Drum Media Perth Issue 323 by TheMusic.com.au

WA’S HIGHEST QUALITY STREET PRESS • THURSDAY 29 JANUARY 2013 • 323 • FREE

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FOREWORD LINE

NEWS FROM THE FRONT

IN BRIEF Tripped-out indie legends The Flaming Lips have announced they will release a new album this April. Entitled The Terror, frontman Wayne Coyne says the record will be “bleak” and “disturbing”. THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM

FOOT ON THE GAS In a few short years, New Jersey quartet The Gaslight Anthem have gone from punk rock bruisers to one of the most celebrated and prolific rock acts in the world today. Wearing their influences as badges of honour, it was the release of 2008’s The 59 Sound that saw them create a monster that would go down as “one of the greatest rock albums ever crafted”, according to Sputnik Music. Continuing to raise the bar, The Gaslight Anthem have returned with their new album Handwritten, the most committed, affecting and compelling album of their career. The Gaslight Anthem’s live shows have reached epic proportions and now Australian fans will get their turn in the sun this May. They hit Metro City on Sunday 19 May. Tickets through Oztix.

DAVID HASSELHOFF

HAIL TO THE HOFF We know we announced this last year, but hell, it’s just too important to let slide. David Hasselhoff, a man synonymous with red Speedos, blonde-haired beauties and a talking black Pontiac will be in Australia next month for six very special shows, giving fans a chance to spend ‘An Evening With The Hoff’. David Hasselhoff originally gained primetime stardom in 1982, as Michael Knight in the hit series Knight Rider, a role that led to a huge worldwide audience. This was followed by a job that was the envy of every red blooded male, an 11-year run playing lifeguard Mitch Buchannon on Baywatch. Spending every day, hanging out at the beach surrounded by gorgeous women… it was a hard life. Baywatch is still seen in 140 countries by one billion viewers each week. He swims into Capitol on Sunday 17 February for a Hoffstyle party, tickets through Oztix.

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MUTEMATH, LOUD NOISES After slaying Australian audiences and critics alike earlier in the year Mutemath are heading back to Australia in 2013 to road test songs for their next album and continue the love affair that has developed between this amazing band and the country. During their string of sold-out shows across the nation, Mutemath stunned all with their amazing artistry and incendiary live performances, delivering songs from their acclaimed third studio album, Odd Soul. On their return to what has rapidly become one the band’s favourite countries to tour, Mutemath will thrill fans with a preview of what is destined to be one of the most hotly anticipated releases of 2013. They play The Astor Theatre on Tuesday 19 March. Tickets through showticketing.com.au.

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Sydney metal crew on the rise Thy Art Is Murder have inked an international label deal with one of the most respected imprints in the genre, Nuclear Blast. This will see their most recent offering, Hate, get a release in both America and Europe. Vocalist Cedric BixlerZavala has announced his departure from The Mars Volta in explosive fashion, posing the question on Twitter: “What am I supposed to do, be some progressive house wife that’s cool with watching their partner go fuck other bands?” This was in relation to bandmate and close friend Omar Rodriguez-Lopez choosing to tour new project Bosnian Rainbows instead of the Texan prog rockers. Dave Grohl has stated in an interview with Billboard his desire to take his new supergroup The Sound City Players right around the world on the back of the feature length documentary, Sound City. The band reportedly includes Stevie Nicks, John Fogerty and Rick Springfield. The Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance (MEAA) have been applying increased pressure for organisers of the cashstrapped Peats Ridge Festival to pay monies owning to artists and production crew members. According to the group, payment has not been made for work during the New Year event.

GAPPY RANKS

DREADLOCK DAYS What music festival has been running for 32 years, donates part proceeds to Oxfam every year, gives the first people through the door a free T-shirt, has food and merchandise stalls, two stages outdoors and indoors, hosts great vibes and showcases the very best in local, interstate and international reggae artists? Why, the Bob Marley Outernational Birthday, of course! The cream of WA’s reggae royalty will fill the vibe on Sunday 3 February at The Railway Hotel, including The Isolites, Weapon Is Sound and Glen Prophecy supporting NZ groovemeisters Ngati, plus special guests in Jamaican/UK legend Gappy Ranks, plus Jamaican singersongwriter Jessie Proverbs. Add on to this Australia’s first ladies of dancehall The Empressions and a raft of great DJs, and you’ve got a night to impress any rude boy. $40 on the door with part proceeds going to Oxfam’s food crisis appeal.

4 • For more news/announcements go to themusic.com.au/news

CLAIRE DE LUNICE Turning heads across the globe, Montreal-based producer Lunice Fermin Pierre II has managed (in a relatively short space of time) to deliver and cultivate a colossal selection of explosive beat-driven and bassridden electronic music. The 25-year-old had remixes on labels including Mad Decent, Sony Music, Waner Music Group, Young Turks & XL Recordings as well as putting out his well received Stacker Upper and One Hunned EPs on LuckyMe Records, a label responsible for releases from Jacques Greene, Mike Slott, Hudson Mahawke and Machinedrum. Alongside his solo work, Lunice is well known for role in the duo TNGHT (Warp Records) together with Glaswegian producer Ross Birchard (Hud-Mo). He brings all that experience to Geisha on Friday 15 February, supported by Kit Pop, Benny P & Dr. Space. Eventbrite.com.au for tickets.

ONE TONNE OF DUBSTEP Deep Medi, Chestplate, Tectonic, Get Darker and Origin Audio is a release catalogue that few dubstep producers can boast. Tunnidge has been producing and releasing dubstep from the fledgling days of the scene. His first introduction to the scene was via the support of DMZ member and dubstep pioneer Mala, who championed his music on his acclaimed label Deep Medi. Later he was quickly adapted to the Distances Chestplate camp, being the first ever artist apart from Distance himself to release on this ever-growing label. Since then, things have only been getting bigger and better for the prominent DJ, and he proves it at Geisha this Thursday 31 January. Tickets through events.ticketbooth.com.au.

DENZEL PARK

CLUBBING IN THE NEW WORLD The Ministry of Sound Clubbers Guide To 2013 is loading up for its annual tour to guide your journey through the boomin’ dancefloors and bangin’ dance music of 2013. The Perth stop of the Clubbers Guide To 2013 Tour stomps into Villa on Friday 22 March and features the gents behind the double-pack; — the duo producing huge, crushing apocalyptic anthems, Denzal Park, and the guy with a reputation for partying all night long, Uberjak’d — here in person to shine a musical torch for 2013, supported by Chiari, Jackness, Ace Basik and Slappin’ Plasti. Tickets are $25+BF through Moshtix, with special VIP tickets $40+BF.

Following lawsuits against Pizza Hut and Home Depot, The Black Keys are now taking legal action against Pinnacle Entertainment, claiming a track “substantially similar” to their tune Howlin’ For You was used in casino adverts. Warner Music have launched the Jimmy Little Grant, an annual $10,000 fund that will be used to assist Indigenous managers and their artists.

CLOSED

TUESDAY 5TH FEB

In a recent interview, The Bronx frontman Matt Caughthran has stated that the band will be returning to Australia this autumn, and are planning on releasing a tenth anniversary box set that will tie in with their fourth long-player, Bronx IV.

LUNICE

In other Warner news, The Rubens have just signed with the major label for the worldwide release of their debut album. The self-titled record will drop globally this June. Interpol frontman Paul Banks has put together a hip hop mixtape entitled... wait for it: Everybody On My Dick Like They Supposed To Be. Yep.

MARK PRITCHARD

EASTER EGGS After two massive nights in 2011 and 2012, Life Is Noise returns with another huge Easter Thursday at the Bakery in 2013. Having teamed up with the move crew two years ago for Clark and last year with ICSSC for Jacques Greene and Machine Drum, this Easter Thursday alongside The Community crew they have assembled another huge two room party for your dancing pleasure. Heading the night will be British Warp Records mainstay Mark Pritchard and frequent Perth visitor and electronic music pioneer Dan The Man. Mark Pritchard is quite simply one of the best producer/DJs on the planet today. Having put out numerous incredible releases on Warp Records, Hyperdub, Dedicated and Sonar Kollektiv as well as Warp. It all goes down on Thursday 28 March at The Bakery, with support from Savoir, Rok Riley, and Jo Lettenmaier in the front room, while Diger Rokwell, Mathas, Ylem, Vishnu and FG play in The Community room. Tickets through Life Is Noise and Now Baking.

1st FEB

LIVE! Badger and The Fox, Tyko Kings & Jacob Diamond. Doors 8pm.

2nd FEB

LIVE! Azmatik CD LAUNCH with special guests. Doors 8pm.

KWUQVO [WWV" THU 7th FEB: Shy Panther, Leure, Whisky Winter FRI 8th FEB: The Love Junkies, Morgan Bain, Anton Franc

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FOREWORD LINE

NEWS FROM THE FRONT

Bayou formed under the name of Born On The Bayou in 2009, and since then have looked at mixing the sounds of southern rock, metal, dirty blues, stoner rock, psychedelia, sludge, and thrash. They launch their debut LP on Saturday 9 February at The Rosemount Hotel with Psychonaut, Blunt Force Trauma and Amidst the Broken in support. Lights Out Arts Festival will see a night of music, art and fashion explode inside The Bakery to mark the annual international event of Earth Hour and give rising local talents a chance to shine. Bastian’s Happy Flight, Bedouin Sea, FOAM, Tired Lion and the Brow Horn Orchestra are all playing the gig, with more TBA.

drop a heavy set. Launching a new 7” record, Astral Travel take over 208 in Maylands on Friday 1 January from 7pm for a free show.

Northbridge’s The Beat Nightclub having been kicking on for a year now, so they celebrate the fact this Friday 1 February when Boys! Boys! Boys!, Axe Girl and Mezzanine

The guys from Tangled Thoughts Of Leaving are gearing up for a big European tour, but first they hold a fundraising gig at Ya Ya’s on Saturday 2 February, possibly teasing a few tracks from their upcoming EP in the process.

LOCAL LOVIN’ Friday 1 February will see some good ol’ rocking soul from Perth favourites The DomNicks at Devilles Pad. Plus the Mondo Disck Jocks spin vintage dancin’ tunes and, of course, Les Sataniques provide all the GoGo burlesque action. Doors 6pm for dinner, $10 after 8pm.

The Unknown Treasures record fair takes over Coventry Village in Morley on Sunday 3 February from 9am ‘til 3pm for a day of cratedigging goodness.

Get ready to Get Funk’d at The Flying Scotsman on Saturday 2 February when Light & Shade, SmltL3r, GavT, Lukas Wimmler and Brad Cooper all drop the jams, with visuals by VJ Martino.

THE FRINGE CONTINUES

FESTIVAL NEWS SET TO SCORCH Melbourne’s Scorcher Fest online applications have been facing heavy traffic, but now applications for the rest of the cities, including Perth, are now open. Scorcher stays true to approximately 80 per cent local and 20 per cent touring acts, and there are great rewards for proactive bands. Applications are now open at for original acts of all genres, ages and backgrounds as the Scorcher Fest celebration of live music steps up for Summer/Autumn 2013. Log onto www.scorcherfest.com.au to apply and you can also see previous acts and festivals. The Perth leg goes down at The Rosemount Hotel on Sunday 12 May, with around 25 to 45 bands stepping up to the plate.

BLUES BRING IT HOME

PSY

The finishing touches have now been added to the incredible weekend that is the 10th anniversary West Coast Blues ‘n’ Roots 2013 special weekend edition. The spit and polish, if you will. Joining the amazing array of talent already heading to Fremantle Park this March are; The Music Maker Revue, featuring Boogie Woogie legend Ironing Board Sam, guitar slinging siren Pat Wilder, Alabama bluesman Dr. Burt and zydeco giant Major Handy, with Albert White, Nashid Abdul Khaaliq and Ardie Dean; ‘60s psychedelic king-turned seasoned performer of the world’s stages Russel Morris; rockabilly-meets-punk/ rock/metal smorgasbord Brothers Grim; and one of the country’s fastest rising bands in Stickyfingers. This is all on top of acts like Iggy & The Stooges, Robert Plant Presents The Sensational Space Shifters, Santana, Steve Miller Band, Paul Simon and much, much more. Tickets are still available through Moshtix, so jump on that before they go the way of the Dodo.

CREDITS ERIC LAU

LAUING IT ON THE LINE Starting off on the right foot, Eric Lau’s debut LP New Territories on Ubiquity Records was nominated as one of Gilles Peterson’s Worldwide Top Albums in 2008. He’s since gone on to release multiple EPs, instrumental LPs and timeless mixes. To put it simply, Lau is the definition of class; everything he touches exudes beauty and soulfulness. From 11pm on Friday 22 February to the very wee hours of the morning, the party will run at Geisha, also featuring unique house, soul and jazz selections from Ben Taaffe and M as well as Kit Pop and Ru-Kasu. $15 on the door.

EDITORIAL Managing Editor Andrew Mast Editor Callum Twigger Assistant Editor Cam Findlay Front Row Editor Cass Fumi

ADVERTISING Sales & Marketing Director Leigh Treweek Sales Executive Matt McMullen

DESIGN & LAYOUT

ONE ARMED SCISSOR

PROTEST FOR PROTECTION

THE COWS COME HOME

The issue of the future of the Kimberly is one that has been a constant in West Australian society for years now, with fierce opposition against the development of James Price Point into a gas hub being the centre of it. Now, in an effort to provide organised opposition against future development, the Concert For The Kimberly will see some of the country’s best and most admired musical acts – The John Butler Trio, Missy Higgins and Ball Park Music – team up with guest Sea Shepherd Director Bob Brown at Fremantle Esplanade on Sunday 24 February from 1.30pm to 6.30pm, with more special guests from The Kimberly to be announced. The concert will be free, but donations to the Protect The Kimberly campaign will be appreciated.

Just when you were getting back into the daily grind, and festival season almost felt like it was wrapping up – BAM! The Groovin’ The Moo’ 2013 lineup is released. And as if we haven’t fawned enough over the festival magic that has been embracing this side of the country in recent months, again, the line-up for this year’s event — held on Saturday 11 May at Hay Park, Bunbury — is another blockbuster. Alison Wonderland, Alpine, The Amity Affliction, The Bronx, Dz Deathrays (DJ set), Example, Flume, Frightened Rabbit , Hungry Kids Of Hungary, The Kooks, Last Dinosaurs Matt & Kim, Midnight Juggernauts, Pez, Regurgitator, Seth Sentry, Shockone, Tame Impala, Tegan & Sara, The Temper Trap, They Might Be Giants, Tuka With Ellesquire, Urthboy, Dj Woody’s Big Phat ‘90s Mixtape, Yacht and Yolanda Be Cool have all been announced, with the triple j Unearthed acts yet to be announced. Tickets go on sale next Wednesday 6 February through Moshtix.

BACK TO THE FUTURE… AGAIN Since the announcement of Avicii two weeks ago, Future Music Festival tickets have been flying out the door. And now the second release has officially sold out, much quicker than anticipated. Those of you without a ticket, don’t stress; third-release tickets are on sale now for just $5 more. That’s right, for a limited time you can get Future Music Festival 3rd release tickets for only $152+BF and service charges. But get in quick – third release tickets are also limited and are sure to sell out just as quick.

Ebony Frost, Callan Gibson, Cybele Malinowski, Elena Marcon, Drew Mettam, Aaronv2

CONTRIBUTORS Scott Aitken, Marisa Aveling, Paul Barbieri, Zoe Barron, Steve Bell, Jackson Best, Tom Birts, Mike Bowring, Tom Bragg, Tristan Broomhall, Rob Browne, Rick Bryant, Michael Caves, Cyclone, Marcia Czerniak, Sebastian D’Alonzo, Kitt Di Camillo, Daniel Cribb, Naomi Dollery, Cameron Duff, Tomas Ford, Chantelle Gabriel, Olivia Gardiner, Eli Gould, Baron Gutter, Rueben Hale, Ellie Hanratty, Simon Holland, Craig Hollywood, Tess Ingram, Christopher H. James, Jason Kenny, Angela King, Kosta Lucas, Lynn Mc Donnell, Mac McNaughton, Tom O’Donovan, Nic Owen, Simon Rundin, Michael Smith, Andy Snelling, Aimee Somerville, Callum Twigger, Anthony Williams

EDITORIAL POLICY

Matt Davis, Nick Hopkins

ADMINISTRATION Accounts Loretta Carlone

The opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publishers. No part may be reproduced without the consent of the copyright holder. ©

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Unless you haven’t noticed the beautiful Urban Orchard outside the State Gallery, or the giant mermaid tank just down the road (that’s right, giant mermaid tank), Fringe World 2013 is on, and the amazing and talented performers, musicians and artists continue to impress every day. The next week continues the pace with some more events: The Lords Of Luxury is a demented and endearingly haphazard sketch comedy onslaught from the brains (and performing bodies) of Dan Debuf, Paul Verhoeven, Matt Saraceni and Luke Ryan, and it kicks off at the Spiegeltent tonight, Thursday 31 January for a run of shows; meanwhile, they’ve swung the tent before, but The Darling Buds Of May will bring their explosive live show back to our shores, on Thursday at the Leederville Upstairs Bar. And that’s just two acts from one night! As always, head to fringeworld.com.au for more details.

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Vocalist Joe Newman and keyboardist Gus Unger-Hamilton – one half of British outfit Alt-J (∆) – sat down with Celline Narinli to relive some hilarious university tales and that time they accidentally tweeted their number out to all their followers. Cover and feature pic by Nick Manuell. t’s a pretty cool piece of gear.” Keyboardist Gus Unger-Hamilton is intrigued by the interview recording gadget. Lead vocalist Joe Newman peers over to check it out, “Yeah, I’ve seen that before, I love those things.” A close-to-perfect introduction to the inquisitive and relaxed nature of the duo – one half of British outfit Alt-J (∆).

“I

The success of Alt-J (∆) came at lightning-bolt speed once they dropped their debut – now stamped with the Mercury Music Prize seal of approval – An Awesome Wave in May 2012, which has just been re-released as a two-CD deluxe edition with bonus live, acoustic and remix tracks. During their first trip to Australia in October last year, Newman explained how though the buzz had kicked in, they still didn’t get recognised on the streets. “No one recognises us anywhere unless we’ve just played a gig and we’re outside the venue. I like where it is at the moment, where we stand. So you’ll get recognised in the area that you are playing, but that’s about it. People won’t stop you in the street.” Unger-Hamilton continues on that train of thought, “I don’t expect it to change.” Considering the amount of success and attention Alt-J (∆) have garnered over the past nine months, the inevitable hype does not phase them in the slightest. “I’d say I answer that question more than I have to deal with hype. It seems like more something that people asks about than happens, do you know what I mean?” explains Unger-Hamilton. When the idea is brought to the table for discussion, the duo fall into an intense analysis on the nature of hype – completely dissecting its value and meaning. “Hype’s kind of invisible. It’s kind of tasteless,” muses Newman. “We don’t actually know where it is and when it is, and when you’re kind of being exposed to it. Especially if you’re in another country and the hype is happening back in England. But we’re good at dealing with hype because, I mean, at the end of the day it’s working on the songs. The songs are the key kind of thing. So, if we keep the songs strong we can deal with the hype.” Though the duo carry a complex and in-depth thought process – analysing questions rather than answering them – it’s surprising to see that much of their creative choices bear no real depth or meaning. Like the Alt-J symbol (∆) for instance…

“Well, it’s a lot more shallow than what people think; it just kind of looks cool,” Unger-Hamilton admits. “I mean, we came up with the name Alt-J, you know, we thought it was quite neat. It looked quite good when it was written down, and a lot of people kind of like really expect us to give great explanations about it or think that we’re Illuminati or something. But I don’t know – it’s kind of – we just enjoy it, we enjoy the way it looks, and it’s a good way to brand yourself, which I guess is kind of important.” So there are no real links to anything then? “No, there’s no links. There’s never links (laughs). We just pick things that sound cool,” he chuckles. The four members – including guitarist/bassist Gwil Sainsbury and drummer Thom Green – met while attending Leeds University in 2007. Newman reflects on the day they all first met. “We were in halls together and some guy, I think he was called Mickey…” “Oh Mickey, I remember Mickey,” interjects Unger-Hamilton. “Was it Mickey or Mike?” asks Newman, and the two get lost in fast-paced banter, as they attempt to uncover the fine details of their first meeting; the banter reflective of their long-term friendship. “There was definitely a Mickey in my block,” affirms UngerHamilton. “I think he was called Mickey C,” clarifies Newman. “Yeah he was!” laughs Unger-Hamilton. “Basically,” Newman continues, “I had made friends with one of my roommates who there was a complete lack of chemistry. And so we were like ‘Let’s go to the student union.’ We didn’t know where it was but we knew it was close, so we were just walking away from our halls and some guy just shouted out the window ‘Come to my room, we’re having a party!’ just like randomly. And that was Mickey C. And there I met you, and I remember you coming into the kitchen, ‘cause we were congregated in the kitchen.” “Looking scared,” Unger-Hamilton chimes in. Newman confirms, “You looked very, very scared. You’re eyes were sort of just completely sort of like…” “I think it was just completely new,” interrupts UngerHamilton. “I mean I went to university [and] I had turned eighteen about ten days before, so I really wasn’t used to – I came from quite a sheltered background – and I wasn’t really used to parties and stuff so it was quite overwhelming. And everybody seemed a lot older than me because they had done gap years so everyone was like twenty and I felt like I was still seventeen, so seeing Joe in there looking fairly approachable

THUR JAN 31

RICHARD HAWLEY

FRI feb 1

and not sort of, you know, drinking Jack Daniel’s through a funnel, I was like ‘I’ll go talk to this guy.’” It was during university that the four sat down to pen An Awesome Wave, over a five-year period. Unger-Hamilton explains: “We had band practice like three nights a week, so that took up all of our time. And we kind of enjoyed spending time together and getting to know each other.” “I don’t think we liked going out,” reveals Newman. “We liked drinking and we still like drinking. I mean, you know, we’ve got that bug, but the way we did it was different. We didn’t like going out and dancing and meeting up with girls – we talked about meeting up with girls, but actually didn’t ever end up meeting up with girls. “Mmm… yeah. But when you’re at university there’s so much pressure to kind of really be into going out and stuff,” agrees Unger-Hamilton, directing his words to Newman, “and I think like meeting you, and then Gwil and Thom, I opened my eyes to the fact that not everyone at university is there just to like get smashed and do fancy dress like five nights a week.” Now a full-time touring band, Alt-J (∆) are slowly becoming familiar with their new lifestyle. “We don’t have many cool band friends really, like we try,” admits UngerHamilton. “We tried to meet up with Bombay Bicycle Club in – was that in Houston?” he asks Newman. “Yeah somewhere in Texas,” he responds. “And like I don’t know, it was quite a funny story ‘cause we were tweeting them – I was tweeting them – and I was like ‘Oh, I’ll just DM you the band’s phone number.’ Thought I DM’d it, actually just tweeted it to like tens of thousands of people (laughs). So then we got to the bar where they said they were, and they had left, and we were like ‘Oh, okay, we’ll just have a beer then.’ So it’s not as glamorous as you might think, but we’re doing our best.” Now winners of the prestigious Barclaycard Mercury Prize, the two friends had much to say about who they would’ve liked to have seen win – as we chatted prior to the announcement. “Well I mean I’m a big fan of – there’s a jazz band who are nominated called Roller Trio – they’re a fantastic band and I really enjoyed their album,” explains Newman. “Everyone talks in this really snide way about ‘Oh, the token jazz nomination’ every year,” continues UngerHamilton. “But that’s totally not the case, because you know everybody is nominated on merit, there is no kind

SAT feb 2

BEFORE ALT-J

Prior to the Alt-J (∆) moniker, the four-piece had gone through two other band names. The first of those two was Daljit Dhaliwal – which is the name of a female Al Jazeera news correspondent. “It’s really an odd thing,” explains Newman, “I don’t think any of us were fascinated with her. But basically when I was younger I used to watch [the Australian television show] Neighbours and at the end of the show, you’d have after the credits roll, you’d have the production logo and the end of the song, which was kind of always taped to the back of Neighbours, and it always used to go (sings staggered descending notes) “di di – di di di” and it had the same rhythm and the same amount of syllables as Daljit Dhaliwal.” “So as a kid I’d always used to be like (sings) “Daljit Dhaliwal” and that’s it. That kind of scorched my memory as a child and I’ve always remembered it and like when we were thinking of a band name, I was like ‘Well, what about Daljit Dhaliwal?’ and that’s really it.” Shortly after they settled with Daljit Dhaliwal as the official band name, they changed it to Films. The stories within their songs make a number of references to films – in particular the song Matilda, which was based on Natalie Portman’s character in the film, Léon. Unger-Hamilton explains: “I would say that we didn’t consume sort of films and books at any greater rate than we normally would [during the albummaking process], but I think we have an [attitude] to songwriting where nothing is off limits in terms of what you can write a song about. So, you know, we weren’t sort of like going to the library at university and watching loads of obscure Polish films in this kind of effort to consume culture; it was more just that, you know I think we realised writing songs, or you know you realised that the consumption of things like film and books is great material for songwriting as much as personal experiences or feelings or whatever. “Stories in film are better than stories in real life (laughs); that’s why we write songs about them,” he concludes. of tokenism involved. So, you know they are nominated for a good reason, because they’ve got a great album. And you know, a few years ago a band called Portico Quartet were nominated, another jazz group who you know, I don’t remember who actually won that year, but I’m sure they deserved it.” “Ummm… it was Elbow,” responds Newman. “Yeah, and that Portico album was amazing,” continues Unger-Hamilton. “So you know it would be quite nice if a jazz group won it just to kind of show people that it’s not all about making up the numbers. [But] Django Django, I think would be worthy winners, they’ve got a really wicked album.” Newman adds, “Lianne La Havas, she’s got a great album, um…” “Just name all the nominees,” laughs Unger-Hamilton. Returning to Australia for St Jerome’s Laneway Festival, the two picked out some of the artists on the bill they’re most looking forward to catching on the day. “I wanna see El-P, this rapper, who I think is – his new album, Cancer 4 Cure, it’s a fucking great album, it’s really good,” responds Unger-Hamilton. While Newman shares his love for Brooklyn duo Poliça. “[Give You The Ghost] is a real grower. That album, at first I was really struggling to digest it and after a while you digest it and you feel really good.” WHO: Alt-J WHAT: An Awesome Wave (Liberator) WHEN & WHERE: Saturday 9 February, Laneway Festival, Perth Cultural Centre

SUN feb 3

WED feb 6 student

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outside in the garden

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CHEAP DRINKS $12 STEAKS 10 Past 6 + Alex The Kid + Here Come The Cavalry + Blindspot Entry $8. Doors 8pm.

Rosemount Resident DJs in the Beer Garden Wednesday to Saturday nights FREE ENTRY rosemounthotel.com.au cnr angove & ﬁtzgerald , north perth 8 • For more interviews go to themusic.com.au/interviews

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Dead Can Dance cofounder Lisa Gerrard is every bit as regal as her music would have you believe. Kosta Lucas was bestowed with privilege of talking to her about the themes of her group’s long overdue new work: the idea of life as an eternal cycle of recurring events – and how to break it. conversation with Lisa Gerrard is certainly a special kind of encounter. Throughout our chat she displays the same gravitas and elegance that is present in her work as the vocalist for the world-fusing, timeshifting chamber music duo Dead Can Dance. However, as she waxes lyrical about the group’s latest release, Anastasis,

we want at the end of this journey, so that it feels like a book in a sense,” says Gerrard. For the uninitiated, acts like Dead Can Dance rose to prominence in the international independent music scene in the early ‘80s on the legendary label 4AD. These groups were the ethereal and otherworldly alternative to the thoroughly modern and dour New Wave of the time, and their legacies endure to this day (most visibly within genres with wanky names like ‘dream pop’ and ‘avant pop’). Gerrard was one of a stable of artists who laid the foundations for ‘indie’ music as we recognise it today; a fringe artist who’s uncompromising vision got noticed and actually touched people. “There has always been something liberating about living outside of the kind of boundaries, of the simplification of Western music.” She

release of Anastasis, their first in 16 years. There doesn’t appear to be a cataclysmic event that caused the duo to part ways all those years ago. The pair’s lives simply moved in completely different directions, with distance being a huge factor (Gerrard lives in Australia, Perry lives in England). After the recording of Spiritchaser the “creative tissue”

earthier, fuller-bodied affair than past efforts as the majority of it is rooted in the more percussive Mediterranean musical traditions of Ancient times. “Brendan did a lot of research into Greek scales, into rembetiki scales and rhythms to explore for this work”, she explains, “but there are other classical influences (for example, the more Celtic-

the past so much as it is about using it to uncover the long forgotten truths that are clues to unlock our future. “[It’s about] looking back 400 years and saying, ‘Well, how did mankind go through different periods of time, through wars and through their cultural identity and what did they achieve? Things can be reborn and these ideas can be kept alive, and nurtured and reborn, [but] there is a certain repetition as to what happens with human ignorance.” It’s a worldview which implies that life repeats itself if we choose to ignore the mistakes that have invariably been lived-out before. If Anastasis seeks to resurrect anything, its life’s actual truths, not selfserving rewrites of history. “It’s that kind of information… that we should be looking for. That’s what Brendan is talking about in [album track] Amnesia; how we choose

SUMMONING THE SHE-KING she’s refreshingly warm and gracious in her explanations. Maybe it’s because for the last 30 years she has never lost sight of what she has previously called her “arrogant vision”, and no matter how she does it, she knows how to communicate it on some level. “[Dead Can Dance] always had something that’s driven the vision, and the holistic nature of what

clarifies her position, protesting, “I love Western music! But when it comes to writing things… you want to explore. It opens up a completely new window of where you can take things.” And like any true creative, she adds, “We just get very bored with 4/4. It’s all swings and roundabouts, really. Let’s get out of the box here.” Little wonder then that Gerrard has had such a long career. Her ability to collapse any number of musical epochs and cultures into singular transcendental musical moments (with Dead Can Dance or otherwise) has seen her collect serious accolades for her work (one being a Golden Globe in 2000 for Best Original Score for Gladiator) and amass an unrelenting international cult following ever since. As we speak, Gerrard is about to embark on the second half of a world tour in support of the duo’s long awaited

that bound them wasn’t there anymore. But the so-called tissue eventually healed itself, albeit very slowly. Starting with a phone call from Perry to Gerrard during the Victorian bushfires to check if she was okay, the process of artistic exploration between the two started again almost by accident. A lot of things can change over time, so it’s unsurprising that it has resulted in the duo taking a slightly different approach. “Over the years with the albums that we’ve made, there have been conceptual properties within each piece of work that link them and it’s all, you know, centred and very directional… this one isn’t.” The album, whose title is the Greek word for ‘resurrection’, is an

sounding Return of the She-King) that wouldn’t be called Mediterranean or that are just purely something that’s developed within the context of how Brendan writes or how I write.”

Anastasis seems like an appropriate title for a group who have come back after a very long absence, but Gerrard insists that the album’s message is not meant to be so self-referential or simple. “It has many different facets to it, it’s not just about resurrection; it’s about the cycle of life” she says. “It can also be the metaphor used in wanting to learn from the things that we’ve experienced instead of living in the absolute now.” Anastasis, is not about dwelling on

to forget.” In fact, Gerrard’s own explanation about what she hoped to gain with the creation of Anastasis somewhat echoes its message. Instead of starting from scratch, she too seeks to give new life to new situations using the lessons of events passed. “When you’ve been doing music as long as we have as well, the last thing you want to do is reinvent yourself. You want to put an absolutely exquisite, exotic, complex world of music out there, that if you have a musical soul or if you have an artistic soul, it will resonate or communicate something with you.” This feeling is what she later describes rather poetically as “something that becomes the chariot for the soul tissue.” Given how rare a Dead Can Dance tour in Australia is (their first Australian tour only took place in 2007, 26 years after forming), many a chariot will no doubt be racing towards their shows. The duo’s upcoming tour, which starts off in Australia and ends in Japan, throws Gerrard straight into what looks like a very busy 2013. And luckily for her fans, we’re being treated to the fruits of other projects she’s been working on. “[After] a little break, I go to Poland to work with Stephen Friesner, who’s a Polish composer – he’s wonderful. We’ve just done an album together so we’re going to do some performances of that… And then Dead Can Dance gets back together in about mid-April and it starts over again [with] some big festivals and about six more weeks in Europe.”

PERTH FESTIVAL FOCUS Naturally, Drum will be making sure the music side of WA’s premiere cultural event gets healthy coverage, but we’ve also put together a brief guide to Perth Festival’s broader spectrum of entertainment for the aesthetically inclined. The Threepenny Opera - Berliner Ensemble Brecht’s masterpiece of modern theatre performed in all its thrilling minimalism: directed by the visionary Robert Wilson, this will be the Berliner Ensemble’s first performance in Australia.To be enjoyed by those of us who didn’t have it massacred by deconstructive analysis in high school drama. WHEN & WHERE: Friday 8 February Monday 11 February, His Majesty’s Theatre A History of Everything - Ontroerend Goed/ Sydney Theatre Company Inspired by Darwin and Dawkins on the theory of evolution, by cosmology and the infinite beauty of the physical world, this story about the universe and humanity is humbling yet celebratory, making you treasure your place in the vast astronomical history of everything. Renowned Belgian company Ontroerend Goed and Sydney Theatre Company basically go on journey back through the timeline of all existence. WHEN & WHERE: Thursday 14 FebruarySunday 24 February, Studio Underground (State Theatre Centre); Albany Entertainment Centre Perth Writer’s Festival Too colossal to truncate into a single paragraph, Perth Writers Festival is among Perth Festival’s must important ancilliaries. This year, it features among its learned number the esoteric Margaret Atwood, Ahdaf Souief, Tom Holland and Anna Funder. Also - Andy Griffiths: Australian literary institution. WHEN & WHERE: Thursday 21 February - Sunday 24 February, UWA

WHO: Dead Can Dance WHAT: Anastasis (PIAS Recordings) WHEN & WHERE: Saturday 9 February, Perth Concert Hall

BEYOND THE PROFILE Yeasayer have built a career out of confounding expectations. Ahead of their latest Australian tour, Matt O’Neill speaks to frontman Chris Keating about the band’s uneasy relationship with the public and the press. hris Keating speaks almost gruffly. The frontman is never rude. On the contrary, he’s quite frank and funny in discussing his band’s output to date. Still, his tone is always slightly guarded. When he does joke, there’s something rueful to his comments. There’s a cynicism that colours both his perspective and his humour. Given what his band’s been subjected to over the years, it’s an unsurprising outlook.

“Well, whatever I say, you can write whatever the fuck you want to write. It doesn’t really matter what I say or do, you’re going to do what you need to,” he says with a laugh – in better humour than you’d expect, given such philosophies. “The relationship between musicians and the music press has always been tenuous at best. I love reading music writing, but I would never dwell too

When you’ve gone as far as you can ...

heavily on anything about me or my band. With social media being what it is, it’s hard to differentiate your legitimate reputable writers from your average blogosphere shit. With Twitter giving everyone a voice, it all just kind of turns into this very loud bullshit that permeates the internet,” the frontman explains. “You know, my mum will come up to me and tell me that somebody wrote something and I just have to tell her to stop reading the shit.” Yeasayer have enjoyed the archetypal trajectory of the successful post-millennial independent band. Formed in 2006, their rise was immediate. The band appeared at South By Southwest in 2007 and, following the release of their debut album All Hour Cymbals in the same year, earned critical praise from Spin, NME and Pitchfork Media – who would go on to list the album as one of the best of the decade. The band’s success has been considered synonymous with blog culture. On the back of their 2010 album Odd Blood, The Hype Machine listed Yeasayer as the most blogged-about band of that year. While ultimately successful, Yeasayer have been at the centre of a storm of discussion and opinion for almost the entirety of their career, weathering endless opinions and inventions alongside deserved praise. “It’s a double-edged sword. I feel like social media, file sharing, blogs and the internet really enabled us to have a life as a band; enabled us to be an independent band on an independent label while still having access to global markets,” Keating muses pragmatically. “And I’m obviously hugely grateful for that. I’m very much aware that is where we came from as a touring band. However, there’s always two sides to it. You know, file sharing allows us to tour to places like Australia but it also prevents us from making any money out of our music,” the frontman elaborates. “It’s a lot like Twitter and the blogosphere in general. There’s a lot of good stuff out there said about a band and a lot of bullshit. Really, you just got to kind of stay away from all of it.” Over the course of their ascent, Yeasayer have been subject to the requisite cavalcade of journalistic hyperbole and mythmongering. Their eclectic range of influences, in particular, has seen them consistently pigeon-holed with absurdist terminology, an approach the band themselves would eventually parody, referring to themselves as ‘Middle Eastern-psych-snap-gospel’. The band’s output has been perpetually misunderstood. “When we started, I don’t think we had any clear idea of what we wanted to do with our sound. I think we had a clear idea of what we didn’t want to do,” Keating laughs. “We were really just trying to come out and reference a lot of stuff that wouldn’t be referenced by your average rock band; now a lot more bands are doing that sort of thing, thankfully. I think that was kind of the zeitgeist for a while there. Which is really kind of where you get all that ‘African‘ or ‘Indian‘ bullshit. I mean, I get where people are coming from when people say that sort of stuff and I appreciate that they think where eclectic, but that’s not really what we’re about at all,” he explains. “We were really just making an album in our basement for eight months. We had no idea if anyone would even ever actually hear it.” This has been compounded somewhat by the band’s own refusal to stick to a template. Each of their successive albums has been a distinctive departure from their established sound. All Hour Cymbals wove together worldly rhythms with psychedelic indie-rock, Odd Blood saw the band venture into pop-heavy electronica and this year’s Fragrant World emphasised funk and R&B flavours within the band’s freewheeling sound.

There’s more to this story on the iPad “The people who I always respected and the artists and bands I’ve always liked always seemed to evolve and consistently push boundaries,” Keating says of the band’s outlook. “Whether it was The Clash or The Beatles or REM or Kraftwerk, like, every album you were kind of, ‘Oh, what? That’s the same band?‘ I don’t really like stagnation in art. Sure, if you hit on something great you should explore it, but then move on, I suppose. I think there’s definitely a Yeasayer sound that ties it all together,” he says. “I hear similarities. Even if it’s just in song structures or certain textures or certain indescribable processing techniques we found attractive: pitchshifting techniques or certain rhythmic ideas. I think there are a lot of those things that have followed us from album to album. I find it odd people don’t seem to hear more of those elements.”

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The overall point: Yeasayer are a band that have always railed against lazy categorisation; not purely in regards to style but scene as well. Equally at home in electronic and acoustic realms, it’s hard to even determine whether Yeasayer are actually a rock band. To this end, endlessly dissembling and analysing their work seems almost counter-productive. Hence, Keating’s guarded tones. “Yeah, I really don’t enjoy trying to verbalise our goals as musicians or artists. A lot of them are just aesthetic or really just abstractions. Whenever I try to do it in interviews, it always just turns into dribble, really. That’s why I make music – so I don’t have sit around all day describing shit,” he laughs. “Our music is kind of about chasing the absence of those descriptions, in many ways. So yeah, when it comes to music journalists who want to speak to me or write about our band,” the frontman reflects with a chuckle. “All I can really say is good luck.” WHO: Yeasayer

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12 • For more interviews go to themusic.com.au/interviews

WHAT: Fragrant World (Mute/EMI) WHEN & Where: Saturday 9 February, Laneway Festival, Perth Cultural Centre

A TO ZED Cyclone has a chat with both halves of Canadian dubstep duo Zeds Dead about bootlegs, genres, and occasional rapping. eds Dead took their handle from a line Bruce Willis utters in Quentin Tarantino’s ‘90s cult film Pulp Fiction. By coincidence, Dylan “DC” Mamid, half of the combo with Zack “Hooks” Rapp-Rovan, has just caught the so-called “director DJ’s” critically acclaimed (if controversial) western Django Unchained at the cinema. “I’m a huge Tarantino fan,” Mamid raves. “I loved it – it’s such a good movie.” Zeds Dead, who early in 2012 kicked off an 80-date North American tour subsuming Coachella, are taking off two months to buckle down in the studio. It has been, Mamid says, “nice” to be home in Toronto, “so we can do things like that – go see movies and whatnot.”

Zeds Dead initially hit Australia last January, playing smaller venues. “It was good – it was really good,” Mamid recalls. “We had a really good time. It was very, very go, go, go, so we didn’t really get a chance to actually experience Australia too much outside of playing shows and being in hotels and stuff. But we had a day off in Sydney, we got to see Sydney, so that was cool.” The Canadians found they shared an affinity with their Commonwealth brethren. “I felt like everybody there was very friendly at least,” Mamid laughs, “and I definitely get that vibe in both Canada and Australia. We got on with everybody there really well.”

Zeds Dead will be “rocking it” at FMF with their live/DJ composite show. (“It’s really mostly just like a DJ set with extra stuff added on top,” Mamid says bashfully.) Zeds Dead are competitive. If Mamid hears an epic track by someone else, he’s bursting to enter the studio. Zeds Dead aim to up the ante as DJs, too. “I feel [that industry competition] sometimes, but it’s a good type of competition, it’s a healthy type – and it’s only with a few people, to be honest,” Mamid laughs. “It always inspires me to be better.” WHO: Zeds Dead WHEN & WHERE: Sunday 3 March, Future Music Festival, Arena Joondalup

In March Zeds Dead will join Future Music Festival 2013 with “buddies” Kill The Noise (who’s produced Korn) and Borgore (the Israeli bass man working with wannabe punk Miley Cyrus). Mamid hopes to bump into some heroes. “It’d be really cool to even just share the same stage as The Prodigy, because we’ve been big fans of theirs for a long time and just got a chance to do a remix [of Breathe] for them. So it’d be cool maybe if we got a chance to meet them.” Mamid and Rapp-Rovan started out in the early 2000s cutting hip hop as Mass Productions (they occasionally rapped). They’d issue an album, Fresh Beetz, independently in 2007. Two years later, they reinvented themselves as an EDM outfit. Zeds Dead hosted a weekly event, Bassmentality, with The Killabits, helping to popularise dubstep in Toronto. They also offered free downloads, one the track Journey Of A Lifetime. The Brit Kissy Sell Out picked up the first official Zeds Dead single, Rude Boy, for his San City High in 2010 (a vocal version with MC Omar LinX followed). Next, Diplo embraced them, putting out Rumble In The Jungle on Mad Decent – it topped Beatport’s Breakbeat Chart – while Steve Aoki’s Dim Mak released Ruckus The Jam. Zeds Dead have disseminated countless remixes, many of them bootlegs (cue their strange reincarnation of Bon Iver’s Woods). But, as with a rendering of Dragonette’s Volcano, the Zeds Dead remix of The Prodigy’s Breathe is 100 percent legit, being for the recent 15th anniversary repackage of The Fat Of The Land. “The Prodigy one was the most challenging ‘cause we had a lot of pressure around it,” Mamid admits. To date, Zeds Dead have, boots aside, privileged singles or EPs (including 2012’s Adrenaline). In fact, they’re airing a new EP, the instrumental Hot Sauce, on Mad Decent this week. Explains Mamid, “It’s like a whole bunch of different styles – I’d say it’s our most experimental EP we’ve done so far, it’s got a lot of different kind of tracks on there. I think people will be surprised by some of the stuff on there, but it should go over pretty well – at least I hope so!”

I only had a few. I should be OK.

Zeds Dead have been recording continuously, reaching out to potential collaborators. “We got a lotta music in the works.” The duo are open to crafting an album. “I think the album format definitely still has relevance to us – and we’d definitely wanna do one. It’s just about timing, really, and making a big commitment.” The dilemma for Zeds Dead is that, because they enjoy going with the flow, their sound forever mutates – but, Mamid holds, an album would need to have “a cohesive sound”, albeit an eclectic one. “We feel like it’s gotta be really special and it’s gotta be sort of a statement and an all-encapsulating thing of all the different styles and genres that we do or sounds that we like... I think we will still do one, it’s just we’re not gonna rush it.” Zeds Dead are identified with dubstep, but their music has splodges of hip hop, electro and rock. Mamid struggles to summarise ‘their’ genre in 2013. “It’s hard to say – because it’s changing so often. I mean, it’s kind of funny – like, we obviously got big off dubstep originally, and that was what a lot of people pinned us as, but it was just one stop on the whole musical journey... I guess right now we’re not doing as much of the same dubstep sound. We still have done a bit. We just released a pretty dubsteppy tune – a remix that we did of Marina And The Diamonds [Lies, a Diplo co-production]. But this next EP [Hot Sauce] is really, like I said, kinda all over the place. A lot of the stuff I don’t even know how I would classify it.” And Mamid is discovering old influences of his own. “I’ve actually been getting back into hip hop a lot more and making some hip hop beats that are like what I used to make in hip hop, but with the skills we’ve gathered as electronic producers – so kind of future hip hop stuff.” Curiously, Zeds Dead move in the same circles as Drake, who counts among his crew the local illwave producers Noah “40” Shebib and T-Minus – producers Mamid admires. “I’ve been realising that there’s some similarities in some of the sounds coming out of Toronto. Maybe it’s part of that unknowing universal collective thing where everybody comes to the same point at the same time.”

For more interviews go to themusic.com.au/interviews • 13

ELEMENTAL P Cyclone talks with entrepeneur/rapper EL-P (Laneway’s first ever MC) about his iconoclaustic Cancer4Cure, collaborations with Killer Mike and the secret love affair between rap and rock. ce Cube had a hit single with It Was A Good Day in the early ‘90s – and MC/producer El-P (aka Jaime Meline) might consider the title It Was A Good Year. He enjoyed a bountiful 2012, indeed. The Company Flow stalwart not only received acclaim for his boldly eclectic production on Atlanta MC Killer Mike’s RAP Music, but also for his allegorical solo endeavour, Cancer4Cure.

C4C was among two hip hop albums selected for the prestigious Q mag’s list ‘The 50 Best Albums Of 2012’ (“it was one of the underground’s old hands who made the year’s best hip hop record”). Not that the Brooklynite obsessively tracks such things. “I’m aware here and there,” Meline laughs, speaking from a domestic setting with kids in the background. “It’s always nice.” He may yet be happier that the hip hop heads dug it. “Honestly, it’s been an amazing response. For some reason, this record seemed to strike a note with a lot of people. Who knows why? I don’t know why. Maybe it was just the right record for the right time. You never really know what’s gonna happen. You put your heart and soul into these things and then you put it out there and all you can do is just hope that people wanna hear what you wanna say. I just feel lucky that that’s the case. I certainly don’t take it for granted. I mean, I’ve seen both sides of the coin critically. So it’s been really cool pretty much across the board. I felt like this record has maybe even been my best received record that I’ve ever done. For a guy who’s been making full-length records since 1997, it’s nice to not feel like I’m on a downwards slope, you know?” While Meline has done talk programs previously, in 2012 he performed on Late Show With David Letterman, shaking the host’s hand, and Conan. “It does seem a little strange, doesn’t it?,” he says laconically. “It seems a little odd that they’d let me do that, especially because I’m not exactly saying the most general population-friendly stuff.” This summer Meline is returning to Australia, heading Laneway alongside another alt/urban act in Jessie Ware. He’s the festival’s first-ever MC. “I’m really excited about it.” Meline is still to study the line-up, he’s been so busy. The thirtysomething is a godfather of the backpack hip hop movement. A jazz pianist’s son, he came to the fore with Company Flow in the early ‘90s. The trio released the influential album

Funcrusher Plus on Rawkus Records. They split in 2001. Meline presented his solo debut, Fantastic Damage, the next year, I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead following in 2007. (There was an electro-jazz side-project, High Water, between.) But he devoted much of his time to building up the indie Definitive Jux after rough experiences with Rawkus. Meline has now pulled back, the label on ice, to concentrate on his music. C4C, issued through the traditionally blues-based Fat Possum, was his first album in five years – although he did circulate mixtapes. Meline is already planning to cut more music with the longtime OutKast affiliate Killer Mike, now a member of T.I.’s Grand Hustle clique. “We’re talking about doing a collaborative record, actually, with both of us rhyming,” he says. “He’s a huge, huge, huge part of my life now. Our friendship and the collaboration was great – and we really wanna make a lot of new music together. I’ve got a bunch of plans, but I haven’t figured out exactly what I’m gonna approach first. I’m kinda taking my time and trying to figure it out. I’m getting some cool opportunities, but I’m just enjoying not knowing what the hell is gonna happen.” Company Flow have reunited for gigs as recently as 2011 (“People kinda kept asking,” Meline has said). But Meline is unsure about their recording a comeback album. “I don’t know. There’s always a chance. Certainly, it’s not something that I’m opposed to – in theory. The Company Flow thing is a very special thing for us involved and I think that the circumstances have to just kind of align. But us doing those reunion shows, doing a bunch of festivals and things, definitely paved the way for that possibility. I wouldn’t be surprised if something happened but, at the same time, I’ve also been on my own path for the last decade or so – and that’s the main game that I’m following. So we’ll see what happens. I’m not opposed to it, though.” Meline isn’t adverse to rock music (he remixed Nine Inch Nails’ Only). His homie Paul Banks, Interpol’s frontman, sings on C4C’s Works Every Time. “We had a mutual respect for each other’s music and we became friends,” Meline reveals. “I’m a huge rock fan, actually. I think you could probably tell when you listen to my records that I’m definitely a rock fan. I listen to everything, though. I’m just a music fan. You know, when you’re a hip hop

producer, the first thing you start doing is collecting records, and you collect records from every genre, and those records affect you. It’s very rare to find a hip hop producer who’s not aware of, and even knowledgeable in, multiple different genres of music. I think that’s important. You find that in rock, too. All these rock guys are huge hip hop fans. To some degree, everybody wishes they were the other thing. A lot of rock guys secretly wish that they were rappers, and a lot of rappers and rap producers secretly wish that they had a rock band (laughs). So it’s cool to see people come together. For a long time, every time some rock and rap shit got together, it was just the worst possible combination of ideas ever. But I think there’s a bit of sophistication that’s come along in the past 15 years or so, especially in the past ten years, where people really know about each other’s music in a real way and so there’s some tasteful collaborations that are happening. For a long time it was just like, Oh, no – not another Limp Bizkit!” New MCs Kendrick Lamar and A$AP Rocky have generated heat. Meline rates those who feature on his record, like Killer Mike. However, he also admires buddies Das Racist, Albanian-American MC Action Bronson, and Flipmode Squad graduate Roc Marciano. “There’s just a whole helluva lot of great

rap out right now – honestly. I think it’s one of the best times for hip hop music in general. Maybe there were a few years where it was a little stale, but I just think that there’s so many new cool voices out right now. As a hip hop fan, it’s been very inspiring.” Meline intends to convert more fans with his live slot at Laneway. “Honestly, we just have a pummelling, savage, relentless set (laughs) – but we put our asses to these shows, we put ourselves into it really hard. Even if you don’t know who we are, I think that you’ll walk away from seeing us feeling like you saw a real performance. It’s something that we really take seriously. I love it. There’s only two things that I love about the music industry, if you don’t count the occasional cheque, which are making music and performing music – and I take both of those things equally serious. So we just go out there and put our heart out there and try to put as much of our energy out there as possible.” WHO: El-P WHAT: Cancer4Cure (Shock) WHEN & WHERE: Saturday 9 February, Laneway Festival, Perth Cultural Centre

PREFIXATION How does it feel to be Jay-Z approved? “It feels awesome! Mostly because I feel one step closer to Beyoncé,” chuckles Lizzy Plapinger – one half of New York’s MS MR – as she chats to Celline Narinli. n the brink of their first visit to Australia for St Jerome’s Laneway Festival, Lizzy Plapinger – one half of electronic-R&B duo MS MR – is “drowning in clothes” as she packs her bags for the trip. With the heatwave at the back her mind, she calls from New York as she tries to figure which clothes to bring.

Plapinger, who is also the co-founder of Neon Gold Records – a New York City/London-based boutique record label founded in 2008 with business partner Derek Davies, which also home to Gotye, Marina & The Diamonds, The Naked & Famous and more – mentioned that there was no way she would have released MS MR material via the label. “It was definitely a discussion. But honestly, you know, it would’ve been a bit cheeky to release my own material on Neon Gold. But you know, I sort of needed to feel like I had earned it independently as of everything else that I had created. “And so, I wanted it [MS MR] to have its own sort of identity. I think it was really important for me just to genuinely appreciate and recognise the other artists [on the roster], otherwise it would have been seen as a vanity pleasure because I’ll be treating it much less seriously, and [it would] also become much more about me. And I think what Max [Hershenow, other half of MS MR] and I really want to make clear is that we’re a duo. This isn’t my band, this isn’t all about me, it’s the two of us. And so doing it separately from Neon Gold, I think was really important. “

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The business background proved beneficial for Plapinger, as the duo created music for two years, allowing that to simmer before unleashing themselves into the public sphere. They meticulously scoped out the best ways to market themselves as a new band. Looking back at how her place in the industry started, she goes on to note the importance of the knowledge she acquired during her journey.

14 • For more interviews go to themusic.com.au/interviews

“I love music so much and it’s always been the most important piece of my life. Like, you know, at a young age [I was] going to record stores all the time and sneaking into gigs when I was too young to be able to go. I worked at so many different labels and interned at PR companies, and I feel like I’ve absorbed so much information on business and the industry side of things, which is really vital. “But I wanted the opportunity to turn that off for just a second and just do the creative. I [now] have a different level of confidence; it means that Max and I have been able to dictate and have power over every choice that we’ve made ‘til this point – in the way that most artists don’t – because I’ve had the experience of going through this process a few times with different acts.” And so success started trickling in for MS MR. Their EP Candy Bar Creep Show features the radiofriendly Hurricane, which reached number one on the Hype M charts and was claimed ‘Hottest Record’ by the BBC’s Zane Lowe. They even got the Jay-Z stamp of approval. “It feels awesome [to be Jay-Z approved]! Mostly because I feel one step closer to Beyoncé,” laughs Plapinger. The accompanying video for Hurricane featured a collage of vintage pictures created by the duo, and similarities came flying out. Their sound was likened to that of Laneway-buddies Poliça, the video was said to channel the DIY-touch of Lana Del Rey. Not fazed by the comparisons, Plapinger states that it’s only natural for new bands to be put into boxes. Their identity, however, plays a huge role in their art. At first, the duo stayed hushed about their personal identities, which carried an even more curious and mysterious aura around the MS MR moniker. “It’s funny, because I honestly don’t even completely remember where [the band name] came from. We were trying to think of names for the project, and we wanted it to sound like a duo and we wanted the boy/girl theme, and now when we were talking about anonymity and titles… As soon as I said [MS MR], we were like, ‘Hey, that’s it’. I love the idea that it’s so specific but it also means totally nothing.”

Fascinated with mixed-media and collage, the duo also have a strong Tumblr following, which they have utilised for marketing gain. They have even described their style as “Tumblr glitch-pop”. Their Tumblr page shows a stream of Rocky Horrorlike, art-house and cinema-noir photographs. After likening the images to Rocky Horror Picture Show, Plapinger laughs. “That’s exactly what my dad calls it – ‘What’s this Rocky Horror Picture Show aesthetic you’ve got going on?’ I’ve definitely always been drawn to cinema and visual aesthetic. It definitely creates an easy vocabulary for us to work with and then piece together and I think that that has sort of been expressed through the way we release our music. We love music from all different genres and time periods, and a lot of the different songs can take on a different personality.” Performing at St Jerome’s Laneway Festival, MS MR already have strong relationships with Australian artists and are looking forward to making more friends while down under. “There’s a few Australian bands that have played shows I’ve put on in the past that I’m hoping to reconnect with. I think it’s going to be a really good trip. “I am so excited about Laneway, it’s ridiculous. I’m sure it’s going to be like band summer camp in that we all become best friends. I’ve never seen Poliça, I’ve never seen Bat For Lashes, I love Yeasayer, I love Pond, I’ve never seen Pond play. There’s this Australian band, is it called… ummm… See-dee-dank-tal? Do

you know what I’m talking about?” Sorry, what? “Wait, I had it here, it is Snakadakal.” Ah, yes. “Someone played me a song, I was curious about them, I’m interested to see them. And Chet Faker, who did the [Dark Doo Wop] remix for us; I can’t wait to see him. I’m definitely going to be very excited running around the festival trying to see as many people as I can.” Now that they’ve burst into the spotlight, Plapinger revealed the album is ready. “It’s coming out in May, we’re excited to get it out. We’ve recorded it, we’ve mastered it, it’s ready to go!” And what sort of identity does the album hold for MS MR? “I think what people will be surprised to find is that, again, with this collage aesthetic, each song has this different personality. I don’t think there is one song that is wholly representative of who we are.” “There is a song on the album that is a bit more experimental, there’s one that feels more R&B, there’s one that feels more indie, there’s one that feels more like pure pop music and there’s one that has a bit of a country edge.” WHO: MS MR WHAT: Candy Bar Creep Show (Creep City/Sony) WHEN & WHERE: Saturday 9 February, Laneway Festival, Perth Cultural Centre

CHEVRON FESTIVAL GARDENS Image: Jarrad Seng

TICKETS $31–$60

Image: L. Stein

SCOTLAND/USA

CANADA

NORMAN BLAKE & JOE PERNICE + DIRTY BEACHES In this captivating performance, era-deﬁning indie geniuses Norman Blake and Joe Pernice (The New Mendicants) delve into each other’s hefty back catalogues. From the ebullient harmonies of 90s Scottish power-pop heroes Teenage Fanclub, to seminal alt-country twang of Scud Mountain Boys

and triumphant guitar-pop anthems of the Pernice Brothers – this is an impressive, nostalgia-packed, and thrillingly live songbook.

punk, he turns out a lo-ﬁ drum loop that conjures a dusty stylised sound, reminiscent of a bygone era when Elvis was King.

USA

CANADA

USA

DEER TICK + TWO GALLANTS

STARS

Known for their notorious live sets and brand of alt-country folk-rock loaded with distorted guitar, Rolling Stone Magazine calls Deer Tick a country-rock breakthrough.

Consistently producing incisively sharp, beautifully orchestrated pop music, the synth indie quintet tour their critically acclaimed new album, The North – considered their ﬁnest record to date.

DAVID LYNCH PRESENTS CHRYSTA BELL

Dirty Beaches is rockabilly. Taking the sounds of 1950s rock’n’roll crossing them with motorcycle

Fri 8 Feb, 8pm

Image: Dutch Rall

Neither folk nor rock, the melodic fury of the Two Gallants is matched by their eloquent, confessional lyricism. The San Francisco duo’s form of explosive folk-rock has made them an enduring favourite.

Tue 12 Feb, 8pm International Excellence Partner

Elegant, passionate, sexy, emotional, upbeat, and something that I’ve been missing in music lately. And that’s pure and simple happiness. INDIE ROCK REVIEWS

Wed 13 Feb, 8pm

Supported by

Indigenous Program Partner

Supported by

With exquisite and tortured vocals reminiscent of Nico (The Velvet Underground) and an onstage persona in the tradition of Rita Hayworth, Texan beauty Chrysta Bell smoulders in her collaboration with iconic ﬁlm director David Lynch. Infusing a dark and airy soundscape with breathy inﬂections and soulful melodies this otherworldly femme fatale is lyrically spellbinding.

Thur 14 Feb, 8pm Environmental Sustainability Partnerr

BOOK 6488 5555 | perthfestival.com.au 15

ON THE UP

UNFASHIONABLE

Brooklyn, New York punk band The Men seemingly came out of nowhere with last year’s Open Your Heart LP. With another album already set for release, Cam Findlay learns more from Nick Chiericozzi.

Following the release of their well-received sixth album The North late last year, Canadian indie rockers Stars prepare to bring their live show down under for the third time. Kitt Di Camillo chats with multi-instrumentalist Evan Cranley.

n the 1950 Fred Zinnemann film The Men, Marlon Brando (in his debut, no less) plays a young infantryman during World War II. After being shot in the back, Brando’s character returns home as a paraplegic and must learn to live life with much less ability than he previously had. Fast-forward to today, and The Men (the band this time) are a complete paradox.

Last year saw the release of Open Your Heart. Not the band’s first LP, to be sure – the two years past saw two releases – but it has become somewhat of a breakout success. NME, among other music media institutions, hailed it as some of the most fresh and unforgiving punk rock to come out of the US in years. “The whole thing’s been awesome, it’s really cool to see how well it’s done,” guitarist and vocalist Nick Chiericozzi says over the phone. “You know, we started off with a 20-minute cassette tape that we maybe made 30 copies of. So the reaction [for Open Your Heart]’s been great. If it didn’t go so well, we wouldn’t be coming to Australia, so I think that proves it. I think the record kicked down the door for us in a lot of ways, which is really cool. I haven’t thought about it that way, but it’s really opened those kinds of opportunities up for us. I think that’s what any band or musician really wants, to be able to play their music anywhere and be secure with it.” If Open Your Heart was their entry into the public consciousness, then 2011’s Leave Home was definitely the testing ground for The Men’s straightforward and unique style. Recorded more than a year beforehand, Leave Home was the first collection of the band’s work to be released on a label (Sacred Bones Records). The gap between recording and release certainly proved a critical juncture for a band that write and tour as prolifically as The Men do. “It took so long because we had never been on a label before,” Chiericozzi

eart on your sleeve songwriting has taken a back seat in alternative circles, making the success of Canada’s pop rock heroes Stars decidedly against the grain. The five piece of Torquil Campbell, Chris Seligman, Evan Cranley, Amy Millan and Pat McGee are unashamedly emotion driven, creating addictive melodies with a penchant for expressive passion.

explains. “But there was this whole middle period where we were sitting on the album. We felt like we had done enough by ourselves, and we really felt like it was time to get that connection.” In a more band-centric sense, Chiericozzi also explains that the formation of the current band line-up turned a lot of their processes around. Chiericozzi and Mark Perro had originally taken the effort of writing and recording on themselves, but the inclusion of Rich Samis allowed them much more versatility, because – by Chiericozzi’s own admission – they had someone on board who could actually play drums. “We never really switched instruments live, but we did a lot in the studio,” he says. “That’s because me and Mark were both writing the songs, so it made sense to have that way of working while writing and recording. I feel like it’s a little more subtle now. I certainly don’t want to play the drums… well, I can’t play the drums,” he laughs. “Rich can, so he gets to play them. But we do incorporate different instrumentation, whether it’s percussion things or piano or harmonica, things like that. It’s all stuff we play around with in the studio. But live, it’s pretty simple. It’s like the usual setup: two guitars, bass and drums. It works for us on stage, obviously, and it’s probably what we’ll bring to Australia.” WHO: The Men WHEN & WHERE: Saturday 9 February, Perth Cultural Centre

ENFORCIN’ HELL Long Island, New York’s This Is Hell have just embarked on a world tour that will soon bring them to Australia for Soundwave. Guitarist Rick Jimenez talks Eli Gould through their new 7” EP and his plans on “creeping out Metallica”. h dude, it’s 100 per cent, honestly the most ridiculous thing that’s ever happened in my entire life. You know something crazier might happen later on, but probably not,” so begins Rick Jimenez, guitarist of Long Island thrash metal band This Is Hell. Jimenez is grasping at the reality that in less than a month he and his band will be sharing the stage alongside their heavy metal idols Metallica at the Soundwave festival.

“O

This Is Hell last graced Australia in 2010 when they were here twice as part of that year’s Soundwave line-up as well as a secondary tour with close friends Comeback Kid, but Jimenez concedes the two-year gap was too long. The previous trips to our shores blew away all expectations with the band believing that the Australian crowds were some of the biggest and craziest they had ever seen. Along with their exciting stage show and enterprising style of trash metal/crossover/hardcore, This Is Hell are also gearing up for their latest release which comes in the form of a 7” EP entitled The Enforcer. The EP is the band’s follow up to 2011’s Black Mass and is set for release the day before their Soundwave shows kick off. However, in writing this newer material and backing up their previous work, trying to recreate a new sound is something that Jimenez and his bandmates have found relatively easy. Where some bands struggle to find a completely unique sound in a scene that (can literally) scream mediocrity, it comes easy for Jimenez and co. When quizzed whether he finds it a constant uphill battle to write new and refreshing material Jimenez quickly rebuts “You know what, not even a little bit,” with a stern sense of confidence in his voice. He then contemplates: “But it’s not like I sit down and I’m like ‘I have to write something new’ – it’s just natural. Which is cool. Everything we’ve ever done has been natural and that’s why we sound very different.”

16 • For more interviews go to themusic.com.au/interviews

“I think it’s intensely unfashionable and intensely uncool to talk about music and lyrics on an emotional level,” laments Cranley. “I think it makes people uncomfortable, but I think it’s what makes us special to other bands. I take a lot of pride in that. That’s just music we’ve always made, you know? And I think that separated us from a lot of other bands, and now that we’re in our fifteenth, fourteenth year, a lot of it stems from our personal experience. There’s only one way of doing Stars, and that’s to just be us. It’s still totally unfashionable, but at this point we don’t care anymore. I think a lot of independent music is totally production driven and tone driven, and content hasn’t become as important to some other bands. Production levels and the way things sound have taken over priorities for a lot of people, but not for us.” Six studio albums into their career and the Montreal based group are still in the pursuit of the perfect pop song. Campbell and Seligman first started creating music under the Stars name in the late ‘90s, swapping members with fellow Canadians Broken Social Scene before consolidating on the current line-up. Their popularity has endured with every new release, and the band’s songs regularly included on soundtracks to the likes of Gossip Girl, The O.C. and Queer As Folk. The five friends are now comfortably into the second decade of their career, and continue to evolve as musicians and songwriters. Cranley himself began on bass before evolving into a multi-instrumentalist and key composer of their music, and admits to an unapologetic love of pure pop melodies. “I think what has kept us together for all these years is our obsession with the pop song,” explains Cranley.

“We’re all obsessed with the same music in the same way, and writing an amazing pop song at the end of the day is kind of the arc that has kept us together. It’s a common obsession which has really held us together. I think what informs the music is that we have similar influences with one another, but we do bring different things to the table. I think that’s what makes a band a band. If everyone was into the same five bands - that’s not an original idea. I think when people bring different influences to something that’s what makes it special.” With the group sharing members with Broken Social Scene as well as being involved in various other projects, the lives of each member show no signs of slowing down any time soon. A heavy touring schedule combined with a healthy six albums in 12 years is evidence that the group have pre-planning down to a fine art. “I like to think we’re actually very calculated,” admits Cranley. “Not only in the way we write and produce records, but in the way we actually write songs. We’re not a very prolific band in the way we actually write material together – if we’re out on the road, we don’t do any writing at all, we concentrate on the live show. So the cycle of touring is very much dedicated to the live experience. And when we get off the road and write, then the priority becomes writing the record. I think it’s having those two minds of the live world and the writing world, that’s what’s helped us with our longevity in a way.” “And we’re very lucky! We’ve had a long career, we’ve made records, we have great fans, we can afford to take off, concentrate on the new record and only that record, and then come back and present the material.” WHO: Stars WHEN: Wednesday 13 February, Chevron Festival Gardens, Perth

MODERN SUIT & OLD TIES Blue Note vocalist José James has a voice that’s been referred to as a “human adaptation of Coltrane’s sax work”. Dani Marsland discovers more.

But perhaps where The Enforcer differs from their past releases, although containing three new original tracks, it also features a cover of Metallica’s Whiplash, a song that the guitarist has wanted to attempt for over a decade. “Whiplash has always been a song I wanted to cover; just cause it’s like simple, rad and just made for circle pitting and banging your head and acting like a maniac,” he explains. Jimenez’s love of Metallica stems from when he first heard them way back in 1988, and they have remained his favourite band ever since. “If I spoke to any of them I would be way too comfortable like ‘Hey, I already know you, like we’re friends’,” the eccentric guitarists considers, before he jokingly admits “and I’m just thinking about tracking them down and trying to creep them out and be like a regular fan, it’ll be fun.” Their current world tour see’s them travelling through North America, including Hawaii, then Australia, New Zealand and South East Asia, but Jimenez believes the Soundwave festival will be the biggest highlight out of them all. “Yeah, its nuts, this will definitely be the biggest thing, and you know we’ve played some festivals; we’ve played Reading and Leeds twice each. Hell, we’ve played some crazy things, we’ve even been able to say we’ve shared the bill with the Foo Fighters, we’ve shared the bill with Guns N’ Roses, we’ve done some crazy festivals and we’ve played with some crazy bands but nothing tops Metallica, man. I’d play with Metallica over everybody; they could be like ‘Hey you wanna play with Led Zeppelin or Metallica?’ Hey man I’ll fucking play with Metallica.” WHO: This Is Hell WHAT: The Enforcer (3 Wise Records) WHEN AND WHERE: Monday 4 March, Soundwave Festival, Claremont Showgrounds

osé James’ new album might be called No Beginning, No End, but after having worked on it for nearly two years, the 33-year-old vocalist is relieved the project actually does have a conclusion: “I feel ready now. I’ve worked on this album for so long. I’m ready to get out there,” he explains.

And “getting it out there” he is: on the day James speaks to us from his home in New York, his album’s just gone to #1 on the R’n’B chart in Japan, he’s fresh from visiting five European countries in one week, and has just performed on David Letterman. “That’s like the biggest thing I’ve ever done,” says an excited James. “It’s really great to be a New Yorker and to be able to do that kind of stuff in your city. There’s this pride. It’s the same as playing Radio City, or Carnegie Hall – they’re things every New York musician wants to achieve.” While James has become known for reshaping future directions in jazz through his mastery of diverse stylistic influences across several releases, No Beginning, No End marks James’ first official outing on legendary contemporary jazz label Blue Note Recordings. It’s a star-studded effort: conceptualised alongside Motownera songwriter Leon Ware, featuring Robert Glasper on keys, Chris Dave on drums, and co-produced by Welsh bassist Pino Palladino (behind D’Angelo’s Voodoo), who made the decision to come on board after working on a single song with James. “I didn’t know that I’d end up on Blue Note when I started making this album, but I knew that if I made good music good things would happen,” reflects a thoughtful James. “Blue Note is such a great label, it’s really full of music lovers and people who believe in their artists,” he enthuses. “Like, they’ve got Norah Jones working with Jack White and Danger Mouse – that’s cool right?” Blue Note, of course, also being the label responsible for pushing the pioneering, future-jazz of Robert Glasper – a role model and close friend of James’. “I mean, Robert thought about what he was going to do, he planned it, and it worked. And now he looks like a genius. But I’m

sure when he was planning it, a lot of people would have been like ‘wow, this is a different album, this is like a jazz pianist doing an R’n’B album, this is a totally different market, I don’t know if we can sell this to jazz fans’. You know, sometimes you have to take a deep breath, and trust the artist. That’s the model of the old Blue Note. That’s what they did with Robert Glasper, that’s what they did with me, and its working.” Although the release far from cemented any expectations conservative jazz fans may have been harbouring for similar work: only the year previous to For All We Know, Jamea put out BlackMagic, a collaboration with Flying Lotus, wherein James brought his rich, elegant, baritone jazz vocals to the LA experimental beat producer’s electronic samples and beats (“Steven just sent me a ton of beats and I wrote to them, it was exciting.”) James’ connection with Flying Lotus is something he puts down to ‘the Coltrane effect’. “Gilles Peterson heard me do Coltrane’s Equinox and said he wanted me to do the Coltrane thing, and that’s where [2008 debut] The Dreamer originated. Then I met Flying Lotus through that, which led to Blackmagic, which was kind of cool because he’s Alice Coltrane’s nephew and Alice’s album was the last album Impulse! Records put out, who released Jef and I’s album. I also recently toured with Coltrane’s pianist. It’s all connected!” WHO: José James WHAT: No Beginning, No End (Blue Note) WHERE: Thursday February 21, Perth Festival, Chevron Festival Gardens

SINGLES/EPS WITH ELI GOULD

ON THE RECORD

BLINK-182 Dogs Eating Dogs Independent

STRANGE TALK Independent When I picked up this single up from the office last Thursday it was a perfect summery Perth day, and as I left and headed onto the freeway this was belting out of my car, pretty loudly, and I don’t even listen to much EDM, nor even like the genre. However, Falling In Love is a really catchy song that just screams summer vibes and good times. Filled with filthy synths, an anthemic pop feel and a big bass line, sure it has a few generic traits but it is certainly perfect to get you amped for the summer.

POLLY MEDLAN BAND Hotel Loves Independent The Polly Medlen Band’s latest effort Hotel Lies is a steady sounding release. While not a particularly unique sound, it’s hard to deny that this intricate mix of mellow laid back country, with hints of folk, indie and pop is an absolute pleasure to listen to. This five-track release shows their talented musicianship, along with meaningful lyrics and Medlen’s beautiful vocal delivery that catches your ears and keeps you hanging on for more.

THE D.O.T.

Gold Dust

And That

Create/Control

SBS

The Beats/Shock

Evolution is the title of the second track on PVT’s fourth record; thematically there could not be a better or more obvious name. Homosapien is the most cohesive and mature record PVT have produced so far. Following the vowel reductive name change and addition of regular vocals to the mix, the band have presented a less lost and amateurish sound with each release, though this electro-rock-cum-synth-noise-pop album may prove to be their career defining record.

Twenty years ago, a feisty redhead released Little Earthquakes, immediately establishing herself as a tour de force of songwriting majesty comparable (often tiresomely) to Kate Bush. A couple of years later, she’d be sharing magazine covers with Björk and PJ Harvey, the new royalty of feminist-empowered indie. The two decades since have been remarkable for all three women, but Tori Amos’s trajectory has proven the least compelling in the last few years. 2011’s Night Of Hunters, tremendously orchestral and epic in scale, was the antithesis of her indiecredible days. She’d gone from the artist you’d buy for edge to the one you’d share with your mum.

What on earth is Mike Skinner doing releasing a collaboration album? Don’t ask me, I don’t know either.LIVE The man who broke the ears of indie kids who ‘didn’t do hip hop’ with Original Pirate Material has linked arms with Rob Harvey, former vocalist with indie also-rans The Music, to jump feet first into a genre blending sound du jour. But what could have been a splash is just a reasonable ripple due to an uncharacteristic lack of focus from both.

Electric and Cold Romance are two of the more menacing and cold synth-pop tracks of recent years, both managing to demand Kid A comparisons. The ebbing and flowing between lush and dirty synthesiser tones, and precise and muddled percussive beats, are movements alone to PVT and really show off the utterly modern and relevant sounds the band are capable of. The title track shows the band can still whip out their experimental chops and static-drenched vocal loops when they want to show off – ironically showing the least ‘human’ side of themselves on the song.

After the day The Music died, who could blame a VD former member for wanting a second bite of the

Depeche Mode’s darker and more experimental material is an easy touchstone on tracks like Love & Defeat, but again, the song is more present and alive than anything Depeche have touched in the past two decades. The record’s poetic lyrics, channelling the lovelorn, the selfish and self-loathed, provide reason to revisit too.

Gold Dust, a collaboration with the Dutch Metropole Orkest (last heard helping reinvent Basement Jaxx’s catalogue), explores the nooks and crannies of Amos’s back catalogue in a way that will satisfy the most voracious of fans. Seeing as most of these 14 songs were based on orchestral arrangements in the first place, some songs are given a welcome sprucing. Silent All These Years still packs lyrical punch, simplicity remaining intact with the orchestra restrained, while Marianne, Precious Things and Snow Cherries From France benefit from the expanded arrangements. Elsewhere, new depths are simply not found and Metropole seem under utilised.

Though it does falter (on the lazy Vertigo and disappointing closer Ziggurat), this is easily PVT’s finest record to date, with the band dropping the pretence of being an ‘experimental group’ and finding their feet as modern songwriters of the now. This is relevant, living, music lying between humanity and construction – the organic and the artificial.

Gold Dust’s tracklist eschews ‘the greatest hits’; Metropole aren’t as prominent as they were on the Jaxx project and it’s not as theatrical as Night Of Hunters. When partnered with its predecessor, some may view Gold Dust as an indulgent trip up the artist’s own vagina. Others will enjoy the new perspectives.

Andrew McDonald

Mac McNaughton

cherry? Sharing the credits is a strange move from Skinner though, who has a considerable legacy and is best when he’s in full control – note the lack of big name collaborations on The Streets’ albums. So, it is unsurprising that the compositions with most character and vitality are those with his Reebok Classic prints all over them. Harvey’s raspy vocal is a nice (if inauspicious) foil to the electronic bleepery, stretched out 2-step and indie guitar that shape the instrumental landscape, and Goes Off is a nice example of what the dynamic can do – content and tone Skinner-esque, delivery straight up Harvey. You Never Asked is the standout, the wall of sound working and a few – too few – bars from the always great Danny Brown.

Falling In Love

TORI AMOS

Homosapien

PVT

LIVE

Blink-182’s follow up to 2011’s Neighborhoods is the band’s first independent release since their recent departure from Interscope/ DGC, and the Dogs Eating Dogs EP shows the band’s progression and continued growth. The first track When I Was Young is one of the better songs written by the band since their reformation and Boxing Day (the first Blink acoustic ballad since 2003’s I Miss You). The only disappointment would be what many fans thought was the neglect of bassist Mark Hoppus’ voice in Neighborhoods, again his vocals being used sparingly in this EP. It also does at times sound very similar to Tom DeLonge’s Angels and Airwave (over-using synths, etc.) but all in all a good release and a taste of what’s to come.

And That seems to have been the phrase of the day when selecting sounds, but what this record is missing is what it is desperately, distractedly searching for – the touch of Magic Mike, the Skinnervation that started a genre. A case of too many chefs? Tom Birts

JORDAN MCROBBIE Jordan McRobbie Independent Another Fremantle solo acoustic artist in Jordan McRobbie will soon be serenading your airwaves if his latest self-titled EP is a glimpse into his future. His strengths lie in his vocal abilities as well as his talented guitar skillset. The standout tracks of the EP are the final two; Heard It All Before and Reason. A promising release, and hopefully McRobbie can keep this up.

ESBEN AND THE WITCH

DARKSTAR

NEW ORDER

Wash The Sins Not Only The Face

News From Nowhere

Lost Sirens

BOB EVANS

Matador/Remote Control

Warp/Inertia

Warner

The Double Life

There’s a lot made of the pressures placed on breakthrough bands to follow up their success with the difficult second album. And often, that pressure is very real, especially for bands that have no idea why they ‘made it’ in the first place, or what their ‘sound’ is supposed to be. Then there are bands like Esben And The Witch, who with their second effort, Wash The Sins Not Only The Face, have proven they know exactly what their sound is, and where improvements can be made.

Bored with dubstep? Alienated by beefy, frat-boy wobble bass? Then maybe you’d like Darkstar. Hell, maybe you are Darkstar, particularly if you’ve suddenly decided to explore the frayed edges of electronic psychedelia. The Brit outfit have seemingly abandoned their UK bass music roots, although where they’re heading is anyone’s guess.

“When you listen to Jetstream [the Scissor Sister starring track from last album, Waiting For the Siren’s Call], are you amazed that you’re in the same band that gave the world Temptation?” New Order bassist Peter Hook has not been the same since being asked that question in 2005 by an indignant journalist, expressing what many were feeling about Siren’s Call being a whimpering bookend to an incredible career. New Order are still kicking around without their iconic bassist, politics and legal threats having delayed the offcuts from their last album for an age. Until now.

EMI/ Capitol Bob Evans aka Kevin Mitchell (the frontman of Perth’s Jebediah) is back. Admittedly, he took the time off to regroup with Jebediah and release Kosciuszko in 2011, but perhaps this hindered his own project. While there’s nothing inherently wrong with The Double Life, it just doesn’t seem to really go anywhere and while it’s a lot more experimental than his previous work it’s not as consistent. Sitting In The Waiting Room is one of his better tracks, but the other three feel like they’re there to fill out the EP.

COGEL Nowhere Near Independent Indie pop/ rock with a violin? Now one may think that screams hipster credibility, but to my surprise after listening to it I thought, ‘Finally, something refreshing!’ Sydneysiders Cogel, and their newest EP Nowhere Near is just massive. The opener Felusine, starts off with loud drums and guitars building up and being complimented by the ringing of a violin and then a soft and frail voice grasps “Do you really have to be gone by now? I’m a failure, when you’re not around”. Each of the five songs has their own story behind them through their lyrics and composition. Cogel aren’t afraid to mix things up and it works wonders for them.

Wash The Sins Not Only The Face is a marked step forward for the band, taking all that made 2011 debut, Violet Cries, a standout and bringing the sound into sharper focus. Violet Cries, with its thundering drums, trebly guitars and cacophonous vocal arrangements, proved at times to be exhausting to listen to, the layers upon layers becoming… unsettling. With their latest effort, the band have taken those elements and arranged them more coherently. The result? A more cohesive, digestible, but still unsettling record. If there is one thing EATW have got down, it’s their aesthetic. The band’s name, their sound, their cover art and lyrics; it all functions in such a way that when listening to the album you find yourself immersed in their world. With words inspired by the likes of TS Eliot and Sylvia Plath, and a name derived from a macabre Danish fairytale, it’s little wonder the band are fond of visiting challenging sonic territory. In this case, there is just a little more intent behind the noise. Andy Snelling

Now a three-piece with full-time vocalist James Buttery (a lovely surname, if ever I heard one), they’ve refashioned themselves into left-of-centre songwriters, with rambling, half-lucid stories told in odd, hypnotic mantras, such as those found on Timeaway, where Buttery’s lonely voice sounds something like Animal Collective’s Panda Bear broadcasting scrambled, hopelessly lost SOS messages from deep space. Some of the best moments here are the gentlest. The curiously titled - (the - is a title, not a typo) drifts by like a barely there vapour, whilst tracks like A Day’s Pay For A Day’s Work give us an idea of how The Beta Band’s songs might’ve turned out had they been recorded in a walk-in freezer. If all of this seems difficult to parse, then I’m maybe doing a good job. Quite frankly, News From Nowhere is bloody difficult to summarise, even after a few spins. Looking at my notes I see that I’ve jotted down fuzzy platitudes including ‘Twinkling majesty’ and ‘Weird sensations of dislocation’, which sound promising on paper without actually meaning very much. Darkstar’s talent is to weave hypnagogic music that unsettles and evokes strange layers of feeling in subtle ways that defy easy unravelling; good sustenance for space cadets between missions. Christopher H James

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These, then, are the Lost Sirens. Hellbent (first heard on last year’s Total compilation) is both the best and worst on offer, Bernard Sumner seemingly ringing his verses in from down the road before rushing to the studio for a power-packed chorus. Shake It Up revisits the theme of a laddish night out already covered in almost identical style by Late At Night (Electronic) and Morning Night And Day. They’re not bad songs at all but this is not New Order bringing their A-game. The Crazy World mix of I Told You So adds a Velvet Underground depth, which makes for a better version than appeared on Siren’s Call, but this superior take would have stuck out like a sore thumb among those songs because, unlike anything else on that album, it is actually a classic. The breezy I’ve Got A Feeling (not related to the Monaco song of the same name) really should have been present though. For better or worse, Lost Sirens offers an expanded understanding of what may still remain New Order’s last studio album. In Haçienda days, this would have been a passable B-sides collection. Mac McNaughton

FRONTROW@DRUMPERTH.COM.AU

THIS WEEK IN

ARTS

BY SOME MIRACLE

FRISKY & MANNISH

THURSDAY 31

MONDAY 4

EastEnd Cabaret – London based musical comedy duo Bernadette Byrne and Victor Victoria will perform. They are known for their mix of original songs and re-appropriated covers. Part Of Fringe World, The West Australian Idolize Spiegeltent, 9.30pm.

Tracing Human – a world premiere dance piece performed by Emma Fishwick and Nicole Ward who collaborate with visual artist Lauren Holmwood. Part Of Fringe World, Summer Nights: The Blue Room Theatre, 9pm to Wednesday 6 February.

600 Seconds – performances in any style and any genre there’s only one rule: artists only have 600 seconds, so they must think on their toes. Part Of Fringe World, Summer Nights: The Blue Room Theatre, Program A, 6.40pm to Wednesday 6 February.

FRIDAY 1 Inside Running: The Sport Of Art – an exhibition that will be opened by Matthew Pavlich (Captain of the Fremantle Football Club). This group show brings together nine artists whose passion for sport blends into their artwork. Opening, Fremantle Arts Centre, 5.30pm exhibiting to Sunday 24 March.

SATURDAY 2 Frisky and Mannish – London pop parody duo Frisky and Mannish have one hell of a show. Expect F&M classics alongside things they haven’t even made up yet. Part Of Fringe World, Circus Theatre, 9.30pm to Sunday 10 February.

SUNDAY 3 Dark Stars – a play written and directed by Arthur Meek and starring Jonathan Council, this is the story of two African-Americans living a hundred years apart. It’s an examination of racist humour and the price paid for lusting after fame at the cost of ones dignity. Part Of Fringe World, The Courtyard State Theatre, 6.45pm to Wednesday 6 February.

WAT C H I N G

TUESDAY 5 Belowsky – the winner of the Australian Poetry Slam WA State Championship (2012), This artist moves between spoken word, stand-up comedy, music parodies and visual clips. Part Of Fringe World, The Bakery Main Space, 9pm to Wednesday 6 February.

WEDNESDAY 6 Nick Sun: Reggae In Hell – comedian Nick Sun returns to his homeland after spending the last three years honing and developing his voice in the tough UK comedy scene. Part Of Fringe World, Bokchoy Ballroom, The Noodle Place, 8pm to Sunday 10 February.

ARTS NEWS National Play Festival – now in its sixth year, playwriting Australia has brought together it’s 2013 program. Some of the writers this year include local Hellie Turner with a stage adaptation of Goldie Goldbloom’s The Paperbark Shoe as well as M Rock by Lachlan Philpot and US Carson Kreitzer’s Lasso Of Truth. A free lunchtime forum series will run 12.30pm each day during the festival. The event is part of the Perth International Arts Festival. It runs from Thursday 21 February to Sunday 24, Studio Underground at the State Theatre Centre

Using his experiences of growing up under the cult of Indian guru Sai Baba, Pier Carthew created a theatre production with the assistance of Nicola Gunn. Liza Dezfouli talks to them about the result, Miracle Man. The late Indian guru Sai Baba, one of world’s wealthiest and most influential cult leaders, once gave Pier Carthew a watch. “He made it appear, like magic,” says Carthew. “I’ll show you how it’s done.” An old magician’s trick, the object is hidden in the palm of the hand. “He made it symbolic,” continues the performer, whose parents were devotees of the guru and who raised their son accordingly. “He told me that ‘watch’ stood for ‘words, action, thought, character, heart’ – that is how I would remember.” Being brought up in a cult hasn’t left Carthew bitter; on the contrary, he is about to use the experiences of his extraordinary past by performing in a theatre production, Miracle Man, a show he has co-devised with Nicola Gunn (of At The Sans Hotel fame). Sai Baba died in 2010, and was infamous for child sexual

abuse allegations, amongst other things, but Carthew, who first visited the ashram at the age of four, remembers him as charismatic and funny. “He didn’t make a lot of logical sense but he had a real sense of humour,” the actor continues. “He was cryptic; devotees spent a lot of their lives decoding his sayings. Plus his miracles were so cunning; we thought he must have had some kind of power.” Sai Baba’s devotees still number around 30 to 40 million people. Sexual abuse, notes Carthew, can become justified in devotees’ minds as being part of a healing or tantric ritual. According to its two creators, Miracle Man’s subject matter allowed the story to suggest its own form. “It’s very absurd,” says Gunn. “Pier’s story and experience of India means that the show has got to have some crazy stuff, the

PICTURING NEW YORK EXHIBITION Picturing New York opened with an impressive Central Park-themed party on Friday night at the gallery. Those not fortunate enough to make it on the night were found avidly waiting for tickets to the exhibition the following day. Upstairs and to the left through an unassuming corridor you’re met overhead by the sounds of New York City, people hustling and traffic bustling, both companioned by lofty chords of languid jazz. In front of you in bold print is a quote by Thomas Wolfe, and the journey begins. The exhibition

involves countless photographs of NYC from the 19th century to the 21st, all discerning the city with unique perspective. A majority of the works are black and white baring a palpable representation of the various facets that make NYC so iconic. From images of iconic people and structures to the seemingly obsolete, each image bares a unique depiction of the dynamic city, capturing it in its isolation and its unity. You can expect to find famous works by Henri Cartier-Bresson, Irving Penn, Alfred Stieglitz, Paul Strand, Weegee and about 85 other artists in this impressive collection of 150 images. Olivia Gardner AGWA to Sunday 12 May

PICTURING NEW YORK

BAD FRIEND E3S2 This Week On Girls? It seems like a filler episode to extend the season. The narrative follows the TV trend of a predicable coke binge. Hannah and Elijah take coke in order for Hannah to write a story outside her comfort zone. Marnie sleeps with contemporary artist Booth Jonathan, who oozes bravado. Elijah, high and confessional, tells Hannah about the ‘three pump’ sex with Marnie and the girls have a fight about who is the bad friend. Notably, Shosh and Jessa are only in one scene and Adam is completely absent.

Girl Talk Of The Week? Hannah: “He is not a junkie. You were misinformed. He is clean and basically my guardian angel,” to Laird. Shirtless Adam Watch? With Adam missing in action we had to suffice for Hannah swapping shirts in the middle of the nightclub. Girl On Top? Myself for getting through the first disappointing episode of GIRLS to date What We Learnt: Booth Jonathan is a selfish lover. Cassandra Fumi Screening every Monday night, 8.30pm, Showcase

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As well as exploring personal stories, the show takes a look at the innate corruption of the business side of the cult. “$6.9 million in cash and gold was found in Sai Baba’s bedroom after he died,” notes Carthew. “There is a lot in the play about the politics of the organisation, how it is run in India, and its relationship with the government. The President of India is a devotee.” In form, Miracle Man partly nods to the mockumentary, featuring a cameo by Gunn as an interviewer. Carthew plays a set of characters, all inspired by people he remembers,

including a version of his younger self. One of the characters in the play, Phil, is based on the man who founded the Hard Rock Café and who donated $40 million to the guru. He and Gunn describe the making of Miracle Man as a very joyful process. “I’ve had to really think about what this means to me,” reflects Carthew. “It’s had its difficult moments but I can honestly say it’s the best fun I have ever had.” It’s been a long time since Pier Carthew distanced himself from the beliefs of his childhood but some things haven’t left him. “Even now, if I get into an awkward situation I find myself asking for Sai Baba’s help,” he says. “I hear that voice in my head.” WHAT: Miracle Man WHEN & WHERE: Tuesday 12 February to Saturday 16, Fringe World,Summer Nights: The Blue Room Theatre

REVIEWS

GIRLS

grotesque and bizarre are naturally present. Some things are highly exaggerated and we have asked ourselves if we’ve gone too far; are we bordering on the inappropriate?” What might be inappropriate? “Pier plays some Indian characters,” Gunn responds. “People get nervous.”

THIS WEEK IN

SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK

SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK FILM David O Russell has been walking a fine line for some time now. With the possible exception of his feature debut, Spanking The Monkey. The writer-director’s films have had a toe in both the mainstream and arthouse territories the likes of Three Kings and The Fighter seem conventional at first glance but have a prickly intelligence and complex emotionality. And the same goes for Silver Linings Playbook, which has an energy that’s messy and exhausting but vibrant, confronting and ultimately touching. In less capable hands this story of bipolar

World, Noodle Place, 6.30pm to Sunday 3 February.

World, Leederville Upstairs Bar, 8.45pm to Tuesday 5 February.

Jack Tandy In Jack Tandy Forever – a comedic coming of age show, this is Tandy’s debut stand up show at Fringe World. The Sun House Tent, Cultural Centre, Northbridge, 8.30pm to Sunday 3 February.

SATURDAY 2

TUESDAY 5

Bogan Bingo – book a table with your mates and have some serious bingo fun with a gang of comedians as your hosts. Part of Fringe World, Rosie O’Grady’s, 7pm to Tuesday 5 February.

SUNDAY 3

Marcel Lucont: Gallic Symbol – the winner of Amused Moose Award Best Comedy Show, Edinburgh Fringe 2012. This Frenchman is a world-renowned funny man. Part of Fringe World, De Parel Spiegeltent, 9.45pm.

Alan Sharp – this comedian and author spent the first quarter century of his adult life as part of the corporate machine. Then ten years ago, something happened that changed his life. Part of Fringe

Rooftop Comedy – a night of good ol’ fashion laughing with comedians Mike G (USA) and Edinburgh Fringe favourites Frisky and Mannish. Every Tuesday in February, The Conservatory Rooftop Bar, 6pm

It’s Me Dayne – a night of stand up with Dayne Rathbone, winner of MICF Raw Comedy Comp (2011) and runner-up of So You Think You’re Funny? (Edinburgh). Part of Fringe

Guy Davis In cinemas

COMEDY

THURSDAY 31

FRIDAY 1

Pat (Bradley Cooper, very solid), out to rebuild his life after a violent incident that landed him in a mental hospital for almost a year, could have been maudlin, sappy or selfconsciously meaningful. In Russell’s, it’s alive and kicking. Released into the custody of his concerned parents (Robert De Niro and Jacki Weaver, both terrific), Pat embarks on a program of physical fitness and mental optimism in a bid to win back his estranged wife. But he didn’t reckon on the presence of Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence, revelatory), a straight-talking, emotionally-bruised young widow who could ruin or redeem him.

JACK TANDY

FRONTROW@DRUMPERTH.COM.AU

IN THE ARMS OF SLEEP

DANNY DELAHUNTY

Insomnia Cat Came To Stay is a play about insomnia stretched to the point of mania. Director Danny Delahunty talks to Zoe Barron about how one might represent that sort of thing on stage. When director Danny Delahunty was brought on to direct Insomnia Cat Came To Stay in 2011, writer Fleur Kilpatrick gave him some pretty broad boundaries. “When I got brought on to the project,” Delahunty explains, “the writer said she wanted to make something of it but she wasn’t sure what, and I said, ‘Leave it to me’. So that was when I took what had essentially started as almost a cabaret show, and we got an animator involved to create projection art for the piece.” Bringing animator Thomas Russell to the project was the first step

in many on the way to creating an eclectic, often intense piece of theatre built from a fusion of music, projected animation and performance. The play is the story of Kilpatrick’s experience of chronic insomnia, and was initially created from her diary entries during a particularly acute bout of the affliction. As such, the piece is quite surreal in its execution. It relies heavily on Russell’s visuals, Sarah Walker’s set design, and a soundscape created by composer Roderick Cairns to replicate the strange, waking dream state of

severe sleep deprivation. “It was such an evocative script,” says Delahunty. “The images that she was painting, they were so visceral in the text, I just wanted to doublehandle that. I really wanted to give us the experience that she’s having.” The script had very little scope for movement onstage, so Delahunty’s first step was to play on this and restrict movement completely, essentially tying actor Joanne Sutton to the set. To do this, he put her in a large white dress that turned into a bed, which is where much of the play is set. “She is vertical,

upright,” Delhunty says, describing Sutton’s positioning onstage, “and the dress kind of extends across and around, and it ties in around on itself to restrict her movement, and then there’s a large white background, and all of the movement within the play is done through hand drawn animations projected over the space. So they’re integrated within the performance itself.” These images are meant to represent what is going on in the head of the insomnia-crazed protagonist. This is how Kilpatrick experienced insomnia, and it is through her personal experience that the story is told. “It’s an extremely accurate representation of one person’s experience of sleep deprivation. And it’s pretty clear within the play itself that it is her experience, and the way she expresses it is through things such as, ‘I’m a chronic storyteller; I can’t stop myself from lying in bed and making up stories and seeing images’. Obviously, not everyone who has insomnia has that particular affliction.” Still, it is a personal account of a fairly universal experience. “It’s funny, the amount of people you get involved with on a project and then they just in casual conversation go, ‘Yeah, yeah, I suffer from insomnia’,” Delahunty says. And this is how Quiet Little Fox, the theatre company that produced the piece, likes to tell their stories. “Rather than make it a play about a disease, it’s about a woman suffering from that disease. That’s kind of where Quiet Little Fox theatre come from – they like to tell the individual stories behind the big issues.” WHAT: Insomnia Cat Came To Stay WHEN & WHERE: Tuesday 12 to Saturday 16 February, Fringe World, Summer Nights: The Blue Room Theatre

C U LT U R A L

CRINGE

WITH MARCIA CZERNIAK There is one place in the world that I have never been to that I desperately want to see and that is New York. The Big Apple. The City that never sleeps… the list of nicknames for NYC could go on for this entire column but you get where I’m going with this. It is one of those places that has so much to offer and from afar, it seems a little magical, like Paris. For years I’ve watched movies like Ghostbusters, Taxi Driver and Saturday Night Fever and thought why yes, these are great movies, but also, what a beautiful city. Then there were the television shows like Felicity, Will And Grace, Seinfeld and of course, my favourite, Gossip Girl, which all depicted places in the city that make it such an iconic place. Like the Empire State Building, Central Park, Times Square, the Manhattan skyline, the Statue of Liberty, Madison Square Garden and the steps outside the Metropolitan Museum of Art where Blair often ate lunch as she was surrounded by her minions. Ah I can imagine it now. But suffice it to say, my imagination will have to carry me over until my New York trip is booked and to help me along the way is of course Picturing New York, the new exhibition at the Art Gallery of WA. Picturing New York is the second exhibition being held as part of the collaboration between the Art Gallery of WA and the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York. The Art Gallery of WA is the only Australian venue

where each of these exhibitions will be shown, so it’s pretty special for us here in Perth. Picturing New York gives audiences the chance to see some of the extraordinary photographs in the MoMA collection, which capture that sense of vibrancy, culture, urgency and beauty for which the city is so reputable. With around 90 artists involved and over 150 pieces of work, the exhibit is a documentation of not just photography throughout the last century, but a documentation of the evolution of New York as well. Like how Jacob August Riis’ photo, Bandits’ Roos, 59½ Mulberry Street, which was shot in 1888, captures the seedy underworld of crime that was Mulberry Street. Or Lewis W. Hine’s Italian Family Looking For Lost Baggage, taken in 1905, which looks at immigration at the time and captures the look of uncertainty in the family pictured just as they arrive in New York. Or on the flipside, Dan Weiner’s New Year’s Eve, Times Square, taken in 1951, which captures the nightlife and celebrations the city is known for as thousands descend on Times Square to watch the ball drop. While there seem to be some portraits of Chuck Bass missing (‘cause hey, he is as much a part of New York as Katz’s Deli), the exhibition is as diverse as the City is itself, capturing both the unique personalities that reside there and the iconic places and moments in the life of New York City. Ah man… it just makes me want to go there even more.

B L AC K S WA N S TAT E T H E AT R E C O M PA N Y STCWA STUDIO

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TOUR GUIDE GIG OF THE WEEK

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BIG DAY OUT 2013

THE SMITH STREET BAND @ THE ROSEMOUNT HOTEL

CLAREMONT SHOWGROUNDS: 28/1/13 BDO 2013 proved to be a huge bounce back to form for the nation’s most loved festival, with FOAM as the first stop on the expedition for Drum’s lone dingo; that is after watching a bunch of robots sound-check their instruments, but more on that later. No signs of openingactitis for the three-piece as they had the Vans Pavilion well and truly alive with a very good set of K.C. influenced grunge.

Dead Owls received another great turnout for the first act on the Red Stage, and deservedly so, as the set was an absolute ripper from the visceral two-piece, seemingly as natural as any on the big stage. As Rainy Day Women took over, there were plenty of heads nodding to some now familiar tracks. Looking round the festival at this point, it became clear the BDO is in good hands, thanks to the huge support from young punters getting down early and treating locals with the same respect and fanfare they do the internationals. In chase of some heaviness, Every Time I Die obliged, tearing the main stage a new one by forcing the crowd into some huge circle pits, and shout-outs before the opportunity to explore the grounds paid dividends immediately as a glance over to The Lillypad provided the sights of a man carried Superman-style above the heads of a nomadic crowd to some cheesy techno beats. One can only assume that man was Tomas Ford. The Boiler Room was starting to approach a good size crowd for Sampology as a journey back past The Lillypad proved a good move as the stage was in the early rounds of an “arse painting” contest to a

FRONTLASH SUPER SALESMANSHIP

It’s the ultimate example of our consumerist society: the ads scheduled to play during the Superbowl. There’s raunch, there’s controversy, there’s astronauts, and there’s just enough Kate Upton to keep you distracted between plays. This, of course, all depending on whether or not you give a flying football about the Superbowl… ADALITA

THE FUTURE IS NOW

A US soldier who has lost all his limbs in action has received a new set of arms in a landmark operation. Yes, it’s true: it’s only a finite amount of time now until we can excel in sporting events and romance with a second, third, or fourth set of limbs installed on our torsos.

PUNCH DRUNK So Chris Brown punched Frank Ocean (allegedly) in the face, and then resorted to quell the controversy by comparing himself to Jesus. We’ve put this bit into Frontlash because, hell, this shit is just funny by now. The world would be much less entertaining with the man.

soundtrack of Fleetwood Mac. The transformation of Against Me frontwoman Laura Jane Grace was briefly witnessed en route to the Green Stage for blues/soul posterboy Gary Clark Jr. who was everything imagined, and more. Man, can this guy sing, and shred. Twopiece heavy power-pop act Jeff The Brotherhood had an intriguing sound thanks to their three-string guitar split through a bass amp, before intrigue was given a whole new meaning through the aforementioned robots Compressor Head playing real instruments, covering tracks such as TNT, God Save The Queen and I Love Rock and Roll; can robots really love anything? From a band of robots to the main stage for Band Of Horses who laid a beautifully soulful, Hammondinfused Americana entre to Vampire Weekend who no doubt were a highlight of many, their big singles absolutely killing the rapturous crowd despite the sun at its punishing peak. Speaking of highlights, Alabama Shakes lived up to the hype with their laconic, ragged soul before the sunset-set of Foals absolutely destroyed. Both brutally heavy and intricately beautiful (and always funked-up), the set is unlikely to be beaten this year for many. As if any more was needed, the Red Hot Chili Peppers closed the main stage in sensational style. Refusing to stand still (handstands included), the band ripped through a hits-heavy set of all the biggies (bar Suck My Kiss), showing no signs of their age whist treating the muso’s in attendance to regular display’s of virtuosity through some amazing solos, interludes and extended jams.

“We are a shitty band from Melbourne who enjoy mock meat and alcohol. We play heaps of shows and tour lots because it’s fun”. Strike out the shitty, and The Smith Street Band are speaking the gospel truth. Relentless tourers, The Smith Street Band anchored their place in our hearts and minds with their second record, Sunshine and Technology. The four-piece bring a distinctly lo-fi sensibility to their otherwise tightly produced tracks: there are no faux filters or inane, hammed-up accents on a Smith Street record, just compositions clearly rendered on an afternoon in Fitzroy. Wil Wagner, Chris Cowburn, Lee Hartney, and Fitzy Fitzgerald are, in total, one of Australia’s most humble, hardworking and honestly impressive acts at the moment. As such, they’ve given WA two performances - the first of which takes place on Thursday 31 January at The Prince of Wales down Bunbury way, and the second of which hits the Rosemount on Saturday 2 January. They’ll be supported all the way by Bomb The Music Industry and indie champions The Bennies. Tickets to both gigs available through Oztix.

DRUM MEDIA IS PROUD TO PRESENTS SHOWS INCLUDING: STRANGERS: FEB 17 Indi Bar SARAH BLASKO & WASO: FEB 23 Kings Park & Botanic Garden FUTURE MUSIC FESTIVAL: AVICII, THE PRODIGY, THE STONE ROSES, BLOC PARTY, DIZZEE RASCAL, AZEALIA BANKS, RITA ORA, PSY, BOYS NOIZE (LIVE), HARDWELL, THE TEMPER TRAP, FUN, MADEON, ELLIE GOULDING, STEVE AOKI, GYPSY & THE CAT, RUDIMENTAL, KILL THE NOIZE, FEED ME (LIVE), ZEDS DEAD, ZANE LOWE, NERVO, BORGORE, THE STAFFORD BROTHERS, TIMMY TRUMPET, TENZIN, SVEN VATH, RICHIE HAWTIN, RICARDO VILLALOBOS, SETH TROXLER,

MAGDA, COSMIC GATE FEAT. EMMA HEWITT, W&W, ANDY MOOR, SUPER 8 & TAB, BEN GOLD and more: MAR 3 Arena Joondalup GEORGE CLINTON & PARLIAMENT FUNKADELIC, GREG WILSON: MAR 7 Metro City DINOSAUR JR., JON SPENCER BLUES EXPLOSION, MOON DUO: MAR 12 Astor Theatre GRINSPOON: APR 5 Prince Of Wales; APR 6 Capitol SOMETHING FOR KATE: JUN 7 Astor Theatre

ONGOING: GIGNITION: Upcoming band showcases 4-8pm monthly on Sundays at The Railway Hotel CULTURE CLASH & BASS CULTURE: Rotating Thursdays at The Newport Hotel

Luke Butcher

BACKLASH GOODBYE EMI

Following the ingestion of EMI into Universal, 20 Australians have lost their jobs. We wish good luck to those who were unlucky, and wish them well in their future.

FEAR THE FLOOD One year, the entire coast of Queensland becomes submerged. The next, it’s devastated by bushfires. As much as you may deny it, there are some cons to living in Australia.

BINGLE BUNGLE Lara Bingle broke up with her boyfriend? RIGHT BEFORE VALENTINE’S DAY? THAT COLD-HEARTED BITCH, HOW COULD SHE… Seriously though: we don’t care, the fact this shows up on our news feeds makes us nauseous… especially on deadline day.

SOMETHING FOR KATE

For more reviews go to themusic.com.au/reviews • 23

FEEDBACK WOODS, MOUNT EERIE, HAMJAM

PUGSLEY BUZZARD

THE BAKERY: 23/01/13

THE ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB, PERTH: 25/01/13

As Weezer was rolling out a complete rendering of their finest album just a stone’s throw away at the Perth Arena, a musical excursion of an entirely different nature was going down across the tracks at the Bakery. Local outfit HAMJAM set a fair pace early with their jangly pop smarts but, keyboard flourishes notwithstanding, it was a fairly one-dimensional performance. There was little variety in tempo and too often the dual guitars were indistinguishable, though there were flashes of decent songwriting that promise better things.

Weezer Pic by James Gifford

WEEZER, CLOUD CONTROL, BALL PARK MUSIC PERTH ARENA: 23/01/13 A surprisingly early kick-off time to accommodate plenty of room for the headliners’ two sets meant that Brisbane’s Ball Park Music picked up their instruments at the same time most ticketholders were picking up a pre-show snack. Despite this, they didn’t let up once, bestowing Literally Baby as a parting gift for early comers to remember them by. Weezer fans had waited 16 years for the return of their idols, and the unbearable anticipation engrossing diehard fans in the hour leading up to their set was soothed by the indie pop of NSW’s Cloud Control. Unfortunately, they lacked a certain energy that Weezer fans have grown accustomed to over the years. A medley of cheesy ‘80s theme songs introduced the Californian four-piece onstage, and was swiftly drowned out by a roaring welcome. Frontman Rivers Cuomo invited everyone into the Weezer time machine for their greatest hits set, which first stopped at Memories – an appropriate opener for a night of overwhelming nostalgia. After having an MRI due to a leg injury sustained at the band’s Melbourne show a week earlier, Cuomo posted that he had “ACL deficiency”. Even he wasn’t quite sure what that meant. Although he moved with a distinct limp, the person who controlled his spotlight still had their work cut out for them. With a huge, W-shaped light sitting behind the stage to guide their time machine, they hit all stops on the Weezer best of, finishing with You Gave Your Love To Me Softly to get punters in the mood for their performance of The Blue Album in full. Karl Koch, the band’s roadie of 20 years, led an insightful and humorous slideshow during intermission. After delving into significant detail surrounding the The Blue Album’s conception and birth, the band finally resurfaced. The problem with playing an album start to finish is it ruins the element of surprise. Luckily fans were still in a state of shock from the previous set and seeing such an iconic album live was a worthwhile trade-off. “Maybe we can come back next year?” Cuomo pondered. And while 16 years was a long time to make fans wait, after two solid sets, the band was surely forgiven. One song had been missed during their first set, and although no one expected an encore, Weezer returned one last time for Island In The Sun, which ended in all four members behind the drums, smashing the kit with sticks as hard as humanely possibly, leaving a ring in people ears that will no doubt last until they return. Daniel Cribb

DAY OF THE DEAD, THE SHAKEYS, RAG N’ BONE LEEDERVILLE LOUNGEROOM: 24/01/13 Bringing back a variety night to the Leederville Lounge proved to be a fantastic idea as the audience were treated to a mixed bag of entertainment on a warm Thursday night. Our host for the evening Tomas Ford (still reeling from his appearance on the front cover of our very magazine that day) kept good vibes in the air all night, introducing each band with aplomb and cracking out some killer quips. Recent Jammin’ winners Rag n’ Bone were first to grace the stage with a solid, well-rehearsed blend of rock that had the crowd well and truly geared up for the night ahead. Kiera Owen was in top form with her amazing vocal ability, and if Axel Carrington was clearly having the time of his life, jesting with on-lookers and jumping around stage like a kid in the park.

An interlude between bands saw Carnies with Candy’s resident ‘Snake Dancer’, Emerald Mamba, take to the stage with some mesmerising dance moves, complete with a live serpent. The Shakeys were next up, the all-girl punk outfit creating a performance that would have grown men shaking in their shoes. Claire Hodgson propelled herself off-stage early in the set to further push the band’s in-your-face attitude, while the rest of the group kept their expressions hard and fierce, leaving the audience pumped up for the final act. Finally, Day Of The Dead took up the reins atop the stage in what was their first time playing at the venue. Caleb Merrey’s upright bass grabbed the attention of the audience immediately, and from there the group played a solid set which, although was almost entirely void of words, had the crowd enticed from the very second the first note hit. The band kept themselves strong and composed; a collective cheer coming from the crowd when the band began to play Dick Dale’s Miserlou. Murrey’s friendly banter between songs kept the atmosphere warm and inviting, and if this relaunch night is anything to go by, The Leederville Lounge should see itself with a growing number of patrons for each Thursday that comes hereafter. Kane Sutton

Before a note was struck, the question of just what form Mount Eerie, the recording name of Washington resident Phil Elverum, would take was an interesting sub-plot to proceedings. Elverum took flight alone tonight but easily and beautifully filled the room with a voice that was mesmerising and a 12-string guitar whose influence was remarkable. Those who’d hoped for faithful reproductions from last year’s two releases, Clear Moon and Ocean Roar, didn’t get them, but they certainly couldn’t have been disappointed with how they were interpreted. Where Elverum’s vocals were muffled on Clear Moon, here they were clear and crisp, traversing high and low octaves and sounding at times remarkably similar to the tones of Mark Kozelek. His voice, however, was only half the story. Elverum sucked every inch of life out of his guitar, from harsh notes that cracked at the end of what were very brief tracks to full-bodied chords that rang out into the night. From one man, it was a performance of some magnitude. Matters got significantly more conventional when Woods took to the stage, but they were no less interesting. Theirs was a set that leaned most heavily on the band’s last two albums but the songs, again, were not simply carbon copies of the records. Bend Beyond was the greatest example of this, and also the best track of the night, as they pulled the middle apart and stretched it to almost double its length. Woods’ tightness throughout such moments was impeccable, and for that they owe a great deal of thanks to bassist Kevin Morby. It is, of course, impossible to get away from the incredible voice of Jeremy Earl, which seems to sit naturally higher than everyone else’s and then, when he’s in the mood, goes even higher still. It never cracked, never wobbled, rarely strained, and punctuated songs that were already brimming with life.

TWELVE FOOT NINJA, I, SAID THE SPARROW, THE MEANING OF

Rick Bryant

AMPLIFIER BAR: 25/1/13

SPIEGELTENT: 25/01/2013

On an evening where Amplifier played host to an excursion back to the early noughties, The Meaning Of took the opportunity to step in, bringing with them an army of advocates. With the smell of Lynx dominating the air around what must have been close to 200 people in the band room by 8.30, the six-piece’s set was as energetic and well received as any headlining act. With a traditional nu-metal sound plus a full time didgeridoo player (believe it), some how the band rose above novelty value and delivered one of the best opening sets this scribe has seen at the venue.

Blessed with a powerful and mesmerising voice that resonates with emotion, a voice that reaches down into your gut, Movin’ Melvin Brown is a showman whose style draws on the legends he admires: Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, Little Richard, and Sammy Davis. Jr. Soul to Soul (I Have A Dream) combines live music, powerful singing, storytelling, and energetic tap-dancing to create a show that is joyous in its celebration of soul.

I, Said The Sparrow followed a very hard to follow set, and despite possibly not fitting within the narrow tastes of the genre specific audience, they did a damn good job at holding the full room for the entirety of the set. Undoubtedly, it took the act a little while to win the crowd over, the dirty synth backing tracks and rock’n’roll swagger alienating a few, but by the time the untouchable hooks had made way for some big, big grooves, the job was done. Some extreme head banging from their drummer typifying a high energy set from a band seemingly going places ahead of their debut release. With a brief intermission, Twelve Foot Ninja entered to a massive applause. Honouring a time when Dickies were king and you only had one colour in your wardrobe – black; the energy in the room was simply electric. Built upon a world-class nu-metal spine, the Melbournians offer so much more, infusing elements of dub, funk and djent into their tracks, evidently conjouring acts as diverse as Incubus and Limp Bizkit. Refusing to acknowledge any musical trends, the group had enough courage in their fans to drop an almost entirely funk song amongst some brutal metal. And despite (or perhaps because of) there being at most seven females in attendance, the group had 95 per cent of people in the venue packed into the band room, something this scribe has never witnessed at 11:30 pm at Amplifier. All in all, a grand set. Luke Butcher

24 • For more news/announcements go to themusic.com.au/news

MOVIN’ MELVIN BROWN

The Ellington is a gem in the Perth music scene. In the tradition of New York jazz clubs, patrons book tables and sip on martinis in the intimate downstairs bar, paying heed to signs such as, “If it were background music, it wouldn’t be on the stage right in front of you”. Should some Chatty McChatChat insist on talking, they will be asked to leave. Such is the level of respect for musicians as artists at The Ellington. And if anyone has earned the right to a respectful audience, it’s Pugsley Buzzard. At first glance, Buzzard looks like a bluesy jazz man. Built like a barrel, sporting a jet-black goatee and moustache and a waistcoat with watch chain, Buzzard could have stepped straight out of the Deep South. Indeed, he has spent time in New Orleans and its surrounds, though he hails from Perth and now lives in Sydney. In this instance, first impressions turn out to be on the money because the moment Buzzard growls good evening and plinks the piano keys, we are in honkey tonk, gravelly jazz heaven. Buzzard is equal parts pianist and vocalist, and it is hard to know which to be more awed by. Buzzard turned out jazz standards such as Dinah, which in boogie style was hardly recognizable compared to Dean Martin’s mellifluous rendition, and Fats Waller’s The Viper’s Drag. His own numbers however, and a couple he picked in the US recently, were Buzzard at his dirty, bluesy, rag-time best. Black Dog was a musical education in the underbelly of depression; a talking blues number called Ragtime Monkey elicited audience participation and was rollicking good fun; and in Bad Attitude, Buzzard’s snarling, petulant vocals declared he was in need of a double – one for him, and one for his bad attitude. Mention must be made of Buzzard’s sensational supporting musicians; Phil Waldron and Angus Diggs, on double bass and drums respectively. It appears they got the memo on prerequisite facial hair, as they also displayed rather impressive beards and moustaches. Buzzard was generous in creating space for Waldron and Diggs to get creative with solos, and they displayed the skill and intuitive ability of those whose life’s work is playing music. Buzzard and band’s improvisational abilities were also extremely impressive, and one had the distinct impression that these three never play a song the same way twice. Which means that Friday night at The Ellington was a one-night-only kind of special. Rebekah Barnett

The show starts on time with Brown in blue overalls, recalling the chain gangs, field songs, spirituals, and blues which set the foundation for soul. Sidestepping the development of jazz, he moves onto the R’n’B and soul of the Sixties after describing famous civil rights events such as the Montgomery Bus Boycott. After a nod to Michael Jackson with an impressive tap dance routine to Jackson’s ‘90s hit Jam, Brown’s show culminates in a show-stopping tribute to the Godfather of Soul. Sightlines are limited by the Spiegeltent’s even level seating which, for most, hides Brown’s fancy footwork. However, the venue’s layout caters for those inspired to get up and dance around the back of the room; two lucky ladies were even invited on stage as Brown led the audience in a host of popular dance moves like the twist, mash potato, and monkey. Grinning with pearly whites Brown must be grateful for the high calibre tight musical support from the suited gentlemen in his four-piece backing band who provide the solid gold foundation for his show. Musically faultless powerhouse performer Movin’ Melvin Brown could fill a small bucket with the sweat he drips. The fierce performer with a deep infectious laugh is an entertainer that has ladies, granddads, children, and gentlemen in their twenties cheering and clapping along. The show’s only weakness is Brown’s highly supportive yet musically middling MC who caused a few audience members to giggle. The show’s highlight is his standout impersonation of James Brown. Jake Dennis

Pugsley Buzzard’s Band Pic by Kieran Chew

TASTE TEST

FLYING HIGH

SMELLIN’ FUNKY

Pugsley Buzzard has performed all over the world from the smoky jazz cellars of Berlin to downtown New Orleans, and has dazzled and delighted audiences far and wide with his unique blend of dark hoodoo blues, good time rollicking boogie and blazing stride style piano. He wraps up his tour tonight at Settlers Tavern Thursday 31 January, the Burlington Hotel, Bunbury Friday 1 February, Rottnest Lodge Saturday 2 and finally Clancy’s Dunsborough on Sunday 3 February. Head to pugsleybuzzard.com for full details.

Got Friday night off? Got five dollars in your pocket? Make sure you head down to Ya Ya’s on Friday 1 February for a night of heavenly grooves when Zealous Chang, Seer Wave, Star Cleaner, and RTRFM Soulsides’ own Foxman all kick out the jams for you groovy cats out there for Funk Dat Friday.

SINGLE STORY

WATERSHED MOMENT CAL PECK & THE TRAMPS Cal Peck, guitar and vocals. THE FIRST ALBUM I BOUGHT WITH MY OWN MONEY Actually my twin sister and I went halves, and it was the soundtrack to the film Fern Gulley in 1992. THE ALBUM I’M LOVING RIGHT NOW I have a couple, Ty Segall/Mikal Cronin – Reverse Shark Attack, Tame Impala – Lonerism.

In their first Australian tour and performing cult classics and greatest hits along with new works from An Appointment With Mr Yeats, The Waterboys are finally headed our way. Frontman Mike Scott has confirmed that the show will be “a killer set of vintage Waterboys” to please their most ardent of fans, spanning their 30-year back catalogue including classics: The Whole Of The Moon, Fisherman’s Blues, A Bang On The Ear and more. Saturday 2 February at Perth Concert Hall. Tickets via livenation.com.au from next Friday. Presented by Street Press Australia.

MY FAVOURITE PARTY ALBUM Peace Love Death Metal – Eagles of Death Metal, Any of the Savage Kick Volumes, anything by T Model Ford or Junior Kimbrough, Numerous garage records. MY FAVOURITE COMEDOWN ALBUM Mark Lanegan – Bubblegum, Skip James – Greatest Hits, any Johnny Cash. THE MOST SURPRISING RECORD IN MY COLLECTION I have lots. Probably Dr Hook: Greatest Hits; it has a terrible airbrushed cover with palm trees and a love heart. THE FIRST GIG I EVER ATTENDED The Big Day Out quite a few years ago, I think the Dirtbombs, Rammstein and Queens Of The Stone Age were playing. THE WEIRDEST GIG EXPERIENCE I’VE EVER HAD Probably an incident about three years ago with The Tramps when I asked the band to get off stage so I could do a Charles Caldwell cover that I didn’t actually know how to play. I made an absolute mess of it. Admittedly, I’d had a few drinks. THE COOLEST PERSON I’VE EVER MET Pat Carney and Dan Auerbach from The Black Keys. I luckily got to hang out with these guys back in 2004 at the concert hall when I was helping set up the Wowsville event that happened after they played. Really nice cool guys, no wank whatsoever. THE BIGGEST CELEBRITY CRUSH I’VE EVER HAD Raquel Welch, Liv Tyler or Beyoncé. IF I COULD HANG OUT IN ANY TIME AND PLACE IN HISTORY Night time is the right time. IF I WASN’T MAKING MUSIC I would be really good at knitting by now. WHAT: Cal Peck & The Tramps, Loose Lips, Tooth & Claw WHEN & WHERE: Thursday 31 January, The Leederville Lounge

SAM PERRY Releasing his latest single Only Love this weekend, Sam gives us the story behind the new video. The story: The song started out as a depressing outlook on a love affair between two of my fish. It’s a sad realisation that you don’t always get what you want and life isn’t fair. It’s my first track with additional instruments (not just vocal looping) featuring a saxophonist and a drummer (Luke Minness - The Squeeze / Nathan O’Brien - Anchored) After recording the track I teamed up with Brendan Joel and a group of WAAPA dance graduates. Next thing you know, we hired out the entire Fremantle Prison, have a cast and crew of 48 people and we’re making a movie! I purposed the idea to Brendan only one week and three days before the filming date. He now hates me, but did an outstanding job! My fish killed each other in a bucket, by the way.

WHAT TIME IS IT? After 2012’s successful Flying High National Tour and providing support slots for Pour Habit, Rufio, Tonight Alive, MC Lars and The Story So Far, local boys 10 Past 6 couldn’t wait to tour again, and started planning what was to become the Terrorpin Tour as soon as they got back. Now they unleash it, playing an all-ages gig at YMCA HQ on Saturday 2 February (with Here Come The Cavalry, Vice Versa, Alex The Kid and The Moment We Fall), before a big 18+ gig at The Rosemount Hotel on Wednesday 6 February ( with Alex The Kid, Here Come The Cavalry and Blindspot).

Your fave three clips of all time: What What In The Butt, Samwell; Paper Towels, Magic Hugs; Man gets struck by lightning TWICE (as in just the video)

GOLDEN ROAD DANCING IN THE HAY Themes of redemption and renewal come naturally to Colin Hay, as he is in the midst of a remarkable renaissance. His Finding My Dance Tour sees him continuing that tradition, and he brings it to Bunbury Entertainment Centre Friday 1 February, Regal Theatre Saturday 2 and Mandurah Performing Arts Centre Sunday 3.

The Bird will host the final of band competition Path To Laneway, which gives a local unsigned artist the chance to open Perth’s Laneway Festival. The winner will be selected on the night by a panel of industry experts. Plus there is the chance of winning a double pass to the festival by simply showing up and supporting WA talent! It all happens on Tuesday 5 February, with free entry.

WHAT: Music Video Launch (Independent)

SHHHHHHHHH

With a signature sound and an unforgettable live reputation, OKA is a celebration of Australian cultures with a very present, powerful and uniting Indigenous cultural overtone running throughout the music. They play Indi Bar Wednesday 6 February; Mojo’s Thursday 7; White Star Hotel, Albany Friday 8; Settlers Tavern, Margaret River Saturday 9; and the Railway Hotel, Sunday 10. Tickets through okamusic.com.au.

Two giants of the Australian and international music scenes join forces to launch the Australian Chamber Orchestra’s 2013 season as Brett Dean’s Electric Preludes, a new electric violin concerto written for Richard Tognetti, has its Australian premiere. Electric Preludes had its world premiere in Maribor, Slovenia, in September 2012; by the end of 2013 it will have been performed by Tognetti and the ACO on four continents, with the WA leg happening Wednesday 6 February at Perth Concert Hall. Tickets via Ticketek.

Launch will involve: The first official screening of Only Love, and my last live set in Perth until August! Plus DJ sets from YLEM, Lumiere and Feyek. WHEN & WHERE: Sunday 3 February, The Bird

A OKA-Y

ECLECTIC ELECTRIC

Fave local clip: Wise Up, Ruby Boots

DRUNK PUNKS Melbourne’s The Smith Street Band won a lot of hearts this year with much-loved sophomore album Sunshine & Technology and some seriously extensive touring. Not two months since their most recent visit, they’re once again touring extensively as part of the Young Drunks Tour with Bomb The Music Industry (US) and Melbourne bros The Bennies. It sees them hit The Prince Of Wales Hotel, Thursday 31 January, and The Rosemount Hotel, Saturday 2 February. Thesmithstreetband.com for ticketing info.

If you’re like us, then there’s nothing worse than some clown talking loudly at the back of a pub during your favourite songwriter’s most hushed and heartfelt song. Enter Hush, a unique concert with the sole focus of creating the perfect concert environment. Sunday 3 February at St George’s College at UWA welcomes Dom Mariani, Joe McKee, Big Old Bears, Fall Eelectric, Apricot Rail Rachael Dease, Simone & Girlfunkle, Rainy Day Women, Davey Craddock & The Spectacles, Moustache, James Teague, The Stalker Family, Amanda Merdzan, Todd Pickett and Collector. Massive! Head to facebook.com/hushconcert for ticket details.

RUBBING ONE OUT This Sunday 3 February, Geisha opens it’s doors for another round of Innerspace, it’s rotating roster of all things weird, wonderful and entirely unique. This week they welcome Austin, Texas’ indie darling Sleep ∞ Over, with the experimental synth ballads of Kučka and the soaring soundscapes of Erasers.

For more news/announcements go to themusic.com.au/news • 25

HOT LOCAL GIG SPOTLIGHT

TIM TALKS Few gig-frequenters in Perth will be unsure as to who Timothy Nelson and his ludicrously talented Infidels are. Slowly but surely these raconteurs have been melting hearts and winning awards based upon their timeless pop sensibilities and melancholic yet joyful lyrics. Fresh from releasing their latest offering Talk, the Infidels will be taking to PICA Bar on Friday 1 February to woo newcomers and re-embrace old lovers with help from newly reformed The Sun Orchestra, Dave and Ben Witt.

BIRTHDAY BASH

BLIND YLEMON Kymani and Sergeant Bob

32ND ANNUAL BOB MARLEY OUTERNATIONAL BIRTHDAY General Justice, selecta and promoter at Reggae Dancehall WA. Who’s playing your event and who should punters be most excited about seeing? Gappy Ranks is headlining, and he is credited as the artist spearheading the UK’s reggae revival. Jessie Proverbs is also an amazing Jamaican reggae singer, and some of WA’s local live reggae talent on the outdoor stage, including Ngati, The Isolites and Glen Prophecy, and on the DJ stage there are ten reggae DJs from Jamaica, Kenya, the UK and Australia.

Tuesday 5 February is Sidechained at Ya Ya’s, with Ylem, Leon Osborn, Celloear and Wilder & Wilder (Face DJs). Yelm’s sound is a continuous exploration of synthesizers, recording, sampling, re-sampling and real world sounds spliced twisted into harmonies and grooves. $5 from 8pm

MMMM, BISCUITS Although new on the scene, The Monte Christos comprises three familiar faces from around town: Michael Vdelli, Ric Whittle and Leigh Miller, who’ve all played together in international rock act Vdelli. In The Monte Christos, they play the music they cut their teeth on, blending a whole heap of blues standards from the likes of Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, John Lee Hooker and more with some great original content. They play the Perth Blues Club at The Charles Hotel on Tuesday 5 February, supported by Chelsea J Gibson and Lovebites.

BACK IN BECKER THE BEAT Jimmy - Promotions/Bookings What’s happened at The Beat since you’ve opened? Originally, our aim was to host local live original music upstairs, so we built a stage and had Audex put in a huge P.A. The reaction from the local scene was great! What we didn’t anticipate was how well the live music has worked downstairs, where Runaways hosts live floor shows from punk and hardcore bands. What do you put the success of The Beat down to? Being accessible. We’ll give people a go. Got an idea? We’ll give it run. You aren’t dealing with external promoters or booking agents because everything runs through one channel and we’re pretty easygoing about most things.

What gave you the idea/theme for this show? When Bob Marley passed in 1981, the members of RTRFM’s reggae show put on a tribute as we all felt so touched by his music and influence in our lives. I have continued putting on an annual tribute to Bob ever since, as he is the King of Reggae, and his influence is felt all over the world, through his music, his message, and his actions during his short life.

Who takes the cake for the best/craziest show the last year? The two that stick in my mind was the BLKOUT album launch back in November. The crowd went WILD. Some dude did a flip off the stage. (Needless to say, he was escorted out immediately – OH&S and all that jazz). The other one was the Statues floor show at Runaways in September. Watching a drummer lift his kit into the middle of the crowd was something to behold.

What cause are you raising funds for? Every year we raise funds for selected charities. For the past 4 years we have been donating to Oxfam’s various emergency relief funds, including the Haiti earthquake disaster relief, Clean water projects in Zimbabwe, and the East African Famine Appeal. This year we are raising funds for Oxfam’s West Africa food crisis, where millions are still at risk of starvation. We also aim to raise awareness of these situations.

What’s the thing you’re most proud of The Beat contributing to the music scene in the last year? Providing a new live music venue for Perth. Over-hearing someone say “I love this place”, or seeing people come in weekend after weekend gives you a sense of satisfaction like no other. People don’t realise the countless hours that go into making a venue work, and something like that makes it all worth it.

How did this idea/show come about? Because Bob Marley did so much good in his life, we honour him by putting on a show that reflects his legacy, showcasing local, international and interstate reggae artists, and much like Bob Marley continues to feed people in Jamaica. We try to feed people in need around the world via Oxfam. Shout out to Sista Che and Mumma Trees for their hard work and enthusiasm every year. What’s next for your promo company? We perform regularly at The Reggae Club, every Friday at Bar Orient Fremantle (free entry!), and continue to promote reggae music through RTRFM’s Jamdown Vershun radio show. WHEN & WHERE: Sunday 3 February, The Railway Hotel Fremantle (first 50 people through the door at 2pm get a free reggae t-shirt)

SUNDAY COURTING Fremantle Arts Centre’s Courtyard Music series continues to impress, with each Sunday hosting a range of great musical acts. This Sunday 3 February, The DomNicks, featuring Dom Mariani and Nick Sheppard, strip it all back for a one off acoustic performance of their own special brand of old school rock and soul. Free entry from 2pm.

GLAD HANDS Featuring members of Usurper Of Modern Medicine and French Rockets, Glandhacker combine the best of both worlds of those two well-known acts, and deliver a lush sensory overload through a variety of audiovisual goings on. Self described as “Experimental Electronica / Visual / Mindgasm”, they kick off with their debut performance, as part of Fringe World, on Thursday 7 February with special guests Wa$abi Pea$, plus performances from the Beehives Gogo live dancers and live visuals performed by VJ Combs.

What gigs have you got coming up? We’ve got: Over-Reactor WA Tour (w/ Serial Killer Smile) - February 8, Witching Hour - Live music from Midnight - February 8, Clockwork Presents “Traffic Light Party” - February 14 (Valentines Day) What sort of celebration is in order? This Friday 1st of Feb marks one whole year since The Beat opened its doors to Perth and cemented its place in Perth’s prestigious live music scene. So we’re throwing a massive party to celebrate! Fresh from their Big Day Out appearance, Boys Boys Boys! will fill the room with their brand of hypercolour dance pop, with support from Axe Girl who will be bashing out their catchy indie grunginess and Mezzanine will be fuzzing the room out! WHAT: The Beat 1st Birthday Party feat. Boys Boys Boys!, Axe Girl & Mezzanine WHEN & WHERE: Friday 1 February, The Beat

Mitch Becker’s hands to a guitar are like the Bermuda Triangle to a sailor. Using a myriad of different tunings, he is one of the few who play electric the way it should be and acoustic the way it shouldn’t. Influential Canadian guitarists Ani DiFranco and Kaki King are obvious in Mitch’s acoustic style, and his acoustic blues language apparent from Geoff Achison and Llyod Speigel, both of whom he has supported. He plays with full band at Clancy’s Fremantle on Friday 1 February with Old Blood in support.

FIVE OF THE GREATEST

KUCKA It’s a question that has dogged mankind since the dawn of the ear; the 10 greatest albums of all-time. Laura Jane lowther for Kučka attempts to answer half that question. 1. Midnight Vultures, Beck I remember when I first heard this record, there was so much happening, so many different sounds it almost made my head explode. 2. Until the Quiet Comes, Flying Lotus This is such beautiful and melodic album. He manages to make electronic music that’s so flowing and natural sounding. 3. Medulla, Bjork I love that the instrumentation is so minimal, but the textures are so varied. After I heard this album I definitely started experimenting more vocally. 4. Uh Huh Her, PJ Harvey I could have chosen any PJ Harvey album, but this one has such a raw quality to it, it feels really intimate and personal, probably because she recorded it all herself at home on her four-track. I also love how one track is simply a field recording of seagulls. I don’t know where they are but in my head I created a place and that’s where the album takes me. 5. Angles Without Edges, Yesterday’s New Quintet Not quite sure how this album was made, but pretty sure it was Madlib playing all of the instruments individually. The tracks are so good I don’t know how he managed to get such an awesome live band sound, and also how anyone can play so many instruments that well. GENIUS.

FREE

WHO: kučka WHAT: kučka EP (Wood & Wire), 2012 WHEN & WHERE: Friday 1 February, The Bird (solo); Sunday 3 February, Geisha (with band).

THIS WEEK’S ISSUE NOW LIVE

26 • For more news/announcements go to themusic.com.au/news

31 JANUARY

2013

DIRTYBIRD SHOWCASE

AMBAR NIGHTCLUB 27/01/2013 Due to severe weather conditions in Brisbane, the Dirtybird himself Claude Vonstroke was unable to make an appearance in the Perth leg of the official 2013 Dirtybird Showcase. This was taken as a huge blow for the fans, but it failed to spoil a wonderful Ambar atmosphere, with local boy Deadmuv doing a superb job as last minute replacement. Mono Lisa started off the night early in style with some bass friendly vibes played out to a smallish but eager crowd, before Deadmuv heated things up a bit more, setting things up nicely for the two remaining Dirtybirds. Sweet faced house mastermind J Phlip churned out a tasteful selection of bass numbers, with a performance that seemed to go down more of a dark and sinister sort of vibe as her set progressed. Dark Sky and Breach’s The Lick rode masterfully into Boddika’s remix of his own Soul What, with a set that kept the crowd guessing as much as dancing. Dirtybird veteran Justin Martin saw to the decks in typical fashion, as Phlip handed out free Heinekens and Becks to the front row, coming out to dance and take pictures with an excitable crowd to Kill Frenzy’s Booty Clap. An assortment of tech house gems coupled with gleaming vocals was typical of Justin, whirling the audience into a frenzy with more Ghettos & Gardens remixes that you could poke a stick at. It’s almost impossible to single out the best tracks in Martin’s set, but the Eats Everything ‘reruff’ of Martin’s Ruff Stuff and

PERSONALITY TEST

Dusky’s remix of his Don’t Go were definite highlights for the night. A sudden change of pace with Justin suddenly dropping some drum & bass on the crowd towards the end of an electrifying set served perfectly to change things up, and muster up another level of energy within the audience in the earlier hours of the morning. Frequently, Martin would turn down the music momentarily to scream out things that revved the crowd up regardless of their inaudibility, before unleashing enormous house bangers, including an edit of 2006 house anthem, Claude Vonstroke’s Who’s Afraid of Detroit. Here’s hoping that the promised refund for Claude’s absence is free entry to a secret sideshow from the man himself, or at the very least some nifty Dirtybird merchandise. James Hunt

SASHA, MARKO LAKUCHA, EL DARIO VILLA: 25/01/2013

Aging punters showed their dedication last Friday at Villa, turning out to see the ‘First DJ Pin-up’ return. Reports are that Perth was just a warm-up for Sasha’s Sydney and Melbourne five hour sets the following nights, but none-the-less it was still an ‘ear blistering’ treat hear him smash it out for his house to trance journey. Locals Marko Lakucha and El Dario warmed the decks and the modest crowd nicely in preparation for the main event with their minimalistic but committed pulse, which acted as an appetizing entrée for the night in store. Sasha (aka Alexander Coe) was welcomed to the booth with a roaring ovation from the ‘true

believers’. It was all about the music from the very start with Sasha keeping his physical profile in near darkness as his openers had done and just relied on his music to define his presence. As expected the night was a journey through the Welshman’s long and varied career from the defining days of house with his partner in crime John Digweed on Renaissance and Northern Exposure I & II, to his lesser understood original release Airdrawndagger from 2002. On the second level of Villa the atmosphere was incredible with the floor and the lights reverberating every beat. One of the great things about Sasha’s incredible skill is his ability to play incredibly complex productions that on the surface sound quite simple. The driving beats and seemed neverending as the slowly built into a crescendo and a final harmonic change signifying a change. If there was a downside for the evening it was Sasha’s adventure into proggy and vocals driven tranUE for way too long in the second half of the set. Now before all the unicorn riders form a flying posse and have me locked up in a prison at the end of some rainbow … I like vocals as much as anyone. It was just on this occasion it kind of broke the mood. This gripe aside, the final half hour of the set was a grinding melodic assault to the senses, which was the equal of the chrysanthemum going off at the end of a sky show. Hats-off to Progress Inn for stepping in and picking up the mood post fallout. Rueben Hale

CLUB CLASSICS FRODO

FRODO & BOLSTY Ahead of the DeadWeight! crew’s Tunnidge gig at Geisha, Drum asked local beatmakers of renown/ Tunnidge supports Frodo & Boltsy for four classic singles apiece.

Frodo 1. Express - GHOST (Ghost), 2000. It’s a cliché but dubstep wouldn´t have been the same without El-B, J Da Flex and the rest of the Ghost crew. Their tunes were soulful yet

dark, had big basslines and tons of groove. Express is simply a perfect example of just how good these guys were. Anything to do with Ghost or El-B from around that time is an instant buy on sight for me. 2. Has It Come To This? - THE STREETS (679 Recordings), 2002. I remember my mate rocking up at my house with a burned CD copy of “this new album” (Original Pirate Material) by ”some guy called The Streets”. We had a listen and enjoyed it so much we went straight to the record store, not to buy the album, but to write down the tracklist. Shameless. That was more than 10 years ago and this is still one of my all time favourite albums. 3. I Luv U - DIZZEE RASCAL (XL Recordings), 2003. Dizzee wasn´t just one of the best grime MCs back then, he was also a very talented producer.

It´s a pretty aggressive tune but it always seems to work. Say what you want about Dizzee but he meant business when he was in his teens! 4. Midnight Request Line SKREAM (Tempa), 2005. This one´s a no-brainer for me. My copy has been absolutely battered but after all these years it still seems to find its way into my bag on a regular basis. Don’t talk about dubstep if you don’t know Midnight Request Line.

Bolsty 1. Hard Breakage ft Newham Generals (Digital Soundboy), 2009. Easily my most played 12”, EASILY, nuff said…. 2. Night Vision Distance (PLANET MU), 2007.

What’s something that really annoys you? People that send demos to my label, and CC in 100 labels more at the same time.

EDU IMBERNON

EDU IMBERNON How would your mum describe you? My mum always says that I’m someone that knows what I want. She says that I have my ideas very organised, I’m a perfectionist in every aspect of life, hard working and a good person. But that’s what she says... :) Who inspires you musically? In particular bands like The xx or Metronomy. I love guitars, voices, synths... so basically anything that makes me feel something, anything that inspires me. Name three tracks currently detonating your dancefloor. Reset Robot - Snow Leap [INTACTO] Tapesh & Maximiljan - One Night [LEENA MUSIC] AliEfeDinc - Playin (H2 remix) [EKLEKTISCH]

Imagine you’re on death row. What’s your last meal request? It would have to be the best quality Spanish ham (Jamon Serrano) with homemade bread and tomato slices for starters, Paella cooked by my grandmother and a pumpkin and almond cake cooked by my mother...haha :) Or possibly a loaf of bread with the jail key inside so I could break outta that joint! Tell us about a classic dancefloor moment. Being at Space Ibiza opening party, 4 years ago, a guy I know was kissing a girl and at the same time trying to show me her ID because the surname of the girl was Imbernon...

Name one person living or dead you would love to party with and why. My older brothers, they are ten and twelve years older than me and as yet I have never had the chance to have a proper party with them.

What’s the musical achievement you’re most proud of? Being able to do an official remix for The xx hit Crystalised and then also remixing Reunion, a track from their new album, a few weeks ago!!

What’s ruling your world at the moment? All the new releases and remixes coming out in the next months, the idea of recording an album for summer and touring Australia, North America and South America in the next weeks.

What’s one record you’re embarrassed to admit you own? None actually, just the first records sound a little ‘raw/ fresh’ but that comes with the inexperience of releasing music at 18 years of age I guess. :) Spike Milligan quipped he’d like his tombstone to read ‘I told you I was ill’ – what would be on yours? ‘Dance like there is no tomorrow’.

WHEN & WHERE: Sunday 10 February, Habitat Garden Party, The Court

HOT LOCAL GIG SPOTLIGHT GET WEIRD FEAT. NANCY WHANG You’ve worked with James Murphy, Soulwax, and Shit Robot. Personally, what’s your favourite collaboration to date? The music videos for Holy Ghost! What was your most memorable moment with LCD Soundsystem? The last show at the Garden sticks out most. But actually, I remember the show less than I do the weeks we spent putting the thing together. Have you any solo projects currently on the boil? There are some things simmering in the pot... What records are you looking out for this year? Yeah Yeah Yeahs,

Holy Ghost!, Museum of Love (new project from Pat Mahoney and Dennis “DJ” McNany) What were your favourite records from 2012? Turing Machine - What is the Meaning of What, Kindness World, You Need a Change of Mind, Chilly Gonzales - Solo Piano II If you could put on a gig anywhere in the world, where would it be, and who would be playing? I think this show has actually been put together in one combination or another, but it would LCD Soundsystem, Holy Ghost!, The Juan Maclean, Shit Robot, Hot Chip, 2manydjs… in Calvi, Corsica. If you could have written the soundtrack to any movie, what

This was the tune that got me into the sound. My friend Carlo gave me two singles I think around 2008 with a whole assortment of different stuff on it, I hadn’t heard anything as good as this before and was hooked straight away.

I was only ten when this came out but I remember how catchy it was when I saw the clip on rage. Once I started DJing and got into UKG all those years later, I was over the moon that it fitted in with what I played.

3. Do You Really Like It? DJ Pied Piper & The Master of Ceremonies (Relentless Records) 2001.

4. Lost Time (T.Williams Remix) Javeon McCarthy (PMR records), 2011.

EVERY ADDITIVE IN AN ECSTASY PILL COULD ADD UP TO A TRIP TO EMERGENCY. THERE IS NO SAFE WAY TO TAKE ECSTASY. FIND OUT MORE AT DRUGAWARE.COM.AU 28 • To check out the mags online go to themusic.com.au/mags

What can we expect to hear from you in the near future? More music, more remixes, an album release tour for 2014 and maybe a live show after the album.

NANCY WHANG

would it have been? If it’s what soundtrack I wish I was capable of writing; The Blues Brothers or The Muppet Movie (the original one). Is it true that vegemite on toast is one of your favourite foods? It’s up there. WHEN & WHERE: Friday 1 February, The Bakery

Heard this in N.Y.T.A’s FACT mix early last year and have been playing it ever since, real hands in the air vibes on this one. T’ coming through with the goods as per always. WHAT: DeadWeight! Pres. Tunnidge WHEN & WHERE: Thursday 31 January, Geisha

HADP1232E_ii

FLOORED

PAUL MASTER

WILSON’S WORLD POLITICAL SOUNDTRACKIN’ Interspersing music with gratuitous social commentary, Aarom Wilson tells it like it is. And isn’t. Warning: this column is not actually about politics. It’s official: President Barack Obama has been sworn into the oval office, and what a party it was. Make that parties. With a number of events, balls and concerts, and enough speeches thrown into the air to increase global warming, it’s not surprising the Obama family were struggling to stay awake by the end. And that’s not even taking the soundtrack into consideration. Actually, let’s. If you were President Of The Mothertrucking Universe, who would you get to play your inauguration shows? Seems Prez Obama’s music control board have a few questions to answer. For one, the fact that Beyonce (who also performed at his first inauguration ceremony) had to lip-synch the National Anthem is just a little concerning. You can forgive the likes of Lady Gaga and even Britney for lip-synching through their concerts as there’s a lot more to their shows; dancing, stage stunts, theatrics and swapping meat-dresses in record speed – this all makes multi-tasking a much more challenging affair. Yet Beyonce’s performance was devoid of booty shaking or anything else requiring any concentration, so it’s difficult to understand why she needed a backing track. Unless her and Jay-Z were too busy being dope to learn the words… Then there’s Lupe Fiasco. Living up to his performance surname,

FRIDAYS @ AMPLIFIER CAPITOL

BIRTHDAY BOOTY this is the best line-up your people can come up with?

OBAMA’S INAUGURATION SOUNDTRACK

Be it unfairly, people judge others by their taste in music. With perceptions vs. reality at stake, one must choose carefully, especially if you’re the President of the U.S.A. Unjustly in many respects, politicians are criticised for their non-political actions far more than your average Joe or Jane. A song reference can be a shot to be celebrated or a bullet to denigrate. Obama scored some swag points when showing his appreciation for Al Green via some “love”ly vocals, but, if his most recent inauguration soirees are to be assessed, he’s certainly lost some cred for the musical misfires.

Fiasco’s epic anti-war song saw his Obama-diss as the final straw, earning him an unceremonious booting. Or asked to change songs, depending on who you believe. Either way, Obama’s musical brains trust seemed to have taken a big chance employing someone who’s known for his anti-establishment views and previous overt criticisms of Obama. Or perhaps they should be respected for promoting free speech, a tip to Fiasco’s philosophy that, “You should criticize power even if you agree with it,” as he previously stated on The Colbert Report. Yet considering he’s also said in the past, “the biggest

terrorist is Obama and the United States of America,” he was just ever so slightly a risky booking. Then there was Katy Perry exploding fireworks and star-spangled boobs all over the place, the Glee cast sickening everyone with another dose of over-theatrical smile sorcery, boy band homies Mindless Behavior (er, namecheck, anyone?) crooning silliness, Soundgarden playing the ‘90s High School Inaugural Ball, Usher somehow scoring his second Inauguration event in a row… I mean, really - you’re the most powerful person in the world, and

NEWPORT HOTEL

Yes, the 57th Presidential Inauguration ceremonial swearing-in at the US capital showed us that the person with arguably the most political firepower on the planet is a dude that you’d better hope never runs a radio station when he quits trying to rule the world. It was also a harsh reality check for our own governmental situation. If you thought Obama’s inauguration line-ups were bad, imagine if – gods forbid – Tony Abbott and his budgie brain was voted into power here and was afforded the liberty of a concert. No wonder there’s been a recent trend of musicians attempting to play with politics. Or Gillard? Crikeys on a bike, lucky we don’t celebrate the swearing in of our leaders through song.

THE BACKYARD PROJECT

THE BACKYARD PROJECT FIRST BIRTHDAY Antonio & Cheryl (Music and Events Manager/ Schedule Manager) What’s happened with the club night in the last year? We didn’t manage to find a suitable venue and the time wasn’t right. What do you put the success of your night down to? Having the passion and time and vision to plan out the perfect night for the DJs. Has anyone ever worn their birthday suit at your night? Not yet. What’s the weirdest thing in the last year you’ve found when the lights have come on? Friends making out with one another? If your night was a stripper, what would your stage name be and why? Spaghetti Mansion Cherry Who takes the cake for the best/ craziest set in your club in the

last year? Baden a.k.a DJ Bangs stripping down to almost nothing at Geisha Bar for our second Bird On The Wire event on September 21. What’s the thing you’re most proud of that your night’s contributed to the music scene in the last year? Opening up Stereosonic as an artist and being involved with them. It was a real honour and privilege to be a part of. What other shows/tours have you got coming up? We’ve the quarterly Bird On The Wire event at Geisha, our first birthday at Flawless, trap night at Velvet Lounge, the Flying Scotsman, and lastly we’re bringing over one of Melbourne’s biggest show Dayglow, Life In Colour over to Perth over this winter. What sort of celebration is in order? If you’re referring to the birthday, we’re having our popular shows hosted on The Backyard Project radio station, a day to celebrate the achievement. WHEN & WHERE: Saturday 2 February, Flawless Nightclub

CHICKS IN KICKS @ AMBAR

To check out the mags online go to themusic.com.au/mags • 29

31 JAN - 6 FEB

2013

DEADWEIGHT! PRES. TUNNIDGE

DANCEFLOOR OF THE WEEK

DJ NIINA

Inna Circle are throwing a last minute party with dubstep legend Tunnidge. Supports by Frodo and Bolsty, Saxon and Boy Prince. $10 before 11pm, $15 after.

MOJOS Y MUCHACHOS @ MOJOS Zealous Chang, Electric Toad, Seer Wave and Leure plus Daisuki (DJ) rep’n the decks and keeping up the vibes until the final call. Doors from 8pm. Entry $5.

DJ NIINA @ GEISHA

BASS INVADERS @ THE NEWPORT Bass Invaders is the Port City’s original and biggest underground drum‘n’bass night using the combined skills of the Newport crew. Doors open 8pm ‘til late.

RETRO THURSDAYS @ EVE Step back in time with Retro Thursdays! The EVE DJ Team blast hits from the past plus drink prices go old-school. Free entry with student ID, or $5 entry until 11pm.

BINGAY @ CONNECTIONS A Grindr Party special featuring free pizzas, bingo with drag queens, free from 7 ‘til 9.30pm, Lovers Adult Gift Store giveaways and more, plus free entry to POP! afterwards.

CHASE THE SUN @ THE DEEN Relaunching Thursday nights at The Deen with a line up to entice your inner Tropicana. Starts at 7pm.

POP! @ CONNECTIONS A big dosage of bright, bubbly, sugar-coated pop tunes courtesy of four performances by the Queens of Connies. Doors 9pm, free ‘til 10pm, $5 after.

R’N’R KAROKE @ DEVILLES A hell of a night out for your vocal chords every thursday from 6pm.

FRIDAY 1/2 EMOH INSTEAD

THE PRESETS, PARACHUTE YOUTH, LIGHTYEAR @ METROPOLIS FREMANTLE

It’s a well-known fact that The Presets’ live experience is a force to be reckoned with. Over the last decade the band has brought their explosive show to countless stages and festivals in over 30 countries. And 2012 has seen them return with an almighty bang thanks to their barnstorming third LP, Pacifica. Now they unleash it on their first national tour since 2009, dropping by Metropolis Fremantle, Thursday 31 January, supported by Parachute Youth and Lightyear. Oztix for tickets. Support from Ace Basik, Micah, KNO Agents, tix through moshtix/ VIP the Boomtick SHOP.

FISHERMEN’S STYLE @ MOJOS Smooth beats at the home of Reggae music in WA. Runnings start from 8pm, entry free ‘til 9pm then it’s $10 on the door.

GET WEIRD FEAT. NANCY WHANG @ THE BAKERY

Friday 1 February. Since his Perth debut at Bootleg 18 months ago, Chris Emerson aka Emoh Instead has gone from strength to strength. Massive local support from Philly Blunt, Mr.Ed, Genga, Benny P and 4BY4. Tix $15 on the door; doors open 10pm. WOLFGANG GARTNER

WOLFGANG GARTNER @ VILLA There’s one name in electronic music that stands head and shoulders above his peers in dance music: Wolfgang Gartner.

Jamie Mac spins indie/alt classics from midnight at Amps, while Caps satisfies your ‘90s desires with DJs from 11pm.

FHF @ METRO FREO Frat House Fridays and the Death Disco DJs rock bangin’ indiedance, plus red cups, cheerleaders and college-themed craziness.

The next big name in the moderately amazing Get Weird touring line-up, Nancy Whang is a crucial part of the DFA roster. Tix $15+BF through Now Baking.

DJ DAN ‘DOUBLE DEE’ DEELSTRA @ YA YA’S

NATHAN FAKE @ THE CAUSEWAY

THE SWITCH @ SHAPE

Fresh off his European tour supporting Orbital, Nathan Fake will be playing an early live set of cutting edge electronica. Free bus into the CBD afterwards courtesy of The Causeway, support from Allstate, Kit Pop and Get More.

MILLER CITY SESSIONS PRESENTS PETE GRIFFITHS @ NEWPORT FORCE MAJEURE FEAT. EMOH INSTEAD @ AMBAR

AMPLIFIER/CAPITOL

YaYa’s own resident DJ Dan ‘Double Dee’ Deelstra drops the beats every Friday night from 11pm-2am. Shape’s fortnightly reckoning with the forefront of EDM. Entry $15 on the door, opens 10pm.

Coolest house east of London and the funkiest sounds west of Chicago in the only place to hear underground 4/4 beats for grown ups tired of the commercial splat. Featuring special guest Niina with Nina Van Dyke, Qwerk, James Ess, Cam Duff & Flex. $5 before midnight, $10 12-1, $15 after.

MILLER CITY SESSIONS PRESENTS SCOTTY BOY @ DUSK LOUNGE Miller City Sessions is bringing the hottest DJs from around the world to Perth. Tonight, Scotty Boy cuts the decks at Dusk Lounge.

DEATH DISCO/PURE POP @ CAPITOL/AMPLIFIER Indie-dance bangers from Death Disco DJs, DJ Ryan spinning ‘80s classics upstairs and Eddie Electric indie/classics from midnight in Amps.

METRO FREO DJs Roger Smart, Ben Carter and Wazz keep the party tunes rolling in the big house, plus DJ DTuck brings the ‘80s and ‘90s hits upstairs.

EIGHTOEIGHT @ NORFOLK BASEMENT Child’s Play and Resident EightoEight DJs from 8pm.

THE GENEROUS SQUIRE Western Sounds presents James Nutley; ‘On Tap’ house music all night long in the heart of Perth.

THE QUEENS Nothing but the best tracks from none other than Fiveo.

DORCIA @ LIBRARY

THE BRASS MONKEY

The usual disc jockey deviants including binging the party noise all night long.10pm and $10 thereafter.

DJs Peta & Jewel turn up the volume for Saturday night hedonists.

MOTOWN & SOUL @ FLY BY NIGHT

BAR120 Little Nicky mixes up a storm full on party style.

Miller City Sessions is bringing the hottest DJs from around the world to Perth for a test of the biggest clubs in dance. Tonight, Pete Griffiths cuts the decks at the Newport.

Barry Simpson and the local guest DJs bring you the sound of Motown, norhtern soul, R’n’B and modern soul for $10 from 8pm.

SAIL & ANCHOR

THE AVENUE

ABOVE & BEYOND @ METRO CITY

Claremont’s worst kept secret keeps the Friday night party rocking till the sun comes up with Lokie Shaw.

SUNDAY 3/2

Above & Beyond’s ongoing world tour will be hitting Australian shores this Summer; support from Anjunabeats stars Andrew Bayer and Norin & Rad. Tix through Moshtix.

THE GRAND

MINISTRY OF SOUND ANTHEMS: SOUNDS OF DUBSTEP FEAT. CALVERTRON @ SHAPE

Lquid d’n’b beats to replenish your soul provided by Greg Packer, AJM, Devo and Dart, plus visuals from Trent & Matt. Free from 9pm ‘til late.

Ministry of Sound have raided the world’s best bottom heavy beats of yesterday, today and the future to bring you the quintessential collection of classic dubstep tunes featuring dance legend Calvertron. Tickets $20+BF from the Shape Bar website.

Catch the Child’s Play DJs mashing up all styles for Saturday.

SLEEP ∞ OVER

SUNDAY SESSIONS @ THE AVIARY Enjoy a Sunday Session at The Aviary listening to Vince Peach and King7 spinning vinyl of vintage blues, soul, funk and original R&B. Wash it down with a cocktail jug or two for $16

CLUB BAY VIEW Clubba legend FIVEO rounds up your Sunday Sesh in full on green light mode!

THE GRAND Cool cool jazzy funky Sunday Vibes as Perth’s newest venue presents TOAST this week with Tastes Like Chicken & Armee.

MONDAY 4/2

MANIK MONDAYS @ DEEN Student/backpacker night with Plastic Max & The Token Gestures and DJ Birdie on the decks. Free entry.

TUESDAY 5/2 YLEM @ YA YA’S

Supported by Leon Osborn, Celloear and Wilder & Wilder (Face DJ’s). YLEM’s sound is a continuous exploration of synthesisers, recording, sampling, re-sampling and real world sounds to submerge into into. Doors 8PM / $5

BACKPACKER NIGHT @ HIP-E CLUB Perth’s most famous backpacker night with DJ Roger Smart and DJ E-Funk. Free entry ‘til 10pm.

WED 6/2

WEDNESDAYS @ NEWPORT A midweek party fix that won’t destroy your bank account, Freo’s biggest student and backpacker night is all about three rooms of DJs, no cover charge, free pizza and poor-student-priced Carlton Draught and VB.

STUDENT NIGHT @ ROSEMOUNT DJ Anton Maz brings you postpunk, indie-pop and rock goodies outside in the beer garden for free, with live bands inside from 8pm.

CHEEK @ RED SEA SLEEP ∞ OVER @ GEISHA Prepare for an evening of deep sleep dreams and REM hallucinations when Stefanie Franciotti plays Innerspace at Geisha Sunday 3 February, supported by Kucka and Erasers. Tickets via Moshtix.

Quality underground beats dropped by arguably Perth’s best DJs. A sound system packed with enough

ECSTASY PILLS IN WA HAVE BEEN FOUND WITH 1% MDMA. FIND OUT WHAT MAKES UP THE OTHER 99%, VISIT DRUGAWARE.COM.AU 30 • To check out the mags online go to themusic.com.au/mags

+ TUNNIDGE: JAN 31 Geisha THE PRESETS: JAN 31, FEB 1 Metropolis Fremantle ABOVE & BEYOND, ANDREW BAYER, NORIN & RAD: FEB 1 Metro City EMOH INSTEAD: FEB 1 Ambar NATHAN FAKE: FEB 1 The Causeway WOLFGANG GARTNER: FEB 1 Villa MILLER CITY SESSIONS: PETE GRIFFITHS: FEB 1 Newport Hotel MILLER CITY SESSIONS: SCOTTY BOY: FEB 2 Dusk Lounge; FEB 8 Newport Hotel; FEB 22 Leederville Hotel + GAPPY RANKS, JESSIE PROVERBS & BCK BAND, NGATI: FEB 3 Railway Hotel CALYX & TEEBEE: FEB 8 Shape Bar LANEWAY FESTIVAL: CHET FAKER, EL-P, FLUME, JESSIE WARE, MS MR, NICOLAS JAAR, SHLOHMO and more: FEB 9 Perth Cultural Centre FELIX CARTAL: FEB 10 Court Hotel + LUNICE: FEB 15 Geisha MIGUEL MIGS: FEB 15 Villa PERTH FESTIVAL: FUTURE CLASSIC feat. FLIGHT FACILITIES, PANAMA, MITZI: FEB 16 Chevron Festival Gardens PERTH FESTIVAL: MACKLEMORE & RYAN LEWIS: FEB 17 Chevron Festival Gardens PERTH FESTIVAL: HOW TO DRESS WELL: FEB 20 Chevron Festival Gardens PERTH FESTIVAL: JOSE JAMES, HIATUS KAIYOTE: FEB 21 Chevron Festival Gardens MYNC: FEB 21 The Shed; MAR 8 Metrpolis Fremantle DJ YODA: FEB 2 Villa + ERIC LAU: FEB 22 Geisha PERTH FESTIVAL: THE RAAH PROJECT: FEB 22 Chevron Festival Gardens; FEB 23 Albany Entertainment Centre HUXLEY: FEB 23 Shape MAC MILLER: FEB 23 Metropolis CLUBFEET: FEB 23 Villa SLAUGHTERHOUSE, FULL TOTE ODDS: MAR 2 Metro City FUTURE MUSIC FESTIVAL: AVICII, THE PRODIGY, BLOC PARTY, DIZZEE RASCAL, AZEALIA BANKS, RITA ORA, BOYS NOIZE, HARDWELL, MADEON, ELLIE GOULDING, STEVE AOKI, RUDIMENTAL, KILL THE NOIZE, FEED ME + MORE MAR 3 Joondalup Arena GEORGE CLINTON & PARLIAMENT FUNKADELIC, GREG WILSON: MAR 7 Metro City AEPH: MAR 8 Geisha URTHBOY, ONE SIXTH, JIMBLAH: MAR 8 Mojos; MAR 9 Amplifier + DENZAL PARK, UBERJAK’D: MAR 22 Villa JASON LEMA: MAR 23 Wembley Hotel; MAR 29 Mullaloo Beach Hotel; APR 12 Dusk Lounge

Bass music with free entry from 9pm.

FLUID @ VELVET LOUNGE

JAPAN4 @ AMBAR

UPCOMINGS

A birthday night to celebrate The Backyard Project’s stellar first year, featuring sets from Afro Radio, Jack in the Box, Muzmix, All Corners of House, Zealousy, Big Bangs Theory and more. Free before 11pm, $15 after. Tix on door.

ROULETTE @ GEISHA

DJ Reuben lays down the funk as the sun goes down to fire you up for the start of the weekend.

SATURDAY 2/2

BACKYARD PROJECT @ FLAWLESS

Shenanigans and house party vibes with the Cheek DJs and friends. Tonight you can wear shorts too!

ISLAND NIGHT @ HULA BULA Lady Carla plays ska, reggae, rocksteady, calypso, mento and dub. Free entry from 6pm.

UNI-QUE @ SCOTSMAN Overlords Dave Jackson and Armee select their finest tunes from 8pm.

HADP1232E_iii

THURSDAY 31/1

bass to makes your eyes vibrate and your feet shake. Doors open 10pm.

THU 31 Richard Hawley Astor Theatre Movin’ Melvin Brown Bakery - Northbridge Howie Morgan Belgian Beer Cafe Timothy Nelson Bok Choy Ballroom Open Mic Night, Rob Walker Brighton Jon Fernandez Trio Clancys - Canning Bridge Local Talent Pool Clancys - Dunsborough The Shovel and the Gun Clancys - Fremantle Bryn Jones, James Thorne Claremont Hotel Courtney Murphy Como Hotel Rock n Roll Karaoke Devilles Pad Nicola Milan Ellington Jazz Club Gidget Duck, The Muldoon Wing Flying Scotsman Bex’s Open Mic Night Indi Bar James Wilson Lucky Shag The Presets Metropolis - Fremantle Zealous Chang, Electric Toad, Leure, + more Mojos - North Fremantle Chelsea Gibson Mt Henry Tavern Parker Avenue Murphys - Mandurah Mitch Becker Band, Velvet Echo, DJ James MacArthur Mustang Bar The Smith Street Band, The Bennies Prince of Wales - Bunbury Richard Hawley, Matt de la Hunty Rosemount Hotel Sons of Rico DJs Rosemount Hotel, Beer Garden Clayton Bolger Rosie O’Gradys - Fremantle Neil Colliss Rosie O’Gradys - Northbridge Pugsley Buzzard Settlers Tavern Margaret River David Fyffe Sovereign Arms Hamjam The Bird Jen de Ness The Boat Open Mic Night, Chris Gibbs The Brook Greg Carter The Gate Bar and Bistro - Success Off the Record Universal Bar Delusions of Grandeur, Aztech Suns Velvet Lounge Two Plus One Woodvale Tavern The De Niros, Yokohomos, Johnny Ajax Ya Ya’s

FRI 01 The Painkillers, Beefridge, The Reptilians, Caleb Entrails, Tikdoff, Abhorrent 459 Bar Deuce 7th Avenue Bar Cupid Falls Amplifier Bar Mod Squad, Tip Top Sound DJ Bailey Bar & Bistro Nancy Whang Bakery - Northbridge Anderson Bally’s Bar Mike Nayar Balmoral

Nat Ripepi Broken Hill Hotel Bernadine Brook Bar & Bistro The Bluebottles Brooklands Tavern Colin Hay Bunbury Entertainment Centre Marc Osborne Clancys - City Beach Dave Mann Clancys - Dunsborough Mitch Becker, Old Blood Clancys - Fremantle Jon Ee Claremont Hotel Back to Mono Defectors The Domnicks, + more Devilles Pad Kamikaze Pilots Dunsborough Tavern Craig Ballantyne Eastern Hotel Joe Southwell, Sam Naﬁe, Fiona Lawe Davies Ellington Jazz Club Rok Riley, Jo19 Flying Scotsman Rory McLeod Fremantle Workers Club - Fremantle Sugarﬁeld Greenwood Hotel One Trick Phonies Herdsman Lake Tavern Envy, Glen Davies High Road Hotel - Riverton Dr Bogus High Wycombe Hotel Northern Muse Highway Hotel The Holy Ghosts Hilton Park Bowling Club - Beaconsfield Vdelli Indi Bar Frenzy Kalamunda Hotel Christian Thompson Last Drop Tavern Darryn Dodd Lesmurdie Club The Presets Metropolis - Fremantle Captn K, Simmo T Mojos (Afternoon) - North Fremantle Soul Corporation Moon & Sixpence Adam Hall & the Velvet Playboys, Cheeky Monkeys, DJ James MacArthur, Swing DJ Mustang Bar Badger and the Fox, Tyko Kings, Jacob Diamond Norfolk Basement Flyte Paramount Nightclub A Nameless Fear, Axe Cane, Abandon Earth, Honey & The Wolf Railway Hotel Foundations, Jah Moko, Ngati Rosemount Hotel Wesley Goodlet Jamboree Scout Rosie O’Gradys - Fremantle Billy & the Broken Lines Rosie O’Gradys - Northbridge Zarm Settlers Tavern - Margaret River The Corner, The Bennies, Latch Key Kids, Victory Risk, Colour Control Swan Basement T.J. O’Donovan, Caroline J Dale, Ralway Bell, David Saunders Swan Lounge Easy Tigers Swinging Pig Cosmo Gets, Kucka, Rok Riley, Raaghe The Bird The Organ Grinders The Boat

The Charisma Brothers Tsunami - Mosman Park Nightmoves Universal Bar Disco Science, Siamese Dream, Artiﬁcial Intelligence Velvet Lounge The Damien Cripps Band Woodvale Tavern Zealous Chang, Seer Wave, Starcleaner, Foxman Ya Ya’s

SAT 02 Boom! Bap! Pow! Amplifier Bar Courtney Murphy & Murphy’s Lore, Tip Top Sound DJ Bailey Bar & Bistro Thee Oh Sees Bakery - Northbridge Dove Bally’s Bar Pop Candy Balmoral Flyte Bar 120 Mike Nayar Belgian Beer Cafe J Babies Black Bettys Mister & Mitch Clancys - Canning Bridge Zarm Duo Clancys - City Beach Mulder, Rabbit Island, Todd Pickett Clancys - Fremantle Sunday Driver, Double Dee Claremont Hotel Hi-NRG Crown Perth, Groove Bar Future Wives Club Defectors Sea of Tunes, + more Devilles Pad B U M P, Howie Morgan, Simon Jeans Ellington Jazz Club Acoustic Licence Endeavour Tavern Foundations, Jahmoko, Ngati, Soulfood, + more Fly By Night - Fremantle Under the Inﬂuence, Andrei Maz Flying Scotsman Carbon Taxi Greenwood Hotel Losing Julia High Road Hotel - Riverton 10 Past 6, Here Come The Cavalry, Vice Versa, Alex The Kid, The Moment We Fall HQ Zarm Indi Bar Hot Suga Kardinya Tavern Steve Hepple Leopold Hotel - Bicton Grace Woodroofe, Shy Panther, Gunns, Ben Witt Mojos North Fremantle The Damien Cripps Band Moon & Sixpence The Continentals, Milhouse, DJ James MacArthur, Rockabilly DJ Mustang Bar Azmatik, + Special Guests Norfolk Basement Plastic Max Osborne Park Hotel Chris Gibbs Duo Peel Alehouse The Waterboys Perth Concert Hall Electrophobia Quarie Bar & Bistro The Order of the Black Werewolf, Axe Girl, Lionizer, The Monicans Railway Hotel Colin Hay Regal Theatre - Subiaco

32 • To check out the mags online go to themusic.com.au/mags

The Smith Street Band, The Bennies, Ex Nuns, Coveleski Rosemount Hotel Blue Gene Rosie O’Gradys - Northbridge Better Days Sail & Anchor Childs Play Sail & Anchor, Upstairs 43 Cambridge Settlers Tavern - Margaret River Dan Webb, Oak Tree Suite, Ben Macri, Andy J Bartlett, Darren Guthrie Swan Lounge Frenzy Swinging Pig Allstate, Hufﬂe, Clunk, b2b, Everyteen, Bretheren Sound The Bird Everlong Acoustic The Boat One Trick Phonies The Brook 5th Independence, The Bone Kickers, The Bloody Ramblers The Eastern Huge The Shed Soul Corporation Universal Bar Get Funk’d, Light & Shade, SmltL3r, Gav T, + more Velvet Lounge The Holy Ghosts White Star Hotel - Albany Mod Squad Woodvale Tavern Tangled Thoughts of Leaving Ya Ya’s

SUN 03 Reckless Kelly 7th Avenue Bar The Blackbirds Balmoral Chris Murphy Broken Hill Hotel Wesley Goodlet Jamboree Scout Carine Glades Tavern Pugsley Buzzard Clancys - Dunsborough The Zydecats Clancys - Fremantle Nueva Salsa Orchestra, Tal Cohen Quartet Ellington Jazz Club Sleep Over Geisha Bar Ivan Ribic High Road Hotel - Riverton The Organ Grinders High Wycombe Hotel Afrique Acoustic Indi Bar Colin Hay Mandurah Performing Arts Centre Neutral Native, Catbrush, Three Hands One Hoof, + more Mojos - North Fremantle Paddy’s Welcome To The Week Mojos (Afternoon) - North Fremantle Peter Busher & the Lone Rangers, DJ Rockin Rhys Mustang Bar Steve Hepple Ocean View Tavern Glen Davies Pink Duck Lounge Damien Cripps Rosie O’Gradys (Afternoon) - Northbridge Mike Nayar Sail & Anchor 10 Cent Shooters Settlers Tavern (Afternoon) Margaret River Craig Ballantyne Sovereign Arms

Short of Daybreak, Devanta, Idle Eyes, Bruised Attitude, September Suns Swan Basement Stu Harcourt, Jamie Powers Swinging Pig Sam Perry, YLEM, Lumiere, Feyek The Bird Kate Gilbertson The Principal Retroﬁ t Universal Bar Good Karma Woodvale Tavern The Charisma Brothers Xwray Café

MON 04 Chris Murphy, Courtney Murphy Crown Perth, Groove Bar Wide Open Mic Mojos - North Fremantle Marco & The Alleycats Mustang Bar James Wilson The Brass Monkey Big Thommo’s Open Mic Variety Night Ya Ya’s

TUE 05 Belowskology Bakery - Northbridge Aya Awakenings Fly By Night - Fremantle Ben Merito Lucky Shag Kate Gilbertson, Helen Shanahan, Jacob Diamond, Amanda Merzdan Mojos North Fremantle Danza Loca Salsa Night Mustang Bar Lovebites, The Monte Christos, Chelsea J Gibson Perth Blues Club Path to Laneway The Bird YLEM, Leon Osborn, Celloear, Wilder & Wilder Ya Ya’s

WED 06 Best Buds Unplugged Bok Choy Ballroom That Velvet Echo, Luke Dux Clancys - Canning Bridge Jamie Oehlers, Tal Cohen Ellington Jazz Club Fenton Wilde Hale Road Tavern Oka Indi Bar Howie Morgan Lucky Shag Limping Dave Foley and the Straight Legged Freaks, Bryan Rice Dalton, David Craft Mojos - North Fremantle Ash Hendricks, Shane Corry, Naked News Moon Café Gazman, Stone Circle, Craig Skelton Paddo 10 Past 6, Alex The Kid, Here Comes The Cavalry, Blindspot Rosemount Hotel DJ Anton Maz Rosemount Hotel (Afternoon) David Fyffe Rosie O’Gradys - Northbridge Open Mic Night Swan Lounge TW!ST The Bird Sugar Blue Burlesque The Brass Monkey Mt Mountain, Lucidity, Silver Hills Ya Ya’s

TOUR GUIDE MACKLEMORE THE SMITH STREET BAND, BOMB THE MUSIC INDUSTRY, THE BENNIES: JAN 31 Prince Of Wales Hotel; FEB 2 Rosemount Hotel COLIN HAY: FEB 1 Bunbury Ent. Centre; FEB 2 Regal Theatre; FEB 3 Mandurah P.A Centre THE WATERBOYS: FEB 2 Perth Concert Hall THEE OH SEES: FEB 2 The Bakery HUSH: DOM MARIANI, JOE MCKEE, BIG OLD BEARS, FALL ELECTRIC, APRICOT RAIL, RACHAEL DEASE, SIMONE & GIRLFUNKLE, RAINY DAY WOMEN, DAVEY CRADDOCK & THE SPECTACLES, MOUSTACHE, JAMES TEAGUE, THE STALKER FAMILY, AMANDA MERDZAN, TODD PICKETT, COLLECTOR: FEB 3 St George’s College SLEEP ∞ OVER: FEB 3 Geisha ELECTRIC PRELUDES: BRETT DEAN & RICHARD TOGNETTI: FEB 6 Perth Concert Hall AN EVENING ON THE GREEN: ELVIS COSTELLO & THE IMPOSTERS, SUNNYBOYS, JO JO ZEP & THE FALCONS: FEB 6 Kings Park & Botanic Gardens ELI WOLFE: MAR 7 Clancy’s Fremantle; MAR 9 South Hedland Town Square, Port Hedland PERTH FESTIVAL: MACEO PARKER: FEB 7 Chevron Festival Gardens DONAVON FRANKENREITER: FEB 8 Caves House, Yallingup; FEB 9 Ocean Beach Hotel (midday), Breakwater Hotel, Hillarys (arvo), Ocean One Bar, Scarborough (night); FEB 10 The Whistling Kite, Secret Harbour PERTH FESTIVAL: NORMAN BLAKE & JOE PERNICE, DIRTY BEACHES: FEB 8 Chevron Festival Gardens PERTH FESTIVAL: DEAD CAN DANCE: FEB 9 Perth Concert Hall LANEWAY FESTIVAL: ALPINE, ALT-J, BAT FOR LASHES, CHET FAKER, CLOUD NOTHINGS, DIVINE FITS, EL-P, FLUME, HENRY WAGONS & THE UNWELCOME COMPANY, HOLY OTHER, JAPANDROIDS, JESSIE WARE, JULIA HOLTER, KINGS OF CONVENIENCE, THE MEN, MS MR, THE NEIGHBOURHOOD, NICOLAS JAAR, PERFUME GENIUS,

RITA ORA POLICA, POND, REAL ESTATE, THE RUBENS, SHLOHMO, SNAKADAKTAL, THE TWERPS, YEASAYER, OF MONSTERS & MEN: FEB 9 Perth Cultural Centre PERTH FESTIVAL: ARCHIE ROACH: FEB 10 Chevron Festival Gardens

PASSENGER: FEB 23 Challenge Stadium BAND OF FREQUENCIES: FEB 23 Mojos; FEB 24 Indi Bar; FEB 27 Ellington Jazz Club; FEB 28 Prince Of Wales; MAR 1 Settlers Tavern; MAR 2 Nannup Festival; MAR 3 Clancy’s Dunsborough

DESCENDENTS, BOUNCING SOULS, FRENZAL RHOMB, BODYJAR: FEB 10 Metro City

PERTH FESTIVAL: PHRONESIS: FEB 24 Chevron Festival Gardens

GIN BLOSSOMS: FEB 10 Capitol

NORAH JONES: FEB 24 Riverside Theatre

PERTH FESTIVAL: GODSPEED YOU! BLACK EMPEROR: FEB 11 Chevron Festival Gardens

PERTH FESTIVAL: SOUL REBELS: FEB 25 Chevron Festival Gardens; FEB 27 Vancouver Arts Centre, Albany

PERTH FESTIVAL: DEER TICK, TWO GALLANTS: FEB 12 Chevron Festival Gardens CONVERGE, OLD MAN GLOOM: FEB 12 Amplifier PERTH FESTIVAL: STARS: FEB 13 Chevron Festival Gardens STRANGERS: FEB 14 Newport Hotel; FEB 15 Prince Of Wales; FEB 16 Amplifier; FEB 17 Indi Bar PERTH FESTIVAL: DAVID LYNCH PRESENTS CHRYSTA BELL: FEB 14 Chevron Festival Gardens LORD, SILENT KNIGHT: FEB 15 Amplifier; FEB 16 Eliot St. Blues Club, Bunbury PERTH FESTIVAL: FATHER JOHN MISTY: FEB 15 Chevron Festival Gardens CELTIC THUNDER: FEB 16 Perth Arena OREN AMBARCHI & JOE TALIA: FEB 17 Mojos DAVID HASSELHOFF: FEB 17 Capitol PERTH FESTIVAL: JENS LEKMAN: FEB 18 Chevron Festival Gardens PERTH FESTIVAL: SLEEPY SUN: FEB 19 Chevron Festival Gardens EMPERORS, SUPER BEST FRIENDS: FEB 21 Prince Of Wales, Bunbury; FEB 22 Norfolk Basement; FEB 23 Amplifier RINGO STARR: FEB 21 Challenge Stadium SILVERSTEIN: APR 22 Amplifier JULIA STONE: FEB 22 St Joseph’s Church CLIFF RICHARD: FEB 23 Sandalford Estate Winery PERTH FESTIVAL: TIM ROGERS & THE BAMBOOS: FEB 23 Chevron Festival Gardens SARAH BLASKO & WASO: FEB 23 Kings Park & Botanic Garden ED SHEERAN,

GLENN FREY & WASO: FEB 24 Kings Park

PERTH FESTIVAL: CAT POWER: FEB 26 & 27 Chevron Festival Gardens PETE MURRAY: FEB 27 Albany Ent. Centre; FEB 28 Esperance Civic Centre; MAR 2 Capitol; Mar 3 Fremantle Arts Centre DEERHOOF: FEB 28 Rosemount Hotel PERTH FESTIVAL: JAMES CARTER ORGAN TRIO: FEB 28 Chevron Festival Gardens KISS, MOTLEY CRUE, THIN LIZZY, DIVA DEMOLITION: FEB 28 Perth Arena FRANK YAMMA, DAVID BIRDIE: MAR 1 Fly By Night PERTH FESTIVAL: THE TALLEST MAN ON EARTH, BUKE & GASE: MAR 1 Chevron Festival Gardens NANNUP MUSIC FESTIVAL: EMMA LOUISE, BUSBY MAROU, FRANK YAMMA, ZOE KEATING, MAMA KIN, DAVID BRIDIE, KIM CHURCHILL, STEVE SMYTH, B2M, NGAIIRE, HUSSY HICKS, MINNE MARKS, KIRA PURU & THE BRUISE, THE PICTURE BOX ORCHESTRA, THE FALLS, BAND OF FREQUENCIES and more and more: MAR 2-5 Nannup PERTH FESTIVAL: ANTIBALAS: MAR 2 Chevron Festival Gardens NEIL YOUNG & CRAZY HORSE: MAR 2 Perth Arena THE HODOO GURUS: MAR 3 Hotel Rottnest FUTURE MUSIC FESTIVAL: THE PRODIGY, THE STONE ROSES, BLOC PARTY, THE TEMPER TRAP and more: MAR 3 Joondalup Arena

X-WRAY

Food •

•

Coffee days

• till

Thursday 31/1 • Alex Star” (with Jack) –

Dew free

Sound late IS “Jazzy from 7pm

Friday 1/2 • Fado Bica – free from 8:30pm Saturday 2/2 • DJ Dick Tracy and / or DJ Jiminy Kickit – free from 8:30pm Sunday 3/2 (4pm–6pm) /

• DJ

The CBF

Charisma Brothers (7pm–10pm) – free

Monday 4/2 • Johnnie Walker and The Rock Bottoms (watchin’ “Vernon, Florida” on repeat from 7am) Tuesday 5/2 Jazz Quartet Wednesday 6/2 Brown Fox Lot 4 • • 9430

3 9399

• – • –

The free Molly free

13 •

Tom from Black from

‘HEAD DOWN’

FREE ONLINE SINGLE LAUNCH

OUT NOW

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34 • To check out the mags online go to themusic.com.au/mags

/Qantm.Perth

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