Drum Media Perth Issue 350 by TheMusic.com.au

DOWNLOAD NOW ON THE IPAD • THURSDAY 8 AUGUST 2013 • 350 • FREE

AMANDA PALM

INSIDE:

IER

JERRY BOUTH

CLASSIXX

JONTI

FEAR OF COMEDY • DIANAS • CHIMAIRA • SPENDA C

T H E D R U M M E D I A I S S U E # 3 5 0 T H U R S D AY 8 A U G U S T 2 0 1 3

FREMANTLE

FRIDAY 9TH SIMON KELLY & THE BIG BAMBOO ALBUM LAUNCH W/ JACK STIRLING SATURDAY 10TH (ARVO) THE DIVINITY CUP FEATURING THE GYUTO MONKS (12 NOON) SATURDAY 10TH (EVENING) BADGER & THE FOX ALBUM LAUNCH W/ THE GYPSIE HOWLS, BEARS & DOLLS SUNDAYS THE ZYDECATS TUESDAYS QUIZ NIGHT WEDNESDAYS CHET LEONARD’S BINGOTEQUE

“I think we’re way too polite to get in a Twitter argument with her… We’d be really scared and overly polite” – CLASSIXX insists there’s no way they’d brawl with Azealia Banks (PAGE 15)

“I think we’ve got a cursed CD player thing happening at RTR FM” – FEAR OF COMEDY’S Laith Tierney tells Dan Cribb (PAGE 18)

CITY BEACH FRIDAY 2ND ANGUS DIGGS TRIO SATURDAY 3RD (ARVO) URBAN GYPSIES SUNDAYS SALT SHAKER SUNDAYS W/ DJ BOOGIE & THE SALT SHAKER SELECTORS

51 CANTONMENT STREET, FREMANTLE

P26 REVIEW

While the h opening i song certainly kicked the crowd into gear, it certainly felt a little strange to be singing REVIEW along when the lyrics ft k and mood seemed to It’s like KKraftwerk be opposed entirely discovering the best (‘I’m so self-loathing gay club in the world.” that it’s hard for “It started out with me and me to see’)”

P24

– Mac McNaughton approves of PET SHOP BOYS’ new album

Caitlin being bored, I’d never “After six years as WA’s highest played electric guitar or bass quality street press, Drum Media or anything, we just had them Perth is turning in The Music WA, lying around the house, and we started writing theme tunes for a full-gloss weekly magazine. Rats In The Walls and X-Files,” Same staff, same music, new - DIANAS’ Nathalie Pavlovic informs name, bigger mag, more stuff” Callum Twigger (PAGE 18) – Kane Sutton reviews PASSION PIT

– FRONTLASH (PAGE 29)

CREDITS

Kosta Lucas, Sean McKenna, Mac McNaughton, Troy Mutton, Nic Owen, Katie O’Hara, Sarah Scaife, Andy Snelling, Kane Sutton, Jessica Tana, Matthew Tomich, Aarom Wilson, Anthony Williams EDITORIAL POLICY

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 Bronywn Bate DESIGN & LAYOUT Matt Davis, Nick Hopkins, Eamon Stewart ADMINISTRATION Accounts Jarrod Kendall PHOTOGRAPHERS Elle Borgward, Shane Butler, Graham Clark, Beau Davis, Ebony Frost, Chau Goh, Cybele Malinowski, Elena Marcon, Drew Mettam, Brad Serls CONTRIBUTORS Scott Aitken, Zoe Barron, Tom Birts, Mike Bowring, Luke Butcher, Tanya Bunter, Jeremy Carson, Michael Caves, Daniel Cribb, Cyclone, Marcia Czerniak, Jake Dennis, Kitt Di Camillo, Adrienne Downes, Jayde Ferguson, Tomas Ford, Amber Fresh, Chantelle Gabriel, Aggie Gajic, Eli Gould, Rueben Hale, Chris Healing, Elizabeth Howard, James Hunt, Simon Holland, Rachel Inglis, Tess Ingram, Renee Jones, Christopher James,

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

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. © DEADLINES Editorial Friday 5pm Advertising Bookings Monday 12pm Advertising Artwork Tuesday 12pm Gig Guide Monday 5pm PUBLISHER Street Press Australia Pty Ltd. 1/205-207 Bulwer St Perth 6000 PO Box 507 Mount Lawley 6929 Phone (08) 9228 9655 General Editorial music@drumperth.com.au Arts/Film Editorial frontrow@drumperth.com.au Club/Dance Editorial mo@drumperth.com.au Gig Guide gigguide@drumperth.com.au Live Editorial live@drumperth.com.au Advertising Sales sales@drumperth.com.au Accounts/Administration accounts@drumperth.com.au Artroom artwork@drumperth.com.au Distribution distro@drumperth.com.au Office hours 9am to 6pm Mon to Fri. PRINTED BY Rural Press WA

[NEWS NEWS] n a t i o n a l

Want all your music news daily? Subscribe to Your Daily SPA at

THE ENDING IS JUST THE BEGINNING REPEATING Pearl Jam

MOTHER OF GOD Unquestionably one of the largest and most varied Big Day Out line-ups has just dropped, positioning 2014 as one hell of a good year for live music right from the outset. Clap your peepers on this bill: Pearl Jam, Arcade Fire, Blur, Snoop Dogg aka Snoop Lion (pfft), Major Lazer, Steve Angello, Flume, The Lumineers, Tame Impala, Dillon Francis, MacMiller, Ghost, Grouplove, Flosstradamus, Portugal. The Man, Toro Y Moi, DIIV, The Naked & Famous, Big Gigantic, Pez, Mudhoney, Cosmic Psychos, Northlane, The 1975, Loon Lake, Kingswood, Bo Ningen, The Algorithm, DZ Deathrays, Peking Duk, Ben Morris, Rüfüs and more to be announced. If you can’t find plenty of good shit there then go home, you’re drunk. The travelling music mecca rolls through the usual locales on the following dates: Sunday 19 January, Metricon Stadium and Carrara Parklands, Gold Coast; Friday 24, Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne; Sunday 26 and Monday 27 January, Sydney Showgrounds; and Sunday 2 February, Claremont Showgrounds, Perth.

FULLY LOADED Fresh off the back of his latest stellar mixtape, Black Flag, Machine Gun Kelly will bring his spitfire rhymes to capital city venues for some very special hip hop nights indeed. Cited as the Hottest Breakthrough MC by MTV in 2011, the prolific Ohio MC has barely come up for air in the past two years, and at 23-yearsold is already positioned to carry on the future of freestyle. Fire away with the ammunition of Machine Gun Kelly on Wednesday 4 September, Capitol, Perth; Thursday 5, The Hi-Fi, Melbourne; Friday 6, Manning Bar, Sydney and Saturday 7, The Hi-Fi, Brisbane.

JUST SOMETHING ABOUT HOUSE MUSIC The joint is going to get trashed when triple j bring their much loved Saturday night House Party radio show out of the studio for some late, late nights. Shaping up to be evenings full of fresh gear, mash-ups, party favourite’s and everything in between, the line-up offers a veritable feast of beatmakers to get your rumps shaking. Catch Nina Las Vegas, Flight Facilities, Cassian, Tyle Touché and Wave Racer at these dates: Saturday 24 August, Metro Theatre, Sydney (under-18s, afternoon; 18+, evening); Thursday 29, Capitol, Perth; Friday 30, Metropolis, Fremantle; Saturday 31, The Hi-Fi, Brisbane; and Saturday 7 September, The Hi-Fi, Melbourne.

LEGENDS NEVER DIE Matt Corby

OH BROTHER

Our mag wouldn’t be where it is without the music. The music of Perth, the music of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, London, New York, Berlin, Chicago, Tokyo, Paris, Portland, Bristol, Ibiza, ad infinitum. Each week for the last six years, Drum Media Perth has had the privilege to devote its cover to an act that has earned the adulation and respect of music lovers across the world. It’s a responsibility we take seriously – our writers are and have always had the independence to interview, review and critique musicians from across the world, and it’s with pride we’ve spent six years steering clear of the pay for play model our competitors are content to compromise with. In leaving the Drum Media Perth masthead, this magazine leaves behind a title graced by Sarah Blasko, Paul Kelly, Tame Impala, Karnivool, Abbe May, The Panics, You Am I, Something With Numbers, Iggy Pop, Alt-J, Sonic Youth, The Gossip, Angus & Julia Stone, Gyroscope, Cut Copy, The Presets, The Offspring, The Black Angels. And it’s been our privilege. In six years, the magazine has had five editors. Ben O’Shea was the first editor, Rachel Davison the second. Both are still active making the WA music scene a better place. Aarom Wilson, Drum’s third editor, made this publication what it was. Compassionate, intelligent, and driven, dance music is Wilson’s home turf, but his scepticism (and passion) consolidated Drum Media Perth’s position in WA over the course of four years. Wilson’s partners in crime, sales staff Aaron Rutter and Matt McMullen, were vital in fleshing out the deadlines, relationships, friendships, partnerships, and vendettas that are

the gristle, fibre and muscle of the publication today. Troy Mutton curated the mag late last year, before I became editor in January. It’s been a privilege to see Drum Media grow from there, and it’s been a privilege to work under StreetPress Australia. Without the efforts of Craig and Leigh Treweek, Perth’s musical ecosystem would be a poorer place. A page without a writer is an empty thing, and at this point it’s vital I acknowledge our writers. Week in, week out, they build the body of Drum Media Perth. A print magazine is a rhythm. A print magazine sends it writers out on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays; it sends them to bars, pubs, stadiums, theatres, stages and backyards. Setlists are transmuted into beer-stained notes in notepads, beer-stained notes become documents that glow on laptop screens, documents from pages born in damp ink. They’ll be joining us at The Music. Print is changing, and StreetPress Australia is changing with it. The Music WA is the change we need. We believe in print – that’s why The Music WA will be a full gloss publication. Culturally, Perth is exploding. There are galleries, theatre spaces, live performance galleries, bars, restaurants, pubs, that didn’t exist six years ago – and we want to be part of their journey too. As a publication, The Music will work alongside Australia’s biggest music website, themusic. com.au, to put Perth bands on national stages. The Music WA is the right change: a high-gloss magazine linked with dynamic online content for people who have always been about the music. Callum Twigger Editor, Drum Media Perth

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

After filling out the GW McLennan tent at Splendour In The Grass, Matt Corby has announced that he will be taking his latest EP, Resolution, out on the road this spring. Get your swoon on when Corby plays the following dates: Wednesday 9 October, Wollongong University; Thursday 10, ANU Bar, Canberra; Friday 11, Hordern Pavilion, Sydney (licensed/all ages); Tuesday 15, Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre (licensed/all ages); Friday 18, Festival Hall, Melbourne (licensed/all ages); Wednesday 23, GPAC Playhouse, Geelong (licensed/ all ages); and Sunday 27, Arts Centre, Fremantle.

R.A. The Rugged Man will be bringing his disarming and devastating tales of the streets our way for a headline tour shaping up to be a big one for rhyme lovers across the country. Through his career R.A. has done things his own way and earned mad respect from some of the greatest to ever hold the mic, including Notorious B.I.G. and Wu-Tang Clan. Ready to unleash on our shores, the New Yorker plays Friday 13 September, Coniston Lane, Brisbane; Saturday 14, The Standard, Sydney; Sunday 15, Transit Bar, Canberra; Thursday 19, The Espy, Melbourne; and Saturday 21, Rosemount Hotel, Perth.

GLOBAL ROAMING The Sydney indie-dance crew Rüfüs have been getting it done for a few years now but have managed to slide under the radar. That’s all set to change, however, with Atlas, a debut record bristling with energy and vitality. It’s the soundtrack to the best night of your year and you didn’t even know it. Raise your hands towards the neon warmth when the trio play Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle, Thursday 12 September; The Hi-Fi, Sydney, Friday 13 (all ages); Efterski Festival, Thredbo, Saturday 14; Academy, Canberra, Friday 20; Waves, Wollongong, Saturday 21; Corner Hotel, Melbourne, Friday 27; The Zoo, Brisbane, Friday 4 October; Mojo’s, Fremantle, Thursday 10; and Villa, Perth, Friday 11.

LINE UP THE SHOTS If you’re looking for something different in metal, make sure you check out the heavy-as-fuck hoedowns from Korpiklaani when they sail in for their first Australian tour. Finland’s beerswilling brethren will surely be causing all kinds of calamity when they perform at The Zoo, Brisbane, Tuesday 22 October; Corner Hotel, Melbourne, Wednesday 23; Manning Bar, Sydney, Friday 25; and The Rosemount, Perth, Sunday 27 October.

WE KNOW YOU WANT THEM Two of pop music’s biggest stars of now are teaming up for a large double bill, with Pitbull and Kesha delivering their swag of hits live on stage this spring. They’ll play the following capital city dates: Wednesday 30 October, Brisbane Entertainment Centre; Friday 1 November, Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne; Tuesday 5, Perth Arena; and Friday 8, Allphones Arena, Sydney.

Leonard Cohen

AGE SHALL NOT WEARY HIM Even at 78 years young, Leonard Cohen is showing no signs of slowing down, with the velvet voiced Canadian returning Down Under for his first run of dates in three years. With his crack nine-piece backing band tackling the journey every step of the way, Cohen will play a host of all ages shows, happening Wednesday 13 November, Perth Arena; Saturday 16, Sydney Entertainment Centre; Wednesday 20, Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne; Saturday 23, A Day On The Green, Bimbadgen Winery, Hunter Valley; Saturday 30, Brisbane Entertainment Centre; Wednesday 4 December, WIN Entertainment Centre, Wollongong; and Saturday 7, A Day On The Green, The Hill Winery, Geelong.

5IVSTEBZ "VHVTU

#&9Â¤4 01&/ .*$ /*()5

1306%-: 4611035&% #:

'SJEBZ "VHVTU

7%&--* 4BUVSEBZ "VHVTU

."55 (3&4)". 27 HASTINGS ST SCARBOROUGH, WA 6019

PH: (08) 9341 1122 INFO@IOH.COM.AU WWW.INDIANOCEANHOTEL.COM.AU 20% OFF ALL MEALS ORDERED 5 TO 6PM. PLEASE PRESENT AD WHEN ORDERING

4VOEBZ "VHVTU

.03("/ #"*/

41&$*"- (6&45 .*5$) #&$,&3 8FEOFTEBZ "VHVTU

Thursday August 8th

/&%"

THE STANLEYS

$0.*/( 400/

& LIONIZER & WISE OAKS

"6(645 50#: "6(645 #-6& 4)"%%: 4&15&.#&3 450/&'*&-% 46/%":Â¤4 */ "6(645 .03("/ #"*/

Sunday August 11th CAL PECK AND THE TRAMPS T H E

WWW.YA-YAS.COM.AU THURSDAY 8 AUGUST

201 QUEEN VICTORIA ST NORTH FREMANTLE, WA PH: 08 9335 2725 | www.theswanhotelfremantle.com

MATT GRESHAM

FRIDAY 9 AUG

TRICKY

BIG GIRLS BLOUSE SUN TIED DOWN

$15/7:30PM

FRIDAY 9 AUGUST W/

SCALPHUNTER

BLINDSPOT, THE CHOKE, DEAD GLORIOUS $10/7:30PM

DIALECTRIX COLD LIGHT OF DAY TOUR FT/

DJ 2BUCK

&/2 BOTH

MONDAY 12 AUGUST

BIG TOMMOâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S VARIETY OPEN MIC OUR CURE TO YOUR MONDAY BLUES FREE/7:30PM

TUESDAY 13 AUGUST

S AT 10 AUG

JAZZ AT YAYAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S

SEAN LITTLE QUARTET, SHAUN RAMMERS TRIO, ALEX DEW FT/

WEDNESDAY 14 AUGUST

HAHAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S @ YAYAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S $15/7:30PM

CORNER OF JAMES AND LAKE ST NORTHBRIDGE 147 JAMES STREET NORTHBRIDGE 6003

S AT 10 AUG

MATTY T WALL CAMPSITE ARMOUR IN ORBIT

0- $//23 s %.429

coming soon SPECIAL BREW

+ The Weapon Is Sound SUNDAY AUGUST 25TH

BOOM BAP POW

SALVAGE DIVER SHOUTING AT CAMELS SUN TIED DOWN ADRIAN HOFFMAN CYCLONE TESS

& THE HIGH LEARYS + DJ HOLLY

SUNDAY AUGUST 18TH

0- $//23 s %.429

$5/7:30PM

OUR MONTHLY STAND-UP COMEDY NIGHT RETURNS!

POWER 50 EDITION

CYCLONE TESS CORLSON RICHARD LANE AND A CHURCH

SATURDAY 10 AUGUST

TICKETS FROM OZTIX/7:30PM

2 0 1 3

+ Some Like It Yacht

be where the POWER is!

OUT NOW!

FREE ENTRY

46 LAKE ST, NORTHBRIDGE 9328 2350 LIVE MUSIC EVERY NIGHT OF THE WEEK ENQUIRIES info@mustangbar.com.au www.mustangbar.com.au

ORDER FROM STORE.THEMUSIC.COM.AU 9

[NEWS NEWS]

Want all your music news daily? Subscribe to Your Daily SPA at

ARTS

Tigertown

The Bling Ring

THURSDAY 8 The Bling Ring – the new Sofia Coppola flick based on the real events of a group of famed-obsessed teenagers who use social media to find out when celebrities are not at their LA mansions and rob them. Stars Emma Watson as one of these tech savvy thieves; go watch Hermione rob Paris Hilton. In cinemas.

Sticky Fingers

EYE OF THE TIGER

WASH YOUR HANDS FIRST

With an August 9 release for their third EP – Wandering Eyes – firmly in sight, Sydney-side evergrowing favourites Tigertown have announced the accompanying national tour throughout September, landing at The Newport Hotel on Sunday 22 September. The five-piece familial collective are no strangers to the road; this year alone, they’ve completed a national run with Bob Evans before leaping right into an extensive run of their own on the back of the new EP’s radio-saturated first single What You Came Here For. This time around, Tigertown have three whole EPs to pull the set from, which now is becoming swollen with highlights. Tigertownband.com for tickets.

It’s all about happy endings. And that’s what you get when you shake together the offspring of a brothel owner and an inner city ex-rock player, add couple of parts Kiwi and a fraction Brazilian. Happy endings and the garage/pop, psych/soul mash of reggae known as the Sticky Fingers sound, and it’s a sound that have gotten max respect and plaudits as one of the best Aussie bands out there over the last year or so. Coming to attention via Youtube when they decided to host their own mini-festival in a mate’s backyard that happened to face onto the ground of another, much bigger festival, Sticky Fingers bundle up the Aussie pub rock who-givesa-fuck attitude and release it through some disarmingly emotive and catchy tunes. They make their way to The Bakery on Friday 6 September, supported by fellow Sydneyans Lime Cordiale, Lo & Behold and DJ Ndorse.

Robert Hood

FRIDAY 9

UNDER THE HOOD

Swan Lake – if there is a ballet you have to see, it’s this one. This four-act Russian ballet tells the story of the white and black swan. His Majesty’s Theatre, 7.30pm, to Sunday 11 August.

Founding member of the legendary group Underground Resistance as ‘Minister Of Information’ with ‘Mad’ Mike Banks and Jeff Mills, Robert Hood is regarded by some of the biggest names in electronic music as being one of the founding fathers of techno’s development. His seminal works on Jeff Mill’s Axis and his very own M-Plant imprint paved the way for a wave of strippeddown dance floor minimalism that directed much of techno’s path throughout the late ‘90s. He makes minimal Detroit techno with an emphasis on soul and experimentation over flash and popularity, and he heads to Geisha Bar on Sunday 29 September, supported by Reece Walker and Emerald Cabal. Tickets through geishabar.com.au

Get Hypnotised – everybody likes a bit of magic; this is Matthew Hale’s comedy hypnosis show. Expect to see hypnotised volunteers transported into bizarre car journeys, talking alien and unleashing talents they never knew they had. Rigby’s Bar, 8pm.

SATURDAY 10 Kate Anna St. Valentine: You And Me – an exhibition from Perth based artist, St. Valentine, this body of work is a exploration into the common bonds that lie between different humans and each others’ hearts. Ruck Rover General Store, exhibiting to Saturday 31 August. Gentlemen of Fortune – a film directed by Alexander Baranov and Dmitry Kiselev, this film is based on a remake of a Russian classic of the same name. It’s a comedy of mistaken identity. Part of the Russian Resurrection Film Festival, Paradiso, 9.30pm.

SUNDAY 11 ICMC Listening Room – featuring acousmatic works by composers from around the world as part of the International Computer Music Conference (*geek out) this program will show over 40 new works each day. Mixing technological, science and the art of music. PICA Performance Space, 10am to 5pm, to Sunday 18 August. The Stone Roses: Made Of Stone – this doco directed by Shane Meadows (This Is England) goes behind the scenes of the Stone Roses reunion. When Ian Brown sang I Wanna Be Adored, the opening song of their 1989 eponymous debut, Manchester band the Stone Roses became self-prophesisers. Decades after the ecstasy afterglow, and 15 years after their breakup, the baggy love remained strong for the pioneers of the melodic, narcotic sound. Luna Leederville, 7pm.

TUESDAY 13 Hedda – presented by This One Show is a new no-holds-barred translation of Ibsen’s original text, Hedda Gabler, directed by Renato Fabrett. Hedda’s world is shaken by the arrival of her old friend Thea, and her former lover Løvborg. Riddled with jealously and longing, she conceives a plan to turn her life around. Preview performance, Blue Room Theatre, 8.30pm, to Saturday 31 August.

NEWS Region Arts Funding Announced – Federal Arts Minister Tony Burke has announced $645,134 funding for 54 arts projects running in regional and remote areas in Queensland, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and Western Australia. Some of the projects receiving funding include Queensland’s Beyond Boundaries which puts on over 132 workshops in theatre, photography, film making, visual arts and creative movement across the Mackay and Isaac regions for people living with disabilities.

CASTING CALL F4 Awards – submissions for the F4 Program Award for Outstanding New Australian Documentary Talent will officially open on Monday 5 August for filmmakers at the start of their career. Emerging documentary filmmakers are encouraged to submit their first completed film after graduation to the F4 Program and compete for the prestigious F4 Award. Documentaries can be of any genre, style and length and made for any screen-based platform for more info head to f4.org.au

Korplikaani

WHAT THE FOLK? Prepare your liver and put on your drinking hats and beer goggles, because Finland’s alcohol-fuelled folk metal sextet Korpiklaani are setting course for Australia. They are getting ready to party with our finest (or our worst?) this October on their very first visit to these shores. With roots set deep in traditional Finnish folk music, Korpiklaani take said roots, turn them upside down and add a hearty helping of galloping metal which has placed them atop the rather burgeoning folk metal scene. With an extensive back catalogue including their latest release, 2012’s Manala (Nuclear Blast) and years of extensive touring, the band have honed a vibrant and energetic live performance which they’ll unleash at The Rosemount Hotel on Sunday 27 October. Tickets through metropolistouring.com.au

CRACK YOUR OARS Arcadia Collective, a new movement of musicians, creatives and visual artists based in Perth, WA are designing and preparing a dream factory for the creative community of Western Australia. They’ve already had a few pretty awesome shows, and now Arcadia’s next fundraiser will be held at The Bakery with live performances from local musical acts, burlesque performers, street artists and more. Release The Kraken II will be a smorgasbord of all that and more, with local acts Cow Parade Cow, Catbrush, Reptiluminati and Eteana all getting loud on stage. With a robot/octopus dress theme, there’ll be robot costume-building workshops, weird wrestling matches (expect chicken suit/sum wrestler/Abe Lincoln brawls), an “insults and compliments” booth and heaps more. Thursday 22 August is the date, $10 on the door.

THE PRICE OF FAIM After five years kicking around Perth and trying to find their sound, eclectic theatric punk rockers FAIM (formerly known as The FAIM! Project) have finally managed to channel and bottle their charismatic and unique live energy with their debut album, Pretty Well Over The Bay. With quirky, playful and insightful lyrics weaving their way in and out of fast-paced drums, tight bass and a wall of untamed, technical guitar riffs, it’s hard to pin-point what makes them so enticing. The album does it’s best to harness the chaotic energy of the band, but seeing them live is still a second-to-none experience. They’re out on the road right now, with a local show at PICA Bar this Friday 9 August wrapping it all up, supported by Yiannos McStavros, Order Of The Black Werewolf and Tired Lion. Free entry.

THE JAZZ AGE Perth’s indomitable jazz scene turns 40 this year with the anniversary of the Perth Jazz Society presenting live jazz and improvised music to audiences across Western Australia. To celebrate this milestone, the PJS will launch its new series at the brand new bar in the CBD, The Laneway Lounge, on Tuesday 27 August from 7.30pm. The debut performance will feature Victoria Newton with some of Perth’s best, including Tom O’Halloran, Carl Mackey, Pete Jeavons and Chris Tarr. The quintet will perform music combining Victoria’s two loves – jazz and Brazilian music – as well as their original material. Known for her high energy performances, Victoria is one of Perth’s most engaging singers and with this incredible ensemble will be the perfect show to celebrate this 40 year landmark. Tickets on the door.

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

Thundamentals

Human Nature

O COME ALL YE FAITHFUL On your sleigh Santa Claus; Human Nature is coming to town! Australia’s most successful male vocal group are coming home for the holidays this December on Human Nature - The Christmas Tour, to coincide with the release of Human Nature – The Christmas Album. While Aussies may not get to experience the traditional white holiday, Human Nature will treat fans to a very merry little Christmas courtesy of a spectacular evening of Christmas classics with their masterful Motown spin. The quartet will be getting their ‘holly’ and ‘jolly’ on at Perth Zoo on Friday 20 December, just in time for Yuletide. Tickets go on sale Monday 5 August through various outlets.

LOUD AND PROUD

BRING THE THUNDA Blue Mountains-via-Newtown hip hop trio Thundamentals continue to flip the concepts of what ‘Oz hip hop’ is supposed to be with new single Smiles Don’t Lie from their upcoming, as-yet-untitled, third album, proudly announcing their first and only headline tour for 2013 to bring the new music to fans. Already added to rotation on triple j, debuting at #5 on the iTunes Hip Hop Charts, and an unashamed love letter, Smiles Don’t Lie would not have been an obvious single choice for the boys – MCs Tuka and Jeswon and DJ Morgs – a year ago. Now, and with Thundamentals’ eclectic and edgy style at tyhe forefront, its a taste of what’s sure to be a killer album. Catch them at Flyrite on Thursday 10 October, Mojos Friday 11 and Studio 146 in Albany on Saturday 12.

Pride Western Australia Incorporated has announced ‘Rainbow Nation’ as the theme for this year’s Pridefest. The three-week arts, culture and community festival will kick off on Saturday 2 November with a daytime parade through the streets of Northbridge, followed by an all day celebration in Russell Square. According to Pride, the theme was designed to bring the whole community together, and to highlight the strength that both the Pride community and the general community gain through diversity. They’ve also revamped their website, pridewa.com.au, which lists all the arts, music and cultural attractions available over the three-week period. Head there to find out more.

Sampology

Katchafire

FLAME ON NZ’s sweetest purveyors of reggae, Katchafire announce their return to Australian shores to celebrate their Best So Far album release, bringing Hawaii’s Common Kings, rock/reggae/r’n’b head-nodding beats and feel-good vibes along for the ride. Kicking off over east in October, the Best So Far Tour hits Prince Of Wales, Bunbury on Thursday 10 October; Metropolis Fremantle, Friday 11; and The Rosemount Hotel on Saturday 12. Slotting in high on the list of amazing Kiwi Reggae acts, Katchafire have just returned from another sold out tour of the US, Europe and the UK including the legendary Glastonbury Festival, confirming their status as a global roots reggae phenomenon. Grab tickets through katchafire.co.nz from Monday 12 August.

CLUB CAN’T SAMPLE ME Audiovisual DJ Sampology has announced a run of dates that will take him across the country throughout August, September and October. He is a definite boundary pusher within the naitonal dance scene, with his seen-to-be-believed live show and unique beats. The one man project of Sam Poggioli, he has played at SXSW, Big Chill Festival, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Big Day Out and more over the past few years. The Brissy-based artist will also hit up parts of Asia just prior to kicking off his local run, and fans can actually win tickets to go see him perform in Bali. The prize includes return flights and three nights’ accommodation for two, as well as VIP tickets to the Sampology set at the Potato Beach Club, where the AVDJ will be along with R&B singer John Legend. Head to sampology. com for that, or get tickets for his Belvoir Ampitheatre show on Saturday 12 October through the same.

+ - , - +

FRIDAY 9 AUGUST

GET WEIRD X KITSUNE CLUB NIGHT

W JERRY BOUTHIER SATURDAY 10 AUGUST

BRO SAFARI + CRIZZLY

SATURDAY 17 AUGUST

FUNHOUSE ONESIE PARTY FRIDAY 23 AUGUST

VANDALISM SHOWCASE

THE SUBSTANCE KID KENOBI *** &&" &$ !## ! ' #( , + &&"!% )!## %! ' #( &$ (

its game on QANTM COLLEGE

e n ro l n ow PERTH CAMPUS | SEPTEMBER INTAKE CERTIFICATE, DIPLOMA & DEGREE COURSES IN: GAMES DESIGN ANIMATION 2-year accelerated degrees. FEE-HELP Approved.

[FEATURES]

UNITED BY FLAMES The last nine years have seen Dead Letter Circus slowly but surely smoulder into a full blown inferno of progressive rock glory. On the eve of the release of The Catalyst Fire, singer Kim Benzie details the journey to Lochlan Watt. Cover and feature pics by Kane Hibberd. e will be not be not guided/Held apart and counted/Kept within our spaces/ Alone /Some of us have broken free/ And we have chosen/ Bleeding but we’re conscious/Awake”.

“W

The above lyrical excerpt from Alone Awake is representative of the greater vision expressed by Dead Letter Circus’ second full-length. Sat at a table in Gregory Park, Milton, it’s a remarkably sunny winter’s day in Brisbane. Raised in Perth but having lived in the Sunshine State for the last fifteen years, Benzie is casual all over, completely relaxed, and begins enthusiastically speaking of music, and not just his own band, well before the seated destination is reached and recorder switched on. “It’s like we’re all archaeologists in a way, all moving towards the same mountain, carving a little piece or finding the overall shape of music. I think we just got to the stage where all those points had met, and people were looking for the same thing,” he says of the band’s rising popularity amongst the more extreme end of heavy music fans – a fact quantified

by their relationship with US metal label Sumerian Records, as well as their previous and forthcoming overseas touring with such metal acts as Animals As Leaders and Monuments, with their style having subtly influenced their latest effort through sheer subconscious proximity.

an unfair system which might have seemed fair when they conceived it years ago,” he explains, pausing momentarily to take a sip of coffee. “The big companies hold [power] over the world, and that kind of thing. The Catalyst Fire is about that yearning for change that’s within everyone. It’s about an idea spreading like a fire – that spreading of change. Over the last couple of years, everyone’s become a little more aware of how the world actually works, and the mechanics of it all.”

a watertight rhythm section, the band effortlessly construct a deeply psychedelic and dynamic grid of blissful hyperspace noise over which some absolutely beautiful vocal melodies are applied.

A bell rings, and within seconds the park is filled with the jubilation of uniformed primary school students. Benzie continues as though the environment hasn’t changed at all.

“You can say that a lot of alternative rock and a lot of metal has been done now, so the quest for that thing that will stimulate your mind is a little bit harder,” he adds.

“All those films like The Matrix make sense to everyone, and so it’s that little quest. Every conversation you have, say it’s the first time you talk to someone about that, and you would take away that idea from me and give it to someone else. It’s a catalyst fire for change. That’s the basic concept of what’s going on throughout it – the thirst for change, burning from person to person, and snowballing from person to person to that moment where it actually does change.”

Although Dead Letter Circus performs as a five-piece, with original bassist Stewart Hill, guitarist Tom Skerlj, guitarist Clint Vincent and drummer Luke Williams, the latter two formerly of Melodyssey, Benzie explains in detail how and why the album came to be written and recorded with an extra guitarist.

It’s clear that the scope that Benzie’s consciousness embodies extends much further beyond the self. His world view is holistic, having transcended far beyond a “cellular” existence and “invisible walls” people typically build around themselves. Humanity is one, yet we do not have to follow the hive mind. He retains a polite acknowledgement of rules and borders, and despite a lack of overt preachiness his presence alone seems encouraging of respectfully usurping the status quo. “Everyone in the world right now, it’s pretty hard to not be awake to the mechanics of the way the world is, and the problems of the world, being the reserve bank,

The ethos he speaks of has even translated into the band’s business dealings. Back in 2010, Dead Letter Circus were catapulted to success by their debut album This Is The Warning, which under the banner of Warner Music Australia peaked at number two on the ARIA charts. Now in 2013, the release of The Catalyst Fire has been handled by UNFD – an independent label typically home to such metalcore acts as The Amity Affliction and Northlane. “Our contract expired with Warner, and we were just looking around,” he explains frankly. “We’d had offers from everyone around the country, because obviously it’s a successful business model. Something about going with a major label again, although the guys at Warner are awesome, it didn’t really feel like it fit us – a bunch of guys raging against the machine – then being part of a worldwide corporation making lots of money off musicians?” Benzie describes their experiences with UNFD so far as being “much more fair. It just feels like an even gift for what we give to them, for what they give to us. It’s not just Warner – any major label that still operates in the old format... it’s pretty brutal towards the musician. I never want to paint a bad picture of those guys, because they were really nice, but the actual company structure we didn’t vibe on.” Getting back to the music at hand, The Catalyst Fire stands to be hailed as an impossibly cohesive masterpiece of progressive rock. With three guitarists working as one conscious entity alongside

“On the actual CD we’ve listed six musicians as being in the band. At the very start of the record there’s a bit of a grey area where Robert [Maric, original guitarist] stopped writing for the band, and I’d started writing the songs I’d conceived with my friend Luke Palmer, who lives on the Gold Coast, and basically Luke possibly would have joined the band, but he was having a child. DLC is a style, one that has improved with the new album, and the actual style of the band is a style that can be interchanged between different guitarists. “About the same time that I was a

WHAT’S IN A PICTURE? ART, THE AMAZONS, AND AYAHUASCA

The concept of The Catalyst Fire runs through not just every moment of the music, but the album’s stunning art as well – the seed of which happened to be fertilised in the jungles of Amazon. “I actually met this amazing woman [Klara Soukalova] in the jungle. We were there on an Ayahuasca retreat, and she actually designed this tattoo of mine here. She’s this awesome shamanic artist that does these crazy, huge, intricate [pieces]; it basically looks like you’re looking at this code from an alien race. She drew me this tattoo, because she loved the message of the band, and if you live there and you’re a Westerner, then you’re there fighting for what’s going on in the Amazon. She gave us permission to use some of her symbology in her artwork, and so [with] our Australian artist Cameron Gray we spent about two months working with her just crafting this mandala, and we basically just wanted to create something that was a symbol for change, something that anyone from any walk of life could just stare into and have a bit of an experience looking at it.” Having previously themed an entire tour on the environmentally destructive issue of mining coal seam gas, or ‘fracking’ as it’s known, he reveals that the band soon plans to extend their environmental scope. “We really want to raise some awareness about the fight going on in the Amazon. The oil companies, the indigenous people and the actual river. That’s the heart of the earth. There’s more biodiversity in one hectare of the Amazon than there is in the whole of America. What’s going on there should be at the forefront of global consciousness, as they’re a more defenceless people as well. That’s what we’ll aim our sights on next.”

couple of songs in with this guy, Rob left the band and we had all these tours booked, and our tour manager said, ‘Well, I know the songs, I can pretty much play them now’, so he took his broken wrist out of a cast, jumped on a plane and basically two weeks later was playing in the States on South By South West, and he did the tour over there. By the time we came back, we’d just fallen in love with him being in the band. It fit, it worked. We got back and found ourselves in this unique situation where we kind of had a guitar team, in that we had three guitarists playing on the album as a family, as a unit.” Don’t expect to see them playing live with all six members anytime soon, however. “My initial thoughts were I don’t want to demystify the band or anything like that, by making it seem like there’s someone behind the scenes, but it’s actually a really nice story. He’s the only breadwinner for that family, so the state of the industry dictates that no one’s really making enough money for him to do it, but the musical chemistry is just so amazing.” Although Benzie confesses that no one in the band has had a real day job for the last eight years, their existence isn’t glamorous. He picks a spider he’s noticed off his interviewer’s shirt and explains the concept of the “kudos card”. “It’s like a credit card full of the compliments you might receive. What it’s good for – it’s good for drinks at the bar and occasional self-esteem boosting, like when you’re picking up the home brand spaghetti at the supermarket and someone comes up to you and says, ‘I fucking love your song’, and you’re like, ‘Thanks man! I’m rich! I’m fucking rich!’” “That’s one of the awesome things about being in this genre and writing this kind of music. It’s generally the soundtrack to the intensely emotional parts of your life. It’s very personable music, and it’s not preachy because it’s more of someone figuring it out for themselves, and I just put that into the song. I think that’s why people can connect with it. That’s probably the best thing about being in the band – it can happen anywhere.” “Deny it but know that we can end and nothing changes/Or decide it and hope that we ascend/ That we can shape at all the fire that comes/Or we pretend so we can hope it’s all just pictures in stone/It’s all been for progress/Will we see it fall down just like they dreamed it would?/Will we see it burn down to rise again?/We will see it fall down/Wake from this dream and know/ We must see it burn down to rise again”.

WHO: Dead Letter Circus WHAT: The Catalyst Fire (UNFD) WHEN & WHERE: Thursday 19 September, Prince Of Wales, Bunbury; Friday 20, Metropolis, Fremantle olis, Fremantle

find out what the world is coming to every day,

in one day.

Murdoch Open Day Sunday 18 August. Come and see ﬁrst hand why people from all over the world come to Murdoch – get a feel for our world-class facilities and talk to globally renowned academics about courses and careers that are right for you. For full details, search ‘Murdoch Open Day’.

CRICOS Provider Code 00125 J MK_MUR2876B_D1

MUSIC

[FEATURES FEATURES]

OFF HER TITS Amanda ‘Fucking’ Palmer is going back on the fucking road. And, contrary to what you might have read in the tabloid international press, she actually does play songs in between getting her boobs out (when she wants to). She lays it all down for Liz Giuffre.

ALTERNATIVE CAREER JOSH PYKE

urrently on tour across Britain, Palmer talks about heading to Australia with the Grand Theft Orchestra. She’ll be playing new album, Theatre Is Evil, which was recorded in Melbourne in less than a month, and it’s got some her best stuff, ever, to show off. Not that you’d quite know that she has an album if you read international reports from Glastonbury, though. According to the British gutter press, all that Palmer’s being doing lately is showing a bit of tit during her live show at the biggest music festival in the world. The headline even told us that Palmer had “made a boob of herself” – and then news media wonders why they’re in ‘crisis’.

IF YOU WEREN’T DOING MUSIC, WHAT ELSE WOULD YOU BE DOING? I think I would have tried the music for a long, long time, and then eventually slid into being a physicist. Josh Pyke touring nationally from August. Check The Guide for dates.

TRAILER WATCH JOBS

“Here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels because the people we are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do”. In cinemas Thursday 29 August

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

“To tell you the truth, the first thing I thought when somebody linked me to that Daily Mail article was just ‘this is hilarious. They clearly don’t know who they’re talking about’,” Palmer says of the whole thing. “It did seem as ridiculous as running an article about Quentin Tarantino making a violent movie or something; it just made no sense. But it also did [make sense in a way], because none of their target audience know anything about me. I’m foreign to them and that world.” In response to the report Palmer wrote a waltz, a piece she called Dear Daily Mail. The right mix of funny, feisty and (rightly) pissed off, she urged audiences to upload it to the interweb in the hope the newspaper would get her point of view (and also be reminded she sings songs). Getting angry would be easy, but answering with a funny, sexy tune is sweet (and funky) revenge. While it’s not clear if the tune will be repeated (we can hope, though), it was an example of Palmer’s commitment not just to her art, but to giving as much as she can to include her audience in the process. With Theatre Is Evil Palmer is taking a slightly different direction to previous recordings. It’s deliberately bigger and more ambitious in scope as opposed to the cabaret/ parlour punk sound she’s often sported in the past. However, it’s a move she’s been really clearly steering. “After years and years of making records and having bizarre expectations circle around me constantly, I have learned to be very strong in the expectation department and simply just be proud of the end product. And in the case of this record I think it’s the best record I’ve ever done. So when it was finished I just threw it off a cliff and thought, ‘I have no idea if this is going to sink or fly, but I know that I created something beautiful, and that’s what matters’,” she says. The build-up this time was initially put on hold as a close friend of Palmer’s underwent cancer treatment, which saw her postpone her initial plans and take time away from her beloved music family to be part of that personal process. While she can confirm “his outcome is about as positive as it could have been”, and clearly she made the decision to commit without reservation, Palmer’s also honest about how challenging it was. “It was hard on so many levels because it wasn’t just theoretically putting the tour on hold and stopping the promotion of the album and all that; it meant

disconnecting from the entire fanbase and not being with them every night. [And that] is something that I didn’t think a lot about, but I really do derive so much energy from being with everyone and travelling around and actually connecting with people I’m making music for. Physically, in reality, not just on the internet. And it was really hard to do, to be away from everyone.” Existing fans need no convincing of Palmer’s commitment and clear joy of being in the same space and breathing the same air as like-minded souls (not only in organised tours, but also with her fabulous fanfuelled ‘ninja’ gigs). But she also continues to preach to those who have not yet seen the light about the centrality of the live experience for a working musician’s essence. “Touring is so important because whether or not the record sold a lot of copies digitally or in stores, and whether or not people are downloading it and whether or not they’re paying when they download it, all of that is totally irrelevant when you’re standing onstage and looking out to 1000 people and they’re all singing the lyrics to your songs. You don’t fucking care how they got your record; all you care about is the fact that they have connected to and love the music enough to sing along with it and cry along with it, and all the other stuff is irrelevant,” Palmer says of her commitment to getting in and amongst her audience. “And of course you want to get paid and you need to cover your arse and pay your rent, but I don’t know, personally, of any musicians who are in it for the money over getting the connection [with the audience]. And if they exist, I don’t even want to know them.” Her last comment about money is perhaps where Palmer has made the most headway (and gained the most infamy). As one of the highest profile promoters of crowd-funded music, as well as one of the criticised, she maintains a ‘pay what you want’ idea based

on an ideology of art as a democracy rather than a dictatorship. She explained this most beautifully in a TED talk earlier this year called The Art Of Asking, something that spread faster than a torrented new Game Of Thrones ep. Here she spelled out her basic philosophy of professional musicianship: ‘Don’t make people pay for music – ask them’, and the ultimate ‘get fucked’ to an old industry that is convinced that downloaders are heartless arseholes rather than just people who are wary of getting fucked by ‘The Industry’. “I felt so flattered to be invited onto that stage with all the environmentalists and neuroscientists and the people on the bleeding edge of technology. I felt so honoured to be given that platform because it meant that my work as a musician is really important. All of the hours that I’ve spent connecting with people in different ways, on social media and experimenting in different ways, actually came to some kind of fruition,” she says of the experience. However, Palmer is also happy to admit the pressure of such an endeavour, too. “Oh, it was terrifying. I mean TED is a really big deal for so many reasons, not the least of which it’s one of the most intimidatingly high-profile audiences in the world; you’re standing on a stage in front of Al Gore and Bill Gates and all the people, some of the great intellectuals on the planet, you know? And you feel like you need to say something intelligent,” she trails off, laughing. After her TED talk, one would expect that her appearance as a BIGSOUND 2013 speaker should be a piece of cake in comparison. WHO: Amanda Palmer & The Grand Theft Orchestra WHAT: Theatre Is Evil (8Ft Records/Inertia) WHEN & WHERE: Thursday 26 September, Astor Theatre

MUSIC

[FEATURES FEATURES]

NEW ORDER Holy Ghost! did it – and now Classixx have metamorphosed from a DJ combo into a live act. Already this year Tyler Blake and Michael David have unveiled their debut, Hanging Gardens, a paean to disco Balearica with some Californian sun. And they’ll be performing songs from it at Listen Out, the successor to Parklife. Cyclone has a chat with the duo.

anging Gardens, out locally through Future Classic, has been a long time coming, Classixx discussing the project three years ago. There’s even a celebratory new single, All You’re Waiting For, featuring DFA Records affiliate Nancy Whang. Switch has remixed it. Tyler describes its release as not merely an achievement, but also “a big relief”. “It took us forever to make it. I think, when we started, we both expected to finish it a lot sooner than it took.” But, then, few artists wrap up an album in the timeframe they predict – aside from Rihanna, who outsources the production. Blake and David were childhood friends, attending the same suburban high school in Los Angeles and gigging in teenage bands (though David originates from Johannesburg). Later, Blake, a pianist, headed off to study at Boston’s prestigious Berklee School of Music, but dropped out. David played guitar in a ‘serious’ band. Along the way, they’d both embrace (indie) dance music – and the turntables. When Classixx began DJing nu-disco around 2006, initially under the handle Young Americans, they struggled to score gigs in LA. “At first nobody wanted to book us,” Blake says. However, as blog faves, they’d soon jet off to New York, Canada and Australia, punters singing along to their remixes. Classixx issued an eponymous EP on DJ Dan’s In Stereo as early as 2008. Their breakthrough hit was 2009’s I’ll Get You, performed by former Junior Senior frontman Jeppe Laursen, on Kitsuné. Classixx have since produced Mayer Hawthorne’s No Strings (off How Do You Do) and remixed pop acts – among them Groove Armada, Ladyhawke and Lana Del Rey (the ace Blue Velvet). Yet Blake nominates their take on Versailles alt-rockers Phoenix’s Lisztomania as his pick. “The Phoenix [remix] is the one that’s been the most important for us, just because, first of all, for us personally Phoenix has been one of our favourite bands,” he says. “We both discovered Phoenix when we were in high school, when we were 15-years-old – before they were really even a popular band. I remember they had this song on this old Astralwerks compilation and Mike and I discovered it together. They were one of our favourite bands in the world for five years before we even got asked to do that remix. So, when we got asked to do it, we thought it was the coolest thing of all time.” Classixx still play their Lisztomania in DJ sets. Growing up, Blake and David cherished LPs – and so they were determined that Classixx cut one. “We had the idea for a long time of making a record because we’ve always been into the idea of the album format – even though it’s kind of fading in dance music.” Nevertheless, the process was daunting. “At first it was hard because we were touring – ‘cause we’d quit our jobs,” Blake explains. “So we had to tour to be able to make a living, which made it hard to find the time to actually finish the songs.” Eventually Classixx pulled back on DJing. But they then had to schedule in their guest vocalists: Whang, Active Child (whose own Hanging On Ellie Goulding covered on Halcyon), Superhumanoids’ Sarah Chernoff, and Kisses’ Jesse Kivel. As such, some of the Hanging Gardens material dates back a couple of years. “We made a lot of songs and then ditched a lot of ‘em, because we didn’t feel like they would hold up,” Blake admits. “One of the main things of finishing the album is that we wanted to feel like every song on it was something that we wouldn’t be embarrassed by or kinda regret including sometime in the future.” Luckily, Classixx are “in sync” in the studio, being old friends. The pair second guess each other. They share the same reference points and so, if one suggests “a New Order drum fill” for a track, the other immediately gets it. “It’s not only that we both like that music, but we discovered that music in the same room with headphones plugged into a stereo together,” Blake says. Hanging Gardens has been well reviewed, receiving praise from Pitchfork (whose writer compared the first single, Holding On, to Discovery-era Daft Punk) and glowing posts on Amazon. Not that Blake sets out to read feedback. “You try not to look at it that much, ‘cause it can be discouraging if it’s bad. We’re both sensitive guys. I think if I did see something [negative], it would maybe bum me out. But people definitely send me stuff that they see – like my mom is very in touch with music and music journalism, and she sends me nice reviews and that feels good.” Today Classixx’s LA hometown is America’s EDM hotspot but, perhaps understandably, Blake doesn’t consider them part of that phenomenon. “It’s weird because the whole EDM thing, it’s dance music and it’s electronic, but a lot of it feels just as far away from our music as hard rock does, or rap music does, ‘cause it’s very different. I mean, it’s cool in the way that years ago, when we first started DJing, anything that was dance music-related at all, that wasn’t hip hop, you kind of were turned off by it. Now people are really open to electronic music – which I think is good just for anybody making electronic music... But we don’t feel superconnected to that. I don’t feel that in touch with the current state of mainstream EDM or dance culture in general.” If anything, Classixx belong to an EDM counterculture. “It’s not like we strive to be the alternative to it. I just think naturally that’s where our interests lie. I know from hearing people and people tweeting at us that people do say that – and that’s cool. I’m into that, if that’s what we are.” “Ironically”, Blake says, Classixx are now popular in LA. Mind, they play out only occasionally, so as to keep it “special”. Classixx, in Oz last summer to DJ during the Sydney Festival, are anticipating Listen Out. “We’re gonna be playing live, which we’ve never done in Australia,” says Blake, on synths with David. Blake is chuffed to be billed alongside “hyper-relevant artists” like Disclosure and the flamboyant femcee Azealia Banks, hoping to hang out with them. Of course, Classixx are anxious to stay on Ms Banks’ good side after she dissed The Stone Roses on Twitter for a poorly timed soundcheck at Future Music Festival. “I think we’re way too polite to get in a Twitter argument with her!,” Blake laughs. “We’d be really scared and overly polite.”

Classixx are big fans of Australian music. They count Cut Copy as pals and recently toured North America with The Presets. But they’re also familiar with ‘80s rockers Midnight Oil. Should Peter Garrett be at a loose end now he’s quit politics, Classixx are up for a collab. “Man,” Blake enthuses, “that’d be amazing!” WHO: Classixx WHAT: Hanging Gardens (Future Classic/Innovative Leisure) WHEN & WHERE: Sunday 29 September, Ozone Reserve

For more interviews go to themusic.com.au/interviews • 15

MUSIC

[FEATURES FEATURES]

CAT IN THE HAT Parisienne-cum-Londoner Jerry Bouthier likes his music cuttingedge, even if that means going back to ‘60s rock and soul. Cam Findlay chats to him about his most recent compilation, and finding space betwixt the continuous dance onslaught.

ALBUM YOU’RE DIGGIN’?

EOIN LOVELESS FROM DRENGE

erry Bouthier is a man of many hats (yes, pun intended). At least partially known for his choice of large head coverings, he’s also an internationally-regarded club DJ, a producer, English liaison to the France-based Kitsuné fashion/music label and the man behind some of that group’s best musical work, on both the original and remix scale, along with Andrea Gorgerino, the two holding the moniker JBAG. His workload is massive; he splits his time both productively and geographically, mixing regular club nights and production work in both his native home of France and his adopted home of the UK. It’s no surprise, then, that he hasn;t visited Australian shores in over five years. That’ll change soon, though.

“If you receive an email with a link to the new James Blunt single, don’t click on it. It’s a link to the new James Blunt single!” Thanks for the heads up Mikey Guitar! @MikeyMutineer

DREAM DREAM DREAM

“That’s a bit of a touch question at the moment,” Bouthier laughs over Skype when asked just how many things he’s got going on at the moment. “Most importantly, I’m going on tour in Australia. I’m leaving this weekend. I’m going to Hong Kong first, and I’m looking forward to it. You know, it’s been like five years that I haven’t been to Australia. I miss it! It’s a long way away, but I’m ever so into the Australian scene and many of its bands and DJs. So I’m really looking forward to catching up with some of the guys, and discover some new ones, you know?” Bouthier has his bags packed better than most travelling musos right now. The recently dropped Kitsuné Soleil Mix Vol. 2, which he cobbled together with Kitsuné head honcho and longtime partner in-crime Gildas Kitsuné, marks the second release in the series, but just one of a multitude of comp albums put together under the label. It’s a departure from anything else in the realm of conventional remix compilations, Bouthier’s style residing in bridging the gap between indie and electronic music, despite the ever-present infatuation with house, rave and EDM in general in London. It’s even pretty different to other Kitsuné release streams, the Parisienne and Maison series probably being some of the most popular. He’s pretty rapt with the result. “My work with Kitsuné is a lot of writing of press releases, playing at fashion shows, that kind of thing,” Bouthier mentions on his cross-Channel position. “And it means that I take from London, I take from Paris, and I kind of blend them together. And with the record, that’s totally where I am with that. You know, the first Soleil was nice, and it was very, well, ‘soleil’ in French. Very summery, almost feminine in a way. This one is slightly more rocky and a bit fucked up at times. We wanted to try that just to show that it’s a beautiful summer, but there’s still all that crazy music out there. And it works in the mix, that’s the nice thing.

MUSIC

I really like June Gloom by a band called Big Deal. It’s got some great grungy tracks, especially the last song on the album, Close Your Eyes – it’s an amazing love song with a killer guitar.

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

It’s not surprising to see that Bouthier is pretty devoted to the point of trying to keep on the edge of current music. Having spent the majority of his career in London, he has seen the rapid and explosive growth in the city of dance culture first-hand, as well as its relative plateauing in recent years. Often outspoken about the current state of dance music internationally, as well as in a more British sense, both the Soleil compilations and his other work strive to set themselves apart, and reinforce the notion of musical advancement. “You know, like anyone these days I will play a bit of house, it always works in clubs,” he says. “But my thing has always been more band-oriented or studio-oriented. I love guitars, I love drums, I love instruments. You know, the whole Kitsuné thing is supposed to be between those. It’s a bit electro-disco, it’s a bit rock, you don’t really know. But it’s modern, and it’s fun, you know? “I went to London many years ago; I’ve been here a long time,” Bouthier expresses. “At that time, there wasn’t much going on in France, and I was quite pessimistic about it. That was in the late ‘90s. Since then, so much good stuff has happened in France in terms of music, so yeah, at least artistically I do feel closer to what’s going on in France than what’s going on in London lots of the time. The simple reason for this is because, in London, things are more organised as a business. It’s a big industry; it generates a lot of money. It’s good, but it’s really about putting bums on seats, you know, whereas all the good things that happen in France happen because there was nothing in France, and everybody thought there was never going to be anything,” he laughs. “So musicians just did what they wanted, you know what I mean? It wasn’t a business; they just made their

music,” he continues. “Daft Punk, you know, Pheonix. These were big gate-openers for every other musician, producer and artist in France because suddenly the language wasn’t so much a barrier as it was until electronic music came around. Paris and France in general still has some very interesting musicians making their ways up at the moment, whereas in London, it’s a bit ‘resting on it’s laurels’. You know, it’s created the rave scene, it’s created this whole house craziness. It’s still milking that, in many aspects. That’s why, unfortunately, all the more modern contemporary stuff doesn’t get that air in the UK. It’s like they’re sticking to their techno and house and techno and drum’n’bass, whereas the future for me is a lot more indie. You know, coming out of that ‘dance’ shell and trying to fuse it more with normal music. You know, folk, rock, pop, soul, whatever. That’s my tip,” Bouthier chuckles. Bouthier, as can be seen, shares a view that has propagated through the EDM intelligentsia in recent years: that being that, as rave, techno and house music has found a dominant position on British airwaves, there hasn;t been a lot of space for new and experimental music to make it’s way out of bedroom studios. But, with artists like Bonobo and Washed Out taking big steps in the country, surely there’s a chance for Bouthier to be a bit more optimistic about the whole thing? “Yeah, you know, there’s a lot of stuff like that that sounds kind of French or continental for some reason,” he responds. “That kind of stuff, its on the edge. They really push the envelope. And your right, that’s what music should be about. I’m a big fan of Ninja Tune, and Coldcut, the guys who run it. They know what they’re doing, and there’s many exciting things coming from guys like that. I like to think that’s where I am; I want to push the envelope as well.” WHO: Jerry Bouthier WHAT: Kitsune Soleil Mix 2 By Gildas Kitsune & Jerry Bouthier (Kitsune) WHEN & WHERE: Friday 9 August, Villa

RULES OF ENGAGEMENT With their smashing debut album making waves nationwide, Outsiders Code drummer Alex Wakem chats with Daniel Cribb about the development of Australian hardcore and why they’re staying true to their roots.

here’s such a split scene over here,” Outsiders Code drummer Alex Wakem says of Melbourne hardcore. “There’s these little sort of factions doing their own thing; bands who are just sticking to their own crew, and it’s almost like there’s the same seven or eight bands on the bill at their shows,” he explains of its somewhat stagnant nature. With Outsiders Code featuring members of 50 Lions, Higher Power, Hopeless, Warbrain and more, Wakem has a fairly good incite into the scene. “I just kind of keep Outsiders Code the only thing that I’m doing, otherwise I wouldn’t have any time to myself. I don’t know how the others do four or five bands at a time. There’s too many things to do and it is just craziness,” he laughs.

to being a hardcore band, rather than having singing parts and bits like that’. All the post-hardcore bands these days have anthem singing parts, whereas we’ve kind of stuck to our guns and just want to do hardcore. Kids have really liked the record, and I’d have to say it’s probably the best record that I’ve ever done.”

Although he hasn’t played in Perth for a while, he frequently visits the state as a drum tech for Frenzal Rhomb. Frenzal often employ heavier acts to open their shows, so Wakem’s witnessed the WA scene develop into an unstoppable force over the past couple of years. Outsiders Code’s debut record, Exiled From Birth, has been receiving nothing but outstanding reviews, so he’s excited to head back over and play. “Everyone that’s spoken to me about it has been like, ‘Man, it’s a really good record, and you guys are staying true

The record’s cover art features a black-and-white sketch of an old Russian mobster with prison tattoos grasping a walking stick, which encompasses everything the band stands for. “The whole Outsiders Code thing is taken from the Russian mafia, and how they’ve got an outsiders code agreement where they don’t speak about anything and they keep everything to themselves, and I think that just carried on throughout the artwork.”

“T “I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living. It’s a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope, which is what I do, and that enables you to laugh at life’s realities.” Dr Seuss

“I wouldn’t really call it dark,” he responds when it’s put to him that Soleil 2 might be darker than previous work, “because darker isn’t really my thing. But more fucked up, like I said, and more intricate, more originality, you know? There’s a lot of tracks in there where you are like, ‘What’s going on?’ you know? That was the idea. It takes you on a journey. You don’t really know where you’re going, but... it’s happening,” he laughs.

The choice to mix and master with iconic producer Chris ‘Zeuss’ Harris was one to further embed a true hardcore essence into their songs. “All of my favourite bands, like Madball and Hatebreed and so on, have used Zeuss. I wanted to use him because he always makes a record sound really fat. It still sounds natural; it doesn’t sound completely triggered or anything like that. He knows how to bring out the fatness in a record.”

With the caliber of the band’s lineup, there was no chance Exiled From Birth was going to disappoint.

But most of the hype surrounding Outsiders Code steams from their live show. When the project was birthed, there was never any intention to play shows, rather release the odd track here and there, from bits and pieces unused in their other projects. “When we were demoing, we just had the idea that we wanted to play straight-up hardcore. Most of the stuff was already written, because Luke [Bainbridge] had a bunch of old 50 Lions riffs that they never their record. The guys in 50 Lions were like, ‘Nah, we want to do something different, let’s go in a different direction.’ It was almost like all the songs that Luke had written were put on the backburner and we used them for these, which is pretty fortunate, because I reckon the songs are really good.” WHO: Outsiders Code WHAT: Exiled From Birth (Resist Records) WHEN & WHERE: Friday 16 August, Prince Of Wales, Bunbury; Saturday 17, Amplifier; Sunday 18, YMCA HQ

MUSIC

[FEATURES FEATURES]

NO FRILLS Sydney DJ/producer Spenda C (AKA Steve Lind) is Australia’s Godfather of Trap. Though trap originated in America’s Deep South as a hip hop genre, its stars TI, Gucci Mane and Young Jeezy, it has since been reformulated by EDM producers, only to be proclaimed ‘the new dubstep’. Lind tells Cyclone isn’t surprised that trap should be huge in Australia.

FAVOURITE CITY HUGH MIDDLETON FROM THE TROUBLE WITH TEMPLETON

t kinda makes sense,” he says, apologising for a nasty cough that proves even cool people catch winter colds. “I think, ‘cause it has that hip hop element to it, it’s a bit more palatable after the whole dubstep thing. Dubstep got a bit brosteppy, so it scared away all the girls.” The Represent Your Hood producer is putting his own spin on the music, aiming “to do some stuff that’s a little bit different and not too samey, samey.”

“I

We played in New York this year. That was probably my favourite city for obvious reasons. The Trouble With Templeton are touring from August. Check The Guide for dates.

DUMB YOUTUBER OF THE WEEK ”Taylor Swift your the final holdout... hurry up and slut out already.” bonerstorm84, from the comments box under Miley Cyrus - We Can’t Stop MileyCyrusVEVO MileyCyrusVEVO

THE DRUM CREW ARE...

In Sydney Lind has a longtime association with the credible yet “no frills” venue Chinese Laundry. “It’s just a DJ booth in a dark room, really loud speakers...” He

MUSIC

WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE CITY TO TOUR AND WHY?

Porter Robinson has expressed frustration that trap could soon be ruined by bandwagon-hoppers, prompting a premature backlash – as happened to dubstep. Lind isn’t fazed. “Well, I know for a fact that Tiësto has been playing bits of trap in his set – and I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing,” he says. “If anything, it sort of makes me like Tiësto a little bit more – that he’s willing to play these newer styles... It helps everyone out and helps it to get a broader audience, at least.”

ince their formation in 2005 as a straight out punk band, Perth’s Fear Of Comedy have transformed into an experimental doom rock band. Their latest offering, Delapsus Resurgam, aside from being seemingly cursed, is their darkest and heaviest work to date.

“I think we’ve got a cursed CD player thing happening at RTR FM,” frontman Laith Tierney begins. “The day I took the album into the station, during the Out To Lunch show they played a track off the album and it got five minutes in and it skipped and they had to turn it off, and we’re like, ‘AW, NO!’, and it actually happened the week of the Killing Joke gig. They played the single from the album and that skipped before it got to the main verse, and we’re like ‘What the fuck’s going on’,” he laughs. “Our CDs are cursed!”

MUSIC 2013 Totally Huge New Music Festival Opener, The Bakery

WATCHING Elysium, in cinemas 15 August

READING The first ever edition of The Music WA. Woah.

EATING Obscene amounts of meat-lovers pizza, like, probably a paddock’s worth of cow and pig meat.

DRINKING Yeah, we’re gonna get pissed.

WHEN & WHERE: Saturday 24 August, Villa

grow up. The old stuff is from a time when we were still growing up,” he explains. “I’ll probably ditch this [sound] and get a new one in a couple of weeks. You’ve got to be like David Bowie and Madonna and shit and reinvent yourself. ‘Oh, now I can play jazz. Let’s make some fuckin’ jazz. I couldn’t play jazz five years ago’.” When queried on what direction the next Fear Of Comedy record may take, he rattles off “jazz-post rock death metal” with such speed it could actually be a possibly. “Without being silly, it could be more electronic, it could be anything because your directions do change. It happens to every band – every good band anyway. They start experimenting with new sounds and new directions… a lot of people ask about it and freak out, ‘Oh my god, how come your sound’s evolved?’ – doesn’t that mean we’re doing it right? What are you doing standing in the same place. You still sound like The Ramones now, man. What’s going on?” The band’s ever-evolving line-up no doubt played a role in such a steep genre change. Just before heading into the studio a year ago, one of the band’s guitarists, James Styles, left, leaving Tierney to play the guitar parts. Then, as they were finishing the record, Yaegar Mora-Strauks [keys] signed on with Styles rejoining a few months later. Right before they launched the

album, the band’s 2005 guitarist, Ben Waters, also rejoined the band. Following the album’s launch show, drummer Liam Dunn left the band. As the only common denominator in Fear Of Comedy, Tierney feels the need to shake things up and keep it fresh. “I think rather than teach the drummer to play the songs, we’re just going to write a whole new album. We’ll never play these songs again probably… it’s almost like three members of the band have nothing to do with the songs that we’re playing, and that’s boring. They didn’t have as much say or input as they should and they’re really talented guys, so I want to write whole new songs with them. It’s a whole new line-up, so a new album will have to come out of it as soon as possible. We won’t change genres too much because we do have that dark alternative thing going on, even though we’ve changed from more punk to more prog, it’s still always been a little bit gothy, so it’ll still work whatever we experiment with.” WHO: Fear Of Comedy WHAT: Delapsus Resurgam (Independent)

HUMBLE ORIGINS

ianas are an act in three parts. “We met through mutual friends and then I moved into Mt Lawley, and then they were down the road… you guys were already jamming and stuff?” asks Ramsey, the trio’s crop-haired drummer.

#01,” Ramsey confirms. “We did two releases; the first one we did one hundred copies. We burned them ourselves, and spray-painted them, and Caitlin designed a sort of fold-out thing, we stamped them all, tied them up with string. It took a long time.”

“Yeah,” Pavlovic answers on her living arrangements with bandmate Caitlin Mooney. “Caitlin and I moved in together, because I was friends with her sister. And then we needed a drummer, basically anyone who was still at the sort of awkward skill level. We were all really… not starting out, but not really proficient.”

The trio record low-fidelity, and genuinely so. “We just recorded a double A-side that we’re going to release in about a week to coincide with Radiothon, and then we need to update our instruments,” explains Pavlovic. “We don’t own an amp, which is quite bad, because we’ve a band for a while now. But we want to finish off the album, mostly.”

Super Wild Horses are Dianas’ contemporary yardstick: scuzzy, minimalistic post-punk, the trio’s mellifluous vocals sit beneath a ribcage of strippedback electric guitar. The Perth trio supported the older, vampier SWH back in early June. Dianas’ sound can be found online in two locations: triple j Unearthed has a palmful of tracks – From The Start, Nice Boy and Washed Up – while their debut EP, innocuously titled EP #01, is available via Soundcloud. “It’s just EP ‘number one’,” explains Pavlovic. “I think on Soundcloud it’s just EP number one? It was going to be From The Start but then we decided EP

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

WHO: Spenda C

With a spot on RTR’s Radiothon bill, a debut record on the boil and a place in The Big Splash grand final, Perth post-punk trio Dianas are so hot right now. Callum Twigger catches up with Nathalie Pavlovic and Ashley Ramsey.

Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, Nanda Collection

CHECKING OUT

Lind is keen to collaborate more with other producers, in addition to MCs and vocalists. He’s even up for producing pop acts, as Flosstradamus did for Iggy

The DJ is anticipating his gig at Perth’s new bass night Hiline with Los Angeles’ Big Chocolate, promising to drop fresh tunes. “I always love playing over in Perth – it’s just such a good strong bass music scene, no matter what style of bass music. It’s always worth the six-hour flight or however long it is over there! I only get over to Perth maybe once or twice a year, so I really look forward to it.”

Although they’ve only just launched their new record, Fear Of Comedy vocalist Laith Tierney tells Daniel Cribb they won’t play the songs ever again.

LISTENING TO Water Graves EP Launch, The Bird

Lind is active as a producer, too, enjoying consistent success on Beatport. (Aside from Spenda C, he’s used the handles The Mane Thing and The Hump Day Project.) Lind has two EPs coming up on Kid Kenobi’s Klub Kids, the label behind those viral Trap Bombs compilations (plus he’s finalising a mix-CD for OneLove).

Azalea’s TrapGold mixtape. “If someone knocked on my door, someone I like, a Jessica Mauboy or a pop star, yeah, why not? Sure.” Indeed, Lind is no pop hata. On his Soundcloud is a bouncy remix of TLC’s No Scrubs, which he describes as “a guilty pleasure” for DJing. “I don’t always play bass-heavy sets – I play a lot of party sets as well,” he explains. Lind’s No Scrubs is “a get-outof-jail-free card” that entices girls onto the dancefloor.

BLACK COMEDY

They may have four releases under their belt, but Tierney sees Delapsus Resurgam as a debut. “We’ve got several releases out already but it’s almost like a completely different band. The previous Fear Of Comedy album was like a punk album and this is as far from punk as you can get. I’d say it’s our second album and our fourth release. But it also works as our first release if you just ignore everything that we’ve done in the past, which is probably a good idea. Tastes and abilities evolve and you just grow up; the music grows up and the people

GOING TO

plays twice a month. When Lind started at Chinese Laundry around six years ago, breaks was still big. Then the electro “noise” replaced it, Lind today declaring the sound to be “horrible”. It’s now about new EDM hybrids such as trap – and moombahton. “I think the best thing that happened to dance music worldwide was the explosion of dubstep, ‘cause up until then everyone was playing around 128 to 135 [BPM] – that was just the norm. It was pretty straightforward. As soon as dubstep came along, 140 with the half-time feel, I think it loosened everyone up to go, You know what? We can play different tempos and we can play different sounds.”

“We’ve recorded two songs so far,” says Ramsey. “We hope to have about nine or ten. We’ve got seven, so we’re still sort of writing a lot of it, but…” Pavlovic finishes: “We’re still working on some new songs as well, so we might include them.” Dianas are marked out by the arid simplicity of their guitar-work in a music scene presently resonating in psych-rock mimesis of Perth wunderkinds Tame Impala. Pavlovic insists their creation was a thing of spontaneity, though. “It started out with me and Caitlin being bored. I’d never played electric guitar

or bass or anything, we just had them lying around the house, and we started writing theme tunes. Not much; we were fast-food server people,” she says. Ramsey continues, “I hadn’t been in a band before, and I wanted to play drums, because I’d played them in high school. So I was like ‘Okay, cool!’, and then when they showed me their songs and the style I was into it came together.” “Once the album’s finished, we’ll have something to show. The EP release is sort of getting dated…” Pavlovic insists. “We’ve rested on our laurels a bit,” Ramsey says, laughing. Perhaps, but the hype behind the band might curb that soon. WHO: Dianas WHEN & WHERE: Saturday 10 August, Big Splash Grand Final, The Bakery; Saturday 17, RTRFM’s Radiothon Party 2013, Ya Ya’s

MUSIC

[FEATURES FEATURES]

STONE’S BRO Ahead of his appearance at Circo Festival, Jonti Danilewitz aka Jonti aka the Freaaaaak Machiiiiine talks to Danielle Marsland about doing the world’s first Avalanches album tribute, playing beats to mums on the Gotye tour, and what it’s like to have James Blake give you a warm fuzzy.

f you heard Jonti Danilewitz’ beats without knowing anything of his background, you’d assume the producer was from LA. His intricate, genre-bending style – a mix of live instrumentation and electronics that jumps between synth-psych and sample-driven hip hop – matches the kind of progressive, eccentric sound that the California beat scene champions. But Danilewitz’s a Sydney boy, born and raised in South Africa, and who, up until a few years ago, had never even been to LA. He is, however, the first ever Australian (the first South African Australian, at that) to be signed to progressive LA label Stones Throw Records (home of Madlib, J Dilla, Mayer Hawthorne and Dam Funk) – so LA’s a spiritual music home of sorts.

The journey from shy musical teenager to international beatmaker goes thus: in 2008 Danilewitz began putting out some lo-fi broken beats under the name ‘Danimals’, playing live with first a 404, then a band. After winning a competition judged by Mark Ronson, doors opened for work with a string of names: Ronson, Dinosaur Jr producer John Agnello, Santigold, Sean Lennon, the Dap-Kings. Danilewitz changed his name from ‘Danimals’ to ‘Jonti’ after a kids’ yoghurt company threatened legal action, then in 2011 Danilewitz single-handedly (despite his wicked connections) produced, arranged and recorded his first album Twirligig. The album caught the attention of Peanut Butter Wolf, the head of Stones Throw, who was blown away by young Jonti, and signed him to the Stones Throw roster immediately. (“I made Twirligig in my bedroom,” says a bewildered Danilewitz, “I never dreamt that I would be putting it out on Stones Throw”). Danilewitz moved to LA that year; he lived across the street from Madlib, played heaps of killer gigs with the Stones Throw and Low End fam, and recorded with Jonwayne, and Odd Future Wolfgang’s Hodgy Beats. Stones Throw put out a compilation of Danilewitz’s older material, the Sine & Moon Mix, that was so well received Danilewitz stretched the effort into a full-length album in early 2012 with extras and new mixes.

Jonti’s likewise pretty fired up about coming to Perth next week to play at Circo; Astral People labelmate Dro Carey (who did a great remix of Jonti’s Nightshift In Blue) will be there too: “Yeah it’s rad Dro Carey’s playing,” comments Danilewitz. “Man, Dro’s just a genius. Ah, I can’t wait, the line-up is amazing. I’ve seen a lot of friends on social media and stuff talking about Circo. I can see the hype, I think it will be a lot of fun.” WHO: Jonti WHAT: Circo Festival WHEN & WHERE: Saturday 17 August, Ascot

That pretty much brings us up to date, except for this: last year in LA, Danilewitz got a pretty important call from Gotye (whom Jonti met seven years ago at a gig in Sydney, pre-Gotye explosion). Despite having a fairly different music style to that of Danilewitz, Gotye asked him to go on a world tour for close to six months, giving Danilewitz the unbelievable opportunity to play hundreds of shows and have his music exposed to thousands of people. The experience, says Danilewitz, was a huge learning curve: “In the beginning it was really rough. There were lots of young girls, families and mothers in the audience. I’m used to performing this weird beat music in clubs, not like… to families! So I think people were kind of confused in the beginning. About five shows in, I was like ‘I have no idea how to make this better, what do I do?’. Then I decided I had to not worry about it, and just try and give it 100% anyway. That helped, things went uphill; by the end of the tour people in the audience were ripping their shirts off during my set. Haha… not really. But people did get into it.” Danilewitz revelled in the opportunity to learn from a seasoned pro: “It was great to witness how professionally Wally [de Backer – Gotye] handled things on tour. Over five months we got to hang together pretty closely and experience like a million different scenarios, he is just so kind to everyone all the time, and he never compromises on his art.” Another inspiring figure for Danilewitz comes in the form of James Blake, who Danilewitz supported on his Australian tour last year. “It was a huge privilege,” reflects Danilewitz, “Like, so many people just want to say hello to James Blake, and I got to hang out with him; it was pretty surreal. I once DJed with him at Low End Theory [LA], then when his Australian tour cropped up he remembered who I was and everything, I was like ‘whoa’... I did not expect that. James came up to me after one of the shows and was like, ‘oh, the song that has that bassline like X, oh man… that’s genius!’. I’m still really self-conscious when I perform; I feel like everyone’s so good, so that was a really nice moment for me.” Danilewitz also found a like-mind in recent tour buddy Toro Y Moi. “I first met Toro Y Moi when he came to the Stones Throw studio when I was in LA, so I kind of knew him a bit before the tour. After the Melbourne show we stayed up really late together in the apartment he was staying in, just making beats in Reason – it was great.” On the subject of jams, Danilewitz has been having some pretty good ones lately, at home in Sydney, where, as well as readying his next album, he’s rehearsing a tribute to The Avalanches’ seminal album Since I Left You with a team of musicians on the Australian label Jonti is signed to, Astral People. Astral People is headed up by none other than Jonti’s bro, Lee (actual brother – not just bro friend), who has also been Jonti’s manager since day dot. The tribute, personally approved by The Avalanches, will make its worldwide debut at Astral People’s music festival Outside In, where Jonti and Astral crew will perform alongside the likes of Zomby, Laurel Halo, Object and Freddie Gibbs. Danilewitz sings the praises of Lee, and Astral People, a label that have moved at dizzying speed to sit at the forefront of Sydney’s bass-bound frontier. “I can take credit with coming up for half the name; I said it should be called ‘Astral Kids’ then Lee was like ‘how about Astral People?’ But it’s Lee’s baby. They achieved so much last year. Lee called me from [the inaugural] Outside In and was like, ‘Thom Yorke is at our festival!’ I was away while Astral People really expanded, so I kind of missed all that.” Since I Left You is a particularly memorable album for both brothers: it was the first album they heard upon migrating to Australia as teenagers. “Our family had just moved from South Africa to Australia in the year the album came out, so it was the first thing I heard, and I was like, ‘man, pop music in Australia is amazing, its so strange and surreal! [laughs] In South Africa where I’d just come from pop was super commercial, like... Celine Dion. Not half as cool!” Danilewitz’s involvement with The Avalanches doesn’t stop at the tribute though – he’s actually done some stuff on their long-awaited next album (slated for release early 2014) and as Danilewitz told Music NSW a few months ago: “Everything I’ve heard from it has fired up my soul and my booty big time!”

For more interviews go to themusic.com.au/interviews • 19

# 01 • 1 4 . 0 8 . 1 3 • P E R T H • F R E E I N C O R P O R AT I N G

U N BA L A N C E D P E R F E C T I O N

KARNIVOOL eat

drink

travel

MEALS ON WHEELS

SHORT STRAW

CUTBACK

lifestyle

REVERSE CYCLE

PERTH EDITION

the

OUT ODNAY

WEDNES

It is time for our evolution. From next week you are going to notice a lot of changes as we upgrade our beloved magazines and re-launch them as The Music. Each state will continue to produce their very own version with a local team of obsessed music fans. You will notice a shiny and rather impressive newsstand magazine format instead of a newsprint tabloid that is packed full of music, arts and entertainment news, features, and reviews. You will also notice that we have broadened our horizons and will be covering more of the things you are passionate about like food, fashion, travel, design, culture and lifestyle. It’s a better guide to living through music and it’s been written by music fans for music fans – you lot. It’s been exciting working on the new title and we can’t wait to show it to you. We hit the street every Wednesday so pick up a copy and let us know what you think. In the meantime hang with us at www.theMusic.com.au and check out the gig guide on your smart phone at www.theMusic.com.au/events

THE MUSIC

THE ARTS

THE FASHION

THE TRAVEL

Magazine artwork and booking deadlines are Thursday 5pm prior to issue. To mak Email artwork to art.wa@theMusic.com.au • New art sp

# 01 • 1 4 . 0 8 . 1 3 • P E R T H • F R E E

I N C O R P O R AT I N G

T R AV E L

E V E RY T H I N G O L D I S N E W A G A I N

E AT

MEALS ON WHEELS lifestyle

drink

travel

REVERSE CYCLE

SHORT STRAW

CUTBACK

CUTBACK music

eat

drink

lifestyle

KARNIVOOL

MEALS ON WHEELS

SHORT STRAW

REVERSE CYCLE

music

eat

drink

travel

KARNIVOOL

MEALS ON WHEELS

SHORT STRAW

CUTBACK

NEW SIZE

BETTER LIVING THROUGH

MUSIC.

# 01 • 1 4 . 0 8 . 1 3 • P E R T H • F R E E I N C O R P O R AT I N G

U N BA L A N C E D P E R F E C T I O N

KARNIVOOL eat

drink

travel

MEALS ON WHEELS

SHORT STRAW

CUTBACK

lifestyle

REVERSE CYCLE

THE E R U T L U C

THE FOOD

music

KARNIVOOL

THE E L Y T S E F LI

ke a booking email sales@theMusic.com.au or contact your local account manager. pecs and details can be found at www.theMusic.com.au

MUSIC

[FEATURES FEATURES]

IN THE STUDIO

BLOKES’ BLOKES Drunk, ugly and musically challenged, Cosmic Psychos are a band that should’ve never made it anywhere. Samson McDougall chats with filmmaker Matt Weston about his Psychos documentary Blokes You Can Trust, and with Psychos mainstay Ross Knight about the band’s unlikely successes.

MARK HOSKING FROM KARNIVOOL

osmic Psycho Ross Knight has no problems calling a spade a spade. “Here’s three ugly-lookin’ blokes, y’know, tourin’ the world, playing in all these wonderful cities, dining at all these wonderful restaurants, meetin’ all these famous people and in the back of your head you’re goin’, I’m thinkin’ to myself, I’m goin’, ‘I’m a fuckin’ farmer!’” he says at the opening of Matt Weston’s Cosmic Psychos documentary Blokes You Can Trust. This basically forms a mantra for the film.

C We recorded the album in Byron Bay because it’s beautiful! The studio has a great drum sound and Nick Didia, our producer, has set up shop there which has lots of musical toys. Karnivool touring nationally from August. Check The Guide for dates.

ON THE DRUM STEREO JON HOPKINS Immunity

CLOUD CONTROL Dream Cave

SNAKADAKTAL Sleep In The Water

UPCOMING IN ARTS

Knight becomes the unlikely hero of this documentary, thereby lifting what might have been your stockstandard talking-head and grainy-footage mosaic band history into more of a character study of the endangered classic Aussie larrikin. Underneath the hardened flesh and bones of this man beats an enormous heart and behind the hardened cranial ridge sits a curious mind grappling through oldschool ideals to make sense of a wild world. Cosmic Psychos were the unmarketable Australian cousin of the fuzzed-out guitar bands that burst out of the ‘States in the late ‘80s. “We were fuckin’ ugly, there was no way... I mean Robbie [Watts] looked like one of the bloody Marx Brothers, Bill [Walsh] was just a bald fuckin’ midget and I was just runnin’ around with a mullet, with a head like a robber’s dog,” continues Knight, later in the film. In spite of this lack of economic potential, or, more likely, because of it, the Psychos’ integrity was never brought into question. Filmmaker Matt Weston had never paid the Psychos much attention in his youth. At the initial suggestion, the concept of shooting a documentary on the band seemed pointless. That was until Weston met Knight. “It would be tricky to fuck up a documentary with someone who can tell such a great story,” Weston says. “I sorta rolled my eyes at [the documentary idea] initially. I’d seen a bunch of music documentaries that I’d found to be quite disappointing because, I think, a band’s general life isn’t that interesting, unless you kinda get into, you know, the craziness of the Ramones or those kinda things. There’s not that many bands that have that much of an interesting story.” Brought up, and still residing, on a farm at Spring Plains near Mia Mia in country Victoria, Knight’s punkrock origins hardly mirrored those of most of his US contemporaries. It was a far cry from the mean streets of 1980s Washington DC or Seattle, but Knight, like any teenager, found plenty to rage against. “When you’re stuck out on the farm and you’re 25 miles away from

FILM

WHERE DID YOU RECORD THE ALBUM AND WHY?

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

Through these stories, and often almost accidentally, Weston uncovers much humour. Knight describes his forays into the New York S&M underworld in the 1990s. We discover, in Knight’s typical understated fashion, that he’s a champion weightlifter – a fact Weston only uncovered late in the filmmaking process. “[It was] just a throwaway comment: ‘I can’t do an interview this weekend, I forgot I’m in the Victorian championships’,” says Weston. “And I’m like, ‘I’m doin’ a fuckin doco on you, why didn’t you tell me that?’ And he’s like, ‘I didn’t know you wanted to know’.” Knight’s grounding in the bush sets him apart from the rest of the punk rock world in terms of upbringing and ideals, but the setting also had a huge influence on the Psychos’ signature sound. In the film, Buzz Osborne of Melvins describes this sound as: “... like late-‘70s punk rock, played through a stereo inside of a muffler of a car dragging down the freeway – that’s what they sound like.” Knight maintains that they had no idea what they were doing musically; it was really just making music for the sake of scoring free beer. The calibre of the talking heads enlisted by Weston suggests a much higher perception of

“We’ve bumbled and fumbled our way around and I think people enjoyed us being around because we’re fuckin’ twits, y’know,” says Knight. “We’re not musos, we’re idiots; so maybe we took the edge off a lot of the seriousness of it. It’s not like we try to be clowns, we just are... “This could all be over tomorrow, so we may as well make the most of it and be respectful. We treat everyone the same; I don’t care if you’re the bloke bringing the beer into the dressing room or you’re bangin’ on the door of the biggest rockstar in the world. It doesn’t matter ‘cause at the end of the day everyone’s a bloke or a sheila and you’re either a good bloke or a good sheila or you’re not. We’ve been lucky enough to meet a lot of good people.” It’s ultimately these friendships that shine. A twocase drinking session ensued when Weston finally locked down original Mudhoney bassist Matt Lukin and Vedder for an interview in Seattle – the interview footage ends with both parties carrying 50 cent pieces in their butt cracks in tribute to a party trick they learned from the Psychos. “Most of the people were just like, ‘I’d love to get involved’,” says Weston. “I was getting emails back within an hour... Sitting down with Ross, as far as he’s concerned they’re just beer-drinking mates. It seems that they have the same reaction to him, they just consider him an absolute champion of a bloke to hang out with.” WHO: Cosmic Psychos WHEN & WHERE: Friday 16 August, Amplifier Blokes You Can Trust opens Thursday 8 August, exclusive to Cinema Nova

REEL TALK

n December 31st, 2009, 22-year-old snowboarder Kevin Pearce was in training in Utah, preparing for the 2010 Winter Olympics. Taking a vicious spill in a half-pipe run, he suffered a traumatic brain injury, and ended up near death in a local hospital. Though six months later he had recovered enough to return home with his family in Vermont, Pearce’s desire to return to competition would eventually be permanently shelved.

WHAT: Sorority House Of The Dead WHEN &WHERE: Thursday 29 August to Saturday 7 September, Phoenix Theatre

In Knight, Weston found a willing, open and reliable storyteller. Knight makes no bones about his personal circumstances during the period of filmmaking – he’s in the midst of divorce proceedings and is faced with the threat of losing his farm. He speaks openly about the addiction and death of his mate and fellow Psycho Robbie “Rocket” Watts. He speaks of his past relationships, his children and the challenges associated with bringing up a teenager with cerebral palsy.

the band in the wider music world. Osborne, producer Butch Vig, members past and present of Mudhoney, Eddie Vedder, Donita Sparks of L7, The Hard-Ons’ Ray Ahn and so on speak with reverence of this Australian curiosity. The Psychos left an indelible mark on the world of rock’n’roll and they made a shitload of friends.

Kevin Pearce didn’t return to professional snowboarding after his traumatic brain injury, but is now channelling his energy into something else he’s passionate about. He speaks to Anthony Carew about documenting his recovery in film The Crash Reel.

SORORITY HOUSE OF THE DEAD

A play written by Mitch Brian this is a 80s black comedy about is about the sorority sisters of Delta Pi Sigma who are like totally vampires and on the search for new blood. To be directed by Ryan S McNally and assisted by Emma Muller.

your girlfriend and you wanna go see ya girlfriend on the weekend, you have to ride your pushbike to see her, [but] by the time you’re in there you’re stuffed,” he says. “You’re just so far away from everything and then these bands come along singing about ‘no future’ and I’m 15-16 years old and I’m going through the change of life, you might say. So everything’s bad, everything’s fucked... I could sit out here feelin’ sorry for meself for a couple of years, it was great.”

“I lost snowboarding, and that sucks. Every day,” Pearce says, shaking his head. “It’s been really hard for me to come to the terms with the fact that my life has changed forever, now. It’s straight-up a bitch. But that’s what I’ve been working on. Finding new ways to channel that energy, to take the enthusiasm I have for snowboarding and direct it towards a good cause.” Pearce has essentially become a campaigner, raising awareness for traumatic brain injuries, those who suffer from them, and the extreme sports that are pushing participants to more and more reckless places. He’s spent most of 2013 on the road, promoting The Crash Reel, a film that chronicles his injury, his recovery, and his eventual acceptance of his sporting mortality.

Directed by Lucy Walker, the film starts out as, seemingly, a tale of a superstar athlete overcoming trials, but eventual it reveals its real intent: when its titular ‘crash reel’ arrives, the endless parade of righteous wipe-outs – when arriving after seeing Pearce struggle for his life, then battle to just be able to walk and talk again – coming off as horrifying. “There’s not really that many people out there who are talking about it, who are discussing what happens when you have a traumatic brain injury,” Pearce says. “It’s a pretty silent injury, and one that there’s not really much awareness of. I knew that I had all this amazing footage, and this really special family who were totally open to doing it. So, when Lucy approached me, it seemed like we’d be able to do something really powerful, and that we had this opportunity to really make a change.” Walker, the maker of the amazing Amish-teen chronicle Devil’s Playground and brutal nuclear survey Count Down To Zero, takes The Crash Reel into plenty of intimate places, but Pearce saw the making as “all pretty mellow.” “It wasn’t one of the classic documentary cases where it took over our lives.”

So much of that footage was shot by Pearce’s ultrasupportive family – who include father Simon Pearce, an acclaimed glass-blower, and brother David, a medalwinning Special Olympics athlete with Down syndrome. “It’s been amazing to see how many people can really take something out of this movie,” Pearce says. “It’s not just a snowboarding film. I’ve heard so many stories from people who’ve had brain injuries in their lives, or who’ve had to overcome a physical hardship, or had something taken away from them. Anyone who’s had a family member with Down syndrome really identifies with it, even anyone who has a supportive family. The film really works on so many levels for so many people; it’s even surprised me how so many different people can get something cool out of it.” WHAT: The Crash Reel Out on DVD Wednesday 7 August (Hopscotch)

FROM THE ASHES After five of its six members walked out between 2010 and 2011, uncertainty plagued Cleveland metal band Chimaira. Frontman Mark Hunter tells Eli Gould why he kept persisting and how he and his new bandmates have risen from the ashes to deliver their latest offering, Crown Of Phantoms.

fter a tumultuous period US metal band Chimaira were on the brink of collapse. But when vocalist Mark Hunter assembled five new members, they had one goal in mind – to get the machine back on track. The end result is Crown Of Phantoms, a record meticulously constructed and arguably their most brutal to date. Speaking from Jacksonville, Florida, the frontman is sitting on the beach reflecting on how a shitstorm nearly cost him his livelihood and how he and his new bandmates are looking forward to the next chapter.

“Right when we started it felt like we were cleaning up in terms of [how] the [previous] line-up disbanded in the middle of an album cycle and we still had some tours to finish. We didn’t know if people would be interested in us continuing.” Clearly they were. After disbanding, Hunter and his new posse got together and came to Australia for Soundwave 2012. “I think that [festival] sealed the deal,” Hunter admits. “The crowd didn’t want this band to go away anywhere; it really was an eye-opener.” In just 19 months Chimaira was right back in the thick of things and working tirelessly towards Crown Of Phantoms. Hunter says the new camp has been the most positive environment he’s worked in and he’s reaped the rewards from this. “It’s a different kind of excitement. I’ve gone through all the ropes – I mean, this is album number seven, so there aren’t too many new surprises to worry about. This time I guess I’m more excited in the sense that it was a huge accomplishment for this group to pull itself together from the ashes – to move forward and start something new.”

Given such uncertainty surrounding their future following the mass exodus, Hunter says it was the fans that have kept his passion thriving. Hunter is the only founding member since Chimaira’s inception in 1998 and it’s been his 15-year experience that has helped him appreciate and enhance his life journey. “I think that there’s a lot to just being in a band that you get to see and learn from all the different cultures. It makes you a well-rounded person and I enjoy that learning aspect. I enjoy being able to hang out at the beach all day with my friends and then go and play some heavy metal like a buffoon on stage,” he says with a laugh. While Crown Of Phantoms sees a new chapter beginning in Chimaira’s storied legacy, the singer admits they haven’t strayed too far from their original roots. “I don’t think it’s too far off the beaten path. [Although] I definitely hear there’s some new technical things I’ve never heard from the band. The solos are out of this world for any band – but at the same time I feel like it’s just Chimaira.” They began writing in July last year and worked on the album non-stop. Hunter says the collective effort saw the band constantly changing, rearranging and improving their songwriting structures. While he’s copped his fair whack through the band having so many line-up changes, Hunter is adamant Chimaira is here to stay, and pushing new boundaries. “I’m just a lot more relaxed and mellow around this camp. Everyone’s kind of a seasoned veteran and we’ve all been through the ringer and we’ve all been beaten by the industry here and there. Our only focus now is to be kick-arse at what we do now.” WHO: Chimaira WHAT: Crown Of Phantoms (3Wise/Sony)

CABARET

MUSIC

[FEATURES FEATURES]

MAD FOR THE SHOW From first Holy Communion to Machine Gun Fellatio to a cabaret show at the Maj: Christa Hughes gets around. She helps Zoe Barron to draw the lines between the genres – and the lifestyles.

he first time Christa Hughes sang in front of an audience, at the age of six, it was upon the very innocent, very wholesome occasion of her first holy communion. “I had to stand up in front of everyone in the church and sing The Lord Is My Shepherd,” Hughes says, “which I did with a very high, thin and nervous voice, with not much gusto.” This was not a sign of things to come. Give her ten years and she’s onto Bessie Smith – nerves steeled, voice deeper and hitting on a subject matter somewhat removed from the Lord and his guidance. “Full of sexual innuendo,” Hughes describes it. “And very raunchy. So in ten years, I had really transformed.”

From there, Hughes’s career reads like something of a fantasy. First, she moved to New York to become a jazz and blues singer, but the competition was fierce. Nosing around for something a little less serious, she developed a knack for cabaret and vaudeville and later, after moving to London, she discovered a vibrant comedy, cabaret, vaudeville and burlesque scene around the Soho area and became heavily involved in that, managing to score a gig almost nightly. Next it was Edinburgh, for a rock’n’roll band that also played around with performance art. All of which led quite logically into the next phase of her career. “When I came back to Sydney and Machine Gun Fellatio were getting ready to record a couple of guest spots, our heads were at the same place,” Hughes laughs. “I seemed to fit in perfectly with their whole mismatch.” Hughes’ guest spot on the Machine Gun Fellatio song Mutha Fukka On A Motorcycle quickly turned into a permanent position in the band as KK Juggy. The band then proceeded to go very hard for five years before calling it quits in 2005. “You see photos of us in 2005 and we all look like W.C. Fields,” Hughes says. “If that was the result of five years, it was probably a good thing that we finished!”

These days, things are quieter, though only slightly. Hughes has the luxury of returning home between brief tours to wash and sleep, activities not often indulged in among Machine Gun Fellatio members. “That was the awful thing about Machine Gun Fellatio – those suitcases,” Hughes says. “People would be backstage and open up their suitcases and my god! The stench coming out of them! Because everyone had those horrendous polyester outfits, and all sorts of outfits that don’t really breathe too well… And they were very sweaty shows. In very sweaty outfits, under very sweaty lights. It was a sweat fest.” Fortunately, cabaret performing isn’t quite so intense and Hughes generally does a few shows in one place before heading home again. Her newest show, Neurotic Ladyland, will be in Perth for three nights as part of the cabaret soirée season at His Majesty’s Theatre. Inspired by characters that left an imprint on Hughes when she was a teenager and watching Bill Collins’ Golden Years Of Hollywood, the show is based around leading ladies like Baby Jane Hudson and Norma Desmond; women who were once brilliant and glamorous but unable to accept the inevitable, cruel decent into obscurity. “They really did become quite deluded and quite mad and quite nuetrotic,” Hughes says, “and it’s all kind of hilarious and pathetic and sad and entertaining and intriguing all at once.” WHAT: Neurotic Ladyland WHEN & WHERE: Thursday 15 to Saturday 17 August, His Majesty’s Theatre

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

SINGLES & EP’S EP OF THE WEEK

WITH ADRIENNE DOWNES

ALBUM OF THE WEEK

[REVIEWS REVIEWS] a l b u m

DEAD LETTER CIRCUS The Catalyst Fire

THE DISAPPOINTED Stranger Firestarter Distribution Perthites The Disappointed recently toured their stellar second EP Stranger. Each ditty is a neurotransmitter activating the nerve impulses of listeners to bop to dark pop. Boasting four part harmonies, rapid keys, electrifying guitar hooks and unshakeable beat these lads are onto gold. With an alternate rock edge, lead vocalist Michael Strong coarsely swoons his way into the hearts of his fans singing about how life isn’t always cut and dried, clear and simple, nor up and down. Mirtazipane and Stranger are equally stand out tracks, each displays how the band runs a tight ship locking into each other like a deadbolt on a door, firm and solid.

RILEY PEARCE We Are Fools Independent Listening to Riley Pearce is, quite simply, relaxing. It’s like sailing on a summer’s day, going for a stroll in the park or eating Cadbury’s new dairy milk with Oreo chocolate - mesmerising. His sweet beautiful toned voice is intimate as he sings of refreshingly truthful lyrics themed by love and the discovery of life. Folk roots exemplify the joyous undertones of pretty acoustic guitar. Title track We Are Fools builds into a declaration of love with a choir of backing vocals chanting the bridge, it’s transparently delightful. The falsetto in Patterns is also something to be admired. Young and charming not only should Pearce be a winner with the local Perth ladies but his music be adored by many given the chance.

UNFD There is plenty of pressure on Dead Letter Circus with this release. As well as the usual weight that comes with a second album, it’s also the first without their original guitarist and, coincidently or not, comes within weeks of the long-awaited Karnivool album – a band whose void from the scene they have more than filled in recent years. Despite this burden it would appear that DLC like a challenge because The Catalyst Fire is everything you expect: powerful, energetic, uplifting and inspiring. Changes endured in the last few years have not affected their sound. There is less of the electronic influence you might expect from gaining a keyboardist and new lead guitarist Clint Vincent shares the distinctive tone of founding member Rob Maric. As a first single, Lodestar completely captures the essence of the band and album. Kim Benzie’s vocals soar, Vincent’s guitar is elevating and it has a glut of power and drive. Opening track, The Cure, is hypnotic and immediately delivers the message that The Catalyst Fire will pick up lyrically where This Is The Warning left off: “We are the slaves who object in silence”, and a demand to “Show me where the progress exists without the protest”. Alone Awake features that DLC signature combination of slow heavy moments contrasted against fast-paced frantic melodies that leave you visualising Benzie bouncing on stage to a chanting crowd. Tracks like Say Your Prayers, I Am and Lost Without Leaders are all equally compelling and further develop the album’s mesmerising feel. The Catalyst Fire is self-assured, confronting and formidable but always, as we have come to expect from Dead Lead Circus, affirming and dynamic.

SARA BAREILLES

PET SHOP BOYS

The Blessed Unrest

Electric

Epic Records

X2/Inertia

They say a picture paints a thousand words, but in the case of Sara Bareilles, her words do the painting instead. Her fourth studio album is once again a masterpiece, a collection of undying love, courage, heartbreaks and astronomical wonders. The Blessed Unrest has significantly more digital production, exploring beats, samples and electronic sounds. You can tell Bareilles is making the effort to deviate away from her usual pop-saturated records.

Just 18 months ago, the London synthpop heroes charmed with their silkily introspective 11th release Elysium. What it lacked in oomph, it delivered in savoirfaire. Come 2013 and enter super-producer Stuart Price (Madonna, Les Rhythmes Digitales) to bring out their bad behaviour and remind us that a fabulous electropop groove is fundamental to a truly great Pet Shop Boys album. Neil Tennant hasn’t sounded this loud and proud since, yes, the Very days and Price seems to have successfully distilled that album’s pride with the amyl-sting of its companion techno album, Relentless. The electro-urgency of opener Axis, the deep-house and pumping throb of Inside A Dream or Shouting In the Evening and the massive Ibiza superclub sound of Vocal see the boys dominating the nightlife once again.

The record was inspired by the songwriter’s latest love for astronomy and her move from California to New York that ended a relationship, all vividly and honestly laid out on the record. Opening up with Brave, the first single off the album, it’s a cheerful and positive song about supporting her gay friend who recently came out of the closet. But the songbird then later rips your heart out in a soul-laden, honest track called Manhattan, where she croons, “You can have Manhattan, ‘cause I can’t have you”. Her perfect pitch and skillful tone changes are flawlessly displayed, along with her beautiful falsettos – especially in Hercules, a Roman-inspired musical plea for strength, and a self-discovering Islands, that showcases her vocal range. Other tracks like Satellite Call and Cassiopeia focus not only on something out of this world, but both explore a lot more voice editing and computer generated samples. Bareilles has definitely shown that she’s a risk taker and that there’s so much more of her to look forward to. Kershia Wong

While it’s been a while since we’ve had a truly classic PSB single, here are two absolute belters. Bolshy goes all out on early ‘90s house piano. It’s like Kraftwerk discovering the best gay club in the world. Tennant even gets dirty and coy, flirting with a bilingual lover teasing in a sweaty monotone, “There you are pretending you love me” while Chris Lowe builds up to an orgasmic peak... oh. It’s followed by Love Is A Bourgeois Construct, the most addictive song they’ve done since Go West with an intentionally similar and equally infectious disco fanfare throughout. After listening to three hours of Tool one day, that bloody fanfare riff was still in my head. Now that’s a great pop song! Price’s neon signature illuminates every minute of Electric. It’s sure to please, actually. Mac McNaughton

Monique Cowper

WATER GRAVES Water Graves FUTURE PAST RECORDS Cole Healy and Blake Hart make up the duo act Water Graves; what started as two mates jamming in an old house in Fremantle has evolved into an ambient pop experiment. Loops and synth bring the psychedelic notion of brilliant baking music. Dreamy vocals are hard to ignore as they glide amongst the cruisy beats: this EP is an electronic fantasy, with Iridescent and Low Tide being a panorama of tranquil amity. Water Graves finish their launch tour at The Bird on Friday 9 August.

MORE ONLINE... THEMUSIC.COM.AU

SAM BUCKINGHAM I’m A Bird Independent “With its folk melodies and tales of love and longing, I’m A Bird is a soothing and uplifting record that feels like she’s playing just for you.” Ash Goldberg

NGAIIRE Lamentations Wantok/The Planet Company “An album you can’t place or date; it’s universal, floating through space a cut above the rest.” Lorin Reid

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

GOGOL BORDELLO

WASHED OUT

EDITORS

Pura Vida Conspiracy

Paracosm

The Weight Of Your Love

ATO/[PIAS] Australia

Pod/Inertia

PIAS Australia

It always seems like too many years pass between each Gogol Bordello record. Of course, this is never the reality, with the collective having released eight full-length albums since 1999. And of course, every time a new collection of their ramshackle, gypsy- and eastern European-styled music does land, it’s undoubtedly glorious. It’s the kind of stuff that makes you want to drink vodka and dance.

If every happy memory, every pleasant thought, every sun-drenched moment of a life was put to music, Paracosm would be the soundtrack. Washed Out, aka Ernest Greene, has returned with his second fulllength album, and it’s one for lazy, hazy days, where priorities are disposed of and the prosaic nature of daily life is set aside. If an unborn baby had a stereo in the womb, Paracosm would play on repeat.

Pura Vida Conspiracy comes hot on the heels of a 2011 Russian language release (that will not be named due to this reviewer’s incompetence with the Cyrillic language) and 2010’s brilliant Trans-Continental Hustle. It continues playing to the band’s strengths; diverse instrumentation, an elasticity that barely contains the cacophony of sound coming through the speakers, and, front and centre, the irrepressible Eugene Hutz.

The album, Greene’s follow-up to his debut LP Within And Without (2011), feels like the graduation of the artist. His precocious talent is undeniable, although it seems that up to this point his musical abilities have been hidden behind the hype his earlier releases created. While acknowledged, alongside Toro Y Moi, as a pioneer of the ‘chillwave’ sub-genre, at the time of Within And Without’s release it was difficult to see Greene as an artist not defined by the scene.

There’s a decidedly Depeche Mode feel (circa Violator, in particular Personal Jesus) to The Weight, the opening track to Editors’ latest album, The Weight Of Your Love. Much in the same way that the title and opening track to their last album, In This Light And This Morning, was a dark and moody beast, The Weight has a beautiful heaviness to it, only this time it’s a fuller, more solid creature with a definite rock backing replacing the decidedly electronic bent, with singer/guitarist Tom Smith’s always impressive baritone continuing to bolster this tenebrosity.

The moustachioed, oft-shirtless Hutz is at the top of his game here, his at times pained vocals (Hieroglyph for example) evoking his roots. Although he and his band have called New York City home for years, the Ukrainian and eastern European influences ring loud. Wailing violins and glistening accordions hark back to traditional ‘eastern’ instruments, although when paired with screaming electric guitar solos and 1970s punk-influenced drumming – like on John The Conqueror (Truth Is Always The Same) – they reveal a very contemporary sound.

Paracosm, however, sets all the pretension behind. The result is an honest yet surreal record that embraces the otherworld-ness that the album title evokes (paracosm a name to describe fantasy worlds: think Narnia, Middle Earth or Westeros). The lyrics “Make believe the world has vanished around us/ We could sneak away and not come back” – Great Escape and “Inside our sanctuary/Where we can get away/A place to run and hide” – Paracosm are examples of the escapism that Greene encourages.

Always a massive hit on any festival line-up and with a passionate Australian following, it was surprising to see Gogol Bordello absent from the first Harvest and Big Day Out line-ups. Their frenetic live shows are a sight to behold, the band’s eight members capturing the raucous sound of their recorded work perfectly. Cross your fingers for a last-minute appearance.

Paired with the more than 50 electronic and analog instruments that blend with Greene’s lyrics, including a selection of vintage keyboards, Greene and producer Ben H Allen (Animal Collective, Cut Copy) have created a record that evokes both a timeless quality and a relevant immediacy. The next time the sun comes out, play Paracosm. Let it wash over you. Let it cleanse your soul.

Dylan Stewart

The first cracks in this powerful façade appear four songs in, on What Is This Thing Called Love – the first of three ballads on the record. This isn’t a bad track per se, but the fact that it is immediately followed by the other two ballads make this a weak point in the album. You can’t help but feel that this tracklisting is flawed. Honesty could be even further enhanced by the removal of the out-of-place brass accompaniment which, thankfully, makes a limited appearance during the track. Formaldehyde, the most upbeat number on offer, does its best to recapture the feel the first three tracks set, yet something is lost, leaving the song and the remainder of the album to be best described as good, but not great. The first Editors album since the departure of lead guitarist Chris Urbanowicz is, with all due respect, none the worse for his leaving. The depth of sound is intoxicating and comes close to swallowing you whole. “I promised myself I wouldn’t talk about death/I know I’m getting boring,” laments Smith during the chorus of The Weight, yet this couldn’t be further from the truth. Dominique Wall

arts

[REVIEWS REVIEWS]

robbing the homes of Hollywood celebrities, a fact that makes the film instantly more fascinating than it might otherwise be. A strong ensemble cast of newcomers mixed with big names such as Emma Watson and Leslie Mann (playing daughter and mother) brings what could have been a lacklustre script and onedimensional characters to life. In particular, Katie Chang and Israel Broussard give believable performances as the effortlessly cool, sweet-faced yet rebellious ringleader Rebecca Ahn and the shy, self-conscious new kid-turned-fashionista/Ahn’s best friend, Marc Hall. Although based on real people, it’s refreshing to see a woman of colour in a lead role, and a gay character who isn’t a caricature or stereotype. Watson also shines as the manipulative, sneering Nicki Moore. Though some might dismiss The Bling Ring as shallow entertainment or glamorisation of petty crime, it’s an interesting comment — if a little sententious at times — on our obsession with celebrity culture (and blatant disregard for their privacy) and the way that broadcasting our lives via social media is second nature nowadays: if it’s not on the internet for all to see, did it really happen? Ahn and co. want nothing more than to be a part of the glitzy Hollywood A-list world and both their crimes and the aftermath allowed them that; first the (pretence of the) lifestyle, then the fame/infamy. Stephanie Liew In cinemas Thursday 8 August

Now You See Me

NOW YOU SEE ME FILM The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he doesn’t exist. The most amazing trick Mark Ruffalo pulls is convincingly acting in this film. As a confused and out-of-his-depth FBI agent, his sustained sense of conviction over the two hours of this tangled, magic-filled ball of confusion is remarkable. In fact, the whole cast is impressive (hello Michael Caine, Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg). The questions is why they were convinced this overly complex story of a gang of illusionists robbing banks

through magic was actually worth performing in. The film is at its best in the first 20 minutes. It starts with a punch and clearly establishes its basic premise. It’s clear from the outset that a refined suspension of disbelief will be required to appreciate the film. But then the high concept just gets waaaay too high. The WTF factor is through the roof. There are inconsequential references to the GFC and the Eye of Horus, while the relevance of the illusionists naming themselves The Four Horsemen is never explored. Weird plot twists aren’t explained, character motivations are unclear, there are terribly choreographed car chases, and one scene where

Isla Fisher floats around in a giant bubble. Climax after climax, twist after turn, we lose these flimsy characters in a ridiculous maelstrom of a plot. No wonder poor Mark Ruffalo looks so confused. Kate Kingsmill In cinemas Thursday 8 August

THE BLING RING FILM Sofia Coppola’s fifth feature, The Bling Ring, is based on the real-life events involving a group of teenagers

The Bling Ring

For more interviews go to themusic.com.au/interviews • 25

[REVIEWS REVIEWS] l i v e PASSION PIT, PVT

Perth fans proved themselves to be respectful and orderly, as the fairly tame crowd gave a warm welcome to their favorite artist, and it seemed that the band was reciprocating and playing more for their long-time fans, rather than promoting their new record. Miracle Mile and Loner Phase were the only two songs off their Dear Miss Lonelyhearts album, while they delved deep into their archives for other classics, including Passing the Hat, Audience, We Used to Vacation, and Hospital Beds smoothly transitioning into Something Is Not Right With Me.

VILLA: 04/08/2013 An unusually warm winter evening greeted punters making their way towards the outskirts of Northbridge as they psyched themselves up for what would no doubt be one of the most sugary sweet performances witnessed in Perth for a while. With the concert selling out over a week in advance, an impressive crowd had made their way into the venue as PVT took to the stage, and they seemed pleasantly surprised to see such a large number of people watching from all three levels of the venue. While there’s not much to say regarding the band’s interaction with the crowd (there was hardly any), each individual member of the three-piece seemed to have their own whacky persona – Frontman Richard Pike would perform these squiggly arm-gestures in-between plucking at his guitar, while Dave Miller, the driving forces behind the band’s synth work, infused his own bizarre facial expressions amidst the creation of the sonic bleeps and blops that cemented the group’s sound. The crowd’s response was positive, but really, it paled considerably in comparison to the response shown to the headliners. The 45-minute wait between the two bands seemed to fly by as hordes of excited ticket-holders poured into the venue and anticipation continued to grow. By the time Passion Pit introduced themselves it was completely bumper-to-bumper downstairs, while there wasn’t a single vantage point to see the stage from upstairs. The instrumentalists began with a bang, the fast-paced dance tune and widely recognised single I’ll Be Alright causing a frenzy of moving bodies. Vocalist Michael Angelakos side-step danced his way onto stage right before he was due to open his mouth, and once he did, we all knew we’d be in for one hell of a treat. While the opening song certainly kicked the crowd into gear, it certainly felt a little strange to be singing along when the lyrics and mood seemed to be opposed entirely (“I’m so self-loathing that it’s hard for me to see”). That aside, it only got better as the night went on – Carried Away, the next song on the setlist and second consecutive tune from the band’s sophomore release Gossamer had the crowd in full-swing; chorusing along and enjoying the easily recognisable lyrics. From here we were introduced to the first song of the night from the band’s debut release in The Reeling, which was met with a deafening roar. Certainly the most enjoyable element of this song is the chorus, whereby Angelakos sings a line and gets the audience to sing back to him. This was done so well the first time around that by the second chorus, Angelakos instructed the audience to sing the entire part themselves. It was fantastic to see so many people knowing the words and the vocalist had a grin from ear to ear as a result, shouting out “You’re fucking amazing, Perth!” Little Secrets, the final song of the evening was the one to produce the biggest cheer and ultimately the most dancing of the evening, while the encore, which was obviously demanded, featured another synth-drenched dance tune in Make Light, and the song that started the group’s rise to fame, Sleepyhead, which once more had the crowd in hysterics, practically screaming along with Angelakos in what was a fantastic end to an extremely enjoyable - and ultimately very sweaty – evening. Kane Sutton

BLOCK PARTY MYRE FREMANTLE: 03/08/2013 An elevator ride strewn with maltreated teddies and naked dolls ferried people to the rooftop of Fremantle’s vacant Myer (now Myre) building on Saturday night. The concept: a new space for pop-up shops, art displays, workshops and general creativity leased for the year by Spacemarket and opened with a bang by Block Party 2. As smoke seeped up into the open night sky, the stage a backdrop of white horizontal lights, Myre’s rooftop was transformed with live music, street art created by Pippa McManus and Stormie Trills, skate tricks, silent disco Trigger Jackets at Block Party Pic by Jessica Tana

Passion Pit Pics by Michael Caves and one busy (busy!) bar. Warming up the evening were locals Bastian’s Happy Flight, delivering their version of sleazy disco pop to the early risers on the rooftop, with smooth vocals, ‘80s synth sounds and funky slap bass. Raw guitar riffs and distorted bass followed, with Trigger Jackets changing the vibe straight from funk to rock. With a sound somewhat akin to Australian rock legends You Am I, Trigger Jackets perform with a thumping drive. Kucka was on next, layering her unique high pitched singing over glitchy beats. Both industrial and ambient sounding, her haunting lyrics cut into the night like a moment of clarity amidst so much chaos. It was time to get the party started with local DJ Aslan. Pairing some classic reggae staples like Barrington Levy’s Here I Come, with trap beats, his set introduced the knees and arses to the dance floor. Matt Thomas from Highs and Lows fame, added to the vibe mixing ‘90s RNB with heavy bass. Gliding synths and hip hop beats were on show from Zeke, his fist pumps to the sky adding a certain frenzied energy to the set. Aussie hip hop MC Optamus rapped over some original and popular re-mixed beats. Admiring the rooftop setting, Optamus commented ”it’s like I’m in Melbourne!” Live producer Ta-Ku made a bold entrance amongst clouds of smoke. Appearing through the fog like an enlightened being, his rolling 808 snares and trap-style beats filled the air leaving Kit Pop to emerge for the final act. Producer and Paper Chain founder Kit Pop displayed his knack for ducking synths and gritty bass lines whilst keeping the hip hop party going even as the bar ran out of booze. Going from a music festival vibe to a club night, changed the dynamics of the event and some hiccups in the organization had people in lines for the bar and toilet all night, however, looking up at the stars on Saturday, the possibilities for disused space in Fremantle seemed limitless. Jessica Tana

VILLAGERS, COURTNEY BARNETT FLY BY NIGHT MUSICIANS CLUB: 02/08/2013 Dressed like a troubadour, Victorian singer-songwriter Courtney Barnett kicked things off with a solo set full of recent singles plus a few songs from her upcoming

EP. Opening with Canned Tomatoes (Whole) from the I’ve Got A Friend Called Emily Ferris EP, Barnett’s gritty vocals and intelligent songwriting showed why she’s drawn such comparisons with other anti-folk heroes like Jeffrey Lewis and Kimya Dawson. New song Out Of The Woodwork worked well alongside the older material and will sound great when it’s recorded. There was of course the standout single Lance Jr. and final song History Eraser. The latter featured Villagers drummer James Byrne accompanying Barnett on drums, helping to cap off a great set. The audience shuffled from the bar to the front of the stage as Conor O’Brien and keyboardist Cormac Curran arrived onstage to perform an acoustic version of Memoir. As the rest of the band came on for My Lighthouse, O’Brien announced, “This is the Villagers, everybody! This is our first time in Freo and we’re really happy to be here,” as the band kicked into the upbeat The Pact from their debut Becoming A Jackal. From then on, they were firing on all cylinders, delivering slow-burner track Home and latest single Nothing Arrived with far more gusto and energy. The audience seemed to feed off as well, becoming more and more responsive as the set progressed and even surpassing the band in volume a few times on Becoming A Jackal with their singing. Things took an electronic turn with the band incorporating samplers and sequencers for new track The Waves. O’Brien wailed over the top, becoming increasingly impassioned in his vocals as he gripped the mic stand, making for one of the highlights of the set. “This is our last song,” said O’Brien, leading to a huge collective groan from the audience. O’Brien quickly added, “Don’t worry, it’s our fake last song,” before launching into a rollicking version of Ship Of Promises, which ended with a far more intense, feedback-laden outro. He returned alone onstage shortly after to play That Day before the band returned for The Meaning Of The Ritual. It was funny to see audience members now shushing each other because they didn’t want to miss a single note. The band left again and it was up to O’Brien to cap off the show with the down-tempo Twenty Seven Strangers. Scott Aitken

COLD WAR KIDS, CABINS CAPITOL: 02/08/2013 The night was off to a great start as diehard fans of Cold War Kids showed up early - early birds were fortunate enough to avoid lining up in the cold and secured good spots inside, but those who made the sacrifice of showing up later ended up stuck in a queue for a little bit and with viewing limitations. Age or gender wasn’t a barrier when it came to the indie rock band’s fans here in Perth. From hipsters, to older men in Hawaiian shirts, to women decked in hats and girls in their highest heels, everyone was ready to have a good time. By 8.30pm, opening act Cabins had almost a full room to play to, and proved to be an energetic introduction to what was to come later on that night. The Sydney outfit provided a good mix of slow and fast rock songs, including a Kinks cover of Never Met A Girl Like You Before, that was driven by the lead singer’s growling voice. Then came the highlight of the night for all concertgoers there, as Cold War Kids took to the stage, all casually dressed and ready to go. This was the last show in Australia for the band, and what better way to end the tour than a sold out show in our fair city. The Californian-based band kick started the night with a track from their second album, Mexican Dogs, which was an instant favourite of the crowd.

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

Of course, the night wouldn’t have been complete without one of their first singles Hang Me Up To Dry, where the band was accompanied word for word by the entire crowd. This also led to lead singer Nathan Willett conducting the crowd, encouraging the fans to sing in unison.There was minimum interaction between the band and the crowd, but when a punter decided to get Willett’s attention, the lead singer made a sarcastic remark saying the person is either too drunk or his Australian is accent is too thick to understand. Willett, bassist Matt Maust and guitarist Dann Gallucci all made the most of the space constraint onstage, moving about constantly, meeting occasionally to feed off each other’s energy, but yet surprisingly never bumping into each other. Drummer Matt Aviero never missed a beat, while touring band member Matthew Schwartz added onto the four-piece band’s showmanship by engaging the crowd, singing backup vocals and filling in with several other instruments. The 75-minute set ended with another oldie Saint John, which was also a sing-along for the locals. The night certainly finished on a high for all, with contented faces all around, and definitely proving that their live performances definitely triumphs over their recorded albums. Kershia Wong

BRITISH INDIA AMPLIFIER: 02/08/2013 If you’ve ever wondered where British India have been since 2007’s J Award nominated Guillotine release, which saw the Melbourne quartet win an ARIA for Best New Independent Artist, well, they’ve banged out three more albums as recently as March this year and have gone about getting an epic and cohesive live show down pact. To mark the occasion of their latest release, Controller, featuring the hit single Plastic Souvenirs, the boys have launched into a national tour, playing a bunch of shows across the country. Last Friday they treated a rowdy Amplifier audience to this mastered live set, showcasing an exposé of their massively underrated catalogue to great adoration. Local duo Jordan Tjhung and Sam Maher aka Dead Owls kicked the night off with a fun, backyard jam. Frontman Tjhung brought serious intensity to the mic, creating a lazy garage sound not entirely different to that of Band Of Skulls frontman Russell Marsden. The triple j Unearthed recruits showcased their brand of progressive rock, full of chunky hooks and vibrant rifts. They were shortly followed by Margaret River legends, Stillwater Giants. In true Margaret River style, the quartet dished out a predominantly barefoot set dedicating tracks to Australian cricketers and paying each other out constantly. It was drummer Angus Watkins’ last show with the group which meant bottles of dark liquor were being generously swigged behind the camouflage of cymbals and tom-toms. Time and time again the boys combined on vocals to great effect with More Ways Than One a crowd favourite. Fly Under The Radar was yet another pleaser with head bopping aplenty before lead guitarist Tom Godden found himself perched on top of Watkins’ bass drum for Ingredients. Not Like The Others too inspired some unexpected head banging in the front row before the set came to a crashing end. The Melbourne four-piece waltzed into Amps as the Stillwater Giants were about to go onstage with a very cool vibe. Although frontman Declan Melia – who might just be the dorkiest looking frontman ever – maintained this Bond-like coolness throughout the set (even with groupies kissing his cheeks and bodies being hurled from the mosh) what the boys put down was nothing short of incredible. They may have flown under the radar in the past few years but they certainly know how to whip a crowd into a frenzy. I Said I’m Sorry got things under way and after a couple of minor adjustments The Dance Is Loaded really got the crowd started with March Into The Ocean only carrying the momentum. Allow me to clarify that when I say the crowd was energetic and vibrant, I mean there were bodies hurtling, fists flying, t-shirts ripping (and a suit), crowd surfing, stage diving (and rushing) and much more; not entirely what one would expect. Having said this, the boys seemed to relish the atmosphere and gave back as much as they took with guitarist Nic Wilson leading the charge with some epic head banging. Ain’t No Fucking Disco provided the perfect closing anthem for a night of serious entertainment. Sean McKenna

m u s i c [COLUMNS COLUMNS]

WAM UPDATE

OG FLAVAS

CONTEMPORARY MUSIC INDUSTRY NEWS WITH WEST AUSTRALIAN MUSIC

URBAN AND R&B NEWS BY CYCLONE

Frank Ocean

Mike Tucak

SPECTACULAR OPPORTUNITIES Celebrating the thriving original contemporary music industry in WA and attracting over 25,000 people over the course of four days, the WAMi Festival takes place 6 – 9 November 2013. Expressions of interest are now open for WA acts to take part in Saturday Spectacular (9 November). With over one hundred performance opportunities available, selected acts will be offered the chance to perform at one of the many stages as part of WA’s biggest music showcase event taking place in the cultural hub of Northbridge. In addition to the chance to take part in Saturday Spectacular, expressions are also open for the WAMi Festival Launches which give artists an opportunity to launch their single, EP, album or music clip at a combined launch show at The Bakery on Wednesday 6 November OR Thursday 7 November. All original WA acts are encouraged send your EPK links, website or Facebook page to WAMi Festival Director Brooke Kelly by 5pm Wednesday 14 August for consideration. Please ensure a link to stream your music is available, as well as notification of what you plan to release (album, single, video, EP).

FREE, $500 KISSES Positively warmed by the generous support for our recent crowdfunding campaign, WAM is pleased to announce entries for the 2013 Kiss My Camera music photography competition are now open. Presented every year by the Western Australian Museum and WAM as part of the WAMi Festival, Kiss My Camera shines a light on the amazing work of WA-based music photographers who play a vital role in promoting WA music. Featuring the theme of “WA original music”, Kiss My Camera invites photographers to submit images of either a WA artist or touring musicians in WA venues or other WA locations. This year the top 50 images will go in the running to win either “Best Live Image” or “Best Portrait” and will also be showcased in a group exhibition at the WA Museum - Perth before travelling regionally to the Museum’s Albany site. To celebrate the competition’s fifth year, WAM recently ran a Pozible campaign that secured $500 cash prizes for each of the winners, a first in the competition’s history. The winners will also receive a limited edition Polaroid camera and film courtesy of Pigeonhole presents the Impossible Project. Submissions are free and will be accepted until 5pm Monday 26 August. More info at http://tinyurl.com/KMCOpen

LAST CHANCE TO SUBMIT The WAMi Festival is getting a face and soul lift for 2013, with some of the new venues, formats and programs not far from being revealed. The callout is for WA’s premier music showcase compilation, Kiss My WAMi CD/DVD, is just about over though, submissions closing this coming Monday 12 August. The compilation is a multi CD/DVD set, featuring a variety of WA’s finest tunes and music video clips, all selected by an independent panel of music industry experts. It’s distributed in September 2013 to media and industry across Australia, as well as this year being made available to all BIGSOUND delegates and via WAM’s international mailing list to South By Southwest, MIDEM, US college radio programmers via CMJ, Austrade network, to WAM members and more. More info here tinyurl.com/KMWSubmit The Western Australian Music Industry Association (WAM) strives to support, advocate and nurture WA talent of all types. More info: wam.asn.au.

It’s a pity that Ocean didn’t complete his run since he’s been previewing material, including the track Pray. Earlier in the year Ocean, who typically shuns interviews, told Radio 1’s Zane Lowe that he’s progressing on a second album with Pharrell Williams and Danger Mouse as collaborators. Lately he vibed in the studio with London teen King Krule, a post-dubstep indie act due to debut with 6 Feet Beneath The Moon this month. You can hear Ocean on Oceans, arguably the redeeming cut on Jay Z’s otherwise predictable Magna Carta... Holy Grail. Meanwhile, Ocean’s rival The Weeknd will drop Kiss Land in September. So far the Canadian has circulated two singles – he’s just followed the murky title-track with Belong To The World.

Thank God for James Blake. The Brit solely repped the alt.urban side at Splendour In The Grass (and as part of its travelling road show series) with his postdubstep soul when Frank Ocean cancelled because of “vocal issues”. Ocean performed the one sold-out gig in Melbourne yet reportedly struggled to hit the notes. It’s the second time the Odd Future singer has suspended Aussie dates – previously he (quietly) canned 2011’s Future Music Festival to finish channel ORANGE. That went on to be proclaimed ‘Album Of The Year’ by several critics but, while nominated for the Grammy equivalent, contentiously lost to Mumford & Sons’ Babel.

In 2013 there has been some choice alt.R&B from Solange, inc. and Rhye. Now we have AlunaGeorge with Body Music on Island Records. The retro-futurists, bound for the Listen Out fest, placed second in The BBC’s Sound Of 2013 poll, California’s Haim (who, for the record, sound more like Toto than TLC!) the victors. Singer-songwriter Aluna Francis, originally in the electro-pop My Toys Like Me, linked up with producer George Reid, guitarist in the math-rock Colour, in 2009, airing music online. This year the Brits enjoyed a UK smash with Disclosure in the twitchy Inner City-esque anthem White Noise.

This tour Blake’s band, last here in March, played theatres, with the show focussed on the magnificent Overgrown. The R&B Life Round Here featured new arrangements, while an unexpected highlight was a classically ravey rendition of Voyeur – very ‘90s Detroit techno. Alas, Blake didn’t perform the RZA-blessed Take A Fall For Me as he did at Coachella with the Wu-Tang Clan don himself. Blake’s set remains centred on the music, with no visuals. His approach to music may be innovative but, beyond that, he avoids gimmickry. He doesn’t even sell merch! Blake is truly the successor to Japan’s David Sylvian, who experimented with synthbased soul in the ‘80s. The New Romantic’s ambient Ghosts was a curious pop hit (Tricky recently sampled it). What’s more, Sylvian & Co radically reconfigured the Motown standards I Second That Emotion and Ain’t That Peculiar. And they recorded songs with titles like The Experience Of Swimming that Blake – and Ocean – might dig. ‘80s illwave, indeed. In Melbourne Blake, no slacker, also DJed at a tour afterparty.

Body Music combines the slinky downtempo feel of Jessie Ware, influenced by quiet storm and ‘90s R&B, with the ‘80s synth-pop nostalgia of Little Boots, plus contemporary glitch and bass music. The obvious standout is the engaging You Know You Like It, first heard back in 2011. In fact, a few Body Music songs will already be familiar to long-time AlunaGeorge fans, another being the airy Your Drums, Your Love. A bigger problem is that Francis, a former reflexologist from Wales, has a tiny, fragile, almost childlike voice – described by one UK critic as “a cross between Aaliyah and Lily Allen”. As such, Attracting Flies isn’t as venomous as its lyrics suggest. The opener Outlines is shimmery nightbus balladry that could be Katy B chillin’. Bad Idea is an ‘80s song looking for MTV. The upbeat Lost And Found is a throwback to Shanks & Bigfoot’s two-step garage Sweet Like Chocolate. The LP’s later tracks are a lil’ samey – or undeveloped – although the title-track has an ethereal charm. Awesomely, Body Music closes with a cover of Montell Jordan’s 1995 This Is How We Do It!

CULTURAL CRINGE ARTS NEWS WITH MARCIA CZERNIAK by Norma Desmond, Blanche DuBois, Baby Jane Hudson and both Big and Little Edie of Grey Gardens. If you fancy a little bit of a Broadway spoof, then Forbidden Broadway is for you. With parodies of performers such as Carol Channing, Michael Crawford, Barbra Streisand and Liza Minnelli, the evening features show tunes, characters and storylines of contemporary and well-loved musicals Cats, Annie, Les Miserables, Chicago, Phantom and Wicked. Hedda After two months of fun, the Perth Winter Arts Season is headed into its last few weeks of programming, but never fear, there is still lots going on up until the end of the month that you can make the most of. For lovers of theatre and cabaret there are still plenty of shows you can catch no matter what type of show you like. For kids and kids at heart you can see Room On The Broom at the State Theatre Centre of WA. Based on the adaptation of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s award winning picture book of the same name, this story of friendship and sharing is brought to life by puppetry, physical theatre and music. For something a little more grown up, there is Hedda at The Blue Room Theatre. Renato Fabretti and Marthe Snorresdotter Rovik take on Henrik Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler, bringing audiences the iconic tale of a woman who is often described as a victim, heroine and a woman oppressed. Then you have Paul Peacock’s Underground Cabaret and Little Black Dress Productions presenting Underground Motown. After their successful debut with the show Waiting In The Wings, the cast take a step back from the world of musical theatre and leap into Motown giving audiences a show with plenty of sequins, soul and the bright lights of Vegas. Downstairs, the Maj is hosting two upcoming shows that should be worth a look. The first is Neurotic Ladyland featuring Christa Hughes from Machine Gun Fellatio, delivering a cabaret show inspired

If circus is more your thing then Circus Oz: From The Ground Up at His Majesty’s Theatre is for you. With a mix of acrobatic performances and stunts, as well as comedy and a live band, Circus Oz is bound to impress. Rounding off the theatre calendar for the season is Shrine, presented by Black Swan Theatre Company. Adapted from Tim Winton’s novel, the play tells the story of a young man who dies on his way home, and how the loss has affected those he left behind a year after his death.

EATS ON TOUR JAMES K NIKIFORIDES FROM THE VERNONS

WHAT IS YOUR STAPLE MEAL WHEN ON TOUR? We stick to quick, easy to demolish items, such as burritos, burgers and kebabs. Anything that can’t be kept for a long period of time. The Vernons Volume 1 EP out now.

STUDIO BAR PLUTO JONZE

WHAT WOULD WE FIND IN THE STUDIO FRIDGE WHEN YOU’RE RECORDING? At the recording studio I used in Bondi, nothing is within its use-by date. While at the other recording studio I used in Redfern, there was a family fridge – so nothing very sexy either. Last night’s leftovers, Up & Gos, Powerade (my 14-year-old bro’s a swimmer), and dismembered human parts. The usual. Pluto Jonze’s debut album Eject out now.

WTF TV FORMAL WARS

Art lovers can go mental with the amount of exhibitions still running as part of the program. One exhibit that is quite timely is Majority Rules presented by the State Library of Western Australia, which examines how political party candidates try to persuade voters around election time. And who doesn’t love a good political cartoon? Another timely exhibition at the library is Barrack Street – A Time to Reminisce. Just as the Lost Perth Facebook page seems to be growing in popularity, you can take a step back into history and see photographs that will allow you to rediscover the Barrack Street days of old. If sculpture is more your thing then head to Magrib, the solo exhibition from Abdul-Rahman Abdullah at Venn Gallery. Working with resin, silicone, bronze, acrylic and found objects, the pieces explore the constructs of our sense of identity.

Shanique picks out her “ideal” formal dress, but it’s a far cry from the one her mum has in mind. Ahhh, the drama! Formal Wars is a new reality series screening Thursdays on Seven (it premiered on 25 July).

Along with the WA Poetry Festival and many other exhibitions and workshops, there is still so much on offer as part of the Perth Winters Arts Season. August should be a busy month.

For more interviews go to themusic.com.au/interviews • 27

T H E

2 0 1 3

POWER 50 EDITION be where the POWER is!

OUT NOW!

ORDER FROM STORE.THEMUSIC.COM.AU 28

[THE GUID IDE] TASTE TEST

HUGE MAGNET With Sloan Dog The best record I stole from my folks’ collection was… The Christopher Recordings On Sex Instruction 1952 The first record I bought with my own money was… This Are Two Tone compilation.

GIG OF THE WEEK

The record I put on when I’m really miserable is… I don’t get miserable. The record I put on when I bring someone home is… Absolutely depends on why I brought them home and what I am trying to do with them.

BIG SPLASH BAND COMPEITION FINAL @ THE BAKERY It’s been dominating a worthy space inside this very mag for a few weeks now, and now the massive event that is the inaugural Big Splash Band Competition wraps up this Saturday 10 August at The Bakery. After a massive amount of heats, the winners and runners-up of the semis go in the running to win $10,000, an amount that will quite ably allow any musical group to go big. These Winter Nights, Apache, Scalphunter and Dianas are all set to battle it out for top prize. All four bands proved to be at the top of their respective games through the heats and semi-finals, so it’s sure to be a big one. And hey, you get to see those bands play, so it’s an awesome gig by itself. But, on top of that, there’ll be two very special shows from two great, already-proven acts in The Chemist (pictured) and Sugarpuss. The whole shebang kicks off at 8pm, with tickets through nowbaking.com.au or more on the door if available.

FRONTLASH THE MUSIC WA After six years as WA’s highest quality street press, Drum Media Perth is turning into The Music WA, a full-gloss weekly magazine. Same staff, same music, new name, bigger mag, more stuff.

FUCKIN’ WHO Actor Peter Capaldi will play the 12th incarnation of the Doctor in seminal British science fiction series Dr Who. Capaldi is most infamous for his portrayal of foul-mouthed Machiavellian spin doctor Malcolm Tucker on In The Loop; we are pleased.

WIKUS? Keeping things nerdy, Neil Blomkamp’s second feature film Elysium is out in cinemas next week, and we’ll probably be there to catch it.

FROM THE DARK COUNTRY Australia’s most avant-garde bush band, Jenny M. Thomas & The System, have always been shunned by the folk festivals (Too contemporary! Too dark!) but since the release of their album Bush Gothic, they have been embraced by those who like their folk music with some bite and without the beards. They performed recently at MonaFoma and Castlemaine State Arts Festival, and their album is currently a favourite of BBC Radio2. The band have embarked on a national tour to spread their songs of treachery, murder and transportation, and it stops by Midland Junction Arts Centre this Saturday 10 August (tickets on the door) and Kulcha on Sunday 11 (kulcha.com.au for tickets).

BACKLASH ELELECTIONEERING Yeah here’s our public service announcement: Federal election on Saturday 7 September. Remember to vote, etc.

ONE TOUCH At Drum Perth/The Music WA, we love onesies. We think writing articles about how they’re infantilising and/or pathetic is a great way to make yourself look like a stale churnalist ten years past your use-by date.

SLIP SLIDIN’ AWAY The concept behind Channel 7’s new contribution to the ‘laugh at people falling over’ genre, Slide Show, smokes our noodles. But what if they threw some ketamine into the catering? Now we’re talking!

SIXTH SENSE Senses Fail have come a long way since their formative years, and this is no more evident through their latest record Renancer. Undoubtedly and intentionally their heaviest work to date, the band aimed to redefine their sound and ultimately themselves, which they did to the delight of fans and critics alike. Redefining the post-hardcore sound in Australia since their 2000 formation, Senses Fail have since gone through a fre lineup changes in order to get to this point. They changed the space, they changed the dynamic, the changed producers and even dabbled in Spanish as a tribute to their fans and ultimately stand before crowds today reengerised, faster, harder and heavier than they’ve ever been before. They bring it to Amplifier this Friday 9 August with We Are The Emergency, Statues and Foxes. Tickets through Oztix.

The most surprising record in my collection is… Instructional The Art Of Belly Dancing (With Music & Oral Instruction) or Father Leroy Linnebur’s To Kiss or to Spank?

The record I’m loving right now is… Charles Bradley, Victim of Love; Calexico, Algiers; John Lee Hooker, Endless Boogie. When and where are your next gigs? Saturday 10 August at The Rosemount Hotel w/Boom Bap Pow!, Sunday 11 August at Mojos and Saturday 7 September at The Rosemount again w/Day of the Dead. Website link for more info: http://www. facebook.com/hugemagnetband

BACK IN BLASKO The indomitable Sarah Blasko returns to Australia in July from Paris, where she has been spending some time supporting the release of her album and performing throughout Europe. Accompanied by her long-time band, she will undertake an extensive regional Australian tour. In anticipation of the tour, and the next part of the journey that is Blasko’s fourth album I Awake, she has released All Of Me with an accompanying video. She brings it to Bunbury Entertainment Centre on Friday 9 August; Queen’s Park Theatre, Geraldton, Saturday 10; Margaret River Cultural Centre, Monday 12; and Albany Entertainment Centre, Tuesday 13. Tickets through Ticketmaster, Ticketek and venues.

AROUND THE WORLD Just in time for the Northern summer, The Stanleys are at it again, bringing the world the pop-heavy Kid’s Gonna Rock 7” Vinyl split EP with fellow power popsters The Mynd Gardners to be released worldwide on July 1 via Smashed Records. The brainchild of Perth powerpop stalwart Mark Di Renzo and Oslo’s Tomas Dahl (Turbonegro), with the help of Ken Stringfellow (REM), The Stanleys created their sounds in studios the world over. With the summer of 2012 came The Stanleys’ infectious debut offering, the Always-EP, receiving praise from a budding community of fans and spinning on high rotation on US college radio and London’s Radio 2. The Stanleys are taking on the world again this July for the Kid’s Gonna Rock Tour in the USA, Europe, China and Australia. They kick off right here on Thursday 8 August at Mustang Bar and Friday August 16 at Beat Nightclub.

Peter Capaldi

The best album to come down to is… El Michels Affair, Enter The 37th Chamber; Bill Evans, Portrait In Jazz; Orlando Lopez, Cachaito.

The last thing I bought/downloaded was… Endless Boogie, Long Island; James Blake, Övergrown; Bombino, Nomad; and Angel Olsen, Half Way Home.

THIS AINT A GAME Local punks Alex The Kid have moved up in the world, releasing their second music clip for the song Cold Morning off their latest EP Friends With Hangovers last month. Since the, the video has already hit 1500 YouTube views. The band have come a long way over the last two years since forming in 2011 to now playing a significant part in today’s local punk scene. To thank their fans and to support the video’s launch, the band are putting on a show to thank their fans for their support over the last two years at The Civic Hotel on Saturday 10 August, with a bunch of friends in support. Look ‘em up on Facebook for details and to go in the running to win a rare coloured vinyl edition of Friends With Hangovers.

My favourite party album is… Budos Band’s Budos Band, Budos Band II and Budos Band III.

PRETTY, PRETTY BIG After touring extensively through US cities and the UK and Europe, USA’s Barn Owl head to Australia for the very first time to headline the opener of Tura New Music’s 2013 Totally Huge New Music Festival, playing with Japan’s Haco and Melbourne’s Speak Percussion. Barn Owl are a San Francisco-based duo who specialize in the provocative avant-garde through their deep drone; Haco keens a similar avant-garde edge with her experimental electoacoustics; and Speak Percussion is Australia’s leading percussive arts organisation. Check them out on Friday 9 August at The Bakery, tickets through nowbaking. com. Also on the THNMF lineup are Alvin Curran (USA), Decibel (WA), Agostino di Scipio (ITAL), Robin Fox (VIC), and Clocked Out (QLD), through to Sunday 18 August. Check out tura.com.au for tickets and more information.

TASTE TEST

ANTELOPE With Mitchell Withers The best record I stole from my folks’ collection was… Rodriguez – Coming From Reality. The first record I bought with my own money was… The Offspring – Conspiracy Of One. The record I put on when I’m really miserable is… Antlers – Hospice. The record I put on when I bring someone home is… Neil Diamond – Best Of. My favourite party album is… Xxyyxx – Xxyyxx. The best album to comedown to is… Tallest Man On Earth – There’s No Leaving Now. The most surprising record in my collection is… Gustav Holst – The Planets. The last thing I bought/downloaded was… Local Natives – Hummingbird. The record I’m loving right now is… Laura Marling – Once I Was An Eagle. When and where are your next gigs? Friday 9 August, Little Wing Corner Gallery with Flower Drums and FEYEK. Friday 27 September, Pica Bar supporting Archer & Light. Website link for more info? facebook.com/antelopeperth

For more interviews go to themusic.com.au/interviews • 29

[THE GUID IDE] i n d i e

news

EP FOCUS

PUCKER UP BLOW has been at the forefront of Australian contemporary jazz since its inception as Musiikki Oy during the early 1980’s, the name change necessary to avoid identity confusion when touring in Europe. BLOW’s artistic vision is limitless and ever-evolving, inspired by the moment, the place, the audience, the mood and the empathy shared by the members of the ensemble. Ted Vining, Bob Sedergreen, Gareth Hill, Peter Harper and Ian Dixon are exceptional improvisers who create a group sound that is uniquely BLOW. They head to The Ellington Jazz Club on Saturday 10 August from 7pm. Ellingtonjazz.com.au for tickets.

PERSONAL BEST RECORDS

WIND BENEATH MY WINGS

DAN CRIBB EP Title? The Memories Last How many releases do you have now? The Memories Last is my first solo release. I’ve started work on an LP, but that may take some time. Was anything in particular inspiring you during the making? The EP title is a lyric from the song Drover’s Track, which is about my Grandma passing away. I’d say that was a pretty big inspiration during both the writing and recording process. What’s your favourite song on it? It Never Ends, because in its music video I end up in the ocean with my (now wrecked) guitar. We’ll like this EP if we like... The confused ramblings of a bass player trying to engage with two extra strings whilst singing about sleep. Oh, and bands like Alkaline Trio, The Swellers and Broadway Calls.

Little Wing Corner Gallery is a pretty new space that’s just opened up in Subiaco, and already they’ve created a bunch of interest with some off-the-cuff gigs and cultural events, all with a rustic and homey feel. They roll the garage door up again this Friday 9 August as catchy-as-all-hell post-rock guys Antelope kick it up a notch, following on from spacey genrespanning indie folk courtesy of The Flower Drums and “post-office rock” lads FEYEK. $10 on the door.

BANG BANG Perth rock’n’soul merchants Boom! Bap! Pow! are a band that know how to work their crowd the old fashioned way. Like a WA version of Bob Dylan’s Never Ending Tour, they’ve spent the last few years clocking up kilometres and appearing on just about every stage the West has to offer. Give them a few planks of wood to jive on and an audience to sway and Boom! Bap! Pow! will put their heads down and get down to business. It’s on their long awaited sophomore album though, that Boom! Bap! Pow! have finally documented the crazy, ecstatic energy that only results from a true fusion of band and audience. It’s a sweet and sweaty sound. It is So Heavy. They launch it on Saturday 10 August at The Rosemount Hotel, supported by The Love Junkies, Huge Magnet and Dux N Downtown. Tickets through Oztix.

HEARTS FOR STONES With Mat Andrew

With Mark Di Renzo

Best record you stole from your folks’ collection? Metallica’s Black Album. They may be old but damn they love their old metal... Assholes.

Best record you stole from your folks’ collection? The Beatles - Abbey Road. One small part of an amazing body of work by an amazing band.

First record you bought? Insane Clown Posse’s The Great Milenko album. I used to be a juggalo when I was like 15, but now I’m loving the metal and hardcore more than anything.

First record you bought? KISS Destroyer – 2nd hand for 90 cents. One of my best music purchases ever! With classics such as Do You Love Me? and Shout it Out Loud it’s a keeper.

Record you put on when you bring someone home? When my friends come over we listen to Bieber and talk of memories past... Nah, Parkway Drive. Most surprising record in your collection? I have been listening to the new Falling In Reverse lately but rock out Eminem’s The Marshall Mathers LP sometimes. Last thing you bought/downloaded? I just downloaded the new movie It All Ends Here... Holy shit, that’s a slap-happy, butt-smacking, awesome movie! Website link for more info? reverbnation.com/heartsforstones

When and where is your launch/next gig? At Rosemount Hotel Friday 16 August for the EP lainch, and a national tour in the coming weeks.

HAVE YOU HEARD

Website link for more info? http://facebook.com/dancribbmusic (Dan is a regular contributor to Drum Perth)

THE STANLEYS

Record you put on when you’re really miserable? Fountains of Wayne – Self titled. Straight up, honest, fun upbeat power pop and possibly one of the biggest influences on The Stanleys’ music ethos. Bring on summer! Record you put on when you bring someone home? The Stone Roses – Self titled. Not only one for lovers but anyone who loves a melody. Most surprising record in your collection? Katy Perry – One of the Boys. Hot n Cold is one of my favourite gym work out songs. More info? info@thestanleys.com.au

HAVE YOU HEARD

A MATTER OF PHYSICS

SET THE CONTROLS FOR THE HEART OF THE SUN American post-hardcore band Alesana have been innovating and pushing the boundaries since their inception in 2006, creating their own unique sound with each album evolving and straying even further away from any formulas. This is evident with the Alesana’s most recent concept album A Place Where The Sun Is Silent. From pop gems to classicallytinged ballads, grandiose string quartets, narratives and separate acts A Place Where The Sun Is Silent is a groundbreaking approach at lessening the gap between listening to a record and witnessing something breathtaking. Catch them at The Academy at Amplifier this Wednesday 7 August, supported by Avastera, Cupidfalls and Illuminator. Tickets from Oztix.

Local trio Ragdoll will rock the Rosemount on Friday 9 August for the local launch of their new EP All I Want is Everything with support from fellow Perth rock favourites,Legs Electric, Vida Cain and Hailmary. The Australian launch of All I Want is Everything follows the band’s second US Tour, which saw their return to the Rocklahoma festival alongside rock heavyweights Guns n’ Roses, Alice In Chains, Korn and others as well as opening for Poison’s Bret Michaels. All I Want Is Everything is the culmination of a few big months for Perth’s favourite hair-metallers, so grab tickets through Heatseeker or Oztix, with more on the door if available.

SMART KIDS The brainchild of Perth powerpop stalwart Mark Di Renzo and Oslo’s Tomas Dahl (Turbonegro), with the help of Ken Stringfellow (REM), The Stanleys created their sounds in studios the world over. With the summer of 2012 came The Stanleys’ infectious debut offering, the Always-EP, receiving praise from a budding community of fans and building big radio play on US college radio stations and BBC stations in the UK and Europe. Now The Stanleys are taking on the world again for the Kid’s Gonna Rock (also the name of a brand-new 7” split with The Mynd Gardners) World Tour, which wraps up back home in The Mustang Bar this Thursday 8 August, before a show at The Beat Nightclub on Friday 16.

RICH WIDOW With Michael Hollick How did you get together? Each of us was looking for used furniture on Gumtree when we came across a wanted ad for band members. As couch-hunting is never much fun; we eventually all joined the band instead. Sum up your musical sound in four words? Post garage psych folk. If you could support any band in the world – past or present – who would it be? The Brian Jonestown Massacre. It would be insane (literally) but worth it. You’re being sent into space, no iPod, you can bring one album – what would it be? Velvet Goldmine soundtrack. Wild with diversity, glam spectacles, awesome proto-punk/rock songs, vivid lyrics, special guests, amazing covers and enough material for an entire music quiz; it would keep us very busy in space. Greatest rock’n’roll moment of your career to date? Having to get certain band members into a venue that security had denied them entry to. Consent was granted after discussion with venue manager on one condition: we throw said members out ourselves as soon as the gig finished. Why should people come and see your band? As we probably hate the same stuff you do, and we make songs out of it.

DIALECTRIX FT/

DJ 2BUCK

TICKETS FROM OZTIX

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

FAIM Answered by: Noah Skape How did you get together? We met through a mutual love for all facets of punk rock, high school style. Then we had to stay together because Jay Swensen fell terribly pregnant – father/mother TBC. Sum up your musical sound in four words?: Punk-fucked Lloyd Webber If you could support any band in the world – past or present – who would it be? FAIM would have to open for the impossible Bad Religion, The Matches, The Mint Chicks and Midnight Oil fantasy show. You’re being sent into space, no iPod, you can bring one album – what would it be? Does every Seinfeld episode on DVD have bonus commentary? I would like them compiled as an audio book to take to my space house, thanks. Greatest rock’n’roll moment of your career to date? I think I speak for us all when saying that staying up all night drinking tequila and singing along to Limp Bizkit with our friends from The Decline, Hightime and Pour Habit is definitely up there on the list. Why should people come and see your band? If you’re a fan of raucous punk rock, sex, violence, theatrics, cabaret, vaudevillian mayhem and/or good songs, please see FAIM.

SAT 10 AUG

When and where for your next gig? Little Wing Corner Gallery, Friday 9 August.

When and where for your next gig? Friday 2 August, The Gasometer Hotel with Beaver. Saturday 3 at the Barley Corn with Significant Other.

7:30PM

Website link for more info? facebook.com/richwidow

Website link for more info? facebook.com/faimband

$10

NEW MIND FUCK METAL BAND

NEW ALBUM COMING SOON ďŹ nd us on facebook â&#x20AC;&#x153;Hearts for Stonesâ&#x20AC;? also check us out on www.reverbnation.com/heartsforstones & www.Soundcloud.com/heartsforstones

Thursday Aug 8 at Mustang Bar Friday Aug 16 at Beat Nightclub

X-WRAY

&OOD s

#OFFEE DAYS

4HURSDAY *AZZ 1UARTET

n PM

s TILL

4HE *ACK n PM

3OUND LATE

$OEPEL FREE

&RIDAY s *ENNIFER (ARDY AND 4HE &IRST &LEET WITH SPECIAL GUESTS PM n PM s ENTRY 3ATURDAY 3YSTEM

s 4HE PM n

"LENDED $*S 3OUND PM s FREE

M TE 7P LA L TI

S A T U R D AY N I G H T

ANTICS WA R N I N G B I R D S

K I N G O F T R AV E L L E R S + A n t i c s d j s f e at. Lukas Wimmler

SAT. AU G 10

3UNDAY s 4HE #HARISMA "ROTHERS PM n PM #LICK "ROWN &OX PM n PM s FREE -ONDAY s 4O HELP RAISE AWARENESS AND FUNDS FOR HER MISSING HUSBAND "ONNIE 7ALKER WILL BE LAUNCHING HER TELL ALL MEMOIR h-Y ,IFE WITH *OHNNIE 4HE 7ALKER "OUTSv n BOOK SIGNING FROM AM n PM 4UESDAY s *AZZ 1UARTET PM

4HE 4OM n PM s

4ALE FREE

7EDNESDAY WITH #AMERON 'RANT PM

n !COUSTIC 3HOWCASE (AYES AND ,EAH n PM s FREE

,OT s s

%SSEX 3T XWRAYMUSIC

&REMANTLE GMAIL COM 31

[THE GUID IDE] m e m b e r s TASTE TEST

only TURNING JAPANESE

NOSEY PARKER

Also in Ambar news (yes, it’s still running!), the sounds are set to fall into your mind again at WA’s number one dance night, Japan 4. Here are more than four reasons why you need to heed the word of the home of the underground and get down to Perth’s best, and most award-winning, night out: Mo’Fly, Blend, MR eD, Wish and DNGRFLD. The crew on the one’s and two’s have been hand-picked to ensure you get the best of what Japan 4 is all about: the right tunes + the right ‘tude = the perfect night. Tickets $12 pre-midnight, $15 after.

With Ambar wrapping up and a huge bunch of top-rack dance shows scheduled for the next few months, the good folks at Boomtick are in need of a new venue: thankfully, Parker seems the place to be. Parker is the latest inclusion in the Perth late night scene, an inviting space exposing all to five unique bars, dual-level dance-floor and table service. Parker is designer sounds in designer surrounds, and they’re fully ready to stack it full of the best music they can get their hands on. The launch night takes place this Saturday 10 August, with the previouslyannounced Disco Fries show… now in a properlynamed and fully-pumped venue. Moshtix for tickets.

LET IT FLOAT

OUROBONIC PLAGUE With Nick Sweepah The best record I stole from my folks’ collection was… King Crimson – In The Court Of King Crimson. That cover art haunted me. The first record I bought with my own money was… DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince – Code Red. Boom! Shake The Room was a strong selling point. The record I put on when I’m really miserable is… Visions by Grimes got me through some dark times recently. The record I put on when I bring someone home is… Whatever they want to hear. I aim to please.

Water Graves is an ambient pop duo out of Perth, Western Australia. Originating as a bedroom project of Coel Healy, it soon evolved after he started jamming with guitarist and singer Blake Hart in the living room of an old house in Fremantle. Water Graves combines electronic production techniques, lo-fi textures and watery synth tones, together with dreamy vocal harmonies. They’re putting out some pretty amazing stuff (look up their Soundcloud account if you haven’t already), and they’ll be putting some of it on stage at The Bird this Friday 9 August when they launch their new EP, supported by Sacred Flower Union, Rabbit Island and Spirit Level.

WITH A CHERRY ON TOP Direct from Tokyo (nee New York) and for the very first time in Perth, legendary DJ, public speaker and owner of Comatonse Recordings, Terre Thaemlitz returns to Australia for the first time since 2004, performing for the very first time as DJ Sprinkles. Prepare for everything from electro-acoustic computer music and ‘funky country’ to deeper-than-deep house, dancefloor techno, digital jazz and computer-composed neoexpressionist piano solos... as long as you expect the unexpected. Terre/Sprinkles makes it known at Connections Nightclub, tickets through Ticketbooth.

PERSONAL BEST RECORDS

My favourite party album is… Right now, the new Kanye album, or Max Q’s song Way Of The World. The best album to comedown to is… I’d just watch a bunch of Adventure Time. The most surprising record in my collection is… Probably the whole Insane Clown Posse section. Yep. The last thing I bought/downloaded was… El-P & Killer Mike – Run The Jewels. It’s amazing. The record I’m loving right now is… Vatican Shadow – It Stands To Conceal. Two-point-five hours of amazing gloom. When and where are your next gigs? Wednesday 14 August, playing Club Huge at The Bakery. Saturday 31 August, supporting Whitehorse at Civic Hotel.

Prepare yourselves for the explosive and dynamic sound of Perth’s freshest old-skool soul-funk act, as Odette Mercy & The Soul Atomics take over Deville’s Pad this Saturday 10 August. Live, original and with all the down-home sweet soul of yo’ mommas fresh homemade strawberry jam smeared over raw chunks of bad-ass funk, Odette and her Atomics will be joined by DJs Moogy & Herman, plus burlesque with Tia Gia and Gogo action with Les Sataniques. Doors 6pm, with happy hour between 6 and 7pm and food ‘til 10pm. $10 entry after 8pm.

I’M LIKE A BIRD This weekend, the usual awesome shiz is set to go down at The Aviary, on both Friday 9 and Saturday 10 August. Get up to date on the latest in phat beats as DJs Troy Division, Paradise Paul and Ndorse deliver a one-two-three-bunch of danceable grooves on both nights. Then, local DJ-about-town Philly Blunt amps it up a notch on Sunday 11 with his hip hop-infused electronica, following on from Troy Division and Zel.

FLIGHT OF THE CONCORDS Concord Dawn began life as Evan Short and Matt Harvey, bursting onto the New Zealand music scene back in mid-1999 with their unique high octane drum’n’bass sound. They were the darlings of the local bNet /student radio stations up and down New Zealand, getting hefty primetime airplay, featuring at the top of the weekly top tens and breaking chart records across the bNet. After a year or so of underground success, they were courted by local electronic music label Kog Transmissions and released their first album Concord Dawn in July 2000. With a big space of success between now and then (including a raft of remixes and releases), they make their way to Geisha for Roulette tonight, Wednesday 7 August. Tickets $15 on the door.

How did you get together? I started composing when I was 14. Since then my sound and taste has progressed into multiple genres. Sum up your musical sound in four words? Harsh, inquisitive, bright, full.

NICE AND TYDI Joining forces with some of the biggest names in the industry, Metro City is set to bring you a Euro club experience like no other every Saturday night, with the brand-spankin’ new EDM Saturdays series. Be a part of the EDM revolution as we do it Ibiza-style with a brand new world-class, state-of-the-art sound system pumping some serious bass, and a new lighting system packing some serious power. Combined with club renovations, this will be a brand new club experience like never before. The opening party kicks off this Saturday 10 August with EDM Prime, featuring on of the most renowned young DJs (and a man probably needing more shelf space for all his awards), tyDi. Oztix for tickets.

REGGAETON It’s been a darn good comp so far, and now this Friday 9 August sees the first of the semi-final in the Reggae DJ Competition at Bar Orient. Last week, the last quarter final battle between DJs V’Ness and Inti saw them draw, which goes to show what the talent is like. Sending DJ Inti up to battle two weeks in a row, he will battle DJ Sexy Chocolate this week. DJ Inti was born in Nicaragua and weened on the continental side of Reggae as a house DJ in Belgium, while DJ Sexy Chocolate is all the way from The Bahamas, leading to him being on the more dancehall tip. As always, winners are jusged on crowd interaction, so get down and make your voice heard.

Ambar’s best and up’n’coming producers deliver a showcase night of their fresh-to-deathest realness this Friday 9 August for CTRL ALT DEL. From the studio to the home of the underground, its a night for five of Perth’s tightest, most creative and prolific producers to show their stuff. Get set for a treasure box of Perthbred music: Philly Blunt, Bezwun, Informant, Killafoe and Tonic are all on the list. Tickets $15 on the door.

SOUL POWER

H+ With Jacob Rutherford

PAGE NOT FOUND

Website link for more info? facebook.com/ourobonic.plague

HAVE YOU HEARD

If you could support any band in the world – past or present – who would it be? I’d support Ben Frost; he got me into abrasive music and showed me the diverse expanse between ambient and noise. You’re being sent into space, no iPod, you can bring one album – what would it be? My Bloody Valentine’s Loveless. So much work was put into mixing it, I’m sure there’s a lot of re-listen value there. Greatest rock’n’roll moment of your career to date? Having a glitch-based visual display (that went completely awry). And hugging a paint covered woman while playing. Why should people come and see your band? I want to try and show my vision of humanity over the next 20 or so years. Sounds interesting, right? When and where for your next gig? At The Bakery on Sunday 11 August. Website link for more info? facebook.com/hplusmusic

GOING ON A BEAR HUNT It’s no secret that trap music, love it or hate it, has changed the face of EDM since its popularity went viral in 2012. So Villa have sought out two of the artists who are leading and defining this young and seemingly unstoppable movement. Bro Safari is the alter-ego of DJ and producer, Knick. He’s already well-known and deeply established in the music scene as a result of his work with leading American drum’n’bass group Evol Intent, plus a whole lot more. Anytime he hits the stage, Crizzly has no choice but to go hard. Channeling hyperactive energy and uncontainable swagger, the San Antonio DJ and producer ignites crowds with an intoxicating, infectious, and inimitable blend of dubstep and hip-hop, which he affectionately terms, “Crunkstep”. They both hit Villa on Saturday 10 August. Tickets through Moshtix.

CRAIG HOLLYWOOD The best record I stole from my folks’ collection was… Yes, Close To The Edge The first record I bought with my own money was… 2 Unlimited, Get Ready For This The record I put on when I’m really miserable is… When Am I Going to Be Happy? How to Break the Emotional Bad Habits That Make You Miserable The record I put on when I bring someone home is… The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Methodrone My favourite party album is… Leftfield, Leftism The best album to comedown to is… Withered Hand, Good News The most surprising record in my collection is… Machine Head, Burn My Eyes The last thing I bought/downloaded was… Alex Smoke, Dust (Tessela Remix) on R&S Records The record I’m loving right now is… FIDLAR, FIDLAR When and where are your next gigs? Kitsune Club Night, Saturday 9 August, Villa; Pangaea, Friday 16 August, Geisha; Objekt/ Laurel Halo, Friday 27 September, The Bakery

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

DROP THE BASS Sean Doyle is a house DJ, focussing on the deep and funky house tip. Doyle brings a truckload of experience with him. Kicking off his career with a bass strapped to his shoulder, Doyle accompanied a ridiculous amount of DJs by adding funk and live flavour to their sets, as well as contributing as a sought-after session bass player on such tracks as Emma Warren’s She Wants You Back and Amma’s Keep Hoping. Now his style is firmly rooted in the UK house explosion, but don’t just expect that when he heads to Geisha this Saturday 10 August; he’s not averse to incorporating a whole lot of live hear into his sets. Australia’s own house ambassador Chiari joins him, as well as James Ess and Adam Kelly. Tickets $20+bf through geishabar.com.au, more on the door if available.

m e m b e r s o n l y [THE GUID IDE]

WEAPONS OF CHOICE

ACEBASIK EKKO & SIDETRACK

With Aeson Mckay Justice, Waters Of Nazareth, Ed Banger Records 2005

Shockone ft Metrik & Kyza, Lazerbeam, Viper Recordings 2013 No one does a banging tune like Shockone and this collab with Metrik goes off every time! Lorde, Bravado (Ekko & Sidetrack bootleg) Original was awesome so we bootlegged it into a deeper D&B tune â&#x20AC;&#x201C; been working well in all sets. Total Science, The Punisher, CIA 2004 Does what it says on the box: itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an oldy but a goody that still makes people go nuts. When and where for your next gig? Supporting Shapeshifter @ Metro, Saturday 17 August. Website link for more info? facebook.com/ekkoandsidetrack

DANCE FLOOR OF THE WEEK

With Jeff Hansen

Love this track, it breaks up a set well and you just canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t help but rave to it.

KITSUNE CLUB NIGHT: JERRY BOUTHIER @ VILLA Finally, French fashion/music super-label Kitsune are bringing their Club Night party to Australia for the first time ever, and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hitting Get Weird hard. In case youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re unaware of Kitsune, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re a bunch of French legends that have been churning out quality music, parties, clothes and typefaces for over ten years now. Heading up the gig is Kitsune legend and general hero of the decks Jerry Bouthier (check out the feature in earlier pages of this mag). The man has been classy on the future tip since the early â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;90s (which is pretty much the late â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;80s, really) so he knows whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s up. Alongside Kitsune co-founder Gildas, heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just whacked the finishing touches on the labelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Soleil Mix 2 so will no doubt be dropping some gear off that in addition to upcoming and unreleased Kitsune gems, plus a wealth of hectic material from parties of future past.. On top of that, Sydney dudes-of-the-dancefloor Clubfeet, Adelaide flexmeister Luke Million, Melbourneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Chela and our own local hero Shazam, plus a starstudded local supporting cast. This Friday 9 August is the night, Moshtix for tickets.

LAST LANEWAY @ AMBAR

MINISTRY OF SOUND @ VILLA

FRI 09 AUG

Azari & III, Reckless With Your Love (Tigas What Iz Houze Muzik Remix), Permanent Vacation 2012 Down tempo/deep house vibes given a serious toughening up by Tiga! This tune pumps and the vocal rocks! CLMD, Black Eyes & Blue, Upnorth Recordings 2012 Charming vocals and uplifting synths, this track gets people hugging and fist pumping at the same time! When and where for your next gig? Parker Nightclub launch party, Saturday 10 August. Website link for more info? facebook.com/ACEBASIK

FRIDAYS @ AMPLIFIER

Philly Blunt Bezwun Informant Killafoe Tonic

ZEKE, FTW SISTYM & GRACIE ESCUE, KEYMIST

FRI 16 AUG

For more interviews go to themusic.com.au/interviews â&#x20AC;˘ 33

[THE GUID IDE] f o o d

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

TOP 5

You can give back to the community just by being savvy about where you choose to dine at. Brendan Hitchens looks into ethical eateries. Pics by Holly Engelhardt. Engelhardt

SONG TITLES

*That Contain Foods

(And I Want My 1 LifeMoneyIs ABack)Lemon– Meat Loaf

2 The Salmon Dance – Chemical Brothers

n Britain, The Sustainable Restaurant Association have in place a ranking system that assesses eateries based on their environmental, ethical and social impact. After running for the past three years, the scheme will go international this year as they, in their own words, “help diners identify those restaurants doing the right thing”. Author, television chef and restaurateur Kylie Kwong advocates the program. “Any initiative that brings to our attention the absolute importance of environmental, ethical and social practices within our workplace, and in this case, the hospitality industry, is surely positive,” she says. Though the SRA’s plans to rank and highlight food organisations who are making positive impacts to the environment and society is only in its infant stages, ethical eateries in Australia, and particularly Melbourne, are by no means a new concept. STREAT is a social enterprise that supports disengaged youth by training them in the hospitality industry using their four Melbourne cafes. “Many of our young trainees are referred to us through various social service agencies, including Melbourne City Mission, The Salvation Army and Mission Australia,” says STREAT’s marketing manager Ian Johnson. “The William Angliss Institute has been a fantastic training partner for STREAT since we started in 2010. They have provided Certificate

I and II hospitality training programs that are specifically tailored to meet the needs and abilities of our trainees.” Since its first humble food cart opened in 2010, STREAT has now sold over 350,000 meals and coffees, provided 30,000 hours of paid employment to its youth, trained 52 young people in the program and graduated six full classes. The majority of STREAT graduates are now working, most for the first time in their lives. Along with their training programs, STREAT also offer customers a unique loyalty card that supports the community. “Basically, for every nine coffees or meals you buy, we give the tenth one to a homeless person.” Also situated in Melbourne and servicing the community in their own unique way, Shebeen is a bar like no other. Donating 100% of their profits to organisations tackling poverty in the developing world, every beer, wine, cider and margarita sale sends funds back to the drink’s country of

3 Peel Me a Grape – Anita O’Day

origin. “We work with seven beneficiary partners that work in the ten countries that our products come from,” says bar manager Simon Griffiths. “Drinking an Ethiopian beer helps to provide agricultural pumps to rural farmers in Ethiopia via KickStart, a Negra Modelo provides a loan to a small business in Mexico via Root Capital and a glass of wine from Stellenbosch provides local language books to South African school kids via Room To Read.” Griffiths says the response to the bar has been overwhelming. “It’s amazing to see Shebeen’s concept getting people excited. It’s gone wild on social media but also resonated with audiences that we never expected; we regularly have groups of 65-75 year-old women in for lunch, which is an absolute delight – and I don’t think they found us on Twitter,” he laughs. “As a 20-something year-old, I fell in love with the concept of doing something good whilst doing something that I loved – going to a bar,” says Griffiths, who hatched the idea with University friend Zanna McComish in 2007. He now harbours plans to take the concept interstate and one day, overseas. “We’re looking first to expand within Australia, and will then look for opportunities overseas.”

4 Ice Cream – Sarah McLachlan

5 Jam Stew – Deep Purple

FOOD TRIPPIN’ EATING AROUND THE USA WITH SOFIE MUCENIEKAS AND LLOYD HONEYBROOK

Similarly to Shebeen, Kinfolk is an inner city Melbourne café that re-directs 100% of their profits, in this case between four development projects in Australia and abroad. “When people come up to the till to pay, they get to nominate one of the four projects we support,” says general manager Jarrod Briffa. “There’s two in Africa, through Y Generation Against Poverty: one of them is a child protection group and the other is a community development project in Rwanda. There’s one in Melbourne with Urban Seeds, which is a social inclusion project for marginalised and homeless people, and there’s Palm Island, with The Cathy Freeman Foundation, which is based around bridging the gap for Indigenous disadvantage.”

MONDAYS

BARRA–MONDAY

WEDNESDAYS WHITING

Salt water Barra cooked to WEDNESDAY your liking with chips, salad Geradlton King George and a middy of beer or a Whiting crumbed or battered glass of house wine for only with chips, salad and a middy of beer or a glass of $ house wine for only

Followed by Chet Leonard’s Bingotheque.

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

Since 2012 and with the support of their loyal customers, Kinfolk have been able to distribute over $65,000 to their project partners. Briffa says the café, which has been so successful it is outgrowing its premises, has seen the benefits of their donations first hand. “The money is great for helping all the projects but it’s also great for spreading the word for what they are doing. I think where the biggest outcome for the project is, is that people are connected to their causes through something they do every day. Through buying a coffee you’re learning about these issues, what these projects are doing and you’re able to contribute, without having to take money out of your pocket.”

Portt lan nd And yet another awesome #mexibreakfast with @lloydhoneybrook TACOSSSSS Going to miss this when we head West next week! with Lloyd James Honeybrook at Uno Mas.

[THE GUID IDE] g i g s

1,000’s of gigs at your fingertips. The Guide at

TOUR GUIDE ALESANA: AUG 7 Amplifier THE STANLEYS: AUG 8 Mustang Bar; AUG 16 Beat DIALECTRIX, DJ 2BUCK: AUG 9 Mojos; AUG 10 Ya Yas GLASS TOWERS, JORDAN LESER: AUG 9 Prince Of Wales, Bunbury; AUG 10 Amplifier; AUG 11 Newport Hotel TOTALLY HUGE NEW MUSIC FESTIVAL: BARN OWL and more: AUG 9-18 various venues SARAH BLASKO: AUG 9 Bunbury Entertainment Centre; AUG 10 Queen’s Park Theatre, Geraldton; AUG 12 Margaret River Cult. Centre; AUG 13 Albany Entertainment Centre SENSES FAIL: AUG 9 Amplifier BOOM! BAP! POW! ALBUM LAUNCH: AUG 10 Rosemount Hotel KARNIVOOL, NORTHLANE: AUG 11 Metro City CARTEL, LYDIA: AUG 14 Amplifier PANGAEA: AUG 16 Geisha ANNIHILATE 10TH BIRTHDAY: 50 LIONS, BATTLETRUK, INSIDERS CODE: AUG 16 Prince Of Wales, Bunbury; AUG 17 Amplifier (with MINDSNARE) THE WOOHOO REVUE: AUG 16 Mojos; AUG 17 Prince Of Wales, Bunbury; AUG 18 Clancy’s Dunsborough JIMMY BARNES: AUG 16 Mangrove Resort, Broome; SEP 19 Kalgoorlie-Boulder Racing Club; SEP 21 Tambrey Tavern, Karratha; SEP 22 Walkabout Hotel, Port Hedland JOAN BAEZ: AUG 16 Perth Concert Hall THE DISCO FRIES: AUG 16 Parker MINDSNARE: AUG 17 Amplifier SHAPESHIFTER: AUG 17 Metro City FOR OUR HERO: AUG 17 YMCA HQ RADIOTHON OPENING PARTY: AUG 17 Various Venues DON MCLEAN, CATHERINE BRITT: AUG 19 Perth Concert Hall ED KUEPPER: AUG 16 Fly By Night PAUL KELLY, URTHBOY: AUG 22 Regal Theatre; AUG 23 Regal Theatre ANDREW STRONG & THE COMMITMENTS: AUG 22 Metropolis Fremantle VANCE JOY: AUG 23 Fly By Night FUNKOARS, VENTS, BRIGGS, K21: AUG 23 Bar 120, Hillarys; AUG 24 Rosemount Hotel DEADWEIGHT! THIRD BIRTHDAY: AUG 23 Gilkisons Dance Studio THE BLACK SEEDS: AUG 23 The Bakery NORTH WEST FESTIVAL AUG 24 Port Hedland Turf Club GEORGE BENSON: AUG 24 Riverside Theatre PURPLE SNEAKERS DJS: AUG 25 The Aviary VANCE JOY: AUG 25 Astor Theatre BERNARD FANNING: AUG 25 & 26 Astor Theatre JAPANDROIDS: AUG 26 Rosemount Hotel STONEFIELD: AUG 29 Prince Of Wales, Bunbury; AUG 30 Player’s Bar, Mandurah; AUG 31 Amplifier; SEP 1 Indi Bar + TRIPLE J HOUSE PARTY: NINA LAS VEGAS, FLIGHT FACILITIES, CASSIAN, TYLE TOUCHÉ, WAVE RACER: AUG 29 Capitol; AUG 30 Metropolis Fremantle SEEKAE: AUG 31 The Bakery WOLF MAIL: SEP 3 Charles Hotel + MACHINE GUN KELLY: SEP 4 Capitol VOLUMES: SEP 4 Amplifier; SEP 5 YMCA HQ (AA) HIT THE LIGHTS: SEP 5 Amplifier JOSH PYKE, PATRICK JAMES, OLYMPIA: SEP 5 Prince Of Wales, Bunbury; SEP 6 Fly By Night; SEP 7 Astor Theatre FAT FREDDY’S DROP: SEP 5, Astor Theatre + STICKY FINGERS, LIME CORDIALE: SEP 6 The Bakery CASTLECOMER: SEP 6 Ya Ya’s MARK MCGUIRE: SEP 6 Velvet Lounge FIERCE: SEP 6 Geisha Bar THE GROWL: SEP 6 Ellington Jazz Club MIDNIGHT JUGGERNAUTS: SEP 6 Prince Of Wales, Bunbury; SEP 7 Capitol GRIND MY BITCH UP: DISENTOMB, THE MIGHTY SCRAPE, REZUME: SEP 7 Civic Hotel THE CAT EMPIRE: SEP 7 Red Hill Auditorium KATAKLYSM, GOTSU-TOTSU-KOTSU: SEP 8 Rosemount Hotel BRIAN KENNEDY: SEP 8 Fly By Night ANNBERLIN, THE MAINE, WILLIAM BECKETT: SEP 11 Metropolis Fremantle GHOSTPOET: SEP 12 The Bakery THE ASTON SHUFFLE: SEP 13 Parker RUDIMENTAL: SEP 13 & 14 Metro City TONIGHT ALIVE, HANDS LIKE HOUSES, D AT SEA: SEP 14 Astor Theatre PARKWAY DRIVE: SEP 15 Capitol FOR THE FALLEN DREAMS, THE PLOT IN YOU, STORM THE SKY, FIT FOR A KING: SEP 11 YMCA HQ (AA); SEP 12 Amplifier KVELERTAK: SEP 19 Amplifier THE PREATURES: SEP 20 Flyrite; SEP 21 Mojos

ILLY: SEP 28 Villa, SEP 29 Prince Of Wales THE PAPER KITES: SEP 21 Fly By Night

PRESENTS

XAVIER RUDD: SEP 28 Three Oceans Winery, SEP 29 Fremantle Arts Centre HORRORSHOW: OCT 3 Prince Of Wales, Bunbury; OCT 4 Amplifier; OCT 5 Mojos

KARNIVOOL: AUG 11 Metro City JAPANDROIDS: AUG 26 The Rosemount JOSH PYKE: SEP 7 Astor Theatre RUDIMENTAL: SEP 13 Metro City ARTLAB CREATIVE CONFERENCE: SEP 14 Perth Convention Centre DEAD LETTER CIRCUS: SEP 20 Prince of Wales, SEP 21 Metropolis Fremantle

JINJA SAFARI: OCT 4 Settlers Tavern, Margaret River; OCT 5 Prince Of Wales, Bunbury; OCT 6 Astor Theatre THE BREEDERS: OCT 31 Astor Theatre BOY & BEAR: NOV 22 Metropolis Fremantle; NOV 23 Astor Theatre

FOALS: SEP 22 Metro City

ONGOING:

TWELVE FOOT NINJA: SEP 26, Prince of Wales, Bunbury, SEP 27, Rosemount Hotel

GIGNITION: Upcoming band showcases 4-8pm last Sunday of each month at The Railway Hotel

THU 8 AUGUST 2013

Xport Thursday feat. +Nodes: Causeway Bar, Victoria Park Monarchy: Crown Perth (Lobby Lounge), Burswood Pat Nicholson: Dunsborough Tavern, Dunsborough Night Cap Session + Steve Magnusson + Jamie Oehlers + Ben Vanderwal + A Saucy Little Secret: Ellington Jazz Club, Perth Greg Carter: Gate Bar & Bistro, Success Bex’s Open Mic Night: Indi Bar, Scarborough James Wilson : Lucky Shag, Perth

Open Mic Night with +Claire Warnock: Settlers Tavern, Margaret River Hip Hop Kara”Yo!”ke+Various: The Bird, Northbridge Jen de Ness : The Boat, Mindarie Mikey T: The Shed, Northbridge Kitsune + Chela: Villa Nightclub, Perth Matt Gresham + Tricky: Ya Ya’s, Northbridge

FRI

9 AUGUST 2013 Senses Fail + We Are The Emergency + Statues + Foxes: Amplifier Bar, Perth

Simon Kelly & The Big Bamboo + Jack Stirling: Clancys Fish Pub, Fremantle Angus Diggs Trio: Clancys Fish Pub, City Beach Hoppy & Paige Trantham: Clancys Fish Pub, Dunsborough Hit N Miss: Denmark Hotel, Denmark Jonathon Dempsey: East 150 Bar, Ascot Cornerstone: Edz Sportz Bar, North Coogee Danny Martin & The Spread + Allira Wilson + Steve Magnusson + Jamie Oehlers: Ellington Jazz Club, Perth Howie Morgan : Empire Bar, Rivervale Motown & Soul Night+Various: Fly By Night, Fremantle Greg Carter: Greenwood Hotel, Greenwood Dean Anderson: Hyde Park Hotel, North Perth

HORRORSHOW: SEP 18 September

Villian + Arthur Dent Project + The Itch + Hello Colour Red: Mojos Bar, North Fremantle The Stanleys + Lionizer + Wise Oaks + DJ James MacArthur: Mustang Bar, Northbridge Tiki Bar Open Mic Night with +Tim from Mills: Newport Hotel, Fremantle Nathan Gaunt: Prince of Wales, Bunbury Rodney Rude: Railway Hotel, North Fremantle The Midnight Mules + In The Dead Hours + The Coloured Chain + The Killer Hipsters: Rosemount Hotel, North Perth

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

The Reggae Club feat+The Empressions + DJ Inti + DJ Sexy Chocolate: Bar Orient, Fremantle Rodney Rude: Beaumaris Sports Club, Iluka Sarah Blasko + Fletcher: Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre, Bunbury Morgan Bain: Causeway Bar, Victoria Park Haunting The Hotel + Psychonaut + Severtone + Nightmare Effect + One Too Many Camel + Left To Die: Civic Backroom, Inglewood DJ Boogie: Clancys Canning Bridge, Applecross

Vdelli: Indi Bar, Scarborough Karin Page : Inn Mahogany Creek, Mahogany Creek Astrobat: Kalamunda Hotel, Kalamunda Flamenco Puro +Clarisa Di Salvo : Kulcha, Fremantle Retrofit: M On The Point, Mandurah Rainy Day Women + Warning Birds + Tahlia Jaye: Moana Coffee, Perth Hussle Hussle feat. +Dialectrix + Marksman Lloyd + Wisdom2th + Paulie P + DJ L-Street: Mojos Bar, North Fremantle

Adam Hall & the Velvet Playboys + Cheeky Monkeys + Swing DJ + DJ James MacArthur: Mustang Bar, Northbridge Wot Evs + Sardi + DJ Tom Drummond + B2B Juzlo + Tahli Jade: Newport Hotel, Fremantle Better Days: Peel Alehouse, Halls Head FAIM + Yiannos McStavros + Order of The Black Werewolf + Tired Lion: PICA Bar, Perth Dirty Scoundrels : Port Kennedy Tavern, Rockingham Glass Towers + Jordan Leser: Prince of Wales, Bunbury Third Gear: Rocket Room, Northbridge Ragdoll + Hailmary + Vida Cain + Legs Electric: Rosemount Hotel, North Perth Howie Morgan Duo: Sail & Anchor, Fremantle Nightshift: Sail & Anchor (Upstairs), Fremantle Qynn: Settlers Tavern, Margaret River Vendetta + Greg Carter: Swinging Pig, Rockingham Troy Division + Paradise Paul: The Aviary, Perth NDorse: The Aviary (Birdcage), Perth Totally Huge New Music Festival Opening Party+Barn Owl + Haco + Speak Percussion: The Bakery, Northbridge Water Graves + Sacred Flower Union + Rabbit Island + Spirit Level: The Bird, Northbridge Easy Tigers : The Paddo, Mt Hawthorn B.o.B: The Principle Micro Brewery, Midland Fun House + DJ Glenn 20: The Shed, Northbridge Nathan Gaunt: The White Star Hotel, Albany Scalphunter + Blindspot + The Choke + Dead Glorious: Ya Ya’s, Northbridge Cupid Falls + This Fiasco + I, Said The Sparrow + Finders + To Catch A Fox + Adora Heights: YMCA HQ (All Ages), Leederville

SAT

10 AUGUST 2013 Glass Towers + Jordan Leser: Amplifier Bar, Perth Retriofit: Balmoral, East Victoria Park Mike Nayar: Belgian Beer Cafe, Perth James Wilson : Boab Tavern, High Wycombe Jonny Taylor: Bootleg Brewery Bar, Margaret River The Blackbirds: Brook Bar & Bistro, Ellenbrook Rodney Rude: Brooklands Tavern, Southern River Proud Mary + Fenton Wilde: Charles Hotel, North Perth Alex The Kid + El Capitan + Paper Plains + Suburban & Cake + Gutter Drakes: Civic Backroom, Inglewood Badger and the Fox + The Gypsie Howls + Bears & Dolls: Clancys Fish Pub, Fremantle The Recliners: Clancys Fish Pub, City Beach Antics feat. +The Warning Birds + King of the Travellers + Lukas Wimmler: Claremont Hotel, Claremont Why Georgia: Crown Perth (Lobby Lounge), Burswood Tiaryn + Blow: Ellington Jazz Club, Perth Greg Carter: Gate Bar & Bistro, Success Astrobat: Gosnells Hotel, Gosnells The Reals: Greenwood Hotel, Greenwood Morgan Bain: Hotel Rottnest, Rottnest Island Matt Gresham: Indi Bar, Scarborough Shawne & Luc: Indian Ocean Brewing Company, Mindarie Flamenco Puro+Clarisa Di Salvo : Kulcha, Fremantle Rhythm 22: M On The Point, Mandurah Mt Mountain + Spaceman Antics + Diger Rockwell + Blackmilk + Silver Hills: Mojos Bar, North Fremantle The Continentals + Milhouse + DJ James MacArthur + Rockabilly DJ: Mustang Bar, Northbridge Gravity: Newport Hotel, Fremantle Tequila Mockingbird: Peel Alehouse, Halls Head FAIM + Sidewalk Diamonds: PICA Bar, Perth Karin Page : Port Kennedy Tavern, Rockingham Galloping Hatracks: Quarie Bar & Bistro, Hammond Park Sarah Blasko + Fletcher: Queens Park Theatre, Geraldton

Boom! Bap! Pow! + The Love Junkies + Huge Magnet + Dux n Downtown: Rosemount Hotel, North Perth Better Days: Sail & Anchor, Fremantle Edie Green + Jay Grafton: Settlers Tavern, Margaret River Rock-A-Fellas + Greg Carter: Swinging Pig, Rockingham Paradise Paul + Troy Division + NDorse: The Aviary, Perth Big Splash+The Chemist + Sugarpuss + Scalphunter + The Dianas + These Winter Nights + Apache: The Bakery, Northbridge Huge + DJ Andyy: The Shed, Northbridge Dialectrix + Empty + Mei Saraswati: Ya Ya’s, Northbridge The Moment We Fall + Never Settle + Pending The Silence + Mourning Lilith + Winter’s Calling + Stagnant Tides: YMCA HQ (All Ages), Leederville

SUN

11 AUGUST 2013 Andrew Winton: Balmoral, East Victoria Park Jonny Dempsey: Belmont Tavern, Cloverdale Chris Gibbs Duo : Boab Tavern, High Wycombe Ali Hill: Brighton Hotel, Mandurah Nathan Gaunt: Broken Hill Hotel, Victoria Park Gerry Azor: Brooklands Tavern, Southern River Chasing Calee: Chase Bar & Bistro, Baldivis The Zydecats: Clancys Fish Pub, Fremantle DJ Boogie + The Salt Shaker Selectors: Clancys Fish Pub, City Beach Simon Kelly & The New Bamboo: Clancys Fish Pub, Dunsborough Jack & Jill : Crown Perth (Lobby Lounge), Burswood Rick Webster + A Saucy Little Secret: Ellington Jazz Club, Perth Greg Carter: Gate Bar & Bistro, Success Steve Parkin: Hyde Park Hotel, North Perth Morgan Bain: Indi Bar, Scarborough Retriofit: Indian Ocean Brewing Company, Mindarie Jean Proude: Kalamunda Hotel, Kalamunda Jenny M Thomas & The System: Kulcha, Fremantle B.o.B: Lakers Tavern, Thornlie Chill Divine: M On The Point, Mandurah

g i g s [THE GUID IDE]

1,000’s of gigs at your fingertips. The Guide at

Wide Open Mic+Various: Mojos Bar, North Fremantle Triple Shots: Mustang Bar, Northbridge Big Thommo’s Open Mic Variety Night: Ya Ya’s, Northbridge

JAPANDROIDS: AUG 26 Rosemount Hotel

TUE

13 AUGUST 2013 20

Karnivool + Northlane: Metro City, Northbridge Huge Magnet + Davey Craddock & The Spectacles + Todd Pickett + Blind Tiger Blues Box: Mojos Bar, North Fremantle It’s Time To Jam+Various: Mojos Bar (Afternoon), North Fremantle Sunday Rumble with +Cal Peck & the Tramps + The High Learys: Mustang Bar, Northbridge Glass Towers + Stillwater Giants + Foam + DJ Tom Drummond: Newport Hotel, Fremantle Anderson: Ocean View Tavern, Nowergup

Better Days: Quarie Bar & Bistro, Hammond Park Howie Morgan Project: Saint, Innaloo Lightning Jack: Settlers Tavern (Verandah / Afternoon), Margaret River Matt Angell + Jamie Powers : Swinging Pig, Rockingham Rooftop Sessions feat. +Philly Blunt + Troy Division + Zel: The Aviary, Perth The Healy’s + Renogade: The Shed, Northbridge Retriofit: Universal Bar, Northbridge Acoustic Aly: Wanneroo Tavern, Wanneroo

Monuments + Blkout + Flower Mouth + Truthseeker + Idle Eyes: YMCA HQ (All Ages / Afternoon), Leederville

MON 12 AUGUST 2013 20

Wire Bird: Brass Monkey Hotel, Northbridge JTC Jazz: Ellington Jazz Club, Perth Sarah Blasko + Fletcher: Margaret River Cultural Centre, Margaret River

Sarah Blasko + Fletcher: Albany Entertainment Centre, Albany Open Mic Night with +Chris O’Brien: Brass Monkey Hotel, Northbridge Dilip & Drew + Miss Peta Lee & The Chequered Past + Pale Blonde Mexicans: Charles Hotel, North Perth Hans Fiance: Crown Perth (Lobby Lounge), Burswood Beyonce Tribute feat. +Abbey Foster Falle + Cristal Phillips: Ellington Jazz Club, Perth Open Mic Night with +Anthony Kay: Kalamunda Hotel, Kalamunda

SicNote feat. +Leon Osborn + Diger Rockwell + Raagh + Sleepyhead: Mojos Bar, North Fremantle Danza Loca Salsa Night+Various: Mustang Bar, Northbridge Club Huge feat. +Yarkhon + Feeding | Ear: The Bakery, Northbridge Rodney Rude: The Club Hotel, Collie Jazz at Ya Ya’s feat. +Sean Little + Shaun Rammers Trio + Alex Dew : Ya Ya’s, Northbridge

WED 14 AUGUST 2013 20

Cartel + Lydia + The Take Over + Finders + Wake The Giants: Amplifier Bar, Perth Sugar Blue Burlesque: Brass Monkey Hotel, Northbridge Open Mic Night with +Chris O’Brien: Carine Glades Tavern, Duncraig Chet Leonard’s Bingoteque: Clancys Fish Pub, Fremantle 5 Shots: Crown Perth (Groove Bar), Burswood

Night Cap Session + TLC Organ Trio: Ellington Jazz Club, Perth Bernardine: Greenwood Hotel, Greenwood Neda: Indi Bar, Scarborough Howie Morgan : Lucky Shag, Perth Fremantle Blues & Roots Club feat+Galloping Foxleys + Man The Clouds + Luke Dux: Mojos Bar, North Fremantle Going Solo feat+Sam Barendse + Adrian Hoffman + Michael Savage: Moon Cafe, Northbridge Pump: Mustang Bar, Northbridge Being Beta + Gutter Drakes + Them Sharks + One Last Thing + Cavalier: Rosemount Hotel, North Perth Nat Ripepi + Rose Parker + Annabelle Harvey: The Paddo, Mt Hawthorn Retriofit: Universal Bar, Northbridge Rodney Rude: Wanneroo Tavern, Wanneroo Lightning Jack: Whalers Restaurant, Exmouth

CLUB GUIDE THU 08 Kitsune + Chela: Villa Nightclub, Perth

FRI 09 Hussle Hussle feat. Dialectrix + Marksman Lloyd + Wisdom2th + Paulie P + DJ L-Street: Mojos Bar, North Fremantle Ctrl-Alt-Del: Producers Night Friday: Ambar, Perth NDorse: The Aviary Birdcage, Perth Troy Division + Paradise Paul: The Aviary, Perth Plus feat Tom Love + Henton + Green George + James A + Jimi J: Geisha, Northbridge

SAT 10 Parker LAUNCH!: Parker, Northbridge Japan 4: Ambar, Perth EDM Launch Party feat. tyDi: Metropolis City, Northbridge Family feat. Paces: Flyrite, Northbridge Headkandi feat. Sean Doyle: Geisha, Northbridge

WED 14 Cheek Wednesdays: Red Sea, Subiaco Club Akuna feat. Cosmo’s Midnight: Llama Bar, Subiaco

CLASSIES

brought to you by

EMPLOYMENT

FILM & STAGE

GUITARS

ADMINISTRATION

CAMERA

Matts Vintage Guitars - Fender Gibson Martin Rickenbacker Guild Gretsch Vintage and USA Buy-Sell-Trade Ph.0413-139108 www.mattsvintageguitars. com

FREMANTLE RECORDING STUDIOS

We’ve had bands on JJJ, now you can have us for $120/hr! Book professional recording sessions at one of the best rooms in WA w/ 10% off when you mention this ad. NEW: Live video shoot w/ recording, editing & mixdown $750. Perfect for your reel or presskit. Call 0415738155 for booking. iFlogID: 22756

CAMERA MAN with music video experience available for hire. Has own Canon HDSLR and lighting kits. email: immimagery@gmail.com iFlogID: 22187

PRODUCTION MUSIC VIDEO PRODUCTION We offer high quality, creative music videos to suit your style & budget. Portfolio of over 30 artists. Seen on MTV, Channel [V], CMC, rage www.immersionimagery.com iFlogID: 22185

Get your Band/ Business online with affordable website design. From $299 Services include Seo, Social network marketing Includes free 1000 Facebook likes, 22k twitter followers. Contact info@earthgoat.com iFlogID: 19089

Seo Marketing ~ Facebook likes, YouTube, Twitter views Promote your business online with Seo services Facebook likes 1k - 10k Youtube views 1k - 100k Twitter followers 1k 100k Prices start from $20 iFlogID: 19091

HOSPITALITY & TOURISM ATTN:BAR/VENUE OWNERS. Need a “quiet” night filled? Comedy Hypnosis Show looking to replicate current venue success to other areas . We bring the crowd, take the door. You take F&B. 1300 660490 iFlogID: 19059

SOUND & MUSIC Video sound pro recording, editing, mixing & mastering for film. Video editing full HD. Music arranging / composition & production for film. Voice overs dubbed into video etc. $40 hr. Enquiries ph: 02 98905578 iFlogID: 21481

Video sound quality recording, editing, mixing & mastering for film. Video editing full HD. Music arranging / composition & production for film. Voice overs dubbed into video etc. $40 hr. Enquiries ph: 02 98905578 iFlogID: 21489

FOR SALE DRUMS High Definition YouTube video demonstrations of cymbals. ZILDJIAN, SABIAN, PAISTE, UFIP, MEINL, WUHAN, STAGG, PEARL... www.youtube.com/ user/sydneypollak iFlogID: 19832

iFlogID: 21735

MUSIC SERVICES EP RELEASE EP VIDEO CLIPS Have a video clip made for your EP release. Take advantage of social networking and broadcast outlets to promote your band & music. http://musicvideoclips.com.au iFlogID: 22181

MASTERING Mastering from $120 per track. 1st track free before committing for new customers. Quality gear, analysed & treated room. Not “el cheapo”, hear the difference. Enquiries ph: 02 98905578 iFlogID: 21487

Mastering from $120 per track. 1st track free before committing for new customers. Quality gear, analysed & treated room. Not “el cheapo”, hear the difference. Enquiries ph: 02 98905578 iFlogID: 21475

OTHER

Get your Band or Business Online Cost effectively and PROFESSIONALLY - from $299 including Hosting and email addresses! Contact info@ bizwebsites.com.au or see www.bizwebsites.com.au. iFlogID: 21941

Get your Band or Business Online Cost effectively and PROFESSIONALLY - from $299 including Hosting and email addresses! Contact info@ bizwebsites.com.au or see www.bizwebsites.com.au. iFlogID: 21945

Get your Youtube video ranking fast! Buy 5,000 views delivered in under a week! More views = higher Youtube/Google ranking! Paypal $20 to internetmarketinginbox@hotmail.com with video URL in comments box. iFlogID: 22773

High Definition YouTube video demonstrations of cymbals. ZILDJIAN, SABIAN, PAISTE, UFIP, MEINL, WUHAN, STAGG, PEARL... www.youtube.com/ user/sydneypollak iFlogID: 19834

Quality Professional Websites designed and hosted for bands and businesses. Multimedia and Social Integration included from $300. See www.sophiebelle.com.au or contact info@ sophiebelle.com.au iFlogID: 21947

YOUTUBE & FACEBOOK VIDEOS Self promote through Facebook and Youtube is one of the keys to using social networking to build your following. We can provide: *Live Recording *Interviews with band *Music Video Productions http://immersionimagery.com/ iFlogID: 22183

PHOTOGRAPHY Concert and event photography since 1984. High quality photos of all your favourite bands and artists, worldwide. Photos available framed or unframed, high colour resolution, great gift ideas. www.rockvizion.net iFlogID: 21616

POSTERS GOLD COAST BYRON BAY NORTHERN NSW Poster distribution for touring artists & bands. Fast, efficient & reliable service at a competitive price www.thatposterguy.com.au iFlogID: 17120

RECORDING STUDIOS Music-Production/Mixing/ Mastering package only $150 per track. 5 Tracks for $550 (1-month period). 10 Tracks for $1000( 2.-months period).Check link and listen: http://www. youtube.com/user/Studio9Mru/ videos?view=0&flow=grid iFlogID: 20825

Award-winning Experienced, Qualified Music Producer: 1.Doing Instrumental version of any song for $40 2. Mix your multi-tracks for $50 and produce personalized original instrumentals for $50. 3. Check lovenabstudio on soundclick. com email: vangelis2133@ yahoo.com

West Coast Entertainment are now offering competitive marketing & publicity packages to make sure your band gets the media attention it deserves! So if you have a new release, an EP launch or even a national tour coming up contact bookings@ westcoastentertainment.com. au for more info on our extensive range of services.

Gold Coast ParallelHarmonyStudioRobina. 30 square metre live room, large vocal booth. Handsome range of range of topoftheline Neumann, Rode and Shure microphones. Call 0755808883 for details. www. parallelharmony.com.au

iFlogID: 18269

iFlogID: 22770

iFlogID: 18640

STUDIO HIRE

TUITION

SERVICES

Eastern Suburbs guitar/ukulele/bass/slide lessons with APRA award winning composer. Highly experienced, great references, unique individually designed lessons from Vaucluse studio. Learn to play exactly what YOU want to play! www. matttoms.com

BEAUTY SERVICES

iFlogID: 16690

MUSICIANS AVAILABLE SINGER female vocalist looking to form pop rock/alternative band in brisbane with influences from circa survive, versa emerge, tonight alive etc. ton_lili@hotmail.com iFlogID: 21707

MUSICIANS WANTED

Learn French! - Beginner to Advanced Levels. - Bilingual English/French-speaking Teacher. - Either for fun/school/ exam preparations. - Online via Skype. - 1hr classes X 4 dates per month. - Only $50 per 4 classes ($15/each additional class). - Contact me on: vangelis2133@yahoo.com iFlogID: 22090

GRAPHIC DESIGN Get your Band or Business Online Cost effectively and PROFESSIONALLY - from $299 including Hosting and email addresses! Contact info@ bizwebsites.com.au or see www.bizwebsites.com.au. iFlogID: 21943

BANDS INDIE BANDS

www.radiosydney.com.au The worlds largest free digital radio sevice? We say YES! iFlogID: 21174

OTHER

FREE ONLINE LISTING

Free online listing for musicians and music businesses. Promote yourself or your music business in a national online music directory http://www. musiclinks.com.au It’s FREE. iFlogID: 22357

What happens when you start paying attention? When you become an active member and start participating in this elusive thing we call life. WWW. WHATISTHEHAPS.COM

WANTED OTHER

iFlogID: 21172

OTHER

iFlogID: 21949

iFlogID: 17980

Indie Artists Get Your Own Feature Channel Just For Your Band Here! http://www.radiosydney. com.au/computer/page37.html

RADIO SYDNEY IS BIG! VERY BIG!

Quality Professional Websites designed and hosted for bands and businesses. Multimedia and Social Integration included from $300. See www.sophiebelle.com.au or contact info@ sophiebelle.com.au

NEED AMAZING ALBUM COVER ARTWORK? Get your record the attention it deserves - turn heads and get listens with artwork by the award winning Wealth & Hellbeing Creative www.wealthandhellbeing.com

HI GUYS i am fundraising to volunteer for a months work with orphaned children in Nepal. please check out www. gofundme.com/ivhqnepal2013 to read my story and donate THANKYOU :) iFlogID: 21282

iFlogID: 22741

For more interviews go to themusic.com.au/interviews • 37

Sydney’s Australian Institute of Music (AIM) is opening a campus in Melbourne, right in the CBD at 120 King Street, with applications now open for the first intake, the first term commencing Tuesday 28 January next year. The first year will see AIM offering a Diploma and Bachelor of Music in Contemporary Performance and Composition & Music Production, and a Bachelor of Entertainment Management. AIM will be holding an information evening between 6pm and 8pm at the Intercontinental on Collins Street Wednesday 28 August.

SOUND BYTES The Vaccines recorded their latest EP, Melody Calling, at Eldorado Studios in Burbank, LA, with producers John Hill (Rihanna, M.I.A., Santigold) and Rich Costey (Muse, Franz Ferdinand).

REVIEW

Brooklyn-based synth-pop outfit St Lucia, essentially Jean-Philip Grobler, recorded and produced the debut album, When The Night, due out in October, with additional production and mixing from Chris Zane (Passion Pit), Rich Costey (Muse, Foo Fighters) and Andy Baldwin.

These New Puritans’ Field Of Reeds is a sprawling experimental release encompassing field recording, classical orchestration and avant-garde electronics. Jack Barnett takes Matt O’Neill through the mechanics of assembling the band’s third album.

ield Of Reeds is an almost wholly unique recording. A stark about-face, their latest release sees These New Puritans almost completely ditching both the percussive dancehall and hip hop influences of their last album, 2011’s Hidden, and the visceral post-punk flavours of their debut, 2007’s Beat Pyramid. In their place are lengthy, amorphous compositions spliced together from classical orchestration, found sounds and analogue electronics.

The process of recording the album was lengthy, convoluted and frequently eccentric. The majority of work was done within Berlin’s Funkhaus Nalepastraße. From 1956 till the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1990, the concert hall of the former German Democratic Republic, Funkhaus Nalepastraße encompasses large orchestral spaces and smaller, more intimate rooms previously used to record radio plays. The former allowed the band to record their expanded musical arrangements, the latter their experimental foley room found sounds. “We started in Berlin because we wanted to start with the ensemble stuff,” bandleader and co-producer Jack Barnett explains, the group having taken the unusual step of recording strings, reeds and brass before anything else in the process. “Berlin was where we had a lot of conductors we trusted and a really big space to record. These amazing old German, like post-war, radio studios – this absolutely huge complex of spaces. “Like the German equivalent of Maida Vale studios here in Britain,” the frontman clarifies, referencing the current home of the BBC Symphony Orchestra and the one-time home to John Peel’s Peel Sessions. “So you’ve got these great big rooms made of wood and of stone and then you’ve got these weird spaces with staircases that lead to nowhere – which is where we recorded a lot of the sound effects and that sort of thing.” In recording, Barnett and co-producer Graham Sutton prioritised an obsessively regimented live approach. This applied equally to recording instrumentalists,

electronics and samples. Drummer (and frontman’s brother) George Barnett was forced, for instance, to play up to 76 takes for Fragment Two. Jack Barnett explains he approaches recording takes in quite a clinical way. Each performer is expected to satisfy a list of predetermined criteria before they’re given their leave. “I’m really analytical with this sort of thing. There will always be four or five specific qualities that I want to capture within any given part. Referring specifically to the drums in Fragment Two, there are so many things that I wanted to capture with that drum part. Little dynamic lifts, that sort of thing. I basically have a little checklist. It’s all about the nuances. I think nuance is really important in this sort of music.” Again, this approach wasn’t limited just to instrumentalists. The entire band spent a whole day smashing glass in the studio for the conclusion to The Light In Your Name. The band used a variety of unusual approaches for capturing their sound. A Neumann Model Head microphone for example, which models human hearing, was used for shattered glass. In another instance, they brought a live hawk into the studio to sample the sound of its wings as it took flight. “We have this thing about really close, intimate recordings – lots of little details. That’s why we had to bring the hawk into the studio. We were never going to get those details outside where it’s windy and full of ambient noise. Especially since we were trying to get the sound of the wings. It’s a very quiet sound, a hawk taking off, so you need relatively low ambient noise. I don’t think we used the Head microphone, though. I think it was just a DPA condenser mic.” Surprisingly, Barnett and Sutton still retained a remarkably practical approach when recording the album’s most unusual elements. Adrian Peacock, who possesses what is commonly considered the lowest singing voice in England and features on the album’s title track, was recorded as a standard vocalist. Wrangling

a magnetic resonator piano (a recent mechanical invention perhaps most crudely explained as an e-bow for piano), their approach was equally straightforward. “Well, it’s still a piano, basically. We recorded it essentially like any other piano. I think we just ended up using a Coles 4038. Like I said, it’s the same as recording a grand piano. Some of the sounds it produces are a massive extension of the piano’s range and application – but it’s still, to all intents and purposes, a piano.” A significant portion of the album’s assembly ultimately came down to mixing and editing. By the end of tracking, Barnett and Sutton were left with a series of recordings spanning (many) takes of sound sources ranging from children’s choirs and hawk feathers to shattered glass and magnetic pianos. Determined to keep the live aesthetic, Barnett shied away from comp tracks. The whole process saw Sutton and Barnett in the studio for 12 hours a day for nearly two months. “I generally try to use as many full takes as possible, yeah,” Barnett describes the process. “People go mad copy-and-pasting everything together – so there’s none of that. All of that stuff works for some music, that copy-and-paste culture, but with this kind of music it just sounds crap. There’s so much energy and momentum built into the music. Too much editing and copy-and-pasting would just lose that, I think.” WHO: These New Puritans WHAT: Field Of Reeds (Infectious/Liberation Music)

REVIEW

AIM COMES TO MELBOURNE

ANATOMY OF AMBITION

REVIEW

Born in Sydney but based in LA for many years, Grammy Award-winning mixing engineer/producer Mike Shipley passed away Friday 26 July. Shipley was probably best known for engineering/mixing on many a Mutt Lange production, from Def Leppard to Shania Twain. He got his first big break working for London’s Wessex Studios in the late ‘70s, engineering sessions for, among others, Sex Pistols and The Damned. He relocated from London to Los Angeles in 1984 to work on an album by The Cars, and over the intervening years engineered, mixed and/or produced albums by artists as diverse as The Corrs, Maroon 5, Kelly Clarkson, Keith Urban and the aforementioned Twain and Leppard. Last year, Shipley won Best Engineered Album and Best Bluegrass Album Grammys for his work on the Alison Krauss & Union Station album, Paper Airplanes.

IN TH E STUDIO

VALE MIKE SHIPLEY

REVIEW

BEHIND THE LINES

LOGIC PRO X TANNOY PRECISION 6.1 The Tannoy Precision 6.1 is the latest in the precision series offered by Tannoy. Intimate with their products for over 20 years having purchased a pair of 611s while at uni, this reviewer’s always loved the sound quality from Tannoys and has a lot of time for the brand. The 6.1s are a great option for the project studio market, and with a beautiful gloss black finish and dual concentric driver these look the part. The sound again from these is great, nice and detailed with stunning mids and treble, never too harsh and always exciting. The bass could be considered a little light depending on your tastes but couple this with a beefier amp and these would satisfy most people’s tastes. The Precision 6 is an honest monitor, perhaps getting a little loose with double bass but definitely a convincing monitor in most cases. Tannoy have always had a knack for producing natural high ends that never get too harsh but always seem so free and airy. These are no exception. This reviewer’s used the passive and also the self-powered Precision 8s, and you can still find the last model Precision 6 for sale at the Sound On Stage website. The JBL 4328P LSR come highly recommended, too. The JBLs seem to have a more aggressive high end and perhaps a slightly more coloured sound, but these Tannoys once again just seem to get it so right. With beautiful balance and great sound staging, the paper pulp cone and titanium dome tweeter housed in the dual concentric arrangement deliver the sound to the listener with conviction and right on time. Instruments are tight, solid and detailed and vocals are hauntingly present. This is a great new monitor from Tannoy and project studios all over the world should be grabbing a pair if you can. Again they’re not cheap, but then again this is a premium product. Barry Gilmour

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

Apple has done an amazing job with designing the latest version of Logic. This is a real overhaul, drawing on some elements from GarageBand and really doing justice to the traditionally great features of Logic. Pages could be written on this, but rather, let’s focus on the main elements and overall feel. First thing to note is that Logic Pro X does not support 32-bit plug-ins, but plug-ins have been at 64-bit for ages so it shouldn’t really be an issue. This is a @GB install with a 30GB download for the entire content library once you launch it. The new menus are more logical; the appearance is a little, okay, maybe a lot like GarageBand and Final Cut Pro – all in all a good overhaul to the GUI. Drummer and drum kits! This is amazing. Apple drafted some of the industry’s best drummers and engineers to put together virtual drummers with individual playing styles and kits – 20GBs worth of drum kits! These sound fantastic. The overall effect is really convincing with great-sounding samples and really natural feel to the performance. You can then make it complex, soft, hard – whatever you like for the production and it all just works. Then there’s Stacks, where you can take a bunch of tracks and nestle them all together to tidy things up, a neat way to arrange your screen for mixing. There are new bass amps and effects that rock too, and the new iPad app for remote control of all this. The app is going to grow into something bigger than Ben Hur, but for the minute by all accounts it works very well indeed. The menu bar may be a little annoying but this is an exceptional piece of work by Apple. There are some aspects drawn from Ableton Live and lots from GarageBand, but all the parts seem to merge perfectly. This is a great feature-packed DAW at the PRO level. Expect to see this on an ever-growing number of people’s purchase lists. Nice work Apple. Barry Gilmour

HK LUCAS NANO 300 This is the pro audio element of Hughes & Kettner and this German designed, Chinese built mini PA is quite a performer. I remember the first time I heard this, the guys at CMI invited me to the demo in a hotel in Surry Hills and we entered a darkened room together… All were seated comfortably and everything seemed nice and legit, so we proceeded. The guys played a video presentation on a projector and the sound was full and rich as the presentation progressed through a wide range of audio dynamics. When it ended, two lights began to fade up to reveal two tiny satellite speakers and a small sub woofer! Really? Could all that sound be coming from this? I was impressed. We proceeded to examine this little beast and I picked up the sub. Three kilos? Really? So it was quite clear straight away that this thing was aimed at the one-man show. Whether you play acoustic guitar and sing, or play keys and sing, this is for you. You can place the two satellites on top of the sub on some pretty nifty rails or mount them on mic stands and connect with XLR cables. The sub has a three-channel mixer, an input for iPod and although it’s a small package, it’ll fill a decent-sized room with sound no problem at all. Frequency response is pretty good considering the lack of mid-range drivers, but the sub really delivers on this front. It’s a surprising package and can be coupled with a little case on wheels and other accessories. It’s not all that cheap at around the $1,300 mark but you get a lot for your money and save your back at the same time, so do yourself a favour and put the kid’s seat back in the car, stop worrying about lifting that heavy PA and stick one of these in the bag. Distributed by CMI and available from.soundonstage.com.au Barry Gilmour

JBL LSR4328P I’ve been using these monitors for a while now and installed them in a few studios and I have to say I really like them and so does everyone I know that’s used them. The true test of a monitor is how listenable it is. You can use a multitude of fabulous speakers out there for an endless list of uses – from tracking, mixing, mastering or just enjoying – and the one thing you have to put up with is your personal opinion of them. Put a variety of monitors in a well thought out and built acoustic environment and you’ll truly hear the nuances of each, and the same applies here. However, these monitors offer room mode correction, an advanced form of self calibration that calibrates the monitor with a mic you plug into the back and set up in the listening position, and the speakers perform a frequency sweep to compensate for different rooms and standing waves. This is a pretty simplistic form of calibration and the results vary dramatically if you move the mic just a few inches in any direction, but you’ll be surprised just how effective it can be. The speakers also come with software that you can load onto your computer to adjust the performance further. You just link the monitors with a CAT5 cable and terminate the last monitor in the chain (these can be used for surround mixing) and the speakers will communicate. There’s a variety of dip switches on the back, XLR (AES) and analogue and SPDIF connections also. Internal mono amplifiers drive the speakers, and power is by standard IEC socket. Mounting is also possible via screws around the bass port on the rear and there are handles on either side. These are heavy units with an 8” polymer-coated paper dome and a soft-silk dome tweeter. Barry Gilmour