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Apply now Trimester 2 commences

19 05 14

Australian Institute of Music

Australian Institute of Music, 1-55 Foveaux St, Surry Hills NSW For more information visit aim.edu.au or call 02 9219 5444 CR RIC COS O 006 006 66 65 5C

BRAG :: 559 :: 23:04:14 :: 3

rock music news welcome to the frontline: what’s goin’ on around town...with Chris Martin and Ed Kirkwood

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on the record WITH

KILLIAN GAVIN FROM BOY & BEAR The First Record I Bought The first records I bought were 1.

Nirvana’s Nevermind and In Utero

– purchased both at the same time as a 12-year-old kid. I remember telling my mum I was buying a CD with a song called ‘Rape Me’ on it and making sure she was OK with it. Kinda weird looking back as I didn’t really understand the nature of that word, just knew it was bad. It inspired me to learn to play guitar, which I began learning a few months afterwards.

The Last Record I Bought The last record I bought was 2.

The National’s Trouble Will Find Me. Since Boxer I’ve been a fan of this band. They are dark and brooding and melancholy, but somehow so interesting, exciting and captivating without being overly depressing.

This weird balance of brilliance. The band puts on such a rock show live, whilst being much more articulate on their records. I love seeing the way they perform differing from their

recordings – an amazing band. It’s a great album to listen to while in the tour bus or on a plane. Perfect record to zone out to.

is definitely different live; I play a 12-string electric to help give a shift in tonal qualities to the set.

3.

The First Thing I Recorded The first thing I recorded was a very, very, very long time ago. When I was a kid growing up learning guitar, my teacher got myself and a bunch of other students to go and record a song together. It was a brilliant experience, and recording for the first time was so exciting. It was a completely instrumental song, with about five guitar solos (one per student), so I’m not sure if it made a good listen, but it was a fantastic experience for a kid growing up.

The Last Thing I Recorded The last thing I recorded was 4. our record Harlequin Dream. I can’t

remember what was the exact last song, however I feel like it was ‘Arrow Flight’. I actually played acoustic guitar on this track, which is fun to change things up. The song

Bell X1

The Record That Changed My Life 5.

Internationalist by a band called

Powderfinger. It changed my life. I discovered this album about a year after it came out, as I was, like, 13 at the time – a friend of mine introduced me to it. The first song that grabbed me was ‘Already Gone’, and I listened to it on repeat for months, I think. I ended up learning every song on this record on guitar and it helped shape me as a guitarist into how I write parts today.

What: Harlequin Dream Tour Where: Panthers, Newcastle / The Entrance Leagues Club When: Saturday May 17 / Sunday May 18 And: Harlequin Dream out now through Universal

Shaun Kirk

MANAGING EDITOR: Chris Martin chris@thebrag.com 02 9212 4322 ONLINE COORDINATOR: Emily Meller STAFF WRITERS: Alasdair Duncan, Jody Macgregor, Krissi Weiss, Augustus Welby NEWS: Chris Honnery, Ed Kirkwood ART DIRECTOR: Sarah Bryant PHOTOGRAPHERS: Katrina Clarke, Ashley Mar ADVERTISING: Georgina Pengelly - 0416 972 081 / (02) 9212 4322 georgina@thebrag.com ADVERTISING: Les White - 0405 581 125 / (02) 9212 4322 les@thebrag.com PUBLISHER: Rob Furst MANAGING DIRECTOR, FURST MEDIA: Patrick Carr - patrick@furstmedia.com.au, (03) 9428 3600 / 0402 821 122 DIGITAL DIRECTOR/ADVERTISING: Kris Furst kris@furstmedia.com.au, (03) 9428 3600 GIG & CLUB GUIDE COORDINATORS: Naz Jacobs, Ed Kirkwood, Emily Meller - gigguide@ thebrag.com (rock); clubguide@thebrag.com (dance, hip hop & parties) AWESOME INTERNS: Sarah Corridon, Ed Kirkwood, Naz Jacobs, Erin Rooney REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS: Nat Amat, Ian Barr, Keiron Costello, Marissa Demetriou, Rachel Eddie, Christie Eliezer, Blake Gallagher, Chris Honnery, Cameron James, Tegan Jones, Lachlan Kanoniuk, Pamela Lee, Alicia Malone, Adam Norris, Daniel Prior, Kate Robertson, Amy Theodore, Raf Seneviratne, Leonardo Silvestrini, David Wild, Harry Windsor, Stephanie Yip, David James Young Please send mail NOT ACCOUNTS direct to this NEW address 100 Albion Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010 ph - (02) 9212 4322 fax - (02) 9319 2227 EDITORIAL POLICY: The views and opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher, editors or staff of the BRAG. ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE: Luke Forrester: accounts@furstmedia.com.au ph - (03) 9428 3600 fax - (03) 9428 3611 Furst Media, 3 Newton Street Richmond Victoria 3121

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4 :: BRAG :: 559 :: 23:04:14

RING THE BELLS

Dublin trio Bell X1, who came together when Damien Rice left Juniper, will make their Australian debut on tour in July. Bell X1, comprising songwriter Paul Noonan, bassist Dominic Philips and multi-instrumentalist David Geraghty, released their sixth album Chop Chop last year. The trio melds pop-rock sounds with electronic music into a powerful concoction that has the Irish as addicted as Guinness. Sydney fans can check in with Bell X1 at The Hi-Fi on Saturday July 5. Tickets go on sale Thursday April 24.

SAY YOUR PRAYERS

“Hail Mary, full of bass, the chord is with you.

Blessed art thou among rockers, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, music.” ...That’s how it goes, right? Well, if it’s been a while since your last Hail Mary, why not check in with Hailmary the band? They’re an arse-kicking, hard-rocking collective stepping out on a month-long national tour, and a Sydney date is smack-bang in the middle of their schedule.

Say your prayers, because salvation is coming.

See Hailmary at Frankie’s Pizza on Thursday June 12. They also play Newcastle’s Hamilton Station Hotel on Friday June 13.

Bec Laughton

THE MAN IN BLACK IS BACK

The man with the silver voice, Tex Perkins, will return to the Sydney Opera House with his tribute to Johnny Cash. After sell-out runs in 2009 and 2012, The Man In Black is back again this year, with Perkins taking to the stage as the great Cash to perform some of the most reverberating hits in the American songbook.

Perkins is joined onstage by Rachel Tidd and The Tennessee Four in a performance written by theatre producer Jim McPherson. See The Man In Black at the Drama Theatre, Sydney Opera House, from Tuesday July 15 – Sunday July 20. Tickets are on sale now.

Soulful bluesman Shaun Kirk will launch his new album, Steer The Wheel, at the Roxbury Hotel this Anzac Day, Friday April 25. Kirk’s in the music game for the right reasons – not only does he have a fantastic talent to show, he’s donating a portion of sales from the album to Orphfund, a non-for-profit that helps children in need. His Sydney gig is part of a schedule of over 60 dates across the country.

CANN DO

Atlanta singer Chantae Cann, touring Australia as part of her Bluesfest engagements with India.

Arie, will headine the Innersoul Live event in Sydney tonight, Wednesday April 23. Cann has collaborated with Grammy Award-winners Snarky Puppy and nominees The Foreign Exchange, and performs backing vocals for India.Arie. See her take centre stage at Play Bar, where The Voice contestant Michael Duchesne will also perform.

BEC LAUGHTON

Electric singer-songwriter Bec Laughton will release her new EP early next month, and has announced an 11-date national tour to celebrate. ‘Gonna Love You’ and ‘Number One (Heartbreak)’ were the first two samples of the release, and already they’ve earned her a slot on the SoulFest bill in her native Brisbane. The EP includes remixes from Tyler Touche (‘M & R’) and YesYou (‘Gonna Love You’). M & R will be out on Friday May 5.

See Laughton launch it at Upstairs Beresford on Saturday June 14.

thebrag.com

xxxx

DEADLINES: Editorial: Thursday 12pm (no extensions) Artwork/ad bookings: Friday 5pm (no extensions) Ad cancellations: Tuesday 4pm Published by Furst Media P/L ACN 1112480045.

All content copyrighted to Cartrage P/L / Furst Media P/L 2003-2013

SHAUN KIRK SINGS THE BLUES

I L L U S I V E

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F R O N T I E R

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001 C O L L A B O R A T I V E

P R E S E N T

001 S E R I E S

DJ PREMIER

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BRAG :: 559 :: 23:04:14 :: 5

rock music news

free stuff

welcome to the frontline: what’s goin’ on around town...with Chris Martin and Ed Kirkwood

speed date WITH

head to: thebrag.com/freeshit British India

STAN FROM SKYSCRAPER STAN AND THE COMMISSION FLATS into the stratosphere, leaving your warm half-pint of Carlton Draught to soak into the shitty RSL carpet.

Current Playlist I’ve been listening to a lot 4. of sappy country music. I can’t help it; it’s like cheesecake for my ears. I’ve also rediscovered Jason Molina’s solo albums, particularly Magnolia Electric Co. Many of us live together and around the house we’ve been listening to I See Seaweed by The Drones at least once a day.

1.

This routine finetunes our live show and keeps us thin. We’ve been riding on an EP, Tall Stories, which we released in October last year but work has begun on a full ten-track album, due to be released in late August/ early September. We’ve always been a working band so the idea of spending some real time in a real studio is both exciting and terrifying.

Keeping Busy For the last year we’ve 2. been gigging. Unremittingly,

Best Gig Ever The other week we played 3. a show out in deepest, darkest

unrelentingly, under the influence and unashamedly unrehearsed.

suburbia. There were pokie machines on the stage and

the video jukebox kept trying to collaborate with us. The crowd were mainly pensioners.

Nine of them, all up. A group of dishevelled tradies were playing pool behind us in their hi-vis and offering up observations like “Fuckin’ pooftas” and “Turn it down, c**t!” The television was playing slow motion footage of a train crash. Not exactly Wembley but there was so little reason to care we played one of our best sets musically. Lesson learned; narcissism weighs you down. Let go of your vanity and you’ll take off, warts and all, straight through the plasterboard ceiling and out

Your Ultimate Rider Grog and plenty of it. Bottom 5. shelf if possible. And a big, gentle woman in a soft dress to hold my head in her lap the following morning, combing my hair back and whispering in smoky, dulcet tones, “Shhhh, everything will be OK, go back to sleep now, shhhhhh.”

What: Southern Smoked Swillfest With: Morgan Evans, The Brokeback Mtn Boys, Bryen and the Bayou Boogie Boys, 50 Million Beers and more Where: Frankie’s Pizza When: Sunday April 27

WE ALL NEED A LITTLE TLC

Tickets go on sale this week to TLC’s maiden tour of Australia… is something we never thought we’d say. They might just have had the defi ning sound of ’90s pop – and now TLC’s surviving members, Rozonda ‘Chilli’ Thomas and Tionne ‘T-Boz’ Watkins, are fi nally touring Down Under. Alongside the late Lisa ‘Left Eye’ Lopes, Chilli and T-Boz formed one of the most popular allgirl groups in history. TLC’s 1994 album CrazySexyCool defi ned the sounds – and the fashion – of a generation of girls (and boys).

TLC will make their Sydney debut at the Enmore Theatre on Friday June 6. Tickets go on sale 9am Thursday April 24 through Ticketek.

Mark Wilkinson

HEER YE, HEER YE

Warm and expansive singer-songwriter Isaac de Heer has announced his new record, Summer, is set for release on Thursday May 8. From all accounts, it’s a veritable mix of sounds with elements of ethereal ramblings, hip hop-inspired spots and everything in between. De Heer is readying to take the album on the road throughout May and June, making appearances in Sydney, the Central Coast and Byron Bay, as well as Brisbane,

BRITISH INDIA

British India are teaming up with the thirsty folk at Coopers to put on an intimate live show at the Factory Theatre on Wednesday May 21. The best part (aside from the music)? There’ll be free Coopers on the night. Tunes and ales, could it get any better than that? To win tickets, you can buy a six-pack of Coopers Dark Ale and head to their Coopers After Dark website.

Or, since you’re here already, you can grab a pair of sneaky freebies thanks to the BRAG. We’ve got three double passes to give away – to be in the running, head to thebrag.com/freeshit and tell us what goes best with an ice-cold beer.

xxx photo by xxx

Your Profile I’m a tall, leggy blonde with prominent collarbones and large feet. My friends say I’m pretty in a David-Lynch-does-daytime-TV kinda way. The Commission Flats are a dapper crew of gorgeous, talented musicians whom I have the pleasure of calling my bandmates. They are, in no particular order, Oskar, Gemma, Lia, Richard and Martin.

Canberra, Melbourne and Adelaide. Catch him at the Yum Yum Eatery on the Central Coast on Friday May 16, The Newsagency on Saturday May 17 and the Green Room Lounge on Sunday May 18.

EAST OF ELY

After cutting their teeth playing covers and throwing around riffs and sounds, Sydney fivepiece East Of Ely are set to play a new run of live dates. Off the back of their debut EP and the critical acclaim of their tasty indie-pop number ‘Easy Friend’, they’ll bring their “Naked And Famous meets The Temper Trap” sound to the stage in May. See them at The World Bar on Friday May 16 and Upstairs Beresford on Saturday May 17.

MAYDAY MAYDAY

Urban Guerillas have been working long and hard since banding together in Adelaide in the early ’80s and moving to Sydney. What better group to spend your May Day with? The band is putting together a Mods May Day on Sunday May 4, having just launched their new single ‘Rise Up’. Also on the May Day bill are The Smart Folk, The fReds and Steph Miller.

It’ll be the spirit of the ’60s all over again. Get down to the Union Hotel for a piece of the action.

MARK WILKINSON

Mark Wilkinson is set to extend his Australia-wide tour due to popular demand. He’ll be playing an extra show in Sydney on Saturday July 12, at the Conservatorium of Music’s Verbrugghen Hall. The Where The Rivers Run tour has seen Wilkinson sell out shows across the UK, US and New Zealand – all from atop the iTunes Singer/Songwriter charts. We’re not quite sure where he came from, either, but he’s certainly onto a good thing here.

MY ECHO… ECHO… CHO…

Rockin’ Melbourne foursome My Echo have announced a self-titled EP release and national launch tour. My Echo will be out on Friday May 2 through Ten To Two Records, in time for the band’s appearance at the Victorian instalment of Groovin The Moo. They’ll make their way to Sydney for gigs at Frankie’s Pizza on Thursday May 22, the Lansdowne Hotel on Friday May 23 and Tattersalls Hotel on Saturday May 24.

He’s already up there with the most ofttravelled musicians in the country, and now Harry Hookey has set dates for a headline tour that goes everywhere from Caboolture to Castlemaine. Hookey is launching his debut solo album, Misdiagnosed, due for release this Friday April 25. ‘Man On Fire’ was the first taste of the record, which the singer-songwriter says reflects his background in folk music. See Hookey at Django Bar on Thursday May 1. He also plays The Foggy Mountain Jam this winter – it hits Rooty Hill RSL on Saturday June 28 and Hexham Bowling Club on Sunday June 29.

6 :: BRAG :: 559 :: 23:04:14

OUR MAN IN BERLIN

Five-piece rockers Our Man In Berlin are gearing up to release their debut EP, Is It Right?, on Friday May 2. The band is building momentum courtesy plenty of online blog chatter, but you’ll be able to see them up close and personal on a national launch tour in June.

Their sound is said to sit somewhere between Foals and Alt-J, so they’ll be well worth a look live. See them on Friday June 6 at the Lansdowne.

The Bennies

THE BENNIES’ BONG WEEKEND TOUR

Punk rock partystarters The Bennies have a novel approach to celebrating their long weekends: by turning them into ‘bong’ weekends. They’ve announced their Queen’s Birthday Bong Weekend tour, where they’ll be supported by Fait Accompli. Take the chance to see them while you can, because the boys are spending most of their time this year working on a new album and touring overseas. Plus, you know, punching cones.

See The Bennies at the Captain Cook Hotel on Saturday June 7.

thebrag.com

The Bennies photo by Rachael Barrett

HARRY HOOKEY

INFINITY BROKE

Jamie Hutchings’ new project, the Sydneybased Infi nity Broke, have released their debut album and are set to launch it with a tour of the east coast. Hutchings and Jared Harrison of Bluebottle Kiss fame added Jamie’s brother Scott and Reuben Wills to form Infi nity Broke, playing krautrockinspired rhythms and hypnotic melodies.

River Mirrors, their debut, is out now through Come To The Dark Side Luke/MGM. See them at The Lass O’Gowrie in Newcastle on Friday May 23 and the Factory Floor on Saturday May 24.

SUNDAY 11 TH MAY

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BRAG :: 559 :: 23:04:14 :: 7

Industrial Strength Music Industry News with Christie Eliezer

connect with new fans through a global streaming platform.â&#x20AC;?

THINGS WE HEAR * Venue updates: The Evening Star in Surry Hills, which showcases live music, has a new owner.

The Surfside Hotel Group sold it for $6 million â&#x20AC;Ś Kings Crossâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Hampton Court Hotelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new restaurant and bar, New Hampton, includes a nightclub â&#x20AC;Ś Bondi Junctionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s The Tea Gardens Hotel, which features bands and DJs, has put out the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;For Saleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; sign â&#x20AC;Ś Surfers Paradise nightclub Shuffle was closed down two weeks after massive police raids on the Gold Coast which saw owners and DJs arrested for alleged drug-related crimes â&#x20AC;Ś Wollongongâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Oxford Tavern, one of the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s biggest music venues in the past, is under the wreckerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ball to be turned into a residential complex. * Which two entertainment lawyers working for the same firm are fighting over NOT having to represent a pain-in-the-arse singer? * A British maths teacher was charged ÂŁ2,600 (A$4,670) for a ÂŁ8.99 ($16.15) Neil Diamond

compilation she bought on impulse via her mobile phone while on holiday in South Africa, not realising she was incurring roaming charges from her carrier. * The joint KISS and Def Leppard tour of America will hire two military vets to act as roadies. It is part of a US campaign to get jobs for 500,000 veterans. * The Black Eyed Peasâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; will.i.am wants to record music with actress Anne Hathaway, saying it would be â&#x20AC;&#x153;freaking dopeâ&#x20AC;? as she has a great voice. * The John Steel Singers make their UK debut in a series of festivals (including The Great Escape and Liverpool Sound City) after signing with UK label Full Time Hobby to release their album Everythingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s A Thread on July 29. * Meantime, Adelaideâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s The BordererS have been asked to return to the Skagen Festival in Denmark for the fifth time.

Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll also play the Festival Interceltique in France and clubs in Paris, Copenhagen,

RDIO LAUNCHES INITIATIVE FOR NEW AUSSIE ACTS Digital music service Rdio has introduced its Rdio Recommends initiative in Australia to uncover new Australian acts. It is a monthly playlist handpicked by Rdio staff from various global territories, featuring the serviceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s favourite emerging artist releases from the past month. It has already been rolled out in the US, Canada and the UK where it championed the likes of Disclosure, Bastille, Lorde and

Latvia and Scotland. * Not everyone was pleased with The Rolling Stonesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; rescheduled tour dates.

Canberra missed out again, despite a push by the ACT Government to get them to play to 20,000 at Federation Mall or Canberra Stadium in a tourist-attracting move. A disappointed ACT Treasurer Andrew Barr, a big Stones fan, said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Tourism is a $1.8 billion industry in Canberra and major events continue to be a big driver for visitation.â&#x20AC;? * A new documentary doing the film festivals overseas is called Heavy Metal Parking Lot, following the mystery of a concert that Led Zeppelin played at a youth centre in Wheaton, Maryland on January 20, 1969 to 50 teenagers. But Zeppelin associates and fan websites insist the show never happened. * The Kickstarter for Neil Youngâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s high-end audio device Pono brought in $6,225,354, making it the third-most-funded project in Kickstarterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s history.

The 1975. Rdio Recommends in Australia will expose Aussie acts globally. Rdio is now available in 51 countries. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Rdio Recommends represents our commitment to supporting Australiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s up and coming artists,â&#x20AC;? said Colin Blake, head of territory, Australia and New Zealand. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are connecting local emerging talent with a new audience who are keen to have more variety in their music library.

Through Rdio Recommends, we hope to pave the way for new artists by enabling them to

E HIFI 1300 THO M.AU

THEHIFI.C

Just Announced

This Week

Sat 31 May

Sat 5 Jul

Sun 27 Apr

Tue 29 Apr

Cubanizate

Bell X1

Skid Row & Ugly Kid Joe

Karnivool

Coming Soon

NEW SIGNINGS #1: DZ DEATHRAYS LAND INFECTIOUS DEAL Brisbane thrashers DZ Deathrays have signed with the UK-based Infectious. They already have deals in Australia and New Zealand (through I Oh You), and Canada. The bandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s second album Black Rat is released here on Friday May 2, and in the UK and Europe on Monday August 18.

NEW SIGNINGS #2: JEZZABELL DORAN LANDS DEAL Sydney singer-songwriter Jezzabell Doran has signed with Sony Music Entertainment Australia via the label Young & Vicious. Her debut single â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Blank Pageâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; is out on Friday May 9. As a teenager she formed Anthony For Cleopatra with long-time music collaborator Jesse Donovan. Two of their songs, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Sleeplessâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Over Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, were sampled by close buddy Flume for his album. Numerous international remixes of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Sleeplessâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; got Doran wide attention.

NEW SIGNINGS #3: JINJA SAFARI AT WONDERLICK Jinja Safari, 2010 winners of triple j Unearthed, have signed management to Gregg Donovan and Stuart MacQueenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Wonderlick Entertainment. The five-piece have played the festivals circuit (including Englandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s The Great Escape) and are currently working on new music.

NEW SIGNINGS #4: BONJAH AT NATIVE TONGUE Melbourne-based New Zealand outfit Bonjah have assigned their publishing to Native Tongue. The deal covers their last two albums as well as the new Beautiful Wild (through Inertia), which was written over 18 months and recorded in ten days. Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll do an album launch on Friday May 9 at the Corner Hotel in Melbourne, tour through Europe and return for a full album tour in August/September.

WHISTLE WHILE WE WORK A study conducted by Spotify has found that 61% of people surveyed listen to music at work, and feel it makes them happier and more productive. 20% said music alleviates job boredom, and 16% use music as a way to drown out â&#x20AC;&#x153;annoyingâ&#x20AC;? co-workers. Apparently, 34% of people listen to pop and Top 40, 29% prefer rock and 22% like indie. The artists most listened to? Adele (16%), Arctic Monkeys (14%), Rihanna and Mumford & Sons (13%), and BeyoncĂŠ, Bruno Mars and Katy Perry (12%).

SHOWBIZ INTERNATIONAL CREDITORS REVEALED The biggest creditors of Australian ticketing agency Showbiz International are merchandisers and venues, reported the Sydney Morning Herald. The premium and specialty ticketing agency (seat packages and merchandising) for concerts and events went into voluntary administration on April 3 with debts of $2.2 million. Australian Tour Merchandising was owed the most at $190,092.46, and merchandise and venue management company Playbill $139,362.

Other creditors include the Opera House, ANZ Stadium and Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. Administrators Brad Tonks and Peter Vouris from PKF Lawler are seeking a buyer for Showbiz.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS CLEARED FOR TAKE-OFF Thu 1 May

Fri 2 May

Sat 3 May

Fri 9 May

John Newman

D.R.I

DJ Premier & Pete Rock (USA)

Children of Bodom

Sat 10 May

Fri 16 May

Jonny Craig (USA)

Misery Signals (USA)

Fri 30 May

Kingswood

Fri 20 Jun

Band of Skulls (USA)

Australian musicians travelling through Europe have received some good news: the European Parliament has voted to allow musicians to take small instruments into the cabin of airplanes. Various associations representing musicians, including the UKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Musiciansâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Union and The International Federation of Musicians, have been lobbying for the change for ten years. More than 40,000 people signed an online petition, and a boycott was organised of the Ryanair carrier for its policy.

NEW COUNTRY AIRPLAY CHARTS

Fri 27 Jun

Sat 28 Jun

The Crimson ProjeKCt

First Sounds feat.

DJ Maveriq

Fri 11 Jul

Tankard (GER)

Sat 27 Sep

Rebel Souljahz (USA)

Australia has its first official Country Music Airplay Chart courtesy The Music Network.

The weekly chart is played Thursdays on Ray Hadleyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Country Music Countdown.

It is produced in consultation with country music names and CMA members, including promoters Rob Potts and Michael Chugg, Country Music Channel, Southern Cross Austereo, Commercial Radio Australia, Sony, Warner, Universal and ABC Music.

Potts said the chart â&#x20AC;&#x153;will have huge impact on helping develop and create hit-driven stars in Aussie country music, something we have been struggling to do for a decade. For all the industry and fans to be hearing the most popular songs around the country at the same time will mean we have national radio hits again.â&#x20AC;?

AAM SEEKING NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR The Australian Association of Artist Managers is advertising for a new executive director.

Duties include organising board meetings, seminars and workshops, finding new industry partners, representing the board at government levels and running its website and social media. You need at least two yearsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; experience in the music industry, preferably in artist management. The deadline is Thursday April 24, for more info email info@aam.org.au.

APRA UNVEILS SONG OF THE YEAR CONTENDERS APRA has unveiled the Top 20 contenders for its Song of the Year. The award will be voted for by the 87,000 members of APRA and its sister association AMCOS. They have until Tuesday April 29 to vote. The winner will be announced at the 2014 APRA Music Awards, held on Monday June 23 at the Brisbane City Hall.

The songs are, alphabetically, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;A Moat You Can Stand Inâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; by The Drones, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Aliveâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; by Empire Of The Sun, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Avengerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; by The Bamboos, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Battleshipsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; by Bernard Fanning, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Bayiniâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; by Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Covered In Chromeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; by Violent Soho, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Drop The Gameâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; by Flume & Chet Faker, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;God Fearingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; by Sarah Blasko & The Slavey Folklore Quartet, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Harlequin Dreamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; by Boy & Bear, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Is This How You Feel?â&#x20AC;&#x2122; by The Preatures, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Jubilee Streetâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Lanternsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; by Birds Of Tokyo, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Only Oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; by John Butler Trio, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Resolutionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; by Matt Corby, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Riptideâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; by Vance Joy, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Southern Sunâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; by Boy & Bear, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Steal The Lightâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; by The Cat Empire, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Under Your Skinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; by Dan Sultan, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;We Areâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; by Karnivool and â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;We No Who U Râ&#x20AC;&#x2122; by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds.

Lifelines Ill: Malcolm Young is taking a break from AC/DC duties to concentrate on his health (heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s suffered either dementia or a stroke), but the band will continue, they said.

Hospitalised: Lee Ryan of British boy band Blue has entered rehab after he was pulled over for driving erratically in London and caught with cocaine.

Injured: a fan at a UB40 concert in Cambridge, England said the bass was so loud it caused her ears to bleed, and others left, because â&#x20AC;&#x153;it was vibrating through your whole body â&#x20AC;&#x201C; it was actually altering heart rhythms.â&#x20AC;?

In Court: Public Enemyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Flavor Flav pleaded guilty to reduced charges in a Las Vegas domestic violence case in a move that will avoid a trial and possible jail time.

The 55-year-old rapper admitted that he wielded a kitchen knife during an October 2012 argument at home with his long-time girlfriendâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 17-year-old son. He was sentenced to four more months of counselling.

In Court: Paul Weller won ÂŁ10,000 in a case he brought against Englandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Daily Mail for publishing photos of his children.

Died: US trumpeter, composer and producer Gil Askey died at his home in Frankston, Melbourne, at 89 from an aggressive lymphoma.

He worked with Diana Ross, Judy Garland, Liza Minnelli and Miles Davis and was considered one of the pioneers of the Motown sound. Among those who rang him from America during his final days were Stevie Wonder and Motown founder Berry Gordy.

Died: former Korn touring guitarist Shane Gibson, 35, after complications from a blood clotting disorder. He stepped into Korn from 2007 to 2010 after Brian â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Headâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Welch left, and in 2008 stood in for Munky.

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O

ver the past few years the two-piece guitarand-drums combination has become a dominant force in main stage rock.

While certain critics denounce it as a limiting format, a significant number of two-piece acts have managed to carve out their own niche. Right now, hard-rocking UK upstarts Royal Blood are etching an especial imprint into the two-piece canvas. The burly pair merges with such voluminous effect that many listeners are incredulous to discover it’s the work of a duo. Still the band’s basic setup prompts miscued comparisons to The Black Keys and The White Stripes.

“We get it a lot, mainly because we’re a two-piece,” says drumming powerhouse Ben Thatcher. “I’m a huge fan of both The Black Keys and The White Stripes, and a lot of other two-pieces, so it really doesn’t bother me. What I would say is that we get compared to them a lot quicker than we do to bands with more people in them.”

Despite Thatcher’s easygoing perspective, there are a few essential components that distinguish Royal Blood. Firstly, rather than the conventional six-string electric, vocalist Mike Kerr wields a meanly distorted bass guitar. Secondly, and more importantly, a focus on stern riffing and soaring vocals pushes Royal Blood closer to the likes of Soundgarden or Black Sabbath than the aforementioned two-piece megastars.

“We’re massive Queens of the Stone Age fans and big fans of Nirvana and Led Zeppelin,” says Thatcher.

“Dave Grohl’s drumming [is an influence] for me, and Foo Fighters.

And a lot of Jack White’s other projects – like The Dead Weather and The Raconteurs – we’re really into.”

Stylistic specifications aside, Royal Blood’s handful of released tracks have already generated considerable buzz. It was only last September

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ROYAL BLOOD NEXT IN LINE • BY AUGUSTUS WELBY

the Brighton duo’s first single ‘Out Of The Black’ surfaced online and by the end of the year the song had penetrated radio playlists both at home and abroad. The follow-up single ‘Little Monster’ achieved even greater success when it dropped in February, emphatically buoying the hype. Both tracks will appear on the band’s hotly anticipated (and recently completed) debut full-length, due for release in the second half of 2014. Royal Blood’s rapid ascent suggests a masterfully wrought plan preceded the band’s launch. But that’s not quite the case.

“It’s a total surprise,” says Thatcher.

“When we were making the songs, we were making it for ourselves. We didn’t have any fans back then, so when we were done we only had our friends to show. They thought it was cool, I guess, but they didn’t give us much of a huge reaction. It was only when we released it that it got a bit more wild than we thought [it would]. It’s an absolute privilege to have other people interested and downloading it and listening on YouTube or whatever. It’s mindblowing for us and we’re still just so

excited about all that happening.”

Meanwhile, the duo’s entrance into the live arena has been anything but tentative. At the SXSW music conference in Austin, Texas last month, Royal Blood garnered masses of praise from critics and fellow artists for a stack of roof-raising performances. Then, immediately after the US jaunt, the band hopped on the NME tour through the UK alongside Interpol and Temples. In fact, since launching ‘Out Of The Black’ there have hardly been any gaps in the gig schedule.

It’s a wonder they’ve managed to finish recording the album.

“We started recording it in January last year,” Thatcher explains. “We’ve been writing four or five songs and going into the studio and recording them, and then writing another four or five songs. We kept on doing that for the whole of last year.

“Our sound was still developing at the start of the year. Obviously, playing live has changed it. We had some songs that we recorded early on that we’ve re-done to make them a little more up to date with what

we’re doing now.”

Indeed, even though Royal Blood emerged into the public sphere sounding like a fully formed entity, Kerr and Thatcher had fairly modest objectives at the band’s inception.

“We set out to have fun – to just play music together and have a good time. There was no specific plan to make an album. Over the year we’ve kind of tricked ourselves into writing an album.”

In line with the organic and almost accidental song development, the two good friends didn’t fool around with any artificial effects in the studio. “Everything that we recorded is stuff that we’re doing live,” Thatcher says. “We wanted it to sound as live as we could.

The guitar sounds and stuff are all coming from Mike’s one bass and I’m doing all the drum bits. We’re quite passionate about keeping it like that and having raw tracking, instead of putting loops in or triggers. We want it to sound as raw as possible, really.”

Australian audiences will get an opportunity to experience the duo’s

“EVERYTHING THAT WE RECORDED IS STUFF THAT WE’RE DOING LIVE. WE WANTED IT TO SOUND AS LIVE AS WE COULD. WE WANT IT TO SOUND AS RAW AS POSSIBLE, REALLY.”

raw power when they come down for a two-show tour at the end of next month. Now, this is the band’s first official visit to our shores, but it’s not actually Australia’s first mention in the Royal Blood narrative. A couple of years back Kerr spent six months meandering around the country, which is when the spark for the project ignited.

“He started writing some of the songs out there, some of the original ideas,” Thatcher explains.

“He was just getting his feet on the ground out there and trying to create something for himself. But things didn’t really work out for him.”

A selfish instinct wants to posit that Kerr’s time here is grounds enough to nominate the band as honorary Aussies. However, Royal Blood are most certainly a dually dependent beast and things really surged into life once Thatcher got involved.

“He came back to England and I picked him up from the airport and we started it from there, really. We actually played a small gig the day after he got back from Australia.

He had written structures for a few songs and we had a rehearsal together and played in a little club the next day.”

The band’s proactive stride hasn’t dithered ever since. The calendar for the impending northern summer is already comprehensively filled with a mammoth run of UK and European festival appearances, leading up to the album release.

The ride is truly just beginning for rock’s newest two-piece sensation and Thatcher looks ahead with cheerful ambivalence.

“It probably will freak me out. I haven’t really thought about it. I know it’s going to be a lot of fun and we’re going to play a lot of good shows. I’m really looking forward to being out in Australia with you guys.”

Where: Oxford Art Factory When: Tuesday June 3

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BRAG :: 559 :: 23:04:14 :: 11

Things Of Stone And Wood Another Birthday By Dan Watt last night / Yeah, how we drove along the Yarra / How we sang harmonies / To Carole King” – and the video, which featured iconic Melbourne vistas like trams and the St Kilda foreshore. The parody version changed the song’s title to ‘We’ve Just Run Out Of Melbourne Clichés’.

“We got warned by Frente’s manager that we were next after they got a bit of a serve,” explains Things Of Stone And Wood singer Greg Arnold, chatting to the BRAG ahead of his band’s long-awaited return to Sydney for a gig at The Vanguard.

“I was so scared of what was going to happen [on The Late Show], particularly because it is such a personal song. I couldn’t even bring myself to watch it, so the lads watched it and I called them after and they said, ‘It wasn’t that bad.’ So I watched it and thought it was pretty funny.”

I

n 1993, being able to stay up late with my older brother and sister was a much-loved treat, especially because I got to watch ABC’s The Late Show. A lot of the jokes went over my head, but the segment I most enjoyed was the pop song parodies that were usually of a song I knew well from Ugly Phil’s Hot 30 countdown.

One particularly memorable parody was made of folk rock band Things Of Stone And Wood’s

song ‘Happy Birthday Helen’. The band was enjoying success at the time with its debut album The Yearning reaching number eight on the ARIA charts and the aforementioned song a radio and live gig favourite.

The Late Show’s clip amended the title and lyrics of ‘Happy Birthday Helen’ to revolve around the band’s geographical reference in the opening verse – “Let’s not forget

Arnold’s deep personal connection to the song is that it was written for his then girlfriend and now wife, Helen Durham.

“Originally ‘Happy Birthday Helen’ was a gift for Helen’s birthday and there was no real intention of the band playing the song,” he says. “I just showed it to Mikey [Allen] one day and he quite wisely said, ‘We should do that song.’

“What was so perplexing to me as a songwriter is that it was such a personal song to me but it seemed to hit a chord with so many people.”

25 years since Things Of Stone And Wood’s inception, the band has made another wise decision: that the time is right for an anniversary tour. It will feature the original lineup of Arnold, Allen (bass guitar and backing vocals), Justin Brady (violin, mandolin and harmonica) and Tony Floyd (drums and percussion).

“We played at Port Fairy Folk Festival and after the show we just felt the time was right – the feeling in the band when we were onstage seemed to be reflected in the audience. We really haven’t promoted the shows – they seem to have just hit a chord.”

Fans can expect a satisfactory dose of the old hits in the setlist, adds Arnold. “We’re mostly revisiting The Yearning, Junk Theatre and the EPs that came out around that time [Happy Birthday Helen, The Hopeful]. It was a real purple patch for the band of material and playing a lot live, so it’s a wonderful thing to go back to that time.”

With: Carus Thompson Where: The Vanguard When: Friday May 23

Brody Dalle Rock’N’Roll Parenting By Shane Pinnegar

D

iploid Love is a more pop record than Brody Dalle’s earlier Distillers and Spinnerette affairs. It’s dark pop, for sure, and still with a strongly beating rock’n’roll heart and a punkish sneer – but it definitely has a sheen of pop over the top.

“Pop over the top…” Dalle smiles. “It’s so weird. I don’t know. I made it under the radar.

No-one was looking. I just did my thing.”

Russian Circles In Memoriam By Blake Gallagher

T

here are albums that can comfortably be put on shuffle and enjoyed as a collection of standalone tracks. Conversely, there are albums that practically demand the listener sit down and experience them in their entirety, frontto-back, to truly appreciate the work that’s gone into them. Such is the case with Memorial, the fifth studio album from Chicago trio Russian Circles. A sprawling, textural slab of instrumental post-metal, Memorial sees the band at its most ambidextrous – placing the big, bleak riffs of ‘Deficit’ side by side with more fragile moments like ‘Cheyenne’.

“It’s something that we’ve always been interested in,” says bassist Brian Cook about the musical contrasts found throughout Memorial.

“It’s a tricky line to walk, because I think a lot of times you can overdo the sentimental balladry, or completely out-of-context heaviness. We try to make records that are interesting, so we like that juxtaposition. I think it’s really important for us to make a record that’s satisfying, dynamic and diverse. It’s an ongoing search to find that balance.”

“I think we’re – as a band – so used to thinking of music in the album format. We’re obviously not a band that writes singles. We spend a lot of time making one cohesive, larger scale piece, and we want to make it something that’s kind of an experience. It’s intended to be listened to beginning to end. Having the bookended songs was part of that whole process of tying everything together. To me, it kind of works in that it makes the album feel cyclical.

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Achieving that level of cohesion was part of a recording process that focused far more on experimentation than before. Cook says in previous Russian Circles recording sessions, time was scarce – they’d rehearse and rehearse, before having to go in and “crank things out” as quickly as possible. It was a stressful way of working.

“Now, it’s a very different situation. We go into the studio, we have a little bit more time, and I think we’re less interested in how complex we can make something in terms of cramming a bunch of notes together. We’re more interested in how we can have a record with a lot of different tones and timbres and moods. It’s definitely more the stress of finding the right texture that we want, as opposed to gymnastics of writing technical riffs.”

“It wasn’t deliberate – it wasn’t anything other than time management,” she says with a weary laugh. “I have two kids, so I didn’t have the time to [do anything but] make my record incrementally. If there’s layers, it’s because I’ve been listening to it over and over again, and I’m like, ‘It needs this.’ I would go back in and would put that on it. Yeah, time is scarce for me – time to do anything!”

Dalle makes no attempt to disguise how crazy it is trying to tour, be in a good shape to perform, and have two kids, a husband, a new album and a promo schedule to worry about.

“It’s fucking exhausting!” she says, sounding exasperated at the reminder. For a moment she looks like overwhelmed, but a wave of determination crosses her face and she holds herself together. “I locked myself in the

“Some nights, I drag myself to bed at fucking eight o’clock, and then other nights, I want to just feel like me and hang out a little bit and have that space and that time. But our whole year is like this, basically. When Queens aren’t on tour, then I’m playing.”

There’s no avoiding the truth – Dalle sounds tired just talking about it. “I’m really excited,” she affirms, but the weariness shows in her voice again. “I’m really lucky I get to do this, but it’s not a cakewalk.”

Her energies come from a refreshing place, however – Dalle says she’s loving the creative freedom that comes with being a solo artist now.

“Fuck yeah!” she exclaims. “The possibilities are endless. I’m so excited. I made the record in my own time, on my own terms, and it’s like, ‘Well, you might as well call it your [own] name, you know?’”

Once a punk rocker, always a punk rocker though – and any hint that she may have been concerned what Distillers or Spinnerette or Queens fans may think about her solo, poppier direction is met with a brick wall.

“I don’t really care. That’s not what [I do]… I don’t sit around making music for other people.

That would be an impossibility – you couldn’t satisfy everybody.”

What: Diploid Love out Friday April 25 through Caroline/Universal

Nonetheless, Cook says the test is now transferring the studio material to the live environment successfully – something Australian fans will witness firsthand on Russian Circles’ national tour. For Cook, it’s less about replicating recorded music and more about continuing to experiment.

Brody Dalle photo by Chapman Baehler

Indeed, finding that balance is a continual negotiation throughout Memorial, an album that, with carefully linked intros and outros and tracks as long as seven minutes, feels like it was crafted specifically to be heard as one large, multi-headed piece. Cook explains that fragments and ideas are built into the final product – Russian Circles record on a songby-song basis, but make sure their albums work in a larger, more cohesive context too.

“I don’t want to tell people who like our band how they’re ‘supposed’ to listen to the record,” Cook adds. “Some people just like specific songs, and some people like listening to the record on shuffle – I think that’s cool too, but I think part of the way we do things is to encourage people to listen to it front-to-back as one large piece.”

Dalle’s debut solo album is hardly a starstudded affair, but Shirley Manson from Garbage contributes some backing vocals, and The Strokes’ Nick Valensi, Michael Shuman from Queens of the Stone Age and Warpaint’s Emily Kokal are all on there somewhere. Dalle says the core music was all her, producer Alain Johannes and drummer Hayden Scott recording at the studio Dalle and husband Josh Homme keep in their home, with Dalle assisting Johannes on production. Some tracks are densely layered, but she says that happened by accident rather than design.

bathroom on the plane and just cried. It’s really hard. We’ve got to get up at six in the morning, and [do] kid shit all day for as long as I – we – can do it, and then we go to soundcheck and we have to play the show. And then I’m amped and wired and I want to stay up and hang out…

“We like the idea that a song can evolve from the studio to the live setting.”

What: Memorial out now through Sargent House With: Dumbsaint, Mish Where: Manning Bar When: Saturday May 3 thebrag.com

The Naked And Famous Move With Purpose By Adam Norris

I

t’s not surprising that Alisa Xayalith grew up and co-founded a band. With a surname that sounds like the kind of instrument Tesla might have invented, it was surely only a matter of time before Xayalith began making music. However, few could have anticipated the popularity The Naked And Famous would achieve so very quickly, with the single ‘Young Blood’ and album Passive Me, Aggressive You debuting at number one on the New Zealand charts back in 2010. When I speak to Xayalith, the band is wrapping up a US tour supporting Imagine Dragons and promoting latest release In Rolling Waves.

“Oh my God, it’s the most surreal experience,” Xayalith says. She has an easy-going manner and only the faintest trace of an accent. The singer seems genuinely surprised her band has made it this far, and genuinely distressed that I choose this moment to spill an extra large mocha into my lap. “You poor thing!” she cries while I try to salvage my dignity with napkins and old bus tickets, but the damage is done. One step closer to becoming the kind of interviewer who accidentally sets himself on fire while talking with the Pope.

Still, it leads me to ask how their US shows have been unfolding so far. No coffee-sodden debacles in front of unfamiliar crowds?

“Not yet, but it’s weird. When I’m standing onstage and speaking to the audience I find myself saying things like, ‘Sooo… we’re not really used to playing for this many people...’

Every night I’m just totally whelmed by it all.

But, you know, people are there to see Imagine Dragons. We’re the support band, and I think we’re fortunate enough that when I do notice that there are some…” She considers the right word. “Some negative parts of the audience, it’s still cool because we’re connecting with people who wouldn’t ordinarily come across us. It’s generally been a really positive experience. But these arena tours, they’re really something else.”

It’s certainly a world away from their beginnings. Having formed in 2008 in Auckland, it wasn’t until The Naked And

thebrag.com

Famous started their own label Somewhat Damaged that things began to look up. ‘Young Blood’ was released, and suddenly the song was everywhere. It makes me think they must have done a tremendous amount of gigging in order to build such an eager audience.

“We had a great start, and we owe a lot to that song, it’s done so much for us. But in reality, we didn’t actually gig a lot in New Zealand. A handful of shows. There’s only so many times you can gig there, because it’s so small. I remember the very first time we played ‘Young Blood’; we were in a town called Hamilton and played on a night where the All Blacks were up against South Africa, and so we had nobody come to our show. There were maybe 20 people in the whole place. I’ll never forget that story [laughs].

“But because we started off in a studio, we started by writing and recording and then performing. We’ve all had to learn how to be live performers, and now I think we’ve reached a stage where we love studio time and love performing in equal measures. In the beginning I was just a nervous wreck. I used to hide behind my hair all the time, and you can tell! There’s this video of us playing ‘Young Blood’ on the [Californian radio] KCRW show and I look like the most awkward person alive, I’m just so self-conscious. But then you flash forward a couple of years and it’s so different. I wouldn’t change a single thing, though. Every band has to start somewhere, and every band starts off quite awkward. But then you grow, and your audience appreciates that because they grow alongside you. I guess that’s the beauty of being a fan of any band, you see them grow as you do.”

It strikes me, though, that growth doesn’t come without hazard. The stakes are that much higher, and the pressure to repeat success becomes more and more pronounced. Has the band’s popularity – including relocation to the other side of the world – had any negative impact?

“I think it only ever really affects me when I’m performing, when there’s so many more

people watching than there were even a year ago. I feel like we haven’t really changed the way we do things, and as long as the same intention to make music is there, I think we’re going to be OK. I don’t really feel the pressure that so many more people are watching – I can’t, or I don’t think I’d really be able to write anything!”

Before we wrap up, I ask about the nuts and bolts of Xayalith’s writing; what kind of approach she takes to getting down lyrics, and if she sets out with a particular plan for an album.

“Well, my approach, usually… Sometimes when…” She falls silent. “OK, I’ll tell you. The best time to write is when I’m bored. I’ll open up a music program and just start fiddling around. I’d get up at nine, have my coffee, have breakfast, and then go to my desk.

There’d be a keyboard and guitars nearby, and I’d just start. In ‘Stillness’, I remember

writing the top line for that driving my way home from the supermarket. As soon as I got home I ran into my room and just notated everything that was going on in my head.”

“I don’t think you can really think about what people are going to think while you’re writing music. I think you just have to go back to your roots and make music for the joy of making music, and that’s it. That’s all.”

What: In Rolling Waves out now through Somewhat Damaged/Universal With: Vancouver Sleep Clinic Where: Metro Theatre When: Tuesday May 13 And: Also appearing alongside Disclosure, Cults, Holy Fuck, Robert DeLong, Thundamentals and more at Groovin The Moo, Maitland Showground, Saturday April 26

BRAG :: 559 :: 23:04:14 :: 13

Unwritten Law Russo Rules By Augustus Welby enough to make a real piece of art.”

Next month a freshly revised four-piece incarnation of Unwritten Law will head down under for the Hits & Pits Festival tour, and the setlist will showcase the self-titled LP. Although Russo clearly recognises the significance of the album, he doesn’t believe it’s his greatest achievement.

“There’s a couple of good [songs], there’s a couple of bad ones. I’ve definitely grown musically and [with] songcrafting. If I’m going to be fucking playing songs, I’m going to play some songs that I like as well,” he laughs.

In fact, despite its magnetic impact, Unwritten Law basically marked the end of the first phase in the band’s stylistic trajectory. By the time the follow-up record Elva came around in 2002, Russo was more interested in a slower-paced and harder-hitting alternative rock sound.

W

henever bands undergo major lineup changes it raises questions about the validity of continuing to use the same name. Is a band defined by its main songwriting force, or is it the interaction between a particular group of individuals that forms its essence? San Diego pop-punk powerhouse Unwritten Law have seen members frequently come and go in their 20-year existence, but vocalist/songwriter Scott Russo is the band’s mainstay.

“Me in it makes it Unwritten Law,” Russo says.

“But when the band changes, it is a new band.

There’s no two ways about that.”

Unwritten Law have issued six full-length albums since forming in 1990, and each one (except for second LP Oz Factor) has been preceded by a slight personnel alteration.

“When shit gets stale or when you can’t get along with somebody, it’s just like any other

relationship – sometimes you have to move on with your life,” Russo explains. “When new, dope people – whether it’s in my band or it’s in my life in general – enter my life, of course it’s refreshing and revitalising. That could be some of the reason why Unwritten Law is still around.”

The band first gathered momentum during San Diego’s punk resurgence of the ’90s, which also birthed the likes of Blink-182 and Sprung Monkey. Then a major breakthrough came in 1998 with the release of Unwritten Law’s selftitled third LP. The album’s lead singles ‘Cailin’ and ‘Lonesome’ pushed the group well beyond the underground and those songs remain fan favourites today.

“I think the self-titled record was our first real record – our first good record,” Russo says. “The [earlier] records are more like demos – learning how to craft a song. [When] the ‘Black Record’ came out, we’d all finally got our chops good

“I had been influenced by different music and wanted to make something that was not what was going on,” he says. “I remember at that time every band was sounding the same. That whole punk rock boom was getting oversaturated, and I didn’t want to make another record that would just fit in that category. That’s kind of how every record’s been since the Black Record. I wanted to change and evolve as a songwriter and as an artist.”

“Songs and records, they’re like chapters.

Once you put them out they never go away …

I want all my shit to be fucking dope.” discography they’re like, ‘Daddy was dope.’

“When I become uncomfortable and unhappy doing it,” Russo adds, “then I’m not going to do it anymore. For now, Unwritten Law’s a huge part of my life and I love the fans and I love playing the music that I’ve created.”

In addition to the ongoing fan support, Russo anticipates a prosperous future with the band’s latest lineup. The four-piece actually features another founding member, drummer Wade Youman, who rejoined earlier this year after a ten-year absence.

“He was a big part when we started,” Russo says. “Due to several circumstances we had to go our separate ways. Now that everyone’s a lot healthier and happier, it’s really comforting – like going back to your mum’s house and eating Christmas dinner. It’s homey-feeling.

By now a large number of Unwritten Law’s ’90s contemporaries have either flatlined trying to reignite their former glory or called it quits entirely. Russo admits there have been times when he’s questioned the future of the band, but he keeps finding ways to revive enthusiasm.

“Each piece of music that I do, I want to make it next level and fresh. I don’t really write songs that are B-sides, either. If a song’s starting to suck as I’m writing it, I’ll just throw it away and start with a new song. Songs and records, they’re like chapters. Once you put them out they never go away. They’re always there for someone to hear and to judge and whatever. I want all my shit to be fucking dope so when I’m dead and gone and my kids look back at my

“My brother [Jonny Grill] plays bass and he’s ridiculously good. He’d like to think he’s better looking than me, but I disagree. He’s a talented kid and he’s been in so many bands. He was in Civet for a long time, on Hellcat Records, and he toured the world. This particular lineup feels dope, just with Wade and my brother, it’s awesome. It’s like travelling with my family and playing music.”

Hosking likes to keep an eye on what the competition is up to, so recently – like a lot of people who couldn’t afford to fly to California just for a music festival – he’s been watching Coachella on the internet. Only he’s been taking notes while he does it. “Whenever you see something like that you go, ‘Damn, I should have thought of that!’ Not so much, ‘I’ll steal that,’ but you feel bad. ‘Oh man, why didn’t I think of that?’ It’s all about personalising.”

Karnivool will only get one chance to get it right this year, having blocked out the rest of 2014 for writing new songs once they get back from their European tour. Their Groovin The Moo performances and sideshows are all we’ll get to see of them for a little while, but Hosking likes the pressure that creates. “You can put a bit more effort into each bit. Knowing that this is our only Australian run means we can throw all our stuff at it and make it a real special show.

That’s exciting.”

What: Hits & Pits 2014 With: Strung Out, Face To Face, The Casualties, Ten Foot Pole and more Where: UNSW Roundhouse When: Sunday May 11

Karnivool You Only Get One Shot By Jody Macgregor

“I

’ve seen quite a few crazy things,” says Mark Hosking, and he is not overselling the fact. The Karnivool guitarist has seen people lose their shit in a variety of ways at their shows, including “a lot of getting – not naked, but a lot of ripping of clothes. That’s always a hilarious one. You kind of think, ‘Hang on, man. How are you getting home? It’s really not that warm outside and I don’t know if you had a backup plan.’”

Plenty of musicians like to watch the audience to gauge response, but for Hosking it’s about more than feedback – he just plain gets a kick out of it. “I’m a bit of a voyeur in that respect,” he admits. “I love those internet videos of people who hear for the first time, when they get the hearing aid put in their ear. I get so emotional watching those videos. It’s obviously not that level; it’s a different kind of thing when you watch a crowd. When you fi nd a person in the crowd that’s just losing it, loving the moment, you almost want to stop playing and just watch them.”

He’s humble about the cause of those moments, unwilling to take all the credit for triggering such emotional responses. “It’s not our music, it’s just the build-up of the night – the crowd makes it.” Obviously not everybody fl ies into an ecstatic frenzy at a Karnivool show, but Hosking is OK with other reactions too, especially since their music makes plenty of use of dissonance and is wilfully difficult in that prog way. “It’s

“It’s rewarding for us just watching people trying to appreciate discordance sometimes … It can be tough to listen to, but we’re Karnivool. We never promised to be easy.”

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rewarding for us just watching people trying to appreciate discordance sometimes, it’s just a fi ckle part of music. There’s a lot of it on Asymmetry and it can be really rewarding watching somebody get it; just go, ‘That sounds weird – oh, I see, I get why it’s weird.’ You can see it in people’s faces when it works. It can be tough to listen to but… oh, we’re Karnivool. We never promised to be easy.”

The band’s third album, Asymmetry, is also full of jagged edges of another kind, having been recorded with the aim of sounding rawer than the first two – more explicitly the sound of just a band in a room. “It’s quite a rough record from that respect, defi nitely not as polished as Sound Awake and Themata were, and intentionally so,” Hosking says.

That may have thrown some listeners off, but as the band gears up for its next tour – its only Australian dates for the rest of the year, with a European trip to follow – Hosking is looking forward to another chance to get the new songs in front of people. “I think it’s a lot easier to grasp from a live arena. A lot of people come to a show and hear Asymmetry, hear some of the songs live and go, ‘Oh, OK. I can get where you guys are at a bit more.’ It’s a lot of fun to play live, and challenging in its own respect.

It’s a lot different to any of the other stuff we’ve done in the past.”

Having songs that sound so diverse apparently makes putting their setlists together a headache. Hosking says Karnivool are putting “a long time” into getting that right during their current rehearsal period, finding ways to transition between their songs as smoothly as possible.

“A lot of bands would have that problem, but it’s probably more so for us because they are quite different. We are the band that said we’d never do the same album twice; you can definitely hear the differences between the albums. If you’re not careful it can definitely sound like you’re a cover band playing a small pub who’s had a bit too much to drink, jumping from ‘Khe Sanh’ into ‘Funkytown’ or something.”

There are also plenty of lessons to learn from watching other bands that aren’t at their best, maybe because their hearts aren’t in it anymore and they’re slogging through the hits because that’s what the fans want. “They’re not doing the show they want to do, it’s almost like they’re not putting in 100 per cent. We never want to be like that. It’s important for us, as with any band I guess, to do a show that still keeps you interested and excited and wanting to do it, but at the same time balancing that out with stuff that people want to hear.”

What: Asymmetry out now through Cymatic/ Sony Where: The Hi-Fi When: Tuesday April 29 And: Also appearing alongside Disclosure, Cults, Holy Fuck, Robert DeLong, Thundamentals and more at Groovin The Moo, Maitland Showground, Saturday April 26

thebrag.com

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arts frontline

free stuff

arts news...what's goin' on around town...with Chris Martin and Ed Kirkwood

head to: thebrag.com/freeshit

five minutes WITH

DUNCAN MAURICE FROM THE SILENCE CAME of the characters but also the history of its many incarnations.

There are no horrible surprises; we are not frightening people or creating a haunted house. The production is layered with social investigation and representation of contemporary Australia. It’s provocative, intoxicating and at times confronting. The only surprises will be the choices the audience makes, because no two nights can ever be the same.

The Silence Came

in control, by following the action they want and then ultimately deciding how it should finish.

It’s about a distorted modern society, divided by class, where people decide to stand by and let immorality reign, or do something. I can’t give away any more than that.

What’s the house like?

The house is a 165-yearold sandstone building that is transformed into a rabbit warren-like stage. It is the ‘other’ character in the show. It creaks, moves and sighs with the life

What are the risks in such an audience-controlled experience?

Chaos is our companion at The Silence Came. The risk is in how audiences will react to being set free in a show.

It’s exciting to break the conditioning of being told where to sit and when to get up and when to respond. Audiences are intelligent, astute and savvy – they deserve entertainment that trusts them, theatre that puts their desire at the centre.

This production is not trying to make people feel uncomfortable or force them to participate, it’s

What can the audience expect from The Silence Came, if anything?

This is not like watching the curtain go up and waiting for the answer to life’s problems; curtain down. This is going through the personal cupboards and drawers of those people that catch your eye on the street – and now you are in their house.

There is definitely no horror but there is certainly laughter. The question of morality and who is in control is at the centre of the show, only we as the theatremakers don’t decide who are the goodies or the baddies, because life is never that simple.

What: The Silence Came Where: The Commons, Darlinghurst When: Monday April 28, then May 5, 12, 19 and 26

Wheat Street), Hunter Page-Lochard, Bjorn Stewart, Lisa Flanagan and Cramer Cain.

Brothers Wreck is playing from Saturday May 24 – Sunday June 22.

YOUNG & BEAUTIFUL

François Ozon’s latest fi lm Young & Beautiful follows the life of Isabelle (Marine Vacth), a fairly typical 17-yearold French girl who turns to a secret life of prostitution. And who among us hasn’t dreamed of a double life? Sure, it might not be as a sex worker, but the sentiment remains.

Young & Beautiful is released in cinemas in Sydney on Thursday May 1, and here at the BRAG we have ten double passes to give away. For your chance to win, head to thebrag.com/ freeshit and tell us what your ultimate secret career would be. Don’t worry – your double life is safe with us.

The Silence Came photo Aston Campbell.

T

ell us about The Silence Came.

This production is a unique immersive theatrical experience where audiences roam free through three levels of an old house that is divided up into seven rooms. Every room is happening simultaneously. The audiences discover the central story and subplots by following the 14 characters that interest them. The audience members make choices based on what they have seen and in the end decide the outcome of story. It works because the audience is

simply allowing them the right to see the show they want to see.

We have created something that they can observe or manipulate, the choice is theirs.

Djuki Mala

SYDNEY FILMMAKER SELECTED FOR LAWEBFEST

Having graduated from the prestigious NIDA, Aussie filmmaker/actress Sascha Raeburn jetted off to LA starry-eyed and ready to work.

Only there was no work to be found, so she set out to make it for herself. With the help of friend Laura Michelle Hughes, she’s created a low-budget, no-frills-attached web series, titled Lost In LA. Raeburn chats to the misfits strewn along Hollywood’s famed boulevard, as well as a handful of friends who share in their experiences of chasing ungraspable dreams.

Ironically enough, it could be this very series that sees Raeburn rise to fame. Lost In LA has been selected for LAWEBFEST, the largest web series festival in the world, and is gaining considerable traction in the States and now her hometown.

Find out more at lostinlatheseries.com.

24 Hour News Cycle by David Rowe

ALL IN THE FAMILY

THE BEST POLITICAL CARTOONS

NEW WAVE: SOUND

Vivid festivalgoers in Sydney each year are familiar with the astounding feats of light and art on display, but here’s one with a little twist. The Seymour Centre will host New Wave: Sound, a multimedia program that challenges music listeners about their perceptions of presentation and performance. It’s experimental sound art, combined with software and light technology.

Beyond that, the experience is hard to describe – you’ll have to see and hear it for yourself.

The New Wave: Sound program runs from Thursday June 5 – Saturday June 7. For more information, visit seymourcentre.com.

SCENES FROM AN EXECUTION

Howard Barker’s Scenes From An Execution will play at the Old Fitzroy Theatre next month.

The play deals with familiar themes: censorship, government, propaganda and their relationship with art and artists. Set in Venice, it’ll be brought to life by the Sydney Independent Theatre Company and a cast featuring Mark Lee (from Peter Weir’s Gallipoli), Lucy Miller and Jeremy Waters. The season runs between Tuesday May 13 and Saturday May 31.

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BROTHERS WRECK

A cast of indigenous artists features in Brothers Wreck, a Leah Purcell-directed production showing at Belvoir St Theatre in May and June.

Set in Darwin, Brothers Wreck is a story of death, grief and redemption. The cast features Rarriwuy Hick (Redfern Now, The Gods Of

THE CHOOKY DANCERS

As part of National Reconciliation Week 2014, Djuki Mala (The Chooky Dancers) will present a new Djuki Mala work at the Seymour Centre.

Djuki Mala hail from the Galiwin’ku community on Elcho Island in northeast Arnhem Land, and are renowned for their collaborations with Josh Bond in reinterpreting dance styles from popular culture like Zumba and hip hop. See Djuki Mala at the Everest Theatre, Wednesday May 28 – Saturday May 31.

ALL YOUR GOLD

Sydney’s Tate Gallery will host an exhibit co-curated by Outergold and Marty Routledge, celebrating a dozen of the brightest young female artists from Australia and overseas. All Your Gold will feature the works of Jessica Hische, Gemma O’Brien, Biddy Maroney, Miso, Cat Rabbit, Syke, Takie, Greedy Hen, Hannah Stouffer, Furry Little Peach, Jacqueline Bui and Cara Stricker.

See All Your Gold at The Tate Gallery, upstairs at The Toxteth Hotel in Glebe, on Wednesday April 30 from 6pm.

Jessica Hische

thebrag.com

Djuki Mala photo by Wayne Quilliam

The Riverside Theatres in Parramatta will host an exhibition of the best cartoons in Australian and world politics from 2013. Cartoonists draw politicians like you’ve never seen them before – yet somehow the art always seems far more true-to-life than the politicians themselves. And as political years go, 2013 was one to remember (or forget, depending on how you look at it). 80 cartoons make up the Behind The Lines exhibit this time around, and the Riverside will host discussions with two of Australia’s finest cartoonists: First Dog On The Moon’s Andrew Marlton (Friday May 16 – Sunday May 18), and Fiona Katauskis, who’ll be in conversation with Dan Ilic on Friday May 30.

Behind The Lines runs from Friday May 16 until Saturday June 21.

Sydney sisters Jo Lyons and Kate LyonsDawson are set to stage their first art exhibition in their home city, at Gaffa in the CBD. With both artists having a long-standing passion for the environment, its history and their own family story, Waypoint features landscapes of the South Coast – their childhood home – in the shape of paintings, drawings and stencils.

Lyons-Dawson says the exhibit is about making the intangible real and capturing an image that brings about real meaning and nostalgia. “The peace and stillness I find down the coast [I] try to cling on to. Having worked in my 20s to get beyond my hometown, it’s clear that on many levels I now yearn for it. And attempting to trap the impossible is never more obvious than trying to catch a cloud in a painting, drawing; something that existed for that split second before changing forever.” Waypoint opens on Thursday May 1 from 6pm at Gaffa on Clarence Street. The exhibition continues until May 13.

PRESENTS

Chris Radburn

BRAG :: 559 :: 23:04:14 :: 17

Chroma

Ingrid Gow in The Australian Ballet’s Chroma

[BALLET] Growing Pains By Adam Norris

H

aving begun dancing back when she was four, Ingrid Gow has since gone from strength to strength. After receiving great critical acclaim in Alexei Ratmansky’s Cinderella last year, she now finds herself in Chroma, a curious triple bill from The Australian Ballet that features the music of Mozart, Tchaikovsky and, of all people, The White Stripes.

“Maybe not to that extreme, but yeah,” she replies, sounding like someone who has long resigned herself to the reality of her work.

“There’s not a day that goes by when you’re not in some kind of pain somewhere. It’s one of those things where you have to know when it’s time to step back and say, ‘OK, there’s

I’m somewhat in awe of Gow’s dedication. Ballet remains, I would cautiously suggest, an art form that is generally misperceived by the majority of people. There is an assumed fragility to the performers, whereas the truth is they push themselves to such physical extremes that permanent damage is a day-to-day concern. It is also one of the most mysterious arts; while actors and musicians regularly find themselves in the spotlight, the names of renowned dancers are rarely on the common tongue.

“I’ve always found that really interesting,” agrees Gow. “I mean, within our own dance community we know who all the superstars are, we’re always YouTubing the famous dancers on the other side of the world, the famous companies – we’re always closely following other people’s careers. So maybe individuals are not so much famous in the mainstream media, but within our own world we totally have our celebrities.”

One thing that is always striking about ballet is the enthusiasm of dance audiences. The volume

of the cheering is second only to major musical acts. Has Gow noticed a change in audience attitudes ever since Black Swan brought ballet back into the pop culture conversation?

“Since the movie came out, people are more aware of the art form and what goes on behind closed doors. I think, if anything, people have a bit more of an interest; they kind of know what to look for to satisfy their curiosity. Our audiences are always…” She pauses for thought, then laughs. “The more you show your support, the more we love it. When we can hear and feel the energy, can feel how much they’re enjoying it, that’s everything. Even when there’s silence, you know? If you can hear a pin drop that means they’re enjoying it; if they’re making an incredible amount of noise, cheering, applauding – laughter, I mean, if you hear laughter, it’s fantastic – to hear any kind of energy coming from the other side of the curtain is exactly what we’re trying to achieve.

“In [a piece like Chroma] I find it’s really important to show your true self onstage, and that’s the hardest thing. To get in front of all those people and just bare your soul…” She laughs again. “You’ve got to only be you.”

What: Chroma Where: Joan Sutherland Theatre, Sydney Opera House When: Tuesday April 29 – Saturday May 17

Ingrid Gow photo by James Braund

Success does not come without a price, however, and the divide between pleasure and pain becomes most evident on a ballet stage.

Speaking in The Guardian, The Royal Ballet’s podiatrist recently remarked, “I know of dancers who have gone on pointe with broken bones and stress fractures … they push themselves too far. That’s just a dancer’s life”. It sounds like quite a crippling profession – literally so – and I wonder if Gow has faced the same kind of stresses.

something wrong with my body,’ or if it’s just the kind of usual pain that is part of the life of a dancer.”

Ronny Chieng [COMEDY] Reaction Time By Joanne Brookfield

R

onny Chieng follows in the timehonoured tradition of lawyers becoming comedians. However, it almost didn’t happen. Chieng, whose show at last year’s Melbourne International Comedy Festival sold so well he had to fi nish the last week in the bigger Forum venue and perform his fi nal night in the main room of the Town Hall, was going to quit stand-up two years ago in favour of law.

The Malaysian-born Chieng, who was raised in the US and Singapore before moving to Australia to study, followed his maiden win in Melbourne with a Best Show nomination at the 2013 Sydney Comedy Festival. He has performed twice at the prestigious invitationonly Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal,

Chieng believes it was law school, and being around highly competitive individuals there, that gave him the foundation on which to build his comedy career. “I was kind of trained in that work ethic and fi guring out the best way to approach things, so I think that has defi nitely helped in comedy and knowing how to conduct yourself in a professional manner,” he says.

“I think a lot of lawyers don’t make as big a deal of it as I do, where I talk about it onstage a lot. Everyone is pretty low-key with it – in fact, most people try to hide it – but I’m the opposite, I keep fl aunting it,” he laughs.

Chieng’s stand-up success has translated into a television career as well – his credits including Problems, It’s A Date, Dirty Laundry Live and Tractor Monkeys, all on ABC, plus SBS1’s Legally Brown. “I’ve been pretty lucky to get acting opportunities or personal appearance opportunities. I really like doing both.”

Ronny Chieng For this year’s comedy festival, he’s presenting his third solo show, Chieng Reaction.

“I usually don’t do theme shows, I just do stand-up because I do a lot of touring comedy in clubs and stuff. So there’s no real coherent theme, but there’s definitely some topics I address in this one. [In] this one I’m going after condescending Apple Store employees; I talk a little bit about my parents and what they think about what I do, because that’s a very common question I get. I talk a bit

about travelling. I’m kind of in a weird place, because my profile is getting bigger but I’m not famous – so it’s that weird in-between where sometimes people recognise you but don’t know who you are, so I talk a little bit about that. And that’s basically the show.”

What: Chieng Reaction Where: Thatchers Cider House, Factory Theatre When: Tuesday May 6 – Saturday May 17

Matt Okine [COMEDY] Happiness Not Included By Nick Taras was eight years in the making, which is why I guess it was fairly good,” he laughs. “I wasn’t really focusing on stand-up. I was trying to be a serious actor and it’s only since I’ve started to focus on comedy that it’s starting to pay off.

Matt Okine

“It’s pretty surprising, I guess. It was easy for me to start getting all negative about it all or feeling underappreciated, but I keep telling myself, ‘You’ve gotta be in it to win it,’ and I kept plugging away and doing my thing and all of a sudden it’s started to pay off.

“I guess this show is gonna be more about some of the mistakes I made in those eight years I was seemingly doing nothing, and some of the reasons why it took so long to get in the position where I could finally utilise my opportunities now. While I also said I was kinda making TV pilots, I was also being a 20-year-old dickhead who was stuffing up a fair bit. I guess I just talk about life’s stuff-ups and what you can learn from them, really.”

F

rom the outside, it seems like Matt Okine has achieved so much in the Australian comedy scene in a miniscule amount of time – having won Best Newcomer at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival in 2012, sold out shows in 2013, and recently supported Dave Chappelle, he now co-hosts triple j breakfast. However, Okine has actually taken a very old-school approach to his stand-

18 :: BRAG :: 559 :: 23:04:14

up, spitting gags onstage at clubs for roughly eight years before performing his first solo show.

“That’s the crazy thing, I started in 2004 just doing the club scene for ages,” Okine says.

“It really took me a long time to build up the courage and determination to do a solo show in 2012. It was one of those things where it

I don’t really know what it’s like to have a real job, but I imagine one of the few upsides is that you’re awake early enough to listen to Matt And Alex on triple j. I wonder how Okine has coped with some of the challenges of his new job.

“Yeah dude, it’s not easy, I’ll tell you that much,” he laughs. “I used to go to bed at 2am every morning, and now I’m up two hours after that. That’s certainly been the biggest learning

curve. Even on the weekends, [I’d] head out and not get home in bed until 4am and then I’d wake up on a Saturday morning at 11:30am or something, and that’s when I’m now finishing work. Every single weekend and beginning of each week is like I’ve just caught a plane halfway from around the world and I’ve gotta readapt to the time.”

It was only about a year and a half ago when Okine almost stole the show opening for comedian Aziz Ansari (Parks And Recreation; I Love You, Man). Just a few weeks ago, Okine supported comedy legend Dave Chappelle – one of the highlights of his career so far.

“Those gigs were incredible, man. It’s not often that you genuinely get to be in the same room as someone who you looked up to for ten years and [is] a genuine idol of mine. I was awestruck because I was just fanboying out so hard. Every single thing I did I’d be like, ‘God, was that a stupid thing to do? Should I have said that?’ Even he’d walk in and I’d be like, ‘Oh, hey Dave,’ and then I’d think, ‘Should I have said, ‘Hey Dave,’ or should I have said, ‘Hi Dave,’ or should I have said, ‘What’s up Dave? What’s goin’ on, man?’’ So ridiculous.”

What: Happiness Not Included Where: Thatchers Cider House, Factory Theatre When: Wednesday April 30 – Saturday May 10

thebrag.com

photo courtesy of T

“That was the year I won the Best Newcomer Award, so that’s what stopped it from happening,” he says of 2012. “I was going to quit after that, that was going to be my first and last comedy festival season. I was going to do it and stop but the show hit off and I started getting more gigs … I didn’t go in with any expectations and I didn’t feel like anyone owes me anything, so it’s been a really cool ride so far.”

played the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the Sydney Opera House, and sold out a twoweek season at London’s Soho Theatre.

Theatre & Film Reviews Hits and misses on the bare boards and silver screen around town

Chinese Puzzle

Canopy

Wesley Enoch ■ Theatre

■ Film

20 QUESTIONS

CANOPY

Until August 11 at Belvoir St Theatre

In cinemas April 24

Spawned from the observation that often during productions of indigenous work some of the most interesting stories are told in the rehearsal room rather than onstage, 20 Questions is a special event at Belvoir devised by theatre stalwarts Wesley Enoch and Eamon Flack that sees Enoch interviewing a different indigenous performer every Monday (with a few exceptions) from now until mid-August. For opening night, the selfdescribed “big, black and beautiful” Casey Donovan takes the stage and it’s smiles all ’round.

Australian filmmaker Aaron Wilson’s debut feature, Canopy, is the latest and possibly best example of a genre that has become ubiquitous in only a couple of years. This genre is kind of like Survivor meets Beckett.

In it, a character spends an entire film fighting to survive, and the film operates in real time – sort of. The lead’s struggle is visceral but also affords the filmmaker the chance to muse on basic existential questions. Buried, starring Ryan Reynolds, kicked off the current trend, and last year it went viral. Gravity, All Is Lost and Captain Phillips are all members of the club. Canopy seems less gimmicky than those, perhaps because its minimalism feels more organic to its setting.

Far from a casual chat, the show is carefully sculpted. With blatant disregard for the show’s title, Enoch in fact asks around 200 questions over the course of the night. Set out in three acts, we begin with basics: name, hometown, whether Donovan prefers strobe lights or mirror balls. Questions are short and sharp and if Donovan struggles for more than a moment to produce an answer, Enoch swiftly moves on. At the end of the act, Donovan performs a song and has the audience in the palm of her hand as her voice fills the theatre.

For act two things slow down. Donovan is given more time for her answers whilst the questions move away from quick thoughts to complicated ideas. How do you feel about white guilt? Have you ever not wanted to be indigenous? There’s a real honesty in Donovan’s answers and she doesn’t shy away from the difficult questions.

It’s Singapore, 1943. A young Australian pilot is shot down and lands among the mangroves. He’s behind enemy lines, and spends the rest of the film trying to evade the Japanese. Wilson’s film goes for 82 minutes, during which there are about three or four lines spoken, mostly in Japanese or Chinese.

Khan Chittenden plays Jim, and there’s nothing showy about his performance. Mo Tzu-Yi is Seng, the Chinese resistance fighter who Jim quite literally runs into. At this point one fears the onset of buddy-movie clichés about friendship bridging ethnic and geographical divides, but the relationship between the two is unsentimental and underplayed.

After another song and another stunning vocal display, the final third of the show sees Donovan standing in a spotlight as a song plays, chosen by her prior to the show for its ability to make her cry. For a work that’s based on a parlour game, there’s real emotion in the finish and with a surprising finale, it’s clear this theatrical experiment can only be a raging success.

In its last third, Canopy ventures into the abstract and elliptical. The jungle is a maze from which Jim and Seng cannot escape, and its sinister beauty begins to overwhelm them. Wilson also flashes back, swiftly but pointedly, to the Australian bush where Jim grew up. The photography by Stefan Duscio immediately recalls that of John Toll on The Thin Red Line, and the film’s final image, like the rest of the film, is formally breathtaking and starkly moving. The shot’s ambiguity is spoilt slightly by the final credits, but Canopy is still a singular achievement.

Simon Binns

Harry Windsor

See www.thebrag.com for more arts reviews

■ Film

CHINESE PUZZLE In cinemas now Chinese Puzzle is the third instalment in the series that began with 2002’s The Spanish Apartment.

Picking up 10 years after its predecessor Russian Dolls, the film continues to tell the story of Xavier Rousseau (Romain Duris), a French writer whose life has been in a perpetual state of drama ever since the series began.

Much has happened in the 10 years between films; Russian Dolls ended with Xavier and Wendy (Kelly Reilly) finally getting together, and Chinese Puzzle begins with conflict between the lovers, who now have two children together.

There is also a change of scenery, with the film being set largely in New York, providing a lot of AmericanFrench snobbery and hilarity.

Much of the old gang is still there, with Audrey Tatou playing the ever-dramatic Martine, and Cécile de France returning as Xavier’s best friend Isabelle.

With age, Xavier surprisingly seems to have gotten a little wiser and a little less governed by his penis, and it’s interesting to see him playing the role of ‘responsible father’. But he is still very much himself, and is still incidentally involved in a whole bunch of drama, intrigue and comedy. The film is punctuated with hilarious conversations with Xavier’s editor, and his exchanges

@papagedesbar

with various long-dead philosophers are particularly golden.

All three films have relied heavily on Romain Duris’ abilities, and in all three he has delivered. Duris’ Xavier continues to charm the pants off his female leads and his audience. Chinese Puzzle is really beautifully made, with director Cédric Klapisch bringing the same unique aesthetic that made the series so enjoyable.

If you’re a fan of the series, this film doesn’t disappoint, and those coming to the film with no awareness of the rest of the series will find a lot to like in Chinese Puzzle.

Harriet McInerney

www.facebook.com/PapaGedesBar

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Arts Exposed What's in our diary...

Truth, Beauty And A Picture Of You Hayes Theatre Co Friday May 9 – Sunday June 1 There was always something theatrical, even cinematic, about Tim Freedman’s lyrics.

The Whitlams songwriter, responsible for hits like ‘No Aphrodisiac’ and ‘Blow Up The Pokies’, has a stunning talent for reflecting the reality of everyday Australia in his poetic musings. Now, producer and director Neil Gooding has created Truth, Beauty And A Picture Of You – a musical theatre production that brings Freedman’s finest works to life.

Truth, Beauty And A Picture Of You The new Hayes Theatre Co will host a cast including Ian Stenlake (Sea Patrol, Guys And Dolls) and Erica Lovell (Spring Awakening, Little Women) as they interpret The Whitlams’ hits for the stage. Gotta love this city. xxx

Tickets are $48 ($42 concession) and available through hayestheatre.com.au. thebrag.com

F UNK . S O UL . RE G G A E T, K EN T S T CBD M O N -S A

Laneway 348 Kent St drink@papagedes.com www.papagedes.com BRAG :: 559 :: 23:04:14 :: 19

T H E B R A G ’ S G U I D E T O W H AT ’ S O N

F R I D AY A P R I L 2 5 Goldfish

The Australian Heritage Hotel

It’s called: Switch into Anzac Day What to see and do: Once you’re recovered from paying your respects at the dawn service and had a win on the two-up, make the most of a three-day weekend. DJs, dancing and all that fun stuff.

For our ears: LeOch, Hatch and Dave54 Bevvy of choice: Select from our $7 drinks all night long. Make mine a cocktail! La Rouge with all cocktails under $15!

The bit we’ll remember in the AM: Success of a good night is measured by what you don’t remember… But good times, great tunes and fun vibes.

How many dollars: Free before 10pm, $15 after Where: 111 Darlinghurst Rd, Kings Cross When it all kicks off: 8pm

It’s called: Anzac Day at Sydney’s most iconic Australian pub What to see and do: Diggers’ breakfast from 7am, the largest outdoor two-up arena from 2pm, visit from the Scotts Old Boys Marching Band, BBQ and VB VIP area.

For our ears: The excitement from the huge two-up arena.

Bevvy of choice: Beer! We have over 130 available. We will also have VB express bars.

The bit we’ll remember in the AM: The two-up arena.

How many dollars: Free entry.

Where: 100 Cumberland Street, The Rocks When it all kicks off: 7am!

Beach Road Hotel Bondi It’s called: Anzac Day at the Beach Rd What to see and do: Try your luck at two-up from 12pm ’til late, taste our new food menu in the bistro and get sweaty on the dancefloor!

For our ears: Kato and the Beach Rd DJs will be playing your favourite party jams all day long.

Bevvy of choice: VB schooners How many dollars: Free Where: 71 Beach Road, Bondi When it all kicks off: 12pm

Clovelly Hotel

Kit & Kaboodle It’s called: Anzac Sunday – 14 DJs, three levels and one party What to see and do: Work your way through the three levels (KK1, KK2 for a boogie and Sweethearts Rooftop BBQ to hang out with your friends and take in the fresh air in our hidden oasis above the colourful Cross). Enjoy the music, get down on the dancefloor and enjoy a few cheeky drinks to enjoy no-work-Monday the next day and end the epic two long weekends with a bang!

For our ears: Music that will make you move!

Bevvy of choice: Bottle service in Kit & Kaboodle and beer and cocktail jugs on the roof.

The bit we’ll remember in the AM: The three-in-one party!

Where: 33-37 Darlinghurst Road, Kings Cross When: Sunday April 27, 10pm ’til late in Kit & Kaboodle and 12pm-12am at Sweethearts

It’s called: Anzac Day at the Cloey!

What to see and do: Purpose-built two-up arena in the beer garden, Soulganic live, NRL match shown live, five mobile bars and bistro meals all day. Oh, and we’re a stone’s throw away from iconic Clovelly Beach!

For our ears: Soulganic – performing live from 6pm ’til late.

Bevvy of choice: VB, given it’s Anzac Day, but cider in the beer garden is always a winner.

The bit we’ll remember in the AM: A hangover for a good cause. Showing your respects and hopefully winning a buck or two yelling “Come in, spinner”.

How many dollars: Free Where: 381 Clovelly Rd, Clovelly When it all kicks off: 11am

Papa Gede’s Bar It’s called: The Refuge What to see and do: Papa Gede is the voodoo spirit of lust, laughter and protecting the living – we’ll be concentrating on some quality drink and chat for those who are out in the evening, and want a laidback place to hang out and unwind, away from the craziness of George Street.

For our ears: Lots of New Orleans blues and soul, some reggae and funk.

Bevvy of choice: Cocktails! And absinthe! We’re also gonna offer our Old Fashioneds (bourbon, bitters, sugar and orange zest) stirred with golden syrup to commemorate the ANZACs – the drinking spirit of the soldiers and the deliciousness of the biscuits.

How many dollars: Our cocktails start at $16, wines and beers $8/9 Where: Laneway, 348 Kent Street, Sydney When it all kicks off: 5pm Friday and Saturday

The Star It’s called: Anzac Day at The Star What to see and do: Come and join us for Anzac Day. With two-up, drink and food specials and entertainment across our venues.

For our ears: Jon Stevens will be belting out hits at Rock Lily.

Bevvy of choice: Special pre-prohibition era cocktails at Cherry.

The bit we’ll remember in the AM: Two-up at not only one, but two of our venues – 24/7 Sports Bar and Rock Lily, and of course Jon Stevens performing at Rock Lily at 8pm.

How many dollars: No cover charge. Drink specials from $5 and food specials from $12 Where: The Star, 80 Pyrmont Street, Pyrmont When it all kicks off: from 11am

The Vic What to see and do: Biggest two-up game in the inner west in the Vic car park, and free live music by The Handsome Young Strangers and Furnace and the Fundamentals.

For our ears: Rockabilly, cowpunk country and party tunes you’ll know every word to!

Bevvy of choice: It’s Anzac Day, so pretty much everything.

The bit we’ll remember in the AM: This is the same Anzac Day event that was running at the Annandale for 10 years – so the great people and the best two-up game in town. Just don’t take it too seriously!

How many dollars: Freeee… unless you win at two-up, then you’ll make money. We don’t talk about the losses at the Vic. Where: The Vic Hotel, Corner of Addison Road and Enmore Road, Marrickville When it all kicks off: 11am

Newtown Hotel It’s called: Anzac Day at Newtown Hotel What to see and do: The venue will be electric with King Street’s loudest two-up arena. The cider yard will be serving 15 different ciders including Young Henrys, Bilpin and Batlow, and we are putting on the killer Aussie burger with the works including beetroot and pineapple. Ice-cold beers will be on tap all day and as the sun goes down Newtown Hotel will kick into the gear it is famous for. The official after two-up party destination with DJs Shag from FBi and Shantan Wantan Ichiban from triple j spinning tunes ’til close. One thing we can promise is the loosest dancefloor in Newtown.

For our ears: Party tunes and indie classics.

Bevvy of choice: One of our 15 different ciders and ice-cold beer.

The bit we’ll remember in the AM: The loosest dancefloor in Newtown.

20 :: BRAG :: 559 :: 23:04:14

How many dollars: Free Where: 174 King St, Newtown When it all kicks off: 12pm

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WITH SPECIAL GUESTS

‘They bring it live; big sound, huge drums and a soaring vocal” - ZAN ROWE, TRIPLE J

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BRAG :: 559 :: 23:04:14 :: 21

Album Reviews What's been crossing our ears this week...

ALBARN OF THE WEEK DAMON ALBARN Everyday Robots Parlophone/Warner

While it’s by no means a sequel, the worlds of Everyday Robots and Parklife are not a

Damon Albarn photo by Linda Brownlee

Xxxx Everyday Robots shows yet another one of Damon Albarn’s artistic personalities.

Either by design or strange coincidence, the debut solo album from Damon Albarn is being released in the same week in which his first major artistic statement, Blur’s Parklife, is celebrating its 20th anniversary. Through a series of reinventions in the last two decades both with and without Blur, Albarn has proved himself as much more than just the ego-driven Mockney pretty boy sexing the camera with his eyes in the ‘Girls & Boys’ video.

million miles apart. The themes of alienation and cultural and technological change that permeated through that 1994 release return through worldlier, mature eyes on songs like ‘Lonely Press Play’, ‘Photographs (You Are Taking Now)’ and the title track.

Albarn’s voice has a warm melancholic lethargy that lends itself beautifully to the introverted feeling that seeps through the whole album but particularly on the haunting ‘Hollow Ponds’, as well as ‘The Selfish Giant’ and ‘You And Me’.

Most of his contemporaries could only dream of making a work so strong this far into their career.

Michael Hartt

EMA

MOVEMENT

MAYA JANE COLES

PAOLO NUTINI

GRETA MOB

The Future’s Void Matador/Remote Control

Movement Modular

Fabric 75 Fabric Records

Caustic Love Atlantic/Warner

Gypsy Town Revisited Independent/Bandcamp

The second album from Erika M. Anderson is a mercurial affair, changing style from song to song so much that no matter how much care and attention is given to the individual tracks, it doesn’t add up to a completely satisfying whole.

Movement is a group that continues to surprise. First it was the speed with which they burst onto the scene – taking them just two years to fill the hole of sophisticated R&B in Sydney’s music scene. Now, their self-titled EP breathes an air of maturity that I was certainly not expecting this early in the piece.

Still riding high on the release of her debut Comfort, Maya Jane Coles hasn’t put a foot wrong since. With nods from her peers, strings of sold-out shows and highly coveted residencies, Coles has most certainly arrived. Now, as she helms the 75th Fabric mix, Coles stretches a creative muscle or two and manages to create a world you just don’t want to leave.

When you have a great singing voice, it doesn’t really matter what you sing about, and if you mix it with a thick accent, no-one will really care anyway – provided you bury it in some pleasant tunes. Paolo Nutini seemed to have that down in his first two albums, These Streets and Sunny Side Up – filled with his rugged voice, his lovely accent, and a brand of pop so intensely charming that it could have won over your high school crush’s heart.

For whatever reason, Greta Mob have released a stopgap CD, in the style of old fat-cat record labels trying to milk fans in the ’90s when both record labels and CDs were still relevant. Consisting of two remakes of songs from their debut and two live-only songs, the EP marks both the time when they became a real band and not a solo project, and the time they got Spencer P. Jones to guest on one of their songs. Whether that justifies charging fans to hear it is up for debate.

Individually, each song is an achievement. Opener ‘Satellites’ pulls from a seemingly random assortment of radio static and bass drones to make a very catchy beat, like a mix of The Knife and Gossip.

‘3Jane’ is a should-be shoegaze classic, borrowing the now-standard drum figure from ‘Just Like Honey’.

‘Solace’ features a dazzling arrangement, with round-style vocals. ‘Dead Celebrity’ references the military ‘Taps’ and samples fireworks.

All are impressive pieces of work, but when put together side by side, their genres clash in a distracting way. That seems to be by design; The Future’s Void is the latest in a recent flurry of albums to explore the concept of identity in the internet age. But like those recent albums, the concept isn’t really pulled off, and it just makes for a frustrating listen.

Movement is more ambient than earlier releases, with slow jams and less electropop. It channels James Blake more than SBTRKT; Jai Paul more than Sampha.

But there’s certainly evidence of all these artists’ influence across the EP. ‘Control You’ showcases an effortless Lewis Wade croon to a stripped-back and soulful Blake beat. ‘Like Lust’ is an obvious highlight. It’s the initial twangy guitar that makes you think Darkside, which is then sidelined for the catchiest of vocal lines – by far the best on the record. ‘Ivory’ and ‘5:57’ both exude squelchy, unrelenting bass that drive a solid rhythm – and bring some of the poppier elements to the EP.

So while it might be a misguided piece of work, the care shown on the individual songs on The Future’s Void is further proof that EMA is an artist to watch.

Movement have proved themselves too good to remain Sydney’s best-kept secret. They’ve shown they can easily mix it with the best, and I wouldn’t want to wait too much longer for a debut record. This is a sound no-one can get enough of.

Leonardo Silvestrini

Ed Kirkwood

Swirling thick slabs of melodic house with driving techno elements, Coles keeps it dark, eclectic and deep.

Trus’me’s ‘Somebody’ pushes things off to a punchy start, while Paul Woolford’s ‘Erotic Discourse’ (Dense & Pika Remix) gurgles and throbs its way to a dizzying crescendo the way only good techno can.

Coles keeps everything cohesive, and each track that features here has been meticulously selected to enhance the journey she’s paved for us.

If you’re looking for the trip-hop tinged, pop-leaning influences that appear all throughout Comfort, you’ve come to the wrong place, although the addition of her own unreleased track ‘Premonition’ has Coles’ unmistakable, bewitching sonic stamp all over it.

It’s a mix that will have both the chin-strokers and partygoers falling over themselves. Forget about life for an hour and lose yourself in Fabric 75.

Marissa Demetriou

INDIE ALBUM OF THE WEEK Loopholes announces The Murlocs as one of the most interesting new arrivals in Aussie rock’n’roll. The band assumes its place in a dank garage, turns everything up damn loud and lets the booze flow freely.

THE MURLOCS Loopholes Flightless/Remote Control

22 :: BRAG :: 559 :: 23:04:14

The tunes conjure a foggy swamp into close view. Meanwhile, Stu Mackenzie’s (King Gizzard) production carefully processes the guitar-loaded noise, injecting Spector-esque breathing room.

You can sense the five dudes boogieing in unison, but they’re not quite breaking down the walls. That is, except for singer/harmonica wailer Ambrose Kenny-Smith, whose vocal concoction of lived suffering and whisky-guzzling hysteria is the crux of the band’s appeal.

Kenny-Smith’s madman delivery sounds transported from an altogether different era, which makes you wonder what on earth he’s singing about. It’s fairly impossible to make sense of the distortion-shrouded yelps, and flicking through the lyric booklet reveals that, other than invoking requisite bluesy tropes (po’ boy quibbles, railroads, cane fields and suicide), there’s not much to report.

Never mind, though, because Loopholes shows that The Murlocs are stocked with plenty of coal to keep this train rollin’ forward.

Hopefully there’ll be some curious detours next time around but, for now, jump on board, grab a JD and coke and indulge in the dirty fun.

Now, trying to prove that he’s more musician than generic pop idol, Nutini presents Caustic Love, which sees him stepping away from the pop sounds in favour of funk and soul. The album’s opener ‘Scream (Funk My Life Up)’ isn’t the best start. Over-produced with no real groove, funk or soul at all, it seems more like a poor musician’s attempt at showing off talent that isn’t there.

But don’t let this first impression get you down, because the rest of the album is a pleasant surprise.

Restrained and focused, a clear and intoxicating groove comes through, and while it won’t blow you away, it does satisfy.

Despite a terrible opener and possessing one of the ugliest album covers of all time, Caustic Love is a surprisingly enjoyable listen.

Daniel Prior

So the reason for this EP even existing is questionable at best.

But the content is still enjoyable.

The runtime is actually longer than their still impressive debut Let The Sunburnt Country Burn, and the redone versions of the songs are improvements. Even better, live song ‘The Vengeful Narodnik’ incorporates synthesisers, hinting at a potentially fruitful direction for their next album. Yet all this doesn’t hide the fact that the band is yet to find its own unique voice, and is still in debt to the great Australian tradition of punk-blues groups like The Drones and The Birthday Party.

They remain a group full of promise, but all because of their debut. This EP is just whipped cream; a pleasant added extra, with no substance.

Leonardo Silvestrini

OFFICE MIXTAPE And here are the albums that have helped BRAG HQ get through the week...

MODEST MOUSE - Good News...

COIN BANKS - Heads VELOCIRAPTOR - The World Warriors

BROODS - Broods THE HUMMINGBIRDS - loveBUZZ

Augustus Welby thebrag.com

snap sn ap

live reviews

up all night out all week . . .

What we've been out to see...

When the lights at last dimmed and Dave Matthews lurch-danced onto stage, there was a great deal of anticipation in the air. It’s been seven years now since he last visited Sydney, and since then the band has tragically lost one of its founding members, saxophonist LeRoi Moore, and gained three more: Rashawn Ross, Jeff Coffin, and the inimitable Tim Reynolds on guitar. It was an ensemble that many of us were hearing for the first time, and though there was not quite the same energy as in the early days, the band still knows how to blow the roof off a joint.

DEVENDRA BANHART Factory Theatre Wednesday April 16 There were many unusual things that greeted us at the Factory Theatre ahead of Devendra Banhart’s performance.

The crowd was a wonderfully weird assortment of hipsters, cowboys and all things in between. I spied several fans clad in faded ponchos and waist-limp hair who seemed for all the world to have only just rolled out of the desert, and a smattering of elderly men in brown leather jackets who apparently bore no relation to each other.

I admit my knowledge of Banhart extends little further beyond ‘Little Yellow Spider’ and ‘I Feel Just Like A Child’, so this odd variety of audience members went a long way to building my curiosity. In other words, what I was anticipating was a kind of wacky, affable folk performer.

In the end, though there was certainly still a strong folk influence in his set (which was broken into three parts, with a solo acoustic section in the middle), it was not at all the sound I was expecting. It’s the kind of music you expect to hear as you’re filmed walking away from some great revelation with a long tracking shot. Pleasant, thoughtful, but also something you can easily (repeatedly)

Personal highlight? Back-to-back classics; ‘Jimi Thing’, ‘Crash Into Me’ and ‘Ants Marching’ (and the best ‘You Might Die Trying’ I’ve heard. Period). A soaring performance from one of the best live bands on the planet. Fingers crossed it won’t take another seven years to see their return.

Adam Norris

zone out from. Like particularly high-quality elevator music.

It was also a conspicuously quiet concert, so much so that the level of audience chatter was roughly equal to the band itself; a steady low murmur that contributed to the surreal sense that the whole night was just the prelude to something much larger.

Looking at the crowd I quickly noticed something rather uncommon – many people appeared to be on their own. Sure, there were plenty of couples scattered here and there and groups of friends bopping foot to foot at the front of stage. But the number of solo fans was really quite bizarre.

17:04:14 :: The Star Event Centre :: 80 Pyrmont St, Pyrmont 9777 9000

Banhart himself is not your typical frontman, with his micro-disco dance moves and hands that fidget and flutter like birds tied down by string. He has mastered the art of self-conscious spontaneity, and while that certainly smacks of cynicism he is actually quite a charming and effusive performer. He seems like a nice guy, and I feel bad I didn’t enjoy the night more. The highlight came during his solo set, when he happily took audience requests for songs he didn’t really remember anymore. In all it was a relaxed, if uninspiring performance.

Adam Norris

straight arrows + the roamin catholics 17:04:14 :: The Standard Bowl :: level 3 383 Bourke St Surry Hills thebrag.com

erykah badu

PICS :: AM

Gary Clark, Jr. sure knows how to play a mean guitar. The rising star of blues rock performed some amazing solos in the support slot, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen a crowd so unnervingly still during a gig before – looking down from the stands, it was like Clark was performing for a garden of statues. Nor was he much of a talker, which might have contributed to the slow start. Still, he’s an exceptional musician worth checking out.

michael franti & spearhead

PICS :: AM

Qantas Credit Union Arena Tuesday April 15

From the (somewhat surprising) opening number ‘Squirm’, the audience was on.

It was a sea of waving arms pierced by strobe lights and the flash from countless selfies, of stomping feet and sing-alongs; and for over two-and-a-half hours DMB kept us all enthralled. ‘Don’t Drink The Water’ was an early addition and clear crowd favourite. Of course, it’s always the songs that built a band that get the audience roaring. The opening bars of ‘Satellite’ did just that, even though the performance itself was one of the weaker versions I’ve heard. Part of this I chalk up to (yes, the tremendously talented) Reynolds.

Outstanding as he is, his contribution to damn near every song was not just unnecessary, but muddying. The only times he wasn’t drowning the violin was when Boyd Tinsley took centre stage for his solos (such was his exuberance playing ‘Dancing Nancies’ he actually dropped the bow at one point).

PICS :: KC

DAVE MATTHEWS BAND, GARY CLARK, JR.

15:04:14 :: Metro Theatre :: 624 George St Sydney 9550 3666 OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHER

S :: KATRINA CLARKE :: ASHLEY

MAR ::

BRAG :: 559 :: 23:04:14 :: 23

g g guide gig g send your listings to : gigguide@thebrag.com

pick of the week The Jezabels

Bands Soda Factory, Surry Hills.

5pm. free.

Steve Earle & The Dukes + Kasey Chambers Enmore Theatre, Newtown.

7:30pm. $99.20.

The Doobie Brothers Hordern Pavilion, Moore Park.

7pm. $99.

THURSDAY APRIL 24 ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK

Evie Dean Nag’s Head Hotel, Glebe.

8:15pm. free.

Live Music Thursdays Bar100, The Rocks. 5pm. free.

JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC Bill Risby Trio + Jeff Peterson St Luke’s Church And Hall, Enmore. 9pm. $30.

Cole Soul And Emotion feat: Lionel Cole The White Horse, Surry Hills.

8pm. free.

Gregg Arthur Foundry 616, Ultimo. 8:30pm. $16.50.

Malo Malo Venue 505, Surry Hills. 6pm. $16.

Natalie Dietz St Luke’s Church And Hall, Enmore. 7:30pm. $30.

MONDAY APRIL 28 TUESDAY APRIL 29

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS

Sydney Opera House

The Jezabels 8pm. $59.

WEDNESDAY APRIL 23 INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS

Concert On The Park - feat: Susan Jon Rose Campsie RSL, Campsie. 1pm. free.

Elvis Costello & The Imposters State Theatre, Sydney. 8pm. $139.

Fat Bubba’s Chicken Wednesdays Soda Factory, Surry Hills.

5pm. free.

Grace Potter And The Nocturnals + Foy Vance Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $41.

Iron And Wine Sydney Opera House, Sydney.

6pm. $84.

Matt McHugh The Vanguard, Newtown.

7pm. $28.80.

Sun Rai + Ben Vanderwal Venue 505, Surry Hills. 6pm. $16.

Tatler Sydney (Live Til Midnight) Tatler, Darlinghurst. 8pm. free.

The Lost Planet Hotrods Frankie’s Pizza, Sydney. 9pm. free.

JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC Chantae Cann + Michael Duchesne Play Bar, 6pm. free.

Daniel Weltlinger’s Zohar’s Migun Foundry 616, Sydney. 8:30pm.

$21.50.

Lionel Cole Imperial Hotel, Paddington.

8pm. free.

Supafly Jam Night (Open Mic) - feat: Gang Of Brothers Vintage Night Club, Sydney.

8pm. free.

Tanya Sparke Sextet + Peter Dasent St Luke’s Church And Hall, Enmore. 9pm. $30.

ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK

Adam Fisher + Mike Paxton Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 7pm. $5.

Musos Club Jam Night Bald Faced Stag Hotel, Leichhardt. 8pm. free.

Pulp Kitchen And Folk Club - feat: Live Rotating Folk

Chicks Who Love Guns + Griswolds DJs Standard Bowl, Surry Hills.

8pm. free.

Disclosure + Wave Racer + Touch Sensitive + Lancelot Hordern Pavilion, Moore Park.

8pm. $71.90.

Divide & Conquer Exchange Hotel, Darlinghurst.

7pm. free.

Greenthief Frankie’s Pizza, Sydney.

10pm. free.

Joe Echo PJ Gallagher’s, Moore Park.

7:30pm. free.

Latham’s Grip + 46 Clicks + Maids + Propeller + Vauxhall Oulaws Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 6:30pm. free.

Lime Cordiale + High-Tails + East Of Ely Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach. 8pm. free.

Luke Dixon Trio Coogee Bay Hotel, Coogee.

10pm. free.

Morbid Angel Metro Theatre, Sydney. 8pm. $60.

Nirvana Tribute Night - feat: The Blarney Stoners + The Red Room + Lazy Jesters + The Happening + The Low Loud Kats + Josh Shipton + Katter Palmer All Night Pyjama Party + Small Town Incident + Second

Iron And Wine

Morbid Angel

24 :: BRAG :: 559 :: 23:04:14

Steve Earle Nation + Matt Anderson (Of Mindlattice) + Maxine Kauter Imperial Hotel, Erskineville.

7pm. free.

Oscar Key Sung Goodgod Small Club, Sydney.

9pm. $15.

Shiver’s Launch Night Freda’s, Chippendale. 6pm. free.

The Late Night Soda Social Soda Factory, Surry Hills.

5pm. free.

FRIDAY APRIL 25 ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK

Jimmy Tait Brighton Up Bar, Darlinghurst.

7pm. $10.

Live Music Fridays Bar100, The Rocks. 5pm. free.

Saidah Baba Talibah Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach. 8pm. free.

JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC Bandaluzia + Johnny Tedesco Venue 505, Surry Hills. 6pm. $31.

Jazz Hip-Hop Freestyle Sessions Foundry616, Ultimo. 11:30pm. free.

Noise Exposure - Clocks And Clouds St Luke’s Church And Hall, Enmore. 9pm. $30.

Riley Lee + Jeff Peterson St Luke’s Church And Hall, Enmore. 7:30pm. $30.

Ted Nash Coogee Bay Hotel, Coogee.

3pm. free.

Travelaz + Naviosoul + Revolution Incorperated Jam Gallery, Bondi Junction.

7:30pm. $17.

Tricia Evy Foundry 616, Ultimo. 8:30pm. $27.50.

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS

A Tribute To The Fallen feat: Domino + Coredea + Double Camber + Eymaze + Exist Within + Darkness Reigns + Billabong Of Blood + Natriamas Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 6pm. $10.

Backsliders The Vanguard, Newtown.

6:30pm. $25.80.

Fallon Bros Duo Coogee Bay Hotel, Coogee.

6pm. free.

Furnace And The Fundamentals Standard Bowl, Surry Hills.

8pm. free.

Gang Of Brothers Jam Night - feat: Darryl Beaton Spring Street Social, Bondi.

8:30pm. $12.

Gloryhammer + Lagerstein The Bald Faced Stag, Leichhardt. 8pm. $28.60.

Live Music At The Royal The Royal, Leichhardt.

9:30pm. free.

MKTO + Taylor Henderson Enmore Theatre, Newtown.

7:30pm. $79.90.

Shaun Kirk Roxbury Hotel, Glebe. 7pm. $15.

The Lazys + A Girl’s A Gun Tattersalls Hotel Penrith.

8:30pm. free.

When Giants Sleep + Emecia + Isotopes + Fire For Effect + Danger!

Earthquake Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 12pm. $12.

SATURDAY APRIL 26 INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS

Ben Hauptmann FBi Social, Kings Cross. 8pm. $10.

Buried In Verona The Bald Faced Stag, Leichhardt. 7pm. $23.50.

D.O.A + Hostile Objects + Rust + Wolfpack Hermann’s Bar, Darlington.

7:30pm. $30.

Finn Tea Gardens, Bondi Junction.

8:30pm. free.

Jakob + Bad Deeds + Thesis + Home Burial + Our Past Days Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 12pm. $10.

Nathan Cole Cock & Bull, Bondi. 5pm. free.

Thief + I Know Leopard + Jordan Sly And Guests + DJ Kristy Lee Upstairs Beresford, Surry Hills. 6pm. free.

ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK

Ben Gunn Coogee Bay Hotel, Coogee.

9pm. free.

Paul Hayward And Friends Town & Country Hotel, St Peters. 4pm. free.

Stormcellar Royal Hotel, Bondi. 6:30pm. free.

The Cyril B Bunter Band Lizzotte’s, Kincumber. 8pm. $61.

Tim Pringle Gladstone Hotel, Chippendale.

7pm. free.

JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC

Andrew Dickeson’s Burn St Luke’s Church And Hall, Enmore. 9pm. $30.

Felucca Foundry 616, Ultimo. 8:30pm. $21.50.

Sedition B - feat: Phil Slater, thebrag.com

gig picks

g g guide gig g send your listings to : gigguide@thebrag.com Sandy Evans, Roger Dean & Simon Barker St Luke’s Church And Hall, Enmore. 5pm. $30.

Sonido Venue 505, Surry Hills. 6pm. $21.

Tony Gould + Imogen Manins + Riley Lee St Luke’s Church And Hall, Enmore. 7:30pm. $30.

Live Music Sundays Bar100, The Rocks. 1pm. free.

Sharon Bowman Collingwood Hotel, Liverpool.

3pm. free.

Sunday Blues And Roots The White Horse, Surry Hills.

5pm. free.

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS Demons Vs Wizards - feat: Avarin + Black Smith + The Archaic Revival + Hypergiant + The Venus Alcatraz Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 5pm. $10.

Old Man Luedecke Petersham Bowling Club, Petersham. 8pm. free.

Skid Row + Ugly Kid Joe + Dead City Ruins The Hi-Fi, Moore Park. 8pm. $75.

With Confidence + Day Break + Move On, Be Strong The Lair, Metro Theatre, Sydney. 3pm. $10.

Xxx

Foy Vance

JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC

SUNDAY APRIL 27

ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK

up all night out all week...

Chill Out Sundays Scubar, Sydney. 7:30pm. free.

Intimate Sessions Paragon Hotel, Sydney. 6pm. free.

Alturas - Ascension Jam Gallery, Bondi Junction.

7:30pm. $27.20.

Kinetic Jazz Orchestra + Riley Lee St Luke’s Church And Hall, Enmore. 8pm. $30.

Tim Clarkson Trio St Luke’s Church And Hall, Enmore. 6:30pm. $30.

Vince Jones Foundry 616, Ultimo. 8pm. $27.50.

Vince Jones

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS Frankie’s World Famous House Band Frankie’s Pizza, Sydney.

9pm. free.

The Jezabels Sydney Opera House, Sydney. 8pm. $59.

MONDAY APRIL 28 JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC

TUESDAY APRIL 29

Latin & Jazz Jam Open Mic Night World Bar, Kings Cross.

7pm. free.

Mambo Mondays Bar100, The Rocks. 5:30pm. free.

Motown Mondays - feat: Soulgroove The White Horse, Surry Hills. 8pm. free.

Reggae Monday Civic Underground, Sydney.

10pm. free.

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS

Declan Kelly + The Broken Heart Band + Mark Bishop + Justine Wahline Bar 34 Bondi, Bondi Beach.

6:30pm. free.

The Jezabels Sydney Opera House, Sydney. 8pm. $59.

WEDNESDAY APRIL 23 Elvis Costello & The Imposters State Theatre, Sydney. 8pm. $139.

Grace Potter And The Nocturnals + Foy Vance Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $41.

Iron And Wine Sydney Opera House, Sydney. 6pm. $84.

Steve Earle & The Dukes + Kasey Chambers Enmore Theatre, Newtown. 7:30pm. $99.20.

The Doobie Brothers Hordern Pavilion, Moore Park. 7pm. $99.

Oscar Key Sung

THURSDAY APRIL 24

Buried In Verona The Bald Faced Stag, Leichhardt. 7pm. $23.50.

Morbid Angel Metro Theatre, Sydney. 8pm. $60.

D.O.A + Hostile Objects + Rust + Wolfpack Hermann’s Bar, Sydney. 7:30pm. $30.

Oscar Key Sung Goodgod Small Club, Sydney. 9pm. $15.

FRIDAY APRIL 25 wed

(9:30PM - 12:30AM)

thu

23 Apr

(9:30PM - 12:30AM)

24 Apr

Furnace And The Fundamentals Standard Bowl, Surry Hills. 8pm. Free.

Gloryhammer + Lagerstein The Bald Faced Stag, Leichhardt. 8pm. $28.60.

ANZAC DAY

Shaun Kirk Roxbury Hotel, Glebe. 7pm. $15.

fri

25 Apr

SATURDAY APRIL 26

Disclosure + Wave Racer + Touch Sensitive + Lancelot Hordern Pavilion, Moore Park. 8pm. $71.90.

Thief + I Know Leopard + Jordan Sly And Guests + DJ Kristy Lee Upstairs Beresford, Surry Hills. 6pm. Free.

SUNDAY APRIL 27 Skid Row + Ugly Kid Joe + Dead City Ruins The Hi-Fi, Moore Park. 8pm. $75.

With Confidence + Day Break + Move On + Be Strong The Lair, Metro Theatre, Sydney. 3pm. $10.

Shaun Kirk (1:00PM -3:45PM)

(4:15PM - 7:30PM)

SATURDAY AFTERNOON

sat

26 Apr

(4:30PM - 7:30PM)

SUNDAY AFTERNOON

sun

27 Apr

28 Apr

thebrag.com

(9:00PM - 12:00AM)

(4:30PM - 7:30PM)

(8:30PM - 12:00AM)

(9:30PM - 1:15PM)

mon

(8:30PM - 12:00AM)

tue

29 Apr

(9:30PM - 12:30AM)

BRAG :: 559 :: 23:04:14 :: 25

brag beats

BRAG’s guide to dance, hip hop and club culture

dance music news

Armin van Buuren

club, dance and hip hop in brief... with Chris Honnery

PICNIC FT TORNADO WALLACE

five things WITH

NICE7 amazing relationships with Noir and his label, and with all the Defected crew.

The Music You Make We’re currently working 4. with Noir Music and Defected – we go from deeper to more ‘techy’ house music and we’re playing a lot of tracks coming up on our own label, D-Floor.

5.

Growing Up We grew up in a 1. small town, where lots of things were not available to everyone. The first way we got to know music was over the radio. From there, curiosity and the desire to discover new things led us to local music stores, where we learned about different kinds of music.

In the ’90, Cesare used to make beats with an Atari Falcon 030 and an Ensoniq ASR-10 sampler. Nicola was listening to a lot of old vinyls from his uncle’s collection. He also really got into Salsoul Records and the music of Larry Levan.

This is how our passions started, and how we got into electronic music.

Inspirations We don’t have a 2. particular artist who inspired us for our music production, because we always listened

to different kinds of music, so maybe [our inspirations are an] unconscious mix of everything – from Stevie Wonder to Depeche Mode, and now Bonobo and Moderat (just to name a few). We also had many influences from the Italian clubbing scene in the ’90s – for sure Claudio Coccoluto is one of the DJs that helped us to grow up and believe in what we do… also MAW, Danny Tenaglia and Joey Negro were our big heroes in the ’90s.

Your Crew We just founded our 3. own record label last year together with our mates Leon and Pirupa. Every one of us has a very busy schedule at the moment, so we’re currently working almost everyday just chatting on Skype to develop all the label things in the best way possible. We also have

Music, Right Here, Right Now In music in general you have times which are pretty vibrant, exciting, innovative, and then you have times which are kind of flat and maybe a little more dull and predictable. Nevertheless, it is always changing and there is always a cycle.

We think the state of house music from a creative standpoint is very healthy at the moment. Technology gives everyone the possibility to develop an idea without having to spend too much money going to a big studio. And it can also really help with creativity. We’re trying to be innovative and forward thinking, both in our productions and in our label’s releases.

What: Defected in the House With: Huxley, Mo’Funk, Acaddamy, Mantra Collective, Escape DJs, Set Mo Where: Ivy Pool When: Saturday April 26

Melbourne’s Lewie Day, best known as Tornado Wallace, will headline the next Picnic party at The Imperial Hotel in Erskineville on Saturday May 10, where he’ll be playing all night long.

Wallace’s productions traverse house, Detroit techno and disco and have been released on labels like Beats In Space, ESP Institute and Delusions of Grandeur. He has also remixed Matthew Dear, Recloose and Session Victim’s Matthias Reiling and performed in clubs across the world. Tickets can be procured online for $15.

EGYPTIAN LOVER

Hip hop/electro fusionist Greg Broussard, AKA Egyptian Lover, returns to Australia to headline the May edition of the Red Bull Music Academy’s Club Night series at Goodgod Small Club on Thursday May 8. Broussard debuted back in 1983 with his album On The Nile, kick-starting a career which would be highlighted by singles such as ‘Egypt, Egypt’, and later with Uncle Jamm’s Army, responsible for cuts like ‘Dial-A-Freak’ and ‘Yes, Yes, Yes’. The younger generation of dancers was introduced to Broussard when he toured with M.I.A. back in the acid-washed summer of ’08, while he has also collaborated with Jamie Jones. Sydney selectors Simon Caldwell, Levins and Silky Doyle will also be spinning, with free entry (subject to capacity) for those who RSVP at dashtickets.com.au/event/ f2x56mnpw.

SOUL OF SYDNEY FT DJ KATCH

Veteran Brisbane DJ Katch of Resin Dogs will headline a Soul Of Sydney block party on the afternoon of Sunday May 18. Expect the soundtrack to explore soul, funk, disco, jazz and golden hip hop as the likes of DJ MK-1, Frenzie, Phil Toke and DJ Adverse all throw down. There will also be an open decks and mic arena for any punters who decide to step up.

The party will take place at a “secret funk oasis” with tickets a mere $5.

GARRY TODD EP LAUNCH

Local DJ and promoter Garry Todd will headline the Spice Cellar on Saturday April 26 to launch his new EP Time To Get Onit, which will be released through Ellen Allien’s BPitch Control stable. In addition to his production output, Todd oversees the Contemporary Scarecrow record label, which has released EPs from international heavyweights Boo Williams and Mr. G. The lineup also features the Acid Mondays’ Mike Witcombe, Michelle Owen, Murat Kilic and Robbie Lowe.

Garry Todd

ARMIN VAN BUUREN

Dutch megastar DJ Armin van Buuren will perform an all-night set, Armin Only, at Sydney Showgrounds on Sunday June 8. An affable overachiever and past winner of the prestigious DJ Top 100 poll, van Buuren deserves commendation for managing to complete a law degree while living the double life of a DJ superstar. His forthcoming show will take dancers through his new album, Intense, with the headliner promising a few surprises for his fans. “The basis of Armin Only will always be a DJ set, but to make it more interesting for the crowd I’m going to try and really make the live moments almost like you would witness them in a theatre”.

Tickets are on sale for $130.

RÖYKSOPP RETURN

Norwegian duo Röyksopp will release a new mini-album Do It Again at the end of next month.

The release will also feature Robyn, who has a history of collaborating with Röyksopp having appeared on their 2009 LP Junior and then recruiting the duo to produce her track ‘None Of Dem’. “We’ve intended this to be a diverse yet cohesive and thought-through musical venture,” Röyksopp commented. “It’s meant to be an expression where pop and art reign side by side.”

COMPOUND FT SUBASKE

Compound returns to Goodgod Small Club on Saturday May 10 with a three-hour headline set from Subaske, who made a name for himself at the ‘Dungeon’ parties. Subaske also threw down at the Strawberry Fields festival last year and recently appeared on FBi Radio’s Midday Mix. He’ll be joined by DJs Aaron Andrew and Zeus with the party kicking off at 11pm and entry $10 on the door.

FRED V & GRAFIX

The Hospital Records pairing of Fred Vahrman and Josh Jackson, AKA Fred V & Grafix, will headline the Oxford Art Factory on Friday May 9. Fred V & Grafix’s upcoming album is one of the most hyped DnB releases of the year and will add to the pair’s discography which already features remixes of Emeli Sande, Skepta and Rudimental’s chart-topping single ‘Feel The Love’. The support lineup features Royalston, A-Tonez, The Bassix, Linken, Axe, Struz and Ncrypt, with presale tickets available for $25.

123MRK

Hot Chip

HOLEANDCORNER

An array of big-name internationals will flock to Home Nightclub on Sunday June 8. The Holeandcorner lineup will feature Hot Chip’s Alexis Taylor, Al Doyle and Joe Goddard (also of 2 Bears fame) in DJ mode, alongside Israeli progressive proponent Guy J and Romania’s Cosmin TRG, who remixed Bonobo to memorable effect and has recently launched his own label, Fizic. That’s only half the lineup. Texan Matthew Dear, who is as adept at making ‘avant-pop’ as he is at throwing down full-throttle techno as Audion, will also be present. Then there’s Spanish DJ and producer Henry Saiz, who broke through on the production front via his remix of Guy J’s ‘Lamur’ a few years back. He has since gone on to release an acclaimed Balance compilation and remix Radiohead. The revelry commences at 5pm, with presale tickets online for $65.

26 :: BRAG :: 559 :: 23:04:14

The latest signing to Australian label Future Classic, French producer 123MRK, has released a new EP entitled Versatile / Secret Secret. The two-track release melds future garage and house, reflecting the Frenchman’s penchant for postdubstep and UK garage shuffle sounds. The two instrumental pieces run for just over ten minutes of silky smooth beats.

CHET FAKER

Chet Faker is embarking on a national tour that includes an all-ages show at the Enmore Theatre on Friday June 27. Since his cover of ‘No Diggity’, Faker has experienced a rapid ascension through the ranks over a whirlwind two years, drawing comparisons to James Blunt as he merges electronica with touches of R&B. Faker recently dropped his debut album Built On Glass, which topped the Australian iTunes Album chart upon its release and is available through Future Classic.

Dizzee Rascal Rhyme And Grime By Paul McBride

B

artenders take note: Dizzee Rascal would like his champagne served in the traditional fashion when he returns to Australia to play Groovin The Moo this week. The East London rapper’s latest album, entitled The Fifth, came out in September, and introduced the 28-year-old to a range of new experiences.

“I’m just kind of starting to understand [America] a little bit, so I was linking up with people there, and it just felt nice to record out there and be out of the way. And then obviously – in LA especially – there is a lot of big music being made there; it’s one of the key

A seasoned touring artist and grime pioneer, Rascal is confident of putting on a good show.

“There’s lots of energy in our show, and we’ll be bringing it all to Australia,” he says. “There’ll be material from all my albums, from the first up to The Fifth … For the festivals, it’s all the big stuff; things that will work in a festival environment. Big sing-alongs and things that will make people jump up and down, basically. [The new material has] been going down alright. To be fair, we played a lot of the stuff before it came out anyway.

A lot of it was debuted in Australia as well, and it’s going to be nice to come back there after the album has actually been out and people have got to absorb it, so I’m looking forward to it. The thing is, for the last few albums, because of the time

of year they have been ready to be put out, the music was tested out in Australia and New Zealand first.”

Despite having been a recording artist since the age of 16, and already a veteran of the scene at 28, Rascal still feels the pressure of releasing new material.

“There’s always pressure,” he says.

“It’s always one of the most stressful things, anticipating how it’s going to do and all that. But once it’s all over, I just want to get stuck in and do it all again. I know what it’s like, but just love doing it and seeing how far I can go. If it works, wicked. If not, I’ll try something new. There’s nothing worse than thinking you’ve got a big tune and when you play it live it’s not quite going that way, and everyone’s looking at their watches.

That’s never any good. You got to work harder to perform those songs and get them across, but you live and you learn, innit? Some songs don’t come across as well live either; some are better for radio or albums, and vice versa as well.”

xxx photo by xxxx

“This was the first one I actually did in America, jumping from studio to studio, working with different big producers and other pop artists,” he says. “I’ve never done that before; everything has always been done at home or in-house up to this one.

Going to the clubs out there and seeing the music in its environment can be an absurdity – the crazy, over-the-top-ness, especially within the music industry. I’ve seen things like that in London, don’t get me wrong, but when there’s a line of 15 girls with 15 bottles of champagne with sparklers in them that cost a few grand each, or a girl in a rubber dinghy delivering champagne to a table full of fucking drug dealers and rap superstars in the middle of a club while they play the Superman music, it’s a bit much, you know?

music places, as well as Atlanta and a few other spots. But LA is the serious one – when you’re there you can bump into anyone. I walked into the studio one day and Chris Brown was there talking to Spike Lee. There’s random shit like that, know what I mean? [My music] was always influenced by American music, but the last few years I’ve spent more time there, on my own even. From 2002 I’ve always spent time there to do shows or a few little tours, but it was always just in and out. All I knew about America was just from TV, music and movies, and it wasn’t until the last few years that I actually got to absorb it.”

While his earlier career was peppered with controversy, mainly surrounding an alleged feud with fellow grime MC Crazy Titch, Rascal insists the future is all that matters.

“I’m just trying to make good decisions and stay out of trouble,” he says. “The biggest thing for me is just trying to not do too much dumb shit – that’s what ruins a lot of artists

“When there’s a girl in a rubber dinghy delivering champagne to a table full of fucking drug dealers and rap superstars in the middle of a club while they play the Superman music, it’s a bit much, you know?”

in this day and age especially.

Information gets out there so quickly and people can change their minds about you so quickly. Sometimes it works in your favour, because a lot of people seem to like the whole fucking reality TV idiot thing, but people can get really tired of you quickly as well. The best thing to do is to stay out of the way and let the music do the talking.”

What: Groovin The Moo 2014 With: Disclosure, Cults, Holy Fuck, The Presets, Robert DeLong, Thundamentals and more Where: Maitland Showground When: Saturday April 26 And: The Fifth out now through Dirtee Stank/Universal

Salmonella Dub Soundsystem Hotwired Dancehall By The Matchstick presented with opportunities and ran with them. Perhaps touring France for several years before tackling the UK wasn’t the smartest move, but those long trips with a van full of smelly fromage and pullet were characterbuilding [laughs].

The New Zealand dub, DnB and reggae scene is one of the strongest in the world, and you guys obviously played a big part in its development. Do you have a sense of pride in what has been achieved by the collective?

When we started out we were very much alone in the live dub genre.

We straddled rock gigs and trance parties. Our first trip to Oz was in support of The Cruel Sea. Ten years later we brought back to Australia Fat Freddy’s Drop, Kora, Concord Dawn, Shapeshifter, Cornerstone Roots and the Sunshine Sound System – this was one lineup for one tour. Yes, I do feel some pride in that. To see what Fat Freddy’s are now achieving is very exciting.

A

s veterans of the New Zealand dub/dancehall scene for more than two decades, Salmonella Dub know how to get a dancefloor moving. Which is what they’ll be doing when the Salmonella Dub Soundsystem crosses the Tasman later this month, explains the group’s DJ/producer Andrew Penman.

Salmonella Dub’s unique brand of dub and reggae has been around for 20 years now; how has the group’s sound evolved during that time? thebrag.com

Over the last 20 years there have been huge changes in technology, and with that our live sound has merged into a mash-up of genres from dub to dancehall, jungle and DnB. When we first started out we really wanted a sampler but couldn’t afford one.

So I hotwired an old cassette deck with a guitar on/off pedal to use as a sample. We rescued a box of Mutant Ninja Turtle tapes out of a record shop dumpster and used to steal samples from TV and Cheech & Chong videos, lining them up in real time onto tape to then trigger via foot onstage. Since

then we have been through a huge bunch of Akai samplers and have moved onto triggering things in MIDI. However, I do miss that old-school DIY, crazy, gritty, experimental, lowtech approach.

The journey for the group from the mid ’90s to now – do you look back often and wonder about the ifs and buts? Or are you content with what has been achieved?

In hindsight… I think we have achieved far more than we all expected. In the early days we were

NZ music now – when you see acts like Lorde receiving those levels of attention, does that bring a smile to your face?

Huge smiles, and now ex-students of ours, Broods, are working with Joel Little, Lorde’s producer, on their album and are out there currently touring the States.

When you first started out, the music industry was a very different beast. How has Salmonella Dub morphed to stay relevant with the changing landscape of media?

When we started we were one of the first NZ bands to have a website.

Cell phones didn’t exist. The record industry was having minimal success with local recording here in NZ. I think we were one of a few acts that did a P&D [pressing and distribution deal] with a major label. At the time

we were told by Virgin Records that they would distribute us as a favour to their label manager, but we were not allowed to use their office and we certainly were not to bring vinyl onto their premises! By the late ’90s this all changed. We had multi-platinumselling albums. The ‘industry’ started a lolly scramble sign-up of local acts.

Then it all crashed and burned with the advent of bulk buying stores like JB Hi-Fi and The Warehouse, followed by iTunes and more recently sites like Spotify. If anything the changes will create a hard, sturdy beast. At the moment it seems like it’s anarchy out there.

You’re in the process of recording a new Salmonella Dub album – we’re told you’ll be spending time in Byron Bay over Easter. What can you tell us?

We have been chipping away at new material since the last Kaikoura Roots Festival. Currently we have 12 tracks ready for final parts and are heading to Byron for a late summer creative retreat. We are taking a statesman approach to this album. It’ll be our 25th CD title and eighth album proper and it is a luxury not to be rushing.

You’ll also be touring the east coast of Australia. What can punters expect from this tour?

This tour is a Salmonella Dub Soundsystem tour, not the full band.

With the Soundsystem we represent with a three-part horn section, percussion, The Mighty Asterix on the mic and me on the mix. The beauty for us with this is that we can represent our full catalogue with a more flex, dancefloor style in smaller venues.

With: Snareophobe ft. Dub Princess, Forest Sounds, Xsetra Where: Manning Bar When: Friday May 2 BRAG :: 559 :: 23:04:14 :: 27

club guide g send your listings to : clubguide@thebrag.com

CLUB NIGHTS

THURSDAY APRIL 24

Yacht Club DJs

Oxford Art Factory

Yacht Club DJs

Cakes - feat: 4 Rooms Of Live Music + DJs And International Guests World Bar, Kings Cross. 8pm. $10.

D.O.D. + Uberjak’D - feat: Tigerlily + Baby Gee + Nanna Does Smack + Reelax + Fingers + DJ Just 1 + Jace Disgrace + Dylan Sanders + Mike Hyper + Deckhead + E-Cats + Heke + Nad + Trent Rackus + Pat Ward Ivy Bar/Lounge, Sydney.

6:30pm. $30.

Defected In The House - feat: Huxley + Nice7 + Mo’funk + Acaddamy + Mantra Collective + Escape DJ’s + Set Mo Ivy Bar/Lounge, Sydney. 12pm. $40.

DJ Bl3nd Marquee, Pyrmont. 10pm. $28.60.

El’ Circo - feat: Resident Circus Act Performers Slide Lounge, Darlinghurst.

7pm. $109.

FBi Hands Up! - feat: DJ Clockwerk + Special Friends With Benefits FBi Social, Kings Cross.

11:30pm. free.

Infamous Saturdays - feat: Live DJs Scubar, Sydney. 7pm. free.

Ministry Of Sound Bounce Sessions - feat: J-Trick + A-Tonez + Oaks & Lennox + Hitterswitch + Kerry Wallace + James Taylor + Raulll + DJ Skoob + Fingers + DJ Just 1 + Ft Mode Chinese Laundry, Sydney. 8pm. free.

Lobe Limbique Musique Party - feat: Squarepeg + Simon Mann + Xan Muller + Custard Jim + Mr Lush + Shain Basdemir + Oliver Gurney Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 8pm. $5.

Masif Saturdays Space, Sydney. 10pm. $25.

My Place Saturdays Bar100, The Rocks. 8pm. free.

Pacha Ivy Bar/Lounge, Sydney.

7:30pm. $32.80.

Sienna Saturdays - feat: Resident DJs The Establishment, Sydney.

9pm. free.

Soda Saturdays - feat: Resident DJs Playing Disco And Funk Soda Factory, Surry Hills. 5pm. free.

Spice 26.04 BPitch Control Release Party - feat: Garry Todd + Acid Mondays The Spice Cellar, Sydney.

10pm. free.

Still Life 002 - feat: Techno Boogie With Dave Stuart + Forrest Ensemble (Live) + Kwze + Lab 5 + Loft + Mobius + Jawimios Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 8pm. $5.

Swagger Combat - feat: Swagger DJs Oxford Hotel, Darlinghurst.

10pm. $10.

La Fiesta - feat: Samantha Fox + Agee Ortiz + Av El Cubano + Resident DJ Willie Sabor The Establishment, Sydney.

8pm. free.

Martini Club And Friends feat: Ocky + Tom Kelly Goldfish, Kings Cross. 10pm. free.

S.A.S.H Sundays - feat: Uone + John Devecchis + Linda Jensen + Matt Weir + Ben Korbel Flyover Bar, Sydney. 2pm. $10.

Sundays In The City - feat: Various DJs The Slip Inn, Sydney. 12pm. free.

Sunday Spice 27.04 - feat: Scuba Stew + Murat Kilic + U-Khan + Fat Tony + Amanda Louise The Spice Cellar, Sydney. 9pm. free.

MONDAY APRIL 28 CLUB NIGHTS

Crab Racing Scubar, Sydney. 7pm. free.

DJ Mattia Goldfish, Kings Cross. 11pm. free.

TUESDAY APRIL 29

SUNDAY APRIL 27

CLUB NIGHTS

CLUB NIGHTS

Island Beach Club Closing Weekend The Island Bar, Cockatoo Island. 1pm. $40.

Chu World Bar, Kings Cross. 9pm. free.

DJ Robin Goldfi sh, Kings Cross.

11pm. free.

8pm. $20.50.

WEDNESDAY APRIL 23 CLUB NIGHTS

DJ Tom Kelly Goldfish, Kings Cross. 11pm. free.

I Love Salsa - feat: Don Juan + Dante Rivera Marquee, Pyrmont. 9pm. free.

Just:Wax - feat: Ben Ashton + James Petrou + Boogiemonster + Kool Ade The Spice Cellar, Sydney. 7pm. free.

Snapback - feat: Various Artists Newtown Hotel, Newtown.

7:30pm. free.

Sosueme - feat: Krafty Kuts + Tommy Franklin Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach. 8pm. free.

The Supper Club - feat: Resident DJs Kit & Kaboodle, Kings Cross.

10pm. free.

The Wall - feat: Various Local And International Acts World Bar, Kings Cross. 9pm. $5.

Whip It Wednesdays - feat: Various DJs Whaat Club, Kings Cross. 9pm. free.

xxx

THURSDAY APRIL 24

CLUB NIGHTS

Anzac Day Eve - feat: J-Trick + Ember + G-Wizard + Troy T + DJ Nino Brown Australian Hotel And Brewery, Rouse Hill. 9pm. $20.

Blacklight Party Scubar, Sydney. 5pm. free.

Champain Lyf - feat: Adrian

28 :: BRAG :: 559 : 23:04:14

E + Drongo + Moving House DJs + Danny Banger + Jon Watts Goodgod Small Club, Sydney.

12am. $5.

Goldfish And Friends - feat: Regular Rotating Residents Goldfish, Kings Cross. 10pm. free.

Kicks World Bar, Kings Cross. 9pm. free.

Lights Out Ivy Bar/Lounge, Sydney. 8pm. free.

Loopy - feat: Drty Csh + Daschwood + Generous Greed + Guest DJs The Backroom, Sydney. 10pm. $12.

Physical Education - feat: Various DJs Flinders Hotel, Surry Hills.

10pm. free.

Pool Club Thursdays - feat: Resident DJs Ivy Bar/Lounge, Sydney. 5pm. free.

Solarium - feat: Solarium DJs And Live Acts Goodgod Small Club, Sydney.

9pm. free.

Spice Thursdays The Spice Cellar, Sydney.

10pm. free.

Stella Angelico & Saidah Baba Talibah + Morgan Joanel + DJ Bambii Upstairs Beresford, Surry Hills.

8pm. free.

The World Bar Thursdays World Bar, Kings Cross. 9pm. free.

Yacht Club DJs Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst.

8pm. $20.50.

FRIDAY APRIL 25 HIP HOP & R&B

Vent At Valve - feat: Izzy

& The Profi t + DJ Maniak + Pyne + Context With DJ Krumbs + Provocalz & Flon + MC Thorn & Skae + MC Trey Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 8pm. $10.

CLUB NIGHTS

Argyle Fridays - feat: Resident DJs The Argyle, The Rocks.

6pm. free.

Boom Box Fridays - feat: P-Money Marquee, Pyrmont. 10pm. $18.40.

Circoloco - feat: Dixon + The Martinez Brothers + Prins Thomas + Rohn + Softwar + Gabby + Many More Greenwood Hotel, Sydney North. 12pm. free.

Factory Fridays - feat: Resident DJs Soda Factory, Surry Hills.

5pm. free.

Frisky Fridays Scubar, Sydney. 5pm. free.

Hardstraylia - feat: Destructo + Clockwork + Oliver + Motez Newtown Hotel, Newtown.

9pm. $50.

Loco Friday - feat: Various Live Bands And DJs The Slip Inn, Sydney. 5pm. free.

Moonshine Fridays Ivy Bar/Lounge, Sydney.

7pm. free.

Nu Logic + New York Transit Authority + Sariss + Severity + Zero + Capture + Empress Yoy Chinese Laundry, Sydney.

8pm. free.

Soft & Slow 25.04 - feat: Astral DJs The Spice Cellar, Sydney.

10pm. free.

Two-Up + Beach Road DJs Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach. 3pm. free.

send your listings to : clubguide@thebrag.com

WEDNESDAY APRIL 23

Huxley

Sosueme - feat: Krafty Kuts + Tommy Franklin Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach. 8pm.

Free.

THURSDAY APRIL 24 Stella Angelico & Saidah Baba Talibah + Morgan Joanel + DJ Bambii Upstairs Beresford, Surry Hills. 8pm. Free.

FRIDAY APRIL 25 Boom Box Fridays - feat: P-Money Marquee, Pyrmont. 10pm. $18.40.

Soft & Slow 25.04 - feat: Astral DJs The Spice Cellar, Sydney. 10pm. Free.

Two-Up + Beach Road DJs Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach. 3pm.

Free.

P-Money

SATURDAY APRIL 26 Defected In The House - feat: Huxley + Nice7 + Mo’funk + Acaddamy + Mantra Collective + Escape DJ’s + Set Mo Ivy Bar/Lounge, Sydney. 12pm. $40.

DJ Bl3nd Marquee, Pyrmont. 10pm. $28.60.

Ministry Of Sound Bounce Sessions - feat: J-Trick + A-Tonez + Oaks & Lennox + Hitterswitch + Kerry Wallace + James Taylor + Raulll + DJ Skoob + Fingers + DJ Just 1 + Ft Mode Chinese Laundry, Sydney. 8pm. Free.

Spice 26.04 BPitch Control Release Party - feat: Garry Todd + Acid Mondays The Spice Cellar, Sydney. 10pm. Free.

SUNDAY APRIL 27 S.A.S.H Sundays - feat: Uone + John Devecchis + Linda Jensen + Matt Weir + Ben Korbel Flyover Bar, Sydney. 2pm. $10.

thebrag.com

Xxx

club pick of the week

SATURDAY APRIL 26

Deep Impressions Dance And Electronica with Chris Honnery

I

t’s probably a sign that Deep Impressions hasn’t fully adapted to the realities of the digital age, but for whatever reason the album format usually dominates this page. However, for this week, the focus shifts to its younger cousin, the EP, with a preview of a quintet of releases from a quartet of artists that are well worth wrapping your ears around when they release EPs in the coming weeks.

Ohio producer John Roberts will release Ausio, his fourth EP for the Berlin-based label Dial Records, next month. Roberts was signed to the Dial imprint on the basis of one single-sided 12-inch a few years back, making him their only American artist. He subsequently featured on Dial’s annual anthology alongside the likes of Efdemin and Lawrence before releasing his 2010 debut LP Glass Eights, a sophisticated ‘grower’ that offered intricate deep house soundscapes. Outside of his time in the studio, Roberts keeps busy working on his magazine The Travel Almanac, a high-end publication that explores “travelling for an increasingly sophisticated and mobilized generation.”

Ausio will arrive a year after the release of Roberts’ second album Fences, which was recorded throughout Roberts’ global travels and editing his magazine. The early word is that the three-track EP will have more dancefloor currency than his subtle previous offerings. However, ‘intelligent’ house music fans and Roberts diehards need not despair. There’s certainly no danger of Roberts going all Guetta – or Damian Lazarus, for that matter – on us.

Local duo Gardland, made up of Alex Murray and Mark Smith, are gearing up to drop their first release since their debut album Syndrome Syndrome at the end of last year through RVNG Intl. The pair’s first album was influenced by the fact that they had the majority of their synthesizers stolen halfway through the recording process. (To this day, the thief – or thieves – have not been caught, so lock up your synths!) Consequently the lads had to start from scratch, ultimately crafting a series of psychedelic soundscapes laden with murky beats and distorted, lo-fi accents. The forthcoming EP is called Improvisations and comprises “three live performances ripped from local Australian radio in early 2012.” In fact, it was upon hearing these performances that RVNG founder Matt Werth (AKA Teengirl Fantasy) decided to sign Gardland to his label. “We didn’t even think [the radio show] was that good,” Gardland’s Murray admitted last year.

“Then Matt sent us an email and we were like, what’s this RVNG label? But when I looked into it I was like, ‘Right, this is solid.’” If the radio appearances were good enough to pique the interest of the RVNG Intl main man, then they must have been pretty decent indeed – or “solid” if you prefer Murray’s lingo. Despite the fact the performances wasn’t originally intended for commercial release, the label decided they were worth putting “out there,” describing Improvisations as a record that “blisters at its hardware-imposed limits with enough energy to fuel freakish frequencies.”

This week French producer The Hacker will release LOVE/KRAFT Part 1, the first of two EPs he will put out over the next few months in what is essentially a split album. The Hacker has released seminal albums with Miss Kittin as well as

LOOKING DEEPER SATURDAY APRIL 26

Fred P Marrickville Bowling Club

SATURDAY MAY 10 HTRK Civic Underground

Inigo Kennedy Warehouse venue TBA

SUNDAY JUNE 8 Hot Chip DJs, Matthew Dear, Cosmin TRG Home Nightclub

HTRK countless solo EPs on labels like Turbo, Tigersushi, InFiné and Gigolo over the past two decades, refining a sonic palette that melds house, techno, rave, acid and of course electroclash, a movement he was at the forefront of. The Hacker has also built up a substantial remixography that comprises rerubs of Laurent Garnier, Fischerspooner and most recently The Carousel’s ‘Winter Months’, a melancholic pop gem that was one of the surprise reworks of 2013. LOVE/KRAFT Part 1 shifts between dancefloor-focused cuts and more subtle, brooding back room mood pieces.

German producer Peter Kremeier, better known as Losoul, will break a two-year dry spell when he releases not one, but two, EPs next month. The first, Slowly Turning, will be released on Hypercolour, the second New Day through Italian label Amam. Often labelled as a ‘minimal’ producer, Kremeier politely responds in a measured tone, “From the beginning of my production life I was considered to do kind of ‘reduced’ stuff. I didn’t have the idea to call anything I do ‘minimal’ just because I always liked to cut down my productions to some stripped funk feel with some soul flavour. As far as I know, it was merely referring to some ’50s/’60s avant garde music, to some ’90s experimental electronica techno or to just an expression that sells well.”

Gardland

Direct all Deep Impressions-related feedback, praise, vitriol and other proposals to deep.impressions@yahoo.com. thebrag.com

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