Please Do Not Litter March 14, 2018
FREE
Issue N o 1617
Wet Lips/Press Club/The Smith Street Band/Billy Ray Cyrus
WE CAN’T ENSURE YOU’LL NAIL EVERY CHORD, BUT WE CAN INSURE YOUR GUITAR.
Get a quote in 30 seconds racv.com.au
BEAT.COM.AU
3
ay 30 March
Friday 31 March
Saturday 1 April
ion 250 High st, Northcote DaviesHillWest Phia 94 ront Bar, Free 6pm, Front250Bar, Free 6pm, Front Bar, Free High st, Northcote Hill
Sunday 2 April
Tuesday 4 April
Broadstone ‘Genesis’ Single Launch 2pm, Band room, $5
The Moulin Beige 7.30pm, Band Room $15 ticket Bar, Bar, $30 meal & show Restaurant, Restaurant,
Wesley Anne Wesley Anne 9482 13
Liv Cartledge ‘Timber’ EP Launch 8pm, Band Room, $10 250 High st, Northcote Hill
Danny Ross 6pm, Front Bar, Free
Etc. Etc.
Wesley Anne Wesley Anne
9482 1
Saturday 25 March
250 High st, NorthcoteFriday Hill 24 March Thursday 23 March 9482 13
Sunday 26 March
Thu 15 March Refraction Fri 16 March SatAgogo 17 March Wattle Davies West Trio
Tuesday 28 March
Sun 18 March PBBar, &Bar,
Restaurant, Restaurant, and Wood Jam Night $15 JugsFrances of Coburg Lager Mon Fri before 6pm Etc. Gumm Scott Nick Murray Joyce Prescher Melbourne Mechanical Robbie Etc. 6pm, Front Bar, Free
6pm, Front Bar, Free
6pm, Front Bar, Free
250 High st, Northcote Hill 9482 13
6pm, Front Bar, Free
7pm, Front Bar, $5
Wesley Anne
front bar 6pm free front bar 6pm free Saturday 25 March Friday 24 March BoydThursday 23 March Pterodactyl Candlish
Frontier
Composer’s League
Sunday 26 March
Tuesday 28 March
6pm, Front Bar, Free
7pm, Front Bar, $5
Open front from 2pm MonCarus - Thu, 12pm Mary Fri Webb - Sun bar 6pm free Thompson Mechanical Etc. room 8pmScottSecret Robbie Kyle Brew Native Don’t 1333 The WEDNESDAYS 250 High st, Northcote /band wesleyanne.com.au /9482 Tom Dockray Hill + Phia Boyd Pterodactyl Candlish TRIVIA with SPARKS 7.30pm Blue $20 pre / $25 door 8pm, Band Room 8pm, Band Room, 8pm, Band Room, Refraction Davies West $10Trio Agogo Front Bar, Free 19 Front Bar, Free 6pm, Front Bar, Free 6pm,Saturday Friday May $10 pre 6pm, / $15 door $10Thursday 18 May
6pm free front bar
band room 8pm $8 Pre / $10 door
Bar, Wattleband room PB & 2pm 21 May Sunday 20 Restaurant, andMay Wood Jam Night
8pm, Band 6pm free front bar Room 8pm, Band Room, $10 8pm, Band Room, 21 April $10 pre / $15Friday door $10Thursday 20 April
band room 8pm $15 Thank Me 22 AprilTwo Few Sunday 23 April Saturday
Thursday 30 March
Friday 31 March Saturday 1 April Sunday 2 April Tuesday 6pm 4 April free front bar Shaky Stills Liana & Broadstone ‘Genesis’ Bossa Brunwsick Red line 4 WEDNESDAYS Refraction Davies West The Moulin Beige Phia 2pm $10 band room 6pm free front bar 6pm free front bar 6pm free front bar 8pm bandFront roomThe Perolas 6pm, Front Bar, Free 6pm, Front Bar, Free$10 6pm, Single LaunchSunday 2 April7.30pm,Tuesday Band4Room Bar, FreeSaturday Thursday 30 March Friday 31 March April 6pm free front bar1 April 2pm, Band room, $5and$15 Nahko Medicine ticket The Forgotten Danny Ross Refraction Davies West Broadstone ‘Genesis’ The Moulin Beige 8pm $10 band room Phia Liv Cartledge the People 6pm Room free front bar $30 (US): meal & show 6pm, Front Bar, Free 6pm, Front Bar, Free 6pm, Front Bar, Free For Single Launch 7.30pm, Band Ghost Danny Ross 2pm, Band room, $5 $15 ticket ‘Timber’ EPTimothy Launch Tim & Chitty 8pm $10 band room Liv Cartledge 6pm, Front Bar, Free 8pm, Band Room, $10Bowen James $30 meal & show WEDNESDAYS 8pm , Band Room
SpankSPARKS Me 2 Inch TRIVIA Tape with 7.30pm
Jose Nieto Farewell Gig
THE WEDNESDAYS
TRIVIA with SPARKS 7.30pm
with SPARKS 7.30pm E D I N B U R G HTRIVIATRIVIA with SPARKS CASTLE ‘Timber’ EP Launch
Danny Ross
8pm $20 band room 6pm, Front Bar,door Free pre / $30 8pm, Band Room, $10 $25
FREE
Tue 20 March
Thu 22 March Fri March 24before March SunSunday 25 March WEDNESDAYS of23 Coburg Lager MonSat - Fri 6pm Thursday 25 May$15 Jugs Friday 26 May 28 May $15 Jugs of Coburg Saturday Lager Mon27 - FriMay before 6pm
Z Star Delta + Emma & O TFolk EL TheHUrban band room 7pm$15
OpenThursday from 2pm -Friday Thu, 12pm Fri -12pm Sun Open from 2pm Mon - Thu, Stephen Grady Susan Ian Maddick Accidental YES QUEEN SecretO’Neill Native Don’t Thank MeFri -29Sun Melody Moon 27 AprilMon 28 April Saturday April Sunday 30 April 250 High st, Northcote Hill / wesleyanne.com.au /9482 1333 + Callum Gentleman 6pm free 6pm front Spank ‘Wings Out Open Wide’ 250free High st, Northcote Hillbar / wesleyanne.com.au /9482 1333 front bar 6pm front bar free front barMe 6pmBossa free Bedfellows Shaky Stills Liana & The Perolas Brunswick Elbow Room Concert 6pm free front bar 6pm free front6pm bar free front 6pmbar free front bar 2pm $10 band room 6pm free front bar EP Launch front bar 4pm ‘Winter’ Screening 2pmDanny $8 band Tulalah Water for the Well T H E The Anecdote Ross room Market Lane w/ Winter York Album Launch 6pm free band room T H E E 8pm D IN band room 8pm $10 band room $10B U R G H 8pm $15 band room The Blue Two w/ Jhana Allan + McRobin + Zlatna Few
7.30pm
WEDNESDAYS
CA FREB E R GSHT L E roomD I N 8pm bandroom E $6U M R S S M I T H T R I V8pmI $10 Aband , 8PM $15 Jugs of Coburg Lager Mon - Fri before 6pm CASTLE
6pm free front bar
CHARLES WESTON HOTEL
GREG STEPS
H OT E L
MARCH THURSDAY 23
FREE MRS SM I T H from T R I V I A , 8PM Open Mon - Thu, 12pm Fri - Sun H$14.99 O T E L / Wednesdays Modays - Roo and Wine - $12 Pie Night $15 Jugs of Coburg Lager2pm Mon - Fri before 6pm
CHARLES WESTON HOTEL
MARCH THURSDAY 23
S P TE S EG R G B R E N DA N
FREE
6.30PM
WEDNESDAYS
250 FREE WEDNESDAYS
HighFRIDAY st, Northcote Hill / wesleyanne.com.au /9482 1333 24 MARCH
B R12pm E N DA NFri - Sun OpenMfrom R S S2pm M I TMon H from T R- IThu, V2pm IA , 8PM FRIDAY 24 MARCH Open MonRTD-H Thu, 12pm Fri - Sun FO RWA PUB BINGO WITH TREV & SPARKS E 250 High st, Northcote Hill / wesleyanne.com.au /9482 1333 /9482 1333 250 HighFRIDAY st, Northcote Hill wesleyanne.com.au 6.30PM DJ MO E /B B E L LOW E SD IKN URGH 24 MARCH FR CH FRIDAY 24 MAR
6.30PM
K BEER O’CLOC B R E N DA N
EE
F OPUBRWA DRKS & SPA BINGO WITH TREVR
PAY THE TIME FOR PINTS BETWEEN
RCH FRIDAY 24 MA
.30PM
CK
6.30PM
CHARLES WESTON HOTEL
6PM FREE BEER GARDEN
CASTLE
9PM FREE BEER GARDEN
6PM-9.59PM
FREE
SATURDAY 25 MARCH H OT E L F O RWA RTD HE
DS IR NG BU RGH DA EA CKSOI N BEVEU H BEER O’CELOD CASTLE
T H E6PM FREE BEER GARDEN UNPAINTED WEDNESDAYS PROSPECTS 5PM GARDEN R SFREE S BEER MIT H T R I V I A , 8PM DJ S M O K EFREE B E LMLOW
MARCH 20 APRIL THU SATURDAY 25
6PM FREE BEER GARDEN LACH LANEOUS & ZIGGY ZEITGEIST 6.30PM 6.30PM
9PM FREE BEER GARDEN DJ ’ S C H I P S
DJ S M O K E B E L LOW CASTLE PAY THE TIME FOR PINTS BETWEEN
CHARLES WESTON HOTEL
PM
MARCH SATURDAY 25
OCK BEER O’CL ROCCA
6.30PM
6.30PM
E SATURDAY 25 MARCH FRI 19 MAY
MONDAYS
UNPAINTED DA N I KA S M I T H WEDNESDAYS
WEDNESDAYS
DJ MARNI LA
BEER O’CLOCK $12 BURGERS
5PM FREE FRONT BAR FRIDAY 21 APRIL
Pizza & Bar
, 8PM DJ ’ S$12CPARMA H I PTS SA L D TUESDAYS THURSDAYSS H U& R S DAY 1 8A M AY EPR DJ ER MD OTN & IPA A -E $ 1E 5 THURSDAYS
ROO & WINE $14.997PM
6:30PMPUB BINGO WITH TREVTUESDAYS & SPARKS
EIST
TUESDAYS
TIARYNM R S S M I T H T R I V I A
MAJAUNPAINTED FRE
& SA L A D
THURSDAY 20 APRIL
9PM FREE BEER GARDEN
FRI 21 APRIL
EE IST PROSPECTS WEDNESDAYS .59PM LACH LANEOUS & ZIGGY ZEIRTGE 6PM-9 EN $125PM PIE BETWE PAY THE TIME FOR PINTS M FREE GARDEN R SNIGHT S BEER MIT H T RMI V I JIOAB, I8PM S CA N F
H THU 15 MARC
MONDAYS
.99 ROO & WINE $146.30P M
T R I C K D O G SY N D I CAT E FREPUB RKS E BINGO WITH TREV & SPA W/ L E W I S CO L E M A N (CAC T U S C H A N N E L ) SATURDAY 25 H MARCH 26 MARCH O T ESATURDAY L 8.30PM FREE FRONT BAR $12 BURGERS
MAY GARDEN THU 18 9PM FREE BEER
CHARLES WESTON HOTEL
FREE
6PM-9.59PM
Pizza & Bar
FREE
MONDAYS WEDNESDAYS R O O & W I N E $ 1 4 .6PM 99 FREE$ 1BEER 2 P I EGARDEN NIGHT
LOMSUI CMKO T U R N E R
$12 BURGERS $15 JUGS OF COBURG LAGERBEER GARDEN 9PM FREE BEER GARDEN EVERY DAY BEFORE 6PM $1 5 J U GS O F CO B U RG LAG ER M O N - F R I BEF O R E 6 P M
IL SAT 22 APR 9PM FREE
27 WESTON ST, BRUNSWICK
W/ Z Ö J
APRIL LI VE DJ’ S SATURDAY W E E K22 LY
8 . 3 0FRP26 FREE FRONT BAR EEM MARCH SATURDAY FRI6.30P 16M MARCH IVAN ZAR MON-THU 3PM TO LATE
FRI-SUN NOON TO LATE
CHARLES WESTON HOTEL@GMAIL.COM OR GIVE US A BELL ON 9380 8777
681 SYDNEY RD. BRUNSWICK, (03)9386 7580 WWW.EDINBURGHCASTLE.NET.AU
DA N I KA S M ITH Mondays PROSPECTS ALISON FERRIER FREE DJS FLOTSAMPizza & Bar LIVE ROO & WINE 14 2-4-1 Pizza B E N M A S T W Y K & & JETSAM $12 PIE NIGHT FRIDAY 19 MAY
MONDAYS
WEDNESDAYS
FRIDAYS
$ FRONT .99 5PM FREE BAR
Tuesdays 2-4-1 Pizza
5PM FREE BEER GARDEN
S BETWEEN 6PM-9.59PM S 7PM TIME FOR PINT 6PM FREE PAY THEBEER & SPARK FREE GARDEN FREE C PUB BINGO WITH TREV 5PM MONDAYS L$ 1I4 .S A CWEDNESDAYS R AW L E YWednesday 14 CCA MUSI Tuesdays ROO & W I N EBURGERS 99 FREE$ 1BEER 2 P I EGARDEN NIGHT March DJ MARNI LA RO 6PM $12 Y EVER K E V WA L S H $12DJ PARMAMAMA Muso Tuesdays 7pm $5 TUESDAYS THURSDAYSS $12 Vege Night DISQUO WEEK $ 1 2 $12 BDJ URGER DJ ’ S C H I P S &$15 EVERY DSNIGHT U STP OT I N& PAMR MCAC- $L1 5E A N JUGSSA OF COBURGL LAGERA D PIE 9PM FREE Wednesdays 9PM FREE BEER GARDEN DAY BEFORE Wednesday 14 9PM FREE GARDEN 9PM BEER 6PM-9.5 N MI6PMZZI $12 March Vege Night IA ST RI KH PAY THE TIME FOR PINTS BETWEEN World Music Open Mic, 7.30pm free L I V E DJ’ S W E E K LY 27 WESTON ST, BRUNSWICK $12 PARMA SATURDAY 20 MAY Thursdays & MEGAN BERNARD
BEER O’CLOCK
DAYS
14.99
$
DAYS
THURSDAYS
SAT 20 MAY
5PM FREE FRONT BAR
MONDAYS . 99 $ 15 J U G S OTHURSDAYS F CO B U R G L AG E R M O N R-OFO R I&BW E FI N OE R E$ 164PM TUESDAYS $12 BURGERS
CHARLES WESTON HOTEL@GMAIL.COM OR GIVE US A BELL ON 9380 8777
FREE
THURSDAYSS P OT & PA R M A - $ 1 5
681 SYDNEY RD. BRUNSWICK, (03)9386 7580 $ 1 5 J U GS O F CO B URG LAGER M ON - FRI B EFORE 6PM WWW.EDINBURGHCASTLE.NET.AU
NUANRDI OKA S M I T H EDDIEDA
MON-THU 3PM TO LATE
FRI-SUN NOON TO LATE
MONDAYS
CHARLES WESTON HOTEL@GMAIL.COM OR GIVE US A BELL ON 9380 8777
TUESDAYS
MONDAYS R O O & W I N E $ 1 4 . 99
$12 BURGERS TUESDAYS $12 PIE $12 BU RGE R S NIGHT
RMA
WEDNESDAYS
LAGER RE 6PM
THURSDAYS
SATURDAY 21 MAY
WEDNESDAYS
Saturday 20th May
Zac Saber + Charlee Gesser Saturday 17 March WEDNESDAYS + Heart on Sleeve 7pm $9 Chemtrails $12 PIE NIGHT 7:00pm free Sunday 21st May
$12 PARMA
THURSDAYS
MONDAYS
WEDNESDAYS R O O & W I N E $ 1 4 . 99 $ 1 2$12 P IPARMA E NIGHT TUESDAYS
THURSDAYSS
Josh Kelly Trash Trio P OT & PA R M A - $ 1 5 $12 BURGERS $15 COBURG LAGERSUN 18 MARCH Sunday 18 March 4pm free JUGS BEFORE 6PM $15 JUGS OF COBURG LAGER MON - FR I B EFO R E 6 PM THURSDAYSS Compass Jazz Jam 5:00pm free PETER HEAD
WESTON BRUNSWICK P 27 OT & ST, PA R M A 4PM - $ 1FREE 5 LIVE MON-THU 3PM TO LATE
FRI-SUN NOON TO LATE
CHARLES WESTON HOTEL@GMAIL.COM OR GIVE US A BELL ON 9380 8777
DJ’ S
W E E K LY
681 SYDNEY RD. BRUNSWICK, (03)9386 7580 WWW.EDINBURGHCASTLE.NET.AU
MONDAYS $15 JUGS OF COBU RG LAGER MON - FRI BEFORE 6PM
SWICK
$ 1 4 . 99 R O O & W I N E
WEDNESDAYS $12 PIE NIGHT
THURSDAYS $15ICOBURG JUGS’ BEFORE L V ELAGER DJ S 6PM W$E E KTUESDAYS LY 1 5 J U G S O F CO B U R G L AG E R M O N - F R I B E F O R E 6 P M $12 BURGERS
TEL@GMAIL.COM ON 9380 8777
681 SYDNEY RD. BRUNSWICK, (03)9386 7580 27 WESTON ST, BRUNSWICK WWW.EDINBURGHCASTLE.NET.AU MON-THU 3PM TO LATE
4
BEAT.COM.AU
Sunday 23rd April
Friday 19th May Friday 16 March Joe Op w/ Erik Parker + Tom Adrian Whyte Fowkes 7pm $10 7:00pm free
4PM FREE BEER GARDEN
DAYS
Saturday 22nd April Wattle and Wood 7pm $FREE
681 SYDNEY RD. BRUNSWICK, (03)9386 7580 WWW.EDINBURGHCASTLE.NET.AU
9PM FREE BEER GARDEN
TUESDAYS
IGHT
Friday 21st April Great Aunt 7pm $FREE
WEDNESDAYS $12 PIE NIGHT
Jersey Bob + Hugh McGinlay 4pm $FREE $15 COBURG LAGER LOSUMO 6.30PM Trivia with Connor Thursday 15 March LI V E DJ’ S W E E K LY 5PM FREE BEER GARDEN JUGS BEFORE 6PM 319 Lygon st SAT 17 MARCH F MONDAYS R 9387 6779 E 7.30pm $FREE E Trivia with Connor, 7.30pm free East Brunswick 27 WESTON ST, BRUNSWICK SATURDAY 26 MARCH FRI-SUN NOON TO LATE
$ .99 LIVE THE KNAVE BROOKE TAYLOR ROO &WINE 14 6.30PM 5PM FREE MUSIC $12 BURGERS EVERYFRONT BAR 5PM FREE DJ LEARNTABLES GIBBIRISH $ K.99 WEE $12 PIE NIGHT 9PM FREE ROO &WINE 14
DAYS
Thursdays Trivia with Conor
SUNDAY 23 APRIL
WEDNESDAYS
MON-THU 3PM TO LATE
H SAT 17 MARC
GERS
Wednesday $12 Vege Night
9PM FREE BEER GARDEN
TUESDAYS
FRI-SUN NOON TO LATE
CHARLES WESTON HOTEL@GMAIL.COM OR GIVE US A BELL ON 9380 8777
LI VE DJ ’S
$ 1 5 P OT & PA R M A
W E E K LY
681 SYDNEY RD. BRUNSWICK, (03)9386 7580 WWW.EDINBURGHCASTLE.NET.AU
319 Lygon st
Monday 19 March East Brunswick Two for One Pizza!
9387 6779
Tuesday 20 March Piano Karaoke with Lisa Crawley 7:00pm free 319 Lygon st East Brunswick
9387 6779
IF YOU LIVE IN
BATMAN YOU MUST VOTE ON SATURDAY
BATMAN
BY-ELEC TI
ON
THIS SATURD MARCH AY 17
GED KEARNEY. ACTION. INTEGRITY. REAL CHANGE.
www.gedkearney.org.au Authorised by S. Rae, Australian Labor Party, 438 Docklands Drive, Docklands 3008.
BEAT.COM.AU
5
FROM 7PM
W E D N E S DAY
FREE
BLUES JAM HOSTED BY JULIAN JAMES
FROM 7PM
T H U R S DAY
$10
FOOL CHILD
BAREFOOT BOWLS CLUB
CLEAN CUT SOCIETY LITTLE ARCHIVE
- THUR 8TH MARCH-
- THUR 15TH MARCH -
BURGERS & BEERS
SUPERJUICE + LUCKY DAY
BUSY KINGDOM
- FRI 9TH MARCH -
- FRI 16TH MARCH -
THE REVERIES
DANE BLACKLOCK & THE PREACHER’S DAUGHTER + GUESTS
AUSECUMA BEATS + SPECIAL GUESTS
- SAT 10TH MARCH -
- SAT 17TH MARCH -
PRIVATE FUNCTION
BRENDA + PLASTIC
+ PISTOL PEACHES
+ MFWF VEGAN DOWN SOUTH
- SUN 11TH MARCH -
- SUN 18TH MARCH -
CHEAP SUNGLASSES
CHEAP SUNGLASSES
$12 BLOODY MARYS
$12 BLOODY MARYS
FROM 8PM
F R I DAY
$10
CASH
FROM 5PM
S AT U R DAY
$10
THE HARD ROCK SHOW LIVE TAPING
1978 SPECIAL
FROM 3PM
S U N DAY
FREE
NICK MURRAY EMMA YAROSH
FREE
FROM 6.30
COMEDY OPEN MIC HOSTED BY JESS PEARMAN 524 LYGON ST, BRUNSWICK EAST. PH 9386 8808
This Week:
WEDNESDAY 14TH MARCH - 7:30PM $8
CLAIRE BIRCHALL & THE PHANTOM HITCH HIKERS ROUTINES, LAURA MACFARLANE
THURSDAY 15TH MARCH - 7:30PM $8
DISOTEARS
ROGUE WAVS, FUZZSUCKER FRIDAY 16TH MARCH - 8:30PM $10
POWERLINE SNEAKERS SOME JERKS, SPIRAL PERM
SATURDAY 17TH MARCH - 8:30PM $10
STRAIGHTLINE
BLIND MAN DEATH STARE, THE PATIENT, BODY PARTS SATURDAY ARVO -3PM FREE
ALEX HAMILTON FOLK SINGER
GIRLATONES, GRACE CUMMINGS SUNDAY 18TH MARCH - 7:30PM $8
BEERSOAKED SUNDAYS
TBC
MONDAY 19TH MARCH - 7:30PM $8
MUNDANE MONDAYS:
MIGHTIEST OF GUNS TROUBLE PEACH,JOSHUA SEYMOUR TUESDAY 20TH MARCH - 7PM $7
THE SKIP - GUY WHITBY ART OPENING
THE OVERHEADS CANDY, ELSIE LAN
$10 JUGS EVERY NIGHT TIL 7PM, $15 JUGS MONDAY NIGHT $5 CANS ALL THE TIME
74 JOHNSTON ST, FITZROY | ph. 9417 4155
theoldbar.com.au
OPEN 2PM - 3AM EVERYDAY
6
BEAT.COM.AU
A L A U G H I N G
SAT 12 MAY
HOWLER MELBOURNE
D E A T H I N
SAT 26 MAY
M E A T S P A C E
CASTLEMAINE
A L B U M
with Hexdebt
THEATRE ROYAL with Hexdebt + Bitch Diesel
T O U R TICKETS @ TROPICALFUCKSTORMRECORDS.COM
BEAT.COM.AU
7
Contents
Issue N o 1617
10
News
14
Arts Guide Review: The Divine Order
16
Radar Hip Hop Electronic
17
Metal Punk Industry
18
Good Charlotte
20
Orny Adams Venus In Furs
22
Wet Lips Press Club
24
The Smith Street Band Sshh
Wet Lips
25
Page. 22
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club Psychedelic Porn Crumpets
26
Gengahr Billy Ray Cyrus
27
Cousin Tony’s Brand New Firebird Inner Varnika
28
Profiles
29
Live
30
Album of the Week Singles
Press Club
Gengahr
Page. 22
Page. 26
Editor’s Note
BEAT.COM.AU
Gig Guide
38
Touring
Graphic Designers: Michael Cusack, Lizzie Dynon, Ben Driscoll Print Production Manager: Ben Driscoll Advertising: Thom Parry (Hospitality/Bars/Music) thom@beat.com.au Nicholas Simonsen (Backstage/Musical Equipment) mixdown@beat.com.au Georgia Spanos (Campaigns/Special Projects/Music) georgia@furstmedia.com.au Zoe Mulcahy (Campaigns/Content Strategy) zoe@furstmedia.com.au
Accountant: Accountant@furstmedia.com.au Accounts Receivable: Accounts@furstmedia.com.au Distribution: Free every Wednesday to over 3200 points around Melbourne. Along with being handed out at Train Stations. Wanna get BEAT? Email distribution@furstmedia.com.au Gig Guide Submissions: now online at beat.com.au Classifieds: classifieds@beat.com.au
@womensmarchglobal
8
32
#iwd2018
Let me paint a scene for you. The year is 2002, and pre-teen Gloria has just discovered eye-liner, skinny jeans and angsty-teen music. That is also the year that I discovered Good Charlotte. My parents were more than a little worried that my bedroom walls were suddenly plastered with tattooed men with questionable-at-best hair styles. My cries of “it’s not a phase” only lasted so long. That brings me to present day. Where things came full circle and I got to chat about the good old days with Benji Madden. They’ll be joining a crew of legends for the first ever Australian Download Festival later this month. Will I see you there to relive all our early-2000 memories? If throwbacks aren’t quite your thing, we’ve got you covered too. From a chat with (the almost departing) Wet Lips, to the incredible Press Club. We introduce you to your new fave band Cousin Tony’s Brand New Firebird or London’s Gengahr. Of course, we also chat to none other than Mr ‘Achy Breaky Heart’ himself – Billy Ray Cyrus. To say this is an eclectic edition of Beat is an understatement – but don’t say I didn’t warn ya.
Publisher: Furst Media Pty Ltd. Editor: Gloria Brancatisano Digital Editor/Social Media Manager: James Di Fabrizio Sub Editor: Abbey Lew-Kee Editorial Assistants: Holly Denison, Dean Morganti, Claire Garrett, Tom Parker, Jacob Colliver, Kate Streader, Anthony Furci, Will Brewster Managing Director: Patrick Carr
Albums
@thecardyclub
With Gloria Brancatisano
31
@beatmagazine
@BeatMagazine
@beatmagazine
facebook.com/beatmag
Senior Photographer: Ian Laidlaw Contributing Photographers: David Harris, Zo Damage, Lee Easton, Lewis Nixon, Shaina Glenny, Andrew Bibby, Sally Townsend, Andrew Friend, Rochelle Flack Columnists: Joe Hansen, Peter Hodgson, Michael Cusack, Christie Eliezer, Georgia Spanos, Vanessa Valenzuela, Lachlan Kanoniuk Contributors: Alexander Crowden, Adam Norris, Dan Watt, Augustus Welby, Alex Watts, David James Young, Bronius Zumeris, Natalie
Seeing a live show this weekend? Tag us at @beatmagazine to be featured.
Rogers, Isabelle Oderberg, Holly Pereira, Nathan Quattruci, Julia Sansone, Claire Morley, Lee Parker, Benjamin Potter, Lizzie Dynon, Abbey Lew-Kee, Tom Parker, David Ohaion, Luke Fussell, Jacob Colliver, Anna Rose, Kate Streader, Paul Waxman, Anthony Furci, Zachary Snowden Smith www.furstmedia.com.au © 2017 Furst Media Pty Ltd. No part may be reproduced without the consent of the copyright holder.
ON SALE NOW VIA
SELLING FAST
SELLING FAST
CORNER MAG LAUNCH
MIDDLE KIDS
WWW.CORNERHOTEL.COM AND 1300 724 867
57 SWAN ST, RICHMOND, 3121
15/03 - SAM GELLAITRY UK - SELLING FAST 16/03 - LAUV USA - SOLD OUT 17/03 - BIG COUNTRY SCOTLAND 22/03 - HOCKEY DAD SOLD OUT 23/03 - YOU AM I PLAYS SPINAL TAP SELLING FAST 24/03 - HURRAY FOR THE RIFF RAFF 27/03 - GOV’T MULE USA - SOLD OUT
21/04 - POLARIS SOLD OUT 22/04 - ROSE TATTOO 25/04 - ALEX THE ASTRONAUT SELLING FAST
+ STELLA DONNELLY 26/04 - ALEX THE ASTRONAUT SOLD OUT + STELLA DONNELLY 27/04 - GOOD RIDDANCE USA + LUKAS NELSON & PROMISE OF THE REAL 28/04 - WEDNESDAY 13 USA02/05 - KYLE (SUPERDUPERKYLE) USA 29/03 - WALTER TROUT USA 04/05 - LADY LESHURR UK 30/03 - CORNER MAG LAUNCH SELLING FAST 10/05 - THE WHITLAMS 25TH ANNIVERSARY - SELLING FAST FT. BODYJAR, AREA 7 + GAME OVER 11/05 - THE WHITLAMS 25TH ANNIVERSARY - SOLD OUT 31/03 - BENJAMIN BOOKER USA - SELLING FAST 12/05 - THE WHITLAMS 25TH ANNIVERSARY - SOLD OUT 01/04 - JOHN WAITE UK 13/05 - RED FANG USA 04/04 - NEWTON FAULKNER UK - SELLING FAST 18/05 - JACK LADDER & THE DREAMLANDERS 06/04 - GEORGE MICHAEL RELIVED SELLING FAST 19/05 - ‘BACK TO THE CORNER’ FT. PAINTERS 07/04 - DARYL BRAITHWAITE SELLING FAST & DOCKERS, THE CELIBATE RIFLES + X + THIRSTY MERC 24/05 - JEREMY LOOPS SOUTH AFRICA - SELLING FAST SELLING FAST 12/04 TINY LITTLE HOUSES 25/05 - CIRCA SURVIVE USA SELLING FAST 13/04 - THE HARD ACHES 26/05 - MIDDLE KIDS SELLING FAST 14/04 - STRAY FROM THE PATH + COUNTERPARTS 27/05 - JOSHUA RADIN USA - SELLING FAST 17/04 - SMINO AND MONTE BOOKER USA - SELLING FAST 01/06 - THE IRON MAIDENS USA - SELLING FAST 18/04 - POLARIS SELLING FAST 01/07 - QUINN XCII USA 19/04 - 30/70 06/07 - ANGIE MCMAHON 04/08 - THE BAMBOOS 20/04 - SHED SEVEN UK - SELLING FAST
FT. BODYJAR + MORE
26/05
30/03
SELLING FAST
PAINTERS & DOCKERS 19/05
SMINO AND MONTE BOOKER USA - 17/04 SELLING FAST
ANGIE MCMAHON
PLUS HEAPS MORE AT WWW.CORNERHOTEL.COM
06/07
ALEX THE ASTRONAUT & STELLA DONNELLY 25/04
SELLING FAST
POLARIS 18/04
LADY LESHURR UK
04/05
SELLING FAST
ON SALE NOW VIA WWW.NORTHCOTESOCIALCLUB.COM AND 1300 724 867 301 HIGH ST, NORTHCOTE, 3070
BAKER BOY 19 & 20/05
THE LULU RAES 12/05
SELLING FAST
07/04
17/03 - WILLOW BEATS SELLING FAST
RUBY FIELDS 29/03
SELLING FAST
JOY. 31/03
ENDLESS HEIGHTS 28/04
SELLING FAST
SELLING FAST
BLEEDING KNEES CLUB
DEER TICK
01/04
15/03 - VIKKI THORN (THE WAIFS) - SOLD OUT 16/03 - TIMBERWOLF SELLING FAST
SOLD OUT
CLOUD CONTROL
14/03 - 10 STRING SYMPHONY USA
USA 23/03
18/03 - END OF SUMMER FT. JOSH CASHMAN 19/03 -‘MONDAY NIGHT MASS’ WITH PARSNIP /
PAPPY / EAT-MAN / A+ 22/03 - LULUC SELLING FAST 23/03 - DEER TICK USA - SELLING FAST 24/03 - BREABACH SCOTLAND - MATINEE 24/03 - LOWTIDE 26/03 -‘MONDAY NIGHT MASS’ WITH SWEET WHIRL / JARROD QUARRELL + MORE 28/03 - LINDSAY LOU USA 29/03 - RUBY FIELDS SELLING FAST 30/03 - THE CREDITS 31/03 - JOY. SELLING FAST
01/04 - BLEEDING KNEES CLUB SELLING FAST
+ TOGETHER PANGEA USA 03/04 - MICHAEL HURLEY USA - SELLING FAST 05/04 - AMAYA LAUCIRICA 06/04 - NADIA REID NZ - BAND SHOW - SELLING FAST 07/04 - CLOUD CONTROL SOLD OUT 12/04 - THE STEMS PERTH 13/04 - BATTS 14/04 - DON WALKER 21/04 - MARTIN PHILLIPPS NZ (THE CHILLS) - MATINEE 28/04 - ENDLESS HEIGHTS 04/05 - RUBY BOOTS 11/05 - THE WEATHER STATION CANADA 12/05 - THE LULU RAES 19/05 - BAKER BOY SELLING FAST 20/05 - BAKER BOY SELLING FAST
PLUS HEAPS MORE AT W W W.NORTHCOTESOCIALCLUB.COM
BEAT.COM.AU
9
News
News
Tropical Fuck Storm Drop Meaty Tour Announcement Alt-rock powerhouse, Tropical Fuck Storm have announced an Australian tour for their upcoming debut record, A Laughing Death In Meatspace. After the record drops on Friday May 4, TFS will headline Howler on Saturday May 12 with Hexdebt and The Shifters supporting. They’re also preparing to take to the inaugural Pool House Party festival on Saturday March 17 at Coburg Velodrome and Boogie Fest on Friday March 30. You can find full A Laughing Death In Meatspace tour details and tickets via Tropical Fuck Storm’s website.
Time for Dreams
It Records
Are celebrating their fourth birthday with a killer party It Records founder, Kate Reid, has once again put together a killer lineup to celebrate the fourth birthday of the much-loved local Melbourne label. Not short of homegrown talent, the birthday bash is set to feature performances from Little Desert, Other Places, Hardata, and Pocket Calculators alongside newlysigned acts New War, Time For Dreams, Taipan Tiger Girls and Vacuum. Catch it all from 8pm at The Tote on Saturday March 24.
Perch Creek
Announce a stack of new material and tour dates My goodness, Perch Creek have been busy. The five-piece rootsy-folk family outfit have unleashed a new single and video for ‘Gold Shop’, as well as announced a new self-titled album set for release on Friday April 13. Rounding it all out, the group will head out on an extensive national tour, where they’ll hit up Thornbury Bowls Club on Sunday July 1, followed by Kyneton’s Major Tom’s on Friday July 6. The tour will feature support from Jumpin’ Jack William. Tickets are available from Perch Creek’s official website.
Kerryn Fields
Co-Ground Folk Show #3
The Weather Station
After two sell-out shows in 2017, Co-Ground are at it again, ready to host another night of gorgeous live folk. Taking over the former Sarah Sands/Bridie O’Reilly’s bandroom in Brunswick, acts such as Beechworth-born Liv Cartledge, celebrated Melbourne voice Kerryn Fields, and neo-folk songwriter Zac Saber are locked in to perform. As always, all proceeds from the night will be donated to a worthy cause; this year, funds will go towards education and livelihood programs in the Asia Pacific. It’s going down on Saturday March 24 at 29 Sydney Road, Brunswick.
Canadian folk act The Weather Station are known for their way with a deliciously warm melody, and are now gearing up to bring it all to Melbourne. After a massive 2017 that saw the release of their fifth album self-titled The Weather Station, the band will tour through Australia in support of Marlon Williams and have managed to sneak in a single Melbourne headline show along the way. Stopping at Northcote Social Club on Friday May 11, special guests on the night will include Australian folk scene staples Grand Salvo and James Kenyon. Grab your tickets via the venue.
Announce night of live folk
Reveal Melbourne headline show
Next Wave 2018 Reveal Massive Program for their 34th Year
Apokalypsis
10
BEAT.COM.AU
Across the month of May, a surge of innovative artists from across Australia are set to showcase their transformative works to the country, in the 2018 run of Next Wave festival. In its 34th run, the program is dedicated to the new generation of Australian art and will see 18 days of evocative experiences from performers and visual art makers alike. Hard-hitting and politically charged pieces run throughout the program, with viewers able to sink their teeth into performances such as Apokalypsis – a high-octane theatre performance on 100 historical disasters in 60 minutes – to a performance-based response to the societal pressures of being a bad mother in Baby Cake. The 2018 Next Wave program will run from Thursday May 3 until Sunday May 20. You can find full program details and tickets via the Next Wave festival website.
Australian Music Vault to Present Next “Stories Of Australian Music” Talk
Owem Lambourn
The second instalment of Australian Music Vault public talk series will be presented at the end of the month, discussing the role of fans and fan communities in a talk entitled Can I Have Your Autograph?. Speakers at the Can I Have Your Autograph? talk include Peter Green (PR and fan club for Crowded House and Split Enz), Lynne Trute (Nick Cave collector and fan), Owen Lambourn (cofounder of the Kylie Krew)., Holly Pereira (writer and assistant booker at Howler) with writer and journalist Jenny Valentish facilitating. The talk will be held on Wednesday March 28 at the Arts Centre Melbourne’s Australian Music Vault gallery. Tickets via the Arts Centre Melbourne website.
— Fri 16 Mar —
BITD ft Powerslave — Sat 17 Mar —
Kerser (U18) — Sat 17 Mar —
Kerser (18+) — Fri 23 Mar —
Slick Rick — Sat 24 Mar —
Sex On Toast — Tues 24 Apr —
Destruction (GER) — Thurs 03 May —
The Contortionist & Sikth
Michael Bolton
Music’s ultimate heartthrob is coming to Melbourne
Symphony orchestra in tow, musical juggernaut Michael Bolton is set to play a series of concert shows around Australia and New Zealand in June. The former frontman of hard rock outfit Blackjack, Bolton underwent a stylistic shift in the late ‘80s, resulting in a slew of pop-rock hits including ‘I Said I Loved You...But I Lied’ and ‘When A Man Loves A Woman.’ His concert tour will feature Bolton bringing a symphony orchestra spin to his extensive catalogue and will stop by Hamer Hall on Sunday June 17. Tickets through Zaccaria Touring.
Seether
Reveal Poison The Parish tour dates
Three-piece South African rock outfit Seether will be taking their signature cocktail of musical brutality, nirvanic rhapsody, and undeniable authenticity around the world in celebration of their latest album Poison The Parish. Formed in Pretoria, South Africa in 1999, Seether have not slowed down since, with six LP notches on their belt alongside an impressive list of tours. They’ll bring it all to Melbourne in May, playing The Forum on Friday May 25. Tickets can be found at via David Roy Williams.
— Fri 04 May —
Amine (SOLD OUT) — Sat 05 May —
Kiss Alive! by Kisstroyer — Sun 06 May —
Ihsahn, Belphegor, Revocation & More — Fri 11 May —
Tonight Alive — Sat 12 May —
Shannon Noll — Mon 14 May — MzRizk
Slow Grind ‘80s
The Night Cat is throwing an ‘80s bash next month
From the team behind Slow Grind Fever comes Slow Grind ‘80s, a no-phones-allowed night dedicated to slow jams from ‘77 to ‘93. Their last edition sold out, and for good reason too – the lights will be turned purple, and smoke machines will be setting the mood all night. DJs MzRizk, Richie1250, Nature Girl, and Brontesaurus Sex and Lady Love Potion will all be doing their thing alongside a full-band live set from Jacky Winter. Start putting together your best ‘80s outfit, the dance floor is looking fabulous for this one. Slow Grind ‘80s goes down at the Night Cat, Fitzroy on Friday April 13. Tickets via Eventbrite.
Reef, Terrorvision, and The Wildhearts Announce the return of Britrock Must Be Destroyed Pulling themselves out of the shroud of ‘90s Brit-rock, Reef, Terrorvision, and The Wildhearts are coming together for an attack on Australian eardrums. Reef are best known for their certifiable banger, ‘Place Your Hands’, which made it onto the 1997 Hottest 100 and subsequently garnered the band a spot on the Big Day Out lineup. Terrorvision are no strangers to the charts either, with ‘Oblivion’, ‘Perseverance’ and ‘Tequila’ all hitting high places on the UK boards, while The Wildhearts had two Top 20 UK albums and penned the rock anthem ‘I Wanna Go Where the People Go’. These three powerhouses are raging into 170 Russell on Sunday September 2. Tickets via MJR Presents.
Amine — Fri 18 May —
L.A Guns with Tracii Guns and Phil Lewis — Sat 19 May —
La Pegatina (ESP) — Fri 25 May —
Pain (SWE) — Sat 26 May —
Trial Kennedy — Sun 27 May —
Mastin — Satuday 02 June —
Sampa The Great Takes Home the 13th Australian Music Prize In recognition of her soaring 2017 album Birds and the BEE9, Zambianborn Sydney-based rapper Sampa The Great has taken home the 13th Australian Music Prize which includes a cool $30,000. After piquing everyone’s interest with her smashing debut The Great Mixtape, the hip hop heavyweight has continually been racking up a cult following for her signature style and energy, and thought-provoking and socially conscious lyrical offering. Previous winners of the Australian Music Prize include A.B Original with Reclaim Australia, Courtney Barnett with Sometimes I Sit and Think, Sometimes I Just Sit and Big Scary with Not Art.
Legions of Steel Festival — Thursday 06 Sept —
Satyricon Deep Calleth Down Under Tickets & Info: MAXWATTS.COM.AU facebook: @maxwattsmelb instagram: @maxwattsvenue VENUE HIRE ENQUIRES bookings.melbourne@maxwatts.com.au
125 Swanston St, Melbourne
BEAT.COM.AU
11
News
News
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club Lock in Intimate Melbourne Show Following a sell-out run of dates in Australia in 2013, three-piece American act Black Rebel Motorcycle Club are stopping by once more. In a rare opportunity for fans of the alternative noise-rock outfit, they’ll play an intimate show as part of their Melbourne run. Playing the Corner Hotel, they’ll be supported by Sydney garage-rockers Los Tones. It also comes as the first time that Australian fans will be able to get a live taste of the BRMC’s 2018 full-length Wrong Creatures as well as classics from their extensive 19 -year catalogue. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club will play the Corner Hotel on Sunday March 25, alongside their already sold out Forum show the night before. Tickets are available via MJR Presents.
Mi-Sex
Choirboy and Mi-Sex
Blessed
Releases new single ‘Superfly’, announces
Lock in double headline tour
first ever tour dates
New Zealand rock pioneers Mi-Sex and unstoppable pubrockers Choirboys are set to join forces for a double headline tour across Melbourne and Sydney this month. Bringing punters together for a real night of musical nostalgia, the show promises hits from both bands rolled into classic pub-rock good times. The bands will play Chelsea Heights Hotel on Friday March 16 and York on Lilydale on Saturday March 17. Tickets are available via Oztix.
Since dropping his deeply emotional debut EP Love Letters in June last year, Sydney alternative act Blessed has released a new single entitled ‘Superfly’. Blessed is set to take the upbeat, groove-driven track on his first ever run of tour dates, supporting JOY. as she takes on capital cities with her The Six EP tour. Melbourne can look forward to a show at Northcote Social Club on Saturday March 31, with tickets available via JOY.’s website.
202 BARKLY ST, FOOTSCRAY - OPEN EVERY NIGHT
HAPPY HOUR 4-6PM MONDAY - FRIDAY
MONDAY & Tuesday
INDUSTRY HOSPO NIGHT $15 JUGS Wednesday Night
BERLIN UNDERGROUND UPSTAIRS JUNGLE BAR Thursday NIGHT
OPEN MIC NIGHT Friday NIGHT
DJ’S DYNO
UPSTAIRS JUNGLE BAR SATURDAY
ST PATRICK’S DAY
LIVE IRISH BAND FROM 3PM IRISH SHOTS AND DRINK SPECIALS SUNDAY SESSIONS
VICTOR AND EMILY
LIVE IN THE BEER GARDEN FROM 4PM For bookings and enquiries Contact Lee - 0416 808 467 12
BEAT.COM.AU
Chocolate Starfish
Release first album in 20 years, take it on an east coast tour Adored ‘90s live band Chocolate Starfish have released their first full-length album in two decades and will take it on a six-stop tour across Victoria, South Australia and New South Wales to celebrate. Spider is a ten-track piping hot release that follows two top 10 albums and six top 50 singles earlier in the band’s career. Chocolate Starfish will play Memo Music Hall on Saturday April 7, alongside Mornington’s The Grand Hotel on Tuesday April 24. Full tour details and links to tickets are on the bands Facebook page.
Maverick
Release new single, announce tour dates Sydney run-a-muck rock outfit Maverick have dropped a new single in ‘Resolve’ coming in hot and heavy before their second EP State of Mind, dropping Friday March 16. Coming alongside all the action, Maverick will ramp things up by playing a handful of shows across capital cities, hitting up Melbourne’s iconic rock ‘n’ roll bar, Cherry Bar on Saturday March 31 in support of Bare Bones. Tickets at Eventbrite.
Marlon Williams Announces Second Melbourne Show Due to Hot Demand Honey-voiced New Zealand musical wonder, Marlon Williams has added a second Melbourne show to his run of Australian dates, after tickets to his initial Forum show sold like hotcakes. The award-winning alt-country/folk singer-songwriter will tour his tender and searing second studio album, Make Way For Love with Canada’s The Weather Station offering support. Williams’ second Forum show will go down on Friday June 22 with tickets on sale now via Frontier Touring.
BEAT.COM.AU
13
Arts Guide
Beat’s Pick
Got some arts news we should know about? Email Gloria Brancatisano gloria@beat.com.au.
Landing Live art you can swim through One Mna Show
Landing is a continuous relay in which the distance between Manus Island and Australia will be collectively swum. Moving back and forth between the idea of home, punters are invited to attempt to swim the distance equivalent to the ocean stretch between Manus and Australia’s mainland. Saturday March 17 at Melbourne City Baths as part of the Festival of Live Art.
Unknown Neighbours Through personal experiences, reflections and cultural perspectives, five performers from Melbourne and Seoul will create connections to the homes, streets and ambience in the area surrounding Theatre Works, linking the theatre to the social and cultural environment in which it sits. Catch it from Tuesday March 13 – Monday March 19.
Comedy
Can I have your autograph?
Syncopation
Post Modern Life
Visual art with abstract
Nostalgia meets modernism
A panel discussion for
tendencies
music fans
George’s Bar Everyone’s favourite George Costanza-inspired bar is back for another round of laughs, top notch comedian alongside the next two contestants of their ‘Are You Funnier Than George’ competition. Thursday March 15.
Can I Have Your Autograph? focuses on the role of fans and fan communities and their contribution to the musician’s success and audience perception. One of the speakers, Lynne Trute, a long-time Nick Cave fan and collector has donated several pieces of Nick Cave history to the Australia Performing Arts Centre. Wednesday March 28 at Arts Centre Melbourne.
Syncopation is a three-person show running from Friday March 16 to Thursday April 5, featuring work from the jazz-inspired Jeff Raglus alongside American pop artist Derek Yaniger and pulp art aficionado Richie Fahey. Catch it at Outre’s Elizabeth St Gallery.
Post Modern Life is the latest series of works by Glen Downey (AKA CRISIS), looking at tradition and the ravenous culture of nostalgia as the foundation for modern expression. From the natural world to the Mushroom Kingdom, from ancient history to afternoon cartoons, he appropriates the familiar and repurposes it in new light. Friday March 16 at BSIDE Gallery.
Thursday Comedy Club You know the drill. It’s the club where the big names drop in. This week, expect guests from radio, TV and more. Thursday March 15 on 120 Exhibition St, Melbourne.
Lido Comedy Comedy at a Cinema? Yep, correct. Every Tuesday, a cavalcade of some of Melbourne and Australia’s funniest drop some laughs at inner Melbourne’s freshest independent cinema. Free entry from 7.30pm down at Lido Cinemas, Hawthorn.
14
BEAT.COM.AU
The Divine Order The year is 1971, and Switzerland is debating whether to allow women the right to vote. Housewife Nora isn’t a rebel by nature, but when her husband prevents her from taking a part-time job, she becomes drawn into the campaign for women’s suffrage. The Divine Order is an earnest, hopeful film, crafted in the recognition that compact dramas are often more involving than operatic ones. Marie Leuenberger plays Nora with a mixture of determination and vulnerability mostly concealed by a mask of domestic good manners. Sibylle Brunner is also a good fit as Vroni, a sassy septuagenarian feminist well past the point of caring whose toes she steps on. Nora and her female friends appear always surrounded by clotheslines and cooking pots, constricted by aprons and babushkas. Nora’s husband Hans, an army reservist, appears in uniform, a rifle slung over his shoulder. Both men and women are uncomfortably confined by their roles. “Empowerment” fantasies like Kill Bill or Michael Apted’s Enough set their
female protagonists against misogyny in the form of grotesque male psychopaths. The advantage of this is obvious: no man in the audience is going to see the heroine punch a knuckle-dragging rapist and feel that the movie is criticising him. Despite its optimistic tone, The Divine Order is more provocative than Kill Bill, because it suggests that decent men can also harm women. Hans doesn’t badger Nora to shut up about voting rights because he’s evil – he’s also pressured to conform. Hans knows his father and workmates will laugh at him if he doesn’t control his wife. In a memorable scene Hans, walked out on by Nora, struggles to prepare an apple pie with the intentness of a caveman making fire. In the context of The Divine
Order’s alpine village, this feels about as transgressive as crossdressing. There are other powerful moments of suggestion hidden throughout the film: Nora’s niece is sent to a reformatory after she’s caught smoking marijuana with older boys. Vroni loses the restaurant she managed because of her husband’s incompetence. A man at Hans’s workplace is mocked for growing his hair long. It’s up to the viewer to decide just how these things fit together. Although Nora’s story wraps up neatly in 96 minutes, The Divine Order suggests other, less-easily-resolved problems that may stick with the viewer longer. By Zachary Snowdon Smith
Art, music, food, architecture
Check out our new digs! 24 March 2018, 11am–4pm 18–24 Down Street, Collingwood Free admission. All welcome.
1800 251 651 artbank.gov.au/openhouse #artbankopenhouse
BEAT.COM.AU
15
Columns With Gloria Brancatisano
Radar
With Vanessa Valenzuela
With Michael Cusack
Hip Hop
Electronic
Buzzy Lee
Need new music fast? Here’s some artists you should get on your radar ASAP. I know I wasn’t the only one shuffling through #NewMusicFriday a couple of weeks ago, who stumbled upon the slinky, dreamy pop gem ‘Coolhand’. How had I never heard the soulful croon of Buzzy Lee before? I asked. At the time her social media (two whole Facebook likes) was bare, but now we know the LA-songwriter is none other than Sasha Spielberg – daughter of Steven – but it’s pretty damn clear that this project doesn’t need a famous helping hand to get attention. The Nicholas Jaar-produced tune is part of a five-track EP called Facepaint, due out Friday April 27, and I’m absolutely ready for more.
Sam Gellaitry August Alsina
Hip hop in Australia is booming and we’re blessed to have such a huge bill of international acts visiting our shores this year. R&B superstar August Alsina is set to woo crowds with his sensual songs and cheeky lyrics when he visits Australia for the very first time early next month. With a huge reputation as a live performer, the ‘Testimony’ singer is eager to jump onstage and give us a taste of his newest album, set to be released later this year. Supported by upcoming R&B duo Donnell Lewis and Kennyon Brown, you can catch August Alsina when he performs at Festival Hall on Thursday April 12. Tickets are on sale now.
I hope you’re recovered from the long weekend because there are some good times happening in Melbourne this week. This Thursday March 15, Scottish beat-prodigy Sam Gellaitry is hitting the Corner Hotel for his debut appearance in Melbourne. I started following this lad on Soundcloud a few years ago and the consistency of his output is astounding, even the half-baked beat ideas he’s uploaded have always left me muttering “oof ” under my breath. Simmering somewhere between hip hop, future-bass, soul and trap, the 21-year-old has been making beats since he was 12, and it shows. He released the final cut of his Escapism trilogy of EPs mid last year on XL Recordings – all three are well worth a listen. Not many tickets left it appears, so get on it.
Mick Jenkins
Eliott
I stupidly slept on her debut single, but with it’s follow up ‘Over & Over’, Melbourne singer-songwriter Eliott has definitely captured my attention. Here her delicate vocals are layered over a sparse, glitchy beat – it’s perfectly simple and incredibly beautiful. Even if you’ve been unfamiliar with Eliot up until now, I’m sure you’re no stranger to the team behind the track – Sydney producer Jack Grace and Melbourne’s own Lucianblomkamp. Her debut EP drops Friday April 20 and I’m gunning for some more honest. Tender pop jams to carry me into winter. A lot of people have been talking about the resurgence of “guitar music” lately, and an artist that caught my ear amidst the discussion is Amsterdam’s Pip Blom, and her latest single ‘I’m In Love’. Since starting out a couple of years ago, she’s grown a three-piece band around her, and the additional layers only add to her overall sound. Her latest track is a slice of indie-rock with a scuzzy, lo-fi sound and bubblegumsweet vocal that hooks you in, but it’s the edges of Brit-pop that tie this neat, two-and-a-half minute package together. Damn, this is slick.
Mick Jenkins returns to Australia after a successful 2017 tour and this time he is partnering up with New York duo The Underachievers for a massive night of hip hop. Mick Jenkins has become an important voice in the hip hop community with his heartfelt lyrics and political rhymes. Fresh off the release of his debut studio album The Healing Component, he is expected to sell out seats at his Melbourne show, held at The Prince Ballroom on Tuesday March 27. Emerging local artist Baro will be support for all shows. Chicago based hip hop artist Smino is ready to bring his soulful sound Down Under. One of the most promising rappers on the scene, the St-Louis native is excited to perform for his loyal Australian fans. His latest album blkswn is magnificent, with infectious beats and catchy tracks ‘Anita’, ‘Netflix & Dusse’ and ‘Maraca’. The young talent will be joined by his producer Monte Booker who draws influences from the likes of The Neptunes and Kanye West. Don’t miss the chance to let these two artists blow your mind and see them on stage live at The Corner Hotel on Tuesday April 17.
Motor City Drum Ensemble
On Friday night, Motor City Drum Ensemble is kicking-on from his set at Pitch Festival last weekend, teaming up with local luminary Tornado Wallace to throwdown at Brown Alley. A champion of obscure disco, boogie and funk cuts, MCDE has consistently been a manin-demand for parties around the world. Although his focus seems to be more on DJing lately, MCDE is also an accomplished producer and remixer. Tracks from his seminal 2010 album Raw Cuts Vol.1 are still consistently heard in DJ sets the world over. This is the German’s first Melbourne club show in seven years, so if you haven’t sorted your tickets yet you probably should.
Ben UFO Mac Eleven
Lume
Simplicity is clearly a vibe I’m on at the moment, and the delicate ‘Skin’ from Brighton newcomer Lume fits in perfectly. It’s a marvellous slice of electro-pop that builds into a catchy, singalong banger – without losing any of its intimacy. Her vocals are effortlessly understated, gliding along on top of the production with ease. She’s about to debut her live show this week, and with her debut EP arriving in the near future, there’s no time like the present to join me on Team Lume. 16
BEAT.COM.AU
Melbourne-based artist Mac Eleven has been making his mark on the local hip hop scene for the last five years. The rapper-producer is known for his lyrical wordplay and versatile flow evident in his tracks ‘Usual Suspect’ and ‘Elevate Basketball’. To celebrate the release of his highly anticipated mixtape Better Late Than Never, Mac-Eleven will perform his first headline show at Laundry Bar on Thursday March 22. The show will be accompanied by an impressive lineup including the likes of Titan Debirioun, Krown, Devarn Kir, Petero Thony, Lordholani. Tickets are only $10 at the door so catch the newest faces of Australian hip hop and show your support for the culture.
On Sunday night, it’s the final instalment of Revolver Summer Series and they’ve also snared an artist in town for Pitch Festival: Ben UFO. Like MCDE, this UK DJ has become a force on the worldwide club and festival scene on the back of his sheer wealth of musical knowledge. His sets encompass dance music from a variety of genres and backgrounds, from rare ‘90s UK rave cuts to bargain bin Bollywood diamonds to current local underground house music. Backing up that knowledge is the technical turntable skill to take you on an impressive and seamless dancefloor journey. He’s locked in for four hours in the Revolver cage, so do some stretches before you head down and brace yourself for a very large Sunday.
Columns With Peter Hodgson
Metal
With Joe Hansen
With Christie Eliezer
Punk
Industry Tank and the Bangas
Cosmic Psychos
There have been a lot of comings and goings in the world of metal these past few weeks, it’s a reminder that this genre we love is something that crosses generations. As some of our metal greats bow out in their 70s, we also see newer bands switching members or exploring new projects as they seek to broaden their musical horizons or refine what they want their band to be. For instance, by now you’ve no doubt heard the news that Judas Priest guitarist Glenn Tipton has had to step down from active duty in the band due to an ongoing battle with Parkinson’s Disease. Tipton was diagnosed around ten years ago but has kept it from the public until now, though he does play on the new record, Firepower.
I feel it’s about time that we all came to realise that Melbourne has reached its critical mass of sloppy garage punk bands singing in local slang about proletarian issues of going to the pub and smoking darts. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with that style of music or lyrical content, but every copycat band caught up in this wave will be looked back on the same way bands from the ‘90s with ska influences and wallet chains are now. Perhaps what I’m referring to is a lot more niche than the skeletons of the punk closet that many of our elders would like us to forget about, but I feel the novelty of it all has long since worn off. I’m not going to name names of the contemporary culprits, but it seems like ever since Eddy Current Suppression Ring broke up and Cosmic Psychos somehow became fashionable, it seems every second band on Melbourne stages is a dumbed down version of both. Both are great bands and influences to have, but enough is enough folks. It’s all becoming musically and lyrically asinine, and it’s straight-edge hardcore antithesis. But hey, maybe I’m just being pessimistic and jealous because my band that sounds like everything I’ve described isn’t rich and famous yet.
MOD CON
Mr. Big
Parkinson’s has been in the rock/metal news a fair bit recently: complications from Parkinson’s sadly claimed Mr. Big drummer Pat Torpey’s life a few weeks ago. The band had been performing with a stand-in drummer, Matt Starr, but Torpey had been accompanying them on the road to sing backing vocals and play as much as his condition would allow. The recentlyannounced co-headlining tour with Extreme must have been in the works while Torpey was still with us and it’s going ahead, with the band promising to honour his memory. This tour will be the first time Extreme and Mr. Big have toured together, Extreme’s first time here since 1993, and Mr. Big’s first ever Australian tour. I caught Extreme at the House of Blues in Anaheim, California in January and I gotta say, it was one of the best rock shows I’ve ever seen. You can see them at The Forum on Wednesday June 6. A few weeks ago, I reported that Perth metal gods Nucleust were on the lookout for a new drummer after their long-time drummer decided to step down for other pursuits. Nucleust are thrilled to welcome Giuliano Macri to the fold. The band has snapped up 20-year-old drummer Macri, who comes via ambient black metal project, Staos. “We were absolutely blown away by Giuliani’s technical skills during his audition and have seen many similarities in his taste and approach towards music compare to what we like in Nucleust,” the band says.
Here’s the new buzzword getting traction in the postWeinstein world – “damechanger”. The Australian music, screen and live sector have come up with their own initiatives to combat gender inequality. The latest is the Australian Women’s Music Awards, unveiled in Brisbane last week and set to be staged in that city over two days in October as part of a larger conference on gender and cultural inequality. Tina Arena, Kate Ceberano, Katie Noonan, Christine Anu, Deborah Conway, Clare Bowditch, Jenny Morris, Sophie Koh Debra Byrne and The Preatures’ Isabella Manfredi are among those supporting the initiative. The awards’ founder, Sydney-based artist manager and executive Vicki Gordon, has been wanting to do them for 30 years, with one of the biggest supporters of the idea being Chrissie Amphlett. Things only began to move three years ago. “The problem is that women are essentially invisible,” Gordon says. “Their contributions to the music industry have been sidelined in far too many areas. They’re underrepresented on festival bills and they’re under-represented on the boards of music associations and they’re underrepresented in the major awards. If you don’t have women participating, ultimately what you’re going to reflect is who’s around the table. Vicki Gordon
Richie Faulkner
It’s a monster of a record – probably even better than their last, Redeemer of Souls. Tipton will be replaced on the road by Firepower co-producer Andy Sneap. Judas Priest have gone on the record to say that Tipton did play on the album, while being evasive about whether Sneap contributed any guitar work. Either way, when the band hits the road they’ll be without either of their iconic long-time guitarists. Luckily Richie Faulkner, who joined Judas Priest in 2011, brings a huge amount of charisma and shred-power to the band, and the thought of him forming a guitar duo with the no-slouch-either Sneap is pretty exciting. Tipton will appear for a few songs whenever he feels up to it.
Why We Need The Australian Women’s Music Awards
Melbourne’s MOD CON have announced the upcoming release of their debut full-length. Producer Gareth Liddiard of The Drones described the record as sonically “between The Bangles and Black Flag.” The album was recorded in Liddiard’s rural studio located in the Goulburn Valley. “The isolated rural backdrop provided a perfect combination of clear-cut focus and cabin fever to get the job done,” explains vocalist and guitarist Erica Dunn. Titled Modern Convenience, the record is due out Friday April 6 on Poison City Records. High Tension
Melbourne’s High Tension have returned with the release of a new single, their first material since 2015’s full length Bully. Introducing new guitarist and drummer Mike Deslandes and Lauren Hammel to the group, the new track ‘Ghost to Ghost’ is taken from an upcoming full-length due out later this year. Vocalist Karina Utomo explains the background to the song’s fierce lyrical content. “Last year I connected with other Indonesians whose families were implicated in the anti-communist purge. Even at present, systemic silencing has stopped people from sharing their stories and spreading truth surrounding that era. They described their daily storytelling as “dari hantu ke hantu” or “from ghost to ghost” and I felt like this was what I have been trying to attempt for the past decade,” Utomo says. Long-running skate punks Pennywise have announced the upcoming release of a new album, their first record of new material with returned vocalist Jim Lindberg since 2008. Entitled Never Gonna Die, the record will be released on the band’s longtime label Epitaph. With the title track already released online, Lindberg explained its background. “The goal of the song is to try and get young people to finally say enough, and that the system isn’t working,” he says. Never Gonna Die is due out Friday April 20 on Epitaph. Pre-orders are available now.
“The aim of the awards is to celebrate the achievements of not just the performers and the singer-songwriters, but also the women who work behind the scenes, and those whom we can’t see. We’re honouring those elders who have come before us. They won’t be sales driven but based around the humanitarian. “I stress the need to make these women visible. We can only hold up their achievements if people can see them and can offer hope to the future. You can’t be what you can’t see. If you only see men in positions of power and positions of decision-making then you’re not confident you’re capable of making those decisions yourself.” Tracee Hutchinson
Gordon is amazed at the amount of positive support the awards are getting from the music industry across-the-board, from women and men to push the idea forward. An Advisory Council headed by Melbourne-based broadcaster and educator Tracee Hutchinson has been set up. The families of Chrissie Amphlett and Ruby Hunter have given permission for them to be honoured. A roll of renown is being set up. It’s not surprising that when Gordon took the idea to the Queensland Government – whose premier, deputy premier and Arts Minister are women – they immediately said they would fund and market the project. The Women’s Music Awards have also reached out to Indigenous women in remote rural communities to be involved. Gordon agrees the timing is impeccable with movements such as Me Too and Time’s Up. “I don’t think it’s a coincidence. Without sounding spooky, we’re going through something that is greater than any of us. History’s on our side. Suddenly, women are being believed, not just in music but in all sectors of life, and that is a powerful universal movement.” BEAT.COM.AU
17
Cover Story
Good Charlotte By Gloria Brancatisano
It’s the year 2000. Once the fear of Y2K had subsided, the new millennium brought with it a different change . Teenagers were embracing a new sound, a new fashion, and a wave of new bands. It was music created for outcasts, but quickly momentum picked up, and the mainstream caught on. And while it wasn’t the same disenfranchised revolution of the grunge-era, it was the angst and a sense of uniting outside society’s “normal” that came to define a generation. It’s been 20 years since four high school friends were swept up in its current. Wide-eyed and unassuming, they too created music for the fringe kids – the outcasts and misfits looking for a place to belong. A lot has changed for Good Charlotte since, but the core of their sound and their beliefs has always remained. For guitarist and vocalist Benji Madden, he still talks of those early days fondly. “We were just little kids, we didn’t really know anything,” he says. “We’d never even been on an airplane and when we got our deal and we were going to make our first record, we got to fly out to LA and we were so wide-eyed. “My whole goal when we got our record deal and made our first record was to buy my mum a house. Her living situation was fucked up at the time and that was all I could think about: ‘If this works out maybe I can get my mum a house.’ I was obsessed with trying to make the most of the opportunity and not waste it.” And waste it, they didn’t. Their debut self-titled album kicked things off in fine form and saw the fivepiece supporting bands like Blink 182 and MxPx. But it was their follow-up record, 2002’s The Young and The Hopeless, that thrust Good Charlotte into the mainstream – topping the charts, scoring magazine covers, and performing on live TV. These wide-eyed teenagers were now one of the biggest bands in the world, and the process of dealing with that change wasn’t an easy one. “We were all the low self-esteem kids. And when you’re coming into it like that anyway, you’re going to be influenced by people because you want
18
BEAT.COM.AU
people to like you, you want people to approve of you because you don’t already have the natural confidence,” Madden says. “That is something I wish someone would’ve given me the answer to, because that process took another decade after that, of trying to figure out, ‘Who am I now?’ And it turns out – and this is what I tell young bands now – I’ve been the same guy all along, but my perspective has changed a little bit. My experiences change but I’m still the same guy. “The hardest thing to deal with, especially in the music business, [is] when you’re trying to mix art with commerce. You’ve got influences around you, whether it’s someone at the label or someone in management – or whoever it is – who genuinely want your success. But they don’t realise they’re trying to influence your success and derail you from how you need to express yourself. If you can just find a way to continue to express yourself honestly, regardless of how your experiences change, people are still going to feel that.” Three more albums and eight years later, it seemed that Good Charlotte had reached their end. In an interview with Rolling Stone they announced they were “stepping away from the grind of making records and touring”. No one knew when or if they were coming back, but within the band they knew they needed to find their passion again. “Joel had sworn that he would never do Good Charlotte again. He’s like, ‘I love Good Charlotte, that’s my heart, but I’ve moved on.’ We shut it down and we stopped doing Good Charlotte because we felt like it wasn’t ours anymore. [But] We took it back and I feel like we got back to where we started.” That sentiment – of going back to their roots – rings true throughout their latest album, 2016’s Youth Authority. Injected with the spirit and energy
of their early 2000s releases, we finally have a band with nothing left to prove and the authority to bask in that freedom. “The whole band came over to my house and we had everyone, our wives, all the kids. Everybody’s having a few beers and talking and watching all of our families hanging out and were like, ‘Man, we’ve been together a long time.’ This was 2015, and it had been five years since we’d put out the last record. “Emotionally [Good Charlotte] comes from a different place for us, and we were talking about it and we’re like, ‘It’d be fun to get back together and make some music.’ Two weeks later, we were like, ‘Let’s get in the studio and do a song,’ and Joel did the first song of the record, ‘Life Changes’. Right away, if you listen to that song, you can feel that energy. That was the first time we all got back in the studio.” The journey of Good Charlotte is one that’s been played out across TV screens and tabloid magazines the world over, but for the band it all comes back to one thing – each other. “It was a really interesting journey to go through,” Madden says. “Being from a little town in the middle of nowhere to having success and a bunch of people gather around us. That’s the thing I love most about the comeback: I feel like we finally got Good Charlotte back to where we started. Good Charlotte’s our baby. It’s the thing that changed our lives and changed our families. It’s given us so much and we finally took it back. “There’s some things that we could never trade for anything and it’s definitely those friendships and that time. We started in 1996, we’re going on 22 years and you just can’t trade anything for that.”
“We were all the low selfesteem kids. And when you’re coming into it like that anyway, you’re going to be influenced by people because you want people to like you, you want people to approve of you.”
Good Charlotte will perform at Download Festival, coming to Flemington Racecourse on Saturday March 24, also featuring Korn, Limp Bizkit, Good Charlotte, Neck Deep, and more. Their latest album, Youth Authority is out now.
OPEN BORDERS 3.0 17th of March / 1pm till late The Yorkshire Hotel / 48 hoddle street abbotsford
All proceeds to the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre $1 per drink bought, all proceeds from tickets and artwork goes to ASRC design by tye meesen
BEAT.COM.AU
19
Interviews
Orny Adams After headlining countless shows across American clubs, theatres and festivals, comedian Orny Adams is bringing his latest tour to Australia. More than Loud delves deep into small but infuriating things. “It’s about everything that frustrates me on a daily basis,” Adams says. “It’s about the little things that bother me in life and I’ve focused on those things rather than the bigger picture, but there’s an optimistic message being that we’re all more similar than dissimilar.” Adams’ 90-minute special alters between relevant and ridiculous, discussing what’s wrong with the world. “I get really amped up, and one of the criticisms might be that I’m up there yelling. I’m actually more than loud. If you’re yelling and there’s no substance, you’re just yelling. But I like to think that what I’m saying has some meaning. I’m texturing it, I get really big reactions from the stuff I talk about. [It’s] a textured show that had ebbs and flows and ups and downs. I think the most important thing that a lot of people lose sight of is you’re up there to put on a show.” Performing stand-up for over 20 years means that Adams knows what he’s doing. He’s always seen comedy as what he wants to do. “From high school, I’ve been studying stand-up comedy. I was listening to comics and counting the beats and laughs and routines. I would read about comics and I would read who influenced them, and the next thing you know I’m at the library checking out books that hadn’t been checked out since 1912. I’m not trying to sound arrogant, being a stand-up comic is just who I am.” Comedians always seem to have an interlaced network where everyone knows everyone, and
“I’m not trying to sound arrogant, being a stand-up comic is just who I am.” Adams is no exception. He appeared in Jerry Seinfeld’s documentary Comedian in 2002, and has written for friends Jay Leno and Garry Shandling as well as the Emmy Awards. “You take Shandling, he’s one of the most concise writers, so true to himself. Trying to match that voice and write for that person – it’s difficult. Garry was a mentor and used to make me work really hard for him – absolutely made me a better comic. “I’m a better comic because of every comic that is before me. There’s a great tradition within standup comedy for someone who’s more accomplished to disseminate information to a younger comedian. I’ve been lucky to be in contact with a lot of amazing comedians. It’s a community and it’s an honour to be a part of it.” Adams has made appearances on talk shows in the past, including those hosted by Conan, Jay Leno and David Letterman. Known for his use of facial expressions, Adams has been involved in a host of TV shows in the past, but his real acting break was in MTV’s Teen Wolf as Coach Finstock. “The executive producer was a fan of my standup comedy and wrote the part for me. So, I never even had to audition. I know it’s huge in Australia
because I hear from the fans in Australia several times a day.” Despite the similarities of performing stand-up and acting for a camera, Adams approaches these tasks very differently. “When I’m onstage it’s 100 percent my words, I never go up there with a script. I may think I’m gonna say one thing and the next thing you know I’m off on a tangent discussing something I didn’t imagine coming out of me. Acting, you show up and somebody hands you a script. You say those words exactly. It isn’t loose, you can’t improvise – it’s a completely different muscle.” In terms of his trip Down Under, Adams can’t wait to come back to Australia and see Australian audiences, as he was thrilled the last time he was here. “I found [Australians] to be really smart comedy consumers that were interested in the art form behind comedy. They seemed more in tune to the nuances of what made one routine better than another routine. I’m excited to bring my latest work down to Australia and to meet the fans.”
Orny Adams performs at the Comics Lounge on Thursday March 22.
By Holly Denison
Venus in Fur There’s something innately intriguing about a play that claims to explore sexual politics, male/ female power struggles and sadomasochism, especially in this age of Harvey Weinstein and the public revealing of Hollywood’s most depraved sexual abusers. Leopold von Sacher-Masoch is the namesake for the term “sadomasochism” thanks to his 1870 novel, Venus In Fur, in which he uses characters Severin von Kusiemski and Wanda von Dunajew to live out his violent sexual fantasies. It’s widely known that the novel is strongly influenced by von SacherMasoch’s own sex life, in which he was dominant over his submissive mistress. He then reportedly forced his first wife, Aurora von Rumelin, to reenact the book’s sexual activities before she left him and published her own book in which she declared her unhappiness as von Sacherm-Masoch’s wife and sexual slave. In 2010, David Ives, a New York playwright, took von Sacher-Masoch’s novel and adapted it into a new story – a two-person play-within-a-play, in which a director/playwright called Thomas is trying to cast Wanda and Severin for his own Venus in Fur adaptation. Thomas is unable to find a suitably desperate and submissive actress to play Wanda, but then a perfectly vulgar woman bursts in on the auditions, Vanda Jordan. The rest of the play centres on Vanda’s audition reading and the switching of dominant and submissive roles between the director and the actress. Now, for the first time ever in Melbourne, emerging theatre company, Lightening Jar Theatre is recreating David Ives’ sexual exploration of von Sacher-Masoch’s novel at Fortyfivedownstairs, and 20 BEAT.COM.AU
“I don’t like exclusive theatre that only someone with a PhD can come and see. This play works purely on a comedy level.” actress Tilly Legge – set to play Wanda – is keen to let viewers know that the play is far more comedic than sexual, despite its disturbing origins. “It’s really an exploration of power, gender roles. There’s a lot of really relevant stuff there, especially in regard to Harvey Weinstein and what’s happening at the moment. But it’s a comedy, it’s very funny and light and fun, but it does get quite dark and there’s a real twist,” she says. “People will come out shocked.” Legge plays alongside Darcy Kent and is directed by Kirsten von Bibra, who has lectured in acting at VCA and has a background in directing contemporary theatre. According to Legge, she, Kent and von Bibra are all acutely aware of the controversial nature of their subject matter. “We’ve absolutely spoken about this because we want to be really careful about everything we’re putting on stage and everything we’re saying about women and what we’re saying about feminism and we don’t want to portray negative gender stereotyping. “There’s sexual titillation in there, but to a goal, really for a purpose, and it’s easy to fall into the
trap of thinking that it’s just a sexy silly comedy but there’s really a lot more going on than that, it goes deeper and it gets quite dark.” Legge is adamant that those who wish to see the play solely in expectation of a kinky, sex-heavy performance will be sorely disappointed. “If they come because they think there’s this kink element to it, they’ll be disappointed, it’s not like there’s kinky sex onstage, there’s just really not.” So there’s no actual sex, but lots of laughs. Legge thinks that comedy is the best way to get under people’s skin. “I don’t like exclusive theatre that only someone with a PhD can come and see. This play works purely on a comedy level, if you just want a fun night out, you can come and see it, but if you also want something with a bit of depth to it, that’s really saying something more, it also has that. Theatre needs to have heart. ” By Tarnay Sass
Venus in Fur will feature at fortyfivedownstairs until Saturday March 24.
LABOUR DAY EVE
(GER)
SUN 11/3
BOOKA SHADE
EVERY SATURDAY PARTY ‘TIL LATE FRI 6/4
DRAG JNR
GARAGE NATION (U.K) feat DJ PIED PIPER, MC CREED, MAJESTIC SWEET FEMALE ATTITUDE & more
THE POGUES
(Tribute) ST PAT’S WEEKEND CELEBRATION
THURS 12/4
MAISON BURLESQUE (USA)
HED P.E
A BENEFIT FOR BRIAN HOOPER feat. BEASTS OF BOURBON, Kim Salmon and the New Scientists, Adalita, Mick Harvey, Gareth Liddiard, Rosie Westbrook and more TBA
TUES 27/3
THE UNDERACHIEVERS & MICK JENKINS @PRINCEBANDROOM
/THEPRINCEBANDROOM
ANZAC DAY EVE
LANE 8
SOLD OUT
FRI 27/4
FRI 11/5
THE MAVIS’S
PINK PILLS 20TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR
HARDCORE SUPERSTAR 29 FITZROY STREET, ST KILDA INFO - PHONE 9536 1168
WEDNESDAYS
fridays
saturdays
FREE POOL $3 POTS BOAGS $5 BASIC SPIRITS $5BBQ WINGS
SHIT PUB TRIVIA
BOMBSHELL BINGO!
WATTS ON PRESENTS
FREE ENTRY! PRIZES!
(SWE)
FRI 16/6
#THEPRINCEBANDROOM
tight ass Tuesdays
* ALL FROM 6PM ONWARDS
TUES 24/4
w/ special guests LIVE & DANGEROUS
I GET UP AGAIN
MACKA B
free live entertainment every week!
SOLD OUT
(GER)
FRI 13/4
FRI 23/3
PRINCE PUBLIC BAR NOW AN OZTIX RETAILER
ANZAC DAY EVE
LOTTA ROSIE THA DOGG POUND WHOLE A JAW DROPPING SALUTE TO AC/DC
SUN 18/3
THURS 22/3
THE PRINCE EXPERIENCE A TRIBUTE CELEBRATION TO PRINCE
WEDS 14/3
FRI 16/3
FRI 20/4
saturdays late
P.P.B DJ’S
PLAYING YOUR FAVE TUNES UNTIL LATE! FREE ENTRY • PARTY UNTIL LATE
sundays
ELWOOD BLUES CLUB every sunday!
BEAT.COM.AU
21
Interviews
Press Club
“I don’t like listening to a vocalist that I don’t believe… If someone’s asking me to believe something, I need them to believe it as well.”
Rock is traditionally the domain of kings and queens, prima donnas and egomaniacs. Press Club are bringing a little democracy to the scene with their debut album Late Teens. The indie-punk foursome chose everything, from their name to their album tracklisting, through show of hands. “I haven’t been in a band where it’s been so equal before,” says vocalist Nat Foster. “If there’s not real equality, tension can arise. We’re not in our teens – not in our ‘late teens’ – anymore. Our desire to have a well-oiled machine is so much greater than anyone’s ego.” To create their debut album Late Teens, the band gathered at bassist Rufio MacRae’s Brunswick East House and converted it into a ‘songwriting sweatshop’, turning out 40 songs over a period of weeks. After playing their way through all 40, the band voted on which ones would make the cut. Recording, mixing and producing the album themselves, Press Club divided the work according to preference. Foster, who holds a graphic design certificate, put together the album cover, showing rusty household appliances overgrown with morning glory vines. “I’ve been in bands in the past where I’ve been the frontwoman and everything has fallen to me,” says Foster. “It’s just easier spread around. We’ve all got our specialties. It’s easier to do the things you’re good at than push shit uphill.” Press Club are a live band first, she says, so they’ve tried to capture the energy of their shows on tape by relying as little on overdubbing as possible. The perils of DIY recording became apparent one morning when guitarist Greg Rietwyk accidentally erased the vocal track for the song ‘Headwreck’. “We
were so lucky that we only lost the vocal tape,” says Foster. “It was a bit upsetting, but I feel like we got a better take the next time around, anyway.” For many bands, signing with a label is the first milestone to success. Press Club are independent by choice, says Foster, even though it means working on a smaller scale for now. “The way we measure success is going to be different than if we were working with a label,” she says. “That said, all of our minds are blown by how many people have pre-ordered the album.” Press Club’s profile rose when their single ‘Suburbia’ was picked up by triple j and by Sydney’s FBi Radio, and the band was picked to play festivals including NYE on the Hill and Falls Festival. Now, Press Club are ready to unleash Late Teens on Melbourne stages. After that, they’re on the road with the Smith Street Band, booked in for a gruelling 28-show tour from Perth to Cairns. Foster likes playing raucous shows where she can draw a response from the crowd with a raw and sincere performance. “I don’t like listening to a vocalist that I don’t believe,” says Foster. “If they’re telling me something and it feels half-arsed, that frustrates the shit out of me. If someone’s asking me to believe something, I need them to believe it as well.” Since childhood, Foster has always felt
a responsibility to be tough and emotionally independent. She admits that, to this day, she doesn’t really like to let loose except when onstage. While Foster’s early material runs on adrenaline, Late Teens is a high-intensity blast of raw pain and vulnerability. “I’m notoriously bad at being able to talk about my emotions,” says Foster. “Growing up, I don’t think I learnt to express myself in that way, to get real emotional. Why let people know that you’re not feeling great when you can just write a song and get over it?” Press Club are already working on another extralarge batch of songs to fuel their next record. In the meantime, Foster hopes that Press Club’s horizontal approach to music will continue to be reflected in the Australian scene. She recalls crossing paths with bands like Bad//Dreems and Tasmanian punk rockers Luca Brasi, who graciously offered to lend Press Club their gear. “I think everyone’s realised that it’s better to lift people up than to put people down,” says Foster. “If we create a full community of incredible music, then we can lift that whole community up to another level rather than just getting one or two bands up there.” By Zachary Snowdon Smith
Wet Lips When I sit down with Wet Lips at their rehearsal space, I’m conscious that I’m eating into their time practicing. “It’s ok, our rehearsals are 80% talking and 20% playing music,” drummer Georgia Ehrlich laughs. Now with only three shows left before they go on an indefinite hiatus, the band are feeling equal parts nostalgic and fired up to go out with a bang. First up is Golden Plains which the band cites as an important milestone in their six years of playing together. “The year Sleater-Kinney and Eddy Current played was amazing,” bassist Jenny McKechnie says. “They’re my favourite bands and when I got into them they both didn’t exist anymore, then they both reformed and played the festival in 2016. To be able to play there is super special, it’s a huge cultural icon for bands in Melbourne and the alternative music culture here.” The band are also part of a Brunswick Music Festival lineup curated by indie label Psychic Hysteria and featuring Plaster of Paris and Fair Maiden at the Brunswick Mechanics Institute. “I think it’s so cool to be able to go to a gig that’s not a live music venue,” Grace Kindellan says, guitarist and lead vocalist of the band. “I really wish there were more gigs going on in Brunswick because selfishly they’d be around the corner from our house,” McKechnie adds. “It’s good to bring it out of Collingwood and Fitzroy because most people who play and enjoy music can’t afford to live there anymore. It’s starting to make less sense that it’s where we have to go all the time to see music.” With both the Psychic Hysteria lineup, along 22 BEAT.COM.AU
with the band’s own event Wetfest, featuring a diverse lineup, many look to Wet Lips as leaders of the progressive Melbourne music community. “We play with bands that we love the most but they’re also artists that take responsibility for their position of influence and think critically about what their art means,” McKechnie explains. “The scene is completely unrecognizable now from when we started six years ago.” When asked about their highlights as a band, particular importance is placed on their set at the Marriage Equality Street Party which took place the day that the ‘Yes’ result was announced. “I’m tearing up thinking about it,” says Kindellan. “It was one of those moments in history where things changed. I’d been feeling uncertain and angry about so many things and then to just be so sure of one thing, that I love my girlfriend Jacey, and for that to be recognised was so relieving and powerful.” When looking back on the show Ehrlich comments on just how monumental it felt to see Grace playing solo and making such an impassioned declaration of love. “Jenny and I were side of stage and left Grace up there to pour her heart out to what felt like millions of people watching. She was so strong.” As for what they’ve taken from their time as Wet Lips so far, each member reflects on their
Press Club will release their debut album Late Teens on Friday March 16.Press Club will live launch it at the Grace Darling Hotel on the same night.
personal growth, along with their connection with one another and their community. “Through this band I learnt that it’s ok to express unpleasant, difficult parts of being a human, and being a woman, and that being angry and playing punk music is a legitimate form of art,” Kindellan muses. “Joining Wet Lips has brought to me another way to work with people, communicate and learn,” Ehrlich says. “Listening to other people’s opinions and having the same drive and eagerness has been amazing.” “It’s gone from being 19 year olds messing around just trying to have fun to having to go through this very intense growing up process,” McKechnie reflects. “This band is such a huge part of my identity so it’s terrifying to not have that anymore, but it’s also something that a lot of people in their mid to late 20’s go through. You realise ‘Right, these are my formative years, where am I going to go from that?’” “It’s been incredible forming a music community that exists outside of that macho culture, and not having to look to that anymore for validation or support.” By Holly Pereira
“Through this band I learnt that it’s ok to express unpleasant, difficult parts of being a human… and playing punk music is a legitimate form of art.”
Wet Lips will appear as part of the Psychic Hysteria show for Brunswick Music Festival, taking place at Brunswick Mechanics Institute on Saturday March 17, with Fair Maiden and Plaster of Paris. They’ll also headline Wetfest, taking over Howler on Saturday April 21 and Sunday April 22.
The Little Theatre Company Presents
Cafe Philosophique Des Toilettes Spoken word poetry and philosophical conversations inspired by public toilet wall graffiti found in Melbourne’s pubs.
Wednesday March 14 8:00pm
DO SOULS EXIST?
Ft. Wani, John Englezos and Tariro Mavondo Wednesday March 21 8:00pm
THERE IS MORE TO ME THAN I ONCE WAS TAUGHT ft. Tenda McFly, Steve Smart and May Jasper Wednesday March 28 8:00pm
WHEN THERE IS NO STRUGGLE, THERE IS NO STRENGTH ft. Abdul Hammoud, Sharifa Tartoussi and Andy Jackson
TICKETS: $25+ BF - BOOKINGS ESSENTIAL alextheatrestk.com.au
Beat Ad
03 8534 9300 The Alex Theatre Foyer 1/135 Fitzroy St, St Kilda
NICE DAY TO GO TO THE PUB SIMON O’CARRIGAN Opening night 6–9pm Friday 16 March Exhibition runs March 15–29 An exhibition of drawings inspired by live music, iconic venues, dingy bars, much loved local pubs, and urban sketching. simonocarrigan.com.au
Instagram: @simonocarrigan
66B Johnston Street Collingwood E info@offthekerb.com.au W www.offtherkerb.com.au Thu - Fri 12.30pm - 6.00pm Sat - Sun 12.00pm - 5.00pm T (03) 9077 0174 M 0400 530 464 Proudly supported by Yarra City Council
BEAT.COM.AU 23
Interviews
The Smith Street Band It’s hard to imagine anyone meeting The Smith Street Band’s Wil Wagner and not walking away completely smitten. He has a larger-than-life personality that is also totally relatable; five minutes in, you can already imagine backyard hangs at four in the morning, talking profound nonsense. Lately though, the band has been discovering a more disheartening side to success. While Wagner talks excitedly about the awesome scope of Pool House Party, he also speaks of his reasons for moving to the country. “Getting this lineup, it all happened very quickly,” he says. “We wrote a list of bands we were already friends with and that we respected, and straight away we had 50 bands we needed to ask. For us, putting [Pool House Party] on meant getting in some of the smaller bands, who we really wanted to give their first festival experience. We wanted to shine a light on them. “And for the bigger bands, Ceres, The Bennies, Tired Lion, people we’re mates with, it’s as much a chance for us to get the gang together and hang out as it is anything else. It’s probably booked quite selfishly at the end of the day. We’re just lucky that we’ve got such talented friends,” Wagner laughs. It’s an ethos we have long seen across the band’s promotional efforts. They’re often sharing shoutouts and links to other musicians in their orbit, and in a sense Pool House Party is the culmination of that community. There is still, however, room for growth. “When we were coming up as a band, there was
a lot more effort in the community and everybody was in it together. But I feel like in the last couple of years the scene has really changed, and it’s a lot more competitive and there’s a lot more shit-talking going on, which we’re trying to combat by finding people who have similar morals to us, who are into making good music and sharing it with other people,” Wagner explains. “That’s the best thing about music, it’s making it with your friends and watching other friends succeed and grow, and get good support tours and then headline big rooms. It’s the most satisfying and fun part of this whole thing. We wouldn’t be in the position that we’re in today if it wasn’t for heaps of leg-ups, so the fact we have this little bit of success now means that we can share it around as much as we can. It means a lot to us.” No matter the successes or the encouraging intentions, there will always be a culture of jerks out there happy to casually lambaste complete strangers. In Melbourne, it proved so pervasive that Wagner shifted lifestyles completely, and the relocation seems to have worked. “For me, the big thing about moving out of the city was that I started to feel quite stifled by living in Melbourne. There’s people coming up on the street and asking for photos, but we’re also a [certain]-sized band now that people want to hate us. I was starting
to feel a little claustrophobic, which I’ve spoken to a lot of bands of our size about. A lot have similar things, where you walk into the pub you’ve gone to for the last five years, and now someone walks past and says ‘Fuck off.’ “It’s maybe that tall-poppy syndrome,” Wagner explains. “But it’s something we’ve had to unfortunately deal with a bit lately. The only way that we can all keep supporting ourselves and surviving is through me and the [band] writing together, so it makes sense for me to be in an environment that’s conducive to that.” He sighs, but quickly the colour returns to Wagner’s voice. “I’m writing more, I’m working on more. I’m generally happier and more relaxed. There mightn’t be as much angst on the next record, now that I’m not living in a share house and hating everything,” he says. “Just having time and space to work on stuff – and this sounds like a silly thing – but I’ve always been in share houses where I’m a bit scared to sing loudly. And now, our nearest neighbour is about a kilometre away, so I can belt it out as loud as I want.”
Liguz is a singer and Australian native, Starkey is a long time drummer and just happens to be the son of Beatles drummer Ringo Starr. The group formed during a jam session ten years ago in Devlin while the couple were “tripping balls”. Liguz was “singing like a lunatic” and Starkey experimenting with the guitar. The result: a melding of punk, techno, reggae and rock sounds, with an inimitable stage presence. This is a group who give great acknowledgment to their influences. Their 2016 album Issues covers songs from artists the duo are directly influenced by, featuring the original artists themselves on some tracks. Starkey gives a who’s who of his early influences citing; “glam rock, David Bowie, a band called Dr Feel Good, which was kind of different, and then obviously The Ramones and Sex Pistols.” Liguz adds Alex Harvey, Nina Hagen and Grace Jones to her list, culminating in an eclecticallyinformed creative method. The group seem to work off both positive and negative energy from their relationship and incorporate it with their performance. “We try to use the stage as our therapy couch, it releases some 24 BEAT.COM.AU
The Smith Street Band will helm their inaugural Pool House Party across two stages at the Coburg Velodrome on Saturday March 17. The Bennies, Press Club, Jess Locke, Baker Boy, Bec Sandridge and more will feature on the lineup when it all goes down.
By Adam Norris
SSHH Speaking to Sharna Liguz, AKA Sshh Liguz, a racket could be heard in the background. “Could you stop it?” she says. When asked what the commotion was all about, Liguz replies “the usual…the usual when you’re in a band with your partner.” SSHH (pronounced Shoosh) are an electronic-punk duo comprised of the aforementioned Sshh Liguz and her partner Zack Starkey. The duo, make “music to fuck to and fight to,” according to Liguz.
“Putting [Pool House Party] on meant getting in some of the smaller bands, who we really wanted to give their first festival experience. We wanted to shine a light on them.”
“We try to use the stage as our therapy couch, it releases some tension. It’s like having a really heavy duty sports massage.” tension. It’s like having a really heavy duty sports massage,” Liguz says. The resulting act is hostile and particularly carnal. “It’s a punk rock show and we’re able to let loose, you know how sometimes cartoons say things that people really can’t? It’s the same sort of thing, you can do stuff on stage that you wouldn’t do in real life.” Their new single ‘Rising Tide’ is a techno-rock belter evoking the likes of Peaches and Lords of Acid. If SSHH make music to fuck and fight to, ‘Rising Tide’ appeals more to the former. Liguz’s vocals are seductive and mesmerising over a throbbing bassline that is simply relentless. What’s the track about? “Dirty fucking, club sex, blood, anger, you know –passion,” Liguz says. Starkey sees it slightly differently. “That is a song about me being an arsehole to my girlfriend. And her looking out the window at the pouring rain and saying ‘This guy’s a fucking arsehole, but I can’t stop loving him.’ That’s what the song’s about,” he says. The single was released with an eight track EP featuring mixes of ‘Rising Tide’ from different artists. Liguz compliments her collaborators. “I like how different artists interpret our music. We’re into Youth Solar Meltdown’s mix a lot, it’s got that gritty, dubby sound. We’re into that kind of music. Also,
Rob Jevons mix, has that aggressive electronic style which is cool,” she says. ‘Rising Tide’ is also accompanied with a music video that plays into the track’s decadent nature. With a colour palette of pinks, reds and purples flashing in a frenzy, the clip indicates nothing but pleasure. SSHH conjured the design for the music video from various places of inspiration. “The films of Kenneth Anger [and] stuff you stumble across when you’re up at night looking at weird shit online,” Liguz says. “And Neighbours and Home and Away,” Starkey adds. On top of their new release, SSHH have been touring Australia as the opening act for Primal Scream and performing some of their own shows too. “[Primal Scream] have the correct audience for our music so it’s gone down really well. And also, they’re so good that you have to step it up. We respect them so much that we have to take it to their level”. Another EP is underway for SSHH, as well as a collaboration with Jamaican reggae duo Sly and Robbie. While SSHH is made up of two seasoned musicians, they’re a new group with a palpable sound. For fans of cyber-punk music and sweaty rave sex, this is a group to keep an eye on. By David Class
SSHH’s new single ‘Rising Tide’ is out now.
Interviews
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club Black Rebel Motorcycle Club have been on the road since 1998, spreading a sound as dark as burnt rubber across six continents. So how does an organism like BRMC keep moving for 20 years without slowing down? Drummer Leah Shapiro puts it down to persistence, curiosity and reinvention. “It’s important to explore your craft, whatever instrument you play,” Shapiro says. “If you become stagnant in your craft, eventually your contribution to music is going to become stagnate as well. You’ve got to explore.” Shapiro, who prefers time on the road to time in the studio, doesn’t see a contradiction between being a rebel and being a hard worker. “We can be workaholics, but, when we’re not, we can be extremely lazy as well,” she says. “In order to avoid that, we just try to stay workaholics. Also, I really love being on tour. That’s really my favourite part of being in a band.” Black Rebel Motorcycle Club will be visiting Australia for the first time since 2013, criss-crossing the continent before playing their finale in Melbourne. Having gigged everywhere from Moscow to Milwaukee, Shapiro says Australia’s boisterous crowds and sprawling, sunny festivals make it a choice location to play. “There’s a really cool music scene in Australia,” she says. “Unfortunately, it’s not super easy to get there and to bring all your gear. And we haven’t had a proper time during or after a tour to rent some motorcycles and go exploring. That would be really cool to do one day.”
She also maintains a connection to Oz in the form of her friend and occasional collaborator Aimee Nash of The Black Ryder, who relocated from Sydney to LA in 2010. Shapiro’s road to cult stardom has rarely been straightforward or easily navigated. The incident that convinced her to leave an office job in New York City for life behind a drum kit has become part of BRMC lore. “I came out of the subway station and was walking over to my office across Times Square, which is a nightmare,” Shapiro explains. “Then, this dead bird just fell out of the sky and landed right in front of me. Shortly thereafter, I quit my job and decided to never ever have a regular job again. And I swear to god that really did happen.” Shapiro joined noise-rockers Dead Combo and drummed with The Raveonettes, where she played opening sets for Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and saw the effect their coarsely resonant sound had on audiences. After drummer Nick Jago left Black Rebel Motorcycle Club in 2008 under somewhat ambiguous circumstances, Shapiro was invited to don the BRMC trademark black leather jacket. Her fingerprints can be seen on the band’s 2010 landmark album Beat the Devil’s Tattoo, particularly in its drum-driven title track. “We spent so much time in the rehearsal studio working out parts, and the feel and tone of everything,” she says. “The way that we write is based off playing live together. I try to get into some sort of telepathy mode where I know what they’re going to do before they do it.”
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club’s upcoming Australian tour will incorporate material from earlier in their catalogue as well as January’s Wrong Creatures. Some BRMC tracks take years to get right, Shapiro explains. ‘Spook’ and ‘All Rise’, which appear on Wrong Creatures, were originally begun during the writing of 2013’s Specter at the Feast. “We do things our own way,” she says. “Sometimes, during the writing sessions for a certain album, some songs are just not meant to be finished for the record you’re working on. It’s meant to be for something later on down the road. It comes together in the end.” The band also takes a meticulous approach to pacing their setlists, and is still assembling the setlist for their Melbourne performance. “We’re building a setlist that has a good dynamic and a good flow to it,” Shapiro says. “We’re still experimenting.” Experimentation and working closely with one another, Shapiro says, are what’s kept the Black Rebel Motorcycle Club from spinning its wheels like so many other alt-rock acts of the late ‘90s. “I think a lot comes down to being aware of how important your relationships to your bandmates are and nurturing that,” she says. “Respecting that is incredibly important.”
The vocalist for Psychedelic Porn Crumpets – Perth’s psychedelic-rock buzz band – has just had a crazy adventure at Party In The Paddock down in Tasmania. Festivals, he says, are where he has the most fun. “That was wild. Amazing, one of the best experiences, the best festival I’ve ever been to – I was a different person. I managed to walk around and talk to as many people as possible,” McEwan says. “It was huge – Client Liaison, The Preachers – we played the same time as Gang of Youths. There was a guy [in the crowd] who had a double purple Mohawk [and was wearing] a Run DMC tshirt, and he had a sticker on his head that said “cook”. I made friends with that guy. He was my favourite.” It’s a good thing McEwan speaks so fondly of festivals, because the festival fun isn’t stopping just yet for Psychedelic Porn Crumpets. They’re set to play Boogie Festival over the Easter weekend, the self-proclaimed cult extravaganza in Tallarook, Victoria. Professionalism for them, however, is a grey area. “Gang of Youths and Client Liaison [at Party
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club will play The Forum on Saturday March 24, before an intimate show at the Corner Hotel on Sunday March 25. Wrong Creatures is out now on Abstract Dragon via [PIAS] Co-Op.
By Zachary Snowdon Smith
Psychedelic Porn Crumpets Big beer man Jack McEwan enjoys the freedoms and the unspoken rules of being a musician. The only “rules” he likes to follow are the ones that say have as much fun as possible doing what you do. “What is professional anyway?” he ponders. “It seems like it changes in the music industry – it’s like have a beer, and that will lead to ten more beers.”
“If you become stagnant in your craft, eventually your contribution to music is going to become stagnate as well. You’ve got to explore.”
“I don’t think there’s any particular code for professionalism in our industry, no rule book, which kind of compliments the whole idea of music.”
In The Paddock] had containers full of gear – they’re just at that level, they kinda professionalise,” McEwan says. “We were running around going on bouncy castles on acid till three in the morning and then waking up for a gig and they were like in, out. There must be some kind of difference with the level of professionalism. “They’ve come to our shows, they know what we’re about but there’s gotta be some kind of middle ground to get to that level, where you’ve got to be professional. You can’t rock up to a paid gig and expect to get paid but you could after, mingle, hang with other bands.” The boundaries of professionalism certainly change for musicians, according to the nature of their creative output and liberal manner. A pensive and playful mood cloaks McEwan as he says, “I don’t think there’s any particular code for professionalism in our industry, no rule book, which kind of compliments the whole idea of music.” With a Psychedelic Porn Crumpets live show this statement certainly holds true. The band are well-known for their high energy zany antics on stage and don’t really seem to adhere to anything associated with the P-word. That energy and liberal
performance evidently doesn’t change up too much at a festival, either. “Festivals seem easier because it’s not about you anymore. If you’re going to play a pub show or a venue and you’ve sold 500 tickets, you’re the main attraction. There’s no one else to blame if no one likes you, everyone is there to see you. I think we have better shows at festivals because there isn’t any pressure. You don’t feel like you’re the only one held responsible for something,” McEwan says. “We always want our sets to flow from song to song and keep the energy going. We definitely want every show to be the same – if you’re gonna come to see us at Boogie Festival it’ll be the same as a pub show. We’ve had an idea and a big discussion [with] the festival to make the set almost like theatre – Client Liaison do that really well, it’s the theatrical thing that captivates everyone, everyone’s dancing, having the best time they’ve ever had. You’re outside in a field, you can watch from your own personal space, it’s just amazing. “I’d love to play festivals forever. I’m gonna be like one of those old guys, like Bob Dylan, just rocking up like ‘I’ll never die!’ swinging off a light fitting at 80, that’ll be the best.” By Anna Rose
Psychedelic Porn Crumpets will play at Boogie Festival when it goes down at Our Friend’s Farm, Tallarook from Friday March 30 until Sunday April 1. Head to Boogie’s website for full lineup details and tickets.
BEAT.COM.AU
25
Interviews
Gengahr “It’s a defence mechanism in a way, hiding in the song. I try to bare my soul a little more on the new album and say ‘Fuck it, let’s see what happens.’”
There are two sides to Gengahr – escapism and realism. It’s a dichotomy of being and to explore one means to explore the other; at least, that’s how frontman Felix Bushe sees it. In 2015, the North London quartet released their whimsical album A Dream Outside, and is now back with their second expansive indie-rock collection, Where Wilderness Grows. “The primary shift I feel from the first album to this one, is trying to make things feel more personal, more connected, more human,” Bushe says. Where Wilderness Grows is utterly bewitching, laced with some subtle, and some not-so-subtle emotions. “The first album was centred around escapism and exploring alternative realities – with this album I wanted it to be like emotions under the microscope, make it more about myself, and in doing that, hopefully allow other people to connect,” Bushe says. Gengahr have certainly flipped the coin with the new release and it may have taken its toll on Bushe. To draw oneself out from a more reclusive state in music would naturally be a taxing process, but it’s one Bushe can now reflect on with a better understanding of why Gengahr release music as they do. “It felt like a natural progression. I feel like I’m building off the first album and I have a lot more confidence in songwriting now. Things are quite self-conscious on the first album, maybe I didn’t have the confidence to put myself out there as much. “By creating an alternative realty and building your own narrative, you allow yourself to be removed from the equation. It’s a defence mechanism in a way, hiding in the song. I try to bare my soul a little
more on the new album and say ‘Fuck it, let’s see what happens.’ I hope that truthful element allows people to get into the songs more and make them their own. I feel it was hard for a lot of people to get involved in the first album.” Though he may not have realised it then, there was a lot of truth for Gengahr after the release of their debut, which saw them playing the likes of Splendour In The Grass and Glastonbury Festivals – small achievements by no means. Immersing himself into a live setting and drawing on the energy of the fans, Bushe’s previously reclusive state transgressed into the realism we hear on Where Wilderness Grows. “A huge amount of confidence comes from the crowd,” he says. “What the listener may not realise [is] how much influence they have on us because your success is driven by how many people buy tickets and how many people come and see you. “There’s an element where, when you start out in music it’s just for you, you’ve made it for yourself. When you get to the next step, there’s this strange voice that’s added in the back of your head that says, ‘They’re your fans. They’re the ones who bought your first album and who want to come and see you.’ “You’re greatly indebted to that voice. You don’t necessarily have to adhere to it completely but you
do have to be aware that it’s there. At the end of the day if you produce something no one likes, you’ve let them down. “You’re aware of that but at the same time it can’t rule your decisions, you do have to be confident in realising that what you made the first time was something they liked even though you made it for you. That’s a counter-voice in your head as well, that you should be sure of yourself, you’re the one that got yourself in that position in the first place. It’s a strange dynamic.” Thus far, Gengahr have danced with escapism, and are now brooding with realism – but is there a happy medium? Will that coin ever land on its edge? With a somewhat existential tone Bushe says, “I look at everything as unfinished. You’ve got to feel as though nothing really stops, you’ve never crossed the finish line. It’s always about constantly shaping and remoulding your sound until you feel more comfortable. “It’ll never be the perfect album but you always get an opportunity to do things again, to do things differently.”
Gengahr’s sophomore record Where Wildness Grows is out now via Liberator Music.
By Anna Rose
Billy Ray Cyrus “For a kid from Flatwoods, Kentucky, that’s a real life vest to wrap around you in a sea of treachery.” Billy Ray ‘Achy Breaky Heart’ Cyrus is on the line from LA, sending his disarming Kentucky drawl across oceans. We’ll talk about what that life vest is in a moment. As for the treachery, he’s seen a lot of it in the 25 years since his track ‘Achy Breaky Heart’ blew-up into a phenomenon, resulting in line dancing becoming a mandatory extracurricular activity in classrooms around the globe. Fair to say, his second coming as a pop culture patriarch instigated a fair share of treachery. Now in 2018, the waters have calmed. The life vest is a letter Cyrus received from the one and only Johnny fuckin’ Cash in 1992. Cyrus covers Cash’s ‘Folsom Prison Blues’ on his latest album Set The Record Straight. It’s a faithful, stripped back rendition. “Man, that’s one of the first songs I ever worked up when I started a band,” Cyrus says. “Playing it now is as much fun as it was then.” He then recalls the story of Cash’s letter. He offers an air of disclaimer that he’s aware this yarn has been spun many times before, but in no way is Cyrus’ pride diminished. “He said, ‘Give thanks for all things that are good.’ He kind of made reference to Elvis, and he said he knew Elvis in ‘56 and that I reminded him of Elvis, and that in my case as in Elvis’s, the good outweighs the bad, and ‘Let them have it. I’m in your corner. Johnny Cash.’” It’s not the only instance of Cyrus being feted by country music royalty throughout his career, his track ‘Country Music Has The Blues’ – reworked for the third time on Set The Record Straight – features Loretta Lynn and the late, great George Jones, the track itself paying homage to a gallery of legends who came before. “I’ve released this song three times 26 BEAT.COM.AU
“There wouldn’t have been a Hannah Montana without David Lynch.” because I was damn proud of the fact that Loretta Lynn and George Jones joined me on this song I wrote as a tribute to my heroes and the legends who opened the door for all of us. “And the fact that Jones and Loretta jumped on that record and put their whole spirit in it. I thought of the old saying, ‘Third time’s a charm.’ I just think, ‘Man, I’m going to release this song one more time just because I want people to hear George Jones and Loretta Lynn sing country music as the blues,’” Cyrus beams. It’s a sense of prestige that co-habits the gaucheness of Cyrus’s initial ascension as pop lothario. These days he embraces those aspects with a wry self-awareness, relishing his inadvertently viral “What to heck ????” missive that garnered 188k retweets. When told that the mullet is somewhat in vogue here in Australia, he’s vehemently stoked. “You just gave me chill bumps. Are you serious?” he says, before directing to the PR rep in the background to organise a mullet contest during his tour. Coincidentally, a mullet contest took place in
the weeks following the interview, with first prize being a meet and greet with Billy Ray himself. His heartthrob status and faded stardom was a perfect proposition for David Lynch’s nightmare soap Mulholland Drive, making for a memorable film acting debut in what is now widely regarded as the best movie of the 21st century. When this fact is pointed out to Cyrus, he explains the irony of it all. “I can’t believe you just said that because here’s the funny part: When anybody mentions Mulholland Drive to me, do you know what they say every single time? They all say: ‘What’s that movie about?’ And I get to look at them and say, ‘I don’t know’, but that was the start of me and acting,” Cyrus says. “If David Lynch says I can be an actor, then I can be an actor. There wouldn’t have been a Hannah Montana without David Lynch.” By Lachlan Kanoniuk
Billy Ray Cyrus will appear at The Palms at Crown on Thursday March 22, with special guest Travis Collins. He’ll release his new album Thin Line on Friday March 16 via Sony.
Interviews
Cousin Tony’s Brand New Firebird At last year’s Bigsound, few bands had people as intrigued as Cousin Tony’s Brand New Firebird. Part of that is the name, of course – though as frontman Lachlan Rose admits, the eponymous name is really whoever you want him to be – but mostly it was their energised set, and the impression that these guys were really just up there having fun. With their album, Electric Brown now out in the world and its bittersweet single ‘Transient’ adding to their story, it seemed a fine time to chat to Rose about life, art, and musical theatre. “Generally, I take a very long time to write songs, and that’s to try and encapsulate those long feelings that set in,” Rose explains. “Take ‘Transient’ as an example. It’s not necessarily about one person passing away, not one specific moment. It was a several-month period of my life where I was coming to terms with loss in different forms. Slowly I had this idea, not that’s its new, but I felt compelled by where I’d been emotionally sitting, [that] I was in this place for long enough I thought I understood it well enough to turn it into a piece of music. It’s not one specific instance.” Hearing Rose talk about his writing insights, you learn very quickly that he has thought long and hard about his motivations, and what precisely he hopes his music can achieve. Performance has always been in his blood, but with age has come a greater
curiosity of the peculiar magic of the written word. “I played a lot of music growing up, and I was really into musical theatre and wanted to be an actor. That desire to perform slowly subsided, and I think in my early 20s I fell in love with the idea of writing more. I didn’t necessarily think it was going to be music, I just really appreciated people who made content from scratch. That was the emphasis; it wasn’t performing or being a frontman. I don’t think I am particularly captivating,” he laughs. “I don’t think the essence of our show is what I’m doing between songs. I’m just focused on the music itself. It’s a gradual progression of allowing more and more of my personality to emerge on stage. While Rose’s writing and composition interests are hardly limited to Cousin Tony alone, his other pursuits do still tend to seep into his music; one style of writing becoming entrenched in its neighbour. “When I’m not writing Cousin Tony stuff I love scoring films. A lot of influences come from screen composers, but also just thinking in more cinematic ways when I’m writing. ‘Melbourne Bitter’, one of our early songs was a good example of that. I’d walk around Melbourne, and didn’t know specifically what I wanted to write about, I just wanted to score the city, to write something that was melancholic and industrial. That kind of approach is how a lot of songs start for me. Like a film, just trying to
sonically capture the essence of a place or a feeling before I start writing anything.” Though the immediate future will likely remain committed to sustaining the band’s momentum and dreaming of strange new scores (a Cousin Tony musical, however, may be some time away), Rose is happy for their destination to remain unknown; to stay some hazy outline on the edge of the horizon. “While I was writing the record, you’re constantly trying to offer an answer, offer some sort of wisdom in each song. Especially in a song like ‘Transient’, writing about life and death, or ‘The Fear’, talking about fear and love, I often have these moments thinking, ‘Who the hell am I to be writing about this sort of stuff ? Who would want advice from me?’ “You have those moments as an artist and a person. Maybe there is no answer. I’ll probably never figure it out, but that’s kind of the point. It’s about the searching, it’s the question. If people want to listen to me trying to work it out, that’s awesome. But I’ll probably never find an answer. Or if I did find that answer, well, I probably wouldn’t need to write songs anymore. If you found the meaning of life, you probably don’t need to live any more. It’s all in the pursuit.”
Festival fanatics and Inner Varnika founders and directors knew that there was a hole in the Aussieevent landscape after partying their way through the international festival circuit and comparing it with local dance fare.
and then meet up with them hours later when you’re on totally different pages: everyone’s experiencing the same thing. By the end of the festival, you’ve made some fantastic connections, whether or not they just last for the festival or go back into the real world. It’s about intimacy and programming for us.” On the programming front, many on this year’s lineup are game leaders, including living funk legend and onetime member of George Clinton’s groove extravaganza Parliament, Amp Fiddler. But just as importantly, the lineup’s also stacked with the lesser-known gems that founders are aching to share, like Brussels duo Different Fountains. “We feel like it’s our responsibility to bring over acts that we’re really fond of and open them up to an Australian audience,” the directors say. For the last few years, Inner Varnika’s found home a stone’s throw from Bookaar in Victoria’s western district in what they describe as a “beautiful, martian landscape.” The fact that the festival is welcomed back by the local community and landowners is testament to its strong ecological ethos – for instance, there are onsite-recycling depots, the loos are composting, and the bar has a zero-waste policy, ie. no straws, no plastic cups, and you lay down a deposit for a mug at the outset, getting a refund at the festival’s conclusion when you return your receptacle in one piece.
Cousin Tony’s Brand New Firebird’s debut album Electric Brown is out now via Sony. They’ll perform at The Gasometer on Thursday March 22, Karova Lounge on Friday May 4, Barwon Club on Sunday May 6, and Gold Dust Lounge Bendigo on Friday May 11.
By Adam Norris
Inner Varnika
Specifically, the founders could see a call for an intimate, electronic dance festival with a single stage showcasing a carefully curated lineup of local and international talent to which punters may not otherwise be exposed. “The festivals on offer were large, multi-stage events, catering to large audiences with attendance figures of upwards of five, ten thousand people, with a plethora of international and local acts – so many that you’d never be able to see everybody,” they say. Couple that with the fact that Inner Varnika had a clear vision about the artists they wanted to see, knowing full well that they wouldn’t be getting a local audience otherwise, and the imperative for a DIY festival took hold. “We thought we’d have a crack at it,” they say. Realistically, the Inner Varnika crew have had more than a crack at it. After its inception in 2013, tickets for the festival have sold out every year, and they’ve allowed its initial and modest cap of 500 punters to slowly swell to 2000. There’s no intention to let it expand further though, in terms of attendance numbers or stages – it’d defeat the purpose. “We don’t have any plans of ever getting much bigger than this,” Inner Varnika confirms. “We want to be a small, intimate festival. We think that there’s something special about having an event of just one stage – there’s a real community feeling around the fact that everybody’s listening to the same music. “You don’t have your friends listening to one act
“I’d walk around Melbourne, and didn’t know specifically what I wanted to write about, I just wanted to score the city, to write something that was melancholic and industrial.”
Staying put has also allowed Inner Varnika to form good relations with the local community. “We’ve been able to foster relationships and get the community involved in ways that you couldn’t by moving around each year.” Take Suit Sunday for example, whereby a tradition has sprung up of donning formal gear for the last day of the festival. “It’s great for the local economy and all the op-shops get bought out,” the directors say. “Everyone looks pretty dapper on the last day, whereas usually at festivals everyone looks haggard.” Although the Urban Dictionary curiously defines Varnika as “a girl with very curly, springy, black hair that everyone loves to touch,” it’s truly an Indian word for gold or moon, befitting of Inner Varnika’s luminous, numinous vibe. “The pressures of day-to-day life can be quite heavy sometimes. I think that’s where festivals, not just music festivals, come into play and are so important, because they nourish the soul. Even though it’s a deeply personal thing, when you let go and enjoy yourself for three days, you can take that feeling back into the real world.”
“You don’t have your friends listening to one act and then meet up with them hours later when you’re on totally different pages: everyone’s experiencing the same thing.”
Inner Varnika will take place in country Victoria, within three hours from Melbourne, over Easter Weekend, from Friday March 30 until Sunday April 1.
By Meg Crawford
BEAT.COM.AU
27
Profiles
Chellah Mac
When did you first start making music and what led you there? The music madness began when I was a kid. My mum always said I’d make up my own songs and jingles. This was one of the things I could do that came naturally. You could also say Destiny’s Child lead me into music. What do you love about making music? What I love about making music is the freedom and self-expression. I only just learnt to not overthink when making music. When I write a song that means something to me I feel very present in that moment. Tell us about your album The Wind. Last year I had a rough start and it wasn’t my intention to write an album. I was at the point where I thought I should give up, but then I wrote the intro song also titled ‘The Wind’. Then the songs continued to pour out. A little bit of sadness, a cat named Sheena and some cool friends inspired this album. How would you describe your sound? I was in a punk-ska band for a couple of years but before that I wrote pop, soul and jazz. Now I’ve come to this point where I feel the happiest making alternative folk and soul songs, but who knows? I’d like to keep expanding my repertoire. What can we expect from a live performance? A woman with big hair and some stories to tell, singing her heart out. facebook.com/chellahmacmusic
Music
Chellah Mac will launch her album The Wind at Open Studio on Sunday March 25. Supports on the night are Gabriella Payne and Amy Pollock.
Five Things You Need To Know About
Music
Nice Biscuit
We are a twin femme fronted garage psych-pop band from Brisbane. There’s 6 of us, our front women are Billie & Grace. They’re inspired and empowered by other female-lead bands like ALPINE. We played our first show was in a horse stable in Mullumbimby at a party. We originally formed the band to practice for this one-off show, but have been playing now for the past 18 months after being asked that same night to support Moses Gunn Collective. In the past year, we have supported some amazing bands. Including The Allah Las, The Growlers, Jen Cloher and The Murlocs. We’ve also played at PANAMA festival in Tasmania, Gizzfest, and Bigsound. Billie and Grace wear matching costumes every gig that they make themselves from mostly recycled and repurposed materials. This came about after they wore matching costumes at the first gig, and decided to do it ever since. They draw inspiration from 60s, 70s, disco and anything glitzy. We record our music on a hill in Boonah, rural South East QLD. Overlooking the Scenic Rim with Ali Richardson from Zefereli, our latest single ‘Captain’ was recorded there. We arrived there late at night, and couldn’t get our van up the muddy track… even after six tries. Eventually, we all had to jump out and push the van up to make it.
Nice Biscuit’s latest single ‘Captain’ is out now on Break Even Recordings, a new label imprint of Inertia Music.
facebook.com/verynicebiscuit
FRIDAY MARCH 23, 3:30 — 9 PM CONDELL PARK NAPIER ST, FITZROY Opposite the Fitzroy Town Hall
LIVE MUSIC THIS WEEK:
A LWAY S F R E E E N T RY THURSDAY 15TH MARCH 8PM
Van Walker Andrew Bailey FRIDAY 16TH MARCH 8PM
NQR Melbourne Cans Laura Macfarlane SATURDAY 17TH MARCH 8PM
D Henry Fenton SUNDAY 18TH MARCH 5PM
Glorious North
$8 pints
MON-THU 4-7PM
free pool
197A BRUNSWICK STREET, FITZROY LABOURINVAIN.COM.AU
28 BEAT.COM.AU
SENEGAMBIAN JAZZ BAND THE TEK TEK ENSEMBLE BASHKA SUPERMANDE PERCUSSION STUDIO J DANCE performers from fitzroy net learning network clubhouse & DJ CHRIS GILL (Northside Records) ART STALLS + FACE PAINTING + KIDS COOKING + YARRA LIBRARies chill out TENT+ FREE BOOK GIVE AWAY + HENNA TATTOOING + FOOD PROVIDED by THE STUDENTS FROM THE WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP GROUP
Live George Ezra - Photo by Ian Laidlaw
Bruno Mars
Mogwai - Photo by Sky Kirkham
Bruno Mars
Rod Laver Arena, Wednesday March 7 The ‘90s nostalgia was thick in the air; colourful blocks of primary colours, squiggles and typography announced the arrival of Bruno Mars upon an overhead screen, and promised – somewhat interestingly – to turn everyone on. A fresh king before a full house, Mars took to the 270 degree stage. Revealed by lifting curtains embellished with crown emblems, the stage itself was a marvel – a beautiful white that lit up in ‘90s brights. Only a few tracks into the show, Mars acknowledged the issue of people videoing and taking photos on their phones during gigs – this was perhaps the worst case of such behaviour I’ve witnessed. A huge majority of the crowd whipped out their phones at almost every opportunity, which was a terrible shame, as the show through the lens of my eyes was perfect. Openers ‘Finesse’ and ‘24k Magic’ were appropriately golden, shining examples of why he’s so adored by the merchandise-clad audience of literally every age. Mars and his posse, or “Hooligans”, as he calls them, are the most charismatic and talented gang of individuals in music right now. Their choreography – the same you would come to expect from his music videos – is expert, made all the more impressive by the fact the Hooligans are not only back up dancers, but the live band – including a horn section. Truly a star, Mars’ dancing was absolutely flawless and infinitely entertaining, but he came across as effortless – always moving, hips always thrusting, oozing sex appeal with every move and breath. The stage was almost alive, the blocks of lights above the stage moved with the music, changing their alignment above the stage throughout the set. Lower and blue for something somber like ‘When I Was Your Man’, while high and bright yellow with raining gold glitter for ‘Locked Out Of Heaven’. Brilliant firework displays were scattered throughout the show, marking the beat with power. His stunning high note during ’Call My Lovelies’ was the first really stunning vocal moment, and from there, his vocal stylings soared above and beyond beautifully, demonstrating that Grammy winning skill. ‘Just The Way You Are’, ‘When I Was Your Man’, and ‘Grenade’ were truly demonstrative of this, but the entire show was utter music magic. Alone on stage singing ‘When I Was Your Man’, with nothing but a microphone, he was just as captivating as when he was dancing, and it was so joyful to watch a truly versatile performer on display in his element.
He finished the night the only way he could, with mega-hit ‘Uptown Funk’ showing off the best of all he can do. The curtain slowly lowered back down over his stage, as he and the Hooligans danced and sang and grooved. Rod Laver was alight with the party. By Claire Morley Highlight: Every dance move drove me wild, he’s dripping with charisma and more than a little sex appeal. Lowlight: His outfit didn’t do him justice, would’ve loved to have seen him with chucks on, in Saint Laurent. Crowd Favourite: Can’t go past the purity of ‘Just The Way You Are’.
George Ezra The Forum, Wednesday March 7
After pulling out of last year’s Splendour in the Grass, George Ezra finally made his long overdue return to Australia. In the lead-up to the release of his second album, fans have been sitting on the edge of their seats for the British talents’ arrival. Supported by local, Ainslie Wills, audience members were in for a truly special night. Joined by an enormous live band, Ezra kicked off the night with ‘Cassy O’, which had energies soaring. The band was dressed in all black, along with Ezra. This was a humbling touch, to see Ezra coordinate with the band rather than stand out in contrast. The backup vocalists took the crowd favourite to a new level. As Ezra finished each line, you could hear the lingering murmur of the crowd singing along. The sound floated up the venue to the back like a choir singing together with Ezra’s soaring vocals leading. During breaks, Ezra shared personal stories behind the songs, segueing into the next. He spoke of a month he spent abroad writing for his debut album, Wanted on Voyage, influencing his beautiful ode to the city ‘Barcelona’. The way Ezra indulged audiences in his personal life filled up the time between songs perfectly. This caused the set list to float seamlessly and, unfortunately, hastily. If you blinked you could’ve missed the whole show. ‘Pretty Shining People’ was written as Ezra sat in a public garden, watching the people pass him. As the heavy drums kicked in, the bright lights behind Ezra flashed in unison. Mid-way through, Ezra took a moment to teach the audience the chorus, giving them no excuse to not join in. Appreciating the beauty of the Forum, Ezra took a moment to take in his surroundings. He continued to apologise for taking so long
before returning as he led into ‘Paradise’. Audience members who’d been standing in awe were now jumping to the upbeat song. There’s a difference between creating a full, multilayered sound and being loud for the sake of being loud, and that difference is a terrible ear ache. The emotional rollercoaster took a dip as Ezra sang ‘Hold My Girl’. There was a simultaneous sound of hearts breaking across the room as the girls in the audience slowly came to the realisation that it was possible he wasn’t singing to them. In the modern day reality of live music, a genuine encore is hard to come by. Unfortunately Ezra’s incredibly entertaining show was no different. In regular Ezra style, a fanciful story about not having his driver’s license at his age backed into his “final” song, ‘Shotgun’. Ezra toyed with the idea that he might be back, making the notion of an encore not only less memorable, but also not necessary. Nevertheless, the crowd stomped and clapped demanding the British singer back onstage. As expected, he returned for another two songs, including ‘Budapest’. Credit must be paid to the technician who crafted an amazing lighting show. Bright lights flashed behind the singer, showing only a dark silhouette him and his guitar. Hopefully this crowd full of adoring fans will call Ezra back before too long. With his new album set to drop soon, Australian audiences can anticipate a new tour in the not too distant future. By Matilda Elgood Highlight: Ezra’s anecdotes behind each song, opening up his personal life to his fans. Lowlight: Slowly forming an obsession with Ezra throughout the show, an unhealthy one. Crowd favourite: ‘Budapest’.
Mogwai
The Forum, Thursday March 8 Mogwai are to rock as a sculpture made from auto parts is to a car. Their expansive aural style, owing as much to Steve Reich as Sonic Youth, seemed perfectly suited to the eerie blue twilight of the Forum. After opener DJ Rings Around Saturn, Mogwai walked onstage with minimal ceremony. Guitarist/vocalist Stuart Braithwaite sported a Black Sabbath tee, and guitarist Dominic Aitchison, in a denim jacket and baseball cap, seemed to dare the audience to doubt his regular guy-ness. The band opened with ‘Hunted by a Freak’, a ringing, ethereal track from the early noughties. Keyboardist Barry Burns contributed
shuddering, indecipherably processed vocals from the seat of his synthesiser, strengthening the séance atmosphere. Next came ‘Crossing the Road Material’ from 2017’s Every Country’s Sun, starting out with cool, glassy guitar riffs before bursting into an ear-shattering cataract of sound that had the crowd swaying. Much of Mogwai’s oeuvre is less about rocking out than about exposing normally hidden textures and mechanics to contemplation. Some of the audience danced and some just leant against the pit railing, chins cupped in hand. Braithwaite’s inter-track banter was generally limited to four words – “Thank you very much” – and, during play, the band seemed sunken too deep into their private musical raptures to acknowledge the audience. Aitchison, in particular, seemed completely oblivious to the 2,000 Melburnians who had come to see him perform. It was clear Mogwai wanted the audience to engage with the sound and not with them personally. This refusal to reach out to the audience created a few uncomfortable moments during which inaudible side-conversations broke out among the band. On the other hand, it was a relief to be spared the customary frontman’s attempt to convince the audience that he believed [insert city name here] to be truly the most rocking-est city ever. The real hero of the evening was drummer Cat Myers, just along for the tour, who lashed away at the skins with the sincerity of a religious flagellant. Sweating like a racehorse, Myers’s fervency and precision didn’t seem to decline at all across a two-hour set that demanded energetic drum work on almost every track. Newbie guitarist Alex Mackay, appearing about 30 years younger than the rest of the band, also delivered some notable moments, taking centre stage during ‘Auto Rock’ while a bank of scarlet strobes illuminated the fog like the fires of hell. Sailing across a mosaic of old and new material, Mogwai built to a peak with ‘Old Poisons’, a weighty, percussive piece that blasted its train-piston beat across the Forum at gizzardrupturing volumes. Walking offstage with a polite wave, the band reemerged beer-in-hand for a double encore with ‘Remurdered’, cinematic piece with overtones of synthwave, and ‘Mogwai Fear Satan’, a crescendo-ing 12-minute jam that left the Forum head-bopping. By Zachary Snowdon Smith Highlight: Drummer Cat Myers bashing away at the kit. Lowlight: Little interaction ensured such a large venue felt huge. Crowd favourite: ‘Crossing the Road Material’.
BEAT.COM.AU 29
Reviews
Album of the Week (EMI Music Australia)
Singles With Lachlan Kanoniuk They call it 30 For 30 because once you hit 30 its impossible to not have a dinner party conversation about your favourite 30 For 30 instalments.
Single of the Week:
Evelyn Ida Morris
The Body Appears (Milk!)
An ornate wonder, ‘The Body Appears’ delicately meditates on physicality and philosophy over a serene piano movement. For their upcoming self-titled solo album, Evelyn Ida Morris shifts a world away from the psych-inflected pop of their primary musical outlet Pikelet, stripped back, striking moments of sheer uplift – a palette laid bare with elegance, concocting a beauty, and deft emotion, present in the finest cinematic scores. A disarming mastery at play.
Oh Mercy
Sugar Still Melts In The Rain (Rice Is Nice)
A slow-burn ballad underpinned by a low-key, joyous resignation, ‘Sugar Still Melts In The Rain’ wields its title as a punchline to the gut in the chorus. Pop ballad convention is relished effectively, even firing out a few distant high register “wooo”s as interabangs in the background. Wry tenderness, but mostly tenderness.
Five albums in and Oh Mercy have had more lineup changes than most bands would survive. Founding member and primary songwriter Alexander Gow has been the only constant, so unsurprisingly recent albums have felt very intimate and personal.
Zhu X Tame Impala
My Life (Mind Of A Genius)
Look just for a minute, imagine that this song was called ‘My Wife’, and instead of it being a thrill-devoid snooze-fest, it has Kevin Parker busting out his best Borat impression on the hook after sucking down a few nangs. Very nice.
Jon Hopkins
Emerald Rush (Domino)
The magic mined here is an ability to goad an endorphin rush usually only generated by cheap builds and drops, without actually resorting to cheap builds and drops. Jon Hopkins’ return is an act of alchemy, a disjointed arrangement compounding its power generating capabilities. The Hopkins household does not obey the laws of thermodynamics.
WEDNESDAY 14 MARCH
ADRIAN SHERWOOD W/ NEW WAR
- ON SALE NOW
FRIDAY 16 MARCH
EXEK ALBUM LAUNCH
W/ CONSTANT MONGREL + NIGHTCLUB + CHAMPION RACEHORSE - ON SALE NOW
SATURDAY 17 MARCH
2 9 LY G O N S T, C A R LT O N 9663 6350 | JOHNCURTINHOTEL.COM
MIGHTY BOYS FAREWELL GIG & EP LAUNCH W/ LOOBS + RADIO CITY TONIGHT!
CRISPI CELEBRATES 10 YEARS ON THE AIR W/ LIVE SETS BY LA BASTARD + SAINT JUDE + CHARLES JENKIN - ON SALE NOW 30 BEAT.COM.AU
This new record mightn’t be as instantly accessible as its predecessor, but it has a charm about it that grows upon each listen. Each subsequent visit seems to uncover something new, like a string you didn’t hear before, or a layer in production that tickles your fancy. Opening number ‘Keep A Light On’ has a country twang and is endearing thanks to it’s sweeping soundscape. ‘Hot Topic’ feels like something you might hear in a cabaret show, complete with a myriad of back-up female vocalists to offset Gow’s signature drawl. The way Gow talks about his feelings on Oh Mercy records is admirable, and he recently talked about wanting to write the songs he wanted to make on Café Oblivion. Given it’s ‘dinner-and-a-show’ feel, the line “just like Peter Allen, just a little more discreet” could easily refer to himself. One of the best songs is saved for the end. ‘Restless Woman’ showcases Gow’s sprawling vocals in a way he hasn’t quite allowed himself to be heard before. Usually referring to an album as “a grower” is disguising the fact it’s not amazing. However, on this occasion, Café Oblivion is like a long-term relationship – the effort put into listening will result in you being rewarded, and what you hear keeps getting better every time you drop by. By Alexander Crowden
THURSDAY 29 MARCH
BOOGIE WARM UP PARTY
DEER TICK (USA) + BIRDCLOUD (USA) + THE COLLINS FAMILY BAND (USA) - ON SALE NOW SATURDAY 7 APRIL
PRETTY CITY W/ MORNING AFTER GIRLS + THE DEMON PARADE
RUBY JONES PORPOISE SPIT + DEPARTMENT - DOOR SALES ONLY +- ON SALE NOW FRIDAY 23 MARCH PBS PRESENTS
KITCHEN RESIDENCY NOW OPEN!
9.0
Café Oblivion
Sarah Mary Chadwick
FRIDAY 13 APRIL ANIMALS DANCING PRESENTS
RAMZI (LIVE)
W/ D. TIFFANY + KANGAROO SKULL (LIVE) + OTOLOGIC - ON SALE NOW
WEDNESDAY 18 APRIL
GRRRL (GLOBAL) +ELECTRIC FIELDS CO-HEADLINE SHOW - ON SALE NOW FRIDAY 20 APRIL
ROCKET SCIENCE SINGLE LAUNCH - ON SALE NOW FRIDAY 4 MAY
JARROW ‘EXPENSIVE HUGS’ ALBUM TOUR - ON SALE NOW
Albums
Reviews
Onion
7.0
The Oakland, California throwback quintet Shannon and the Clams serve up another healthy dose of songs straight from an old jukebox. With some surprises and familiar cuts. Whenever there’s a new Clams record, it’s always expected that it’ll be lo-fi and a little rough around the edges. However, this time around there’s an added glow which shines like a brand new Cadillac. Onion is still unapologetically retro, but the group has finally recorded a fresher album. Lead single ‘The Boy’ is classic Supremes with a supersticky chorus and excellent backing vocals. ‘I Leave Again’ is a Spaghetti-Western thriller. There’s a dose of déjà vu on tracks like ‘Did You Love Me’ or ‘If You Could Love’ that have very familiar guitar melodies and drum patterns from past records. Others don’t expand on their lyrical content all that much and deal with similar themes of heartbreak and love. But then there’s the closing track ‘Don’t Close Your Eyes’, a sultry ballad that shows that this band isn’t here to hopelessly reminisce about a bygone era, but are musicians trying to leave their mark. Overall, Onion is another case that this sound can be stretched and formed into new gems. By Jonathan Reynoso
Ryuichi Sakamoto/Various Artists
Async - Remodels
9.0
Over the last four decades, Ryuichi Sakamoto has permanently changed the way we listen to contemporary music. He’s managed this through his personal ambition for innovation via collaboration. Throughout his career, Sakamoto has experimented with electro, electro-acoustic, jazz, classical, neoclassical and ambient, whether that be in the form of The Yellow Orchestra or working with Fennesz – collaboration has been central to Sakamoto’s creative process. These reflections on Async are varied and ambitious. Pooling a list of some of the most exciting and forward-thinking electronic musicians in the industry, this ‘remix’ album is more of a series of musings on the original pieces. Boasting the likes of Oneohtrix Point Never, Alva Noto, SURVIVE, Andy Stott as featured artists, there’s cohesion in their approach as they harness the basic melodies of the original record and obliterate them into completely new tracks with only slight murmurings of the compositions they use. Although there may be some apprehension regarding a ‘remix’ album being made from what could be considered a modern classic, there’s an argument that these interpretations of Sakamoto’s solo venture provide alternative suggestions to the themes he was exploring. It does so with an emotional progression which feels as celebratory as it does meditative.
(Fat Possum/Inertia)
(Commmons)
(Easy Eye Sound)
Shannon and the Clams
Insecure Men
Insecure Men
9.0
Insecure Men is a desperate shot at wholesomeness. Songs collected by Fat White Family guitarist Saul Ademczewski have become a side project to fortify his rehabilitation from long-standing addiction. Snapping out of his downward spiral, Saul was clean, with nothing to his name but a collection of songs. If Fat White Family is a celebration of the ugliness of life, then Insecure Men is a desperate shot at wholesomeness. Exotic and cheesy cruise ship rhythms, fruity synth patches and ‘50s pop choruses are a good attempt at purity, but darkness always lurks. ‘Teenage Toy’ has a timeless pop sensibility but is also dark in its sombre and bored lyrical delivery. ‘Saddest Man in Penge’ develops this undercurrent. The lyrics written by Lias Saoudi (Fat White Family frontman) were perhaps a good-natured payback for the grief Saul created when they all worked on Fat White Family’s Songs For Our Mothers. ‘Whitney Houston and I’ is another moving account of never being able to live outside your parent’s shadow, even in death. It features pop singers the Honey Hahs in a chilling insert to this synth-laden pathos. It’s outstanding in its balance of the happy and the sad, the grim and the euphoric and will appeal to those who appreciate irony. By I.C.T. Messenger
By Eoin Hanlon
Golden Magnetic
6.5
The debut album by the new collaboration of Mama Kin and Spender is decent without being great, and provides an enjoyable listen without jumping out and grabbing you. It’s a folk album at its core, with all sorts of other elements thrown in when needed. Pop sections, heavier sections, light sections; Golden Magnetic moves from mood to mood to tell its story over a very short run time of just over half an hour. ‘Air Between Us’ is a highlight of the album. An unabashed happy song with soaring choruses that’ll have you singing along and leave you feeling upbeat whether you like it or not. The second half of the album is the stronger half by far. Tracks like ‘Dotted Line’ and ‘Bird In Your Tree’ are some of the heavier songs, with undertones of Louisiana blues making them stand out. Golden Magnetic comes across as a bit unsure of itself and changes drastically in tone from track to track, but when it gets things right, it gets things very right. The potential is definitely there for something great from this partnership, and while this album may not be that great thing, yet it’s a step on the right path. By Nathan Quattrucci
Totally Mild
Her
9.0
The second album from pop quartet Totally Mild is something they should be immensely proud of. Her begins with the daydream-esque ‘Sky’. It’s a delectable, pensive track that begins the album’s journey perfectly. Vocalist Elizabeth Mitchell’s voice induces goosebumps and draws you in with soft and delicate tones. ‘Pearl’ amps it up a notch – the jangly guitars are bound to have your head nodding and your body swaying. ‘Working Like A Crow’ hits home emotionally, with Elizabeth Mitchell crooning that she can’t do it on her own, a sensation we’ve all experienced at some point. The mood throughout the album rises and falls, continuously hitting close to home. ‘Lucky Stars’ bringing the mood and tempo back down through a stunning piano ballad. After the pensive state Totally Mild have evoked, they bring listeners back up – hitting hard with the punchy and a little bit funky ‘Today Tonight’. ‘Underwater’ is the calm after the storm, the reverberating notes sending you into the depths of the sea. Ending with ‘Down Together’, Mitchell serenades delightfully. Her is a genuine treat that inspires and sinks in deep.
(Warner Music)
(Chapter/Inertia)
(ABC Music)
Mama Kin Spender
Turnstile
Time And Space
6.5
Let’s get straight into the guts of it: this isn’t my favourite album. It’s not because it’s terrible by any means. In fact, the album is a pretty damn good example of experimentation within the hardcore genre, that moshers should accept with the warmest of embraces. The pace of the music, the ‘90s-sounding high-strung vocals and the instrument work is all awesome, and it’s an enjoyable listen. The reason why it’s not my favourite, is that it sounds like a relic of the past. For some, that’s a good thing. Nostalgia is what drives the music tastes of some, but a lot of other bands on the block are adopting an evolving approach to their sounds that allows some creative movement (take Hellions for instance), which shows on later album releases. Time and Space here sounds not a song different from Nonstop Feeling (an earlier release), and no matter your connection to Turnstile’s back catalogue, that’s most certainly not a good thing. Music is a living thing; it grows, goes through phases, and comes out different – for better or worse. Time and Space, while sounding awesome, does smell a bit stagnant. By Lochie Bourke
By Adrienne Gyori
BEAT.COM.AU
31
Gig GuideGigs Featured
Gig Guide
Fluff
Cherry Bar Fluff are bringing their brand of fuzzy, cosmic sorcery to Cherry Bar on Wednesday March 14 for an intimate mid-week show. It all starts at 8pm and entry is free.
Impavid
Bendigo Hotel Kick start your Friday Eve with a dose of ‘90s alt-rock and grunge to launch you into your weekend. Delivered by local acts Impavid, Project Fox and Overdose at The Bendigo Hotel on Thursday March 15. It starts at 8pm and tickets are $10 at the door.
This Week Wednesday 14 Mar Hip Hop & R&B Can I Kick It? Open Mic Night Horse
Bazaar, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm.
Lossless + Eilish Gilligan + Elkkle
Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $12.00.
Mellowdías Thump + Lab Co Takeover
Boney, Melbourne Cbd. 9:00pm.
Jazz, Soul, Funk, Latin & World Music
Tom Dockray
Wesley Anne Tom Dockray is a spellbindingly charismatic writer and composer, originally from Tasmania, who now calls Copenhagen home. He’ll be bringing his talents to Melbourne’s Wesley Anne on Thursday March 15 with Justin Bernasconi as support. It’s all set to go down from 8pm with tickets available for $12 via the venue.
C.O.F.F.I.N
Reverence Hotel Psychotic skate-punk and Aussie pub-trash band C.O.F.F.I.N (Children of Finland Fighting in Norway) are going to be at the Reverence Hotel on Thursday March 15, and they’re keen to party. They’ll be joined by fellow northern beaches piss-heads and good mates The Darrans, as well as Melbourne punk rock’n’rollers Keggin and I Have a Goat. It all starts at 8.30pm. Tickets are $10.
Sienna Wild
The Workers Club Sienna Wild are back with a new single in ‘Falling Apart’. Packed with catchy guitar licks and sweeping choral sounds, it’s being launched at The Workers Club on Thursday March 15. Supported by Creature Fear and Ariela Jacobs, it’s a show set to sell out. Tickets are $7 viz Oztix. Doors open at 8pm.
Fool Child & Friends
Whole Lotta Love What more is there to want on a Thursday night other than indie music and beer? Get your fill on Thursday March 15 at Whole Lotta Love with an all-star lineup of Fool Child, Barefoot Bowls Club, Clean Cut Society and Little Archive.
The Ramshackle Army
The Drunken Poet Melbourne Celt-punkers, The Ramshackle Army are kicking off 2018 at one of their personal favourite local venues, The Drunken Poet. They’ll be performing an acoustic double set including originals and plenty of singalongs. 9pm kick off this Friday March 16, and entry is free.
32 BEAT.COM.AU
Bopstretch Uptown Jazz Cafe, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $15.00. Calle Luna Queen Victoria Market, Melbourne. 8:00pm. Calle Luna Queen Victoria Market, Melbourne. 9:10pm. Daymé Arocena Howler, Brunswick. 7:30pm. $50.45. Dizzy’s Big Band Dizzy’s Jazz Club, Richmond. 7:00pm. Dj Saca La Mois Queen Victoria Market, Melbourne. 5:00pm. Dj Saca La Mois Queen Victoria Market, Melbourne. 8:30pm. Gogol Bordello + Horns Of Leroy 170 Russell, Melbourne Cbd. 7:30pm. $69.53. Hussy Hicks + Miss Eileen & King Lear
Open Studio, Northcote. 7:00pm. $15.00. Jakal + Jared Plant + Blue Shivoo The Moldy Fig, 7:00pm. Julien Wilson ‘B For Chicken’ Quartet
303, Northcote. 8:00pm.
Madeliene & Salomon The Jazzlab,
Brunswick. 8:00pm. $30.00.
Nebulosa + Ennio Styles + Mike Gurrieri Section 8, Melbourne Cbd.
V + X In O + Rosemary Haden + Astral Skulls Tote Hotel, Collingwood. 8:00pm.
$15.00.
Acoustic/Country/Blues/ Folk 10 String Symphony + John Flanagan Trio Northcote Social Club, Northcote.
8:00pm. $15.00. Andy Mac Catfish, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. Jemma Nicole Drunken Poet, West Melbourne. 8:00pm. Josienne Clarke & Ben Walker
Basement Discs, Melbourne Cbd. 12:45Pm.
Lomond Acoustica - Feat: The Mexicans + Tonchi Mcintosh + George Bishop Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East.
8:00pm.
Modern Folk From Britain - Feat: Blair Dunlop + Josienne Clarke + Ben Walker Thornbury Theatre, Thornbury.
7:00pm. $28.60.
Monthly Blues Jam - Feat: Julian James + Various Artists Whole Lotta
Love, Brunswick East. 7:00pm. Oi Dipnoi Spotted Mallard, Brunswick. 6:00pm. $15.00. Open Mic Night Whole Lotta Love, Brunswick East. 6:30pm. Pina Tuteri Drunken Poet, West Melbourne. 9:00pm.
Soul Sacrifice - The Music Of Santana
Bird’s Basement, Melbourne. 7:30pm. $25.00. The Littlest Birds Fitzroy Pinnacle, Fitzroy North. 7:30pm. Tinariwen + Alison Ferrier Melbourne Recital Centre, Southbank. 7:30pm. $65.00.
6:00pm.
New Flamenco Project Queen Victoria
Market, Melbourne. 5:40pm. New Flamenco Project Queen Victoria Market, Melbourne. 6:40pm. The New Monos Queen Victoria Market, Melbourne. 7:40pm. The New Monos Queen Victoria Market, Melbourne. 8:50pm. World Music Open Mic Compass Pizza, Brunswick East. 7:30pm.
Indie, Rock, Pop, Metal, Punk & Covers Angie Mcmahon + Hollie Joyce
Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood. 8:00pm. $15.00.
Claire Birchall & The Phantom Hitch Hikers + Routines + Laura Macfarlane
Old Bar, Fitzroy. 7:30pm. $8.00.
Clip + The Safety Word + Lost Cat
Last Chance Rock And Roll Bar, North Melbourne. 7:00pm.
Echo Mono + Freya + D.E. Kennedy + 24 Hour Diner Yarra Hotel, Abbotsford.
8:00pm. $5.00. Fluff Cherry Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm.
Grocer Green + Ioda Rosa + Electric Self Workers Club, Fitzroy. 8:30pm.
$5.00.
Jacob Diamond + Hannah Blackburn + The Kuek Family Reunion Gasometer
Hotel, Collingwood. 8:00pm.
Paper Tapir + Cousin Tom + Acid Ants
Bar Open, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. $5.00. Sons Of Rico + Pting + Culte Tote Hotel, Collingwood. 7:00pm.
Thursday 15 Mar Indie, Rock, Pop, Metal, Punk & Covers Camp Cope, Chastity Belt + Camp Cope + Chastity Belt Thornbury
Theatre, Thornbury. 7:00pm. $39.80.
Carb On Carb + World Sick + Badskin + The World At A Glance + Older Men
Yarra Hotel, Abbotsford. 7:30pm. $10.00.
Coffin + Keggin’ + The Darrans + I Have A Goat Reverence Hotel, Footscray.
8:30pm. $10.00.
Disotears + Rogue Wavs + Fuzzsucker
Old Bar, Fitzroy. 7:30pm. $8.00.
Double Trouble + Jank Facques Toff In
Town, Melbourne Cbd. 11:00pm.
Fool Child + Barefoot Bowls Club + Clean Cut Society + Little Archive
Jacobs Workers Club, Fitzroy. 8:00pm.
$7.00.
The Duke + Piggie + Bad Bangs Last
Chance Rock And Roll Bar, North Melbourne. 8:00pm. $10.00.
The Jim Mitchells + Bananagun + Tropical Strength + Permits Tote Hotel,
Collingwood. 8:00pm. $10.00. The Mighty Kings Musicland, Fawkner. 7:00pm. $5.00. Throwback Lucky Coq, Windsor. 9:00pm. Timberwolf Sooki Lounge, Belgrave. 7:30pm. $24.50. Tingy Celestino Customs House Hotel, Williamstown. 8:00pm. Wet Kiss + Carmen K Post Office Hotel, Coburg. 9:00pm.
Jazz, Soul, Funk, Latin & World Music Andrea Keller Transients Trio Uptown
Jazz Cafe, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $15.00. Baggage Open Studio, Northcote. 8:00pm. $5.00.
Barney Mcall + Daniel Merriweather
Bird’s Basement, Melbourne. 7:30pm. $29.00.
Cofi + Moses Carr + Gabriel Lcr Band + Kamakura + Atlantis Mantis
Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood. 6:00pm. $10.00. Discoconutz - Feat: Various Djs
Carlton Club, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. Flip Your Wig + Boof Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East. 8:30pm. Hot Socks Big Band Dizzy’s Jazz Club, Richmond. 8:00pm. $20.00. Luke Howard The Jazzlab, Brunswick. 8:00pm. $20.00.
Samantha Morley + John Montesante Quintet The Water Rat Hotel, South
Melbourne. 7:00pm. Sex Jazz The Moldy Fig, 9:00pm. Superjuice + Kucky Boy The B.East, Brunswick East. 9:00pm. The Sugarcanes + Fulton Street Cherry Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. $10.00. The Vinyl Frontier - Feat: Gsm + Colette + Sensible J Belleville,
Melbourne. 8:00pm.
Hip Hop & R&B No Frills Thursdays Laundry Bar,
Fitzroy. 10:00pm. $5.00.
Acoustic/Country/Blues/ Folk
Whole Lotta Love, Brunswick East. 7:00pm. $10.00. Gea Seas Revolver Upstairs, Prahran. 8:00pm. $5.00.
Beergarden Sessions - Feat: Various Artists Baha Tacos & Tapas Bar, Rye.
Bendigo Hotel, Collingwood. 8:00pm. $10.00. Joe Mungovan + More Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood. 8:00pm. $12.75. Joe Terror Fitzroy Pinnacle, Fitzroy North. 8:30pm.
Karaokpen Mic - Feat: Various Artists
Impavid + Overdoze + Project Fox
Lucerne Cr. + Majak Door + Kitschen Boy Toff In Town, Melbourne Cbd.
7:30pm. $12.00.
Frances Gumm Frontier Wesley Anne,
Northcote. 6:00pm.
Bar Open, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $5.00.
Louis Mcmanus Memorial Concert Feat: Dan Bourke + Anthony O’neill + Andy Irvine + Luke Plumb Spotted
Mallard, Brunswick. 8:00pm. $33.23. Maja Charles Weston Hotel, Brunswick. 6:30pm.
Matt Bradshaw Elephant &
Musicland Open Choir Rehearsals - Feat: Various Artists Musicland,
Sienna Wild + Creature Fear + Ariela
Nick Murray + Simon Imrei + Emma
8:00pm. $10.00.
Wheelbarrow, Melbourne. 9:30pm.
Fawkner. 7:00pm. $5.00.
This week at the
Wednesday 14th @ 8.00pm
LOMOND ACOUSTICA
Wednesday 14th March
Wine, whiskey & Women 8pm: Jemma Nicole 9pm: Pina Thursday 15th March 7pm: Open Mic Night Friday 16th March 6pm: Traditional Irish Music 8.30pm: Saturday 17th March
Session
Ramshackle Army
ST PADDY’S DAY AT THE POET
Stephen Kennedy Tim Scanlan The Tipplers Dan Bourke & Cyril Tim Scanlan & Friends Ceili Ali Stars
12.30pm: 4pm: 6.30pm: 9.30pm: Sunday 18th March 4pm: 6.30pm: Tuesday 20th March
TUESDAY TRIBUTE 8pm:
Sascha Klave
Plays the Songs of
M Ward
The Drunken Poet, 65 Peel Street (directly opposite Queen Vic Market), Phone: 03 9348 9797. www.thedrunkenpoet.com.au
The Mexicans, Tonchi McIntosh, George Bishop
Thursday 15th @ 9.00pm
WRITERS BLOCK #36 Jeanette Geri, Craig Horne, Tracey Roberts, Enda Kenny, Anna Smyrk,Frank Jones, Jeff Burstin
Friday 16th @ 9.30pm
FLIP YOUR WIG (SINGLE LAUNCH) + BOOF (Wig out !)
Saturday 17th @6.30pm
MARTY KELLY Saturday 17th @9.30pm
MURPHYS HARDWARE (St Patricks DIY)
Sunday 18th @5.30pm
ROZ GIRVAN BAND (Alt-country soul)
Tuesday 20th @8.00pm
IRISH SESSION (Fascinatin’ fiddlin’)
ALL GIGS ARE FREE 225 NICHOLSON STREET, BRUNSWICK EAST. PH 9380 1752
TAGO MAGO THURS 15TH MARCH - 6.30PM
LIVE ELECTRONIC SHOWCASE 16
With Incement, Disco Computer, CVES, Monastere, Dextian, Phillip Glassed
FRI 16TH MARCH - 7PM $5
JULIAN JAMES
(CATFISH VOODOO) With Rattlin’ Bones Blackwood, Ben Carter, Hannah Francis Duo
10.30PM
DJ DOGGLER
SAT 17TH MARCH - 9PM FREE
THE BEAT TABOO
With Le Ye-Ye Girls, Fuzzrays
SUN 18TH MARCH - 5PM FREE
BOADZ
Plays the songs of Robert Johnson
744 High Street Thornbury, Victoria, Australia facebook.com/ClubTagoMago
the
Moldy fig Tuesday - $15 Meal Deals Wednesday - All Night Happy Hour Thursday - Local’s Night 15% Discount LIVE MUSIC BY MICHAEL YULE
Wednesday March 14th 7pm: Jared Plant 9pm: Blue Shivoo 10pm: Jakal Thursday March 15th 9pm: Sex Jazz Friday March 16th 7pm: Tony J King 9pm: KÖnig Saturday March 17th
7pm: Tiana Martel Duo 9pm: The Chess Lords Tuesday March 20th 7pm: Steve and Julia
Rockman E ALWAYS FRE
PH : 9042 7613
120 Lygon St, Brunswick East
BEAT.COM.AU 33
Featured Gigs Yarosh 303, Northcote. 8:00pm. Open Mic Sloth Bar, Footscray. 8:00pm. Open Mic Night Drunken Poet, West
Melbourne. 7:00pm.
Steve Poltz + Freya Josephine Hollick
Memo Music Hall, St Kilda. 7:30pm. $23.00. The Debussy Project - Feat: Melbourne Art Song Collective
Tony J. King
The Moldy Fig With a few stories, guitar, half a drum kit, and music reminiscent of street-corner blues and folk of the forties, Tony J. King is bringing a show to the The Moldy Fig, Brunswick East on Friday March 16. Be there at 7pm to get jiving to the dirty tunes of the ‘40s and ‘50s. Entry is free.
Melbourne Recital Centre, Southbank. 6:00pm. $39.00. The Hillbilly Goats Retreat Hotel, Brunswick. 8:30pm. Tom Dockray Wesley Anne, Northcote. 8:00pm. $12.00. Van Walker, Andrew Bailey + Van Walker + Andrew Bailey Labour In
Vain, Fitzroy. 7:00pm.
Vikki Thorn + Abbie Cardwell
Northcote Social Club, Northcote. 7:30pm.
Friday 16 Mar Indie, Rock, Pop, Metal, Punk & Covers Action Sam Elephant & Wheelbarrow,
Melbourne. 11:00pm. Astro Boys Royal Hotel (Essendon), Essendon. 10:00pm.
Busy Kingdom + Cash + The Reveries
The Cherry Dolls
Cherry Bar The Cherry Dolls are turning four and putting on a hell of a party to celebrate at Cherry Bar on Friday March 16. For the last chance to catch them before they head back into the studio for their sophomore album, be there at 8pm. Tickets are $15.
Whole Lotta Love, Brunswick East. 8:00pm. $10.00.
Camp Cope, Chastity Belt + Camp Cope + Chastity Belt Thornbury
Theatre, Thornbury. 7:00pm. $39.80. Captain Spalding Band Customs House Hotel, Williamstown. 8:00pm. Cdb + Natasha Toff In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 7:30pm. $45.00. Chapel Street Social Club - Feat: Phatoamano + Namn + Matt Radovich + And More Lucky Coq, Windsor.
9:00pm.
Cryptic Abyss + Flaming Wrekage + The Black Swamp + Illa Turba Bar
Open, Fitzroy. 7:00pm.
Dj Scarlett Minx, Dj Johnny Six Guns + Dj Scarlett Minx + Dj Johnny Six Guns
Gin Lane, Belgrave. 9:30pm.
Erica Freas + Hanny J + Hollie Joyce
Reverence Hotel, Footscray. 8:00pm. $10.00.
Exek + Constant Mongrel + Nightclub + Champion Racehorse John Curtin
Hotel, Carlton. 8:00pm. $10.00.
Riley Pearce
The Workers Club Riley Pearce has an undeniable gift of leaving you respectfully in awe. The alt-folk artist from Perth is hitting up The Workers Club on Friday March 16. Doors open at 8.30pm and tickets are $15 via Oztix.
Identical Records’ Queer Shredders At The Tote - Feat: Edith Lane + Spit + Stationary Suns + Porpoise Spit Tote
Hotel, Collingwood. 8:30pm. $10.00. Jens Lenkman Night Cat, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $38.50.
Jerkbeast + Coffin + The Quarters + The Darrans + More Last Chance Rock
And Roll Bar, North Melbourne. 7:00pm. $10.00. King + Reaper + Rituals Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $10.00. King Puppy & The Carnivore + Woy
Tote Hotel, Collingwood. 8:00pm. $10.00. La Danse Macabre Rainbow Hotel, Fitzroy. 9:00pm. Late Nights - Feat: Various Djs Last Chance Rock And Roll Bar, North Melbourne. 11:45Pm. Mod Vigil + Street Hassle + Fleshed Out + The Tropes Yarra Hotel,
Sam Gellaitry
The Corner Hotel Scottish producer whiz-kid Sam Gellaitry is set to give The Corner Hotel’s soundsystem a run for its money this Friday March 16. The 21-year-old had a blazing 2017, including throwing down his eclectic blend of future-bass hip hop at Coachella for the closing set of the day. It’s looking like it might sell-out so get in quick - tickets from Eventbrite. 34 BEAT.COM.AU
Abbotsford. 8:00pm. $10.00.
Mr. Mcclelland’s Finishing School
Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood. 9:30pm. $15.00. Mr. Stitcher + Sordid Ordeal + Traumaboys + Sarah Eida Brunswick
Hotel, Brunswick. 8:00pm.
Nqr + Melbourne Cans + Laura Macfarlane Labour In Vain, Fitzroy.
7:00pm.
Poprocks + Dr Phil Toff In Town,
Melbourne Cbd. 9:00pm.
Powerline Sneakers + Some Jerks + Spiral Perm Old Bar, Fitzroy. 8:30pm.
$10.00.
Primal + B.O.S.S. + Postman Killed My Scooter Woody’s Attic Dive,
Collingwood. 8:30pm.
Ragnarök - Feat: Various Djs Loop,
Melbourne Cbd. 9:00pm.
Removalist + Tiersman + Older Men + Spawn Reverence Hotel, Footscray.
8:00pm. $15.00. Ross Wilson Hysteria Lounge, Lilydale. 6:00pm. $55.00.
Rust + Violent Demise + Peanut Butter Men Retreat Hotel, Brunswick. 9:30pm. Sons Of Rico Yah Yah’s, Fitzroy.
11:45Pm. $10.00.
The Cherry Dolls + Longboys + The Burb Cherry Bar, Melbourne Cbd.
8:00pm. $12.00.
The George Trimmer Band Musicland,
Fawkner. 9:30pm. $10.00.
The Young Folk + Andy Irvine + Luke Plumb Memo Music Hall, St Kilda.
Acoustic/Country/Blues/ Folk Acoustic Sessions - Feat: Various Artists Matthew Flinders Hotel,
Chadstone. 7:00pm. Adrian Whyte Compass Pizza, Brunswick East. 7:00pm. Alison Ferrier Edinburgh Castle, Brunswick. 6:00pm.
Arlo Harley, Michael Harutyunyan + Arlo Harley + Michael Harutyunyan
Tramway Hotel, North Fitzroy. 8:00pm. Carus Thompson Wesley Anne, Northcote. 8:00pm. $23.50. Collard Greens And Gravy Spotted Mallard, Brunswick. 6:00pm. $23.01. Eugene ‘Hideaway’ Bridges Grand Hotel Mornington, Mornington. 8:00pm. $28.60. Ezra Lee Catfish, Fitzroy. 9:00pm. Greg Dodd & The Hoodoo Men Baha Tacos & Tapas Bar, Rye. 8:00pm. $10.00.
Third Eye - A Night Of Tool Rubix
Housemate Of Mine + Lama + Dan Purdy 303, Northcote. 7:00pm. $10.00. John Williams’ Doubleshot Of Blues
Timberwolf + Slow Dancer + Baby Blue Northcote Social Club, Northcote.
Jumpin Jack William + Neil Wilkinson + Joseph Fairburn Gin Lane, Belgrave.
7:30pm. $18.00.
Warehouse, Brunswick. 8:00pm. $34.70. 8:30pm. $20.00.
Totally Wired - A Tribute To The Fall - Feat: Maximo Park Djs + More
Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood. 11:45Am. $5.00. Versus Party - Feat: Various Djs Yah Yah’s, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. Vintage Crop + Gonzo + The Blinds
Post Office Hotel, Coburg. 8:00pm.
What’s On Presents - Feat: Various Artists + Various Djs Prince Public Bar,
St Kilda . 9:00pm. Xak Penny Black, Brunswick. 9:00pm.
Jazz, Soul, Funk, Latin & World Music 8 Foot Felix Belleville, Melbourne.
Musicland, Fawkner. 8:00pm. $10.00. 8:30pm.
Karise Eden Workers Club (Geelong),
Geelong. 8:00pm. $34.70. Nick Murray Wesley Anne, Northcote. 6:00pm. Pierce Brothers Sooki Lounge, Belgrave. 8:00pm. Pugsley Buzzard Bar Open, Fitzroy. 6:30pm. Rattlincane Pascoe Vale Rsl, Pascoe Vale. 8:00pm. $10.00. Riley Pearce + Bradley Stone + Nancie Schipper Workers Club, Fitzroy. 8:30pm.
$15.00.
Smith & Jones + Pj Devery Open
Studio, Northcote. 5:30pm. $10.00. The Duncan Phillips Band + Dj Mermaid Gem Bar, Collingwood.
9:00pm.
Andrew Strong + Joe Matera + Dj Rich Spanning Time 170 Russell, Melbourne
The Pogues St Patrick’s Weekend Celebration Tribute - Feat: Various Artists Prince Bandroom, St Kilda.
Ausecuma Beats The B.East, Brunswick
The Ramshackle Army Drunken Poet,
10:00pm.
Cbd. 8:00pm.
East. 10:00pm.
Dj Mama Disquo Edinburgh Castle,
Brunswick. 9:00pm.
Gian Slater & Jamie Oehler The Jazzlab,
Brunswick. 8:00pm. $30.00.
Hypnotic Brass Ensemble Howler,
Brunswick. 8:00pm. $50.45.
Impossible Monsters + The Amasonics
Open Studio, Northcote. 8:00pm. $10.00. Sean Whelan Fox Hotel (Collingwood), Collingwood. 8:00pm. Son Of A Gunzel Bar Open, Fitzroy. 6:30pm. Teri Roiger & John Menegon Dizzy’s Jazz Club, Richmond. 7:30pm. The Emma Gilmartin Quartet Lido Jazz Room, Hawthorn. 8:00pm. $25.00. The Rookies Fitzroy Pinnacle, Fitzroy North. 8:00pm. Tony J. King, König + Tony J. King + König The Moldy Fig, 7:00pm. Urbanity Bird’s Basement, Melbourne.
7:30pm. $29.00.
Hip Hop & R&B After Hours - Feat: Mero + Vanessa + Nasa Horse Bazaar, Melbourne Cbd.
8:00pm.
Faktory Fridays - Feat: Damion De Silva + Durmy + Salvy + More Khokolat
Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 9:30pm. Party & Bullshit Fridays Laundry Bar, Fitzroy. 9:00pm.
Rick Ross Tribute - Feat: Sofie Roze + Köda Laundry Bar, Fitzroy. 9:00pm.
8:00pm. $23.50.
West Melbourne. 8:30pm.
Traditional Irish Music Session
Drunken Poet, West Melbourne. 6:00pm. Trioc Melbourne Recital Centre, Southbank. 6:00pm. $39.00.
Saturday 17 Mar Hip Hop & R&B Baro + Precious Earth Belleville,
Melbourne. 9:00pm.
Beaút - Feat: Le1f + Various Artists
Toff In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 8:30pm. $20.00. Big Dancing Saturdays Laundry Bar, Fitzroy. 9:00pm. Echo Drama Pawn & Co, South Yarra. 9:00pm. Electric Dreams - Feat: Various Djs
Co., Southbank. 9:30pm. $20.00.
Khokolat Koated Saturdays - Feat: Damion De Silva + Durmy + Jay Mastro + More Khokolat Bar, Melbourne
Cbd. 9:30pm.
Rhythm Nation Saturdays - Feat: Dj Timos + Dj Kahlua + More Chaise
Lounge, Melbourne Cbd. 9:00pm. $10.00.
Indie, Rock, Pop, Metal, Punk & Covers 2017 Grand Final Replay - Feat: The Swedish Magazines + Mc Sarah Smith + The Tiges Allstar Band Gasometer
Hotel, Collingwood. 1:00pm.
Featured Gigs A Night Of Street Punk And Oi - Feat: Thug + Rust + Those Rat Bastards + The Knock Backs + More Bendigo
Hotel, Collingwood. 6:00pm.
Animal Farm - Feat: Scott And Charlene’s Wedding + Flour + Jacky Winter + Bitch Diesel + More Tote
Hotel, Collingwood. 1:00pm.
Black Jesus + Overpower + Reaper + Hand Of Fear + Dead Already + No Cash Last Chance Rock And Roll Bar,
North Melbourne. 7:00pm. $10.00.
Mr Stitcher
Brunswick Hotel Mr Stitcher are gearing to blow the roof off the Brunny with the launch of their new album Embrace The Night. To help with the celebrations they’ve enlisted the help of Sordid Ordeal, Traumaboys and Sarah EiDA as support. Head to the Brunswick Hotel on Friday March 16 from 8pm. Entry is free.
DJ Lady Blades
Endinburgh Castle DJ Lady Blades will be spinning her unique mix of stomping rhythm and blues, ‘60s dancers, surf, exotica, garage, latin shakers, soul screamers and a whole heap of dirty rock’n’roll at The Edinburgh Castle on Saturday March 10 from 9pm. Free entry.
Alex Hamilton Folk Singer
The Old Bar Gear up for a gorgeous Saturday sesh at Old Bar this Saturday March 17, when Alex Hamilton Folk Singer takes to the stage. Just as the name suggest, AHFS offers up some truly delicious folk, and will be doing so in spades of classic and new tracks on the day. He’ll be joined by Grace Cummings, and Girlatones when it all happens from 3pm. Entry is blissfully free.
There’ll Be Birds
Reverence Hotel A forceful Nordic trio joins forces with two of Melbourne’s finest acoustic acts at the front stage of the Reverence Hotel on Saturday March 17 for an unforgettable night of profound and soulful chamber jazz. It all starts at 8.30pm and tickets are $10.
St. Patrick’s Day at The Drunken Poet
The Drunken Poet Honestly, can you think of a better way to spend your St. Paddy’s Day than at Melbourne’s premier Irish haunt. The Drunken Poet will be putting on a mammoth day of tunes to celebrate the day, including Irish-born and Melbournebased singer-songwriter Stephen Kennedy, harmonica, guitar and foot percussion oneman act Tim Scanlan and boozy Irish/ Melbourne-based guitar and mandolin duo The Tipplers. It’s all kicking off from 12.30pm on Saturday March 17 and you can bet there’ll be boat loads of flowing bevs to help you ease into the festivities. Best of all, entry is free.
Up The Junction - Feat: Various Djs
Loop, Melbourne Cbd. 10:00pm.
Jazz, Soul, Funk, Latin & World Music Big & Horny Musicland, Fawkner.
Brenda, Plastic + Brenda + Plastic The
Bob Sedergreen & Friends Lido Jazz
B.East, Brunswick East. 10:00pm.
The B.East Ausecuma Beats are an invigorating combination of musicians from all across the globe. Expect complex but totally danceable rhythm pumped out by the expert percussionists on African drums, congas and more. It’s all happening on Friday March 16 at 10pm. Free entry.
Melbourne. 10:30pm. Timberwolf Workers Club (Geelong), Geelong. 7:30pm. $23.50. Twisted Willows Yah Yah’s, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. $8.00.
Breaking Kebabs + Slack Attack + Russia Last Chance Rock And Roll Bar,
North Melbourne. 3:00pm.
Ausecuma Beats
The Wake Elephant & Wheelbarrow,
Citradels + The Jim Mitchells + Tropic Strength Oh! Jean Records, Fitzroy.
2:00pm.
Eat Pant + Messy Mammals + Waterbird Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick.
4:00pm. Gaia Musicland, Fawkner. 7:30pm. $20.00.
Home Turf One Year Party - Feat: Edd Fisher + Oliver Francis + Georgia Bird + Emily Roseman + More Evelyn Hotel,
Fitzroy. 2:00pm. $10.00.
Hotel Wrecking City Traders + Tiersman + Psycho Moto Retreat Hotel,
Brunswick. 9:30pm.
Into The Mystic – The Music Of Van Morrison + The Belfast Horns Memo
Music Hall, St Kilda. 7:30pm. $28.00. Jeff Tynan Elephant & Wheelbarrow, Melbourne. 5:00pm.
Junior Fiction + Electric Toothbrush + Slimer Post Office Hotel, Coburg.
9:00pm.
Justice For The Damned + Blklst + Cast Down + Caged Existence Royal
Melbourne Hotel, Melbourne Cbd. 9:00pm. $20.00.
Luna Ghost + Vim + Summer Blokes
Bar Open, Fitzroy. 8:00pm.
Malichor + Maniaxe + Maleficium + Hellspit Reverence Hotel, Footscray.
8:00pm. $10.00.
Mighty Boys + Loobs + Porpoise Spit + Department John Curtin Hotel,
Carlton. 8:00pm. $10.00.
Monkey Grip + Face Face + Protospasm + Slugbucket + Rusted Tongue Woody’s Attic Dive,
Collingwood. 8:00pm.
Murphy’s Hardware Lomond Hotel,
Brunswick East. 9:30pm.
Ocean Sleeper + Mirrors + Diamond Construct + Atlvs Workers Club, Fitzroy.
8:00pm. $15.00.
Pigs Of A Roman Empire + Plum Green + Lappland Catfish, Fitzroy.
8:00pm. $10.00.
Pool House Party - Feat: The Smith Street Band + Tired Lion + The Bennies + Tropical Fuck Storm + More Coburg Velodrome, Coburg North.
12:00Am. $80.00. Riffinery Royal Hotel (Essendon), Essendon. 10:00pm.
Rise Sanction Australia Fundraiser - Feat: Dispossessed + Nasho + Pataphysics + V Tote Hotel,
Collingwood. 6:00pm. $15.00.
Straightline + Blind Man Death Stare + The Patient + Body Parts Old Bar,
Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $10.00.
The Hard Rock Show Live Taping Feat: Moonshifter + Riff Raiders + Warbirds Whole Lotta Love, Brunswick
East. 5:00pm. $10.00.
The Lying Weasels + Twisties + Loveboner + Jumpin’ Jack William
Yarra Hotel, Abbotsford. 8:00pm. $7.00. The Magical Marmalade Machine
Royal Hotel (Mornington), Mornington. 8:00pm. The Northern Folk + Batts + Feelds
Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $12.00. The Ripchords St. Anne’s Parish Centre, Sunbury. 7:30pm. $20.00.
Sime Nugent + Dj Dave Gray Gem Bar,
Collingwood. 8:00pm. Stephen Kennedy Drunken Poet, West Melbourne. 12:30pm. Summon The Birds + The Chops + Littlest Birds Workers Club, Fitzroy.
1:00pm. $10.00. The F100s Retreat Hotel, Brunswick. 5:00pm. The Humbuckin’ Pickups Union Hotel (Brunswick), Brunswick. 5:00pm. The Mccolloughs Inkerman Hotel, Balaclava. 6:00pm.
9:00pm. $25.00.
The Southbound Snake Charmers + Dr Malone Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick.
Room, Hawthorn. 8:00pm. $25.00.
The Tipplers Drunken Poet, West
Centre & The South + King River Rising Open Studio, Northcote. 8:30pm.
$10.00.
Dj Learntables Edinburgh Castle,
Brunswick. 9:00pm. Grace Barbe Howler, Brunswick. 8:00pm. $39.64. Hypnotic Brass Ensemble The Jazzlab, Brunswick. 8:00pm. $40.00. Jamaica Jump Up - Feat: Nicky Bomba + Jamaica Jump Up Allstars + Dj Jesse I + More Gasometer Hotel,
Collingwood. 9:00pm. $15.00.
Jamie Oehlers’ Assemblers Uptown
Jazz Cafe, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. Jules Shelton Fox Hotel (Collingwood), Collingwood. 8:00pm. Sikander Open Studio, Northcote. 2:30pm. Sound Dimensions 303, Northcote. 8:00pm. The Chemtrails Compass Pizza, Brunswick East. 7:00pm. The Chess Lords + Tiana Martel Duo
The Moldy Fig, 7:00pm.
The King Louie Collective + Ppb Late Night Djs Prince Public Bar, St Kilda .
8:00pm.
The Rookies The Jazzlab, Brunswick.
11:00pm.
Them High Spirits Fitzroy Pinnacle,
Fitzroy North. 5:00pm.
There’ll Be Birds + Oliver + Isobel
Reverence Hotel, Footscray. 8:30pm. $10.00.
Acoustic/Country/Blues/ Folk Alex Hamilton + Girlatones + Grace Cummings Old Bar, Fitzroy. 3:00pm.
$10.00.
An Evening For The Pogues - Feat: Steve Milligan + More Spotted Mallard,
Brunswick. 6:00pm. $23.01. Andy White Open Studio, Northcote. 5:30pm. Big Country Corner Hotel, Richmond. 8:30pm. $64.65. Brooke Taylor Edinburgh Castle, Brunswick. 5:00pm. D Henry Fenton & The Elizabethans
Labour In Vain, Fitzroy. 7:00pm. Dan Bourke & Cyril Drunken Poet, West Melbourne. 9:30pm. Eddie Nuardo Charles Weston Hotel, Brunswick. 6:30pm. Ezra Lee Trio Union Hotel (Brunswick), Brunswick. 9:00pm. Grand Wazoo Bird’s Basement, Melbourne. 7:30pm. $35.00. John Mcsherry, Donal O’connor, Niall Hanna + John Mcsherry + Donal O’connor + Niall Hanna + Tolka
Thornbury Theatre, Thornbury. 7:00pm. $39.80. Joyce Prescher Wesley Anne, Northcote. 6:00pm. Kevin Borich Express Satellite Lounge, Mulgrave. 8:00pm. $22.00. Marty Kelly Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East. 6:30pm.
Mary Webb, Phia + Mary Webb + Phia
Wesley Anne, Northcote. 8:00pm. $15.00.
4:30pm.
Melbourne. 6:30pm.
Tim Mcmillan & Rachel Snow Bar
Open, Fitzroy. 6:30pm. Tim Scanlan Drunken Poet, West Melbourne. 4:00pm. Z-Star Delta + Jed Rowe Baha Tacos & Tapas Bar, Rye. 8:00pm. $15.30.
Sunday 18 Mar Indie, Rock, Pop, Metal, Punk & Covers Beersoaked Sundays - Feat: Various Artists Old Bar, Fitzroy. 7:30pm. $8.00. Ben Blaak + Fuzzsucker + Teflon Tom + Moon Rooney + Pat Devlin Workers
Club, Fitzroy. 6:30pm. $5.00. Big Country Memo Music Hall, St Kilda. 7:30pm. $69.60.
Body Parts + Scabz + Lubulwa + Sex Pills Tote Hotel, Collingwood. 4:00pm. Coin Toss Tour - Feat: Pist Idiots + Charging Stallion + Mini Skirt + Dumb Punts Tote Hotel, Collingwood. 4:00pm.
$23.50.
Crepes + Bananagun + Sledge Hamme Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy. 3:00pm.
$6.00.
Doublethink Prism + Ms 45 + Fuzzsucker + Constantine + Wars Tote
Hotel, Collingwood. 5:00pm. $10.00.
Franco Cozzo + Ufo Go + Plaza-Trg + Hollow Wrangler Studios, Footscray.
2:00pm. $10.00.
Homecookin’, Rosie Mitchell + Homecookin’ + Rosie Mitchell
Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick. 8:00pm.
I Have A Goat + Devil Monkey + More
Retreat Hotel, Brunswick. 7:00pm. Jon Toogood Sooki Lounge, Belgrave. 8:00pm. $24.50. Mac’s Peak + Slow Job Post Office Hotel, Coburg. 4:30pm.
Moonlight Broadcast + Saffire + The Pilots Last Chance Rock And Roll Bar,
North Melbourne. 3:00pm. Open/Mic Jam Nights Musicland, Fawkner. 7:00pm. Peter Joseph Head Edinburgh Castle, Brunswick. 4:00pm.
Rusty Brown (Electric Mary) - Feat: Rusty Brown (Electric Mary) Tramway
Hotel, North Fitzroy. 3:30pm.
Sweetcheeks + The Vibrajets + Cross Eyed Cat Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick.
4:00pm.
The Good Minus + Shiver Canyon + Clio Workers Club, Fitzroy. 1:00pm.
$10.00.
The Hoodangers Fitzroy Pinnacle,
Fitzroy North. 4:00pm.
The Kevin Borich Express Musicland,
Fawkner. 3:30pm. $25.00.
Vacant Image + Skelter + Slack Attack
Bar Open, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. $5.00.
Jazz, Soul, Funk, Latin & World Music Balkan Brass - Feat: Opa! Bato + Opa Seko Farouk’s Olive, Thornbury. 7:30pm.
BEAT.COM.AU 35
Featured Gigs Come Down With Me - Feat: Various Artists Ferdydurke, Melbourne Cbd.
7:00pm.
Gig of The Week
Compass Jazz Jam - Feat: Line Matter Compass Pizza, Brunswick East.
5:00pm.
Giorgia-May Open Studio, Northcote.
2:30pm. $5.00.
Girl Friday + Kerryn Fields + Sarah Carroll Yarra Hotel, Abbotsford. 8:00pm.
$12.00.
High Street Screamers 303, Northcote.
2:00pm.
The Chess Lords
The Moldy Fig The Chess Lords are a brand new unique project blending new music and old school jazz with ferocity and energy. They take the stage at Brunswick East’s The Moldy Fig on Saturday March 17 at 9pm. Free entry.
The John McSherry Trio
The Thornbury Theatre Regarded as two of Ireland’s finest instrumentalists and producers, John McSherry and Dónal O’Connor will be sharing their iconic Irish music with The Thornbury Theatre on Saturday March 17 at 9.30pm. Tickets are $40 at the door.
Iaki Vallejo Band Open Studio,
Northcote. 8:00pm. $10.00.
Moreland City Soul Revue Union
Hotel (Brunswick), Brunswick. 5:00pm. Phil Rex & Gary Pinto Bird’s Basement, Melbourne. 7:30pm. $25.00. Skazz Open Studio, Northcote. 5:30pm. Sunday Session - Feat: Ravi Ravs + Dj Daily Fox Hotel (Collingwood),
Collingwood. 5:30pm. The Vampires The Jazzlab, Brunswick. 8:00pm. $25.00. Yeah Yeah Dizzy’s Jazz Club, Richmond. 12:00pm. $20.00.
Hip Hop & R&B
Hot Fudge Sundays - Feat: Epoch + D’fro + Ilresponce + Dion Jackson + And More Lucky Coq, Windsor.
Monday 19 Mar
3:00pm.
Killer Hertz + More Evelyn Hotel,
Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $10.00.
Acoustic/Country/ Blues/Folk
Jamaica Jump Up with Nicky Bomba & The JJU Allstars
The Gasometer Hotel Join the likes of Nicky Bomba, Jamaica Jump Up Allstars and more DJs as they take the Gaso right off into the night on Saturday March 17. Doors open from 9pm and tickets are $15.
Mac’s Peak
The Post Office Hotel Fresh from their slot at Wall to Wall Festival in north-east Victoria, Mac’s Peak will be playing Coburg’s Post Office Hotel on Sunday March 18. Going down in a beautiful afternoon of music, food, bevs and good vibes, they’ll be joined by good mates Slow Job from 4.30pm. Entry is free.
Josh Cashman
Northcote Social Club Summer’s just ended, but it lives on with The Juice Lab, The Bar Counter and The Bucha Shop who’ve brought together some amazing local talent for a night of great tunes, good mates and special cocktails created by The Margarita Mum. The sounds will be supplied by the soulful-roots Josh Cashman; who’s coming off the back of his successful EP Instinct, Huge If True and Yasin Leflef. Kicks off at 7.30pm, entry is a cool $5+BF from Eventbrite.
36 BEAT.COM.AU
The Pardoners Royal Oak Hotel,
Brian Fresco + Manny Lado + Jalmar
Astronautalis Laundry Bar, Fitzroy.
Laundry Bar, Fitzroy. 8:30pm.
Compass Pizza Groove-based jazz group The Chemtrails will be bringing the Americas-influenced sound to Compass Pizza on Saturday March 17. A glorious quartet of piano, drums, trumpet and double bass, this one’s set to be groovy. Catch it all from 7pm. Entry is free.
Howler Middle Kids are an absolute force – and I have every feeling that their debut album Lost Friends is going to make it pretty high into my albums of the year (I haven’t even heard it yet, but I’m good with predictions). I’m also predicting that once Friday May 4 comes around, and that album is launched into the world, you’ll never be able to see Middle Kids play a venue as intimate as Howler again. They’ll be previewing songs from that new record on the night, so you’ll be among the first to hear what’s to come. It’s going down on Monday March 19 from 8pm. Tram Cops are on support for an extra spicy night.
Fitzroy North. 4:00pm. Tim Scanlan Drunken Poet, West Melbourne. 4:00pm. Z-Star Delta Standard Hotel, Fitzroy. 7:00pm.
7:00pm.
The Chemtrails
Middle Kids
Acoustic Sundays - Feat: Michelle Gardiner + Paige Spiers + Paige Smith
Customs House Hotel, Williamstown. 2:00pm. Backyard Brew Royal Hotel (Mornington), Mornington. 3:00pm. Chris Wilson Union Hotel (Brunswick), Brunswick. 3:30pm. D Henry Fenton & The Elizabethans
Dog’s Bar, St Kilda. 5:30pm. Elwood Blues Club Prince Public Bar, St Kilda . 4:00pm.
End Of Summer - Feat: Josh Cashman + Huge If True + Yasin Leflef Northcote Social Club, Northcote.
7:30pm. $5.00.
Jo Neugebauer + David Grimson + Luke Seymoup Reverence Hotel,
Footscray. 3:00pm.
Juke Boy Emmett Catfish, Fitzroy.
5:00pm.
Jules Boult & Friends Rainbow Hotel,
Fitzroy. 4:00pm.
Lost Ragas + Hollie Joyce Spotted
Mallard, Brunswick. 3:00pm. $15.00. Mark Howard Carlton Brewhouse, Abbotsford. 2:00pm. Melbourne Composer’s League
Wesley Anne, Northcote. 2:00pm. $10.00. Nick Murray + Emma Yarosh Whole Lotta Love, Brunswick East. 3:30pm. Peter Baylor And The Roadhouse Romeos + Dj Slim Rhythm Gem Bar,
Collingwood. 7:00pm. Phil Para Cherry Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 2:00pm. Robert Bratetich & Mario Lattuada
Bar Open, Fitzroy. 6:00pm. Roz Girvan Band Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East. 5:30pm. The Ceili All Stars Drunken Poet, West Melbourne. 6:30pm. The Glorious North Labour In Vain, Fitzroy. 5:00pm. The Moonee Valley Drifters Grandview Hotel, Fairfield. 3:00pm.
Jazz, Soul, Funk, Latin & World Music 303 Yarra Banks Jam Night 303,
Northcote. 8:00pm. Andrea Keller The Jazzlab, Brunswick. 8:00pm. $15.00. Schmiling - Feat: Various Djs Section 8, Melbourne Cbd. 6:00pm.
Indie, Rock, Pop, Metal, Punk & Covers Jess Fairlie Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy.
8:30pm. $10.00.
Middle Kids + Tram Cops Howler,
Brunswick. 8:00pm.
Mightiest Of Guns + Trouble Peach + Joshua Seymour Old Bar, Fitzroy.
7:30pm. $8.00.
Monday Bone Machine - Feat: T-Rek
Boney, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm.
Monday Night Mass - Feat: Parsnip + Pappy + Eat-Man + A+ Northcote
Social Club, Northcote. 8:00pm.
Nieuw Mondays - Feat: Various Djs
Workers Club, Fitzroy. 7:00pm. $3.00.
Acoustic/Country/ Blues/Folk Bk Mw + Rachael Comte Open Studio,
Northcote. 8:00pm. $5.00. Charles Jenkins Retreat Hotel, Brunswick. 8:00pm. There’ll Be Birds Lentil As Anything, Thornbury, Thornbury. 6:30pm.
Uncomfortable Science - Feat: Lachlan Mitchell + More Boney,
Melbourne Cbd. 9:00pm.
Indie, Rock, Pop, Metal, Punk & Covers Baronaqua + Yeah Bad? + Barefoot Spacemen + Plovers Brunswick Hotel,
Brunswick. 7:00pm.
Face/Face + Shrimpwitch + Tina Growls + Tool Time House Band + More Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood.
7:00pm. $5.00.
Meander + Fleshed Out + Dez
Workers Club, Fitzroy. 7:30pm. $12.00.
Mystery Guest + Sarah Mary Chadwick + Eaglemont + Mixed Emotions Howler, Brunswick. 7:00pm. The Skip - Guy Whitby Art Opening Feat: The Overheads + Candy + Elsie Lan Old Bar, Fitzroy. 7:00pm. $7.00. The Slingers + Alphonso + Wax Jax And The Midnight Snax Gasometer
Hotel, Collingwood. 7:00pm. $10.00. Young Henry’s Tryout Tuesdays Feat: Various Artists Retreat Hotel,
Brunswick. 8:30pm.
Hip Hop & R&B So In2 u - feat: various artists
Ferdydurke, Melbourne Cbd. 7:00pm.
Acoustic/Country/ Blues/Folk Irish Session Lomond Hotel, Brunswick
East. 8:00Pm.
Jon (The Ancients) - Feat: Jon (The Ancients) Tramway Hotel, North
Fitzroy. 8:00Pm.
Ludovico’s Band Melbourne Recital
Centre, Southbank. 6:30Pm. $39.00. Make It Up Club - Feat: Various Artists + More Bar Open, Fitzroy.
8:30Pm. $10.00.
Piano Karaoke With Lisa Crawley
Tuesday 20 Mar Jazz, Soul, Funk, Latin & World Music Michelle Nicolle Quartet Bird’s
Basement, Melbourne. 7:30pm. $25.00. Min/Svoboda/Hawkins Trio The Jazzlab, Brunswick. 8:00pm. $15.00. Steve And Julia Rockman The Moldy Fig, 7:00pm.
Compass Pizza, Brunswick East. 7:30Pm. Sascha Klave Drunken Poet, West Melbourne. 8:00Pm. Z-Star Delta + Emma & The Urban Folk + Telos Teacup Wesley Anne,
Northcote. 7:00Pm. $15.00.
18 DUFFY ST BURWOOD WWW.HYDRASTUDIOS.COM.AU
HYDRA REHEARSAL STUDIOS BOOK A ROOM! CALL: 0417 000 397
ISSUE #287 FREE!
Made by Music ians for Music ians
#287 — MARC H 2018
• 2000 WATT HK AUDIO/MACKIE PAs • TEN CLEAN, 30M2 ROOMS • STORAGE • DRUMKIT/AMP HIRE • AIR CON
KINDRED STUDIOS Givea way !
TC EL ECTR PEDA ONIC L BU NDLE ZO & HAND OM H1 N Y RE SEE CORD ER FOR PG. 6
kindredstudios.com.au
DETAI LS
BaCKLINE 3 HARRIS ST YARRAVILLE
REHEARSAL ROOMS BAR / STAGE / RECORDING
6PM - 12AM MON - FRI BAR 1 - 6PM MON - SUN
INTERVIEWS — Mastodon, Korn, Good Charlo tte, Mia Dyson, Suicid al Tendencies, Sheryl Crow & Mellissa Etheri dge
REVIEWED — Positive Grid 500W Fender IEM range Modeling Amp, , DV Mark Raw EG Amplifier, Dawg Art Pro Audio Tube Mix,
See page 3 for more
Loog Pro Acous tic Line 6 HX Effect & Pro Electric Guitars, s, 600BT, Mad ProfesYamaha STAGEPAS sor Fire Red Fuzz Pedal + more
info
MAKE YOUR DRUMS DO MORE
OUT NOW REHEARSAL STUDIOS
threephasemusic.com
FIND IT WHERE YOU FIND MUSIC & MUSIC GEAR MIXDOWNMAG.COM.AU
Weeknight rates from $65
8 Tinning St, Brunswick
SNAPS
Faktory
Khokolat Koated
BEAT.COM.AU
37
Featured Gigs
Gig Guide
Coming Soon
Crepes
The Evelyn Hotel Crepes play a trademark catchy style of surf-edged pop lead by jangling guitars and luscious synths. Catch all this and supporting acts Bananagun and Sledge Hammer on Sunday March 18 at the Evelyn, doors open at 3pm and tickets are $6.
Jo Neugebauer
Reverence Hotel To see three folk-punks do what folk punks do, head down to The Rev on Sunday March 18. Fresh off of last year’s release of The Professional, Luke Seymoup will be kicking things off, followed by Ballarat’s own David Grimson, and finishing out the lineup, the incredible Jo Neugebauer. 3pm start. Free entry.
Jess Fairlie
The Evelyn Hotel If you love crazy guitar licks, juicy keys, beats and stank faces, then Monday is now your favourite day of the week. Melbourne soul singer-songwriter Jess Fairlie and her band will be at The Evelyn on Monday March 19. Doors opens 8.30pm and entry is an easy $10.
Baronaqua
Brunswick Hotel Baronaqua, Yeah, Bad?, Barefoot Spacemen and Plovers hit the Brunswick Hotel on Tuesday March 20 with a guitar driven charge to turn up your Tuesday night. It kicks off at 8pm. Free entry.
38 BEAT.COM.AU
Billy Ray Cyrus The Palms March 22 Jack River Howler March 22 Elephant Sessions Spotted Mallard March 22 Halcyon Drive Workers Club March 22, Penny Black April 20 The Hills Are Alive The Farm March 23 – March 25 The Aints Thornbury Theatre March 23 Playboi Carti The Forum March 23 Jeremy Neale Workers Club March 23 Black Rebel Motorcycle Club Forum Theatre March 24 Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit And Deer Tick Palais Theatre March 24 Heaps Good Friends Worker’s Club March 24 Jen Cloher The Croxton March 24 Lany Melbourne Recital Centre March 24 Breabach Northcote Social Club March 24 Lowtide Northcote Social Club March 24 Leon Bridges Forum Theatre March 25 Mick Jenkins And The Underachievers Prince Bandroom March 27 Børns Howler March 27, 28 Bluesfest Ft Robert Plant And The Sensational Space Shifters, Lionel Richie & More Byron Bay March 29 April 2 Jackson Browne Palais Theatre March 29 Pinegrove Corner Hotel March 30 Lana Del Ray Sidney Myer Music Bowl March 31 Rag N Bone Man Palais Theatre March 31 Benjamin Booker Corner Hotel March 31 Kele Okereke Spotted Mallard March 31 John Waite Corner Hotel April 1 Robert Plant & The Sensational Space Shifters Palais Theatre April 1, 2 Together Pangea Northcote Social Club April 1 José González Melbourne Recital Centre April 2, 3 Neil Diamond Rod Laver Arena April 3 Newton Faulkner Corner Hotel April 4 Ásgeir Melbourne Recital Centre April 4, 5 First Aid Kit The Croxton April 5,6, Melbourne Recital Centre April 7 Kesha Margaret Court April 5 Dermot Kennedy Howler April 5 Seal Hamer Hall April 6 Sheryl Crow & Melissa Etheridge Margaret Court April 6 Nadia Reid Northcote Social Club April 6 The Jungle Giants 170 Russell April 6 Crooked Colours The Croxton April 7 Cloud Control Northcote Social Club April 7 Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever Howler April 7 Chocolate Starfish Memo Music Hall April 7 Lionel Richie & Chic Rod Laver Arena April 8
Adam Eckersley & Brooke Mcclymont The Toff April 12 Tove Styrke Howler April 12 Husky The Tote April 13 Horrorshow The Gasometer April 13, 14 Klp Monash Uni April 13 Smino & Monte Booker Corner Hotel April 17 Wolves In The Throne Room Corner Hotel April 19 30/70 Corner Hotel April 19 Shed Seven Corner Hotel April 20 Polaris Arrow On Swanston April 20, Corner Hotel April 21 Jake Bugg The Croxton April 20 John Garcia Cherry Bar April 20 Dan Sultan Memo Music Hall April 20 Basenji The Night Cat April 20 Mod Con The Tote April 20 Maddy Jane The Gasometer April 20 Halsey Margaret Court Arena April 21 Wetfest Howler April 21 Sleeping With Sirens Festival Hall April 22 Simple Plan The Forum April 23, 24 Harry Styles Hisense Arena April 24 Destruction Max Watt’s April 24 Nosaj Thing Howler April 24 Kip Moore & Lee Brice Forum Theatre April 25 Satyricon Max Watt’s April 26 Biffy Clyro Forum Theatre April 27 Gwar 170 Russell April 27 Jimmy Barnes Palais Theatre April 28 Endless Heights Northcote Social Club April 28 Wednesday 13 & Davey Suicide Corner Hotel April 28 Youth Code Evelyn Hotel April 28 Stereophonics The Forum April 30 Jacob Collier Howler May 1 Flight Facilities 170 Russell May 1 Alex Cameron The Croxton May 3 The Contortionist Max Watts May 3 Mama Kin Spender Howler May 3 Portugal. The Man The Forum May 3 The Killers Hisense Arena May 4, 5, 6 Lady Leshur Corner Hotel May 4 Aminé Max Watts May 4, 14 Bulletboys Cherry Bar May 4 Jarrow The Curtin May 4 The Cribs Yah Yah’s May 5 Machinge Gun Kelly The Forum May 5 Story Of The Year 170 Russell May 6 Roy Orbison In Dreams Hisense Arena May 8 Public Service Broadcasting Howler May 8 Shaun Kirk The Gasometer May 11 The Weather Station Northcote Social Club May 11 Marlon Williams Forum Theatre May 12, June 22 Shannon Noll Max Watt’s May 12 Pears Bendigo Hotel May 12 Tex Perkins Palais Theatre May 12 Peking Duk Festival Hall May 12 Tropical F*Ck Storm Howler May 12 Bobby Alu Wesley Anne May 12, Sooki Lounge May 13 Missy Higgins Palais Theatre May 13 Sepultura 170 Russell May 15 Imagine Dragons Margaret Court Arena May 15, 16
Silverstein & Comeback Kid 170 Russell May 16 Robert Cray Band The Croxton May 17 Dz Deathrays 170 Russell May 18, 23 Jack Ladder & The Dreamlanders Corner Hotel May 18 Angus & Julia Stone Festival Hall May 19 Rick Price & Jack Jones Hamer Hall May 19 Europe Palais Theatre May 19 Ocean Alley The Forum May 19 Circa Survive Corner Hotel May 25 Apia Good Times Ft Brian Cadd, Marcia Hines, More Palais Theatre May 25 Seether The Forum May 25 Totally Mild Howler May 26 Joshua Radin Corner Hotel May 27 Mastin Max Watt’s May 27 5 Seconds Of Summer 170 Russell May 29 Niall Horan Margaret Court Arena June 7 Lea Delaria Melbourne Recital Centre June 7 Mondo Rock The Palms June 8, 9 Dma’s The Forum June 8, 9 City Calm Down The Forum June 15 Michael Bolton Hamer Hall June 17 Sarah Blasko 170 Russell June 22 What So Not The Forum June 23 Streetlight Manifesto 170 Russell June 25 Quinn Xcii The Corner July 1 My Friend The Chocolate Cake Melbourne Recital Centre July 14 Pink Rod Laver Arena July 16, 17, 19, 20, 22, 23, 25 Machine Head The Forum July 21 The Bamboos Corner Hotel August 4 Celine Dion Rod Laver Arena August 7 Gene Simmons Margaret Court August 30 Britrock Must Be Destroyed 170 Russell September 2 Vance Joy Rod Laver Arena September 15 Mariah Carey Rod Laver Arena October 10 Boney M Palais Theatre October 20 Taylor Swift Etihad Stadium October 26 Sam Smith Rod Laver Arena November 6, 7 Shania Twain Rod Laver Arena December 11, 12
PREDICTIONS Mr. President, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Meredith Brooks
New Announcement Beat Presents
thursdays ALT. INDIE. POP PUNK. ANTHEMS. AND SOME NEW STUFF
FREE ENTRY $6.50 SOUTHERN COMFORT & WHATEVER ALL NIGHT
Drink Specials before Midnight @persaďŹ tzroy
/perseverance.hotel
@perseverancehotel
www.theperseverance.com BEAT.COM.AU 39
The Perseverance, 196 Brunswick St, Fitzroy
40 BEAT.COM.AU