Brag#676

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ISSUE NO. 676 AUGUST 17, 2016

FREE Now picked up at over 1,600 places across Sydney and surrounds. thebrag.com

MUSIC, FILM, THEATRE + MORE

A POP CULTURE PARADISE

Plus

OF MON T R E A L S T OR M T HE SK Y T OMM Y EMM A NUEL R ED BIL L A BONG JIMMY BARNES

ASTA

THE JOHN STEEL SINGERS

KOOZA

An odyssey to Nashville provided all the material he needed for his new album.

On looking forward to the snow (maybe) at Snowtunes.

One last tour before they take a long overdue break.

A Cirque du Soleil classic makes its way to Sydney.

DOW N UNDER AND MUCH MORE

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BRAG :: 676 :: 17:08:16 :: 3

rock music news welcome to the frontline: what’s goin’ on around town... with Chris Martin, Alex Chetverikov and James Di Fabrizio

speed date WITH

THE GLORIOUS SOUSAPHONICS Your Profile The Glorious Sousaphonics sound quite 1. unbelievable. We play saxes, we play brass, we

play drums, we play guitars, we all sing. A little bit like Spike Jones and His City Slickers. At the Gasoline Pony on August 18 we’ll be joined by the formidable vocalist Nadya Golski from the 101 Candles Orchestra to reinterpret a few rare gems. We like to play our own music and the music of our favourite musicians. Most things Balkan, Springsteen, Ellington, Parton… Our favourite fans turn up to our gigs to watch us twisting and turning through all of that.

Keeping Busy So far in 2016 we have been playing 2. at other people’s parties, festivals and official

openings, playing all over Sydney and the lush South Coast of NSW. Our new video is coming along brilliantly – being helped into the world by Ryan Nockels. Our 2015 CD, Bombardon, is still selling nicely.

Best Gig Ever Playing for small children and animals 3. (and their shepherds) in March 2015 in the inner south-west of Sydney in a big, sort of overgrown

backyard. While the weather gods were smiling on us we sang our hearts out and played our arses off to help launch our CD Bombardon. Current Playlist On high rotation at the moment is S.E. 4. Rogie, Pharoah Sanders, Hariprasad Chaurasia, Sun Ra and the almighty Raymond Scott. We went to see the great Sydney band The Mango Balloon the other day. Delicate musical statements presented with minimal fuss.

Your Ultimate Rider Barry Brothers 2014 bottles of plonk, good 5. pierogi and a couple of chess boards. A comfy bunch of chairs and central heating. Some of us don’t eat all the bread from our free sangers. Sometimes seems a waste. Who: The Glorious Sousaphonics with Nadya Golski What: Bombardon out now through Yum Yum Tree Where: The Gasoline Pony When: Thursday August 18

MANAGING EDITOR: Chris Martin chris@thebrag.com 02 9212 4322 DEPUTY EDITOR: Joseph Earp ONLINE EDITOR: James Di Fabrizio SUB-EDITOR: Sam Caldwell STAFF WRITERS: Joseph Earp, Adam Norris, Augustus Welby NEWS: Alex Chetverikov, James Di Fabrizio, Anna Wilson ART DIRECTOR: Sarah Bryant PHOTOGRAPHERS: D.A. Carter, Katrina Clarke, Ashley Mar ADVERTISING: Tony Pecotic - (02) 9212 4322 tony@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

AWESOME INTERNS: Anna Wilson, Emily Norton, Alex Chetverikov, Angela Antenero REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS: Nat Amat, Prudence Clark, Tom Clift, Anita Connors, Christie Eliezer, Emily Gibb, Tegan Jones, Lachlan Kanoniuk, Sarah Little, Emily Meller, David Molloy, Annie Murney, Adam Norris, George Nott, Daniel Prior, Tegan Reeves, Natalie Rogers, Erin Rooney, Spencer Scott, Natalie Salvo, Leonardo Silvestrini, Jade Smith, Lucy Watson, Rod Whitfield, Harry Windsor, Tyson Wray, Stephanie Yip, David James Young Please send mail NOT ACCOUNTS direct to this NEW address 100 Albion Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010 ph - (02) 9212 4322 fax - (02) 9319 2227 EDITORIAL POLICY: The views and opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher, editors or staff of the BRAG. ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE: Kris Furst: accounts@furstmedia.com.au ph - (03) 9428 3600 fax - (03) 9428 3611 Furst Media, 3 Newton Street Richmond Victoria 3121

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Some of the biggest Aussie acts of the last four decades are assembling for Pure Gold Live 2016. Since its inception in 2014, and following on from the sold-out successes of 2014 and 2015, Pure Gold Live and WSFM101.7 have brought together some of Australia’s biggest acts under one roof in a celebration of a rich pop and rock heritage. Pure Gold Live 2016 returns with some of Australia’s best-loved talents, including Ross Wilson of Daddy Cool, Mondo Rock, Dragon, Glenn Shorrock, Steve Kilbey of The Church, Eurogliders and Thirsty Merc, among the 20 acts assembled especially for this pre-Christmas Aussie special. Hosted by WSFM101.7’s drivetime presenter Jason Staveley, the night promises over three hours of nostalgic hits performed in the newly developed ICC Sydney Theatre in Darling Harbour’s renewed entertainment precinct. Pure Gold Live will be held on Friday December 23.

MISSY’S BIG NEW BAND

Missy Higgins will fuse her live band with some of Australia’s leading symphony orchestras for a handful of special concerts at the end of this year, and her Sydney show will be backed by none other than the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. The intimate run of shows will see the revered Australian singer-songwriter performing all her iconic hits with full orchestral arrangements. In a special treat for punters, Higgins will also be using these unique shows to unveil a handful of brand new songs on which she’s been quietly working away for the majority of 2016. One of the most successful and acclaimed songwriters in contemporary Australian music history, Higgins has sold over a million albums across the country, enjoyed multiple number one hits and won Bec Sandridge

LIVE AND LET DIE

Two of America’s heaviest bands are joining forces for a massive Australian tour in early 2017. New York’s Every Time I Die and Los Angeles’ Letlive. will put aside the east/west rivalry to destroy stages across the country, joined by Counterparts. Every Time I Die will be sharing new tracks from their forthcoming album Low Teens, out Friday September 23, while Letlive. are fresh from the release of their own new record, If I’m The Devil…. Harden up at the Metro Theatre on Tuesday January 10. nine ARIA Awards in her illustrious career. Her symphony show is Thursday November 3 at the State Theatre.

MORE SYMPHONIC STARS

As part of its newly launched 2017 program, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra has announced a series of concerts with Australian singers Megan Washington, Kate Miller-Heidke and Katie Noonan. The Kaleidoscope series will see these three leading lights of the Australian female vocal community perform songs old and new with a full orchestral arrangement. These concerts are just a contemporary taste of the SSO’s sprawling 2017 program, which also features an appearance from acclaimed Argentinian pianist Martha Argerich, violin virtuoso Maxim Vengerov and much more. Washington performs with the SSO on Friday September 22 and Saturday September 23, 2017, at the Sydney Opera House. Full details of the 2017 SSO season are to be announced, but you can find more info at sydneysymphony.com.

rock band East Journey, comprising younger generation members of the Yothu Yindi musical clan. Brisbane’s Dubmarine will fill the dancefloor into the night, while the indigenous culture of New Zealand will be represented by Trinity Roots. Homeground highlight Dance Rites will also be back at the festival this year, hosting a national indigenous dance competition in a specially made sand circle on the harbourfront. There’ll also be an arts market, tours, food and workshops. Homeground 2016 takes place on the forecourt and surrounds of the Sydney Opera House, Saturday October 8 and Sunday October 9. The BB-52s 52s

HOMEGROUND ADVANTAGE

Homeground, the two-day Sydney Opera House festival of First Nations culture, has announced a bumper program for its 2016 return. The live music lineup will be led by Aboriginal

A YOUNG YOURS & OWLS

Yours & Owls has announced a minifestival for under-18s to take place on the first day of the Yours & Owls Festival proper. Hermitude and Bec Sandridge feature from the main bill, and are joined by the local likes of Hockey Dad, Pinheads, Skegss, The Vanns, Nicole Millar and James Crooks for the event. The inaugural underage program is a welcome initiative and opportunity for younger fans to experience Yours & Owls, albeit on a smaller scale. The strictly under-18s mini-festival takes place at Waves in Wollongong on Saturday October 1.

TIN ROOF RUSTED

The B-52s will be teaming up with Simple Minds for a huge Australian tour come 2017. Heading over for A Day On The Green, they’ve also locked in a very solid sideshow. Australia was the first country in the world to truly embrace Simple Minds, giving the band its first hit single with ‘Love Song’. Similarly, The B-52s have garnered both cult and critical acclaim for their fearless approach to new wave with classics including ‘Rock Lobster’ and ‘Love Shack’. They’ll play with Models and Machinations at Bimbadgen in the Hunter Valley on Saturday February 11 for A Day On The Green, as well as hitting the Hordern Pavilion on Thursday February 9.

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The B-52s photo by Pieter M. Van Hattem

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THAT’S PURE GOLD

Every Time I Die

Bec Sandridge photo by Will Edgar

GIG & CLUB GUIDE COORDINATOR: Sarah Bryant - gigguide@thebrag.com (rock); clubguide@thebrag.com (dance, hip hop & parties)

Lost Paradise, the New Year’s music festival that takes over Glenworth Valley on the Central Coast, has announced a bumper program for 2016. Queuing up the holiday tunes over three days and nights will be a huge lineup of Australian and international stars. Leading the bill are Sticky Fingers, Flight Facilities, Fat Freddy’s Drop and Gang Of Youths, while UK indie/electro heroes Hot Chip will be there in DJ mode. There’ll also be sets from Hudson Mohawke, Eats Everything, Big Scary, Heidi, Montaigne, Harts and many more. Lost Paradise 2016 takes place from Thursday December 29 – Saturday December 31. For the full lineup, visit thebrag.com.

xxx

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BRAG :: 676 :: 17:08:16 :: 5

live & local

free stuff

welcome to the frontline: what’s goin’ on around town... with Alex Chetverikov, Joseph Earp and Chris Martin

five things WITH

1.

Paul Mazurkiewicz from Cannibal Corpse. I saw them playing ‘Hammer Smashed Face’ in the Ace Ventura movie and thought, “Hey, this is brutal! This is the shit!” My main influences as I started playing more and more were definitely Brann Dailor (Mastodon) and Billy Rymer (Dillinger Escape Plan). Your Band Black Rheno are Ryan 3. Miller, Mariano Palomares and I.

I moved to Sydney and needed a place to practise. That ended up being Housefox Studios, where Ryan opened the door wearing my exact clothes (cut up band tee and cargo shorts, no shoes) and said he was looking for a drummer. So we were bros straight away! Same goes for our token crazy riff wizard Spaniard

Mariano – he came to Australia from Europe, looking at Housefox for like-minded brethren in order to build a heavy stoner band to take on everything with what he calls a “no bullshit” approach. Our single releases and debut EP Let’s Start A Cult proves this. It was recorded at Housefox Studios by Ryan Miller. The Music You Make Our style is a sporadic 4. mix of stoner/sludge/groove/

grind, intensely fuzzed guitars, hard-hitting drums and brutal, challenging vocals. Most of our music is heavily influenced by bands like Fu Manchu, King Parrot, Clutch, Red Fang, Snot, Kyuss and Cancer Bats. Our three released singles are ‘Jon Sparton’, ‘40 Years’, and ‘No Time For Numb Nuts’, along with Let’s Start A Cult. One thing to watch out for is our live show – it’s blistering energy spat in your face by all members.

Just don’t let Ryan see you sitting on your arse not moving. You will be his target until you’re throwing yourself around like a beached salmon! Music, Right Here, Right Now 5. We need more people supporting

live music. Don’t get me wrong, the scene is still great, but it could be a tonne better. Get off your couch and go support some hardworkers doing what they love and putting on a show for you! A standout band for the three of us that we’ve seen lately is King Parrot. They have a brutal live performance with loads of hard work and tunes to back it up – absolute perfection! Where: Hideaway Bar When: Saturday August 27 What: Let’s Start A Cult out now independently

By now you’ve had ample time to get yourself acquainted with Blood Orange’s brilliant Freetown Sound, a sensual and sincere set of dark R & B tunes that ranks up there with the man’s very finest work. Dev Hynes, the artist behind the Blood Orange moniker, has long been a staple of the indie circuit, recording projects under a number of different names – though Freetown Sound might be the best piece he has yet turned in. Some magazine (that definitely, certainly, maybe wasn’t us) even picked it as their Album of the Week, and called it “quietly tragic and desperately danceable at the same time”, which sounds pretty good to us. After floating around the Soundcloud world for a while, the album is now being released on physical formats and we’ve got five copies of the CD to giveaway. So if you want to get your precious little mitts on a copy, just head over to thebrag.com/freeshit and enter the draw.

Xxx

Growing Up I think my first musical memory was sitting down in front of the TV wearing my Coke bottle glasses with my dad as we watched The Beatles’ Yellow Submarine on VHS. My parents were not musos at all, they just always liked good music: Zeppelin, The Doors, et cetera. On the other hand, my elder brother was blasting Metallica and Tool from his bedroom, which pricked my ears up to the heavy scene. I never looked back!

BLOOD ORANGE

DOUG MARTIN FROM BLACK RHENO

Inspirations The first drummer who 2. inspired me would have to be

head to: thebrag.com/freeshit

xxx xxx

Jordie Lane

The Mighty Resonators

MIGHTY SOUNDS

The Mighty Resonators, one of the most perfectly monikered bands that Australia has to offer, have announced a Sydney gig perfectly suited for all you blues and soul hounds. The band have played their fair share of shows as of late, growing into a not-to-be-missed live presence. Essentially, they’re a pack of expert musicians playing dense, intelligent music – what more could ya possibly want? Their Sydney show hits the Ruby L’otel on Saturday August 20, so make sure you don’t miss it.

WHERE THERE’S A WIL

Wil Wagner will hit the road for a pair of solo shows this August. No stranger to the road as lead singer of the ever-touring Smith Street Band, Wagner will take over a stage in Sydney for an intimate show. He will be joined by long-time friend and music collaborator, Jeff Rosenstock. It all goes down at Oxford Art Factory on Thursday August 18.

JUST JOSHING

Surry Hills Festival

THE HILLS ARE ALIVE One of Sydney’s most happening suburbs, Surry Hills, is once again welcoming an array of artists and musicians to Surry Hills Festival in September. The 14th edition of Surry Hills Festival will take over a number of locations, including Ward Park, Shannon Reserve, Crown Street, Tudor Reserve and The Clock Hotel. The program includes a bunch of great Australian musical talent, plus collaborative public art and free workshops. Music highlights include Melbourne’s Lanks, Kahlo, and Brisbane’s party-starters Hey Geronimo. Surry Hills Festival 2016 takes place on Saturday September 24. Entry is free but donations are welcome.

Jordie Lane is back from America with his first full-length studio album in five years. To celebrate his new album, Glassellland, Lane will be heading out on a massive national tour with his band The Sleepers. The record was written and produced by Lane alongside cocollaborator and in-demand LA based producer Clare Reynolds (Timbaland, Haley Reinhart, Greyson Chance). Lane will play Newtown Social Club on Thursday November 10.

GOING FOR BROKE

Sydney’s own Infi nity Broke have announced a very special, very free, local show at the end of this month. At their first appearance in six months, Infi nity Broke will bring their stylish mix of rock and garagesoul to the Vic On The Park with special guests Yeevs in tow. Led by ex-Bluebottle Kiss leader Jamie Hutchings, the group’s unique lineup of percussion, soulful bass and free-wheeling guitar make them a hypnotic and soulful live operation. With Hutchings heading overseas for the rest of the year, this will defi nitely be a show worth catching. Infi nity Broke play Vic On the Park, on

Saturday August 27 from 10pm.

TAMBOURINE (WO)MAN

The Tambourine Girls are celebrating their second single released from their forthcoming debut album with a one-night-only Sydney show. Recording with producer Tim Whitten (Powderfinger, Hoodoo Gurus), The Tambourine Girls capture the mythology of the female muse in pop culture and life. The fourpiece first emerged in 2014 with their EP The End Of Time and have since toured with the likes of The Preatures and Megan Washington. They’ll hit Newtown Social Club on Sunday September 4.

Waax

HEIST OF THE CENTURY

After 13 years in the wilderness, Australian nu-metal exponents Superheist are back and bigger than ever. New album Ghosts Of The Social Dead will be released on Friday October 28 with Jay Baumgardner producing, capped off with a national tour come November. Rounding it all out is a brand new vocalist, with Ezekiel Ox taking on frontman duties. The forthcoming album will be the band’s fourth studio release, and their first major release in over a decade. They’ll hit the Factory Theatre on Friday November 4.

WAAX ON, WAAX OFF

Waax, the five-piece Brisbane outfit, are set to play three dates in September. Recently fleshing out the trio with the addition of Chris Antolak (guitars) and Tom Griffin (bass), Waax follow up the success of last year’s debut EP with their new single ‘This Everything’ and the announcement of three gigs on the east coast this September. Having generated some substantial interest following their triple j unearthed journey, their already memorable live show is sure to be turned up a few notches with the added energy of new members. They’ll play a free show at The Bank Hotel on Friday September 23. xxx

6 :: BRAG :: 676 :: 17:08:16

Australian-based singer-songwriter Josh Johnston has announced an intimate gig to be held at Oxford Circus this month. The Call In Whispers tour, designed to promote his new album of the same name, has so far been very well-received, with CDs and artist merchandise selling out within weeks. Johnston, who has co-written with the likes of Joel Quartermain (Eskimo Joe) and Jen Cloher draws from a rich musical background to produce a catchy style of pop/rock that brings to mind the likes of The Temper Trap, Empire Of The Sun and Matt Corby. The acoustic performance will be held on Wednesday August 24 at Oxford Circus. Entry is free.

SHADY LANES

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THE STRIDES JOSEPH TAWADROS QUARTET GRACE BARBÉ AFRO-KREOL AJAK KWAI DECLAN KELLY PRESENTS DIESELN’DUB AFROBRASILIANA SOUNDSYSTEM MIRIAM LIEBERMAN TRIO EMILY WURRAMARA MIDDAY TO 8PM BICENTENNIAL PARK GLEBE book tickets at globalrhythms.com.au

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BRAG :: 676 :: 17:08:16 :: 7

Industrial Strength Music Industry News with Christie Eliezer

THINGS WE HEAR • Which novelist and aspiring music scribe’s flatmate is gleefully telling their social circle when yet another rejection slip arrives in the mail from a book publisher? • Is another Australian VJ planning to move to LA to break into the TV scene there? • Given that Australians are the greatest pirates of Game Of Thrones, will we also get the US orchestral tour of its music? • Will Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu be touring again? He’s been on dialysis for failing kidneys since April. When he accepted his fifth Artist of the Year gong at the National Indigenous Music Awards in Darwin recently, he was in a wheelchair, leaving hospital just for the occasion. But he continues to record, most recently with John Butler. • After the success of the second Melbourne Guitar Show, will organiser Australian Music Association consider many requests to also hold it in Sydney?

UNIVERSAL MUSIC AUSTRALIA LAUNCHES CASABLANCA

Universal Music Australia has launched a new imprint, Casablanca Records Australia, with a focus on electronic alternative music, according to managing director Michael Taylor. The first Aussie artists to sign to the roster are Running Touch, Just A Gent, St. Albion and Vera Blue. The first release is Running Touch’s single ‘Levitate (It’s All Too Perfect)’, also out abroad on Republic/Casablanca Records USA, Casablanca Records France, Virgin/EMI UK and Universal Music in the Netherlands, Sweden and Latin America. Casablanca emerged in the ’70s with Donna Summer, KISS and Parliament. Universal revived it overseas in 2012 as a home for electronic pioneer Giorgio Moroder, Crystal Castles, Felix Jaehn and Oliver Heldens.

SONY MUSIC BUYS MINISTRY OF SOUND

Sony Music Entertainment has bought out Ministry of Sound Recordings, one of the biggest dance labels in the world. The label was formed in 1993 in London by James Palumbo as an extension of the house music nightclub of the same name. It’s sold 70 million records, and in the UK had 40 number one albums and 21 number one singles. The Australian operation will continue to release compilations here until next June, after which it moves to Sony Music Australia. MOS Australia chief Tim McGee says the local operation will change its name down the track to reflect that it is now a full service company with management, touring and publishing.

SYDNEY BARS TO ENLARGE FOR MORE LIVE MUSIC?

During a review of Sydney’s small bar liquor laws, the City of Sydney was one of the stakeholders who suggested its 130 small bars increase to 120 capacity – and extend trading to 2am from midnight. It would allow them to showcase more live music and increase their

• The National Parks and Wildlife Service is • Rihanna is joining the cast of Ocean’s threatening to introduce cameras and gates Eight. to dissuade illegal raves from being held at • South African rap group Die Antwoord Lower Portland in Hawkesbury. A 24-year-old have accused the makers of Suicide Squad man attending one such event went missing of ripping them off, saying the Jared Leto and Margot Robbie characters are based on in the bush, just weeks after a man was found dead in his car close to the dance area. band members Ninja and Yolandi Visser. • Coming off the back of their biggest • Amity Affliction singer Joel Birch Australian tour so far, King Gizzard and The confessed to America’s AP magazine that Lizard Wizard depart this week for some of after he heard their new album back in its their biggest shows in the UK and Europe. entirety and listened to some of the lyrics, he entered Alcoholics Anonymous and turned his These include festivals like Green Man, Pukkelpop, Reading & Leeds and End Of The life around. Road. • US President Barack Obama digs music • Jinja Safari, who in January announced from this part of the world: a list of his fave they were splitting, release their farewell summer songs included Courtney Barnett’s albums as a two-part series called Crescent ‘Elevator Operator’ and Gin Wigmore’s ‘Man Head – part one on Wednesday August Like That’ alongside those from Prince, 17 and part two on Saturday August 27. Aretha Franklin, Nas, Chance The Rapper, They named it after the small beachside town Common, Jay Z, Pharrell Williams, The where they met, wrote and recorded most of Beach Boys and Nina Simone. the 21 final tracks. • German rock festival Wacken Open Air hosted hard rock’s first hologram performance. • Bow Wow is bowing out, retiring from music Ronnie James Dio 'performed' alongside his at 29 because he’d always planned to exit old band Dio Disciples before 75,000 fans. when he was 30. contribution to the city’s $19 billion “night-time economy”. Smaller bars are said to attract more investors and have less violence than large venues.

FOLK ALLIANCE SMALL GRANTS SCHEME Folk Alliance Australia has launched its Small Grants Scheme for folk music projects or groups. Four $3,000 grants are available to those whose projects between October and May 2017 will enhance and lift the profile of the folk music industry in Australia. Visit folkalliance.org.au ahead of the deadline on Friday August 19.

TWO JOBS GOING AT BLUESFEST

Bluesfest Touring, which presents over 100 sideshows a year in Australia and New Zealand, has two jobs going. One is for an in-house publicist to manage publicity and marketing, write copy for media releases and coordinate artist interviews. Beginning on a nine-month contract, among the credentials needed are proven PR and marketing experience and strong media relations. The second role is for a Bluesfest touring manager/ booker. The role includes targeting and booking acts for the festival and sideshows, liaising with overseas agents, overseeing budgets and ticket pricing, and helping with the marketing of the shows and the program. See more at seek. com.au.

AUSSIE SUES OZZY OSBOURNE

Australian musician Bob Daisley is suing Ozzy Osbourne and one of his companies, Blizzard Music Limited. Daisley co-wrote with Osbourne on a number of albums and played bass for him for some years. But the issue is over ‘Crazy Train’ from the Blizzard Of Ozz album, which they co-wrote with the late guitarist Randy Rhoads. Daisley says he’s been getting royalties for the past 38 years, but a 2014 audit showed that some of the royalties were taken out before he was paid. He estimates the shortfall as US$2 million.

Lifelines

Osbourne has called the lawsuit “tantamount to harassment”, and said a number of audits showed no such discrepancies.

WHY FESTIVALS ARE BAD FOR YOUR HEALTH

Two dozen festivalgoers in north-east Ohio had to be treated after a boofhead threw out bags of colourful candy into the crowd – only they were laced with a very high dose of the drug THC, which is found in marijuana. There were no fatalities. The local police chief said, “They didn’t lose consciousness, they just felt different.” Over in the UK, 36 cases of measles were linked to summer music festivals, 16 at Glastonbury alone. Meanwhile, a recent study warned how keeping your festival wristband on long after the event could be very unhygienic.

HEMMES BUYS THE ALEX

Justin Hemmes’ company Merivale’s latest acquisition is the live-music-showcasing Alexandria Hotel AKA The Alex in the inner-city suburb of Alexandria. The 1870s venue has been closed since last year, and has become the centre of a vigorous grassroots campaign to stop it from being turned into apartments. Hemmes had not seen the venue before he bought it, figuring it was worth saving if residents were up in arms. He expects it to be open in late spring after a revamp.

UNIVERSAL MUSIC SIGNS HOT SPOKE

Universal Music Australia has signed Sydney indie folk group Hot Spoke to its Mercury label. The band is managed by the Winterman & Goldstein firm. Hot Spoke have their debut EP in the pipeline, from which comes their next single ‘Calm Down’, described by singersongwriter Ness Muir as “about wanting to pause your life and step out of the ring for a while.” They’ve also dropped a video for current single ‘Outlines’, directed by John Meredith of Full Moon Hot Sun on a picturesque private farm along the Shoalhaven River on the New South Wales South Coast.

Split: John Mellencamp and model Christie Brinkley after a year. Dating: Delta Goodrem and Wallabies star Drew Mitchell. Hospitalised: Gregg Allman for “serious health issues”, forcing him to cancel all gigs until October. Recovered: Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi’s cancer is in remission. Ill: Danish popsters Lukas Graham cancelled their first visit to Australia because singer Lukas Forchhammer was suffering “extreme exhaustion”. In Court: US country music DJ David Mueller is trying to get Taylor Swift’s counter suit against him dropped. In 2013, he was accused of groping her at a meet-and-greet by lifting her skirt and grabbing her buttocks during a photo shoot, causing him to be sacked by his Denver station. He sued her for defamation saying it was a colleague who groped her, and she promptly counter sued last year. In Court: Led Zeppelin lost their fight for US band Spirit to pay their US$800,000 legal fees over the ‘Stairway To Heaven’ case. The judge said the copyright lawsuit against them was not “frivolous”, even though they won. In Court: Ed Sheeran is being sued by US soul singer Marvin Gaye’s estate, which claims he ripped off parts of Gaye’s classic ‘Let’s Get It On’ for his own hit ‘Thinking Out Loud’. The news comes weeks after the 25-year-old was accused of plagiarising a track written for X Factor UK singer Matt Cardle. In Court: A 51-year-old Adelaide classical music fan, Anne Elizabeth Tipping, escaped penalty after being arrested for the third time for refusing to turn down her music following complaints from neighbours – once turning up the volume and abusing cops when they arrived. The Adelaide Magistrates Court let it go because Tipping has now moved to a house next to a 92-year-old woman who likes the music, and police didn’t measure if her music was over the accepted decibel level. Sued: Pitbull for US$1 million by his former manager after they parted ways. Died: Memphis R&B singer Ruby Wilson, ‘the Queen of Beale Street’, aged 68, of a heart attack. She toured Australia a number of times.

speed date WITH

DOM O’CONNOR FROM JODY Your Profile When we started as a band, I 1. thought it was a good idea to label us ‘Inner West mope rock’. A few years and some reviews making fun of us about it later, it’s both a blessing and a curse. I always think bands sound really dumb trying to explain how they sound anyway. I guess there’s like guitars and a bit of yelling, but not much, and we jump off things sometimes?

Keeping Busy The last three months have 2. been real fun! We haven’t been doing

tonnes of shows (just lil’ festivals and one-offs with bands we like) but we’ve recorded an EP with our buddy Nick Franklin, as well as releasing the first single from it (which we’re launching on the 20th). Finally, we’ve also filmed a clip for our next single ‘One Of Me’, which was real enjoyable. I’m excited for it to come 8 :: BRAG :: 676 :: 17:08:16

out, because a) I think it’ll look really good; and b) the setting was a standard party scenario and I got too loose while we were filming it, so I’d love to reconcile what little memory I have of the night with what was actually filmed. Best Gig Ever We’ve played some really 3. fun and completely different shows.

The ones that stick out are: getting members of the crowd to do a shoey; playing at Secret Garden Festival this year on my 20th birthday in the afternoon before rushing off and playing at the Metro that night; a show in Byron Bay where a punter told Mason our bass player how much he enjoyed the show before exposing himself to him (in the bar line); and finally, a show we did in Melbourne where after we played, Nick, our drummer went to the gym as soon as we were done. Never skip leg day?

Current Playlist I really love the Car Seat 4. Headrest record (Teens Of Denial) as well as the Whitney one (Light Upon The Lake). As far as local Sydney bands, the couple that stick out to me are Royal Headache, Hunch, Big White and Winston Surfshirt – all completely different genre-wise but to me bands that are genuinely fantastic and sum up Sydney music well. Also shouts to Matt/Mason/ Nick’s other band Matrick Jones. Your Ultimate Rider What’s a rider? I don’t think 5. we’re fussy as long as they give us

some booze. Maybe some earplugs so we don’t have to listen to Nick, before the show. Where: The Chippendale Hotel When: Saturday August 20

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COVER STORY

OZ COMIC-CON

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he popularity of geek culture has grown exponentially over the past few years. It’s a trend that has become all the more visible thanks to the increasing size of conventions such as Oz ComicCon, a two-day event that will be hitting Sydney again in September. And with impressive guests such as Robert Englund (A Nightmare On Elm Street’s Freddy Krueger), Daniel Portman and Keisha Castle-Hughes (Game Of Thrones), Aaron Ashmore (Smallville, Warehouse 13) and Charlie and Max Carver (Teen Wolf), it’s set to be bigger than ever. But it isn’t all about the awesome guests and the merchandise. What really makes Oz Comic-Con special is its ability to bring people together to have an amazing experience, and provide them with opportunities to break into the pop culture industry itself. Event organiser Rand Ratinac speaks about the con and what makes it unique, despite it being located a long way from Hollywood. “Everyone involved in the industry knows that the Australian shows are never going to be the same as the American ones,” he says. “We just don’t have the ready access to talent that they do and we don’t have a constant film industry going here. “There are some great things that pop up – Thor is filming and I believe one of the new Star Wars will be filming here. Hopefully that kind of stuff keeps growing and expanding. But in the meantime, almost all of the mainstream media guests that we bring in are imported from the US or UK. There’s only so much of a budget that you can do that with, but we want to do our very best to bring the fans the people they really want to see. We’re also trying to build

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a community around the event itself, and giving an experience not just with the guests themselves but with every aspect of the show that makes people excited.”

“THE SHOW HAS ALWAYS BEEN ABOUT PEOPLE BEING ABLE TO FIND THE INFORMATION THAT THEY NEED TO POTENTIALLY MAKE CONNECTIONS AND MEET PEOPLE WHO COULD POSSIBLY GIVE THEM WORK IN THE FUTURE.”

Australia may be tucked away in its own little corner of the world, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have some amazing homegrown film and television talent ourselves. Oz Comic-Con is passionate about showcasing the Australians who are dominating the local and international entertainment scenes. Ratinac also sees it as a way to support the upand-comers who are looking for a way to build their skills and secure their big break.

“We’ve always thought that if people can’t come to the show and say to themselves, ‘This is something that I would like to make into a career,’ and then can see avenues on how to do that, there’s no real point to it. The reason we have always been interested in bringing comic professionals – even editors and people involved in the business side – is to give opportunities to up-andcoming Australian creators.” This mentality also applies to costume design and cosplay, which itself has become increasingly popular not only as a hobby but a legitimate career avenue. “In terms of costuming, we have some really talented people locally

and we also bring in well regarded people from overseas who know a great deal about how to make the best costumes they can and turn that into a living,” says Ratinac. “The show has always been about people being able to find the information that they need to potentially make connections and meet people who could possibly give them work in the future.” Location and budgetary restraints may have forced Oz Comic-Con to take a slightly different approach to hosting a convention, but this certainly hasn’t been a deterrent for the organisers or attendees. Instead, the focus on community, workshops and events has been an asset; something that feels uniquely Australian. “If you go to San Diego Comic-Con, what you’ll see is a hundred or so thousand people and they’re mostly there to see the guests from the shows,” Ratinac explains. “But there’s always still a bunch of people who want news and to see what’s cool. Even in the US there’s an aspect of engagement with the community of pop culture fans and that’s one of the things that we’re definitely trying

PASSIONS AT PLAY BY TEGAN JONES

to bring. Part of the fun is seeing the guests and hearing them talk, seeing all of the great cosplayers. We’re also trying to always bring in new cool things from exhibitors – the experiences that will make the show unique and different every time.”

One of the most exciting new experiences on offer this year is the Oz Comic-Con Fashion Show. Hosted by the queen of Australian cosplay, Eve Beauregard, the show is open to aspiring designers who wish to unleash their inner geek on the catwalk. “It’s definitely the first of its kind in Australia, which we’re quite proud of,” says Ratinac. “It’s something that we had in the works for some time – we threw it out as a possibility right from the beginning. That kind of event is not something that is a natural fit at a pop culture show, but it is something that is very cool.” At this point, one wonders: considering the rising popularity of geek culture in the mainstream, can we really still say that such an idea isn’t a good fit for an event like Comic-Con? After all, geek-inspired clothing labels are more popular than ever. Ratinac agrees. “If you have a look at the likes of Black Milk and even your old-school pop culture T-shirts, it shows you that there is a market for people who want to show their passions on their person. A runway show isn’t your normal kind of pop culture show event, but I think it’s

going to work really well and people will be excited by it.” The community focus isn’t only restricted to the venue itself. Over the past few years, the Oz Comic-Con after-hours events have become an institution in their own right, as well as a fantastic opportunity for local businesses. Game-themed bars such as Spawn Point have not only hosted parties, they’ve offered discounts to convention attendees. Although Ratinac must be tight-lipped about this year’s after-hours program, he does offer a few hints. “The thing about the show is that it isn’t just the floor or the weekend. There is always a great feeling of community when fans, people who are involved professionally and people who are interested in breaking into the industry get together after the show. It’s about being able to sit down and take it easy with some friends or go to a party, meet a bunch of other people and have some fun. “With the after-hours events it’s a little more organised where we have different outside businesses getting involved. Whether it’s a costume party, gaming event or whatever, it’s something that reaches out to the community and to the fans and says that things don’t have to end at 6pm. You can still have fun now and then come back tomorrow for more.” What: Oz Comic-Con 2016 With: Robert Englund, Daniel Portman, Keisha Castle-Hughes, Aaron Ashmore and many more Where: Sydney Exhibition Centre, Glebe Island When: Saturday September 10 – Sunday September 11

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Eilen JeweLL (USA) / The HarpOOnist and The Axe Murderer (CAN) / Julien Baker (USA) / Skunkhour / Lior Tash Sultana / Henry Wagons & The Only Children / Olympia / Gareth LiDDiard (THE DRONES) / MaTT Andersen (CAN) Fourplay String Quartet / SuzaNNah Espie / YiRRmal / Ajak Kwai (STH SUDAN) / WiLLiam Crighton / BoBBy Alu & The Palm Royale / Hat Fitz & Cara Robinson / The Wilson Pickers / King Tide / Jordie Lane & The SlEEpers Epizo Bangoura (WEST AFRICA) / Julia Jacklin / Sahara Beck / The Meltdown / Áine Tyrrell (IRE) / Allensworth (USA) Ethno Folk Orchestra / King Curly / Tina HaRRod / Yeshe / TEK TEK Ensemble / Arakwal Dancers Sal Kimber & The RoLLin’ WhEEl / Liz Stringer / Jo Jo Smith / Madeline Leman & The Desert SweLLs / The Buckleys Mandy Nolan / The Windy HiLLs / Hamish Stuart: ‘Someone Else’s Child’/ Round Mountain Girls / The Old SchOOl Funk Band / The Golden Mile / The Low Down Riders / Ladyslug / The BuTTon CoLLective / SheLLy Brown Honey & Knives / Mrs Miyagi / Lez Karski Trio / TuLLara / Levingstone / The HoTTentots / Two Lions / Ben Wilson & The Job SEEkers / Aloha Baby / Dustyesky / Mario QuEEn of the Circus / SpagheTTi Circus / Funmaker Silent Disco / Sal Kimber Bush Dance / Wild Science / The CaSSeTTes / Roundabout Theatre / The Magic Bus and more… 80 artists perform over 4 days in 12 venues in the town of MuLLumbimby | muLLuMMusicfestival.com

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Asta She’s Dynamite By Zanda Wilson

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nearthed High is one of triple j’s most exciting competitions, each year giving high school kids the platform to showcase their talent and music to the rest of Australia. 2012’s winner was Hobart-hailing Asta, a singer-songwriter with some amazing raw talent and a killer voice to boot. Since winning the competition she’s released a string of singles, and following on from a solo headline tour earlier this year, she’s been announced on the bill for Jindabyne’s Snowtunes festival. She’s hugely excited to play the winter festival, but despite living in Hobart, Asta reveals that she’s never been skiing. “I’ve actually never been to the snow! Actual skiing snow,” she laughs. “In Tasmania it does snow a lot on the mountains, so I guess I’ve been to the snow, but I don’t know if I’m a snow type of person. Yeah, I do want the opportunity, so I’m really excited to play a gig at the snow. I’m hoping it might be snowing. My friends are going skiing close to there.”

Jimmy Barnes The Search Continues By David James Young

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immy Barnes. A man who needs no introduction. A man who has spent the better part of his life as one of Australia’s most celebrated, prolifi c and respected entertainers. A husband, father and grandfather. A man who, after decades of tireless work, has nothing left to prove – at least, that’s what one would be led to believe. In actuality, Barnes is busier now than he has ever been.

songs that missed the boat – but they should have been hits! The year I had making this album and writing the book at the same time … it really was a year of soul searching. I was unravelling my life, and at the same time I was stripping back these songs and trying to fi nd myself within them. I was trying to place myself within a moment in order to be able to sing these songs well. The whole thing feels like an extension of me.”

“Within the past 12 months,” he begins, “I’ve made two major records – Soul Searchin’ and the Chisel record [Cold Chisel’s The Perfect Crime] – I did a Chisel tour and two solo tours, I wrote a memoir and I’ve written ten kids’ books that are coming out next year, as well as an album of songs to go along with them all with The Wiggles.”

“IT REALLY WAS A YEAR OF SOUL SEARCHING. I WAS UNRAVELLING MY LIFE, AND AT THE SAME TIME I WAS STRIPPING BACK THESE SONGS AND TRYING TO FIND MYSELF WITHIN THEM.”

All this from a man who celebrated his 60th birthday back in April. How is it humanly possible to keep up this level of productivity? “I’m hyperactive,” Barnes says, his lightning-quick laugh ringing out at the phrase. “I just like to keep busy – I’m always working!” Soul Searchin’ is the latest instalment in Barnes’ cover album collection featuring tracks from a bygone era, as reinterpreted with his unmistakable paint-stripping voice. The series began with 1991’s Soul Deep, which saw Barnes taking on classic Motown hits and sent him a whopping nine times platinum. A sequel, Soul Deeper, arrived in 2000, while a spiritual successor, The Rhythm And The Blues, was recorded in 2009. But this time around, rather than taking in songs that are universally beloved, Barnes knew he wanted to make Soul Searchin’ a considerably different experience – both sonically and personally. “I spent a lot of time with some friends of mine seeking out these diamonds in the rough,” he says. “I wanted to fi nd these great songs that maybe people hadn’t necessarily heard. For one reason or another, these are the

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The album was recorded in Nashville, where Barnes went on a journey of sorts to seek out the more obscure numbers that make up the tracklisting. These include songs such as Solomon Burke’s ‘Cry To Me’, Don Covay’s ‘Mercy, Mercy’ and Etta James’ ‘I Worship The Ground You Walk On’, Barnes’ versions of which features a guest appearance from Booker T and The M.G.’s/Blues Brothers guitarist Steve Cropper. So, how were the decisions made on what made the cut? “It comes down to being a great song,” says Barnes. “It’s funny – we were in rehearsals just the other day, trying out these songs for the Soul Searchin’ tour. We had a full horn section, four singers, two guitarists, two keyboard players… naturally, the songs are sounding really good. About halfway through, I said that we should try out a couple of the songs acoustically – we do a lot of radio stuff, so it’s good to have in the back pocket. It struck me

right away that these songs work just as well with one acoustic guitar as they do with a full band arrangement. That’s what it comes down to at the end of the day. If it’s a good song, it’s a good song.” Upon completion of the national theatre tour in support of Soul Searchin’, which sees Barnes and his band doing a full soul revue, the focus will then shift to the release of Working Class Boy, Barnes’ long-awaited book to be released through HarperCollins. As anyone who has been around Barnes for longer than a minute can testify, the singer has managed to live a thousand lifetimes rolled into one. For the man lovingly known as ‘Barnesy’, however, it felt as though his wild years had already been told. When it came to writing Working Class Boy, he had a different story in mind.

“HAVING RELEASED A FEW SONGS OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS, IT’S BEEN A REALLY INTERESTING TIME JUST DISCOVERING WHAT KIND OF MUSIC I WANT TO PUT OUT THERE.”

As someone who hasn’t played an excess of live shows, the tour Asta embarked on earlier this year proved a perfect way to test new material in front of an audience, as well as to work out what tracks she felt most comfortable playing live. She’s also found that social media has been a great way to source fan feedback. “The live show is forever changing,” says Asta. “I’m always putting in new songs. It’s always good to see what people are vibing on and where I feel most comfortable in singing and portraying myself. So that’s been really fun to be able to talk to people, and also on social media. On Snapchat people will say, ‘Oh, what happened to that song?’ so it’s nice to hear that. For me to have that relationship with my fans is great. “Touring is a really good way to play around with songs and experiment, to change things,” she continues. “You do pick up certain things when you’re performing live. Usually an artist would work on music and then tour, but I’ve been doing the opposite – doing these random kinds of shows, but I don’t actually have a lot of music out there. It’s been very different for me, as people have seen me develop in the public eye – but I can’t complain.” Asta’s arrival via Unearthed High was an intense period for the young artist. She went from being completely unknown to one of triple j’s most played acts, but in the time since, it hasn’t been easy to figure out what sort of artist she wants to be and how to maintain her foothold in the industry. With the finalists for Unearthed High 2016 just announced this month, Asta reflects on her time in the competition. “It’s been good in a sense, obviously with the exposure. With the fact that it all happens at once,

“There’s a lot of dark things people don’t know about me,” he says. “The publisher pitched the idea of telling all of these old road stories from being in a rock band, but that’s not the kind of book that I wanted to write. I wanted to tell the story of my life – how I became the person that I am today, through the good times and the bad. The memoir is in two parts, and the first part is coming out in September. It deals with my life from when I was born – there is still very early parts of my life that I can remember, like the bed that I was born in. We left that house when I was six months old, so it’s amazing how vivid some of these memories are. It’s my life from leaving Scotland, moving to Australia and then leaving the Adelaide Hills in the back of a truck on my first tour with Chisel at the age of 17. I remember looking into the rear-view mirror and thinking to myself that I didn’t ever want to go back.” What: Soul Searchin’ out now through Liberation Where: Enmore Theatre When: Saturday August 27 And: Working Class Boy out Monday September 19 through HarperCollins

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Jimmy Barnes photo by Pierre Baroni

As for what the punters can expect from her Snowtunes set, Asta is giving little away – but she lets slip that there’ll be new material on show, possibly from an upcoming EP. “I’ll be playing a few new songs. I just finished wrapping up a project and I’m really excited to play some new songs for people and see what their reactions are. It’s a lot more funk/pop type of vibe, so I’m really excited.

“Having released a few songs over the past few years, it’s been a really interesting time just discovering what kind of music I want to put out there. I’m really excited to have finished this thing – it’s a five-track project. I’m releasing a new single soon as well.”

you don’t have a foundation, you don’t have a manager or a booking agent, or all these things around you. You slowly find those people and it all kind of comes together.� Despite working mainly as a solo artist, last year she got together with Aussie hip hop star Allday to write the hugely successful track ‘Dynamite’. It was a collaboration that took many by surprise – including Asta herself. “It was really fun,� she laughs. “I was surprised that he said yes to doing it because it was something that I didn’t necessarily think suited his style.� ‘Dynamite’ came as a pretty typical collab in an age where technology means that meeting up in person isn’t a necessity for two people to write together. In fact, Asta and Allday wrote the whole song by sending files back and forth. “He literally made something in a day or two, which was the quickest thing ever,� Asta says. “His way of working – he does really care about his music. That was something that I was really surprised about, and something that I took on board – that he really cared about the vocal, and the vocal treatment and the production. I was constantly sending him stuff and he would give me some tips back. So it was a really nice collaboration that just happened over the web, we never actually met up in person.� ‘Dynamite’ became Asta’s second song in two years to make the top 50 of triple j’s Hottest 100, and with her EP on the way, the best is surely yet to come. “It was crazy, because previously I’d been number 50 with ‘My Heart Is On Fire’, so it was bizarre again to get the top 50. My reaction was to think, ‘What is going on here?’ So that made me feel really good, to know that an Australian artist, who hasn’t put out much or done that much touring – that the strength of the song like that can achieve that much.� What: Snowtunes Festival 2016 With: Ball Park Music, What So Not, Hot Dub Time Machine and more Where: Jindabyne When: Saturday September 3

Tommy Emmanuel This One Time At Guitar Camp By Elijah Hawkins

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ommy Emmanuel is a well-travelled man. Even with two Grammy nominations, two ARIA Awards, a designation as a ‘Certifi ed Guitar Player’ from the legendary Chet Atkins and an Order of Australia membership from the Queen, the pull of home remains the strongest thing in Emmanuel’s life. “I wish I could do what I do and still live in Australia, but it’s too far and it’s just impossible,� he says. It’s why Emmanuel is thankful to be returning to Australia in early September for a four-day guitar camp in Sydney, where he and a swag of teachers will be imparting their knowledge upon eager students. The camp aims to inspire its attendees, while teaching them about the instrument and allowing them to spend more time playing than they perhaps ever would in such a concentrated period. “[The students] get fired up about their playing and their passion for music,� Emmanuel says. “You need to be inspired, and camp is a good way to get inspired.�

things we like about a player,� Emmanuel says. “These are the things we will point out. The guitar is the instrument, but the music comes from you, and you have to make that connection and use the instrument to get your expression out. “The camp is not just about music technique, it’s about how you live and how you think as well. You can make your life so much better.� As a professional musician, you might forgive him for being out of touch with the grassroots guitarist, but Emmanuel’s teaching philosophy comes from a place far from any arrogance or elitism. “[Our teaching is] all about being honest and being real. I live in the real world: I make a living by playing guitar to put my kids through school and college,� he says. “That’s the bottom line: it’s all about making everything solid and real. There’s no smoke and mirrors.�

The idea for the camp was first conceived when Emmanuel was asked to hold a guitar clinic in Ohio about 15 years ago. After teaching less than 20 people, he realised he could run a similar clinic with a lot more students, which led to him hosting a camp in Upstate New York.

With 50 years of experience under his belt, the Muswellbrook-born guitarist has been pretty much everywhere and seen it all, and through touring he gets to experience music across a whole lot of different cultures. The challenge for him is to pass on as much of that worldly knowledge as possible, while keeping his teaching relevant and interesting. “You cut to the chase, you get the important information and knowledge from your own experiences across. I can tell you why something works and why it doesn’t as far as onstage goes.� What: Tommy Emmanuel Guitar Camp Where: Checkers Resort And Conference Centre, Terrey Hills When: Thursday September 1 – Monday September 5

“I did a kind of test run. I put on my own camp in Upstate New York at a resort near Woodstock, and I got 85 students for four days, and it went so beautifully. So then I started doing more of them and hand-picking my instructors, giving them ideas on what I wanted them to teach, and away we went.�

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Since the New York camp, Emmanuel has hosted a number of similar clinics internationally and here in Australia, with two taking place in Sydney in recent years. Although the style of teaching might have evolved, the basic principles remain. “There’s nothing else for you to do except play the guitar and learn and interact and talk to each other and to talk music, to live and breathe it – it’s great,â€? says Emmanuel. “The instructors give them all so much information, they come away with new songs to play, with new techniques, with new ideas and with new tools to be able to work out more songs ‌ We’re gonna teach people how to use their ears, for a start, because so many people don’t know how to listen or what to listen for. A musician’s first job is to listen, second is to play.â€? For students to have the opportunity to pick the brains of such a celebrated guitarist will no doubt be invaluable to their playing, but the camp is not just about the instrument – it’s about musicianship in general. “Some of the important things are time, feel, tone, touch and all the

“THE GUITAR IS THE INSTRUMENT, BUT THE MUSIC COMES FROM YOU, AND YOU HAVE TO MAKE THAT CONNECTION AND USE THE INSTRUMENT TO GET YOUR EXPRESSION OUT.� thebrag.com

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m S ydney’s Heartland of Blues

RUBY L’OTEL ROZELLE SATURDAY THE 20TH OF AUGUST 7:30-10:30PM F REE

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The John Steel Singers Into The Night By Emily Gibb

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it ‘play’ on The John Steel Singers’ latest release, their third album Midnight At The Plutonium, and you quickly get the sense it’s their most confident, fun and danceable work yet. So when it comes to chatting with lead vocalist Tim Morrissey on a mid-June afternoon about the approaching release and (at the time) unannounced tour, there is barely an indication of the even bigger announcement to follow. At the beginning of August, likely during rehearsal sessions between the album release and their national tour, The John Steel Singers surprised the music community by announcing their impending hiatus. They assured fans, “Don’t worry, we still love each other very much and will still make lots of music together.” But they’ve got a new business to focus on: Plutonium Records, a logical progression from The Plutonium recording studio in Brisbane, which has hosted Tame Impala, Cloud Control, Sahara Beck, Velociraptor, and of course The John Steel Singers themselves. As Morrissey explains, the studio’s manifestation, presumably like that of the album and the record label, was a natural development. “It was all sort of just happenstance, because we were in another rehearsal space which was very small – we recorded a bit of our last album in there, and then it actually ended up getting shut down. So we were on the lookout for a new space and were fortunate we had a little bit of money that we were able to actually turn that space into a studio. The whole time we already

knew the name was going to be The Plutonium, and that we were going to build it and record the album in there, which obviously seemed very fitting. In some ways, the album influenced how the studio looks and feels as well, ’cause it has a very ’70s sort of feel to it.” The end of this chapter for The John Steel Singers came as the epic eight-minute single ‘Can You Feel The Future’ was belatedly completed for inclusion on Midnight At The Plutonium. The band first touched on the eclectic funky psych jam more than six years ago, around the time of debut album Tangalooma’s creation. “Yeah, that song actually was originally from quite a long time ago and it didn’t work out at the time, but we always remembered it ’cause we knew it was good, we just couldn’t make it work,” Morrissey says. “I think Scott [Bromiley] just started playing that funky bassline around it and we were like, ‘Oh wow, this is back, this is right back now!’ So we then tinkered on it for ages and just made it a really long, free-form sort of jam thing. Originally we wanted it to try and at least go for 12 minutes, but we didn’t quite get there and obviously we wanted to make it at least interesting for the entire duration as well.” Jamming has been the key to creation for the band over the past 18 months, with much of the record taking shape through such sessions here and abroad. “’Cause we’ve been playing together for so long, everyone’s playing together with each other and off each other, so

that part’s really easy,” Morrissey says. “Because we have our own studio, you know, it unfortunately – as great as it is – also meant that we could just keep tinkering forever. “We had Jonathan Boulet play a lot of the percussion on the album,” he continues. “He was living in the UK and we were touring over there but we had a few days off. We rented a Welsh barn house out in the country and he tagged along and was just jamming with us. We were just like, ‘This guy knows how to do percussion!’ So yeah, when we were all back in Australia, we flew him up to Brisbane and got him to do the percussion on the album.” From the get-go, Midnight At The Plutonium was all about party vibes, tracing its way musically from midnight to dawn at a nightclub, so it seems fi tting that The John Steel Singers’ upcoming shows will feature the record heavily alongside a few old favourites for good measure. Together with the non-stop boogies and general revelry, these last gigs are lining up to be extra special thanks to the appearance of guests from the record, including Boulet, the larger-than-life Donny Benet, guitarist Liam Campbell, and vocalist and saxophonist Kirsty Tickle. “Liam Campbell, who’s known as the resident guitar shredder of the Brisbane scene, we get him to play because none of us in the band can recreate some of the solos that he did on the album,” says Morrissey. “Donny Benet

did a really incredible solo on the outro of ‘Weekend Lover’ and so whenever we can, if he’s around, we get him to jump in.

“AS FAR AS LIVE PERFORMANCE GOES, WE’VE HIT THE TOP OF WHERE WE’VE BEEN AS A LIVE BAND.”

“I think as far as live performance goes, we’ve hit the top of where we’ve been as a live band. ‘Can You Feel The Future’ is just incredibly fun to play live – that’s probably one of the things we all look forward to doing, actually just playing that song live as well.

Of Montreal Gender-Bending Revolution By David Molloy

“H

ow do you identify?” asks Kevin Barnes in the opener of Innocence Reaches, the latest record from US indiepop weirdos Of Montreal, finally articulating a question that’s been at the core of his performance practice for the last 20 years. As stories of diverse individuals are becoming a mainstay of the pop cultural conversation and larger audiences are seeking out non-cisgendered art, Barnes has grown increasingly optimistic about the timbre of the broader cultural discourse. “I wanted to give the album a title that was representative of my state of mind, which is that I’ve become more optimistic and more positive within my view of the world and my view of my life,” he says. “Where we are as a band [is] wanting to create a very inclusive, very open-minded environment within our world, within what we do as artists. “I think it’s exciting, actually, that the transgender conversation is happening on a more mainstream level. Everybody is having to engage and we’re not trying to sweep it under the rug as much as we have in the past, or not trying to ostracise people, alienating people who are transitioning into other genders or considering it. I would like for society to get to the point where nobody has a fixed sense of gender or gender identity, and we can all just play with it and keep it sorta fluid and have fun with it. It’s more interesting than people having this strict sense of what it is to be a man or what it is to be a woman.” Barnes follows Judith Butler’s thinking on gender, seeing it as

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performative, constructed and malleable. Since the band’s inception in 1996, Barnes has toyed with gender politics, eschewing the masculinist rock star form for a queer aesthetic that looks – and feels – transformative.

bending aspect to [our show], especially with my performance … and this tour is going to be even more drag-heavy than the last,” he says. “A lot of my friends have been getting more and more into drag and we’re making it more part of our lives.

“There’s always been a gender-

“It’s sort of inevitable that once you

put on a pair of fishnet stockings and high-heel shoes or something, you’re gonna take on this new identity. It’s like how Superman must feel when he’s actually wearing his cape; probably feels very differently from when he’s wearing his suit. It’s healthy to get into a new state of mind, and of course, you’re

still yourself. Even if you create a persona, it’s still based on who you are – you’re just bringing different aspects of your psyche to the surface.” Exploration of gender identity comes more naturally to Barnes than to his bandmates, and the glamorous

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Ben Wright Smith Parallel Worlds By Adam Norris

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o you’ve recorded a song that you’re actually happy with (never a guarantee), and now you’re itching to get out there and show the world. You book a handful of shows up and down the coast – Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra if you’re feeling masochistic, a town or two inbetween – and feel happy with your schedule… unless, of course, you’re Ben Wright Smith. In that case, you pull together an insane tour of 35 performances stretching from Hobart to Darwin in support of your latest single, ‘Sand Grabber’. “[Response] has been good!” says Smith of the feedback he’s received about the tune so far. “I think I’m feeling more relieved now, but on the day, when we first heard it was going to be played, it’s a little like that feeling of your first day in kindergarten. “I hadn’t brought out any new music in a while because I’d been working on this new stuff, and it’s such a weird thing to sit in a room, recording this stuff, and you think, ‘Yeah, that sounds pretty good to me,’ and then you send it out into the world and it turns out it doesn’t actually matter what you think. It’s really on what everybody else thinks. But the

“Hopefully some people come along and check it out.” And as we know now, it might be the last chance to enjoy The John Steel Singers for some time to come.

What: Midnight At The Plutonium out now through Plutonium / Create Control With: Alex Lahey Where: Newtown Social Club When: Friday August 26

stuff people have written to me after hearing it so far has been good, so that’s really cool. I’m happy.” It’s certainly a catchy tune, though it marks a clear evolution in sound from Smith’s previous release, 2014’s EP In Parallel, which features the splendid ‘If Living The Good Life Is Easy (Why Is This So Hard?)’. Part of this is the inevitable change an artist will experience as they tour their wares and hone their craft – though Smith has recently become aware of some similarities between the releases. “I think [music] tends to come full circle,” he says. “I was listening to some of the record the other day, and there are elements that seem to take us back to [In Parallel], that sound a bit like that. I don’t think you ever really want to force anything. I don’t really want to sit down and write another ‘If Living The Good Life Is Easy (Why Is This So Hard?)’, ‘cause it would just be a cheap rip-off. So there are elements that reoccur, but if you’ve got something that you like, you can’t try and reproduce earlier stuff. It’ll come out in different ways. I tend to only write outside on acoustic guitar, but if anything, I think now I’m trying

to shake those habits as much as possible – to try and keep on making fresh stuff.” That said, it’s going to be difficult for Smith to escape writing outside for the next few months. The Sand Grabber Tour sounds like a magnifi cent, exhausting beast, and as it turns out, it’s only the tip of his touring iceberg. “It’s just the beginning,” says Smith. “I actually am coming back and forth a little between dates, ‘cause I still have to record and keep working on the album. Up until October it’s going to be pretty non-stop. I’ll be doing Hobart to Darwin in 18 days, so that will be something else! The Sydney show we’ll be playing with the full band, which will be different from the Northern Territory where I’ll be solo. I think it’s always me onstage, but there is a side of you that comes out when only you play. I’m always really excited [to be] playing in front of people, which,” he laughs, “probably brings out a more hyperactive part of my personality.” Where: Oxford Circus When: Saturday August 27

“IT’S ALWAYS ME ONSTAGE, BUT THERE IS A SIDE OF YOU THAT COMES OUT WHEN ONLY YOU PLAY.”

“I WOULD LIKE FOR SOCIETY TO GET TO THE POINT WHERE NOBODY HAS A FIXED SENSE OF GENDER OR GENDER IDENTITY.” performance style hasn’t yet stretched to everyone with whom he shares the stage. “I’m really the only one that’s really into it. I mean, to this point – maybe once they see me spending so much time on my make-up and my fake eyelashes and all the fun I’m having dressing up, then maybe they’ll wanna join in too,” he laughs. “That’s really the aim: people can be what they want and they don’t feel any pressure. There’s not this bullying that has to go on either side, you know, as far as like, ‘How dare you just identify as what you’re biologically born, that’s so boring.’ That never happens, but it shouldn’t happen, either. Everyone should just be free on whatever level, explore it or not explore it, and let other people do whatever they want as well.” With its electro/disco core and glam rock sheen, Innocence Reaches embodies Barnes’ desire for inclusivity by rejecting the gloomier tones and psychological exorcisms of its predecessor, Aureate Gloom. Darkness still lingers at the periphery – as well it should, given songs like ‘It’s Different For Girls’, in which Barnes directly tackles the everyday injustices faced by women – but hope and optimism ultimately triumph. “I don’t really think of it as a feminist statement or an anthem necessarily, just sort of an observation from my perspective. I have an 11-year-old daughter, so I can kinda see things through her eyes and see how she experiences life. And just being a sensitive human being, I can see how it is for women … There’s just a subtle but often not-so-subtle

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misogyny that exists and that women have to deal with every day; the fact that they can basically get harassed constantly on so many different levels and in ways that men never are.” While it’s an unpleasant truth to explore, Barnes thinks of it more as a contribution to the broader conversation around gender and equality, rather than a militant call to arms. “It’s just another thread in the fabric of it all,” he says. “I haven’t really gotten into public outreach or putting a lot of time into different programs that are set up to educate and enlighten people. So I guess on a level, maybe I’m just too lazy, but I’d like for [change] to just happen organically, and in a subtle, sort of unconscious way.” “There’s a pretty strong kind of underground revolution that’s working its way up into the mainstream more and more. And that’s exciting.” On their current tour, Of Montreal are bringing their newfound buoyancy to international audiences – and hopefully soon to Australia for the first time in six years – pulling together deep cuts and fan favourites in complex, seamless medleys. “The songs are all connected together, like a collage,” says Barnes. “It’ll be very theatrical, and visually very immersive and psychedelic. We’re very excited about hitting the road with this stuff.” What: Innocence Reaches out now through Polyvinyl / Create/ Control

BRAG :: 676 :: 17:08:16 :: 15

Storm The Sky Someone Else’s Shoes By Phoebe Robertson For ‘Burning’, there are only five lines in the whole song that I could get out and it took me seven or eight years to say anything at all. Then there are other songs that just [took] five minutes. One night I wrote two songs in the bathroom of my ex-girlfriend’s house in ten minutes. I don’t ever sit down and try to write because I feel it’s situational and comes to you when you least expect it. How has the departure of Daniel Breen changed your role in the band and the band as a whole? It was more not having to think about two people’s point of views when writing: I could just sit down and be 100 per cent me, which was freeing. I think the biggest change is the onstage dynamics. It also took a while for us to come into our own and for me to take over a whole stage alone. You’re headed out on tour with Pierce The Veil, Silverstein and Beartooth – how does it feel to be a part of such an epic lineup? We’re just stoked and really humbled. We are really excited to learn a lot – we are the type of band that try to progress in being able to play as well as we can and I think going on tour with these big bands really gives us the opportunity to watch and learn from people who have been doing it for years. What do you like to wear onstage? I’m quite out there and I work in fashion as well so I think you need to have something that really defines you and stands out. With this tour I’m actually working with a designer friend of mine and she’s helping me design a few custom pieces. I like to have one-offs that you can’t really buy; I think that’s really cool to have in a live setting so that if people wanted to wear it they couldn’t unless I gave it to them [laughs]. I wear Converse quite a bit. I’ve got these off-white, canary yellow hightops... I like to wear shoes that can cop a bit of a beating. Have you ever had a wardrobe malfunction during a show? I had these jeans, they were actually a girl’s – she left them at my house when we stopped seeing each other. They were these really nice skinny jeans. One day they just kind of ripped right down the middle and I didn’t notice. I kind of squatted to sing to the front row and this poor girl who was probably about 12 years old looked like she’d seen a ghost. It was just underwear [laughs]. Who is the most fashionable member of the band? Andy [Szetho]’s got this really cool vibe going on, kind of vintage baggy pants and a band T-shirt. Alex [Trail] is probably the most stylish though. He’s actually just started his own clothing brand with his girlfriend Candice Vitali called Toka Mi. He knows everything there is to know. He’d kill me if I didn’t pick him so I kind of have to [laughs]. If you were to give an emerging band any tips or tricks, what would they be? The main thing would be don’t cut corners monetarily and take your time. If you’re writing a debut album or EP and you haven’t established your band, take a year [or] a year and a half because you have no time limit.

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country. We caught up with him to chat about the release, their upcoming tour and onstage fashion mishaps. Where did the album title Sin Will Find You come from? I started writing extremely honest songs for the first time – almost like diary entries from my life about growing up in Melbourne, the drug

culture and a lot of the things that go on around here that the general public would view as sin. No matter how hard you try to be a good person, you’re always going to fuck up, and there’s almost a beauty in that. That’s kind of life in itself, and you’d have to live in a bubble not to do that. The general vibe is not to celebrate sin, but just to not be scared of it.

What do you convey to your listeners throughout the record? There’s a song at the end of the record called ‘Burning’. It explains how my dad basically saved my life by just saying a few words when I was in a shit way in high school. Did it take you long to become comfortable writing about your personal experiences?

What: Sin Will Find You out now through UNFD Where: Supporting Pierce The Veil at Big Top Sydney When: Wednesday August 17

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Storm The Sky photo by Kane Hibberd

S

torm The Sky are currently basking in the warmth of their newly released album Sin Will Find You. While the Melbourne unit are a man down after the departure of Daniel Breen, their sophisticated style is stronger than ever. Vocalist William Jarratt has stepped into the spotlight and is preparing to share songs that are soaked in authenticity with fans across the

Andy, Alex, Benny, Lachie and Will wear the Converse Chuck Taylor II Canvas. Part of the Counter Climate collection, the Chuck II Canvas are water-repellent for rainy days, breathe in summer and have a micro-suede lining to keep your toes warm in winter. Shop the full collection at converse.com.au

BRAG’s guide to film, theatre, comedy and art about town

arts in focus

red billabong Away photo by Maryna Rothe

Monstrous Movies also inside:

ARTS NEWS / CIRQUE DU SOLEIL’ SOLEIL’S KOOZA / INDIGNATION / DOWN UNDER / FOOTPRINTS FILM FESTIVAL / MORE thebrag.com

BRAG :: 676 :: 17:08:16 :: 17

arts in focus

free stuff head to: thebrag.com/freeshit

arts news...what's goin' on around town... with Alex Chetverikov, Anna Wilson and Emily Norton

five minutes

Boy In Boat by Trent Mitchell

WITH

TRENT MITCHELL

exposures? I’ve experienced enough to comfortably say I have seen more than your average Australian, although your average touring Grey Nomad would have seen more than me. I definitely feel the need to get out there more over the next few years and continue shooting things.

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our exhibition Australia. Seriously? opens in Paddington this weekend. How did you come to choose the title? I was working with Girt By Sea for around six months, and after researching the name and learning how it had been used in the past, I let the title go very quickly and started brainstorming for a new one. I wanted the title to include the word ‘Australia’ and I wanted the rest of the title to reflect my vision and true self. I wanted the title to be direct,

engaging and fun. I wanted it to be three words maximum. Nothing was sticking and like most of my ideas, Australia. Seriously? came to mind unexpectedly, while having my morning shower. I could see the title working on many levels and it just grew on me. I didn’t overthink it. It’s a simple rhetorical question the viewer can interpret from any perspective they please. Just how much of Australia have you seen in the creation of your photographs and film

When did you first realise you had an eye for photography? It was only after a good period of time. I enjoyed photography for many years before I believed I had a unique perspective on things. The realisation only came from other people, not myself. I just felt like I was simply taking photos. Others saw something I couldn’t. There was no real moment of realisation – it was more of a confidence thing. Last year you won the $50,000 Moran Contemporary Photographic Prize. Just how far does that sort of prize go for an independent artist?

The benefit of the financial side of the prize really does speak for itself. More importantly, I found the prize to give me more confidence as an artist and to keep pursuing my vision. Winning the prize has definitely been a great icebreaker in many situations over the past 12 months and I find the longer term artistic benefits are just starting to rise now and they will filter through in years to come too. If you could nominate one other photographer to produce a single iconic image of Australia, who would it be? I’ll have to go with someone who’s iconic and had never photographed Australia as far as I know. Mr. William Eggleston would be my choice. What: Australia. Seriously? Where: Juniper Hall, Paddington When: Saturday August 20 – Sunday September 18

Horses In The Sky

SLINGING MUD

During the 1950s and ‘60s, the most sophisticated musical satirists in England were Michael Flanders and Donald Swann. Their revue At The Drop Of A Hat ran for over two years on London’s West End and in 1964, Flanders and Swann came to Australia and performed a sold-out season at Sydney’s Theatre Royal. Now the British 18 :: BRAG :: 676 :: 17:08:16

comedy duo’s classical and comical songs will be brought back to life again in Sydney by dual Logie Award-winning TV host Andrew O’Keefe and Glenn Amer for two special performances of Glorious Mud! devised and directed by Melvyn Morrow. So if a bit of highbrow chinwagging and joshing sounds like your ideal night out, this one’s for you. It will be performed at Glen Street Theatre on Saturday September 3 at 2pm and 6pm.

on the panels include Keith Armstrong, Bill Gladstone, Jeremy Walker and Tania Leimbach. The public program and exhibition

are happening now until Tuesday September 23.

The Drover’s Wife

PHONE SOME FRIENDS

SmartFone Flick Fest, Australia’s only international smartphone film festival, returns for 2016 with a gala screening of its top ten finalists, showcasing the best smartphone films from around the world. Awards will be presented for the Best Film, Best Actor/ Actress, Best Director, Best Cinematographer and Best Screenplay. The Gala Awards Final will also include a screening of the CoFounder’s Flick pick and Kids Flick pick. The SmartFone Flick Fest was a hit in its debut season last year and this year will be no exception with rich prizes on offer, including a $1,000 prize for the Best Film award. The SF3 Gala Awards Final takes place Friday August 26 at Chauvel Cinema, Paddington.

WEIRD SCIENCE

As part of National Science Week and Sydney Science Festival, the Over Many Horizons public program for 2016 has been revealed, accompanying the exhibition of the same name at UTS. The program comprises a series of free events including panel talks, lunchtime talks and workshops covering topics such as climate sustainability, interactive exhibitions that investigate current environmental, social and cultural ecologies, and philosophical art exhibitions. Speakers

BEN DROVER

From playwright Leah Purcell comes an adaptation of Henry Lawson’s The Drover’s Wife. Lawson’s story paints the stoic silhouette of the titular wife against an unforgiving landscape but in Purcell’s new play, the old story gets a very fresh rewrite. Once again the drover’s wife is confronted by a threat in her yard, but this time it’s that most vicious of enemies – a man. The ensemble cast includes Tony Cogin, Mark Coles Smith, Benedict Hardie and Will McDonald. The production runs from Saturday September 17 to Sunday October 16 at Belvoir St Theatre.

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The Drovers Wife photo by Brett Boardman

Henry Rollins has announced a second and final appearance at the Sydney Opera House on Sunday September 4, coinciding with the Australian premiere of his new photo exhibition Slide Show. The show presents a new perspective and medium from which to consider and appreciate Rollins’ turbulent, honest and outspoken history, drawing on a rich archive of photographs taken by Rollins across the globe. Rollins will feature Slide Show at the Festival of Dangerous Ideas. Tickets are now on sale.

Blood Father opens at select cinemas on Thursday September 1 and we’ve got ten double in-season passes to give away. Enter the draw at thebrag. com/freeshit.

The Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company and its artistic director Rami Be’er are set to host a series of special events to coincide with the premiere of their new production. Leading Israeli choreographer Be’er will talk about the heritage, and the free event will be held in the Drama Theatre as part of the premiere season of the Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company’s new work, Horses In The Sky. As well as the new production and panel with the company’s director, KCDC will provide a free Dance For Parkinson’s workshop that is open to anyone with Parkinson’s, their families, friends and carers. Rami Be’er will be in conversation with Caroline Baum on Friday September 2 and the workshop runs on the same day.

SHOW US YOUR WIENER

HANK’S SNAPS

Who’s up for more Mel? Blood Father, an upcoming thriller based on the novel by acclaimed author and screenwriter Peter Craig (the scribe behind Ben Affleck’s lauded thriller The Town) is set to star Australia’s very own Mel Gibson, making his welcome return to the thriller genre after almost four years of onscreen silence. A murky, jolting shot of revenge, the film sees Gibson’s John Link reunite with his wayward daughter (Erin Moriarty) while trying to avoid the dangerous reach of a drug dealing ring.

DANCE FEVER

Wiener-Dog

The Sydney Underground Film Festival is back, celebrating its tenth birthday with a new collection of the distorted, disturbed and experimental that is sure to court controversy. Independent director/ provocateur Todd Solondz, master of blackest comedies including Happiness and Welcome To The Dollhouse, headlines with the Australian premiere of WienerDog. The festival program will also play host to Australian premieres of AAAAAAAHH!, Trash Fire and Antibirth. David Cronenberg’s Naked Lunch will show as part of its 25th anniversary, with a screening of John Waters’ perverse 1970s classic Multiple Maniacs closing out the festival. It all runs from Thursday September 15 to Sunday September 18 at the Factory Theatre.

BLOOD FATHER

arts in focus

Red Billabong

COVER STORY

[FILM] Creature Features By Joseph Earp

“IT’S VERY DIFFICULT TO MAKE FILMS THAT COST MONEY, OR THAT PUSH THE ENVELOPE A LITTLE BIT OUTSIDE OF WHAT WE KNOW TO BE TRIED AND TRUE.” “You watch movies like The Mummy, for example, [a film] that comes from Egyptian mythology, and they’re really celebrating their own story and ancient history. And we have so much of that in this country, but we don’t focus enough on it. There’s so much there to focus on. Every actor and every creative person wants to be at the cusp of something new. They want to be involved in new cinema, in that new wave, and I thought this project had that potential. That’s what really drew me in.”

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ustralian cinema has a genre problem, though perhaps not the one you might assume. It’s not that horror movies aren’t being made in this country – it’s that audiences aren’t rushing out to see them in big enough numbers. The Babadook made more in the first weekend of its English run than it did for the entirety of the time it screened in Australia, and Wolf Creek had to earn the blessing of Quentin Tarantino before it began gathering steam at home. It’s a problem Tim Pocock understands all too well. The star of the upcoming Aussie action-horror fl ick Red Billabong has experienced the industry’s genre bias first-hand. “In every creative outlet there is a risk involved,” says the relentlessly chipper 30-year-old. “But because our film industry is so much smaller, it’s very difficult to make films that cost money, or that push the envelope a little bit outside of what we know to be tried and true.

“Dramas do so well for Australians,” he continues. “You look at something like Animal Kingdom, which put so many Australian actors and creatives on the map. [So] that’s the thing that film bodies and investors feel confident in making. Whereas the bigger budget films – the action films, the special effects films, the ones which cost more money to make – they are a bigger gamble, and they don’t necessarily pay off. So a lot of filmmakers are scared of making that gamble.” Certainly Red Billabong is, if nothing else, a gamble. Centred on a pair of brothers (Pocock and Home And Away’s Dan Ewing) who come face-to-face with a mysterious, outback-dwelling monster, the film slots neatly into the Aussie creature feature subgenre. And though that particular pigeonhole has its success stories – 1984’s noiry Razorback is a cult classic – it’s also a road littered with countless corpses, most notably Howling III, AKA that film about killer thylacines.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Red Billabong’s own creature caused the production a fair share of difficulties, not least of all for Pocock and his fellow thespians, who largely had to act opposite thin air. “Everything was done completely in post, except we had a couple of puppet pieces in there for the arms of the monster that were sometimes on set, and we had some concept art that we were able to look at before we shot,” says Pocock. “But otherwise you have to get on set, do your best, and hope that it works.” Red Billabong’s lengthy postproduction period also means Pocock is yet to see a proper edit of the fi lm. “I saw a cut around December of last year,” he says. “It was the first assembled cut of everything put together – so it was longer than the cut we have now, and it didn’t have any of the special effects in it. It hadn’t been graded, and had no soundtrack. It

was kind of a bit of a tease, ’cause you … get a feel of the structure and the pacing, but it’s a creature feature, and without having the actual monster there to see, and without the proper soundtrack, it just didn’t quite work for me. Then I saw a previs version a few months later, and that had some pre-vis shots of the monster in there, so that worked really well.” And yet despite the ample attention on his monstrous co-star, Pocock says he was drawn to the project for very different reasons. “I looked at the concept of the film, and read the script, and the main thing I thought was, ‘Why hasn’t this been done before?’ It’s a film that has a lot of Aboriginal mythology in it … and if you look at the way we show Aboriginal culture in film and TV, we don’t really glorify it enough, I don’t think. We don’t make enough of a fuss about what a rich tapestry of indigenous history we have in this country.

Of course, only time will tell whether Red Billabong will usher in a new era of Aussie B-movie goodness – though no matter what kind of audience it draws, it will always have a fan in Pocock. Even if he does sometimes need to be reminded what the movie is about. “Not so long ago we did an appearance at… it might have been Gold Coast Supanova?” Pocock says, already beginning to giggle. “I’d just done another film up in Queensland, and we were doing a Q&A and Luke [Sparke], our director, said, ‘Well Tim, why don’t you introduce yourself and the character you play?’ And I was like, ‘Hi, I’m Tim and I play… wait, what was the name of the person I play in this film?’” He laughs loudly. “I had just done another film with the same crew and the same area and my brain just got a little bit discombobulated. But I’m so excited for this film to come out that I now definitely remember everything about it.” What: Red Billabong (dir. Luke Sparke) Where: In cinemas Thursday August 25

five minutes WITH

ANGELA BLAKE FROM SMARTFONE FLICK FEST

T

he SmartFone Flick Fest (SF3) has announced the ten finalists for its screening on Friday August 26. What can audiences expect from the films? Ali Crew and I have been overwhelmed and humbled by the extraordinary films that we had entered into SF3 this year. In regards to what audiences can expect at our Gala Finals, I say a night of some of the most amazing short films you will ever see, truly! Be prepared to laugh out loud, cry like a baby and be moved beyond words, and you will be blown away that films of this high calibre have all been shot on a smartphone.

Xxx

How did you come to select the finalists? The quality has just blown us away, and it was the toughest job and most stressful week picking just ten films for our official competition. There were just too many to pick, and so we are very excited to announce a new award, created for SF3 2016 in partnership with our major sponsor the Pocket Film Academy. What can you tell us about this new catergory? This award, the #FILMBREAKER Award, is in keeping with our ethos of making filmmaking thebrag.com

and I both agree that at the end of the day, a good fi lm is all about the story. It’s as simple and as hard as that – fi nd a good story and tell it in a simple, engaging or different way. Just make sure the story is a good one. We all have a story and there are stories everywhere – just look around and you will have a whole heap of stories to tell. Do you ever anticipate a day when a fulllength feature fi lm could be made on a single smartphone? Filmmakers are already making features on smartphones. Last year a fi lm shot on the iPhone called Tangerine did the festival circuit and you can see it now on Netfl ix. And two of our Founders’ Flick Picks fi lmmakers, Conrad Mess and Luis Juarez, are both in production on their features shot entirely on smartphones. I believe Luis is even going to edit his on his phone. The revolution has started! Conrad Mess behind the scenes on Time To Pay Off Debts affordable and accessible to all. We want to keep encouraging first-time filmmakers to enter SF3, and so this award is for a first-time filmmaker who shows the most promise.

Now that anyone can create a fi lm with the device in their pocket, what makes a really successful short smartphone fi lm? This is something we get asked a lot, and Ali

What: SmartFone Flick Fest 2016 Gala Finals Where: Chauvel Cinema When: Friday August 26

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arts in focus

Footprints Film Festival

FEATURE

[FILM] Leaving No Trace By Joseph Earp Sharing Culture

I

t’s hard to feel particularly positive about the state of the world’s climate – 2015 was the hottest year ever recorded, and 2016 has already smashed those temperatures. But all that bad news only increases the need for positive programs like Footprints Film Festival, an event designed to raise awareness about our hurting Earth. Excitingly, the screening of the 14 films selected for the festival will be powered by specially designed energy-harnessing bikes rather than more pollutant means. So if that sounds like it’s right up your alley – and it should, ‘cause, like, come on – read on for our lowdown on the flicks selected.

Kooza

2016

[CIRCUS] A Cirque Du Soleil Classic By Adam Norris

G

one are the days of Barnum & Bailey, of elephant teams and performing lions, of freak shows and fright. Given our standards for the quality of life have changed rather signifi cantly since 1900, this is no unhappy alteration, but the allure of the Big Top itself has never wavered. Circus remains one of the most enchanting and otherworldly of arts, and it’s no secret that Cirque du Soleil is at the forefront of the game. As the Australian premiere of Kooza draws close, we chat with assistant director Chris Houston about greasepaint and trapeze.

“Kooza was first created back in 2007, and with my position, I get to then progress it to that next level. I give input: all the artists and fresh talent have input. We’re constantly trying to push the boundaries of inspired performing arts, and even though we’ve been around for a long time – the artists and directors and personnel – they feel like they’re a very small part of the equation, but that’s not really the case. Everybody gets to contribute on a day-to-day basis.” It has been my fortune to have caught several Cirque productions as they’ve touched down in Australia, and without 20 :: BRAG :: 676 :: 17:08:16

“We try and take the concept as close to the original as possible,” he explains. “For example, yes, you are going to see those costumes that were created originally. Sometimes we will do what they call a revamp, where the creative team will come back and they’ll refresh the show. We’ve actually already done that a few years ago with Kooza. Certainly the artists are really the heart and soul of Cirque du Soleil, because they are the most exceptionally talented individuals that we can fi nd. We have a fantastic casting department in both Las Vegas and Montreal, who scour the world for the cream of the crop. We have gymnasts who have done the Olympics, gymnasts who have medals from world championships, we have the highest class divers in one of our shows, we have the most exceptional solo quality professional dancers, and what they bring is their unique expression, their unique way of doing things. “So every time we receive a new artist, it revives the role, and we’re always keen to see what they can add. That’s the exciting part for me: when we get those artists on site and see what they can offer, and what we can bring to them to help their own growth as an artist. But they are the heart of Cirque, they bring such astounding performances.” The 38-year-old Houston has himself been active in the world

of gymnastics and performance since he was seven, so he knows exactly what level of dedication and creativity is needed to bring such a colourful production to life. Having cut his Cirque teeth on Viva Elvis, Houston now has the ever-evolving task of teasing Kooza into new directions and encouraging fresh perspectives, but the true springboard for each show begins on the other side of the world. “I had a bit of an insight into that creative process on Elvis, where I was part of the original cast and part of the creation. Everything begins in Montreal, and of course, we scout the planet for the best creative minds that we can possibly get our hands on. Together we come up with ideas, we keep asking the question of, ‘What is possible? How can we make this better?’ And that process can take years. People can be sitting down with their storybook designing scenery and scenes, and that part alone might take years. Once they feel they have something that they can work from, then the next step is to go out and fi nd the talent that can actualise that concept. “All of that happens in Montreal, and it’s kind of like creating a baby. We’re usually there for around six months, and then three months on site in Vegas, so we’re looking at a ninemonth creative process. Once the show gets to the state that it’s supposed to be in, once it opens, then we discover all these other options. ‘Oh, we forgot about this, and look at this space here, that’s interesting!’ We keep building and building and building, so we’re never quite settled. We’re always trying to improve, we’re always looking for new ways to do things that have never been done before.” What: Kooza Where: The Showring, Entertainment Quarter When: Thursday August 25 – Sunday November 6

Affected By Sean Bacon, Kym Vercoe

If you like your humour dark then Out Of Date, a razor-sharp satire focused on the superfood craze, is the film for you. Kale-chewers be warned, though.

Pick Up By K.P.D. Shakya Prasanna A bleak drama about a young boy, Jimmy, who faces a range of threats both at home and in the classroom, Pick Up mires the audience in an array of troubling moral questions.

River Camp Kidnap: Moree 1863 By G. Hoy, B. Spearim Centred on the shattered idyllic riverscapes in middle Gamilaraay country, River Camp Kidnap is uncomfortable, necessary viewing that will have the audience contemplating the troubled history of the land many Caucasian Australians claim to ‘own’.

Sharing Culture

Affected Focusing on the under-discussed indigenous experience of climate change, Affected takes local community members from the AsiaPacific region and puts them in the spotlight.

Bower Repair Cafe Annandale By Marghanita da Cruz In the face of a worldwide refusal to leave the crutch of fossil fuels behind, it’s very easy to feel despondent – but da Cruz’s work aims to tackle this ecological numbness head on.

Endangered By Laura McNally At ten years of age, Laura McNally might be the youngest filmmaker on this list, but that in no way means she’s the least qualified. After all, it’s Laura’s world that we’re fighting to save, and Endangered focuses on the important issue of Australia’s at-threat flaura and faunae.

Good For Us All By Jeffrey Kessel What would a film festival be without a good old jolt of horror/comedy? A powerful, zombie-centric piece about the positive impacts of riding a bike, Good For Us All tackles ecological issues from a fresh angle.

No More Butts By Edward Hart A flick for all you ciggy butt brains out there, No More Butts takes aim at the improper disposal of smokes.

Out Of Date By Louise Reily, David Nguyen, Olivia Green, Dan Duffy

By Kim Mavreomatic, Quenten Agius Quenten Agius, Aboriginal storyteller and elder, here shares the tale of Mother Earth herself, and highlights the importance of cherishing our very life-giver.

The School Homework Show By Teresa Ornelas Another touchingly youth-oriented short, The School Homework Show imagines a world in which the issues of the young dominate the airwaves.

The ‘World’s Biggest’ Incinerator By Lesley Watson ‘Waste not want not’ is an adage with increasing importance these days, and Lesley Watson’s documentary short explores alternatives to the incinerator proposed for Western Sydney’s Eastern Creek.

Trove By Edward Christie, Laura Jago, Davis Fang, Dennis Fang, Crystal Khoupraseuth For many of us, there’s nothing quite scarier than a film that focuses on an Earth free of humans, yet Trove takes a surprisingly warm – no pun intended – look at a world reclaimed by nature.

Wundung By Angela Canalese Wundung, its title taken from a Wiradjuri word for wind, explores the optimistic belief that age-old Aboriginal knowledge contains the key for the world’s future. What: Footprints Film Festival 2016 Where: Whites Creek Valley Park, Annandale When: Sunday August 21

thebrag.com

Kooza photo by Matt Beard, costumes by Marie-Chantale Vaillancourt

“There are so many shows,” Houston laughs (by my reckoning, there are at least 17 unique Cirque du Soleil productions currently performing across the globe). “Kooza is going to be the eighth Big Top touring show to come to Sydney, so [it’s] true in a sense that we’re constantly churning out different shows. Provisionally, we have shows touring all over the world. We have multiple shows in Vegas, where there are 110 employees and artists from many different nationalities. Together, that’s what makes it all so very special. We work to fi nd the next level, the next breakthrough in performance art.

exception, every step I took towards that Big Top brought me one step closer to childhood; to that unblinkered delight of the strange and surreal, of characters, costumes and landscapes that seem summoned from a dream. Given nine years have passed since Kooza first opened, though, I wonder how much opportunity exists for reinvention here – how much freedom Houston and the others have to paint a different canvas.

By Margriet Schuring An optimistic yet troubled piece, 2016 centres around a woman burdened with the unenviable task of telling her future grandchild about the world in which we, the audience, live.

Out Of Date

arts in focus

Indignation

FEATURE

[FILM] Evolution And Tragedy By Adam Norris

W

hen it comes to Philip Roth – one of the most celebrated authors since, well, ever – the track record of film adaptations of his work isn’t exactly gleaming. Adapting any novel for the screen is a weird mix of creativity and surgery, and for a debut director to take on the task is almost asking for trouble. Yet Indignation, helmed by veteran producer and long-time Ang Lee collaborator James Schamus, handles this transition with great subtlety and grace. It also doesn’t hurt that Schamus turns out to be a junkie for story. “I love stories with the protagonists who are a little hard to pin down, much like the rest of us,” Schamus says. He is speaking from New York, home to Roth himself, among innumerable other cultural icons. “Often they’re going against the grain of what you’d think a protagonist in a narrative motion picture should be these days. They tend to be not all sweetness and light. My heart somehow goes out to those kinds of protagonists. Indignation is funny, because I have this lead character that Philip Roth gave me who I really empathise with, and I hope others do too. He’s super smart, he’s got this great life ahead of him, and on the other hand I thought it was really interesting that a lot of the narrative is built

“I LOVE STORIES WITH THE PROTAGONISTS WHO ARE A LITTLE HARD TO PIN DOWN, MUCH LIKE THE REST OF US.”

around the fact that the guy doesn’t actually understand what the hell is going on at all. Especially with this young woman he’s falling in love with.” The young man in this instance – the focused and flawed Marcus – is played by Logan Lerman; the young woman, Olivia, is brought to vivid life by Sarah Gadon. Their relationship forms the spine of a story set in a 1950s university campus, which also features Tracy Letts, the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, as Dean Caudwell. Midway through the film, a battle of words occurs between Caudwell and Marcus, and it’s one of the strongest moments of dialogue put to screen in ages. Once again though, having Roth as your source material is a tremendous boon, even if it must be substantially reconfigured. “Novels of any depth and any artistry are going to have such nuance and such pleasure, even in the workings of the language that they use to paint pictures, that we can’t do in cinema,” says Schamus. “We only have the camera, and the people in front of it. The sounds, the image. We don’t have the interior space of … the author’s voice, the ability to digress. So cinema is a bit more of a blunt instrument, on the one hand. On the other hand, it does allow the revelry and the emotion that comes with the image. We also have the added benefit of the human face, the landscape that really gives you an almost infinite palette to mobilise the story. “So Indignation has an enormous amount of the usual condensation, but more importantly for adapting, I have to say, this is a little different

Down Under

to other Roth books. It’s his 29th novel, and he is writing in a certain more elegiac and fable-like way, and gives us a simpler path from the voice on the page to the life of the characters. I thought I had an easier job of it than other folk who have tried to adapt Roth.” Though both film and novel have moments of humour and exhilaration (the story does a remarkable job of capturing the fumbling evolution from teenagedom into adulthood), Indignation is never far from tragedy. There is suicide, rejection, grief, and the Korean War rages just outside the safe confines of the university. Most poignant is the character arc of Olivia – a woman we come to empathise with quite strongly, and whose departure from the story comes entirely unexpectedly. “She disappears in the novel and leaves no trace,” Schamus explains.

“I know this is pointing towards interpretation and adaptation, which I think is part of the process, but I was very moved by the fact that Roth was writing a novel in his mid-’70s, right? He’s looking back to when he was a young man, and clearly there was a young woman then who somehow is speaking out to him after all these years, that he still feels the need to connect with. “It’s not an autobiography; Marcus Messner is not Philip Roth. But Philip Roth did go to college in 1951, and he did have a rather, shall we say ‘interesting’ first date with somebody. But he’s posing a version of himself who was of course blind to this young woman, and what she’s going through, completely heedless, frankly, of her own pain and trauma. And in old age, he’s crafting a version of her that he’s finally understood, that he’s finally seeing. So I felt that

she did survive in that way. I think she had a life. I don’t know what it was, but she lived a life, and she survived.” Indignation is a fine film, an adaptation that succeeds where so many others have failed. The reason for this is Schamus’ willingness to not hold Roth’s work as sacrosanct, but as an empty stage that needs filling. “I was talking to Logan, [who] was saying, ‘How are we going to shoot all these words?’ I said, ‘The script is the floor. The actors are the dancers moving across it. I want to shoot the dance – I don’t want to shoot the floor.’” What: Indignation (dir. James Schamus) Where: In cinemas Thursday August 18

FEATURE

[FILM] Bogan Bliss By Joanne Brookfield

A

be Forsythe is onstage, his extensive ensemble cast around him, introducing his darkly hilarious feature Down Under. He’s not here to mess around, either. “A lot of exhibitors don’t want you to see this,” Forsythe bluntly tells the room. He’s chosen a controversial topic – racism – and set the fi lm in the aftermath of the infamous Cronulla riots, which happened just over a decade ago. The fi lm opens with actual footage from that ugly, violent day and it’s a disturbing reminder of how serious this issue was and continues to be. “The climate we fi nd ourselves in now, it’s more relevant than ever,” he says at the screening of a fi lm he wrote six years ago and polished over the space of ten drafts. Bearing in mind the thorny nature of the topic, it’s perhaps an even greater feat that he, along with his multicultural cast, has created one of the funniest, most relentlessly laugh-out-loud fi lms in recent memory. But, given how well the fi lm was received when it made its world premiere back in June at the Sydney Film Festival, what does he mean that some exhibitors don’t want us seeing it?

Xxx

We’re now 35 fl oors up and Forysthe has swapped the suit

from the gala with the obligatory fi lm director baseball cap for a full day of media in a hotel conference room. Rather than again being fl anked by his entire cast, he just has leading man Lincoln Younes with him. “There are a lot [of exhibitors] that really are backing us, but then we have some key ones that have said there’s no audience for this movie, it shouldn’t have been made and that it’s morally reprehensible,” says Forsythe. “What I’ve found out is that some people can’t tell the difference between a movie that portrays morally reprehensible behaviour and a movie that endorses that behaviour, because this movie condemns that behaviour. But some people just see ‘offensive behaviour’ and can’t see the difference. “But if I’m facing opposition from people that feel like nobody should see this movie, then what hope does anyone have releasing an Australian movie? … I was expecting it would polarise in one respect but what I don’t understand is, you can not like something but you can at least appreciate that it’s been made for an audience is signifi cant enough because of the time we live in and the message that it conveys.” While the fi lm might have a few

opponents, it is certainly whipping up its fair share of support online. “In the last 24 hours we’ve had hundreds of thousands of [hits] on our Facebook page to view our trailer and lots of people tagging their friends, saying, ‘We’ve got to see this’, and interestingly, a lot of Middle Eastern and Asian people are saying it looks hilarious. So to

reach an audience like that with an Australian fi lm is hard at the best of times,” says Forsythe. Younes, who will be familiar to viewers of Home And Away and Love Child, relished the opportunity to play Hassim, one of the Muslim characters. “The script – I’d never read anything

“WHAT I’VE FOUND OUT IS THAT SOME PEOPLE CAN’T TELL THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A MOVIE THAT PORTRAYS MORALLY REPREHENSIBLE BEHAVIOUR AND A MOVIE THAT ENDORSES THAT BEHAVIOUR.” thebrag.com

like it. I thought it was fl awless,” he says. “I’d always wanted to work with Abe and for me, you’re very fortunate if you can do any job in this industry, but to have a role that has a lot of importance and is topical and speaks to you and has the propensity to change how society might look at things: it’s kind of a dream role.” Here’s hoping they can continue to enjoy a dream run with it as well. What: Down Under Where: In cinemas now

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film & theatre reviews Hits and misses on the silver screen and bareboards around town

■ Theatre

THE BEAST Playing at the Drama Theatre, Sydney Opera House until Sunday August 21 Eddie Perfect’s The Beast has unleashed itself on Sydney audiences after achieving critical acclaim during its debut for the Melbourne Theatre Company in 2013. Perfect’s first offering as a playwright is a feast for the eyes and ears, and it comes complete with lashings of satire, irony, and sharp social and moral commentary, combined with a healthy dose of slapstick humour. Inspired by the true events that unfolded after Perfect and his wife Lucy Cochran embarked on their own tree change to Healesville in the Yarra Valley, the story centres around three 30-something, middle-class couples determined to make the most of their new surroundings, while ultimately attempting to achieve a sustainable lifestyle – and matching everything with the right vintage. The ensemble cast of characters includes Sue, the overbearing, self-appointed queen of all things on trend (superbly played by Heidi Arena), and her husband Rob, an emasculated peacemaker brought to life by the genius of Toby Truslove. Their friends are Simon (Rohan Nichol), a smarmy, pretentious narcissist, and his wife Gen, a ditzy, downtrodden, ticking time-bomb dealing with her husband’s infidelity by popping pills, played faultlessly by Christie Whelan Browne. Then there are the outsiders of the pack – Marge (Alison Bell) the sarcastic, fish-out-of-water who appears to be the only realist of the group, and her husband, quadruple-denimwearing ‘former bogan’ Baird (only Perfect himself could pull off that look) who is hell-bent on impressing his new friends.

The plot is thick with everything from murder, intrigue and infidelity to hints of a cover-up and cannibalism. Perfect himself says of his creation: “I wrote this play because I enjoyed digging down into these fractured characters, these middle-class folk who are cobbled together with pieces of myself, my fantasies, my friends, my failings and my bad choices writ large.” Directed by Simon Phillips, all in all the production proves totally on target in this nose-to-tail comedy. Special mention goes to Peter Houghton, who takes on multiple roles, filling the positions of the seasick skipper, the underestimated yet overqualified mansitter, the vigeron, and finally Farmer Brown, the homegrown hero who, with a little help from CSI: Miami, forces the men to admit to their partners a thinly veiled secret. And to all those with tickets for the first few rows, it does get messy – you’ve been warned. Natalie Rogers

■ Theatre

THE HANGING Playing at Wharf 1 Theatre until Saturday September 10 Naturally, it's a dark and stormy night. Arriving at a theatre rain-bleary with clothes in dramatic disarray isn’t what one would ordinarily hope for when mingling with the industry’s most glamorous, but tonight it seems rather apt. After all, The Hanging is a production with both feet firmly secured in Australian Gothic; all we need is a well-timed lightning strike or two and the scene will be complete. As far as motifs are concerned, what playwright Angela Betzien addresses here is genuinely frightening. That the disappearance of youth into the Australian outback has become a trope is disturbing in itself, yet the question of why audiences are drawn to this theme again and again – from Picnic At Hanging Rock, a potent force within the play, to more recent contributors like Wolf Creek and Strangerland – is just as fascinating. Although this nuanced three-hander makes a fair attempt at explaining the mystery, some uneven performances prevent us from truly engaging.

Despite the 23-year-old actor’s convincing teenage portrayal, and her increasing confidence as the story progresses, Cummings’ cat-and-mouse delivery nevertheless rings unnatural, her movements too self-conscious. In fairness, her character is deliberately uncooperative and untrusting. But Iris never feels real, and as the play builds towards its dark resolution, we need to care far more for this troubled, terrified girl in order to truly connect. Adam Norris

BAD MOMS In cinemas now Interested in seeing some dick jokes masquerading as progressive mainstream cinema that celebrates women? Go see Bad Moms. In the latest offering from The Hangover writers Jon Lucas and Scott Moore, Mila Kunis plays a mother who decides to take some time for herself after she catches her slacker husband cheating online. She meets some fellow moms (Kristen Bell and Kathryn Hahn) who are also tired of being treated like human garbage, so they do some drinking and say ‘fuck’ a lot. The fi lm also throws in Christina Applegate as the Stepford PTA president and a widower love interest whose only job is to be a hot B-plot. The greatest problem and disappointment with Bad Moms is that it’s merely OK. It had the potential to not only explore what a shitfi ght motherhood can be, but to do so in a funny and appealing way. Sadly, it feels like the writers suddenly had an epiphany that women watch movies and that maybe they should cash in on the ones whose husbands loved the Hangover series. Yeah, us ladies swear and like sex too; what a twist! Lucas and Moore’s particular brand of humour, with its lack of subtlety and patently racist and sexist undertones, is as present as ever. The majority of the punchlines involve cocks, hand jobs and women uttering profanities, because apparently that is the epitome of edgy. This comedy is occasionally permeated with overt and sloppy motherhood revelations, perhaps to make us forget the fi lm was written and directed by two blokes with the whitest names on the planet. The only genuine moment comes in the credits when the actresses sit down with their own mothers to swap stories. You also won’t fi nd any intricacy in the characterisation of Bad Moms. The only truly charming character is Hahn’s Carla, and her entire personality consists of creative swearing and getting her bang on. I’m averse to going down the dark #NotAllMen road, but the lack of complexity in the male characters and heterosexual relationships is just as problematic as any basic bro movie. Rather than exploring the nuances of motherhood and relationship dynamics, they merely do a gender fl ip without actually improving anything. That isn’t revolutionary. It's lazy writing that reinforces stereotypes and runs away from every opportunity it has to address real issues. Tegan Jones

Arts Exposed What's in our diary...

Mosman Art Prize Mosman Art Gallery, Saturday August 20 – Sunday September 25 The prestigious art prize enters its 69th year this weekend as Mosman Art Gallery opens its doors for this year’s exhibited works. The prize boasts a major award of $30,000, and has been won by artists as esteemed as Margaret Olley, Weaver Hawkins and former Archibald Prize winner Guy Warren. Its long and respected history offers not only the attraction of well-known artists, but also a unique microcosm of local talents. Works at the Mosman Art Prize exhibition can be viewed at Mosman Art Gallery from Saturday 20 August through Sunday 25 September. The gallery is open 10am-5pm seven days a week, and admission is free.

22 :: BRAG :: 676 :: 17:08:16

2015 Mosman Art Prize Winner Painting 131 (North Coogee) By Alan Jones

thebrag.com

The Beast photo by Ken Nakanishi

Of three teenage girls who have gone missing in the bush, only Iris (Ashleigh Cummings) has been found. Despite attempts at uncovering what led to the girl’s disappearance six days earlier, Detective Sergeant Flint (Luke Carroll) has had little luck in breaking through Iris' amnesia. Her English teacher, Ms. Corrossi (Genevieve Lemon), has been summoned to act as a familiar and supportive figure from the girls’ lives, though it gradually becomes apparent that Corrossi’s relationship to the missing teens is not quite as benign as it first appears.

For a one-act thriller, it takes a deft hand to ensure there are no dull moments, and to Betzien and director Sarah Goodes’ credit, the pace is taut, and the sense that time is very much of the essence in locating the two remaining girls is strong. Yet apart from an exceptional turn from Lemon – whose sardonic manner and wry ease has the audience eating from the palm of her hand – and a steady if standard performance from Carroll, the strength of the production was always going to lie with Cummings.

■ Film

bread&thread Food & Fashion News... with Emily Norton, Joseph Earp and Anna Wilson

The Garage Sale Trail

SmoothFM Festival Of Chocolate

SWEET TEETH GARAGE SALE TRAIL

They say one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. The Garage Sale Trail 2016 will see hundreds of thousands of Aussies take part in the world’s largest treasure hunt on Saturday October 22. It’s a national day of garage sales all around the country, and past years have witnessed sales of everything from beachfront apartments to alpacas and jetpacks. The quirkier the better: for instance, this year the Cat Protection Society in Newtown is throwing a kitten adoption day and fundraiser, while the multimillion dollar yacht featured in Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby has been listed, as well as a $55,000 helicopter in country New South Wales. The Garage Sale Trail is all about reducing waste to landfill, finding treasure (of course), de-cluttering, making some extra cashola, and meeting your neighbours. Register for free at garagesaletrail.com.au. Drake Eatery

Chocolate. ‘Nuff said. The Rocks is set to transform into a chocaholic’s paradise this September with the return of the SmoothFM Festival Of Chocolate. It’s set to be another bumper edition of the kind of festival you’d be a fool to ignore – attendees can expect to experience sweet treats from the likes of The Lindt Lounge, My Donut Box (selling the enticingly titled rainbow unicorn donuts), Original Chocowrap (selling chocolate kebabs) and so much more, with a bunch of stalls still awaiting to be announced. Phew – your mouth watering too? And hey, guess what? It won’t cost you a dime. It all goes down at The Rocks on Saturday September 10 and Sunday September 11, so prepare to rock up to work on Monday with aching teeth.

HOTLINE THINGS

Bondi’s acclaimed Drake Eatery is partnering up with the Adelaide Hills winery Vinterloper for one incredibly boozy, tasty night of gorging. The lucky attendees will enjoy a five-course menu (count ‘em: fi ve courses) with each of the tasty morsels on display matched with a wine blend to perfectly complement them. There will be snacks on arrival too, so make sure to line your pockets with bin bags and take some home with you? Actually, scratch that one – don’t wanna look greedy. It all goes down on Wednesday August 24 at Drake Eatery. Tickets are priced at $125 per head and you can navigate over to drakeeatery.com.au if you want to book.

GO NUDE THIS SPRING

This October marks the annual national Nude Food Day, and Australians of all shapes and sizes are taking the challenge to ‘go nude’. Nude Food Day

encourages everyone to pack a healthy and rubbish-free lunch in order to eliminate all unnecessary packaging: wrappers, plastics and foils. The goal is to educate and encourage Aussies of all ages to better their health, as well as the

Salt Meats Cheese

ARE YOU GETTING SALTY?

health of our planet – after all, we’ve only got one. Celebrate the event with your family’s school lunches on any one day day (or if you’re daring enough, every day in October), and get involved as a grown-up as Nude Food Day

coincides with Natural Nutrition Week: from Sunday October 16 – Saturday October 22, Nutrition Australia is asking us all to ‘Try For 5’ vegetables every day. Find more info at nudefoodday.com. au. Mindy Woods

Salt Meats Cheese, your one-stop shop for all things, well, salty, meaty and cheesy, is opening up a new flagship store in Westfield Bondi Junction. The brand spankin’ new shop comes as a result of a partnership between SMC and Harris Farm, and will boast a menu of Spanish tapas to be served every day from 11am through to the evening, making it a perfect place for dining families and those looking for a slightly more exotic late-night snack. There will also be SMC’s usual roster of pizzas, pastas and gourmet sandwiches available, so you’ll be a bit spoiled for choice if you head on over, won’t you? The store opens at the shopping centre’s ground level on Thursday August 18.

GET YER THREADS ON

Keg & Brew

KEG & BREW TURNS TWO

Taste Of Coogee Food and Wine Festival is a two-day feast taking place on Saturday September 3 and Sunday September 4. Oh, and it’s free. Hosted at Coogee Oval, the event will feature celebrity chefs Justin North (Hotel Centennial), Andy Allen (Three Blue Ducks, MasterChef winner 2012), Monte Koludrovic (Icebergs) and Mindy Woods (MasterChef), plus more. There will be more than 100 stalls serving some divine food and beverages from Australia and beyond. And what makes it even better is that all proceeds from Taste Of Coogee 2016 will be donated to Coogee Lions, raising money to help local families in need. Let the kids play in the jumping castle and the rides area while you groove along to an impressive lineup of musicians, laugh over a glass (or bottle) of wine, and stuff your face silly. For more information visit tasteofcoogee.com.au.

xxx

Save water, drink beer. Surry Hills’ craft beer haven, the Keg & Brew, will be celebrating its second birthday in signature style on Thursday August 25 with an entire tap takeover by Victoria’s Bridge Road Brewers. All 33 taps at the venue will be pouring Bridge Road’s finest brews from opening until sold out. In celebration of the occasion, there will also be a one-off collaboration brew, aptly named the Terrible Twos Black & Tan. But what of the food, you ask? Well, the kitchen will be pumping out will be a mouth-watering selection of Rockefeller baked oysters and grilled butterflied king prawns. Bridge Road brewer Scott Turnball and director of Hops & More Brad Flowers will be on-site from 5pm to talk through their favourite pours, and there’ll be free samples from 6-7pm.

GET A TASTE OF COOGEE

Human bowerbirds of Australia, unite: National Op Shop Week is almost upon us. The celebration of all things secondhand is stepping things up a notch this year, with events going down at stores across the country. Once again, Salvos are getting involved in a big way, launching the Fashion With A Conscience campaign, an awareness-raising initiative encouraging consumers to reuse and recycle. Even more excitingly for us Sydneysiders, the Salvos Store in Darlinghurst is going to feature a Capsule Wardrobe display – a series of carefully curated wardrobes that punters can vote on in order to win a $500 gift card. Howzat, eh? National Op Shop Week runs from Sunday August 21 - Saturday August 27 with the Capsule Wardrobe event going down on Monday August 22.

thebrag.com

BRAG :: 676 :: 17:08:16 :: 23

BARS BRAG

B R A G ’ S G U I D E T O S Y D N E Y ’ S B E S T WAT E R I N G H O L E S

A Work In Progress 50 King St, Sydney CBD (02) 9240 3000 Mon – Fri noon-2am; Sat 5pm-2am Ash St Cellar 1 Ash St, Sydney CBD (02) 9240 3000 Mon – Fri 8.30am-11pm The Attic 275 Pitt St, Sydney CBD (02) 9284 1200 Mon – Wed 10am-midnight; Thu 10am-1.30am; Fri 10am-3am; Sat noon1.30am Assembly

488 Kent St, Sydney CBD (02) 9283 8808 Mon – Tue 5pm-midnight; Wed – Fri noon-midnight; Sat 5pm-midnight The Australian Heritage Hotel 100 Cumberland St, The Rocks (02) 9247 2229 Mon – Sun 10.30am-midnight Bar Eleven Lvl 11, 161 Sussex St, Sydney CBD (02) 9290 4712 Mon – Thu 4-9pm; Fri – Sat 4-11pm The Barber Shop 89 York St, Sydney CBD (02) 9299 9699

Mon – Wed 4pm-midnight; Thu – Fri 3pm-midnight; Sat 4pm-midnight Basement Bar Basement, 27-33 Goulburn St, Sydney CBD (02) 8970 5813 Mon – Thu 5pm-10pm; Fri – Sat 5pm-midnight The Baxter Inn Basement 152-156 Clarence St, Sydney CBD Mon – Sat 4pm-1am Beta Bar First Floor, 238 Castlereagh St, CBD (02) 8599 8970 Wed – Thu 5pm-midnight; Fri midday-midnight; Sat 5pm-midnight

Bulletin Place First Floor, 10-14 Bulletin Place, Circular Quay Mon – Wed 4pm-midnight; Thurs – Sat 4pm-1am; Sun 4-10pm Burrow Bar De Mestre Place, Sydney 0450 466 674 Mon – Sun 4pm-midnight The Captain’s Balcony 46 Erskine St, Sydney CBD (02) 9299 3526 Mon – Fri noon-midnight; Sat 5pm-midnight deVine 32 Market St, Sydney CBD (02) 9262 6906 Mon – Fri 11.30am-11.30pm; Sat

5.30-11.30pm Easy Eight 152-156 Clarence St, Sydney (02) 9299 3769 Mon – Sat 4pm-midnight El Camino Cantina 18 Argyle St, The Rocks Mon – Thu noon- midnight; Fri – Sat noon-3am; Sun 11.30am-midnight Frankie’s Pizza 50 Hunter St, Sydney CBD Sun – Thu 4pm-3am; Fri noon-3am Gilt Lounge 49 Market St, Sydney CBD (02) 8262 0000 Mon – Fri 5pm-2am; Sun 5pm-midnight The Glenmore 96 Cumberland St, The Rocks (02) 9247 4794 Mon – Thu, Sun 11am-midnight; Fri – Sat 11am-1am Grain Bar 199 George St, Sydney CBD (02) 9250 3118 Sun – Fri noon-9pm Grandma’s Basement 275 Clarence St,

MOYA’S JUNIPER LOUNGE

bar bar

OF

TH

Tell us about your bar: We’re an old world cocktail bar specialising in gin with a list featuring a historical selection of classic cocktails. There’s nothing new here: we like to take the traditionalist approach. It’s a relaxed lounge setting with vintage furniture and old artwork and prints up on the walls. Though we are right on Regent Street, you’d be forgiven for missing the entrance: we have two artworks hanging in the windows, both

recreations of 18th century Hogarth prints by local artist Dana Trijbetz. What’s on the menu? There’s over 20 different classic drinks spanning two centuries of cocktail and gin history, so relax and take your time with the menu. You will be familiar with a few and hopefully surprised by others. While cocktails are front and centre we certainly don’t neglect beer and wine. There’s an international wine list

EK

101 REGENT ST, REDFERN (CORNER OF WELLS ST) WEBSITE: MOYASGIN.COM OPENING HOURS: TUESDAY TO SATURDAY 4PM - 11PM; SUNDAY NOON – 10PM

E E W

with ten by the glass and over 50 available by the bottle, ranging from Rhones to Bordeaux, Blaufränkish to Gewürztraminer and classic South Australian Shiraz. The beer selection is Australian craft beer heavy including Mornington Peninsula, Rocks Brewing, Lord Nelson and Four Pines with a few international staples such as Trumer Pilsener (Salzberg) and Bridgeport IPA (Portland). Food is charcuterie style; cured meats, cheese and pickles. Care for a drink? The classic Dry Martini is a standard favourite, as is the Negroni. For lesser-known classics, the Poet’s Dream with a splash of Benedictine is a standout, or the Ward Eight if you are more of a whisky drinker… Sounds? Jazz is where it starts, with lilts into blues and soul. Highlights: Comfortable and relaxed. More sophisticated drinking, for a more civilised time. The bill comes to: With a pickle plate to share and a couple of cocktails you’ll get to around $40. Goat’s cheese or air dried bresaola come to $16. Wines range from $9 – $14 a glass and $40 – $100 for bottles.

24 :: BRAG :: 676 :: 17:08:16

Sydney CBD (02) 9264 3004 Mon – Fri 3pm-midnight; Sat 5pm-1am The Fox Hole 68A Erskine St, Sydney CBD (02) 9279 4369 Mon 7am-3pm; Tue – Fri 7am-late The Grasshopper 1 Temperance Ln, Sydney CBD (02) 9947 9025 Mon – Thu 4pm-midnight; Fri noon-1am; Sat 4pm-1am Hacienda Sydney 61 Macquarie St, Sydney CBD (02) 9256 4000 Mon – Sun noon-late Harpoon Harry 40-44 Wentworth Ave, Sydney CBD (02) 8262 8800 Mon – Sat 11.30am-3am; Sun 11am-midnight Kittyhawk 16 Phillip Ln, Sydney CBD Mon – Thu 3pm-midnight; Fri – Sat 3pm-2am The Lobo Plantation Basement Lot 1, 209 Clarence St, Sydney CBD 0415 554 908 Mon – Thu, Sat 4pm-midnight; Fri 2pm-midnight The Local Bar 161 Castlereagh St, Sydney CBD (02) 9953 0027 Mon – Wed 7.30am-10pm; Thu – Fri 7.30am-11pm The Loft (UTS) 15 Broadway, Sydney (behind 2SER) (02) 9514 1149 Mon – Fri 2-11pm Mojo Record Bar Basement 73 York St, Sydney CBD (02) 9262 4999 Mon – Wed 4pm-midnight; Thu 4pm-1am; Fri – Sat 4pm-1am The Morrison 225 George St, Sydney CBD (02) 9247 6744 Mon – Wed 7.30am-11pm; Thu 7.30am-midnight; Fri 7.30am-2am; Sat 11.30am-2am The Palisade 35 Bettington St, Millers Point 9018 0123 Mon – Fri noon-midnight; Sat – Sun 11am-midnight Mr Tipply’s 347 Kent St, Sydney CBD (02) 9299 4877 Mon – Thu 11.30am-10pm; Fri 11.30am-midnight; Sat 10pm-4am Palmer & Co. Abercrombie Ln, Sydney CBD (02) 9240 3000 Sun – Weds 5pm-3am; Thu 3pm-3am; Fri noon-3am; Sat 4pm-3am Papa Gede’s Bar Laneway at the end of 348 Kent St, Sydney CBD (02) 9299 5671 Mon – Sat 4pm-midnight Plan B Small Club 53-55 Liverpool St, Sydney CBD Wed 5pm-11pm; Thu 5pm-1am; Fri 5pm-3am; Sat 6pm-3am PS40 40 King St, Sydney CBD Mon – Sat 4pm-midnight Ramblin’ Rascal Tavern 199 Elizabeth St, Sydney CBD Mon – Sat 4pm-midnight Rockpool Bar & Grill 66 Hunter St, Sydney CBD (02) 8078 1900 Mon – Sat noon-3pm, 6-11pm The Rook Level 7, 56-58 York St, Sydney CBD (02) 9262 2505

Mon, Sat 4pm-midnight; Tue – Fri noon-midnight The SG 32 York St, Sydney CBD Tues – Fri 4pm-midnight; Sat 6pm-midnight Shirt Bar 7 Sussex Ln, Sydney CBD (02) 8068 8222 Mon –Wed 8am-8pm; Thu – Fri 8am-10pm Since I Left You 338 Kent St, Sydney CBD (02) 9262 4986 Mon – Wed 5pm-10pm; Thu – Fri 4.30pm-midnight; Sat 6pm-midnight Small Bar 48 Erskine St, Sydney CBD (02) 9279 0782 Mon – Fri noon-midnight; Sat 5pm-midnight The Smoking Panda 5-7 Park St, Sydney CBD (02) 9264 4618 Mon – Sat 4pm-late Stitch Bar 61 York St, Sydney CBD (02) 9279 0380 Mon – Wed 4pm-midnight; Thu – Fri noon-2am; Sat 4pm-2am The Swinging Cat 44 King St, Sydney CBD (02) 9262 3696 Mon – Sat 4pm-midnight Tapa Vino 6 Bulletin Place, Circular Quay (02) 9247 3221 Mon – Fri noon-11.30pm Uncle Ming’s 55 York St, Sydney CBD Mon – Fri noon-midnight; Sat 4pm-midnight York Lane 56 Clarence St, Sydney CBD (02) 9299 1676 Mon – Wed 6.30am-10pm; Thu – Fri 6am-midnight; Sat 6pm-midnight

121BC 4/50 Holt St, Surry Hills (02) 9699 1582 Tue – Sat 5pm-midnight Absinthe Salon 87 Albion St, Surry Hills (02) 9211 6632 Wed – Sat 4-10pm Arcadia Liquors 7 Cope St, Redfern (02) 8068 4470 Mon – Fri 4pm-midnight; Sat noon-midnight; Sun noon-10pm Bar Cleveland Cnr Bourke & Cleveland St, Redfern (02) 9698 1908 Mon – Thu 10am-2am; Fri – Sat 10am-4am Bar H 80 Campbell St, Surry Hills (02) 9280 1980 Mon – Sat 6pm-11.30 Bellini Lounge 2 Kellett St, Potts Point (02) 9331 0058 Thu – Sun 6pm-late The Bells Hotel 1 Bourke St, Woolloomooloo (02) 9357 3765 Mon – Sun 10am-1am The Beresford 354 Bourke St, Surry Hills (02) 8313 5000 Mon – Sun noon-1am Big Poppa’s 96 Oxford St, Darlinghurst Mon – Sun 5pm-3am Black Penny 648 Bourke St, Surry Hills (02) 9319 5061 Mon – Sat 7am-midnight; Sun 7am-10pm Button Bar 65 Foveaux St, Surry Hills (02) 9211 1544 Mon – Sat 4pm-midnight Café Lounge 277 Goulburn St, Surry Hills (02) 9016 3951 Mon – Thu 5pm-midnight;

Fri – Sat 4pm-midnight; Sunday 4-10pm Casoni Italian Bar & Eatery 371-373 Bourke St, Darlinghurst Tue – Thu 5pm-11pm; Fri – Sat 5pm-midnight Central Tavern 42-50 Chalmers St, Surry Hills (02) 9212 3814 Mon – Sat 10am-2am; Sun 10am-10pm Ching-a-Lings 1/133 Oxford St, Darlinghurst (02) 9360 3333 Wed 6-11pm; Thu – Sat 6pm-1am; Sun 5-10pm The Cliff Dive 16-18 Oxford Square, Darlinghurst Fri – Sat 6pm-late The Commons 32 Burton St, Darlinghurst (02) 9358 1487 Tue – Wed 6pm-midnight; Thu – Fri noon-late; Sat – Sun 8:30am-late Darlo Bar 306 Liverpool St, Darlinghurst (02) 9331 3672 Mon – Sun 10am-midnight Darlo Country Club Level 1, 235 Victoria St, Darlinghurst (02) 9380 4279 Wed – Thu 5pm-midnight; Fri – Sat 5pm-2am Dead Ringer 413 Bourke St, Surry Hills (02) 9331 3560 Mon – Fri 5pm-midnight; Sat noon-midnight; Sun noon-midnight Della Hyde 34 Oxford St, Darlinghurst Thu – Sat 5pm-late Eau-De-Vie 229 Darlinghurst Rd, Darlinghurst 0422 263 226 Sun – Fri 6pm-1am; Sat 6pm-midnight The Forresters 336 Riley St, Surry Hills (02) 9212 3035 Mon – Wed noon-midnight; Thu – Sat noon-1am; Sun noon-10pm Gardel’s Bar 358 Cleveland St, Surry Hills (02) 8399 1440 Tue – Sat 6pm-midnight Gazebo 2 Elizabeth Bay Rd, Elizabeth Bay (02) 8070 2424 Tue – Sun noon-midnight Golden Age Cinema & Bar 80 Commonwealth St, Surry Hills (02) 9211 1556 Wed – Fri 5pm-midnight; Sat – Sun 2:30pm-midnight Goros 84-86 Mary St, Surry Hills (02) 9212 0214 Mon – Wed 11:30am-midnight; Thu 11:30am-1am: Fri 11:30am-3am; Sat 4pm-3am Hinky Dinks 185 Darlinghurst Rd, Darlinghurst (02) 8084 6379 Mon – Sat 4pm-midnight; Sun 2-11pm Hollywood Hotel 2 Foster St, Surry Hills (02) 9281 2765 Mon – Wed 10am-midnight; Thu – Sat 10am-3am The Horse 381 Crown St, Surry Hills 1300 976 683 Mon – Thu noon-midnight; Fri 11.30am-midnight; Sat noon-midnight; Sun noon10pm Jangling Jack’s Bar & Grill 175 Victoria St, Potts Point Tue – Wed 4-11pm, Thu – Sat 4-1am, Sun noon-11pm thebrag.com

Hustle & Flow Bar 3/105 Regent St, Redfern (02) 8964 93932 Tue – Thu 6pm-midnight; Fri – Sat 5pm-midnight; Sun 2pm-midnight Li’l Darlin Darlinghurst 235 Victoria St, Darlinghurst (02) 8084 6100 Mon – Sun 4pm-midnight Li’l Darlin Surry Hills 420 Elizabeth St, Surry Hills (02) 9698 5488 Mon – Fri noon-11pm; Sat 4pm-midnight LL Wine and Dine 42 Llankelly Place Potts Point (02) 9356 8393 Mon – Thu 5pm-11pm; Fri – Sat 5pm-midnight; Sun 11am-10pm The Local Taphouse 122 Flinders St, Darlinghurst (02) 9360 0088 Mon – Sun noon-9:30pm Love, Tilly Devine 91 Crown Ln, Darlinghurst (02) 9326 9297 Mon – Sat 5pm-midnight; Sun 5-10pm Low 302 302 Crown St, Surry Hills (02) 9368 1548 Mon – Sun 6pm-2am Mr Fox 557 Crown St, Surry Hills 0410 470 250 Tue – Wed 4pm-midnight; Thu – Fri 4pm-midnight; Sat 3pm-midnight; Sun 10am-10pm Moya’s Juniper Lounge 101 Regent St, Redfern 0431 113 394 Tue – Sat 4pm-11pm; Sun midday-10pm The Noble Hops 125 Redfern St, Redfern 0431 113 394 Mon – Fri 4pm -midnight; Sat 3pm-midnight; Sun 3pm-10pm The Norfolk 305 Cleveland St, Surry Hills (02) 9699 3177 Mon – Sat noon-midnight; Sun noon-10pm Old Growler 218 William St, Woolloomooloo 0458 627 266 Tue – Sat 5pm-midnight The Oxford Circus 231 Oxford St, Darlinghurst 0457 353 384 Wed – Sat 7pm-3am The Owl House 97 Crown St, Darlinghurst 0401 273 080 Mon – Sat 5pm-late; Sun 5-10pm Peekaboo 120 Bourke St, Woolloomooloo 0403 747 788 Tue – Thu 4pm-10pm; Fri – Sat 4pm-midnight Play Bar 72 Campbell St, Surry Hills (02) 9280 0885 Tue – Thu 5pm-midnight; Fri 4pm-midnight; Sat 5pm-midnight Pocket Bar 13 Burton St, Darlinghurst (02) 9380 7002 Mon – Sun 4pm-midnight The Powder Keg 7 Kellett St, Potts Point (02) 8354 0980 Wed – Thu 5pm-midnight; Fri – Sat 4:30pm-midnight; Sun 4pm-midnight The Print Room 11 Glenmore Rd, Paddington (02) 9331 0911 Thu – Fri noon-midnight; Sun – Wed noon-10pm Queenie’s Upstairs 336 Riley St, Surry Hills (02) 9212 3035 Tue – Thu 6pm-late, Fri noon-3pm & 6pm-late; Sat 6pm-late Riley St Garage thebrag.com

55 Riley St, Woolloomooloo (02) 9326 9055 Mon – Sat noon-midnight Roosevelt 32 Orwell St, Potts Point (02) 8696 1787 Tue – Fri 5pm-midnight; Sat noon-midnight; Sun 3-10pm Rosie Campbell’s 320 Crown St, Surry Hills (02) 9356 4653 Mon – Thu 5pm-midnight; Fri – Sun 11am-midnight Shady Pines Saloon Shop 4, 256 Crown St, Darlinghurst Mon – Sun 4pm-midnight The Soda Factory 16 Wentworth Ave, Surry Hills (02) 8096 9120 Mon – Wed 5pm-midnight; Thu – Fri 5pm-3am; Sat – Sun 6pm-3am Surly’s 182 Campbell St, Surry Hills (02) 9331 3705 Mon – Sat noon-midnight; Sun noon-10pm Sweethearts Rooftop 33/37 Darlinghurst Rd, Potts Point (02) 9368 7333 Mon – Thu 4pm-midnight; Fri – Sun noon-midnight This Must Be The Place 239 Oxford St, Darlinghurst (02) 9331 8063 Mon – Sun 3pm-midnight The Tilbury Hotel 12-18 Nicholson St, Woolloomooloo (02) 9368 1955 Mon 9am-10pm; Tue – Fri 9am-midnight; Sat 10am-midnight; Sun 10am-10pm Tio’s Cerveceria 4-14 Foster St, Surry Hills (02) 9368 1955 Mon – Sat 4pm-midnight Tipple Bar 28 Chalmers St, Surry Hills (02) 9212 0006 Mon midday-10pm; Tue – Sat midday-midnight Vasco 421 Cleveland St, Redfern 0406 775 436 Mon – Sat 5pm-midnight The Village Inn 9-11 Glenmore Rd, Paddington (02) 9331 0911 Mon – Sun noon-late The Wild Rover 75 Campbell St, Surry Hills (02) 9280 2235 Mon – Sat 4pm-midnight The Winery 285A Crown St, Surry Hills (02) 9331 0833 Mon – Sun noon-midnight

Anchor Bar 8 Campbell Pde, Bondi (02) 8084 3145 Mon – Fri 5pm-late; Sat – Sun 12.30pm-late Bat Country 32 St Pauls St, Randwick (@ The Spot) (02) 9398 6694 Mon – Sat 7am-midnight; Sun 7am-10pm Beach Road Hotel 71 Beach Rd, Bondi Beach (02) 9130 7247 Mon – Fri 11am-1am; Sat 10am-1am; Sun 10am-10pm Bondi Hardware 39 Hall St, Bondi (02) 9365 7176 Mon – Thu 5pm-midnight; Fri noon-midnight; Sat 9am-midnight; Sun 9am-8pm The Bucket List Shop 1, Bondi Pavilion, Queen Elizabeth Drive (02) 9365 4122 Mon – Tue 11am-5pm; Wed – Sun 11am-midnight The Corner

House 281 Bondi Rd, Bondi (02) 8020 6698 Tue – Sat 5pm-midnight; Sun 1pm-10pm Fat Ruperts 249 Bondi Rd, Bondi (02) 9130 1033 Tue – Fri 4pm-midnight; Sat – Sun 2pm-midnight Jam Gallery 195 Oxford St, Bondi Junction (02) 9389 2485 Tue 4pm-midnight; Wed – Sat 4pm-3am The Phoenix Hotel 1 Moncur St, Woollahra (02) 9363 2608 Tue – Wed 4-11pm; Thu – Fri 11.30am-1am; Sat 8am-11pm; Sun 8am-10pm The Robin Hood Hotel 203 Bronte Rd, Waverley (02) 9389 3477 Mon-Sat 10am-3am; Sun 10am-10pm Speakeasy 83 Curlewis St, Bondi (02) 9130 2020 Mon – Sat 5pm-11pm; Sat – Sun 4pm-10pm Spring Street Social 110 Spring St, Bondi Junction (02) 9389 2485 Tue – Sat 5pm-3am Stuffed Beaver 271 Bondi Rd, Bondi (02) 9130 3002 Mon – Sat noon-midnight; Sun noon-10pm

Bar-racuda 105 Enmore Rd, Newtown (02) 9519 1121 Mon – Sat 6pm-midnight Batch Brewing Company 44 Sydenham Rd, Marrickville (02) 9550 5432 Mon – Sun 10am-8pm Bauhaus West 163 Enmore Rd, Enmore (02) 8068 9917 Wed – Thu 5-11pm; Fri 4-11pm; Sat 2-10pm; Sun midday-10pm The Bearded Tit 183 Regent St, Redfern (02) 8283 4082 Mon – Thu 4pm-midnight; Fri – Sat noon-midnight; Sun noon-10pm Blacksheep 256 King St, Newtown (02) 8033 3455 Mon – Fri 4pm-11pm; Sat 2pm-11pm; Sun 2pm-10pm Bloodwood 416 King St, Newtown (02) 9557 7699 Mon – Fri 5pm-midnight; Sat noon-midnight; Sun noon-10pm Calaveras 324 King St, Newtown 0451 541 712 Wed – Sat 6pm-midnight Cornerstone Bar & Food 245 Wilson St, Eveleigh (02) 8571 9004 Sun – Wed 10am-5pm; Thu – Fri 10am-late; Sat 9am-late Corridor 153A King St, Newtown 0405 671 002 Mon 5pm-midnight; Tue 4pm-midnight; Wed – Sat 3pm-midnight; Sun 3-10pm Cottage Bar & Kitchen 342 Darling St, Balmain (02) 8084 8185 Mon – Thu 5pm-midnight; Fri – Sat noon-midnight; Sun noon-10pm Different Drummer 185 Glebe Point Rd, Glebe (02) 9552 3406 Mon 4.30-11pm; Tue – Wed 4.30pm-1am; Thu – Sat 4.30pm-2am; Sun

4.30am-midnight Doris & Beryl’s Bridge Club and Tea House 530 King St, Newtown Mon – Fri 5pm-midnight; Sat – Sun 3.30pm-midnight Earl’s Juke Joint King St, Newtown Mon – Sat 4pm-midnight; Sun 4-10pm Forest Lodge Hotel 117 Arundel St, Forest Lodge (02) 9660 1872 Mon – Sat 11am-midnight; Sun noon-10pm Freda’s 109 Regent St, Chippendale (02) 8971 7336 Tues – Sat 4pm-midnight; Sun 4pm-10pm The Gasoline Pony 115 Marrickville Rd, Marrickville 0401 002 333 Tue – Thu 5-11.30pm; Fri – Sat 3-11.30pm; Sun 3-9.30pm The Grifter Brewing Co. 1/391-397 Enmore Rd, Marrickville (02) 9550 5742 Thu 4-9pm; Fri – Sat noon9pm; Sun noon-7pm The Hideaway Bar 156 Enmore Rd, Enmore (02) 8021 8451 Tue– Thu 4pm-midnight; Fri – Sat 4pm-1am Hive Bar 93 Erskineville Rd, Erskineville (02) 9519 1376 Mon – Fri noon-midnight; Sat 11am-midnight; Sun 11am-10pm Kelly’s On King 285 King St, Newtown (02) 9565 2288 Mon – Fri 10am-2.30am; Sat 10am-3.30am; Sun 11am-11.30pm Kingston Public Bar & Kitchen 62-64 King St, Newtown (02) 8084 4140 Mon – Fri 4pm-midnight; Sat noon-midnight; Sun noon-10pm Knox Street Bar Cnr Knox & Shepherd St, Chippendale (02) 8970 6443 Tue – Thu 4-10pm; Fri – Sat 4pm-midnight; Sun 5-10pm Kuleto’s 157 King St, Newtown (02) 9519 6369 Mon – Sat 4pm-late; Thu – Sat 4pm-3am Leadbelly 42 King St, Newtown (02) 9557 9409 Sun – Thur 4pm-midnight; Fri-Sat 4pm-1am The Little Guy 87 Glebe Point Rd, Glebe (02) 8084 0758 Mon – Fri 4pm-midnight; Sat 1pm-midnight; Sun 3pm-10pm Mary’s 6 Mary St, Newtown (02) 4995 9550 Mon – Fri 4pm-midnight; Sat noon-midnight; Sun noon-10pm The Midnight Special 44 Enmore Road, Newtown (02) 9516 2345 Tues – Sat 5pm-midnight; Sun 5pm-10pm Miss Peaches 201 Missenden Rd, Newtown (02) 9557 7280 Wed – Sun 5pm-midnight Mr Falcon’s 92 Glebe Point Rd, Glebe (02) 9029 6626 Mon – Thu 4pm-midnight; Fri 3pm-midnight; Sat noonmidnight; Sun 4pm-10pm Newtown Social Club 387 King St, Newtown (02) 9550 3974

GRIFFIN THEATRE COMPANY PRESENTS THE WORLD PREMIERE OF

GLORIA

BY BENEDICT ANDREWS 26 AUGUST-8 OCTOBER ‘She’s a star, still a star, every inch a star.’

SBW Stables Theatre 10 Nimrod Street Kings Cross griffintheatre.com.au 02 9361 3817

Production Sponsor

Government Partners

MARRICKVILLE SMALL BAR & LIVE MUSIC VENUE

Thursdayy 18 August (7pm) The Glorious Sousaphonics (brass!) Friday 19 Auggust Q P Porter t St Stomp + Di Diamond dD Duck k (7 ) Queen (7pm) Saturdayy 20 August (Noon–100pm) Marrickana Mini Roots Festival Andy Bayylorr’ss Cajun Roots Trio + Not good With Horses + Brother Jim mmy ($10 for alll day!) Sunday 21 Augustt (7pm) King Curly + Bleeding Gums Murphy

115 Marrickville Road, Marrickville Tue-Sat till 11.30pm, Sun to 9.30m.

www.gasolinepony.com BRAG :: 676 :: 17:08:16 :: 25

out & about Queer(ish) matters with Arca Bayburt

Why Sydney Still Needs Its Gay Bars

You can pick a trick or your next date using an app, so do we still need gay bars? Out & About’s new columnist Arca Bayburt investigates. I often hear people argue that apps like Grindr and Tinder have eliminated the need for exclusively gay spaces. “But Arcaaaa,” they whine with pinched faces, tut-tutting at my depraved suggestion of real-time fleshand-blood social interaction, “Society accepts us now. We don’t need sticky-floored hovels to hide from the heteros in!” I watched a friend using Grindr once, deadeyed, twisted and bitter, phone clamped in his sweaty hand, swiping his way through a smorgasbord of dicks. I’ve seen lesbian pals set their thumbs alight from the sheer speed of their Tinder swiping, only to never start conversations with their matches. Ever.

for me. I felt like I’d completed my initiation into queerdom. It was a lesbian night at the Sly Fox. I’d been moodily picking at my cider’s label and toying with the idea of going outside for my 20th cigarette for the night. My friend had dragged a chair onto the dancefloor and was attempting to do a handstand on it, legs flopping and flailing all over the place, trying to manoeuvre herself into sexy. If the crowd’s fervent cheering was anything to go by, she was definitely getting laid that night. I was just getting drunk. I’d been navigating these new social mores clumsily. My heterosexual cultural programming hadn’t prepared me to interact with large groups of homosexual women. Making gay pals was easy, but I didn’t know how to approach a woman for something more.

Timbah 375 Glebe Point Rd, Glebe (02) 9571 7005 Tue – Thu 4-10pm; Fri 4-11pm; Sat 3pm-11pm; Sun 4pm-8pm Wayward Brewing Co. 1 Gehrig Ln, Annandale (02) 7903 2445 Thu – Sat 2-10pm; Sun noon-8pm Websters Bar 323 King St, Newtown (02) 9519 1511 Mon – Sat 10am-4am; Sun 10am-midnight Wilhelmina’s 332 Darling St, Balmain (02) 8068 8762 Wed – Fri 5-11pm; Sat – Sun 8am-11pm The Workers Lvl 1, 292 Darling St, Balmain (02) 9555 8410 Fri – Sat 5pm-3am; Sun 2pm-midnight Young Henrys D & E, 76 Wilford St, Newtown (02) 9519 0048 Mon – Sat 10am-7pm; Sun noon-7pm Zigi’s Wine And Cheese Bar 86 Abercrombie St, Chippendale (02) 9699 4222 Tue 4pm-10pm; Wed 4pm-midnight; Thu – Sat 3pm-midnight

Crooked Tailor 250 Old Northern Road, Castle Hill (02) 9899 3167 Mon – Sun 4pm-midnight Daniel San 55 North Steyne, Manly (02) 9977 6963

Mon – Thu 4pm-midnight; Friday – Saturday noon– 2am; Sunday noon-midnight Firefly 24 Young St, Neutral Bay (02) 9909 0193 Mon – Wed 5-11pm; Thu 5-11.30pm; Fri noon11.30pm; Sat noon-11pm; Sun noon-10pm The Foxtrot 28 Falcon St, Crows Nest Tue – Wed 5pm-midnight; Thu 5pm-1am; Fri 4pm-2am; Sat 5pm-2am; Sun 4-10pm The Hayberry Bar & Diner 97 Willoughby Road, Crows Nest (02) 8084 0816 Tue – Thu 4pm-midnight; Fri & Sat noon-midnight Sun noon-10pm Hemingway’s 48 North Steyne, Manly (02) 9976 3030 Mon – Sat 8am-midnight; Sun 8am-10pm The Hold Shop 4, Sydney Rd Plaza, Manly (02) 9977 2009 Tue – Fri 5pm-midnight; Sat 3pm-midnight; Sun 3-10pm Honey Rider 230 Military Rd, Neutral Bay (02) 9953 8880 Tue – Sat 4pm-midnight; Sun 4pm-10pm InSitu 1/18 Sydney Rd, Manly (02) 9977 0669 Tue – Fri 5pm-midnight; Sat 9am-midnight; Sun 9am-10pm The Hunter 5 Myahgah Rd, Mosman 0409 100 339 Mon – Tue 5pm-midnight; Wed – Sat noon-midnight; Sun noon- 10pm

Your bar’s not here? Email: chris@thebrag.com

Jah Bar Shop 9, 9-15 Central Ave, Manly (02) 9977 4449 Tue 5pm-midnight; Wed-Fri noon-midnight; Sat 8am-midnight; Sun 9am-midnight Manly Wine 8-13 South Steyne, Manly (02) 8966 9000 Mon – Sun 6.30am-late Miami Cuba 47 North Steyne, Manly 0487 713 350 Mon – Sun 8am-4pm Moonshine Lvl 2, Hotel Steyne, 75 The Corso, Manly (02) 9977 4977 Mon – Thu 9am-3pm; Fri – Sat 9am-2am; Sun 9am-midnight The Pickled Possum 254 Military Rd, Neutral Bay (02) 9909 2091 Thu – Sat 9pm-1am SoCal 1 Young St, Neutral Bay (02) 9904 5691 Mon – Wed 5pm-midnight; Thu 5pm-1am; Sat noon2am; Sun noon-midnight The Stoned Crow 39 Willoughby Rd, Crows Nest (02) 9439 5477 Mon – Sat noon-late; Sun 11.30am-10pm The Treehouse Hotel 60 Miller St, North Sydney (02) 8458 8980 Mon – Fri 7am-midnight; Sat 2pm-midnight xxxx

That night, I didn’t have to. Someone walked over to me and told me her friend was The apathetic and defeatist “But we can interested. Said friend was hot so I went internet now” reaction to the closures of over to say hello. I’m sure I said something lesbian spaces and the forced amalgamation sophisticated and sexy like, “Hi, I’m really of gay women into gay men’s spaces under fucked up.” Half an hour later we were the ‘queer’ umbrella really grates my tits. stumbling through her front yard, trying to get into the house. She lost her key in the grass We need our own spaces because that’s so we crawled around on the where we find and build “THESE VENUES ground, groping mud trying our communities. These to find it. It only got worse venues are little gay islands ARE LITTLE from there. in a gigantic, heterosexual GAY ISLANDS ocean. People forget that the IN A GIGANTIC, Bad porno worse. function of a gay space isn’t just to facilitate fucking and HETEROSEXUAL We managed to get into dating, but to connect queers OCEAN.” her house, and as we were to each other. furiously making out in the doorway, I asked her if she had any peanut butter and beer Unbelievably, gay people can have (evidently this combo is my aphrodisiac) and interactions outside of sex! Who knew? she said yes. We drunkenly rolled around, drinking beer, pouring it all over each other. Sydney doesn’t have a dedicated venue At one point, as I shellacked peanut butter for gay women. Like some nomadic tribe, onto her naked body, I thought to myself, lesbians must migrate from venue to venue. “Man, my friends are gonna be so proud of That said, there are some places that are me.” famous (or infamous) for attracting mostly lesbian clientele. The notion that I could pick up in a bar was totally foreign to me. It made me feel like a I felt overwhelmed during my first year giddy teenager. I’d been to countless straight frequenting lesbian bars and parties. I was spaces, watching them do all those things so excited all the time. I started making with a bemused detachment, wondering if I friends and creating a little homo family. had to resign myself to clandestine internet The Sly Fox’s halcyon days in the midhook-ups forever. 2000s were rife with debauchery. That in itself isn’t special – most every other club The point is that saying, “We have apps for in existence can be described as such – that now so we don’t need gay bars to meet but a place like the Sly was exciting to me other gay people,” is like arguing that we can because it was gay. easily do away with going out to restaurants now that we’ve got Menulog. We’ll only end Going home with someone from a gay bar for up going hungry. the first time was something of a milestone

Mon – Thu 4pm-midnight; Fri – Sat noon-2am; Sun noon-10pm The Oxford Tavern 1 New Canterbury Rd, Petersham (02) 8019 9351 Mon – Thu noon-midnight; Fri – Sat noon-3am; Sun noon-10pm Lord Raglan 12 Henderson Rd, Alexandria (02) 9699 4767 Mon – Sat noon-midnight; Sun noon-10pm The Record Crate 34 Glebe Point Rd, Glebe (02) 9660 1075 Mon – Thu 5pm-midnight; Sat 2pm-midnight; Sun 3-10pm The Royal 156 Norton St, Leichhardt (02) 9569 2638 Mon – Thu 10am-1am; Fri – Sat 10am-3am; Sun 10am-midnight Secret Garden Bar 134a Enmore Rd, Enmore 0403 621 585 Mon – Tue 7am-5pm; Wed – Fri 7am-11pm; Sat 7am-10pm; Sun 7am-11pm Staves Brewery 4-8 Grose Street, Glebe (02) 9280 4555 Thu 4-10pm; Fri – Sat 4pm-midnight; Sun 4-10pm Temperance Society 122 Smith St, Summer Hill (02) 8068 5680 Mon – Thu 4pm-11pm; Fri – Sat: noon-midnight; Sun: noon-10pm Thievery 91 Glebe Point Rd, Glebe (02) 8283 1329 Mon – Thu 6pm-11pm; Fri 6pm-midnight; Sat noon3pm & 6pm-midnight

this week… On Saturday August 20, head over to the Heaps Gay car park party at the Portugal Madeira Club in Marrickville. It’ll be an unpretentious affair, starting early and celebrating well into the wee hours with music from Wild Sunset, Honey DJs and Sideboobs.

Gaspar with more to be announced.

Then on Sunday August 21, the House Of Mince presents Mince Спорт at Zoo Project, featuring Ben Drayton, D&D and Annabelle

Also on Sunday August 21, Melbourne’s Camp Cope are heading to Sydney to headline Voices: A FemmeFronted Fun Raiser

26 :: BRAG :: 676 :: 17:08:16

Camp Cope with support from Scabz and more at Hermann’s Bar. It’ll be a celebration of female and LGBTQIA musicians with all proceeds going to the Safe Steps Family Violence Response Centre.

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

ALBUM OF THE WEEK DINOSAUR JR.

of a Charles Bukowski poem. But such asides are beautiful in a way that makes no great claims to beauty, and though ‘Good To Know’ is tragic, it is tragic in a workman-like way – tragic like a slipped disc, not tragic like Shakespeare.

J Mascis isn’t a talker – ask the artist about his art and you’re likely to find yourself making a neat turn into a dead end. Nor is he a therapist – though his music is full of a deeply downplayed kind of heartbreak, he’s seemingly unwilling to offer solutions.

Nor is Mascis a guitarist in the traditional sense, though the solos throughout Give A Glimpse are full of the kind of clean wonder the man has spent decades pinning his reputation upon. He doesn’t play the guitar in the same way that you or I play guitar, and to write about Mascis’ technical skill is, to borrow a quote, akin to dancing about architecture.

Give A Glimpse Of What Yer Not Jagjaguwar/Inertia

The Massachusetts trio’s 11th album rolls up its sleeves to get the job done masterfully.

AJJ

The Bible 2 SideOneDummy/Cooking Vinyl The band formerly known as Andrew Jackson Jihad is back in the saddle with a new name, an album title that’s a shoo-in for best of the year and a fresh half-hour of fighting the power attached to it. Six albums in, it’s safe to know what to expect from Sean Bonnette and co. as they blend folk-rock leanings with reckless punk abandon in one of the more potent hybrids doing the rounds in contemporary rock music. Song-wise, The Bible 2 holds up just as well as their classics – ‘Goodbye, Oh Goodbye’ is a rousing march through innocence lost, while the Girls-referencing ‘American Garbage’ is a wiry commentary on pop culture consumption. Its key drawback, however, arrives in its production. This seems untoward, given it was overseen by Grammy-winning indie darling John Congleton. Alas, overbearing distortion and volume gain placed on both Bonnette’s guitar and the drum parts clutter the arrangements intermittently, and often during crucial parts of the album. Don’t call it sequelitis, but The Bible 2 struggles to live up to its predecessor, 2014’s Christmas Island. That’s not to say it’s without merit, however – these geeks are still well on their way to inheriting the Earth. David James Young

Nor is he a poet, though his lyrics are often filled with poetry. The new Dinosaur Jr album, Give A Glimpse Of What Yer Not, is carried by Mascis’ wry wit, and the blunt lines about pain sprinkled across a song like ‘Be A Part’ have all the snub-nosed power

DAVID BRENT AND FOREGONE CONCLUSION Life On The Road Caroline

Not content with taking shots at Hollywood’s finest at the Golden Globes, Ricky Gervais and his alter ego David Brent are back with their debut record – the soundtrack to the upcoming film Life On The Road. Gervais, the former singer-songwriter of the unheralded ’80s synthpop band Seona Dancing, might in fact be belatedly living the rock star life. He’s going to play two sold-out gigs in London in September. The album itself is surprisingly well-crafted and no budget has been spared in surrounding the ex-Wernham Hogg paper salesman Brent with the finest session musicians money can buy. Standouts include the reggae unity anthem ‘Equality Street’ and the coming-ofage tale of Brent losing his virginity in ‘Lady Gypsy’. However, the momentum of the record soon becomes stilted as Brent meanders through less compelling tales of life on the road as a sales rep and his beloved Slough. Parts of the album are dry and bordering on bland, but maybe that’s the point. Still, Gervais is far too disciplined for this effort to really shine.

No. J Mascis is none of these things. J Mascis is a fucking magician, and Give A Glimpse is magic. Joseph Earp

MESHIAAK

Alliance Of Thieves Mascot In their blasting debut, Melbourne metalheads Meshiaak power through a tracklist that is polished, precise and utterly uninspired. Legendary drummer Jon Dette (of Slayer/Testament/Iced Earth fame) picks up MVP, laying down earthquake-level tectonics to ground his bandmates, but all the outer appearances of legitimacy lend nothing to Meshiaak’s sound. Put it this way – frontman Danny Camilleri’s anthem to anger is titled ‘It Burns At Both Ends’, speaking less to uncontrollable fits of rage than to the aftermath of a brutal vindaloo. ‘I Am Among You’ is a codifier for the album as a whole, exposing the gears beneath the machine – this isn’t just your dad’s metal, it’s actually your dad starting his own metal band, aping the kingmakers of his glory days. To their credit, when Meshiaak play to their strengths and get their thrash on, they punch out some winners, with the record’s B-side holding the lion’s share of true aggression. But they are less the messiahs of metal promised by their handle, and more its alliance of thieves.

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Hockey Dad’s debut LP, Boronia, is exactly what you’d expect from a surf rock album. Named after the street where Zach Stephenson and Billy Fleming grew up together, Boronia is proof these New South Wales surf coast boys know precisely how to write a tune for their genre. Boronia bursts open with the anthemic ‘Can’t Have Them’. Immediately grabbing your attention with its can’t-help-but-sing-along quality, this is the kind of track you’ll be hanging out to see live so you can belt it out with your mates. The rest of the album takes a more mellow approach, with washed-out rhythm guitars driving the mood. While the record is still dripping in summery vibes, there’s an overall laid-back quality to Boronia that makes for easy listening. Some songs meld into each other, but ‘Jump The Gun’ is a standout, with its ear-catching guitar lick. It’s a simple melody, but when combined with its chanting chorus, it becomes all too easy to get stuck in your head.

Brent is back, but maybe the “born entertainer” needs to loosen his tie a little.

For a debut album, Boronia certainly can’t be scoffed at. It’s not a boundary-breaking release, but with the skill they’ve shown, Hockey Dad will only reach greater heights from here.

Tim Armitage

David Molloy

Abbey Lew-Kee

Of Montreal’s Innocence Reaches is a dance record for people who don’t like to dance, a collection of anthemic bangers crafted for you, the person who just read the phrase ‘anthemic bangers’ and involuntarily flinched away.

Innocence Reaches Polyvinyl / Create/Control

Boronia Farmer & The Owl/Inertia

If your days are spent in Slayer T-shirts lighting a candle for the death of true metal, Meshiaak may whet your appetite, but follow not these false prophets.

INDIE ALBUM OF THE WEEK

OF MONTREAL

HOCKEY DAD

‘Innocence’ is the operative word. As ever, Of Montreal mastermind Kevin Barnes sings with a wide-eyed vulnerability. To say his songwriting is childlike would be wrong – after all a track like ‘Chaos Arpeggiating’ speaks of discomforts and disappointments largely disconnected from the world a child resides in. It’s more that Barnes is a minimalist. He likes reduction – the excellent ‘It’s Different For Girls’ strips away the complexity of the gender debate

and crunches it down into a series of touching sketches, deliberately making a very small drawing of a very big issue. Similarly, ‘Let’s Relate’ is all primary colours and brief snatches, and every time it seems as though Barnes is working himself up to a resolution, he abandons it and wanders off. By its very nature, there’s nothing cohesive about Innocence Reaches. But who cares? It’s a glorious mess, one of the finest albums Of Montreal have turned in for years. This is a polished slice of indie-pop, ready to have your heart swinging about the place like a disco ball.

THE BROTHERHOOD OF LIZARDS Lizardland Captured Tracks/Remote Control

The Brotherhood Of Lizards aren’t simply a niche band. ‘Niche’ is to the Brotherhood as ‘ever-so-slightly driven by self-interest’ is to Donald Trump, and if you’re sitting there thinking, “Oh yeah, I know that band,” you’re either in a painfully slim minority, or you’re a liar. And yet if anything seems ready to send the group lurching back into popular consciousness it’s Lizardland, a complete collection of the band’s recorded output. Given The Cleaners From Venus’ Martin Newell composes one half of the Brotherhood, fans of that band will know what to expect. Lizardland is all rubbery choruses and lyrics that combine distinctly British surrealism with Creation Records-style paisley shirt references. Think The Smiths meets Monty Python and you’ll be close – close, but not quite there. After all, a track like ‘The Dandelion Marine’ has a charm entirely of its own, and the nuanced genius of the Brotherhood often only becomes apparent in the album’s aftermath, when the gentle chords have been allowed the time to sink in. Like dandelion tea spiked with acid, Lizardland is a particularly British glimpse at a particularly heavy trip. Joseph Earp

OFFICE MIXTAPE And here are the albums that have helped BRAG HQ get through the week... VARIOUS - Day Of The Dead RUN THE JEWELS - RTJ 2 FLOWERTRUCK - Dirt

DEATH GRIPS - The Money Store SOFT MOON - Zeros

Joseph Earp

BRAG :: 676 :: 17:08:16 :: 27

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

SCREAMING FEMALES, MERE WOMEN, HANNAHBAND

PUNCH BROTHERS City Recital Hall Friday August 12

Oxford Art Factory Gallery Reviewed on Saturday August 13

Punch Brothers sure know how to put on a charismatic performance. Led by the outlandishly talented Chris Thile – he who shall take over the reins from Garrison Keillor in October when the Prairie Home Companion host steps down after 42 years – these gentlemen are each so freakishly skilled that even those who might ordinarily never listen to bluegrass would walk away from their show dazzled.

Remember that video your sad uncle shared on Facebook a few months ago – the one where the history of rock was compacted into a single seven-minute song that snaked through genre after genre, band after band? That’s what Screaming Females sound like, except the genres they mash up do not come from this Earth. Screaming Females play rock ‘n’ roll from distant planets untouched by humanity – rock’n’roll from fucking Venus – and they mix up tones you didn’t even know existed, let alone tones you thought couldn’t be mixed.

Indeed, Punch Brothers were able to draw such engagement and enjoyment from me that I immediately plunged into sickness the very next day; implying that yes, the US musicians are in fact vampires.

Hannahband opened the evening with a buckshot of pop, heaping up a collection of bone-brittle tunes into the centre of the stage, and though they spoke of nerves there was nothing nervous about their performance. Taking to the stage soon after, Mere Women offered up dripping hunks of song: hewing through their set, they played with an orchestrated lack of grace. Their singles are all carefully considered carnage, anchored by a Public Image Ltd.-esque sense of fractured rhythm and a mind to make people dance. Their finest track, ‘Heave Ho’, combines expertly assembled beauty and a singularly battered sensibility – it’s a post-rhinoplasty nose dragged up a sandstone wall.

It’s worth noting that while I’ve been known to kick back and while away the hours listening to bluegrass (or nu-bluegrass, or progressive bluegrass, or whatever other moniker it gets lassoed with today), I was mostly unfamiliar with Punch Brothers. Many musicians whose opinion I trust have raved about them over the years, and there seemed to be every indication that these were artists entirely at the top of their game.

selena gomez

PICS :: AM

But save for the exceptional song ‘The Blind Leaving The Blind’, until recently they were a bit of a mystery to me. Having since interviewed guitarist Chris Eldridge, I’ve come to know them much better, and the rumours are all true. They’re superb players, absolutely, but they’re also just so much damned fun.

09:08:16 :: Qudos Bank Arena :: Sydney Olympic Park

Thile in particular has a grinning elasticity reminiscent of Jude Law, and he twisted on the spot like a stalk of corn in the breeze. The man has one hell of a voice (even his falsetto has impressive range), and if you hand him a mandolin you’ll never look at the instrument the same way again. The band’s stagecraft was superb, rounded out with Noam Pikelny on banjo, Gabe Witcher on fiddle, and Paul Kowert on double bass (Kowert was the only member who seemed less at ease with the audience, mostly keeping to himself and shying away from attention).

Listening to Punch Brothers at home is one thing; seeing them in the flesh is an entirely different, thrilling beast. Catch them however you can. Adam Norris

melanie martinez

PICS :: AM

That said, there were occasions where you found your attention starting to drift – ironically in the more uptempo numbers. That may well be a symptom of hearing such music while confined to chairs rather than dancing up a gale, but the setlist was constructed with such finesse that you were never lost for very long. Highlight? ‘Another New World’ left me utterly awestruck.

14:08:16 :: Big Top Luna Park :: North Sydney

songwriters’ secrets WITH

DUAN & ONLY FROM MANALION The First Song I Wrote I actually can’t remember the 1. first song I wrote, but I would’ve been about 15 years old. Must’ve been a banger!

The Last Song I Released Our latest release ‘Dirty Roots’ 2. is a feel-good track which storylines a house party and epitomises our sound and style. We worked hand in hand with artist/producer Tiki Taane and love what he brewed up. The video was directed by our good friend Morgan Burrett and shot at Slam’s house. We invited a bunch of friends and fans over and had a good time making this one.

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Songwriting Secrets I basically muck around with

sounds until I like something, then dribble out random vocal phrases to find a melody. Once I’m happy with that I’ll decide on a topic then grab a pen and scribble down lyrics. Arrangement is the last part of the puzzle. The Song That Makes Me Proud 4. The song of which I’m most proud

would be ‘Become The Master’ which is on our debut record Back In The Day. It’s a song about my younger brother’s sporting achievements which uses kung fu analogies to reflect his sacrifices and success. The Song That Changed My Life 5. I don’t have a song or artist in

particular that has changed my life, it’s more the people around me that have supported and encouraged me over the years. Having others believe in me is truly motivating and gives me satisfaction when I can affect them in a positive way through music. What: Back In The Day out now independently Where: Moonshine Bar, Hotel Steyne / Leadbelly When: Saturday August 20 / Sunday September 11 And: Also supporting Steel Pulse at the Metro Theatre on Sunday August 21

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VIEW FULL GALLERIES AT

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up all night out all week . . .

Then, Screaming Females. Their set started fast, with little introduction, and only got faster. A decade of playing together has trimmed anything resembling fat off the trio’s set: the band were all sinew and bone. Even their moments of relative calm had a potency that could put a death metal band mid-riff to shame, and the hushed first half of ‘Hopeless’ was so shocking that some members of the crowd let out loud, involuntarily peals of nervous laughter. It was artful disassembly, and guitarist and vocalist Marissa Paternoster picked apart songs and riffs with a singular skill and precision. Nobody plays guitar like Paternoster. I’m not even convinced she actually plays it – the word ‘play’ implies a talent that can be learnt, but I don’t think even hours of practice could have someone doing what Paternoster does to an instrument, or to a crowd.

BILLY TALENT, THE LAZYS Metro Theatre Friday August 12

Reports on Friday night of a minor earthquake in the CBD are today being revealed as a false alarm – there was no earthquake. Billy Talent were just in town giving an unprecedented performance with an earth-shaking energy that left their fans quivering where they stood.

The set didn’t finish as much as it snapped clean off. By the time it was all done, Paternoster was lying on the ground, screaming into the mic. A normal crowd would have pulled back – they were very close to Paternoster, standing over her, breaking the boundaries of the stage. But by that point they weren’t a normal crowd. They didn’t pull back. Instead they quietly moved forward and huddled around Paternoster, hands cupping around a flame, as one final, hoarse scream rang out.

Local legends The Lazys opened for our Canadian brethren, bursting onto the stage with an infectious spirit, playing with an energy great enough for an arena performance. The Lazys have the potential to be the AC/DC of this generation; standout song ‘Black Rebel’ rolled out with a wicked guitar riff and double time vocals, while ‘Shake It Like You Mean It’ brought kinky tales of whisky to the set.

Joseph Earp

The showmanship of this group is immense – guitarist Matt Morris jumped into the crowd and, strutting right out to the sound desk, ripped into a rhythmfuelled solo atop the barrier, his fingers crawling over his fretboard like ants at a picnic. There’s just so much to say in terms of how good these guys are. Best just go listen to them: you won’t regret it. Exploding into view in a blur of red

and black, Billy Talent opened with the timeless ‘Devil In A Midnight Mass’, which was met with an unprompted clap along and closed with deafening applause. Addressing the crowd and asking if they wanted to go old-school, frontman Benjamin Kowalewicz appeased the emphatic screams with a stellar performance of ‘This Suffering’, the absolute might of the band’s presence creating a wave of bodies that moved across the floor like a whirlpool. One thing that stood out was the limited amount of smartphones that were out for photo-taking – this was a show where punk rockers come to exercise. There was no room for technology – not when there was sensational music to be experienced. And Billy Talent are just that – sensational. Their show was a terrific blend of their earliest songs and tastes of the new album, tracks that showcase a more hard rock feel and didn’t affect the lengths to which the fans got involved. The entire set was just a rollercoaster of emotions and never was a single body idle. Billy Talent always seem to bring a fresh face to their shows and a tenacious love for their fans that is very obviously heartfelt, so each time they perform the earth shakes with the pounding of drums, the building rocks with extravagant punk vocals and no-one stands still. Anna Wilson

PHOTOGRAPHER :: ASHLEY MAR

SLEEPMAKESWAVES, THE CONTORTIONIST Metro Theatre Friday August 12

Sleepmakeswaves’ gig at the Metro Theatre didn’t exactly have the smoothest start. Halfway through opening act The Contortionist’s set, an ear-splitting ringing sounded out. Everybody stood around nonchalantly. Was it the smoke machines? Whatever it was, everyone had to evacuate. No-one really knew if The Contortionist were going to come back on. Well, as it turned out, there actually wasn’t much to worry about (does that mean the original

apathetic reaction was justified all along?) and after a 20-minute delay the show was back on. In fact, alternative takes on the best practice of technology seemed to be a theme of the night: pre- and post-fire alarm, The Contortionist’s set was dominated by drum sound, with the vocals proving hard to hear. But perhaps it was simply all part of the Indianapolis’ band’s 23-string guitar progmetal act. Not too long after, Sleepmakeswaves came onto the stage in a 3-1 formation, with a microphone hanging around in case either guitarist or the bearded bass player wanted to chat to the crowd. They immediately blasted through two hits – ‘To You They Are Birds, To

Me They Are Voices In The Forest’’ and ‘The Stars Are Stigmata’. That said, similar to the problems that affected The Contortionist’s set, it became a bit jarring when Sleepmakeswaves’ mid-ranges disappeared into a wall of deafening noise. To add to that, the lights also seemed to be turned up to a blinding 11. The mixing became slightly better as the band entered the middle of the set by bookending one of their best songs, ‘Great Northern’, inbetween rather lengthy tracks from their first few albums. While ‘Great Northern’ is structured and easily approachable, the other tracks felt overextended. For example, .‘..And So We Destroyed Everything’ felt longer than its 12 minutes.

However, the band swapped doldrums for a cyclone, bringing out ‘Traced In Constellations’ – the release of that single being the reason for the tour – and the banger to end all bangers, ‘Something Like Avalanches’ for a final thrash out, before waltzing out again for an encore of ‘A Gaze Blank And Pitiless As The Sun’. During the show, bearded bassist Alex Wilson told the crowd how much it meant to the band that the fans came back after the fire alarm, and towards the end, he mentioned that they were preparing to start work on a new album. Both the band and the crowd were left feeling warm, if not also a little bit deafer than when they walked in. Nicholas Hartman

PHOTOGRAPHER :: ASHLEY MAR

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BRAG :: 676 :: 17:08:16 :: 29

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

pick of the week Scabz

SUNDAY AUGUST 21 Hermann’s Bar

Voices

Camp Cope + Jannah Beth + Scabz + Rachel Maria Cox + More 3pm. $15. WEDNESDAY AUGUST 17 JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC Shorts And Sounds feat: Afro Uruguayan Project + Tango Oz + Heidi La Tanguera The Basement, Circular Quay. 7pm. $20.

ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK

Manouche Wednesday - feat: The Squeezebox Trio Mr Falcon’s, Glebe. 7pm. Free.

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS

Bec Sandridge Oxford Circus, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $11. Done N Dusted Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 9pm. Free. Grouplove Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $59.90. Muso’s Club Jam Night Ruby L’otel, Rozelle. 7:30pm. Free. Sugar Jam Open Mic Night Sugarmill, Kings Cross. 8pm. Free. The April Family + James Hickey + Kay Proudlove The Gasoline Pony, Marrickville. 7pm. $7.

THURSDAY AUGUST 18 JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC Pat Capocci Leadbelly, Newtown. 9pm. Free. Renee Geyer The Basement, Circular Quay. 7pm. $44.70.

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS

Belinda Marks + Dee Donavan + Grooveworks + Tony Hogan Revesby Workers Club, Revesby. 12pm.

Free. Destrends + Hedge Fund Vic On The Park, Enmore. 7pm. Free. Dustin Tebbutt + Robbie Miller + Woodes Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 7pm. $33. Elizabeth Hughes + Ben Panucci + Brian Campeau Brighton Up Bar, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $11.50. Hot Spoke + Elki Marlborough Hotel, Newtown. 9pm. Free. Jordan C. Thomas The Temperance Society, Summer Hill. 7pm. Free. Jorja Carroll Brass Monkey, Cronulla. 7pm. $14.30. Julz Marie Tokio Hotel, Sydney. 7pm. Free. Live At The Sly - feat: Lyre Byrdland + The Baldwins + Recall Slyfox, Enmore. 7:30pm. Free. Live Band Karaoke Unity Hall Hotel, Balmain. 9pm. Free. Metak + Hatemail Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 8pm. $15. Muso’s Club Jam Night Carousel Inn Hotel, Rooty Hill. 8pm. Free. Shining Bird Golden Age Cinema, Surry Hills. 9pm. Free. The Sousaphonics + Nadya Golski The Gasoline Pony, Marrickville. 7pm. $10. Wil Wagner + Jeff Rosenstock Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 7pm. $10. Katie Rosewood + Kahlo + Chris Carrpetta Lazybones Lounge, Marrickville. 7:30pm. $10.

ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK

Anthony Charlton Australian Arms Hotel, Penrith. 8:30pm. Free. Ginger’s Jam - feat: Various Bands Oxford Hotel, Darlinghurst. 7:30pm. Free. Harbourview

Hulabaloo - feat: Zack Martin + Kenneth D’Aran Harbourview Hotel, The Rocks. 7pm. Free. Joe Echo Duo Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 9pm. Free. Live & Original @ The Merc - feat: James Hickey + Clodagh + Jackie Brown Jnr The Mercantile Hotel, The Rocks. 7:30pm. Free. Matthew Armitage Mr Falcon’s, Glebe. 8:30pm. Free. Shake The Shackles The Little Guy, Glebe. 8pm. Free. Sunset Sessions The Bristol Arms Hotel, Sydney. 6pm. Free. Ward’s Xpress Frankie’s Pizza, Sydney. 9pm. Free.

FRIDAY AUGUST 19 JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC

Henry Fjords Lazybones Lounge, Marrickville. 8:30pm. $15. Renee Geyer + Georgia White Penrith RSL, Penrith. 8pm. $40. Veneno + Pato Lara Venue 505, Surry Hills. 7pm. $20.

ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK

B’Jezus The Basement, Circular Quay. 7pm. $34.50. Matt Toms Clovelly Hotel, Clovelly. 4:30pm. Free. Michael Fryar Chatswood RSL, Chatswood. 5pm. Free. Michael Fryar Vineyard Hotel, Vineyard. 9:30pm. Free. Michael Gorham Lord Raglan Hotel, Alexandria. 7pm. Free. Queen Porter Stomp The Gasoline Pony, Marrickville. 7pm. $7.

Steve Crocker 99 On York, Sydney. 5:30pm. Free. Sunset Sessions The Bristol Arms Hotel, Sydney. 6pm. Free. Whisky Empire John Hardaker The Bunker, Coogee. 8pm. Free.

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS

Bronte Maree Tokio Hotel, Sydney. 7pm. Free. Battle Of The Bands Mona Vale Hotel, Mona Vale. 8pm. Free. Big City Sound Mr Falcon’s, Glebe. 8:30pm. Free. Blake Tailor Duo Quakers Inn, Quakers Hill. 9:30pm. Free. Dave Anthony Crown Hotel, Sydney. 8pm. Free. Dustin Tebbutt + Robbie Miller + Woodes Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 8pm. $33. Evie Dean Club Liverpool, Liverpool. 5:30pm. Free. Geoff Davies The Push Bar, The Rocks. 7pm. Free. I Am Apollo Brass Monkey, Cronulla. 7pm. $17.85. Jack Horner The Oriental Hotel, Springwood. 8pm. Free. JP Project Figtree Hotel, Figtree. 9:30pm. Free. Los Tones Leadbelly, Newtown. 9pm. Free. Luca Brasi Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $28.60. Monkey Wrench (Foo Fighters Show) Colonial Hotel, Werrington. 9pm. Free. Paper Hearts The Fiddler, Rouse Hill. 7pm. Free. Party Inc Marlborough Hotel, Newtown. 11pm. Free. Paul Dempsey Metro Theatre, Sydney. 8pm. $61. Reckless Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 10pm. $5.

Rob Eastwood Campbelltown Catholic Club, Campbelltown. 6pm. Free. Soul Nights Tokio Hotel, Sydney. 7pm. Free. Stephanie Lea Manly Leagues Club, Brookvale. 9:30pm. Free. Ted Nash Trio Panania Diggers, Panania. 8pm. Free. Th!nk Pink - The Ultimate Tribute Revesby Workers Club, Revesby. 8:30pm. Free. Urban Stone Penrith RSL, Penrith. 9pm. Free. Welcome To Hell feat: The Plague + The Loom Of Time + Snow Leopard + Reaver + DJ Tran + Garry Grim Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 8pm. $10.

SATURDAY AUGUST 20 JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC Jazz Express Penrith RSL, Penrith. 2pm. Free. Krishna Jones Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 5:45pm. Free. Renee Geyer Mounties, Mount Pritchard. 8pm. $40.

ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK

Angelena Locke Engadine Bowling Club, Engadine. 7:30pm. Free. Blues Coming At Yah - feat: The Mighty Resonators Ruby L’otel, Rozelle. 7:30pm. Free. Continental Robert And The Blues Boogaloo Party Paddo RSL, Paddington. 8pm. Free. Marrickana Mini Roots Fest - feat: Andy Baylor’s Cajun Roots Trio + Not Good With Horses +

Brother Jimmy The Gasoline Pony, Marrickville. 3pm. $10. Rodney Carrington Rooty Hill RSL Club, Rooty Hill. 7pm. $60. Songsonstage - feat: Zack Martin Orange Grove Hotel, Lilyfield . 7pm. Free.

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS

Adrian Joseph Duo Crown Hotel, Sydney. 9pm. Free. Agent 69 Oatley Hotel, Oatley. 8pm. Free. Alfredo Malabello The Push Bar, The Rocks. 7:30pm. Free. Ben Folds With yMusic Sydney Opera House, Sydney. 8pm. $89. Big Down Under Carousel Inn Hotel, Rooty Hill. 8pm. Free. Blake Tailor Penrith Panthers, Penrith. 5:30pm. Free. Cath & Him Kelly’s On King, Newtown. 8pm. Free. Darren Johnstone Dural Country Club, Dural. 7pm. Free. Dave Anthony St George Masonic Club, Mortdale . 7pm. Free. Dave Dobbyn The Basement, Circular Quay. 7:30pm. $49.80. Dead Letter Circus + Rival Fire Metro Theatre, Sydney. 8pm. $41.10. Dirty Cash Marlborough Hotel, Newtown. 11pm. Free. Dreadnaught + Darker Half + Daemon Pyre The Bald Faced Stag, Leichhardt. 7:30pm. $15. Everyday People Band Penrith RSL, Penrith. 9pm. Free. Georgia White Plough & Harrow, Camden. 8pm. Free. Jack Carty + Emily Barker + Jordan Millar Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 8pm. $23. John Vella Duo Coogee Bay Hotel, Coogee. 11:55pm.

on the record WITH

SONIA

The First Record I Bought The first CD I ever bought 1. was the Destiny’s Child The

Writing’s On The Wall album. I think the girl power vibe of the cover really grabbed me. ‘Say My Name’ became my anthem well before any guys came into my life. I think that probably inspired my writing themes. I wanted to be as sassy, sexy and assertive as the DC ladies! The Last Record I Bought My last download was the 2. entire Glorious Heights album by

Montaigne. She’s a local Aussie artist and her album is absolutely insane! I usually listen to jazz/soul/R & B so it’s really unlike the kind of music you’d usually find me listening to. But I love how experimental all the tracks are. The only thing I dislike is the fact that I can’t take them off repeat! 30 :: BRAG :: 676 :: 17:08:16

The First Thing I Recorded Gosh, so I unofficially 3. ‘recorded’ my first song by

myself when I was 11 and it was interesting, to say the least. However, my first official step into the industry was over in LA back in 2012 with some cool cats from the US scene, and some unofficial releases with local producer Michael Tan back in 2013. Funnily enough, I don’t actually cringe at everything pre-2015. I still like some of the writing, but my voice has definitely developed and changed a lot since then. The Last Thing I Recorded I just recently released a little 4. window into my soul: my Lucky Stars

EP, which was dropped as a follow-up to the single release of ‘Blue’ (which features on the EP). I worked with Jhay Cabrera on the production and I really don’t have good enough words

to describe that guy’s talent. He’s just amazing at what he does! When it comes to playing the tracks off the EP at a live gig – you’ll get the songs you know and love, but you may find me being a lot more experimental with my vocals. The Record That Changed My Life 5. It’s so weird to think of ten-year-old

me listening to ‘Brown Sugar’ by D’Angelo, and even weirder that it was on a CD that my dad bought for me, but that was and still is one of my favourite songs in existence. It solidified my love for all things R & B, jazz and soul, which is the underlying inspiration to all of my music and writing. I have to go listen to it now! What: Lucky Stars out independently on Friday August 19

thebrag.com

g g guide gig g

gig picks up all night out all week...

send your listings to : gigguide@thebrag.com Free. Johnny Young & Normie Rowe Revesby Workers Club, Revesby. 8pm. $40. JP Project Duo Rocks Brewing Co, Alexandria. 2pm. Free. Kids In Control + We Take The Night + Aces & Eights + Mixtape For The Drive The Lair @ Metro Theatre, Sydney. 4:45pm. $13. Latham’s Grip + The Treehouse Children + The Modern Glitch + Swamp To Sahara Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $11.60. Michael Kopp The Belvedere Hotel, Sydney. 7:30pm. Free. Miranda Carey Tokio Hotel, Sydney. 7pm. Free. Morning TV + Spike Vincent + Greenwave Beth Botany View Hotel, Newtown. 8pm. Free. Necrostalgia + Balck Reign + Angels Or Demons + Thrash Bandicoot + Charger Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 8pm. $10. Rackett + The Dinlows + Liquid Time + Galaxy Girls Brighton Up Bar, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $12. Roses For Jack + Versus Fate Oxford Circus, Darlinghurst. 8pm.

$11. Shy Guys Revesby Workers Club, Revesby. 8:30pm. Free. Slumberhaze Leadbelly, Newtown. 9pm. Free. Stephanie Lea PJ Gallagher’s, Enfield, Enfield. 9pm. Free. The Australian Blink 182 Show The Henry Sports Club, Werrington County. 9:30pm. Free. The Cat Back To Back - Celebrating Cat Stevens Brass Monkey, Cronulla. 7pm. $39.80. The Gooch Palms + Spod + Bachelor Pad Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $23.10. VIP Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 10pm. $5.

SUNDAY AUGUST 21 JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC

Jackie Brown Jr Leadbelly, Newtown. 9pm. Free. Steel Pulse + Manalion Metro Theatre, Sydney. 8pm. $54.90. The Regent Street Big Band

Petersham RSL Club, Petersham. 3pm. Free. The Unity Hall Jazz Band Unity Hall Hotel, Balmain. 4pm. Free.

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS

Ahila Hill Duo Tokio Hotel, Sydney. 7pm. Free. Ben Folds With yMusic Sydney Opera House, Sydney. 8pm. $89. Blake Tailor The Fiddler, Rouse Hill. 1pm. Free. Cover Notes Duo Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 8:30pm. Free. Crybabies Kauri Foreshore Hotel, Glebe. 2:30pm. Free. From Street To Stage Soda Factory, Surry Hills. 6pm. Free. King Curly + No. 4 Band The Gasoline Pony, Marrickville. 7pm. $7. Mccauley Raiders Penrith RSL, Penrith. 2pm. Free. Snark + This Time Only + Puzzles Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 4pm. $10. Stephanie Lea Jamison Hotel, Penrith. 1pm. Free. The Former Love + Raindrop + The Game River Brass Monkey, Cronulla. 7pm. $12.25.

U2 Elevation Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 3:30pm. Free. Voices - feat: Camp Cope + Jannah Beth + Scabz + Rachel Maria Cox + Hey Lady! + Allison Gallagher + Off The Cuff Hermann’s Bar, Darlington. 3pm. $15.

ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK

Adrian Joseph Rocks Brewing Co, Alexandria. 2pm. Free. Angelena Locke Macarthur Tavern, Campbelltown. 2pm. Free. Bill Kacir Wentworth Hotel, Homebush West. 1pm. Free. Heath Burdell Unity Hall Hotel, Balmain. 3pm. Free. JJ Hausia The Push Bar, The Rocks. 4pm. Free. Michael Fryar Riverstone Sportsmans Hotel, Riverstone. 4pm. Free. Pat O’Grady The Mill Hotel, Milperra. 12pm. Free. Songsonstage - feat: Andrew Denniston + Levi Burr + Russell Neal Mr Falcon’s, Glebe. 6pm. Free. Ted Nash Bellevue Hotel, Paddington. 2pm. Free.

MONDAY AUGUST 22 JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC Latin & Jazz Open Mic Night The World Bar, Kings Cross. 7pm. Free. Maxwell Enmore Theatre, Newtown. 8pm. $92.

ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK

John Maddox Duo Mr Falcon’s, Glebe. 7pm. Free. Live & Original @ The Corridor Corridor Bar, Newtown. 7pm. Free. Shivon Coelho Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 8:30pm. Free. Songsonstage feat: Russell Neal + Kenneth D’Aran + Steve V Kelly’s On King, Newtown. 7:30pm. Free.

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS

Supercats Tokio Hotel, Sydney. 7pm. Free. Frankie’s World Famous House Band Frankie’s Pizza, Sydney. 9pm. Free. The Button Collective The Temperance Society, Summer Hill. 7pm. Free. The Monday Jam The Basement, Circular Quay. 8:30pm. $6.

TUESDAY AUGUST 23 wed

ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK

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Dustin Tebbutt

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 17

SATURDAY AUGUST 20

Bec Sandridge Oxford Circus, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $11.

Ben Folds With yMusic Sydney Opera House, Sydney. 8pm. $89.

Grouplove Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $59.90.

Blues Coming At Yah - feat: The Mighty Resonators Ruby L’otel, Rozelle. 7:30pm. Free.

THURSDAY AUGUST 18 Dustin Tebbutt + Robbie Miller + Woodes Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 7pm. $33. Elizabeth Hughes + Ben Panucci + Brian Campeau Brighton Up Bar, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $11.50. Live At The Sly - feat: Lyre Byrdland + The Baldwins + Recall Slyfox, Enmore. 7:30pm. Free. Pat Capocci Leadbelly, Newtown. 9pm. Free. Renee Geyer The Basement, Circular Quay. 7pm. $44.70. Shining Bird Golden Age Cinema, Surry Hills. 9pm. Free. The Sousaphonics + Nadya Golski The Gasoline Pony, Marrickville. 7pm. $10.

Corey Harris Brass Monkey, Cronulla. 7pm. $40. Little Sundays - feat: Local Talent The Little Guy, Glebe. 6pm. Free. Live & Original @ Mr Falcon’S - feat: Alana-Lee + Willowy + Stu Tynell + Andrew Swift Mr Falcon’s, Glebe. 7:30pm. Free. Songsonstage - feat: Stuart Jammin Kelly’s On King, Newtown. 8pm. Free.

Wil Wagner + Jeff Rosenstock Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 7pm. $10.

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS

Queen Porter Stomp The Gasoline Pony, Marrickville. 7pm. $7.

Bucket Lounge Presents – Live & Originals Mr Falcon’s, Glebe. 7pm. Free. Erin Marshall Tokio Hotel, Sydney. 7pm. Free. Kye Brown The Oriental Hotel, Springwood. 8:30pm. Free. Live Rock & Roll Karaoke Frankie’s Pizza, Sydney. 4pm. Free.

FRIDAY AUGUST 19 Luca Brasi Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $28.60. Paul Dempsey Metro Theatre, Sydney. 8pm. $61.

Dave Dobbyn The Basement, Circular Quay. 7:30pm. $49.80. Dead Letter Circus + Rival Fire Metro Theatre, Sydney. 8pm. $41.10. Dirty Cash Marlborough Hotel, Newtown. 11pm. Free. Dreadnaught + Darker Half + Daemon Pyre The Bald Faced Stag, Leichhardt. 7:30pm. $15. Jack Carty + Emily Barker + Jordan Millar Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 8pm. $23. Latham’s Grip + The Treehouse Children + The Modern Glitch + Swamp To Sahara Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $11.60. Morning TV + Spike Vincent + Greenwave Beth Botany View Hotel, Newtown. 8pm. Free. Rackett + The Dinlows + Liquid Time + Galaxy Girls Brighton Up Bar, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $12. Roses For Jack + Versus Fate Oxford Circus, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $11.

SUNDAY AUGUST 21 Steel Pulse + Manalion Metro Theatre, Sydney. 8pm. $54.90.

MONDAY AUGUST 22 Maxwell Enmore Theatre, Newtown. 8pm. $92.

Ben Folds With yMusic

BRAG :: 676 :: 17:08:16 :: 31

brag beats

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

dance music news club, dance and hip hop in brief... with Alex Chetverikov, James Di Fabrizio and Anna Wilson

five things WITH TOM

A$AP Ferg

American rapper A$AP Ferg has announced a series of headline shows across the country, matching his appearances at Listen Out festival. A$AP Ferg emerged in 2012 as one of the leading members of the renowned Harlem-based A$AP Mob. Immediately garnering international acclaim and cult buzz, Ferg fortified his reputation by appearing on A$AP Rocky’s major label debut, Long.Live. A$AP, and working soldout audiences while on tour with Rihanna and Drake. Now he’s stepped out on his own terms, with his debut, Trap Lord, solidifying his reputation as a serious rapper and follow-up record Always Strive And Prosper sealing the deal. Catch him at the Metro Theatre on Friday September 30.

MOORE FROM OTOLOGIC

Angelz

1.

Growing Up I grew up in a pretty musical household. My dad has always worked in music, so there was a small studio in our family home and we all grew up trying out a few instruments. Plus there was always loud music playing around the house every morning and afternoon. One super early memory was maybe at the age of four being able to leave kindergarten to go to a recording studio and watch an indigenous artist record. That was pretty amazing. Inspirations I guess I don’t have one 2. particular favourite all-time

musician and tend to like bits and pieces of everything. People who I will always come back to are: Arthur Russell, Lee Perry, Larry Heard, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Klaus Schulze, Francois Kevorkian, Patrick Cowley…the list goes on. It depends on the style as to why I like certain artists – sometimes I go for emotional slow psych-ish stuff like Eddie Hazel, or repetitive synth of Berlin School stuff. It just depends on the track I guess. For me, the dub mentality of using the mixing desk as an instrument feeding into other genres is always nice. Your Crew Nick [Murray] and I started 3. out DJing together maybe ten-ish

years ago. We had known each other for a while and kept bumping into each other at the same shows – then we both started working at the same bar, so we started playing records together at his

ASTRAL PEOPLE TURNS FIVE

32 :: BRAG :: 676 :: 17:08:16

The Music You Make And Play 4. At the moment, like a lot of people,

I’m particularly liking music from DJ Sotofett, Suzanne Kraft, Telephones, PLO Man, Hashman Deejay and also really enjoying the reissues and compilations of Music From Memory and similarly minded labels.

ANGELZ AND DEMONS

One of the new signings to Tchami’s Confession imprint, G-house pioneer Angelz is ready to capitalise on his momentum with a starring set at Chinese Laundry this Saturday August 20. And that’s not all: Colour Castle and Wongo will be there to fi ll the dancefl oor, along with a bunch of locals including We Love, Friendless, Ludovic, Highbeam, Pat Ward, DJ Just 1, King Lee and Offtapia. Check your confessions at the door.

THE SOUNDS OF TOMORROW

Play Bar has its eye firmly fixed on the future. And not just the future of Sydney’s own nightlife, in which the Surry Hills venue has played an active role over recent months, but also of the broader underground music scene. TMRWZ Sounds returns this Friday August 19 on a mission to discover the next big trends in experimental and intelligent electronica. Expect sets from Spirals, Low Key Austin and Safron Mash.

Music, Right Here, Right Now 5. I think that the local scene in

MOTOR CITY MADNESS

Detroit natives T. Linder and DJ Seoul will make the journey over as Detroit Techno Militia in September, playing at Goodbar on Friday September 16. Founders of a greater grassroots Detroit collective dedicated to the recognition, respect, and promotion of Detroit’s rich musical history, theirs is a blend best characterised as a driven, concerted musical release steeped in electro bass and Detroit techno. They are ably joined by the musically dexterous Andrew Wowk and more.

Kristian Nairn

Melbourne is really healthy right now. The crowds are also super positive and switched on musically, which is great. People like Moopie, Simon TK (and the other Wax’o guys), Sleep D, Dan White, Cale Sexton, Andras, and expats like Fantastic Man, Tornado Wallace, Kris Baha and FIO are all doing amazing things. Ben Fester, Noise In My Head and the Pelvis guys (among many others) are definitely doing special things for Sydney too. What: Bacardi Fuego Revolutions Where: Club 77 When: Saturday August 20

take part in the shindig from this lovely bunch of tight-knit community musos. MoVement Sydney hosts the five-year celebration of Astral People’s blood, sweat and beers on Saturday October 22 at Oxford Art Factory.

WISE BEYOND HIS YEARS

With a new album slated for release this year on Balinese label Island Of The Gods, and coming off the back of a Dekmantel dream billing (comfortably sandwiched between sets by the irresistibly experienced artistry of DJ Harvey and Theo Parrish/Marcellus Pittman), Young Marco returns to Sydney to play at Civic Underground on Friday September 9. He’s supported by the ever-funky Rimbombo DJs.

MOVEMENT AT THE STATION

MoVement Sydney is returning to Sydney this October with a five-day fiesta of dance, live performance and exclusive events across the city. Last year, MoVement hosted over 25 live events ranging from secret warehouse parties to club nights, attended by thousands of dance fans across the city. This year’s program includes a debut performance by Mind Gamers – Sebastien Tellier, Daniel Stricker (Midnight Juggernauts) and John Kirby (Blood Orange) – at Oxford Art Factory on Friday October 21, plus Astral People’s fifth birthday party. Another attraction on the MoVement bill is the already announced Rave Of Thrones club night, led by Hodor himself –AKA DJ Kristian Nairn. MoVement Sydney 2016 takes over venues across Sydney from Wednesday October 19 – Sunday October 23. Visit venergymovement.com for full details.

thebrag.com

Kristian Nairn photo by Dennys Illic Photography

Celebrating the massive community of young and emerging musicians they’ve helped foster, those lovely folks at Astral People are throwing a party for their fifth birthday. Five years ago, whilst gorging on some late-night pizza, Tom Huggett, Leron Danilewitz and Vichara Edirisinghe had a vision to represent some of the country’s most signifi cant and gifted young musicians, and raise them up on a new and unique platform. And so, Astral People was born. It’s the stuff movies are made of, really. Now it’s time to party with some of the musicians who’ve appeared in their blockbuster story over the years – Wave Racer, Baro, Polographia, Mall Grab and Winston Surfshirt are just a few of the peeps who will

apartment and then eventually DJing. We were residents with Lewie (Tornado Wallace) every week at the Mercat and a few other clubs for a while and that led to us all playing together a lot and eventually starting Animals Dancing as a party then record label with Andee and Daragh. Me and a couple of guys have recently opened a record store (Skydiver) in Collingwood.

ARISE THE TRAP LORD

club guide g

club picks p up all night out all week...

send your listings to : clubguide@thebrag.com

club pick of the week Edd Fisher

SATURDAY AUGUST 20 77

Bacardi Fuego Revolutions Otologic + Edd Fisher + more 8pm. Free. WEDNESDAY AUGUST 17 CLUB NIGHTS Birdcage - feat: Various DJs Slyfox, Enmore. 9pm. Free. Queerbourhood feat: Seymour Butz + Friends The Bearded Tit, Redfern. 7:30pm. Free. SBW - feat: Jonski Babysham + Resident DJs Side Bar, Sydney. 8pm. Free. The Wall The World Bar, Kings Cross. 9pm. Free. Yellow Wednesdays Secret Garden Bar, Enmore. 7pm. Free.

THURSDAY AUGUST 18

xxx

CLUB NIGHTS Femme Fetale The Argyle, The Rocks. 6pm. Free. House Keeping - feat: DJ Conor Boylan + Guests Side Bar, Sydney. 8pm. Free. Mansion Lane The World Bar, Kings Cross. 9pm. Free. Retro Culture Oxford Circus, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $6. Thursday Mix Up feat: DJs + Bands Hermann's Bar, thebrag.com

Darlington. 4pm. Free.

HIP HOP & R&B

Brewery Thursdays - feat: Miracle + Moto + 26th Letter & Aragona Australian Hotel And Brewery, Rouse Hill. 7pm. Free.

FRIDAY AUGUST 19 HIP HOP & R&B

In With The New - feat: DJ Jimmy New + Savilion + Xamaria + Ashy Gee + Saif + Mr Nat + Mrzsammyg Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 10pm. $10.

CLUB NIGHTS Argyle Fridays The Argyle, The Rocks. 6pm. Free. Bassic - feat: K-Theory + Quix & Yvng Jalapiño + A-Tones + Ventures + Jade Le Flay + Noqu + Sidhu + Notack + Bucknite Chinese Laundry, Sydney. 10pm. $28. DJ I-Dee Marquee, Pyrmont. 10pm. $12.30. DJ Koby Mandic Revesby Workers Club, Revesby. 8:30pm. Free. El Loco Later - feat: DJs On Rotation Excelsior Hotel,

Surry Hills. 9pm. Free. Feel Good Fridays Bar100, The Rocks. 5pm. Free. Friday Frothers feat: DJ Babysham + Guests Side Bar, Sydney. 8pm. Free. Loco Friday - feat: DJs On Rotation The Slip Inn, Sydney. 5pm. Free. Memo Fridays feat: Resident DJs Cargo Lounge, Sydney. 5pm. Free. Polographia Oxford Circus, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $11. Scubar Fridays - feat: DJs On Rotation Scubar, Sydney. 8pm. Free. Tmrwz Sounds - feat: Spirals + Low Key Austin + Saffron Mash Play Bar, Surry Hills. 6pm. Free. WeLove - feat: Various DJs Burdekin Hotel, Darlinghurst. 10pm. Free.

SATURDAY AUGUST 20 HIP HOP & R&B

Bentley Mr Falcon's, Glebe. 8:30pm. Free. Famous T + Oaks + 2nd Kinng + Haidar Ali Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 12pm. $30.

Rittz - feat: DJ Moto Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 11:30pm. $49.90.

CLUB NIGHTS 21 Years Of Iffy Buziness - feat: Henning Baer + Luis Flores + Sub Bass Snarl + Sebastian Bayne + Gav Whalan + Kate Doherty + Janna Quill + Gabe Fernandesdistal + Fl!P Zoo Project, Potts Point. 9pm. $27.50. Argyle Saturdays - feat: Tass + TapTap + Minx + Crazy Caz The Argyle, The Rocks. 6pm. Free. Bacardi Fuego Revolutions feat: Otologic + Edd Fisher + Adi Toohey + Freda & Jackson 77, Darlinghurst. 8pm. Free. Cakes The World Bar, Kings Cross. 8pm. Free. El Loco Later - feat: DJs On Rotation Excelsior Hotel, Surry Hills. 9pm. Free. Father Bass Club feat: Myrne + Hatch + Luude + Holly Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 10pm. $20. Frat Saturdays feat: Danny Simms + Jayowens Side Bar, Sydney. 8pm. Free. Gunnar Haslam feat: Phile + Kali + Jon Watts Jam Gallery, Bondi Junction. 9pm. $16.50. Jdg + Jay Karama + Dave Winnel Marquee, Pyrmont. 10pm. $31.80. Kick On Saturdays feat: Guest DJs Cargo Lounge, Sydney. 6pm. Free. Kings Cross Saturdays - feat: Resident DJs Kings Cross Hotel, Kings Cross. 5pm. Free. Lndry - feat: Angelz + Wongo + Colour Castle Chinese Laundry, Sydney. 9pm. $28. My Place Saturdays - feat: DJs On Rotation Bar100, The Rocks. 8pm. Free. Nrichd Rooty Hill RSL Club, Rooty Hill. 8:30pm. Free. Pacha - feat: Zac Waters Ivy Bar/lounge, Sydney. 6:30pm. $27.70. Perfect Hair Presents Warm Grooves - feat: Roleo + Spirals + Kimchi Princi + Elbee Knox Street Bar, Chippendale. 7pm. $5. Precious Cargo - feat: Ember + Charles Oliver + Chivalry + House Bear Cargo Lounge, Sydney. 8pm. Free. Saturdays - feat: Resident DJs + Special Guests Kit & Kaboodle, Kings Cross. 10pm.

$10. Scubar Saturdays - feat: DJs On Rotation Scubar, Sydney. 8:30pm. Free. Something Else Vs This - feat: Louis Pearce + Marley Sherman + Harrison Jones V Datura + Harry Sanger V Elijah Scadden + Harry Hooper + James Petrou + Shivers* + Eliot Mireylees Burdekin Hotel, Darlinghurst. 10pm. $16.50. Spice New Age feat: Robbie Lowe + Boet + Jimmy Galvin + Arta B2B Harrison Morris Barrio Cellar, Sydney. 10pm. $20. The Chop Battle Edition - feat: The 26 Letter + Mumbles MPC Finger Drumming Showcase + Dewis + Benny Hinn Play Bar, Surry Hills. 6pm. Free. The Dilf Party The Shift Bar, Darlinghurst. 10pm. $44. WeLove Reset By The Sea #4 - feat: Aaron Smith + Lawrence Daffurn + Kev Frost + Jez Sands + Vouki Jojo Fernandez + Sutra + Anya + Nick Reverse + DB Sydney Harbour, Sydney. 7pm. $60.

SUNDAY AUGUST 21 CLUB NIGHTS

Mince Спорт - feat: Ben Drayton + Jon Watts + D&D + Annabelle Gaspar + Rimbombo + Phile Zoo Project, Potts Point. 12pm. Free. S.A.S.H By Day feat: Pepperpot Greenwood Hotel, North Sydney. 2pm. $15. S.A.S.H By Night feat: Pepperpot + Gabby + Co-Op Home Nightclub, Darling Harbour. 9pm. $15. Sin Sundays The Argyle, The Rocks. 7pm. Free.

Polographia

FRIDAY AUGUST 19 Bassic - feat: K-Theory + Quix & Yvng Jalapiño + A-Tones + Ventures + Jade Le Flay + Noqu + Sidhu + Notack + Bucknite Chinese Laundry, Sydney. 10pm. $28. DJ I-Dee Marquee, Pyrmont. 10pm. $12.30. Polographia Oxford Circus, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $11. Tmrwz Sounds - feat: Spirals + Low Key Austin + Saffron Mash Play Bar, Surry Hills. 6pm. Free.

SATURDAY AUGUST 20 21 Years Of Iffy Buziness feat: Henning Baer + Luis Flores + Sub Bass Snarl + Sebastian Bayne + Gav Whalan + Kate Doherty + Janna Quill + Gabe Fernandesdistal + Fl!p Zoo Project, Potts Point. 9pm. $27.50. Bentley Mr Falcon’s, Glebe. 8:30pm. Free. Gunnar Haslam - feat: Phile + Kali + Jon Watts Jam Gallery, Bondi Junction. 9pm. $16.50. Perfect Hair Presents Warm

Grooves - feat: Roleo + Spirals + Kimchi Princi + Elbee Knox Street Bar, Chippendale. 7pm. $5. Rittz - feat: DJ Moto Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 11:30pm. $49.90. Something Else Vs This - feat: Louis Pearce + Marley Sherman + Harrison Jones V Datura + Harry Sanger V Elijah Scadden + Harry Hooper + James Petrou + Shivers + Eliot Mireylees Burdekin Hotel, Darlinghurst. 10pm. $16.50. Spice New Age - feat: Robbie Lowe + Boet + Jimmy Galvin + Arta B2B Harrison Morris Barrio Cellar, Sydney. 10pm. $20.

SUNDAY AUGUST 21 Mince Спорт - feat: Ben Drayton + Jon Watts + D&D + Annabelle Gaspar + Rimbombo + Phile Zoo Project, Potts Point. 12pm. Free. S.A.S.H By Day - feat: Pepperpot Greenwood Hotel, North Sydney. 2pm. $15. S.A.S.H By Night - feat: Pepperpot + Gabby + CoOp Home Nightclub, Darling Harbour. 9pm. $15.

MONDAY AUGUST 22 CLUB NIGHTS I Love Mondays Side Bar, Sydney. 9pm. Free.

Gunnar Haslam

TUESDAY AUGUST 23

Henning Baer

CLUB NIGHTS Coyote Tuesdays The World Bar, Kings Cross. 9pm. $10. Side Bar Tuesdays - feat: Black Diamond Hearts Side Bar, Sydney. 9pm. Free. Terrible Tuesdays Slyfox, Enmore. 5pm. Free.

BRAG :: 676 :: 17:08:16 :: 33

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up all night out all week . . .

Off The Record Dance and Electronica with Tyson Wray xx

S

o how about that Lost Paradise lineup, hey. My picks? I’m well bloody excited to spend some time with one of the finest names in house and techno, Leon Vynehall. You really can never go wrong with Glasgow’s finest party-starters Optimo, while Lunice and Heidi should also provide some highlights. Pretty keen to see local heads Dro Carey and Harvey Sutherland & Bermuda in festival mode again, too. It’s going down in the Glenworth Valley from Thursday December 29 – Saturday December 31.

RECOMMENDED SATURDAY AUGUST 20

Return To Rio Launch Party: M.A.N.D.Y. Manning Bar Gunnar Haslam Jam Gallery Edd Fisher, Otologic Club 77

Sydney

SATURDAY OCTOBER 29

Green Velvet Greenwood Hotel

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 11 – SUNDAY NOVEMBER 13

Return To Rio: Carl Cox, De La Soul, Eric Powell, DJ EZ + more Darshan Jesrani Del Rio, Club 77 Wisemans Ferry

SATURDAY AUGUST 27

Giorgio Gigli If you fancy your techno on the heavy and hypnotic side, you’re not going to want to miss an evening with Italy’s Giorgio Gigli. The man who founded Zooloft Records, he’s also released on the likes of Mental Groove, Electric Deluxe and Outis, and his full-length The Right Place Where Not To Be was a highlight of 2015. See why he’s a favourite of Speedy J and Perc when he hits Sydney on Saturday September 10 with support from WDK, Trinity, Jordan Peters and David Bangma. Venue TBA. Speaking of heavy, heavy, heavy techno, it’s time for a return from Detroit Techno Militia. The name kind of says it all, hey? Comprising T.Linder and DJ Seoul, these motherfuckers go hard – and have played thousands of shows across the globe since first cutting their teeth in the ’90s American rave scene. Expect two mixers, four turntables, a shitload of vinyl and a schooling for the ages. They’ll be flanked by Andrew Wowk, U-Khan, Matthew Lush, David Bangma, Lauren Hansom and Anno on Friday September 16 at Goodbar. Tour rumours: it’s been too long in between drinks with Prosumer. Expect the Panorama Bar don to be coming our way over September/October. Moodymann will be here in November, as will Mount Liberation Unlimited in early December. You can lock in visits over the New Year’s period from Oliver Huntemann, Pachanga Boys and Tokimonsta, too.

PICS :: AM

gene farris

Best releases this week: a mysterious two-track EP credited to an unknown artist has dropped on the ODE imprint, and holy shit is it good. The B-side, titled ‘#ff0266 B’, takes samples from Bombast Broz’s ‘Comin’ From The Heart’ and turns them into a dancefloor bomb. Word on

THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 8 – SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 11

Red Bull Music Academy Weekender: Mr. Fingers, Bok Bok, Peanut Butter Wolf + more Various venues

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 10 Giorgio Gigli TBA

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 16

Detroit Techno Militia Goodbar

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 24

Rebekah Burdekin Hotel

SUNDAY OCTOBER 2

Bicep University of Technology

SATURDAY NOVEMBER 12

Marcel Dettman Chinese Laundry

SATURDAY NOVEMBER 26 Randomer TBA

FRIDAY DECEMBER 2 – SUNDAY DECEMBER 4

Subsonic Music Festival: Lee Scratch Perry, Mad Professor, Josh Wink, Ben UFO + more Riverwood Downs Mountain Valley Resort

THURSDAY DECEMBER 29 – SATURDAY DECEMBER 31

Lost Paradise: Leon Vynehall, Optimo, Lunice, Heidi + more Glenworth Valley

the street is that the artist behind it is actually Sepp. Highly recommended. Other highlights include Bruce Trail’s Ravine Dream (on Magicwire), Occidental’s Pariah Dreams (Deep Club), Philipp Matalla’s Kiba (Kann), Spacetravel’s Dancing Therapy (Perlon) and Jorge Velez’s Animals Disk (L.I.E.S). Sadly, I’m really not feeling Black Dice’s Big Deal (L.I.E.S).

13:08:16 :: Chinese Laundry :: 111 Sussex St, Sydney PHOTOGRAPHER :: ASHLEY MAR

It’s called: WeLove Reset By The Sea 4

It sounds like: Nothing you’ve ever experience

d before. Acts: Aaron Smith, Lawrence Daffurn, Kev Jojo Fernandez, Sutra, Anya, Nick Reverse,Frost, Jez Sands, Vouki, DB Three songs you’ll hear on the night: All unique, self-produced material. And one you definitely won’t: Anything pop

or commercial. Sell it to us: House, techno, progressive and good vibes are what this is all about – delivering special events for speci al people. The bit we’ll remember in the AM: Every thing! Crowd specs: Vast majority 18-38, French, Italian, Spanish and South American. Wallet damage: $50-$60

Tokimonsta

Where: Sydney Harbour When: Saturday August 20, 7pm

34 :: BRAG :: 676 :: 17:08:16

Got any tip-offs, hate mail, praise or cat photos? Email hey@tysonwray.com or contact me via carrier pigeon. thebrag.com

Tokimonsta photo by Nikko Lamere

party profile

welove reset by the sea 4

COMING UP

JAZZ-CLASSICAL

PINK MARTINI WITH YOUR SSO

Eclectic and exotic songs in jazz-classical style. Toby Thatcher conductor Pink Martini

“Performing live, they can make you feel as if you’ve been invited to one of Holly Golightly’s parties... You never know who you’ll meet next.” THE TELEGRAPH, UK (2015)

THU 15 SEP 6.30PM FRI 16 SEP 8PM SAT 17 SEP 8PM

FILM

BACK TO THE FUTURE FILM WITH LIVE ORCHESTRA

Join Marty McFly and Doc Brown on this fantastic adventure with the screening of Back to the Future with Alan Silvestri’s score played by the Orchestra. Nicholas Buc conductor Rated PG. Back to the Future © Universal Studios and U-Drive Joint Venture

PRESENTING PARTNER WILSON PARKING

FRI 7 OCT 7PM SAT 8 OCT 2PM SAT 8 OCT 7PM A BMW SEASON HIGHLIGHT

BOOK NOW TICKETS FROM $59* | Call 8215 4600 Mon-Fri 9am-5pm

sydneysymphony.com * Selected performances. Prices correct at time of publication and subject to change. Booking fees of $5–$8.95 may apply depending on method of booking.

Tickets also available at sydneyoperahouse.com Call 9250 7777 Mon-Sat 9am-8.30pm Sun 10am-6pm

BEST SEATS

ON THE BEACH AT

BONDI BEACH

SATURDAY

NOV 12TH 2016

JAMES & MARK REYNE SEYMOUR

WILLIAM CRIGHTON

MUSIC, SURF SUN + SAND

USE PR O M O CO DE B R AG T O AC C ES S $ 8 9 T I CK E T S @ W W W .B O N D I B E ACHF E S T . CO M

Illustration by Lara Allport | thedrawingarm.com.au

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