Brag#567

+TOMMY

SAT 28TH JUNE

NORTHEAST + SOSUEME DJS + THE BABE

WED 25TH JUNE PARTY

FREE ENTRY 8PM HOUSE

RAINBOW

(DJ SET)

FRANKLIN FREE 8PM

A CORONA EXTRA PRODUCTION “SOMEPLACE ELSE”

FEATURING HANNI EL KHATIB OZZIE WRIGHT JEFF CANHAM ANDREW BROPHY ROSE ASHTON DYLAN GRAVES AND THE BUS DRIVER ‘ARMANDO’ DIRECTED BY RILEY BLAKEWAY

BRETT BROWN LINE PRODUCTION WATER COLOUR SOUND MUSIC TITLES & PRODUCER SALLY QUADE PRODUCER RAUL CHAPA ASSISTANT FERNANDA IGARTUA CINEMATOGRAPHY ALEX BERGER GRADE METHOD STUDIOS MIX RACHANA MUSIC BY HANNI EL KHATIB ARTWORK JEFF CANHAM S C R E E NING LIVE ON CO R O NAE X T R A .CO M . AU

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY

coronaextra.com.au

KATE MILLER-HEIDKE O VERTIGO! NEW ALBUM OUT NOW

FRI 15 AUG •CHATSWOOD THE CONCOURSE - CONCERT HALL

FRI 22 AUG • NEWCASTLE NEWCASTLE CITY HALL

Tickets: 1300 795 012 • ticketek.com.au

Tickets: (02) 4929 1977 • ticketek.com.au

SAT 16 AUG - PENRITH

TUE 26 AUG • WOLLONGONG

JOAN SUTHERLAND PERFORMING ARTS CTR Tickets: (02) 4723 7600 •jspac.com.au

IPAC - IMB THEATRE

Tickets: (02) 4224 5999 •ipac.org.au

WITH SPECIAL GUEST RYAN KEEN (UK) TICKETS ON SALE NOW • KATEMILLERHEIDKE.COM BRAG :: 567 :: 18:06:14 :: 3

TUNE-YARDS

Nikki Nack

CD • LP • DL

FUTURE ISLANDS

Singles

CD • LP • DL

AFRO BEATS, HAND CLAPS, HAITIAN RHYTHMS, JUMP-ROPE CHANTS AND THE OCCASIONAL “WOO-HA”

THE NEW ALBUM FEATURING THE SINGLES ‘SEASONS (WAITING ON YOU)’ & ‘SPIRIT’.

OXFORD ARTS FACTORY MONDAY 28 JULY

JULY AUSTRALIAN TOUR SOLD OUT

SASKWATCH

TEETH & TONGUE

Nose Dive

CD • DL • LP

THE NEW ALBUM FEATURING ‘HANDS’ AND ‘BORN TO BREAK YOUR HEART’

OXFORD ARTS FACTORY 20TH JUNE

Grids

CD • LP • DL

THE HORRORS

PARQUET COURTS

Luminous

Sunbathing Animal

CD • LP • DL

“A dizzy punk-rock rush with some delightfully squalid guitar solos” STEREOGUM

COURTNEY BARNETT

FUCKED UP

The Double EP: A Sea Of Split Peas CD • 2LP • DL

“Wordy, articulate and dazzlingly witty” PITCHFORK

“Great things to come” STEREOGUM

The Future’s Void

Tremors

SOHN

THE MURLOCS

CD • LP • DL

THE NEW ALBUM PLAYING SPLENDOUR IN THE GRASS

Glass Boys

CD • LP • DL

ALBUM OF THE WEEK AT RRR, RTR & DOUBLE J ++++ THE MUSIC ++++ THE WEST AUSTRALIAN ++++ HERALD SUN HIT GOODGOD 19 JUNE

EMA

CD • LP • DL

BRIGHTER, MORE RADIANT, MORE ELECTRONIC. THIS IS THE ALBUM THE HORRORS WANT YOU TO DANCE TO. FEATURES THE SINGLES ‘I SEE YOU’ & ‘SO NOW YOU KNOW’

“It’s a punk rock rush, a fundamentally teenage blast of endorphins that you can’t help but feel every time their guitars lock into a riff and the drums get rolling.” STEREOGUM

KING GIZZARD AND THE LIZARD WIZARD

Loopholes

CD • LP • DL

CD • DL

Float Along Fill Your Lungs & Oddments

THE NEW ALBUM FROM LA’S ERIKA M. ANDERSON.

#1 ON THE ITUNES ELECTRONIC CHART

“It sounds amazing. Seriously.

It’s the fucking best” STEREOGUM

TOURING AUSTRALIA FOR THE FIRST TIME

BLOWN-OUT, PUNGENT, DISTORTED, SOULFUL RNB FROM VICTORIA’S SURF COAST FEATURING THE SINGLES ‘SPACE CADET’ AND ‘PARANOID JOY’

DOUBLE CD AND GATEFOLD VINYL EDITIONS FEATURING BOTH ALBUMS DUE SOON

24 JUNE OXFORD ART FACTORY

AVAILABLE IN ALL GOOD RECORD STORES AND ON ITUNES

4 :: BRAG :: 567:: 18:06:14

CD • LP • DL

Reimagining of the Remote Control logo courtesy of Courtney Barnett

BRAG :: 567 :: 18:06:14 :: 5

rock music news welcome to the frontline: the latest touring and music news...with Gloria Brancatisano and Chris Martin

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@TheBrag

THE BRAG

five things WITH

ANGUS DARLING FROM THE BABE RAINBOW Growing Up I remember being nine years old and 1. hearing ‘Fool Fool Fool’ by Elvis Presley. Mother Nature plays banjo better than anyone in The Perch Creek Family Jugband but The Perch Creek Family Jugband are red hot, baby, red hot.

Inspirations Taj Mahal, West Coast Pop Art 2.

Experimental Band, Mother McCree’s Uptown Jug Champions. The first time I heard Grateful Dead by The Grateful Dead we were driving on Coolamon Scenic behind Mullumbimby after Kool-Breeze was bitten by a humblebee in the community gardens, and we were trying to cheer him up because he was allergic, and this funny guy called Habeeb the Flute Player was riding with us and suggested it. Beautiful vegetables make beautiful music. It’s in Elliot’s journal.

Your Band Kool-Breeze plays the guitar, Dr. Elliot 3.

Love-Wisdom plays the bass guitar and glockenspiel, and I play the fool. We met in Vermont. Previously to that we met in Hawaii on the way to Vermont; Kool-Breeze surfed Pipe Masters that year. Daevid Allen from the

Soft Machine records all of our music. He has a studio on the top of Mt. Warning but I’m not allowed to say anything else.

The Music You Make Monterey pop, subterranean psychedelia, 4. hip pop, ultimate spinach, buzz words, buzz words, buzz words, buzz words, Three Dog Night & The Family Dog, Cream. We are about to release a ten-inch LP called Starseed Transmission on Flightless/Remote Control Records.

Music, Right Here, Right Now The scene is definitely so groovy right 5. now. I saw three white-haired turtle doves this afternoon in the best bathing suits I’ve seen all year, sunbaking on Tamarama Rocks, smoking cloves, drinking coconuts, laughing like wild WA cuckoos. There was Dot, Sunny Ray, Belinda, Thea, Margaret Presley Thatcher, Sue and Emily.

Where: Beach Road Hotel, Bondi / Brighton Up Bar When: Wednesday June 25 / Thursday June 26

The Cat Empire

THE EMPIRE PURRS BACK

Hello hello, look who we have here.

The Cat Empire have announced a huge month-long national tour this September and October. They’re bringing Latin reggae nine-piece Madre Monte and the one-manmouth-band Thom Thum along for the ride, so you can expect quite the night out at the Hordern Pavilion on Saturday October 18 and Panthers Newcastle on Sunday October 19.

MANAGING EDITOR: Chris Martin chris@thebrag.com 02 9212 4322 ONLINE EDITOR: Tyson Wray ONLINE COORDINATOR: Emily Meller SUB-EDITOR: Georgia Booth STAFF WRITERS: Alasdair Duncan, Jody Macgregor, Krissi Weiss, Augustus Welby NEWS: Gloria Brancatisano, Chris Honnery, Nic Liney, Amie Mulhearn ART DIRECTOR: Sarah Bryant COVER INSET [Midnight Oil]: Karin Catt PHOTOGRAPHERS: James Ambrose, Ashley Mar, James @ From The Pit 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: Furst Media 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: Nic Liney, Emily Meller - gigguide@thebrag.com (rock); clubguide@thebrag.com (dance, hip hop & parties) AWESOME INTERNS: Erin Rooney, Amie Mulhearn, Nic Liney 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, 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.

THE AMITY AFFLICTION

In support of their latest album, Let The Ocean Take Me, The Amity Affliction have announced their biggest-ever national tour this August and September. With their previous three tours, including last year’s October run, seeing the five-piece play multiple sold-out shows in most states, they are now taking over some of their biggest rooms to date in Perth, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Brisbane. Along for the ride are UK lads Architects, stopping by

OH MY, IT’S MILEY

Remember when rock was young?

When pop was innocent? We knew Miley Cyrus as Billy Ray’s cutesy pie on Hannah Montana, and all was right with the world. Then she came in like a wrecking ball, twerked all up on Robin Thicke and now we just can’t look away.

Which is the point of it all, needless to say, so it’s right about time Little Miss Miley swung in Australia’s direction with her Bangerz Tour. It follows the number one Bangerz album, featuring the single ‘We Can’t Stop’ alongside that notorious ‘Wrecking Ball’. You’ll find Miley at Allphones Arena on Friday October 17, provided you can score a ticket – the Dainty Group presale kicks off Friday June 20, while the general public release begins Monday June 23.

for the fifth time and the first since 2012, which was also with Amity. US metalcore act Issues will make their Australian debut, but not before jumping on Vans Warped Tour and the Reading and Leeds Festivals. Long Island’s Stray From The Path and our very own Deez Nuts round out the list. The madness descends on Hordern Pavilion, Thursday September 4. Tickets go on sale Friday June 20.

KYUSS DOESN’T LIVE, BUT JOHN GARCIA DOES

John Garcia is heading Down Under for a solo tour this September. As the voice behind acts including Kyuss, Slo Burn, Unida, Hermano and Vista Chino, Garcia’s deep baritone has earned him a reputation that almost extends beyond his outspokenness – almost. When the BRAG interviewed Garcia last year, he said Josh Homme’s refusal to let him tour under the Kyuss Lives! name smacked of ridiculousness. “I don’t like Josh Homme, I don’t like Scott Reeder,” Garcia said.

“Who does like somebody after they’ve been suing you? Fuck those guys!” What will Garcia have to say next? Find out on his debut solo record this August, and when he plays the Oxford Art Factory on Thursday September 11 with support from Waxy and Mammoth Mammoth.

BALL PARK MUSIC IN 3D

Now that hologram technology has taken off and deceased performers are returning to stages everywhere, Ball Park Music have revealed they’ll be getting in on the game when they tour Australia this September and October. It could prove the start of something new for touring musicians, with the band announcing that their performance will see all five members appear as moving, 3D objects – so real that you’ll feel as if you’re actually seeing them in the flesh. Wait, hang on a second… oh. Ball Park Music, with support from Millions and Pluto Jonze, will play Bar On The Hill, Newcastle on Thursday September 25 and the Enmore Theatre on Friday September 26.

THE BEST OF JETHRO TULL

Jethro Tull frontman and flautist Ian Anderson will bring the best of his back catalogue to Australia this summer. As a throwback to the era when the concept album conquered all, Anderson is set to treat fans to selections from the genre-defying records Thick As A Brick and Thick As A Brick 2, plus his new solo effort, Homo Erraticus. Anderson’s The Best of Jethro Tull arrives at the Sydney Opera House on Thursday December 11. A Live Nation presale begins midday Wednesday June 18, with general public tickets on sale 10am Monday June 23.

Miley Cyrus

ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE: Luke Forrester: accounts@furstmedia.com.au ph - (03) 9428 3600 fax - (03) 9428 3611 Furst Media, 3 Newton Street Richmond Victoria 3121 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 2003-2014 DISTRIBUTION: Wanna get the BRAG? Email distribution@ furstmedia.com.au or phone 03 9428 3600 PRINTED BY SPOTPRESS: www.spotpress.com.au 24 – 26 Lilian Fowler Place, Marrickville NSW 2204

6 :: BRAG :: 567 :: 18:06:64

The Wonder Years

STILL IN THE WONDER YEARS

Philly sextet and pop-punk warriors The Wonder Years will be heading back to Australia for a quick run of shows this September. Still riding the wave of success generated by the release of last year’s The Greatest Generation, the band will play eight shows in ten days across Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and Sydney. The Wonder Years first graced our shores in September 2010 before returning for last year’s Soundwave festival, and this time they return in full headline mode at Manning Bar on Saturday September 13 and The Lair, Metro Theatre on Sunday September 14.

thebrag.com

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BRAG :: 567 :: 18:06:14 :: 7

live & local

free stuff

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

head to: thebrag.com/freeshit

five things WITH

The Creases

JAMES MORRISON FROM THE MORRISONS moved to Australia, had better hair and wrote songs about harvesting sugar cane in Queensland, they’d be The Morrisons.

Music, Right Here, Right Now 5.

The Sydney music scene gets

Growing Up Inspirations I spent my formative years Hank Williams, Old Crow 1.

2. listening to ’70s funk and and Paul Kelly, because they’re ’80s hip hop, working on my breakdancing. Unfortunately we’re yet to work that into The Morrisons, although it may possibly work with a banjo breakdown.

the best.

3.

Your Band We’re a six (sometimes seven) piece alt-country band from the inner west of Sydney and play a mix of originals and

more traditional bluegrass/oldtimey/country songs. It began as a bit of a bastardisation of other bands (namely Bellyache Ben & The Steamgrass Boys). We all share a love of playing fast and singing harmonies.

Music You Make If Old Crow Medicine Show 4. The

What: The Morrisons & Friends With: Emma Swift, Eddie Boyd, Matt Mason (DMA’s), Brian Campeau (The Green Mohair Suits), Elana Stone (All Our Exes Live In Texas), The Women’s Auxiliary Choir Where: Goodgod Small Club When: Wednesday June 25

Hotly tipped young Queenslanders (and the latest signees to Liberation on a worldwide record deal) The Creases are celebrating a mighty start to 2014 with a new single and launch tour. ‘Static Lines’ marks the ascendance to label status for the grooving foursome, having already filled support slots for Franz Ferdinand, Jake Bugg, Drenge, Peace and The Preatures. A five-track EP is due for release on Liberation later this year, following The Creases’ appearance at Splendour In The Grass next month – that’s yet another festival billing, following on from their recent UK jaunt to Live At Leeds, The Great Escape and Liverpool Sound City.

The Creases launch ‘Static Lines’ at Brighton Up Bar next Friday June 27.

We’ve got two double passes to give away – for your chance to win, head to thebrag. com/freeshit and tell us why you think these guys are the bee’s knees.

The Morrisons photo by Darren Robinson

a hard rap, but in our local area (Newtown/Marrickville) live music is alive and well. The alt-country/ bluegrass scene here is incredible.

Little Bastard are killing it, The Green Mohairs are killing it, bands like All Our Exes [Live In Texas] are making beautiful music and playing lots around town. Spoiled for choice really.

THE CREASES

xxx

RÜFÜS

Monique Brumby

A BIT MO’ MONIQUE

Youthful Aussie pop veteran Monique Brumby returns to the Sydney stage next month. The singer-songwriter has been in the biz for 20 years now, but mere longevity won’t put her fire out anytime soon – she’s back with a selftitled album, her fifth, and a new single, ‘Silent War’, which focuses on marriage equality. Brumby burst onto the scene in 1996 when she won the ARIA for Best New Talent, and in 1997 she was crowned Best Female Artist. Catch her at the Oxford Art Factory on Saturday July 12.

BRIGHTON UP, IT’S YOUR BIRTHDAY

ROLL ON DOWN

It’s all action at Erskineville’s The Roller Den this week, with Saturday June 21 marking the night of RÜFÜS’ end of tour party. That means appearances from SÜFÜR (the RÜFÜS DJs), Odesza (DJ set), Hayden James (DJ set), Frames, Crooked Colours (DJ set) and AcidCloudmountaintops. It’s the night before RÜFÜS play a second Enmore Theatre date on Sunday June 22, so there’ll be some sore heads at that one – The Roller Den falls outside the grasp of the lockout zone. Next week (Thursday June 26), the Erskineville venue hosts The Secret Door, a filmed-for-TV event featuring Siskin River, Stand Alantic, Ed Wells, The Fixators and Armata Funk Militia.

Howling Bells

Tim Freedman

Can you believe it’s been two years? Oxford Street hidey-hole Brighton Up Bar is celebrating its second birthday the only way it knows how: a bumper night of live music.

Melbourne’s Mesa Cosa will headline the evening, with the party spread over two levels and also featuring The Hollow Bones, Spirit Valley, Cull, The Ocean Party, High-tails and The Lulu Raes. Not bad, not bad at all. Get up there on Saturday July 5.

LEROY’S LAYABOUTS

Everyone’s favourite Americana perch, The Shady Pines Saloon, is putting the rhythm back in the blues with Leroy’s Layabouts.

The Layabouts were one of Sydney’s most popular jump blues bands in the 1970s and ’80s, introducing the city to the exciting era of pre-rock’n’roll, sax-based music. With a revised name and a brand new album, Smokin’, the six-piece will grace Shady’s on Saturday June 28.

WHY PRETEND?

Quirky Sydney four-piece Pretend Eye are launching their new single ‘Deathbot’ this month. Consisting of a motley bunch of musicians from bands such as Food Court, Raise The Crazy and Teenage Horse, the boys provide a goodie bag of dreamy indie calypso punk with lashings of saxophone.

Expect a good giggle and a punchy pop track. Pretend Eye are holding a double single launch with good friends Mezze Mates and Harpoonovation at The Chippendale Hotel on Saturday June 28.

FRANKIE’S PIZZA

HOWLING BELLS RETURN

For the first time since 2011, Howling Bells have announced they will return to Australia for a string of headline shows this September. Touring off the back of their recently released fourth album Heartstrings, the Sydney-bred and now London-based outfit will play shows in Perth, Melbourne and Sydney. The last Howling Bells tour in December 2011 was followed by a two-year hiatus, with the recording of Heartstrings last year marking a new start for the group. They’ll play Oxford Art Factory on Friday September 12. Tickets go on sale Thursday June 19.

8 :: BRAG :: 567 :: 18:06:14

Get a piz-za this. Frankie’s Pizza this week hosts a great selection of live acts, starting Wednesday June 18 with Phatapillars and the inimitable Claude Hay. The latter is a travelling bluesman with a booming sound, and the best way we can think of to fill your night before that dastardly 2am World Cup kick off for the Socceroos. Then come Thursday June 19, 10 O’Clock Rock is headed up by White Summer, before a bumper lineup lands on Sunday June 22: The Deep End, Tracer, House Of Laurence, Red X and DJ Lehi, to be sure.

TIM FREEDMAN TOUR CONTINUES

The Whitlams’ songwriter and frontman Tim Freedman is on the road this month until August in tribute to another great songwriter: the legendary Harry Nilsson. Nilsson’s immense body of work from the ’60s and ’70s included songs like ‘Everybody’s Talkin’ and the later John Farnham hit ‘One’. A 17-disc box set, The RCA Albums Collection, goes to show just how prolific he was.

In 1970 he recorded Nilsson Sings Newman in tribute to a hero of his own, Randy Newman – and now Freedman has stepped in with a live Freedman Does Nilsson concert. The tour continues to The Brass Monkey this Friday June 20, while on Friday July 25 it reaches The Basement.

thebrag.com

BRAG :: 567 :: 18:06:14 :: 9

Industrial Strength Music Industry News with Christie Eliezer

THINGS WE HEAR * Trivia about The Amity Affliction landing their second ARIA number one album with Let The Ocean Take Me: it’s the first time a number one album in Oz has had ‘Ocean’ in its title, and the second for ‘Take’ after One Direction’s Take Me Home. * Have Kanye West and Jay-Z had a spat? A month after Jay and BeyoncĂŠ missed KW’s nuptials to Kim Kardashian, fans noticed that at his set at Austin’s X Music festival he repeatedly omitted Jay-Z’s name in the songs ‘Cold’ and ‘Blood On The Leaves’. * Recent UK and Oz number one singer Gabrielle Aplin was out on the town with fellow UK singer Ellie Goulding enjoying a mutual love for karaoke while in Melbourne playing shows.

We hear they rock a mean Bon Jovi song‌

* When Norwegian singersongwriter duo Nico & Vinz hit number one on iTunes, they notched the fi fth number one in fi ve months for Mark Poston’s Parlophone/Warner Brothers label. Kylie Minogue, Gabrielle Aplin, The Black Keys and Coldplay were the others. * Mixify has launched its Clubcast platform for DJs and fans to interact via live streaming, and received $1.8 million worth of new funding.

Investments came from DJ Tommy Trash, Ministry of Sound Australia’s Tim McGee and Richard Mergler, and Australian investment firm CMB Capital’s Jamie Olsen. * Sydney’s tallest residential tower, a 235m-tall building in the CBD, will come with a $25 million arts hub for dancers, musicians, actors, fi lmmakers and visual artists, the Daily Telegraph reported.

Built by Chinese developer Greenlands, fi ve fl oors

ICEHOUSE GO PLATINUM Universal Music Australia threw an intimate party to celebrate Icehouse’s White Heat: 30 Hits compilation going platinum. The band’s founder Iva Davies said the album went gold quickly but sales continued to climb because of Universal’s creative ways to find new audiences, and through Icehouse’s hard touring. The band has just announced 12 dates running from September to February, with more to be revealed.

MURPHY RIGHTS SIGNS GLOBAL DEAL WITH UNIVERSAL INXS manager Chris Murphy’s new Murphy Rights Management (MRM) business has signed a worldwide publishing administration agreement with Universal Music Publishing

will come with soundproof studios for musicians, sprung timber fl oors for dancers and workspaces for visual artists. * In the first radio ratings for Albury-Wodonga in ten years, Star FM was number one with a 22.9% audience share, followed by The River (20.9%), 2AY (16.6%) and ABC Local Radio (14.0%). * During Grinspoon’s hiatus, guitarist Pat Davern has been getting into the football spirit at the C55 Australian Masters Six-a-Side Championships at Bangalow, where he lives. He played in two games (lost one, drew the other), then turned DJ for the Sunday carnival. * Last Thursday, Splendour In The Grass released 2,500 extra tickets through Moshtix. They vanished in minutes. * Most of Sticky Fingers are back on Australian soil after a two-month European tour.

All except singer Dylan Frost, who was held up in Abu Dhabi and sent back to Amsterdam

Group. It will support Murphy’s plan to build a roster of new acts to become global names, through “tailor-made strategies that exploit the wealth of new opportunities in social media, movies, television, theatre, fashion and gaming.�

To make these happen quicker, MRM will do something most traditional publishers don’t do: it will secure both publishing and master recording rights for artists whose publishing it handles.

EMINEM FIRST TO GET TWO DIAMOND SINGLES Eminem is the first artist to land two ‘diamond’ digital singles for reaching ten million copies each (counting streams as well as sales) of ‘Not Afraid’ and ‘Love The Way You Lie’, as awarded by the Recording Industry Association of America. He has reached 31 million single

E HIFI 1300 THO M.AU

THEHIFI.C

with an expired passport. * Sydney’s 5 Seconds Of Summer won Best International Newcomer at the hard rock Kerrang! Awards in London. * Organisers of the Sydney Blues and Roots Festival this week hold the first, free Newcastle Blues By The Beach at Orana Hotel, Port Macquarie. * After TLC went on Sunrise to slam artists for selling themselves with sex, Rihanna responded by posting on Twitter a photo of the young TLC baring their boobs (although it had been for breast cancer awareness). * A group of kids aged eight to 14, who were taught studio basics by the manager of the Wangki Yupurnanupurru community radio station in Fitzroy Crossing (WA), broke into the station and did an impromptu late night show.

Alas, their swearing on air aroused the ire of listeners who got them thrown out.

sales and streams digitally via ten songs, placing him at number six on the RIAA digital singles all-time list, behind Kanye West (31.5m) and ahead of Flo Rida (29.5m). Two albums also went diamond, The Marshall Mathers LP (2000) and The Eminem Show (2012). In all, Eminem has sold 37 million albums in the US. That puts him 44th on its top selling artists of all time.

Since diamond certifications were introduced in 1999, only 110 singles and albums have achieved that status. They include material

by The Beatles, Justin Bieber, Garth Brooks, Mariah Carey, Eagles, Michael Jackson, Lady Gaga, Led Zeppelin, Madonna, Bruce Springsteen and Usher.

VENUE UPDATE Apparently due to the effects of early lockout laws, 200-capacity rock punk showcase The Square in the Haymarket’s Palace Hotel closes next month.

The Wentworth Hotel in Homebush and One World in Parramatta are now owned by Iris Group after Rod Salmon decided to ease back on his workload.

Troy Barnett is the new GM of the Northern Rivers Hotel. He plans to vamp it up as a major live music venue and work closely with the local music community. The hotel was bought from receivers by the Lismore Park Hotel consortium.

FUTURE CLASSIC SIGN TA-KU Just Announced

This Week

Future Classic now manage Ta-ku. His remixes include 50 Days For Dilla and a rework of Chet Faker’s ‘Talk Is Cheap’.

MAKING WAVES #1: NICKY NIGHT TIME GETS EURO RAVES Fri 22 Aug

Sat 6 Sep

Fri 12 Sep

Fri 20 Jun

Justice Crew

DevilDriver

El Gran Combo

Band of Skulls

Fri 27 Jun

Sat 28 Jun

Sat 5 Jul

The Crimson ProjeKCt

First Soundz feat.

DJ Maveriq, Sequel, URKii + More

Bell X1

Fri 11 Jul

Wed 23 Jul

Wed 13 Aug

Tankard (GER)

Kelis

Hanson

Australian DJ Nicky Night Time’s new track ‘Everybody Together’ is getting a great response in the UK and Europe. Already played at the Ibiza 2014 opening parties, Annie Mac raved about it when she spun it on BBC Radio 1 while EDM blogs and DJs hailed it as “dancefloor killer�’: “He’s nailed the piano house� and “Pumped to play this out!�

Nicky Night Time is a new moniker for Nick Routledge of Van She, AKA Nicky Van She.

MAKING WAVES #2: VAUDEVILLE SMASH HAS FOOTBALL HIT Melbourne band Vaudeville Smash’s unofficial Brazil World Cup anthem ‘Zinedine Zidane’ got half a million YouTube hits in less than two weeks. A new video, shot in Melbourne and featuring great players, has been given a good run on ESPN, Fox Sports and Virgin Radio France. Singer Marc Lucchesi admitted, “We had a feeling the song would do OK but the way the soccer world has completely embraced it has blown our minds!�

MAKING WAVES #3: UBERJAK’D EMBRACED ON FACEBOOK

Sat 16 Aug

Sat 23 Aug

Sat 27 Sep

Sat 22 Nov

UNDRGRND

Kid Ink

Rebel Souljahz (USA)

Toxic Holocaust & Iron Reagan

Aussie DJ/producer Uberjak’d hit 100,000 fans on Facebook the same week he dropped new track ‘Hard Nation’ with Will Sparks.

In the last six months he’s done 18 dates in North America and hit the ARIA and Beatport charts. He’ll play July’s Tomorrowland in Belgium and tour North America for three weeks.

TROLDHAUGEN JOIN BIRD’S ROBE ROSTER Wollongong prog-folk-metal outfit Troldhaugen join with Sydney’s Bird’s Robe Records for the Friday August 29 release of second album Obskure Anekdotez For Maniakal Massez. They team with Alestorm for a nine-country, 24-date tour through Europe in September and October. Mike Solo from Bird’s Robe said, “Their brand of quirky, experimental and theatrical folk-metal is a perfect fit for our little family.�

ATSI LOOKING FOR PROJECT DEV CONSULTANT The APRA AMCOS ATSI Music Office is looking for an experienced project development consultant to scope out and develop a program to deliver creative and business skills to the NSW Aboriginal music creator community.

Closing date is June 20; for full details visit apra-amcos.com.au.

URBAN RADIO DISRESPECTS OWN AUDIENCE: CHUCK D Chuck D of Public Enemy has accused American urban radio of misrepresenting hip hop and “disrespecting� its own black audiences. He wants it to stop playing tracks with the N word and play more diverse styles.

Lifelines Born: daughter Royal Reign to US rapper Lil’ Kim. She hasn’t said who the father is but she was last dating professional boxer Floyd Mayweather.

Born: daughter River Rose to Kelly Clarkson and music exec Brandon Blackstock.

Married: Nova 96.9’s afternoon announcer Harlee McLeod and Ben Reed of the strategic marketing division at Universal Music.

Split: X Factor judge Redfoo and tennis champ Victoria Azarenka.

Ill: Morrissey’s US tour was axed after he collapsed with breathing problems.

Hospitalised: Brit tourist Robert Fairchild, 21, for hypothermia.

He wandered off at a WA rave in Mundaring State Forest for 48 hours, wearing just tracksuit pants and facing night temperatures of below 10°C. In Court: Collette McLafferty, singer of New York-based Pink cover band Funhouse, is being sued for $10 million by the creator of the group, who claims she lacks both talent and sex appeal – and that she ruined the band.

In Court: Joe Camilleri is suing the Legal Services Board for $140,000 stolen from him by his ex-lawyer Philip Linacre. He and ex-wife Miki lost $500,000 after being persuaded to invest to get a return from 13% to 23% a year.

In March, Linacre pleaded guilty to stealing $12.1 million from 17 clients.

In Court: Justin Bieber’s former assistant Terrence Reche Smalls got a 12-month good behaviour bond and $1,000 recognisance in the Brisbane Magistrates Court after pleading guilty over a bag of cannabis found in his bag at Brisbane Airport last November.

Died: US producer Alan Douglas, 81. He reworked some of Jimi Hendrix’s later recordings and had encouraged Hendrix to get into jazz and The Last Poets, a collective of musicians and poets who were the roots of rap music.

Died: Samantha Jade’s mum Jacqui Gibbs, from cancer. The X Factor winner put a brake on her pop career to care for her mother at her Perth home.

Died: Sydney radio engineer Chris Burnat. He worked at community stations including 2WEB, 2000FM and 2SER, and the ABC and SBS.

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BRAG :: 567 :: 18:06:14 :: 11

LILY ALLEN

THE GAME IS UP

BY C H R I S M A R T I N

– and its video created an online uproar.

Suddenly, the armchair experts had not only decided what Allen’s artistic intentions were on her behalf, but launched into rambling thinkpieces about why that made her an objectifier of women (for her dancers twerking in skimpy black outfits) or a racist (said dancers were all of black or Asian descent).

Somehow, the satire of the clip was lost on some commentators, despite the song’s lyrics, and the words spelled out in giant silver balloons: “Lily Allen Has a Baggy Pussy”. Did it frustrate Allen that people jumped to criticise her intentions without actually asking what they’d been?

“I’m sure that people did ask, but I don’t really feel like I have to explain,” she says.

“People always say, ‘What was your intention behind this song?’ or ‘What did you mean by that?’ and it’s like, ‘Well, it doesn’t really matter,’ because [it’s] ethereal – once you’ve let something go and put it out into a public arena, it doesn’t matter what I intended; it matters how people interpret … Songwriting is artistry, and that sounds really earnest, but things are just meant to exist; you put them out there and that’s what they are.”

“I’M NOT REALLY SAYING ANYTHING PARTICULARLY OFFENSIVE, I’M ACTUALLY JUST TAKING OWNERSHIP OF MY SEXUALITY AND FEMINISM, AND PEOPLE FIND THAT OFFENSIVE – WHICH I FIND ASTONISHING.” Allen’s not shying away from her willingness to cause a ruckus. Her next video will be for the single ‘URL Badman’, itself written in response to online trolls. The song begins with sounds of a teenage boy masturbating in his bedroom – “Alexander, your dinner’s on the table!” “Yeah alright Mum, I said I’m coming!” – and while Allen’s not sure that sequence will make the final cut, the track is one she’s “proud of”. Next, she comes our way to headline Splendour In The Grass.

“I can’t wait to get over there and have a presence and show [people] my show, which I’m really proud of, and I think is brilliant,” she says. “And we’re doing some sideshows as well, and hopefully another tour at the beginning of next year or the end of this year.”

It seems that not being pop is working out for Allen just fine. How aware is she, now, of the very idea of the pop star as a media and cultural construct?

“I find it kind of fascinating,” she says. “I think it’s maybe growing up in this sort of – not growing up, but having witnessed this X Factor obsession and dream-of-stardom lifestyle that kids aspire to in this day and age, I find it all a bit depressing in a lot of ways. So I feel like I have a responsibility to burst the bubble and to tell people that maybe it shouldn’t be top of the list of things to do.

L

ily Allen knows exactly what it takes to be a pop star. And she’s not interested in doing it anymore – not one bit. Her first two albums, Alright, Still and It’s Not Me, It’s You, crowned her as both the darling of the British pop media and the queen of the sales charts, but her return this year with Sheezus brought with it a shock backlash of criticism in the mainstream press and on social media. Not that it stopped her from topping the charts once again. If Allen’s taken the harsh words to heart, she’s not showing it.

“Listen, maybe I’m just not the radio pop star anymore,” Allen says from her London flat, where she’s just put her daughters to bed.

“Maybe I just make the music that I want to make, and fuck ’em all,” she laughs. “I’m not going to water my music down and start singing, ‘Oh baby you make me crazy / Can I be your lady baby?’ and [play] some crappy EDM and hope that it’s liked, because that’s just not what I do.”

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“I suppose I was a little bit, because I just wrote music the way that I’ve always written music, and then once I delivered everything and it came to picking singles and sending stuff off to radio, it seemed like everyone had a completely different hat on to the one when I’d started. I feel like a lot of the songs that I would’ve assumed would’ve been the singles, and the ones that would’ve sold the album and been songs at radio, weren’t, really, and not really everywhere else in the world but in the UK. I don’t know what’s happened. I feel like things have got a little bit more saturated, or watered down, and the radio people, the record company were like, ‘Oh no, we can’t have that, this radio station won’t play it, and that radio station won’t play it, because it’s too controversial or too sexy.’

“And you’re just like, ‘Wait a second, people are posing naked on the front of magazine covers, and still get their songs played on the radio,’ but I guess because their songs don’t really say anything – I don’t know. I’m not really saying anything particularly offensive, I’m actually just taking ownership of my sexuality and feminism, and people find that offensive – which I find astonishing, because I think if I’d have released these same songs when I first started ten years ago there wouldn’t have been a problem, but now there is, which is amazing to me. It feels like going backwards.”

Case in point: the new record’s title track, ‘Sheezus’, which Allen told Rolling Stone she would’ve liked to see as a single, except people got offended by the word ‘period’ in its lyrics.

On Twitter ahead of the album’s release, she agreed with a fan who called her new singles “docile pop rubbish”. “What you’ve heard so far yes,” she wrote. “The labels and the radio stations won’t play the better stuff.”

Ultimately, the AutoTune-heavy ‘Hard Out Here’ was the first taste of Allen’s new material

Allen is better placed than most to judge whether the golden age of the pop star even still exists. She thinks about this one for a moment.

“I’m sure it can, if you play the game,” she says. “But I don’t want to play the game.”

What: Sheezus out now through Regal/ Parlophone Where: Hordern Pavilion When: Friday July 25 And: Also appearing alongside Outkast, Two Door Cinema Club, Interpol, Foster The People, London Grammar and many more at Splendour In The Grass, North Byron Parklands, Friday July 25 – Sunday July 27

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The outspoken Allen stepped away from the spotlight in 2010 after touring It’s Not Me, It’s

You, and has spent the ensuing years raising her girls Ethel Mary (now two years old) and Marnie Rose (17 months). While she says her return to the studio for Sheezus felt natural – “I’m not the first person to go back to work after having kids” – she admits to being caught off guard by what came next, and by her record label’s changing definition of ‘pop’.

“I mean, I do love my job and I’m really happy to do it, and it’s an amazing gift that I’ve been given, but I do very well out of it – I write all my own songs and I’ve got a very good record deal. And those people that go into those talent shows and think that their lives are going to be sorted when they get there – they’re just wrong, because on the whole, they’ve got really shitty deals, they don’t write, they don’t make any money that way, and they just get chased by paparazzi and made to look like idiots the whole time. So I kind of feel like I want to be honest about things and smash the smoke and mirrors a little bit.”

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Mastodon Launch Into Orbit By Jaymz Clements

T

roy Sanders possesses a focused air.

Sitting on a couch backstage at New York City’s Terminal 5 – where in three hours’ time Mastodon will play to a sold-out room – the bassist is all hair and beard. As he kicks back (after sorting through some drying clothes in a road case), he’s intent on explaining his band’s sixth record, Once More ’Round The Sun. Mastodon aren’t a band to take things lightly, and Sanders talking about this record is no exception.

Produced by Nick Raskulinecz (Foo Fighters, Trivium), the album sees the Atlanta four-piece take its usual psychedelic meanderings and infuse them with southern rock and lashings of classic metal. Writing the record in their rehearsal space (named, er, the Thunder Box) in March 2013, Mastodon – Sanders, drummer Brann Dailor and guitarists Brent Hinds and Bill Kelliher – pieced together songs from ideas they’d gleaned while spending two solid years on the road touring The Hunter.

Ben Lee Rebel Yell By Meg Crawford

S

peaking to Australia’s treasured musician Ben Lee, we learn that two exciting developments are in motion. First off, Lee has revealed he is once again set to perform on Australian shores in late June and early July, lining up to play an intimate set at The Basement on Saturday June 28.

Secondly, Lee’s run of shows are to promote his forthcoming album Love Is The Great Rebellion – his tenth solo studio release.

Over time, Lee’s albums have grown to encompass a far more personal and spiritual scope, culminating with last year’s Ayahuasca: Welcome To The Work – an unexpectedly experimental, frequently instrumental and meditative release, which examined the journey toward the within. While his upcoming record still explores spiritual concepts, which Lee describes as his “passion”, it will represent a return to his more familiar pop stylings.

“I always think my recordings sound like something else, but I think this one sounds like the sort of record that fans of my music would like me to make,” he says. “It’s about spirituality, it’s introspective, but it’s also upbeat. It’s the sort of songs that I’m best known for – a step in that direction, anyway.”

Lee foreshadowed the return to more recognisable territory in an open letter he posted on Facebook. Was signposting the album a way to pique the interest of fans he may have alienated with the last album?

“I knew from the outset that the [Ayahuasca] album wasn’t for the mainstream, which is why I went down the crowdfunding path. There are pros and cons to that approach, though. I’ve always been inspired by artists who keep following their own inspiration, but there can be a problem with that, being that the audience doesn’t know where you’re going next. Which is why I was more like, ‘Let me throw you a bone with this album.’”

According to Lee, the new release is near completion. “I’ll finish it in two weeks,” he says. “I’m hoping pretty quickly to deliver some form of music – some songs. I like the idea of a quick turnaround. Who knows? In practical terms these things can take months, though.”

When it comes to the ideas behind his albums, Lee has said that his writing stems from whatever he is passionate about. This time, his writing revolves around the premise and use of will. “I suppose the main concept is to do with willpower,” he says. “Obviously I’m interested in spirituality and psychology, both of which talk a lot about the necessity to surrender and go with the flow. What’s not spoken about so much is the courage required to do that, and what’s required to go about creating the internal change.”

As with all Mastodon records, all four members wrote and contributed vocals – “We work best that way,” says Sanders – but the major difference is in the songs themselves. Full of big, shining moments like the chorus of ‘The Motherload’, lead single ‘High Road’ and the outro shout-along of ‘Aunt Lisa’, it’s telling that the dark, bizarre psychedelia of ‘Diamonds In The Witch House’ and ‘Chimes At Midnight’ actually feels comfortingly familiar.

That shift came about, Sanders says, from natural progression in the band, and Raskulinecz’s enthusiasm for capturing them at their best. “Nick is a fan of Mastodon. He was on board to help us make the best record possible, not only for him and his discography, but for us, because he’s a big fan of our band.

“He didn’t want to come in and slap something together, because it’s not just his name on it, it’s our name,” grins Sanders. “It was good teamwork; everyone wanted to get the best results possible, and, you know, he’s just a real big rock’n’roll dude.”

Here, as on The Hunter, Mastodon have settled happily into writing about themselves via metaphors on individual songs, rather than overarching conceptual pieces (as per 2004’s Leviathan or 2009’s Crack The Skye), something Sanders argues suits them. “We tend to work best when we dive into personal experiences or band experiences that have happened recently and are very fresh on the soul and in the memory, because it’s very sincere and authentic material to pull from …

When we take something that’s going on right now and channel something quite negative into something positive, mask it with metaphor and present it with a shred of light shining on it – we seem to work well like that. We don’t ever want to put our heart on our sleeve too much.”

As for the album title, so (typically) openended, Sanders’ interpretation is that the ‘Sun’ in the phrase is “the point, the final hurdle”.

It also works as a fitting rejoinder to those who will wonder if this is the record that pushes Mastodon into even more rarified areas. “None of this is guaranteed,” Sanders adds pointedly, perhaps a subtle reference to Hinds’ 2007 coma. “We’re not guaranteed to write five more albums and be in Mastodon ’til we’re 60 – this could be stripped away tomorrow. It’s all a very positive thing to me. However, I’m a complete optimist. My cup is always half-full.”

What: Once More ’Round The Sun out Friday June 20 through Reprise/Warner

Lee is inspired not only by the courage required to change, but also his personal journey towards “authenticity”, which is not an easy prospect in a consumerist society.

“In that regard we are all in the same boat – we’re all equally inauthentic,” he laughs.

“We have to be to function in this world. We have to be inauthentic beings. From that starting point, namely that to some degree we are all living a lie, we can develop skills and a mind frame that will move us towards authenticity. Every day I try to see when I’m being inauthentic. I keep a journal. A lot of it has to do with intention. Who of us can really ever know what authenticity is? So long as we are moving in a direction where we are trying to find out – that’s something.”

With: Danny Ross Where: The Basement When: Saturday June 28

Shelley Segal Escape With Me By Augustus Welby

S

helley Segal has never refrained from including divisive subject matter in her songs. The Melbourne singersongwriter’s 2011 release, An Atheist Album, spoke out against the oppressive dogmas dispersed by organised religion while upholding a perky melodic sensibility. Thoughtprovoking opinions are generally kept separate from pop music, but Segal sees no reason to hew to that custom.

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Building a reputation for outspokenness can feed expectations for ongoing shock value.

Segal’s new record, An Easy Escape, contains plenty of discussion-stirring content, but unlike An Atheist Album, the messages aren’t so explicit.

“It’s a collection of songs that I’ve written over quite a few years,” she says. “This album feels a lot broader – this is more open to

a list of what people were talking about; issues with tourism, issues with the government in Morocco. [She] was saying that a song like that creates a space for discussion about those issues and that that’s a really positive thing.”

Segal’s decision to maintain lyrical ambiguity and let listeners attach their own meanings to the songs has already had radical consequences. The record’s lead single ‘Morocco’ refers to a trip the songwriter took to the North African country in 2007, when she was 19. Segal intended the piece to be a positive account of how the travel experience puts personal worries into perspective. But lyrics such as, “Rasta, do you want to buy some weed?” unwittingly sparked heated debate in the Moroccan press.

Notwithstanding the song’s provocative lyrics, musically speaking ‘Morocco’ is a sprightly pop number. Segal recorded An Easy Escape in London with pop producer Tom Nichols (Kylie Minogue, Jessica Simpson), and his helping hand emphasises her penchant for easygoing, melodic accessibility.

“I was really surprised by what happened,” she admits. “I’m also really glad that it happened.

Obviously I don’t want people to be upset by my music. [But] it’s nice for a song to get a response and for people to actually engage with what you’re saying.”

The angriest feedback asserts that the song is critical of the Moroccan nation and insensitive to the hardships faced by its citizens. But not all of the surrounding discourse has been negative. “There was an opinion piece in the Morocco World News by a graduate of Middle Eastern studies,” Segal says. “She wrote that a song that discusses those kinds of issues is a great way to facilitate discussion. She made

“They’ve still got that folk aesthetic, where they’ve got some substance to the lyrics,” she says, “but he’s really brought this upbeat sound. During the recording he drew pictures of a smiling sun and he stuck them in every muso’s booth. He was like, ‘Look at the sun.

We’re playing happy sounds!’

“I think it’s nice to have that upbeat feel, because a lot of my songs – especially my love songs – are pretty sad and contemplative.

It’s nice to have something upbeat keeping everything pumping along.”

What: An Easy Escape out now through True Music With: Aimee Francis Where: The Vanguard When: Thursday June 26

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“I want there to be two levels of enjoyment,” she says. “[It’s OK] if people who listen to my music just like music and they like to hear a beat and some cool percussive lyrics sung in a pretty voice. But also I want to

provide, for people who want more out of music, something to take away and think about. Those two elements are what I love about music and what’s enriched my musical experiences.”

interpretation than the last record, which was very literal. Some of the songs on the record are travel songs, some of them are about love and relationships and experiences. All those things you can kind of escape into.”

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Midnight Oil Made To Last By Augustus Welby

E

very band that’s ever attained success – big or small – started out as a local unknown fighting for recognition. It’s hard to imagine now, but legendary Australian rockers and political heralds Midnight Oil didn’t always have their sights set on such bold accomplishment.

“At the time it was about getting from gig to gig and song to song and album to album,” says drummer Rob Hirst.

“We were just head down, trying to make the whole thing pay and get enough food and sleep every day to do this massive schedule.”

This weekend, The Making Of Midnight Oil exhibition officially launches at the Manly Art Gallery and Museum. Dating all the way back to the band’s early gigs playing under the name Farm, the interactive exhibit charts Midnight Oil’s entire career and features original posters, stage outfits, instruments and handwritten lyrics.

Sydney’s Northern Beaches aren’t exactly rock’n’roll territory these days, but it was a different scenario in the mid-’70s.

“The first place the Oils pulled a crowd was the Royal Antler Hotel in Narrabeen,” Hirst says. “When we started, there were bands all up there.

The Celibate Rifles used to play there, The Atlantics – all these bands. It was a really great place to play.”

“We stumbled out of bed after playing Radio City Music Hall onto that stage thinking, ‘Oh, this is fine,’ still rubbing sleep out of our eyes. It’s one of those things you think in retrospect that [it] almost didn’t happen, but at the time it was another gig on a long American/ Canadian tour.”

To say it “almost didn’t happen”, Hirst literally means the gig nearly didn’t go ahead. “As we jumped onstage one of the cops said to Gary [Morris], our manager, ‘OK, these guys have got one song, then we’re shutting the whole thing down.’ But then the cops started to slightly move and groove to the music and Gary signalled to play another song. So it was song to song, which was good because halfway through playing it was midday and thousands more people poured out of Rockefeller Center and the Exxon building.”

“I always said the music has to come first,” Hirst says, “otherwise no-one’s going to take the message of the lyrics seriously. You’ve still got to have a great melody and a great beat otherwise you’re not going to sell the song or the band.

The guerilla gig – a response to the environmental devastation caused by the Exxon Valdez oil spill off the coast of Alaska in 1989 – was a prime example of Midnight Oil’s concrete commitment to the political ethos emphasised in their songs.

Considering the group’s specific address of political matters, such as Aboriginal reconciliation and nuclear disarmament, it’s no mean feat that the band maintains a mass listenership.

“There’s a lot of power of suggestion in a lot of the lyrics – persuading people to think in another direction, but not demanding it. I don’t think we were actually all that dogmatic – Pete [Garrett] was, with his messages from stage and in some of the interviews, but if you actually listen to the music it was supposed to be more rousing and anthemic. A lot of people just used to come see Oils shows because the men could take their shirts off

“A lot of people just used to come see Oils shows because the men could take their shirts off and drink and throw up on the carpet and have this amazing night out with friends.”

and drink and throw up on the carpet and have this amazing night out with friends.”

Nonetheless, the band members have never kept their firm opinions to themselves. Interview footage captured in 1990 with Hirst and frontman Garrett slots in between the live performances on Black Rain Falls. At one point Hirst confidently speculates about a positive shift in the world’s attention to environmental perils. It’s now 2014 and the planet certainly isn’t in top shape, but in some respects there has been substantial progress in the last couple of decades.

“I live down in the Manly area, and when we first moved here there was a high temperature incinerator blasting toxins into the air around Manly, and most of Sydney’s shit was untreated and pumped off the coast, and that doesn’t happen anymore. We swim in much cleaner water and people clean up once a year and people don’t throw their cigarette butts on the beach or smoke inside.

“I think every Australian’s job now is to make sure that the current Federal Government is a one-term [government]. My favourite sign from the March In May just read simply, ‘Resign, dickhead.’

“I think there’s been a real turnaround in the last couple of months,” Hirst adds. “It’s interesting that an uncaring, born-to-rule kind of party can wake people up and go, ‘Hang on, we thought this was always a given.’ Kids that are voting for the first or second time, they don’t have the history to think, ‘No, this was hard won by people before.’”

What: The Making Of Midnight Oil Where: Manly Art Gallery and Museum When: Friday June 20 – Sunday September 7 And: Black Rain Falls out Friday June 20 through Sony, alongside seven remastered albums and two EPs

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Midnight Oil photo by Andrej Lugez

Coinciding with the exhibition launch is the release of seven remastered Oils albums and a new DVD, Black Rain Falls. The DVD contains complete footage of the band’s six-song

performance in front of the Exxon Oil building in New York City, 1990.

Staging a protest gig in the middle of the world’s busiest city was certainly a gutsy move, but Hirst says it was just a regular day’s work for Midnight Oil.

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BONNIE ANDERSON

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Teeth & Tongue Off The Grid By James Nicoli

“I

’m just incredibly bad at making decisions,” says a remarkably earnest Jess Cornelius. “I get really distracted and really influenced at different times by a lot of different things.”

It’s this simple yet somewhat contradictory statement that perhaps captures Cornelius – or Teeth & Tongue, as she is more commonly known – most effectively. Primarily a solo project, Teeth & Tongue has grown steadily over the years with each release, and Cornelius has continued to bend genres along the way, resulting in a distinct take on modern pop. Having released her third album Grids earlier this year and on the cusp of a national headline tour, Cornelius talks about everything from making final tour preparations to the joy of drum machines and what it takes to discover one’s own sound.

The creation of Grids certainly wasn’t easy for Cornelius – it came at a time when the singer was not even contemplating writing another record. Originally hatched back in 2012, it would be nearly two years before Grids saw the light of day.

“One of the reasons [for the long process] was that I actually didn’t have a full album written when I started recording because I’d never actually planned on starting it,” says Cornelius. “I wasn’t like, ‘I’m going to make a record.’ I didn’t actually feel like I was quite ready to make another album. I had a handful of songs and I really wanted to get them down and demo them, because I felt like they were a bit of a departure from what I’d done before and I was really excited about them. So I went and demoed them with AJ [producer AJ Bradford], and the demos were the ones we ended

up using for the album recordings and so I just decided to keep going.”

Grids is a truly 21st-century album.

Written and recorded by Cornelius in her home as well as in the studio, it was built layer by layer and is the outcome of new technologies that enable such DIY efforts while producing polished results. It’s a diverse record – no two songs sound the same, and Cornelius’ strong, soulful voice is the only constant.

Grids is experimental, quirky, and perhaps even a little weird; it’s the sound of an artist not afraid to let her far-ranging influences come through.

Cornelius says the album’s diversity owes much to technology and the access it allows to an endless array of sounds and effects. “When you’re using drum samples, you can obviously use a lot of hip hop sounds and a lot of things you might not be able to get with a drummer, which is why I really like using drum machines. I’ve just always been fascinated with all those sounds that are within a little drum machine box, you know; all those ’80s snares, like fully gated pop sounds. But, you know, I also like really messy, noise guitar stuff.”

It’s this clash of musical influences that gives Grids its sound. However, it’s also been the cause of some criticism over the record’s lack of cohesion. “I really did try to make a cohesive album,” says Cornelius, almost apologetically. “But I have to admit, my influences are all over the shop so it can be a struggle to do that.”

For the Grids national tour, Cornelius will be armed with not only a growing list of songs to choose from but also a full live band. “Everything’s in real time now,” she says. “There’s no

backing track on a metronome or anything, which means we can really play with a lot of timing; we can change the time mapping to make things longer or shorter, and be a lot more adaptable and flexible.”

The band Cornelius has assembled is her most ambitious yet, with a live drum kit, and a backing vocalist to help out with the melodies. “There’s a lot going on,” she admits. “But we’ve really tried to retain that kind of space. With five people it’s really easy to fill in all the gaps, so we’re trying not to do that.”

If recent rehearsals are anything to go by, it seems the addition of extra musicians onstage has given the songs on Grids a new lease of life.

“There were a handful that we’d never played live before recording them, and when we did go to play them live things did change,” says Cornelius.

“We do a much tougher version of ‘Easy Living’ live; it’s become this sort of extended math rock jam session at the end. But yeah, songs take on a bit of a different personality when they are played live.”

So with the release of Grids and on the eve of a national tour, has Cornelius finally found Teeth & Tongue’s sound? “People talk about discovering your own sound and that kind of thing, but I think it’s this everchanging thing,” says Cornelius. “If I’d made this album in three months’ time it would probably be a really different album.”

What: Grids out now through Dot Dash/Remote Control With: Ela Stiles, King Tears Mortuary Where: Goodgod Small Club When: Thursday June 19

Northeast Party House Weekend Warriors By Jody Macgregor started called Moritz, who used to control a DMix onstage, which controlled our strobe lights, and he used to hit a lot of crash cymbals and that kind of thing and hype the crowd up.”

Hyping the crowd up worked out pretty well for Northeast Party House. They played their first headlining show at Melbourne’s Blue Tile Lounge, “which should only fit really about 30 people in there but about 150 of our friends crammed in there. It was ridiculous, there’s some footage online of it.” That footage ends with Hamilton-Reeves ecstatically shouting, “We got a crowd surfer!”

L

et’s hope Tony Abbott never hears Northeast Party House’s song ‘Youth Allowance’. A dance-rock banger, its frenetic chorus repeats, “Let’s all get on Youth Allowance!” and “Disco biscuits, Youth Allowance!” as if government financial assistance is the ticket to easy weekends of non-stop partying. Maybe if you’re a musician in 2014 you’re so broke that people on Youth Allowance look like they’re swimming in money? But if the government finds out you can afford to leave the house on it, they’ll have something else to cut.

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It’s been like this right from the start, when the band’s founding members – Kenihan, singer Zach HamiltonReeves and guitarist Jack Schumacher – were attending the Melbourne Rudolf Steiner School

together. They added guitarist Mitch Ansell and drummer Malcolm Besley later: “We just came across them across journeys,” says Kenihan. The band’s self-titled debut EP included the first song they wrote together, ‘Dusk’, which starts off sounding melancholy but pretty quickly turns it around with lasering synth stabs and an epic guitar solo.

“That first EP is very accurate as to what we sounded like early on, though there were a lot of songs we never recorded ’cause they just weren’t very good,” says Kenihan.

“They were mainly loud, over-the-top, energetic, synth-driven party songs that we made to get people dancing and have lots of strobe lights. We had a hype man at the time when we

Northeast Party House have been surprised by the strength of the reaction, though most of the time it’s a pleasant surprise. The songs on their album Any Given Weekend, which they released in May, are more in line with the intensity of their audience, like the chunky guitar riff that guides ‘Youth Allowance’. “But before the album was released,” adds Kenihan, “none of our music really married that kind of image. That was more of a live thing that started to happen and it’s a reputation that’s kept going.”

Now that the album’s finished, they’ll be able to get back to touring, which they’ve been looking forward to for a long time. “That’s the way it is with bands – I think by the time you release one thing the band’s already excited about the next thing that’s happening,” says Kenihan.

But what comes next won’t be radically different for Northeast Party House, who are planning to stay pretty close to their roots. “I guess our album is energetic party tunes – a lot of it – as well. It’s not like our goals have changed, but I think the music’s progressed or matured a lot.”

What: Any Given Weekend out now through Stop Start With: High-tails, Conics Where: Newtown Social Club When: Saturday June 28 And: Also appearing at Beach Road Hotel, Bondi on Wednesday June 25; The Lair, Metro Theatre on Sunday June 29; and The Small Ballroom, Newcastle on Wednesday July 2 thebrag.com

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Let’s not think of that. The state of the nation is depressing enough, and Northeast Party House aim to make you forget these things. As their

name suggests, they’re here to make you party, although they haven’t actually been to that many parties.

“Due to our quite dependent synth element to the band we haven’t played a lot of house parties,” says synth player Sean Kenihan, “because usually they don’t have a PA that can handle the noise that we want to produce through it. The guitars are fine because you’ve got the amps and stuff, but we’ve got quite a synthdriven element, which you can’t really reproduce at a house party.”

Big moshes and constant crowdsurfing have become a feature of their live show, encouraging the band to step up to match the crowd’s energy. “We all love to dance. I think onstage we move a lot, much more than most bands do. I think we have to now. It’s more us competing with the crowd for how much we’re moving. When we used to move onstage it used to be trying to get the crowd into it, and now it’s completely turned on its head a lot of the time.

Our last show at Brown Alley [in Melbourne] was completely out of control.”

Working on the album has kept the five-piece away from its audience for most of this year. The band’s last show was on New Year’s Eve, supporting Midnight Juggernauts, who of course played at midnight. “That was a fun gig.

That was at the Prince Of Wales in Melbourne, just over New Year’s Eve. It was us and a whole bunch of DJs, that kind of thing. It was a good night. Some good, fun vibes. It wasn’t too over the top, it wasn’t like playing a festival over New Year’s or anything, it was good to be able to go out, and see friends afterwards.” They were also treated to the unusual sight of John Safran performing a DJ set. “It was hilarious because John Safran is such an intelligent man and such a terrible DJ, simply because that’s not what he does.”

Biffy Clyro Bring Back The Biff By Tom Valcanis

H

ailing from Kilmarnock, a village southwest of Glasgow in Scotland, Biffy Clyro began as humbly as any rock’n’roll band.

In 1995, teenage guitarist and vocalist Simon Neil asked friend Ben Johnston to play drums.

Ben dragged in twin brother James on bass. 11 years and six albums later, the ‘Biff’, as they’re affectionately known, have finally achieved ‘overnight’ success.

Rock fans looking from the outside in thought so. The band’s usual mainstay of clubs and pubs a dimming memory, Biffy Clyro headlined the UK’s prestigious Leeds and Reading Festivals in 2013. Earlier this year, they played the main stage at Soundwave. They’ll return to Aussie shores for another visit this September.

Does that mean they’ve made it?

“I don’t even know,” answers James Johnston in an affable Highland brogue. “It’s been a very gradual build-up. You don’t notice these changes as they happen.”

Biffy Clyro’s list of accolades is growing ever longer. Last year, they topped the British album charts with Opposites, their sixth. They won NME’s Best British Band award in 2011 and 2013, and were selected to open for household names like Foo Fighters and Metallica. They’ve sold over 1.2 million albums, and that’s just in the UK.

The Biffy boys learned that the hard way. They’re all still growing up alongside one another, just as they did during those rough and tumble teenage years.

“We’ve been the same three guys that grew up together. We learned everything about life at the same time. We’ve just been the main supporters of each other. The other guys have got your back, no matter what. I think that allows you to be free and not worry too much about getting the right haircut or getting the right jacket. You know you’ve got this little gang. I think people want to be a part of that.

“Like, we’re a gang with the audience. There’s a certain amount of comfort and a certain amount of support from that. Life – our life – can be a very lonely place when you’re constantly trying to put on a face or trying to act a certain way. Trying to be a cool ‘rock star’. That can be really, really tiring.

It’s much easier and much more rewarding to be yourself.”

What: Opposites out now through 14th Floor/ Warner Where: Enmore Theatre When: Friday September 5

“It’s only until a little while later you look back and say, ‘Oh, OK, I can see what’s happening here,’” Johnston says. “You’re so much in the moment. You almost daren’t think about what it means. We’re in a band. What does that mean? It just means we’re in a band. What’s the difference? There is a difference and there isn’t.

You’re playing to more people but you’re still playing to people.”

“Sometimes you think, ‘Is this it? Have we come as far as we can go?’ The answer to that is, ‘No fucking way!’”

It’s easy winning over rock fans with rock music, but that only takes a band so far. Biffy Clyro work that extra bit harder to reach people outside of rock fandom.

“We grew up as spotty rock kids, like most of our audience,” Johnston says. “If you’re going to be headlining a festival and it’s only people from your genre of music that are following you, you can get stuck in that world. That’s OK for most bands. It’s really nice to turn people on to different kinds of music and feel you’ve got to prove yourself in front of an audience that doesn’t otherwise know much about it.”

Any success, especially in rock’n’roll, seldom comes without hardship. During 2012, James’ brother Ben struggled with alcoholism. Drinking to blackout and missing recording sessions saw his addiction overwhelm not just him, but the band as well. Neil had tragedies of his own, seeing his wife suffer through three miscarriages.

It may not seem like it from the outside, but Opposites is a battle that was hard fought and won.

“Sometimes you ask yourself a lot of questions and sometimes you don’t necessarily like the answers, or you don’t even know what the answers are,” James says. “Sometimes you think, ‘Is this it? Have we come as far as we can go?’

The reaction to that is, ‘No fucking way! This is not over. We are not letting this go.’ We can believe, somewhere deep inside, that we can go on. That we can deal with these problems.

It’s a case of picking yourself up and dusting yourself off. After that, you do sort of rekindle the fire. Getting through those periods means we’re stronger than ever.

“I think we appreciate each other and where we’ve got to in our lives. At 15 and 16 we dreamed of being in a band. Now we’re in our mid-30s and we’re still doing it. There’s a lot of strength to be taken from that.”

Hopefully, fans can take comfort that Biffy Clyro not only faced off, but drove out their demons.

Johnston feels an incredible empathy for those who face the same grim realities. From students and mechanics to touring members of a rock band, “everybody has a tough time in life”, he says.

“Whether it’s losing somebody, or grief, or dealing with a difficult situation, there’s someone out there that cares. They have to go a friend or they have to go to a family member and go and get help.

There’s nothing wrong with asking for help.” thebrag.com

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arts frontline

free stuff

arts news...what's goin' on around town...with Nic Liney and Chris Martin

head to: thebrag.com/freeshit The Effect photo by Aaron Tait

five minutes WITH

STEVE RODGERS, WRITER AND CO-DIRECTOR OF FOOD

Food

things, completely linked to our survival, but they can also be dangerous, when the ‘want’ gets too big. Beautiful and dangerous makes for a good story.

What’s the concept behind Food?

I love theatre that I experience, not just witness. It’s got something to do with this idea I have of theatre as communion.

It’s essentially an act of being in a room with each other, sharing a story, breaking bread. I always had in my mind that somewhere in the play we’d have some sourdough, eat some soup, drink some wine. It’s an act of coming together, like at any dinner table.

Australia’s multicultural society brings with it a vast variety of food and characters alike – how is this reflected in the sights, sounds and tastes of Food?

Food explores the idea of the old and the new, who we think we are, who we think others think we are, and whether we have the ability to be something else. Kind of like exploring our national character. One of the three main characters, Hakan, is Turkish; he’d prefer to make red lentil soup, while Elma, who runs the restaurant, prefers minestrone. Multiculturalism has dragged Australia into the world and made us a much more interesting bunch!

How much do food and sex go together in our daily lives?

Food and sex are two things we spend a great deal of our lives thinking about. They are both extremely beautiful and necessary

SYDNEY THROUGH A LENS

Mia Frater’s The Sydney Opera House Face

AUGUSTE BLACKMAN

Auguste Blackman, the son of one of Australia’s most celebrated artists, Charles Blackman, pays homage to his heritage and displays his individual style in the same brushstroke with a new exhibition this month.

With a rich and varied palette and a figurative expressionism, Auguste tells his creative stories through his own flair and sense of style.

Blackman’s exhibition continues until Friday June 27 at Maunsell Wickes in Paddington.

As the writer and co-director of a play about food, this must be a particularly fun experience – what’s it like working with this team?

I’m a big believer in making theatre. Sure, I started out by myself in the room writing, but there’s a whole lot of words I wrote that don’t end up in the play, because along comes Kate Champion to direct, and the actors, and a composer and a designer and a whole lot of their intellect, their hearts, is given to the play, and it makes it richer, more nuanced – better.

It’s all our play.

What: Food Where: Riverside Theatre, Parramatta When: Tuesday July 1 – Saturday July 5

THE EFFECT AT STC

What’s the science behind love? That’s the question explored by Lucy Prebble’s The Effect, opening at Sydney Theatre Company on Thursday July 10 and continuing until Saturday August 16. The young Connie (played by Anna McGahan) signs up for a pharmaceutical drug trial to test the effects of a new antidepressant, and meets fellow volunteer Tristan (Mark Leonard Winter). As the doses increase, so does the attraction between the pair.

But do their feelings come from the heart, or from the pills?

Prebble’s play won awards in London upon its debut in 2012, and its Sydney season is preceded by a run in Brisbane. Later this year, Melbourne Theatre Company will stage a production of its own. Meanwhile, we’re giving you the chance to let The Effect work its way to your heart, with a double pass up for grabs to each of the Tuesday July 15 and Wednesday July 16 shows. For the chance to win, head to thebrag.com/freeshit and tell us why love is the drug for you.

Food photo by Heidrun Löhr

F

ood takes the idea of ‘dinner and a show’ to a whole new level. The

immersion theatre production tells a story about family, love and (of course) food, and we sat down with Steve Rodgers for a taste of what’s in store.

Embrace by Anwen Keeling

When you think about it, everyone must have a slightly different way of seeing the city in which we live.

None more so than the young people of Sydney, and now budding photographers aged three to 11 are being invited to contribute their ultimate image of Sydney to this year’s Art & About festival. Little Sydney Lives will exhibit 20 finalists in Hyde Park for everyone to enjoy, and the prizes – $500 to the winner and $250 to the highly commended – will be judged across two categories; ages three to seven and eight to 11.

Last year, Manly’s Freddie Payne won the young division, while Rozelle’s Mia Frater took out the older prize for The Sydney Opera House Face (pictured).

Little Sydney Lives runs as part of Art & About Sydney 2014 from Friday September 19 – Sunday October 12.

Entries are open now.

THE BLUE ROOM

Sydney artist Anwen Keeling is launching her long-anticipated solo exhibition, The Blue Room, in July. Following the success of her 2010 suite of elite sports horse portraits, Keeling has returned to explore the subject and form of the female nude. The Blue Room will be showing at Liverpool Street Gallery from Saturday July 5 – Thursday July 31.

THE THIRD DIMENSION

The one and only Sir David Attenborough will return to Australia later this year with a brand new stage show, Sir David Attenborough – The Third Dimension.

The tour follows sold-out visits in 2012 and 2013, and provides a completely fresh look at the natural world and an insight into Sir David’s recent travels and discoveries.

He’ll appear at the Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House on Monday November 10 and Qantas Credit Union Arena (theatre mode) on Wednesday November 12.

Tickets go on sale Monday June 23.

A DOLL’S HOUSE

In The Car by Roy Lichtenstein

POP TO POPISM

Pop To Popism, the most extensive exhibition of pop art ever to be showcased in Australia, takes over the Art Gallery of NSW this summer. It’ll be a return to the vivid colours and striking imagery of the 1950s and ’60s, plus the new wave of artists emerging in the ’70s. Expect over 200 works from artists including Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Ed Ruscha and Cindy Sherman. Pop To Popism opens Saturday November 1 and continues until March 2015.

American writer and director Neil LaBute examines the effect of national tragedy in his critically acclaimed play The Mercy Seat, set on September 12, 2001. Written with a brutal honesty and a biting wit that borders on cruel, The Mercy Seat questions its audience to think about how tragedy touches those who aren’t personally affected. Produced by the newly formed Gentle Banana People with support from Pantsguys, this production features Pantsguys co-founder Rebecca Martin and Sydney actor and comedian Patrick Magee.

The Mercy Seat will play a two-week season at the Old Fitzroy Theatre from Thursday June 24 – Saturday July 5.

ART NOW

The art world can be intimidating; an immense and often confusing scene of endless layers. Art Now, curated by Tessa Dorman, has boiled it all down to just that: the ‘art’ and the ‘now’. The exhibit takes a snapshot of the current state of contemporary art in Sydney, providing a showcase of all that is wonderful, emerging, real, edgy and fabulous about art at the current moment. The works of 18 artists describe the contradictions and the trends that are prevalent in the cultural orbit of our city. Art Now continues at NG Art Gallery in Chippendale until Saturday July 5. thebrag.com

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Adam Cook will direct Henrik Ibsen’s classic play A Doll’s House as part of the Seymour Centre’s Reginald Season 2014.

Adapting one of the masterpieces of 19th century theatre, the production will explore just how much – or how little – things have changed since the play first premiered to huge controversy in 1879, with its bold vision of feminist selfhood and rediscovery.

Featuring a strong lineup of Australian talent, including Matilda Ridgway, Doug Hansell, Barry French and Francesca Savige, A Doll’s House will follow up from Cook’s critically acclaimed Much Ado About Nothing last year. A Doll’s House will play from Monday July 17 – Saturday August 2 at the Seymour Centre.

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My Name Is Truda Vitz [THEATRE] Family Ties By Tegan Jones

M

y Name Is Truda Vitz will be one of the most fascinating plays to hit Sydney in 2014. The playwright, Olivia Satchell, both stars in and plays the cello in this one-woman show; however, it’s the story itself that makes the play so interesting. The plot centres around Satchell’s Jewish grandmother and her experiences escaping Austria during the Holocaust. Sadly, Satchell never actually met her grandmother, but she remained an inspiration throughout her life.

Ice Cube in 22 Jump Street

“Truda died two months before I was born and I grew up hearing stories about her from my dad,” says Satchell. “It reached a point where I thought I’d made up this story about her fl eeing Vienna and arriving in England covered in contraband jewellery. It was only three or four years ago that I casually turned to Dad and asked, ‘That story isn’t true, right?’ And he replied, ‘Yeah, that happened.’ And I just fl ipped out because you make up stories as a kid and to suddenly realise that one was true, it really shook me.

“It was about three years ago where I suddenly realised that I should turn this into a play, especially since that’s my medium of choice. It’s just such an incredible story and because Truda never spoke about what happened to her I felt like I had to do what I could to try and let people know, because she hadn’t done so herself.”

Due to the fact Truda didn’t divulge a great deal about her wartime experiences, Satchell has had to take some liberties with the story. “It’s been a really bizarre process because my dad didn’t fi nd out that he was Jewish until he was 17,” she says. “He came across Truda in the dining room not doing anything. He asked her if she was OK and she turned to him and told him that she was Jewish. He didn’t question her about it and she never spoke about it again, so I’ve based the play around what that conversation could have been.

[FILM] This Is Your Captain Speaking By Ian Barr

2 Olivia Satchell incredibly lucky ones, but her whole life was marked by it. Dad never really knew his mum because she could never talk to him about that very large side of her identity.”

Music is also a central focus of the play, especially because Satchell provides so much of it herself. “I use music in the show to try and get people to think about how we can get to know people through emotional truths. I was playing The Blue Danube waltz on my cello a little while ago and Dad walked past and said, ‘That was Truda’s favourite piece of music.’

“I really want people to think about how we can know people that we’ve never met,” adds Satchell. “This is the closest I’ll ever be to Truda, and I think there’s some hope in that because it’s also looking at the Truda in Dad and the Truda in myself.”

What: My Name Is Truda Vitz Where: Tap Gallery, Darlinghurst When: Wednesday June 25 – Sunday July 6

014 has been a big year for Ice Cube, who remains one of the preeminent examples of a renowned rapper moonlighting-thendoubling as a legit movie star. Besides a new record (Everythang’s Corrupt) on the horizon, he produced and starred in Ride Along with Kevin Hart, already one of the year’s most successful comedies. Now, in 22 Jump Street – a film with no shortage of belly laughs – he just about steals the film from stars Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum, reprising his role as the hilariously belligerent Captain Dickson. “I ain’t gonna start yelling at you,” he laughs when I tell him how fresh the film and his character are in my mind as we begin our phone conversation.

It’s surprising, then, to look back to the beginning of Cube’s acting career and notice that his first few roles until 1995’s Friday were dramatic ones, starting with the phenomenon of Boyz N The Hood, the LA ghetto saga that ended up making then-24-year-old John Singleton both the first African-American and youngest person to be nominated for a Best Director Academy Award. Cube credits Singleton with kick-starting his career.

“He just bugged the shit out of me to take [Boyz N The Hood] seriously, because I felt that I wasn’t qualified, because I wasn’t acting. This was his first movie. I didn’t believe that he really wanted me, that he couldn’t find someone who was qualified. He convinced me, and he got Columbia to back it – so not only was he doing a movie, he was doing a movie with the big boys.”

That Cube branched out to comedy, he explains, was less a matter of finding his niche than Hollywood stigma. “Well, you know, if you do something like a Friday so well, more and more people want ’em. You know, Friday had its own tone of comedy, and it was a tone that no

other filmmaker could reach. It was the perfect balance of a lot of things that we liked. People wanted to see it over and over. Hollywood, especially when you’re black, you’ve really got a path of least resistance when it comes to getting films made, to building your brand. And you know, I’ve got a long way to go, to get back to the dramatic roles.”

It’s not a stretch to say that his Captain Dickson in the Jump Street films might be Cube’s finest work as an actor to date; especially in the sequel, which benefits from his role being expanded. “It was a lot more comfortable to shoot; a lot more fun, you know – we were in Puerto Rico, we were in New Orleans… it was more laidback, looser, and we had more fun.”

Indeed, the film’s creative team is Christopher Lord and Phil Miller, fresh off the success of The Lego Movie – but more so than that film, the success of the Jump Street franchise is largely to do with the collaborative nature of the production. “They say ‘written and directed by’ but it’s really everyone involved,” says Cube.

Despite his successes, Cube remains humble about his contributions to the projects and aware that his position in Hollywood is a precarious one. He’s palpably taken aback by my suggestion that his career is even close to being at a peak right now.

“It’s just part of a journey. I feel like I have a lot more room to grow; I still feel like I have a lot to prove to Hollywood that I am ‘box office’. I’ve been in the fight my whole life, and I don’t know how to stop fighting.”

What: 22 Jump Street (dir. Christopher Miller and Phil Lord) When: In cinemas Thursday June 19 xxx

“If Dad had asked her what she meant when she said that she was Jewish, would she have told him what happened to her? We just don’t know. So the play revolves around a series of hypothetical conversations. I’ve worked on the principle that the story that I’ve made up about what might have happened to Truda probably happened to someone, somewhere, because of the scale of the event. So many people were drastically affected by the Holocaust. Truda was one of the

22 Jump Street

SAE Sydney [EDUCATION] Behind The Scenes By Augustus Welby

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animators, filmmakers, designers, games developers and audio producers, this is where a creative media institution like SAE slides into view. At present, there’s more demand for training in these fields than ever before.

“Essentially, almost anything that you look at – whether it’s your phone, or a TV commercial, or music being produced, or a short documentary – it is, to an extent, a combination of skills

software – but also how to interact with people in other disciplines in an environment that looks and feels very much like what they would be experiencing in real life. The real-life learning experience is of utmost importance to us.”

SAE’s Surry Hills campus has been educating folks interested in working in the film and music industries since 1976. In February this year, SAE packed its things and relocated to a greatly advanced facility situated on York Street in the CBD. “The new campus is purpose-built from the ground up,” Klusacek says. “We could do anything we wanted, and that’s one of the rare opportunities that you have as an education institution – to actually design the spaces in such a way that they support the way we deliver our courses and support the nature of the courses.”

Something that often deters people from seeking academic training in a creative field is the expectation that it will involve being forcefed a particular, inflexible method. It’s difficult to strike a balance between adhering to a teaching curriculum and allowing for individual experimentation, but SAE understands how important it is to cultivate a distinctly personal approach.

Truth be told, here in Sydney there are no shortage of schools that provide training in audio, film and multimedia technologies.

However, Klusacek believes that what makes SAE unique is the opportunity for students to become simultaneously acquainted with the inner workings of multiple fields.

“We put the students in a situation where they interact with other disciplines,” he says. “We have animation and film students working on projects together because that is what will be happening in real life. So they not only learn the technical skills – how to operate a camera or how to operate a piece of animation

“If you go on the internet you can find information about how to operate just about any piece of equipment,” Klusacek says, “so we don’t spend all our time on teaching the technical side of things. Yes, you’re learning how to operate a camera, but what do you do with it? What is the message that you’re trying to portray? What is the outcome that you are trying to achieve? And how do you achieve that given the skills that you have and also the personality and the aspirations [you have]? The focus on creativity is very much hand-in-hand with teaching the technical skills.”

What: SAE Sydney, York Street When: Open Day, Saturday August 23 More: sae.edu.au thebrag.com

xxx

he world of technology sure moves fast – and people in the creative industries know it better than most. While certain media platforms have been harshly afflicted by 21st century fluidity (the printed word is a paramount example), resignation isn’t the appropriate response. Romantic attachments to particular mediums can be difficult to sever, but it’s imperative to harness what’s happening right now or else get left behind. For budding

across all or some of these disciplines,” says Radovan Klusacek, SAE Sydney’s campus manager. “And it’s only going to go ahead. I think we are just at the very beginning of the role that media will actually play in our lives.”

WA

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

■ Theatre

THE BOAT PEOPLE The Boat People

Galore

Tom Cruise in Edge Of Tomorrow ■ Film

■ Film

EDGE OF TOMORROW

GALORE

In cinemas now

In cinemas Thursday June 19

In Edge Of Tomorrow, Tom Cruise returns in a role he might as well have patented. The great man dominates the field in playing shallow blades to whom the bracing chill of Hard Truths is applied, whereby he learns humility, or at least a degree of self-awareness. In this iteration Cruise plays Cage, a PR man for the United Defense Force, a global alliance thrown together to defend the planet against an invading horde of aliens called Mimics. Cage is ordered to the line to cover the final assault, but is so terrified at the prospect that he tries to blackmail the general-in-chief (Brendan Gleeson) and is promptly downgraded to private and shipped off to the front anyway. He’s killed straight away but in the process ingests alien blood, gifting him the ability to relive the day over and over. Emily Blunt plays another soldier who had the same ability but lost it, and helps Cruise try to win the war.

Set over the long, hot summer leading up to the 2003 Canberra bushfires, writer/director Rhys Graham’s debut feature follows two teenage girls living on the city’s suburban outskirts – rebellious Billie (Ashleigh Cummings) and her best friend, aspiring poet/writer Laura (Lily Sullivan). Friends since childhood, they share everything. But while Laura grapples with the prospect of losing her virginity to boyfriend Danny (Toby Wallace), Billie has been secretly sleeping with him behind her back.

Harry Windsor

While the setting feels authentic, the overly touchy-feely relationship between the two girls is questionable.

As someone who has been a teenage girl, I don’t recall staring into the eyes of my high school BFF or tracing my fi ngers over her moist skin. And while I’m sure my experience differs to many, this still seem s like a cheap shortcut to establishing the visceral mood of the piece.

Tending to follow in the typically morose and dark footsteps Australian fi lms have become known for, this work, while technically profi cient and well delivered, fails to break any new ground.

Sarah Abboud (Susie Youssef) is a refugee made good. She lives in an exclusive beachfront property, runs a successful chain of takeaway restaurants and has the profile to match. Her husband, Karl, can practically retire and play Xbox while she features in news editorials and magazines.

But when a journalist begins to quiz her backstory – with Karl having more to say about his boat journey than Sarah does – questions arise

The Boat People is slickly written and hilariously performed by the cast of four.

William Erimya steals the show as the happy-go-lucky himbo Karl, ever trying to please his ambitious wife.

Luke Joseph Ryan also shines as the other extreme himbo in Sarah’s life, her personal trainer Shane. The team relishes the script and has a hell of a lot of fun with it, pushing each character to complete caricature.

The subject matter doesn’t force the script into ‘ethnic

comedy’ territory either, with the production firmly aiming its gun at the whole of Australia.

As the play progresses into the future, the story almost gets a little out of control, but the absurdist performances ironically somehow keep it in check. While the ending could have done with some tweaking, this is a hilarious look at immigration, the media circus surrounding refugees, and the future of our country.

Julian Ramundi

Giveaway What's been on our TV screens this week enter: thebrag.com/freeshit

S AY W EA IV G

This has a familiar ring to it, and much has been made of the debt Edge Of Tomorrow owes to gaming, in which the ability to reset is fundamental. But there’s a problem when the same rules apply to characters in movies. Every time Cruise checks out, we do too, a little. By the time the film arrives at its monumentally daft conclusion, one sits slack-jawed but unmoved. The most elusive quality in blockbusters remains suspense, routinely overlooked here in favour of explosions signifying absolutely nothing.

The lives of teens in this type of suburban wilderness is well understood

by Graham, who himself grew up on the fringes of Australia’s capital. The grinding boredom and tormenting vastness is skilfully captured, where cruising in cars, fl irting, fi ghting and getting stoned or drunk are the mainstays of the teenage existence.

about her ability to make fun of her own people.

Xxxx

Throughout his career, from Rain Man to War Of The Worlds, Cruise has had great fun playing the jerk, secure in the knowledge that his character would redeem himself by film’s end. But at least those films really committed to his unseemliness.

This time, Cruise’s too-slick-by-half routine couldn’t be more perfunctory, and lasts barely as long as the opening credits.

Less than half an hour in, Cage is defined less by his cowardice than his extreme competence. Immortality, after all, means there’s plenty of time to master the art of combat.

When Billie’s social worker mum (Maya Stange) takes in Isaac (Aliki Matangi), a troubled kid trying to stay straight after brushes with law, Laura fi nds herself drawn to him. But it’s Isaac who ends up paying the price for Billie’s recklessness when she embroils him in a drunken joyride in a stolen car. Suddenly the carefree teenage world they inhabit is swept away on the winds of change.

Until Saturday June 21 at Bondi Pavilion Theatre

TRANSFORMERS 4!

IMAX DOUBLE GOLD PASSES! 3D FILM!

Lee Hutchison

Mark Wahlberg, Nicola Peltz and Jack Reynor in Transformers: Age of Extinction

See www.thebrag.com for more arts reviews

Arts Exposed What's in our diary...

Awaken Whitehouse Institute Of Design, Saturday June 21 The Whitehouse Institute of Design’s Awaken event this week marks 100 years of the Red Cross in Australia in the most colourful way possible. The night will include contributions from Australian designers, as well as live and interactive art, contemporary design night markets and live entertainment. Established in 1914, the Australian branch of the international Red Cross movement has helped countless vulnerable Australians ever since, be it due to natural disaster or everyday crisis. With all proceeds from the evening going to Red Cross Australia, it’s a bright way to assist a good cause.

Tickets start at $40, and are available from awaken100event.com.

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he age of extinction is upon us. Fear not – it’s Transformers: Age Of Extinction we’re talking about; the fourth instalment of the blockbuster series set to open in 3D at IMAX Darling Harbour next Wednesday June 25 and in cinemas around the country on Thursday June 26. The Michael Bay-directed film franchise this time picks us up four years after the invasion of Chicago, and Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Ratchet and Brains are back to take on the Decepticons and one paranoid government official.

Mark Wahlberg leads a cast that also includes Stanley Tucci, Kelsey Grammar, Nicola Peltz and more – but all you really need to know is that you’ll be blown away by the action and the visuals on this one, especially in 3D. We’ve got five double Gold passes to IMAX Darling Harbour to give away, so you can see the best new 3D films like Transformers: Age Of Extinction. For your chance to win, head to thebrag.com/freeshit and tell us what you’d transform into if you had the chance.

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Gaming news with Adam Guetti

New Releases

2014

Walk into your local games retailer and you’ll notice there’s a hell of a lot of must-own games getting ready to hit store shelves. The bad news is that most of them are coming out towards the end of the year or the start of next, leaving July a little dry. Still, if you’re an RPG fan looking for something a bit different, Ubisoft’s popular Child Of Light hits the PlayStation Vita on July 2. It’s a visually stunning title following Princess Aurora as she takes part in a quest to recapture the three sources of light.

For a complete change of pace there’s Tomodachi Life on July 7 for the Nintendo 3DS. Pick it up and you’ll finally be able to create and customise your own Mii characters and watch them interact in a crazy, fun world – or end up in potentially hilarious situations.

If you’re after something a little more action heavy, there’s the Ratchet & Clank Trilogy (PS Vita) a few days later on July 9 that brings one of Sony’s most popular franchises to your portable console.

The real big-ticket item you should be paying attention to, however, is The Walking Dead: Game Of The Year Edition for both PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. It brings what was one of 2012’s best games, based on Robert Kirkman’s global hit comic book series (no, it doesn’t follow the TV show), onto the new-generation consoles. It features all five incredible and emotionally taxing episodes, the 400 Days DLC and the game’s soundtrack. You can (and should) find it on July 27.

All in all July might not be an overwhelming month, but there’s still a few gems to pick up, and don’t worry, things are only just getting warmed up!

Australia Goes Triple-A

NEWS

JUL

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, the next standalone game in the wildly popular Borderlands franchise, has been announced and is currently in development at our very own 2K Australia (co-developed with Gearbox Software). “We are huge fans of the Borderlands franchise and are thrilled to have this opportunity to show what we can bring to the Borderlands universe,” said Tony Lawrence, general manager of 2K Australia. It will be available in Australia on October 16 for the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.

Sydney Spawns A Fresh New Bar

Sydney may just nab its first proper gaming bar thanks to Spawn Point, which reportedly hopes to open its doors in August. According to owner Ben Mudie, the bar will be located in the basement of 199 Clarence St in Sydney’s CBD, halfway between Town Hall and Wynyard stations.

It’s set to feature a mix of both video game stations and table seating alongside a healthy variety of both new and more retro game consoles. It’s a nice score for Sydneysiders who have been patiently waiting for something like this since the similarly styled Mana Bar opened its doors in Brisbane a few years ago.

Devastated Devs

Among a slew of rough budget cuts, local game developers have also suffered after the federal government decided to axe a fund established just over a year ago to help the industry recover from the GFC hit that saw it shed more than half its jobs. “We made numerous attempts to contact the Attorney-General’s office in the months leading up to last night’s announcement, including providing economic data and highlighting the successes the Australian game development sector has had on the global market. We have yet to receive a single response,” claimed Antony Reed, chief executive of the Game Developers’ Association of Australia, via press release after budget night.

Review: Watch Dogs

You play as hacking extraordinaire Aiden Pearce who, after a job goes wrong and his niece is accidently killed as a result, is naturally none too pleased. Once the game opens, Aiden is a man consumed by revenge and he’ll move about the city of Chicago until he gets justice.

With the city fl exible to your hacking whims, you can get up to all sorts of mischief as you alter traffic lights, jump around security cameras and open bridges in order to complete your objectives. Then there’s the heap of side content to take part in, from drinking games and Spider Tanks, to taking a digital trip that sees you falling from the sky into the bouncy safety of a

fl ower. Online activities have also been impressively integrated into it all.

Ultimately though, Watch Dogs works best when it’s not trying to mimic the playbook of other well-established games, like Grand Theft Auto V. Hacking can be an absolute blast to take part in and provides a degree of freedom most games can’t. At the same time, it is also a lot like the first Assassin’s Creed title. It’s ambitious in its design and will be a memorable experience for many, but still has a bit more to achieve. It also doesn’t look as good as that infamous E3 2012 demo that took the world by storm, but seeing as Ubisoft Montreal was working on purely speculative tech, we never really expected it to either.

Hopefully the inevitable sequel (which the game’s closing moments not-so-subtly hint at) allows Ubisoft Montreal to teach its young pup some new tricks.

Adam Guetti

Visit dustycartridge.com for more gaming news. thebrag.com

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Watch Dogs has been a long time coming and, after what seemed like delay hell, it’s fi nally arrived. But is it the game we all hoped it would be, or has it lost some of its original sheen?

15:06:14 :: Sydney Showground :: 1 Showground Rd, Sydney Olympic Park 9704 1157 BRAG :: 567:: 18:06:14 :: 25

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

ALBUM OF THE WEEK MIA DYSON Idyllwild MGM

Xxxx In a word, Dyson’s latest effort is glorious.

This release is much more country-driven than her previous, rockier album, The Moment. It still has some wild, belt-your-heart out-anthems, though – in particular ‘Idyllwild’ and ‘Crazy Horse’, which she recorded previously with the trio Dyson, Stringer & Cloher.

Mia Dyson photo by Kate Rentz

Mia Dyson has an amazing voice. Think a little bit Patti Smith, if Smith sang country rock, mixed with Joan Jett. Dyson is absolutely gripping, and you feel what she feels, elation or despair. She takes you with her.

Many of these tracks refl ect on the passage of time, and it sounds like things are getting better: “Maybe we don’t have to make it / Maybe we have it made / I’m learning to live, darlin’ / In my own skin” (‘Growing Up’). ‘Made From The Same Clay’ is a beautiful call to compassion. Dyson wrote it after being confronted with “rampant and very visible homelessness” when she moved to Los Angeles, reminding us that “We are made from the same clay / I could be you on a different day”. ‘Based On Your Eyes’ is the surprise track – it’s more soul and gospel than anything else and beautiful to boot.

Meg Crawford

ANDY BULL

THE BOHICAS

MILWAUKEE BANKS

HOW TO DRESS WELL

HOWLING BELLS

Sea Of Approval Universal

The Bohicas EP Domino/EMI

Rose Water Inertia

What Is This Heart?

Domino/EMI

Heartstrings Birthday/Caroline

Sea Of Approval is Andy Bull’s first solo release since his 2010 EP, Phantom Pains, and is a definite departure from his earlier and friendlier folky lean on alt-pop.

Andy Bull fans, prepare yourselves for distorted vocals and gurgling synths.

Announced a few weeks ago to play a two-date round of headline shows in Melbourne and Sydney, The Bohicas were relatively unknown. Since the announcement, airplay of ‘Swarm’ and ‘XXX’ has steadily increased ahead of this fresh EP release.

As expected, Bull doesn’t fail to produce some beat-driven and highly contagious hits like ‘Talk Too Much’ and ‘Keep On Running’.

But Sea Of Approval is both selfabsorbed and self-deprecating (“Baby I’m once in a lifetime, baby I am nobody now”). Things go awry when Bull decides to throw in ‘Something, I Guess’, a song which, very possibly, will only satisfy those who like their vocal echoes increased to hymnal levels.

The final track here, ‘Swarm’, has possibly the most apt name for a song of recent times, given the buzzing, frenetic energy of the band itself. The artwork for the single ‘XXX’ features a bee or wasp of some description, so it’s clearly no accident. There are only four songs to be heard here, yet The Bohicas still have an undeniable urge to tear through them all as quickly as possible, à la The Hives.

Milwaukee Banks are being heralded by music honchos as ‘revelatory’ because they’re Australians who make good hip hop.

Revelatory because Australians are hands down, fair dinkum, horseshit at making hip hop and anyone who cries Illy at me can get jousted by a stingray. Milwaukee Banks aren’t making good hip hop. I’m not even sure that what they’re making could be categorised as hip hop. I guess Dyl Thomas is rapping – he’s saying words kind of quick and all – but not one track on the EP is a rap song.

What I can say is that Milwaukee Banks have succeeded in creating comedown music; and damn good comedown music at that.

The cover art for the past three How To Dress Well albums are strong indicators of their contents: 2010’s Love Remains is packaged in a torch-lit shot of random roadside; Total Loss (2012) has the side profile of a face set like it is part of the landscape; and new album What Is This Heart? is a straightforward headshot. These images reflect the slow reveal of the man behind it all, Tom Krell, and his movement from echo-chamber obfuscation to a more open, perhaps even optimistic, vision.

Hard to believe, but it has been ten years since Howling Bells emerged from the ashes of Waikiki, and what a journey it has been.

Still based in London, the Sydneyborn outfit now sports a local bass player in Gary Daines. What it has retained throughout is that almosttoo-cool attitude that oozes from frontwoman Juanita Stein and into every punchy guitar riff and creeping bassline. Not many other bands can pull it off.

The singer-songwriter, in a move towards a more modern sound, takes a slight R&B detour on ‘The Hill’, with jolts that are sure to induce some hip-flicking.

‘Nothing Is Wrong’ is an easy album standout: it boasts Bull’s vocal versatility and effortlessly combines an all-consuming chorus with synth reveries and smooth piano build-ups and fillers.

Sea Of Approval sees Andy Bull flirt with a more galactic variant of pop, but what remains timeless is his unfaltering and unique voice.

Katie Davern

Opening number ‘Crush Me’ builds, before letting go with an all-gunsblazing instrumental chorus full of distorted guitars, hand claps and flat-out noise that has no right to sound good but somehow just does. It also features the best lyric on the release: “The last time I saw her she was in the kitchen peeling my spuds”.

The pleasing thing about this release is that the two previously unheard tracks are probably its strongest, and if not, are easily as good as the two songs already unleashed.

Alexander Crowden

Naturally, Rose Water starts with ‘Pluto Bounce’, the single that cocked ears for its “Jelly bean coloured socks” hook and its vibe dissimilar to all Australian hip hop, because they’re not rapping about having more cans of Jim Beam than dollars in their account.

‘Patty Mills’ and ‘Rose Water’ are the main events of the EP, for the humour of the prior and the washed-out vocals on the latter.

These guys are songwriters foremost, and certainly not rappers; the melodies and hooks speak more to the faded soul than any wordplay could. Give it a listen next time you’re not quite ready to sleep.

Whatever Krell was going through two years ago has been processed and has reenergised him as a performer.

There’s a confidence and clarity to this collection, though also an acknowledgement of his limitations.

Edgar Ivan

Chris Girdler

INDIE ALBUM OF THE WEEK After releasing their debut album two years ago, country-tinged rockers The Broken Needles moved from Townsville to Melbourne, picked up two new members and added a collection of strings and even the odd synth to their arsenal.

The result is a richer, more mature sound on Holy Coast that still retains the distinctive rough touches of the tropical north.

THE BROKEN NEEDLES Holy Coast Independent/Bandcamp

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Lead single ‘Bound To Fade’ is an absolute highlight, and calling it one of the better local tracks of the year would not be unworthy praise. A duet between lead singer Michael Galloway and guest vocalist Laura Morgan, the song rides on a soaring string section that matches the highs and lows of the narrators’ rocky relationship. Their vocal

This openness was one of the changes implemented on his previous album, but Total Loss was also steeped in a deep sadness and sense of loss. One of its standout tracks was ‘It Was You’, a four-to-thefloor banger that was atypical of the stark remainder of the record, and the obvious progression would be a push in this direction for his third album. Instead, in his expectationdefying fashion, Krell kicks off What Is This Heart? with tinkling piano and an acoustic guitar-based song that could almost be described as folk.

interplay is particularly excellent, Galloway’s deep rumble a perfect counterpoint to Morgan’s angelic lilt as they trade verses before uniting in the chorus.

Elsewhere, the ramshackle ‘Cemetery’ is the band at its most visceral and electric, ditching the strings and country touches for some drunken, guitar-fuelled garage rock. ‘Headstream’ brings the country vibe back, evoking a clear image of life in northern Australia.

All in all, Holy Coast is a good record from a versatile and maturing band, and is elevated by a knockout lead single.

Howling Bells have held true to their drool-inducing indie sensibilities, which combine elements of altcountry, ambient pop, rock and blues. And Gigwise was right in 2009 – Stein really is one of the sexiest women in rock, and her voice is code word for addiction.

The album kicks off the rollercoaster with one of its most commercial-sounding tracks, ‘Paris’, before taking things up a notch with the jarring juxtaposition of ‘Possessed’. Keeping the listener on their toes, ‘Your Love’ coasts along with an ode to the sensual rhythm of the Wild West, while ‘Slowburn’ is definitely a highlight.

While it doesn’t break the mould of what we’ve come to know and love from Howling Bells, Heartstrings reads deeper into what they’re capable of. Juanita calls? You will definitely answer.

Jen Wilson

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

MIDNIGHT OIL - Blue Sky Mining JACK WHITE - Lazaretto BRODY DALLE - Diploid Love

PULP - This Is Hardcore NEW ORDER - World In Motion

Keiron Costello thebrag.com

live reviews What we've been out to see...

TLC Enmore Theatre Friday June 6 What should we have expected from TLC? We’re talking about an R&B girl group that released its debut record in 1992. That went on to sell over 45 million albums before Destiny’s Child was even a thing. ‘Waterfalls’ will be 20 years old next year. There is so much myth and nostalgia and tragedy and triumph surrounding the cult of TLC (and to judge by the yelps of adoration at the Enmore, its membership is still very much loud and present) that it was impossible to try to predict what a performance by twothirds of the original lineup would look or sound like all these years later.

Gaudy, lip-synced, sad, gimmicky and occasionally funny, it turns out, is what to expect from 2014-era TLC. After conjecture about Lisa ‘Left Eye’ Lopes (who died in a 2002 car crash) making an appearance via hologram was snuffed out by her glaring absence on the opening couple of cuts (particularly ‘Ain’t 2 Proud 2 Beg’), we were left with T (T-Boz) and C (Chilli) strutting around in their dungarees making a good impression. But that, it quickly turned out, was all that their ‘live show’ effectively was: the impression of performance.

Despite efforts to distract with a hype man, three-piece band (bass, keys, drums) and a squad of dancers who did an admirable

job of keeping time where its leaders couldn’t, the reality was too flawless to be real. T-Boz managed to cover incredible four-part harmonies on ‘Baby-Baby-Baby’ all while stepping through her dance moves and not raising a sweat. Chilli, who occasionally looked like she might have been actually producing sounds, debunked that notion by talking while she was ostensibly still singing on ‘Red Light Special’.

UlTrAsOuNd ToUr

And yet, even for the weight of this huge pretence, the show didn’t seem to suffer that much. As far as logistics were concerned, it was a tightly run affair and the DJ breaks, dancer introductions and lighting were all well-rehearsed.

A slim, poor-resolution video screen playing loops of old video clips and appropriately ’90s animated astrological and fl ower gifs was kind of hilarious and very cute.

As we jumped to ‘No Scrubs’, what more could we expect? Anticipating a live performance, you would have been desperately disappointed. But as a throwback/farewell/karaoke event, it ticked most of the boxes. To be fair, the billing should have read ‘TLC Live: Ts and Cs apply’.

David Seidler PHOTOGRAPHER :: ASHLEY MAR

6 June Ruby L'Otel 13 June ROSEHILL Hotel 21 June Winter Magic Festival 27 June Ruby L'Otel proceeds to depressionisnotdestiny.com

WILD PORTENO Carriageworks Monday June 9 The Vivid festival spread its wings further out this year into Carriageworks, with an excellent program of both music and food.

While Modular provided the musical lineup for the weekend program, Argentinean cookout experts Porteno provided the food. Wild Porteno, however, gave the restaurant the chance to program a day of music that inspires the food, with a full schedule from famed rockabilly label Wild Records on the cards.

The Delta Bombers opened the day with a fiery set of punk-inspired rockabilly.

The double bass was in full effect, and the band relished the chance to open the show, throwing out tees and really getting the crowd worked up. Luis And The Wildfires then took the stage and owned it like it was their last gig, with frontman

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Luis jumping into the crowd and getting the audience chanting. The addition of songs in Spanish as well as English was a really good insight into the authenticity of the band, as well as the scene they inhabit.

Finally Gizzelle closed the show, the sultry singer delivering a full set of ’50s blues. She has a huge voice and an excellent band of pros, showing some fine musicianship. It’s a shame her slot was a bit short considering the length of her back catalogue, and she seemed a little nervous, but her big vocal cords alleviated any concerns.

It was great to see some legitimate soul and rockabilly from one of the genre’s best labels and its choice acts, who were all genuinely chuffed to be playing in Oz. Let’s hope we see more of Wild in the very near future.

Julian Ramundi

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live reviews

up all night out all week . . .

What we've been out to see...

BASTILLE, FOXES Hordern Pavilion Saturday June 14 Louisa Allen – better known as Foxes – arrived to squeals of delight from an already-full venue. All of 25 years old, she sauntered and shimmied her way around the stage, occasionally throwing in some poised hand choreography like a hybrid of Florence Welch and a dancer in Swan Lake. Alas, there seemed to be a lot more to these aesthetics than the music itself. Backed only by a keyboardist and a drummer, the songs felt hollow and m u r k y, rather than sparkly and pristine as they appear on record.

Even the moment the audience had clearly been waiting for – a performance of her Zedd collaboration, ‘Clarity’ – was a letdown due to its awkward lower key and the cheap karaoke backing track.

The finest moment of the set came with a strange medley/ mashup of Pharrell Williams’ ‘Happy’ and

Massive Attack’s ‘Teardrop’. Do with this information what you will.

“All of my flaws are laid out one by one...” sang Bastille’s Dan Smith. This, unfortunately, was as indicative of the evening’s proceedings as anything. What they’ve developed for their current live show needs substantial work. For one, it is an eyesore – not a slight on the band’s handsomeness, but rather, the horrific light show. Strobe lights blared through every other track, and the blowout of golden light with every thud of drums grew very tiresome and literally difficult to watch. The music itself was delivered capably but all too safely. Many of the songs’ finer points were lost in translation, half-heartedly recited with the feeling of simply going through the motions – especially when the band moved into tepid ballad territory and the iPhonewaving began.

And yet – and there’s always an “and yet” – the grand finale felt like a brief moment of greatness. A cover of DeBarge’s ‘Rhythm Of The Night’ sent the audience into a frenzy, as did the song that started it all, ‘Pompeii’.

One tends to forget what a cracking song the latter is until moments like these. What follows next is up to the band itself, but the best advice to pass on is this: less style, more substance.

David James Young

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PHOTOGRAPHER :: ASHLEY MAR

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up all night out all week . . .

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frankieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hardcore sausagefest

cabins + spirit valley @ craw daddy club 06:06:14 :: Upstairs at the Bank Hotel :: 324 King St Newtown 8568 1900 OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHER

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Have you heard?

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

pick of the week Band Of Skulls

FRIDAY JUNE 20 The Hi-Fi

Band Of Skulls 8pm. $54.90.

WEDNESDAY JUNE 18 ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK

Mitch Anderson & His Organic Orchestra Coopers Hotel, Newtown.

8:45pm. free.

Pulp Kitchen And Folk Club - feat: Live Rotating Folk Bands Soda Factory, Surry Hills.

5pm. free.

JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC Gang Of Brothers Jam Night Spring Street Social, Bondi.

9pm. free.

Lionel Cole Imperial Hotel, Paddington.

8pm. free.

Mingus Amongst Us Foundry616, Ultimo. 8:30pm. free.

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS Andy Mammers Duo Maloney’s Hotel, Sydney.

9pm. free.

City Slickers Band Competition Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 8pm. free.

Concert On The Park - feat: Shelley + Robertson Campsie RSL, Campsie.

7pm. free.

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

5pm. free.

Glenn Esmond Fortune Of War, The Rocks.

7pm. free.

Hitseekers Three Wise Monkeys, Sydney. 10pm. free.

Jim Finn Bald Faced Stag, Leichhardt.

8pm. free.

La Dispute + Balance And Composure Metro Theatre, Sydney. 7pm. $41.90.

Neil Byrne + Ryan Kelly The Vanguard, Newtown.

6:30pm. $53.80.

Sarah Paton Observer Hotel, The Rocks.

9:30pm. free.

Sosueme - feat: The Cairos + Nova Heart + Palace Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach. 8pm. free.

The Bohicas + Unity Floors Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 6pm. $38.

The Bohicas

30 :: BRAG :: 567 :: 18:06:14

Hillside Hotel, Castle Hill.

7pm. free.

Glenn Esmond Fortune Of War, The Rocks.

7pm. free.

Greg Agar Scruffy Murphy’s Hotel, Sydney. 7:30pm. free.

Grooveworks Revesby Workers Club, Revesby. 12pm. free.

Joe Echo Dee Why Hotel, Dee Why. 7pm. free.

Major Leagues + Bloods Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 7pm. $15.

Mandi Jarry Northies Cronulla Hotel, Cronulla. 7:30pm. free.

Pirra + Jack Man Friday Spring Street Social, Bondi.

10:30pm. free.

Psycroptic + Aborted Factory Theatre, Marrickville. 8pm. $40.

Simon Gillespie Revesby Workers Club, Revesby. 12pm. free.

Swrls + We Are The Brave Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $8.20.

Teeth & Tongue Goodgod Small Club, Sydney. 8pm. $12.

The Late Night Soda Social Soda Factory, Surry Hills.

5pm. free.

The White Brothers New Brighton Hotel, Manly.

10pm. free.

Victoria Avenue Maloney’s Hotel, Sydney.

9:30pm. free.

FRIDAY JUNE 20 THURSDAY JUNE 19 ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK

Donegal Hotel Hollywood, Surry Hills.

8pm. free.

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

JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC

Anna Salleh Foundry616, Ultimo. 8:30pm. $27.50.

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

8pm. free.

Live Latin Sessions - feat: Cumbiamuffin Jam Gallery, Bondi Junction.

6:30pm. $5.

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS

10 O’Clock Rock Frankie’s Pizza, Sydney.

10pm. free.

A Team Duo Crows Nest Hotel, Crows Nest. 9pm. free.

Amber Jade Revesby Workers Club, Revesby. 12pm. free.

Balmain Blitz Band Grand Final Bridge Hotel, Rozelle. 7pm. $15.

Carl Fidler Observer Hotel, The Rocks.

8:30pm. free.

Coldplay Enmore Theatre, Newtown.

8pm. $119.90.

Dee Donavan Revesby Workers Club, Revesby. 12pm. free.

Earth Manning Bar, Camperdown.

8pm. $44.

Evie Dean

ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK Live Music Fridays Bar100, The Rocks. 5pm. free.

JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC

Joce Moen Foundry616, Ultimo. 8pm. $21.50.

Kween G Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach. 8pm. free.

Yuki & John Well Co. Cafe And Wine Bar, Leichhardt. 8pm. free.

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS

A Team Duo Hillside Hotel, Castle Hill.

8pm. free.

Abandon Fire Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 9pm. $10.

AM 2 PM Courthouse Hotel, Darlinghurst. 10am. free.

Antonamasia + The World In Cinematic + Maybe I’ll Live Forever + Pulse Mavens Bald Faced Stag, Leichhardt.

8pm. $15.

Band Of Skulls The Hi-Fi, Moore Park. 8pm. $54.90.

Ben Finn Time & Tide Hotel, Dee Why. 7:30pm. free.

BNO Rock Show Crows Nest Hotel, Crows Nest. 10:30pm. free.

Bowles Bros Penrith RSL, Penrith.

8:30pm. free.

Cambo Massey Park Golf Club, Concord. 7pm. free.

Carl Fidler Observer Hotel, The Rocks.

6pm. free.

Cath & Him St George Leagues Club, Kogarah. 7pm. free.

Craig Thommo Duo Windsor Leagues Club, Windsor South. 9:15pm. free.

David Agius Mona Vale Hotel, Mona Vale.

9pm. free.

Drew The Oriental Hotel, Springwood. 8pm. free.

Emille Wentworthville Leagues Club, Wentworthville. 9pm. free.

Erin Marshall Northies Cronulla Hotel, Cronulla. 5:30pm. free.

Evie Dean Quakers Inn, Quakers Hill.

8pm. free.

Fallon Bros Trio Coogee Bay Hotel, Coogee.

10:30pm. free.

Food Court + Okay Cocaine Standard Bowl, Surry Hills.

6pm. free.

Get The Party Started - The Pink Show Colonial Hotel, Werrington.

1pm. free.

Greg Agar Crows Nest Hotel, Crows Nest. 7pm. free.

Heath Burdell Parramatta RSL, Parramatta.

5pm. free.

Hooray For Everything Sutherland United Services Club, Sutherland. 7:30pm. free.

Irish Hooley PJ Gallagher’s, Leichhardt.

9pm. free.

James Fox Higgins Mona Vale Hotel, Mona Vale.

5:30pm. free.

Live Music At The Royal The Royal, Leichhardt.

9:30pm. free.

Luke Dixon Duo Kings Cross Hotel, Kings Cross. 10:30pm. free.

Luke Dolahenty Northies Cronulla Hotel, Cronulla. 9pm. free.

Matt Jones Harbord Beach Hotel, Harbord. 7pm. free.

Matt Lyon Quakers Inn, Quakers Hill.

8:30pm. free.

Matt Price The Grand Hotel, Rockdale.

5:30pm. free.

Melanie Enmore Theatre, Newtown.

8pm. $79.99.

Mental As Anything + The Green Mohair Suits + DJ Set Jam Gallery, Bondi Junction.

9pm. $20.

Mutilate Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 7pm. free.

My Generation 50 Yyears Of The Who Revesby Workers Club, Revesby. 8pm. $35.

Nova Tone North Sydney Leagues Club, Cammeray. 9:30pm. free.

One Man And His Orangutan Crown Hotel, Camden. 8pm. free.

Paul Greene Lewisham Hotel, Lewisham.

8:30pm. free.

Q Sound Ramsgate RSL, Sans Souci.

8pm. free.

Rock Solid Duo Club Windang, Windang.

9:30pm. free.

Sam Joole + Sting Rays Spring Street Social, Bondi.

10:30pm. free.

Saskwatch Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $25.60.

Shy Guys Revesby Workers Club, Revesby. 8:30pm. free.

Supersuckers Hermann’s Bar, Sydney. 8pm. $55.

Surrender The Sun + Red Remedy + Cuervo + We Without Factory Theatre, Marrickville.

7:30pm. $13.

The Bronx + High Tension

Metro Theatre, Sydney. 8pm. $50.70.

The Mondays Kirribilli Hotel, Milsons Point.

8pm. free.

Tin Sparrow FBi Social, Kings Cross.

8pm. $10.

Tori Darke Stacks Taverna, Sydney.

5pm. free.

Toxic Dolls Towradgi Beach Hotel, Towradgi. 9:30pm. free.

Two Minds Trio Ivanhoe Hotel, Manly. 10am. free.

Vanessa Heinitz Chatswood RSL, Chatswood.

5pm. free.

Wildcatz Three Wise Monkeys, Sydney. 10pm. free.

Zoltan Adria, Sydney. 5pm. free.

Zoltan Castle Hill RSL, Castle Hill.

9:30pm. free.

SATURDAY JUNE 21 ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK

Extension Chords Spring Street Social, Bondi.

10:30pm. free.

Josh Rennie-Hynes + Steve Grady The Newsagency, Marrickville. 7pm. free.

JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC

Chris Gillespie Duo + Hobo Grace Trio Katoomba RSL, Katoomba.

8:30pm. free.

Fete Dela Musique + Elodie Sablier + Titty Twister + Freaks In Love + French Mafi e DJ Crew + More Jam Gallery, Bondi Junction. 7pm. $10.

Kinetic Jazz Orchestra Foundry616, Ultimo.

8:30pm. $27.50.

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS

A Team Duo Town Hall Hotel, Balmain.

10pm. free.

After Party Band Penrith RSL, Penrith. 9pm. free.

AM 2 PM Ambarvale Tavern, Ambarvale. 9pm. free.

Armchair Travellers Duo Brighton RSL, Brighton Le Sands. 8pm. free.

Ben Finn Trio The Mean Fiddler, Rouse Hill. 9pm. free.

Benn Gunn Coogee Bay Hotel, Coogee.

9pm. free.

Black Diamond Hearts Crows Nest Hotel, Crows Nest. 10:30pm. free.

Blake Tailor Duo Penrith RSL, Penrith. 9pm. free.

Cara Kavanagh + Mark Oats Duo PJ Gallagher’s, Leichhardt.

9pm. free.

Cath & Him Manly Leagues Club, Brookvale. 9pm. free.

Dave Phillips Observer Hotel, The Rocks.

4pm. free.

David Agius Crows Nest Hotel, Crows Nest. 7pm. free.

DJ Marty Wentworthville Leagues Club, Wentworthville. 9pm. free.

Double Jeopardy Overlander Hotel, thebrag.com

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

Intimate Sessions Paragon Hotel, Sydney.

6pm. free.

Jono Lee Jones Collingwood Hotel, Liverpool. 3pm. free.

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

Melanie Lizotte’s, Newcastle. 8pm. $94.

Xxx

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS Cambridge Park. 2pm. free.

Dune Rats Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $18.50.

Emma Russack Brighton Up Bar, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $10.

Evie Dean Woolloomooloo Bay Hotel, Woolloomooloo. 9pm. free.

Finntroll Manning Bar, Camperdown.

8pm. $67.25.

Funk Machine Revesby Workers Club, Revesby. 8:30pm. free.

Garbagefest Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 2pm. $10.

Greg Agar Kirribilli Hotel, Milsons Point. 8pm. free.

GTS Easts Kingswood Sports Club, Kingswood. 3pm. free.

Heath Burdell Sir Joseph Banks Hotel, Botany. 7pm. free.

Hitting Trees + Wish FBi Social, Kings Cross.

8pm. $10.

I Believed Tour - feat: Forever Ends Here + With Confi dence Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 1pm. $18.50.

James Englund Australian Hotel And Brewery, Rouse Hill. 10pm. free.

James Fox Higgins New Brighton Hotel, Manly.

10pm. free.

JConnexion Carousel Inn Hotel, Rooty Hill. 8pm. free.

Jed Zarb Time & Tide Hotel, Dee Why. 7:30pm. free.

Jess Dunbar Duo The Mean Fiddler, Rouse Hill. 6pm. free.

John Vella Duo Crown Hotel, Camden.

9pm. free.

Klay Bayview Tavern, Gladesville. 6pm. free.

Last Chaos Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 7pm. $10.

Leon Fallon Castle Hill RSL, Castle Hill.

9pm. free.

Luke Dixon Trio Northies Cronulla Hotel, Cronulla. 9pm. free.

Macson North Sydney Leagues Club, Cammeray. 9:30pm. free.

Matt Jones PJ Gallagher’s, Moore Park. 7:30pm. free.

Matt Price Harbord Beach Hotel, Harbord. 7pm. free.

Muddy Feet Wentworthville Leagues Club, Wentworthville. 9pm. free.

My Generation - 50 Years Of The Who - feat: Ciaran Gribbin + Steve Balbi + Simon Meli Towradgi Beach Hotel, Towradgi. 8:30pm. $32.

Mystery Guest The Belvedere Hotel, Sydney. 8:15pm. free.

Northeast Party House Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach. 8pm. free.

One Hit Wonders

thebrag.com

Epping Hotel, Epping.

10pm. free.

Panorama Three Wise Monkeys, Sydney. 10pm. free.

Petulant Frenzy Plays Frank Zappa Lewisham Hotel, Lewisham. 8:30pm. $25.

Pop Fiction Campbelltown Catholic Club, Campbelltown.

9:30pm. free.

Redlight Ruby Brewhouse Marayong, Kings Park. 8pm. free.

Rob Henry Observer Hotel, The Rocks. 5:30pm. free.

Royston Vasie Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 8pm. $15.

RÜFÜS Enmore Theatre, Newtown.

8pm. $39.80.

Ryan Thomas Orient Hotel, The Rocks.

4:30pm. free.

Seattle Sound Ettamogah Hotel, Kelly Ridge. 9pm. free.

Soul Nights Castle Hill RSL, Castle Hill.

10:30pm. free.

Soundproofed Bull & Bush Hotel, Baulkham Hills. 11pm. free.

Stormcellar Shady Pines, Darlinghurst.

6pm. free.

Ted Nash Fortune Of War, The Rocks. 8pm. free.

The Australian Burlesque Festival - feat: Nouvelle Royale Factory Theatre, Marrickville. 8pm. $45.

The Bandits Ramsgate RSL, Sans Souci. 8pm. free.

The Blaggards Bull & Bush Hotel, Baulkham Hills. 9:30pm. free.

The Buzz Club #5 Hermann’s Bar, Sydney.

8pm. $10.

The Cairos + Jordan Léser + Nova Heart Goodgod Small Club, Sydney. 8pm. $17.

The Lonely Boys The Mercantile Hotel, The Rocks. 8:30pm. free.

The Spit Roasting Bibbers Riverwood Inn, Riverwood.

8pm. free.

Victoria Avenue Greystanes Inn, Greystanes Inn. 8pm. free.

White Summer Tattersalls Hotel Penrith, Penrith. 8:30pm. free.

World Champion Standard Bowl, Surry Hills.

6pm. free.

60s Chartoppers Penrith RSL, Penrith. 2pm. free.

AM 2 PM Campbelltown Catholic Club, Campbelltown. 6pm. free.

Andy Mammers Harbord Beach Hotel, Harbord. 6pm. free.

Ange Western Suburbs Leagues Club, Leumeah. 12pm. free.

Craig Thommo Waverley Bowling Club, Waverley. 2pm. free.

David Agius Campbelltown Catholic Club, Campbelltown. 1pm. free.

Dune Rats Metro Theatre, Sydney.

4:45pm. $15.

Glenn Esmond Bella Vista, Pyrmont.

12pm. free.

Heath Burdell Woolwich Pier Hotel, Woolwich. 2pm. free.

Ian Blakeney Ramsgate RSL, Sans Souci. 2pm. free.

Jackie Brown Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 3pm. free.

Jamie Lindsay Duo Northies Cronulla Hotel, Cronulla. 6pm. free.

Jess Dunbar Woolloomooloo Bay Hotel, Woolloomooloo. 3pm. free.

Kotahi Groove Time & Tide Hotel, Dee Why. 1pm. free.

Mark Lucas & The Dead Setters Botany View Hotel, Newtown. 7pm. free.

Mark Travers Ettamogah Hotel, Kelly Ridge. 1pm. free.

Matt Jones Coogee Bay Hotel, Coogee. 8:30pm. free.

Rob Henry Observer Hotel, The Rocks. 8pm. free.

RÜFÜS Enmore Theatre, Newtown.

8pm. $39.80.

Talisman Campsie RSL, Campsie.

2pm. free.

Taylor Henderson Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 1pm. $54.30.

The Deep End Frankie’s Pizza, Sydney.

4pm. free.

The Mondays The Mean Fiddler, Rouse Hill. 1:30pm. free.

Three Wise Men Observer Hotel, The Rocks. 4pm. free.

Tori Darke Pritchards Hotel, Mount Pritchard. 1pm. free.

SUNDAY JUNE 22

MONDAY JUNE 23

ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS

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

Country At The Bowlo Marrickville Bowling Club, Marrickville. 4:30pm. free.

wed

thu

18 June

19 June (9:30PM - 12:30AM)

(9:30PM - 12:30AM)

fri

20 June

(4:30PM - 7:30PM)

(9:30PM - 1:30AM)

SATURDAY AFTERNOON

SUNDAY AFTERNOON

(4:30PM - 7:30PM)

(4:30PM - 7:30PM)

sat

sun

21

22

June

June

(8:30PM - 12:00AM)

(9:30PM - 1:15PM)

mon

tue

23

24

June

June

(9:00PM - 12:00AM)

(9:30PM - 12:30AM)

Matt Jones Orient Hotel, The Rocks.

9pm. free.

Steve Tonge Observer Hotel, The Rocks. 8:30pm. free.

BRAG :: 567 :: 18:06:14 :: 31

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

JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC

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.

TUESDAY JUNE 24 INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS

JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC

Jazzgroove - feat: Nic Vardanega Quartet + Gerard Masters Trio Foundry616, Ultimo. 8pm. $16.50.

Swingtime Tuesdays The Basement, Circular Quay. 7pm. $9.

Rob Henry Observer Hotel, The Rocks. 8:30pm. free.

gig picks up all night out all week...

Tin Sparrow

WEDNESDAY JUNE 18 La Dispute + Balance And Composure Metro Theatre, Sydney. 7pm. $41.90.

Sosueme - feat: The Cairos + Nova Heart + Palace Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach. 8pm.

Free.

The Bohicas + Unity Floors Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 6pm. $38.

THURSDAY JUNE 19 Coldplay Enmore Theatre, Newtown. 8pm. $119.90.

Earth Manning Bar, Camperdown. 8pm. $44.

Major Leagues + Bloods Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 7pm. $15.

Psycroptic + Aborted Factory Theatre, Marrickville. 8pm. $40.

Teeth & Tongue Goodgod Small Club, Sydney. 8pm. $12.

FRIDAY JUNE 20 Melanie Enmore Theatre, Newtown. 8pm. $79.99.

Mental As Anything + The Green Mohair Suits

Jam Gallery, Bondi Junction. 9pm. $20.

Saskwatch Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $25.60.

Supersuckers Hermann’s Bar, Sydney. 8pm. $55.

Surrender The Sun + Red Remedy + Cuervo + We Without Factory Theatre, Marrickville. 7:30pm. $13.

The Bronx + High Tension Metro Theatre, Sydney. 8pm. $50.70.

Tin Sparrow FBi Social, Kings Cross. 8pm. $10.

SATURDAY JUNE 21 Dune Rats Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $18.50.

Emma Russack Brighton Up Bar, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $10.

Finntroll Manning Bar, Camperdown. 8pm. $67.25.

I Believed Tour - feat: Forever Ends Here + With Confidence Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 1pm. $18.50.

RÜFÜS Enmore Theatre, Newtown. 8pm. $39.80.

The Cairos + Jordan Léser + Nova Heart Goodgod Small Club, Sydney. 8pm. $17.

The Cairos

32 :: BRAG :: 567 :: 18:06:14

thebrag.com

brag beats

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

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

five things WITH

HAKAN HENRY

TUFF SHERM

Dro Carey will perform under the mantle of Tuff Sherm at Marrickville Bowling Club on Saturday August 2. Tuff Sherm is a side project that started not long after Dro Carey, first appearing on wax via Troilogy Tapes. Tuff Sherm has become increasingly prolific in recent times, with three releases of Tuff Sherm material appearing in the last month. One of these was the split Plastic World vinyl with Cassius Select, which the pair will be launching at this particular event. Cassius Select will play a live set, with local duo Cliques, Andy Webb and James McInnes rounding off the lineup.

Manik

Hakan Henry photo courtesy of AXLImaging.com.au

Growing Up I loved black sounds as a kid and was 1. an avid collector of the compilation tapes put together by the neighbourhood music store.

Basketball was my main interest ’til an injury meant I could play no more. The DJ booth at the alumni club my family ran provided the introduction to messing around on the set-up.

Playing at youth parties there were my initial and enjoyable experiences of crowd control.

The resident DJ was starting to work at Turkey’s first dance music radio station, Radio 2019 in 1994, where I followed as intern and ended up playing various shows for about five years on air, and was fortunate to grow up together with the Turkish underground dance music scene.

Inspirations Life situations where you feel the 2. presence of the force and unison inspire me.

Music with a lot of headroom and groove and depth takes me closer to that feeling.

Your Crew I’ve been part of the 909 crew in 3.

Istanbul, who have been responsible for some of the most memorable institutions in Istanbul’s underground dance music life, such as Crystal and 11:11. I’ve helped out with musical programming and bookings for most of the 2000s. I moved to Australia for work-related purposes in 2012 and have

been fortunate to connect with the Subtrakt and Sundae crews, both on a musical and amicable level.

5.

Music, Right Here, Right Now Other than my DJing, I’m happy musically too as I can access and experience music I don’t know of [already], can find them out and listen online. Last.fm and Spotify allow for good ways to find out stuff you don’t know.

I’ve just been to SunSplash Festival in Turkey with Gilles Peterson, Patrick Forge, Mark de Clive, Rainer Trueby, Osunlade, Karizma and a few other acts in a magical seaside resort in Aspat, Bodrum. I highly recommend to those planning a trip over to Europe next year to consider it for a wholesome mind, body and soul experience through music and nature. Gilles Peterson’s sets are always mind-opening.

What: Spice 21.06 Sydney Meets Istanbul With: Kali, Marc Jarvin, Onn Where: The Spice Cellar When: Saturday June 21

OLIVER HUNTEMANN

German techno veteran Oliver Huntemann will headline The ArtHouse on Saturday July 19. In recent times Huntemann has been focusing on his Ideal Senso label after running the Ideal Audio label and a host of sister labels for more than five years. Huntemann’s discography comprises of collaborations with Dubfire and remixes of auteurs like Underworld, The Chemical Brothers and Depeche Mode. He is currently gearing up to release the final instalment of the ‘Elements’ series, which is scheduled for release later in the year. Huntemann will be playing a four-hour set in Sydney, with early bird tickets available online.

SPANNER FT BENEATH AND TWWTH

The Music You Make And Play I play house music for the most part. I 4. play music I love and makes me ooze. That, I feel, transpires onto the crowd.

Oliver Huntemann

MANIK

US producer Manik, a “purveyor of his own breed of out-of-the-box house”, will play at The Burdekin on Saturday July 5. Manik’s debut album Armies Of The Night was released in 2011 on Josh Wink’s seminal Ovum imprint, and explored house, funk, nu disco and acid influences. Manik has since released on Jamie Jones and Lee Foss’ popular Hot Creations label and appeared on the Get Physical imprint via a remix of DJ T.

UK producer Beneath and Finland’s Twwth (formally Teeth) comprise a headline double bill at the forthcoming Spanner party, slotted for Saturday June 27 at Club 77. Beneath’s sound references the output dubstep and grime pioneers Youngsta and DMZ. He fuses these touchstones with more recent underground house and UK funk influences. Meanwhile, Helsinki’s Twwth has carved out his own niche with his “Northern light-induced-clap-trap-house” releases on labels like Ramp Recordings, Oneman’s 502 Recordings and Sound Pellegrino as well as his own label Signal Life, which he runs with fellow Finish Producer Desto.

The Spanner DJs will spin in support, with the revelry commencing at 10pm.

DUSKY TOUR

UK DJ and producer duo Dusky will play in Sydney in November as part of a world tour, with the venue to be announced. Protagonists on the global house circuit, Dusky initially made waves via their acclaimed album Stick By This, cuts such as ‘Vanishing Point’ and ‘Nobody Else’ and remixes of heavy hitters such as Dirty Bird’s Justin Martin. The tour is called The Next Step, a reference to Dusky’s 17 Steps label (and not American Pie), which they’ll christen next month with a new EP called Love Taking Over.

Dusky Martyn

MARTYN

Dutch-born, DC-based producer Martyn has just released his third album, The Air Between Words, on Ninja Tune. The album is the follow-up to 2011’s Ghost People and features collaborations with the likes of Kieran Hebden – best known as Four Tet – and vocals from Copeland of Hype Williams fame. “Every album signifies a period in your life, and finishing one shows you something about yourself,” Martyn commented. “Without the music being introspective, this is my most natural sounding album.”

thebrag.com

SOUL OF SYDNEY FT STEPHEN ALLKINS

Stalwart Sydneysider Stephen Allkins will headline the next Soul of Sydney bash on Sunday July 20 at a yet to be announced inner city venue. Allkins is one of Australia’s longestserving dance DJs, and a more than handy producer too. He’s released LPs such as 1999’s History Of Disco and is known for his work as the driving force behind [Love] Tattoo, who were responsible for one of the most recognisable Aussie-made club cuts of the past decade in 2001’s ‘The Bass Has Got Me Movin’. The beats commence at 1pm, with a range of local DJs also set to spin, including Gian Arpino, Meem, Phil Toke and Danny De Sousa.

MONKEY SAFARI

German duo Monkey Safari command top billing at Chinese Laundry this Saturday June 21. The pair has released on labels such as Monaberry, Suara, Jesse Rose’s Made to Play and its own label imprint Hommage, and has attained cult status in Germany due to its ownership of the renowned Charles Bronson nightclub. Monkey Safari have also delivered some rollicking performances at Berlin’s Fusion Festival in years gone by in addition to reworking heavyweights like Kölsch, Round Table Knights and Roland Clark.

BRAG :: 567 :: 18:06:14 :: 33

Astronomy Class Holiday In Cambodia By David James Young “We hadn’t really planned on doing anything with Astronomy Class, until that trip to Cambodia near the end of 2012,” explains Kennedy. “We’d been invited to perform at this festival there, and it turned out to be quite fortuitous. We hadn’t even planned to make an album, let alone one that had anything to do with Cambodian music. Still, it had been a few years since we’d put anything out – it felt like the right time and the right place.”

While in the country, Kennedy and his bandmates discovered Khmer – the traditional style of pop music that was prevalent within Cambodian culture from the ’50s to the mid’70s. It inspired Astronomy Class so much that they began relentlessly crate-digging and looking for tracks and hooks they could sample for what would become their third studio album, Mekong Delta Sunrise.

“There’s quite a big revival movement going on over there for this pre-’75 Cambodian music,” says Kennedy. “It’s still really, really popular – pretty much any cab you could get in there would be playing it. There’s a real sense of pride that comes with it. It’s being driven by the hip hop scene there, who were able to point us in the right direction of quite a lot of the music we were looking for. When we got back to Australia, we were amazingly able to find more through some leads among the Cambodian community in Cabramatta. It’s all come at a good time, given there’s now an international interest in the music of that era. It really fascinated us – it’s so different and often so difficult to find.

“We were out in Cabramatta with [Cambodian vocalist Srey] Channthy not too long ago, looking for more of this music,” Kennedy continues. “This old Cambodian guy has just started a CD and DVD store out there, and he had some CDs with songs of them that even Channthy had been looking for for quite some time. She’s really deep in rediscovering all of this sort of music, particularly with The Cambodian Space Project. Along with the quality of the music itself, there’s a real thrill-ofthe-chase value to it as well.”

A

fter finishing up a national tour with The Herd on the back of their 2011 album Future Shade, Shannon Kennedy – better known to most as Ozi Batla – received a peculiar offer for his side project, Astronomy

Class. At the time, the collective had not toured or released music in over three years – and yet, an offer from a Cambodian hip hop group called Klap Ya Handz turned out to be too intriguing to refuse.

The frontwoman of The Cambodian Space Project, Channthy was the puzzle piece that brought Mekong Delta Sunrise together. She appears on nearly every track on the album, singing in her native tongue and adding a distinct authenticity to the project. Her first appearance with Astronomy Class came at ET15, the two-day shows held in Melbourne and Sydney to celebrate the 15-year

anniversary of independent hip hop label Elefant Traks (home to all of Kennedy’s musical projects). She has only performed with the group sporadically since – although Kennedy hopes this will change in the not-too-distant future.

“It’s essentially the four of us,” he says of the current Astronomy Class live show. “We had [Sydney MC] The Tongue on board for many years, but he’s doing his own thing at the moment. It’s me, [Sir] Robbo, Chasm and Johnny Maddox on bass. We’ve been able to do three more shows with Channthy on the Thundamentals tour, which went really well. At the moment, we’re just coming up with a few different variants of the live show – when Channthy’s schedule allows, we’ll get to do more stuff involving her. She’ll be performing with us at the launch show for the album in Melbourne, so naturally the set will be more skewed towards the new album. If we don’t have her there to give the full context, there’s probably only two or three songs off the record that we can work into the set. We’d like to perform with her as much as we can, but of course it can’t always work that way – and I think we’re adapting pretty well.”

The recent run of national dates with Blue Mountains hip hop act Thundamentals, who recently cracked the ARIA top ten with their latest album, So We Can Remember, saw Astronomy Class open to sold-out rooms across the country. Although their allegiances lie with different labels – Thundamentals with Big Village; Astronomy Class with Elefant Traks – Kennedy feels it’s important the local hip hop scene never gets whittled down to cliques and inner circles.

“We’re really good friends with Thundamentals and all the guys from Big Village,” he says. “I guess with those guys, we kinda see a lot of ourselves in them and the way they go about their business, making it about being a community and a collective with a focus on making good music first and foremost. They’re sort of our natural allies. Sydney’s hip hop scene may be spread out, but it’s still pretty small when you break it down.”

What: Mekong Delta Sunrise out now through Elefant Traks/Inertia With: True Vibenation, The Tongue (DJ set), Prince V Where: Newtown Social Club When: Friday June 20

Sohn New Kid On The Synth By Dan Watt

V

ienna-based music producer and vocalist Christopher Taylor had to go on a journey of self-discovery before he could become Sohn. His adopted moniker is the German word for ‘son’, and it became one of the most talked-about names in EDM in April this year, with the release of his triumphant Tremors album on UK tastemaking label 4AD. Taylor was in Portland, Oregon when we caught up with him about his evolution from a regular teenager playing in bands to an electronic music doyen about to grace our shores for the first time this month.

the limitations of a bedroom production.

On Tremors, the sound is all-consuming, particularly on the song ‘Artifice’, which has resonated with music fans globally.

Sohn’s sound began with a journey into the world of hardware.

Active as both a touring musician and a music producer, Taylor says balancing the two roles can be difficult. “For this particular tour I have actually been really grateful that I haven’t had to write,” he says. “It has been a really nice one-and-a-half month period where I haven’t had to think about creating anything. In the last 18 months I have been so active in the production of the album, from the songwriting to the final touches on artwork, I have been really grateful for a little period to not have to think about that kind of stuff. I was able to recharge my batteries.”

Moving to Vienna to get a break from his former home of London, Taylor began the evolution from bedroom producer to the live EDM juggernaut that Sohn is today. And while he’s an individual talent to watch, he credits collaborator Albin Janoska with giving him the spark he needed to reach the next level.

“The first piece of actual hardware that I connected with was, just as it came out, a Dave Smith Tempest. This was the first time I understood fully a real analogue unit. Control-wise, I just got it straight away, and then I got into Jupiter-6s and bought myself a Juno-60.”

“My manager was talking about putting together a band to play a show,” Taylor says. “The first show was at a showcase event called Eurosonic, which is quite a big showcase where all the European booking agents and labels are there. I was already working with Albin, my keyboard player, who was helping mix some of the record, and through him I found Woody [Stefan Fulham], the bass player, and we just spent a few months defining what would be our live show.”

What makes Tremors an interesting dance album is that, essentially, it isn’t a dance album. It manages to balance accessibility with depth and texture – and in order to understand Tremors’ complexity, one needs to understand Taylor’s journey as a musician.

“I was always a singer, that was my first thing, and then I was in various bands as a teenager and I was always the person that wrote everything,” he says. “I am 30 now.

Basically throughout being a teenager I was the one pushing the other guys in the band and always wanting to record. So I just 34 :: BRAG :: 567 :: 18:06:14

started playing around with recording. I had a four-track MiniDisc unit, then eventually a computer. From there it just got easier to make things on the computer than try and record when you didn’t know how to record well. I think that’s often where electronic artists run into trouble, because they think,

‘Oh, I’ll just record that drum kit,’ but don’t know where to stick the mic, so when they listen back, it sounds terrible but they don’t know why.”

Taylor’s debut release as Sohn, 2012’s The Wheel EP, reeks of genius but also

What: Tremors out now through 4AD/ Remote Control Where: Oxford Art Factory When: Tuesday June 24

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Deep Impressions Dance And Electronica with Chris Honnery

Le Loup photo by Luc Marciano

Super Flu

O

ne half of German tech house heavyweight duo Super Flu will throw down at Club 77 on Saturday July 19. Super Flu released their second album Halle Saale at the back end of last year – it showcased their trademark playful and punchy take on tech house sounds, fusing quirky pop with more robust techno influences.

Super Flu’s discography includes remixes of Cascandy, Dominik Eulberg and Format:B, while they’ve been reworked by heavyweight DJ Koze in recent times.

They’re a hugely popular drawcard on the European club and festival circuit, and this author was lucky enough to be in attendance when the pair delivered the standout set of Berlin’s Fusion Festival in 2012, studded with their own productions.

The duo’s reputation for putting on a rollicking DJ set is well deserved, and Sydney dancers can expect nothing less from the forthcoming show. Sydney favourites Jordan Deck and Marcotix head up the local lineup, with the beats commencing at 9pm and running ’til late.

Two veterans have teamed up for what shapes up as an intriguing album. Matt ‘Radio Slave’ Edwards and Thomas ‘Cagedbaby’ Gandey have been working together as Matom. Their collaboration began as a live project that was intended to celebrate the iconic Hansa Studio in Berlin, where the likes of Iggy Pop, Eno, Bowie and synth pioneers Tangerine Dream recorded. Following a few live performances together the pair felt compelled to record an album, Love Mistakes, which was made between Edwards’ Berlin studio and Gandey’s abode near Bordeaux. The album is apparently devoid of samples or MIDI usage and is instead driven by hardware like the Moog synthesiser and drum machines. We’re talkin’ proper old school analogue craftsmanship, it would seem.

Love Mistakes will drop at the end of July on Carl Craig’s Planet E label. On paper, it’s an essential listen.

Léonard Perret, AKA Le Loup, will spin at Club 77 on Saturday June 28.

Learning his craft as a sound engineer Cagedbaby

Le Loup

student at the Institut Supérieur des Techniques du Son in Paris, Perret notched up a release on the Wolf + Lamb imprint as a 20-year-old. Drawing inspiration from auteurs such as Theo Parrish and Moodymann – who doesn’t – Perret started his own vinyl-only record label, Hold Youth, in 2011 with Seuil.

The two have released some of the most respected house music producers and also hold a residency at one of Paris’ premier underground hubs, the Rex Club. Perret has managed to build up an impressive production CV in his relatively short career, collaborating with Clement Meyer and remixing No Regular Play, Julietta and Joakim. He’ll be supported by a DJ lineup that includes Parisian producer and label owner Dyslate.

German house proponent Mathias Kaden will mix one disc of Cocoon’s annual ‘Ibiza’ compilation, with Popof helming the other. Kaden is a respected producer who dropped his debut album Studio 10 on Vakant back in ’09 and has notched up EPs on labels like Freude Am Tanzen and Desolat. He has also remixed some of the key figures in techno; namely Barem, Terrence Dixon, Onur Ozer and Wareika.

Kaden’s sonic intuition extends to his DJing and he is held in high regard for his abilities behind the decks by dancers worldwide.

Studio 10 follows on from Kaden’s Watergate mix of mid-last year with what looks to be a very strong tracklisting on paper, with Daniel Stefanik and John Tejada featuring, along with one of my favourite cuts of the year so far, Shonky’s remix of El Prevost’s ‘Allez Ally’. In the words of D.Ham, “Take a whiff of those free trade coffee beans” – you can do so when Cocoon Ibiza 2014 is released next week.

LOOKING DEEPER SATURDAY JUNE 21 Cagedbaby photo © Peter Ashworth

Radio Slave

Pfirter Warehouse party

SATURDAY JUNE 28 Le Loup Club 77

SATURDAY JULY 19 Super Flu Club 77

SATURDAY AUGUST 2 Phil Smart The Imperial

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

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

club pick of the week Kali

SATURDAY JUNE 21

The Spice Cellar

Spice Meets Istanbul Hakan Henry + Kali + Marc Javin + Onn 10pm. $25.

WEDNESDAY JUNE 18 CLUB NIGHTS

DJ Tom Kelly Goldfish, Kings Cross. 9pm. 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 JUNE 19

HIP HOP & R&B

MC Filth Wizard + Syth Lord + Red Eddy Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 8pm. $10.

CLUB NIGHTS

$5 Everything Scubar, Sydney. 5pm. free.

Fear Of Dawn Goldfish, Kings Cross. 8pm. free.

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

Hot Damn Spectrum, Darlinghurst. 9pm. $10.

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

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

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

Sans + Govs + Major Leagues Standard Bowl, Surry Hills.

6pm. free.

Sidechains - feat: Acaddamy + Neon Youth + Spacie + Myledo + Thoughtful DJs The Backroom, Kings Cross.

9pm. $5.

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

Thursday Spice 19.06 - feat: EK + Nikolai + Hedon & Jeremiah The Spice Cellar, Sydney.

9pm. free.

FRIDAY JUNE 20 HIP HOP & R&B

Astronomy Class - feat: Ellesquire + The Tongue (DJ Set) + Prince V Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 7pm. free.

Jazz Hip-Hop Freestyle Sessions Foundry616, Ultimo. 11:30pm. $5.

SATURDAY JUNE 21 CLUB NIGHTS

Bam Bam + Castlecomer + DJ Bobby Gray Upstairs Beresford, Surry Hills. 6pm. free.

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

El Loco Later - feat: DJs On Rotation Excelsior Hotel, Surry Hills.

10pm. free.

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.

Goodwill Marquee, Pyrmont. 10pm. $25.

Hed Kandi 3rd Birthday Special - feat: High Rollers + Scott Pullen + Liam Sampras + Rogue + Adrian Benedek + Tim Whitney Goldfish, Kings Cross. 8pm. $15.

Hot Dub Time Machine + Furnace & The Fundamentals Metro Theatre, Sydney. 7pm. $22.

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

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

Monkey Safari + Chris Arnott + Matt Ferreira + Mark Ksas + Jace Disgrace + Kerry Wallace + Thomas

Lisse + Fingers + Ra Bazaar + DJ C-Bu Chinese Laundry, Sydney.

9pm. $17.40.

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

Nova Tone Springwood Sports Club, Springwood. 8:30pm. free.

Pacha Presents: Ember + Generik + A Tonez + Matt Nugent + Baby Gee + Mo’Funk + Spenda C + Nanna Does + Fingers + Jace Disgrace + Sushi + DJ Lust 1 + Dylan Sanders + Heres Trouble + E-Cats + Stu Turner Ivy Bar/Lounge, Sydney.

6:30pm. $30.

RÜFÜS After Party - feat: SÜFÜR (RÜFÜS DJs) + Odesza (DJ set) + Hayden James (DJ set) + Crooked Colours (DJ set) + Frames + Acidcloudmountaintops + The Slippery Trouts DJs The Roller Den, Erskineville.

11pm. $20.

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 Meets Istanbul - feat: Hakan Henry + Kali + Marc Jarvin + Onn The Spice Cellar, Sydney.

10pm. $25.

Video DJ Matt Whitelaw AKA Mister Styles Mounties, Mount Pritchard.

8pm. free.

HIP HOP & R&B

Bootleg Rascal + Govs Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach. 8pm. free.

SUNDAY JUNE 22 CLUB NIGHTS

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

8pm. free.

S.A.S.H Sundays Flyover Bar, Sydney. 2pm. $10.

Sunday Sessions - feat: Cadell + Tom Kelly + Ocky Goldfish, Kings Cross. 4pm. free.

Sunday Spice 22.06 - feat: Scuba Stew + James Cripps + Fat Tony + Langdon Cook The Spice Cellar, Sydney.

9pm. $10.

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

MONDAY JUNE 23 CLUB NIGHTS

Crab Racing Scubar, Sydney. 7pm. free.

TUESDAY JUNE 24 CLUB NIGHTS

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

p send your listings to : clubguide@thebrag.com

THURSDAY JUNE 19 CLUB NIGHTS

Argyle Fridays - feat: Resident DJs The Argyle, The Rocks. 6pm. free.

El Loco Later - feat: DJs On Rotation Excelsior Hotel, Surry Hills.

10pm. free.

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

5pm. free.

Frisky Fridays Scubar, Sydney. 5pm. free.

Koppen Terrace Penrith Gaels, Kingswood.

8pm. free.

L D R U + Emperor + Islnd + Big Deal Gillespie + Bassriot + Bruxism + Blaze Chinese Laundry, Sydney.

9pm. free.

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

Mashed N Kutcher Marquee, Pyrmont. 10pm. $20.

Moonshine Fridays Ivy Bar/Lounge, Sydney. 7pm. free.

Multilate - feat: Spindo + Mistortion + Mack Da Ripper + Blocka + Raw Machine & Convict + H-Lock Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 7pm. free.

Soft&Slow 20.06 - feat: Andy Webb + Steven Sullivan + Pink Lloyd The Spice Cellar, Sydney.

10pm. $15.

Sidechains - feat: Acaddamy + Neon Youth + Spacie + Myledo + Thoughtful DJs The Backroom, Kings Cross. 9pm. $5.

Thursday Spice 19.06 - feat: EK + Nikolai + Hedon & Jeremiah The Spice Cellar, Sydney. 9pm. Free.

FRIDAY JUNE 20 Jazz Hip-Hop Freestyle Sessions Foundry616, Ultimo. 11:30pm. $5.

L D R U + Emperor + Islnd + Big Deal Gillespie + Bassriot + Bruxism + Blaze Chinese Laundry, Sydney. 9pm. Free.

Mashed N Kutcher Marquee, Pyrmont. 10pm. $20.

Soft&Slow 20.06 - feat: Andy Webb + Steven Sullivan + Pink Lloyd The Spice Cellar, Sydney. 10pm. $15.

SATURDAY JUNE 21 Goodwill Marquee, Pyrmont. 10pm. $25.

Hed Kandi 3rd Birthday Special - feat: High Rollers + Scott Pullen + Liam Sampras + Rogue + Adrian Benedek + Tim Whitney Goldfish, Kings Cross. 8pm. $15.

Hot Dub Time Machine + Furnace & The Fundamentals Metro Theatre, Sydney. 7pm. $22.

Monkey Safari + Chris Arnott + Matt Ferreira + Mark Ksas + Jace Disgrace

Hot Dub Time Machine + Kerry Wallace + Thomas Lisse + Fingers + Ra Bazaar + DJ C-Bu Chinese Laundry, Sydney. 9pm. $17.40.

Pacha Presents: Ember + Generik + A Tonez + Matt Nugent + Baby Gee + Mo’funk + Spenda C + Nanna Does + Fingers + Jace Disgrace + Sushi + DJ Lust 1 + Dylan Sanders + Heres Trouble + E-Cats + Stu Turner Ivy Bar/Lounge, Sydney. 6:30pm. $30.

RÜFÜS After Party - feat: SÜFÜR (RÜFÜS DJs) + Odesza (DJ set) + Hayden James (DJ set) + Crooked Colours (DJ set) + Frames + Acidcloudmountaintops + The Slippery Trouts DJs The Roller Den, Erskineville. 11pm. $20.

SUNDAY JUNE 22 S.A.S.H Sundays Flyover Bar, Sydney. 2pm. $10.

Sunday Spice 22.06 - feat: Scuba Stew + James Cripps + Fat Tony + Langdon Cook The Spice Cellar, Sydney. 9pm. $10.

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snap

pet shop boys

PICS :: AM

up all night out all week . . .

schoolboy q

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06:06:14 :: Carriageworks :: 245 Wilson St, Eveleigh 8571 9099

08:06:14 :: Enmore Theatre :: 118-132 Enmore Rd Newtown 9550 3666

party profile

sidechains

It’s called: Sidechains It sounds like: Deep house, R&B, dance, happi ness.

Acts: Acaddamy, Neon Youth, Spacie, Myled o, Thoughtful DJs, art and projections by Jaya Degur.

Three songs you’ll hear on the night: Acadd amy – ‘Gangsta Pop’ (single launch); Drake – ‘0 To 100’; Friend Within – ‘The Renegade’.

And one you definitely won’t: Avicii – ‘Hey Brother’.

Sell it to us: We don’t recycle ourselves. Every week it’s fresh. Showcasing the best upcoming and established producers/D Js as well as the best visual artists in Sydney, all the while partying up.

The bit we’ll remember in the AM: Everything!

Sidechains is designed as the one experience. It’s all seamless. From the projections, to the murals, to the music, to the dancefloor. We’ve got some crazy business in store. Just you wait.

Crowd specs: Clubbers, music and art lovers .

Wallet damage: $5 entry for launch party Where: The Backroom Sydney, Potts Point

s.a.s.h sundays

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When: Thursday June 19

14:06:14 :: Excelsior Hotel :: 64 Foveaux St, Surry Hills 9211 4945 OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHER

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S :: JAMES AMBROSE :: AMATH

MAGNAN :: ASHLEY MAR ::

house party ft. cheap lettus PICS :: AM

el loco later

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Xxx

15:06:14 :: Flyover Bar :: 275 Kent St Sydney 9262 1988

14:06:14 :: Chinese Laundry :: 111 Sussex St Sydney 8295 9999 BRAG :: 567 :: 18:06:14 :: 37

snap

jessie andrews

PICS :: JA

up all night out all week . . .

It’s called: Hed Kandi 3rd Birthday Special It sounds like: It’s Ibiza comes to Sydney. Think chilled-out house tunes, big room beats and saxophone sounds. All the vocal house tracks of now and yesteryear so you can have a sing along too.

Acts: High Rollers, Scott Pullen, Liam Samp ras, Rogue, Adrian Benedek, Tim Whitney.

marlo + emma hewitt 14:06:14 :: Marquee :: The Star Pyrmont 9657 7737

Three songs you’ll hear on the night: The Shapeshifters – ‘Back To Basics’; Shadow Child – ‘Friday’ (feat. Takura); MAW – ‘Backfired’ (Joey Negro Club Mix).

hydraulix

13:06:14 :: Chinese Laundry :: 111 Sussex St Sydney 8295 9999 38 :: BRAG :: 567 :: 18:06:14

goldfish ft.dj seamus haji

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And one you definitely won’t: Avicii – ‘Wake Me Up’.

Sell it to us: Think of the best birthday partie s you went to as a kid, but with booze, beautiful people, house music, oh, and cake.

The bit we’ll remember in the AM: The Fly Kandi girls live and our delectable Kandi Dancers.

Crowd specs: The glamorous, the glitzy and the house heads.

Wallet damage: $15 through Dash Tickets or $20 on the door.

Where: Goldfish – 111 Darlinghurst Rd, Kings Cross When: Saturday June 21 from 8pm

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party profile

hed kandi

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11:06:14 :: Beach Road Hotel :: 71 Beach Rd Bondi Beach 9130 7247

08:06:14 :: The Goldfish :: 111 Darlinghurst Rd Potts Point 8354 6630 OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHER

MAGNAN S :: JAMES AMBROSE :: AMATH

:: ASHLEY MAR ::

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111 DARLINGHURST RD, KINGS CROSS, 2011 WWW.GOLDFISHKINGSCROSS.COM.AU TEL 02 8354 6630

JUNE/JULY 2014

Hed Kandi globally has just celebrated 15 successful years which is nothing to be sneezed at in the Club and Entertainment industry. The brand, label and club nights are synonymous with bringing you some of the biggest and best artists, tracks and club nights across the globe. We believe that all birthday's should be celebrated in the most fabulous and glamorous way possible. Even more so when it also so happens that weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re celebrating 3 years of Hed Kandi at

and Paul Strange are extremely excited to announce the return of DJ Spen for an intimate extended club set Saturday 28th of June. If you were unlucky enough to miss out on Spen blowing

!

infamous Baltimore based label 'The Basement Boys' and regular at Defected Records, Spen never fails to deliver. Just ask any of his fans who clamour to catch his headline sets at Southport Weekender.

My Digital Enemy has become a phrase that is immediately associated with cutting edge quality house music. The duo consists of Serg & Kieron who have been working together on various projects for more than ten years. My Digital Enemy have already had a great start to 2014 with Pete Tong & Danny Howard both supporting their new track 'Shamen' on their respective BBC Radio One shows.

WHO IS MS. CARTER? @ MSCARTERSYD

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