Beat Magazine #1505

ISSUE NO. 1505

DECEMBER 23, 2015

FREE

BEAT.COM.AU EVERY THING MELBOURNE

F E E D I N G T H E R H Y T H M S A T B E Y O N D T H E VA L L E Y I N S I D E

THE SELECTER

METZ

JAMIE XX

The legendary 2 Tone outfit are hitting our shores.

Toronto’s noisemakers are bringing their thunderous sophomore release to life across the country.

Radiating beams of sonic colour over Australia.

PEARLS

Melbourne’s shoegaze popsters are a sweet addition to Sugar Mountain.

JENNY HVAL

The versatile Norwegian songwriter is bringing her feminist spirit to the NGV.

FANTASTIC GUITAR DEALS UNBELIEVABLE VALUE

SHERATON II EB

EPIPHONE RRP $1698

SALE PRICE

$999

PRAHRAN 196 96 Chapel Ch St 9521 2599

EMPEROR SWINGSTER SALE PRICE

EPIPHONE RRP $1449

$949

LP CLASSIC-T

EPIPHONE RRP $1299

SALE PRICE

$799

EMPEROR II VS

EPIPHONE RRP $1449

SALE PRICE

$899

The RRP is the recommended retail price as set by the Australian distributor of the product. While stocks last. Products pictured are for illustration purpose only.

Beat - Gallins - 04.12.15 - 275 x 80 - FIN.indd 1

LP STUDIO SP

GIBSON RRP $2999

SALE PRICE

$1199

www.gallinsmps.com.au

Authorised Gibson Guitar technician on site 4/12/2015 1:45 PM

LIQUOR DELI VE RY in under 60 mins order online: tipple.com.au

W W W. B E AT.C O M . A U

BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 3

2015

1l6

REMOTE CONTROL

IBEYI

PEARLS

PURITY RING

HOUNDMOUTH

COURTNEY BARNETT

ALABAMA SHAKES

KING GIZZARD & THE LIZARD WIZARD

THEE OH SEES

SOAK

JAMIE XX

METHYL ETHEL

SASKWATCH

RATATAT

JESS RIBEIRO

SUI ZHEN

BEIRUT

KURT VILE

b'lieve i'm goin down...

Fading Frontier

DEERHUNTER

FAT FREDDYS DROP Bays

Return To The Moon

GRIMES

KING GIZZARD & THE LIZARD WIZARD

25

ADELE

LEAH SENIOR

JENNYLEE

Ibeyi

Sound & Color

Pretend You’re Mine

Another Eternity

Mutilator Defeated At Last

Quarters!

Oh Inhuman Spectacle

No No No

Art Angels

Sorry I Let It Come Between Us

Magnifique

Little Neon Limelight

Before We Forgot How To Dream

Kill It Yourself

Summer’s On The Ground

Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit

In Colour

Secretly Susan

EL VY

Right On!

Paper Mâché Dream Balloon remotecontrolrecords.com

Remote Control logo reimagined by Courtney Barnett, Methyl Ethel, Sui Zhen & Teeth & Tongue

W W W. B E AT.C O M . A U

BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 5

THE BRUNNY WISHES YOU A MERRY XMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR

THE BRUNNY WILL BE CLOSED FROM XMAS DAY TO NEW YEARS DAY, AND WILL RE-OPEN JAN 2ND WWW.BRUNSWICKHOTEL.NET

BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 6

B E AT.C O M . A U

Saturday 26th December

Sat 26 December

BIG DANCING SATURDAYS 2 LEVELS LARRIE / YO! MAFIA / SOFIE ROZE

It’s Boxing Day! No music, go to the cricket instead.

9:00PM ~ FREE ENTRY

Sun 27 December 3.30pm

ROZ GIRVAN & GREG FIELD

A duo with original tunes, Americana stylings – vocal harmonies, mandolin, fiddle and guitar.

Sun 27 December 5pm

PRESIDENT ROOTS POSTCHRISTMAS BONANZA

Congratulations, you survived Christmas! Now, kick back for the Roots’ infectious poppy, folky, Americana-driven songwriting.

Thursday 31 December

NEW YEARS EVE:

SUZANNAH ESPIE & THE LAST WORD Herald in 2016 with the magnificent Suzannah Espie & the Last Word, fresh from her sellout Australian tour. With support from the Native Plants, the Union’s own pop-propagated-withrock duo. Music kicks off at 8.30pm.

e h T k c MoC asbah

ht Every Monday Nig SpEC

Ial RoTA Ting

VeGAn enU M 5.30Pm 'tIl 10pM

S nt SpECIal I P P a e H C Ze aNd NEs fROm 7pm VeGAn BoNO Tu Pu K RoCk

MALPRACTICE / GET BU$Y

Thursday 31st December UPSTAIRS:

WEEKENDER INDIE DANCE PARTY FEATURING STEVE WIDE AND FRIENDS

9:00PM - $12 ENTRY

DOWNSTAIRS:

BIG DANCING NYE BOOTY QUEST / GET BU$Y / SOFIE ROZE / PAIGE PLAY

9:00PM - FREE ENTRY

Friday 1st January

PARTY & BULLSHIT

JADE ZOE / SONIC VIBES EARLY RESIDENCY FEATURING JONNY FREESH / CURIOUS / YOJIMBO X MTN 9:00PM ~ FREE ENTRY

Saturday 2nd January

BIG DANCING SATURDAYS 2 LEVELS

LARRIE / YO MAFIA! / BOOTY QUEST / PAIGE PLAY 9:00PM ~ FREE ENTRY Sunday 3rd January LYRICS BORN TICKETS ON SALE NOW THROUGH OZTIX Coming Up...

SUNDAY 31ST JANUARY

GUILTY SIMPSON / KATALYST TICKETS ON SALE NOW THROUGH OZTIX

W H AT ’ S O N ?

MONDAY

$12 BURGERS ALL DAY + $5 SCHOONERS CARLTON DRAUGHT & VB

TUESDAY TUES

Q1 TRIVIA FROM 7:30PM

+ $14.90 PARMA & $15 JUGS FREE ENTRY!

WEDNESDAY

STEAK DAY

NEW ORLEANS JAZZ SHOWGIRLS / DJ $13.90 FISH & CHIPS SELECTED DRINKS AND FINGER FOOD $5 FRIDAY

$15.90 PORTERHOUSE & RUMP THURSDAYS OR

SEAFOOD BASKET FRIDAYS

SELECTED STUBBIES & CANS

FROM 8PM TILL SUPER LATE $12 JUGS 3PM-5PM TIX $85, TO BOOK: 8354 0100 LIVE MUSIC FROM 7PM JOKER JACKPOT

280 LYGON ST, BRUNSWICK 282 EXHIBITION ST, MELBOURNE CBD EASTBRUNSWICKHOTEL.COM.AU | PH. (03) 8354 0100

COOPERSINN.COM.AU | PH. 9639 2111

W W W. B E AT.C O M . A U

BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 11

W W W. B E AT.C O M . A U

BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 13

E AT.C O M KB .A

R T H E L AT E

S

T

CH

FO

HOT TALK

U

EC

THE BIGGEST IN INTERNATIONAL & NATIONAL NEWS LUKA BLOOM SET TO PLAY 2016 MELBOURNE SHOW

WU-TANG LOCK IN 2016 MELBOURNE SHOW The Clan have finally confirmed that they’ll bring the motherfuckin’ ruckus to our shores next year. One of the most revolutionary rap groups of the mid-‘90s, the NYbased Wu-Tang Clan emerged from the underground in 1993 from Staten Island.

Since then, amongst various successful solo endeavours, the Clan have gone on to release seven studio albums, including their ground-breaking debut Enter the WuTang (36 Chambers) through to their latest single copy record The Wu - Once Upon A Time In Shaolin, which was apparently purchased by some pharmaceutical dickhead for two million dollarydoos. Catch them on Tuesday February 23 at Margaret Court Arena. Tickets via Ticketek.

Luka Bloom, one of Ireland’s best-respected contemporary folk musicians, will return in 2016 for his 12th Australian tour. Having produced 20 albums since the 1970s, Bloom continues to push the boundaries of what his music can do. On Bloom’s 2014 release Head & Heart, he describes the song Australia as “a simple love song to a country that means so much to me; a place I have missed this past three years.

I can’t wait to sing my new songs in Australia.” Catch up with Luka Bloom when he plays The National Theatre Wednesday March 16. Tickets via ticketmaster.

SECRET VALLEY ANNOUNCES FIRST WAVE LINEUP

FINAL BAND FOR GOLDEN PLAINS 2016 REVEALED The full 2016 Golden Plains lineup is finally here. The final addition to the 2016 lineup has been announced as Emma Donovan & The Putbacks, who will play on the Saturday afternoon. As already announced, headlining the 2016 event will be Eddy Current Suppression Ring, slipping out of a six-year hiatus to reunite for a one-off performance in The Sup’ on the Sunday night of the 2016 festival - ten years after they played the very first Golden Plains. Joining them at the 2016 incarnation of the festival, in alphabetical order, will be Black Cab, The Black Madonna, Built To Spill, Buzzcocks, CW Stoneking, Darcy Baylis, Freddie Gibbs, friendships, Gold Class, HTRK, John Grant, Kenji Takimi, Koi Child, Natalie Prass, No Zu, Royal Headache, Sadar Bahar, Sampa The Great, Seun Kuti & Egypt 80, Sleater-Kinney, Songhoy Blues, The Necks, Tom of England, Tyrannamen, U.S Girls and Violent Femmes. Golden Plains will take place from Saturday March 12 - Monday March 14.

SPIDERBAIT UNVEIL ADDITIONAL 2016 MELBOURNE SHOW After tickets quickly sold out for their Adelaide, Brisbane and Melbourne shows, Spiderbait has added further dates to their 2016 Australian tour. The rock legends are hitting the road in February to celebrate an awesome 25 years of making music, following their sold out tour in 2014. You can grab tickets now to their new show at 170 Russel Sunday February 28.Tickets via the venue.

BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 14

Secret Valley, a boutique event set in the Yarra Valley, has just announced the first round of acts to play at the festival next February. The announcement heralds a diverse array of local and international live acts and DJs, including the likes of Rone, Parra for Cuva, Luke Vibert, Kid Fiction, Thandi Phoenix, Jones Junior and many more. The two day camping event will also feature access to an open air spa bath, world class wine, woodland yoga sessions, al fresco dining and glamorous custom made camp sites as an option for those who want to sleep in style. Secret Valley kicks off on Saturday February 20 until Sunday February 21. Scoot on over to the Secret Valley Website for ticketing and more information.

BUCKCHERRY CONFIRMS 2016 MELBOURNE SHOW

RUBY BOOTS ANNOUNCES 2016 MELBOURNE SHOW Australia’s Americana starlet Ruby Boots has announced a 2016 tour.

Boots captured the attention of the local and international music community following the rapturous reception of her debut album Solitude, released on Lost Highway in 2014 which garnered stunning reviews and picked up feature record status on PBS, RRR and RTR. Just last month she received the coveted $15,000 APRA Professional Development Award in the Country category, was named Best Country Act for the fifth year running at the 2015 WAM Awards and this past week won the WA Live Voice Award at the AU Review Awards and was nominated for Best Live Roots Act. Check out Ruby Boots at Northcote Social Club Thursday March 10. Tickets via her website.

Free $hit $100 SHADOW ELECTRIC CINEMA GIFT VOUCHER Set inside the pristine surroundings of the Abbottsford Convent, the Shadow Electric will return this summer with a gangbuster program certain to pique the interests of Melbourne’s music, arts and food cognoscenti. With their fifth film program handcrafted by the Human Rights & Arts Film Festival’s esteemed Lauren Valmadre, this summer will see an eclectic range of the world’s most groundbreaking contemporary releases, eye-opening music documentaries and, of course, your best friend’s favourite cult classic films. Want to score a $100 Shadow Electric Cinema Gift Voucher? We thought so. Visit beat.com.au/freeshit to win a $100 gift voucher valid for the 2016 Shadow Electric summer cinema season.

JULIA JACKLIN ANNOUNCES 2016 MELBOURNE SHOW Fresh from putting the finishing touches on her forthcoming debut album, singer/songwriter Julia Jacklin will be kicking off 2016 with a full band show. Jacklin has been paying her dues across the country for the last two years, touring and refining a collection of songs that have recently been put down to tape. Recorded in New Zealand with producer Ben Edwards (Marlon Williams, Aldous Harding, Nadia Reid), the upcoming album follows on from Jacklin’s self-released EP that spawned the acclaimed single Santafel. Julia Jacklin plays The Old Bar on Tuesday January 19. Tickets via TryBooking.

Californian hard rockers Buckcherry are all set to return to Australian shores next year for a headline tour. Their self titled debut album back in 1999 delivered unto the world anthems such as Lit Up and Dead Again, and 2006’s 15 which featured Crazy Bitch and Sorry. This year they released their seventh studio album Rock ‘n’ Roll which pretty much sums up what they’re all about. They’ll be hitting up 170 Russel Monday March 14.

Tickets via the venue.

Lepers and Crooks

DREAM ON, DREAMER RESCHEDULE MELBOURNE SHOW

ST KILDA FESTIVAL ANNOUNCE FIRST ROUND LINEUP FOR 2016

Dream On, Dreamer were unfortunately forced to cancel their show at Max Watt’s last month, due to a flooding on the venue which resulted in health and safety concerns. The band have recently rebooked a January show at the Northcote Social Club, featuring supports from Ocean Grove and Polaris. If you’re eager to catch the boys in action (they’re definitely eager to catch you), shoot on over to the Northcote Social Club website and grab your tickets for Friday January 15.

Australia’s largest free music festival is on the horizon, announcing the acts that will take place as part of The New Music and Live N Local stages. The New Music stage is back once more, offering the nation’s best emerging talent a great chance to kick-start their career. Ten bands have been chosen to play, with the crowd favourite winning $5,000 and a main stage slot in 2017. In 2016 they include Ryan Downey, Mitch King, Owen Rabbit, Ry, MYAMI, Neighbourhood Youth, Rita Satch, REIKA, Lepers and Crooks and Jerrico. From Sunday February 7 until Saturday February 13 music enthusiasts will be treated to the sounds of art-pop and post-punk styled Mangelwurzel, The Hosies’ train wreck blues, ambient electro with Yakini and Gaza Stripper, hypnotic sounds from Zikora and Yiddish band Klezmania. The 2016 St Kilda Festival will kick off from Saturday February 6 and culminate with the famous Festival Sunday on Sunday February 14 (Valentine’s Day ooh la la).

HOT TALK

BAR We wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy new Year!

Mr Boogie Man BAR will be closed till the 2nd January ‘16 Thank you to all the Bands and Customers for your enthusiastic support throughout 2015.

See you all in 2016 160 HODDLE ST ABBOTSFORD

E AT.C O M KB .A

R T H E L AT E

S

T

CH

FO

HOT TALK

U

EC

THE BIGGEST IN INTERNATIONAL & NATIONAL NEWS GAYTIMES FESTIVAL ANNOUNCE INAUGURAL LINEUP

[ Formerly The Hi-Fi Bar ]

SUN 03 JAN - SELLING FAST

WAV VES

USA

TUE 05 JAN - SELLING FAST

KURT VILE & THE VIOLATORS USA WED 06 JAN

TORO Y MOI

USA

FRI 15 JAN

THE CHILLS

NZ

SUN 17 JAN - SELLING FAST

TONIGHT ALIVE FRI 22 JAN

DJ KRUSH

JAP

FRI 29 JAN

JAH PR AYZAH & THE THIRD GENER ATION BAND ZIM

THE PEEP TEMPEL ANNOUNCE SHOW AT ESTONIAN HOUSE Following their standout performance at Meredith Festival earlier this month, The Peep Tempel have just been announced for a special show at the Estonian House.

This will be their only Melbourne performance before they head back into the studio to record the follow up to their sophomore release, Tales. In 2016 the crew behind Shadow Electric will host over 50 shows at Brunswick’s Estonian House, including already announced acts Alpine and Kate Miller-Heidke. Catch The Peep Tempel on Thursday February 18. Tickets are on sale now through Shadow Electric.

RADIO MOSCOW LOCK IN 2016 MELBOURNE SHOW

FRI 05 FEB

AREA 7

WED 10 FEB - SELLING FAST

VINCE STAPLES

USA

THU 11 FEB

THUNDERCAT

USA

FRI 12 FEB - SELLING FAST

BATTLES

USA

SUN 14 FEB

STEEL PULSE

UK

MON 15 FEB

GURRUMUL YUNUPINGU FRI 19 FEB

HIGH ON FIRE

USA

SAT 20 FEB

ŽELJKO BEBEK & BAND MON 22 FEB

THE SWORD

USA

TUE 23 FEB - SELLING FAST

OCEAN COLOUR SCENE UK SAT 27 FEB

1349

NOR

TUE 01 MAR

G - EA ZY

USA

FATBOY SLIM ANNOUNCES 2016 MELBOURNE BEACH SHOW It’s been three long years since Melbourne experienced a Fatboy Slim set, but that’s all about to change next year. Whether he’s DJ-ing in the Brazilian Big Brother house, closing the 2012 Summer Olympics ceremony, hosting a party for 250,000 people on a beach, or playing to 5,000 people alongside Great Wall of China, there isn’t much that Fatboy Slim hasn’t achieved. Now Fatboy Slim will take over St Kilda Beach this Australia Day, providing one hell of a public holiday experience. Fatboy Slim will perform on the waterfront of Riva at St Kilda Beach on Australia Day, Tuesday January 26. Tickets are available now through fatboyslimbbq.com.

WED 09 MAR

THE MUMMIES

USA

THU 10 MAR

IBEYI

FRA/CUB

Psychedelic rockers Radio Moscow will make their maiden voyage to Australia off the back of their latest effort, Magical Dirt. Joining them will be some handpicked supports, with fellow New York cohorts Kings Destroy and Melbourne’s own Holy Serpent coming along for the ride. Magical Dirt marks the first album from Radio Moscow with their new rhythm section, after former members Zach Anderson and Cory Berry parted ways and moved to Sweden. Welcome Radio Moscow into the country when they hit Cherry Bar on Saturday February 13 and Sunday February 14. Tickets through TryBooking.

CHERIE CURRIE SET TO TEAR UP AUSTRALIA ON TOUR Proclaimed as “The lost daughter of Iggy Pop and Brigitte Bardot”, Cherie Currie of the 1975 born band The Runaways has just announced her first ever Australian Tour, set to go down in May. Currie secured her name in rock history alongside bandmate Joan Jett, thanks to track such as Queens Of Noise and I Love Playin’ With Fire.

The tour announcement comes off the back of Currie’s new solo album Reverie, featuring appearances from exRunaways bandmate Lita Ford. Cherie Currie will perform at The Corner on Saturday May 28. Tickets available from the venue’s website.

SAT 12 MAR

FREDDIE GIBBS

Gaytimes, Australia’s first queer camping music festival, have announced their lineup for 2016. Over three days and two nights next March, Gaytimes will offer a weekend of music, art, community, sexuality and self-expression for the LGBTIQ community. The event will be held just an hour north of Melbourne, in a picturesque purpose-built campground site in Kinglake. This boutique camping festival, holding less than 500 punters, will feature an eclectic lineup of more than 25 live music artists and DJs alongside performance and visual art.

The first announcement is led by Paul Mac, he will be joined by Oscar Key Sung, Kylie Auldist, Yo Mafia, Salvador Darling, CC: Disco and a heap more.

Gaytimes will take place from Saturday March 12 until Monday March 14.

USA

YEO GEARS UP FOR NEW ALBUM AND NATIONAL TOUR Yeo has announced the release of his fulllength album Ganbaru and has revelead dates for an accompanying national tour.

His first single, Quiet Achiever, enjoyed triple j rotation and over 270,000 Spotify streams. The follow up single Icarus achieved triple j rotation, Channel [V] Discover Artist and was highly praised on music sites and blogs including premieres on Pilerats and Music Feeds.

Ganbaru is set for release on Tuesday February 9 digitally and on vinyl. His Melbourne show will be going down at Howler on Thursday March 24. Tickets are available via the venue.

HIGHLY SUSPECT ANNOUNCE 2016 MELBOURNE SHOW American hard rock trio Highly Suspect are making their Australian debut off the back of their Grammy-nominated album, Mister Asylum. Teaming up with producer Joel Hamilton (Black Keys, Tom Waits, Elvis Costello), Mister Asylum marks the group’s first full length effort, following on from a string of widely lauded EPs. Catch them at The Evelyn on Wednesday March 16.

Tickets through Live Nation.

BLUESFEST ANNOUNCE EVEN MORE ARTISTS FOR 2016 FESTIVAL Jeez Louise, they’re pulling just about every big name out of their sleeve to get on board with their lineup. Bluesfest just got that much bigger with an extra 10 artists slapped onto the bill. Leading the latest announcement is Modest Mouse following the release of their 2015 album Strangers to Ourselves.

Also included are Graham Nash, Kamasi Washington, Richard Clapton, Elle King, Ash Grunwald, Blind Boy Paxton, Dustin Thomas, Wards Xpress and Raw Earth. They join the likes of Brian Wilson, Taj Mahal, D’Angelo The Residents, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, Shooglenifty, The National, City and Colour, reggae legends UB40 featuring Ali Campbell, Astro and Mickey Virtue, blues rock maestro Joe Bonamassa and Grammy award-winning group Tedeschi Trucks Band. Bluesfest 2016 will take place from Thursday March 24 until Monday March 28, just north of Byron Bay.

2016 SUMMER TONES LINEUP REVEALED Local indie label and touring company Mistletone have announced the 2016 lineup for their Summer Tones festival.

The 2016 Summer Tones will be headlined by Kurt Vile, and also features Vic Simms, Michael Hurley, Meg Baird, Ryley Walker, Montero, Totally Mild, The Orbweavers, Terry and Wintercoats, plus courtyard DJs Jonny (HTRK) and Kate Reid, with a few surprises to be announced. It’s all going down at The Shadow Electric on Tuesday January 26. Book your tickets now through the venue’s website.

WED 16 MAR - SELLING FAST

SUNN O )))

USA

FRI 18 MAR - SELLING FAST

DIED PRETTY SUN 20 MAR

WILEY

UK

SAL KIMBER AND JOHN FLANAGAN SET TO PLAY THE TOFF IN TOWN

SAT 21 MAY

ELUVEITIE

SUI

SUN 12 JUN

DEATH DEALER

USA

SAT 10 SEP

FROM THE JAM

UK

SUN 09 OCT

THE LEVELLERS

UK

TIX + INFO

MAXWATTS.COM.AU 1300 724 867

125 SWANSTON ST, MELBOURNE

BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 16

Two of Australia’s finest alt-country artists, Sal Kimber and John Flanagan, will hit the road together through the first half of 2016 as part of their double album launch tour. Kimber’s set to bring her much loved five-piece The Rollin’ Wheel with her for the journey, and Flanagan will debut a new band lineup featuring a host of stellar musicians. They’ll be stopping

by Melbourne for one show only at The Toff In Town. Take some time out to catch these super talented songwriters on Thursday, February 11. Tickets are available through moshtix.

LYRICS BORN IS COMING TO MELBOURNE IN 2016 The American rapper and producer will be taking to the stage in Melbourne off the back of his latest release, Real People.

Real People was self released through Lyrics Born’s own label, produced by Rob Mercurio and Ben Ellman of Galactic. After 20 years in the industry, Lyrics Born has moved through a gamut of styles, melding hip hop and funk together with his Californian heritage.

Catch Lyrics Born at Laundry Bar on Sunday January 3.

HOT TALK

Kim Churchill

URBAN SPREAD ANNOUNCES LINEUP FOR FEBRUARY 2016 EDITION Urban Spread is continuing its tradition of bringing quality music into the ‘burbs by chucking a rootsy little hootenanny for the pleasure of any Frankston or Lilydale dwellers in February next year. Virtuoso troubadour Kim Churchill will be leading the charge with guitar in hand, backed by the likes of comedic crooner Jordie Lane and travelling tunesters Woodlock rounding out the bill. The February edition of Urban Spread kicks off on Friday February 19 at Pelly Bar in Frankston, followed by another show on Saturday February 20 in Lilydale. Tickets via Moshtix.

375 INKERMAN ST, ST KILDA EAST - PH. 9527 2176 INKERMANHOTEL.COM.AU DEC

ALL PARMAS $13 WITH CHIPS & SALAD SHIT PUB TRIVIA: XMAS SHITACULAR

WED 30 HOSTED BY MALPRACTICE MALONEY

@8PM

DEC

WED 23 (HOSTED BY MALPRACTICE MALONEY) DEC

THU 24

$7 PIZZA, $10 JUGS OPEN MIC: XMAS SINGALONG WITH DAN HALL @7.30PM

PINK @ THE INK XMAS EVE DRAG SHOWS

IN THE BUTTER BAR @7PM DEC

BOXING DAY BBQ

SAT BLUES SPECIAL

26

FROM 5PM

DEC LIVE MUSIC @4PM:

SUN

27

PAUL RAWK PUB COVERS - FREE!

DEC

ALL BURGERS $13 MON WITH CHIPS 28 POOL COMP @8PM $13 RUMP STEAK 29 WITH CHIPS & SALAD

DEC

TUE

ALL PARMAS $13 WITH CHIPS & SALAD SHIT PUB TRIVIA

DEC

THU NYE BAD HAWAIIAN 31 SHIRT PARTY NYE FREE! CHEAP DRINKS FOR

THOSE IN A HAWAIIAN SHIRT

LIVE MUSIC @4PM:

JAN

THE ’64 FALCON GONZO ROCK - FREE!

FRI 1

JAN LIVE MUSIC @8PM:

SAT THE SHOT GLASSES 2

ROCK’N’ROLL + VIOLIN

JAN LIVE MUSIC @4PM:

WILL BROWN

SUN

ACOUSTIC COVERS - FREE! UFC#195:LAWLER V CONDIT

3

@2PM

JAN

ALL BURGERS $13 MON WITH CHIPS 4 POOL COMP @8PM $13 RUMP STEAK WITH CHIPS & SALAD

JAN

TUE

5

DAILY HAPPY HOUR! 4-6PM $3.50 POTS, $5 BASICS & HOUSE WINE

Wesley Anne - Bar • Restaurant • Etc -

MONDAY

Thursday 24 December ------------------------------------------------

Brooke Russell & THE Ben EDINBURGH Franz FREE

CA STLE

6pm, Front Bar

Sunday 27 December -------------------------------------------------

Fat Cousin Skinny

FREE

HOTEL

MON

From the 14th Dec - 2nd Jan Wesley Anne will be open from 12pm daily.

250 High st, Northcote Hill, 9482 1333

11

11.99

TUE

$

WED

S M I TH ’ S TR I V I A 8 P M

6pm, Front Bar

Open for lunch middays daily

ROO & $ WINE

BURGER NIGHT

MRS

FRE

E

SPONSORED BY 4 PINES BREWERY

LIVE DJ’S

WE E K LY

681 SYDNEY RD. BRUNSWICK (03)9386 7580 WWW.EDINBURGHCASTLE.NET.AU

W W W. B E AT.C O M . A U

ROO & WINE

$

11.99

1 1 S R E G BUR

TUESDAY

$

WED 23 DECEMBER

NA+CHOS10 $

JULES SHELDON FREE

7.30pm, Front Bar

LIVE MUSIC EVERY WEEK

27 WESTON ST, BRUNSWICK MON TO THU, 3PM - LATE FRI TO SUN, NOON - LATE

OD GO ES TIM

CHARLESWESTONHOTEL@GMAIL.COM OR GIVE US A BELL ON 9380 8777 BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 17

K B E AT.C O M

ES

C

&

R T H E L AT

L O C A L

FO

UPCOMING

.A

T

EC

U

H

I N T E R N AT I O N A L

KILL DIRTY YOUTH Bendigo Hotel December 23, 30 STELLAFAUNA The Evelyn Hotel December 23, 30 EL VEZ Corner Hotel December 24 TECHNOIR’S 11TH ANNUAL CHRISTMAS PARTY Lounge December 25 FALLS FESTIVAL Lorne December 28 – January 1 BEYOND THE VALLEY Lardner, Victoria December 29 – January 1 TANGLEWOOD FESTIVAL Thornton, Lake Eildon December 30 – January 1 NEW YEAR’S EVIE Bruzzy’s Farm, Tallarook December 30 – January 2 SOUL-A-GO-GO’S NEW YEARS EVE The Corner December 31 NEW YEARS EVE PARTY The Croxton December 31 AGENT ORANGE Bendigo Hotel December 31 LEAVE YOUR HAT ON: THE JOE COCKER TRIBUTE The Yarraville Club December 31 NYE ON THE HILL December 31 – January 1 NEW YEARS DAY PARTY MONA January 1 MICK THOMAS AND THE ROVING COMMISSION Greendale Hotel January 1 SOUNDS LIKE SUMMER CBD January 1 CONFESSION Evelyn Hotel January 2 MAC MILLER The Forum January 2 GROUNDSWELL FESTIVAL Lake Tyers Beach January 2 KURT VILE The Forum January 3 WAVVES Max Watt’s January 3 WEIRD AL YANKOVIC The Palais Theatre January 3 MAC DEMARCO 170 Russel January 3 – 5 THE WEATHER STATION Northcote Social Club January 4 YUNG LEAN Prince Bandroom January 5 BØRNS The Corner January 5 BLOC PARTY The Forum January 5 DISCLOSURE Festival Hall January 6 THE BEAUTIFUL GIRLS Westernport Hotel January 6, Torquay Hotel January 7, The Grand January 8 TORO Y MOI Max Watt’s January 6 SOAK Northcote Social Club January 6 HALSEY The Forum January 6 PUSHA T Prince Bandroom January 6 YOUNG FATHERS The Corner January 7 FOALS Festival Hall January 7 ELLIPHANT Howler January 7 GARY CLARK JR The Forum January 7 OH WONDER Northcote Social Club January 7 LEON BRIDGES 170 Russell January 7 ABABCD The Gasometer January 8 THE NEW SAVAGES The Reverence Hotel January 8, 15, 22, 29 DJANGO DJANGO 170 Russell January 8 THE FLAMING LIPS The Palais January 8 FRENZAL RHOMB Chelsea Heights Hotel January 8, Village Green Hotel January 9 DEAD CITY RUINS Northcote Social Club January 9 BONGEZIWE MABANDLA The Toff in Town January 10 SUNSET SOUNDS Central Park, Malvern East January 10, 17, 24, 31 JAMIE XX The Forum January 10 SO FRENCHY SO CHIC IN THE PARK Werribee Park January 11 NIGHTWISH The Forum Monday January 11 MOFO MONA January 13 - January 18 HARTS Howler January 14 MIREL WAGNER The Toff In Town January 14 PRETTY LIGHTS, OPIUO + EMANCIPATOR Forum Theatre January 14 DREAM ON, DREAMER Northcote Social Club January 15 THE DELTA RIGGS Whalers Hotel, Warnambool January 15, Torquay Hotel January 16, Lorne Hotel January 17 TOMORROW’S PEOPLE Courthouse Youth Arts, Geelong January 15, Wrangler Studios January 16, Karova Lounge January 17 THE CHILLS Max Watt’s January 15 RIGHT THERE ON MY TV The Tote January 16 UNIFY South Gippsland January 16 – 17 TONIGHT ALIVE Max Watt’s January 17 JULIA JACKLIN The Old Bar January 19 JOANNA NEWSOM Arts Centre January 19 THE 1975 Festival Hall January 20 TURNSTILE Northcote Social Club January 20 OKMALUMKOOLKAT Ding Dong Lounge January 21 LUCA BRASI Northcote Social Club January 21 ASH GRUNWALD Sooki Lounge January 21, Chapel off Chapel January 22 CHAPEL SUMMER SESSIONS Chapel off Chapel January 21, 22, 30 THEE OH SEES Howler January 22 RAINBOW SERPENT FESTIVAL Lexton January 22 – 26 THE GOOCH PALMS The Curtin January 22 COURTNEY BARNETT Palais Theatre January 22 DIE! DIE! DIE! Ding Dong Lounge January 23 ROCK’N’LOAD The Corner January 23 BEECHWORTH FESTIVAL Beechworth Asylum January 23 A DAY ON THE GREEN Michelton Wines, Nagambie January 23 BOY & BEAR Festival Hall January 23 MICHAEL HURLEY Northcote Social Club January 23 BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 18

A R T I S T S

H E A D I N G

SUGAR MOUNTAIN Victorian College of the Arts/ Melbourne Arts precinct January 23 M*SYNCH MPavilion January 24 RYLEY WALKER The Toff In Town January 25 URBAN SPREAD Chelsea Heights Hotel January 25, Pelly Bar February 19, York on Lilydale February 20 FATBOY SLIM St Kilda Beach January 26 SUMMER TONES Shadow Electric January 26 GIRLPOOL The Reverence Hotel January 27 NOTHING BUT THEIVES Ding Dong Lounge January 27 YOU BEAUTY The Tote January 29 HOLY HOLY Corner Hotel January 29 DERRICK MAY, JEFF MILLS & THE MSO Sidney Myer Music Bowl January 30 GUILTY SIMPSON & KATALYST Laundry Bar January 31 GRIMES 170 Russell February 3 JAMES BAY Festival Hall February 3 TOBIAS JESSE JR The Corner February 3 SHAMIR Howler February 4 X The Tote February 5 GILLIAN WELCH Palais Theatre February 5 MSO PRESENT HITCHCOCK AND HERRMANN Hamer Hall February 5, 6 ST KILDA FESTIVAL St Kilda February 6 – 14 FAIRFIELD SUMMER SERIES Fairfield Ampitheatre February 7, 14, 21, 28 CAT POWER Melbourne Recital Centre February 8, 9 CHVRCHES Forum Theatre February 9 THE INTERNET The Corner February 9 BEACH HOUSE 170 Russell February 10 PUNK ROCK KARAOKE The Corner February 10 SAL KIMBER & JOHN FLANAGAN The Toff In Town February 11 DIIV The Corner February 11 PURITY RING + MAJICAL CLOUDZ Forum Theatre February 11 THUNDERCAT Max Watt’s February 11 HEALTH Howler February 11 SOUL FLATS MUSIC & ARTS FESTIVAL Deniliquin, NSW February 12 – 14 MAJICAL CLOUDZ The Toff In Town February 12 THIEVERY CORPORATION The Forum February 12 BATTLES Max Watt’s February 12 METZ The Corner February 12 GIDEON BENSEN Shebeen February 12 RADIO MOSCOW Cherry Bar February 13, 14 LUNATICS ON POGOSTICKS The Worker’s Club February 13 COMMON KINGS The Corner February 13 LANEWAY FESTIVAL Footscray Community Arts Centre February 13 GURRUMUL Max Watt’s February 15 SOILWORK 170 Russell February 16 A$AP ROCKY Margaret Court Arena February 17 THE PEEP TEMPEL Shadow Electric February 18 REGGAE ROYALTY Palais Theatre February 18 WAXAHATCHEE Howler February 18 ALPINE Estonian House February 19 COSMO’S MIDNIGHT Howler February 19 DAVE RAWLINGS MACHINE Palais Theatre February 19 TINA ARENA Hamer Hall February 19 PARTY IN THE PADDOCK Burnscreek, Tasmania February 19 RIVERBOATS MUSIC FESTIVAL Murray River, Echucha February 19 – 21 HIGH ON FIRE Max Watt’s February 19 JD MCPHERSON Corner Hotel February 19 FAT FREDDY’S DROP The Forum February 19 DEKMENTAL FESTIVAL Caulfield Racecourse February 20 SECRET FESTIVAL Yarra Valley February 20, 21 DALLAS CRANE The Corner February 20 GOOD LIFE FESTIVAL Melbourne Park and Hisense Arena February 20 ROB THOMAS Rob Laver Arena February 20 KATE MILLER-HEIDKE Estonian House February 20 JEREMIH Trak February 21 LEFTFIELD Yarra Valley Estate February 21 ALBERT HAMMOND JR The Corner February 21 THE SWORD Max Watt’s February 22 HORROR MY FRIEND Old Bar February 22 WU-TANG CLAN Margaret Court Arena February 23 OCEAN COLOUR SCENE Max Watt’s February 23 THE GAME The Forum February 24 SPIDERBAIT 170 Russell February 26, 28 THE JEZABELS The Forum February 26 GBH The Bendigo Hotel February 26 CHI WAH WOW TOWN TBA February 26 – 28 SUFJAN STEVENS Hamer Hall February 26 HOMESHAKE The Curtin February 27 MOSES GUNN COLLECTIVE Northcote Social Club February 27 ECCA VANDAL Howler February 27 NATALIE PRASS Melbourne Recital Centre February 29 PASSENGER Palais Theatre March 1 G-EAZY Max Watt’s March 1 CALEXICO Hamer Hall March 2 GLEN MATLOCK, EARL SLICK & SLIM JIM PHANTOM Ding Dong Lounge March 4 SENSES FAIL Corner Hotel March 4 THE SNOWDROPPERS Howler March 4 PALMS Shebeen March 5

T O

M E L B O U R N E

Gig Of The Fortnight

BLOC PARTY On Tuesday January 5, UK indie lords and recent Beat cover stars Bloc Party will smash out a Melbourne headline at The Forum to accompany their appearance at Falls Festival. Long term Bloc Party fans can expect a shower of hits from previous Bloc Party releases, Silent Alarm, A Weekend In The City, Intimacy and Four, alongside doses of new material from their forthcoming album. Be sure to catch the power that is Bloc Party at The Forum on Tuesday January 5. Hit Secret Sounds for more details.

CLUTCH The Forum March 5 THE NECKS Melbourne Recital Centre March 5 ALVVAYS Northcote Social Club March 6 SYDNEY RD STREET PARTY Sydney Rd March 6 GODSPEED YOU! BLACK EMPEROR Melbourne Recital Centre March 7 THE JESUS AND MARY CHAIN The Forum March 7 MICHAEL GIRA Melbourne Recital Centre March 8 THE MUMMIES Max Watt’s March 9 SLEATER-KINNEY The Croxton March 9 RUBY BOOTS Northcote Social Club March 10 IBEYI Max Watt’s March 10 ART VS. SCIENCE 170 Russell March 11 ASH The Gasometer March 11 A FESTIVAL CALLED PANAMA Lone Star Valley March 11 - 13 PORT FAIRY FOLK FESTIVAL Port Fairy March 11 – 14 GAYTIMES FESTIVAL Kinglake March 12 - 14 FREDDIE GIBBS Max Watt’s March 12 BEN HARPER AND THE INNOCENT CRIMINALS Sidney Myer Music Bowl March 12 BUILT TO SPILL The Corner March 12 MADONNA Rod Laver Arena March 12, 13 GOLDEN PLAINS Meredith Supernatural Amphitheatre March 12 – 14 PURE POP FOR NOW PEOPLE Rochford Wines, Yarra Valley March 12 JOHN GRANT The Forum March 13 BUZZCOCKS The Corner March 13 THE CHARLATONS 170 Russell March 13 BUCKCHERRY 170 Russell March 14 ST GERMAIN The Forum March 14 ACTION BRONSON The Forum March 15 BRUNSWICK MUSIC FESTIVAL Various Venues March 15 - 20 HIGHLY SUSPECT The Evelyn March 16 LUKA BLOOM The National Theatre March 16 DON MCLEAN Hamer Hall March 16 SUNN O))) Max Watt’s March 16 SONGHOY BLUES Melbourne Recital Centre March 16 MARY BLACK The Forum March 17 DIED PRETTY Max Watt’s March 18 THE VIOLENT FEMMES The Corner March 17 SEVENDUST 170 Russell March 18 BRYAN ADAMS Rod Laver Arena March 18 STEVE EARLE & THE DUKES Melbourne Recital Centre March 18, 19 D’ANGELO Palais Theatre March 19 TEDESCHI TRUCKS BAND Forum Theatre March 19 THE PENINSULA PICNIC Mornington March 20 LORD HURON The Corner March 21 LUCKY PETERSON Northcote Social Club March 21 KENDRICK LAMAR Rod Laver Arena March 21 TWEEDY Melbourne Recital Centre March 21 STURGILL SIMPSON 170 Russell March 23 RHIANNON GIDDENS The Corner March 23 THE RESIDENTS The Croxton March 23 YEO Howler March 24 HOUNDMOUTH Northcote Social Club March 24 ST. PAUL & THE BROKEN BONES The Corner March 24 BLUESFEST Byron Bay March 24 – 28 COLD WAR KIDS 170 Russell March 25

S O . M A N Y. G I G S .

BOOGIE FESTIVAL Bruzzy’s Farm March 25 – 27 TOM JONES Hamer Hall March 25 THE SELECTER Corner Hotel March 25 THE HILLS ARE ALIVE South Gippsland March 25 – 27 JANIVA MAGNESS The Corner March 26 NAHKO AND MEDICINE FOR THE PEOPLE The Corner March 27 THE WORD The Corner March 28 NOEL GALLAGHER’S HIGH FLYING BIRDS Margaret Court Arena March 29 JASON ISBELL Melbourne Recital Centre March 29 THE DECEMBERISTS Hamer Hall March 29 TAJ MAHAL Melbourne Recital Centre March 30 NATHANIEL RATELIFF & THE NIGHT SWEATS 170 Russell March 30 LUKAS NELSON & PROMISE OF THE REAL Howler March 30 MELISSA ETHERIDGE Palais Theatre March 30 VINTAGE TROUBLE The Corner March 30 STIFF LITTLE FINGERS 170 Russell March 31 ALLEN STONE The Corner March 31 THE BLIND BOYS OF ALABAMA Melbourne Recital Centre April 1 JACKSON BROWNE Palais Theatre April 1 CITY AND COLOUR Sidney Myer Music Bowl April 2 BRIAN WILSON Palais Theatre April 3 SASKWATCH The Corner Hotel April 8 CITY CALM DOWN The Corner April 9 CHRIS ISAAK Margaret Court Arena April 13 BLACK SABBATH Rod Laver Arena April 19 GANG OF YOUTHS 170 Russell April 22 HILTOP HOODS + MSO Rod Laver Arena April 23 VANCE JOY Margaret Court Arena April 23 SARAH BLASKO The Forum April 23 JOSH GROBAN Palais Theatre April 25 CHERRYROCK016 Cherry and AC/DC Lane May 1 OF MONSTERS AND MEN Palais Theatre May 4 IRON MAIDEN Rod Laver Arena May 9 THE BEARDS The Loft May 25, The Golden Vine May 26, Karova Lounge June 23, Barwon Club June 24, The Corner June 25 CHERIE CURRIE The Corner May 28

BEAT PRESENTS RUMOURS: R I H A N N A, R A N C I D, RAMMSTEIN = NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS

CLIENT LIAISON Diplomatic Immunity

BY L ACHL AN KANONIUK

T

he mud is everywhere, but the rain has stopped. It’s late afternoon and the awful weather begins to give way to revelry, a sizeable contingent of the Splendour crowd making their way to the Mix Up Stage tent. Some are looking for that musical spark to ignite celebration, others are attuned to the ways of the act about to take the stage and escorting in a friend or two to learn of their secret. Client Liaison aren’t exactly underground, yet their font size on the festival poster isn’t competing for real estate with previous tour mates Flight Facilities. Their set, predominantly perpetrated by a four-piece formation, wins over the unconverted, and exceeds the expectations of those already in the know.

It was a world-class performance, standing out as a weekend highlight even compared to international headliners.

While it was one of the weekend’s finest moments, the set could well have been the makings of Australian festival legend with a planned special guest appearance.

A few months later, core Client Liaison members Monte Morgan and Harvey Miller are hanging out in their Melbourne CBD HQ – sitting in a corner of the expansive warehouse, surrounded by smatterings of paraphernalia complementary to the band’s aesthetic. Today’s agenda is fashion. Client Liaison are looking to expand the scope of their merchandise.

“It’s called Client Liaison Designer Line,” says Miller, detailing an ambitious vision, paired with plans for their own onstage wear. Despite today’s sartorial pursuits, Morgan says Client Liaison are currently dedicated to focusing on the music.

Going from scene-chewing support slots around Melbourne’s more diminutive stages in 2012, the band have evolved into low-key festival drawcards with the pulling power to sell-out medium sized venues twice over on their own headline tours. It’s all off the back of a self-titled EP, with each track given the video treatment – including the snowBEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 20

set spectacle of Feed The Rhythm. Client Liaison deal in a warped nostalgia: danceable compositions with tonal nods to late-‘80s, early-‘90s are compounded by a fascination with corporate Australiana in their breakthrough track End Of The Earth and recent live addition Canberra Won’t Be Calling Tonight.

Anticipation for Client Liaison’s debut album has been building over the past few years. Not exactly standing as a holy grail, but the timing now seems as logical as ever for a debut full-length. “We kind of kicked it up another notch maybe two months ago,” Morgan says. “Up till then, we finished off the EP cycle, did a lot of touring and festivals. We put a lot of work into our live show. Since then, we had to focus on finishing the songs – which is hard to do, because we do so many. Definitely an album, and I’d say we’re over halfway there, easily. It’s a matter of writing more songs, finishing more songs. The idea is to finish it this year and release it early next year.”

“The goalposts are always moving,” Miller says. “You never know when something’s finished – any artist in any medium will say that.”

“We’ve given ourselves a deadline,” continues Morgan. “We’ve put all our songs into Trello, an organisation app that’s like a whiteboard that everyone B E AT.C O M . A U

can see. That’s been good. We’re starting to book in friends to help tie up loose ends with writing and overdubs.

“Hotel Stay hasn’t found a place on the EP, but now it’s going to be on the album. That’s the kind of ballad we couldn’t write now.”

“There’s great variety. We’re working on a rock song with power chords,” Miller says.

“I always wanted a rock song,” adds Morgan. “Something like MJ would always have. Beat It, Dirty Diana, Give In To Me. It’s quite hard to do.”

While Client Liaison have exhibited strong pop acumen, they haven’t quite released a crossover hit. It’s a prospect they’re conscious of, but aren’t conceited in trying to achieve. Though, they do exhibit some lust for a hit – especially Miller – but maintain a sense of ‘careful what you wish for’ caution.

“I’ve been talking to friends about this,” Miller says. “Heading into writing, saying we’ll stop writing once we have that one hit. Then I realised I have no perspective.

There are songs I really believe in, but then think, ‘What is a hit?’ It’s not as if I’m stumbling on our Somebody That I Used To Know one morning.”

“We’re happy to have an album without a song like that,” says Morgan. “We would also be happy to have one, but we believe in the songs enough anyway.

We haven’t had massive radio play, or a YouTube million-plus video. In that sense, we don’t have much pressure.

People come along to the show, buy a piece of merch, we’re happy.”

“All our achievements have been in manageable, digestible steps,” says Miller. “It might be a case of selling out a venue, then next tour selling it out twice.

You put the work in and you take one step at a time. It would be nice to have that one hit that throws us a few steps forward, because we have been taking it that one step at a time.”

“In a way, we exist in that underground sort of world,” adds Morgan. “We say we’re too pop to be underground, too underground to be pop. We’re happy there.”

“We like the new Justin Bieber album,” says Miller. “The production is so impressive. Hearing the hooks, it’s a real masterpiece. What else is a relief is that it wasn’t that trappy production, which we have nothing against, but it has rhythm and melody. It’s great.”

“I’ve been reading a lot of songwriting books, all these textbooks,” says Morgan.

“We’ve been talking to our friend Cleopold,” Miller says in reference to

the rising producer, “who we’re doing a songwriting session with next week, and he’s saying ‘You guys just need a hit, you need a big one. Let’s do it’. He’s a great musician and songwriter, and it’s funny how casually he’s saying, ‘Let’s make a hit’.”

Back to Splendour. While word about Client Liaison’s phenomenal set made its way around the festival grounds, whispers began backstage about a special guest being chartered to Splendour for a cameo during the performance.

“It was a blessing in disguise,” says Miller, looking back. “It went so well.

I think if we did have Darryl out – as amazing as he is and we do want to work with him in the future in that capacity – but we hadn’t had a rehearsal, we never met him before, we had to get a private jet because he couldn’t make his RSL gig in time. We chartered a private jet to get him there. And I’ll tell you now, a private jet does not get off the ground… I’m not going to name the figure, but you can Google it yourself.”

Darryl, of course, is Darryl Braithwaite, with the plan being for the Aussie icon to lead a rendition of his 1990 anthem Horses. “It all fell through, he couldn’t get back in time,” Morgan says. “In hindsight, it was too rushed and wasn’t ready. We just had to do our thing.

“There’s this hyper atmosphere around Splendour with all the bands trying to outdo each other. It’s a circus. It’s fun and it’s great, there are so many bands there putting everything into it. It’s ambitious.”

“It’s healthy to know we had a great show without a three thousand dollar confetti drop, or six hundred bucks for every time a CO2 cannon goes off,” says Miller. “We got there without that.”

As I make my way down to the corrugated iron portal, leaving Client Liaison HQ to return to the real world, I gesture to a pair of Fosters slabs on the shelf. “They’re hard to get a hold of,” Morgan says. “They’ve changed the can design,” a touch of nostalgic longing in his voice, as he hands me a warm tin for the road.

CLIENT LIAISON are playing at Beyond the Valley in Lardner, VIC, with Broadway Sounds, E^st, Flight Facilities and heaps more, from Tuesday December 29 – Friday January 1.

See the best of Melbourne with public transport. Running all night on weekends from 1 January.

ptv.vic.gov.au

W W W. B E AT.C O M . A U

BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 21

With Tyson Wray. Got thoughts, news, gossip, complaints or cat photos? Email tyson@beat.com. au or send by carrier pigeon before Friday 12pm.

For more arts news, reviews and interviews visit beat.com.au

A Massive Star Wars

THE COMIC STRIP

Exhibition Has Landed In Melbourne

JOHN CLEESE AND ERIC IDLE

The largest Star Wars exhibition to ever be presented in Australia has landed in Melbourne, bringing together more than 150 pieces of original art. The exhibition has taken more than two years to acquire and collate, showcasing art and designs spanning the entire saga.

Curated to follow a journey through the life and times of Star Wars from its early inception to the upcoming Disney reincarnation, artists and illustrators have captured iconic moments from the series as well as offering up concept art and sketches. Launch into lightspeed and get down to The Art of Star Wars and Superheroes at Silver K Gallery until Sunday March 6.

The founders of Monty Python, John Cleese and Eric Idle, have announced an Australian tour. The living legends of comedy will hit all major capital cities with their brand new show, Together Again At Last...For The Very First Time. “Eric and I had huge fun touring the States in October and now we can bring our show to the friendliest people in the world,” said Cleese said on the announcement of the Australian tour. “No one show will be the same and all of them will annoy the politically correct.”

In the shows Cleese and Idle will blend scripted and improvised bits with storytelling, musical numbers, exclusive footage, aquatic juggling and an extended audience Q&A to craft a unique comedic experience. Catch them at Hamer Hall on Friday March 18.

Australian Art Orchestra And Ensemble Offspring To Present Exit Ceremonies

XMAS EVE COMEDY There’s comedy on Christmas Eve. That’s right.

And not only that, but Jimeoin is the headliner.

You couldn’t get a better ‘ho ho ho’ session in before the big day, with one of the most popular comedians in the country helping out. Plus there’s another cracking support lineup, with Greg Fleet hosting, plus Michael Hing, and a surprise guest or two. There’s been massive audiences the last few weeks, so get down early to get a good seat. It’s all happening this Thursday December 24 at 8.30pm, at the European Bier Café, 120 Exhibition St, CBD, all for only $12.

CLUB VOLTAIRE COMEDY This Sunday December 27 at Club Voltaire there’s a cracking lineup, featuring the likes of Rob Caruana with MC duties alongside Clara Cupcakes, Matt Stewart, Sonia Di Iorio and Angus Hodge. It’s totally free (they’ll accept donations, however) and kicks off at 7.30pm.

COMEDY AT THE WILDE On Tuesdays at The Wilde some of Melbourne’s best young comedians join with sign up on the night open mic acts for one of the loosest nights in town. Leigh Qurban joins Alex Ward, Michael Shafar and more this week for another big, fun night of comedy. It’s this Tuesday December 29 at 153 Gertrude St, Fitzroy at 8pm. And, it’s totally free.

Coming Up Ladies In Black

Saturday January 16 - Wednesday February 27 Southbank Theatre, The Sumner

Midsumma Festival

Sunday January 17 - Sunday February 7 Various Venues

The Astor Theatre Reveal Latest Film Calendar The historic Astor Theatre has unveiled their latest calendar of new releases, fan favourites and cult classics.

Capping it off comes limited 70mm screenings of the upcoming Tarantino film, The Hateful Eight. The Hateful Eight will be screened a full week ahead of its wider cinematic release, featuring several minutes of extra footage exclusive to the 70mm version. Shown in Ultra-Panovision, The Astor is one of only a handful of cinemas across the country to screen this version of the film. Elsewhere in the new calendar comes tributes to master filmmakers from contrasting disciplines. Legendary animator Hayao Miyazaki will take to the big screen with the record-breaking Spirited Away, shown alongside Ponyo for a Studio Ghibli double feature.

Moreover, prolific horror director Wes Craven is given his dues with Nightmare on Elm Street paired with The Cabin In The Woods. The work of visionary director David Lynch will also be showcased with Mulholland Drive, Lost Highway and Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me. Rounding it all out comes a selection of morning and afternoon summer sessions, with the likes of Jumanji and Stand By Me on offer. The much loved sing-along version of Grease makes a return, joined by Frozen and The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Finally, crowd favourites Ghostbusters, Back to the Future and Robocop are all set for a screening as well as the extended Lord Of The Rings trilogy, shown on 35mm film. Head to astortheatre.net.au for full details on their summer program, running from Saturday December 26 - Sunday March 13.

Applications For Setting Sun

St Kilda Film Festival 2016

Short Film Festival 2016 Are

Calling For Entries

Now Open

Entries for the 33rd annual St Kilda Film Festival competitions are now officially open. Both emerging filmmakers and industry professionals are being called on to submit their creative works across three categories; Australia’s Top 100 short film competition, the SoundKILDA music video competition and under the Radar for filmmakers under the age of 21. The festival has built a strong industry reputation, becoming the ideal stepping-stone for budding filmmakers, film industry workers and creatives seeking international work and recognition. The festival is accredited by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, making it an Academy Awards qualifying event – with award-winning films eligible for consideration in the Oscars Short Film and Documentary Short Subject Awards. Entries close Friday January 29.The St Kilda Film Festival will run from Thursday May 19 until Saturday May 28 at St Kilda Town Hall. For more information and to submit your entries head to stkildafilmfestival.com.au.

The Setting Sun Short Film Festival is looking for the next crop of Melbourne’s finest filmmakers, boasting new initiatives for high school students and female artists to get involved. The 2016 program will see the debut of an all-female program, dedicated to featuring female creatives in roles ranging from screenwriting to directing. Continuing the theme of balance and opportunity, a second program dedicated to high school students will also be debuted featuring a free all-day film festival screening films exclusively made by high school and primary school students. If that wasn’t incentive enough to get involved, Setting Sun are also giving away over $5,000 in prizes for the best films submitted in 2016. Apply now at settingsunshortfilmfestival.com.au to get involved with the Setting Sun Short Film Festival, running from Thursday April 14 - Sunday April 17 at the Sun Theatre, Yarraville.

La Verita

Thursday January 21 - Saturday January 23 Arts Centre Melbourne

Red Stitch To Present The

200 Years of Australian Fashion

Village Bike

Saturday March 5 - Sunday July 31 National Gallery of Victoria

Jurassic World: The Exhibition

Saturday March 19 - Sunday October 9 Melbourne Museum

Degas: A New Vision

Friday June 24 - Sunday September 18 National Gallery of Victoria

Kicking off their season for 2016, theatre company Red Stitch will showcase the Australian premiere of UK playwright Penelope Skinner’s The Village Bike.

Described as “fiercely erotic”, The Village Bike analyses presumptions of male and female sexuality alongside the borders that divide role play and reality. The play tells the story of Becky, who pregnant with her unborn child sets off on a journey that starts with the purchase of a used bike and takes her further than she expected to go. The Village Bike will run from Tuesday February 2 – Saturday March 5 at the Red Stitch Actors Theatre.

The Australian Art Orchestra and Ensemble Offspring have joined forces with experimental American composer Alvin Lucier alongside celebrated pianists Austin Buckett and Simon James Phillips to create Exit Ceremonies – an immersive piece that manipulates the unique sonic effects of large pipe organs. The historic Melbourne Town Hall Grand Organ will be used in conjunction with reel-to-reel tape machines, turntables, electronics, percussion, vocals, trumpet and strings for a series of specially commissioned compositions. Lucier’s work, Swings, will explore the hallucinatory effects of sound in a piece written for two violins, cello, double bass, trumpet in C, female vocals and an additional three players physically manipulating the mouths of the organ pipes, causing pitch bending and audible beating. Moreover, Buckett’s Aisles will create looped conversations between turntables, vocals and pipe organ while Phillips’ Flaw explores an intersection between electronic music, using the organ to create mechanical and layered sounds. Exit Ceremonies will take place at the Melbourne Town Hall on Saturday February 6.

Malthouse Theatre To Present

Gasworks Backyard Cinema

Meow Meow’s Little Mermaid

Announce 2016 Program

Little Mermaid will see the return of legendary postmodern diva Meow Meow to Malthouse Theatre this January. Meow Meow’s Little Mermaid is the second part of the Little trilogy of fairy tales gone rogue, following Meow Meow’s Little Match Girl. This one woman spectacle of modern cabaret will present her take on Hans Christian Andersen’s mermaid tale of teen self sacrifice, salvation and seduction. In this glittering, post-postmodern production, a world of sea shanties gives way to an array of contemporary music by the likes of Sirens, Amanda Palmer, Kate MillerHeidke and Megan Washington. Joining Meow Meow on stage will be a procession of cardboard cutout princes, led by Hugh Sheridan (TV’s Packed to the Rafters). Meow Meow’s Little Mermaid will come to Malthouse Theatre from Thursday January 28 until Sunday February 14.

Gasworks Backyard Cinema have announced their most varied and vibrant program for next year’s event.

The 2016 program will feature a mixture of narrative features both new and old, spanning comedy, drama and dance as well as a number of engaging documentary feature films. Next year each session in the program will be presented by a local community organisation or film festival. Some highlights include John Waters’ cult classics Hairspray and Cry Baby presented by Melbourne Queer Film Festival (MQFF) as part of Midsumma and the brand new Bangarra Dance film adaptation, Spear, from choreographer turned director Stephen Page. Gasworks Backyard Cinema will transform the parklands at Gasworks Arts Park every Friday night from January 15 until March 18.

G E T S O M E C U LT U R E U P YA

BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 23

CAFE WINE BAR UNDER NEW MANA EMENT

O EN

DAYS A WEE

from 7am till Late

HA

Y HOUR

WINE & CRAFT BEER M

FRIDAY E ENIN

SATURDAY

TA

AS MENU

A DAY WEE END RE

Y

Famous Hangover MuямГn and Big Breakfast R

S

N

TE AR TON ARA ON OM AU

snaps khokolat koated

club guide wednesday december 23 • AQUEOUS TRANSMISSIONS - FEAT: YUNALDO + LILUZU Ferdydurke, Melbourne Cbd. 7:00pm.

• AU DRÉ + DXHEAVEN + SEX ON TOAST DJS + MOONSHINE Section 8, Melbourne Cbd. 6:00pm.

• COQ ROQ WEDNESDAY FEAT: JENS BEAMIN + AGENT 86 + MR THOM + JOYBOT + BLABERUNNER Lucky Coq, Windsor. 8:30pm.

• CURIOUS TALES - FEAT: DJ WHO + TIGERFUNK + TOM SHOWTIME + FLAGRANT Bimbo Deluxe, Fitzroy. 7:00pm.

thursday december 24 • AKIN + NAZ + HYPERFOKUS Penny Black, Brunswick. 8:00pm.

• DISCO ABYSSMAS - FEAT: SMITHERS + TANZER + CAPTAIN RUIN + BECKY LOU + MORE Howler, Brunswick.

8:00pm. $16.00.

• DISCO VOLANTE - FEAT: FABRIS + TIM KOREN + SAMMY SWAYN + ALEX CRAM + JACK NELSON + PETER FOTOP + RYAN KEARY + MITCH BAIN + MANNY BUBOS + DAN BENTLEY + YASKI + RHYS BYNON + KHANH ONG + GEORGE KARA Onesixone, Prahran. 8:00pm.

• JUNGLE FUNK XMAS EVE PARTY - FEAT: DJ MANCHILD + SCATTER SCATTER + TROPICAL SOUND SYSTEM + MOHAIR SLIM Ferdydurke, Melbourne Cbd. 7:00pm.

• LOCAL MOTION - FEAT: SENPOLO + LIFEWORLD Toff In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 11:00pm. $15.00.

• VARSITY - FEAT: PAZ + MATT RAD + PYZ Bimbo Deluxe, Fitzroy.

6:00pm.

• WE ARE YOUR FRIENDS Carlton Club, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm.

friday december 25

faktory

• #MASHTAG - FEAT: NU-GEN + MALPRACTICE + FLAGRANT Bimbo Deluxe, Fitzroy. 8:00pm.

• CAN’T SAY La Di Da, Melbourne Cbd. 10:00pm.

• CAROLS BY STROBELIGHT - FEAT: POST PERCY + SALVADOR DARLING + ALEX CRAM + MORE New Guernica, Melbourne Cbd. 10:00pm.

• CIROQ FRIDAYS Cq, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm.

• CLUK EPIK - FEAT: DJ DEAN The Croxton, Thornbury. 9:00pm. $5.00.

• FABULOUS FRIDAYS - FEAT: VARIOUS DJS Co., Southbank.

9:30pm. $20.00.

• FAKE TITS - FEAT: BOOGS + SPACEY SPACE + SUNSHINE + SAMMY LA MARCA + BUTTERS + ADAM BARTAS + JUNGLE JIM Tramp, Melbourne Cbd. 10:00pm. $15.00.

• LUCK TRUCK FRIDAY DOWNSTAIRS - FEAT: 99 PRBLMZ + CONGO TARDIS #1 + LITTLE LEAGUE BOUNCE CLUB Lucky Coq, Windsor. 9:00pm.

• MYKONOS XPERIENCE - FEAT: SASA + DJ ARGIE Trak Lounge Bar, Toorak. 10:00pm. $30.51.

• PANORAMA FRIDAYS UPSTAIRS - FEAT: PHATO A MANO + MR.GEORGE + MATT RADD + ASH-LEE Lucky Coq,

Windsor. 9:00pm.

• PHIL GOOD FRIDAYS - FEAT: PHIL K Railway Hotel, Brunswick.

6:00pm.

• PSYCHEDELIC XMAS FEAT: PAKMAN + LUNAR + MEGAPIXEL + DIRGE + MORE Railway Hotel, Brunswick. 7:00pm.

• SANTA’S HAUS - FEAT: HOOPS + LUKE VECCHIO + TOM EVANS + MORE Onesixone, Prahran.

8:00pm.

• TECHNOIR - FEAT: MATT RADOVICH + QUALÉ + ADRIAN BELL + CHIARA KICKDRUM + MORE Deluxe Bar & Lounge, Moonee Ponds. 9:00pm.

• THE EMERSON CLUB FRIDAYS The Emerson, South Yarra.

3:00pm.

saturday december 26 • ANDY PADULA Railway Hotel, Brunswick. 10:00pm.

• ANYWAY - FEAT: VARIOUS ARTISTS Bottom End, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. $25.00.

• AUDIOPORN SATURDAYS - FEAT: LE ZOK + JAMES WARE + GREG SARA + JACOB MALMO + TOM EVANS + ROWIE Onesixone, Prahran. 9:00pm. $15.00.

• BOXING DAY BASH - FEAT: KNOBS + BEDDERMAN & DAHLMAN + MORE Railway Hotel, Brunswick. 3:00pm. $15.00.

• CHAMPAGNE INTERNET Prince Public Bar, St Kilda . 10:30pm.

• CQ SATURDAYS Cq, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm.

• CUSHION SATURDAYS - FEAT: COURTNEY MILLS + JESSE JAMES + J HEASY + MITCH COEN + BIG MAC + TOP DECK + MORE Cushion, St Kilda. 9:00pm.

• DAVEYS SATURDAYS - FEAT: HURLEY + CRAIG MOORE + ASTERIX Daveys Bar & Restaurant, Frankston. 9:00pm.

• DJ JNETT Toff In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 6:00pm.

• ELECTRIC DREAMS - FEAT: VARIOUS DJS Co., Southbank.

9:00pm. $20.00.

• HOT STEP - FEAT: 99 PROBLEMS + TIGER FUNK + SILVER FOX + ASKEW Bimbo Deluxe, Fitzroy. 6:00pm.

• JANK FACQUES Carlton Club, Melbourne Cbd. 12:05am.

• NAM + MATT RAD + LEEMAN Penny Black, Brunswick. 8:00pm.

• PLATFORM ONE SATURDAY NIGHTS Platform One, Melbourne.

9:00pm.

• PONY SATURDAYS La Di Da, Melbourne Cbd. 10:00pm.

• PSY IN THE CITY 2 - FEAT: JASON D + MATTY K + SALLY BOY + DREW G Loop, Melbourne Cbd. 9:00pm.

• SEVEN SATURDAY DISCOTHEQUE Seven Nightclub, South Melbourne. 10:00pm. $20.00.

• SLICE N DICE Barwon Heads Hotel, Barwon Heads. 7:00pm.

• TEXTILE SATURDAYS - FEAT: KODIAK KID + D’FRO + JENS BEAMIN Lucky Coq, Windsor.

9:00pm.

• THE EMERSON CLUB SATURDAYS - FEAT: FAMILIAR STRANGERS + KIN + ANDY MURPHY The Emerson, South Yarra. 9:00pm.

• THE HOUSE DEFROST - FEAT: ANDEE FROST Toff In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 10:00pm.

• THE LATE SHOW - FEAT: PAZ + LEWIS CANCUT + RANSOM

+ MAT CANT + MORE Revolver Upstairs, Prahran. 10:00pm.

• TOMMY’S CLUB - FEAT: SCAT Matthew Flinders Hotel, Chadstone. 8:00pm. $10.00.

• TRAMP SATURDAYS Tramp, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm.

sunday december 27 • BOP ART - FEAT: HAWAII + WHO + TIGERFUNK + MATT RADOVICH + LEWIS CANCUT Bimbo Deluxe, Fitzroy. 7:00pm.

• DJ CRISPI Retreat Hotel, Brunswick. 2:00pm.

• DJ T + CONTAKT + MIKE CALLANDER + SAFARI + MORE Railway Hotel, Brunswick. 2:00pm. $11.44.

• DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE FEAT: DJ NIGEL LAST Toff In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm.

• GOOD TIMES - FEAT: MATT RADOVICH Railway Hotel, Brunswick. 3:00pm.

• JUNGLE - FEAT: HANDS DOWN + ZAC DEPETRO + PETE LASKIS + TRAVLOS + JOHN DOE Tramp, Melbourne Cbd. 6:00am. $15.00.

• ONE DAY SUNDAYS - FEAT: JOYRIDE + ADIT + RAPH + MORE Penny Black, Brunswick.

1:00pm.

• REVOLVER SUNDAYS - FEAT: BOOGS + SPACEY SPACE + T-REK + MORE Revolver Upstairs, Prahran. 7:00am.

• ROOFTOP SUNDAYS - FEAT: KHANH + KEN WALKER + JESUS The Emerson, South Yarra. 12:00pm.

• SPITROAST SUNDAYS Cushion, St Kilda. 10:00pm.

• THE LAST DANCE - FEAT: THE FLAIRED BOTTOM BOYZ Ferdydurke, Melbourne Cbd. 7:00pm.

• THE SUNDAY SET - FEAT: DJ ANDYBLACK + SHAGGIS Toff In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 4:00pm.

• TRIBE 2015 - FEAT: DJ MARKY + DUB PHIZIX + MEFJUS + MORE Brown Alley, Melbourne Cbd. 6:00pm. $49.50.

• WAX ON WAX OFF Lucky Coq, Windsor. 7:00pm.

monday december 28 • CALL IT IN - FEAT: INSTANT PETERSON + DYLAN MICHAEL Toff In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm.

• MONDAY STRUGGLE - FEAT: TIGER FUNK Lucky Coq, Windsor. 6:00pm.

• THE BREAKFAST CLUB - FEAT: LE ZOK + JAMES WARE + GREG SARA + JACOB MALMO + TOM EVANS + ROWIE Onesixone, Prahran. 9:00pm.

• THE MONDAY BONE MACHINE - FEAT: T-REK + DJ MAD MITCH Boney, Melbourne Cbd. 9:00pm.

• THE STANTON WARRIORS + A SKILLZ Railway Hotel, Brunswick.

12:00pm. $15.00.

tuesday december 29 • OASIS TUESDAYS Tramp, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm.

• SEE YOU NEXT TUESDAY Bimbo Deluxe, Fitzroy. 7:00pm.

• THE AVENER + BENSON Corner Hotel, Richmond. 7:30pm. $37.00.

wednesday december 30 • ARCHIPELAGO - FEAT: MOSES BROWN + NOT QUITE DISCO

Ferdydurke, Melbourne Cbd. 7:00pm.

• COQ ROQ WEDNESDAY FEAT: JENS BEAMIN + AGENT 86 + MR THOM + JOYBOT + BLABERUNNER Lucky Coq, Windsor. 8:30pm.

• CURIOUS TALES - FEAT: DJ WHO + TIGERFUNK + TOM SHOWTIME + FLAGRANT Bimbo Deluxe, Fitzroy. 7:00pm.

thursday december 31 • BBB’S SMASHY PANTS NYE PARTY - FEAT: BEAN BAG BABYLON + MORE Rubix Warehouse, Brunswick. 8:00pm. $20.00.

• BEACH PARTY - FEAT: DJ MAJ + PEOPLE POETS Torquay Hotel, Torquay. 8:00pm. $44.90.

• CLUB MODA NYE Trak Lounge Bar, Toorak. 8:00pm. $89.95.

• DISCO VOLANTE - FEAT: FABRIS + TIM KOREN + SAMMY SWAYN + ALEX CRAM + JACK NELSON + PETER FOTOP + RYAN KEARY + MITCH BAIN + MANNY BUBOS + DAN BENTLEY + YASKI + RHYS BYNON + KHANH ONG + GEORGE KARA Onesixone, Prahran. 8:00pm.

• DJ JEFF LEPPARD + DJ ADALITA Retreat Hotel, Brunswick. 5:00pm.

• KRYTEC - FEAT: BRAD EVERY + LIVANOS + MINIMULE + MORE Loop, Melbourne Cbd. 10:00pm.

• LOOSE JOINTS NYE TAKEOVER - FEAT: RORY MCPIKE + TUSCAN PRINCE + MIDNIGHT TENDERNESS + WOZ Ferdydurke, Melbourne Cbd. 7:00pm.

• LOVE (NEW YEARS EVE) FEAT: HAVANA BROWN + JOEL FLETCHER Level 3 @ Crown, Southbank. 7:00pm. $50.00.

• NEW YEAR’S EVE - FEAT: SNEAKY SOUND SYSTEM + JOHN COURSE The Emerson, South Yarra. 7:00pm. $85.00.

• NYE @ PENNY BLACK - FEAT: AYNA + M-PHAZES + D’FRO + TEE DUBYA Penny Black, Brunswick. 7:00pm.

• NYE FULL MOON PARTY FEAT: KATT NIALL Barwon Heads Hotel, Barwon Heads.

8:00pm.

• NYE WARM UP RAVE - FEAT: MISS TRAJIK + PARALYZER + EXCAVATOR + DAVE KNOX + MORE Rubix Warehouse, Brunswick. 12:00pm. $25.00.

• PEPPERPOT + DAVE JURIC + SCOTT FREEDMAN + JACK LOVE + MORE Railway Hotel, Brunswick. 6:00pm. $15.00.

• POPROCKS - FEAT: DR PHIL SMITH Toff In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 9:00pm.

• VARSITY - FEAT: PAZ + MATT RAD + PYZ Bimbo Deluxe, Fitzroy.

6:00pm.

• WE ARE YOUR FRIENDS Carlton Club, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm.

• WORLD CARNIVALE - FEAT: DJ OSUNLADE + RIK-E-RAGGA + MORE South Wharf , South Wharf . 8:00pm. $195.00. friday january 1 • #MASHTAG - FEAT: NU-GEN + MALPRACTICE + FLAGRANT Bimbo Deluxe, Fitzroy. 8:00pm.

• APERITIVO (BUON ANNO 2016) - FEAT: ORCA DJ + HYSTERIC + PATRIZIO ADAMO DJ Ferdydurke, Melbourne Cbd.

7:00pm.

• CAN’T SAY La Di Da, Melbourne Cbd. 10:00pm.

• CIROQ FRIDAYS Cq, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm.

• CLUK EPIK - FEAT: DJ DEAN The Croxton, Thornbury. 9:00pm. $5.00.

• FABULOUS FRIDAYS - FEAT: VARIOUS DJS Co., Southbank.

9:30pm. $20.00.

• FAKE TITS - FEAT: BOOGS + SPACEY SPACE + SUNSHINE + SAMMY LA MARCA + BUTTERS + ADAM BARTAS + JUNGLE JIM Tramp, Melbourne Cbd. 10:00pm. $15.00.

• LET THEM EAT CAKE NYD 2016 - FEAT: AME + BEN UFO + COM TRUISE + DANIEL AVERY + MORE Brown Alley, Melbourne Cbd. 11:00am. $160.00.

• LUCK TRUCK FRIDAY DOWNSTAIRS - FEAT: 99 PRBLMZ + CONGO TARDIS #1 + LITTLE LEAGUE BOUNCE CLUB Lucky Coq, Windsor. 9:00pm.

• NYD RAILWAY HOTEL - FEAT: PHIL K + GAVIN KEITEL + OZZIE LA + KASEY TAYLOR + MORE Railway Hotel, Brunswick.

12:00pm.

• PANORAMA FRIDAYS UPSTAIRS - FEAT: PHATO A MANO + MR.GEORGE + MATT RADD + ASH-LEE Lucky Coq, Windsor. 9:00pm.

• PHIL GOOD FRIDAYS - FEAT: PHIL K Railway Hotel, Brunswick.

6:00pm.

• ROCK KANDI (NYD NIGHT) Trak Lounge Bar, Toorak. 12:00pm. $43.00.

• SOUNDS LIKE SUMMER - FEAT: WILL SPARKS + TIGERLILY + BRYNNY + SAMUEL JAMES + SLICE N DICE + BALTIMORE GUN CLUB Royal Melbourne Hotel, Melbourne Cbd. 12:00pm. $60.00.

• THE DISCO - FEAT: GREG SARA + LUKE MCD + JEN TUTTY + MORE Onesixone, Prahran.

8:00pm.

• THE EMERSON CLUB FRIDAYS The Emerson, South Yarra.

3:00pm.

saturday january 2 • ANDY PADULA Railway Hotel, Brunswick. 10:00pm.

• ANYWAY - FEAT: VARIOUS ARTISTS Bottom End, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. $25.00.

• AUDIOPORN SATURDAYS FEAT: LE ZOK + JAMES WARE + GREG SARA + JACOB MALMO + TOM EVANS + ROWIE Onesixone, Prahran. 9:00pm. $15.00.

• BOUNCE AUDIO + DONALDS HOUSE Railway Hotel, Brunswick.

2:00pm. $10.00.

• CHAMPAGNE INTERNET Prince Public Bar, St Kilda . 10:30pm.

• CQ SATURDAYS Cq, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm.

• CUSHION SATURDAYS - FEAT: COURTNEY MILLS + JESSE JAMES + J HEASY + MITCH COEN + BIG MAC + TOP DECK + MORE Cushion, St Kilda. 9:00pm.

• DAVEYS SATURDAYS - FEAT: HURLEY + CRAIG MOORE + ASTERIX Daveys Bar & Restaurant, Frankston. 9:00pm.

• ELECTRIC DREAMS - FEAT: VARIOUS DJS Co., Southbank.

9:00pm. $20.00.

• HOT STEP - FEAT: 99 PROBLEMS + TIGER FUNK + SILVER FOX + ASKEW Bimbo Deluxe, Fitzroy. 6:00pm.

• JANK FACQUES Carlton Club,

Melbourne Cbd. 12:05am.

• JUNK! + MOUSECAPADES + BJ MORISSZONKLE Workers Club, Fitzroy. 7:00pm. $10.00.

• NOT EVERYONE UNDERSTANDS - FEAT: AARON ARTHUR + DUNCAN ‘FUNK’ WYLIE Alia Arthouse, Fitzroy. 9:00pm.

• PLATFORM ONE SATURDAY NIGHTS Platform One, Melbourne.

9:00pm.

• PONY SATURDAYS La Di Da, Melbourne Cbd. 10:00pm.

• SEVEN SATURDAY DISCOTHEQUE Seven Nightclub, South Melbourne. 10:00pm. $20.00.

• TEXTILE SATURDAYS - FEAT: KODIAK KID + D’FRO + JENS BEAMIN Lucky Coq, Windsor.

9:00pm.

• THE EMERSON CLUB SATURDAYS - FEAT: FAMILIAR STRANGERS + KIN + ANDY MURPHY The Emerson, South Yarra. 9:00pm.

• TOMMY’S CLUB - FEAT: SCAT Matthew Flinders Hotel, Chadstone.

8:00pm. $10.00.

• TRAMP SATURDAYS Tramp, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm.

sunday january 3 • BOP ART - FEAT: HAWAII + WHO + TIGERFUNK + MATT RADOVICH + LEWIS CANCUT Bimbo Deluxe, Fitzroy. 7:00pm.

• GOOD TIMES - FEAT: MATT RADOVICH Railway Hotel, Brunswick. 3:00pm.

• JUNGLE - FEAT: HANDS DOWN + ZAC DEPETRO + PETE LASKIS + TRAVLOS + JOHN DOE Tramp, Melbourne Cbd. 6:00am. $15.00.

• ROOFTOP SUNDAYS - FEAT: KHANH + KEN WALKER + JESUS The Emerson, South Yarra.

12:00pm.

• SPITROAST SUNDAYS Cushion, St Kilda. 10:00pm.

• WAX ON WAX OFF Lucky Coq, Windsor. 7:00pm.

monday january 4 • MONDAY STRUGGLE - FEAT: TIGER FUNK Lucky Coq, Windsor.

6:00pm.

• THE BREAKFAST CLUB - FEAT: LE ZOK + JAMES WARE + GREG SARA + JACOB MALMO + TOM EVANS + ROWIE Onesixone, Prahran. 9:00pm.

tuesday january 5 • OASIS TUESDAYS Tramp, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm.

• SEE YOU NEXT TUESDAY Bimbo Deluxe, Fitzroy. 7:00pm.

urban club guide wednesday december 23 • MELLOWDÍASTHUMP - FEAT: GEEZY + CAZEAUX O.S.L.O + SKOMES Boney, Melbourne Cbd. 9:00pm.

thursday december 24 • HOUSE OF BEIGE - FEAT: MIZRIZK Railway Hotel, Brunswick. 6:00pm.

friday december 25 • BRIGHT LIGHTS BIG CITY - FEAT: DJ RCEE + KAHLUA + DJ SHOOK + DJ ANGEL JAY Chaise Lounge, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm.

• FAKTORY FRIDAYS - FEAT: DAMION DE

26

SILVA + K DEE + DURMY Khokolat Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 9:30pm.

saturday december 26 • KHOKOLAT KOATED SATURDAYS FEAT: DAMION DE SILVA + K DEE + DURMY + TIMOS Khokolat Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 9:30pm.

• RHYTHM NATION SATURDAYS - FEAT: DJ TIMOS + DJ KAHLUA + DJ ANGE M & ANDY PALA Chaise Lounge, Melbourne Cbd. 9:00pm. $10.00.

wednesday december 30 • AI ROBOT Bar Open, Fitzroy. 9:00pm.

• MELLOWDÍASTHUMP - FEAT: RAPPER BIG POOH + GEEZY + CAZEAUX O.S.L.O

electronic - urban - club life

+ SKOMES Boney, Melbourne Cbd. 9:00pm.

thursday december 31 • BIG DANCING NYE - FEAT: BOOTY QUEST + GET BUSY + PAIGEPLAY + SOFIE ROZE Laundry Bar, Fitzroy. 7:00pm.

• GLOW PARTY - FEAT: DAMION DE SILVA + DURMY + NATHANIEL + KIKS + MORE Khokolat Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 8:30pm. $30.00.

• HOUSE OF BEIGE - FEAT: MIZRIZK Railway Hotel, Brunswick. 6:00pm.

friday january 1 • BRIGHT LIGHTS BIG CITY - FEAT: DJ RCEE + KAHLUA + DJ SHOOK + DJ ANGEL JAY Chaise Lounge, Melbourne

Cbd. 8:00pm.

• FAKTORY FRIDAYS - FEAT: DAMION DE SILVA + K DEE + DURMY Khokolat Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 9:30pm.

saturday january 2 • KHOKOLAT KOATED SATURDAYS FEAT: DAMION DE SILVA + K DEE + DURMY + TIMOS Khokolat Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 9:30pm.

• MAC MILLER Forum Theatre, Melbourne Cbd. 7:00pm. $77.00.

• RHYTHM NATION SATURDAYS - FEAT: DJ TIMOS + DJ KAHLUA + DJ ANGE M & ANDY PALA Chaise Lounge, Melbourne Cbd. 9:00pm. $10.00.

sunday january 3 • LYRICS BORN Laundry Bar, Fitzroy.

8:00pm. $61.20.

• MOMENTUM (FOREIGN BROTHERS) - FEAT: MOMENTUM: FOREIGN BROTHERS + THE CORE-TET Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $10.00.

tuesday january 5 • YUNG LEAN + FISHING Prince Bandroom, St Kilda. 8:00pm. $55.10.

JENNY HVAL I N S I D E

O U T

BY ADAM NORRIS

Jenny Hval is a vastly talented, irreverent musician. In conversation, she veers in unexpected directions, and covers strange and fascinating ground. Given the gamut of her writing – from her early releases under the Rockettothesky alias to her recent sophomore album under her own name, Apocalypse, Girl, and the two novels she’s published – it’s no surprise that words hold particular interest for the Norwegian artist.

Indeed, she finds the potential of words much more interesting than discussions about herself.

“I’m really boring,” she laughs. “There’s not much else to say. I’m much more interesting on an album. I’m on tour a lot, and touring is to me really interesting, but it’s also extremely boring if you just had to listen to what goes on in the course of a day. Having a real job in a normal life would probably be much way more interesting to hear about. For me, it’s like, we were in a car, we drove past some trees. I’m very much inside my brain – that’s where all of the exciting stuff is going on. It’s mostly in my imagination. So it probably seems quite boring on the outside, with lots of interesting stuff on the inside. During a day where I’m on tour, the most pleasant moment is when I’m actually playing, which is a very happy and very intense moment for me.” She pauses, then laughs. “And hopefully the audience.”

Over the last decade, Hval has developed a strong fanbase around Europe, and her popularity is on the rise Down Under. Australia actually holds a unique space in the songwriter’s heart, as she lived here for many years and studied Creative Writing and Performance at the University of Melbourne.

“It’s been three years since I was in Australia last,” Hval says. “I used to study there, so I was trying very hard to be Australian for about four years. But that was ten years ago now and I’ve only been back twice. It’s just so far, and too expensive. Obviously it doesn’t go very well with the economy of being an artist, though it does go very well with touring ‘cause then you get to go to these places. So I’m extremely excited about coming back and playing some shows and playing some festivals.

“I have this alternative life in my head that I can’t really let go of. It’s what happens when you live somewhere else, you kind of invent the parallel existence where I never came back to Europe and I spent my whole life in Australia, and I reconnect with that idea whenever I go back. I definitely have an Australian longing within me at all times, and I have a lot of friends there still I’m hoping to see again. Some of my favourite people live there.”

Describing Hval’s sound is no simple feat. Broadly you can list her as an experimental pop artist, though that doesn’t encapsulate either her live show or lyrical aesthetic. She is often referred to as an avant-garde performer, and her history spans genres as disparate as gothic metal and electric folk. Labelling music is a rather restrictive task at the best of times, and Hval is quite happy to shrug off the task and let others judge for themselves.

“I think [those labels] are a combination of what people hear in the music, combined with which words are in people’s heads right now anyway. Maybe at some point that is electric folk, or experimental, whatever.

It’s more about which words people are already talking about, about the words that are already out there being used in music. It’s very much a conversation and this labelling of art has more to do with other things than the work itself. So that makes it easier to just think of whatever people say is whatever they’re into. People tell me what they think I sound like, and it’s really a reference to their iTunes. I’m just happy that they want to say something at all; that they have something to share.”

Although English-speaking audiences currently have her two LPs to enjoy – Apocalypse, Girl and 2013’s Innocence is Kinky – Hval’s books have yet to find their way into translation. It seems a shame, given the focus and intensity with which she greets the written word.

“I can work on my music wherever I am, it’s always on my mind. But to write a longer piece, something meant to make sense across this incredible overview, I’m drawn towards having large chunks of time when I can sit and write every day. Speaking is boring, it’s like being in prison really. Just sitting, writing for hours every day, I love that and dream of doing it. But then I also love to play and tour and record, which is a much more fragmented and emotional experience. Those are quite different, although I’ve done projects on top of each other and it all becomes one world. I guess there’s the practical side of things, and then there’s the imagination. And that’s always wild.”

JENNY HVAL plays the National Gallery of Victoria on Friday January 22, as part of Andy Warhol/Ai Weiwei Late Nights. Apocalypse, Girl is available now via Sacred Bones.

*Not in conjunction with any other offer.

W W W. B E AT.C O M . A U

BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 27

JAMIE XX G O I N G

T O

L O U D

P L A C E S

BY AMANDA SHERRING

As a youngster Jamie Smith, AKA Jamie xx, was fixated on his uncle’s turntables. And while kids may lust after fast cars and fancy toys that aren’t within their reach, Smith’s fascination resulted in being gifted the turntables when he was just ten years old. “I’d been wanting them for so long,” he says. “I didn’t really know what DJing even was, I just loved the object and I used to play my parents’ records on them. And it was just after they gave it to me that I learnt what mixing was and what DJing was.

a

c

d

e

f

g

h

legend

1

2

b

TOILETS

food

Drinking water

inflatable land

merchandise

general store

markets

bar

disabled

info stations

FIRST AID

ATM MACHINE

VIP AREA

CENTRAL PARK STAGE

Festival site

3

4

5

6

“I never really imagined myself being a DJ at all. I was literally just obsessed with the object of the turntables and how they looked. There was never the goal to be a DJ – especially on stage in front of lots of people.”

Now over a decade and a half later, Smith hasn’t just become a globe-trotting DJ, but earlier this year he released his debut album, In Colour. Just as The xx pioneered a unique brand of pop (a band that features Smith, Romy Madley Croft and Oliver Sim), the same can be said for his garage and house infused solo work.

“I’m always trying to make something different and that sounds like something I’ve not heard,” he says. “Something that just makes me feel a certain way while still being interesting. But I’m also trying not to follow trends in dance music – things can sound stale in a matter of months.”

In Colour has been widely hailed as one of the year’s top albums. But with all the hype that surrounds him, Smith just strives to make music that reflects who he is. The same can be said for how he handles the spotlight – there’s no act, no overblown persona. Talking on the phone from his London home at the end of a long run of interviews, he answers each question honestly, at times taking a deep breath to mull over the appropriate response. After all, life isn’t all about having the answers to everything.

Inspiration in life and in art comes from the unknown, from discovering things you didn’t know existed. Smith practices this on a daily basis as he scours records stores looking for new material to include in his DJ sets.

“I just went to a couple of my favourite stores in London the other day and picked up some good stuff,” he says. “When I go to record stores I mostly pick up older things rather than new dance music. I got one from Joe Claussell, a disco song called Everyman, and it’s amazing. I’d never heard if before.

“Mostly I’m looking for things I haven’t heard before, but if I come across something that’s been on my list for a long time I’ll get it. Like Marta Acuna, Dance Dance Dance, which is a ‘70s disco record that is pretty hard to find.”

As indicated by his boyhood fascination with turntables, Smith has long had a love for old records.

He spun his parents’ vinyl on his first decks, and now he plays his record store discoveries at home, at clubs, and in the tracks he releases. His deftly chosen samples are part of what makes him unique in the contemporary dance music scene, adding additional intrigue to several tracks on In Colour.

Indirectly, he’s contributing to a revitalised love of indulging in the past through vinyl. More directly, Smith has passed on his love of vinyl to those close to him – particularly his fellow band members in The xx.

“I’ve definitely got them into disco,” he laughs. “And just in general house music. In the UK, house music has become really popular and now it’s everywhere. But when we were 18 that was my main thing and I just loved house music.”

Smith loved it so much that he would often head out to the clubs, not to get shit-faced or pick up, but to appreciate the music. “I used to go when I was 17 and I didn’t go there to get really messed up, I went there to listen,” he says. i j Smith soon jumped over to the other side, and while he admits that certain aspects of DJing made him nervous, his many years of observing helped shape his 1 approach to performance. “My favourite DJs dance and it makes you really want to dance too when you’re in the crowd watching somebody else dance. It wasn’t 2 exactly the most natural thing for me at the start, but when you’re listening to music that you love, you want to dance too and you just have to forget that there are a bunch of other people watching.”

3 It raises the questions, does Smith ever wish he could be an observer at his own gig? “No, I think that would be horrible. I can’t watch or listen to myself on radio, TV or whatever – it just makes me feel uncomfortable.”

4 Insecurities aside, Smith has no scruples about sharing his music with the world. “When I’m doing something new and playing something I’ve never played before 5 that’s probably the best feeling ever. And then seeing people react to it, there’s no experience that seems to top that. I’m never sure whether it’s going to work, and then when it does work it’s great.”

6

7

7

a

BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 28

b

c

d

e

f

g

h

B E AT.C O M . A U

i

j

JAMIE XX is playing at Beyond the Valley, from Tuesday December 29 to Friday January 1, in Gippsland Parklands, Lardner. He’s also playing at Forum Melbourne on Wednesday January 6 and Sunday January 10.

OH WONDER W O R L D S

W I T H I N

W O R L D S

BY ADAM NORRIS

Occasionally you find yourself speaking with somebody so interesting you are immediately inspired to ditch everything and track down their entire body of work. This is certainly the case with Josephine Vander Gucht of London synth-pop duo Oh Wonder. Yet, while it’s exciting that at this early stage of their career, there remains many years of writing ahead, it’s also frustrating not being able to gluttonously dive into a vast body of work. Their self-titled debut was released in September, and not only does each song offer something unique and captivating, but each is rooted in a world of detail that the listener only glimpses.

“I read this about J.K. Rowling,” Vander Gucht says. “How with Harry Potter she had written a book about the book prior to even commencing writing. She had built up this whole universe in her head where the books were only five per cent of what she’d actually created. That’s really how Anthony [West] and I write. We sit down and come up with this huge narrative. I mean, we write the chords first and the melody, but prior to approaching lyrics we’ll come up with this world that has a beginning and end, that has reasoning behind each word. That’s something that’s very important to both of us. We’re both big fans of lyrics that aren’t necessarily descriptive, but they come from a place that isn’t just gobbledygook. Each song has an individual story, and each comes from a place that isn’t really even in the song at all.”

The wonder is that with so much left unsaid, the result remains a collection both universal and unflinchingly personal. The ethos behind their creativity is not some abstract force that only influences the album obliquely, but is inherent to each song’s composition. For proof of this, one need look no further than their genesis; each month, Vander Gucht and West would write and upload a song to SoundCloud. This monthly deadline led to the slow, thoughtful completion of the album we hear today, and while the band is unlikely to repeat that experiment in future, it has certainly paved the way for the next creative expedition.

“Looking back, we are pleasantly surprised,” says Vander Gucht. “It was a way of showcasing our songwriting skills, as a way to challenge ourselves and get better.

But in terms of moving forward, I don’t think we’ll do this again. It’s really stressful [laughs]. And it would be interesting to make an album more traditionally.

“We want to try going to a different place, a different country maybe. I definitely encourage anyone to set themselves a goal like that. I think the structure and having that routine, setting deadlines, is something to be celebrated, and is really important if you’re a creative person to instil in your work ethic. It’s been magical and bizarre and inadvertent, but we’re really blessed by it, and really excited that we’ve been able to build this platform to now jump into something else even weirder.”

It is inspiring to find artists who are that engaged with the world they are creating, where songs are not casual radio fodder but entire narratives that take the listener on something of a journey. In this eponymous instance, that journey – or perhaps portrait is a better term – is sustained by two very different characters.

“The whole album to me has an overarching theme of loneliness, certainly, and a lot of the songs address loneliness in some way,” Vander Gucht says. “Whether that’s Dazzle, which we wrote about gambling addiction, which is obviously a very isolating and lonely world.

Songs like The Rain and Landslide are about being on your own. All We Do is about being on your own and not aspiring towards anything greater than your inhibited viewpoint, lost in monotony. But then a lot of the songs are also about being there for someone, about showing that you have their back. The whole album is kind of a conversation between two characters – one who is feeling really lonely and fearful, and the other character who is saying that they’re still there holding their hand.”

It’s a fascinating notion, and prompts you to look at the album afresh, ears primed to distinguish the voice within the lyric. As Vander Gucht suggests, the characters within Oh Wonder’s work – and indeed, the crux of their music as a whole – are an appeal towards the everyperson; a message to find the commonalities within us all and encourage expression from those who feel too scared to seek help when life seems to have dulled.

“That’s really what the album is. The characters here are just average people, and I think that’s the crucial thing. We wanted it to be a comfort to anyone who is listening. Our human propensity is to self-analyse, to pick ourselves apart and be judgmental; that’s just what we do. So it was important to show the importance of being there for someone in real life, not just texting. It’s about maintaining real human relationships, whether that’s with a stranger you meet on the street, which sounds kind of cheesy, or someone you know really well.

“It’s a universal thing to both feel bad and to feel brilliant, and that should be acknowledged.”

OH WONDER are playing at the Falls Festival, which takes place from Monday December 28 – Friday January 1 in Lorne, VIC; Tuesday December 29 – Friday January 1 in Marion Bay, TAS; and Thursday December 31 – Sunday January 3 in Byron Bay, NSW. You can also catch them at the Corner Hotel on Tuesday January 5. Oh Wonder is out now through Dew Process/Universal.

W W W. B E AT.C O M . A U

BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 29

BEAT STAFF 2015 WRAP UP O U R

F A V O U R I T E S

NAME: Augustus Welby SPECIALISED GENRE OF MUSIC: Rondog TOP 10 ALBUMS OF THE YEAR: 1. Black Messiah D’ANGELO & THE VANGUARD 2. B’lieve I’m Goin Down KURT VILE 3. Currents TAME IMPALA 4. Morning / Evening FOUR TET 5. To Pimp A Butterfly KENDRICK LAMAR 6. Severe MY DISCO 7. Kill It Yourself JESS RIBEIRO 8. Have You In My Wilderness JULIA HOLTER 9. Elaenia FLOATING POINTS 10. M3LL155X FKA TWIGS Honourable Mentions: MultiLove UNKNOWN MORTAL ORCHESTRA; The Great Mixtape SAMPA THE GREAT; Songs to Play ROBERT FORSTER TOP FIVE SINGLES OF THE YEAR: 1. Taman Shud THE DRONES 2. King Kunta KENDRICK LAMAR 3. Let It Happen TAME IMPALA 4. Blackstar DAVID BOWIE 5. I Know There’s Gonna Be (Good Times) JAMIE XX Honourable Mentions: Never Ending Circles CHVRCHES; Silhouettes (I, II & III) FLOATING POINTS; Never Stop the Rot DAN KELLY TOP FIVE GIGS OF THE YEAR: 1. THE DRONES Forum Theatre 2. KIRIN J CALLINAN: TERRIBLE LOVE Sugar Mountain 3. ALEX CAMERON Shadow Electric Bandroom 4. JACK LADDER & THE DREAMLANDERS Howler 5. TAME IMPALA Sidney Myer Music Bowl Honourable Mentions: MARK RONSON Margaret Court Arena; BILL CALLAHAN Sydney Opera House; RYAN ADAMS Forum Theatre HIGHLIGHT OF 2015: Probably Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

LOWLIGHT OF 2015: Potentially Star Wars: The Force Awakens (written prior to its release).

A WILD PREDICTION FOR 2016: After leaving QI, Stephen Fry becomes the first Cambridge graduate to play in the T20 Big Bash.

NAME: Alex Watts SPECIALISED GENRE OF MUSIC: Pop-jazz-croon-funk-rockrockrocklove TOP 10 ALBUMS OF THE YEAR: 1. To Pimp a Butterfly KENDRICK LAMAR 2. I Love You, Honeybear FATHER JOHN MISTY 3. Sound and Color ALABAMA SHAKES 4. Blood LIANNE LA HAVAS 5. The Great Mixtape SAMPA THE GREAT 6. Feels Like BULLY 7. The Magic Whip BLUR 8. The Epic KAMASI WASHINGTON 9. Sorry I Let It Come Between Us SASKWATCH 10. Compton DR. DRE Honourable Mentions: Songs to Play ROBERT FORSTER; The Beyond/Where the Giants Roam THUNDERCAT; Paper Mache Dream Balloon KING GIZZARD TOP FIVE SINGLES OF THE YEAR: 1. King Kunta KENDRICK LAMAR 2. Don’t Wanna Fight ALABAMA SHAKES 3. Pretty Pimpin KURT VILE 4. Multi-Love UNKNOWN MORTAL ORCHESTRA 5. Paper Trail$ JOEY BADA$$ Honourable Mentions: Borders MIA; Don’t Breathe Out ROOTS MANUVA; BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 30

O F

T H E

Y E A R

Here ALESSIA CARA TOP FIVE GIGS OF THE YEAR: 1. FATHER JOHN MISTY Forum Theatre 2. BLUR Rod Laver Arena 3. PEEP TEMPEL Howler 4. ROBERT FORSTER Thornbury Theatre 5. WAAX Workers Club HIGHLIGHT OF 2015: There was a lot of genuinely exciting and interesting music being championed by the mainstream media and even triple j. It’s good to see pop music become smart again.

LOWLIGHT OF 2015: People I trust trying to convince me to listen to Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift.

It’s not OK people, calm down.

A WILD PREDICTION FOR 2016: Traditional German Polka makes a comeback in the pop charts, bandwagon jumping begins.

NAME: James Di Fabrizio SPECIALISED GENRE OF MUSIC: Americana TOP 10 ALBUMS OF THE YEAR: 1. Choose Your Weapon HIATUS KAIYOTE 2. I Love You, Honeybear FATHER JOHN MISTY 3. To Pimp A Butterfly KENDRICK LAMAR 4. Something More Than Free JASON ISBELL 5. Goon TOBIAS JESSO JR. 6. Monterey THE MILK CARTON KIDS 7. When The Storms Would Come HOLY HOLY 8. Angeleno SAM OUTLAW 9. Sound & Colour ALABAMA SHAKES 10. Traveller CHRIS STAPLETON Honourable Mentions: 1989 RYAN ADAMS; Deseret Canyon WILLIAM TYLER; High On Tulsa Heat JOHN MORELAND TOP FIVE SINGLES OF THE YEAR: 1. King Kunta KENDRICK LAMAR 2. Hotline Bling DRAKE 3. Swells UP UP AWAY 4. Born Yawning BEN WRIGHT SMITH 5. Depreston COURTNEY BARNETT Honourable Mentions: Hello Miss Lonesome MARLON WILLIAMS; Pretty Pimpin KURT VILE; ‘Cause I’m A Man TAME IMPALA TOP FIVE GIGS OF THE YEAR: 1. RYAN ADAMS Forum Theatre 2. HIATUS KAIYOTE Howler 3. FATHER JOHN MISTY Forum Theatre 4. LAURA MARLING Hamer Hall 5. BACK TO THE FUTURE X MSO The Plenary HIGHLIGHT OF 2015: Joining the team at Beat, subsequently interviewing Charles Bradley.

LOWLIGHT OF 2015: The Bureau getting cancelled, subsequently destroying my chances of seeing Charles Bradley.

A WILD PREDICTION FOR 2016: Post-ironic-memecore saturates the airwaves, causing Shannon Noll’s That’s What I’m Talking About to score a deluxe reissue on 180 gram vinyl.

NAME: Dan Watt Specialised Music Genre: 2007 TOP 10 ALBUMS OF THE YEAR: 1. Death Magic HEALTH 2. In Colour JAMIE XX 3. Lore ELDER 4. Gone Troppo DRUNK MUMS 5. If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late DRAKE 6. Beauty Behind The Madness THE WEEKND

7. Mind Renovation DORSAL FINS 8. Severe MY DISCO 9. Feels Like BULLY 10. Haha THE GARDEN TOP FIVE SINGLES OF THE YEAR: 1. Do You Remember JARRYD JAMES 2. Loud Places JAMIE XX 3. Monday Tuesday DORSAL FINS 4. Sister Of Pearl BAIO 5. Can’t Feel My Face THE WEEKEND TOP FIVE GIGS OF THE YEAR: 1. MOGWAI Hamer Hall 2. RATATAT Meredith Music Festival 3. MIGHTY BOYS Prince of Wales 4. DUMB PUNTS Prince of Wales 5. POST PERCY Paradise Music Festival HIGHLIGHT OF 2015: The synchronisation of Do You Remember by Jarryd James with the University Of Western Sydney advertisement.

LOWLIGHT OF 2015: Rap-metal not coming back.

A WILD PREDICTION FOR 2016: Rap-metal comeback.

NAME: Emily Kelly SPECIALISED GENRE OF MUSIC: Angry jams TOP 10 ALBUMS OF THE YEAR: 1.Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit COURTNEY BARNETT 2. Silent Kill RADIOACTIVITY 3. Are You Satisfied? SLAVES 4. Meloria GHOST 5. Hit Your Head DRUG CHURCH 6. Brother MEAT WAVE 7. High ROYAL HEADACHE 8. California Nights BEST COAST 9. War On Women WAR ON WOMEN 10. Currents TAME IMPALA TOP FIVE SINGLES OF THE YEAR: 1. King Kunta KENDRICK LAMAR 2. All Day KANYE WEST 3. Party Machine THE BENNIES 4. Even If It Kills Me WALKEN 5. Lover Come Back CITY AND COLOUR

NAME: Rod Whitfield SPECIALISED GENRE OF MUSIC: Heavy and progressive rock and metal TOP 10 ALBUMS OF THE YEAR: 1. Juggernaut: Alpha and Omega PERIPHERY 2. Transcension BREAKING ORBIT 3. Bloom CALIGULA’S HORSE 4. Polaris TESSERACT 5. A Dream in Static EARTHSIDE 6. Aesthesis DEAD LETTER CIRCUS 7. Now Here HUMALITY 8. Known/Learned ARCANE 9. Coma Ecliptic BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME 10. Soul Sphere BORN OF OSIRIS Honourable Mentions: The Healing BELLUSIRA; Machine Made the Animal JERICCO; Matriarch VEIL OF MAYA TOP FIVE SINGLES OF THE YEAR: 1. Alpha PERIPHERY 2. Mob Mentality EARTHSIDE 3. Firelight CALIGULA’S HORSE 4. In Plain Sight DEAD LETTER CIRCUS 5. Become the Light BREAKING ORBIT TOP FIVE GIGS OF THE YEAR: 1. DEAD LETTER CIRCUS, TEN YEARS, GUARDS OF MAY The Forum 2. DEVIN TOWNSEND, PERIPHERY The Roundhouse, Sydney 3. TESSERACT, CALIGULA’S HORSE, PLINI Max Watt’s 4. HELM The Esplanade Hotel 5. BACK TO THE FUTURE X MSO The Plenary Honourable Mentions: TWELVE FOOT NINJA The Croxton; SOUNDGARDEN Festival Hall;

HALESTORM/BELLUSIRA 170 Russell HIGHLIGHT OF 2015: Another Hawthorn premiership, tied with Tony Abbott and Joe Hockey getting dumped on their fascist arses.

LOWLIGHT OF 2015: The Liberal Party still being in power, with or without Abbott.

A WILD PREDICTION FOR 2016: Marriage equality becoming a reality in Australia.

NAME: Kelsey Berry SPECIALISED GENRE OF MUSIC: Indie rock TOP 10 ALBUMS OF THE YEAR: 1. I Love You, Honeybear FATHER JOHN MISTY 2. B’lieve I’m Goin Down KURT VILE 3. The Positions GANG OF YOUTHS 4. White Men Are Black Men Too YOUNG FATHERS 5. High ROYAL HEADACHE 6. Currents TAME IMPALA 7. The Most Lamentable Tragedy TITUS ANDRONICUS 8. Sound & Color ALABAMA SHAKES 9. The Magic Whip BLUR 10. Wildheart MIGUEL Honourable Mentions: To Pimp A Butterfly KENDRICK LAMAR; 1989 RYAN ADAMS; Carrie & Lowell SUFJAN STEVENS TOP FIVE SINGLES OF THE YEAR: 1. Lay Down DMA’S 2. I Know There’s Gonna Be (Good Times) JAMIE XX FT. YOUNG THUG & POPCAAN 3. Take Your Medicine PALACE OF THE KING 4. Like Soda VIOLENT SOHO 5. Sorry JUSTIN BIEBER Honourable Mentions: Flesh Without Blood GRIMES; Grinder GARY CLARK JR.; Too Much Time Together SAN CISCO TOP FIVE GIGS OF THE YEAR: 1. FATHER JOHN MISTY Forum Theatre 2. GYPSY & THE CAT, THE HARPOONS, DORSAL FINS Former Royal Women’s Hospital 3. FLEETWOOD MAC Rod Laver Arena 4. HOZIER Palais Theatre 5. NELLY, B.O.B, LUPE FIASCO Sidney Myer Music Bowl Honourable Mentions: VILLAGE PEOPLE Melbourne Zoo; TV ON THE RADIO Forum Theatre; SAM SMITH Rod Laver Arena HIGHLIGHT OF 2015: Graduating from uni.

LOWLIGHT OF 2015: Eating a family box of KFC by myself.

A WILD PREDICTION FOR 2016: Shannon Noll will represent Australia at Eurovision and subsequently become a huge sensation in Germany.

NAME: Bronius Zumeris SPECIALISED GENRE OF MUSIC: Moody blues TOP 9 ALBUMS OF THE YEAR: 1. Tuxedo TUXEDO 2. Music In Exile SONGHOY BLUES 3. Algiers ALGIERS 4. The Golden Voyager KWASI 5. Volume l & ll STREETS OF LAREDO 6. Royal Albert Hall EELS 7. Teens Of Style CAR SEAT HEADREST 8. Songs To Play ROBERT FORSTER 9. Junto Revisited BASEMENT K TOP FIVE GIGS OF THE YEAR: 1. JACK LADDER & THE DREAMLANDERS Howler 2. BLACK CAB Corner Hotel 3. JOHN CALE Hamer Hall 4. ROBERT FORSTER Thornbury Theatre 5. THE FALL Melbourne Festival HIGHLIGHT OF 2015: The Fall still exist.

O U R FAV O U R I T E S O U N D S O F 2015

LOWLIGHT OF 2015: Black Cab are denied due recognition.

A WILD PREDICTION FOR 2016: Paternity tests show that Jack Ladder is the son of Billy Field.

NAME: David James Young SPECIALISED GENRE OF MUSIC: I just found out about PBR&B. I’m taking it.

TOP 10 ALBUMS OF THE YEAR: 1. Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit COURTNEY BARNETT 2. To Pimp A Butterfly KENDRICK LAMAR 3. Highlife MAKING 4. Sprained Ankle JULIEN BAKER 5. Something More Than Free JASON ISBELL 6. No Cities To Love SLEATERKINNEY 7. High ROYAL HEADACHE 8. Multi-Love UNKNOWN MORTAL ORCHESTRA 9. Peripheral Vision TURNOVER 10. Beat The Champ THE MOUNTAIN GOATS Honourable Mentions: Every Open Eye CHVRCHES; Hyperview TITLE FIGHT; Ivy Tripp WAXAHATCHEE TOP FIVE SINGLES OF THE YEAR: 1. Top Heavy SWEATER SEASON 2. Multi-Love UNKNOWN MORTAL ORCHESTRA 3. King Kunta KENDRICK LAMAR 4. Heavenly ADVENTURES 5. Foolish ALPINE Honourable Mentions: What Do You Mean? JUSTIN BIEBER; Depreston COURTNEY BARNETT; Pretty Pimpin’ KURT VILE HIGHLIGHT OF 2015: The bucket list tick-offs: Blur, Mew and American Football.

LOWLIGHT OF 2015: Tie between your Hello parody and your Hotline Bling parody.

A WILD PREDICTION FOR 2016: Albo-for-PM.

NAME: Thomas Brand SPECIALISED GENRE OF MUSIC: Noise rock TOP 10 ALBUMS OF THE YEAR: 1. Black Messiah D’ANGELO & THE VANGUARD 2. ...Is Doomed BLACK WING 3. The Most Lamentable Tragedy TITUS ANDRONICUS 4. I Love You, Honeybear FATHER JOHN MISTY 5. Sour Soul BADBADNOTGOOD & GHOSTFACE KILLAH 6. Sheltering Sky DROWNING HORSE 7. The Decline of Stupid Fucking Western Civilization JORDAAN MASON 8. Carrie & Lowell SUFJAN STEVENS 9. Viet Cong VIET CONG 10. Every Hero Needs A Villain CZARFACE Honourable Mentions: I Don’t Like Shit, I Don’t Go Outside EARL SWEATSHIRT; Severe MY DISCO; Jenny Death DEATH GRIPS TOP FIVE SINGLES OF THE YEAR: 1. If I Let Him In BLACK WING 2. Dimed Out TITUS ANDRONICUS 3. Sacrifice DROWNING HORSE 4. Wish We Were PINKSHINYULTRABLAST 5. Far THE SOFT MOON Honourable Mentions: Turned Off DEATH GRIPS; Do You Still Shower With Your DAD MEDICINE; Of Hospitals JORDAAN MASON TOP FIVE GIGS OF THE YEAR: 1. AMERICAN FOOTBALL Max Watt’s 2. PARADISE MUSIC FESTIVAL Lake Mountain 3. ELDER & EARTHLESS Corner Hotel 4. SELF DEFENSE FAMILY The Old Bar 5. A PLACE TO BURY

STRANGERS Corner Hotel Honourable Mentions: MONO Corner Hotel, I’LLS Former Royal Women’s Hospital HIGHLIGHT OF 2015: #Putoutyouronions LOWLIGHT OF 2015: Fuck-all in the way of good noise rock releases. Before you say “Ken Mode: Success,” it was a shit album by a great band.

A WILD PREDICTION FOR 2016: I start a hip hop project called Tuberculosis, and it’s fucking infectious.

First gig gets cancelled due to a coughing fit. Catch me while you still can.

NAME: Lachlan Kanoniuk SPECIALISED GENRE OF MUSIC: Stirring anthems about legendary Sydney Swans/St Kilda goalkickers.

TOP 10 ALBUMS OF THE YEAR: 1. Melbourne, Florida DICK DIVER 2. But You Caint Use My Phone ERYKAH BADU 3. DS2 FUTURE 4. Pregnant With Success JUNGLEPUSSY 5. Platform HOLLY HERNDON 6. High ROYAL HEADACHE 7. The Great Mixtape SAMPA THE GREAT 8. Emotion CARLY RAE JEPSEN 9. Elaenia FLOATING POINTS 10. Me EMPRESS OF Honourable Mentions: Elixer TOTEMS; Drain Down LUCY CLICHE; It’s Really Something AMATEUR DANCE TOP FIVE GIGS OF THE YEAR: 1. GEORGE CLINTON PARLIAMENT FUNKADELIC 170 Russell 2. AC/DC Etihad Stadium 3. DONNY BENET Black Bear Lodge, Brisbane 4. KYLIE MINOGUE Rod Laver Arena 5. ST VINCENT Laneway Singapore Honourable Mentions: JAMES REYNE Melbourne Zoo; RAE SREMMURD 170 Russell; GEORGE CLINTON The Powerstation AKL HIGHLIGHT OF 2015: Dogs defeating Swans in Sydney.

LOWLIGHT OF 2015: Second elimination final.

A WILD PREDICTION FOR 2016: Same as last year, except it’s not as wild: Bob Murphy lifting the Cup.

NAME: Lee Spencer-Michaelsen SPECIALISED GENRE OF MUSIC: Psych rock TOP 10 ALBUMS OF THE YEAR: 1. Golem WAND 2. Sometimes I Sit and Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit COURTNEY BARNETT 3. Geodesic Dome Piece THE BLANK TAPES 4. I Love You, Honeybear FATHER JOHN MISTY 5. Untethered Moon BUILT TO SPILL 6. Biomass BATPISS 7. Feels Like BULLY 8. Magnifique RATATAT 9. Dodge and Burn THE DEAD WEATHER 10. II FUZZ Honourable Mentions: Gone Troppo DRUNK MUMS; Mutilator Defeated at Last THEE OH SEES; Fantasy Empire LIGHTNING BOLT TOP FIVE SINGLES OF THE YEAR: 1. Pretty Pimpin KURT VILE 2. More… WILCO 3. Cream On Chrome RATATAT 4. Lonesome Street BLUR 5. Spit You Out METZ Honourable Mentions: Flowers LEON BRIDGES; Aqua Profunda!

COURTNEY BARNETT; The Way You’d Love Her MAC DEMARCO TOP FIVE GIGS OF THE YEAR: 1. THE SWORD Austin Psych Fest

2. TUMBLEWEED Corner Hotel 3. COURTNEY BARNETT Stubb’s BBQ, Texas 4. THE METERS New Orleans Jazz Fest 5. FLEETWOOD MAC A Day on the Green HIGHLIGHT OF 2015: Crowdsurfing without a crowd.

LOWLIGHT OF 2015: My Village People childhood dreams being diarrhoeaed on at Golden Plains.

A WILD PREDICTION FOR 2016: Ty Segall will form another band.

NAME: Nick Mason SPECIALISED GENRE OF MUSIC: Guilty pleasures.

TOP 10 ALBUMS OF THE YEAR: 1. Cathedrals PLAYWRITE 2. Attitude City NINJA SEX PARTY 3. Recreational Love THE BIRD AND THE BEE 4. Hope Is Just A State of Mind LITTLE COMETS 5. Besides POMPLAMOOSE 6. Jr Jr JR JR 7. Jackrabbit SAN FERMIN 8. Every Open Eye CHVRCHES 9. Grand Romantic NATE RUESS 10. Noonia NOONIE BAO Honourable Mentions: Man It Feels Like Space Again POND; Best of Requested Cover Songs LOTTE KESTNER TOP FIVE SINGLES OF THE YEAR: 1. Emily SAN FERMIN 2. Regret EVERYTHING EVERYTHING 3. Back To The Stars THE LANDING 4. Postcard #29 JENS LEKMAN 5. Here ALESSIA CARA Honourable Mentions: Bombastic BONNIE MCKEE; Sweet Nothing GABRIELLE APLIN TOP FIVE GIGS OF THE YEAR: 1. PLAYWRITE Shadow Electric Bandroom 2. TAYLOR SWIFT AAMI Park 3. NEIL FINN Melbourne Recital Centre 4. DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE 170 Russell 5. TRIPOD Hamer Hall Honourable Mentions: TONY BESSELINK 170 Russell; EVERYTHING EVERYTHING Corner Hotel HIGHLIGHT OF 2015: Hawthorn winning their third consecutive premiership.

LOWLIGHT OF 2015: For all the talk and positive steps taken, there’s still no marriage equality in Australia.

A WILD PREDICTION FOR 2016: Four-thorn.

NAME: Hannah Joyner SPECIALISED GENRE OF MUSIC: Rap/hip hop and indie TOP 10 ALBUMS OF THE YEAR: 1. Honeymoon LANA DEL REY 2. To Pimp A Butterfly KENDRICK LAMAR 3. Art Angels GRIMES 4. I Love You, Honeybear FATHER JOHN MISTY 5. Noctunes WILLIS EARL BEAL 6. B’lieve I’m Goin Down KURT VILE 7. Fading Frontier DEERHUNTER 8. No One Deserves You CRAYON FIELDS 9. At. Long. Last. A$AP A$AP ROCKY 10. B4.Da.$$ JOEY BADA$$ Honourable Mentions: Escape From Evil LOWER DENS; Rub PEACHES; Better This Way BIG K.R.I.T TOP FIVE SINGLES OF THE YEAR: 1. High By The Beach LANA DEL REY 2. Hotline Bling (Remix) ERYKAH BADU 3. WTF (Where They From) MISSY ELLIOTT FT. PHARRELL 4. Ui Yia Uia NO ZU 5. Snakeskin DEERHUNTER

Honourable Mentions: Pretty Pimpin KURT VILE; Buffalo TYLER, THE CREATOR TOP FIVE GIGS OF THE YEAR: 1. AZEALIA BANKS The Prince Bandroom 2. FATHER JOHN MISTY Forum Theatre 3. JOHNNY MARR Forum Theatre 4. BRITISH INDIA, SCOTDRAKULA, BARO AND FLYYING COLOURS Gasometer Hotel 5. B.I.G K.R.I.T Max Watt’s Honourable Mentions: PATTI SMITH’S HORSES Melbourne Town Hall HIGHLIGHT OF 2015: Dee Barnes’ compelling article for Gawker about the N.W.A biopic Straight Outta Compton.

LOWLIGHT OF 2015: Seeing The Brian Jonestown Massacre at Melbourne Town Hall for MMW but not being able to concentrate due to the shooting at Le Bataclan the day before.

A WILD PREDICTION FOR 2016: Foreseeing an epidemic of cafés in Australia named after Biggie and Tupac, the ATO includes East Side and West Side checkboxes on tax forms for those declaring profit losses.

NAME: Alex Darling SPECIALISED GENRE OF MUSIC: Rock and bloody roll TOP 10 ALBUMS OF THE YEAR: 1. Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit COURTNEY BARNETT 2. Currents TAME IMPALA 3. Coming Home LEON BRIDGES 4. Raise A Little Hell THE ANSWER 5. Chasing Yesterday NOEL GALLAGHER 6. Last Of Our Kind THE DARKNESS 7. Aesthesis DEAD LETTER CIRCUS 8. Into The Wild Life HALESTORM 9. Happy People PEACE 10. Drones MUSE Honourable Mentions: 1989 RYAN ADAMS; St Cecilia EP FOO FIGHTERS; Ghost Notes VERUCA SALT TOP FIVE SINGLES OF THE YEAR: 1. Psycho MUSE 2. Pedestrian At Best COURTNEY BARNETT 3. The Dissident SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY AND THE CONSPIRATORS 4. Uptown Funk MARK RONSON WITH BRUNO MARS 5. Can’t Feel My Face THE WEEKND HIGHLIGHT OF 2015: U2’s shows with Patti Smith and Eagles of Death Metal – proof that nothing can stop or silence live music, and that musicians know how to observe tragedy.

LOWLIGHT OF 2015: Reclaim Australia appropriating Jimmy Barnes, John Farnham and Mark Seymour.

A WILD PREDICTION FOR 2016: Noel Gallagher says something nice about someone.

NAME: Gloria Brancatisano TOP 10 ALBUMS OF THE YEAR: 1. That’s The Spirit BRING ME THE HORIZON 2. Dogs At Bay BAD//DREEMS 3. Mercy Mountain MOSES GUNN COLLECTIVE 4. Life’s Not Out To Get You NECK DEEP 5. American Candy THE MAINE 6. The Story So Far THE STORY SO FAR 7. Shake Shiver ART OF SLEEPING 8. Ire PARKWAY DRIVE 9. No Closer To Heaven THE WONDER YEARS 10. Abandoned DEFEATER Honourable Mentions: Skydancer IN HEARTS WAKE; Node NORTHLANE; Summer Of Doom

PHILADELPHIA GRAND JURY TOP FIVE SINGLES OF THE YEAR: 1. Never Be MEG MAC 2. Chivalry MACHINE AGE 3. Monday MATT CORBY 4. T-Shirt Weather CIRCA WAVES 5. I’m A Bright Shining Star FOUR YEAR STRONG Honourable Mentions: Ugh! THE 1975; The Hedonist FOREIGN/ NATIONAL; Why Don’t You Stay MORGAN BAIN TOP FIVE GIGS OF THE YEAR: 1. ARCHITECTS 170 Russell 2. YOU ME AT SIX Max Watt’s 3. AMITY AFFLICTION/A DAY TO REMEMBER Rod Laver Arena 4. KISSCHASY Corner Hotel 5. THE MAINE Corner Hotel Honourable Mentions: THE STORY SO FAR/MAN OVERBOARD Max Watt’s; REAL FRIENDS Evelyn Hotel; YELLOWCARD/MAYDAY PARADE Margaret Court Arena HIGHLIGHT OF 2015: Nostalgia overload. So many moments 14-year-old Gloria would have cried over.

LOWLIGHT OF 2015: Turning 23 and still loving things 14-year-old Gloria loved.

A WILD PREDICTION FOR 2016: Chocolate Rain.

NAME: Alexander Crowden SPECIALISED GENRE OF MUSIC: Indie/alternative TOP 10 ALBUMS OF THE YEAR: 1. Kintsugi DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE 2. Nothing Touches Me BRITISH INDIA 3. English Graffiti THE VACCINES 4. Feels Like BULLY 5. Summer of Doom PHILADELPHIA GRAND JURY 6. Glitterbug THE WOMBATS 7. Hoops THE RUBENS 8. California Nights BEST COAST 9. Off the Edge of the Earth and Into Forever, Forever ART VS SCIENCE 10. Dope Machines THE AIRBORNE TOXIC EVENT Honourable Mentions: A Head Full of Dreams COLDPLAY; Panic Stations MOTION CITY SOUNDTRACK; + - MEW TOP FIVE SINGLES OF THE YEAR: 1. ‘Cause I’m A Man TAME IMPALA 2. Give Me a Try THE WOMBATS 3. Do You Remember? JARRYD JAMES 4. Suddenly BRITISH INDIA 5. Foolish ALPINE Honourable Mentions: Hotline Bling DRAKE; Hoops THE RUBENS; Snow SAN CISCO TOP FIVE GIGS OF THE YEAR: 1. CATFISH & THE BOTTLEMEN The Hi-Fi 2. DEATHCAB FOR CUTIE 170 Russell 3. MOTION CITY SOUNDTRACK 170 Russell 4. ROBBIE WILLIAMS Rod Laver Arena 5. MEW Max Watt’s Honourable Mentions: ANDREW MCMAHON IN THE WILDERNESS 170 Russell; THE VACCINES Corner Hotel; THE WOMBATS Shebeen HIGHLIGHT OF 2015: Getting off the dole.

A WILD PREDICTION FOR 2016: The Rolling Stones finally hang it

NAME: Michael Cusack SPECIALISED GENRE OF MUSIC: techno/house/indie/psyche/future/ whatever is good TOP 10 ALBUMS OF THE YEAR: 1. Currents TAME IMPALA 2. (Self Titled) ROLAND TINGS 3. Cantor Dust ANTIGONE 4. Homesick MATRIXXMAN 5. What Went Down FOALS 6. Elaenia FLOATING POINTS

7. Selected Ambient Works Vol. 3 APHEX TWIN 8. Choose Your Weapon HIATUS KAIYOTE 9. La Di Da Di BATTLES 10. King Salt HAVE/HOLD Honourable Mentions: Fated NOSAJ THING TOP FIVE SINGLES OF THE YEAR: 1. Hedonist ROLAND TINGS 2. Girl THE INTERNET 3. Cassandra DONATO DOZZY 4. Moonraker CHROME SPARKS 5. Magnets ft. Lorde DISCLOSURE ( JON HOPKINS REMIX) Honourable Mentions: Slug BLACK VANILLA HIGHLIGHT OF 2015: Getting proposed to by my drunk girlfriend via txt on Beat deadline night.

(I said yes.)

LOWLIGHT OF 2015: Waking up in my backyard with cheeseburger in my mouth.

A WILD PREDICTION FOR 2016: Pure Hard Dance (PHD) hoodies everywhere.

NAME: Nick Hilton SPECIALISED GENRE OF MUSIC: Slacker guitar twang’n’roll TOP 10 ALBUMS OF THE YEAR: 1. 1989 RYAN ADAMS 2. The Magic Whip BLUR 3. Come Back, All Is Forgiven CUSTARD 4. Girls In Peacetime Want To Dance BELLE & SEBASTIAN 5. Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit COURTNEY BARNETT 6. Untethered Moon BUILT TO SPILL 7. Edge Of The Sun CALEXICO 8. Currents TAME IMPALA 9. Man It Feels Like Space Again POND 10. Star Wars WILCO TOP FIVE GIGS OF THE YEAR: 1. OUT ON THE WEEKEND Seaworks 2. BLUR Rod Laver Arena 3. BEACH BOYS Palais Theatre 4. TAYLOR SWIFT AAMI Park 5. AC/DC Etihad Stadium HIGHLIGHT OF 2015: Netflix and HBO at work.

LOWLIGHT OF 2015: True Detective.

A WILD PREDICTION FOR 2016: Bernie Sanders beats Trump and world peace breaks out almost immediately.

NAME: THE SIDEMAN SPECIALISED GENRE OF MUSIC: Oddball disco TOP 10 ALBUMS OF THE YEAR: 1. Have You In My Wilderness JULIA HOLTER 2. Carrie & Lowell SUFJAN STEVENS 3. Depression Cherry BEACH HOUSE 4. Half Free U.S. GIRLS 5. Y Dydd Olaf GWENNO 6. Primrose Green RYLER WALKER 7. Paradise Goulash PRINS THOMAS 8. Vulnicura BJORK 9. Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit COURTNEY BARNETT 10.Moonlust THE HOLYDRUG COUPLE Honourable Mentions: Epic KAMASI WASHINGTON; Divers JOANNA NEWSOM; Currents TAME IMPALA TOP FIVE SINGLES OF THE YEAR: 1. It’s Time For Fun GOAT 2. Sapokanikan JOANNA NEWSOM 3. 1000 Days WAND 4. Window Shades U.S. GIRLS 5. Sticky Hulks THEE OH SEES Honourable Mentions: Blackstar DAVID BOWIE; Let It Happen TAME IMPALA; Depreston COURTNEY BARNETT TOP FIVE GIGS OF THE YEAR: 1. GOAT/ KING GIZZARD & THE

WHO DOESN’T LIKE LISTS?

LIZARD WIZZARD The Croxton 2. THE CLEAN Corner Hotel 3. TOUMANI and SIDIKI DIABATE Hamer Hall 4. TIM HECKER Howler 5. PERFUME GENIUS Corner Hotel Honourable Mentions: BLACK LIPS Hi-Fi; BLUR Rod Laver Arena; NENEH CHERRY Hamer Hall HIGHLIGHT OF 2015: Boxing training (at last).

LOWLIGHT OF 2015: My beloved pet dog is nearly twelve years old.

A WILD PREDICTION FOR 2016: Even more music frenzy next year.

NAME: Michael Clark SPECIALISED GENRE OF MUSIC: Meme-rap, emo revival, vaporshit TOP 10 ALBUMS OF THE YEAR: 1. In Colour JAMIE XX 2. To Pimp A Butterfly KENDRICK LAMAR 3. If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late DRAKE 4. Product SOPHIE 5. CHAM! マクロスMACROSS 82-99 6. Divers JOANNA NEWSOM 7. yéinydd DREW THE ARCHITECT 8. Honeymoon LANA DEL REY 9. Prom King SKYLAR SPENCE 10. Tomboyish Love For Daughter GORESHIT Honourable Mentions: Chinese Football CHINESE FOOTBALL, La Di Da Di BATTLES TOP FIVE SINGLES OF THE YEAR: 1. Gosh JAMIE XX 2. Euphoria THOUSAND EYEZ 3. Know Yourself DRAKE 4. véctiøn DREW THE ARCHITECT 5. Depreston COURTNEY BARNETT Honourable Mentions: Twist My Fingaz YG HIGHLIGHT OF 2015: Getting my first piece published in Beat, and then my second, and so on.

Looks like I’m here to stay, bitches.

LOWLIGHT OF 2015: No new Kanye album.

A WILD PREDICTION FOR 2016: The Aussie festival scene running smoothly.

KHOTIN; Harmony FRANCIS INFERNO ORCHESTRA; Stavros LAURENCE GUY TOP FIVE GIGS OF THE YEAR: 1. WILLIAM BASINSKI Carriageworks 2. THEO PARRISH Golden Plains 3. MARCELLUS PITTMAN Mercat Basement 4. KETTENKARUSSELL Shadow Electric 5. DR DUNKS Mercat Basement Honourable Mentions: HARVEY SUTHERLAND Meredith Music Festival; SLEEP D Golden Plains; YUJA WANG Hamer Hall HIGHLIGHT OF 2015: ‘Gronk’ became a regular staple in Australian vernacular.

LOWLIGHT OF 2015: Actual gronks began using the term gronk as a pejorative.

A WILD PREDICTION FOR 2016: Thom Parry stars in a short-lived sitcom on ABC 2 titled That’s Amore, which revolves around the adventures he goes on with his housemate Plucka Duck.

Ratings are not so bellissimo.

NAME: Patrick Emery SPECIALISED GENRE OF MUSIC: Garage/psych/rock/MOR TOP 10 ALBUMS OF THE YEAR: 1. Sometimes I Sit and Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit COURTNEY BARNETT 2. No Cities to Love SLEATERKINNEY 3. Seedy Jeezus Seedy JEEZUS 4. Blast LOVE OF DIAGRAMS 5. Quarters! KING GIZZARD AND THE LIZARD WIZARD 6. Always IMMIGRANT UNION 7. Electric Glitter Boogie POWER 8. Headless PALE HEADS 9. Pylon KILLING JOKE 10. Severe MY DISCO Honourable Mentions: COSMIC PSYCHOS; TAM VANTAGE; KLOZAPIN TOP FIVE GIGS OF THE YEAR: 1. LOS CHICOS Retreat Hotel 2. KING GIZZARD AND THE LIZARD WIZARD The Curtin 3. UV RACE The Tote 4. LAZERTITS Old Bar 5. FEEDTIME The Tote Honourable Mentions: FLEETWOOD MAC; THE MURLOCS; SPRAY PAINT HIGHLIGHT OF 2015: The mixture of sanity and survival instinct that prevailed in the Coalition party room in October.

LOWLIGHT OF 2015: Global insanity.

A WILD PREDICTION FOR 2016: No more terrorist acts or ill-considered reactionary strategies

NAME: Tyson Wray SPECIALISED GENRE OF MUSIC: Ambient, electronic TOP 10 ALBUMS OF THE YEAR: 1. Fuubutsushi (風物詩) SA PA 2. The Golden Age MAP.ACHE 3. Hunch Music HUNEE 4. Drippin’ For A Tripp (Tripp-A-DubbMix) DJ SOTOFETT 5. Levon Vincent LEVON VINCENT 6. I Neva Seen / Parlay GALCHER LUSTWERK 7. Vin Ploile PETRE INSPIRESCU 8. Garden of Delete ONEOHTRIX POINT NEVER 9. Body Pill ANTHONY NAPLES 10. Expressions LINKWOOD Honourable Mentions: Talk From Home SUZANNE KRAFT; Comme Ça DOMENIQUE DUMONT TOP FIVE SINGLES OF THE YEAR: 1. Where Is Home TRAUMPRINZ (yeah, yeah I know this hasn’t technically been released yet) 2. Preyork MAP.ACHE 3. Tagularius SA PA 4. Untitled A1 ALLISANDNOT 5. Modal AGGBOROUGH Honourable Mentions: Refugio ANTHONY NAPLES; Rare Happiness HUNEE; Portal 3 VRIL; Midnight In Peckham CHAOS IN THE CBD; Sticky Drama ONEOHTRIX POINT NEVER; Empty TREVOR DEEP JR.; All I Want SONER CATALBAS; Marien ROYER; Sorry Sequence BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 31

BEAT’S GUIDE TO NEW YEAR’S 2015/2016

The silly season is upon us. Not sure where to find a New Year’s kiss? Don’t stress, we’ve got you covered. Here are Beat’s tips to the best parties going on all around town.

CHERRY BAR

New Year’s Eve falls on a Thursday this year. Those who know anything about anything will realise that’s when Soul in the Basement regularly takes over Cherry.

Wisely, they’re not deviating from the norm just because it’s New Year’s Eve, and DJs Vince Peach and Honey will be splattering the room with a heck-load of northern soul and hip-moving boogie tunes. It’s ordinarily a match-making event, and with the New Year’s fumes floating around we can only imagine this’ll increase.

THE RETREAT HOTEL WORLD CARNIVALE NYE

At World Carnivale they don’t mince words. So when they say this is Melbourne’s “best NYE 2015 gig” they’re prepared to back it up. Committed to offering a utilitarian event, World Carnivale NYE is a multi-genre, multi-demographic, multigenerational affair. How do they pull this off ? Well, for a start, there’s five completely unique parties taking place within the one South Wharf event space. You’re welcome to roam among the parties as your mood ebbs and flows. You’ll have the option of taking in the sounds of afro spiritual house master Osunlade, The Voice star Rik-E-Ragga, Brazilian beats deployer DJ Marz, voluptuous Latin salsa from Buena Vida and plenty more. There’s a bundle of different packages available to purchase on their website, but regardless of the package you select, you will receive hours worth of food and drink, and of course, the freedom to party, dance, dine or romance your 2015 NYE night away in a true festival atmosphere, against spectacular river and city skyline views right on the banks of the Yarra River. Oh, and let’s not forget the NYE fireworks, which’ll be ignited only 50 metres away from the party itself. We haven’t had that much fun since playing with fireworks in the back alleys of Footscray in the ‘90s. It’s a lot to take in, but the one guarantee is that there’s no other party quite like World Carnivale anywhere in Melbourne over New Year’s. Visit worldcarnivalenye.com.au for packages and more info.

Are you eager as fuck to ring in the New Year at your local? The Retreat Hotel, Brunswick’s ultimate music haven and favourite local haunt, has you covered for midnight 2015. DJs Adalita and Jeff Leppard will be taking over the venue and doing their thing from 7pm till 3am. Come celebrate (or commiserate) the year that was and say goodbye to 2015 in fine style with all your mates at the Retreat. Entry is free, so spend that money you saved on cover charge on sweet, sweet jugs and have yourself a party you’ll more than likely forget the next day.

YAH YAH’S

Yah Yah’s has spent 2015 hosting a hell of a lot of hard-rock and ridiculous late nights. So naturally, they’re turning it up a little to bring in the New Year. Taking charge of proceedings are Melbourne rock’n’roll bad boys The Tarantinos. As the name suggests, these guys are devoted to musically emulating the sounds of Quentin Tarantino’s typically violent films. Their live show, accordingly, can be rather unruly. As if that weren’t enough, at 2am Hyno Sex Ray will hit the upstairs bar with a set of Cramps covers.

DING DONG LOUNGE

New Year’s is as good a time as any to get stuck into some down-and-dirty rock’n’roll.

Good news: two of the city’s rowdiest bands, The Bennies and Clowns, are taking over Ding Dong Lounge for a night of good-for-nothing depravity. There’s a strong chance nudity will prevail, and if not, clothes are likely to be torn apart in the mess of crowd surfing and general exclamations of angsty liberation. And it’s just a tram ride away from your bed.

THE UNION BRUNSWICK TANGLEWOOD FESTIVAL

Tanglewood festival takes place in Thornton, VIC, which is roughly 90-minutes north of Melbourne. It’s a multi-faceted festival on every level. The lineup covers everything from blues, metal, hip hop, reggae and good-times rock’n’roll.

Plus there’s a range of reasonably priced food stalls, craft markets and cultural and educational workshops. So after catching some of Spoonbill’s oddball electro, you can pop over to the healing space for a tarot reading or a massage. It goes down from Wednesday December 30 – Friday January 1.

The magnificent Suzannah Espie & The Last Word will be heralding in the New Year at The Union in Brunswick, after melting hearts across the country on her recent sell out national tour. This special affair will see support from the Native Plants, the Union’s own pop-propagatedwith-rock duo. Music kicks off at 8.30pm.

LUCKY COQ

No plans (and no cash) for New Year’s Eve? No worries. No Frills NYE at Lucky Coq is your go-to destination. Over the course of the night there’ll be a free BBQ from 5pm - 7pm, free entry, free pool table and beer and cocktail specials all night long. Plus, no bullshit superstar DJs, just a killer lineup of locals. Get your broke arse down there.

Hey Ryan. Can you outline your role at tipple?

I run the general operations and technology, while overseeing the awesome team who run the logistics, supply, marketing and e-commerce areas of the business.

TIPPLE

Sometimes, it’s a good move to keep New Year’s lowkey. Perhaps a relatively sophisticated dinner party with a group of friends, or a backyard picnic cranking the best of Paul McCartney and Wings. Whatever it is, there’s a strong chance you’ll want some booze to carry you towards midnight. That’s where tipple steps in – Melbourne’s own on-demand alcohol delivery service, which brings drinks to your door within in an hour of placing an order online. We spoke to tipple’s CEO and founder Ryan Barrington to find out what it’s all about.

BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 32

Can you tell us a little about your service, and what drove you to embark on every Melbournian’s wildest fantasy?

Gladly! tipple is Melbourne’s virtual bottle shop, delivering on-demand in under 60 minutes, or when your future self is thirsty.

Our drop zone delivers to over 75 innerMelbourne suburbs, with plans to expand across all of Melbourne in 2016. Watch this space.

The concept came out of running liquor stores and food and delivery outlets around Melbourne for the past 11 years.

As a business operator and liquor industry diehard, creating and building tipple seemed like the most natural next step, given the community demand for a service like this.

Our credo is “drink. different.”, and our pillars of success are based on speedy delivery, expansive range, competitive value, and a strong technical platform. We have a mobile app launching in a matter of weeks, really bringing to life the concept of having your bottle shop in your pocket.

You guys also deliver snacks. Nothing goes hand in hand like booze and snacks.

B E AT.C O M . A U

THE PENNY BLACK

Our mates over at The Penny Black have you cats on Sydney Rd sorted this NYE. Come down and enjoy killer tunes around in their huge beer garden, free entry and an extra special 3am close so you can keep the party going late. The night will be featuring guest DJs Ayna and Grammy award winner M-Phazes on the decks, as well as house DJs D’fro and Tee Dubya. It’s guaranteed to be a night to remember that you probably won’t.

LAUNDRY BAR

This one goes out to all of you indie kids out there: get off my lawn. Also, get down to Weekender Indie NYE for all of your throwback indie needs. Melbournes best indie DJs Steve Wide, Dave Shaw and Gregory Wright will play Pulp, Blur, The Smiths, Interpol, The Strokes, New Order, Belle and Sebastian, Blondie, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Arctic Monkeys, Postal Service, Modest Mouse, White Stripes, LCD Soundsystem, The Cure, Elastica, The Clash, Ramones, Ride, Charlatans, Joy Division, Suede, Foals, Libertines, Dandy Warhols, PJ Harvey, Primal Scream, Supergrass, Sonic Youth, Stereolab, Teenage Fanclub and so much more – it’s indie heaven. Upstairs at Laundry, 10 clams on the door.

FERDYDURKE

Ever year when I write these round-ups people always come back saying the same damn thing: “This is a really informative and helpful list and I really like your haircut but this NYE I want to party at a bar that’s named after Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria.” Well, to all you fictional people out there, I’ve got you sorted this year. Those cats Loose Joints are taking over Ferdydurke this NYE, with DJs Rory McPike, Tuscan Prince, Midnight Tenderness and Woz. Free all night, festive drink specials. Party.

BENDIGO HOTEL

SECTION 8

If your idea of New Years includes a lot more blood, sweat and denim than most, then The Bendigo Hotel is the place to be as a righteous surfer skater team of Party Vibez, Cosmic Kahuna and K-Mart Warriors all hit up the centre stage, paving the way for California punks Agent Orange to bring in 2016. $50 tickets, but just think of all the money you’ll save from the cheap jugs.

BELLEVILLE

REVERENCE HOTEL

What kind of food do you offer, and, what’s your personal favourite alcohol/ snack combination?

You’re spot on. You can’t entertain with drinks alone. Along with building on our range of liquor, we are constantly growing our range of snacks to cater to the appetite of Melburnians. We’re currently delivering a range of Shale Point gourmet cheeses and crackers, Nobby’s nuts and pork crackle, a range of chips like Doritos, Smiths, and Red Rock Deli varieties, and new to the virtual snack isle is Ben & Jerry’s ice-cream.

Personal favourite? You can’t beat a good bottle of red with cheese. I go for Wynn’s The Banker because it drinks like a $50 bottle at more than half the price, with the Shale Point Cracked Pepper cheese and crackers. Although, this summer my goto is Louis Perdrier French sparkling that drinks like a $40, but again, less than half the price.

You have over 800 alcoholic beverages in stock. What are some of the more obscure drinks we can order through you guys?

If you’re into your beer, the original Fruh Kolsch beer is a great pick for something different. The Gentlemen’s Collection red is a great intro to wine as it has 5% fortified wine, which gives a smoother finish on the palette. A big seller for us is the Little Fat Lamb cider and ginger beer, because it’s 1.25 litres, 8% alcohol volume, and only $7.50. And tasty too.

Most obscure winners go to our range of spirits though, of which there are too many to mention. Most popular has been Ron de Jeremy Spiced Rum, Purity Vodka (the purest vodka in the world, distilled 37 times), and SX Cha Cha Cha Lemon & Honey tequila. Staff pick is the Diplome Dry Gin, which has a vintage, authentic taste, staying true to the original recipe which was perfected in the era of WWII.

You guys boast an incredibly speedy delivery time. How quickly can we expect you to come and alleviate our desire?

We promise to alleviate desires with delivery in less than 60 minutes. We take ‘on-demand’ seriously, and so far we have been averaging around 30 minutes for a delivery. However we allow a one-hour window because Melbourne is such a buzzing city with non-stop events and activities, which makes traffic unpredictable at times.

Feeling thirsty? Hit up tipple.com.au to get your order in. Their on-demand delivery policy promises to get your drinks to you in under an hour, and you can also place orders for future dates.

Invite tipple to your party this New Year’s and have yourself a fancy time.

Pop the champagne, those cats over at Section 8 are ringing in the New Year with some of our favourite slingers from the Secret Heat Soundsystem.

Celebrate in our style with disco, boogie, hip hop and beats to ring in ‘16 from selectors Benny Badge, Sammy B, Annie and Ricardo McFly; all a stone’s throw from the city chaos and underneath the fireworks show. Doors from 6pm, free entry.

There are only three things I want to happen in 2016. Donald Trump not to win the American election, someone finally stops Kony, and for you to kick-start it all at Belleville. Bring your mates, throw some shapes and dance (and eat) on down until its 2016 with tunes from Saca La Mois (The Cumbia Cosmonauts) Galambo (live) and No Future DJs. Early bird tickets are only $20 (food and drink included).

Get a roast chook up ya.

How fucking poetic would it be if you had your last drinks of the year with Cash Savage & The Last Drinks? Savage and co. are headlining The Rev’s New Years shindig, leading a lineup stuffed full of goodies like La Bastard, The Sugarcanes, The Dead City Lights and Hot Wings, along with a few unannounced surprises to come. Be warned: it’s fancy dress, so dress the fuck up.

DYLAN JOEL A U T H E N T I C

A LT R U I S T

B Y J A M E S D I FA B R I Z I O

THE SELECTER T H R E E

M I N U T E

H E R O E S

BY ADAM NORRIS

For a rude girl, Pauline Black sure does seem friendly.

The celebrated 2 Tone songstress – Rolling Stone has hailed her voice as the best to ever grace a 2 Tone release – has been leading The Selecter since their formation back in 1979. While the band has split and reformed several times over the years, they’ve still managed to release a dozen albums, including 2015’s Subculture.

Throughout it all, Black and The Selecter have never lost the soul that made them so unique, outliving the majority of their 2 Tone contemporaries. Prior to appearances at Bluesfest and the Corner Hotel, Black looks back to when ska first sank its hooks into her.

“I think my very first favourite song was Longshot Kick De Bucket by The Pioneers,” she says, citing a band who were fundamental in ferrying this Jamaican sound across to the UK during the ‘60s.

“Mainly because that was the first ska rhythm song that I ever heard. I was around 15, and the school I went to was in a catchment area of Essex where they made the Ford cars, and a lot of the kids there were much more working class. A lot of them were basically skinheads and affected that style. They would bring in those kind of songs and would play them on the record player we had in the fifth floor common room. I remember hearing that, and it was kind of weird really. I was the only black kid in school, but I was introduced to ska music by white working class kids.”

It does seem fairly radical to consider a young black woman unexpectedly inspired by unruly, hair shorn youths. Though, in the UK of the 1960s the skinhead culture had yet to be overwhelmed by issues of race and politics. Instead, it took fashion and cultural cues from the West Indies, and ska was the potent spearhead. Although Black was instantly wooed by these sounds, it wasn’t until some time later that she fully took the plunge.

“It took about ten years,” she says. “It was something I put on the back-burner thinking, ‘I really, really like that kind of music,’ but it was just there with a whole load of others. At the same time I liked [ska], I liked a lot of other music coming from America. The whole civil rights movement was going on at that time, and I had a lot of interest in that. I mean, we had artists like Jimi Hendrix – I was probably more into Hendrix or really any of those Motown artists at that time, Marvin Gaye.

Then I was necessarily into a fairly obscure form of music that was coming out of Jamaica.”

Despite the other influences, Black could never quite shake her affinity for the skank (a type of ska/reggae guitar strum; although the word has taken on some slightly less savoury associations over time). In 1977 The Selecter slowly started coming together, and in 1979 Black was appointed vocalist and the band complete.

Their debut album, Too Much Pressure, quickly followed and so began the 2 Tone wave.

“It’s a whole load of things that come together to make a moment happen,”

Black says. “At the time when I first entered into the sphere of The Selecter myself, a couple of other people were trying to get a reggae band together here in Coventry. Mainly because at that time Bob Marley was coming over here for the first time, people were experiencing that brand new. That conscious reggae vibe had really fired the imaginations of a lot of black British kids across the country.

I think at our very first rehearsal Lynval Golding from The Specials, who was the rhythm guitarist at that time – I think they were even still called Coventry Automatics then – came along and sort of pointed at myself, the bass player and the keyboard player, ‘I think you should come and meet these people.’ And those people turned out to be the other half of The Selecter. From the moment that I walked in the room and heard the instrumental I thought, ‘Yeah.

We can really do something with this sort of sound’.”

That sound continues to enchant and inspire listeners the world-over. It has waxed and waned across the decades, but steadfastly refuses to fade away. With acts like The Melbourne Ska Orchestra spreading the ska gospel across Australia, there’s never been a more fitting time to catch these pioneers in the flesh.

“I think that worldwide there has always been a ska movement of some kind or another, ever since the first sounds came out from Jamaica. That’s very much why we’ve called our new album Subculture. It has been this subcultural level of various groups, be it of a mod lifestyle, a skinhead fashion, all these different subcultures all over the world. And that feeds into the music, and of course, young people like appropriating what has come before.

Take any retro sound that comes along, and they’ll do something new with it themselves. I don’t find it surprising at all. For the past 35 years that we’ve been together, we’ve travelled to many, many countries and found thriving ska scenes. I can’t see it ever going away.”

THE SELECTER are playing at the Corner Hotel on Friday March 25. You can also catch them at Bluesfest 2016, alongside Brian Wilson, D’Angelo, Kendrick Lamar and more, at the Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm, NSW from Thursday March 24 – Monday March 28.

Throughout his hip hop career, Dylan Joel has followed a refreshingly metered approach – and he’s all the better for it. After years of steadily releasing EPs and singles while paying his dues on the live circuit, Joel has finally unleashed his highly anticipated debut album, Authentic Lemonade. It’s a festival ready mix of hip hop, soul and live instrumental sections, with Joel’s affable, yet extremely dexterous rapping taking centre stage. Following an organic lead up as Joel refined his sound, Authentic Lemonade arrives as a cohesive representation of Joel’s artistry.

“I just thought about it from the perspective of trying to make my career sustainable,” says Joel. “If I make music for other people – completely for other people, and try to please people by making music – [if ] that’s how I’m going to approach it, then I’m probably going to burn out really quick. I’d probably last maybe a year or two longer before it starts to become too much.”

For Joel, staying true to himself and refusing to compromise for the sake of pleasing anyone else was intrinsic to a sustainable career. “The only way for me to continue to do this, and continue to make music that I’m inspired by, is just to be completely myself and write about the stuff that I want to write about, and make music that I want to make,” he says. “I spent a lot of time trying to keep myself in check to make sure what I was creating was me and was genuine. I’d say this album is a pretty strong reflection of who I am.”

Joel has long been an adept beat maker, allowing him to actualise his ideas into music. However, the new album sees him team up with ARIA award winning producer Cam Bluff (Hilltop Hoods, Illy, Allday). With Joel in the co-producer’s seat, the two immediately discovered a creative

spark, going on to craft multiple tracks in their first session together – all of which would later end up on Authentic Lemonade.

“We hit it off real quick,” laughs Joel. “I’ve got heaps of ideas and I’ve got heaps of vision for where the beats and instrumentals should go, but I can’t engineer it all. Cam and I had the same sort of vision for how we wanted this album to go, and how we wanted it to sound just from spending time together and working out what beats we like. It worked so well.”

Listening to Joel’s music, it’s clear he draws from a broad palette of inspiration. Traces of gospel line the airtight production of Always Fresh, while Swing sounds like a Duke Ellington remix, flipped on its head as a vehicle for the rapper to unleash a flurry of rhyming triplets. If it sounds unconventional, that’s because it is. Joel draws ideas from “everywhere outside of hip hop”, before filtering them back through the world of rap.

“I listen to hip hop heaps, but when I want a strong idea for a new track I’ll listen to a lot of other genres and take a lot of inspiration from there,” he says. “There’s generally not like a, ‘Hey I want to make some beats that sounds like this band’. It’s more like you pick

little elements in different songs and you’re like, ‘I really like what they’ve done here.

Maybe we could use that idea to help create something, or make a foundation for it’.”

Right from the early days, Joel has created music with hopes of bringing about positive change. He’s raised thousands of dollars for causes close to his heart, and a commitment to altruism is one of the most endearing aspects of his musical identity.

“I can use music to give to others. It’s kind of pointless trying to make music solely for yourself and for your own credit and affirmation. I try and make stuff that affirms others, and I make the music that I love making. Through doing it for myself, it gives to others. I think that’s where it is, man.”

DYLAN JOEL is playing at NYE on the Hill, Loch Village, from Wednesday December 30 till Friday January 1. He’s also performing at Wrangler Studios on Saturday January 16 with E^st, UV Boi and Kilter. Authentic Lemonade is available now via Warner Music.

Q&A

TANGLEWOOD FESTIVAL THE MUSIC, ART, AND THE GOOD VIBES Hey, who are we speaking with and what’s your role in Tanglewood Festival?

I’m Steph Born and have been organising the event with my brother Leigh and partner Samuel Marton for four years.

Having seen more and more music venues close down and being art and music focused ourselves, we wanted to see Melbourne’s hidden talent exposed, so we started French Fest as a not for profit. After three French Fests we’re now working under Born Rhythm Entertainment and will be holding our new event Tanglewood Festival this New Year’s.

Tanglewood Festival provides punters with the opportunity to have a safe and affordable New Year’s bash away from the chaos of the city. What kind of atmosphere should we expect?

We pride ourselves on giving everybody a great show. All the money raised goes straight back into the event. Our small amazing crew, including ourselves, volunteer countless hours to make this event what it is. We put a lot of effort into production, décor, and art, creating each design and structure ourselves. We source some of the best musicians and producers for top quality sound, and we keep the numbers low creating an intimate experience where everyone looks out for one another. The atmosphere is positive, inclusive, and truly unique.

You aim to highlight Victoria’s amazing musical talent with a versatile lineup including blues, metal, hip hop, reggae and good old fashioned rock’n’roll. Who are some acts that we absolutely need to catch?

They are all acts worth checking out, but some of the highlights would have to be Spoonbill, Tash Sultana, Hypnotech, Funk Form, Reuben Stone, Dub Princess and Isaac Chambers.

The festival has a no dickhead policy. What’s some classic dickhead behaviour that attendees should avoid?

It is all about respect: respect for the crew, artists and other patrons around you. I would hope that people know the difference between good and bad behaviour, but if they don’t it is pretty simple – they will be asked to leave. There are a list of rules that can be viewed on our website, but the biggest one for us at the moment considering the dry, hot summer we have already seen is no fire of any kind. This includes BBQs, fireworks and twirling.

W W W. B E AT.C O M . A U

Tanglewood will be held in Thornton, Victoria, just a 90 minute drive from Melbourne’s north. What makes this picturesque location the perfect place to farewell 2015?

It really took my breath away the first time I laid eyes on this site. The journey alone is stunning; the event site is the icing on the cake. It also helps to be working with an amazing local community of people that have been helping us all along the way.

There’ll be a number of reasonably priced food stalls, craft markets and cultural and educational workshops. Can you elaborate on some of these features?

We have sourced some of the tastiest, most nutritious local food stalls to keep everyone fed and happy, from burgers to popcorn, smoothies to Spanish cuisine. It is a BYO event, but we also have the Good Brew Company selling organically brewed cider and craft beers cheaper than chips.

We also have a healing space with tarot reading, massage and an onsite naturopath; workshops including yoga, hula hooping and acrobatics; and a creation station where you can have your face painted for NYE or make a sign to mark your campsite.

There’ll be over 20 market stalls selling local wares, clothing and jewellery, and an art gallery featuring some amazing Melbourne artists doing live art and chainsaw sculptures. A ‘third stage’ where anyone can get up and jam will be new this festival, so anyone can showcase their unique talent.

What is unique about Tanglewood festival in comparison to other Aussie music festivals?

It is all about supporting the local community – the music, art, and the good vibes. We do not have dollar signs in our eyes and we do not just seek big names in the industry, but rather provide genuinely talented musicians with the opportunity to help create the best possible experience for everyone.

TANGLEWOOD FESTIVAL goes down from Wednesday December 30 – Friday January 1 in Thornton, VIC. For more info check out tanglewoodfestival.com.au BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 33

AGENT ORANGE R I S I N G

F R O M

D A R K N E SS

B y Ro d W h itfie l d

Mike Palm formed legendary surf-punk band Agent Orange way back in 1979. Despite not releasing an album in nearly 20 years, the band have never actually broken up. Over the years, Palm has watched the music industry flip on its head and turn inside out, and he sees both advantages and disadvantages in the ongoing evolution.

Metz G oo d

F o r

T h e

Hea d

B y J ame s Di Fab r izio

Metz frontman Alex Edkins is the first to admit his band never expected the outpouring of critical acclaim and subsequent success that followed their thunderous selftitled album. With that in mind, the band’s suitably titled follow up, II, makes no attempt to abandon the sludge encrusted noise rock the three-piece have become known for. There is no big name producer on the credits, and no half-hearted attempt at a radio single. If anything, the Canadian band’s sophomore release is even more gloriously ragged than their 2012 debut. Ultimately, Metz are chasing a sound that feels right to them, and refusing to compromise in the process.

“I think it was just important to us to stay true to why we do this at all,” says Edkins.

“We tried to make something that the three of us would like, and not think about what’s going to sell more copies. That’s really all it was; it was us wanting to almost put blinders on, and not think about the fact that all of a sudden we had quite a bigger audience because of the reaction to the first record.”

As well as blocking out any external pressures that could’ve crept into the rehearsal room, Metz bunkered down for a six-month songwriting exile, forcing them to take a break from their notoriously hectic touring schedule. The result is a record that’s both breathtakingly concussive and more cohesive than the last. “[We were] going in and working on songs that were better structured than we’d ever done before,” says Edkins. “That was a new process. Before it was always jamming and jamming, whittling down the songs and arranging them that way. This was different.

I think it had its definite pros. There’s a little more melody in there.”

Like a punch to the gut, Metz offer an onslaught of buzz saw guitars and sandpaper vocals, broken up by occasional bursts of ambient noise or an off-kilter harmony. II comprises a hard-edged interplay between tension and release, which is as therapeutic for punters to thrash around to as it is for the band to make it. “I think it’s like having a shrink or something, but for free. It’s good for our heads,” Edkins laughs.

This triggers memories of the now infamous incident where Metz’s music was, in fact, detrimental to their heads. Bassist Chris Slorach split his skull open after headbanging straight into his instrument. Not one to cause a fuss, he simply covered the wound with duct tape and finished the set – undeterred by the cocktail of blood and sweat dripping down his face.

“It’s a huge release for all three of us,” says Edkins. “As far as the band goes, I think it’s a really good outlet for all of our personalities. A lot of the content is often coming from frustration. I don’t think of it as anger, but some of the darker things we’re able to get out of our system.”

With a four year gap between their formation and their debut LP, Metz’s first album was painstakingly crafted, designed to ooze brutality with rapid-fire precision.

BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 34

After all, it takes immense effort to disguise a tightly oiled machine as pure chaos. With II however, the band decided to embrace their ragged edges.

“I’m really turned on by records that have all of the mistakes left in,” says Edkins.

“Things where they’re not trying to make a perfect take, or a perfect song; leaving it all there to see. We did that more on this second album than we did on the first one.

I think on the first one, we were attempting to get something right, you know? It’s not that we weren’t holding high standards, but I think our definition of good has slightly changed, where the feel is more important than the actual execution. I think it’s one of those things where there is no right way now. Whatever is feeling good, that’s the right way.”

In between the bone crushing posthardcore explosions, II is glued together by miniature soundscapes and segments of eerie immersion. Metz have always taken an experimental approach to recording, but it has never felt so fully realised than on their latest album.

“It’s kind of a collage of things I’ve found and recorded,” Edkins says of the track Zzyzx. “We were helping a friend demolish their house, so there’s the sound of wood snapping and a crowbar pulling out wood planks from the floor. It’s fun to mess around with that and tweak it out; speed it up, slow it down.”

As their profile continues to grow, Metz are sticking to their guns. The band are making the music they want to hear, which has always been the goal and most likely always will be.

“It’s always been such a selfish endeavour in some ways. It’s never been about other people. It’s incredible that people connect to it. I just hope people take away the fact that we’re honest, and making something from the heart that we care about a lot.

We’re not pandering to any expectation.

We’re just three guys doing what they like to do, and having the most fun they can doing it. That’s it, really.”

METZ are playing at the Corner Hotel on Friday February 12. They’re also taking part in Laneway 2016 at the Footscray Community Arts Centre on Saturday February 13. II is out now courtesy of Sub Pop / Inertia.

“The whole music scene has come a long way since [Agent Orange started],” Palm says, speaking down a phone line from his home in San Diego. “Technologically, things have come a long way, there’s so many things that are different. It’s just crazy. But one of the other things about it is, the more you’re around, the more you tend to take advantage of that. In the sense that people come up to us and say, ‘Oh man, me and my friends built a big ramp in my friend’s backyard, and we had this big ghetto blaster and we played your cassette all the time.’ That’s the kind of story that new bands don’t get to hear. You only get to hear that type of story if you’ve been around that long.”

Agent Orange were among the true pioneers of the surf-infused punk rock sound that has become synonymous with the US West Coast. Palm is proud of this fact, and hears the influence of Agent Orange in many of the acts that followed them.

“Not just us, but all of the Southern Californian bands that we grew up with and were our friends – we built a sound,” he says. “You hear the influence today, and that is what music is all about. It’s about passing the baton on and the stuff that doesn’t work out, it’s just forgotten.

“When I listen to new bands, there’s always a new twist on it. But it’s kind of strange to

PEARLS

B I G

SH O T S

O F

look back and realise that we were building the basics, it was the basis of the whole thing. We certainly weren’t the first; we had our own influences. It’s just how it’s re-interpreted, it turns it into something original.”

Australian fans will get to experience the Southern Californian trailblazers in the flesh when they head our way over the New Year’s period. It’ll be the band’s first trip Down Under in almost 20 years, and Palm feels a touch of trepidation about making the lengthy journey, but is nevertheless looking forward to playing.

G L A M

BY HANNAH JOYNER

With 2016 fast approaching, Pearls can happily reflect on a year of monumental fun while gearing up for an enviable start to the next one. Fresh from a US tour and a memorable performance at Meredith Music Festival, the band have locked in performances at NYE On the Hill, New Year’s Evie and Sugar Mountain. Boutique festivals are the perfect fit for Pearls, who’re known to dress for the occasion.

“Are you talking about James [Payne, keyboards]’s white pants?” laughs singer, guitarist and main songwriter, Ryan Caesar.

“Because those aren’t special pants, he wears those pants a lot. They’re beautiful.”

Pearls released their debut LP Pretend You’re Mine back in February. The album boasts a wide range of influences, including a conspicuous glam rock glow. Despite the genre’s cheesy associations, Pearls proudly own their glam rock influences.

“I think it’s good,” Caesar says. “Glam rock music when it was first around influenced some cheesy music, like hair metal and things like that, which is not really what we’re about. But even Lou Reed and Bowie were glam – and Reed put out Transformer, which definitely a bit of glam seeped B E AT.C O M . A U

into and that’s probably what we aim for.

[Glam] also influenced disco, but hopefully we don’t sound too cheesy. It just sort of happened.”

For Pearls, being glamorous appears to be more of a lifestyle choice. And anyhow, the tongue in cheek aspect of glam rock suits them. “I think the sense of humour of glam is something Pearls like to take from it as well,” says Caesar. “Though sometimes I see photos of myself and think, ‘That guy looks like he takes himself too seriously’. I mean, double denim and a mullet.”

Another local band with a similar eye for fashion, Montero, are joining Pearls on the New Year’s Evie lineup. “That lineup’s great” says Caesar. “And Sugar Mountain too, but New Year’s Evie has Geoff O’Connor as

“Pretty stressed right now, but yeah really excited too,” he says. “For us it’s a case of, we did a little bit of work on it back in the mid-to-late-‘90s, we were there two or three times. But then we just got sidetracked doing other things, touring South America and Europe, and we haven’t made our way back around in a while. So it’s a big deal for us.”

Agent Orange have released just three fulllength albums to date plus an equal number of EPs, so Aussie fans can expect to hear all of their favourites during the upcoming tour. “We play pretty much everything everybody wants to hear,” Palm says. “It has to be pretty obscure to be left out of the set.

We also play all the songs faster. It’s just a natural thing, feeding off the energy of the audience. We tend to crank it up a bit and play it pretty rapid-fire, so we get through a lot of the catalogue in one short, sharp set, no problem. It’s all the favourites and a few extras.”

Approaching 40 years since their formation, Palm says Agent Orange are nowhere near done. “I’m going to hang on to this thing and see how long I can make it last.”

AGENT ORANGE are playing The Bendigo Hotel on Thursday December 31, with Party Vibez and Cosmic Kahuna.

well, so lots of friends to spend New Year’s with.” Of the Sugar Mountain lineup, Caesar’s especially excited about Dirty Three, Viet Cong and Dâm-Funk. “There’s lots of stuff, it’s overwhelming,” he says.

It’s been an exceedingly busy year for Pearls, and they haven’t got much planned for the lulls in between the upcoming festival spots. “Maybe just drinking lots of water and preparing for long days. It still feels like we just got back.”

Caesar’s referring to the band’s recent visit to the CMJ Music Marathon in New York: “James and I – white pants James – stuck around and just ruined ourselves, pretty much, and then came home and had to get ready for Meredith. It was a bit of a marathon, but we enjoyed it.”

As far as future touring plans go, Caesar says getting another song out is a higher priority. “We’ve got a couple of good ideas, so I guess we’ll just see what happens. We’re maybe interested in The Great Escape Festival [Brighton, UK], but I guess we’ll have to see if our good ideas are good ideas yet. It’s always good to go anywhere.”

The chaos of festival slots has had a major upshot for Pearls: drawing in new fans that then come to check them out at other gigs. “It’s been amazing,” says Caesar.

“Considering our stuff was released about a year ago, just to still get decent slots at festivals has been crazy and great.”

NYE On the Hill is completely sold out, which is no surprise given the cracking lineup and unique Loch Village event site.

“It’s in a really beautiful part of Victoria.

I’ve never been to a festival like it before.”

Despite the recent onslaught of festival appearances, Pearls’ enthusiasm isn’t waning. “It’s a tough one to have a bad time at a festival in a band. Though, I don’t know how any band could play the second or last day into a festival, because after day one of Meredith, it was on. I’m looking forward to everything though, it’s going to be great.”

PEARLS are playing at NYE On the Hill, which goes down at The Farm in Loch Village, VIC on Wednesday December 30 and Thursday December 31; New Year’s Evie at Bruzzy’s Farm in Tallarook, VIC, from Thursday December 31 until Saturday January 2; and Sugar Mountain at the Victorian College of the Arts on Saturday January 23.

CORE

PUNK, SKA, HARDCORE NEWS, REVIEWS & GOSSIP with EMILY KELLY ek1984@gmail.com

What a year for huge Australian releases (looking at you Ms Barnett) and killer little international albums too. Most of my favourites were fairly mainstream this year, though worth noting that possibly the best album of 2015 – Silent Kill by Radioactivity – didn’t get an Australian release. Released on the very respectable Dirt Nap Records, Silent Kill is the most relentless and thoroughly kickarse punk rock release of the year. British duo Slaves delivered a severely underrated take on geezer punk mid-

year with Are You Satisfied? and Ghost’s Meliora was just as thrilling. Undeterred by a friend’s suggestion that the album just sounds like Hillsong tunes about the devil, this predominantly pop offering gets so freakin’ theatrical that I’m almost thinking of introducing it to my mum. Drug Church, Meat Wave and Beach Slang also delivered, the latter landing on lots of mainstream best ofs (Richard Kingsmill seems to bloody love it, which is always a good sign). I couldn’t deny the charm of Tame Impala’s highly decorated Currents album either, though Royal Headache’s High matches it in terms of inspired, songwriting that gives zero fucks what you think. Finally, Best Coast provided me with a new soundtrack to my summer and Baltimore feminist punks War On Women confirmed they’ll be a band to watch over the next five years.

Ready for an epic list of cancellations friends? Well you’re about to get one because, taking a leaf out of Soundwave’s

CRUNCH

(The Bennies) and Stevie (Clowns).

On Thursday December 31 The Bendigo Hotel, Get On The Stage and The Drunk Promoter are proud to announce a very special performance of Agent Orange and special guests for New Year’s Eve 2015.

The original southern California punk/ METAL, HEAVY ROCK. CLASSIC ROCK LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL surf power trio, Agent Orange are one of only a handful of bands who have been GOOD SHIT continually active since the earliest days of with PETER HODGSON the west coast punk scene. crunchcolumn@gmail.com On Saturday January 2 catch Hailgun with Victim Control, Counterattack!, Saskatchewan and Iscariot. It’s GET THEE TO THE BENDIGO a fundraiser show for Indigenous Lots of cool stuff coming up at the Bendigo Community Volunteers, a non-profit Hotel over the next week. As part of their community development organisation Music Is For Losers tour, Kill Dirty Youth helping indigenous communities across are rocking The Bendigo Hotel every Australia with the unique problems they Wednesday in December, with killer new face. ICV does things differently to other support every week. On December 23 it’s charities by giving people control of Basket of Mammoths and Stone Revivial. development decisions and by respecting On December 30 it’s Submarines and local knowledge and input. They aim to help create a better and brighter future more TBA. On Thursday December 24, The Drunk for indigenous Australians so they may Promoter presents An Orphan’s XMAS fully participate in, and benefit from, the Party. Your parents think you’re a failure, advantages enjoyed by all Australians. All your siblings have all had children and your proceeds will be donated to ICV to help nan’s roast ain’t what it used to be, so in an them continue their work to empower and effort to save Christmas we’ve flown your assist those in need. favourite dreadlocked punk rocker all the way from California to help pour beers and SEVENDUST RETURN play classics. Eric Melvin of NOFX will be Atlanta’s brutal hard rock kings Sevendust hitting the decks and spreading Christmas are back as heavy as ever and will play cheer to all orphans (literal or figurative), their first shows on Aussie soil in six years. estranged foreigners and weird uncles until Their blistering new album Kill The Flaw late into the night. Leave the cookies out has received some of the best reviews of early and come party. DJ sets from Anty the band’s career, displaying reinvigorated

book, everyone’s calling off their shows lately. Is it the brutal Aussie dollar or are we just not as attractive as we used to be?

UK band Gnarwolves have cancelled their tour just a few weeks prior to kick off. “Due to numerous reasons that are out of anyone’s control” the tour has been postponed. “All tickets will be refunded over the next week or so,” promoter Revival Bookings posted. “We hate pulling shows and have never done so before... hopefully we can reschedule as soon as possible”.

Frenzal Rhomb had to can a bunch of their shows after their guitarist Lindsay McDougall was ordered to undergo emergency eye surgery. The band have been in the wars since drummer Gordy Forman fractured his arm earlier in the year. The band will dutifully reschedule the shows, most of which were in New South Wales.

Dream On, Dreamer had to cancel their Melbourne album launch after the venue creativity and signalling a rejuvenated, take-no-prisoners stance akin to that initial three-album burst of mayhem. See them at 170 Russell on Friday March 18, tickets on sale now from Metropolis Touring.

NIGHTWISH TOUR

Don’t forget Nightwish are here soon, with support from Tasmania’s Taberah, and only a handful of tickets are still available. With a lineup headed by creator and keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen, the brilliant vocal range of Floor Jansen, the great guitar work of Emppu Vuorinen (lead/rhythm) and Marco Hietala (bass/ backing vocals), all intertwined with the uplifting and atmospheric pipe work from Troy Donockley, Nightwish have very few equals in the music industry. See them on Monday January 11 at the Forum Theatre.

NEW VESANIA VIDEO

Poland’s Vesania have launched a new video for Notion, directed by Aleksander Ikaniewicz and taken from their 2014 album, Deus Ex Machina! Watch the six minute epic from the symphonic black metal act (that features current and former members of Behemoth, Dimmu Borgir, Vader, and Decapitated) on YouTube.

Vesania’s Orion (guitars and vocals) says “This video we made for Notion is not a typical music video clip. It’s more of a motion picture, and it’s over six minutes long, so get ready for lots of details. It’s a cinematic variation based on the idea behind the song. It tells a story of a follower, a story of being fascinated and making

they were scheduled to perform at flooded.

They’ve been nice guys and rescheduled the show for Friday January 15 with Ocean Grove, Sentinel and Polaris at Northcote Social Club.

And finally, the cancellation to end all cancellations; Soundwave is over. After the most ridiculous amount of online speculation we’ve ever witnessed, festival organiser AJ Maddah confirmed the news with a tweet last week. “I am devastated to have to announce the cancellation of Soundwave 16 due to poor ticket sales. I am very sorry. I tried my best...Thank you to all the fans, bands and people who supported the event for the last 12 years. I wish we could have ended it on a better note”. If you bought a ticket to the festival already you’ll want to stay across the many investigative news pieces online currently exploring just who is responsible for refunding punters.

Don’t hold your breath for that refund though because no one wants to take responsibility. things you dream of real for yourself.

Becoming what you once called an idol for yourself. And then, the perspective changes once you reach this new different point of view. You realise you have more power than you can handle and at the same time, the art you create is just a way of fighting things you’re too weak to fight anywhere else. There’s a deceit in being the audience and the actor at once.”

EUROPE ADDS WACKEN PERFORMANCE TO ALBUM RE-RELEASE

If you only know the band Europe through The Final Countdown (and it’s OK if you do, that song is pretty inescapable), you’re missing out on a lot of great melodic rock.

Their most recent album War Of Kings has been hailed as the best of their career, and it’s now available with a bonus disc of their live performance from the Wacken Open Air Festival earlier this year. The set comes in three formats: 2-disc Ecolbook CD+DVD, 2-disc Ecolbook BluRay+CD, Limited Edition Deluxe Package with War of Kings CD + DVD + BluRay and Photobook. An audio-only edition of the Wacken 2015 performance is also available digitally. Joey Tempest says, “Very proud to have the War of Kings special edition coming out with our Wacken performance as bonus disc and of course our new video for the live version of Nothin’ to Ya. See you all on the road as the War of Kings tour continues.”

GIGS

WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 23: KILL DIRTY YOUTH, BASKET OF MAMMOTHS, STONE REVIVAL at The Bendigo Hotel CABLE TIES, SLOW DRIVER, TANKERVILLE at The Old Bar

THURSDAY DECEMBER 24: MESA COSA, LAURA PALMER, BLIND MAN DEATH STARE at The Bendigo Hotel APES at Karova Lounge, Ballarat DICK DIVER, TERRIBLE TRUTHS, SWEET WHIRL at The Tote WIL WAGNER, JEROME KNAPPETT, PRAIRIE at The Reverence EAST BRUNSWICK ALL GIRLS CHOIR, LOOSE TOOTH, CONNIE CRUST AND THE DUST BUSTERS at The Old Bar

SATURDAY DECEMBER 26: DALLAS CRANE at Barwon Club TRUE FRIENDS, INCENTIVES, OF STOLEN MOMENTS at Bang PLAGUE DOCTOR, STAY SHARP, SHRIMPWITCH, BJ MORRISZONKLE, YOKO BONO at The Old Bar

SUNDAY DECEMBER 27: DALLAS CRANE at Lorne Hotel THE GETAWAY PLAN, OCEAN GROVE, STRICKLAND, THE VALLEY ENDS at Plastic

MONDAY DECEMBER 28: DALLAS CRANE at The Loft

TUESDAY DECEMBER 29: THE RESIGNATORS, MASCO SOUND SYSTEM at Cherry Bar

WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 30: KILL DIRTY YOUTH, SUBMARINES at The Bendigo Hotel

THURSDAY DECEMBER 31: AGENT ORANGE, PARTY VIBEZ, COSMIC KAHUNA at The Bendigo Hotel CASH SAVAGE & THE LAST DRINKS, LA BASTARD, THE SUGARCANES, THE DEAD CITY LIGHTS, HOT WINGS at The Reverence THE BENNIES, CLOWNS, FOXTROT at Ding Dong Lounge

SATURDAY JANUARY 2: CONFESSION, GRAVES at The Evelyn Hotel HAILGUN, VICTIM CONTROL, COUNTERATTACK, SASKATCHEWAN at The Bendigo Hotel CLOSURE IN MOSCOW, GLASS EMPIRE, GRAVE STREET BLUES at Bang

SUNDAY JANUARY 3: CONFESSION, GRAVES at Arrow on Swanston

LOW

OPPOSITE ENDS OF THE SCALE

BY ADAM NORRIS

They’re currently traipsing about the world tour spruiking an album just three months old, but already Low are looking to the future. 2016 will see them once again yoyoing the globe, and as frontman Alan Sparhawk says, there are always more songs clamouring to be recorded.

Suffice to say, there’s plenty going on in the life of Low. Given they recently conducted a reddit AMA, the time seemed ripe to finally finding out how these exchanges unfold, and just what kind of direct relationship with fans Sparhawk and co. endeavour to have.

“It was kind of a quick scramble,” he says.

“All three of us were sitting in the living room with our laptops open just answering as best we could. It’s a little overwhelming, for sure, because once you’re there for around ten or 15 minutes you start to realise there’s no way you’re going to come close to answering them all. You start cruising. Some are interesting, some you just want to leave totally alone. Some from straight-up fans who have these really whack questions you feel the need to answer. I usually [just] do Twitter, and that seems to work pretty good. There’s not a lot of obligation there, you can just rattle off whatever you’re doing at the moment.

It’s not as time consuming. But we’ve always had a good relationship with fans.

We’ll always talk to them at gigs, though you’re usually in a rush to get somewhere and it can be a kind of awkward thing. But that’s really how you see the faces, where you see people not in the crowd but as real people.”

Having formed in 1993, Low have been building their fanbase for a long time, enduring some significant shifts within the music industry. They’re 11 albums down with no signs of slowing, managing to not only maintain a slew of individual side projects, but also oversee their own record label, Chairkicker’s Union.

“We’re still essentially going in and working with really good people with really small budgets,” says Sparhawk.

“When I first started to write, you

recognise immediately that it isn’t perfect.

I mean, it’s perfect in what it’s sort of…

I’m not describing it very well [laughs].

When you write, you realise that you’re only ever given fragments. With songs you get this vast leeway where you don’t have to tell the complete story. It doesn’t have to be grammatically correct, it doesn’t have to provide the full picture. I think that’s where the fun and the art of it is, it can free you up where you think, ‘Well, I’m not going to try and use any old stuff; all that’s left is my faith in this fragment. This belief in a piece of something.’ It’s not until later on that you start realising, ‘Oh that [song’s] about that, this might have been influenced by that thing going on at the time.’ So that incompleteness is, to me, the most exciting part about writing music.”

Accordingly, Sparhawk doesn’t prescribe to any set writing method – his composing style is as fragmented as the shards of story that emerge from his subconscious.

“I’m pretty typical mostly, I think. Sitting up late holding a guitar, usually around W W W. B E AT.C O M . A U

two in the morning. It’s usually a private, late-night thing, right at the edge of breakdown,” he laughs. “You have to be a little bit exhausted. If you get too much sleep you’re not going to write very well.

“I guess I [write about] the everyday. There’s maybe a few common threads throughout what we do, certain relationships and psychologies. The bones are the same, I think just at different times in your life you have a different feel for things. I definitely don’t feel like every record has a different set of subjects or themes that I’m trying to communicate. It more often feels like this is today’s version of what I’m trying to say.”

This raises the question, then, of how happily Sparhawk can reflect on earlier recordings when each song might be considered a testament to a particular time and place. Their latest album, Ones and Sixes, was released in September, and though still very fresh, you wonder if the intent and meaning behind the record still resonates with the band.

“It’s worse, because we finished it last

winter, so it sat there for five or six months before anyone started to hear anything.

So we had to sit with it for a while, which takes some of the wind out of your sails.

When you finish it, you’re the most excited you can be. I don’t know. You gain a little perspective, but there isn’t some magical moment where you suddenly say, ‘Oh, OK, I understand what I’ve been doing now all this time.’ It’s all about those little fragments. Sometimes you can look back and see, well, that part must come from there, things like that. I’m not adamant that I understand what I’m doing necessarily, so I’m not too concerned with figuring out whatever it is I’ve done. If it felt right, if it felt like it was an accurate representation of the parts I know are there, then that’s kind of all the satisfaction you can ask for.”

One and Sixes, LOW’s latest album, is out now via Sub Pop/Inertia.

BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 35

E AT.C O M

EV IEWS FOR

M

RE

CH

/R

LIVE

R E P O R T S

.A

O

KB

U

EC

F R O M

T H E

F R O N T

R O W

TEMPURA NIGHTS, LAZERTITS + CABLE TIES

Photos by David Harris

Photo by Tony Proudfoot

THE OLD BAR

THURSDAY DECEMBER 17

2015 was a pretty solid year for tour promoters Bone Soup and publicity, booking and management team Future Popes, and each side contributed to a memorable year-end party tonight. It was a shame to hear headliners Scotdrakula pulled out at the last minute, but it was a great lineup nonetheless.

Opening act Cable Ties are one of the tightest local bands you could’ve seen during 2015. Tonight’s set guaranteed that if they keep it together, they’re going to make some major waves. The band’s songwriting differs from the scene’s norm – we got so much from each song, including rolling bass lines, choppy punk riffs, desertstyle guitar twangs and tight drum work.

Cut Me Down proved this particularly well with a chorus almost entirely divorced from the main riff.

Brisbane’s Tempura Nights were up next,

giving Melbourne audiences a taste of their fantastic brand of summery indie rock for the first time. Driven by Alice Rezende’s scooped guitar and some furious kick drum work, the band put their spin on ‘90s slacker-pop. The set comprised a healthy combination of Pavement-mining power ballads, and more than a touch of Kim Deal. Everyone in the venue swayed to the well-delivered chords and hooks, with a few riveting guitar solos adding an extra bit of sugar. Tempura Nights truly emphasised their talent in track three, Mr Tone, which took the upbeat feeling from the previous tracks and spliced it with something more brooding. This masterful juxtaposing of different emotions is the hallmark of a talented band, and tonight you could see it from opening track Studville right through to RIP Chix.

Lazertits started their set with the punk

outburst PMS, sharing the intimate experience of watching yourself bleed in a shower and hating everyone. There’s something refreshing about a band that spotlights these scenarios without giving a fuck. The rhythm guitarist belted out chords fiercer than most, and several of the members rotated between instruments and vocals, making for a varied and interesting set.

LOVED: The guitarist from Tempura Nights. Guy played a song from Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time and said ‘bless you’ when I sneezed. Thanks guy.

HATED: Scotdrakula had to cancel. Get well soon Evie.

DRANK: Beer.

BY THOMAS BRAND

DAMIAN COWELL’S DISCO MACHINE FT. TONY MARTIN PRESENTS: ‘DISCO CHRISTMAS’ CORNER HOTEL SATURDAY DECEMBER 19

Warning: those offended by the use of the hand vagina as an instrument and dance moves titled ‘See You Later Cunt’ and ‘Exit Arsehole’ can gladly get fucked, as the button on Damian Cowell’s laptop preaches.

This was hardly your traditional carols in the candlelight with Marina Prior and The Wiggles. It was more akin to carols by the lake of fire with Santa’s anagram himself, Damian Cowell, Satan’s little helper, Tony Martin, and their gang of Disco Stus playing a fit-inducing combination of disco and punk rock, gift wrapped in satirical tinsel.

Cowell’s off-stage introduction reminds us of all the things we love about the silly season: overcrowded shopping car parks, and talking to people at work functions who we don’t respect. Like a Christmas miracle, they appeared on stage next to telescreens pumping out all of Cowell’s lampooning lyrics, making the gig feel as if we were living in George Orwell’s 1984.

There wasn’t just two minutes of hate, but a whole show of societal hate. The twisted Christmas carols included I Hope You Get Laid For Christmas, I Hate the Little

FLOATING POINTS COBURG VELODROME SUNDAY DECEMBER 13

Coburg Velodrome opened at 12pm, but the guy in the Korean food truck tells me it was dead until three. It’s not hard to see why – it’s early evening and the site is still baking hot; a dusty, grey-green expanse of grass, ringed by cement, not a tree in sight.

A pitiful row of Red Bull umbrellas line the far side of the Velodrome, scant shade for a thousand-odd punters who are kicking back to the house party sounds of Wax’o Paradiso.

Freedom Time 2 is the first of many events planned in the Velodrome. It’s obviously a novelty, attending a party in a repurposed venue, but with no trees it reminds me of the Big Day Out at Flemington Racecourse, although a fraction of the size.

To be fair, the crowd is happy, heavily buzzed for a Sunday afternoon and very chilled out. There are clearly a few pills floating around, but there are also a couple of babies, ears muffled against the sounds of DJ JNett’s barnstorming afrobeat and disco set. The local stalwart draws an appreciative BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 36

Photos by Duncographic

crowd to the main stage, and as she’s winding up she meets bellowing cheers with a warm, grateful wave.

It’s still light when Floating Points appears.

The hustle around the main stage is a good 20 metres deep, but much of the crowd is scattered, seated, around the field. Up front, it’s a messy scene, wasted punters standing backs to the stage, girls drooping with drugs and booze, toes squished under wayward feet. But there are a few hardcore fans, including two directly behind me who anticipate an opening salvo of nothing but sine wave noise. They’re going to be disappointed.

Floating Points (AKA Sam Shepherd)’s lauded debut album Elaenia is an experimental weave of jazz and electro threads, creeping and heartwarming, but his DJ sets are a more straightforward affair.

The 29-year-old neuroscientist takes to the stage with a heaving sack of records and starts cueing them up, one by one, singing along as they play. Shepherd opens with a

‘70s soul tune and moves into some deep funk cuts and hip hop, riding the high pass filter at every opportunity. The Elaenia fans behind me speculate that Shepherd has taken his cues from JNett, and that’s why we’re missing the more experimental edge of Floating Points’ sound. But I suspect this is just how he travels. Anyway, it’s OK. The beats get heavier as his two-hour set wears on and the crowd shuffles its feet.

Some of the mixes are rough, but his tunes are delightfully obscure, which is just good enough for this lean-to party. Bespectacled, grinning loosely, it’s like he’s playing for friends who have low expectations. And everybody has a fine time.

LOVED: Sam Shepherd’s uber nerd style.

HATED: Every drunk dipshit who stepped on my foot.

DRANK: Water.

BY SIMONE UBALDI

IF YOU ARE READING THIS YOU ARE TOO CLOSE

Drummer Boy and a song about mummy kissing Geoffrey Edelsten, the Bachelor and Donald Trump.

It wasn’t all about Christmas. Cowell told stories about Leigh Matthews punching out Nick Cave, which “may or may not have happened, and shouldn’t be put on Twitter or Instagram,” (he didn’t mention Beat).

Tony Martin came out halfway through the show, dressed as Hector the Safety Cat to sing his character’s title song and play the triangle. We all almost died when we learnt the Venganus wasn’t coming in Où Est Le Vengabus? And wondered why we give God-like status to failed artists with waxed moustaches who pour water through coffee in Jesus Barista Superstar. They closed with the Good Shepherd medley, a mix of disco and punk songs with the slightest bit of TISM’s I’m Interested in Apathy weaved in. Cowell left the stage by telling us to put ice on our genitals as Melbourne sweated through its hottest December night on record.

Damian Cowell’s Disco Machine distribute the kind of humour you don’t laugh at immediately, but three weeks later will have you in hysterics while you’re watching your snobbish barista whipping up a weak skinny chai latte.

LOVED: The hand vagina instrument.

HATED: Missing support act Pinky Beecroft 4.0.

DRANK: The bar (and then some).

BY LEE SPENCER-MICHAELSEN

ALBUM YEAR OF THE

Top Tens PBS TOP TEN FEATURE ALBUMS OF 2015

1. Choose Your Weapon HIATUS KAIYOTE 2. Mooroolbark BARNEY MCALL 3. High ROYAL HEADACHE 4. Vulnicura BJÖRK 5. Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit COURTNEY BARNETT 6. Biomass BATPISS 7. Kill It Yourself JESS RIBEIRO 8. Mother’s Not Feeling Herself Today SUZANNAH ESPIE 9. Twelve Reasons To Die II GHOSTFACE KILLAH & ADRIAN YOUNGE 10. Quarter Street QUARTER STREET

RECORD PARADISE TOP TEN COURTNEY BARNETT Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit (Milk! Records/Remote Control Records)

There are many aspects of Courtney Barnett’s music to admire: the quirky lyrics, the catchy riffs, the wry humour, and the manifest absence of ego. But above all, it’s the sheer ordinariness that makes the strongest subconscious impression. It’s said the best books you read are the ones you wish you’d written yourself. When Barnett riffs on the northward drift of the housing affordability belt into Preston in Depreston, it resonates better than any egghead economist’s academic analysis; when she charts the journey of a suburban office worker in Elevator Operator, Barnett crystallises everything tedious we’ve ever imagined about the contemporary world.

Musically, you’re forever hearing a riff that seems vaguely familiar, almost seminal: a snippet of Kinks in Aqua Profunda!, a flash of You Am I mod-riffage in Nobody Really Cares If You Don’t Go to the Party, bubblegum Monkees garage in Debbie Downer, even some Kim Salmon blues-noir in Small Poppies. These are the songs we all wish we’d composed in our Nuggets-riddled garage, but only Barnett has the talent to do so.

Yet the ordinariness is deceptive: you don’t write a song like Pedestrian at Best, with its subtle post-modernist inflection, without serious talent and deep insight into

the cannibalistic tendencies of the music game. In the late-‘90s, Regurgitator fired a pre-emptive strike against popular and critical criticism in I Like Your Old Stuff Better Than Your New Stuff. Barnett comes at the challenge of expectation from another angle, lowering herself down the ladder of success before anyone has a chance to take a pot-shot in her direction. On Dead Fox, Barnett wanders allegorically from hipster obsessions with organic food to Jackson Pollock roadkill. It could be casual musing, it could be political commentary, or it could just be a great song.

The last two tracks – Kim’s Caravan and Boxing Day Blues – are a slight departure from the prevailing style of the record. The spacious and distant feel of the former barely disguises a confessional tone; the latter paints in stark relief the consumerist obsessions and specious community rhetoric of the festive season. While this album has caused Courtney Barnett’s star to rise spectacularly, she’s not a rock star: she’s just Courtney Barnett, and there isn’t anyone else like her.

BY PATRICK EMERY

SINGLES OF THE YEAR WITH LACHLAN

SHEER MAG Fan The Flames (Kartoga Works) It was between this and Button Up, or maybe it was between any of the four tracks found on Sheer Mag’s II. This one’s a little more laidback, rollicking guitar licks building to a feel-great hook. Philadelphia’s Sheer Mag have the tools within their grasp – fearless appreciation for rock anthems, sick guitar tones, a powerhouse vocalist – and they use all of them all at maximum power setting.

D.R.A.M Cha Cha (Independent) Few songs went on as interesting a journey as Cha Cha. Going on to become obvious influence on Drake’s Hotline Bling, it emerged as a Super

S

I

N

G

L

E

Mario World-sampling low-key viral hit with off-kilter lyrics. The Mario sample has since been stripped, presumably due to Nintendo asking to cough up the coin (funnily enough, the coin sound sample remains). The original still holds the most charm, irrepressibly silly, daring you to call it obnoxious.

DOLLAR BAR Drawbacks (Sonic Masala) Clocking in at one minute and fifteen seconds, Drawbacks is sneering in self-deprecation, every line a golden nugget as the track barrels along with punk brevity and cheesy power riff action. It turns confessional into braggadocio. It’s funny, it’s dumb, and it’s very clever.

LONTALIUS Comfortable (Independent) The recipient of last year’s Single Of The Year, Lontalius again shows unparalleled ability to craft melancholy, chiming with simple chord progressions fading in and out of view. There’s palpable rawness, and it will get to you if you let it. Maybe even if you don’t.

O

F

T

H

FRANCIS INFERNO ORCHESTRA Harmony (Superconscious) Starting off gentle, Harmony stays that way throughout, even with the sporadic introduction of an energised house beat. There are clearings of strings, a breather when no breather is needed, but the extra oxygen is never unwelcome. Tracing the interloped elements can feel like following a shyster’s ball-under-cup routine, with the reward found in letting go.

DICK DIVER Tearing The Posters Down (Chapter) Dick Diver take their time with Tearing The Posters Down. There’s a long intro, and a lot going on in the intro. It’s not quite Devo’s Gut Feeling, but the scene is set so everything afterward feels like a bonus. Everything that comes after is great, launching into Dick Diver’s best chorus yet, indulging in more instrumental moments with universal punch.

E

Y

E

A

R

BRIGGS FEAT. GURRUMUL & DEWAYNE EVERETTSMITH The Children Came Back (Skinnyfish) 25 years on from Archie Roach’s Took The Children Away, Shepparton rapper Briggs flips the track into the now, retaining deep reverence for what’s come before and what’s happening now. It’s a stream of shoutouts to legends past (“I’m Wangareen in ‘93”) and present (“Boy I’m Patty Mills”). The knockout punchline in reference to “Mr Abbott” might make The Children Came Back sound dated, and that’s correct. It’s dated 2015, a sign o’ the times, resolute in perspective. This is the single of the year.

BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 38

HOW SICK IS MUSIC? HEAPS WICKED

HEARTLAND RECORDS TOP TEN 1. Pornography 2LP THE CURE 2. Middle of Nowhere Center of Everywhere 2LP ACID KING 3. Floodland 4LP Box set THE SISTERS OF MERCY 4. Live in Hyde Park 4LP THE WHO 5. Why don’t you 10” SPIDERS 6. Live Corruption LP NAPALM DEATH 7. Straight Outta Burbank LP STONE SOUR 8. Kannon LP SUNN O))) 9. Ty Rex LP TY SEGALL 10. Kill Bill Volumes 1&2 LP VARIOUS ARTISTS

OFF THE HIP RECORDS TOP TEN

A few other non-music things of the year: VIDEO GAME OF THE YEAR: games are for children and nerds to be honest. BOOK OF THE YEAR: Hot Little Hands by Abigail Ulman. MOVIE OF THE YEAR: did Ex Machina come out this year or last year? I can’t remember. Joe Dirt 2 instead if not. HUNK OF THE YEAR: Lachlan Kanoniuk. MEME OF THE YEAR: Why You Always Lyin. Thanks for tuning in folks see you next year.

WATERFALL PERSON I’m A Fan Of The Bands (Couldn’t Be More Mad!) (About The Bands!)

(Independent) Rich with an exaggerated earnestness, I’m A Fan Of The Bands charms while exhibiting perfect pop construction.

The melody stays with you, infinitely hummable. It’s a celebration of music itself, with a side of introspection.

1. Electric Glitter Boogie POWER 2. It’s You GOLD CLASS 3. Paper Mache Dream Balloon KING GIZZARD AND THE LIZARD WIZARD 4. Songs To Play ROBERT FORSTER 5. Born Sandy Devotional THE TRIFFIDS 6. Parallax Error HIEROPHANTS 7. B’lieve I’m Going Down KURT VILE 8. Art Angels GRIMES 9. Charcoal Lane ARCHIE ROACH 10. Lightweight THE OCEAN PARTY

1. Play Their Own Records LP THE MUMMIES 2. Silver Bullets LP THE CHILLS 3. Living Daylight LP MICHAEL RAULT 4. Alone Again 7” THE PINK TILES 5. Singles Box VELVET UNDERGROUND 6. Busted 7” Hard-Ons 7. Back To Black LP AMY WINEHOUSE 8. Spring Rain 7” GO-BETWEENS 9. Sacred Music 7” BOX THE CRAMPS 10. Christmas Album LP PHIL SPECTOR

COLLECTORS CORNER MISSING LINK TOP TEN 1. Dying Surfer Meets His Maker LP/CD ALL THEM WITCHES 2. Nirvana 2LP NIRVANA 3. Kannon CD SUNN O))) 4. Saeva LP LITTLE DESERT 5. Beyond the Black Stump LP HELTA SKELTA 6. Seance Fiction LP MILES BROWN 7. Live In San Francisco LP USELESS EATERS 8. Ire LP PARKWAY DRIVE 9. Filth LP SWANS 10. Black Fire! New Spirits! 3LP VARIOUS

BEAT’S TOP TEN NEW YEAR’S SONGS 1. The Worst Hangover Ever THE OFFSPRING 2. New Year’s Eve TOM WAITS 3. New Year’s Revolution NOFX 4. In The New Year THE WALKMEN 5. New Year’s Prayer JEFF BUCKLEY 6. Planet New Year SARAH BLASKO 7. New Found Year PAUL KELLY 8. New Year’s Day U2 9. Happy Xmas (War Is Over) JOHN LENNON 10. Happy New Year ABBA

E AT.C O M

CH

I N

R E V I E W

FATHER JOHN MISTY

I LOVE YOU, HONEYBEAR (Sub Pop/Inertia)

Hidden inside I Love You, Honeybear is a small booklet entitled Exercises for Listening – a detailed set of instructions for how to listen to each song on the album. Instructions range from a recipe with supplies such as one blazing hot August morning, one moment of clarity (subject to availability) and the desert, to drawing then erasing a portrait of yourself, recording the sound of your ears ringing and walking in the opposite direction of someone you love for six weeks. It’s bizarre and completely sarcastic, which makes it the perfect companion for Father John Misty’s second record.

Father John Misty is the alter ego of former Fleet Foxes’ drummer Josh Tillman, and this is Tillman’s first release since getting hitched in 2013.

Despite its title, the album is far from a gooey, blissful love story. It’s love at its stark, unglamorous, lustful best – covering everything from the near overdose of a one-night stand to meeting his now wife for the first time. You won’t find any Hallmark-worthy sentiments here. Instead you’ll find musings such as, “Maybe love is just an economy based on resource scarcity,” “How many people rise and think, ‘Oh good, the stranger’s body’s still here, our arrangement hasn’t changed’,” and “Insert here, a sentiment re: our golden years.”

Tillman is as cynical and sarcastic as he is sincere and brutally honest.

His dry, self-deprecating storytelling takes the form of a vitriolic stand up comedy routine (The Night Josh Tillman Came To Our Apt.), a scathing journal entry (The Ideal Husband) and pure introspective poetry (Holy Shit).

The songs are equally as enjoyable as the lyrics, with layers of Americana folk, soaring string harmonies and jangling acoustic guitar. Tillman bellows out his twisted romanticisms with a sublime tortured passion – best exhibited in album standouts Strange Encounter and Bored In The USA. Even with all the cynicism and humour, I Love You, Honeybear is an inexplicably touching listen, and more genuinely captivating than most of its romantic musical counterparts. It captures all the highs and lows that go along with love, right up to the closing line of the album, when Tillman approaches his wife-to-be and asks, “I’ve seen you around, what’s your name?”

RE

M U S I C

M

Y E A R ’ S

IEWS FOR

T H I S

U EV

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

.A

O

KB

/R

EC

KENDRICK LAMAR

KURT VILE

TO PIMP A BUTTERFLY (Warner)

The one downside of creating a hugely successful debut album is the seemingly impossible task of backing it up with a second.

After the enormous critical and commercial success of good kid, m.A.A.d city, Kendrick Lamar found himself in this exact situation.

However, when Lamar’s second album To Pimp A Butterfly was released, it became apparent that he might have pulled off the impossible – releasing an album that is as good, if not better, than the first.

To Pimp A Butterfly sees Lamar leave behind the catchy, radio-friendly anthems of its predecessor, branching off in ways no one would’ve imagined.

It’s poetic, philosophical and socially aware, yet deeply conflicted. It still features deep personal criticisms and self-reflections, but Lamar takes it further this time round. U, the counterpart to single i, is uncomfortable, yet mesmerising to listen to, as Lamar progresses into an alcohol-fuelled breakdown, essentially sobbing the last two verses of vicious criticism.

Lamar’s created a genre-bending marathon that spans 16 tracks and 79 minutes, spotlighting elements of soul, funk and jazz. The most bizarre track, is saved for last when Lamar samples a 1994 Tupac interview to create a conversation between himself and his hero on Mortal Man. To Pimp A Butterfly is not a comfortable or easy listen by any means – from its themes and musical persuasion to the sheer length of it – but it is certainly worthwhile. Lamar could’ve taken the easy route and continued along the same path as his first album. But on Butterfly you feel the pressure and responsibility he feels to act as a voice to the people and live up to the influences he idolises so much.

BY KELSEY BERRY

B’LIEVE I’M GOIN DOWN...

(Matador/Remote Control Records)

Six albums into his career, Kurt Vile’s never been the sort of songwriter to attempt drastic artistic revision with each new release. For instance, compare B’lieve I’m Goin Down… to its predecessor, Wakin On A Pretty Daze: there’s increased use of piano and the addition of banjo, the song lengths have been slightly culled and he’s even included some vocal harmonies. But once again, the pace is generally steady, if not lackadaisical, and the lyrics seem off the cuff yet contain radiant insight, near-psychedelic imagery and more than a touch of humour.

The record’s first single Pretty Pimpin could be the most concise pop song Vile’s ever written – an upbeat folk number rooted in a memorable chorus melody and a tongue in cheek vocal stance. Lyrically, Pretty Pimpin focuses on the difficulties faced grasping one’s sense of self, and brings the humour that’s always been present in Vile’s lyrics to the fore. Many similarly anxious reflections crop up as the album progresses, however they tend to be either sobering ruminations or cannons of absurdist imagery.

On an album full of intriguing content, Wheelhouse is an enveloping standout. Led by a plucked electric guitar riff, it scatters an aroma of melancholy, while a sustaining pillowy atmosphere prevents it reaching the point of despair. The overall impression becomes one of someone at peace with life’s ineradicable conflicts. Songs like the piano-led Life Like This and the instrumental Bad Omens convey a similar feeling.

Lost My Head There is the album centrepiece. The lyrics allude to the process that generates Vile’s songs – he starts out feeling a bit lost (“Buggin’ out about a couple-two-three things”), before a song “walk[s] out” of him, leading to “sweet relief ”. Vile and his band then spend the song’s final four minutes grooving on a basic repeating chord progression. Pop convention would advise against such a protracted coda, but it allows for a concrete demonstration of how relaxing and nourishing playing music can be.

BY AUGUSTUS WELBY

BY KELSEY BERRY

TAME IMPALA

ROYAL HEADACHE

CURRENTS (Universal)

“It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who survive, but the ones most responsive to change.” It’s a misquote often attributed to Charles Darwin, and it’s an idea to which Tame Impala mastermind Kevin Parker seems acutely attuned on the project’s third LP Currents.

Psych rock has been the tag attributed to the band up to now, but would you expect such an accomplished band as Tame Impala to trundle out the same smack as before? “They say people never change, but that’s bullshit,” Parker sings defiantly on Yes I’m Changing, as guitars make way for more electronic (read: dance and pop) elements than on any Tame Impala release thus far.

There are a few notable exceptions, such as the record’s emotional tipping point Eventually and the goofy disco-funk number The Less I Know the Better.

Parker’s love of ‘ 90s Michael Jackson shows in Love/Paranoia, while Gossip recalls Moon Safari-era Air and Past Life gets deep into dream-pop territory. There’s no big rock number in the vein of Desire Be, Desire Go or Elephant, but the addition of one doesn’t feel like it would be a good idea.

In fact, this is the most coherent Tame Impala release yet.

These are the times, people: some of the best Australian music is being made right here, right now. Well, in Fremantle, to be precise. Currents is the sound of Parker dropping his guard and embracing everything he loves about great pop music.

BY PAUL MCBRIDE

BLUR

HIGH (Distant and Vague/What’s Your Rupture?)

Four years on from their debut self-titled record, Royal Headache have worked their high-energy garage rock down to an art. Straight up, High is a churning mass of noise, aggression and compassion – in short, everything punters loved in their debut and more.

Gone are the instrumentals of their first album – in their place are catchyas-hell anthemic numbers and ballads with bright, almost cheery keys. But don’t get too comfortable; these songs feel right at home in between the more raucous tracks. The heartfelt Wouldn’t You Know may be beautiful and feature Shogun’s tender vocals, but this is followed by the bass-andbroken-glass-driven refrain of “You belong in the garbage” on Garbage.

At the heart of Royal Headache is the performance of their frontman.

Soulful and piercing, his lyrics show an extraordinarily empathic soul whose themes of love and disaster become something explosive and transcendent. Shogun clearly cares until it hurts and this makes for some incredible vocals.

On High, Royal Headache display the vibrancy that grew out of their debut and crawled its way through Sydney’s fractured urban sprawl. Emerging caked in dirt and grit, the result isn’t pretty but the beauty is definitely there – just beneath the blunt-edged guitars and world-worn battle-scars.

BY JADE SMITH

THE MAGIC WHIP (Parlophone/Warner)

The Magic Whip is Blur’s surprise reunion record – the biggest surprise of which is how effortlessly it maintains the band’s essence, while pushing its sound into uncharted territory. With a few exceptions – the playful Ong Ong, the 1994 time warp Lonesome Street – the album is a moody affair, capturing the bristling tension of later Blur albums. But instead of the tension being directed within the band, it’s at the world at large. New World Towers, My Terracotta Heart, Pyongyang: these are all songs searching for something but not really knowing where to look.

There are a number of reference points from Blur and Damon Albarn’s career to give you an idea of what sounds they’re mining: a relaxed 13 (1999); Think Tank (2003) with good arrangements; Albarn’s Everyday Robots (2014) fleshed out. But really, none do it justice. The Magic Whip is a new phase. Nowhere is this more evident than on album highlight Thought I Was A Spaceman – a sprawling, ever-evolving track that takes cues from Blur’s last few albums (Albarn and Graham Coxon trading verses, a heavy reliance on ambience) and brings them into new, uncharted areas of dream-pop and neo-psychedelia.

There are a few things that lifelong fans will nitpick over – Coxon’s otherworldly guitar is under-utilised, and knees-up Parklife (1994) diehards might have a hard time – but overall this is one of the best bands of its generation adding an essential chapter to its storied career.

BY LEONARDO SILVESTRINI

WAT C H I N T E R V I E W S , C H AT S & AW K WA R D S I L E N C E S . . . . . W W W. B E AT.C O M . A U / T V

BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 39

GIG GUIDE

KILL DIRTY YOUTH

T H E B E ND I G O H OT E L It’s the second last week of Kill Dirty Youth’s December residency, so you’ve still got a good chance to catch the scrubby little buggers before the year comes to a close. Come catch the boys in summer party mode for a night of the loudest rock’n’roll you can find this side of the Yarra. Bring your umbrella, it’s gonna get wet. Kill Dirty Youth play at The Bendigo Hotel this Wednesday December 23. Doors open at 8pm, entry is free.

WEDNESDAY DEC 23 THE CAROL KINGS

T HE G ASOMETER HOT E L Once again, The Carol Kings host a stellar lineup full of guests to hustle out more Christmas tunes than a Westfield in December. Catch Davey Lane, Dan Luscombe, Phil Gionfriddo and Gus Agars as they summon the old red man through the dark ritual of song. This one will be a sleigher, no doubt. Catch The Carol Kings at The Gasometer Hotel on Wednesday December 23. Doors open at 8pm, entry is $20.

BIG EASY SOUL SESSIONS Carlton Club, Melbourne CBD. 8:00pm.

BOHJASS 303, Northcote. 8:30pm.

BOPSTRETCH Uptown Jazz Cafe, Fitzroy. 8:00pm.

SONIC EXPEDITION DJS - FEAT: TOM SHOWTIME + TIM WIGG + MORE Belleville, Melbourne. 8:00pm.

STARR/SCHULZ & FRIENDS (MUSICAL CONVERSATIONS)

ANDY MCGARVIE BAND

TH E RE T R E AT H OT E L The Andy McGarvie Band hit The Retreat’s front bar this week as part of their December residency. The band are performing another two unique sets, the first being an acoustic session of songs with a focus on vocal harmonies and unusual arrangements. The second will be a standard band performance full of blues, soul and rock tunes to keep you churning on into the night.

Catch the Andy McGarvie Band at The Retreat Hotel this Wednesday December 23. Doors open at 8.30pm, entry is free.

INDENTED HEAD + SPLENDID + JEALOUS HUSBAND Grace Darling Hotel, Collingwood. 8:30pm.

Open Studio, Northcote. 6:00pm. $8.00.

JACKSON REID BRIGGS & THE HEATERS + FRAUDBAND + SHEPPARTON AIRPLANE & THE M-HUMM Tote Hotel,

THE BOMBAY ROYALE + DJ MANCHILD Howler, Brunswick. 9:00pm. $17.00.

THE ROOKIES The Rooks Return, Fitzroy. 8:00pm.

CABLE TIES + SLOW DRIVER + TANKERVILLE Old Bar,

Collingwood. 8:00pm.

JASIA + SWIM SEASON + SLOWCOACH + I KNOW THE CHIEF + DAVY SIMONY Workers Club, Fitzroy. 7:30pm. $10.00.

Fitzroy. 7:00pm. $6.00.

ATOMIC RIOT

CENTRE PLACE + NINOX + MIRANDO + AVRY Grace Darling Hotel, Collingwood. 8:30pm. $5.00.

INDENTED HEAD

T HE G RACE DARL ING Can’t wait those two days till Christmas? Then get yourself an early gift at the Grace Darling this Wednesday December 23. Jangle pop crew Indented Head lead the way, sharing the upstairs stage with experimental solo project Jealous Husband. Last up will be Splendid, closing out the eve of Christmas Eve with some airy dream pop. Get down to the Grace by 9pm.

CH E RRY B A R Cherry Bar is hosting Melbourne hard rock/heavy metal act Atomic Riot for a bit of midweek madness to help you get over those hump day blues. Atomic Riot formed with a dedication to the classics, merging ‘70s blues rock with metal from the ‘80s, putting the life into the Frankenstein’s monster of all party tunes. You can catch Atomic Riot at Cherry Bar with supports from Dellacoma Rio & The Dark Horses and Skarlet this Wednesday December 23. Doors open at 8pm, entry is $5.

WITH HER CHRISTMAS BIG BAND‘Your Urban Family Christmas Cabaret’

KITTY BANG

T H E S P OT T E D M A LL A R D Boasting better songs, a bigger band and more brass than class, Kitty Bang is taking to The Spotted Mallard for some midweek Christmas madness, minus the corny tunes. Book a table, lock in dinner and your urban family at this spectacular Christmas affair.

Catch some independent singer/songwriters, stunning harmonies and some equally epic eats with Kitty Bang at The Spotted Mallard this Wednesday December 23.

Doors open at 6pm, entry is $28.

GORSHA

T H E TOT E Broke and Wasted are hosting a big old end of year birthday bonanza down at The Tote, featuring a flurry of favourites for your finely tuned ears. With Darwin come Melbourne band Gorsha headlining with a few ripper rock tracks, you can catch them with the likes of Avoid and Lucas George should you fancy popping your head into the venue on the night. Catch Gorsha at The Tote this Wednesday December 23. Doors open at 8pm, entry is free.

OPEN MIC Whole Lotta Love, Brunswick East. 6:00pm.

OPEN FROM 2PM NEW YEAR’S EVE PRIMER $29 JUGS - MOJITO, PIMMS, MALLARD MULES, DUCK FIZZ KITCHEN OPEN.

THURS 31ST DEC & FRI 1ST JAN - CLOSED -

+ IF YOU SEE HER SAY HELLO CHOIR + AN APPEARANCE FROM SANTA HIMSELF

DOORS/DINNER 6PM, SHOW TIME 7:30PM SELLING FAST!

thursDAY 24TH DECEMBER - XMAS EVE

OPEN FROM 2PM

FRIDAY 25TH DECEMBER - XMAS DAY

CLOSED - HAPPY CHRISTMAS

SUN 3RD JAN OPEN FROM 2PM

ULTRAFOX SATURDAY 26TH DECEMBER BOXING DAY $8* PINTS ALL DAY!!!

KITCHEN OPEN!

SUNDAY 27TH DECEMBER

OPEN FROM 2PM

CARINO SON

OPEN FROM 2PM, MUSIC FROM 5:30PM (2 X SETS) $29 BOTTLE OF BUBBLES KITCHEN OPEN

MONDAY 28TH DECEMBER

$8* PINTS ALL DAY!!!

KITCHEN OPEN OPEN FROM 2PM

TUESDAY 29TH DECEMBER

OPEN FROM 2PM, $8* PINTS ALL DAY, KITCHEN OPEN!

BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 40

THE BLACK HARRYS + UNLUCKY + TOMMY CASTLES + PIQUE Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $10.00.

THE CAROL KINGS Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood.

8:00pm. $20.00.

ANDY MCGARVIE BAND Retreat Hotel, Brunswick.

8:30pm.

OPEN MIC NIGHT Purple Emerald, Northcote. 8:00pm.

OPEN MIC NIGHT Ascot Vale Hotel, Ascot Vale. 8:00pm.

RUMBLE IN THE JUNGLE - FEAT: JOEY ELBOWS The THE PUBLICAN BAND Rainbow Hotel, Fitzroy. 9:00pm.

WINE WHISKEY WOMEN - FEAT: SAM LOHS + ROSIE BURGESS Drunken Poet, West Melbourne. 8:00pm.

WED 30TH DEC

KITTY BANG

8:30pm.

Luwow, Fitzroy. 8:00pm.

COMING UP

wednesday 23RD DECEMBER

RUBIX RADIO ON KISSFM Rubix Warehouse, Brunswick.

SAT 9TH JAN OPEN FROM 2PM

MJ HALLROHAN & THE SINNERS + SPECIAL GUESTS

$8CraftPints Beer House Wine House Bubbles 4pm-7pm Daily

Just not Sunday.

We have better specials

TICKETS

www.spottedmallard.com 314 Sydney Rd, Brunswick

B E AT.C O M . A U

THURSDAY DEC 24 APES + BAD NEWS TOILET Karova Lounge, Ballarat.

8:00pm. $12.00.

DAVID PATTERSON Continental Hotel Sorrento, Sorrento. 4:00pm.

DICK DIVER + TERRIBLE TRUTHS + SWEET WHIRL Tote Hotel, Collingwood. 8:00pm. $10.00.

MESA COSA + LAURA PALMER + BLIND MAN DEATH STARE + MORE Bendigo Hotel, Collingwood. 7:00pm.

MEZZ LIVE Chelsea Heights Hotel, Chelsea Heights. 5:30pm.

SHOWCASE NIGHTS Purple Emerald, Northcote.

8:00pm.

WIL WAGNER + JEROME KNAPPETT + PRAIRIE Reverence Hotel, Footscray. 8:00pm.

XMAS EVE PARTY Barwon Heads Hotel, Barwon Heads. 7:00pm.

CHRISTMAS EVE CAROL JAZZ JAM - FEAT: THE MINTON PLAYBOYS HOUSE BAND The B.east, Brunswick East.

8:00pm.

DJ MAX MANNIX

T H E B R U N S WI C K H OT E L Stuck with your family on Christmas Eve? Why? There’s $3 schooners and $5 basics for all at The Brunswick Hotel this Thursday December 24. Come fuck up your pre-Christmas with the Brunny and DJ Max Mannix, partying right until the early morning.

Come down from 8pm, entry is free.

WHOLE LOTTA BLUES CHRISTMAS PARTY

WHOLE LOT TA LOVE Brendan Forward has been away on tour recently with rock heavyweights Massive, but he’s come back just in time to get the Whole Lotta Blues Christmas Party rolling this Thursday December 24. After Brendan settles everyone into the venue, dynamic three-piece Andy Phillips & The Cadillac Walk will take the stage for some good ol’ high energy Texan blues and retro rock hits to bring in the holiday. It’s the Whole Lotta Blues Christmas Party, going down this Thursday December 24. Doors open 8pm with free entry.

SOULSHAM

C HERRY BAR Soul In The Basement is back at Cherry, as they drag back the resident funkmeisters Vince Peach and Pierre Baroni with their swag full of vinyl for your hip-shaking pleasure. Get along and bust a move, shake your thang, do the twist and hustle that tail feather when Soulsham hits Cherry Bar on Thursday December 24, jam packed with original funk and soul all night. Doors open at 8pm, entry is $10.

T H E R E V E R E N C E H OT E L It’s Christmas time, and the folks over at The Reverence Hotel are gathering some of their best buds to throw down some festive foolery much to your delight. They’re gathering Wil Wagner from Smith Street Band, Jerome Knappet and Prairie together for a big old bash, so come down to The Rev and celebrate down at Footscray’s finest music venue. Xmas Eve at The Rev kicks off on Thursday December 24. Doors open at 8pm, entry is free.

DISCO ABYSSMAS

SKYSCRAPER STAN

T HE RETREAT HOTEL Christmas just got that much better as Skyscraper Stan stuffs your stocking hot full of gig options. Catch Skyscraper Stan ripping out a series of tunes along with the likes of blues legend Chris Wilson along with Murdena. Three top notch bands for zero shiny dollars, the gift that keeps on giving. Catch Skyscraper Stan at The Retreat Hotel this Thursday December 24. Doors open at 5pm, entry is free.

XMAS EVE AT THE REV

EL VEZ

T H E CO R N E R H OT E L If you thought the king was dead, you’d be dead wrong.

He’s alive and kickin’ on with a show at The Corner before running off to Falls Festival over the New Years break. Catch El Vez as he purveys Mexican gags, rock’n’roll, added with a bit of chilly, some lime and salt around the rim – it’ll be the best-a fiesta you’ll get this side of the silly season. El Vez plays at The Corner Hotel on Thursday December 24. Doors open at 8pm, entry is $44.

global safari Belleville, Melbourne. 6:00pm. melbourne improvisers collective Uptown Jazz Cafe, Fitzroy. 8:00pm.

the cumbia killer Open Studio, Northcote. 8:30pm. the good egg thursdays - feat: henry who + tigerfunk + lewis cancut Lucky Coq, Windsor.

7:00pm.

timbalero thursday La Di Da, Melbourne CBD. 9:00pm. $10.00.

vision australia’s carols by candlelight - feat: marina prior + denis walter + silvie paladino + more Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne. 8:00pm. $40.00.

H OWL E R Do you know what you want for Christmas? Disco Abyssmas has read your list, they’re determined to deliver it to you (regardless of if you’ve been naughty or nice) at Howler this week. Whether you’re celebrating an Orphan’s Christmas or realising that you’d much rather be getting filthy and fabulous than sipping eggnog by the tree, this party is yours.

Featuring a lineup with some of Melbourne’s best in dance, drag, song, burlesque, side show and performance, disco abyssmas will be the dark, delicious desire you’ve been gagging for in 2015. This is a messy art party where everyone is the star attraction - an open space with an even more open dress code. Catch Disco Abyssmas at Howler this Thursday December 24. Doors open at 8pm, entry is $19.

THE DRUNK PROMOTER PRESENTS: AN ORPHANS XMAS PARTY

T H E B E N D I G O H OT E L Your parents think you’re a failure, your siblings have all had children and your nan’s roast ain’t what it used to be, so in an effort to save Christmas, The Drunken Promoter has flown your favourite Jewish punk rocker all the way from California to help pour beers and play classics at the Bendigo. Eric Melvin of NOFX will be hitting the decks and spreading Christmas cheer to all orphans (literal or figurative), estranged foreigners and weird uncles until late into the night. Joining the festivities will be raucous wildcards Mesa Cosa, who have promised even more Christmas presents than their last Christmas party. Punks Laura Palmer & Blind Man Death Stare are also joining in the fun. There’ll be heaps of presents, DJ sets and festive cheer to go around, so come show some face at The Bendigo Hotel this Thursday December 24 for a ripper of an Orphan Xmas Party. Doors open at 7pm, entry is $10 clams.

B E AT.C O M . A U

GIG GUIDE wayne jury & the rectfiers Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East. 8:30pm.

goldentone thursdays Yah Yah’s, Fitzroy. 7:00pm. kraken folk session Drunken Poet, West Melbourne. 3:00pm.

lamb boulevard + connor black-harry Penny Black, Brunswick. 9:00pm.

open mic nite Inkerman Hotel, Balaclava. 7:30pm. the tipplers Drunken Poet, West Melbourne.

7:00pm.

van walker Post Office Hotel, Coburg. 8:00pm.

FRIDAY DEC 25 bossa nights - feat: darius & noel mendoza + dj juan + dj nas Osti, Prahran. 7:00pm. what the funk fridays Purple Emerald, Northcote.

9:00pm.

captain spalding Customs House Hotel, Williamstown. 9:30pm.

hey hey it’s friday - feat: astro boys Royal Hotel (essendon), Essendon. 10:00pm.

james brown xmas - feat: chris gill + dj manchild John Curtin Hotel, Carlton. 8:00pm. daveys fridays - feat: rob & tarquin + superfly djs Daveys Bar & Restaurant, Frankston. 8:00pm.

SATURDAY DEC 26 animaux + tetrahedra Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy.

2:00pm. $10.00.

bang - feat: true friends + incentives + entitlements Royal Melbourne Hotel, Melbourne CBD. 7:00pm. $20.00.

gangz + desert mules + electric mud Karova Lounge, Ballarat. 8:30pm. $10.00.

BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 41

GIG GUIDE jessie’s boxing day ipod party Whole Lotta Love, Brunswick East. 1:00pm.

nite mooves Ascot Vale Hotel, Ascot Vale. 8:00pm. plague doctor + stay sharp + shrimpwitch + bj morriszonkle + more Old Bar, Fitzroy. 6:00pm. $10.00.

saturdays r covered - feat: radio star Royal Hotel (essendon), Essendon. 10:00pm.

spacejunk + shepparton airplane Tote Hotel, Collingwood. 5:00pm.

PHIL PARA

ELWOOD BLUES CLUB

PR I N C E P U B L I C B A R Philly P is wrapping up a big year of residencies at Prince Public Bar with a final show for the year. He’s spent a whopping 30 years performing at The Espy, and now calling the Prince home, Phil continues to deliver his classic Hendrix, Santana, Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Muddy Waters, and ZZ Top, plus his own originals to fans that have been make the trek to St Kilda every Saturday evening. Treat yourself to a night of high energy blues rock when Phil Para takes over Prince Public Bar this Saturday December 26. Doors open at 6pm, entry is free.

PRINCE PUBLIC BAR Elwood Blues Club are rounding out the year with one more session down at Prince Public Bar. For one very special night of the week, you can catch both local and international talent performing at the blues club, supported by the in house Elwood Blues Club All Star band. Catch a fine night of blues at Prince Public Bar with the Elwood Blues Club this Sunday December 27. Doors open at 5.30pm, entry is free.

THE SUNDAY SET

the handsome bastards Penny Black, Brunswick.

9:00pm.

the sand dollars + alex lahey + bailey jones + more Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy. 7:00pm. $12.00. claudia jones + simon barry Toff In Town,

DICK DIVER

T H E TOT E Dick Diver have just locked in their second holiday show at The Tote, featuring supports from the likes of Teaser Pony and Caroline No!. The indie pop band have made their mark on the music scene since their inception in 2008, garnering a massive fanbase and pumping out seven releases over the past seven years.

Catch Dick Diver and pals at The Tote this Saturday December 26. Doors open at 8pm, entry Is $11.

Melbourne CBD. 7:30pm. $10.00.

hetty kate quartet Uptown Jazz Cafe, Fitzroy.

8:00pm.

ultra vibralux + arora + spokey blokes 303,

Northcote. 8:00pm.

uncle leon Dog’s Bar, St Kilda. 9:00pm. boxing day bbq blues special Inkerman Hotel, Balaclava. 5:00pm.

boxing day blues - feat: geoff achison + chris wilson Corner Hotel, Richmond. 8:30pm. $22.00. small town aliens Rainbow Hotel, Fitzroy. 9:30pm.

FULTON STREET

YAH YAH’S Yah Yah’s is presenting a Boxing Day soul double headliner with Fulton Street and That Gold Street Sound. The groups have both been known for their antics across town, bringing the very best of soul, R&B and Motown inspired numbers to venues all across our fair city. Think you got what it takes to keep up with these modern soulsters? Shoot on down to Yah Yah’s and catch Fulton Street and That Gold Street Sound this Saturday December 26. Doors open at 7pm, entry is $10.

WOODLOCK

D I N G D O N G LO U N G E Woodlock are headlining Ding Dong Lounge’s big old Boxing Day Bash for this year, so if you’re keen to shake off that Christmas dinner belly, stop on down.

Woodlock have worked hard to perfect the sounds crafted in the studio to a live setting, and with a focus on strong, energetic and creative live performances, they’ll be sure to make one of the last days this year that extra bit special for you. Catch Woodlock at Ding Dong Lounge this Saturday December 26. Doors open at 9pm, entry is $20.

BOXING DAY NIRVANA TRIBUTE

C H E R RY B A R Dave Fazza and The Side Effects are playing two Nirvana tribute sets, bringing back tunes from Unplugged in New York and then something a little bit more live and raw. Whilst originally performing as a solo artist hailing from the surf coast of Victoria, Dave Fazza’s mastery of both rock and acoustic music is more than likely to do justice to these immortal Nirvana tracks. Get on down to Cherry Bar and catch the Boxing Day Nirvana Tribute on Saturday December 26. Doors open at 8pm, entry is $13.

woodlock + amistat + peter rabbit & the sonic temple builders Ding Dong Lounge, Melbourne CBD. 9:00pm. $15.00.

THE TOFF IN TOWN The Sunday Set is kicking off at The Toff In Town, featuring the spectacular talents of DJs Andyblack, Haggis: 2015 and finally, you. Get good, get groovin and get surrounded by a bunch of equally attractive hip-shaking hooligans as the DJs throw down some musical meanderings to accompany the night. Catch The Sunday Set at The Toff In Town this Sunday December 27. Doors open at 4pm, entry is free.

CHERRY BLUES

CHERRY BAR Cherry Blues is back, and this time they’re bringing a ripper of a lineup with two sets from Three Kings as they’re supported by Fandango. There’ll be free vegetarian chilli floating about to help fill that hole in your soul whilst you spend the afternoon wistfully listening to a spattering of blues tunes. Catch Three Kings at Cherry Bar this Sunday December 27. Doors open at 2pm, entry is free.

joshua seymour Standard Hotel, Fitzroy. 7:00pm. michelle gardiner Customs House Hotel, Williamstown. 3:00pm.

open mike sunday Yah Yah’s, Fitzroy. 6:30pm. president roots (post-christmas bonanza) Union Hotel (brunswick), Brunswick. 5:00pm.

roz girvan & greg field Union Hotel (brunswick),

SUNDAY DEC 27

Brunswick. 3:30pm.

cariño son - feat: carino son Spotted Mallard,

Ferntree Gully. 2:00pm.

sunday session - feat: brunsy Ferntree Gully Hotel,

Brunswick. 5:30pm.

sunday sessions - feat: various artists Lucky

Frankston. 2:30pm.

the deans + dj manchild Retreat Hotel, Brunswick.

chris wilson band Daveys Bar & Restaurant, menina flor Open Studio, Northcote. 8:00pm. sunday soul sessions Purple Emerald, Northcote.

9:00pm.

the melbourne jazz co-op presents Uptown Jazz Cafe, Fitzroy. 8:00pm.

british india + magic bones Barwon Heads Hotel, Barwon Heads. 9:30pm. $34.70.

cosmos + slim pickins + elevator talk Cherry Bar, Melbourne CBD. 7:00pm.

paul rawk Inkerman Hotel, Balaclava. 4:00pm. sunday sixpack - feat: el colosso + arakeye + the charge + cinematic + more Tote Hotel,

Collingwood. 3:00pm.

the moody spooks + the bakers digest + the bleeding flares + more Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy.

Coq, Windsor. 4:00pm.

7:30pm.

SHARDS

THE GRACE DARLING Local slackers Shards shred into the Grace Darling this Sunday December 27 with their latest album in hand, Best New Reissue. Just $5 entry earns you some fuzzed out tunes from Shards, along with sets from dirge rockers Walt and the super secret Donutpiniflab project. What the hell is Donutpiniflab? Find out at the Best New Reissue launch this Sunday from 7pm.

the travis winters blues band The Water Rat Hotel, South Melbourne. 5:00pm. $5.00.

three kings + fandango Cherry Bar, Melbourne CBD. 2:00pm.

8:30pm. $10.00.

topology & the kransky sisters Fortyfivedownstairs, Melbourne CBD. 7:00pm. $37.00.

alex elbery & the strangers + crayon king + ostranger tang 303, Northcote. 2:00pm. buttered loaf Post Office Hotel, Coburg. 4:30pm. congratulations everybody + shorts Tote Hotel, Collingwood. 5:00pm.

gem xmas bash - feat: benny peters blues review Gem Bar, Collingwood. 7:00pm.

jimi hockings blues machine Rainbow Hotel, Fitzroy. 4:00pm.

CONGRATULATIONS EVERYBODY

T H E TOT E Great job everyone. You did the thing! Now do another thing and catch Congratulations Everybody at their Tote Front Bar residency, every Sunday throughout December. Catch the five-piece as they rip out a few tunes and chuckles much to your delight.

Congratulations Everybody play at The Tote on Sunday December 27. Doors open at 5pm, entry is free.

BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 42

B E AT.C O M . A U

THE EVERYMEN

THE RETREAT HOTEL Damon Smith and Adam Coad have united as The Everymen, whipping out thoughtful concoction of piano and drums for anyone lucky enough to hit The Retreat Hotel come Sunday December 27. A condensed version of Australia’s premier rock act Sun Rising, the duo have years of experience between them along with a mastery of traditional blues that’ll knock your socks clean off. Catch The Everymen for a wry and wonderfully entertaining show on Sunday December 27 at The Retreat Hotel. Doors open at 5pm, entry is free.

GIG GUIDE tom stevenson band + genghis can’t swim + alistair turril & the vagabond brothers + pug williams Old Bar, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. $6.00. waco social club + ace bricklaying + monsteria + dellacoma rio Whole Lotta Love, Brunswick East.

5:00pm.

MONDAY DEC 28 THE BRAVES

T HE OLD BAR Gaining reputation from gigging at all corners of the music capital of Australia, The Braves are locking in a show at The Old Bar as part of the indomitable Mundane Mondays series. Tired of the consumer ideals that surround the modern man, the ‘me me me’ attitude of the music scene and the regurgitated sounds on the commericial outlets that dominate the airwaves, The Braves created a sound forged in chaos and striking with a shivering rock’n’roll boogie. Catch The Braves for Mundane Mondays this Monday December 28. Doors open at 8pm, entry is $5.

TASTE OF INDIE COLLECTIVE ALL STARS

PR I N C E P U B L I C B A R It’s the last Taste of Indie Tuesday at The Prince Bandroom, and you’re invited to come down to celebrate their end of year all star songwriter’s party.

They’ll be showcasing plenty of songwriter talent over the night, rounding off a great year of local talent in the only way they know how – with an intimate, intricate gig. Catch the last Taste of Indie Tuesday for 2015 at the Prince Public Bar on Tuesday December 29. Doors open at 7.30pm, entry is free.

beyond the valley - feat: broadway sounds + client liason + flight facilities + jamie xx + more Beyond The Valley Site, 8:00pm. $179.00.

falls festival - feat: foals + bloc party + disclosure + courtney barnett + soak Falls Festival Site (lorne), 12:00am.

SEB MONT

T H E TO F F I N TOWN Seb Mont is about to release his single Blue Moon, hosting a night full of special guests and extravagant costumes to make the evening that much more interesting. With Melbourne’s best up and coming fashion designers chipping in along with dancers from the Victoria State Balley company, Mont is pulling out all the stops to make sure the release is full of energy and glamour. Catch Seb Mont at The Toff In Town this Tuesday December 29. Doors open at 7pm, entry is $10 on the door.

you beauty Tote Hotel, Collingwood. 8:00pm. $12.00.

WEDNESDAY DEC 30 AIMEE FRANCIS

WH O L E LOT TA LOV E Aimee Francis kicks off her Australian tour at Whole Lotta Love on Wednesday December 30, launching her brand new single Bonnie and Clyde on the night as well. Usually performing solo with her acoustic, Aimee will be kicking it as a three-piece this time round, punching a bigger hole in your heart with her powerful rock vocals. Synth soundscape artist Youthfire opens up the night. Aimee Francis plays Whole Lotta Love on Wednesday December 30. Doors open 7pm, entry is $10.

adore Old Bar, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. $6.00. beyond the valley - feat: broadway sounds + client liason + flight facilities + jamie xx + more Beyond The Valley Site, 8:00pm. $179.00.

falls festival - feat: foals + bloc party + disclosure + courtney barnett + soak Falls Festival Site (lorne), 12:00am.

kill dirty youth + submarines Bendigo Hotel, Collingwood. 8:00pm.

3 03 BAR Sunset Blush is continuing his Purple Domination tour, performing songs from his Velvet Highway EP at 303 Bar early next week. Originally hailing from Queensland, Sunset Blush is celebrating 10 years since his relocation to Melbourne. He’ll be delivering a swathe of tracks from 2009’s The Purple Scandal and 2011’s Purpledomination, crafting a night of marching rock and heavily strummed guitar lines for your happy little ears. Catch Sunset Blush at 303 Bar this Monday December 28. Doors open at 7pm, entry is $5.

THE BABE RAINBOW

PR I N C E P U B L I C B A R The Babe Rainbow are grabbing their instruments and storming the stage at Prince Public Bar for a deliciously free show. Get a headstart on your new years celebrations when the folk disco three-piece chuck a tune and jump-start your boogie for some midweek madness. Catch The Babe Rainbow at Prince Public bar on Wednesday December 30. Doors open at 8pm, entry is free.

falls festival - feat: foals + bloc party + disclosure + courtney barnett + soak Falls

$10.00.

the shabbab + the braves + the marquis + terra nullius Old Bar, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. $5.00. topology & the kransky sisters Fortyfivedownstairs, Melbourne CBD. 7:00pm. $37.00.

paul williamson’s hammond combo Rainbow Hotel, Fitzroy. 9:30pm. $10.00.

trouser force + scoot molly + mississippi disco Whole Lotta Love, Brunswick East. 6:00pm. $5.00.

TUESDAY 29 DEC pressure drop + now & zen Bar Open, Fitzroy.

9:30pm. $10.00.

UNICORNS GREATNESS NIGHT CABLE TIES SLOW DRIVER TANKERVILLE

7PM $6

THURSDAY 24TH DECEMBER

MILK RECORDS PRESENTS:

EAST BRUNSWICK ALL GIRLS CHOIR

CONNIE CRUST & THE DUST BUSTERS (NZ) LOOSE TOOTH 8PM $10 FRIDAY 25TH DECEMBER

OLD BAR’S ORPHAN XMAS

SANTA

4PM FREE

SATURDAY 26TH DECEMBER

NEW OLDIE STAGE: PLAGUE DOCTOR STAY SHARP SHRIMPWITCH BJ MORRISZONKLE YOKO BONO WATER MUSIC

6PM $10

SUNDAY 27TH DECEMBER

BEERSOAKED SUNDAYS:

TOM STEVENSON BAND GENGHIS CAN’T SWIM ALISTAIR TURRIL & THE VAGABOND BROTHERS PUG WILLIAMS

8PM $6

MONDAY 28TH DECEMBER

MUNDANE MONDAYS 8PM $5

MORPHMEME

MORPHEME

THE OLD BAR Melbourne locals Morpheme are taking to Old Bar to throw down a couple of rock tracks before the new year rolls in. Touting themselves as ‘post-genre’, the four-piece are joined by bluesy dance rock Dune Seven who’ll be bringing the shake to your rattle and roll. Get grooving with Morpheme and Dune Seven at The Old Bar this Tuesday December 29. Doors open at 8pm, entry is $6.

THE AVENER

T H E CO R NE R H OT E L Multifaceted, discrete and complex producer The Avener is taking to The Corner for a special Falls Festival sideshow, heavily laden with beats ranging from deep house to soul. Focusing solidly on his solo career, The Avener has worked heavily with collaborators in the past and has an ever-growing fanbase of electronic aficionados. Catch The Avener at The Corner Hotel on Tuesday December 29. Doors open at 7.30pm, entry is $40.

DUNE SEVEN

8PM $6

WEDNESDAY 30TH DECEMBER

JASIA

T H E WO R K E R S C LU B It’s the final night of Jasia’s month long Workers Club residency, and your last chance to catch the orchestral electronic popster before the New Year kicks in.

He makes the city sing, mesmerising people across Melbourne through live performances on her streets with a masterful range of talent at his back. Catch Jasia at The Workers Club this Wednesday December 30.

Doors open at 8pm, entry is $10.

ADORE GUESTS

8PM $6

THURSDAY 31ST DECEMBER

NYE

CRAPTALLICA

8PM $10

FRIDAY 1ST JANUARY

OPEN FOR BUSINESS SATURDAY 2ND JANUARY

JOSHUA SEYMOUR BAND THE STRAGGLERS GUESTS

8.30PM $10

SATURDAY ARVO JESS LOCKE GUESTS

4PM FREE

SUNDAY 3RD JANUARY

BEERSOAKED SUNDAYS:

morbidly o’beat + maverick + jade alice Evelyn seb mont + morf + joe mungovan Toff In Town, Melbourne CBD. 7:00pm. $10.00.

T HE WOR KERS CLUB Last year saw Hein Cooper taking to the streets to busk his ass off, and after a year’s worth of hard work, he’s dominated many a stage with The Workers Club next to succumb to his acoustic fury. Hustling a particular brand of guitar driven pop, Cooper has spent most of 2015 in Canada which has earnt him a slot on this year’s Falls Festival. Catch the talents of Hein Cooper at The Workers Club this Tuesday December 29. Doors open at 7pm, entry is $10.

WEDNESDAY 23RD DECEMBER

TUESDAY 29TH DECEMBER

Hotel, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $5.00.

HEIN COOPER

MON - FRI TIL 7PM - $6 PINTS MONDAYS - $15 JUGS MT GOAT SUNDAYS - $10 JUGS UNICORN LAGER $5 CANS EVERY DAY/NIGHT

THE BRAVES THE MARQUIS TERRA NULLIUS

Loft, Warrnambool. 7:00pm. $12.25.

romeo moon + esc + runes + brendon mellere & the midwayers Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy. 8:30pm.

OPEN 4PM - 3AM MON-FRI 2PM - 3AM SAT-SUN FREE WI FI

THE SHABBAB

cherry jam Cherry Bar, Melbourne CBD. 8:00pm. dallas crane + red eagle + kashmere club The

Festival Site (lorne), 12:00am.

theoldbar.com.au

Brunswick East. 6:00pm.

nye on the hill - feat: safia + kim churchill + harts + dylan joel + woodlock + luca brasi + more The Farm, 2:00pm.

SUNSET BLUSH

74 JOHNSTON ST FITZROY 9417 4155

anthony mastrullo + pat bruce & the bacchanalians + mer morte Whole Lotta Love,

the resignators + masco sound system Cherry Bar, Melbourne CBD. 8:00pm.

topology & the kransky sisters Fortyfivedownstairs, Melbourne CBD. 7:00pm. $37.00.

topology & the kransky sisters Fortyfivedownstairs, Melbourne CBD. 9:30pm. $37.00.

WILD TURKEY

T H E R E T R E AT H OT E L Possibly one of the longest running rockabilly/ psychobilly acts, Wild Turkey are coming to The Retreat Hotel to chuck out a few guitar driven twangs before the year comes to a close. The Melbourne based trio have ripped up the Midwest in the US five times, including shows at the legendary Doubledown Saloon in Las Vegas along with several wild west bars all across the country. Now, you can catch the legends in the flesh when Wild Turkey hit The Retreat Hotel on Wednesday December 30. Doors open at 8.30pm, entry is free.

B E AT.C O M . A U

CAMP COPE WIL WAGNER (SMITH ST BAND) IONA CAIRNS (UK - GREAT CYNICS/ SHIT PRESENT) 8PM $6 MONDAY 4TH JANUARY

MUNDANE MONDAYS TBC

8PM $5

TUESDAY 5TH JANUARY

TBC

8PM $6

band bookings: bandbookings@theoldbar.com.au

BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 43

GIG GUIDE peter lubulwa + bloodhounds on my trail + vhs dream + kingdoms Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $10.00.

rubix radio on kissfm Rubix Warehouse, Brunswick.

8:30pm.

the babe rainbow Prince Public Bar, St Kilda .

8:00pm.

thirsty merc Barwon Heads Hotel, Barwon Heads.

9:30pm. $28.60.

topology & the kransky sisters Fortyfivedownstairs, Melbourne CBD. 7:00pm. $37.00.

topology & the kransky sisters Fortyfivedownstairs, Melbourne CBD. 9:30pm. $37.00.

big easy soul sessions Carlton Club, Melbourne CBD. 8:00pm.

bohjass 303, Northcote. 8:30pm. bopstretch Uptown Jazz Cafe, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. local call - feat: rintrah Railway Hotel (brunswick), Brunswick. 6:00pm.

sonic expedition djs - feat: tom showtime + tim wigg + more Belleville, Melbourne. 8:00pm. the rookies The Rooks Return, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. aimee francis + youthfire Whole Lotta Love, Brunswick East. 7:00pm. $10.00.

open mic night Purple Emerald, Northcote. 8:00pm. tanglewood festival - feat: spoonbill + hypnotech + tash sultana + reuben stone + more

NYE SCORCHER

T H E TOT E Great giddy goats, this weather is causing more sweat than a horse feeling guilty about chowin’ through a chilli plantation. In honour of this annual moment of magic (along with it being the end of the year), The Tote are holding their New Years Eve Scorcher.

Featuring the likes of Hobb’s Angel of Death, Power, Lucy Cliche, Last Chaos, Ruined Fortune, Teuton, Miss Destiny, Sewercide, Whipper, Trench Sisters, Stations, Black Diamond and a bloody great free BBQ, shoot your shit on over to The Tote on Thursday December 31 and catch The Tote’s NYE Scorcher for all your last minute end of year needs. Doors open at 3pm, entry is $20.

nye @ tommy’s club - feat: stifler’s mom Matthew Flinders Hotel, Chadstone. 6:00pm.

nye on the hill - feat: safia + kim churchill + harts + dylan joel + woodlock + luca brasi + more The Farm, 2:00pm. rolling stones party - feat: nick barker & the monkey men + max crawdaddy Caravan Music Club, Oakleigh. 8:00pm. $28.00.

showcase nights Purple Emerald, Northcote.

8:00pm. .

the beatles vs rolling stones (nye show) Flying

Beyond The Valley Site, 8:00pm. $179.00.

Yarraville. 7:00pm. $30.00.

mezz live Chelsea Heights Hotel, Chelsea Heights.

5:30pm.

new year’s eve @ the rooftop - feat: see saw djs

CASH SAVAGE & THE LAST DRINKS

T H E R E V E R E N C E H OT E L 2015 is coming to an end, and The Reverence Hotel has put together an outstanding lineup to comfort you as you muse over whatever kind of a good or fucked up year you just had. Featuring the likes of the magnetic Cash Savage & The Last Drinks, La Bastard, The Sugarcanes, The Dead City Lights, Hot Wings and more to be announced, be sure to shoot on down to The Reverence and kiss this year goodbye in style. It’s all fancy dress, so plan your outfit, grab a ticket and party in the ‘scray. Cash Savage & The Last Drinks headline the New Years Eve party at The Reverence Hotel on Thursday December 31. Doors open at 7pm, entry is $25 on the door.

8:00pm. $40.00.

the good egg thursdays - feat: henry who + tigerfunk + lewis cancut Lucky Coq, Windsor.

7:00pm.

wondercore island nye party - feat: nai palm + jaala + sampa the great + jazz party Boney,

7:00pm.

5:00pm. $119.00.

Melbourne CBD. 10:00pm. $20.00.

glen ford & the record machine Rainbow Hotel,

BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 44

timbalero thursday La Di Da, Melbourne CBD. 9:00pm. $10.00.

apo new year’s eve concert - feat: john foreman + denis walter + teddy tahu rhodes + greta bradman + more Hamer Hall (arts Centre

Fitzroy. 9:30pm.

Melbourne), Southbank. 2:00pm. $70.00.

Tanglewood Festival Site, Lake Eildon. 12:00pm.

Melbourne), Southbank. 8:00pm. $100.00.

fiesta fin del mundo - feat: no future djs + saca la mois dj + galambo Belleville, Melbourne. 6:00pm. global safari Belleville, Melbourne. 6:00pm.

anna maria jopek Hamer Hall (arts Centre Melbourne), Southbank. 7:00pm. $45.00.

blues party - feat: northside blues assembly The B.east, Brunswick East. 9:00pm.

bossa nights - feat: darius & noel mendoza + dj juan + dj nas Osti, Prahran. 7:00pm. what the funk fridays Purple Emerald, Northcote.

9:00pm.

Beyond The Valley Site, 8:00pm. $179.00.

soul in the basement - feat: dj vince peach + dj honey Cherry Bar, Melbourne CBD. 7:00pm. $10.00. soul-a-go-go nye bash - feat: cookin’ on 3 burners + the wolfgramm sisters + miss goldie + dj manchild + more Corner Hotel, Richmond.

Farm, Tallarook . 12:00pm. $99.00.

apo new year’s eve concert - feat: john foreman + denis walter + teddy tahu rhodes + greta bradman + more Hamer Hall (arts Centre

WERRIBEE MANSION It’s the only party in town, and the only party that matters. Let Them Eat Cake has got a star-studded bill for their 2016 edition, and as long as you’re still alive after the previous night’s festivities it’s well worth your coin to stop on down. The lineup features the likes of Âme, Ben UFO, Com Truise, Daniel Avery, DJ Tennis, Four Tet, Jon Hopkins, Machinedrum, Motor City Drum Ensemble, Seven Davis Jr, Slum Village and The Opiuo Band, along with an arsenal of food, drink and art installations. Hit Let Them Eat Cake on Friday January 1. Second Round Tickets are $160, more info available at www.letthemeatcakenyd. com.au.

8:00pm. $20.00.

the roxy reunion nye party - feat: brian cadd & the coxy allstars St Kilda Memo, St Kilda.

THE GASOMETER HOT E L New Years Eve is going off with a bang at The Gasometer Hotel, as The Rebelles headline a wild, crazy, sexy party at Collingwood’s finest. In the upstairs chamber, red light and smoke will accompany Slow Grind Fever’s dance party with Djs Richie1250, Pierre Baroni and more throwing some discs to get you dancing. Downstairs, Shimmy Shimmy will see The Rebelles and Empat Lima throwing something louder and more instrumental to get your blood pumping.

Catch Shimmy Shimmy Meets Slow Grind Fever for a special New Years Eve at The Gasometer Hotel. Doors open at 8pm, entry is $50.

FRIDAY JAN 1 LET THEM EAT CAKE

beyond the valley - feat: broadway sounds + client liason + flight facilities + jamie xx + more

weekender indie nye - feat: steve wide + dave shaw + gregory wright Laundry Bar, Fitzroy.

SHIMMY SHIMMY MEETS SLOW GRIND FEVER Ft. THE REBELLES

THE BENDIGO HOTEL The original southern California punk/surf power trio Agent Orange are crashing into The Bendigo Hotel for a very special performance before the year comes to a close. A small circle of musical rebels who came together to form a movement, they took their place front and center to experience and participate in the explosion of now legendary underground music that was created during the golden era of American punk rock. Wrap the year up in style with Agent Orange at The Bendigo Hotel this Thursday December 31. Doors open at 7pm, entry is $48.

nye party - feat: dj 789 Open Studio, Northcote.

Corner Hotel, Richmond. 12:00pm.

new years evie - feat: broadway sounds + high tension + montero + crayon fields + more Bruzzy’s

AGENT ORANGE

Moons, Northcote. 9:00pm. $25.00.

T H E TO F F I N TOWN It’s going to be a big old pop filled New Years Eve party down at The Toff In Town, and they’re hoping to fill the gap between years with a non-stop eight out tribute to the first lady and icon of pop, Blondie.

Of course, if that doesn’t work, they’ll be more than happy to chuck on some of your regular favourite R&B, house, ‘90s, ‘00s tracks along with many more.

Catch Poprocks NYE at The Toff In Town with Dr Phil Smith on Thursday December 31. Doors open at 8pm, entry is free.

8:00pm.

joe cocker celebration (nye) Yarraville Club,

more fire nye - feat: jesse i + ras crucial + dj agent 86 + sista itations + zare demus + more 24

POPROCKS NYE WITH DR PHIL SMITH

beyond the valley - feat: broadway sounds + client liason + flight facilities + jamie xx + more

Festival Site (lorne), 12:00am.

CBD. 7:00pm. $35.00.

YA H YA H’ S The world famous Tarantinos are bringing you into the new year at Yah Yah’s. Playing tracks inspired by the movies of Quentin Tarantino, the band will have you dancing to the best known, (and some lesser known) songs from the films Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, From Dusk Till Dawn, Kill Bill, Death Proof, Inglourious Basterds and Django Unchained. If that ain’t enough for you, start your new year off in style with Hypno Sex Ray putting down tracks from The Cramps from 2am onwards. Catch The Tarantinos followed by The Cramps at Yah Yah’s this Thursday December 31.

Doors open at 7pm, entry is $10.

agent orange + party vibez + cosmic kahuna + k-mart warriors Bendigo Hotel, Collingwood.

falls festival - feat: foals + bloc party + disclosure + courtney barnett + soak Falls

miriam pultro Ruby’s Music Room, Melbourne

THE TARANTINOS

$37.00.

Hotel, Chelsea Heights. 8:00pm. $50.00.

$30.00.

The Croxton, Thornbury. 8:00pm. $44.90.

Fortyfivedownstairs, Melbourne CBD. 7:00pm.

absolutely 80’s - feat: brian mannix + scott carne + david sterry + mark gable Chelsea Heights

einsteins toyboys Musicland, Fawkner. 7:30pm.

melbourne ska orchestra + melbourne ska orchestra + mista savona + nattali rize + notis

Saucer Club, Elsternwick. 6:00pm. $33.00.

topology & the kransky sisters

THURSDAY DEC 31 - NYE

9:00pm.

D I N G D O N G LO U N G E You see those artist names, right? After a hugely successful year, The Bennies and Clowns are preparing to send out 2015 with a bang at Ding Dong Lounge this New Years Eve. The Bennies grabbed attentions nationwide earlier this year with their kickass cover of TISM’s (He’ll Never Be An) Ol’ Man River, before heading on their Party Whirlwind national tour.

Clowns have been on a similar warpath, dropping their sophomore album Bad Blood in February and playing every single state before heading over to tour the U.S. Both acts are known for going off live; better stop looking for New Years plans, because here they are. Along with Foxtrot, The Bennies and Clowns take over Ding Dong Lounge on Thursday December 31. $30 tickets, doors open at 8pm.

new years eve beer garden party - feat: dj ash lee Pope Joan, Brunswick East. 7:00pm. $50.00.

Tanglewood Festival Site, Lake Eildon. 12:00pm.

cranked Ascot Vale Hotel, Ascot Vale. 8:00pm. craptallica Old Bar, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. $10.00. daisy west + kaisha Sooki Lounge, Belgrave.

THE BENNIES + CLOWNS

tanglewood festival - feat: spoonbill + hypnotech + tash sultana + reuben stone + more the miserable little bastards Standard Hotel, Fitzroy. 9:00pm.

the mystic tip rats + hidden garden Baha Tacos & Tapas Bar, Rye. 5:00pm. $50.00.

the roxy reunion nye party - feat: brian cadd & the coxy allstars The Shadow Electric, Abbotsford.

8:00pm. $119.00.

B E AT.C O M . A U

captain spalding Customs House Hotel, Williamstown. 9:30pm.

falls festival - feat: foals + bloc party + disclosure + courtney barnett + soak Falls Festival Site (lorne), 12:00am.

hey hey it’s friday - feat: astro boys Royal Hotel

(essendon), Essendon. 10:00pm.

new years evie - feat: broadway sounds + high tension + montero + crayon fields + more Bruzzy’s Farm, Tallarook . 12:00pm. $99.00.

nye on the hill - feat: safia + kim churchill + harts + dylan joel + woodlock + luca brasi + more The Farm, 2:00pm. pierce brothers + tash sultana Torquay Hotel, Torquay. 4:00pm. $23.50.

watt’s on presents - feat: the peptides Prince Public Bar, St Kilda . 8:30pm.

daveys fridays - feat: rob & tarquin + superfly djs Daveys Bar & Restaurant, Frankston. 8:00pm. tanglewood festival - feat: spoonbill + hypnotech + tash sultana + reuben stone + more Tanglewood Festival Site, Lake Eildon. 12:00pm.

the new savages + mississippi hill country blues Reverence Hotel, Footscray. 9:00pm.

GIG GUIDE

SATURDAY JAN 2 DJ JOEL HAMLIN

T HE REVERENCE HOTEL Fast becoming somewhat a resident DJ at the venue, Joel Hamlin is hitting the decks to pump out a cracking selection of soul, ska, Rocksteady and blues at The Reverence Hotel early next year. He’ll ease you into the first weekend of the new year at the bar’s accommodating front room, kicking off 2016 with good times and even better tunes. Catch DJ Joel Hamlin at The Reverence Hotel on Saturday January 2. Doors open from 8pm, entry is free.

THE BALLS

T HE TOTE The Tote are presenting The Balls in their fine bandroom at the start of next year, and it’ll probably be better than it sounds. Carry on your start of year bender with a blasting night of Doom/Sludge rock on the first Saturday of the year with the likes of She-Beast, The Witching Hour, Mr Wolf, and finally headliners The Balls. Catch a glimpse of The Balls at The Tote on Saturday January 2. Doors open at 8pm, entry is $10.

HAILGUN

T HE BENDIGO HOTEL Hailgun are headlining a fundraiser show at The Bendigo Hotel for Indigenous Community Volunteers, a non-profit community development organisation helping Indigenous communities across Australia with the unique problems they face. ICV works differently than other charities by giving people control of development decisions whilst respecting local knowledge and input. Expect a night of heavy punk, grind and metal whilst donating to a good cause.

Catch Hailgun at The Bendigo Hotel on Saturday January 2. Doors open at 8pm, entry is $10.

all the colours Penny Black, Brunswick. 9:00pm. confession + graves + atlantic + earth caller Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. $20.00.

el vez + dr el suavo Karova Lounge, Ballarat.

8:30pm. $35.00.

groundswell festival - feat: hoodoo gurus + ian moss + diesel + the break Groundswell Festival Site,

Lake Tyers Beach. 12:00pm. $79.00.

new years evie - feat: broadway sounds + high tension + montero + crayon fields + more Bruzzy’s

Farm, Tallarook . 12:00pm. $99.00.

ross wilson & the peaceniks Flying Saucer Club,

Elsternwick. 6:00pm. $33.00.

saturdays r covered - feat: radio star Royal Hotel (essendon), Essendon. 10:00pm.

the basics Northcote Social Club, Northcote.

8:30pm.

weedy gonzalez + masses + pagan Tote Hotel, Collingwood. 5:00pm.

b3 breakout Retreat Hotel, Brunswick. 5:00pm.

karaoke with zoe Customs House Hotel,

weird al yankovic Palais Theatre, St Kilda. 7:00pm.

Williamstown. 9:00pm.

$91.65.

SUNDAY JAN 3

Frankston. 2:30pm.

matt borg trio Rainbow Hotel, Fitzroy. 9:30pm.

white lightning + the blind owls + aaron gillet + benny gerrard Whole Lotta Love, Brunswick East. 7:00pm. rosie & the mighty kings Daveys Bar & Restaurant, sunday soul sessions Purple Emerald, Northcote.

9:00pm.

elwood blues club Prince Public Bar, St Kilda .

JUNK!

8:00pm.

T H E WO R K E R S C LU B After leaving Melbourne in 2011, Junk! has been leaving his mark on Osaka, Busan and Hong Kong, and now he’s taking to The Workers Club to stain the walls and bust some balls. Supported by two super talented acts – Mousecapades and BJ Morrisszonkle, this homecoming show will surely be enough to kickstart your year with a roar. Catch Junk! at The Workers Club this Saturday January 2. Doors open at 7pm, entry is $10.

phila para Prince Public Bar, St Kilda . 6:00pm. the change up - feat: dave boots + gail smith + frank driscoll + more Loop, Melbourne CBD. 8:00pm.

daryll braithwaite Barwon Heads Hotel, Barwon Heads. 9:30pm. $28.60.

daryl roberts & hey gringo Mordialloc Sporting Club, Mordialloc. 9:30pm.

eat the damn orange + super saloon + izzy mack & the blacklist + the deja vus Whole Lotta Love, Brunswick East. 8:00pm. $10.00.

jess locke Old Bar, Fitzroy. 4:00pm. joshua seymour band + the stragglers Old Bar, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $10.00.

EAGLES OF DEATH METAL CHARITY FUNDRAISER

C H E R RY B A R Some real nasty shit goes on in the world sometimes.

Rock’n’roll isn’t going to solve the world’s problems, but getting down to Cherry Bar for the Eagles Of Death Metal Charity Fundraiser might help a bit. On this special night, Henry Wagons, The Tarantinos, Atomic Riot and more are gathering together to perform Zipper Down in full, plus other Eagles Of Death Metal classics, all to raise funds to support the victims of the Paris attacks. Come chuck a rock at Cherry Bar for the Eagles Of Death Metal Charity Fundraiser on Saturday January 2. Doors open at 7pm, entry is $20.

EAT THE DAMN ORANGE

WH O L E LOT TA LOV E Hard rockers Eat the Damn Orange are headlining a big old four band bill at Whole Lotta Love this Saturday January 2, stuffed with all the loud guitars and cracked snares you could you handle. Super Saloon will make their long awaited return to venue, and on the flip side, Izzy Mack and The Blacklist will play their first Whole Lotta Love set, with The Deja Vus wrapping it all up. Four bands for ten bucks, get in by 8pm.

justin yap band Rainbow Hotel, Fitzroy. 4:00pm. michelle gardiner Customs House Hotel,

Williamstown. 3:00pm.

ross wilson & the peaceniks Torquay Hotel,

Torquay. 2:00pm. $28.60.

sunday session - feat: brunsy Ferntree Gully Hotel,

Ferntree Gully. 2:00pm.

sunday sessions - feat: various artists Lucky Coq, Windsor. 4:00pm.

WAVVES

M A X WAT T ’ S Coming off their appearance at Falls Festival, Wavves are storming into Max Watt’s for a very special sideshow. Known for their wild on-stage presence and fuzzy rock throw-downs, Wavves have quickly become known as one of the most manic and exciting bands to emerge from LA in recent times. With supports on the night coming from The Babe Rainbow and Wet Lips, you can catch Wavves at Max Watt’s on Sunday January 3. Doors open at 7.30pm, entry is $54.

AMARILLO

T H E R E T R E AT H OT E L Amarillo are hitting The Retreat Hotel for a Sunday session sure to bring some much needed alt-country to your end-of-week cycle. Featuring Nick O’Mara from Raised By Eagles and his accomplice Jac Tonks, Amarillo blend a rich, sonorous mix of lap-steel and slack tuned guitar to craft a soothing bed of harmonies to their lucky audiences. Catch Amarillo at The Retreat Hotel on Sunday January 3. Doors open at 5pm, entry is free.

1927 Caravan Music Club, Oakleigh. 3:00pm. $33.00. camp cope + wil wagner + iona cairns Old Bar, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. $6.00.

kurt vile & the violators + twerps + scott & charlene’s wedding Forum Theatre, Melbourne

CBD. 7:00pm.

mac demarco + gum + mesa cosa 170 Russell,

Melbourne CBD. 7:30pm. $60.00.

the getaway plan Torquay Hotel, Torquay. 8:00pm.

the travis winters blues band The Water Rat Hotel, South Melbourne. 5:00pm. $5.00.

MONDAY JAN 4 THE WEATHER STATION

NORTHCOTE SOCIAL CLUB Canada’s The Weather Station have locked in their debut Melbourne performance at Northcote Social Club, set to play locally on Monday January 4. Touring as a trio, their performance follows the release of their Loyalty LP earlier this year, as well as their appearance at Woodford Folk Festival over New Years. Joining them on the night will be dark haunting duo The Orbweavers, gearing up to launch their single, Poison Garden. The Weather Station play their first ever Melbourne show this Monday January 4 from 7.30pm.

Tickets are $35 through Ticketscout.

THE STRAGGLERS

THE RETREAT HOTEL The Stragglers employ a soothing and playful mix of folk, country and bluegrass – all of which they’ll be purveying for a soothing Monday session at The Retreat Hotel come early January. Boasting both gravelly and honey smooth tones, the band’s harmonious talents with the guitar, banjo and mandolin have earned them the badge of being affectionately known as’ the ratbags of country folk’. Catch The Stragglers at The Retreat Hotel on Monday January 4. Doors open at 8.30pm, entry is free.

jazz party John Curtin Hotel, Carlton. 8:00pm. cooper lower + josh vuocolo Open Studio, Northcote. 8:00pm.

$23.50.

wavves + the babe rainbow + wet lips Max Watt’s, Melbourne. 7:30pm. $48.00.

B E AT.C O M . A U

BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 45

GIG GUIDE KURT VILE & THE VIOLATORS

MAC DEMARCO

170 RUSSELL Jangle-pop playboy Mac DeMarco is taking over 170 Russell for a raucous night of partial nudity and power ballads. Receiving solid reception on every album he’s released – from Rock And Roll Night Club through to this year’s Another One, DeMarco’s live shows hold a certain power that can’t be found upon his records, transforming the musical experience into something far more involving. Catch Mac DeMarco at 170 Russell on Monday January 4. Doors open at 7.30pm, entry is $64.

TUESDAY JAN 5 BØRNS

NORT HCOTE SOCIAL C LU B Looking and sounding like the love child of Jack White and Marc Bolan, 23 year old LA based prodigy Børns is ripping into the Northcote Social Club for a very special Falls Festival sideshow. After nabbing Apple Music’s New Artist Spotlight and landing his cover of Velvet Underground’s Sunday Morning on H&M’s latest world wide campaign, Børns seems to only go from strength to strength. Børns performs at the Northcote Social Club on Tuesday January 5.

Doors open at 8pm, entry is $42.

M A X WAT T ’ S Kurt Vile is bringing his wild styles to Max Watt’s early next year, hot off the tail of his appearance at Falls Festival. The ramblin’ guitarist will be bringing tunes from his new album b’lieve i’m goin down to Australian audiences as he plays this extra Melbourne show for lucky fans. Catch Kurt Vile & The Violators at Max Watt’s Tuesday January 5. Doors open at 7pm, entry is $60.

BLOOD BURGER

YUNG LEAN

PR I N C E B A ND R O O M You either love him, or are hopelessly confused by people who love him - Yung Lean is in town and he’s hitting the Prince Bandroom for his first ever Melbourne show. Through the influence of the popular rap scene that featured the likes of 50 Cent, the uniquely accessible young rapper crafted a presence through carving quasi-satirical renditions of the genre’s existing mosaic-like presence. Catch Yung Lean at Prince Bandroom on Tuesday January 5. Doors open from 8pm, entry is $55.

TH E G A S O M E T E R H OT E L Playing instrumental music with a psychedelic, Mediterranean feel on electric guitars, bouzouki, bass and drums, Blood Burger are ripping down to The Gasometer for a special three Tuesday nights. Members have played with of Ron S. Peno’s band, Mick Harvey’s band, The Basics, The Devastations and the Sugar Fed Leopards. They have a shared love of instrumental music with an edge, and can riff down with the best of them. Catch Blood Burger at The Gasometer Hotel Tuesday January 5. Doors open at 8pm, entry is free.

WANT YOUR GIG IN GIG GUIDE? EMAIL A SHORT BLURB AND PIC TO MUSICNEWS@BEAT.COM.AU

alan cumming (sings sappy songs) Arts Centre, Melbourne. 8:30pm. $65.00.

bloc party Forum Theatre, Melbourne CBD. 7:30pm mac demarco + gum + free time 170 Russell,

Melbourne CBD. 7:30pm. $60.00.

oh wonder + gordi Corner Hotel, Richmond.

8:00pm. $39.50.

taste of indie tuesday - feat: aspiring songwriter sessions Prince Public Bar, St Kilda . 8:00pm.

The Push PRESENTS

Access All Ages With grace kindellan Looking for a head-start and some good advice in the music industry? Keep reading! The 2016 FReeZA Mentoring program matches up enthusiastic young people with established music industry professionals who provide one-on-one mentoring and support in areas as diverse as event management, performance, technical production, publicity, and music business.

Mentees also have the chance to develop their skills by working on festivals and events and participating in intensive master classes hosted by a range of experts in different fields. This Victorian Government-funded program is open to people between the ages of 18-25 who live in Victoria and have an interest in working in the music industry. Applications are open now! See www.surveymonkey.com/r/Freezamentoring16 for more details.

For all the creative and musical high school students out there, JMC Academy is running a series of workshops

CLASSIFIEDS 33c per word per week (inc GST) Send your classified listing to classifieds@beat.com.au.

Payment options include VISA/Mastercard or EFT (1.5% surcharge for credit card payment).

Deadline is Monday 11am, prior to Wednesday’s publication.

Minimum $5 charge per week.

We do not accept classifieds over the phone - sorry.

BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 46

KATHERINE HYMER

TH E WO RK E R S C LU I B Katherine Hymer is taking her hauntingly beautiful tunes to The Workers Club early next year. With melodic lines as dark and foreboding as the depths of the sea, Hymer has been turning heads with the release of her 2015 debut single Monsters along with the follow-up In The Sky. You can catch Katherine Hymer at The Workers Club on Tuesday January 5.

Doors open 8pm, entry is free.

over the school holidays guaranteed to banish boredom and hone your talents. There are sessions on everything from song-writing to animation to entertainment business and at $15 - $20 they’re unlikely to blowout your budget. For dates and more information check out www.jmcacademy.edu.au and get in quick! They’re running this week through to January and places are filling up quickly.

If you fancy yourself as a bit of an experimental composer or an amateur interpretive dancer, the Giant Theremin on the Northbank of the Yarra River might be just the thing for you. That’s right, there’s a seven metre tall theremin right near Flinders Street station that produces ethereal sounds when people walk, dance or run next to it. Check it out between December 27 – 31 at www.thatsmelbourne.com.au/Whatson There’s plenty of all ages action this New Year’s Eve, including early-eve celebrations. While there might be a slightly irritating amount of small children around at the ‘early eve’ celebrations, there are also some sick bands playing. Check out Mighty Duke and the Lords, fresh from a celebrated set at Meredith Music Festival, at Yarra Park from 6pm on Thursday December 31.

More details available here: www.thatsmelbourne.com. au/nye/early-eve

Asanti Dance Theatre will shake things up with a high energy set fusing acrobatics, live percussion and dance, followed by a show-stopping performances from So You Think You Can Dance 2014 finalist Nadiah Idris, Melbourne soul singer Thando and Jason Heerah and the Chosen Ones. Other artists taking to the stage include Noriko Tadano and George Kamikawa, Wadaiko Rindo, Kaiit Waup, Nhatty Man and DJ Thomas W Butt. Head to the website for more information: www.fedsquare.com/events/new-yearseve-2015 For any readers who live or plan to holiday down the coast in South Gippsland, there is a fantastic, all ages gig happening in the town of Foster on Saturday January 2 featuring Melbourne’s most danceable RnB band, The Harpoons. With their recent single ‘Ready for your Love’ receiving great reviews and successful shows at New York City’s CMJ festival, The Harpoons are primed and ready to bring their soulful pop out to the rolling hills of South Gippsland. Support comes from Melbourne garage rockers Wet Lips and local band Rockenspiele who, despite only just finishing high school, have played Poison City Weekender and recorded a bangin’ EP. Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for students with more details available here: www. facebook.com/events/1635343533385120/.

Fed Square is also hosting a sick NYE party, with a line-up of 2015’s rising stars curated by Multi-cultural Arts Victoria. Come down to hear everything from African beats to modern electronic, jazz to Japanese folk, and R&B to soul and see the fireworks from one of Melbourne’s best view-points. African dance group,

Acts wanted for Sunday rock shows Contact: mark@gunnmusic.com.au Bands/Duos/Solo acts wanted for Acoustic/Indie Fest Contact: mark@gunnmusic.com.au Rock/Metal acts wanted for local rock shows Contact: mark@gunnmusic.com.au

FEMALE VOCALIST LOOKING FOR MUSICIANS to start an originals band.

Also interested in starting an acoustic duo.

Contact Marrianne 0405 929 923 MUSICIANS WANTED for original, raw, rock and roll band. Own instruments a must. 17-21 year old. Auditions and details text Jim: 0414 079 073. Please leave details. Prompt reply.

B E AT.C O M . A U

MODELING. We’re looking for confident women of all styles (aged 18+) for our pro-feminist photographic projects with an emphasis on style and creativity.

Nude/undies, paying $100 to $500 per shoot. Don’t overlook this until you’ve found out more about it. Rebecca ph.9495 6555 MUSINGS: Can a spider get caught in another spider’s web?

All Ages Gig Guide T h urs d a y December 3 1 New Year’s Eve Junior Talent Search w/ DJ Ramon & Various performers TBA, Lakes Entrance Foreshore, 2.00pm - 4.00pm, Free, AA

F ri d a y J anuar y 1 an d e v er y following S atur d a y in J anuar y FReeZA Summer Market Series w/ Cooper Lower, Chloe and Nicola, Angela and Mitch, Louis Chilton, Paddy Brady, Ditto, Warrnambool Civic Green and Lake Pertobe, 4.30pm - 8.30pm, Free, www. warrnambool.vic.gov.au, AA

Wed 23th December

W I N E , W H I S K EY, W O M E N 8pm: Rosie Burgess 9pm: Sam Lohs Thurs 24th December

3pm:

Kraken Folk Session 7pm:

The Tipplers

25th-27th December

closed

Tuesday 29th december

8pm:

Weekly Trivia

Wed 30th December

W I N E , W H I S K EY, W O M E N 8pm: Freida Le Bjorn 9pm: Samara Cullen 31st-1st January

closed

The Drunken Poet, 65 Peel Street (directly opposite Queen Vic Market), Phone: 03 9348 9797. www.thedrunkenpoet.com.au

THURSDAY 24TH 7PM

JUNGLE FUNK

XMAS EVE EDITION DJ MANCHILD WITH DJ MOHAIR SLIM & SCATTER SCATTER LIVE SATURDAY 26TH 7PM

WINTERS & JIMMY JAMES

SOULFUL DISCO, BOOGIE & FUNK MONDAY 28TH 7PM

BOXING DAY PARTY WITH SECRET GUESTS THURSDAY 31ST 7PM

LOOSE JOINTS NYE TAKEOVER FREE ENTRY :)

FRIDAY 1ST 7PM

APERITIVO

BUON ANNO 2016 ORCA, HYSTERIC, PATRIZIO ADAMO

W W W. B E AT.C O M . A U

BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 47

REHEARSAL STUDIOS

threephasemusic.com Weeknight rates from $65

8 Tinning St, Brunswick

PA HIRE Mastering for CD, Vinyl & Online Releases

thecabinmastering.com Ph-0408 565 121

Comprehensive PA systems delivered, set up and operated with crew. Compact, easy, sound systems you can pickup and assemble yourself.Components such as microphones, speakers and effects are also available separately. Lights also available.

For details phone Mark Barry on 03 9889 1999 or 0419 993 966

www.bssound.com.au bssound@bigpond.com

18 DUFFY ST BURWOOD WWW.HYDRASTUDIOS.COM.AU

HYDRA REHEARSAL STUDIOS BOOK A ROOM! CALL: 0417 000 397 • 2000 WATT HK AUDIO/MACKIE PAs • TEN CLEAN, 30M2 ROOMS • STORAGE • DRUMKIT/AMP HIRE • AIR CON

Will The Beatles’ music finally hit streaming services this week?

BOOGIE SITE UP FOR SALE

The 80 hectare/2 acre Bruzzy’s Farm in Tallarook, home of the Boogie music and camping festival for over ten years, is up for sale as its owner is planning to retire. The sale, for $1.6 million, includes home, shedding, accommodation units, stages, camping ground, cricket ground plus sheep farming. Situated an hour out of Melbourne, it has permits and infrastructure for concerts and functions with a sound curfew until 3am.

NICK BROWN JOINING PBS BREAKFAST

Nick Brown will be co-hosting PBS 106.7FM’s The Breakfast Spread in 2016 with Cat McGauran when the show returns on Wednesday January 27. Brown, a volunteer at the station for three years, has been presenting the 2am indie show Lonely Stretch every fortnight the last 18 months.

Brown said of his new gig, “I’m even more excited than the time I met Steve Waugh when I was seven years old.” It is McGauran’s third year on the show.

HEARTSTOP MUSIC SIGNS JULIA JACKLIN

Alastair Burns’ Fitzroy-based Heartstop Music signed triple j supported Sydney singer/songwriter Julia Jacklin for management. She’s playing the Old Bar on January 19, in between putting the final touches on her debut album. The album’s due mid-2016 and was recorded in New Zealand with producer Ben Edwards.

Heartstop Music, which also looks after Marlon Williams, relocated to Melbourne from NZ in 2009. It ran BalconyTV Melbourne for four years and now runs the Melbourne Folk Club BREAKING RECORDS

Adele’s 25 became the fastest selling album in UK chart history to hit 2 million sales in 29 days. Norwegian DJ/ producer Kygo has become the fastest artist of all time to reach one billion plays on Spotify. He reached the figure in 12 months, after the release of his debut single Firestone and has 14 million monthly listeners. People like Sam Smith and Ariana Grande took two years. MTV achieved the biggest social vote Twitter has ever seen after receiving over 1 billion votes globally for its end of year music feature #MTVStars.

CELLAR BAR TURNS MUSIC OFF

The Newmarket Hotel in St Kilda’s experiment with live music at its Cellar Bar, under the lead of Jeremy Jankie, has ended prematurely. The new owners of the Newmarket, who bought it in September, have decided to use the basement as a restaurant and function space.

APPLE MUSIC ON SONOS

Apple Music is the latest streaming service to be available on Sonos audio products, BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 50

Did Deadmau5 really do a runner from hospital while recovering from a lymph node infection to play a Miami show?

Rihanna is still beavering away on her Anti album, due out last month. She asked Sia for four songs. Previously Sia offered Bird Set Free and Cheap Thrills to her (and Alive for Adele) but used them elsewhere when they turned them down.

Cold Chisel’s said farewell to the Sydney Entertainment Centre before 9000 people, aptly finishing with Goodbye (Astrid Goodbye) and also playing Ita for the first time in 32 years. Jimmy Barnes urged the crowd to have the place, “in tatters before Elton gets here” and a mosher saved himself a trip to the loo by pissing in the moshpit. Elton John played the next night, telling the crowd he’d played the venue 34 times and dedicated Your Song to Sydney.

A US medical examiner found that Scott Weiland died accidentally from a toxic mix of cocaine, alcohol and ecstasy.

Ten million Americans attempted to buy one of the 750,000 tickets available for Adele’s tour there.

In the latest Australian certifications, Taylor Swift’s 1989 went diamond (10x platinum, or 700,000), Adele’s 25 hit 7x platinum, Justin Bieber’s Under The Mistletoe achieved its first platinum and 12th Man’s The Very Best of Richie went gold. Of singles, Adele’s Hello turned 4x platinum, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’ Downtown 3x platinum, while Rudimental’s Lay It All On Me and Shawn Mendes’ Stitches their first. Conrad Sewell’s Who You Lovin has gone gold.

Australia’s most-watched music videos on YouTube in 2015 was Wiz Khalifa’s See You Again, then Taylor Swift’s Bad Blood and Maroon 5’s Sugar.

R

Which enthusiastic photographer got in trouble for taking pictures of kids at a music festival without asking their parents first?

E

Was the music exec’s “hunting” accident actually a “love triangle gone wrong”?

Z

THINGS WE HEAR

STIE EL RI IE

with its 30 million songs. It is currently available in beta form for subscribers who signed to test it out. The full version expected in the first quarter of 2016 after any issues are ironed out, according to Sonos.

H H

MUSIC INDUSTRY NEWS & GOSSIP

IT

C

INDUSTRIAL

W

the Fellowship to record a new album with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra; another with lyrics from playwright Lally Katz; collaborate with Dutch composer Michel van der Aa on a new song cycle; a new musical theatre work developed with director Tom Morris, whom she worked with at the Metropolitan Opera on The Death Of Klinghoffer; and a new musical theatre piece developed with composer Iain Grandage, whom she worked with on The Rabbits.

O’BRIEN LAUNCHES WHAT A VIBE MANAGEMENT

One time Soundwave general manager Chris O’Brien has started his own management company, What A Vibe, with Melbourne band Storm The Sky the first signing. The band is already signed for record releases to UNFD. O’Brien can be contacted at chris@whatavibemanagement. com.au.

DIAMOND VIP PRIZE FOR BOOMERANG CROWD FUNDING

A few weeks ago we reported of a crowdfunding campaign for the Boomerang festival in Byron Bay’s Bluesfest site (http://igg.me/at/boomerangfestival/).

Among the prizes for donations are two $7,000 Diamond Visitors Pack for two people each. It includes five-day VIP Bluesfest tickets, return flights from your capital city by Virgin Australia, six nights accommodation at Byron Resort, champagne breakfast at Harvest Café, Newrybar, a dining experience at the Farm with chef Clayton Donavon, a private grass weaving workshop with Rhoda Roberts, a Walk Country with Arakwal custodians, a backstage tour of Bluesfest and an induction into The First Friends of Boomerang for life.

RDIO GOES DARK THIS WEEK

After being acquired by Internet radio giant Pandora for US$75 million, Rdio closes up on December 22. For those who like trivia, its first listener signed up on August 3, 2010 with the first song played Katy Perry’s California Gurls (feat. Snoop Dogg). Most played song was Bruno Mars’ When I Was Your Man, most played album was Drake’s Nothing Was The Same.

At one point, Rdio was the biggest grossing music app in Aust and NZ with almost a million downloads.

UMA’S NADYA BALZAROLO GOES SOLO

Byron Bay band Valhalla Lights have a new way to release an album. From January, the 13 tracks will be issued one a month with two in December.

Universal Music Australia executive Nadya Balzarolo is leaving to start her own company. She was Publicity Manager for Geffen/MCA Records and was one of the founders of Universal Music Australia.

According to The Music Network, as GM of Promotions she helped break unknowns as Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga in this territory, and helped build Powderfinger and Grinspoon. Her most recent role was as GM of Media Partnership, UMA Brands where she worked with David Jones, Coca Cola, Fairfax and The Voice. UMA will be her first client and she will work as a consultant for The Voice, TMN said.

MILLER-HEIDKE LANDS FELLOWSHIP

SOUNDWAVE DRAMAS REFLECT IN NZ

Melbourne based Kate Miller-Heidke is the recipient of the Music category of the Australia Council Fellowships.

It’s worth $80,000 over two years and given to established names significant in their field, “to undertake creative activity, research and professional development.”

Miller-Heidke covers contemporary rock and recently appeared in Opera Australia’s ABC TV opera The Divorce. She will use

The crumbling of Soundwave has caused a problem for folks across the Tasman.

Westfest Festival, held in NZ on January 30, which shared bills with Soundwave, is “waiting to hear from bands” before deciding whether to proceed. Late last week while promoter AJ Maddah and the ticket agency Eventopia were handballing who was responsible for refunds, liquidators of the cancelled NZ festival

Meek Mill could face jail time after submitting ‘cold water’ as a urine sample AC/DC’s show at Western Springs Stadium in Auckland before 30,000 received 27 noise complaints. It was registered at 103 decibels and heard 6kms away.

MUSIC INDUSTRY NEWS & GOSSIP

STUFF FOR THIS COLUMN TO BE EMAILED TO C E L I E Z E R @ N E T S PA C E .N E T. A U B Y F R I D AY 5 P M

Echo were poking around to see if they could claw back advance monies paid to acts as Disclosure, Jamie xx, Flaming Lips and Kurt Vile to refund to fans.

Only 50,000 tickets seemed to have shifted for Soundwave 2016, compared to the near 250,000 in 2013 when Metallica, Linkin Park and Blink 182 headlined. Meantime, more figures have emerged of Soundwave’s debts. Already, pro audio website CX revealed that a Deloitte audit report indicated its previous operating company World Stages owed $25.8 million to 186 creditors while the Australian Taxation Office and Office of State Revenue have claims of $6 million because artist fees were recorded as wages instead of as contractor payments. ASIC figures showed that still to be paid from past festivals were Soundgarden ($2.1 million), Slipknot ($1.6 million), Smashing Pumpkins ($1.26 million), Marilyn Manson ($588,000), Incubus ($571,000), Slash ($484,000), Judas Priest ($349,000) and Millencolin ($91,000).

BYRON’S FALLS, SPLENDOUR, INJECT $107M

Lifelines EXPECTING: Kate ­Miller-Heidke and husband, guitarist Keir Nuttall, their first, in May. EXPECTING: Rapper Fetty Wap and reality TV star girlfriend Masika Kalysha.

EXPECTING: H from Steps and partner Craig Ryder, twins.

SPLIT: Ruby Rose and Phoebe Dahl, after two years, due to the stress of a long distance engagement.

ILL: Poison‘s Rikki Rockett will find out next month if his treatment for tongue cancer has proved successful.

HOSPITALISED: Frenzal Rhomb guitarist Lindsay McDougall for emergency eye surgery.

North Byron Parklands in its annual performance report stated that its two major festivals, Falls and Splendour In The Grass, generated over $107 million to the economy, $28.1 million (or 26%) for Byron Shire. This year they also created 196 equivalent full-time jobs, representing 1.79% of Byron Shire’s workforce. The report said the festivals made no “serious impact” on flora and fauna, with 3,725 trees, shrubs and seedlings planted in new areas and the Yelgun Creek restoration program completed. But Parklands said it was working with authorities to resolve noise issues after complaints (the site has since been fined) and traffic management.

Under the current five year trial (which it is halfway through), the site can hold ten days of events a year until December 31 2017, one for up to 25,000 people, one for up to 15,000, and one for 10,000. Splendour and Falls take four days each. A third event to be staged at Parklands has not been announced.

INJURED: After forcing Slaves to reschedule UK dates when he dislocated a shoulder, Isaac Holman dislocated the other one on their first show back while dancing to their intro song.

ROB TANNION TO HELM CIRCUS OZ

ARRESTED: Azealia Banks for allegedly spitting on a bouncer’s face and biting her boob after being thrown out of an invite-only party in a New York club.

After an international search, Circus Oz named Australian-trained, European-based director and choreographer Rob Tannion as its new artistic director. Currently holding that role at Organizacion Efimera in Madrid, he begins here in April. Tannion has worked internationally across circus, musicals, events, dance, outdoor and sitespecific theatre, commercials and film.

WANNA BE PART OF SHOWCASE VICTORIA?

Showcase Victoria is an arts touring marketplace that invites presenters, producers and artists to discuss and sample the latest works in a wide range of performing arts genres with a view to building relationships and facilitating future tours. It’s held on May 17 and 18 at Plenty Ranges Arts Centre by the Victorian Association of Performing Arts Centres (VAPAC) and Regional Arts Victoria.

If you have a tour-ready show or a show concept suitable for life on the road, submit your Expression of Interest by February 2 at showcasevictoria.com.au.

MORE ACTS FOR ABABCD SERIES

Melbourne filmmakers Banalarama’s ABABCd series of live video recordings from interesting acts returns next month.

ABABCd is filmed live at the Gasometer’s open-air band room at 484 Smith St, Collingwood. The next instalment is filmed on Friday January 8 featuring The

SUED: Motley Crue’s Vince Neil by an investor in his Arena Football League who said he put in $500,000 from advice given on its finances, only for it to collapse a year later.

IN COURT: The Cranberries’ bipolar singer Dolores O’Riordan pleaded guilty to assaulting an air hostess on a flight from New York to Ireland, and then three cops who met her at the end of the flight, screaming, “You’re not going to arrest me. I am an icon. I’m the Queen of Limerick, I pay my taxes, I pay your wages. I’m going to sue you.”

DIED: Underground New York guitarist/TV composer Adam Roth, 57, cancer. He worked with Denis Leary, Matt Dillon, Chloë Sevigny and Natasha Lyonne.

Harpoons, Mangelwurzel, Sui Zhen, and another act to be announced, plus CC:DISCO spinning tracks between sets.

JOSH MUIR WINS MELBOURNE UNI RESIDENCY

Ballarat contemporary artist Josh Muir, whose work draws on hip hop and street art culture, won a year-long residency at the University of Melbourne, including a cash grant of $40,000 and up to $5000 for materials as part of the Hutchinson Indigenous Residency. Based at the Victorian College of the Arts (VCA), the Residency was created to enable indigenous artists to do significant projects of their choice and will allow the 24 year-old Yorta Yorta/Gunditjmara man the time and space to reflect and research ideas for his artwork.

S T A G I N G

&

E V E N T

E Q U I P M E N T

COOPER

BETSY

MODULAR DECK STAGE

JORDY

MENTION ‘BEAT MAGAZINE’ FOR FREE 3x3M MARQUEE HIRE* WITH YOUR STAGE BOOKING! JORDY

• 7.5m x 5m Mobile Stage • Engineer certified • Roof Canopy • Lighting Trusses • Stairs • Rear Screen • Safety Rails • Height Adjustable Roof & Base • Optional Clear PVC Side Walls • Pleated Skirting • 1.5hr set up *Conditions apply

BETSY

• 6m x 4.5m Mobile Stage • Engineer certified • Roof Canopy • Lighting Trusses • Stairs • Rear Screen • Safety Rails • Height Adjustable Roof & Base • Pleated Skirting • 1.5hr set up

COOPER

• 4.5m x 2.5m Mobile Stage • Convertible - roof on or off • Safety Rails • Height Adjustable Base • Stairs • Can be towed by ute • Pleated Skirting • 30mins set up

MODULAR DECK EXTRAS • Marquees STAGING • Engineer Certified • Solid Construction • Indoor/Outdoor Use • Height Adjustable • Stairs Balustrades • Wheelchair Ramp • Mobile Stage Extensions

STAGE SCENE STAGING & EVENT EQUIPMENT PH: (03) 9734 4488 | WWW.STAGESCENE.COM.AU

• Green Room Equipment • Crowd Barriers and more...