BMA Magazine 392 April 10 2012

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CANBERRA’S NO.1 ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE # 3 9 2A P R I L 1 1

INSIDE

leftfield+ice cube+krafty kuts nds hoodlum shouts+Super best frie

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I blame scrumpy. #392APRIL11 Fax: 02 6257 4361 Mail: PO Box 713 Civic Square, ACT 2608 Publisher Scott Layne Allan Sko General Manager Allan Sko T: 6257 4360 E: advertising@bmamag.com Advertising Manager Paul Foley T: 6257 4360 E: sales@bmamag.com

Editor Julia Winterflood T: 02 6257 4456 E: editorial@bmamag.com Accounts Manager Yu Xie T: 02 6247 4816 E: accounts@bmamag.com Super Sub-Editor Ashley Thomson Graphic Design Cole Bennetts Exhibitionist Editor Julia Winterflood E: editorial@bmamag.com Film Editor Melissa Wellham NEXT ISSUE 393 OUT APRIL 25 EDITORIAL DEADLINE APRIL 16 ADVERTISING DEADLINE APRIL 19 Published by Radar Media Pty Ltd ABN 76 097 301 730 BMA is independently owned and published. Opinions expressed in BMA are not necessarily those of the editor, publisher or staff.

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Raw City Rukus have done a fine job flying the Canberra hip hop flag over the past few years, releasing an admirable slice of boom-bap with debut LP Genesis earlier in the year (produced by D’Opus and featuring Roshambo for a true celebration of Canberra talent) and sharing the stage with the likes of Pharoahe Monch, Jean Grae, Koolism, Drapht, Illy, Horrorshow and Spit Syndicate at their festival performances.

And now, it is time for them to say goodbye. But shed not a tear, O ravenous reaper of rap, for they will not be gone forever.

The six-strong crew will be having a hiatus for the happy happening of travelling the world and writing new material, and they promise us “make no mistake, we will be back! Bigger, better and fresher than ever before.” In the meantime, they are hosting a farewell show at Trinity Bar on Friday April 20 and will be joined by good musical mates and general destroyers of dancefloors Peking Duk and DJ Rush. Tix are $10 before 10pm or $15 after. Be sure to get along to what is sure to be a riotous evening and see off the boys in fine style.

Lowlakes at Phoenix There aren’t that many bands either here or abroad that can blissfully blend ambience with melody. It’s a difficult marriage, but one that’s been carried off beautifully by bands like Sigur Ros, Bliss and Antony and the Johnsons. On Saturday April 21, Lowlakes will bring that skill to The Phoenix. While the group originally found their home in Alice Springs, the band is geographically agnostic. This outfit sets out to dictate the new standard for contemplative songwriting, producing work that amalgamates shimmering ambiance with alternative pop. Frontman Tom Snowdon’s gripping vocals straddle the line between being earthly and present. 9.30pm. Free.

Be an Origin Blogger at Vivid LIVE 2012

Calling all you dusty-fingered purveyors of champion sounds and old classics, the Landspeed Record Store Day is on once again, giving lovers of licks and barons of beats over 2000 lovingly-used LPs to flick through. As always every genre will be catered for and there will be exclusive vinyl releases to get your mitts on. Saturday April 21 is the date to circle in the diary and 30 Garema Place, Civic is the location to program into your GPS (although don’t drive all the way along City Walk; the fuzz don’t like that for some reason). Be sure to bring along any unwanted vinyl for selling while you’re at it.

Origin and Sydney Opera House have joined forces in search of two promising music writers to experience some of the hottest live music acts in the world as ‘Origin Bloggers’ at Vivid LIVE, Friday May 25 – Sunday June 3. Winners will be offered VIP access to headline gigs.

Applicants will have to submit a 100 word review of a recent performance attended and explain in 50 words why energy efficiency is important to them and the live music scene.

Aspiring writers can enter via the Vivid LIVE Facebook page: www.facebook.com/ vividlivesydneyoperahouse.

The competition is open to those aged between 18 and 35.

Entries close 12pm on Friday May 11.

Greenthief at The Basement The hard-hitting sounds of Brisbane rock outfit Greenthief will reverberate inside the dingy Basement on Friday April 13 when the band hit town to support their upcoming single Epidemic. Greenthief’s forthcoming track is their latest offering since 2011’s Retribution, recorded with renowned UK producer Steve James (Sex Pistols, The Jam).

The tour hardened threepiece have spent the majority of the last 18 months on the road, establishing a stalwart following in both regional and capital cities across the nation. Their expressive new material, paired with a refined and explosive live show, sees Greenthief prepare to put their strongest foot forward. 8pm. $10 on the door.

Ralph McTell Farewell Tour at Southern Cross Club In a career spanning 45 years the legendary English singer, songwriter and guitar virtuoso Ralph McTell has amassed an impressive back catalogue of over 350 songs, including Streets Of London. McTell will be making his final farewell tour of Australia, appearing at the Woden Southern Cross Club on Thursday April 26. This will be the last chance audiences will have to see the revered artist perform live here. The tour will showcase material from his latest album Somewhere Down The Road and from the Bob Dylan birthday tribute, Don’t Think Twice It’s Alright, along with some old favourites.

8.30pm. $49/$82 with dinner.

Tickets at www.cscc.com.au or call 6283 7288.

Raw City Rukus PHOTO: Rush

Local Hip Hop Heads Hop Off

Landspeed Record Store Day

FROM THE BOSSMAN My wife, God love her, is trying to get her family on a health kick because she doesn’t want them to get fat and die (she’s funny like that) so that means every weekend, at the arse crack of dawn, I have in-laws invited into my living space in preparation for a spirited jog around Canberra’s inner north.

I absolutely adore my in-laws. I hit the jackpot when I married my wife because her wonderfulness is matched only by her, or should I say our, family. These are people I have added to my slim People I Would Take a Bullet For list.

This being said, Jesus Christ, Mahatma Gandhi and Stephen Fry themselves could waltz in the door at 7am, brandishing a multicoloured muffin basket and a cheery demeanour, and all I would want to do is punch them in the face with the Fist of Zeus.

I’m a very vulnerable man when I first awake, y’see. Where some vault vigilantly out of bed with the alacrity of a soldier and the grace of a game show host I, by comparison, have hair that looks as if it’s just vigorously fondled a power socket, clothes that look like the castaways of a 16th Century peasant, and a face bearing some miscellaneous crust. Cross me with one of your cheery ‘Good mornings!’ and I will execute a move on you that could be patented by the WWE. Of course I won’t; I have not the waking consciousness, the upper body strength nor the necessary cruelty to perform such a task.

I will instead merely grunt and, as an overly sensitive person forever paralysed by nerves, such an ‘Urgh’ greeting will see me spend the rest of the day steeped in guilt that I didn’t receive my nearest and dearest with a warm hug and a steaming cup of Ovaltine upon their arrival. This is my curse.

YOU PISSED ME OFF! Has someone yanked yer chain recently? Well send an email to editorial@bmamag.com and have your sweet vengeance.

And for the love of God, keep it brief! [All entries contain original spellings] I should preface this rant by mentioning how many shows I’ve enjoyed at this bar over the years: dozens, if not hundreds. Many friends have complained about the draconian closing times which, without fail, see the metal shutters fall on the bar during the headlining band’s set. Most other venues will allow – nay, encourage – patrons to hang around and have a drink after a show. Y’know, patronise the establishment. GIVE YOU MONEY. I’ve seen people dash out the doors to the ATM post-show, only to be refused entry when they come back to try and buy merch. This was all driven home at the Dead Meadow show when, during the band’s closing song, one of the staff turned on some of the house lights. Sure, they may have been edging curfew or whatever, but surely as a venue with an international reputation – or at least purporting to have one, given you’re attracting international bands – you’d just let someone going five minutes overtime slide. Or at least find a more tactful way of hurrying them along. Basically, bar: you have a good venue with good sound, you put on good shows and it’d be nice to be able to hang out for little while after said shows, rather than being shepherded out the door before the last chord has even rung out.

Even though we all seek sympathy during our trembling waking moments, we quickly turn on the tired once fully active. Where once we were droopy-lidded brothers-in-arms fighting in the same sleep trench – a metaphoric weary arm draped over each other’s symbolic shoulders – as soon as we’re awake we leave the sleepy for dead. In an instant we cross the line from somnambulistic sympathy to smug self satisfaction. “I am now awake and fantastic! And you are wallowing in bed like an apathetic arse!” Gits. If a cheery ‘G’morning’ is enough to inspire a headlock, then the mocking high-octave baby talk of ‘Awwwwww!

Is the widdle man still waking up?’ makes you want to drive the Elbow of Hades into their neck. If only you had the energy.

As humans, we excel at this kind of hypocrisy. Let us match attitudes of the smug alert – having been a grouchy sleeper only moments ago – to attitudes of angry drivers towards plodding pedestrians in car parks. Time and time again you see infuriated drivers foaming at the mouth and gesticulating in a wildly-yetamusingly-silent fashion behind the windshield at pedestrians slowing to a determined loiter in front of their precious car space, thus blocking the way to instant parking satisfaction, only to have that very same driver eventually park, get out of the car, become a pedestrian and then IMMEDIATELY loiter in front of another car space next to them while some poor bastard of a driver behind them flails their fist in mute agony. That person will then do the same and so the Circle of Strife continues.

So the moral to the story is wait until someone wakes up before you loiter in front of their parking space. No, that’s not it. Ensure your in-laws are awake before you park in their spot. That’s not it either. Ahhhh bollocks to it; I’m too tired to think properly. Just give me ten more minutes.

ALLAN SKO - allan@bmamag.com

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WHO: Effigy Entertainment presents Synthesis WHAT: A night of Poetry, Acoustics, Live Visuals and more WHEN: Sat April 28 WHERE: Transit Bar

Get ready for a night where words, colours and vibrations meet. The night will kick off with a poetry slam featuring Ellie Malbon, Brian O’Biri Asare, Jason Andrews and Andrew Galan. Words flow into music with an acoustic performance from the ever talented Anna Potter (and friends), and into the electronic realm with an acoustic electronic fusion set from Gabriel Gilmour and Gojiberry Jam. VJ Caitlin Welch will be providing visual stimulus throughout, showcasing short films created to accompany the poets. Finally, how does Electrocado, Ryanosaurus, Will Marshall, and a Logman & Pstump album launch sound? Tickets through Mosthix. 8pm, $13.30 + bf.

WHO: Mick Thomas and Shelley Short WHAT: Debut solo album tour WHEN: Wed April 18 WHERE: The Front

Mick Thomas is mighty proud of his new album, Last of The Tourists. After recording albums as Mick Thomas & The Sure Thing for the last few years, this time around Mick decided to focus on what is really his first ever solo studio album. Mick recorded the album in Portland, Oregon, with long time friend and music associate Darren Hanlon at the producer’s helm. The album also features a guest vocal with Portland’s own Shelley Short. Mick Thomas is back to reconfirm his place as one of our favourite Australian and world renowned singer-songwriters, and is bringing the always-welcome Shelley Short along. 8pm, $20.

WHO: We All Want To and Halfway WHAT: High energy rock WHEN: Sat April 28 WHERE: The Phoenix

We All Want To spent August 2011 hunkered over the recording console armed with bouzoukis, tambourines, xylophones and an omnichord, but more importantly electric guitars, loud amps and fuzz pedals. The group’s debut highlighted a band of diverse genres finding their feet. The new album is the sound of a confident rock band turning on and tuning in. Punk rock ist nicht tot. First single You Used To Be Funny is a bratty blast of playground pop, a bittersweet duet done fast and loud, and was released in March 2012. The band are bringing their special brand of fun to Canberra with help from label-mates Halfway. 9.30pm, free.

WHO: Mustard Tiger and more WHAT: Disco Ninja presents glitch hop WHEN: Saturday April 21 WHERE: The Clubhouse

Disco Ninja is proud to bring you Canberra’s very own glitch hop night Bent! As a long time individual force in Australian psytrance, Mustard Tiger will deliver the raw flavour. Expect some of the cleanest glitch hop production you’ve ever heard. Check him out at soundcloud.com/mustard-tiger-3. Head in early and watch Bucik, Dave Skully and Tidy have a jam, followed by Embolina, Bizzle and Silicone Slave. Embolina’s sets fuse psychedelic and glitch beats with a dash of crunk and big dollops of bass. Bizzle is set to smash some psybreaks and Silicone Slave is capping the night off. 9.30 pm–5am, cheap entry before 11pm.

WHO: Los Chavos feat.

DJ Alex Carder & Rafa Chango WHAT: Big Bang Saturday WHEN: Sat April 28 WHERE: Digress Restaurant & Lounge

Newly opened Digress Restaurant & Lounge is holding its first major live music event: Big Bang Saturday. Presented in conjunction with ANU’s Centre for Latin American Studies and Latin America Students Association, the night features the carnival sounds of Los Chavos, an eight-piece collective playing reggae, Latin ska, cumbia and samba. Los Chavos have played in and around Canberra since 2006. Made up of talented jazz musicians and headed by Andy Jauregui, a former Latin rock singer from Cochabamba, the bands punchy horns and street rhythms are irresistible. They are supported by local DJs Alex Carder and Rafa Chango. 8.30pm.

WHO: Alex Hallahan and The Woodland Hunters WHAT: Album launch tour WHEN: Mon April 23 WHERE: The Front

This April sees Hallahan take both his band The Woodland Hunters and the new album Human Veins on the road for their much anticipated east coast album launch tour. Made up of an intuitive group of fine musicians, The Woodland Hunters brilliantly create a textured landscape alongside Alex’s songwriting prowess both live and on the album. Superbly produced by ARIA award recipient Craig Pilkington (Gurrumul, The Black Eyed Susans), Human Veins has already been championed nationally. Mixing music genres and the human condition into an intoxicating soundtrack of life, Melbourne singer-songwriter Alex Hallahan triumphs. 7pm, $8/$10.

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EPPELINS Z E V LO ALACTIC G INTER

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BRAIN DANCE

Sophia McDonald CRACKED ACTOR are not an average band in any way. In fact

they pride themselves on a conscientious, unconventional approach to their sound, which fairs well for their newly-released EP Solar Driftwood (Album of the Issue, BMA Magazine #391). The band is Sebastian Field (vocals/guitar), Grahame ‘Spike’ Thompson (drums/cello), Nick Delatovic (bass) and Jordan Rodger (guitar) – four Canberra musos who spread their talents over multitudinous projects in the capital.

Cracked Actor began when Seb and Grahame played and recorded songs in their backyard shed. “At the time I was very into DIY everything – recording your own band, mixing your own band… I played some drums in high school and I bought a one dollar drum kit from the tip and then we just started playing and recorded everything,” said Grahame. The pair were eventually joined by Nick Delatovic and then had a lengthy period without a guitarist before Matt Lustri became a solid member, recording Solar Driftwood before he left the band. The search for a committed guitarist recommenced. “The music demands a slightly wonky kind of musical sensibility but also a high level of proficiency for the guitarist so I was worried that it would be hard to find someone who had that,” explained Nick. Enter Jordan Rodgers who joined in 2012. “I really liked them. I’d seen them play live before and the EP sounded really good from what I’d heard so I asked them to play a gig with Mornings and they asked me to join the band, which was pretty nice.” The band are looking forward to the EP tour as a way to solidify their sound.

I wanted to make music like the ideas that people had in the past of what the future was going to be like

It’s clear that with their own unique personalities and musical strengths, what anchors the members of Cracked Actor is a dedication to music and the potential of the band. Nick credits Grahame with contributing to a holistic skill set with his ability to record and produce music, and Seb with “a very clear concept of how the finished article of the song is going to sound,” making things coherent and more conducive to recording. This seems to gel with the other band members. As Jordan noted to Seb, “I like playing to your vision, it’s good – always something to work towards.” Seb thanked him. Grahame describes them as a “vision band”, saying, “There’s always a pretty strong sensibility pushing you forward but it’s still developing as well.”

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Solar Driftwood took at least a year to create. The band note Sam King’s influential part in the formative process, who suggested they use Charlie’s Forest Hall (a now disused 1950s dance hall turned cricket pavilion) to record. Described as having “falling down floors, tin roofing, spiders and bird poo”, the band confirmed it was, in fact, a fine recording space with unique sound reverberation off the old wood and “high frequencies which excited the room”. After this came an intense, lengthy period in King’s mixing studio getting the sound right, which, if you have had the pleasure of listening to the EP, they certainly did.

The EP was tied to an idea Grahame had for a total conceptual album. “I really wanted to go for a very specific idea of the sound.

I kind of found that if we had this strong idea – like the band that gets paid to play on a romanticised blimp that was circling a planet – it would actually help us get that sound… I wanted to make music like the ideas that people had in the past of what the future was going to be like.” To be sure, the poetic lyricism of Sebastian Field contributes to the beautifully extra-terrestrial atmosphere of the album. He comments that the lyrics come “dead last”, after “mumbling for a while” over the top of the music until words form. A short investigation of the group’s creative dynamic took place. Grahame: “I think it’s quite funny as well that we all work as reactive artists to things that Seb writes and in the same way Seb reacts as a reactive artist lyrically to his own music.” Nick: “There’s almost two artists working within Seb in a way.” Seb: “I’m haunted.”

The electronics incorporated by Cracked Actor set them apart and have been present from the start. Grahame has a background in Digital Art (ANU) and computer music, Seb’s influences include “intelligent dance music” or “brain dance”, as he spontaneously re-dubbed it, such as Squarepusher and Clark, and former band member Reuban Ingall used electronics. Now, electronics make their recordings “even nicer,” Seb summarised simply. The EP, as a commodity, continues the conceptual ideas. The cover art is an American Air Force photograph of a nuclear warhead test taken at high speed. The title Solar Driftwood is “part of Grahame’s love for the intergalactic love boat thing,” said Seb. Grahame elaborated: “It’s the last tie to that concept of the band playing on this space zeppelin orbiting an unknown planet.” It’s also a reference to the opening monologue of H.G. Wells’ novel War of the Worlds.

In 2012, Cracked Actor are looking forward, like passengers in an epic space blimp, with optimism and commitment, to the future. Seb said, “I’m really excited personally… I was going to go overseas but I postponed it for the future of the band.”

Possibilities of a new EP and album shimmer in the distance.

Cracked Actor are launching Solar Driftwood on Friday April 20, 7.30pm, at the White Eagle Polish Club with support from Mornings, Elisha Bones, Reuben Ingall and Chris Finnigan. Tickets are $10/$15 with the EP, or $7/$12 for Canberra Musicians Club members.

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LOCALITY

On Thursday April 5 I was on Genevieve Jacobs’ State of the Arts panel on ABC 666, along with Monica Penders, Director of ScreenACT and PJ Williams, Artistic Director of Impro ACT. Monica had been to the Handwritten exhibition at the NLA, PJ made it to the conclusion of Roberth Guth’s Art-Is-An-Bread project at CCAS, and I talked about You Are Here.

I was up first, but before I kicked off Genevieve read something I’d tweeted an hour before. “Going on @666canberra’s State of the Arts panel at 2.30 to drown @YouAreHere_Fest in superlatives.

O how I’ll gush like a raging fangirl”. A raging fangirl? enquired Genevieve. “I was a raging fangirl before You Are Here even started,” I said. Indeed, well before it kicked off on March 10 the YAH team had generated via social media what felt to me like a huge wave of momentum that had already engulfed Canberra’s arts world. And this is why it came as a disappointing shock when Monica sheepishly said she didn’t even know YAH was on, and PJ said he didn’t get along to anything festival related apart from Mall Stories (which he was invovled in).

My plan to drown YAH in superlatives was thwarted as the discussion went down the path of examining the festival’s marketing strategies and whether it was targeted at a specific demographic (exclusively under 30s, PJ claimed). I used the fest’s penultimate event, the B-Ball Band Bash, where a sizable crowd of Canberrans of all ages gathered to watch some of our best bands battle it out on a rudimentary basketball court as a prime example of it attracting an audience that knows no category nor demographic. Just people keen to catch something original and entertaining.

I asked two questions of PJ: “Do you like Shakespeare? Do you like beer?” He’s a thespian. Of course he does. “Then the three sessions of Pub Theatre would have been perfect for you.” And I’ve no doubt Monica would have absolutely loved Art, Not Apart, where the Canberra Symphony Orchestra created some truly moving pieces inspired by live painting and short films were screened in the NewActon theatrette.

Just before the panel came to a close Genevieve read out a tweet that went something along the lines of “plenty of over 30-year-olds use social media and read street press. A big part of spreading the word is telling our family and friends”. I’ll be sure to invite Monika and PJ along to a few YAH events next year, and perhaps, dear readers, you should bring your parents along to a few events too.

I know my Mum would’ve gone mad for Matty Ellis dominating the basketball court and then soothing our souls with his unique brand of bloke folk.

As the wonderful Rosie Stevens, Communications Coordinator of You Are Here espoused in her brilliant post on the YAH blog: “You Are Here is a programme of events curated to deliver Canberra… a sense of community and togetherness regardless of walk of life, challenging perspectives to learn from, cross-disciplinary discussion, and quite ultimately pure enjoyment.”

JULIA WINTERFLOOD - julia@bmamag.com

HEY NOW SHAKY SHAKY Peter Krbavac It’s funny, Johnny Barrington notes, that recent reviews in interstate press have touted SUPER BEST FRIENDS as some group of green newcomers. Local audiences know the truth. “The big secret that Canberra’s privy to,” the band’s frontman smiles. “My 21st, 2005, was our first gig. It’s funny because we’ve just been added to the Groovin the Moo line-up which is actually my 28th birthday – so there you go, a good map of our history. We’ve managed to go from the Bateman’s Bay Community Centre to playing at a festival at UC.” For Johnny, bassist Matt Roberts and drummer Adam Bridges, it’s been years of hard graft leading up to this point: the release of the band’s third EP Handshake and their first national headlining tour.

Recorded in Melbourne with Paul “Woody” Annison – studio wizard to the likes of The Living End, Children Collide, Cabins and Black Cab – the new disc sees the trio ramping up the rock action whilst, seemingly, easing off on the political overtones that marked their earlier work. “Maybe we’ve eased off on that stuff or maybe it’s more cryptic now,” Johnny considers. “For a long time we haven’t wanted to be a preachy band – maybe once upon a time we came across with an axe to grind but lately we’ve been more into observing stuff and satirising it. The other thing is you can’t escape being part of what you’re complaining about. As much as you can have a stab at people, big companies, governments or the way things are, particularly in Australia, and particularly in Canberra, we’re all pretty comfortable.

There’ve been some pretty dramatic first world rock ‘n’ roll problems

“You get older and you see the world differently,” he continues.

“When you’re at uni, when you have more time to think, you probably have one way of thinking, ‘this is how things should work’. Then you start hanging around with people who aren’t necessarily your chosen select group of friends and you start to realise how the world is – and maybe you’re not right.”

So while they are prepared to have their ideas challenged, the members’ commitment to the band remains firm. Seven years in, there’s certainly no end in sight. “There have been a few times when the band has come near to getting to the end of its tether,” Johnny admits. “When my old faithful blue van gave up the ghost and broke down in Wangaratta, we had to hire a car to get to Melbourne and I had to get trains and buses to drive this piece of shit back to Canberra to get a new alternator, only for it to stuff up again.

There’ve been some pretty dramatic moments in terms of first world rock ‘n’ roll problems, but we’ve managed to keep it going.”

Super Best Friends launch Handshake on Thursday April 26 at the Transit Bar with The Fighting League and Shopgirl. Entry is $10. The band will also play Groovin the Moo at The Meadows, UC on Saturday May 13. Tickets are available through Moshtix.

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THE ODD ANGRY SHOUT Sophia McDonald The time has come to introduce Young Man Old Man, the longawaited, full-length album from THE HOODLUM SHOUTS (Sam Leyshon – vox/harmonica/didgeridoo, Mike Caruana – guitar/vox, Luke Robert – bass, Josh Leyhson – drums). Having three-quarters relocated to Melbourne last year (Luke remains in Canberra), the album is the satisfying end-product of eight months of writing and consolidation. It’s the band’s first multi-track release after the Horses and Human Hands EP (hellosQuare, 2009) and is cause for a solid East coast tour.

The Hoodlum Shouts carved out a name for themselves in Canberra, gripping audiences with raw live shows and unmistakable musical and emotional energy. Over the years they won hearts with their familiar appearances at The Phoenix and The Front and wowed crowds at larger shows, playing support for MY DISCO at the ANU bar in 2010, before making waves in Sydney and Melbourne.

I chatted to Josh Leyshon about the making of the album. “We just waited ‘til the songs came out and, fortunately, we had more than enough music by the time we decided to write this and afterwards record… so, we could actually be a little bit picky with what we put on the album.” The band chose to split the 11-track release between a CD on Canberra label hellosQuare and a vinyl on Melbourne-based Poison City records. “It’s a bit of a collaborative label thing which is, I guess, not that common but it’s not uncommon, and we’re really happy with it because we feel we suit both labels really well.”

We can’t party every night, unfortunately

Young Man Old Man was recorded by veteran producer Matt Voigt (Midnight Oil, Paul Kelly). “Matt’s fantastic…We’ve been a big fan of a lot of his production work in the past… He likes his live recording techniques which is pretty much where you’re a band in a room, looking at each other and playing together and then recording that…

We asked him and he was really enthusiastic to record us… and it couldn’t be better to be honest.” The instrumental strength of the album is matched by distinctive lyricism about “stories of historical events and personal stories of people who have interested us,” including some drawn from geographer/physiologist Jared Diamond’s book, Guns, Germs and Steel.

This month, the band is set for a string of shows in Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney and, for the first time, Brisbane. “We really want to be playing to new people and I think yeah, that excites us. …I think we are all in our element when we are playing in front of people we don’t know.” On maintaining their characteristic live energy on tour, Josh was confident. “Yeah, actually, that’s how we play and we tend to be able to do that night after night… I s’pose, you know, we can’t party every night, unfortunately,” he laughed.

Catch The Hoodlum Shouts at Transit Bar, Thursday April 19 at 8pm with support from Marathon, Life&Limbs and Ramps. Get your tix for $10 on the door.

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DANCE THE DROP

Swedish electro producer John Dahlback has just dropped a new single called Life, which in English translates directly into, “I swear I made this before I heard Avicii’s Levels.” Sydney-based duo The Only have returned from a short hiatus to cram another festival-sized original down our gobs. Look out for the impending release of Drag Me Down. It features vocals from one half of Stanton Warriors, Mark Yardley).

Two of the biggest tunes to come out of Miami this year were Nari & Milani’s epic grinding electro record Atom and Swedish House Mafia’s latest offering, Greyhound. For those of you who couldn’t afford the plane ride over to America to rub shoulders with inebriated superstars at the Miami Music Conference, fear not, for your local club comrades have enough upcoming opportunities to help you through the awful experience of seething your way through your best mates holiday photo album.

Ruby Rose at Academy you say? Friday April 13 you say? I’m sure most of the traditional bad luck will be directed towards the swarms of sauced up 20-something males attempting to pick up That Hot Lesbian Chick from TV. But don’t feel dejected, young males, because only a long, relatively straight and incoherent stumble away is Trinity Bar, where dynamic duo Bag Raiders will be more than welcome to share the love with you on the very same night. I would advise that you get to this show quite early though, for fear of having to shoulder your way through masses of teenage girls all jostling for prime position in front of the booth so they can shove their mobile phones towards the lads with the message, “Leik Kan U Play Sh00ting St3r? :p lol xx” For my underground people, The Clubhouse is rocking in April with a bevy of stellar shows set to make your faces melt right off your rosy cheeks. On Friday April 20, City Kid Music brings Brisbane beat-maker Bitrok to the main room for an eclectic set of future weapons, while the very next night the Disco Ninja team are back for another round of left-field debauchery featuring Melbourne glitch hop producer Mustard Tiger and local beat boffins Embolina, Buick, Silicon Slave and Bizzle.

When did DJing become a god damn circus? I thought people liked dancing to music, not watching 3D robots have sex while a floating UFO shoots lasers at you to a pre-recorded soundtrack. Today’s industry seems to be more about who has the most outlandish live production rather than who has the best skills or who plays the most impressive new music. I’m calling you out Skrillex and Deadmau5. I’ll tell you right now that if you take away the Michael Bay budget, all you have are a laptop and a pale skinny nerd pressing rubber buttons at the right time. You have the talent, so let’s see it!

TIM GALVIN tim.galvin@live.com.au

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THEY MOSTLY COME AT NIGHT, MOSTLY

A SLICE OF KRAFT

Alistair Erskine

allan sko

YACHT CLUB DJs have been party staples in Australian venues and festivals for the last three or four years, rocking crowds with their rambunctious party style mash-up sets. Fans around the nation were filled with great joy when they unleashed their latest mixtape, They Mostly Come At Night, at the beginning of March, and booked in a large tour of venues around the country. I caught up with Gareth Harrison to get to the nitty gritty of what the future holds for them.

“I’ve got a 17 date tour of Australia and NZ, a new 16 track album entitled Let’s Ride, an old school vs new school single called Compnded with Gordon Edge about ravers with a really fun video made by a guy in Brisbane which I love, another single called Pounding with a video that’s gonna be on Channel V. I’m really looking forward to showcasing my new sound and show people that I’ve taken it up a notch. I’m ready to rock; this is the big time.”

They Mostly Come At Night is an ambitiously frenetic mixtape, using fragments and samples of nearly 600 songs in its hour. How long does it take to actually make that? “Because we do so many live shows, we don’t want to always do the same thing and we end up with a computer full of fragments of tracks we might have only used once or twice and end up with hundreds of hours of samples and snippets. I reckon if we were doing this solidly, you could do it in a month, but you need breaks. We put time constraints on our process as you could just try and perfect it forever, but the process of making it is quite tiring. So it took us a few months.”

So declares MARTIN “KRAFTY KUTS” REEVES, a man showing no signs of slowing in this crazy young man’s game of electronic music.

But with another birthday having passed on April 1 he is wise enough to fortify his future.

What could they sue us for?

Generally with mash-ups there are the two schools of thought; make one track that melds two or three songs together, compared to the more frenetic style the Yacht Club guys employ, smashing as many different tracks into one piece as possible. Do they ever just sit back and try and make more drawn-out mixed tracks?

“Well, we do... although our version of ‘drawn out’ is about a minute long, and we have a couple of those on the mixtape. But it’s two different things, sometimes you have played 30 secs of this mashed with something else and feel it’s really clever, but for the most part we are really into getting in there and seeing just how crazy the sounds can get. I get quite bored listening to five minutes of Beyonce over AC/DC, for instance.”

With the music industry very tetchy about intellectual property, have they ever come to loggerheads with the licensing police?

Gareth laughs. “No... What could they sue us for? Actually most dealings we have had with the industry they are quite supportive – most are stoked if we use their song. Maybe if we were making millions then people might have a problem, but we certainly aren’t there yet! We mostly are doing this for fun, and I suppose if there were problems that would make it less so, but we don’t need to worry about that at the moment!”

If you fancy dancing to the sounds of every type of music at a rate of 600 tracks per hour, get on down to Academy when they play.

Gareth likes it there: “We have had some good times in that amazing converted cinema.”

Catch the Yacht Club DJs at Academy with Hunting Grounds Friday April 20. The show kicks off at 9pm. Get your tickets through Moshtix for $14.95 + bf.

[Pop] just seems to be ‘throw your hands in the air’ and ‘getting slizzard’

“I’ve got a contingency plan...

That’s a good word isn’t it?” he chirps. “I’m nurturing lots of up and coming artists; I have my own studio where I’ll teach how to write music, do mixes, and promote them. I’ve got my own record label which I will put a lot of time into so I’ll end up writing more music and doing less DJing. But when I do DJ the shows will be more spectacular, with a big visual experience and lots of new music, so hopefully it works that way.”

It’s the fifth time in ten years I’ve spoken with the ever-affable Martin. We talk about his new sound (“I’ve incorporated a bit of dubstep, drum ‘n’ bass and electro but still kept that Krafty funk so it’s still nicely digestible”), his favourite artists (Deekline, A-Skillz, Elite Force, Freestylers as well as Sebastian, Jack Beats and J Robinson) and life on the road for the veteran (“It’s all about pacing yourself and getting good catnaps”). Talk gets particularly amusing as we converse about pop music, with Martin sounding distinctly like the Bill Cosby bippin-and-boppin bit on The Simpsons.

“I’m not really into the pop music,” he says. “If you look back ten or 20 years ago there were a lot of good songs made with a musical aspect. Now it all just seems like ‘throw your hands in the air’ and ‘popping bottles in the club’, ‘getting slizzard’ and ‘let’s get drunk tonight’; the lyrics are really watered down, y’know? It just doesn’t inspire me. Across the world it’s a familiar pattern of throwaway music with embarrassing lyrics. We’ve got a little bit lost somewhere along the line.”

He is, of course, completely correct. But who needs to worry about the deteriorating world of pop when there’s a Canberra show to look forward to, eh? “I’m so looking forward to Canberra,” Martin says sans irony. “I have amazing and fond memories of Canberra. There’s a lot of old mates there, I was there with all the fires… Lots of history.

It’s got a special place in my heart. I know it’s considered one of the less beautiful cities of Australia but to me it’s got a lot of character; it’s a real family orientated place.”

Krafty Kuts hits Trinity Bar on Saturday April 28. Tix are $25 before 10pm.

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GOOGLE ART PROJECT MELISSA WELLHAM The GOOGLE ART PROJECT, which had its launch in the Southern Hemisphere at the National Gallery of Australia, is a recently expanded initiative that makes art more accessible to people the world over. Or at least, to anyone with an internet connection.

The project was conceived by a group of Google employees – or “Googlers”, as the Australian Managing Director Nick Leeder called them during the media preview at the National Gallery of Australia – using their “20 per cent.” This scheme at Google allows staff to dedicate 20 per cent of their time to pet projects – in this case, finding out how to get art online. Last year the project was attempted on a smaller scale, with London’s Tate Modern becoming the first gallery to provide free access to their collections. Now, however, it is possible to view artworks from over 150 art galleries and cultural institutions from 40 different countries around the world.

So what is the Art Project, exactly? While the name conjures up

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images of primary school papier-mâché or a high school evaluation of the art deco movement presented on a cardboard poster, the Google product couldn’t be further from these things. It’s slick, it’s stylish and it obviously features more than macaroni art. What makes the project so much more than a Google image search, however, is the quality of the pictures. Each painting has been captured in incredible detail.

The artworks have been photographed in gigapixels – something Ron Radford, director of the NGA, was particularly excited about when the project launched, saying, “Gigapixel. I love that word.”

The project works a bit like Google Earth: you can virtually stroll down the hallways of the NGA, the Art Gallery of NSW, the National Gallery of Victoria, and the Museum of Contemporary Art among others. And then, if you see a painting that catches your fancy, you can go in for a closer look. A much, much closer look. The aforementioned gigapixel definition means that you can see details in the artworks that wouldn’t be visible to the human eye. On some paintings, you can see the thumbprints of long-deceased master painters. There is a great deal of humanity to the digital project.

The benefits of the project are fairly obvious. From affording academics the ability to study rock art that they would otherwise have only restricted access to at Griffith University’s Rock Art Research Centre in Australia, to giving people who can’t afford to fly to Paris the opportunity to view works in the Musée d’Orsay – it’s making art more available. And, as the very purpose of art is to be looked at and appreciated, in my eyes that can’t be a bad thing.

The Google Art Project is available at www.googleartproject.com .

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EXACTLY WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE LAUREN STRICKLAND Every time someone describes NAKED BOYS SINGING! to me, they use the same five words: exactly what it sounds like. The legendary off-Broadway production is currently touring Australia for the first time, and director Jonathan Worsley is very excited to bring the show to Canberra.

“Naked Boys Singing! did have a very short three-week run in Sydney ten years ago – it never went outside Sydney. What’s really exciting about the show now is it’s the first time anyone outside of Sydney gets to see it in Australia.”

While based on the infamous American production, the Australian tour has its own special Aussie flavour. “It’s got completely new choreography, [and] you’ll see a couple of lyrics that are uniquely Australian as well. But I think the storyline of the show – though there’s not too much storyline! – is pretty universal. It’s all about the weird situations we find ourselves in when we get naked.”

The Aussie tour was not difficult to cast – the huge, ahem, reputation of the American show helped hopefuls overlook the full frontal nudity aspect. “I think the most challenging thing was the fact that when we did the auditions, and [the boys] eventually had to take their clothes off, it was 12 degrees.” Jonathan put the emphasis on the singing part of Naked Boys Singing! “If they couldn’t sing, and they couldn’t perform, there’s no way they’d make it to the stage – even if they did have amazing bodies.”

Bringing the show to Australia has come with its fair share of interesting moments. “We had the Sunrise crew come and do the weather from the set, and [presenter] Grant Denyer, um, participated in the show. I think for the first time ever they had to do the weather with half the screen blacked out.”

Audiences have also been keen to get involved with the concept.

“We were approached by a nudist group who absolutely begged us to have a naked audience night. They didn’t laugh at half the jokes – they didn’t find being naked that funny!” The all-Australian line-up have had all kinds come through their doors – from bachelorette groups laughing their heads off at every single line to church groups whom Jonathan thinks “might have watched the entire show with their eyes covered.

“There’s something in it that will appeal to everyone,” says Jonathan.

“I want to just encourage people to come and see it. It’s not just for girls, it’s not just for gay guys; it’s for mums, it’s for old Aunty Ethel, because she’ll enjoy it as well. It’s for everyone.” After all: it’s got hot naked boys, witty dialogue, and more double entendres than you can poke a euphemism at. What more could you want?

Naked Boys Singing! bum-rushes The Playhouse Saturday April 14 at 7.30pm.

Tickets are available through Canberra Ticketing for $58/$48.

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And the thing that attracted me as soon as I got off the aircraft at 25 years of age was that it’s dangerous, it’s hot, it’s full of stories, it’s full of history.”

BASICALLY LIKE WAR Melissa Wellham WISH YOU WERE HERE, a new Australian drama, follows four friends who set off for a carefree holiday in South-East Asia – but only three come home to Australia. The film is a tense thriller featuring performances from Joel Edgerton, Felicity Price, Teresa Palmer and Antony Starr. I sat down with director and co-writer Kieran Darcy-Smith, and co-writer and actor Felicity Price – who are also married to each other – to discuss what inspired them to make the film and the process of filming on seemingly idyllic beaches. One might wonder what inspired the duo to make a psychological thriller set in a popular tourist destination.

“A lot of it comes from my particular fascination with that region anyway,” says Kieran. “It was the first place I ever visited overseas.

The process of getting the film off the ground actually happened quite quickly. “I know that I started writing on the 7th of March 2007,” says Felicity, “because I dated the very first treatment.

And we had it in the can almost exactly four years later. Then, at the end of five years, we were at Sundance having our opening night in the snow.” Being chosen to open at Sundance was an experience they both call incredible. When I ask them what filming in Cambodia was like, Kieran laughs. “A walk in the park. No, it was a challenge in the extreme, in every way you can imagine. We had a very, very tight schedule. The gear was antiquated, there were breakdowns, our crew largely couldn’t speak English, we had a predominantly Vietnamese or Cambodian-speaking cast, we had to get interpreters, Felicity and I were both incredibly ill…” Here Felicity interrupts. “We took our two small children! It was incredibly challenging, but at the same time very exciting. Because, through the camera, there is something exciting and exotic that you’re looking at.”

“Also, we were running off adrenaline,” Kieran says. “It was basically like going into war. We had severe dysentery and I had a crazy oriental flu – we were sick as dogs. I fell into a sewer, on the very first day, up to my neck! But it was exhilarating, and I’d do it all again.

We got out alive, and with great material.” Felicity concludes the interview: “We were half dead behind the camera – but what was on-screen looked amazing.” You can take their word for it – Wish You Were Here is visually stunning and well worth it. Even worth dysentery, perhaps.

Wish You Were Here opens in cinemas around Australia Thursday April 26.

Catch it in Canberra at Dendy Cinema.

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IN REVIEW

In the mid-fifties, Summer… took Australian playwriting to a popular audience like none before. It is about Roo and Barney, Queensland cane cutters who go south to Melbourne every summer, and Olive and Nancy, bar girls who open their home and hearts to the boys for the off-season. And it opens with a hitch: Nancy has married and the boys had a bad season. What’s left is a throw-together job. Olive has convinced her prim friend Pearl to fill in for Nancy and remains determined that this summer, the seventeenth, will be just like every other.

Part traditional theatre, part interactive art, part treasure hunt, part surreal retrospective, Through A Looking Glass is a liberating experience for audiences. A self-described “story in nine parts” celebrating 40 years of the beloved Canberra Youth Theatre, TALG was devised by and stars 14–16 year olds, a group obviously still bursting with the boundless imagination of childhood but with enough emotional and creative maturity to refine and direct their ideas effectively.

Summer of the Seventeenth Doll The Playhouse Wednesday-Saturday March 14-17

I’ve heard that Summer, a play about the end of an era, is also about new beginnings. That does writer Ray Lawler a disservice. Summer is about an ending so human and profound that beginnings have no business there.

Through A Looking Glass Canberra Youth Theatre Thursday-Saturday March 22-31

Upon arrival, audience members were given a map and asked to wait in CYT’s foyer, where miscellaneous props and bric-a-brac were set out on wall-to-wall shelves; each object representing a year of the company’s history and accompanied by a small tag detailing the productions of that year. Upon entering the theatre and sitting, the audience is met by characters pontificating about the theatre, imagining and story-telling, while in the background a motley crew of characters and creatures escape from a large CYT ‘storage’ box and exit the theatre.

Other characters then inform us that the props and objects of the history’s theatre we’d seen in the foyer had disappeared, and invited the audience, using their map, to explore the nine ‘worlds’ that had been brought to life across the grounds of Gorman House and retrieve the missing pieces of CYT’s history.

It’s kind of ordinary. But that’s the point. Not the point, the supreme feature. Caricatures are easy, as with stereotypes, archetypes and formulas. Summer plunges into normality and makes plain its humour, graces and flaws. Roo (Steve Le Marquand) is a man stung by pride, Barney (Travis McMahon) a follower, Olive (Blazey Best) a self-deceiver and Pearl (Helen Thomson) an outsider, not understanding the ground on which she treads and with the blessing of objectivity understanding it somehow better. Summer is made in the chemistry and the chemistry is in the dialogue. It’s also an ensemble play, its ancillary characters as functional as its core. In all ways this was as near to flawless as any production I could name.

Throughout the halls, courtyards and terraces of Gorman House during the fading twilight the audience explores the nine ‘worlds’ – interactive theatre installations, each reflecting a particular theme or narrative and each hosting a number of the recently-escaped CYT characters. The sets of each world were elaborate and meticulously prepared, and their setting within the building’s otherwise-occupied hallways and offices was slightly surreal, as though you had actually been transported into a parallel Gorman House Bizarro World.

However, it was the young cast’s ability to stay in character and maintain a semi-constant dialogue between themselves and with constantly arriving and departing groups of audience members that was most impressive. Breaking the fourth wall, the cast’s bold engagement with the audience not only made the feeling that you were entering another world even starker, but also exhibited the confidence of CYT’s young performers.

However, the women took this play. Le Marquand and McMahon lacked the nuance of reality and comfort, growling, stalking and hunching in two-dimensional blokeishness. McMahon showed none of the loose charm that defines his character. Both had their scenes—Roo with Emma especially—but neither ruled the play.

By comparison, Robyn Levin stole every scene she was in as Olive’s mother Emma. Thomson’s Pearl was exaggerated at times but perfectly so, exacting a sweet cruel humour from her would-be upper class woman, brilliantly oblivious to the beautiful mirage she is destroying with savage normality. And Olive was the heart of the play, a bruised dam trying to hold surging water. Her riveting exit was the ending that should have been.

Reading over the text of this play it is plain that Lawler wrote his scenes with a strict sense of everything in them. To deliver this play well it is necessary to follow his recipe; skilfully so—but to follow it.

It sounds easy but the sheer humanity this production of Summer wrought from Lawler’s intimately normal work proved otherwise. ashley thomson

Once back in the theatre proper, the audience is met with Eve, a young girl waking to find her room filled with the now-familiar characters of the production’s ‘worlds’. As Eve attempts to understand what the characters want and why they are in her room, the true meaning of Eve’s plight – and that of the audience’s own choose-your-own-adventure – is revealed.

TALG, while all too easy to categorise as cutely entertaining, exhibits the great potential of CYT’s younger members.

Conceptually it is inventive and refreshing, while thematically it pays great tribute to individual creativity and imagination, all the while giving a respectful nod to CYT’s past. ben hermann

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Graffiti art by NIZ-ONE

National Youth Week 2012

For more information on National Youth Week in Canberra contact Katrina, the ACT Youth Week Coordinator on (02) 6247 3540, youthweek@youthcoalition.net or visit www.youthweek.com

Tuesday 10 and Friday 13 April

Wednesday 11 April

Canberra High School Youthbeyondblue 2012 Light and Hope Art Poster Exhibition Competition

The Hall, Hedley Beare Centre for Teaching and Learning, Fremantle Drive, Stirling 5.00 – 7.00pm

Canberra High School; Bindubi Street, Macquarie Students from Canberra High will be creating art posters to raise awareness of the issues associated with depression and anxiety in young people. The posters will be exhibited at Canberra High, and the best entry in each category will be commercially printed. Contact: Paul Simmons paul.simmons@ed.act.edu.au (02) 6205 7000.

Wednesday 11 and Thursday 12 April Bounce Motivational Workshops Hedley Beare Centre for Teaching and Learning, Fremantle Dr, Stirling 9.30am – 2.30pm Workshops will be presented

by Mr Sam Cawthorn, the Young Tasmanian of the Year in 2009. This Youthbeyondblue supported event will engage up to 300 ACT students and aims to support young people in moving forward, not backwards in their lives. Contact: Alison Di Berardino Alison.diberardino@act.gov.au (02) 6207 0196.

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Sam Cawthorn Workshop

In October 2006 Sam Cawthorn’s life changed forever when he was involved in a major car accident. All parents, carers, youth workers and mentors seeking to motivate young people will be inspired by listening to Sam’s story. RSVP required.

Contact: Alison Di Berardino Alison.diberardino@act.gov.au (02) 6207 0196.

Friday 13 April Annual National Youth Week Expo Garema Place, Civic 3.00 – 7.00pm The Annual Expo will be held in Garema Place. It will include community service stalls, exhibitions, graffiti and street art workshops, cartooning and performances by local artists including DanSweeto, MFE Rock Academy, Shinhan and more.

Come along to join in the fun at this free event celebrating young people.

Contact: Youth Coalition of the ACT youthweek@youthcoalition.net.au (02) 6247 3450.

Rap n Shuffle Garema Place, Civic 7.00 – 10.30pm Rap n Shuffle will be a night for young people to showcase their talent and express themselves through voice or dance. This is an open dance or rap contest that welcomes any cultural expression. It is open to all young people. Contact: Terry England englandt@noffs.org.au (02) 6218 6700.

Graffiti and Street Art @ Youth Week Expo National Youth Week Expo; Garema Place, Civic Learn how to create unique art from Canberra’s leading graffiti and street artists; including lettering, stencilling and spray paint. Participants will create a piece they may take away and learn more about the ACT’s identified and legal locations for graffiti and Community Art. This event is supported by Relationships Australia Canberra, and FaHCSIA. Contact: Fiona Loaney fiona.loaney@relationships.com.au (02) 6122 7151.

Youth InterACT Conference: 2012 Change Your World Ainslie Arts Centre; Elouera Street, Braddon 8.45am – 3.00pm NYW will be launched in the ACT at the annual Youth InterACT Conference. This conference aims to give young people aged 12 –25 an opportunity to provide feedback to the ACT Government.

Forum topics include Multicultural Canberra, Bullying, the Environment, Healthy Lifestyles, and Youth Leadership. Workshops include Graffiti & Street Art, Hip Hop & Funk, Drama Development, Drumming, Crafting, Intro to Self-Defence, and, Warehouse Circus. RSVP required.

To download a registration form go to www.youth.act.gov.au Contact: Shauna Jessop shauna.jessop@act.gov.au (02) 6205 3082.

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Graffiti art by NIZ-ONE headspace ACT Competition Draw National Youth Week Expo; Garema Place, Civic The winner of headspace ACT’s competition will be announced at the Annual NYW Expo. Young people at the Expo will have an opportunity to vote in a ‘people’s choice’ winner who will also receive a prize. The competition was to create an artwork, digital image or photo matching the 2012 National Youth Week theme: Imagine, Create, Inspire.

Contact: headspace ACT headspaceACT@canberra.edu.au (02) 6201 5343.

National Youth Week Cartooning with FunnyWorks Oz National Youth Week Expo, Garema Place 3.00 – 7.00pm Come and learn some cartooning ‘tricks of the trade’. This workshop will show you how to create your own cartoon character and more.

Contact: Andrew Hore funnyworksoz@gmail.com or andrew.hore@bigpond.com, 0408 413 503

Friday 13 April – Thursday 3 May Obsolete Objects and Manga – Youth Art Exhibition Gallery @ Belconnen Community Centre; Swanson Court, Belconnen Gallery Open 9.00am – 4.30pm

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This public exhibition has been planned and will be delivered by the young artists, whose work will be displayed. Art genres included in the exhibition will be Magical Manga, Animated Flipbooks, Classic Cartoons, Obsolete Objects, Frantic Figures and Crazy Contraptions. Contact: Roger Weber bungee@bcsact.com.au (02) 6264 0232.

Saturday 14, Sunday 15 and youth21week Saturday April Soccer Tournament Australian National University, Acton. Various starting times This tournament will include 3 to 4 young soccer teams from the Sudanese community in the ACT and Wagga Wagga. It will promote friendship and community along with providing a safe place to play.

Open to spectators and participants.

Contact: Ruben Aleer aleeraguer@yahoo.com

Sunday 15 and Sunday 22 April South Sudanese Youth Association Depression and Anxiety Awareness Forums Saint George and Saint Phillip Anglican Churches, Pearce and O’Connor 3.00 – 6.30pm The South Sudanese Youth

Association will be hosting two forums that will discuss anxiety, depression and other issues affecting young people in the South Sudanese community. Contact: Ruben Aleer aleeraguer@yahoo.com

Monday 16 April ‘Hang on to This’ Launch: Mental Illness Education ACT and Dr Chris Bourke, MLA. National Gallery of Australia, Gandel Hall 10.30am Launch of Hang on to This (HOTT) the new mental health info magazine for local young people. There will be special guest speakers and morning tea available. RSVP required.

Contact: Jacqui Price jacqui@mieact.org.au (02) 6247 1195.

Skate it Out Phillip Ice Skating Centre, Phillip 8.00 – 10.00pm NYW Representatives Ms Anna Kaufmann and Mr Ross Caldwell are hosting a free ice skating night, open to all young people during National Youth Week! The first 200 young people to arrive at the Phillip Ice Skating Centre at 8pm will receive free admission. The event will also promote local ACT youth and mental health services.

Contact: Denise Bridges denisemaree.bridges@act.gov.au (02) 6205 3064.

Monday 16 – Friday 20 April Mural Event Opposite DIRECTIONS ACT, Woden Young people from Ted Noffs will be designing and painting a mural on the wall opposite DIRECTIONS ACT in Woden from 16-20 April as part of National Youth Week. The mural will convey a message about seeking help for mental health, alcohol and other drug issues. Contact: Julie Blunden julieb@directionsact.com (02) 6122 8019.

Monday 16 and Monday 23 April The Journey ‘Kaleidoscope’ Street Art Mural Workshop Meet at Tuggeranong Youth Centre Pitman Street, Greenway 4.00 – 6.00pm

This workshop is for young people to try out Street Art, and will include participants in ‘The Journey’ graffiti art program who will create a design and share their spray-painting skills with new participants.

Contact: Rebecca James rebecca.james@commsatwork.org (02) 6293 6500.

Tuesday 17 April Bimberi Youth Services Expo Bimberi Youth Justice Centre The Bimberi Youth Services Expo is an important opportunity for young people at Bimberi Youth Justice Centre to establish further contacts with services and workers in the community.

Contact: Katrina Campion or Lucy Holgate-Mannall youthweek@youthcoalition.net or lucy@youthcoalition.net (02) 6247 354.

Northside Community Service and CMS ‘Talk it Up’ Radio Project Canberra Multicultural Radio FM 91.1 or stream live on www.cmsradio.org.au 2.00 – 3.00pm This radio project will be broadcast live on Canberra Multicultural Radio FM 91.1. The radio programs will include Multicultural Australian music, what’s on during National Youth Week and information for young people by young people and professionals.

Contact: Kate Cvetanovski kate.cvetanovski@northside.asn.au (02) 6163 0431.

youth week Northside Community Service in partnership with 91.1 FM CMS Community Radio is proud to present

Tune in LIVE on 91.1 FM or stream it to your workplace through www.cmsradio.org.au • • • • •

Monday 16 April, 11am – 12pm Tuesday 17 April, 2pm – 3pm Wednsday 18 April, 11am – 12pm Thursday 19 April, 2pm – 3pm Friday 20 April, 2pm – 3pm

Six dynamic young ACT presenters.

Talk it Up is broadcasting live as part of National Youth Week 2012.

For more information on the Talk It Up project please contact Kate Cvetanovski on (02) 6257 2255.

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Tuesday 17 – Thursday 19 April

‘Talk it Up’ Radio Project

Mental Health First Aid Training for Youth

See ‘Talk it Up’ Radio Project on 17 April for full details of the event.

Contact: Kate Cvetanovski kate.cvetanovski@northside.asn.au (02) 6163 0431.

Griffin Centre, Canberra City This training will be open to 20 young people and will take place over 3 days, 17–19 of April, at the Griffin Centre. This event is invitation only, youth services will offer this opportunity to young people who use their services.

Contact: Ben Matthews ben@mieact.org.au 0415 408 363.

Wednesday 18 April Locked Up and Left Out SeminarRoom S3, Australian Catholic University Canberra, 223 Antill Street, Watson 9.00 – 11.30am This NYW seminar will explore key issues in youth justice. Topics: Trends on youth criminality and juvenile justice, Needs or deeds; ACT Children’s Court, Creating positive transitions for young people leaving detention; Working with young people in youth detention centres across Australia. RSVP required.

Contact: Amanda MacDonald amanda.macdonald@acu.edu.au

PCYC Rocks! Open Day Erindale Activity Centre; Grattan Court, Wanniassa 11.00am – 3.00pm This event will celebrate the skills and achievements of young people involved in Canberra PCYC’s prevention and early intervention programs, and young people who frequent the PCYC’s sports and recreation programs. The day will include performances by Dance Beyond Barriers and a cooking class

by Nutrition Australia.

Contact: David Briggs bdm@pcyc.net.au (02) 6296 1292.

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Canberra Multicultural Radio FM 91.1 11.00am – 12.00pm

Youth Homelessness Matters Day Garema Place, Civic 12.00 – 2.00pm Youth Homelessness Matters Day is an annual day of awareness for youth homelessness in Australia. On the day there will be performances, service stalls, competitions, puzzles and more!

Contact: Youth Coalition of the ACT youthweek@youthcoalition.net.au (02) 6247 3450.

Queanbeyan Youth Centre Expo Axis Youth Centre, Cambell Street, Queanbeyan 1.00 – 4.00pm This will be an opportunity for young people in the Queanbeyan community to establish further contacts with the extensive array of services available.

Young people from local schools, as well as those from ACT schools but who reside in Queanbeyan, are encouraged to attend.

Contact: Celeste Webbie (02) 6258 6341.

Thursday 19 April Youth Coalition Monthly Forum: National Youth Week Guest Speakers Youth Coalition of the ACT 9.00 – 11.00am This forum provides an opportunity for workers in the youth and community sector to network, share information, and hear from guest speakers on current and relevant topics and issues. Guest speakers at this forum include young people from the Youth Coalition’s Youth

Participation and Leadership Working Group. Contact: Youth Coalition of the ACT info@youthcoalition.net (02) 6247 3540.

Big Air School at Bimberi Youth Justice Centre Bimberi Youth Justice Centre, Mitchell 10.00am – 4.00pm Big Air School, a scooter, skate and BMX program which delivers coaching clinics and competitions, will be attending Bimberi Youth Justice Centre to put on a fun and active full day clinic.

Contact: Denise Bridges denisemaree.bridges@act.gov.au (02) 6205 3064.

‘Talk it Up’ Radio Project Canberra Multicultural Radio FM 91.1 2.00 – 3.00pm See ‘Talk it Up’ Radio Project on 17 April for full details of the event.

Contact: Kate Cvetanovski kate.cvetanovski@northside.asn.au (02) 6163 0431.

Friday 20 – Saturday 21 April Youth and Family Day 2012: Wreck Bay ACT Wreck Bay, ACT This National Youth Week event will be held over two days, and will be a fusion of youth culture shown through art, dance and music. This event is supported by the Chief Minister Cabinet Directorate, ACT Policing, Canberra PCYC and Wreck Bay Community Council, along with major sponsors.

Contact: Denise Bridges denisemaree.bridges@act.gov.au (02) 6205 3064.

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Friday 20 April Wearable Art Award Competition Upper Glass Floor, Canberra Centre, Civic 2.00pm Artists and Fashion Designers were invited by NYW, the Canberra Centre and the Youth Coalition of the ACT to design and create an outfit.

The12 Finalists will be displayed on the upper glass floor area of the Canberra Centre, where the overall winner and ‘People’s Choice’ will be announced. Contact: Nicole Gibson n.gibson@cc.qic.com (02) 6276 4237.

‘Talk it Up’ Radio Project Canberra Multicultural Radio FM 91.1 2.00 – 3.00pm See ‘Talk it Up’ Radio Project on 17 April for full details of the event.

Contact: Kate Cvetanovski kate.cvetanovski@northside.asn.au (02) 6163 0431.

Friday 20 – Saturday 21 April Own The Floor 2012 Belconnen Community Service Theatre, Belconnen 7.30pm

Own The Floor will feature young Canberra dance performers, focusing on diversity of culture in Canberra and its expression through dance.

Contact: Rachel Murphy belly_fusion@hotmail.com

Friday 20 – Monday 22 April Youth and Family Day 2012: Wreck Bay ACT Wreck Bay, ACT See Youth and Family Day on 20 April for full details of the event.

Contact: Denise Bridges denisemaree.bridges@act.gov.au (02) 6205 3064.

Saturday 14, Sunday 15 and Saturday 21 April Soccer Tournament Australian National University, Acton. Various times See Soccer Tournament on 14 April for full details of the event. Open to spectators. Contact: Ruben Aleer aleeraguer@yahoo.com

Saturday 21 April Breakfast with the Big Cats National Zoo and Aquarium; Lady Denman Drive 10.00am – 1.00pm Young carers and their families enjoy breakfast at the National Zoo and Aquarium. RSVP required. Contact for more information by 18 April CyclopsACT and Litmus (02) 6278 8444.

Eagles Sports Association Entertainment Night Cook Community Centre, Cook 12.00 – 10.00pm The event will have comedy, contemporary music and Sudanese traditional dance, Sudanese food and more. Contact: Garang Bul g.arangk@hotmail.com 0423 538 126.

Know Before You Go SHOUT Office, Collette Place, Pearce 12.30 – 2.30pm This workshop is for young people living with a disability who are interested in improving their own confidence and capability, and engaging in personal development

Graffiti art by NIZ-ONE

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and recreation. Tips, tools and techniques to identify and overcome barriers will be shared. RSVP required.

Contact: projects@nican.com.au 1800 806 769.

Friday 20 – Sunday 22 April

Ready, Set… Go!

Wreck Bay, ACT

Woden Youth Centre 6pm, $15

See Youth and Family Day on 20 April for full details of the event.

Contact: Denise Bridges denisemaree.bridges@act.gov.au (02) 6205 3064.

Band event featuring ‘For Our Hero’ (Melbourne), Love and Satellites, DanSweeto and more to be confirmed. Strictly drug and alcohol free. Contact: Katie Crawford wodenyouth@wcs.org.au (02) 6282 3037.

Own The Floor 2012 Belconnen Community Service Theatre 7.30pm See Own the Floor on 20 April for full details of the event.

Contact: Rachel Murphy belly_fusion@hotmail.com

Youth and Family Day 2012: Wreck Bay ACT

Sunday 22 April Woden Wild Fire BMX Jam – Youth Week 2012 Eddison Skate Park (Woden) 12.00 – 3.00pm Canberra’s BMX youth come together to battle it out in events all across the Eddison skate park including the bowls, street plaza and various other obstacles. It’ll be an action packed

event where riders can earn up to $1000 in prizes from Back Bone BMX Store through awesome stunting and also the sheer willingness to participate. Contact: info@backbonebmx.com.au

Sunday 15 and Sunday 22 April South Sudanese Youth Association Depression and Anxiety Awareness Forums Saint George and Saint Phillip Anglican Churches, Pearce and O’Connor 3.00 – 6.30pm See South Sudanese Youth Association Depression and Anxiety Awareness Forums on 15 April for full details of the event.

Contact: Ruben Aleer aleeraguer@yahoo.com

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ALL AGES Do you think we need more all ages gigs in Canberra? Communities@ Work Tuggeranong Youth Services are presenting a rare opportunity to get involved in the all-ages music scene in a hands-on way: “Communities@Work Tuggeranong Youth Service is looking for volunteers to help run all-age music shows in Tuggeranong. Are you looking at studying event planning, media, music production, sound or just passionate about music? Volunteering is a great way of gaining practical experience as well as supporting a vital part of Canberra’s all age music scene.” For more information on joining the youth team please contact Ala Pietranik (Volunteers Manager) on 6293 6500, or visit www.commsatwork.org .

Coming up fast is National Youth Week 2012, which of course means Canberra’s National Youth Week Expo! Youth organisations from all over Canberra will gather here to showcase what they have to offer the youth of the ACT. So if you like food, live music and entertainment and lots of free goodies, this is the place to be on Friday April 13. The festivities kick off at 3pm in Garema Place in the city and will run into the evening. This event is of course free entry and has plenty to offer people of all ages.

Considered to be one of the world’s finest electro house producers and DJs, French sound master David Guetta will take the capital by storm when he makes a rare all-ages appearance in Canberra. Few DJs ever do all-ages performances, let alone one as sought after as Guetta. With supporting artists Timomatic, Bombs Away, Jared De Veer and Rawson, this is not an opportunity you should pass up. This mind-blowing line-up will perform at Stage 88 in Commonwealth Park on Friday May 4. First round tickets cost $64.95 (+ bf) and second round tickets will be priced at $79.95 through Ticketek or Moshtix. Tickets are on sale now and selling fast.

On Saturday May 12 the Woden Youth Centre will play host to a spectacular line-up of interstate and local pop-punk rock acts.

The line-up will include Gold Coast rockers Nine Sons of Dan, Sydney five-piece Sound of Seasons and Canberra’s own Love & Satellites, pop/rock trio DanSweeto and Little Saturn.

Tickets cost just $10 and can be purchased on the door, through Oztix or just phone 1300 762 545. This is of course a drug and alcohol-free event.

Rising hardcore acts Hold Your Own (Central Coast, NSW) and Vices (Sydney) are giving us the joy of a FREE gig at the Axis Youth Centre in Queanbeyan. On Saturday April 14 they will get up on stage with local treasures When Giants Sleep, Something Must Break and InDistrict. Doors open at 6pm. If you can get out to Queanbeyan for this one, you are guaranteed a great night with a line-up like this. Again, this is a drug and alcohol free event.

Finally, we have been given an awesome selection of events, so get out there and support as many as you can while they are there! And remember, don’t be shy, if you are in a band, are organising an event or even just know of something going on, shoot through an email and let me know about it so that I can throw it into the column. Have a wonderful Youth Week, Canberra youths!

NAOMI FROST allagescolumn@gmail.com

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ARTISTPROFILE: Fiona Veikkanen

What do you do?

I make sculptures, drawings, boxes, paintings, pompoms and some other things too.

When did you get into it?

I’m pretty sure I was making pompoms from a young age, but more seriously making things for the last few years.

Who or what influences you as an artist?

I get so excited about strange contraptions, interesting colours and textures, deflated objects and kitsch craft. Quite a combo, I know, but it works for me.

What’s your biggest achievement/proudest moment so far?

My first solo show Warmth and Welcome at The Front last year, I reckon. I realised that I could actually pull this artist thing off.

What are your plans for the future?

Keep making art while travelling in Brazil over the next few months.

Canberra is home though so I will be back and about in no time, keen to continue making and exhibiting.

What makes you laugh?

The antics of my two small children.

What pisses you off?

When I don’t get that sleep in that I really, really wanted.

What’s your opinion of the local scene?

Maybe it’s just me but I feel like a lot of ‘the local scene’ goes on in people’s homes, nooks and crannies. Like empty shows, back-street beach parties and backyard gigs. This is something I like about Canberra, the way we have to make things happen ourselves, and we are probably the better off for it.

What are your upcoming performances/exhibitions?

A solo show titled Creature Comforts at CCAS gallery on Furneax Street in Manuka. Opening 6pm, Thursday April 12 and continuing until Sunday April 22.

Contact info: www.fionaveikkanen.blogspot.com

UNINHIBITED A friend of mine has been on a rock biography binge for over 12 months. He started well (underground histories on Australian punk) and has devolved into accidental classics (i.e. the stuff that’s so bad it ends up being kinda good. See: Tommy Lee, Anthony Kiedis, and so on). Of the books he’s passed on to me, one in particular (Clinton Walker’s Stranded, a history of Australia’s independent record and publishing culture from 1977 to 1991) got me wondering – how do we wade through the available information to write the accounts of now?

As was always the case, all artists create and some break through.

But, at the risk of sounding like the determinists I patently distrust, with the ease of production brought on by the wired networks that flow through modern life yielding an unprecedented glut of creative stuff, how do narratives that become histories poke their heads above the pack?

Wherever you turn you’ll find someone keen to tell you that nothing’s happening, that all the good music has been made, that art is dead and the novel is toast and theatre and film are history. Balls.

In fact, it feels to me that we’re overwhelmed by a wave of good-togreat work, but what we’re lacking is the context in which to read it.

Work isn’t making the same cultural impact because the structures that facilitate cultural impact have been shattered.

It’s never been easier to ‘make,’ thanks to the democratisation of recording, filming and publishing technology, but considering everyone’s doing it, it’s tough to find an audience.

When you are being paid a pittance and working on something you know could be great, but might only be seen by a handful of chancers down The Phoenix or people who’ve taken a break from the Gorman House markets to check out CCAS, what sustains you? How much recognition is enough?

Inevitably, creative work comes to us the same way most cultural information does – via the complicated ambient process of PR. Another friend of mine bemoaned the act of hiring a PR company to help spruik their record, but the pay off in that case seems to be working. Thanks in part to that act handing over cash to someone whose email address does not inspire the reviewer or booking agent to move the mail to the trash, their record is getting noticed.

The action runs counter to the classic DIY ideology but the result is a positive for that band and for the culture generally. When it comes to getting seen and heard, perhaps a philosophy of ‘whatever it takes’ is what’s required. Or ‘whatever you can live with.’

One line from Walker’s Stranded seems to grasp the simple truth of all this: “what was important was not so much becoming a world beater as simply a player, entering the dialogue.”

Long may we all pit reality against delusion in the hope of taking part in that dialogue. Hopefully someone will pay attention, and be taking notes.

GLEN MARTIN glenpetermartin@gmail.com

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bit PARTS WHO: Canberra kids with cameras WHAT: Pictures of Life WHEN: Wednesday April 4 – Monday April 30 WHERE: Tuggeranong Arts Centre Ben Kane, YWCA of Canberra Youth Worker, inspired by a documentary about kids in Calcutta’s red light district, decided to get some of Canberra’s more disadvantaged kids involved in photography. Young people accessing the YWCA’s SCOPE Youth Services at the Mura Lanyon Youth & Community Centre worked with help from PhotoAccess, who taught them photography and the process of black and white film development and printing. The result is an amazing body of work entitled Pictures of Life. Sean Davy, PhotoAccess teacher, explains, “Photography… encourages personal expression and creativity, the results of which are evident.” Participant Callan McPherson reiterates, “I learnt how to take pictures of landscapes and people in Lanyon and then develop photos… I can’t wait to see them on exhibition.” The exhibition is open Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm. Free.

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WHO: The National University Theatre Society WHAT: Open casting for Joseph Heller’s Catch-22 WHEN: Tuesday-Thursday April 24-26 WHERE: ANU Arts Centre Surviving a war is easy. There’s just one catch... The National University Theatre Society is proud to present an open casting call for the upcoming production of Joseph Heller’s Catch-22. Applicants will be given scripts on the night. Working in small groups they will present them as audition pieces. Experience with the novel is not necessary but welcome. Performances between August 22-26 in the ANU Arts Centre. To book your audition, or if you have any further questions, email the director at morganlittle90@gmail.com.

Auditions held from 6pm. Make sure to book before they fill up!

WHO: Karl Wiebke WHAT: Exhibition opening and floortalk by the artist WHEN: Saturday April 7 – Sunday May 20 WHERE: ANU Drill Hall Gallery “My work explores what it means to paint.” Karl Wiebke is one of Australia’s leading abstract painters. This survey exhibition presents works in which the artist has set up different processes to explore the nature of painting itself. The earliest works were produced outdoors so that weather events could leave evidence of the passing of time. Wiebke’s more recent works push the boundaries of traditional painting practice, inviting the viewer to include a spatial context into their reading. Karl Wiebke Painting 1994-2012 will be officially opened by artist John Peart on Thursday April 12, 6pm. Karl Wiebke will present a floortalk about the works on Friday April 13, 12pm. Free.

WHO: Film director Gianni di Gregorio WHAT: The Salt of Life (2011, M) WHEN: Thursday April 5 – Saturday April 28 WHERE: Arc Cinema Gianni Di Gregorio returns with a comedy attenuated to the disappointments and black comedy of growing old. What happens when a man realises that he is no longer attractive to the opposite sex? 60-year-old Gianni is married and comfortable but feels he is becoming transparent, wasting his afternoons on long, boozy lunches with aging mate Alfonzo. Alfonzo recommends the classic Italian male pick-me-up: an affair and a mistress. Suddenly the women in his life seem to be sexual possibilities: old flames, his neighbour, his mother’s nurse. But Gianni’s nature is too good, his ideals perhaps too noble and his sense of timing terrible. $5-$15.

Bookings (02) 6248 2000.

WHO: Vintage lovers WHAT: Canberra Love Vintage Show WHEN: Friday April 27 – Sunday April 29 WHERE: Budawang Building, EPIC The Love Vintage Show will be Canberra’s largest and best vintage event ever. It’s a haven for history and amazing shopping with stylish, quirky and glamorous designer fashions. It’s also a sound choice for the environmentally conscious. The amount of energy needed to produce vintage clothing is zero! And it’s not just about clothing.

Expect some of Australia’s best dealers in antique textiles and collectables and a host of special events at the red carpet opening evening. Highlights will include a studio with vintage mistress Chrissy Keepence (rocking sky-high heels, bullet bra and garters), and the original Australian Penthouse centrefold, Miss Bonnie Rose. $7-$15. Check the website for details: www.lovevintage.com .

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WHO: The Canberra School of Bollywood Dancing WHAT: Cinderella Goes Bollywood WHEN: Sat April 28 WHERE: Canberra Theatre Centre The Canberra School of Bollywood Dancing is proud to present a classic fairytale with a sub-continental twist - Cinderella Goes Bollywood. The popular and leading Indian dance school has been creating a vibrant Bollywood atmosphere in Canberra for the past six years. Join them for an evening of family entertainment full of vibrant music, beautiful costumes and captivating choreography.

This theatrical dance spectacular rejuvenates the classic with a Bollywood twist. Featuring a cast of over 60 performers, this turbo-charged, joyfully uplifting show is a riot of swirling colours, high-energy music and sensational dance scenes choreographed by Canberra’s top Bollywood choreographers, Krisha Jilson and Nishi Dulare. This will be truly be an extraordinary evening of music and dance. Bookings through the venue.

We most recently did a buck’s party after the strippers had left

HALF DEATHRAY, HALF VELOCIRAPTOR Alistair Erskine Party time hard edged rock ‘n’ roll. A two-piece that would turn up, set up and rock a house party at the drop of a hat. Turn the amps up to eleven, scream, bash and overdrive any audience into a frenzy.

When DZ DEATHRAYS entered, it was always a breath of familiar fresh air. Familiar in the way it harked to something that had been going on for years, but fresh because by 2009 that vibe was sadly absent in the venues of Australia.

On the eve of their comprehensive Australian album launch tour, I called drummer Simon Ridley for a quick word. DZ Deathrays began playing house parties, but as they have grown that has become less frequent. “Yeah it has. We still do the occasional one, though, when it fits our schedule and it sounds like we can actually do it – make sure the cops won’t bust it up immediately. We most recently did a buck’s party actually. I think the strippers had left and the blokes were just really pissed. We got in and played and then left again. I’m pretty sure they enjoyed it.”

DZ Deathrays will be in town to launch their new album Bloodstreams, a consistent barrage of thrashy party style rock, and are bringing along Velociraptor, who Simon kept mentioning as “the other band.”

Why? I asked. “Oh, see, Shane and I play in that too, but it’s not just a two-piece. It started out as four or five of us but then when we were on tour with DZ Deathrays they got guys in to replace us and we couldn’t quite kick them out, so it’s an ever growing number of players... They are some really great mates, and I love the Velociraptor songs, so it’s going to be great to tour with them again, which we both miss.”

I asked where they were calling home these days. “I don’t really know where we live now. I’d have to say Brisbane as that is where I am still paying rent,” laughs Simon, with a slight tone of irritation that can only come from paying rent for a room you never sleep in. “We have been all over the world for the last year or so and it’s been amazing.

We never thought we would make it that far but Brisbane is totally our home. That said, we have a big northern hemisphere album launch tour coming up, so it’s nice to be home for a little bit.”

I notice that their show is only $12 and ask Simon if it’s important to keep covers cheaper than a popcorn and coke combo at the movies.

“It really is. We see bands charging like $90 and it’s just unfair. We also just want as many people to come to our show as possible, so this way we cover costs. It’s better for everyone this way.”

The DZ Deathrays: Bloodstream Tour is stopping at Transit Bar Saturday April 21 and getting under way at 8pm. Tickets range from $12 + bf – $50.50 + bf with a t-shirt and album. Get ‘em through Moshtix.

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JURASSIC JAMS

ONE BEARD > ANYTHING

Baz Ruddick

Rory McCartney

Brisbane-based band LAST DINOSAURS is that band you really want to be in. Young, fun, cool, super tight, kicking arse, probably getting more girls than you and, to quote the 1986 film Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, downright righteous dudes. I spoke to lead singer Sean as they took some chill out time in Brisbane and prepared themselves to go tackle Europe.

Beards are usually associated with sailors, bikies, bushies and, of course, Harry Butler. While Canberra has a higher ratio of bearded men than any other major city (although Hobart comes close) it appears to be a limited topic around which to create a musical career. However, His Hairiness Johan Beardraven and the boys from Adelaide have done just that, turning what they thought would be a one-off show into a cult following which attracts not only the bearded ones but unbearded men and even women wearing false beards. I caught up with THE BEARDS front man Johan while he cooked falafels with a secret ingredient (beard hairs of course).

Last Dinosaurs’ new album, In a Million Years, produced in Sydney and mixed abroad by Elliot James (who has worked with the likes of Two Door Cinema Club and Kaiser Chiefs) is technically their second try at their debut LP. After a year of chilling on the back of a successful EP, the Dinos had to postpone original plans to record in London due to their own lack of motivation: “I was an idiot and I was really lazy and didn’t write any songs that year.

We made a conscious decision to wait. If we had gone to London and recorded that time we probably would have come out with something completely different. I can’t say it would have been worse. It definitely wouldn’t have been better... I was just pumping out pieces of shit and wasting people’s time. The pressure of knowing I had to write more songs helped.”

You have no idea how hard we try

The Dinos’ first wave of success left the band in a contented lull of comfort. “Motivation goes hand in hand with inspiration. When I’m not inspired I have no motivation. Usually I’m inspired by when things are pretty rough. When I was writing the songs shit was really rough.

Then everything sort of panned out. Everything was OK. I really didn’t do anything because everything was OK. Then I managed to summon the inspiration to write more songs for the album later on.”

Picked up originally by triple j Unearthed, the Dinos quickly grew from strength to strength, receiving loads of radio play, playing a double-headline tour with Papa vs. Pretty and filling support slots for UK band Foals. “Everything about Foals is perfect. They are a major inspiration to us. Touring with them was sick because not only did we get to chill with them and talk to them but we learnt a lot from watching them play live. It’s just structured really perfectly and it translates really well live.”

What makes Last Dinosaurs stand out from other bands is their hardcore work ethic when it comes to rehearsal. The band sounds equally as tight recorded as they do live. “We are extreme, extreme perfectionists. It drove us all crazy but it would have driven us crazier if it wasn’t perfect. It’s just the way we are as people. You have no idea how hard we try. We rehearse really hard. When we play, if one of us fucks up or it doesn’t sound perfect we get really down.”

Set your eyes on Last Dinosaurs Sunday April 22 at Transit Bar. The show kicks off 6pm with support from Millions & Griswolds. Tickets are available through Moshtix ($12 + bf or $25.99 + bf with a copy of the album).

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The band’s latest tour is themed Having a Beard is the New Not Having a Beard. Johan says proudly, “Beards are on the rise and soon you’ll be ashamed if you don’t have a beard.” About the last 100 Beards tour, he claims, “We think that we did get 100 converts, but even one new beard is a victory.” The blurb for the upcoming tour promises exciting new musical productions and styles. Asked what audiences can expect, Johan says, “Any style is purely coincidental. We just stroke our beards and ensure everyone gets the pro-beards message.” He adds, “There are more keyboards in the instrumentation as the black keys remind us of having a beard.”

Soon you’ll be ashamed if you don’t have a beard

On the potential difficulty of finding it harder to write new songs about beards Johann said, “Nothing could be further from the truth.

Our beards are getting longer so it’s easier to write new songs.”

Asked to give a preview of the new songs, Johann admitted, “One song is called Why Having a Beard is Better Than Having a Woman and another song is Nothing Is Better Than a Beard.” He added, “This last title sums up our whole message.” There are no songs about bad beards, as “Anyone who says that does not understand beards.”

So has the song You Should Consider Having Sex With a Bearded Man done much for the love life of bearded men? Johann replied conservatively, “While we know that more women are considering it, we have no confirmed reports.” Questioned about his best gig experience Johan fondly recalled, “In 2009 the band traveled to Alaska to perform at the opening ceremony of the World Beard and Moustache Championships. This was our dream gig and there were some really good beards there.”

I asked if The Beards ever do any covers of others’ material. Johann admitted, “Sadly no, as there are no other songs about beards worth singing.” There have been no other overseas tours as yet but he added wistfully, “Germany really has some crazy, freestyle beards there. The Middle East also has some good policies requiring men to have beards.”

You can be sure of a ticklish time when The Beards play the ANU Bar on Thursday April 19, 8pm. Get your tickets for $18.20 + bf through Ticketek or on the door if available.

A lot of our songs are about murder but it’s all in good fun

YOU TOOT, YOU DIE Morgan Richards It’s a sweltering afternoon in the Wild West. Inside the saloon, the atmosphere is torrid. Cruel-eyed men with dirt-stained moustaches hunch over their whiskies. Bawdy bar wenches trot to and fro under huge trays of drinks. Up on stage the banjo player finishes up, his meandering yodels lost in the din. He hobbles offstage towards the bar. For a while there is nothing but the sounds of saloon talk and rowdiness. Suddenly there comes a loud crash, followed by an outburst of swearing and the squawking of a parrot. An expectant hush falls over the saloon. The stage curtain flutters. Then, in a chaotic cacophony of trombones, tambourines and shouting, a cavalcade of jaunty ruffians burst onto the stage to thunderous applause and hurled whiskey bottles.

So begins a standard performance for THE TOOT TOOT TOOTS, Melbourne’s finest purveyors of ‘doom country’. To find out exactly what doom country was, I sat down for a chat with lead singer and occasional trombonist, Giuliano Ferla. “It’s country music with a really dark edge. A lot of our songs are about murder, revenge,

general tragedy with a gothic edge. It gets pretty twisted I guess.

But it’s all in good fun.

“We were a bit of a joke band at first,” continues Giuliano. “We started out three years ago as The Toot Toot Toots and the Royal Tambonic Orchestra. We’d wear cardboard boxes on our heads which kept falling off as we played. Dan [the other lead singer] was singing through a megaphone. It was quite ridiculous. We’d hand out tambourines to the audience and everyone would join in and jam along.” I ask Giulano what influences have shaped the band’s sound and image. “Definitely Westerns. We’re very influenced by Ennio Morricone’s film scores. Musically, there’s a bit of Tom Waits, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Dan’s actually a Tom Waits impersonator in his spare time. He’s got a voice like a jet engine.”

While on the subject of jets, The Toots are definitely taking off at the moment. As genres like doom country, gothabilly and death-folk (I may have made those last two up) are becoming more popular, the band are enjoying smashing success in Australia and abroad. They launch their debut album this month and are touring Europe later this year. “The album’s called Outlaws,” explains Giuliano. “It’s been described as a spaghetti western rock opera, which is pretty much spot on. It’s a concept album set in a gold rush town, and basically tells the story of this guy called Eli Rayne. He packs his things and heads west to strike it big. It’s all about Eli’s story and the tragedy that follows him along the way.”

It’s not all doom and gloom, though. Far from it. A Toots performance is “very theatrical,” says Giuliano. “It’s a party, lots of fun. We’re frenetic, energetic, you’ll dance your pants off. Come to our show!

It’s a total hoedown.” And that’s the lowdown.

The Toot Toot Toots bring the West to The Phoenix Pub on Sunday April 22.

The show kicks off 8pm and it’s free if you forfeit your life.

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heavier raps on this. Elzhi has followed up his Elmatic record with another release on Jae B Group entitled Out of Focus – not too many details on this one yet, except to say production comes from DJ House Shoes and Magnetic.

THE REALNESS First up this month, Melbourne producer, MC and DJ Dazed has delivered a 23-track instrumental album entitled Dawn ‘Til Dust. Comprised of works made during those solitary early-morning hours on his MPC 2500, the work is an insight into the psyche and work ethic of the Down For The Count crew’s all-rounder. Chock full of dusty loops, lo-fi soundscapes and heavy synth work, make sure you grab a copy of Dawn ‘Til Dust from the DFTC bandcamp page: bandcamp.com/album/dawn-till-dust. Free digital download or $5 limited edition CD copies. Get on that.

Also on the hip hop tip, big news that Freddie Foxxx a.k.a. Bumpy Knuckles has unveiled his much anticipated Kolexxxion record, produced by the legendary DJ Premier. Expect heavy beats and

Details have emerged of the sophomore album from James Blake.

Beyond Belief is set for release in September and is reported to have a more “aggressive” sound. Bon Iver will guest and the album cover features a blurred photograph of Blake’s dog Sigmund. Word to Sigmund! *Wolf*.

Nicolas Jaar’s Clown & Sunset are getting set to release their new compilation Don’t Break My Love in prism format. The release comprises work from Brandon Wolcott, Pavla & Noura, Just Friends, Acid Pauli, Vtgnike and Jaar himself. The strange thing is that the album won’t be released digitally or on CD. Instead, the music comes housed inside an aluminium cube which operates like an iPod dock or CD player, complete with play, stop, volume buttons, etc. It’s got a headphone socket and a USB cable for charging. Is cube music the way of the future??? You can buy the prism and see for yourself later this month.

Squarepusher’s new album Ufabulum is set for release on Warp on Monday May 14. Mr Pusher has reportedly been quoted saying the new album will be “very melodic, very aggressive.” There will be a few different CD versions, special vinyl and package versions which include an EP and t-shirt. Take your pick!

Jumping from Brainfeeder to the Ninja Tune, Ask The Dust is the sophomore outing for Lorn. His debut is a recent fave for me, so expectations are high for this one and the jump to Ninja Tune should prove interesting in terms of how Lorn expands his sound. Ask The Dust drops Monday June 18.

Rinse is gearing up to release the second album from Roska, inventively titled Rinse Presents Roska 2. Roska has been incredibly prolific since his last album and the new work will continue mining the territory between house and funk. Like his last outing, a few vocalists are added to the equation. Jamie George returns and is joined by Mz Bratt, Sweetie Irie and Ruby Goe. Reportedly more experimental, the album also features a collaboration with Swindle and Funtcase.

To hear music from all these releases, artists and more, tune to The Antidote on 2XX 98.3FM every Tuesday night from 9:30pm or stream at 2xxfm.org.au .

Roshambo a.k.a. Ced Nada roshambizzle@yahoo.com.au

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THERE GOES THE

NEIGHBOURHOOD Tim Galvin Very few short colloquial sentences have excited my inner fan as much as “Yo this is ICE CUBE, what’s up?” did over the phone. I’ve been a huge fan of West Coast rap music since I was old enough to want to rebel against my parents and LA legend Ice Cube, as part of anti-authority quartet NWA, was one of the main architects of the entire underground rap movement back in the 1980s.

“I definitely think you can call us architects but the ingredients were in the grocery store, we just cooked the meal,” says Cube.

“The ingredients was there with Mohammed Ali, with Richard Pryor, with Eddie Murphy, even people like Schoolly D and early BDP, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, you had Melle Mel. These people set the stage for us to put it all together so I ain’t gonna say that we invented this out of thin air. All the ingredients was there, it just took a Nobel to put it all together and make it dynamite.”

I definitely think you can call us architects but the ingredients were in the grocery store, we just cooked the meal

In a sea of pretenders, Ice Cube is the real deal. He grew up on the rampant streets of South Central Los Angeles in a time when ruthless tyrants reigned and people fought to stay alive in a world of guns, drugs and homicide. It’s no surprise that the message in his music is ‘us against them’, a theme which rang true not only in his own neighborhood but in every downtrodden part of the globe his music touched. “It’s the music of protest; it’s the music of the youth. In our case and a lot of cases it was our only weapon to combat what’s happening to us in the inner cities and even in villages, you know,” he says. “I try to present street knowledge, which is talkin’ to the streets about what government is tryin’ to do to them, but also talkin’ to government if they are listening about what the streets is thinkin’, and if they want to get along then the dialogue is there.”

genius of the machine is to put people to sleep with bullshit and escapism,” he says. “I think the people have always wanted to move forward but I think that the institutions and the builders of society invest in people being divided in the pyramid system with the rich people at the top and the poor at the bottom.”

More than 20 years after the release of NWA’s breakthrough record Straight Outta Compton, Ice Cube is still spitting venom as a solo artist. “[I’m] workin’ on a record called So Far, So Good.

It’s dope, you know, hardcore west coast hip hop, ferocious beats, lyrics of fire and still doin’ what I love, man, and happy to be still doin’ it,” he laughs.

Ice Cube is also an established Hollywood movie star. His acting career began way back in 1991 with a lead role in the gritty urban drama Boyz n the Hood, where he portrayed a fearless gangster and street hustler, a role which many consider to be ultimately biographical. “My life was every single character, it was Doughboy, it was Ricky and the Cuba Gooding Junior character.

For most people I grew up with it was all of ‘em, you know. A lot of gangbangers play football too. A lot of gangbangers had a father in their home too, so it wasn’t that stereotype where a one parent home was the reason why things went bad,” says Cube.

“Gangbangin’ was a choice for some people, it wasn’t the result of their life growin’ up.”

Although acting has always played second fiddle to his music career, with every new role Cube has become more and more comfortable in front of the camera, most evident in his recent scene-stealing portrayal of the foul-mouthed Captain Dickson in 21 Jump Street. “Yeah that movie is blowin’ up! It was hard [in the beginning] because you never know if you are good enough until it’s done. That’s hard not really knowin’ but once I learned all the techniques it’s gotten easier and easier over the years to just become a better actor,” he says. “Laurence Fishburne has helped me, people like George Clooney, and I learned tidbits from pretty much anybody I have ever worked with, anybody who has more experience than me. That’s really how you get to the next level.”

People from all walks of life were instantly bewitched by the genre of gangsta rap; it opened up a whole new world for people like me who lived happy lives in clean neighbourhoods, people who felt safe and detached from rebellion. NWA changed the musical and even somewhat the political landscape with their outspoken aggressive lyrics. The message was ‘change’ and Ice Cube believes that 20 years on the change still isn’t here.

This year Cube plans to spend more time on his own projects, including an officially sanctioned NWA biopic and the long awaited next installment of his best loved movie franchise. “I kinda stopped everything to work on this NWA movie and I’m writin’ a new Friday movie,” he says. “I mean, I got everybody so far but we’ll see, hopefully it all stays glued together.” Before signing off, Cube assures me he has something special planned for his Canberra show. “We got new material to do; I give it to ‘em, raw hardcore straight up hip hop.”

“Oh hell no! I think that it’s been exposed and a few battles have been won but the war is still raging. What the machine has done is to make our kids kinda not care about the war. That’s the fuckin’

Cube is steady mobbin’ the AIS Arena Thursday April 19, backed up by DJ Daz, the full KP Records line-up and (rumours proving true) DJ Crazy Tunes.

Tickets are $91.50 + bf through Ticketek.

41

hiatus, the comeback, and what about that long-awaited third album? “We worked so hard for so many years up until about 2001 that there wasn’t much left in the locker; we needed a break and that turned into a long break,” Neil reveals.

LANDING A LEFT HOOK ALLAN SKO It’s been 17 years since the release of LEFTFIELD’s Leftism. Combining erudite vocal collaborations and genre fusion, electronic pioneers Neil Barnes and Paul Daley melded the headnod of reggae and dub with warbling synths and punchy beats so successfully they adorned mainstream magazines and Top Ten lists like no other electronic album before. In 1999, the epic Rhythm and Stealth arrived with the instantly recognisable uber bass of Phat Planet. And then, in 2002, they all but vanished. With the anniversary release of live double album Tourism, BMA Mag took the opportunity to converse with Neil Barnes on past glories and future plans.

“Leftfield started as a very small thing,” Neil reminisces. “Initially we just wanted to make remixes and a couple of singles and then before we knew it we were making an album in an area of music that people felt didn’t warrant making one.”

From “making the first piece of music on a Juno 106, a F950 Akai sampler, an Alesis MMT8 sequencer and HR-16 drum machine” to creating shuffling loops on Melt “that is in fact a sped up Spanish guitar” Leftfield have always been inventive. But why the seven year

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The sampler I stole off my brother actually... He always reminds me of it

“Jim King, a really well known promoter [in the UK], had approached us two or three times [to play]. On the fourth ask I thought ‘why not?

I could do a good job’ and before I knew it I’d agreed!” he laughs. “So it was like ‘Oh shit, OK, yes... So now I’ve got to put the bloody thing together’, but it has got the creative juices flowing [for another album].

“We’ve had such an extraordinary reaction; I didn’t expect that when I was asked to bring this back. I was quite nervous at what the expectations were and what people would think.”

Adding to initial nerves was a need to blow off the cobwebs; both from the studio space and head space. “I had to dig out the old gear and relearn how to build up the tracks from scratch,” Neil says. “Which was quite tricky actually. I mean it was fun; I’ve still got the Juno! It was in a terrible state actually and I’ve just had it done up so it’s back to its pristine glory. The sampler I stole off my brother actually. I swapped it off him for a really terrible mixing desk. He always reminds me of it.”

It’s undeniably good to have Leftfield back. And although no knowledge was given on the sound of the third album, an exciting collaboration was suggested.

“K T Tunstall absolutely loved Leftism,” Neil says of famous fans. “She’s a really nice person actually. And Sinead O’Connor phoned me once and asked me about working on a reggae track which I really wanted to do but it never happened. I’d be up for working with Sinead; she’s an amazing singer. So who knows!”

Leftfield’s Tourism, recorded live at last year’s Future Music Festival, is out now in 2CD format with visual DVD, or via iTunes.

May 25 with Hazmat and The Devilzwork. The next night, Saturday May 26, the venue hosts Our Last Enemy.

METALISE New Orleans band Goatwhore first popped over to play support on Behemoth’s 2010 tour and it was welcome news to hear that they’re coming out again to play a tour in support of their newly minted record, Blood For The Master [Metal Blade/Riot].

The band’s aggressive black-twinged take on classic metal influences is delivered by members of a who’s who of NOLA heavy music including Acid Bath, Crowbar, Nachtmystium and Soilent Green. Along for the whole tour are Singapore band Impiety and Tasmaniacs Ruins. We’re not getting a local show, but the Sydney show is on at The Sandringham Hotel Friday July 6 and you can pick up a ticket through Moshtix.

California stoner icons Fu Manchu and Black Cobra tour Australia together in early May. Thursday May 3 at The HiFi with Matt Sonic and the High Times and you can get your ticket at Moshtix.

Arch Enemy have also announced an Australian tour (OK, so it’s more of a quick visit with only two shows scheduled). Monday April 30 in Sydney at The Manning Bar with As Silence Breaks and Datura Curse. If you can’t make Monday in Sydney, then the next night, Tuesday May 1, in Melbourne at Billboard the Venue with Terramaze and Elysian is your alternative. Tickets are $69 + bf from www. metropolis.com .

Unkle K’s band of the week: Liberteer – www.liberteer.bandcamp. com. Matt from Cretin/Exhumed and The County Medical Examiners does a solo grind project complete with banjos.

JOSH NIXON doomtildeath@hotmail.com

Whiplash IV festival has just been announced, a touring fest featuring Mnemic, Unearthly, Lynchmada, Katabasis, Devour The Martyr, Kunvuk and Engage The Fall. Saturday October 27 at the ANU Bar is our visit.

Kinda old news by now, but Devildriver and Darkest Hour announced their May tour earlier in the year and they’ve now added the infamous Chris Barnes-fronted Six Feet Under to the proceedings that will hit The HiFi in Sydney at a licensed all ages show on Saturday May 5.

The New York United Tour is almost upon us with legends Sick Of It All and Agnostic Front hitting Oz in May for six dates with Australian hardcore stalwarts Toe To Toe. Canberra gets a visit on Sunday May 6 at UC. It should be a great show.

For the all ages crew, whack the The Notorious Tour into your winter diary featuring Buried In Verona, The Plot In You, In Hearts Wake and Silent Screams at the Lanyon Youth Centre in Conder on Wednesday June 20.

Tim ‘Ripper’ Owens, former lungs of Judas Priest and Iced Earth, hits The Basement on Friday

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the word

on albums

album of the issue

Hoodlum Shouts Young Man Old Man [Poison City/hellosQuare]

The long-awaited, 11-track record from Hoodlums Shouts is best played LOUD. Comparisons can be made between these guys and the vitality of Midnight Oil and The Dead Kennedys, but after a solid listen you will hear something intrinsic in the Hoodlums’ sound that is dead original. Those first heavily-distorted chords in La Niña grip you in some kind of electric heat wave. Bleeding into 4000km, frontman Sam Leyshon’s distinctive voice is distraught, strong and altogether honest.

Throughout the album the harmonies create some vast, contemplative space and instrumental interludes are soulful without words.

Josh Leyshon’s percussive energy brings the Hoodlums’ sound together into a living and breathing whole. His beats are held back well at times (For A Family) then released with a satisfying weight. Didgeridoo makes a resonating statement in the mix, echoing the vibrations of the vocals and the harmonica, to which Sam brings new, cutting intensity. Tracks like

44

Guns, Germs, Steel spawn a dirt punk attitude with unsettling bass and lyricism – a ferocity not for the fainthearted. The Hoodlums can be anthemic without losing musicality and manage to sound both tight and reckless on Pushing Squares. The industrial, experimental elements contribute to largerthan-life moments that leave you feeling comfortably lost and insignificant on The Upkeep Of A City. Recording veteran Matt Voigt’s talents are exemplified on the title tracks Young Man and Old Man, which boast a clean production of the sonic spectrum of the Hoodlums.

This record will impress for the sheer energetic personality of the music.

The last of them (Wapengo) features a characteristic, unforgettable Hoodlums chorus and the band’s ensemble strength should definitely earn them a few more towns of devotees on tour. Every track on the album is developed to full capacity and the miles put in by the band burst through the music to make you feel like you’ve really heard something. This one’s not going to leave you SOPHIA McDONALD

Drew Walky Life Force [Independent]

Miike Snow Happy To You [Downtown/Universal]

The debut EP from Canberran Andrew Walker is a gentle invitation to sit down with him over a chamomile cuppa and ponder the universe. Presented like a collection of short stories, minimal instrumental backing brings the lyrics to centre stage, focusing the mind on the riddles within. Drew’s personal puzzles are delivered in an alternative folk style. Themes alternate between the familiarity of everyday domesticity and the gob-smackingly confusing.

There is a wisdom behind the lyrics (“It is better to eat than to have a glass eye”) that is not easily deciphered.

Swedish duo Christian Karlsson and Pontus Winnberg had previously been responsible for crafting blockbuster singles for Britney Spears as the production team Bloodshy & Avant, but even they didn’t predict the breakout success of their 2009 self-titled debut as Miike Snow, which saw them join forces with American singer-songwriter Andrew Wyatt. While that first album operated primarily as a studio entity and a concept more than anything else, three years on Happy To You sees them meshing as a proper band, the result of playing more than 260 shows over 18 months.

There’s an increased sense of textural depth and lushness to the ten tracks collected here, the Afro-Caribbean tinged Enter The Joker’s Lair opens with a whirl of galloping highlife drums, buzzing analogue synths and glittering steel drum textures, while Devil’s Work sees cinematic orchestration working its way in between the jangling pianos as majestic brass swells up beneath Wyatt’s vocals. Elsewhere, Vase sees crunching programmed beats and woodblock percussion adding edgier vibes to a shimmering backdrop of distorted synths and curiously Velvet Underground-esque lyrical arrangement, while God Help This Divorce documents a couple’s breakup in what is easily the most epic balladcentred moment on offer.

While there’s plenty of detail to admire here, it feels like a producer’s album more than anything else, with few songs sticking hard.

Drew’s experimental style peaks in Towards the Sun, an opening track presented in the form of a Zen conundrum called a kōan that is used to aid meditation. (I know you already knew that.) The musical package for this song is very Buddhist too, with an ascetic strum as the main melody while the bass and masterful saxophone hover in the background like totally separate conversations. Yellow Brick House presents snapshots from a relationship, some bright Kodachrome and some with a sadder, sepia tone, while CD highlight Lullaby captures the mix of past events, whimsy and secret longings that makes up our dreamscapes. The style is not as challenging as it sounds.

Drew’s balmy voice, imbued with the calming properties of mulled wine, and the simple, cosy instrumentation make listening an easy pleasure. So light the incense, say Om and have a listen!

RORY McCARTNEY

chris downton

Spoek Mathambo Father Creeper [Sub Pop/Inertia]

Super Best Friends Handshake [Independent]

Johannesburg-based vocalist/ producer Spoek Mathambo first surfaced a few years back with his electro/hip hop laced collaborations as Playdoe and Sweat X, but while his 2010 debut album Mshini Wam saw him continuing to operate along those lines, two years on this follow-up, Father Creeper, represents a considerably more confident and stylistically eclectic beast. Particularly apparent upon first listening is the increased presence of guitars, whether in the form of propulsive high-life meets township rhythms or as jagged post-punk textures, with many of the more rock-centred tracks here drawing considerable range out of Mathambo’s already impressive vocals.

While opening track Kites starts this collection off in more familiar electronic territory akin to the likes of Spank Rock, with bleeping game core effects battling with shuffling live drums and Mathambo’s hyper-stacked verses, Let Them Talk sits far closer to the likes of TV On The Radio, as rippling guitar riffs cling tightly to crashing live drums and fluid funk bass, and indeed there are likely to be plenty of aspiring rockist MCs envious of Mathambo’s ability to smoothly and convincingly shift between the two styles. Throughout the 11 tracks collected here there’s a noticeable undercurrent of societal dystopia, whether in the form of Dog To Bone’s “zombies from the riot days” or as the title track’s weary wander out into future Afro beat-blues. An excellent album that succeeds in its ambition.

Written over the course of a year, recorded in a long weekend, then stashed in the vaults for another year, SBF’s Handshake has been a long time coming. Cut in Melbourne with Children Collide, The Living End and Young Revelry producer Paul “Woody” Annison, it gives the local band the speakerrattling, hi-fi treatment their music has always demanded.

chris downton

PETER KRBAVAC

Matt Roberts’ bass, the backbone of the band, takes the lead on most tracks and positively leaps out of the speakers, snarling and growling. Locking in with drummer Adam Bridges’ snappy sticksmanship, it creates a rock solid foundation for Johnny Barrington’s slash and burn axework. But while the Besties have always been a guitar band, synths take an increasingly prominent role on the EP – a marker for future tunes, perhaps.

As usual, the band’s lyrics find them spitting venom and railing against the ills of society. But while earlier songs were about as subtle as a sledgehammer, these new tracks have more emphasis on snarky social observation and selfdeprecation. The Bleachers has the band taking aim at Sydney’s eastern beaches types and stand-out track, the disarmingly catchy No Logo is a Joke, deals with the fading anti-capitalist movement. Lyrically as well as musically, Handshake recalls the propulsive rock and black humour of Future of the Left and their forbears Mclusky.

A disc to match the ferocity of the band’s live show.

Rachel Haircut Aquaflash/ Nicodeine Crush [Independent] Yes, this a double A-side release, and this is an album review section, but dammit it’s my magazine and I’ll do what I want. Besides, plucky Canberran now Melbourne dwelling Hayden Quinn and James Hewson have a corking new sound deserving of a jolly good trumpeting. Formerly of moniker Paqman the early days saw the youngsters make music that wore their heroes The Chemical Brothers proudly on their fluro sleeves.

It was exciting, fast-paced, ADHA-tinged electronica that demonstrated – along with their scintillating live shows – a whole multicoloured bucket of promise. Promise that has been realised on these two ‘90s inspired tracks, both of which demonstrate a musicality, assuredness and purpose that should elevate their stature. Aquaflash is a joyful headnod to the furry pants and hands-in-the-air aesthetic of ‘90s rave, replete with an earworm of a driving piano riff, matching blippy synths and expertly chopped vocals that will have you reaching for the lasers. Nicodeine Crush is bass music brilliance. A cloudy, moody stomper driven by a complicated drum pattern; it is mesmeric, moody, and sees the duo at their most commanding.

Both tracks are a perfect counterbalance and sees the duo emerge from the shadow of The Chemicals to assert their own bold and exciting sound.

Rachel Haircut are ones to watch, and most importantly to listen to.

ALLAN SKO

Action Bronson & Party Supplies Blue Chips [Fool’s Gold/Reebok Classics] It’s time people stopped comparing Bronson to Ghostface Killah. He’s a bald, white, obese, anus-obsessed flame chef turned rapper. Give that some space. Then give it more, because he’s going to be so big when he falls his feet will stand on either side of the Hudson River like the ruins of the Colossus of Rhodes.

Unfortunately, this isn’t the record that proves it. Blue Chips is his first 2012 release but it won’t be his killer. This is chiefly for two reasons. First, it’s unfocused. 16 tracks is at least four too many. It’s haphazard.

Second, the collaborations are weak. Sometimes it’s cool to hear someone hanging out in the studio smoking and drinking but sometimes it’s just weak. I question why Kool AD was even there. It’s a time-honoured tradition to include sketches in a hip hop album but Bronson hasn’t so much included sketches as left mistakes in. The first line on the record is Bronson fucking up.

On one level it’s personal but on another it kills the replay value. When Bronson focuses you can feel it. Thug Love Story 2012 is a highlight for the fact that you can tell Bronson had something he wanted to get off his chest. The man has a lyrical wit that deserves a topic. The same is true of Hookers at the Point. Later this year he’s set to release another collab with Tommy Mas, the man behind Dr. Lecter. Here’s waiting.

ASHLEY THOMSON

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the word

on films

WITH MELISSA WELLHAM

Films really do have the power to transport you to another world – which is why it’s so good at immersing audiences in other cultures and countries. Sure, there are the occasions where the other country’s culture is misinterpreted by Hollywood (The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, I’m looking at you), but we also get to see the city in all its visual splendour. Midnight in Paris, Roman Holiday and Lost in Translation all take the viewer on a journey. And then there are films like Mirror Mirror, which take the audience to a different world entirely…

quote of the issue

“It’s not a wrinkle. It’s a… crinkle.” The Queen (Julia Roberts), Mirror Mirror

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is a difficult film to judge, because my intellectual and emotional responses to it varied significantly – but I was, I admit, sucked in by the feel-good ending.

A group of British retirees (acted by an ensemble cast including Maggie Smith, Bill Nighy, Judi Dench, and more) decide to “outsource” their retirement to India – where the cost of living is cheaper, and they envisage a life of leisure. Although their hotel, run by Sonny (Dev Patel), turns out to be a ramshackle residence which is crumbling down around them – the hotel and India itself slowly begins to charm the group, and they each are transformed by their journey.

There are, however, some awkward moments in the film – which I only just hesitate from calling racist. Maggie Smith’s character is out-and-out racist, but the way the audience is encouraged to be amused by her behaviour is uncomfortable.

Are we supposed to be laughing at Maggie, or with her? Not to mention the fact that the British characters end up solving the problems of the Indian characters. It’s all very “Oh, don’t worry, savage – the white man is here! We can validate your existence by acknowledging you, and teach you how to have a meaningful conversation over the phone!”

But with such a stellar cast on board you are still sucked in – and ultimately the story is uplifting.

Melissa Wellham

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The Hunger Games

Mirror Mirror

Yes, time for another film trilogy phenomenon based on a book series. But try to ignore all the comparisons to Twilight (they have nothing in common except a love triangle and a teen audience) and Battle Royale (the violence in Hunger Games ain’t nothing compared to Battle), and consider The Hunger Games on its own merits.

Mirror Mirror has been receiving some fairly mixed reviews – so is it a good or bad apple? Whether or not you like it will just depend on what your poison is. If you’re after a strong script and a subversive take on a fairytale, keep looking. If you’re after a purely aesthetic delight, then take a bite.

It’s the future, and the former US is now separated into the flamboyant Capitol (think Lady Gaga) and 12 surrounding districts (they eat rats there).

Every year a boy and a girl are picked from each district to compete as a tribute in the Hunger Games – a fight to the death with only one victor, intended to remind the districts of the importance of falling in line. Oh yeah, and it’s filmed and televised for the Capitol to revel in. Cut to: The kids of District 12 – the strong, capable but stubborn Katniss; the opinionated and dreamy Gale; and the sweet, idealistic and dedicated Peeta.

For me the casting was exceptional, and Jennifer Lawrence (Katniss) has quickly become a favourite. There was too much handheld camerawork for my liking, but overall it was effective in setting the mood (and ensuring that the violence was implied but not explicit).

Overall, The Hunger Games is entertaining and interesting, if cheesy at times. It won’t be for everyone, but at least there isn’t a character called Renesme.

MEGAN McKEOUGH

The Evil Queen (Julia Roberts) ruthlessly rules her povertystricken kingdom, which she has stolen from the rightful heiress, Snow White (Lily Collins). Snow White, however, joins forces with a band of seven dwarves (who are sometimes giants) with plans to save the people, reclaim her kingdom, and win a kiss from the obligatory Prince (Armie Hammer).

Although a fun, sassy Snow White remake seems like a good premise – and goodness knows I like adaptations where the princesses are given more to do than shriek and/ or sleep – it falls flat. Julia Roberts pulls off the comedy, but never manages menacing; Lily Collins just doesn’t have the screen-presence or sass; and the dwarves are too slapstick and silly. Of course, mostly this is the fault of the script – which is altogether too bland, where it should be frivolous and fantastical.

However, like most of Tarsem Singh’s films, Mirror Mirror is still outrageously aesthetically pleasing. The costumes in particular are very fun, with bright colours and bold shapes.

Plus, there’s a Bollywood dance number in the final credits.

MELISSA WELLHAM

the word on dvds

Danger 5 [Madman] Someone took a gamble with Danger 5. Resembling little else on Australian TV, it represents a rare streak of unpredictable innovation in a landscape full of variety show inertia. The Danger 5 team are a bunch of cardboard cut-out spies, living in the middle of World War Two but looking for every minute like the set of a cheap and nasty European porn flick from the ‘70s. Each episode revolves, very roughly, around missions to take on Nazi bad guys and – obviously – kill Hitler. What follows is a true genre blender – ‘60s spy caper, exploitation flicks, Gerry Anderson’s Thunderbirds, absurdist comedy and over-the-top action bluster.

The missions are announced to the team by a man with the head of a bird. One of the missions involves the theft of every world famous monument (Eiffel Tower, Sphinx, etc.) for the purposes of making a bigger monument in the shape of Hitler. Of course it makes no sense. It doesn’t have to. At its heart it has the vibe of the brilliant animated series Archer and the anything goes approach of the OSS 117 films, which are good primers for the comedy stylings of recent Oscar winner Jean Dujardin.

Mid Morning Matters with Alan Partridge [Roadshow] Steve Coogan must surely have misgivings about inhabiting the Alan Partridge character so completely. On the one hand, Partridge is an acutely brilliant takedown of the media personality – a cretin of the highest order, unable to empathise with his audience, prone to overvaluing his talents, an inveterate liar and all-round prick. Partridge was a fixture on ‘90s British TV – hosting his own chat show before accidentally killing a guest, assaulting the BBC Director of Programming with a piece of cheese and escaping to Radio Norwich.

But Coogan will always be Partridge. It’s an albatross wrapped in a straightjacket.

You’ll see him reference Partridge with his signature sonorous “A-haaaa” everywhere he goes. The Trip with Rob Brydon sees Coogan standing alone on an empty cliff announcing the catchphrase with an overwhelming air of empty despair.

But it’s not a show that makes fun of victims. It makes no pretence to push any sort of ideological barrow – it’s regressive, stupid, coloursaturated fun. It’s also one of the funniest comedies produced in this country for quite some time. The gamble has paid off handsomely.

In place of the much-discussed but forever-delayed feature film, Coogan dusted off Partridge in late 2010 for a series of mini webisodes funded by a large Australian lager outfit. Those shows have been edited into standalone 22-minute eps. In this incarnation, Partridge is biding his time at a minor digital radio station. It’s tempting to draw a parallel between the fictional Alan Partridge falling so far down the rung that he’s not even on terrestrial radio and a stubborn desperation from Coogan, not quite ready to let go of his cash cow. But he’s hardly going through the motions. As years pass, Partridge becomes more jaded, more antagonistic and more out of touch with reality. The character is actually growing despite himself and as a placeholder until Coogan and team deliver the feature, this will do just fine.

JUSTIN HOOK

JUSTIN HOOK

That it hangs together as coherently as it does is a credit to creators and writers Dario Russo and David Ashby. There aren’t many writers willing to tackle this subject matter (dastardly Nazis and fascist dictators on the make) in this way and sure enough Danger 5 attracted criticisms when it aired on SBS.

The Iron Lady [Icon] The biopic is a cumbersome beast. Close as you get to capturing the image of the subject (Depp as Thompson, Phoenix as Cash, Scott as Patton) the essence is never truly captured. The tricks of photography, mimicry, script and editing can only go so far.

In the end you feel frustrated – large chunks of the picture are necessarily missing. If anything, the biopic is the best ad for documentaries ever imagined; well constructed or shoddy, they send you hurtling towards non-dramatised versions of the story, hungry for facts.

And so, tackling Maggie Thatcher turned out to be a fool’s errand. Conservatives complained bitterly that the movie demonised their hero as a withering old fool, while liberals fumed that it undersold her treachery and humanised a modern villain who attacked the underclass with pious vengeance. Thatcher’s story is told through flashbacks as the now dementia riddled ex-PM rambles through the day in a blue haze, conversing with her long-dead husband, Dennis. It remains a mystery why this method was chosen to tell the intriguing life of a genuine trailblazer. Politics aside, Thatcher shook up the male-dominated establishment in an era where the opinion of a female was, at best, suffered but mostly ignored. Historic events (collapse of the Berlin Wall, Falklands War, Poll Tax Riots, assassination attempts) are told through newsreel footage – the sum effect being an ‘End of Decade’ roundup. It’s frustratingly empty.

Meryl Streep probably deserved accolades. Every scene aches with a devotion and passion for capturing accents, verbal tics and body language far beyond method acting – this is immersion. But Thatcher the person is nowhere in the mix.

The rare glances are not enough in this misfiring film.

JUSTIN HOOK

47

the word

BLACKBOX

on games

Twisted Metal Developer: Eat Sleep Play Platform: PS3 Length: 5-20hrs Rating: Niche but awesome As a huge fan of the Twisted Metal games and indeed David Jaffe in general (he also directed the God of Wars), it’s great to have this series back. Roughly seven years on from its last proper outing, very little has changed. As to be expected, the move to the PlayStation 3 platform has seen the graphics receive a suitable upgrade. While not the prettiest game on the market, it runs super smoothly even when your screen is full of explosive mayhem.

Unlike the graphics though, the gameplay has changed very little. Of course the bosses are now at a grander scale and Sweet Tooth can turn into a Mech. However, the core mechanic remains the same: collect weapons and blast the shit out of your opponents. Each level generally throws in a bit of a twist, including some levels that see you focusing on your speed more than anything. While in those instances only a fast car will see you through, on the whole the levels are well balanced, nicely challenging and full of enough variation to keep the whole thing interesting.

One of the bigger changes to the game is the format of the single player mode. No longer can you choose your character, but rather you’re forced to play as Sweet Tooth, then Grimm and eventually DollFace. While it’s a shame not to have all the entertainingly dark story lines, veterans will be pleased to know you can still drive all your favourite vehicles – plus one or two extras.

The quiet achiever in the musical landscape celebrates 25 years on air this month: rage – Silver Jubilee (ABC1, Sat Apr 21, 10.20pm) takes a Tim Rogers-hosted journey through history, so watch, upload your rage party pics on Facebook and tweet (#maintaintherage).

It’s spawned the best compilation CDs, filled hard drives with inerasable guest programming slots and brought Countdown to a whole new audience. Congratulations rage – looking forward to your Golden Jubilee. Blackbox’s fave rage moment remains Frenzal Rhomb’s predictably ironic guest programming slot. What’s yours?

The best one gets a mystery Blackbox prize.

The SCTEN folks are filling the void left by Homeland with critically acclaimed supernatural drama Touch (SCTEN, Sun Apr 22, 8.30pm).

Dirk Gently (ABC2, Mon Apr 23, 9.30pm) delivers everything you’d expect from Douglas Adams’ detective. Entries for Open Shot 2 are open now. If you’re under 35 and have a great idea for a doco, you can apply for up to $80,000 and have your doco on the telly. www.abc. net.au/independent .

Get some inspiration from All the Way (ABC1, Thu Apr 12, 9.30pm) about Australia’s alliance with the USA during the Vietnam War, and from Wildest Africa (SBS1, Wed Apr 18, 7.30pm) about cultures and wildlife of Africa. Two on the Great Divide (ABC1, Sun Apr 22, 7.30pm) sees John Doyle and Tim Flannery at it again, and I Can Change your Mind about Climate (ABC1, Thu Apr 26, 8.30pm) takes Anna Rose of the Youth Climate Coalition and former Senator Nick Minchin around, followed by a special Q&A. Prophets of Science Fiction (SBS1, Sun Apr 15, 8.30pm) looks at science fiction thinkers such as H.G. Wells, Isaac Asimov and Philip K. Dick.

Some old favourites are back with new seasons. Being Human (ABC2, Tue 10 Apr, 9.30pm), Whitechapel (ABC1, Sat Apr 14, 8.30pm), Offspring (SCTEN, Wed Apr 18, 8.30pm), Nurse Jackie (11, Tue Apr 17, 9.30pm), Californication (11, Tue Apr 17, 10pm), Shameless (SBS1, Mon Apr 16, 9.30pm), and Community (Go, Thu Apr 12, 8pm).

The story lines that are featured certainly aren’t without their edge.

As Sweet Tooth you’re a serial killer who enters the competition in order to be reunited with the only girl who escaped your grasp. As I said, they’re dark but unfortunately all a little anticlimactic.

Blackbox is not usually one to spruik Dancing with the Stars (Prime, Sun Apr 15, 6.30pm) but the inclusion of Brian Mannix in the line-up might make the first few episodes worthwhile. There’s a grab bag of other stuff to look out for including The Family UK (SBS1, Thu Apr 12, 9.30pm), a doco that follows the lives of a British Indian family, Heath Franklin’s Chopper – Harden the F#ck up Australia (One, Fri Apr 20, 11.30pm) and Jamie’s Big Feastival (SCTEN, Sat Apr 14, 6.30pm), a big day out for musical foodies.

Another area where the game falters slightly is with regard to the controls. Even as a Twisted vet, it took me a while to work it all out.

This isn’t helped by the fact the game throws you straight into the action. While I’m not one for tutorials, a reminder that reversing requires double-tapping the break wouldn’t go astray (particularly given review copies of games rarely come with manuals for some frustrating reason).

ANZAC viewing includes 480:ANZAC, a series of mini-docos on Indigenous ANZACs (daily on ABC1, Apr 23-26, 6.50pm), ANZAC (Prime, Sun Apr 15, 12.20am), a series of B&W docos hosted by Bud Tingwell, The Overlanders (GEM, Wed Apr 25, 12pm), a Chips Rafferty flick about WWII in the top end, ANZAC Day March (ABC1, Wed Apr 25, 10.30am) and Gallipoli Dawn Service (ABC1, Wed Apr 25, 12.30pm) for those too lazy for the local dawn service.

Despite being a big fan of this game, I would happily concede that this isn’t a title for everyone. Its dark nature, slightly naff style, its immature content, complex controls and bizarre set of characters stop this from being a pick-up-and-play title. However, if you’re willing to give it some time and can happily give into your more juvenile side, then there’s plenty here to keep you entertained.

Movies include Twilight Zone (WIN, Sun Apr 15, 1.10am), Addams Family Values (Go!, Fri Apr 13, 7.30pm) and the John Hughes classic Sixteen Candles (Prime, Sun Apr 15, 1.30pm). Don’t miss: Family Guy Star Wars Trilogy (7Mate, Mon Apr 16, 8.30pm). Avoid The Logies (WIN, Sun Apr 15, 7.30pm). Yawn.

Torben Sko

48

TRACY HEFFERNAN tracyherrernan@bigpond.com @ChezBlackbox

the word

Blahnket @ The Co-op The ANU Food Co-op Thursday March 29

on gigs

On the night of Thursday March 29, something was occurin’ in the ANU Food Co-op – a space that has been changing colours more frequently than Telstra Tower. With the shelves shifted back and some unconventional lighting, it was all nuts, seeds and fresh beats at the second Blahnket @ The Co-op showcase for 2012.

As a locally-run music collective, blog (www.blahnket.blogspot.com) and digital label, Blahnket is doing good things for the Canberra music scene. In its two-year life so far, Blahnket has brought the likes of Ras G, Tokimonsta, The Gaslamp Killer and other internationally recognised acts to town. So far, the Blahnket @ The Co-op shows are proving to support local talent, bring musical diversity to the Capital and act as a catalyst for the development of the (to generalise) ‘electronic’ scene here.

On Thursday night, peeps admired the skills of local producers who strung together sets, one after another from 8pm ‘til late.

Digby kicked off the night with a sample-based tune of his before continuing to please ears with an amalgam of hip hop and postdubstep. Next, Cream Crops dropped a colourful, wonky set that left listeners wanting more of the heady hip hop. Deaf Cat laid out his set loud – an unpredictable mix of hip hop, electronica and sounds somewhere between experimental and noise genres. Then Beatsmugglerz made the place jump with some heavy glitch hop and fresh 2-step and, last but not least, Gooch Rash topped off the night with a back-to-back set brimming with English bass music, 2-step and dubstep.

These tunes were going down well to say the least. A dancefloor opened up around 9.30pm with kids pulling some enviable moves.

This behaviour reached some kind of Canberra-high when Gooch Rash dropped Skeng mid-set and Callum Klein (Beatsmugglerz) led by example. Lounges provided a chilled backdrop for those keen to just sit back and appreciate. Deep and grimy vibes brought the music to a satisfying close and the only disappointment of the night was the time restriction. Props to Blahnket for making this as a free event and to The Co-op for allowing BYO and selling beer and cider for the friendly price of $5.

As a characteristically progressive space, The Co-op is definitely conducive to these kinds of shows and seems to be part of a garden-fresh attitude and appreciation for the Arts in Canberra.

Maybe the bass was doing something to all the grain and legumefilled black drums because the sound was more than decent inside the concrete walls. There are exciting rumours about the potential use of the open, industrial-style interior of The Co-op for live visual art at future Blahnket events. With music pouring out the doors, it was refreshing to see a crowd on the spacious outside area, or the Warrumbul Lodge ‘stoop’. Ringed by other Unilodge buildings, Toad Hall, the Drill Hall and the ANU campus, this usually vacuous expanse has potential as a burgeoning hub which could diversify Canberra nightlife. An event like Blahnket @ The Co-op was the perfect stepping stone between the ANU Bar and the debauchery of Civic on Thursday night. In fact, most of the crowd skipped the clubs altogether, preferring to soak up unique tunes and a friendly vibe not on offer at other venues.

PHOTOS: KAI KAMADA-LAWS

All in all, Blahnket @ The Co-op shows can be described as a win/win: The artists get a unique chance to perform without any restrictions to genre, punters get something bangin’ good to listen to for free and The Co-op expands and strengthens its community. Keep your ear to the ground as Blahnket @ The Co-op is happening monthly.

SOPHIA MCDONALD

49

the word

Dead Meadow / Pink Mountaintops ANU Bar Wednesday April 4

on gigs

“Thanks for the barrier,” Sam McBean deadpans, nodding towards the hulking metal structure running along the front of the stage. “It makes me feel safe.” It may have stopped many an eager fan from spilling onto their hero’s guitar pedals but tonight, with the room full of blissed out, swaying punters, it seems a little incongruous.

On this tour, Pink Mountaintops’ main man McBean is supported by a cast of two. To his right stands Jules Ferrari, formerly of The Dolly Rocker Movement, keyboardist in the current incarnation of Songs and sometime member of The Black Ryder, who provides vocals, tambourine and occasional maracas. To his left, pineapple-haired Gregg Foreman, fleet-footed frontman of The Delta 72, guitarist in current Cat Power backing-band The Dirty Delta Blues Band and another in The Black Ryder’s revolving membership, is hunched over a keyboard, hammering away.

There’s very little in the way of ‘performance’, but the trio create a trance-inducing wall of noise. Backed by a drum machine which at times seems to bore directly into the listener’s skull, McBean’s fuzzed-out guitar mixes with Foreman’s swampy, distorted keys and the frontman harmonises with Ferrari, their voices blending into one. Rendered as they are in trio format, the songs – particularly those from the band’s most recent, string-heavy album Outside Love – are missing much of their studio instrumentation, but it’s hardly an issue. In fact, they sound better tonight than they ever did on record.

Towards the end of their set, they drop in a particularly affecting version of Closer to Heaven.

Dead Meadow’s backline of Orange amplifiers has been looming over proceedings all night and once the Washington trio hit the stage, the low-end rumble immediately sets off the venue’s fulllength windows. The last time your correspondent saw tonight’s headliners, they were playing back-to-back shows for the Victorian leg of All Tomorrow’s Parties at Mount Buller. An early afternoon set on the first day was followed by a secret show the next, which saw clued-in attendees crowding into one of the resort’s small bars, craning their necks for a glimpse of the band. While they were loud on the open-air main stage, Dead Meadow were positively deafening in the cramped confines of The Abom. Tonight the psych-rockers seem a little muted by comparison, more content to ride the groove than dig in with any ferocity.

It is a weeknight, so some of the audience begins to peel off after about half an hour of Dead Meadow’s hypnotic sonic meanderings.

It’s a shame, for though the extended set tests even some of most dedicated Meadow-heads, the band really hits their stride towards the end of the 80-minute session – particularly as they stretch out closing number I Love You Too in perpetuity, or at least until someone behind the bar unsubtly begins bringing up the house lights. Frontman Jason Simon is in fine form, particularly on the Crazy Horse-esque What Needs Must Be where he absolutely nails the song’s twin solos. During another extended jam, everresourceful bassist Steve Kille manages to finish off his beer mid-song, continuing to hammer-on the notes with his fretting hand whilst clutching a bottle in the other.

PHOTOS: MARTIN OLLMAN

Full credit must go to Melbourne touring agency Heathen Skulls who, while so many others simply skip over the capital, continue to bring leftfield internationals through town. And going on the names which were being bandied about at the merch stand after the show, local audiences can look forward to some more choice shows throughout the year.

Peter Krbavac

50

GIG GUIDE April 11 - April 13 wednesday april 11 Arts Transference – By Melinda Willis

Recently awarded the Australian and Decorative Fine Arts Society Award.

‘Til May 3.

CANBERRA GLASSWORKS

The ins and outs of Space

Talented young emerging artists working in painting, drawing and 3D glass.

M16 ARTSPACE

Exhibition - 15

Wouter Van de Voorde creates brooding photographic narratives of the Australian landscape.

THE PHOTOGRAPHY ROOM

Open Work – Textiles Inspired Glass The work of two of Australia’s most awarded artists, Giles Bettison and Jenni Kemarre Martiniello.

CANBERRA GLASSWORKS

Dance

Cube Thursdays

9pm ‘til 5am with DJ Pete. Two for one drinks ‘til 11pm plus free pool all night long.

CUBE NIGHTCLUB

Open Decks 9pm.

THE CLUBHOUSE

Ashley Feraude

KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE

Trash Thursdays

ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB

Live Live Music

In the garden from 5pm.

MINT GARDEN BAR

The ’93 Project

Original jazz compositions that combine beautiful melodies and improvisations.

8pm, $5.

THE FRONT CAFE AND GALLERY

Bleeding Knees Club

8pm, presale tix from Moshtix and Landspeed.

TRANSIT BAR

Charles & Dave

KING O’MALLEY’S, CIVIC

Latino Wednesdays

Beth n Ben

MONKEY BAR

THE PHOENIX PUB

Live

Presale tix from Moshtix and Landspeed. 8pm.

9pm.

Hippo Live

Cherie Kotek. 9pm.

Bleeding Knees Club TRANSIT BAR

HIPPO LOUNGE

Muso’s Jam Night

All you need to bring is your instruments and friends.

P J O’REILLY’S, TUGGERANONG

Something Different Karaoke

friday april 13 Arts Exhibition - Grow

By Matthew Day Perez. Running until May 12.

From 10pm.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE - GORMAN HOUSE

Transit Trivia

Transference – By Melinda Willis

THE DURHAM

Flex your noggin. Table bookings essential. 7.30pm start.

TRANSIT BAR

thursday april 12 Arts Transference – By Melinda Willis

Recently awarded the Australian and Decorative Fine Arts Society Award.

‘Til May 3.

CANBERRA GLASSWORKS

The ins and outs of Space

Talented young emerging artists working in painting, drawing and 3D glass.

M16 ARTSPACE

Exhibition - 15

Wouter Van de Voorde creates brooding photographic narratives of the Australian landscape.

THE PHOTOGRAPHY ROOM

Open Work – Textiles Inspired Glass The work of two of Australia’s most awarded artists, Giles Bettison and Jenni Kemarre Martiniello.

CANBERRA GLASSWORKS

Dance Ashley Feraude

C’est magnifique. 8-10pm.

Recently awarded the Australian and Decorative Fine Arts Society Award.

‘Til May 3.

CANBERRA GLASSWORKS

The ins and outs of Space

Talented young emerging artists working in painting, drawing and 3D glass.

M16 ARTSPACE

Exhibition - 15

Wouter Van de Voorde creates brooding photographic narratives of the Australian landscape.

THE PHOTOGRAPHY ROOM

Open Work – Textiles Inspired Glass The work of two of Australia’s most awarded artists, Giles Bettison and Jenni Kemarre Martiniello.

CANBERRA GLASSWORKS

Exhibition - When Wishing Still Worked

By Sister Wives. Running until May 12.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE - GORMAN HOUSE

Doubt: a parable

Winner of the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Presented by Free Rain.

COURTYARD STUDIO, CTC

Naked Boys Singing

That’s what it is. Naked boys singing.

Tix selling fast. nakedboyssinging. com.au .

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE

51

GIG GUIDE April 13 - April 17 Exhibition - Tell them I said something...

Exhibition - Grow

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE GORMAN HOUSE

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE GORMAN HOUSE

By Roh Singh. Running until May 12.

Dance Architect DJs and Friends

Bring some Friday 13th horrorfuntimes.

8pm, free entry.

TRANSIT BAR

Faux Real

The return of the MACK.

KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE

Alex Carder HIPPO LOUNGE

Havana Nights

DJ Trent Richardson. 9pm.

MONKEY BAR

Architect DJs and Friends

Bring some Friday 13th horrorfuntimes.

8pm, free entry.

TRANSIT BAR

Eargasm Presents Q-Bik

By Matthew Day Perez. Running until May 12.

The ins and outs of Space

Talented young emerging artists working in painting, drawing and 3D glass.

M16 ARTSPACE

Exhibition - 15

Wouter Van de Voorde creates brooding photographic narratives of the Australian landscape.

THE PHOTOGRAPHY ROOM

Open Work – Textiles Inspired Glass The work of two of Australia’s most awarded artists, Giles Bettison and Jenni Kemarre Martiniello.

CANBERRA GLASSWORKS

Exhibition - When Wishing Still Worked

By Sister Wives. Running until May 12.

On The Edge - East Timor Fundraiser

The Streetlight Parade, Second Avenue, Jack Biilmann, Omis Mo Mo and more.

6pm, $10.

THE FRONT CAFE AND GALLERY CHARLIE BLACKS

MOCAN AND GREEN GROUT, NEWACTON

Exhibition - Tell them I said something...

Oscar

By Roh Singh. Running until May 12.

Bacon Cakes

Exhibition - Grow

KING O’MALLEY’S, CIVIC

Bumface, Blackbear, DJ Bareback.

9.30pm.

THE PHOENIX PUB

Something Different Karaoke

P J O’REILLY’S, CIVIC

Winner of the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Presented by Free Rain.

Arts

Naked Boys Singing

Exhibition - Tell them I said something...

Bag Raiders

That’s what it is. Naked boys singing.

Tix selling fast. nakedboyssinging. com.au .

Leave Them All Behind 4 DJ Tour.

Supported by Offtapia, Cheese, Styles and Hyde Skinny. $25.

sunday april 15

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

By Roh Singh. Running until May 12.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE GORMAN HOUSE

Exhibition - Grow

REV

Exhibition - Tell them I said something...

BAR 32

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE GORMAN HOUSE

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE GORMAN HOUSE

Dance Andy Kay

Talented young emerging artists working in painting, drawing and 3D glass.

HIPPO LOUNGE

TRINITY BAR

Indie DJs from 10 ‘til late. $5 before midnight.

Academy Fridays With Ruby Rose.

ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB

The Get-Up Club

Punk, hardcore, pop anthems and party tunes.

BAR 32

By Roh Singh. Running until May 12.

Melodies, lyrics and progression connect in a striking way. With The Burley Griffin. 8pm, free.

THE FRONT CAFE AND GALLERY

Mitch

KING O’MALLEY’S, CIVIC

KRS One

One of hip-hop’s greatest MCs. Supported by Def Wish Cast and KP Artists. Tix through Moshtix.

SOUTHERN CROSS CLUB

Night Potion

THE PHOTOGRAPHY ROOM

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE GORMAN HOUSE

Doubt: a parable

Winner of the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Presented by Free Rain.

COURTYARD STUDIO, CTC

Dance Biscuits

Post-weekend sounds from Ryz, Peekz, Kimosabi, Steve On Weekends and more. 9pm, free.

TRANSIT BAR

Xov Ier, Lavers, Dylan Hekimian, Cam McLennan.

THE PHOENIX PUB

Something Different

By Sister Wives. Running until May 12.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE GORMAN HOUSE

Skate It Out

Jemist

KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE

Doubt: a parable

First 200 skate free. For people aged 12-25. 8pm-10pm.

PHILLIP ICE SKATING RINK

DJ Fergus 9pm.

HELLENIC CLUB IN THE CITY

Something something something.

Cube Saturdays

10pm ‘til 5am with DJs Matt & Pete.

Two for one drinks and free entry until 11pm.

Winner of the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Presented by Free Rain.

tuesday april 17

COURTYARD STUDIO, CTC

CUBE NIGHTCLUB

Dance

Arts

Love Saturdays

Hospitality Sundays

Exhibition - Tell them I said something...

With Pred.

La Musique - Alison Wonderful TRINITY BAR

Talented DJs and a late night pizza menu. 8-11pm.

NEWACTON COURTYARD

DJ Pampin

On the decks playing old skool Rnb. From 9.30pm.

10pm ‘til late with DJ TJ. Free entry, free pool and discounted drinks.

By Roh Singh. Running until May 12.

Live

Exhibition - Grow

CUBE NIGHTCLUB

Mother Jack

A duet comprising voice, double bass, glockenspiel, floor tom, shaker, loop station and more.

THE FRONT CAFE AND GALLERY

The New Sheiks

DIGRESS

Stomping 21st century jazz and blues swing. 5-7.

Arts

Live

Irish Jam

American Movie Treasures: Elia Kazan

Purple Sneakers: Bel-Air

52

By Sister Wives. Running until May 12.

Exhibition - When Wishing Still Worked

Spring Lounge Session

ARC CINEMA AND GREATER UNION MANUKA

Exhibition - When Wishing Still Worked

The Bootleg Sessions

You InterACT Conference

A retrospective look at the work of Elia Kazan: Boomerang/Panic in the Streets.

7pm. 2pm.

THE PHOTOGRAPHY ROOM

Wouter Van de Voorde creates brooding photographic narratives of the Australian landscape.

Something Different

saturday april 14

Wouter Van de Voorde creates brooding photographic narratives of the Australian landscape.

Exhibition - 15

Plus Offtapia, Jerrry Seaniger, Bobby Rush and more. Free before 10pm.

AINSLIE ARTS CENTRE

Exhibition - 15

Urban Playground

ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB

Music, food, forums and workshops.

Change your world! www.youthact. gov.au .

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE GORMAN HOUSE

Live

Acoustic guitar, vocals and flute. 6pm.

DIGRESS

The ins and outs of Space

By Matthew Day Perez. Running until May 12.

M16 ARTSPACE

MONKEY BAR

Xav Ier

By Matthew Day Perez. Running until May 12.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE GORMAN HOUSE

Cha Cha Char.

Feat. Karma, Joeyjoe and Hypnotic.

10pm.

Live

monday april 16 Arts

Bass, violin, looped vocals and a morning coffee. 10 – noon.

Autoclaws & Empress Yoy (Chinese Laundry) THE CLUBHOUSE

THE DURHAM

music, coffee

Doubt: a parable

COURTYARD STUDIO, CTC

From 2.30pm.

5-8pm.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE GORMAN HOUSE

Presented by The Clubhouse. 9pm.

Sunday Arvo Trivia

Freyja’s Rain

5.30pm.

THE CLUBHOUSE

Something Different

The hottest in indie bands and DJs. 8pm, $10 entry.

TRANSIT BAR

A BITE TO EAT CAFE

KING O’MALLEY’S, CIVIC

Mitch Canas 1-4pm.

THE GEORGE HARCOURT INN

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE GORMAN HOUSE

By Matthew Day Perez. Running until May 12.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE GORMAN HOUSE

Exhibition - 15

Wouter Van de Voorde creates brooding photographic narratives of the Australian landscape.

THE PHOTOGRAPHY ROOM

Exhibition - When Wishing Still Worked

By Sister Wives. Running until May 12.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE GORMAN HOUSE

Doubt: a parable

Winner of the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Presented by Free Rain.

COURTYARD STUDIO, CTC

GIG GUIDE April 17 - April 21 Live Wendy Rule

With special guests.

THE FRONT CAFE AND GALLERY

Transit Trivia

Flex your noggin. Table bookings essential. 7.30pm start.

TRANSIT BAR

‘90s pop quiz. 7.30pm.

THE PHOENIX PUB

Doubt: a parable

BAR 32

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE GORMAN HOUSE

Tix through Moshtix.

Tuesday Movie Night

Dance

From 7.30pm.

THE DURHAM

Karaoke Love

Croon and wail your heart out on the Transit stage. 9pm start.

TRANSIT BAR

wednesday april 18

Cube Thursdays

MONKEY BAR

The Crunch

THE CLUBHOUSE

THE FRONT CAFE AND GALLERY

Ced Nada

Spaceticket

ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB

Exhibition - Tell them I said something...

Live

By Matthew Day Perez. Running until May 12.

Cracked Actor EP Launch

10pm.

THE PHOENIX PUB

Latham’s Grip, Vintage Vulva. Free entry.

POT BELLY BAR

In the garden from 5pm.

MINT GARDEN BAR

Hoodlum Shouts

Launch their new album Young Man Old Man. 8pm, $10 entry.

DIGRESS

HIPPO LOUNGE

Urban Playground

Feat. Karma, Joeyjoe and Hypnotic.

10pm.

MONKEY BAR

B-tham

Fresh tech grooves all night.

KREMLIN BAR

Bent! Featured Mustard Tiger Presented by Disco Ninja. 9.30pm.

KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE

Live Music

DJ Jazz

With Hussain Khan playing live Indian drums from 9.30pm.

DIGRESS

Heidi Gill

SIC presents Stereotypes.

With Helena.

Playing pop covers from 6pm.

Electrosex

Trash Thursdays

Exhibition - Grow

ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB

WHITE EAGLE POLISH CLUB

Bad!Slam!No!Biscuit!

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE GORMAN HOUSE

Live

Launching debut EP Solar Driftwood, with special guests. Presented by CMC and Birds Love Fighting.

DJ Zeph. 9pm.

Dance Love Saturdays

Dance Hall Thursday

CUBE NIGHTCLUB

By Sister Wives. Running until May 12.

ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB

Eesha Hunjon Duo

Arts

By Roh Singh. Running until May 12.

Alliance @ Academy Presents Yacht Club DJs

9pm ‘til 5am with DJ Pete. Two for one drinks ‘til 11pm plus free pool all night long.

Has got the musical antidote, just for you. You dunno.

8pm.

KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE

Indie DJs from 10 ‘til late. $5 before midnight.

Arts

COURTYARD STUDIO, CTC

Fame Trivia

Wouter Van de Voorde creates brooding photographic narratives of the Australian landscape.

Exhibition - When Wishing Still Worked

DIGRESS

NEWACTON COURTYARD

Nathan Frost

Exhibition - 15

REV

Winner of the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Presented by Free Rain.

You choose a deckchair, they’ll choose a movie. Drink and pizza specials by Bicicletta Cafe.

THE CLUBHOUSE

THE PHOTOGRAPHY ROOM

7.30pm.

Fame Trivia

9.30pm.

Handsomely superior.

thursday april 19

Something Different Trivia Night

City Kid Music Presents BITROK

saturday april 21 Arts Doubt: a parable

Winner of the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Presented by Free Rain.

THE CLUBHOUSE

Cube Saturdays

10pm ‘til 5am with DJs Matt & Pete.

Two for one drinks and free entry until 11pm.

CUBE NIGHTCLUB

Timber

COURTYARD STUDIO, CTC

Congratulations on fatherhood!

American Movie Treasures: Elia Kazan

KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE

Spring Lounge Session NEWACTON COURTYARD

A retrospective look at the work of Elia Kazan: East of Eden, 4.30pm.

Talented DJs and a late night pizza menu. 8-11pm.

God Bows to Maths

ARC CINEMA, NATIONAL FILM & SOUND ARCHIVE

THE PHOENIX PUB

Live

Dos Locos

Exhibition - Tell them I said something...

Exhibition - When Wishing Still Worked

The Beards

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE GORMAN HOUSE

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE GORMAN HOUSE

ANU BAR AND REFECTORY

American Movie Treasures: Elia Kazan

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE GORMAN HOUSE

Exhibition - 15

Wouter Van de Voorde creates brooding photographic narratives of the Australian landscape.

THE PHOTOGRAPHY ROOM

By Sister Wives. Running until May 12.

Doubt: a parable

Winner of the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Presented by Free Rain.

TRANSIT BAR

9pm.

KING O’MALLEY’S, CIVIC

Launching their new LP. With Fun Machine and Crooked Fiddle Band.

Marshall OKell

Known for his crowd-rousing performances as frontman of Marshall & The ‘Fro. 8pm, $15.

COURTYARD STUDIO, CTC

THE FRONT CAFE AND GALLERY

Dance

With Big Dave, Grant Who?, Kitty B, N2W and Dlinkwnt. Tix $88 + bf from Ticketek.

Latino Wednesdays 9pm.

MONKEY BAR

Ice Cube

AIS ARENA

HIPPO LOUNGE

Mick Thomas

Touring his new album Last of The Tourists. With Shelley Short. 8pm, $20.

THE FRONT CAFE AND GALLERY

Muso’s Jam Night

All you need to bring is your instruments and friends.

P J O’REILLY’S, TUGGERANONG

ARC CINEMA, NATIONAL FILM & SOUND ARCHIVE

Exhibition - Grow

By Matthew Day Perez. Running until May 12.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE GORMAN HOUSE

9.30pm.

THE PHOENIX PUB

DZ Deathrays 8pm, free entry.

TRANSIT BAR

music, coffee

Bass, violin, looped vocals and a morning coffee. 10 – noon.

MOCAN AND GREEN GROUT, NEWACTON

Jordan Millar

You will be treated to an incredible night of music and stories. With Lavers.

7.30pm, $10.

THE FRONT CAFE AND GALLERY

Arts Doubt: a parable

Winner of the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Presented by Free Rain.

COURTYARD STUDIO, CTC

Dance CHEESE/Retro

Something Different

The best and the worst of the last five decades of music. 8pm, $10 entry.

Karaoke

Havana Nights

THE DURHAM

MONKEY BAR

From 10pm.

A retrospective look at the work of Elia Kazan: Baby Doll. 7.30pm.

Lowlakes

friday april 20

Live Hippo Live

By Roh Singh. Running until May 12.

TRANSIT BAR

DJ Trent Richardson. 9pm.

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GIG GUIDE April 22 - April 28 sunday april 22 Arts

Dance

Live

Live

Plaza De Funk - Anzac Eve

Live Music

Light Blue Yvie

THE CLUBHOUSE

MINT GARDEN BAR

DIGRESS

Presented by Electrosex. 9pm.

Doubt: a parable

Winner of the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Presented by Free Rain.

Something Different

COURTYARD STUDIO, CTC

Trivia Night

Dance

THE PHOENIX PUB

Hospitality Sundays

10pm ‘til late with DJ TJ. Free entry, free pool and discounted drinks.

CUBE NIGHTCLUB

Live

Joels Geeky Trivia, Drag Bingo. 7.30pm.

Fame Trivia 7.30pm.

DIGRESS

Tuesday Movie Night

You choose a deckchair, they’ll choose a movie. Drink and pizza specials by Bicicletta Cafe.

In the garden from 5pm.

Super Best Friends

Freyja’s Rain

TRANSIT BAR

CHARLIE BLACKS

Launch their new EP. 8pm, $10 entry.

Acclaimed Irish singer-songwriter Roesy brings a canon of instant classics. With James Fahy. $10.

THE FRONT CAFE AND GALLERY

Tix through Moshtix.

Arts

Fame Trivia

Doubt: a parable

A BITE TO EAT CAFE

From 7.30pm.

Something Different

Karaoke Love

Fine folk stylings with a didgeridoo. 5-7.

Sunday Arvo Trivia From 2.30pm.

THE DURHAM

Croon and wail your heart out on the Transit stage. 9pm start.

TRANSIT BAR

THE DURHAM

wednesday april 25

monday april 23

Arts

Arts Doubt: a parable

Winner of the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Presented by Free Rain.

COURTYARD STUDIO, CTC

Dance Biscuits

Post-weekend sounds from Ryz, Peekz, Kimosabi, Steve On Weekends and more. 9pm, free.

TRANSIT BAR

Live The Fuelers Present The Bootleg Sessions

The Beer Cactus, The Wheel of Fate, Gringo Bingo and more. 8pm.

THE PHOENIX PUB

Alex Hallahan & The Woodland Hunters Mixing music genres and the human condition into an intoxicating soundtrack of life. $10/$8. 7pm.

THE FRONT CAFE AND GALLERY

tuesday april 24 Arts

Latino Wednesdays 9pm.

MONKEY BAR

Hippo Live

THE FRONT CAFE AND GALLERY

Dance

Comedy

DJ Fergus 9pm.

Ross Noble: Nonsensory Overload

HELLENIC CLUB IN THE CITY

Princi & Celebrity Sex Tape HIPPO LOUNGE

Cube Saturdays

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

10pm ‘til 5am with DJs Matt & Pete.

Two for one drinks and free entry until 11pm.

CUBE NIGHTCLUB

Jemist

With The Only.

Deep blue cheese. Hazardous content.

ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB

KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE

Purple Sneakers

Krafty Kuts

$25 before 10pm.

TRINITY BAR

TRANSIT BAR

HIPPO LOUNGE

Cheese & Hazan

Live

Muso’s Jam Night

Shockone

Big Bang Saturday

All you need to bring is your instruments and friends.

P J O’REILLY’S, TUGGERANONG

Something Different

HIPPO LOUNGE

Presented by True Jungle Souljahs. With Buick, Riske, Delux, Tidy and more.

Los Chavos, DJ Alex Carder, DJ Rafa Chango. From 9pm.

REV

Effigy Presents Synthesis

THE CLUBHOUSE

Karaoke

Indie DJs from 10 ‘til late. $5 before midnight.

THE DURHAM

Princi

From 10pm.

BAR 32

Transit Trivia

Straight out of hipsterville, yo.

Flex your noggin. Table bookings essential. 7.30pm start.

KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE

DIGRESS

Feat. Electrocado, Will Marshall, Logman & Pstump and more. 8pm, $15 presale.

TRANSIT BAR

music, coffee

Bass, violin, looped vocals and a morning coffee. 10 – noon.

MOCAN AND GREEN GROUT, NEWACTON

TRANSIT BAR

thursday april 26

Doubt: a parable

COURTYARD STUDIO, CTC

Dance Cube Thursdays

THE FRONT CAFE AND GALLERY

Nathan Kleyn

CUBE NIGHTCLUB

The new kid on the block. From 8-10pm.

KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE

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CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

7.30pm, free.

Late late late night indie disco disco.

8pm, free entry.

Live

ComedyACT Open Mic 7.30pm, free.

Poetry Slam

Ministry of Sound Electro House Sessions

9pm ‘til 5am with DJ Pete. Two for one drinks ‘til 11pm plus free pool all night long.

Comedy

Two new shows added! Bookings 6275 2700.

COURTYARD STUDIO, CTC

Dance

Winner of the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Presented by Free Rain.

COURTYARD STUDIO, CTC

Ross Noble: Nonsensory Overload

Winner of the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Presented by Free Rain.

Dance

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE - GORMAN HOUSE

Winner of the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Presented by Free Rain.

Comedy

COURTYARD STUDIO, CTC

Arts

Doubt: a parable

saturday april 28

Doubt: a parable

Exhibition - When Wishing Still Worked

By Sister Wives. Running until May 12.

DIGRESS

Two new shows added! Bookings 6275 2700.

Winner of the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Presented by Free Rain.

Something Different

friday april 27

THE PHOENIX PUB

THE PHOENIX PUB

KING O’MALLEY’S, CIVIC

$10, 8pm.

UC REFECTORY

7.30pm.

Minh

Heuristic

Jumptown Swing Dancing Social

Lil Jon

NEWACTON COURTYARD

Trivia Night

5-8pm.

Roesy

The Toot Toot Toots 8pm.

Jazz covers band. 6pm.

OUT

aPRIL28

groovin the moo parkway drive digitalism the mountain goats ql2’s me right now ...and more!

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