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ISSUE 1679
Contents EDITOR Tom Parker DIGITAL EDITOR Caleb Triscari SUB EDITOR Augustus Welby EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS Joshua Martin, Kate Streader, Jonti Ridley, Annie-Mei Forster COVER CREDIT Barun Chatterjee GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Erica May, Ruby Furst MANAGING DIRECTOR Patrick Carr ADVERTISING Greg Pettinella (Advertising/Editorial) greg@beat.com.au
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One The Bear
Nicholas Simonsen (Backstage/Musical Equipment) nicholas@furstmedia.com.au ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE accounts@furstmedia.com.au DISTRIBUTION Free every second Wednesday to over 3,200 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 SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER Ian Laidlaw CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS David Harris, Lewis Nixon, Sally Townsend, Andrew Friend, Rochelle Flack, Anna Madden, Dan Soderstrom, Joshua Braybrook, Tasha Strachan, James Hughes
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LEISURE
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Emma Russack
Editor’s Note What my amicable co-editor didn’t tell me before leaving to go gallivant at Splendour In The Grass is that putting together a music magazine is much like conducting an orchestra; there are lots of moving parts that must work together. Some parts forget to come in on time. There are drums for some god-awful reason. Of all the issues to tear my prize-winning curls out over, past or future, I’m so relieved it’s this one — Beat 1679. In our largest issue this year to date, we stand in the glow of the glorious Sampa The Great. Ahead of her newly-announced tour, Sampa will be heading to the Melbourne International Film Festival to perform a stunning reinterpretation of the soundtrack from Céline Sciamma’s touching film, Girlhood. If films aren’t your forte, I understand and am willing to let that slide. Hopefully, our 24-page Melbourne Guitar Show special will be able to quench your thirst for non-stop music goodness. A bunch of local and international acts will be heading to the Caulfield Racecourse in addition to all the axe, pedal and gear vendors you could ever hope for. Though we’re smack dab in the middle of a Melbourne winter, it hasn’t stopped the city’s passionate (and under-resourced) arts producers feeding the cultural beast. Programs from the just-revealed Melbourne International Arts Festival and Melbourne Writers Festival have promised jaw-dropping artists from around the globe, and when I think about that, it warms my automaton heart. Grab some popcorn, dearest Beat readers, and enjoy the show. CALEB TRISCARI, ACTING EDITOR
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News Arts Guide Columns Sampa The Great One The Bear Melbourne Guitar Show Orchestra of Doom, 3 Songs for 3CR Hilltop Hoods, LEISURE, The Thornbury Local
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Waiting: The Van Duren Story, SAE Open Day Emma Russack, The Drunken Poet Profiles Beat Eats Best New Album Album Reviews In the Pit Gig Guide
COLUMNISTS Christie Eliezer, Sose Fuamoli, Augustus Welby, Morgan Mangan, D’arcy McGregor, Sam Howard, Anna Rose CONTRIBUTORS Alexander Crowden, Dan Watt, Augustus Welby, Alex Watts, David James Young, Bronius Zumeris, Natalie Rogers, Holly Pereira, Claire Morley, Jacob Colliver, Anna Rose, Christopher Lewis, Christine Tsimbis, Eliza Booth, Ellen Pritchard, Holly Denison, James Robertson, Rhys McKenzie, Jono Coote, Jonathan Reynoso, Lexi Herbert, Luke Carlino, Marnie Vinall, Maria Glykokalamos, Meg Crawford, Scott Hudson, Tammy Walters
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GIVEAWAY We’re giving three lucky Beat readers the chance to win a double pass each to see blues-rock powerhouse Joe Bonamassa live in September. To enter, head to beat.com.au/win
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NEWS
News
Melbourne International Arts Festival ANNOUNCES STAR-STUDDED PROGRAM Strap yourself in, this year’s Melbourne International Arts Festival program is a doozy. Featuring six world premieres, 12 Aussie premieres and three Australian exclusives, the bumper program has a wide assortment of live music, visual arts, theatre and dance. Music events include shows from Joan As Police Woman, Kamasi Washington and The Flaming Lips, who’ll be reliving the 1999 release, The Soft Bulletin. A range of theatre shows and art exhibitions are also on the bill, as well as a handful of Melbourne trams receiving their annual makeover. This is the Melbourne International Arts Festival’s final instalment before merging with White Night to create a brand new blockbuster event. The festival is happening from Wednesday October 2 until Sunday October 20. Head to the festival website for more info and the full lineup.
Meredith Music Festival
Viagogo
Tropical Fuck Storm
Bon Iver
BALLOT NOW OPEN
REMOVED FROM GOOGLE SEARCH RESULTS
UNVEIL HUGE LIST OF TOUR DATES
BACK WITH FOURTH STUDIO ALBUM ‘I,I’
To avoid being left behind, you should probably enter the ballot for Meredith tickets. Although the lineup hasn’t been released, the festival always sells out, and with good reason. If you’re not already a ticket subscriber, you’ve got until Monday August 12 to enter your name in the ballot. The 29th Meredith Music Festival will take place from Friday December 13 till Sunday December 15 at the Meredith Supernatural Amphitheatre. Head to the festival website for more info.
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Google has taken a stand against major ticket scalper site Viagogo by removing their paid-for search ranking. Previously, the Swiss-based website would appear first in a sponsored ad slot when Google users searched for their desired event. The site now appears further down in the search results, enabling authorised ticket seller websites to be shown first. Google says the site was in breach of their advertising policy.
Aussie art-rockers Tropical Fuck Storm have a massive national tour planned for October. The band will hit all the major capital cities plus a handful of regional towns. TFS will release their second LP, Braindrops, in the lead up to the tour. The record’s trailed by the singles ‘Paradise’ and ‘The Planet Of Straw Men’, which both stink in the best possible way. TFS are playing at The Croxton Bandroom on Friday October 18. Check the band’s website for full tour dates.
Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon has announced his project’s upcoming fourth studio album, i,i. The record follows 2016’s critically lauded, 22, A Million. Vernon said in a statement, “i,i feels very much like the most adult record, the most complete”. Tracks ‘Jelmore’ and ‘Faith’ have already been released with accompanying music videos. The record will feature guest appearances from James Blake, Bryce Dessner and more. Go to Bon Iver’s website to pre-order. The album is set for release Friday August 30.
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MELBOURNE CAMPUS - NORMANBY RD Discover the career opportunities open to you. Our studios will be in action, equipment ready to try, student exhibitions on display and your future mentors ready to inspire.
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NEWS
Photo by Kate Meakin
HTRK ANNOUNCE FOURTH ALBUM ‘VENUS IN LEO’ HTRK, aka Jonnine Standish and Nigel Yang, return with their first album in five years. Venus In Leo follows 2014’s electronic departure, Psychic 9-5 Club. The new record returns to HTRK’s underground rock past with great interplay between Yang’s guitar and Standish’s vocals. The album’s first single, ‘You Know How To Make Me Happy’, is available on all streaming platforms now. Pre-order Venus In Leo from Mistletone’s website and catch the band live on Saturday August 17 at Geddes Lane Ballroom.
Bethany Cosentino
Sampa The Great
BIGSOUND Festival
Orchestra of Doom
ANNOUNCES ‘THE RETURN’ AUSTRALIAN TOUR
REVEALS THE OFFICIAL PARTY PROGRAM
RELEASE MELBOURNE SHOW TICKETS
After performing at festivals like Glastonbury and Down The Rabbit Hole, Sampa The Great is returning for a massive Australian tour. Her album, The Return, is set to be released in September and references her physical and spiritual journey of returning to Zambia and Botswana, where she was born and raised respectively. You can catch Sampa The Great at a yet to be announced Melbourne location on Friday October 18 and also at Lost Lands Festival on Saturday November 2. Check her website for full tour details.
BIGSOUND Festival is now in its 18th year and Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley will come alive for four days with a global gathering of musicians, enthusiasts and industry personnel. BIGSOUND has uncovered names like Flume, Rüfüs Du Sol and Courtney Barnett, to name a few. The speaker lineup this year includes Best Coast’s Bethany Cosentino, music writer and industry figure Vivien Goldman and many more. The festival runs from Tuesday September 3 to Friday September 6. Tickets can be purchased from the BIGSOUND website.
Hear us out: iconic heavy metal tunes, performed by an orchestra, live. Born from a love of the metal genre, Ugly Kid Joe frontman Whitfield Crane has merged the unlikely pair in a show that’s already proven to be a sell out. Joined by Philharmonia Australia Orchestra, the show will feature songs from Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osbourne and Ugly Kid Joe, to name just a few. Hear it for yourself on Tuesday December 3 at the Palais Theatre. Tickets go on sale Thursday July 25 via Ticketmaster.
Matt Corby and Tash Sultana ‘TALK IT OUT’ IN THEIR NEW SINGLE Two of Australia’s most successful young musicians, Matt Corby and Tash Sultana, have joined forces on the new single ‘Talk It Out’. It’s a blissed-out and soulful anthem allowing each artist to shine in a harmonious way. In the last 12 months, Sultana and Corby both released critically-acclaimed albums, Flow State and Rainbow Valley respectively. Combined they have over 750 million streams. You can fang ‘Talk It Out’ on all streaming platforms.
Baker Boy
Helpmann Awards
Chastity Belt
HUGE ANNOUNCEMENT OF 2019 INDUSTRY WINNERS
BACK WITH SELF-TITLED FOURTH ALBUM
The 19th annual Helpmann Awards were held in July to celebrate the artistic excellence and distinguished achievements of Australia’s live entertainment and performing arts industry. Paul Kelly presented the JC Williamson Award to Kev Carmody for his outstanding contribution to the live performance industry. Other winners included Hannah Gadsby for Best Comedy Performer and Neil Austin for Best Lighting Design in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Parts One and Two). Check the Helpmann Awards website for the full list of nominees and winners.
Seattle indie-rockers Chastity Belt are back with their self-titled fourth album. When asked about the name of the album, vocalist Julia Shapiro said, “we’re more us than ever”. A hiatus in 2018 saw each member work on solo material or tour with other bands. The quartet have signed with Milk! Records for the new release; the single ‘Ann’s Jam’ is out now, accompanied by a self-made music video. Chastity Belt will arrive on Friday September 20 and be available on LP, CD or digital. Check the band’s website for more info.
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National Indigenous Music Awards 2019 NOMINATIONS UNVEILED The National Indigenous Music Awards has been celebrating Indigenous Australian music for 16 years. Musicians such as Yothu Yindi, Gurrumul and The Tableland Drifters are just a few artists that have won awards or performed at the ceremony in the past. This year, 20 artists are nominated across six categories. Artist of the Year nominees include Archie Roach, Baker Boy and Mojo Juju. Tickets are on sale now via the Darwin Festival website. The evening will be held on Saturday August 10 at Darwin’s iconic Amphitheatre.
Private Function ANNOUNCE DEBUT LP AND TOUR AND NATIONAL TOUR Melbourne pub-punk misfits Private Function have revealed their debut LP, St Anger, is coming on Friday August 16. Stop what you’re doing and check out their punk cover of Midnight Oil’s ‘King of the Mountain’ now. Expect the new album to hit you with powerpop melodies and anthemic pub rock tunes. Private Function will be taking St Anger on the road later this year and you can catch them at The Tote on Saturday September 28. Check the band’s Facebook page for full tour dates and album info.
All tickets on sale festival.melbourne
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NEWS
Photo by Mark Gambino
Arts Centre Melbourne ANNOUNCES NEW MENTAL HEALTH INITIATIVE Created by Arts Centre Melbourne, the Arts Wellbeing Collective has launched a 24/7 wellbeing helpline for members of the performing arts industry. The new helpline is part of the Centre’s suite of mental health and wellbeing initiatives. Partnered with Support Act, the service is free and confidential, and specifically tailored to performing arts practitioners. The initiative aims to support to those who may not have access to professional support and are dealing with the unique difficulties within the industry. The Support Act Wellbeing Helpline can be accessed 24/7 on 1800 959 500 within Australia. For more information, visit the Arts Wellbeing Collective website.
Iggy Pop
Xin Trio
Dominic Fike
Fred Armisen
ANNOUNCES NEW ALBUM ‘FREE’
LAND AT RED BETTY’S SUNDAY JAZZ SESSION
ANNOUNCES DEBUT AUSTRALIAN TOUR
ANNOUNCES FIRST AUSSIE TOUR
Melbourne jazz group Xin Trio have been announced as the latest act for the Sunday Jazz Session series at Brunswick’s Red Betty. Taking inspiration from the likes of the Walter Smith trio, Will Vinson Trio and Paul Motian’s On Broadway series, the outfit are sure to kick up a fuss at their first residency show taking place later this month. Xin Trio land at Red Betty on Sunday July 28. For more info, head to the venue website.
Dominic Fike’s pop hit ‘3 Nights’ spread like wildfire across the airwaves in the US, UK and Australia. Now the 23-year-old singer and rapper from Florida is coming to Australia for a national tour. Tickets are on sale now, but be quick as they’re going to get snapped up fast. You can see Dominic Fike and his much talked about Apple logo facial tattoo at the Corner Hotel on Tuesday October 15. Check his website for all the deets.
Iggy Pop is back with his new album, Free. It’s Iggy’s first album since 2016’s Josh Homme collaboration, Post Pop Depression, and he’s promising a completely different sound. It’s shaping up to be a uniquely sombre and contemplative affair. The title track opens with an eerie soft trumpet. “This is an album in which other artists speak for me, but I lend my voice,” said Iggy. The album will be released on Friday September 6. You can listen to ‘Free’ on all streaming platforms.
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Funnyman Fred Armisen, who you probably know from his SNL skits or the award-winning TV show, Portlandia, is coming to Australia this August with his new comedy tour, Comedy For Musicians But Everyone Is Welcome. Armisen’s talents aren’t confined to comedy – he began his career as a musician and continues to lead the house band on Late Night with Seth Meyers. Armisen will visit the Athenaeum Theatre on Thursday August 29, tickets are already on sale through the venue website.
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ARTS GUIDE
Arts Guide BEAT’S K TOP PIC
Open House Melbourne REAL ESTATE AGENT NOT REQUIRED Despite being one of the city’s visual cornerstones, many of us take Melbourne’s iconic architecture for granted. Happening this weekend, the 12th annual Open House Melbourne event gives you a chance to experience all the architectural ins and outs. With a jam-packed two-day program featuring over 200 tours and events, this is your opportunity to access areas typically closed off to the public, as well as joining guided tours through historical sites. Buildings on the program are spread across the Melbourne CBD and outer suburbs. While most tours are free, some require booking or a small entry fee to participate. You can find more information and the full program on the event’s website. Open House Melbourne runs on Saturday July 27 and Sunday 28 July.
Image by Tatjana Plitt
REVIEW
Booksmart is the coming of age film we all deserve The high school to college transition is a familiar Hollywood trope, yet no film has looked at this typical coming of age motif at such an angle as Booksmart. On the eve of graduation, Amy (Kaitlyn Dever) and Molly
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(Beanie Feldstein) are feeling pretty smug; years of avoiding parties in exchange for late nights at the library has earnt them each a place at their college of choice. The future is looking bright and the world is in order. That is until Molly discovers that even the cool kids who did attend all the parties and spent their teenage years seemingly goofing off also got into the good colleges. It turns out you can have it all and Molly and Amy sacrificed their social lives for nothing. And so, the rational course of action is to crash the popular kids’ graduation party
for one final (and first) hurrah, resulting in an evening of ridiculous antics and the kind of lessons that can’t be found in any textbook. When it comes to the high school graduation narrative, viewers have grown accustomed to a regurgitation of the same general plot, one which tends to involve a group of unpopular highschool boys desperate to lose their virginity before heading off to college, a la American Pie and Superbad. Yet, in her directorial debut, Olivia Wilde takes this tired, often misogynistic narrative and turns it on its head. In fact, Booksmart is the antithesis to Superbad – co-starring Jonah Hill’s sister, Feldstein, no less. A celebration of female friendship, it harkens the likes of Broad City – albeit somewhat tamer – while instilling a myriad of important lessons without compromising its comedic edge. Booksmart is the film teenagers and adults, particularly women and girls, deserve. To call it realistic may be a stretch, though compared with its kin it delivers a much more accurate view of the world it portrays. High school films usually spout the plight of a bunch of upper-middle-class white kids
with perhaps a tokenistic person of colour or queer character in order to tick the diversity box. Booksmart, on the other hand, celebrates a range of fleshed-out characters while navigating the burgeoning sexual awakening of adolescence from a queer perspective. However, while there are whiffs of romantic subplots, love interests appear as more of a side note than anything. Rather than serving as a marker of a happy ending – the girl gets the boy (or girl) – the elements of romance simply create the opportunity to explore more complex ideas surrounding sexuality and first times. While Booksmart is absolutely a product of 2019’s woke culture, sprinkled with overt feminist ideals, these themes appear spontaneously and authentically. Despite the weight of its undertones, Booksmart begs the importance of not taking everything so seriously, offering a generous serve of belly laughs in the process. BY KATE STREADER Booksmart is out in Australian cinemas today.
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ARTS GUIDE
Heide Contemporary Ceramics FOR ALL YOU POTHEADS Heide Museum of Modern Art will be spotlighting leading ceramic artists from around the world in their new exhibition, An idea needing to be made: Contemporary Ceramics. Featuring both international and homegrown artists, the project aims to explore the form and function of ceramic vessels through original techniques in a contemporary context. The exhibition runs from Saturday July 27 till Sunday October 20, with tickets available through the gallery’s website.
NGV Private Drawing Session
Bookworks
A Midnight Visit
Abundance & Abandon Gala
YOU CHOSE LOOKS, I CHOSE BOOKS
QUOTH THE RAVEN
A LITTLE BIT FANCY
SOUNDS KIND OF SKETCHY
Treat your inner bookworm with a visit to MUMA’s newest exhibition, Bookworks. Bringing together the works of writers, artists, graphic designers, book makers and publishers, the exhibition will feature up to 800 artists’ books and publications from 100 national and international publishers. The show will host both workshops and forums, as well as an independent art library. The show runs from Wednesday July 24 until Saturday September 21 on the ground floor of Monash University Museum of Art with entry absolutely free.
Inspired by the works of Edgar Allan Poe, a new multisensory experience is coming to an abandoned warehouse in Melbourne’s north between Tuesday July 30 and Sunday September 15. A Midnight Visit is part chooseyour-own-adventure, part film-set, part performance and part soundscape featuring 34 rooms that promise to offer an experience like no other. With cast members experienced in theatre, circus and burlesque, the show enters a new genre of theatre culture. Tickets available on the event’s website.
Tickets are now available for Theatre Works’ annual fundraiser on Friday August 2. An evening dedicated to everything we love about Theatre Works, the Abundance & Abandon Gala celebrates imagination and wonder through eclectic performances, delicious dining and wonderful wine. Featuring Claire Hooper, Mama Alto, The Huxleys and more, tickets will set you back $130, but funds raised go to the development and support of the St Kilda theatre. Visit the venue website to grab your tickets.
Gertrude Street Projection Festival
Planetarium Nights
My Dearworthy Darling
Junction Arts Festival
THE SKY’S AWAKE, SO WE’RE AWAKE
DROPS THIS YEAR’S ARTS PROGRAM
SET TO LIGHT UP FITZROY
Lovers of space can now enjoy the Scienceworks Planetarium child-free and with a drink in hand every Friday night. With two screenings each Friday in July and August, each offering a different planetary experience, punters can enjoy the full-dome film screenings with surround sound. Whether you’re looking for an education in astronomy or an immersive film experience, this month’s program has something for everyone. See the lineup and book your tickets on the venue website.
FEMALE MADNESS TAKES CENTRE STAGE
Art lovers can experience Cai Guo-Qiang’s installation ‘Murmuration (Landscape)’ as part of the NGV’s upcoming drawing session, Sketching The Souls Of The Warriors, on Saturday August 3. Hosted by local artist Filomena Coppola, participants can explore the flock of 10,000 starlings on paper while experimenting with emotion, tonal range and texture. You can purchase tickets on the NGV website, which also includes entry to the featured exhibition.
Hovering spirits, human canvases and VR experiences are just some of the stunning features you can expect from this year’s Gertrude Street Projection Festival. The event’s 12th annual instalment is bigger than ever – nine winter nights will be illuminated in Australia’s longest running projection festival. With a lineup full of upcoming artists and stunning visuals, there’s no reason to not stop by. You can find the full program on the event website. The festival starts on Friday July 26 and ends Saturday August 3.
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From the mind of the award-winning poet and novelist Alison Croggon comes the new theatre show, My Dearworthy Darling. Connecting women throughout history via mystic visions and in defiance of the patriarchy, Croggon creates a timeline that is both immersive and a reflection of our modern lives. Designed and directed by The Rabble, the play is on show at the Malthouse Theatre from Friday August 2 until Sunday August 18. Pencil it in and book your tickets through the venue.
Launceston’s Junction Arts Festival has unveiled its eclectic 2019 program with a strong focus on Tasmanian artists. The fourday event is teeming with live music, dance and visual art events in addition to plenty of entertainment for kids. Highlights include an immersive experience and architectural tour from Melbourne street artist RONE and triple bill cabaret The Little Devil. Junction Arts Festival takes place throughout Launceston between Wednesday September 4 and Sunday September 8. For more info, head to the festival website.
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COLUMNS
Hip Hop
Electronic
Industry
WITH SOSE FUAMOLI
WITH SAMANTHA HOWARD
WITH CHRISTIE ELIEZER
Beyoncé’s gift, Kendrick’s record and Chance’s big day
Five hot local electronic releases of 2019 (so far)
Music festival report: we’re here for the beer
BEYONCE’S CURATED ALBUM FOR ‘THE LION KING’ IS
Australia’s electronic music scene is rich in talent and 2019 has been particularly golden for homegrown releases. In no particular order, here are five rad electronic artists who have released solid gems so far this year.
That music is now just part of the festival experience, and food and drinks are becoming a major drawcard, is obvious in the wider gourmet choices and range of sponsorships at Australian festivals. In the US, according to an Eventbrite survey, as high as 62 per cent go to a festival for the food, and 56 per cent won’t return if the food was crap. An American festival-goer will pay up to $57 more for a “unique food event”, up to $80 for millennials. In the UK, the Association of Independent Festivals reported that spending on food and drink at festivals jumped up 40 per cent between 2009 and 2018. In the UK, up to 61 per cent decide on whether to go to a music event depending on the food, said a 2018 report from business intelligence firm CGA Strategy. In Australia, beer was the most popular drink at music festivals in the past 12 months. Spirits and cocktails were at second place. The figures are from the Australian operations of global payments provider Square. Citing that 79 per cent of Aussie patrons prefer cards, Square crunched the numbers of card transactions at 100 events in the period. These included Bluesfest, Laneway, Splendour and Spilt Milk.
STACKED, PEOPLE
Now, Beyoncé doesn’t do things by halves, we all know this. With the remake of The Lion King now out and doing its thing, Queen Bey has fans even more excited with the unveiling of her specially curated record, The Lion King: The Gift. The full track list includes a number of powerhouse names including hubby Jay-Z, Kendrick Lamar, Childish Gambino and Pharrell Williams. Younger trailblazers like Tierra Whack and Saint Jhn also appear. There’s even a spot for Blue Ivy Carter on the record, with Beyoncé’s daughter appearing on the track entitled ‘Brown Skin Girl’. “I wanted to put everyone on their own journey to link the storyline,” Beyoncé said in a statement. “Each song was written to reflect the film’s storytelling that gives the listener a chance to imagine their own imagery, while listening to a new contemporary interpretation.”
MIDNIGHT TENDERNESS – REFRESCO
With a deliciously lush EP that sounds exactly like his name, the other half of Turner Street Sounds (a two-piece with Rings Around Saturn) has given us a grouse four-piece record to suit any kind of mood. Midnight Tenderness can usually be found spreading his good vibes on Skylab Radio, but the magical Refresco EP – released on local label Ken Oath Records – means you can soak up his oneof-a-kind groovy baselines and glistening boogie beats whenever you want. HYBRID MAN – LYREBIRD
The talented duo consisting of Julien Huynh and Will Holden have been delighting dancefloors all around town with impressive hardware-based shows. Lyrebird, their new EP released on Paper Cuts, will undoubtedly nourish every last cell in your body. Think ethereal space vibes mixed with fast and deep-shimmering celestial synths. NICE GIRL – HIM006 KENDRICK LAMAR’S ‘GOOD KID, M.A.A.D CITY’ NOW SHARES A RECORD WITH EMINEM
Easily one of K-Dot’s most beloved records, good kid, m.A.A.d city has now celebrated an epic 350 weeks on the Billboard Chart. It’s the second hiphop album to reach such a milestone, following Eminem’s 2002 release, The Eminem Show. Released in 2012, good kid, m.A.A.d city was a gamechanger for Lamar. His sophomore album, the follow up to 2011’s Section 80, saw the Compton rapper flex his rhythmic flow in a gritty and brilliantly entertaining manner. Featuring guest spots from Dr. Dre and Jay Rock amongst others, the record has most certainly remained a favourite among Lamar’s fanbase even as he ventured into Pulitzer Prize winning territory. DETAILS ABOUT CHANCE THE RAPPER’S LONG AWAITED DEBUT ALBUM EMERGE
Talk about a long time coming. Chance The Rapper will finally be releasing his first studio album this month. Entitled The Big Day, the album will be released on Friday July 26. Appearing on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon recently, Chance The Rapper dropped the news and the official cover art. “I’ve been waiting to make an album for a long time,” he told The Source earlier this year. “The process has been just me being back in the studio all the time. Just making two songs a day. And trying to have fun.” Of course, we’ve already heard ‘Groceries’ from the album, featuring TisaKorean and Murda Beatz, and Chance’s mentor, Kanye West, is one of the album’s other confirmed guests.
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The Kiwis that make their way over to Melbourne and immerse themselves in the city’s electronic music scene always bring solid vibes and excellent music taste. Nice Girl, also known as Ruby Kerkhofs, goes one big step further with the production of her epic debut release, HIM006, for local label, Houses in Motion. The dreamy floating vocals over intricate percussion create a wide contrast to the ambient synth drones and dark acid flicks and riffs across tracks, resulting in an incredibly diverse record. HORATIO LUNA – PRINT IT, RUN IT, SEND IT
Horatio Luna is the king of experimental jazz-electronic. You never know what will come out of the sporadic man whose cosmic sound stems from a history of jazz mixed with Detroit house. The bass player of 30/70 – the local band picked up by notorious UK label Rhythm Section – has released an improvisational EP titled Print It, Run It, Send It, with a sound as good as a live gig. SUI ZHEN – PERFECT PLACE
Sui Zhen has got to be one of the strangest electronic personalities in Australia, but that’s why we love her. Zhen’s music is perfect for when you crave something a bit more obscure, boppy, light and fruity. Her recent single, ‘Perfect Place’, is a fabulous introduction to her upcoming album, Losing, Linda. Zhen’s post-punk sound mixed with indie-synths will be a freshy to the ears.
Says Square, beer made up 33 per cent of total sales in five states. Spirits and cocktails were 22 per cent, premix drinks 17 per cent, non-alcoholic beverages 12 per cent, cider 11 per cent, and wine only a surprising low 5 per cent. Beer was consumed mostly until 3pm, when it made up 51 per cent of total sales. Between 6pm and midnight, spirits and cocktails made up 45 per cent of total drinks sold. Victoria consumed 33 per cent of beer, while its favoured cocktail was the espresso martini (nationally it was vodka and Red Bull). The other beer guzzlers were NSW (43 per cent), Queensland (60 per cent), WA (34 per cent) and Tasmania (76 per cent). However, South Australians consumed 39 per cent spirits and cocktails (mostly gin and tonics) and the ACT went hard on the premixes at 37 per cent. Average spend on beer nationally was just under $9, with the spend on spirits, cocktails and premixed drinks at around $12 each. The average Aussie spend on food and drinks via card in a day at a festival is $60, with a further 20 per cent spending more than $100. There were big spenders, too, with one punter splashing out $3600 on one day. The average national spend on food was just over $14 for a burger, pizza or salad, with hot dogs and sandwiches at $10. Price sensitivity varied by state: the average NSW spend was $4 more for burgers and $4 more for their beer than those in Queensland, who spent the least.
Wednesday 24th 8.00pm
LIVE MUSIC JULY/AUGUST FRIDAY 26TH JULY 9PM
Wednesday 24th July
Wine, Whiskey, Women 8pm: JJ Bailey 9pm: Emily Davis Thursday 25th July
Trevor Petrie 9pm: Emily Daye
8pm:
Friday 26th July
Traditional Irish Music Session 8:30pm: Mast Gully Fellas 6pm:
Saturday 27th July
Kraken Folk Session 9pm: Isuela
3pm:
Sunday 28th July
Andrea Robertson 6:30pm: Red Dirt Radio
4pm:
Tuesday 30th July
Tuesday Tribute 8pm: The Glorious play the songs of Simon & Garfunkle Wednesday 31st July
Wine, Whiskey, Women 8pm: Mon Coeur 9pm: Jess Parker Thursday 1st August
7pm:
Open Mic Night
[ sign up 5:30pm ] Friday 2nd August
Traditional Irish Music Session 8:30pm: Corey Legge
6pm:
Saturday 3rd August
3pm:
Stephen Kennedy Sunday 4th August
4pm:
The Stetson Family 6:30pm: The Colvin Brothers Tuesday 6th August
Tuesday Tribute 8pm: The Nightmovers plays the songs of Bob Seger The Drunken Poet 65 Peel Street (directly opposite Queen Vic Market), Phone: 03 9348 9797. www.thedrunkenpoet.com.au
TOM REDWOOD & THE GLUE SATURDAY 27TH JULY 9PM
AFTER DEATH AROUND DAWN SUNDAY 28TH JULY 5PM
TIM WOODZ & TOM CARTOONIST (TNT) FRIDAY 2ND AUGUST 9PM
THE FRINGE DEWELLERS SATURDAY 3RD AUGUST 9PM-3AM
#SNUGGBEATS SUNDAY 4TH AUGUST 5PM
LEILENI & BUD WEEKLY SPECIALS MONDAY HAPPY HOUR 10PM - 1AM $6 JAMESON $4 POTS $8 PINTS $6 WINE
TUESDAY TRIVIA 8PM $10 PIZZA
WEDNESDAY OPEN MIC 8PM $10 BURGER & FRIES
THURSDAY $10 PINTS & $1 BUFFALO CHICKEN WINGS
FRIDAY HAPPY HOUR 4PM - 6PM KITCHEN OPEN LATE EVERYDAY TILL 11PM
THE THORNBURY LOCAL 635 HIGH ST, THORNBURY 3071 TEL: (03) 9495 0341 INFO@THETHORNBURYLOCAL.COM
‘LOMOND ACOUSTICA’
NICK CHARLES, MIKE RUDD, SHANNON BOURNE Friday 26th 9.30pm
MUDTRAIN BLUES EXPRESS (Blues grooves)
IF YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW. FRIDAY 26 JULY
KINEMATIC POLARIZE LEROY BIRCH 7PM • FREE ENTRY
SUNDAY 28 JULY SUNDAY JAZZ SESSION
XIN TRIO 7PM • FREE ENTRY
Saturday 27th 9.30pm
THURSDAY 1 AUGUST
MONICA AND THE MINDREADERS
LITTLE FRIDAY PRESENTS
(Blues roots) Sunday 28th 5.30pm
LUKE PLUMB AND THE CIRCUIT (Country roots) Tuesday 30th 9.00pm
IRISH SESSION WITH DAN BURKE Wednesday 31th 8.00pm
‘LOMONDACOUSTICA’
ALFRED HARUA & BRIAN FITZGERALD, MICK & TAS HAWIAAN DUO, JUSHUA BATTEN Friday 2nd 9.30pm
RAMBLIN’ ROSES (Grateful rock) Saturday 3rd 9.30pm
DOC HALIBUT (Country rock) Sunday 4th 5.30pm
GREG CHAMPION AND THE USEFUL MEMBERS OF SOCIETY (Do it yourself roots) Tuesday 6th 9.00pm
IRISH SESSION WITH DAN BURKE
ALL GIGS ARE FREE 225 NICHOLSON STREET, BRUNSWICK EAST. PH 9380 1752
ASHTRAY BOY ROSIE HADEN & GREG HOEPNER JOHNNY SEAGULL DUO 8PM • FREE ENTRY
FRIDAY 2 AUGUST
SHAKEN NOT STIRRED A FIFTIES COCKTAIL PARTY WITH
DJs LAMBCHOP AND MS PETTY CASH 7PM • FREE ENTRY
SATURDAY 3 AUGUST
EXPOSURE 004: ELOYSE KAYROY MADDY MARINA 6PM • FREE ENTRY
THURSDAY 8 AUGUST
THIN RED LINES FEATURING
ELEANOR JACKSON CAINNE CHRISTOPHER JAMES WHITE OLENKA TOROSHENKO 6.30PM • $10 DOOR
FRIDAY 9 AUGUST
RENELOPHUS JOSHUA SEYMOUR 7PM • FREE ENTRY
SATURDAY 10 AUGUST
THE ARGOTIERS SNARES AND WIRES 7PM • FREE ENTRY
OPEN FROM 6PM EVERY FRIDAY AND SATURDAY OTHER NIGHTS AS ADVERTISED BOOKING ENQUIRIES redbettybar@gmail.com GIG GUIDE redbetty.com.au In the laneway behind 859 Sydney Road, Brunswick (enter via Cozens St).
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COLUMNS
Metal
Punk
Charts
WITH ANNA ROSE
WITH MORGAN MANGAN
WITH SYN AND PBS
Sui Zhen
What even is heavy metal in 2019?
Music zines: a history
Whats hot on community radio
Once upon a time, I had a job in a second-hand bookshop. In the dilapidated yet charismatic top floor of an old townhouse, I was the commander of the music section. I spent my days filing newly acquired stock into sections I had created: instrumental sheets, mini scores, guitar anthologies – you name it, we had it, and I could find it. Our contemporary guitar section wasn’t vast, but we still had some choice, and maybe even rare, tablature anthologies. There came a day when my boss and I, in a discussion of how various sections should be categorised, got into a debate about the appropriate home for a Guns N’ Roses collection. She absolutely insisted it should live under “Heavy Metal”; I was adamant it should be in “Rock”. Many decades my senior, my boss was around in rock music’s heyday, a time when heavy metal would indeed have described the Gunners sound. I, a young whippersnapper, drew heavily on my understanding of current music and stretched my brain to run a marathon it hadn’t done for a while. I won my case, but it left me thinking, “we have evolved, haven’t we?”.
A zine is often a short, independent or self-published booklet featuring writing, photographs, drawings and images, typically inexpensive or free. Zines are used to promote ideas, communities, personal work, interviews and other arts and are circulated to a small number of people, with only limited copies made. Similar is the fanzine – a collection of stories, photos or general thoughts on musicians, writers, characters in novels or other themes. Fanzines are believed to have gained much of their popularity after readers of sci-fi novels began creating epilogues for their favourite characters. Fanzines evolved to focus on musicians, especially in the fields of punk in the 1970s and hardcore in the 1980s. Mouth of the Rat from 1982 was a fanzine from NYC, eventually evolving into the Rat Cage record store and then the Rat Cage Records label. The same year saw the release of Forced Exposure, the first Boston hardcore zine, which influenced the release of further zines in the area like Suburban Punk, Smash and XXX. Zines of the time featured advertisements for records or flyers helping to promote local gigs.
Community radio stations regularly have their ears to the ground when it comes to the latest hits. Here’s what’s on their radar this fortnight.
SYN SWEET 16 LOCAL
•
Merpire – ‘Habit’
•
The Buoys – ‘Gold’
•
30/70 – ‘Tempted’
•
Kult Kyss – ‘Ritual’
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Sui Zhen – ‘Perfect Place’
•
18YOMAN – ‘Full to the Brim’
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DRMNGNOW – ‘We See You’
•
Loods – ‘Walking Away’
INTERNATIONAL
Guns N’ Roses
Today we’re almost overwhelmed by metal subgenres – black metal, death metal, nu-metal, math metal, polymetal. Heck, even hardcore and all the subdivisions of the subgenre could be candidates for a place beneath the one true banner. And with more and more bands insisting they aren’t to be pigeonholed so as to be able to swim freely in their creative endeavours, should we be doing away with subgenres entirely? Should we just label everything that isn’t clearly rock as straight up heavy metal? Should we adhere to labels at all? What even is heavy metal in 2019? Post-hardcore and hardcore are almost two entirely standalone offshoots. Numetal? Well, it’s always going to stir up memories of Limp Bizkit and Korn, for better or worse. And the revolting noise of a genre I like to call vomit metal (you know the kind I’m talking about) can, in some opinions, barely be classed as music at all. Heavy metal today is confusing, overwhelming, and for music journalists who are supposed to listen with a critical ear, the evolution of the genre means we’re constantly listening for various nuances and updated sounds. As we step into a brand new decade, the third of this century, it’s going to be interesting to see what the scene comes up with in terms of the next big trend. Will heavy metal undergo a face lift yet again? Whatever happens, we can move forward in the comforting knowledge that, at least, Guns N’ Roses aren’t heavy metal.
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Bikini Kill
Later, in the 1990s, the Riot Grrrl feminist movement adopted zines to communicate support for women in music, political ideas and views. Members of Bikini Kill ran a zine during the movement under the same name. Zines are often presented in a DIY fashion, with text cut out or printed from a typewriter and displayed in collage style. Although they’re largely distributed via the internet these days, zines still remain an important platform for uncensored and thought provoking material. A number of contemporary bands have included zines with releases. Hearts & Rockets’ (then Heat Waves) 2017 release, Dead Beats, included small comic zines; No Sister’s self titled 2016 release included a lyric book, and U-Bahn’s 2019 self-titled came with a zine featuring artworks, images of the band members and lyrics. Soot is a general music zine currently coming out of Brisbane featuring artwork, interviews and mixtapes. Sticky Institute located in the Melbourne CBD is both a space to sell zines and a resource to help create, copy and learn about zine making. Many other music zines from across Australia and overseas can be found at Lulu’s record shop on High St, Northcote where you can also grab a copy of the Lulu’s newsletter. The newsletter presents staff reviews on recent releases and a calendar for local gigs happening. If you find yourself in rural Victoria, there are still opportunities for zine making and sharing. The Mildura Zine Fair will be happening between Friday August 2 and Sunday August 4, helping to bring together zine makers from across Australia and others keen to know how to start their own, with a zine making workshop on Saturday August 3.
•
Ashnikko – ‘Hi, It’s Me’
•
Nérija – ‘Last Straw’
•
Lower Dens – ‘I Drive’
•
Shura – ‘the stage’
•
Noah Slee – ‘Sunflower’
•
Mannequin Pussy – ‘F.U.C.A.W.’
•
Joviale – ‘Taste of the Heavens’
•
Velvet Negroni – ‘WINE GREEN’
PBS TOP TEN •
jade imagine – ‘The News’
•
Four Tet – ‘Dreamer’
•
Dana Gehrman – ‘These Days’
•
Golden Bug – ‘Cosmic Trigger’
•
High Tension – ‘Veil’
•
Edson Conceição – ‘Filhos de Gandhi (Um Abraço em Gilberto Gil)’
•
Jon Hopkins – ‘Emerald Rush (Solomun Remix)’
•
Glen Ricks – ‘I’ve Been Waiting For You (DJ Duckcomb Discomix)’
•
Joe Lewandowski & Bootie Grove – ‘Zé Pequeño’
THEATRE WORKS and the danger ensemble PRESENT
14 - 25 August
LET MEN TREMBLE
PAY WHAT YOU FEEL WEEKEND
is a rebellion. A revolt. A clarion call. It is a battle cry against the patriarchy, the church and theatre itself. It is a liturgical slut drop dripping with song, dance and theatrical madness. Get whet.
SATURDAY 17 | 7:30PM SUNDAY 18 | 5:00PM Reserve your seats online. Pay what you feel on the door. Limited spaces available.
tickets on sale now THEATREWORKS.ORG.AU | 9534 3388
TW
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COVER STORY
Hear My Eyes: Girlhood + Sampa The Great BY AUGUSTUS WELBY
In a Melbourne International Film Festival exclusive, Sampa The Great will perform live alongside Céline Sciamma’s 2014 film, Girlhood. The Melbourne-based hip hop prodigy will unveil an original reinterpretation of the French film’s score. “It’s the first time I’ve done a live score, which is exciting,” says Sampa.
The Zambian-born, Botswana-raised Sampa Tembo has just announced her debut LP, The Return. For listeners who’ve been hooked since The Great Mixtape came out in 2015, this will seem a long time coming – especially seeing as her follow up mixtape, Birds and the BEE9, picked up the 2018 Australian Music Prize. The Return will be with us in September and Sampa says the four-year build-up has been essential for developing an artistically and personally satisfying album. “I feel very free in the moment when I create music,” she says. “Nothing else matters. Even the insecurities start to shed off and you get to the point where it’s like, actually, my soul’s just speaking. It’s just absolute freedom.” Fashioning a live score is a separate undertaking to making a record, however. Preparations for the one-off Hear My Eyes event required that Sampa become deeply
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familiar with an existing film. Although Girlhood already includes a score, she’s primarily been influenced by Sciamma’s emotionally stirring narrative, which focuses on a group of young African-French women growing up in the Paris projects. “It was definitely sitting down with Liam McGorry – who’s in Saskwatch and he’s the MD for this project – and just going through the movie as a whole and figuring out the emotions behind certain scenes and translating the music to those emotions,” Sampa says. The score will include selections from Sampa’s back catalogue along with new works, a spoken word a capella and various interludes devised to accentuate the feel or emotion behind particular scenes. “It was basically sitting down, going through everything scene-by-scene and
being like, ‘what emotion is this giving you and how can we make the audience feel that musically?’” says Sampa. “It has been such a beautiful learning experience for me, so I’m really excited to show this work.” The film looks at youthful rebellion and the efforts of its lead character, Marieme, to discover an identity and resist being told what to do. Getting to know the film, a number of things resonated with Sampa’s own experiences growing up. “There’s definitely a lot of things in common with this story,” she says. “I’m just excited to be able to translate that into music and add my two cents to the story and the experience, because it’s definitely a diasporic experience, a coming of age story of this woman. “It’s just really finding your way through life and your identity, which is also something everyone resonates with. It’s a
beautiful story and her courage throughout this story is inspiring.” Sampa was particularly inspired by how Marieme continually redefined herself over the course of the film. “I think sometimes we feel like we have to just be this one person throughout our lives and that we’re not allowed to grow, change, have different mindsets and perceptions to who we were maybe two years ago,” she says. “And she’s able to do that. She’s like okay, this is the state I’m in, this is how I can survive and this is the character I’m going to take on for this part of my life.” Sampa’s no stranger to inspiring videography. Her two latest music videos, for ‘Final Form’ and ‘OMG’, are stunning pieces of work. It’s not always the case that a video enhances the impact of the song – often they’re little more than promotional tack-ons – but the Sanjay De Silva-directed clips give extra dimension to Sampa’s songs. “I really enjoy sitting down with [Sanjay] and just really fine-picking how we’re going to translate this visually. And also sitting with Ntombi, our stylist, and just figuring out how we’re going to translate this with colour and style and just going above and beyond to be edgy. It all came together really well.” Sampa takes great pride in the film accompaniments to her songs, regarding them as a means to sharpen her messaging and the representation of her identity. Of crucial significance is the fact these latest clips were shot in Zambia, Botswana and South Africa. “I think one of the key points of doing it at home was being able to show you my own story rather than have it being told for me,” Sampa says.“With all the different perceptions of home and what people see here and there, I was able to show you my home, specifically for me, so that you know the story behind the person who makes the music. And visuals are a whole different language. I really appreciate the art form and it’s something I want to now constantly add to.” Hear My Eyes: Girlhood + Sampa The Great happens on Saturday August 3 at Plenary 2 for MIFF. The Return arrives on Friday September 13 via Ninja Tune.
LIVE MUSIC EVERY FRIDAY WEDNESDAY 24TH JULY
WHISKY WEDNESDAYS ACOUSTIC SESSIONS
UPCOMING JULY / AUGUST
$6 Basic, $9 Premium, $12 Cocktails. 7PM, FREE. THURSDAY 25TH JULY 9PM
NEON SOUL: BERNADETTE NOVEMBRE
& 10 PIECE SOUL BAND THURSDAY 1ST AUGUST 9PM
FRANK RAYMOND & THE SILHOUETTES THURSDAY 8TH AUGUST 9PM
ROCKY & THE TWO BOB MILLIONAIRES THURSDAY 22ND AUGUST 9PM
FRANK RAYMOND & THE SILHOUETTES EVERY WEDNESDAY WINE & WHINE NIGHT. WINE SPECIALS AND TUNES ALL NIGHT LONG LOCAL LIVE MUSIC EVERY THURSDAY IN THE HEART OF CHINATOWN RANGING FROM SOUL, FUNK, ROCK & FOLK. DJ EVERY FRIDAY & SATURDAY PLAYING GROOVY TUNES ALL NIGHT. AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, WE HAVE HAD A VAST ARRAY OF EVENTS… THESE HAVE INCLUDED GIGS BY OUR REGULAR BANDS ROCKY AND THE TWO BOB MILLIONAIRES AND FRANK RAYMOND & THE SILHOUETTES, AS WELL AS FUNDRAISERS, CREATIVE BRAINSTORMING SESSIONS FOR CORPORATES, WEDDINGS, BIRTHDAYS, WHATEVER PEOPLE HAVE WANTED TO ACHIEVE.
THURSDAY 25TH JULY
RYAN OLIVER
WITH TEQUILA SPECIALS!
FLETCHER GULL with Special Guests 7PM, FREE. $14 jugs beer/cider - with current student card.
AUGUST 2
RIPLEY HOOD AND ASH
G MAN
JONES 6.30PM, FREE. BRITTLE SUN, USER, JULITHA RYAN 9PM, FREE.
AUGUST 9
SATURDAY 27TH JULY
RYAN OLIVER
FABELS, CONSTANT LIGHT, EDEN REVENANT 9PM, FREE. SUNDAY 28TH JULY
TRIBUTE TO KATE BUSH,
ROSE, MAGGIE & DEAN,
AUGUST 16
MADI LEEDS
SCARLETT COOK, ILLGOTTEN BOOTY &
AUGUST 23
EMMA SALMON 3PM.
JADE TALBOT
TUESDAY 30TH JULY
OPEN MIC $15 Pints, Free performer drink. 6PM, FREE. WEDNESDAY 31ST JULY
WHISKY WEDNESDAYS ACOUSTIC SESSIONS $6 Basic, $9 Premium, $12 Cocktails. 7PM, FREE. THURSDAY 1ST AUGUST THURSTY THURSDAYS UNI NIGHT
AUGUST 30
MARK HOWARD
WITH TEQUILA SPECIALS!
SECOND HAND SMOKE
SEPTEMBER 6
WITH SPECIAL GUESTS
RYAN OLIVER
7PM, FREE. $14 jugs beer/cider - with current student card. FRIDAY 2ND AUGUST
TAMMA, ABBEY STONE
SEPTEMBER 13
FLYING SAUCER TERROR RECORD LAUNCH FEAT.
LISA HANLEY
FLYING SAUCER TERROR & GUESTS 9PM, FREE. SATURDAY 3RD AUGUST
MARQUEE 20
SEPTEMBER 20
FEAT. REPLIKATOR,
7PM, FREE. SUNDAY 4TH AUGUST
MARK HOWARD
(03) 96392700 FAD GALLERY BAR 14 CORRS LANE MELBOURNE
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FEATURES
One The Bear BY D’ARCY MCGREGOR
One The Bear is a hip hop and spoken word activist theatre piece from comedian, actor, award-winning writer and social activist Candy Bowers about two bears. Bowers says the performance follows “unapologetically black unicorn philosophy”. If it sounds like it’s a lot, that’s because it is – but it’s so important.
For years, Bowers has been making hip hop and spoken word theatre across comedy, her kids show which get taught at schools. She then created Hot Brown Honey before realising there was nothing for the teenage demographic. “There was nothing for this group,” Bowers says. “Nothing speaking out to the messages I talk about across my work – particularly in the decolonisation space.” The performance follows two bears – One and her best friend Ursula – living in a rubbish tip in a bear hunters society. The hunters usually kill bears for their bodies, but One gets discovered and for the first time the ‘hunter world’ is appreciating the talents of someone from the underground. “It’s not unlike how hip hop came to be,” Bowers says. “It’s a really edgy work for young people. Because the young people I was talking to are those on the margins and have been marginalised the most – the best times in their life with friends have been on drugs. “Last thing in the world they wanted to see is them in a rubbish tip with a needle hanging out of their arm, but I still wanted to
26
deal with those issues. It was really important to play in the stickiest, the hardest and the most difficult parts of what it’s like right now to be a teenager on the margins – and particularly a black teenager.” Bowers delves deep into many issues, themes, and controversial topics in her project. For example, she dissects the way women’s bodies – particularly black women – are portrayed and the space of cultural appropriation. In the play, as One rises in fame, the hunter world starts getting cosmetic surgery to have their own bear tails. But, on the other side, the hunters also kill bears for parts of them such as their bile, claws, teeth and fur. “I think all of us can agree that atrocities and putting women’s bodies on shelves is not okay,” Bowers explains. “I think we can all agree that’s a history we want to expose and dismantle and never ever want to see again. In my heart of hearts and dreams of dreams, I wrote this play for the women who have modified their bodies so much – particularly black women – to look white.” One’s story is particularly interesting because she thinks her message is still getting
across while she gets consumed by her society. Bowers’ recites a quote by one of her idols, poet Audre Lorde: “If I didn’t define myself for myself, I’d be crunched into other people’s fantasies and eaten alive.” “One the bear gets crunched into other peoples’ fantasies and eaten alive, and I wanted to show it,” Bowers says. “We have so many artists that perish because they get eaten alive by what we want them to be.” Although the topics are hard-hitting and deep, critics’ feedback proves this show is more than just huge themes. “They thought they were going to get this didactic piece which would hit them over the head,” Bowers laughs. “But instead received cute and warm characters and a story which is heartbreaking. What I hear from that is ‘oh, we can relate to black people’. Not that they thought they couldn’t, but it’s just a really new experience. Anyone should be able to see work and relate to it because we’re all human.” The themes One The Bear covers are deep and quite confronting, but the premise, the characters, everything wrapped around the themes is silly, warm, and heartbreaking.
“I was doing workshops with some kids and talking about some of these really huge issues in their lives,” Bowers explains. “It just kept coming back to friendship. So, it’s kinda a love story but it’s not ‘one day my prince will come’ it’s more ‘one day my best friend will come’ and the best friends save each other. The biggest theme of the whole show is friendship, it’s the ultimate theme.” Bowers’ goal to create something for the teenage group has been definitely successful. “I really love that 1,600 students are coming to see this play – it really joys me so hard,” Bowers explains. “They’re just gonna have a huge experience and come away with so many knowledges and stuff in their hearts.” Bowers wants to make sure we know, “One The Bear is all of me.” Be sure to catch One The Bear at Arts Centre Melbourne running from Thursday August 8 to Sunday August 10. Tickets via the venue website.
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BEAT’S GUIDE TO THE 2019 MELBOURNE GUITAR SHOW
BEAT’S GUIDE TO THE 2019 MELBOURNE GUITAR SHOW
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BEAT’S GUIDE TO THE 2019 MELBOURNE GUITAR SHOW
Welcome to the 2019 Melbourne Guitar Show BY LEXI HERBERT
Melbourne is a city with a lot of signature things: the Nylex sign, Merri Creek, the AFL grand final and the Lilydale train line. If you’re a six-string enthusiast, however, chances are the Melbourne Guitar Show is close to the top of your fave Melbourne institutions. This year’s MGS program is better than ever, offering a timetable of events drowning in so much talent that you should probably BYO life jacket. It can be intimidating when everything on the two-day calendar is a winner, so we’ve done you a solid and narrowed down Beat’s top eight picks for this year’s Melbourne Guitar Show. Check them out below.
James Norbert Ivanyi
SARAH MCLEOD
ELLA BELFANTI
ASH GRUNWALD
TONE DESIGN FOR PROG METAL GUITAR
McLeod is arguably best known for fronting the ARIA Award-winning Aussie rock group The Superjesus. Following the band’s initial split in 2004, McLeod embarked on a solo career for the history books. McLeod’s solo career has continued her shredding legacy, joining groove with soul and pop with hard rock techniques. Her latest album, Rocky’s Diner, came out in 2017, so be sure to catch a mix of new and old, electric and acoustic, on the Marsh Whammy Bar stage on Saturday August 3.
Definitely one of the younger artists to pop up on this year’s MGS calendar, Belfanti is a 20-year-old vocalist and guitarist. She hails from the Gold Coast and takes inspiration from artists such as The Cat Empire, The Superjesus and Florence + The Machine. It’s hard to go wrong with those influences and Belfanti definitely hasn’t. Her percussive style of guitar playing has captured the eye of critics around the country and will definitely capture you too. So head down to the Exclusively Acoustic Stage on Saturday August 3 to watch this young gun in action.
Grunwald is a seasoned veteran of the Aussie music industry, having released eight studio albums over his 18-year career. A locally-raised legend, Grunwald’s music is constrained to no single subculture or genre. His aim is to simply represent the inhabitants of Earth, while asking for protection of its natural wonders. Most notably, his appreciation of the American soul and blues scene is palpable (his first recorded song was a cover of Howlin’ Wolf’s ‘Going Down Slow’). It’s all well and good to describe it in words, but this is one event you really should see with your own two eyes, so catch Grunwald on the Marsh Mezzanine Stage on Saturday August 3.
In this workshop, James Norbert Ivanyi will take you through the proper dial settings for prog metal textures, spanning all the way from a rhythm setting to a lead setting. Ivanyi is one of Sydney’s most treasured multiinstrumentalists, having self-released three instrumental albums since his solo debut in 2013. Of all the people to show you how to design your tone correctly, Ivanyi – with his modern metal meets 1970s prog rock style – is the man for the job. Check out this workshop in the Winners Circle Workshop Room at 11.30am on Sunday August 4.
Nick Charles
TRIPLE M JAM
MINNIE MARKS
THE WORLD OF ACOUSTIC GUITAR
KEITH MERROW CLINIC
Undeniably the crowning jewel of the Melbourne Guitar Show every year, the Triple M jam should not be missed. The biggest names on the roster meet with newcomers and something beautiful is born: a jam session for the ages. How many guitarists is too many on one stage? Trick question, the limit does not exist. This year’s jam is held on Sunday August 4 at the Marsh Whammy Bar stage. Pop by because you never know who might end up on stage.
Minnie Marks has been described by the show’s organisers as “an insane talent”. Playing two separate sets this year, Marks will churn through some out-of-control riffs that she titles, “dirty sweet rock’n’roll”. Marks is renowned internationally for her singersongwriter and multi-instrumentalist prowess, so it’s a real gift to have her showcasing her talents at the MGS in 2019. Be sure to catch her on the Exclusively Acoustic Stage at 1.30pm on Sunday August 4.
When you think of the quintessential guitar image, chances are something akin to a classic country-style acoustic comes to mind. This show will take you on a journey through culture and time via the diverse stylings of Nick Charles, Lloyd Spiegel, Van Larkins and more. Join this exploration on the Marsh Mezzanine Stage at 1.40pm on Sunday August 4.
One of this year’s biggest international names, Keith Merrow is bringing his playing, songwriting, producing, engineering, demonstrating and teaching skills to the MGS, courtesy of Schecter Guitars. Having honed his six-string skills playing technical and modern heavy metal tunes, Merrow will be hosting a clinic in the Winners Circle Workshop Room, showing punters how to get the most out of their Schecters. Head over at 1.30pm on Saturday August 3 to see how it’s done.
BEAT’S GUIDE TO THE 2019 MELBOURNE GUITAR SHOW
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Dennis Jones Avid blues-rocker Dennis Jones has been on a tear lately, just completing a string of dates across Canada and the United States. With six albums and a live DVD under his belt, it seems like nothing can stand in his way. BY EDDY LIM
Oddly enough, the electric guitar wasn’t Jones’ first instrument of choice. While growing up in the small country town of Monkton, Maryland, Jones always yearned to master the drum kit. “Yeah, I always wanted to be a drummer, but my parents thought they were just too loud,” Jones says. “My second choice was the guitar, and about two years later I had a stack of Marshall amps in the living room. I think my parents started to reconsider the drums after that.” Jones’ passion for the guitar intensified when he stumbled upon the music of Carlos Santana, Jimi Hendrix and the Rolling Stones. It was the raucous sound of rock’n’roll that subsequently led him to discover the blues – a fascinating case of reverse engineering. “The Stones, Hendrix, Zeppelin, it was all blues from the start, they just added their own vibe to it,” says Jones. “I always loved those guys because they were up in front – their
toes were practically at the edge of the stage. A lot of guys who played R&B were always in the background behind a singer, and that’s never where I wanted to be.” Shortly after finishing high school, Jones enlisted in the military to see the world for himself. He further broadened his sonic palette while overseas, including three years stationed in Germany. “I went to a ton of festivals and concerts while I was in Europe,” Jones says. “Rory Gallagher was one of the highlights for sure. Van Halen, AC/DC, Eric Clapton, Thin Lizzy – I could go on and on. There were so many incredible artists I saw at that young age of 18 to 21. It was something I’ll never forget. Going to a real rock concert and seeing people jump around, that’s something I love – the energy of rock. I try to infuse some of that into my show and my blues, rather than just being a statue on stage with a guitar.” Jones means it, too; the conviction is palpable in his muscular guitar playing
and searing hot solos. But it wasn’t until his eventual return to the United States and a fateful opportunity that Jones was able to pursue music professionally. “Around eight years ago I was laid off from my day job, and I took it as a sign for me to start playing music full-time,” Jones says. “I always knew I was going to do it full-time, there was never any doubt, I just didn’t know when. I don’t think I’ll ever go back to a day job. Even if I have to play on a street corner with a bucket out, I’ll do that instead of punching the clock again.” The blues represents much more than a musical genre to Jones. It’s his form of therapy, articulated in a performance style that’s brimming with raw emotion. While the genre developed out of impoverishment and adversity, Jones cultivates an authentic take on blues-rock while evading excess melancholy.
“I just told my girl lately that we’re really happy. I need some sadness in my life,” he laughs. “I’ve never been an alcoholic or drug addict. I’ve never beat anybody, been beaten or abused, so I’m a horrible blues guy, because I don’t have any bad stories.” Jones’ upcoming appearance at the Melbourne Guitar Show will be his first official performance Down Under, and the fiery bluesman is raring to give his best. “I’ve got a really good feeling about the upcoming show, and I’d also love to come back and play some blues festivals here. We tour Europe every year, and I want to do the same with Australia.”
Though she doubts her reasons for being invited, evidently it’s McLeod’s output and appreciation of all areas of music-making that mean she will appear and perform at this year’s Melbourne Guitar Show. “I thought, ‘I don’t know if I’m the kind of player that would be at something like that,’” she says. “I fancy myself as more of a singer. I play guitar to accompany myself singing. I’m not the kind of guitar player people would watch to shred something. So I thought, ‘What can I do to make the show special?’ That’s when I decided to do an electric show. “A bit of acoustic, but most of it is electric guitar on one I’ve made. It’s a bit weird, a bit eclectic, but it works and it’s unique.” For a versatile and colourful performer like McLeod, the Melbourne Guitar Show is an opportunity to showcase a melting pot of influences, ideas, and experiences.
“It will be very inspiring to see what everybody else is doing,” she says. “Because it’s like six strings, what are you going to do with them? Everybody looks at it differently. “I’m always interested in what other things I can learn. The past six months I’ve taught myself piano. It’s been nothing but piano, then I was like, ‘Oh, right, better go back to the guitar, where even is it? Dust that down.’ And I’ve bought myself a [drum] kit, so I’m going to teach myself how to be a drummer.” That consistent thirst for selfimprovement and self-discovery means McLeod’s musical projects will keep on coming. “And they’ll always be different,” she says. “Just prepare for anything.”
Dennis Jones comes to Caulfield Racecourse for the Melbourne Guitar Show, performing on Saturday August 3 on the Marsh Whammy Bar stage at 3.15pm.
Sarah McLeod Since launching a solo career in 2004, Sarah McLeod has amassed an impressive kaleidoscope of solo material. The best thing about the songwriter’s diverse output is her disinclination to get bogged down in any one genre. McLeod tells Beat that her interest in exploring so many different areas is just a natural part of her psyche. BY ANNA ROSE
“I’ve always thought it was a negative about my career, but I can’t help it,” McLeod says. “When it comes to me solo, I just throw the book out the window and I just don’t care. I just think, ‘what can I do now? What have I learnt in the past couple of years that I can now funnel into some new music? What instrument have I learnt? What new thing have I learnt to do with my voice?’” What, indeed. McLeod’s extensive solo discography boasts a little taste of just about every subgenre of rock music. From altrock to pop, blues to 1960s folk, McLeod’s repertoire is a reflection of her evolving personal journey. “I like things to be different, I get bored with the same stuff,” she says. “I always thought of [that diversity] as a negative. I confuse myself with it, so I must be confusing other people, but that’s how it works for me.
You’ve got to paint your rainbow with the colours you’ve been given.” McLeod’s canvas has expanded to include country music, too. Her first-ever song in the genre arrived this month. It’s a style she was hesitant to be involved with, but she was coaxed into offering her vocal talents to the single, ‘Hands Of Time’, from Queensland duo Route 33. “It didn’t sound twangy country to me,” she says. “I liked it, it was a pretty song. I really enjoyed the experience.” McLeod had the freedom to add her own personal flavour, so she can now confidently add a country feather to her cap. “I know it’s country genre, but it doesn’t sound like country to me because no one’s doing any twanging in the vocals. And I think that’s my main beef that I’ve always had with country – I don’t like that twang, I don’t understand why they do it.”
BEAT’S GUIDE TO THE 2019 MELBOURNE GUITAR SHOW
Sarah McLeod is performing on Saturday August 3 on the Marsh Whammy Bar stage at 12.45pm as part of the Melbourne Guitar Show.
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BEAT’S GUIDE TO THE 2019 MELBOURNE GUITAR SHOW
BEAT’S GUIDE TO THE 2019 MELBOURNE GUITAR SHOW
FENDER
Tre-Verb, MTG Tube Distortion and Bubbler Chorus Pedals BY WILL BREWSTER
It’s an undeniable truth that no manufacturer has had a greater impact on the development and discourse of popular music than Fender. From the 1950s until now, the So-Cal entity has controlled the zeitgeist with its universally appealing product ethos and stranglehold on the electric guitar, bass and amplifier markets. Despite this, there’s always been one sector where the company just can’t quite seem to wedge their products into the minds of the masses: effects pedals. However, that all looks set to change with the introduction of Fender’s newest effects range: a collection of boutique style, polished chrome pedals meticulously designed by the head honchos in the US. The series features a range of gain, modulation, compression and time-based effects pedals, including the Bubbler Chorus, the Tre-Verb Tremolo/ Reverb and the MTG Tube Distortion. From the designs and descriptions alone, one can assume that Fender is aiming for the big leagues, with each of the above bearing similarities to other heavy-hitting brands in the effects market. While aesthetic and sonic semblance to a competitor’s product isn’t always a bad thing, it does go to show that Fender isn’t exactly aiming to reinvent the wheel (or the chorus pedal for that matter) here: rather, it’s just making really good quality effects units to their pre-existing target market. For example, take the Fender Tre-Verb. It’s blatantly obvious that Fender is choosing to go head-to-head with Strymon’s Flint, an incredibly similar Tremolo/Reverb combination which has won the hearts of many a guitarist in recent years. This unit features three
tremolo types – Opto, Bias and Hum – and three reverbs – ’63, ’65 and Plate – as well as standard level/tone/rate/depth/dwell/blend controls. The tremolo circuit of the Tre-Verb also boasts a tap-tempo feature which can be found by holding down the bypass switch, giving you hands-free control over the rate of the effect when you’re performing. Fender has a rich history of wiring incredible sounding reverb and tremolo circuits into its amplifiers, and the Tre-Verb acts as a testament to this, offering guitarists a wide array of sonic possibilities to alter their signal with. The Plate reverb setting offers a lush modulated texture that pairs impeccably with the Bias tremolo, while the combination of ‘63 reverb and Opto tremolo is practically surf-rock in a box. The Tre-Verb’s true stereo outputs ensure that you get a huge-sounding binaural spread if you please, while a handy flick-switch at the back allows you to switch the signal path of the tremolo and reverb circuits to suit your own preferences. If you dig cavernous chords, ambient plucking and washy, modulated sound effects, the Tre-Verb’s definitely got a place on your pedalboard. There are very few things in life that sound as warm and gooey as a good analogue chorus, and Fender is tapping into this phenom with the Bubbler Chorus. Combining vintage-sounding modulation with thoughtful modern touches, such as the ability to switch between Triangle and Sine waveforms and a dynamic Sensitivity control that interacts with your picking response, the Bubbler is by far one of the most feature packed chorus pedals I’ve come across.
BEAT’S GUIDE TO THE 2019 MELBOURNE GUITAR SHOW
Like many guitarists, I’ve definitely got a bit of a love/hate relationship with chorus effects. I firmly stand by the belief that there’s a lot more awful chorus pedals in the world than there are great ones, mainly due to its prevalence within the realms of cringey radio-rock from the ‘80s and ‘90s. Luckily, the Bubbler leans a lot further towards being grouped into the latter category, due in part to its beautiful sounding Bucket Brigade circuitry and intuitive controls. The dedicated Slow/Fast footswitch is an absolute Godsend, allowing for you to bounce between warbling faux-Leslie tones and a lush ‘80s shimmer with a simple boot stomp. If you’re chasing that classic Andy Summers JC-120 analogue chorus sound or a wonky, warbling Mac DeMarco-esque vibrato, the Bubbler can pull off both with absolute ease, and having the option to easily flick between the two is a very, very welcome touch. Finally, we’ve got the Fender MTG Tube Distortion, designed in conjunction with esteemed amplifier guru Bruce Egnater. As its name suggests, the MTG utilises an actual new-old stock US-made militarygrade 6205 preamp tube, so instead of emulating the glorious sound of valve breakup, you’re getting the real deal. With a three band EQ, Level, Gain and Tight controls and a switchable Boost feature with independent Level and Gain knobs, you’re spoilt for choice in the tone department here. I also really dug the fact that Fender has used an actual Fender amp Jewel LED to indicate the engagement of the effect – sometimes, it’s the little things that mean the most.
Possibly due to Bruce Egnater’s brain being present throughout the design process, the MTG is one tough sounding, supertransparent distortion pedal. As expected from anything with the Fender name badge, it offers a trustworthy tone for wailing blues and crunchy funk-rock stylings, while boosting the mids and gain knobs sends you soaring into ballsy hard-rock and metal territory. However, I was a little underwhelmed by the Boost function, which functions more or less like a cascading amp due its second master volume control. I would have also liked to have been able to use the Boost function independently without engaging the Distortion circuit, but hey, you can’t win them all. Despite its historical tendencies to disappoint with previous entries into the effects pedal market, Fender has done a pretty solid job with this selection from their newest range. With looks to kill and tones to match, the Tre-Verb, Bubbler and MTG are all incredibly well-designed and great sounding effects units that will definitely demand the attention of tone-hounds. However, with their boutique price point and stiff competition from pre-established and popular names within the pedal sector, it’ll be interesting to see just how these new units are received by the masses – I guess time will tell. Fender Music Australia fender.com.au RRP: Tre-Verb - $469, MTG - $399, Bubbler - $299
BEAT’S GUIDE TO THE 2019 MELBOURNE GUITAR SHOW
MERIS
Hedra 3-Voice Pitch Shifter BY WILL BREWSTER
Some companies build stompboxes; and then there’s Meris. Despite debuting a mere two years ago, the Californian cohort have already made quite the splash in the pedal pond, with early products such as the Polymoon, Mercury 7 and last year’s Enzo multi-voice guitar synthesiser establishing themselves as a force to be reckoned with in the industry. Meris are undeniably revolutionising the way players consider exactly what constitutes a guitar pedal. The Hedra, a powerful and dynamic triple-voiced rhythmic pitch shifter, aims to bend this perception of ‘pedal’ even further. Named after the fearsome many-headed serpent from the Herculean Greek myth, the Hedra essentially replicates esteemed studio rack units like the Eventide Ultra-Harmonizer, delivering three voices of mind-melting, pitch-shifted tones as well as incredible MIDI functionality and external control via an expression pedal. It’s a serious pedal (with a serious pricetag to match) that should almost be considered more as a studio tool than a mainstay in your gig rig, but it’s portable and rugged enough to sit pretty on your pedalboard should you wish. On top of all this,
the Hedra even has four built-in delay settings with a tap-tempo footswitch to control the rate of the effect. Honestly, it’s probably as overwhelming as a pedal can get; but with Meris, that’s almost the point. With three independent pitch controls, a key knob, microtuning capabilities and a mix knob, utilising the Hedra on its surface level is relatively straightforward. The pitch controls allow you to select the intervals of each voice, allowing you to stack three pitchshifted layers atop of your dry signal. For those looking to dial in an orchestral, wailing lead tone reminiscent of Queen’s Brian May or even Ratatat, this is where the money is, while dialing the microtune knob will add in a touch of detuned, warbling modulation. The Hedra also serves up drop-tuned -/+2 octave Whammy style tones with ease, offering a suitable platform to lay down beefy detuned riffs or wild Tom Morello inspired octave leaps for more experimental players. Exploring the alt-function of each knob and button also unlocks seven scale setting presets, letting you leap up and down the Lydian with ease if you so please. However, it’s worth noting that the Hedra is not a layman’s
pedal – without apt theoretic knowledge and understanding of harmony, the Hedra might simply have you scratching your head wondering why you’ve just blown your pay cheque on this fancy piece of kit.After you wrap your head around the harmoniser element of Meris’ new pride and joy, you’ve then got to tackle the rhythmic element of the Hedra. Engaging the delay mode and experimenting with the tap tempo and different modes makes these sounds all the more wacky, woolly and at times unpredictable, but never uninteresting. Alt-pressing and turning each pitch knob also gives you control over the independent delay time of each pitch voicing, stacking up the crazy factor even further. This function delivers astonishing sonic results when you deep dive into it, and after some knob tweaking, you’ll be creating cascading delay runs and jagged synth-like sequences in no time. Once you discover the glide function – yep, that’s a thing – you’ll begin to stop looking at the Hedra as a pitch-shifter, and
almost more akin to a powerful synth engine you control with a guitar. Pair it with your own reverb, modulation or volume pedal, and the Hedra absolutely sings; even the simplest of volume swells will blossom into cascading symphonies that will almost certainly leave a tear rolling down your cheek. As well as offering even more nuanced tweakability by plugging in an expression pedal, the Hedra can also be used to control MIDI keyboards in real time and, for those who care, the Hedra sounds absolutely fat when paired with a synthesiser for mono-synth lines that really matter. I’ve honestly never been so flummoxed by an effects pedal, and while I can’t picture it on many pedalboards in the gigging circuit anytime soon, it’s certainly worth spending some time with.
way too heavy for a standard scale guitar and I am so damn tired of buying a seven-string set only to remove the high E (I have so many loose 10’ gauge strings in my house). The Mammoth Slinky is a 12-62 set with a wound G, making it perfect for those wanting to tune down to C Standard, B Standard or Drop A with optimal tension. I popped the set on my trusty Music Man StingRay and tuned it to Drop A for my favourite Thrice impression and it was absolutely spot on. The 62-gauge low E is perfect for heavy handed players like me who often hear string warble when riffing away or recording. Those days are gone now and if you listen closely, you can actually hear the sound of low tuned riff lords celebrating around the world.
You might have noticed by now that I haven’t mentioned how they sound, and to be honest I don’t really need to because they’re Slinkys and you know exactly how they sound. The age-old nickel-plated steel wire wrapped around steel core wire hasn’t changed and that’s just fine. The classic bright, punchy and clear Slinky tone you know and love is there; it’s just now available in in a wider variety of gauges for players of all styles and tastes.
Studio Connections studioconnections.com.au Expect to pay: $475
ERNIE BALL
Primo, Mega and Mammoth Slinky Strings BY NICHOLAS SIMONSEN
Since the 1960s, Ernie Ball has been producing some of the world’s finest guitar strings, which have been used by almost every legendary player to ever hit the stage. Legends like Eric Clapton, Slash, Keith Richards, Kirk Hammett, Jimmy Page, John Mayer and John Petrucci, amongst countless others, all choose Ernie Ball Slinkys when it comes to stringing up their guitar of choice. After decades of the staple Slinky gauges being sold worldwide, Ernie Ball has recently made a huge effort in expanding its string range to accommodate players with weirder taste when it comes to particular string gauges. After the introduction of the Ultra and Burly Slinkys earlier in the year, the brand has expanded the line even further with the Primo, Mega and Mammoth Slinkys, ensuring every corner of the string market is covered and then some. Let’s dive in! I know what you’re thinking: Do we really need more variety when it comes to string
gauges? Of course, we do! In my 20+ years of playing, I have met so many players who have pieced together their own weird and wonderful sets together to suit their style of playing. With the introduction of these new gauges, those days will soon be forgotten. The Primo and Mega sets are the perfect middle ground for players who are used to playing a standard 9-42 or 10-46 set but want slightly more tension without having to step up an entire gauge or go to a weird hybrid set. Both sets sit comfortably in standard tuning and provide incredibly balanced tension along all strings. While not too dissimilar from the Regular and Super Slinky sets, I’m sure some players will enjoy having another option to their regular set with a bit more beef in the strings. I’ve been dying for Ernie Ball to do a set like the Mammoth Slinky for years and I was over the moon when they finally announced it. The Baritone Slinky set has always been
BEAT’S GUIDE TO THE 2019 MELBOURNE GUITAR SHOW
CMC Music cmcmusic.com.au Expect To Pay: From $17.95
OPEN UP AUSTRALIAN MUSIC Discover and explore the stories and big moments of Australian contemporary music. Showcasing the best of Australian music history, see rare music memorabilia up close at the Australian Music Vault exhibition, now showing: Epiphone Les Paul guitar used by Tash Sultana Fender Jazz Bass guitar used by Daddy Cool’s Wayne Duncan Fender Jaguar guitar used by Rowland S. Howard Everyone’s welcome. No backstage pass required.
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Epiphone Les Paul guitar and case used by Tash Sultana. Kindly lent by Tash Sultana.
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AUSTRALIANMUSICVAULT.COM.AU ARTS CENTRE MELBOURNE | 100 ST KILDA ROAD MELBOURNE
BEAT’S GUIDE TO THE 2019 MELBOURNE GUITAR SHOW
NCAT Instrument Making
Tanglewood
What is NCAT? The Northern College of the Arts & Technology offers specialist, hands-on education in all areas of arts and technology. The college’s Musical Instrument Making and Repair curriculum is the only qualification of its kind in Australia, covering both traditional and emerging digital technologies. Opportunities are available in the guitar industry, practicing repair or instrument set up, manufacture and design. Programs offer both traditional woodcraft and high-volume manufacture techniques. Do prospective students need prior skills or certificates? We cover all the necessary skills from the starting point. This not only happens in woodcraft, but also in instrument repair, setup, business, drawing, design and 3D modelling skills. As with all hands on skills, the more prior ability students have, the easier they’ll find it. What skills can students hope to acquire? Students begin by completing an extensive OH&S program. Across the year, students learn to make a bolt-on electric guitar, a dreadnought-style acoustic guitar, and design a custommade instrument of their choice. Students also learn to complete perspective drawings, isometric and concept drawings and use their skills to develop a product range. They also learn to generate computer-aided drawings and create custom templates and jigs, and develop custom logos and inlays for their instruments. In the repair and setup class, all of the classic models are investigated, and tips given on improving the playability and sound quality of their instruments. We look at timber repair methods, sanding techniques, paint and finishing methods, acoustics and sound transfer. The course also covers the development of a business plan.
Tell us a bit about Tanglewood’s history. Tanglewood Guitar Company was established in England in the latter part of the 20th century. Charged with an ambition to create a portfolio of instruments offering exceptional value and playability, Tanglewood utilised innovative design and both traditional and contemporary manufacturing procedures in order to achieve this goal. What makes Tanglewood stand out in the acoustic guitar world? Tanglewood has an excellent range of different types of timber resulting in some beautiful guitars. They have gloss and satin finishes in cedar, koa, spruce, mahogany, mango, spalt maple and many others. What model would you suggest to someone who hasn’t played the brand before and why? The entry level Crossroads is an amazing guitar at an extremely reasonable price. It has a vintage 1930s look with a sound that belies its price at $249 for an acoustic and $349 for an acoustic/electric. What makes the perfect acoustic guitar, in your opinion? Tanglewood’s strength lies in its range of guitars from $249 to $1500. The perfect guitar has all the goodies like solid top, solid back and sides, Grover machine heads, Elixir strings, bone saddles, etc. What can we expect to see at the Melbourne Guitar Show? Tanglewood will display a full range of guitars from $249 to $1499. We will have dreadnoughts, superfolks, travellers, orchestras and banjos showcasing the wide variety of exotic woods that Tanglewood has on offer. We will also be showcasing the USA-made Franklin Straps, an elite selection of our new Kremona classical guitar range, and of course the best guitar strings in the world, Elixir.
NCAT is exhibiting on the mezzanine level at Melbourne Guitar Show. Visit ncat.vic.edu.au for more details.
Tanglewood is exhibiting on the mezzanine level throughout the Melbourne Guitar Show. Visit tanglewoodguitars.com.au for more details.
The Rock Academy
FREE!
The Rock Academy began in 2015 with 15 aspiring teenage musos. What was the initial idea behind the academy? Rock Academy was developed to help a network of like-minded teenage musicians understand what it takes to collaborate in a band and develop their songwriting and performance skills, all under the guidance of professional touring musicians led by Phil Ceberano. For a teenager who’s interested in playing music but doesn’t know where to start, what advice would you give them? Sign up and participate in Rock Academy. Play music with other people, listen to lots of different styles of music, go to live shows – there are plenty of all age/underage shows on around Melbourne presented by the Push or at venues like Wrangler Studios. What skills can musicians hope to acquire from the academy? The mentors pass on things they’ve learnt through years, if not decades, of touring, recording, songwriting and performing that aren’t included in any curriculum. They’ll get insights into professional musicianship, tone, and technical skills, and the key being the ability to collaborate with other musicians. What’s the next step for the emerging musicians who thoroughly enjoy their time in the academy? It’s up to the individual and how they see music as part of their future. Many of the Rock Academy alumni are currently studying music performance, songwriting and music business courses. Others are studying different subjects while maintaining their passion for music through performance and songwriting. Rock Academy has also been a great creative hub and meeting ground for participants who have gone on to form bands. The Rock Academy is exhibiting on Electric Floor-Ground Level during the Melbourne Guitar Show. See therockacademy.com.au for more details.
BEAT’S GUIDE TO THE 2019 MELBOURNE GUITAR SHOW
#303 – JULY 2019
MADE BY MUSICIANS FOR MUSICIANS
PAGE HEADER
Giveaway!
MURDER THY ART IS T VINYL HUMAN TARGE SLINKY ERNIE BALL WAY STRINGS GIVEA
INTERVIEWS — August Burns Red, Sarah McLeod, Tropical Fuck Storm + more
REVIEWED — EarthQuaker Plumes, Framus Panthera II, NUX MG-20, TC Electronic June 60 Pedal,
Ernie Ball Music Man Majesty, Meris Hedra, Voodoo Lab Dingbat, Anasounds Element Reverb + many more
Plumes
Small Signal Shredder Available worldwide 3 August mixdownmag.com.au
earthquakerdevices.com
1
ISSUE #303 OUT NOW
The
50s
Stratocaster® in Seafoam Green.
Player: Christone “Kingfish” Ingram
THE VINTERA™ SERIES VINTAGE ST YLE FOR THE MODERN ERA.
TRY THE NEW VINTERA SERIES FOR YOURSELF MELBOURNE GUITAR SHOW, AUG 3 & 4, ON THE FENDER BOOTH.
©2019 Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. FENDER, FENDER in script, STRATOCASTER and the distinctive headstock commonly found on Fender guitars and basses are trademarks of FMIC. Registered in the U.S. and foreign countries. VINTERA is a trademark of FMIC. All rights reserved.
©2018 FMIC. FENDER®; STRATOCASTER®; STRAT® AND THE DISTINCTIVE HEAD STOCK SHAPE OF THE STRATOCASTER® ARE THE REGISTERED TRADEMARKS OFFENDER MUSIC AUSTRALIA PTY LTD [ABN 34 613 081 191]. ONLY FENDER MUSIC AUSTRALIA CAN AUTHORISE THESE TRADE MARKS FOR AUSTRALIA.
VINTERA_50S_SINGLE.indd 1
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TC ELECTRONIC
Brainwaves Pitch Shifter BY EDDY LIM
Like all of its TC Electronic counterparts, the Brainwaves Pitch Shifter is solidly built. The controls onboard consist of an FX selector, a wet/dry mix control, and two knobs that separately govern each voicing. A pair of metal toggle switches allow the user to select which direction the steps are shifted: up or down. Pop the back cover off and you even have dipswitch options for switching between true/buffered bypass and kill-dry activation. Furthermore, the Brainwaves allows both mono/stereo input and output, making it an incredibly versatile option in any player’s rig. This pedal’s core functionality allows dual voiced pitch shifting in a variety of steps, which can be operated independently if desired. These steps range from unison, two semitones, to an impressive two octaves.Apart from clear-cut pitch shifting, the Brainwaves dips its toes into a variety of other soundsplicing categories: detune, wham(my), a switchable voice one/voice two mode, and three modifiable custom TonePrints. Different parameters of each mode can then be further altered with the pedal’s innovative MASH pressure-sensitive footswitch, which lights
up a dynamic LED depending on how much force is applied. Detune (or chorus) is the most familiar out of the selections. The effect simply alters the incoming pitch by a few cents, adding a pseudo double tracked sound to your instrument. Lush, haunting notes and ghostly lines are easily attained simply by adding a splash of reverb and/or delay. The MASH footswitch couples superbly with the wham setting. Notes gradually bend to your pitch selection relative to the pressure you place on the footswitch. The ceiling for creativity is infinitely high here, especially when setting one voice to shift upwards, and the other down. Dextrous footwork is absolutely required when operating the MASH footswitch, but it’s difficult to protest when the learning process is so incredibly entertaining. The interchangeable voice one/voice two and pitch shifter modes are fairly selfexplanatory. After setting voice one and two, depressing the MASH footswitch allows players to instantly swap between the two selections – super handy if the voices are set to different octaves entirely.
Last but not least is the pitch shifter mode. What impressed me the most about the Brainwaves was its note-tracking. TC Electronic are to be commended for their studio-quality algorithms, resulting in effortless pitch shifting with incredible tonal accuracy. A large number of pitch shifters tend to stumble or muddy up when playing chords or adding gain, but the Brainwaves handled whatever situation I threw at it admirably. While some garble was understandably produced on the +/- 2 octave extremities, the note transpositions for the remaining step options were absolutely phenomenal. As with most of TC Electronic’s latest pedals, the included micro USB cable allows you to connect the Brainwaves to your computer to set up custom TonePrints. Using the free TonePrint app, users are able to push famous players’ custom parameters
to their pedal, or even design their own from scratch. Can’t be bothered connecting to a computer? No worries; download the app on your smartphone, select a custom TonePrint, then – and I kid you not – you can beam it through your guitar’s pickups via phone speaker to one of the three available slots on the Brainwaves. Is it magic, science, or sheer innovation? I’m leaning towards magic. With the Brainwaves, you’re getting a gobsmacking amount of versatility in a cute little pink footprint. It’s ludicrously easy to lose yourself in the process of tweaking this pedal’s controls, let alone designing your own TonePrint. Add a looper into the mix and you’re in for endless hours of entertainment.
winter. Broadly, it’s a highly transparent sound with plenty of chime and bite across its range. A lot of this clarity is attained through the internal split of the 9v power supply into +/- 9v. It’s a surprisingly diverse tonal range, spanning British Invasion style crunch to a doom metal fuzz. The three way switch is the conduit to the three different distortion parameters. Mode 1 is going to give you a delightfully choppy Telecaster crunch, particularly if you’re belting it out of a sizable clean amp. Turning the tone anti-clockwise, I was able to dial it back for a muted, muddier sound that works for something like fusion. Turning it back and pumping up the gain gave me a post-punk spike. Behind the specs, this is the work of symmetrical clipping with a pair of light emitting diodes. Mode 2 is an undulating clean boost, which is great for any nasty, overdriven solos you have. In the circuitry, the two diodes are switched off so you’re just getting the core OpAmp drive and its searing clarity. Mode 3 is what most teenage noodlers will gravitate toward; it’s a screamer. This is
definitely the Plumes’ pièce de résistance, with a beautiful saturated tone. Leave the tone on high to rip out the best rendition of ‘Maggot Brain’ you’ve ever done; pump up the gain and mute the tone and you’ve got a bonafide Melvins fuzz. I think the latter was the most surprising, with the Plumes able to produce a lot of body. This is enabled by, similar to EQD’s screamer, an asymmetrical silicon diode arrangement. What makes the Plumes an extra nifty tool is its price point. For younger players, it could be the bridge to a monstrous distortion that a cheaper valve amp won’t be able to achieve all on its own. The all-analogue pedal tramples any digital alternative for sound. It’s the sound of Akron, Ohio packed into a pretty little unit that any guitarist should consider adding to their arsenal. Try and make distortion dangerous again.
Amber Technology ambertechnology.com.au Expect to pay: $229
EARTHQUAKER DEVICES
Plumes Small Signal Shredder BY JOSHUA MARTIN
Ever since Link Wray’s ‘Rumble’ was banned from several US radio stations, we’ve known the power of distortion. Puritan radio censors in the 1950s thought the harsh sound “glorified juvenile delinquency.” Over 40 years later, rock is no longer popular music and guitarists are drowning in an endless tide of overdrive, distortion and fuzz pedals. To move a guitarist out of their slump with an overdrive pedal is to force them to rediscover the visceral power of a filthy rock tone just like Link Wray once did. EarthQuaker Device’s Plumes Small Signal Shredder could be the pedal to do that. EQD hail from the small town of Akron, Ohio in the US and in case you’re wondering why it sounds familiar, it’s because it’s also the home of 2000s blues-rock duo The Black Keys. The band and the company are inextricably linked, as their first fuzz pedal was developed in 2006 by the band’s then-tour manager and sometimestech, Jamie Stillman; the Hoof Fuzz. It fit guitarist Dan Auerbach’s raunchy grit tone perfectly, and rolled into the successful international company it is today. The Plumes Small Signal Shredder still derives most of its
spirit from the Hoof, and manages to evoke the nasty tones Auerbach relished all those years ago. Inside the box, the pedal is kept in the kind of drawstring bag you might normally expect to receive deer milk skincare in, but don’t be fooled; this is a brawny little unit. Aesthetically, it’s got a nice balance between the affectations of a family company and mass-produced workhorse units like the Big Muff. A lime green finish is broken up by yellow targets and “Plumes” in the brand’s goofy font. It’s as light (approx. 400 grams) and compact (120mm x 63.5mm x 57.15mm) as you’d want for a staple pedal that will presumably occupy a vital functional position on your pedalboard. It’s powered by a bog standard 9v power supply with, reasonably enough, no battery option. The Plumes has the three-pronged dial setup you, a pedal monster, know is par for the course; level, tone and gain. The Plumes Signal Shredder is designed to be paired with a valve amplifier; frankly, if you don’t have one, keep fiddling with digital FX. If you do though, you’re in luck because the Plumes ingenious circuitry produces a tone warm enough to wear this accursed
BEAT’S GUIDE TO THE 2019 MELBOURNE GUITAR SHOW
Yamaha Music Australia au.yamaha.com Expect to pay: $189
BEAT’S GUIDE TO THE 2019 MELBOURNE GUITAR SHOW
LINE 6
HX Stomp BY LEWIS NOKE EDWARDS
It’s time to admit something to ourselves: amplifier modeling is the new reality. This new wave began in 1998 with Line 6’s kidney-shaped POD. While, realistically, the tones weren’t especially close to what they claimed to imitate, the convenience of being able to switch between ‘amps’ and patches, either effected or not, was groundbreaking.
This was superseded by the Fractal Audio Axe-Fx in the mid-2000s, which then released the Axe-Fx II in 2011, which became the industry standard. In the same year, Kemper released its profiling amplifier, which allowed users to model their own amplifiers with startling accuracy. Fractal and Kemper have been neck and neck ever since, while Line 6 has slowly released updates of the POD, such as the POD HD and HD X series. Unfortunately, Line 6 has remained associated with the tones and sounds and effects on the original POD, despite consistently releasing top-quality products. This all changed in 2015 when it released the Helix and re-entered the big league. Enter stage left (or left and right; there’s a stereo output): the HX Stomp. The HX Stomp is a professional grade guitar effect and amp processor crammed into a glossy, sparkled housing about the size of a small HSP (depending where you go). Packed inside is the same DSP and HX modeling technology as found in the larger, pricier Helix itself. There are three pedal switching pots for toggling between effects, and five little pots for scrolling through presets and tweaking parameters. There are mono/stereo inputs and outputs, an expression pedal input, MIDI in/out and a stereo send with a mono/stereo return. The HX features over 300 amplifier and cabinet emulations and effects from the Helix range, as well as ‘legacy’ effects from their M-Series and stompboxes such as DL4, FM4 etc. The HX Stomp can double as a USB audio interface for recording, but only features
a headphone out for this purpose. The HX includes an admittedly clunky power supply, but the website suggests the unit can be alternately powered via pedal power options. The unit also features a handy master output, to ensure wherever your output is heading, it’s receiving a healthy signal regardless of whatever monstrous crunch and distortion you’ve crammed into the presets. Opening the box reveals a pedal that feels solid and weighty, and looks simple enough to use. I connected the unit using the mono output to my recording interface and powered it up. Alternatively, the HX can be connected via USB and used as the input device for your DAW. When powered on, the HX’s LCD screen is nicely backlit and quickly opens up to a very user-friendly interface for tweaking the existing patches or creating your own. Scrolling through the ‘FX’, I was hooked, but a little underwhelmed at the amp tones before I remembered that, as the name suggests, the HX Stomp is designed to be used as a stompbox before an amp, so the FX presets mostly don’t contain amp simulations. Regardless, the delays are spacious and inspiring, and the modulation presets are fun and aptly named. Because of the HX’s ability to send and return auxiliary effects, you can create patches with mix blends, sends to delays that retain tails of reverbs or delays before they’re modulated, or vice versa. This can be especially helpful when you’re recording, because you can get a polished, finished sound while you record. The mix is
BEAT’S GUIDE TO THE 2019 MELBOURNE GUITAR SHOW
easier because the sounds are finished, and the performance is better because the sounds are inspiring. Finally reaching the ‘DIR’ (direct) tones, I was floored. Every amp model preset is usable, true to their namesake and honest in the sense that they’re not inherently treated and ‘perfect’ tones. The amp’s hum, sizzle and squeaks are modeled too. It’s also important to remember that, like competitors Kemper and Fractal Audio, these units will never sound like a real amp in a room (though maybe the HX Stomp could take the cake through a powered cabinet or amp). Instead, they’re designed to produce tones identical to a mic’d up amp. In addition to tweaking on the unit itself, Line 6 has specially designed HX Edit software that, when linked via USB, can be used to tweak settings on your computer (editing is mirrored on the HX itself; you don’t need to tweak and then download your tones). Not only can you tweak your own tones and scroll through the library of effects and amps, but you can download other users’ tones on the Custom Tone exchange, all for free. I reviewed another Line 6 product in July’s issue and had the same problems navigating the Line 6 websites for drivers and software. Eventually I located the HX Edit download, but not without watching tutorials on external sites from people who have faced the same issues. After a few YouTube tutorials, Line 6 forums, Line 6 support etc., I located some instructional videos and
managed to download my patches and upload them to the Customer Tone forum, so I can use them again when I inevitably buy a HX Stomp of my own. Because the pots on the Stomp are very sensitive, I found myself toggling tap tempo and switching presets while scrolling through settings. The HX Edit solves this. The HX Edit software is a much friendlier interface than the LCD screen on the HX Stomp itself, and I could see myself using the software a lot to tweak tones while recording, jamming, or re-amping. The HX Stomp is a great all-round introduction to amplifier modeling at a great price. Don’t be fooled by its size and appearance – the Stomp is every bit as powerful as its larger counterparts, and Line 6 hasn’t skipped out on the quality of the effects and amplifier modeling either. It’s a professional grade piece of gear that can hold its own, but is portable enough to fit in your backpack. The HX can be used to add effects to an already great-sounding amplifier sound, or it can replace your entire rig of pedals, amps, cabinets and effects, all the while doing it with more routing options than most pedals and amps. From seasoned software tweakers to bedroom guitarists and bass players, the HX Stomp would be a great addition to anyone’s collection of gear. Yamaha Music Australia au.yamaha.com Expect to Pay: $999
BEAT’S GUIDE TO THE 2019 MELBOURNE GUITAR SHOW
XOTIC GUITARS
XSC Series Guitar BY LEWIS NOKE EDWARDS
Xotic is well-known for its pedals, namely the EP Booster, seen on pedal boards everywhere. Not so well-known are its master-built, heavily relic’d and completely customisable electric guitars. This Strat-inspired XSC is loaded with triple-threat single coil Raw Vintage pickups, a flame roasted maple neck and an asymmetrical neck profile for maximum comfort. The XSC series of guitars are flawlessly designed, expertly built and endlessly inspiring. Head to toe, this Xotic XSC really is its own instrument. With an obvious nod to one of the most famous body shapes in guitar history, it retains its own character, bells and whistles and relic’d look. The neck’s profile is asymmetrical for maximum comfort. It’s not something you’ll notice immediately, but the profile, starting from a D-shape on the bass side and curving around to a C on the treble, inconspicuously makes this guitar comfortable and helps grab hold of solos and licks. Initially the neck felt big and round, but without getting in the way of your playing. It feels like a machine ready to take on whatever you’ve got for it, and the flame-roasted finish is a very welcome addition. The flame roasting maple process allows for minimum finish on the neck itself to seal it, so this is as close to an unfinished neck as you can get. There’s no
sticky gloss to hold you back, and it holds up better than a matte finish when playing for hours (which you will). The neck is bolted to the body just above the three Raw Vintage single coil pickups and the five-way pickup selector. Raw Vintage pickups are hand wound in the Los Angeles Xotic shop, and really deliver their own flavour. There’s something inherently Strat-like about them, but with an edge. Maybe it’s the roasted maple fingerboard, maybe it’s the design of the guitar or the Xotic tremolo bridge holding it all in place, but there’s a character, attack and spank the Raw Vintage pickups deliver that I’ve never heard. Every setting of the pickups is very usable, something not all that common with triple single coil guitars. There’s usually a throwaway phase affected tone, but not here. Playing the XSC is an absolute pleasure. Thanks to the neck profile you can really grab hold of notes and take them for a walk. There’s snarky response that feels fresh, clean and solid (it’s difficult to articulate any other way) something the XSC has no trouble doing even with delicate notes. The guitar makes you want to play, but doesn’t bog you down in a specific style. It responds phenomenally well to your playing, so it can work for really any style while retaining its own character.
This Xotic XSC has all the bells and whistles that you’ll never notice. The features and playability are integrated so masterfully that they just do their job while you focus on the playing. I didn’t notice the asymmetrical neck profile until I read the specs, but I knew the neck felt great. I noted the Raw Vintage pickups sound like nothing else before reading about them on the Xotic California website. The guitar resonates and responds excellently, pointing to a perfectly balanced, cut and
assembled guitar. Even while writing this review the XSC distracted me. Anything from the XSC series of Xotic Guitars are your new ol’ faithful, and will never leave your side as long as you’re playing. Bury me with this one.
What places the G10S firmly ahead of its Boss WL series competition is its range, beating Boss’ claimed 15 metres by nearly three times at 40 metres. Unless you really are The Edge, this is obscenely good for all stage settings. The G10S even holds signal walking around the house, where I did not have line of sight and was occasionally playing through multiple walls – not that this is particularly useful. What Line 6 is doing with wireless guitar is the democratisation of technology
at its best: taking the allure of a liberating, if ephemeral accessory once impossibly expensive and putting it within the reach of a teenage birthday present. The G10S is a high performing system with a staggering range that doesn’t require any radiowave know-how, complicated setup or pedalboard real estate.
Guitar Brothers guitar brothers.com.au Enquire for pricing
LINE 6
Relay G10S Wireless BY JOSHUA MARTIN
Growing up, wireless guitar seemed like the domain of lame arena rock – nothing was worse than seeing Slash or The Edge wander down their ego ramp into the fervent crowd. For me, that changed seeing guitarists like Omar Rodriguez-López. Seeing the visceral, nu-punk abandon with which he whipped his guitar across the stage offered an appreciation of the true performative freedom it gave. Most, still, are priced out of the market. Line 6 is trying to change this prohibitive cost to offer wireless guitar systems to the fledgling masses with the new Relay G10S. Most still envision wireless guitar systems as a bulky receiver, radio transducer clipped to the belt and an unsightly hunk of metal in your guitar input; the Relay G10S couldn’t be further from it. A rugged pedalboard mountable metal stompbox is your receiver, a simple gadget powered by a 9V power supply or USB. It sports a sleek and simple black paint job, offering to go mostly incognito amongst your other stomps. The back has your usual ¼” pedal/ amp out, cable capacitance switch and a convenient XLR DI output if you’re plugging straight into the desk. A light-up wireless
symbol and battery indicator symbol makes it easy to monitor the G10S. You can choose the wireless frequency manually or automatically; this feature makes far more sense in a larger concert hall, where dozens of wireless frequencies are competing against one another. The tiny transmitter boasts eight hours playing time before docking easily back into the receiver. I did find this battery life varied a little, but it stuck to a six to eight-hour range approximately in between sessions. The transmitter goes to sleep after four minutes without any audio input, which is helpful when you’re noodling late at night and you forget to dock it back. The transmitter fits snugly in your guitar input, though it might take some jiggling. Any wireless guitar system must address the perennial sledge of loss in sound quality. I expected less from the G10S considering the price point, but there was no significant loss, even walking tens of metres away. The digital sound quality is 24-bit lossless and was largely faultless; the only time it did get a little lossier is when I stood directly next to my wireless modem in the hall.
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FEATURES
Orchestra Of Doom Mozart, Beethoven, Wagner… Black Sabbath? Classical-contemporary crossovers are a fascinating phenomenon and this is precisely what you’ll get from the Orchestra Of Doom – a 35-piece orchestra performing reimagined Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne classics at two very special shows in Sydney and Melbourne later this year. BY ANNA ROSE
The shows were conceived by Ugly Kid Joe frontman Whitfield Crane. The idea for Orchestra Of Doom came to Crane on his nomadic travels a few years back. It was in Verona, Italy that Crane realised he could make his dream of merging the two genres a reality. Things really started taking shape when Crane was introduced to the talented young composer Andrea Battistoni. “He’s a genius,” says Crane. “A genius like Beethoven, but a Beethoven who loves Sabbath and Judas Priest. We hatched a scheme and it all manifested. The lynchpin was Andrea.” The result of this budding relationship was a sold-out performance with Crane fronting the Machiavelli Orchestra in a show consisting of Sabbath classics, choice cuts from Ozzy Osbourne’s solo career and the prime movers from Crane’s own 30-year catalogue.
“It was the most terrifying and amazing experience of my musical career, for sure,” says Crane. “I’m not looking for the ego of ideas, but am looking for ideas themselves. I’m always spitting them out, I’m always being creative, always trying and doing. Most of the time shit doesn’t work, and that’s fine, but sometimes something like the idea of this, it has a life of its own and you become a conduit of it.” Following the Orchestra’s initial performance, Crane recalls seeing some video footage of them performing Ozzy Osbourne’s classic, ‘Diary Of A Madman’. “Sick and perfect for an orchestral landing,” Crane describes it. Armed with proof of his idea made real, Crane went to a Black Sabbath concert and presented the footage to Ozzy himself. “We went to sound check, I cruise backstage and show it to Ozzy and it freaks
him out. And it’s hard to freak that dude out. He sat there with that Ozzy stare, the one you’ve seen for years. He’s spacing out thinking about it – he looks at me and he goes, ‘Orchestra’s don’t jam.’ I go, ‘What?’ He looked at me again, all kinds of Ozzy-ish and he goes, ‘Orchestras don’t jam, man’. “But the genius is we’re taking seven core members from Italy and coming to Australia – it’s an amalgam because an orchestra does have elements of jam. A foundation of classical music and Black Sabbath is a jam band, but once again it’s hard for me to put into words because it’s just becoming its own thing now.” Crane is amazed by the extent of people the Orchestra Of Doom has touched – musicians, writers, creatives of any number. He’s excited by the potential the Orchestra has for reaching fans of traditional orchestral music and for metal heads. “All the musicians I’ve ever crossed paths with, those people have given their lives to whatever instruments they play.” For Crane, singing classic metal tracks at the head of an orchestra is a world away
from his usual battle against Marshall stacks. But while having to perform against a swell of natural sound is unknown and terrifying territory for him, he welcomes the challenge. “It’s also the most liberating [experience],” he says. “I’m good in the chaos and noise and light of being surround by stacks, but this is fascinating because there’s not any of those elements. You can hear the tangible and idiosyncratic differences in all the instruments and it’s scored in this amazing way that you don’t have to sing so violently. I’m inside a matrix that’s becoming – it’s not there yet, it’s forever moving forward. “We’re going by the thematic structure as if it was an opera. We’re paying homage, and rightly so, as if this were an actual opera.”
Orchestra Of Doom featuring Ugly Kid Joe’s Whitfield Crane and Philharmonia Australia comes to the Palais Theatre on Tuesday December 3. Tickets through Ticketmaster.
The Boîte presents 3 Songs for 3CR 3 Songs for 3CR is assembling a lineup of talented world artists at the Abbotsford Convent on Saturday August 3. BY ANNIE-MEI FORSTER Gorani, photo by Geoff Burton
The Boîte, an iconic Victorian multicultural music organisation, is hosting the event and have put together an amazing lineup for this year’s instalment. The event is now in its seventh year and is a fundraiser for The Boite’s weekly world music program on the Melbourne community broadcaster. The Boîte’s head of programming,Therese Virtue, is the brains behind 3 Songs for 3CR and has been involved in community radio for over 20 years. The event started in 2012 as a 3CR benefit with three performing artists. The following year saw the fundraiser renamed 3 Songs for 3CR with eight performing groups involved in the event. Personally picked by Virtue, the featured artists have all done gigs for The Boîte throughout the year. It’s a great way to give back to 3CR. Each performer or group has the chance to share three songs with the audience (and this year the event happens to fall on the third day of the month). The performances
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are mostly acoustic and it’s a great way for performers of different genres and backgrounds to come together and share snippets of their repertoire. The event was inspired by the Symposium on International Polyphony, which is held every two years in Tbilisi, Georgia. In these concerts, artists often perform one or two pieces, but the idea of three songs and 3CR was more appealing. The Boîte’s director, Roger King, promises attendees a great variety of music, all for a good cause. “3CR is pushing for social justice and gives a voice to the voiceless,” he says. King is an engineer turned musician and will be performing at 3 Songs for 3CR himself as part of Gorani, a 10-person male vocal ensemble. Gorani specialise in traditional Georgian music. For anyone who has never heard Georgian music before, “Georgians love dissonance,” says King. “They hunt for dissonance in their music”. There’s a lot of improvisation and it’s very challenging.
Gorani members travel to Georgia once every two years and stay with traditional musicians to learn from them. King says the music is culturally rich. The songs start with a dissonant chord, move to another dissonant chord, then a third and the final chord, too, is dissonant. There is usually a high-range singer, a middle-range singer and then as many basses as you can find in the village. It may surprise some readers to learn that proponents of Georgian music are not particularly uncommon in these parts. Although Gorani was the first specialist Georgian music group in Melbourne, there are now quite a few. This is thanks to Dr Joseph Jordania and Dr Nino Tsitsishvili, who are both music ethnographers. Georgian music has spread in Melbourne due to their passion for the music and commitment to teaching it to others. The Gorani men’s vocal ensemble will be performing some new
songs at 3 Songs for 3CR after learning new techniques on their last trip to Georgia. Other notable acts this year include Avi Misra, who was born in Tokyo and is now based in Melbourne. He’s a trained opera singer and talented guitarist whose music draws on his diverse life experiences. Another notable act is Iaki Vallejo from Colombia. She moved to Australia five years ago and used to pay for singing lessons with money she saved from house cleaning in the Colombian city, Cali. She now spends her day making chocolate and her nights playing at clubs and festivals around Melbourne. She brings her Latin stylings to 3 Songs for 3CR this year.
3 Songs for 3CR is happening on Saturday August 3. Tickets are on sale now. Head to theboite.com.au for tickets and more info on the event.
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ORCHESTRA OF
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FEATURES
Hilltop Hoods BY DAVID JAMES YOUNG
How quickly the world changes. By the time Beat goes to print, Adelaide hip hop royalty Hilltop Hoods will have flown in at the 11th hour to close out this year’s edition of Splendour in the Grass as a stand-in for an absent Chance the Rapper. With a bevy of guests and a full-scale production, the trio pulled out one of the best performances of the entire weekend.
Just a few days prior to all of that, however, the Hoods were simply chilling at home – a calm before the storm of their second-ever arena tour, taking place this August. “It’s a good crew,” says Matt Lambert, aka Suffa MC, as he details the ensemble that are part of the upcoming tour in support of their most recent album, The Great Expanse. “We’ve got Plutonic Lab on the drums, as always. He’s indispensable. Our horn section are guys that we play with every time we do Australian shows, and sometimes when we’re over in London as well. This will be our first tour with Nyassa doing vocals with us. She is on a couple of tracks on The Great Expanse, so it made sense to bring her out as a part of the show. The plan is to have a few special guests every night, as well.” When asked if there was any pressure on the group to scale up their performances to match their first arena tour – the Drinking From The Sun, Walking Under Stars: Restrung
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tour of 2016 – Lambert confesses there’s an element of that. From his perspective, it’s about finding the right fit to coalesce with their vision of how a Hilltop Hoods show should go down. “Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with a straight up MCs and DJs hip hop show,” he says. “I saw the Beastie Boys do just that, and it was – to this day – one of the best shows that I’ve ever seen. I think, for us, it was about going big. You can’t top something like the Restrung tour – it was never about matching up to that. For us, a tour like that and a tour like this one are like apples and oranges. “People came to those shows with a very specific theme and an idea in mind, whereas this tour is more about celebration of this new album we’ve just put out into the world. We just want to make this a huge show, as big and as exciting as we can make it.” The Hoods will also present an open challenge to their audiences with their choice
of main support for the tour: Melbourne singer Mojo Juju, who scored the biggest critical acclaim of her career with last year’s arresting Mother Tongue LP. Her wide-ranging, dark and soulful music is a far cry from ‘Cosby Sweater’ – a fact not lost on Lambert and co. “She’s a bad motherfucker,” he says of his future tour mate. “We get the idea that our audience might not be perceived as being open-minded, but we’ve genuinely been so inspired by how receptive our audience can be. When we did our European tour, we had Adrian Eagle – who was on ‘Clark Griswold’ – opening up for us. That really opened us up to the possibilities of who we can tour with. “I like the idea of putting something that doesn’t traditionally correlate with what we play on the same stage as us. Mojo is a really special performer. We can only hope that people like it as much as we do.” Now over two decades into their career, Hilltop Hoods shows have expanded into
cross-generational experiences. The twentysomethings that discovered the group circa The Calling or The Hard Road are now milling about in the crowd with people that were born the year those records came out – and, in some cases, bringing children of their own. “I honestly don’t care how people came to our music, or how long they’ve been a fan,” says Lambert. “I’m just grateful that people still want to listen to us.” Hilltop Hoods bring their Great Expanse tour to Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena on Friday August 9 and Saturday August 10. The Great Expanse is available now via Universal.
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3 Songs for 3CR
Singers and instrumentalists bring their skills to the stage to perform a benefit concert for Music Sans Frontieres, The Boite’s weekly world music program.
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The Oratory at Abbotsford Convent
7:30pm Sat, Jul
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Mark Street Hall
Kavisha Mazzella
Listening to Kavisha’s songs of sorrow and love, passion and joy in an intimate acoustic setting is one life’s great pleasures. 6:30pm Mon, Aug
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fortyfivedownstairs
Sepharad
Dancer Tomas Arroquero and guitarist Kieren Ray work with Israeli born oud player, Yuval Ashkar, in a collaboration that revisits the Moorish connections with Flamenco.
8:00pm Fri, Aug
2
St Margaret’s Eltham
Cat & Clint
Sweet vocal harmonies, clawhammer banjo, fiddle and guitar, inspired by traditional mountain music passed across centuries.
8:00pm Fri, Aug
9
Box Hill Community Arts Centre
Italian Divas
Internationally renowned sax player, Mirko Guerrini brings a concert of the songs made famous by Italian divas such as Sofia Loren, Gina Lollobrigida, Mina Milva and more.
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FEATURES
LEISURE LEISURE have been making waves ever since they burst onto the scene in 2015. Conceived during a fateful beach getaway organised by band member Jaden Parkes, the Auckland-based electro-funk powerhouse has since embraced an eclectic mix of genres, resulting in a sound that absolutely oozes coolness. BY ELIZA BOOTH
The five-piece recently travelled across the pond to play sold out shows in Melbourne and Sydney ahead of their sophomore album, Twister, which is due out on July 26. Beat spoke with LEISURE’s Tom Young and Jordan Arts about vibes, playing live and the new album. Arts recalls the quintet’s first time writing together on that beach trip in Auckland. “There was no preconception for it to be anything, so that was a nice place to be,” he says “There were no rules and I think it wasn’t until after that week when we basically all sat around and played these songs back to front [that we] thought, shit, these are actually kind of good.” Describing those first songs, which included their breakout single ‘Got It Bad’, as “kind of good” is an understatement. The band’s first album, 2016’s LEISURE, debuted at #2 in the Official NZ Music Chart and has clocked up more than 50 million Spotify
THE
streams. But that understated vibe is part and parcel for LEISURE. “I think the energy is number one,” says Young. “Whenever we go away we always make sure that it’s not really about the music initially, it’s more about being all on the same vibe so we’re sort of establishing that backdrop and then the music kind of comes through.” “We’ve figured out that we’re creatures of our own environment and there’s something to be said about making music with atmosphere and in new, fresh, kind of unfiltered space,” Arts says. As creatures of their environment, the new album definitely shows signs of the band’s upgraded touring schedule, with several more danceable, bubbly tracks compared to their debut. “We’ve been playing live a lot more since the first album, so we’re kind of used to that live environment and the feeling that we get
Photo by Nicole Brannen
from playing live,” says Young. “We want to accentuate that feeling I guess, so we’re not as afraid of upbeat things as we maybe were on the first record. “For us playing live now we can really connect on a different level,” says Arts. “We’re not freaking out about playing live and we’re not freaking out about who’s going to enjoy themselves because we’re enjoying ourselves on stage. I think having those connection points and seeing people connect with us, with the music, it’s taken on a much more energetic form than we ever thought it would. “You have some LEISURE songs that are just so perfect for a campfire, but some LEISURE songs that are perfect for pouring out a cocktail to.” Their ability to flit from laidback, infectious numbers to funkier, layered tracks is just one of the reasons that LEISURE have captured
the attention of so many in such a small space of time. The band members have always wanted the music and emotions to speak for themselves, which is what catapulted them into the spotlight in the first place. The fact that they were able to grow so organically, without the intent of being a massive band, sets them apart from others. “I think for a lot of us, some of our favourite music is the music that we can discover on our own and it doesn’t have to shout at us,” says Arts, and if there was ever a way to really describe LEISURE’s music, it would be that sentiment right there. Twister by Leisure is available on Friday July 26. See them at the Corner Hotel on Friday September 20. Tickets via the venue website
Thornbury Local
The Thornbury Local launched in 2005. Originally known as Bender Bar, it adopted its current name in 2007. Maybe it’s an accident, maybe it’s a coincidence, but in the years since it really has become the local. BY AUGUSTUS WELBY
“This is a locals bar,” says co-owner Nick Darling. “There’s no pubs on this strip, so we’re kind of the joint. We’re the first one open, last one closed. The kitchen’s open late seven days a week and we’ve always got music on.” Darling and his three business partners came into the picture two years ago. The Local’s previous owners, a pair of brothers, had left it in good shape, but there was plenty of room to tinker with the particulars. “There’s almost a hippy spiritualness to the way they went about running a bar that meant they’d created this incredible community, a really loving, very authentic place,” Darling says. “At the same time, because they’re not hospo professionals in the strictest sense, they’d left us with a lot of opportunities to make it run better.” Very little about the bar’s culture has changed, mind you. The live music program is exactly the same with bands every Friday and Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. Open mic Wednesday is also very popular. “I played a lot of open mics when I was younger and they do sometimes have a
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pretty pathetic feeling,” Darling says. “Ours is really an incredibly bustling, fun community of people that come every week. There’s always a couple of new people who’ve never been here before. The two hosts are both very focused on getting the new people up onstage as a priority and integrated and introduced to people and making friends. “All that sort of stuff – that community, that culture, that music stuff – we really just inherited and nurtured as much as we could.” The Local already housed a kitchen, but the new owners made a concerted effort to improve the dining options. Burgers and pizzas are the central offerings, but the artisanal care means the pub is now worth visiting for its food alone “We bake three types of bread every day for three different hamburgers. We make our own pizza bases. All of our sauces are homemade. It’s junk food but it’s incredibly well made,” Darling says. Along with burgers and pizzas, there’s a selection of deep-fried American treats like jalapeno poppers and macaroni and cheese
croquettes. Nachos are a recent addition, likewise tofu, chicken and pulled pork tacos. There are also salads, fries and wedges, plus lots of vegan and gluten free options. “It’s just comfort food and we really strive to keep the prices down. We’re not trying to make money off an expensive dinner. We just want people to sit down, order as much as they want, it doesn’t cost too much and they can have a few beers and it’s good.” The venue layout has changed, too. The bar was flipped to the other side of the room nine months ago, boosting the feng shui and creating a comfier space. “We put booths in, created more bar space. We really love the idea of being able to sit at the bar. The old space didn’t really flow, so by putting in these more comfortable tables and really, really working on the food constantly, it’s paying dividends now.”
They haven’t tried to turn the pub in to a cool-kid, Friday night hangout, but it is becoming a bit of a destination bar for food. However, Darling and co. spend a lot of time making sure it stays the local. “All these people come and hang out here on quiet Mondays and quiet Tuesdays, play trivia with us, and they’re our friends. We definitely don’t want to get to a point where we tried to make the bar profitable by being cooler and then ruined 15 years of community and family.” The Thornbury Local is located at 635 High St, Thornbury. Visit thethornburylocal.com for more details.
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The Wheeler Centre presents
THURSTON MOORE IN CONVERSATION Thurston Moore may be one of the most innovative, influential electric guitarists living today. With Sonic Youth, Moore and his bandmates connected America’s thriving experimental underground with the realm of punk, grunge and alternative rock. Within the band, and outside of it, Moore has kept a relentless schedule of performance, collaboration, recording and writing. A staple of New York City’s experimental art and music scenes, he’s worked with the likes of Yoko Ono, Beck, Gus Van Sant and Bernie Sanders. Heavily influenced by the Beat poets, he’s edited music and literary fanzines, and published his own work through various imprints. Now based in London, Moore is returning to Melbourne for MIFF – performing new scores to four short films by Ukrainian-American filmmaker Maya Deren. In conversation with ABC Breakfast’s Jacinta Parsons, he’ll discuss his career in music and writing, and his latest foray into the world of cinema. MIFF Talks presented by the Melbourne International Film Festival.
SAT 3 AUG
at Plenary 3, Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre Time: 12.30pm – 1.30pm Tickets: $35, plus 50c booking fee.
BOOK NOW at wheelercentre.com
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FEATURES
Waiting: The Van Duren Story Memphis singer-songwriter Van Duren had a brief musical partnership with former Big Star members, Chris Bell and Jody Stephens, in the mid-1970s. As a solo artist, Duren was then picked up by ex-Rolling Stones manager, Andrew Loog Oldham, and signed to Big Sound records, a fledgling label run by rock critic Jon Tiven. BY AUGUSTUS WELBY
His debut LP, Are You Serious, came out in 1977, but made scarcely any impact. The sound is akin to the power pop of Big Star, but more indebted to Paul McCartney’s postBeatles work. Unlike Big Star, however, Duren wasn’t noticed and championed by the next generation of musicians. It took a chance discovery by Sydney musician Wade Jackson – himself an avowed Big Star acolyte – to bring Duren’s music to a wider audience courtesy of the 2018 documentary film, Waiting: The Van Duren Story. “I put a record out in 2015 with a friend of mine helping co-produce it,” Jackson says. “We’re obsessed with Ardent Studios in Memphis, especially with what Big Star had done there. A fellow from two hours north
of London with about 45 Twitter followers put a tweet out saying, ‘For fans of Big Star, you should check out this album by Wade Jackson.’ Then about three weeks later he tweeted a picture of Van Duren’s first album, Are You Serious, and said, ‘I can’t believe no one’s ever heard this.’” The Are You Serious cover image reminded Jackson of Todd Rundgren, which encouraged him to go hunting for Duren’s music. Although this proved a difficult task, finding one song on YouTube was enough to make him a Duren convert. The seeds of the film project were planted when Jackson’s friend, artist manager Greg Carey, came over for dinner. “I’d just broken up with my wife, Greg’s business partner had just left and he’d
broken his leg,” he says. “It was good to see each other and I put the album on in the background. Within seconds Greg stopped me and said, ‘Who’s this?’ and we listened to the record four or five times in a row and Greg kept asking me, ‘What do you know about this guy?’ At that stage it still hadn’t clicked that he was from Memphis or anything like that.” Rapt with the sound and detecting a mystery to be unravelled, Carey suggested they make a Van Duren documentary. Jackson’s an experienced musician and Carey manages contemporary Australian acts like The Rubens and Urthboy, so they’re not industry tyros. However, neither of them had ever made a film let alone a documentary that required a good deal of scavenging to uncover the details of Duren’s damp squib of a career. “I thought it’d just be a little ten minute film for YouTube, badly cut together and just trying to get his music out there a little bit,” Jackson says. “That’s when we realised there’s way more to this story than just getting people to listen to it.” The film recaps Duren’s biography and the various mishaps that led to his
disappearance from the music history books. There’s also a sub-narrative centred on Jackson and Carey’s discovery of Duren, their inexperience as filmmakers, and their initial connection with Duren via Facebook before meeting in person. The film’s editor, Jonathan Sequeira – director of the 2017 Radio Birdman documentary, Descent Into the Maelstrom – is responsible for urging Jackson and Carey to include the more personal component. “The entire time we were filming our journey on iPhones, just to get it on Instagram and Facebook and Twitter,” Jackson says. “Jonathan called and said, ‘I just saw a separate folder that said “social media”. All that stuff is fantastic’. And I went, ‘No, no that’s not for the film’. And he went, ‘No, there’s a story. This is you and Greg’s story’. He just cut a bit together and we saw it and went, ‘Ah, now I get it’.”
Liminal VR has also helped develop. This will make SAE the first provider to offer an AR/VR education at an undergraduate diploma level and will launch. “It’s a very, very exciting time to studying and getting involved in augmented and virtual reality technology because it’s this huge new emerging tech that’s going to affect pretty much all of our lives in the near future.” Moratti believes it’s not just the “amazing campuses” and “savvy facilities” that make SAE an excellent institute, but the care it has for its students – something he’s seen firsthand. The ability to network and take your learning beyond just theory is just another perk of the institution.
“[SAE] can see that AR and VR are going to be these huge industries and technologies that are going to affect so many people. And so much so that they’re novel enough to implement this diploma, I think, speaks volumes to the sort of education that you can hope to achieve at SAE.”
Waiting: The Van Duren Story is screening at Cinema Nova on Friday July 26 as part of the Melbourne Documentary Film Festival. Tickets available at cinemanova.com.au.
SAE Open Day Virtual and augmented reality is a strange beast, but SAE is breaking down the barriers with Australia’s first-ever undergraduate VR course. BY JONTI RIDLEY
If you’ve ever wanted to know more about virtual and augmented reality, and need direction as to how you can enter the industry yourself, SAE’s upcoming Open Day is the perfect place to start. Like any good Open Day, there’ll be the chance to speak to the institute’s experienced and passionate team, while also getting to see their advanced equipment and facilities for yourself. SAE Creative Media Institute prides themselves on their hands-on approach to education, offering real-life experience and industry pathways. A range of workshops and info sessions will be available to peruse throughout the day. This includes a professional recording session, live film shoot and a panel of industry partners. Visitors will also have a chance to speak to current students and even industry leaders, including Liminal VR’s co-founder and CEO, Damian Moratti, who will also be on the featured panel. Liminal VR is one of SAE’s industry partners, who offer participating students a range of opportunities they otherwise may go without. This includes direct access to the Liminal VR team for collaboration and
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questions, internships, and their equipment. “We provide access to our research and we provide a direct access to my team. Any student can post a question about a project they’re working on, but they all have direct access to me as well. It’s about teaching students to think of AR/VR in terms more than just conventional gaming” says Moratti. “By working with us through the partnership program and studying at SAE, students are afforded the ability to learn a little bit about psychology and neuroscience, and also put those skills to the test and create experiences that are specifically designed to either calm people down or energize them. Soon to inspire, or help alleviate pain.” Although this form of tech seems like something out of Black Mirror, it’s very much becoming part of our reality. Liminal VR is taking this one step further with the combination of neurology, psychology and AR/VR to “augment emotional and cognitive state” by using “short VR experiences” that have “profound psychological outcomes”. This approach to virtual and augmented reality will be featured in SAE’s new Diploma of Augmented and Virtual Reality – which
You can visit the SAE Creative Media Institute Melbourne campus for yourself on Sunday August 11 from 10am till 2pm. Make sure you register for more information and updates at sae.edu.au
FEATURES
Emma Russack Emma Russack’s songs tend to revolve around her lyrics. That’s not a backhanded compliment, as the Melbourne songwriter’s stylistic range, melodic capacity and shepherding of tone is also immensely compelling. But lyrics are again at the centre of proceedings on her fifth record, Winter Blues. BY AUGUSTUS WELBY
“I find it easier to write melody and lyrics compared to a guitar motif or something,” Russack says. “Sometimes I find it hard to make the music interesting, but the musicians I play with generally help with that. I definitely take the reins when it comes to the lyrics and the vocal melody and the harmonies. They’re my specialties.” On each of her five full-length releases, Russack’s songs are characterised by honesty and self-awareness. Whether or not the lyrics are entirely autobiographical isn’t critically important, because they engender a strong emotional connection. Winter Blues standouts like ‘What Is Love’ and ‘Be Real’ carry a sense of revealing authenticity. “I can’t imagine really doing it any other way under my own name,” says Russack. “There’s something very honest about having to perform under your own name and the name that you grow up with and apply for
jobs under. For some reason I feel like I have to be true to myself in that sense. I feel like I’m more accountable under my own name. Maybe that’s silly, but I find it hard enough to separate my working life with my music life. I try to stick to being myself.” Russack’s compulsion to represent her authentic self via her music could mean her personal identity is tightly entangled with her creative output. There are some distinctions, however. “In my songwriting I think I come across fairly rational and neutral,” she says. “I probably struggle a little bit more in real life than I do in what comes across in the songs. I have probably more conflicts internally in real life than I actually put in my songwriting. I tend to clear it up for myself in songs, but the struggles still exist in real life.” Although Russack’s lyrics undergo editing and sculpting in order to reach these resolutions,
there’s often a stream-of-consciousness flavour to them. It’s an impression created by the citation of mundane daily tasks and recollections of past conversations, which form the basis of penetrating existential statements. Listening to her songs can feel like being part of a conversation. “I’m not very good at hiding things generally,” Russack says. “I guess just how I try to communicate is in a fairly direct and honest manner. The last few years have been a bit hectic for me because I’ve been doing different things with my life and I often don’t have time to labour over songwriting very much. I just tend to write very quickly and in a very basic way for my own therapy. I always used to deny that it was therapeutic, but I think it really does help me to explore the way I’m feeling through a song.” There is a school of thought that says art must be driven by utilitarian intent, and anything founded in introspection is pure self-
indulgence. Russack’s songwriting vindicates a more subjective outlook. “I remember hearing some rock star say once that they write for the fans or the people, it’s not about yourself, and maybe I was following suit. But it’s all about me now. I’ve realised that it’s always been about me. That sounds a bit selfish but it’s kind of liberating as well when you start to realise that you almost can’t help what you’re doing because it feels good to do it. “Even if I was to stop releasing music at the level I’m releasing it – through a big freakin’ record label; Universal – I’d always still write songs. It’s very therapeutic and so now it’s good to realise that, because it frees me up a bit.”
massive day of fun, five bands playing, just great atmosphere.” All of Dooley’s hard work is paying off. Her venue earned a place in The Irish Times’ 10 best Irish pubs in the world (outside Ireland) list, which she attributes to the Drunken Poet’s absorbing ambience. “I get a lot of Irish people who just love it because it’s like being at home,” she says. “It’s very subtle, very relaxed. It’s a really chatty pub. Many people come in by themselves but nobody sits by themselves unless they really want to. You can sit and read a book and watch the characters – there’s a lot of characters drinking here.” Obviously community is important to the Drunken Poet, and they have an important fundraiser this weekend. During their Kraken
Folk Session on Saturday July 27, the venue will be raising money for David Glass and his family. “He’s a little three year old. His dad is from Ireland and [David]’s just undergone his fifth open heart surgery,” Dooley says. The money from the fundraiser goes to the family, who Dooley says are “all down at the Royal Children’s Hospital waiting. So we’re going to have a big raffle.”
Winter Blues by Emma Russack is out now via Spunk Records. Catch her at the Jazzlab on Wednesday August 7.
The Drunken Poet The Drunken Poet is the authentic Irish pub on the edge of Melbourne’s CBD. Siobhan Dooley set up the Drunken Poet in 2006 after arriving in Melbourne and being underwhelmed by the quality of the Irish pubs already situated in the city. BY HOLLY DENISON
“At the time a lot of Irish pubs weren’t even owned by Irish people and were set up in a very clichéd way with fiddles hanging off the wall and shamrocks,” says Dooley. “I knew a proper Irish pub could be done overseas. I just wanted to show Melbourne a real Irish pub.” That’s exactly what the pub’s owner has done in the 13 years since the Poet’s inception. Choosing to decorate the Drunken Poet with portraits of Irish, Australian and American poets rather than the aforementioned clichés, Dooley’s pub focuses on the theme of the spoken word. They also serve Guinness, 18 varieties of Irish whiskey and ten different Scotch whiskys. In terms of events, the Drunken Poet hosts live music six nights a week. The majority of performances share the theme of words and lyrics. Starting on Tuesdays, there’s a tribute show of a local artist performing songs from their favourite artist. Wednesday night is dedicated to Wine, Whiskey, Women,
where two female acts perform their own original music for an hour each. Thursday nights alternate between open mic and singer-songwriter performances. “Friday we have our traditional Irish music and then a band,” Dooley says. “Saturday [afternoon] we have a folk session where it’s more of a fun singalong Irish ballad session. Then on a Saturday night we’ll have blues, maybe soul bands. Sunday four o’clock we have a folk or bluegrass style band, then Sunday evening it can be a band or singersongwriter, solo or duo.” Upcoming performers include the Mast Gully Fellers on Friday July 26, Andrea Robertson on Sunday July 28 and New South Welsh folk-rocker, Corey Legge, on Friday August 2. Dedicated to celebrating the history of the venue and the unique community they’ve fostered, Dooley is busy organising the Drunken Poet’s 13th birthday party. “It’s Sunday September 22,” she says. “It’s a
To support David Glass and his family head to the Drunken Poet on Saturday July 27 or visit gofundme.com/help-david-glassamp-family. To experience the Drunken Poet yourself, head to 65 Peel Street, West Melbourne. It’s opposite Queen Vic Market and conveniently located next to the 57 & 58 tram stops. The venue’s full gig guide is available at thedrunkenpoet.com.au.
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FEATURES
Profiles Hollow December
MF Tomlinson MUSIC
How did Hollow December come together in the first place? Hollow December first formed when we all ended up in the same Year 11 music class and thought we’d have a go at writing our own songs rather than just playing Muse covers. Tell us about your new EP, Ecotone. What is the story behind it? What inspired it? Ecotone is what we like to think of as culmination of three years together as a band. The EP is kind of a collection of songs documenting the journey through happiness, doubt, validation, fear and acceptance. How would you describe your sound and how did you come to it? Our sound is probably best described as alt-rock, although we do incorporate elements of other styles in our music. There’s definitely lots of experimentation with different FX through which we aim to create density and a sense of atmosphere within our music. You’ve got a show coming up for Arkadian’s EP launch. What can we expect from this? This will actually be our first gig back after a short hiatus so we’re pretty much itching to get back to gigging! As far as what to expect, hopefully a very good show where we have a lot of fun and the audience has a lot of fun and the snare drum doesn’t get punctured. Any other Hollow December news we should be keeping an eye out for? We’ve got a few gigs coming up in the next few months that we’re pretty keen for and possibly some bigger ones happening at the end of the year that we’re very excited about. You can follow us on Facebook to keep up with all our gig dates. Catch Hollow December at The Workers Club on Sunday July 28 from 8.30pm. Tickets are $10 on the door.
DUST MUSIC
DUST began at the start of 2019. How did the band come together in the first place? We’d both been making music separately for a long time but a few years ago, at a family wedding, we decided to finally collaborate on our first project, a progressive rock outfit. Since then, we’ve also started DUST to explore a different sound. Tell us about your upcoming new single, ‘The Longest Wave’. How does it differ from your debut release ‘Tears of Gold’? The new song has a completely different vibe. ‘Tears of Gold’ is happy electro-pop, driving beats and ‘80s synths bubbling behind the vocals. ‘The Longest Wave’ is DUST’s moodier alter-ego. It starts all smoky and brooding before building to a triumphant finish. What has the response been like from your debut single? We’re really happy. Word of mouth is getting us some good plays across the usual platforms, and triple j Unearthed gave us a nice review, which has also helped. We’re really proud of ‘The Longest Wave’ and hope this new single will reach even more listeners. There are plenty of genres at play with DUST. How would you describe your sound and how did you come to it? We both have different influences – I come from an alt-rock background. As for Chops, he’s still lost in early ‘00s electronic music. Put the two together with an indie-pop twist, and DUST is what comes out. What’s next for DUST? Is there any new music or upcoming shows on the horizon? Yes, more music! We’re busy writing and recording, and will keep dropping singles through the rest of this year. As for live shows, we’re exploring that as our repertoire expands. ‘The Longest Wave’ is released on streaming platforms Thursday July 25.
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MUSIC
Tell us a bit about how MF Tomlinson started. When was the project first conceived? Up until now I’ve always expressed myself as a member of a group. Listening to Bill Fay, John Cale and Jonathan Richman at Pacific Social Club and hearing contemporary voices like Courtney Barnett’s gave me confidence that maybe people might be interested in what I have to say. The great thing about being solo is that you can collaborate more widely. Playing to my strengths as a writer and letting others play to theirs as the songs take shape was a big part of the mission statement and continues to be one of the most rewarding parts of the process. You’ve just released your new single, ‘Sum Of Nothing’. What’s the story behind it? What inspired it? We’re all striving to do something — working super hard and rushing around all the time, trying to right the wrongs in the world as best we can, trying to live our best lives. At the same time you’re constantly being told (and at this point you’d have to be mad not to believe) that what we’re doing is erasing the future we’re trying to build. I’m reading this great book called The Mushroom at the End of the World by Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing. She talks about the anthropocene and this notion of precarity and has a great way of explaining that this is a really unique time in history because people have always thought the world was ending but now (it looks like) it actually is. Your music paints a candid picture of life. What messages are you trying to relay with your lyrics? It’s always different song to song. There’s this book called Art as Therapy by Alain de Botton and John Armstrong – a caption under a dark canvas says “this is what an inner feeling might look like”. You’re trying to create something that can share a feeling that you have with other people – share an experience. Sometimes the lyrics are abstract, other times they’re direct like when you’re sat at the laundrette with a bit of a hangover and you get all sentimental. I think a very big component of lyrics are the arrangement that they’re presented with. How would you describe your sound and how did you come to it? It is contemporary songwriter music – storytelling in the vein of Cohen & Richman, but then sonically it’s very much influenced by Kate Bush, The Flaming Lips and Issac Hayes. For me its all about my collaborators – I’m very much in awe of them. I have worked closely with Ed Grimshaw and Angus James to develop all the songs. Each time I reached out to a new musician, they brought something incredible and often ended up joining us live. Now there are seven of us onstage and even more working on the songs with me. Super lucky. What’s next for MF Tomlinson? Any new music or big shows on the horizon? Moth Club in London on Wednesday July 31 will be the single launch! Tickets are £5 and I just found a flight for like $800? Can ya make it? Gonna try to get out at Australia ASAP but I’m going to LA right now to visit my old YKB buddy Sean Cook aka Sean Cool. We’re going to record some new stuff that hopefully will be ready for later this year! ‘Sum Of Nothing’ is available on all streaming services.
FEATURES
Beat Eats
Winterise Your Diet
WITH D’ARCY MCGREGOR
REVIEW
COLUMN
HOW TO EAT COMFORT FOOD WITHOUT STACKING ON THE HIBERNATION WEIGHT
Bincho Boss BALANCED FLAVOURS AT MODEST PRICES The fusion Japanese joint Bincho Boss delivers a nice meal without breaking the bank. This little beauty opened up just a few weeks ago and it’s got a comfortable but modern vibe. The waitstaff are very accommodating and the bar has a wide range of sakes to try plus a heap of cocktails which can only be described as yum. Now to the good stuff – the food. I tasted most of their self-proclaimed menu highlights. The house made tofu came out first and while the flavours weren’t exactly to my palate, I can appreciate the work put into the silken tofu. It was smooth and the flavours balanced themselves nicely. The smoked duck breast had a beautiful richness to it; the red miso paste served underneath the meat was a big yes from me. The duck itself was smoked to perfection, making it very soft and tender – the little hint of mustard between the sliced breast was a welcome surprise too. Chicken Karaage, which is a soy ginger flavoured crispy chicken with mayo and lemon, came out next. I got the spicy version, which I would recommend to most people. It really wasn’t hot but had a lovely flavour to it. There’s not really too much to the dish, but who doesn’t love fried chicken?
The wagyu beef started off great and got better with every bite. There’s a theatrical element to being served the dish. Their paired steak sauce, a blend of red wine, garlic, ginger, soy sauce and wasabi, was amazing. The beef itself is served rare. It’s super tender and melts in your mouth. Their tempura ice-cream was served on top of a berry compote, which goes with ice cream, but feels wrong for this dish. However, tempura makes the perfect batter; it’s not too crunchy and super light, and the green tea powder on top was a nice touch. I also tried the espresso cream caramel which was a delicious little pot of coffee. It looked liquid when it came out, but it was completely firm and silky to put your spoon through. The meal I had was really nice, but quite western in the flavours. I would invite other diners to be a little more adventurous when ordering from Bincho Boss’ menu. Overall a really enjoyable meal with well-balanced flavours and textures – and the price is really good too.
For more food and drink head to beateats.com.au
It’s probably safe to say during winter we crave warming, high-calorie foods, drink hot chocolates and convince ourselves the gym can wait until it stops raining – which it never does. Here’s the deal: cold weather makes us want to eat more to make sure we have enough body fat to survive the weather. The reason we eat the high-calorie snacks is due to less sunlight over the months of winter– which makes us Debbie Downers – and we crave carbs to alleviate this. So, rich, heavy foods, which we consider comfort foods, are usually associated with winter, but these can be made healthy. Start by figuring out what fruits and veggies are in season. Most of the time, fruits and veggies we have as year-long staples are actually winter-season produce. This means they’re sweeter and tastier than usual during this season. For example, broccoli, carrots, root veggies, apples and even some citrus fruits are better tasting in winter. Take porridge for example, it’s not hard to make it delicious. Use milk to cook it – make it full cream if you want – and then add natural sweeteners. Instead of sprinkling the usual sugar over the top, load your porridge with seasonal fruits like apple, pear, blueberries and dates (I highly recommend the dates) and then pour some maple syrup over the top. Soups are the salad of winter, and they can warm your heart up. Lentil and sweet potato soup is always a winner for me as they’re high in zinc and vitamin C respectively – which helps our immune system fight off a cold – and if you use basic flavoured ingredients as a base, you can add stuff to make it your own (I usually add a red curry paste to give it a kick). Instead of piling the rice or pasta high on your plate every night, make a huge tray of roasted veggies with garlic, shallots, and ginger. We’ve been lied to when it comes to only roasting root veggies; all vegetables can be roasted, and they taste better too (roasted broccoli was life-changing). A good sweet-fix doesn’t have to mean puddings either. Caramelise some banana (which helps with serotonin levels) and have a small plate of custard with them – it’s warm and really good. That being said, you should still go out and enjoy your burgers, pastas, and puddings, but just remember comfort food can be healthy too!
Find Bincho Boss at 383-385 Little Bourke St, Melbourne
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NEW MUSIC
Albums & Singles BEST NEW ALBUM
9.5
ANGIE MCMAHON
Salt
Melburnian singer-songwriter Angie McMahon has been turning heads for what seems like an eternity. Her long awaited debut album, Salt, is a near faultless piece of work. Bruce Springsteen, Lianne La Havas and Big Thief are among McMahon’s influences, sonically reflected in her own brand of heartfelt folk-rock, which revolves around the adroit use of dynamics and McMahon’s forthright lyrics. Although deft guitar work and a tight rhythm section are primary features across Salt, McMahon’s stunning vocal performances unequivocally capture the spotlight. Her voice rises and falls like a gathering storm on slow-burner ‘And I Am A Woman’, then finally erupts in rolling thunder at its frustrated, howling conclusion. Of similar flavour is ‘Mood Song’, a powerful number that summons a rising crescendo of horns. Her stunning vocal range takes notes from k.d. lang, Florence Welch and Lucy Rose, with a timbre that oscillates between husky intimacy and cathartic clamour. Label: AWAL Records BY EDDY LIM
SINGLES – WITH AUGUSTUS WELBY
JADE IMAGINE
SAMPA THE GREAT
EZRA FURMAN
VILLAGERS
The News
OMG
I Wanna Be Your Girlfriend
Summer’s Song
We’d all be better off without the 24-hour news cycle. There’s a sense of neglecting your civic duty by not staying up to date with each local and international development. On the other hand, what good is compulsively devouring news reports when the main emotions stirred are disappointment, nihilism and despair? “I can’t keep up with the news,” sings Jade McInally in the latest single from the Melbourne band’s upcoming debut LP. It’s their most infectious release to date, amplifying jade imagine’s ability to turn cerebral complexity into soothing indie rock.
Almost without fail, Sampa Tembo’s releases have prompted a sputtering of superlatives since The Great Mixtape showed up in 2015. The Melbourne-based MC claims her moniker’s descriptive complement is something to aspire towards, and she’s never recoiled at the task. ‘OMG’ finds Sampa in characteristically radiant form; unapologetic rhymes buttressed by Kwes Darko’s worldbuilding beats. The self-belief that springs from her work is wildly inspiring. The fact she keeps one-upping herself is scary.
Bubblegum doo wop chord progressions have taken on folk music utility for those wanting to flesh out their gender and sexual identity struggles in a glamorous way. Ezra Furman prefers he/his/him pronouns, but here deliberates about whether to ditch Ezra for Esme and desires nothing more than to become his crush’s girlfriend. It’s punchy, melodic and charmingly unkempt. The line, “Baby, it’s not all about what you thought that you wanted / It’s about the way I can make you feel,” will resonate with any digital-daters constantly wondering who else might be out there.
What a beautiful lad Villagers’ Conor O’Brien is. That sounds patronising, but his songwriting typically sends a glaze of adoration across your face. ‘Summer Song’, a standalone single that comes less than a year after the Irish band’s The Art of Pretending to Swim LP, sounds like it was produced by a collaboration between Kevin Parker and the late Richard Swift. Compared to some of O’Brien’s quintessential compositions, it’s centred more on a feeling than penetrating lyricism. Lines like, “We’ll climb the sunlight one beam at a time,” still hit where it hurts.
Label: Bella Union/PIAS
Label: Domino Recording Company
Label: Ninja Tune Label: Milk! Records
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NEW MUSIC
8
THELMA PLUM
Better In Blak
7.5
BLOOD ORANGE
8
Angel’s Pulse
Better In Blak is the statement record the New South Wales singer has been promising since the release of her Monsters EP in 2014. Thelma Plum’s highly anticipated debut album combines the best of her infectious sing-a-long lyrics with a taste of beautiful songwriting that perfectly showcases the Delungra singer-songwriter’s talents. ‘Clumsy Love’ kicks off the album with the high-energy chorus and rhythmic beat that got fans excited about Plum’s future releases. The track is followed by several other songs with a similar formula of catchy riffs paired with a heavy beat, such as ‘Don’t Let a Good Girl Down’ and indignant anthem ‘Woke Blokes’. The familiar voice of Gang of Youths’ David Le’aupepe makes an appearance on ‘Love and War’, a nostalgic duet set to the sound of gentle synths and clapsticks, while Sir Paul McCartney lends his guitar skills to ‘Made For You’. ‘Do You Ever Get So Sad You Can’t Breathe’ is the acoustic reprieve the album needs, featuring just a guitar and Plum’s delicate voice. The title track comes as a victorious response to the racism and sexism Plum endured in 2016. It’s an energetic ode to her experience as an Indigenous woman, and much like the entirety of the record, it features Plum’s endearing and cathartic storytelling combined with pop-infused melodies and rhythm.
Devonté Hynes – aka Blood Orange – describes Angel’s Pulse as an epilogue to 2018’s Negro Swan. While the term mixtape is thrown around with increasing frequency in the digital age, the fragments of ideas that inhabit Angel’s Pulse certainly reinforce such a title. Much like the album that precedes it, Angel’s Pulse hosts a long list of collaborations. Though, unlike Negro Swan’s roster of high profile guests, such as A$AP Rocky, P Diddy and Janet Mock, here Hynes turns to the likes of Toro y Moi, Kelsey Lu and Justine Skye. The mixtape stutters between genres, often cutting to a new track mid-beat, but a strong sense of consistency remains. It’s as if a single idea has been approached from every possible angle. From the gospel vocal harmonies and soft mutterings of organ on ‘Birmingham’, featuring Kelsey Lu and Ian Isiah, to the compulsive beat of hip hop number, ‘Gold Teeth’, featuring Project Pat, Gangsta Boo, and Tinashe, it’s enough to give you whiplash. With most tracks barely scraping two and a half minutes, there’s little time to ruminate on each offering. It’s like musical speed dating – just when things are starting to flow, the buzzer sounds and someone new is sitting in front of you. Angel’s Pulse is exciting, fresh and yet another demonstration of Blood Orange’s seemingly limitless creativity. It’s a ride you won’t want to get off.
Label: Warner Music
Label: Domino
BY PRIYA FRANCIS
BY KATE STREADER
SUM 41
Order In Decline
Sum 41’s most fiery album yet, Order in Decline, rages with aggressive riffs and hardhitting vocals, ruthlessly tearing apart artificial layers to expose the liars in society. Opener ‘Turning Away’ begins with a delicate melody that quickly gives way to intense riffs. Deryck Whibley sings about seizing his life back by walking away from the poisonous lies and deceitful games. ‘Out For Blood’ burns with fire-licking vengeance and the need to up the stakes. It resonates with the heavier sound of their Chuck album. ‘The New Sensation’ similarly simmers with a cutthroat mentality. ‘A Death In the Family’ is filled with heavy riffs and seething vocals that aim to expose the guilty with their deceiving lies. ‘45 (A Matter Of Time)’ is an adrenaline booster, ruminating over the decline of faith in humankind and an implicit beat down of President Donald Trump. ‘Never There’ contrasts with the previous tracks with its soft acoustic and piano chords, easily the most vulnerable track on the album. Whibley sings about heartache and abandonment, while also reflecting on his inner strength in being able to take control of his own life. Closing track, ‘Catching Fire’, is fuelled by Whibley’s burning sadness over the loss of somebody important to him, along with his regrets of not having noticed the signs sooner. Order in Decline is a furious firecracker of an album that symbolises ascension from chaos into a more authentic world.
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RICH WEBB
Le Rayon Vert
Melbourne singer Rich Webb took home two Independent Music Awards for the album, Le Rayon Vert. Let’s dive deep and see why those awards were wholly deserved. The critically acclaimed album begins with ‘Let it Rain’, a toe stomping and allegoric composition, which makes it understandably loud. The track proves to be a red herring, however, as the album doesn’t follow this direction for the rest of its journey. Tracks two all the way to five can be considered major highlights for Webb, as each of them is surprisingly lenient, heartfelt and clever. Webb tackles the musicality of these songs in a manner that recalls George Harrison or Jeff Lynne. Meanwhile, his evocative lyrics are not lagging in the slightest. The album’s second half embraces a wider range in terms of genre, but it still manages to remain as lively as the first half. Tracks such as the anthemic, ‘Shenandoah’, and the swinging swan song, ‘The Good Life’, are the major standouts. A grand achievement, Le Rayon Vert is an album for weary ears, tainted hearts and those who just so happen to be in a wood cabin. Label: All Killer Music BY RHYS MCKENZIE
Label: Hopeless Records BY CHRISTINE TSIMBIS
EDITOR’S PICK
PEAK TWINS
Beloved Nearly a month ago, Peak Twins, a beloved but recently dormant Melbourne band, returned to the ocean surface to take a breath.
The bubbles began to spread when they signed to adored record label, Our Golden Friend, in May; the announcement of a long-awaited second album accompanied the acquisition. It’s been six years since Peak Twins’ stunning self-titled debut. Those who rode the guitar pop wave of Twerps, Dick Diver, Boomgates and Scott & Charlene’s Wedding, to name a few, during the early part of the decade will be heartened by Beloved. It’s a stunning reminder of a sound that was once so distinct to Melbourne. From the western-leaning ‘KIN’ to the feathery ‘Beloved’ through to the uncanny ‘Heaven
Knows’, Liam Kenny and Joel Carey meddle with all corners of the pop platter, enveloping a compact instrumental core with all manner of sonic flourishes. Beloved shows an interest in the disquiet that pop music can unearth without being too inquisitive. For the most part it’s an uplifting record that grounds the fickle concerns of society. Everything’s OK in the world of Peak Twins and aren’t they better for it? Label: Our Golden Friend BY TOM PARKER
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REVIEWS
In the Pit
James Blake, photo by David Harris Photography
Childish Gambino
James Blake
ROD LAVER ARENA – WEDNESDAY JULY 17 2019
THE FORUM – SATURDAY JULY 20 2019 James Blake deserved a better audience than the one he got on Saturday night. It’s hard to say exactly why the crowd at the Forum appeared so utterly unimpressed by what was a tight, confident performance. Maybe we can blame the unremarkable DJ work by opening act Airhead; maybe the room were all wishing they’d nabbed tickets to Splendour. Or maybe the muted response is indicative of how ephemeral and often undynamic Blake’s most recent record, Assume Form, is. In any case, when you’re three quarters of the way through a show and the artist starts playing their dancier tracks – riffing quite successfully on their danciest sections – and the most those lucky punters in the front few rows can muster is anaemic swaying in the style of those ‘90s hipsters from the Smashing Pumpkins episode of The Simpsons, you know something has gone wrong. Credit to Blake that it never seemed to affect his onstage mood. At one point in ‘Limit to Your Love’ (an absolutely standout rendition of a song Blake must surely be sick of playing), the couple standing in front of your humble reviewer turned around to advise that singing along wasn’t welcome. Not exactly the kind of crowd interaction you’d hope for as a fan, and hardly the kind of atmosphere you’d expect at any live performance. Tracks from 2019’s Assume Form made up a predictably large portion of Blake’s performance. It was a shame not to have live vocals for songs like ‘Where’s The Catch?’ (though any performer would hate to have to live up to André 3000’s pure charisma) and ‘Mile High’, but the excellent rapport of Blake and his band more than made up for any loss there. It was fun to see the onstage trio play straight through ‘Love Me In Whatever Way’, ‘Are You In Love?’ and ‘Can’t Believe The
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James Blake, photo by David Harris Photography
Way We Flow’ in rapid succession, the last bars of each song blending into the first of the next. It was also easy to tell the band was enjoying the flow of the triplet, with both Mr Drummer and Mr Multi-Instrumentalist grinning as they went. ‘The Wilhelm Scream’ was another highlight, with Blake dedicating the performance to his late father (and writer of the original), James Litherland. But instead of melancholic, the dedication played triumphantly – a chance to bring his dad into the room with us. The expectation of an encore has become a tired trope for live music performances, but at least Blake managed to eke out something interesting from his return to stage. We heard a beautiful performance of ‘Don’t Miss It’ in almost complete silence, with all of us holding our collective breath at the gorgeous lushness of the sound. Better still was the night’s final song, ‘Lullaby For My Insomniac’, a track whose title is terribly twee for such a seriously beautiful composition. Blake set up his vocal loops for the song live on stage, with a smirking request to the crowd that we keep it down, because “If you yell something out, I’ll have to start again”. He needn’t have worried. Chastened by the militant shushers, we maintained a polite silence. Highlight: ‘Where’s the Catch?’ Lowlight: The audience. Crowd Favourite: ‘Retrograde’ BY SEBASTIAN DODDS
Appearing at the end of the stage’s runway, surrounded by faces tilted upwards with awe, Childish Gambino appeared bathed in light. Shirtless in white baggy pants, Gambino – soon to be known solely as Donald Glover – bowed his head as his own voice emanated passionately through the speakers. Some distance away, from their riser atop the moveable LED screens, the band unleashed dramatic, gospel-indebted flourishes, while at their feet a choir, adorned in matching vestments, augmented Glover’s disembodied vocal and he slowly raised his face. “This is church,” exclaimed Glover following the first song proper, ‘Algorythm’. Name-checking the devil and including the line, “Everybody wanna get chose like Moses,” the track decried society’s addiction to technology, and so it made sense that he then asked everyone to put their phones down. “This is the last Childish Gambino show ever. This is for us in here, not for them out there. I want you to experience this now.” Clearly Glover was determined to make up for having to cancel last year’s Melbourne show due to a broken foot, as over the following hour and a half he exhibited a formidable commitment to the task at hand, constantly dancing, jogging, writhing and grimacing while singing and rapping his arse off. Thankfully the band seemed unaware of the front of house mix that rendered the first few songs a cacophonous mess, and although this was resolved, the volume remained obnoxiously high. A team of stage personnel moved the segmented LED screens and occasionally funnelled smoke machines somehow through them, while a video crew raced up and down stairs in order to remain focused on Glover. Watching the relayed footage via the screens on either
side of the stage, it was obvious that Glover was constantly aware of their lens, moving his face into the lighting and exaggerating his expressions in reaction to the lyrics. If there was a fault with the arrangements it was that too often the band transitioned into a heavy rock or funk jam during a song’s final quarter, a trick they pulled on just about every other number. A five-piece, including drums, percussion, bass/bass synth, keys and guitar/ synth, the musicians more than held their own, though at points it felt as if they were being asked to embellish in order to mask deficiencies amongst the less sturdy songs. Showcasing recent singles, new material, a handful of tracks from Because the Internet and a middle section focusing on Awaken, My Love!, the highlights were his two biggest songs. The band actually took a break during ‘This is America’, perhaps because the backing track did such a good job at sounding alternatively sunny and disconcertingly violent. The song featured some incredible backup dancers recreating the moves from its think-piece-inducing video, while Glover grimaced, strutted and bared his teeth. Putting all of his remaining energy into the high-energy rap barrage of ‘Sweatpants’, Glover again strode to the end of the runway and literally dropped the mic, staring out defiantly. Turning towards the band he held up a fist and pounded the air in time with the kick drum, the instantly recognisable opening of ‘Redbone’. If these are indeed the last ever Childish Gambino shows, Glover will have left behind a rich catalogue and one stone cold classic, which he and the band delivered perfectly. BY ALEX WATTS
GIGS & EVENTS
Gig & Events Guide WEDNESDAY 24 JUL
ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY/ FOLK, BLUES OPEN MIC NIGHT The Bergy Seltzer. Brunswick. 8pm. LOMOND ACOUSTICA FEAT: NICK CHARLES, SHANNON BOURNE, MIKE RUDD The Lomond Hotel. Brunswick East. 8pm. FREE. OPEN GRAND PIANO NIGHT Compass Pizza. Brunswick East. 6.30pm. FREE. OPEN MIC Whole Lotta Love. Brunswick East. 5pm. FREE. EMILY DAVIS The Drunken Poet. West Melbourne. 9pm. FREE. JJ BAILEY The Drunken Poet. West Melbourne. 8pm. FREE. MUSICLAND COMMUNITY CHOIR REHEARSAL MusicLand Fawkner Music Complex. Fawkner. 7.30pm. $5. MELBOURNE'S BIGGEST OPEN MIC NIGHT MusicLand Fawkner Music Complex. Fawkner. 7pm. FREE. THE GRUBBY URCHINS Brothers Public House. Fitzroy. 8pm. FREE.
ROCK, PUNK, METAL FUZZ MEADOWS, THE EYEBALLERS, THE SUGAR PLUM FAIRYS, LIAM WILKERSON The Workers Club. Fitzroy. 8.30pm. $10. NOTHINGE, DARROW, CANDIRU Old Bar. Fitzroy. 7.30pm. FREE. WARPED, SPAWN, INVASION SKIES Cherry Bar. Melbourne. 8pm. $10. SAPPHIRE STREET, NTH RD, KURU LUMA Bendigo Hotel. Collingwood. 6pm. $5. HOT WATSON, POISON PERIL, THE PANORAMAS Bar Open. Fitzroy. 8pm. $5. NATHAN WONG, STELLA FARNAN, BLACK SNAKE WHIP Grace Darling Hotel. Collingwood. 8pm. FREE. ZELLEN, EFFIGY OF JEAN, DARK JAMIE Gasometer Hotel. Collingwood. 8pm. $10.
Gasometer Hotel. Collingwood. 7.30pm. $10. KASSETTE FEAT: RUDI, MZRIZK, KAM, SLIPPERY SLOPES The Carlton Club. Melbourne. 8pm. FREE. WEDNESDAY TWIST The Carlton Club. Melbourne. 8pm. FREE.
JAZZ, GLOBAL, SOUL/ FUNK THE MAMAS, LOOSE MOOSE, MOSES CARR Evelyn Hotel. Brunswick. 8pm. $10. SHOL, BEV PARKER & THE PERSPEXIONS Bar 303. Northcote. 7.30pm. FREE. BOPSTRETCH Uptown Jazz Café. Fitzroy. 8.30pm. LUKE HOWARD TRIO The Jazzlab. Brunswick. 8pm. $20. THE MAC PROJECT Bar Oussou. Brunswick. 9pm. FREE. SASHA MASAKOWSKI Bird's Basement. Melbourne. 7.45pm. $32. PAUL CARTER'S PLAYGROUND TRIO Brunswick Green. Brunswick. 8.30pm. FREE. STOIC RECORDS TAKEOVER FEAT: TATAFU Night Cat. Fitzroy. 9pm. FREE. THE NEW HIP Open Studio. Northcote. 8pm. FREE. THE DAIMON BRUNTON QUINTET Paris Cat Jazz Club. Melbourne. 8pm. $20. THE STUART MCCOWAN TRIO Paris Cat Jazz Club. Melbourne. 7.30pm. $25.
ELECTRONIC, EXPERIMENTAL NEW KIDS FEAT: POLYCONNECTION Boney. Melbourne. 8pm. FREE. POSTAL WEDNESDAYS FEAT: POST PERCY Revolver Upstairs. Prahran. 7pm. FREE. KASSETTE FEAT: RUDI, MZRIZK, KAM, SLIPPERY SLOPES The Carlton Club. Melbourne. 8pm. FREE.
THURSDAY 25 JUL
ROCK, PUNK, METAL
HIP HOP, R&B, POP IVORYARCHER The Penny Black. Brunswick. 6pm. FREE. SASHA MASAKOWSKI Bird's Basement. Melbourne. 7.45pm. $32. PARTY ON MY DARLING, CNA, RAT CHILD
FLETCHER GULL, RAT STERLING, CHRIS ALCOMA, DRUMARESQ Swamplands Bar. Thornbury. 7pm. FREE. WORLD TURTLE WORLD, BRUSIER, KOUKATSUANI, ROWBOY The Workers Club. Fitzroy. 8pm. $10.
MURPHY'S HARDWARE, DJ KERRIE HICKEN Retreat Hotel. Brunswick. 8pm. FREE. ALZHEIMER BLANKS, ITALIANZ, ASPS, NONTOPIA Old Bar. Fitzroy. 7.30pm. FREE. VETO, COSMIC KAHUNA Globe Alley. Melbourne. 8pm. FREE. COMMON CULT B'DAY FEAT: TINA GROWLS, UVA URSI, FOREVER RENTER Evelyn Hotel. Brunswick. 8pm. $10. TOEHIDER, BEAUTIFUL BEDLAM Bendigo Hotel. Collingwood. 7pm. $15. RELIGIOUS OBSERVANCE, CARCINOID, GBS, DOWSER Bar Open. Fitzroy. 8pm. $10. MATT BOURKE & THE DELUSIONAL DRUNKS, POLLYMAN, BIFF The B.East. Brunswick East. 8pm. FREE. HOON, SCAB BABY, LE PINE, PEST CONTROL Young Street Supper Club. Frankston. 7.30pm. $10. HARD ROCK - LIVE BAND KARAOKE THURSDAYS Stay Gold. Brunswick. 8pm. FREE. HEADWRECK, BRIDGET ALLAN, MONA BAY, SPRUNG BAD, DON’T TEXT UR EX The Last Chance Rock & Roll Bar. North Melbourne. 7pm. $10. PAFF, WET LOVE, CHARLOTTE LANE, FRANK JAMES Revolver Upstairs. Prahran. 8pm. $5. MOUNT DEFIANCE, BAREFOOT BOWLS CLUB, HAMMOCK DISTRICT, VARSITY CHEERLEADER Gasometer Hotel. Collingwood. 8pm. $10. CYSTIC NIGHTMARE, JUNIOR FICTION, LOVEBONER Gasometer Hotel. Collingwood. 7.30pm. $10. BEDROCK WITH LEE HARDING, DJ MATTY J Pier Bandroom. Frankston. 9pm. CATFISH & THE BOTTLEMEN Margaret Court Arena. Melbourne. 8pm. $74.90. RED PERIL, MONGREL, CENTRALIA Whole Lotta Love. Brunswick East. 7pm. $10. MATT BRADSHAW The Elephant and Wheelbarrow. Melbourne. 9.30pm. FREE.
JAZZ, GLOBAL, SOUL/ FUNK LIVE MUSIC THURSDAY FEAT: MR CLIFF, PERON Temperance Hotel. South Yarra. 5pm. FREE. HELEN RYDER TRIO Memo Music Hall. St Kilda. 7.30pm. $13. KYLIE AULDIST, THE SOUL MOVERS Cherry Bar. Melbourne. 8pm. $10. KABOOBIE Bar Open. Fitzroy. 7pm. WEREWOLVES OF MELBOURNE Bar 303. Northcote. 8pm. $10. ANDREA KELLER TRANSIENTS TRIO
Uptown Jazz Café. Fitzroy. 8.30pm. MON SHELFORD Spotted Mallard. Brunswick. 7pm. $14.57. NICK HAYWOOD QUINTET The Jazzlab. Brunswick. 8pm. $20. EMILIA + THORNE Bar Oussou. Brunswick. 9pm. FREE. SASHA MASAKOWSKI Bird's Basement. Melbourne. 7.45pm. $32. THE MICHELLE NICOLLE BAND Brunswick Green. Brunswick. 8.30pm. JAZZ LAUGHTER DARK Open Studio. Northcote. 7pm. FREE. WORDS BY IRA FEAT: AARON SEARLE Paris Cat Jazz Club. Melbourne. 7.30pm. $25. JACKIE BORNSTEIN QUINTET Paris Cat Jazz Club. Melbourne. 8.30pm. $25. CHARLOTTE JANE, JOHN MONTESANTE QUINTET The Water Rat Hotel. South Melbourne. 7pm. FREE. MO' SCO The Fitzroy Pinnacle. Fitzroy North. 4pm. FREE.
ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY/ FOLK, BLUES RHYTHM X REVIVAL Wesley Anne. Northcote. 6pm. FREE. SEAN MCMAHON Edinburgh Castle Hotel. Brunswick. 8pm. FREE. THE COLVIN BROTHERS Charles Weston Hotel. Brunswick. 6.30pm. FREE. TREVOR PETRIE & EMILY DAYE The Drunken Poet. West Melbourne. 8pm. FREE. TAYLAR PAIGE, CATHOLIC GUILT, ROSIE EVE The Toff In Town. Melbourne. 7.30pm. $10. SHANE NICHOLSON, MICHAEL WAUGH Sooki Lounge. Belgrave. 8pm. $34.70. SONGS IN THE KEY OF SPRINGFIELD Hotel Esplanade (aka The Espy). St Kilda. 8pm. FREE. MICHAEL SITA Customs House Hotel. Williamstown. 8pm. FREE.
ELECTRONIC, EXPERIMENTAL MORRIS JONES DJS Morris Jones. Windsor. 9pm. FREE. GRACE FERGUSON + FIA FIELL Melbourne Recital Centre. Southbank. 7pm. $30. SOUL SUPPLY FEAT: CLAYTON FOX, KAYST Horse Bazaar. Melbourne. 8pm. FREE. THE VINYL FRONTIER FEAT: GSM, COLETTE Boney. Melbourne. 9pm. FREE.
Bernadette Novembre Photo by Darren Howard
JJ Bailey
Wine, Whiskey, Women
Neon Soul
THE DRUNKEN POET
FAD GALLERY
The Drunken Poet’s weekly tribute to the wonderful women of music continues with their Wine, Whiskey, Women series. This session features the multitalented JJ Bailey bringing her guitar and vocal skills to a range of classics and original compositions. Adelaide singer-songwriter Emily Davis will also have you transfixed with her eclectic compositions. Get down to The Drunken Poet from 8pm on Wednesday July 24. Free entry.
Fresh off supporting The Putbacks at Cherry Bar, Bernadette Novembre and her ten-piece band return to FAD Gallery. A ten-piece band playing the smooth sounds of soul can only mean one thing – a great time you don’t want to miss. The show kicks off from 9pm at FAD Gallery on Thursday July 25. Keep your wallet in your pocket because entry is free.
Photo by BUFF G
Songs in the key of Springfield THE ESPY The wonderful world of Springfield visits St Kilda in a show that can only be described as every ’00s kid’s dream come true. Songs in the Key of Springfield promises all the classics for Simpsons fanatics, including ‘See My Vest’, ‘Who Needs The Kwik-E-Mart?’ and of course ‘Monorail’. You won’t have to borrow a feeling, or cash, because entry is free. Join in on the fun Thursday July 25 at the Espy. Can I come too?
USER SWAMPLANDS Treating attendees to a show beyond sound is the Melbourne two-piece, USER. Adding mind-bending visuals to their already state altering dark-electro grunge noise, USER will be visiting Swamplands with special guests, psychedelic-folk trio Brittle Sun, and keyboard superstar, Julitha Ryan. From 9pm ’til late at Swamplands on Friday July 26, with free entry of course.
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GIGS & EVENTS
3181 THURSDAYS, HANS DC, LUKE VECCHIO, LE'BRUH, JESSE BROWN, GAY ROBERTO Revolver Upstairs. Prahran. 6pm. FREE. GUERNS, QUANTUM MECHANICS, DJ MITCHELL GEE, COMMON ROMANCE New Guernica. Melbourne. 12pm. FREE. JUNGLE BOOGIE The Carlton Club. Melbourne. 8pm. FREE. GIGS FOR THE STREETS FEAT: BRIBERY, PEPPER, KAIAR Grace Darling Hotel. Collingwood. 6pm. $10.
HIP HOP, R&B, POP IT'S A RAP VOL. 6 FEAT: LIL GROOM, CANDIDATE, AKIDO, W0TAY, NEW WAVE INFINITY Laundry Bar. Fitzroy. 9.30pm. $10. LAUNDRY THURSDAYS FEAT: VARIOUS DJS Laundry Bar. Fitzroy. 10pm. FREE. SOUL SUPPLY FEAT: CLAYTON FOX, KAYST Horse Bazaar. Melbourne. 8pm. FREE. SASHA MASAKOWSKI Bird's Basement. Melbourne. 7.45pm. $32.
FRIDAY 26 JUL
ROCK, PUNK, METAL BRITTLE SUN, USER, JULITHA RYAN Swamplands Bar. Thornbury. 9pm. FREE. THE ONE TWOS, THE BEGGARS WAY, THE PREHISTORICS, THE DIECASTS The Tote Hotel. Collingwood. 8pm. $10. ROSSA MCCANN The Quiet Man Irish Pub. Flemington. 10.30pm. FREE. KITSCHEN BOY, BACKYARD MAFIA, SO FOX The Workers Club. Fitzroy. 8.30pm. $12.25. WILDERGLOW, DANITCHY, NORWOOD Retreat Hotel. Brunswick. 8pm. FREE. SPOONFUL Post Office Hotel. Coburg. 9pm. FREE. THE SUNKEN SEA, BIG LONER, ASTRONAUGHTY The Penny Black. Brunswick. 8pm. FREE. HOON, SCAB BABY, PISTOL PEACHES, ZOMBEACHES Old Bar. Fitzroy. 7.30pm. $10. JESS RIBEIRO, LEAH SENIOR, GALAXY HOP Northcote Social Club. Northcote. 8.30pm. $23.08. OTHER PLACES, LOVERS OF THE BLACK BIRD Labour in Vain. Fitzroy. 8pm. FREE. ORB, BANANAGUN, ZOË FOX & THE ROCKET CLOCKS The Curtin. Carlton. 8pm. $20. FOUR IN THE MORNING, DENIM GORGEOUS Globe Alley. Melbourne. 9pm. FREE. WRESTLEROCK Corner Hotel. Richmond. 8pm. $28.34. THE DEAD AMIGOS, DEAD PREACHERS, ZENITH MOON Cherry Bar. Melbourne. 8pm. $10. INCRYPT, THE NUREMBERG CODE, MRKILL, KÜNTSQUÄD Bendigo Hotel. Collingwood. 8pm. $12.
Ryan Oliver DOWNSTAIRS BISTRO & LOUNGE Guitarist and vocalist Ryan Oliver is revisiting Downstairs Bistro & Lounge for a show that will be the perfect start to your weekend. You can grab yourself a good feed and a few drinks while listening to Oliver’s original tracks as well as some classic cover versions. It’s free entry at the Downstairs Bistro & Lounge on Friday July 26.
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MORNING MORNING, FACET, THE FLORETS Bar Open. Fitzroy. 9pm. $15. JUDE JOSEPH, THE CLOTHESLINES, ABITOW YAGAHN, QUINTON TREMBATH Bar 303. Northcote. 8pm. SEEDY JEEZUS, MOTHERSLUG The B.East. Brunswick East. 7pm. FREE. THE PRETTY LITTLES, DESTRENDS, BATZ Stay Gold. Brunswick. 7pm. FREE. REDRO REDRIGUEZ & HIS INNER DEMONS Spotted Mallard. Brunswick. 7.30pm. $14.57. RIFF RAIDERS, QUICKQUICKSLOW, GECKO COLLECTIVE Sooki Lounge. Belgrave. 8pm. FREE. WHOLE LOTTA ROSIE, LIVE & DANGEROUS MusicLand Fawkner Music Complex. Fawkner. 7.30pm. $15. ROCKIN VOLTS MusicLand Fawkner Music Complex. Fawkner. 8.30pm. $10. SHORT SHADOWS, BOSS MELODY, TOM CARTOONIST The Last Chance Rock & Roll Bar. North Melbourne. 8pm. $10. THE BACKS The Last Chance Rock & Roll Bar. North Melbourne. 4pm. FREE. BIFF, ETERNAL SMOKO, CREEPY FLAVOUR, RADSNAKE Grace Darling Hotel. Collingwood. 8.30pm. $5. MIGHTY DUKE & THE LORDS Gem Bar. Collingwood. 7pm. FREE. ROXANNE - THE POLICE TRIBUTE The Fyrefly. St Kilda. 7pm. $23.50. GYPSY - THE RUMOURS OF FLEETWOOD MAC Royal Hotel (Essendon). Essendon. 9pm. FREE. KINEMATIC, POLARIZE, LEROY BIRCH Red Betty. Brunswick. 7pm. FREE. METRIK The Elephant and Wheelbarrow. Melbourne. 11pm. FREE. MATT BRADSHAW The Elephant and Wheelbarrow. Melbourne. 6pm. FREE. CAPTAIN SPALDING BAND Customs House Hotel. Williamstown. 8pm. FREE.
ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY/ FOLK, BLUES DOGSDAY The Bergy Seltzer. Brunswick. 8pm. FREE. YOU ARE NOT ALONE - A BENEFIT CONCERT Southbank Rooftop. VIC. 7pm. $75. MUDTRAIN BLUES EXPRESS The Lomond Hotel. Brunswick East. 9.30pm. FREE. GAIA SCARF Edinburgh Castle Hotel. Brunswick. 6pm. FREE. ECHO DEL TUSKER, STACKHOUSE, CASH Whole Lotta Love. Brunswick East. 7pm. $10. SHANE NICHOLSON, MICHAEL WAUGH Memo Music Hall. St Kilda. 7.30pm. $18. MAST GULLY FELLERS The Drunken Poet. West Melbourne. 8.30pm. FREE. TRADITIONAL IRISH MUSIC SESSION The Drunken Poet. West Melbourne. 6pm. FREE. MISSION BROWN Bar Open. Fitzroy. 6.30pm. FREE. JASPER JOLLEY + JAMES GUIDA The Fitzroy Pinnacle. Fitzroy North. 8.30pm. FREE. ZERAFINA ZARA & ALLEGED ASSOCIATES TRIO Smokehouse 101. Maribyrnong. 7pm. FREE.
Young Henrys presents Best Served Loud ft. The Pretty Littles STAY GOLD The wonderful Young Henrys brewery team bring their Best Served Loud series to Brunswick’s Stay Gold this month. Headlined by Melbourne rockers The Pretty Littles, with support from Young Henry favourites BATZ and post-punk trio Destrends, this gig will have the walls rumbling, bringing beer and rock music together in unholy matrimony. It happens on Friday July 26 and entry is free.
BUDDY KNOX Cafe 3564. VIC. 6pm. FREE. MORNING MELODIES FEAT: BRIAN M & CAROL Ferntree Gully Hotel. Ferntree Gully. 10.30am. $17. MARK GARDNER The Prince Patrick. 5.30pm. FREE. SHAUNA TONY AND CO Brothers Public House. Fitzroy. 8pm. FREE.
ELECTRONIC, EXPERIMENTAL FRIDAY FEAT: ADAM TRACE, MARCUS KNIGHT, GARRY SHEBA Temperance Hotel. South Yarra. 9pm. FREE. MORRIS JONES DJS Morris Jones. Windsor. 9pm. FREE. FUNKSION FEAT: DJ VERSE@ILLE, ROBBIE POLACK, KENNY-J Ferdydurke. Melbourne. 7pm. FREE. THUNDERGROUND FEAT: JAMO, AL DENTE, NATHAN HIGGINS, JACK SMART, CAL PARTON, UNKNOWN CONCEPT, EKO, CARAMEL FUNK, MAX LILLIE Young Street Supper Club. Frankston. 7pm. $25. LENNY'S HOUSE OF HOUSE, JT BEATLAB, OBAY, THE PASTY BOYS Sooki Lounge. Belgrave. 9pm. $10. LYON MELBOURNE: A QUEER UNDIE PARTY FEAT: DJ STEV ZAR, DJ KŌTARE, KELLY LOVEMONSTER Loop Project Space & Bar. Melbourne. 9pm. $15. DANCING THERAPY FEAT: OTOLOGIC, EMMA STEVENSON, DANCING THERAPY Boney. Melbourne. 10pm. $10. BEERS FOR QUEERS FEAT: CUPIDS CUT, DAZZA & KEIF, FOX PFLUEGER, NEFERTITI LA NEGRA The Fox Hotel. Collingwood. 8pm. FREE. DIAMOND NIGHTS DANCEHALL Rubix Warehouse. Brunswick. 10pm. $25. NATHAN MICAY, 6AM AT THE GARAGE, MERVE, RHAPSODISE Revolver Upstairs. Prahran. 7pm. $20. AUTO-MASH DJS The Rainbow Hotel. Fitzroy. 9pm. FREE. SOCIAL DISCO FEAT: ROS LUX, BEC BARTLETT Stay Gold. Brunswick. 11pm. $10. MIDNIGHT POOL PARTY, BLUSH'KO, EVANGELINE Gasometer Hotel. Collingwood. 8pm. $13.25. SHAMELESS - PARTY ANTHEMS Co.. Southbank. 10pm. $20. RED FEAT: CARRIE OKE, LAZY SUSAN, ZELDA MOON, THE GAZE, SILHOUETTE D'AMOUR The Carlton Club. Melbourne. 9pm. FREE. DANCE FLAWS FEAT: SEB WILDBLOOD, PENELOPE TWO-FIVE, REV LON, DAWN AGAIN, DANCE FLAWS DJS Geddes Lane Ballroom. Melbourne. 9pm. $22.43 - 28.55. TOKYO LOVE HOTEL FEAT: HIROYUKI ARAKAWA, AUDIO BITS, EL GREY, JOEY COCO, KAZUMA ONISHI New Guernica. Melbourne. 10pm. $10 - 15. LATENCY FEAT: LUKE VECCHIO, ORIENTAL DEVICE, KREJUS, N.I.L, GIANNI Brown Alley. Melbourne. 10pm. $13.75 - 22.19. FRIDAYS FEAT: AYNA, FALO, HARLEY
Kinematic RED BETTY Melbourne born and bred Kinematic are celebrating the release of their latest single ‘Two’ at Red Betty. A show dedicated to this stellar, self-produced track promises a set list packed with plenty of other brand new tunes. With special guests Polarize and Leroy Birch, the fun begins at 8pm on Friday July 26 at Red Betty. Entry is free, so there’s no excuse not to fare evade your way there on the no. 19.
JAMES, CLIFTONIA, BEN & LIL, CITIZEN. COM The Carlton Club. Melbourne. 5pm. FREE.
HIP HOP, R&B, POP FRIDAY FEAT: ADAM TRACE, MARCUS KNIGHT, GARRY SHEBA Temperance Hotel. South Yarra. 9pm. FREE. AREA 51 PARTY Laundry Bar. Fitzroy. 10.30pm. $15. LAUNDRY FRIDAYS FEAT: VARIOUS DJS Laundry Bar. Fitzroy. 9pm. FREE. SHORT SHADOWS, BOSS MELODY, TOM CARTOONIST The Last Chance Rock & Roll Bar. North Melbourne. 8pm. $10. AFTER HOURS FEAT: DJ SPELL Horse Bazaar. Melbourne. 8pm. FREE. BOY CURSED & THE AVIAN HAVEN, IVY TRIP, JORDAN Grace Darling Hotel. Collingwood. 8pm. $10. SASHA MASAKOWSKI Bird's Basement. Melbourne. 7.45pm. $32. DIAMOND NIGHTS DANCEHALL Rubix Warehouse. Brunswick. 10pm. $25. RNB FRIDAYS Co.. Southbank. 9.30pm. $25. KHOKOLAT FRIDAYS, DAMION DE SILVA, DURMY Khokolat Bar. Melbourne. 9.30pm. GALS AGAINST VIOLENCE FEAT: LE FLEUR, TAPES, KATTIMONI, WAX JAX & THE MIDNIGHT SNAX, ASH KENNEDY, MADDY MAC Evelyn Hotel. Brunswick. 7.30pm. $15 - 20. CDB, KPS JAM, DJ C 170 Russell. Melbourne. 8pm. $43.97. CHILADELPHIA FRIDAYS New Guernica. Melbourne. 4pm. FREE. POP TILL YOU DROP The Carlton Club. Melbourne. 9pm. FREE.
JAZZ, GLOBAL, SOUL/ FUNK ADRIAN WHYTE Wesley Anne. Northcote. 6pm. FREE. DJ KOMBUCHI BOI Edinburgh Castle Hotel. Brunswick. 9pm. FREE. GRACE ROBINSON & STATE OF GRACE Compass Pizza. Brunswick East. 8.30pm. FREE. TEK TEK ENSEMBLE, SUGAR FED LEOPARDS, THE OMEGA POINT Howler. Brunswick. 8pm. $22. FUNKSION FEAT: DJ VERSE@ILLE, ROBBIE POLACK, KENNY-J Ferdydurke. Melbourne. 7pm. FREE. BUSH GOTHIC The Jazzlab. Brunswick. 8pm. $30. THE GIPSY CLUB CABARET 24 Moons. Northcote. 7pm. $20 - 35. TRIP BEATS VOL. 3 FEAT: KUNDALINI PROJECT, SIKANDER, KODOMA, ENTWINED BELLYDANCE Bar Oussou. Brunswick. 10pm. FREE. SASHA MASAKOWSKI Bird's Basement. Melbourne. 7.45pm. $32. FULTON STREET, DIVE TEAM 5, LAUREN BRYDIE, YIRGJHILYA, SON OF A GUNZEL
Rich Webb Band + Speakeasy THE OLD BAR Join the Rich Webb Band for a Saturday arvo jam sesh as they perform for the first time since winning the IMA awards for best altcountry album and best alt-country single. Seven-piece contemporary funk group Speakeasy will be joining in on the fun too. The gig kicks off at 3pm on Saturday July 27 and entry is free.
GIGS & EVENTS
Night Cat. Fitzroy. 9pm. $17.42. SOCIAL DISCO FEAT: ROS LUX, BEC BARTLETT Stay Gold. Brunswick. 11pm. $10. MAX TEAKLE TRIO Open Studio. Northcote. 6pm. FREE. 64, BYRON & FRIENDS Open Studio. Northcote. 8pm. $10. NADIRA & FRIENDS Paris Cat Jazz Club. Melbourne. 9pm. $32.50. CANNONBALL Paris Cat Jazz Club. Melbourne. 8pm. $32.50. INGRID JAMES QUINTET Paris Cat Jazz Club. Melbourne. 6.30pm. $30. GALS AGAINST VIOLENCE FEAT: LE FLEUR, TAPES, KATTIMONI, WAX JAX & THE MIDNIGHT SNAX, ASH KENNEDY, MADDY MAC Evelyn Hotel. Brunswick. 7.30pm. $15 - 20. THE ELISSA RODGER QUARTET Lido Jazz Room. Hawthorn. 8pm. $20 - 25. BOB SEDERGREEN & FRIENDS, JULIE BAILEY Classic Southside. Elsternwick. 8pm. $20 - 25.
CLASSICAL AUSTRALIAN WORLD ORCHESTRA, ALEXANDER BRIGER Hamer Hall (Arts Centre Melbourne). Melbourne. 7.30pm. $103 - 209.
SATURDAY 27 JUL
ROCK, PUNK, METAL FABELS, EDEN-REVENANT, CONSTANT LIGHT Swamplands Bar. Thornbury. 8pm. FREE. THE ONE TWOS, ALL HOPE REMAINS, DIRTY DANCE MACHINE The Workers Club Geelong. Geelong. 8pm. $9.20. SONGS OF BURNS, COTTON & MORRIS Clifton Hill Brewpub. Clifton Hill. 8pm. FREE. JIMMY MADDON, SPRUNG BAD, THREADS The Workers Club. Fitzroy. 1pm. $10. WHITE WIDDOW, DANGEROUS CURVES, THE CHEVALIERS The Workers Club. Fitzroy. 8.30pm. $19.40. BONEZ - ALTERNATIVE QUEER PARTY FEAT: TOP NACHOS, CRIMINAL BLONDE, EXCUSE FOR AN EXIT Whole Lotta Love. Brunswick East. 8pm. $10 - 15. TRACKSUIT, EVELYN IDA MORRIS Retreat Hotel. Brunswick. 3pm. FREE. MOUNT TROUT, STRANGER STILL, MARIA MOLES Post Office Hotel. Coburg. 8.30pm. FREE. SWIM TEAM, PINK TILES, PAPPY, CULTE, NINETY NINE Old Bar. Fitzroy. 7pm. $15. SKYSCRAPER STAN, CLEAR TEARS, KATE ALEXANDER & HANA BRENEKI Northcote Social Club. Northcote. 8.30pm. $15.71 17.82. PSYCHIC HYSTERIA, SPIKE VINCENT, MYSTERY GUEST, SOFT RUBBISH The Curtin. Carlton. 8pm. $10.
THE NUGS, BUGHUNT Globe Alley. Melbourne. 9pm. FREE. THE NICOTEENAGERS Evelyn Hotel. Brunswick. 8pm. $11.25. THIRD EYE Corner Hotel. Richmond. 8.30pm. $44.14. CHILD Cherry Bar. Melbourne. 8pm. $10. CHASING LANA, SENTIA, COLOUR & SHADE, FLYNN EFFECT Bendigo Hotel. Collingwood. 8pm. $15. GARY'S DIVORCE FUNDRAISER MEGA PARTY FEAT: KEGGIN, THE STAINED DAISIES, RQTBL The B.East. Brunswick East. 7pm. FREE. ELECTRIC EXPERIENCE, PARADISE FLATS Young Street Supper Club. Frankston. 8pm. FREE. WRANGLER SHOWCASE FEAT: BARELY CONSCIOUS, BRIDGET ALLAN, TWO LAST NAMES, DOVER ISLAND Wrangler Studios. Footscray. 3pm. $10. STEVE KILBEY, JULES SHELDON The Toff In Town. Melbourne. 7.30pm. $28.80. ROCK EN TU IDIOMA Loop Project Space & Bar. Melbourne. 10pm. $11.64. WOLFPACK, COLD GROUND, THE POLYGAMISTS The Last Chance Rock & Roll Bar. North Melbourne. 3pm. FREE. ANNIE HAMILTON Grace Darling Hotel. Collingwood. 8pm. $13.68. TOP NACHOS, THE BERKELEY HUNTS, DON'T TXT UR EX, FIZ EUSTANCE Grace Darling Hotel. Collingwood. 8pm. $10. MOONSHINE FAMILY JAM BAND Gem Bar. Collingwood. 8pm. FREE. ALL THE COLOURS, BLEACH Hotel Esplanade (aka The Espy). St Kilda. 8pm. FREE. ROBERT FORSTER & BAND Hotel Esplanade (aka The Espy). St Kilda. 8pm. $43.50. THE VELVET CLUB, THE FIOR, NATHAN WONG The Catfish. Fitzroy. 8pm. $11.76. 2019 AIR GUITAR AUSTRALIA CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL Night Cat. Fitzroy. 7pm. $11.94. THE LAURELS, PREMIUM FANTASY, NO SISTER Gasometer Hotel. Collingwood. 8pm. $13.25. STEVE BALBI, JAK HOUSDEN, FIONA LEE MAYNARD The Fyrefly. St Kilda. 7pm. $34.70. THE OPPOSITION, BLOODY MINDED, ABRASIVE ACTION The Last Chance Rock & Roll Bar. North Melbourne. 8pm. $10. PSYCHOBABEL + TEENAGE DADS, FAN GIRL, CREATURE FEAR Stay Gold. Brunswick. 7pm. $20. THE TARANTINOS - ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD Geddes Lane Ballroom. Melbourne. 8pm. $20.
ELECTRONIC, EXPERIMENTAL DJ BABY TONES The Bergy Seltzer. Brunswick. 7.30pm. FREE. SATURDAY NIGHTS FEAT: ADAM TRACE, MARCUS KNIGHT, GARRY SHEBA Temperance Hotel. South Yarra. 5pm. FREE. DJ TROPICAL BREEZE Edinburgh Castle Hotel. Brunswick. 9pm. FREE.
MORRIS JONES DJS Morris Jones. Windsor. 9pm. FREE. PAWN SATURDAYS - THE ORIGINALS, STASI, TBIB, ASHLEY JAMES Pawn & Co.. Prahran. 8pm. FREE. MARMALADE, KAYROY, ADRIANA Ferdydurke. Melbourne. 9pm. FREE. HOMEBASS, HYPNOTECH, GRIFF, KODIAK KID, AURAMECHANIC Bar 303. Northcote. 8.30pm. $10. WILDLIFE FEAT: DJ JNETT The Toff In Town. Melbourne. 11pm. FREE. SOOKI SATURDAYS FEAT: LE'BRUH, MAD LUCAS, SCOTTY PESTICIDE, JULIAN CASTLES, HEAVY FOOTER, HE LO CO, TOM VANCE, MAUVE, LEESHA, NOMAD, DICKIE THRILLS Sooki Lounge. Belgrave. 6pm. $15. WAX FIGURES FEAT: EMELYNE, SOPHIE MCALISTER Horse Bazaar. Melbourne. 8pm. FREE. FINDING FRIENDS FEAT: DONALD'S HOUSE, MIDNIGHT TENDERNESS, THE OTTOMAN, LOUISE KAYE Boney. Melbourne. 11pm. $12.92. MYTHOLOGY FEAT: XXX, POST PERCY Boney. Melbourne. 9pm. HYPERFLORA, SHAHRAE, RAHEL, G WOOD Boney. Melbourne. 7.30pm. $18.04. DJ RELAXATIVE The Fox Hotel. Collingwood. 8pm. FREE. RHYTHMIC WAREHOUSE FEAT: SUNSHINE, MARKET MEMORIES, SILVERSIX, BROWNBEAR, HOCKEY LANE, PIER PIRONA Rubix Warehouse. Brunswick. 8pm. $22.60 - 33.26. MIKE SIMONETTI, RANSOM, LEWIS CANCUT, TOM MOORE, NICK MURRAY Revolver Upstairs. Prahran. 7pm. $20. HEATH RENATA Co.. Southbank. 10pm. $25. ELECTRIC DREAMS Co.. Southbank. 8pm. $25. AREA 51 Empire Nightclub. Narre Warren. 9pm. MEMORY LANE VOLUME 2 FEAT: JOHN COURSE, IVAN GOUGH, PIERO, ANDY VAN, ANDY MURPHY, PAULO, CHRISTIAN BELVEDERE The Emerson. South Yarra. 9pm. $15 - 25. PRINCE. FEAT: MARKET MEMORIES, BRIAN FANTANA, MITCH BAIN, MITCH LOUGHNAN, JACOB SCRUTON, BLAKE PARSONS Prince Bandroom. St Kilda. 9pm. $23.50. EAT THE BEAT FEAT: ETWAS, CHRISS MATTÒ, ANDREA GUADALUPI, GAV WHITEHOUSE, JAMES WINTER, DREW HOLLY, JAY WILLIAMS, SHEA LAPPIN New Guernica. Melbourne. 10pm. $15. BOUNCE WITH DJ 2P The Elephant and Wheelbarrow. Melbourne. 10pm. FREE. SATURDAYS FEAT: KISTA, BETH GRACE, DEMIZE The Carlton Club. Melbourne. 8pm.
ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY/ FOLK, BLUES GUINNESS BROTHERS The Quiet Man Irish Pub. Flemington. 10.30pm. MONICA & THE MINDREADERS The Lomond Hotel. Brunswick East. 9.30pm. FREE.
THE COLVIN BROTHERS Wesley Anne. Northcote. 3pm. FREE. BANBURY CROSS Wesley Anne. Northcote. 8pm. PENY BOHAN Edinburgh Castle Hotel. Brunswick. 5pm. FREE. BLUE LUCAS Charles Weston Hotel. Brunswick. 6.30pm. FREE. ISEULA The Drunken Poet. West Melbourne. 9pm. KRAKEN FOLK SESSION The Drunken Poet. West Melbourne. 3pm. KAVISHA MAZZELLA Mark Street Hall. Fitzroy North. 7.30pm. $25. RACH BRENNAN & THE PINES, PLOTZ Union Hotel Brunswick. Brunswick. 5pm. CATHERINE BRITT Spotted Mallard. Brunswick. 7pm. $28.89. THE LONG & SHORT OF IT Piping Hot Chicken and Burger Grill. Ocean Grove. 6pm. $15. DICK WILLOUGHBY & THE DIRTY STOP OUTS + THE SHIFTIES, LOKI HOUGH The Rainbow Hotel. Fitzroy. 8.30pm. FREE. BUDDY KNOX Antonio's. VIC. 5.30pm. FREE. BUDDY KNOX The Rocks Echuca. VIC. 12pm. FREE. RICH WEBB BAND, SPEAKEASY Old Bar. Fitzroy. 3pm. FREE. BROTHERS BLUEGRASS ALL STARS Brothers Public House. Fitzroy. 6.30pm. FREE.
JAZZ, GLOBAL, SOUL/ FUNK MIFF Compass Pizza. Brunswick East. 8.30pm. FREE. CUMBIA LUNAR VOL. 4 FEAT: AMARU TRIBE, CHIBCHA, DJ PRINCE BASTARD The Penny Black. Brunswick. 9pm. FREE. THE MELBA BIG BAND Memo Music Hall. St Kilda. 7.30pm. $18. RENEE GEYER, ABBEY STONE Caravan Music Club. Bentleigh East. 8pm. $30. SLOW GRIND FEVER #73 FEAT: DJ RICHIE1250, MOHAIR SLIM, PIERRE BARONI, DJ ANNALIESE REPLICA Bar Open. Fitzroy. 10pm. $12. THE MONTGOMERY BROTHERS Bar Open. Fitzroy. 6.30pm. FREE. THE EUGENE BALL ELLINGTON NONET Uptown Jazz Café. Fitzroy. 8.30pm. BIG & HORNY MusicLand Fawkner Music Complex. Fawkner. 7.30pm. $25. YVETTE JOHANSSON QUARTET The Jazzlab. Brunswick. 8pm. $30. JALI BUBA Bar Oussou. Brunswick. 10pm. FREE. SASHA MASAKOWSKI Bird's Basement. Melbourne. 7.45pm. $32. THE MOONHOPS Open Studio. Northcote. 9pm. $10. DAN MAMROT QUARTET Open Studio. Northcote. 5.30pm. FREE. ELIAN & ELENA - ENTRETANGO DUO Open Studio. Northcote. 2.30pm. $10. SOUTH SIDE SOUL Royal Hotel (Mornington). Mornington. 8pm. FREE. CRAIG SMITH QUINTET Paris Cat Jazz Club. Melbourne. 9pm. $32.50.
Kodiak Kid
HomeBass 1st Birthday Celebration BAR 303 HomeBass is celebrating 365 days of excellence at Bar 303 for their one-year anniversary event. Hitting the big one, full of incredible bass and even better vibes, the event starts at 8pm and will run late into the night. The series’ residents will be key to this one, with sets from Hyponotech, griff, KODIAK KID and Auramechanic. Celebrate their first birthday on Saturday July 27, with tickets available through Eventbrite for $10.
Girl Germs
Sunscreen
Luke Plumb & The Circuit
THE TOTE
YAH YAH’S
LOMOND HOTEL
Local girl gang Girl Germs have reached their one-year bandiversary and they’re celebrating with a Saturday arvo gig at iconic Collingwood venue, the Tote. This show will be the grand finale of Girl Germs’ month-long residency. Special guests include Loveboner and Pinch Points, so get down at 5pm on Saturday July 27 to ensure you don’t miss a beat. Entry is free.
Launching their new single ‘High Over Love’, dream garage band Sunscreen take the bandstand at Yah Yah’s for the first time. Special guests FERLA and Denise le Menice will be joining in on this uber-fun event. You can get tickets through Eventbrite for $10, which entitles you to stick around for the venue’s late night shenanigans til 5am. Live your best life on Saturday July 27 from 8pm at Yah Yah’s.
Touring for their latest album, Turn and ReTurn, four-piece supergroup Luke Plumb & The Circuit will visit Brunswick East icon the Lomond Hotel this weekend. If you get down early you can also catch Luke Plumb and Kate Burke in duo mode. For a show promising many musical surprises, stop in to the Lomond Hotel on Sunday July 28 from 5.30pm.
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GIGS & EVENTS
NICHAUD FITZGIBBON Paris Cat Jazz Club. Melbourne. 8.30pm. $35. SHAKEN NOT STIRRED FEAT: TOSHI CLINCH Paris Cat Jazz Club. Melbourne. 6.30pm. $35. RUTH ROSHAN & TANGO NOIR, AMIR FARID Paris Cat Jazz Club. Melbourne. 5.30pm. $32.50. THE TAMARA KULDIN QUARTET Lido Jazz Room. Hawthorn. 8pm. $20 - 25. THE ALMA ZYGIER QUARTET Classic Southside. Elsternwick. 8pm. $20 - 25.
HIP HOP, R&B, POP HANNAH MONTANA VS MILEY CYRUS PARTY Stay Gold. Brunswick. 11pm. $10. SOULJA BOY'S BIRFFFFFDAY FEAT: VARIOUS DJS Laundry Bar. Fitzroy. 10pm. FREE. LAUNDRY SATURDAYS Laundry Bar. Fitzroy. 9pm. FREE. SASHA MASAKOWSKI Bird's Basement. Melbourne. 7.45pm. $32. JACK IN THE JUNGLE FEAT: KAÏRA CUVÉE, LOUELLA DEVILLE, NAM The Carlton Club. Melbourne. 9pm. FREE. KHOKOLAT SATURDAYS, DAMION DE SILVA, DURMY Khokolat Bar. Melbourne. 9.30pm. AN ORCHESTRAL RENDITION OF DR. DRE: 2001 Max Watt's (Melbourne). 8.30pm.
CLASSICAL AN ORCHESTRAL RENDITION OF DR. DRE: 2001 Max Watt's (Melbourne). 8.30pm.
SUNDAY 28 JUL
ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY/ FOLK, BLUES BEN J. CARTER Clifton Hill Brewpub. Clifton Hill. 5pm. FREE. STEPHEN KENNEDY The Quiet Man Irish Pub. Flemington. 5pm. LUKE PLUMB & THE CIRCUIT The Lomond Hotel. Brunswick East. 5.30pm. FREE. SUNDAY SESSION, LUKE JOSEPH, JACK & JORDAN Temperance Hotel. South Yarra. 2pm. FREE. BOB HUTCHISON Wesley Anne. Northcote. 6pm. FREE. WILSON BLACKLEY Old Bar. Fitzroy. 3pm. FREE. ROSIE WESTBROOK & JOHN PHILLIPS Memo Music Hall. St Kilda. 3pm. $18. ANDREA ROBERTSON The Drunken Poet. West Melbourne. 4pm. RED DIRT RADIO The Drunken Poet. West Melbourne. 6.30pm. HEINOUS HOUNDS Cherry Bar. Melbourne. 2pm. FREE. OPEN MIC SUNDAYS Young Street Supper Club. Frankston. 7pm. FREE. SHANNON BOURNE Union Hotel Brunswick. Brunswick. 3.30pm. OPEN MIC / JAM NIGHT MusicLand Fawkner Music Complex. Fawkner. 5pm. FREE. CHARLIE GRADON, LUPINE Grace Darling Hotel. Collingwood. 6pm. FREE. ROD PAINE & THE FULLTIME LOVERS The Rainbow Hotel. Fitzroy. 4pm. FREE. BACKYARD BREW Royal Hotel (Mornington). Mornington. 3pm. FREE. BUDDY KNOX Post Office Hotel. Coburg. 4.30pm. FREE. COUNTRY AT CUSTOMS FEAT: MICHELLE GARDINER, ANTHONY TAYLOR, DELLA HARRIS, EMILY HATTON, JAKE SINCLAIR, LUKE AUSTEN Customs House Hotel. Williamstown. 2pm. FREE. THE BORNSTEIN ULTIMATUM FEAT: THE BORNSTEIN ULTIMATUM Pause Bar. Balaclava. 4.30pm. FREE. HIDDEN IN THE HILLS - OPEN MIC Sooki Lounge. Belgrave. 2pm. FREE.
ROCK, PUNK, METAL THE EXCITING MCGILLYCUDDIES The Quiet Man Irish Pub. Flemington. 6pm. NIR TSFATY Edinburgh Castle Hotel. Brunswick. 4pm. FREE.
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ARKADIAN, HOLLOW DECEMBER, THIRD ESTATE The Workers Club. Fitzroy. 7.30pm. $10. SCUZZFACE, HORNY ELKS, POCKET ELVIS Whole Lotta Love. Brunswick East. 7.30pm. FREE. FAWKNER WALKING SOCIETY, CATE TAYLOR Whole Lotta Love. Brunswick East. 4pm. FREE. LYNDON BLUE, MIO Retreat Hotel. Brunswick. 2pm. FREE. LOOBS, CLINKERFIELD, JACKSON REID BRIGGS & THE HEATERS, DENISE LE MENICE Old Bar. Fitzroy. 6.30pm. $10. JVG GUITAR METHOD Labour in Vain. Fitzroy. 5pm. FREE. BLACK ACES, AUSTRALIAN KINGSWOOD FACTORY Evelyn Hotel. Brunswick. 8pm. $5. AC/DSHE Cherry Bar. Melbourne. 8pm. $10. CHARLIE REBEL, CRIMINAL BLONDE, THE BEGGARS WAY, ANALOGUE HOPE Bendigo Hotel. Collingwood. 7.30pm. FREE. ROSS ROYCE, THE CIGARRILLOS, ONCE WERE LOST, 7TH WAVE, DJ SHAHABO Bendigo Hotel. Collingwood. 12.30pm. $10. THE FAQS, ANTHONY REA & THE CHARM OFFENSIVE, THE GRAVY TRAM Bar 303. Northcote. 7pm. WRANGLER FUNDRAISER FEAT: BAKERS EDDY, LOSER, FYRE BYRD Wrangler Studios. Footscray. 8pm. $18.40. CHUCK BERRY REVUE Union Hotel Brunswick. Brunswick. 5pm. HOON, SCAB BABY The Last Chance Rock & Roll Bar. North Melbourne. 4pm. FREE. ANDRE WARHURST & THE RARE BYRDS Hotel Esplanade (aka The Espy). St Kilda. 3.15pm.
MOTHERSHIP - THROWBACK Co.. Southbank. 9.30pm. $15.
JAZZ, GLOBAL, SOUL/ FUNK
CHARLES JENKINS Retreat Hotel. Brunswick. 8pm. FREE.
ESSTEE BIG BAND Wesley Anne. Northcote. 3pm. $10. BEN DELVES TRIO Charles Weston Hotel. Brunswick. 4pm. FREE. THE HANDLE BARS Bar Open. Fitzroy. 6pm. FREE. NIKO SCHAUBLE'S THEN THIS The Jazzlab. Brunswick. 8pm. $20. AUSECUMA BEATS Bar Oussou. Brunswick. 7.30pm. FREE. SASHA MASAKOWSKI Bird's Basement. Melbourne. 7.45pm. $32. SHAUN RAMMERS’ OPEN HOME Brunswick Green. Brunswick. 7.30pm. LINE MATTER Open Studio. Northcote. 8pm. $5. DR HERNÁNDEZ Open Studio. Northcote. 5.30pm. $10. GEORGA BYRNE Paris Cat Jazz Club. Melbourne. 6.30pm. $25. SUNDAY JAZZ SESSION FEAT: XIN TRIO Red Betty. Brunswick. 7pm. FREE. YONI GIRAFFE Classic Southside. Elsternwick. 8pm. $10 - 20. THE BORNSTEIN ULTIMATUM Pause Bar. Balaclava. 4.30pm. FREE. ALL DAY FRITZ Open Studio. Northcote. 3pm. FREE.
ELECTRONIC, EXPERIMENTAL ROMEO MOON, ALLISON WALKER, FURLONG Retreat Hotel. Brunswick. 8pm. FREE. HAWAIIAN SPA - PARTYSHIRTS & GRASS SKIRTS Pawn & Co.. Prahran. 8pm. $15 - 20. REVELATIONS! II FEAT: TOM DENTON, DOMINIC BYRNE, MARKET Bar Open. Fitzroy. 7.30pm. FREE. DOORLY Revolver Upstairs. Prahran. 7pm. $25 - 30. RYAN FENNIS, E4444E, VOIDHOOD, JANE Gasometer Hotel. Collingwood. 8pm. $10.
CLASSICAL SCHUBERT MASS, MELBOURNE CHAMBER ORCHESTRA Melbourne Recital Centre. Southbank. 2.30pm. $65.
HIP HOP, R&B, POP SASHA MASAKOWSKI Bird's Basement. Melbourne. 7.45pm. $32.
MONDAY 29 JUL
JAZZ, GLOBAL, SOUL/ FUNK THE BLUE TWO FEW Wesley Anne. Northcote. 6.30pm. CHRIS BIENIEK BAND Bar 303. Northcote. 7.30pm. ANDREA KELLER'S FIVE BELOW The Jazzlab. Brunswick. 8pm. $15. PAUL WILLIAMSON'S HAMMOND COMBO The Rainbow Hotel. Fitzroy. 9.30pm. $10. DYLAN PHILLIPS & BAND Open Studio. Northcote. 8pm. FREE. THE DARYL MCKENZIE JAZZ ORCHESTRA, HETTY KATE Paris Cat Jazz Club. Melbourne. 7.30pm. $30.
ELECTRONIC, EXPERIMENTAL NIEUW MONDAYS The Workers Club. Fitzroy. 12pm. $3.
ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY/ FOLK, BLUES
ROCK, PUNK, METAL SUN TRAITORS, SAPPHIRE STREET, BLAND Old Bar. Fitzroy. 8pm. FREE. MONDAY NIGHT MASS FEAT: ARROW, UNDERLAY, ELSIE LANG, POLLY & THE POCKETS Northcote Social Club. Northcote. 8pm. FREE. RIVALS WITH OUR HEROES, ALTRIA, SOUL PALACE Bendigo Hotel. Collingwood. 7.30pm. $10. TRASH & THE TREASURES Globe Alley. Melbourne. 8pm. FREE.
TUESDAY 30 JUL
JAZZ, GLOBAL, SOUL/ FUNK TRIYA Compass Pizza. Brunswick East. 7.30pm. FREE. NOW. HERE. THIS The Toff In Town. Melbourne. 9pm. FREE. RHIANNON & LAURENCE HOBGOOD The Jazzlab. Brunswick. 8pm. $35. GINGER BROWN Brunswick Green. Brunswick. 8pm. RUCKUS ON RUCKERS JAM Open Studio. Northcote. 8pm. FREE. POISE, ZEDSIX Gasometer Hotel. Collingwood. 8pm. $5.
ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY/ FOLK, BLUES JAMES PARRY, BLACK SHEOAK, LONI RAE THOMSON The Workers Club. Fitzroy. 8pm. $12.25. TUESDAY TRIBUTE - SIMON & GARFUNKLE FEAT: THE GLORIOUS The Drunken Poet. West Melbourne. 8pm. FREE. OPEN MIC Bar Oussou. Brunswick. 7pm. FREE. IRISH SESSION The Lomond Hotel. Brunswick East. 9pm. FREE.
HIP HOP, R&B, POP UNDERLAY, PERLINKI, SUNFRUITS Retreat Hotel. Brunswick. 8pm. FREE.
CLASSICAL EARS WIDE OPEN - A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM Melbourne Recital Centre. Southbank. 1pm. $29. FLINDERS QUARTET Collins Street Baptist Church. VIC. 1pm. $38.
ROCK, PUNK, METAL MATT MURRAY & THE DURRY BUSTERS, ODD SOULS, ANNA OLIPHANT WRIGHT Evelyn Hotel. Brunswick. 8.30pm. $10. ALVVAYS Corner Hotel. Richmond. 8pm. ROTTING CORPSEPAINT, CAUSTIC GRIP, SERENE/CHANCEY, LOU2 The Last Chance Rock & Roll Bar. North Melbourne. 6pm. $6.
ELECTRONIC, EXPERIMENTAL DUMPLINGS N' MASSAGE Horse Bazaar. Melbourne. 6pm. $15.
WEDNESDAY 31 JUL
ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY/ FOLK, BLUES OPEN MIC NIGHT The Bergy Seltzer. Brunswick. 8pm. OPEN MIC Whole Lotta Love. Brunswick East. 5pm. FREE. JESS PARKER The Drunken Poet. West Melbourne. 9pm. FREE. MONCOEUR The Drunken Poet. West Melbourne. 8pm. FREE. GERALDINE CHAPLIN'S 75TH BIRTHDAY FEAT: TOM REDWOOD & THE GLUE, THE SPECULATORS, KAZ GARAZ Bar Open. Fitzroy. 7.30pm. $10. MUSICLAND COMMUNITY CHOIR REHEARSAL MusicLand Fawkner Music Complex. Fawkner. 7.30pm. $5. MELBOURNE'S BIGGEST OPEN MIC NIGHT MusicLand Fawkner Music Complex. Fawkner. 7pm. FREE. COPENHAGEN SLIM The Catfish. Fitzroy. 8pm. FREE. BUDDY KNOX Pistol Pete's Food N Blues. VIC. 8pm. FREE. THE GRUBBY URCHINS Brothers Public House. Fitzroy. 8pm. FREE.
JAZZ, GLOBAL, SOUL/ FUNK GAB & JOSE Compass Pizza. Brunswick East. 8pm. FREE. THE MAMAS, MEIWA, JAMES FRANKLIN Evelyn Hotel. Brunswick. 8pm. $10. SHOL Bar 303. Northcote. 7.30pm. FREE. BOPSTRETCH Uptown Jazz Café. Fitzroy. 8.30pm. LUKE HOWARD TRIO The Jazzlab. Brunswick. 8pm. $20. JAH TUNG & THE NATURAL ORDER Bar Oussou. Brunswick. 9pm. FREE. THE JAKE AMY SEPTET Bird's Basement. Melbourne. 7.45pm. $29. HOLLY NORMAN QUARTET + STELLA ANNING TRIO Brunswick Green. Brunswick. 8pm. $10. STOIC RECORDS TAKEOVER FEAT: SUPER JUPITER Night Cat. Fitzroy. 9pm. FREE. MAX AVRAHAM KÖNIG Open Studio. Northcote. 7.30pm. $10. KINJU QUINTET Paris Cat Jazz Club. Melbourne. 8pm. $25. KATHLEEN HALLORAN TRIO Paris Cat Jazz Club. Melbourne. 7.30pm. $20.
ROCK, PUNK, METAL BEAUTIFUL DARK, MELBOURNE CANS, LOVE & SQUALOR The Workers Club. Fitzroy. 8.30pm. $10. CIGARILLOS, HANNAH POTTER, WITH WITCH Old Bar. Fitzroy. 7.30pm. FREE. GARRETT KATO, TAMARA & THE DREAMS, SANDY HSU Northcote Social Club. Northcote. 7.30pm. $14.66.
GIGS & EVENTS
ALVVAYS Corner Hotel. Richmond. 8pm. $44.90. DEAD EYES, LAFFERTY DANIEL, FUZZ MEADOWS, SLYPON Bendigo Hotel. Collingwood. 6.30pm. $10. ADORE, CRASH MATERIAL, BLOOD MOON, OVERTIME Gasometer Hotel. Collingwood. 8pm. $8.
CLASSICAL DAVID SELIG & MASAHIDE KURITA Melbourne Recital Centre. Southbank. 6pm. $39.
HIP HOP, R&B, POP MISS DEMEANOUR, LOUELLA DEVILLE, TURBO THOT, C PASH, KAÏRA CUVÉE Ferdydurke. Melbourne. 8pm. FREE. PARTY ON MY DARLING, YUKUMBABE, ELLIOT FRIEND Gasometer Hotel. Collingwood. 7.30pm. $10. KASSETTE FEAT: RUDI, MZRIZK, KAM, SLIPPERY SLOPES The Carlton Club. Melbourne. 8pm. FREE. WEDNESDAY TWIST The Carlton Club. Melbourne. 8pm. FREE.
ELECTRONIC, EXPERIMENTAL NEW KIDS Boney. Melbourne. 9pm. FREE. POSTAL WEDNESDAYS FEAT: POST PERCY Revolver Upstairs. Prahran. 7pm. FREE. KASSETTE FEAT: RUDI, MZRIZK, KAM, SLIPPERY SLOPES The Carlton Club. Melbourne. 8pm. FREE.
THURSDAY 01 AUG
JAZZ, GLOBAL, SOUL/ FUNK LIVE MUSIC THURSDAY FEAT: MR CLIFF, PERON Temperance Hotel. South Yarra. 5pm. FREE. ADAM SIMMONS' ORIGAMI Bar Open. Fitzroy. 7pm. FREE. THE SHACKMEN Bar 303. Northcote. 8pm. $10. FUNK RABBIT, E.T. The B.East. Brunswick East. 9pm. FREE. ANDREA KELLER TRANSIENTS TRIO Uptown Jazz Café. Fitzroy. 8.30pm. LEILANI & BUD The Fitzroy Pinnacle. Fitzroy North. 8pm. FREE. THE EMMA GILMARTIN QUARTET Bird's Basement. Melbourne. 7.45pm. $29. THE MICHELLE NICOLLE BAND Brunswick Green. Brunswick. 8.30pm.
BICA.LYNCH.SCHEFFER TRIO + HERMETO MAGNÉTICO Open Studio. Northcote. 8.30pm. $10 - 12. BELINDA PARSONS Paris Cat Jazz Club. Melbourne. 8pm. $25. ANGELA DAVIS Paris Cat Jazz Club. Melbourne. 7.30pm. $25. FAIRTRADE NARCOTICS - FIRST BIRTHDAY PARTY, EARL GREY'S BREAKFAST TEA, OLIVIA MEG, TYRANTS Boney. Melbourne. 6pm. $10. WILBUR WILDE, JOHN MONTESANTE QUINTET The Water Rat Hotel. South Melbourne. 7pm. FREE.
ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY/ FOLK, BLUES YHAN LEAL Wesley Anne. Northcote. 6pm. FREE. WILL POVEY Charles Weston Hotel. Brunswick. 6.30pm. FREE. ASHTRAY BOY, ROSIE HADEN & GREG HOEPNER, JOHNNY SEAGULL DUO Red Betty. Brunswick. 9pm. FREE. OPEN MIC NIGHT The Merri Clan. Preston. 7pm. FREE. OPEN MIC NIGHT The Drunken Poet. West Melbourne. 7pm. LARAUSH Young Street Supper Club. Frankston. 7.30pm. FREE. MICHAEL SITA Customs House Hotel. Williamstown. 8pm. FREE.
ROCK, PUNK, METAL SLOWCOACHING Edinburgh Castle Hotel. Brunswick. 8pm. FREE. UFO GO, SIENNA WILD, UNLUCKY The Workers Club. Fitzroy. 8pm. $10. BOYDOS, DEAD EYES, KOSMETIKA Retreat Hotel. Brunswick. 8pm. FREE. AMARINA WATERS, GRAND PINE, EAGLEMONT Old Bar. Fitzroy. 7.30pm. $10. STONEFIELD, BITCH DIESEL Howler. Brunswick. 8pm. $29.34. BLACK ACES Globe Alley. Melbourne. 8pm. FREE. COMEDOWN PARTY, NOTHINGE, ENOLA GAY, CHRISTOPHER PORT Evelyn Hotel. Brunswick. 8pm. $10. ASHBEL, DATELESS, THE MOCHASINS Bar Open. Fitzroy. 8.30pm. $10. GOOCH PALMS, SURF TRASH, SLUSH Sooki Lounge. Belgrave. 8pm. $24.50. BRUISER, MONKEY BISCUIT, THE LOVE FISH The Last Chance Rock & Roll Bar. North Melbourne. 8pm. $7. PAPER TAPIR, THE NEW DREGS, STELLA FARNAN Gasometer Hotel. Collingwood. 7.30pm. $7.14. BEDROCK WITH LEE HARDING, DJ MATTY J Pier Bandroom. Frankston. 9pm. FAIRTRADE NARCOTICS - FIRST BIRTHDAY PARTY, EARL GREY'S BREAKFAST TEA, OLIVIA MEG, TYRANTS Boney. Melbourne. 6pm. $10.
MATT BRADSHAW The Elephant and Wheelbarrow. Melbourne. 9.30pm. FREE.
ELECTRONIC, EXPERIMENTAL MORRIS JONES DJS Morris Jones. Windsor. 9pm. FREE. DEL LUMANTA, NINA BUCHANAN Post Office Hotel. Coburg. 9pm. FREE. THE VINYL FRONTIER FEAT: GSM, COLETTE Boney. Melbourne. 9pm. FREE. CATCH THE BEAT THURSDAYS FEAT: DJ PERIL, AGENT 86 The Carlton Club. Melbourne. 9pm. FREE. JUNGLE BOOGIE The Carlton Club. Melbourne. 8pm. FREE. GIGS FOR THE STREETS FEAT: KAIAR, BRIBERY, PEPPER Horse Bazaar. Melbourne. 6pm. $10.
HIP HOP, R&B, POP VANESSA AMOROSI, TAYLOR SHERIDAN Memo Music Hall. St Kilda. 7.30pm. $45. KHIA + TAYLEN DELGADO Corner Hotel. Richmond. 8pm. $44.14. MOONSHAKE 1 FEAT: STRIKE & PROFITS, THE PURPLE TRADERS, INSPO, VALKYRIE ODIN, GNS & GODZI, TRIX WILLIAM, TUMI THE BE Laundry Bar. Fitzroy. 9pm. $5. LAUNDRY THURSDAYS FEAT: VARIOUS DJS Laundry Bar. Fitzroy. 10pm. FREE. BIOND, I AM ROYCE, MAX LAWRENCE Grace Darling Hotel. Collingwood. 8pm. $10.
CLASSICAL SCHUBERT MASS, MELBOURNE CHAMBER ORCHESTRA Iwaki Auditorium. VIC. 7.30pm. $65.
FRIDAY 02 AUG
ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY/ FOLK, BLUES JACK BIRD FEAT: TESS GOODWIN, DANNY PRATT, GAIA SCARF, BAILEY JUDD The Bergy Seltzer. Brunswick. 8pm. FREE. FIRESIDE SESSIONS The Quiet Man Irish Pub. Flemington. 8pm. ANDREW WALLACE The Quiet Man Irish Pub. Flemington. 10.30pm. WINTER WOMEN & STRINGS Wesley Anne. Northcote. 8pm. $12. HAMISH MACLEOD Compass Pizza. Brunswick East. 8pm. FREE. GARRETT KATO, LIV CARTLEDGE, RODERICK JON Northcote Social Club. Northcote. 8.30pm. $17.82.
BRAD COX Evelyn Hotel. Brunswick. 8pm. COREY LEGGE The Drunken Poet. West Melbourne. 8.30pm. FREE. TRADITIONAL IRISH MUSIC SESSION The Drunken Poet. West Melbourne. 6pm. FREE. CAT & CLINT St. Margaret's Hall. VIC. 8pm. $27. GHOST TOWNS OF THE MID WEST, WATER FOR THE WELL, MORNING FENCE Spotted Mallard. Brunswick. 7pm. $10. ALFANANT + MICHAEL MEEKING & BAND Piping Hot Chicken and Burger Grill. Ocean Grove. 7.30pm. $10. ZERAFINA ZARA & ALLEGED ASSOCIATES TRIO Smokehouse 101. Maribyrnong. 7pm. FREE. NEW SLANG FEAT: DIDIRRI Arts Centre Melbourne. Melbourne. 6pm. $10. BUDDY KNOX Guildford Family Hotel. VIC. 8pm. FREE. RICH YEAH, MILLER, WEATHERBOARD HOUSE The Yarra Hotel. Abbotsford. 7.30pm. $10. MARK GARDNER The Prince Patrick. 5.30pm. FREE. SHAUNA TONY AND CO FEAT: SHAUNA TONY AND CO Brothers Public House. Fitzroy. 8pm. FREE.
ELECTRONIC, EXPERIMENTAL HIGHER REGION SOUND SYSTEM Bar 303. Northcote. 8pm. $10. FRIDAY FEAT: ADAM TRACE, MARCUS KNIGHT, GARRY SHEBA Temperance Hotel. South Yarra. 9pm. FREE. DJ DEEEP SPACE Edinburgh Castle Hotel. Brunswick. 9pm. FREE. MORRIS JONES DJS Morris Jones. Windsor. 9pm. FREE. RAEL, SAMBA PARADISE, DJ MAXX R Howler. Brunswick. 8pm. $29.86 - 50.96. BENDY RAINBOW FEAT: JACK POPPER, ALICIA, THE D WORD, MARK MOON Loop Project Space & Bar. Melbourne. 9pm. FREE. NO SWEAT FEAT: CITIZEN.COM, TAHL, DROP THE PICKLE, LUKEMATH, ALPHA STATE, BOYDEX, SNRBOOM, CRASH LANDER 24 Moons. Northcote. 10pm. CREATURES FEATURES FEAT: LUKE VECCHIO, HABER Boney. Melbourne. 10pm. FREE. RYAN CROSSON, WHO, MIKE CALLANDER, ACID SAFARI, DAN BECK Revolver Upstairs. Prahran. 6pm. $20. AUTO-MASH DJS The Rainbow Hotel. Fitzroy. 9pm. FREE. CAMP, DELTA GRAMME, DAWN LEE, MATTYLONGLEGS, JACK HARDMËN, SPINN OD, JAVI MORLEY New Guernica. Melbourne. 10pm. $5 - 10. SKIDDY FRIDAYS FEAT: SHANE TIGGZ BARRETT, RHYS GIBSON, TRENT MCDERMOTT Brown Alley. Melbourne. 10pm. $15. SHOCKONE, DIRTY AUDIO, LUCILLE CROFT 170 Russell. Melbourne. 8pm. $33.84.
Tom Cartoonist
Double-O-Bill
Alvvays
Yhan Leal
Biond
THE THORNBURY LOCAL
THE CORNER HOTEL
WESLEY ANNE
THE GRACE DARLING HOTEL
This Double-O-Bill event at the Thornbury Local promises to heal your weekend wounds. The popular Sunday sesh presents Tom Cartoonist’s quirky rock originals and Tim Woodz’s storytelling folk tunes. Starting at 5pm on Sunday July 28, this is sure to be something special. Entry is free, but we can’t guarantee the availability of Bubble-O-Bills.
Toronto-based indie favourites, Alvvays, have announced a second show in Melbourne after their first one sold out in a hurry. It’s the band’s first time in Australia since the release of their acclaimed album, Antisocialites. Don’t miss Alvvays when they perform at the Corner Hotel on Tuesday July 30. Tickets available via the band and venue websites.
Coffs Harbour songwriter Yhan Leal is coming to Melbourne in August to play material off his forthcoming album. Leal will transport you to a sleepy beachside town with his mellow and dreamy beats. Feed your soul with Yhan Leal’s music at the Wesley Anne on Thursday August 1 from 6pm. Best of all it’s free.
Fem-pop stomper Biond dropped her new single ‘Like He Never’ on July 18. ‘Like He Never’ is an anthem for those post-break-up nights where you inevitably end up at the kebab shop at 3 in the morning. Catch Biond’s single launch on Thursday August 1 from 8pm at the Grace Darling Hotel. Tickets available via Eventbrite.
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GIGS & EVENTS
FRIDAYS FEAT: AYNA, FALO, HARLEY JAMES, CLIFTONIA, BEN & LIL, CITIZEN. COM The Carlton Club. Melbourne. 5pm. FREE.
HIP HOP, R&B, POP FRIDAY FEAT: ADAM TRACE, MARCUS KNIGHT, GARRY SHEBA Temperance Hotel. South Yarra. 9pm. FREE. WHAT'S MY AGE AGAIN? THE VERONICAS PARTY Stay Gold. Brunswick. 11pm. $10. LAUNDRY REMEMBERS FYRE FESTIVAL FEAT: VARIOUS DJS Laundry Bar. Fitzroy. 9pm. $15. BEASTIE BOYS LIVE EXPERIENCE Night Cat. Fitzroy. 9pm. $22.89. SUNBEAM SOUND MACHINE Gasometer Hotel. Collingwood. 8.30pm. $13.25. RNB FRIDAYS Co.. Southbank. 9.30pm. $25. KHOKOLAT FRIDAYS, DAMION DE SILVA, DURMY Khokolat Bar. Melbourne. 9.30pm. CHILADELPHIA FRIDAYS New Guernica. Melbourne. 4pm. FREE. POP TILL YOU DROP The Carlton Club. Melbourne. 9pm. FREE.
ROCK, PUNK, METAL BRIAN CAMPEAU Edinburgh Castle Hotel. Brunswick. 6pm. FREE. PHIL WOLFENDALE, SELF TALK, MADURA GREEN, APPREHENSIVE The Workers Club. Fitzroy. 8.30pm. $12.25. WHOLE LOTTA BIRTHDAY FEAT: HE DANCED IVY, SLEEPING GIANT, EATER OF THE SKY, EAT THE DAMN ORANGE, SHOTGUN MISTRESS Whole Lotta Love. Brunswick East. 6pm. FREE. BABYCCINO, TAMARA & THE DREAMS, SOFT POWDER Retreat Hotel. Brunswick. 8pm. FREE. DEAD ALREADY, ENDLESS BORE, PROTOSPASM, DATELESS Old Bar. Fitzroy. 8.30pm. $10. GOOCH PALMS, SURF TRASH, SLUSH The Curtin. Carlton. 8pm. $22.50. QUEEN FOREVER Grand Hotel Mornington. Melbourne. 8pm. $35. NICK BARKER & THE MONKEY MEN Caravan Music Club. Bentleigh East. 8pm. $27. KROOZERS RD The Grand Hotel Warrandyte. VIC. 8.30pm. FREE. SMASH BROS, YOU LEGENDS The B.East. Brunswick East. 8pm. FREE. MONOLIYTH, UNBOUND, NEMBUTOLIK, WOMB TO TOMB Young Street Supper Club. Frankston. 8pm. $10. YOURS TRULY, TERRA Stay Gold. Brunswick. 7pm. $17.48. CIRCLES, EBONIVORY, TRANSIENCE, M0DAL1TY, RED LOTUS Sooki Lounge. Belgrave. 7pm. $24.90. THE GEORGE TRIMMER BAND MusicLand Fawkner Music Complex. Fawkner. 7.30pm. $10. REGULAR BOYS MusicLand Fawkner Music Complex. Fawkner. 7.30pm. $10. YARD DUTY, BRODOWN, HIGH ON SPRINGFIELD, SHANE & THE DOG C#NTS The Last Chance Rock & Roll Bar. North Melbourne. 8pm. $10. ETERNAL SMOKO The Last Chance Rock & Roll Bar. North Melbourne. 4.30pm. FREE. I KNOW THE CHIEF Grace Darling Hotel. Collingwood. 8pm. $11.58. PRIMO!, G2G, CANINE APATHY, ULTRAVISION Grace Darling Hotel. Collingwood. 8pm. $10. BUNCHA COUNTS - PUSHTHRU FUNDRAISER, THE CHOPS The Fyrefly. St Kilda. 7.30pm. $17.35. BONSAI RECORDS LABEL LAUNCH FEAT: POLLYMAN, BONES & JONES Gasometer Hotel. Collingwood. 8pm. $10.20. LOVESHACK Royal Hotel (Essendon). Essendon. 9pm. FREE. METRIK The Elephant and Wheelbarrow. Melbourne. 11pm. FREE. MATT BRADSHAW The Elephant and Wheelbarrow. Melbourne. 6pm. FREE. THE PALADINS FEAT: THE PALADINS, BENNY & THE FLYBYNITERS, ITCHY FINGERS Corner Hotel. Richmond. 6pm. $55. CAPTAIN SPALDING BAND FEAT: CAPTAIN SPALDING BAND Customs House Hotel. Williamstown. 8pm. FREE.
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JAZZ, GLOBAL, SOUL/ FUNK SHAKEN NOT STIRRED, DJ LAMBCHOP, DJ MS PETTY CASH Red Betty. Brunswick. 7pm. FREE. TWO PIANOS & SAXOPHONE: IMPROVISATIONS & THE CONSTRUCTED MELODY, TONY GOULD, PAUL GRABOWSKY, ROBERT BURKE Melbourne Recital Centre. Southbank. 8pm. $30. BOOEY'S MATES Bar Open. Fitzroy. 6.30pm. FREE. BOB SEDERGREEN & FRIENDS Lido Jazz Room. Hawthorn. 8pm. $25. FROM BRAZIL, WITH LOVE FEAT: THE CHARLOTTE JANE BAND The Jazzlab. Brunswick. 9pm. JON WEBER Bird's Basement. Melbourne. 7.45pm. $29. THE MARK FITZGIBBON TRIO, NICHAUD FITZGIBBON Classic Southside. Elsternwick. 8pm. $25. FUNKALLEROS Open Studio. Northcote. 8.30pm. FREE. REVERSE SWING Paris Cat Jazz Club. Melbourne. 9pm. $30. CHONK WITH ALMA ZYGIER Paris Cat Jazz Club. Melbourne. 8pm. $32.50. GREEN DOLPHIN ST Paris Cat Jazz Club. Melbourne. 6.30pm. $25.
CLASSICAL ELGAR'S CELLO CONCERTO FEAT: BERTRAND DE BILLY Hamer Hall (Arts Centre Melbourne). Melbourne. 7.30pm. $40 - 123.
SATURDAY 03 AUG
ELECTRONIC, EXPERIMENTAL CELIAC, ROLES, VLF Cafe Gummo. VIC. 8pm. FREE. HOT AUGUST NIGHTS FEAT: JAMES ASH, SGT SLICK, ADAM TRACE, GARRY SHEBA Temperance Hotel. South Yarra. 6pm. FREE. SATURDAY NIGHTS FEAT: ADAM TRACE, MARCUS KNIGHT, GARRY SHEBA Temperance Hotel. South Yarra. 5pm. FREE. DJ BOUCI BOI Charles Weston Hotel. Brunswick. 9pm. FREE. MORRIS JONES DJS Morris Jones. Windsor. 9pm. FREE. EXPOSURE, ELOYSE, KAYROY, MADDY, MARINA Red Betty. Brunswick. 6pm. FREE. WILDLIFE FEAT: DJ JNETT, MIDNIGHT TENDERNESS, SOPHIE MCALISTER, DJ STAZ The Toff In Town. Melbourne. 11pm. FREE. AFROCAN DEEP FEAT: CHRIS NG, YENZI, KEBS, TREYSTYLEZ, LEO GUARDO, AKIMERA Loop Project Space & Bar. Melbourne. 10pm. $15. PER TUTTI FEAT: CARA MIA, MIKE GURRIERI, LADY LANGERS, EDDIE MAC, BENNY BADGE, DEBONAIR P Horse Bazaar. Melbourne. 8pm. FREE. CUCINA LOCALE, 6AM AT THE GARAGE Boney. Melbourne. 11pm. FREE. MYTHOLOGY FEAT: XXX, POST PERCY Boney. Melbourne. 9pm. TECHNO MANSION FEAT: CHIARA KICKDRUM, LUCCA TAN, D-SENS, ANDREIA DO Ó Rubix Warehouse. Brunswick. 9pm. $11.94 - 17.27. RISE & SHINE FEAT: SUNSHINE Revolver Upstairs. Prahran. 7am. EAT THE BEAT FEAT: ETWAS, CHRISS MATTÒ, FOURJACK, FEAN DOJOS, ODY DOZZ, MATT RADOVICH New Guernica. Melbourne. 10pm. $15. MARLO Margaret Court Arena. Melbourne. 9pm. KULT KYSS, DJ SARAH, STEEZY-E, JAKE HUGHES, BREEZY, MOONDOG Radar Bar & Club Melbourne. VIC. 8pm. $15 - 20. BOUNCE WITH DJ 2P The Elephant and Wheelbarrow. Melbourne. 10pm. FREE. SATURDAYS FEAT: KISTA, BETH GRACE, DEMIZE The Carlton Club. Melbourne. 8pm.
ROCK, PUNK, METAL THE FUZZ, KILMARNOCK STEVE, MISS GOLDIE Bar 303. Northcote. 8pm. $10. WHOLE LOTTA BIRTHDAY - DAY 2 FEAT: AUSTRALIAN KINGSWOOD FACTORY, THE MURDERBALLS, SORDID ORDEAL, THEE CHA CHA CHAS, I HAVE A GOAT, THE PASS Whole Lotta Love. Brunswick East. 5pm. FREE. DOM WILLMOTT, SONNY BAZZANI, TINKS Retreat Hotel. Brunswick. 3pm. FREE. TENDER BUTTONS Post Office Hotel. Coburg. 9pm. FREE. SLOWLY SLOWLY, SLY WITHERS, TEEN JESUS & THE JEAN TEASERS Corner Hotel. Richmond. 8.30pm. BREWTALITY FESTIVAL 2019 Bendigo Hotel. Collingwood. 2pm. $43.29. CEREAL KILLER, GELD, HACKER, THE SNAKES Bar Open. Fitzroy. 8.30pm. $13.30. SKIDS, SLEEPER & SNAKE The B.East. Brunswick East. 8pm. FREE. FOGGY GOGGLES, POLLY & THE POCKETS, DANITCHY Young Street Supper Club. Frankston. 8pm. $10. SIGHCLONE FEAT: AGAPANTHER, THE NINTH DIMENSION Wrangler Studios. Footscray. 4pm. $10. DIESEL Village Green. Mulgrave. 8pm. $39.80. THE SLINGERS, GRACE KING, TIME ROBB & THE STEALING HOURS BAND The Toff In Town. Melbourne. 7.30pm. $10. SURFACING - SLIPKNOT TRIBUTE Stay Gold. Brunswick. 7pm. $17.48. ABSOLUTELY LIVE - THE DOORS Spotted Mallard. Brunswick. 7pm. $34.25. GOLD CHISEL, THE ANDY LUTZE MUSICWORKS MusicLand Fawkner Music Complex. Fawkner. 7.30pm. $20. KODIAK GALAXY, MUCK The Last Chance Rock & Roll Bar. North Melbourne. 2.30pm. FREE. SUPAHONEY, TRUCKS, MEANDER, HAPPY DREGS The Last Chance Rock & Roll Bar. North Melbourne. 8pm. DEAR THIEVES, RED GAZELLE, EXCUSE FOR AN EXIT, THE DEADLIPS The Catfish. Fitzroy. 8pm. $10. QUEEN FOREVER Prince Bandroom. St Kilda. 8pm. $39.80. PINK FLOYD EXPERIENCE Palais Theatre. St Kilda. 7pm. $127.38. BAD/LOVE, BAD JUJU, THE VALLEY ENDS, PASSERBY, PUBLIC HIGH Max Watt's (Melbourne). 8pm. $18.90. DAYSWORTH FIGHTING, BETWEEN THE DEVIL & THE DEEP, OH KAMIKAZE Old Bar. Fitzroy. 8pm. $15.
ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY/ FOLK, BLUES TRIBUTE: POGUES, WATERBOYS, DUBLINERS FEAT: WHISKEY GYPSIES The Quiet Man Irish Pub. Flemington. 10.30pm. LOS BORRACHOS Clifton Hill Brewpub. Clifton Hill. 9pm. FREE. PENY BOHAN Edinburgh Castle Hotel. Brunswick. 5pm. FREE. TRIO GRANDE Charles Weston Hotel. Brunswick. 6.30pm. FREE. STEPHEN KENNEDY The Drunken Poet. West Melbourne. 3pm. FREE. STARS, MATT WALKER Caravan Music Club. Bentleigh East. 8pm. $33. THE TWOKS The Rainbow Hotel. Fitzroy. 9.30pm. FREE. ZERAFINA ZARA & ALLEGED ASSOCIATES TRIO Smokehouse 101. Maribyrnong. 7pm. FREE. BUDDY KNOX Empire Hotel. VIC. 8pm. FREE. BROTHERS BLUEGRASS ALL STARS Brothers Public House. Fitzroy. 6.30pm. FREE.
JAZZ, GLOBAL, SOUL/ FUNK DJ CRISPI Edinburgh Castle Hotel. Brunswick. 9pm. FREE. CHOCCY SALAD, AMADEUS TULIP Old Bar. Fitzroy. 3pm. FREE.
LOUISA RANKIN QUINTET Melbourne Recital Centre. Southbank. 8pm. $30. HALLOWED HORNS Bar Open. Fitzroy. 6.30pm. FREE. 3 SONGS FOR 3CR Abbotsford Convent. Abbotsford. 7.30pm. $27. THE HARRIETT ALLCROFT QUARTET Lido Jazz Room. Hawthorn. 8pm. $25. ALMA ZYGIER BAND The Jazzlab. Brunswick. 8pm. $30. RUSSIA, TAPES, BIRDSNAKE Hotel Esplanade (aka The Espy). St Kilda. 8pm. FREE. JON WEBER Bird's Basement. Melbourne. 7.45pm. $29. THE FEM BELLING QUARTET Classic Southside. Elsternwick. 8pm. $25. RUA Open Studio. Northcote. 8pm. $10. SHOL QUINTET Open Studio. Northcote. 5.30pm. $10. PBS SOUL A GO GO FEAT: EMMA PEEL, MISS GOLDIE, PIERRE BARONI, VINCE PEACH, RICHIE 1250, DJ MANCHILD Gasometer Hotel. Collingwood. 9pm. $10 - 15. REBECCA MENDOZA Paris Cat Jazz Club. Melbourne. 9pm. $32.50. A NORAH JONES TRIBUTE FEAT: GEORGIE AUÉ BAND Paris Cat Jazz Club. Melbourne. 8pm. $32.50. THE HOTTENTOTS, BOB SEDERGREEN Paris Cat Jazz Club. Melbourne. 6.30pm. $30.
HIP HOP, R&B, POP ARNO FARAJI, C.FRIM, JORDAN DENNIS The Workers Club. Fitzroy. 8.30pm. $14.30. JEDEKAIH, KANANI, MEGAN NUNN The Workers Club. Fitzroy. 1pm. $10. KIAN, TASMAN KEITH, REBECCA HATCH Northcote Social Club. Northcote. 8.30pm. CRAP MUSIC RAVE PARTY Howler. Brunswick. 8pm. $27.80. LAUNDRY SATURDAYS Laundry Bar. Fitzroy. 9pm. FREE. LIGHT - OLD SCHOOL RNB NIGHT Co.. Southbank. 10pm. $25. KHOKOLAT SATURDAYS, DAMION DE SILVA, DURMY Khokolat Bar. Melbourne. 9.30pm.
CLASSICAL AUSTRALIAN BRANDENBURG ORCHESTRA 2019 Melbourne Recital Centre. Southbank. 7pm. $30 - 170. ELGAR'S CELLO CONCERTO FEAT: BERTRAND DE BILLY Hamer Hall (Arts Centre Melbourne). Melbourne. 7.30pm. $40 - 123.
SUNDAY 04 AUG
ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY/ FOLK, BLUES THE EK EXPERIENCE The Bergy Seltzer. Brunswick. 5pm. FREE. OLLY COOMBS The Quiet Man Irish Pub. Flemington. 5pm. SUNDAY SESSION, LUKE JOSEPH, JACK & JORDAN Temperance Hotel. South Yarra. 2pm. FREE. RACHEL CADDY Wesley Anne. Northcote. 6pm. FREE. YHAN LEAL Edinburgh Castle Hotel. Brunswick. 4pm. FREE. SUNDAY SIP & SING KARAOKE Compass Pizza. Brunswick East. 4pm. FREE. GARDINER & GABRIEL Charles Weston Hotel. Brunswick. 6.30pm. FREE. EMILY WURRAMARA, ALICE SKYE The Workers Club. Fitzroy. 1pm. $22.45. WHOLE LOTTA BIRTHDAY - DAY 3 FEAT: LEMURS IN THE SUN, CHRIS RUSSELL, DJ BRONSON TWIST Whole Lotta Love. Brunswick East. 3pm. FREE. MICHAEL MEEKING + ALFANANT Retreat Hotel. Brunswick. 3pm. FREE. HEARTACHES & HANGOVERS FEAT: DJ DAVE HEARD, DJ DENISE HYLANDS, THE T-BONES Labour in Vain. Fitzroy. 4pm. FREE. THE COLVIN BORTHERS The Drunken Poet. West Melbourne. 6.30pm. FREE. THE STETSON FAMILY The Drunken Poet. West Melbourne. 4pm. FREE.
GIGS & EVENTS
KLARA ZUBONJA + KRISTIE GLAB Bar 303. Northcote. 7.30pm. FREE. DAREBIN SONGWRITERS GUILD Bar 303. Northcote. 3.30pm. FREE. TUSHARA ROSE, TUK TUK MAFIA The B.East. Brunswick East. 4pm. FREE. BRIAN ROBINSON Young Street Supper Club. Frankston. 7.30pm. FREE. LITTLE GEORGIA Spotted Mallard. Brunswick. 6.30pm. $17.64. HIDDEN IN THE HILLS - OPEN MIC Sooki Lounge. Belgrave. 2pm. FREE. HEINOUS HOUNDS Hotel Esplanade (aka The Espy). St Kilda. 3.30pm. FREE. BILL BARBER The Rainbow Hotel. Fitzroy. 4pm. FREE. DAN MUSIL + LUCY WISE Open Studio. Northcote. 2.30pm. $12. BUDDY KNOX Empire Hotel. VIC. 4pm. FREE. COUNTRY AT CUSTOMS FEAT: MICHELLE GARDINER, ANTHONY TAYLOR, DELLA HARRIS, EMILY HATTON, JAKE SINCLAIR, LUKE AUSTEN Customs House Hotel. Williamstown. 2pm. FREE. THE BORNSTEIN ULTIMATUM Pause Bar. Balaclava. 4.30pm. FREE.
ROCK, PUNK, METAL THE EXCITING MCGILLYCUDDIES The Quiet Man Irish Pub. Flemington. 6pm. JIN JELLIC The Workers Club. Fitzroy. 7.30pm. $10. TOBIAS HENGEVELD, KATE ALEXANDER & HANA BRENECKI Post Office Hotel. Coburg. 4.30pm. FREE. TRAGIC CARPET, LOVEBONER, ZIG ZAG Old Bar. Fitzroy. 2pm. FREE. ASTRO ELEVATOR, TENDERLOINS, THE HAPPY LONESOME Old Bar. Fitzroy. 6.30pm. FREE. MENTAL AS ANYTHING, JR REYNE Memo Music Hall. St Kilda. 3pm. $33. SLOWLY SLOWLY, SLY WITHERS, TEEN JESUS & THE JEAN TEASERS Corner Hotel. Richmond. 7.30pm. $33.61. SKA-NON, GREYJACKS, LASER LIPS Bar Open. Fitzroy. 8pm. $5. THIGH MASTER, TRACKSUIT, OSTRAALY Gasometer Hotel. Collingwood. 4pm. FREE. LET IT BE Hamer Hall (Arts Centre Melbourne). Melbourne. 7.30pm. $121.25 151.85. HIGH TEA LIVE - WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS NOW FEAT: MELISSA LANGTON, MARK JONES Arts Centre Melbourne. Melbourne. 12pm. $89.
MARC HANNAFORD TRIO The Jazzlab. Brunswick. 8pm. $18 - 25. AUSECUMA BEATS Bar Oussou. Brunswick. 7.30pm. FREE. JON WEBER Bird's Basement. Melbourne. 7.45pm. $29. THE SLIPDIXIES Open Studio. Northcote. 5.30pm. FREE. THE BORNSTEIN ULTIMATUM Pause Bar. Balaclava. 4.30pm. FREE.
ELECTRONIC, EXPERIMENTAL DAY SPA'S THIRD BIRTHDAY Pawn & Co.. Prahran. 8pm. $30 - 35. TIME WELL SPENT - LAUNCH PARTY FEAT: LATE NIGHT DATE, MR EXCUSE ME, INTERFACE PALM, ARTSEA Gasometer Hotel. Collingwood. 2pm.
HIP HOP, R&B, POP KIAN, TASMAN KEITH, REBECCA HATCH Northcote Social Club. Northcote. 12.30pm. DON'T THANK ME, SPANK ME Bar Open. Fitzroy. 6pm. FREE. GROOVE AT THE SALOON + OPEN MIC HIP-HOP FEAT: SECOND HAND SMOKE, BLACK BIRD, D&G, AL-FLEX, VISION The Last Chance Rock & Roll Bar. North Melbourne. 8pm. $10. BOY GRADUATE, YABBY JONES, SIN SANTOS, DOM CORK Gasometer Hotel. Collingwood. 6pm. $13.25. GLOC 9 & SHANTIDOPE Co.. Southbank. 7pm. $75.
CLASSICAL FLINDERS QUARTET Montsalvat Bar Gallery. VIC. 2.30pm. $45. AUSTRALIAN BRANDENBURG ORCHESTRA 2019 Melbourne Recital Centre. Southbank. 5pm. $30 - 170.
MONDAY 05 AUG
ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY/ FOLK, BLUES
JAZZ, GLOBAL, SOUL/ FUNK
MEZZ COLEMAN Wesley Anne. Northcote. 6.30pm. FREE. CHARLES JENKINS Retreat Hotel. Brunswick. 8pm. FREE.
OLIVER CLARK Clifton Hill Brewpub. Clifton Hill. 5pm. FREE. TANTALISE FEAT: LAKE MINNETONKA, BERNADETTE NOVEMBRE The Toff In Town. Melbourne. 7.30pm. $12.92.
ELECTRONIC, EXPERIMENTAL
NIEUW MONDAYS The Workers Club. Fitzroy. 12pm. $3.
ROCK, PUNK, METAL
ROCK, PUNK, METAL
ROBOT LOVE The Workers Club. Fitzroy. 8pm. $10. CLIO, CODA CHROMA Retreat Hotel. Brunswick. 7.30pm. FREE. THE DEVIL MAY CARE, DIRTBOX, YULE Old Bar. Fitzroy. 7pm. FREE. THE MEAN TIMES, JEFF VADER, FURLONG Evelyn Hotel. Brunswick. 8.30pm. $5. LUKE SEYMOUP, UNCLE BEN'S LAST WORDS, DOVER ISLAND The Last Chance Rock & Roll Bar. North Melbourne. 6pm. HARRIS, LE ADVENTURES OF EUGENE FITZGERALD, MADAME SLEDGE & MISS BANGS Grace Darling Hotel. Collingwood. 8pm. $5. TURTLE WAVE, FROOT LUIPS, ZUMA, NOLESS Gasometer Hotel. Collingwood. 7pm. $10.
MONDAY NIGHT MASS FEAT: REBEL YELL, PREMIUM FANTASY, CALIFORNIA GIRLS, PERFUME Northcote Social Club. Northcote. 8pm. FREE.
CLASSICAL MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL PIANO & STRINGS FESTIVAL GALA CONCERT Melbourne Recital Centre. Southbank. 7.30pm. $28. FLINDERS QUARTET Melbourne Recital Centre. Southbank. 7pm. $50. ELGAR'S CELLO CONCERTO FEAT: BERTRAND DE BILLY Hamer Hall (Arts Centre Melbourne). Melbourne. 6.30pm. $40 - 123. N. R. TRIO Classic Southside. Elsternwick. 7.30pm. $20 - 25.
JAZZ, GLOBAL, SOUL/ FUNK SEPHARAD fortyfivedownstairs. Melbourne. 6.30pm. $25 - 35. BROADWAY UNPLUGGED The Toff In Town. Melbourne. 7.30pm. $28.80. ANDREA KELLER LEADS THE COMPOSERS CIRCLE The Jazzlab. Brunswick. 8pm. $15. DYLAN PHILLIPS & BAND Open Studio. Northcote. 8pm. FREE. STUDIO YOUTH BAND ONE, DICK OATTS, RICH DEROSA Paris Cat Jazz Club. Melbourne. 7pm. $35.
TUESDAY 06 AUG
JAZZ, GLOBAL, SOUL/ FUNK
CLASSICAL MELBOURNE GUITAR QUARTET Melbourne Recital Centre. Southbank. 6pm. $39.
ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY/ FOLK, BLUES TUESDAY TRIBUTE - BOB SEGER FEAT: NIGHTMOVERS The Drunken Poet. West Melbourne. 8pm. FREE. KLUB MUK Bar 303. Northcote. 7pm. FREE. OPEN MIC Bar Oussou. Brunswick. 7pm. FREE. IRISH SESSION The Lomond Hotel. Brunswick East. 9pm. FREE.
ELECTRONIC, EXPERIMENTAL DUMPLINGS N' MASSAGE Horse Bazaar. Melbourne. 6pm. $15.
303 YARRA BANKS JAM NIGHT Bar 303. Northcote. 7.30pm. FREE. JAZZ NIGHT - JOHN BADGERY, MATT O'BRIEN, ROBBIE FINCH Compass Pizza. Brunswick East. 7.30pm. FREE. NOW. HERE. THIS The Toff In Town. Melbourne. 9pm. FREE. JAZZLAB ORCHEZTRA The Jazzlab. Brunswick. 8pm. $20. I HOLD THE LION'S PAW Brunswick Green. Brunswick. 8.30pm. NORTHSIDE JAZZ ORCHESTRA Paris Cat Jazz Club. Melbourne. 6.30pm. $25.
Shuttersounds
Fireside Sessions
Los Borrachos
Hot August Nights
Snuggbeats
QUIET MAN IRISH PUB
CLIFTON HILL BREWPUB
TEMPERANCE HOTEL
THE THORNBURY LOCAL
If you’re looking for some Irish music and a pint of Guinness then you should check out Quiet Man’s Fireside Sessions. Music starts at 7.30pm but get in earlier for happy hour with $7 pints, $6 spirits and $5 house wines. It’s happening at the Quiet Man Irish Pub on Friday August 2.
Crafty brews and high energy blues await you as Los Borrachos grace the stage at Clifton Hill’s microbrewery. Relax with a pint in hand on Saturday August 3 while Los Borrachos rock the stage. The event’s free and the music kicks off at 8pm. You might even find a new fave craft beer.
South Yarra’s Temperance Hotel is bringing the heat back to Melbourne this winter with its annual Hot August Nights series. Taking place every Saturday in August, this year’s series will feature a huge lineup of DJs. The organisers said they were motivated to make a point against Sydney’s lockout laws and support those who have been negatively affected. The Hot August Nights series kicks off with DJs James Ash and Sgt Slick on Saturday August 3. Entry is free.
Keep warm on the dancefloor with some snug beats from Shuttersound, Seb Ease and Jim Westlake. With events every first Saturday of the month, Snuggbeats have been keeping Melburnians warm since 2016. Expect some deep house and groovy techno beats. It’s happening Saturday August 3 from 9pm. Entry is free and the party will kick on until the early hours of the morning.
For the full gig guide head to beat.com.au/gig-guide
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BACKSTAGE
Five Star Music PA HIRE
Comprehensive PA systems delivered, set up and operated with crew. Compact, easy, sound systems you can pickup and assemble yourself.Components such as microphones, speakers and effects are also available separately. Lights also available. For details phone Mark Barry on 03 9889 1999 or 0419 993 966
www.bssound.com.au bssound@bigpond.com
EXPERT GUITAR & AMP REPAIRS MODS & RESTORATION FAST TURNAROUND AFFORDABLE RATES TECHNICIANS ON SITE
Five Star Music has been a go-to Melbourne retailer for music equipment for over ten years. How have you built this reputation? We’ve always offered the products and brands that we love and use ourselves. This great range backed with the experience and knowledge from a staff of musicians allows us to offer the best solutions for beginners and advanced musicians. You’re the exclusive Melbourne dealer of Ormsby Guitars. How did this come about? The team at Ormsby came to us with the proposal when they saw the opportunity in the market. We have a strong offering of guitars, amps and modellers for the metal and prog market, so Ormsby was the perfect fit at Five Star Music. Ormsby Guitars are known for their multi-scale guitars. What are the advantages of this kind of build? The multi-scale instrument has a number of benefits. The angle of the frets follows the natural alignment of your fingers as you work up and down the fretboard. Add to that improved tuning and intonation, with a longer scale on the bass strings, creating more tension and resulting in tighter string oscillation. You guys are having a Christmas in July sale. What are some of the bargains on offer? It happens every year where we discount a heap of products to silly prices. Plus, every other item in store is discounted by 30 per cent off the RRP. From drums to guitars, banjos to keyboards and everything in between, there is something for everyone.
1131 BURKE RD, KEW 3101 PHONE: 03 9817 7000 WWW.EASTGATEMUSIC.COM.AU
Five Star Music is open from Monday to Saturday, 102 Maroondah Hwy, Ringwood VIC, 3134. Head to fivestarmusic.com.au for more details.
VINTAGE, NEW & SECOND HAND AMPS, EFFECTS PEDALS & RIGS HUGE SELECTION – ALL MAJOR BRANDS:
GUITARS & AMPS WANTED TOP CA$H PAID
SNAPS – Khokolat Koated
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