BMA Mag 314 13 Nov 2008

THREE14 November 13.08

FROLICKING ABOUT AT FORESHORE

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FREE STUFF No funny stuff (not with my jokes...), just free stuff.

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editorial@bmamag.com Hugs and kisses.

Sonic Animation It’s that time of year again folks.

Get out your short shorts, slap on some fl uro zinc, and start doing squats each morning in preparation for this Summer’s assortment of dance music festivals. Kicking it off with a blitzkrieg-style “kapow!” is Stereosonic08. The freshest music festival showcasing the best electronic dance music and beyond, Stereosonic08 will be a music and digital arts extravaganza which promises to deliver the best sun-drenched festival. Performing for your insatiable desires will be an army of acts, including Sneaky Sound System, Paul Van Dyk, Carl Cox, Booka Shade (pictured), Infected Mushroom, Midnight Juggernauts, Faker, Pnau, Crookers, Kaz James, Carl Kennedy, Infusion, TV Rock, and a swaggerload more. We have two double passes to give away for any of the Sydney shows (Satellites v1.0 and v2.0 on Saturday November 22 and Satellites v3.0 and v4.0 on Friday November 28). To grab one, tell us which of these four Satellite performances you would like to attend, and why.

Teen Spirit The world’s biggest electronic music festival Global Gathering lands in Australia for the very fi rst time on Sunday November 30, featuring over 60 acts including the mighty Mark Ronson, Kraftwork and Gorillaz Sound System. Set across the Hordern Pavilion, Royal Hall of Industries and the Entertainment Quarter in Sydney, over seven massive stages

by Ministry of Sound, Future Entertainment and Godskitchen, this is sure to be an experience to remember. We have two VIP double passes to the event. To win, tell us your favourite dance track of all time. Tickets on sale now through Ticketek.

Going beyond the typical stereotypes of adolescence and its associated characters, the Sundance Film Festival hit American Teen follows fi ve teenagers facing the reality of high school. From the to-die-for guy to the queen bee, the jock, the music freak and the geek, this movie is fi lled with drama and The Breakfast Club-reminiscent discoveries to boot. American Teen sees the usual insecurities, cliques, jealousies, struggles with the future, and heartbreaks, but this time for fi ve very different points of views. Screening only at the movies from November 27, BMA has fi ve double passes to give away, thanks to our good friends at Paramount Vantage. If you’d like to take your high school sweetheart along to this fl ick for a bit of back-seat necking, simply tell us your favourite stereotype.

Get Up And Go

ABOVE AND BEYOND

Melbourne’s punk progs The Go Set have just released their fourth album Rising, solidifying their reputation as one of Australia’s budding punk thoroughbreds.

With its founding members brought up on everything from traditional Celtic and folk music to early seventies punk rock, and with a voice for political insight

and social conscience, the Go Set have trod a remarkable journey over the past years. Recorded with Jonathon Burnside (The Melvins, NOFX, Sleeping Jackson), Rising sees the group once again polishing their folk and Celtictinged punk which has drawn comparison with The Pogues, The Clash, Midnight Oil, Billy Bragg and Radio Birdman. Forays are also made into the realms of reggae and ska, showing the band's desire to constantly breath fresh air into their diverse catalogue. We have four copies of Rising to give away to you plucky young things. To grab one, tell us the name of another punk group who is similarly Celtic-inclined.

The Giveaway We Had to Have A wickedly clever musical on the life and times of Paul Keating, Keating! has taken Australia by storm, enjoying sold-out seasons, receiving numerous awards, rave reviews and standing ovations.

Part French farce, part Greek tragedy, and all Australian history, “the country soul opera we had to have” transports you back to a time less politically grey as it charts the rise, fall and rise again of an antique clock collector from Bankstown. Thanks to Madman Entertainment, we’ve got fi ve DVD packs to throw at all you people craving some political nostalgia. The packs also contain The War Room, looking at Bill Clinton’s campaign for offi ce, and Running With Arnold, a doco about Mr Schwarzenegger’s running for California Governor. To snap up a pack, tell whether you think Paul Keating has realised that he is no longer Prime Minister.

STRUTH BE TOLD An emu falling into a swimming pool, a sumo wrestler doing a stand-up, a Christian ska band, a cat singing Nirvana – no, it’s not my dreams last night, it’s just another day on YouTube. We’ve been high-fiving downloads for the best part of two years now – and isn’t it a testament to society just how quickly we’ll let such devices completely infi ltrate our lives. Just this morning I wandered into my share house kitchen to fi nd a note from one housemate to another saying ‘YouTube ‘cutest Scottish fold ever’ – I just melted.’ I guess it’s the new ‘do you want to watch a video?’

YouTube clips are like the mix CDs for the video world – a link of an octopus opening a bottle top can say so much more than words. I had a classic moment of YouTube misfi ring recently. Personally, I thought the Peter Russell Clarke blooper reel was the single funniest thing I’d ever seen, but taking it out of context and screening it for my girlfriend’s mother and flatmates, I realised the sentence “fuckin’ fry the cunts till they go black ya prick” could be a bit much.

YouTube at its best means I can watch fi lm clips to my favourite obscure bands and best of all, relive Australian TV ads from the ’80s. Seriously, you can have your trashy ’80s retro fashion all you want, but it can’t compare to the nostalgic sunburst of a sweaty moustached man windsailing in a desert for no apparent reason and then sculling a can of Solo. “Crunchie – change the colour of your day!” Little Ovalteenies running around. Even the Chomp chocolate bar had a low budget, fairly creepy puppet based ad of lumpily rendered strawberries screeching on. The best ad of all time though is for Snack Packs. Take a bunch of bored, hungry school kids, put them on BMXs in matching fl uoro tracksuits and have them end up in a Stanley Kubrick mod space chamber where little pods open up to reveal tubs of fl avoured custard.

Indeed,“if it wasn’t for Snack Packs, a kid’d starve!”

YouTube at its worst is a cesspool of poorly devised footage and hauntingly cult television that attracts a virtual knife-fight of abhorrently homophobic and integrity-free vom-comments. Seriously, I’ve never seen so many manners get left at home – people should wash out their fingers with soap! It seems that anything subtly comedic or vaguely ambiguous gets attacked the most. And they are my genres! I’m So Post Modern got served.

Check out this intellectual nugget from ‘Reaperman2004’: “JESUS CHRIST THIS GUYS SHIT...People think this is funny??? this was beyond lame... this was just a joke... and I mean that in the derogatory sense of the word. I hope this guy becomes bankrupt from writing this crap... Bedroom philosopher...he should ponder the meaning of his own damn life and figure out what’s wrong with it. No actually - I was right...

If this is what is considered funny then the australian sense of humour is fucking doomed....No wonder australians are looked on as sad pathetic beings... their comedy routines and sitcoms suck.”

Who knew John McCain had an account?

Thankfully Davidsbass3 comes to our rescue: “ever thought that maybe it’s because your sense of humour sucks? And maybe WE don’t take things so seriously. Take a leaf out of our books. and we’re not ALL like this, you dim-witted stereotypical moron.”

Seriously guys, get a chat room!

YouTube can be a wonderful thing. But make sure you download the ‘grain of salt’ application. Remember what your mother used to say about watching too much TV? Don’t think this is some loophole – you’re gonna get rectangle eyes!

JUSTIN HEAZLEWOOD www.bedroomphilosopher.com The Bedroom Philosopher will be performing at the Comedy Tent at Trackside on Saturday November 22. Get involved!

NEWS

The Young and the Wrestlers

For Peats Sake!

A Canberra-created documentary following a group of Canberran professional wrestlers will screen this November at Dendy Cinemas in the Canberra Centre. The Young and the Wrestlers is directed by David Farrell who, a little while back, saw a wrestling poster in Civic and realised that although he was a wrestling fan, he had no idea there was a wrestling community in Canberra. After befriending some of the Canberran members of the Pro Wrestling Alliance (PWA), David proposed fi lming them for three months, which then ballooned out to more than six months as more and more drama unfolded in the lead up to Clash in the Capital – the biggest show of the year. This extremely engaging and intriguing look into the littleknown, but extremely thriving, wrestling scene in Canberra will premiere on November 20, with sessions at 6:30pm and 9:30pm.

Quick becoming a major player in the NYE festival fi eld, the Peats Ridge Festival have just released their third and fi nal release of tickets. Running from Monday December 29 to Thursday January 1 at Glenworth Valley NSW, this year’s festival will host a Jacobean feast of acts, including Salmonella Dub, ARIA award winning Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunipingu, Jon Cleary, Frightened Rabbit, Mamadou Diabate, Hermitude, Bluejuice, the Fumes, The Temper Trap, King Tide, Snop Scrilla, Cloud Control, The Hands, Skipping Girl Vinegar and many, many more, including a fi nal announcement on November 17. The Festival will also feature roving performers and site installations, an array of workshops, markets and food stalls, a Healing Haven of Bliss area, an Ecoliving Village and the Indigenous Boardi Space.

Both season and day passes are available, so go get yourself sorted, OK?

A Golden Shower In case the smorgasbord of summer festivals hasn’t yet turned you into a blabbering mess of desire and excitement, then the fi rst announcement of the Golden Plains festival may well tip you over the edge. Returning for its third year, and on the back of winning Best Festival at the recent Australian Festival Awards, 2009’s Golden Plains will give on a platter to you, dear reader, none other than the likes of Mogwai, Tony Allen, Gary Numan (did you know he’s also a pilot?), Black Mountain, Of Montreal, The Drones, The Church and You Am I, to name but a few. Held at the Meredith Supernatural Ampitheatre, Meredith, Victoria, from March 7-9 2009, this is one deserving of your coin.

What a Relief!

A moving photographic exhibition will soon be coming through Canberra, opening a window on Australia’s international disaster response in the Asia Pacifi c region. Relief in Sight – Australia’s International Disaster Response in Pictures, will pass through Canberra between November 26 and December 30, with exhibitions at Tuggeranong Hypdedome (November 26– December 12) and Westfi eld Woden (December 16 – 30).

The exhibition is an initiative of the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) and associated NG partners, and is comprised of 68 compelling and confronting photographs that capture the impact of natural disasters and other humanitarian emergencies as well as offering an insight into the crucial role of Australian aid workers and volunteers in the initial response and longer-term rebuilding process. The success of this exhibition has seen its tour continue for over two years, so be sure to get along and support this eye-opening display.

A Steamy Affair This November, Serious Theatre will transform the Street Theatre into a living room from the 1950s, where you will be able to re-live the ecstasy of radio-play broadcasts in the all-live radio drama Oceans All Boiled Into Sky.

Baby Come Back Legendary Californian singer/ songwriter Chris Isaak is set to continue his long-running love affair with Australian audiences with a March 2009 national concert tour announced recently.

That’s right, love affair. He’s talking to you, you sexy thang.

The San Franciscan native has just released a brand new album Live In Australia (Universal Music), recorded during his Best Of Tour in 2006. Known for his wonderfully entertaining stage presence, the charismatic performer and his band of 20 years is recognised by such classics such as Wicked Game, Baby Did A Bad Bad Thing, Somebody’s Crying and Blue Hotel. Live In Australia is no less intoxicating with its mix of humour, good times and great songs. The suave crooner will play at the AIS Arena on Tuesday March 17.

Three Bands in a Boat

The creation of David Finnigan, this road trip/coming of age story is set in the nation’s capital after the Earth’s oceans have boiled into clouds of steam.

Year 11 student Mack Finch is preparing for his driving test when he is kidnapped by a priest and co-opted into a desperate band of guerrillas, being forced not only to face the horrors of the steam-apocalypse, but also to face his own feelings for the girl who rejected him at his Year 10 Formal. So come on and join director Barb Barnett and a team of actors, animators and visual artists on this journey from the dragonfly-plagued jungle of the Tuggeranong Parkway to the terrifying heights of Black Mountain. The show’s stint will run from November 26-29 at the Street Theatre.

After strutting their stuff offshore in some of the music industry’s most exciting cities and venues, this December will see The Boat People, The Seabellies and Washington return to Australia and unite for their collective ‘Home Sweet Home Tour’. 2008 has seen the return of The Boat People, launching their second album Chandeliers earlier this year, on the back of the successful, infectious fi rst singleAwkward Orchid Orchard.

The second half of the year, in particular, has seen the band leap to the forefront of the Australian indie music scene with endless and near-flawless reviews of the single, the album and their charismatic live shows.

Washington, meanwhile, has just released her debut single Clementine, as well as picking up the ‘Jazz Vocal of the Year’ award at this year’s Bell Awards. The tour will fl oat by Transit Bar on Thursday December 4.

THE BOAT PEOPLE

AND ANOTHER THING...

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 GENUINE SPELLINGS.

I write this issue’s column for you though I can barely see the screen as I type. Why? Because tears are streaming down my face having seen my pick for this year’s Melbourne Cup, Honolulu, fi nish the race in a different postcode to the winner Viewed. Last in fact. I’m writing this piece topless, as I did indeed put my shirt on the horse, and a cold wind tickles the hairs under my armpits as I type, each follicle a frosty reminder of what a prize mug I’ve been.

It wasn’t always thus, however, I like a punt, in fact I like two or three, and I’m often reminded of the Squeeze song Up The Junction,“the devil came and took me/from bar to street to bookie” as I leave the safety of the pub on my way to the Trans Australian Bank, intent on making a deposit. When I was your age, it didn’t seem so satanic, however, and I avoided having to get a job at university by judicious punting; nothing extravagant of course, but enough to keep me in cider and baked beans for the duration, which surely rates as a result when compared with donning a pair of polyester slacks and selling electrical appliances to make ends meet.

You meet the world in betting shops. For a while after deciding the music industry was killing me in the late nineties I managed betting shops in North London, and, whilst it wasn’t the most pleasant of jobs – very long hours, very little pay, you certainly met a few characters. Our favourite regular was known only to staff and punters alike as ‘John the Bull’, a man generally insensible to drink by lunchtime who regarded himself as the shop’s unoffi cial ambassador. He would greet newcomers with a cloud of fumes and a short bow, followed by a slurred and heavily accented “welcome to our betting shop”. If prospective new punters weren’t repulsed by his Calibanic appearance and otherworldly stench, they were generally welcomed to our little community. Like many of our poorer punters, he was always fi rst to get the drinks in when he had a winner, even though, as we found later, he was what the local constabulary referred to as NFA – no fi xed abode. This never seemed to get the man down however – the money he saved in rent could clearly be better spent on the geegees, though never the dogs. Oh no. As John regularly explained to anyone who would listen, greyhound racing could only ever be made to appeal to him if monkeys – wearing a fez and ‘brocade waistcoat’- were strapped to their backs to ride them. And who wouldn’t pay decent money to see that?

I later found out that John had given many years service in the Royal Navy and never really took to life ashore. He went missing shortly after getting into trouble with the police for rummaging around in people’s bins (one of our other regulars was convinced he’d been following him home and sleeping in his garden. It turned out he was right), never to be seen again. The last time I saw him he was celebrating having backed Rogan Josh in the 1999 Melbourne Cup (two pound each way), by placing a two pound coin on the counter and telling me to “get the boys a drink”, despite the fact that all my staff that day were female. We never heard from him again, but every now and then when I’m laying down my lobster, I put a coupla bucks on for John the Bull. I certainly could have done with his advice today…

SCOTT ADAMS thirtyyearsofrnr@hotmail.com

bma :: Issue314 www.bmamag.com "bma: written under duress."

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.

The following outstanding examples of our species have really, truly, pissed me right the fuck off: Firstly, to the crack hoes at the southside nursing home who chucked a sickie on the Monday, just so they can have an extra long weekend on the Tuesday in November, I hope youse are satisfi ed now because my mum had to be called in to cover your shifts, on the one day I was visiting her from interstate.

Still can’t believe how spineless management was to believe your pissweak excuses for not showing up. About the only medical condition you genuinely have is that your index fi ngers are stuck permanently up your fat, lazy arses.

And secondly, to the selfi sh, arrogant fuckwits who park their cars in the disabled parking spots for no reason other than they don’t want to get their cars damaged. I sincerely hope that the next time you decide to take away a disabled carpark from someone who genuinely needs it, your vehicles are introduced to a stray shopping trolley, a housekey along the side or even better, a bottle of brake fl uid. That’s about the only way that it will ever get through to that lump of dog shit currently pulling double shift as your brain that disabled carparks are for disabled drivers,

not insecure yuppie wankers overcompensating with their choice of daily transport.

Both of these turdmunchers have really, truly, pissed me off.

To the arseholes that live across the road from me, words cannot explain the immense loathing I feel for you. You piss me off, EVERY DAY! Please, by all means, start your shitty cars at 7am and 12am and 2am and 5 ‘fuck you’ am, revving them for 10 minutes loudly for no reason, and just go back into your dirty house. Please, play your crappy music at all hours of the day or night, LOUDER if you will...please, have all your arsehole friends around for a party starting at 11pm on a working night, yelling profanity in the streets for all the children that live near you to hear. PLEASE DO BOGAN SCUM, because it means I WILL be even more pissed off, and I WILL put bricks through all of your shitty windscreens, either that, or I’m going to call the cops, and tell them you sell drugs. PS you look like a dickhead on that mini dirt bike that you ride around our

street. No one thinks you’re cool.

Do yourself a favour Bogan’s and get your fucking cars fi xed (the fact that your car sounds like a F100, when it clearly isn’t is not a good thing).

FROM THE BOSSMAN So am I the only one who wanted McCain to win? I am?

Well thank Christ for that, then. It’s amazing what you’ll pledge allegiance to when in the depths of an ether binge.

After this edition, there’s only two more BMAs until the end of the year. How’s that for an alarming stat? And as we hurtle in a frankly alarming fashion towards 2009, our world is suddenly a very different place. We have a new black president, a new male (a bloody male if you can believe that) New Zealand Prime Minister, a vastly different ACT government and a strangely unifying fi nancial situation (I refuse to call it a crisis; that’sso mainstream media). And, of course, men’s top lips are sprouting hair. Or trying to, in my case.

Well, you can keep your bastard Movember. It’s all about Bearduary for me. Now that’s a MAN’s month. If I start now, I should have a semihealthy plumage by then.

So belt up and prepare for an entertaining few months ahead. I’m sure 2008, and its sordid offspring 2009, will have some interesting nuggets for us. ALLAN “PUTTING THE DYSLEXIC BMA IN OBAMA” SKO

Fax: 02 6257 4361 Mail: PO Box 713 Civic Square, ACT 2608 Publisher Scott Layne General Manager & Advertising Manager Allan Sko: T: (02) 6257 4360 E: advertising@bmamag.com Editor Ben Hermann: T: (02) 6257 4456 E: editorial@bmamag.com Accounts Manager Fahim Shahnoor : T: (02) 6247 4816 E: accounts@bmamag.com

Super Sub Editor Julia Winterfl ood Graphic Design Jenny Freeman Film Editor Mark Russell Principal Photographers (The Flashbulb Posse) Andrew Mayo/Nick Brightman/John Hatfi eld Issue 315 Out November 27 Editorial Deadline November 14 Advertising Deadline November 20

bma magazine 9

TIDBITS

Send in the clowns, drown in the wine; sway with the glamour and dance with me ‘til the end of love! Returning again in 2008 thanks to the Kiss Club is the Pink and Black Jester Ball.

Like a traditional masquerade ball, the Pink and Black Jester Ball with be a festive toast to the WHO PINK AND BLACK spirit of art and celebration of the imagination. Throughout the night you’ll be able to feast JESTER BALL upon a variety of delightfully sinful acts, including [draw deep breath…] Lloyd Allison-Young, WHAT Sydney DJ Trevor Brown (Gypsy Dub Soundsystem), the Andi and George band, burlesque WINE, CLOWNS performances from the Magnificent Liberte Bell, a swather of beautiful bodies from Min WHERE Mae’s Tableaux Mouvant, Butoh performances from Little Dove Theatre Art, and the launch of ALBERT HALL new lines from five local designers, all inspired by love and Little Dove Theatre Art. The Pink WHEN FRI NOV 21 and Black Jester Ball takes play on Friday November 21 at Albert Hall, from 7pm onwards, and is 18+. Tickets are $35 from Landspeed Records and the Front Gallery and Café, Lyneham.

WHO JEN CLOHER WHAT COUNTRY FOLK WHEre THE FRONT, LYNEHAM WHEn SAT NOV 22

It’s been almost two years since Australia heard anything from that delightful siren Jen Cloher, but this November she will return with her band The Endless Sea, to co-headline a run of intimate shows with fellow Melbournian (and siren, no doubt), Laura Jean. Over the past year, Jen has been writing her sophomore LP, scheduled for release in early 2009.

Recorded live over seven days at Woodstock Studios Melbourne, the album was engineered

by Paul McKercher (Augie March, Sarah Blasko) and produced by Laura and Jen Cloher.

Drawing on the powerful guitar driven sounds they have developed in their live shows, the first single Hidden Hands sits on the brink of discomfort with Cloher’s confessional vocal delivery offset to angular guitar noise, a pounding rhythm section, bold brass arrangements and an apocalyptic choir. So to get all your apocalypse/siren fixes, head along to the Front Gallery and Café, Lyneham, on Saturday November 22 at 7:00pm. Tickets on the door.

WHO ANDI & GEORGE BAND WHAT THREE HOUR SET WHERE HOLY GRAIL, CIVIC WHEN SAT NOV 15

On the back of their performance at this year’s Dreaming Festival, one of Canberra’s most talented, inspiring and loved groups, The Andi & George Band, are gearing up for a long summer in their modified 36-seater coach. However, before touring the east coast of Australia, including appearances at the Folk, Rhythm & Life Festival and the Woodford Folk Festival, the group will treat their Canberra fans to a three hour set at the Holy Grail this Saturday. Now split between Canberra and the South Coast, the group are very active in organising fundraisers to protect old growth forests in Tasmania as well as on the South Coast region. They are also staunch advocates for recognition of indigenous sovereignty, among a long list of other worthy causes. The group will play on Saturday November 15 at the Holy Grail, Civic. Doors open at 7:00pm with the band starting at 8:00pm. Entry is $10, with donations to their ‘survival fund’ welcome.

WHO BARREL OF MONKEYS WHAT ROCK FAREWELL WHERE THE BASEMENT WHEN SAT Nov 15

Canberra’s most loved cross-dressing weirdos, Barrel of Monkeys, are returning on Saturday November 15 at the Basement, for a John Farnham-style farewell show. After slipping out of the scene quietly almost 18 months ago, the band have decided to play one last show to appease the appetites of fans and haters alike. “Basically we didn’t feel as if we had put closure on the Barrel of Monkeys saga, and secretly I think we are all in need of little ego stroking” explained bassist Chris Gwilt. The night will feature interstate acts Voltera (Melb), Soma (Syd) and LA-bound, Sydney band, Our Last Enemy, who are heading to the US next year to record their debut album with renowned industrial metal producer Christian Olde Wolbers (Fear Factory, Threat Signal, Mnemic, Bleed The Sky, God Forbid). Also playing on the night are local heavyweights and renowned sex-addicts Gasma. So come along for a night of debaucherous hyperactivity and send these irrepressible monkey boys off in style.

WHO SHOCKWAVE II WHAT DUBSTEP NIGHT WHERE MERCURY BAR WHEN SAT NOV 28

Canberra’s premier dubstep event, Shockwave, will return to Canberra this November to once again send a rumble through Canberra’s dry turf. Shockwave II is set to cause a ruckus, bringing together Canberra’s best DJs and MCs, along with a cast of very special guests, including Bec Paton, Buick, Crooked Sound System, Bowl and Scissors and Harlequin MC. Bec Paton has been drawing increasing attention in the Australian Dubstep scene recently, mentioning, when invited to play Shockwave II, that “I have so much dope new stuff that I can play…” The sound system has been boosted and refined and will produce maximum pressure and chestplate ‘bizness’. Make no mistake, you will feel the air moving. Shockwave II will go down at Mercury Bar, Northbourne Avenue, on November 28. Entry is $5 before 10pm.

WHO CASSETTE KIDS WHAT INDIE RADNESS WHERE TRANSIT BAR WHEN THURS NOV 20

Those deliciously indie-dance trendoids, Cassette Kids, will rip up the Transit Bar later this month when they pass through Canberra on their 15-date national tour to celebrate the release of their recently-released mini-album, We Are. Live, Cassette Kids’ explosive indie guitar fuzz causes sweat-drenched hysteria, as captivating vocalist Katrina Noorbergen stamps and stomps her way around stage, hollering through a blur of blonde hair. Noorbergen is backed by three strapping gents, chiming in with dizzying lead guitar effects, impetuous bass solos and gappoling drums. Perhaps the hardest-working band in Sydney, they have already clocked up innumerable gigs both locally and nationally and their burgeoning reputation has seen them support some of the hottest international and homegrown talent. The group’s tour bus will pass by Transit Bar on Thursday November 20. Entry is free.

7 Akuna St

Canberra City

ALL SHOWS FREE ENTRY

bma magazine PH/FAX 6162 0899 / transitbar@gmail.com | www.myspace.com/transitbar

11

PNAU or never!

Josh Brown Life is currently pretty sweet for Nick Littlemore, the shaggy-haired frontman of Sydney-based dance outfit PNAU. He is a man in extremely high demand. When not busy packing out dancefl oors across the globe to the groovy tunes of his group’s hugely successful recent eponymous album, Littlemore spends his time collaborating with a diverse range of artists. Emerging Kiwi new wave sensation Ladyhawke, phenomenal Sleepy Jackson vocalist Luke Steele and the Rocket Man himself, Sir Elton John, have all crossed musical paths with Littlemore in the past year. Littlemore somehow managed to find a tiny slice of time in his busy schedule to write to BMA about lyrical meanings, touring and relocating to the UK. Commencing triple j’s Hottest 100 this year with a bang, Wild Strawberries is a psychedelic ode to, er, well, it’s not very clear. With hard to decipher lyrics like “I’d rather go and pick some of those wild… strawberries! Come pick ’em up”, Littlemore offers an explanation behind the meaning of the song. “It’s a fun song about finding something that changes the way you see things,” Littlemore elaborates.

“To enter a new space like playing on the fields of the nephilim [offspring of humans and sons of god mentioned in the Bible, according to Wikipedia. WTF?]. Most of our songs are based in reality but get twisted somewhere along the way and always with a hint of sexuality or humanity,” he continues.

One of the most popular tracks from 2007’s PNAU, Embrace teams Littlemore and partner Peter Mayes with Pip Brown, otherwise known as New Zealand’s own electropop star Ladyhawke. The result is a match made in heaven. With its booty shaking-inducing beat and soaring chorus, Littlemore tells me that Embrace is a song about love. “It’s a duplicitous song – (about) both the love for a friend and the greater love for the world outside,” he offers. “In those moments when you seek the night out and your energy levels rise from nowhere to take you on a flight beyond imagination.”

All Aussie Pnau fans will be sad to hear that Littlemore and Mayes have now relocated to the other side of the world and have set up shop in the UK. “London is our home now,” Littlemore confirms. To avoid homesickness, the pair packed “our cases full of cuddly koalas and seafood.” Who knows how they managed to slip that past Customs!

“Over here we can drive to the top of the UK and then drive to France the next morning,” Littlemore says when asked to expand on the benefits of living in the mother country. “The world over here is much closer together than what we have experienced in Australia. There are more people over here so there are greater collections of things like art and artifacts,” he says, revealing his fondness for European culture. “Also shows that won’t come to Australia are on here every other week.”

“Being around real artists (like Elton John) is like going to university. 'Caus in this biz, you can't train in an institution, it's all street knowledge.”

Another advantage to living in the UK for the Pnau boys is being in close proximity to one of their biggest fans, Sir Elton John. John reportedly became a fan of the band after hearing tracks from PNAU. He then proceeded to sing the album’s praises to many in the UK music industry, including the Scissor Sisters and Lily Allen. Littlemore is humbly appreciative of the support from one of the UK’s biggest recording artists. “All I have seen from Sir Elton is support and kindness,” he says gratefully. “The will to create is extremely strong within him and we have been lucky enough to learn much more about this enigmatic man,” Littlemore reveals. “Being around real artists (like John) is like going to university. ’Cause in this biz you can’t train in an institution, it’s all street knowledge.”

The future is looking bright for Littlemore. His chilled out and dreamy collaboration with Luke Steele, Empire of the Sun, is fast gaining momentum and Pnau have been playing to packed crowds the world over for most of this year. Littlemore will also perform in Canberra under the Pnau moniker as part of the insanely awesome Foreshore lineup in late November. As for the future, Littlemore and Mayes are currently working on material for their next album. “It sounds like Burt Bacharach.

All lovely piano and melancholy,” he confides. “The music will reach the people when the time is right, that’s all I can say,” he adds mysteriously. If the sound of songs like Wild Strawberries and Embrace is anything to go by, Pnau’s performance at Foreshore will be anything but melancholy.

Expect a dance riot!

PNAU play at Foreshore on Saturday November 29. Joining them will be The Presets, Sasha, Above & Beyond, Dukes of Windsor, Galvatrons, 16 Bit Lolitas, Skool of Thought, Mission Control, Kazu Kimura, and many more. Final release tickets are $89.95+bf from Ticketek, moshtix, Landspeed Records, Parliament Clothing and www.inthemix.com

bma magazine 13

ALL AGES

That’s right kiddies, there’s a new sheriff in town, and yes I am one of you, a mere juvenile in this here world of cranky old grown-ups. So prepare yourselves young-’uns, wherever a restless, pre-

pubescent, pimply faced young man and/or woman sits aimlessly, staring into the distance hoping for an ear full of their favourite bebop, classical, folk, jazz-fusion, hard rock, heavy metal, opera, dance, techno, ragtime, soul, swing, punk, pop, rock and/or tribal drums, it is I who will swing in on my jungle-type vine to the rescue! So sit down, shut up and read for goodness' sake. Besides, your brain could use the exercise for once. So let’s get cracking.

First up, the second ever Trackside is fast approaching and with a truly epic lineup you’d be nuts to miss it. Performing will

be The Living End, Gyroscope, Cut Copy, The Panics, Bliss n Eso, British India, Something With Numbers, The Getaway Plan, Carpathian, Sparkadia, and many, many more amazing acts. Not to forget the Sidetracked Dance Arena, the Comedy Stage, PWA Wrestlers, outdoor cinema, carnival rides, market stalls and of course the international food fair. So don’t miss it, or else I will hunt you down, and trust me, I will fi nd you. Trackside will be held at Thoroughbred Park on Saturday November 22, tickets are $85.30 and available from Landspeed Records, Stocks, Ticketek and

www.moshtix.com.au but be sure to grab them soon, otherwise your little heart may shatter into a million tiny pieces from the disappointment of missing out.

Wollongong band, Never See Tomorrow, one of the most brilliant hardcore bands to come from our great sunburnt land are also preparing to jump on the Tuggeranong Community Centre on November 22, coinciding with Trackside. So if you by some awful act of fate, you can’t make it to Trackside, drag yourselves down to Tuggers for a few hours of throat-wrenching and mind numbing metal. The boys will be supported by As Silence Breaks and The Bride, and tickets are $12.

Ruiner, I Heard These Dudes are Ass Holes… no, I didn’t really hear that they were assholes, in fact; they seem perfectly decent young men, that’s just the name of their latest record, in light of which these fi ve strapping young lads are oiling their squeaking joints, combing their hair and polishing their boots to take the stage at the Tuggeranong Youth Centre on November 13. Their brand of music is loud, passionate and energetic so be there, or be square. And believe you me, it’s bad to be square.

It’s been a long time coming, but fi nally the beloved Wollongong boys, Mary Jane Kelly are gearing up to take the stage at the Tuggeranong Community Centre in support of their brand new single, Our Streets Turn White.

Consisting of a self-confessed melodramatic frontman, a metal head guitarist still working at the local steakhouse, school boy drummer, and a refrigerator mechanic bassist, these four handsome young men are set to have hearts fl uttering with their epically gnarly live show. The group have shared the stage with such bands as A Wilhelm Scream, Bring Me the Horizon, Parkway Drive, I Killed the Prom Queen, and Carpathian, just to name a few. So make sure you keep an eye on Mary Jane Kelly as they’re sure to have tongues wagging.

The boys will be supported by The Abandonment and A Fallen Theory; tickets are just $20 at the door on November 15. Get that up ya.

LIZZY LIZ-LIZ ROWLEY elizabeth_rowley@live.com.au

LOCALITY Without art, the crudeness of reality would make the world unbearable.

- George Bernard Shaw Earlier this month I went to view Gods, Ghosts and Men, an exhibition of Pacifi c art at the National Gallery. What struck me was that a lot of the pieces had a functional, not just decorative, role. What appeared to be totem poles, for instance, were in fact carved support beams for a house. Even those sculptures that were purely fi gurative had an important part in initiation rites and the telling of an area’s history. In contrast to contemporary Australia, it feels like the visual arts are playing a more and more diminished role in people’s lives. Where are our famous artists? Art is frequently supplanted by ‘graphic design’ – the only large scale works most of us see regularly are on the sides of buses or highways, imploring us to buy something.

For many people, the album cover was one of the remaining places they came into contact with art – that too is quickly disappearing as people opt for the convenience of downloading music. If you believe, like I do, that we need art in our lives (for our eyes and not just our ears), what are we going to do about it? Something to ponder anyway, dear readers, while we attend this fortnight’s bevy of shows: The Andi and George Band, by their own admission, have been a bit quiet of late. That’s all about to change – the talented devils have landed a slot at the Woodford Folk Festival and are getting back in fi ghting shape with a bunch of gigs around town. The fi rst will beSaturday November 15 at the Holy Grail in Civic. $10 will get you in to see one of the hottest, grooviest bands playing around the national capital at present.

Of course, if you prefer your music on the heavier side, fear not! Don’t call it a comeback, but Saturday November 15 will see Barrel Of Monkeys playing their fi rst show in over 18 months. Head on over to The Basement with a tenner in hand and make sure to get there by 8pm so you can also catch Voltera (Melb), Our Last Enemy (Syd), Soma (Syd) and the mighty GASMA. Speaking of comebacks – after the great success of last year, The Jester Ball is returning. Re-dubbed The Pink & Black Jester Ball, it will be “a festive toast to the spirit of art and the celebration of the imagination”. There will be music (including the once dormant, now ubiquitous Andi and George Band, Trevor Brown of the Gypsy Dub Sound System and Lloyd Allison-Young), fashion shows, performances (including a repeat turn from Min Mae’s Tableaux Vivant crew) and a photographic exhibition. In short, something for everyone in the decadent surrounds of the Albert Hall. Plus, you get to wear a mask! I’ll see you there Friday November 21 at 7pm.

Congrats to Hancock Basement on winning Triple J’s Unearthed Trackside Festival competition! They are now joining the likes of The Living End, Cut Copy, The Panics, Grafton Primary, Little Red and oodles more (didja hear there’s gonna be wrestlers?). Saturday November 22 will go down in history – where will you be? And if all that ain’t enough, head over to Transit Bar afterwards for the offi cial Trackside afterparty with DJ Bonez (Muph & Plutonic), D’Opus and more, spinnin’ tracks well into the night.

Be sure to listen out all this month for Using Three Words on 104.7 as they play songs from the band’s forthcoming debut. The lads have pulled out the big guns for this one – they recorded the album with no less than Anton Hagop of Silverchair and Powderfi nger fame.

Where can you pick up a copy of this little gem, I hear you ask? Why, they’ll be launching it at ANU Bar on November 28 with a little help from their friends D’Opus & Roshambo, Tonk and Alta Volante.

Finally, a heads-up for all local bands – Indyfest 2009 will be on Saturday March 7. Any acts interested in playing should get in touch with Bruce Ryan quick smart on 0400398784.

Until next time, dear readers, it’s been real.

LUKE MCGRATH lukemcgrath@hotmail.com bma magazine 15

DANCE: THE DROP

My fi rst thought when taking over this column was "how do I fi ll the size 10 British racing green Air Max Elites of one Mr Allan Sko?" The truth is I can’t as he is as irreplaceable as ozone and ah, well I’m a size 13. It’s hard to give someone a worthwhile tribute in ink so if you will, could you all please close your eyes and imagine a photo montage of Allan slowly scrolling across the back of your eyelids to the tune of DJ Hype’s Look to the Future. Speaking of drum and bass, the much revered TJS Crew are saying farewell to Canberra on Friday November 14 at the Holy Grail with Summerslam, an all ages gig labelled ‘the D&B party of the year’ featuring international heavyweights Danny Byrd and the Brookes Brothers direct from the UK along with local deck wizads Buick, Escha, Ben Jammin, Karton and Dred.

2008 is most defi nitely the year of the music festival; we have more of these things popping up around the country than abortive luxury soft roaders on Kennedy St. Luckily we have a plethora of talented promoters in our small city who bring an overfl owing sack of quality acts down our chimneys like a neon Santa Claus. Trackside brings another stellar lineup to the fray with massive names such as Muph & Plutonic, Cut Copy, Bliss N Eso and Grafton Primary rocking the racetrack at Thoroughbred Park on Saturday November 22.

Foreshore, or ‘Glastonberra’ to last year’s attendees, is headlined this year by ARIA winning loose cannons The Presets, PNAU and UK progressive fanboy god Sasha on the shores of Lake Burley Griffin on Saturday November 29. Massive fl uoro sunglasses, check. Decorative headband, check. 24 hour party clock set to zero, check. Let’s festival.

Roll up, roll up, get your club nights here! The late night leviathans at Pang are bringing us another mixed bag of aural entertainment in November with Klaus Heavyweight Hill and Jonny Rad getting their hussle on starting at 10pm on November 14 followed by DJ Funk (Chicago) & Will Styles (Funktrust DJs) on Saturday November 22 all going down at Lot 33.

Mercury Bar is setting itself up as an underground favourite with A Night of Prog on November 21 featuring King James, Beat It, Hubert, Alexxx, Peekz, Steve Sobvleski and C.L.I followed by Shockwave II, Canberra’s premier dubstep event on November 28 highlighted by the return of the mighty Bec Paton, supports are Buick, Crooked Sound System, Bowl and Scissors and Harlequin MC. Academy have Acid Jacks bringing their trademark electro madness to the old cinema on Friday November 14 supported by DJ Kiz and Tim Galvin follwed by Baltimore Bangers Act Yo Age stepping up at Love Saturdays supported by Tim Galvin and Ashley Feraude. These guys have been tipped as the Hottest S**T to hit the scene since sliced Vegemite so it’s not one you would want to tell your grandkids you missed.

Swinging on through November, the Rockout boys at Monkey Bar have another strong month ahead starting with MDX (the artist formerly known as Mark Dynamix) on the 8th , James Ash (from Rogue Traders fame) returning on the 15th and the very sexy Anna Lunoe from the Bumblebeez making her Canberra debut on the 22nd. All events supported by resident DJs Trent Richardson, DJ Kiz, DJ B-tham and some guy called Tim Galvin. Entry is a paltry $10.

Until next edition, hit me at tim.galvin@live.com.au with any future gig info and just remember kids to drink your alcopops in moderation and for the love of god say no to glowsticks.

TIM GALVIN tim.galvin@live.com.au

BRIMFUL OF SASHA Graham Walker Technology: It’s allowed DJs to come a long way since merely jockeying vinyl discs, and like the rest of us with iPods, digital cameras, internet porn and USB vibrators, it’s still taking us lazy, easily-led humans a while to fi nd that balance of technology versus person. In the DJing realm, technology’s meant computer assisted mixing – most notably the Ableton software – and like other technology it’s getting that balance right that’s tricky, something DJ legend SASHA has strived to fi nd.

Sasha was amongst the fi rst to embrace new technology – hardly surprising for a DJ who’s proven more deadly cutting-edge than Death’s own scythe. He was there when UK dance music began as a punter but quickly started providing the music, spring-boarding off his musical upbringing and psychic fl air for reading a dancefl oor’s mind.

It scored him a residency with Renaissance and here he teamed with John Digweed. Together they created 1994’s seminal Renaissance: The Mix Collection (credited by some as the UK’s first DJ mix CD) and the Northern Exposure series – the rest is, and will be, history.

The recent history has been just as pioneering as the whole journey – a term regularly attached to Sasha’s DJ sets – with the lad releasing Invol2ver and pushing new limits with Ableton as a globetrotting DJ. Both have found that balance of technology versus person, but with Ableton DJing Sasha admits it hasn’t come simply. “You’re constantly updating it, playing around and pushing it forward,” he says. “You come up with new effects, combos. It gives you a lot of freedom; it’s such an open-ended format you can customise however you want.”

“When you’ve got the crowd locked into what you’re doing and you’re totally connected it’s a wonderful experience. It’s the reason I do this” “But there is a risk of losing the human element. If you just play safe with it, it sounds too seamless, so you have to inject some humanness by being a little rough with it. When I fi rst started using it I was trying to do too much, then I moved onto a phase of doing things so smoothly people wouldn’t even notice three or four tracks go by. From there it’s been a learning process to get to sound like myself again.”

The technology allows DJs to fuse sets with spontaneous remixes and a live act – an inspiration that’s fl owed into Sasha’s latestInvol2ver CD. It’s a hybrid of mix compilation and artist album, Sasha says accurately, with fi ve originals mingled with tracks remixed or especially created for the mix.

“I’m representing all the tracks in my own way to build the perfect 75 minutes of DJ mix journey. By pulling the tracks apart piece by piece and putting them back together you can really craft things to fi t certain vibes. You might have bunches of records that work together but to fi ll that gap in between, you build the perfect track to bridge those two pieces of music.”

The result is a mix that works as a single piece of music with a unique homogenous sound. Sasha and his team used some weird ideas to get there, including crossbreeding good old fashioned guitar peddles with modern computer technology. “We built great big chains of pedals and that’s where a lot of the sound design came from – mostly just really happy accidents plugging things in and seeing what happens, then recording that into Ableton and chopping loops out of it.”

It’s a prime example of Sasha fi nding the elusive balance of person versus technology – be it old or new or both. But ultimately it’s the person that guides Sasha’s sound, and he doesn’t just rely on himself. “You have to feel the crowd out and see where they want to go, but I do demand people do bear with me and come on my little trip with me.

When you’re DJing and you’ve got the crowd locked into what you’re doing and you’re totally connected it’s a wonderful experience. It’s the reason I do this.”

Sasha will play at Foreshore on Saturday November 29 at Commonwealth Place, as well as Global Gathering on Sunday November 30 at Hordon Pavilion.

House Master Shailla Van Raad

KAZU KIMURA, a man with a name that sounds like he has come fl ying out from an anime cartoon with an energy blasting Kamehameha, has a job that is coveted by millions of teenage boys all over the world.

“Kazu Kimura is my real name but my full name is Kazuhiro Kimura, since I was a kid everyone used to call me Kazu.” A professional techno/house DJ from the green age of 19, he is the reason why the party goes on.

Hailing originally from Tokyo, Kazu’s passion for dance music has been part of a revolution in Asia from the mid-’80s. Music has made him go places; Singapore, Hong Kong and much of Asia has heard his bass beats as well as Germany, Holland, the Czech Republic, Bosnia, Croatia, Slovenia, and Spain. In 1994, Kazu decided to leave his friends and family in Japan and to base himself in sunny Australia and then very recently, Spain.

“My family are still in Japan, I get to see them every six months when I travel from Spain, to Japan and Australia; I miss friends now that I can’t see them often. I also miss the Japanese cuisine and TV shows. My life style in Japan is very different from other countries. “ Kazu has been at the forefront of the club movement in Asia and has only gone from strength to strength, spreading the word of house and techno. “House music is always popular. I’m not sure I can call it a trend but house never dies, from New York and Chicago house to UK progressive house and techno house. Electro house has also been very popular these couple of years. Trance music has been out there for more than ten years – I’m not a big fan of trance as everyone knows, it’s just really strange to me that trance has been so big for many years.”

Being a DJ, each has his own god-given technique, a flash in the pan of getting to work and making mixing magic. Kazu describes his base ingredients to a good cookpot of sound: “Proper techno - It sounds so dynamic, I love mixing three decks with those hard groove sounds. It’s the way they play in Spain. I think Spain is the only country you can

“I think new technology with old school products make the best combinations” still play a proper techno style at the moment. Techno sounds have changed a lot during these past fi ve to six years. Techno has changed its style to be more minimal. So when I play more minimally I mix music in a different way, using sample loops and more effects, which is very interesting but it’s not my favourite way to mix.”

Kazu Kamira has gone a long way and has done tremendous things for the dance industry worldwide these past 20 years. But there’s still steam in him yet. When asked what the future holds he is still unsure, and that’s possibly the best way to be because it’s admitting that the possibilities are endless. “I wish I knew what I’ll be doing in two years. Musically I won’t change so much I think, I just wish that there’ll much better technology than now. I hope vinyl won’t die; I’m a big fan of vinyl. It’s an analogue product and it makes it diffi cult to have everything on a label these days when everything’s changed to digital but let’s just see and hope vinyl is still around in two years. I think new technology with old school products make the best combinations.”

Kazu Kimura will play at Foreshore on Saturday November 29 alongside The Presets, Sasha, Pnau, Above & Beyond, Dukes of Windsor, Galvatrons, Bang Gang DJs, The Aston Shuffl e, and many more. Final release tickets are $89.95 from ticketek, moshtix, Landspeed Records, Parliament Clothing and www. inthemix.com

THA REALNESS Attention, Attention! Canberra please make way for a self-confessed group of ‘mismatched maggot misfi t motherfucking scientists’.

That’s right, Wax Lyrical have arrived on the scene with furious gusto and have wasted no time in making their mark on the live stage and putting chasm sized dents in pub fridges across our beloved city! This scurvy seven man crew consists of MCs Alco Sudo, Syntactic, Gap, Punts, Top Nase, Garbagebum (who also serves as beat-creator) and DJ Cutsik. Whilst having only been kicking around Canberra stages for a year or so, the crew has already notched up an impressive array of high-profile supports, opening for the likes of Pegz, Vents & Trials, Drapht, Overproof and the Hospice Crew.

Despite such supports, they are extremely humble about their success, admitting that it takes both time and experience to really make a mark on the local scene: “Our first couple of performances were pretty wack (and unfortunately we’ve got video evidence) but every gig we’ve played has been an improvement on the last and we’re getting better and better feedback.”

The initially smaller group formed in college with Syntactic, Garbagebum and Alco Sudo meeting by chance and sharing their disgruntled views about the social hierarchy and clichéd aspects of their environment, using the outlet of rap music to pen their first tune “about the school’s defi ciencies such as metro footyhead wankers and facilities neglected by the political status quo.”

Then known as D.A.F (Dope Art Foundations) the boys then met up with the rest of the crew, switched the name and the seven man hip-hop behemoth was formed. Being such a big crew, I was wondering about group dynamics and whether it is hard to agree on the direction of a tune or concept but found that the boys naturally “argue about every fucking thing possible, all the time” and that despite this, “respect and fraternal love” forms the backbone for this unnaturally perfect union.

In fact, it is their diverse differences of style, character and experience that gives their music its varied and razor sharp edge. “We’ve got tracks about getting maggot and being outrageous, as well as tunes about politics, the music business and even about older ladies.”

To Wax Lyrical, hip-hop is their “music of resistance”, with Syntactic particularly commenting on this notion in relation to their Canberra experience, “I see [hip-hop] as a fantastic opportunity to cultivate a community, develop a self-sufficient culture and challenge and criticise the status quo. I see rhyming as a sophisticated form of expression that encourages an elevated development of the mind. When our language is sloppy, our thoughts are sloppy. Any pursuit that helps to develop our ability to express ourselves is also going to help us refi ne our thoughts and as a result, assist us in the day to day struggle.”

When not writing and recording material for an upcoming EP, the crew gave me some colourful examples of a usual ‘night out on the town’ for Wax Lyrical. Whilst being amongst some of the funniest stories I’ve heard, they are also quite scathing to the reputation of these upstanding young musicians and far be it from me to taint their already spotless reputations in this street press. However, let me stimulate your imagination by hinting that they have been known to sleep in shopping trolleys, poo on the curb of Northborne Avenue and consume extraordinary superhuman amounts of alcoholic beverages. All in the name of art and science of course!

Don’t miss your chance to catch Canberra’s next crop of emcee talent when Wax Lyrical play at the upcoming Rhyme Intervention 4 at the ANU Bar on November 15 alongside Terra Firma, Dialectrix, Scott Burns and many more, all raising money for the Cancer Council.

ROSHAMBO

still flyin' Peter Krbavac 2008 has been a vintage year for Sydney’s pre-eminent hip-hop crew BLISS N ESO. Flying Colours, the trio’s third album, has been met with acclaim from critics and fans alike, resulting in a top ten debut and an extended spell on the charts, leading it to becoming the highestselling locally released hip-hop release of the past year. “It’s really our most evolved to date,” producer/MC Bliss says. “There’s a sample at the beginning, ‘Even though we’ve got two albums, this one feels like the beginning’. We thought that was a pretty honest quote to start the album with. It’s kind of like turning a new page.”

The LP germinated from a trip the trio took to the United States and Canada, during which they stayed with Portland hip-hop collective Sandpeople. “It was just this little creative Mecca where they lived, a three storey house with a studio on each level. Two producers and three MCs live there. That really kick-started the album, ‘cause we wanted a bit of a reboost, a re-energise of the creative spirit. Then we went to Africa and did the Bullet and a Target.”

While on the Make Poverty History tour, Hugh Evans – founder of youth charity organisation the Oaktree Foundation – told the trio about a Zulu choir who were touring Australia at the time. This sparked the idea for Bullet and a Target, one of the album’s stand out tracks. “We’d been sitting on this beat and I immediately connected the two,” Bliss explains. “We recorded the chorus of the song at Jimmy Barnes’ studio, funnily enough.

We didn’t have a studio to put the whole 25 piece in, so he let us use his.”

“We'd just barely got it done...and bang - we were shooting the video with the choir in the hills of their village which was just amazing ” With the chorus completed, the trio sat on the song until they travelled to South Africa to shoot an MTV documentary focusing on the work of the Oaktree Foundation in that country. “We wanted to go out there and be affected and let that inspire our rhymes,” Bliss explains. “We wrote the song in the little mud hut in the village where we were staying at about three in the morning. I’ve got some funny footage of Eso in his boxer shorts rhyming with this little mic plugged into a laptop. We’d just barely got it done, burnt to CD and bang – we were shooting the video with MTV and the choir in the hills of their village which was just amazing!”

Bliss n Eso then decamped to Melbourne and began intensive writing and recording sessions for the album, aiming to create a diverse yet cohesive body of work. “We didn’t go in there with any pressure. We got back to having fun with the music, which is how it all started. I think that was part of the reason the album came out the way it did, because we were just free spirited and being creative.”

Their appearance at Trackside later this month will have the distinction of being the fi nal show on theFlying Colours tour. “For us it’s the finale!” Bliss says excitedly. “We’ve got a crew getting a bus from Albury and trekking in.” You’ll have to wait for the day to find out what they have in store to mark the occasion, but Bliss does reveal that “we’ve got some really good stuff off the new record that Canberra hasn’t seen.

We’ve got a whole updated show now which is rockin’.”

Bliss n Eso play at Trackside on Saturday November 22, with The Living End, Cut Copy, Gyroscope and many more. Tickets are $79+bf via moshtix.com.au and all Moshtix outlets. Flying Colours is out through Illusive Sounds.

Scratch Me Happy

riding in the hood Luke McGrath Unlike The Hives, who burst onto the scene proclaiming they were Your New Favourite Band, this humble Melbourne group simply asked you to Listen To Little Red. That was all that was necessary – they knew that if you gave it a chance, you’d be hooked. Few bands have so quickly claimed the mantle The Hives aspired to like LITTLE RED has; their ability to whip a crowd into a frenzy with a few jagged chords and some well timed tambourine is quickly becoming legendary. The lads will be battle-hardened by the time they reach Canberra for Trackside – this year already has seen them do two Australia-wide tours, and they are becoming well accustomed to the rock ’n’ roll lifestyle.

“It’s not an act or anything… we always just wanted to make people dance.”

“We make sure the rider’s completely gone before we leave a venue” says Tom Hartney, he of the husky deep baritone. “We don’t have much money, so apart from that, we can’t afford to buy our own drinks – we just rely on the venues to look after us. We certainly love a drink or two, yeah.”

While the band’s profi le has certainly risen dramatically this year, their Nuggets-meets-Motown sound didn’t come about overnight. “I was just listening to one of our old demos the other day, for the fi rst time in ages and it was kind of telling,” says Tom. “There were two of us singing in unison the whole time – I think we both wanted to be the singer so we just both sang together. And then we got another couple of members – we were all friends from school, but all of us were kinda good singers and then we discovered harmonies and we considered that our secret weapon ’cause not many other bands were doing four-part harmonies.”

Combine those groovy harmonies with their thrift-store suits and Muppets-like energy, and Little Red often seem like they’ve just been dug out of a time-capsule. Tom is quick to point out that while they are indebted to the ’50s and ’60s, “more than the music of that era, I really like the philosophy. Everyone was really enthusiastic and it seemed really exciting – I think that’s what appealed to us as much as the music.”

The band is also conscious their natural exuberance could be mistaken for a gimmick. “We have been going for a while now, and you can only stay innocent for so long, unfortunately,” relates Tom, matter of factly. “It’s not an act or anything… we always just wanted to make people dance.”

Their debut album has certainly done just that. For the most part recorded in three straight days (“a few of the songs were first takes, live” reveals Tom), would the band prefer longer next time? “Yes,” Tom says emphatically. “We don’t want to keep doing the same thing. A few people have said they don’t know what the next one is going to sound like and that’s exciting. It’s going to sound different, frankly. The songs are gong to be longer and maybe more… emotive, quite a few more ballads and we’re going to spend a lot more time producing it.

We’re really happy with how the fi rst one was but we just want to do something different now.”

Before all that of course, there is the summer festival circuit and Little Red’s much anticipated return to Canberra. “I said something to our manager like ‘Why don’t we play in Canberra?’ and she had some good reason, then I forgot about it for a while,” says Tom honestly. Let’s not give them reason again.

Little Red will be singing their little hearts out at Trackside at Thoroughbred Park Saturday November 22. Joining them will be acts The Living End, Gyroscope, Cut Copy, The Panics, Grafton Primary and many more. Tickets are available through Landspeed Records and Ticketek.

PUNKSKA Calling all rudebwoys! With a heavy heart, this Ska & Punk News kicks off with another obituary. Alton Ellis has passed away, aged 70, inna London hospital on October 11, having been diagnosed with Lymphatic Cancer, ten months ago. It was with his backing group The Flames for producer Duke Reid’s Treasure Isle label that he scored one of Jamaica’s biggest hits of 1966. Dance Crasher lambasted the rude boys who were wreaking havoc inna dancehalls at the time.

During 1967, a Studio One recording for Clement ‘Coxone’ Dodd, I’m Still in Love With You would be his biggest legacy and was only one of many hits he recorded in that decade, earning him the title ‘Godfather of Rocksteady’. That single track’s ryddim has been used for a number of reggae chartbusters, including Althea and Donna’s Uptown Top Ranking and most recently, in 2004 when deejay Sean Paul and singer Sasha’s song, I’m Still in Love sat in the Billboard Hot 100 pop charts for 25 weeks, peaking at number 14. Alton Nehemiah Ellis, singer, songwriter, producer and concert promoter, born September 1 1938, died October 11 2008. He is survived by numerous children from different relationships and many grandchildren.

Disappointingly, the Cockney Rejects have pulled their Australian tour, citing diffi culties with the promoters. This certainly sucks the big one, but there is light on the horizon with word that punk veterans UK Subs and The Vibrators will be in Canberra to perform in October 2009, supported by locals Bladderspasms, Eye Gouge and All In Brawl.

These same likely lads could also be supporting tours by ’80s UK punk legends Uproar and The Varukers.

Star Fucking Hipsters are presently touring widely across the US, winding up with several shows in Texas, this month. After that, StZA (SFH/Leftover Crack/Choking Victim) will disappear across the border to Mexico, re-emerging in time for the highly anticipated March 2009 Australian tour.

For some heavyweight action, don’t miss out when punk and metal go toe to toe at the Basement for Punk Vs. Metal on Friday November 28. Slugging it out, in no particular order, are All In Brawl, Kill For Satan, The Toxicmen, Reign Of Terror, Kill Razor and Eye Gouge. Sounds painful! Six rounds for $10, starting 8pm sharp.

They’ve been quiet for a while now, but Canberra’s favourite ska souljahs, Los Capitanes will perform at the Trackside Festival on November 22. The band has new songs for your listening pleasure and is penciled in to record a new LP in January ’09.

The Toxicmen put on one helluva Halloween show at the Basement in Belconnen, channeling The Misfi tsuntil well past the witching hour. Replete with devilock hair, skull-face makeup and new lead guitarist, Alex, they THE TOXICMEN had the goodly (ungodly)-sized crowd wailing along to classic Misfi ts melodies, before fi nishing with some of their own crowd favourites, the house chanting “Shit the bed! Shit the bed!” The Bastards and Mafi aput in solid performances in support and promising young Queanbeyan kids, Short Fuse were unfazed with the opening slot.

“Don’t break it up, please don’t make a fuss Don’t use a knife, take another person’s life” (ALTON ELLIS & THE FLAMES – Dance Crasher) Oi Oi that’s yer lot!

SIMON HOBBS Next deadline is December 1. Send news, gig promos and abuse to rudebwaay@gmail.com

A SORDID THREESOME Nick Craven After establishing a reputation as one of Canberra’s best live bands and releasing a debut EP that received triple j airplay in 2006, local fivepiece USING THREE WORDS seemed to all but disappear just as it was taking off. Far from disbanding, the outfi t had instead entered an all-important period of soul-searching, with some band members even jet-setting overseas for inspiration.

Guitarist/songwriter Damian Blankley says the band’s breather allowed it to sufficiently prepare for its crucial next step.“The experience of recording our fi rst EP was invaluable because it showed us the effort needed to make a recording that would truly stand up on a national and international level.

We were lucky enough to receive an ACT Arts grant to help us with the recording of what we had decided would be our first full-length album.”

"We do this because we enjoy the feeling of playing music together… creating music that’s a combination of all our tastes, personalities and personal experiences.”

With a view to making the best album they could, the band worked tirelessly on the intricacies of its new songs in drummer Ricardo Natoli’s new home built studio. “It gave us a place to have our gear permanently set up, and we were able to record any ideas as they came along”, Blankley enthuses. “It was really useful because it allowed us to hear basic recordings and try different ideas without losing the focus of the original inspiration. When we eventually got into the professional recording studio, we were much more comfortable in an environment that can often be unnatural and uninspiring.”

Impressed by his work on its EP, the band once again teamed up with engineer/producer Anton Hagop (Silverchair) at Origami Studios in Sydney. “We felt with him we had a like-minded bond, almost that heralded extra member vibe talked about by bands like U2 and The Beatles. We had more time to record this time around, so we could experiment with guitar tunings and also different combos of instruments, amplifi ers and drums thanks to Anton’s love of collecting classic gear. He worked tirelessly to bring out our best… it really felt like he was as passionate about the songs as we were.”

As well as using unique instrumentation, the band expanded its sonic palette by calling on the talent at ANU’s School of Music by adding classical piano flourishes to some of the tunes. “The piano parts were provided by Canberra local Ben Foster, a friend of Ricardo’s. He added an extra element to some of our songs. We’d done some basic stuff ourselves on the demos, but only someone like Ben with 23 years playing experience could do such a great job.”

The album also benefi ted from contact with other seasoned musicians when the band made one of its few recent public appearances supporting hard rock juggernauts Helmet. “It was the type of show we had dreamed of being able to play but hadn’t yet been able to. It was re-invigorating for us because it came in the middle of the three weeks we spent in the studio recording. It really drove home the importance of making the best recording we could to give ourselves the best opportunity to take our music as far as possible.”

The resulting self-titled album is a massive leap forward from the EP, revealing a band that has certainly taken time to concentrate on its identity and songcraft. Blankley says he hopes this hard work will translate to its listeners, but says that the process itself has been worth it, regardless of the outcome. “We’ll cherish the experience of making this album for the rest of our lives. We do this because we enjoy the feeling of playing music together and I think we all feel we’ve found a common ground between us – creating music that’s a combination of all our tastes, personalities and personal experiences.”

Using Three Words will launch their album at the ANU Bar on Friday November 28, from 8pm. Alta Volante, Tonk, and D'Opus & Roshambo will also be there to keep your cotton socks rockin'.

Immaterial?

Unrelated?

Stevie Easton

COMING SOON:

Punk/metal band IRRELEVANT have been quietly plugging away for nigh on ten years now, doing the hard yards as any good band should. They’ve released three albums, evenly spaced over those ten years, with the latest New Guilt having just hit stores earlier this month.

Drummer Mick kindly spoke to BMA about the recording processes used by the band this time and in the past, touring, their own attitude towards playing live, and even about having been a band since before the ‘Myspace Revolution’, as I will call it. See, when Irrelevant fi rst started out in 1999, you worked your arse off to get your fi rst album recorded (and sounding something like how the band actually sounds), and then you worked your arse off touring. That was it. Mick agrees that is what they did for about fi ve years, and sure, now you can have a Myspace site and people can listen to your songs whenever they want, but I get the impression this band doesn’t see it that way. They want you to hear them live. They like working their arses off to create something special, and they like touring to show that to their fans, and metal fans in general. Although the members of this band aren’t trying to please all punk, metal and hardcore fans, just Irrelevant fans.

THURS 27 November

MAMMAL POETIKOOL JUSTICE ME THE CONQUEROR FRI 28 November

USING THREE WORDS CD Launch THURS 4 December

MERCY ARMS + SPECIAL GUESTS

"We just get on stage and play, have fun, and have a beer with everyone afterwards.”

When I ask about who writes the songs, Mick explains that since former member (and apparently avid songwriter) Ben left the band, songwriting became more of a group exercise; in his words, this album is defi ned by “more diversity and different flavours” than previous releases like Ascension in 2005. In terms of ‘planned’ versus ‘organic’ writing and recording, Irrelevant are fi rmly on the ‘organic’ side of the equation. Mick thinks it’s “futile to try to steer the music in a certain way”, and that the songs the band plays should simply “satisfy the creativity of the band.”

It seems Irrelevant have come a long way since 1999, and are quite proud of what they’ve come up with on New Guilt. Mick sees these tracks as “the best they’ve written so far”, and it’s obvious he can’t wait to get on the road and play the shit out of them. What else can we expect at their live show? We can expect everything a metal gig should be, and nothing it shouldn’t. “We just get on stage and play, have fun, and have a beer with everyone afterwards.”

Irrelevant are coming back through town in December, as part of their tour to promote New Guilt. They’re really stoked about it, and so should you be. From what I heard on the band’s Myspace, it’s thoughtful, wellwritten and well-produced. How would I describe the sound? That’s a bit harder because you might not know what I mean, but I would say like Linkin Park could be if they stopped whining, lost the hip-techno-hop and wrote some good songs. Sorry Linkin Park fans, but how many of you actually read BMA anyway? Let’s agree to disagree and move on.

Driving metal guitars, brutal, unrelenting drums and timing changes to make your head spin. Elements of punk, metal without the emo and a strangely familiar but ultimately unique singing voice. I’m going to the Tuggeranong Youth Centre on December 5, because that’s when Irrelevant are playing there, and I want to hear them. That’s the AA building, punk rockers.

Irrelevant will play at the Tuggeranong Youth Centre on Friday December 5.

It's an all ages show, so get along, you whipper-snappers!

November THU Nov 13 FRI Nov 14

YOU AM I

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animal instincts

they should be so lucky

Shailla Van Raad

Peter Krbavac

A band with an amazing attitude, diabolical riffs and an explosive stage presence, yet Ezekiel Ox, vocalist for MAMMAL, claims they are just a bunch of normal guys. “Even though we’re really full-on, on-stage, off-stage we’re just normal mellow people who like to muck around.”

Mammal, compromising of Pete Williamson (guitar), Nick Adams (bass), Zane Rosanoski (drums) and Ezekiel Ox (vocals) is a relatively newly-formed band; they got together in March 2006 and became a supernovaeic hit around the country. “When we were touring in Adelaide I had been wearing the same pair of pants for days and they really smelled. I took them off onstage and was in my underwear; all of a sudden the whole of the crowd was in their underwear. It was unreal… people enjoying our music is a thrill.”

In Death Cab for Cutie’s tour doco Drive Well, Sleep Carefully – possibly the tamest on-the-road film in rock history – frontman Ben Gibbard talks about living in “this state of arrested development that rock ‘n’ roll keeps you in as long as you do it.” It’s an existence Melbourne indie-pop institution THE LUCKSMITHS have known during their 15 year career, but in the last few years ‘real life’ has caught up with them, as family, interstate and overseas relocations and ‘proper’ jobs have taken precedence. Rhythm guitarist and primary songwriter Marty Donald may well be the busiest of the four; he has a young son consuming his energies and finished moving house the day before our chat.“I’m familiarising myself with a new kitchen,” he informs me.“It’s a little more rustic than the kitchens I’m used to.” Nevertheless, he has managed to navigate the new cookhouse and whip up some steaks before jumping on the blower.

The sizzling-hot political film clip for the single Smash the Piñata shows the band blindfolded whilst playing a live set. Digging deeper, Zeke explains “it was the best way to represent ourselves, in a live jam as a band. The piñata represents all the goodies in the world; electrical power, education, food, clean water and all the basic services people deserve. The blindfolds symbolise how the current social system blindfolds us from these goodies. When we take off the blindfolds we can see the piñata clearly and within our reach.”

"Chasing cash, jewellery and drug-fuelled hedonistic values are what Mammal rejects."

Mammal, for all their live carousing and strutting ’round on-stage, take the messages their music portrays very seriously and realise the social responsibilities messiah musicians possess. “A lot of music now isn’t healthy for people. This type of music communicates to people that money, the objectifi cation of women, and a state of undress is good.

Chasing cash, jewellery and drug-fuelled hedonistic values are what Mammal rejects.”

Rejection obviously has its fair share of success. High political and musical standards clearly have a pay-off, which we can all learn from.

“Our success is always driven by internal goals – to be financially independent, musically, so we can have the ability to create the art we want to create. As long as these goals are achieved we would be happy at any level. So far we have achieved them.”

Zeke then goes on to speak about the new record The Majority, which Mammal are now touring. “I love our new record. We just finished six days of rehearsals and wrote fi ve new songs. Although I love touring our new album I’m really excited to be writing new stuff. We’ve had success with the way that we wrote music in the past and our fi rst record was full of experimentation. Our new stuff is faster, more aggressive, and frenetic; as a band we’re finally coming to our own.” A coming of age that was to be expected from any adolescent, tribal member or newbie employee on a construction site told to sing at the top of his lungs as the building concrete comes falling down; but wait, there must be another musical rung to climb up?

“The next step is to tour overseas. Our management is currently discussing Europe, but the States, Japan, South America are all places that are a possibility. We want to tour and go absolutely everywhere!

Now that we have completed our album we can tour and get over there and play. I’m personally looking forward to Europe because our music would have more appeal over there… The band is going to continue to show audiences what we’re capable of live: playing songs in different ways, experimenting with the music whilst on tour.”

Mammal will be thrashing it out at ANU on Thursday November 27 with Poetikool Justice and Me The Conqueror.

"I don't think we've ever lost what made us good in the first place so we've got a while left in us" Despite these not-so-'little distractions', The Lucksmiths still managed to steal away to Tasmania to cut their ninth studio album First Frost. While the three-and-a-half year gap between the new LP and their last, the critically acclaimed Warmer Corners, is a good while longer than we’ve come to expect from these prolific pop-maestros, Marty assures us that the wait has been worth it. “We’ve done a lot of records now and we didn’t want to hurry the next record just because it had been a while since the last one,” he says. “We wanted to make sure the songs were ready and we could do them justice.”

First Frost was born out of a number of “working bee” weekends at guitarist Louis Richter’s family holiday house. “I never know how tangible this kind of stuff is to an outside listener, rather than one of us,” Marty says, “but I hope something of that out-of-town vibe has found its way onto the record.”

As well as capturing that elusive out-of-town vibe, First Frost is the group’s most sonically expansive record to date – not surprising, given they have four songwriters contributing to the pool. The tracks are augmented with strings and brass, as well as a few things one would never have expected to hear on a Lucksmiths record. Distortion. Sustained distortion.

Feedback, even. Close your eyes and for half a minute you’d swear it was ‘91 and someone had just slipped the new Chapterhouse 12 inch onto the turntable. “It’s true,” Marty laughs, “it’s probably the influence of Louis.

His predilection for that sort of stuff and collection of guitar pedals was bound to have an influence at some point.”

“I’ve been playing rhythm guitar in The Lucksmiths for 15 years, proudly without using any pedals,” Marty continues. “But to recreate a couple of these songs live, I’ve had to borrow a couple of pedals off Louis, so I feel like I’ve become a legitimate ‘rock guitar player’,” he chuckles facetiously.

And, hearteningly, it seems that no matter how busy the various members’ lives may become, there’ll always be a free afternoon here and there for Lucksmithing. “Every time it seems like maybe (the band has) run its course, something great crops up,” Marty says. “Look, it’s a little more of a balancing act in terms of people’s lives and that’s just inevitable given our age – when you’re 19 it’s very easy to just be in a band and not worry about anything else, but less so 15 years later. I don’t think we’ve ever lost what made us good in the fi rst place so we’ve got a while left in us.”

The Lucksmiths play a special two set show at Tilley’s on Saturday November 22. Tickets only available on the door. First Frost is out now through The Lost and Lonesome Recording Co.

Hail to the Chief!

Scott Adams You know how you frame an opinion about a band, usually without full possession of the facts? I’ve been a casual fan of KAISER CHIEFS since they started – that’s right, I liked them before you’d ever heard of them – drawn in passing to their knowing commentaries on British ‘Chav’ culture and the minutiae of everyday ennui, but until I talked to keyboardist Nick ‘Peanut’ Baines I clearly didn’t really grasp what this band was, and is, all about.

And what they’re about, it transpires, is the joy of it all. Baines, despite being forced to talk to yours truly at TWENTY PAST NINE IN THE PISSING MORNING, is erudition and courtesy itself. And that’s because he loves being a Kaiser Chief. “You know, you can’t wake up and think ‘I’m a Kaiser Chief!’, but take today for instance; I’m up, I’ve done one interview already, I’m speaking to you and then I’ve got a couple more, then the day’s my own – you couldn’t do that if you had a ‘proper’ job!”

So recording three albums isn’t a ‘proper’ job? How different is life now that, like it or not, this is what pays the rent? “It is different, yes. I mean, you do still think how lucky you are, but if anything that makes it more fun.

Recording this album (the brand spanking new Off With Their Heads) was definitely the most fun we’ve had doing a record. You can’t complain.” But lots of people are complaining – you really do split opinion right down the middle – I’ve read some extremely vituperative reviews of the new record on the web – why? “Who can say? I think some people don’t like the fact that we’re not ‘rock stars’, in as much as we are exactly the same off stage as on, and also indie critics often like their bands to be quite dour, whereas we’re genuinely quite sunny individuals.”

“I’m up, I’ve done one interview already, I’m speaking to you and then I’ve got a couple more, then the day’s my own – you couldn’t do that if you had a ‘proper’ job!”

So this chirpiness isn’t an act? “No. Obviously you don’t always want people coming up to you on the street when you’re at the chip shop or whatever, but I think generally we’re the same whenever. I’d like to think so anyway. And some people don’t like that.”

Silly people. Moving the conversation along, I ask Baines to expand a little on his influences, and where they fit in as a chief ivory tinkler. “Well, before we were the Chiefs, we were all fi ve of us in a different band – all together, but with a different name, and I was actually a guitarist who fi lled in on keyboards occasionally, so I guess my infl uences would really have been Nirvana, The Smashing Pumpkins, (Irish noiseniks) Therapy?, and Rage Against the Machine. Defi nitely Rage Against the Machine. Tom Morello.

But I couldn’t work out his noises.” At which point Baines starts squeaking in a rough approximation of the Harvard communist’s ‘uniquely percussive’ guitar attack. I comment that now, thanks to the Guitar Hero phenomenon, we can all work out Morello’s noises. “It’s great isn’t it? The fulfilment of a dream! When I got a bit older and Oasis were in the charts it made me go back a bit, start listening to the Beatles, the Kinks, stuff I probably wouldn’t have listened to otherwise. But as a keyboard player, if you’re asking about ‘electronica’ then it’s got to be The Chemical Brothers. Dig Your Own Hole is great, it sounds like a proper band doing electronic stuff. And I’ve got a room upstairs in the house where I do stuff like that, Tangerine Dream…”

German hippy instrumentalists aside, it’s no surprise to see that the active ingredients in the KC sound are predominantly British, what with the band often being tarred with some sort of ‘quasi-Britpop’ brush. It’s an appeal that’s easy enough to explain here, what with us sharing the mother tongue, but how does such an overtly British band succeed in those

heathen lands that don’t speak the Queen’s? “We do very well, though you’re right – we do go down well in Australia and America, but I don’t really think it matters. English is the rock ‘n’ roll language isn’t it? We gave it to the world, but it’s still great when you go to somewhere like South America, and even though they might not actually know what they’re singing, they’ve taken the time to learn the words anyway and sing along.

It’s very touching. And let’s face it, it’s just as much the music that matters – when you’re bouncing up and down, and shouting at the top of you’re voice, you’re getting it – it doesn’t matter whether you understand or not!”

It’s interesting, I muse, that Peanut mentions ‘getting it’, and we laugh at the prospect of 20,000 Argentinians bellowing ‘I Want Crisps!’ in unison. It can’t have escaped his notice that he plays the ol’ Joanna in what is now, in England at least, an Arena band. Given some of the band’s amusingly scathing lyrical musings on what we know here as ‘bogan culture’ – I Predict a Riot and We Are The Angry Mob in particular pour scorn on the sort of people you’ll be familiar with if you watch Shameless on the Special Broadcasting Service – how does he cope with playing in front of vast swathes of the bastards every night whilst keeping a straight face as they sing along? Is this the dictionary definition of irony? Do the Chavs ‘get it’? Peanut chuckles.“It is ironic, isn’t it? And yes, it has been remarked upon. Sometimes you do, you know, look out at all these people singing, well, they’re chanting really, ‘We are the angry mob!’ and you just think ‘well yes – you are!’”

Anyways, enough of this levity – we don’t want the indie frownsters kicking our door down just at the minute. In closing, I mention to Mr Baines that, what with the band being named after an (albeit differently spelled) South African football team, it must have been a thrill this year to have performed at two of English football’s most historic arenas – Elland Road (home of the band’s beloved Leeds United) and Anfield, home of Liverpool. So Nick, not many non-footballers get to get on the pitch at two of the world’s great footballing Cathedrals, which one was best? “Elland Road, obviously! But we supported Sir Paul McCartney at Anfield, and I was able to introduce my dad – who’s loved the Beatles since 1964 – to him.

That was brilliant. I really felt a sense of achievement being able to do that.

Moments like that are what makes this ‘job’ so brilliant!” Nick Baines – all round good egg, eh? You bet. On yer way, frownsters.

The Kaiser Chiefs' new album, Off With Their Heads is out now through Universal.

BLACKBOX

Political geeks, fans of good drama and devotees of Spooks, clear your diaries for Tuesday nights in December and January.

Party Animals (ABC1, Tue Dec 2, 8.35pm) follows a group of twenty-something junior political staffers in the corridors of Westminster. It comes from the team behind This Life, features a writer from Spooks and stars Patrick Baldi (who played Neil Godwin, David Brent’s arch nemesis in The Offi ce) and Raquel Cassidy from Teachers. While it’s probably not must-own-on-DVD fare, it was lauded by critics and faced poor ratings… two things that usually mean a worthwhile series.

Still on the subject of politics, British dramedy The Thick of It (ABC1, Fri, 9.40pm) winds up its fi rst series on December5. Fans shouldn’t fret – the second series goes to air in the same timeslot the following week. Also stay tuned to Auntie for the newest Wallace and Grommit: A matter of Loaf and Death (ABC1, Wed Dec 3, 8.30pm) and the new adult live-action animation Modern Toss (ABC2, Thu Nov 27, 9.30pm). As TV-land winds down for the summer, some of those shows that disappeared earlier in the year are about to return, including 90210 (SCTEN, Mon Nov 24, 7.30pm), The Unit (Prime, Wed Nov 19, 9.30pm).

Never ones to pay attention to ratings season, SBS will air series 11 and 12 of the original Top Gear (SBS, Mon Nov 24, 7.30pm) throughout December and January. The local version, Top Gear Australia winds up in the same timeslot on November 21 and a second series, to air early next year, has just been announced.

A number of favourites are winding up for the year with award shows or grand fi nals including2008 Good News Week Awards (SCTEN, Mon Nov 24, 8.30pm), Australian Idol Grand Final (SCTEN, Sun Nov 23, 7.30pm) and The Einstein Factor (ABC1, Sun Nov 23, 6.30pm). Others such as Rove (SCTEN, Sun Nov 16, 8.30pm) are just winding up and for the dramas that will no doubt mean the obligatory end-of-season cliffhanger so if you’ve been watching all season, make sure you don’t miss the fi nales ofRush (SCTEN, Tue Nov 25, 9.30pm) and Law and Order: Criminal Intent (SCTEN, Thu Nov 27, 8.30pm).

Of course among the b-grade summer shows there are usually a few gems and often repeats of crowd favourites such as Ice Road Truckers (SCTEN, Sat, 7.30pm).

Musically there is some great fare over the next few weeks including Soundtrack to my Life: Billy Bragg (ABC2, Fri Dec 5, 10pm), Aussie Battlers (ABC1, Thu Dec 4, 9.30pm) about MC battling and Face Painting with Bill Leak: Bon Scott (ABC Mon Dec 1 8pm).

Docos on the must-see list include The Mega Falls of Iguacu (ABC1, Sun Dec 7, 7.30pm) which takes viewers on a spectacular tour of the world’s largest waterfall at the border of Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay, The Museum (ABC1, Tue, 8pm) a series that goes inside the British Museum, Heat (SBS, Tue Nov 25, 8.30pm) which looks at how governments are dealing with global warming, The Price of Sugar (SBS, Tue Nov 18, 8.30pm) and Lionel Rose (SBS, Fri Nov 28, 7.30pm) a shortened version of the fi lmLionel.

With Girls of the Playboy Mansion off the air [What?! This is an outrage!

- Ed.] and a tell-all from Holly yet to be announced, for your dose of trash TV, don’t miss Young, Rich and Famous (Prime, Thu Nov 20, 7.30pm).

SANTA WATCH Yes it has begun…

My Family Christmas Special (ABC1, Dec 3 and 10, 8pm) TRACY HEFFERNAN tracyheffernan@bigpond.com

THEATRE COLUMN

While my excuses for lateness are beginning to resemble the proverbial broken record (Argh Thesis! OMG Gigs! Eeep Men Are Crap!), please know that my commitment to providing the best in dipsomaniacal theatrical reportage has not waned. Last night I attended the Canberra Theatre Centre’s 2009 Subscription Season Launch and, in between downing glasses of Classic Dry White, paid some attention to next year’s shows in a season titled Electrify Your Life.

My tips for the good-lookin’: the STC’s Elling, a translation of the Norwegian Comedy Smash directed by the fantastically alluring and slightly alarming Oz Acting Legend Pamela Rabe and starring the awesome Darren Gilshenan. All superlatives aside, it should be a treat. Traces, a pre-apocalyptic movement piece from Canadian circus troupe Les 7 Doigts de la Main involving a basketball and some highly toothsome gents, piqued my interest, as did the Olivierwinning comedy The 39 Steps, a high-speed adaptation of Hitchcock’s noir classic. Bell, as always, is doing exciting things, including mounting Jonson’s The Alchemist (nothin’ like a bit of Jacobean satire to dull the pain, I always say) and Marion Pott’s all-female production of The Taming of the Shrew. Throw in Bangarra’s 20th anniversary show, Fire, some radness of the Sydney Dance Company variety in Sid’s Waltzing Masquerade, and silliness of the boobtacular new musical Breast Wishes (any show which opens with the line, “Let’s have no more talk about vaginas” gets my vote), and you have a pretty exciting 2009 season. If you want to subscribe, check out the CTC website at www. canberratheatre.org.au Onwards and upwards (or afterwards) with Andrew Bovell’s After Dinner, the new show from ’Berra stalwarts Tempo Theatre.

The black comedy from He Who Wrote Lantana fame features fi ve

thirtysomething singles, booze, hallucinations, bitchiness and mental breakdowns. It's directed

by Matt Ashton and features Francesca Gugliotta, Morna Bassi, Vela Cardel, Simon Tolhurst and Robert Costa. Bookings call Canberra Ticketing on 6275 2700. There’s also an After Dinner website at www.afterdinner. awardspace.com Tempo presents After Dinner by Andrew Bovell at Belconnen Theatre. November 21 – 29 @ 8pm. Matinees November 22 & 29 @ 2pm, Sunday arvo show November 23 @ 4pm. Tix $22/$18.

Really, really afterwards is Serious Theatre’s new production of local maestro David Finnigan’s play, Oceans all boiled into sky. Set in a post-apocalyptic Canberra after the earth has suffered a serious case of over-cooking, the play follows Mack Finch, kidnapped by renegades and forced to drive a do-or-die mission into Canberra’s fog-shrouded ruins. Directed

by First Lady of Awesome Barb Barnett and featuring a cast of actors, animators, foley artists and visual artists, Oceans all boiled into sky invites the audience to sit down, make themselves

comfortable, and enjoy the wild ride into Canberra’s ruined future.

Serious Theatre presents Oceans all boiled into sky, written by David Finnigan and directed by barb barnett, at the Street Theatre from November 26 to 29 @ 7.30pm. Tix $20/$15. To book phone the B.O. on 6247 1223.

That’s it for the week, me hearties.

I’m off to quench my thirst with a pint of rum and a relaxing round of copy-proofing a 100,000 word thesis on satire. Whee!

NAOMI MILTHORPE princessnaea@gmail.com

DISCOLOGY Four Disorder Everything for Nothing (No Label) The '90s is being viewed increasingly with a sense of endearing nostalgia and sentiment, with third wave ska and So-Cal punk groups gradually becoming more often viewed as ‘old school’. Such a longing for musical trends of the past is increased further when the indie landfi ll of today becomes an overwhelming force, lead by trendoid hipsters in Bloc Party and Panic At the Disco t-shirts. For Perth band Four Disorder, the sincerity and genuineness of the 90s punk scene set it apart from much of the manufactured tripe that exists today. Obviously infl uenced by the speed of groups like NOFX and Lagwagon, as well as the political inclinations of Propagandhi, Four Disorder have created an album which harks back to the golden days of So-Cal punk. A furious sense of purpose and anger, mixed with machinegun speed drumming and memorable melodies makes this five-track EP somewhat refreshing not only for old codgers like myself, but undoubtedly for all those punk-inclined youth who are fed up with the whiny angst and manufactured anger of today’s punk scene. Although Four Disorder are not doing anything new musically, their allure comes in their ability to evoke so well the spirit and sound of yesteryear.

BEN HERMANN Jay Reatard Matador Singles ’08 (Matador/ Remote Control) Throughout 2008, Matador Records have released limited edition 7” singles by a new signing to the label, Jay Reatard.

This marketing maneuver worked and the frenzy for the singles was intense, bringing down the Matador server twice, with over 10,000 attempts to buy a record in a minute.

The opening tracks, See Saw and Screaming Hand sound a little like early Superchunk and are defi nitely this reviewer’s choice picks. The remainder of the 13 tracks limp along and don’t really have much of a kick to them. It’s pop-punk mixed up with garage rock.

Try before you buy.

SIMON HOBBS Kaiser Chiefs Off With Their Heads (EMI) What was once an EP swiftly became an LP and before the general public, or indeed the Chiefs themselves, knew it, they had a third album on their hands. The creativity was rife in the Chiefs camp, you see, and they simply couldn’t stop writing after a mere EP’s worth of material. The result has been met with mixed results. Q Magazine editor Paul Rees gave it a healthy four out of fi ve stars, and gushed merrily. Elsewhere, it has been described as a watered down effort. I’m inclined to agree with Mr Rees. Yes, it undeniably falls into the same inconsistency trap that previous Chiefs releases have suffered. But it’s a fun rock record, it’s a short rock record (just over a mere half an hour in fact)

so who the bloody hell cares? Marvellous lead single Never Miss a Beat is the best thing they’ve written; an anthem for disaffected youth with the classic call-response line “What do you want for tea?/I want criiiiisps.” Good Days Bad Days has a harmless Madchester/ Happy Monday style strut to it. And Addicted to Drugs, much maligned in British media, is wonderful and, frankly, a personal anthem which will soundtrack many a sad ‘n’ sorry Sunday morning. It’s not going to set the world on fi re, nor will it grace many people’s top ten lists, but it’s been played some 33 times in the offi ce since its touched down, so it’s doing something right.

ALLAN SKO La Grecia On Parallels (Suburban Home) The newest project from ex-Kid Dynamite/None More Black frontman Jason Shevchuk, La Grecia struggles to fi t into any neat, specifi c genre. And for me, someone trying to explain their sound and style to you, the reader, this isn’t a good thing. Shevchuk’s vocals are as hoarsely addictive as ever, but the group’s sound as a whole varies greatly over the album. There is obviously a strong punk element throughout all their songs, however aside from this, they vary from the emotional, almost whiney vibe of groups like The Lawrence Arms, to the gutsy, classic pub-rock sound of the Hold Steady, to the post-hardcore energy and melodies of The Plastic Constellations. Perhaps a tragic testament to the captivating diversity and talent displayed on this record is the fact that just weeks before On Parallels was released, La Grecia broke up, citing irreconcilable personal and musical issues as the cause of their demise. This album will undoubtedly appeal to any former Shevchuk fans, but is likely to attract a magnifi cently broader audience as well. It isn’t often that a group manages to cater to such a host of different styles and tastes so incredibly well (without sound too generic as well), but La Grecia have pulled it off in a superb manner.

BEN HERMANN Peabody Prospero (Chatterbox Records) Spinning melodic tales of love and drama, Prospero ignores the common album format of start fast and end slow. In lieu, indie garage rockers Peabody provide a live gig feel with scorchers up front to grab your ears, such as the churning guitar chords chasing each other through the eccentricity of Buzzard v Ibis. Then there are a few slow ones slipped into the middle, e.g. the poignant lyrics of As The Accident Will. Then it ends with a couple of rabid, instrumentally indulgent tracks, in this case Sweet Oblivion, so you don’t forget them in a hurry and remain hungry for more. Peabody has always enjoyed producing some weird sounds from their instruments and they deliberately adopt a ragged edge to some songs, as in Big Sur, with a few off key notes thrown in as a slap in the face to overly neat commercial packages. Some albums quickly lose their attraction after a few rotations, but Prospero rewards the listener as it sounds better n’ better each time you play it.

RORY McCARTNEY

Static Thought The Motive for Movement (Hellcat Records) From the fi rst track, Faces, it is obvious that The Motive for Movement is a step above Static Thought’s previous album In the Trenches.

While the group’s stated infl uences (AC/DC, Van Halen, Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin, The Police, Tom Waits, Rolling Stones) differ markedly from the infl uences that you would infer from listening to their album (the Casualties, the Unseen, Stiff Little Fingers, the Exploited), this only initially puts the listener off guard. Once you’ve gotten over the fact that the group may be trying to gain broader musical cred by name-dropping a laundry list of classic acts as their infl uences, you will realise that they are, quite simply, a very good punk band. And once that is on the ascent as well. While In the Trenches had lyrical style but was lacking severely in musical originality or even enjoyment, The Motive for Movement sees the group calm themselves a little, injecting some thoughtful song structures and melodies into their repertoire. While they still have the sense of chaotic urgency of their former album, this time they have not let themselves become too hotheaded, controlling and channeling their zeal into well-constructed melodies and break-downs, especially on tracks like 3rd World and Splinters and Stones. While still struggling to gain broader recognition, Static Thought are certainly a group to keep an eye on.

BEN HERMANN Tilly And The Wall O (Dew Process) Tilly And The Wall’s third album, the enigmatically tilted O, begins softly with a quieter acoustic track, Tall Tall Grass. Slow and intimate, the song picks up pace as it goes along, adding more vocals and instruments, before easing back to stripped-bare female vocals. From then on, the album launches into TATW’s usual brand of summery pop, with an extra punch.

Album highlight, the brash Pot Kettle Black jumps straight into a foot-stomping rhythm and is much fi ercer and angrier than their previous songs. This trend happily continues throughout

the album, pushing the songs into aggressive pop territory. Overall, O is sweetly charming, with lush vocals and sweet melodies balanced out with sharp guitar riffs and energetic shouts to create a vibrant album.

CHIARA GRASSIA Various Artists From Jamaica With Love – Ska Selection (Hardwax/MRA Entertainment) This release is one of a series of six albums presenting the vast musical output of this tiny Caribbean island.

This Ska Selection is brilliant in that it is not just a rehash of every other old skool ska compilation, but there is actually a lot of unheard material on here. Sure, there are still a few of the usual suspects, like The Skatalites’ Malcom X and The Maytals’ John James, but there is much more.

Such as Lord Creator’s Evening News and King and Queen of Babylon, which rewrites the Kingston Town melody.

There’s also the short-lived pairing of Alton Ellis with John ‘Tide is High’ Holt on the 1965 track Rum Bumpers. 19 tracks that will delight collectors.

SIMON HOBBS Yves Klein Blue Draw Attention To Themselves (Dew Process) As I’m half way through listening to young Brisbane band Yves Klein Blue’s particularly energetic six-track EP, my brother walks into the room. Watching him enthusiastically pogo along to the jaunty Polka seems like a good sign and reassures me that the EP is incredibly catchy.

A rollicking taste of Yves Klein Blue’s brand of indie rock, Draw Attention To Themselves (best title ever), bounces its way quickly through fi ve songs full of smooth vocals and quick-witted lyrics.

The last song, titled appropriately (A Bookend), is a no-vocals, piano-laden affair that neatly wraps up the EP. CHIARA GRASSIA

The Butterfl y Effect Final Conversation of Kings (Sony) For many fans of Brisbane’s The Butterfl y Effect, the band’s last effort, the largely triumphant Imago, was as good as it could possibly get. Indeed even to the casual listener it was hard to see how the band could top that 2006 effort, but bugger me if they haven’t succeeded with FCOK. Christ on a bike, the fi rst three songs alone – the epically grandiose World on Fire in particular – swiftly dispatch any nagging thoughts that the band might not be good enough to lie in the bed they’d made a couple of years back, and by the time the absolutely stunning Window and the Watcher – possibly the best song committed to wax by an Australian band this year – rolls into earsight any doubts still lurking in the back of your brain as to whether this album is the shizzle will surely have been given their travel warrants and bid bon voyage on their way to needless worryville. Honestly, I’m not kidding you here – this is an absolutely bloody marvelous album, and one which is worthy of your undivided attention immediately, if not sooner.

SCOTT ADAMS

leaving on a jet plane

"Instead of being some nitwit in a pub, talking to me five mates, I was a dickhead talking to 5000 people on stage. But hey, we live and learn." of growing up in public. I definitely have a different view point on that now. It’s just one of those things you may say as a young feller and you regret saying, but you can never take it back. Instead of being some nitwit in a pub, talking to me five mates, I was a dickhead talking to 5000 people on stage. But hey, we live and learn.”

Marianne Mettes Aussie pub-rock band THE SCREAMING JETS have been around for almost two decades and they have seen it all. Among other things, they were the first band to live-simulcast on the internet back in 1995 and they’ve been thrown out of an airplane for causing mischief.

“It’s definitely been a fantastic ride, I just wish I could remember it all,” says Dave Gleeson, frontman and guitarist of the band. “We’ve done so many things that people don’t really talk about, I don’t know why. It might be a reaction to my big mouth. But we know what we’ve done and that’s one good thing about it.”

Gleeson talks about how they took bands like Silverchair and Grinspoon on the road with them and gave them some encouraging words and insight.“I remember sitting backstage (with Silverchair) with their mothers and fathers for about an hour and half and having a yarn with them, telling them to be very careful of record companies and all that stuff.”

But as Gleeson reveals, his words didn’t always inspire good, especially in the beginning when he at times made controversial remarks at concerts. “Being from Newcastle, it didn’t enter my mind that there was actually this whole other culture out there that I spent the next year or so bagging. We definitely got knocked down a few pegs from record companies which is unquantifiable in hindsight and it created a few more hurdles than we should have had back then. It was a case

But what is that special ingredient that has kept the band alive for so long? It’s quite simple actually, like a good marriage, all you need is love.

“We just love being in a band, we love touring and we love everything about it. We love staying up late, we love rocking the joint, we just love...”

Gleeson pauses, as if reflecting on all his memories, “everything about it.”

Gleeson explains that over the years people have tried to mould or manipulate them into being in fashion and how the Jets would never give in. “A lot of people try to second guess what the radios are going to play or what the new look is going to be or whatever. But essentially if you stay true to why you started doing it in the first place, then you can’t fail. I’m sick of telling make-up chicks not to touch me anymore.

They keep coming up, trying to buff your face up and spray a bit of glycerin on you, so it looks like your sweating... like, if you want me to sweat, I’ll drop and give you 20! I’ll work up my own sweat, thanks. I think that shows through in a lot that we do. We’ve kind of just blazed our own trail and done pretty much what we wanted to do and here we are 19 years later, when a lot of bands that have bent over and been told what to do and how to do it, are gone.”

Gleeson ends with some words of advice:“Everything that you’re about, everything that you give, everything that you do, has to be focused purely on being on stage. Not about coming off. And you have to deal with some shit later on or the fight you had in the band room before. When you’re on stage, you’re on stage, you’re in front of the world, give it your all.”

The Screaming Jets' new album Do Ya is out now through Sony BMG.

Cell Out

With Mark Russell; he's like Max Payne...totally inane.

It’s possible that we of the general populous misunderstand sex addiction.

It can be a little hard to take seriously as an affl iction.You turn to your friend at the pub – grave-faced, hesitant, swallowing hard. “Johnno, I think I’m a sex addict.” His brow furrows, a mixture of tolerance and concern. “Yeah me too mate, but I can’t seem to fi nd anyone to support my habit.” Psychologically, hypersexuality is often called nymphomania in women and satyriasis in men.

Named so after nymphs and satyrs, horny demi-gods of Greek mythology.

It seems that even psychologists worship these people. I can understand it, I took David Duchovny as my personal saviour the night the fi rst episode of Californication aired.

Archie (Mark Strong): “People ask the question...what's a RocknRolla? And I tell 'em - it's not about drugs, drums, and hospital trips, oh no. There's more than that, my friend.

We all like a bit of the good life - some the money, some the drugs, others the sex game, the glamour or the fame.

But a RocknRolla, oh, he's different. Why? Because a real RocknRolla wants the fucking lot."

RocknRolla

Choke Chuck Palahniuk is one of those authors who relishes in the depraved, the ugly and the debauched. From scene one of this adaptation of his novel, we know that this tale of sex addiction is gonna be a sardonic comedy of sleaze. The collection of characters who make up Victor’s (Sam Rockwell) sex addicts’ support group are tortured souls whose every waking moment is driven by a relentless, slobbering quest to scratch their libidinous itch. Victor himself is fi nding it hard to stick with the program. His unfulfi lling job as an ‘historical interpreter’ and his mother’s (Anjelica Huston) degenerative mental state mean that often his only escape can be found in a dirty public toilet or internet dating service. When he starts to form an emotional connection with

Paige (Kelly MacDonald), his mother’s doctor, things that once... ahem... came easily, now seems more complicated.

Choke is innovative, interesting and often very humorous. Victor is the kind of hero Palahniuk loves... forgive me... an uninhibited prick. Rockwell is well cast in the role and the support acts do well with MacDonald cleaning up some of the grittier edges. Unfortunately overall it seems to be a little too faithful of an adaptation. It’s structured more like a novel than a fi lm and our interest suffers because of this. A clear goal isn’t really defi ned for most of the running time and Victor spends too long yo-yoing between a few locations without obviously advancing the story.

This all leads to... the last one I promise... a fl accid climax that should have pushed the boundaries further than it does. Added to this, Anjelica Huston seems to be wondering what she’s even doing there. Though she does play a dementia patient, this ‘lost’ performance characteristic doesn’t seem intentional. As a fi lm,Choke is better than a buggering in the vicarage, but not exactly a steamy Swedish threesome in the jacuzzi.

a whole bunch of new grisly murders that could be connected to her death.

Payne (Mark Wahlberg), hardened and unforgiving cop that he is, must fi nd out what happened. There’s also a Russian broad (Mila Kunis) who wants to help (kind of), and they unravel clues about tattoos and pharmaceuticals until they fi nd out who’s responsible – capping a whole lot of fools along the way. The ending is frustrating, and makes about as much sense as freezing a cheese grater then throwing it at a monkey.

So laughable plot aside, surely there’s some good shooting sequences, cool effects or gratuitous nudity/sex scenes?

The shooting bits are moderately interesting, but sadly no attempt

to win over the audience with sex or nudity. Yes, those angel-winged demon things are kind of cool but the explanation for their presence in the film is so head-smackingly inept that it overrules the initial coolness factor.

Character development? Ha. HA. Good points?! Well, the cinematography is quite beautiful in some scenes, but never quite shines as it is overpowered by the half-arsed acting and terrible story. Overall, Max Payne is a poor excuse for a video game adaptation, an action fi lm, and entertainment in general.

The characters haven’t escaped this maturity either. They’re darker, multi-layered and more well-financed.

Ritchie used to look at street level crims, fast talkers who played out of their league while dreaming of the big score. The protagonists here do multi-million dollar deals, though they do still look like they’re living hand to mouth. There’s no need for a cast run down. As with all of Ritchie’s creations, the list is as long as your arm holding a shotgun. Look at the poster and imagine all of those actors on their A-game.

Plotwise it’s fair to say that someone pulls a shady deal, gets in over their head, and spends the rest of the time desperately trying to stay alive.

Standard fare really but no one does this like Guy Ritchie, and even he never did it like this.

This is a great fi lm that should appeal to all. If you loved Lock, Stock... or Snatch, there is easily enough of the sharp editing and snappy dialogue to keep you entertained. On the other hand if these left you sneering, the rounder characters and noir-esque soul of RocknRolla will draw you in.

Best of all, if the fi nal credits are to be believed, this is the fi rst of two fi lms featuring this line-up. Get it up ya.

MARK RUSSELL

Max Payne Max Payne is a hideously bad fi lm – barely entertaining and a complete shambles of character and plot. Case closed. Any questions? It’s based on the video game, right? Correct – but unfortunately director John Moore has made a very poor adaptation. He puts very little of the positives of the video game to good use, instead pumping loads of money into buying stupid looking fi re special effects so he can imitate a Nutrigrain commercial. What about the plot? It is basically a lame collection of parts of the video game that looked cool with other bits that are necessary to fl esh out some sort of dimwit storyline. In a nutshell, Payne’s wife was murdered, and now there’s

RocknRolla Guy Ritchie blows the shavings out of his pencil sharpener, shakes off the separation blues, and offers up a celluloid rebuttal to the mounds of crap heaped on him after Swept Away.

Heartbreak seems to have aged him a little as Rocknrolla is undoubtedly the grown up’s version of his earlier successes Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch. Everything’s a little adult really and, though his other fi lms are brilliant, we’re the better for it. The violence is often off screen, and what is on screen is visceral enough to show the consequences, rather than the coolness, of brutality. The pop culture soliloquies are also simpler, more potent, and woven more cleanly into the overall story.

MEGAN McKEOUGH

MARK RUSSELL

GIGREVIEWS REVIEWS GIG

Mojo Juju & The Snake Oil Merchants @ The Phoenix, Wednesday October 1 “Canberrans, you have been bureaucratised up the arse!” I’d been standing in line outside the Phoenix for close to an hour, in the process missing local supports Mr Fibby, when Very Diffi cult To Pronounce, Mojo Juju’s megaphone-wielding co-vocalist came outside in an effort to convince those still waiting to enter that there was no reason for us to miss the show. “As far as I’m concerned, this person here manning the door is only one person; but you are many people. So when I count to three, all you have to do is move forward as one group and, before you know it, you will be inside.”

MOJO JUJU

MOJO JUJU

He counted to three. The crowd didn’t move. Whether it was due to many patrons’ respect and loyalty towards the Phoenix and its proprietors, or indeed, as Very Diffi cult To Pronounce suggested, due to the instinctive fear of authority held by so many Canberrans, is hard to tell. Either way, Very Diffi cult To Pronounce returned indoors, dismayed in part by our passivity but also in part by the fact that we were on the verge of missing an incredible live performance.

I got inside during Mojo Juju’s second song, by which stage the Phoenix’ vastly over-capacity crowd had squashed, wriggled and squirmed its way into the stage area. When most groups would still be warming into their set, Mojo Juju had already stirred the crowd into a frenzy of maniacal delight. On the group’s recordings, Mojo Juju and the Snake Oil Merchants sound like a strongly gypsy-influenced, sultry incarnation of Tom Waits. Mojo Juju, the group’s lead-woman, has vocals that could both melt and terrify even the most seasoned blues afi cionado, while much of the instrumentation – including accordion, trombone, banjo, harmonica, guitar and wide plethora of percussion – lurks subtly in the background, showing its full force only in small, teasing explosions, like in the fi nal seconds ofPublic Announcement.

However, during their shows, the songs begin in their usually delicate manner, only to gradually morph into a much faster, Gogol Bordellostyled fl urry of speed, sweat, and a hundred voices roaring.

And so it was that, for just over an hour, an atmosphere of festivity, explosive furore and togetherness took over the Phoenix, as the group’s charisma entranced, almost hypnotised, a wide-eyed crowd whose appetite for Mojo Juju’s music grew only more ravenous as the night proceeded. Akira Weller-Wong, the boyishly handsome, bare-footed trombonist stumbled regularly into the crowd, becoming a danger to many punters’ beer as he climbed upon railings, tables and chairs, using his horn to blast away almost any skerrick of dust or cobwebs from the Phoenix’ interiors. Throughout, as well as between, many of their songs, the group was almost theatrical, with members painting each other with lipstick, all the while Very Diffi cult To Pronounce keeping the crowd engaged with his compelling, and never mundane banter, announcing at one stage that “we must no longer hate these people who tell us that we are different. Instead we will love them and at all times carry around a small bottle of aloe vera, for them to rub on their sore, red necks.”

At most other stages, the demarcation between the crowd and the group’s seven members was often blurry, as the surging, dancing audience spilled over into the band area and its members would be forced to rise above on chairs, like some type of vanguard group leading the audience to musical revolution. Much to the audience’s sorrow, the group finally closed their set, leaving people with a spinetingling, climaxing rendition of The Warning, with the crowd shouting themselves hoarse with the never-ending “laaa, la la la la la la laaaa.”

Upon leaving, people looked almost like they’d just woken from a dazzling, Alice In Wonderland-type delirium, knowing only that they’d just experienced an ecstatic expulsion of energy, while witnessing one of the most amazing, alluring and underrated bands in Australia.

BEN HERMANN Thom Pain @ The Street Theatre, September 30 – October 11 and Anatomy Titus Fall of Rome @ The Playhouse, October 8 – 18

MOJO JUJU

MOJO JUJU & THE SNAKE OIL MERCHANTS @ THE PHOENIX. PHOTOS BY ASHER FLOYD

Two absorbing and powerful tourists came into town in the early weeks of October, shows that questioned the traditional humanist assumptions of the saving power of art. The MTC’s production of Will Eno’s Thom Pain (based on nothing) featured Neil Pigot as the title character, a stripped-bare performance filled with awful solitude.

Thom Pain is blue-ribbon contemporary theatre, a one-man play exploring ‘the human condition’ (apologies for the cliché) in wry, dry, Beckettian-existentialist style. It was shortlisted for the 2005 Pulitzer, and you can see why. The language is witty, precise, and devastating, with enough Childe Harold jokes to keep the literati chuckling.

Pigot as Pain, grave and po-faced, talked his way through stories, building a delicate portrait of a man broken by his memories and driven to exorcise them. Ultimately, though, Thom is constrained by the limits of language: “They’re all dirty words, if you think about it the right way…”

Bell Shakespeare’s collaboration with the QTC, Anatomy Titus Fall of Rome is about as far from Thom Pain as you could get, theatrically. Titus had all the bloody, grandiose spectacle of Shakespeare’s most violent play, rewritten in a contemporary meditation by Heiner Muller and directed by Michael Gow that challenges the aestheticising of violence in theatre, literature, and art. A bucket of blood sits centre stage, into which hands and books were dipped and soaked throughout the show, the walls painted in Bacon-esque violence with these tools of humanist art.

John Bell moved his Titus from detached patrician to demented paterfamilias as his family is slaughtered in the bloodbath that sweeps the Roman nobility, but the play is so fi lled with distance and alienation that the audience is never allowed the comfort of sympathy with the characters. And with good cause, for Muller’s play is a challenge to the smug assumptions of middle-class humanists (like, admittedly, me) who believe that art can save. In Anatomy Titus, art is responsible for the mess that we’re in.

WOLF & CUB

NAOMI MILTHORPE The Vines/Wolf & Cub @ ANU Bar, Friday October 24 Cataclysmic tribal escapade. The fi rst words that enter my head as Wolf & Cub unleash their devastating amplitude. These guys are ‘fingers-in-the-ears-yet-can’t-back-away’ loud, and sound like Black Holes & Revelations careening to Earth to collide with De-loused in the Comatorium. One sensed an experimental and adventurous show, extended tracks being drawn into each other and dead-air a crime.

With Craig & Co running a tad late, the dueling drums got an extra long thrashing, and one was left with the sensation of just not having enough limbs to slap along to all that percussion.

THE VINES

It’s become part of Australian music folklore – a ticket to The Vines is a gamble. Perhaps it’s this uncertainty in anticipation that charges the crowd, resulting in an explosive extended entrance when the boys finally emerge. A stripped-back ANU Bar allows unobstructed vision of backstage, and this makes for an honest, raw and strangely intimate experience. This had the feel of a Vines who were back without assuming their greatness, playing with the verve of a band keen to convince. Applause was graciously accepted after each track – a refreshing sight from a band who could really demand much more reverence. The appreciation was reciprocated on the sweaty side of the barrier, as new tracks like He’s a Rocker and Merry-Go-Round electrifi ed as much as icons like Get Free and Outtathaway. The discharging intro riffs of these reinvigorated Vines are as distinctive as the swirling guitars and vicious chorus leaps. This gamble was defi nitely paying out.

And then there was Craig. Whether you think he’s touched by genius or his eccentricity is more fuelled by Mary Jane, his uniqueness is undeniable. One can see the imagination flickering behind the semiglazed, fringe-cloaked eyes. How Nicholls sees the world… we can only guess at the strawberry-fielding expanse of that landscape. Happy to substitute lyrics for squawls and facial gesticulation, the man makes sure you just can’t look away for fear of missing that characteristic guitar-lead spill or swilling of sweet brown sugar water. Lost in hallucinations and negotiations with stage and clothing alike, the lastsecond dash to the mic evidenced a devotion to the show that a Highly Evolved Craig might sometimes not have shared.

THE VINES

Energy and psychedelic unpredictability, fused with enough musicianship and respect for their art that reminds you why these guys were once heralded as the saviours of rock. Somehow I don’t think this matters as much to them as just bouncing a crowd and smashing a guitar or two.

ADRIAN THREADGOULD

THE VINES/WOLF & CUB @ ANU BAR. PHOTOS BY ANDREW MAYO

THE VINES

FIRST CONTACT: Write your band’s name as well as the name and phone number of the

BMA BAND PROFILE

AEON OF HORUS

Where did your band name come from?

It was taken from The Book of the Law By Aleister Crowley. The Aeon of Horus is a period of 2000 years (the current age we live in). The new aeon is described as a time for change and growth, which is the way we write music. We always want to do something different and push the boundaries, and that’s pretty much the underlying theme of the band.

Group Members: Andy Annand (vocals, keyboards), Barry Feeney (guitar), Ben Hocking (drums), Chris Pratt (bass).

Describe your sound: Progressive death metal.

Who are your infl uences, musical or otherwise?

We don’t have any common musical infl uences; we all listen to different things. The music we write is where it all meets in the middle.

That being said we all approach the writing process with the intent of writing intense, emotional music with a good theme and to push our musical abilities.

What’s the weirdest experience you’ve had whilst performing?

Hummmm... doing Metal at Macchiato.

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

Finishing the album, and having it mastered by Jochem Jacobs from Split Second Sound/Textures, and playing with bands like Pig Destroyer and Psycroptic.

What are your plans for the future?

To promote The Embodiment of Darkness and Light, and to see how far we can take it. If all goes well, maybe playing overseas. Ultimately the success of the album will dictate what we do next.

What makes you laugh?

The Gadd.

What pisses you off?

Bad sound guys in Wagga.

What’s your opinion of the local scene?

It’s been up and down over the last few years. I think that at the moment it’s going strong, we are getting some big bands coming to Canberra (thanks to Fogz and Soundworks), and the local acts are going strong. I just hope that the Greenroom shutting down won’t affect the scene too much.

What are your upcoming gigs?

November 29 – Aeon of Horus Album Launch with Dred, Sword Toward Self and Epoch of Inexistence at The Basement in Belconnen.

December 19 – Supporting Psycroptic’s The Australian (Ob)Servant National Tour at The Basement in Belconnen.

December 31 – Metal Eviloution New Years Eve Party with MurderWorld at the Harp Hotel in Sydney.

January 31 2009 – Chaos ACT V with The Berzerker, The Amenta, and many others at The Basement in Belconnen.

There is also another Metal at Macchiato on the way, along with a small Aussie tour on the way when we get the time!

Contact Info: aeonofhorus@hotmail.com www.myspace.com/aeonofhorus

person to contact (limit of two contacts ie. phone and email) and send $5 (cheque or money order made to Bands, Music, Action) to bma: PO Box 713, Civic Square, ACT, 2608. For your $5 you’ll stay on the register until you request removal. Changes to listings also cost $5.

Aaron Peacey Aaron 0410 381 306 Afternoon Shift Adam 0402 055 314 After Close Scotty 0412 742 682, afterclose@hotmail.com Alcove Mark 0410 112 522 Alice 0423 100 792 Allies ACT (Oxfam Group) alliesact@hotmail.com/ myspace.com/alliesact Amphibian Sound PA Clare 0410 308 288 Amplif5'd Classic rock covers band Joy 0407 200 428, joybarac-heath@ hotmail.com.au Annie & the Armadillos Annette 6161 1078/0422 076 313 The Ashburys Dan Craddock 0419 626 903 Aria Stone singer/songwriter(guitar), sax & fl ute Aria 0411 803 343 Australian Kingswood Factory Sharon 0412 334 467 Australian Songwriters Association (Keiran Roberts) 6231 0433 Arythmia: Ben 0423 408 767/ arythmiamusic@gmail.com Backbeat Drivers Steve 0422 733 974, www.backbeatdrivers.com Bastards Jamie 0424 857 282/ www.bastards.altpro.net Big Boss Groove Andrew 0404 455 834, www.bigbossgroove.com.au Birds Love Fighting Gangbusters/DIY shows - bookings@birdslovefighting.com Blister Bug Stu 0408 617 791 Bridge Between, The Rachel 0412 598 138, thebridgebetween.com.au Bruce Stage mgr/consultant 6254 9857 Casual Projects Julian 0401 016 885 Catchpenny Nathan 0402 845 132 Caution Horses Nigel 0417 211 580 CD and Website Design Brendan 0404 042 574 Chris Harland Blues Band, The Chris 0418 490 640 chrisharlandbluesband@yahoo.com.au Chuffs, The Glenn 0413 697 546 Cold Heart Projects Andrew 6294 5450 Cole Bennetts Photography 0415 087 833/colebennetts@gmail.com Colourful Racing Identities Josh 0410 135 605 Cool Weapon Luke 0410 983 450/ Josh 0412 863 019 Cris Clucas Cris 6262 5652 Crooked Dave 0421 508 467 Cumulonimbus Matt 0412 508 425 Dance With Amps Marcus 0421 691 332 Danny V Danny 6238 1673/0413 502 428 DayTrippers, The Reidar 0414 808 677, daytrippers@grapevine.com.au (dp) New Media Artists Mal 0414 295 297 Dogact dog-act@hotmail.com, Paulie 0408 287 672.

DJs Madrid and Gordon 0417 433 971 DJ/MC Bootcamp Donte 9267 3655 DJ Latino Rogelio 0401 274 208 DJ Moises (RnB/Latin) 0402 497 835 or moises_lopez@hotmail DNA Vic 0408 477 020 Drumassault Kate 0414 236 323 Dubba Rukki Jim 0409 660 745 Easy Mode Daz 0404 156 482, easymodeband@gmail.com Entity Chris 0412 027 894 Epic Flagon band@epicfl agon.com EYE eye@canberra.teknet.net.au Fighting Mongooses, The Adam 0402 055 314 Final Warning Brendan 0422 809 552 Fire on the Hill Aaron 0410 381 306/ Dan 0410 480 321 FirePigs, The Danny 6238 1673/0413 502 428 4dead Peter 0401 006 551 Freeloaders, The Steve 0412 653 597 Friend or Enemy 6238 0083, www.myspace.com/friendorenemy Funk Shui Dave 0407 974 476 Gareth Hailey DJ & Electronica 0414 215 885 GiLF Kelly 0410 588 747, gilf.mail@gmail.com Guff Damian 6230 2767 HalfPast Chris 0412 115 594 Hancock Basement Tom 6257 5375, hancockbasement@hotmail.com Happy Hour Wendy 0406 375 096, Haunted Attics band@hauntedatticsmusic.com Hitherto Paul 0408 425 636 Adam Hole Adam 0421 023 226

Infra Retina Kyle 0437 137 775/Michael 0430 353 893/www.infra-retina.com In The Flesh Scott 0410 475 703 Inside the Exterior Nathan 0401 072 650 Itchy Triggers Andrew 0401 588 884 Jacqui Seczawa 0428 428 722 JDY Clothing 0405 648 288/ www.jdyclothing.com Jenn Pacor singer/songwriter avail. for originals & covers, 0405 618 630 Jennifer Versatile singer looking for band; 0422 158 362 Jim Boots 0417 211 580 Karismakatz DJ Gosper 0411 065 189/dj@ karismakatz.com Kurt's Metalworx (PA) 0417 025 792 Lenders, The Tim 6247 2076 Little Smoke Sam 0411 112 075 Los Chavos Jules 0413 223 573 los.chavos@yahoo.com.au Manilla Green Herms 0404 848 462, contactus@manillagreen.com, Mario Brujo Gordon world/latin/reggae/ percussionist and DJ. 0405 820 895 Martin Bailey Audio Engineer 0423 566 093 Malumba Dan 6253 5150 MC Kayo Marbilus 0405 648 288 kayo_101@hotmail.com, www.myspace. com/kayo_marbilus, Meatbee Ben 0417 492 560 Missing Zero Hadrian Brand 0424 721 907/hadrian.brand@live.com.au Murder Meal Combo Anthony 0419 630 721 MuShu Jack 0414 292 567, mushu_band@hotmail.com Myriad Kath 6253 8318 MyOnus myonusmusic@hotmail.com/ www.myspace.com/myonus Neptune's Necklace Mark 6253 1048 No Retreat Simon 0411 155 680 Ocean Moses Nigel 0417 211 580 OneWayFare Chris 0418 496 448 Painted Hearts, The Peter 6248 6027 Para 0402 277 007 Petra Elliott Petra 0410 290 660 Phathom Chris 0422 888 700 The Pigs The Colonel 0422 412 752 Polka Pigs Ian 6231 5974 Premier Audio Simon 0412 331 876, premier_audio@hotmail.com Queanbeyan Music & Electronics 6299 1020 Redletter Ben 0421 414 472 Redsun Rehearsal Studio Ralph 0404 178 996/6162 1527 Rhythm Party, The Ross 0416 010 680 Roger Bone Band Andy 0413 483 758 Rob Mac Project, The Melinda 0400 405 537 Rug, The Jol 0417 273 041 Samsara Samahdi 0431 083 776 Sansutra J-Ma 0403 476 350 Sara Vancea Sara 6247 9899 Seditious Intent Toby 0419 971 547 Sindablok Duncan 0424 642 156 Simone Penkethman (Simone & The Soothsayers, Singing Teacher) 6230 4828 Soundcity Rehearsal Studio Andrew 0401 588 884 Solid Gold Peter 0421 131 887/ solid.gold@live.com.au Stalker and Liife Darren 0413 229 049 Super Best Friends Matt 0438 228 748 Surrender Jordan 0439 907 853 Switch 3 Mick 0410 698 479 System Addict Jamie 0418 398 556 Taboo Bamboo Greg 0439 990 455 That ‘80s Band Ty 0417 265 013 The Morning After (covers band) Anthony 0402 500 843/ myspace.com/themorningaftercovers Tim James Lucia 6282 3740, 0413 609 832, LUCIAMURDOCH@hotmail.com Top Shelf Colin 0408 631 514 Transmission Nowhere Emilie 0421 953 519/myspace.com/transmissionnowhere TRS tripstate@hotmail.com Udo 0412 086 158 Undersided, The Baz 0408 468 041 Using Three Words Dan 0416 123 020, usingthreewords@hotmail.com Voodoo Doll Mark 0428 650 549 William Blakely Will 0414 910 014 Woden Youth Centre Jeremy 6282 3037 Zeitgeist www.zeitgeist.xwave Zero Degrees and Falling Louis 0423 918 793 Zwish 0411 022 907

GIG GUIDE November 13 - 16 THURSDAY NOVEMBER 13

ARTS _____________ Domain 2008 12 artists bringing art out into Alinga Street west. Until Nov 22 ALINGA STREET WEST, CIVIC Coulorophobia - Fear of Clowns An exhibition by Cole Bennetts.

Continues until Nov 29 CCAS, GORMAN HOUSE Canberra Dance Theatre 30th Anniversary A spectacular celebration of the many forms of dance. 'til Nov 23 CANBERRA DANCE THEATRE Lire en Fete Aboriginal Art Exhibition Continues until Nov 22 ALLIANCE FRANCAISE, TURNER Permanent Rainbow An exhibition by Peter McKay. Continues until Nov 29 CCAS, GORMAN HOUSE National Tally Room Under the Microscope A photographic exhibition of the November 2007 election.

Continues until Nov 23 HUW DAVIES GALLERY, MANUKA Seventh Drawing Biennale Curator Elizabeth Cross has chosen artists whose draughtsmanship is rooted in observation. Continues until Dec 14 DRILL HALL GALLERY, ANU

DANCE _____________ DJ D'Opus KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE Trash Thursdays $2 drinks until 2:00am and discounted cocktails. With DJs Adam and Esscue ACADEMY, CIVIC Blast From The Past Tunes from the ’80s and ’90s MINQUE, FRANKLIN ST, MANUKA One Love Reggae Sessions HIPPO BAR, GAREMA PL, CIVIC Peregrine With special guests. Free entry TRANSIT BAR, AKUNA ST, CIVIC

LIVE _____________ Gangbusters: Ethereal With A Night Time Skyway and The Magic Hands. Entry $5 BAR 32, NORTHBOURNE AVE Tripitide From 9:00pm-midnight KING O'MALLEY'S, CIVIC You Am I With Tame Impala and Kempsey.

Tickets $32.75 from Ticketek ANU BAR, ACTON Pugsley Buzzard Pugsley has just returned from playing in Mumbai and the Himalayan Blues festival in Nepal. From 7:00pm NATIONAL PRESS CLUB, BARTON Music at the Creek Folk Festival Three days of music, song, dance and spoken word. Until November 16 MAJORS CREEK, BRAIDWOOD

THURSDAY NOVEMBER 13 Funky Thursday: Jemist $5 Cooper pints. From 9:00pm THE DURHAM CASTLE ARMS, KINGSTON The Bouchet Brothers THE VIKINGS CLUB, ERINDALE Ruiner All ages show TUGGERANONG COMMUNITY CENTRE

SOMETHING DIFFERENT _____________ Braddon Brainbuster Trivia 6pm rego, 6.30pm start. Beer/ food vouchers, cash prizes to win THE BRADDON CLUB Carry On Karaoke PJ O'REILLY'S, CIVIC Basement Pool Comp THE BASEMENT, BELCONNEN Karaoke with a Twist PJ O'REILLY'S, TUGGERANONG Karaoke From 9:00 til 11:00pm. Cash prizes and 2-4-1 basic spirits and tap beer CUBE NIGHTCLUB, CIVIC FRIDAYNOVEMBER NOVEMBER FRIDAY 14 14 14 14 14

ARTS _____________ Opening - Made It University of Canberra graphic design graduating exhibition.

From 6:30pm UNIVERSITY OF CANBERRA DESIGN GALLERY Australian Poetry Slam Winners of each heat will receive cash prizes and the winner with the highest score will win flights and accommodation to the National Final in Sydney. Free NATIONAL LIBRARY OF AUSTRALIA

DANCE _____________ Gathering 3 With Alex, and plenty of killer acts. $20 for lots of doof doof MERCURY BAR, CIVIC Klaus Heavyweight Hill With Johnny Rade. Entry $15.

Doors open 10:00pm LOT 33, KINGSTON Souled Out Fridays R&B with DJs Daz, Nate, Adam MINQUE, FRANKLIN ST, MANUKA Acid Jax ACADEMY, CIVIC Havana Nights Tropical rhythms and passionate dancing, from 8:30pm. With Don Juan, live percussion and live singer MONKEY BAR, BUNDA ST, CIVIC After Work Funk With resident bad boy DJ Jemist TRANSIT BAR, AKUNA ST, CIVIC Llik Llik Llik Featuring Sam McEwin TRANSIT BAR, AKUNA ST, CIVIC Downtown Brown KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE Raunch Dance Party Come if you dare. From 10:00pm until late. Entry $10 CUBE NIGHTCLUB, CIVIC

friday NOVEMBER 14 Summer Slam With Brookes Bros (UK), Danny Byrd (UK), Karton, and many more. A huge night of D&B, jungle, dupstep, hip-hop and breaks. From 7:00pm til midnight. Licensed/AA. Tickets $25 from Landspeed HOLY GRAIL, CIVIC

DAY PLAY _____________ Groovin' in Garema With The Bridge Between. From 12:30pm til 2:00pm GAREMA PLACE, CIVIC

LIVE ____________ Afraid You'll Fall - Last Show!

Tickets $5 pre-sale through the bands and Boomerang Software Exchange, Tuggeranong Hyperdome. $7 at the door.

Doors open 6:00pm. With The Attendance and Tell Me Bluntly WODEN YOUTH CENTRE Jazz Night: The Austin Benjamin Trio Modern jazz, electronic, rock, folk, factory sounds and Tibetan chanting ALLIANCE FRANCAISE, TURNER Itchy Triggers From 10:00pm-2:00am KING O'MALLEY'S, CIVIC Judi Pearce & The Arrangement From 6:30pm SOUL BAR, WODEN Roger That With Casual Projects and Monster Elephante. Tickets $10 ANU BAR, ACTON Di Mason Band From 8:00pm HOLY GRAIL, KINGSTON Heuristic Rocking on from 10:00pm THE DURHAM CASTLE ARMS, KINGSTON The Bridge Between From 9:00pm til midnight OLD CANBERRA INN, LYNEHAM Rev Weekly punk/indie/dance/ electro/alternative night. Woo! BAR 32, N'BOURNE AVE, CIVIC SATURDAY NOVEMBER SATURDAY NOVEMBER 15 15

ARTS _____________ Arc Cinema: Ned Kelly Beginning 7:30pm. The 1970 version, shot in Braidwood NATIONAL FILM AND SOUND ARCHIVE

DAY PLAY _____________ Gorman House Markets GORMAN HOUSE Burley Griffin Antique Centre KINGSTON FORESHORE Block Party 2 With free food, free activites, and live bands. From 11:00am until 5:00pm BELCONNEN LIBRARY COURTYARD

SATURDAY NOVEMBER 15

DANCE _____________ Jazz Sessions Smooth jazz, wine tastings MINQUE, FRANKLIN ST, MANUKA Decadance Saturdays: Act Yo Age Support by Ashley Feraude and Tim Galvin. Plus Ear Candy with Nathan Frost in the Candybar ACADEMY, CIVIC Rhyme Intervention IV Over 20 hip-hop acts raising money for the Cancer Council, including Terra Firma, Dialectrix, Last Credit, Social Change and many more.

Tickets $28+bf from ANU Bar, Landspeed Records, and the Music Shop, Woden ANU BAR, ACTON A Night of Fetish With DJ Matt Chavasse.

From 10:00pm CUBE NIGHTCLUB, CIVIC Capital Dub Styles featuring King Tide TRANSIT BAR, AKUNA ST, CIVIC Jemist KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE James Ash (Rogue Traders) Doors open 9:00pm. Entry is $10. 2-4-1 drinks before midnight MONKEY BAR, BUNDA ST, CIVIC

LIVE _____________ James Curd Supporting his latest album, Limbo Sessions THE JULIP LOUNGE, MANUKA Barrel of Monkeys With Soma, Voltera, Our Last Enemy, and locals Gasma.

Entry is $10 from 8:00pm THE BASEMENT, BELCONNEN Andi & George Band Playing a three hour set, with guest DJs. Doors open 7:00pm with the band starting at 8:00pm. Entry is $10 HOLY GRAIL, CIVIC 3rd Exit Kicks off at 10pm. $8 cocktails, 4:00pm-10:00 pm THE DURHAM, KINGSTON The Cool From 10:00pm - 2:30am KING O'MALLEY'S, CIVIC Fictions With Happenstance THE PHOENIX, EAST ROW, CIVIC Mary Jane Kelly With The Abandonment and A Fallen Theory. All Ages.

Tickets $20,available from the door only TUGGERANONG COMMUNITY CENTRE SUNDAY 16 16 SUNDAYNOVEMBER NOVEMBER

DAY PLAY _____________ Old Bus Depot Markets KINGSTON Burley Griffin Antique Centre KINGSTON FORESHORE Tuggeranong Homestead Markets TUGGERANONG HOMESTEAD Summer Sun Days Every Sunday through Summer, from 2pm. Free BBQ TRANSIT BAR, AKUNA ST, CIVIC

GIG GUIDE November 16 - 26 SUNDAY NOVEMBER 16 The Bridge Between From 3:00pm til 6:00pm CANBERRA YACHT CLUB, YARRALUMLA Sunday BBQs $10 BBQ lunch between 1 and 3pm. Happy hour from 2:004:00pm and live bands between 2:00 and 5:00pm. Sizzlin'!

THE BRADDON CLUB

DANCE _____________

Sunday Playground $3 Coronas and finger food throughout the afternoon MINQUE, FRANKLIN ST, MANUKA Cube Sunday 9:00pm til late CUBE NIGHTCLUB, CIVIC

TUESDAY NOVEMBER 18

SOMETHING DIFFERENT _____________ Fame Trivia From 7:30-10:30pm THE DURHAM CASTLE ARMS, KINGSTON Pot Belly Trivia Every Tuesday POT BELLY BAR, BELCONNEN Carry-On Karaoke Win $1000. Yes, $1000. Grand final for 2008! Woot!

TRANSIT BAR, AKUNA ST, CIVIC Trivia Night PJ O'REILLY'S, TUGGERANONG Trivia Night HOLY GRAIL, KINGSTON Games Night THE PHOENIX, EAST ROW, CIVIC WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 19

LIVE _____________

DANCE _____________

Irish Jam Session From 5:00pm KING O'MALLEY'S, CIVIC Where to Now ALL BAR NUN, TURNER

Caribbean Vibes Recharge from 8.30pm MONKEY BAR, BUNDA ST, CIVIC

MONDAY NOVEMBER 17

ARTS _____________ Cantara: Remembering Community Looks and listens inside the places where music was, and is made. From 8:00pm HELEN MAXWELL GALLERY, MORT STREET, BRADDON

DANCE _____________ Hospitality Night With Mikah Freeman & guests TRANSIT BAR, AKUNA ST, CIVIC

LIVE _____________ Bootleg Sessions Local musos bustin' it out THE PHOENIX, EAST ROW, CIVIC tuesday NOVEMBER 18

LIVE _____________ Chuse Jazz Tuesdays With the Andy Campbell Trio. $5 (TRINITY) BAR, DICKSON Filthy's Musical Madness With Post Astro, Amax and Alice Cottee. From 8:30pm FILTHY MCFADDEN'S, KINGSTON

LIVE _____________ The Remains THE PHOENIX, EAST ROW, CIVIC The John Steel Singers Free entry TRANSIT BAR, AKUNA ST, CIVIC

SOMETHING DIFFERENT _____________ Fame Trivia PJ O'REILLY'S, CIVIC Carry-On Karaoke From 9:30pm. $1000 grand prize THE DURHAM CASTLE ARMS, KINGSTON $5 Night TRANSIT BAR, AKUNA ST, CIVIC Karaoke HOLY GRAIL, KINGSTON THURSDAY NOVEMBER THURSDAY NOVEMBER2020

ARTS _____________ The Young and the Wrestlers A documentary about the underground world of pro wrestling in Canberra.

Screenings at 6:30pm and 9:30pm DENDY CINEMAS, CANBERRA CENTRE Arc Cinema - They Shoot Horses, Don't They?

Beginning 7:30pm NATIONAL FILM AND SOUND ARCHIVE

THURSDAY NOVEMBER 20 Cosi Continues until Dec 13.

Tix $33/$27 CANBERRA REPERTORY THEATRE, ACTON

DANCE _____________ Trash Thursdays $2 drinks until 2:00am and discounted cocktails. With DJs Adam and Esscue ACADEMY, CIVIC Blast From The Past Re-live your favourite tunes from the ’80s and ’90s MINQUE, FRANKLIN ST, CIVIC Funky Thursdays: Food Fight (Soft Tigers) $5 Cooper pints. From 9pm THE DURHAM, KINGSTON Jemist KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE

LIVE _____________ MicFest BBQ and cash bar and student bands. Until Nov 21. Free entry CIT MUSIC INDUSTRY CENTRE, PHILLIP Gangbusters: The Trivs With Like Foxes and The Fights.

Entry $5 BAR 32, N'THBOURNE AVE, CIVIC Huckleberry Swedes From 10:00pm HOLY GRAIL, KINGSTON Dos Locos 9:00pm-midnight KING O'MALLEY'S, CIVIC Cassette Kids With TST and The Magic Hands TRANSIT BAR, AKUNA ST, CIVIC

SOMETHING DIFFERENT _____________ Beaujolais Nouveau Evening A fun evening with dinner and wine!

ALLIANCE FRANCAISE, TURNER Braddon Brainbuster Trivia 6pm rego, 6.30pm start. Beer/ food vouchers, cash prizes to win THE BRADDON CLUB Basement Pool Comp THE BASEMENT, BELCONNEN Karaoke with a Twist PJ O'REILLY'S, TUGGERANONG Karaoke From 9:00 til 11:00pm. Cash prizes and 2-4-1 basic spirits and tap beer CUBE NIGHTCLUB, CIVIC

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 21

ARTS _____________ After Dinner Set in the late '80s, the audience sits with five 30-something singles, in a bistro setting on a Friday night, complete with band, booze and sometimes bizarre antics. Until Nov 29.

Tix $22/$18 BELCONNEN THEATRE

DANCE _____________ Exposed Featuring Wongo, Elaine Benes, Drop Dead Ed, Beat It, Staky, The Duchess, and Kiss Off Electric TRANSIT BAR, AKUNA ST, CIVIC Souled Out Fridays Smooth, sexy R&B, with Canberra's all star DJs MINQUE, FRANKLIN ST, CIVIC Havana Nights From 8.30pm MONKEY BAR, BUNDA ST, CIVIC Friday Night Mix Up With DJ Craig PJ O'REILLY'S, TUGGERANONG Mish Mash Fridays Selected sounds for selected people. From 10pm ACADEMY, CIVIC Row-hypnol KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE Jemist From 9:00pm (TRINITY) BAR, DICKSON King James With Beat It, Hubert, Alexxx, Peekz, Steve Sobvleski and CLI MERCURY BAR, N'BOURNE AVE

LIVE _____________ Friend or Enemy With My Onus, Alone With You and Stigmata. Doors at 8:00pm.

Entry $5 - and discounts if you're naked! Yep, that be right! Woo! THE BASEMENT, BELCONNEN Chris Harland Blues Band From 6:00pm SOUL BAR, WODEN Rev Weekly punk/indie/dance/ electro/alternative night. Woo! BAR 32, N'THBOURNE AVE, CIVIC The Funky Brothers From 10:00pm HOLY GRAIL, KINGSTON 3rd Exit Rocking on from 10:00pm THE DURHAM CASTLE ARMS, KINGSTON

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 21 Curious Fate 10:00am-2:00pm KING O'MALLEY'S, CIVIC Ami Williamson With Freyja's Rain and The Rooftop Revellers THE MERRY MUSE, POLISH WHITE EAGLE CLUB, TURNER

SOMETHING DIFFERENT _____________ The Pink and Black Jester Ball With The Andi and George Band, Trevor Brown, Lloyd AllisonYoung, performances by Little Dove Theatre Art, The Magnificent Liberte Belle and Min Mae's Tableaux Mouvant. From 7pm.

Tickets $35 through Landspeed and The Front, Lyneham ALBERT HALL, YARRALUMLA SATURDAY NOVEMBER 22

ARTS _____________ Arc Cinema - Casino Royale The '67 classic, featuring Peter Sellers, and Woody Allen.

Beginning 7:30pm NATIONAL FILM AND SOUND ARCHIVE

DAY PLAY _____________ Gorman House Markets GORMAN HOUSE Burley Griffin Antique Centre KINGSTON FORESHORE

DANCE _____________ Trackside Afterparty Featuring DJ Bonez, D'Opus, DJ Just-1 & Karton. Free entry TRANSIT BAR, AKUNA ST, CIVIC Trackside Afterparty Feautring Cut Copy DJs, Chris Fraser, Milkbar Nick and more acts to come. $15 with band, $20 without ACADEMY, CIVIC Anna Lunoe (Bumblebeez) Supported by resident DJs DJ Kiz, Tim Galvin, and Trent Richardson. $10, or half price for Tracksiders MONKEY BAR, BUNDA ST, CIVIC Frankie Madrid KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE DJ Funk (USA) WIth Will Styles. Entry $20. Doors open 10:00pm LOT 33, KINGSTON

SATURDAY NOVEMBER 22

SUNDAY NOVEMBER 23

LIVE _____________

DANCE _____________

Trackside Festival With The Living End, Gyroscope, Cut Copy, The Panics, Bliss N Eso, British India, Something With Numbers, The Getaway Plan, Sparkadia, and many, many more. Tickets $79+bf from Landspeed Records, Stocks, and moshtix. Limited $95 tix at gate THOROUGHBRED PARK, LYNEHAM RockZone 10pm. $8 cocktails. 4:00-10:00pm THE DURHAM CASTLE ARMS, KINGSTON Black Ice 10:30pm - 2:30am KING O'MALLEY'S, CIVIC Top Shelf From 10:00pm HOLY GRAIL, KINGSTON The Trackside Comedy Tent With Sam Simmons, Justin Heazlewood, Mat Kenneally, Tom Gibson, Emo Willis, The Stevenson Experience, MC Geoff Setty, and Impro Theatre ACT THOROUGHBREAD PARK, LYNEHAM The Lucksmiths Tickets only at the door TILLEY'S DIVINE CAFE, LYNEHAM Never See Tomorrow With As Silence Breaks and The Bride. Tickets $12. All ages TUGGERANONG COMMUNITY CENTRE

Crookers (Italy) With Dave Norgate and Hubert.

Tickets $20+bf pre-sale, or limited tickets on the door for $25. Doors open 8:00pm LOT 33, KINGSTON Sunday Playground Chill out on the Astro deck or misbehave on the dancefloor. $3 Coronas, and free finger food MINQUE, FRANKLIN ST, MANUKA Cube Sunday 9:00pm til late CUBE NIGHTCLUB, CIVIC

SOMETHING DIFFERENT _____________ CBS 2008 Blues Awards For only $50, get a two course meal and entertainment by blues musicians. From 6:30pm STATESMAN HOTEL, CURTAIN The Ellis Collective With The Understudy and a disappointing fireworks display THE PHOENIX, EAST ROW, CIVIC Sunday NOVEMBER 23

DAY PLAY _____________ Tuggeranong Homestead Markets TUGGERANONG HOMESTEAD Sunday BBQs $10 BBQ lunch between 1 and 3pm. Happy hour from 2-4pm and live bands between 2 and 5pm THE BRADDON CLUB Summer Sun Days Every Sunday through Summer, from 2pm. Free BBQ TRANSIT BAR, AKUNA ST, CIVIC

LIVE _____________ Irish Jam Session From 5pm KING O'MALLEY'S, CIVIC Blues in the City Blues dancing classes and DJs. $12 for classes and dancing, $5 general entry UNI PUB, ACTON The Cool ALL BAR NUN, TURNER MONDAY NOVEMBER 24

DANCE _____________ Bootleg Sessions Local musos bustin' it out THE PHOENIX, EAST ROW, CIVIC Hospitality Night With Mikah Freeman & guests TRANSIT BAR, AKUNA ST, CIVIC TUESDAY NOVEMBER 25

LIVE _____________ Chuse Jazz Tuesdays With the Seb McIntosh quartet. $5 beer/wine and free cheese!

(TRINITY) BAR, DICKSON Filthy's Musical Madness With Aria Stone, and the Karisma Katz. From 8:30pm FILTHY MCFADDEN'S, KINGSTON

SOMETHING DIFFERENT _____________ Carry-On Karaoke TRANSIT BAR, AKUNA ST, CIVIC Fame Trivia THE DURHAM CASTLE ARMS, KINGSTON Pot Belly Trivia POT BELLY BAR, BELCONNEN Trivia Night PJ O'REILLY'S, TUGGERANONG

TUESDAY NOVEMBER 25 Trivia Night HOLY GRAIL, KINGSTON Beginner Swing Classes Learn to swing dance. No experience or partner required HARMONIE GERMAN CLUB, NARRABUNDAH Comedy Night THE PHOENIX, EAST ROW, CIVIC WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 26

ARTS _____________ Oceans All Boiled into Sky A road trip/coming of age story set in the nation's capital after the Earth's oceans have boiled into clouds of steam. Until Nov 29. Tix $20/$15 THE STREET THEATRE, ACTON The Messenger Following the adventures of a 19 year old cab driver who one day inadvertently stops a bank robbery. Until Dec 6. Tickets $20/$15 CANBERRA YOUTH THEATRE, GORMAN HOUSE, BRADDON

DANCE _____________ Caribbean Vibes MONKEY BAR, BUNDA ST, CIVIC

LIVE _____________ Los Chavos THE PHOENIX, EAST ROW, CIVIC Way Out West A unique and alluring group feautring Vietnamese, African and jazz influences HIPPO BAR

SOMETHING DIFFERENT _____________ Fame Trivia PJ O'REILLY'S, CIVIC Carry-On Karaoke From 9:30pm. $1000 grand prize THE DURHAM CASTLE ARMS, KINGSTON Karaoke Night HOLY GRAIL KINGSTON Beginner Swing Classes Learn to swing dance. No experience or partner required WHITE EAGLE POLISH CLUB, TURNER $5 Night Try something new!

TRANSIT BAR, AKUNA ST, CIVIC

DVDEVOTEE

Get Smart (Roadshow Home Video)

Futurama: Bender’s Game (Fox)

Sukiyaki Western Django (Hopscotch Entertainment)

There is something extremely comforting about Get Smart as an entity; Max has to bumble and be a bit of an idiot, 99 has to be sexy and the chief has to be increasingly amazed at Max and his ineptitude. The new fi lm, based on the hit series of the ’60s and ’70s, does work, but primarily due to the hard work of the key cast. Max (Steve Carrell) is an analyst who dreams of being a fi eld agent.

His dream is fulfi lled through a comedy of errors, and he goes into the fi eld, with 99 in tow, to fi ght KAOS and its new regime of terror.

This is harmless fun, with Carell and Anne Hathaway (99) both playing their roles to the hilt, but as is a recently recurring happening in Hollywood, both have their thunder well and truly stolen by Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, whose charisma and charm works overtime.

There are certainly some character tweakings that may upset long-time fans, but with all the catchphrases and fun the cast and audience may have, it really doesn’t matter.

Keen readers of these fi ne pages – and I know there’s at least seven of you – will be aware that in my quest to apply critical ink to the Futurama fi lms, I have been largely void of sympathy.

In fi lm format, this beloved series becomes bogged down in heavy issues, meaning the frequency and potency of laughs dry up.

After watching Sukiyaki Western Django, I was rather bemused as to what to make of it. The meticulous fi ght scenes and kitschy sense of humour were entertaining well enough, but I didn’t think that the movie would stay in my thoughts much afterwards. But then all of a sudden I realised I wanted to watch it again, and it’s this subconscious curiosity that Sukiyaki Western Django plants in the mind of the reader, which makes it so clever.

So as a comedy, this is a fi ne feature. It falls down, however, when it tries to up the action quota. Get Smart has never worked in the action stakes and perhaps this aspect of the modernisation doesn’t quite work. I think that if the rumoured sequel is to work, it must become more of a screwball comedy and leave the action stakes at home. Extra features on this one include deleted scenes and a blooper reel. This one was a lot of fun and I think that they deserve a second bite of the cherry to hone Max and crew a little bit better.

GEOFF SETTY

And then, just as we near the conclusion, we’re thrust into a Dungeons & Dragons meets Lord of the Rings fantasy scenario with, frankly, a pretty weak explanation, and we lose all momentum. The gags and plot points became a lazy aping of the latter story, and once it’s all over, we’re taken back to where we were before, leaving a distinct feeling that the whole episode has simply been tacked on.

So here we are, the third in a four fi lm series and you know what? It’s the best of the lot so far. With a sadly inevitable “but”. The plot draws you in. Like our world, petrol prices have (if one is permitted a pun) skyrocketed and Mom holds the monopoly.

Through an amusing fl ashback or two, it seems Professor Farnsworth is responsible for energising dark matter with fuel potency and handing the diabolical Mom her fortune, but in its creation, he also has a crystal to render dark matter useless, cripple Mom’s ironclad commercial grip, and rid the world of fuel dependency. This is all executed beautifully; the plot points roll forth in a lively, entertaining fashion, there’s some neat little twists and, most importantly, the laughs are consistent.

Futurama’s future is uncertain; there’s a very real chance that after the fourth and fi nal fi lmInto the Wild Green Yonder, that will be it for the show. It seems unfair that this brilliant series has been forced to dribble out rather than leave with a bang, but at least the fi lms are improving, and hopefully the fi nal one will provide a fi tting end that will truly capture the genius of the four series that preceded it.

ALLAN SKO

Directed by Takashi Miike (Ichi the Killer, Audition), the fi lm follows two Japanese clans, the Genji and Heike, who are warring over rumours of gold in a poor mountain town.

When a talented, yet scarred and cynical gunman enters the town, both sides attempt to lure him into their respective clans. A brash, sometimes ridiculous, but overall interesting mix of classic Spaghetti Western and brutal Samurai styles, the movie has incredible fi ght sequences, stunning scenery, and almost elegant cross-culture costuming. As we follow the lone gunman through the town, we are drawn into the stories of the townspeople and the warring clans, and the numerous histories of love, lust, betrayal, and revenge which are brought to the fore as both sides vie for power of the town and its gold. The main drawback of this movie, however, is Miike’s decision to have all the characters speak in English with extremely strong, and purposefully entertaining, Japanese accents, such that subtitles are required to follow the dialogue properly.

While this does add to the kitschy tone of the movie which Miike was obviously aiming for, it makes the characters rather distant instead of endearing, leaving you with a feeling that you want to care more about the characters, but just can’t. And so you’re left with a movie with an engaging story, visual aesthetic and characters you’re convinced you could love…eventually…if only you watch it one more time.

BEN HERMANN

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