The Brag #438

*M\\a )QZ[ 4]OIZ *WI

BRAG :: 438 :: 14:11:11 :: 3

INSIDER EXCLUSIVE 20% OFF TICKETS

CONCCERT HALLL. FROMM $799*

SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE PRESENTS IN ASSOCIATION WITH NICHE PRODUCTIONS & LIVE NATION AUSTRALIA

O GA NG R I A C E H T G N I R U T A FE

$39* 5 MAR · CONCERT HALL · FROM CHESTRA TRYING OR LY EN AV HE A TO NG NI TE LIS IF “AS LA WEEKLY TO SWEEP YOU OFF YOUR FEET”

JOIN US ON FACEBOOK ‘MUSIC AT THE HOUSE’ *A TRANSACTION FEE OF $5 - $8.50 APPLIES TO ALL BOOKINGS, EXCEPT INSIDERS.

4 :: BRAG :: 438 :: 14:11:11

BOOK NOW SYDNEYOPERAHOUSE.COM/MUSIC

BRAG :: 438 :: 14:11:11 :: 5

6 :: BRAG :: 438 :: 14:11:11

Starts 31/10/11. Daily Auctions close 11.59pm on 27/02/12. Second Chance entry closes: 11.59pm on 23/04/12 (Melb time). To enter, purchase a specially marked product during promo period, visit www.summerrewind.com.au to register,

Level 5, 111 Cecil Street, South Melbourne VIC 3205.

HELPLINE: 1800 244 054. Authorised under NSW Permit No. LTPS/11/06159; Vic Permit No. 11/1299; ACT Permit No. TP 11/02582.1; SA Licence No. T11/1324

ALL entries submitted. Second Chance Draw: 4:00pm 30/04/12 at L15, 61 Lavender Street, Milsons Point NSW 2061. Entrants must be aged 14 years+. Full T&Cs: www.summerrewind.com.au. Promoter: Schweppes Australia Pty Ltd.

once. Thread Creds received varies with pack size. Highest bid wins in a Daily Auction. Multiple Daily Auctions will be conducted. See site for full Auction rules. Retain original specially marked label/packaging with unique codes used for

enter unique code(s) to activate Thread Creds, then start bidding for your chance to win a retro t-shirt. To bid on the Coles Exclusive design you need a minimum of one code from Coles’ 15 x 375ml can pack. Unique codes can only be used

TIX ON SALE 9am MONDAY 21st NOVEMBER! McMANUS ENTERTAINMENT PRESENTS

WITH SPECIAL GUESTS

Wednesday 21st March

Sydney Entertainment Centre N E W

A L B U M

ticketmaster.com.au 136 100

NEW ALBUM ROSES

lennykravitz.com mcmanusentertainment.com FOR TRAVEL AND ACCOMMODATION PACKAGES CONTACT: info@impactravel.com IN STORES NOW

IN STORES FEB 10

BRAG :: 438 :: 14:11:11 :: 7

8 :: BRAG :: 438 :: 14:11:11

Share songs, chat about music and more with your friends BBM.™ Only on the new BBM Music. Only on BlackBerry® BBM Music users can create a 50-song profile to share with their friends.

The more BBM Music friends you have, the more songs you can listen to.

You can take a peek at your friends’ playlists, chat about music over BBM, tag your favorite tunes, and more.

With all that great music to discover, play, and talk about, your BlackBerry smartphone is the only music player you’ll need to connect with your friends on a whole new level.

BBM™Music. Try it for free for up to 30 days*

*New BBM Music users only. May not be combined with other offers. Payment information required to receive full trial period. Following trial user placed into automatically renewing monthly subscription plan unless cancelled before end of trial period. Limited time introductory offer may vary by BlackBerry device or carrier. Additional charges may apply. Subject to change. See au.blackberry.com/bbmmusic for complete details and restrictions. © 2011 Research In Motion Limited. All rights reserved. BlackBerry®, RIM®, Research In Motion® and related trademarks, names and logos are the property of Research In Motion Limited and are registered and/or used in the U.S. and countries around the world

BRAG :: 438 :: 14:11:11 :: 9

rock music news welcome to the frontline: what’s goin’ on around town... with Nathan Jolly and Steph Harmon

five things WITH

GEOFFREY O’CONNOR when I was around 12; my mum thought they were a bit crap but I remember listening to them a lot, possibly to rebel. This was around the time I started playing guitar, though I was more eager to learn The Offspring’s back catalogue than any surfer hits. My earliest and key childhood music memory would be seeing the Rolling Stones play at the MCG when I was about eight or so. I liked their song ‘Walking The Dog’ at the time, and I thought ‘Let’s Spend The Night Together’ was about a slumber party.

Inspirations As far as musicians go, Dory Previn, Lou 2.

Reed and Lawrence (from Felt) will always be a big deal for me. I like the wise-cracking singer-songwriter types, and the three of them have very strong personalities that come across on every record. There is something very juvenile about them too, which I love.

Dory Previn was a real fluke for me – I found three of her records in a bargain bin and (being very young and excitable) I took a chance. I usually get the urge to make music after watching a movie. Especially coming-ofage movies.

1.

Growing Up My parents were never musicians – far from it. They were more into motorbikes. My

mum adores Mick Jagger, so I was introduced to him and his pals pretty early on. I found some Beach Boys records in the cupboard

PUBLISHERS: Adam Zammit & Rob Furst EDITOR IN CHIEF: Adam Zammit 9552 6333 adam@peergroupmedia.com

ADVERTISING: Matthew Cowley - 0431 917 359 / (02) 8394 9492 matthew@thebrag.com ADVERTISING: Les White - 0405 581 125 / (02) 8394 9027 les@thebrag.com ADVERTISING: Meaghan Meredith - 0423 655 091 / (02) 8394 9168 meaghan@thebrag.com GIG & CLUB GUIDE CO-ORDINATOR: Conrad Richters - gigguide@thebrag.com (rock) clubguide@thebrag.com (dance & parties) INTERNS: Sigourney Berndt, Greg Clennar, Julian de Lorenzo REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS: Simon Binns, Michael Brown, Liz Brown, Bridie Connell, Bridie Connellan, Ben Cooper, Oliver Downes, Alasdair Duncan, Max Easton, Tony Edwards, Christie Eliezer, Murray Engleheart, Henry Florence, Mike Gee, Chris Honnery, Nathan Jolly, Alex Lindsay Jones, Robbie Miles, Peter Neathway, Hugh Robertson, Matt Roden, Emma Salkild, Romi Scodellaro, Rach Seneviratne, Luke Telford, Rick Warner Please send mail NOT ACCOUNTS direct to this address 8a Marlborough Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010 ph - (02) 9552 6333 fax - (02) 9319 2227 EDITORIAL POLICY: The views and opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the Publisher, Editor or Staff of The Brag.

ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE: Stephen Forde : accounts@furstmedia.com.au ph - (03) 9428 3600 fax - (03) 9428 3611 Furst Media, 3 Newton Street Richmond Victoria 3121 DEADLINES: Editorial Wednesday 12pm (no extensions) Art Work, Ad Bookings Thursday 12pm (no extensions) Ad Cancellations Tuesday 4pm Published by Cartrage P/L ACN 104026388 All content copyrighted to Cartrage 2003 DISTRIBUTION: Wanna get The Brag? Email distribution@ furstmedia.com.au or phone 03 9428 3600.

PRINTED BY SPOTPRESS: www.spotpress.com.au 24 – 26 Lilian Fowler Place, Marrickville NSW 2204 Win a giveaway? Mail us a stamped and addressed envelope, and we’ll send your prize on over...

10 :: BRAG :: 438 :: 14:11:11

Neon Indian

NEON INDIAN TOUR

American chillwave purveyor Neon Indian has had a tough time of it. His debut album Psychic Chasms was meticulously recorded in his home studio (read: bedroom), and then he went and left the master cassette on the dashboard of his car, where the sun warped the tape into the woozy, lo-fi record that he ended up releasing [citation needed]. Luckily, this sound was quite the rage a few years ago, so he repeated the trick for album two and is acid-tripping out to Australia for a tour. You’ll be able to catch them/him (he has a band on this tour, ya’hear) on March 2 at The Standard.

The Music You Make I make upbeat romantic pop music.

4.

I record mostly in my own studio, and my neighbours hate me. I love writing and singing duets, and pretty soon I’d like to make a duet album. At the moment I’m toying with some brass arrangements, though I think it will have to be fake brass as I don’t like the way trumpet players’ cheeks expand when they blow.

Music, Right Here, Right Now I like that independent music has become 5. more diverse – less ‘indie’, if you will. It’s great to be a musician in Melbourne; we are very privileged, as it’s easy to find a job that will get you by and allow enough time for music.

What: Vanity Is Forever is out now through Chapter Music With: Twerps (joint album launch)

Your Crew Yikes. I guess my ‘crew’, as far as musicmaking goes, are my friends in Melbourne.

Where: GoodGod Small Club

Never Coming, which took five years and five world-class studios to complete, the funds for which were raised through fan donation and support. The Sydney show happens at The Factory Theatre on Wednesday January 11, and tickets are on sale now.

ANNANDALE’S XMAS

WORLD BAR AND THE MACHINE

EDITOR: Steph Harmon steph@thebrag.com 02 9698 9645 ARTS & ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Dee Jefferson dee@thebrag.com 02 9690 2731 STAFF WRITERS: Jonno Seidler, Caitlin Welsh NEWS: Nathan Jolly, Chris Honnery ART DIRECTOR: Sarah Bryant GRAPHIC DESIGN: Alan Parry SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER: Tim Levy SNAP PHOTOGRAPHERS: Katrina Clarke, Ashley Mar, Daniel Munns, Thomas Peachey, George Popov, Sam Whiteside, Tim Whitney COVER PHOTO: Tony Mott

3.

They’re a nice bunch – a healthy mixture of filthy layabouts and ambitious know-it-alls. It’s nice to have door spots and riders to steal, too. I’m not much of a collaborator in terms of actual songwriting, but I do like to work with people in other ways – like with remixes and guitar solos.

Florence has a Machine, and Chris and Rob from that Machine are DJing at The World Bar on Tuesday November 15. It’s happening straight after that Florence & The Machine Debit Mastercard show you don’t have a hope in hell of getting into anymore (although: red wig, black flowing sparkly cape coat, you on my shoulders… you picking up what I’m putting down?) She dates one of them too, so will probably be holding his drinks behind the decks all night.

BROUS

That old adage ‘Brous before hous’ certainly applies to Melbourne chanteuse (lazy journalistic term for ‘bird what sings’) Brous, who you should put before pretty much everything – except maybe your partner, because he/she might take that a little personally... Still, does your partner sing old-worldly, soulful, shimmering, widescreen pop, and will he/she be launching a self-titled EP on Friday November 18 at FBi Social?

Didn’t think so. You should really re-think this relationship.

When: Friday November 18

Ever the purveyors of Christmas cheer, the perennially ‘For Sale’ Annandale Hotel announced its Xmas party a while back, which takes place this Thursday November 17 with Oh Mercy, Underlights, Tim Fitz and a bunch more. Last week, they sent us details for their other seasonal parties; the second annual Roxing Day on Boxing Day, featuring The Celibate Rifles, Gay Paris, Raise The Crazy and more; and New Year’s Eve at the Annandale, featuring FloatingMe, Strangers and Colt 44s, with a countdown screamed out by British India in the headline slot.

If you’re going to any gigs at the ‘Dale between now and then, bring a pressie to put under the tree for their annual Smith Family drive.

SAND PEBBLES LAUNCH DARK MAGIC

It’s album number five for Melbourne’s dark, psychy, rock swirls Sand Pebbles, and most of Sydney still don’t seem to know who they are. That they supported Dean Wareham (Galaxie 500, anyone?) should be enough, but they even roped him into playing on their fifth album – along with Tim Holmes (Death in Vegas), Will Carruthers (Spacemen3, Spiritualized) and Britta Phillips (Luna). The record is called Dark Magic, and they’re launching it at GoodGod Small Club on Saturday December 3. One member is 20, another’s over 50, the other three belong to the decades between, and their sound spans the eras just as much as they do.

Dappled Cities

MY MORNING JACKET

It was hinted at last week when they were amongst the first lineup for next year’s Bluesfest in Byron, but Love Police Touring followed through with some sideshows for the soft ‘60s psych merchants of My Morning Jacket. Jim James & Co. will be heading to the Enmore Theatre on Tuesday April 3 to mesmerise you with hazy builds and dazzling crescendos – they are incredible live – from a back-catalogue that spans over ten years and six disparate LPs, their most recent being this year’s acclaimed and quite brilliant Circuital. They make pretty loud sounds, so bring your backbone.

THE RED PAINTINGS

If you’re a Facebook fan of The Red Paintings, you may have been one of the many who ‘liked’ a post which – if it accrued a thousand thumbuppences – would force the band to end their huge year in the US and come back to home to Australia for a national tour. They got the likes and they’re heading here early next year with their peculiar brand of prog rock-meets-theatre; this tour incorporates human canvases, live art, projections, and about a zillion different instruments. They’ll be showing off new stuff from their impending album, The Revolution Is

DAPPLED CITIES

Last time these guys showcased a new record, they did it in a storage crate compound, with art installations inspired by each track and a big old gig at the end. The album was Zounds – it was brilliant and, we think, criminally overlooked. They’re showcasing their next record in a more generic fashion this time around, with an album preview show at The Standard on Friday December 2, after they support TV On The Radio’s Harvest sideshow at The Metro this Tuesday.

Q Bar + Phoenix Vegas + Spectrum

GIG OF THE WEEK FRI 18TH NOV 9PM $10

FRI 18TH NOV 10PM $10

WED 16TH NOV 8PM $10/$12

SAT 19TH NOV 10PM $25

THURS 17TH NOV 10PM $15/$20

Tin Sparrow

GIRLTHING

Destroyy All Lines

TEEN SPIRIT

March of the Real Fly Emma Davis

School Dress Up

Rabbit Hole

9021 Bros Melrose Waste Doh J Simpson Pinky & the Brain Bash Brothers Pushin’ Pop Urby Cookie Collective Ren & Stimpy Dawsons Freak DJ Smithers Red Hot Tilly Peppers DJ Tombogotchi Bass Ventura Crash Test Mummies Spice Cube Dj’s Doogie Howser MDJ

With NEW

Pop Punk/Hardcore Room

DAY MUCK UP FEATURING

Presentss

FRI 18TH NOV 8PM $12

SIDEWAYS FRIDAYS DETNUM MANJAZZ PAPER CRANES

MINIMAL, TECHNO, TECH HOUSE

SAT 19TH NOV 10PM $15

Tom Ugly, Tales in Space, Elizabeth Rose, Rabbit Hole DJ’s SAT 19TH NOV 8PM $10/$12

Men Only

P*A*S*H SUN 20TH NOV 7PM $10

With DJ’s Colin Gaff John Demetriou Adam Watts.

Snatch & Grab + Guests

Slow Down Honey, The Upskirts, We The People After 11:30

Exile

LIVE DJ’S

Baby Roll, Ben Cuddy, Cam Nacson Band, Winters End

xams end of e rty frat pa

Caulfield Villa Rise Awaken I Am Sparrows

SAT 19TH NOV 5AM $15 SUN 20TH NOV 5AM $15

UP DAY CLUB

COMERICIAL HOUSE TILL THE SUN RISES AND THEN SOME

M d - Friday F id Monday 10am - Late Saturday - Sunday 9am - 6am Sunday Recovery 9am – late Happy Hour 5-7 every day

BRAG :: 438 :: 14:11:11 :: 11

rock music news

free stuff

welcome to the frontline: what’s goin’ on around town... with Nathan Jolly and Steph Harmon

he said she said WITH

MADDY HAY piece band, and on special occasions with the addition of a string quartet, which is such a dream! Sometimes I love to perform with just me and my piano – it’s nice to go from an orchestra back down to where it all started.

My music is quite whimsical and evocative.

I often hear that I am kind of like a torch singer or a chanteuse from a bygone era, but more avant-garde and with a touch of Björk! My brand new album, Tell Me A Story, has more of an electro acoustic, alternative country sound threaded through it. I wrote most of it in Europe, and spent quite some time working on it in Nashville at The Castle Recording Studio (past clients include Bob Dylan, Etta James, Johnny Cash) with acclaimed music engineer, Rob Feaster (Pat Metheny, Joni Mitchell, Sting).

G

rowing up, I spent summers at the beach house with my family.

My fondest memory is of my mother blasting Pavarotti, Sting and Peggy Lee from the stereo as we all had our afternoon siestas.

I was a very creative and mysterious child, with a wild imagination. I think this is where my take on songwriting stems from.

My first musical love affairs were with Vince Jones and Diana Krall. At the

moment I am listening to Leonard Cohen; I am fascinated by his stories and his beyond golden voice. I saw him live last year and melted after his first word. I find that I am more inspired by life than music, and tend to draw inspiration from things close to me.

I mostly write music whilst looking out of windows. I then take the songs to my producer Jonathan Zion, and they grow from there. On the road we mostly play as a five-

I love venturing into the local music scenes of each place that I visit. I discover some of my most favourite bands this way.

The scene in Nashville is mindblowing; we would be in the studio all day and wander into a little bar late at night only to be completely mesmerised by the music. This kind of thing is what I love – you never know what you might find.

With: Tell me A Story is out now Where: Camelot Lounge, Marrickville When: Wednesday November 23

FREESTUFF@THEBRAG.COM

STEP-PANTHER

Garage/’90s revivalist bands like Eddy Current Suppression Ring and Royal Headache seem to be all the rage right now, and Sydneybased trio Step-Panther are certainly of a similar ilk, drawing comparisons to just about every staple lo-fi or garage act of the last 20 odd years, and getting buzzed in NME to boot. With the release of their independent debut album, the band are setting out on a national album launch tour that starts at GoodGod Small Club this Thursday November 17. A catchy pop-punk riff, coupled with playful, hilarious banter packs the punch for any live Step-Panther gig, and we at the BRAG love looking out for you – so we’ve got a copy of the record and a double pass to the gig for one lucky reader who can name their first EP.

KATCHAFIRE

Remember earlier this year, when Katchafire toured to support their amazing new album On The Road Again? And you came to the show and we danced and stomped and laughed and cried and basically had all the fun ever? Well BRAG remembers, and we want it all to happen again. The reggae-soul gods that are Katchafire are back on our turf and ready to blow our minds, and we want them to blow YOUR mind when they hit Selina’s in Coogee on Friday November 18 – so we’ll give you one of two double passes, if you tell us your favourite Katchafire song.

PLAYGROUND WEEKENDER

Bleeding Knees Club

Playground Weekender pushed themselves back a few months to March 2-4 next year, meaning that the Del Rio Resort at Wiseman’s Ferry won’t be nearly as stinking hot as it has been in years past. Not that the weather ever mattered that much; the festival always wins for its casual, costumed, fun-vibed good-times, and the lineup they’ve just announced seems merely to be an (enormous) added bonus: Chic feat. Nile Rogers, Fat Freddy’s Drop, Boy & Bear, Roots Manuva, UNKLE Sounds, Modeselektor (live), Manchester Orchestra, Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti, Neon Indian, Bonobo (live) and about a zillion others are part of a bigger list of acts that you’ll be able to see if you buy a ticket. They go on sale Thursday November 17, at 9am sharp.

GO HERE, GO THERE

What happened to the quaint old days, when Kings Cross was all about prostitutes, heroin and (badly) organised crime? Nowadays it’s all, “Ohh, look at meee, I’m hosting a mini-festival called Go Here, Go There on Friday December 9 across World Bar and Kings Cross Hotel, and we have Bleeding Knees Club, Velociraptor, The Paper Scissors, Sures, Underlights, Kempsey, Young Romantics and a whole lot more to be announced, and it’ll only cost $15 and FBi radio will be broadcasting live, la-di-da.” I miss the blue-light-in-thebathroom days. Sigh.

EXPATS ARE BACK

Step-Panther

STEP-PANTHER

Sydney’s favourite schizo skuzz buckets Step-Panther are getting set for an East Coast tour in celebration of their debut album – and it all starts this Thursday November 17 at GoodGod Small Club, with Dune Rats, Pear Shape and Bloods DJs in support. The album is seriously spectacular, and the band have just released a clip for their single ‘My Neck’, which got top billing in NME’s ‘The Buzz’ last week: “Any band who draw dicks on their car for a music video have to be doing something right.” Amen.

SLOOOOOW

DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE!

Indie-pop outfit Expatriate weathered a storm of controversy a few years back over the fact that they were from Australia and living in Australia, thus making a mockery of their band name (which everyone knows needs to be taken literally if the band can be taken seriously – amiright, Grannyfist?) Which is why the lads were exported to chilly Berlin, before they conquered Europe, supported Placebo and sat around in Aussiethemed pubs talking about Men At Work and that.

Now they’re back in the country with a new single ‘Miracle Mile’, and they want to play it especially for you. How does December 17 at FBi Social work? Check your diary, and then buy a ticket from Oztix.

WNYC’s excellent Radiolab program have a heartbreaking story about a guy who was disabled by a car accident when he was eight years old, but didn’t realise for years afterwards that he had been speaking incredibly slowly. It’s one of the most genuinely moving stories I’ve ever encountered, and the way I deal with any form of real emotion is to joke it away, lalala. Which is why I’m segueing into his favourite band of all time, UK’s Slow Club. While their name makes them sound like they should be woozy, shoegazey goodness, they actually sound like Beyonce fronting a noise-pop band. It’s pretty incredible stuff, and they will be at GoodGod on March 1, playing songs from their two albums (Yeah and Paradise).

Death Cab For Cutie were a rite of passage for an entire sub-generation who shunned the nascent days of emo because of all the makeup and the black clothing and the dadanger and the inherent hilarity of rebelling by conforming, but still needed lovesick, hearton-sleeve songs beamed in from America. And Death Cab fit the bill perfectly. Every album they have released is awesome, and this year’s Codes And Keys continues their streak. Come February 24, Marissa, Seth, Ryan and the whole gang will be fronting up to the Enmore Theatre to watch Gibbard and friends sing about every girl except Zooey – because it’s still too soon, OK?

GUINEAWOW!

SETZER’S ON FIRE

WOLF AND CUB AND THE SWISS @ BEACH ROAD

Last time I saw Sydney indie-pop band Guineafowl live, I spilled two drinks over myself and got into a fight with a girl I like, all of which I have come to blame the band for, for reasons far too nuanced and petty to get into here… Still, I cannot deny that they are a pretty great band; their recent conquering of CMJ in New York proves that beyond a doubt. Which is why I will be bibbing up, wrapping myself in protective plastic Laura Palmer-style, and catching them at The Standard on Friday November 25, where they’ll be supported by Fire! Santa Rosa, Fire! and Glass Towers.

12 :: BRAG :: 438 :: 14:11:11

I hate seeing a band and thinking, “Yeah, they’re OK, but that single bass needs to be doubled right up, and why haven’t these guys slicked back their hair, and where are their skinny ties and brothel-creeper boots?” …Luckily Brian Setzer’s Rockabilly Riot is coming out to make sure I don’t have to pose these questions; they have all that and more covered. Setzer was the frontman for the seminal Stray Cats, so if you like The Living End, The Clash or are angry at authority in any unspecific way, you will love this.

It happens at The Enmore on March 30, and tickets are on sale November 25. Strut!

Bondi Rescue makes Bondi seem like a Summer Bay-esque postcode town with buff swimmers and bikini-clad sirens, but the real truth is that it’s a bit of a muso hotspot, which the Beach Road Hotel will be showcasing this week with Adelaide double-drumming, psych-kids Wolf and Cub playing Wednesday November 16, and Modular disco-mothers The Swiss tearing up the dancefloor (they definitely won’t get their bond back) the following evening.

Das Racist

BIG DAY OUT MK II

The Big Day Out lineup was already heavy enough, what with Kanye West, Soundgarden, Kasabian, My Chemical Romance, Battles, Odd Future, Parkway Drive et al set to storm Sydney Showground on Thursday January 26 – but they just went ahead and added Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, Nero (Live), The Vaccines, Das Racist, The Amity Affliction, Regurgitator, Drapht, Kitty Daisy & Lewis, Calling All Cars, Kimbra, Bluejuice, Papa Vs Pretty and a heap more to the mix. Kanye AND a Gallagher? No one festival deserves all that ego. Tickets on sale now.

“THESE JIVE TURKEYS HAVE CRACKED THE RHYTHMIC CODE TO YOUR ARSE AND BUILT A FUNK-POP WALL OF SOUND AROUND IT.” ROLLING STONE “BURSTING WITH PIANO-LED HIGH ENERGY RECALLING THE LIKES OF STEVE WINWOOD, STEVIE WONDER OR THE SCISSOR SISTERS.” THE WEST AUSTRALIAN

BRAG :: 438 :: 14:11:11 :: 13

The Music Network

themusicnetwork.com

Music Industry News with Christie Eliezer

THINGS WE HEAR * When this column exclusively broke the news of the split between Big Day Out promoters Ken West and Vivian Lees, West told us that one of the problems BDO faced was that it had got into bidding wars for artists with other festivals; he said it had become too expensive, and that he would be renegotiating deals with some acts. Last week Kanye was dropped from Perth and Adelaide, The Living End and Mariachi El Bronx aren't playing Adelaide, and the Hilltop Hoods were dropped in Perth. * Generally, the bill of Japan’s Fuji Rock festival gives a glimpse of which bands we might see in Australia before or after. That The Stone Roses are headlining the 2012 event just strengthens rumours they’ll be here for Splendour In The Grass. BTW, the word is that soccer champ David Beckham is the one who spoke to individual bandmates to get them to reunite…

BOWIE TO DITCH EMI? Speculation in the financial media is that David Bowie is the next superstar to leave EMI after 15 years. The star has not made a decision, but his contract is up in January. The Financial Times said that Bowie’s deal with EMI guaranteed him more than 25% of royalties from wholesale in the US, and that the artist used the deal as collateral for investors who had bought into his 10-year “Bowie bonds”, which gave him a massive upfront payment in return for the rights to future royalties. Bowie is not actively making music (his last album was in 2003), but his back catalogue of 25 albums between 1969 and 1990, including Ziggy Stardust, Alladin Sane and Let’s Dance, remains a strong seller — and both Sony and Universal are bidding for these, says The Times.

MTV REDUNDANCIES

* Tees and caps are always huge sellers for bands, but My Friend The Chocolate Cake told the Sydney Morning Herald that its range of tea towels moves units too. At one show they outsold CDs, and at another a drunken but enthusiastic fan bought 30 of ‘em. * Yes, that was Ladyhawke playing drums for Neil and Sharon Finn’s Pajama Club on Britain’s Later With Jools Holland TV show. * The funeral of a 39-year-old English nurse reflected her love for Glastonbury festival: the hearse was a VW Kombi van, and all well-wishers had to wear gumboots and sing Travis’ ‘Why Does It Always Rain On Me’. * Mark Knopfler and Jimmy Barnes could be headliners at the new ‘80s-orientated Whitsunday Calling festival, to be held next September in QLD. * The music and audio sectors teamed up last Friday at a benefit for audio engineer John McConnell, who has been sidelined by ill-health.

Judging by the current rate of downloads, digital albums could reach 2010’s figure by the end of November, and could well hit the 100 million mark (a first for a single year) this year. Digital albums now represent 32.5% of US album sales, compared to 26.5% at the end of 2010.

Adele’s 21 is the top digital album of all time in both the UK and USA. It’s sold almost 670,000 units in the UK – twice as many as the secondbest digital album – and 1.5 million in the USA, nearly 500,000 units more than the second-best title. Mylo Xyloto set a digital record in the UK, selling 80,000 copies (40% of its sales) in its first week. But it’s only the second-best digital debut in USA history with its 302,000 units (67% of all sales), unable to topple the 317,000 digital units sold of Watch The Throne by Jay-Z and Kanye West.

As part of a major restructure to “improve content delivery systems”, MTV Australia made 13 jobs redundant from its corporate, production, programming, creative and digital divisions. It’s also merged its Australian and NZ websites, but insists it is committed to local production.

ARIAS DEAL WITH OPTUS

NEWTOWN’S SO MUSIC CLOSING

Alberts acquired the worldwide publishing to Fremantle teen indie pop band San Cisco.

The band’s ‘Awkward’ topped the Australian Alternative Airplay Charts. The band's manager Phil Stevens says, “Alberts, and [head of creative] Philip Mortlock in particular, were the first publishers to say they liked their music and their songs, over two years ago. The team at Alberts have since shown an immense passion for San Cisco’s music, and have displayed great A&R skills in courting the band to their company. At a time when most companies are looking for completed projects, Alberts still believe in the development process and can identify potential at an early stage.”

Sydney’s losing yet another great indie retailer.

After 21 years, So Music on King Street in Newtown is closing down at the end of this month, citing “the changing nature of our industry, and the current economic climate”. So Music stocked a wide selection (its world music catalogue was particularly good) and supported local acts, and its knowledgeable staff continued to turn customers on to new things. They’re having a 50% off sale on all CDs as a farewell.

7DIGITAL HEADING HERE London-based digital music provider 7digital will enter the Australian market as part of an expansion into Malaysia, Singapore and New Zealand. It has 16 million tracks, and serves one million subscribers through mobile devices.

COLDPLAY, ADELE, HELP SET NEW DIGITAL SALES RECORDS Coldplay’s Mylo Xyloto and Adele’s 21 helped digital albums set new sales records in the US and UK. By the end of October, US digital album sales rose 20% to 81,347,000 according to Nielsen SoundScan. In comparison, 86,314,000 were sold for the entirety of 2010.

In a first, a deal struck with Optus will allow backstage antics and celebrity interviews at the November 27 ARIA awards to stream on 3G mobiles.

NEW SIGNING #1: ALBERTS GETS SAN CISCO

NEW SIGNING #2: MAJOR LABEL TAKES ON THE KHANZ General Pants’ singles-only Major Label signed Sydney jungle pop band The Khanz.

A competition at GeneralPants.com.au allows the winner to produce the video for their debut single ‘Lost Control’. The Khanz’s signing is the first since General Pants merged Major Label with its talent program The Bubble. It utilises 700 GP staff and a 100,000-strong community to find and publicise new talent. Major Label

helped launch Guineafowl, Made In Japan, Myth & Tropics, The Underlights and Felicity Groom; thanks to their triple j Unearthed win, The Underlights will take to the stage at Sydney’s Big Day Out.

NEW SIGNINGS #3: NUMBERS RADIO JOINS SHOCK Numbers Radio signed with Shock Records; their album is due for release next year. The band first came to Shock’s attention last year after the triple j success of their single ‘Final Day’, but the deal was sealed after the Big Sound showcase in September. New single ‘White Light’ is at radio now.

TINY MONSTER Jess Beston knows A&R, having been A&R Manager for four years at Universal Music and signing Children Collide, Gyroscope, Dukes of Windsor and The Naked & Famous (for Australia). Her new company Tiny Monster specialises in A&R Project Management (she A&Rs your music, video or photoshoot), and Artist Mentoring (for newer acts). Contact her at jess.beston@tinymonster.com.au

SUMMERSONG MUSIC CAMP

The 13th annual Summersong Music Camp is being held January 13-20 at Lake Ainsworth, Lennox Head. It allows musicians of all levels to go on “a non stop creative bender” with others.

There are classes in the day, jam sessions and song circles at night. This year’s faculty and program include Tony Backhouse (a cappella mixed choir and men’s choir), Kristina Olsen (songwriting, jamming techniques), Lloyd Spiegel (finger-picking guitar, blues guitar), Karl Farren (band lab), Shelly Hughes (vocal technique, improv), Aurora Jane (songwriting, bass guitar), Kathryn Riding (body, movement, improv, relaxation) and Luciano Mesiti (Musicangelo, assisting all musos). There are Indigenous scholarships and partial youth scholarships (for ages 17-24) available; visit summersongmusiccamp.com

PITBULL COUNTERSUES Pitbull filed a countersuit against Lindsay Lohan over her defamation lawsuit. Lohan claimed the rapper exploited her name in ‘Give Me Everything’ with its line, “I got it locked up like Lindsay Lohan.” Pitbull publicly apologised to Lohan for the rhyme, and insisted that he meant no harm to her or her reputation. He now says his lyric is justified by her many jail stints.

IMF TO HELP DIGITAL CREATORS The Interactive Media Fund (IMF) is there for commercially-oriented digital content projects due for distribution on the internet, mobile phones or other emerging platforms or devices.

The IMF will provide support at various stages, from early development to completion of a functioning prototype, or to take a market-ready project into production. It also helps NSW businesses attend key international conferences such as the Games Developers Conference in San Francisco. Any enquiries, email imf.info@business.nsw.gov.au.

TIM FREEDMAN JOINS IF AWARDS Tim Freedman and The Idle join Eddie Perfect as performers at the Jameson Inside Film Awards, which are being held on Wednesday November 16 at Sydney’s Luna Park. It has a category for Best Music Video; clips by Kimbra, Olivia Newton-John & WACCI and John Steel Singers are up for the award.

We has internets!

www.thebragmag.com Extra bits and moving bits without dirty fingers 14 :: BRAG :: 438 :: 14:11:11

Lifelines Injured: AC/DC’s Brian Johnson has to scrap a US solo tour behind his memoirs, as he needs surgery on his wrist in February.

Injured: Avril Lavigne ended up with a black eye and bruises after getting into a fight with a female patron outside the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, after a night out with boyfriend, reality TV name Brody Jenner.

Charged: Freelance photographer Amy Harris filed assault charges against Left Brain of LA hip hop collective Odd Future. During Voodoo Experience in New Orleans, he jumped into the photographer’s pit and, says Harris, assaulted her. He has a distaste for photographers, but claims that he just hit the cameras.

Sued: Sydney nightclub Le Panic and owner Antonello Tozzi by Frances Jane Eaton, who slipped and fell on the dancefloor and broke her teeth.

Died: Heavy D, former leader of Heavy D and The Boyz, 44, after suffering a heart attack outside his house in Los Angeles.

WORLD'S MOST VALUABLE ALBUM COVER? What’s the most valuable album cover in the world? According to Britain’s Record Collector magazine, it is a limited edition adaptation of the one for The Beatles’ Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. It replaced the faces of the Fab Four with those of execs of their US label Capitol, and only 100 were printed. It is valued at £70,000. Five Beatles album covers are in the Top 10. The first 10 copies of the 1968 White Album is in second place at £7,000. At #4 is Introducing The Beatles (£3,000), at #5 is England’s Greatest Recording Stars: The Beatles & Frank Ifield On Stage (£3,000), at #7 is AC/DC’s –12 Of The Best (£3,000) and at #8 is The Beatles – Yesterday And Today (£2,000). Others are classical, jazz or world music releases.

CALLING KD LANG FANS Warner Music Australia is calling on kd lang’s most dedicated fans in Sydney to be in the audience when the singer tapes a TV special on November 15 at 1pm. She’ll do some Q&A sessions with the intimate crowd.

To be considered, send an e-mail to d2c@ warnermusic.com with the subject line 'TV special'. Include your name, contact number, and examples of the questions you would ask in the body of the email.

RADIO: SCRAP AUSSIE QUOTAS Commercial Radio Australia has called for the government to scrap music quotas for Australian talent in its submission to the Government’s media convergence review. It claimed the quotas were “unsustainable and inequitable”, because the rules did not apply to internet radio stations.

BRAG :: 438 :: 14:11:11 :: 15

They Will Have Their Way

It’s the universality of these songs that makes them both a pleasure to listen to and a pleasure to play. They’ve long been a staple of buskers and performers who like to throw a cheeky cover into a setlist, a fact celebrated with the 2005 tribute album She Will Have Her Way and again with 2010’s He Will Have His Way, where artists were invited to perform their own version of a Finn classic.

A co-ed celebration of the Finn brothers’ songwriting has now been cooked up, and the ‘They Will Have Their Way: The Songs of Tim & Neil Finn’ national tour is underway.

The shows give audiences the chance to experience the timeless work that’s been lovingly recreated and interpreted by seven artists from the original tribute albums; Sarah Blasko, Clare Bowditch, Sally Seltmann and Holly Throsby will join their male counterparts Paul Dempsey, Lior and Oh Mercy’s droll frontman Alex Gow. “Sharing the stage with some of my favourite Australian songwriters, singing the Finn brothers’ songs – who are two of my all-time favourite songwriters – will make for a very memorable November,” Gow says. “I am incredibly excited.”

16 :: BRAG :: 438 :: 14:11:11

Photo by Tony Mott

T

he songwriting of Tim and Neil Finn has an undeniably timeless quality to it. As you get older, as seasons change and experience piles up around you, layers of metaphor and meaning unravel from songs you’ve known your whole life, and no matter how many times you’ve dusted off a Crowded House or Split Enz record, there’s always something new to discover. There’s something in the songwriting – a trait shared with few others, perhaps Leonard Cohen, Paul Simon and Paul Kelly, the kind of artists that inspire tribute albums. It’s unique, idiosyncratic and intensely personal, but at the same time you to relate to it entirely, as though the song was written just for you. For every person, there’s a handful of Finn songs that you hear and say, in all seriousness, “That’s about me. I just spent six months in a leaky boat.”

Australia’s Finest Take On The Finns

By Liam Pieper

The tour follows the success of the two albums, which have sold over 400,000 copies in Australia and New Zealand and introduced the songs of the Finn brothers to a whole new generation of artists and their fans. The results were by and large fantastic, spawning radio hits like Missy Higgins’ ‘Stuff And Nonsense’, Little Birdy’s rockabilly-tinged cover of ‘Six Months In A Leaky Boat’ and Boy And Bear’s transcendent reinvention of ‘Fall At Your Feet’, which catapulted the little-known band into the spotlight, and remains one of the best things they’ve ever done.

Then you had slow burners, like Sarah Blasko lending her trademark soulful melancholy to ‘Don’t Dream It’s Over’, the strange percussive beauty of Sally Seltmann’s vocal take on ‘Four Seasons’, and the new-wave disco breakdown of ‘One Step Ahead’ by Amiel. The best covers were always those on which the artists took a risk and made the song their own, like Artisan Guns’ version of ‘Private Universe’, or the deceptive fragility of Holly Throsby’s ‘Not The Girl You Think You Are’. “With any songwriter you respect, it’s always daunting to tackle their work,” Throsby tells me. “You want to do the song justice, but also want to put your own stamp on it in some way. It’s a very fine art between being honest to the song and also to yourself. I think I invariably offended people with my song on the CD because it’s a bit different from the original.

That’s kind of my approach to doing covers.

You’ve just got to do what works.”

Alex Gow agrees; his laid back, strippeddown cover of ‘I Feel Possessed’ was the first track on He Will Have His Way. “It’s not about making it as good as the original, that’s obviously not the point – you’re doing a cover so you do what you will with it, just as the original artist would do.” By chance, when Gow got the call inviting him to be part of the He Will Have His Way album, he was in Santa Monica with producer Mitchell Froom, who worked on the first three Crowded House records. “Mitchell and I went

“With any songwriter you respect, it’s always daunting to tackle their work. You want to do the song justice, but also want to put your own stamp on it. It’s a very fine art between being honest to the song and also to yourself.” into his office and listened to the first three albums, the ones he’d worked on, and a few other bits and pieces he’d worked on. There were a few that really appealed to me … but Mitchell was of the opinion that he got the recording right the first time for the songs I picked out,” Alex explains. “Sitting there, I got the feeling he was really proud of those records but he maybe hadn’t listened to them in a while, so it was great to revisit them with him. I suppose he wanted to rework something that he could do differently to the way that he’d originally approached it, and the song that best lent itself to that was ‘I Feel Possessed’. Mitchell explained – and it’s quite obvious if you listen to it – that out of all the early songs, that one is the most placed in the ‘80s in the arrangement, for better or for worse. In any case, that’s the one we decided to do.”

Holly Throsby, who didn’t have the luxury of an old Crowded House producer on hand when choosing her song back in 2005, went with a sentimental favourite from her childhood, ‘Not The Girl You Think You Are’, which turned out very well – at least in the esteem of Neil Finn. Holly was chuffed to receive a congratulatory email from the original songwriter. “I’ve never met him, but Neil sent me a really lovely email just after the record was released saying how much he liked the cover. I was chuffed to get an email.

The subject line was ‘Good Singin’ – no ‘g’.

He’s a very courteous man,” she says. “I had the Recurring Dream best of Crowded House CD as a kid, and my best friend and I loved

that song – we used to sit and listen to it all the time. Later on she put it on a mixtape she made for me, so it had a sentimental attachment, I guess.”

The tour, which began in Melbourne at the beginning of the month, hits Sydney Opera House this week, where Crowded House played their farewell show years ago. Each of the seven artists will be playing the song they owned for the tribute albums, along with a selection of other hits from the Finn brothers. As any fan of Split Enz or Crowded House will attest, the songs are best enjoyed in harmony, bellowed into the night, and the artists will be making the most of each other’s company with various duets and collaborations. Lior teamed up with EmmaLouise to put down a special recording of ‘It’s Only Natural’, and Holly promises some singalong action. “Everyone is keen to do more songs and collaborations with each other; old time sing-alongs, that king of thing. I think this show will have a real feeling of togetherness,” she says. “The music lends itself to that.”

What: They Will Have Their Way: The Songs Of Tim & Neil Finn is out now through EMI With: Sarah Blasko, Holly Throsby, Paul Dempsey, Clare Bowditch, Sally Seltmann, Alex Gow (Oh Mercy) and Lior Where: They Will Have Their Way @ The Sydney Opera House When: Wednesday November 16, Thursday November 17 and Friday November 18.

4 DAY INTERNATIONAL MUSIC, ARTS AND LIFESTYLE FEST IVAL MELBOURNE AUST RALIA JANUARY 27-30 MASSIVE INTERNATIONAL LINEUP INCLUDING: RECORDS, U.K.) FREQUENCY, UK) OTT (TWISTED JAMES HARCOURT (TWISTED MUSIC, UK) PRODUCTIONS, USA) TIPPER(TIPPER ROBERT RICH (SOUNDSCAPE BECKERS(POLAROID, BEHIND BLUE EYES (IBOGA, GERMANY) DENMARK) RECORDS, TRIBE MUSIC ISRAEL) LOUD(NANO EMOK(IBOGA, SPACE TRIBE (SPACE DENMARK) AUS/UK) WITH STRUCTURES, A BALTER(DIGITAL GREG COYLE (RADIO PICTURES, UK) ISRAEL) (TESSERACT/SUNDANCE, SERBIA) SHEFF(PLUSQUAM, TALPA/THE RIDDLER ISRAEL) IN GLITCH, GERMANY) TORONTO GABRIEL ANANADA(BASMATI, ILL GATES(MADE MUSIC, GERMANY) NETHERLANDS) PROTONICA(IONO PETER HORREVORTS(KANZLERAMT, MUSIC, RHINO, USA) BRAZIL) DOV(MUTI JAMES MUNRO (FLYING RECORDS, U.K) SPAIN) ALLABY(NANO MENTAL BROADCAST (24/7, RECORDS, ITALY) FRANCE) GAUDI(INTERCHILL, PRINCIPLES OF FLIGHT(BOOM! PSIONICS, SWITZERLAND) SPAIN) ELECTRYPNOSE (DIGITAL HENRY SAIZ (BEDROCK, GERMANY) NETHERLANDS) DAPAYK (HERTZKLOFEN, SECRET CINEMA (COCOON, MUSIC, GERMANY) GERMANY) KAEMPFER & DIETZE (IONO NICONE (ARMUT24, ISRAEL) GERMANY) CAPTAIN HOOK (IBOGA, LAWRENCE (DIAL, ROBOT AND MORE...

GERMANY) RECORDS, UK) KOZE(KOMPAKT, HEDFLUX(BROKEN

MUSIC / ART / LIFESTYLE / PERFORMANCE / RELAXAT ION / HEALING / CAMPING EXPERIENCE ONE OF AUSTRALIA'S MOST LOVED FEST IVALS!

TICKETS ON SALE NOW

www.rainbowserpent.net BRAG :: 438 :: 14:11:11 :: 17

HTRK Homeward Bound By Benjamin Cooper

“O

h shit, I think Nigel’s lost his boarding pass. No, wait, we can do it now – let me find a seat.” Jonnine Standish, one third of HTRK, is trying really hard to make this interview happen. After three phone calls to the mobiles of both herself and bandmate Nigel Yang, all of which have dropped out, we finally get a chance to discuss the band’s latest record Work (work, work) in a quieter corner of London’s Stansted Airport. “We’re about to board our flight to Krakow [in Poland] to play Unsound Festival, which is this experimental electronic festival that is meant to be just amazing! But we’re all yours, ‘till someone yells at us to get on the plane.”

Despite the jumbled interview, few could call HTRK messy or disorganised. The Melbourneformed trio, pronounced ‘Hate Rock’, famously left for London in 2006 due to a reported disaffection with the burgeoning Australian garage pop scene. Their tastes for something a little more than the standard thrash and jam of much guitar music is evidenced by their invitation to play at Unsound, a festival that stands out for its celebration of experimental visual arts and music, and how they relate

to one another. “To be honest, we’re not even playing ‘till Wednesday, but there’s so much on that we gotta get in early,” Standish enthuses, as Yang cuts in: “It’ll be pretty different to Bumbershoot [Festival] in Seattle that we played recently; it was our first experience of playing to a family crowd. We went over there through our label Ghostly International, and we ended up playing our visuals on, like, an iMac screen. This time we actually get to have our friends [Polish visual artists] Pussykrew up there on stage with us.” So this time there’ll be something bigger on which to display the group’s famously weird visuals? “For sure,” Yang says. “The venue for our show at Unsound is a Japanese animation and cultural centre called Manggha, and the guys from Pussykrew are pretty pumped about it…

Apparently it’s got a pretty sweet set-up, and it’s in their backyard essentially, so the show will be pretty special.” Standish continues: “It’s gotta be different in Krakow. This will be hardcore, for the really committed experimental music nerds.”

The band’s recent trip to America – their first – yielded some surprisingly loyal fans. Touring the West Coast, Standish was shocked to meet “so many people who were saying they’d been waiting years for us to get over there,” she says. “This one guy had Nostalgia [the band’s first EP] that he’d got off Fat Cat Records’ website, from like seven years ago. It was just mind-blowing to be hitting it off with people so well.” In response to the Australian assumption that HTRK have an established international profile, Standish tells me, “It’s a lot harder than you’d think. I mean, it used to be that we didn’t even get noticed back in Australia, but that’s starting to change with this new record, which is just awesome.”

“This is the album Sean wanted. There’s just no way we could consider bringing anyone else in... The bottom line is that no one in England can play bass.”

Their USA jaunt was also an opportunity to tweak how the group operates live without founding member and bassist Sean Stewart, who passed away last March. “The way we do it is that we’re really anti-laptops on stage. The basslines are sequenced to the synthesisers to make everything really live. All our gear is from the eighties, and it’s actually all really dangerous.

We’ve had quite a few instances where we thought it was all about to explode.” Yang chimes in here, laughing: “Kinda like Sean! Nah, he was always pretty reliable on stage... It’s probably me that’s the most destructive.”

Stewart’s presence is writ large throughout the album, and our conversation. “This is meant to be an album of desire, and it really is ours, the three of us,” Standish says. “Three quarters of the album were recorded while Sean was still here, and this is the album Sean wanted. There’s just no way we could consider bringing anyone else in. We think our manager has been getting some offers [for bass players], but he doesn’t want to tell us because he knows it would be too upsetting. But the bottom line is that no one in England can play bass.” The record’s release and upcoming tour is clearly significant to the band: “If we didn’t believe in this music, we wouldn’t even bother,” Standish says. “It feels right to play these songs now.”

The band are particularly pumped about coming back home. “Three weeks in Australia is just not long enough,” Standish says, somewhat pained.

“I seriously need to get back to Australia and be amongst friends and family for a good six months – particularly at this time of the year!” I mention that perhaps the domestic market is finally ready to appreciate HTRK, and she laughs. “Oh, I don’t think that [it’s about maturity]! Maybe it’s just the right time. We’ve been really happy with how Australia has embraced this record; a lot of people over here in England don’t seem to want to try to really listen. They just call the record depressing, which is a shame as, particularly live, we’re doing some very different things. The songs are a bit more full-on [than previous tracks], and they’re a little more abrasive live than you’ll hear on the album; particularly as a vocalist, it can be challenging. The other thing is… Oh shit! Look, I’m literally walking onto the plane and am getting the biggest filthy look off the hostess – I have to turn Nige’s phone off. Sorry! Bye!” What: Work (work, work) is out now on Mistletone With: Lost Animal, Kirin J Callinan When: Thursday November 24

18 :: BRAG :: 438 :: 14:11:11

Xxxxx

Where: GoodGod Small Club

A VERY HANDSOME SUMMER D E C E M B E R 2 011

S TA R R I N G

M A R C H 2 012

MUDHONEY FUTURE OF THE LEFT

EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY DUM DUM GIRLS

FLEET FOXES HANNI EL KHATIB SAM AMIDON

CANT BEIRUT BORIS

S H A B A Z Z PA L A C E S

FOSTER THE PEOPLE BON IVER

AUSTRA GIRLS SBTRKT LIVE W W W. H A N D S O M E T O U R S . C O M

BRAG :: 438 :: 14:11:11 :: 19

Gyroscope Choose Your Own Adventure By Heidi Leigh Axton

T

here’s always a danger for musicians on ‘Greatest Hits’ tours, that they may turn up to a gig and find the audience knows the lyrics better than they do – especially when performing songs which they haven’t sung in years. As part of Gyroscope’s ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ tour, fans have been given the chance to choose the setlist themselves – so the Perth boys will have to reacquaint themselves if they want to avoid those embarrassing moments. “We’re just rocking up on the night to play songs they’ve picked. It’s kind of cool,” muses guitarist Dan Sanders. “These are the quote/unquote ‘Greatest Hits’ of Gyroscope that they’ve chosen. We’re excited to see what the results are at the end of the voting program – then it’s into the rehearsal room to learn the buggers again!”

Underage fans will be particularly pleased about their all-ages gigs, considered a must by Gyroscope thanks to their own experience with pub rules and regulations in the band’s younger days. “We started playing gigs when we were 15 and 16. We were obviously underage, and had to have guardians come along to the gig. We weren’t allowed near the bar or any of that, so we know how hard it is for kids – not only to play gigs but to see gigs most of the time.” It’s strange for Sanders to look back at those early days, and see how far his band has come. “When we started out, we wouldn’t have dreamed of anything like this. Our biggest thing was to play a gig with Jebediah. After that, there was the next thing to cross off, and the next thing… Along the way, we’ve had Gold records and #1 sales and all of those huge accolades. You don’t sit there staring at it on the wall saying, ‘How good am I?’ You just sit there and go, ‘Cool!’ That’s like a certificate of appreciation; it’s like your uni degree or whatever,” he explains. “You don’t expect something at the end, but if you get it you know you’ve done your job right.”

Of course it comes at a price; music commitments take up almost all of Gyroscope’s time these days. But in this fickle industry you have to take advantage of opportunities as they come. “There’s always times you may be homesick or just over it,” he says. “You just have to remember what you started out with, and that you never set out to do all these things – you’d shoot yourself in the foot if you ever gave up opportunities to tour or record somewhere wonderful, or just see different things or meet different people.

But we never just sit there and say that the band’s the everything. At the end of the day, our family and support networks are more important than anything.

“We started playing gigs when we were 15 and 16. We were obviously underage, and had to have guardians come along.

So we know how hard it is for kids – not only to play gigs, but to see gigs most of the time.”

“I’ve done the maths, and I know I’ve probably spent more time and more nights in the same room as Brad our bass player than I have with my wife,” muses Sanders, who’s been married for eight years. “It’s weird things like that, when you’ve been on tour for ten months of the year.

But we’ve been there, done that. You work the hard yards when you need to and then if you do it right and work hard, you’ll come out on the other side and say, ‘Don’t need to do that again!’ or ‘Don’t need to do that for a while!’”

Closure In Moscow are on main support duties along the East coast for the tour, with Adelaide’s City Riots opening the night.

Sanders says Gyroscope is looking forward to meeting all the bands chosen to share the stage with them, and hope the fans dig their selections. “There are always bands that have made us prick our ears up along the way; we get a big melting pot of support acts we can pick from. Not necessarily stuff that sounds like us, and not necessarily stuff that sounds too different from us,” he says. “I don’t think we’ve met the boys in most of these bands coming up. A lot of the time we might go with mates’ bands, but I suppose this time around we thought, ‘Lets just see what the kids are digging.’ We’re happy with the supports, and hopefully they’re happy to come out on tour with us!”

Looking at the many great rockers, like Cold Chisel and The Angels, who’ve recently launched comeback tours, does Sanders see Gyroscope as the kind of band who’ll still be rocking fans in their senior years? “I can’t speak for the other guys, but I’ll be slowing down a bit,” he admits. “I just think that I’ve got a lot of the angst out of me. When I was a kid growing up, Nirvana was my thing, but now I also like my Brian Wilson and Paul Simon...”

What: Cohesion is out through Island Records With: Closure In Moscow, City Riots, Wolves Where: ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ @ The Factory Theatre (lic/all-ages) When: Saturday November 19 20 :: BRAG :: 438 :: 14:11:11

BOOK NOW AT Cnr Coogee Bay Road & Arden St Coogee, NSW 2034 // www.coogeebayhotel.com.au // T 02 9665 0000

BRAG :: 438 :: 14:11:11 :: 21

Bertie Blackman Me’, the musical all-rounder also played drums for Aussie legend Paul Kelly, the subject of triple j’s last tribute concert, during his surprise appearance at the Melbourne show over the weekend. “He’s such a lovely man and he’s got such a beautiful energy,” Blackman says. “Playing the song [with him in rehearsals] was definitely the highlight of the day – everyone felt really special being in the room on that one.”

Still humbled by her recent success, Blackman is in no hurry to rest on the good fortune that comes with increased popularity. “It came as a lovely surprise,” she says, “but with those accolades comes more opportunity and the ability to take a little bit longer to make a record than usual.”

Blackman took some time off from performing to concentrate on writing and creating, and is also taking a step back from being in front of the camera once the record is released.

“I’m not going to be in the [music] videos – instead, I’m hiring different visual artists from around the world to [create] little short films that join together and become part of the story of this record.”

A

fter taking a break from performing to concentrate on her new album, Bertie Blackman is returning to the stage with some of Australia’s finest musicians for ‘Straight To You’, triple j’s tribute to Nick Cave which is touring Australia this month.

The lineup boasts names like Adalita, Alex Burnett, Dan Sultan, Jake Stone, Lanie Lane and Urthboy, and when asked to join Blackman was quick to say yes – but not because she’s a fan of jumping on the closest bandwagon. “I don’t believe in being a part of something unless you have a real connection to it, and feel like you can do the work justice,” she says.

Blackman’s affection for Nick Cave’s music has a long history, beginning years before she picked up a pen to start writing her own songs. “He played a pretty important part in my life growing up, discovering music and hearing songwriting for the first time... He just is who he is, he isn’t pretending to be anything else, and I always looked up to that.”

As well as performing her own punk rock version of ‘The Mercy Seat’ (“I basically just slaughter the microphone”) and collaborating with Muscles on a version of ‘Do You Love

One area she will be heavily involved in is in the album artwork, using her skills as a visual artist to interpret the record’s very personal subject matter. “The songs are personal tales of childhood; worlds lost and things being rediscovered,” she says. “The drawings [are] of how I see those stories – so the only person who can really do them is me.” As the daughter of one of Australia’s most significant figurative painters, Charles Blackman, understandably she’s put a lot of pressure on her own artistic ability in the past. “This is the first time I have sat down and just started drawing without feeling self conscious, and it’s a process I’m really enjoying… I hope that [my father] will be proud of the work that I’m putting together.” No doubt he will be – as will the many fans awaiting her next offering.

What: Straight To You – triple j’s Tribute To Nick Cave With: Bertie Blackman, Adalita, Alex Burnett (Sparkadia), Jake Stone (Bluejuice), Dan Sultan, Kram, Urthboy, Lisa Mitchell, Lanie Lane and more Where: Enmore Theatre When: Thursday November 17

Jack Colwell From The Hopechest By Amelia Schmidt

W

ith the help of two EPs, years of songwriting experience and a lot of important friendships, Jack Colwell is finally launching ‘Hopechest’, the first single from his forthcoming debut album, Picture Window.

The story behind ‘Hopechest’ is one of the many that Jack has to tell, and he’s more than happy to eloquently explain it. “The song is partly a rework of a Vashti Bunyan melody from her song ‘Diamond Day’,” he tells me, with an audibly happy sense of pride. “That meant that I had to have two or three phone conversations with Vashti Bunyan, and a Skype chat where I got clearance for using the melody from the UK – and Vashti Bunyan approved of the melody and really liked it. So that was good!” he laughs. The song takes Bunyan’s melody and reworks the lyrics and arrangement, keeping the original freak folk spirit alive and sort of cross-breeding it with a chamber music vibe, for a veritable chimera of a song.

The album it comes from was recorded with Chris Rollans at Studio Ripple and features a duet with Daisy Tulley (of Bridezilla), with backing vocals from multi-talented comedienne-singer Genevieve Fricker (who made it to the finals of RAW Comedy with her lovely voice and guitar).

The LP marks a sort of turning point for Colwell, who almost threw in the towel early last year. It was only when he started getting some feedback from respected voices that he became more motivated to continue on his musical path, invest in rehearsal space, hire some session musicians and generally tighten up the whole act.

“There was a period for a few months last year where it could have gone either way,” he says. “I could have quit [music] and decided that I didn’t want to do it anymore – which I would have been quite happy to do – or I could have made it into

something serious and put all the money behind it and seen where it could go, which is obviously what I decided to do. At that point, feeling like it was a proper project, rather than just something that wasn’t this strong [a force], really gave it a backbone and really gave it a lot of strength to become something quite positive. Of course having the seal of approval from Vashti Bunyan, the godmother of freak folk – she told me she enjoyed all of Picture Window – everything like that changed how I thought about the project, and made me really hungry to succeed again.”

But inspiration and motivation come from all creative avenues for Colwell, who’s also studying at the National Art School. “I was contacted

by Mclean Stephenson who wanted to do my photos for free because he liked my music,” he tells me. “I decided to let him direct the shoot – he listened to my music, and he really liked a track on our album called ‘Spitfire’. We recorded it with just piano and a string orchestra, and we also got a choir to do the backing vocals.

“I had this weird moment where I was playing the track to his girlfriend, Hayley,” he continues. “She started crying when she was listening to that track; she thought it was really powerful. It was such an interesting moment, because when you write music it’s about you and the things you’re going through – and then to have that emotional experience from somebody else in front of you, it just shows that the song becomes theirs, and the ownership is taken away from you, and they replace it with their own experiences.”

What: ‘Hopechest’ is out now With: Daisy M Tulley (Bridezilla) Where: Low 302, Surry Hills When: Wednesday November 23

Underground Lovers Wonderful Things By Mike Gee

T

Round’, is on it,” Giarrusso says. “We actually went into the studio and re-did it. Dave Williams from Shock Records did the first edit of the original recording and said it was a pop song, so we went in and carved it back. So this is a brand new version.” It’s all about staying true to the band’s original vision. “We spent a lot of time on the original albums, flowing the music together and the tracks into one, so we put a lot of time into this one, making the tracks come together like a studio album.” He pauses and laughs.

“You know, people say we’re drama queens, but we aren’t.”

wenty years ago, Underground Lovers won the 1991 ARIA for Best New Artist, and in October of last year their second album, 1992’s Leave Me Blind, was named as the 54th greatest Australian album of all time, in John O’Donnell, Toby Creswell and Craig Mathieson’s book 100 Best Australian Albums.

It was just recognition for an extraordinary band. I could tell you about the glory years of the 1990s, when the Lovers trucked up and down the wide open roads of this dusty country leaving a trail of dream pop behind; how by their third album, Dream It Down, they had become exotic, atmospheric, almost-shoegaze-but-notquite; how their shows shimmered in a blaze of light and vision while the band tripped the light fandango, turning musical cartwheels across the floor. Or I could skip the imagery and say that co-founder, songwriter, guitarist and vocalist Vince Giarrusso could be one of Australian music’s most intelligent and articulate figures of the past two decades.

Giarrusso published a book of lyrics and short stories in 1996, Rushall Station, and is heavily involved in the film industry too, having made his first flick, Mallboy, in 2000, which premiered to critical acclaim at the Cannes Film Festival.

When the band members went their own ways in 2002, Vince became further involved in cinema and it’s still a passion of his – but Underground Lovers reformed in 2009 for Homebake and are on the road again this year, 22 :: BRAG :: 438 :: 14:11:11

to celebrate the release of the 2CD compilation Wonderful Things. “This compilation was ready to come out two years ago,” Giarrusso admits, “but we had a few legal issues. Nothing major, but these things take time.

“It was fun putting it together,” he continues. “We all put in our favourite tracks and then structured the songs so it was like a new album. We then went into the studio to remaster, and it works like a continuous piece. There are little echoes

and nuances running through it.” Indeed, most of Underground Lovers’ seven studio albums (including one as GBVG, Giarusso and co-founder Glenn Bennie’s experimental side-project) have been built to flow, and their sound has always been epic. Even their lightest touches are epic; that quietness that is vast.

Wonderful Things manages to more than hint at all of that – and better still, it tinkers with history.

“The first thing we ever recorded, ‘Round And

Underground Lovers are certainly quite serious about this latest adventure in sound. Vince says the band also recorded a full album’s worth of new demos and rough rhythm tracks, 15 or 16 songs’ worth, and are now trying to find blocks of time in which to craft it. They’ve got a session set aside for 2012, but these are busy people.

“I’ve gone back to uni,” Giarrusso tells me. “I’m developing some film projects and working on a PhD which looks at film production in Australia, how it is set up and why it is set up that way.”

“Everybody’s in movies, it doesn’t matter who you are” said The Kinks – and Underground Lovers are still playing a lead role.

What: Wonderful Things: Retrospective is out now through Rubber Records Where: The Factory Theatre, Marrickville When: Friday November 18

Bertie Blackman photo by Kiyotaka Hatanaka

After wrapping up this run of concerts, Blackman will go back to putting the finishing touches on her new record, aware of the pressure that comes with following up the success of her last album, 2009’s Secrets And Lies. “It’s the most daunted I’ve ever felt approaching a new record... usually artists have that expectation of their second record, but this is my fourth.”

Jack Colwell photo by Mclean Stephenson

Straight To You By Rachel Corbett

Keystone Festival Bar Hyde Park Barracks Museum. January 8-28.

14 nights | The hottest live bands and DJs January 8

MOUNTAIN MOCHA KILIMANJARO & ELECTRIC EMPIRE January 9

DEERHOOF & DJ YAMANTAKA EYE (THE BOREDOMS) January 11

DAN DEACON ENSEMBLE & JOHN MAUS January 12

SONS AND DAUGHTERS, SONGS & THE LAURELS January 13

FBi NIGHT: SHABAZZ PALACES, TAYLOR MCFERRIN & SHANGAAN ELECTRO January 14

PICNIC: ANDREW WEATHERALL & NEVILLE WATSON January 18

SO FRENCHY SO CHIC: ASA & FEFE January 19

SO FRENCHY SO CHIC: NOUVELLE VAGUE & MORIARTY January 20

FBi NIGHT: TUNE-YARDS & JONTI January 21 OUT

SOLDWH THE WHITEST BOY ALIVE & NEW NAVY

January 25

MAD RACKET: PEVEN EVERETT January 26

THE PEDRITO MARTINEZ GROUP & WATUSSI January 27

THE STEPKIDS & ELECTRIC WIRE HUSTLE S January 28

THE BLACK PAINTINGS AUSTRALIAN TOUR JANUARY 2012

FUTURE CLASSIC: DJ KOZE & PRINS THOMAS sydneyfestival.org.au/keystone

SATURDAY JAN 14 Fowlers Live, Adelaide (All Ages) New single & music video

First 25 ticket holders to selected shows receive an invite to an exclusive listening party of the new album, check www.facebook.com/theredpaintings for more details.

Tickets on sale now from venue websites and www.moshtix.com.au

‘Streets Fell Into My Window’

from the forth coming album ‘The Revolution Is Never Coming’ out November 21st purchase through itunes and bandcamp

presented by

BRAG :: 438 :: 14:11:11 :: 23

The Dynamites ft. Charles Walker From The Soul Of The Soul By Bridie Connellan

A

round 9pm on a crispy Tuesday night, Bill Elder is recovering from the grown-up version of Halloween; too many beverages after sourcing hippie and leprechaun costumes for his kids. “I did have a scary mask on from time to time, so all I could hear was myself breathing.”

When he’s not trick or treating, Elder grabs a guitar and assumes the stage moniker Leo Black (“Leo is a much cooler name than Bill,” he explains), leading Nashville-based soul/funk ensemble The Dynamites. The Dynamites are a stageful of musicians joining the cache of ampersand-wielding retro crews storming the States, including Eli “Paperboy” Reed & The True Loves, Fitz & The Tantrums, Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings and bluesmen Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears – and Elder is an unashamed fanboy of his own cause. “Soul music is the greatest music in the world,” he declares. “Songwriting, instrumentation, performance of soul – it’s all about a celebration that reaches to a part of you where other forms of music are trying to sell you toothpaste. It’s from the soul of the soul.”

Five minutes into our conversation and the word ‘soul’ has already been said way too many times. As African American journalist Nelson George said of the late ‘60s, “There were soul shakes, soul haircuts, soul barbershops, soul food. There was a lot of soul. It was so widely used, it almost lost its meaning, quite honestly.” The challenge for contemporary bands like The Dynamites, therefore, is that little A-word. “Authenticity is a term that gets thrown around a lot, and some people take it to be [about] imitation,” Elder says. “But for me, record after record after record, soul music always had this sense of true rawness.” Elder believes contemporary soul which draws upon that of the ‘60s and ‘70s is hardly throwaway throwback; it just hasn’t been improved on since. “The soul music thing, when it’s done well… well, it doesn’t get any better than that now, does it? I’ve just worked out that This Sound makes me feel That Way. We’re just hooked on this music. It’s the same conversation you’ve probably had with The Bamboos…”

He’s right. When we spoke last year, Bamboos frontman Lance Ferguson told me, “There’s a whole inventory of the genre of funk and soul that is so entrenched in some people’s minds, so it’s easy for us to be pigeonholed in a retro time machine...

There’s an element to what we do that keeps it current, but [pigeonholing] is inescapable.” So the first problem with new soul seems to be reinventing the wheel – but the second problem is with conviction, and whether contemporary artists can play/sing/ drum/strum like they care.

Enter Charles Walker. Opening for the likes of James Brown and Wilson Pickett back in the late ‘60s, Walker was an unsung hero of early soul, an icon not unlike Mississippi’s Syl Johnson, constantly in the shadow of labelmate Al Green. Walker got his start in Nashville at the happening black nightclub New Era Club, before discovering funk and kicking out the jams at the Apollo Theatre and Small’s Paradise. But that was a long time ago. In 2005, Elder caught Walker performing a tribute to the RnB greats of Nashville one evening at the Country Music Hall Of Fame, had a fan conniption, grabbed his number, hooked up for a beer and, as he says, “The story was just getting started.”

THEINBETWEENERS.COM.AU

FACEBOOK.COM/ROADSHOWFILMS

“If we didn’t have [Walker], it would have been a very different ball game trying to do what we do,” Elder admits. “The right frontman is crucial; the ‘band’ is the foundation for what the frontman is trying to deliver. It’s like military discipline, trying to move as a unit. The show never was about the band, the show was about Etta James, the show was about James Brown, the show was about Syl Johnson.” With the Dynamites’ second album Burn It Down, following up 2007’s Kaboom!, the 70-year-old Walker is still leading the pack with his dynamic stage presence.

“The difference with Charles is there’s nobody his age out there doing what he’s doing. He’s at the top of his game. It’s like being on a team with Jordan; he makes everyone want to play.”

The Dynamites fall in with soul and funk’s long history of political attachment, with artists like Otis Redding, Sam Cooke, Sly and the Family Stone, Aretha Franklin and friends forming a mouthpiece for the Civil Rights Movement in the ‘60s and ‘70s.

In the 2000s, the crew have steered their own commentary, with tracks like ‘Have It Enough’ and ‘Burn It Down’ reinvigorating the purpose of the genre and posing questions like, “What do you think of our new black president?”. “Soul music lends itself to comment with a lot more seriousness than some other genres,” Elder explains. “Independent soul music functions in and of itself. It has its own life. It’s not about how to sell a million records. It’s about how to do the music right, and let it take its natural course.

The most important thing I’ve ever learned in the music business is that every act has its way.”

Charles Walker and The Dynamites are bringing their smackdown of a live show to Australia this month, joined by two Melbourne locals, trumpeter Declan Jones (Bombay Royale, Public Opinion Afro Orchestra) and acclaimed Dutch saxophonist Remco Keijzer, recommended by The Bamboos.

With authenticity up the wazoo, there ain’t nothing soulless about this throwback. “Naturally the people who gravitate towards [the same] music end up in the same scenes,” Elder says. “It’s not a huge group, but we all want to put the same needle in our vein. We’re paying tribute to the music that made us want to play music to begin with.”

What: Burn It Down is out now

24 :: BRAG :: 438 :: 14:11:11

Where: The Basement When: Saturday November 19 / Sunday November 20

Xxxxx

Strong sexual references, coarse language and nudity

BRAG :: 438 :: 14:11:11 :: 25

arts frontline

free stuff email: freestuff@thebrag.com

arts, theatre and film news... what's goin' on around town and more...

five minutes WITH JEFF

KHAN

A

life and ritual there. So she had a very complex process to grapple with in relation to our brief, but one that has yielded a beautiful and mesmerising new work, which is truly crosscultural.

s part of Performance Space’s current season of works, Exchange, Associate Director Jeff Khan and Paul Gazzola devised a curious project called Return To Sender, in which emerging choreographers recreate the work of one of their international peers or mentors, in a performance style of their choice. We’re intrigued.

When did your love affair with dance begin? As Artistic Director of the 2008 and 2010 Next Wave Festivals in Melbourne, I picked up on the momentum of a new generation of emerging dance-makers who were experimenting with the medium. Their ideas were challenging and intriguing, and switched me on to the many possibilities of dance – and I guess I’ve never looked back…

Tony Yap and Yumi Umiumare

so I called Paul and asked him if we could collaborate to make it happen.

What are the last three awesome dance pieces you saw? Three recent performances that stand out are Martin del Amo’s Mountains Never Meet; Matthew Day’s Cannibal; and Balletlab’s Amplification (performed at Melbourne’s Dance Massive in March) which is 10 years old but still looks astonishing.

How did you decide on this particular lineup of artists? We selected eight Australian artists who had had significant or formative experiences overseas. We were conscious to select a broad cross-section of artists, from emerging to established, and from different cultural backgrounds, to explore the many different kinds of international exchange that influence Australian dance.

How did you come up with the concept for Return To Sender? Paul came up with the idea of inviting Australian artists to reconstruct the work of their international peers several years ago; when I started work at Performance Space in February I was interested in where the idea might go,

What was the most unexpected response to the brief? For me, Tongan-Australian artist Latai Taumoepeau really took the brief to an exciting and unexpected place. Tongan performance traditions are inseparable from the broader cultural practices that define daily

Kyozin Yueni Dekai

BEN ELTON’S GASPING

What international experience changed your life? In 2002, as a bright-eyed young arts graduate, I took off to New York for six months to do an internship at the Guggenheim. My supervisor there, Pablo Helguera, was an artist as well as the museum’s Public Programs Manager, and had an incredibly lateral approach to his job, which fused his interest in contemporary art with his work as an arts administrator. I’ve always been inspired by his curiosity, his professionalism, and his belief in the power and importance of ideas above all else.

What’s the role of Performance Space in Sydney's performance scene? Historically, we've supported independent artists that push the boundaries of what performance can be, advocating for their work and connecting it with audiences, often for the first time.

Best known for his hilarious scripting of the Blackadder series, Ben Elton’s massive slate of work as a novelist and screenwriter mark him as one of the top political satirists of his generation. Gasping, his first play, debuted in 1990 in London’s West End (we should all be so lucky). A comedy about the attempt to sell ‘Designer Air’, it takes a firm poke at the marketing industry – and the suckers who enable it. Because it’s Elton, you’ll be laughing not crying. New Theatre’s production of Gasping opens November 16.

We have three double passes up for grabs – to get your hands on one, tell us one other novel or play by Elton. Newtheatre.org.au

GIRLOSOPHY: INSPIRE

Anthea Paul will be launching the ninth book in her Girlosophy series this week, with a little musical help from Bridezilla and soul sisters Ngaratya, and a live photo-booth by local photographer (and Purple Sneakers alumn) Maja Baska. INSPIRE puts the focus on art, photography and the idea that women can empower themselves through creativity. We have a double pass up for grabs for the INSPIRE launch party, this Friday November 18 at Paddington’s Global Gallery. To get your hands on it, tell us your favourite female snapper. girlosophy.com

What: Return To Sender With: Alison Currie, Nadia Cusimano, Matthew Day, Atlanta Eke, Jane McKernan, Latai Taumoepeau, Tony Yap and Yumi Umiumare When: November 23-26 Where: Performance Space @ CarriageWorks, Eveleigh

PAINTERTAINMENT

Taking inspiration from Hong Kong institution Artjamming, Artroom is a chance to make like school art class, but with booze, food and chunes. This could (by which we mean should) definitely become a regular thing – but so far it’s a one-off, happening this Friday November 18 in Surry Hills arts den Hibernian House. From 7-10pm, enthusiasts (note, we didn’t say artists) can get their paint/ drink/drool on for the price of $50 – including an easel, canvas, unlimited paints, ‘brushes’, drinks, nibbles, and DJ Art House (prolly not his/her name). Suite 101, 342 Elizabeth Street, Surry Hills. Tickets in exchange for money, from stickytickets.com/artroom

Koko: he wants your soul

From the country that brought you Kurosawa, Mizoguchi, Kitano and Miike – besides the less highbrow stuff, like Battle Royale, Ring and pretty much every good horror film of the last ten years – comes the Japanese Film Festival: 30 films over ten days, in the bigscreen comfort of Event Cinemas on George Street. We’d like to be all mature, but honestly we’re pretty excited about Takashi Miike’s Ninja Kids!!! (sic) and Studio Ghibli’s Arrietty – so we’ll probably offer to ‘babysit’ someone else’s kids so we can sit through these with impunity (and candy). There’s heaps of comedies, neo-samurai and sci-fi up for grab – for the full program, head to japanesefilmfestival.net

BONDI SHORT FILM FEST

BIG IN JAPAN

Ksubi’s Big In Japan mini-fest hits Sydney this week, presenting twoday's-worth of avant garde Japanese art, across the fields of performance, visual art, contemporary dance, live music, and video. These guys (Kyozin Yueni Dekai, pictured) are playing: the one with the awesome hair plays drums, the guy on stilts rocks guitar. Together they make noise. Some describe their musical style as ‘a simple contemporary configuration’ – the correct term is ‘stiltcore’. Extra brain melting comes courtesy of ‘visual unit onnacodomo’, a trio of craft enthusiasts who create audiovisual treats using found objects. For the rest of the lineup see biginjapan.com.au – and head to Paddington Town Hall on Tuesday November 15 & Wednesday Nov 16, where shit will definitely get weird.

26 :: BRAG :: 438 :: 14:11:11

The annual Bondi Short Film Festival gives you another excuse to spend a Saturday at the beach, sans surf and sand. This year’s instalment features everything from whimsical balloons and internet dating to sexual predators and grieving mothers; there are romances, thrillers, documentaries, scifi… Best of all, there’s an audience – and that’s what festivals are all about. Short film festivals are even better: you can compare notes between the films, and because the filmmakers and their mates are sitting somewhere near you, you get extra hoots of laughter and applause – for free. So forgo your sanitised Saturday-night cinema experience, and head along to Bondi Pavilion on Saturday November 26. Tix and session details at bondishortfilmfestival.com

TOM STOPPARD

Sydney theatre audiences will have a chance to meet the ‘real’ Tom Stoppard next month, when he drops in for an informal chat on one of our largest stages; we imagine it will be just like having Tom over for a D&M over tea and cucumber sandwiches, except without the sofas, tea and cucumber sandwiches – and of course, being Tom, he’ll probably do all the talking, and you’ll be nodding sympathetically, asking all the right questions

Koko photo by David Darcy

JAPANESE FILM FESTIVAL

IF AWARDS: 70% MORE KOKO

Don’t be distracted by the beautiful people: the IF Awards are about recognising talent in the Australian film industry – but yes, it’s hard not to get distracted by co-hosts Xavier ‘broody-face’ Samuel (Twilight: Eclipse and Anonymous) and Koko (Red Dog), the handsomest and best-behaved star of the local industry. While your heart is being enslaved by Koko, awards will be handed out, and David and Margaret will be made ‘national treasures’ or somesuch honour – whether they like it or not. It all goes down Wednesday November 16 at Luna Park, with lashings of yummy food, booze, bling, stars and Koko. If that sounds like your kind of shindig, tickets are available now – ifawards. com.au – and we can personally recommend that after party.

– and secretly hating him for having a better brain than you. Having written some of the wittiest plays of the last two decades, he’ll probably be quite smug. Saturday December 17 at Sydney Opera House Concert Hall. sydneyoperahouse.com

NUMMY NUMSKULL

Local street art hero Numskull has a new show opening this month, off the back of his involvement in the Outpost Festival on Cockatoo Island. It’s called Mixed Messages, and it’s something to do with the constant barrage of information we’re subjected to as we walk through the city – except instead of making you want to stick pencils in your eyeballs, it’s super colourful typographic art timez. With a longstanding passion for the letter-form, Numskull’s latest body of work extends the interest into new realms, including wooden font collage artworks, sculpture and installation pieces. Mixed Messages opens Thursday November 24 from 6pm at kind

of gallery (72 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst). funskull.com / kindofgallery.com

PEATS RIDGE: ARTS

Peats Ridge dropped its arts bomb last week, with a crazybig lineup of visual, performance, sculpture and interactive arts scheduled to take over Glenworth Valley from December 29 – January 1. Some familiar names will return: Dangerboy and his Alchemical Cabaret; the Deep Sea Astronauts with their bubblemaking band and a brand-new piece of junkyard theatre; and Punk Monk Propaganda will be expanding on last year’s '15MB Of Fame' crowdsourcing experiment. Fresh blood includes The Puppy (Eating His Birthday Steak) Players, whose flashmobbing was unofficially the best part of Sydney Uni’s VERGE arts festival a couple of years back; and sound and performance artist Beth Dillon, who will be creating an interactive installation around the oftoverlooked art of hillbilly puppetry. Full lineup at peatsridgefestival.com.au.

GROSS UND KLEIN Benedict Andrews on madness, method, and working with Cate. By Dee Jefferson Chris Ryan and Cate Blanchett in rehearsals for Gross Und Klein

BENEDICT ANDREWS: ON DISCOVERING THE PLAY

Andrews first discovered Gross Und Klein when he was studying Drama at Flinders University. “It was one of the things that I found very influential back when I was a young man in Adelaide, looking for things that weren’t boring,” he laughs. “I remember reading this, and other plays of his – [at the time] I wasn’t thinking so much about what [Strauss] was doing [with this play], but it really opened up some ideas for me, and a real fantasy of what the stage could be.”

ON WORKING WITH CATE

“The amazing thing about working with Cate is that she is astonishingly and continually inventive. She has more stamina than anyone I’ve ever worked with, and works harder than anyone I’ve ever worked with. But she works harder than anyone on top of a very inventive talent. She has incredible access to emotions, and incredible transparency.”

ON WORKING WITH CRIMP

Within three days of taking the reigns of Gross Und Klein, Andrews flew from Reykjavik (where he and his wife are based for part of the year) and Martin Crimp flew from London, both meeting Cate in Washington, where she was performing in STC’s Uncle Vanya. The three spent two days going over the text, and Andrews says that he and Crimp spent the following two weeks exchanging ideas and notes over email, before meeting up again in London for another session. “He’s particularly precise, exact; it’s very ‘Crimp’ – every comma and dash counts. And this play really needs that rhythm – it’s embedded in the [original] text.”

ON THE DESIGN

Andrews worked with acclaimed German set designer Johannes Schütz (another Schaubühne alumnus) to develop a stage design that complements the series of encounters that run through the play.

“He’s invented a very simple ‘emptiness’ for that to take place in – it’s essential, it puts the focus on the actors, and I think it shows the creation of the world as an act of theatre. There’s a strong emphasis on composition – almost sparse, and painterly. Some people might find that unusual for my work – I mean, it happens, but within a more chaotic field [usually]. But the whole point of the experience is coming and meeting this woman, Lotte, and coming and meeting Cate – so in the end, the design has to reflect that.”

W

hen Cate and Andrew gave their 2011 season briefing, in September 2010, one production in particular stood out: a postCold-War reimagining of Botho Strauss’ Gross Und Klein, to be helmed by internationally renowned theatremaker Luc Bondy. Not only was it to be Blanchett’s only new theatre role for the year, but it was the result of almost three years of prep work, having been at the top of Cate and Andrew’s list of ‘dream scenarios’ when they entered their roles as artistic directors, in 2008.

Why? Because it brings together one of the great dramatists of the 20th century with one of modern theatre’s most avant garde and influential directors, in a translation by one of the best playwrights working today – Martin Crimp (The City; Attempts On Her Life).

G IV EA W AY S

So when Bondy had to pull out of the project in September for medical reasons, it must have initially seemed devastating – not least for Bondy, who had visited

Sydney earlier this year to put the finishing touches on casting.

Happily, the reigns were taken up by someone so perfect for the job, that it’s hard to believe he wasn’t involved from the very beginning: Australian-born, Europeanbased theatre director Benedict Andrews. Both Andrews and Bondy have been forged in the fires of Germany’s theatre scene (including stints at Berlin’s Schaubühne, whose electrifying version of Hamlet played at Sydney Festival 2010), both have had close working relationships with Crimp in the past, and both are known for their formally challenging interpretations of the classics.

The cherry on top was the cast, which includes many of Andrews’ longstanding collaborators – including Robert Menzies, Anita Hegh, Belinda McClory – and, of course, Blanchett. “Cate and I had been talking about doing something again, after War of the Roses [in which she played Richard III) – and then this came out of the blue, and

it is such a perfect role for her, an extraordinary role; and the idea of spending a lot of time in a room with her, one-on-one, on a role that will really bring out new colours in her – which this Lotte Kotta creature does – was absolutely irresistible,” says Andrews.

Premiering in 1978, Gross Und Klein (Big and Small) follows a solitary woman’s journey across the fringes of West Germany in search of some sort of ‘connection’, after the breakdown of her marriage. “The piece, in a way, is about a woman who has a special kind of madness. On one hand, she could be called a sort of ‘contagion’ in each social group, and in a sort of viral way, she gets kicked out of each group, til there’s nowhere left; but on the other hand, she could also be [seen as] an angel passing through all of their lives…” Andrews goes on to describe the action of the play as a sort of metaphysical road-movie – “or like Alice in Wonderland: a journey through a series of places.”

While Strauss’ original was very much a product of its time and place – a sort of nexus point between Cold War West Germany, the rise of social radicalism, and the birth of postmodern theatre – Andrews says that Crimp’s translation reveals the compelling premise and character at the heart of the play. “The play’s questions are still urgent, its critique of the world is still urgent, and the fantasy about Lotte is still so massive – in the end, [this play] is so good because of her. [Strauss] invented a great dramatic character, and a great journey for her; the meetings she has [along the way] are quite exciting, and open her up in different ways.”

For Andrews, Blanchett was the perfect choice to play Lotte. “For one thing, Lotte is described as ‘so pale in moonlight she’d be invisible’ – and Cate has this quality always of being a sort of hothouse flower, an almost alien beauty.

She possesses this ‘radiance’ – there are very few actresses who

genuinely possess that, and she has that, to begin with.”

More importantly, Blanchett is singularly suited to what Andrews describes as a “massive, massive role” – “she hardly leaves the stage, for several hours,” he points out. “[This role requires] stamina, emotional intelligence, emotional dexterity… But Cate is also really, really fucking funny.

You don’t always see that – there’s not always roles that let her show that. [Lotte] is part clown, part cartoon character, very touching, damaged mad-person, angel... It’s a borderline personality, and that’s really exciting. One of the reasons we come to the theatre, I think, is to see people on the edge.”

What: Gross Und Klein by Botho Strauss; Dir. Benedict Andrews When: Nov 19 – Dec 23 Where: Sydney Theatre, Walsh Bay More: sydneytheatre.com.au

EDDIE IFFT: LIVE I

f you want a laugh, check out Eddie’s podcast (with Australian expat comic Jim Jeffries) Jim & Eddie Talk Shit – and thank us later. But for someone who made their career doing standup, you really wanna see Eddie Ifft do ‘live’. A former insurance salesman who fell into comedy by accident after jumping up at an open mic night, Ifft knows how to talk – and talk – and has a reputation for saying what others might leave unsaid. Which is probably/definitely why Australians love him. He’s pretty much an adopted son Down Under, with regular slots on Rove, Thank God You’re Here, The Footy Show and Good News Week – and just quietly, despite his badass sense of humour, he’s a big softy who organised a fundraiser for the Queensland flood victims.

WIN!

Eddie is doing his LIVE show at The Comedy Store from Thursday November 24 – Saturday November 26. We have four double passes up for grabs to see the Thursday show; to get your hands on one, email freestuff@ thebrag.com and tell us his home country.

BRAG :: 438 :: 14:11:11 :: 27

Burning Man

Sydney Festival:

Arts Grab

[FILM] Jonathan Teplitzky explores love and loss in his third feature. By Gerard Elson immediately. “I’d been quite interested in playing around with structure for a while. So right from the word go I was writing the screenplay with that in mind, the flow of [a] fragmented narrative.”

The BRAG team pick their top tickets for this January.

■ Steph Harmon / Music Ed

REINVENTING RADIO

When asked how writing from personal experience – particularly of the traumatic kind – affects the way one approaches a screenplay, Teplitzky is matter-of-fact. “Experience does give you an authority to tell certain truths the way that you see them.

They may be different to how other people see them, but at least you have the confidence to go, ‘That was really truthful for me’ or ‘that actually happened’.”

Matthew Goode and Bojana Novakovic in Burning Man

H

collide, brush against one another and tessellate thanks to implicit emotional connections rather than the rigid canals of a linear plot.

Shot in and around Bondi Beach, Burning Man centres on Tom (Matthew Goode), an expat British chef with a streak of the reckless, and a case of sailor mouth that makes Gordon Ramsay look like Justine Clarke.

If Burning Man at first seems perplexing – a ‘why’s-he-doin’-it?’ as opposed to a 'whodunit?' – it’s by design. “I wanted the film to be a visceral thing,” Teplitzky explains. “I wanted the audience to be thrown in at the deep end and just go with Tom. A fractured narrative is the headspace of what it is to go through what he goes through.”

aving made his name with the comedies Better Than Sex (2000) and Gettin’ Square (2003), Jonathan Teplitzky didn’t set out to make his next film about grief; it just sort of happened that way.

The film’s opening is tantalisingly oblique: a flush of scenes flit by quicker than we’re able to make sense of them, commencing with a close-up of Tom’s naked arse and culminating with a bravura car accident shot from the bonnet of his tumbling Volkswagen. This fragmentary, almost free-associative approach to storytelling boldly persists throughout, making the film a sort of distant, less radical cousin to Terrence Malick’s Tree of Life. Scenes

Teplitzky should know. “My partner passed away about ten years ago now,” he explains. “Once you eventually get past the sadness and the tragedy, it’s actually a very invigorating and freeing place to be. You walk around as if you’ve got a ‘get out of jail free' card.

Later I thought, ‘God, that’d be great – to make a film about a character going through that.’” He began writing

After two years of writing, and with a screenplay he knew he could be proud of, Teplitzky took what might seem like an unusual step: he applied for Screen NSW’s Aurora Script Workshop.

He was accepted. “Aurora [and] all of those script workshops should be about every stage of the development of a screenplay – not just about getting a first or second draft,” he asserts. “We did some small, detailed stuff as a result of that, which really, really helped the script.”

What: Burning Man, Dir. Jonathan Teplitzky When: Opens November 17

T

It’s a part of the spectrum where Eamon Flack is clearly comfortable; this month he follows up his rowdy 2009 production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream with what looks to be an equally energetic take on As You Like It, featuring many of the same cast and crew (including comedic duo-du jour Charlie Garber and Gareth Davies) – plus extra lashings of talent, including Bille Browne, Trevor Jamieson and Alison Bell.

As You Like It marks Flack’s debut on the Belvoir's upstairs stage, after 28 :: BRAG :: 438 :: 14:11:11

“I’m kind of aware that I probably strike people as a kind of curious enigma,” Flack admits, “because I just turned up at Belvoir”. He describes himself as a late bloomer in the theatre landscape, discovering it when he was 19 or 20 – during an Arts degree at Queensland University. “I was well and truly on the path to being some sort of historian, but then I jumped ship and went to WAAPA.” A couple of years after finishing the acting course at WAAPA and moving to Sydney, Flack found himself the parttime Literary Manager at Belvoir, then under the leadership of Neil Armfield.

“It was the steepest learning curve,” he recalls. “I didn’t really know what I was doing for a while there; I had to learn very fast.” A bit further down the track,

Boxing is such a theatrical sport, it makes no sense to let film have all the fun. And having seen National Theatre of Scotland’s Blackwatch at Sydney Festival 2009, and the Frantic Assembly/Sydney Theatre Company co-production of Bryony Lavery’s Stockholm (2009), I’m fairly certain that this is going to be a Molotov cocktail of audiovisual and movement-based theatre.

■ Henry Florence / Theatre

he became an Artistic Associate – and not long after that, directing gigs started to arrive.

Flack’s strongest directorial statement so far is probably A Midsummer Night’s Dream – a show that saw nine actors crammed onto the Downstairs Belvoir stage, and reinvigorated an often overdone text by getting back to its original context: a play written for a specific wedding, full of in-jokes and jibes – more akin to a best man’s speech than a poetry reading.

“To be honest with you I think that’s the only way to do Shakespeare, says Flack. “This notion of reading the play and picking an era you can set it in is kind of meaningless to me, because everything happens now; even Julius Caesar happened then in 1599, not in Ancient Rome.”

a successful production of Samuel Beckett’s haunting monologue The End at in the downstairs theatre last year.

BEAUTIFUL BURNOUT

A HISTORY OF EVERYTHING

[THEATRE] All The World’s A Stage By Simon Binns

here’s a reason As You Like It is one of Shakespeare’s better-known and frequently-staged plays: it’s bursting with great lines (all the world’s a stage, for one), a couple of fight scenes and more love stories than you can poke an antler at – and is on the same ‘rom-com’ end of the spectrum as A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

■ Dee Jefferson / Arts Ed

But it wasn’t until the film premiered at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival that Teplitzky realised he really had something. “What we found a lot is that audiences don't want to engage right after the film. But then if you run into them, wandering the streets of Toronto, they want to talk more about it when a day or two has passed.”

Which sounds like an ideal reaction to such a deeply-felt film as this. “Totally!”

Teplitzky beams. “Audiences can by brutal. You just never know what you’ve got until you start showing it.”

As You Like It The inordinately large cast of Belvoir's As You Like It

Spending an evening with Ira Glass is the dorky dream of every radio geek. The revered master of storytelling has hosted and produced NPR’s award-winning This American Life since it debuted in 1995, and in an Australian first, he’ll be mixing moments from TAL live, interspersed with music, clips and his secrets to spinning a yarn (although to be honest, I’d have bought tickets just to swap podcasts with the rest of the crowd for an hour-or-so). Stayyyyyyy with us.

So when it came to directing As You Like It, step one was to figure out what the play had been written for, all those hundreds of years ago. This was where Flack’s latent ‘historian’ came in handy.

“By this point Shakespeare was often writing for specific occasions, and it sounds like this play was written for a private occasion at a country house in a deer park, on Shrove Tuesday,” Flack explains matter-of-factly. “I feel like the play was written in a hurry and [Shakespeare] went, ‘We’re going to be in the country and have a bare stage, so I may as well call that bare stage ‘Arden’, and ask what would you do if you were given your personal blank slate of a society?’ And that’s the same question we’ve asked.”

What: As You Like It, Dir. Eamon Flack Where: Belvoir Street Theatre When: November 23 – December 24 More: Belvoir.com.au

This is a new co-production between Sydney Theatre Company and Dutch darlings Ontroerend Goed, the creators of sublime performance installation The Smile Off Your Face (Sydney Festival '09), and the rowdy youthsplosion of Once And For All We’re Going To Tell You Who We Are So Shut Up And Listen (STC 2009). This should be an equally ambitious and in-yer-face show.

■ Michael Brown / Comedy

THE LIST OPERATORS FOR KIDS DO COMPOOTERS If you have a child in your life (5 or over) introduce them to the Listies. These guys traverse both the adult theatre/ comic world (part of Melbourne’s Last Tuesday Society) and children’s entertainment easily, and like a good Pixar film there’s plenty of subtle laughs built in for the big kids.

■ Lucy Fokkema / Dance

BABEL

35-year-old Belgian-Moroccan dancer and choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui was last in Australia with Sutra – an exquisite piece of dance theatre that fused kung-fu fighting forms with elegantly versatile set design by British Turner-winning sculptor Antony Gormley (involving 21 wooden boxes stacked, kicked and rocked by Shaolin monks). Sutra was the highlight of last year's Spring Dance festival – so this latest piece should be awesome.

What: Sydney Festival 2012 Where: your city When: January 7-29 More: sydneyfestival.org.au

BRAG :: 438 :: 14:11:11 :: 29

Arts Snap

Film & Theatre Reviews

At the heart of the arts Where you went last week...

Hits and misses on the silver screen and the bareboards around town.

■ Theatre

SPROUT Until November 19 / Old Fitzroy Theatre

PICS :: GP

küt: group show

Sprout is the kind of play that could only be written by a writer. That might sound like a ridiculous statement, but hear me out. It’s set in a sort of post-apocalyptic world (I say sort of because it’s not clear whether there’s been an apocalypse or just a slow-burn to poverty) where language has become the haven of its inhabitants, and characters cling to the past through poems, whose words allow them to relive better days, when water was plentiful and animals abounded. Only a writer would prophesy a future in which words are a cure-all – in this case, emerging Sydney playwright Jessica Bellamy.

02:11:11 :: Alaska Projects :: L2, Kings Cross Car Park, 9A Elizabeth Bay Rd, Elizabeth Bay

Designer Owen Phillips litters the stage with remnants of wooden buildings, and the actors are smeared with dirt. Besides people, signs of life are scarce, and jealously hoarded: Nicole (Ashley Ricardo) guards some stolen seeds with her life, while her partner John (Fayssal Bazzi) is equally adamant about protecting the seed of life in her belly; Tom (Sam O’Sullivan) is fastidious about keeping his new pet tree frog secret – while Emily (Matilda Ridgway) wants to let it roam free. With Nicole and John always striking the same chord of loss, Tom and Emily prove to be the more interesting couple, their youthful naivety allowing for more lively discussions, and as a result, more engaging scenes. O’Sullivan in particular brings the young man’s broken thoughts to life.

An uneven, but engaging work, this play is much like its name – a hopeful beginning.

Henry Florence ■ Film

PICS :: GP

exchange: launch

THE ORATOR Released November 17 The Orator has on its side the magic and mystery of a society and culture totally unfamiliar to most Australians: rural Samoa, steeped in a heady mix of tribal lore, ritual, superstition, and Christianity – and shrouded in tropical jungle and mist. In this foreign land, director Tusi Tamasese pitches his tent and proceeds to weave his tale, slowly but surely: a family of three who each have their own burden of shame and sadness, and who are brought together by a tragedy. The performances are so incredibly unaffected, the lensing so majestic, and the story so potent, that it’s impossible not to fall under the film's spell.

nas postgrad show 2011

PICS :: TL

03:11:11 :: Performance Space :: 245 Wilson St, Eveleigh 8571 9099

03:11:11 :: National Art School :: Forbes St, Darlinghurst 9339 8744

Arts Exposed What's in our diary...

The centre of the story is Saili (Fa’afiaula Sagote), an honourable man, husband and stepfather, who is overlooked in terms of social and tribal position because of his dwarfish stature. His wife Vaaiga (Tausili Pushparaj), who was ostracised by her family and banished from her village 17 years ago for a shameful affair and pregnancy, is now struggling to control her teenaged daughter, whilst succumbing to a terminal illness – and fending off the advances of her brother and family, who have suddenly decided that they want her back home. It’s 17 years too late for Vaaiga – but as Tamasese shows, it’s not too late for her husband and daughter to step up to the plate, and take control of their destinies.

This film is heavy with sadness, hot with anger and shame, and triumphant in its sense of human dignity. Slow moving, it hooks you with its strange rituals – curfews, public shamings, council ceremonies – not least of which is the custom of ‘orators’: men of ‘chiefly title’, who are empowered to negotiate inter- and intra-village conflicts, by virtue of their wisdom, courage, and rhetorical prowess. Although every villager seems to have a machete and rock close to hand at all times, it is these men who steer the ship – leading to one of the most moving showdowns in recent cinema.

Dee Jefferson ■ Film

WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN Released November 17 Lionel Shriver’s lengthy and grim novel was a bestseller and a book club favourite, partly thanks to its subject matter, which spoke directly to the primal fears arising from parenthood (particularly first-time), and highlighted a lurking shame behind modern expectations of self-fulfillment.

The film version is likely to generate just as much soul-searching, with Tilda Swinton’s extraordinary central performance carrying viewers through what, at times, feels like a post-traumatic nightmare.

Eva (Swinton) is the long-suffering mother of Kevin – an Omen-style devil child who is locked in an unending battle with his mother for some kind of elusive recognition, and who willfully destroys anything he sees as diverting or distracting from his birthright: a mother’s unconditional love. It’s a tragic cold war that plays out under the seemingly oblivious nose of Eva's husband, Franklin (John C. Reilly) and eventually their second child, Lucy (Ursula Parker) – until, at the age of 15, Kevin (Ezra Miller) does something truly horrific.

Director Lynne Ramsay (Morvern Callar) artfully sheds Shriver’s novel of its linear, confessional structure (letters from Eva to an absent Franklin), instead building tension via an organic lattice of flashbacks and defining memories, as the broken Eva attempts to make sense of what has happened. While little blood is actually seen, the film is awash with scarlet tones, from the opening festive scenes at Spain’s La Tomatina – where Eva’s freedom as a travel writer is contrasted with what is to come – to the red paint flung at her house by hate-filled neighbours, which she scrubs off by hand between visits to an incarcerated and unrepentant Kevin.

Ramsay heightens sounds and images so that a lawn sprinkler’s staccato bursts become chilling, and the eating of a lychee drips with a queasy, squelching menace.

This mix of art-house and horror sometimes threatens to tip the film into pretentiousness, but Swinton’s near-perfect performance brings it back every time. The low-budget and rapid 30-day nature of the production occasionally peeks through (Eva and Franklin’s palatial family home contains an inordinate amount of Ikea accessories), but the film remains a powerful and affecting creation.

Topher Healy

Tilda Swinton in We Need To Talk About Kevin

SELF EST. November 17-20 Gallery A.S. / kind of gallery / Kippax & Lt Riley St This project has an impeccable non-academic street art pedigree: curators Marty Routledge (Go Font Ur Self and LO-FI Collective) and Joseph Allen Shea (Monster Children gallery, Izrock Pressings and Gallery A.S.) have teamed up to present a four day ‘suite’ of exhibitions, live demos and talks, around a lineup of fascinating local and international artists whose inspiration comes from the street – whether its skateboarding or graf. The lineup of self-established artists is: Horfé (FRA - work pictured left), Jeff Canham (San Fran), DMOTE (Aus/ NYC), Ben Barretto (Perth) and Roid (UK). Highlights include Baretto’s site-specific installation, live murals

by Roid and Horfé, and sign-painting by Canham. On the talks side, we’re looking forward to hearing Canham and Baretto talk first-hand about the unusual source of their creative urges, with accompaniment by local hero Cameron McAuliffe (Keep Australia Colourful) and Fred Forsyth (UK), publisher of the Crack and Shine street art anthology, and founder of the Topsafe project. For all the times and places, see selfest.com.au 30 :: BRAG :: 438 :: 14:11:11

See www.thebrag.com for more arts reviews

DVD Reviews

Michael Shannon mini-fest... By Dee Jefferson

THE MISSING PERSON

Madman Entertainment Released August 31

MY SON, MY SON, WHAT HAVE YE DONE Umbrella Entertainment Released September 21

I remember seeing this at the 2009 Sydney Film Festival and feeling really irritated by it; two-anda-bit years later, I like it a lot. In the intervening time, I saw a helluva lot more classic film noir.

This modern take on the genre stars former character actor and soon-to-be Academy Award-winner Michael Shannon as ginsoaked detective John Rosow, who is hired to tail a 'middle-aged defective' heading from Chigaco to Mexico via LA, with a young Mexican boy in tow.

If you’re a fan of David Lynch or Werner Herzog, of course you’ll want to check this one out – and yes, you’ll be disappointed that it’s no Aguirre Wrath of God or Mulholland Drive, but you’ll hardly be surprised that it’s extremely odd, unsettling and even paranormal; you won’t even blink when the midget makes a cameo, or think it’s strange that Uncle Ted (Brad Dourif) has dreams of breeding a rooster larger than a pony.

Sporting a brown suit, burgundy tie and permanent scowl, Rosow is a relic of an age gone past; his sardonic, wisecracking humour and deadpan demeanour mark him as a bit of a Bogart – and writer-director Noah Buschel makes open sport of his references. Like the best detective antiheroes, Rosow is a likeable mix of gruff charm and casual efficiency, with a healthy disrespect for authority and suspicion of newfangled technology. He gets the job done, despite seeming most casual at the most urgent moments – and all the while hungover. He spends almost as much time trying to soften up his handler, Miss Charlie (Amy Ryan), as working the case. As his trip from Chicago to LA progresses, you can’t help wondering why he’s been hired – but then, so does he.

I digress: My Son is not about midgets, roosters or Uncle Ted. Produced by Lynch and directed by Herzog, it’s a psychological horror loosely based on a real murder case, in which thespian Mark Yavorsky killed his mother after a particularly fraught rehearsal period for a Greek tragedy of similar theme. Writer Herb Golder spent a lot of time with Yavorsky, to get the details and flavour of his madness correct (Herzog, who met him just once, found him too creepy – which is saying something). Facts aside, Michael Shannon is ideal for the part of our killer, who holes up in his LA pad with a shotgun in each fist, and his two pet flamingos as hostages. He has the brooding intensity of someone on the edge of complete psychological chaos – but the face of someone you want to like. Lynch regular Grace Zabriskie plays his thoroughly neurotic mother, and Willem Dafoe the earnest detective trying to manage the police siege.

The Missing Person has four great assets: Shannon and Ryan (who have a wonderful, understated chemistry), a plot that keeps you guessing, a delightfully oddball sense of humour (the scenes with the cop on the Segway and the glow-in-the-dark sunnies are particularly tangential) and a real sense of romance. A grainy, bleached-out 70s aesthetic and soundtrack laced with jazz and ‘50s rock round out the slick package.

Far more loopy even than Herzog's Bad Lieutenant, My Son My Son is an experiment in evoking the mad state of mind, that sometimes works (notably the exquisite mid-scene tableaux) and sometimes doesn’t (performances and lines often feel staged, although that might have been the point). It’s anything but boring – and an excellent featurette of interviews with Herzog and Golder will help you decipher the method in all this madness.

Street Level With Ben Barretto

B

en Barretto is big in Perth – big in an artistic kinda way; a former pro-skater, he now spends most of his time making art and installations – and making art through installations. He just returned from a residency at Dijon’s Ecole Nationale Superieur d’Art, and hits Sydney this week for Self Est. – four days of art focusing on self-established street artists.

When and why did the art start, for you?

There was never a moment when I decided to make art, I’ve always made things – and I realise now how much of what I do has been there from a very young age.

How did your skating affect your art?

It affected my way of thinking, and in turn that way of thinking has affected my way of making art. The resourcefulness of choosing materials is really similar to skating; for example, if you’re at a skate spot and there is a crack in front of a ledge, you look around and maybe find a sign or piece of tin to solve the problem. When I make art, If I need something I’ll look around and find something to solve the problem; my materials are usually chosen for practicality rather than aesthetics but funnily enough, when I make decisions this way the aesthetics always seem right because of the honesty of their origins.

How did your work change, after art school? The main thing that art school gave me was the ability to make art full time. I don’t feel like my work has changed; I guess I am just glad that I now understand how things work in an institution. I think art school taught me more about what art I don’t want to make than what art I do.

What’s the thinking behind your ‘Assisted Drawings’ and ‘Assisted Painting’ series?

It’s the ability to become more of a director or composer in the artwork, it allows me to step away and hand over some constant control to some other source of movement.

This way of working allows me to set up a situation where things will happen where I will be forced to react, and so the artwork becomes a kind of record of all of those intuitive decisions.

An 'Assisted Painting' by Ben Barretto

What was the best thing about the Dijon residency? To be honest, it was the time; having no interruptions, being able to think.

Having a practice so heavily dependant on making, it was nice to have time to sit and think about why I do what I do. At the time that isolation was really difficult and frustrating, but looking back it was definitely valuable.

What are you doing for Self Est.? It will be a painting installation. I’ve been really into using fabrics, recently, like velvet and suede – using these materials to make the paintings and then laying them back into the painting that they've made. I want to construct a system that will be quite loose, having movement and colour expanding through the space. So I guess the installation is going to be a kind of expanded ‘Assisted Painting’, having some finished parts alongside evolving ones.

What: Ben Barretto & Jeff Canham joint show – as part of Self Est. When: Opens Friday November 18 from 6pm; runs til December 2 Where: Gallery A.S. / 53-55 Brisbane St, Surry Hills More: Q&A w/ Canham, Barretto, Fred Forsyth & Cameron Mcauliffe at Gallery A.S. on Saturday Nov 19 from midday. selfest.com.au

BRAG :: 438 :: 11:11:11 :: 31

BRAG EATS food review

News Bites collection. Oh, and we’re having a party – with lashings of bite-sized nibbles from the collection, and summer surfer jams

by Sures. Feast Your Eyes 2: BBQ goes down Wednesday November 23 at The Wall @ World Bar from 7pm, and you're invited. For more, head to artonthewall.tumblr.com

SUMMER AT THE CARRO: PART 2 Feast Your Eyes I

FEAST YOUR EYES II

Brag Eats and our pals at The Wall are presenting the second instalment of what is quickly becoming our Feast Your Eyes series.

This time we’re focusing exclusively on BBQ, and once again asking our favourite peeps (Jonti, Claudia O’Doherty, Lewi McKerdi, Guineafowl, Sweetie Zamora, Brendan McLean, Kit Palaskas, Geoffrey O’Connor, Toby & Pete, Eddy Current Suppression Ring, Alice Fenton and more) to share their BBQ-oriented recipes, which are then illustrated by our other favourite peeps (Caitlin Shearer, Matthew Roland Bannister) – and casually flung together into a tastyasfuck recipe

A few weeks back we were all like ‘oh, yum, the Carrington Hotel has a new summer menu’ – that’s still true, but they’ve now also got a new lunch menu focusing on cheap, oneplate affairs; extra pintxos (aka snacks) for those who want their beer with food, rather than the other way around, and a rad list of daily specials, including $3 pintxos (Tuesdays), and $10 burgers+sides (Wednesdays). It’s almost like they’re trying to be your favourite local. The Carrington is still being awesome at 563 Bourke Street, Surry Hills; thecarrington.com.au

FRATELLI FRESH This Italian dining and groceries institution needs no introduction; let’s just say it’s just opened a new joint in the CBD, further

Steamed clams, jamon & fideo pasta @ the Carrington Hotel

lowering the odds that anyone you know won’t love it by the end of summer.

I mean, they’ve got a ‘Mozarella Bar’. It’s in the sandstone basement at 11 Bridge Street, in the CBD. fratellifresh.com.au

CITY FARM

Lord Mayor Clover Moore and the City of Sydney council are planning to bring a bit of country to the city, by creating two ‘city farms’, where locals can buy fresh produce. Housed within the Powerhouse Museum car park and at Sydney Park in St Peters, the city farms will be little havens of nature in the concrete jungle, and will hopefully provide fresh produce to us all. There’ll be lessons and workshops to show the kiddies where their dinner comes from, and with our ever-rocketing population, every spare carrot is sure to help.

THE BEER BARON BAR

The Beer Baron appears to have grown up and settled down with the opening of The Dock, his first fixed-address alcoholselling establishment. The Baron (aka Jed Clarke) isn’t trying to reinvent the wheel: old-school simplicity is the name of the game here – second-hand furniture, cheap drinks and free popcorn. The house specialty is the Skittlebrau – an aptly named combination of Skittles and beer that is sure to procure a cult following... Check it out before it gets all mainstream and shit; 182 Redfern Street, Redfern

GOT SOMETHING FOR BRAG EATS? Email us news tips or story ideas at: food@thebrag.com

free stuff ▼

FREDA’S [CHIPPENDALE]

At first glance you may think of Regent Street as a barren and lifeless wasteland, but look a little closer and tucked away, with nothing more than a few chalky scribbles to lead the way, is a colourful adventure just waiting to be had. After just two weeks, Freda’s is buzzing, and seems to have already established itself as creative Chippendale’s golden child.

Candles offer a warming glow that’s just bright enough to expose the huge wooden beams overhead, red brick walls with arched inlets, and earthy-toned tapestries hanging from the walls.

Somehow the space manages to feel loft-like and intimate at the same time. The waitstaff here are completely approachable – to the point where you get that weird feeling you’ve met them somewhere before. They’re so comfortable in what they’re doing that it makes the experience more like being at home; it’s only when you go to help yourself to that amazing looking dip on the table next to you that you realise you are, in fact, surrounded by complete strangers.

The food here is made to share (despite what your disgruntled neighbour might tell you).

Bread is the main element and it’s easy to see why, when you learn that Simon – one of the partners – was a sourdough guru at Luxe Bakery. Baked fresh each morning, it’s perfect for sopping up all of the juicy goodness of their tapas-oriented menu. First up is a plate of Tommy Ruff (that’s fancy talk for delicious fish) grilled with beetroot and horseradish, which goes oh-so nicely with my tart, gin-based ‘grapefruit fizz’ cocktail.

email: freestuff@thebrag.com

Above: stuffed tomatoes; Below: John Dory

Next is the mussels ‘escabeche’ (an awesome seasoned oil – and your sourdough’s newfound partner in crime) and tomato stuffed with lamb mince, bulgur, onion, currants, mint, parsley and dill – just the way your Mediterranean grandma used to make it. We mustn’t forget our greens, but forget that boring leafy stuff: Freda’s ‘shepherds salad’ is a hearty mix of cucumber, tomato, onion, mild yellow chilies, radish, dill, parsley, and a light, lemony vinaigrette.

After a couple more summery cocktails, we feel primed for desert: a warming and aromatic rice pudding, cooked with bay leaves and spices. We close with a tangy and delightfully light espresso from Mecca Coffee, sourced from just around the corner (literally).

The menu at Freda’s changes daily, and the chefs seem to have the same attitude towards cooking as you or I: use whatever’s lying around (only they have far better stuff lying around, and manage to assemble it with a whole other level of panache...). With Spanish, Lebanese and Turkish backgrounds, it’s hard to pigeonhole the menu, but suffice it to say, this is some super scrumptious, unpretentious, home-style cooking, and the perfect meal to grab after scoping out one of Chippendale’s myriad art galleries – or before a night out on the town. Serious night owls will be happy to hear that Freda’s are also hoping to extend their midnight curfew until the wee hours of the morn. They’ve also just started a lunch menu – for those of us who like spoiling our appetites before dinner. – Meaghan Meredith

SANDHURST FINE FOODS It might seem hard, but your mates will really appreciate it if you splash out a bit at the next Sunday BBQ – and nothing says class better than an Italian twist. So we’re gonna make it really easy for you – with a little help from Sandhurst Fine Foods, who have unveiled their new ‘antipasto’ range.

We have three prize packs up for grabs, each of which contains a jar of Sandhurst’s Sicilian olives, a jar of semi-dried tomatoes, and two jars of their Prima Scelta Chargrilled Antipasto. And if you fancy yourself a bit of a chef, and wanna go a cut above the antipasto plate, check out the Sandhurst website, which has a whole page of recipes… All we’re not giving you is one of those little jar openers like you bought your Gran last Christmas.

To get your greasy paws on one of these special packs, email freestuff@thebrag.com with your most embarrassing story involving a barbeque.

Where: Rear 109 Regent St, Chippendale Phone: 02 8971 7336 Web: fredas.com.au Hours: Open daily from 11am til late

sandhurstfinefoods.com.au/recipes

ning Areas 3 Di 1 2

3

On Premise Licence (Restaurant) Licensee: T. Bartovic

32 :: BRAG :: 438 :: 14:11:11

The Bar European Room The Attic

3 2

1

LV L 3 , 3 8 3 B O U R K E S T S U R R Y H I L L S

L I V E M U S I C , V I S U A L A R T, T H E AT R E , CO M E DY, B U R L E S Q U E & B O O Z E

THU 17 NOV FRI 18 NOV SAT 19 NOV YOUR HANDS

NICKY NIGHT TIME + KATO VALARIE YUM + LUX LIFE

BEARHUG

Mi-Life Exhibit: HoboGestapo

FREE ENTRY FREE PIZZA

JORDAN IRELAND

FRI 25 NOV SAT 26 NOV THU 1 DEC WITH

PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS COME VISIT US AT FACEBOOK.COM/THESTANDARDSYDNEY

TICKETS ON SALE NOW AT MOSHTIX.COM.AU/THESTANDARD WEARETHESTANDARD.COM.AU

BRAG :: 438 :: 14:11:11 :: 33

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

ALBUM OF THE WEEK BLUEJUICE

None of this is done ironically; Bluejuice know how good this era sounded, and there's a certain timelessness that comes with those synth sounds and production techniques that never really defined a movement, but skirted the edges of quite a few.

Company Dew Process

There are quite a few major misconceptions surrounding Bluejuice, mostly centered around the level of levity with which they seem to approach the band. In interviews, they run the gauntlet from semi-serious to semi-ridiculous, on stage they pepper the audience with jokes and expletives, and their videos are rarely more than comedy skits. But on record, Bluejuice are serious songwriters.

Company is extremely accomplished, immaculately crafted and instantly memorable.

Lyrically, Company mines the same pit of despair and anxiety that was overlooked so universally on their past two releases (‘Broken Leg’ is clearly not a party anthem; ‘Ain’t Telling The Truth’ is a cheater’s lament). Musically, they are strict students of mid-‘70s yacht rock, pre-disco cheese, and that awkward moment in musical history when white guys began appropriating black music.

THRICE

JANE’S ADDICTION

Major/Minor Vagrant Records When experimentation is the expectation, it seems somewhat of a surprise if a band follows the path beaten by their album previous. From hardcore beginnings, Orange County band Thrice have slowly been evolving into a richer outfit; from the electronic elements introduced on their 2005 effort Vheissu, to the ambitious but occasionally flawed Alchemy Index quadrilogy, they’ve pushed themselves and dragged their fans along with them.

Their (criminally overlooked) 2009 LP, Beggars, saw the maturation process continue, harnessing a freer, jamoriented direction that gave a bluesy tinge to their post-hardcore sound – and 2011’s Major/Minor, is a selfprofessed continuation from there.

There is a particular sludginess to Major/Minor; the guitars are thick and leaden, mirroring the lyrical imagery.

While the themes of mortality and personal reflection heard previously in Dustin Kensrue’s lyrics are still present, Major/Minor is first and foremost a dedication to his faith. The album is littered with references to a higher power; he pleads to find god on ‘Treading Paper’ and ‘Listen Through Me’, while in ‘Call It In The Air’ he implores religious fence-sitters with a sermon of “No more stalling, no delay / you must call it out by light of day / so heads or tails?”

The creativity of Thrice’s past records surfaces only occasionally on Major/Minor. The rhythm section provided by brothers Eddie and Riley Breckenridge is still as potent as ever, but the unorthodox time signatures and inventive guitar riffs heard before have been replaced with solid rock structures. Only songs like ‘Blur’ and ‘Yellow Belly’ reveal the innovative precedent that the band set.

This won’t go down as an important Thrice record, but maybe we’ve just been spoilt by them before.

Rick Warner

The Great Escape Artist Capitol/EMI With lyrics like “You were the foreskin, I was the real head” sung over MIDI effects just two tracks in, Jane’s Addiction prove that even through multiple hiatuses, lineup changes and rehab stints, they remain as accessible and diverse as ever.

Despite spearheading grunge since the early ‘80s, The Great Escape Artist is the Californian quartet’s first album in eight years. Record number four sees the band team with producer Rich Costey (Weezer, Muse, My Chemical Romance) and TV On The Radio’s Dave Sitek, who pitched in as writer, programmer, keys and bass player, and in fact ended up playing on more tracks than the band’s guitarist and unofficial co-frontman, Dave Navarro.

The Great Escape Artist is also the first time in Jane’s Addiction's 25-year career where the use of synths, MIDI edits and effects can be heard. The band have always been fiends for a fresh distraction, and thankfully it doesn’t translate as a desperate attempt for relevance here, as they’ve never been an act to seek it. Ziggy Stardust and Iggy Pop expressed their own proclivity for escapism through bizarre, antagonistic vocals and sophisticated chord progressions, and Jane's Addiction follow a similar line with tracks like ‘Twisted Tales’ and ‘Ultimate Reason’, which weave and merge into one another. Elsewhere, early track ‘Curiosity Kills’ stands alone as reverberating, organised fervency, with frontman Perry Farrell delivering impeccable vocals that parallel his early work.

You may have thought that 2003’s Strays was as varied and youthful a fusion as the band had the ability to produce, but The Great Escape Artist holds Jane’s Addiction's spot on a pedestal of their own making.

Poppy Reid

This is an album full of singles. Opener ‘Can’t Keep Up’ sets the tone with a synth hook and three minutes of forward propulsion, and follower ‘Act Yr Age’ (the record’s first single proper) is already dominating airwaves. It’s all choruses, hooks and handclaps on Company, which makes this the perfect party record should you choose to lalala your way over the lyrics – because some of this stuff is quite bleak. ‘Shock’ chronicles both the dissolution of a relationship and the diminishing returns of getting older, and ‘The Recession’ is a wake-up call to those who've just been coasting along – “Everyone’s expendable, anyone can be replaced”.

Nathan Jolly

VHS OR BETA

JINJA SAFARI

Diamonds And Death Shock

Locked By Land Co-Op Music

VHS Or Beta have always had the feel of plucky underdogs about them. Their 2004 debut, Night On Fire, was a near-perfect revival of moody ‘80s new wave pop, but unfortunately for them a certain album called Hot Fuss came out that same year. Thus The Killers’ became the world’s premier skinny tie rockers, and VHS Or Beta found themselves stuck in support slots – opening for Duran Duran is cool and everything, but it’s not the same as your own arena show. Their next album, Bring On The Comets, highlighted the rock elements in their sound, and while it was a sharp collection of songs, it once again failed to set the world on fire. Refusing to let the world or Brandon Flowers get them down, VHS Or Beta are back with another very solid album that will, once again, probably not get the attention it deserves.

VHS Or Beta is a duo these days, and Diamonds And Death sounds like the work of a drastically slimmed-down band. Sound-wise, it’s their most explicitly electronic album, containing the kind of stripped-back, Daft Punk-like disco and electro of the earliest VHS Or Beta singles. And whether this approach is a matter of necessity or design, it suits them. Opener ‘Breaking Bones’ begins with an infectious rhythm before adding Pfunder’s melancholy vocals and a few traces of synth embellishment, and most of the album’s tracks follow this same formula. ‘All Summer In A Day’ is shimmering pop, and ‘I Found A Reason’ makes the Duran Duran influence even more explicit.

"They deserved better" may well be inscribed on VHS Or Beta’s tombstone, but in its own lowkey way, this is an extremely enjoyable album.

After just 18 months together, the pairing of Sydney's Marcus Azon and Pepa Knight has managed to deliver an impressive indie rock album comprising tracks from their selftitled EP, free monthly downloads, and new material. The boys refer to their sound as ‘forest rock’, and while the lyrics are a bit new age, the vocals are smooth, the songs are great and the album is extremely well produced.

Jinja Safari are named for the East Ugandan city in Africa where Marcus’ grandmother resides, and the tracks are heavily influenced by the connection. In fact, Marcus has ‘borrowed’ much of the percussion from a recent trip to Gran’s, and it's well delivered by Pepa. Each of the 15 tracks (including two electronica remixes of ‘Peter Pan’ and ‘Hiccups’

by Sydney's Fishing and Butcher Blades/) are hugely danceable and manage to avoid repetition; ‘Mud’ transports listeners to tribal villages with its infectious Afro beats, and recent single ‘Mermaids’ remains an addictive anthem.

There's a harmonious, almost spiritual quality to this album. A concoction of sitars, guitars, drums, keys and hand-claps, each track is consistent and undeniably footstomping. And they really seem like the cool kids who aren't trying to be cool; they just want to play wild beats and inject eclectic, uplifting tunes into the world. There are promises of another album in the near future and buzz over their current tour, so check them out live when you can.

This highly likeable collection of tracks will have you wanting to join the Jinja Safari, escape the urban jungle and dance barefoot amongst the trees.

Juliette Gillies

Alasdair Duncan

INDIE ALBUM OF THE WEEK TWERPS Twerps Chapter Music There’s something inherently likeable about Twerps. The guitar-driven four-piece are probably the most affable offspring from Melbourne’s pseudo-incestuous music community, ambling along with a sporadic recorded output dappled with relatively rare live appearances. Twerps marks their first proper full-length release, and with it they rise above the realm of hissy lo-fi into a more fully-realised appreciation of the Australian rock canon, with a dutiful nod to the greats of modern Americana.

Opening track and lead single ‘Dreamin’ 34 :: BRAG :: 438 :: 14:11:11

kicks off with what could easily be mistaken as a sardonic parody of the likes of Tom Petty; frontman Martin Frawley possesses the same fragile, wavering vocal style as Petty, if only a little more endearing. It’s this dynamic which defines Twerps, resting uneasily in a sort of limbo between the fist-pumping histrionics of stadium rock, and the more contemplative understatement of Springsteen’s Nebraska.

The record also exhibits a distinct undercurrent of general uneasiness, in the grand tradition of great Australian suburban discourse. While the feverish global focus on New Zealand’s fabled Flying Nun stable subsides, there’s a tangible shift in focus back across the Tasman which suits Twerps just fine, providing a resolute foothold up from their scrappy, LA garage-

influenced early recordings.

It’s not all squeaky-clean Paul Kelly & The Coloured Girls-style guitar solos though, with ‘Jam Song’ burning along like a longlost Velvet Underground jam – the only instance of Twerps sounding remotely unhinged – and Brendan Huntley (of Eddy Current fame) stamping his softly sweet brand of romantic couplets on the record, co-writing the impossibly gentle and arrestingly heartfelt ‘Bring Me Down’.

While Twerps won’t be elevated into the prestigious canon it so worships, it does bode as a stunning example of the capability of contemporary Australian song.

Lachlan Kanoniuk

FUTURE OF THE LEFT Polymers Are Forever Remote Control In high school my English teacher tried to strangle the smart-arse kid in the class. What drove him to violence was not just the kid’s obnoxious sarcasm, but how he used his perceptive, cunning intelligence to get under people’s skin. If you admire that type of kid, then Future Of The Left’s latest offering is for you.

This EP fits in snugly with FOTL’s previous albums, and features six songs, three of which are demos for an upcoming full-length release. Andy Falkous continues to channel a Welsh Jello Biafra and the FOTL sound remains a tight distorted trio of bass, guitar and drums. The EP leads with the title track, which encapsulates what FOTL do so well. The song walks the knife’s edge of irony, with ridiculous but vitriolic lyrics that might be brilliantly profound or mockingly meaningless – a mystery which baits me to listen to it again and again. ‘Apologies To Emily Pankhurst’ is three-chord snarl punk until B-52s-like keyboards tear into the chorus and save the song from simplicity. ‘New Adventures’ starts with the annoying sound of pissedoff muppet scat, then eases into something akin to a reserved pop song about the depressing monotony of telesales and heroin in Wales.

The second half of Polymers Are Forever consists of the demos, and it's here that things get mean and dissenting. The band attacks three mainstays of society, starting with marriage in ‘My Wife Is Unhappy’, then capitalists in ‘Dry Hate’ (“No-one loves a prick – no-one loves coffee sniffing motherfucker”), and finally the church, in the almost epic ‘destroywitchurch. com’. I’m relieved this is the last track, because while I couldn’t stop listening, I couldn’t take much more of it either.

For those who could be good friends with a vitriolic, irreverently sarcastic and loud smart-arse.

Tyler Broyles

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

THE FLAMING LIPS - The Soft Bulletin FINK - Biscuits For Breakfast BUSDRIVER - Jheli Beam

BECK - Mutations WITCH HATS - Pleasure Syndrome

BRAG :: 438 :: 14:11:11 :: 35

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

BOY AND BEAR, BALL PARK MUSIC

CAMERAS, WINTER PEOPLE The Standard Friday November 4

The Enmore Theatre Sunday November 6

Good young Sydney bands with guitars – haven’t seen enough of them lately. Tonight we get lucky because there’s two of them back to back, and both manage to excite me more about our current musical climate than most live acts have all year.

The Standard is already pumping by the time Winter People take to the stage in all their shaggy, violin-adorned glory.

Fast becoming a band worthy of headline status in their own right, Winter People do Arcade Fire-style orchestral rock without coming off like wankers because they’re earnestly great musicians, pouring their heart and sweat into every note. Veering between folk, prog, rock and whatever else swims around in frontman Dylan Baskind’s cranium, they’re as engrossing to listen to as to watch, and have the songs coming out of their eyeballs. Really intricate arrangements and sudden time-changes add to the excitement – if you haven’t already pegged these guys as a band to watch, get on board now.

Having just returned from an all-conquering tour of the States, Cameras are riding high off the release of their first record In Your Room, which a good portion of the audience seem to know the words to, despite it only coming out a week ago. Their gloriously moody rock gets an extra kick from the venue’s sound system, which apparently sounds a lot better to the audience than it does to the band – but that works just fine for us.

Opening with the

achingly gorgeous ‘Polarise’, Cameras show why Manimal Vinyl snapped them up overseas, and why they’ve been attracting such a strong following here; they look and sound like a proper rock band. Front woman Eleanor Dunlop commands the audience's attention with a stunning voice that seems to improve with every show the band play, and guitarist/vocalist Fraser Harvey has stepped up his game, too.

The really great thing that you get from watching these guys on their home turf is that they’re really tight; every riff and snare crack and section change is note-perfect and highly enjoyable, despite the dark melodic subject matter.

When Dunlop and Harvey strip it back for a haunting cover of Kate Bush’s ‘Running Up That Hill’, it’s so quiet you can hear a pin drop. ‘I Know’ has already become a favourite, as has the jagged Interpolesque riffage of ‘Kreuzberg.’ The crowd are cheering like maniacs, and I haven’t witnessed that happening for a purely local lineup in months. Viva la renaissance!

I’ve been wanting to catch Ball Park Music for a while, and they’re exactly what I hoped for.

With their fun, irreverent lyrics and high energy, the Brisbane kids make a lively support act, and the already-packed Enmore Theatre gobbles them right up. The obvious rapport between the band members is a real delight to watch – my one disappointment is not getting a stripped-back version of ‘All I Wanted Was You’, which would have provided a quiet, poignant moment in the otherwise quite brash set. But no complaints, really – these guys are great.

Our main act, Boy & Bear, take the stage with a minimum of fuss, and they’re sounding good. They’ve got a two-strong string section with them, the better to complement the more layered, complex sounds of their debut LP Moonfire. And I get a strange little rush seeing the boys selling out a venue like the Enmore.

Lead singer Dave Hosking (sporting a cute little pimp mo far too early into Movember to have an excuse for it) tells us that growing up in the area, playing the Enmore has always been a dream of his. The band seem genuinely humbled by the roars that come from the crowd as soon as it recognises the opening

KING CANNONS, JACKSON FIREBIRD Oxford Art Factory Friday November 4

Jonno Seidler

There’s no better reason to get back on the road than to tour a debut single from a debut record, and Auckland’s King Cannons were in the middle of just that when they landed in Sydney for the second time in two months.

Having just finished supporting The Living End on a national tour, the ‘Shot To Kill’ tour was their own headline jaunt, stretching from Geelong to Maroochydore.

I arrived to see the two-piece Jackson Firebird entertaining a scant but attentive crowd. The boys from Mildura were rugged and gravelly, and really gave an enthusiastic performance. Whether cruising through slide guitar-fuelled blues, or on hands and knees beating on electrified box drums like Cro-Magnon Man, it was chaos distilled in a whisky bottle and poured all over the Oxford Art Factory stage.

INA CLARKE

OUR PHOTOGRAPHER : KATR

WITCH HATS, LOST ANIMAL, CIRCLE PIT, KIRIN J CALLINAN The Gaelic Theatre Saturday November 5

Without question, Kirin J Callinan is one of the more idiosyncratic performers playing around town at the moment. Sporting an outfit that looked like it was bought at a Michael Jackson garage sale, his songs were more like stabbing, deranged soundscapes than actual 'songs'. It’s a performance in the truest sense of the word, full of tension and humour.

You have to give it to Circle Pit: to be such a dismal band seems like it actually takes a lot of effort. To come across as being so uninterested in actually singing and playing, and sounding like you never rehearse, must really take a lot of work. Some of the songs sounded like they were being played for the first time – and at various points, it seemed like all three members were playing completely different songs altogether. High art or high comedy, I’m still not sure…

Lost Animal’s set saw core members Jarrod Quarrell and Shags Chamberlain augmented 36 :: BRAG :: 438 :: 14:11:11

As the intermission between support and headliner got underway, I hit the bar and took in my fellow punters – this wasn’t a standard OAF crowd. Replacing the standard Surry Hills fashionable fare were men with goatees and girls in hoodies; I was staring at the early 2000s, and I didn’t mind at all. They were here to hear some rock'n’roll, and so was I.

bars of songs from their earlier EP, With Emperor Antarctica. The older tracks seem to be the favourites tonight, showing that although Moonfire came in at number two on the ARIA charts (and obviously got them a far broader audience), much of the crowd tonight has been supporting the band since they were support acts themselves.

‘Fall At Your Feet’ gets a predictably massive reception – you can’t go wrong with a Crowded House cover, really, particularly one that’s had the effect this one has on the boys’ career, coming in at number five in 2010’s Hottest 100. The entire audience yelled, clapped and swayed along with them for a feel-goodkaraoke few minutes. They capped off the night with ‘Big Man’, and had Ball Park Music and The Paper Kites come out on stage to add some backing vocals and percussion. There were more than a few “awwwww”s rising from the crowd.

One of the more recent in a spate of acts who don’t “do” encores (maybe they picked it up when supporting Laura Marling), Boy & Bear stayed onstage for one last track before disappearing. But if the night’s reception is anything to go by, the lads will be back again soon.

By Romi Scodellaro

King Cannons entered without fanfare and got to work. Josh Matthews on the drums gave the crowd a samba beat to dance to, and lead singer Luke Yeoward punched at his guitar with an intensity that would last for the entire set. Devoid of pretence and bullshit, the band played through some harmonicaladen pub rock before aurally embracing the crowd with ‘Take The Rock’, one of the standouts from their debut EP, which had the crowd yelling “Take The Rock” and “Blow It Up” back at the band. After playing their current single, ‘Stand Right Up’, they performed a cover of Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Go Your Own Way’ which segued into their biggest radio-friendly hit, ‘Smoked Out City’. The highlight of the set for me, though, was a song called ‘The Brightest Light’. Unknown and unheralded, I have no idea whether this is an original or a cover, but it was heartfelt, earnest and a great representation of the band.

This was a tight and powerful show from a band on the rise. I struck up a conversation with guitarist Rob Ting outside having a smoke; “I’ll give you $20 to write good things about us,” he laughed, before qualifying it with “Who am I kidding? I’m a musician – I don’t have $20 bucks.” Don’t worry about it, Rob – this one’s on the house.

Max Easton

by the aforementioned Kirin J Callinan and Wolf & Cub’s Joel Carey. Somewhat different from Quarrell’s last group, St Helens, Lost Animal’s music has a more electronic, reggae-tinged flavour. Quarrell puts across an enigmatic performance as lead singer. It’s an enjoyable set (if a little long), but hardly out-there; you could see Lost Animal picking up a broad fanbase in the right set of circumstances.

The start of Witch Hats’ set was hampered by a number of technical hitches, but once they got going they managed to hit their stride quickly. The vast majority of their setlist came from their new album, Pleasure Syndrome. The album is a bit more of a tuneful (but still menacing) affair compared to their other releases, and this carries across well to their live performance.

Particular highlights of the set were the bleak ‘Pissing In The Snow’ and the swampy ‘Hear Martin’, a tune that swaggers unapologetically. It was an immensely enjoyable but all too brief set, by one of the best Australian bands of the last five years.

Michael Hartt

INA CLARKE

OUR PHOTOGRAPHER : KATR

BRAG :: 438 :: 14:11:11 :: 37

snap sn ap up all night out all week . . .

PICS :: GP

lanie lane

party profile

step-panther LP launch It’s called: A live four-band donkey show.

It sounds like: A bunch of guys and a couple of girls playing with the emotions of a donkey, to tease the minds of a crowd.

Who’s playing: Step-Panther, Dune Rats, Pear Shape, Bloods DJs. Sell it to us: Ever wondered what the other half of the world do with their spare time? What dreams babies have? What DANZIG does on a first date?

Come on down and find out ...and have the best European first date with an infant DANZIG imaginable.

The bit we’ll remember in the AM: How strong yet gentle and considerate the bands were. You’ll feel all warm and sticky.

Crowd specs: About 250 people drinking VB and headbanging, clapping their booty and droppin’ it to the flo’.

Wallet damage: A measly $12, so start saving your goldies.

Where: GoodGod Small Club When: Thursday November 17, 8pm till late

kings of leon

PICS :: AM

02:11:11 :: The Vanguard :: 42 King St Newtown 95577992

sticky fingers

PICS :: GP

05:11:11 :: Allphones Arena :: Olympic Boulevard Sydney Olympic Park 87654321

these kids wear crowns :: The Lair :: 624 George St City 92642666

betty airs

PICS :: GP

06:11:11

PICS :: AM

04:11:11 :: Annandale Hotel :: 17 Paramatta Rd Annandale 95501078

KATRINA CLARKE :: S : TIM LEVY (HEAD HONCHO) :: THOMAS PEACHY :: OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHER OV POP RGE GEO :: NS MUN IEL CAI GRIFFIN:: ASHLEY MAR :: DAN Y SAM WHITESIDE :: TIM WHITNE

38 :: BRAG :: 438: 14:11:11

janet jackson 05:11:11

:: Sydney Opera House 92471666

PICS :: AM

05:11:11 :: The Roxbury Hotel :: 182 St John’s Rd Glebe 96920822

snap sn ap

hot damn 03:11:11

PICS ::SW

up all night out all week . . .

:: Spectrum :: 34-44 Oxford St, Darlinghurst 93601375

party profile

last time i saw u on facebook

It’s called: MonAnnLisa Wilde – Last Time I Saw U On Facebook EP launch party It sounds like: Quirky rock with a dash of pop.

Who’s playing? MonAnnLisa Wilde Band, Charisma Belle, Abbadon The Strongman, burlesque duo Paloma Negra and Missy, DJ Elli Whiz Bomb.

Sell it to us: MonAnnLisa Wilde and her pumping hot rock band are set to ignite the Civic Underground – alongside an eclectic spread of Sydney’s favourite drag queen, sexy burlesque girls, a chick DJ and a strongman!

The bit we’ll remember in the AM: Whatever your friends post on Facebook…

DEADBEAT RECORDS PRESENTS

Crowd specs: Live music and party enthusiasts aged 18–40 Wallet damage: $15 pre-paid, $20 at door (includes a copy of the EP).

Where: Civic Underground / 388 Pitt Street, CBD (cnr Goulburn St) When: Thursday November 17 / doors open 8pm

crooked fiddle band 04:11:11

PICS :: GP

CH E R R Y 20 00

:: The Factory :: 105 Victoria Rd Enmore 95503666

KATRINA CLARKE :: S : TIM LEVY (HEAD HONCHO) :: THOMAS PEACHY :: OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHER OV POP RGE GEO :: NS IEL MUN CAI GRIFFIN:: ASHLEY MAR :: DAN Y SAM WHITESIDE :: TIM WHITNE

THURSDAY, 17TH NOVEMBER - 7PM THE IMPERIAL HOTEL ERSKINEVILLE BRAG :: 438 :: 14:11:11 :: 39

The Minor Chord The all-ages rant brought to you by Indent.net.au & Dom O’Connor

ALL-AGES GIG PICKS TV On The Radio

TUESDAY NOVEMBER 15 TV On The Radio Metro Theatre

SATURDAY NOVEMBER 19 Gyroscope

O

ur feature gig this week is TV On The Radio, who will be making the Metro Theatre a little bit cooler when they grace its stage on Tuesday night. The Brooklyn-based experimental rockers are playing this intimate sideshow on the back of the over-18s Harvest Festival, so this is the only chance us young 'uns have to catch them live. Despite losing bassist Gerard Smith to cancer earlier this year, TVOTR have soldiered on, and are dedicating this tour to his memory. The band’s last three albums have been insanely great and extremely well received, so you might wanna move on those tickets fast.

Head to Marrickville on Saturday night to see Perth boys Gyroscope bring the Factory Theatre to its knees with their melodic punk and sweet pop hooks. The gang of four released their acclaimed fourth album Cohesion last year and also unleashed the extremely cool video clip for ‘Baby, I’m Getting Better’ (you know, the stop-motion one set in Newtown and Glebe). Gyroscope are blossoming into one of Australia’s premier live acts, so you’d better catch them in this kind of warm, friendly environment while you can! They’ll be supported by Melbourne punks Closure In Moscow and Bathurst hardcore merchants City Falls.

Gyroscope, Closure In Moscow, City Fallss The Factory

SUNDAY NOVEMBER 20

Screaming Sundays: Melody Black, The Struts Annandale Hotel

SATURDAY 19 NOVEMBER

Graffiti At The Island: Skryptcha, Phatchance, The Next Step Cockatoo Island Graffiti At The Island. Besides seven hours of Sydney’s best hip hop – including Skryptcha, Phatchance, and The Next Step – there’s a whole island (well, almost) of street art installations by artists like Kid Zoom and Anthony Lister, and the Oi You graffiti collection, featuring works by Banksy and Brazilian street art gods Os Gêmeos. This is truly awesome stuff, folks – and totally free! It kicks off at 2pm, so hop on the ferry and get amongst it.

Sick of over-18s getting all the festival action? Head to the hallowed Annandale Hotel on Sunday afternoon as it plays host to eight mind-numbingly good bands in the latest instalment of its way-tooinfrequent Screaming Sundays series.

Headlined by metalheads Melody Black and featuring rising indie-punks The Struts, this is top-quality live music worth getting out of bed for (not to mention the now-mandatory lunch at Stanmore Maccas...).

Triple j have just launched Unearthed Resources, a nifty new tool to help you break into the music industry, DIY style.

Some of the awesome free features include The Board, which allows you to post band-related callouts and other public announcements, The DIY Recording Guide (for bands on low budgets), The Studio Recording Guide (tips and tricks for getting the most out of your studio time!), the How To Make MP3s Guide, the Photo Guide, and a Directory of Useful Links, to help you hunt down further information. If you’re an emerging solo artist or band, we recommend you check it out. Head to the Indent site for more information.

If you like your music served with art, head to Cockatoo Island this Saturday, where the Outpost Festival is currently taking place. They’re hosting this year’s instalment of the Graffiti Festival, aka

Finally, The Minor Chord would like to applaud the team on their hugely successful regional Tonight Alive tour, which has just wrapped up – go team!

Skryptcha

Send all-ages listings & info to theminorchordradio@gmail.com 40 :: BRAG :: 438 :: 14:11:11

Remedy

More than The Cure since 1989 with Murray Engleheart

Black Sabbath

NICKELBACK

Poor old Nickelback. First and foremost, they’re a poor excuse for any kind of band.

Then they get voted the worst soundtrack for the act of gettin' romantic with one’s partner. And if that wasn't enough, now more than 40,000 people have signed a petition to have them dumped from the half-time slot for the upcoming NFL playoff between The Green Bay Packers and The Detroit Lions. The petition reads: “Do we really want the rest of the US to associate Detroit with Nickelback? Detroit is home to so many great musicians… and they chose Nickelback? Does anyone even like Nickelback? Is this some sort of ploy to get people to leave their seats during half-time to spend money on alcoholic beverages and concessions?” Gold!

SABBATH: BACK

As we were hammering this column into shape, the original Black Sabbath were preparing to make a big announcement at the Whiskey in West Hollywood. Hosted by arch fan Henry Rollins, few had any doubt it was about a reunion. Sigh. Listen, we’ve loved Sabbath deeply since the early ‘70s, but the old ‘it’d be great to see them together again’ mantra is hardly a sound justification for further eroding an almighty myth and legend; and that live album from their original reunion was in the bargain bins pretty bloody quickly, from memory.

Basically, we fear that Sabbath are fast becoming metal’s answer to Cold Chisel.

Just like The Stooges. No fun.

STONES: SOME GIRLS

We always loved the Stones’ Some Girls album, but were always disappointed by live recordings from that era, as they ironically lacked the urgency that Mick n’

Keef had rekindled in the studio. Usually it’s the other way around. But Some Girls Live In Texas '78, which makes it to DVD this month, changes all that. The outfit are in blistering form through a set that is largely drawn from SG, and with Jagger in a Vivien Westwood ‘Destroy’ shirt complete with swastika – making the point to the punks that the old guys aren’t a spent force just yet. Took us back to having prime seats for their show at the Enmore, it did.

ANGELS: BORN AGAIN

The reborn Angels, with former Screaming Jet Dave Gleeson out front in place of Doc Neeson, just knocked over another seven songs for their next slab.

MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA

John McLaughlin is said to be re-mixing the Mahavishnu Orchestra’s searing live set, From Nothingness To Eternity, for reissue. About bloody time.

THE BOREDOMS

They’ll never ever ever get nomated for a Grammy – and yes, there’s plenty of pride to be had in that – and they’re unlikely to ever get so much as mentioned in the same breath as the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame (apart from just now of course), but Japan’s Boredoms wouldn’t want it any other way. Last week they showed why, when they did another one of their mass drum exercises but this time kinda locally, near Byron Bay. It’s the latest in a series of astrologically alligned beat efforts by the unit, this time with 111 drummers – only 11 of whom were striking drum skins. The rest were taking swings at cymbals. Yep, you read that right. Who said that real rock is dead?

ON THE TURNTABLE On the Remedy turntable is The Church’s Box Of Birds, an amazing comp of covers – from Hawkwind’s ‘Silver Machine’ and a stunning reading of Iggy Pop’s ‘Endless Sea’ (of all things), to Mott The Hoople’s ‘All The Young Dudes’ and Neil Young’s ‘Cortez the Killer’. They’re largely done in an abstract manner, and this serves as a reminder, for those who think that The Church are still doing Byrds-styled jaggle pop, of just how broad their canvas really is. Also spinning is Laughing Clowns’ jaw-dropping comp Golden Days – When Giants Walked The Earth. Three decades after the fact, they still sound like they fell out of the minimal jazz-fired cosmos, and there’s been nothing remotely like them before or since. Not something that many can claim.

TOUR AND INDUSTRY NEWS On April 3 2012, the wonderful My Morning Jacket will be at The Enmore Theatre for what will no doubt be a typically epic show.

Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Jonny Lang, Steve Earle and Justin Townes Earle, and the Jayhawks. It’s all happening from April 5-9 near Byron Bay. bluesfest.com.au

15 years after their last release, flamboyant Chicago rockers Urge Overkill return with a new slab called Rock & Roll Submarine – and they’re bringing their rock action circus back to Australia next year. On March 10 they’ll be at The Gaelic, and they’ll also be appearing at the Golden Plains Festival that weekend.

The Church bring their Future Past Perfect Tour to town in December, which will see them perform an album from each decade of their existence: Untitled #23, Priest=Aura and Starfish. The ticket price includes an exclusive A4 program featuring album and single sleeve artwork, selected lyrics, and photographs of Steve Kilbey, Peter Koppes, Tim Powles and Marty Willson-Piper. The show will be a seated affair with two intermissions, and will last for three and half hours – with no support.

They’ll be playing the albums in reverse chronological order, too. They’ll be nights to remember. Dates are December 11 at Waves in Wollongong, and December 17 at the Enmore.

Bluesfest 2012 is once again looking mighty strong. The first batch of acts to be announced include Roger Daltrey, who’ll be performing The Who’s Tommy and more, The Pogues, My Morning Jacket, Yes, G3 featuring Joe Satriani, Steve Vai and Steve Lukather, Buddy Guy, Maceo Parker, Brian Setzer’s Rockabilly Riot,

Send stuff to remedy@ozemail.com.au by 6pm Wednesdays.

Pics to art@thebrag.com www.facebook.com/remedy4rock

Tell Me A Story Album Launch Tour

Camelot Lounge Wednesday November 23 Tickets and info: camelotlounge.com

With special guest – Luke Howard MORE INFO AND TOUR DATES AT

maddyhay.tumblr.com

TELL ME A STORY out Oct 10 (Aus) Available from iTunes and good independent record stores And online from vitamin.net.au

BRAG :: 438 :: 14:11:11 :: 41

g g guide gig g

send your listings to : gigguide@thebrag.com

pick of the week World's End Press

SATURDAY NOVEMBER 19

Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst

Sosueme's Silly Season Launch: World’s End Press, Richard In Your Mind, Mitzi, Toucan, Pear Shape, Teleprompter, The Religion, Jordan F, Tim Fitz, Nina Las Vegas, Joyride, DJ Hansom, F.R.I.E.N.D/S DJs, Kristy Lee, Hobophonics, Smokin’ Joe Mekhael, Stoney Roads DJs $15–$20 8pm 42 :: BRAG :: 438 : 14:11:11

MONDAY NOVEMBER 14 ROCK & POP

Big Ben Trio The Three Wise Monkeys, Sydney free 10pm Blue Mondays: Frank Sultana Downstairs, Sandringham Hotel, Newtown free 8pm Bright Eyes (USA) Enmore Theatre $67.60 8pm all ages Clap Your Hands Say Yeah (USA), Nantes Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst $41.80 (+ bf) 8pm Rob Henry The Observer Hotel, The Rocks free 8.30pm Steve Tonge Coogee Bay Hotel, Beach Bar free 9pm This Town Needs Guns (UK) The Vanguard, Newtown $36 (+ bf) 8pm

JAZZ

The George Washingmachine Quartet, Accordions Alfresco The Basement, Circular Quay $20 (+ bf) 7.30pm James Muller Trio 505 Club, Surry Hills $10 8pm Jim Gannon Dee Why RSL Club free 6.30pm Latin & Jazz Open Mic/Jam Session: Rinske Geerlings, Daniel Falero, Philip Taig, Pierre Della Putta The World Bar, Kings Cross free 7pm

TUESDAY NOVEMBER 15 ROCK & POP

Adam Pringle and Friends Downstairs, Sandringham Hotel, Newtown free 8pm Cold Chisel, You Am I Sydney Entertainment Centre, Darling Harbour $99.90 (+ bf) 6.30pm David Agius Novotel Homebush, Homebush Bay free 4.30pm Debit Mastercard Priceless Series – Florence & The Machine Seymour Centre, Chippendale 8pm Kevin Devine (USA) The Vanguard, Newtown 8pm Matt Jones The Observer Hotel, The Rocks free 8.30pm Michael Wheatley, Sally Street, Chris Gudu (Zimbabwe) The Basement, Circular Quay 8pm The Songwriter Sessions Sandringham Hotel, Newtown free 7.30pm They Call Me Bruce Maloney’s Hotel, Sydney free 8.30pm TV On The Radio (USA) Metro Theatre, Sydney $67.80 7pm all ages

Florence Welch

JAZZ

Akira Jimbo Canterbury Leagues Club, Belmore $15 7.30pm Jazzgroove: Judie Bailey’s Jazz Connection, scQuint 505 Club, Surry Hills $8–$10 8pm John Hill Dee Why RSL Club free 6.30pm Peter Head The Harbour View Hotel, The Rocks free 8pm World In The Basement: Michael Wheatley, Sally Street, Chris Gudu (Zimbabwe), DJ Brent Clough The Basement, Circular Quay $20 7.30pm

COUNTRY

Dolly Parton (USA) Allphones Acer Arena, Sydney Olympic Park $99–$299 7pm

WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 16

They Will Have Their Way - The Songs of Tim & Neil Finn: Sarah Blasko, Sally Seltmann, Clare Bowditch, Holly Throsby, Lior, Paul Dempsey, Alexander Gow Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House $79–$129 8pm Tin Sparrow, March of The Real Fly, Emma Davis Spectrum, Darlinghurst $10 (+ bf) 8pm Vula (UK), Minx, Tenzin, Ember, Murray Lake Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst 8pm Wolf & Cub, Betty Airs, Luger Boa Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach free 8pm

JAZZ

Chris Gudu (Zimbabwe), Miriam Lieberman, True Vibenation The Vanguard, Newtown $20 8pm Java Quartet 505 Club, Surry Hills $10–$15 8pm Peter Head The Harbour View Hotel, The Rocks free 8pm

ROCK & POP

Andy Mammers Duo Maloney’s Hotel, Sydney free 9.30pm Ben Finn Duo Mean Fiddler, Rouse Hill free 6pm Bernie Hayes Downstairs, Sandringham Hotel, Newtown free 8pm The Chill The Orient Hotel, The Rocks free 9pm David Agius Summer Hill Hotel free 7.30pm Drew Harris, 3 Skins, Pilgrim The Basement, Circular Quay $20 7.30pm Elliot the Bull, Celadore Rock Lily, Pyrmont free 8pm Gemma The Observer Hotel, The Rocks free 8.30pm Hard-Ons, Lo!, Skinpin Sandringham Hotel, Newtown $12 8pm Jagermeister Presents: Weksta & Sensi, Hot Spoke!, Grey Turns Blonde, The Short List Annandale Hotel $8 7.30pm JP O’Malley’s Hotel, Darlinghurst free 9pm K.D. Lang (CAN) State Theatre, Sydney $99– $150 7.30pm LJ Crowne Plaza, Terrigal free 5pm Marty Northies, Cronulla free 7.30pm The Pointer Sisters, Liam Burrows Enmore Theatre $89.90 8pm Postal, Nice Guys, Safe Hands, Perspectives, Michael Crafter Valve Bar, Tempe 7pm REM Records Singer Songwriter Series Heat 3: Freestate, Modern Error, Sierratonin, Sam Jones The Lair, Metro Theatre, Sydney free 8pm

THURSDAY NOVEMBER 17 ROCK & POP

Andy Mammers Duo The Orient Hotel, The Rocks free 9pm The Annandale Hotel Christmas Party: Oh Mercy, Castlecomer, Tim Fitz, Under Lights, Sealion, Annie McKinnon Annandale Hotel free 6pm The Bon Scotts, Claire, Thieves Sandringham Hotel, Newtown $10 8pm Chris Stretton Toxteth Hotel, Glebe free 8pm Clairy Browne & The Bangin’ Rackettes, Kira Puru & The Bruise, The Atom Bombs The Vanguard, Newtown $20 (+ bf) 6.30pm Drop: Laneous & the Family-Yah, Benjalu, Bentley Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach free 8pm Genevieve Chadwick, Two Girls Will The Broadway Lounge, Chippendale 7pm Hot Damn!: Caulfield, Villa Rise, Awaken I Am Spectrum, Darlinghurst $15$20 8pm Jenna Murphy, Aaron Prentice Excelsior Hotel, Glebe free 7.30pm Johnathan Devoy Downstairs, Sandringham Hotel, Newtown free 8pm John Hammond Jnr, Hip Sister Lizotte’s Restaurant, Dee Why $58 8pm K.D. Lang (CAN), Shane Nicholson State Theatre, Sydney $99– $150 7.30pm Kirk Burgess Sackville Hotel, Balmain free 7pm The Living Chair Bull & Bush Hotel, Baulkham Hills free 9.30pm Midnightman, Tiny Tino, Psyberia, Isadore Valve Bar, Tempe 7pm Monannlisa Wilde Civic Hotel, Sydney 8pm Passing Strange: Hira Hira, Intentions, Sweet Teeth, Unity Floors Gallery Bar, Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst free 8pm PWYFL: Polar Knights, Snowale, The Walking Who, Orca! Straight Ahead!

FBi Social @ Kings Cross Hotel 8pm

g g guide gig g send your listings to : gigguide@thebrag.com Remmos K Bald Faced Stag, Leichhardt $6 8pm Rob Henry Harbord Beach Hotel free Speakeasy The Whitehouse Hotel, Petersham 8pm Step-Panther, Dune Rats, Pear Shape, Bloods DJs Goodgod Small Club, Sydney $12 8pm Straight To You: Triple J’s Tribute to Nick Cave: Abbe May, Adalita, Alex Burnett, Bertie Blackman, Dan Sultan, Jake Stone, Urthboy, Muscles, Johnny Mackay, Kram, Lanie Lane, Lisa Mitchell Enmore Theatre $61.60 (+ bf) 8pm Tears Dry On Their Own - Remembering Amy Winehouse: Ngaiire, Alice Terry, Alphamama, Billy McCarthy, Lucy Hall, Merenia, Lisa Spence The Basement, Circular Quay $25 (+ bf) 9pm They Will Have Their Way - The Songs of Tim & Neil Finn: Sarah Blasko, Sally Seltmann, Clare Bowditch, Holly Throsby, Lior, Paul Dempsey, Alexander Gow Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House $79–$129 8pm Tijuana Cartel, Tin Can Radio Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst $25 (+ bf)-$30 8pm

JAZZ

Peter Head The Harbour View Hotel, The Rocks free 8pm The Strides 505 Club, Surry Hills $10–$15 8pm

ACOUSTIC & FOLK Matt Toms The Marlborough Hotel, Newtown free 8.30pm

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 18 ROCK & POP

2 Of Hearts Padstow RSL Club free 7.30pm Brous, Paul Capsis, Pearls, Domeyko/Gonzales, DJ Catcall FBi Social @ Kings Cross Hotel, Darlinghurst $15 (+ bf) 8pm The Clouds, Stray Birds, Suzie Higgie Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst $25 8pm Counterfeit – Boys vs Girls: Mystic River, The Blarney Stoners, The Russian Messengers, Dave Sattout, Harry’s Angels, C*NT, The Dark Stripes, Seizure Procedure, HaBa gaziliO, The Glimmerinos, Rex Havoc, Alex Party Cat, Hustle & Tofu, Mike Frazer, Boy Trouble Town Hall Hotel, Newtown free 7pm The Cruel Sea, Cabins Metro Theatre, Sydney $49.70 8pm Domino, The Great Awake, Athena Serpentine, Slamdance, Headrush Valve Bar, Tempe 7pm Drive: Peter Northcote Bridge Hotel, Rozelle $15 3.30pm Emmy Bryce Bar Me, Potts Point 8pm

Fallon Bros Harbord Beach Hotel free 8pm Fiji, Lukie D, Spawnbreezie, DSS & 501, DJ Lenno, Peter Gunz, Johnny Beretta, Kid CoCo, Jamrock Sound Enmore Theatre $55 8pm Geoffrey O’Connor, The Twerps, Holiday Sidewinder Goodgod Small Club, Sydney $10 (+ bf) 8pm Handsome Young Strangers, The Rumjacks, Sydney City Trash, Bellyache Ben & The Steamgrass Boys Sandringham Hotel, Newtown $12 8pm Hue Williams Avalon Beach RSL Club free 9pm I Am Apollo, Holland The Lair, Metro Theatre, Sydney $18.50 7.30pm Jamie Hutchings Notes Live, Enmore 8pm Katchafire (NZ), Maisey Rika (NZ) Selina’s, Coogee Bay Hotel $40 (+ bf)–$50 8pm Killer: As Chaos Unfolds, I Escape, Hearts Like Wolves, Seconds Til the End St James Hotel, Sydney $10$12 9pm Laura, Solkyri, Brackets Annandale Hotel $15 (+ bf) 8pm Mad Season Wentworthville Leagues Club free 10pm Mother & Son, Bang Bang Rock and Roll Gallery Bar, Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst free 8pm Mr Breeze Richmond Inn free 8pm MUM: We Are Volcanoes, Hey Big Aki, Alphabet Cities, Dan Webb, Tiger Window, Bones Atlas, Aver, Shag, Swim Team DJs, 10th

wed

16 Nov

(9:00PM - 12:00AM)

thu

17 Nov

(9:00PM - 12:00AM)

fri

18 Nov (5:00PM - 8:00PM)

(9:30PM - 1:30AM))

SUNDAY AFTERNOON

SATURDAY AFTERNOON

(4:30PM - 7:30PM)

sat

19 Nov

(4:30PM - 7:30PM)

SATURDAY NIGHT

(9:00PM - 12:00AM)

Avenue, Finlay, Fifi Does Didi, Jack Shit, Nic Yorke The World Bar, Kings Cross $10-$15 8pm Panorama The Marlborough Hotel, Newtown free 10.30pm The Road Runners Matraville RSL free 8pm Ron S. Peno & The Superstitions, Leone Carmen, Bleedingintoradio The Vanguard, Newtown $20 (+ bf) 6.30pm Room 6, Berkeley, Six White Horses The Factory Floor, Factory Theatre, Enmore $10 (+ bf) 7pm Ross Wilson, Matty Cornell Lizotte’s Restaurant, Dee Why $53–$123 (dinner & show) 8pm Six 60 The Standard, Darlinghurst free 8pm Sophie Koh, The Miller’s Tale, Sierra Fin The Basement, Circular Quay $20 (+ bf) 8pm Sticky Fingers Tribute: Jack Jones, Simon Meli, Greg Agar, Zkye, Evelyn Duprai Penrith Panthers, Evans Theatre 8pm Susy Blue, Achoo Bless You Excelsior Hotel, Glebe free 8pm They Will Have Their Way - The Songs of Tim & Neil Finn: Sarah Blasko, Sally Seltmann, Clare Bowditch, Holly Throsby, Lior, Paul Dempsey, Alexander Gow Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House $79–$129 8pm Thousand Needles In Red, Stone Parade, Ape. BC Gaelic Theatre, Surry Hills $23.50 8pm Tone Rangers Kingswood Sports Club free

Underground Lovers The Factory Theatre, Enmore $22 (+ bf) 8pm Wax Tailor (FRA), Zowie (NZ), The Leisure Bandits, DJ Spenda C Upstairs Beresford, Surry Hills $10 (+ bf) 6pm

JAZZ

Grabowsky / McGann Quartet Seymour Theatre Centre, Chippendale $20 (conc)–$30 8pm Ray Bonneville 505 Club, Surry Hills $15–$20 8pm Yuki Kumagai, John Mackie Well Connected Café, Glebe free 8pm

ACOUSTIC & FOLK

Russell Nelson The Belvedere Hotel free 8pm

SATURDAY NOVEMBER 19 ROCK & POP

2 Of Hearts Revesby Workers Club free 9pm 3 Way Split Aquarium, Coogee free 11pm Access All Ages: Drawing North, Sound of Seasons, The Sweet Apes, Perspectives, Milwaukee The Factory Floor, Factory Theatre, Enmore $15 (+ bf) 4pm all ages Caulfield The Lucky Australian, North St Marys 8pm The Congos (Jamaica), Mad Professor (UK), Mista

Savona, Firehouse Manning Bar, Sydney University, Camperdown $55 8pm Cut Off Your Hands (NZ), Bearhug The Standard, Darlinghurst 8pm Dave Tice and Mark Evans, Chris Finnen, Lucy De Soto Sandringham Hotel, Newtown $15-$20 8pm The Dynamites (USA) featuring Charles Walker, Boom Band Crew, Mr Chad The Basement, Circular Quay $35 8pm The Furious Five, The Melodies Jannali Inn free 7pm Graffiti at the Island: Skryptcha, Phatchance, The Next Step, Johnny Utah, Dutch, Lael Rockwell, Sub C Showcase, HSN Showcase, MC Mute & Charles Oblivion, Madame Wu, Broken Thought Theory Cockatoo Island, Sydney free 10am all ages Gyroscope, City Riots, Closure in Moscow The Factory Theatre, Enmore $30 (+ bf) 8.30pm all ages Harris Alexiou Enmore Theatre $99–$299 7pm Hit Machine Canterbury-Hurlstone Park RSL free 9pm Jason Mraz (USA), Toca Rivera Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House 8pm Jebediah, Loon Lake, Split Seconds Metro Theatre, Sydney $36.90 (+ bf) 8pm Jive Bombers, Grizzly Adams

WE KNOW BILL POSTERS

sun

20 Nov

SUNDAY NIGHT

(8:30PM - 12:00AM)

WWW.SHOWTIMEMARKETING.COM.AU

BRAG :: 438 :: 14:11:11 :: 43

g g guide gig g Ashfield RSL Club free 8pm K.D. Lang (CAN), Shane Nicholson State Theatre, Sydney $99– $150 7.30pm Kill City Creeps, Doc Holiday Takes The Shotgun, We Go Bang Bang, DJ Softwar Upstairs Beresford, Surry Hills free free 6pm Laneous & the Family-Yah, The Rescue Ships, Master of Ribongia FBi Social @ Kings Cross Hotel, Darlinghurst $15 (+ bf) 8pm Lj Kro Bar, Bondi Junction free 8pm LoveJam Festival: Afro Nomad, Enola Fall, Velvet Audio, Five Coffees, The Cardinal Groove, Johnsong, Camden, She Rex, Demons To Diamonds, Thieves, Professor, True Gentlemen, Bonney Read, John Hardarker Direction, Lion and the Lotus, Lily So, Lemongrass Jam, Symbols, Tor, Burning Violet Bridges, Thackerbeat, Hazy Cloud Mavis and her China Pigs, Jason & The Lyrebird, Showbags, Frank Sultana, Liam and the Ponytails, The NWO, Monalissa Wilde, Fanny Lumsden, Big Red & The P Hound, Anthony Ousback, Escaping Suburbia, The Paragraphs, Julia Stern, Cherie Lucas, Tony Irvine, The Rabbit Hole DJs Beach Road Hotel, Bondi $15 12pm Manly Big Band Night Out, Monica Trapaga, John Morrison Lizotte’s Restaurant, Dee

44 :: BRAG :: 438 : 14:11:11

k.d. lang

Why $60 (dinner & show) 8pm Matt Seaberg Harbord Beach Hotel free 8pm Mikelangelo & The Black Sea Gentlemen, The Transylvaniacs Notes Live, Enmore $30 (+ bf)–$59.20 (dinner & show) 7pm Millennium Bug RG McGees Hotel, Richmond free 9.30pm Movember Benefit Show: Red Bee, Upside Down Miss Jane, Bistu, Lab 64, Feed the Horse, Scarlet’s Revenge, Coredea, Big Smack, Vertical Smirk, The Dread Sky, Dirty Grotto, The Devoted Few Valve Bar, Tempe 12pm Negura Bunget (Romania), Katabasis, Norse, Troldhaugen The Gaelic Club, Surry Hills $23.50 8pm The Nevilles The Marlborough Hotel, Newtown 10.30pm Phil Jamieson, St Cecilia The Vanguard, Newtown $40 6.30pm

Pointer Sisters Penrith Panthers, Evans Theatre $84.90 7.30pm The Rebel Rousers Guildford Leagues Club free 7.30pm Retro Groove Engadine RSL & Citizens Club free 8pm The Rockwells Downstairs, Sandringham Hotel, Newtown free 4pm SFX: Sundown, Absolution, Forbidden Burning, Van Damage St James Hotel, Sydney $10$12 9pm Sienna Skies, Built On Secrets, Sound of Seasons Liverpool PCYC, Miller 1pm The Silent Hour XIX: Greg Haines (UK), Austin Buckett, The Golden Orb Level 1, 77-83 Williams St, Woolloomooloo $18.80 8pm Slow Down Honey Spectrum, Darlinghurst $10 (+ bf) 8pm Sosoume Silly Season Launch Party: World’s End Press, Richard In Your Mind, Mitzi, Toucan, Pear Shape, Teleprompter, The Religion, Jordan F,

Tim Fitz, Ninalasvegas, Joyride, DJ Hansom, F.R.I.E.N.D.S DJs, Kristy Lee, Hobophonics, Smokin’ Joe Mekhael, Pedestrian DJs, Block Nes Monsters, Stoney Roads Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst $15–$20 8pm The Sunny Side Up, Chemical Transport, A Sleepless Melody, Northie The Lair, Metro Theatre, Sydney $10 (+ bf) 6.30pm all ages Vanity Riots, Dirty Grotto, Chickenstones Bald Faced Stag, Leichhardt $15 8.30pm White Widow, Neon Heart, Virginia Killstyxx, Dylan’s Eye, Judah Call, Kitch, Because of Tomorrow, Griever, Gunn Show, Johnny Roadkill Annandale Hotel 3pm Without Wolves, Brackets FBi Social @ Kings Cross Hotel, Darlinghurst 11pm

JAZZ

Blue Moon Quartet Supper Club, Fairfield RSL Club free 7pm Elly Holt, Eamon Dilworth Ensemble 505 Club, Surry Hills $15– $20 8pm Grabowsky / McGann Quartet Seymour Theatre Centre, Chippendale $20 (conc)–$30 8pm Peter Head The Harbour View Hotel, The Rocks free 5pm

ACOUSTIC & FOLK Balmain Bush Dance Sydney Secondary College

Rozelle Campus $8 (student)–$17 8pm Craig Thommo The Belvedere Hotel free 9pm Nick Rheinbereger Fairlight Folk Acoustic Lounge free 8pm

SUNDAY NOVEMBER 20 ROCK & POP

Ace Brighton RSL Club, BrightonLe-Sands free 7pm Babyroll Spectrum, Darlinghurst 8pm Dave Tice & Mark Evans, Chris Finnen Lizotte’s Restaurant, Dee Why $31 8pm The Dynamites (USA), Charles Walker, Superheavuweight, Hot Grits The Basement, Circular Quay $35 8pm Jason Mraz (USA), Toca Rivera Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House 8pm Latin Fiesta: Watussi Riverside Theatres, Parramatta $22 (member)–$28 3.30pm Plasticine Machine, Cosmic Nomads, Justice For The Damned, My Oh My Valve Bar, Tempe 4pm Radio Birdman Box Set Listening Party with Mystery Band Sandringham Hotel, Newtown $10 7pm

Screaming Sunday: The Critters, The Struts, The Silhouettes, Antisocial Society Club, The Bends, Kill Appeal, Stars of Addiction, Melody Black Annandale Hotel 12pm all ages The Slowdowns Downstairs, Sandringham Hotel, Newtown free 4pm Whitehouse, Allotta Presha, The Dalton Gang’s Last Raid, Friedas Boss, Kat Ferguson Annandale Hotel $10 5pm Written in the Sando: Rock ‘n’ Roll Poetry Slam”: The Langlangs, Danejer, Kirk Voids, Rock and Roll Poets Sandringham Hotel, Newtown $10 7pm Zoltan Harbord Beach Hotel free 6.30pm

JAZZ

Jimmy Shaw & Shaw’n’Uff Big Band, Peter Power, Paige Delancey Randwick Labour Club $8 (conc)–$10 3pm Liam Burrows & His Quartet The Vanguard, Newtown $30 6.30pm The Peter Head Trio Harbour View Hotel, The Rocks free 4pm

ACOUSTIC & FOLK Captain Obvious & The Unpredictables Town Hall Hotel, Newtown free 6pm Joyce Collins The Belvedere Hotel free 5pm Shane MacKenzie Cohibar free 2pm

K.D. Land by James Minchin III

send your listings to : gigguide@thebrag.com

gig picks up all night out all week...

7 9 , : , 5 ; :

9 6 6 ; : 9 , . . ( , : 6 < 3 + < ) , = , 9 @ ; / < 9 : + ( @ 7 4

- , (; < 9 0 5 .

Bright Eyes

MONDAY NOVEMBER 14

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 18

Bright Eyes (USA) Enmore Theatre $67.60 8pm all ages

Brous, Paul Capsis, Pearls, Domeyko/ Gonzales, DJ Catcall FBi Social @ Kings Cross Hotel, Darlinghurst $15 (+ bf) 8pm

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah (USA), Nantes Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst $41.80 (+ bf) 8pm

TUESDAY NOVEMBER 15 Debit Mastercard Priceless Series – Florence & The Machine Seymour Centre, Chippendale 8pm TV On The Radio (USA) Metro Theatre, Sydney $67.80 7pm all ages

The Cruel Sea, Cabins Metro Theatre, Sydney $49.70 8pm Geoffrey O’Connor, The Twerps, Holiday Sidewinder GoodGod Small Club, Sydney $10 (+ bf) 8pm MUM: We Are Volcanoes, Hey Big Aki, Alphabet Cities, Dan Webb, Tiger Window, Bones Atlas, Aver, Shag, Swim Team DJs, 10th Avenue, Finlay, Fifi Does Didi, Jack Shit, Nic Yorke The World Bar, Kings Cross $10-$15 8pm

Wolf & Cub, Betty Airs, Luger Boa Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach free 8pm

They Will Have Their Way - The Songs of Tim & Neil Finn: Sarah Blasko, Sally Seltmann, Clare Bowditch, Holly Throsby, Lior, Paul Dempsey, Alexander Gow (Oh Mercy) Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House $79–$129 8pm

THURSDAY NOVEMBER 17

SATURDAY NOVEMBER 19

The Annandale Hotel Christmas Party: Oh Mercy, Castlecomer, Tim Fitz, Under Lights, Sealion, Annie McKinnon Annandale Hotel free 6pm

Cut Off Your Hands (NZ), Bearhug The Standard, Darlinghurst $12 8pm

WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 16

k.d. lang (CAN), Shane Nicholson State Theatre, Sydney $99–$150 7.30pm Step-Panther, Dune Rats, Pear Shape, Bloods DJs GoodGod Small Club, Sydney $12 8pm Straight To You – triple j’s Tribute To Nick Cave: Abbe May, Adalita, Alex Burnett, Bertie Blackman, Dan Sultan, Jake Stone, Urthboy, Muscles, Johnny Mackay, Kram, Lanie Lane, Lisa Mitchell Enmore Theatre $61.60 (+ bf) 8pm

3(5,6<: (5+ ;/, -(403@ @(/ ),51(3<

56=,4),9 ;/ NICHE PRODUCTIONS PRESENTS

The Dynamites (USA) featuring Charles Walker, Boom Band Crew, Mr Chad The Basement, Circular Quay $35 8pm Gyroscope, City Riots, Closure in Moscow The Factory Theatre, Enmore $30 (+ bf) 8.30pm all ages Jebediah, Loon Lake, Split Seconds Metro Theatre, Sydney $36.90 (+ bf) 8pm Laneous & The Family Yah, The Rescue Ships, Master of Ribongia FBi Social @ Kings Cross Hotel, Darlinghurst $12 (+ bf) 8pm Cut Off Your Hands

AN EVENING OF DISCO/HOUSE, DUBSTEP, HIP HOP, LEF TFIELD ELECTRONICA & FUTURE SOUL

THE SWISS

18 NOV ALL LIVE EVERY FRIDAY NIGHT 8PM TIL MIDNIGHT

BRAG :: 438 :: 14:11:11 :: 45

46 :: BRAG :: 438 :: 14:11:11

brag beats

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

inside + club guide + club snaps + columns

sébastien léger

deetron

thundamentals the foreverlution of aussie hip hop

re + mo

BRAG :: 438 :: 14:11:11 :: 47

dance music news

free stuff

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

FREESTUFF@THEBRAG.COM

he said she said DJ KRISTY LEE tiny beans). Seriously, both of those things happened.

The music I listen to changes hourly, although I have a soft spot for anything I can sing along to. I should probably apologise to my neighbours, as they have to listen to me singing the most eclectic and crazy mix of songs all day.

I DJ, sing and produce, and I’m also a facilitator for Heaps Decent, which means traveling to all types of places to make music with underprivileged kids. I recently did a workshop with Lykke Li at Juniperina Justice Centre. The workshop was fun, but waiting around beforehand and singing ‘The Eye Of The Sparrow’ from Sister Act with Lykke is a moment I’ll never forget.

I

pretty much grew up in a recording booth, as my dad runs a studio. Looking back on all the random things I’ve sung for, I’d have to say highlights were

being the voice of Vejazzling (yep, jewels on your privates), and singing on a whole record about beanie dolls (you know, those squishy little teddy things full of

I make music with a few people around Sydney, but recently it’s been all about just me, a glass of wine and some dark chocolate till the early hours

of the morning, making beats and trying to record as many vocal layers as possible before my sound card wigs out.

I meet a lot of people each week working in the music scene, and the people that inspire me the most are the ones who are totally obsessed and in love with the whole process. Sure there are always elements that kind of suck, but when I meet someone who generally loves what they’re doing, I don’t care if they’re pouring me a drink, dancing to J-Lo, singing country ballads or playing dubstep – that’s true inspiration for me.

Who: Bands – World’s End Press, Richard In Your Mind, Mitzi, Toucan, Pearshape, Teleprompter, The Religion; DJs – Nina Las Vegas, Joyride, DJ Hansom, Hobophonics, F.R.I.E.N.D/s, Kristy Lee and more Where: Sosueme @ Oxford Art Factory When: Saturday November 19

Elizabeth Rose

OFF WITH YOUR HEAD II

One of the best things about summer has to be the flurry of spontaneous pop-up parties and events. Combine one of these with a sweet bill of electronic artists, featuring the likes of Tom Ugly, Tales In Space and Elizabeth Rose, and you’ll end up with Off With Your Head Pt II, presented by the geniuses at Rabbit Hole.

Charged with these three fine performers and the Rabbit Hole DJs, Off With Your Head Pt II will take place at the newly refurbished Spectrum on Friday November 18. BRAG have two sneaky doubles to give away for you and your party partner; if you’d like one, tell us the name of the headline act from the first Off With Your Head party.

LINDSTRØM

Norwegian electronic and space disco proponent Lindstrøm will release a new album in early February on Smalltown Supersound, entitled Six Cups Of Rebel – which you may recall the Norwegian adopted as an artist name for a solitary 12-inch release, 2005’s Arp She Said. Discounting Lindstrøm’s accomplished output with his Australia-bound partner-in-crime Prins Thomas, Six Cups Of Rebel will be the third official Lindstrøm full-length album, following 2009’s Real Life No Cool – and it will be the first to feature his own vocals. Given that Lindstrøm has remixed the likes of Franz Ferdinand, LCD Soundsystem and Roxy Music, curiosity abounds as to whether his vocal style will be influenced by any of the crooners for these aforementioned top shelf bands. We wait with baited breath.

Modeselektor

Das Moth

HOW TO DRESS WELL

PLAYGROUND WEEKENDER 2012

The lineup for Playground Weekender 2012, which was pushed back to the first weekend of March, has been announced. The artist roster includes disco pioneers Chic (feat Nile Rogers), the much-vaunted Modeselektor playing live, Fat Freddy’s Drop, The Orb, Boy & Bear, Roots Manuva, UNKLE Sounds, Manchester Orchestra, Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti, Bonobo, Neon Indian, Lanie Lane, Bomb The Bass, Seekae, Greg Wilson, Damian Lazarus, Lee Burridge, Art Department, Canyons, Hudson Mohawke, Rustie, Danny Daze, Kirk Degorgio and Toucan among others. Playground Weekender 2012 will run from March 2 – 4 at Del Rio Riverside Resort on the Hawkesbury River. Tickets go on sale Thursday November 17 at precisely 0900, via playgroundweekender.com.au, with first release weekend tickets going for $239.

THE SWISS

Fresh from a ten-date European tour, local Disco-futurists Luke Million and Tony Mitolo – collectively The Swiss – have released Double Or Nothing on Modular Records. In support of the EP, The Swiss will be premiering their new three-piece live show later this month, in a series of dates that includes a performance at Bondi’s Beach Road Hotel this Friday. The release is the pair’s first output since last year’s anthemic Bubble Bath EP, and is a harbinger for their forthcoming album that is expected to be released next year.

APPARAT SUBSONIC SIDESHOW

The Subsonic Music Festival has announced an exclusive Sydney side show for Berlin producer Sascha Ring, aka Apparat, who will be 48 :: BRAG :: 438 :: 14:11:11

performing live with his band at The Standard, located on Level 3 of 383 Bourke St, on Thursday December 1. Of course you’re veritably insane if you opt out of seeing Sascha and his live band perform in the serene confines of the world heritage-listed Mountain Valley Resort at the Subsonic Music Festival the following weekend – but an additional outing certainly won’t hurt. Apparat is half of the acclaimed Moderat project alongside Modeselektor, and earlier this year released a new album, The Devil’s Walk – the majority of which was conceived during a trip to Mexico last year with Telefon Tel Aviv’s Joshua Eustis. Apparat will be joined at the sideshow by special guests Bon Chat, Bon Rat and Englishman Max Cooper, who has established a strong following with his breakthrough trilogy of ‘Serie’ releases which kicked off in 2009 on the Traum Schallplatten label.

Tom Krell, aka How To Dress Well, will make his Australian debut at GoodGod Small Club on Wednesday December 7, courtesy of the nascent local label Astral People. A philosophy student who splits time between Brooklyn and Cologne, Krell’s sound has been described as “reverb-soaked ethereal glo-fi RnB” – or, for those who like a bit of drama in their music journalism, let’s go with “a unique exploration of voice and sound that transgresses typical expectation about song structure to evoke enthralling images of what is left of love after it is broken”. His debut album Love Remains was released last year and lauded by the likes of Pitchfork as “the biggest breakthrough in homerecorded lo-fi in years”. Also playing will be special guests Wintercoats (performing a half originals/half RnB covers set), Albatross and DJs Preacha and The Wedding Ring Fingers, with a limited amount of $15 early bird tickets currently available online.

RAINBOW SERPENT LAUNCH PARTY

The crew behind the annual Rainbow Serpent festival, which is held in the Victorian wilderness, are throwing a launch party in Sydney this Friday November 18 at the Whitehouse on Parramatta Road. The launch will feature a number of international drawcards: Dutch progressive maestros Ticon (Rainbow Serpent favourites from way back), German prog/tech proponent D-nox and Cadenza’s Frivolous will all be performing as an appetiser ahead of the festival in January, along with a strong local DJ lineup comprising Subsonic ringleaders Marcotix and MSG, Trinity and Melbourne’s Uone. For the uninitiated and innocent, the Rainbow Serpent Festival is known as one of the few places you can get proper crazy in Australia – it is an alternative, outdoor bush party for alternative, outdoor types. The 2012 Rainbow Serpent lineup includes revered German producer DJ Koze, James Harcourt, Gabriel Ananda, Peter Horrevorts, Loud, Protonica, Hedflux, Robert Rich and Tipper. Further festival information and tickets can be obtained by visiting rainbowserpent.net

DAS MOTH

We Are Nocturnal and Death Strobe Records are coming together to throw a free party headlined by globetrotting Aussie indie-cum-dance producer Tim Sullivan aka Das Moth at The Spice Cellar this Friday. Formerly of Damn Arms, Das Moth has since moved to Japan and pursued production, releasing an acclaimed 12-inch on Cutters Records. Fusing disco with nostalgic indie influences and waves of “creamy” synthesisers [“I loooove it” gushes Seidler from his staff writer’s chair], his sound is associated with the sort of summer frivolity Sydneysiders typically indulge in as the weather heats up. Also representing on the night will be a DJ set from Brisbane outfit Mitzi, who released a 12-inch called Mitzi – Vinyl Versions on esteemed Sydney imprint Future Classic earlier this year, which featured remixes from The Revenge and LTJ Xperience, local lads Softwar and Tigersushi mainman Joakim. Support will come courtesy of the Death Strobe DJs, with shenanigans commencing from 11pm.

Modeselektor by Ragnar Schmuck1

WITH

THIS WEEK ★ FRI NOV 18 ★

9PM - 3AM

★ SAT NOV 19 ★

RE 11 P FO

M!

BE

9PM - 3AM

$5

$10 AFTER

COMING SOON ★ FRI NOV 25 ★

STARTS 10PM E

E-SAL PR

20

$

$25 ON DOOR

RE 11 P FO

$5

M!

BE

★ SAT NOV 26 ★

$10 AFTER

★ FRI DEC 02 ★

9PM - 3AM RE 11 P FO

$5

M!

BE

DSS Presents:

$10 AFTER

The Coffin Slave presents:

CHA AMPIO ON REGGAE, DUB

9PM - 3AM RE 11 P FO

$5

M!

SO OUND DANCEHALL,

★ FRI DEC 09 ★

9PM - 3AM

BE

★ FRI DEC 08 ★

$10 AFTER

TICKETS & BOOKINGS: BOOKINGS@LOWSOCIETYDUBSTEP.COM

450 PARAMATTA RD PETERSHAM 9560 0400 BRAG :: 438 :: 14:11:11 :: 49

dance music news

free stuff

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

FREESTUFF@THEBRAG.COM

five things WITH TONY FROM THE

Gang Gang Dance

SWISS

Growing Up Your Crew The first memory I have I guess if anything, our crew 1.

3. involves music. I grew up on a farm consists of Luke and I and our in Mt Gambier, and my father was cleaning his XY GT in the garage while I was pushing around one of those bubble-popper wheelbarrow toys. I remember stopping in the driveway when what I later found out was Van Morrison’s ‘Wavelength’ came blaring out of the speakers of the car. The intro section of the song has this kind of apeggiator sci fi thing happening; that’s the sound I can remember stopping me in my bubble-popper tracks. My dad was really into Deep Purple and Steve Miller, and my mum played a more influential role in my teen years by giving me her old Dark Side Of The Moon LP and Frank Zappa vinyl.

Inspirations My musical heroes are Frank 2.

Zappa, Pink Floyd and Daft Punk.

Zappa for his limitless output and unconventional style of writing. Daft Punk for their, well, perfection. Pink Floyd I use as a sorbet; when I get sick of everything else in the music world, I always revert back to Dark Side Of The Moon or Wish You Were Here to cleanse my musical palette.

THE LAST KINECTION ALBUM LAUNCH TOUR

SQL

SHRUG FT. MATTHEW DEKAY & SQL

Indigenous hip hop trio The Last Kinection have recently released their second album, Next Of Kin, through Inertia, and are embarking on a national tour in support of the release that will include a performance at GoodGod on Saturday November 26. The Last Kinection is made up of brother and sister Weno and Nay of the Kabbi Kabbi people of South East Queensland, as well as DJ and producer Jaytee. Next Of Kin was recorded in the aftermath of a horrific car accident in 2008; Nay was pronounced dead at the scene before Weno noticed that the blanket that covered her move slightly (an incident which actually became the subject of an episode of Channel 7’s Crash Investigation Unit). Guests on Next Of Kin include some of Australia’s most accomplished MCs, including Trials (Funkoars) and Briggs from the Golden Era label, Ozi Batla from The Herd, Rival MC from Impossible Odds, Lotek and Omar Musa; Simone Stacey, Nay’s former partner in Shakaya, appears on the lead single ‘Are We There Yet?’.

friend, co-writer, producer and mentor Donnie Sloan. Also the guys at Modular help us quite a lot, especially of late, putting the tracks for our upcoming album together.

The Music You Make For a song to be a Swiss 4. song, it has to be danceable.

That’s the main criteria. Of course you can dance to slow music too, so it’s not as narrow-minded as you may think...

Music, Right Here, Right Now 5.

I feel that music is very much in a transitional period at the moment.

It feels like the last four or so years have perhaps come to an end, and the sound is shifting somewhere else. I really don’t understand mainstream pop, but I never have – bar the exceptions when they rarely break through.

I think people will always want to dance, so we will always have a reason to make music.

Where: Movement @ Beach Road, Bondi When: Friday November 18

GoodGod Small Club is hosting a “big and rather wacky XMas party” on Thursday December 8 that has been dubbed “BOOTY BOOTY BOOTY (ChristmASS Everywhere). [Originally capitalisation preserved to accentuate the subtle wordplay.] The party will feature two MCs from the US: Big Freedia, a cross-dressing, genrebending rapper, and Juiceboxx, a young white rapper who hails from Milwaukee and fuses the ethos of punk rock with hip hop and dance beats. Both will be reveling in ‘bounce music’, a scene that rose out of New Orleans street parties and is recognisable for its big booming dance rhythms and call-and-response lyrics. Big Freedia is purportedly at the forefront of a subgenre of bounce, reserved for self proclaimed “Sissies”, a locally-used term that describes sexually ambiguous and cross-dressing club artists… To say this will be a flamboyant celebration of Xmas jingle is an understatement. Early-bird tickets are available online for $15.

Angus McDonald, Dan Single & Maurice Terzini

50 :: BRAG :: 438 :: 14:11:11

Stanton Warriors

CHINESE LAUNDRY IN DECEMBER

Chinese Laundry has unveiled its headliners for the month of December. On Friday December 9, English producers Cyantific and Wilkinson will be fronting up for a DnB doubleheader. The following Saturday will feature German vocalistturned-producer Fritz Kalkbrenner, best known for laying down the vocals for his brother Paul Kalkbrenner’s hit track ‘Sky And Sand’ from the Berlin Calling soundtrack, as well as for his collaborations with the likes of Sascha Funke, Alexander Kowalski and Chopstick & Johnjon. Come Friday December 23 and English stalwarts the Stanton Warriors will take to the decks, before a NYE fiesta headlined by LTJ Bukem.

KINK FT SÉBASTIEN LÉGER 11.12 FT. FRANKIE KNUCKLES @ THE OPERA HOUSE

The Rabbit Hole crew will descend on a upgraded spectrum this Friday night for the second edition in their pop up party series, ‘Off With Your Head’. The night will feature a headline set from synth pop exponent Tom Ugly, still basking in the release of his recent single ‘I Was Somebody’ that features Melbourne MC Pez. Disco proponents Tales In Space will also be performing, while Elizabeth Rose will be opening proceedings following on from her performances at this year’s Parklife.

Doors open at 8pm, with entry a mere $12.

Gangs are scary things full of unruly youths, but when two of them get together, the result seems to be unstoppable dancing – West Side Story, anyone? This is certainly true for Gang Gang Dance (it’s right there in the name), whose latest album Eye Contact cemented their place as one of the best non-genre-fitting dancy/proggy/experimental bands ever ever ever. If you’ve got as much love for GGD as us, then you already know all about their gig at The Studio at Sydney Opera House that’s happening on Saturday December 10. If you can tell us which Australian festival they’re hitting up while they’re here, we’ll give you a double pass to the Sydney show.

SO THIS IS CHRISTM–ASS; XMAS AT GOODGOD

Shrug returns to the Civic Underground this Saturday November 19 with a double-bill of Dutch tech courtesy of Matthew Dekay and SQL. Dekay’s collaboration with Lee Burridge on the Cecille imprint, ‘Wongel’, was one of the bigger/better club cuts to hit floors at the back end of last year, while SQL has an impressive sonic CV for a 23-year-old. Known to his nearest and dearest as Pim van Horsseen, SQL has already released on the Trapez, Traum and Tribal Vision labels, and had his productions supported by the minimal bon vivant and notorious sake sipper, Richie Hawtin. While the internationals throw down in the underground, Robbie Lowe, Magda Bytnerowicz, Dave Stuart and Mesan will be pushing a selection of tunes upstairs on the ground floor.

First release $15 tickets are currently available via Resident Advisor.

OFF WITH YOUR HEAD II

GANG GANG DANCE

Tickets are now on sale for 11.12, a NYE party at the Sydney Opera House thrown by the You Only Live Once crew – Dan Single, Angus McDonald and Maurice ‘Icebergs’ Terzini – that will feature a set from house music luminary Frankie Knuckles. Knuckles will be joined by Jamie Principle on live vocals, with the lineup also featuring the UK’s Riton and local impresarios Beni and Dangerous Dan. “We’ve been throwing our NYD party at Icebergs Dining Room and Bar for 10 years now, and the formula is simple: iconic venue, world-class music, top shelf food and drinks, and a great mix of people from around the globe who expect the best,” Terzini said. McDonald added, “It was an exciting proposition when we were approached to curate a similar style party on NYE at the most iconic venue in Sydney; it was a no-brainer.” All-inclusive tickets are now on sale for $695 via the Sydney Opera House box office; high rollers please proceed to the Opera House website to purchase your ticket.

KINK returns to its old stomping ground The Arthouse Hotel on Pitt Street this Saturday with a headline set from Frenchman Sébastien Léger. A producer with a proclivity for ‘tougher’ tech sounds, Léger is also the man behind the Mistakes label, home to the likes of Format:B, Ramon Tapia and Popof. Aside from being a DJ and a record label boss, Léger also has a hefty back-catalogue of productions to his name that encompasses fifty EPs, four full albums and hit tracks like ‘Hit Girl’, ‘Hypnotized’ and ‘Aqualight’. There’s a long list of locals stepping up to support Seb, including Ben Morris, Shamus and Nukewood to name but a few.

Presale tickets are now on sale, with the event scheduled to run from 9:30pm till 6am.

Thundamentals The Next Phase By Nils Hay

O

n the back of their second record Foreverlution, and after some high profile support slots, Sydney-based trio Thundamentals are finally gearing up for their national album launch tour. “We’re really looking forward to getting that headline spot and playing a little bit later in the night,” MC Jeswon tells me, “when people are a bit more boisterous and open to getting into the party.”

Jeswon is also happy that, with a longer set to play, they can unleash even more tracks from the recent album. Foreverlution houses an eclectic collection of beats, from dubstep to Latin to the classic ‘90s hip hop the group are perhaps most famous for. With the departure of DJ and producer Tommy Fiasko, responsibility for the beats has fallen to DJ Morgs, and Jeswon speaks highly of how he stepped up to the plate.

“I kind of feel like, with other producers, they’ve got this one style that they love and they just keep flipping that – but after a while... it gets kind of tedious. Morgs has managed to pull off this really varied sounding piece of music, and it’s all him producing. We’re stoked to have such a talented guy taking care of all our beats.”

you’re black, it’s going to be shit. That sounds really fucked, but I do feel that way with a lot of the international support slots; people are just looking at you going, ‘What the fuck are these skinny white dudes rapping with Aussie accents doing up there?’”

Regardless of the stigma, Jeswon is still excited to be a part of the scene. He thinks a shining example of the positive state it’s in was the recent Sprung hip hop festival in Brisbane. “We weren’t playing this year, we were just there to check it out, and it really felt like a watershed moment in Australian hip hop history,” he recalls.

“To see that many people there, for a whole day, to see purely local talent; I was there watching it going, ‘Fuck yeah. This is encouraging – this is really encouraging. Fuck yeah, there’s a future for this thing that we’re all doing.’”

What: Foreverlution is out now through Obese Records With: Ellesquire, Ruthless and more Where: Oxford Art Factory When: Saturday November 26

A couple of tracks also feature co-producers, chief among them long-time friend of the band (and fellow former Blue Mountains resident) Dysphemic, who brings in some banging bass on the dubstep-influenced ‘Thunda Cats’.

The whole group are big fans of bass-heavy electronic beats, and Jeswon admits that it’s a direction they are open to exploring further down the track. “I’m definitely open to it, and I know that we all dig that music. You never know,” he laughs, “next Thundamentals album could be a dirty, filthy, bass-heavy monster.”

“The Oz hip hop tag does carry with it a set of stereotypes which I feel are no longer valid. We’re not making barbeque rap anymore.

It’s as well-thought-out as any hip hop from anywhere in the world.”

Thundamentals’ eclecticism and willingness to experiment is a hallmark of modern Australian hip hop, and on some levels Jeswon thinks it could be time to dispense with the ‘Oz hip hop’ label altogether. “It’s an interesting kind of situation, the whole ‘Oz hip hop’ tag; what it did originally mean and what it’s come to represent,” he begins. “We’re Australians making hip hop in Australia, but I would love for my music to just be recognised as straight hip hop. I feel like the label of Oz hip hop being put on your music is a Catch-22. In a way it’s good, because there’s a lot of people that proudly support Australian hip hop, and if it’s got that [label] you might get a few more people buying it just because you’re a part of this Oz hip hop thing.”

The flip side, of course, is that it’s not all about sales. “I kind of feel like it is a bit limiting, and it does carry with it a set of stereotypes which I feel are no longer valid,” he continues. “A lot of the newer artists coming through, I kind of feel like this new wave of Australian hip hop – and even older guys who have readjusted their thinking on the whole thing – to me, it sounds international now. Yes, we’re speaking English and we have accents that are Australian, but it’s not like this bogan-ed up parody of Australia or this ockered-out kind of thing that perhaps it used to be.” While he acknowledges that years ago the fledgling scene needed the ‘Oz hip hop’ banner to rally around as it struggled against a nation of rock music fans, those days are over and hip hop in this country is riding an unprecedented (and seemingly unstoppable) wave of popularity. And the diversity in this maturing scene is no longer encapsulated by the aging label. “We’re not making barbeque rap anymore,” he says. “It’s deep; it’s as well-thoughtout as any hip hop from anywhere in the world.”

Having said that, Jeswon acknowledges that even amongst hip hop fans, Australian hip hop sometimes still seems to lack the credibility of its American counterparts – something that hits home when the trio play in support of those same big American names. “It’s a strange thing – they’re there to see a headline hip hop act, but it’s like they don’t recognise Australian people doing hip hop as valid, almost. It’s this weird thing; do they even like the genre of hip hop?” he muses. “Quite often they probably don’t – at least not Australian hip hop. They might just like that artist or they might think that unless

Presents

Matthew Dekay Netherlands Cecille | All Day I Dream

SQL

Netherlands Gem | MBF | Trapez

Robbie Lowe | Dave Stuart Mesan | Magda Bytnerowicz Saturday 19th November | 9pm – late Civic Hotel | 388 Pitt St, Sydney $15 1st Release | $20 2nd Release | $30 Door Available from www.residentadvisor.net

BRAG :: 434 :: 17:10:11 :: 51

Matthew Dekay Machines With Knobs By Alasdair Duncan

M

atthew Dekay began the last decade as an acclaimed producer of minimal and tech house tracks, but after several years of touring as a DJ, his schedule had burned him out to the point where he was no longer able to think about his first love: making beats. A move to Berlin changed all that, allowing Dekay to recharge his creative batteries and get back into producing again. “Relocating to Berlin was the best decision I ever made,” he tells me. “I found my inspiration again. It gave me the excitement and energy I had been missing for so long. The electronic music scene is thriving – I was able to completely reinvent myself there.”

Sébastien Léger Notes From The Underground By Alasdair Duncan

F

rench house producer Sébastien Léger has been in the game since the late 1990s. A prolific producer, with as many singles under his belt as a number of his contemporaries put together, he is not one to suffer fools lightly. “There have been many changes over the last decade,” he says, “not least of all the move to digital, which is a whole new way of making and playing music. Over the last two or three years, though, the biggest change is that the music has become super commercial, and a lot more people are making it. Things have become really different in that respect.

In terms of electronic music going mainstream, I bring up the example of David Guetta – five years ago, I would have considered him a relatively underground producer, but now he’s practically an American pop star. When I ask Léger if he has ever been tempted to go down a similar path to Guetta, he snorts with laughter. “No,” he says. “I guess it depends on what you want in life. If you want to make your bank account huge, then going down that commercial path is a good way to do it. If you want to feel good when you look at yourself in the mirror, like myself, then you should do what you feel. I’m definitely not going that way.”

For Léger, producing tracks is an intimate activity. He has a studio in the attic of his house with a pair of Daft Punk toys either side of his monitor, a set of computer speakers he bought 10 years ago and has never needed to replace, and a collection of analogue gear. He enjoys working with this older equipment; he believes it makes for much more interesting music.

“That’s why I called my label Mistakes Music – because I love the possibility when you’re using a bit of gear that something totally random can

happen, and you can end up with something really cool, cooler than anything you could do on purpose. Malfunctioning machines are cool.”

I ask Léger how he knows when he’s found a great loop to base a track around, and he stops to think for a second. “Hmm... I guess usually you just know if something’s good or not good. Sometimes I hesitate if I come up with something that I think is too catchy, because I worry that it might be too commercial or that over time it might start to sound stupid.”

I ask if he actively shies away from being too commercial, and he admits that he does.

“When it starts to sound a bit too obvious or a bit too easy, I’m hesitant to use it,” he explains.

“People tell me that’s silly, that I should make more commercial music, but I definitely don’t want to go in that Guetta direction.”

Lately, Dekay has been releasing tracks on All Day I Dream, the label he started with techno legend Lee Burridge to showcase their collaborations.

“All Day I Dream began with a series of four daytime parties on a rooftop in Brooklyn, NYC this summer,” he explains. “The philosophy behind the new brand is to promote and showcase beautiful, melancholic, gorgeous house music, as the name suggests. Lee and I share a strong belief that there is a gap in the market for such a label, where artists can create and release music from the heart that defies current musical trends. It’s a really exciting project for us. We are absolutely blown away with the support we’ve received on the first release, and we are so excited for what is coming next.”

When he began making tracks around a decade ago, Dekay was one of the first mainstream dance producers to make tracks only using computers, with no outboard gear at all. I ask if his approach has changed in that time, or if he still imposes the same limits. “Since moving to Berlin and seeing

some of my favourite artists work in the studio with fancy outboard gear, I’ve decided to start using it [too],” he tells me. “Not that you need it to make great records, but it’s just more fun to use machines with knobs. Also, I think the art of recording a performance rather than watching your music is what’s missing in today’s music. I often record one take and leave it the way it is, or re-record it and try to do it better.” Dekay is also known for the excellent remixes he’s crafted over the years – and in that arena, he’s still going strong. “I recently remixed a wonderful track by Ian Pooley called ‘Groove Me’,” he says. “When I heard it, I immediately told him I had to remix it. In general I get a lot of requests, but I don’t just remix for the sake of it. I really have to believe I can add something to the track, no matter what name is asking me to remix their tracks.”

These days, Dekay has found more of a balance in his life between touring and recording; he feels much more at ease with the idea of the DJ lifestyle, and is extremely excited about returning to Australia to spin some records. “I simply love it in Australia,” he says. “I always get in such a great mood because of the Australian attitude – people are always positive, happy and smiling, and the food is so yummy!” As for what he’ll be playing when he’s down here, Dekay is a little more tightlipped: “A great DJ never tells and is always full of surprises...”

With: Shrug presents Matthew Dekay and SQL With: Robbie Lowe, Magda Bytnerowicz, Mesan, Dave Stuart Where: Civic Hotel, Sydney When: Saturday November 19

Though he is a prolific producer, Léger sees himself primarily as a record-spinner – and it’s this side of him we’ll be seeing when he returns to Australia this month. “First and foremost, I’m a DJ,” he says. “I have a lot more fun playing other people’s music than I do playing mine.

Every week I spend hours – literally hours – on Beatport shopping for new music. There are a lot of unknown artists out there who deserve much more success than what’s actually out there in the charts. That’s the pleasure of being a DJ, is that you get to give exposure to some of that.”

What: Kink presents Sébastien Léger With: Ben Morris, Shamus, Nukewood, Brendan Fing and more Where: The Arthouse When: Saturday November 19

Deetron Staying Balanced By Rick Warner

M

elbourne electronic label EQ Recordings rode the tumultuous wave of declining vinyl sales in the early 2000s by clinging to their only buoyant life raft available, the little mix compilation that could: Balance.

Starting as a platform for Melbourne legends like Kasey Taylor and Sean Quinn, it wasn’t until releasing (the now timelessly classic) Balance #5 by James Holden did EQ Recordings turn heads. That was in 2003. Since then, the label has recruited some of the finest established and future techno artists for the series, like Joris Voorn, Desyn Masielo, Luke Fair and Agoria – and as they reach the 20th edition milestone, Swiss techno don Deetron takes the helm.

At 9.20am in Bern, Sam Gaiser aka Deetron is surprisingly spritely. As a new father (his first son was born over the European summer), he has had plenty of time at home – but it hasn’t much affected his 52 :: BRAG :: 438 :: 14:11:11

touring and studio schedule. “We have a big family who help us out,” he laughs. And there are clear benefits to his occupation. “The great thing is that I can be at home during the week, whereas other fathers have to work everyday and can’t spend as much time with the kids.”

Deetron used his Balance compilation to showcase that age-old debate that abounds in electronic music culture: digital vs analogue.

The two discs revolve around a different format each, and all up took him around a month to complete, with the most time spent on Disc 1, the digital mix. But it was the analogue mix that he found the most challenging; mixed live on three turntables, it wasn’t an easy task. “The analogue CD was mixed in one go, so I had to have a few attempts, because it’s live mixing. It took me quite a while to get it the way I wanted it. I’m sure I made like ten attempts or more...”

So it was a little exasperating? “It’s a little frustrating, yeah. But it’s also challenging, and I really wanted to do it that way; to make it in a way that I play out as well. It has this kind of rough and live edge to it.”

The track choices on the mix span from 1982 to 2011 – but not in any attempt to educate the masses. “To be honest with you, I didn’t have the age of the tracks or anything in my head,” he admits. There was one recording, though, that he did think it was important for people to hear: Savage Progress’s ‘Heart Begin To Beat’, from 1984. “That was really important for me

to have in the mix because it wasn’t really well known. It might’ve been big at the time of its release, but nowadays people don’t know it, and I think it’s really a techno record.”

When he was last here, Deetron played the dusty old Marrickville Bowling Club (which he says was an amazing experience). This time though, he’s set to play in front of 10,000 or so screaming Aussies at the upcoming Stereosonic Festival, in an odd lineup where he and fellow techno compatriots Carl Cox, Guy Gerber and Claude VonStroke seem like black sheep compared to headliners LMFAO and Armin van Buuren. “It will be very interesting to see how that works out,” he muses. “I’m very curious to see how that works – and it [will] probably be challenging as well.”

Is he looking forward to coming back down under? “People are really nice in Australia.

That’s a fact,” he says. “In terms of music, they are really enthusiastic and they know a lot; they’re really aware.”

What: Balance 20 – Deetron is out now on Balance, through EMI With: Armin van Buuren, Carl Cox, LMFAO, Empire Of The Sun, Afrojack, The Bloody Beetroots, Ferry Corsten, Madeon, Annie Mac, Crookers, The Gaslamp Killer and loads more Where: Stereosonic @ Sydney Showgrounds When: Saturday November 26

Deep Impressions Underground Dance And Electronica with Chris Honnery

Soul Sedation

Soul, Dub, Hip Hop & Bottom-heavy Beats with Tony Edwards Soul Sedation goes live every Wednesday night on Bondi FM (88.0 or bondifm.com.au). Tune in 10pm 'til midnight to hear a deep and soulful selection of the tunes covered here, and plenty more that we don't have room for.

Erykah Badu

ON THE ROAD SATURDAY NOVEMBER 19

Dynamites ft Charles Walker The Basement

SATURDAY NOVEMBER 26 Thundamentals Oxford Art Factory

FRIDAY DECEMBER 2 Mulatu Astatke Factory Theatre

Gaslamp Killer Oxford Art Factory

DECEMBER 2-4 Subsonic Music Festival Barrington Tops

FRIDAY DECEMBER 9

Vladislav Delay

T

he lineup for Space New Year’s Day at Greenwood has landed, and it’s a good one – a damn good one, in fact.

Regular Deep Impressions cast members Matt Edwards (aka Radio Slave) and Seth Troxler are drawcards who demand considerable excitement, but the name on the bill I’m most enthused about has to be acid house luminary Eddie Richards.

‘Evil’ Eddie is credited as one of the grandfathers of tech house, and for good reason – though my one qualm with that description is it could be taken to imply that he’s had his time in the sun and is past his best, which is far from the case.

I saw Eddie do his thing amid a packed Watergate dancefloor in Berlin in ’09, and can attest that he was the standout on a night that included sets from many high profile ‘next-gen’ techno DJs. The founder of the Absurd record label, Eddie is also a talented producer, who has been involved in far more projects than he gets credit for, however it’s his DJing that rightly gets most of the accolades. His Fabric 16 mix remains one of my favourite compilations – hyperbole alert – of all time, and still does the business when played today. In fact I’d say it far surpasses any compilations Troxler has released, which is no disrespect to Seth, who sure has had his moments.

Radio Slave meanwhile is about to release a new compilation entitled Works (Selected Remixes 2006 - 2010), a triple CD that will be put out through his Rekids label.

The first CD collates remixes of vocal-led tracks such as UNKLE’s ‘Burn My Shadow’, Trentemøller‘s ‘Moan’ and the melancholic stonker that is Mlle Caro & Franck Garcia’s ‘Dead Souls’, while the final disc is one for the purists, comprising a collection of Edwards’ ‘Panorama Garage Remixes’, boasting the slow-burning, transcendental remixes of Jamie Anderson, Chicken Lips, and my personal favourite, the riproaring remix of Minilogue’s ‘Space’. First release tickets for Space New Year’s Day are now on sale.

Eccentric electronic luminary Sasu Ripatti will continue his prolific year by dropping new LP Vantaa under his Vladislav Delay moniker, which follows the recent release of Plus, which Ripatti produced under his Luomo guise. “I’m pretty frustrated with music these days to be honest,” Ripatti mused when reflecting on the album. “Both musically and technically speaking I think we are living in very sad times. But I feel like I’m the only one thinking like that, so I’m not sure how much I should open my soul.” In discussing Vantaa, which will be released on November 28 through the acclaimed Raster-Noton imprint, Ripatti stated, “I wanted to go back to those feelings and structures I was working on in the early days, but of course not to repeat them. I felt quite free to go explore the electronic side of things with this album since I had started the Vladislav Delay Quartet and could try out the acoustics, drums, improvisation and all that with the group… it is inspired and also it maybe reflects back on the times and movements

I witness around me. Overall I think it’s possibly the best album I have done as Vladislav Delay.” Gotta love a guy who calls it as he sees it.

Now I’m not one to underestimate the scope of the sonic palette of Deep Impressions readers, so there should be no qualms about us ending this week’s column by delving beyond the parameters of the 4/4 dance world. Kevin Shields, the figure behind pioneering band My Bloody Valentine, has launched a new record label, Pickpocket. Pickpocket was set up with his friend Charlotte Marionneau, initially to put out a new EP by her band Le Volume Courbe. Shields explained that the London-based band were planning to put out the EP – titled Theodaurus Rex – with another label, but it will now come out on their imprint on November 14. He did, however, refute that the label would release any new material

by My Bloody Valentine, who haven’t released a studio album since 1991’s Loveless. Shields did reveal that he’s been working on a new solo “guitar track… ten minutes of noise”, which he’s considering releasing as a Pickpocket 10.

LOOKING DEEPER SATURDAY NOVEMBER 27

Donato Dozzy The White House, Petersham

SATURDAY DECEMBER 10

Marcel Fengler The White House, Petersham

THURSDAY JANUARY 26 Matthew Dear AGWA Boat Party

I

t was with great pleasure that Soul Sedation heard of Erykah Badu's plan to finally journey to our little corner of the South Pacific. The “queen of neo soul” now has five albums under her belt, and her first, 1997's Baduizm, remains a yardstick of the genre. There’s been call for Erykah to come out for some time, and it’s finally been answered by a co-promotion from Niche Productions & LiveNation. Badu is only appearing in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth on this tour; she plays a show – interestingly with no supports – on Sunday February 19 at the Sydney Opera House.

The Playground Weekender lineup was also released this week, and there’s a thick slab of goodness in there for soul heads, as per usual. Chic ft Nile Rogers have been booked to hold it down on the big band disco front. Chic were the disco band of the late 1970s, ruling the scene with massive anthems like ‘Everybody Dance’ and ‘Good Times’. Fat Freddy’s Drop are back on the lineup this year (their Friday night show at the first Playground remains a quality memory), Roots Manuva will also be joining us, Bonobo will be performing live (Soul Sedation can attest that theirs is an excellent show), Greg Wilson will bring a big bag of his best, no doubt, the Cuban Brothers will bring the party as only they know how, and Hudson Mohawke will be holding it down on the bass music front. It all goes down in March 2012 on the banks of the Hawkesbury River.

Reggae heads will unite around the Easy Star All-Stars, who are also headed to Australia. The NY-based band that took the classic albums OK Computer, Dark Side Of The Moon, and Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band into brave new reggae territory are returning to Aus for the first time since 2009. This time around they’ll be playing their Pink Floyd re-interpretation, Dub Side Of The Moon, in full. That show is Wednesday January 4 at the Factory Theatre in Marrickville.

Hermitude The Standard

You can catch some more top-shelf reggae flavours at the Beach Road next week, as This Version headline Drop Thursdays.

The Sydney-based outfit – who’ve just dropped their five-track, self-titled EP – put on a standout show on support duty for Katchafire at the Enmore Theatre earlier in the year, and they’ll no doubt do the same at the Beach Road. You can catch DJs Benjalu, DJ Ability and Bentley holding it down on the decks.

Hip hop heads will dig the new album from MED, Classic, that’s out through Stones Throw records. MED is the go-to guy for the US underground hip hop scene, and the record features collaborations with Aloe Blacc, Talib Kweli, Hodgy Beats, Oh No and Kurupt.

Check out this disco rarities compilation, from the Kindred Spirits family: Deep Disco & Boogie Vol 1 is a selection from Zaf Chowdry, a UK-based record dealer and collector. Diggers should check out zafsmusic.com for more access to the sort of sounds that Chowdry pushes.

This weekend is a soulful one, as The Dynamites ft. Charles Walker play a show at the Basement on the Saturday night.

Some of you may have caught them at the Becks Festival Bar in January this year.

Anyone into the sounds of Stax Records and the Motown era will want to get along to this one – Walker still has an amazing voice on him.

This column has also received new music from Isaac Aesili and Rachel Fraser, under the moniker Funkommunity (yet more brilliant pacific soul coming out of NZ), as well as the new Meem album. Stop back next week for the word on both those new releases.

SUNDAY JANUARY 1

Eddie Richards, Seth Troxler, Radioslave Space NYD @ Greenwood

Eddie Richards

Deep Impressions: electronica manifesto and occasional club brand. Contact through deep.impressions@yahoo.com

The Dynamites

Send stuff for this column to tonyedwards001@gmail.com by 6pm Wednesdays. All pics to art@thebrag.com BRAG :: 438 :: 14:11:11 :: 53

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

club pick of the week

Q Bar/ Phoenix Bar, Spectrum Hot Damn $15-$20 8pm Sapphire Lounge, Kings Cross Flaunt G-Wizard, Troy T, Peter Gunz, Trey, Q-Bizzi, Ziggy, Libre & New Era, Deekay $15 8pm The Sly Fox, Enmore Inhale Foreigndub DJs free 9pm Soho, Potts Point Ladies Night DJs Theloft, King St Wharf Thursdays at theloft Nad, Stu Turner, Mr Belvedere 9pm The World Bar, Kings Cross Propaganda Mush, Urby free 8pm

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 18

SATURDAY NOVEMBER 19 Matthew Dekay

Civic Hotel, Sydney

Shrug: Matthew Dekay (NL), SQL (NL), Robbie Lowe, Carlos Zarate, Sam Roberts, Magda Bytnerowicz, Dave Stuart $20 (presale)–$30 (on door) 9pm MONDAY NOVEMBER 14 The Lansdowne Hotel, Chippendale Monday Jam Danny G Felix, Djay Kohina free 9pm Scubar. Sydney Crab Racing 7pm The World Bar, Kings Cross Jazz DJs free 7pm

TUESDAY NOVEMBER 15 Establishment, Sydney Rumba Motel DJ Willie Sabor free 6pm Scruffy Murphy’s, Sydney Frat House free Scubar, Sydney Backpacker Karaoke 8pm The World Bar, Kings Cross Propaganda Florence & The Machine DJ Set (Chris & Rob), Urby, Pablo Calamari free 9pm

WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 16 Beach Palace Hotel, Coogee

54 :: BRAG :: 438 :: 14:11:11

Palace Uni Night DJs free 9pm Cargo Lounge, Sydney Menage a Trois 5pm Gaelic Club, Surry Hills Weirdo Heroes World Tour Busdriver, Louis Logic, Ceschi, Digital Assasin feat.

Sceptic, Dseeva & DJ Skae, Mirrah Reflects, Izzy and the Prophet with DJ Maniak, BBoy Exit $23.50 8pm Home The Venue, Darling Harbour Embrace Wednesdays free 8.30pm Kong’s Jungle Lounge, Bondi Junction Voodoo free 9pm The Lansdowne Hotel, Chippendale Frat House Dtrain Disco, Hacky Sack, Friend DJ free 8pm The Marlborough Hotel, Newtown Student Nights DJ Moussa free Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst Vula (UK), Minx, Tenzin, Ember, Murray Lake $23.40$26.30 (+ bf) 8pm Scubar, Sydney Schoonerversity 3pm Shelbourne Hotel, Sydney Sincopa free 7pm The World Bar, Kings Cross The Wall Calvertron (UK), Aztech, Kemikoll, Asterix, Damsel, T-Bo, Rikki free 8pm

THURSDAY NOVEMBER 17 Australian Hotel and Brewery, Rouse Hill We Love Thursdays DJ Big Will, Bold Bongos 9pm Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Drop Laneous & The Family Yah, Benjalu, Mike Who, Bentley free 8pm Cargo Bar, Sydney Thursdays I’m in Love 5pm Gaelic Theatre, Surry Hills LHA, Five Coffees, Chalmers, DJ Dlect $13 8pm Goodgod Front Bar, Sydney Rhythm & Booze Eric Shortbread, DJ Hey Man free 8pm Greenwood Hotel, North Sydney Tenzin, Cadell, Zannon, DJ K-Note free 9pm Hugo’s Lounge, Kings Cross Bad Apple $5 8pm Ivy, Sydney Ivy Live 5pm The Lansdowne Hotel, Chippendale Indie Warhol Low 302, Darlinghurst Thursday Switch free 9pm Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst Tijuana Cartel, Tin Can Radio $25 (+ bf)-$30 8pm

The Arthouse Hotel, Sydney RnB Superclub $20 9.30pm Bank Hotel, Newtown Friendly Fridays Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach Movement The Swiss free 8pm The Burdekin, Darlinghurst DJs 9pm The Cellar, Sydney Void The Abyss, Geilis, Swindle $10 10pm Chinese Laundry, Sydney Phesta, A-Tonez, Bruxism, DJ Finesse, Embi $15 (early bird)–$25 10pm Civic Undergournd, Sydney Volar DJs 10pm Enmore Theatre Fiji, Lukie D, Spawnbreezie, DSS & 501, DJ Lenno, Peter Gunz, Johnny Beretta, Kid CoCo, Jamrock Sound $55 8pm Favela, Potts Point Neelix (GER), Pete and Kim, Electrocado, Ian Woodsman $25-$35 10pm Goodgod Front Bar, Sydney Yo Grito! Yo Grito DJs free 9pm Goodgod Small Club, Sydney Rollerball Silky Doyle, Jimmy Sing free-$5 11.45pm Greenwood Hotel, North Sydney DJ Cadell free 5pm Gypsy Lounge, Darlinghurst Warp Speed Various DJs 9pm Home Nightclub, Sydney Sublime 9pm Hotel Chambers, Sydney Jump Jive & Wail Limpin’ Jimmy & the Swingin’ Kitten free 9pm Hugo’s Lounge, Kings Cross Rat Pack DJs 9pm Jackson’s On George, Sydney Ultimate Party Venue Resident DJs free Kit & Kaboodle, Kings Cross Falcona Fridays Hey Now!, Boonie, Hobophonics, Starjumps free (guestlist)–$10 8pm Kong’s Jungle Lounge, Bondi Junction Sub Disco Dale Stephen 9pm The Marlborough Hotel – Level 1, Newtown Resident DJs free Nevada Lounge, Darlinghurst DJ Hayden free 6pm Oatley Hotel We Love Oatley Hotel Fridays DJ Tone free 9pm Omega Lounge, Sydney Unwind Fridays DJ Greg Summerfield free 5.30pm Q Bar, Darlinghurst Feel Good Inc. DJs free 10pm Sapphire Lounge, Kings Cross Club Onyx $15 8pm Scruffy Murphy’s, Sydney Frisky Friday DJs free 6pm

Das Moth

Settlement Bar, Sydney Spoilt Dave Rogers, TY (UK) 6pm Shark Hotel, Sydney Pulse8 Jono free Shelbourne Hotel, Sydney Mixtape free 6pm Soho, Potts Point Soho Fridays DJs free Space, Sydney Zaia Savvy, Edo, D’Kutz, Em-Tee, Ming, Ace, Flipz, DJ Sefu, MC Suga Shane, Arbee, Suae, Pulsar, Askitz, Jinkang vs Tezzr vs Rhe3, MC D 9.45pm The Spice Cellar, Sydney We Are Nocturnal & Death Strobe present Das Moth (JP), Death Strobe DJs, Mitzi DJs free 11pm Trademark Hotel, Kings Cross Eve 9pm Upstairs Beresford, Surry Hills Wax Tailor (FRA), Zowie (NZ), The Leisure Bandits, DJ Spenda C $10 (+ bf) 6pm Vegas Lounge, Darlinghurst Teen Spirit DJs 12am The Watershed Hotel Bring On The Weekend! DJ Jeddy Rowland, DJ Anders Hitchcock, DJ Matty Roberts free The Whitehouse Hotel, Petersham Rainbow Serpent Launch Party D-Nox, Ticon, Frivolous, Uone, DJ Trinity, Thomas Brereton, Felipe Cintra, Tezzel, Paulo Marques, Caba, MSG vs Dylan Griffin $30$40 9pm The World Bar, Kings Cross MUM We Are Volcanoes, Hey Big Aki, Alphabet Cities, Dan Webb, Tiger Window, Bones Atlas, Aver, Shag, Swim Team DJs, 10th Avenue, Finlay, Fifi Does Didi, Jack Shit, Nic Yorke $10-$15 8pm

SATURDAY NOVEMBER 19 The Arthouse, Sydney Kink Sebastian Leger (Fr), Ben Morris, Shamus, Nukewood, Bredan Fing, Gabby, Trix vs Goodfella, Reno & foundation, Oakes & Lennox, Danny Lang, Mike Rukus, Digit 9.30pm Burdekin, Sydney AGWA Yacht Club Hot Natured After Party Jamie Jones, Lee Foss, CoOp, Smith & Fox, Rollin Connection, Dean McColl, T-Boy, Le Brond $25 Candys Apartment, Kings Cross Big Guns Sherlock Bones, Disco Volante, Victims, Robust, Zomg! Kittens, Dirty Cutlery, 2busy 2kiss, Leanzy Cargo Bar, Sydney The Institute of Music DJs Chinese Laundry, Sydney Jaguar Skills (UK), Sampology, Spenda C, A-Tonez, Tom Panzic, Matttt, Claire Morgan, Amy Fairweather, King Lee, Sushi, Matt Nugent $15 (early bird)– $25 9pm Civic Hotel, Sydney Matthew Dekay (NL), SQL (NL), Robbie Lowe, Carlos Zarate, Sam Roberts, Magda

Bytnerowicz, Dave Stuart $15-$30 9pm Cohibar, Sydney Yellow Sox Indie Night DJ Brynstar, Mudrockets free The Cool Room, Australian Hotel and Brewery, Rouse Hill DJs free 9pm Dee Why Hotel Kiss & Fly 8.30pm Establishment, Sydney Sienna G-Wizard, Troy T, Def Rok, Eko, Lilo 9pm Goldfish, Kings Cross Musicology Emily Scott, Levi 5Star, La Fiesta, Tom Kelly, Johnny Gleeson, Chris Luder $20 9pm Goodgod Small Club, Sydney Badonkadonk Mike Who?, Shantan Wantan Ichiban, Kato, Levins $5 10pm Home The Venue, Sydney Homemade Saturdays DJs $20-$25 9pm Hugo’s Lounge, Kings Cross Music by Dolso DJs 8pm Ivy, Sydney Pure Ivy Helena, Cadell, Liam Sampras, Sir Charles, Johnny Sommerville $20 9pm Jackson’s On George, Sydney Ultimate Party Venue Resident DJs free The Marlborough Hotel – Level 1, Newtown Resident DJs free Nevada Lounge, Darlinghurst DJ Hayden free 6pm Sapphire Lounge, Kings Cross The Suite Charlie Brown, Troy T, Dim Sim, Steve S, Adamo, Jo Funk, Discokid, Joey Kaz, Stevie Jay $20 8pm Shark Hotel, Sydney Pulse8 Jono free Sly Fox, Enmore Sounds of Detroit Claire Morgan, Drox, Typhonic, DJ G-Mo free 9pm Spectrum, Darlinghurst P*A*S*H DJs 11pm The Spice Cellar Burnski (UK), Carlos Zarate & Sam Roberts, Rod Lee $20 10pm Star Bar, Sydney Situation free 10pm The Starship Sydney, King St Wharf AGWA Yacht Club – Hot Natured Jamie Jones, Lee Foss, Co-Op DJs, Rollin Connection, Mitch Crosher $55 2pm St James Hotel, Sydney SFX 9pm Theloft, Sydney Late at theloft Trademark Hotel, Kings Cross Voyeur Vegas Lounge, Darlinghurst Ghetto Blaster DJs 12am Verge Bar, Arthouse Hotel, Sydney After Dark DJs free Water Bar – Blue Hotel Saturday Night Deluxe The Watershed Hotel Watershed Presents…

Skybar The Whitehouse Hotel, Petersham Donato Dozzy, Dave Choe, Zootie $20 (presale)–$25 10pm

club guide send your listings to: clubguide@thebrag.com The World Bar, Kings Cross Wham! DJ Neoteric (CAN), Cassian, Wax Motif, James Taylor, Ben Korbel, Illya, Pablo Calamari, Ember, Mickey The Birrd, Hannah Gibbs, Bermuda P, T-Bo, Deckhead, Shamozzle $15$20 8pm

SUNDAY NOVEMBER 20 Basement Level, 58 Elizabeth St, Sydney Spice Javi Sampol, Murat Kilic $20 4am Cargo Bar, Sydney Stick It In 3pm

Goldfish, Kings Cross Martini Club Tom Kelly, DJ Heidi free 6pm Hugo’s Lounge, Kings Cross Sneaky Sundays DJs 8pm Ivy, Sydney Magician 8pm Jackson’s On George, Sydney Aphrodisiac Resident DJs free Kit & Kaboodle, Kings Cross Easy Sundays Stu Turner, NAD, Mr Belvedere, Murray Lake, Pat Ward 6pm Kudu Lounge, Darlinghurst Timeless Sundays Dan Copping, Ravi Ravs, Thomas Waldeier free 2pm

Marrickville Bowling and Recreation Club Robin Lee Sinclair Band free 6pm Oatley Hotel Sunday Sessions DJ Tone free 7pm Sapphire Lounge, Kings Cross Sapphire Sundays Troy T, Dim Sim free 8pm The Sugar Lounge, Manly Jungle Fever iDub, Alf, Lucian, King B $5-$8 7pm The Watershed Hotel Afternoon DJs DJ Matty Roberts free The World Bar, Kings Cross Dust Ben Korbel, James Taylor, Alley Oop, Twenty97 free 7pm

club picks up all night out all week...

WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 16

SATURDAY NOVEMBER 19

Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst Vula (UK), Minx, Tenzin, Ember, Murray Lake $23.40-$26.30 (+ bf) 8pm

The Arthouse, Sydney Kink Sebastian Leger (Fr), Ben Morris, Shamus, Nukewood, Bredan Fing, Gabby, Trix vs Goodfella, Reno & foundation, Oakes & Lennox, Danny Lang, Mike Rukus, Digit $30 (+ bf) 9.30pm

THURSDAY NOVEMBER 17 Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Drop Laneous & The Family Yah, Benjalu, Mike Who, Bentley free 8pm GoodGod Front Bar, Sydney Rhythm & Booze Eric Shortbread, DJ Hey Man free 8pm

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 18 Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach Movement The Swiss free 8pm Kong’s Jungle Lounge, Bondi Junction Sub Disco Dale Stephen 9pm The Spice Cellar, Sydney We Are Nocturnal & Death Strobe present Das Moth (JP), Death Strobe DJs, Mitzi DJs free 11pm The Whitehouse Hotel, Petersham Rainbow Serpent Launch Party D-Nox, Ticon, Frivolous, Uone, DJ Trinity, Thomas Brereton, Felipe Cintra, Tezzel, Paulo Marques, Caba, MSG vs Dylan Griffin $30-$40 9pm

Burdekin, Sydney AGWA Yacht Club Hot Natured After Party Jamie Jones, Lee Foss, Co-Op, Smith & Fox, Rollin Connection, Dean McColl, T-Boy, Le Brond $25 Goodgod Small Club, Sydney Badonkadonk Mike Who?, Shantan Wantan Ichiban, Kato, Levins $5 10pm The Spice Cellar Burnski (UK), Carlos Zarate & Sam Roberts, Rod Lee $20 10pm The World Bar, Kings Cross Wham! DJ Neoteric (CAN), Cassian, Wax Motif, James Taylor, Ben Korbel, Illya, Pablo Calamari, Ember, Mickey The Birrd, Hannah Gibbs, Bermuda P, T-Bo, Deckhead, Shamozzle $15-$20 8pm

SUNDAY NOVEMBER 20 Basement Level, 58 Elizabeth St, Sydney Spice Javi Sampol, Murat Kilic $20 4am

Laneous & The Family Yah

BRAG :: 438 :: 14:11:11 :: 55

snap

slowblow

PICS :: KC

up all night out all week . . .

shapeshifter

PICS :: CG

04:11:11 :: GoodGod :: 53-55 Liverpool St Sydney 9267 3787

mum

PICS :: KC

05:11:11 :: The Metro Theatre :: 624 George St City 92642666

04:11:11 :: World Bar :: 24 Bayswater Rd Kings Cross 93577700

It’s called: End of exams beach party!

It sounds like: Electro, house, hip hop, a bit of dub and non-stop rock-thehouse party jams.

Who’s spinning? The Stafford Brothers (MoS /InTheMix Aus#1), Timmy Trumpet (MoS/ITM Aus#7), Steve Frank (RAW .FM/ITM Aus#16), Troy T (Supafest 2011/RNB Superclub) Sell it to us: The end of your exams are in sight – which means it’s almost time for our annual and infamous BEACH PART Y! Five tonnes of pure Aussie sand shipped in to destroy the place, along with Australia’s newly-crowned #1 DJs The Stafford Brothers, and compadre-in-fest ival-crime Timmy Trumpet.

Three records that’ll rock the floor: LMFA O ft. Lil Jon – ‘Shots (Skeet Skeet’s Ignorant Dance Music Mix)’; Ou Est Le Swimming Pool – ‘Jackson's Last Stand (Hook N Sling Mix)’; Klaxons – ‘Gravi ty’s Rainbow (Kavinsky Remix)’.

The bit we’ll remember in the AM: None of it.

Crowd specs: Anyone who wants to get loose, rock out and have some killer fun.

Wallet damage: FREE ENTRY before 10pm / $5 after / $5 spirits, $5 Sol, $5 cocktails, $5 daiquiris and $6 Vodka Mother!

Where: HUMP @ The Ranch Hotel / Cnr Eppin g & Herring Rds, Eastwood When: Wednesday December 7 / 9pm sharp !

wham!

PICS :: DM

strike

05:11:11 :: World Bar :: 24 Bayswater Rd Kings Cross 93577700

56 :: BRAG :: 438: 14:11:11

PICS :: AM

05:11:11 :: Chinese Laundry :: 111 Sussex St Sydney 82959958

party profile

pleasurekraft

PICS :: AM

beach party @ hump

05:10:11 :: Strike Bowling :: King St Wharf Darling Harbour 1300 787 453 KATRINA CLARKE :: S : TIM LEVY (HEAD HONCHO) :: THOMAS PEACHY :: OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHER OV POP RGE GEO :: NS IEL MUN CAI GRIFFIN:: ASHLEY MAR :: DAN Y SAM WHITESIDE :: TIM WHITNE

SONNY FODERA PLUS RESIDENT DJ’S

T WO R O O M S

L I V E A C T S T I L L AT E F I R E W O R K S PA S S O U T S

FI RS T R E L E AS E $50 S E C O N D R ELE AS E $6 0

BURNSKI U K

|

P O K E R

T H E A R GY L E R O C K S.C O M R E S E R VAT I O N S @ T H E A R G Y L E R O C K S .C O M FAC E B OO K .C O M / T H E A R G Y L E R O C K S

|

2 0 2 0

V I S I O N

SAT 19 NOV b a s e m e n t

W W W. T H E A R G Y L E R O C K S .C OM 1 8 A R G Y L E S T, T H E R O C K S , S Y D N E Y N S W 2 0 0 0 P HONE 02 9247 5500

F L A T

l e v e l ,

5 8

e l i z a b e t h

s t

A F T E R H O U R S F R O M 4 A M E V E R Y S U N D A Y U N I Q U E

.

E U R O P E A N

.

U N D E R G R O U N D

i n f o @ t h e s p i c e c e l l a r . c o m . a u t h e s p i c e c e l l a r . c o m . a u

BRAG :: 438 :: 14:11:11 :: 57

snap up all night out all week . . .

PICS :: DM

26:10:11 :: The Ranch Hotel :: Cnr Epping and Herring Rd Eastwood 9887 2411

onra

PICS :: KC

03:11:11 :: World Bar :: 24 Bayswater Rd Kings Cross 93577700

the exchange hotel

It’s called: Off With Your Head Pt II It sounds like: The return of one of Sydney’s funnest club nights in popup party style.

Who’s playing? Tom Ugly (BANG!), Tales In Space (BOFF!), Elizabeth Rose (KA-POW!), Rabbit Hole DJs (COWA-BUN GA!) Three songs you’ll hear on the night: ‘212’ – Azealia Banks (YouTube it, sooo dirty); ‘BTSTU’ – Jai Paul; and all the Will Smith (so much Will!!!!)

And one you definitely won’t: ‘Barbie Girl’ (sorry to those in attendance last time).

Sell it to us: Good tunes, good vibes, cheap drinks, amazing talent and not a douche in sight.

The bit we’ll remember in the AM: Hopefully not much… maybe a few pom-poms? Lightning bolts?

Crowd specs: All you need is two feet to dance , one hand to drink, the other to pinch a butt or two. Easy – so easy!

Wallet damage: $12 on the door Where: Spectrum / 34 Oxford Street When: Saturday November 19 / 8pm til late

PICS :: KC

03:11:11 :: Oxford Art Factory :: 38-46 Oxford St Darlinghurst 93323711

off with your head pt II party profile

propaganda

night of the living dead

ghettoblaster

05:11:11 :: Spectrum :: 34-44 Oxford St Darlinghurst 93601375 PICS :: TW

the cool room

03:11:11 :: Australian Brewery :: 350 Annangrove Rd Rouse Hill 9679 4555

58 :: BRAG :: 438: 14:11:11

PICS :: AM

04:11:11 :: The Exchange Hotel :: 34 Oxford St Darlinghurst 93601375

KATRINA CLARKE :: S : TIM LEVY (HEAD HONCHO) OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHER POPOV :: THOMAS PEACHY :: RGE GEO :: NS MUN IEL DAN :: CAI GRIFFIN:: ASHLEY MAR Y SAM WHITESIDE :: TIM WHITNE

HORDERN PAVILION

FRIDAY MARCH 30 RESERVED SEATING 132 849 or ticketek.com.au

enmore theatre

friday march 30 132 849 or ticketek.com.au

ON SALE FRIDAY NOVEMBER 25 Presented by Michael Coppel I briansetzer.com I g3tour.com I satriani.com I vai.com I stevelukather.net I coppel.com.au

“A non-stop roller coaster ride that’s charged with more adrenaline than an epinephrine shot to the heart. 9/10 ” - Official PlayStation Magazine - Australia

15TH NOVEMBER Strong sexual and crime themes, violence and coarse language, Gaming experience may change online.

© 2011 THQ Inc. Developed by Volition, Inc. THQ, Saints Row: The Third, Volition, Inc and their respective logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of THQ Inc. All Rights Reserved. All other trademarks, logos and copyrights are property of their respective owners. KINECT, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE, and the Xbox logos are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies and are used under license from Microsoft. “PlayStation” and the “PS” Family logo are registered trademarks and “PS3” and the PlayStation Network logo are trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.

Scan your QR reader above to unlock trailers & much more!