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contents what you’ll find inside…

12

“She is thrillingly macabre, fragile in her delivery, but horrifying in her content”

letter from the editor Michael Di Iorio introduces himself in spectacular fashion as the new captain of The BRAG’s quarterly ship.

Whether it be by snail mail or stalk delivery service, by now the news has probably reached your front door — The BRAG Magazine has gone quarterly. Which in plain terms means you’ll only have four opportunities a year to soak up all of our incredible content. Without trying to brag about it, it’s gonna be so fucking incredible.

With a quarterly edition ahead of us, it means we only have four shining moments to show off what we’ve got. Long gone are the days of the monthly mag, far gone are the frivolous nights of our weekly forays. We’re the best kind of pizza now, one that’s cut into four pieces and shared with only your best of friends — or something like that. The metaphors are endless.

What I’m trying to say is welcome to our new iteration. I believe we’ve never been introduced before. My name is Michael Di Iorio, but my friends call me Michael, and I’ll be the Editor of this edition of The BRAG magazine, making sure it not only exceeds the editions of old, but also brings something new to the table. And what an impressive table it is too. The editors before me have done an outstanding job at showcasing both homegrown and international talent, with a unique twist always tinged on each page. Editorial magic. (And who can forget The Sex Edition).

And now it’s my turn. As Editor of the first edition I can guarantee you will not want to put it down. We have interviews with Kim Petras, Broods, Bring Me the Horizon and so much more. There’s a story about a man who collects wasp nests to help manage his anxiety. Are you single? Apparently the answer could be chicken nuggets. Intrigued? You’ll have to grab a glossy copy of this quarter’s mag, shining with Billie Eilish as our cover artist in honour of International Women’s Day. This first edition of our quarterly mag does not disappoint — trust me, I edited it — and it marks the beginning of an exciting and daring year for The BRAG Magazine.

So this is Q1 ladies and gentleman, the first fruit of our labour. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed creating it. And if you love the taste of this apple, it doesn’t fall too far from the tree. The best is yet to come.

With editor’s love,

Billie Eilish photo by Kenneth Cappello Sharon Van Etten photo by Rya Pfl uger

36-41 62 66 72-74

36

Snaps Parent Talk Game On Gig Picks

“I will die for the art!

For what I believe in.

And the art ain’t always gonna be polite!”

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EDITOR: Michael Di Iorio michael.diiorio@thebrag.media ART DIRECTOR: Sarah Bryant COVER PHOTO: Kenneth Cappello LIVE PHOTOGRAPHERS: Ashley Mar, Georgia Moloney ADVERTISING: Josh Burrows - 0411 025 674 josh.burrows@thebrag.media PUBLISHER: The Brag Media CEO, THE BRAG MEDIA: Luke Girgis - luke.girgis@thebrag. media MANAGING EDITOR: Poppy Reid poppy.reid@thebrag.media THE GODFATHER: BnJ GIG GUIDE SUBMISSIONS: gigguide@thebrag.media REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS: Lars Brandle, Alita Brydon, Geordie Gray, Adam Guetti, John Ferguson, Tyler Jenke, Brandon John, Poppy Reid Please send mail NOT ACCOUNTS direct to this NEW address Level 2, 9-13 Bibby St, Chiswick NSW 2046 ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE: Carrie Huang accountsseventhstreet.vc (02) 9713 92692, 9-13 Bibby St, Chiswick NSW 2046 DEADLINES: Editorial: Thursday 5pm (no extensions) Ad bookings: Last Wednesday of the month 12pm (no extensions) Finished art: Last Thursday of the month 5pm (no extensions) Ad cancellations: Last Wednesday of the month 12pm Deadlines are strictly adhered to.

Published by Seventh Street Media Pty Ltd All content copyrighted to Seventh Street Media 2017 DISTRIBUTION: Wanna get the BRAG? Email jessica.milinovic@seventhstreet.media PRINTED BY SPOTPRESS: spotpress.com.au 24 – 26 Lilian Fowler Place, Marrickville NSW 2204 EDITORIAL POLICY: The views and opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher, editors or staff of the BRAG. follow us:

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Michael Di Iorio.

regulars

ISSUE 745: Wednesday 6 March, 2018

12-14

Bilie Eilish

16-18

Bring Me The Horizon

20-22

Broods

24-25

Set Mo

26-27

Kim Petras

28-29

Soaked Oats

30-31

Deafheaven

32-33

36

Why Kanye Should Go To The White House

37

Single? The Reason Could Be Chicken Nuggets

38-39

The Nest Best Thing

40-41

Overeaters Anonymous

42-43

You Breaks The Rom-Com Fairytale Fantasy

Dean Lewis

44

SLiDE

34-35

Sharon Van Etten

45

Netflix’s Live-Action Avatar

29

Eight Albums We Can’t Wait To Hear

46-49

10 Perfect Games For Couples

30-31

Chymes + BTS

50-54

32-33

Malay

Greatest Music Games Of All Time

34-35

How To Fall In Love (With The Cold)

like us:

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COVER STORY

“Her first name is typically masculine, her middle name is genuinely ‘Pirate,’ and her instagram handle is not on brand - although @wherearetheavocados is an existentially millennial question”

Simone Williams looks under the bed to uncover the macabre asymmetry of Billie Eilish, examining her power of androgyny which unceasingly leaves its claw marks in modern music.

H

ave you ever wondered what happened to that kid in primary school who always used to scare you by turning their eyelids inside out? Well, she's about to release her first studio album: WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?

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Billie Eilish photo by Kenneth Cappollo

To be fair, I didn’t know much about Billie Eilish’s music before this year. I couldn’t name any of her songs, and unfairly relegated her to the obscure triple j area of my temporal lobe. I didn’t get caught up in the hype about a potential pop prodigy, even as Facebook exploded over getting tickets for her Australian tour this May. But I kept a close eye on her, because I hadn’t seen anyone like her before - a cocooned comingof-age star, yet to choose a path between the reductive options of ‘girly’ and ‘tomboy.’

Her first name is typically masculine, her biological middle name is ‘Pirate,’ and her instagram handle is not on brand - although @wherearetheavocados is an existentially millennial question. She can usually be found decked out in the dull browns of Louis Vuitton merchandise, the type of fabric usually only acceptable on a handbag. She wears bucket hats, bandanas with her own name on them, Nike slides and Gucci socks. It is an odd display of wealth that is typically favoured by the SoundCloud generation, the platform where she first premiered her single, ‘ocean eyes’. She loves to wear high-end pieces, but in arrangements that are jarring upon first glance. Almost as if she wants to make beautiful things, and twist them into garish, cartoonish caricatures of themselves, taking down a system from the inside out.

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COVER STORY

Eilish might be in uncharted territory for a young female musician. At her gigs, you will see a relatively even spread of both genders.

She’s never released a perfume. Aggressively traffic-cone-orange garments typically found on an ex-boyfriend’s clothing rack can be found amongst her merch. The two interviews that she gave to Vanity Fair (who were asking the same questions, but a year apart) showed no butterfly glow-up from 2017 to 2018. There is a new snarl of acne on her chin, a noticeable amount of root regrowth, and her eyelids are even droopier.

But she looks like us. She looks like someone I can recognise. Here she is, the singer with the spider in her mouth, staring down the camera without flinching. She poured ink in her eyes, for real (“just so y’all know how real that video was. shit stung like a mf”). She is herself, on her own terms.

Growing up Eilish seems idyllic, the way she frames it: spending a majority of time with her brother, actor Finneas, in Highland Park, north-east of Los Angeles. A creative family, a bedroom recording studio - the sparks simply had to catch, didn’t they? ‘ocean eyes’ and its success on streaming services was almost an accident - her dance teacher, Fred Diaz, knew about her vocal talents and requested that she throw something together so he could choreograph a new routine.

Finneas wrote down lyrics and a then-13 year-old Billie sang. The product was an unnervingly haunting ballad, that sounds like something that the sirens would sing to lure a sailor to their death.

It was strength to strength from there: she released a debut EP, don’t smile at me, and her track ‘when the party’s over’

enjoyed its reign over the long, hot Australian summer, clocking in at Number 8 on triple j’s Hottest 100 of 2018. Soundtracks, collaborations, a current world tour. She is the 32nd most listened to artist on Spotify, worldwide. But if this sounds like your usual young artist narrative arc, it’s not.

Her music is intricately crafted, with sweeping strings and deliberate piano riffs. If you pull the vocals, some of these songs could be played at a dinner party for your parents and their friends, but instead of combining these objectively beautiful arrangements with lyrics in a similar vein, she opts for something entirely different. She is thrillingly macabre, fragile in her delivery but horrifying in her content. She relishes in the horror of a young person, singing about murder and broken hearts and blood and death - because who else is doing that? They say that there are two emotions that motivate us, love and fear - and art mainly gets produced focussing on the former. Eilish is firmly on the side of horror - and she wants you to know about it. “Everything that I do / the way I wear my noose / like a necklace” she smirks at you, in ‘bellyache’. “I wanna make ‘em scared,” she shudders. Listening alone in an empty room, I look over my shoulder.

“Eilish is not only on the pulse with this song - she is holding down the vein, and choking you out” ‘bury a friend’ is in the same vein. Her latest release glitches and messes with your perception, as it cuts out around the one minute mark - interspersed with screeches like that of a particularly angry owl. The repeated refrain of “I want to end me” speaks to this generation’s sharpened appreciation of irony and their love of using hyperbolic death in casual conversation.

The current tsunami of success in the shallow pool of pop music belongs to Ariana Grande, who has her strange side explored in numerous interviews. “She is actually a self-professed weirdo,” confesses British Vogue. Rob Sheffield, recapping her stellar 2018 for Rolling Stone, says that, “Grande is gloriously weird at heart watching her now is like the scene in the horror movie where the prom queen whips out an axe.”

Grande is trapped in a common feminine pop snare which means that while she privately can embrace all things zany and horrifying, she still has to hide that from the world; to protect the image, the sponsorship, the brand. What we see with Eilish is that she personifies the internal warp of so many pop stars, with the freedom to not have to sexualise herself for her audience.

She is who they are afraid to be, because of what they would lose.

▲

In the time where women are more vocal about the various disparities in the music industry (pay, harassment, power, quotas, masculine dominance), Billie straddles the line of how to self-preserve. She’s staring at the two options: uber femininity, or the drift into masculinity.

Has she been confronted, yet, with the choice between duly entering the royal court as

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COVER STORY

Billie Eilish photo by Kenneth Cappollo

▲

pop’s new princess, to play by the rules that snapped Britney Spears clean in half? Or has she instead turned to face the alternative of highlighting her more masculine traits, like St. Vincent or Grimes?

And why is it, exactly, that female artists have to choose how their sexuality manifests, in the eyes (and ears) of their consumers? Because the value that society places upon female artists in the public eye remains in their image. Not who they really are, as such, but rather who do you look like you could be? Could you be coquettish, a tease, who hides the word dick in the word Peacock like Katy Perry? Or perhaps you could fit into the mold of fetishised exotic beauty who comes to America and hustles until Jay-Z takes her under his wing like Rihanna? These women aren’t being judged by wider society on their merit, or their talent - of which both of these examples have in spades.

They are judged on the money that they can bring in, through the appeal of the stereotype that they are required to act out in public. Both of those examples - among many, many others, including Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, Adele, Selena Gomez - have also been judged on the talent of the men in their life. Their art and their lives are interpreted by the media to be relevant on the terms of the men they have dated, married, looked at once, and especially the men who brought them to the table.

As if to say: if Jay-Z never took a chance on you, Rihanna, then who would?

Billie Eilish doesn’t have a man in her life, other than her brother. She’s 17, but with no Emma Watson countdown clock, thank god (remember when The Sun in the UK marked the day that she was legal?!). We’ve seen her younger contemporaries, other women attempting a career in the smoky haze of soundcloud and uploadrap, start to drop off. When you google Noah Cyrus, a similarly sullen teen with a knack for sad rhymes, you are given a million different timelines of her relationship with Lil Xan, rather than any

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“The product was an unnervingly haunting ballad, that sounds like something that the sirens would sing to lure a sailor to their death” declarations of her being “the most talked about teen on the planet,” which is Eilish’s interview bread-and-butter now. And to make that clear - that has nothing to do with Cyrus, and everything to do with a society that has to fit women into a solar system where they orbit the men in their life.

Does that answer the question about why Billie Eilish is such a force in music right now? Because she is a solo act, dresses unisex, and is singing about something different to falling into or out of love? Because she is single? Because she sets up endorsements with companies such as ICEBOX, which is a ‘Men’s Fine Jewelry’ store, where many male rappers purchase their diamond studded Cuban chains? Billie’s performance of gender blurs the lines of the typical binary, so much so that the music is what you notice first, her appearance, second. Is it possible to have music without linking it to sexuality? She didn’t choose between femininity or masculinity. She simply stayed there, happily exploring the broad spectrums of gender.

She is completely whoever she is onstage as when

she is alone. That is the strength - making it all about the music.

The idea of a female-identifying artist being her complete, true self, in front of an audience, and dressing how she wants, singing about spooky stuff and not brushing her hair or waxing her ‘Cara Delevingne I don’t give a fuck what you think eyebrows’ is nearly foreign to us. Billie Eilish is truly taking the advice of every self-help manual out there, and she knows the key to success is to be herself. Unapologetically, brashly, frighteningly herself. Not “herself” as instructed by her label, and not “herself” as dictated by the hungry consumers who buy her albums. She walks a lonely road, littered with stars who fell when the veneer slipped and people decided that they didn’t want to look at what was really behind it - the unlovable vulnerability of a human being.

Is the fall of the pop star the fault of the artist herself? No, not at all. Every artist approaches their form with a sacred dedication to the craft, but that becomes murky when money and contracts and hits and views become involved. They morph to suit the demands of the consumer - be better looking! Be funnier! Go on Jimmy Fallon and laugh and play fun games that we can watch on YouTube! And that twists and turns until the voice gets smaller, and the crowd gets smaller, as they move toward whatever is new and shiny. Am I blaming female artists for transforming themselves when they become famous, like glittering butterflies who then will die after one day in the sun? No - I am referring to a morally bankrupt society who want sex and drugs and rock and roll, and can’t stand the sight of a caterpillar behind a microphone. The end result and the end goal are not always the same, and right now, Billie Eilish is a caterpillar that is not being forced to become a butterfly. In fact, she’s quite happy to deny us all of that expected transformation, and simply become a moth, beautiful in its own dark and unexpected ways. ■

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FEATURE

Lonely For The Truth

on . z i r o Ho , am e Th cord e M re g in new r B p of har sh s Fi zorn da d ra r Jo an o t ric s lk he ta osp ay tm r G e eir a i d or t th e G ou ab

F

or the better part of a decade Bring Me The Horizon were the hallmark for metalcore.

The Sheffield five-piece were a beacon of bleeding heart Myspace honesty and unadulterated teen angst.

Amidst a culture of dime-a-dozen Drop B riff-masters, the band always managed to stir controversy and ignite fervent passion. Whether it was dabbling in the chilling world of deathcore or making ground-breaking steps into atmospheric choruses, each record proved to be more experimental and boundary-pushing than the last. amo, Bring Me The Horizon’s sixth effort is their most ambitious, subversive and triumphant release to date. It is tenacious with experimentation and emotionally wrought. The world that they have created within amo is expansive, vulnerable and razor-sharp. It is their most realised release to date.

To celebrate the release of amo, I sat down with Jordan Fish to discuss the new record, collaborating with Grimes and the naffness of modern rock music.

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amo is by far your most eclectic and farreaching album to date. How did this stylistic heel-turn come about? Did it feel like a natural progression from That’s The Spirit?

We had quite a lot of time off after the last album so we re-grouped and started writing without really considering too much what we’d done before. That’s The Spirit for us was our mainstream breakthrough album. It was a rock album. I suppose we really didn’t feel like we needed to make another album with ten bigrock songs. Maybe that shaped the approach slightly. I guess also we’re more confident and didn’t feel like we needed to prove as much, because the last album did quite well and was successful for us in our own way. That allowed us to feel a little bit freer to experiment and filter in more of the things that we’re influenced by.

“I can’t imagine that we’ll ever settle on a sound”

‘MANTRA’ and ‘Wonderful Life’ are probably the two heaviest tracks on amo. Why did you decide to release those first?

‘MANTRA’ was always going to be the first song we released just because it just felt like it was a ‘first song’ track. It had that exciting intro. It had a good balance of all the elements of the band. I think it was rocky and guitary enough to not freak people out. We still have a lot of fans that just want to hear riffs and screaming. So, that one was kind of selfexplanatory. ‘Wonderful Life’ wasn’t meant to be a single. We were going to give it away as a free download and then we did this lyric video for it and it kind of looks like a video because it’s got stuff happening in it. Our label was like, ‘We really like this song, just wait and see how it goes’. In a sense, it’s kind of an accidental single. It wasn’t meant to be a single.’

So, the album boasts a spectacular roster of collaborators. I think the most interesting one was Grimes. What was it like working with her and how did that collaboration come about?

We’ve never actually met her, she just did it in her studio. She just sent us a bunch of stuff and was like ‘here you go’. In terms of working with her, I’m obviously really stoked, but I’ve never even met her so it’s kind of weird, but I think that’s the way a lot of these collaborations happen nowadays anyway.

So we had the song and we wanted a guest on the second verse because it felt like it would

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FEATURE

“It’s not really a sound that I can put my finger on exactly.

Your guess is as good as mine!”

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BRAG :: 745 :: 06:03:19 :: 17

FEATURE be suitable and she was actually our number one target. We had a list of about eight people and were like, ‘these are all the people we think would be cool on the track’ and ‘Grimes is our ideal person but she’s not going to do it.’ We knew someone who knew her manager and he got in touch. We were in LA halfway through the recording process and we got a phone call that Grimes loved the track and she wanted to do it. It was like, ‘woah’!

We were so stoked! For us, stuff like that just doesn’t normally happen. I guess because we’re a rock-metal band she’s not the kind of guest that would normally want to work with us. At least we feel like that. But yeah, she came back and she loved the song. She was really good to work with in terms of she basically sent back loads of stuff and was really collaborative. She’s a really good producer as well so we were so open to get her on it and it just made it feel even cooler for us.

In an older interview with The Guardian you guys said you’d never be the band that sells out arenas. How does it feel knowing you’re about to embark on a headline arena tour on the other side of the world?

Are we going to sell it out though, that’s the question. Probably not! We might have to get some curtains up around the seats. But it’s cool.

It’s really cool. I think it’s a good thing. I think definitely the last album made us a lot bigger in a lot of places. Our audience is really different now. We just did a UK and Europe tour and we had this photographer out with us. He came back after every show and was like, ‘your audience is crazy, it’s so random. It’s young girls, older people, couples, metal guys’. Because the band is so varied we’ve got the most random crowd. I like that. The fact that we appeal to a broad catalogue now. We can put on a show and it’s going to appeal to everyone. Maybe some people will come for ‘Follow You’ and ‘Drown’, and some people will

come for ‘Antivist’ and one of the older ones. It’s cool that everyone will go to the same show and appreciate the whole show even though it’s not all necessarily what they would naturally like.

I think that’s a really cool thing to have such a varied catalogue. I think that’s the reason why we can go to places and play at bigger venues because we’ve still got some fans that have been with the band since the beginning. There are fans that came on board with Sempiternal and there are fans that have just heard us. We see people in the front rows that only sing ‘MANTRA’, which I find really weird. I think it’s a good thing that people still like us, we still feel like we’re growing, which is quite good for a band obviously.

From what I’ve seen, fans of the scene and metal have been really accepting and excited about the band’s sonic development.

Considering you now lend elements from hip hop, pop and electronic music, have you seen fans of that realm gravitate towards your music?

I guess so. I think nowadays, music fans, especially younger music fans; they don’t tend to stick to a genre as much as people did when I was a teenager. When I was sixteen or fifteen, I was a rock person and that was my thing. I didn’t listen to hip hop at all. I didn’t listen to pop music; it was disgusting to me basically. I think nowadays because of the nature of how music is consumed, it’s not quite so genre-based. It’s all streaming so it’s so much easier for people to listen to different types of music and discover different types of music. Also because of playlisting. Playlisting on Spotify can open people’s eyes and ears up to different types of music.

For example, if we release ‘MANTRA’ and it gets on to the main pop playlist then we’ll be in there amongst Post Malone and Cardi B. They’re kind of like the charts nowadays. I think we’re finding

“It’s a good thing that people still like us, we still feel like we’re growing” a lot more of our fans are people that are fans of us and the 1975 and even actual pop music. It’s a bigger mixture. I think it’s good and I think that’s one of the things that people in rock bands need to be more open to. Not just sticking to their lane but trying to push rock music forward. Not being afraid to experiment and try and incorporate other genres and styles and make it feel fresh. To me, rock music does feel a bit retro in its approach sometimes, especially heavy rock music. It’s so afraid to take any risks.

That’s so interesting. So, I read that recent interview that you did where you said that rock music had turned to shite, which in many ways I agree with.

I didn’t really mean that to come out quite so strong! I mean, rock music, I just feel like it’s a bit of a pastiche sometimes. You know when you see someone and they’re in a rock band. When we’re at a festival and I see someone in a rock band backstage and they’re wearing loads of rings and jewellery and the leather jacket, I’m just like, ‘man, you look so old-school to me’. It looks like a time capsule. That’s what I feel about music as well sometimes. I still hear things and think, ‘people were doing this 20 years ago’. It’s never gone away so it’s not a retro thing. It’s a rock cliché. Some of these bands I guess they’ve been so scared to push themselves outside of that bracket and it just got stuck in time. That’s just something that we don’t relate to.

Bring Me The Horizon are the band that have transcended the boundaries of metalcore perhaps more than any other act. Where do you see yourself heading in the future?

I don’t really know. I think for us, it’s less about being a big band at this stage in our career. We’re more relaxed about it than we used to be. We try not to worry about it too much and just make music that we’re proud of and that we like. We enjoy trying to bend genres and fuse different genres so much that I feel like that’s something that we’re always going to want to do. I can’t imagine that we’ll ever settle on a sound and that will be our sound forever. At the same time, I don’t really know what our sound is. The new album is such a weird amalgamation of influences. It’s not really a sound that I can put my finger on exactly. Your guess is as good as mine! ■ What: amo is out now through Sony Where: Qudos Bank Arena When: Friday April 12

“To me, rock music does fee l a bit retro in its approach sometimes, espec ially heav y rock music.

It’s so afraid to take any risk s” 18 :: BRAG :: 745 :: 06:03:19

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FEATURE

Peaches & Dreams How are we gonna do this next record

“Oh, shit.

20 :: BRAG :: 745 :: 06:03:19

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FEATURE

Georgia Nott of Broods tells Patrick Campbell about how the NZ duo remained resilient after a record label drop, and learnt how to never, not ever, feed the dreaded Pop Monster.

A

fter releasing their outstanding sophomore record Conscious in 2016, New Zealand-born brothersister duo Broods found themselves dropped by their label. Whilst that situation could seem terrifying to many, the duo took their newfound independence to create a new album that wasn’t subject to any label opinions and sounded exactly how they wanted it to.

without a label?”

Ahead of the release of their new album Don’t Feed The Pop Monster, Georgia Nott spoke to me about the duo’s time in limbo, the process of creating an album as independent artists, and their new live show.

Before the recording of this album you ended up splitting with your previous label. Talk me through that and what happened after.

Georgia: I mean, it’s been a pretty hectic couple of years with all that stuff going on. We were writing the new record and we knew that we were gonna get dropped but we were just like, ‘Okay. Just do it so we can move on. Just break up with us already.’

But when it happened we were like, ‘Yes, okay, cool. We can make the kind of music that we want. We can choose where we go now.’ That was exciting but then there’s also that side of it like, ‘Oh, shit. How are we gonna do this next record without a label?’ For a while there we were like, ‘Holy fuck. I don’t know if we’re gonna be able to put this out.’

It’s kind of crazy how everything can be so up in the air for so long and then within a couple of months everything falls into place. We signed with Neon Gold, but we wrote pretty much the entire album while we were independent.

We A&R’d the whole album ourselves and just showed it to Neon Gold. They were like, ‘Awesome. Love it. Let’s work together.’

Broods photo by Dana Trippe

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It was kind of this perfect situation although at times it was stressful. It really made us realise that we have to be sure of ourselves and when we have no other opinions and ideas apart from our own it’s a really good thing to help us grow, assert ourselves and back our own vision creatively. I think that was definitely a lesson that we needed to learn. It was a slightly tricky way to learn it but I think that’s always the way it goes.

Now that you’re signed with Neon Gold what is the main difference you’ve found so far as an artist signed to a smaller, independent label as opposed to a major label?

Georgia: I think we’ve always seen ourselves as more of an alternative band

than a mainstream pop band. And now we’ve completely slipped back into that world rather than trying to force ourselves into this situation where we’ve never really felt super comfortable being called “mainstream pop”. We just wanted to make music that we liked and that we could sing on stage with conviction. Now I feel like this record is so much more us and so much more the kind of music that we actually listen to. We listened to our album and we actually enjoy listening to it even though we’ve heard the songs so many times. It’s gonna be such a fun one to play live because of that reason as well.

Because of that do you look back on your first two records and think, ‘Oh, I wish we hadn’t done that,’ or, ‘I wish we could have done something different’?

Georgia: No. There’s not really any point regretting anything that we’ve done because every experience we’ve had in this industry has taught us to be what we are now. We’re super happy with who we are as a band and as a brand and the kind of music that we’re making.

The way that we’re thinking as ourselves feels very authentic now. It takes a while to get there and it takes trial and error. I think those songs and the last two albums are still so important to us and a huge part of who we were at that time.

I think the beauty of making art is that who you are at that time is suspended and I think that’s special. I don’t think that there’s any point in thinking back negatively. I’m still super proud of those albums but I think this is definitely the one that we feel is most authentic.

You collaborated with a lot of different people on the new album. What was it like to branch out with these new collaborators?

Georgia: I think the traveling was the best part.

When we were writing in Nicaragua there was just nothing to think about apart from writing. You’re away from home, you don’t have to think about what you’re gonna eat, how you’re gonna wash your clothes. You’re just in this little fortress of bliss.

You’re just writing with a bunch of other dope people that are on the same page as you and love the same things as you. They’re making music for the same reasons as you and you’re constantly inspired.

It’s hard to explain but it just felt like everything apart from writing music was irrelevant. It was cool to work with so many different people and I think it really showed us how much we as a duo contribute to our sound. We collaborate with producers but our sound comes from us.

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FEATURE Talking about your sound, the tracks on Don’t Feed The Pop Monster span a wide variety of genres, did you intend on that?

Georgia: I think what we noticed is that we like writing lots of different kinds of music. It’s been a three year process making this album so there’s a lot of different emotions. There’s a lot of different points that we’ve written about, different things that we’ve gone through.

It’s cool because I think there is the story we’re telling about our whole weird couple of years of moving to LA and becoming independent from a label. And then writing a whole record on our own. It was a lot of growing pains that we went through. That’s what makes the whole album cohesive. There’s a lot of different shit going on, but that’s kind of how we are.

It’s definitely a reflection of us.

Before this album you also worked on a side project (The Venus Project), which was entirely produced, managed, and A&R’d by women. After that did you feel a greater confidence in yourself as a writer and producer when making this album?

Georgia: It definitely taught me that I am more capable than what I’ve let people believe in the past.

At the same time Caleb and I both going and doing a bit of solo stuff really made us appreciate how easy it is when we write together.

Because we’ve been doing it for so long and we’ve gotten so in tune with one another in the studio it did make us miss writing with each other. We really appreciated being able to come back and write this album together. You’re more grateful when you know what it’s like to be in a different situation.

I think we both came out of doing those side projects a lot more confident in our own abilities.

Caleb as a producer and me as a general human being. I think we both wanna keep going on, working on the side project stuff because as you know we like to write a lot of different types of music. Gotta have those multiple creative outlets to stay sane.

I wanted to talk about the track ‘Too Proud’.

It’s Caleb’s first time singing lead vocals on a Broods song. How did that come about?

Georgia: It just kind of happened. We were in Nicaragua and we were all feeling very inspired.

We were playing around with this track and then Caleb put down a certain melody and we were just like, “Maybe you should sing it.” Because it’s quite a personal song to him, what we were singing about was his own experiences so it felt like the right time to throw Caleb in the deep end.

I think we’re both gonna be changing it up a bit on tour. I’m gonna be playing more instruments live,

which is terrifying for me. And Caleb’s gonna be singing, which is terrifying for him.

The last time I saw you live was your insanely amazing Enmore Theatre show about, three years ago now, are you excited to get back into touring?

Georgia: Yes! I feel like the thing that we’re most ready for is to build this new show and play all these songs that we’ve been sitting on for two years, live.

We’re working on that now and it’s quite intimidating because it’s a lot of work.

We’d been thinking about how we’re gonna play the new album live the whole time we were writing it.

We’ve already got a lot of ideas and you learn a lot more about what you can achieve in a live sense.

One of our good mates is helping us with the actual visuals and the lighting production for the set.

I’m so pumped to actually get on the road again, it’s the most routine I ever get in my life. That’s my idea of stability, being on the road. ■

What: Don’t Feed The Pop Monster is out now When: Tuesday, 28th May Where: Enmore Theatre, Sydney

“The beauty of making art is that who you are at that time is suspended and I think that’s special”

Broods photo by Dana Trippe

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The Chance to Surrender Set Mo tells Lars Brandle about five hour stamina marathons and the power of collaboration.

L

ife’s a marathon, not a sprint.

For Set Mo, they’ve made marathons their life.

The Sydney electronic duo, known to friends and family as Nick Drabble and Stu Turner, have amassed a sweaty following with their epic, “stamina sessions,” a kind of electronic odyssey– meets-workout, played out on a dancefloor.

These days, the pros can run a marathon in a tick over two hours. That’s a stroll in the park for this production and DJ duo, whose “sessions” run at a minimum four hours. Drabble and Turner have been working the wheels of steel independently for about 10 years, the last six as a team.

“We just want to get out there,” says Nick.

“To bang out a 60-90 minute set at a festival or club is a lot of fun and it’s often high energy, but to play for four or five hours you really get to decide the direction you want to go. You get to take people on a journey, which is what we love doing.”

There’s something old-school, even nostalgic about an all-night set. DJs such as Danny Tenaglia and Carl Cox now have reputations that are carved in granite thanks to their endurance tests. Inspired by a week-long mission at Ibiza’s legendary closing parties, Set Mo wanted to try those long-shifts with party animals back home.

And they play to an advantage: Drabble and Turner can bounce off one other.

“Oh, yeah, 100 percent,” says Stu, ahead of their latest tour announcement. “Every set would be completely different. We had no idea where we’d end up, where we’d go.”

And the journey continues with Surrender, Set Mo’s debut album which arrived Feb. 1 via Set Mo Records. The LP, with elements of electronica, deep house and breakbeat and a spoken-word contribution from Brian Eno on the opening title track, caps off an atypical release campaign.

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The pair ditched the old ‘single-singlealbum’ strategy and, instead, leaked a track each month through 2018. When you’re the masters of your own label, operating in a digital world, why not. “Not many people are doing that, yet,” says Stu. “We like doing something a little different.”

Recorded in studios in London, Amsterdam, Berlin and Australia, Surrender also features five previously unheard efforts, the result of a fruitful writing escape in Europe which yielded 30 solid tracks.

It’s a nod to the power of collaboration, with creative input from the likes of Touch Sensitive, Happiness is Wealth, AJ Wright from Cloud Control, Asta, and Julian Hamilton of The Presets.

Set Mo are eyeing another few rounds of tours in the northern hemisphere in support of the new album. They’ll debut their live Surrender show with a national lap this May, tickets for which went on sale early February.

It’s a good time for Australians making electronic dance music. Alison Wonderland is the top female DJ in the world right about now. And Flume, with a new album expected this year, is among the biggest names in the game. Set Mo are keen to fly the flag.

“There are so many Aussies killing it on the world stage,” enthuses Nick.

“The Rufus guys, Hayden James, Flight Facilities. And we’re lucky enough to call a lot of these people friends. It’s insane seeing mates absolutely smashing it around the world. Fingers crossed we’ll be joining them in a few years’ time on that international stage.”

Where: Oxford Art Factory When: Thursday May 30 And: Surrender is out now

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“To play for four or five hours you really get to decide the direction you want to go.

You get to take people on a journey, which is what we love doing”

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FEATURE

Pop Goes The Future Michael Di Iorio talks to Kim Petras about headlining Sydney’s Mardi Gras performance and the importance of fashion in music.

“I can’t wait to share my new era of music with everyone”

I

t was only two years ago that we witnessed up-and-coming pop sensation Kim Petras praying before a shrine to Paris Hilton in her video for ‘I Don’t Want It At All’.

In that moment the world knew that pop music as a whole had a fighting chance, and could be pulled up from its deathbed in nothing less than extravagant splendour.

Since then, Petras has opened for the likes of Troye Sivan on The Bloom Tour, and teamed up with Charli XCX on her acclaimed mixtape Pop 2 to create the shimmering party-starter ‘Unlock It’, (not to mention she has also been featured multiple times on Charli’s ‘The Motherfucking Future’ playlists on Spotify.)

On top of this, she has also released a slew of vibrant and futuristic bubblegum bops in the form of one-off singles, and in 2018 dropped a halloween EP titled Turn Off The Light, which featured the likes of Elvira, Mistress of the Dark.

Kim has been perfecting the art of teasing fans who await her debut album for months now. Just this February, she released a fresh trio of glossy and emotional singles to complete her ‘Era 1’, one of which, ‘1,2,3 dayz up’ featured grammy-nominated electronic producer SOPHIE. With ‘Era 1’ complete, and as no stranger to high-profile collaborators, she now has her eyes set on finally releasing that first album, which will no doubt cement her place as “the future of pop”, a title which has followed Petras’ career since it took off in 2017.

Her career has been on a constant up-and-up, and now she prepares to headline Sydney’s Mardi Gras performance alongside electronic dance music trio PNAU. What excites you most about headlining Sydney’s Mardi Gras performance?

Kim Petras: Well, I’m excited to meet all of my Australian fans. I’m super stoked because there’s gonna be a huge stage and huge production.

There will be big screens and big crowds, so it’s gonna be amazing.

I’m really just excited to have my first ever show in Australia - and to be headlining it! Mardi Gras is such an amazing thing. My hairstylist is Australian and I’m so excited he’s coming with me. He keeps talking about how amazing Mardi Gras is so I can’t wait to experience it for myself.

How does it feel to have amassed such a cult following before the release of your debut album?

Kim Petras: Amazing! I’m really, really thankful and I feel like I’ve just found people that get me, which is the coolest thing. I really feel like they’ll roll with me forever and I feel like they’re my friends. I have a bunch of their numbers, I follow them on Twitter, I go through their DMs, and I feel like we’re doing something together which is really cool because for years and years and years it was just me. I was by myself writing in the studio and my friends would know my music but no one else would and now it’s just like this whole music family, so it’s really incredible.

Now that your halloween EP Turn Off The Light, Vol. 1 (2018) has been released, what’s next musically?

Kim Petras: I don’t want to give too much away, but I’ve been in the recording studio a lot and there’s lots of new stuff coming that I’m really excited about! I can’t wait to share my new era of music with everyone.

Being such a prolific LGBT icon, what would you say to other LGBT individuals looking to pursue music as you have?

Kim Petras: For me, it’s all about the music. If your music is great, it shouldn’t matter what your sexuality is or what your gender identity is.

It can be hard, but I feel like music breaks barriers and if you work on yourself and work on becoming really, really good then you’ll make it.

If you weren’t a musician, what would you be now?

Kim Petras: I think the one thing I’m really good at is writing songs, so I’d probably be a songwriter. I always wanted to be a shoe designer as a kid, though – so I’d probably just design heels if I couldn’t do music.

How important is fashion to you in informing an image for an artist?

Kim Petras: It’s very important to me. I think it’s important in storytelling, in music videos, and in performances. Outfits express your point of view and show people where you’re coming from. It gives people a sense of the kind of person you are. So, I love trying out different things and dressing it up or dressing it down. I’ve just always been obsessed with fashion. I’m just happy I get to wear sick shit and make my own style choices. It’s really fun.

And what are you listening to at the moment?

Kim Petras: Post Malone, Travis Scott, Kacey Musgraves – especially since the Grammys because I think she’s amazing and I cried at her performance - and also 808s and Heartbreak by Kanye West.

How many woo-ahs should we expect on the upcoming album?

Kim Petras: I don’t know yet, definitely some, I don’t want to spoil it!

Where: Moore Park When: Saturday March 2 And: ‘1,2,3 dayz off’, ‘Homework’ and ‘If U Think About Me…’ are out now

“I’ve just always been obsessed with fashion.

I’m just happy I get to wear sick shit and make my own style choices. It’s really fun” 26 :: BRAG :: 745 :: 06:03:19

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“If your music is great, it shouldn’t matter what your sexuality is or what your gender identity is”

Kim Petras photo by Thom Kerr

“I’d probably just design heels if I couldn’t do music”

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FEATURE

It’s No Wonder There’s Thunder “A

It may be 30 years on since the heyday of the iconic Flying Nun sound, but some still assume that if a band comes from Dunedin, then they will inevitably owe a stylistic debt to Kiwi indie pioneers such as The Chills and The Clean.

The young four-piece – who were in Australia this February for a series of dates in Sydney, Melbourne and Wollongong – are certainly fans of the early Flying Nun sound, but don’t see much of a connection with their own music. Singer/ guitarist Oscar Mein says the music of that era has not influenced his own writing, although he acknowledges that some of the artists he loves

have been influenced by the original Flying Nun acts.

“I met Kevin Morby recently and it was funny, he was saying back in the day they just wanted to sound like The Clean,” he recalls. “As a contemporary artist, he is someone I have probably listened much too much to – there was a time when I just wanted to sound like Kevin Morby! So I guess there’s kind of a weird circular thing going on there.”

So what do Soaked Oats sound like then? The band describe their sound as “sludge pop”, a hazy blend of blissful melodies and scruffy hooks that have been captured so far on two EPs, Stone Fruit Melodies and No Slip Ups. “I guess there is a real breadth of influences and we are still kind of figuring out our sound, but sludge-pop is the best description so far,” he said.

Soaked 0ats photo by Jake Mein

John Ferguson talks with NZ’s latest sludge-pop exports Soaked Oats about touring, spangly ponchos and entering the ‘Driftworld’.

s soon as you say you’re from Dunedin, they say ‘Oh yeah, the ‘Dunedin Sound’,” admits Soaked Oats guitarist Henry Francis

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FEATURE

“At the end of the day we do write simple pop structured songs that deal with subject matter that you wouldn’t normally get in the pop world. It’s all a bit dirtier.”

Formed at the tail-end of 2016, Soaked Oats came about when Mein – who had only started playing guitar in his last year of university – hooked up with old school friends Connor Feehly (drums) and Max Holmes (bass), who were flatting at the time with Francis in Dunedin. The aim was to record the first batch of songs he had written but they gelled immediately and Soak Oats was duly born.

Extensive touring in NZ over the past year has seen them develop into a formidable live unit, and those skills have been further honed in a 20-date tour of the US before Christmas, which saw them clock up more than 10,000 miles in a 1980s RV dubbed the ‘Driftworld’ – “It became known as the ‘Driftworld’ because everyone who entered it became caught up

on the drifting nature of the band,” laughs Mein. “A lot of things got lost in the Driftworld…”

had songs and went and recorded them without any idea whether it was going to be for an album or an EP.”

Their current tour – which will be followed in May with a slot at the prestigious UK festival The Great Escape – coincides with the release of their new single ‘Shuggah Doom’, which offers the first taste of what will be their third EP. Their first two EPs came out in 2017, but for this one the band have been happy to take their time with it.

Soaked Oats are now looking forward to sharing the new material – along with old favourites – with Australian audiences.

“We’ve been playing constantly as much as we can pretty much since we started,” says Francis. “That’s been really good for our playing together, but it possibly hasn’t given us quite enough space to spend that time to write and record, which is the nice thing about new recordings.”

Adds Feehly: “We started without any sort of definite plan of how we wanted to release the songs too. We just

“We did four shows in Melbourne last year and that was really cool,” says Mein. “It was kind of a similar experience to America and the crowd was really attentive to us. It’s pretty exciting watching people’s reaction to recorded material they’ve never heard – reaction to first listens gives you some sort of validation.”

One of the features of their NZ shows last year was the band’s spangly ponchos, but given the hot weather, they weren’t worn here in Australia (“They didn’t get washed for the first six months, so there was a pretty good smell going on,” recalls Holmes. “We had to wash them in the bathtub with a broom!”).

“At the end of the day we do write simple pop structured songs that deal with subject matter that you wouldn’t normally get in the pop world. It’s all a bit dirtier” “It’s pretty exciting watching people’s reaction to recorded material they’ve never heard – reaction to first listens gives you some sort of validation” “It’s all a bit dirtier” thebrag.com

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FEATURE

Allison Gallagher and Deafheaven frontman George Clarke ruminate on the frenzy of the past and the calm

Deep In The Afterglow

D

eafheaven have always been a difficult band to categorise. They seamlessly combine the ferocity of black metal with the ambient and melodic textures of shoegaze and post-metal, and while they may not be the first to blend these genres, they’re arguably the most well known.

The release of second studio album Sunbather in 2013 was the band’s first major moment in the sun, garnering widespread critical and commercial acclaim.

It also proved divisive – as lauded by the fans and critics for pushing the boundaries as it was decried by metal purists unable to accept a band as diverse as Deafheaven, who managed to achieve mainstream success with a type of music that prides itself on obscurity.

Half a decade later and, on their most recent album Ordinary Corrupt Human Love, the band feel more confident and self-assured than ever before. Where previous work was the product of tension and frantic energy, Ordinary takes its time while maintaining the band’s signature intensity.

With an Australian tour that went down in February, including a slot on this year’s Farmer & The Owl festival, we spoke to the band’s frontman George Clarke.

The album came out in July, I’m curious what it’s been like experiencing it in the live context?

You’ve worked with Jack Shirley for every album including Ordinary, I’m curious about what the relationship is like there that makes it work?

George Clarke: Jack is a guy we’ve known a long time. Jack kind of took a chance on us, was willing to work with us when we had no money and were in pretty bad shape.

He’s extremely laid back and helpful. It’s always just a really nice experience recording with him, and it always makes sense, so we just keep going back.

than it is. Whereas, with this record, I think that we were just feeling really good about what we were making.

The album has a real confidence and belief in itself, it sounds very freeing. Did it feel that way for you?

I’m curious how that carried over into when you were writing lyrics and the things you chose to write about?

We got his vote of confidence really early on and from there our relationship has just grown not only professionally but personally as well. He’s a good friend and he understands the band and what we’re trying to do and who we are.

George Clarke: Absolutely, you hit the nail on the head. That’s very much how we were feeling.

Especially in comparison to New Bermuda, which was very urgent and aggressive, I think in those moments of frenzy it comes off a little more confident

George Clarke: The lyrics tend to do what we do a lot, which is kind of write both sides. I think there’s still a lot of drama and sadness on this record, certainly, but it was nice that it didn’t have wholly to do with me. I wrote a lot about things that I saw, or experiences of other

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Deafhaven photo by Nicholas Sayers

George Clarke: I’ve really enjoyed it. The whole band has. I think that these songs really come alive in a live setting. The way they were written was a bit more organic so I think they process that way in a live situation. They’ve made playing really fun, and I think they work really well with the rest of the setlist.

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of the present, and how they come together on the bands new record, Ordinary Corrupt Human Love.

“I think in those moments of frenzy it comes off a little more confident than it is”

people, and so in that way Ordinary is different. It was a lyrical departure which was very welcomed, honestly.

When Sunbather came out I feel like there was this nagging criticism where people perceived it to be insincere, when to me there’s always been a level of honesty and vulnerability with what you do.

George Clarke: That’s the intention. Kerry and I have always said one of the main objectives and one thing we’d never stop doing is being very honest, and being vulnerable. The music and content is intended to be as honest as possible and it wouldn’t feel worth it to me if that wasn’t the case.

It’s funny that you mention Sunbather, we always kind of said the same thing. It was like we were just being punished for keeping it real.

You’ve talked in the past about the period after Sunbather came out, and not having time in between Sunbather and New Bermuda and it maybe being a kind of intense and difficult period. I’m curious if there’s been a shift that’s made it a more sustainable thing?

George Clarke: For one, we took our time.

Following Sunbather we were really scared. No one expected this record to do as well as it did, and we signed with a new label, and it felt like a lot of our eyes were on us, and we just wanted to put something out as quickly as possible.

“One of the main objectives and one thing we’d never stop doing is being very honest, and being vulnerable” thebrag.com

We probably hadn’t given our creative brains enough time to really rejuvenate, and this time we did. We got more focused, we kind of came to a crossroads – if we want to continue doing this, and it is becoming a career at this point, we need to take it more seriously.

We slowed down, and stopped going out as much.

Stopped getting into the other side of things as much, the partying. We took a breath, and all those little things made the writing and recording a lot more enjoyable and just more doable. We had been taking the hardest road to get to where we wanted for no reason, and we decided to stop doing that. ■ What: Ordinary Corrupt Human Love is out now

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FEATURE

Something That’ll Last

Lars Brandle looks at the upward trajectory of Dean Lewis’ career, and how the Australian grown singer-songwriter still has so much more to conquer.

S

uccess comes and goes in waves, but for Dean Lewis, it’s been more like a tsunami.

With a breakthrough single came a bunch of hits, awards, and now, a lot of love pouring in from abroad. Lewis has emerged with “next big thing” status, and with his debut full-length album ready to drop, he’s having the ride of his life.

It’s only March but Dean Lewis’ year is already at fulltilt. Another national solo trek behind him, Lewis is juggling media duties, showcases, long-haul flights and international tours. And he wouldn’t have it any other way.

Everything is moving towards a goal, for his debut album A Place We Knew, to reach as many potential fans as possible when it drops on March 22. After all, this is shaping-up to be his year.

The Sydney singer and songwriter is already at (or at least very near) “star” status, at least in his homeland. Hits can do that for a career, and Lewis has racked them out in quick succession. ‘Waves’ crashed through first, then ‘Be Alright,’ and now ‘7 Minutes’.

Lewis, like countless artists before him, plodded away for years writing songs, never quite knowing his place in the

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music world. Not sure whether he was actually any good.

Four years ago, Lewis stepped up at an open-mic night.

His performance gave him confidence that he belonged, though he wasn’t sure where. “When I first started, I was writing songs for other artists,” he told me, just ahead of his latest U.S. tour. “I didn’t love it that much. You’d write a great song with someone and their mother didn’t like it and it didn’t get released. I was doing it for three months and quickly decided, ‘Nah, this is definitely not right for me’. I want to be the guy in control and doing it all.”

Lewis also knows the sting of rejection, and the old familiar tune of being in the right place at the right time.

After sending his tunes to about 30 industry professions and getting no bites, Lewis saw his chance when the music industry gathered for a boat party on Sydney Harbour. At his request, a buddy presented his demo to Leonie Conley, former manager of Savage Garden. “It was a lot of luck and I needed my mates,” he recounts. “And then all the doors quickly started opening as the team built around me.”

If a career in music is a journey of swings and roundabouts, it was fitting that Lewis returned to where it started, and this time as the guy in control. On February 6, Lewis and his fellow labelmates Eliott, Winterbourne,

“I wasted a lot of opportunities in the past and I’ve sort of focused on grabbing this opportunity” thebrag.com

FEATURE

“You’ve got to keep your head on what’s the next thing you’ve got to do” Vera Blue, and Briggs showcased their works for the Australia industry and media on a boat party hosted by Island Records. In a glorious twist of fate, Lewis headlined on the same spot were his mate passed on that demo years earlier, the place he got his break. His career has been smooth sailing ever since.

Songs can be deceiving. Lewis tends to write from a place of heartbreak. It’s there in the melancholy ‘Waves,’ and it’s written all over the vulnerable ‘Be Alright,’ (his first No. 1 which took seven weeks to climb from No. 19 to the summit of the ARIA Singles Chart and finished 2018 as the No. 4 best-seller, according to the ARIA charts compiler). Its follow-up ‘7 Minutes’ also pulls at the heartstrings. Don’t be fooled though, Lewis is anything but a miserable git.

He loves gaming, particularly first-person shooters.

He counts Noel Gallagher and Bruce Springsteen among his heroes. He doesn’t care much for sport, there just isn’t time.

“I’m a pretty happy-go-lucky guy. People aren’t weirded out but they’re often surprised to learn it”, he admits.

Lewis isn’t just taking it all in his stride. “I’m super ambitious,” he confesses. “I write down my goals.

I didn’t used to. I wasted a lot of opportunities in the past and I’ve sort of focused on grabbing this opportunity.”

Studying the numbers is a job for his team, which these days spans the globe. The singer-songwriter signed his first music publishing deal in 2015 and recalls the enthusiastic immediate response from Mike Taylor, Island Records Australia’s jointmanaging director and, today, Lewis’s A&R guy.

“He walked into the room and on the spot said he was going to sign me. I’d been turned down by a lot of record labels previously, so it was really special,” he recounts. Taylor first heard a demo of Lewis’ songs while he was driving in Sydney traffic.

He knew straight away the kid was the ‘real deal.’

“I remember pulling the car over and replaying ‘Be Alright’ five times in a row,” he says. “It was just so good.”

There’s been many special moments for Lewis.

There was the time in February 2017 when ‘Waves’ was synced to Riverdale. And the time he and his manager packed up and went to New York to showcase for power-player David Massey, then president/CEO at Island Records (he’s since taken the reins at Arista Records). “That was so surreal, when we got the call that they were going to pick me up in America. I’ve had lots of those moments, man.

Every week there’s something new and amazing happening.”

“I want to be the guy in control and doing it all”

Lewis stockpiled songs for his LP, which includes the 5x Platinum ‘Waves,’ ‘Be Alright,’ ‘7 Minutes’ and nine others. It’s shaped from personal experiences, busted relationships, and “little bits and pieces that have happened over the years, things that have happened to friends and family,” he explains. On it, Lewis finds a touch of Ray Lamontagne, and of course, some Springsteen inspiration. “I’m so proud of it. I’ve got to a place where I can play any track to my friends and family and not say, “Hey, it’s not finished.” He’s particularly fond of the opening tracks ‘Hold of Me,’ and ‘Stay Awake.’

“I’m a pretty happy-go-lucky guy. People aren’t weirded out but they’re often surprised to learn it” thebrag.com

Make no mistake, Lewis and his music is traveling.

‘Be Alright’ just missed out on the top ten in the U.K., peaking at No. 11. The track cracked the top 40 in the United States, a feat he boasts as “the coolest thing in the world”. Lewis is now a priority for the Australian arm of Island Records, a famed label founded by Chris Blackwell, an all-time great of the music industry who signed and guided the careers of U2, Bob Marley and many others.

But talent, looks and networks take you so far in the music biz. The 31-year-old worked ‘Be Alright’ tirelessly last year in Europe and the United States, opening plenty of doors along the way. U.S. music industry “bible” Billboard even welcomed Lewis for a special showcase, interview and photo session in a chilly NYC setting.

Lewis still pays attention to plaudits and the charts, but less so these days. When ‘Be Alright’ went to the top in Australia, he captured the “truly unbelievable” moment with a snap taken on a rooftop in Los Angeles, where he splits his time with his hometown.

“I keep an eye on it. I used to watch them daily but now it’s like once a week. Sometimes it can take over and consume your whole life,” he explains.

“There’s something to be said about, if you’re looking at the charts you’re looking at what you’ve done in the past. You’ve got to keep your head on what’s the next thing you’ve got to do.”

There was the moment his six-song EP, Some Kind of Different, arrived in 2017, with its lead single ‘Waves’.

And his first win at the ARIA Awards last year, for Best Video (for ‘Be Alright’).

And there was the time ‘Be Alright’ went top five on the U.S. Adult Pop Songs airplay chart, cracked the top 20 of the Pop Songs airplay tally and also hit No. 40 on the all-important Billboard Hot 100. Amongst all this action, Lewis vaulted to No. 2 on Billboard’s Emerging Artists chart, just behind ‘Sweet But Psycho’ singer Ava Max. ‘Be Alright’ is 6x Platinum certified in Australia, where it finished 2018 as the second-best selling homegrown track. Radio support has flooded in from commercial networks Nova and triple j (its listeners voted ‘Be Alright’ in at No. 6 on the Hottest 100). Global streams of his music have raced past one billion, prompting Billboard to recognise his “Chart-Breaker” status. ‘Be Alright’ alone has notched up more than 700 million streams worldwide.

Legendary Australian concert promoter Michael Chugg reckons Lewis can go all the way. “I think he’s got a good shot. A very good shot,” he said. “His songs are good, he’s got the profile going. It’s all happening now. He’s just gotta keep at it.”

Dean’s 2019 calendar is crammed. He’s currently playing his first headline tour of North America, with shows sold out from Los Angeles to New York City.

A European jaunt follows. Then, in May, he returns home for his ‘A Place We Knew’ Tour, produced by Michael Gudinski’s Frontier Touring. What comes next is more dates, more interviews and more fans to reach.

“It feels like it’s a really special moment for Australian artists overseas,” he says. “A lot of our artists seem to be breaking now where in the past it seemed impossible. It’s awesome for it to all be happening (for me). I’m blown away every day.”

Where: Enmore Theatre When: Monday May 6 And: A Place We Knew is out Friday March 22

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FEATURE

“THERE’S AN

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FEATURE

Allison Gallagher chats with Sharon Van Etten about the worldly and wonderful influences behind her new album, Remind Me Tomorrow

O

n her latest record, Remind Me Tomorrow, songwriter Sharon Van Etten takes the messy, the complicated and chaotic, and turns it into something beautiful.

Her first since Are We There back in 2014, Remind Me Tomorrow is a record that is as driving as it is reflective. There’s a pulsating energy to each of these songs that feels deeply, undeniably human – perhaps more so than ever before.

The writing period for this album seems really busy and chaotic, what was it like?

Sharon Van Etten: Well, in 2015 I decided to take a break. I didn’t really know I was going to write a record, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go back to music. My intention was to go back to school. Everything kind of unfolded, and while all these other things were going on I still found time to make music just for myself. By the time I had a breath to kind of assess all the things I had written behind the curtain, I had about 40 demos.

In that time you guest starred on The OA and appeared in Twin Peaks. Had you acted before? What drew you to that?

Sharon Van Etten: I was always in musicals in high school. I wanted to be on Broadway when I was a teenager. And then I started writing songs. I was on tour with Nick Cave and a casting director saw me perform and that was what made him reach out to ask me to audition for the role of Rachel on The OA.

moved, and he said something like “civilisations throughout time, rise and fall” – it was his way of saying, like, things were going to change.

He had convinced me to move to New York – I was living in my parents’ house in New Jersey at the time in the suburbs. He said, if you want to pursue music it can’t be out of your parents’ basement in the middle of nowhere playing open mics and pubs. You need to get yourself out there, you’re an hour and a half away from New York. He kind of gave me the gumption.

I moved here and I was definitely overwhelmed, I’d never lived in a city before. I’m 22, 23 years old at this point. I had no idea what I was doing. I found an apartment at the edge of Williamsburg and that was my first experience of someone who had lived here longer than me reacting to gentrification.

I was walking down the street in 2015, 2016 and found myself doing the same thing – walking past the place I used to know, that was no longer. I started laughing, remembering that moment.

It was in a neighbourhood I couldn’t afford anymore, and I saw younger kids walking around this neighbourhood who lived there.

Don’t Look Back

I’m not a good actor. I have a hard enough time trying to be myself, so pretending that I’m someone else? I realised you have to conjure real emotions to bring that out and perform it.

I’ve struggled doing that with my own music, so I was nervous, but I really connected to the role because a lot of her backstory is parallel with mine. I felt like I could honestly conjure myself through it, and that’s why I took the audition to begin with.

With Twin Peaks, of course David Lynch is an inspiration, and how am I going to say no anyway? But it was a no-brainer when I was able to play myself. I’m self-conscious in the context but I was still able to be myself. In both cases I was still able to draw on my own life.

I’ve always thought your music had a real cinematic quality.

Sharon Van Etten: Thank you. I’m still learning how to bring that out more in my music. I feel like over the years I’ve learned how to have a band and express that instrumentation on the record.

But I think this record is kind of a step beyond the band, and a step towards that cinematic feel when it’s live.

I think one of the most powerful songs on the record is ‘Seventeen’ – could you talk a little about that one?

Sharon Van Etten: I’ve lived in New York for about 15 years and I remember the first year I lived here I had a friend who had lived here a little longer walking me around Williamsburg when I first

It’s a bittersweet cycle, living somewhere long enough to see change. So that’s what prompted ‘Seventeen’.

The whole album feels very reflective while still being placed quite in the present.

Sharon Van Etten: A lot of these songs started as love songs about a new relationship.

Then I got pregnant, and I’m literally pregnant while Trump is getting voted into office. I start writing again and I’m reflecting on these demos I started in a very different context.

When I revisit the songs in round three of my editing process, I’m looking at these songs while my son is sleeping. I’m staring at this product of my love and the state of the world. It’s a different perspective; there’s an innocence, there’s a guilt, there’s a responsibility. There is reflection on who I used to be and who I am now but when you’re looking at a baby you’re thinking of the future too.

As soon as I was staring at my child I realised all the things I was writing about had to be a bit more hopeful, but also acknowledging what’s going on in the world. Production-wise, sonically, I wanted the weight to remain, without having to necessarily talk about politics. It was about letting myself be happy in this moment. I still feel like I’m processing a lot.

Was this album a way of working out those feelings?

Sharon Van Etten: All the time. I’m so much more in touch with my emotions when I have time to process them. In the moment, I’m reactive, but if I can write it down, get the guts out first and then be able to actually talk about what it is, I’m always better off.

Music has always been therapeutic for me.

What: Remind Me Tomorrow is out now

Sharon Van Etten photo by Ryan Pfluger

“IT’S A BITTERSWEET CYCLE,

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r e v i e w

United In Noise Geordie Gray reviews Unify Gathering 2019, in all its heavy, harsh and visceral glory.

Earlier this year I had the pleasure of attending the 2019 instalment of Unify Gathering, and what a spectacular weekend it was. The sense of community and camaraderie born within the grounds of Tarwin Lower is undeniable. It’s a festival where friendships flourish under harsh weather conditions. Where moshers clad in horse masks, Bananas in Pyjamas costumes and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle outfits roam free. It’s also an environment that fosters inner growth. You’ll find inner strength you never knew you had once you’re three days in to picking clumps of dust and dirt out of your nostrils. Trust me, it’s a spiritual experience.

incited sweeping midday singa-longs and impassioned finger pointing. By the end of their set, there was not a shoulder in the crowd that didn’t have a person sitting upon it.

I’ve never considered myself to be religious, but after watching Pagan’s set I can safely say that I am a devoted worshipper of the Church Of Black Wash. I struggle to think of a more unique band operating within Australia’s heavy scene. Frontwoman Nikki Brumen is a powerhouse.

Brisbane rockers WAAX are responsible for putting on one of my favourite sets of the weekend.

All hail queen Maz, who thrashed and convulsed around the stage like a woman possessed, her stage presence inimitable. WAAX are undoubtedly one of the best live acts in the country right now and we can’t wait to see what the future has in store for them.

One of the most heartwarming moments of the festival was witnessing Stand Atlantic make their Unify debut. 2018 was nothing short of triumphant for Stand Atlantic. They released their stunning debut record Skinny Dipping and signed to legendary pop-punk label Hopeless Records. Their performance

This year saw Hellions make a glorious return to the Unify stage after 2018’s monolithic set.

Suffice to say, they brought the funk. Weaving their way through a carefully curated setlist of pickings from their latest release Rue and 2016’s stunning Opera Oblivia.

Hellions have a uniquely personal connection with their fans. One

that you can feel vibrating from the stage.

Trophy Eyes’ set proved that they are a band on the top of their game. Their setlist was comprised predominantly of tracks from their latest offering The American Dream, and it was euphoric. As soon as the opening riff of Chemical Miracle‘s ‘Chlorine’ pierced through the site, the crowd erupted into a frenzy of guttural screams.

Unify 2019 was a testament to Australia’s thriving heavy music scene. Heavy music is alive and well and in its most interesting state of reinvention. There is an undercurrent of change within the scene that feels tangible.

The push towards inclusivity and equality within the genre has birthed the most diverse and captivating lineups we’ve seen yet.

While we still have aways to go, we can’t wait for what the future has in store. ■

See full galleries at thebrag.com/snaps

Unify is a celebration of the worldclass heavy music that Australia is producing. The strength of Unify lies within its ability to pioneer local bands, giving them an opportunity that they may not be able to find in any other major festival hosted within this country.

Up-and-coming acts Yours Truly and Between You and Me tore up the stage with their polished, pop-punk responsibilities, while Melbourne’s new kids on the block Caged Existence delivered one of the most visceral, fervent sets of the weekend.

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LUESFEST TOURING brings some of the world’s be B r a e y y r st Eve folk artists to Australia. THIS d n a s t o o r , k n u p is the es k, ja z z , n u f sential , l u o s , guide s e blu , to . . . k c ro

tickets on sale at www.bluesfesttouring.com.au

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THE FACTORY THEATRE WEDNESDAY 17TH APRIL Last year the Washington-born, blue-eyed Soul singer married his Australian sweetheart in the hills outside of Melbourne. Stone is not only a hilarious dude (check out his YouTube channel for a laugh), but he has a voice that could make a grown man weep. Think Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder and Bill Withers… Like, straight out of the 70s, mind-blowingly good.

PRESENTED BY

CITY RECITAL HALL WEDNESDAY 17TH APRIL On Thanksgiving Day in 1965 an 18-yearold Arlo Guthrie was arrested for illegally dumping on private property. He turned the whole debacle into his classic 18-minutes34-second, talking track ‘Alice’s Restaurant Massacree’ which became an anthem for 60s political counter-culture in the States. Arlo performed at Woodstock in 1969 and yes, he is the son of legend Woody Guthrie!

OXFORD ART FACTORY SUNDAY 14TH APRIL Xavier Dphrepaulezz took out a second Grammy this year for Contemporary Blues Album with Please Don’t Be Dead. Setting stages alight with his full band and electrifying stage performances, the American Blues and Rock singer-songwriter has a bright career despite a shady history of drug-dealing and hustling. It all changed when Xavier heard Prince’s album Dirty Mind…

THE METRO THEATRE THURSDAY 18TH APRIL This Irish-American seven-piece Celtic Punk band are influenced and associated with bands such as The Pogues, The Clash, Green Day, Reel Big Fish, The Dubliners, Save Ferris, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Mad Caddies and The Dropkick Murphys. With over ten years drinking Guinness and making crowds skank (it was a thing) around the world the band are back with a new album Life Is Good released on their very own label.

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SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE MONDAY 15TH & WEDNESDAY 17TH APRIL OK, you know who Iggy Pop is. But did you know that he has a fetish with chairs? Legend has it he owns 34 and sits in each of them every day. “(I have more chairs than) sexual encounters I can remember!” he once said. Born James Newell Osterberg Jr, everyone’s favourite living idol turns 72 on this tour, and he’s still as shirtless and Punk-Rock as the day he became Iggy Pop.

OXFORD ART FACTORY MONDAY 22ND APRIL The Lovell sisters – Rebecca and Megan are distant relations of one Edgar Allen Poe (fact), but they named the band after their great-great-great-great-grandfather. As one of the fastest-rising American Roots-Rock-Blues bands, hailing from Atlanta Georgia, the sisters call amongst their fans Russell Crowe (he tweeted about them), Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman. Their latest album Venom & Faith is their fourth release to date and hit #1 on the Billboard blues album chart.

PRESENTED BY

CITY RECITAL HALL TUESDAY 16TH APRIL I’m With Her are Bluegrass/Folk multiinstrumentalists Sara Watkins, Sarah Jarosz and Aoife O’Donovan. Each a singersongwriter in her own right, the trio found each other when they were asked to sing together at a festival 2014; it clicked. With sold out shows across the US and Europe, appearances on Jimmy Kimmel Live and NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert, their uplifting harmonies and sincerity will make you swoon.

THE FACTORY THEATRE THURSDAY 18TH APRIL ENMORE OUTTHEATRE SOLD TUESDAY 16TH & WEDNESDAY 17TH APRIL It was the 1993 album White Ladder with tracks like ‘Sail Away’, ‘Babylon’ and ‘This Years Love’ that shot the unassuming Gray to the top of the charts and radios and TVs everywhere.

In Australia alone, 6 of his 10 albums have hit the ARIA charts, with 2005’s Life In Slow Motion going Gold. Gray is set to release his 11th album - Gold in a Brass Age on March 8th and has already sold out one Enmore Theatre, with another selling fast. People just can’t get enough of this UK geezer and his hypnotic alt-folk ballads, they’re just bloody good.

ENMORE THEATRE TH APRIL SATURDAY 20 GEORGE CLINTON’S FINAL AUSTRALIAN TOUR

THE FACTORY THEATRE TUESDAY 16TH APRIL

Off the back of their support of RHCP, this is officially the last time you will catch ‘Godfather of Funk’ George Clinton performing with Parliament Funkadelic in Australia! The 77-year-old and his band of merry prankstermusicians offer the most off-the-wall live shows with the funkiest Psych-Funk from outer space.

No acid needed! Catch the originator before he ‘Gives Up the Funk’ for real.

Keb’ Mo’ has the kind of voice and music that pleases the soul (just take a listen to his track ‘Life Is Beautiful’ if you’re having a tough one).

The Delta Blues and Americana singer-songwriter is a four-time Grammy Winner, has a Gibson Bluesman guitar named in his honour and has performed at the White House for Obama. This show is almost sold out, if it’s good enough for the former Prez it’s good enough for us…

Lukas Nelson just took out a BAFTA for Best Film Music for his collaboration with Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga on A Star is Born! He also appears in the film as a member of the band.

Aside from being Willie Nelson’s son and Neil Young’s bandmate Lukas is one of the most requested artists at Bluesfest, an exceptional performer and a really, really down-to-earth dude.

ENMORE THEATRE SUNDAY 21ST APRIL Go to YouTube right now and type in “Lingus”.

You may not consider yourself a Jazz and Funk fan but if this doesn’t get you grooving around your bedroom like a sexy Funk fiend by three minutes something ain’t working right! Now imagine watching them live with hundreds of other groovers. YES. These are some of the top musicians IN THE WORLD led by bassist Michael League; musicians who play for artists like Erykah Badu, David Crosby and Snoop Dogg. They sold out the Enmore in 2017 and are selling fast. You’re welcome.

THE METRO THEATRE SATURDAY 20TH APRIL OXFORD ART FACTORY MONDAY 15TH APRIL Hailing from South Carolina, Marcus King is a 22-year-old guitar phenomenon with a voice most Country/Bluesmen would sell their soul for, (and perhaps he did…). His mentors were Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks and he grew up performing with his dad Marvin King. Words can’t quite do it justice so hit up YouTube for some live action. The kid has GOT IT! His Melbourne performance sold out in a month!

Frontman Nahko Bear’s story is one of forgiveness, acceptance, self-discovery and identity. Of Apache, Puerto-Rican and Filipino descent, he was adopted by a religious white family at 9 months and slowly introduced to music. Later, while travelling across the US in a van with his dog; Nahko honed his skills, found his band and began to release music which has resonated with fans (who he calls ‘The Medicine Tribe’) the world over.

STATE THEATRE OUT WEDNESDAY 24TH & SOLD THURSDAY 25TH APRIL Elusive, brooding and deeply authentic, Ray LaMontagne is a private figure with a lot to give.

Compared to Otis Redding, Van Morrison Nick Drake and Tim Buckley, Ray is said to have quit his job and pursued music after waking up to the song “Treetop Flyer” by Stephen Stills on his alarm clock. His albums Trouble, Till The Sun Turns Black and Gossip in the Grain cemented a fanbase worldwide. This is his first Australian tour in ten years as he doesn’t like to travel; one State Theatre performance has sold out and the second is selling fast!

OXFORD ART FACTORY WEDNESDAY 17TH APRIL It was his 2009 track ‘Lime Tree’ that everyone fell for and every song and album since seems to pierce through the heart with a lovely kind of earnest tenderness. Beautiful and heartfelt music you can’t help but warm to. 32-year old Trevor Hall mixes Folk, Roots and Reggae with themes revolving around spirituality and life exploration.

Check out his new album The Fruitful Darkness, perfect for an evening of contemplation.

THE METRO THEATRE SATURDAY 13TH APRIL THE FACTORY THEATRE SATURDAY 20TH APRIL Meshell changed her name from Johnson to Ndegeocello at age 17, it means “free like a bird” in Swahili. The ten-time Grammy nominee has been credited for sparking the neo-soul movement and has been fusing Hip-Hop, Soul, Jazz and Funk in her music since 1992. At age 50 she is one of the grooviest performers around.

Her 1996 cover of Bill Wither’s ‘Who Is He (And What Is He To You)’ is better than the original… (there, I said it).

Get your denims out! The Denver-based, vintage Rhythm n’ Blues band were formed in 2013 by Missouri-born Nathaniel Rateliff. He learned to play the drums and joined his family gospel band at age seven. When his father was killed in a car crash Nathaniel took up the guitar and began writing his own songs, eventually leaving the church due to internal disagreements. After several years writing and performing in Denver (where he was thought of as a Folk-Pop hero), his 2015 album was to be a “last-ditch effort to before throwing in the towel on his music career”.

Hey presto – the first single ‘S.O.B’ went soaring and the rest is history…

THE FACTORY THEATRE MONDAY 22ND APRIL Before 31-year old Alejandro Rose-Garcia became a Blues, Folk and Rock singer, he had acting roles in Friday Night Lights and Spy Kids. Starting his music career as a one-man-band (think Bert in Mary Poppins), he released an album and EP before adding bandmates to the mix and getting the nod for Best Emerging Artist at the 2015 Americana Awards. The Mayor of Austin Texas (his hometown)has even proclaimed a “Shakey Graves Day” on August 4th!

OXFORD ART FACTORY WEDNESDAY 24TH APRIL Vocalist Ty Tyler can jump a metre into the air wielding a microphone stand and rock moves like the legends of old.

Reminiscent of 50s and 60s Blues, Soul and Rock artists they have opened for AC/DC, The Who and Bon Jovi. Vintage Trouble are just one of those acts who have to be seen to be believed, an onslaught of energy and pelvis-shaking troublemaking that will blow you away.

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NATHANIEL RATELIFF & THE NIGHT SWEATS @ THE METRO THEATRE FANTASTIC NEGRITO @ OXFORD ART FACTORY THE MARCUS KING BAND @ OXFORD ART FACTORY IGGY POP @ SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE PRESENTED BY

I’M WITH HER CITY RECITAL HALL DAVID GRAY @ ENMORE THEATRE KEB’ MO’ @ THE FACTORY THEATRE TREVOR HALL @ OXFORD ART FACTORY IGGY POP SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE ARLO GUTHRIE T CITY RECITAL HALL DAVID GRAYSO@LD OUENMORE THEATRE ALLEN STONE @ THE FACTORY THEATRE PRESENTED BY

PRESENTED BY

PRESENTED BY

FLOGGING MOLLY @ THE METRO THEATRE LUKAS NELSON & PROMISE OF THE REAL @ THE FACTORY THEATRE NAHKO AND MEDICINE FOR THE PEOPLE @ THE METRO THEATRE TOUR IN GEORGE CLINTON FINAL AUSTRALIA & PARLIAMENT FUNKADELIC @ ENMORE THEATRE MESHELL NDEGEOCELLO @ THE FACTORY THEATRE SNARKY PUPPY @ ENMORE THEATRE LARKIN POE @ OXFORD ART FACTORY SHAKEY GRAVES @ THE FACTORY THEATRE VINTAGE TROUBLE @ OXFORD ART FACTORY OUT D L O RAY LAMONTAGNE @ THE STATE THEATRE S RAY LAMONTAGNE @ THE STATE THEATRE

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Clockwise from top left: 26:01:19 :: Florence & The Machine @The Domain 07:11:18 :: King Princess @The Metro Theatre 05:01:19 :: DVSN @Enmore Theatre 12:01:19 :: Kali Uchis :@The Metro Theatre 14:01:19 :: Taking Back Sunday @The Metro Theatre 09:01:19 :: Rae Sremmurd @Enmore Theatre 18:01:19 :: Mumford & Sons @Qudos Bank Arena thebrag.com

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MUSIC

EIGHT ALBUMS WE CAN’T WAIT TO HEAR

By Nathan Gunn

Let’s be honest – 2018 was a pretty darn unbeatable year for music. A little look under the microscope, and there are plenty of bangers to choose from. We’ve had huge records from Amy Shark, Skegss, Courtney Barnett and Tash Sultana. All of which are pretty fine examples of what Australian music is made of.

We’ve done our research, and put together a list of 8 albums we’re dying to hear.

P.S. Not all of these albums are confirmed, but here’s to hoping!

Slipknot

Slipknot | TBC

Foals | Everything Not Saved Will Be

Simply described as “evil” and “a pretty dark ride” in press talks, Slipknot’s sixth record is set to kill with a vengeance late this year.

As much as we may value our innocence, it’s definitely due time to lose it again to the darkness. Hopefully they live up to their menacing threats.

This year we won’t be blessed with just one album from these beloved British rockers, but two. All we know about the albums so far is that both are slated for a 2019 release. Will both albums have a similar sound or clash with each other? We’ll just have to wait to find out.

Lost (Part 1 & Part 2)

Foals Chelsea Wolfe

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SOUNDS Angie McMahon

LIKE

Ruby Fields

Angie McMahon | TBC

Chelsea Wolfe | TBC

Ruby Fields | TBC

Now we don’t (yet – eeeek!) have confirmation of a full length from her. Butttt, it’s certainly one we’re longing for. The few songs she has put out have been stellar, and I can only imagine we’re gonna love whatever comes next.

After giving us some much needed time to recuperate after her 2017 album Hiss Spun invoked the spirit of Beelzebub within our living rooms, Chelsea is coming back to haunt us. This time she’s going back to her acoustic days, with an album that we hope is as chillingly beautiful as her last acoustic foray, Unknown Rooms. We can’t wait.

Last year we got the newest Ruby Fields belter ‘Dinosaurs’, and rumour has it we’ll be getting a full length from her in 2019.

If her previous work, and live show are anything to go off, this is gonna be one of the best albums we hear.

The Cranberries

Stella Donnelly

Code Orange

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Code Orange | TBC

The Cranberries | In The End

Combining schizophrenic industrial soundscapes with downtuned chuggs summoned from Satan himself, no band have a chokehold over modern hardcore quite like Code Orange, who are due to release their 4th full length sometime this year.

The Cranberries created excitement for fans when they announced their new (and final) full length record. This will be the first music they’ve released following the death of band leader Delores O’Riordan. This will be a nice way to remember O’Riordan.

Stella Donnelly | Beware Of The Dogs

Alternative Perth sensation Stella Donnelly is releasing one of the most hotly anticipated records of the year. The first cut off the record, ‘Old Man’ is slightly deceiving – a happy sounding song, with pretty deep lyrical content.

Stella’s got an incredible and distinct voice.

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FEATURE

A Helping Hand Lars Brandle looks at Australian indie duo Chymes, and how K-pop superstars BTS made them famous overnight with nothing but the power of a single tweet, and an army of incredibly loyal fans.

B

TS had quite the year in 2018. The Korean boy band owned it at every station, leading the Billboard 200 Albums Chart with two titles Love Yourself: Tear and Love Yourself: Answer (no other K-pop group has cracked the top 10), burning up the box office with a concert film, and setting social media alight.

Their ubiquity is constant, and without warning, thanks to their aptly-named fanbase, the ARMY. If bandmate Jimin so much as raises an eyebrow in a music video, #BTSARMY is on it in seconds.

Australian duo Chymes received a BTS shoutout in December last year, and before they knew it, they found themselves in the middle of a full-blown ARMY assault.

A tidal wave of social media fan-love rushed the young band, and their social and streaming numbers exploded with lightning speed.

It was a dream ride that no one saw coming. Now, with fresh confidence and a brand new arsenal, the duo and their band are strapped in for the next chapter.

“it was an emotiona l rollercoaster of sh ock, excitement, gratitu de, and then aroun d again” The latter of these singles found the ultimate champion in Jeon Jung-kook, (better known to his millions of fans as Jungkook, or just JK), songwriter, producer and main vocalist with BTS. Perhaps feeling the festive spirit, Jungkook showed his love for ‘Dreaming’ on Dec. 22, grabbing a screenshot of the track from Apple Music and sharing it on the official BTS Twitter account, which currently counts more than 18 million followers.

Chymes have been dreaming ever since. In a matter of days, the tweet earned more than 1.18 million likes and over 350,000 retweets, with engagement numbers still growing.

Chymes’ Twitter following ballooned from just under 130 on December 2 to more than 10,700 in under two weeks. There has also been a huge spike on their digital streaming platforms, with the duo impacting the Spotify Top 50 Viral Charts in several countries, including Japan, Malaysia, Turkey and Thailand.

Chymes are singer and songwriter Kiersten Nyman and producer Cameron Taylor, an early-20’s pair from the New South Wales’ Central Coast with a small, but sweet collection of dreamy, electro-pop bedroom creations.

Two of Chymes’ songs – ‘Dreaming’ (No. 2) and ‘Oracle’ (No. 1) – placed at or near the top of the Korean digital streaming platform Melon, which is more than enough proof that new followers were actually engaging with Chymes and their music.

In 2016, Chymes announced themselves with Grow, a four-track EP which showcased their atmospheric and misty sound and grabbed the attention of selectors at triple j’s Unearthed. A string of singles dropped in the following years, ‘Bloom,’ ‘All Time Low,’ ‘Shade’ and ‘Dreaming,’ all building on Chymes’ catalogue of understated indie production.

Over a seven-day period, Chymes enjoyed more than 10.2 million tweet impressions, upwards of 14,300 mentions and over 1.02 million profile visits. The BTS ARMY clamoured for BTS to collaborate with the Aussie duo and the storm was pushed forward with fan-made videos. It was the best Christmas present of all time.

“We actually thought it wasn’t real,” Nyman recounts. Though the flow of thousands of welcoming tweets and DMs made it very much real.

“It’s so weird to think that someone of that calibre thought our music was good enough to share to millions of their fans. It also was a huge confidence boost. A dream come true.”

The action spilled out on Chymes’ Spotify, where the group has nabbed more than 141,000 monthly listeners.

Over on their YouTube channel the duo added 2,100 new subscribers; and on Instagram, 1,500 new followers flocked to their account in just three days.

Chymes is now intrinsically linked with BTS. The aftermath on Spotify and the streamer’s algorithms have now connected them with K-pop’s biggest stars.

The entire experience was “literally a dream,” explains Chymes’ manager Sarah Miller of management company Be Like Children.

“I mean, you never think something like this will happen to you. This only happens to the Justin Biebers and 5 Seconds of Summers’, right?! Once it was confirmed real by the #BTSARMY, it was an emotional rollercoaster of shock, excitement, gratitude, and then around again.”

With everything moving so fast, Chymes pounced on their surprise gift. They returned the favour with an acoustic video of BTS’ ‘Euphoria’ on Boxing Day, with the promise of a fully-formed studio cut that they released later that week.

The cover has enjoyed more than 260,000 views on Twitter alone.

“Hopefully all of this momentum will call for Chymes to do some shows in Korea,” Miller says.

For Nyman and Chymes it’s just the start. But what a start it’s been.

“Hopefully we can meet JK — and the whole band — to say thank you. We can’t wait to show everyone where we take our music this year.” ■ What: ‘Euphoria’ is out now

ur music o t h g u o th re b li a c t a th f meone o so t a th k in th to d ir e w so eir fans” “It’s th f o s n o li il m to re a sh was good enough to 44 :: BRAG :: 745 :: 06:03:19

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FEATURE

Under Production Lars Brandle chats to Grammy-winning hit machine Malay on branching out into the label world

into whatever project I’m doing, so fortunately I’ve developed close relationships with many of the artists I’ve worked with through the years.

I still stay in touch with a lot of them, even if I’m not working with them on their project, the conversation is always still going. It’s hard to say, It’s like someone asking what’s your favourite food.

How do you get into that creative zone?

Do you binge on old tunes? Do you have a switch?

Malay: Growing up, chasing a career I spent so much time practising instruments by myself or trying to write songs by myself. And a big part of that was just listening to all the classics, from the old soul music from Marvin Gaye to Al Green.

My favourite stuff was Pink Floyd and the classic rock, learning how to play them with buddies in a cover band and whatnot.

P

roduction magic sometimes happens by fluke but it rarely occurs by accident. It’s the task of the producer to conjure spells in the studio. The best in the game prepare like pros, bringing to the room vision, ideas, a competitive streak and a knack for wrangling. Always wrangling.

Malay is at the top of the tree, a Grammy Awardwinning hit machine who has shaped recordings with the likes of Zayn, Lorde, Lykke Li, Sam Smith, Frank Ocean and many more. He’s the man responsible for tracks like Lorde’s ‘The Louvre,’ ‘Supercut’ and ‘Sober’ and Ocean’s beloved albums channel ORANGE and Blonde. But it could have panned out oh so different.

There was a time when the U.S. producer brought his A-game to the wrestling mats.

A teenage Malay (real name James Ryan Ho) was one of the hottest prospects in the sport as he head into college; an Olympic medal the stuff of his dreams. But music won.

These days, Malay is energised by the rough and tumble of music making, and he’s thrown himself into the challenge of the label business through Britannia Row Recordings, which he launched in 2016 with longtime manager Randy Cohen.

Things stepped up a notch last year when BMG partnered with Britannia Row, and Grammywinning engineer Manny Marroquin came on board as a partner.

Its first signing was New Jersey indie rock outfit The Parlor Mob, followed by JOHNNYSWIM, the husband and wife duo of Abner Ramirez and Amanda Sudano, daughter of Hall of Famer Donna Summer.

Mid-January saw the release of JOHNNYSWIM’s ‘Bridges,’ lifted from their third album (and first for Britannia Row) Moonlight, due out April 19.

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Malay is excited about the next round.

It’s late afternoon on a Sunday when we catch the music man in his Los Angeles studio for a chat about his passions, his busy schedule and his Aussie connection. It’s clear to see there’s still a lot of wrestler in him.

It’s pretty late in the weekend for you. Which reminds me, for a record producer, it’s no party. What’s an average week like for you?

Malay: It depends, sometimes when I’m writing songs with other artists it can go anywhere from six to eight hours.

I’ve been doing it for so long, I realise if you’re trying to write a new idea and you hit the eighthour mark and you’re still fumbling around and you haven’t found the vibe, it probably isn’t going to work that day.

It’s better to start fresh and make a day of it. You have to find a balance and know when you’re on a creative hop and when it’s time to move into the work aspect of it, finishing songs.

I’ve done four days straight in a studio, you know.

It depends on the artist. Some want to live in the studio, some don’t want to be in there more than four hours.

With L.A. as the epicentre of pop, the industry must come to you these days.

Malay: Definitely in the last five years there’s been a shift and everyone’s come out here. I was living in New York from 2015-2017 and was working out there at the time, but a lot of the major studios had closed and there weren’t many options. You got a sense in 2017 that it’s all changed, and studios had changed even more so.

Looking at the list of artists you’ve worked with is absolutely mind-boggling. Many of them are big stars right now. Any favourites you’ve worked on?

Malay: I guess at the time I put all my energy

I feel like after so many years of that, to this day it’s like riding a bike. I might reach out to a song I haven’t heard in five years, something I crave.

It’s like a repetition built into my subconscious somewhere.

When it comes to the studio for me, I like to find my creative inspiration from the artist themselves. It’s hard being inspired to be creative just on my side. If I try to create an idea ahead of time and try to put it on somebody, it’s just never panned out for me.

I know people who prefer to work alone and craft tracks by themselves, and it works for them. I’m 100% the opposite. I don’t even like to touch an instrument, unless the artist is around.

I guess I’ve found myself in the category of the ‘transparent’ producer where I don’t want to work in the studio and say, ‘this is what you should be doing, this is the sound you need.’

The conversation I usually have is, ‘What path are you looking to, what direction are you looking to go in?’

I’m like a co-pilot trying to help the artists see what’s going on in their brain and helping them get it out.

That’s a good analogy, being a co-pilot. But with your new label, you’re the pilot.

Malay: Growing up as a highly competitive wrestler – not pro wrestling, but Olympic-style wrestling – it’s still a team thing. I grew up working with a whole team, training and playing together.

I love the vibe of collaborating with people.

The reason I started the label with BMG wasn’t anything other than the fact that I love the feeling that it’s a new situation.

If you look at some of the other major labels who were interested in partnering up as well, this is

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Johnnyswim

nothing against them, but I just love the idea of a new group of people, starting a new venture.

BMG was primarily a publishing company at the time, for them to leap into label stuff and for me to get in early with that, it felt right to me. It’s a team environment.

There’s a million things I can’t do. Part of being successful is realising what your strengths and weaknesses are. If I’m terrible at marketing or whatever it is, it’s filling in those gaps and re-focusing on what I’m great at, which is making records and helping artists make great projects.

The label is just another step into that world.

There’s a little more sharing of heart and soul beyond just the studio.

Are you getting out the studio and scouting acts?

Malay: It hasn’t got to that level yet. The first two signings kind of landed in our lap. Parlor Mob; my wife grew up with the band’s manager and I developed a relationship with him.

They had a couple of record deals in the past and were considering what to do next. I went and spent some time with the guys and we ended up making a record super quick. They’re just an incredible live act.

It was fun because I was able to help them score something brand new sonically, everything happened organically, everything just made sense. I’m really excited about that.

We’re talking about bringing the band down to Australia in May. The other band I have, JOHNNYSWIM, my manager Randy Cohen used to help Donna Summer before she passed, and Amanda is the daughter of Donna Summer. Randy has known her since she was a little girl. I took a meeting with them. Same thing, it felt right.

Their situation is a lot different, musically they’re completely different, they have an Americanafolk vibe. They’ve done three or four EPs and-or albums, independently and self-released. And they’ve just toured, forever. They’re at the point now where in some markets they can sellout 5,000 tickets. They’re really a live act.

We did a couple things in the studio, it felt really natural. For them, they’ve worked with producers in the past but it never worked out. People tried to change them or put them in a lane that didn’t feel real to them.

Malay: Maybe it’s because I grew up in bands and wanted to play live music, because subconsciously this is something I’m attracted to. We’re in an environment now where a kid can have a billion streams but can’t perform live. It’s a little thing for me, I’m realising more and more how important it is for an artist to really pull it off live and how much I love that.

It feels like it’s getting lost a little bit, especially in mainstream pop culture. I’m hoping that maybe with some influence from some of these acts we’ll kick arse with them and open up some ears and eyes for the younger generation and they’ll think, ‘Hey, I wanna do that’.

I understand you have an interest in Aussie music.

Malay: I’ve done some work with Australian artists in the past. I was working with The Temper Trap at one point. We went to Byron Bay for a writing retreat. That was my only trip to Australia.

I might have seen the best possible way to do it. Byron Bay is incredible. I’ve been dying to go back. We’re trying to line something up so we come out, get some traction going with some of the acts that I have and also work with some Australian artists while I’m out there.

Maybe somewhere in April, May or June (BMG will open a studio around this time). We’re trying to find a window that would make sense. Funnily enough, some of the best music that I’ve heard in the last 10 years, at least the freshest stuff, is either from New Zealand or Australian artists. I don’t know what’s in the water down there.

Well, we’re surrounded by it. We’re bred in isolation. Australia and NZ have always had interesting acts. I guess with digital services, it’s given some of these acts a chance to spread their wings globally and be heard. It’s definitely a great time for Aussie acts. It’s fun to watch.

It’s exciting. I’ve worked with Jarryd James in the past. He’s super talented. I did a new single for Six60 from New Zealand. I only spent a few days with them, but they’re super talented.

They’re doing a show in February in New Zealand and it sold out something like 50,000 tickets. They’re like the biggest group in New Zealand. Such sweet guys.

We had a great synergy and we became really close in the process. We made an incredible album that we’re really, really proud of.

Why did you ditch wrestling?

Malay: I stopped when I graduated high school.

I had scholarship offers for NCAA colleges.

I started wrestling at eight-years-old. I was wrestling during the school year for the school teams, during the off season I was wrestling for the Washington state teams.

How important is it that your bands deliver live?

I grew up in north west, by Seattle. I was wrestling for the national team all year round,

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traveling. After a decade of that I was done. In the meantime I started playing music going into high school, and quietly in my mind that was my new passion. My family were really supportive, obviously, but everyone figured it was just a hobby.

When I was getting closer to graduation, people were going, ‘You seem pretty serious about this music thing. Are you not going to wrestle?’

Why? What’s the future in that? Become a coach?

Neil Degrasse Tyson was a wrestler at college.

Malay: I did not know that. I still have great friendships from it. One of my best friends in the music business, he’s a songwriter out here in L.A., he grew up as a wrestler and ended up being a coach as well. It’s an unspoken bond.

It’s one of those intense sports where you try to cut weight, make weight; there are challenges and unique things you have to do to compete in the sport. I don’t want to compare the sacrifi ce but it’s like when a military personnel meets another, they have the same understanding.

You spent time in Atlanta. It’s such a hotbed of talent.

Malay: It’s always been. I lived in Atlanta from 2007 to 2010, and that’s kind of where things started happening for me. The first bigger song I had was with John Legend and Andre 3000, ‘Green Light,’ we did that in Atlanta.

That’s where I first met John Legend. We worked on a tonne of songs and I was pretty heavily involved in that project. For me, at the time I had barely anything going on. John has been so supportive.

He’s always been a good friend; I was at his 40th birthday party last night. Even if I haven’t done any work with him in the last few years, he’s been really supportive of what I’m doing. It shows what kind of guy he is, what kind of artist he is.

Your dad is Malaysian. Do you have a strong connection with the place?

Malay: Yeah, but I’ve only been a couple times when I was younger. It’s definitely on the list to take the family, I have a couple of kids and a wife going on eight years now.

We want to do a trip with the uncles and my dad and mom and everybody. Sooner than later.

We even have family from Malaysia who live in Melbourne.

We’ll do a reunion type thing, where the Australian family can come to Malaysia. It’s on the list of things we really want to do in the next two or three years. ■

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FEATURE

Fall in Love {WITH THE COLD} (With the Cold)

Caitlin McGregor unravels the secret to embracing an Australian winter: learning from the Tasmanians.

In Australia, we have just lived through our hottest December and January on record.

The Australian summer is infamous at the best of times: relentless sun, parched landscapes, grass scorched to straw-yellow. In a bid to avoid the excessive heat, we spend the hot months in a kind of summer-version of hibernation: hunkering down in the cool, wherever we can find it.

T

here has never been a better time to celebrate the coming of cooler weather. Of course the challenge, when the cold weather does finally roll in, is to resist the easy hibernation strategy of Netflix and chill (so to speak) and to instead find ways to truly embrace the season. The good news is, there’s a secret to making the most of the Australian winter: you just have to think outside the mainland.

People in Tasmania seem to instinctively know something you can’t discover while hibernating: that winter is its own kind of spring, a time of renewal and rejuvenation in its own right. Winter is nature’s chance to take a breath of fresh air—and you literally couldn’t find a fresher breath to take than in Tasmania, which has the cleanest air in the world.

It’s hard to hibernate while the Enchanted Walk sparkles with frost, the rainforest looking bejewelled; it’s hard to stay indoors when you know that from a boat on the Gordon River, you could be watching the winter fog roll over some of the most beautiful landscape in the world. It’s a secret that’s increasingly hard to keep quiet: winter is at her very best in Tassie.

Quite simply, when winter shows up in Tasmania she refuses to be ignored.

This is why Tasmania is the ideal place to fall in love with the cold. All

Hobart Harbour photo by Jarrad Seng. Dark Mofo photo (below right) by LUSY Productions (below left) Jarrad Seng.

How To:

Hobart at night

Dark Mofo

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you have to do is watch the locals, for whom a hearty love of winter seems to be second nature. The winter months reveal the beauty of the landscape, and the people of Tasmania respond in kind: with a winter culture that bustles with activity, colour and celebration.

Each year, Hobart is the backdrop for Dark Mofo, a huge winter festival which famously includes a Winter Feast and a Nude Solstice Swim.

There’s a mid-winter cider festival in The Huon Valley, southwest of Hobart, and a constantly-lengthening whisky trail that features just as many stories as it does whiskies from friendly local characters. As the snow starts to fall, Cradle Mountain and Mount Wellington are prettily capped in white; the Overland track in the National Park opening for snowshoe treks.

Dark Mofo

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Winter in Tasmania calls to mind ‘hygge’, a Danish word that has been sweeping the globe over the last few years. Pronounced ‘hueguh’, hygge is used to describe a moment or a feeling that is cosy, charming, or special. Most countries with cold winter seasons have their own version of hygge: in Norwegian, the word is ‘koselig’; in German,

‘geselligkeit’; the Dutch call it ‘gezellig’. At its core, hygge embodies the philosophy that the cold is not simply to be endured, but embraced as a time when warmth, cosiness and connection are sources of joy and restoration. It’s a difficult word to translate directly into English, but in the Tasmanian winter you can sense its wordless Australian translation: the spicy-sweet taste of mulled wine by the fireplace; the energising warmth of a laugh with friends in the snow; a winter feast, shared with a community of people who know how to live, love and party in the cold.

In Tasmania there is a saying: “There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing.” If there’s one thing to be learned from the Tasmanian approach to winter, it’s that there is beauty even—no, especially—in the coldest of months. And that, as visitors to Tasmania will very quickly discover, is worth celebrating properly.

What: Dark Mofo Where: City of Hobart When: Friday 7 - Sunday 23 June

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FEATURE

h W

D

onald Trump proved to the world that a celebrity more famous for his tweets than his day job could both run for and win a Presidential election.

So why can’t Kanye?

S e h y o n u a l K dG y

To Th g n e West Wi HERE’S WHY...

American Presidency has never been more informed by pop culture. So when Kanye West announced his plans to run for President back in 2015 – albeit under the influence at the MTV Video Music Awards in LA – we actually listened.

By Poppy Reid

“If my grandfather was here right now he would not let me back down!” he said onstage as he accepted the Video Vanguard Award. “I don’t know I’m fittin’ to lose after this. It don’t matter though, ’cause it ain’t about me.”

“It’s about ideas, bro. New ideas.

People with ideas. People who believe in truth. And yes, as you probably could have guessed by this moment, I have decided in 2020 to run for president.”

Kanye didn’t forget his promise however, and he’s been deepening his relationship with the Oval Office ever since.

Earlier this year, embedded in a string of tweets posted in support of Trump and his MAGA campaign (for example: “Trump all day”), Kanye again reiterated his goal.

If you have doubts about President Yeezus as Commander-in-Chief then you’re not alone. But if you’re among the camp who have zero faith in West’s potential foray into the political, you may want to think again.

We’ve voted in leaders based on their charm and social prowess even before the presidential debate between JFK and Nixon, which was the first to ever be televised.

In reality, Kanye has all the makings to become a future leader. And if a pussy-grabbing, morally-corrupt, reality TV show star can actually make it to the White House, then a man who wants to empower others to create their own general wealth is certainly worthy of our vote.

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1.

He empowers others Since before Late Registration, Kanye has preached his message about self-belief, hard work and unapologetic confidence. Yes, he called himself a God; but he also created a fashion empire by using his profile to partner with one of the biggest sports brands in the world for its inception: Adidas.

Kanye West once said, “Why, if someone is good in one field can they not be accepted or given the slightest opportunity to express and be creative in other fields?”

Kanye’s career has taken on many forms, but he’s always remained stern about the fact your background should never stop you from achieving your goals. In a way, it could be said he honed this learning from Trump; both were made pariahs in the media but became what people said they could never be. And both speak out with the kind of unreserved nature that at times discounts all the good work they’ve done – let’s not forget the ‘slavery is a choice’ debacle.

Admirably, Kanye has spoken publicly about his bipolar diagnosis and struggles with addiction, using his platform to further address the real problem with the stigmatisation of both illnesses.

Either illness could easily be seen as detrimental to a career in politics, but in reality, and as history has shown us, they’re not.

2.

Kanye is

literally willing to die for the cause “I will die for the art! For what I believe in. And the art ain’t always gonna be polite!”

The aforementioned was from Kanye’s now famed MTV Awards speech in 2015. At the time he had begun to speak publicly about his decision to run for office, but he was also divisive in his approach.

Issues like mass incarceration, racial inequity, and homelessness have a devastating effect on black Americans (black people alone make up more than 40 percent of those experiencing homelessness).

I’m not saying Kanye West is the silver bullet to end eons of systemic oppression, but if his bid to run for President isn’t a stunt as he readies his next album Yandhi, then we should take heed of this comment: “I know from the bottom of my soul, of my gut, of my spirit and my subconscious that love is the strongest force in the universe and right now we need love,” Kanye said.

There’s no doubt he’s doing a lot for the cause now. For example, in June last year his Yeezy Home collaboration teased an affordable concrete prefabricated home as part of a social housing project.

“I will die for the art!

For what I believe in.

And the art ain’t always gonna be polite!”

o

By Poppy Reid

3.

He’s made some

crucial career errors and still come out on top The job in the Big Chair is one of the most scrutinised, yet difficult positions in the world. Granted the man in the Oval Office right now seems to be ruling blindfolded with his hands down his pants – but that’s not the point.

Throughout his 23-year career Kanye has managed to insult every single community, demographic and belief system.

Kanye asked us to imagine how Chris Brown felt after images of Rihanna’s horribly beaten face were circulated online. He also tweeted that Bill Cosby was innocent. He even called Trump his “brother” and regularly wears a MAGA hat. And let’s not forget his comments to TMZ about 400 years of slavery sounding “like a choice”.

He later apologised for the comments but let’s take stock of his successes since: Last year Kanye West landed his eighth consecutive #1 album on the Billboard 200 chart (Ye); his Yeezy venture is now worth over US$1 billion (according to Adidas’ 2018 annual report); he received an apology (!) from angel goddess Ariana Grande, and he’s currently in the studio working on music with Lil Wayne, Timbaland, 2 Chainz, and Migos.

Despite what you may think of the politically-charged rapper, he could be exactly what America needs. It’s just up to us to give him a chance. ■ thebrag.com

Fleetwood Mac

Bring Me The Horizon

Nina Nesbitt

Nazeem Hussain

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Laurel

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FEATURE

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special in interest terest

WHY ARE YOU SINGLE? The Answer Could Be Chicken Nuggets

By Alita Brydon

It’s the burning question all unattached people have wondered. No, not that type of ‘burning’ question – but maybe you should get a cream if that’s where your mind went.

Take a look at yourself. You’re attractive, confident, successful – and single.

Wait… What? How is that possible? Why are you single?

Prepare for your mum’s line of questioning at Easter with this credible and highly scientific report that looks at the reasons why you are not shacked up.

And be warned, chicken nuggets may be to blame.

You’re just too intelligent

You don’t want to give up your single person habits

Like the colourful and complex Rubik’s Cube, the twists and turns of a highly intelligent person can come across as difficult to solve.

Or maybe we shouldn’t compare a person to a popular toy of the 1970’s because it’s ridiculous.

This is one example of the glorious and disgusting behaviour single people can get away with. Apart from my GP, who doesn’t approve of the nugget addiction, there was no one to hold me accountable for my gluttonous lifestyle.

Either way, when you’re intellectually gifted, you will likely want a partner who can match the pace of your mind. Now that Australians are drinking from their shoes en masse (‘the shooey’), you may be fi nding it hard to meet someone that matches your intellectual capacity.

Illustration by Erin Sutherland thebrag.com

If being too smart is a problem for you, you can always drop a few IQ points by watching a marathon of The Real Housewives of Melbourne. This will ensure romantic success with the type of partner who has a Certifi cate III in Love Island. And don’t forget – Forrest Gump was a very nice husband.

Last year I ate so many chicken nuggets, Google Maps asked if KFC was my workplace. Clearly, I have a problem.

Other shameful single person habits include leaving a mug in your room for three weeks, lying to everyone about how often you go to the gym and giving up cooking to live solely on Woolworths roast chickens. Or maybe that’s just me.

Sure you may be a catch – but it feels good to leave that mug on your dresser. Being single means enjoying the freedom that comes with riding solo. Just don’t forget the sweet and sour sauce.

You’re waiting for Taylor Hanson

Y

There is a truth universally acknowledged that if you were born between 1980 and 1993, and liked men, you were at some point under the impression you were going to marry Taylor Hanson.

Sure, there were days when this dream seemed unachievable – and on those days you decided Isaac would be okay too. Taylor has since married a wonderful woman and become a father to so many children you’d need an ice pack.

Of course, I wish Taylor and his wife a happy life together. Seeing he is now married, I propose an alternative scenario, where a new and fresh Taylor Hanson appears from a third dimension, proposing to me on the third date.

I would also be okay with some kind of cloning scenario. (Does anyone have a strand of Taylor’s hair? Asking for a friend.) But until technology catches up, I’ll happily stay single so I can one day live my family band dreams.

You do you

There are millions of reasons to be single – and you don’t have to justify yours to anyone. Being single comes with endless possibilities – and that is truly exciting.

And always remember – single or taken – you are perfect just the way you are.

Except for that mug on the dresser.

Give it a rinse you grot. ■

Now that Australians are drinking from their shoes en masse (‘the shooey’), you may be finding it hard to meet someone that matches your intellectual capacity.

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FEATURE

THE NEST BEST THING

Troy Farah talks to Terry Prouty, the 48-year old man who manages his crippling anxiety by collecting wasp nests.

T

here is likely no insect more misunderstood or wrongfully despised than the wasp. If one buzzes by your barbecue, it’s often met with screams of “Kill it with fire!” or toxic clouds of pesticide.

Some people collect stamps or artwork. Prouty collects masterpieces of nature—stunning nests built by the first creatures to invent paper: wasps. By now, he has over 100, which fill a room in in his apartment.

The truth is, most wasps are actually beneficial insects that pollinate flowers and hunt destructive bugs like white flies or cockroaches.

They rarely pose any threat to humans unless you disturb their nests, and they provide important balance to the ecosystem.

He spends his spare time on insect-dedicated Facebook groups helping strangers identify the wasp specimens they encounter, and spreading the message that wasps aren’t all bad.

That’s why Terry Prouty, a 48-year old man from Tulsa, Oklahoma, has made it his life mission to educate people on the incredible benefits and fascinating life cycles of wasps.

Collecting these paper nests has helped Prouty cope with his debilitating Social Anxiety Disorder, or SAD, which makes it difficult for him to socialise or talk on the phone. But he was brave enough to speak with me and share his passion for one stigmatised insect.

Above: Prouty holding a perennial Vespula squamosa (southern yellowjacket) nest which was active for two years. These nests are typically annual.

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thebrag.com

special in interest terest

“This is way beyond mere shyness—this is a living hell that I would not wish upon my worst enemy.”

Right: Prouty made it his life mission to educate people on wasps.

The following interview has been edited for length and clarity.

What kickstarted your passion for wasps? What do you like specifically about wasps?

Terry Prouty: They build incredible nests which I think are masterpieces of nature. It’s so amazing that creatures with brains the size of a grain of sand could build something that’s so intricate.

Most people think of wasps as pests, but they actually benefit mankind and the environment in many ways. They help control bug pests, preying on spiders, flies and garden pests. To cut down on the use of harmful pesticides is healthier for our environment—it’s much better for a gardener to allow a wasp nest to grow on his property rather than spraying poison on the vegetables.

Some places around the world people use wasp larvae and pupae as a nutritious source of protein. The benefits to humans far outweigh the harm. I’ve made it my mission in life to educate people about wasps so that these beneficial insects won’t be needlessly killed as a result of ignorance, fear, and hate.

Wasps are pollinators, too and they’re also used in research. For example, a wasp species’ venom has been discovered to kill cancer cells. How awesome is that?

Do you remember the first nest that you ever collected?

Terry Prouty: Yes, a large baldfaced hornets nest (Dolichovespula maculata). It was hanging in a tree in a vacant lot next door. I was waiting for it to be abandoned during the fall. Finally that day

“My home is both my refuge and my prison.” thebrag.com tth the he h ebrag bra bra rag g.c g. .co .c om m

came I went to the lot and pulled the branch down. This thing was huge, at least 18 inches (45.72 centimeters) tall.

This was the first that I ever saw a bald-faced hornet nest in person.

I remember feeling very excited and happy. I was literally jumping up and down with joy. As soon as I got it home, I tore it open to see what the inside looks like and I was just absolutely blown away by the multiple layers of paper, these multiple tiers of horizontal columns.

That’s what lit the fire for me.

I’ve been collecting nests since I was a teenager, growing up in Louisiana back in the 1980’s. So for the past 35 years, I’ve been collecting nests. I have well over 100 nests. Many of them are huge. I have some that are literally as long as my arm. I also have a perennial yellowjacket nest that was active for two or three years straight.

This thing is a monster. It has columns three feet across. A nest that size can have literally hundreds of thousands of yellow jackets living in it. I’m very lucky to have these amazing nests. I get most of these nests online and people ship them to me. Most of the nests come from across the USA, but some have come from South America and China, too.

The most I’ve ever spent on a nest was $300. I have a large South American honey wasp nest that’s literally covered in spikes. It looks like a porcupine fish.

What was your family’s reaction?

Terry Prouty: They really didn’t say much about it, they just told me that you better make sure these nests are emptied before you bring them inside. [Laughs] But they weren’t trying to discourage me.

I guess they thought it was a very unusual hobby. It’s not like collecting baseball cards. Most people see it as weird, but I don’t care.

This is what I love doing, this is my passion, this is what makes me happy and I don’t want to fi t into society’s mould. I don’t want to be like everybody else, I want to be different. I want to dance to the beat of my own drum.

You’re pretty open about your social anxiety. How does it affect you on a day-to-day basis?

Terry Prouty: I stay inside my small one-bedroom apartment 99% of the time because of the crippling effects of my SAD. I have to literally force myself to do simple things which involve social interaction that most people take for granted, such as going to the grocery store or talking on the phone. My home is both my refuge and my prison.

The kids and the teachers, they absolutely love it. My giant nests are always a big hit with kids and teachers. I’m like a rock star to them.

Having SAD is horrible, but I forced myself to leave my comfort zone and into these social situations so I can face my fears head-on, ‘cause I’m sick and tired of having this disorder control my life. So I’m taking back my power and I’m taking back my life. Collecting wasp nests has helped me because it has given me a purpose in my life, a reason to live.

Without this wasp passion of mine, I would be a miserable person.

There’s a joy that I get by educating people about wasps so that these insects won’t be needlessly killed.

The thing I need the most which is social contact is also the thing that causes me the most anxiety. This is way beyond mere shyness—this is a living hell that I would not wish upon my worst enemy.

I understand that. Sometimes just watching insects makes me feel so happy because they’re small, they seem insignificant and they can’t really fathom what I am or my life or my problems.

Watching insects, they’re just like completely content. You have these tiny things in their own little world and it just makes me feel like well, why am I so worried about my life.

The contact I have with my boyfriend is the main real-life human contact I have. Everyone else who I care about, family and friends, live in different states, so I keep in touch with them through email. I have an active social life online, but not in real life.

Terry Prouty: I think nature really is therapy for me. Nature is what I need because I know animals won’t judge me. It’s not just collecting nests, it is also just observing animals too and just being out in nature and just losing myself in it. I just think it’s medicine for the soul.

The reason why I am still alive is because I made a promise to myself a long time ago that I would not take my own life, I would never give up.

Anything else that you want people to know about wasps or about your life?

I want to be around people because I desperately need that support and human contact, yet at the same time I shun people. It is a Catch-22.

How does wasp nest collecting help you manage your social anxiety?

Terry Prouty: Well, going to schools, standing in front of a group of people and talking about wasps, I mean that’s a great way to deal with my social anxiety disorder. I think it’s helping me to deal with my mental illness.

Terry Prouty: Hornets, yellowjackets, and paper wasps should not be needlessly killed. I understand that they may need to remove a nest that has been built in a bad location—however, if a nest is built in an out-of-the-way location on your property, then it should be left alone.

These beneficial insects can perform pest control duties for you. We need wasps more than they need us. ■

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FEATURE

Disclaimer: Before we begin I’d just like to confi rm, this isn’t some kind of kick-lit article about recovery and the benefi ts of Overeaters Anonymous, also known as OA. Some of the most wonderful people I know are addicts and every journey to recovery is different. And just because programs like OA are the most well-known and most recommended option, it doesn’t mean they’re right for everyone.

My Experience at

Overeaters Anonymous and the Annals of Addiction

By Poppy Reid

I

downed a bag of chips on my way there. And as I licked the salt from underneath my fingernails my first thought was, ‘What can I eat next?’

I’m not obese. I’m not even considered medically overweight.

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My memory of our time together would be a tunnel vision view of the food and how my portion compared to yours, our conversation demoted to background noise.

It’s my first and most intense love.

It’s always there for me; it comforts me; it eases my stress and gives me something to look forward to. It’s the last thing I think of when I go to sleep and the first thing I think of when I wake up. Yet, you’d never know just from looking at me.

But I didn’t just Google OA meeting locations, grab my packet of chips and go on my merry way. It took 20 years of denial, the inhaling of every page on the OA Sydney website (did you know Overeaters Anonymous has approximately 6,500 meetings in over 80 countries?), many nights of intense self-loathing and abuse in the form of binges – further abuse in the form of over-exercise – and as mentioned, the fact I could reward myself with my favourite food following the meeting.

Let me offer you a glimpse into this obsession of mine: If you and I were sharing a meal, and I didn’t get the lion’s share, I would feel unsatisfied and frustrated with you.

Below are a few of the 15 questions published on the OA website: •

Do I eat when I’m not hungry, or not eat when my body needs nourishment?

•

Do I go on eating binges for no apparent reason, sometimes eating until I’m stuffed or even feel sick?

•

Are there certain foods I can’t stop eating after having the first bite?

•

Have I ever eaten food that is burned, frozen, or spoilt; from containers in the grocery store; or out of the garbage?

thebrag.com

Illustrations by Geraldine Buzzo

To be completely honest, the only reason I decided to go to an Overeaters Anonymous (OA) meeting was because it was a three minute walk from a place that sells the chips I like. The irony isn’t lost on me. It’s like having phone sex with a former lover before you head to church with your wife, or drinking yourself into oblivion before you donate a kidney.

Perhaps that’s why it’s taken me so long to admit fault. My issues with and dependence on food have become unmanageable (Step One: tick.)

FEATURE

“I SAW MYSELF IN ALL OF THEM.

THE SHAMEFUL HABITS THEY TALKED ABOUT, THE SELF-ABUSE THAT WAS BINGE-EATING, AND THE VOICE THAT TOLD ME TO KEEP GOING WHEN THE FOOD WAS LITERALLY BEING STACKED INSIDE MY ESOPHAGUS” Perhaps the questions are posted as a wake-up call for those in denial.

Perhaps they’re a test to see if OA really is for you.

I answered yes to every single one of them.

I was scared when I walked through the doors. My heart was racing as I followed the signs up the staircase – ‘OA Meeting This Way’. I felt like passers-by could see the shame and fear on my face as I slowly scaled the stairs. ‘No willpower’ they were thinking. ‘Do you seriously have no self control?’ ‘What a privileged and selfish addiction you have.’

I took one of those anachronistic ‘only in Downton Abbey’ deep breaths when I walked in. It usually helps the protagonist, I thought.

When I opened the doors it was nothing like I had expected: a quitterati of sorts, all facing a lone lectern which they’d grace one-byone for a timed speech.

Instead it was four people; three women and a male with the kindest eyes you ever saw and a mixed energy of hope and despair.

Ellen* spoke first. She followed the rules of a ‘newcomers meeting’ where she took me through three things: what it was like before OA, what it’s like now, and what she did to put down the food and maintain abstinence. Speaking with her eyes closed, then downcast, she said she’s attended a meeting almost every day for the past 18 years, that it saved her life; that it helped her process the root cause: childhood trauma.

Clinton* spoke next. Talking through the grey curtain of his long, rather incredible, hair, he said he was a poly-addict. He was celebrating an eight-month streak of no McDonald’s – that was his binge food. We all have them apparently, and in OA they’re to be completely avoided.

He then outlined what was involved in the OA program – the fact there were 12 Steps, 12 Traditions, the Nine Tools of Recovery, and multiple books of literature specifically created for those involved.

The best part was when he explained the community of OA, the fact they were all there to help, would never judge, and that this was a safe space. He smiled sweetly at me after and that felt really nice.

Mary*, who chaired the meeting, had been in the program for a year after what she called a 50-year losing battle with compulsive overeating. Glancing over at me as she shared, perhaps to make me feel included, perhaps sensitive to any reactions, she talked about her hidden stash of chocolate and lollies, and how the first 15 minutes of overeating were great, but it was just self-destruction after that. And the way she was able to lose 25 kgs in a month only to put it all back on just as quick.

confessions and pledges written in the pages of the family bible, years of detoxing under the watchful eyes of the medical elite and an actual revelation where Bill saw God and promised to turn his life around.

“One thing I do know, is that if you just do the program, do the program, do the program, then it actually works,” she finished.

Granted, each meeting features a sign that reads: ‘What you see here, what you hear here, let is stay here’, but countless recovery memoirs have been released on the subject, even more articles like this one, and milestones publicly celebrated – just ask Eminem.

I saw myself in all of them. The shameful habits they talked about, the self-abuse that was binge-eating, and the voice that told me to keep going when the food was literally being stacked inside my esophagus.

The voice that I listened to because it sounded just like me. The voice they would later tell me was the disease talking.

What I imagine would have been largely ‘anonymous’ back then in its beginnings – what with all the shame related to anything enjoyable and of course the missing advent of the internet – now feels like some half-arsed tip of the hat to the days of old.

It’s been six weeks since I first stepped into an OA meeting. I’ve been to many meetings since. I’ve struggled with questions like, ‘Is

this not the blind leading the blind?’, ‘Could this bring up trauma I’m not ready to cope with?’, and ‘If so-andso still relapses after 26 years in the program then what hope is there for me?’ But I’ve also had a-ha moments and emotional breakthroughs too.

OA may not stick. I might get to the end of the year and decide it’s not for me. I may fall deeper into the annals of food addiction and feel more hopeless than before.

Right after that first meeting though, something shifted in me.

I walked past the shop that sells my favourite chips, and into a local store to buy vegetables for a soup. Things felt different. *Real names have been withheld.

If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, visit please call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or visit www.lifeline.org.au/gethelp.

It was Sandra* that I identified most with. She said there’s an OA saying, “One is too much, 1000 is never enough”. She said her food obsession began in her childhood when she would wake up before dawn to steal biscuits from the tin.

She spoke with the hypnotic cadence of an Oscar Wilde poem.

She said she had trouble with the three letter word that’s needed to complete Step 2: ‘Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.’

She said it was hard for her to join in on the Serenity Prayer at each meeting, but that eventually she found a higher power within herself that pulled her through.

Until now I had felt a shame that had hardened and calcified; like I was the first and only person to carry a dark secret like this. That in a world of excess and in a lucky country like Australia, I had found a way to abuse my privilege and tell it that it wasn’t enough.

“My name is Poppy and I’m a compulsive overeater…”

The fable behind the AA phenom (which OA is based on) reads like a Dickens novella. Founded by stockbroker Bill Wilson, and surgeon Bob Smith in Ohio in 1935 (could it get any more white?), it includes

“IT’S MY FIRST AND MOST INTENSE LOVE.

iT’S ALWAYS THERE FOR ME; IT COMFORTS ME; IT EASES MY STRESS AND GIVES ME SOMETHING TO LOOK FORWARD TO” thebrag.com

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film + tv

FEATURE

You

The Bumbling Cheekiness of SLiDE, Revisited Remember ‘SLiDE’? Erin Dick sure does, and wants us to cherish the show for all its irrefutable charm, despite its ups and downs.

■ TV

The Rom-Com Relationship Fairytale and You Alasdair Belling writes about new Netflix series ‘You’, and how it absolutely shatters the expected sweetness and fantastical splendour of your typical rom-com relationship

“I

I was in my early high school years when I discovered Australia’s less grimy answer to Skins (UK). SLiDE weaves authentically-cringe Aussie humour into the experiences of Ed, Scarlett, Eva, Luke and Tammy – five Brisbane students in their final year of high school – as they dabble in sex, drugs, heartbreak, and identity crisis.

want you to notice when I’m not around” is a lyric from Radiohead’s ‘Creep’ that could well sum up the attitude towards romantic pursuit that rom-coms instil in viewers.

We all know how RomComs work. Man and woman meet, presumably both working in slapstick, ordinary corporate careers, à la The Office - the guy is an ordinary everyday bloke, the woman is just after someone kind. Guy pursues woman with every ounce of his being, and voilà, we share a kiss on the Empire State Building (thanks Sleepless In Seattle.)

It’s the fail-safe model that has made movies like Love Actually, The Holiday & Green Card such a hit - but that’s now being challenged in the new Netflix thriller You, based off Caroline Kepnes’ 2014 novel.

It glistens with heartwarming sentiment, stories of family trouble, and social and emotional estrangement. It’s a classic coming of age story, lifted by the summer vibes of Brisbane and the Aussie mantra of mateship.

There are more direct references scattered throughout the writing too, with 1986 movie Hannah and Her Sisters being called out for portraying the seduction of a woman through stalking. “He waits near her apartment and stages a run-in. Brilliant, romantic. Love takes work,” says Joe. Given Netflix’s own reputation for invading privacy, it might seem a tad hypocritical for the show to promote social privacy online - but that still doesn’t dull the power of the show.

In an ironic twist, it is Beck who then apologises for seeming like a stalker when she recognises Joe on the street - despite the fact Joe has been masturbating outside her house.

“A man pursuing a woman, and sometimes even being horrible to her, is portrayed as romantic”

“We’ve all grown up watching those movies dozens of times, in which a man pursuing a woman, and sometimes even being horrible to her, is portrayed as romantic,” says Kepnes, speaking to The Guardian.

In the show, protagonist Joe meets Beck in a bookstore and proceeds to stalk her and find out everything about her - in a way that is purely creepy.

The script ties his obsession with Beck directly to the pattern portrayed in Rom-Coms - “I’ve seen enough romantic comedies to know guys like me are always getting into jams like this,” he reflects after finding himself hiding in her bathroom after breaking into her house to see her - a move that would most definitely get you sent to jail in real life.

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A

hidden gem in Australian teen dramas, fox8’s SLiDE (2011) is your typical modern tale of friendship and self-discovery that fronts up to all the hiccups of adolescence. It’s awkward-attimes exposé on early adulthood failed to capture enough of a viewership to be renewed for another season, a contemporary television crime against my young heart.

“Girls are taught from a young age that if a boy is mean to you that means he likes you, and men are taught that if a woman seems obsessive that means she’s crazy”, said Kepnes.

The show aims to reveal how dangerous - and potentially deadly - our culture’s obsession with the fairytale romance with a charming stranger can be. As with all things folks, Thom Yorke reminds us that just because you talk smoothly, it doesn’t change the fact that there are creeps and weirdos everywhere. ■

Tammy (Gracie Gilbert) is a charming aspiring journalist and raging perfectionist, who loosens up and finds herself caught between all-round stud Luke (Brenton Thwaites), and neighbour and childhood best friend Ed Newman (Ben Schumann).

Eva (Adele Perovic) holds ‘more secrets than the Vatican’, and Scarlett (Emily Robins) is the rich daddy’s girl who charms these unlikely personalities into amity.

Each character gave my younger self something to latch on to.

Retrospectively, Australian dramas have rarely produced dazzling dramatic performances.

Truth be told, SLiDE fails to offer any five-star acts in its young talent pool.

It’s Spirit is Strong and its Exploration of Young Relationships is Admirable Lying in a park slide, the brooding and mysterious Eva reflects through a haze of a spliff on the impact Scarlett has had on their summer friendly fling: “Maybe she’s like the sun. How she sucks everything in toward it.”

All to which hot and troubled Luke, equally stoned, replies: “She thinks she’s the centre of the Universe.”

Scarlett’s sudden move from Melbourne to Brisbane brings the team together, where these former acquaintances might not have ever crossed paths beyond a polite nod at the school lockers.

The adventurous teens spend a questionable amount of time in the Valley and clubbing in “BrisVegas” as opposed to behind desks at school.

But let’s be real. Nothing all that exciting happens at school. That is, if you disregard Eva breaking into school after hours and torching the agora, and a wild hotel party that ends with the

“There’s something organic about dumping five young unlikely friends in a tricky spot, where the curiosity of the teen soul sounds true” thebrag.com

SLiDE

five students meeting in the back of a divvy van.

The onset of such a beautiful friendship is fairly unrealistic, but still more believable than teen TV predecessors.

settings from Brisbane to the Gold Coast, and a killer soundtrack that champions Australian artists (featuring tracks from Architecture in Helsinki, Miami Horror, Operator Please and Gypsy & The Cat).

Great Companions Have Often Come in Fives

A baby-faced Ball Park Music and Last Dinosaurs perform for punters, accentuating a carefree summer party in the sun. The SLiDE soundtrack boasts a Brisbane-rich soundtrack, that struggles to find transnational relevance like that of Skins.

From Enid Blyton’s The Famous Five to Scooby-Doo’s own Mystery Inc., our fascination with group dynamics has shaped the stories we tell. The Breakfast Club (1985) is an infamous on-screen example of the prevalence of cliques, personality clashes, and newfound friendship.

There’s something organic about dumping five young, unlikely friends in a tricky spot, where the curiosity of the teen soul sounds true. Yet, SLiDE never spoke to the tormented Tumblr teens who made Skins a mainstream success.

SLiDE is unapologetically Australian in its sound, sourcing local music festival

The series was one of the first in Australian television to incorporate multi-platform programming, after ABC’s Fat Cow Motel (2003). ‘Before Bits’ and ‘After Bits’ connected episodes with story background via YouTube.

Releasing content through social media, SLiDE was one step ahead of the game and had all the potential to hit the mark. But again, it just wasn’t quite enough.

Their efforts to capture the hearts of Australian youth fell short. Perhaps it attempted to foster an online presence before its audience was ready; the visual nature of the show exceeded anything Facebook and Myspace were prepared for, the YouTube boom had only just begun, and Instagram was a newborn platform still finding its feet.

As is the case with most Aussie TV dramas, the humour might not have held the capability to translate abroad.

Ultimately, the homage to Skins was caricatured and cliché. Perhaps the premise of ‘live while you’re young’ wasn’t far enough removed from the stereotypical teen prototype to achieve anything significant.

Yet, if SLiDE does the fabled story any justice, the freedom of the Sunshine State and the ‘live first, think later’ antics of the protagonists create a world that is nothing short of lifeaffirming.

“It’s all about giving it a red-hot go. Or rather, celebrating their glorious fuckups and letting it all come together in an explosion of spontaneity” “I don’t really believe in best friends,” Scarlett brushes off Eva’s concern.

Eva persists: “Well, they still believe in you.”

SLiDE is brimming with hope, a stark contrast to popular teen dramas of its kind. Every character created a ‘that’s me’ moment for my young and idealistic self. They foil each other in a way that is simple and meaningful.

They share a sense of staring life square in the face. It’s all about giving it a red-hot go. Or rather, celebrating their glorious fuck-ups and letting it all come together in an explosion of spontaneity.

The clichés are cringe-worthy here and there – perhaps given more room to move with another season, SLiDE could have deepened the complexity of their character’s motives. Yet, we will never know what might have been. Instead, we must cherish what we have in SLiDE, for all its bumbling cheekiness. ■

“A classic coming of age story, lifted by the summer vibes of Brisbane and the Aussie mantra of mateship” thebrag.com

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film + tv

The Element of Redemption Erin Dick explains why Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender needs to do what Shyamalan’s shoddy movie attempt could not

“The 2010 M. Night Shyamalan live action film was a theatrical and political disaster”

F

ew children’s television programs boast the complexity of Nickelodeon’s Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005). With the new live action series adaptation set to to begin production this year, it hurts to think how hard the first attempt at a real-life remake failed.

The 2010 M. Night Shyamalan live action film was a theatrical and political disaster. Gutchurning CGI shots aside, the real problem with this remake was a lack of authenticity.

The intricate world built by the animated series is lost in Shyamalan’s miscast venture. He fumbles through a poorly condensed plot, dismissing the discourses laid out by its animated predecessor.

Racial stereotypes are thoughtlessly emphasised, where re a young Dev Patel plays the villain, Fire Nation Prince Zuko, and our protagonists are unnecessarily white. They might ght be Eskimos from the Water Tribe, but, their colour is the least significant aspect of their identity as characters and as products of a bigger conversation ersation of global, communal and individual harmony.

It’s a lot for a young audience to digest - but it works Yet, these themes are communicated with elegance and integrity.

Explorations of globalisation, authoritarianism and revolution, coincide with Aang’s philosophical realisations of morality, human connection and destiny.

Avatar takes heed of morality tropes in both Western and east-Asian animation and cinema. Aang’s destiny to save the world foils his youthful disposition, ultimately forcing him to mature. banished prince of the Fire Nation and son of Fire Zuko (Dante Basco) is the banishe Lord Ozai. His driving force is a chance at redemption, which he believes can be achieved by capturin capturing the Avatar and delivering him to his father. Zuko endures suffering, before learning the dangers of greed and anger.

Aang grapples with his fate, as he considers whether he is capable of murder for the greater good. With the tutelage of mentors, from the living and spirit worlds, Aang and Zuko’s juxtaposed paths lead to restored honour for them both.

The original TV series The original series follows an airbender named Aang g (voiced by Zach Tyler Eisen), who discovers that he is the next Avatar, ar, the earthly guardian of humankind. Fearing the responsibility of his demi-God status, Aang flees his home in the Air Kingdom.

As a deadly storm hits, he is forced to preserve himself in the depths of the ocean. 100 years passes before he is discovered in an iceberg by two young members of the Southern Water Tribe: a waterbender named Katara (Mae Whitman) and her brother Sokka (Jack DeSena).

Aang wakes to learn that the world has been engulfed in war, led by the Fire Nation. Aang must master all four elements – air, water, earth and fire – to defeat the Fire Lord, end the 100-year war and restore peace and balance to civilisation.

In a pre-colonial Asiatic setting, the Avatar exists to maintain harmony in society. Only they can master all four elements. This becomes essential when Aang must conquer Fire Lord Ozai (Mark Hamill): whose father, Fire Lord Sozin, initiated the war and conducted the extermination of the Earth’s Air Nomads.

Aang, who is only 12-years-old, must come to terms with the extinction of his people. He must halt the Fire Lord’s plan to achieve world domination and elevation of a Fire Nation master race.

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Left: M. Night Shyamalan.

Above: Aang played by Noah Ringer, in the 2010 live action version of Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Opposite: Avatar: The Last Airbender animated cartoon.

The cultural consultants c t art direction that guided the

“Avatar invites its young audience to consider what really matters in life. In the words of Uncle Iroh himself: “Who are you?

What do you want?”

Few W F Western cartoons have adapted anime-style storytelling and characterisation, as well as imagery and symbolism as genuinely as the original TV series.

While the creators of the series were interested in Western legends and modern epics like Harry Potter (2001-2011) and Lord of the Rings (2001-2003), they were ultimately inspired by Chinese art and religion, east-Asian history and mythology.

They brought on cultural consultants in Edwin Zane and calligrapher Siu-Leung Lee to help guide the art direction and world-building of the series. Set designs deviate slightly from the landscapes that inspire them, so as not enforce racial stereotyping.

The indicators of each elemental faction are represented in authentic Chinese characters, except for the Fire Nation symbol, which was adapted to prevent cultural fear-mongering. Aang’s plight to learn all four elements comes with knowledge and tales of mythological Sun Gods, hybrid animals, firebending dragons, spiritual encounters, and the ways of nature. Aang’s mission allows him to understand that the contrasting elements of the world cannot thrive without each other. thebrag.com

FEATURE

Many of Aang’s key allies, a collaboration of lay people and exiled royalty, are affected by some form of ailment exacerbated by the imperialistic war, ranging from poverty, systematic sexism and disability to emotional instability.

Toph is blind but can Earth-bend by feeling the vibrations of the Earth. Katara will not be limited by misogyny in her efforts to master the art of water-bending. Zuko overcomes his fury and takes on the wisdom of his uncle Iroh (Mako Iwamatsu and Greg Baldwin), who has believed in his good nature all along. Sokka cannot bend, so he looks to his father and the expertise of a swordsman to become a purposeful leader.

Our five key characters are all young children, seeking spiritual and intellectual nourishment from their elders and revolting against their oppressors. Avatar invites its young audience to consider what really matters in life. In the words of Uncle Iroh himself: “Who are you? What do you want?” thebrag.com

Avatar: The Last Airbender goes above and beyond any western animation of the early 21st century The series reaches new heights to create a lasting impression on its young viewers. It instills a level of cultural sensibility and hope that young people are not trapped by their physical, emotional or societal circumstances.

It tells us that fate is not set in stone, and that good can prevail over evil. We can overcome tragedy and injustice to write our own destinies. This motive and audience are at the heart of Avatar’s validity, and will be the deciding factor of success in future remakes to come. ■

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parent talk

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How much of your kid’s world should you share online?

By Nick K

F

how fucken’ cute she is!

or a long time my maxim for personal social media use has been ‘a dignified silence.’

Yes, I have Instagram and Facebook, but I use them more for staying connected to friends and family, lurking in a deep, dark pool of envy than I do for sharing life goals and the like.

Nothing against people who do like to post the minutiae of their lives online. I just prefer not to. I’ve been perfectly content to diss content, you could say.

But then I had a kid. Suddenly a filtered lense was lifted from my eyes. The miracle of creation was bestowed upon my wife and I in the form of, objectively, the most beautiful baby ever born in the history of the Earth.

And I wanted to share every moment of her development with my all and sundry.

“Here’s her first smile.”

“Here’s her first roll over.”

“Here’s her first reaction to me telling her individual ego is an illusion and that we are all part of the greater universe experiencing itself subjectively.”

Ok, maybe a little too soon for that, but look

Should I circumcise my son?

By Luke Girgis

“S

hould I circumcise my son?” A question I must have asked 100 times in the two weeks after he was born.

Each day is a battle for my thumb, hooked and hovering over the latest photo of her on the roll, trying to not press upload. You know the feeling. And there’s nothing wrong with it. Your child is a miracle of creation too, so it’s natural to want to share.

But are you doing you and your kid a disservice by plastering their every giggle and toot online?

To begin with, there’s the scary facts. A UK study found that, on average, 973 photos are shared of a modern-day child by the time they turn five.

Whether you’re an instagram celebrity or just a regular everyday social media user, what sort of digital identity are you creating for your kid?

And is it going to be fair to them in the future?

Isn’t just giving them a shitty hipster name enough?

Then there’s the downright horrible chance of their images being stolen and used for nefarious reasons, which to be quite honest, I don’t even want to entertain here. Suffice to say, you can Google them, and people are fucked.

Finally, in our disposable world, where

Why was I considering it? It’s certainly not necessary in 2019 and is a hotly debated topic amongst health professionals. And I’m Christian, so there’s no religious reason to have it done, but ultimately I chose to do it.

What I find most interesting is Dr. Dilley, (hilarious name for a circumcision surgeon) who performed the circumcision presented very compelling medical reasons to have it done, but when I asked him if he’d get his own son circumcised he said “No”.

the lines between public and private are becoming increasingly blurred, don’t you think it’s important to keep some things sacred?

Sure, take a million photos. Print them out, chuck ‘em in an old school album, and use them to bore the hell out of any sucker unlucky enough to walk through your front door.

Carry the best one in your wallet. Shit, even go old school and send your friends and family an email.

But think twice about uploading scores of your innermost memories onto the servers of social media platforms you have little to no control of, despite what their privacy settings tell you.

There’s more to life than the muted recognition from the network of extended family and semi-strangers that make up the majority of our social media followers, and it’s not worth the Faustian pact you make with the Zuckerbergs of this world to do so.

And really, if you’re going to be sued by your own kid when they turn 18, you’d at least want it to be for something cool, like naming them Fonzy.

His answer: I can deal with any issues that may arise so I wouldn’t bother.

Interesting, but his reason for not circumcising doesn’t apply to me as I wouldn’t have a clue on how to manage said “issues”.

So anyway, here are the reasons I decided to circumcise my son. I can’t pretend they are all concrete reasons, some are most obviously superfi cial, but others are more legitimate.

No? Why not?

1.

2.

3.

4.

Teenage hygiene

Adult circumcision horror stories

Medical reasons

I surveyed my circle

Men who are circumcised are less likely to get sexually transmitted infections • A decreased risk of urinary tract infections • Men circumcised in childhood/adolescence have a substantially reduced risk of invasive penile cancer

The majority of my friends all circumcised their boys.

Not surprising for my Egyptian and ethnic friends, but definitely surprising for my white Australian friends.

Nearly all of my ethnic friends had circumcision done, and more than 50% of my white friends had it done. So really, I wanted my son’s dick to look like most people’s.

Yes, it’s 2019 and we have showers now, but I’ve heard many first hand horrors of teenage boys who didn’t clean themselves properly and then their parents are left having to deal with the infection. No thank you.

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I heard one firsthand account of someone who had to get a circumcision as an adult for medical reasons. NO. THANK. YOU!!!

•

I remember at school kids who weren’t circumcised were teased, and I went to a mostly-white school in the Sutherland Shire of Sydney. Lame, but a reality.

5.

I wanted my son’s dick to look like mine Superficial, yes, but it was definitely a small contributing factor in the decision. thebrag.com

what are the kids wearing?

Get these and more at The Brag Markets

Your local library is the ultimate Dad hack

By Nick K

T

he modern day library isn’t what you’d expect. Gone are the days of tired spaces offering nothing more than dusty old stacks of John Grisham novels, photocopiers the size of small minivans and giant red ‘SHOOSH’ signs.

Walk into your local branch now and, if you’ve got a half-decent council that’s not afraid to chuck in a bit of coin, you’ll find a digitally-connected hub providing accessible education and communication services to the entire community.

You’re just as likely to come across a 3D printer or a VR headset as you are a box set of scratched Black Adder DVDs. Of course, there’s still books, books and more books – and as there should be. All the new-fangled (and quickly outdated) innovation in the world is never going to replace the magic and wonder of a classic hard cover. I hope they never die. End rant.

But, best thing of all for young dads like yourself, there’s a host of free services provided by the library for kids, from infants all the way up to teenagers.

Hungover, on dad duty and looking for some time to kill? Scared that your baritone reading voice isn’t cutting it with the little one? Always wanted to teach junior how to code, but just didn’t know where to start?

Well friend, the library is the place for you, and each local library will be different in what it offers.

You can be sure it’ll include a list of services like • • • •

Reading classes Online education resources Free tutorials Anime gangs

Add to that the fact every kid’s book you could ever need – from Blinky Bill to A Rule is to Break: A Child’s Guide to Anarchy – is there for you to borrow. And all for free. You can even pick up something for the wife.

If you and the family aren’t already signed up to your local library, you need to be.

Oh, but before I go: Libraries are important cultural and social institutions. Not only do they provide an invaluable free service to the local community, they are gloriously uncompromised.

You can walk into one and know that you’re not going to be treated as a dollar sign. The people that work there (who also double as researchers, personal assistants, advocates and social workers) are there to provide a service to you, that’s funded by you.

They’re not selling you anything, other than a love of free, accessible learning for all. In today’s world, where it seems like every interaction we make has a sales pitch attached, it’s a refreshing feeling.

And it’ll take care of your kids for half an hour while you go and look at old science fiction books and David Boon biographies. Do you know how many stubbies Boony knocked back on the flight from Sydney to London? Go on an adventure to your local library and find out.

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Madder Than Ever

Hands-on: NACON’s Daija Arcade Stick

A

Ladies and gentlemen, we know the year has basically just begun, but we might just already have the most bizarre news story of 2019. Slightly Mad Studios, the development team behind the hardcore racing simulator Project CARS, is building a brand new video game system. And it’s going to be called the Mad Box.

re you a fighting game fanatic growing tired of your stock-standard controller? Well then, we have good news, because for PS4/ PS3/PC owners, NACON’s DAIJA Arcade Stick has everything you need.

We could not be more serious.

Or excited.

CEO and founder of Slightly Mad Studios group, Ian Bell, took to Twitter to announce the news, writing:

equivalent to a ‘very fast PC 2 years from now’.”

“What is the Mad Box? It’s the most powerful console ever built… It’s literally ‘Mad’…

You want 4k, you want VR at 60FPS? You want a full engine for free to develop your games on it? You have it.”

“We’re in early talks with manufacturers of components so we can’t say much more right now other than we have the designs specced out in detail.”

Speaking to Variety after the announcement, Bell continued to trickle out details.

Exclusives for the system, meanwhile, will be up to each individual developer, but the company claims it has no plans to pay for them.

“It will support most major VR headsets and those upcoming and the specs will be

While the console is apparently set to ship in

around three years and will be a console “as is the Xbox or PlayStation”, it’s worth noting that the studio doesn’t have any actual hardware experience. That said, prices will reportedly be competitive with the rest of the market.

The London-based studio was founded by Bell in 2009, and is best known for working on both Need for Speed: Shift and the Project CARS series. Only a couple of early images have been revealed, with the internals blurred for the time being.

Set at $349.95, some may initially balk at the premium price tag, but from the moment you start unboxing the DAIJA, it’s easy to see your money has been well spent. The unit simply oozes style; it’s simple, clean and, all things considered, relatively compact. There’s even a nifty compartment towards the back that helps hide the attached USB cord.

The level of customisation on offer is also surprisingly impressive. Pop the DAIJA’s hood and you’ll be free out the head of to not only change-out ut tinker with your primary stick, but witches. It’s several removable switches. re for certainly not a feature n everyone, but we can only assume truly hardcore players will appreciate the flexibility.

The storage space also houses a small screwdriver – allowing you to easily remove the faceplate and add your own personal flair in lieu of the two artworks provided.

Most importantly, once you’re in the thick of a game everything feels expectedly great. Buttons are well spaced and never stuck during any of our sessions, while the stick itself offers a great range of motion. We equally appreciated the substantial room at the bottom of the unit to rest your hands during long battles.

Needless to say, if you’ve been on the market for a quality arcade stick and can afford to spend a little extra money, NACON’s debut is well worth a look.

The NACON DAIJA Arcade Stick is now available from JB Hi-Fi and The Gamesmen.

reviewroundup

By Adam Guetti

Super Smash Bros. (Switch)

Fallout 76 (PS4, XB1, PC)

Battlefield V (PS4, XB1, PC)

For all the pun-filled jokes that can be made of the latest Smash Bros., it quite literally is the ultimate iteration in almost every way. The level of characters is immense, all your favourite characters are accounted for and the sheer polish on the gameplay is astounding. Sure, World of Light and Spirit Board won’t be 5 for everyone, but that classic Nintendo magic surrounds the whole package.

Fallout 76 had the potential to be something special, but the end result is instead a fairly buggy experiment that will likely soon be forgotten. If Bethesda continues to steadily patch away the sore points, there may be some redemption for this desolate wasteland, but you can’t help but think 2.5 it probably should have stayed in the vault a little longer.

Despite not packing as much fanfare as the last few entries, Battlefi eld V is still an impressively polished shooter. The multiplayer suite offers up expectedly tight, intense battles, while the inclusion of a single-player campaign provides a notable point of difference against the game’s 4 primary competitors. Even better is that it’s bloody good.

Tetris Effect (PS4)

Spyro Reignited Trilogy (PS4, XB1)

LEGO DC Super-Villains (PS4, XB1, Switch)

For a game that’s had an abundance of releases since 1984, it’s truly impressive that Tetris Effect is as engaging as it is. By taking the tried and tested gameplay, then layering entrancing musical tracks and stunning visuals over the top, developers Monstars and Resonair have created an amazingly creative experience that feels borderline 4.5 spiritual.

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Much like Crash Bandicoot’s N. Sane Trilogy, this is the definitive way to embrace your old-school nostalgia. Thanks to a complete visual overhaul that’s downright gorgeous, your favourite purple dragon looks and plays just as you remember.

The trio of adventures will be a tad easy for some, but it’s a small concession in an otherwise stellar 4 offering.

If you’ve played any of the LEGO games before, you know what you’re in for with this latest iteration. And while it often feels like more of the same, by switching up the hero/villain dynamic, the game does offer some unique twists – especially by making the most of its surprisingly delightful story and 3.5 character customisation.

thebrag.com

Gaming news and reviews with Adam Guetti

2019 games you need to know about Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (PS4, XB1, PC) Directed by the madman behind the crushingly difficult Souls series, Sekiro is a third-person action game with RPG elements, set in a re-imagined late 1500’s Japan. Think Dark Souls with ninjas and you’re on the right track.

Yoshi’s Crafted World (Switch)

N O K C SU IS

TH

Nintendo is playing its cards for the next 12 months incredibly close to the chest, so the only big game we know about so far for the year is this absolutely adorable platformer. Following a similar visual vein as Kirby’s Epic Yarn, Yoshi will be exploring a world crafted from household items like boxes and paper cups.

Doom Eternal

(PS4, XB1, Switch, PC)

This direct sequel to the 2016 hit includes updated armour, a new dash ability, an extendable blade and even a shoulder-mounted cannon for ultimate destruction. Plus, the inclusion of an invasion-based mode means you can allow other players into your game as enemies.

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

(PS4, XB1, PC)

Despite knowing nothing about Fallen Order’s gameplay, we do know that Respawn Entertainment will be the studio behind it. Considering the developer is known for its futuristic shooter franchise, Titanfall, it’s safe to assume this Star Wars title will follow a similar path. Just make sure we have plenty of lightsabers!

Send a lemon to someone you love (hate)

y p p a H day! h Birt

Days Gone

(PS4)

With Sony’s 2019 slate a little lacking compared to last year’s, there’s a bit of pressure behind Days Gone. You’ll follow outlaw biker Deacon St. John as he navigates his way through a world devastated by a global pandemic that has transformed humans into ‘Freakers’ (read: zombies).

The Last of Us: Part II (PS4) Okay, we’ll be honest, we don’t actually think Naughty Dog’s sequel will actually come out this year, but we’re quietly crossing our fingers all the same. That’s because The Last of Us was an incredibly harrowing and moving adventure that is easily regarded as one of the best games of this generation.

While we haven’t seen too much yet, Part II looks set to continue that trajectory and provide an incredibly brutal tale. thebrag.com

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ur o y k Checemail!!

u o y Why ad? m

Deliver-A-Lemon is a service that allows you to send anyone a Lemon with a personalised message on it.

Thinking of sending a Birthday, Congrats, Get Well Soon card?

This is a quirky and hilarious alternative to the traditional card!

deliveralemon.com.au BRAG :: 745 :: 06:03:19 :: 65

10 PERFECT VIDEO GAMES

Most people plan out dream dates and buy gifts for their significant others, but for some of us, curling up on the couch with someone special and getting stuck into some serious couples gaming is where it’s at.

With that said, we’ve picked out a list of 10 perfect games for pairs to play together – from titles that demand ultimate teamwork, to some less challenging options to accommodate a more casual better half.

Platformers, shooters and tricky puzzles are all accounted for, with some of the best co-op classics of the past decade on the list.

to play as a couple

To all the gaming couples out there – this is for you. Sharing a life with someone is way better when you’re sharing a screen.

Written by Brandon John

1.

1.

Overcooked & Overcooked 2

Planning to cook a romantic meal together? Why not team up as a duo of master chefs out to save the world from doom at the hands of a particularly angry (and hungry) spaghetti and meatball monster?

Overcooked and its sequel task you and up to three others (double-date, perhaps?) with working together to madly dash around a kitchen as you prepare meals together. It starts out simple, but with increasingly complicated dishes to make, and themed kitchens that throw up new hazards at every turn, things can quickly get heated.

You’ll need supreme teamwork and communication to get through some of these challenges, and the game will either bring you closer together as you work as a welloiled machine, or threaten to tear you apart completely if you start blaming one another for burning that critical burrito.

Where to get it: You’ll find these on consoles and PC, and they feel right at home on the Nintendo Switch, with the simple controls working perfectly on its tiny Joycons.

2.

2.

Rayman Origins & Rayman Legends

One of the greatest 2D platformers of the past decade, Rayman Origins, was perhaps surpassed by its sequel, but both are great options for two player cooperative gaming.

Silky-smooth controls, a gorgeous art style, and plenty of variety in level design make this a joy from start to finish. Casual players can just aim to get through each level, whereas more devoted gaming couples can work together to find every secret and hit 100%.

If you have to choose between the two, Rayman Legends might be the place to start, as you can eventually unlock a stack of levels from Origins anyway, and it introduces some different co-op mechanics to give your teamwork a proper test.

Where to get it: You can grab Legends especially on PC or pretty much any console by now, so take your pick.

3.

3.

5.

Dying Light

Want an excuse to cuddle up in fear?

Look no further than open-world zombie apocalypse simulator Dying Light. Armed with makeshift weapons, a variety of enemy types and some amazing parkour abilities, you’ll traverse a zombie-filled landscape together saving lives and completing missions – until it gets dark.

Once the sun sets, the true terror sets in, as a stronger breed of zombie predator emerges to hunt you mercilessly until you can scramble back to a safe house. This lets you set your own difficulty, sleeping through each night in a secure area if you don’t feel like fighting the impossible odds after dark.

You and up to three others will have plenty of fun watching each other’s backs as you parkour and zipline through city streets, but there’s also an expansion that focuses more on hauling arse cross country in your own personal dune buggy if your partner is a bit of a gearhead.

Where to get it: It’s often on sale on Steam for PC users, but you can also get it on PS4 and XB1.

You’ll need multiple copies of the game to play this one online or over LAN, and will have to get through the 45-minute tutorial section before a second player can join your game – but the experience is worth the hassle.

4.

4.

Who’s Your Daddy?

For couples who definitely aren’t thinking about having kids any time soon, this game casts one of you as a parent trying to keep their baby safe in a household full of dangerous items like knives and cleaning chemicals until the timer runs out (i.e. the other parent gets home).

All normal so far, except that player two takes the role of the baby, with the goal of getting their hands on these deadly items. And, well, you can probably guess the rest. Manage to find a fork and elude the dad on your way to the electrical outlet, and you win!

It sounds morbid, and it definitely is, but in practice it’s a silly game that will have you both feeling a little guilty as you double over in laughter at a baby hiding in an oven.

Where to get it: It’s on Steam, and it’s cheap as chips.

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5.

Portal 2

One of the most acclaimed games in recent memory, Portal allows players to play around with a physics-bending ‘portal gun’ to navigate otherwise impossible levels and escape from a creepy, sterile test facility run by a maniacal AI overseer.

Its sequel kicks things up a notch by letting two players join forces to throw twice as many portals around – or just mess with each other by coaxing your partner into stepping through your portal, and down a bottomless pit.

Death isn’t a huge setback, though, and you’ll have plenty of co-op fun cracking the mind-bending puzzles as a team. There’s no better chance to show off your brainpower to your partner.

Where to get it: PC is the best spot to pick this one up, and you can buy it standalone or bundled with its excellent single-player prequel. thebrag.com

FEATURE 6.

Castle Crashers

6.

An oldie, but definitely a goodie, Castle Crashers takes the old-school side-scrolling beat ’em up formula and adds a coat of cartoonish humour to create one of the definitive co-op games of its generation.

Taking on the role of a colourful posse of knights, you’ll slash and shoot your way through an epic journey backdropped by exciting environments, each with fun little details that make the world feel lived-in. And while the basic gameplay stays much the same throughout, there’s enough variety in the enemies and set-pieces to keep you and your companions engaged.

For animal lovers, there are dozens of helpful companion creatures to find hidden throughout the levels, too – from a bat that drains health from enemies, to a ram that periodically bowls them over. Add in a stack of weapons and characters to unlock and upgrade, and this one could easily become your new couples addiction.

3.

8.

Where to get it: Find it on Steam or Xbox One. It might be ten years old, but it’s a classic for a reason, and you can pick it up for a song.

9.

Stardew Valley

10.

Dream of running a business with your partner? Stardew Valley is the perfect dry run, as you join forces to build a thriving farm in a country town full of secrets waiting to be discovered.

7.

7.

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze

Another platformer, but also one of the most polished two-player experiences you’ll find, with controls that even non-gaming partners should be able to get their heads around pretty easily.

Difficulty can ramp up in parts, but you can always throw your partner on your shoulders and take control of both characters at once to help get through the tough moments, before setting them back down to tackle easier sections on their own.

There are four characters to try out, with some of them having more forgiving movement options to allow newer players to plot the perfect landing on each platform, and even a ‘Funky Mode’ that offers additional health points for a more relaxed playthrough.

Where to get it: This one is a Nintendo exclusive, so pick it up if you have a Switch.

thebrag.com

8.

Trine & Trine 2

Seeming at first to be a simple side-scrolling action-platformer, the Trine series tasks you with manipulating physics to traverse its beautifully rendered fantasy world, solving puzzles along the way.

You and your teammate can switch between a roster of three characters based on your play style, including a sturdy knight, an agile archer, and a wizard who can conjure platforms and move objects with telekinesis.

Spend a day planting crops, fishing and mining together, or split up for a bit to run errands separately and cover twice as much ground. However you choose to run your farm, you can do it as a team.

This is a great one to play together even if you’re on different schedules, as you can play solo sessions and still contribute to your farm’s success through a shared pool of money and resources.

Surprise your partner by baking them an in-game cake while they’re gone, or planting a grove of trees in the shape of their name!

Where to get it: Right now, the multiplayer mode is available on Switch and PC. A single player version is out on iOS and in the works for Android, but multiplayer for mobile versions is only planned for a later date at this stage, as it is for PS4 and XB1.

There are plenty of opportunities to discover your own organic solutions to the puzzles together and give each other a leg-up to reach hidden secrets, with upgrades allowing you to try more complex solutions and fight off enemies in unique ways.

Where to get it: The first two titles are available cheaply on Steam, and updated version have come to PS4 and Switch. Don’t be tempted by Trine 3 – its 3D nature robs the game of much of what made the first two so great.

9.

10.

Apex Legends

It’s only just been released, but this new ‘battle royale’ style shooter is already taking the fight to the hugely-popular Fortnite with millions of players battling it out at once online in this free-to-play title.

You and your partner can join a queue online together, and you’ll be matched with another player online to fill out your squad of three – but hey, they don’t need to know they’re the third wheel. Once you’re in, you’ll be watching each others’ backs as you flank and outfox the other 19 trios and try to become the last squad standing.

Things can get a little complicated for anyone not used to firstperson-shooters as you juggle new guns, attachments and abilities, but the game tries to make it all as straightforward as possible, and doesn’t require the resource-management and complicated fort-building of Fortnite to survive.

Where to get it: You’ll each need a PC to play this on, but it’s available free on EA’s Origin storefront, so you won’t be out of pocket if it’s not the couples game for you. ■

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Playing with the

band

Brandon John looks back on the greatest music games of all time, from rapping dogs to funky space reporters.

Right from the primitive loops of bleeps and bloops of the earliest arcade games, music has been an inseparable part of the gaming experience, and has been constantly evolving into the lush cinematic scores and dynamic soundtracks we have today.

Music games, though, are a different beast: the soundtrack doesn’t just complement the gameplay, it becomes the gameplay. Controllers become instruments, with the player’s rhythm just as vital as their reflexes, making for a level of immersion few other genres can match. Over the decades, music games have carved out their own unique niche in gaming culture, with all sorts of fascinating experiments and offshoots along the way.

“Music games, though, are a different beast: the soundtrack doesn’t just complement the gameplay, it becomes the gameplay” 68 :: BRAG :: 745 :: 06:03:19

The Dog Who Started It All If one creature can be credited for the popularity of mashing buttons in time to on-screen prompts, it was a pooch called Parappa the Rapper, whose 1996 debut really did change the game.

With a unique paperthin graphic style and a tonne of personality, it saw him rapping along with memorable co-stars like ‘Chop Chop Master Onion’, cementing lyrics like “Kick, punch, it’s all in the mind” into the memories of a generation of PlayStation gamers as

they hit buttons to get through the game’s handful of different tracks. Realistically, this is where rhythm gaming really began to take off.

It wasn’t just Parappa who was to thank for the rhythm game boom, though, as Konami also blew things wide open with the 1997 release of Beatmania, the DJ-themed arcade title that made instrument-shaped controllers a reality with its stripped-back turntable controller. Like Parappa, it was a gamechanger, and soon the shortened version of the title, ‘Bemani’, became shorthand

for the whole genre of music games – to the point that Beatmania‘s development studio Konami G.M.D. decided to adopt it as their new name.

Of course, arcades weren’t slacking off either in the ’90s, and served up one more undeniable rhythm classic in Dance Dance Revolution, which hit Japanese arcades in 1998 and instantly became the go-to icebreaker for a first date.

You’ve probably seen this one show up in countless movies and, while home versions were eventually released complete with floor-mat

peripherals, this really is a game that needs to be played in all its two-player arcade glory.

Rather than tapping buttons, it puts your legs to work instead as you stomp away to the beat, trying to look as coordinated as you possibly can as you keep up with the mad pace.

With so many different titles to choose from, rhythm and music games were a genuine craze, and with new home hardware on the way – and a generation of gamers ready to party into a new millennium – they weren’t going away any time soon. thebrag.com

FEATURE

“Being a pretty simple concept at their core, rhythm games could have easily become a fad, but instead they would thrive on the next generation of consoles”

Oppostie page: Parappa the Rapper 1996, Rhythm Heaven character, Clockwise from above: Ulala from Space Channel 5 and gameplay, Singstar, Dreamcast peripheral maracas from Samba de Amigo

Next Gen Experiments Being a pretty simple concept at their core, rhythm games could have easily become a fad, but instead they would thrive on the next generation of consoles.

Sega leapt into the game with 1999’s quirky arcade and Dreamcast hit Samba de Amigo, which saw players shaking along with a pair of maracas and was actually developed by the Sonic Team of Sonic The Hedgehog fame.

Space Channel 5 was another Sega-published hit on Dreamcast – even if its main character, the “funky space reporter” Ulala, saw the company sued by Deee-Lite member Lady Miss Kier for stealing her unmistakable image (spoilers: she somehow lost).

It was in 2001, however, when a new superpower of music games would emerge: Harmonix.

Having started out years earlier making experimental instrument controllers and software,

it was their first major title, Frequency, and its 2003 sequel Amplitude, that saw them begin down the path that would change music gaming for good. The games split each song up into distinct tracks for each instrument and allowed players to switch between them all, remixing them based on which path they took through the song – which gave us the first hint of the formula that the studio would soon perfect with Guitar Hero and Rock Band.

Another step forward would come with the popularity of Sony’s Singstar series and its Harmonix-made competitor Karaoke Revolution, which tapped into the hype surrounding the emergence of American Idol by gamifying karaoke and creating what was then the ultimate party game. In fact, Karaoke Revolution scored a couple of Idol-

thebrag.com

themed versions with the hosts appearing in-game, and would go on to make High School Musical versions as well, whereas Singstar was hugely successful in PAL territories, but didn’t quite dominate the U.S. market in the same way.

Speaking of idols, the arcades weren’t dead just yet, and one quirky series that would go on to make big waves in wider culture was The Idolmaster, which saw the player training a team of pop idols in a part management sim, part rhythm game. Since its 2005 arcade release, it’s spawned countless sequels across every platform imaginable, as well as its own anime series – but it also laid the groundwork for the emergence of the world’s biggest ‘vocaloid’ star, the simulated pop idol Hatsune Miku. A true pop sensation, the character’s recent

international stardom has also been accompanied by its own run of rhythm games in the Project DIVA series.

The 2000s also gave us one of the most stylish games ever to exist: Rez. Exploding onto the PlayStation 2 and Dreamcast in 2001, the game’s gorgeous style still holds up to this day with its HD and VR versions, the controller pulsating along to music that syncs up perfectly with the gameplay for a euphoric drug trip of an experience. Of course, the game got even more immersive with the use of the optional ‘Trance Vibrator’ accessory, a vibrating pack that drew comparisons to a sex toy at the time (for obvious reasons), and managed to bring the game some welcomed notoriety.

It wasn’t just home consoles getting all the love by now, and with the advent of the

Nintendo DS and Sony PSP, we saw some genuinely unforgettable music games released on hand-helds too.

2004’s Lumines became an instant classic, its music-driven take on the block-matching puzzle game turning the PSP into a ‘Lumines machine’ for many.

Meanwhile, Nintendo’s console gave us the gloriously off-the-wall Elite Beat Agents in 2006, putting players in the shoes of a musical task force cheering people through wacky life challenges.

Both it and the nowWesternised Rhythm Heaven series made perfect use of the touchscreen on the DS, concocting a formula that would work wonders in smartphone games too, with touch-based games like Tap Tap Revenge becoming big hits toward the end of the decade, and still making for popular timewasters today.

BRAG :: 745 :: 06:03:19 :: 69

Clockwise from above: Guitar Hero gameplay 2005, Just Dance 2009, DJ Hero console 2009, The Beatles Rock Band 2009 gameplay, Guitar Hero 2005 character

The Rise and Fall of the Plastic Rock Band

“Of course, we all know when music games hit their peak of popularity and commercial success – when everyone became a rock superstar in their own homes” 70 :: BRAG :: 745 :: 06:03:19

Of course, we all know when music games hit their peak of popularity and commercial success – when everyone became a rock superstar in their own homes. When Guitar Hero first hit in 2005, it turned not just music gaming but gaming in general on its head. Its miniature Gibson SG controller and hit-laden tracklist (even if many were cover versions) gave it the worldwide appeal it needed. Everyone was rocking out in their living rooms, and the game was racking up universal acclaim in the gaming press too, while an improved track list helped its sequel Guitar Hero II became an even bigger hit.

It was here that the band would break up all too soon, and arguably the demise of rhythm gaming would begin. With so much

success, the series was suddenly bought out by Activision, while Harmonix were nabbed

by MTV Networks. Soon a swathe of sequels and alternate versions followed as Activision cashed in on their hot new property, from era-themed packs like Guitar Hero: Rocks the ’80s, to band-specific titles focused on acts like Metallica, Aerosmith and Van Halen. The game was everywhere.

While this was all happening, though, Harmonix weren’t sitting idle, and had headed back in the lab working on the game that would take the genre to even greater heights. Released in 2007, Rock Band allowed players to bring together not just a pair of guitars to compete against one another, but a whole band. With varied, expandable tracklists and razor-

honed gameplay, its two sequels (and competitors Guitar Hero: World Tour and Band Hero) became the ultimate realisation of the long-running Bemani genre, bringing the arcades into the home for the ultimate party game.

Of course, the bubble burst – and quickly.

From the dizzying heights of securing the elusive and ridiculously expensive catalogue of The Beatles: Rock Band – even presenting the game onstage with Paul McCartney – the genre soon became oversaturated, and sidesteps like the turntable-toting DJ Hero did little to expand the appeal.

Ultimately, after years of clogging up our houses with plastic instruments, the novelty began to wear off for many – not helped by the exhaustion that came

with the endless run of sequels and spinoffs from both Rock Band and especially Guitar Hero. The games would introduce everything from more complex guitar peripherals to keyboards in an effort to keep things fresh, but by the end of the decade most of us have dropped our little plastic axes off at the nearest charity store.

The rhythm genre wasn’t done quite yet, though, with the brief emergence of home dance games that hoped to pick up the party game mantle. Motion controls were ubiquitous and all the rage thanks to Nintendo’s Wii, and the idea of waving your arms around and dancing like you just didn’t care was in fashion, so Just Dance hit it big when it released in 2009, with sequels still being released in 2018. thebrag.com

FEATURE

“Music has been an inseparable part of the gaming experience, and has been constantly evolving into the lush cinematic scores and dynamic soundtracks we have today”

The Search For the New Sound With the Guitar Hero boom and subsequent crash still ringing in the ears of many gamers (and publishers), the next big revolution in music games is, for now, still waiting in the wings. Rhythm titles are still ever-present in arcades, of course, but what else is out there for the less hardcore music gamers?

Rock Band VR figured virtual reality could be the next big thing by putting guitar hero players right up there on a virtual stage, but it loses out on the co-operative joy of forming a band with mates, dinky little instruments and all.

Harmonix have since tried to bring their music game expertise to the realm of board games with the pretty nifty DropMix, which lets players craft live remixes with collectible cards, but it didn’t exactly set the world on fire. thebrag.com

Smaller-scale titles like Crypt of the NecroDancer mashed the ancient rogue-like genre together with rhythm games into a surprisingly successful whole – even letting players control the action with an oldschool dance mat – but overall, there haven’t been that many recent titles capturing the playful energy of the mid-’90s rhythm game.

Perhaps, though, the ready availability of free music-making software for every computer and phone has opened doors for people to not just rap along as a cartoon dog, but make their own hip hop music instead. Could Music 2000 have had the right idea, skipping the strict note highways of the rhythm game and empowering people to actually create, rather than follow?

Or maybe the next huge music gaming craze is just around the corner, waiting to sell us all another batch of plastic instruments. ■

Clockwise from top: Playstation 4 Fender Stratocaster, Dropmix board game, Rock Band VR, Crypt of the NecroDancer, Oculus Rift headset and earphones for use with Rock Band VR. BRAG :: 745 :: 06:03:19 :: 71

gig guide Slayer

Mediterramìa Max Watt's, Moore Park.

Ross Wilson Brass Monkey, Cronulla.

Shannon & The Clams Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst.

The Jesus And Mary Chain Sydney Opera House, Sydney.

The Soul Movers Metro Theatre, Sydney.

FRIDAY 08 MARCH

FRI

08

MAR

Download Festival 2019

Parramatta Park, Parramatta.

Slayer, Judas Priest, Alice In PICK OF THE Chains, Ghost, Rise Against, ISSUE The Amity Affliction, Sum 41, Anthrax, Pennywise, Halestorm, Behemoth, Me First And The Gimme Gimmes, I Prevail, Thy Art Is Murder, Polaris, Twelve Foot Ninja, Converge, Frenzal Rhomb, Luca Brasi, Code Orange, Fever 333, War On Women, Slaves, High Tension, Outright, Ruins, Alien Weaponry, Voyager, Plus More WEDNESDAY 06 MARCH

Sum 41

Bex Marshall Brass Monkey, Cronulla.

POND Metro Theatre, Sydney.

The Internet Sydney Opera House, Sydney.

THURSDAY 07 MARCH

FRI

08

Sum 41

Crowbar Sydney, Leichhardt.

They may not be performing on the 41st day of Summer, but Sum 41 know how to make you feel like it’s summer break all over again. Releasing music since 2000, the band have made a name for themselves with their undeniable stage presence. Let’s just hope they perform ‘Grab The Devil By the Horns and **** Him Up the ***’.

MAR

72 :: BRAG :: 745 :: 06:03:19

#Uniteforthenight Metro Theatre, Sydney.

Anaal Nathrakh Crowbar Sydney, Leichhardt.

David August Max Watt's, Moore Park.

Jamie Hutchings & Darren Cross Sydney Opera House, Sydney.

Jungle Jams With Zachary Young Metro Theatre, Sydney.

Anaal Nathrakh Max Watt's, Moore Park.

Baba Stiltz Civic Underground, Sydney.

Bench Press Marrickville Bowling Club, Marrickville.

Chase City Brighton Up Bar, Darlinghurst.

Dasha Rush + Dr.Rubinstein Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst.

Engelbert Humperdinck Stagaryte Theatre, Sydney.

Eugene Hideaway Bridges Brass Monkey, Cronulla.

Great Gable The Lansdowne, Sydney.

Happy Mondays Enmore Theatre, Newtown.

Lamalo Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst.

Liz Phair Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst.

Mickey Avalon + Dirt Nasty Max Watt's, Moore Park.

Millencolin UNSW Round House Snail Mail Max Watt's, Moore Park.

Tash Sultana Hordern Pavilion, Moore Park.

The Beasts Metro Theatre, Sydney.

SATURDAY 09 MARCH C.W. Stoneking Theatre Royal, Sydney.

Candys Apartment ft. Sub-Human Candy's Apartment, Potts Point.

Darren Styles Enmore Theatre, Newtown.

Dart Champs Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst.

Days Like This Victoria Park, Camperdown.

Disco Dreams Civic Hotel Download Festival Parramatta Park, Parramatta.

Enzo Ishall Max Watt's, Moore Park.

Eugene Hideaway Bridges Parramatta Park, Parramatta.

G Fest Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney Olympic Park.

Girls On Deck Free Entry!

Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst.

Homemade ft.

Royaal Home Nightclub House Of Shem

Bring Me The Horizon

FRI

12 APR

Bring Me The Horizon

Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney Olympic Park.

Genre benders Bring Me The Horizon are back with their atmospheric and razor-sharp new record amo, and with this arena performance slated for April, fans of old and new will be treated to a slew of iconic songs from the band’s expansive and ever-evolving discography.

Metro Theatre, Sydney.

JJ Lin Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney Olympic Park.

John Prine State Theatre, Sydney.

Kid Ink The Star, Pyrmont.

Mia Dyson Bridge Hotel, Rozelle.

Michael Mayer Civic Hotel Mickey Avalon + Dirt Nasty Max Watt's, Moore Park.

Stella Donnelly Theatre Royal, Sydney.

The Know The Vanguard The Night Is Ours ft. Mashd N Kutcher The Argyle, The Rocks.

The Strides Brass Monkey, Cronulla.

TUESDAY 12 MARCH Death Cab For Cutie Sydney Opera House, Sydney.

Luka Bloom The Basement, Sydney.

Neko Case Metro Theatre, Sydney.

Sully Test The Basement, Sydney.

WEDNESDAY 13 MARCH Alien Weaponry The Basement, Sydney.

Daoiri Farrell Brass Monkey, Cronulla.

Divinyls Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst.

Eagles Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney Olympic Park.

The Original Gypsies Enmore Theatre, Newtown.

The Regime Presents: Discotheque The Vanguard Tourist Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst.

THURSDAY 14 MARCH Bob Evans Narrabeen RSL, North Narrabeen.

John Mayer

SUNDAY 10 MARCH Christine And The Queens Enmore Theatre, Newtown.

Clint Boge Crowbar Sydney, Leichhardt.

Eric Nam Metro Theatre, Sydney.

Hippo Campus Manning Bar, Camperdown.

House Of Shem The Basement, Sydney.

Jade Imagine Theatre Royal, Sydney.

Nymph Lazybones Lounge, Marrickville.

The Necks Theatre Royal, Sydney.

MONDAY 11 MARCH Death Cab For Cutie Sydney Opera House, Sydney.

FRI

29

MAR

John Mayer

Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney Olympic Park.

Recognised as a “master” guitarist by many, John Mayer returns to impress. There’s something undeniably magic about seeing the man in his element onstage. Be ready to be absolutely blown away.

thebrag.com

Gary Clark Jr.

Panania.

Butterfingers The Basement, Sydney.

Kenny G The Big Top, Milsons Point.

Mapstone Brass Monkey, Cronulla.

MONDAY 18 MARCH

THU

18 APR

Florida Georgia Line Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney Olympic Park.

Lebo M Sydney Opera House, Sydney.

Gary Clark Jr.

Enmore Theatre, Newtown.

This Land hasn’t been out for long, but it’s already shaping up to be one of the most ferocious and powerful albums to come out this year. And now Gary Clark Jr. is heading our way, for a concert that will undoubtedly be spoken about for months to come.

Duoud Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst.

Eagles Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney Olympic Park.

Field Of Wolves The Vanguard Khruangbin Metro Theatre, Sydney.

The Getaway Plan + Dream On Dreamer Narrabeen RSL, North Narrabeen.

Young Monks Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst.

FRIDAY 15 MARCH Anthony Naples Civic Underground, Sydney.

Badrapper The Basement, Sydney.

Clea The Lansdowne,

Sydney.

Clews Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst.

Dead Letter Circus Narrabeen RSL, North Narrabeen.

Death By Denim Slyfox, Enmore.

Divinyls Enmore Theatre, Newtown.

Julia Jacklin Metro Theatre, Sydney.

Keep It Disco Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst.

Khruangbin Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst.

Monterey Pop Festival Brass Monkey, Cronulla.

Soilwork Manning Bar, Camperdown.

The Getaway Plan + Dream On

Ghostemane

FRI

17 MAY

Ghostemane Manning Bar, Camperdown.

By now you’ve surely destroyed one or two speakers to ‘Mercury: Retrograde’, or shattered the windows of your car to ‘Nihil’. Well the good news is that Ghostemane is coming to Manning Bar, and you will leave as just a skeleton once the bass baptises you.

Post Malone

Dreamer The Basement, Sydney.

SATURDAY 16 MARCH Boy George (DJ Set) Ivy, Sydney.

Butterfingers Manning Bar, Camperdown.

Candys Apartment ft. Volac Candy's Apartment, Potts Point.

Clews Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst.

Dead Letter Circus Hoey Moey Pub, Coffs Harbour.

Drake Appreciation Night Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst.

Everything 90's (House, UK Garage & Trance) Burdekin Hotel, Darlinghurst.

Francis Xavier Ivy, Sydney.

Heatspell Theatre Royal, Sydney.

J Mascis Theatre Royal, Sydney.

Jay Rock Metro Theatre, Sydney.

Pillager Burdekin Hotel, Darlinghurst.

Sister Peach The Vanguard Slumberjack Enmore Theatre, Newtown.

Soilwork Max Watt's, Moore Park.

The Night Is Ours ft. Keyes The Argyle, The Rocks.

Tired Lion Crowbar Sydney, Leichhardt.

Young Monks Ivy, Sydney.

SUNDAY 17 MARCH 1927 Panania Hotel,

TUE

Amy Shark photo by Michelle Pitiris

07 MAY

TUESDAY 19 MARCH Apollo’s Gift: Music And The Mind Home Nightclub Luke Combs Enmore Theatre, Newtown.

WEDNESDAY 20 MARCH Kodaline Metro Theatre, Sydney.

The Earth Bloomers Brass Monkey, Cronulla.

THURSDAY 21 MARCH Caravana Sun + Labrassbanda The Lansdowne, Sydney.

Ed Kuepper Marrickville Bowling Club, Marrickville.

Nth Rd Band Home Nightclub

FRIDAY 22 MARCH 70's Tribute Night The Basement, Sydney.

Bec Lavelle & Ben Ransom Leadbelly, Newtown.

Booka Shade Metro Theatre, Sydney.

Caravana Sun + Labrassbanda Miranda Hotel, Miranda.

Charlie Collins The Lansdowne, Sydney.

Crocodylus Marrickville Bowling Club, Marrickville.

Gang Of Four Manning Bar, Camperdown.

Rojdar The Argyle, The Rocks.

Sasquatch Time and Tide Hotel, Dee Why. Tapestry Crowbar Sydney, Leichhardt.

The Black Sorrows Manning Bar, Camperdown.

The West End Blues The Argyle, The Rocks.

Thrash Blast Grind Max Watt's, Moore Park.

Post Malone

Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney Olympic Park.

Post Malone needs no introduction. 49 million monthly listeners on WED Spotify and two critically acclaimed albums under MAY his belt. Tickets will sell like hotcakes, this is one you do not want to miss.

08

thebrag.com

SATURDAY 23 MARCH Bugs The Lansdowne, Sydney.

Candy’s Apartment Takeover The Oxford Hotel ft.

Scndl The Bank Hotel, Newtown.

Carla Geneve The Bank Hotel, Newtown.

Collarbones Red Rattler, Marrickville.

Comfy Grrrl Presents; Luen ft Isa, Pamadelic, Raquel, Tinah Tokyo Sing Song, Newtown.

Crocodylus The Basement, Sydney.

Gavin James Manning Bar, Camperdown.

Goodbye Pikelet A Memorial Service Max Watt's, Moore Park.

Homemade ft.

Iamwolfpack Home Nightclub Jarren Benton Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst.

Jesabel The Argyle, The Rocks.

Kodaline Enmore Theatre, Newtown.

Marchin Powder Discotekka Max Watt's, Moore Park.

Max & Iggor Cavalera Metro Theatre, Sydney.

PLTS Red Rattler, Marrickville.

Raise The Vibration - The Festival Of Love The Basement, Sydney.

Red Hot Summer Tour The Lansdowne, Sydney.

Renée Geyer Brass Monkey, Cronulla.

Roc The Boat: Miami Edition The Basement, Sydney.

Ross From Friends Max Watt's, Moore Park.

Slaves Crowbar Sydney, Leichhardt.

The Brave Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst.

The Drop Keirle Park, Manly.

WAAX Max Watt's, Moore Park.

SUNDAY 24 MARCH Bryan Adams ICC Sydney Theatre, Sydney.

Grey Goose Riviera Sunday Brass Monkey, Cronulla.

Max & Iggor Cavalera The Basement, Sydney.

Nashville Alive The Basement, Sydney.

Red Hot Chili Peppers Tribute The Basement, Sydney.

Reece Mastin Brass Monkey, Cronulla.

Sammy Johnson ICC Sydney Theatre, Sydney.

Sasquatch

Frankie's Pizza, Sydney.

Simone Waddell The Basement, Sydney.

Soul Of Sydney Brass Monkey, Cronulla.

Amy Shark

MONDAY 25 MARCH OzHarvest CEO CookOff Hordern Pavilion, Moore Park.

WEDNESDAY 27 MARCH Lucy Dacus Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst.

Slaves The Basement, Sydney.

THURSDAY 28 MARCH Fergus James Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst.

John Corabi & Band Crowbar Sydney, Leichhardt.

Mason The Basement, Sydney.

FRIDAY 29 MARCH Bag Raiders Manning Bar, Camperdown.

Being Jane Lane Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst.

Busby Marou The Bridge Hotel, Rozelle.

Cone Of Confusion Brighton Up Bar, Darlinghurst.

Matt Corby Hordern Pavilion, Moore Park.

Rose Tattoo + Hard Ons Metro Theatre, Sydney.

Sons Of The East Manning Bar, Camperdown.

The Soul Movers Bridge Hotel, Rozelle.

Tower Of Power Max Watt's, Moore Park.

Tropical F*Ck Storm Marrickville Bowling Club, Marrickville.

SATURDAY 30 MARCH Last Dinosaurs Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst.

Lez Zeppelin The Bridge Hotel, Rozelle.

Royaal Home Nightclub Saint-Léon 107 Projects, Redfern.

The Frank Burkitt Band The Vanguard The Ocean Party Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst.

The Smith Street Band Enmore Theatre, Newtown.

Yeo Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst.

SUNDAY 31 MARCH Anne-Marie Enmore Theatre, Newtown.

Last Dinosaurs Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst.

The Beths Crowbar Sydney, Leichhardt.

TUESDAY 02 APRIL Emperor Metro Theatre,

FRI

10

MAY

Amy Shark

Hordern Pavilion, Moore Park.

Queensland’s own ARIA award winning Amy Shark has a voice that cannot be easily forgotten. Pouring out her heart over 2018’s Love Monster, she now hopes to share her pain and ambition with you - so go say hi.

Sydney.

WEDNESDAY 03 APRIL 1000mods The Basement, Sydney.

THURSDAY 04 APRIL Megan Grace Blight Brass Monkey, Cronulla.

Pat Tierney Lazybones Lounge, Marrickville.

Simone Waddell The Vanguard The Angels Sydney Opera House, Sydney.

The Goons Of Doom Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst.

FRIDAY 05 APRIL Arno Faraji The Lansdowne, Sydney.

Boatkeeper The Vanguard Bondi Cigars The Bridge Hotel, Rozelle.

Boo Seeka Enmore Theatre, Newtown.

Bryce Cohen Brass Monkey, Cronulla.

Cast Down Burdekin Hotel, Darlinghurst.

Goons Of Doom Narrabeen RSL, North Narrabeen.

Jacquees Enmore Theatre, Newtown.

Odette Metro Theatre, Sydney.

Ro The Bank Hotel, Newtown.

Rory Mcleod Enmore Theatre, Newtown.

Yung Gravy Burdekin Hotel, Darlinghurst.

SATURDAY 06 APRIL Heist Fest Crowbar Sydney, Leichhardt.

Marcus Santoro The Star, Pyrmont.

Meg Mac

Enmore Theatre, Newtown.

Patrick James The Lansdowne, Sydney.

Peking Duk Hordern Pavilion, Moore Park.

SUNDAY 07 APRIL Jo Jo Smith + Lucie Thorn Bridge Hotel, Rozelle.

Joker Xue Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney Olympic Park.

WEDNESDAY 10 APRIL Middle Kids Metro Theatre, Sydney.

Miles Clementine Brass Monkey, Cronulla.

Omnium Gatherum + Orpheus Omega The Basement, Sydney.

THURSDAY 11 APRIL Boris The Blade The Basement, Sydney.

Francesca Gonzales Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst.

Lagerstein Crowbar Sydney, Leichhardt.

Mallrat Metro Theatre, Sydney.

Mark Wilkinson Brass Monkey, Cronulla.

FRIDAY 12 APRIL Afro Moses The Spirit Of Hugh Masekela Lazybones Lounge, Marrickville. $25 Aquila Young The Vanguard Baker Boy Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst.

Cub Sport Enmore Theatre, Newtown.

Fractures Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst.

My Leonard Cohen The Bridge Hotel, Rozelle.

BRAG :: 745 :: 06:03:19 :: 73

gig guide For our full gig and club listings, head to thebrag. com/gig-guide.

Mallrat Metro Theatre, Sydney.

Matt Corby Hordern Pavilion, Moore Park.

Omnium Gatherum + Orpheus Omega Crowbar Sydney, Leichhardt.

Rhythm Hunters Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst.

SATURDAY 13 APRIL Adrian Eagle The Bank Hotel, Newtown.

Boris The Blade Crowbar Sydney, Leichhardt.

Diesel Leadbelly, Newtown.

King Dude Leadbelly, Newtown.

Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats Metro Theatre, Sydney.

PURE Hordern Pavilion, Moore Park.

Red Hot Summer

Tour The Bridge Hotel, Rozelle.

Ted Mulry Gang The Bridge Hotel, Rozelle.

SUNDAY 14 APRIL Cousin Tony's Brand New Firebird The Basement, Sydney.

Fantastic Negrito Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst.

Norah Jones State Theatre, Sydney.

Tony Avati + 360 Degrees The Vanguard

MONDAY 15 APRIL Kurt Vile Enmore Theatre, Newtown.

Norah Jones State Theatre, Sydney.

The Marcus King Band Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst.

David Gray Enmore Theatre, Newtown.

Sara Watkins City Recital Hall, Sydney.

WEDNESDAY 17 APRIL Arlo Guthrie City Recital Hall, Sydney.

Boris The Blade The Eastern, Bondi Junction.

Trevor Hall Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst.

THURSDAY 18 APRIL Flogging Molly Metro Theatre, Sydney.

Good Boy The Lansdowne, Sydney.

Pete Wells The Bridge Hotel, Rozelle.

Port Royal Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst.

FRIDAY 19 APRIL Bad Friday Fraser Park, Marrickville.

The Story So Far + Basement UNSW Round House

TUESDAY 16 APRIL

SATURDAY 20 APRIL

Broods

Bec Stevens The Chippendale Hotel, Chippendale.

Chillinit Metro Theatre, Sydney.

Einmusik Burdekin Hotel, Darlinghurst.

Nahko &Amp; Medicine For The People Metro Theatre, Sydney.

Parliament Funkadelic Enmore Theatre, Newtown.

Primitive Man Crowbar Sydney, Leichhardt.

Spiral Stairs Burdekin Hotel, Darlinghurst.

SUNDAY 21 APRIL Snarky Puppy Enmore Theatre, Newtown.

Tommy Emmanuel Sydney Opera House, Sydney.

Touch Bass Hordern Pavilion, Moore Park.

Xavier Wulf The Lansdowne, Sydney.

MONDAY 22 APRIL Hozier Sydney Opera House, Sydney.

Larkin Poe Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst.

TUESDAY 23 APRIL Hozier Sydney Opera House, Sydney.

The Soldier'S Wife Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst.

Van Duren + Band Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst.

WEDNESDAY 24 APRIL

TUE

28 MAY

Broods

Enmore Theatre, Newtown.

Back in the spotlight in spectacular fashion, Broods are back to perform some of their most authentic songs to date. They’ve managed to not feed the pop monster, and hope that you’ll join them in starving that beast out.

Nina Nesbitt

Jungle Enmore Theatre, Newtown.

Phaseone Civic Underground, Sydney.

Ray LaMontagne State Theatre, Sydney.

The Resignators + The Beatdown Crowbar Sydney, Leichhardt.

Touch Sensitive Metro Theatre, Sydney.

Vintage Trouble Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst.

THURSDAY 25 APRIL

TUE

Metro Theatre, Sydney.

With one of the most beautiful album covers of the year, The Sun Will Come Up, The Seasons Will Change has proved Nina Nesbitt to be a powerful force in music. Be sure to catch her setlist of sunlight-drenched ballads and tunes as they grace the Metro Theatre soon.

74 :: BRAG :: 745 :: 06:03:19

FRIDAY 26 APRIL At The Gates + More Manning Bar, Camperdown.

Darkcell

SATURDAY 27 APRIL At The Gates + More Max Watt's, Moore Park.

Colin Hay State Theatre, Sydney.

Dizzy Wright Valve Bar, Sydney.

Kerser Metro Theatre, Sydney.

Machine Age Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst.

Mini Folk Fest Hordern Pavilion, Moore Park.

Pagan Hordern Pavilion, Moore Park.

Phil Jamieson Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst.

Russian Circles Manning Bar, Camperdown.

The Radiators Valve Bar, Sydney.

Zebrahead + Death By Stereo Narrabeen RSL, North Narrabeen.

SUNDAY 28 APRIL Dizzy Wright The Lansdowne, Sydney.

Sik-K Metro Theatre, Sydney.

William Crighton Brass Monkey, Cronulla.

Zebrahead + Death By Stereo Crowbar Sydney, Leichhardt.

TUESDAY 30 APRIL Aurora Enmore Theatre, Newtown.

Billie Eilish Hordern Pavilion, Moore Park.

Demon Days The Bank Hotel, Newtown.

Rejjie Snow Metro Theatre, Sydney.

WEDNESDAY 01 MAY G Flip Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst.

Sofi Tukker Metro Theatre, Sydney.

THURSDAY 02 MAY G Flip Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst.

FRIDAY 03 MAY Hypocrisy + Kataklysm Metro Theatre, Sydney.

Pagan Proud Marys, Erina.

Up The Swellians Avalon Beach RSL Club, Avalon.

SATURDAY 04 MAY Baby Animals Metro Theatre, Sydney.

Daniel Champagne Theatre Royal, Sydney.

Pagan

Crowbar Sydney, Leichhardt.

Thornhill The Chippendale Hotel, Chippendale.

MONDAY 06 MAY Dean Lewis Enmore Theatre, Newtown.

TUESDAY 07 MAY Dennis Lloyd Max Watt's, Moore Park.

WEDNESDAY 08 MAY Dave Graney And The Mistly Brass Monkey, Cronulla.

Hugh Cornwell The Basement, Sydney.

MØ + Duckwrth Luna Park, Milsons Point.

THURSDAY 09 MAY Hugh Cornwell Manning Bar, Camperdown.

Mick Thomas & The Roving Commission Bridge Hotel, Rozelle.

Tiny Ruins Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst.

FRIDAY 10 MAY Amy Shark Hordern Pavilion, Moore Park.

Ferla Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst.

Hugh Cornwell Max Watt's, Moore Park.

Long Way South The Bridge Hotel, Rozelle.

Smalltown & Sash Home Nightclub The Maes Leadbelly, Newtown.

The Pigs Brass Monkey, Cronulla.

SATURDAY 11 MAY Dan Sultan Leadbelly, Newtown.

Diesel The Royal Hotel QBN, Queanbeyan.

Hellions Max Watt's, Moore Park.

Human Nature ICC Sydney Theatre, Sydney.

James Morrison + Kurt Elling Sydney Town Hall, Sydney.

Ne Obliviscaris Manning Bar, Camperdown.

Peking Duk Sydney Town Hall, Sydney.

Petula Clark State Theatre, Sydney.

The Pigs Leadbelly, Newtown.

The Screaming Jets Metro Theatre, Sydney.

SUNDAY 12 MAY Avantasia Metro Theatre, Sydney.

Kacey Musgraves Enmore Theatre, Newtown.

MONDAY 13 MAY Eric Bibb Brass Monkey, Cronulla.

Laurel

THU

23 MAY

Laurel

Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst.

Laurel just wants to be adored. And you can show her due adoration as she tours her latest album DOGVIOLET, a lovesick and passionate album of longing, desperation and hurt. You may want to bring the tissues for this one.

WEDNESDAY 15 MAY Propagandhi Max Watt's, Moore Park.

THURSDAY 16 MAY Eluveitie Manning Bar, Camperdown.

Thrice Metro Theatre, Sydney.

FRIDAY 17 MAY Dear Seattle The Lansdowne, Sydney.

Diesel The Bridge Hotel, Rozelle.

Drew Mcalister Home Nightclub Hellions Metro Theatre, Sydney.

Jamie Jones Home Nightclub Propagandhi Max Watt's, Moore Park.

SATURDAY 18 MAY Bongzilla Crowbar Sydney, Leichhardt.

Dear Seattle Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst.

Diesel The Bridge Hotel, Rozelle.

Ferla Bridge Hotel, Rozelle.

Propagandhi Metro Theatre, Sydney.

Sun Kil Moon Theatre Royal, Sydney.

MONDAY 20 MAY Jeff Tweedy Metro Theatre, Sydney.

WEDNESDAY 22 MAY Eric Steckel Band The Basement, Sydney.

Korpiklaani Manning Bar, Camperdown.

Ruby Fields Metro Theatre, Sydney.

The Proclaimers Sydney Opera House, Sydney.

THURSDAY 23 MAY Chris Cain + Simon Kinny-

Lewis Brass Monkey, Cronulla.

Korpiklaani The Basement, Sydney.

FRIDAY 24 MAY Concrete Palms The Lansdowne, Sydney.

Crooked Colours Enmore Theatre, Newtown.

Dragon Brass Monkey, Cronulla.

Eric Steckel The Bridge Hotel, Rozelle.

Korpiklaani Max Watt's, Moore Park.

Ruby Fields Crowbar Sydney, Leichhardt.

The Cure Sydney Opera House, Sydney.

SATURDAY 25 MAY Canned Heat The Bridge Hotel, Rozelle.

The Cure Sydney Opera House, Sydney.

Theo Von Metro Theatre, Sydney.

MONDAY 27 MAY The Cure Sydney Opera House, Sydney.

TUESDAY 28 MAY The Cure Sydney Opera House, Sydney.

THURSDAY 30 MAY Destroyer 666 + Bolzer The Lansdowne, Sydney.

Set Mo Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst.

FRIDAY 31 MAY I Know Leopard Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst.

Mi-Sex The Bridge Hotel, Rozelle.

Running Touch Metro Theatre, Sydney.

The Maes Theatre Royal, Sydney.

Broods photo by Kelia Anne

28 MAY

Nina Nesbitt

Little Steven And The Disciples Of Soul Enmore Theatre, Newtown.

Ray LaMontagne State Theatre, Sydney.

Skullcave Crowbar Sydney, Leichhardt.

The California Honeydrops Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst.

Agincourt Hotel, Sydney.

Good Boy The Lansdowne, Sydney.

Guttermouth Narrabeen RSL, North Narrabeen.

Russian Circles Max Watt's, Moore Park.

Sevendust Metro Theatre, Sydney.

thebrag.com

Amy Shark

John Mayer

Nick Offerman

Joel Creasey

Urzila Carlson

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Photo Credit: Jarrad Seng, Dark Mofo