BMA Magazine 417 May 07 2013

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2XX Community Radio Announces First Radiothon in Seven Years

# 4 1 7 M A Y 8 Fax: (02) 6257 4361 Mail: PO Box 713 Civic Square, ACT 2608 Publisher Scott Layne Allan Sko General Manager Allan Sko T: (02) 6257 4360 E: advertising@bmamag.com

Advertising Manager Scott Johnston T: (02) 6257 4360 E: sales@bmamag.com

Editor Ashley Thomson

T: (02) 6257 4456 E: editorial@bmamag.com

Accounts Manager Hongyan Ao

T: (02) 6247 4816 E: accounts@bmamag.com

Sub-Editor & Social Media Manager Greta Kite-Gilmour Graphic Design Marley Film Editor Melissa Wellham NEXT ISSUE 418 OUT MAY 22 EDITORIAL DEADLINE MAY 13 ADVERTISING DEADLINE MAY 16 Published by Radar Media Pty Ltd ABN 76 097 301 730 BMA Magazine is independently owned and published. Opinions expressed in BMA Magazine are not necessarily those of the editor, publisher or staff.

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Years ago it was an annual tradition for a sizeable cluster of 2XX Community Radio volunteers to huddle around a table covered in telephones and, over 48 hours or more, call as many people as they could to solicit donations to the station. It was an exhaustive, shameless cash grab – and it’s back! But the times have changed, no one calls anyone anymore, and there’s money to be raised. What to do? Take to Pozible, of course, and offer a sinking boatload of incentives. From Monday May 27 to Sunday June 2, the station will go into overdrive, with the stated aim this year being to revitalise the station, breathe new life into it. As people who bypass triple j, disdain FM 104.7, rationalise FM 106.3 and are drawn inexorably to ABC Classic FM by cold, calculated default, BMA Magazine can find no better rationale. 2XX prides itself on being the voice of our community. It has shows from every cultural and musical minority you can think of – and now it also has LocalnLive, a daily two-hour show staffed by and dedicated to the best local musicians. While you’re trying to think of a reason why this isn’t brilliant, head to 2xxfm.org. au/content/2xx-fm-radiothon to find out what you can do to foster great radio in the ACT when the ‘thon kicks off.

New ‘Vagabond’ Music Festival in Kangaroo Valley

Canberra Filmmakers to Appear at Cannes Film Festival ScreenACT and Trade Connect are taking nine Canberran filmmakers to the Marche du Cannes (the film market at Cannes Film Festival) to sell local feature films and create relationships to bring feature productions to the territory.

The market goes for ten days, Wed-Fri May 15-24, putting the producers to the test by having hundreds of meetings in that time. Producer Christian Doran is ready: ‘The idea is to believe in your story and tell as many people as you can. Someone will see your passion and want to work with you to get it made, and we’ll make it right here in Canberra.’ The move defies the notion of ‘homegrown’ (in much the same way that NewActon and Kingston Foreshore are pushing creativity rather than nurturing it) but it can do no harm. Bonne chance, innit.

Splendour In The Grass Sells Out in Record Time Another year, another festival, another price hike. So you be the judge – have Splendour tipped the balance in their favour enough that it’s worth the cost? Frank Ocean, The National, TV On The Radio, Flume, Babyshambles, James Blake, Of Monsters & Men, Empire of the Sun, Klaxons, Passion Pit and many more are gracing the stages in the last weekend of July. It’s no small round-up, but at more than $110 a day, not including camping. For a three-day pass with camping, you’re looking at $450+. Almost half a grand. With Groovin’ the Moo just gone ($99.90 for the day, not including booking fee) one has to wonder what the future of the behemoth Splendour music festival will be.

According to the record time in which it sold out (40 minutes), Splendour’s future is bright. And they know it. Having invented a $699 ticket, Splendour then reduced the allocation of threeday passes to boost the number of folks who’ll have to shell out $699 to be there. After all, the key selling point of any festival – beyond ‘the experience’ – is financial: more acts in a given space of time than you could possibly afford to see individually. Festivals do all the organising for you and price accordingly. And with every year that passes, ‘accordingly’ creeps a little higher. If you’d like to hiss air through your teeth and contemplate your bank balance before coming to your own conclusion, head to splendourinthegrass.com (or failing that, ebay.com.au).

Anyone who’s visited Kangaroo Valley will tell you how beautiful it is. Sheer, pristine hills covered with lush gum forests, sandstone escarpments dropping out of nowhere, pooling lakes of fog awash with warm sun. And someone has convinced an 83-year-old farm owner to open the gates of his old fruit orchard this June for the inaugural Vagabond Music Festival. The festival is the fulfilment of 30-year-old Adam Taylor’s dream. ‘Four years ago I stood on my granddad’s

Rob Schneider is...

BMA Magazine would like to announce its support for incoming ‘right to die’ legislation in NSW, because we, like rappers, are predestined community leaders.

rundown old farm and thought what a great spot this would make for a music festival. After more work than I could have ever imagined, I’m ecstatic to finally launch the inaugural Vagabond Music Festival with a line-up that I can’t wait to see,’ said Adam. Taking place on the Queen’s Birthday Long Weekend, Sat-Mon June 8-10, the first ever Vagabond Music Festival sports Chilean DJ Sien, Guineafowl, The Bedroom Philosopher and heaps more.

You can find out more and purchase very modestly priced tickets (on special for $50 until Friday May 10) at vagabondfestival.com.

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FROM THE BOSSMAN Ahhhh Mother’s Day. The great economy stimulator where love for our cherished mothers is ransomed by Society’s Judgement in exchange for expensive gifts that will see their way onto a forgotten shelf in a cupboard before the week is out.

Next to Third Cousins Day (which conveniently falls on Christmas so no-one ever remembers it) or Deceased Family Pet Day it’s definitely at least my third favourite manufactured event, if for no other reason than it gives us publications an excellent opportunity to run vacuous pieces of advertorial parading as ‘gift ideas’ and thus line our pockets with the fruits of other vendors’ wares.

Mother’s Day is matched by something as old as the day itself... Mother’s Day Cynicism. It provides an occasion for bitter persons to mount their tiny soapboxes and spout hatred against a perceived commercial enterprise masquerading as a form of Love Day. Little do they realise most good people ignore the commercial aspect and simply use it as an excuse to spend time with their dear old Ma, thus making the cynic look like a dried up hate-filled douche-turd in the process.

‘Whatever next!?’ they spout in a snooty accent akin to Lord Ottombottom. ‘Chicken Day where we celebrate the plight of our guinea-fowled friends? Mmmph, I say! Mmmph!’

Mums on the whole are awesome and should be cherished and celebrated every day of the year let alone one, but people can be forgiven for executing an eyeroll upon hearing Mother’s Day has cropped again like a rash on the calendar. We’re hemmed in with so many gift-giving occasions - Christmas, Easter, weddings, birthdays, Step Grandmother’s Goldfish’s Day - not to mention the ever-present landlord/bank forever demanding their weighty share of your hard-earned that it’s amazing we have any shrapnel left for the motel room’s vibrating bed.

YOU PISSED ME OFF! Care to immortalise your hatred in print? Send an email to editorial@bmamag.com and see your malicious bile circulated to thousands. [All entries contain original spellings.]

To the witch instructor that tortured me and my friends at Bikram Yoga, you pissed us off! Following this hideous experience I was made well aware of the shocking principles this straight-up form of masochism comes with and others should be discouraged to try it. If we’re about to embark on 90 minutes in a 36 degree room, your first words shouldn’t be, “you MUST stay in the room for the full class,” making beginners fear embarrassed should we contemplate ending our suffering. Secondly, if my friend goes pale and I need to tell her to ‘sit down’, I don’t appreciate being made an example of so you can tell the class it’s rude to talk. Speaking of rude, if light-headedness has forced a first-time Bikram sufferer to sit, telling them they’re absolutely not allowed to drink water is dangerous and you should feel ashamed for removing the free will of someone trying to have a go at something new. No, it’s not our “minds telling us to stop”, it’s definitely “our bodies”, elbows, knees and spines are certainly NOT “supposed to hurt” and, as a side note, your images of Mr. Bikram (who’s currently caught up in a sex scandal) surrounding the room are super creepy. Not only did you put us off ever coming back to your heated chamber of death, you have inspired me to encourage others to never, ever even give it a go. Stay away.

So whether you simply use Mother’s Day as a reason to spend more time with your dear Ma, push the boat out and express your love through a series of lavish gifts or give your mother’s skeleton a jolly good dusting before sticking a party hat on their head, enjoying a lovely cup of tea together whilst rocking back forth mumbling incoherently about showers ponder this...

There are many who will be without mothers this Mother’s Day whether be it due to absence from birth or a recent death, and many of these folk would give their vented spleen for a chance to whinge about having to find a gift.

So my advice to people who love to indulge in the admittedly enjoyable sport of complaining about Mother’s Day would be this - If you’re lucky enough to have your Ma around and you’re at least on speaking terms use the day as an excuse to spend some more time with each other.

There’s nothing really wrong with a day, manufactured or no, that pays homage to the people that brought us into this world.

They may not be with us any more, or you may never have been on good terms with them... But you’re here as a result. And that makes such a day resonate, regardless of money spent.

And now I would like to counter that greeting cardsy ending by blowing a fat raspberry, dedicated of course to my dear Mum: <pffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff!> ALLAN SKO - allan@bmamag.com

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WHO: Alanna & Alicia Egan WHAT: Album Tour WHEN: Fri May 10 WHERE: The Merry Muse

Melbourne twin sisters Alanna & Alicia Egan have just released Twinlines, their third album of original folk, jazz and roots infused songs. Known for sweet harmonies and onstage warmth, both are gifted songwriters, who have received recognition at a national level, including the ASA awards and Best New Talent at Port Fairy Folk Festival early in their career. Their lyrics, equal parts heart and humour, sparkle with original intimacy. Their live performance is packed full of energy with a fine band comprised of guitar, violin, mandolin, accordion piano, double bass, drums and percussion, with special guest Pugsley Buzzard joining on the night. 8pm.

WHO: National & International Artists WHAT: Canberra Int’l Music Festival WHEN: Fri-Sun May 10-19 WHERE: Various Canberra venues

With Centenary events popping up in every direction, Canberra is certainly not running short of ways to celebrate its 100th. One event not to be missed is this year’s Canberra International Music Festival.

Experience ten days of exceptional music performed in Canberra’s amazing architectural spaces. Choose from over 30 concerts of classical, contemporary and jazz, featuring national and international artists, including US composer Paul Dresher and Double Duo performing on invented instruments, and the explosive dynamism of Taiko drumming group, TaikOz. Many events are free, ticketed events are $25-$65. Details at: cimf.org.au or on (02) 6230 5880.

WHO: Tin Lion WHAT: National Tour WHEN: Sat May 11 WHERE: Transit Bar

After a hectic 12 months since the release of debut LP, From Space With Love, including three triple j Unearthed number ones, support slots with the likes of Pigeon and The Aston Shuffle, and cinema screenings of the film clip to Best Pants, Tin Lion are taking to the road. Twice likened to a pared-back version of LCD Soundsystem, Tin Lion do more on stage than two people ought to be able with live drums, guitar, keyboards and percussion, and an engaging stage show led by frontman Jesse Fultone. The Prelude To Cool tour brings the band and its signature ‘psychedelic dance rock’ to Canberra with songs from their upcoming Let’s Look Good EP. 8pm. Door price TBA.

WHO: Hailer WHAT: Album Tour WHEN: Sat May 11 WHERE: The Phoenix Bar

For a taste of Sydney psychedelic rock ‘n’ roll, catch Hailer when they bring their latest album Another Way to the first edition of Garage Syndicate at The Phoenix. Beginning the Another Way journey at guitarist Pete Beringer’s studio compound in early 2012, they took the clocks off the walls and by the eighth sunrise had a new album. Mixed and mastered in Brooklyn, NYC, the new material shares the eclectic spirit of Hailer’s Good Canyon, but departs from psychedelic soundscapes to more rhythmic guitar-driven music, resulting in an intensity for which the group’s live performances are known. With Royal Chant and New Brutalists. 9:30pm. Free.

WHO: Matthew Fagan WHAT: Guitar and Ukulele Concert WHEN: Tue May 14 WHERE: The Front Gallery and Café

Ten-string guitar virtuoso and Maton-endorsed ukulele-player Matthew Fagan presents Lord of the Strings, an uplifting performance with a dazzling fusion of Spanish, Celtic, bluegrass, country, rock, folk and ambient sounds with many original scores.

Matthew will take you on an aural voyage from the beautiful music of Hawaii to rock classics from The Beatles, as seen on tour with Billy Connolly and the Buena Vista Social Club. Come prepared with some requests of your favourite ukulele and guitar tunes for the Uke/Guitar Challenge. Fagan is an exhilarating, breathtaking and captivating performer, not to be missed.7:30pm. $15/$10 door.

WHO: Various Artists WHAT: The Perisher Snowy Mountains of Music WHEN: Fri-Mon Jun 7-10 WHERE: Perisher Valley, Snowy Mountains

The Perisher Snowy Mountains of Music is back for 2013 and celebrating five years. In 2009, the festival began as a little grassroots festival and has now grown in size and status with international artists taking to the stage and festival-goers flocking from far and wide to experience this unique event. Attendees can anticipate a stellar line-up of over 140 concerts that’ll blow their socks off. This year the festival will also be bringing back a selection of artist favourites who’ve wowed audiences since 2009. Check the festival Twitter and Facebook pages for updates.

Tickets vary, bookings at snowymountainsofmusic.com.au.

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ben hermann It’s been almost two years since Canberra’s self-proclaimed ‘tropical punks’, THE FIGHTING LEAGUE, released their debut LP Tropical Paradise. Now, with a new EP under their belt and a second LP in the works, their renowned descriptor is tragically no more, with the group’s frontman Dominic Death citing a pique in influence on popular clothing manufacturers as the primary factor in abandoning the label.

The Fighting League’s clean, punk-driven, bluesy, and often jangle songs might have listeners believe the members are directly influenced by many of the above-listed bands, together with, perhaps, a healthy dose of The Minutemen, Wire, and The Dickies. Yet the group’s style is the result of a well-fitting confluence of styles, each provided by different band members.

[Other cities] definitely judge us, but that’s mainly because I’m always saying that their cities are shit

‘Yes, “tropical” is officially dead, which is extremely sad,’ he says. ‘See, General Pants, places like that, they came and saw The Fighting League and they saw what we were doing. Big, big corporations came and saw our style and saw what we’d done and they’ve been marketing that ever since. So we’re not doing it anymore. We’re just gonna be straight-up Canberra punks. We are Canberra punks. That’s our sound.’

With a new self-imposed identity may come a new musical focus.

Tropical Paradise was a stripped-back, raw album on which the band sought to reproduce the energy and anticipation of a live show, and which BMA Editor Ashley Thomson described as ‘discordant and melancholy, packed with life and growling youth.’

It was produced by Bruce Callaway – former member of The Saints and producer of Ed Kuepper and The Triffids – and drew stark comparison with early garage, punk and new wave groups, including The Clash, Stiff Little Fingers, Gang of Four, The New York Dolls, and The Buzzcocks.

The group hasn’t consciously changed musical directions, nor has it drifted away from its focus on the energy and immediacy of a live sound, but Dom admits that this isn’t the primary focus of their second album.

‘With our first album, it [the live sound] kind of just happened because we recorded it live anyway. With this album we’re trying to take a different approach and just try and work on the actual songs a little bit more and the actual recording of it. We’re not really sure how we’re going to do it yet, but it will probably be less live than last time.’

Callaway produced the group’s recent EP, but Dom says the group is undecided whether they’ll call upon his expertise for the album.

In any event, he says the group has learned an immeasurable amount from Callway, especially when it comes to songwriting.

‘The most important thing we learned from Bruce is that you have to put a lot of time and effort into the music,’ Dom says. ‘And we did do that [on Tropical Paradise]. But in retrospect, there were a lot of things we wanted to change. Not the recordings, but the songs themselves. But in the end, we just wanted to get it out there as soon as possible, and we were definitely still happy with it.’

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‘We’re just influenced by every single bit of music we listen to. I’m influenced by new bands I see more than old bands… Actually, that’s a lie, I just made that up,’ Dom admits, going on: ‘I think our sound is unique because every single one of us has a different style we like playing. I like different music to Carey. Andy likes different music to the rest of us. Joel listens to hip hop. Alex likes, just, fuckin’ weird music. When all those elements are combined, it makes an original sound. That’s what I like about our band, and I think that’s what people like about our band.’

Although such differing tastes inevitably lead to creative differences, Dom sees this as no different to the group’s usual dynamic, and ultimately healthy for their musical development.

‘It happens all the time [creative differences], but that’s the same with anything, you know. Carey will say something like “Dubrovnik’s the capital of Serbia” and I’ll say “Fucking bullshit it is”. The same thing happens with our music. But once we keep on playing through it, we can all see that it’s all for the greater good of the music. You know, the truth always comes out.’

But what of being ‘Canberra punks’? Although the group was explicit in its detailing of the characteristics of ‘tropical punks’, it is clear that being ‘Canberra punk’ isn’t so complicated. ‘Yeah, mainly just living in Canberra and not being part of some wanky scene,’ Dom says. He goes on to explain how, although there are many benefits of Canberra’s musical community being so closeknit, bands are sometimes too hesitant to criticise each other, which can prevent the improvement potentially brought on by competition and open criticism.

Ultimately though, he is part of the Canberra scene – a fact the group confronts every time the venture outside the territory.

‘They [other cities] definitely judge us, but that’s mainly because I’m always saying that their cities are shit,’ Dom says. ‘But also, to be on a particular scene, you’ve gotta be cool, and to know and be seen with certain people. But we’re already cool. We’re on the Canberra scene, so we’re ultimately cool.’

The Fighting League play at Bizoo-Ka Fest: the launch of the retrospective book of Bizoo ‘The Best, the Worst & the Trash that Never Made It’ at The Front Gallery and Café on Friday May 24, 7:30pm (bands from 9pm). Supported by Bad Pharmer (launching their EP), Dead DJ Joke, and spoken word poets. Entry is $10.

Image credit: David Burke @bmamag

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ALL AGES Hey folks. I don’t know about you, but recently I’ve been pondering in the depths of my soul. Who am I? Why am I here? Why does my room smell like cat pee? And what is all this fuss about YOLO? The result: bad teenage poetry, but above all, a lengthy and outrageous bucket list. If you only live once you might as well do heaps of amazing things, especially while you’re young and free. I never did solve the cat pee mystery though…

So, is being a special secret information reporter on your bucket list? If so, you should definitely consider applying for a journalism internship for The Kids Are All Right.

Never heard of them? Here’s the rundown: The Kids Are All Right is an online community that provides support and advice for the parents of teenagers, and they’re looking for an inside opinion.

The articles that you write will be aimed at parents, but will cover issues that relate to young people like your handsome self. Like the idea but not into commitment? Don’t worry, one-off submissions are also welcome. Expressions of interest should email contact@ thekidsareallright.com.au and for more details on the internship, visit thekidsareallright.com.au/journalism-internship.

Or have you always wanted to be in one of those dance movies you loved so much as a young twelvie? (Don’t be ashamed, Step Up 2 is still the greatest film ever made…right guys?)

Your chance to pretend you are has finally arrived! Think of the Australian Hip Hop Championships as the final dance-in-the-rain scene from Step Up 2, and think of yourself as one of those lucky spectators. However, instead of being outside in the pouring rain, you’ll be nice and cosy within the walls of Lyneham High School. The epic battle will take place on Saturday June 1. The winning dance crew will earn a spot in the National Finals in Melbourne. Tickets are available from Moshtix for $20 + bf.

Have you always wanted to own an awesome band t-shirt but never had the chance? Boris the Blade answers all your hopes and dreams in one glorious night, Thursday May 16, when they play at the Lanyon Youth Centre. This five-piece deathcore band hail from Melbourne and have caused waves of interest since forming in 2011. They’ve since made a name for themselves through a series of successful tours. Special bundle tickets for their show are for sale from Oztix for $25 + bf. The bundle ticket includes a Boris the Blade shirt and guitar pick. All shirts and guitar picks are redeemable upon entry at the show.

Number 30 on my bucket list leads reads as follows: befriend someone with the same last name as me. And that’s why I want to go to Alanna and Alicia Egan who launch their new album at The Merry Muse, Canberra Southern Cross Club on Friday May 10. Folk, jazz, roots and being twins is their specialty, so don’t miss it! The gig starts at 7:30pm, under 16s get in free and concessions (such as you, you fine student) admit for $14.

That’s all, folks, but remember this motto: ‘I want to live a boring life,’ said no one in the history of ever. So live it up!

Cheers, ANDIE EGAN allagescolumn@gmail.com

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LOCALITY

YOU MADE MY DAY!

Sex Noises. Mention that in your next conversation about band names. They’re launching a demo on Thursday May 9 at The Phoenix Bar from 9pm with fellow locals TV Colours and Beach Slut. Mention Beach Slut too. Mash their names together to create a supergroup. Mash them together with no motive at all. Do it slowly.

Email editorial@bmamag.com to send a message of gratitude, warmth and generosity to the world at large. AWWW.

Trinity Bar is hosting a DJ competition created by Pang! and Our Sound, setting aside Thursday nights from Thursday May 9 to determine the best DJ in the ACT. DJs are competing for a residency, bookings and cash prizes and the competition nights kick off at 9:45pm. May the best thin pale person win.

I take for granted how good it is to have good neighbours but

Everyone’s favourite threatening refuge for pool tables, The Basement, is holding yet another Metal Fiesta on Friday May 10, with a whole mess of local and interstate acts (Contrive, Psynonemous, Decadence of Cain, Dark Nemesis and more) taking over the place from 8pm. The door price is $20.

all the more enjoyable and so annoyed we have to move. Let’s

The following night, Saturday May 11, alt country group Brothers Grim are bringing their album launch tour to The Polish White Eagle Club. They’ve enlisted The Blue Murders, Papa Piko, The Bin Rats and Beth n Ben to support, the doors open at 7pm, and tickets range from $15 to $25 depending on how brown your teeth are and how much gin you can drink.

Monday May 13’s edition of The Bootleg Sessions at The Phoenix is programmed by 2XX LocalnLive and, as per usual, starts at 8pm and is free. Appearing are The Sinbirds, Fuzzsucker, Cold House and Spartak, who are all brilliant in marked, unique ways. If you have yet to see Fuzzsucker, enjoy.

To my awesome neighbours on all 3 sides of my battle-axe rental property. You really do make living somewhere better. Honestly. after having so many shit ones over the year, just a simple G’day or wave when we see each other is awesome. Such reassurance that not all people are fucked. Thanks for making our tennancy hope the new neighbours are as understanding and awesome as yourselves. You made my year, let alone my day.

To Clive Palmer, you made my day. Titanic 2. Need I say more?

Dinosaur park. Need I say more? Running to Prime Minister of Australia with a aprty that hasn’t existed for decades. NEED I SAY MORE. You are an obese megalomaniacal freak and that scares the fuck out of me but life is better for having your fat, fat, fucking FAT arse in it. Go’on n git it, you sassy fat bitch.

The following weekend kicks off in style, with Los Chavos, Nyash! and some samba dancers and circus performers turning the Canberra Musicians Club’s Friday night fixture at The Polish White Eagle Club on its hemispherical head. The doors open 8pm and tickets are $10-15, this time depending on the genuineness of your regret at Hugo Chavez’s passing and your familiarity with the films of Alejandro González Iñárritu. Local melodic punk outfit Revellers launch their EP, Night Time Lunatics, at Transit Bar on Saturday May 18, with Brisbane punk band My Fiction and local Pete Akhurst supporting. Doors open 8pm and the admission’s $10. Turn to page 23 for an interview with their frontman, Gaffers. And to round out the weekend, head to The Tradies in Dickson between 9am and 5pm on either Saturday May 18 or Sunday May 19 to get involved in the recurring and very self-explanatory Big Record, CD & Book Sale.

Entry is free. Everything else is not. Or it is. I mean, try it and see, hey.

Finally, locals The Second Hand Salmon are playing The Phoenix on Thursday May 23 with Party Gravy and Ellie Thurston. The show kicks off at 9pm – and despite Party Gravy having a name as utterly balls as Sex Noises is balls-out, they alone are worth it.

And that’s everything local I care about.

ASHLEY THOMSON - editorial@bmamag.com

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It was me needing to be myself, otherwise I’m not going to connect with these songs for the next two years

between then and now epitomises Emma Louise’s journey since she released that catchy, hypnotic song of hers, Jungle.

HEART PREVAILS zoe pleasants Two years ago at the Woodford Folk Festival EMMA LOUISE would get up super early to write her name on the Chai Tent chalkboard, and she would ask her friends to boost the crowd whenever she got a spot. This year she returned with her own show at Woodford’s second biggest venue The Grande and played in front of a massive crowd, amongst which I spotted Kate Miller-Heidke. Such a stark comparison

Emma Louise has an understated, hesitant manner; she was much more comfortable talking about her music than her success. But her hesitancy doesn’t come from a lack of confidence, quite the contrary; I got the impression she knows herself well. And once she tapped into it, it seems her confidence helped her deal with other people’s expectations and aspirations for her debut album, which she released in March.

‘My mind was very conflicted when I began making the album,’ she told me. ‘That’s why I called it Vs Head Vs Heart. It was like, okay, these people in suits are telling you to do this because they know best and that’s how you’re going to get on radio. And then it was me needing to be myself, otherwise I’m not going to connect with these songs for the next two years, and I have to sing them to people and I don’t want to be lying to people when I sing them.’

In the end, it was finding the right producer that enabled Emma Louise to make the record she wanted. After working with other producers and being disappointed, she eventually called Matt Redlich.

‘I was so down because I had tried four or five times already to get the perfect sound that I wanted for the album. So that night when I got the mixes back [from another producer], I called up Matt. I got his number from a friend and went over to his studio and we started recording the next day. His style of production was exactly what I wanted and everything just fitted together.’

Inspired by her collaboration with Matt, Emma Louise then wrote a bunch of new songs. ‘So halfway through the album, I wrote Boy, Cages, Mirrors, Bases and one other one, inspired by the sound we were making, and then there were songs like Stainache and To Keep Me Warm which were kind of quite obviously the old strain of my writing which was more folky.’

Now the album is finished, Emma Louise is very relieved and is looking forward to touring it. She’s also found some time to reflect on all that she’s achieved over the last two years and finds herself ‘being really grateful for the ride I’ve had so far’.

Emma brings her Vs Head Vs Heart tour to Zierholz @ UC on Saturday May 18, 8pm, with supports Thelma Plum & Patrick James. Tickets are $23.50 through Oztix.

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SEEK AND YE SHALL… michele hawkins Three young Aussie men form a band. By chance, one of them works with a secretary who is also a musician. He invites her to meet with him and the other two. They all get along well and start performing together. They are soon to be the first Aussies to break into the UK and US markets, to top The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, and to change the musical world forever. It’s the early ‘60s, and they are, of course, THE SEEKERS: Athol Guy, Keith Potger, Bruce Woodley, and Judith Durham – one of the world’s extraordinary and incomparable combinations of talent. 50 years on, this band of dear friends and marvellous musicians is about to tour Australia in celebration of half a century together.

If I’d been told at age 20 that I’d be away for four years, I’d never have gone

Enter Helen Edwards, a gifted Australian painter, who last year completed the first ever portrait of The Seekers. That wonderful portrait was given to the National Portrait Gallery a little over a week ago, where it now hangs for all to enjoy. I was privileged to be there for the gifting of the portrait.

Given the chance to speak with Judith, I sought her reflections on the beginning, what it was like being very young, and making the transition into womanhood while managing the demands and pressure of sudden fame.

‘I think there’s something orchestrating all this. For a long time I didn’t believe in destiny, but now I do. I was always passionate about singing.

I started when I was six. I aspired to be an opera singer, but it was a huge blessing not to train for opera. It would have been unrealistic for me, especially as I had a lung condition since I was four.

‘There are so many choices in life. If I’d been told at age 20 that when I left to provide entertainment on an ocean liner for some weeks I’d be away for four years, I’d never have gone. I had no idea that London was the centre of the universe when I arrived with my homemade wardrobe. I had no experience in the corporate world, and I didn’t know about how women had greater difficulties “out there”. There were lots of ups and downs, but I feel I was very protected. My sister was in London and I wrote to Mum and Dad all the time. They were very proud and encouraging. I just tried to make sure the voice was good and to do a good job. I think it would be very difficult if all the things ahead of us in life were not concealed. Life has been presented in steps.’

And has it been fun? ‘There’s a lot of fun in it, but I see it as a huge responsibility, a duty. But there’s also passion; doing the best you can, doing it well, so that people experience what I’d like them to. It’s a deeper experience than fun.’

The Seekers played sold out shows in Canberra on Fri & Sat May 3 & 4 and their portrait is on display now at the National Portrait Gallery.

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NO RUBES peter o’rourke There are very few bands that can lay claim to signing a record deal before they have barely played any shows or even really formed properly. There are even fewer bands that can then say they recorded their first album only months later in New York, with a producer who’s worked with The Strokes, Lana Del Ray and Paul McCartney.

However, a four-piece rock group from Menangle in New South Wales can say exactly that. THE RUBENS’ rise has been an upward trajectory ever since they came to attention of the indie masses through triple j Unearthed. The blues rock group have just embarked on their first national tour and will hit Canberra to play a show on Wednesday May 22.

We had to keep reminding ourselves of where we were a few years ago – I really do have to pinch myself

‘We had our first show in Byron, which was awesome,’ says keyboarder Elliot Margin. ‘We didn’t need too much pre-show practice, we’re pretty tight at the moment, having played a heap of gigs recently.’

Made up of three brothers and two childhood friends, the Rubens’ gutsy, bluesy sound is reminiscent of modern groups such as The Black Keys and Kings of Leon. Elliot is insistent that they didn’t grow up with the sound though. ‘None of us grew up with blues; it was more just was whatever was on in the car during family holidays, with bands like REM and Fleetwood Mac, etcetera. The music we play now is what we sought out when we grew up.’

After forming the band and recording a few tracks on their home computer, the boys put their music online and Elliot’s brother Zaac emailed the host of the Australian music show on triple j, Dom Alessio, who in turn passed their music around the office.

‘The record deal and everything happened really quickly, and we had to keep reminding ourselves of where we were a few years ago – I really do have to pinch myself about it!’ says Elliot.

So what was it like to record with David Kahne in New York? ‘This was our first studio experience,’ Elliot explains. ‘We had no idea before, having just recorded on a home computer. We had to be really switched on and learned so much in the process. We did a lot of preproduction, relearning songs to be able to record them and working on the hooks – just really thinking about the music.’

Elliot says that Kahne brought out professionalism in their music.

‘Before then we were not tight at all – we were quite sloppy actually!’

Elliot says that they all keep each other grounded, with one grilling the other if they say something a bit out of line. ‘We’ve grown up with each other, so we know what it’s like to spend a lot of time together – being on the road touring isn’t an issue. We’re just excited about playing some of those bigger shows in bigger venues!’

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The Rubens bring their Never Be the Same tour to ANU Bar on Wednesday May 22 from 7:30pm. Tickets are $31.25 + bf through Ticketek.

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Image credit: Nudgepix

ANY EXCUSE FOR A REVEL danika nayna

As outlined to REVELLERS’ Aaron ‘Gaffers’ Gaffney, I ain’t about to admit I’m any kind of punk expert. And so to describe their sound, I have combined the search tags on their website to make up for my lack of knowledge: melodic-punk-alternative-hardcore-indieCanberra. Has a nice ring to it.

Josh needs his own air-conditioning duct going from his arse to outside of the jam room

Gaffers just calls it ‘melodic punk’.

Unlike myself, these guys have got the whole thing all under complete control and kindly offered to tell you the story about how a group of Canberra fellas got themselves an EP and a pretty damned good following.

‘We have three fellas. There’s myself, Josh ‘Ando’ Anderson and Dave Demaine. Ando and I met way back in Year 7 – which was now around 18 years ago. Holy shit.’ I think we just witnessed Gaffers realising how old he is.

‘After a few years of mucking around, we started playing shows around Canberra as “Lamexcuse”. Dave joined later after meeting Josh at an Irrelevant concert at Tuggers Youth Centre.’ Ah, the TYC, where all big career dreams are born; usually to extend a clientele to whom one could sell ciggies for $1 a pop. Instead, Revellers now have their very own EP, produced by punk legend Stephen Egerton. And when creating Revellers, the talented buggers did a bit of instrument hopping. ‘We’re been able to watch each other develop and the way we set up the band has definitely kept it fresh for us.

‘Speaking of fresh, Josh’s arse is the anti-fresh. He needs his own airconditioning duct going from his arse to outside of the jam room and Dave isn’t much better either.’ (At this point I would like to invite Dave and Josh to write to the BMA YPMO section at editorial@bmamag. com with a 200-word retaliation to your ‘friend’ Gaffers.)

Gaffers reports everyone gets along regardless. The band’s attitude is to keep it simple, but when speaking about it, use complicated words.

‘As soon as something becomes a bit too busy or technical, we strip it out. We try to keep the songs more vocally based so they’re better to sing along to, rather than trying to melt people’s faces off with our mad licks and sick riffs on our gats!’

No plans to leave the ‘berra for these blokes. Apparently they quite like it. ‘It’s always easy to wish for more but I’ve realised that, even though we may not get every music festival or have venues around, we also don’t have to put up with a lot of the other shit that can go along with living in a big city.’ Speaking of Canberrans, Gaffers would like you to go to their show. I think that was the point of this exercise, but he had such wonderful words about other things. ‘Come with an open mind, leave your toughguy/sickunt attitude at the door, and I’ll see you at the bar in time for the first band!’

Revellers launch their new EP, Night Time Lunatics, at Transit Bar on Saturday May 18, with My Fiction and Pete Akhurst in support. 8pm. $10 door.

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DANCE THE DROP

America has a penchant for taking normal ideas and creating their own ridiculously libertine interpretation. A single hamburger patty? No way, average consumer, check out our new quadruple megasaurus meat sandwich! You own a Prius hybrid? That’s not going to get you to work on time, try this supercharged hybrid monster truck that is fuelled by dolphin tears! How is any of this relevant? One appallingly contrived acronym ties the whole thing together – EDM. The EDM brand is America’s voluptuous gift to the dance music universe. It is a flame-belching, pyrotechnic caricature of the European club scene that has awoken a fluoro army. TomorrowWorld is the latest hedonistic playpen for America’s wide-eyed youth; the headline acts seem strangely similar to one another (Axwell, Sebastian Ingrosso, Alesso, Hardwell, etc.), which leads me to believe that the huge red, white and blue EDM bubble may be on the verge of exploding if greedy promoters don’t practice diversity a little more.

Speaking of diversity, Academy plays host to one of Australia’s most multifarious club wizards, tyDi on Friday May 10. The former Aussie number one is bringing a bunch of new trance and prog tunes with him that are sure to make you see pretty colours and feel all tingly and weirdly close to strangers. Pred, Chief, Everest and Jared Kong are on support and entry is a paltry $15 before midnight.

Hands up who ikes hardstyle? Ooh look, all of you have glowy bracelets! Quickest way to spot a raver, in my opinion. Well, that and Hello Kitty backpacks…on guys. Hardstyle fans are a very unique breed. Proper weekend warriors can go without sleep from Friday until Sunday, and they eat only in lollypop form (with the occasional Up ‘n’ Go) and always travel in packs of three or more. You can see loads of hardstyle fans in their natural habitat at the Unity event at Krave nightclub on Friday May 10. This edition is headlined by two hectic newcomers HSB and The Khemist. Locals supports include Nasty, Ben Penfold, Fuentes Brothers and Soundsmith. Entry is only $15 on the door, and don’t forget to take Monday off.

Sydney lords of face-melting dubstep Doctor Werewolf stepped away from the studio to give us our Top 5. Mittens on, this list is HOT. Doctor Werewolf – Lasercat Rocket Attack (Doctor Werewolf VIP) [Klub Kids] – A fresh flip of our classic single from last year, commissioned especially for Klub Kids’ Trap Bombs Vol. 2.

Shockone – Laserbeam [Viper Recordings] – Shockone’s acclaimed new album Universus is an instant classic and will stand the test of time. This is a true crowd igniting anthem from it.

Phetsta – Run You Down [Technique Recordings] – Killer raverocking vibes from the weirdest guy in the dance music industry.

Scream and Friction – Kingpin Ft Scrufizzer, P Money & Riko Dan (Rockwell Remix) [Shogun Audio] – Rockwell is dominating at the moment, definitely taking charge of shaping the future of bass music. This tune’s an absolute ripper.

Underworld – Rez (Bassnectar remix)[OM Records] – Absolute speaker-shredding remake of one of dance music’s most iconic anthems. Big room dubstep at its finest.

TIM GALVIN - tim.galvin@live.com.au

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given that just last month I reported a cruel April Fools joke involving a mythical new BoC album entitled Quetzalcoatl. Anyway.

Fingers crossed. [Ed: Morgan’s fingers have since been broken for neglecting to include the news that Boards of Canada’s new album has been announced. It will be called Tomorrow’s Harvest and comes out Friday June 7.]

Daft Punk, Daft Punk. Every electronic music blog in the world has been going crazy about these two silly Frenchmen who dress up in robot suits. Even that repository of all things techno-nerd, Resident Advisor, gave four and a half stars to first single and notorious earworm Get Lucky. That’s unusual praise from a website that won’t generally review any music played outside of dingy warehouses, underground bunker clubs or dank sewer caves. Okay, I’m excited too. They’re talented guys and I’m sure it’ll be a really good album... although not anywhere near as good as the theme for Tron: Legacy, which I still hold is the greatest piece of music ever written.

All the Daft Punk hype aside, April has seen some more mysterious stirrings from Scottish enigmas Boards of Canada. It’s been eight years of silence since the brothers’ last album Campfire Headphase, and fans have had to content themselves with a quality back-catalogue and numerous bootlegs and rarities. It’s actually the constant questing for these hard-to-come-by releases that seems to define the hardcore BoC fan. Appropriate, then, that the duo have organised what seems to be a worldwide, intricately-planned treasure hunt. It all started on Record Store Day (April 20), when a lucky customer at a shop called Other Music in New York found a record in a cover bearing the words ‘Boards of Canada’ and a 36-digit, six-part code. Since then, various obscure clues have been unveiled in a variety of forms, from BBC Radio 1 announcements and Adult Swim ads, to internet message boards and YouTube video annotations. It seems to me like the beginnings of a very clever album campaign. But how can we possibly dare to hope? Especially

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Otherwise, it’s been a month of long-awaited artist albums: Bonobo, James Blake and The Knife all released long-players and all were met with general approval. Good! Bonobo lead the charge with an early release of The North Borders, after a volunteer staff member at a Melbourne radio station set it loose on Pirate Bay. The only thing he received for his troubles was a torrent of shame. Tsk, tsk.

April also saw the release of Cosmin TRG’s new album, Gordion.

It’s a surprisingly melodic treat – nothing like most of Cosmin’s work from the past three years, such as the bone-crushing techno of Separat/Izolat. He said in a recent interview: ‘I’d intended the whole album to be really minimalistic and kind of hypnotic and it’s not minimalistic at all. I didn’t want it to be musical, and it is fairly musical. I wish I had an explanation for it. I’m still mad with myself for it, because it’s too musical.’ Well, Cosmin – we’re not mad at you.

The Romanian will be here in June and I urge you not to miss out.

One last little thing before I go. I spent a good chunk of last month’s column frothing about Max Cooper’s imminent Australian tour. You may have seen his well-groomed, digitally-manipulated face gracing last issue’s cover, and read an intriguing piece on Sense without so much as a word from the headlining artist himself. Well, we didn’t get the answered questions back in time for the press deadline! So there. But if you want to know more about Max, read the Q&A on the BMA website. (If you’re already reading this on the website – well done, you’ve mastered computers!)

MORGAN RICHARDS morg.richards@gmail.com

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BEYOND THE WATER’S EDGE jade fosberry CHANCE WATERS is like popcorn and Maltesers. You probably wouldn’t think the two cinema snacks would mesh well and you’d definitely question the end result of melted, malted chocolate goodness. I digress. Chance Waters is like popcorn and Maltesers because he manages to combine elements of a multitude of genres in such a seamless way that you’re left dumbfounded, appreciative and, ultimately, extremely satisfied.

[It’s] about the way infinity – and, in a broader sense, physical reality – alters and shapes experience

Chance is currently touring his album Infinity all over Australia, from rural Gippsland to our very own capital. I had a lovely chat to Chance before his near sold-out Melbourne show about all the important things in life, from philosophy to hip hop.

Infinity, his recently released sophomore album, takes its inspiration from Chance’s favourite philosopher, Douglas Hofstadter. As Chance puts it, ‘It’s about infinity, but more about infinity from a human perspective; sort of about the way in which infinity – and, in a broader sense, physical reality – alters and shapes experience.’ He explained that he usually writes from a personal place, so by basing the album on the theme of ‘infinity’ he was reminded to stay in that space.

The album tackles issues that are thought-provoking, from the question of doomsday in Maybe Tomorrow to his own personal relationships in Young and Dumb. The carefree way in which Chance manages to write, rap and sing about these topics begs the question of how he’s able to do it. ‘Sometimes I’ll have something that I want to talk about, and often those topics will lend themselves to a more serious or sombre piece of music, but when I start writing to a more lighthearted tune it tends to come out in a kind of sarcastic, tongue-in-cheek way, which I actually think really works.’ He cites the fact that musicians can easily fall into the trap of matching genre to topic, but as he demonstrates, that’s not the only way to play it.

His transition between genres from hip hop flows to folk melodies and pop beats is second nature to Chance and he’s lucky enough that these components come together easily. ‘I think it just happens automatically because there’s so many different textures you can play around with. I think a lot of artists – either because they really like a sound or because that’s their only frame of reference – do something that’s a bit derivative. But there are definitely more artists now that are crossing those barriers.’

We’ll experience Chance’s musical smorgasbord when his tour arrives in Canberra. He’ll be bringing his band, The Grey Starring Liam Neeson, along with an array of instruments, from the banjo to the iPad. ‘We put on a pretty interesting show. It’s taken a long time to hammer it together because of how much stuff we do but Canberra will be at the tail end of the tour so it should be pretty good.’

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Catch Chance Waters and his band, as well as Mind Over Matter, at Transit Bar, 8pm on Thursday June 6. Tickets are $15 + bf through Moshtix.

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Relentless were announced last week as the support for the whole Australian tour. Also appearing is Set The Wolves.

METALISE I was pretty stunned to wake up last Friday and hear about the death of Jeff Hanneman last week at a mere 49 years of age due to liver failure. One half of one of an untouchable metal guitar duo that shaped and influenced heavy music, he was kept from touring with the band on their last two Soundwave tours of Australia by necrosis but I was honestly shocked and never thought that it would have consequences this final I think of the time I was eating McDonalds watching rats rummage through the rubbish in the alleyway nearby with Hanneman King and Slayer’s manager Rick Sales and they were talking about the Australian market. I was blind drunk and they were talking about package touring and the cost of bringing Mastodon and Megadeth out with them on the previous and current tour and I said, ‘You guys should just do Soundwave or Big Day Out if you wanna do package tours and you can still do side shows where if you lot came out and took a dump on stage you’d have a sold out venues screaming SLAYER!’ and they all looked at me like ‘Who the fuck are you?’ and I just shut up and ate my cheeseburger.

It’s not too far off ‘til the fifth Evil Invaders festival in Sydney, which is on over the weekend of Fri & Sat Jun 7 & 8 at Manning Bar in Sydney. The Friday show features Midnight (USA), Portal, Nocturnal Graves, Spire, Erebus Enthroned, Witchhammer and Crone.

The Saturday show starts a little earlier and features Sadistic Intent (USA), Archgoat (Finland), Cauldron Black Ram, Cruciform, Vassafor, Grave Upheaval, a super special one-off performance by Dave Tice performing classic tracks from Australia’s first ever heavy band Buffalo, Ignivomous, Inverlock, Whitehorse, Black Jesus, Stand Alone, Bleakwood, Hordes Of The Black Cross and Kingdom of Decay. Well worth getting up the Hume for that weekend, but be aware the tickets aren’t cheap. A weekend pass is the very specific $105.70, Friday for $59.90 and the Saturday-only one is $68.50. You can call (02) 4422 5982 to book your tickets for those or head to thecoffinsslave.com and click the tickets link to book.

JOSH NIXON - doomtildeath@hotmail.com

RIP Mr Jeff Hanneman, too young and thanks for all the riffs.

So who went to Sabbath? Great setlist with only two new songs amongst an otherwise sterling two hours chock-a-block with the greatest riffs of the ‘70s.

Ozzy managed to actually exceed my very low expectations and thus the couple of fluffs here and there – notably when the teleprompter failed him in Electric Funeral – actually kinda enhanced the entertainment value for me. Great show.

Unida hit Manning Bar in Sydney this Friday May 10 with an almighty supporting cast including, according to Josh Homme, ‘the greatest band to exist ever’, in Swedes Truck Fighters. The excellent and long overdue for a visit New Zealand act Beastwars are also in tow and last, but never least, is our own masters of the strings in Looking Glass.

Funeral for a Friend hits The Basement in Belconnen this Sunday May 12 and Sydney band

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The Kooks

by Paolo Ruiz Groovinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; the Moo Canberra 2013

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E X H I B I T I O N I S T

ATTACK OF THE WORDS

Image credit: Rohan Thomson

vanessa wright Do you know one way to successfully freak yourself out? Start reading about antibiotic resistant bacteria on the internet. You may not understand anything you’re reading, but you will understand that it is bad. Real bad. Local theatre collective Boho Interactive are just as worried as you will be and are exploring the ramifications of antibiotic resistance and the all-too-real possibility of a disease epidemic in their new work, WORD PLAY. Boho are a Canberra-based interactive science-theatre collective, who use performance to explore the complex systems of science and game theory. Working in partnership with CSIRO, Word Play is part lecture series, part live video game and all interactive. It utilises the latest and most available tech equipment and a high speed broadband connection to create an immersive and simulating experience which fits in somewhere between theatre and film. The audience is located in the CSIRO Discovery Centre Lecture Theatre and the performance is live streamed from a laboratory on the opposite side of the city. Via a purpose built Smartphone app and text messaging the audience are able to interact with the performers in real time, becoming integral to the performance.

Jack Lloyd and Michael Bailey, the writers and producers behind Word Play, wanted to investigate the idea of an infectious disease epidemic but via language and communication. In the play, the fictional infection targets our ability to think critically and filter information. Lloyd and Bailey wanted to explore what that scenario would look like. ‘Turns out it looks an awful lot like a zombie plague,’ admits Lloyd. ‘Thinkingman’s zombies – not violent but they are incredibly dangerous.’

Victims of this infection immediately believe everything they read and hear, no matter how contradictory it is. As Lloyd explains, Word Play is, ‘a statement about the ocean of misinformation that’s out there, and if you were to believe everything you heard, you would basically be screwed.’

With a strong interest in complex systems, Boho are exploring how an epidemic situation would be handled. So in order to realistically work out the equivalent systems and process for quarantine and vaccination measures for their fictional disease, they approached the real disease experts. Lloyd, Bailey and Boho’s third member, David Finnigan, had the incredible opportunity of visiting the Australian Animal Health Laboratories near Geelong, Victoria. There, they were lucky enough to be taken to Biosecurity Level 3, which they described as ‘like being in Outbreak’, but better. As Lloyd remarks, ‘They were really generous with their time and gave us some really amazing ideas about what their process would be if there was some major outbreak…and a lot of that has come through in the play.’

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Science is struggling with communication, particularly in health science, and pure facts are increasingly less successful at grabbing the public attention. Integrating theatre and interactive performance with science is a clever and engaging way of drawing people’s attention to significant issues. As Lloyd states, ‘We have a point of view and we push it fairly hard.’ Working in the arts allows the freedom to push whatever point you feel passionate about, and as Bailey explains, ‘Scientists have to be rational and go through things very systematically, even if they have a strong opinion. But we don’t.’ And as Boho’s company tagline clearly explains, ‘We fight dirty for science’.

Since their very first show in 2005, Boho have experimented with using video game devices in their live theatre shows as a mechanism for audience interaction. Previously, they have given their audience torch beams to use as mouse cursors, hacked game controllers and created treasure hunts. For Word Play, they have taken it one step further and are exploring the potential of the Smartphone. There is a purpose built app for the production which allows audience members to vote for decisions and physically guide the performers using a joystick controller, but also the opportunity for the audience to simply SMS in their questions and interact with the actors on screen. As Lloyd explains, ‘The audience are an integral part of the narrative itself’; it is the responsibility of the audience member to guide the actors through the events of the play and ‘throughout, the audience are finding the hidden storyline and teasing that out.’

For Lloyd and Bailey the ability for the audience to interact via Smartphone and alter what is happening on screen is a key aspect of what keeps this performance a live theatre experience and not simply a film screening. The live cinema aspect of Word Play is a completely new direction for Boho, and in order to achieve their ambitions for the show the collective brought local filmmaker Marisa Martin on board as director. Martin’s job sounds challenging. As Finnigan explains, ‘It’s insane. There’s cameras set up around the space, the actors are also mounted with cameras, and the director is sitting doing video switching between cameras…but also talking to them in their ears through earpieces, getting the input streams and feeding questions to them.’ Boho Interactive are on the cutting edge of what is possible in interactive theatre in the digital age and Word Play is shaping up to be an unforgettable theatre experience. So grab your phone, find a friend you could trust in a zombie apocalypse and prepare to enter Word Play. This is one performance that is going to be anything but boring.

Word Play shows at CSIRO Discovery Centre during periods Wed-Sat May 15-18, May 22-25 and May 29-Jun 1. All sessions commence 7:30pm. Tickets are $20 + bf at bohointeractive.com.

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ANDROID ART IS NOT ALIEN

grace carroll

chloe mandryk

‘Painting is like life, like a puzzle’ explained artist Linzie Ellis as we sat down to discuss her latest exhibition ABSTRACTION. Showing at The Gallery, Canberra Grammar School, Abstraction features works that explore the possibilities of paint. In the paintings exhibited, Ellis draws together influences from recent overseas travels and her ongoing interest in paint, colour and the ways in which abstract art has the potential to evoke human experience. As the exhibition title suggests, Abstraction showcases Ellis’s abstract works. For Ellis, working in an abstract manner comes naturally. When asked to describe her style, she found it difficult to express; her paintings communicate this. On the appeal of working in an abstract manner, Ellis observed that ‘the human experience isn’t logical’ and through abstract art she feels able to explore the experience of being alive.

Artist ROMAN STACHURSKI will open two exhibitions of kinetic still and sound sculptures inspired by man’s footprint. And yet his titles Second Nature and Second Future are impossible facts. We can experience something as innate because it is learned, and can easily imagine a second future – because it hasn’t happened yet. Sound like science fiction? It kind of is.

Abstraction features more than 20 of Ellis’s recent paintings.

These range in size and possess a sophisticated yet gutsy quality, signalling Ellis’s strength as an artist. Since graduating from the ANU School of Art in 2008, Ellis has consistently exhibited in group and solos exhibitions, and has won awards for her art. Over this time, she has continued to develop her practice. ‘I like to explore paint’ she observed, saying that she feels a compulsion to produce work and enjoys the process of developing as an artist. The body of work exhibited in Abstraction was produced during and after her travels to England and Spain last year. The recipient of the 2011 Reading Room Exhibition Award, Ellis held a solo exhibition at the Reading Room Gallery, London. After exploring the London art scene, Ellis headed south to Spain. Seeing works by Pablo Picasso and other artistic virtuosos was very inspiring, and their influence is felt in the art Ellis produced at the time and subsequently. ‘They worked at it and made art their whole life’ Ellis observed, telling of her respect for the hardworking artists, like Picasso, who managed to continually develop their practice.

Ellis draws inspiration from many artists. The contemporary German artist Gerhard Richter and Canberra printmaker G.W. Bot are two artists whom Ellis finds particularly inspirational. From the former, Ellis was motivated to smear paint and further explore the material properties of the medium. She considers G.W. Bot as a kind of mentor, citing her as the artist who inspired her to work on paper, a surface that is now an important part of her practice (half of the paintings in Abstraction are on paper, the other half are on canvas).

In Abstraction, Ellis brings together a group of raw, striking paintings that invite viewers to reflect on the connections between life and art, both of which are, in essence, abstract.

Linzie Ellis’s Abstraction is showing at The Gallery, Canberra Grammar School, Red Hill until Saturday May 25. See Ellis’s website for more information: linzieellis.com.

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Roman’s key material in this installation is 50 litres of ash. The ash will cover a variety of objects that indicate the presence and demise of humanity and technology. Interestingly, Roman explained, ‘sand is the first example from which I came to an understanding of the concept of entropy, which remains a constant footnote in my art and developing works… I choose to use natural materials as they give me comfort on a very primal level. Refined “unnatural” materials fill me with unease and I can never be truly at peace around them.’ These site-specific artworks encourage contemplation but their format promotes a sense of doom, or unwelcome omnipotence. Roman’s works are not dissimilar to the evocative mindscapes conjured by authors like Philip K Dick or Frank Herbert. Both novelists used sand dunes to imply isolation, mysticism and the enigma of technology meeting human life. Roman explores natural and alien patterns in nature to address ‘the moot topic of mankind’s relentless consumerist culture and its ultimate undoing of life and earth.’

He introduces infinity into the gallery space with his choice of material. And yet each speck of ash is part of a broader whole and you get a sense of boundlessness as well as isolation and disconnection. A similar affect might be experienced when faced with Ai Weiwei’s Sunflower Seeds, the hyper neon pigment overload of Pip & Pop, or Anish Kapoor’s manipulation of audience perception with mirrors. Roman is conscious of the experience of the viewer and uses subjective materials to provoke a response. He explained, ‘I like to reward curiosity with my artwork and I think that the curious will benefit from their inquisitiveness in these instances… Art is a valuable tool for communication and cultural enlightenment as it allows us to share dreams, imaginations and visions.’

As for the sculpture you can expect, the artist uses found objects that are re-worked and reapplied – computer mouse balls, cut up measuring tapes, Venetian blinds and terracotta pots, for example.

The pieces covered in ash may be emblematic of the demise of technology but the moving parts in this ‘kinetic’ exhibition are powered by motors – an interesting juxtaposition. By matching the synthetic and organic Roman shows that his work is about human concerns: ‘the ultimate theme of my artwork at this current time is loss, death, decay, and the entropic process of the universe.’

Roman Stachurski’s exhibitions Second Nature and Second Future are at CCAS Manuka, Wed-Tue May 8-14 and Wed-Sun May 15-19 respectively.

Entry is free.

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DANCING DROOGS GRACE CARROLL Stanley Kubrick’s iconic 1971 film adaptation of A CLOCKWORK ORANGE is a visceral, gruesome exploration of the darker side of human nature. A new stage adaptation of Anthony Burgess’s novella by the Action To The Word Theatre Company offers a contemporary interpretation of the dystopian story. Following on from rave reviews on the London stage, the production has recently hit our shores and will be showing at the Canberra Theatre in May. I had a chat to Director Alexandra Spencer-Jones to learn more about this innovative take on the divisive tale.

‘Fans of the film should not expect to see bowler hats or other specific references to the film,’ Spencer-Jones cautioned, as she explained that her production is drawn from Burgess’s text, and not the classic film. That said, this is no run-of-the mill production. In its current form, Spencer-Jones’ show is a tightly choreographed exploration of masculinity. The cast is led by Martin McCreadie as the deeply troubled Alex. Together with his gang of droogs, Alex embarks on a series of disturbing and violent escapades as he struggles to (or perhaps does not even try to) contain his dark urges.

This version of A Clockwork Orange was born several years ago.

In 2009, Spencer-Jones created a performance piece which was staged at a popular art gallery and bar in London’s eclectic Camden area. It was so popular that there were ‘people lined up outside the building waiting to get in,’ Spencer-Jones reflects. For that production, the all male cast performed without costumes or sets.

Critical acclaim for this and subsequent versions of the play

by Action To The Word led to its showing in London earlier this year. Given the complex, eccentric nature of the story, previous productions of A Clockwork Orange have missed the mark. ‘We are fortunate to be one of the first well-received productions,’ SpencerJones proudly informed me. Even the celebrated Royal Shakespeare Company failed to excite audiences with its 1990 production.

Perhaps it is the quirkiness of the latest adaptation that has contributed to its success. The use of dance, Spencer-Jones explained, is a key aspect of the show, and used in tandem with acting brings the story to life. The actors’ movement range from forceful bodily movements to balletic ones: the aggression and violence inflicted on each other’s bodies, as well as their own, are used to highlight the instability of the characters. Music and sounds emphasise the force of movement. As with the film, music is a constant throughout the play. Ranging from Beethoven (aka Ludwig Van, Alex’s favourite), to contemporary music.

A Clockwork Orange is set to provoke, distress and enthral audiences with its hard-hitting and eclectic nature. This is a must for those who like a confronting, adrenalin-filled theatre experience.

A Clockwork Orange is showing at Canberra Theatre Centre, Wed-Sat May 22-25. Tickets are $69-99 + bf through canberratheatrecentre.com.au.

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Prayer is a great tool of procrastination. I reckon the first person who came up with the idea of God was just covering lies up with more lies to avoid having to wash the goats. And when his wife questioned why he was kneeling down like an idiot instead of washing the goats, he had her hung for witchery. 100% true.

But many people still believe in the power of prayer – in fact, according to a recent study by the Church of England, four out of five Britons believe in prayer. Yes, the Church lies about other things, but let’s trust them on this because I can’t be stuffed clicking beyond the third Google result. What’s that? How does this apply to Australia? FINE, according to this other thing I found, 57% of Australians pray daily. Anyway, I had sex with a girl once and the next morning I caught her praying, and I was like, ‘What the hell?!’

But enough about my sexual exploits – DIRTY GOATS are to be blamed for religion and prayer. I don’t blame the dude for not wanting to wash them – but did everyone have to believe him?

‘Yeah, yeah, the invisible man in the sky. Accept that his son died for you on a cross by eating a chocolate rabbit and you’ll get laid heaps once you’re a corpse.’

‘That sounds made up, but it beats washing goats!’

The women, of course, were sceptical, and my theory is supported by the fact that there is a strong historical correlation between feminism and atheism. Once women gained the power to call men out on their rubbish excuses for not washing the goats, religion started to dim out.

Also, advances in agricultural technology meant goat-washing was a less common chore. And to this day, religion is more prevalent in developing countries which lack our advanced goat-washing techniques. Coincidence? I think not.

But empirical historical analysis aside, let’s look at this issue from a sentimental point of view. What would be the point of life if everything we desired was granted to us simply by clasping our hands and speaking words doomed to fade unheard.

That promotion you earned is more satisfying because you worked doubly hard for longer hours, your partner’s kisses are sweeter because you had to prove your love to them, and the strawberry you bite into is more delectable because you bought it from the supermarket and had nothing to do with its sowing, pesticide treatment, gathering, packaging and transport.

Look, you don’t have to change your opinion, but I beg you to at least consider this: if a man sat down and pondered the existence of a tree, would that tree begin to sway in the autumn wind? Is the centre of the earth primarily a molten core of nickel-iron alloy or is it a humble peanut, and the earth a delicious, chocolate-coated M&M? The answers lie not with the sages and druids but with the proletariat. You, Jack, will save the galaxy from the race of alien parasites knows as the Nescafe Blend 43s. Believe, my son. Believe. shahed sharify - Shahed Sharify is a local comic.

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ARTIST PROFILE: Bonnie McArthur

What do you do? Paint portraits in oil and sculpt miniature lands adorned with gorgeous little things like washing lines and drawbridges.

When, how and why did you get into it? I can’t say when, it’s something I’ve always done and something I will always do. I can’t understate what a slow process teaches you about your own character, but really, other than hopefully composing music for films one day, it’s just what I do.

Who or what influences you as an artist? Jan Matejko, Romanticism, the human face and a love for the fantastical.

Of what are you proudest so far? A steadier flow of commissions.

What are your plans for the future? As my parents talked me out of hitchhiking long ago, my plans for taking to the road extended to the purchase of my dream bus, a 1982 Toyota coaster, that I intend to live and travel in, painting and promoting as I go.

What makes you laugh?

The ‘rapier sharp wit’ of Blackadder, my own clumsy retardation and my similarities to my father.

What pisses you off?

Excess and DJs. What about the local scene would you change? Nothing much, we’re lucky here.

Upcoming exhibitions?

Planning a solo exhibition towards the end of the year.

Contact Info: bmcarthur. com; facebook.com/worksby bonniemcarthur; bonnie. mcarthur@hotmail.com.

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CLASSICS IN REVIEW

IN REVIEW

The Time Machine is both a book of its own time and a book for the ages. Authored by one of the greatest intellectuals of the 19th and 20th centuries, the novel is a short but exhilarating exemplar of literary cultural criticism which takes as its target some of those most dear delusions of its own time and ours.

The school holidays have come and gone again, and brought with them another children’s show at The Street Theatre. This time the offering was PEA!, a fun twist on the story of The Princess and The Pea featuring a tenacious bandit princess, written by David Finnigan and directed by Barb Barnett.

In The Time Machine, we are recounted a fantastic story told by a scientist gentleman to his disbelieving peers in which the inventor, referred to in the novel only as the ‘time traveller’, throws himself forward into the year 802,701; a year in which humanity has divided itself into two physically distinct groups; that of the Eloi and that of the Morlock.

Making theatre for very young audiences presents a number of questions about the form, themes, and presentation of a production.

These questions often lead theatre-makers to create theatre that is not very challenging in form and content in order to play to the expectations of an audience going to see a children’s show. The best children’s theatre, however, doesn’t make you feel like you’re watching a show for children. After all, good theatre is good theatre.

Although the story of PEA! falls pretty squarely in the safe realm of traditional fairytales (albeit with a refreshingly active female protagonist), the form in which PEA! is presented is complex, exciting, and acknowledges children as a sophisticated audience that can understand and enjoy new, non-traditional forms of theatre.

The Time Machine H.G. Wells [First published: 1895]

The world of the Eloi is a world in which ‘the dream of human intellect’ had ‘committed suicide’ in the assurance of an eternal afterlife of physical comfort and ease, a world which held ‘security and permanency as its watchword’. Dressed in beautiful garments, provided with plentiful sources of fruit, the Eloi dance and prance about their small world as children; ignorant, narcissistic, naïve. The only fear they feel is toward those of the ‘ape-like’ Morlocks, those of an underworld who have evolved so sharply away from their ‘Upperworld’ counterparts, who prey upon the Eloi for sustenance.

In a later-edition preface to the book, Wells chides himself for such a ‘crude’ depiction of social order; but sometimes, perhaps, reality is indeed this crude, as the world was to discover in astonishment throughout the 14 years following 1931 in Europe. In any case, the depiction of the Eloi and Morlock is complicated and softened somewhat by the time traveller’s affection for the pretty Weena, a young woman whom the time traveller rescues from drowning in a river, drowning right next to her frolicking companions who barely notice her imminent death.

It would, of course, be all too easy for the realists among us to cast aside Wells’ Time Machine for reason of its apparent ‘farfetchedness’, but to do so would be to miss the point of his writing.

We should remember that every word which the science fiction writer writes is metaphor, and Wells’ metaphor in The Time Machine is clear; he was worried with what he saw as a societal trend toward a state-of-being in which we find ourselves so divorced from the worlds which preceded our own that our history books crumple at the touch of a curious hand, so separated from each other to the point where we carry on picnicking at the sight of a another in need, and so segregated in our social hierarchies that each rank becomes unrecognisable to the other.

PEA! The Street Theatre Sat-Sat April 20-27

Cathy Petöcz as Gwendolyn the bandit princess had great vocal control and a clear physicality, although at times this went just a bit too far into the realm of pantomime compared to the style of the rest of the production. This contrasted with Josh Wiseman’s Prince Gregor, which often did not match the energy and clarity of Petöcz.

Although both Petöcz and Wiseman created otherwise strong performances, this difference in physicality was detrimental to the connection between the two characters, and made their relationship feel forced. However, this connection was absolutely present when working with the numerous puppets, as both performers co-operated to create vivid characterisations of the puppets that passed between them.

The puppets themselves, created by Gillian Schwab, were engaging and required very little to bring them to life. Particularly effective were the Dragon’s eye, which for one moment heightened the stakes of danger and corresponding fear; and the Mother, whose pointed eye movements gave it an instantly recognisable character.

The set was interesting in a number of respects. The audience was immersed in the ‘Museum of Legendary Vegetables’, whilst a diorama-like flat set stood in front of them. This diorama setting facilitated the use of two- and three-dimensional props and puppets to separate the two worlds of the play. Whilst this was a strong design concept, it was weakened in execution by having the audience sit so close to the performance that it sometimes made it difficult to distinguish between what was meant to be two-dimensional or three-dimensional.

So, we might ask ourselves this; since H.G. Wells wrote his Time Machine some 118 years ago, has our world become more, or less, similar to the world of the Eloi? The question is a simple, reasonable and deeply unsettling one.

Serious Theatre created a production that had a clear aesthetic, tight script, and solid performances. However, although the immersive form of PEA! was innovative and enjoyable, the overall performance left me feeling like a grown-up at a kids show.

timothy c. ginty

Chris Brain

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Woven Words Nishi Gallery, NewActon Saturday April 27

‘It gave me goosepimples,’ says author Sara Dowse. We’d just witnessed the soulful rendition of Kurt Weill’s Speak Low by the exceptional Chanel Cole, accompanied by pianist Adam Cook. I think every audience member at Woven Words would agree that one would struggle to find a more fitting reaction to this latest artistic endeavour at NewActon.

The evening was a celebration of The Invisible Thread, an anthology featuring the work of 75 writers linked to Canberra over the past 100 years. Three acclaimed writers recited their works, with readings bookended by specially selected music performed by an ensemble of Canberra-based musicians. This unique blend of artists came together for absolute indulgence within the intimate Nishi Gallery amidst a literal web woven by visual artist Victoria Lees.

Following Chanel and Adam’s initial performance, Sara Dowse regaled the audience with her story One Touch of Venus, describing how she came to know Ava Gardner and her disappointment upon seeing a movie star in the nude. Afterwards, Adam and Chanel united again with Old Devil Moon, sung as it was by Sinatra to Gardner, about a bewitching woman, just as Dowse was bewitched

by Gardner and all that she was.

Alex Miller and an extract from his novel The Sitters was then preceded by the dark and heavy tones of Larry Sitsky’s City of Carcosa, performed by Adam Cook. This was followed by an achingly beautiful rendition of Samuel Barber’s Adagio by the Canberra

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The CSO String Quartet then delighted with Percy Grainger’s light and jaunty Molly on the Shore, before former nuclear physics technician and agricultural labourer Alan Gould recited various poetic works, including Roof Tilers and the extraordinary Flamenco Rehearsal. This preceded a performance of bewildering technical brilliance by flamenco guitarist Campbell Diamond.

But why did this melding of words and music work so well? Why was the transition between art forms so seamless and effective?

Perhaps it was because each author recited their words with incomparable heart and emotion, because they were their own.

They understood the intricate nuances behind them, and the music chosen was so fitting. Combined with the extraordinary skill and talent of the selected musicians, the overall impact was almost overwhelming. I guarantee more tears were shed than just those of MC Genevieve Jacobs’ following Adagio. Anyone would be forgiven for having felt such emotion, perhaps even a tinge of insignificance, in the presence of such masters of art. ashley goldberg

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Image credit: Katherine Griffiths

IN REVIEW

Symphony Orchestra String Quartet. Both pieces intertwined with Alex’s story of the reverie of a portrait artist. Alex says he dreamt up the novel during the longest sleep he ever had, sick with pneumonia during the entire flight from the USA to Australia. ‘The book really has to write you,’ he confided, ‘or it’s not worth doing.’

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bit PARTS COLOUR REVOLUTION WHAT: Visual Art Exhibition WHEN: Thu May 2-Sat Jun 29 WHERE: Soju Girl Canberra artist Angus Comyns transforms the walls of Soju Girl with his latest exhibition Colour Revolution, a showcase of radical colour, photographic imagery and text. Diners and drinkers who dare to flirt with the works will discover the fusion of imagery, symbols, numerals and quotes that are attracting growing interest in his work. Comyns uses an array of printing, drawing and painting techniques to reinvent the elements of street, pop, graffiti and tattoo art, also taking influence from Australiana and propaganda styles. As seen at NewActon’s Art, Not Apart. Free.

THE THINKING HEART WHAT: Local Artist’s Exhibition WHEN: Fri-Tue May 3-28 WHERE: Chapman Gallery Local artist Leeanne Crisp considers the effect of creative lives through the play of the senses, emotions and mind. Through paintings of people and still life meditations, she explores the ways creative lives touch us and connect us with larger forces. Crisp has won the ANU Drawing Prize, the John Copes Watercolour Prize, and the Tuggeranong Art Prize. She was a finalist in the Dobell Drawing Prize, the Archibald Prize, and the Portia Geach Prize. She’s had seven solo shows and over 60 group shows including at the Portrait Gallery. You can visit The Thinking Heart in Manuka, 12-6pm Wed-Fri (11am-6pm Sat/Sun).

AFTERIMAGE WHAT: Photography Exhibition WHEN: Wed-Sun May 8-19 WHERE: ANCA Gallery Polish-born artist Renata Buziak exhibits a photographic series based on her memories of places and events experienced in her childhood, depicting, as she explained, ‘memories that put a smile on my face and memories that haunt me in my dreams.’ For the past several years, Buziak has been developing a process called ‘biochrome’. This process is based on decomposition in combination with photographic materials.

The images exhibited in Afterimage reflect natural environmental processes and their significance in the life cycle. Afterimage opens Wednesday May 8, 6pm. Artist talk 2pm, Saturday May 18. Free.

OBJECTS UNDEFINED WHAT: Textile Exhibition WHEN: Fri-Sun May 10-26 WHERE: Belconnen Arts Centre

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Jemima Parker’s Objects Undefined blurs the boundaries between body adornment, garment and object. Her three-dimensional fabric forms can be placed on the body or installed within a gallery setting as objects in their own right. While presenting strong lines and forms, Parker’s work is also highly delicate. Parker plays with the contrast between soft material and the ability of the material to hold its shape, creating a compelling visual paradox. By pushing the materials beyond their expected capabilities, the artist captures the imagination of the viewer or wearer of the garments. Objects Undefined will be officially opened Friday May 10, 5:30pm. Free.

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UNINHIBITED A girl had drawn hammers and sickles on the walls of her half of the room while her sister, with whom she didn’t speak, drew swastikas on the walls of the other half; the girls had marked a line down the middle which neither girl nor her ideology crossed. Jessica ‘Decca’ Mitford recounted this story in her superb memoir Hons and Rebels.

Mitford’s memoir (for the sake of this column, memoirs will include autobiographies) is one of the best, up there with more celebrated works such as Orwell’s Down and Out in Paris and London and Dave Eggers’ A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius. Despite greats such as these, in my experience, memoirs tend to be treated as something to read on the side; readers prefer fiction, whether it is literature or airport novels.

It seems I have odd reading habits in that 90% of what I read is memoir. When my partner looks at something I’ve written and says, ‘It’s okay, but it’s all about you,’ I say, ‘It’s what I read (regardless of whether the author is notable for other reasons) so why wouldn’t it be what I write?’

A lot of interesting shit really happens. For instance, poet Nick Flynn’s Another Bullshit Night in Suck City tells the moving, yet remarkably unsentimental, story of the author’s relationship with his drunkard father. Flynn’s dad is an alcoholic of the seemingly untreatable kind, a deluded man who thinks of himself as a literary genius never given his due; the world has conspired to keep him

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from greatness and he’ll tell you all about it while sitting in a bathtub drinking straight from a bottle of vodka. Flynn, who worked with the homeless, has a drinking history of his own and his memoir reflects his fear of one day becoming his father.

Then there’s Saïd Sayrafiezadeh’s When Skateboards Will Be Free, which is the story of a half-Iranian, half-Jewish kid brought up by socialists in the United States. Yes, you read that correctly.

Errol Flynn’s My Wicked Wicked Ways, though not entirely truthful, is a fine exhibition of how charm and a jaunty tale or 20 can make an audience more forgiving of someone who’s essentially a dick. Most successful memoirs written by musicians are along the same lines; Blur’s Alex James is one of the better musician/writers, as shown in his Bit of a Blur.

Kate Holden and Geraldine Brooks have lived very different lives (one as a former heroin addict and prostitute, the other as a renowned journalist and author) but their memoirs In My Skin and Foreign Correspondence, respectfully, are two of the best Australian examples of the genre.

I also have a soft spot for the depressing Irish memoir, of which there are no shortage of works, such as those of Frank McCourt, Brendan Behan and Christy Brown; the latter two had a mighty influence on the songs of The Pogues.

And I could read pathographies (‘focuses on a person’s illnesses, misfortunes or failures’) all day (Augusten Burroughs’ Running With Scissors is probably the most famous of this lot).

I’m not particularly fussed that I’m yet to meet anyone else with the same fascination with memoirs; but if you are part of a memoir book group, hit me the hell up.

Pete Huet - petehuet@yahoo.com

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the word

on albums

ben lee ahayuasca: Welcome to the work [ONE WORLD MUSIC]

album of the issue

Phoenix Bankrupt!

[Liberation/Glassnote]

Phoenix has always possessed an idiosyncratic take on polished pop. Yacht rock for cool kids. Theirs is an identifiable sound. And now that the French foursome has crossed over into the big time, the pressure is on.

Have they produced a winner, a fresh take on an established formula, or is it just more of the same? The answers are yes, kinda, and sort of.

On the first few spins Bankrupt! seems incredibly dense, both sonically and melodically. The opening three songs sound like a band second-guessing their hooks; unsure of one, they append another, creating dizzying mash-ups, mini greatest hits that add up to less than the sum of their parts.

However, subsequent spins reveal a different, richer LP. Bankrupt! sounds like a band responding to the circumstances of their updated success.

Thematically and sonically it addresses excess. Singer

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Thomas Mars has one foot in the world of the A-list, and is battling to keep the other foot outside so that he might chronicle it.

This is the struggle at the heart of the LP, a kind of disgust in wanting more when you have it all. It adds depth to the polished exterior.

Trying to be Cool, SOS in Bel Air, Don’t and Drakker Noir are dark pop winners, infused with far eastern dabs, light and dark balanced beautifully.

There is nothing as immediate as Lisztomania aside from the single, Entertainment. Songs such as Bourgeois and Chloroform are jarring, but that’s their genius – like revealing the sadness of the pretty, rich kid. That may not appeal to all. But Mars isn’t interested in your sympathy. He seems interested in exploring his and their position.

How French.

It’s an honest appraisal of Planet Phoenix circa 2013. A great record lurks underneath the gloss. Give it time.

GLEN MARTIN

Ayahuasca: Welcome to the Work is a conceptual exploration of Ben Lee’s spiritual journey through use of the hallucinogenic plant Ayahuasca. Lee states of Ayahuasca: ‘I wanted to make music as a gift to the medicine, in love and gratitude.’ The cloying descriptors in which Lee binds Ayahuasca could be taken as ample reason to expect a drifting, spiritually guided wankathon, and Lee does expend a lot of effort in his reach toward cloud-swathed revelation – but thankfully there’s enough intrigue within stretches of atypical instrumentals to provide welcome respite.

In Welcome to the House of Mystical Death, Lee begins by imploring, ‘Let the light in/ Let the/ Let the light in’ amidst a shroud of glittering chimes and a sweet, upward-climbing choral backing. It goes on like this, and by the time Lee is encouraging you through In the Silence to ‘Show me your heart/ Let’s let each other in’ it’s possible you’ll have fallen into a stunned, aural-diabetic shock. Most of the thought-provoking points occur during instrumentals when Lee falls silent – such as when The Shadow of the Mind expands from sparse, empty-hall piano into an imposing, captivating waterfall of white noise, Lee showing an appealing blend of exploration and restraint. Ultimately, Ayahuasca is pleasant – and at times absorbing – but lyrically regrettable, as Lee attempts to convey the transcendental through flaccid, sicklysweet adulation. david smith

Hungry kids of hungary you’re a shadow [EMI] High-profile indie-poppers Hungry Kids of Hungary have made quite a splash in both the alternative and mainstream pop scenes. Having bagged a couple of awards and worked hard to expand their fan base through a hectic national and international touring schedule, they have released their second long-player You’re a Shadow.

Engineered by Wayne Connolly (Josh Pyke, Dappled Cities, Paul Dempsey), the material maintains the same style as their acclaimed debut Escapades. And why not, with a sound that melds the bright, uncompromising cheerfulness and warm melodies of the ‘60s with the vibe of indie pop today. Besides being chockers with catchy tunes, the band is blessed with the flexibility afforded by having not one but two very capable lead vocalists, Dean McGrath and Kane Mazlin.

The opener What in the World, with its punchy drumbeat contrasted with echoing keys, serves as an ideal platform for the high-pitched Mazlin.

The record goes up a notch with radio friendly Sharpshooter, full of happy guitar licks, oo-oooohs and doo-doo-doos. The slow track Colours is a bit of a dirge, but it’s the odd man out.

Other highlights are Memo, with its driving rhythm and classy keyboard work, Do or Die and the incurable hip shaker Litter and Sand. The bonus disk is a good listen too, especially Hang Up with some most un-HKOHlike wailing guitar thrown in. The band has pop-song construction down to a tee. rory McCARTNEY

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fat guy wears mystic wolf shirt dys/closure [Art As Catharsis Records]

Petre Inspirescu fabric 68 [fabric/EMI]

I think a lot of people wouldn’t get this band the way people who don’t get art think there has to be something to ‘get’. Yes, this is essentially punk music and there are some intense and some reflective elements, but mainly this album comprises heartfelt chaos; absolute noise in a succinct package. Fat Guy Wears Mystic Wolf Shirt slap a whimsical name on some very serious sounds. The lyrics are almost as intense as the songs, something you’ll have to sit down to take in. These guys are talented; there should be more DIY bands like them.

Born Radu Dumitru Bodiu, Romanian producer Petre Inspirescu has already attracted considerable attention in techno/house circles, despite being a relative newcomer. It’s a situation that, to a certain extent, has come about through some high-profile associations; after releasing early material on Luciano’s esteemed Cadenza label, vocal support from high-profile tastemakers like Ricardo Villalobos has seen Inspirescu poised as a name to watch. Fabric seem to share the sentiment, with Inspirescu given free rein here to build a 15-track mix collection comprised of his own unreleased productions.

Unfortunately, while there’s plenty of elegance on show, this 70-minute mix lacks the excitement and surprises usually associated with Fabric’s outings. There’s an emphasis on deeply hypnotic atmospheres and a sense of intricate structural elegance, with ghostly orchestral influences bleeding through the crisp minimal tech rhythms on tracks such as Anima, but very little in the way of real peaks, making Fabric 68 far more geared towards headphones than the dance floor. While impressive constructions such as the understatedly eerie Chosen and Flurimba reveal a craftsman’s touch, a sense of sameness soon begins to set in, with Inspirescu’s often bloodlesssounding tracks lacking the ingenuity and visceral edge of someone like Villalobos. Sadly, Fabric 68 often feels like lavish, rhythmic audio wallpaper more than anything else.

scott johnston

chris downton

I admit, when I heard the name, I thought, ‘This is going to be some arty post-punk band who’ve spent more time creating nothing than something.’ And I was kind of right. But in the nicest sense.

Dys/Closure, the follow up to 2011’s Counter/Transference, is technical, heartfelt, unforgiving, brutal and rehearsed. All by three guys who look like they should be tradies (if they aren’t already).

I say ‘arty’ almost with an air of jealousy, as it kind of seems to be the product of meticulous thought and experimentation, something I personally wouldn’t be capable of; and ‘creating nothing instead of something’ because it’s the best type of brief, inexplicable noise. The type of loud gritty incessant grinding punk you can’t make sense of, but you love and respect because of the effort put in to create and express it.

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the cat empire steal the light [two shoes records/inertia] Watching The Cat Empire live provides an insight into their creative process. There they are, all six of them, usually accompanied by some amalgamation of their unpronounceable support act, all singing, banging or blowing their hearts out. They enjoy themselves. And it’s often infectious. But at some point in any band’s career, if that band’s sound hasn’t changed, it becomes poignant to ask whether they’re bored of making music together.

Often bands will pre-empt this question by announcing they can go no further creatively and breaking up. In the case of The Cat Empire, their live show says it all: they’re far from bored.

And that’s a problem, because they’re boring. Steal the Light is The Cat Empire’s fifth album, and sees them stretching no new creative limbs whatsoever.

Which is fine, were it not for the fact that the old tricks they’re pulling don’t give Steal the Light the flair and infectiousness of albums (long) past. ‘[Steal the Light] should make people smile, make people dance.

That’s all we wanted,’ said the band’s modest genius, Harry Angus, but even the songs penned by Angus (who can usually be relied upon to provide a moment of surprise) are tired and trite. One too many boisterous horn refrains, dying-to-be-earnest tonal ballads, and lyrics like ‘My heart is like a beating drum’ have worn The Cat Empire’s hooks to nubs.

Back to Jackson Jackson with you, Angus. ashley thomson

Owl Eyes Steal The Light [illusive] Brooke Addamo (aka Owl Eyes) has left her history as an Australian Idol contestant far behind. After issuing a swag of EPs, she’s ready to make a bid for the title of Australia’s alternative pop princess with her debut album Nightswim.

The disk takes its time getting going. The instrumental intro is a waste of ones and zeros and the title track is a bit of a plodder. However, Owl Eyes lets her talents shine from Hurricane onwards, coming to life with feeling and expression.

The album is happily devoid of the excessive auto-tuning often associated with pop songs. She also avoids the overblown vocal gymnastics favoured by young divas (the equivalent of doing burnouts; loud and attention-getting, but quite pointless). Instead, she serves up dreamy pop to either a slow dance rhythm, or a slightly faster electronic beat (at a canter rather than a full gallop). The voice is LED bright, delivered in a fresh, crisp style that just flows so well. A couple of songs employ voice shape-shifting effects, and she certainly sounds silky and sultry in Salt Water. However, Owl Eyes is at her best with less voice manipulation. Disk highlights include Diamonds in Her Eyes, Closure and Golden Lies. The lyrics aren’t deep, but come laden with passion and ‘come hither’ messages.

These, together with the catchy melodies and that magic voice, make her debut LP a pleasure to listen to, over and over again. rory McCARTNEY

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on films

WITH MELISSA WELLHAM

In my review of Chasing Ice, I point out that the film is ‘yet another climate change callto-arms’. Which might make it sound like I’m over ‘climate change call-to-arms’ films.

I’m not. I just can’t believe that we’re still having these conversations, and that films like this are necessary. (But seriously, I might get bored of watching these pretty soon, so if we could all just admit that something needs to be done about emissions, that would be great. Thanks, world!)

quote of the issue ‘Ladies, children, sheep…

Some people call me a terrorist. I consider myself a teacher. Lesson number one: Heroes – there is no such thing.’

The Mandarin (Ben Kingsley), Iron Man 3

iron man 3

oblivion

chasing ice

I’ll tell you what you want to know straight away: Iron Man 3 is better than Iron Man 2, but not as good as Iron Man. It’s also not as good as The Avengers (as if it could be, without Joss Whedon involved), but it is a worthy follow-up.

Latest sci-fi offering Oblivion is set in a future where Earth is no longer inhabitable – now a barren place, home to the ruins of civilisation and some pesky alien Scavs.

Chasing Ice might sound like yet another Trainspotting-esque, Requiem for a Dream-inspired drug flick. But, in fact, it’s yet another climate change callto-arms. National Geographic photographer James Balog was once a climate change skeptic – but through his Extreme Ice Survey (sounds hardcore, right?) he discovers evidence that shows how drastically our planet is changing. In the film, Balog uses time-lapse cameras, stationed in Alaska, Greenland and Iceland to capture the world’s changing – and diminishing – glaciers.

The audience is able to watch our icecaps melt away at astonishing speeds.

In the third film in the franchise, Tony Stark/Iron Man comes face-to-face with the face of terrorism – The Mandarin (Ben Kingsley). He can strike anytime, anywhere – with the explosive power of a thousand fiery suns.

Robert Downey Jr. is just as much an arrogant, charismatic asshole as ever – oh, and so is Tony Stark. Except now, after his near-death experience in The Avengers (er, belated spoiler alert), Tony Stark has issues. He is emotionally damaged. There is character development! It’s rad.

As an added bonus, Paltrow has been given a lot more to work with in this installment, as Pepper’s character gets to display some heroism of her own, instead of merely being the damsel in distress.

In this film, Stark spends a lot more time out of his iron suit, displaying smarts instead of robotically aided strength – which is a welcome departure from Iron Man 2. In the interest of full disclosure, I will admit there are a few plot holes, and one or two moments that are cheesier than double-baked Gruyère soufflé.

But what would a comic book movie be without a little cheese? melissa wellman

Tom Cruise is Jack, a tech repairer who flies to the surface each day to maintain the remaining drones. He and wife Victoria (who is also his work partner) live in a pristine house in the clouds, and certainly do make an ‘effective team’. The pair live a lonely life, disrupted only by Jack’s persistent, sepiatoned ‘memories’ and Victoria’s love of following protocol – that is, until Jack witnesses a strange spacecraft falling from the sky… Other sci-fi staples, such as memory wipes and giant decrepit abandoned libraries also make an appearance.

The film looks good, Cruise is bearable, and I actually enjoyed the big plot reveals. On the downside, some of the blinkand-you’ll-miss-it exposition ends up being crucial to figuring out what’s going on, the film is a bit inept at triggering genuine emotional responses, and the conclusion is a bit naff (to say the least!). Cruise really only has a couple of facial expressions, coupled with the sexual chemistry of a dessert spoon.

However, none of these criticisms really make the film that bad, although there’s also nothing to rave about.

Happily, the twists and action should be enough to keep most cinemagoers happy.

It’s no Moon – but it’s hardly Battlefield Earth, either. megan mckeough

The film is not just a cinematic series of glaciers, however.

Balog and his team of young adventurers endure brutal extremes to take their photos – and the film is as much about their struggles, and one man’s almost obsessive dedication to proving a point to the world, as it is about global warming.

Because of this alternative focus, the film is less didactic than it is a story of determination. Director Jeff Orlowski, who features in the film himself, should be given credit for this interpretation.

If seeing is believing, then this film will leave you in no doubt that climate change is very real, and developing very quickly.

We are given the opportunity to watch our world – or at least, parts of our world – disappear before our very eyes.

It is a beautiful film – but terrifying in equal measure. melissa wellman

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@bmamag

the word on dvds

The Thick of it series 4 [roadshow] When it premiered, scathing British political satire The Thick of It was a breath of fresh air. Dusting off the reliable Yes, Minister model of inept politicians and self-serving bureaucracy, Armando Iannucci updated it for the Tony Blair/ Alistair Campbell/WMD years.

Malcolm Tucker (Peter Capaldi) was the sewer-mouthed ringmaster of idiots and director of communications to an unnamed government (presumed to be UK Labour) for whom YouTube ‘best ofs’ were invented, shepherding various Ministers through a neverending cascade of disasters and belittling anyone dumb enough to stand still in his line of sight.

His arrogance and mastery of spin was a reflection of the 2000s – a decade in which truthiness (twisting reality to suit opinion, turning it into ‘fact’) was voted a word of the year.

But Tucker is back, in a new decade, with the same sneer and the same shit to clean up, overseen with the usual crazyarmed theatrics. With his party voted out of office, Tucker and his bosses are in opposition.

Nicola Murray (Rebecca Front) the bumbling ex-Minister for Social Affairs and Community is now opposition leader by default. Predictably, she cocks it up. On her way down, Murray manages an accidental coup d’état of sorts by calling a Levenson-style public inquiry about the relationship between the press and government.

Despite his venom and rancour, Malcolm Tucker was the beating heart of the show and it’s only fitting that his run should come to an end through such a forum.

It’s also fitting it started to resemble some sort of fact/ fiction banana sundae – airing in the UK as Levenson was still a going concern.

Episode-for-episode, The Thick of It is one of the best TV series of the last decade. Iannucci’s new political satire – HBO’s Veep – has massive shoes to fill. justin hook

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southland - the complete first and second seasons [warner home video] It’s a tough ask to stand out in the world of police procedural dramas. They’ve been around since the inception of television (Dragnet debuted in 1951) and each year sees thousands of hours of serialised cop drama churned out like sausage meat.

But for every deconstruction or splintering of the genre (The Wire, The Shield, The Killing) the police procedural follows a relatively unchanging script: crime occurs, police arrive, suspects grilled, family grieve, resolution. The exact colours, phrasings and dialect evolve – the current craze for Nordic crime is heavy on gazing into endless horizons, for example – but at its core we know exactly what we getting. And so it is with Southland, a police procedural set in Los Angeles.

Splitting its time between the beat cops John Cooper (Michael Cudlitz), the terse wisdomdispensing veteran, and Ben Sherman (Benjamin McKenzie), the preppy rookie and viewer surrogate, and various flashier detectives, Southland hits all the marks you’d expect; lots of door-knocking, sitting in patrol cars, drawing weapons and narco gang crime.

Created by NYPD Blue veteran Ann Biderman and developed by ER and West Wing show-runner John Wells, Southland is difficult show to pin down. It angles for rough and edgy no-glamour and pays little attention to overarching narrative. Scenes start halfway through, plots appear and disappear with an irregularity that will frustrate those accustomed to longhaul drama. Dialogue is often ripped – jarringly – straight out of scripts way below its pedigree. But it gets under your skin. By the end of the second series the wheels are in motion for something much better and bigger and the universal praise later seasons have received begins to bear fruit. Southland is head and shoulders above its current competitors. justin hook

pitch perfect [Universal/SonyPictures Home Entertainment] Rebel Wilson has come a long way since being the biggest bogan on the Ten Network, itself a major feat. As part of the ensemble skit show The Wedge, Wilson joined a long list of Australian comedians serving their time on a comedy show devoid of any actual comedy.

There was little to suggest that half a decade later the proudly ‘plus-size’ Wilson would be one of hottest talents in Hollywood.

And like her or not, she is. From hosting the recent MTV Music Awards and scene-stealing in Bridesmaids to appearing in the new Michael Bay film, Wilson is doing everything right. But you’d be wrong in thinking Pitch Perfect is a generic by-thenumbers comedy built around an emerging talent scurrying up the totem pole of fame, as the marketing suggests. And that reason has a name: Anna Kendrick, possessor of the sexiest mandible in all the lands.

Kendrick is Beca Mitchell, a surly, indie-esque freshman who is classic square peg/ round hole material. Through a tortuous passage of events she ends up in an all-girls a capella group struggling to make it through the state singing championships. The nationals – as you correctly predicted midway through the last sentence – beckons. Despite being a grunge throwback, Beca has a good voice, as does Kendrick. She’s a genuine star.

Even though every road-tested underdog cue is hit, Pitch Perfect is far from leaden.

Wilson is a confident performer but her cast mates rise above and beyond, especially Adam de Vine (Workaholics) as leader of the opposing all-boys a capella group – the Treblemakers.

Pitch Perfect is close in sprit to School of Rock but the large amount of improv on display in this film (apparently 50% was unscripted) delivers far more than Jack Black wailing and channelling John Belushi. justin hook

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the word

The Gum Ball Festival Belford, Hunter Valley Thu-Sat April 25-27

on gigs

‘Music the way nature intended’ is the slogan of The Gum Ball festival, and that is exactly what was delivered. Situated on a generous piece of bush land, Dashville is the home of Gum Ball, a three-day camping music festival that has seen some of Australia’s best up-and-coming acts. This year was no exception to the rule.

With 50-odd tinnies of Toohey’s New in my stomach, laughter in my belly and love in my heart, The Gum Ball festival was exactly what a festival should be – a dickload of fun and nothing to care about.

After a late arrival on Thursday night, with just enough time to set up camp and catch the end of seven-piece string punk/country outfit Little Bastard’s raucous set, we planted our road-weary arses on the gentle slope in front of the two main stages. The crowd gathered to see Australian folk legends Hugh McDonald and John Schumann deliver material from Redgum and The Vagabond Crew. With barely a dry eye in the house, the poignant and melancholy rendition of I Was Only Nineteen capped the ANZAC Day evening off perfectly.

Three of the biggest bands capped off Friday: Turin Brakes, The Beards and Saskwatch. Hailing from the UK, Turin Brakes’ frontman proudly announced to the crowd that if only he could recreate what was going on at Gum Ball at home then life would be perfect. The crowd got tight as The Beards hit the stage. Women and children sported fake beards, while men proudly exhibited theirs. With an hour-long rocking homage to the beard, I suddenly got philosophical.

I’d heard the word beard so many times it had lost all meaning. Like when you say your name too many times, it was now this strange and bizarre concept that would keep me awake at night. Hailing from Lyttleton Harbour, New Zealand three-piece band (usually a six-piece), The Eastern delivered a solid hour of songs harking to days on the road, times of poverty and the humorous struggle of being alive. The Eastern were without a doubt the highlight of the day. R&B nine-piece Saskwatch hit the stage in a horn-driven funky beats spectacle. Sexy yet serious frontwoman Nkechi Anele had the crowd mesmerised as she wailed into the nights, singing with soul and conviction while her hypnotic jive took hold of the crowd.

Fuelled by the ever-persistent supply of Toohey’s New, day three began with a headache. Mid-morning, Samoan Sydney boys V-Tribe had the crowd bopping along to funky reggae tunes. Featuring a guest appearance from one of their six-year-old nephews and a traditional Samoan dance, the boys set the chilled vibe for the morning. Local band Dashville Progress Society hit the stage, charged up amidst much home crowd fanfare, their set was concluded with a marriage proposal. The collective project of Tim Rogers, Catherine Britt and Bill Chambers, The Hillbilly Killers welcomed the darkness singing murder ballads that resonated through the bush. As screaming psychedelic Wollongong boys Tumbleweed hit the stage, the crowd packed in tight. A change of pace was in store as live drum and bass act Bird, including the evertalented Tabla player Bobby Singh, took the stage to deliver the finest percussion act in the country.

PHOTOS BY DALE WOWK

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As Gum Ballers headed to the silent disco, presumably many following director Matt Johnston’s closing advice to ‘shove a couple of disco biccies up your date’, I was overcome by a moment of elation. Within three days at The Gum Ball festival I had made many friends, shared many laughs and danced into the night. It struck me that Gum Ball festival was one of the few festivals which remained untouched from the commercialized bullshit that has overrun the music. With a relaxed and open atmosphere, the festival stands true as one of the last bastions of the real festival scene, and, hopefully, remains an uncorrupted good time for all.

BAZ RUDDICK

@bmamag

Eugene ‘Hideaway’ Bridges

by Dale Wowk The Gum Ball Festival 2013

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45

the word

on gigs

Groovin’ the Moo Festival University of Canberra Sunday April 28 I’m not a festival kid. I don’t know the words to most of triple j’s major airplays; shutter shades accentuate my microencephalic head shape; and being hoisted on a dude’s shoulders to dance makes me uncomfortable. My experience at Groovin’ the Moo, however, proved that by unashamedly embracing all of the above (except the shutter shades, which look crap on everyone, always) even the most sceptical amongst us can have a ridonkulously good time.

Entering the meadows, we beelined to Elisha Bones. Having witnessed frontman Michael’s unfailing ability to transform humble local performance spaces into ephemeral stadiums with his commanding onstage presence, I’d always wondered if this effect would persist within a festival setting. Bones and his bandmates seemed to use its power and grandeur to fuel their most impressive performance yet. I can’t say whether it was simply because I was turned off by the overly-excitable tween crowd that had accumulated by the time Last Dinosaurs appeared, but the band didn’t push my buttons. My friend summed it up best: ‘I’m sure they’re really good at whatever it is they do.’

We headed to the Moolin Rouge stage, curious to see how DZ Deathrays’ elusive description of ‘thrash pop’ materialised in their set. Unfortunately, all we found there was a small crowd of metalcovered teenagers dancing maniacally to filler music. Hightailing it back to the Channel V stage, we just caught the end of Matt and Kim’s animated performance, leaving me with a massive girl-crush on the stage-romping drumming queen, Kim Schifino.

Seth Sentry’s set was one I’d most keenly anticipated, and my high expectations were surmounted. Beginning with the upbeat Float Away, the sea of smiling faces sang along to every song wordperfect, spurred on by the notoriously mischievous Seth who thrilled the crowd with his onstage antics, including spraying fans with a super-soaker and whipping out a ‘hoverboard’ during Dear Science.

Thoroughly enjoying Alpine and people-watching from the hilltop pen we didn’t venture back down to the stage until frantic drums and hysterical screaming heralded Regurgitator’s arrival. Nostalgia aside, Regurgitator delivered a tight, impressively energetic set; a swift ‘Fuck you’ to all who’ve doubted the band’s durability.

As the last glimmer of sun faded below the hills, night brought with it an almost tangible exhilaration that seemed to concentrate itself amidst the crowd that had gathered in anticipation of Tame Impala.

Greeted with ear-shattering applause, they played a flawless set to an impenetrable mass of fans, the sheer number and force of which eventually became too claustrophobic for my group, who budded off from the crowd to cartwheel on the lush lawns. With grass in our hair and grins on our faces, we followed the sound of Alison Wonderland’s booming trap to secure a viable position before Flume’s set. Impossible. We arrived just as a rhythmic, hypnotic chant had broken out amongst the densely packed crowd; not the grateful cheer you’d expect, but a tactless, greedy call for the young Aussie producer who was not due to appear for at least another ten minutes. Holding her own despite the premature and unwarranted outcry, Alison was soon replaced by Flume.

PHOTOS BY MARTIN OLLMAN

I like Flume. His set was average at best and nowhere near as mindblowing as most local EDM sets I’ve seen. And yet, the audience went spastic. Shoulder-riding for a better view became futile as a whole second level of writhing bodies soon formed atop others.

My friends and I opted to keep the memories shiny and call it. It was unanimously agreed that, while the whole festival experience was vastly more enjoyable once we lost ourselves amongst it, the Kanye shades would be snapped, recycled and never spoken of again.

46

GRETA KITE-GILMOUR

@bmamag

The Temper Trap

by Dale Wowk Groovinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; the Moo Canberra 2013

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47

the word

BLACKBOX

on games

Guacamelee!

Platform: PS3, Vita Developer: Drinkbox Studios Length: 4-6 hrs Verdict: Worth borrowing In the wake of games like Rayman Origins, Limbo, Braid and Deadlight, you can’t make a successful platformer unless it’s anything less than stunning.

In this regard, Guacamelee! does a fantastic job. Its Mexican setting is vibrantly realised. The scenery is packed full of detail, including many an amusing homage. This comedic tone is present throughout the game, making for a playful experience.

Unfortunately, in the absence of voice acting, the dialogue only produces the occasional comedy zinger.

With regards to the animation, the game moves with an amazing fluidity, making it feel like you glide through the world. Aiding this is the easy ability to throw Juan, the main character, around the place.

Despite having a rather comprehensive control set, by the end of the game you retain a sense of control. God knows the game certainly will do its best to test this, with several of the platforming moments requiring some impressive finger gymnastics. However, care of wellplaced checkpoints, these generally don’t become too frustrating.

While the platforming aspects are enjoyable, it’s the wrestlingthemed combat that really makes the game enjoyable. Taking on the role of a Mexican Luchador, you’ll find yourself pulling off large combos, grappling enemies mid-air and performing WWE style piledrivers. Larger groups are dealt with by hurling enemies into each other enemy, before uppercutting the remaining gawkers.

Unfortunately, the combat tends takes a backseat for the most part.

While the platforming challenges see you rapidly popping between the world of the living and the dead, bounding through portals and dashing up and down walls, the combat remains pretty pedestrian.

It’s only towards the end of the game that the combat offers a proper challenge, with it culminating in a boss fight worthy of a God of War game.

Having popped off this final foe, one thing that can be said is that the game is short. It probably takes about four to six hours to complete, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Better short and sweet than long and overdone, I say. Those wanting to play a little longer can look to complete the side quests (not that they will take that long), or try to find the secret gems. Bagging all of them will unlock you the alternate ending. Unfortunately, as with the normal ending, the payoff is pretty light. Having established such colourful characters, a bit more storytelling wouldn’t have gone astray. That said, at least it actually has a storyline, unlike so many other indie titles.

Overall, while Guacamelee! is hard to fault, the game is almost too pleasant for its own good. There’s nothing that really stands out here and demands your attention. However, it’s still a fun game to play, particularly when playing a mate. torben Sko

48

Time to put on your best faux fur, grab the tiara and open a bottle of bubbly as the annual ritzy glitzy Eurotrash-tastic spectacle brightens up your lounge room. And this year you really can pull the fondue kit out of the cupboard as the yodelling caravan of Eurovision (SBS1, Fri-Sun May 17-19, 7:30pm) winds its way to the Sweden’s Malmo – the Mecca for fans of Eurovision’s most famous victors, ABBA. It starts with Julia Zemiro’s travelogue throughout Eurovision country– The Heart of Eurovision (SBS1, Fri May 17, 7:30pm) and then we get down to business. This year’s highlights include the return of croaky voiced ‘80s Brit songstress Bonnie Tyler, bookie’s favourite Emmelie de Forest from neighbouring Denmark and the 95-year-old Emil Ramsauer of Swiss band Takasa.

But if you’re looking for this year’s Lordi – which Chez Blackbox definitely is – you can’t go past Greek Balkan ska band Koza Mostra.

Pick your favourites from sbs.com.au/eurovision, organise a sweep and get your glasses ready to hear the sweet sound of ‘zero points’.

New shows on the box include YouTube sensations The Midnight Beast (SBS2, Mon May 13, 9:30pm), Trashmag panel show Dirty Laundry Live (ABC2, Thu May 16, 9:30pm), Some Girls (Comedy, Wed May 8, 9pm), described by some as a girl’s version of Inbetweeners, finally some new eps of The Big Bang Theory (WIN, Wed May 1, 7:30pm) and season six of Dexter (11, Mon, 9:30pm).

Compass: Holy Switch (ABC1, Sun May 12, 7:30pm), which follows six religious young Australians from different faiths – Muslim, Jewish, Catholic, Anglican, Buddhist and Hindu – as they switch lives, Stephen Fry: Gadget Man (ABC1, Thu May 9, 9:25pm), The Pitch (SBS2, Wed May 8, 9:35pm), an obdoco series about the advertising industry, The Witch Doctor Will See You Now (SBS 2, Tue May 21, 9:40pm), which investigates some extreme medical practices, and there’s a distinct royal flavour with obdoco Our Queen (ABC1, Thu May 9, 8:30pm), which gets up close and personal with the monarch, her family and staff throughout her jubilee year, and The Queen’s Mother-in-law (SBS1, Fri May 10, 8:30pm, which looks at Prince Philip’s mother, a great granddaughter of Queen Victoria.

The FA Cup Final 2013 (SBS1, Sat May 11, 1am) will be a David and Goliath battle between Wigan Athletic and Manchester City. The team behind At Home with Julia are bringing together political impersonations, satirical characters to hash out the week’s political and cultural events in front of a live studio audience, with a bit of musical comedy thrown in. Wednesday Night Fever (ABC1, TBC) is due to air mid-2013. Keep an eye out for Rectify, just launched on the Sundance channel in the US. The drama focuses on Daniel Holden (played by Aden Young) who has been freed after almost 20 years on death row. Critics Blackbox usually agrees with are raving. The US version of Celebrity Splash (Prime, Tue, 7:30pm) just featured Tony Hawke doing a dive with a skateboard. We get Brynne Edelsten in a sequined (almost) bikini. Where’s the justice?

There is a swathe of vintage ‘90s flicks this fortnight to complement the return of black velvet, lace and doc martens in our shopping malls including Singles (Go, Sat May 11, 10:30pm), Seven (GEM Tue, May 7, 10pm), and ‘90s by virtue of its Tarrantino link – Kill Bill Vol. 1 (Go, Thu May 9, 9:30pm). There’s also a smorgasbord of older classics including Carrie (Go, Fri May 17, 9:30pm), Wrath of God (GEM, Fri May 17, 11:05pm), April in Paris (GEM, Sat May 18, 1:15pm), and 55 Days at Peking (GEM, Sat May 15, 3:20pm).

TRACY HEFFERNAN tracyherrernan@bigpond.com @ChezBlackbox

@bmamag

ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE Wed May 8 - Fri May 10

Listings are a free community service. Email editorial@bmamag.com to have your events appear each issue. wednesday may 8

Art Exhibitions Three Exhibitions

Talking Water, Life In Your Hands, and A Legacy of Good Design. 10am-5pm (12-4pm, Sat).

CRAFT ACT CRAFT & DESIGN CENTRE

Chained

Thirteen Australian artists’ interpretation of ‘The Chain’. 11am-5pm (11am-4pm, Sat).

BILK GALLERY

Intensity of Purpose: 21 Years of ANCA

CMAG celebrates 21 years of Australian National Capital Artists. 10am-5pm (12-5pm, Sat/Sun).

CANBERRA MUSEUM AND GALLERY

Imprint: Growing up Planned 11am-5pm. Free.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)

Karaoke Karaoke Wednesdays 9pm.

DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR

Something Different Acoustic Soup

Organic meals and tunes. Musical accompaniment TBA. $8 members/$10.

Doors at 7pm.

ANU FOOD CO-OP

Story Slam

Kicking off with music from 7pm, the Slam commences at 7:30pm sharp. The theme: ‘The Ex Files’. $5/$ THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ

Karaoke Karaoke at The Inn

8pm-midnight. Free entry.

OLD CANBERRA INN

Theatre

Live Music

Frankenstein

Pang! & Our Sound DJ Competition

A play by Nick Dear -- the Australian premiere. See thestreet.org.au for sessions and tickets.

THE STREET THEATRE

The best in the ACT compete for cash, show slots and a residency. 9:30pm start each round.

TRINITY BAR

thursday may 9 Art Exhibitions Three Exhibitions

4Some Thursdays Free entry. 9pm.

ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB

Hard Cover

9:30pm. Free.

friday may 10 Art Exhibitions Three Exhibitions

Talking Water, Life In Your Hands, and A Legacy of Good Design. 10am-5pm (12-4pm, Sat).

CRAFT ACT CRAFT & DESIGN CENTRE

Chained

Thirteen Australian artists’ interpretation of ‘The Chain’. 11am-5pm (11am-4pm, Sat).

BILK GALLERY

Intensity of Purpose: 21 Years of ANCA

CMAG celebrates 21 years of Australian National Capital Artists. 10am-5pm (12-5pm, Sat/Sun).

Talking Water, Life In Your Hands, and A Legacy of Good Design. 10am-5pm (12-4pm, Sat).

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

7:30pm. Free.

Imprint: Growing up Planned

Chained

Sex Noises

With TV Colours, Beach Slut. 9pm.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)

TJ Quinton

Film

CRAFT ACT CRAFT & DESIGN CENTRE

Thirteen Australian artists’ interpretation of ‘The Chain’. 11am-5pm (11am-4pm, Sat).

BILK GALLERY

Intensity of Purpose: 21 Years of ANCA

CMAG celebrates 21 years of Australian National Capital Artists. 10am-5pm (12-5pm, Sat/Sun).

CANBERRA MUSEUM AND GALLERY

Imprint: Growing up Planned 11am-5pm. Free.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)

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Live Jazz

DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR THE PHOENIX BAR

One of Australia’s most promising solo artists. 8pm. $10 THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ

Theatre

CANBERRA MUSEUM AND GALLERY

11am-5pm. Free.

Café Cinéma: 2 Days in Paris

Enjoy a free screening of French comedy ‘2 Days in Paris’ with wine and homemade food! Free, book at ALLIANCE FRANÇAISE

Frankenstein

A play by Nick Dear -- the Australian premiere. See thestreet.org.au for sessions and tickets.

THE STREET THEATRE

49

ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE Fri May 10 - Tue May 14 friday may 10 (cont.)

Live Music

Live Music/Metropolis

Imprint: Growing up Planned

Funeral For A Friend

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

Heuristic

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)

THE PHOENIX BAR

5pm/10pm. Free.

9:30pm. Free entry.

11am-5pm. Free.

Tickets $37.75 + bf through Moshtix and Oztix. Doors 8pm.

HELLENIC CLUB (WODEN)

Live Music

On The Town

Doors 6:30pm. See theabbey.org.au for more info. Show only $40.

On The Town

Tuchasoul

Free Pool Tables

Our Sound Trap Edition

Blame it on the Boogie Weekends

HELLENIC CLUB (WODEN)

Deborah Conway & Willy Zyglier

THE ABBEY

With L D R U (Syd). Free entry before 10pm.

TRINITY BAR

Darren Percival

ACE Award-winning vocalist returns.

6:30/8:30pm without dinner. See cscc.com.au.

CANBERRA SOUTHERN CROSS CLUB (WODEN)

Live Fridays

Live acoustic musicians. 5pm onwards. Free.

DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR

Alive Fridays

9:30pm. Free entry.

Chrome

TRANSIT BAR

DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR

DJs Salem, Stealth.Elf and Datacipher playing goth/industrial/dark electronic.

9pm-3am. $10.

Theatre

3rd Party

Disco, motown, ‘80s and ‘90s. 10pm onwards. Free.

Frankenstein

A play by Nick Dear -- the Australian premiere. See thestreet.org.au for sessions and tickets.

THE STREET THEATRE

saturday may 11

HELLENIC CLUB (CIVIC)

9pm-midnight. Free entry.

OLD CANBERRA INN

Brothers Grim

With The Blue Murders, Papa Piko, The Bin Rats and Beth n Ben. 7pm. $25/$20/$15.

THE POLISH WHITE EAGLE CLUB

Love Saturdays

With Ashley Feraude. 9pm. $10.

Featuring tyDi. $15 before midnight.

ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB

Art Exhibitions

ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB

Obsessions

Three Exhibitions

With Tigertown and Davey Lane. 8pm. $31.15 + bf thru Oztix.

Putting the live back into pub rock. 8pm.

OLD CANBERRA INN

Elton Jack

The finest Elton John tribute act.

6:30/8:30pm without dinner. See cscc.com.au.

CANBERRA SOUTHERN CROSS CLUB (WODEN)

Metal Fiesta 3

With Recoil V.O.R., Contrive, Psynonemous, Decadence Of Cain, Rise, Dark Nemesis and more.

Doors 8pm THE BASEMENT

Talking Water, Life In Your Hands, and A Legacy of Good Design. 10am-5pm (12-4pm, Sat).

CRAFT ACT CRAFT & DESIGN CENTRE

Chained

Bob Evans

ZIERHOLZ @ UC

Killing the Sound 10:30pm. Free.

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

Thirteen Australian artists’ interpretation of ‘The Chain’. 11am-5pm (11am-4pm, Sat).

Royal Chant

Intensity of Purpose: 21 Years of ANCA

On The Town

BILK GALLERY

CMAG celebrates 21 years of Australian National Capital Artists. 10am-5pm (12-5pm, Sat/Sun).

CANBERRA MUSEUM AND GALLERY

Does exactly what it says on the packet.

From 2pm.

With Hailer, New Brutalists. 9:30pm.

THE PHOENIX BAR

Blame it on the Boogie Weekends

Disco, motown, ‘80s and ‘90s. 10pm onwards. Free.

DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR

Something Different Fash ‘n’ Treasure

Art Exhibitions Intensity of Purpose: 21 Years of ANCA

CMAG celebrates 21 years of Australian National Capital Artists. 10am-5pm (12-5pm, Sat/Sun).

CANBERRA MUSEUM AND GALLERY

Live Music 2XX Local n Live Present The Bootleg Sessions

With Spartak, The Sinbirds, Fuzzsucker, Cold House. 8pm. Free.

THE PHOENIX BAR

Something Different Mondayitis Cabaret

The finest in Canberran Cabaret. Doors 6:30pm. $10.

THE ABBEY

tuesday may 14 Art Exhibitions Chained

Thirteen Australian artists’ interpretation of ‘The Chain’. 11am-5pm (11am-4pm, Sat).

BILK GALLERY

Intensity of Purpose: 21 Years of ANCA

For all your new and retro clothing wants. 10am-3pm. $3 entry.

CMAG celebrates 21 years of Australian National Capital Artists. 10am-5pm (12-5pm, Sat/Sun).

EXHIBITION PARK IN CANBERRA (EPIC)

CANBERRA MUSEUM AND GALLERY

Theatre

Karaoke

Frankenstein

Karaoke Love

A play by Nick Dear -- the Australian premiere. See thestreet.org.au for sessions and tickets.

THE STREET THEATRE

sunday may 12 Art Exhibitions Intensity of Purpose: 21 Years of ANCA

CMAG celebrates 21 years of Australian National Capital Artists. 10am-5pm (12-5pm, Sat/Sun).

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

TRANSIT BAR

Live Music Irish Jam Session

Free traditional Irish music in the pub from late afternoon on into the night. Free.

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

Trivia Trivia Tuesdays

Imprint: Growing up Planned

First prize $75 cocktail party.

7:30pm. Free.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)

Trivia and Beers with Bondy and Kiers

Live Music

THE PHOENIX BAR

CANBERRA MUSEUM AND GALLERY

11am-5pm. Free.

DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR

7:30pm. Free entry.

Chris Webb

4pm-7pm. Free entry.

OLD CANBERRA INN

Irish Jam Session

Free traditional Irish music in the pub from late afternoon on into the night. Free.

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

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wednesday may 15 Art Exhibitions Digest

Karaoke Karaoke at The Inn

With The Knows, All The Kings Men. 9pm.

OLD CANBERRA INN

Live Jazz

8pm-midnight. Free entry.

Third in the trilogy of Drink! And Eat! Local artists and international artists respond to the theme ‘digest’.

Live Music

Chained

The best in the ACT compete for cash, show slots and a residency. 9:30pm start each round.

CANBERRA GLASSWORKS

Thirteen Australian artists’ interpretation of ‘The Chain’. 11am-5pm (11am-4pm, Sat).

BILK GALLERY

Intensity of Purpose: 21 Years of ANCA

Anachel

Pang! & Our Sound DJ Competition

TRINITY BAR

4Some Thursdays Free entry. 9pm.

ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB

CMAG celebrates 21 years of Australian National Capital Artists. 10am-5pm (12-5pm, Sat/Sun).

CANBERRA MUSEUM AND GALLERY

Imprint: Growing up Planned 11am-5pm. Free.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)

THE PHOENIX BAR

7:30pm. Free.

DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR

Chicago Charles & Dave 9:30pm. Free.

friday may 17 Art Exhibitions Digest

Third in the trilogy of Drink! And Eat! Local artists and international artists respond to the theme ‘digest’. ‘digest’.

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

CANBERRA GLASSWORKS

Theatre

Australian artists’ interpretation of ‘The Chain’. 11am-5pm (11am-4pm, Sat).

Word Play

Interactive performance meets live video game. Bring your phone! 7:30pm.

See bohointeractive.com for CSIRO DISCOVERY CENTRE

Chained

BILK GALLERY

Intensity of Purpose: 21 Years of ANCA

CMAG celebrates 21 years of Australian National Capital Artists. 10am-5pm (12-5pm, Sat/Sun).

CANBERRA MUSEUM AND GALLERY

Imprint: Growing up Planned 11am-5pm. Free.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)

Karaoke Karaoke Wednesdays 9pm.

DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR

Live Music Vanna (USA)

With Here’s To Hoping, When Giants Sleep, Sierra, Storm The Sky. Doors 8:30pm. $20 thru Oztix, $25 door.

THE BASEMENT

Something Different BAD!SLAM!NO!BISCUIT! 8pm. Free.

THE PHOENIX BAR

Theatre Word Play

Interactive performance meets live video game. Bring your phone! 7:30pm.

See bohointeractive.com for CSIRO DISCOVERY CENTRE

thursday may 16 Art Exhibitions Digest

Third in the trilogy of Drink! And Eat! Local artists and international artists respond to the theme ‘digest’.

CANBERRA GLASSWORKS

Chained

Thirteen Australian artists’ interpretation of ‘The Chain’. 11am-5pm (11am-4pm, Sat).

BILK GALLERY

Intensity of Purpose: 21 Years of ANCA

CMAG celebrates 21 years of Australian National Capital Artists. 10am-5pm (12-5pm, Sat/Sun).

CANBERRA MUSEUM AND GALLERY

Imprint: Growing up Planned 11am-5pm. Free.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)

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ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE Fri May 17 - Tue May 21 friday may 17 (cont.)

Live Music Special K/Awesome Source

5pm/10pm. Free.

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

The Jay Gatsby Requests

Doors 6:30pm. $30 show only. See theabbey.com.au for more.

THE ABBEY

Plump

9:30pm. Free entry.

HELLENIC CLUB (WODEN)

Los Chavos

With Nyash!, samba dancers and circus performers. Doors 8pm. $15/12/10.

THE POLISH WHITE EAGLE CLUB

Blazing Boots

Saturday may 18 Art Exhibitions Digest

Third in the trilogy of Drink! And Eat! Local artists and international artists respond to the theme ‘digest’.

CANBERRA GLASSWORKS

Chained

CMAG celebrates 21 years of Australian National Capital Artists. 10am-5pm (12-5pm, Sat/Sun).

CANBERRA MUSEUM AND GALLERY

11am-5pm. Free.

Live Music

Live acoustic musicians. 5pm onwards. Free.

Emma Louise

Alive Fridays

ZIERHOLZ @ UC

DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR

Featuring Nukewood. $10 before midnight.

ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB

The Burn Card

Vanessa Heinitz, Release The Hounds, Mattersphere. Door price TBA. 8pm.

THE BASEMENT

On The Town Blame it on the Boogie Weekends

Disco, motown, ‘80s and ‘90s. 10pm onwards. Free.

DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR

Something Different Big Record, CD & Book Sale

Theatre

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)

Live Fridays

Disco, motown, ‘80s and ‘90s. 10pm onwards. Free.

Intensity of Purpose: 21 Years of ANCA

BILK GALLERY

What So Not (DJ Set) TRINITY BAR

Big Record, CD & Book Sale

Over 50,000 goodies for all.

9am-5pm. Free entry.

Imprint: Growing up Planned

Pang! Presents. $15 before 10pm.

Something Different

Blame it on the Boogie Weekends

Thirteen Australian artists’ interpretation of ‘The Chain’. 11am-5pm (11am-4pm, Sat).

9pm-midnight. Free entry.

OLD CANBERRA INN

On The Town

With Thelma Plum and Patrick James.

8pm. Presale through Oztix.

Heuristic

THE TRADIES (DICKSON)

Word Play

Interactive performance meets live video game. Bring your phone! 7:30pm.

See bohointeractive.com for CSIRO DISCOVERY CENTRE

ACT WRITERS CENTRE

sunday may 19

Revellers

Third in the trilogy of Drink! And Eat! Local artists and international artists respond to the theme ‘digest’.

TRANSIT BAR

Intensity of Purpose: 21 Years of ANCA

Night Time Lunatics EP launch. With My Fiction (Bris) and more TBA. 8pm.

CANBERRA GLASSWORKS

Smokestack Lightning

CMAG celebrates 21 years of Australian National Capital Artists. 10am-5pm (12-5pm, Sat/Sun).

OLD CANBERRA INN

DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR

Love Saturdays

CANBERRA MUSEUM AND GALLERY

Theatre

With The Projektz. 9pm. $10.

ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB

Live Music

Black Aces

Irish Jam Session

Word Play

Interactive performance meets live video game. Bring your phone! 7:30pm.

See bohointeractive.com for CSIRO DISCOVERY CENTRE

Workshops

With Johnny Roadkill, Lilly Rouge. Door price TBA. 8pm.

THE BASEMENT

RJ Chops

With The Ians. 9:30pm.

THE PHOENIX BAR

Free traditional Irish music in the pub from late afternoon on into the night. Free.

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

Outpost

4pm-7pm. Free entry.

OLD CANBERRA INN

How to Write a Ten Minute Play

Born Of Osiris

ACT WRITERS CENTRE

THE BASEMENT

With one of the world’s leading ten minute playwrights, Alex Broun. More info at actwriters.org.au.

STAGE 88

Workshops How to Write a Ten Minute Play With one of the world’s leading ten minute playwrights, Alex Broun. More info at actwriters.org.au.

ACT WRITERS CENTRE

monday may 20

Intensity of Purpose: 21 Years of ANCA

With one of the world’s leading ten minute playwrights, Alex Broun. More info at actwriters.org.au.

Digest

9pm-midnight. Free entry.

Don’t have a dog? Don’t worry! Get amongst it. From 9am onwards. Free!

Art Exhibitions

Be Be Gees

HELLENIC CLUB (WODEN)

The RSPCA Million Paws Walk 2013

How to Write a Ten Minute Play

Art Exhibitions

9:30pm. Free entry.

THE TRADIES (DICKSON)

Workshops

10:30pm. Free.

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

Over 50,000 goodies for all. 9am-5pm.

Free entry.

With After The Burial, A Breach Of Silence, Feed Her To The Sharks.

Presale thru Oztix/Moshtix. 8pm.

Canberra Blues Society Jam The best Canberra blues musicians gettin’ loose. 2-5:30pm. $3 members/$5 non-members.

HARMONIE GERMAN CLUB

On The Town Free Pool Tables

Does exactly what it says on the packet.

From 2pm.

TRANSIT BAR

CMAG celebrates 21 years of Australian National Capital Artists. 10am-5pm (12-5pm, Sat/Sun).

CANBERRA MUSEUM AND GALLERY

Live Music Cinnamon Records Pres. The Bootleg Sessions

With Mornings, Beach Slut, Atlantes, Kingfisher. 8pm. Free.

THE PHOENIX BAR

tuesday may 21 Art Exhibitions Intensity of Purpose: 21 Years of ANCA

CMAG celebrates 21 years of Australian National Capital Artists. 10am-5pm (12-5pm, Sat/Sun).

CANBERRA MUSEUM AND GALLERY

Karaoke Karaoke Love

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

TRANSIT BAR

Live Music Irish Jam Session

Free traditional Irish music in the pub from late afternoon on into the night. Free.

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

Trivia Trivia Tuesdays

First prize $75 cocktail party.

7:30pm. Free.

DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR

Mystery Trivia

Arc Cinema Presents. 7:30pm.

Free entry.

THE PHOENIX BAR

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ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE Wed May 22 - Sat May 25 wednesday may 22 Art Exhibitions

Karaoke

Live Music

Live Music

Karaoke at The Inn

Motez (Ade)

Turbo Belco

TRINITY BAR

THE PHOENIX BAR

OLD CANBERRA INN

Pang! Presents. With Raull (Chinese Laundry). Free entry before 10pm.

Third in the trilogy of Drink! And Eat! Local artists and international artists respond to the theme ‘digest’.

Live Music

The Foreigners

Intensity of Purpose: 21 Years of ANCA

THE PHOENIX BAR

Digest

CANBERRA GLASSWORKS

CMAG celebrates 21 years of Australian National Capital Artists. 10am-5pm (12-5pm, Sat/Sun).

CANBERRA MUSEUM AND GALLERY

Karaoke Karaoke Wednesdays 9pm.

DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR

Live Music Dave Sattout

The Jukebox tour. 7pm. Door price TBA. THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ

Mandalay Victory

With As Tide Breaks, Punchdagger.

Doors 8pm. $12.

THE BASEMENT

Theatre A Clockwork Orange

Acclaimed adaptation of Anthony Burgess’s novel. $69-99 + bf thru canberratheatrecentre.com.

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

Word Play

Interactive performance meets live video game. Bring your phone! 7:30pm.

See bohointeractive.com for CSIRO DISCOVERY CENTRE

8pm-midnight. Free entry.

The Second Hand Salmon

With Party Gravy, Ellie Thurston. 9pm.

Daniel Champagne

The Gypsy Moon tour. 7pm.

THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ

Pang! & Our Sound DJ Competition

Intensity of Purpose: 21 Years of ANCA

CMAG celebrates 21 years of Australian National Capital Artists. 10am-5pm (12-5pm, Sat/Sun).

CANBERRA MUSEUM AND GALLERY

Digest

Third in the trilogy of Drink! And Eat! Local artists and international artists respond to the theme ‘digest’.

CANBERRA GLASSWORKS

Live Fridays

ALBERT HALL

Live acoustic musicians. 5pm onwards. Free.

Grace Knight

6:30pm doors. Dinner + show $110. Show only $40. See theabbey. com.au for more.

DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR

On The Town

Live Jazz

DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR

THE ABBEY

‘90s Music Festival

Ten bands cover the best bands of the ‘90s: Faith No More, Rage Against The Machine and more. Doors

Disco, motown, ‘80s and ‘90s. 10pm onwards. Free.

THE BASEMENT

DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR

Theatre

On The Town

Something Different

A Clockwork Orange

Blame it on the Boogie Weekends

Seize the Day: Movement

Dance, martial arts and musical expression -- all to raise funds!

Doors 6:30pm.

ALBERT HALL

Theatre A Clockwork Orange

Acclaimed adaptation of Anthony Burgess’s novel. $69-99 + bf thru canberratheatrecentre.com.

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

Word Play

Interactive performance meets live video game. Bring your phone! 7:30pm.

See bohointeractive.com for CSIRO DISCOVERY CENTRE

friday may 24

thursday may 23 Art Exhibitions

Bobby Soxers vs. RocKabilly. With a Swing Katz taster class, live music and more. 7pm. See tickets.c

OLD CANBERRA INN

Blame it on the Boogie Weekends

7:30pm. Free.

The Big Band Bash

9pm-midnight. Free entry.

The best in the ACT compete for cash, show slots and a residency. 9:30pm start each round.

TRINITY BAR

With The Vee Bees, Seedy Jeezus.

9:30pm.

Art Exhibitions Intensity of Purpose: 21 Years of ANCA

CMAG celebrates 21 years of Australian National Capital Artists. 10am-5pm (12-5pm, Sat/Sun).

CANBERRA MUSEUM AND GALLERY

Digest

Third in the trilogy of Drink! And Eat! Local artists and international artists respond to the theme ‘digest’.

Acclaimed adaptation of Anthony Burgess’s novel. $69-99 + bf thru canberratheatrecentre.com.

Disco, motown, ‘80s and ‘90s. 10pm onwards. Free.

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR

Word Play

Interactive performance meets live video game. Bring your phone! 7:30pm.

See bohointeractive.com for CSIRO DISCOVERY CENTRE

saturday may 25

Interactive performance meets live video game. Bring your phone! 7:30pm.

See bohointeractive.com for

A Clockwork Orange

Acclaimed adaptation of Anthony Burgess’s novel. $69-99 + bf thru canberratheatrecentre.com.

Intensity of Purpose: 21 Years of ANCA

CMAG celebrates 21 years of Australian National Capital Artists. 10am-5pm (12-5pm, Sat/Sun).

CANBERRA MUSEUM AND GALLERY

Third in the trilogy of Drink! And Eat! Local artists and international artists respond to the theme ‘digest’.

CANBERRA GLASSWORKS

Word Play

CSIRO DISCOVERY CENTRE

Art Exhibitions

Digest

Theatre

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

Workshops Straighten Up and Playwright

With Genevieve Kenneally. Writers have three hours to invent and workshop plays. 9am-12pm. More at a ACT WRITERS CENTRE

Comedy Greg Fleet

Frenzied Productions Presents. $20 presale/$25 door. See frenziedproductions.com.

AINSLIE FOOTBALL CLUB

CANBERRA GLASSWORKS

OUT

MAY22

San Cisco Bonobo 2xx community radio’s first radiothon in seven years ...and more!

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FIRST CONTACT Aaron Peacey 0410381306

SIDE A: BMA band profile

Adam Hole 0421023226 Afternoon Shift 0402055314 Amphibian Sound PA Clare 0410308288 Annie & The Armadillos Annie (02) 61611078/ 0422076313 Aria Stone sax/flute/lute/ harmonica, singer-songwriter Aria 0411803343 Australian Songwriters Association Keiran (02) 62310433

…IS DEAD Where did your band name come from? Our drummer had a list of names and we picked the one we thought sounded the coolest.

Group members? Goz (guitar), Cameron (drums), Riley (vocals), Taylor (bass) and Anthony (other guitar).

Describe your sound: A Mortal Kombat fatality.

Who are your influences, musical or otherwise? Converge, Mahumodo, Devil Sold His Soul, Will Haven, Omar Rodriguez Lopez, David Gilmour.

What’s the most memorable experience you’ve had whilst performing? We’ll have to get back to you on that one...

Of what are you proudest so far? A song we wrote called Lights and Lakes. It was one of the first songs we all put together pretty equally and it’s one of our favourites to play.

What are your plans for the future? Gig as much as possible with cool bands and release something later this year. We’re planning to get Mehdi from Shels/Mahumodo to do the mixing/mastering, which we’re stoked about.

What makes you laugh? A bunch of inappropriate stuff.

What pisses you off? When our bread is of a darker hue but doesn’t actually contain any wholegrain.

What about the local scene would you change? Public liability insurance has gone crazy. It’s so expensive – too expensive for small time bands and promoters just wanting to put on a small free gig somewhere.

What are your upcoming gigs? We’re playing with Purity and an awesome band from Melbourne called Shut Up Jackson on Saturday May 18 at the Pot Belly in Belconnen…

Should be a hoot…

Contact info: facebook.com/ourbandisdead; youtube. com/user/ourbandisdead; soundcloud.com/isdead.

Backbeat Drivers Steve 0422733974 backbeatdrivers.com Bat Country Communion, The Mel 0400405537 Birds Love Fighting Gangbusters/DIY shows-bookings@ birdslovefighting.com Black Label Photography Kingsley 0438351007 blacklabelphotography.net Bridge Between, The Cam 0431550005 Capital Dub Style Reggae/dub events Rafa 0406647296

Johnny Roadkill Paulie 0408287672 paulie_mcmillan@live.com.au Kayo Marbilus myspace.com/kayomarbilus Kurt’s Metalworx (PA) 0417025792 Los Chavos Latin/ska/reggae Rafa 0406647296 Andy 0401572150 Missing Zero Hadrian 0424721907 Hadrian.brand@live.com.au Moots Huck 0419630721 aspwinch@grapevine.com.au Morning After, The Covers band Anthony 0402500843 Mornings Jordan 0439907853 MuShu Jack 0414292567 mushu_band@hotmail.com Obsessions 0450 960 750 obsessions@grapevine.com.au Painted Hearts, The Peter (02) 62486027 Polka Pigs Ian (02) 62315974

Cole Bennetts Photography 0415982662

Rafe Morris 0416322763

Danny V Danny 0413502428

Redsun Rehearsal Studio Ralph 0404178996/ (02) 61621527

Dawn Theory Nathan 0402845132 Danny 0413502428 Dorothy Jane Band, The Dorothy Jane 0411065189 dorothy-jane@dorothyjane.com Drumassault Kate 0414236323 FeralBlu Danny 0413502428 Fighting Mongooses, The Adam 0402055314 Fire on the Hill Aaron 0410381306 Lachlan 0400038388

Redletter Ben 0421414472

Rug, The Jol 0417273041 Sewer Sideshow Huck 0419630721 Simone & The Soothsayers Singing teacher Simone 62304828 Sorgonian Twins, The Mark 0428650549 Soundcity Rehearsal Studio Andrew 0401588884

Fourth Degree Vic 0408477020

STonKA Jamie 0422764482 stonka2615@gmail.com

Gareth Dailey DJ/Electronica Gareth 0414215885

Strange Hour Events Dan 0411112075

Groovalicious Corporate/ weddings/private functions 0448995158

Super Best Friends Sam White sam@imcmusic.net

Guy The Sound Guy Live & Studio Sound Engineer 0400585369 guy@guythesoundguy.com Haunted Attics band@hauntedatticsmusic.com

54

Jenn Pacor Singer-songwriter avail. for originals/covers 0405618630

System Addict Jamie 0418398556 ThrownUp Scott 0415849619 Top Shelf Colin 0408631514

In The Flesh Scott 0410475703

Undersided, The Baz 0408468041

Itchy Triggers Alex 0414838480

Zoopagoo zoopagoo@gmail.com

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