikie and Comanchero supreme commander, William George ‘Jock’ Ross, in Channel Ten’s new mini-series Bikie Wars: Brothers in Arms. Nable spoke to GEOFF RUDDICK. The Milperra massacre on Father’s Day, 1984, was the first time the Australian public witnessed the ruthless brutality of rival outlaw motorcycle gangs. Recent violent crimes by bikie gangs have furthered our fascination with the bikie subculture in contemporary Australian society. Actor Matt Nable understands the appeal. “True crime stories have always held a place with audiences. They have enabled people to look into a side of life they would never normally see, and do it safely. As long as the story holds together well and it’s told in the right way, then I think there is always going to be an audience for it.” Along with shows like the Nine network’s crime drama, Underbelly, (in series five of which Nable played Detective-Inspector Gary Jubelin), Bikie Wars is one of many TV shows which have capitalised on the desire of ordinary Australians to experience a life on the wrong side of the law, as well as delving into the myth and legend of our most famous outlaws. Including his initial difficulty pulling off a convincing Scottish accent, Nable’s biggest challenge was building a character that was not only believable but complex enough to appeal to audiences. “You have to go about building those pieces that you think are authentic... There was a lot of material for us to look at that gave us a really good insight into what actually happened, and into the culture of these guys.” Despite these challenges, Nable jumped at the opportunity to play the role of Jock.
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“Role by role, you sort of move along but I’d never had the opportunity to play a character like Jock. There was certainly an appeal - because of the story and the history [and] I did my best to get on it.” And get on it he did. But looking badarse while straddling a 700cc hunk of hell was not easy, according to Nable. “I wasn’t the most confident of bike riders. We were taken through a basic ‘getting to know a motorbike’ type of thing for a couple of days. That certainly helped. But I had never ridden motorbikes before. And these bikes were old and they were big and you had to look like you knew what you were doing. It was good fun. Once I got used to it I could relax and enjoy it. I can certainly understand the appeal of riding a motorbike that’s for sure.” The screenplay is based on the nonfiction book, Brothers in Arms, by Sandra Harvey and Lindsay Smith and, according to Nable, there was a strong desire among production and cast to remain true to the original story. “There [was] a certain level of pride in trying to represent the story the right way,” says Nable. When presenting subject matter like this, which is inevitably a tragedy… it can really be a polarising type of story… [but] everyone was going in the same direction. It was a really good project to be involved in - wonderful actors and really good people. It’s nice to be able to say that you are proud of the story you created.” So what about that handlebar moustache? Disappointingly, its days are numbered. Follow us on Twitter
DVD Reviews
DVD Marathon The Wild Ones
Band of Brothers
Stories of rebellion, loyalty, masculinity, and violence are the stuff of great cinema. Some of the most interesting examples involve a lone outlaw, a vast landscape and a motorcycle, representing freedom, albeit fraught with danger. The motorcycle is the horse of the modern cowboy; the vehicle of a man searching for brothers. This is what the bikie film is all about.
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Bikie Wars: Brothers in Arms r e vi e wed by
Sallie Pritchard r ated
3.5/5
“As patriotism can lead to jingoism, and mateship can lead to cronyism, so bikie club loyalty can lead to bikie club war.” Justice Adrian Roden On Father’s Day in 1984, the Bandidos and the Comancheros bikie clubs clashed at a public swap meet held in a pub in the Western Sydney suburb of Milperra, with seven people shot dead including a 14-yearold girl. This bloody battle would thereafter be known as the Milperra Massacre. Bikie Wars: Brothers in Arms recounts the lead-up to, and aftermath of, the Milperra Massacre, focusing on the leaders of the respective rival gangs — the supreme commander of the Comancheros, William ‘Jock’ Ross, and the president of the Bandidos, Anthony ‘Snoddy’ Spencer. This series excels at building the sense of unease as tension between the two clubs
escalates. It is at its most compelling on Fathers’ Day, when we see the families of the men. It is in these moments that the ensuing violence seems unfathomable. Allegiance to wives, girlfriends and children comes a distant second to the brotherhood — a group of men forever on the verge of violence. These women call themselves widows with good reason. That the massacre itself is over so quickly may be frustrating for some but is certainly more realistic. Though the series is based on a true story, it is similar to American television series Sons of Anarchy, with its themes of betrayal, loyalty, violence and brotherhood, down to its Scottish club
member. The production values are admirable and the performances mostly solid — Susie Porter is especially good. Where the series lacks credibility is in its heavy-handed depiction of Australia circa 1984. Some characters tend toward caricature and the costumes seem slightly anachronistic or overly exaggerated, crossing the fine line between homage and period piece. Though it may not be of the same calibre as other films and television series charting our history of violence and masculinity, Bikie Wars: Brothers in Arms is still an interesting volume and worth a look.
Stone
r e vi e wed by
Sallie Pritchard r ated
4/5
Stone Cold Classic
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Easy Rider (1969) Easy Rider is among the first films of the American New Wave, and an exploration of the hippie movement, drugs and the underlying tensions running through America during the Vietnam War. The rider is on a quest for the ‘real’ America, as he passes through small towns - an America that no longer seems to exist. This is a Western for a disillusioned audience and, in this film, the autonomy that characterises the genre is perfect for the period in which the American New Wave was born, encapsulating the tension between civilisation and nature; freedom versus authority. Mad Max (1979) The bikie club is now the enemy, responsible for the brutal death of a police officer’s family and the breakdown of society. What’s interesting is that this is happening in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, suggesting a world that has been forced to return to wilderness is now a world that can be taken over by a motorcycle gang. Though technically an action film, Mad Max is still informed by both the Ozploitation movement and the bikie film’s concern with lawlessness, family, loyalty and violence.
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If the 1960s were characterised by idealism, activism and flower power, then the 1970s represent the loss of faith in everything the decade before stood for. This is brought into sharp relief in the opening minutes of Stone. An environmental activist and politician is gunned down at a rally and when a bikie witnesses the murder, his club, the Gravediggers, becomes a target as the killer attempts to tie up loose ends. With the help of an unconventional ‘pig’ named Stone, the club decide to take matters into their own hands and find the murderer before he takes them all out. With its depiction of drug use and themes of lawlessness, brotherhood, loyalty and
The Wild One (1953) What’s Johnny rebelling against? Well, what have you got? The 1950s were particularly difficult for teenagers and young adults. Too old to be children but still denied their voice by the adult world, the ability to drive and to ride meant escape from their parents and their own angst and confusion. Both the motorbike and the bikie club become a way to temporarily escape the world of adult constraint.
violence, as well as the eternal conflict of nature versus civilisation, amidst the backdrop of the hangover from the 1960s, Stone could easily be part of the American New Wave, recalling films like Easy Rider, Taxi Driver and Bonnie and Clyde. Yet the film is quintessentially Australian, shot entirely on location in Sydney (and, most importantly, it features Bill Hunter). Here the Australian landscape seems made for the marginalised. Forced out of town by the authorities, the Gravediggers represent a return to nature. The club operates as a family and family loyalty is prized above all else. Scores are settled with violence and the price of betrayal is brutal punishment.
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Stone is considered to be one of the first films of the Australian New Wave, commonly referred to as the Ozploitation movement. According to the 2008 documentary Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation, the Australian New Wave was born out of the introduction of the R-rating and was characterised by films that were low-budget explorations of horror, comedy, sex, and violence, films with an interest in genre. Stone would set the tone for films like Mad Max and is no doubt an important influence on television series like Bikie Wars: Brothers in Arms. A cult classic, Stone is a must-watch for fans of Australian cinema.
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Sons of Anarchy (2008 – present) Similar to Bikie Wars: Brothers in Arms (though not based on a true story), Sons of Anarchy follows a bikie club and its involvement in the affairs of a small town. Loyalty, brotherhood and familial obligation play a large role in the series’ narrative - at times the outlaws are the authority; at other times they are the epitome of violent thugs. It’s a world not unlike that of the crime families portrayed by Coppola and Scorsese: a brotherhood whose allegiance comes before family. Loyalty is everything and those who betray the club are punished swiftly and brutally, never to be forgiven. It owes as much to The Sopranos as it does to the bikie film.
reverb magazine issue #07 1 — July 2012 37
NEWCASTLE Don’t forget — Live & Local every Wednesday night 6 July
The Beatnix
gig Guide Newcastle Sunday, July 1
Loft Youth Centre, Newcastle
Catherine Hill Hotel
Side Bar, Cambridge Hotel, Newc
Steve Edmonds Band
The Nickson Wing
Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland The Jed Rowe Band Repeater Tim Freedman, Amy Vee
Oasis Youth Centre, Wyong The Bride, Wish for Wings, Trainwreck
8 July
Tim Finn
12 July
Sarah McLeod
13 July
Beccy Cole
15 July
Doc Neeson – rock legend
19 July
Tubular Bells For Two
20 July
Dave Graney and The Mistly
21 July 22 July 26 July
Montezuma, Aleyce Simmons
Tuesday, July 3 Jack’s Bar & Grill, Erina The Big Band Theory
Lizotte’s, Kincumber Tim Finn, Tim Hart
Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle
Lass O’Gowrie Hotel, Wickham
The Phat Controller
3 Aug
Bondi Cigars
Lass O’Gowrie Hotel, Wickham Nugwardo, QnRoo, Fox Control
Loft Youth Centre, Newcastle Heroes For Hire, Luca Brasi, Carry Me Home
Thursday, July 5 Great Northern Hotel, Newc Kingswood, Money For Rope, Damn Terran
Hamilton Station Hotel, Islington
Lass O’Gowrie Hotel, Wickham Creative Creatures Open Mic
Lizotte’s, Kincumber Nate Butler’s Studio Showcase
Lizotte’s, Lambton
Tim Rogers
17 Aug
James Reyne
Northern Star Hotel, Hamilton
18 Aug
Ross Wilson,
Wickham Park Hotel, Islington
23-24 Aug The Wild Party Musical theatre, mature content 25 Aug 31 Aug
Glenn Shorrock Vince Jones
Rose Carleo, Mark Travers
Friday, July 6 Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle Terror, Iron Mind, Relentless, Taken By Force
or visit lizottes.com.au
Melissa Etheridge
Wickham Park Hotel, Islington Blake Saban 3
Friday, July 13 Avoca Beach Picture Theatre Continental Robert Susz and the Blues Party, Earlwood Greg’s The
Sarah McLeod, KJ, Microwave Jenny
Howling Wolfgang, Glenn Cardier
Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle Nine Sons of Dan, The Cavalcade, The Virtue, Broadway Mile
Harmony James, Lachlan Bryan
Northern Star Hotel, Hamilton
Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland
Hudson Arc, Holly Who
Seven Seas Hotel, Carrington
The Widowbirds
Great Northern Hotel, Newc Flight to Dubai, Missing Myrtle, Dave
Stag & Hunter Hotel, Mayfield
Jack’s Bar & Grill, Erina
Saxanova
Chris Isaac, Chris & Cha
Wickham Park Hotel, Islington
Lass O’Gowrie Hotel, Wickham
Kamikazi Kowboyz, Hot Yogis
Fun Machine, The Vocal Lotion,
Woodport Inn, Erina
Ellen Elizabeth
Lizotte’s, Lambton
Muscles
Beccy Cole, Lyn Bowtell
Sunday, July 8
Loft Youth Centre, Newcastle
Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle
Stag & Hunter Hotel, Mayfield
Swingsets
Van She, Rufus
Sky Point
Wickham Park Hotel, Islington
Blues Bombers
Hamilton Station Hotel, Islington Kristina Scott, Lovechild
Jack’s Bar & Grill, Erina
Milestones
Saturday, July 14 Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle
Lass O’Gowrie Hotel, Wickham Lass Jazz and Funk Jam
Daily Meds, The Last Kinection
East Maitland Bowling Club Exit for Freedom, Osmium Grid, Order of the Dragon
Tim Finn, Tim Hart
Hamilton Station Hotel, Islington
Dai Pritchard, Good Benji
Tuesday, July 10 Jack’s Bar & Grill, Erina
Cloud 4, Hack, The Worstmn
Hi-Fi, Sydney Say Anything, The Getaway Plan, Mission In Motion
Jack’s Bar & Grill, Erina
Lewis Ramsay Magic Show
Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland Sarah Carroll & her Psychedelic Wildmen
Great Northern Hotel, Newc The Cairos, The Preachers
Newcastle Entertainment Cent
Sideways
King Street Hotel, Newcastle
Flight of the Conchords
Wednesday, July 11 Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle
Hansel
phone (02) 4956 2066
Sydney Opera House
Thomas Gill
Wickham Park Hotel, Islington
Ford Farlane
HQ, Terrigal
information,
Sarah McLeod, KJ, Microwave Jenny
Lizotte’s, Lambton
Nick Raschke
Hamilton Station Hotel, Islington
For bookings and
Lizotte’s, Lambton
Rad Beligion, The Delta Lions,
The Olde Boys of Rock
12 Aug
with Rhys Zacher
Crunchtime
Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland
Baby Snakes
10-11 Aug Ian Moss
Mark Moldre, Blue Sister Red
Nick Raschke
Jack’s Bar & Grill, Erina
The Ruby Revue
Sarah Humphreys, Mike McCarthy,
Lizotte’s, Lambton
Hellnights
Deep Water Blues
4 Aug
Clowns, Excitebike
Lizotte’s, Kincumber
Merewether Fats
Liz Martin, Jacqueline Amidy
Renée Geyer
Elliot the Bull, The Havelocks
Jack’s Bar & Grill, Erina
Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland
29 July
Beth and Ben
Hamilton Station Hotel, Islington
Tamworth Playboys
Great Northern Hotel, Newc
Goodwill
Lass O’Gowrie Hotel, Wickham Blake Saban, Good Corn Liquor, Kirsty Larkin & the Pocket Trap
Lizotte’s, Kincumber
Teal
Doc Neeson
Entrance Leagues Club
Elliot the Bull
Jack’s Bar & Grill, Erina Dan Granero, Chris & Cha
King Street Hotel, Newcastle Kincumber Mountain Novakayn, Halfway Home, Richard Lawson
SambaFrog
Newcastle Panthers
Jimmy Bazil Project
Hamilton Station Hotel, Islington
MC Sureshock
Lizotte’s, Lambton
Karnivool, Redcoats, Sleepmakeswaves
Great Northern Hotel, Newc
Karnivool, Redcoats, Sleepmakeswaves
Stag & Hunter Hotel, Mayfield
Hellnights
The Jungle Kings
Islington Bowl
Wickham Park Hotel, Islington
She’s Taken Empires, DJ Dynamik
Lass O’Gowrie Hotel, Wickham
Lass O’Gowrie Hotel, Wickham
Overload, Elisa Kate & Matt
Youth Arts Centre, Gosford
Zoe K and the Shadow Kats, Galleri,
Beth & Ben, Rachel-Nadine,
Nine Sons of Dan, The Never Ever,
Ben and the Sea
Jordie Dwyer
The Monster Goes Rawr, Northie,
Lizotte’s, Kincumber Harmony James, Lachlan Bryan
Lizotte’s, Lambton
Little King
Lizotte’s, Kincumber
Sarah Carroll and her Psychedelic
Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland
Cass Eager
Hamilton Station Hotel, Islington
Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland
Croatian Club, Wickham Wildmen, Gleny Rae Virus and her
Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland
Jack’s Bar & Grill, Erina
Lizotte’s, Kincumber
The Herbs
Sunday, July 15
Thursday, July 12
Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle
Wednesday, July 4
Hamilton Station Hotel, Islington
Jeff Lang
Saturday, July 7
Melissa Etheridge
Blow Horn Orchestra, The Arachnids,
Spirit of Bob Marley Australian Surf Movie
Jacob Emerson, Gambirra, Grant Wolter
Sydney Opera House
The Blue Ruins
Afro Moses -
Festival - Immersion 27 July
Wickham Park Hotel, Islington
Great Northern Hotel, Newc
Wendy Matthews
Wickham Park Hotel, Islington Milestones
Lizotte’s, Kincumber
Kirsty Larkin & The Pocket Trap,
Stag & Hunter Hotel, Mayfield Hornet
Great Northern Hotel, Newc
Lizotte’s, Lambton
The Guppies, Flight to Dubai
Lizotte’s, Kincumber Jason Rooke, Michael Peter, Joe Kalou, Kita Kerford
Love & Satellites
Mirrabooka Beccy Cole, Lyn Bowtell
Lizotte’s, Lambton Doc Neeson
Wickham Park Hotel, Islington The Jungle Kings, Dave & the Demons
Tuesday, July 17 Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle Music and Movie Trivia turns 100 w/ The Phat Controller, Man 64, Hells
Jack’s Bar & Grill, Erina The Jitter Buggers
Wednesday, July 18 Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle Euphorium
Hamilton Station Hotel, Islington Allay the Sea, Graves
Lass O’Gowrie Hotel, Wickham Rescue Ships, The Wooden
Lizotte’s, Kincumber Dominique Morgan, Tim Hill, Nathan Jensen
Lizotte’s, Lambton Cormack & Emily, Cathy & Greg, Brian Dillon, James Thomson
Thursday, July 19 Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle Ladyhawke
Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland Errol JM
Hamilton Station Hotel, Islington Swiss Army Wives
Lass O’Gowrie Hotel, Wickham Creative Creatures Open Mic
Lizotte’s, Kincumber Dave Graney and the MistLY
Lizotte’s, Lambton Tubular Bells for Two
Wickham Park Hotel, Islington Blind Lemon
Friday, July 20 Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland The G Numan Band
Great Northern Hotel, Newc Anna Smyrk and the Appetites
Hamilton Station Hotel, Islington Moth, Fusaurus, Granny Fist
Jack’s Bar & Grill, Erina Earthquake, Chris & Cha
King Street Hotel, Newcastle Danny T
Lass O’Gowrie Hotel, Wickham Flash & the Instromatics, Dennis Boys, James Thomson, Phoebe Daicos
Lizotte’s, Kincumber Taylor & the Makers, Simon Williams
Lizotte’s, Lambton Dave Graney and the MistLY
Loft Youth Centre, Newcastle Geography of Mars
Northern Star Hotel, Hamilton Nick Raschke
Rhythm Hut, Gosford Afro Moses
Stag & Hunter Hotel, Mayfield Kotadama
Wickham Park Hotel, Islington Roar Boar
The Beatnix
38 reve rb
magazine issue #07 1 — July 2012
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gig Guide North Saturday, July 21
Friday, July 27
Sunday, July 1
Saturday, July 7
Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle
Enmore Theatre, Sydney
Beach Hotel, Byron Bay
Australian Hotel, Ballina
Maids
Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland Astrid and The Asteroids
Great Northern Hotel, Newc Set Sail
Hordern Pavilion, Sydney The Tea Party
Jack’s Bar & Grill, Erina The Coverup
King Street Hotel, Newcastle Ruby Rose
Lass O’Gowrie Hotel, Wickham Tiny Spiders, Si Claros, Carlin Dally
Lizotte’s, Kincumber Wendy Matthews, Dave Wilkins
Lizotte’s, Lambton Afro Moses - Spirit of Bob Marley
New Orana Hotel, Blacksmiths Wards Express
Stag & Hunter Hotel, Mayfield Phonic
Wickham Park Hotel, Islington Hellbent, Walter Junior Blues Band
Sunday, July 22 Bateau Bay Hotel Steve Edmonds Band
Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland Blind Lemon
Hamilton Station Hotel, Islington Jessica Cain
Jack’s Bar & Grill, Erina Horsebox
Lizotte’s, Lambton Wendy Matthews, Dave Wilkins
Wickham Park Hotel, Islington Voodoo Express, John Larder
Wednesday, July 25 Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle Thieves
Hamilton Station Hotel, Islington Rad Beligion
Hordern Pavilion, Sydney The Shins
Lizotte’s, Lambton The Wooden, QnRoo, Bye Bye Birdy
Lass O’Gowrie Hotel, Wickham Psycho Pucko, Glowing Embers, Ian Curtis Alive
House of Shem Lana Del Rey
Factory Theatre, Sydney The Afghan Whigs
Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland The Magpie Diaries
Great Northern Hotel, Newc Velociraptor
Hamilton Station Hotel, Islington Eye On you
Hi-Fi, Sydney Metric
Hordern Pavilion, Sydney Jack White
Lizotte’s, Kincumber Jeff Lang
Lizotte’s, Lambton Aust. Surf Movie Festival - Immersion
Metro Theatre, Sydney fun.
Wickham Park Hotel, Islington Heart Attack and Vine
Luke Yeaman
Cherry St Sports Club, Ballina Ballina Country Music Club
Inda Dwella, Nhostic, Fowl Mouth,
Jack’s Bar & Grill, Erina
Youthfest 2012 w/ DJs Joelism,
Hoey Moey Hotel, Coffs Harbour
King Street Hotel, Newcastle
Pacific Hotel, Yamba
Lass O’Gowrie Hotel, Wickham
Lizotte’s, Kincumber
Matt Hanley, Marshall OKell
Lizotte’s, Lambton
Stag & Hunter Hotel, Mayfield
El Pirata Secret Squirrel Clark Black
Sawtell Hotel
Graveyard Train, Whitehouse
Hoey Moey Hotel, Coffs Harbour
Milestones
Pacific Hotel, Yamba
Christ Church Cathedral, Newc
Port Macquarie Hotel
Hamilton Station Hotel, Islington
Slipway Hotel, Ballina The Troubadors
The Virtue, Roses For Rachel
Jack’s Bar & Grill, Erina
Friday, July 6
The Olde Boys of Rock
Lass O’Gowrie Hotel, Wickham Lizotte’s, Kincumber
Stag & Hunter Hotel, Mayfield
Civic Theatre, Newcastle
Brewery, Byron Bay
Hamilton Station Hotel, Islington
Cherry St Sports Club, Ballina
DJ Buzz
Queens Wharf Brewery, Newc
Quick Fix
Wednesday, July 11
Matty Devitt
Pacific Hotel, Yamba
Jen Buxton, Jessica Cain, Shirts From Matthew
4 Way Street
Mumford Disden
Van She after party
Ash Mountain
Seaview Tavern, Woolgoolga
Miike Snow
Wickham Park Hotel, Islington
Matt Hanley
Tacking Point Hotel
Jack’s Bar & Grill, Erina
Westower Tavern, West Ballina Yamba Shores Tavern
Sydney Entertainment Centre The Smashing Pumpkins, Wolfmother
Sabotage
Bridges
For bookings and information, phone (02) 4368 2017 or visit lizottes.com.au
Ben Francis
Pacific Hotel, Yamba
Monster Boys V Grant
Eugene Hideaway
Hoey Moey Hotel, Coffs Harbour
Willy Hona
Tuesday, July 31 Franz
Thursday, July 12 Beach Hotel, Byron Bay
Gunshy
Slipway Hotel, Ballina
Floyd Vincent and the Childbrides
31 Aug
Owen Shannon
Lalaland, Byron Bay
Sawtell Hotel
Metro Theatre, Sydney
w/ Glenn Shorrock
Van She, Rufus
Port Macquarie Hotel
Monday, July 30
Lazy Sunday lunch
Hoey Moey Hotel, Coffs Harbour
Ben Francis
Retro Rockets, Dave Rumbler
26 Aug
Brewery, Byron Bay
Plantation Hotel, Coffs
Wickham Park Hotel, Islington
YAC, Byron Bay Juggernaut
Sub-Zero
St. John’s Parish, Cooks Hill
Port Macquarie Hotel
Terror, Iron Mind, Ghost Town,
Moonee Beach Tavern
Steve Edmonds Band
24-25 Aug Ian Moss
Make Them Suffer, Buried In Verona,
Allay the Sea, Abel Tasman, DJ Monster
Lennox Point Hotel
Northlane, Heights
Kit Bray
Signal The Firing Squad
Hoey Moey Hotel, Coffs Harbour
House vs Hurricane, While She Sleeps,
Ross Wilson
Open Studio, Coffs Harbour
Henry Rous Hotel, Ballina
Renee Geyer, Jade Gannon
17 Aug
Brewery, Byron Bay
Frogmouth
Oasis Youth Centre, Wyong
James Reyne
Monday, July 9
Brunswick Heads Hotel
Federal Hotel, Bellingen
Only Human
16 Aug
Neil Anderson
Two Face
The Bangin Molls
Tim Rogers
Pacific Hotel, Yamba
Bats vs Snakes
The Flattrackers
10 Aug
Forward Groove
The Jed Rowe Band
Toni Childs
Bondi Cigars
Sean Mackenzie
Somerville & Wilson
Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland
4 Aug
Marshall OKell
Hoey Moey Hotel, Coffs Harbour
Guy Katchel
Brewery, Byron Bay
Renée Geyer
Signal The Firing Squad
Hudabrastic Funk
Sunday, July 29
28 July
Harvest Cafe, Newrybar
Beach Hotel, Byron Bay
The Gaudrys
Beach Hotel, Byron Bay
Make Them Suffer, Buried In Verona,
Fission
Bangalow Hotel
Local Resident Failure, Mezzenine
Jeff Lang
Flynn’s Beach, Port Macquarie
Ballina RSL Night
Renee Geyer, Cilla Jane
26 July
Brunswick Heads Hotel
Ockarock
Side Bar, Cambridge Hotel, Newc
Sunday, July 8
Bevan Spiers
The Vaudeville Smash
Australian Hotel, Ballina
Pel Mel, The Limp, Swami Binton
Wendy Matthews
The Belligerents
Matty Devitt
Captain of the Push
and The MistLY
Yamba YHA Backpacker Resort
Seaview Tavern, Woolgoolga
Great Northern Hotel, Newc
Dave Graney
21 July
Dr Baz
Side-tracked Fiasco
Bruce Mathiske
19 July
Ash Mountain
Warehouse Party, Byron Bay
Adam Brown
Lazy Sunday Lunch w/ Beccy Cole
Slipway Hotel, Ballina
Damo
Saturday, July 28
15 July
Lennox Point Hotel
Scott Dav_V
Wickham Park Hotel, Islington
rock legend
Great Northern Hotel, Byron
Hoey Moey Hotel, Coffs Harbour
Brewery, Byron Bay
Phase III
Doc Neeson –
A Little Province
Beach Hotel, Byron Bay
Shooting Tunes Awards Night
14 July
Henry Rous Hotel, Ballina
Thursday, July 5
Jeff Lang
Loft Youth Centre, Newcastle
Sarah McLeod
Sly Daddy
Luke Escombe and the Corperation,
Kasey Chambers, Shane Nicholson
Kit Bray Mescalito Blues
Rails, Byron Bay
Great Toad, Pataphsics
7 July
Graveyard Train
Cherry St Sports Club, Ballina
Scott Davey
Free Willy & the Grace Brothers,
Tim Finn
Bellingen Memorial Hall
Brunswick Heads Hotel
Nick Saxon
The Only
3 July
Brewery, Byron Bay
Noodles, Ava Dub
Krankenstein, Chris & Cha
Beach Hotel, Byron Bay DJ Jay Walker
Corination Park, Nambucca
Jordan Oliver
Lizotte’s, Lambton
Bangalow Hotel
The Oz Hornz
Grey Ghost
Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle
Coast Road
Brunswick Heads Hotel
Hamilton Station Hotel, Islington
Don’t forget — Live & Local every Wednesday night
Ballina RSL
Brad Ross
Band of Skulls
Great Northern Hotel, Newc
Jack’s Bar & Grill, Erina
Keogh
Bellingen Golf Club
Factory Theatre, Sydney
Thursday, July 26 Enmore Theatre, Sydney
Well Swung Daddies
Lana Del Rey
CENTRAL COAST
Surf Report
Port Macquarie Hotel Nine Sons of Dan
Slipway Hotel, Ballina Painted Crows
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reverb magazine issue #07 1 — July 2012 39
JULY AT THE AUSSIE WED 04 DEAN’S TRIVIA – CAUTION, MAY CONTAIN SMALL PARTS FRI 06 OCKAROCK SAT 07 KEOGH WED 11 TRIVIA, WITH THE AMAZING DOUBLEJOINTED DEAN FRI 13 MIKE LITORUS AND THE ITCHY SWING SAT 14 THRILLBILLY STOMP WED 18 TRIVIA WITH DEAN FRI 20 MARSHALL DUO SAT 21 ISSACK FRANKHAM BAND WED 25 DEAN’S TRIVIA – NOW WITH ADDED “STUFFING” FRI 27 THE BOURBON TABERNACLE CHOIR SAT 28 PAINTED CROW
gig Guide North Friday, July 13
Sunday, July 15
Saturday, July 21
Friday, July 27
Australian Hotel, Ballina
Brunswick Heads Hotel
Australian Hotel, Ballina
Australian Hotel, Ballina
Mike Litorus and the Itchy Swing
Ballina RSL
Great Northern Hotel, Byron
Isaac Frankham
The Hello Mornings
Kingswood, Money For Rope, Damn Terran
Chris Cook, Headliner’s Chorus
Bangalow Hotel
Brewery, Byron Bay Lucus Stone
Cherry St Sports Club, Ballina Rhydian Lewis
Federal Hotel, Bellingen
Pacific Hotel, Yamba
Great Northern Hotel, Byron The Joe Kings
Hoey Moey Hotel, Coffs Harbour Ziggy By Request
Lalaland, Byron Bay Regrooved w/ Tom Drummond, Paul Masters, MC Kitch
Lennox Point Hotel
Rhythm, Cutloose
Beach House, Port Macquarie Whitehouse
Wednesday, July 18
Brewery, Byron Bay
Hoey Moey Hotel, Coffs Harbour
Brunswick Heads Hotel
Mayan Fox
David Strauss
Chester
Star Court Theatre, Lismore
Bo Jenkins
Bill Jacobi
Beach Hotel, Byron Bay
Nathan Kaye Siskin River
Cherry St Sports Club, Ballina
The Man In Black - Tex Perkins
Thursday, July 19
Atmosphere
Coolangatta Hotel Karnivool, Redcoats, Sleepmakeswaves
Federal Hotel, Bellingen
Beach Hotel, Byron Bay
Holy Cow
Great Northern Hotel, Byron
Luke Vassella
Great Northern Hotel, Byron Karnivool, Redcoats, Sleepmakeswaves
Dallas Frasca
Henry Rous Hotel, Ballina
Hoey Moey Hotel, Coffs Harbour
Mescalito Blues
Moonee Beach Tavern
Liquid Search
Hoey Moey Hotel, Coffs Harbour
Kane Cahill
Pacific Hotel, Yamba
Icebreakers
Pacific Hotel, Yamba
Chris Arenston
Vanessa Lee, Roadtrain
Lennox Point Hotel
Port Macquarie Hotel
Garrett Kato
Plantation Hotel, Coffs
The Joe Kings
The Clues
Lismore City Bowling Club
Port Macquarie Panthers
Owen
Port Macquarie Hotel
Adam Harvey, Amber Laurence
Delicious w/ Elscorcho, 1iSAMURAi
Mullum Drill Hall
Seaview Tavern, Woolgoolga
The Blue Ruins
Sawtell Hotel
Louis Van Senden
Daniel Champagne
Pacific Hotel, Yamba
Slipway Hotel, Ballina
Matty Devitt
Slipway Hotel, Ballina
Mescalito Blues
Plantation Hotel, Coffs
Bill Jacobi
Star Court Theatre, Lismore
Pink Zinc
Tacking Point Hotel Kotodama
The Aztec, Forster Nick Saxon
Westower Tavern, West Ballina Jo Rigby
The Man In Black - Tex Perkins
Fat Albert
Sawtell Hotel Minnie Marks
Friday, July 20
Slipway Hotel, Ballina
5 Church Street, Bellingen
Star Hotel, Macksville
Yolan
Rescue Ships
Saturday, July 14 Australian Hotel, Ballina
Frogmouth
Australian Hotel, Ballina
Twin Towns Serv Club, Tweed
Marshall
Adam Harvey, Amber Laurence
Ballina RSL
Westower Tavern, West Ballina
The Ultimate Bee Gees show
Beach Hotel, Byron Bay
Thrillbilly Stomp
Ballina RSL
Dr Bob
Yamba Shores Tavern
Set Sail, Lifeline
Brewery, Byron Bay
Supercheese
Bangalow Hotel
Kindling, Black Lullaby
Cex, Coffs Harbour
Lauren
Beach Hotel, Byron Bay
Adam Harvey, Amber Laurence
Salad Finger DJs
Blaze Fire Soundsystem
Brunswick Heads Hotel
Alderman Brothers
Jack Thorncraft
Brewery, Byron Bay House of Shem
Brunswick Heads Hotel Blues Plantation
Great Northern Hotel, Byron
Cath Simes
Chinderah Tavern
Cameras, M Jack Bee, Fairchild Republic
Dallas Frasca
Hoey Moey Hotel, Coffs Harbour
Henry Rous Hotel, Ballina
Mark Easton
Federal Hotel, Bellingen
Fat Albert
Pacific Hotel, Yamba
DJ Buzz
Hoey Moey Hotel, Coffs Harbour
Forward Groove
Great Northern Hotel, Byron
Mick Bateman
Lennox Point Hotel
Kid Mac, The Hated
Henry Rous Hotel, Ballina
Dan Clark
Moonee Beach Tavern
One 2 Many
Hoey Moey Hotel, Coffs Harbour
Plantation Hotel, Coffs Slipway Hotel, Ballina Westower Tavern, West Ballina
Hoey Moey Hotel, Coffs Harbour Lalaland, Byron Bay Archery Club Showcase
Pacific Hotel, Yamba
Astrid and the Asteroids
Scott Davey
Seaview Tavern, Woolgoolga
The Weekenders
Keogh
Slipway Hotel, Ballina
Fat Albert
Matt Buggy
Slipway Hotel, Ballina
Shannon Beaumont
Yamba Shores Tavern
Villians
Pacific Hotel, Yamba Liquid Search
Plantation Hotel, Coffs Dave Strauss
Seaview Tavern, Woolgoolga The Weekenders
Slipway Hotel, Ballina Sultans
Westower Tavern, West Ballina Big Music
Yamba Shores Tavern The Ford Brothers
Saturday, July 28 Australian Hotel, Ballina Painted Crow
Ballina RSL Mambises
Ballina RSL Bowling Club Glenn Massey
Brewery, Byron Bay Lucious, Bass Heavy
Brunswick Heads Hotel Russ Walker
Cherry St Sports Club, Ballina Band 6
Henry Rous Hotel, Ballina The Dirty Channel
Hoey Moey Hotel, Coffs Harbour Quick Fix Schoolfight The Anti-bodies
Plantation Hotel, Coffs DJ Steve
Port Macquarie Panthers Rai Thistlethwayte
Slipway Hotel, Ballina Brian Watt
Westower Tavern, West Ballina Rob Saric
Yamba YHA Backpacker Resort Robbie Imeson
Brad Ross
Brunswick Heads Hotel Wear the Fox Hat
Hoey Moey Hotel, Coffs Harbour Minnie Marks
Pacific Hotel, Yamba 2 Way Street
Monday, July 30 Ballina RSL Headliner’s Chorus
Brewery, Byron Bay
Bo Jenkins
Twin Towns Serv Club, Tweed
DJ Cool Tempoze
Yamba YHA Backpacker Resort
The Medicine Show
Moonee Beach Tavern
Bellingen Golf Club
Kane
Seaview Tavern, Woolgoolga
Neil Anderson
Rai Thistlethwayte
Lennox Point Hotel
Ballina RSL
Matty Devitt
Sawtell Hotel
DJ Brown Sugar
Geoff Turnbull
Hoey Moey Hotel, Coffs Harbour
Sunday, July 29
Holy Cow
Port Macquarie Hotel
The King and Dr Bob
Federal Hotel, Bellingen
Thursday, July 26 Steady Eddy, Robert Grayson
Plantation Hotel, Coffs
Matty Devitt
Mescalito Blues
Mark Bergin
Pacific Hotel, Yamba
The Edge
Archie Rye
Cherry St Sports Club, Ballina
Pacific Hotel, Yamba
Finnians Tavern, Port Macquarie
Coastal Soul
The Wandering
Brunswick Heads Hotel
Bangalow Hotel
Federal Hotel, Bellingen
Push
Cherry St Sports Club, Ballina
Rochelle Lees
Brewery, Byron Bay
Lennox Point Hotel
Coolangatta Hotel House of Shem
The Bourbon Tabernacle Chior
Ballina RSL
Sunday, July 22
Cherry St Sports Club, Ballina
Daniel Webber
Brewery, Byron Bay
Pacific Hotel, Yamba
magazine issue #07 1 — July 2012
Ballina RSL Bowling Club
Hoey Moey Hotel, Coffs Harbour
Holy Cow
Beach Hotel, Byron Bay
Broadfoot
40 reverb
Isaac Frankham
Busby Marou, Leeder Cheetah,
Bangalow Hotel
Lennox Point Hotel
103 River Street, Ballina Ph 02 6686 2015 www.theaussiehotel.com
Round Mountain Girls
Kit Bray
Lalaland, Byron Bay
Toni Childs
Sisken River
Ladyhawke DJ set
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42 reverb
magazine issue #07 1 — July 2012
NAM O B J W.
ALIA
TR /AUS
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R T A E TH
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WEDNESDAY 11 JULY THE ENTRANCE LEAGUES CLUB BATEAU BAY
THURSDAY 19 JULY THE NORTHERN BYRON BAY
SATURDAY 14 JULY PANTHERS NEWCASTLE
SATURDAY 21 JULY COOLANGATTA HOTEL GOLD COAST
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reverb magazine issue #07 1 — July 2012 43