Inpress Issue #1132 by TheMusic.com.au

VICTORIA'S HIGHEST CIRCUL ATING STREET PRESS

GRIZZLY BEAR

ALBERTA CROSS A

WE ARE SCIENTISTS

SPOONBILL

SC I S S O R S I S T E R S D R AW N F R O M B EE S BAND OF HORSES H E R E W E G O M AG I C

W E D N E S D AY 21 J U LY 2 0 10 ~ I S S U E 113 2 ~ F R E E

ZEBRA

MELBOURNE - MORNINGTON ORNINGTON PENINSULA - BALLARAT / BENDIGO - GEELONG / SURF COAST AST

33,408

Wednesday 21 July

NICK BATTERHAM + PETE MCCRACKEN 8.30pm, $5 Entry (bandroom) Thursday 22 July

BOIS ET CHARBON

5.30pm, Free in the Front Bar

FUTURE HAPPINESS 8.30pm $5 Entry (band room) + HERO TWIN Friday 23 July

LITTLE SISTERS OF THE POOR 6pm Free in the Front Bar LIONEL LEE’S CURSE + THE WEEPING WILLOWS + NATHAN PORTER 8.30pm $10 Entry (bandroom) Saturday 24 July

LA MAUVAISE REPUTATION 5.30pm Free in the Front Bar SHANE WALTERS + AUSTIN BUSCH 8.30pm, $8 Entry (band room) Sunday 25 July

HETTY KATE

4pm Free in the Front Bar

Tuesday 27 July

APPLEJACK + THE ADVENTURE SPIRIT +SHIVERINGTIMBERS 8.30pm,$10Entry(bandroom) Coming Up...

Open...MON - THU...from 4pm ‘til late FRI...from 2pm ‘til late SAT - SUN...from 12pm ‘til late

Live Music Bookings wesleyannebookings@gmail.com www.wesleyanne.com.au

28/07: PRINS NITRAM (DK) + THOMAS BAZ, 29/07: JANITA GARDNER + MAEVE BLESSING + BLAME LILY, 30/07: SOUTHIE + JON S WILLIAMS + MEZZ COLEMAN 1/08: EDINBURGH COLLECTIVE, 5/08 THE WILDES

Winter Special Two for one meals on Mondays (excludes steak, fish and specials)

bookings: 9482 1333 5

No.109

TUE-20/7 KARAOKE NIGHT 9PM FREE

BRUNSWICK

WED-21/7

Thurs 22 July

OPEN MIC NIGHT 8PM FREE

THUR-22/7

SONGLINES NAIDOC ACOUSTIC SESSIONS GAVIN SUMMERS + GUESTS 9PM FREE

Stephen Cummings Rockabilly, honkytonk & Chicago blues 7.30pm

Saturdays in July

CHRIS WILSON harmonica & blues legend chris wilson is back. playing five awesome saturday sessions 5pm

FRI-23/7

THE WAYLAN JOH’S + GUESTS 10PM FREE

SAT-24/7

RYAN STERLING AND THE SISTER CITY + CASEYLOU + DAMON SMITH TRIO 9.30PM FREE Sun 25 July

SUN-25/7

OPEN DECKS NIGHT 6PM FREE 635 HIGH ST THORNBURY VIC 3071 OPEN 5PM TILL LATE, CLOSED MONDAYS PH (03)9495-0341 WWW.MYSPACE.COM/THEBENDERBAR

The Stetson Family Country/bluegrass & brilliant harmonies 5pm

THE UNION HOTEL

BRUNSWICK 109 UNION ST, BRUNSWICK UHBBOOKINGS@YAHOO.COM.AU

9388 2235

ISSUE 1132

WEDNESDAY 21 JULY 2010 CREDITS EDITORIAL

Group Managing Editor Andrew Mast Editor Shane O’Donohue music@inpress.com.au Front Row Editor Daniel Crichton-Rouse frontrow@inpress.com.au National Dance Editor Kris Swales zebra@inpress.com.au Contributing Editor Adam Curley Staff Writers Bryget Chrisfield, Michael Smith

ADVERTISING sales@inpress.com.au National Sales & Marketing Director Leigh Treweek Victorian Sales Manager Katie Owen Arts & local advertising Sarah Blaby Bands & local advertising Dean Noble

DESIGN & LAYOUT artroom@inpress.com.au Group Art Director Stuart Teague Inpress Cover Design / Art Direction Matt Greenwood Layout Matt Davis, Matt Greenwood, Stuart Teague

ACCOUNTS & ADMINISTRATION accounts@streetpress.com.au Accounts Qing Shu

CONTRIBUTORS

HERE WE GO MAGIC

INPRESS 14

18 20 21 22 24 25 26 26 28

Foreword Line – news, opinions, tours, Backlash and Frontlash, and the lowdown on Beck’s Festival Bar at the Melbourne Festival Laura Marling no longer thinks traditional ain’t cool Alberta Cross have nibbled carrots with Liam Gallagher Scissor Sisters frontman Jake Shears rediscovered his love for dance music in Berlin Band Of Horses are confident their new line-up will stay together for years Grizzly Bear are liked by Jay-Z and Twilight fans Here We Go Magic are supporting Grizzly Bear We Are Scientists want to be your pleasure centre Drawn From Bees play like shit when they’re pissed On The Record reviews new releases by 6s & 7s and Stars, and takes a track-bytrack look at Birds Of Tokyo’s newie

FRONT ROW 54 54

54 54 55

56 56

BACK TO INPRESS 58 58 58 58 59 59 61 61 61 68

7Up looks at the founding fathers of movie genres Digital Potato previews the month in new release DVDs, including BMX Bandits, Clash Of The Titans and Youth In Revolt Melissa Bubnic talks about her new play Stop.Rewind, performing at Red Stitch Your week ahead with This Week In Arts Exploring the world of the media, performer Stephanie Lake talks about the new dance piece, Human Interest Story Film Carew has seen a lot of films showing at the upcoming Melbourne International Film Festival – and he reviews them here Gav Barbey explains his unique – and, admittedly awesome – artists technique Cultural Cringe preps you for festival time

The women of Oscar Wilde come together in a new play at Chapel Off Chapel – Lauren-Anne Kempster talks about the roles she loves playing

68 68 69 69 71 71 72 77 82 82

Lungs’ latest album is bookended by songs about the singer’s late father It will be squishy on stage at Graveyard Train’s album launch Alba Varden like to get dirty down the rabbit hole Boys Boys Boys! have had a song used in 90210 Get warm and boozy at Wash Winter’s Willies Away With Whiskey Vultures Of Venus are bringing a dance troupe to their CD launch Our LIVE section has everything you need to know about the world of Melbourne live music! Gig Of The Week says get in early for The Joy Formidable LIVE:Reviews is impressed by Dave Graney Stu Harvey gives you a ShortFastReport on the world of punk and hardcore Andrew Haug takes us to the dark side in The Racket Kendal Coombs leads the under-18s boardroom in the Department Of Youth The Breakdown tips a boomer backlash Dan Condon blues and roots in Roots Down Jeff Jenkins goes Dutch in Howzat! If you haven’t appeared in Fred Negro’s Pub, your mother probably still speaks to you Our Gig Guide fills your diary for the weekend Find your new band and just about anything else in our classy Classifieds Finish Line hits hard with industry fact (and conjecture) Clem Bastow screams, squeals and claps in Greatest Hit

GIVEAWAYS Drawn From Bees

Senior Contributors Clem Bastow, Jeff Jenkins Overseas Contributors Tom Hawking (US), James McGalliard (UK), Sasha Perera (UK). Writers Nick Argyriou, The Boomeister, Paul Andrew, Atticus Bastow, Steve Bell, Tim Burke, Dan Condon, Anthony Carew, EJ Cartledge, Peter Chambers, Matthew Cheetham, Chris Chinchilla, Rebecca Cook, Kendal Coombs, Adam Curley, Cyclone, Michael Daniels, Wayne Davidson, Guy Davis, Carolyn Dempsey, Liza Dezfouli, John Eagle, Guido Farnell, Sam Fell, Bob Baker Fish, Johnny Gash, Cameron Grace, Stu Harvey, Andrew Haug, Andy Hazel, Anthony Horan, Rod Hunt, Layne Kim, Cookie Lee, Joey Lightbulb, Michael Magnusson, Baz McAlister, Keith McDougall, Sam McDougall, Tony McMahon, Adam D Mills, Count Monbulge, Luke Monks, Fred Negro, Mark Neilsen, Roger Nelson, Danielle O’Donohue, Matt O’Neill, Jordan Oliver, Adrian Potts, Paul Ransom, Symon JJ Rock, Adam Sharp, Nic Toupee, Rob Townsend, Dominique Wall, Doug Wallen, Rod Yates.

PHOTOGRAPHERS Chrissie Francis, Kate Griffin, Kane Hibberd, Lara Luz, Lou Lou Nutt, Gina Maher, James Morgan, Heidi Takla, Nathan Uren.

INTERNS Andrea Biagini, Dale Brett, Mitchell Brown, Julian Hocking, Stefanie Markidis.

EDITORIAL POLICY 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. By submitting letters to us for publication, you agree that we may edit the letter for legal, space or other reasons. ©

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Email giveaways@inpress.com.au from 5pm Wednesday Brisbane art-rock quartet Drawn From Bees have indeed been busy bees since their formation in 2008, releasing three EPs and one album. In that short space of time they’ve managed to generate quite a bit of buzz around the country, but for those who may have blinked for just a little too long and missed all of that, the good news is that the group have just released a box set entitled Elementary Tales For Young Boys & Girls, featuring all 35 tracks from those four releases. Even better is that we’ve managed to get our hands on a couple of copies of the set, which we’re giving away to two lucky readers. We’ll even through in a double pass to their Espy show this Friday for each winner.

WORD UP TO PRIZE WINNERS: Prizes must be collected from Inpress offices during business hours (9am-5.30pm, Mon-Fri). ID is required when collecting prizes. Prizes must be collected within four weeks of the giveaway being published. Please note, Inpress giveaway policy is that winners are permitted one prize per four-week period only.

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FOREWORD LINE

NEWS FROM THE FRONT

Violent Soho

NUMBER’S UP

Kate Nash

Following a huge album launch in hometown Perth, 6s & 7s launch their ace debut album, Choose The Sentinel Blooze, at the Workers Club on Friday 27 August. Featuring the unique talents of Josh Fontaine, previously the frontman for Perth’s now-defunct The Stickfigures, the record contains reinventions of live favourites, including the 2007 WAMi Song Of The Year, Holidayz, and Kissing For Science, and also introduces a batch of amazing new songs. A lo-fi epic stitching the ephemera of Panda Bear to the futuristic sadness of Grandaddy, Choose The Sentinel Blooze features contributions from more than 20 members of the Perth music community.

A GOOD RUN

WEDNESDAY 21 JULY

RESIDENCY

RHYMADA

WELCOME TO THE NUMB LOW SPEED BUS CHASE

ENTRY $10, 8.30PM

THURSDAY 22 JULY

EP LAUNCH

THE ANIMATORS

THE REEFS THE VULPINE

ENTRY $15 DOOR, $10 PRESALE THRU MOSHTIX, 9PM

FRIDAY 23 JULY

ALBUM LAUNCH

JUNGAL MONIQUE BRUMBY & BAND COURTNEY BARNETT ENTRY $12, 9PM

SATURDAY 24 JULY

EP LAUNCH

AUTUMN GRAY

INSTITUT POLAIRE GRIZZLY JIM LAWRIE BASIC SHAPES DJ PLUMMERS ENTRY $12, 8:30PM

Interest in all-female ‘70s rockers The Runaways is currently peaking, with the Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning-starring biopic in cinemas now and a documentary about the band, Edgeplay, directed by former bassist Victory Tischler-Blue, recently released in Australia on DVD. Tomorrow night (Thursday) the Black Cat in Fitzroy is hosting a tribute to The Runaways, playing hits by the group, as well as solo work and collaborations by members Joan Jett, Cherie Currie and Lita Ford, manager Kim Fowley, and songs played at LA nightclub Rodney’s English Disco, which helped inform the band’s sound. Entry is free.

GET THE LED OUT

After eight successful years in Sydney, the Led Zeppelin celebration concert Whole Lotta Love is breaking out to Melbourne for the first time in 2010. Taking place at the Palais on Friday 1 October, the show will feature a collection of guest vocalists that includes John Swan (Swanee), Dave Larkin (Dallas Crane), Dave Gleeson (The Screaming Jets), Steve Balbi (Noiseworks), Simon Meli (The Widowbirds/Ooh La La), Ngaiire (ex-Blue King Brown) and Zkye. The singers will be backed by a 12-piece band under the creative direction of Joseph Calderazzo, as they reinterpret and rework some of the most famous rock songs ever recorded, including Black Dog, Rock And Roll, Immigrant Song, Battle Of Evermore, Kashmir, and the ubiquitous Stairway To Heaven, in a show lasting more than two and a half hours. Tickets go on sale Tuesday 27 July from Ticketmaster.

E ES

MATINEE SHOW MARK SPANO & BAND THE WORD

ENTRY $10, 3PM

EVENING SHOW

LOS THEORY BASTIAN KILLJOY ENTRY $12, 8PM

MONDAY 26 JULY

RESIDENCY

EL MOTH & THE TURBO RADS A DJ CALLED MATT ENTRY BY DONATION, 9PM

FREE ENTRY FOR INTERNATIONAL PASSPORT HOLDERS

$10 JUGS!

TUESDAY 27 JULY

RESIDENCY

TICKETS TO PARADISE

ENTRY $7, 8PM

Jesus Stole My Girlfriend VIOLENT SOHO Violent Soho’s punk-splattered self-titled album delivers a splintering battery of two-and-a-half-minute rock missives, leaving reviewers scrambling for appropriate descriptions of the combustible band’s trademark treads. Is it grunge? Is it thrash? Or a ‘revelatory’ reinvention of both? Hailing from Brisbane’s bible belt, Violent Soho were signed by Sonic Youth alum Thurston Moore and his label Ecstatic Peace after a much-buzzed about 2009 New York City showcase. The first single, Jesus Stole My Girlfriend, caused major waves on radio stations across the globe. The song debuted in the Billboard Rock Songs Top 40 and also made the Canadian top 20 airplay chart. I Just Love You More KATE NASH Back in July 2007, a month before her debut album Made Of Bricks was released two months ahead of schedule due to public demand, Kate Nash took a moment to contemplate her new whirlwind life as a pop star: “I feel normal. But quite cool. I feel like an outsider who’s just sneaked in…” It is clearly apparent that Ms Nash has made the transition from bedroom blogger and ingenue to young woman on her second album, My Best Friend Is You. The album is all at once classic Nash but it is quite clear that, though the redhead still smells like teen spirit, now there are definite and fragrant top notes of the woman she is growing into. I Just Love You More is set against Sonic Youth feedback; Nash sings “I just love you more than anything,” between expressive yelps. By the end, she is breathless.

ROBIN IN THE HOOD

TAME TIME

Pressing play after a ten year pause, The Paradise Motel take their new album, Australian Ghost Story (a reflection on the events and lives orbiting the disappearance of Azaria Chamberlain), on the road. Playing the album in its entirety alongside a selection of classic TPM catalogue, the seven-piece band will be exploring the darker, hidden side of life in Australia. The Paradise Motel play the Thornbury Theatre on Saturday 2 October and the Palais in Hepburn Springs on Saturday 9 October with guest Sianna Lee. Tickets go on sale Monday 26 July.

THE BEAT BROTHERS THE PRETTY LITTLES THE LOOP SHOESHINE

This week we’re giving you the chance to score a couple of free tracks from two of the hottest acts playing Splendour In The Grass next weekend – Brissie grunge revivalists Violent Soho and gobby Brit chick Kate Nash. To get your mitts on the songs, simply head to universalmusic.net.au/freedownloads/streetpressaustralia and get downloading.

Robin Gibb, one-third of the Bee Gees, will head to Australia in late October for a handful of performances, supported by Bonnie Tyler. Playing Rod Laver Arena on Wednesday 3 November, he will be backed by a full band and orchestra as he runs through Bee Gee hits including Massachusetts, How Deep Is Your Love, Stayin’ Alive, Night Fever, You Win Again, Nights On Broadway, Jive Talking, I Started A Joke, Words, To Love Somebody, New York Mining Disaster and more. The Bee Gees, formed by Gibb in the late-’50s with his brothers Barry and Maurice, have sold more than 200 million albums worldwide, are the fifth most successful recording artists of all time and have won eight Grammy Awards. As well as their own hit-laden back catalogue, the Gibbs have also written songs for the likes of Barbra Streisand, Dionne Warwick, Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers, Diana Ross and Celine Dion. Pick up tickets from Ticketek from Thursday 29 July.

SUNDAY 25 JULY

HYNOTIKS PRIMARY SOURCE SOUTHPAW RESISTANCE DJ RELIK

FREE MUSIC DOWNLOADS!

DALLAS DOES REVOLVER

Having just landed back in the country from their virgin voyage around the US, Perth’s Tame Impala have wasted no time in announcing the October Spring Australia tour. Hitting seven capital cities, the lads lob in Melbourne to play the Palace on Friday 15 October. In the States Tame Impala supported MGMT at a string of sold-out shows from Santa Cruz to Salt Lake City and played celeb-attended sold-out headline shows of their own in NYC, LA and Chicago. Influential music site Pitchfork gave the band’s debut album, InnerSpeaker, an eight-and-a-half out of ten, while The Fader called their debut album “a glorious haze of echo-heavy, dreamy psychedelic rock”. Tickets go on sale tomorrow (Thursday) from Ticketek. Lucidity, the second single from InnerSpeaker, is out now.

After being named the 2010 Musicoz Artist Of The Year, lively blues/roots artist Dallas Frasca and her songwriting partner in crime, Jeff Curran (AKA Goat Boy), will spend the next couple of months working on their second full-length record in Melbourne. Before they bunker down they will showcase some of their new tunes at Revolver this Saturday, in their only Victorian headline show this year, with guests The Ox & The Fury (members of Mammal and Cog) and Claude Hay (Sydney).

$2 CARLTON POTS EVERY MONDAY JUL 24 - KING CANNONS JUL 25 - THE JOY FORMIDABLE + THE TEMPER TRAP DJS JUL 30 - THE BOAT PEOPLE ALBUM LAUNCH JUL 31 - GOODNIGHT OWL/ SLEEP DECADE VIDEO LAUNCH

COMING UP:

ALPINE (29 JULY) MATT SONIC & THE HIGH TIMES (30 JULY) RED JANE SHOW (31 JULY) TRJAEU (5 AUGUST) PAPER PLANES (6 AUGUST) THE BOX ROCKETS (7 AUGUST) PRETTY STRANGERS (EP LAUNCH) (8 AUGUST) TOMAKI JETS (12 AUGUST) NORTH EAST PARTY HOUSE (13 AUGUST) INDIGO CHILDREN (14 AUGUST) BRIGHT KNIGHTS (20 AUGUST) FIVE STAR PRISON CELL (21 AUGUST) [ME] (26 AUGUST)

WED 21 JULY

JUNIOR

THURS 22 JULY

FRI 23 JULY

THE PROMISES EP LAUNCH

FOR THE LOVE OF DESIGN POSITIVE POSTERS LAUNCH PARTY

THE RAPHAELLAS + RED INK + COLOUR AGE + THE SHERRIFS NICK HUGGINS + LEENA & BAND SAT 24 JULY

KING CANNONS + MONEY

SUN 25 JULY

THE JOY FORMIDABLE (UK) FOR ROPE + THE RAMSHACKLE ARMY THE TEMPER TRAP DJS + STRANGE TALK

FRI 30 JULY

THE BOAT PEOPLE ALBUM LAUNCH DRUGS IN VEGAS + MACHINE TRANSLATIONS

SAT 31 JULY

GOODNIGHT OWL+ SLEEP DECADE DOUBLE VIDEO LAUNCH

+ HAYDEN CALNIN

SUN 1 AUGUST

VANUATU SCALPS

+ WOOLLEN KITS + SILVER BITS

SHOWS@GETNOTORIOUS.COM

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FOREWORD LINE

NEWS FROM THE FRONT

REBOOTED REGURGITATOR

After a rapturously-received sold-out show at the East Brunswick Club a few weeks back, and with founding members Quan Yeomas and Ben Ely both now living in Melbourne, Regurgitator have started work on their first new material in three years. As well as being commissioned to provide a live score to groundbreaking Japanese anime Akira for an animation festival at the Sydney Opera House, the band are also preparing to embark on their biggest national tour in years. With Rat Vs Possum and Laneous & The Family Yah in tow, they play the Hi-Fi on Friday 17 September.

EXTRA LCD/CHIP TIX

A small batch of extra tickets to the to-die-for LCD Soundsystem/Hot Chip double bill at Festival Hall on Thursday 29 July were released yesterday through Ticketmaster. Both groups are out here for the Splendour In The Grass festival; LCD Soundsystem are touring on the back of recent album, This Is Happening, which leader James Murphy has indicated could be the group’s last. Local group A+O have also been added to the line-up.

PRETTY ENOUGH

Sydney-based three-piece Papa Vs Pretty have been named as support for US indie rockers Surfer Blood when they play the Corner Hotel on Friday 30 July. The trio will be showcasing tunes from their Paul Dempseyproduced debut EP, Heavy Harm, released on 13 August.

Sydney four-piece Cabins will soon embark on their first East Coast headlining tour, in support of their mini-album Bright Victory. The band’s dark, hypnotic rhythms won over our good mates at Sydney’s Drum Media, who made the record their CD Of The Week and gushed that it contained “a completely captivating vampire western sound that manages to… both move you and at the same time root you to the spot’’. After supporting tourists Alberta Cross at the Corner on Tuesday, Cabins play the Builders Arms Saturday 21 August with guests Step-Panther.

WRITER WAY

Inpress’ own Clem Bastow (she also presents Transference on RRR every Tuesday from 4-7pm) curates a night of literary sounds for the Melbourne Writers Festival on Sunday 29 August at the Northcote Social Club. Bastow has assembled a line-up of top fresh talent – performing on the night are Guy Blackman, Pikelet and Cloud Control.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KAROVA LOUNGE

Ace Ballarat live venue the Karova Lounge celebrates its sixth birthday in style this week with three huge party shows. Tonight (Wednesday) Yacht Club DJs headline a bill that also includes Neon Love and North East House Party; this Friday Little Red, Tessa & The Typecasts, The Black Hill Five and Dark Arts keep the party tunes a-coming; and on Saturday Purple Sneakers DJs party down with Howl and guests.

GIVE YOUR BAND A PUSH

NEXT CABINS OFF THE RANK

E ES

The Push and FReeZACentral are looking for young local acts to join the upcoming Escape To Oz tour, featuring House Vs Hurricane, Confession and Heroes For Hire, all bands involved in the 2010 FReeZACentral Mentoring Program. The tour swings through EVs in Croydon on Friday 27 August (with Ayera), the West Geelong Town Hall on Saturday 28 (with The Deep End) and the Wodonga Civic Centre on Sunday 29 August (with Legacy); all shows are all-ages. The deadline for applications has been extended – if you’re keen to get on the bill simply email a bio (including hometown, ages of band members, and links to where music can be listened to online) via freezacentral@thepush.com.au by 5pm Monday 9 August. Winners will be announced on Friday 13 August. At least one band member must live or work in the town or surrounding area the tour is visiting and be under 25 years of age. For more info go to freezacentral. vic.gov.au or thepush.com.au.

T EN S E PR

AT THE REDDY Thousand Needles In Red, featuring The Butterfly Effect’s Clint Boge and Tristan ‘Trizo’ Bouillaut from Kill The Capitol, first unleashed their draw-dropping live show to audiences in March this year. With a new single, Brand New Day, set for a September release, the band have announced a new national tour of the same name. Catch the guys when they hit the Karova Lounge on Wednesday 29 September, the Bended Elbow in Geelong on Thursday 30, the Ferntree Gully Hotel on Friday 1 October, the Pelly Bar in Frankston on Saturday 2 and the Evelyn Hotel on Sunday 3.

WELL RED

Simply Red have added another Melbourne date to the Australian leg of their upcoming Farewell tour, which will draw a curtain on their 25-year career. With their Wednesday 6 October show at the Plenary at the Melbourne Convention And Exhibition Centre sold out, the group, led by outspoken ginger Mick Hucknall, now also play the Plenary on Thursday 7 October. Tickets go on sale Friday from Ticketek. Marcia Hines will support at both shows.

GLORIOUS BASTARDS

Blood Duster will headline Bastardfest, a brutal line-up of extreme music at the Corner Hotel on Saturday 4 September. Also performing are Mindsnare, Captain Cleanoff, The Kill, Psycroptic and Extortion. Tickets are on sale now from the Corner box office.

DON’T MISS THE BOAT

With new album Dear Darkly pulling in rave reviews (we recently called it their best album yet), Brissie outfit The Boat People have recently hit the road to take their new songs around the country. You can catch the versatile indie popsters at the Workers Club on Friday 30 July and at the Barwon Club on Saturday 31.

BOOZE BLUES

Former Machine Gun Fellatio chick Christa Hughes presents Beer Drinking Woman, a cabaret dedicated to booze, at the Toff In Town on Sunday 8 August. With pianist Leonie Cohen, Hughes will perform songs by Tom Waits, Memphis Slim, Frank Sinatra, Cold Chisel and more amongst her own alcohol-tinged compositions. Tickets are $20 on the door.

BROTHERS GONNA WORK IT OUT With their pioneering big beat sound, The Chemical Brothers are the party soundtrack to an entire generation of music fans. The duo of Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons are responsible for a string of genuine dancefloor fillers, including Block Rockin’ Beats, Hey Boy, Hey Girl and Leave Home, while latest album Further was recently awarded eight out of ten on Pitchfork and described as their best record in years. All eight of Further’s tracks have had accompanying films made for them by multimedia artists Adam Smith and Marcus Lyall, who have also worked closely with The Chemical Brothers on developing visuals for the duo’s custom-built new live show. Now, after rave reviews for recent performances in their native UK, the lads are bringing their thumping show to Australia. Fans have got a bit of a wait, though – The Chemical Brothers play Rod Laver Arena on Wednesday 9 March 2011, presented by Inpress. Tickets go on sale Friday 6 August from Ticketek.

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FOREWORD LINE Sinead O’Connor

NEWS FROM THE FRONT

BRUTE FORCE

Bigstrongbrute, the alter ego of Brisbane musician Paul Donoughue, began four years ago as a means to experiment with simple pop songwriting. There are still solo shows, but more often Donoughue is joined on stage by a revolving cast of musicians – everything from a single trumpet player to a seven-piece band. We Can Sleep Under Trees In The Morning, a six track EP, is his first proper release. With former Brisbanite Carry Nation (AKA Jessie Warren), Bigstrongbrute play a co-headline show at the Workers Club on Saturday 4 September.

HOWL NOW

To say the six teenagers who make up Howl have had a busy year would be a drastic understatement. After taking out the highly competitive Unearthed High competition on Triple J, the band have toured their guts out and had a clip they made for $21 become the most requested video on Channel [V]. Before they join Children Collide on their upcoming national tour, they play the Espy on Friday with The Mourning Sons, Money For Rope and Valentiine, and the sixth birthday party of Ballarat venue the Karova Lounge on Saturday.

RADIO CONTACT

REST OF THE FEST Along with the amazing line-up assembled for the Inpress-presented Beck’s Festival Bar over seven nights at the Forum – we’re talking acts like The Boredoms, Dead Meadow, Dengue Fever, Mariachi El Bronx, Stigmata and more – the recently unveiled Melbourne Festival program features some amazing music highlights. We can’t wait to catch the opera Tomorrow, In A Year, a collaboration between Hotel Pro Forma, The Knife, Planningtorock and Mt Sims, based on Charles Darwin’s On The Origin Of Species (even if The Knife aren’t actually coming out here). It runs from Wednesday 20 to Saturday 23 October at the State Theatre. We’re also excited about Seven Songs To Leave Behind, taking place at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl on Saturday 23 October. The concert features Sinead O’Connor, John Cale, Meshell Ndegeocello, Rickie Lee Jones, Gurrumul Yunupingu and The Black Arm Band, playing “their first song, a song by Leonard Cohen, a song to share, the song they most wish they’d written, two songs of their own and a song to leave behind”. John Cale also presents When Past And Future Collide at the State Theatre on Saturday 16 October. The former Velvet Underground member will perform his solo album Paris 1919, as well songs from his back catalogue, with a band and Orchestra Victoria. The full festival program can be found at melbournefestival.com.au.

Radio station RRR 102.7FM will stage its 2010 Radiothon from Friday 13 August until Sunday 22 August, with this year’s theme Make Contact. RRR is a fully independent, non-profit community radio station which relies on listener subscriptions to keep running – everyone who subscribes to the station during the period will be entered into a draw to win prizes including a pack of 52 RRR Albums Of The Week, a trip for two to Cambodia, an iPad, tickets and accommodation for Meredith Music Festival, a coffee machine and year’s worth of beans, digital cameras, hi-fi gear, a $2,000 Readings voucher and a year’s supply of beer.

BLACK BIRTHDAY

This weekend marks the 30th anniversary of the release of one of the greatest rock records of all time – the world’s second highest-selling album – AC/DC’s Back In Black. The record, the band’s first following the death of Bon Scott in 1980, has sold almost 50 million copies worldwide. To mark the anniversary, Cherry Bar (in AC/ DC Lane) will host a party on Saturday from 5pm until 5am, with AC/DC tribute band Back In Black playing two sets from 9pm and DJs spinning Acca Dacca classics.

MAKING THEIR POINT

WEDDINGS INVITATION Weddings Parties Anything will reconvene for one of their sporadic live appearances to play the Palace on Grand Final eve, Friday 24 September. The folk rockers, who built a huge live following over their near-15 years together, have played a small numbers of shows since disbanding in 1998. Big news for fans is the line-up will feature Dave Steel, who appeared on the band’s first two albums, Scorn Of The Women and Roaring Days, playing alongside Mick Thomas, Michael Barclay, Mark Wallace, Jen Anderson, Paul Thomas and Stephen O’Prey. Support comes from the excellent Gin Club. Tickets go on sale Friday from Ticketmaster.

Princess One Point Five have had a busy few months, releasing their fourth album, What Doesn’t Kill You, playing a month-long residency at the Builders Arms, and hitting Adelaide for a sneak peek pre-album release show. With single Today gaining national airplay on Triple J and community radio, the band have announced a national tour. They play a matinee show at Pure Pop Records on Sunday, followed by a show at the Tote on Saturday 28 August with Milk Teddy, Geoffrey O’Connor and Lehmann B Smith.

BOB DOWN UNDER

BoB’s Nothin’ On You and Airplanes, a collaboration with Paramore’s Hayley Williams, hit number three and two on the Australian charts respectively. In town on a whirlwind Australian tour on the back of debut album The Adventures Of Bobby Ray, you can catch BoB at Billboard tonight (Wednesday).

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SECRET SOUNDS The last MySpace Secret Show saw Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros raise the roof at the Workers Club in March. The next big name act to play a free, all-ages gig for the MySpace crew are hot British band Foals. With their two performances at the Hi-Fi and the Splendour In The Grass festival long sold out, this is the only chance you’ll have to catch the band if you haven’t got yourself a ticket. For a chance to get in to the Tuesday 27 July show, head to myspace.com/secretshowsau and register your mobile number. Closer to the time of the gig, those registered will be sent an SMS with details of the location. Entry works on a first come, first served basis.

FOREWORD LINE

NEWS FROM THE FRONT

FEST FOR THE SENSES BECK’S FESTIVAL BAR will host some religious musical experiences this Melbourne Festival, curator HANNAH FOX tells TONY MCMAHON. Dead Meadow

he Forum Theatre, arguably Melbourne’s best music venue, will play host to an extraordinary program of contemporary alternative music from around the globe as part of this year’s Melbourne Festival. Under umbrella themes of shamanism, cult bands and music as religious experience, Beck’s Festival Bar will feature performances from The Drones, America’s Dead Meadow, Japan’s Boredoms, explosive Chinese indie band PK14, Stigmata (the first ever Sri Lankan metal band to perform in Australia), and Cambodian psychedelic popsters Dengue Fever. A host of local acts will also provide support, including Johnnie & The Johnnie Johnnies, The Ukeladies and The Twerps. There’s also a festival-long religious-themed installation by design duo Tin & Ed and, of course, there’s the ever-popular bar. Program producer Hannah Fox says that her brief in putting together the line-up was to find bands that somehow reflected the festival’s broader themes. “The visual arts, especially, will be reflecting ideas of spirituality and mortality, so I had to think about how we could apply that to the current music scene and we started thinking about the musicians as shamans, I guess. And we thought about the exchange between audience

BACKLASH

and performer and how sometimes that can be felt as quite spiritual. It’s an experience that bands like The Drones and Dead Meadow express particularly well, I think. Not every band performing fits this criteria exactly, but it’s something we’ve tried to achieve overall.” And the large, churchy-looking venue itself, according to Fox, will also make a big contribution to reflecting these ideas that the program as a whole is attempting to explore. “It feels like quite a heavenly place, anyway, I think. I was actually convinced the first time I went in there that I was outdoors. I guess we’re referring to it as a house of worship, because it really does have that feel: those beautiful old archways, the huge stage. I just think it’s a fantastic venue. The best venue in Melbourne, for sure.” But possibly the most important aspect of the festival is that punters will get to see music they wouldn’t ordinarily have a chance to. “We’re in the fortunate position of being not-for-profit, so we can explore avenues in music that are off the beaten track. I feel like that’s a really important part of the program. We’re particularly excited about Stigmata and PK14. It’s a huge achievement for those bands that they’ve managed to keep playing the music they love in their own homes. And to take it beyond that to the world stage is pretty exciting.” And would make for some pretty happy bands, too, Inpress would imagine. Fox agrees, but says that it’s actually more than that. “Absolutely. If you’ve got artists that want to be there and want to contribute, that goes beyond just the gig itself to being part of the festival as a whole. Melbourne Festival has a broader reach than just the arts scene or just the Melbourne indie music scene. For them to be here and engaged in the festival as a whole is pretty important to us.” Inpress is trying to imagine a Sri Lankan metal band engaging with the Melbourne Festival, and coming up The Drones by Kelli Morris

short. Fox fills us in. “I guess what I’m talking about is things like the artist’s lounge. It’s just really interesting seeing artists from all walks of life, whether they’re Sri Lankan metal guitarists or a regular practicing musician or a visual artist from Iceland, or whatever. Some really interesting collaborations have come out of that in the past. It’s a really important part of the festival and it’s one of the reasons we want to keep having a bar. It’s also great for the punters to go and meet the people they’ve been seeing.” On the difficult question of festival highlights, Fox nominates a Japanese band with ten drummers, the new surf rock project from ex-Violent Femmes and Midnight Oil members and, last but by no means least, an LA-based punk band’s devilishly danceable alter ego. “A big highlight for me is going to Boredoms. I mean, they haven’t been here in ten years. That’s just going to be such a special performance with a spiral formation of ten drummers. It’s not likely to ever happen again. It’s a huge honour to have them here. The Break are an exciting new band. And Mariachi El Bronx closing night are just going to be so much fun.” In closing, Fox reminds us that pricing for the festival has been kept ridiculously low when one considers the quality of the acts performing. Actually, the prices are just ridiculously low, period. “All tickets are $20, which is a pretty important part of it. We’ve tried to make it accessible for everyone. It’s rare that you get to see acts of this calibre for that kind of money. So get in quick because it’ll sell out.”

WHAT: Beck’s Festival Bar WHEN & WHERE: Saturday 9 October, Thursday 14-16 and Thursday 21-Saturday 23 October, Forum

FRONTLASH

ELECTIONEERING

KLAXONS

Eurgh. Almost makes you wanna vote for none of ‘em.

Playing the Palace on 3 September. Woooo!

ENROLMENT DEADLINE

SOUNDS AFTER DARK

How ridiculously early was Monday’s cut-off for firsttime voters to get themselves on the election roll? We’re sure it had nothing at all to do with youngsters being far more likely to vote for the Greens…

The small crowd crammed into Inpress HQ for this Coopers show on Saturday witnessed a blistering set from The Drones – we want a new album! Oh, Batrider and The Dacios were bloody good, too.

BIG STAR

PETE SOUNDS

Just months after they’d planned to play at SXSW, the legendary power popsters are down to one original member, following Alex Chilton’s death in March and bassist Andy Hummel’s passing on Monday.

It’s the new project from Dallas Crane’s Pete Satchell. Album out next week. We like!

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WEDNESDAY

21 S T J U LY 8ISH

FRIDAY

2 3 R D J U LY 8.30 TIL CLOSE

SATURDAY MARKI MARK

24 TH J U LY 8.30 TIL CLOSE

CASUAL QUIZ

DJ SHORTSLEEVES

PLAY RECORDS

2 5 J U LY SUNDAY 6 TIL 8 CHERRYWOOD GUNS TH

2 6 J U LY MONDAY 9 TIL 11 ADAM & FERGUS TH

ROLLER ONE

OPEN FIRE DINNER 7 NIGHTS LUNCH: SAT 12PM/SUN 1PM BOOKINGS ESSETIAL

9415 9 9 0 4 MON - FRI 3PM TIL L ATE S AT MIDDAY TIL 1AM SUN 1 TIL 11

THE MARQUIS OF LORNE HOTEL C N R G E O RG E + K E R R S TR E E T S F I T Z ROY

COMING OF AGELESS Just out of her teens, folk chanteuse LAURA MARLING has already figured out how to stick it to the popular set. “I didn’t feel the need to do anything that was cool,” she tells JASON KENNY of her latest step towards owning the world.

the demos for what will be the third album. Along with experimenting with instruments Marling describes as creepy, the two have been experimenting with just guitar and drums for the early demos. “We’re just going to see how it goes. Originally I was quite excited and I said we’d put it out in March,” Marling laughs again, “but we’ll see how it goes. I’ve got quite a busy summer, it’s just what time we can get into the studio to record it.” In the folky singer songwriter vein, Marling does most of her writing before she gets to the studio but stays flexible to adjust her swag of songs once she’s there. “I do find that I get to the studio that most of them are rubbish. So it can go both ways. I can either have the perfect amount of songs and they all be ok or have loads of songs but actually most of them aren’t worth recording. “I don’t write with an idea of anything in my head, really,” she continues, “other than something little that’s the start of the song. I think I’m seeing the pattern in which I write. When I finished writing the song I Speak Because I Can it very much felt like that was the end of an album. Then I kind of exhaled and I knew that it was an album done. And there were other songs but they weren’t very good. The songs, the way they appeared on this album, they were written in that order, which is interesting; bar one or two.” The pattern of writing that she refers to is more about content than process. “The way I write is so boring,” she says. “It’s always different. It has no rhyme or reason but the stuff that comes out has a pattern to it. It’s constantly going back to the song I wrote a week ago and I realise what the song’s about. And you know when it’s the beginning of a story or when it’s the end of a story or the middle part and you can see it coming. I think it’s becoming more honest as I go on. Then, obviously, I’m four years older than I was when I wrote the first one.” For Marling, the writing process between albums is a continuous one, though one she still doesn’t have much control over. “I say I’m always writing but the songs are written whenever they want to be written. I don’t have much of a say in it. I Speak Because I Can finished and after a couple of weeks the first couple from this album came. It follows on I guess. I don’t really want it to sound like that but it is, I guess.”

he difficult second album is a curse laid on all emerging bands with a world-conquering debut. There are high expectations for a follow on from the first album, then pressures both internal and external to sound like the first but try new things. It’s crushed some bands and worked out well for others. The sophomore releases from The Vines, U2 and Jet hardly chart as career highs, but second albums worked out well for Radiohead, The Beatles, Nirvana and Bob Dylan. After difficult incubation periods the Kings Of Leon and Rufus Wainwright all forged sophomore success. Interestingly, those latter two all had Ethan Johns in the production chair. As did Laura Marling. Marling’s second album, I Speak Because I Can, released earlier this year, is a remarkable step in the maturity of the songwriting. It put everyone on alert that she’s a talent to consider along with the high marks of the genre, in the realm of Joni Mitchell and Laura Nyro. Where her debut, Alas, I Cannot Swim, waded

in the pop folk waters, admittedly with remarkable writing for a teenager, I Speak Because I Can takes a step beyond that again. And she’s still only 20.

in the studio. She points to the maturation in sound as a result of her becoming more confident in the studio, and learning how to explain herself to her band.

“I think when I started writing those songs for Alas I Cannot Swim I was under the impression that it wasn’t cool to be traditional,” says the softly spoken Marling, laughing, “it was cool to put a spin on traditional. That’s because I was an impressionable 16-year-old or whatever. Then when I came to write the second album I felt more comfortable in my skin and I didn’t feel the need to do anything that was cool, which sounds funny but is probably quite true. Then when I got to the studio I knew I was in safe hands and I knew I was with the band I’d been playing with for two years and we all played in a room together and it sounded right.”

“I find [the studio environment] fascinating. But for my first album I didn’t know what I was doing, somebody did it all for me. For my second album I really wanted to get involved. The band arranged their own parts and Ethan was totally in control of the situation. And I was learning how to express things in the studio, which is quite difficult, or I find it quite difficult. I find it quite a fascinating process because I don’t have any technical musical knowledge or really any ‘musical’ musical knowledge,” she laughs. “I find it hard to express what I want or what I don’t want, but 90% of the time I don’t have to.”

The mature sounds and arrangements on I Speak Because I Can reflect not only the lyrical theme of growing into womanhood but also Marling’s own comfort

Now, between tours for the album launch and before a spate of Northern hemisphere summer festivals, Marling and Johns have taken to the studio again to lay down

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With a long stretch on the road, Marling might just get the album finished before the end of the northern summer. “I write best on the road, so a lot of new songs get rehearsed up and played halfway through the tour, which is always exciting. For us perhaps more than the people watching. The new songs that we play are fun but I feel bad because nobody’s ever heard them and they just want to hear what they’ve heard. So we don’t play that many.” Though she and her band – consisting of keys, drums, bass and cello when she hits Australian shores – might throw in some new tunes, it’s not what Marling calls testing the songs live. “The people who come to the shows all over the world are so kind and they’re so loyal that I never feel that I’m testing them. I feel that it probably wouldn’t be a good test because they’re so polite,” she laughs. “But it’s nice for me to freshen things up a bit. When you play the same thing every night you need something to keep you on your toes a bit.” WHO: Laura Marling WHAT: I Speak Because I Can (EMI) WHEN & WHERE: Saturday 31 July, Splendour In The Grass; Wednesday 4 and Thursday 5 August, the Hi-Fi

NEW YORK STATE OF MIND From shots with Them Crooked Vultures to munching on carrots with Oasis, ALBERTA CROSS have a wealth of experience on the road, frontman PETTER ERICSON STAKEE tells NIC TOUPEE. Although their first mini-album The Thief And The Heartbreaker has an undeniable tinge of Americana about it (via the East End of London), which has invited comparison to blues and country icon Neil Young and Nashville rockers the Kings Of Leon, Stakee believes that their sound has moved on considerably from the nostalgia-filled southernbaked sound with which the band began. “People say that we sound like Americana and blues. Our first EP was more Americana and rootsy,” he admits. “But our new album, Broken Side Of Time, was inspired from everywhere, really. The first EP was recorded in London – in that scene you get brainwashed about what’s cool, so that Americana felt [more authentic]. The sound of blues and folkier music felt more real, felt so heartfelt and I didn’t think what was going on around me musically was real. What was going on in London was fake and plastic. That’s the thing about Americana and blues, it’s real music, no bullshit.”

lberta Cross. Aren’t they a blues folk rock band from the Rocky Mountains? Although their name references the wilds of Canada and their sound is akin to Jack White’s recent exploits with The Dead Weather, the truth is that founding members Petter Ericson Stakee (vocals) and Terry Wolfers (bass) are from Sweden and London, respectively. They relocated to the sympathetic arms of the Big Apple’s band scene, not because they wanted to bring their geography in line with their sound, but to escape the confining London atmosphere. “We started the band in London but have been in Brooklyn for the last three years,” recalls Stakee. “We were tired of the ‘London thing’. I lived there for ten or 12 years and we needed a change; we were tired of the London music scene. The reason we [moved] to New York was because of playing the CMJ Festival. We did five or six gigs in ten days and it was quite inspiring.

The bands all sounded different and there was no one following one sound. In London, if there’s a band like The Libertines, there are 100 bands following that formula to be successful, which is really draining. In New York, bands are following what they believe in and nothing else and there are a lot of scenes in the US with good bands doing their own thing,” he opines passionately. In addition to parting with their London-focussed dissatisfaction, Alberta Cross parted with their record label, Universal, in order to follow the New York example of writing music with conviction. “We released an EP on Universal [sublabel, Fiction Records] and parted with them when they wanted us to do something we didn’t want to do. After that, when we moved to New York we started off without much. It was hard in the beginning, but we went full steam ahead and got a new band together. Everything went so fast that we didn’t even grasp that we were in New York.”

Broken Side Of Time, which critics have compared, ironically, to British ‘70s rock icons Led Zeppelin, is the result of spicing their previous Young-alike offering with heavier, more contemporary, intent, Stakee asserts. “Someone once said that we had Americana melodies, but heavier, which could be true. We’ve been inspired for this album by so much different stuff. We’re really into soul music, Sonic Youth; we listened to a lot of My Bloody Valentine before doing this record. We’re inspired by whoever has got soul and people whose productions are a bit interesting.” Writing for the album was peppered with false starts and direction changes before they found their swagger and stride. “It took us a while to get the album recorded,” explains Stakee. “After releasing our EP in England, we toured that one for a while and then started to record songs. All of a sudden we moved to New York and got inspired by other stuff and then wrote another 20 songs. A lot of songs we picked for this record were songs we jammed together closer to recording.” For every hour Alberta Cross have spent in the studio, they’ve spent 40 on tour, having played a bevy of major festivals including Lollapalooza, Coachella, Latitude and Bonnaroo. They’ve also toured with what seems like an unlikely list of pairings – Oasis,

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Bat For Lashes, The Shins, Simian Mobile Disco and Them Crooked Vultures, amongst them. This means Stackee has partied with the Gallaghers, Josh Homme and, funnily enough, John Paul Jones from Led Zeppelin. It’s not always the debauchery fest you’d expect – just mostly. “On the Oasis tour I’d sit and eat carrots with Liam Gallagher,” he laughs. “I grew up in Sweden but was in London for a long time and Oasis were on the front page everywhere. It was so crazy to have Noel Gallagher call us and say they wanted us to play with them. The craziest thing was not the band but their crowd: if you go on stage and play to 10,000, you really have to go for it.” Their education has continued apace courtesy of Josh Homme and co in Them Crooked Vultures. “The first thing I learned is that they can drink a lot more than I can. We drink ten shots, I’ll be wrecked and they’ll be standing. They’ve been around for a while and they’re the best players I’ve ever played with,” he gushes. “Standing next to Dave Grohl on drums every night, Josh Homme, John Paul Jones – it’s been amazing. We want to be that good. It’s extremely inspiring.” Shots with Grohl and salad with a Gallagher have their allure, but life on tour has thrown up some creative obstacles. “Our life has been pretty crazy; we have been touring for a year straight. All the time we’ve been trying to come up with new ideas for an EP and album as well, but it’s hard to have time for everything. It’s hard to have space and get inspiration to write when we have a gig every night. But our new recordings will be so much better because we’ve been playing so much with people we really look up to; someone like Josh Homme and John Paul Jones. We’ve been getting inspired and getting better.” Especially with such a rigorous elimination method, the songwriting process is currently slow and arduous. “Normally I come up with songs and people add their ideas. The thing with me is that I reject so many of my own ideas that the ideas I bring to the band are normally the strongest ones. I’d write ten songs and pick one. I’m really hard on myself and I’d never bring anything in that isn’t really good.” WHO: Alberta Cross WHAT Broken Side Of Time (Dew Process/Universal) WHEN & WHERE: Tuesday 27 July, Corner Hotel; Friday 30, Splendour In The Grass

WORKING MAN As SCISSOR SISTERS bring their dancing shoes to our shores, JAKE SHEARS speaks to GUIDO FARNELL about fan fears, European getaways and that arse. independent adventures by myself for over ten years, which is a long time. I think it was exciting to be living somewhere with no agenda and not really knowing anyone. I suppose whatever melancholy I was feeling was just wiped out by the excitement of being in Berlin.” From David Bowie and Iggy Pop back in the ‘70s to the party people who line the streets at Love Parade, Berlin has long established itself as a magnet for thrill seekers. It’s also the place where Shears, who once proclaimed that he doesn’t feel like dancing, fell back in love with dance music. “I did really get into clubbing in Berlin. They have a very serious love of techno music and that kind of clubbing is very important to people over there. It’s not the same kind of party vibe as other places I have been [to]. It was fun because I went out a lot and made lots of new friends and met a lot of musicians. I fell in love with dance music all over again and generally regained my passion for music.” Once inspired, Shears confessed that he and the band started from scratch and Night Work took only three months to complete.

hen Jake Shears isn’t busy co-writing songs with Elton John, hanging out with Dolly Parton, collaborating with Jeff Whitty of Avenue Q fame on a musical version of Armistead Maupin’s Tales Of The City or partying it up in the Big Apple with Kylie, he’s busy contemplating Scissor Sisters’ next move. This month, Scissor Sisters take the wraps off their new album, Night Work, which once again finds them jumping to the sound of glam ‘80s electro pop and bouncing beats with carefree abandon. Talking to Shears on the phone from his apartment in New York, he reveals that the road to completing Night Work was a long and winding one. “We worked on material for this album for about a year and a half and produced some really good songs, but it had no

centre. I mean we recorded some really good songs but as hard as we tried it wasn’t really coming together as an album and making sense. The songs were all over the shop and really incongruous. Country murder ballads and weird new wave and futuristic proggy dance songs. I wasn’t sure what it was supposed to be saying or what point it was trying to make.” Sounding frustrated with how things were turning out for the Sisters, Shears reveals that he needed to get away from it all and escaped to Berlin. “I wasn’t really sure for how long I would be gone but I really needed to leave the situation behind me for a while. I think that maybe I was a bit depressed at the time, but when I got there I was so excited to actually be in Berlin. I had not been on my own and having my own

Given the inspiration for this album, it should therefore come as no surprise that Night Work is unashamedly an album about sex, sexuality and having a good time. It’s something immediately obvious from the Robert Mapplethorpe portrait of dancer Peter Reed’s buttocks on the cover – a move that brings to mind the Stones’ Sticky Fingers cover. You just have to wonder how difficult it would have been to get Mapplethorpe’s photo on the cover of the album. “The cover was kind of a battle with everybody, not just the label. It’s been a really sort of test or a cultural barometer to see how people respond to it. I love it and am really proud it.” As Scissor Sisters start to let it all hang out, Shears reveals he isn’t afraid of what fans may think. “I am sure that some people have looked at the cover and it has kind of just turned them off what we are doing but I really don’t care what anyone thinks. This record was made for our own enjoyment. It’s not the broadest album in the universe in terms of appeal. We put the record out there for everybody who wants to embrace it but there is definitely a portion of our fanbase who is not going to understand this album. I wanted the band to evolve with this record and try something new without necessarily making the same record over and over again. I think we are in this for the long haul and I really want this band to

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have a long and great career, but for this to happen we have to be really pushing ourselves in new directions and new themes. I think we have to challenge the people who listen to our music and not necessarily pander to them. “It’s funny because in the last week I have been realising that some people are a bit scared of what we are doing at the moment. I have had a hard time figuring why this might be the case. I think it’s because a lot of the camp has been stripped away from this record and our current stage show, which is now a lot more streamlined. It’s all a lot more real and I think that is a lot more threatening to people. The gayness isn’t dressed up in feathers and it is not always friendly. I am proud of at least achieving this much. This band is not going to become a parody of itself. I refuse to become caricatures of what we were five years ago,” say Shears. As Shears talks it seems that much of the inspiration for Night Work comes from his experiences in Berlin. I wondered to what extent the rest of the band weighed in on developing these songs. “I write the majority of the lyrics but the finished songs are the result of the band collaborating. There is a real sense that a lot of this album originates from me, however it is important that those feelings and emotions are something the rest of the band can identify with and understand.” Night Work features some interesting guest vocalists, including Sir Ian McKellen who commands a legion of oversexed night clubbers in search of thrills and brings to mind Vincent Price on Michael Jackson’s Thriller. Even Kyle, Santogold and former Culture Clubber Helen Terry put in cameos but of all the people Scissor Sisters worked with on this album it was producer Stuart Price who had a very big influence on the sound of this album. “Stuart Price is almost a member of the band,” exclaims Shears. “I can’t really imagine making a record now without him. So of course he has played a big part in how this record has turned out. He has become one of my best friends. If I had to be on a desert island and had to pick one person to spend the rest of my life with on a desert island it would be a very hard decision to pick between him and my boyfriend.” As I start laughing Shears exclaims, “I am not joking. I love him so much.”

WHO: Scissor Sisters WHAT: Night Work (Universal) WHEN & WHERE: Monday 26 July, Festival Hall; Friday 30 July, Splendour In The Grass

BAND OF BROTHERS Bass player BILL REYNOLDS tells NICK ARGYRIOU how BAND OF HORSES got their groove on with Infinite Arms, their most democratic record to date.

outh Carolina-based indie country musical collective Band Of Horses are only three records into their career, yet all of their individual members have been around for years in solo guise. All made a name for themselves before joining Ben Bridwell (the sole remaining founding BOH member). Ryan Monroe (keyboards) and drummer Creighton Barrett, who both recorded with Bridwell on 2007’s Cease To Begin, were soon joined by songwriter and guitarist Tyler Ramsey along with buddy bass player and studio engineer Bill Reynolds (The Avett Brothers) during the tour of that record. These five men have remained ever since. While you wouldn’t automatically refer to Band Of Horses as being a supergroup akin to Monsters Of Folk or Them Crooked Vultures, Bridwell and co – much like the post-A Ghost Is Born Wilco line-up – have finally assembled their most complete band of players. “Since I’ve been in the group we’ve had a few people come in and out and they were nice people but just

weren’t the right fi t. And now, with the fi ve of us, we really know how to communicate and not turn into this messy-shaped soup, if you know what I mean,” attests bass player and the band’s least hairiest member, Bill Reynolds. He’s also acutely aware that, although the band have locked into a fine musical groove, it’s Bridwell’s distinct, high-pitched vocals, crunchy guitars and ambiguous songwriting that Band Of Horses have as their nucleus. “None of us ever came into the band and said, ‘Oh, let me take over this damn thing’. We just don’t work like that. With Band Of Horses, it’s all about working for what’s best for the band,” he says. There’s no question that Band Of Horses’ third record, Infinite Arms, is a definitive band record. It’s a collaboration between the fi ve members, all working strenuously to produce, arguably, the outfi t’s finest record thus far. It’s no doubt the band’s most mature sound, testament to the growth of the unit since 2008. Reynolds agrees. “We’ve been on the road touring since the beginning of Cease To Begin, which is almost three years, so as a band we’ve been bouncing ideas off each other for a while. And when we went in to make this new record we started in the studio in Muscle Shoals [Sound Studios] because we wanted to make a record that really sounds like guys playing together. The whole point was to capture us live; to make it sound more like the band records we listen to.” With the variation emanating from Infinite Arms being the record’s strength, it’s the layered West Coast-style harmonies that shine as they bubble to the surface and add to Bridwell’s trademark falsetto holler. With Tyler Ramsey – who released his solo debut A Long Dream About Swimming Across The Sea just prior to joining Band Of Horses – becoming the key go-to man for Bridwell by ways of backing vocal and songwriting support, the two men now share a John Stirratt and Jeff Tweedy-type musical relationship that catapults Band Of Horses from good to great band. But again, we must be reminded that Infinite Arms is a total group effort. It’s an atmospheric record that’s also punchy and littered with degrees of rhythmic sizzle – the recording process oscillating between takes at Asheville, North Carolina studio Echo Mountain and the infamous Muscle Shoals in Alabama. “We went a little crazy with our demos prior to heading into the studio and even when we got to Muscle Shoals when we started sorting these, at times, eccentric songs, once we found our rhythm, things starting taking shape,” says Reynolds. The trials and tribulations that Bridwell endured in the lead up to Band Of Horses’ third release have been well documented. Leaving Sub Pop in 2008 after the band’s initial contract had expired, Bridwell re-ignited his own independent label Brown Records before hooking up with Fat Possum, then later Columbia to release Infinite Arms. Brown Records was Bridwell’s self-funded label he set up pre-Band Of Horses from the money earned working a shitty hospitality job at the famed Seattle club The Crocodile. Arguably one of the most talented dishpigs on the planet, Bridwell bided his time, struggling for air in one sweat-box kitchen after the other. But the struggle has been worth it. Three evolving Band Of Horses records in the can, avoiding total bankruptcy and touring alongside the likes of Neil Young, Willie Nelson and Roger McGuinn have all helped shape the band into the powerful force they now are. “It was fun for the fi ve of us to go into Muscle Shoals and Echo and work with Ben’s lyrics and just go crazy with the music… We had a blast with horn and string sections and making it fun for us. That was key,” Reynolds explains. Admitting that Infinite Arms is the sound of Band Of Horses really “getting their groove on”, he also states that this feels like the beginning for the band, irrespective of the two previous – and albeit very good – Band Of Horses records, 2006’s Everything All The Time and 2007’s Cease To Begin. “This will be the first of many fine records with this line-up,” beams Reynolds. One of the more impressive aspects of the Infinite Arms’ sound is the fresh and intuitive playing heard throughout. At times it can be a little rough around the edges – all loose and ragged with diverse tempo shifts – and in other instances, clean-as-a-whistle, with big and bold instrumentation utilised. It’s the sound of a band figuring it out in the studio, playing off the cuff, all working for the song and trying to capture the moment. Compliments is a good case in point with the opening to that song very un-Band Of Horses-like, instead having an extreme Clash-esque anthemic feel at its core. It’s a strange but wonderful tune. “We loved the little accidents that made the songs better. Like instead of saying, ‘No, this can’t happen, let’s do the take again’, we just went for it and kept going,” admits Reynolds. The enigmatic bass player wrote Blue Beard for the record (alongside Ramsey’s Evening Kitchen and Monroe’s Older), and explains it was inspired by a range of classical music and big symphonies he was listening to last year, and recalls the process of a simple idea making it all the way through from his Atlanta, Georgia home to the confines of the Muscle Shoals recording studio and onto the album. “I remember sending Ben the music and him being like, ‘Oh shit, this is awesome’ and putting words to it. Then we both just really laughed at what it had become because it was just so out of control,” he recalls. “But when we went in to record, it just found this sort of ‘70s supergroup sound so we went that route with it. So, really, it went from this big Live And Let Die feel to this supergroup thing out of nowhere and that typifies much of the album.”

WHO: Band Of Horses WHAT: Infinite Arms (Columbia/Sony Music) WHEN & WHERE: Monday 26 July, Corner Hotel (acoustic); Tuesday 27, Palace (sold out); Saturday 31, Splendour In The Grass

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BEAR FEAT The members of GRIZZLY BEAR never expect anything, founder ED DROSTE tells GISELLE NGUYEN, because the things that end up happening – be they visits from Jay-Z or brushes with the Twilight saga – are so off the wall. f you haven’t heard of Grizzly Bear by now, there’s a high chance you’ve been hibernating for a pretty long time. The international profile of the Brooklyn quartet has skyrocketed since May last year when their third and biggest album yet, Veckatimest, was released – having sold out their debut Australian tour in January, they’re back for round two just six months later. It’s interesting, then, to learn that on top of never expecting his music to gain such accolades, frontman and founding member Ed Droste never even expected to have a band.

really planned on releasing it, so it was very much something that was almost like writing in a diary and I didn’t even think of it as something that would ever reach an audience or have an audience.”

Naming the project Grizzly Bear after an ex-boyfriend and using the moniker right from the start, what would blossom into the band we know today sprouted from Droste’s mind in the early-2000s after a difficult break-up. Holed up in his room, he began to pen the songs that would become his first outing, 2004’s Horn Of Plenty. “It was just sort of for my own benefit, a sort of cathartic thing, working in my bedroom. I never

“Of course I wouldn’t be making the same music because it’s so much of a collaborative process of the four of us,” Droste says when asked to imagine how his music would be if he had continued to work primarily as a solo artist. “I don’t know, exactly, where it would have gone. [2006 album] Yellow House and Veckatimest are the product of the four of us working together so it definitely wouldn’t have been exactly like those albums at all. My songwriting style is already so different to Dan’s, so what makes it unique is us sort of putting our two styles together. It’s a democracy.”

Horn Of Plenty is not a release by the Grizzly Bear of present; while Droste enlisted the drumming talents of Christopher Bear on the record, it wasn’t until 2005 that the band came together in its current incarnation, with co-vocalist and guitarist Daniel Rossen and bassist Chris Taylor joining the fold full-time. They’ve been together ever since and, contrary to the bedroom solitude that birthed the majority of those first songs, everything now is a labour of love from all four personalities that make up the whole.

Though the band had already attracted considerable attention with Yellow House, Veckatimest flung them right into the centre of a worldwide frenzy, even though in terms of musical style and composition not much had changed – at least not drastically. “You know, we didn’t really change the way we write. We always kind of write just in the manner of everyone going off and doing their own sketches and then coming together and collaborating. I think it was just a combination of maybe our songwriting maturing a little bit and also just having toured a lot for four years or so. It was just another step up for us.”

“We would never want to write music or make an album to gain new audiences or something like that – it feels like the wrong sort of reason for writing music.” The band are planning to start working on their next record in the next few months, but there’s been no discussion, even within camp Grizzly itself, of what direction they want to take or how they’ll tackle the world’s weighty expectations. “I definitely think it’ll probably be a change. We never want to release exactly the album from before. You can hear the similarities between something like Yellow House and Veckatimest, but I think they definitely sound different and I’m sure that whatever we create next will have some sort of new element, because that’s a way for the music to remain fresh to us and not to feel like we’re kind of treading over the same territory. “I think we’re our own worst critics so ultimately we have to make music that the four of us are really excited about. So if the four of us are excited about it, hopefully the public will be, but you know, ultimately that’s not really our place to decide… We would never want to write music or make an album to gain new audiences or something like that – it feels like the wrong sort of reason for writing music. The reason for writing music is to do something that’s personal and organic to us.” Grizzly Bear have been championed by musical heavyweights such as Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood, who declared them his favourite band onstage in 2008 when the groups toured together, plus more recently Jay-Z, who was spotted at one of their shows last August. “All of these things have been total honours and surprises and it’s been really cool and surreal and I was like, ‘Really? Weird, I can’t believe you like us, that’s awesome’! But I never expected anything. I think that’s basically everyone in the band’s motto, basically to never expect anything, to never take anything for granted. When people I admire and respect like our music it’s just a really huge compliment. “I’m a huge fan of hip hop and R&B so there are many artists, including Jay-Z, who I think it would be fun to do something with, but I wouldn’t want it to be some sort of corny collaboration for the sake of doing a collaboration, just to get people being like, ‘Ooh, that’s weird’. It would have to make sense musically.” The band’s newfound status has also come with new prospects, including one of their songs appearing on the soundtrack of last year’s The Twilight Saga: New Moon. Though indifferent to the franchise, Droste saw the soundtrack as an opportunity to publicise the band’s music in a unique environment. “We heard that Thom Yorke and Bon Iver and St Vincent were involved and we’re all huge fans of theirs… I don’t necessarily have to be a fan of the movie, but part of the appeal of the Twilight thing was the other artists involved and reaching that new audience. It’s a kind of cultural phenomenon and it’s interesting to see how it unfolds.” But don’t worry, that unfolding hasn’t involved an influx of Kristen Stewart wannabes swamping the band – things are, for now, under control. “If we’ve gained new fans that are Twilight fans, if they come to the shows we haven’t noticed them. They’re not waving posters of Team Edward and Jacob or whatever they’re called.”

WHO: Grizzly Bear WHEN & WHERE: Tuesday 27 July, Palais; Friday 30, Splendour In The Grass

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MAGIC HAPPENS HERE WE GO MAGIC founder Luke Temple is even letting his new bandmates do interviews these days. “It was magical the first night I played with them, and it still feels magical,” bassist JENNIFER TURNER tells ANTHONY CAREW.

ast year, New York songwriter Luke Temple introduced his new project, Here We Go Magic. Inspired by homebound, layeringbased, magnetic-tape alchemists like Arthur Russell and Ariel Pink, the self-titled Here We Go Magic debut built thick, gauzy, hazy layers; fragile emotional songs built up into sparkling clouds of ambient love. This year, Temple’s second HWGM LP, Pigeons, wasn’t, well, just Temple’s. After assembling a band to tour his first record, Temple let the gathered quintet find its own identity on their second; and they deliver a quirky mix of kosmische repetition, new-wave-ish pop and plaintive balladry. The spectre of Russell still hangs over the record (especially his chameleonic nature), but this time Talking Heads seem just as much an influence.

Nothing is more symbolic of the fact that Here We Go Magic is now a band, than the fact that Temple – the human who was the project on the first record – isn’t handling interviews for their debut Australian tour. Apparently relinquishing the position of autocratic frontman, Temple is happy for the other members to speak on what others may perceive as his behalf. Hierarchies clearly aren’t the order of the day; bassist Jennifer Turner – one of the ‘other’ members of the project, alongside guitarist Michael Bloch, keyboardist Kristina Lieberson, and drummer Peter Hale – is the latest to join, but has already made her presence felt. Mere months after joining the project, Turner ended up playing on, producing, and engineering Pigeons.

offers. “I can’t really articulate it, anymore than that. It was this unspoken thing. When we did what we did quite naturally, it sounded quite amazing to all of us and felt quite amazing to all of us. “There was never any confusion,” continues Turner. “I think, if anything, if it was confusing for anyone, it was Luke. He’d recorded this first album in his bedroom, and now all of a sudden he was stepping out into the world with a band who thinks they have the juice for it. But, if it was ever uncomfortable for him, he never made it known. For me, every step of the way felt miraculous. It was magical the first night I played with them, and it still feels magical.”

WHO: Here We Go Magic WHAT: Pigeons (Inertia) WHEN & WHERE: Tuesday 27 July, Palais

“Before this record, I’d never engineered a band,” says Turner, on the phone from a tour van that’s just crossed the channel from England into France. “All my years of playing in bands, and recording myself, and this was my first time engineering a band. And I was terrified.”

“I ran into them at a party, and I grabbed onto Mike [Bloch]’s arm and said, ‘I have to play music with you! If you ever need a guitar player or a bass player, you have to let me know.’ He thought I was clearly insane, so I walked away.” Turner grew up in Northern New Jersey, always with an eye on nearby New York. When she was 17, she dropped out of college, where she’d gone to study nuclear engineering(!), to hitchhike around the country with (she’s “embarrassed to admit”) a guitar strapped to her back; learning to play as she thumbed it around the United States. “Talk about uncomfortable transitions,” Turner laughs, in hindsight. “My parents were incredibly mad with me. They didn’t talk to me properly for about a year – maybe it was two years! – after that. But I just had this faith that I was doing what I’d needed to do, and they’d come around in the end.” When Turner was 20, freshly relocated to New York, she hooked up with Natalie Merchant right when the former 10,000 Maniacs frontwoman was going solo. Turner played on Merchant’s scandalously-popular 1995 LP Tigerlily, and spent years in her touring band. “It was kind of an amazing first gig to get,” Turner says. “I got to see the world.” Turner left Merchant’s band to front alt.rock outfit Furslide, and over the years she’d find herself flirting with major-label, next-big-thing status; her later combo, Inner, were signed/produced/mentored by producer Nellee Hooper when still at the height of his Madonna/Björk influence. In recent years, she did time in the band of Joseph Arthur, and went on to play on records by The Gutter Twins and Julian Casablancas. Over the years, Turner would home-make various “experimental” solo records – “whenever I make a record I feel like I have 25 different types of music on it,” Turner explains, “it’s difficult for me to commit to one; I have a commitment problem” – and, it was in a pseudo-solo guise that, in early 2009, she happened to open for Turner’s first, hastily-assembled Here We Go Magic band. “I thought they were amazing,” Turner says. “I bought the record, which I never do, and went home and played it constantly. I’d put it on every day, and play along with it; which I never do, either. Then I ran into them at a party, and I grabbed onto Mike [Bloch]’s arm and said, ‘I have to play music with you! If you ever need a guitar player or a bass player, you have to let me know.’ He thought I was clearly insane, so I walked away. Ten minutes later he came up to me and said, ‘Um, we need a bass player for tomorrow. Do you wanna come?’ And, like, of course I was going to come: I already knew all the songs! “So then the next day I went to play with them,” continues Turner. “And it was so cool. After listening to them, loving them, talking about them with people, dreaming about their sound, wondering how I could incorporate that sound in what I was doing, all of a sudden I was in that sound. It was a magical experience.” A week later, Turner joined the band, and in May of 2009 the finally-fully-formed, five-piece version of Here We Go Magic tripped off to Europe. Where many assembled-after-the-album live-bands seem like awkward approximations of the recorded version, Turner claims that Temple instilled in his gathered players a sense of identity outside his four-track incantations. The spirit was, she says, very much of looking forward, not back. “If the identity of the project was foreign to any of us, and if there was a long process for us to go through in joining it, then it would’ve been difficult,” Turner offers. “But, as it was, it was like we all had the same vision. It was very clear. It was really strange, from the moment I started playing, it seemed like we always had a pretty clear vision of the kind of music we wanted to make together,” Turner

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A FORMULA FOR FUN WE ARE SCIENTISTS want to be your please centre, fun lovin’ singer/guitarist KEITH MURRAY tells PAUL SMITH.

eith Murray, vocalist and guitarist with New York-based pop rockers We Are Scientists, shows a definite fondness of a certain F word when talking about his band’s music and motivations. It starts right from the off when he describes how he introduces his band to anyone who may not know much about them. “We essentially just say, ‘Hello, we are your pleasure centre’,” he laughs. “I honestly think that our only aim is to bring fun. We don’t care about the accolades, we don’t care about the cerebral aspects of it – we simply want to deliver and derive pleasure.”

There is no doubt the band’s music has also benefitted, with the newer songs having a more mature feel to them. Murray puts that down to the band finally being more comfortable in their pop world than they ever have been, although he does admit that they still have a sense that every song needs to be manipulated in some way so it isn’t just seen as straightforward pop. “Especially on the first record, we were almost crippled by a need to couch these pop songs that we were trying to write in a sort of tricky arrangement that legitimised it in some way to us,” he recalls. “I think we’re sort of getting over that now, though. There is part of us that still wants to do that to a degree, but I think there was a tendency in the old days to go overboard on it to the detriment of the song.” And then comes that word again as he continues: “I think we sort of now are trying to trust our gut a little more about what is fun and pleasurable in a song without necessarily over-tweaking it too much, without getting too analytical about it.”

Fun is an ethos that seems to run throughout everything they do. Their gigs, their videos, their interview manner – all are focussed on fun. Indeed, to emphasise it Murray goes on to give the example that the live reviews that mean the most to the band are not the ones that say how amazing the songs may be, but simply that they delivered a good party. Their chirpily boppy music has resonated particularly well with UK audiences where the band has actually enjoyed considerably more success than in their native US. Murray isn’t surprised, though, and has a theory for the difference in how they have been received in the two countries. “I think it’s just down to the nature of UK radio and the sort of thing that they have deemed worthy of mainstream radio play,” he declares. “When our first major label record came out in 2005, that sort of indie guitar rock was a pretty popular staple on mainstream radio there, so we fi tted right into what the programmers had deemed radio-ready. Whereas in the US when that record came out, I think the closest thing to us that was playing on the radio was something as horrific as Fall Out Boy. We didn’t really fi t within the parameters of American mainstream radio. And also I feel DJs in the UK have a lot more personal leeway as well; they can actually go ahead and add things that they enjoy to their own playlists, whereas in the United States if a DJ ever tried that he would be lucky to only be fired. He’d probably be strung up in front of the building.” Murray and bassist Chris Cain had originally intended to use a few different drummers in the recording of their latest album, the recently-released Barbara. However, in somewhat of a coup for the band, Andy

Burrows, formerly with Razorlight, got himself behind the kit and has almost stayed there. “It’s a theoretically permanent arrangement but not really a practically full arrangement yet,” Murray explains. “The problem is with him playing with us is that he has his own record coming out in July [with his own band I Am Arrows], so he is also now indebted to both his record company and more importantly his own record to promote that. So he’s going to be fairly busy for the next few months trying to push that, so he can’t really do much of the touring at the moment. We are hoping that later in the year, when things have cooled down a little post-album release, he’ll

come out with us.” For the Australian dates Youth Group’s Danny Allen is acting as a more than capable stand-in. Burrows’ availability, plus that of producer Ariel Rechtshaid, made creating Barbara a fragmented affair and logistical nightmare with a lot of schedule-juggling involved. Recording took place in London, Los Angeles and New York across several different sessions, but Murray says he was more than happy not to get tied down in a studio for too long at any one time. “We generally consider ourselves more of a live band than a studio band just in that we’d always prefer to be playing a show rather then sitting in a studio watching somebody set up and

LET IT BEE The wife of DRAWN FROM BEES singer DAN JAMES is constantly telling him to talk about something other than music, he tells NIC TOUPEE. Australian bands got quite a look in at Musexpo with Art Vs Science, Birds Of Tokyo and fellow Brisbanites Hungry Kids Of Hungary amongst those selected. “Music Matters is similar to Musexpo. [Our involvement] started with applications being put out for whoever wanted to go and do Musexpo because the Queensland Government does some sponsorship. It’s still extremely expensive to go over, but we applied anyway and we got chosen. There were only 25 bands in the whole world who were chosen and it was great fun,” he recalls with obvious relish. “LA was absolutely amazing! We played at the Whisky A Go Go and they haven’t changed the floorboards in that place since Jim Morrison! I hope they never replace them because the vibe off that gig was the best gig we’ve ever played bar none,” James says definitively. “It went down extremely well, in fact the general vibe was that the Australian bands were the best. We used Musexpo to set up a round of interviews in the UK.” Drawn From Bees seem to be surfing the hype wave, if their instant jetsetter status is any indication. James admits it seems rather sudden.

risbanians Drawn From Bees perhaps were hoping to be something sensational to listen to on the train when they named themselves after a popular quote from Oscar Wilde’s The Importance Of Being Earnest. Lead singer/lyricist Dan James explains that the Bees’ eyes and ears (if bees have ears?) are permanently open to the influence of art and ideas, ahead of a short run of gigs in Hong Kong. “While we were going through our ‘what should we call the band’ period, I was watching the film version of The Importance Of Being Earnest. The school teacher was asking the vicar where his inspiration came from and he said, ‘It’s drawn from the bees,’ and that’s where we got it from. We weren’t sure at all about the name. We liked it but we weren’t sure how it would go down, but we’ve had no negative responses yet,” he chuckles. “But we do hang out with musicians and artists, not people who will go, ‘You’re being a jerk’.” While now back in Australia, James was hoping spend

re-set up a microphone for three and a half hours, which surprisingly some bands really do seem to enjoy. I really could not care less about mic placement and amp choice and things like that. So I think this time it was actually really nice to not be forced to sit in a studio for five weeks straight but to have it broken up in refreshing chunks. Every time we would return to the studio I’d be excited, although by day three of that session I’d already be wanting to get the hell out of there. But I think the actual recording process consistently felt fun and enjoyable and we were able to actually embrace it without feeling the drudgery of weeks sitting in a lifeless studio.”

his time in Hong Kong not only gigging but exploring and documenting the city, having scoped it out on Google Earth. Already somewhat infamous for including random samples in their tracks, the provided an ideal opportunity to add some Sinological sounds to their collection. “We’re doing three gigs in Hong Kong because we got invited to play at Music Matters [conference], and then I’m going to run around with a camera and try to film video clips of random things, including the tech stuff! I love technology. I’ve walked through Google Earth Hong Kong already and had a good look around.” The band are dabbling in the fine art of globetrotting, having been in LA – courtesy of the Queensland Government’s sponsorship – to play at Musexpo USA 2010, and after Music Matters, Hong Kong, they headed to Europe for Musexpo last month. James is grateful for the support the band have had and encourages other artists apply to showcase at industry conferences. It doesn’t seem like such a bad tip: in 2010

“It seems completely and utterly surreal,” he says. “We didn’t expect to be doing this for another few years. Our idea was to establish ourselves here in Australia first, but as a band policy we always apply for these things, but we really didn’t expect to win.” Their sudden success has led James to ponder what in fact has attracted promoters and pundits to Drawn From Bees. “I think it’s that we’re going for things with really open minds and we’re not second-guessing ourselves,” he speculates. “We just do what we’re doing – it has always been about creating some art: you do it and you love it. To me music is about the whole experience. Speaking for myself, we’re all producers in our own rights, and we’ve all been in bands for ten years. We own our own label and can create artistic statements quickly and don’t have to answer to anyone. For us it’s about creating a whole thing: anything within what we produce is trying to come towards one artistic vision rather than thinking ‘We’re going to play some music and hope we get airplay from Triple J’.

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Despite their obvious humour-loving tendencies (check out the self-help dating manual in the CD notes – don’t expect the song lyrics), Murray makes it clear that within their music it will just be their tone and climatic chorus that bring smiles of pleasure, not jokes, as he reasons and reiterates. “I definitely don’t ever want the words comedy and music to be used simultaneously when discussing us. I think obviously there is a place for wit in music, but the idea of a joke song is totally a no-go in front of me. In fact, I’m pretty sure the joke song is the lowest form of art that there is. I’d much rather people would just be like, ‘Oh man, I love that song; that song is so much fun’.” WHO: We Are Scientists WHAT: Barbara (Liberator Music) WHEN & WHERE: Sunday 1 August, Splendour In The Grass; Wednesday 4 August, Billboard

You can survive as an independent band in Australia because of Triple J, but we didn’t set out to do that.” James’ passion for art and desire to create are at the forefront of his own priorities, imbuing Drawn From Bees with the qualities of genuine enthusiasm and sincerity. “I’m doing the band because I love doing it; I have no compunction to fame or fortune,” he admits. “I love to create music, it’s all I care about. My wife is constantly saying to me, ‘Can we talk about something else?’” he laughs. “I teach guitar, I produce bands; in everything I do I surround myself with music, and I can’t even conceive of doing anything else.” James confides that, while the success is great, he would still be writing and playing with the band if they hadn’t had their recent lucky break. “In three years I’ll be doing the same thing with music, whether it’s stepped up or not. Fame is irrelevant,” he acknowledges. The band’s positive outlook and dedication to craft is reflected in their songwriting processes, explains James. “One of us will come up with an idea and then it will get stripped to pieces. The rule is that as soon as you’ve brought a song to the band it doesn’t belong to you, and you don’t get precious about it. It doesn’t always work; we fight about issues all the time. Like the ‘don’t get drunk before a gig rule’: once you’ve had two or three drinks, your brain goes, ‘I’m happy, I want more’.” Drawn From Bees have prudently adopted the ‘moderation’ rule backstage. “After two drinks, the self-control centre of the brain gets removed, so it’s definitely something you have to be aware of. For us, we play like shit when we’re pissed. We’ve seen films of our shows where I remember walking off stage drunk and thinking, ‘That was awesome’ and looking at it and going, ‘Oh no’! What can you do? That’s why it’s cool to be a support band; it’s harder to headline because you have to watch what you’re drinking, and you’d be surprised how long you have to wait before playing. If it’s at Pony you can wait until 2am! Trying to stay sober until 2am is hard.” WHO: Drawn From Bees WHAT: Fear Not The Footsteps Of The Departed (Bonefinger Records) WHEN & WHERE: Saturday (4pm), Pure Pop; Saturday evening, the Espy

THE HARD ROAD Their early records sound like they came out of a cement mixer, and they have the odd regret, but HARD-ONS have done it their own way for 25 years (and counting), RAY AHN tells MICHAEL SMITH.

concrete mixer or something. That’s what somebody told us once, that our early records sounded like they’d come out of a concrete mixer – and in a way it’s true. Now we labour over songs and think, ‘Well this needs this guitar sound, this needs that bass sound’. What that does is it highlights the difference between the song structures and the types of songs that they are, so now more than ever, people go we have a really varied sound on our records. “I think Blackie had about 40 songs written for the album and we chucked most of them out because they just didn’t suit the Hard-Ons. I only wrote one song on the album, Atomic Handshake – actually it’s an old rockabilly song almost rewritten but almost every rockabilly song is unoriginal in its own way, so I didn’t really feel bad about doing it. As for the rest of the songs, I really don’t know what any of the lyrics are about because I don’t ask. All I know is that there wasn’t all that much thought gone into what the songs are about at all or where they come from other than they’re so varied, there’s a little bit for everyone. I think that was the theme for the album, a little bit for everyone.”

ife in Punchbowl in 1984 probably wasn’t all that different to how it is today, though there’s probably a far greater ethnic diversity. But as the make-up of the Hard-Ons bears witness, things were already pretty mixed up already, what with guitarist Peter “Blackie” Black, bass player Ray Ahn and original drummer Keish De Silva (replaced in 2002 by Pete Kostic) representing three distinctly non-Anglo-Celtic strains of Australia. Already carrying the stigma of being western suburbs boys, there was never going to be any real chance that Hard-Ons would ever fit into any scene, let alone the punk scene into which they were thrust when they first erupted. “When we were old enough to go into the city and watch bands and stuff,” Ahn recalls, “we met a lot of people in the punk scene and we found a lot of them to be really just as narrow-minded as people in the mainstream, with their really strictly sticking to this dogma of what to wear and what to listen to and we found that really stupid. That’s why we formed the band – it was almost a reaction against that, as much as a celebration of what we like, which is suburban rock’n’roll music

like AC/DC and Deep Purple and shit like that as well as The Damned and Sex Pistols. When punk first hit, there was a hell of a lot of crossover between what we call punk and mainstream rock. So we’re kind of like that kind of a suburban crossover band, half suburban hard rock and all the other punk stuff too. It’s just that back then you weren’t really allowed to do that.

a compilation CD of unreleased stuff from the band’s vaults. This was because Blackie, when Inpress spoke to him at the time, was far more interested in getting stuck into the album of new material on which he was then working. That album, Alfalfa Males Once Summer Is Done Conform Or Die, is finally out and as diverse a mix of styles as anything Hard-Ons have released before.

“I remember Damien Lovelock, the lead singer from The Celibate Rifles, came up and said, ‘You’re more punk than any of those people watching you right now. By definition, because of your skin colour and the type of music you play, you’re already aliens, you’re already outsiders. So you don’t have to prove you’re punk to anyone. Look at you guys! Three different skin colours and you’re playing this kind of music wearing the clothes you do, you’re already more punk than them.’ We took pride in that, actually.”

“I think now more than ever, our records sound more varied than [they] did before, although it’s probably not as varied as what it once was. It’s probably just as varied as all our albums sound like but the difference is now that we have more technical ability, we can actually highlight the differences a lot more. For example, when we were recording our first four or five albums, we would just go in there, have one guitar and bass setting and just flatline everything, make everything go into the red and go home after a day. Whereas now, if we have a power-pop song coming up, we would deliberately turn down the distortion – on the bass and the guitar – and put a tambourine in the chorus or something to highlight the song, rather than make everything sound like it had gone through a

Last year the band celebrated their 25th anniversary, which was initially meant to be celebrated with an audience-selected best of compilation, but instead saw

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Born at a time when Countdown was still to some extent ruling the airwaves, Hard-Ons knew from day one that their chances of getting any kind of airplay with a name like that would be minimal. “Hard-Ons gave up a long, long time ago ever trying to make anyone happy other than ourselves. It’s such a tragedy for me because I think in October we’re going to Europe for our 15th tour, so really the potential is there for Hard-Ons to become a bigger band in a lot of ways. But that would have meant that we would have had to do things quite differently, to do what other people wanted us to do and to be really honest we actually gave it a go, because at the end of the ‘90s when we were pushed towards Festival Records, we did get sent home from our photo shoot – ‘You’ve got a beard. Go home and shave it off. Don’t wear thongs to the photo shoot. You can’t wear Ugg boots anymore.’ If you have a look at photos of Hard-Ons before 1990, you’ll see us wearing things, Ugg boots, really scruffy and then, 1990 to 1991, you’ll see us dressed a little bit more cartoonish and that’s because we were told to do that, as if that was going to get us through. But it wasn’t us, so if you look at photos from 1992 onwards, you’ll see us wearing football jerseys again.” WHO: Hard-Ons WHAT: Alfalfa Males Once Summer Is Done Conform Or Die (Cool Banana/MGM) WHEN & WHERE: Friday, East Brunswick Club

SINGLED OUT BY CLEM BASTOW

ON THE RECORD

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SINGLE OF THE WEEK

DAN KELLY HOLD ON, I’M COMING ON Shock

THE SILENTS SUN A BUZZ Independent

STARS THE FIVE GHOSTS Vagrant

ZERO 7 RECORD Atlantic/Warner

Given the amount of snooze-inducing “OMG” conversations I’ve had to endure about ATP Australia, you’d think a song that found its inspiration at that festival would go out the window faster than a jet-powered Frisbee. In the shamanistic hands of the magical Dan Kelly (plus his Dream Band), however, of course it works: Hold On, I’m Coming On is an ebullient shamble across the alps as fine as the best of Kelly’s back catalogue. Why isn’t he a superstar yet? He’s got a fuck sight more talent than half the rubbish that gets on television/radio. Send a postcard to Withnail and soak up Hold On while you wait for an answer.

This isn’t The Silents of EP past. The Perth quartet have left Ivy League and hired a new drummer, Mike Jelinek, who immediately locked into a stronghold groove with bassist Sam Ford. Guitarist/keyboardist Jamie Terry cross-pollinates between The Silents and Pond, and psychedelic ripples are omnipresent. The Snail opens with abrasive (almost discordant) guitar twangs, driving drum momentum and hazy vocals that sit comfortably alongside instrumentation – lyrics are secondary to the overall sound.

The Five Ghosts, the fifth album for Canadian indie pop synthsters Stars, is a seamless collection of dramatic, multilayered tracks, full to the brim with beautifully restrained vocals and pulsing electro pop. It opens gently with Dead Hearts, a melancholic call and response between vocalists Torquil Campbell and Amy Millan. The cutesy boy-girl harmonies play off sweetly against a wave of strings, resulting in a sonically rich and warming track.

Time is cruel to some people. Some become classic, others just sound tired. Popular music, for all its various pretensions, is as much about context as anything else. In other words, it is of its time. Case in point: Zero 7.

KAREN LYNNE SWEETHEART, DARLIN’ OF MINE ABC Music There’s something awfully comforting about this sort of country/bluegrass music; it makes me think of car tapes and early-’80s trips on the Overland train to Adelaide. Lynne’s velvety voice is a curious fit in this genre – in a way, it’s closer to Vera Lynn and Judith Durham than the vibrato-soaked trills more often heard – but that makes Sweetheart all the more delightful.

THE JOY FORMIDABLE POPINJAY Atlantic You see, this is the sort of thing I get the sense Kate Nash (in fact, most post-Lily Allen types) is going for but missing by a mile: The Joy Formidable mesh their ultra-femme vocals with arrangements that don’t sound like phone ads in waiting. Popinjay storms towards a gloriously cacophonous crescendo then drops away into nothingness, leaving you wishing more indie bands could actually get their shit together like this and create something with substance as well as “style”.

FLORENCE & THE MACHINE RABBIT HEART (RAISE IT UP) Universal

The opening chords of Kingdom, Abhor, Sea are fit to accompany a lonesome cowboy wandering through a ghost town flanked by tumbleweeds, before the track morphs into a screeching, wounded beast. Dynamics caterwaul in and out of these compositions with a Riders On The Storm-type ferocity. Lloyd Stowe’s vocals are capable of sounding forlorn and belligerent within a single heartbeat. The meandering melodies of Psychedelic Hospital are offset by a breakdown at the tail end of the tune, which should make for a debilitating live experience. The gentle Muse Of My Nights follows to soothe wayward synapses. Dwell is a calm in the swell, before cymbalheavy drum patterns and oblique riffs take hold. Peace is restored once the soothing strains of Stowe’s vocals are reinstated. Closer Sombre Mists Of Sleeping Snow is a nine-minute-plus trippy aural travelogue.

It’s a mystery to me that Anika Moa’s artful pop music hasn’t taken a stronger hold on these shores; In Swings The Tide was a gorgeous record, and if Blame It On The Rain (not, sadly, a Milli Vanilli cover) is anything to go by, Love In Motion should follow its lead. If they hadn’t just axed it, I would have suggested this would be the perfect soundtrack for an intense interpretive dance routine on So You Think You Can Dance Australia. As it stands, you’ll have to provide your own choreography.

ED KOWALCZYK GRACE Sony NOOOO!!!! The dolphins long ago finished crashing, Ed! Someone close this tear in the space-time fabric so he can be sent back into 1997 where he belongs! (Related topic: the album this single has been torn from also features Art Alexakis and Leigh Nash from Sixpence None The Richer!)

MIDNIGHT YOUTH CAVALRY Warner ‘Youth oriented rock’ is becoming such a quagmire of unremarkable soundalikes that I find it really, really hard to even put my hands on the keyboard and type. What’s odder about Cavalry, though, is that Midnight Youth are ostensibly, well, a youth band, but they sound prematurely AOR; it’s somewhere between Matchbox 20/ Twenty/20enty and Foreigner, with hints of Taxiride. Hey youth of the (New Zeaand) nation, wha’ happen?

Highlights include the lively We Don’t Want Your Body and the gorgeous ballad Changes, with its clean, crisp vocals and crackling record-style production. This album is a delectable mix of the upbeat and the downright brooding, and many of the songs probably wouldn’t be out of place on the next Twilight soundtrack. Regardless, it will suck you in and demand a second (third, fourth) listen. The Five Ghosts will definitely haunt you. Elke Braithwaite

The Silents retreated to Waves House in the deep south of Western Australia to record these tracks live, and a sense of isolation colours Sun A Buzz. Listening to this release gives you a sense of the surrounding beauty of the band’s recording environment, as if stumbling across an unexpectedly breathtaking view after a taxing mountain hike. Sun A Buzz is more expansive and multidimensional than anything this band have delivered to date. Whatever they’re ingesting, I want some.

Okay, fair call. Perhaps we are being a tad cynical here. It is just groovy muzak, after all. Indeed, Record is a fine enough distillation of Zero 7’s oeuvre. What you get is 70-plus minutes of shimmering keys, smoothed out vibes and velvety vocals. By bringing elements of ’60s jazz, ’70s soul and ’90s beats into the mix, Zero 7 orchestrate a lavish world of gliding grooviness. Hometown flag-wavers will doubtless cheer the presence of Adelaide girl Sia Furler crooning all over the album’s best track, In The Waiting Line. Meantime, fans of ’70s B-grade will also love the kitsch, string-driven opulence of the aptly-monikered End Theme. Everyone else will simply settle into their comfy chairs and wave for another martini.

Paul Ransom

6S & 7S CHOOSE THE SENTINEL BLOOZE Love Is My Velocity/Fuse

DIRT RIVER RADIO BEER BOTTLE POETRY High Voltage Beer Bottle Poetry, the debut record from Melbournebased countrified rock outfit Dirt River Radio, is a sweaty, ragtag bunch of songs that will no doubt have fans of the five-piece in rapture and ready to exercise their vocal cords to a record that at times seems purpose-made for barroom sing-alongs. While not completely my cup of tea, with its white-boy blues and loose, swampy ramblings, I could not help but be charmed by Beer Bottle Poetry. Despite the fact that it brings a fair amount of try to the table, and that you can smell the testosterone from miles away, and that people who write about their drug experiences in songs are for the most part pretty annoying, there is something about Beer Bottle Poetry that is appealingly honest and admirable. The album was recorded at Sing Sing and boasts a polished production quality, and there is no doubt these boys can play the heck out of their instruments. Ballad Of A Broken Man works as burning lament on heartbreak and All My Friends is an impressive Pogues-esque tale about getting back on your feet, a sort of love song for the people and friends who stick around when the other love fizzles out. The Boys In The Public Bar has a rousing chorus that will have the punters cheering and raising glasses, and the take on Gram Parsons’ A Song For You is really very pretty and lovely.

I’ll be honest, any band who puts pink flamingoes on an album cover is probably going to find a fan in me. Choose The Sentinel Blooze, the debut offering from Perth collective 6s & 7s, is an underwater teen dream of a record, a deliciously weird and charming lo-fi bouquet of psych pop gems that gets better and reveals more with each listen. 6s & 7s are the brainchild of musician and songwriter Josh Fontaine, and on Choose The Sentinel Blooze he is something akin to the wizard of the West Coast, leading nine of Perth’s finest musicians to conjure a record of sublime beauty and upbeat fuzz. Choose The Sentinel Blooze will befuddle many listeners on the initial listen, and is certainly not what I would call immediately accessible, but there is enough there to inspire a second listen. It’s on this second listen, and then again on the third, fourth and fifth, that the little treasures hiding beyond the cacophonous wall of sound begin to show themselves, and you start to appreciate how special this record really is. Prince Of Gold, with its use of horns, is an uplifting piece of pop paradise, and Smilin’ and Holidayz are catchy and off-beat, and will leave you longing for summer days and sunshine. At moments the record seems coated in a sheen of ’50s nostalgia, but it never becomes corny or predictable. A Velvet Coma and International Roaming Capability provide other muffled highlights. Whimsical and ambitious, Choose The Sentinel Blooze will reward listeners with its Beach Boys meets Mercury Rev meets Meddle-era Pink Floyd soundscape. While it’s definitely an oddball of a record, there’s no hiding the spot-on pop sensibilities that make this one of the most beguiling Australian releases of the year. Ned Pearse

Beer Bottle Poetry is blokey and brawling, and at times the guitar playing is so overblown the band might as well just get a ruler out and measure their dicks, but there is also a softer side of Dirt River Radio on display here, a ragged edged vulnerability that makes you want to buy them a beer. Whether or not it’s deliberate, in liking this record there is a sense that you are rooting for the underdog, and no listener can be unhappy with that. Ned Pearse

Like De Phazz, Mo Horizons, Pink Martini and so on, Zero 7 are relics of the Hotel Costes/Buddha Bar era. It is affluent lobby music; tunes to order with an outrageously overpriced cocktail or to play to your cooler-than-thou friends at your next soiree. Post-GFC, it all sounds a little too flagrant.

Record is indeed a time capsule, but perhaps they should have left it buried behind the bike shed for a few more years.

Bryget Chrisfield

There’s something gloriously teenaged and intense about Florence & The Machine, like she’s taken the emotional rollercoasters of Year 10 and had it run through a special translator that spits out Feelings™ as music. Rabbit Heart has one of those choruses that explodes out of the rest of the song in a way that equally inspires the tears of young women and men who’ve been there as it does the handclaps of those who edit triumphant slow motion sports montages. Both of which are good things.

ANIKA MOA BLAME IT ON THE RAIN EMI

Millan’s sparkling vocals positively drip with sweetness throughout, and are the perfect accompaniment to the constant, pulsing, ‘80s-inspired pop beats. Wasted Daylight uses heavy layers of cinematic synth to create a wall of sound, awash with shimmering textures and sparkling vocals, while He Dreams He’s Awake is a gothic cavalcade of drums and droning synths.

A few years back when the Euro lounge, nu jazz wave was on, Zero 7 sounded vital. However, in 2010 their collected ‘hits’ have revealed themselves to be little more than mid-tempo wallpaper. Lusciously realised, sure. Adeptly played, sequenced and arranged – yes. You could even agree with their claim to being genre-defining, but still… file under Sophisticated Elevator.

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THE JIMMY C GLAMOUR & FAME Off The Hip The Jimmy C is a long way from being a kid in Yackandandah teaching himself to play the drums and playing pub gigs underage, even if his first band did play on a bill with Spiderbait. A move to Melbourne with stints in various bands (Just, Luxedo and the none-to-shabby Fez Perez before “settling down” for the last seven years in The Devilrock Four) represents just a brief This Is Your Life for Jamie Coghill. Not resting on his laurels and with the encouragement of others, The Jimmy C was born around five ago, and, with Coghill singing, writing and playing every instrument, this truly is a solo album. There are quite a few things that stand out with this release. The most obvious is the eclectic (bordering on eccentric) collection of tracks, all brilliant in their own way, produced in that most cavalier nature that being a truly independent project can deliver. The songwriting – simple, straightforward storytelling in the most delightful way – is another feature, as is the clever musicianship across a myriad of instruments including kitchen utensils, melodica, mandolin, glockenspiel and toy piano. From the opener Come On Down Riverside, you know you are in for something special, and when Don’t Cry and Bad Wolf follow with their obvious ’60s inspiration, you also know it’s something different than the norm. There is humour displayed in the tracks Maybe Next Year, Kings In Town, the Beach Boys-esque Sunny Day Seque, You Look Like A Loser and A Man Of My Word. Most are simply beautifully crafted pop songs; I’ve Got So Much Nuthin’, Just A Fool, Ghost Of A Man, A Certain Sadness and The Back Roads To Ruin are all standouts. Make it a mission to track down and buy this album; it might just get The Jimmy C to play a live gig – if he can choose which instrument to play. The Boomeister

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TRACK BY TRACK anthemic choruses. But just as quickly as this song pulls you in, it’s over leaving the palette cleansed for the rest of the album’s new direction. Dark Side Of Love Singer Ian Kenny sounds like he’s exorcising demons here. Looking for a way to piece himself together after losing in the game of love, Kenny is backed by verses that ride an Anthony Jackson bass groove, before changing key into the chorus. A beefy, muscular guitar only drops in a couple of times to enhance its dramatic effect. This song’s power is subtler than that. The album may be more commercial, but don’t make the mistake of thinking the fire has gone.

ARTHUR CANTRILL CHROMATIC MYSTERIES: SOUNDTRACKS 1963-2009 Shamefile Music Arthur and Corrine Cantrill are two of the most influential and lasting experimental filmmakers this country has to offer. Their movies, which began as children’s puppetry films in the early ‘60s (and were sold to the ABC), eventually developed into highly idiosyncratic, at times textural, quite abstract, colourful films. Initially working with other composers and not being entirely satisfied, eventually Arthur elected to compose the films himself. His musical language is equally as experimental as his film work – perhaps more so. His palette consists of found sounds, musique concrete techniques, sonic collages, and fragments of music and radio broadcasts spliced together in a distinctly non-narrative manner. In short it’s incredibly weird, particularly given that there are no visuals to ground some of the very odd and confusing compositional decisions. As an archive of Cantrill’s compositions there’s no doubting not only the value of his work, but also the necessity to acknowledge that he is one of the premier, though perhaps unacknowledged, Australian avant-garde musicians. Even if perhaps he may not see himself in this light. It’s incredibly strange and beautiful music, the field recordings vibrant and difficult, their sounds at times discordant and uncompromising, using loops, tape cuts and all manner of primitive techniques on his tape machines. In Cantrill’s hands, sound was something to be manipulated, stretched, disfigured and distorted. Now he uses computer technology, and it sounds incredibly similar to his analogue days, emphasising his continuing desire to push both visual and sonic boundaries. Removed from the visuals we’re left with these incredible sonic pieces that do manage to stand on their own. But make no mistake, they’re standing in a very peculiar, yet quite beautiful, place. Bob Baker Fish

BIRDS OF TOKYO BIRDS OF TOKYO EMI It’s almost certain this isn’t the record a lot of people were expecting Birds Of Tokyo to drop. Three albums into their career, this Perth four-piece have well and truly shrugged off any lingering claims they’re just a ‘side project’. These 11 songs are rock on a grand scale, a massive step up for the group, ambitious enough to fill stadiums and headline festivals. But at the same time this is also some of the band’s most personal songwriting, a catharsis for a broken heart. And it’s going to sound great on radio. Plans From the very outset, it’s clear this album marks a change for Birds Of Tokyo. The intro to Plans is big but intimate at the same time; a mighty drum beat is offset by the slide of fingers on guitar strings. But when the chorus rolls around the grand scope of this album is made abundantly clear. Karni-who? This is Birds Of Tokyo stepping up to take over from Powderfinger as mainstream stadium fillers. The Saddest Thing I Know It’s no coincidence the first single off this album is the song on here that sounds the most like old Birds Of Tokyo; layered vocals and guitars that quiver and shake and tense verses that explode into big,

In The Veins Of Death Valley Even before the Broken Strings tour, Birds were messing around with strings and here they lead the charge, teaming up with the rhythm section. Though the beginning of the song is as thrilling as just about any other point on the album, the body of the song doesn’t quite manage to harness that same energy. All the pieces play out like they should and it’s a rare misstep, but once this song is let loose live, it will likely find its place. Circles The tempo drops on Circles. While other songs here use their pace or power to build momentum, Circles grows from a swirl of atmospherics. It’s a slow build as Kenny sings about trying to find yourself again when the breakdown of a relationship becomes inevitable. It’s a tender moment and a chance for listeners to catch their breath, even as the guitars swell and the song opens out. Wild At Heart The perfect response to the slow burn of Circles, Wild At Heart is the big hands-in-the-air singalong at the album’s core. It’s easy to imagine the song fitting into a live set that already includes big ticket older songs like Broken Bones, Wayside and Silhouettic. There’s a solid pop thread through the song, placing it in the company of similar landmark songs from Split Enz and Midnight Oil through to Gyroscope. Though the lyrics talk of bruising and scars, the mood is hopeful.

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The Gap The rhythm section gets to go to town on The Gap. The opening shudders and shakes – and again Jackson and drummer Adam Weston team up with a string section for the light and shade. Disarmingly personal, The Gap’s self-destructive protagonist is backed by an unlikely choir to bare his soul. It’s unexpected and it makes the heartfelt final refrain stand out on this album of break-up songs. Murmurs Murmurs is another epic. This type of song is Birds Of Tokyo at their best. Anyone uncertain with the new direction will be able to close their eyes and revel in the floor-shaking rhythms and wall of sound and be reminded why they fell in love with this talented bunch of musicians in the first place. If rock music is supposed to get your blood beating a bit faster, then Murmurs will certainly get that job done. The Unspeakable Scene This is the one moment on the album when Birds Of Tokyo sound less like themselves and more like their influences; in this case, Silverchair (not a bad influence as far as these things go), where at least they’ve distilled all the best eras of the ‘Chair into their one falsetto moment. And they give the song such a kick – the strings in particular – that it’s easy to forgive them their one indulgence. Waiting For The Wolves The album’s last big-ticket rocker, Waiting For The Wolves combines a little of the new Birds with the spirit of the old. The heart-pounding energy is there coming from Weston’s blisteringly tight drumming while Jackson’s bass is front and centre, but there’s also the squall of guitars and the subtle influence of strings lying underneath. If The Ship Sinks (I Give In) The album’s closer is a slight shift in mood. With all the hallmarks of a thumping rocker, the song gives in about halfway through to embrace quieter tendencies. It’s a graceful way to let the album gently drift off – piano and strings take the place of any amplified instruments and Birds Of Tokyo’s transformation into mainstream rockers is complete. Danielle O’Donohue

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INSIDE:

WEDNESDAY 21ST JULY 2010

NEW YOUNG LADY PONY CLUB CHANN

SCUBA NAPT

O G F L AVA S THE ROOTS

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ADAM ASKEW / DJ BOOSHANK / PETER BAKER / PAZ / MISS BUTT / JUMBO

PIMP MY PIZZA 2010 SIMPLY VISIT FACEBOOK.COM/LUCKYBIMBO AND FOLLOW THE LINKS TO PIMP MY PIZZA. WE'VE PIMPED A VIDEO FOR YOU TO WATCH COMPLETE WITH ENTRY INSTRUCTIONS.

AND SPECIAL GUESTS EVERY WEEK PLAYING DISCO & HOUSE IF YOU'RE LUCKY, WE'LL HELP YOU SELL YOUR OWN DESIGN! WIN A SPOT ON OUR MENU FOR 3 MONTHS + ROYALTIES + HELP A CHARITY OF YOUR CHOICE!

UPSTAIRS / 9PM – 3AM / FREE ENTRY CRN CHAPEL & HIGH ST WINDSOR WWW.LUCKYCOQ.COM.AU

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9 2 RS U TH

S VE A E GR MENT R HA RCH FOX T A IN R. CL AY M IC M TLER DS AST BU IAN . N I T R L M ST L A FAN B TAH SE

Sim Simon S mon Slie Slieker eker Mo Ichi Freya + Mish’Chief [instinct] Katie Drover Shane Copal

2 Zebra Magazine

D Darren C Coburn Cobu urn Jiimi Da Jimi Danger ngerr Silverfox Zanna MixaMatosis

GIV Every Friday E F id from f 8pm 8 No Cover Charge. Ever. Cnr Brunswick St. & Rose St. Fitzroy VIC

D AN ! S ! L CIA KERS E P S K S WHI AU N M. I T O R S T C E D R BE EL. T LIS T G O ES HU S FO GH GU DO Y Y R A N FO AW KIN O INF

155 High Street, Kew, Victoria 3101 Ph 03 9853 8023 Fax 03 9853 3080 Email info@skinnydoghotel.com.au

Zebra Magazine 3

AGORIA

CE M EN UN

JULY

been whipping up P ucer/DJ Lee Coombs has Prod 20 years. Although dan d cefloor frenzies for more than role in the key a ing play for rded rega ly wide w nt, Coombs always eme mov ks brea the of ent deve d lopm remixes going and s tune t lates the on has h his hands producer mates his from him to ded arou a nd; often han Light & Dark his , 2009 In . just j hours before his sets k in this mag and now album received album of the wee d for release later this Ligh L t & Dark Remixed is schedule Thursday 19 August on ge Loun hit will mbs Coo month. oor belters. to give us a taste of these dancefl

TS BILLION DOLLAR BEAthre e-CD set mixed

Billion Dollar House Party is a ican has been by Deekline (whose track The Mex and Knote Ajax featured regularly on Triple J), brate this release, (hosted by KillaQueenz). To cele Dollar House n Billio from es tativ esen repr various near you. The party Party will shake up a dancefloor on Saturday 14 ge hits Geelong’s Blue Martini Loun Deekline and Ajax August with Killaqueenz and then August. will rock Inflation on Friday 20

SEE MELBOURNE IN 3Dd-focus, standalone dance

AUGUST

DELPHIC - Aug 1, Corner Hotel GOLDFRAPP - Aug 3, Palace Theatre K-OS - Aug 3, Prince Bandroom MIIKE SNOW - Aug 3, Hi-Fi Bar MIIKE SNOW (KARLSSON & WINNBERG DJ SETS) - Aug 3, New Guernica LATE NIGHT DATE: DOUSTER - Aug 6, Roxanne Parlour OZI BATLA - Aug 6, Northcote Social Club TOO MUCH: RAMADANMAN - Aug 7, Mercat Cross A TRIBE CALLED QUEST, DJ MASEO - Aug 12, Festival Hall PVT - Aug 12, Corner Hotel DJ MASEO - Aug 12, Roxanne Parlour LIBERATE: JOHN 00 FLEMING, MIKE, TRITONAL - Aug 13, Brown Alley BLISS N ESO - Aug 13, Palace Theatre DIRTY SOUTH, TV ROCK, RUDY - Aug 13, Prince Bandroom KOOL KEITH, DJ MASEO, DIALECT & DESPAIR - Aug 13, The Espy MELBOURNE TECHNO COLLECTIVE: DJ DEVIOUS - Aug 13, Deep Eleven VOLTAGE: HUORATRON - Aug 13, Roxanne Parlour M-PHAZES, MANTRA, NINE HIGH - Aug 13, Karova Lounge SHARKSLAYER, MIGHTY FOOLS, NEOTERIC, BEATACUE - Aug 14, The Espy SUPER DISCO: KIDDA - Aug 14, Prince Bandroom RICHARD VISSION - Aug 14, Fusion/Crown Casino M-PHAZES, MUPH, MANTRA, NINE HIGH - Aug 14, Westernport Hotel LEE COOMBS - Aug 19, Lounge M-PHAZES, THE OPTIMEN, MUPH, PHRASE, ILLY & MORE - Aug 20, The Espy DEEKLINE, AJAX - Aug 20, Inflations HEAVY INNIT!! SECOND ANNIVERSARY - Aug 21, The Order Of Melbourne

SEPTEMBER

THE LIKES OF YOU: MARC ROMBOY, AGORIA, CHEZ DAMIER, SUPER FLU - Sep 3, Venue TBC PETER HORREVORTS - Sep 4, Miss Libertine HORRORSHOW, SETH SENTRY - Sep 10, East Brunswick Club BUCK 65 - Sep 16, Corner Hotel SUNNY: LEE BURRIDGE - Sep 17, Brown Alley KATCHAFIRE, THE RED EYES - Sep 19, Corner Hotel CYPRESS HILL - Sep 23, Palace Theatre

OCTOBER

PARKLIFE: MISSY ELLIOTT, GROOVE ARMADA, SOULWAX, MIX MASTER MIKE, GRUM, DELOREAN, CUT COPY AND MORE - Oct 2, Sidney Myer Music Bowl and King’s Domain GODSKITCHEN: ANDY MOOR, JOHN O’CALLAGHAN, MARCEL WOODS, WIPPENBERG - Oct 9, Venue TBC SAGE FRANCIS, B.DOLAN - Oct 15, The Forum SUPERPITCHER - Oct 23, New Guernica

4 Zebra Magazine

NOVEMBER

PENDULUM - Nov 1, Festival Hall JASON DERÜLO - Nov 5, Festival Hall JASON DERÜLO - Nov 6, Festival Hall

DECEMBER

STEREOSONIC: TIËSTO - Dec 4, Venue TBC

Maseo, one third of De Ta Vincent Mason, (AKA DJ Take netic MCs founder Kool La Soul), pair him with Ultramag Dialect & Despair ans trali Aus th Sou in w thro Keit Ke h, and you have a night ex) Vort The m, albu r thei g (laun (la chin Espy. Tickets through the at ust Aug 13 y not no to miss. Frida ets. outl Oztix espy es .com.au and all

STAGGER LEE S

BOB - Jul 21, Billboard M-PHAZES, MANTRA, ILLY - Jul 22, Roi Bar AGAINST THE GRAIN 2ND BIRTHDAY: AQUASKY, NAPT, POE DE PITTIE, SKOOL OF THOUGHT - Jul 23, Brown Alley TRANCE NATION: TYDI, MARLO - Jul 23, Billboard LADY CHANN, KILLAQUEENZ - Jul 23, The Espy LAB: PABLO CAHN - Jul 23, Secret Warehouse Location LOWRIDER - Jul 23, Westernport Hotel LOWRIDER - Jul 24, Corner Hotel THE OPERATIVES: RAS G, SCUBA, LOGISTICS & TOTAL ECLIPSE - Jul 24, Roxanne Parlour DEADBEAT - Jul 24, Mercat Cross THE LIKES OF YOU: JAMES HOLDEN - Jul 25, Royal Melbourne Hotel SCISSOR SISTERS - Jul 26, Festival Hall LCD SOUNDSYSTEM, HOT CHIP - Jul 29, Festival Hall WINTERBEATZ 2010: BIG BOI, FATMAN SCOOP, NE-YO, T-PAIN - Jul 29, Rod Laver Arena JODY WISTERNOFF - Jul 30, Brown Alley ORKESTRATED - Jul 30, Roxanne Parlour TENNESSEE THOMAS (THE LIKE DJ SET) - Jul 30, The Espy MAMMOTH: OPIUO, SPOONBILL, EDITOR - Jul 31, Hi-Fi Bar PRESSURE DROP: TRIBE OF KINGS - Jul 31, The Johnston

TOURING DATES

HIP HOP HOORAY HI

RESTORE THE BALA

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got in the year but an Icelandic volcano coming this to tour our shores earlier this pen led hap edu sch now will was es ria seri Ago French techno wizard addition to the Balance r to celebrate his stunning and Super Flu on Friday 3 boy, Agoria, Chez Damier way. Agoria’s Australian tou Rom rc Ma with You Of s Like September. Agoria plays The September.

THIS WEEK BOB @ BILLBOARD THE VENUE BoB is bringing his Adventures Of Bobby Ray down under in July for two shows only. Dubbed “the new face of hip hop” and “a rock star in disguise” by MTV UK, BoB, (AKA Bobby Ray) also sings and plays instruments. In the words of our sista publication, 3D World, BoB is “a little bit OutKast and a whole lot of Kanye West”. This Wednesday. Doors 7.30-11.45pm. Tickets $53+BF through Moshtix and billboardthevenue.com.au.

LADY CHANN & MOTLEY @ THE ESPY The UK’s number one dancehall queen Chanelle Williams (AKA Lady Chann) has been part of North West London’s vibrant Suncycle crew since its conception and now she’s branching out alone and bringing her unique talent our way. Lady Chann hits the Espy this Friday with support from Sydney duo Killa Queenz, Motley (UK) and locals Fraksha, Mat Cant, Affiks and Mamasita Bonnita. Tickets

available now from espy.com.au and all Oztix outlets.

PABLO CAHN @ WAREHOUSE PARTY The Pablo Cahn Warehouse Party will take place this Friday at 33 Steel Street, North Melbourne. Cahn (Cadenza, 8bit) will be joined by Uone, Camilo, Scott Dickson, Alex Anderson and Ryan Beck. 10pm-early morning. Tickets $20/$15 pre-sale.

MINISTRY OF SOUND TRANCE NATION 2010 TOUR @ BILLBOARD THE VENUE After a long hiatus in the genre, Ministry Of Sound returned to the fore of trance in 2009 with Trance Nation, a two-CD collection and tour. Now 2010 sees this hugely popular release return to shelves and clubs around the country once again with Trance Nation Vol 2. TyDi and Dutch-born MaRLo are assuming touring duties. This Friday from 10pm-3am. Pre-sale tickets $25+BF through billboardthevenue. com.au.

AGAINST THE GRAIN SECOND BIRTHDAY @ BROWN ALLEY If you haven’t heard a NAPT beat then you don’t know what you’ve

You wanted a high-quality, broa in Melbourne? You got music and hip hop publication World launches a local 3D bible bing club ey’s it – Sydn weeks ago Street Six ust. Aug 11 ay edition Wednesd ey had known Sydn as ld Wor 3D Press Australia gave l, with its hau over sive mas a it for over two decades remaining intact but an trademark focus on club culture ugh the weekly Lure added emphasis on fashion (thro gy and lifestyle. What nolo tech TV, & lm fi el, trav section), Zebra will be put ess? Inpr and a Zebr for n does this mea bourne writers Mel our with , dock pad out to the spelling l coverage loca of lity qua the re joining Team 3D to ensu e the Zebra pages will remains the same as always, whil icated to expanding ded be handed back to Inpress and and international rock its already stellar local, national ted. exci Get . wins y ybod coverage. Ever

been missing out on. The architects of N-Funk, NAPT are a DJ duo comprising Ashley Pope and Tomek Naden. Catch them at Brown Alley this Friday for Against The Grain’s second birthday featuring the Brit quadrella of NAPT, Aquasky (old school breaks set), Peo De Pittie and Skool Of Thought. Early bird tickets are $25+BF from brownalley.com and Inthemix.

ESPIONAGE @ ROXANNE PARLOUR Operatives Scuba (head honcho of Hotflush), Ras G (Brainfeeder/Poo-bah Activist), Logistics (Hospital/Medic), Total Eclipse (X-Ecutioner/Sniper) have all come together for one very special mission – to create musical espionage over three areas alongside local members Martin L & Declan Kelly, Dust A13, Fiend, JPS VS Nam Hooves, Cloud Speaker, Matt Radovich, Galapagoose and Fugitive. This Saturday at Roxanne Parlour. Doors 10pm. Tickets $30+BF (early bird) through Moshtix/$38 on the door.

JAMES HOLDEN @ ROYAL MELBOURNE HOTEL James Holden may not be a household name, but to fans of adventurous, progressive electronic sounds, the British techno sorcerer

is a renowned genius. Head of the Border Community imprint, Holden can count himself among that very modern breed of DJ with a special knack for layering the most surprising of records with an unparalleled musical ear. Check Holden out this Sunday at Royal Melbourne Hotel when he launches his contribution to the DJ-Kicks mix CD series.

UPCOMING WINTERBEATZ @ ROD LAVER ARENA Winterbeatz 2010 featuring urban superstar Ne-Yo, Grammy Awardwinning artist T-Pain, local duo Phinesse and Australia’s DJ Nino Brown is heading our way. Not only has Ne-Yo had huge success in his own right, he has also written smash hits for a plethora of artists including one of the highest selling singles of 2006/2007, Irreplaceable by Beyoncé. Let T-Pain Buy You A Drank at the after-party. Just added: Big Boi from OutKast, and the party-king hypeman, Fatman Scoop. Thursday 29 July at Rod Laver Arena. Tickets through Ticketek.

YEASAYER @ THE PRINCE Yeasayer with special guests. Thursday 29 July. Doors 8pm (sold out). Tickets are still available to their second show (with no supports). Doors 11.15pm. Tickets $45+BF through handsometours. com, Polyester Records, Greville Records, the Prince Public Bar or princebandroom.com.au.

JODY WISTERNOFF @ BROWN ALLEY Jody Wisternoff’s influence and contribution to dance music cannot be overstated. Between breaking through to the DMC Hip Hop finals as a fresh-faced 13-year-old in 1986 to putting the finishing touches on his band’s fourth studio album in 2008, a lot has happened. His early ‘90s act Sub Love was one of the largest draws on the UK rave festival circuit and his hook up with Bristol DJ Nick Warren in 1994 gave us Way Out West. That’s plenty of reasons right there for you to head to Brown Alley on Friday 30 July.

TENNESSEE THOMAS (DJ SET) @ THE ESPY LA Indie darlings The Like are making their way to our shores supporting The Strokes on their upcoming East Coast dates this month. As a treat to Melbourne fans, drummer and founding member Tennessee Thomas will be playing a DJ set in the Espy front bar on Friday 30 July. Inspired by ‘60s sounds, soul, British Invasion, freak beat and more, Thomas will be spinning her own personal favourites, kicking on directly after The Strokes set at Festival Hall. Free entry, Thomas hits the decks at midnight.

City Queens dance crew, this is set to be one hell of a party. Saturday 31 July, 10pm-3am; $5 before 11pm/$10 after.

number of shows worldwide, one of which is scheduled for Melbourne. Thursday 12 August (all ages). Tickets through Ticketmaster.

MAMMOTH @ HI-FI

K-OS @ THE PRINCE

On Saturday 31 July, the Hi-Fi will play host to a quadruple launch event for Opiuo’s debut album (Slurp And Giggle), Spoonbill’s new Airborne EP, Editor’s new Inter-terrestrial EP and the debut Niceface show. All live performances will feature a variety of guest artists and support comes from Sun:monx , DJ Pedro, VJs and performers. Expect a truly mammoth night of futuristic fat wonk and wobble. Pre-sale tickets $28+BF from thehifi.com. au or Polyester Records. Doors 10pm-late.

Trinidad-born, Toronto-raised musician/MC/producer k-os (also known as Kheaven Brereton) has enjoyed much acclaim from his fourth studio album Yes!, featuring guest appearances from Emily Haines of Metric and Murray Lightburn of The Dears. If you missed out on Splendour tickets, you can catch the k-os sideshow at the Prince on Tuesday 3 August. Tickets through Ticketek or princebandroom.com.au.

DELPHIC @ THE CORNER Delphic return to our shores for the sold out Splendour In The Grass festival but don’t panic if you didn’t score tickets to that one ‘cause a sideshow is being factored into their itinerary. These torchbearers of the new Madchester called over here for a quick East Coast visit March just gone and loved us so much they will return to Melbz on Sunday 1 August. Doors 8pm. Tickets $35+BF through Corner Box Office (11am-8pm, Monday-Saturday) or cornerhotel.com.

PASSION PIT @ THE PRINCE

PRESSURE DROP @ THE JOHNSTON

Passion Pit with The Joy Formidable (UK) and Rat Vs Possum. Wednesday 4 August. Doors 8pm. Tickets $66+BF from Ticketmaster, the Prince Public Bar (12-10pm, seven days) or through princebandroom.com.au.

Pressure Drop returns to the Johnston in July for a massive reggae and dancehall instalment with very special guests, The Tribe Of Kings (USA) performing their only Melbourne show. Hailing from the Californian coast of sunny San Diego, The Tribe Of Kings (TOK) are returning to Melbourne for the fourth consecutive year. Hosted by Sista Itations with MC Riff-Raph, Nich Power, Sista Raquellina and the Burn

A Tribe Called Quest will be touching down in August for their first Australian tour. Featuring all the original members – Q-Tip, Phife Dawg and DJ Ali Shaheed Muhammad – A Tribe Called Quest are celebrating the 20th anniversary of their debut album, People’s Instinctive Travels And The Paths Of Rhythm, with a select

A TRIBE CALLED QUEST @ FESTIVAL HALL

BLISS N ESO @ THE PALACE Bliss N Eso’s highly anticipated fourth studio album, Running On Air, will be released on 30 July. In its wake, their Down By The River tour will tear through capital cities throughout August with special guests Diafrix and Mind Over Matter. It’s Melbourne’s turn to catch the hip hop trio on Friday 13 August. Tickets on sale now through Ticketek and Oztix.

SWEAT IT OUT @ ROXANNE PARLOUR

harder than anything you’ll hear in the near future. Huoratron will melt your face off, record the sound that it makes, chop that sound up and then turn it into a bass line. Support from Redial, Distrakt, Trumpdisco, Zayler, Aress, Death By Disco, MYM, Glass Mirrors, Mr Wolf, Dom Dolla Vs Vedran, Raff Vs Jay Wesley, Concept and Astral Project. Friday 13 August. Doors 10pm. Tickets $20 (early bird) through Moshtix/more on the door.

about performance at Stereosonic last year and is best known for dropping house beats as well as his own summery tracks, Kidda is not only a world renowned DJ but also a music producer, remixer, songwriter, animator, director, columnist and graphic artist. Saturday 14 August. Doors 9pm6am. Entry $20/$15 (student ID/ before 11pm).

LIBERATE @ BROWN ALLEY

The second installment of Scatterfest brings you Sharkslayer (Finland), Mighty Fools (Netherlands), Neoteric (Canada), Beataucue (France) and Kidda (UK) plus local representatives Wax Motif, Act Yo Age, Congo Tardis #1, Slap & Dash, Mat Cant, Lewis CanCut, Mu Gen and Scattermish. Across multiple rooms at the Espy on Saturday 14 August. Tickets available through espy.com.au and all Oztix outlets.

Liberate featuring Jon ‘00’ Fleming is proudly presented by Street Press Australia. The event will take in Melbourne on Friday 13 August with a massive, extended four-hour set from Fleming as well as MIKE launching his upcoming album New York City Lights and the first ever Australian tour of trance newcomers, Tritonal. Tickets through Inthemix and onsideentertainment.com.

DIRTY SOUTH @ THE PRINCE Dirty South featuring TV Rock and Rudy (live). Friday 13 August. Doors 9pm. Tickets $30+BF through princebandroom.com.au.

The first ever Sweat It Out party in Melbourne features an international guest from France: Douster (Mad Decent, ZZK). Douster carves his own fluid borders mixing wild samples from all different Latin funk styles with raw beats. Ajax!, Yolanda Be Cool and Pablo Calamari will all be heading along representing Sydney. Local support comes from Mugen, Matt Cant, Kris Baha, 1928 & Sleeves, Vinnie Van Go!, Jheasy, Popacap, Marco Polo, Glass Mirrors, Airwolf and WTRS. Friday 6 August at Roxanne Parlour. First release tickets $25+BF available through Ticketmaster.

RICHARD VISSION @ FUSION

HUORATRON @ ROXANNE PARLOUR

Kidda (UK) is set to perform at Melbourne’s new Saturday club night, Super Disco at Prince Bandroom with more acts to be announced. Brighton boy Kidda (AKA Steve McGregor) returns to our shores following his still-talked-

Finnish electro slayer and dark overlord Huoratron knows what invigorating electronic music is. His Corporate Occult will haunt you and harm you. It also happens to bang

Producer/remixer Richard Vission is considered to be an A-list remixer with a long list of chart topping clients such as Madonna, Timbaland, Prince, Weezer and Radiohead. His new single – I Like That with Static Revenger starring Luciana – has gone double platinum in Australia and was the number one requested video on MTV. Vission has played at Madonna’s private birthday party in her back yard for 64 people and will grace the Fusion (Crown Casino) decks on Saturday 14 August.

KIDDA @ THE PRINCE

SCATTERFEST II @ THE ESPY

M-PHAZES @ THE ESPY GERSHWIN ROOM M-Phazes is heading out on a national tour and is bringing some of his mates along for the ride. The M-Phazes show delivers live remixes and exclusive sneak peaks at upcoming releases. Various guests from his Good Gracious album will also get involved. On selected dates, Mantra will be launching his album Power Of The Spoken. The madness hits the Espy front bar on Friday 20 August with support from Muph, Phrase, Illy, Mantra, Nine High, Candice Monique and Dutch (Sydney).

THE OPTIMEN @ THE ESPY Following on from the release of their second album The Out Of Money Experience in April, Brisbane’s The Optimen are hitting the road this July/August and taking their tunes to the nation on the official album launch tour. Friday.20 August.

SUNNY @ BROWN ALLEY It’s been two long years since dance music renegade Lee Burridge last gave Australia a working over,

but this September we’ll get our fix once more. The DJ has been locked in by Melbourne institution Sunny and will play alongside Phil K, Gavin Keitel, Rollin Connection, Ozzie LA plus more on Friday 17 September. Also, Arno (Pando) has caused mayhem over the years at Sunny and has his own outdoor playpen to run wild in as he celebrates his 40th. To help the tripper lose the plot even further, Toupee, Cecille, Mo ichi, Simon Slieker, Jamie Stevens, mystery guest (sunrise set) and Luke Mc D will also be on deck at Pando’s outdoor parlour. 10pm-10am.

PARKLIFE @ SIDNEY MYER BOW & KINGS DOMAIN Parklife have rolled out the big guns for their tenth anniversary line-up – run for cover, muthafucker! Missy Elliott, Groove Armada, Soulwax, Holy Ghost!, Kele, Busy P, Memory Tapes, Cut Copy, Midnight Juggernauts, Uffie, Delorean, Darwin Deez, Ou Est Le Swimming Pool and Sinden plus many more. Missy Elliott is bringing a 27-strong, all dancing entourage and a brand new album! This year Parklife Melbourne moves to Sidney Myer Bowl and Kings Domain, with more grass, more trees and more space. Mark Saturday 2 October in the diary. Tickets through parklife.com. au if still available.

GODSKITCHEN @ VENUE TBA Australia’s trance beacon and superclub, Godksitchen, is returning to deliver another monumental party experience, this time in 3D. That’s right, you get to hide your munted peepers behind 3D glasses to experience multimedia presentations that are sure to give you an excuse to ‘accidentally’ stroke that hottie’s face/arse. Featuring an angelic line-up of trance luminaries including Andy Moor, John O’Callaghan, Marcel Woods, Wippenberg and many more, Australian dance fans can expect to have all of their prayers answered on Saturday 9 October. Tickets through Ticketek.

Zebra Magazine 5

BE N

DUMMIESâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; GUIDE TO

BALANCE 005

VARIOUS/ JAMES HOLDEN Balance 005

MOVING FORWARD

JAMES HOLDEN HAS BEEN UNFAIRLY PROCLAIMED AS THE JD SALINGER OF THE DANCE MUSIC WORLD â&#x20AC;&#x201C; BEGINNING WITH A BLISTERING OPENING SALVO THAT ANNOUNCED HIS AMAZING TALENT, YET THEN FALLING SOMEWHAT INTO OBSCURITY. THE BORDER COMMUNITY FIGUREHEAD TALKS ABOUT HIS LEGENDARY BALANCE 005 MIX, THE GRADUAL EVOLUTION OF HIS SOUND, AND HIS RETURN VIA THE DJ-KICKS SERIES. JAMES HOLDEN PLAYS THE LIKES OF YOU AT ROYAL MELBOURNE HOTEL THIS SUNDAY (4PM). DJ-KICKS IS OUT THROUGH !K7/INERTIA. he immensely intelligent and original James Holden has enjoyed a unique place in dance music, his productions and remixes being constantly hailed as some of the most innovative around. Perhaps this constant speed of innovation has left some fans wanting to linger rather than keep pace. In 1999 Holden found himself studying mathematics at Oxford University and making some incredible music on his PC. Signed to Silver Planet Records and having the ear of Nick Warren, Holden proceeded to dazzle all with innovative trance records. Launching the Border Community imprint and then continuing to take things leftfield, he departed into glorious dreamy melodic techno, with a stable of artists that kept upping the ante in terms of experimentalism. His tune Nothing remains an anthem of the early â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;00s. He also managed to remix Depeche Mode, New Order, Madonna and Britney Spears along the way. However it was a double disc DJ mix for the Balance compilation series in 2003 that saw him gain the most plaudits. Balance 005 has been hailed as a masterpiece, one of the most breathtaking DJ mixes ever done, and is regularly spoken of as being among the best dance CDs ever, period. Mixing trance, techno, electro and more with an experimental nature not seen before in most of its predecessors, Holden captured so many different feelings in one mix, yet the flow was cohesive and flawless. Because the Balance series was at the time associated closely with the progressive house world, Holden became championed by that scene. It was to later work against him when he began playing a more minimal, glitchy techno sound. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Well some of them held me up as a champion and some of them hated me,â&#x20AC;? Holden says. Surprisingly, he still holds the Balance mix in high regard. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I can still listen to that and am still quite pleased with it. It comes up on random play in the house sometimes and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m quite happy to hear those songs again. I feel like this oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s (DJ-Kicks) a lot better, maybe in ways that to me are important. For some people, it (Balance) will be the moment in time

â&#x20AC;&#x153;

I FEEL LIKE THIS ONEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S (DJ-KICKS) A LOT BETTER, MAYBE IN WAYS THAT TO ME ARE IMPORTANT. FOR SOME PEOPLE, IT (BALANCE) WILL BE THE MOMENT IN TIME THAT THEY WANT TO STOP WITH, BUT I HAVE TO BE SOMETHING ELSE, DONâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;T I? I CANâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;T BE DOING THE SAME THING FOREVER.â&#x20AC;? that they want to stop with, but I have to be something else, donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t I? I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be doing the same thing forever.â&#x20AC;? Holden is touring Australia to promote his DJ-Kicks mix, the latest in what is probably dance musicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s longest and most unassuming mix series. The mix is a fusion of the Holdenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s everburgeoning eclecticism, mixing genres and tunes with decades of difference. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They approached me,â&#x20AC;? explains Holden of the company, K7â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, decision to pick him. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was kinda funny because we were talking about it two months before, saying, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the only compilation series still worth doing, thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the only one with a point, and a history,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; then the email came straight after that!â&#x20AC;? Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s interesting to note Holdenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s take on what has become of dance music compilations. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I mean the Balance series is still going really strong,â&#x20AC;? Holden observes. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve had some

really impressive things, and they have an identity and a point. And the ones that are interesting are the ones that arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t a club mix, because now everybody can download millions of club-style mixes recorded straight from the mixer in the club. Personally I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really understand why somebody would want to listen to something recorded directly from the mixer of a club unless theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re in the club at the particular moment as it was happening. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a performance for one moment; taken away from the big sound system, taken away from the atmosphere, and [listened to] on your iPod. Why are you wasting your time? Listen to a proper album!â&#x20AC;? Fan sentimentality aside, Holden seems ready to reintroduce himself to the dance music world. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a cracking remix for Caribou that heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just finished, and heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s working on a new artist album. As well, his Border

(EQ/Stomp), 2003. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s regarded as one of the premier mixes of the past decade. There is fierce argument amongst purists over whether they prefer disc one or two, for both are equally spellbinding. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s James Holdenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Balance 005. Put together when Holden was hotter than hot in 2003, the fifth instalment in the Balance series utilised a UK DJ and producer for the first time since the seriesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; inception. Holden decided to bring his typically broad musical tastes to bear on the mix, painting with an amazing palette of sounds that ran the gamut from proper electro through trance, techno, breaks, progressive house and ambient weirdness. At that stage of the game Holden was able to unleash a gaggle of unreleased productions from his producer mates, some of whom were destined for bigger things â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Luke Chable and Kosmas Epsilon amongst them. Of course, the way Holden stitches the tracks together is mesmerising; some tracks simply melt into each other, whilst other transitions provide an incredible energy lift or sharp contrast. His overwhelming eye as a producer sees placement of segments of tracks with a method most DJs wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have employed. This made both mixes utterly fresh. There remains an incredible sense of occasion on listening to Balance 005. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Epicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; is an overused term of reference these days â&#x20AC;&#x201C; but it is utterly appropriate. The moment The MFAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s The Difference It Makes kicks in on disc one, listeners should strap themselves in tight. Avus Your Body melts into Kosmas Epsilonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s unreleased remix of FC Kahunaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hayling on disc two and by the time Epsilon 9â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Lifeformation is dropped near the end of the mix, you can imagine utter dancefloor devastation being caused. A landmark mix that can be repeatedly listened to and still stands up today, Balance 005 deserves its place amongst the upper echelons of dance music releases of the past decade â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and indeed all time.

Community label is ready to fire off EPs from Avus and Margot, plus an album from new sensation Luke Abbot. It appears we may yet be dazzled by more Holden brilliance once the dust has settled around DJ-Kicks. As for the process of putting the DJ-Kicks mix itself together, it was relatively simple. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I just collected stuff that I thought went together,â&#x20AC;? Holden states. â&#x20AC;&#x153;At home we listen to everything on a server on random play. Whenever something comes up that I like I pulled it aside and put it in my folder for DJing. I just went through that and everything I thought was amazing for the last little while and it all sort of goes together. To me it all sounds the same, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the same sort of feeling or rhythmic identity or [has] the same sort of spirit to it. It doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really matter that itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s different genres. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s quite inspirational at the moment in England. The Caribou album, and the Four Tet album, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s such a positive thing, these people from completely outside dance music have made records you can dance to, but theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not made out of the clichĂŠs that dance music is made out of. Then you have people on the edge of dubstep, people like Zomby... they are loosely dubstep, but really theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re breaking out of that. Dance music is a bit â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;tradâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; now. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been around 30 years now at least. I think the people who are pushing against that, who are working on the edges, are making really interesting stuff now.â&#x20AC;? Holdenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s musical education and unending thirst for fresh music has continued, unabated. â&#x20AC;&#x153;As I keep getting older I realise thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s more and more and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m never going to catch up with it!â&#x20AC;? he laughs. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This week Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve just realised I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have anything by The Cure and Weather Report. Last week I discovered Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark, who I wrote off as a teenager as being old peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s music. Actually itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s really perfect and thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s stuff I can play out off the album.â&#x20AC;? Always putting a unique twist on whatever he touches, stylistically Holden has often struggled: he wanted to move forward, but his fans wanted him to remain standing still. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The very first things people knew me for werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really a very accurate reflection of me,â&#x20AC;? Holden ventures. â&#x20AC;&#x153;My first record got signed, and then I got stuck on that record label. At the time I was into everything. Gradually I reasserted what I was actually into. Some people have said itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wrong that my sound has changed a lot. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m surprised that they think it changed at all. I played one of my first remixes recently, Joshua Ryanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Pistolwhip. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not as well produced, but it fits in. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been playing Innerspace which is one of the first singles that came out, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve just been playing that continuously in my sets since I did it. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s always fitted into the sets. The perception that Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve changed a lot surprises me sometimes.â&#x20AC;?

INPRESS IS SEEKING A FULL TIME ADVERTISING JUNIOR SALES EXECUTIVE TO JOIN OUR ZEBRA TEAM. We are looking for an outgoing person with a real passion for the local dance and club scene â&#x20AC;&#x201C; no experience necessary providing you can bring great communication skills and high energy the table! THE SUCCESSFUL APPLICANT WILL HAVE: s 4HE ABILITY TO WORK WITHIN A HIGHLY DRIVEN TEAM s ! DESIRE AND CAPACITY TO MEET REQUIRED SALES TARGETS s 3TRONG ORGANIZATION AND TIME MANAGEMENT SKILLS

s !N EYE FOR IDENTIFYING OPPORTUNITIES AND THE CREATIVITY TO HELP STEER :EBRA FORWARD s 4HE ABILITY TO WORK AUTONOMOUSLY

Please email your application and CV to leigh@streetpress.com.au 6 Zebra Magazine

Zebra Magazine 7

BY EV STU AN AR S T

PHILADELPHIA FREEDOM DIMITRI FROM PARIS HAS TEMPORARILY FORGONE HIS UNDENIABLY SUAVE FRENCH EDGE TO PUT THE SPOTLIGHT ON THE TIMELESS DISCO ERA OF PHILADELPHIA. GET DOWN WITH THE PHILLY SOUND IS OUT THROUGH BBE/INERTIA.

imitri From Paris wants us to Get Down With The Philly Sound. Born Dimitris Yerasimos, the conventional view of the Frenchman is parallel to a James Bond-like character, fitted out in tuxedo while sipping a Martini. With a touch of style, a lot of substance and a little bit of love, Yerasimos has carved out an international standing as a captain of disco. “I’d put it down to longevity that gives me the title of captain or leading man. The last five to six years a lot of younger guys have been into disco and have created the nu-disco sound. I’m just happy not to be on my own anymore,” he laughs. Despite the changes to electronic music, Yerasimos has remained true to his word. Moreover, he’s remained true to his sound. The Frenchman’s continued to produce disco and funk records despite whatever fad is happening around him. It’s not that he’s uncertain about other genres – he’s just persistent on doing what he does

best. “Electro becomes dead after a while,” he says. “It’s because it’s squeezed out of a computer box and it becomes really tiring. It’s really hard to get the human factor into an electro production. Disco, like rock’n’roll, has the soul of the people who play it. If you hear a disco record from start to end it has many variations.” But don’t be hasty in tagging the Frenchman. Listen to a few of his remixes and he shows a different, more evolutionary, side to his music. Remarkably, the Parisian’s been in the business for 25 years. He started DJing via the Parisian pirate radio scene before championing house music all over France. He’s been established as a cult figure. “I love the challenge of having things to discover and then being able to pass them on. My first goal as a DJ was to pass on the music I like. The challenge now is actually far bigger, particularly with electro. Passing on the groove is a constant challenge,” he tells.

BEHIND THE MASK INFLUENTIAL BASS MUSIC LABEL HEAD, MULTI-ALIAS PRODUCER, PROMOTER OF BERLIN’S BIGGEST BASS NIGHT, AND A RELENTLESS GLOBAL TOURER – ALL IN A LONG DAY’S WORK FOR PAUL ROSE, AKA SCUBA. SCUBA PLAYS ESPIONAGE AT ROXANNE PARLOUR THIS SATURDAY.

hen Zebra finally catches up with globetrotting Paul Rose, he’s just touched down in Auckland ahead of his second Antipodean tour. Rose has spent quite a few years now residing in Berlin and last weekend his club night Sub:stance celebrated its second anniversary across two venues with a line-up featuring Mala, Appleblim, Monolake, Mount Kimbie and MJ Cole. “It was a great night,” Rose says. “I really enjoyed it. I played two hours upstairs in Panorama Bar, which was the first time I’d played up there, and the last three hours in Berghain which was up ‘til 9.30am! The music has progressed in the two years since we started doing it, but the vibe has been pretty much the same all the way through. It’s the gig I always

8 Zebra Magazine

look forward to; it’s completely different to anything else.” Berlin has a rich electronic music legacy that is hard to ignore when listening to Rose’s work, both as Scuba and as his more techno-orientated alias SCB. As he explains, “I’ve always been influenced by what people see as ‘Berlin music’ so although obviously you can’t help but be influenced by your surroundings, I don’t think it’s been as much of a big thing as some people seem to think. Since we’ve been doing the night there have been a lot more bass music nights happening and other big clubs trying to do a similar kind of thing. But as a city it’s still very much focused on house, and I mean proper house music – the minimal thing is completely dead in Berlin. There’s

Yerasimos has relied on limited marketing, restricted funds and has released music via independent labels. His history is rooted in ‘70s funk and disco, which he says is the music that started today’s house music faction. He’s also diverse. Yerasimos has produced soundtracks for Chanel and Yves Saint-Laurent fashion houses and has churned out the acclaimed solo albums Sacrableu, Night At The Playboy Mansion and Return To The Playboy Mansion. Add his 2005 collaboration with fellow disco champion, Joey Negro, on Kings Of Disco; his 2006 In The House Of Love, 2007s Cocktail Disco, and last year’s effort, Night Dubbin’, and a portrait of an active man develops. His 2010 effort, Get Down With The Philly Sound, focuses on the timeless disco era from Philadelphia. Yerasimos has focused on Philly for good reason. “I’ve always been interested in the history of music and I found out that everything goes back to Philly. The Philly sound is really the epitome of black America, so it made me join the dots and dig deeper,” he reveals. It was a meeting with the man some say invented the modern day 12”, American producer Tom Moulton, which provided Yerasimos with the knowledge and confidence to progress with the compilation. “Moulton told me so many stories and has so much knowledge that I wanted to pass it on again. [Moulton] was the one who made me do this album,” he tells. The album’s his take on the evolution of ‘70s funk and groove and includes re-workings of classic disco sounds. The album also features five reworked tracks from original multi-track tapes of Gamble and Huff. It’s the first time they’ve granted a label access to their tapes. “I’d like to say it was an accolade but I have no idea why they granted me permission. It’s a miracle, that’s all I’ll say,” he laughs. a lot of techno as well but the big thing is definitely house. “The SCB thing is probably the one aspect of my music that is a direct result of living in Berlin,” he continues. “I pretty much started it as a result of spending a lot of Sunday mornings in Panorama Bar and trying to recreate that vibe in the studio, just messing around really. There have been some Scuba tracks which could have been under the SCB thing, but the majority is really quite different.” Touring Australia on the back of his recent Scuba album Triangulation, Rose seems happy with how the album has been received especially considering how long it took to put together. “You can’t get too preoccupied with reviews and press and everything else but it’s always good when people are saying positive things,” he says. “In terms of writing it, I sat down to write an album last January but I didn’t finish until the end of December so it was quite a long process. There’s quite a lot of material that fell by the wayside, but also stuff like the Aesaunic EP that came out along the way as well.” In between all these commitments, Rose still finds time to helm one of the most respected bass music labels on the international stage – Hotflush Recordings. Now in its seventh year, the label’s earliest releases pre-dated what we now know as ‘dubstep’ and always flirted with the more leftfield take on the sound. “It’s not so much a question of staying relevant to me,” he explains. “It’s more just releasing good music. Hotflush was never supposed to be a dubstep label really, it just happened by accident, so it’s no problem for us to be away from the genre if that’s where the good music takes us. The majority of dubstep now isn’t in any way interesting but there is a side of it that is still creative and forward thinking, so there is still a reason to be a part of it.”

B ST Y J AB AN LE E R

THE YOUNG RIDERS WITH A BRAND NEW SHOW FOR THEIR LATEST ALBUM THE OPTIMIST, THE LAST THING NEW YOUNG PONY CLUB WILL BE DOING UPON THEIR AUSTRALIAN RETURN FOR PARKLIFE IS LAZING ABOUT ON THE GRASS. ZEBRA SADDLES UP WITH THE BAND’S TAHITA “TY” BULMER. NEW YOUNG PONY CLUB PLAY PARKLIFE SATURDAY 2 OCTOBER. THE OPTIMIST IS OUT THROUGH LIBERATOR.

ringing a darker sound with their return to our shores, New Young Pony Club’s approach to music may have changed but their enthusiasm for it hasn’t. In fact the London dance rock outfit’s frontwoman Tahita “Ty” Bulmer explains that their foray into an edgier style is something they feel is a sign of the times. “It was what we were feeling, and the world had changed quite a lot [since 2007 debut Fantastic Playground],” she says. “There was certainly a much darker atmosphere in terms of our

community, obviously there was a massive recession and a real emphasis on real issues and real emotions. “It was also a desire to grow and I think we felt that one of the things holding us back was the two dimensional, frivolous element of dance, and we wanted to bring a more reflective, thoughtful influence. I think we wanted to move away from [pop] and we do that very well, but it’s a very boring experience as an artist to just rehash what you’ve done before.”

B O’ Y M NE AT ILL T

THE ONE AND N-LY

BRITISH BREAKS GENIUSES NAPT (AKA TOMEK NADEN AND ASHLEY POPE) APPEAR TO HAVE STUMBLED UPON SOMETHING MOST COMMENTATORS CONSIDERED EXTINCT – A NEW SOUND. NAPT PLAY AGAINST THE GRAIN SECOND BIRTHDAY AT BROWN ALLEY THIS FRIDAY.

here’s a great deal of stigma attached to the concept of innovation. There are two prevailing schools of thought on the subject; it either doesn’t exist or it doesn’t sound good. The general idea behind both perspectives is that humanity have now been documenting the creative process for such an incomprehensibly long period of time that we’ve either uncovered every reiteration of a new creative approach or, at the very least, all those that deserve to be found. The latest darlings of Britain’s highly competitive breaks community, NAPT would appear to have found a way around this problem. The production duo has, since the early noughties, consistently managed to avoid easy categorisation with their productions – fusing disparate aspects of house, electro and breaks into their own inimitable ‘N-Funk’ style. Furthermore, they’ve managed to do so in a way that not only doesn’t alienate

audiences, but practically dares them not to listen. “I would say the only genre we really belong to is N-Funk,” Ashley Pope explains. “When we first started playing around in the studio we didn’t feel there was one genre title that really captured our work. People mention breaks but we also draw from a lot of other genres and influences; we like house, we like electro, we use a lot of melodies and we use a lot of samples. N-Funk was the only category we felt our work really fit.” The innate accessibility of NAPT’s style is a crucial point of difference. There have been a number of exciting new developments within electronic and dance music in recent years but few of them have managed to capture the imagination of mainstream listeners without being diluted or misrepresented in the process – but NAPT’s work has ensnared audiences from across the board. The pair’s work has appeared on

Considering their darker approach, there’s a slight contradiction between the name of the new album and their current sound, and Bulmer doesn’t shy away from speaking her mind about feeling the band isn’t where it could be. “I think we’re always optimistic, but in a sense we as a band have been unlucky,” she begins in an unexpected turn of conversation. “We’ve had missed opportunities and there’s been people who we thought would support us who didn’t. We have a sense that we’re being overlooked in favour of other acts, especially in the UK. We’ve been really embraced in Australia, in New Zealand, in Europe, but ironically not in our home territory. They don’t understand what we’re doing. “I think [not being where we want to be is] down to a lack of foresight, we’re a herald of something new. We are fighters, we are mavericks and people don’t really understand what we’re doing but we have a sense of hope that people out there are touched by our sound. We might not be as big as we’d hoped but we’re optimistic.” Staying optimistic must certainly help when you have a tour schedule that looks like theirs. When you’re known for your onstage energy, Bulmer says that you really don’t have an option other than to just cope with the travel. “It is hard,” she admits. “But I think luckily for us we’ve been to Australia so many times we’ve got the jetlag thing down now. We just try to get into the swing of things. Sometimes, you just do it because you have no choice. As an artist you’ve done gigs with the death of a loved one, with jetlag, two hours sleep, or a baby at home and you know that you can do it. You have to do it, and you can enjoy it. It’s a pleasure and a privilege to be able to do it.” every variety of record label from Island to Fingerlickin’. “I think dance music is quite mainstream at the moment,” Pope considers. “The mainstream is so influenced by dance at the moment – certainly US R&B is currently heavily influenced by it – that I don’t think a dance act really has to do much to appeal to those kinds of audiences. I think, at this point in time, all the doors are open. NAPT have always gravitated towards the more musical end of the dance music spectrum, though. “It’s a massive cliché but it does kind of ring true that everything moves in a cyclical nature in music,” Naden continues. “I think, in the UK, indie rock and guitar music had, until recently, been very popular for a very long time and I think now people have started to move away from that sound – a lot like how people moved away from dance music at the end of the ‘90s.” In emphasis of the relative singularity of their sound, NAPT have actually managed to court the mainstream without compromising their connections to the insular and political dance music communities of their own country. The pair may have remixed noted acts like UK Garage icon MJ Cole but, at the other end of the spectrum, have won Best Producer and Best Track for UK’s Breakspoll two years running – the only artists to ever have done so. “In music, I think a lot of success is based on serendipity, luck, being in the right place at the right time, contacts and that sort of thing,” Tomek Naden explains. “So the only thing you can really do is work hard and hope the rest will come together and that’s what we decided to do. We were just in university together when we started and we just wanted to make some music. We’re certainly very thankful to have gotten as far as we have and hopefully we can manage to go a lot further.”

Zebra Magazine 9

GA BY LIN LI OV Z IC

REPEAT CYCLE CHANELLE WILLIAMS EXPLAINS THAT HER TRANSFORMATION INTO THE UK’S DANCEHALL QUEEN LADY CHANN WAS IN HER GENES. LADY CHANN PLAYS THE ESPY THIS FRIDAY.

hanelle Williams is no stranger to the land of reggae, or any other type of music for that matter. Growing up, her father was part of Sound System, a group of DJs, MCs and engineers who produced some of Jamaican pop culture’s favourite ska, rocksteady and reggae. Around the house, her mother was always pumping music, reggae being but one genre that received heavy airplay in their home. It’s little wonder then that Chanelle Williams would come to be known as the dancehall queen of the United Kingdom – Lady Chann. “Yeah, my dad was in the Sound System and my uncle was in Special Edition, which is another big British sound

10 Zebra Magazine

system so obviously that was a big influence,” Williams recalls. “My mum’s a big reggae listener, all different music was always played in the house. So that’s the background that I came from and I just adapted to it, I guess.” The influence at home was clearly stronger and more effectual than the influence at the school Williams attended, where she picked up numerous instruments of a more classical nature. Encouraged by her mum, Williams dabbled in playing instruments from the piano, flute and trombone through to French horn and even the drums. School was divided so that the first half of the day was spent learning the art of regular academia before dedicating the second half to choir practise.

Aside from the piano, which she states is her favourite instrument to play and hear, Williams no longer sits alone in her room to play the French horn; the call of her roots was a far more enticing option. “It’s what I grew up in, it’s a part of my culture. Dad being Jamaican, my whole family was into it. I met the Sun Cycle guys who are from North West London and basically just took it from there; hit the studio and started to come up with stuff. And here I am. Dancehall is a big part of my life; it’s always been a part of my life.” For eight years Williams worked with Sun Cycle Crew, a supergroup of dancehall and reggae artists hailing from North West London and with a membership that seemed to appeal more to the male gender. Starting out with around 15 crew members, the group has slowly dissipated as members go off to pursue solo careers – something Williams herself is now in the process of doing. “I think because there was not a lot of females doing what I was doing I was offered a lot of solo features and stuff like that and obviously I wanted to put my spin on... I wanted my own stuff and wanted to do my own stuff from a girl’s point of view. When you’re a part of a crew you’re doing eight bars of a topic and it’s all the guys who are predominantly doing a lot of guy topics but I wanted to explore the female side of all different scenarios etcetera. With the guys, we were all doing solo bits as well but they were very much capped.” Although the crew’s membership has been on the decrease, the production label is continuing to increase and Williams often finds herself in the studio working on some music. “It’s like family. I’ve always worked with them, so it’s just like doing work with my brother or sisters, you know what I mean?”

BY BE CA AT RL TI IN E

SCOTLAND THE RAVE ZEBRA’S CHAT WITH SCOTTISH ELECTRONIC IMPORT GRAEME SHEPHERD REVEALS HIS INSIGHTS ON THE INFLUENCE OF AND INSPIRATIONS FOR THE ALBUM DEBUT AND ORIGIN OF HIS PSEUDONYM, GRUM. GRUM PLAYS PARKLIFE SATURDAY 2 OCTOBER. HEARTBEATS IS OUT THROUGH ETCETC/UNIVERSAL.

he past two years have been kind to Graeme Shepherd. The UK musician better known as Grum has enjoyed a lengthy period sharing his name at the top of the blogosphere on the back his remixes and a few single flourishes. Come 2010 and the release of Shepherd’s debut album Heartbeats, the artist is now the sound du jour for the international press machine’s perpetual chase in search of the next big act. According to Shepherd, however, the biggest sounds arrived long ago and stick with us to the present. “Daft Punk,” he answers, the musician’s top rated albums including the French duo’s Discovery (2001). “My personal influences come from a mixture of

places. A lot from that French ‘90s house sound and a lot of the ‘80s Italo disco and silly, fluffy soft rock stuff. I like upbeat.” Defining his own act more succinctly than perhaps anyone else to date, ‘upbeat’ is an undeniably constant thread within Grum’s basket of goodies. “Heartbeats was the first thing that really kicked me off. I wanted to keep that feeling running through the album,” Shepherd says on his record’s title tune. “The Don Johnson sample was me getting more and more into that silly ‘80s stuff – messing around with things, chopping and cutting… everything just came together and ended up working well. All my tracks come to me

from different places. Power developed from my love of proper club and electroclash sounds. The desire there was to make things that really bang on the dancefloor. “When I was writing Want U, my imagination was getting into a lot of disco stuff; that cool, slower, low disco. The creation process is totally organic. When everything comes together on its own like that, you develop your own sound – something that’s in you and something that’s in all your music. It defines you.” Well aware of his audience’s expectation for disco and nostalgia-infused electro house hits, Shepherd requests only the most basic of dancefloor replies from a crowd. “I don’t really look for a specific response from people – just something that I’m happy with. I like a healthy, vibrant club atmosphere… moving and dancing. Depending on who you’re playing to, you do get a few gigs where you find things not going your way. I just throw in a pop hit or big song to bring it back and by the end I find I’ve got people back where I want them. I’m not a massive party person myself. I’m not a big mover on the dancefloor. I’m quite happy to be at home in my time off, not necessarily doing music, just relaxing.” The Scot even has a plan should he grow weary of his disco-hustle focus, hinting at a possible blood bond with the likes of fellow countrymen Boards Of Canada and Mogwai. “Maybe I’ll move into ambient, something darker,” he prods. “I don’t know. Maybe you can draw some connection there somewhere. Maybe it’s something about the rain. It’s probably to do with being stuck inside… confined in the studio, not wanting to drag yourself outside. That’s where my name comes from – in the UK. It started out as a bit of a nickname… for Graeme. Now I guess it’s stuck with me.”

Zebra Magazine 11

ALBUM OF THE WEEK SINGLES

WITH TIM FINNEY

AEONS

Beyond The Satellites EP

(Scorpio Music) Where The Sky Meets The Sea is histrionic, arpeggiofilled electro-pop whose dramatic baritone vocals recall Depeche Mode’s Martin Gore. This is a good thing, though too familiar to really stand out excepting a brief, lovely breakdown near the end. The title track is more girly and French house-aping, Via Lactea is straight Duran Duran, while Raise Your Flag drifts uncomfortably close to prog rock territory, though the harpsichord solo is a nice touch.

CHITA

Eyes On You EP

(ChitaMusic) Chita looks like a Eurovision starlet, and her slightly shrill vocals maintain the resemblance, but her “tribal pop” – basically typical R&B pop with slight electro touches and then showy syncopated percussion – hasn’t been big in Eurovision circles since about 2003 in the aftermath of Holly Valance’s Kiss Kiss, which I kinda wish these songs would spend more time studying.

TAIO CRUZ Dynamite

(Universal) When it comes to this new breed of obnoxious, AutoTuned, male R&B singers who can’t sing (see also Jason Derülo), their straightforward club numbers tend to be much better than their more emotive efforts, perhaps because there’s less to fake. So this is better than the irritating Break Your Heart (though not as good as Derülo’s equivalent, In My Head), but a charming piano vamp bridge aside there’s nothing notable here.

CHARICE FEAT IYAZ Pyramids

(Warner) From the title and the first note I knew this would be a rip of Beyoncé’s Halo, and I wasn’t disappointed: this is stirring, “inspirational” end credits R&B anthemism with big drums, probably written by the dude in OneRepublic, or a big fan anyway. Newcomer Charice does a decent vocal performance, but I wouldn’t have paired her with the goofy Jamaican singer Iyaz on a song so (purportedly) serious.

14 Zebra Magazine

RUSKO

GUILTY SIMPSON

(Mad Decent/Inertia)

(Stones Throw/Fuse Music)

OMG!

OJ Simpson GLORIA LEWIS

While Benga and Skream seem to have built up enough cred points over the years to withstand any major backlash against them from the purists as their stars have risen, Rusko seems to bear the brunt of bass culture’s anger for their darling dubstep genre being courted by the mainstream. And regardless of whether his collaborative efforts with Britney Spears strike a commercial chord, he’s almost assured of hitting another plateau of recognition with OMG! – as accessible a dubstep longplayer as the world has witnessed. Yes, “cheesestep” is here in abundance – in fact the man born Chris Mercer hits Wobble Factor 9 straight up as opener Woo Boost hops, steps and jumps over a grinding riff topped with synth arps which leap across octaves on every other note. I Love You strikes a similar chord musically, but then employs the same happy/sad random vocal sampling technique Burial perfected on Untrue – only AutoTuned and underscored by an epic trance breakdown nicked from the golden age of Chicane. Then there’s Kumon Kumon, referencing breakbeat hardcore so perfectly it could have dropped in 1992, and the laser-summoning piano breakdown of Raver’s Spesh. Mercer’s liberal borrowing from sounds outside the dubstep confines is quite audacious, with progressive trance (You’re On My Mind), handbag house (Feels So Real Feat Ben Westbeech) and the relentless AutoTuning of R&B (pretty much everywhere) doing as much to shape OMG!’s sonic palette. But it’s the vocal performance of Dirty Projectors’ Amber Coffman on the two-step homage Hold On that is the record’s defining moment, proving there may be some good to come out of popstep after all.

JAKE SUN

VARIOUS/ HERNÁN CATTÁNEO

The Masters Series Part 16:Parallel (Renaissance)

KRIS SWALES

Two years after his debut album, Ode To The Ghetto, Guilty Simpson has enlisted mastermind Beat Konducta Madlib (Otis Jackson Jr) as the sole body to help raise the bar on his sophomore effort. And as if the temptation of playing off the convenient result of the sum of their names was too strong to resist – this one is neatly titled OJ Simpson. As proven in the past the OJ Simpson union is one that sees both talents working in an incredibly complimentary fashion. One of the finest MCs in the game, Guilty has a no nonsense baritone delivery and up from the gutter quality of sincerity; mix this with the soulful, exploratory elements of Madlib’s ingenious production, and you’ve got a silver-screen gem for the ears every time. It’s no wonder that the two have worked together so many times in the past. Ode To The Ghetto had its fair share of quality hip hop joints, but it lacked the flawless consistency that Guilty’s gifts potentially promised, and although the duo’s collaborations were definitely a success, this album sees Guilty rise to a level that is only overshadowed by Take Notice from J Dilla’s Ruff Draft. What we are privileged to witness this time around is a more succinct and realised vision, with the two exploiting the opportunities that are opened up by committing to a full album together. While skits and interludes can often render an album somewhat disjointed, Madlib has skilfully weaved them together in a radio show-like manner that works to assist with the overall momentum and vibe of the album, making it a pleasure throughout and one of the best hip hop works of the year to date.

With three editions in Renaissance’s flagship The Masters Series already under his belt, plus a pair of Sequential mixes on the same label, what approach could Hernán Cattáneo possibly take this time ‘round? The Masters Series Part 13 was distinguished from its predecessors by a slew of exclusive co-productions with the likes of Soundexile, Martin Garcia and longtime studio chum John Tonks, and on Parallel Cattáneo has again taken a detour. Splitting the comp into Day and Night discs is hardly game-changing, but downtempo is new territory for Cattáneo – and one he seems comfortable with. Not a chillout set in the traditional sense, Day sees the Argentinean serve a customarily lush, melodic musical platter, only stripped back to the 100bpm mark with spectacular results. It unfolds more as the evolution of one musical idea than a DJ mix, though he and Tonks’ tear-jerking One 0 Five, an ethereal Cattaneo and Soundexile remix of Múm’s The Ballad Of The Broken Birdie Records, and the gentle strum of Mercurio’s aptly named Acoustic all shine before Sigur Ros’ breakout track Svefn-G-Englar provides one of those all too rare perfect finales. Night doesn’t quite have the same impact as its companion. As is often the case with prog mixes split between chillout and peak-time you may find yourself wanting a third disc – or you may be having so many private moments during weapons like Henry Saiz’s The Rider, the two separate Cattáneo and Soundexile takes on Alex.47’s Eggsperience or Quivver’s nasty head cave Boom Boom to notice.

Zebra Magazine 15

WITH STEVE DUCK

RZ RZA ZA & MY MY MUM KNOW BLISS N ESO

Bliss N Eso are readying the release of their upcoming fourth album Running On Airr with some serious promo shit going on. Even my mum told me she sees Bliss N Eso’s name around a lot lately – shout out to my mum for knowing who Bliss N Eso are in the first place. For something a little different to the usual magazine interviews, Bliss N Eso are featuring their three-part Running On Airr documentary on blissneso.tv. Parts one and two w are already online, with part three premiering Wednesday 28 July. Running On Airr features guest spots from RZA and Xzibit (wow, nice work guys), Jehst, Mind Over Matter, Kasey Chambers & Shane Nicholson. Plus production from Hattori Hunzo, M-Phazes, Matik and of course Bliss. Running On Airr drops Friday 30 July.

M-PHAZES NATIONAL TOUR

M-Phazes is about to pack up and hit the road for his Good Gracious national tour. After his album of the same name debuted at number 20 on the ARIA albums chart and number one on the AIR charts, it’s only right Phaze takes his show on the road to the fans who took the album this far. M-Phazes will play a total of six Victorian shows during the tour, including shows in Albury, Traralgon, San Remo and Ballarat. Metro Melbourne fans will want to keeep FFriday 20 August free, as Phaze plays the keep Espyy aalongside Muph, Phrase, Illy, Mantra, Nine Esp High Hig ighh aand Candice Monique. Big show. Tickets for shows allll sho sh o available now through mphazes.oztix. com.au. com om.a om m.aa

A-DICTION PREPARE LP

A-Diction’s Boltz and Breach have been around for a hot minute, and the time has finally come for the duo to drop their debut full-length LP Walkin’ Alone. A-Diction have recruited an all-star line-up of Melbou Melbourne talent for the album, including production ppro duction from M-Phazes, Jase, Whisper, Lewis One O ne n and M Mules. Guest vocals come from VidaSSunshyne uunshyne and Bekah of Cee & Bekah, plus guest

HOW DI DID ID YOU YOU U CHO CHOOSE H OSE SEE YO YOUR OU UR R NAM N NAME? MEE?? “Ante is my actual name, and the Escobar part is inspired from Pablo Escobar, the Colombian drug lord. He had his ‘product’ flooded ed around the world, which is what I want to do with my tracks. Minus all the drugs and murder of course course.”” ARE YOU AFFILIATED WITH ANY CREW? “Trackwalk – which is myself and Bidla who is a DJ/MC/ producer triple threat. Neatstreet – which is my boy Kast on the MC tip and myself handling production. We’re working on a small release at the moment so keep your eyes and ears to the streets for that one. I also do work with Soulmate Records who help to find my placements on albums and other projects.” WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF WHAT YOU DO? “They’re pretty supportive of it, mum especially. If she doesn’t hear any loud thumping drums coming from my studio she’ll come in and hassle me with questions like, ‘Why aren’t you making beats? You should be making beats!’ Dad’s the same until the walls of the house start shaking, then I get grilled about it.” WHAT’S THE BEST THING ABOUT THE LOCAL HIP HOP SCENE? “The best thing about it is the fact is it’s maturing a whole lot more

11.. Dar Dark D akN ar Night igh gghht O Off TThe he Sou SSoull DANGE D DA DAN AN A NGER ER M MO MOUS OUSE O USEE USE AN A AND N SP SPARK S PARK ARK AR R LEH LEHOR EH HORS ORSEE 22.. Hot Hoo Ra H Raw R w SSex ex ex JJIMM JI JIM IM MMY MY ED EEDGAR EDG DGAR A 3. A 3. Admit Ad Adm dmiitt One On SIDESH SID SI S IDESH ES SH HOW OW 4. Tickle Me Disco FLATWOUND 5. Walkin’Alone A-DICTION 6. Fantasy Z-FACTOR 7. Platform PAUL WOOLFORD 8. Boogie Monster GREG WILSON 9. Collected Works A MOUNTAIN OF ONE 10. Attack Of The Killer Monks (The Glimmers Black Hole Dub) KING DJ

now. More and more artists are branching out with their sound and not adhering to the same old blueprint a lot of others swear by. That goes for producers as well, there’s so many killer beat makers out there that are raising the bar, and that’s really inspiring and motivating for me.” WHAT GIGS/RELEASES HAVE YOU GOT COMING UP? “I have a track on Skryptcha’s The Numbers album which is called The City, and that’s out this Friday on Obese Records. Apart from that I have a few placements on some albums being worked on right now, some of which I’m really excited about. It’s taken me a while to be comfortable enough with my beats to want to start putting them out there, and that’s what I’m going to try and do now. So artists out there reading this, get at me if you want beats! Also, as mentioned before I’m working on the Neatstreet project with Kast which should be finished in the next few months so watch out for that!”

FUNKY SHIT WITH OBLIVE

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verses from Haunts, G-Force, Scott Burns, Billy Bunks, Whisper, Raven and Fraksha. Walkin’ Alone will be released 6 August, distributed by Obese Records. Cop it.

HORRORSHOW TOUR

Horrorshow really came out of nowhere, but I guess that’s what happens when you debut with an album as good as The Grey Space. Now only a few years later, Adit and Solo are touring Europe supporting Hilltop Hoods in the UK and Germany. Incredible. When the group return from enjoying summer in the northern hemisphere, Horrorshow will begin their Walk You Home national tour. Horrorshow will play Melbourne’s East Brunswick Club (280 Lygon Street) alongside support act Seth Sentry on Saturday 11 September. Tickets available now through horrorshow. oztix.com.au or eastbrunswickclub.com.

OZI BATLA TOUR

And while we’re talking about Elefant Traks artists, Ozi Batla will also be touring the country shortly, as his Wild Colonial tour takes him through five states in August. Ozi Batla will begin the tour on Friday 6 August when he plays the Northcote Social Club with DJ Bonez, Class-A and 1/6. Tickets on sale now through northcotesocialclub.com.au.

“

I’M ON A PLANE BITCH. I’M ON A PLANE. EVERYBODY LOOK AT ME CUZ I’M FLYING ON A PLANE. (REPEAT CHORUS)”

THAT SHIT IS CATCHY AS FUCK WOLFGANG GARTNER – ARE THERE ANY SNAKES?

TWO BLOCKS

URBAN STREET FESTIVAL U

PIC BY KANE HIBBERD

THE GET DOWN

M-Phazes

Planet Jumper

It’s shaking, party-making It It’ tt’s a ta ttambourine ambo mbboouur urirriinee ssha sh h kin ha inng, partypa ppar arrtytyy-ma ty mak aakking iinnngg ex eexperience xppe per e ien er e cee aand en annndd started what with Apache don’tt eve don’t do don eeven ev ven get geett m mee starte sta tarrte teed ed oonn w hhat att he he do ddoes es wit es wi w ith Apa Ap ppaache che Peep annd a ple and pplethora pl let le ettho thho hora ra ooff hi hipp hop hip hoop iimpresarios. mpresa mp mpr e ario riioss Pe Pee ep hhim…quickly! im m qu qui uuick ckl kly! y! Leaving Lea eavin ea vinng tthe vin he co he ccountry cou o ntr nttry on on a long plane ride away, we head Ireland, where ‘dibby-dubby-d’n’b-breaks’ is apparently to Ire to IIr rreelan aannd, d, wher wh w whe hherree ‘di ddiibby bbyy-dd the the Dirty Dubsters have anything to do with allll th all he rrage ag iif th ag age he D Di iirt rt rty ty D Du u These itit.t.t TTh hese ess du ddudes ude ddess ar aare re TTHE HEE SSHIZNIT!!! It’s not often that I reduce this name calling, but you are re rred ed educe duce cee tth his art aarticle icl clee ttoo sham cl sshameful ha ha ham not my call and worship at the a ddouche oucchee iiff yyou ouc ou ou do do nno ot ffollow ooll these joking aaltar alt lltar of of th the hese esee lad llads. adds. s. All Al jjo ok aside, it’s like that scene in where Steinski SScratch Sc Scr crraat atc tch w tc wh here errree SSt tein eiinnssk ski kkii iiss talking about that first time he heard and “there hhea he eeaardd B Bam am m an nd how how ow “th thher the er is nothing that I did not like in music”. Well, tthis th thi his mus m uusi us si s cc”. ”.. W We elll, lll, th tthat’s hat aat’t s tthe Dirty Dubsters. They do ska, funky breaks, fun fu unky k bbre reaks a , dd’n’b, ak ’n’b, ’n’ b, dub b, ub aand they do it better than most electronic onn tthe thhee el elect ecctron eect ronicc tip titip. ip. FFind indd them quick… you won’t be disappointed. di dis issapp isapp pppoin oinnted teedd. well,l,l, I ccan’t As wel As w we ann’t sseem an’ an eem ee eem m ttoo ge gget enough of Dave Boogie. He’s some He’ H He e’s done done onne sso ome me abs aabsolute bssool olu luuttee monster edits of all the hits Average Wh White Bandd and Diana Ross jams), but he’s ((i(ie i A Whi hi B hit pay dirt with his meeting of Michael Jackson and Grandmaster Flash in a massive romp he’s called Scorpio Jackson. It’s absolutely amazing and will easily get you

WHERE IS IT? Melbourne Central. WHEN IS IT? 19-31 July. WHAT CAN YOU Y HEAR? Two Blocks music offer ing will satisfy any musi musicc lover lover with a great range of live acts, DJ sets and acoustic performances from all genres. WHO PLAYS? Head H lining this year’s festival is Amy livee in liv in Shot Shot To Towe w r Square. And DJ sets come from Meredith playing we Melbbou Mel bour ou ourn rne’s rne nee’s ’s bes bestt DJs including A13, Nam, Mike The Operatives as Katz (live), Nam, Matt Radoovi Rad ovich vich, vi ch,, Du Dust st,, aand Shikung and MC RuCL will perfo Two Blocks in Shot Tower Square. rm throughout WHO’S GOING? An interesting array of youn musiicc ent mus enthhuuusiasts who hold a strong appr g art fashion and eciation of their surrounding city and its culture. WHAT ELSE DO I NEED TO KNOW? so head down to Melbourne Central Two Blocks is a free public event hottest music acts, support our emeand check out some of our city’s combination of music art and fashi rging talent and enjoy the best on that Melbourne has to offer.

manhandled for multiple reasons due to the fact that it’s funkier than a nana’s fart in a sealed room. I also managed to pick up a few 45s over the past month, the best being DJ Shepdog and his first release for some new label called Digga Please. Any edit fan who can still operate a piece of vinyl will love his Re-Edit of I Heard It Through The Grapevine and though the B-Side isn’t as big, his 45 King Re-Touch of Spread More Love, a quirky twiddle with the Take 6 classic (yeah, I said CLASSIC), is still worthy of a sound system shake-up. On that note, I’m off and I’ll see ya on the dancefloor… obliveus@gmail.com

EUROTRASH EUROTRASH

EUROTRASH

BILLBOARD

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PURPLE SNEAKERS

RHYTHMALISM @ FUSION

274 JOHN JOHNSON HNSON ST, ABBOTSFORD ABBOTS TSFORD PH: 9417 122 1221

RHYTHMALISM @ FUSION

BIANCA COOKS UP A STORM

BUTTERBOX

RHYTHMALISM @ FUSION

EMILY & FRIEND

RHYTHMALISM @

KISS PROMO CREW

FUSION

WITH W WI ITH TH C CYCLONE Y

OG Flavas gospel folkk Yet the thhe LP LP hhas as les lesss of of a ggo spe p l tthan han a fol fo undercurrent, The Roots’ Black Thought underc und derc ercur urrrentt, TTh he Roo he R oots’’ MC Bl ackk TTh houg oughht ht questioning message que qu uestit oni on nngg go ggospel’s gos gospel ospel pe ’ss mes pe m essag saage sag age ooff ffaith aaititth aand nndd fortitude himself. fortit for t ude tit d – and an hhi imse mse mself. self. lf Sure, Sure, th thee US US has has its are fifirrst rst st black b ack bla bl ck President P idd but, b post-GFC, GFC C times i bleak. ble ak Th ak. Thee Roots are touting How I Got Over as “depicting “de depic epic p tin the everyman’s search for hope in this ddispiriting di dis isspiriti pirititting pir ng post-hope zeitgeist”. How I Got Over is ultimately, not indie-rock, but stripped-back, textured hip hop. The stand-out, stripp str t ipp ippeded-bb edWalk Alone, W Wal aallk Alon A loonn actually has the production ethos of lon lo The Ro Th Roots hhave Roots avee a m mainstream ainstr ain i stream ea pr profi ofifile ofil le but, b t alas, but alas las, their tthheiir music musiic early RZA (or Wu-Tang) beat with its dramatic an ear arly ly R sales don’t always correspond to that. Ironically, during piano. There are also several star turns by ‘urban’ their stay at Def Jam – initially under Jay-Z’s presidency – identities – among them John Legend, Phonte hip hop’s premier live band have presented anything but (from Little Brother) and the ace Blu. ‘crossover’ albums. Hova, who had the Philadelphians back Still, seriousness aside, The Roots betray sly him on his MTV Unplugged, encouraged them to deliver “artsy shit”. And, in fact, The Roots’ last commercial bid was humour in the intentionally incongruous Hustla, which gurgles like Ginuwine’s Pony. A missive at The Tipping Point on Geffen. They’ll never be a radio act, so they might as well embrace their renegade status. The Roots’ hip hop’s bankrupt bling MCs, it features what sounds like AutoTuned baby’s cries. Very ill – and best known single, the Grammy-winning You Got Me, was a very Illadelphian. cult, not chart, hit.

Rusko

The T he R Roots: oots: Through T hrough Glass Darkly AG lass D arkly

Since 2008’s Rising Down, the multi-faceted ?uestlove and co have become the house band on Jimmy Fallon’s talk show – brilliant exposure. But, if any fool was expecting a fresh sheen on How I Got Over, The Roots’ third Def Jam joint, they’ll be dismayed – it’s The Roots we know and love. After all, you can take The Roots out of the avant-garde, but you can’t take the avant-garde out of The Roots. This time The Roots, who pride themselves on confounding even fans, have ‘collaborated’ with some of neo-folk’s finest – or, rather, reconfigured their songs. The Roots transform Monsters Of Folk’s Dear God (Sincerely MOF), the supergroup’s singer Jim Jones sounding supremely soulful. (Remember what The Roots did to Cody Chesnutt’s alt-R&B The Seed?) And Right On reinvents the ethereal Joanna Newsom’s Book Of Right On. In the past ?uestlove – The Roots’ drummer, producer extraordinaire and music buff – has worked with Fiona Apple, so his interest in offbeat genres isn’t new. The Roots’ subverting folk ties in with the album’s theme – How I Got Over lifts its title from an old gospel number.

Hip Hop Goes Dubstep?

Will Rusko upstage Chase & Status as dubstep’s first pop hit machine? Not only has the Brit produced MIA, but now, having relocated to Lo Los Los Angeles, he’s prepping material for TI. Ruskoo is likewise producing sometime Chase & Statuss client Rihanna. Infamous for the jump-up dubstep of Cockney Thug, Rusko’s own debut, OMG!, released through Diplo’s Mad Decent, has a Gucci Mane cameo. Rusko has even ingratiated himself with LA radio by ‘remixing’ 2Pac’s California Love. And, just to prove that hip hop is all about six degree connections, he’s cut a track with Amber Coffman, who, together with other members of the indie-rock Dirty Projectors, sings the Manhattan Transfer-ish opener of The Roots’ How I Got Over.

Typee iinn Cardboard Warfare and prepare to Typ dazzled bee daz dazz z by exactly what it says on the box naturally. – card ccardboard, ard rdbb y The pproduction values are hi high, gh, h th the he sou ssoundtrack ou is suitably ten tense, ense, s the se se, the spec sspecial pec pe ecii effects are aw awe awesome, som o e, om e and tthe accents are Aussie. What’s Au Aus sie.. W sie hat’s hat ’ss nnot to like?

Kiss FM Chart 1. Pha Phazin Phazin’ zinn’ DIRTY SOUTH FEAT RUDY Don’t 2. Don n’t Tur TTurn urn the thee Lig Lights hts Onn CHROMEO 3. Numb, Deaf & Dumb (DJ Pierre Afro Acid Mix) DETROIT GRAND PUBAHS

e Mine Mine 4. Get SK KRYPTCHA A SKRYPTCHA Devil Walking Walkkkinng Wal 5. Devil MARK KNIGHT KNIG MARK 6. Graceland Gracel Gra ce and (Christian Smith Remix) cel ARREN EMERSON EM DARREN & JAMIE MCHUGH 7. Heaven Heaaven Hea e (Prins ((Pr Thomas Diskomiks) 7. BJØ KASPER BJØRKE 8 Coma Coma Com ma Cat Catt 8. TENSNAKE 9. 9 Movin Mo inn Onn Mov Mo NOMASY 10. I Can Change (Stereogamous Mix) LCD SOUNDSYSTEM

DEAR HOTELS OF THE WORLD. CAN WE PLEASE THROW AWAY ALL TTVS AND HAVE FAST & FREE INTERNET INSTEAD? I NEED CHECK TRACKS BUT THIS IS TO C SSSLOW”

“

WITH DAVE DRI

The iPAD FOR MUSICIANS The Apple iPad may still be in its infancy in the Australian market, butt the availabil availability lity of the unit on foreign shores has benefited the local creative scene in ann abundance of creative applications. This is both in the “Application” sense of the Appss Store, and the “application” of what is in effect a relatively cheap interface with a creative ative potential that excites and infuriates the full spread of the creative arts industries. For musicians in particular, the iPad seems to have survived the initial internet forum backlash of high expectations for its specifications, and evolved into a more pragmatic appreciation. This ranges from the shift of comparison against full-spec laptop computers at similar prices, to a consideration of specific music technology at similar prices. In other words, the iPad with a drum machine application sounds a lot like a drum machine. The iPad running TouchOsc looks a lot like a Jazzmutant Lemur. The iPad as a host for experimental audiovisual software looks a lot like one of those Japanese gadgets from the Gundam or Robotech cartoons you grew up watching. Considering the iPad as a viable studio tool is still a difficult task, as the media hype, opinions and assumptions are powerful stumbling blocks. A useful example is the wealth of virtual hardware that has already been ported to the iPad Application format. Take the Korg iElectribe application, which costs a total of $US9.99 in its emulation of the $US399 hardware rhythm machine of the same name. The emulation is such a great example, as the 1990s’ trend of digital “grooveboxes” are in effect a range of simple, stripped-back electronics with a series of knobs and LEDs. The iPad is many times more powerful than all of these grooveboxes combined, and it is up to the user to work out whether they miss the physical controls or not – not to mention the price. Not all conversions are as perfect as the iElectribe however, with Propellerhead’s literally legendary ReBirth falling as far from success as possible. Farmed off to a third party developer, the App is so poorly converted that it borders on unusable. This will break the hearts of a virtual generation of studio musicians, many of whom spent innumerable hours lost within the world’s first compelling emulation of the legendary Roland TB-303, TR-808 and TR-909s in an era of increasingly unaffordable access to these building blocks of techno and hip hop. Sure, the App sounds like the original, but the pixelated graphics and the terrible user interface make this the software equivalent of a dubstep remix of Smart E’s 1992 remix of the Sesame Street theme song. From the past to the future, the other “show me something cool” moment is the $US4

TouchOSC modular controller interface. Already a popular product on the iPhone, TouchOSC is notable for offering the same functionality as the Jazzmutant Lemur, which at

NG IT IN FIVE STAR IN HING GH GHIN UGH OU OUGH ROU ROUG N–R EN UREN UUR POOR OLD ARMIN VAN BUUR . M IM H HIM. F O OF R E T TE ETTE ET BETTE BET B E HE THE GET TO ING START LY ACCOMMODATION IS FFINAL

its peak in Australia was selling for close to $4,000. With such a strong user community community, the TouchOSC application allows even casual users to download a touchscreen controller interface for Ableton, or their software of choice, and a staggering amount of YouTube videos to step through the installation and use. It doesn’t just look like a Star Trek prop, it also functions like one. From artistic to useful to familiar, the iPad has a lot to offer. There is no escaping that this is an Apple product – whatever that means to you – but even as a sign of things to come, the iPad is an incredible advancement for both the existing, experienced studio musician, and for the next generation of creative artists to come.

DJ Booth Duchesz

WHAT W HA INSPIRED Y YOUR OUR DJ NA NAM NAME? ME? humble “My hu umbl mblee aabode... b de.. bod e.... TThe h Duk he Dukee ooff KKent.” ent.” ent .”” NUTSHELL, DESCRIBE IN A NUTSHELL WHAT YOU PLAY? “R&B classics, party trax, West and East Coast gangsta rap and when the opportunity is there ‘80s/’90s wit’ a lil’ bit of funk and disco.” WHAT TRACK TURNS YOU ON RIGHT NOW? “Jamie Foxx – I Don’t Need It.” WHAT MADE YOU START DJING? “Always been into music but it wasn’t until I came to Melbourne and saw a few DJs that I was like, ‘Yeah!’ Massive shout out to DJ Dumb (AKA Agent 86) who was both inspirational and kind enough to lend me vinyl when I first bought my decks... mad respect to a mad DJ!”

WHAT’S WEIRDEST YOU’VE HAT’S T’S TH THEE W WEIR EIRDES DESTT THIN TTHING HING GY YOU’ OU’V VE SEEN EN IN A NIGHTCLUB? Weelll I woul W w oul uldn’ dnn’t ccall al itt we all w ird, ird rd, m ore scand sc andalo and alous alo us – some some ome “Well wouldn’t weird, more scandalous idd chick hi k giving i i a guy a hhandjob dj b iin th dj h club l b stupid the corner off tthe where she thought no one could see but not realising that the DJ was on the stage.” WHAT’S THE WORST BOOTLEG YOU’VE EVER HEARD? “Too many to name.” THE MOST IDIOTIC REQUEST YOU’VE HAD AS A DJ? “’Can I have a go?’.” Duchesz plays Horse Bazaar Thursday 29 July, and First Floor Friday 6 August.

Zebra Magazine 21

WEDNESDAY

FIVE ELEMENTS & INNER CITY SCIENCE @ MISS LIBERTINE Featuring guest Rampage from PBS playing old school hip hop and resident DJs Sizzle, Aux One and MzRizk playing more hip hop goodness. Also, soul hop heavyweights Inner City Science are hosting a month of midweek beats in the back room. Free entry.

COQ ROQ @ LUCKY COQ DJs Lady Noir, Agent 86, Kiti, Mr Thom and Joybot give you nothing but the best new wave, punk, Brit pop, bong rap and hair metal this side of Seattle from 9pm.

REVOLVER ROCK @ REVOLVER Revolver Rock is Melbourne’s longest running rock/retro/electro/cheese night. For the last three years Revolver Rock has been the place to go for a dose of rock and old school. Join DJs Spidey, Mary M, Adalita (Magic Dirt) and Whitt (Spiderbait) for a night you won’t forget... Or remember.

CANDY STORE @ LOUNGE Over the next few weeks Candy Store will be showcasing some of Melbourne’s emerging talent. First up are Danny Silver and Diesel Laws, collectively named Fixd. They come armed with a truckload of their own remixes and edits. Support from residents PCP, Amy Matilda and Mahatia. $5 entry.

THURSDAY

SOUNDS OF SOUL @ THE BENDIGO HOTEL Matthew Hall is set to take Melbourne by storm. He will be joined by two MCs – Sebbay and Don Corleone – when they play Sounds Of Soul in Collingwood. It will be hip hop Vs soul at its most inventive with support from The Soul Supremacy – a modern bluesy soul five-piece. More artists to be announced. $5 before 9pm/$8 after.

M-PHAZES @ ROI BAR M-Phazes performs the first Victorian show of his national tour at Albury’s Roi Bar featuring Illy and Mantra.

RING THE ALARM @ FIRST FLOOR A night of deadly dancehall and killer reggae. Residents Jesse I and Major Krazy are joined by weekly guest selectors. This week’s special guests are Daniel Ring and Kavinda. From 9pm-3am. Free entry.

LOVE STORY @ THE TOFF Featuring 1928 and rotating guests Tranter, Rad Pitt, Megawuoti and Sleeves playing electro, techno, indie and disco. From 11.30pm-5am. Free entry. International and interstate guests monthly.

MISK @ MISS LIBERTINE A place where the music floats between deep melodic tech house, groovy jazz-spaced stabs, crunchy minimal techno and smooth cocktail house. Featuring resident DJs U-one and Dave Pham plus this week’s guests Caine Sinclair and My Friend Samuel. Free entry.

HANGTIME @ EUROTRASH Hangtime continues to rock the shit out of Eurotrash. Featuring a rad line-up of rotating DJs to keep you boozed and buried on the dancefloor.

FREE RANGE FUNK @ LUCKY COQ Free Range Funk DJs Who, Agent 86, Lewis CanCut and special guests tempt you into the night with their eclectic bag of treats. Expect to be charmed with delightful jazz, deep soul and funk early. Stick around after dessert and it’s fruity disco, choice house and hipster dance drops. Free entry.

VARSITY @ BIMBO DELUXE Teaching you a lesson in hip hop,

22 Zebra Magazine

soul and funk after school are Matt Radovich, Mr Moonshine, Just Lindsay, Tahl and Rowie.

RHYTHM-AL-ISM @ FUSION The Rhythm-al-ism team bring you the best urban jams and house grooves every week. This week special guests Neeq and Candy launch their new mixtape. Support from Damion De Silva, Funk Master Rob, A-Style, K Dee and Simon Sez. From 9.30pm-4am. $15/$12 guestlist (guestlist@restless. com.au).

THURSDAYS @ NEW GUERNICA There’s a new ‘tude for a new night down at Guernica. Resident DJs from 9pm include Negativ Magick, PostPercy and Nu Balance. Free entry.

3181 THURSDAYS @ REVOLVER Revolver keeps it laidback and local from 6pm. There are tunes from Hans DC, Who and guests. Plus vintage video games, foosball, free wi-fi internet and half price meals every week from Colonel Tan’s kitchen for local residents and traders.

BASS CAMP @ LOUNGE Playing everything from party funk, bootlegs and breaks all the way to house and samba. $5 entry.

FRIDAY

WAX! & NQR @ REVOLVER Amassing releases on some of the world’s most acclaimed labels, you can catch the local boys of Wax! every Friday. Wax! will feature Oohee, Lewie Day, Andee Frost, and Otologic from 10pm plus Sunshine’s morning set from 7am. Also on is NQR and the boys have put together a stellar house line-up to celebrate Aaron Trotman’s birthday. Featuring special guests Anyo, Sam Deluxe, Jazzmopper J, D-T3ch, Chardy and Tom Evans alongside the NQR trinity of TBIB, Nick Young and birthday boy Aaron Trotman.

THE SKYLINES @ FIRST FLOOR Melbourne based funk band The Skylines have been gettin’ down since early 2009. The group’s musical armoury has expanded since their beginnings to take in reggae, roots and soul, all laced with a catchy pop sensibility. From 9pm.

COSMOLOGY @ LOOP Cosmology returns to showcase some of Melbourne’s finest producers. This edition will feature Andee Frost and Oohee. Support from Cosmo K, Superchang, ADD and Lopan. Free entry. From 10pm-late.

MEZZANINE @ ABODE Alternative, sophisticated and opulent. DJ Lady J takes you through a unique mix of deep techno. From 10pm-late. Dress neat smart or alternative. No blue jeans.

PURPLE SNEAKERS @ MISS LIBERTINE The official Kasabian after party is on with Sydney’s Guinea Fowl playing live. Other guests include Children Collide DJs, Adalita (Magic Dirt) and Shaky Memorial. The cream of the Purple Sneakers DJ crop including PhDJ, MIT, Quick Fix DJs and Bad Horse round out the monster line-up. $12 entry.

FRIDAYS @ CIRCUS Now into its third year and still bringing quality tunes ranging from commercial house to underground electro.

LIKE DISCO @ LA DI DA What is Like Disco? Motown and funk led us to disco and now original disco classics have been re-edited, remixed and reinvented. Disco continues to be a constant source of basslines, riffs and vocals for house and techno. So put your hands up and let your hair down as you dance to everything that’s like disco. From 7pm-dawn. $15/$10 guestlist.

FRIDAYS @ EUROTRASH Mu-gen and NXR playing party through to electro. Free entry. Open until 3am.

FRIDAYS @ NEW GUERNICA You know it’s going to be a good night when you’re at a club and the DJs work the same part-time jobs during the week as you; it means they’re probably up for getting loose just the same. At New Guernica we’ve got more Nudie Jeans folding clerks and fixie part importers than you can poke a stick at.

BAMBAATAA @ LOUNGE This Friday is the launch of the first Bambaataa Essential Mix CD. To help celebrate the occasion the crew are throwing a sunrise party with drink specials, a sunrise breakfast and giveaways. Join residents Nick Verwey, Popeye, Tom Ellis and Adrian Bell for the best in house and techno. From 10pm-late. $10/$5 guestlist (badrunnerproductions@hotmail.com).

POPROCKS @ THE TOFF Join the crew at the Toff with Dr Phil Smith playing no-brainers and guilty pleasures from the ‘60s/’70s/’80s/’90s/ today and tomorrow. The sounds of pop, disco, rock, R&B, funk, soul and oddball covers. The party starts at 9pm and entry is always free.

SATURDAY

DEADBEAT @ MERCAT CROSS Featuring Deadbeat (live), Brock Ferrar, Lance Harrison, Markojux, Dave Pham, Lorenzo and Matic. $20 entry.

VOODOO @ DEEP 11 Chunky progressive and twisted techno will be pumping through the soundsystem at Voodoo, the second instalment of Instinct. Get your voodoo vibe on and join Mish’Chief, Freya, Suseri, Ranjit, Herc Kass and Not Bad For Girls. $15/$10 before 11pm.

NEO SANCTUM MASQUERADE @ ABODE A masquerade party to honour the Roman god Bacchus – god of wine, ecstasy and orgiastic behaviour. Invoking all things erotic and featuring The Twoks plus continuous stage shows and DJs Catatonic, SmuDJ, Jon Montes, and Syme Tollens. This is a fully pre-sale ticketed event.

EBB & FLO @ LOOP Presenting music from the frontiers of deep house, techno and electronica, Ebb and Flo is a unique opportunity for local DJs to create an experience based on the music that has influenced them on a profound and personal level. Both resident and guest DJs will receive extended set lengths to give them the creative licence to showcase the records they seek inspiration from. Featuring Jon Beta and Lister Cooray along with special guest Jamie Stevens. From 10pm-late. Free entry.

FAVELA ROCK @ MISS LIBERTINE Favela Rock is back and ready to rumble this July. DJs this month are MAFIA, Steezy, TPC, Micka5K and Agwa Amigos. $10/$8 guestlist.

MAMA SAID @ CIRCUS Gear up as the Mama Said crew bring the very best of deep tech and house over two levels. Doors open at 10pm, so come down and check out what all the fuss is about.

THE LATE SHOW @ REVOLVER Featuring breaks, dubstep, grime and funky in the front room. Whilst the back room samples disco, boogie, cutups, house and the rest. With residents Ransom, Nick Thayer and Raph Boogie along with guests Rex, Julien Love, Hysteric and Booshank. Plus Boogs and Spacey in the morning.

THE HOUSE DE FROST @ THE TOFF The House De Frost is a modern-day discotheque with its feet and ears firmly rooted in the nostalgia of days gone by. This is true disco, not nu-disco. Helmed by the infamous Andee Frost.

UNDER SUSPICION @ BROWN ALLEY Under Suspicion is Brown Alley’s new resident Saturday night. It’s a

party that represents the best of underground culture and music. Under Suspicion aims to create a new underground culture that breaks down the walls of industry trends and ignites a party experience like no other.

HOUSE PARTY @ EUROTRASH Party on two floors with 1928, Sleeves, Megawuoti, Tranter, Mu-gen and D Ceed. $10/$5 before 10pm. Email adam@eurotrashbar.com.au for birthdays – you’ll get free entry and a cheap guestlist for your friends.

PUSSYKAT SATURDAYS @ LA DI DA In the main room Boogs, T-Rek, Jen Tutty, Phil K, Ross Horkings, Tyrone and Bianca White supply the soundtrack to your evening while in the basement Gavin Keitel, Mike Callander, Lister Cooray, Bart Bara, Clint Morgan and Jamie Coyle bring you some of the finest house and techno to get your arse groovin’. $15 guestlist (inpresslist@live.com).

IT’S OUR HOUSE @ LOUNGE Join Darren Coburn and Moose for a sensual start to your Saturday night. Then, from the Smashbang label, it’s Luke McD smashing out original leftof-centre techno/electro tracks. Nick Coleman takes you beyond the night playing tunes to keep you up until the early morn’. From 10pm-late.

is one of the world’s most unique clubbing experiences – tight like family and welcoming like long lost friends. Featuring Boogs, Spacey Space, Radiator and T-Rek.

SUNDAYS @ NEW GUERNICA A mix of Little Richard slamming a piano with a pair of blue suede shoes to John Lydon pissing off his Sex Pistol fans with his new band that was just as important, along with all the good new wave, death disco, punk funk, post punk and Liverpool pop you can hear in a good night out. Free entry.

SOUTH SIDE HUSTLE @ LUCKY COQ Pilgrim Light Circus kick the night off from 5-7pm playing live jazz and funk. Following them is Askew, Booshank, Paz, Ms Butt, Jumbo, Junji and Harry, Pete Baker and guests laying down slick Sunday tunes until 3am.

SUNDAE SHAKE @ BIMBO DELUXE Slide into a comfy couch or across the dancefloor as masters of entertainment Phato-A-Mano, Agent 86 and Tigerfunk hit you between the ears.

MONDAY

STREET POETICS @ FIRST FLOOR

Featuring MC Matthew Charles and Collective. Entry $15/$12 guestlist. Dress code applies.

Rotating MCs host an open mic night with the Street Poetics live band. The house band includes the likes of Mr Savona (Illzilla), Tom Tom (True Live), Choi (Cookin On Three Burners) and Miss Vida Sunshyne. DJ Wasabi is also hand, accompanied by his mammoth bag of cuts to ensure you hear all those hip hop classics. $5 entry/free before 10pm.

SUPERDISCO @ PRINCE

DIAMOND DOGS @ BIMBO DELUXE

STRUT @ TRAK LIVE LOUNGE BAR

Featuring guest and resident DJs every week. $20 entry. From 9pm.

PLAYGROUND @ SEVEN Spread over six rooms, Playground has been showcasing R&B and hip hop for five years complimented by regular live acts. Come and celebrate the best in urban culture.

SWEAT SATURDAYS @ ONESIXONE The new undisputed jump-off for lovers of sophisticated grooves, Sweat continues bringing the goodness. Featuring DJ Who, Anthony Larr, Ant J Steep and MJ. Doors open at 10pm. $15/$10 (mention Sweat).

DISCO SOCIAL @ FIRST FLOOR Enter studio 393 as the disco bandits, Kano and Mr Moonshine, play all that is disco, boogie and funk. This week’s guest is Dvise.

SATURDAYS @ LUCKY COQ Spread over two levels with DJs downstairs including Pacman, Jean Paul, Sam McEwin and Greyskull playing tech house and electro. Upstairs you’ll find Kodiak Kid, Moonshine, Ash-Lee and guests playing funk. From 9pm-late. Free entry.

VIBEZ @ ESCOBAR United DJs and Escobar present Vibez, a huge new night spread over two levels. House DJs Joshur, Matt Sofo and Wei Shen are on level one with R&B and hip hop DJs Crusador, Apex, Yun, Bonez, KC, Wiki, JC, Lady D and Duchess Kay on level two. From 10pm-late.

SUNDAY

BE @ CO

Featuring DVS (live), Damion De Silva, Jay-J, Ken Walker, Kate Jean, DJ Ryza, Lightening, Rev and Hoesty playing R&B, old school, house and mash-ups. $15/$12 guestlist (info@ houseofgroove.com.au). From 9.30pmlate.

INDUSTRY SUNDAYS @ CIRCUS When you’ve stopped serving the masses, come to Circus and let loose. Great for people who love to party on a Sunday and for people who work in the industry.

SUNDAYS @ REVOLVER Revolver’s all-day electric disco party

Inspired by David Bowie, Lady Noir and Kiti span the ages of rock, glam and indie. If you’re after something a little different, then look no further.

DEEP @ NEW GUERNICA An mp3 player on shuffle isn’t as entertaining as listening to someone who actually loves playing good music getting loose with you from behind the decks. Hence New Guernica’s take on Monday evenings. Every Monday on rotation from 9pm music lovers grace our organ and play sounds from the deep to keep the weekend wrongness flowing.

THE OMGS @ LUCKY COQ Self-proclaimed hipsters The OMGs play live. The six-piece band bash out original tracks over two sets from 9.30pm. Free entry.

TUESDAY

PERCY’S PLAYHOUSE @ NEW GUERNICA Hosted by the delightful young chap who thinks high tea means margaritas on a Monday morning. Special appearances by Percy’s colourful friends and a rabidly fun, five-hourodd set of party dance with one of Melbourne’s most eloquently wasted madmen.

REVOLVER CULT FILM FESTIVAL & NEVER CHEER BEFORE YOU KNOW WHO’S WINNING @ REVOLVER The Revolver cult film festival runs for eight weeks from Tuesday 27 July, featuring classic music documentaries. Each night will feature a live performance by Ben Abraham. Never Cheer Before You Know Who’s Winning will still be running while the film festival is on, so there’s nothing to stop you from joining hosts Mikey Cahill (Rock City/Joey Lightbulb) and Kerrie Loveless (K-Lo) to tackle Revolver’s ultimate trivia contest. Win CDs, DVDs, movie passes and meal tickets. Register at nevercheer@revolverupstairs.com.au to book (eight people per team) and get bonus questions. Kicks off at 7.30pm. Free entry.

COSMIC PIZZA @ LUCKY COQ Uneasy listening, freaked-out bass jams, romantic comedy disco, tropi-jazz and shit you won’t hear on the other nights courtesy of NHJ and friends. From 8.30pm-3am.

UPCOMING

ELOQUOR ALBUM LAUNCH @ REVOLVER Like the glow of the city streets, Melbourne’s Eloquor is the amalgamation of a spiritual soul with the battered underground. Digging deep into the aural landscape of New York’s hip hop roots, the talented lyricist and memorable performer returns to launch Charge, his second album. Supported by Melbourne’s finest emerging hip hop crews including Doc Felix, BBS, In Good Company, Scarlet City and Strike One, the night promises to deliver a full charge of underground hip hop like no other. Tickets $13 on the door, from 9pm. Friday 30 July.

PURPLE SNEAKERS @ MISS LIBERTINE Sydney’s Purple Sneakers DJs have unveiled the all-star tracklist for their forthcoming debut compilation, We Mix You Dance, and have also announced national tour dates to promote the 29-track, two-disc release. Born from the womb of Sydney’s most popular indie club night, Purple Sneakers, this compilation is expertly mixed by PhDJ (founder Martin Novosel), MIT and Ben Lucid. Friday 30 July.

PHONETICS @ DEEP 11 Taking over the infamous Mercat Basement, Phonetics presents a monster line-up bringing you the freshest drum’n’bass sounds with a touch of dubstep. Featuring Cubist Vs JPS, Dabeata Vs Finna, West:One, Rickdirk, Dstract and your host for the evening MC Harzee. $10/$5 before 11pm. Friday 30 July.

TAVARES @ FIRST FLOOR First Floor presents a night of soul, disco and funk. Eight-piece band Tavares will be playing two sets from 9pm. Support from DJs M-Phazes, Billy Hoyle, MAFIA and Flagrant. $10 entry. Friday 30 July.

NO STANDING @ ROXANNE PARLOUR No Standing has moved to Roxanne Parlour to celebrate their first anniversary with a line-up of fine Melbourne DJs and producers including Orkestrated, Kalus, Chardy, Coleman Vs Radiator, John Doe, Heath Renata, Mickey Nox, Kizzam, John Baptiste, Dean Del Vs Pk, Fab Grillo Vs Choobz, Arien K, Voodoo, Steenhuis Vs Linton, Xavier Loader, Gordy, Fut, Crank, Daniel Della, Carlo Paduano, Mitchy Vs Danny Vee, Lacko and James. Friday 30 July. Doors 10pm. Tickets $25 through promoters/more on the door.

THE TRANSATLANTICS @ EAST BRUNSWICK CLUB South Australian funk/soul outfit The Transatlantics hit Melbourne to launch their latest album. Support from Electric Empire along with DJs Chris Gill, Kano and Pierre Baroni. $10+BF, doors 8.30pm. Saturday 31 July.

GRADIENT @ MISS LIBERTINE Gradient starts at the deepest end of techno and then the music evolves slowly throughout the night, always building and changing. Timmus will be warming up the night alongside Rips and Johan Elg. Muska will kick off the main room with a bang, followed by Samari and Miyagi indulging your audio senses with some heavy beats. Then resident Simon Slieker will be on hand to finish the night off. $10/$5 guestlist. Saturday 31 July.

UPSET STRIP @ THE TOFF Presented by Wax Museum Records and Render, Upset Strip will showcase new and different hip hop beats. Featuring some of Melbourne’s most forward-thinking producers including Aoi, Wooshie, Galapagoose, Dyl Thomas and Crumbs. $5 entry. Thursday 5 August.

Zebra Venue Guide

FIRST FLOOR 393 Brunswick St, Fitzroy 9419 6380 THE FOX 351 Wellington St, Collingwood 9416 4917 FUSION Level 3, Crown Entertainment Complex, 8 Whiteman St, Southbank ABODE 9292 5750 374 St Kilda Rd, St Kilda 9525 5552 GEORGE LANE BAR ALIA Level 1, 83-87 Smith St, (corner of 1 George lane (off Grey St,), St Smith St, and Gertrude St), Fitzroy Kilda 9486 0999 9593 8884 ALUMBRA THE GERTRUDE HOTEL Shed 9, Central Pier, Docklands 148 Gertrude St, Fitzroy 9690 0883 9419 2823 THE APARTMENT GERTRUDES BROWN COUCH 401-405 Little Bourke St, Melbourne 30-32 Gertrude St, Fitzroy 9670 4020 9417 6420 ATTICUS FINCH GOLDEN MONKEY 129 Lygon St, East, Brunswick 389 Lonsdale St, (enter via 9387 0188 Hardware Lane), Melbourne THE BALCONY 9602 2055 422 Little Collins St, Melbourne THE GOOSE & VINYL 9642 8917 91-93 Flinders Lane (entrance via BAR 362 Duckboard Pl), Melbourne 362 St Kilda Rd, St Kilda 1300 843 466 9534 4666 GRACE DARLING HOTEL BARAKI UPO MEZETHES 114 Smith St, Collingwood 168 Lonsdale St, Melbourne 9416 0055 9663 1002 THE GREAT BRITAIN HOTEL BARBARA 447 Church St, Richmond Level 1, 203 Swan St, Richmond 9429 5066 9429 3146 THE HAIRY CANARY BAR OPEN 226 Little Collins St, Melbourne 317 Brunswick St, Fitzroy 9654 2471 9415 9601 HORSE BAZAAR BERTHA BROWN 397 Little Lonsdale St, Melbourne 562 Flinders St, Melbourne 9670 2329 9629 1207 HOTEL BARKLY BIGMOUTH 109 Barkly St, St Kilda 168 Acland St, St Kilda 9525 3332 9534 4611 INFLATION BILLBOARD 60 King St, Melbourne 162 Little Bourke St, Melbourne 9614 6122 9639 4000 KATUK BIMBO DELUXE 517a Chapel St, South Yarra 376 Brunswick St, Fitzroy 9827 9004 9419 8600 KHOKOLAT BAR BLUE BAR 43 Hardware Lane, Melbourne 330 Chapel St, Prahran 9642 1442 9529 6499 LA DI DA BLUE TILE LOUNGE 577 Little Bourke St, Melbourne 95 Smith St, Fitzroy 9417 7186 9670 7680 BOUTIQUE LA LA LAND 134 Greville St, Prahran 134 Chapel St, Windsor 9525 2322 9533 8972 BROWN ALLEY LAIKA Corner of King St, and Lonsdale St, 9 Fitzroy St, St Kilda Melbourne 9534 0002 9670 8599 THE LOFT CABINET BAR & BALCONY Level 2, 117 Lonsdale St, 11 Rainbow Alley, Melbourne Melbourne 9654 0915 9650 3388 CANARY CLUB LONG BAR 6 Melbourne Pl, Melbourne 60 Lygon St, Carlton 9663 1983 9380 4004 CANVAS LOOP Level 1, 302-320 Burwood Rd, 19-23 Meyers Pl, Melbourne Hawthorn 9819 2200 9654 0500 CHAISE LOUNGE LOUNGE Basement, 105 Queen St, Melbourne 243 Swanston St, Melbourne 9670 6120 9663 2916 CHASERS LOVE MACHINE 386 Chapel St, South Yarra Little Chapel St (Corner Malvern 9827 7379 Rd), Sth Yarra 9533 8837 CIRCUS LUCKY COQ 199 Commercial Rd, South Yarra 179 Chapel St, Prahran 9804 8605 9525 1288 CO. NIGHTCLUB MADAMME BRUSSELS Level 3, Crown Entertainment 63 Bourke St, Melbourne Complex, 8 Whiteman St, Southbank 9662 2775 9682 1888 MAEVE FOX THE CONTINENTAL HOTEL 472 Church St, Richmond 1-21 Ocean Rd, Sorrento 9427 1233 5984 2201 THE MARKET COOKIE 143 Commercial Rd, South Yarra Level 1, Curtin House, 252 Swanston 9826 0933 St, Melbourne 9663 7660 MATCH BAR & GRILL THE CORNISH ARMS 249 Lonsdale St, Melbourne 163A Sydney Rd, Brunswick 9654 6522 9380 8383 MANCHURIA CROFT INSTITUTE 7 Waratah Pl, Melbourne 21 Croft Alley (off Little Bourke St), 9663 1997 Melbourne 9671 4399 MERCAT CROSS HOTEL CUSHION LOUNGE 456 Queen St, Melbourne 99 Fitzroy St, St Kilda 9534 7575 9348 9998 DECCA BAR METROPOL 95 Queen St, Melbourne 60 Fitzroy St, St Kilda 9534 5999 9600 0900 MISS LIBERTINE DING DONG LOUNGE 34 Franklin St, Melbourne Level 1, 18 Market lane, Melbourne 9663 6855 9662 1020 MISTY PLACE THE DROWNING OLIVE 3-5 Hosier lane, Melbourne 407-409 Swanston St, Melbourne 9663 9202 9650 5486 MOTHER’S MILK (BRIGHTON) ELECTRIC LADYLAND 287 Bay St, Brighton Level 1, 265 Chapel St, Prahran 9596 9470 9521 5757 MOTHER’S MILK (WINDSOR) EMPRESS 17 Chapel St, Windsor 714 Nicholson St, North Fitzroy 9521 4119 9489 8605 NASH HOTEL ESCOBAR 344 Victoria St, Richmond 189 Lonsdale St, Melbourne 9428 3418 0407 845 278 NEVERMIND ESPLANADE HOTEL 336 Burwood Rd, Hawthorn 11 The Esplanade, St Kilda NEVERWHERE BAR 9534 0211 185 Smith St, Fitzroy EUROTRASH 0422 560 890 18 Corrs Lane, Melbourne NEW GUERNICA 9564 4411 Level 2, Hub Arcade, 318 Little EVE BAR/LOUNGE Collins St, Melbourne 334 City Rd, Southbank 9650 4464 9696 7388 THE NIGHT CAT E-55 141 JohnSt,on St, Fitzroy 55 Elizabeth St, Melbourne 9417 0900 9620 3899 THE NIGHT OWL Basement, 33 Elizabeth St, Melbourne 9614 277

NORTHCOTE SOCIAL CLUB 301 High St, Northcote 9489 3917 ONESIXONE 161 High St, Prahran 9533 8433 THE ORDER OF MELBOURNE Level 2, 401 Swanston St, Melbourne 9663 6707 PALACE THEATRE 20 Bourke St, Melbourne 9663 4288 PLATFORM ONE Vault 7/8 Banana Alley, Melbourne 9620 7080 THE POST OFFICE HOTEL 90 Swan St, Richmond 9428 6674 PRINCE OF WALES 29 Fitzroy St, St Kilda 9536 1166 PUBLIC BAR 238 Victoria St, North Melbournee 9329 6522 THE PURPLE EMERALD 191 Flinders Lane, Melbourne 9650 7753 Q BAR 257 Toorak Rd, South Yarra 9804 7800 RANDY DRAGON Basement, 313a Flinders Lane, Melbourne 9629 9141 RED HUMMINGBIRD 246 Russell St, Melbourne 9654 2192 RED BENNIES Level 1, 371-373 Chapel St, South Yarra RED LOVE MUSICROOM Level 1, 401 Swanston St, Melbourne 9639 3722 RED VIOLIN 1/231 Bourke St, Melbourne 0411 423 245 REVOLVER 229 Chapel St, Prahran 9521 5985 ROBARTA 109 Fitzroy St, St Kilda 9534 9041 ROBOT 12 Bligh Pl, Melbourne 9620 3646 ROOFTOP BAR Level 7, Curtin House, 252 Swanston St, Melbourne 9663 3596 ROOM 680 Level 1, 680 Glenferrie Rd, Hawthorn 9818 0680 ROXANNE PARLOUR 2/3 Coverlid Pl, Melbourne 9663 1018 RUBY’S LOUNGE 1648 Burwood Highway, Belgrave 9754 7445 SAGI BAR 57 High St, Northcote 9489 9983 THE SAINT 54 Fitzroy St, St Kilda 9593 8333 SECTION 8 27-29 Tattersalls Lane, Melbourne 0422 972 656 SEVEN 52 Albert Rd, South Melbourne 9690 7877 SOFTBELLY BAR 367 Little Bourke St, Melbourne 0410 329 129 SORRY GRANDMA! 590 Little Bourke St, Melbourne 9670 7493 STAR BAR 160 Clarendon St, South Melbourne 9810 9954 SYN BAR Level 1, 163 Russell St, Melbourne 9663 8990 TERMINUS HOTEL 605 Victoria St, Abbotsford 9427 0615 TOFF IN TOWN Level 2, Curtin House, 252 Swanston St, Melbourne 9639 8770 TRAMP 14 King St, Melbourne TRANSIT Federation Square, Princes Bridge (corner Northbank), Melbourne 9654 8808 TRANSPORT PUBLIC BAR Federation Square, corner Flinders St and Swanston St, Melbourne 9654 8808 TRYST 3 Wilson St, South Yarra 9827 5533 TYRANNY OF DISTANCE 147 Union St, Windsor 9525 1005 VELOUR 121 Flinders lane, Melbourne 9663 5589 VIOLET TEARS 192 Barkly St, St Kilda 9534 4445 WAH WAH LOUNGE 185 Lonsdale St, Melbourne 9654 5793 WHITE BAR 129 Fitzroy St, St Kilda 9593 9077 WINDSOR CASTLE 89 Albert St, Windsor 9525 0239 WORKSHOP Level 1, 413 Elizabeth St, Melbourne 9326 4365 YAK 150 Flinders Lane, Melbourne 9654 6699

THE ARSE END HEADS UP THE RUNAWAYS The new biopic about Joan Jett’s pre-Blackhearts band is awesome from its opening drop of menstrual blood to I Love Rock ‘N’ Roll at the end. Kristen Stewart as Jett proves she can do more than mopey eyes.

WE SPEAKCubist AUSTRALIANO

Ben Mendelsohn Not Really The

Runaways

Last week Kylie sat atop the UK album charts (and debuted at 19 in the US) while Yolanda Be Cool have hit number two in the UK singles chart. So popular is Cool’s We No Speak Ame ricano, it was rush-released to beat a copycat version of the son Italian ‘50s fave) spoiling thei g (itself a kinda cover of an r sales.

GET KNOTTED last dark political drama Tangle was ignored Showcase’s Aus TV out this time, Ben year. Season two has started – don’t miss . y-dad creep in line Mendelsohn does a good

ARSE LICKS DROP THE PILOT We’re not sure whether it’s good news or bad news that Rove’s attempts to crack the US TV market have been Previous Top Zombie s foiled when CBS knocked back his pilot. Obviously it’s damn funny, but scarily it opens the Spit Sydicate door to him returning So Robbie Williams has rejoined Take That. The to our screens sooner world yawns collectively and stages will buckle rather than later. under their collective weight.

TAKE FAT

What Take That Don’t Look Like

AUSTRALIA’S NEXT SHOW NOT TO WATCH Surely by now even less people care about this than care about Robbie Williams rejoining Take That?

PACHA 2010 CDS erss ider Raid R g Ra Bag

cherries in club culture The most famous cherr are back and adorning the cover of the freshly minted Pacha 22010 compilation Station. On this two courtesy of Central Sta globetrotting Sydneysider disc instalment, globet Alex Taylor and Sydney-based Brisbane helm a disc each, expat Matt Nugent he Yolanda Be Cool & with tracks from Yolan DCUP, Cassius, Danny Tenaglia, Afrojack, X-Press 2 and many more Roger Sanchez, X-Pres featuring. We’ve got five copies up for grabs. For your chance to win, email your telephone number to name, address and te giveaways@inpress.com.au with ‘PACHA 2010’ in the subject liline.

Zebra Magazine 23

frontrow@inpress.com.au

7 UP

SEMINAL CINEMA: THE FOUNDING FATHERS OF MOVIE GENRES

2010 DESIGN CHALLENGE: CRIME FORUM

By John Eagle

RMIT’s Design Challenge is an annual event bringing design together with researchers and practitioners across science, business and the arts to address community issues. The topic of the 2010 Challenge is Crime, and a free public panel discussion on the sorts of crime and kinds of approaches that can be taken to them, moderated by Alan Saunders (By Design on Radio National) and featuring experts including ‘crime scientist’ Professor Paul Ekblom, is being held on 15 July. The panel runs from 12.30-2pm at the State Library; more info at rmit.edu.au.

1. DW Griffiths’s The Birth Of A Nation (1915) – the first historical epic 2. Fritz Lang’s M (1931) – established the conventions of film noir and serial-killer movies 3. Thomas A Edison’s Electrocuting An Elephant (1903) – the earliest example of the exploitation film 4. Tod Browning’s Dracula (1931) – the beginning of the horror genre 5. Edwin S Porter’s The Great Train Robbery (1903) – the first western 6. Robert J Flaherty’s Nanook Of The North (1922) – the birth of documentary filmmaking 7. Mervyn LeRoy’s Little Caesar (1930) – the prototypical gangster movie

THIS WEEK IN WEDNESDAY 21 Castaway with Catherine Deveney – a Desert Island Flicks session with the comedian and commentator tracing her favourite films. ACMI, 7pm. Everything Will Be Okay and Urgent Little Things – two surreal short plays, one featuring giant cats and one set in Hell. Opening night. La Mama until 1 August. Salonika Bound – opening night of this play looking at Greek-Jewish relations WW2 Thessaloniki and contemporary Melbourne. La Mama until 8 August.

THURSDAY 22 Melbourne International Film Festival – the 59th festival opens tonight with a screening of The Wedding Party. MIFF runs until 8 August. See melbournefilmfestival. com.au for programme details. Queer History as Public History – discussion at the State Library of Victoria, 5.30pm.

FRIDAY 23 Help Me I Am Blind – an exhibition and publication forming a visual-textual dialogue between a photographer and a writer/architect. Opening night. RMIT Gallery until 11 September. Human Interest Story – contemporary dance piece examining the saturation of news in daily life. Opening night. Malthouse Theatre until 1 August. Melbourne International Film Festival – screenings today include Red Hill, Splice, The Illusionist, and Dreamland.

SATURDAY 24 Bauhaus in the middle of the street: minimalism in design today – a panel discussion with designers, artists and architects on the International Style and Bauhaus modernism and its ongoing influence. Australian Centre for Contmporary Art, 2pm. Carved Out of Life – curated by Clinton Nairn for Craft Melbourne, this exhibition exploring the history

ARTS and of emu egg carving closes today. Craft Victoria, Flinders Lane. Lin Onus: Meaning of Life – a free guided tour of the exhibition at Counihan Galleries with co-curator Damian Smith, 2.30-3.30pm. Psycho with live orchestra – a screening of Alfred Hitchcock’s classic accompanied by the Bates Motel Orchestra. Regent Theatre, 7.30pm. seven thousand oaks – the final Saturday that four works from the environmentally sustinable festival will be on display in City Square. Type Face – premiere of Justine Nagan’s documentary on a monthly printmaking workshop that sees artisans take over a tiny town in Wisconsin. ACMI, 4pm. (Second screening at 9.30pm.)

SUNDAY 25 Melbourne International Film Festival – screenings today include A Somewhat Gentle Man, The Tree, and The Trotsky. Skins N Sharps – exhibition dedicated to the underground Sharpies movement of Melbourne in the 1970s, featuring vintage fashions, artefacts, music, photography, arts, and footage. Closing day. Kustom Lane Gallery. State Of Design Festival – the final day of public events, with some exhibitions continuing. See stateofdesign.com.au for programme details.

MONDAY 26 Melbourne International Film Festival – screenings at the Forum Theatre, Kino, ACMI and Greater Union today include Garbo: The Spy, Blank City and Son Of Babylon.

TUESDAY 27 Melbourne International Film Festival – screenings today include Beeswax, The Kids Are All Right, Fuck Off Police Car and The Genius And The Boys. Vietnamese Propaganda Art – a pop-up exhibition of posters from the 1950s-1980s. Melbourne Institute Fine Art until 30 July.

UNREPRESENTED GROUP SHOW AT FORTYFIVEDOWNSTAIRS Against a backdrop of all the heights of excitement and insurance premiums surrounding Melbourne Art Fair, local ARI fortyfivedownstairs are putting on an independent group show, exhibiting the works of five artists who work outside the gallery system of representation. The exhibition opens 5-7pm on Tuesday 3 August and runs to Saturday 14, with an ‘Artist’s Survival Kit’ forum 2-4pm on the final day looking at how to run an art practice solo featuring talks from business and legal experts as well as artists.

D I G I TA L

POTATO

DVD WITH MICHAEL DANIELS We all have to begin somewhere, and one of Nicole Kidman’s earliest embarrassments is the 1983 dag-fest BMX Bandits (Shock). Available in a two-disc collector’s edition from 11 August, Kidman stars alongside David Argue (later taking on killer bush pigs in Razorback) and John Ley, as a trio of bike riding fanatics who find themselves in the middle of some trouble. When they accidently get involved with some crims, who are on the run themselves, our pedal-pushing heroes spend the next 90 minutes ducking and weaving in a bid to save the themselves and the day. Directed by Brian TrenchardSmith, who also helmed The Man From Hong Kong, starring one-time Bond George Lazenby, it hasn’t aged well, and it’s as predictable as they come – but despite these reasons and more (mainly the almost reasondefying frizziness of Nic’s hair), BMX Bandits still holds a special place in Australian film. Personally, I think the only reason Sam Worthington is getting so much work is because he has all the screen presence of a block-of-wood,

and can therefore slip into any CG screen environment (see Avatar and Terminator Salvation for two glaring examples) and be manipulated as easily as the pixelated world around him. Glaring example number three is Clash Of The Titans (Warner Bros), an animation heavy remake of the wobbly 1981 film; directed by Louis Leterrier, who likes his movies to be blokey and generally brainless (see the first two Transporter films, and big green sequel The Incredible Hulk). Worthington’s believability as a Greek mythological hero rates up there with Brad Pitt in Troy and Dolph Lundgren in Masters Of The Universe – but if you manage to switch off your brain, you just might get through the experience with some sanity left. Available 11 August. On the same day yet again – Wednesday 11 August, a great day for DVD – a collection of three of the greatest mini-series ever to be produced for telly becomes available and is certainly a musthave! Madman release a box set containing Lonesome Dove, along with prequels Streets Of Laredo and Dead Man’s Walk (unfortunately, sequel Return To Lonesome Dove

isn’t included). The original miniseries stars Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones as aging cowboys Gus McRae and Woodrow F Call, along with the likes of Robert Urich, Angelica Huston, Danny Glover, Diane Lane and Rick Schroder. I cannot stress this enough, it is quite simply some of the finest acted television ever produced. Holding something of “classic” status in American eyes, Lonesome Dove was made in 1989 and hasn’t got the greatest production values on the screen – but you have to see past that, and let Duvall and Jones’s performances dominate your opinion. Brilliant! Tomorrow (Thursday) sees young up’n’comer Michael Cera (TV’s Arrested Development, big screen outings Superbad and Scott Pilgrim vs The World), in his first exceptional performance in Youth In Revolt (Roadshow). Cera plays teenager Nick Twisp who creates alter-ego François Dillinger in order to win over girly Sheeni Saunders (Poira Doubleday). Setting aside his ultra-geek status, Cera proves he can do more under the direction of Miguel Arteta, who afforded Jake Gyllenhaal the same privelage in The Good Girl.

TALES FROM THE OFFICE TOBY WALKER TALKS TO MELISSA BUBNIC, WRITER OF RED STITCH’S NEW PRODUCTION, STOP.REWIND.

he doorbell rings to playwright Melissa Bubnic’s Brixton flat seconds into our phone interview. “I normally get people wanting to talk about Jesus,” she says before wandering off to learn more about her unexpected Thursday morning caller. Whatever the purpose of the visit, it’s an intervention without sufficient divinity to keep Melissa long and soon she’s back on the line discussing London life. It’s been almost 12 months since she left Melbourne to complete a Masters in Writing For Performance scholarship at Goldsmiths, University of London, which counts artist Damien Hirst, Blur’s Graham Coxon and the late Malcolm McLaren as former students. The time has been productive. Bubnic says she has relished having time to focus on writing and has seized the opportunity to see as many shows as possible in London’s vibrant theatre scene. After our interview she will head out to the university to hand in a full-length play, an English comedy called Beached, which she says is about the saddest teenager on Earth and the reality television show that promises to transform him. The play’s submission will mark the end of her studies in England, an occasion without much cause for

celebration when the uninspiring alternatives are considered. “For the last year I’ve gone to uni a couple of days a week and spent the rest of the time writing, not to mention everything else I’ve taken out of it, like script development and dramaturgy and just basically broadening my understanding of the sort of work that’s out there,” she says. “Now that’s all ended I’m disappointed to have to go back into the workforce.” Having sent out 40 applications over the past three weeks without raising a skerrick of interest from London’s battle-scarred job market, even a return to menial servitude is proving a challenge. “It’s the whole horror of registering with recruitment agencies, having interviews with these people who haven’t even looked at your CV but make you fill out forms that you’ve already filled out. “You do feel like a sausage in a factory, not particularly loved.” The fake-plant logic of office bureaucracies and their fluorescent-lit routines and rituals come under examination in Bubnic’s new work Stop.Rewind, a comedy about office workers looking beyond their desktops to their dreams and aspirations. The play, which gets its first production by the Red Stitch Actors

Theatre later this month, is the second to come out of the Melbourne actors’ ensemble’s in-house writer development program, the first being Tom Holloway’s critically-acclaimed Red Sky Morning. Bubnic was invited to join the programme in 2008 after her play Shedding enjoyed a successful run at Carlton’s La Mama Theatre. She had originally pitched another idea to the company but that gave way to an office-based comedy when Sam Strong, who had directed Shedding and was Red Stitch’s dramaturge at the time, became interested in the frustrations she was privately airing

about a temp job she was working. “He found that really fascinating,” she says. “I didn’t see the potential in it all, it just sounded very pedestrian. Maybe because that world was so close to me I didn’t see why it was that interesting, I couldn’t find the drama in it. “I found writing the play very challenging at first… but looking back I’m very glad I’ve gone on this journey.” WHAT: Stop.Rewind WHERE & WHEN: Red Stitch Actors Theatre until Saturday 21 August

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of information, particularly to do with the news cycle and the way that we find that there are limits to our compassion for things that are so far away, that we kind of see things on TV and they might be devastating, but we’ve still got our ordinary, mundane lives going on. We’ve still got to make sure dinner’s not burning. So for us, within the work as dancers, we’re dealing with that conflict all the time as well. We might be doing something quite abstract, quite dancey one minute and then we’ll just switch and suddenly we’ll be talking or we’ll be in a completely different mode. It’s a great challenge.”

DANCING ABOUT THE

FOURTH

ESTATE

Lake also explains the role that spoken word plays in Human Interest Story. Again, it’s something of a stretch for her as a dancer, but one she’s happy to take on, with the help of that bloke from SBS.

HUMAN INTEREST STORY EXPLORES THE WORLD OF THE NEWS STORY THROUGH THE FORM OF DANCE. TOBY WALKER TALKS TO CAST MEMBER STEPHANIE LAKE.

ith a reputation for cuttingedge productions that explore contemporary issues with verve, alacrity, and no small amount of courageousness, choreographer Lucy Guerin’s work is at the forefront of modern dance. Human Interest Story, as the name suggests, explores issues of relevance such as bushfires,

banking collapses, and influenza and how these things are represented to us by the mass media, employing the mediums of dance, spoken word and music to problematise our consumption of current events. Cast member Stephanie Lake likens Human Interest Story to a kind of existential channel surfing, as well as

explaining the testing nature of the piece for her as a dancer. “What I really like about this piece is how it’s kind of constantly changing channels. It’s constantly switching modes. Lucy’s work is often like that but particularly so in this one, I guess, because of the concept, which is to do with this overload

“We do get asked to speak quite a bit in this piece. Lucy typed up all the spoken word bits into a script and it was quite thick, unbelievable, really, for a dance piece. But I think it’s really relevant. It’s how it’s evolved. Lucy doesn’t come in with a preconceived idea; it’s through the process of creating the piece that it becomes. So, it just happened that a lot of the experiments led to having to use spoken word. I like it. We’ve even got a bit of Anton Enus in there doing a little bit of our script like it’s a news service. It’s pretty funny.” Human Interest Story has been billed as Guerin’s most ambitious work, but Lake is quick to point out that all of Guerin’s work is ambitious, and that this time she’s not just pushing boundaries but also pushing them in

different ways. “I think it’s a big subject to embark upon, definitely. I’m really excited about what she’s made out of that. I mean, it’s not a subject you’d go into lightly. But she’s dealt with big themes before. She’s an ambitious choreographer who challenges herself every time, which is what I like about her. She’s doing big concepts and she’s really pushed herself to deal with them in new ways, very aggressively. So, yeah, for Lucy’s fans, there’s a lot there.” Given that this is a dance piece, it probably not all that surprising that Guerin and Lake are not working from a structured starting point. “We don’t start with a script. It’s not like working in the theatre. You come in and you create this thing out of thin air, really. That’s really exciting, but it’s really nerve-wracking as well, and very difficult to communicate.” But it is perhaps surprising that the music, by Jethro Woodward, comes after the movement has been choreographed. Then again, to hear Lake tell it, it actually makes perfect sense. “That’s still being finalised. He’s been in on rehearsals a lot. Lucy works in quite an unusual way in that she doesn’t choreograph to the music. The music usually gets made after everything else has been set. She’ll develop everything and we’ll be running it from end to end, with no sound sometimes, and the composer works to that. I think it ends up being quite a different relationship between sound and movement. Usually it would be the reverse order, but she’s very strong about that. It’s kind of a philosophical thing for her: that the

dance should be first and the sound supports it.” The relationship between dance and storytelling is obviously one Guerin is keen to explore, and Human Interest Story is no exception. Interestingly, Lake has trouble communicating what it is she feels about her chosen art form and narrative, which she says only serves to make this production even more exciting. “Dance in general I find really hard to talk about. It’s so experiential and so open to interpretation. People get vastly different things out of it even though the choreographer might think it’s really clear. But I think that’s the great thing about it as well. It operates in this realm that’s really beyond language – even though there is language in this piece – that’s the great thing about contemporary dance: the meaning can be so nebulous and I think that’s really interesting. “Obviously, I love dance as an art form. I really get a lot out of the non-linear mode that dance works in. So, I enjoy the way dance can tell a story without it being a chronological narrative. I don’t know, I just feel like life’s a bit like that, you know? There isn’t always that logic, but there’s a kind of emotional logic. A story comes across somehow, but not in the way people expect. It’s more dream-like, I suppose, more like the accumulation of scenes and images adds up to a story.” WHAT: Human Interest Story WHERE & WHEN: Malthouse Theatre Friday 23 July to Sunday 1 August

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FILM

CAREW

WITH ANTHONY CAREW MIFF begins Friday. More films will show therein than will be released in regular cinemas throughout the entirety of 2010. Here are reviews of, like, 50 of them. 5150 Elm’s Way: This Québécois horror starts as a surprisingly sharp, endearingly kooky exploration on arbiters of ‘evil’, before plunging into hysterical, silly series of Argentoesque fantasy sequences. Adrift: A cross-section of fractured Vietnamese live unmoored lives of unfulfilled dreams and sweaty, simmering sexual tension. Air Doll: Hirokazu Kore-eda’s genius is on full display as he takes an ’80s sitcom premise – a blow-up sex doll comes to life! – and authors a transcendent portrait of the existential emptiness of the modern metropolis. And Everything Is Going Fine: Steven Soderbergh eulogises the life of monologuist/memoirst Spalding Gray solely through interview footage of the ever-articulate storyteller. The Angel: This absolutely awful slummin’-it movie about a glamorous junkie turns out to be a valentine to a “fallen angel” friend of the filmmaker. Around A Small Mountain: Minor Rivette. Au Hasard Balthazar: Half-a-century on, Bresson’s eternal masterwork – quite possibly the greatest motionpicture ever authored – still stands colossal: its Balthazar a beast-ofburden who Bresson crowns as Christ; one donkey absolving all the sins of mankind through his suffering. Bananas!*: Day-in-court David-vsGoliath tale strains to convince you callous corporations aren’t bailed out from financial/spiritual debts of impossible magnitude by a cabal of high-priced lawyers, even though its events suggest otherwise. Beeswax: Andrew Bujalski will be forever tagged ‘mumblecore’, but Beeswax is a complex, sophisticated drama that, for all its many words, suffocates under the weight of things left unsaid. Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo: Quirky, non-linear documentary dreamt from the Japanese obsession with keeping insects as pets. Blank City: Back-patting doc about New Yorker no-wave films; fans of Jarmusch, Kern, et al. may find it more interesting than I. Brotherhood: This taut Danish drama isn’t just about the homoeroticism of neo-Nazi sects, but the seething schisms of race/creed lurking beneath the wholesome façade of once-Viking lands. Cane Toads: The Conquest: Mark Lewis updates his culturallypersistent 1988 comedy-naturedocumentary Cane Toads: An Unnatural History in shiny new 3D; its great gift still the way it makes the toad both hero and villain of its own story. Cities On Speed: Bogotá Change/ Cairo Garbage: The best two episodes of this Danish urbanplanning series speak two universal truths: cockeyed political visionaries defying right-wing naysaying = good; privatising public services to interloping multinational conglomerates = bad. Cities On Speed: Shanghai Space/ Mumbai Disconnected: The worst two episodes of the same series are paired up; each portrait of a teeming metropolis about the failing efforts to keep swelling populations happy. The Day Will Come: Psychological thrillers are normally best avoided, but Susanne Schneider’s sterling,

cop-out-free tale of an adoptee laying down the mother of all ultimatums to her tracked-down birth-mother is a sharp tale of corrosive guilt and selfpreservation vs idealism. Dreamland: Ivan Sen hopes that by shooting inside the mythologised wastelands of Area 51, his nothinghappening road-movie will have a mystical quality. Not really. The Family Jams: It’s fun seeing footage from Devendra Banhart/Joanna Newsom’s 2004 US tour (of which your old homie Film Carew crashed a bunch of shows, no less), but Kevin Barker’s home-movie is a collection of footage in search of meaning. Garbo: The Spy: The surmised life of an infamous WW2 spy fails to live up to its subject’s exploits. Genius Within: The Inner Life Of Glenn Gould: Wow, a crazy artistic genius. Fascinating. Green Days: Though not as acclaimed/ hot as sister Samira, Hana Makhmalbaf is proving the more fearless filmmaker; her latest ideological crusade against Islamic statehood a shocking documentary of clandestine on-thestreets footage from the hijacked 2009 Iranian election. How Much Does Your Building Weigh, Mr. Foster?: If it isn’t bad enough that Bono has to be in every music documentary ever made, he, for some reason (saying “I’ve only met him once!”), shows up in this airy, sentimental tribute to the grand visions of architect Norman Foster. The Invention Of Dr Nakamats: Winsome televisual tag-along with the eccentric, amazingly-eyebrow’d Japanese inventor. The Juche Idea: Lame mocking of North Korean kitsch is like so much fish-in-a-barrel-shooting. Kanikôsen: Heaven for those who love incongruously wacky fantasy sequences: Hiroyuki Tanaka’s dirty tale of slavedriven Japanese fishermen features seemingly one per scene. Let Each One Go Where He May: Devotees of pure cinema – of sheer light and sound; evocative worlds infused in emulsion – will be overwhelmed by Ben Russell’s immense picture; essentially a single, unspoken, 140-minute tracking-shot rendering a mythical cinematic world tactile. Life During Wartime: Todd Solondz is back in prime-provocateur form with a pseudo-sequel to Happiness that savages American self-help solipsism and blithe suburban Zionism. Love In A Puff: Surprisingly salty Hong Kong rom-com razes the genre’s tendency towards ‘likeable’ leads; this cigarette-puffing gab-fest delivering a pair of callous, selfcentred paramours. Mai Mai Miracle: Sentimental, rural, surprisingly artful animé-for-girls delivers a complex script contrasting the recent and ancient in a shrine to both history’s ghosts and a child’s imagination. Marwencol: Amazing non-fiction portrait of fallen man who, after losing memory/motor-skills in a coma, obsessively rebuilds his life via a model world of military miniatures; he the ultimate symbolic artist, writing a whole world anew. Merle Haggard: Learning To Live With Myself: AKA: Learning To Live With Another Utterly Generic Documentary Of A Beloved Music Icon. The Messenger: If you can get over the famous-humans-methoding-out vibe, Oren Moverman’s macho drama about Army Casualty Notifiers is bringing-thewar-back-home incarnate.

COLD AS ICE Paju: Sometimes people ask me how I can remember all the films I watch. It’s normally the stupidest of questions. Not here. It’s Korean, it’s bad... that’s all I got. Petropolis: Aerial Perspectives On the Alberta Tar Sands: Peter Mettler makes beauty from ugliness; surveying the disfiguring marks and scars left on the face of the planet by the extremism of man’s oil addiction. Picture Me: A Model’s Diary: Although it gamely tries to address topics of thematic depth - modelling’s child-porn-ish aspects; the model as manifestation of consumerist lust - Sara Ziff’s ‘Dear Diary’ is embarrassingly, earnestly adolescent. The Portuguese Nun: Eugene Green hits Lisbon with his usual bag of tics deadpan dialogue delivered to-camera, numbered chapters, etc. - which sure do grate after 127 minutes. The Red Chapel: Pitch-perfect sustained farce - a crew of DanishKorean comedians go on ‘cultural exchange’ in North Korea - whose every act of on-screen subterfuge symbolises the life of citizens forced to act out the charade of Kim Jongil’s Korea. Rejoice & Shout: The scenes in this gospel-music doc where six-year-old black-girls ‘soulfully’ turn every hymn into multi-octave, Mariahfied vocalmasturbation made me want to puke on my shoes. The Robber: Colossally awesome, continually astonishing Austrian picture whose cold portrait of the monomaniacal mind tears down every tired cliché of the noble bank-robber. A Somewhat Gentle Man: Droll Norwegian black-comedy grants mild life to a familiar tale of an ex-con trying to go straight. Space Tourists: Wildly-uneven, straining-for-poignancy Khazak doc truly comes to life in those few fleeting moments of footage captured in space’s zero-gravity unreality. Spine Tingler! The William Castle Story: TV-ish talking-heads reel recounts the life of motion-picture huckster/homeless-man’s Hitchcock, its best bits being when the talkinghead is John Waters. Sweetgrass: Nature-documentaryas-landscape finds cuss-mouthed Montana herders piloting thousands of bleating sheep through savage terrain. Tehroun: Its story is noir - down-andouters sink further into desperation; money the root of all evil; etc. - but the mise-en-scène is Iranian realist, not shadows-through-the-horizontal-blinds. Tetro: Francis Ford Coppola’s first original script since The Conversation is a proud, personal melodrama about the spectre of a famous father looming over sparring artistic siblings. A Time To Love: Iranian cinema has a proud tradition of authoring brutal dramas about the daily lives of children, and this soap-opera about a pair of brothers - one disabled, the other resentful - is emotionally ruthless. The Trotsky: Cheeky Canadian teenfilm in which Jay Baruchel imagines himself as Trotsky reincarnate, and stirs his high-school homies into revolt against their tyrannical oppressors. The Two Horses Of Genghis Khan: Byambasuren Davaa made magic with The Story Of The Weeping Camel and Cave Of The Yellow Dog, but, here, her tale of a Mongolian singer in search of an ancient song seems like too simple a tale of heritage fading in the face of Chinese socialism. The Unloved: Samantha Morton’s foster-kids-themed directorial debut features lots of people yelling at each other in cockney accents.

ARTIST GAV BARBEY PUTS A DIFFERENT SPIN ON GLOBAL WARMING AND ASYLUM SEEKERS. PAUL ANDREW FINDS OUT WHAT IS TRULY BEING THAWED.

ave you ever left a raspberry Slurpee in the freezer only to discover it eons later transformed into a mystical ice sculpture or flattened into a subzero Rothko or Jackson Pollock? Artist Gav Barbey did. “Yes, I froze together two Slurpees; one pink, one blue,” he begins. “One day, months later I discovered them in the freezer, so I laid them onto canvases and watched them melt, for 12 hours. I wanted to stop the amazing patterns that would appear sometimes, if only for a brief moment.” Barbey’s latest exhibition Transformations continues his growing fascination for “ice melts”. His works comprise installations of large blocks of ice containing 120 litres of water “spun” with a kaleidoscope of coloured dyes, pigments, and natural materials like bee pollen, left to melt in a gallery installation environment, leaving behind a vivid “trace”. During the process the artist responds to the ice as it fades away, manipulating it, tricking it, remixing it to produce “works”. “It’s a fusion of alchemy, visual art, DJing, nature, and performance art,” Barbey says. During the last few years, Barbey decided to forgo an established stage film design career - “a career fueled by intense and amazing collaborations” as he puts it - deciding instead, to go solo, “to a much deeper place, a little more meditative and contemplative, drawing, playing with inks.” Was it a fond childhood memory niggling away at him like a needle stuck in a groove?

C U LT U R A L

“Yes. When I was a kid there was a local community fête once a year, like a school fête now. They set up a machine, sort of like an old washing tub that had a record turntable inside; it would spin a blank board around and around – you would throw paint at it. These venerable spin art machines of the 1960s and ’70s created funky, psychedelic artwork many of us remember from the carnivals and country fairs of our youth and spin art is what’s created when paint is dropped onto this rotating paper, allowing centrifugal force to make streaks of colour. “I use anything that gives me intense colour: paints, inks, dyes, dried pigments. All do very different things when you freeze them, some crystallize, some suspend, some fracture. I have bled toadstools, used blood, alcohol, flower pollen; funny thing is I can measure out the exact amount of pigments, water, and place them both onto the same canvas and they will never repeat; that is one of

their true beauties.” Barbey freezes this alchemy of water and hues into large metal moulds suspends them in industrial size freezers and “refines” them with a chainsaw. In September 2008 and 2009 he produced 1,000 smaller scale melts in New York City and asked the audience to choose a block, place it onto paper, and observe it fading away. “For me it’s about identity; we bundle individuals into groups, label them, overlook diversity, the nuances. Each melt is a myriad of textures, hues, stories, patterns, and journeys. It was amazing to watch people interacting with melts. Audiences in America thank you for being an artist, they thank you when you move them. And for me as an artist it’s refreshing to open up dialogue even if it’s a simple gesture.” WHAT: Gav Barbey: Transformation WHERE & WHEN: Brightspace, St Kilda this Thursday to 14 August

CRINGE

WITH REBECCA COOK Someone in the state-naming department in the bowels of the Federal Government’s bureaucracy take note: it may be time to get out the green pen and take an audit of South Australia’s festivals because at the present Victoria must certainly be giving it a run for its money. Especially with Justin Madden at the planning helm, surely the Garden State no longer applies to Victoria – try the Urban Sprawl State. Back to our SA-beating dearth of festivals. At last count Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) starts this week, Melbourne Writers Fest then picks up from mid-August, followed hotly by Fringe and then Melbourne International Arts Festival (MIAF). These are just the main ones too, there’ll be countless smaller festival in this time celebrating everything from gender-bending guerrilla knitters to permaculture inspired visual art. It’s a lot for the average arts enthusiast to keep up with. So Cringe has been undertaking some intense pre-season training in three particular areas: one, sitting in varying degrees of comfort; two, hand-eye coordination and in particular mouse trigger finger

speed and accuracy; and three, drinking stamina to ensure some representation at the festival hubs. Let me break these down for you. With Writers Fest and MIFF it’s an absolute given that you’ll be sitting down for the majority of the events, Cringe estimates for between 60 minutes (most MWF sessions) and 120 minutes (rough film length), in relative comfort at a theatre or the new Wheeler Centre or the Town Hall. Now while many of MIAF’s signature events such as Robert Lepage’s theatrical spectacular The Blue Dragon and ultra contemporary opera about Charles Darwin, Tomorrow, in a year, are in very luxurious surrounds such as the Arts Centre, others such as the eagerly anticipated Seven Songs To Leave Behind (featuring Sinéad O’Connor, John Cale, Meshell Ndegeocello, Rickie Lee Jones, Gurrumul Yunupingu, The Black Arm Band) are outdoors (Sidney Myer Music Bowl) and go for at least three hours. Mind you with Fringe prior to MIAF, Cringe is sure she will have sat on everything from primary school plastic chairs to brown couches you hope to never see in daylight and someone’s golf chairs. Mouse-hand-eye coordination is

absolutely vital at this time of year with each fest shuffling out their best and brightest in spangly leotards. Cringe just snaffled what appear to be the last tickets to see Joss Whedon at the Writers Fest (row Z) and Bret Easton Ellis’s pre-festival hoorah is already sold out. Tickets went on sale a week ago! MIFF knows a blockbuster when they see one ergo Adrian Grenier (Entourage) playing a starring role this year. Similarly MIAF has gone with some big (nay legendary) names in lights as its opening gambit - O’Connor, Cale, and Lepage to name a few. Finally with each fest sporting its own after-show festival hub, it’s important to pace yourself. Writers Fest has annexed part of ACMI as its dedicated ‘stalk and rohypnol an author’ space, MIFF has returned to its glorious Coopers Festival Lounge in the Forum Theatre, which a couple of months later is reinvented as MIAF’s Beck’s Bar. This year’s Beck’s Bar menu is an awesome array of alternative music from around the globe as well as closer to home. The selection includes Japan’s Boredoms, a Sri Lanka heavy metal band, a Cambodian pop group, and a Chinese indie rock band. Get some sleep and liver cleansing now.

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ARTS HOUSE ANNOUNCE FUTURE TENSE SEASON TWO The second Future Tense season put on by Arts House sees 11 new plays put on for short runs at their Meat Market and North Melbourne Town Hall venues from August to November this year. There’s an emphasis on innovative content, like the portrayal of schizophrenia in Jenny Kemp’s Madeleine, and delivery, with dance and musical pieces and performances in illustrated lecture form taking a large part of the programme. Audiences become part of the performance in several interactive and immersive work. See melbourne.vic.gov.au/ ArtsHouse for programme details and bookings.

A WILDE WORLD ROUND THOSE VOWELS! LIZA DEZFOULI TALKS AT LENGTH WITH LAUREN-ANNE KEMPSTER FROM WILDE WOMEN ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF ENUNCIATION WHILE DOING THE WILDE THING.

MADELEINE

ho wouldn’t want to be Lady Bracknell, Oscar Wilde’s most famous female character, for a day? Or the ‘perfect’ Cecily? Getting to utter all those delicious witticisms of Wilde’s and inhabit those iconic personalities that have stood the test of time. “I’m having an absolute ball!” says actress Lauren-Anne Kempster, who gets to play three of Wilde’s singular ladies in the one show, Wilde Women: Cecily from The Importance Of Being Earnest, Mable Chiltern from An Ideal Husband, and Lady Caroline from A Woman Of No Importance. “They’re really great female characters; they drive so much of the plot.” Does she have a favourite? “I’ve fallen in love with Mabel Chiltern,” she answers. “And I’ve always wanted to play Cecily.”

Literally getting her mouth around Wilde’s extensive Victorian language is proving a challenge for the London trained actress. “I’ve just come from doing a very contemporary play,” she says. “These days we don’t tend to say much. But back then it was all quite long, the thought patterns, the sentence structure… the length of everything they have to say!” ‘Being Victorian’, she says, takes a lot of breath work for an actor. Fortunately, for this production she doesn’t have to do it in a corset, as she did while performing restoration comedy in London. “They’re terrible! Quite uncomfortable.” Wilde Women gives an audience a taste of Wilde’s dramas but also a sense of who he was, says Kempster. “His misdemeanors seem to overshadow his work,” she continues. “But a lot of his plays have something underneath. It’s easy with Wilde to play them all on the surface but we’ve tried to avoid the clichés, especially with Lady Bracknell.” So how does this production, bearing in mind it is a play about the writer and his creations, bring something new to characters so well-known? “That’s been a lot easier than I expected,” Kempster says. “We’ve really tried to look at who they are. They’re people, people who say these sorts of things. A lot of his plays are about someone being on the outside, mostly women. They’re not flippant

characters, even the busy body women who behave appallingly; you think about the time they were in and find a way to make them human.” Looking at Wilde’s work and his characters reveals much of who he was, says the actor. “This selection of plays represents Oscar at a certain time in his life, when he was happy and proud of his work.” The story plays also out in cameos and vignettes; there are snippets from letters revealing a sense of how the playwright saw his work and how he was seen. The vicissitudes of Wilde’s life are touched upon but Kempster stresses that the play doesn’t end in a melancholy mood. “I don’t want to give the ending away but it’s not on a sour or emo note. There’s a touch of pride, not hubris, just that we’ve seen all these wonderful women…” Along the way Kempster has discovered specks of gold in the form of hidden Wildeisms. “‘Earnest’ was Victorian slang for being gay. And ‘Cecily’ was a code word for rent boy. So that line: ‘I’ve always wanted to love a man by the name of Earnest!’ All his friends would have been rolling in the aisles!” WHAT: Wilde Women WHERE & WHEN: Chapel Off Chapel Thursday 22 July to Sunday 1 August

IN SEARCH OF A SOUND SWING LOW The lads from LUNGS hit album number two without much of a plan. ADAM LEES shows SCOTT FITZSIMONS how things fell into place.

With their live show expanding, GRAVEYARD TRAIN’s ADAM JOHANSEN is worried who might get hit with his hammer and chain, TONY MCMAHON finds.

haven’t figured out what sort of songs you should be writing yet or how you should sound as a band yet.

distractions. A bit of discipline was a good thing, I think.” The Drink The Devil And The Dance is such a wellconstructed sounding record, it’s extremely surprising to learn that it was recorded in only four days. Johansen explains that there was extra work done to the final product, some of it in a venue the band had a particular fondness for and was about to close. “Well, that was the backbone of it. We overdubbed the trumpets and the strings and some extra drums, which we did at the old Public Bar, which was interesting. That was when they were closing. That was one of our first stomping grounds, so I think it was the thing to do. But yeah, I was quite surprised, too, that it only took four days. It was quite a good effort, even if I do say so myself.”

“The production is still us as a band trying to figure out what’s best for us. But rather than the songs dictating the production, hopefully the way the songs are written does create contrast and flow even though production remains consistent.” The members of Lungs are well entrenched within Sydney circles, especially Lees who earned his stripes with Staying At Home and is now a driving force behind Animal Shapes, among others. As such, there’s a thread that runs through most of his songwriting, and it’s never sounded as honest as it does here. Holistically, the whole band have stepped up both as musicians and as a unit.

longside the likes of, perhaps, Paper Arms, Sydney’s Lungs are leading the nation’s melodicpunk, No Idea Records-esque, charge. Signed to Poison City, the home of many good things, it’s amazing how well the trio have avoided the second album syndrome with The Two Chief World Systems. It’s probably because their debut album, Solitary, Poor, Nasty, Brutish, Short had the aesthetic of their first two EPs. “People have said that we were prolific before but I think maybe it was just that we were rushing in the same way that the songs were probably written,” admits guitarist and vocalist Adam Lees. “We were probably a bit anxious to get down exactly what we wanted to do. This is our fourth release in four years, but we made sure we didn’t want to just do it for the sake of it this time… I suppose we took less time with the vocals and guitar and everything, but we thought that if we could find a drum sound and get them quite exact it would make for a more precise album. Its potency comes from that I think.” Giving themselves more time than ever before, and spending more of other people’s money, by Lees’ own admission they’re still not locked into a sound, but they’re edging closer to it. “We’ve never had the luxury of being able to mess around with different instrumentations, different guitar sounds. Even so, I’d be a little suspicious of a punk band doing too much of that, and especially early on when you

Entering the process relatively blind in terms of direction, the early material was quite personal before they became more comfortable with detached topics, like science and religion. “The album was going to be, as the title suggests, this concept album about this dual tension between superstition on the one hand and critical thinking on the other,” says the vocalist, “and it ended up being book-ended by songs that were about my dad, before and after he died really. It ended up making sense in a way, because my interest in reason came from him anyway, so it was fitting. “The second song – the first real song – on the album, The Making Of Phineas Gage, was already about brain damage and people and the vaguery and difficulty that comes, not with loss as a discreet thing, but partial loss where you lose part of a person, with dementia and things like that. That happened to me quite suddenly when my dad had a heart attack and suffered brain damage, and he partly returned as a person and partly didn’t and then was gone for good, five years later… And so definitely, the personal songs on this album are more personal than any song I’ve written. It’s a little bit emotional to play, especially the last song, For Dad, live.”

WHO: Lungs WHAT: The Two Chief World Systems (Poison City) WHEN & WHERE: Saturday, the Arthouse

HOLE LOTTA LOVE

ith their unique blend of horror-country and footstomping, choir-like harmonies, Melbourne’s own Graveyard Train have carved out quite a little niche for themselves in the notoriously difficultto-get-noticed-in music biz. Their third album, The Drink The Devil And The Dance, while enhancing their growing reputation, should also see them reach a much wider audience due to the fact that it’s just so much fun to listen to. It was no doubt a fun record to make, as well, and hammer and chain player Adam Johansen agrees, but he also points out that it was quite a different venture to their previous recordings. “It’s amazing how it’s all come together. It’s definitely a step up from what we did on the first album. It’s still got elements of who we are and what we do, but we decided to introduce a couple of different instruments such as the trumpet, trombone, violin, we’ve got female vocals in there at one point, and a bit of piano accordion. So, yeah, just branching out a bit from the five-piece man-choir that we usually are.” Talking about the process that Graveyard Train went through making the record, Johansen reveals that no sacrifice in the name of art was considered too big to make, including that of personal hygiene. “We went up to an old Masonic hall and we recorded over four days. No showers, just waking up and playing until we got too tired and doing it all again the next day. It was good to get out of town and focus. We were thinking about recording it in Melbourne, but there would have been too many

Regardless, it’s out now and indeed, it comes across as a ‘concept EP’ of sorts, a theme running through it, and a theme which may well be carried over to the band’s next work. “That’s right,” concurs Ryan. “The whole concept of the EP is we like writing funny little ideas and concepts for whatever song we do. And the whole concept here, the songwriting, is based around this guy called Alba, and he has this second personality called Varden, it’s like a Jekyll and Hyde thing. And so on the EP Alba goes through this journey, gets drawn into his darker side. Varden comes out, and you sorta hear that as you listen to the EP.

elbourne five-piece Alba Varden (Lethal Weapon II fans, quite obviously) have disappeared down the rabbit hole. I’ve been down there and it can be quite a scary place, but on the flip side, it can also be quite enjoyable. I recommend you eat and drink everything you can find – you’ll be happy you did. For Alba Varden, though, this particular rabbit hole is a musical one and is the title of their debut EP, Down The Rabbit Hole. In their universe, this is a place of warped sounds and rock’n’roll sensibilities – “raw, dirty, downright sleazy danceable rock” is how their rabbit hole is described, and this is an apt description to be sure.

“And then the album after that, when we do write an album, will be like the second part – what’s Alba’s journey next after meeting Varden, what does he do now? The EP is he’s met Varden, and the album when we do one, is what’s next?” An interesting concept to be sure, and in fact I don’t think I’ve ever come across a concept EP before, so kudos to Alba Varden and their weird rabbit hole. Ryan has mentioned a few times the full-length record the band are looking to begin work on soon. With such a concept running through their work so far, and with how their sound is evolving, I’m interested to know what direction exactly, this LP will head in.

“We don’t like to give ourselves any boundaries when we write,” says guitarist Caz Ryan regarding sounds and the like. “We’ll just go into rehearsal, someone will have a riff and the boys will just jam around that and a song evolves. Sometimes there’ll be a bassline and we’ll throw some weird sound effects over the top, put a beat to it and go from there.” This is what the band have been doing from the get-go, which isn’t that far in the past. As Ryan explains, the band began as a four-piece a few years ago, then about two years ago “got serious”, their sound evolving all the while.

“It’ll be a little different,” Ryan muses. “Some songs are a little more progressive, a bit more of a droney kind of sound, and then some songs are just upbeat rock songs. But not just like a normal rock song, we’re talking real cool, sleazy kinda thing, it’s hard to describe.”

And after the launch, Graveyard Train are heading off to Europe. “We’re going for about three weeks. We’re doing the Edinburgh Fringe, London, France, Berlin, Hungary. That should be fun. I think the odd nature of our music should be appreciated over there.”

WHO: Graveyard Train WHAT: The Drink The Devil And The Dance WHEN & WHERE: Friday, Corner Hotel

A band named BOYS BOYS BOYS! with a song on 90210? PAUL RANSOM uncovers pop’s newest humorists when he chats to guitarist DANIEL GRANT.

some hip hop background, a lot of indie rock, a lot of experimental, so we’ve sorta added all those influences together in the rehearsal room… Nothing is set in stone; there are certainly no holds barred.” These sounds and the experiences the band have amassed over the past two years have come together in Down The Rabbit Hole, the band’s first release and one that’s been sitting on a shelf for almost 12 months. “It’s just been finding a time and place to release it,” Ryan explains.

“Well, we all come in with different influences,” Ryan tells on where this mishmash is coming from. “There’s

But Johansen assures Inpress that, as far as acting like fools is concerned, the upcoming album launch at the Corner will be the piece de resistance. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. We haven’t played together with the trumpets and the violins. We’ve got a few more rehearsals so that we can actually have all of us on stage. What you’re going to hear at the launch is going to be the full troop. Everybody up on stage for all the songs. It’s not going to just be the five of us. Eight? Nine? It’s going to be pretty squishy. I’ll have to watch out with the hammer and chain swinging about. There’ll be a lot going on.”

PEACHY PIT STOP

Local rockers ALBA VARDEN go down the rabbit hole on their new concept EP, guitarist CAZ RYAN tells SAMUEL J FELL.

Given it was, basically, recorded live, Johansen says that this should make for an easy translation of the record into a live setting. “What does happen live on stage will be similar to the carry-on we were having in the hall in the middle of nowhere, acting like fools. It was done in our own time as well, and I guess that does show, that excitement that we were having in the recording does show on stage as well.”

WHO: Alba Varden WHAT: Down The Rabbit Hole EP (Independent) WHEN & WHERE: Saturday, the Espy

the quirky soul of the BBB!. “Bridget’s sense of humour is kinda catchy,” Grant notes wryly. “I have had a lot more fun in this band than I have in others I’ve been in.” Although this infers a risk of being dismissed as a novelty, the band’s biggest day-to-day challenge is how to work with six members. “The writing process isn’t that difficult though,” Grant points out, “because now we’ve stripped it down to just a guitar and a couple of keyboards. It’s more that it’s difficult to organise six people to be somewhere at the same time.”

oys Boys Boys! sounds more like gay cabaret than The Brady Bunch, but get three boys and three girls together and what you end up with is pure pop candy (only this time with a side serve of irony). Perth’s latest ‘export’ are an ‘80s-influenced synth-pop outfit with a huge hometown following and a sharp line in bright, bubbly songs delivered with girl-group harmony and a laconic sense of humour. Released last year, their spangly debut album Yes is a hypercoloured pop tart. If you’re thinking this all sounds a bit manufactured, think again. Boys Boys Boys! formed when a group of friends working at a Perth burger bar decided that being in a band together was the best way to stay in touch. “When we were all quitting we realised that we would all miss each other,” recalls guitarist Daniel Grant. “So yeah, we just messed around and then played a couple of gigs and people started to like it and we thought, ‘Well, maybe we could actually do this’.” A couple of years down the track and BBB! are definitely doing it. Already they have had tracks used in Vodaphone ads and on 90210. Bring on the royalties! Laughing, Grant responds, “Probably not as much as you think, especially for 90210, but it was on Bridget’s list of things to do, y’know, to get played on a massive cheesy teen show. As for the ad thing, it just kinda happened… My dad saw it on TV and went, ‘Cool, you’re really getting somewhere’.” In case you’re wondering who the aforementioned Bridget is, Ms Turner is the band’s undisputed leader. As the main songwriter, head humorist and lead singer, she is

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Their most immediate organisational dilemma is getting the band booked and sorted for their first interstate tour. Scheduling headfucks aside, this month’s easterly jaunt fits very neatly with the band’s rather relaxed aspirations. “At the moment, we just wanna tour a few times. Anything beyond that, we haven’t really planned for,” Grant insists. “And, y’know, as far as moving away from Perth, I don’t think any of us wanna do that because we’re having too much fun over here.” Having said that, Grant is quick to scotch any hint of Perth parochialism. “People do harp on about the Perth thing a lot and maybe people are sick of hearing Perth bands go on about how we’ve got a real community here and all that, but y’know, it is like that. It’s quite relaxed. It’s a real safety net; and that’s mainly a good thing but it can also make you not strive to go any further.” Sitting at the core of BBB!’s sound is a clear sense of fun. Songs like Ticky Ticky Boom and Seeya Later Lovie typify their approach not just to song writing but to their ‘career’. As Grant explains, “I know bands always say that they’re only doing it for fun but I think we really are. Y’know, you hear these horror stories about bands who get picked up by majors and get given a bunch of money and then when their record doesn’t sell they get dropped and no one ever hears from them again, and we don’t want that to happen to us.”

WHO: Boys Boys Boys! WHAT: Yes (Inertia) WHEN & WHERE: Tonight (Wednesday), Onesixone

CHILLY WILLIES

BIRDS OF PRAY

TONY MCMAHON bails up JIMMY STEWART to find out how one bored day became the annual WASH WINTER WILLIES AWAY WITH WHISKEY knees-up.

VULTURES OF VENUS have had festival crowds praying for their souls, the band tell NIC TOUPEE.

back to a freezing winter in the ‘burbs and the adoring rapport most musos have with the bottle. “It was my silly little idea when I had too much time on my hands six or seven years ago. I was house-sitting on the dole in Chadstone, getting sick of not playing any gigs and being cold. I just thought that there was a whole slew of bands around Melbourne – I suppose around the world – who subscribe pretty avidly to the intrinsic relationship between booze and the blues.”

ash Winter Willies Away With Whiskey, or WWWAWW for short, is an annual event celebrating certain bands’ love of, inspiration from and devotion to, well, booze. Fittingly, curator and spiritual – no pun intended – force behind the annual get-together, Jimmy Stewart from Clinkerfield, seems slightly hung over when Inpress catches up with him to talk about the show, but he has it together enough to tell us that if it wasn’t for the reopening of the Tote, WWWAWW6 would probably not have happened. “This is our sixth year now. With the Tote closing down like it did, I thought it might be all over. I wouldn’t have been all that fussed about trying to find another venue because it was the spiritual home and it just suits what we try and do there. You know, the vibe, the beer garden, the front bar. It’s just perfect. We just thought, ‘Well, fuck it, if it’s not going to be at the Tote then we’re not going to run it anywhere’, whatever the word is for that. But it’s good, it’s back on.” Despite his status as WWWAWW’s inspiration, Stewart has taken something of a backward step in organising duties for this year’s event due to overseas commitments. Apparently, this means he no longer takes any responsibility for anyone else’s drunken antics. “You could say that. That’s a nice way of looking at it, yeah. I may be absolved for my sins and my silliness. It’s not me pushing it this time, it’s someone else, so all I’ve gotta do is rock up and play the fool.” Having said that, though, WWWAWW is nonetheless Stewart’s baby, and the origins of the event stretch

To celebrate this year’s event, a commemorative compilation CD featuring Clinkerfield, The Miserable Little Bastards, The ReChords, Brothers Grim and many more is available, and quite a listen it is, too. Be warned though, there could be some copies flying through the air towards the end of the show. “The first year I put it on I just thought, with all these bands together, it would be a good thing to have some kind of documentation of the music they’re making. And of course, everyone’s having such a great time; things tend to get a bit patchy and blurry by the end of the day. Everyone remembers having a good time, but they don’t exactly remember who they saw, or what they saw. So, it’s a good little thing. We give it away to the first 50 through the door. Then we sell a few and then later on we throw a few around the place.” In closing, Inpress wants to know what band, past or present, living or dead, Stewart would most like to see at WWWAWW. We’re thinking someone like legendary piss-hounds The Doors or The Stooges, Cold Chisel maybe if you wanted a bit of local flavour. Not surprisingly, though, Stewart goes for something slightly more left of centre. “Well, your first thought’s your best thought, and I’m going to say Captain Beefheart. He’d have no trouble fitting in. But, of course, it’s more about all the wonderful bands we’ve got around the Fitzroy, Collingwood area and further afield, too. It’s a great way to band together with them. They’re always playing around and they’re always there, playing around the place, playing at the Tote. It’s a pretty beautiful thing.” WHO: Clinkerfield, Brothers Grim, Chris Altmann & Que Paso, Little John, White Elephant, Fergus McAlpin & Adam Afiff, Tracy McNeil, The ReChords, Bakersfield Glee Club WHEN & WHERE: Sunday (2.30pm), the Tote

and people were holding a prayer circle to help our souls to heaven. It sounds a little biblical now I think about it,” Morrow recalls with an uneasy chuckle. It’s not the first time members of the band have found themselves within paranormal parameters at a festival – Morrow was veritably raised on such things. “My parents were hippies, and I spent time as a child going to full moon festivals with witches running around and praying to the moon. I think that has influenced me, made me more of a romantic, in the sense of guys like the poets Lord Byron or Shelley. I also love Arthur Rimbaud and Artaud – we try to bring the theatre of cruelty into our stage shows.”

ultures Of Venus sit, robed, around a cauldron, muttering Latin incantations meant to assist their mighty task: conjuring the great alchemy they have devised between electro, glam rock, space rock and punk music. Actually, a bit like Macbeth’s witches, bassist Craigus McVegus (the quiet one), singer Jefferson Morrow (the talkative, psychedelic one) and synth player Simon Quinn (the technical one) sit huddled around a hot telephone to talk with Inpress about their upcoming launch for the CD they released in 2009. A nifty idea, to poke today’s ADD punter with a repeat launch. It won’t be their last CD launch for the year, Jefferson promises. “We’re [re]-releasing our debut LP at Yah Yah’s, but we’ve also written over 30 new tunes, and we’ll be putting out our next LP within the next four to six months. We decided we loved these tunes from the first album, and really wanted to get them out to the public. I still dance around the kitchen to it,” he pronounces cheekily. It seems that Vultures Of Venus have tempted fates with their cross-genre chemistry – their self-titled debut took longer than it should have due to some uncanny events. “We had quite a lot of crazy situations happen to us along the way to recording the album,” Morrow says. “For example, on the way to playing at the Renaissance Festival, we rolled our van and the gear. We had a bit of a crash but were extremely lucky. While it was happening, time slowed down – I was praying to god or the great spirit or whoever while the car rolled five times! The entire festival thought we had died, and so when we came through to the festival it was pretty dramatic – the DJs had stopped playing

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That sounds a little daunting, but never fear; Morrow is talking about the Venus Man Traps dance troupe! “We’ve got a live performance group called the Venus Man Traps, who do choreographed dance routines for our show,” Quinn explains. “It’s very burlesque, and is a cross between The Mighty Boosh and a psychedelic acid freakout. They made the outfits themselves and they’re out of this world. We want more than just an audience watching things on stage, so we have an interactive thing which bridges the gap between audience and performers.” Housemates Morrow and Quinn’s attempted fission of psychedelia, performance and electronica all began from domestic science, Quinn explains. “Me and Jefferson are very different in our tastes, like a yin and yang situation,” he says. “We live together and have a studio in the house, and we’re recording stuff all the time. We have a lot of arguments about whether something should be this way or that way, whether a lyric is too risky… We fight it out in the ring until we get something we both like.” Morrow reassures us that what happens in the studio, stays in the studio. “We find that wherever we perform, those conflict issues melt away because the response we get to the music is really positive.”

WHO: Vultures Of Venus WHAT: Vultures Of Venus (Independent) WHEN & WHERE: Saturday, Yah Yah’s

ISSUE 1132 - WEDNESDAY 21 JULY, 2010

TOURS

PRESENTS

Hair Stylistics Sunday Toff In Town

THIS WEEK INTERNATIONAL

LICHENS: Friday The Tote KASABIAN: Friday Festival Hall MIDNIGHT FROM MEMPHIS: Friday Harvest Moon (Bellarine); Saturday Spenserslive; Sunday Guildford Music Hall HAIR STYLISTICS: Sunday Toff In Town SCISSOR SISTERS: Monday Festival Hall FOALS: Monday, Tuesday Hi-Fi BAND OF HORSES: Monday Corner Hotel; Tuesday Palais GRIZZLY BEAR, HERE WE GO MAGIC: Tuesday Palais ALBERTA CROSS, THE VASCO ERA, CABINS: Tuesday Corner Hotel

NATIONAL

SIANNA LEE: Tonight Empress LOVE CONNECTION: Thursday Tote DAVE GRANEY & THE LURID YELLOW MIST: Thursday Grace Darling Hotel BOYS BOYS BOYS!: Thursday One Six One VIOLENT SOHO, SCUL HAZZARDS, BUTCHER BIRDS: Thursday Northcote Social Club RICK PRICE: Thursday Wellers (Kangaroo Ground), Friday Thornbury Theatre, Saturday Palais (Hepburn Springs) THIRSTY MERC: Friday Westernport Hotel HARD-ONS: Friday East Brunswick Club LOWRIDER: Friday Westernport Hotel (Phillip Island); Saturday Corner Hotel MY FRIEND THE CHOCOLATE CAKE: Friday Spensers Live THE TEMPER TRAP: Saturday Festival Hall DALLAS FRASCA: Saturday Revolver YOUNG HERETICS: Saturday Northcote Social Club DRUMSCENE LIVE: Saturday, Sunday MIKE NOGA & THE GENTLEMEN OF FORTUNE, ASH NAYLOR, PLAGUE DOCTOR: Sunday Northcote Social Club

GIG OF THE WEEK THE JOY FORMIDABLE SUNDAY, WORKERS CLUB

iven a big rap by the notoriously fussy Clem Bastow in her Inpress singles column this week, Welsh-born, London-bred trio The Joy Formidable appear on the verge of very big things. The Bastow-approved cut Popinjay, a spiky blast of driving indie rock, is a promising taste of the group’s debut album, due in the next few months. Out here to support The Temper Trap at their sold-out Festival Hall show, and support Passion Pit at their two sold-out Prince Bandroom shows, and play Splendour In The Grass, The Joy Formidable will be reaching a lot of fresh Aussie ears over the next few weeks. The band’s only Melbourne headline show is at the Workers Club on Sunday – with a small run of shows in the States followed by a lengthy NME tour in the UK upon their return, we reckon this will be the last chance you’ll have to catch The Joy Formidable in rooms this size.

Dave Graney pic by the Boomeister

UPCOMING INTERNATIONAL

MUMFORD & SONS: July 28 Palace Theatre 30 SECONDS TO MARS, THE ART: July 28 Festival Hall BLACK REBEL MOTORCYCLE CLUB: July 28, 31 Billboard THE MAGIC NUMBERS: July 28 Corner Hotel LCD SOUNDSYSTEM, HOT CHIP: July 29 Festival Hall YEASAYER: July 29 Prince Bandroom THE STROKES: July 30 Festival Hall HELLYEAH: July 30 Billboard The Venue RICHARD ASHCROFT & THE UNITED NATIONS OF SOUND: July 30 Palace SCHOOL OF SEVEN BELLS: August 1 Northcote Social Club MIDLAKE: August 1, 2 Prince Bandroom FRIGHTENED RABBIT: August 2 Hi-Fi THE DRUMS, THE MOTIFS: August 2 East Brunswick Club FLORENCE & THE MACHINE: August 2, 3 Festival Hall

LIVE: REVIEWS

DAVEY GRANEY & THE LURID YELLOW MIST, THE STU THOMAS PARADOX GRACE DARLING

part from the intimate confines of the Grace Darling bandroom, what else is striking is the feeling of being part of a family gathering. Dave Graney is holding court with a small group, Lurid Yellow Mist drummer Clare Moore is also chatting to another threesome, bassist Stu Thomas is darting here and there like a spectre and guitarist Stu Perera is kicking back on a sofa, chilling. The other thing that batters my senses is the old six degrees of separation – Thomas is Graney’s bass player yet opening tonight, Phil Collings is drumming for Thomas (these two play the drums and bass for Kim Salmon’s Surrealists), and then amongst the mix appears the unmistakable face of Billy Miller (yep, he of the Ferrets/Spaniards fame).

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KASABIAN: July 23 Festival Hall xx GRIZZLY BEAR, HERE WE GO MAGIC: July 27 Palais ALBERTA CROSS: July 27 Corner Hotel THE MAGIC NUMBERS: July 28 Corner Hotel YEASAYER: July 29 Prince Bandroom SURFER BLOOD: July 30 Corner Hotel MIDLAKE: August 1, 2 Prince Bandroom ASH, WE ARE SCIENTISTS, LAST DINOSAURS: August 4 Billboard The Venue LAURA MARLING: August 4, 5 Hi-Fi SLASH: August 11 Festival Hall CKY: August 12 Hi-Fi BLISS N ESO: August 13 Palace MIDNIGHT JUGGERNAUTS: August 19 Forum THE BRAND NEW HEAVIES: August 20 Trak SCARY KIDS SCARING KIDS: August 20 (arvo U18; evening 18+) Hi-Fi ART VS SCIENCE: August 27, 28 Hi-Fi CORDRAZINE: August 28 East Brunswick Hotel FIRST AID KIT: September 5 Toff In Town TAKE ACTION TOUR: September 11, 12 Corner Hotel THOUSAND NEEDLES IN RED: September 29 Karova Lounge (Ballarat); 30 Bended Elbow (Geelong); October 1 Ferntree Gully Hotel; 2 Pelly Bar; 3 Evelyn BIRDS OF TOKYO, SILVERSUN PICKUPS: October 1 Festival Hall THE PARADISE MOTEL: October 2 Thornbury Theatre; 9 Palais (Hepburn Springs) SARAH BLASKO: October 7 Theatre Royal (Castlemaine); 8 Palais; 9 Meeniyan Town Hall BOREDOMS, KES BAND, BUM CREEK: October 9 Forum DEAD MEADOW, STIGMATA, BLARKE BAYER/BLACK WIDOW: October 14 Forum SAGE FRANCIS, DEXTER, HORRORSHOW: October 15 Forum DENGUE FEVER, THE BREAK, JOHNNIE & THE JOHNNIE JOHNNIES: October 16 Forum LOW, PIKELET, PONZU ISLAND: October 21 Forum THE DRONES. K14, THE TWERPS: October 22 Forum MARIACHI EL BRONX, EAGLE & THE WORM, THE UKELADIES: October 23 Forum CLARE BOWDITCH: October 29 Bended Elbow (Geelong); November 1 Forum THE CHEMICAL BROTHHERS: March 9 Rod Laver Arena

Having only recently reviewed The Stu Thomas Paradox’s Escape From Algebra, I was intrigued as to how a live performance would stack up. Thankfully, the verdict is a clear winner. With Thomas on baritone guitar, Collings on drums and Miller on lead guitar, they cut a swathe through a lion’s share of the new album. From the spy fi lminspired Woman Of Steel through the free-lovin’ Shake Your Derriere to O Enemy, the small but loyal crowd are digging these tunes. Other standouts are Snowball, Only Friend and the cracking Love Charm. With the only theatrics seemingly a new pair of sunglasses for every two songs, it’s all about the music and these three deliver with commanding dexterity and sincerity to their craft. As always Dave Graney delivers a masterful set in both quality and quantity; 15 tracks on a Thursday night to a relatively small gathering is surely above and beyond the call of duty. He rolls through a few new tracks, We Don’t Belong, I Don’t Want To Know Myself and Midnight Cats to warm up, before visiting some cracking songs from the We Wuz Curious album from 2009. I’m In The Future Now, Let’s Kill God Again and I Come From The Clouds are only split by an absolutely awesome outing of I’m Gonna Release Your Soul. Then it’s on to more Graney fun with Dylan The Indie Fake, the tale of The Sheriff Of Hell, the sleaze of A Man On The Make and a cover of Prince’s Sign O’ The Times with vocals provided by Thomas. Long time musical cohort and sometimes Lurid member Miller joins the team to smash out an epic Rock’N’Roll Is Where I Hide, before finishing off the evening with the staple My Schtick Weighs A Ton, You’re Just Too Hip, Baby and The Stars Baby, The Stars. The Boomeister

live@inpress.com.au

Cordrazine Saturday 28 August East Brunswick Hotel

Music Bowl BON JOVI: December 11 Etihad Stadium MUSE: December 14, 15 Rod Laver Arena THE EAGLES: December 17, 18, 21, 22 Rod Laver Arena MICHAEL BUBLÉ: Feb 22, 23, 25 Rod Laver Arena THE CHEMICAL BROTHERS: March 9 Rod Laver Arena

The Drones and Batrider pics by Kelli Morris

NATIONAL

GOLDFRAPP: August 3 Palace Theatre MIIKE SNOW: August 3 Hi-Fi Bar BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE: August 2, 3 Corner Hotel TWO DOOR CINEMA CLUB: August 3 Billboard The Venue JOHNNY FLYNN: August 3 Northcote Social Club KATE NASH: August 3 East Brunswick Club; 4 Corner Hotel ASH, WE ARE SCIENTISTS: August 4 Billboard The Venue LAURA MARLING: August 4, 5 Hi-Fi Bar BAND OF SKULLS: August 4 East Brunswick Club JONSI: August 4 Palace PASSION PIT: August 4, 5 Prince Bandroom FANFARLO: August 5 Northcote Social Club TESTAMENT: August 6 Billboard SLASH: August 11 Festival Hall A TRIBE CALLED QUEST: August 12 Festival Hall CKY: August 12 Hi-Fi Bar KATY PERRY: August 12 Plaza Ballroom 3OH!3: August 14 (U18), 15 (18+) Hi-Fi CHRISTIAN DEATH: August 14 Corner Hotel 3OH!3: August 14 (under-18), 15 Hi-Fi EELS: August 15 Palace THE BRAND NEW HEAVIES: August 20 The Trak SCARY KIDS SCARING KIDS: August 20 (U18), 20 (18+) Hi-Fi SENSES FAIL: August 21 day (18), evening Hi-Fi CHRIS BOTTI: August 22 National Theatre XIU XIU, HIGH PLACES: September 3 East Brunswick Club LA GUNS: September 4 Hi-Fi NAPALM DEATH: September 5 Hi-Fi FIRST AID KIT: September 5 Toff In Town SOULFLY, CITY OF FIRE, INCITE: September 8 Palace ATTACK ATTACK!: September 11 Corner Hotel METALLICA: September 15, 16, November 18, 20, 21 Rod Laver Arena BUCK 65: September 16 Corner Hotel MAYHEM: September 23 Hi-Fi Bar CYPRESS HILL: September 23 Palace PETER HOOK & FRIENDS: September 24 Palais ENTER SHIKARI: September 25 (18+), 26 (U18) Hi-Fi YOU ME AT SIX, KIDS IN GLASS HOUSES, THE AUDITION: September 25, (U18), 25 (18+) Billboard ASLAN: September 30, October 1 Clifton Hill Hotel EXODUS: October 3 Corner Hotel SIMPLY RED: October 6, 7 Plenary; 9 Rochford Wines (Yarra Valley) ALEXISONFIRE: October 10 Palace PARAMORE: October 13 Sidney Myer Music Bowl BEDOUIN SOUNDCLASH: October 14 Prince Bandroom SOILWORK: October 23 Hi Fi Bar RUFUS WAINWRIGHT: October 24 Palais PAT BENATAR, THE BANGLES: October 26, 27 Palais PAUL WELLER: October 26, 27 Forum CELTIC WOMAN: October 30, 31 Palais Theatre PETER GABRIEL, CHICAGO, AMERICA, PETER FRAMPTON: November 1 Etihad Stadium ROBIN GIBB, BONNIE TYLER: November 3 Rod Laver Arena ENGELBERT HUMPERDINCK: November 5, 6 State Theatre OWL CITY, THE ALBUM LEAF: November 10 Palais LEONARD COHEN: November 12, 13 Rod Laver Arena BLONDIE, THE PRETENDERS: December 1, 2 Palais; 4 Rochford Wines HOT WATER MUSIC, THE BOUNCING SOULS: December 4 Corner Hotel JACK JOHNSON: December 8 Sidney Myer

SIANNA LEE: July 28 Empress LOVE CONNECTION: July 29 Tote THE JD SET with WOLFMOTHER: July 29 Espy AMY MEREDITH: July 29 Melbourne Central DUTCH TILDERS BENEFIT CONCERT with DUTCH TILDERS, CHAIN, KEVIN BORICH EXPRESS, CHRIS FINNEN, STEVE RUSSELL, GEOFF ACHISON, LLOYD SPIEGEL, STEVE PAGE and JEANNIE LUSHES: July 29 Thornbury Theatre LLOYD SPIEGEL: July 30 East Brunswick Club THE BOAT PEOPLE: July 30 Workers CLub; 31 Barwon Club THE RED EYES: July 30 The Loft (Warnambool); 31 Northcote Social Club; August 6 Sandbelt; 7 Village Green Hotel SUPER WILD HORSES: July 31 Victoria Hotel THE DINGOES: August 3 Hallam Hotel (Hallam); 4 Caravan Music Club (Oakleigh); 5 Theatre Royal (Castlemaine); 6 The Corner; 7 Meeniyan Town Hall (Meeniyan), Williamstown RSL MODELS: August 6 Espy Gershwin Room THE CAT EMPIRE: August 8 Prince Bandroom; 19, 20 Palace PVT: August 12 Corner Hotel KATIE UNDERWOOD: August 12 Red Bennies SHIHAD: August 13, 14 Northcote Social Club GLIDE: August 13 East Brunswick Club BLISS N ESO: August 13 Palace JEZ MEAD: August 13 Elwood Lounge; August 20, September 3 Morning Star Hotel; August 29 Drunken Poet BASEMENT BIRDS: August 14 Forum SAMSARA, DROPSAW: August 14 Arthouse DARREN HANLON: August 20 Thornbury Theatre HUNGRY KIDS OF HUNGARY, THE HOLIDAYS: August 20 East Brunswick Club; 21 National Hotel (Geelong) CABINS: August 21 Builders Arms KIM SALMON & THE SURREALISTS: August 21 Northcote Social Club HOUSE VS HURRICANE, HEROES FOR HIRE: August 26 Colonial Hotel, 27 EV’s (all ages), 28 Geelong West Town Hall (all ages) SHANE HOWARD: August 27 Caravan Music Club (Oakleigh) ART VS SCIENCE, TIM & JEAN, JINJA SAFARI: August 27, 28 Hi-Fi CORDRAZINE: August 28 East Brunswick Hotel CHILDREN COLLIDE, HOWL: September 1 Pelly Bar (Frankston); 2, 3 Corner Hotel THE BEDROOM PHILOSOPHER, THE BOAT PEOPLE: September 1 Karova Lounge (Ballarat); 2 National Hotel (Geelong); 3 Palais (Hepburn Springs); 4, 5 Northcote Social Club PRIMITIVE CALCULATORS: September 3 Yah Yah’s ANGUS & JULIA STONE: September 8, 9, 10 Palais Theatre GRINSPOON: September 8 Inferno; 9 Ferntree Gully Hotel; 10 Pier Live; 15 Eureka Hotel. DEAD LETTER CIRCUS: September 9 Hi Fi Bar POWDERFINGER: September 10, 11 Rod Laver Arena; October 15 Bendigo Showgrounds (Bendigo); 16 North Gardens (Ballarat); 29 Sidney Myer Music Bowl MARK SHOLTEZ: September 10 Thornbury Theatre CALLING ALL CARS: September 15 The Loft (Warnambool); 16 Kay Street (Traralgon); 17 Bluestone (Ballarat); 18 Corner Hotel WASHINGTON: September 16 Karova Lounge; 17 Corner Hotel; 18 National Hotel (Geelong)

SOUNDS AFTER DARK: BATRIDER, THE DACIOS, THE DRONES INPRESS HQ Coopers have the smarts with their Sounds After Dark gigs, avoiding the usual commercial radio bands you regularly see at this type of thing and instead helping to promote local independent musicians. The Inpress warehouse was kitted out to perfection and the crowd were ready for what was to be a great night of rock’n’roll. First up were three-piece Batrider, who do have something going for them but need to shake off the obvious Nirvana-esque drone that marked every song as similar to the last. Given time, they will have something good to offer, but tonight they seemed a little overawed by the occasion. Next up, The Dacios ran through a set of footto-the-floor rock’n’roll. Frontwoman Linda J is a powerhouse, and did her best to entertain the crowd, as well as the folks who were listening to the gig via the live broadcast on PBS radio. Opening up with Jezebel, The Drones played with a passion that blew the small but appreciative crowd away. Working through their catalogue, and going as far back as Six Ways To Sunday from their very first EP, they were mesmerising at every turn. Guitarist Dan Luscombe showed a rare dexterity for light and shade in his excellent guitar work. Singer Gareth Liddiard has matured into a great frontman, harnessing a fire in his belly that set the stage alight with moments of white-hot fury. Bassist Fiona Kitschin provided the anchor for the rest of the band’s wanderings, and has improved so much I could hardly believe it was the same bass player I saw back in 2002. Percussionist Mike Noga may be the best drummer in the country right now, and he displayed skills and passion that many other drummers would do well to take note of. A great time was had by all, and if tonight was any indication, The Drones are the best Aussie rock’n’roll band we have going at the moment. See them again as soon as you can. Garry Seven

THE SCARE RATS The perennial frat party that is Rats is the perfect atmosphere to farewell an Australian band that should have achieved much greater success. Punters dance along to The Lion Sleeps Tonight by The Tokens, a version of which my plus one assures me is in Disney’s The Lion King (performed by Timon and Pumba). So glad we cleared that up. During stage set-up, an inebriated crew form a breakdance circle around a wet patch, and they’re not afraid to attempt an assisted backspin or two. If you haven’t been shocked by the perverse antics of The Scare’s frontman Kiss Reid, or shaken to your foundations by the triple axe assault and precision stickmanship of this band, it’s now too late. Pass the Kleenex. The Scare commence with a maximum gusto performance of Bats! Bats! Bats! and it’s immediately apparent they wish to leave us with all guns blazing. Lead singer Kiss Reid is styled in relatively clean-cut fashion tonight – a smart, long-sleeved white collared

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shirt. His haircut is also a lot neater than usual, but a dirty ’tache adds the requisite element of sleaze. We will certainly miss his risqué lyrics: “You have nothing to express when there’s cum on your dress”. Short, sordid shards of rambunctious noise follow – Desperate, Surgeon, No Money – and the crowd echoes the band’s off-tap energy. “I got fat,” says Reid as he removes his shirt (he hasn’t). The squalid, sauntering pace of As He Walks is the perfect foundation for Reid’s histrionics, and Liam O’Brien’s extended guitar solo elevates the madness (keep an eye out for his new band, Myth & Tropics). Colonial Hotel’s makeshift proscenium arch – an unconnected beam that follows the line of the ceiling – comes in handy and Reid swings from it like a monkey. Bassist Wade Keighran scrapes the neck of his instrument across the beam to great effect. A pair of dumb sluts sit in an alcove listening to a shared iPod with one earphone each and delight in the audience casting them disapproving glances. The Sweet Child O’ Mine riff pumps out before The Scare’s Lucid Dream takes hold. Hearing these most excellent tunes and knowing they reached fewer eardrums than deserved makes one feel disconsolate about the state of this country’s music industry. This band demonstrate the perfect balance between unhinged raw intensity and holding down a mean groove. Percussive elements in Could Be Bad inspire mosh mania. Reid hurls himself into the crowd at every available opportunity and asks a front row fan, “Have you got your brown wings yet?” His parents must be proud. Cry – with its irresistible mantra (“Who told you not to believe in yourself, in yourself ”) – is our final chance to cut loose before The Scare’s party crasher vibe scatters. Kiss explains they won’t be playing Eighty Eights, and in a fuzz of feedback, they’re gone. Fans scream for an encore, a chick hijacks the microphone and screams repeatedly for “Eighty Eights!” Guitarist Brock Alexander is the last to leave the stage, as he crowd surfs a shortcut to the band room. RIP The Scare. You’ll never know how many fond memories you’ve etched into this scribe’s damaged grey matter. Bryget Chrisfield

THE JEZABELS THE TOFF IN TOWN The first time I heard Hurt Me on the radio I was blown away. The heartfelt lyrics, strong, soaring vocals and warm timbre of piano transported me back to the pop ballads of my childhood. The Jezabels’ sound has that strong outer shell, with a deep, tear-jerking centre that resonates in the same way a Divinyls or Belinda Carlisle track used to get into my brain and under my skin. I was surprised to see a strong show of male support at their sold-out headline show at the Toff In Town, for what I expected would be a female-dominated gig. And I was genuinely taken aback by how young this Sydney quartet looked. But, just as they deliver an arresting, mature sound over the airwaves, the group set the tone early on stage, with a 5/4 time signature that removed any question about their musical abilities. Disco Biscuit Love took the crowd vibe up a notch, with plenty of people singing along, to the palpable delight of drummer Nik Kaloper and guitarist Sam Lockwood. Rarely was there a moment during the set when Lockwood wasn’t sporting a grin from ear to ear,

live@inpress.com.au his coy but triumphant expression intimating he felt like the luckiest guy alive to be up there on stage. His apology for being a poor public speaker between songs only further endeared him to the crowd, and you could almost sense the female contingent swoon when he added playfully, “I’m mysterious – just remember that”.

offering, Like Little Willie John, Lanegan receiving the loudest hoots and hollers when this baby lands. The Rosser guitar takes on a harder-edged approach, with Spanish twang melting into The Screaming Trees classic Where The Twain Shall Meet (1989’s Buzz Factory), then Message To Mine (2002’s Here Comes That Weird Chill EP), and again on The Soulsavers’ Can’t Catch The Train. Nothing from The Winding Sheet (1990) or Whiskey For The Holy Ghost (1994) as yet, with many among the Corner throng whispering down the line and wondering why.

The Soft Pack pic by Lou Lou Nutt

Lead vocalist Hayley Mary was charming too, making self-conscious observations as she joked between songs. Announcing, “I’ve never done this before”, she directed the mic to the audience and lapped it up as they took out the first chorus of Hurt Me. The last song of the set, it was the one everyone had been waiting to hear and cheers and whistles erupted with the opening bars.

Following on from Mirrored, Resurrection Song, with deep harmony blend provided by Rosser, and the pleasant surprise of Pink Floyd’s Julia Dream, we get our first taste of a Whiskey For The Holy Ghost tune, courtesy of the undying The River Rise. It’s been worth the wait. Lanegan and Rosser take us back to a year when it all came crashing down for the grunge scene as we knew it, with Lanegan losing close friends to all manner of addictions and personal demons battled at the time. Lanegan delivers: “When I’m not alone/Nothing’s beside me/What one eye sees/The other’s blind in/Well I could fall/As if I was young/ With a lifetime to think of you.” Moving stuff.

When Mary gets going, her voice reminds me of Kate Bush belting out Wuthering Heights, sans the schoolgirl soprano element. There’s a trace of Little Birdy in her vocal quality, but with a darker palette. Heather Shannon’s polished piano-playing shows versatility in shaping tender melodies or driving percussive beats, and combines with rhythm guitar and drums to form the outfit’s bass section. Dynamics are a central building block for textured choruses that often evaporate to expose an earnest piano or guitar solo. But analysis aside, perhaps the most apparent sign that The Jezabels nailed it for me was the fact I was still humming their tunes two days later. Chelsea Roffey

PIKELET, KYÜ EMPRESS HOTEL Sydney duo Kyü (Alyx Dennison and Freya Berkhout) look like they’re in their element on the Empress stage. Ringed by pretty fairy lights, sharing the stage with a disgruntled piano that’s proclaiming “I AM A PIANO. A MUSICAL INSTRUMENT. DO NOT SIT ON ME.” (something like that), their calloused drumsticks and glockenspiel mallets thump and tinkle, summoning shivers from coccyges to atlas vertebrae across the room. Give me X-ray vision and I’m sure the packed audience would resemble a field of trembling spine-stalks. Kyü’s soaring melodies, offset quite charmingly by a fuzzy sample here and electronic blips and beeps there, complement a fresh and – as far as I know – as-yet uncategorised movement amongst young musicians today. Other Sydney bands such as Parades and Megastick Fanfare, and Melbourne darlings Love Connection, seem to be splashing joyfully in the same vein. “Glockenfrenzy?” I venture to my friends. “Mariopop?” one of them wonders. Anyway, in another way, Kyü are very much their own damn band, projecting an ample dose of exciting and different songs. I’ve seen them a few times and Pixiphony – like Fleetwood Mac’s Tusk, a hearty pagan yodel if ever I heard one – never gets old. Next up, Pikelet (Evelyn Morris). I’ve heard many great things about this lady but never seen her perform live. She positions herself among a bunch of instruments, kind of like a kid surrounded by the contents of both the toy box and the kitchen cupboard. After the first song, I decide the rumours are true – Pikelet is great. The way she loops, distorts and layers the initially shallow sounds of a toy drum, a pair of castanets (with monkey faces! Awwww…) or half-choked strings up high on her guitar neck, it’s like she’s assembled a skeleton and gotten it to dance the Charleston. Fantastic. Pikelet tells us this is the first show she’s done solo in a while, but she pulls it off without a hitch. Well, except for when the drumbeat was a little too fast? Or something? I don’t know, but Pikelet discerned it, stopped, twisted a knob and started again. Whatever. I am converted, and in her capable hands I trust. Alice Body

THE SOFT PACK, CABINS EAST BRUNSWICK CLUB It’s hard to measure the importance bartenders will have on tonight, with such a look of disinterest as Cabins come on to the stage. An image scan of their minds would show a few moths pointlessly circling about as they contemplate the similarities between an empty pot glass and their intellectual stimulation from the empty room. Cabins have been slowly edging their way onto the scene in the past 12 months through a multitude of support slots. Attempting to convert more to their bluesy ways, they look every part grimy rock, with their mass of hair and tight jeans, and a complete lack of unpredictability that, in many ways, epitomises their music. As the first chord leaves the guitar, the likenesses start spewing out like a college kid on a keg night. BRMC, The Strokes, Black Cab, Bob Dylan – insert bluesy rock band here. But don’t let their predictability fool you – with bass-heavy drums and an immaculate mix between noisy mess, a Bob Dylan voice and dark chords, my beer money is

suddenly looking at me with pleading eyes to instead save my liver and purchase their mini-album. Spawned in San Diego and initially called The Muslims, one can make several presumptions about The Soft Pack before they even play. Ah, mistake one. They hardly seem to look the part I imagined. Sporting a polo neck and old jeans, singer Lamkin is simple yet well delivered. McLoughlin on guitar looks like a Midnight Oil Napoleon Dynamite, but once he is playing, he transforms in to a red, angry mess. Bassist Lantzman, donning knitwear on grandma loan, and standing drummer Hill take a more relaxed approach, but the audience ignores their lack of momentum. Taking the jangle garage-punk rock and adding shitloads of alcohol, the crowd add value for money. Retarded duck dancer up the front has established a circle of fear around him, as he headbangs right from opener Pull Out like a constipated walrus. The only way to defend is with elbow shielding as heads and limbs fly. Screaming every lyric, monstering everyone in his path, he turns a good band in to an entertaining show. Down On Lovin’ creates a front room love fest, as walrus teams up with further drunkards to stumble their way through Peter Garrett dance moves. It’s the speed of Eddy Current and the surfer sounds of the ’70s, and people are crashing everywhere. It’s hilarity mixed with great music, and I have a feeling the bartenders are bored no more. Leonie Richman

MARK LANEGAN CORNER HOTEL Gruff, growl, howl, bark, roar… there are many ways the guttural vocal blast from Washington DC native and grunge pioneer Mark Lanegan can be depicted. To capture the great man live is to witness a genuine happening, a moment in time where everything just seems to stop still. Your breathing, room-chatter and even the otherwise magnified clunking of empty booze bottles being smashed in bins at the bar all ground to an abrupt halt. It’s a sign of respect, and an appreciation that among some of our most revered grunge icons, one still lives, and breathes fire into the genre that shaped our formative years. Back in Australia following 2009’s Gutter Twin tour with mate Greg Dulli (Afghan Whigs, Twilight Singers), Lanegan is again joined by guitarist Dave Rosser. Where the ADD type Dulli took care of all the stage banter and crowd conversing last year at the intimate Athenaeum Theatre, Lanegan and Rosser were left mute. Of course, totally by choice that is. The fellas just don’t talk. It’s intriguing. Tonight’s performance does nothing to break with tradition. Creaking and then cracking his vocal right into opener, When Your Time Isn’t Up from 2004’s Bubblegum, Lanegan moves through to stripped-back versions from his acclaimed solo back-catalogue. Material from the great man’s 2001 record Field Songs makes up much of the set, with One Way Street, No Easy Action, Miracle and Don’t Forget Me all offered up early in the show. Lanegan’s interpretation of Tim Hardin’s Shiloh Town, taken from the 1999 I’ll Take Care Of You covers album, is transcendent. As is the second Bubblegum

One Hundred Days (Bubblegum), On Jesus’ Program (I’ll Take Care Of You) are quick to follow by the pair before they swiftly exit the stage. A couple of thank-yous, a hello, a goodbye and a short intro afforded to Dave Rosser are the only words Lanegan has uttered this evening, but it’s more than cool, with the music speaking volumes instead. Returning for the encore, the absorbing duo unleash The Screaming Trees’ Traveler off 1996 record, Dust, Bubblegum’s Bombed, then, finally, a Winding Sheet tune, with Wild Flowers becoming the second last submission of the evening. It’s regrettable that we don’t get to hear Methamphetamine Blues or even The Leaving Trains’ Creeping Coastline Of Lights, which Lanegan covered on 1999’s I’ll Take Care Of You, but hey, show me the man or woman who walked away disappointed by tonight’s performance! Nick Argyriou

EAGLE & THE WORM, BARBARION, ROBIN FOX LASER SHOW

STONE LOVE FIFTH BIRTHDAY BASH: THE ONCE OVERS, RICHIE 1250 & THE BRIDES OF CHRIST, THE EXOTICS EMPRESS HOTEL When Richie 1250 handed in a demo for a radio show at PBS , the program director at the time was quoted as saying, “This is either the worst or the best demo I have ever heard.” Turns out it was a great idea, and now Richie’s eclectic Friday afternoon drive show Stone Love celebrates five years on air, and what better way to celebrate than a stellar line-up of local talent for a fi fth birthday bash at the Empress Hotel? Apologies, as I missed the opening act Romance, but all reports were that they put up a solid set of tasty electro grooves. Next up were local rockers The Once Overs, who burnt through a fine set of original garage sounds. Frontman Sammy Allen throws himself about like a supercharged madman, and it was great to see a band that was giving it their all. Soon after, it was the man of the moment himself, as Richie 1250 & The Brides Of Christ played tunes from their latest CD release, The First 3 45s. Nothing was left in the band room as Richie & The Brides drove their original material with the frantic energy of a group that had an hour left to live. Throwing himself around the stage, Richie invokes the spirit of Las Vegas cabaret teamed with Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, and in days of standingstill DJ gigs and bands enveloped in shoe-gazing seriousness, The Brides are a tight unit that put high-energy entertainment into every move they make. To finish off the night, the legendary Exotics took to the stage for some swamp rock goodness. Frontman Tony Shaw shows no signs of slowing down, despite his 25-year-plus pedigree in the Melbourne music scene, and the Exotics’ psychobilly howls and hillbilly cat gyrations brought the evening to a beautiful high-speed crescendo. Happy Birthday Richie – you sure know how to throw a party!

NORTHCOTE SOCIAL CLUB

Garry Seven

What an inspired line-up! Seriously, it made no sense, but boy did it work.

THE DEAD SALESMEN

The Black Hill Five had generously left a few copies of their live EP lying around, so, thankfully, missing them wasn’t so disappointing. Robin Fox Laser Show kicked off the night for me, and the laser images, heavy vibrating squeaks and squawks, and crackling robotic sounds made for a strange yet captivating ‘show’. Next-level shit for sure!

It’s a bit of an historical night, this one. A one-off reformation show after more than a decade from Ballarat’s greatest ever band, The Dead Salesmen, and the overall effect is just as desperately rock’n’roll, just as sweaty and intense and fun as it was all those years ago in the ’90s. Frontman and soul of the outfit Justin ‘Happy’ Hayward is nowhere near as much of an Angry Young Man as he once was – the same can probably be said for us all – but he is still psychotically simpatico. Despite the fact that he drinks copious amounts of water this night, as opposed to other liquids this writer seems to remember him consuming in the past. And his wailing laments bemoaning love gone spectacularly wrong are no less poignant or moving for the wedding ring he wears, tellingly reflecting the stage lights.

What better to follow a laser show devoid of humans than a bunch of shirtless, hairy, bearded and far from svelte Vikings? Replete with props, including fake flames (in lieu of pyrotechnics), black skulls and an axe, Barbarion were a seriously good time and were impossible to ignore, with their gimp-esque attire and hardcore ’80s rock/metal. Despite the theatrical appearance (I swear one of them was the dwarf in Lord Of The Rings!) these guys can actually play. They produced some seriously awesome guitar solos, and the drummer, who happened to be the smallest guy on stage, absolutely killed it. Here’s a band who clearly don’t take themselves too seriously – a nice change. The show could have ended with Barbarion and would already have been a night well spent. Happily, Eagle & The Worm came on stage and made it a night to remember. This band never disappoint and tonight they had it all going on. Launching their second 7”, All I Know/It’s Not Unusual, the charismatic crew were a joy to watch. The harmonies were perfect, the brass section rocked and the solos were solid gold. As a stark contrast to the previous chain/ leather-clad mob, E&TW opted for suits and fauxmoustaches, making them a dapper-looking bunch. Kicking off with Futureman, the eight-piece were all alt.country pop rock goodness. Lead singer Jarrad Brown’s pleading vocals played off against honky keys and slide guitar (a wine bottle became a useful tool), all of which set the pace for the rest of set. The NSC suits these guys down to the ground; fitting snugly on stage and with faultless sound, they were free to do what they do best – have some good, clean fun. Their cover of Tom Jones’ It’s Not Unusual was a treat, and saw partnered dancing break out across the room. The ridiculously perky All I Know was the perfect closer, and so chipper it made your cheeks hurt. Before long the night was almost over, although plenty of chanting and cheering led to one encore, which the troupe happily delivered before requesting that we all stick around and have a beer with them. Bloody good musicians and all-round nice guys (and girl), E&TW never fail to satisfy. See them. Love them. Radical. Elke Braithwaite

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EAST BRUNSWICK CLUB

The music is all gnashing guitar, bounding bass, clever keys and drumming from another planet. And, naturally, there’s a bloke by the side of the stage blowing bubbles at the band all set. But The Salesmen have always been something of a schizophrenic outfit, able to shift seamlessly from their unique brand of angst rock to become a messed-up country act or existential folk prophets, and this is on display tonight as well. It’s always been Hayward’s sublime songwriting skills and his spectacular yet subtle voice that is the main reason to see The Salesmen. The first song of the encore is done a cappella, and the noisy room gradually grows quiet and respectful. Hayward can carry a single note longer and more sweetly while at the same time more dangerously, and looking like he is about to burst out crying or have a nervous breakdown on stage, than any singer I have ever seen. It’s rare to encounter anyone as thoroughly invested in their art as this guy is, and it’s worth the price of admission alone, so to speak. Without the music, of course, it wouldn’t make any sense, and the rest of the band are with their singer on the journey to the end of their mutual night. They’ve always been an edgy band, The Salesmen, lodged anything but firmly in the nebulous no man’s land between glory and implosion, which probably accounts for some of the fact we don’t see as much of them as we’d like. But when we are lucky enough to catch them, we become privileged witnesses to a true rock’n’roll supernova, the genuine fucking article. Warts and neuroses and damage and all, honestly one of the greatest shows on earth. Tony McMahon

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The Toot toot toots

WHEN CHROMERS FIGHT Circus Ox and Rockin Wrestlin returns to the Prince Bandroom this Friday featuring live music by Chrome Nips Vs Smoke Machine and guests, three bouts of wrestling, performers, clowns, fun, laughs and your ring master the Ox with his crew. Now that’s what we call a big night out. Entry is just $15 on the door from 8.30pm.

SEND IN THE CLOWNS

TOOT IF YA LUV 3CR This Saturday night, 3CR’s let’s-face-it-legendary Burning Vinyl program presents a knockout station benefit at the Old Bar. Eight fantastic acts are donating their talent to our fundraiser this year, which starts at 6pm with four acoustic performances, starring Little John, Matt Bailey, Sianna Lee and Danny Walshe. Then its time to powder your nose in anticipation as the second half of the evening comes in the form of capital rock from Lamefoot, Howl At The Moon, Matt Sonic & The High Times and head-turning headliners The Toot Toot Toots. It will only set you back ten bucks, which of course goes straight to 3CR, the noble old soul of community radio.

Tailor Made For A Small Room wield a blend of music likeable to psychedelic toy-chamber electronica folk pop. Hailing from Tokyo, they moved to Melbourne in 2010 and in a short time have built up much admiration among local artists. This Thursday at the Builders Arms is their first residency show in Melbourne and they are celebrating it with a line-up of their favourite Melbourne acts. Namely, Denim Owl and Far Concern. A must-see residency for indie fans. It kicks off at 8.30pm and a fiver will get you inside.

FLASH BITCHES

Acoustic duo Preston Perche will be bringing their special kind of energy to a show at the Espy Front Bar, St Kilda, on Wednesday 28 July along with This Public Life, Big Left and Next Wave Allum. The action starts at 9pm and entry is free. One half of the Preston Perche, Bianca Maes, is back from a sojourn to Germany and raring to go. The girls are looking forward to recording a new EP in August. You can also catch them on Wednesday 25 August again at the Espy Front Bar.

LLOYD’S NEW BREW Lloyd Spiegel is traversing Victoria to spruik his new release Tangled Brew. He takes to the East Brunswick Club on Friday July 30 from 8pm. On Sunday 1 August he plays the Studio in Geelong from 7pm. Spiegel will be joined by WA percussion master Arunachala and past and present members of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. These shows are strictly first in, first serve and tix are only available at the door so get in early.

WHAT THE ‘BOK Long-standing metallers Frankenbok are taking a break from their hectic recording schedule to perform with House Of Thumbs, Bronson and Subjektive at the Tote this Saturday for a suitably brutal night of noise. Frankenbok’s five releases since their inception in 1997 have seen the band’s sound evolve into a blistering yet mature blend of original metal. Their latest offering, 2008’s The Last Ditch Redemption‚ revealed a mix of straight-up heavy metal, old school thrash, big southern rock-styled riffs, unified with a steadfast, guttural vocal. Their latest work takes the same energy and adds to it. Doors 8pm, entry is $10.

HAWK BRAINS Australian troubadour Jimmy Hawk is releasing Bullet To The Brain, the second single from his imminent Echo Park album. The song is a rockabillytinged break up ballad underscored by sexual bitterness and cocaine fury. He’s playing at Ding Dong on Saturday 31 July alongside Bridezilla, The Eagle & The Worm, San Fran Disco, Modular Lounge and newcomers Boarders. Entry is $15 from 7pm.

STAR POWER

SUSY SWING From the sunny state comes singer/songwriter and flautist Susy Blue with her unique brand of ‘cabaret folk’. She is always joined by an impressive entourage of instrumentalists, from double bass to banjo, piccolo to trombone and bass clarinet to complement her quirky songs. Hopping from lush vocal harmonies, lazy drawling bluegrass, gypsy swing carnie solos and reggae to sea shanties, Susy Blue keeps the audience guessing. The lush songstress Celeste Cleason, back from Berlin, will join Susy from 5pm this Sunday at the Builders Arms front bar. Free entry.

and when we heard that air is all that a lot of kids around the country get to play, that really moved us to want to support The Song Room.”

ROOM OF THEIR OWN

This Saturday marks the 30th anniversary of the release of one of Australia’s truly classic albums, AC/DC’s Back In Black. Cherry Bar in ACDC Lane are hosting the Back In Black celebration party from 5pm to 5am with a live tribute band named, funnily enough, Back In Black, playing two sets from 9pm, plus there’ll be rock DJs ‘til dawn playing the very best of AC/DC. Get amongst it.

WELL PRESTON

The PLAYAIR campaign is putting musical instruments in the hands of disadvantaged kids, ALEX LASKA from patrons KINGSWOOD tells BF PIERCE.

Melbourne comedy punks Punch The Clown are bringing their somewhat insane, spiky-haired fans a stack of what we’re assured are ‘ball punching’ new tunes (and who are we to argue with that evocative description?). In addition they’ll be covering TV show theme songs, as they headline the second Kopy Kat Tribute Show at the Brunswick Hotel this Sunday. Joining them will be Queensland death punx Cheap Thrills, The Murderballs, No One’s Home and Dogsday. Bands kick off at 5pm with a free BBQ from 4pm. Entry will cost you absolutely nada.

ACCA DACCA

Melbourne’s newest bands are tearing Bar Open a new one this Sunday. Chico Flash (featuring members of I Am Duckeye and Xenograft) will take their own style of atmospheric wizardry that has been compared to Mogwai, My Disco and horror movie soundtracks, although one female punter said it reminded her of masturbating. Next are The Grain, after supporting and impressing nearly every touring band from Shihad to The Whitlams (WTF?) that went through Central Coast NSW, they have moved to the music mecca to dominate here. Edgy, tight, hard rock. Lastly, the sweetly named Bitchslap are taking the grrl rawk back in a big way. Imagine Hole, but fun and not afraid of “more cowbell”. Doors at 7.30pm.

AIR STYLE

After releasing their debut album, Bleeding To The Circle, the Star Assassin boys are spending the majority of 2010 on the road promoting material from their second album, Revelations. There’s a slew of supports when they play Ruby’s Lounge this Friday, including With Into The Night, Blind Munkee, Brothers Crossing and Elliots Llama. Entry is $15 on the door.

FRENCH CONNECTION French & McCarthy are a band of the folk rock persuasion. They will be playing this Friday at the Edinburgh Castle from 9pm. The Broadside Push, The Ocean Party and Jumpin’ Jack Williams are also on the bill. Entry is $10 and the frolics unfurl from 8.30pm.

his wide, brown land of ours has an incredibly diverse musical element to its culture. Anyone who pays attention to music in this country knows that – it’s a matter of course and something of which to be very proud. Having said that, it’s to the future we need to look; we need to nurture this culture, we need to get the kids on board, for they’re the ones who’ll be the next Bernard Fanning, Daniel Johns, whoever. Having said that, however, there are children in this country of ours who don’t have access to musical education programs, or even to instruments, something a lot of us have taken for granted – and this is where the Song Room comes in. As you may have seen on the telly, they’re running a campaign called PlayAir, whereby people upload clips of themselves playing air (insert instrument here), in order to win a prize, or they go to JB Hi-Fi and purchase an Air Instrument, raising funds for the campaign, which aims to literally put instruments in the hands of disadvantaged children, as well as instigating musical education programs. This year being the inaugural campaign, the Song Room needed a band (a real one) as a patron – enter Melbourne quartet, Kingswood. How did you guys come to be involved? Alex Laska, guitar: “It’s an awesome campaign, and we were actually approached by staff from the Song Room after an Underground Cinema event we performed at in Melbourne. They thought we had the right sound and style to suit the PlayAir campaign and after telling us all about it we became really interested in supporting such a good cause. We might be a band just breaking into the local market, but we are also big believers in giving back to the community, no matter how small. Music is obviously a big part of our lives,

How important do you think initiatives like this are – not only for disadvantaged children around the country, but the musical culture of Australia as a whole? “Australia has such a thriving and healthy music scene – but it is an industry that has always struggled to support its artists. The attitude towards arts and music is getting better, but music and the arts are often dropped off the radar when it comes to Australians’ health and welfare priorities. People don’t realise how much disadvantage we actually have in this country, and aside from wanting to make sure everyone has the right to be exposed to music, programs like the Song Room do even more by using music to help improve social outcomes for kids who are missing out or in need around the country.” Kingswood-wise, you guys have just released your eponymous debut. How long in the making has it been? “We have indeed, we recorded late last year. We’ve been together for a few years now and a release has always been something we were planning to do. The reason it was so long in the making was that we wanted to build a catalogue of great tunes, rather than rush off and record the first few songs we’d written.” For kids out there who are voracious air guitarists, what’s your advice for turning that air instrument into a real one and getting out there? “Experiment, find out what instrument you’re attracted to and try and stick with it. Get a teacher once you’re ready and, most importantly, listen to music. Listen to as much as you can, all kinds, and decide for yourself what you like. Listening is the key. Listen and learn. And meanwhile, if you’re great at playing air – enter the PlayAir comp, load up a clip, and win your very own Fender to play for real!”

WHO: Kingswood WHAT: PlayAir WHEN & WHERE: Kingswood, tomorrow (Thursday), the Espy; PlayAir runs until 16 August – playair.com.au

THE RIGHT STUFF

FANG MARKS

Left Feels Right take inspiration from groups such as Explosions In The Sky and Minus The Bear to perform a dynamic range of pop songs steeped in personal experience. Their arrangements are journeys of intertwining melodies that evolve into dance pop rhythms and jagged guitar riffs. They have just released their debut EP and, as part of their ongoing celebrations, Left Feels Right play the Spanish Club this Friday and the Arthouse on Sunday.

It’s been busy times for Fangs Of A TV Evangelist of late. They’ve just finished mixing their second LP, are putting the finishing touches on a live cassette release and have a split 7” with Perth band Injured Ninja on the way. They’re also currently touring the east coast with Hard-Ons. This Saturday at Pony sees the self-styled Melbourne power trio take to the stage to deliver their own steaming brand of noise rock, with a helping hand from those crazy cats from Daggers Mid Flight, Delta Reds and An Easier Question. Doors open 9pm.

ENTER THE DANCETERIA If you’ve ever stood in an unending dole queue and thought, ‘Gee, I wish this were actually a queer party with banging tunes and cheap booze,’ then your dreams are finally coming to fruition. The newest queer night off the blocks, Danceteria, has taken up residency in the very building where Fitzroy’s Centrelink once lurked. Bringing the venue into disrepute will be disk tramp DJs Kerrie, Lowbrow, Leather Locklear, Whiskey Houston and Handbag House. To boot, Real Hot Bitches ‘80s Dance Troupe will perform choreographed routines. What’s not to love? It all happens at the Johnston this Friday from 9pm.

RENÉE GOES CARAVANING There is an impressive banquet of music being served at the Caravan Music Club in Oakleigh over the coming weeks. This Friday night sees Australia’s First Lady of soul Renee Geyer taking the stage with her band. Jimi Hocking’s Blues Machine on Friday 30 July; The Dingoes with special guest Mick Thomas on Wednesday 4 August; and Suzannah Espie and band with very special guests Jeff Lang and Jeremy Edwards & The Dust Radio Band on Friday 6 August. Shane Howard returns for a post-CD launch on Friday 27 August. Visit caravanmusic.com.au for show and ticket details.

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HARBOUR STORM IN Cold Harbour are launching their new album, Dust Storm, at the Grace Darling Hotel this Saturday. Supports are their good buddies, the hard rocking Bugdust, with Johnny Uppercut opening the proceedings. After their well-received debut CD and Live At The Greyhound album, Dust Storm is Cold Harbour’s first full-length release. It’s an hour full of hard rocking tunes, psychedelic numbers and sonic landscapes that the band has become known for. Entry is $10 and you can grab a copy of the album for a special price.

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CHAIN GANG Spark-Iris return after launching their debut EP, Break The Chain, in a gig that saw scores of fist pumping the air to their straight-up mix of grungy, melodic and upbeat hard rock. Don’t miss them when they play Ding Dong this Friday.

POSTERS COLOURED RED

SNATCH HAPPY Queensland punks Cheap Thrills hit Melbourne on their first ever tour. Be sure to catch them live at the Bendigo Hotel this Saturday night. Joining them on the bill are queer punks Liquor Snatch, Geelong lads The Half Pints and newcomers The Tearaways. Put simply, it’s a great bill of trashy punk rock. Get your hands dirty and make your way to the Bendigo Hotel from 8pm. Entry is $8.

We like to party, we like to party, and we know you do too. So head to the Workers Club this Thursday and party for a cause. A very positive cause. Because it’s the fundrasing launch party of Positive Posters 2010. If you like design, parties and amazing bands like the Triple J unearthed Red Ink and The Raffaellas as well as The Sheriffs and Color Age, then get down there from 7.30pm. Positive Posters is a Melbourne-based, nonprofit, annual graphic design competition run by a small group of 20-somethings who are passionate about positive design and don’t want real jobs. They ask graphic designers all over the world to submit a positive design in response to

a theme. This year’s is ‘a glass half full’. They will plaster 4,000 of the winning poster all over Melbourne and the world. Entry is $10.

GO FOR GOLDEN Dead Letter Records is proud to present Goldentone performing at the Empress Hotel in Fitzroy on Sunday 1 August. The gig at the Empress Hotel will be the first time Goldentone have played live this year. The show will probably also be the only time Goldentone will play in Melbourne in ’10 before they hibernate to record a new album. It all begins at 4pm, with Goldentone on stage first followed by Michael Plater and then The Rostovs.

CALM AND COME DOWN Having spent the last 12 months producing, writing and recording their debut EP in bedrooms and studios in Melbourne’s inner east, City Calm Down will launch their self-titled debut at the Toff In Town this Saturday. An early leak of the EP has seen a significant amount of praise coming from

blogs the world over resulting in its opening track, Lost. Trapped, travelling as high as #21 on Hype Machine’s Most Popular chart. The band channel a style reminiscent of the likes of New Order, Depeche Mode and The Smiths; and the use of live drums, saxophone, bass and synthesisers combine seamlessly with sequenced arpeggios to create a live experience that is unique and compelling. Support comes from White Birds And Lemons and Northeast Party House and entry is $15 on door with a free copy of the EP. Doors at 7.30pm.

TREAD THE BOARDS Tread have slowly and steadily been making their impact on Melbourne’s heavy rock scene over the past year and a half following the release of their debut album Rise From Silence. Fronted by a fine vocal powerhouse, Tread’s live show is making people talk. They are ably supported this Friday at Ruby’s Lounge by With The Eternal, Crying Sirens, and Driven To The Verge. Entry is $12 on the door.

HOLLY SWANSONG Hailing from WA, Holly Shep moved to Melbourne in 2007 and has enjoyed a short, steamy love affair with the city since. But all good things must come to an end, so to launch her debut EP and to say goodbye to M-Town, Shep is taking to the stage with Her Dapper Lads. Melding folk into haunting country blues they love to dirty up and rock out the sweetest of her melodies. With supports from Melanie Jane and Tigran get ready for a frocked up Friday at the Builders Arms. Doors open 8.30pm $5 entry.

BEATING OFF Dom & The Dead Beats are a blues-influenced original rock band who have a raw power that comes from the heart. Dead Beats have a dynamic spark on stage even though they come from different backgrounds of music, whether it’s playing Bukka White’s Aberdeen Mississippi blues or playing their originals. In the band is Steve Baker on drums, Mitch Long on bass, Lee French on lead and Dom Di Blasio on harmonica, slide, rhythm guitar and vocals. They play with special guest Alysia Manceau at the Great Britain Hotel this Thursday from 9pm for free.

PET PROJECT This Sunday at the Bendigo Hotel sees newcomers on the scene, The Monday Project, bringing their wares to the stage. Three local female songwriters fuse, confuse and abuse folk, funk, blues, jazz and pop with textured tunes. They combine humour and sombre tales with a wee hint of operatic vocalisation and a whole lot of soul. Free entry, starts 3pm.

HAVE YOU HEARD?

Valentiine play the Espy on Friday. HOW DID YOU GET TOGETHER? Erica, bass guitar: “Karaoke brought us together after being told we did the best version of Seether (Veruca Salt) of the night.” HAVE YOU RECORDED ANYTHING OR DO YOU PREFER TO TOOL AROUND IN YOUR BEDROOM? “We have recorded an album and we are launching the first single entitled When You Want from the album on 20 August at the Old Bar. It was recorded in a garage in Brooklyn by Mal McDowell and sounds nice and raw! There is also a song on the album dedicated to the love of our life – Finch, our dog.” CAN YOU SUM UP YOUR BAND’S SOUND IN FOUR WORDS? “Can we have eight?” IF YOU COULD SUPPORT ANY BAND IN THE WORLD, WHO WOULD IT BE AND WHY? “The Breeders, because they are amazing and one of the only bands that have the ability to really lift me out of a bad mood. Kim Deal’s smile makes me know I’m in love with her.” IF A HIGHER POWER SMITES YOUR HOUSE AND YOU CAN ONLY SAVE ONE RECORD FROM THE FIRE, WHAT WOULD IT BE? “Definitely Babes In Toyland’s Playtime.” DO YOU HAVE A LUCKY ITEM OF CLOTHING YOU WEAR FOR GIGS AND WHAT IS IT? “My Bose headphones. They never leave my neck.” IF YOU INVITED SOMEONE AWESOME ‘ROUND FOR DINNER WHAT WOULD YOU COOK? “I can’t cook very well.” WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE PLACE TO DRINK IN MELBOURNE? “My bedroom.”

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GUNS FOR HIRE

WILD ABOUT HARRY

Cherrywood Guns. What is it? Who is it? You could even ask, is it? Playing around the traps since early 2008, Cherrywood Guns have waltzed clubfooted into the ‘not quite country, not quite rockabilly, where’s the rest of the drum kit?’ scene with minimum fuss and maximum aplomb. Their punk rock roots make for some impassioned performances where anything could happen. They play the Marquis Of Lorne this Sunday from 5pm. Free entry.

Harry Howard played bass in These Immortal Souls, Crime & The City Solution, Dark Party and played guitar in Christian High Art Boutique and Pink Stainless Tail. As well as playing bass on a UK tour with The Birthday Party and a European tour with Lydia Lunch and Rowland S Howard. Harry Howard’s new band, The NDE, features Edwina Preston on vocal, stylophone and organ, Claire Moore on drums and gum chewing and Dave Graney on bass. Playing their second ever show at the Birmingham Hotel this Friday, they’re joined by Strangers From Now On, Infi nite O and The Euphoriacs. Entry is $8 from 8pm.

BATTLE FINALS

PLAYING BLUEHOUSE Bluehouse always hit the right notes, and now the girls are back and raring to go! The band, with drummer Julia Day, are set to bring their legendary live show to Melbourne this Thursday at the East Brunswick Club. Touring most recently with guitar virtuoso Tommy Emmanuel, and playing to sold out audiences, Jacqui Walter and Bernadette Carroll are a formidable female duo. Now rock pig Julia Day adds new dimension to a show seen the world over! From the Royal Concert Hall in Glasgow, the stages of Woodford, Port Fairy, California World Fest, Philadelphia Fest, Summerfolk (Ontario) and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, if you know these two, you’ll be there when doors open at 7.30pm – tickets are $15 at the door only. Support comes from Oh Pep!.

SCHOOL BITES The School Of Radiant Living are a band who capitalise the ‘RAD’ in radiant. The four-piece play a style of pop rock that is free, fun and joyous. An upcoming record produced by Mikey Young (Eddy Current Suppression Ring) and an infectious live show means that the girls and guy will soon have their names scratched into your school desk, but you can catch them live this Thursday at Bar Open. Joining them are the two-guitar-and-drums trio Woollen Kits and their loud fuzzy pop songs. Sometimes known as A Country Practice and at others Lower Plenty, for this show Al (Dick Diver/ UV Race) and Jensen (Deaf Wish) are playing their acoustic country pop as Doncaster Shoppingtown to open the show. Entry is free from 9pm.

Dream On, Dreamer and Assemble The Empire will headline the Yarra Ranges FReeZA Battle Of The Bands Final on Friday 30 July at Mooroolbark Community Centre. Finalists include Isis For Balor, Contour, Condemned Sovereign, That’s What She Said and Like Wizards. Entry is $10 and the music kicks off at 6pm.

ZEBRA PRINTS This Saturday sees The Zebras bring their hookloaded chiming pop to the Builder Arms for the first time. The band will be playing a new set with several tunes still warm out of the oven as a preview of their new album to be released later in the year. Lovers of the ‘jangle’ and of the Flying Nun bands of the ‘80s will find The Zebras’ tunes irresistible. Support comes from Three Month Sunset and The Audiobooks. Starts 8.30pm. Entry is $8.

EXCUSE ME, OFFICER After a little break writing new material, eclectic groovester trio Charlie Officer will kick out the winter blues with a gig at the Edinburgh Castle Hotel. They will be playing their special brand of indie roots and bluesy, sneaker rock tunes. Singer/ songwriter Louis Rowe will be supporting, performing a solo set of foot stomping acoustic rock for the thinking person. The night will kick off at 9pm with an acoustic solo set by The Silence Engine frontman Stefan Lafebre. Entry is $7.

WEIRD SCIENCE Ballarat post-punk rockers Pioneers Of Good Science are launching their first full-length album, From The Forest, They Did Roam, at Pony this Friday. The band took on the DIY spirit and recorded it direct to a four-track cassette recorder themselves over a long weekend earlier this year, capturing their raw, live and dynamic sound. They will be joined by ambient noiseniks Creatures Of Silence, solo drone artist Zac Keiller, and lively ‘60s- and ‘70s-influenced group Pop Singles. Doors open from 9pm.

Off the back of blues and roots troubadour Shaun Kirk’s very successful three-month national tour to release his new CD, Cruisin, and a sold out show with Ash Grunwald, he has returned to Melbourne. Despite his busy gigging schedule, plenty of ink still continues to flow from pen onto paper as he continues to write material. Kirk plays Paddys Tavern (Ferntree Gully) this Friday from 9pm and the Panton Hill Hotel on Saturday at 7pm.

SHOWY TYPES Saturday 31 July at the Evelyn Hotel will not only be an enormous night for Mercury Rising (who’ll be launching their new EP), but also for The Red Jane Show, a visually-orientated act who have been turning heads. A spectacular lighting and animation show combines with their mint sound that includes five-part harmonies and multiple keyboards, theatrical imagery and onstage booze-related competitions to create a pub rock extravaganza. Starts 8.30pm.

DANNY BOY Tonight, Wednesday 21 July, Danny Walsh will entertain the fine folks and friends of Fitzroy with his brand of revelry blues at the Standard Hotel. Be captivated by soundtracks to the wild western setting-sun scene that stands behind the stage, and be blown away by the guitar storm of Adam Redfern. To boot, there’s a good chance of special guests appearing on the night. The group play two sets from 8.30pm and entry is free.

EXOTIC LOCATION The Exotics cook up a potent brew of primitive blues, lewd rockabilly, greasy R&B, crushing surf reverb, stompin’ gospel and garage trash. The band have torn up stages with Bob Log III, Southern Culture On The Skids, Andre Williams, The Atlantics and The Scientists. To date they have released three vinyl singles, and a self-titled album, lauded by critics and fans alike. Catch them playing massive sets at the Great Britain this Saturday from 9pm. Entry will cost you zero brass razoos.

CRUISIN’ WITH KIRK

MOTHERS RETREAT Barb Waters & The Mothers Of Pearl are riding high on the success of their fantastic new album, Buffalo Mountain Girl, and will be heading down to the Retreat to play this Thursday night with support from good buddy Cyndi Boste. Then buckle in for a big Friday night with Lan Party, Howl At The Moon and Wet Young Dolphin and DJ Geoff Leppard to keep things rockin’ until 3am. Saturday evening the venue welcomes back old faves P-Tex to the front bar from 7.30pm. On Sunday kick back and enjoy a Retreat roast in front of the open fires and listen to some old-styley country rock tunes by Moonee Valley Drifters and The ReChords, 7.30pm start. And don’t forget Bogan Bingo is back on every Monday night from 8pm, it’s free to enter but, be warned, it’s adults only with a high possibility of swearing and nudity.

HAVE YOU HEARD?

YES MASTER Escape from the winter chill at Revolver this Thursday and indulge in the tropical rock paradise that is Master Cardinal. Make sure you get down early for a chance to revel in the psychedelic undertones of The Kremlin Succession and blur your vision to the hot country blues of Dirt Farmer. Doors 9pm, entry is $8.

CITY HOTSHOTS City Escape will be playing the next Shotgun! on Friday 13 August. This will only be City Escape’s second show with their new five-piece line-up, featuring Matt Pickering on guitar and vocals. This will also be Jarrod Salton’s first show back for two months after touring the states with electro pop band The Secret Handshake. To boot, Shotgun! Will feature a bevy of things to keep you entertained, such as N64 Mario cart all night, tons of giveaways and a dancefoor just waiting to be torn up. It all happens on the corner of Jells and Ferntree Gully Road. Entry is $15 on the door.

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Iconic Vivisect play Noise Bar on Friday. HOW DID YOU GET TOGETHER? Nick Kennedy, drums: “We met through mutual friends midway through 2009, and haven’t looked back since, creating some of the most slammin’ death metal around.” HAVE YOU RECORDED ANYTHING OR DO YOU PREFER TO TOOL AROUND IN YOUR BEDROOM? “We recorded a demo about a month ago, but have just done a new and improved two-track promo with Roman at Complex Studios, which will be available at our next show on Friday.” CAN YOU SUM UP YOUR BAND’S SOUND IN FOUR WORDS? “Brutal, slamming death metal.” IF YOU COULD SUPPORT ANY BAND IN THE WORLD, WHO WOULD IT BE AND WHY? “I would personally love to support Nile. Watching George Kollias every night would be a treat!” IF A HIGHER POWER SMITES YOUR HOUSE AND YOU CAN ONLY SAVE ONE RECORD FROM THE FIRE, WHAT WOULD IT BE? “I’m going to have to go with a fairly recent record on this one. I’d probably say Abominable Putridity’s In The End Of Human Existence.” DO YOU HAVE A LUCKY ITEM OF CLOTHING YOU WEAR FOR GIGS AND WHAT IS IT? “My Emperor drumming shorts. I cop a bit for them, but I swear they make me drum better.” IF YOU INVITED SOMEONE AWESOME ‘ROUND FOR DINNER WHAT WOULD YOU COOK? “I’d definitely go with pumpkin gnocchi. My specialty!” WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE PLACE TO DRINK IN MELBOURNE? “Can’t go past Pony. Great vibe and atmosphere at all times of the night and morning… and tap beer!”

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THYLACINE LEAPS IN

PARADING ON SMITH ST

Sydney DIY punk hardcore kids Thylacine return to Melbourne this weekend in support of their new demo. They played a smashing gig at Gertrudes on New Year’s Eve in Melbourne, and now it’s time to take on the Birmingham Hotel. Joining them for a raucous night this Thursday are Ex Spectator, Bloody Hammer, Sydney friends PvBm and War Widow. Entry is $5 from 8pm.

Parading is the sound NASA used to stream in the early space shuttle flights. Atmospheric but without gravity or borders, it’s music heavy in reverb and noisy jams. Bring your space helmets and bliss out on the carpet of Yah Yah’s this Sunday when they are joined by Space Cactus’ spacey orbital jams and Microflora, the musical project for Saul Jarvie, and his collection of more grounded but no less awesome songs and stories. Entry is free from 5pm.

INNERSPACE DELIRIUM

PARKING AVAILABLE The Parking Lot Experiments are one of Melbourne’s most ambitious and hard-working up-and-coming bands. If you don’t think they’re amazing, then they’ve failed, and you should let them know. You can do this by coming to the Birmingham Hotel, this Saturday when Parking Lot Experiments play with Lehmann B Smith and Extreme Wheeze. Entry is only $5 from 8pm.

Innerspace are Australian rock’s smartest new prospect. The signature Innerspace sound is a blend of mid-’90s dance and mid-naughties electro rock; a fusion of Killers-style driving rhythms and Museesque British pop, but with melodic sensibilities akin to such bands as Doves and Editors. Following the release and subsequent national tour of their 2008 EP The Astronaut, 2009 saw Innerspace join forces with producer Matt Voigt (Oh Mercy, Cat Power) to record their debut album Life On Earth. Innerspace will be launching their first single, Run, at the East Brunswick Club, this Saturday with Into The Woods, The Run Run and Holliava. Entry is $12 from 8pm.

GOING DEEP After the successful release of The Dead River Deeps’ singles Right Side Of You and Killer In Me and their performance to a packed crowd for the launch of their album A Room Full Of Beggars at the East Brunswick Club, the band are back. With a bag full of thumping new tunes, The Dead River Deeps will shake the walls with their infectious blues rock at Yah Yah’s this Friday.

TASTE TEST KITTY HART and MATTHEW WRIGHT from YOUNG HERETICS shine a light on the key records in their collections. Matthew: Kid A by Radiohead, over and over and over… The record I put on when I bring someone home is… Kitty: Pillow fights to How We Do by Mount Sims.

RU FOR REAL Ru CL (AKA Rueben Campbell) is one of the most exciting artists to emerge from Australia’s thriving hip hop scene. Throughout the years he has built a reputation within the hip hop community, supporting international acts such as Jurassic 5, Pharcyde, Mad Professor, Lee Scratch Perry, Supernatural and DJ Craze plus more. Moving effortlessly between rugged hip hop vocals, Jamaican dancehall (Sean Paul style) and soulful R&B. His exceptional talent has seen him perform at some of Australia’s largest festivals including Big Day Out, Vibes On A Summers Day and Days Like This. Ru CL will be performing at Melbourne Central’s urban street festival, Two Blocks, on Friday 30 July from 6.30pm with DJ Shikung.

DANCING WITH YERSELF Hot on the heels of the iTunes release of their new single, Out Of This, Dancing Heals will give it their all at Cherry Bar’s famous indie night, Deaf Tone on Friday 30 July. Fresh out of the recording studio, the prolific five-piece are making rapid inroads on the live circuit, and there are plans afoot for a debut album in 2011. The headline gig at Cherry is a great lead up to their opening slot for UK’s Fanfarlo the following week at Northcote Social Club (5 August) and you can also catch them south side at the Espy front bar tonight, Wednesday 21 July (free entry). Also playing at Cherry will be Royston Vasie and The Beugs. Entry is $12 and you can download the show for free later at tonedeaf.com.au. The Flyin’ Saucers

Matthew: Trout Mask Replica by Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band (I’m not really a people person).

Matthew: Dangerous by Michael Jackson, and I think I may still have it in my car. The fi rst record I bought with my own money was… Kitty: Tina Turner, What’s Love Got To Do With It. Matthew: Tears For Fears’ greatest hits on cassette. The record I put on when I’m really miserable is… Kitty: Ending Story by World’s End Girlfriend.

Matthew: I guess having (and enjoying) the Space Jam soundtrack could be surprising to some people… The last thing I bought/downloaded was... Kitty: I was just given a vinyl copy of The World Of Marianne Faithfull – it sounds much better on vinyl. Matthew: The ArchAndroid by Janelle Monae. I haven’t listened to anything else since… WHO: Young Heretics WHEN & WHERE: Saturday, Northcote Social Club

The Animators play the Evelyn tomorrow (Thursday). HOW DID YOU GET TOGETHER? Dave Cuthbertson, keys/loops/vocals: “The Animators started as an EP, which I recorded and produced in my own studio. I wanted to take that sound to the stage. My cousin Anthony Linklater is a drummer, and he had just come back into town after two years abroad. After a few jams it was evident that we were onto something special.” HAVE YOU RECORDED ANYTHING OR DO YOU PREFER TO TOOL AROUND IN YOUR BEDROOM? “We have just finished recording our second EP, The Old Dog, which we are launching at the Evelyn tomorrow (Thursday). We jam in my studio back in Gippsland a lot; it’s great to be able to lay tracks down whenever you feel like it to capture ideas when they happen. This is also where we tracked the drums and a lot of our new EP.” CAN YOU SUM UP YOUR BAND’S SOUND IN FOUR WORDS? “Engaging, surprising, explosive, full.” IF YOU COULD SUPPORT ANY BAND IN THE WORLD, WHO WOULD IT BE AND WHY? “Radiohead. When they come together they are greater than the sum of their parts.”

The most surprising record in my collection is… Kitty: Straight Outta Compton by NWA – this surprises me. The best record I stole from my parents’ collection was… Kitty: I still keep our papa’s copy of The Very Best Of The Seekers under my pillow for good luck.

HAVE YOU HEARD?

RUMBLE BE FLY Each month Rumble at the Bendigo Hotel delivers a raucous shindig of rockabilly bands. This Friday is no exception. Adrian Whyte of The Vaudevillians and Manic Pistoleros will bring his solo set to the stage. Wild Turkey return to Australia after some shows in the US with a swag full of tales in tow. The Atomic Hi Tones squeeze Rumble into their busy run of regional shows across the country with the unmistakable warmth of Gretsch guitars, while The Flyin’ Saucers headline the evening with their only show in some time. It all goes down this Friday from 8pm. Entry is $10.

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IF A HIGHER POWER SMITES YOUR HOUSE AND YOU CAN ONLY SAVE ONE RECORD FROM THE FIRE, WHAT WOULD IT BE? “Ben Folds Five’s Whatever And Ever Amen, although Anthony would not be so pleased with my inferno-saving selection...” DO YOU HAVE A LUCKY ITEM OF CLOTHING YOU WEAR FOR GIGS AND WHAT IS IT? “Bare feet. Not me, but Anthony – he can’t play in shoes!” IF YOU INVITED SOMEONE AWESOME ‘ROUND FOR DINNER WHAT WOULD YOU COOK? “Something Italian. Chilli required.” WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE PLACE TO DRINK IN MELBOURNE? “There are many! I like the Great Britain in Church Street for its diverse crowd and fishbowl TV.”

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SHORT FAST

REPORT

Poison The Well: no more

Poison The Well were here in October of last year and that might have been your last chance to see the long-running Florida post hardcore band as they have announced a hiatus. “So, after 12 years of being a band, countless tours around the world and records being released, we have made the decision to take some time to explore other interests in our lives. We’ve all reached a point where we feel like we need to take a step back from the band and pursue other things. PTW has been an all-encompassing, full-time thing for such a long period that this isn’t an easy thing to do. We want to thank everyone who has supported us in any way, whether it be buying a record or a shirt, to the occasional robbery from time to time. Once again, thanks for everything and we couldn’t have done any of this without you.” San Diego hardcore act Lewd Acts have called it a day. The band were around for more than five years and released a bunch of EPs, but only one album – 2009’s Black Eye Blues. A more local break-up: A Secret Death have ended their eight-year life as a band. They played their last shows ever in Melbourne and Adelaide last weekend. It’s a big week for break-ups with Envy On The Coast being another band announcing they’re done. “The day has come to pull down that curtain down. Sal and Jer sat down with Brian and I about a week ago and informed

THE

RACKET Metal, heavy rock and dark alternative with ANDREW HAUG theracket@inpress.com.au After much secrecy it’s now revealed that Norwegian symphonic black metallers Dimmu Borgir have set Abrahadabra as the title of their ninth studio album, which will be released on 24 September via Nuclear Blast Records. The band’s singer/songwriter Shagrath shares the following about the new album: “After 11 months of total focus, dedication and professional teamwork, Darkness has been reborn. Some people have expressed their concern about the future of the band since the departure of some members of the clan. Let me assure you that things happen for a reason. The black flame burns brighter than ever before. With the mixture of our different musical preferences and the personalities involved, I will dare to say we have created a BEAST, the most detailed work to date out of our 17 years of existence. I know it’s too much of a cliché to brag when you have a done a new album, but to put it short and simple, it’s a fist in the face to all the doubters out there. Forward – Onward – March… ENTER THE SUPREME UNKNOWN.” Continuing the grimness, Immortal will release a concert DVD, The Seventh Date Of Blashyrkh, on 6 August via Nuclear Blast. The disc will include professionally filmed video footage of the band’s headlining performance at the 2007 edition of the

OF YOUTH All things under 18 with KENDAL COOMBS accessallages@inpress.com.au

Hardcore and punk with STU HARVEY shortfast@inpress.com.au Conversations With Punx is a project that Brisbane’s Bianca Valentino has spent the last six years focusing her attentions towards. It is 60 conversations with folks from the worldwide punk and hardcore community talking about their experiences with/and thoughts and feelings on spirituality. The conversations are with members of Black Flag, Minor Threat/ Fugazi, Bad Religion, At The Drive-In/ Mars Volta, X-Ray Spex, Sick Of It All, Bad Brains, The Death Set, Bouncing Souls, Onelinedrawing, +44, Screeching Weasel, US Bombs, 108, The Unseen, Cro-Mags, Shelter, Strung Out, MxPx, Agnostic Front, X, The Bronx, Avail, Tiger Army, Mr T Experience, Integrity, Most Precious Blood, Operation Ivy, The BellRays, Vegan Reich, Youth Of Today, Death By Stereo, Boysetsfi re, Goldfi nger, Coalesce and more to be announced! It will be released as a limited edition 12-issue zine series handbound with screen-printed covers. The first issue includes Don Letts (Grammy award-winning filmmaker/musician), Ian MacKaye (Minor Threat/ Fugazi/The Evens), Omar Rodriguez-Lopez (At The Drive-In/Mars Volta), Johnny Siera (The Death Set), Greg Attonito (Bouncing Souls) and Shanti Wintergate. At the series conclusion a collected work in book form will be released. Check out conversationswithpunx.tumblr.com.

DEPARTMENT

us that they are leaving Envy On The Coast. They explained that they are no longer happy being a part of this, and there was nothing Brian and I could do or say to change that.” Hot Water Music’s Chuck Ragan has been working on a split album with The Gaslight Anthem frontman Brian Fallon. Chuck told cdsampler.com, “We’ve been trading songs since last October. We’re moving on it slowly, but it’s kind of at a stand-still right now with, ya know, Gaslight’s in full swing after releasing their new record. So we’re excited about it, but we’re both moving strong and fast in our own directions. It’s something that we want to do, and will do, it’s just a matter of time and when and where. We talked about [doing] it early next year, of getting together and laying stuff down and seeing where it goes. But there’s no expectations and we’re just kinda having fun with it right now.”

SHORT FAST REPORT TOP 5

Jonesez. The new project for Mark Stewart, who used to front Horsell Common. The debut Jonesez album, Betty’s Soup, is out now. You can find out more info at jonesez.com.au. New Jimmy Eat World. The band announced via Twitter that their new album, Invented, will hit stores on 28 September. After self-producing last album Chase The Light, this time around the band reunited with Mark Trombino, who produced their classic albums Static Prevails, Clarity and Bleed American. The first single from the album will be My Best Theory. Night Hag. Adelaide melodic hardcore band worth checking out. Featuring members of Prison Bitch, they have a self-titled EP out now. Check out myspace.com/nighthagband. Soundwave 2011. Every week on my radio show, Short.Fast.Loud, we are revealing another band playing Soundwave 2011. Last week we announced that There For Tomorrow will be joining the line-up. That same day a couple of bands decided to announce themselves! So you can add Veara and A Skylit Drive to the growing list of bands for next year’s fest. Join me tonight (Wednesday) at 10pm on Triple J as we announce another band. Amity Affl iction. Just finished a national capital cities tour to launch their second album Youngbloods and now they’ve announced a regional tour. Keep an eye on gig guides from late August to early September because they are playing 15 shows all down the east coast.

Wacken Open Air festival. In a recent interview with about.com guitarist Demonaz stated about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the follow-up to last year’s All Shall Fall, “We already have three songs for the next album. We’ll be working on the album this year. And we have material for a lot of other songs, so maybe in August we’ll be finished with half the album. But we haven’t come so far that I can see the end of the album.” He continued, “I think we’ll try to work with the songs and make them classic Immortal songs. The next album will be different than All Shall Fall. I think the songs will come off as one package. Every album is different for us, but we won’t try too many new things. We’ll stick to the plan and make the music we like. Don’t expect something revolutionary.” Guns N’ Roses or (Axl and co) will make their way to Australia to appear at this year’s Sydney 500 V8 Supercars street race. The band will perform a one-off gig on Saturday 4 December at ANZ Stadium following the weekend’s first event around the Olympic Park circuit. It will be the Gunners first shows in Australia since 2007. The MusicNerd Chronicles recently conducted an interview with drummer Michel ‘Away’ Langevin of Canadian metal innovators Voivod about the possibility of a new record. “I don’t think we’ve actually said this in public before, but we are writing new material as of last month. We want to give it a try and to see what we can do with this line-up and take it from there. We actually went into the studio, improvised what we were playing and recorded everything. We’re picking bits and pieces that we like and will try to build a record from it. While it’s going very well, I think it is too early to say whether it will turn into a full album for release.” The band have yet to confirm

The Push and FReeZA Central have teamed up to present Escape To Oz, a collection of metal, hardcore and rock artists who are involved in the 2010 FReeZA Central mentoring program and associated tour, and if you’re in a metal, hardcore or rock band then you could be a part of it. The 2010 Escape To Oz compilation will feature young emerging ‘mentee’ acts Ayera, The Deep End, Legacy and Exo Majesty; mentor bands Carpathian, Jonesez, Pete Sounds and Walk The Earth; and acts on the tour, including House Vs Hurricane, Confession and Heroes For Hire. Escape To Oz will be exclusively available on the cover of Blunt Magazine’s August issue, on sale Wednesday 4 August. The compilation will be launched at three all-ages dates in late August around Victoria; catch it on Friday 27 at EV’s in Croydon, Saturday 28 at the West Geelong Town Hall and on Sunday 29 August at the Wodonga Civic Centre. Tickets are on sale now via Oztix. com.au. Three young local bands will also have the opportunity to join the tour. The Push and FReeZACentral are looking for a local band from each area to play the opening support spot. If this sounds like the gig for you then mail a bio (including hometown, ages of band members and links to where music can be listened to online) via freezacentral@thepush.com.au by Monday 9 August. Winners will be announced on Friday 13 August. At least one band member must live or work in the town or surrounding area the tour is visiting, and be under 25 years of age. Bands that fit the bill – hardcore, rock, metal, prog, emo or punk – are urged to apply. The mentoring program is an annual initiative pairing 50 young Victorians with music industry mentors across five streams including performance, technical production, event management, music business and marketing and publicity. On top of getting vital lessons from a music industry mentor, the mentees release a CD, work on festivals and organise a tour. For info on how you can get involved next year go to freezacentral.vic.gov.au or thepush.com.au. From tomorrow (Thursday) until Sunday 8 August the Melbourne International Film Festival will be held at venues right across town. For films geared to a younger audience check out the Next Gen program at melbournefilmfestival.com.au.

FRIDAY

The final heat of the FReeZA Push Start Battle Of The Bands southern metropolitan region is on at the Cranbourne Public Hall from 6pm. Entry is $10 on the door. Kasabian play Festival Hall. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster.

whether this new record will feature Jasonic (Jason Newstead, ex-Metallica), who played bass on the band’s last studio album, Infini, released in 2009. German extreme metal outfit Neaera have finished recording their fifth album, Forging The Eclipse, for a 22 October release via Metal Blade Records.

TOURS, TOURS, TOURS Frankenbok, Subjektive, Bronson, House Of Thumbs – Saturday, Tote Testament – Friday 6 August, Billboard Slash – Wednesday 11 August, Festival Hall Napalm Death – Sunday 5 September, Hi-Fi Soulfly, City Of Fire, Incite – Wednesday 8 September, Palace Metallica – Wednesday 15 and Thursday 16 September, Thursday 18, Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 November, Rod Laver Arena Mayhem – Thursday 23 September, Hi-Fi Overkill – Friday 24 September, Hi-Fi Exodus – Sunday 3 October, Corner Hotel Soilwork – Saturday 23 October, Hi-Fi Andrew Haug hosts Triple J’s The Racket every Tuesday from 10pm – triplej.abc.net.au/ racket. Email theracket@inpress.com.au

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THE

Perfume Genius

BREAKDOWN Pop culture therapy with ADAM CURLEY Is the ‘boomer backlash’ coming? Three or four generations of people would probably like to think so, but in reality there are still about two billion Nissan Pathfinders’ worth of folks over the age of 55 owning the shit out of everything. Still, there are definite signs that the ‘boomer’ stronghold on everything from property to jobs is being evaluated in a way it wasn’t when the boomers were seen in a good light – as ‘free-spirited’ or ‘entrepreneurial’ (because that’s a good thing). An opinion piece by Francis Beckett (himself of boomer age) in The Guardian this month takes a pretty scathing view of the boomers in power in the UK, one that relates almost directly to our own situation. Beckett views boomers as a generation who were given more freedom than any previous yet have decided to restrict the freedoms of younger generations. One of the major points Beckett makes is that, in the boomers’ younger days, tertiary education was free to even the “penniless”, ensuring a sector of younger people without previous access to university places were able to further their learning. Of course, in Australia, when Whitlam abolished university fees in 1974, a giant percentage of those attending university were already on Commonwealth scholarships. The point Beckett makes is that, for boomers, education didn’t come with an appendix indicating its value with relation to market forces and job suitability. Now, with an overlording focus on economics and the ‘harsh realities’ of unemployment, Beckett writes, education is seen as the “acquisition of skills required to swell someone else’s pockets”. That sentiment hits home when considering recent polls indicating that one-third of Australians are looking to change jobs. It becomes even more powerful when considering the personal conversations between those of us under boomer age about qualifications, thoughts of further study, universities that are ‘academic’ or ‘prestigious’ as opposed to ‘jobs-based’ and what the difference is between the two when it comes time to apply for work. Learning is, by and large, no longer seen as valuable in itself. It might sound like grappling for a link, but Beckett’s piece had me thinking about the way views on education relate to music: marketability

ROOTS DOWN

Blues ‘n’ roots with DAN CONDON rootsdown@inpress.com.au It’s important to stop and take stock some time in the middle of each year to remind yourself of all of the wonderful music that has been released since January. Too often I have found myself bitching about the lack of quality releases come the end of the year, only to realise early in the new year that there were a slew of top releases I either missed out on hearing or just plain forgot about. So here are five great records released in 2010 thus far. Janelle Monae – The Archandroid (Suites II And III) Okay, a controversial start. While on the surface this appears to be a modern R&B record and perhaps not fitting for this column, I must assure you that it is so much more than that. This is possibly the most ambitious modern release I have ever heard – almost 70 minutes of music that takes us from hip hop jams to wistful ‘60s British-influenced folk to P-Funk jams to dramatic orchestral moments and a whole lot more to boot. Open your mind and let this incredible young artist blow you away with this epic release. Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings – I Learned The Hard Way While Ms Jones and her stunning band have proved themselves to be the saviours of classic funk in the modern era, their albums have never blown me away. They’ve always captured elements of what can make them so appealing, but never made a truly brilliant record. Until this year. I Learned The Hard Way just has that X-factor that makes a record truly captivating. The songs pop, the production marries the classic old warmth of tape with the clarity of more modern techniques and the musicianship is amazing as always. The Break – Church Of The Open Sky It’s probably not surprising that the new project featuring three members of Midnight Oil (Jim Moginie, Rob Hirst and Martin Rotsey) and one

vs the generation of ideas; the ‘friendliness’ of bands or songs to radio programmers’ ears as opposed to innovation regardless of exposure. All pretty well-covered topics, and pretty boring, really, until you consider how often bands are talked about as needing to go ‘back to the practise room’ or ‘work on their songwriting’ – if not explicitly, then in the back of our minds when watching or listening to an act who is new to us. We shrug bands off easily because there’s always another band who’ll have their shit together more; because we’ve learned that, when evaluating music, form and ability and execution (regardless of your angle on any of those) are the things to look for. The learning isn’t celebrated in itself. Cue Seattle 21-year-old Mike Hadreas, who performs as Perfume Genius and has just released his debut album, Learning (Matador/ Remote Control). The title might relate to the lessons Hadreas has been through to get to the point of each song’s output (if the lyrical content is taken as true: the affair with and death of a teacher, dealing with an alcoholic parent of a friend, general disappointment and hope), but it also relates to the form the album comes in. Much of it sounds like a spilling of ideas Hadreas has had about genres and song forms and melodies. Barely any of it sounds complete when held against the criteria often given to ‘successful’ songs or albums. Hadreas is learning to use his voice, his words and his instruments; learning, like any student, to untangle the thoughts of how he wants to use his piano, his graceful warble, how to turn a piece of repeated orchestration into a ‘song’. Such an observation might often follow with a statement of how stunning the album is regardless. In truth, some of it is (and when it is, it really is) and some ideas don’t really hold up. But it is a celebration of learning in a way learning is very rarely celebrated, without attempting to veil the process or playing it down for looking to what comes next. It’s a simple idea but one worth noting.

Violent Femme (Brian Ritchie) is completely awesome, but it’s definitely pleasing. The Break are an exciting surf rock band who take the sounds of artists like Link Wray, Dick Dale and The Atlantics and deliver it with the same vital passion and aggression that the Oils possessed back in the day. Their debut record is a little psychedelic, but still very accessible. The King Khan & BBQ Show – Invisible Girl Certainly not a record for the faint-hearted, this is revved-up soul music injected with bucket loads of garage punk snarl. King Khan should already be known to many of you for his work with his band The Shrines, but this duo are just as good. BBQ is Mark Sultan, a veritable one-man band with a voice that sounds eerily like Sam Cooke. These songs are trashy, loud, shambolic but actually kind of beautiful. Sadly the duo began falling out when they were in Australia last month and have since gone their separate ways. Patty Griffi n – Downtown Church I spoke a bit about this record when it was first released as I was just blown away by how good it is. Griffin has always written pretty incredible music and performed it beautifully, as her visits to Australia over the past couple of years have shown. But this record, which is packed full of covers, just shines like nothing else she has ever done. Much of the credit must go to the masterful Buddy Miller who has delivered one of his finest efforts from the producer’s chair – much like the aforementioned Dap-Kings record, there is not a single note here that seems out of place. It’s unobtrusive and utterly breathtaking.

ROOTS MANOEUVRES WEDNESDAY

Danny Walsh – Standard Hotel

THURSDAY

Bluehouse, Oh Pep! – East Brunswick Club

FRIDAY

Graveyard Train, The Dacios, Little John – Corner Hotel

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JON MEETS WESLEY

JUNGAL TRACKS

Jon S Williams has his only Melbourne headline show for 2010 at the Wesley Anne on Saturday 31 July, onstage 10-11pm. He will be doing his plugged-in urban folkster solo thing, previewing songs from his forthcoming album. Get along and enjoy the red velveted, sit-down, open fire warmth of one of Nortchote’s finest independent music venues – they serve great meals, too. Support comes from songstress Mezz Coleman and Adelaide singer/songwriter Southie.

Following the successful launch of their single, Say It, early this year, all-female roots folk trio Jungal will release their much anticipated first full-length studio album This Crooked Track at the Evelyn Hotel in Fitzroy on Friday featuring very special guests Monique Brumby and Courtney Barnett. Jungal are three powerful young women who create their own brand of Australian-flavoured indie roots music blended with folk, soul and rock. Word has quickly been spreading of their energetic live performance and catchy, positive songwriting, which comes to life through three harmonious voices.

CIRCUS TRICKS Melbourne rock band Sunset Circus have been invited to open the first leg of Midnight Youth’s tour on Thursday 29 July at Revolver Upstairs. Sunset Circus will be ripping though a pile of new and classic songs as they prepare to hit the studio in the next few months to record their highly anticipated debut release. The band have been making waves around the Victorian scene since opening Rock The Bay festival earlier this year.

HUNGRY FOR IT Hungry Kids Of Hungary are hitting the road next month on what they’re calling “a pre-album release warm-up” tour. Entitled the Shady Haze Of Winter tour, the jaunt will also include Sydney’s The Holidays and New Zealand’s Artisan Guns. Catch the bands at the East Brunswick Club on Friday 20 August and the National in Geelong on Saturday 21.

HORSE POWER Ahead of shows with his band THE GENTLEMEN OF FORTUNE, Drones drummer MIKE NOGA treats Inpress to a brief history of the horse in popular song.

quus ferus caballus. ‘Horse’ to you and me. Brumby and Clydesdale, Peruvian and Pampa. The Kisber Felver or the French trotter. As you run your eyeballs across this page, dear reader, I will be saddling up and preparing myself for two weeks of Qantas Club breakfasts and tedious soundchecks as I head out across our fair land with my fellow buckaroos, The Gentlemen Of Fortune, in support of our North Carolinian, equinally-named compadres, Band Of Horses. I first met these cowboys in the American winter of 2007 when The Drones were asked to accompany them on their Cease To Begin cattle drive. They had traded their wagons in for a luxury bus by this time, but don’t get me wrong, these boys weren’t no lily-livered yella-bellies, no siree. The rider was full of jerky and the chewin’ baccy did flow. And so it is now, as I fill my saddle bags with Boss pedals and ponder how I’m gonna get these spurs through security at Tullamarine, my thoughts turn to the humble horse, and why throughout the history of rock’n’roll songwriters have found an affinity with the trusty steed. They write songs about them, they name their rock groups after them… is it simply that the horse represents strength? That it is a noble and romantic symbol of honesty and love? Or is it something altogether more sexual and genital-based? Let’s have a quick look at a few examples… Wild Horses – The Rolling Stones The Jagger/Richards song from 1971’s Sticky Fingers was originally thought to be written about Jagger’s then girlfriend Marianne Faithful as she lay in a hospital bed recovering from a heroin overdose. Jagger has since denied this. A staple on Gold FM, the song has been somewhat ruined for me through incessant playlisting. Every time I hear it now I picture a pack of wild horses literally

HAVE YOU HEARD?

dragging ‘Queenie’ Jagger down a dirt track by his ankles. This thought makes me happy.” A Horse With No Name – America Yuck. This song makes me feel sick. It should have been put down and turned into glue before it ever saw the light of day. Horse Stories – Dirty Three One of the greatest Australian albums ever written. From 1000 Miles through Hope and Warren’s Lament, Horse Stories grabs you firmly by the ticker and never lets go. It’s an album that has managed to provide the most appropriate soundtrack for either the saddest times in my life or the most joyous. A genius stroke of songwriting. A classicalbluesjazzpunksymphony. And when Jim White lets rip at the end of Sue’s Last Ride, my shit gets lost. A masterpiece. The Horses – Daryl Braithwaite Through an in-depth study of the lyrics to this disgusting mess of a song I’ve arrived at the conclusion that it’s about a woman somehow riding a horse through the air and that somehow everybody she has ever met is somehow suspended in the air around her and it makes her really upset, and a bird starts to cry and that also makes her very upset, and she looks down and a bloke she knows has suddenly grown wings and one of them is broken and he’s lying on the ground and Daryl keeps telling her, “Sorry, but this is how it is for you now… this is your life” and he keeps reiterating that it’s dangerous to fly a horse through the air and that any moment she’s going to have a stack. Sounds like a fucking nightmare. Scary stuff. Creepy film clip, too. So it seems my dear friends in BOH may have started a trend when blessing themselves with a horsey moniker. Super Wild Horses, New Young Pony Club, An Horse… And the list goes on and on. It seems the horse may have knocked the wolf off of his mantle as ‘most popular animal to name your new band after’. Maybe I’m going about this music business the wrong way. I’m thinking of starting a new band… we’re called Horses Fuck Wolves. You in? WHO: Mike Noga & The Gentlemen Of Fortune WHEN & WHERE: Sunday, Northcote Social Club; Monday, Corner Hotel and Tuesday, Palace (both supporting Band Of Horses)

TURBO FOXES FoxyFive present the first in a monthly series of live music events of talented and inspirational Melbourne artists for your listening pleasure. Planning to change the groove each month, the Five are kicking off the party with a mix of soul, funk, and reggae, with a couple of MCs thrown in at the Bendigo Hotel in Collingwood this Thursday. The Soul Supremacy will open with some modern, bluesy soul, fronted by Ruby Kirov – whose voice will melt the iciest of hearts. Super-chilled soulster Matt Hall is bringing two MCs with him, while headliners El Moth & The Turbo Rads, an infectiously danceable six-piece, will bring their roots, reggae and funk jams to the mix. Entry is $5 before 9pm and $8 thereafter.

BUCK CHERRY WYLDE In keeping with its famed commitment to making quality local music accessible and affordable, the Cherry Bar in ACDC Lane continues its tradition of free Wednesday night residencies. For the month of July it’s the infectious power-pop’n’roll of Thee Wylde Oscars, playing two sets from 9pm. Cherry Owner James Young summarises, “What a great fucking band.” Easy on the ear and easy on the wallet too with free entry and bar specials ‘til 3am. How much easier can a top Melbourne music venue make it for you to discover and fall in love with an exceptional Melbourne band?!

AMY AIN’T LYING For two weeks, one of the city’s busiest precincts, Melbourne Central, has been transformed into a hub of creativity as it celebrates art, music and fashion from the streets and laneways of Melbourne. Now in its second year, the Two Blocks festival brings culture and creativity to the people. Until 1 August, the public can experience unique art exhibitions, live painting, a pop-up fashion event, parties and music performances. Headlining the festivities this year are synth-rockers Amy Meredith in a special acoustic set on Thursday 29 July at 4.30pm. The guys will perform tracks from their hotly anticipated debut album, Restless, live in Shot Tower Square and sign copies for fans thanks to Sony Music Entertainment.

OLD AND NAKED Life Drawing upstairs at the Old Bar is hitting the beer swilling fine patrons of Melbourne with an injection of culture, a scrawl with charcoal amidst the gin and tonic lulls. This is all as it sounds: drawing nudes outside of the restraints of the artists’ studio. You will all be talked through the process of drawing the human form by experienced tutor Kristen. Each session tackles a different consideration, temperament and medium. The materials are supplied, but if you have something special you want to use, feel free to take it along. It happens at 7pm on Tuesday 27 July.

COMPLETELY HEARTLESS Celebrating the release of their debut album, Epidemic, Heartless Vendetta are hitting Melbourne with a run of performances. The album illustrates the highs and lows of everyday living. They take to Revolver Upstairs this Friday with Earl, The Morning After and Dirty Elvis lining up in support. A show not to be missed for any fan of hard rock. Tickets $12 on the door from 8pm.

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King Cannons play the Workers Club on Saturday. HOW DID YOU GET TOGETHER? Luke Yeoward, vocals/rhythm guitar: “I recruited a bunch of people I thought would fit the bill for a new group in Auckland, New Zealand, at the end of 2007. My old punk rock group had split, I was looking for a way to move in a new direction personally and try to broaden up the musical palette to incorporate all the styles of music I listened to. So we got together in a mate’s lounge room in Auckland, jammed some reggae and some rock’n’roll tunes I had written, and it was an instant gel… Here we are!” HAVE YOU RECORDED ANYTHING OR DO YOU PREFER TO TOOL AROUND IN YOUR BEDROOM? “Yes, we recorded two singles (accompanied with B-sides) written in 2008. The tracks were recorded as soon as we got to Melbourne at Atlantis Sound, mid-2009. The songs are self-released and currently available on iTunes, or in physical format from our show at the Workers Club this Saturday.” CAN YOU SUM UP YOUR BAND’S SOUND IN FOUR WORDS? “Roots-influenced rock music.” IF YOU COULD SUPPORT ANY BAND IN THE WORLD, WHO WOULD IT BE AND WHY? “I always find it hard to answer this question – my mind changes frequently. Today it would be Toots & The Maytals because they are great soul food, they helped put Jamaican music on the map and their latest release is in the form of a USB ‘spliff’.” IF A HIGHER POWER SMITES YOUR HOUSE AND YOU CAN ONLY SAVE ONE RECORD FROM THE FIRE, WHAT WOULD IT BE? “Whichever one is most easily accessible, to avoid being burnt. Salvaging stuff from a burning house ain’t all that easy, ya know… It would probably be a Joe Strummer record of some kind…” DO YOU HAVE A LUCKY ITEM OF CLOTHING YOU WEAR FOR GIGS AND WHAT IS IT? “As long as I am wearing black, I am feeling kinda lucky.” IF YOU INVITED SOMEONE AWESOME ‘ROUND FOR DINNER WHAT WOULD YOU COOK? “Nachos?” WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE PLACE TO DRINK IN MELBOURNE? “I don’t have one.”

FOOTSCRAY SUNDAY Warm up winter with our intimate Sunday Arvo Music Series – the winter edition. There’s four cosy concerts of great music to entice you indoors to Footscray Community Arts Centre. The first is on Sunday 1 August from 3pm, featuring Ethiopian vocalist Seble Girm and the ever-fantastic Rebecca Barnard, performing together, as well as Jen Cloher & The Endless Sea. On Sunday 8 August you can see Metse Hagos and Kelly Ryan teaming up, and the globetrotting Daniel Buess. Come Sunday 15 August, the line-up will feature Chinese erhu (a violin-like instrument) virtuoso Shen Pangeng alongside DJ Wasabi, as well as David Bridle. Lastly, Sunday 22 August heralds the performance of Speak Percussion, Matthias Schack-Arnott and Eugene Ughetti, and experimental sort Robbie Avenaim. It all happens in the Basement Theatre and tickets for each event is $10+BF via trybooking.com/3072.

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Dutch Tilders

HOWZAT! Local music news by JEFF JENKINS

DUTCH TREAT Meat Loaf’s real name is Marvin, but he recently said: “The last person who called me Marvin will be buried on Thursday”. Matthew Tilders was 14 when he came to Australia with his family in 1955. Coming from the Netherlands, his new mates gave him the obvious nickname – Dutch. Now he’s never referred to as Matthew, “unless someone’s being facetious”. Dutch Tilders is a great name for a bluesman, though he’s been called plenty of other things. “When I was starting out, The Age called me Dutch Tedders, and then I was doing a gig in Queensland with Geoff Achison and we drove through a place called Childers. Geoff said, ‘That’s one way they haven’t spelled your name’. But sure enough, we got to Rockhampton and the paper called me ‘Dutch Childers’.” Whatever you call him, Dutch is the Godfather Of The Blues in Australia. He jokes that when he started playing, people thought the Blues was just

a footy team. He was 15 when he did his first paying gig – playing the harmonica at Collingwood Town Hall. Australia’s rock pioneer Johnny O’Keefe was also on the bill, but Dutch can’t recall if he met him. “I was in awe of the whole situation.” Dutch’s musical journey actually started in the Netherlands, where he was a choir boy. “I was an alto for two years, but then my voice broke, so that was the end of that.” Dutch was also expelled from boarding school “for being a bad influence on the rest of the boys”. He played the piano as a kid, and didn’t actually pick up a guitar until he was 18. “I like performing,” Dutch says, “it’s my only egoism. If you’re not an egoist, forget it! When I was a young man, I was painfully shy with girls and I used to say stupid things. Then I played the guitar, and girls would come to me and say stupid things.” Like John Williamson, Daryl Somers, Paul Hogan and Peter Andre, Dutch got his big break on New Faces, but he points out that he already had a deal with Ron Tudor’s Fable label before going on the show. With his distinctive drawl, many people assume that Dutch is actually American. And after hearing one of his records, BB King thought Dutch was black. But, believe it or not, Dutch has never

even played in America. The closest he’s got to an international tour is doing some gigs in New Zealand. Another surprise is Dutch confessing that he’s “not all that fond of the bloody guitar. It’s been all guitar since 1956 – I’m over the bloody thing. I’d prefer to listen to a good sax player or a good piano player.”

CHART WATCH

Dutch is a wonderful showman and raconteur. Sadly, he recently found out he had cancer of the oesophagus and liver. He says the news didn’t shock him. “With the oesophagus, I couldn’t get a piece of meat down it, so I knew something was up.” Dutch has written a song called Going On A Journey, which he’s recorded with an all-star band, including Broderick Smith, Geoff Achison and Mick “The Reverend” O’Connor. Dutch’s spirit and sense of humour has not deserted him. “You gotta die of something,” he says. “I thought I would have been more devastated, but I just decided, ‘Here we go, this is another journey to go on’.” Next week, Dutch starts his chemotherapy and he’ll join his mates at a huge benefit gig at the Thornbury Theatre. “I’ve been honoured and humbled by the support of so many friends.” The bill for the 29 July event includes Chain, Kevin Borich and Chris Finnen. The show is sold out. But this won’t be your last chance to see Dutch – there are a lot of gigs left in this journeyman.

All The Lovers KYLIE MINOGUE (23)

CEO OF ROCK

Immersion PENDULUM (22)

Everyone in the local scene would have a Patrick Donovan story. Like a character from Cameron Crowe’s classic Almost Famous, Paddy is your old-style rock star journalist. Put simply, Paddy lives it. After 12 years as The Age’s Sticky Carpet columnist, Paddy is leaving the paper to become the CEO of the new industry body Music Victoria. We’ll miss his Sticky news and views, but we’re rapt that he’ll be serving the industry in such a big gig.

We Are Born SIA (23)

THE FAUVES CATCH-22 It’s been a big year for birthdays, what with The Meanies celebrating their 21st and Even turning a sweet 16. And this Friday is the 22nd birthday for The Fauves. The guys did their first gig on 23 July, 1988 at the Mt Eliza Football Club. “There was no rider, we were underpaid and no one got laid,” singer Andrew Cox recalls. “It was a microcosm of an entire career.”

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No Aussie acts in the national top 10. We No Speak Americano YOLANDA BE COOL (number 11) Lying AMY MEREDITH (14) iYiYi CODY SIMPSON (26) Plans BIRDS OF TOKYO (30, debut) Big Jet Plane ANGUS & JULIA STONE (36) Mousetrap Heart THIRSTY MERC (38) Baby, I’m Getting’ Better GYROSCOPE (40) Kylie spends a second week at number two. Aphrodite KYLIE MINOGUE (number two) A Beautiful Exchange HILLSONG LIVE (five) Down The Way ANGUS & JULIA STONE (10) Deep Blue PARKWAY DRIVE (15) Cinema THE CAT EMPIRE (16) Restless AMY MEREDITH (19)

April Uprising THE JOHN BUTLER TRIO (32) Mousetrap Heart THIRSTY MERC (36) Iron Man 2 AC/DC (38) Golden Rule POWDERFINGER (39)

HOWZAT! PLAYLIST Going On A Journey DUTCH TILDERS Always Coming Down CORDRAZINE Everybody’s In Debt JASON WALKER Audacious UNDERMINERS I Come In Peace ROSS WILSON

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WED 21

Anonymeye, Fabio Umberto, The Bznzz, Blankface Distortion Stutter Breakfast Over Gunfire, Talihana Sky, Red Letter Day The Arthouse Casual Quiz Marquis Of Lorne Hotel Danny Walsh The Standard Hotel Daryl Roberts The Spanish Club Death Cheetahs, Spinning Rooms, Thieves Bar Open Jess Ribiero & The Bone Collectors Edinburgh Castle Hotel Junior Workers Club Kim Dellavadova, Emma Wall The Drunken Poet Melbourne Fresh, LeBelle, Midnight Heavies, Triumph of Oriana, Passport For Amy, Freight Train Theory, Joshua Wellington, TeAyPe, Battle Elephants Revolver Mikelangelo & St Claire The Old Bar Next Dimension, This Public Life, Better Than The Wizards, Jenny Biddle Esplanade Lounge Nick Batterham, Pete McCracken Wesley Anne Open Mic Bender Bar Open Mic Elwood Lounge Open Mic with Matt McFarlane Brunswick Hotel Parallel Lions Builders Arms Hotel Rhymada, Welcome to the Numb, Low Speed Bus Chase Evelyn Hotel Sianna Lee, Laura Soulio, Here For the Sun Empress Hotel Swing Patrol (Swing Dance Classes) Reveller’s North (downstairs) Tessa & The Typecast, The Jupiters, Yelka, Adrien Burruto Birmingham Hotel Thee Wylde Oscars Cherry Bar

Violent Soho, Scul Hazzards, Butcher Birds, Daddy Long Legs Northcote Social Club Woolen Kits, School Of Radiant Living, Doncaster Shoppingtown Bar Open

ALEX PARTY Alex Hallahan’s live show is an impressive hybrid of folk, alt.country and soul, sewnthrough with his unmistakably eclectic style. His band are musical wolves who haunt, leap, bound, bite and tickle. Hallahan and company take up residency at the Edinburgh Castle each Sunday afternoon in July, playing brand new songs. Free in the front bar from 5pm.

THU 22

Agonhym, Daniel Tucceri, Paul Kidney, Dumbshit, Nik Kennedy, Robbie Avenaim, Slowdance Pony Ainslie Wills, Alice Keith, Soursoup Empress Hotel Barb Waters & The Mother’s Of Pearl, Cyndi Boste Retreat Hotel Bluehouse, Oh Pep! East Brunswick Club Bois et Charbon, Future Happiness, Hero Twin Wesley Anne Coby Grant Elwood Lounge Damage Spenserslive Dan Musil, Andrew Higgs The Drunken Poet Dance class, Ring the Alarm, Daniel Ring, Kavinda, Jesse I, Major Krazy First Floor Dave Graney & The Lurid Yellow Mist, & guests Grace Darling Hotel Dom & The Dead Beats, Alysia Manceau Great Britain Hotel Found At Sea, Winter, Fourth Floor Collapse The Old Bar Harlequin Chapter, Runaway With the Circus, Hooker Powered Moon Rocket, The Underlander The Arthouse John Montesante Quintet feat. Garth Ploog The Commune Kingswood, The Pretty Littles, Transformer Esplanade Lounge

Ladies Night Transport Hotel (Fed Sq) Large No 12’s Pure Pop Records Little Bones, Jess Shulman, Adam Cousens Brunswick Hotel Love Connection The Tote Mary Jane Kelly, Built On Secrets, Dead Kings, Country Getaway, Rivers Next Master Cardinal, The Kremlin Succession, Dirt Farmer, DJ Dags, 3181 Thursdays Revolver Pony Face Edinburgh Castle Hotel Rock Aerobics, Bitter Sweet Kicks, Madonna, The Beat Disease, Wil Wagner, Pauli Douglas Yah Yah’s Songlines NAIDOC Acoustic Sessions, Gavin Summers, & guests Bender Bar Soul Supremacy, Matt Hall, El Moth & The Turbo Rads Bendigo Hotel Sugar Beat Cherry Bar Tailor Made For A Small Room, Denim Owl, Far Concern Builders Arms Hotel The Animators, The Reefs, The Vulpine Evelyn Hotel The Beards The General Store, Mt Hotham The Ovals Reveller’s North (downstairs) The Raphaellas, Red Ink, Colour Age, The Sherrifs Workers Club Thylacine, Ex Spectator, Bloody Hammer, PvBm, War Widow Birmingham Hotel

FRI 23

Belles Will Ring, The Laurels, The Demon Parade Northcote Social Club Blue House The Palais, Hepburn Springs Cheap Thrills, Elva Scandal, Dan Kash, Carvel, Kids Without Bikes The Prague Circus Ox, Rockin Wrestlin Prince Bandroom Colours Tribute Band Bar Open Cosmology, Andee Frost, Ooh-ee, Cosmo K, Superchang, aDD Loop DJ Shortsleeves Marquis Of Lorne Hotel Dr Mexico, The Moon Kids, Racing Daphne Esplanade Basement First Time Hookers, Dead Man On Deck, Fortnight Jumbo Cherry Bar Found At Sea, Atlantic, Sunset Circus The Public Bar French & Mc Carthy, The Ocean Party, The Broadside Push, Jumpin’ Jack Williams Edinburgh Castle Hotel

Graveyard Train, The Dacios, Little John Corner Hotel Harry Howard and his NDE, Strangers From Now On, Infi nite Ox, The Euphorics Birmingham Hotel Heartless Vendetta, Earl, The Morning After, Dirty Elvis, WAX! Weekly Audio Extravaganza, Revolver Fridays: NQR, Anyo, Chardy, Aaron Trotman Revolver Holly Shep & her Dapper Lads, Melanie Jane, Tigran Builders Arms Hotel Howl, The Mourning Sons, Money For Rope, Valentine Esplanade Lounge Jungal, Monique Brumby & Band, Courtney Barnett Evelyn Hotel Lady Chann, Killa Queenz, Mat Cant, Afficks, Fraksha, Ms Butt Esplanade Gershwin Room Lady J Abode Left Feels Right, Old Salty, Rumourtism, Ennis Tola The Spanish Club Lichens, Pikelet, Mick Turner & Jeff Wegener, Ian Wadley, Cocks Arquette, Black Widow The Tote Little Red Karova Lounge Little Sisters Of The Poor, Lionel Lee’s Curse, The Weeping Willows, Nathan Porter Wesley Anne Liz Bradley Elwood Lounge

CANNONS FIRE IT OUT The King Cannons vibe isn’t a tricky concept. It’s a simple approach with dynamic execution. Enjoyable at first glance yet complex at it’s heart. It’s six likeminded but very different friends getting together and making music influenced by everything they are deeply passionate about. King Cannons and their unique brand of roots rock’n’roll is for every generation, every genre, every shaking body and every nodding head. If you haven’t seen or heard them yet, get down to the Workers Club this Saturday to catch them with Money For Rope and The Ramshackle Army. Tickets are $10+BF from Moshtix.

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Lost Order, Drive By Epic, Brothers Crossing, New Born Science, Kyle Solo Barwon Club My Friend The Chocolate Cake Spenserslive Ouch My Face, Lindsay Low Hand, Heavy Mental, Drum Heller Empress Hotel Pop Singles, Pioneers Of Good Science, Zac Keiller, Creatures of Silence, Pretty Suicide, Witchgrinder, Geek Pie Pony Poprocks at the Toff, Dr Phil Smith The Toff In Town Renee Geyer Caravan Music Club Robbie Negro, DJ Funknuckle Reveller’s North (downstairs) Rumble!, Adrian Whyte, The Atomic Hi Tones, Wild Turkey, The Flying Saucers Bendigo Hotel San Gras, Dead River Deeps, Clavians, The Rostovs, Ash Naylor Yah Yah’s Shaun Kirk Paddy Tavern Skull Rings, Hot Chicks, Fast Cars… Fancy Things, The Bon Scotts, Stabbie Stabbie Kill Kill, The Drunk Mums, Liquor Snatch, STI John Curtin Hotel Spark Iris, Fast Track, Twenty Two Hundred, Wolf vs Fire Ding Dong Lounge The Coyotes Grind ‘n’ Groove Bar The Electric Birds, She Said, Missing Supergirl Brunswick Hotel The Hard Ons, Fangs of a TV Evangelist, Useless Children East Brunswick Club The Kill, Deathcage, Pathetic Human, Bloody Hammer, Thylacine The Arthouse The Moroccan Kings, Nine Of Swords, An Easier Question, Errata Reveller’s North (upstairs) The Original Snakeskin Builders Arms, early show The Paul Kidney Experience, Aktion Unit, Rubbish Throwers, The Donkey’s Tail, Eko Eko Azarak, DJ Montenegro The Old Bar The Promises, Nick Huggins, Leena & Band Workers Club The Skylines First Floor

The Vasco Era Sand Bar, Mildura The Voodoo Economic, The Holy Sea, Kirsten Verwood Grace Darling Hotel The Waylan Joh’s, & guests Bender Bar TOP 40 & COMMERCIAL PARTY TUNES Transport Hotel (Fed Sq) Traditional Irish Music Session, Dan Bourke & Friends The Drunken Poet Wet Young Dolphin, Howl At The Moon, Lan Party, DJ Geoff Leppard Retreat Hotel

SAT 24

3cr’s Burning Vinyl Benefit, The Toot Toot Toots, Matt Sonic & The High Times, Howl At The Moon, Lame Foot, Danny Walsh, Little John, Matt Bailey, Sianna Lee The Old Bar 80’s RETRO TUNES Transport Hotel (Fed Sq) Alba Varden, Drawn From Bees, Delamare, San Fran Disco, Phil Para Esplanade Lounge Alex Burns Trio The Drunken Poet Autumn Gray, Institut Polaire, Grizzley Jim Lawrie, Basic Shape, DJ Plummer Evelyn Hotel Back in Black Cherry Bar Charlie Officer, Louis Rowe, Stefan Lafebre Edinburgh Castle Hotel Cheap Thrills, Liquor Snatch, The Half Pints, The Tear Aways Bendigo Hotel Checkerboard Bar Open Chiara Brown, DJ Master Bates Reveller’s North (downstairs) Chinook Elwood Lounge City Calm Down, White Birds & Lemons, Northeast Party House, The House deFROST, Andee Frost The Toff In Town Cold Harbour, Bug Dust, Johnny Uppercut Grace Darling Hotel Dallas Frasca, The Late Show Revolver Disco Sociale, Dvise, Moonshine First Floor DJ Front Bar Barwon Heads Hotel

Duck Musique Builders Arms, early show Elliots Llama, The Take Off, Fist Fights vs Fences, Typewrite Hotel Chandelier Room Ex Amino, Illegal Rhythm Syndicate The Public Bar Face on Fire, A Million Dead Birds Laughing, La Haine, Broozer Barwon Club Fangs of a TV Evangelist, Daggers Mid Flight, Delta Reds, An Easier Question, Dead South, Pink Fitt Pony Fergus Mcalpin, Emily Ulman Edinburgh Castle, early show Frankenbok, House Of Thumbs, Bronson, Subjektive The Tote I Explode Like, The Committal, Nacional Bang Innerspace, Into The Woods, The Run Run, Holliava East Brunswick Club Jon Beta, Lister Cooray, Jamie Stevens Loop Kerryn Fields, Laura K Clark, Carolyn Byrnes, Lost Order, Drive By Epic, A New Born Science, Concept Unknown Brunswick Hotel King Cannons, Money For Rope, The Ramshackle Army Workers Club La Mauvaise Reputation, Shane Walters, Austin Busch Wesley Anne Lakes, No War, Bunyip Moon Empress Hotel Lewis Farmen Reveller’s North (upstairs) Lowrider, The Melodics, Nicholas Roy, Empire Rising Corner Hotel Lungs, Identity Theft, Hawaiian Islands, ANCHORS The Arthouse Marisa Quigley, Ruckus St Andrews Hotel Marki Mark Marquis Of Lorne Hotel Meet Me In Cognito, The Grain, Brokers Night Sleep John Curtin Hotel Midnight From Memphis, David Long, Scott Simontacci Spenserslive Parking Lot Experiments, Lehmann B Smith, Extreme Wheeze Birmingham Hotel P-Tex, DJ Xander Retreat Hotel

Wed. 21st (Wine, Whiskey, Women) 8pm: Kim Dellavedova 9pm: Emma Wall Thurs. 22nd 8pm: Dan Musil 9pm: Andrew Higgs Fri. 23rd 6pm: Traditional Irish Music Session with Dan Bourke and Friends Sat. 24th 9pm: Alex Burns Trio Sun. 25th 4pm: Waz E. James Trio 6.30pm: Tim Scanlon with Gen & Flora Band Tues. 27th 8pm: Weekly Trivia

All Shows Always Free! The Drunken Poet, 65 Peel Street (Directly opposite Queen Vic Market). Phone: 03 9348 9797 www.myspace.com/drunkenpoets 73

gigguide@inpress.com.au RICK PRICE The Palais, Hepburn Springs Ryan Sterling & The Sister City, Caseylou, Damon Smith Trio Bender Bar Shaun Kirk Panton Hill Hotel Steve Prictor & the Violent Mood Swings The Post Office Club Hotel The Enclosures, Nervous, Pioneers Of Good Science Empress Hotel, Arvo Show The Exotics Great Britain Hotel The Furniture Incident, The Loutonians, Saki, Romero Esplanade Basement The Jed Rowe Band Grind ‘n’ Groove Bar The Twoks, Catatonic, SmuDJ, Jon Montes, Syme Tollens Abode The Wayward Fancies, Bakersfield Glee Club, Hank Ferguson & his Cosmonauts Forum Theatre Vultures Of Venus, The Mercy Kills, The Stu Thomas Paradox, The Watermelon Man, Myles Gallagher Yah Yah’s Weekender, The Long Island Sound, Shake Up Ding Dong Lounge

TRAIN TRACKS Graveyard Train, Melbourne’s own chainsmashing, foot-stomping horror country pioneers are launching their new album, The Drink The Devil And The Dance at the Corner Hotel this Friday. It’s Graveyard Train’s third LP and is released through local indie label Spooky Records. Special guests on the night will be Melbourne rockers The Dacios as well as the psychedelic bluegrass crooning of Little John. Young Heretics, The Nymphs, Guineafowl, Siren Lines Northcote Social Club Zebras, Three Month Sunset, The Audiobooks Builders Arms Hotel

SUN 25

Alex Hallahan Edinburgh Castle, early show Ben Smith Band Great Britain Hotel

Bitchslap, The Grain, Chico Flash, Crouching Tiger DJs Bar Open Blondie & Le, Frankie Wants Out Transport Hotel (Fed Sq) Cherrywood Guns Marquis Of Lorne Hotel Clinkerfield, Brothers Grim, Chris Altman & Que Paso, Little John, White Elephant, Fergus McAlpin & Adam Afiff,Tracey McNeil, The ReChords, Bakersfield Glee Club The Tote

Comics At Work, Lawrence Mooney, Smokey, Brad Oakes, John Burgos Esplanade Basement Crying Sirens, Kennoth, Dirt Water, Shade, Bad Kills, Bad Karma, Milk, Lo Fi Operatics Esplanade Gershwin Room Dub The Magic Dragon, Jshwa & The Owls Edinburgh Castle Hotel Elk & Whale Elwood Lounge Galazy, No Stairway, Joshua Gagliardi Empress Hotel, Arvo Show Hair Stylistics, Menstruation Sisters, Marco Fusinato, The Sunday Set, Andyblack, Haggis The Toff In Town Headspace, Dale Ryder Band, Bad Boys Batucada Esplanade Lounge Hetty Kate Wesley Anne Hobson’s Choice The Standard Hotel James McCann, Peter Ewing Union Club Hotel Jimi Hocking & the Blues Machine Manhattan Hotel Jody Galvin & The Tenderhearts Lord Newry Hotel Kim Volkman, Lewi Pommer Lyrebird Lounge

Left Feels Right, Raven vs Crow, Passport For Amy, On Sierra The Arthouse Los Theory, Bastian Kill Joy, Hypnotiks, Primary Source, Southpaw Resistance, DJ Rellik Evelyn Hotel Matthew Fagan & the Voyages World Music Group Spenserslive Mike Rudd & Bill Putt Eltham Hotel Open Decks Bender Bar Parading, Space Cactus, Microflora Yah Yah’s Paulie Bignell & the Thornbury Two The Gem Pealing, Wade & Young St Andrews Hotel Punch The Clown, Cheap Thrills, The Murderballs, No Ones Home, Dogsday Brunswick Hotel Revolver Sundays, Boogs, Spacey Space, Radiator, T- Rek Revolver Super Star, Angel Eyes Empress Hotel Susy Blue, Celeste Cleason Builders Arms, early show The Death Rattles, Red Eagle The Old Bar

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The Denotators Y & J’s The Joy Formidable, The Temper Trap DJ’s, Strange Talk Workers Club The Monday Project Bendigo Hotel The Moonee Valley Drifters, The ReChords Retreat Hotel The Pardoners, Sam See, Glyn Mason Sandbelt Hotel The Prayerbabies The Carringbush Hotel The Twoks, Jarek, Aluka, Mike Noga & the Gentlemen of Fortune, Ash Naylor, Plague Doctor Northcote Social Club Uncle Bill Hardimans Waz E. James Trio, Tim Scanlon, Gen & Flora Band The Drunken Poet

MON 26

Adam & Fergus & Friends Marquis Of Lorne Hotel Band Of Horses Corner Hotel Bogan Bingo Retreat Hotel Foals HiFi Bar Josh Owen Band Esplanade Lounge

Monday Night Madness!, Steve Mileham Brunswick Hotel The Hogeye String Band, ‘Crotchety Knitwits’ The Old Bar The Jazz Partisans, Ray Hood, Gustavo Moreno, Ben Harmsen Empress Hotel

TUE 27

Alberta Cross, The Vasco Era, Cabins Corner Hotel Apple Jack, The Adventure Spirit, Shivering Timbers Wesley Anne Band Of Horses, Mike Noga & the Gentlemen of Fortune The Palace Bricks, Death By Sixth, Roadside Theory, Addictive Breed, Atticus Thump, Corrupted Funk, Matt Glass Band Esplanade Gershwin Room DJ Mac G Retreat Hotel Foals HiFi Bar Live Rock Trivia Tuesdays Grace Darling Hotel

Macabre, The Day Everything Became Nothing, Sufferkunt, Embodied The Arthouse Open Mic Empress Hotel Revolver Cult Music Film Festival, Trivia Revolver The Beat Brothers, The Pretty Littles, The Loop, Shoe Shine Shoe Shine Evelyn Hotel The Brunswick Discovery, The Atlantic Fall Brunswick Hotel Water Music, Lachlan Bryans Cautionary Tales, Little Wolf, Life Drawing The Old Bar Weekly Trivia The Drunken Poet Younger Dryas, Dice, Velevska, Michael Gambino Esplanade Lounge

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BANG

ESPLANADE LOUNGE

Saturday I Explode Like, The Committal, Nacional

BAR OPEN Wednesday Death Cheetahs, Spinning Rooms, Thieves Thursday Woolen Kits, School Of Radiant Living, Doncaster Shoppingtown Friday Colours Tribute Band Saturday Checkerboard Sunday Bitchslap, The Grain, Chico Flash, Crouching Tiger DJs

BENDER BAR Wednesday Open Mic Thursday Songlines NAIDOC Acoustic Sessions, Gavin Summers, & guests Friday The Waylan Joh’s, & guests Saturday Ryan Sterling & The Sister City, Caseylou, Damon Smith Trio Sunday Open Decks

BENDIGO HOTEL Thursday Soul Supremacy, Matt Hall, El Moth & The Turbo Rads Friday Rumble!, Adrian Whyte, The Atomic Hi Tones, Wild Turkey, The Flying Saucers Saturday Cheap Thrills, Liquor Snatch, The Half Pints, The Tear Aways Sunday The Monday Project

BIRMINGHAM HOTEL Wednesday Tessa & The Typecast, The Jupiters, Yelka, Adrien Burruto Thursday Thylacine, Ex Spectator, Bloody Hammer, PvBm, War Widow Friday Harry Howard and his NDE, Strangers From Now On, Infinite Ox, The Euphorics Saturday Parking Lot Experiments, Lehmann B Smith, Extreme Wheeze

BRUNSWICK HOTEL Wednesday Open Mic with Matt McFarlane Thursday Little Bones, Jess Shulman, Adam Cousens Friday The Electric Birds, She Said, Missing Supergirl Saturday Kerryn Fields, Laura K Clark, Carolyn Byrnes, Lost Order, Drive By Epic, A New Born Science, Concept Unknown Sunday Punch The Clown, Cheap Thrills, The Murderballs, No Ones Home, Dogsday Monday Monday Night Madness!, Steve Mileham

BEER, GRAS OR ARSE After six months sans gigs while they were busy recording their debut EP, Sans Gras (ex Cayn Borthwick Band) return to the stage at Yah Yah’s this Friday sans pants and sans decorum. Joined by good friends Dead River Deeps, Clavians and The Rostovs, Sans Gras are so excited that they’re giving away a CD featuring tracks from the four bands to the first 100 punters. Doors open at 9pm. Tuesday The Brunswick Discovery, The Atlantic Fall

BUILDERS ARMS HOTEL Wednesday Parallel Lions Thursday Tailor Made For A Small Room, Denim Owl, Far Concern Friday Holly Shep & her Dapper Lads, Melanie Jane, Tigran Saturday Zebras, Three Month Sunset, The Audiobooks

CARAVAN MUSIC CLUB Friday Renee Geyer

CHERRY BAR Wednesday Thee Wylde Oscars Thursday Sugar Beat Friday First Time Hookers, Dead Man On Deck, Fortnight Jumbo Saturday Back in Black

CORNER HOTEL Friday Graveyard Train, The Dacios, Little John Saturday Lowrider, The Melodics, Nicholas Roy, Empire Rising Monday Band Of Horses Tuesday Alberta Cross, The Vasco Era, Cabins

DING DONG LOUNGE Friday Spark Iris, Fast Track, Twenty Two Hundred, Wolf vs Fire Saturday Weekender, The Long Island Sound, Shake Up

EAST BRUNSWICK CLUB Thursday Bluehouse, Oh Pep! Friday The Hard Ons, Fangs of a TV Evangelist, Useless Children Saturday Innerspace, Into The Woods, The Run Run, Holliava

EDINBURGH CASTLE HOTEL Wednesday Jess Ribiero & The Bone Collectors

Thursday Pony Face Friday French & Mc Carthy, The Ocean Party, The Broadside Push, Jumpin’ Jack Williams Saturday Charlie Officer, Louis Rowe, Stefan Lafebre Sunday Dub The Magic Dragon, Jshwa & The Owls

EMPRESS HOTEL Wednesday Sianna Lee, Laura Soulio, Here For the Sun Thursday Ainslie Wills, Alice Keith, Soursoup Friday Ouch My Face, Lindsay Low Hand, Heavy Mental, Drum Heller Saturday Lakes, No War, Bunyip Moon Sunday Super Star, Angel Eyes Monday The Jazz Partisans, Ray Hood, Gustavo Moreno, Ben Harmsen Tuesday Open Mic

EMPRESS HOTEL, ARVO SHOW Saturday The Enclosures, Nervous, Pioneers Of Good Science Sunday Galazy, No Stairway, Joshua Gagliardi

ESPLANADE BASEMENT Friday Dr Mexico, The Moon Kids, Racing Daphne Saturday The Furniture Incident, The Loutonians, Saki, Romero Sunday Comics At Work, Lawrence Mooney, Smokey, Brad Oakes, John Burgos

ESPLANADE GERSHWIN ROOM Friday Lady Chann, Killa Queenz, Mat Cant, Afficks, Fraksha, Ms Butt Sunday Crying Sirens, Kennoth, Dirt Water, Shade, Bad Kills, Bad Karma, Milk, Lo Fi Operatics Tuesday Bricks, Death By Sixth, Roadside Theory, Addictive Breed, Atticus Thump, Corrupted Funk, Matt Glass Band

Wednesday Next Dimension, This Public Life, Better Than The Wizards, Jenny Biddle Thursday Kingswood, The Pretty Littles, Transformer Friday Howl, The Mourning Sons, Money For Rope, Valentine Saturday Alba Varden, Drawn From Bees, Delamare, San Fran Disco, Phil Para Sunday Headspace, Dale Ryder Band, Bad Boys Batucada Monday Josh Owen Band Tuesday Younger Dryas, Dice, Velevska, Michael Gambino

EVELYN HOTEL Wednesday Rhymada, Welcome to the Numb, Low Speed Bus Chase Thursday The Animators, The Reefs, The Vulpine Friday Jungal, Monique Brumby & Band, Courtney Barnett Saturday Autumn Gray, Institut Polaire, Grizzley Jim Lawrie, Basic Shape, DJ Plummer Sunday Los Theory, Bastian Kill Joy, Hypnotiks, Primary Source, Southpaw Resistance, DJ Rellik Tuesday The Beat Brothers, The Pretty Littles, The Loop, Shoe Shine Shoe Shine

GRACE DARLING HOTEL Thursday Dave Graney & The Lurid Yellow Mist, & guests Friday The Voodoo Economic, The Holy Sea, Kirsten Verwood Saturday Cold Harbour, Bug Dust, Johnny Uppercut Tuesday Live Rock Trivia Tuesdays

HIFI BAR Monday Foals Tuesday Foals

Monday Adam & Fergus & Friends

NEXT Thursday Mary Jane Kelly, Built On Secrets, Dead Kings, Country Getaway, Rivers

NORTHCOTE SOCIAL CLUB Thursday Violent Soho, Scul Hazzards, Butcher Birds, Daddy Long Legs Friday Belles Will Ring, The Laurels, The Demon Parade Saturday Young Heretics, The Nymphs, Guineafowl, Siren Lines Sunday The Twoks, Jarek, Aluka, Mike Noga & the Gentlemen of Fortune, Ash Naylor, Plague Doctor

PONY Thursday Agonhym, Daniel Tucceri, Paul Kidney, Dumbshit, Nik Kennedy, Robbie Avenaim, Slowdance Friday Pop Singles, Pioneers Of Good Science, Zac Keiller, Creatures of Silence, Pretty Suicide, Witchgrinder, Geek Pie Saturday Fangs of a TV Evangelist, Daggers Mid Flight, Delta Reds, An Easier Question, Dead South, Pink Fitt

PRINCE BANDROOM Friday Circus Ox, Rockin Wrestlin

RETREAT HOTEL Thursday Barb Waters & The Mother’s Of Pearl, Cyndi Boste Friday Wet Young Dolphin, Howl At The Moon, Lan Party, DJ Geoff Leppard Saturday P-Tex, DJ Xander Sunday The Moonee Valley Drifters, The ReChords Monday Bogan Bingo Tuesday DJ Mac G

REVELLER’S NORTH (DOWNSTAIRS)

Wednesday Swing Patrol (Swing Dance Classes) Thursday The Ovals Friday Robbie Negro, DJ Funknuckle Saturday Chiara Brown, DJ Master Bates

REVELLER’S NORTH (UPSTAIRS) Friday The Moroccan Kings, Nine Of Swords, An Easier Question, Errata Saturday Lewis Farmen

REVOLVER Wednesday Melbourne Fresh, LeBelle, Midnight Heavies, Triumph of Oriana, Passport For Amy, Freight Train Theory, Joshua Wellington, TeAyPe, Battle Elephants Thursday Master Cardinal, The Kremlin Succession, Dirt Farmer, DJ Dags, 3181 Thursdays Friday Heartless Vendetta, Earl, The Morning After, Dirty Elvis, WAX! Weekly Audio Extravaganza, Revolver Fridays: NQR, Anyo, Chardy, Aaron Trotman Saturday Dallas Frasca, The Late Show Sunday Revolver Sundays, Boogs, Spacey Space, Radiator, T- Rek Tuesday Revolver Cult Music Film Festival, Trivia

THE ARTHOUSE Wednesday Breakfast Over Gunfire, Talihana Sky, Red Letter Day Thursday Harlequin Chapter, Runaway With the Circus, Hooker Powered Moon Rocket, The Underlander Friday The Kill, Deathcage, Pathetic Human, Bloody Hammer, Thylacine Saturday Lungs, Identity Theft, Hawaiian Islands, ANCHORS Sunday Left Feels Right, Raven vs Crow, Passport For Amy, On Sierra

Friday Skull Rings, Hot Chicks, Fast Cars… Fancy Things, The Bon Scotts, Stabbie Stabbie Kill Kill, The Drunk Mums, Liquor Snatch, STI Saturday Meet Me In Cognito, The Grain, Brokers Night Sleep

Wednesday Casual Quiz Friday DJ Shortsleeves Saturday Marki Mark Sunday Cherrywood Guns

THE DRUNKEN POET Wednesday Kim Dellavadova, Emma Wall Thursday Dan Musil, Andrew Higgs Friday Traditional Irish Music Session, Dan Bourke & Friends Saturday Alex Burns Trio Sunday Waz E. James Trio, Tim Scanlon, Gen & Flora Band Tuesday Weekly Trivia

THE OLD BAR Wednesday Mikelangelo & St Claire Thursday Found At Sea, Winter, Fourth Floor Collapse Friday The Paul Kidney Experience, Aktion Unit, Rubbish Throwers, The Donkey’s Tail, Eko Eko Azarak, DJ Montenegro Saturday 3cr’s Burning Vinyl Benefit, The Toot Toot Toots, Matt Sonic & The High Times, Howl At The Moon, Lame Foot, Danny Walsh, Little John, Matt Bailey, Sianna Lee Sunday The Death Rattles, Red Eagle Monday The Hogeye String Band, ‘Crotchety Knitwits’ Tuesday Water Music, Lachlan Bryans Cautionary Tales, Little Wolf, Life Drawing

THE PUBLIC BAR Friday Found At Sea, Atlantic, Sunset Circus Saturday Ex Amino, Illegal Rhythm Syndicate

THE SPANISH CLUB Wednesday Daryl Roberts Friday Left Feels Right, Old Salty, Rumourtism, Ennis Tola

THE STANDARD HOTEL Wednesday Danny Walsh Sunday Hobson’s Choice

JOHN CURTIN HOTEL

MARQUIS OF LORNE HOTEL

Tuesday Macabre, The Day Everything Became Nothing, Sufferkunt, Embodied

THE TOFF IN TOWN

KNIVES ARE OUT After a killer album launch last weekend The Jacknives are going to keep cruising along in their musical muscle car. This Saturday sees them team up with garage two-piece The Peep Temple and Bendigo’s own gentlemen of fuzz guitar The Yard Apes. So get along to the Cornish Arms for a stylish night of sleazy rock’n’roll from 9pm.

twitter.com/inpressmag

Friday Poprocks at the Toff, Dr Phil Smith Saturday City Calm Down, White Birds & Lemons, Northeast Party House, The House deFROST, Andee Frost Sunday Hair Stylistics, Menstruation Sisters, Marco Fusinato, The Sunday Set, Andyblack, Haggis

THE TOTE Thursday Love Connection

Friday Lichens, Pikelet, Mick Turner & Jeff Wegener, Ian Wadley, Cocks Arquette, Black Widow Saturday Frankenbok, House Of Thumbs, Bronson, Subjektive Sunday Clinkerfield, Brothers Grim, Chris Altman & Que Paso, Little John, White Elephant, Fergus McAlpin & Adam Afiff, Tracey McNeil, The ReChords, Bakersfield Glee Club

TRANSPORT HOTEL (FED SQ) Thursday Ladies Night Friday TOP 40 & COMMERCIAL PARTY TUNES Saturday 80’s RETRO TUNES Sunday Blondie & Le, Frankie Wants Out

WESLEY ANNE Wednesday Nick Batterham, Pete McCracken Thursday Bois et Charbon, Future Happiness, Hero Twin Friday Little Sisters Of The Poor, Lionel Lee’s Curse, The Weeping Willows, Nathan Porter Saturday La Mauvaise Reputation, Shane Walters, Austin Busch Sunday Hetty Kate Tuesday Apple Jack, The Adventure Spirit, Shivering Timbers

WORKERS CLUB Wednesday Junior Thursday The Raphaellas, Red Ink, Colour Age, The Sherrifs Friday The Promises, Nick Huggins, Leena & Band Saturday King Cannons, Money For Rope, The Ramshackle Army Sunday The Joy Formidable, The Temper Trap DJ’s, Strange Talk

YAH YAH’S Thursday Rock Aerobics, Bitter Sweet Kicks, Madonna, The Beat Disease, Wil Wagner, Pauli Douglas Friday San Gras, Dead River Deeps, Clavians, The Rostovs, Ash Naylor Saturday Vultures Of Venus, The Mercy Kills, The Stu Thomas Paradox, The Watermelon Man, Myles Gallagher Sunday Parading, Space Cactus, Microflora

EMPLOYMENT ADMINISTRATION HEADROOM SOUND AUSTRALIA Using; P Audio, B & C, JBL and E.V. Top quality drivers in all our custom built bins. Top boxes, mids, subs, wedges to spec. This online pic is our new folded horn with one 18inch challenger, putting out 137db – 140+ when coupled. Call us for a free quote. 0414355763 iFlogID: 3100

great for blues jazz. The overdrive is great for that vintage blues rock tone. reason why I’m selling it so cheap is that it needs a service. Fuse needs repairing, reverb unit needs replacing. The cost of repair with the sale price is negligible compared to the value for money you are receiving with this amp! Check out more here... http://www.flickr.com/photos/ scooterjohn/349150246/ iFlogID: 5915

MARSHALL VINTAGE MODERN

VOCALSIT / MC’S WANTED Male or Female vocalists or MC’s wanted for Downtempo, electronic, trip hop or whatever its called. Either way its a bit dark and moody and very much beat driven. If interested then send a demo to itsmaximillion@gmail.com

RECEPTIONIST / ADMINISTRATION

PEARL EXR CYMBALS RACK STANDS

Excellent condition Marshall Vintage Modern 100W Head VM2466 and two Marshall Vintage Modern 4 x 12 Cab, that separates with roadcases made by Transitpak in Thomastown, Melbourne, which is one of the leading custom road case manufactures in the world. Constructed of lightweight high strength 8mm laminated plywood with aluminium extrusions, quality butterfly catches and castor wheels. Roadcases only for head and top amp, bottom amp has no road case. $4000 Negotiable. Contact Rob 0430 203 859. iFlogID: 5925

PEAVEY WINDSOR GUITAR AMP 100 Watt all valve/tube head. HUGE hardcore tone. Incredible bottom end. Has been professionally modified 2 channel foot switchable. Runs EL34 power valve. Mint condition $750.00 ono. 0428744963. Cooroy

Receptionist / Administration Assistant (Junior Position) Street Press Australia Pty Ltd, publishers of Inpress and 3D World, has an exciting opportunity for someone looking for a reception/administration assistant role. The successful candidate will have the following: Fantastic communication skills; Speed & accuracy of data entry is extremely important; Friendly with a good phone manner; Intermediate - Advanced skills using Microsoft Office Programs; A positive ‘can do’ attitude; A bright and bubbly personality. Your responsibilities will include: Answering busy switchboard; Data Entry; Mail; Filing; General Reception & Administration duties. The position is full-time & based at our Abbotsford office. To apply, email your CV and application to employment@streetpress. com.au iFlogID: 6520

ENTERTAINMENT CONTRIBUTORS WANTED TheHeadChimp.com is looking for writers, artists, advertisers and photographers to be part of our newest initiative, The Head Chimp Magazine. Our site is growing extremely fast and we are looking to implement the Mag very soon. If you feel like becoming part of our awesome team, drop us an email: info@ theheadchimp.com. iFlogID: 5975

TV PRESENTERS wanted for an exciting new independent music program, tailor-made for the Melbourne live music scene. We need switched-on, vibrant interviewers to report on gigs every weekend. You need to be plugged into and passionate about the live music scene created by Melbourne’s unique talent and venues. You must be natural and confident on camera. Experience is not essential. Send us an email with a photo and any film reel you might have, and let us know why you want the job and what’s so special about you. Only successful applicants will be notified. Enquiries.kage@gmail.com iFlogID: 6442

MANUFACTURING & OPERATIONS WAREHOUSE ASSISTANT Busy music merchandise company seeks motivated, hard-working, enthusiastic Warehouse Assistant for full time position. Hours Mon–Fri from 9am–5pm. Immediate start. Duties and responsibilities include: Inward and outward goods, loading/unloading delivery vehicles, picking and packing daily orders, stock counting and stock control. Previous warehouse experience and a passion for music would be beneficial but is not essential. Salary: $33,000 - $34,999. Please email covering letter and CV to mike@tsp.net.au iFlogID: 6465

FOR SALE

iFlogID: 6510

BUSINESSES MUSIC INDUSTRY BIBLE

Pearl EXR (2005 model) drum kit with the following: - 14” snare - 8” tom - 10” tom - 12” tom - 13” tom - 16” floor tom - 22” bass - double kick pedal - single kick pedal - Pearl drum rack - numerous clamps for additional drums and/ or cymbals - brand new skins for all 5 toms - Drum City cymbal bag (leather) - clamp arm - 3x boom cymbal stands - 2x straight cymbal stands - stool additional tom arms Cymbals: - Zildjian A Custom - 14” hi-hats - 10” splash 17” crash - 18” crash - 16” fast crash - Zildjian A - 21” sweet ride All in perfect condition, reluctant sale. Call Kieran on 0410691616. Pickup from Sydney. iFlogID: 5091

SABIAN CYMBALS

iFlogID: 5821

QUALITY CHILDRENS DRUM SETS!

The Directory is a sourcebook for all the contacts in the Australian music market. There are over 5,000 listed companies & individuals in 70 sections covering all business sectors from Artists cross referenced by Booking Agents, Managers & Record Labels, Promoters, Music Media, Venues, Lawyers, Publishers & much more! We have 3 versions of the Directory available in Print $55 (GST & Postage included)--6 Month Online Subscription $40--iPhone App $19.95 (from Apple iTunes Store). To purchase your print or online version go to www. immedia.com.au/amid or call the IMMEDIA! Office (02) 9557 7766 iFlogID: 5078

CD / DVD “COLOURS” EP OUT JUNE 1ST

iFlogID: 3645

GUITARS FENDER GIBSON MARTIN Vintage and USA guitars. Buy, Sell and Trade. mattsvintageguitars.com 02-9518-0150 iFlogID: 5483

Rare 7string Ibanez AX7221, 22 fret, on the back it’s signed by JOE SATRIANI, equipped w/Seymour Duncan Invader pickup (w/volume & tone control) & DiMarzio clip-lock strap. Heavy tone & huge sustain. Features hand-painted (by owner) biomechanical landscape in the style of H.R.Giger.. AU$2500..Price INCLUDES new black guitar hard case & postage if required.. Call for more info, I custom-paint any guitar.. Michael 0417184213.

DEARMOND JAZZ GUITAR

ABSOLUTE VALUE!

“Colours” is the new 5 track EP from Melbourne Alternative Folk-Rock musician Joe Forrester. Described as: “5 songs written on a mini guitar, recorded in a tiny room, conceived in a very short space of time after a lovely little trip to visit the fam in N.Z. ...A package of badly drawn childlike artwork, warm acoustic guitars and nostalgic strings; a classic sound, reminiscent of early rock records of the 50’s-60’s and a pinch of fat electronic synths. Songs about love, loss, wonder and French-English translation.” Available June 1st through http://www. myspace.com/joeforrester iFlogID: 4675

SECOND NATION DELINQUENT E.P SECOND NATION - delinquent E.P. AVAILABLE NOW for $4.99 at www.myspace. com/secondnation

For sale is a mint condition, Maton Mastersound Deluxe electric guitar for $1000 off the recommended retail price!!!! I bought this guitar four years ago. It has a beautiful sound, is extremely versatile (especially with the coil taps on both the bridge and neck pick ups). The reason for selling is that I don’t play electric guitar anymore (have taken up the oud), and this beautiful instrument just sits at home unplayed. Sale price $1700 o.n.o. Contact me at brent.keogh@students. mq.edu.au Specs as below: Maton Mastersound Deluxe Tone Cap: Blackwood or Rock Maple Binding: White Neck: Set Rock Maple F/Board: Rosewood F/Board Radius: 12 inches Fret Markers: M.O.P. Blocks Scale: 25.5 Fret Wire: Jim Dunlop 6130 Bridge: Chrome Tailpeice & Bridge Finish: Gloss Machines: Chrome Grover Bridge Pick Up: MVB2 (Coil Tapped) Magnets - Alnico 8 1000G Coils - 2x8.5k Neck Pick Up: MHN2 (Coil Tapped) Magnets - Alnico 5 950G Coils - 2x8.5k Controls: 2 Volumes 2 Tones (2 Coil Tapped) 3 Way rotary selector switch Colours: Sunburst

FENDER PINK PAISLEY STRAT.

“They’ve really stripped back their sound to a garage/punk feel, raw without frills and great songwriting” David Harrison Xpress Magazine The raw, no-nonsense sound of the band gives Second Nation’s Delinquent release a timeless quality: it

BAND MERCHANDISE ON LINE BOOKING AGENCY

Tired of cissy ass mainstream shit? well check out Samantha Schindler’s new EP ‘death to derros’ for all the touching hits about hating sluts,derros + more. AVAILABLE NOW ON I-TUNES AND CD BABY. More info? hit up www.myspace. com/samschindler07 GET INTO IT KIDS,BEFORE IT BECOMES ‘COOL’ AND UR THE LAST TO KNOW!! iFlogID: 6203

SPECIAL OFFER!!!!

iFlogID: 4737

Australia’s first online booking agency with a difference!!!! For Artists & Promoters iFlogID: 3466

THE SPACED ARE HERE!

Promoting a CD? Want to let fans know about your gigs? Take your band to the next level with our competitive rates for your marketing and publicity needs. We strive to bring our artists to as wide an audience as possible conducting a broad media campaign which encompasses national print media and online promotion and an artist administration area allowing access to realtime 24/7 campaign results. We can also look after your paid advertising, sourcing some of the most competitive pricing. Contact 0402257148 or www.aaaentertainment.com.au iFlogID: 5801

KARAOKE & JUKEBOX HIRE Superstar Karaoke & Jukebox Hire is friendly, efficient and affordable. We’ve also got the BIGGEST selection of songs with over 10,000 karaoke tracks and over 5,000 jukebox songs. Plus, we update our song lists monthly so we have the classics and all the newest hits! Visit www.superstarkaraoke.net.au today and see how we can assist you with making your next party or function one to remember. iFlogID: 6041

www.myspace.com/thespaced

iFlogID: 5584

MASTERING

CITY VENUE WANTS ORIGINAL BAND

Dearmond Jazz guitar, (late Fender) beautiful finish, excellent condition, sweet tone, original dearmond pickup, no scratches, pro set up, bone nut installed, with heavy duty carry bag. Maple body/ neck, rosewood fingerboard, new flatwound strings, Was $1050, $750 ono. Please call 02 6622 4629.

For Sale! Fantastic Sounding AKG K701 Headphones, Brand New with original packaging, manual and warranty card. Bought $900, will let go for $700. You don’t wanna miss this occasion, don’t you!? Email me on vangelis2133@ yahoo.com or just phone: 0449672435. First Come, First Serve!

HUGE SALE ON MARTIN GUITARS

LITTLE MUSIC SHOP IN THE LANE

iFlogID: 6497

iFlogID: 5059

Have YOU been to our shop. Sales / Repairs / Hire / Service / Rentals / Trade –Ins / Tuition. We also deal in Pre-Loved equipment.OPEN Monday to Saturday - MUSIC CAVERN - JOHN LANE , Beenleigh - 3807 5688 iFlogID: 5234

IMMORAL FASHION

A new original night has started a a very popular Sydney venue, in the heart of the City. Venue runs cover bands 7 nights a week, and has a great in house PA system and operator. Venue is Trialling Original Bands on Monday nights, and its a great opportunity for bands to get exposure. Venue has a steady stream of clientele, so no need to drag your fans along. Venue prefers 3-4 piece guitar based rock acts, which perform mainsteam radio friendly original music. Looking for good Sydney bands, as well as interstate bands who maybe be touring Sydney and would like to tack a monday night show onto their tour. Interested acts should email me a link to their website, or myspace. Email promo to : kypo@bigpond.net.au. Your welcome to call Kypo on 0404 065 976, but its best to send me your promo first. iFlogID: 5963

NATALIE DODDS PR Releasing a single, EP or Album? Going on tour? nataliedoddspr@gmail.com

iFlogID: 6071

MUSIC@NOOSA’S MARTIN SALE ALL NEW GUITARS HAVE A LIMITED LIFE TIME WARRANTY. OMC28E - WAS $5495 - NOW ONLY $3895 DCX1KE - WAS $1795 - NOW ONLY $1429 OMCX1KE WAS $1795 - NOW ONLY $1429 OMC1E - WAS $2795 - NOW ONLY $1995 **ALL GUITARS COME WITH FREE CASES** SECOND HAND DEALS D16RGT - GOOD CONDITION ONLY $2195 1973 D18 IN EXCEL COND W/CASE $3795 1972 D28 IN EXCEL COND W/CASE $3995. CALL US FOR MORE DETAILS 07 54743033TIM

iFlogID: 6512

KEYBOARDS KORG TRITON EXTREME88

iFlogID: 5555

For sale is a British made A class tube amp for dirt cheap! It is an Ashdown Peacemaker 20 watt combo which I bought a few years back for $2000. It has a beautiful vox like clean sound,

MUSIC SERVICES Shop online 24/7 at www.tsp.net.au for Australia’s biggest and best range of official licensed band merchandise. Hundreds of bands, thousands of products! AC/DC, Blink 182, David Bowie, Dead Kennedys, Escape The Fate, Iron Maiden, Jimi Hendrix, Joy Division, Megadeth, Metallica, MGMT, Minor Threat, Misfits, Nirvana, Opeth, Parkway Drive, Pearl Jam, Pink Floyd, Ramones, Slayer, Sonic Youth, Tool, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and more! T-shirts, fleecy hoodies, caps, beanies, bags and loads of other cool stuff. Shop now at www.tsp.net.au.

GUITARS ACOUSTIC GUITAR MATON M225

iFlogID: 6201

ONE WORD...SCHINDLER

iFlogID: 3096

iFlogID: 5837

iFlogID: 6471

Maton M225 Solid Sitka Spruce soundboard Queensland Maple Back, sides & neck Rosewood with dot inlays fingerboard Australian Made Original Elixir strings Natural Finish $750 *pick up in Sydney area

IST! LOCATED ON THE CENTRAL COAST NSW. LOOKING TO GIG. CAN U DIG IT? GO TO www.myspace.com/samschindler07 AND IF U CAAAN DIG IT EMAIL ME AND WE’LL SEE WHAT HAPPENS. LATER BITCHS.

100watt rms. 4 channell with EQ/ REVERB. stereo CD input. CUBE STYLE. Very good condition. $300.00 Ph Jimbo on 0428744963.

Strong, authentic/pleasant sound. Real mini sized drum kit made for kids. Friendly customer service questions/ inquiries encouraged. Say promo “Drum 1” for free 12 month warranty. Limited Offer, so call us now on 0466 913 383.

MATON MS 2000DLX CHEAP!!!

iFlogID: 5112

A CLASS TUBE AMP $250!!!

HEADROOM SOUND Using; P Audio, B & C, JBL and E.V. Top quality drivers in all our custom built bins. Top boxes, mids, subs, wedges to spec. This online pic is our new folded horn with one 18inch challenger, putting out 137db – 140+ when coupled. Call us for a free quote. 0414355763

SHOP FOR BAND MERCH ONLINE!

iFlogID: 5921

Sabian 20” AA Rock ride, Sabian 17” med thin crash, Sabian 14” AA Regular hihats all with Ragone case. As new, $700, ph 0419760940

SECOND NATION DELINQUENT E.P

AMPS

iFlogID: 5835

RARE PAINTED 7STRING IBANEZ AX

DRUMS

iFlogID: 5893

iFlogID: 6167

Genuine 1980’s Pete Townshend jap model. all original. in case. amazing action. beatiful tone and sustain. plays great. nice patina. very rare. suit collector. EXCELLENT CONDITION! $2500.00 Ph Jimbo on 0428744963.

iFlogID: 5889

LOOKING FOR A JOB BACKSTAGE ?

Then log on to backstagejobs.com.au its free to join and subscribe. Check out our new logo we hope you like it

could have been recorded in the heyday of Pub Rock, yet there is no mistaking its contemporary relevance. Don’t be fooled by the hooks of “You’re So Easy”, or the appeal of “Breathe Easy”, ‘cause you can sense something more just below the surface. Second Nation’s new EP, Delinquent, is available now on iTunes, Amazon, Napster, eMusic and Rhapsody. For those wanting the physical copy, go to Big Cartel or CD Baby. Also, watch out for the video of “You’re So Easy”, currently in post-production. The band are set to tour in support of the new release, with shows planned for mid-August. For further information contact: 2ndnation@gmail.com www.myspace.com/ secondnation

BOOKING AGENTS CALLING ALL DJS & ARTISTS

iFlogID: 3583

May Madness sale only $349 Power adapter an extra $29 Call 02 9520 3044 or email shop@engadinemusic.com iFlogID: 4414

MIXERS DIGIDESIGN C|24 BARGAIN!

FS: Digidesign C|24 control surface, 10K ono - the ultimate front end to take your Pro Tools system to a professional level. 16 premium mic preamps and inbuilt submixer, 5.1 monitoring and advanced HD features as well. Works with both PT LE and HD. INCLUDES: $2500 worth of DB25 to RTS break out cables at no extra cost. Will also deliver for free within sydney and help to install. 16.5K new, Im only asking 10K ono. Cheaper than buying overseas!! Call Brent 0406 501 192 iFlogID: 5871

OTHER

iFlogID: 6287

HIRE SERVICES PA/OPERATOR FOR HIRE For as low as $100, you get a PA system with a sound mixer, complete with a human operator as well to set it up for you for the evening. You can play your own music through it, sing, talk, do a disco, small function, etc, etc, etc. Contact Chris 0419 272 196. iFlogID: 3721

PA AND INSTRUMENT HIRE

www.immoralfashion.com.au - Some of Australia’s best and cheapest alternative fashion and footwear for guys and gals. New Rock, Demonia, Funtasma, Tripp NYC, Alchemy Gothic, Beserk, PurPur, Dusk Moth and more... iFlogID: 5418

INDOOR ROCKIN’ GARAGE SALE

A rarely used example of this classic and much sought-after synthesizer in excellent condition. Price includes delivery to any destination on mainland Australia.

YAMAHA NP30 DIGITIAL PIANO

Special Packages available for artists and bands!! Whether being recording/ mixing. With networks to many studios around town your project will sound great and professional whilst working within a budget!! OUR PASSION IS TO CREATE RECORDS THAT GIVE THE LISTENER A HARD HITTING, FRESH SOUND THAT PUSHES BOUNDARIES, WHICH STANDS UP AMONGST THE INTERNATIONAL MARKET. WE SPECIALIZE IN HIP HOP/R&B BUT LOVE AND DO ALL GENRES. For a full list of our credits see myspace.com/mixinthelab. Contact us on 0424 462 945 or Email at thelab1@ hotmail.com

This is going to be a MONSTER (indoor) sale! Multiple Stall holders will create an indoor flea market/Camberwell Market vibes right here in High St Northcote. 374 is next to the new Title Store and delicious Aquarium Cafe - near the corner of High and Separation Streets (Northcote Plaza). VINYL RECORDS - loads! CASSETTE TAPES CDs DVDs POSTERS - flat, framed and blockmounted BAND T-SHIRTS / MERCHANDISE BOOKS COMIC BOOKS MUSIC MAGS FANZINES MUSIC INSTRUMENTS COLLECTIBLES VINTAGE CLOTHES MODERN CLOTHES CRAZY CLOTHES COATS HATS BAGS SHOES & BOOTS ELECTRONICS HOMEWARES RETRO SHIZZLE FURNITURE & HOMEWARES BRIC-A-BRAC ...and much more - all priced to sell! 9AM - 5PM SAT 24 & SUN 25 JULY 374 GALLERY 374 HIGH STREET NORTHCOTE Link to Google Map: http://maps.google.com.au/ maps/place?hl=en&georestrict=input_ srcid%3A6f111b4082b90502 iFlogID: 6399

PA EQUIPMENT HEADROOM SOUND Using; P Audio, B & C, JBL and E.V. Top quality drivers in all our custom built bins. Top boxes, mids, subs, wedges to spec. This online pic is our new folded horn with one 18inch challenger, putting out 137db – 140+ when coupled. Call us for a free quote. 0414355763 iFlogID: 3098

ROSS PC110 POWERED MIXER

Are you a budding bedroom DJ busting to get your BIG break? Are you struggling to get work in this economic climate? Do you want to stand out? If you’re going to get the attention of the media, labels, promoters, clubs, agents or just about anyone else in the music industry, you’re going to need a professional artist promotional pack. A promotional pack or website is your introduction to the world and these promotional tools should always put your BEST foot forward. Let’s face it... Times are tough these days and we know what it takes to get you noticed without having to spend a fortune. We can tailor a package deal that will help get you one step closer to your first gig or your next big step in the industry. For more information please contact us on +61 449 729 009 or email info@cheekydjs.com

Melbourne Pa and Instrument Hire Specialists. We have a large range of Pa equipment, large and small to suit any occasion. Dynacord,yamaha,mackie,cordless mics,etc etc. Instrument hire also available such as drumkits,keyboards,amps and much more. Call for 9689 4622 Just 10 min from cbd iFlogID: 4624

MUSICIANS FOR FUNCTIONS/ VENUES

MASTERING BY PAUL GOMERSALL

Trust your next mastering project with Paul who’s been working with major international artists for over 25 years.. you’ll probably find his name on CDs you own.....For a limited time song transfers through the ATR100 - the worlds finest 1/2” tape machine - is absolutely FREE!! (Worth up to $100 a song)...So for only $88 per song you can get the results you want at the price you can afford..-..-Post - Upload, or call in......For further details visit --- www.gomersall.com --- Call Paul 0407 488 697 iFlogID: 2857

MATTHEW GRAY MASTERING - $99

$99 per song +gst for online mastering via our secure servers. Analog chain, digital chain, mix evaluations, online mastering and attended sessions - we ensure your mastered product sounds amazing. www.matthewgraymastering. com. iFlogID: 3422

FORENSIC AUDIO MASTERING

iFlogID: 5005

DUPLICATION/ MASTERING HIGH QUALITY - LOW PRICES

Are you thinking of hiring quality musicians that bring an audience ? Do you have a function/event and considering live entertainment ? For a limited period, we are offering a Venue Promotions Package featuring favourite entertainers. If it is about raising your venue profile or just great entertainment you want, contact us now. Chris 0419 272 196 http:// infovisionproductions.yayabings.com.au iFlogID: 5076

Professional high end audio mastering in our dedicated analog and digital mastering studio. Professional results at highly competitive rates. Pay by the track. Integrated online service available. www. forensicaudio.com.au iFlogID: 4967

DOMC MASTERING - $95 PER TRACK

PA SYSTEMS, LIGHTS , STAGES CD Duplication for no minimum copies and quick turnaround. CD Replication for runs over 500. Cost effective and high quality. Several packaging options. Delivered to your door - see our website for more details: www.musicdesignsolutions.com.au Or email us for a quote: info@musicdesignsolutions.com.au iFlogID: 5722

EP RELEASE WANTED - BASS PLAYER & DRUMMER I AM SAMANTHA SCHINDLER I NEED TO A NEW DRUMMER AND A NEW BASS-

We have the gear and have the people. From small to BIG - give me a call for a quote - PA SYSTEMS from $110 - CALL MATT on 0424 399 801 iFlogID: 5236

Domc Mastering is a dedicated mastering suite located just outside of Brisbane. We specialise in getting your next audio project ready for the public. DOMC work with you to get you the ‘sound’ that you are chasing.

MUSIC PUBLICITY AND MARKETING

iFlogID: 5710

BENCHMARK MASTERING

For a limited time. Free online and print classifieds Book now, visit iflog.com.au 77

GUITAR TECH

LOANS

Guitar tech available for one-off Melbourne shows or touring. Affordable rates. Stage manager experience. Worked on stages big and small from O2 Arena, London to the Espy, St. Kilda. Call Brent on 0438 919 811

Need a loan to record your new hit? Are you (or at least 75% of your band) employed? MusoMoney Loans can help. Call us for more information. 0466 913 383

iFlogID: 5960

FOOTAGE FOR VIDEO CLIP NEEDED Professional Mastering from $110 per track in Australia’s most prolific mastering suites. We have the dedication and experience to make your music come alive using the world’s best equipment. Located in the heart of Sydney’s CBD. Conditions apply email:info@benchmarkmastering.com Ph:(02) 9211 3017 www.benchmarkmastering.com iFlogID: 6217

OTHER

Heavy rock band Drop Tank are making a film clip. We need your home videos of burnouts, skilled driving, awesome machines in action, to use for our song about a car. We will be pixellating numberplates (and faces if needed), so send all killer, no filler to: Droptank or droptankband@gmail.com via sendspace (Any format will do but AVI or MPEG-2 is preffered) or to: DROP TANK PO Box 443 Brookvale NSW 2100 www. myspace.com/droptankband *Drop Tank does not promote dangerous driving iFlogID: 6076

CUSTOM BASS DRUM HEADS

GUITAR GODS AND MASTERPIECES

PHOTOGRAPHY

iFlogID: 6473

PA / AUDIO / ENGINEERING

Dane specialises in providing highquality creative images to a diverse range of clients. Contributor to Rolling Stone Magazine and Street Press. www. photodane.com iFlogID: 6224

HAYDEN CHARLES PHOTOGRAPHY Headroom Sound Australia. Re-cones to all models e.g. JBL, P Audio, B & C, E-Tone etc Custom built crossovers, all at budget prices. For quotes contact Ray on tallpoppies@iprimus.com.au or 04143 55763 iFlogID: 3094

iFlogID: 2883

SPACE SHIP NEWS.COM.AU

Using; P Audio, B & C, JBL and E.V. Top quality drivers in all our custom built bins. Top boxes, mids, subs, wedges to spec. This online pic is our new folded horn with one 18inch challenger, putting out 137db – 140+ when coupled. Call us for a free quote. 0414355763 New TV show on C31 Digital.Saturday 10.30pm or online at www.c31.org. au Supporting Australian Guitar players and Led Zeppelin.Features Instructional licks, performances by Australia’s best,Interviews,hosted by Jasmine Young Make sure you press the retune button on your digital box.

iFlogID: 3102

HEARTICAL SOUND SYSTEM HIRE

iFlogID: 6302

iFlogID: 4790

TOP SHELF DJS - MELB DJ HIRE

iFlogID: 5135

Platinum award winning writers and producers available for co writes and all levels of production. Competitive rates for high end quality. Platinum Artist Development is a unique service. We take care of everything from writing, recording, image styling, photography and video clips , everything you need to release. We are with you all the way. For free music industry advice contact Bec on 0422213628

GET IN THE KNOW! tenzenmen is a world renowned distributor of alternative music from all parts of the Australasia region. Find out more at www.tenzenmen.com iFlogID: 6404

P.K.14 - OCTOBER 22 MELB FEST

iFlogID: 5089

China’s hottest band right now, P.K.14, finally make it to Australia for the Melbourne International Arts Festival. Look out for their incendiary live performance, supporting the Drones, on October 22nd 2010. Stick it in your diaries now! iFlogID: 6406

iFlogID: 5312

OCTOBER 22 MELBOURNE FESTIVAL

Modern Life Music School offers professional performance based tuition for the dedicated beginner or established musician. A tailored program to achieve your goals utilizing a modern studio and live performance facility will ensure that you achieve your potential . iFlogID: 5039

GUITAR TUTOR - WE COME TO YOU Experienced guitar teacher in many styles of music, teaching in the northern suburbs of Melbourne. We come to you. Learn to play guitar in the comfort of your own home. $30/ 1 hr lesson. 0412 291 577 iFlogID: 5795

DO YOU AND YOUR BAND WANT TO STAND OUT? WE HAVE THE BEST STUFF FOR YOUR GIG’S, WE ARE THE PROFESSIONALS IN SOUND AND LIGHT, WE HAVE THE TOP OF THE LINE GEAR AND WE ARE READY TO GIVE YOU AND YOUR BAND THE SHOW YOU NEVER FORGET Call Roger on 0447025967 iFlogID: 5704

THE CHEMISTRY OF SOUND

Are you a solo artist or in a band? Do you want a quality demo but can’t afford expensive studio time? Rockstart offer an affordable recording service and are located in St Kilda, Melbourne. We record in Cubase, with quality software based amp simulators, soft synthesisers and sampled or sound replaced drums. This technique suits rock, pop, house, dance, or even metal! Visit www.rockstart.com. au for further information or contact us on 0406111999 info@rockstart.com.au

iFlogID: 6530

MUSIC PRODUCTION TUITION

Learn Blues Harmonica all styles from Ragtime, Country Blues , Chicago Blues styles. Private lessons in Sydney with Blue tongue & Workshops across Australia with Bluetongue, Ian Collard & Doc Span. web- http://www.bluetongueharmonica.com.au p-02 80037132 m-0412 668575 iFlogID: 3683

ABLETON CERTIFIED TRAINER

1. Master Audio and MIDI. 2. Ten Years Experience in the Industry Tutor. 3. Weekdays or Weekends, Flexible. 4. Learn with Up to Date Technology. 5. Intensive Theory and Practical Sessions. 6. Individual Student Hands-On Practice. 7. Only $30 per hour. contact me on vangelis2133@yahoo.com or on 0449672435 between 8 a:m and 2 p:m or after 6 p:m.

DRUMMER TOP PRO DRUMMER AVAILABLE

iFlogID: 5879

SING WITH JOY AND FREEDOM!

iFlogID: 5819

DRUMMER AVAILABLE! Get out of the Garage and into the Studio! We will give you 1 Hour Completely Free when you book in at least 2 hours with us, as a bonus to New Clients. A quick testimonial, “...Recording at Nano Music Productions was a pleasure. They knew exactly what I wanted and the finished product shows that. I look forward to record with them again very soon”. – K Hudson. Book with us today and get your FREE Hour! Call 02 8005 1295 or visit our Website www.NanoMusicProductions.com

SONG PRODUCTION FOR WRITERS

As Engineers/Producers our passion is to create tracks that give the listener a hard hitting, fresh sound that sonically sounds PHAT and pushes the boundaries of what music currently sounds like in Australia, which stands up amongst the international market. WE SPECIALIZE IN HIP HOP/R&B BUT LOVE ALL GENRES. We’re located at Level 7 studios and the studio is decorated in some of the most appreciated vintage and modern gear which provides our clients an incomparable advantage in the sense of both the analogue and digital domains. Artists we’ve worked with include: Pharrell Williams, N.E.R.D., Kanye West, INXS, Black Wallstreet and a myriad of local artists such as Hyjak, Potbelleez, Vice Verser, Thundamentals, Fame, Tycotic, Rai Thistlewaite (Thirsty Merc), Wendy Mathews, Gin Wigmore, Tim Freedman (The Whitlams), Carl Riseley, Hoodoo Gurus, Wes Carr, You Am I, and many more. Contact us on 0424 462 945 and check out myspace.com/mixinthelab iFlogID: 6186

PHOTOGRAPHY BAND PHOTOS Looking for a photographer for your band?Checkout theartofcapture.com to see examples and portfolio of work. Studio and location shots.All states. Contact Kane Hibberd Kane@theartofcapture.com or call 0419 570 660.

We are a commercial recording studio in Sydney’s CBD, We also have full production capabilities and we promote artists too. We create awesome beats-check us out. 0416651247 support@vibedoctors. com www.vibedoctors.com http://www. myspace.com/vibedoctors iFlogID: 5771

PRO MUSIC PRODUCTION PERTH

Get Your Tracks Produced by a PRO International Award-Winning producer! 1. Seasoned Producer/Arranger and Engineer with ten years Experience and 16 albums of Diverse Styles. 2. Has also Composed and Recorded for Film, Television, Documentary and Musicals. 3. Complete yet Cosy Studio, calm atmosphere based in Armadale, 20min of Perth City. 4. $50 per hour, Flexible Hours, Price Include Production/Arranging, Recording And Mixing! Contact: recording_studio19@y7mail.com Tel Mob: 0449672435 iFlogID: 6088

LEVEL 7 STUDIOS

iFlogID: 1256

Ableton certified trainer and author of Ableton video training for Groove 3 (USA) Craig McCullough is available locally in SE Qld for private Ableton and music technology training. Video training is also availble from www.groove3.com. Mobile: 0431 556 746 email: abletontrainer@optusnet.com.au iFlogID: 4154

A1 HOME CALL GUITAR TUITION A1 very experienced guitar teacher available for home call tuition.we come to you! become a better musician soon!based in sydney’s inner west.I had the best teachers,now you can too. learn the fundamentals that make a great guitar player!many styles taught in a relaxed,fun manner that will get you happening fast.ph 0421727864. iFlogID: 4240

CAULFIELD MUSIC CENTRE

iFlogID: 5628

Are your songs failing to impress publishers and labels due to poor production? Have radio quality production done on your songs. Mixed and mastered, ready to pitch to artists, labels and publishers.check out audio samples at www.myspace.com/nathaneshman ONLY $349 per song. Call: 0403 498 103 Email: info@nathaneshman.com iFlogID: 6524

REHEARSAL ROOMS CAULFIELD MUSIC CENTRE **MENTION THIS ADVERTISEMENT TO RECEIVE A FULL 5 HOUR REHEARSAL STUDIO BOOKING ON SATURDAY OR SUNDAY FOR $45** WELCOME TO CAULFIELD MUSIC REHEARSAL STUDIOS. WE HAVE FIVE LARGE, SOUNDPROOF ROOMS AVAILIBLE FOR HIRE. ALL OF THE ROOMS ARE THE SAME SIZE (APPROXIMATELY 7 X 6 METRES). EACH ROOM IS EQUIPPED WITH A 12 CHANNEL P.A. SYSTEM, 4 MICROPHONES, 4 MICROPHONE LEADS AND 4 MICROPHONE STANDS. OUR REHEARSAL ROOMS ARE ALL AIR CONDITIONED. THEY ARE ALWAYS KEPT CLEAN AND WELL MAINTAINED. WE HAVE TWO ROOMS WITH PIANOS AVAILABLE FOR SOLO, PRIVATE USE. THESE ROOMS ARE AVAILABLE FOR HIRE WHEN THEY ARE NOT BEING USED FOR TEACHING. PLEASE CALL FOR AVAILABILITY. THEY ARE HIRED AT $5.50 PER HOUR. EXTRA EQUIPMENT CAN BE HIRED WITH THE ROOMS. PLEASE TELL US WHAT YOU WILL BE NEEDING WHEN YOU BOOK SO THAT WE CAN HAVE IT READY FOR YOU. FOR ALL BOOKINGS PH: (03) 9532 9530. iFlogID: 4330

REPAIRS ROCKIN’ REPAIRS - GUITAR TECH

PHOTOGRAPHY

Caulfield Music Centre MUSIC SCHOOL * where students become musicians * www.caulfieldmusic.com.au QUALIFIED TEACHERS AVAILABLE Monday - Friday: 4pm-9pm * Saturday: 10am-4pm * Sunday: 11am-4pm * *Please call for lesson availability times. PRIVATE LESSONS - $28 PER HALF HOUR GUITAR BASS PIANO SINGING & VOICE PRODUCTION DRUMS PERCUSSION SAXOPHONE FLUTE RECORDER HARMONICA VIOLIN At Caulfield Music Centre - Music School, we offer private, one-on-one lessons. We believe this is the best way for students to learn their chosen instrument. All students receive special student DISCOUNTS on musical instruments and equipment. All lessons are payable weekly, one lesson in advance. A DISCOUNT applies when paying for 10 lessons in advance. Missed lessons incur the full fee unless a minimum of 24 hours notice is given. Exceptional circumstances will be considered. ALL ENQUIRIES AND BOOKINGS PHONE 9528 1162 OR EMAIL music@caulfieldmusic. com.au

International performer/recording artist and teacher Meryl Leppard has relocated from Manhattan to Melbourne and is now warmly welcoming new students. Beginners to professionals. $70 per class. 1st lesson half price. Located in Ivanhoe.9499 9046 www.merylleppard.com iFlogID: 6151

BASS FOR BEGINNERS Equipped with 13 years of bass guitar and musical experience, Rachael offers an introductory level of tuition for beginning musicians focussing on areas of technique, music theory, rhythm and performance. Open to all ages. Bass ownership not essential, studio location Eastern Suburbs. Contact 0415273252 or rachael.rees@hotmail.com. iFlogID: 6161

ABSOLUTEBEGINNERS 4GUITAR&KEYS

China’s hottest band right now, P.K.14, finally make it to Australia for Melbourne International Arts Festival. Look out for their incendiary live show on October 22nd supporting the Drones. For interviews etc please contact Shaun at tenzenmen@tenzenmen.com. http://www. myspace.com/pk14

Photography...Get the right shot the first time at an affordable cost..Contact Mike 0447572106

Historical recording location in Sydney’s CBD. SSL console, Huge control room and a great live room all at affordable rates. Complete record/mix/master/CD duplication packages available with our experienced producer/engineers. email: info@benchmarkmastering.com Ph: (02) 9211 3017 www.level7studios.com.au

MUSOMONEY - EASY STUDIO

DANE BEESLEY

THE LAB STUDIOS

iFlogID: 4631

iFlogID: 6215

Drummer is seeking recording experience as a session musician. This service will be free. Bachelor of Music completed. Been playing drums for over 10 years. Drumming style: rock/funk. My influences are Red Hot Chili Peppers, Blink 182, Toto etc. No Jazz or Metal. My services would suit University students, audio engineering students and professional musicians. Have own professional gear and transport. Based in Cambridge Park N.S.W. Phone Will: 0413 772 911 iFlogID: 5869

GUITARIST GUITARIST TO FORM/JOIN BAND i am looking to form a serious band, influences include Stone Roses, The Smiths, Beatles, Kinks, Suede. Preferably looking for vocalist to collaborate with, then add bass and drums later. songs ready, looking to be gigging asap. own transport preferable. email - thevilliers@hotmail.com iFlogID: 4990

LEAD GUITARIST AVAILABLE Lead guitarist looking to jam/form a heavy metal band, preferably on the central coast but willing to travel. Influences: Mercyful Fate, Judas Priest, Metallica, Iron maiden - Blake 0403138542 iFlogID: 6021

OTHER A four week course that gets you playing fast. Individual tuition. Chords, Rhythm, Songs, Theory. 25 years specializing in teaching beginners! Gift vouchers available. Call David on 96603877 Annandale/ Inner West area. iFlogID: 6426

PRO TROMBONIST AVAILABLE Professional Trombone player available for gigs, session and tours. Jazz, Funk, Latin, Pop, Rock and Classical. Can sight read, improvise and write parts. Contact Brendan 0409833827. iFlogID: 4099

SAXOPHONIST AVAILABLE

VIDEO / PRODUCTION HAVE YOU SEEN MIKE HUNT

iFlogID: 4356

SINGING TEACHER NYC TRAINED CONTEMPORARY AND MUSIC THEATRE SINGING TUITION. TRAINED WITH LEADING NYC VOCAL TEACHER WORKED WITH ARTISTS IE. AVRIL LAVIGNE, KELLY CLARKESON AND BEYONCE. WORLD RENOWNED VOCAL EXCERSISES TO VASTLY IMPROVE VOCAL TECHIQUE BASED ON EXCSERCISES FROM MANHATTAN SCHOOL OF MUSIC. LOCATED EASTERN SUBURBS. AVAILABLE TO TRAVEL. ORIGINALS WELCOME. AUDITION COACHING. 0435 426 012 iFlogID: 4452

NY TRAINED SONGWRITING TUITION PROFFESSIONAL ROYALTIES EARNING POP ROCK SONGWRITER AVAILABLE FOR TUITION AND GUIDANCE. TRAINED WITH LEADING NYC VOCAL TEACHER WHO HAS WORKED WITH ARTISTS IE. AVRIL LAVIGNE, KELLY CLARKESON AND BEYONCE. COMMERCIAL RADIO PLAY FOR ORIGINALS. LOCATED EASTERN SUBURBS. AVAILABLE TO TRAVEL. ORIGINALS WELCOME OR BEGINNING FROM AFRESH. K.I.S.S. = $$$$$. 0435 426 012

Australian Bands Only.Do you have A You Tube Rock Band Video you want to promote,if so Mike Hunt wants to promote it.Just send your link to admin attention Mike Hunt and we will do our best to list you for free worldwide at www.clearhunt.com

Experienced saxophonist based in Sydney is looking for bands and studio sessions. Jazz, funky, afro, reggae,latin, rock, folk. If interested contact me at 0410041979. Cheers. Lorenzo iFlogID: 4974

SINGER JASON AYRES

iFlogID: 6007

MUSICIANS AVAILABLE BASS PLAYER BASS PLAYER AVAILABLE

Acoustic Pop-Rock Specialist -www. jasonayres.com-

iFlogID: 4454

iFlogID: 6408

WANTED Looking for great Bass player to complete lineup for International touring covers band playing rock, pop, top 40 with a group of easy going, young Sydney musicians. Playing 6 nights a week around the world, expenses paid, good salary and great money saving opportunity. Age 18 - 30 MUST have passport, MUST be available to head overseas with 3 months notice and be able to learn 50 songs in that time. If you have a career job, a wife and kid, an original band you can’t leave then this position isn’t for you. You could potentially be employed as a fulltime musician Internationally anywhere from 3 months to years to come. If you want to play live music for a job and want to forget about ever paying rent or food whilst traveling the world for free, saving money and you can play bass really well please call me. 0424 943 905 thanks!

for gigs,tours,sessions etc. Good equipment, professional attitude.Many years pro experience working with well known artists. Please check out my website, www.mikehague.com Ph 0419760940

iFlogID: 6387

PROFESSIONAL SOUND AND LIGHT

RECORDING STUDIO + PRODUCERS

iFlogID: 5074

BLUES HARP LESSONS

BASS/ GUITAR/VOCAL TUITION

Professional illustrator available for any project. Book covers, children’s books, album art and much more. Based in Melbourne, drawing world wide! Excellent rates. www.paulikin.com -Phone: 0403 996 129 or email paul@paulikin.com

ROCKSTART DEMO RECORDINGS

Unlike other DJs, Top Shelf DJs have a background in alternative and indie music. So if you want your party to have a distinctly indie/alternative feel,or just want a few alternative tunes in the mix, we are the perfect fit for your event! Find out more at www.topshelfdjs.com.au

A rockin’ salute from the Team at Clk Click Publicity! Clk Click Publicity is a music and entertainment publicity company that specialises in providing excellent quality management, marketing and PR services in order to promote music, film, arts and events in Australia. We have an introductory offer that will blow your mind, and keep your pockets full! For a limited time Clk Click Publicity can whip you up a professional Bio and Press Release for only $100. We can also organise band photos and logo creation for a very reasonable price. If you’re interested in finding out about our full range of publicity services, we’d love the opportunity to have a chat with you and put together a proposal for your next release, event or tour. For further information please shoot us an email at info@clkclickpublicity.com or visit our website at www.clkclickpublicity.com We look forward to working with you!

POSTERS

iFlogID: 6285

STILL PLAYING IN THE GARAGE?!!

TUITION

iFlogID: 4776

ILLUSTRATOR AVAILABLE NOW!

RECORDING STUDIOS

AUSTRALASIAN MUSIC SPECIALIST

MARKETING AND PROMOTION

iFlogID: 6475

From small PA to large high powered rigs. Crystal clear custom built mids and tops cabs with heavy duty bass bins. Suitable for indoor and outdoor events. delivered, set up and operated. Call Derek for quotes on 0423979396

iFlogID: 6354

From the people who brought you TheMusic.com.au comes two new free news resources, The Daily News Feed and Velvet Rope; the only source of music business and industry news you will ever need! Each morning the Daily News Feed posts crucial music business news, helping you stay current with Aussie and overseas breaking stories. Velvet Rope is brought to you via Door Bitch and is a weekly news column that keeps you up to date on the happenings of the music biz. From job opps, news, events & a bit of back room gossip, Door Bitch has it covered. It’s out every Friday at noon. Check out the new news at www.TheMusic.com.au

Set up for location & promo work (full studio lighting) or gigs, Hayden can offer you the professionalism to get your band up in lights! A published photographer, he works for the VRC Spring Racing Carnival and Red Bull events among others. Specialising in providing an industry leading point of view - that is not a copy of a copy of something you saw - call Hayden direct on 0425 71 41 21 www. haydencharlesphotography.com info@ haydencharlesphotography.com

We are experienced risk takers that not only know the rules, but also know when and how to break them! We have been engineering and mixing for over 15 years and have worked in Sydney’s top studios. We also have our own Mixing/Production studio called The LAB, located at the famous Level 7 studios which is decorated in some of the most appreciated vintage and modern gear in combination of a myriad of assorted software and plug-ins that provides our clients an incomparable advantage in the sense of both the analogue and digital domains. THIS IN COMBINATION WITH MANY STUDIO CONTACTS AROUND TOWN, YOUR PROJECT WILL SOUND GREAT AND PROFESSIONAL WHILST WORKING WITHIN A BUDGET!! For a full list of our credits see myspace.com/mixinthelab. Contact us on 0424 462 945 or Email at thelab1@hotmail.com

www.steevebody.com

iFlogID: 4701

START YOUR MUSIC CAREER TODAY!

Perth Music News Your one stop for local Perth music news, gig guides, photogrpahy, reviews, bands, CD’s & more... Sign up to our weekly e-news & keep up to date! www.spaceshipnews.com.au

iFlogID: 5992

SPEAKER REPAIRS - ALL MODELS

HEADROOM SOUND AUSTRALIA

Custom bass drum heads ensure your bands name gets remembered after the gig. The sickest, best quality custom bass drum heads, banners, backdrops, stickers, and full drum wraps! www.kustombassdrumgraphics.com.au sales@ kustombassdrumgraphics.com.au

repairs for all guitars and basses; no matter what you play or how you play it, we’ve got the tools and techniques to breathe life back into even the most mistreated guitar. We treat every instrument individually; time, care and love is taken with each job to get the best from your guitar. We work hard to give you the feel and the sound you want. 0405 253 417 tara@rockinrepairs.com www. rockinrepairs.com

iFlogID: 5777

PRODUCTION/MIXING TUITIONS

Do you live to play? Whether you’ve just bought a new guitar or an old favourite is feeling a little faded, we’ll bring the best out of it! Rockin’ Repairs is based in Point Piper in Sydney, Australia and offers restrings, setups, upgrades and

I’m a professional Music Producer and Sound Mixer who has worked with internationally renowned artist such as Seal and De La Soul, and I’m offering private tuition in Mixing and Production. Bring your own session (Logic or Protools) or use one of mine, and I will show the tricks that they do not teach you at school, I work from my home setup (Surry Hills) only, $65 per hour. http://

MUSICIANS WANTED Gary Soloman Bass player for Marie Wilson, Bo Diddley, Free zone etc is available for local/ touring gigs and recordings. Original acts or covers OK , any genre styles OK call Gary 0407505764 iFlogID: 5037

FULLTIME BASS PLAYER

BASS PLAYER BASS PLAYER WANTED Bass playwer wanted for originals band in Melbourne. Have the basics of songs completed, just need to learn the songs to add the bass and get them gig ready. Looking for someone determined and eager to play. Influences are Sonic Youth,

For a limited time. Free online and print classifieds Book now, visit iflog.com.au 78

The Cure, My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, etc. Contact 0403929446.

iFlogID: 4224

BASS PLAYER WANTED Bassist wanted to join melodic metal band with death/black/thrash influence. Must be determined, skilled and have own gear and transport. Easygoing but professional environment. Ages 18-30 Wollongong/Sydney based. Influences: Dimmu, Old man’s child, arch enemy, children of bodom, immortal, megadeth, slayer, amon amarth etc. Interest gained nationally and internationally with distribution deals on offer for the band. Great opportunity. www.myspace.com/ asmodaiaus or email asmodai_aus@ hotmail.com iFlogID: 5302

gig down in Hawthorn and have begun the process of forming a new band with a friend of mine on drums and myself on guitar, and we can’t wait to blast good old dirty rock and roll to a bunch of unsuspecting teenagers who are missing out on music that will give them eargasms long into the night. We’re sick of the current music scene and need a bassist to come join our line up, ready to fuck on the world. Were no cover band, and i’ve got a plethora of songs waiting to go. Influences include Ratt, W.A.S.P, G’N’R, Motley Crue, Pantera, Aerosmith and ya mum. iFlogID: 6019

MUSICIANS REQ’D - FUNK/ ROCK

AAA BASS PLAYER WANTED Are you a bass player and are tired of playing cover songs where you cannot truly express yourself? Are you being confined to root notes, and would like to play “lead bass”? Then get in touch with The Clue: we are a Sydney-based band, play mostly original stuff (classic rock, pop and folk), and rehearse every Monday in Ultimo. We are looking for YOU! Good gear a must, vocal harmonies a plus. See you soon! iFlogID: 5638

SYDNEY DOOM BAND SEEKS BASSIST Sydney doom band Rituals of the Oak are seeking a bass player. Influences include Candlemass, Pentagram, Solitude Aeturnus, and Warning. Must have own gear etc, rehearsing in Belmore area. Currently waiting to record second album, first album released on Eyes Like Snow label from Germany last year, signed for 2 more albums. Contact Matt on 0418435898. www.myspace.com/ ritualsoftheoak iFlogID: 5823

Talented musicians required for Funk Rock project Hot & Delicious Records http://www.hotanddeliciousrecords. com/ Funk rock project created to launch a music career. Influences include: RHCP, Rage Against The Machine, Hendrix, John Butler Trio, Faith No More, Beautiful Girls, Bob Marley, Sublime, The Rolling Stones Only those with experience and talent who are easy-going, but driven to work hard on a weekly basis need apply. Send all queries and Myspace/ YouTube, Reverb Nation/website links to: Dan Wilkinson dan@hotanddeliciousrecords.com iFlogID: 6272

GLENNBENNY NEEDS BASSIST...

We’re looking for a competent bassplayer with live experience. Have been gigging as an accoustic 2 piece for about a year and it’s time to get serious. Quality originals - a bit more raucous than you might be expecting. Gigs and recording ready to go. Phone Glenn on 0419 556 571

CHRISTIAN BASS PLAYER WANTED

iFlogID: 5901

WANTED PERCUSSIONIST/ DRUMMER Professional female musician looking for a percussionist/drummer to form tight 3 piece band, to record and gig... Strong middle eastern/rock influences... www. myspace.com/kaishasolo iFlogID: 5967

PRO BASSIST NEEDED.ROCK COVERS Im after a professional bassist with BV’s for a rock covers band. $150/gig. dates booked. playing mainly newer hits with the odd classic. good gear and pro attitude a must. Rick 0419 437 794 or email replikatrio@live.com www.replikatrio.com iFlogID: 6000

WANTED... BASS PLAYER Professional female musician looking for bass player to form tight 3 piece band, to record and gig...All original... Strong middle eastern/rock influences... www. myspace.com/kaishasolo contact: kaisha33@yahoo.com 0416120639 iFlogID: 6029

**** BASS PLAYER WANTED ****

Two christian guys (vocalist & lead guitarist) from the northern beaches in sydney, looking for a bass player (25-35 years old) to complete a 4 piece rock band. If you can also sing BV’s, even better! Influences include: U2, Kings Of Leon, Foo Fighters, 30 Seconds To Mars, Switchfoot. Currently we are jamming and writing, but with the vision to go full time and international one day. So if you aren’t serious about regular practices, gigging, touring and generally making a band work, please don’t apply. Email thelastjosh@gmail.com to apply. Will need to have own gear and transport. iFlogID: 6391

DRUMMER FUNKY RYTHYM SECTION WANTED! funky rythym section wanted for dynamic sexy funk/rock/blues hip hop band.influences-the meters,early rhcp,sly stone,james brown,jimi hendrix,parliament/funkadelic.phone 0421727864. iFlogID: 4238

WANNA BE IN MY BAND??!!! Who wants to be in a all girls original pop rock band hav some fun and make some $$$?! Guitar/bass/drummer needed. Must be able to sing passable back up vox and luv performing!Practice 1-2 times per week. Gig asap. All ages welcome. www.myspace.com/nicolesero 0435 426 012 iFlogID: 4394

DRUMMER WANTED Drummer wanted for originals band in Melbourne. Have the basics of songs completed, just need to learn the songs to add the drums and get them gig ready. Looking for someone determined and eager to play. Influences are Sonic Youth, The Cure, My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, etc. COntact 0403929446. iFlogID: 4431

SONS OF GENGHIS NEED DRUMMER!

INSIDEOUT are looking for a reliable and versatile bass player to join us. You need to have transport and good working gear. You will have complete freedom to enhance our song writing with your ideas and skills. We rehearse in Bardwell Valley (near Rockdale) and there are no studio rehearsal costs. Check out our MySpace page and if you like what you see and hear...get in touch! www.myspace.com/insideoutoz (0408) 232110 Veneita vendel@bigpond.net.au iFlogID: 6139

GET YOUR FUCKING GROOVE ON Yo, consider yourself to be a bit of a Duff McKagan? Got posters of Nikki Sixx on your walls? I’ve been offered a regular

iFlogID: 6137

Two christian guys (vocalist & lead guitarist) from the northern beaches in sydney. Looking for a drummer (25-35 years old) to complete a 4 piece rock band. If you can also sing BV’s, even better! Influences include: U2, Kings Of Leon, Foo Fighters, 30 Seconds To Mars, Switchfoot. Currently we are jamming and writing, but with the vision to go full time and international one day. So if you aren’t serious about regular practices, gigging, touring and generally making a band work, please don’t apply. Email thelastjosh@gmail.com to apply. Will need to have own gear and transport. iFlogID: 6395

DRUMMER WANTED-PRO METAL BAND! Hard-rock / Metalcore band seeks committed, self motivated drummer capable of playing to a Pro standard. Must be available for regular gigs, rehearsal. Must have a great work ethic and be easy to get along with, and share the same passion to pursue music full-time.

DRUMMER WANTED

iFlogID: 6378

Rock Monster are in need of a bass player. Bonus points if you can sing! Melbourne - eastern suburbs. Male or female, mid-20s to 40s. myspace.com/ RockMonsterMelbourne RockMonsterMelbourne@gmail.com

Play with passion! We need a versitile drummer to join our Sydney based originals band. Complete freedom to enhance our song writing with your ideas and drumming skills. You have to be reliable with own transport and gear. We rehearse in Bardwell Valley (Rockdale area) - no studio rehearsal costs. Check out our MySpace page and contact us if you like what you see and hear! www.myspace.com/insideoutoz (0408) 232110 Veneita vendel@bigpond.net.au

iFlogID: 6445

Session Bass Player Wanted! Drummer is forming a fast paced professional original alternative rock band to get signed to a major label. Must be ambitious, self-motivated, committed, reliable and have a lot of drive. No metal! Age: 18-30. Rehearsing at Wetherill Park. Only contact me if you want to get signed to a major label! E-mail: cooleywill2@hotmail.com. iFlogID: 5861

iFlogID: 5067

***** DRUMMER WANTED ********

CHRISTIAN DRUMMER WANTED

GET SIGNED TO A MAJOR LABEL!

BASS PLAYER FOR ROCK MONSTER

DRUMMER WANTED looking for a drummer, age 13-15, some experience with drum

Sydney Based “Sons Of Genghis” need versatile drummer, if you play like primus meets Chilli Peppers, Faith no more meets Pantera,this is the band for you and we want your chops!! Check the sounds at www.myspace.com/sonsofgenghis. Call Jono 0410 330 702 or Andy 0420 771 357. iFlogID: 4485

We are a Melbourne based band looking for a committed drummer to join us. We play a blend of hard rock/metal/posthardcore. We are looking for someone with pro gear, transport and both live and studio experience. Guys or girls welcome to apply. Please only people that are willing to committ 100% to touring ect. Samples can be heard at: http:// myspace.com/silentrosemusic http:// facebook.com/silentrosemusic For more info contact : info@silentrosemusic.com iFlogID: 6514

GUITARIST WANNA BE IN MY BAND??!!! Who wants to be in a all girls original pop rock band hav some fun and make some $$$?! Guitar/bass/drummer needed. Must be able to sing passable back up vox and luv performing!Practice 1-2 times per week. Gig asap. All ages welcome. www.myspace.com/nicolesero 0435 426 012

LIKING AND SKILL IN VARIOUS GENRES OF MUSIC FROM THE 60’S ONWARDS. IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN A LONG TERM PARTNERSHIP WITH A PROFESSIONAL LYRICIST, SINGER WITH AMBITION TO FROM A SONG-WRITING DUO TO CREATE SONGS FOR ALBUMS, FILM AND OTHER MEDIA. PROFICIENCY IN APPLE, GARAGEBAND A DISTINCT ADVANTAGE. , PLEASE CONTACT ENRICO ON 0407 781156 FOR FURTHER DETAILS. iFlogID: 4976

Melbourne bassist seeking RELIABLE, DEDICATED, CONFIDENT, CREATIVE musicians to form pop band. Influences: Faith No More, INXS, Peter Gabriel, David Bowie, GnR, Soundgarden, The Police, Godflesh, Icehouse, M.I.A, Depeche Mode, Pantera, Genesis ect listen to demos at soundcloud.com/integra and call Mike on 0424 838 782 iFlogID: 5226

NEED KEYBOARD &/OR GUITAR SEEKING KEYBOARD PLAYER/ GUITARIST FOR LONG-TERM COLLABORATION. I CURRENTLY HAVE A SONGWRITER’S CONTRACT FROM NASHVILLE AND HAVE MANY IRONS IN THE FIRE. IF YOU ARE PROFICIENT WITH APPLE, GARAGEBAND IT’S A BONUS. CALL ME TO SET UP AN AUDITION ON 0407-781156 or Email me.

LEAD GUITARIST WITH BK VOCALS Ralph DeSilver (Melbourne) looking for a lead Guitarist with Backing Vocals. Must have stage presence, ability, commitment & reliability. This is a perfect opportunity for a confident, ambitions & professional lead guitarist to jump onboard at a perfect time prior to lift off. We are putting the final touches to our first EP with ARIA nominated producer Andy Baldwin (new York) hoping for great success. Contact Mark 0412 523 125 iFlogID: 6219

PUNK/SKA RHYTHM GUITARIST WTD Hi guys and girls! We are a late 70’s style ska and punk outfit who have been together about 6 months. Unfortunately, our good solid rhythm player has had to leave due to commitments. We are looking for someone to step in and hopefully provide some backing and maybe even a tiny bit of lead vocals occasionally. We aim to play much more slowed down ska and are just beginning to experiment with some writing after playing lots of covers. Things that stood out so far we really enjoy jamming are: The Only Ones - Another Girl Another Planet UB40 - Food For Thought Roxy Music Love is the Drug The Clash - Should I Stay or Should I Go The Saints - Know Your Product The Specials - Monkey Man / A Message to you Rudy So far we have 2 singers, a trombone, keyboard, bass, drummer, lead guitar and may possibly look at getting a trumpet in the near future. We rehearse in Marrickville rehearsal rooms every Saturday for 4 hours. If you’re interested in seeing if you would like to join us please contact me on imafunkybloke@hotmail.com. MSN or email are fine. Also you can add me to facebook jonathan krasnowski and I will show you the band group there so you can see our discussions and videos so far etc once we have a mutual interest. iFlogID: 6311

KEYBOARD

continue to work on fresh original material. We have also been playing gigs all over Melbourne for the last year getting some stage experience up but we are really dying to get a frontperson with a voice that works with our music. We’re willing to give anyone a listen, we’re all easy going and in it for the fun above all else, but also been keen to take the next step and make it a serious commitment. Have a listen at our myspace link upon application. http://www.myspace. com/psyecho Please note the myspace recordings are over 2 years old now and we have progressed in style and skill greatly since then.

WEEKLY SPECIALS

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SIMPLY RED VOCALIST REQUIRED Remember The Bodysnatchers? I am looking for expressions of interest in forming Melbournes first (I think!) ALL GIRL SKA BAND. All female musos will be considered (we need Drums, Bass, Guitar, Keys, Horns & Vocals). 0417575713

Professional Sydney based band with club work and agent requires a frontman for Simply Red tribute show.For further information call Dianne on 0418 122 370.

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COVERBAND REQUIRE KEYS Sydney based, agent backed coverband requires a keyboardist. We are looking for ages 18 - 35 yrs, and we are playing modern covers. Must have good gear, own transport able to gig most fri / sat nights. Please send your details to brotherbooth@gmail.com iFlogID: 5903

COVERBAND REQUIRE KEYS Sydney based, agent backed coverband requires a keyboardist. Must have good gear, own transport able to gig most fri / sat nights. We play mostly modern covers and are after ages 18 - 35. Please send your details to brotherbooth@ gmail.com iFlogID: 5905

KEYBOARD PLAYER NEEDED Keyboard player wanted, backing vocals a plus. Own transport a must. Must have good gear and experience. We are currently a Sydney 3 piece looking at expanding to 5 piece. Think most bands on the Creation Records and 4AD labels. Contact Sam on 0415292247 and listen to us on www.myspace.com/ourpendingname iFlogID: 6315

OTHER MUSICIANS AND AUDIENCE WANTED

The Ballistyx Snowboard show is now into its 6th season on free-to-air TV & we are going global! We’re sourcing independent Australian music for this year’s show & so if you want to get your tunes heard all over the planet then send Myspace, Reverb Nation, YouTube & website links to: music@bigjumpproductions.tv iFlogID: 6182

PRODUCER & STUDIOS WANTED Talented Rick Rubin-style producer with access to studio required for Funk Rock project Hot & Delicious Records http:// www.hotanddeliciousrecords.com/ Funk rock project created to launch a music career. Influences include: RHCP, Rage Against The Machine, Hendrix, John Butler Trio, Faith No More, Beautiful Girls, Bob Marley, Sublime, The Rolling Stones Only those with experience and talent who are easy-going, but driven to work hard on a weekly basis need apply. Send all queries and Myspace/ YouTube, Reverb Nation/website links to: Dan Wilkinson dan@hotanddeliciousrecords.com iFlogID: 6274

VIOLIN/FIDDLE PLAYER WANTED

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GET SIGNED TO A MAJOR LABEL! Session Guitarist Wanted! Drummer is forming a fast paced professional original alternative rock band to get signed to a major label. Must be ambitious, self-motivated, committed, reliable and have a lot of drive. No metal. Age: 18-30. Rehearsing at Wetherill Park N.S.W. Only contact me if you want to get signed to a major label! E-mail: cooleywill2@ hotmail.com.

looking for expressions of interest in forming Melbournes first (I think!) ALL GIRL SKA BAND. All female musos will be considered (we need Drums, Bass, Guitar, Keys, Horns & Vocals). 0417575713

Details: http://hotelwilliam.yayabings. com.au This is the underground melting pot of music jam sessions, organised by the Yayabings Music Club with the JazzKatts romping the Fusion Bar. Musicians/singers, comedians and artists at all levels perform by coming in on that evening. Totally impromptu and musicians may improvise with other musicians/singers or perform their own set. Local/Backpackers/Internationals all welcome. iFlogID: 2923

ROCK BANDS WANTED FOR ITUNES Attention all Rock bands! Valleyarm Digital are releasing an Aussie Rock compilation album called “ROCK ME DEAD!”. The album will be exclusive to iTunes and will released and promoted worldwide. We want to show the world that Australia has the best rockin’ bands on the planet so submit your track (1 per band) and bio to info@valleyarm.com now to secure a spot. We’ll also be offering a $5000 online marketing and global digital distribution deal to a “Stand Out” act that we think has what it takes...this could be you!!

Anybody who plays violin/fiddle and is looking to join an acoustic/folk/rock band please contact us. We rehearse in either Sunbury or Mill Park. We have plenty of original material and will be recording a demo soon. Also playing live in second half of 2010. Influences are any band with a sense of humour. Easy going guys, emphasis on fun & having a laugh but serious about making good music. Come share your musical ideas with us. 0405068298. iFlogID: 6300

RELEASE YOUR MUSIC WORLWDIDE!! Release your music worldwide to over 300 digital stores including iTunes and get back 100% of your royalties! Access your account 24/7! Retain ownership of your recordings! For a cost effective DIY distribution solution go to www. valleyarm.com Who needs a record company when you have Valleyarm?! GET YOUR MUSIC OUT THERE! - www. valleyarm.com iFlogID: 6455

MUSICIANS WANTED

LIVE BAND MEMBERS 4 SOLOARTIST Solo composer looking for musicians to support for live acts/form a band. If you play bass, drums, piano/keyboard, guitar or sing then you can help me out playing original songs + help compose :) To hear them musical style visit and listen @ www.myspace.com/ stevewilliams91 or http://www.reverbnation.com /stevewilliams91 Ages 17-25 contact via myspace (above) or stevewilliams91musicprofiles@ gmail.com iFlogID: 5677

MULTI-GENRE KEYBOARD PLAYER

LETS DO ROCKSTEADY

SEEKING KEYBOARD PLAYER WITH A

Remember The Bodysnatchers? I am

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GET SIGNED TO A MAJOR LABEL! Male singer-songwriter wanted(experienced)! Drummer is forming a fast paced professional original alternative rock band to get signed to a major label. Must be ambitious, selfmotivated, committed, reliable and have a lot of drive. No metal! Age: 18-30. Rehearsing at Wetherill Park N.S.W. Only contact me if you want to get signed to a major label! E-mail: cooleywill2@ hotmail.com.

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SINGER FOR GRUNGE/ROCK BAND Sydney Grunge/Rock band Samsara looking for a talented singer and front man to join a complete band looking to gig and record. An albums worth of music is already written but need vocal melodies and lyrics. Influences include Silverchair, Nirvana, Alice In Chains, Pearl Jam, Led Zeppelin, Chili Peppers, Foo Fighters, Black Sabbath etc etc. Contact Daniel: 0403 885 433, for more information and demos. 18 - 25 years only please. iFlogID: 6352

SINGER WANTED Sydney band seeks male vocalist. The best way to describe our music is ‘Hard Rock Fusion.’ Think the heavy grooves of sabbath with funk/blues/jazz Our Main influences include Sabbath, Zeppelin, Dio, Hendrix, Larry Carlton, Dave Weckl and James Morrison. If interested give ben a call on 0400120340.

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SONG WRITER GET SIGNED TO A MAJOR LABEL! Male singer-songwriter wanted (experienced)! Drummer is forming a fast paced professional original alternative rock band to get signed to a major label. Must be ambitious, self-motivated, committed, reliable and have a lot of drive. No metal! Age: 18-30. Rehearsing at Wetherill Park N.S.W. Only contact me if you want to get signed to a major label! E-mail: cooleywill2@hotmail.com. iFlogID: 5867

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METAL BANDS WANTED FOR ITUNES Attention all metal bands! Valleyarm Digital are releasing an Aussie Metal compilation album called “METAL AS F#@K!”. The album will be exclusive to iTunes and will released and promoted worldwide. We want to show the world just how heavy Australia is so submit your track (1 per band) and bio to info@valleyarm.com now to secure a spot. We’ll also be offering a $5000 online marketing and global digital distribution deal to a “Stand Out” act that we think has what it takes...this could be you!!

We are VIRGINIA KILLSTYXX and we need a frontman with a voice that could kill, charisma, attitude and a will to do what it takes... think from Guns N Roses to Motley Crue to AC/DC to Motorhead etc... check us out on www.myspace. com/virginiakillstyxx 0418639860

If you want to join a band, form a band, find a new band member, get exposure, or just jam, then www.ozjam.com.au is for you! Whatever instrument or genre of music you play, Ozjam can connect you with other talented, like minded musicians who are looking to jam, gig, and even tour the World! Ozjam is loaded with features, it’s free to join and with over 4000 members its fast becoming the largest online music community in Australia today! iFlogID: 6499

SINGER GOSPEL SINGERS WANTED Five world-class passionate vocalists wanted for a Gospel music CD project. Must have beautiful, passionate, powerful and devotional delivery. iFlogID: 3585

SINGER NEEDED Singer needed for hard rock band. We’re looking for a singer, male or female, for our all original hard rock band. The guitarist and I (bass) have been playing together for over 8 years now and over 3 years with our drummer. We have been writing new songs the last 2 years and

ITALIA GUITARS Inspire Design Studios provides meaningful, smart and economic design solutions that communicates clearly with a given market. From website design, to branding, we can take you through the entire process of creating an identity for your organization. Maybe you just need some business cards, or maybe you need a completely new look. From logo design, to website creation, to company apparel, and anything in between. To provide you with the most competitive pricing contact us to discuss your requirements without any obligation. Special prices Static website (within 5 pages) $495 CMS website (within 7 pages) $695 Online shopping site $795 No hidden charges or on-going monthly fees To find out more please visit www. lydiay.com iFlogID: 2762

BEAUTY FOR A CAUSE CAMPAIGN ALEY GREENBLO, A CURRENT FINAL-

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IST FOR MISS EARTH AUSTRALIA HAS RECENTLY BEEN CHOSEN TO BE THE FACE OF THE “BEAUTY FOR A CAUSE CAMPAIGN”. ALEY HOPES TO CREATE AWARENESS ABOUT CURRENT ENVIRO PROBLEMS AND HAS SET OUT ON A MISSION TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE! THIS “DOWN TO EARTH” COMMERCE LAW STUDENT IS EXTREMELY PASSIONATE ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT & IS DEDICATED TO ENSURING THAT OUR BEAUTIFUL PLANET REMAINS CLEAN & LITTER FREE! ALEY HAS BEEN INCREDIBLY ACTIVE IN PROMOTING ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS & HAS TAKEN ON VARIOUS ENVIRONMENTAL INITATIVES. “IT IS SO EASY AND EVERYONE CAN HELP BY DOING THE SMALLEST THINGS!” iFlogID: 5082

SPRAY TANS $25 @ COOGEE Tans by Tahni located at Coogee is offering a Thursday special of $25 for a 2hr sunless contour spray tan. Tahni uses Australia’s Naked Tan, botanical based professional formulation which involves a 10min salon application with wash & wear in just 2hrs. Tahni’s professional approach, warm personality will help you feel relaxed. She also offers a loyalty card, and Naked tan products to hydrate and nourish your skin giving you a longer lasting gorgeous tan. For a booking call Tahni on 0414 895 645. iFlogID: 6153

BEAUTY WEBSITE: COVETED CANVAS If you love beauty, you’ll love Coveted Canvas! We’re the beauty website for you, with tips and tricks, product reviews, salon reviews, competitions, insider advice and a personalised Q&A section like no other. With info spanning from hair to makeup, skin to nails, if it’s beauty related you’ll find it on Coveted Canvas. www.covetedcanvas.wordpress.com iFlogID: 6341

GRAPHIC DESIGN WANT A LOGO FOR YOUR BAND?

outs • Business Cards We can print a sample for you while you wait and complete the job within the hour. bsd@zip. com.au www.blackstar.com.au iFlogID: 4552

PI BAND ART AND DESIGN 100% devotion to music and the packaging it comes in. Pi (Paul Ikin) has a Complete Design Studio aimed at album cover design, packaging and Band Websites. Based in Melbourne Central Complex its easy to get to. Some of the services include * Art Layout design for CD’s/Digipack/Gatefolds, * Vinyl Sleeves 12” & 7”, and professional Band Websites. Feel free to visit our site to find out more about our services www.paulikin. com iFlogID: 4626

SUPER CHEAP COLOUR PRINTING

AFFORDABLE GRAPHIC DESIGN

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GRAPHIC DESIGN SERVICES

We can promote your band with great design for a great rate! We specialise in great promotion and killer design on a limited budget. Our services include posters, logos, adverts, programs, album covers, Shirt design, illustration, flyers, websites and much more. www.melissahowarddesign.com 0402 796 254

FULL COLOUR POSTERS

Trust the professionals to capture the fun and magic of your party or event! 21st parties, sports clubs, nightclubs, promoters, concerts, seminars plus corporate and social functions! We’ve been awarded “Best scene Photograph” PDMA in 2009, member of the AIPP and have extensive experience in photographing events from parties through to music events of 40,000 revellers, so you can be assured of affordable quality and professional photos for your party or event! Check us out or make a booking today at www.atomikarts.com

PHOTOGRAPHY

100 Full Colour A4 Gloss Posters = only $40 100 Full Colour A3 Matt Posters = only $50 100 Full Colour A3 Gloss Posters = only $80 and many more options to choose from Posters • Flyers • Hand-

LOOKING FOR ESP Looking for an Esp Horizon black. New or used. Email For more info. wtf_juice@ hotmail.com

Sound and lighting hire for your next party.You can hire speakers to plug into your I pod/computer,DJ equipment,smoke machines,party light,lasers and more.Very easy to do and at adffordable prices.Go to www. feelgoodevents.com.au for more info. Ph -1300 134 493 iFlogID: 6005

soundornot.com - Help us find the next hot artist, cast your vote today!

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TUITION TROY MUSIC SCHOOL FOOTSCRAY Troy Music School where Students become musicians. Tuition in Guitar,V ocals,Drums,Piano,Sax,Violin,Clarinet, Trumpet,Bass Guitar,Ukulele and now offering Lessons In Recording,Protools, Cubase,Ableton live. Record your songs now. Ph. 9689 4622 184 Barkly st Footscray 10 min from city. iFlogID: 4622

Global Sanctuary Photography are currently running their yearly May, June and July specials. To name a few people we have shot: John Mayer, Jimmy Barnes, Iva Davies, Cruel Sea, Panic at the Disco, Human Nature, Killing Heidi and Delta Goodrem. We come to you on location or at your gig or come to our awesome warehouse studio at Botany. Studio style or grungy warehouse, the choice is yours. We are creative and easy going producing quality work using canon pro gear. Call us on 0416 144 277 or email us at globalsanctuary@mac.com. Visit www.globalsanctuary.biz iFlogID: 4518

1100 FULL COLOUR POSTERS = $80

Visit our website for an extensive price list and other services! iFlogID: 4554

BAND PHOTOS Need band photos? Then contact Atomic Pics as we can provide high quality live show and Promo Photos at a very affordable price Contact me with a message @ www.myspace.com/volume11

Visit our website for an extensive price list and other services! iFlogID: 6348

MYSPACE BAND PROFILE FROM 200$ I’m starting a new business in CSS programming and I’m willing to charge very cheap to gather some folio with customized myspace profiles. This price will certanly increase after some productions, so be quick to not loose the oportunity. To know more about my work visit www.fugadalula.com.br/blog To quote: renato@fugadalula.com.br Thanks! iFlogID: 6481

Do you need an affordable Illustrator? Freelance illustrator Paul Ikin can create a range of styles for your project. No hidden cost at an affordable price. Album Covers - Film Clips - Book Sleeves Children Books - Online Images - Fliers - Posters - Editorial Artwork. Visit www. paulikin.com - T: 0403 996 129 iFlogID: 5133

TRUCK AND DRIVER FOR HIRE 4 Tonne Truck with Hydraulic Lift available for Hire for deliveries - private, commercial or contract (by negotiation) $65 p/hour for man and truck $85 p/ hour for two men and truck. Call Derek 0423979396. iFlogID: 5137

Australia’s first professional DJ Cruise sets sail in just a few months. We still have a few cabins available. One Price includes Food, room, entertainment and 5 days of DJ Training with Australia’s only award winning and Apra endorsed DJ School The DJ/MC Bootcamp.All gear will be supplied, plus book this month and get $75 bucks of on board spending credit. Call 0295472578 or log on to www.djbootcamp.com.au to book. Be a part of history, Australia’s first Professional DJ Cruise with P&O cruise lines. iFlogID: 5983

DOBRO WORKSHOP Wed 21st July, 7pm - 9pm, $60. Dobro Workshop (squareneck) with Gerry Hale. Bookings and inquiries t. 03 9417 2252. Held at the Guitar Gallery, 30 Johnston Street, Fitzroy VIC. More info: www.guitargallery.com.au. Places limited. iFlogID: 6331

Australia’s School of Stand up Comedy is 5 weeks of serious but fun training into the world of the stand up comic.This course will cover and include: Where and How to find and write great material Fine tuning and sharpening your performance Skills Comedy Pitfalls & Traps. What to lookout for and avoid. Finding YOUR on Stage Persona Stand up Tips and insider secrets List of Comic Venues to perfect your trade Getting past your stage fear All students who graduate will perform in front of 3live audiences. This performance will be tape for promotional purposes for the graduates. Now booking for our Sept 11th and Sept 15th weekend and weekday evening classes. Book now and Save $50.00! Book on line at www.comedyintheraw.com.au or 95462578 iFlogID: 6438

SONGWRITING WORKSHOP 2-hour songwriting workshop with Liz Stringer. When: 27th July 2010 7pm9pm. Bookings: 03 9417 2252. Where: Guitar Gallery, 30 Johnston Street, Fitzroy VIC. Bookings: 03 9417 2252. iFlogID: 6518

WANTED AMPS TOUR STAFF WANTED JOBS, JOBS, JOBS! Ever found yourself putting on a tour and don’t know how to get a sound engineer or someone to sell merchandise on the other side of the country? Well, that is how CoverYourArtz.com came about... The website enables anyone offering a service that can be used by touring artists to browse

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MYSPACE - WEBSITES - ALBUM ART POSTERS - LOGOS - PROMO - TSHIRT DESIGN - Graphic Design services for everything in the music industry. Website packages start at $449 Custom Myspace $899 WE KNOW YOUR BUSINESS Email for a free quote/consultation paul@cattanachdesign.com.au or vist the website www.cattanachdesign.com.au

MULTIMEDIA FOR MUSICIANS Reapers Image Design.All your multimedia needs met-logos,cd art & layout design,posters,stickers,video editing & filming,DVD construction, Multimedia solutions. Cheapest rates in Melbourne, we’ll beat any other legitimate quote. reapersimagedesign.com.au <http:// reapersimagedesign.com.au>0417 393 706

contact the team at info@coveryourartz. com or visit our website at www.coveryourartz.com.

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With over 20 years experience, ACE Design & Print has gained an unequaled reputation as a reliable supplier of quality printing with exceptional service and competitive prices. Our print services are designed for fast production and fast delivery within your budget. Here are some prices for your consideration, let us know your specific requirements and we can quote & deliver! 100 A4 Posters printed in full colour onto 150gsm gloss = $40 250 A6 Leaflets printed in full colour onto 150gsm gloss = $50 250 Full Colour Digital Business cards onto 300gsm gloss = $50 100 A3 Posters printed in full colour onto 150gsm gloss = $80 1000 Business Cards in full colour 2 sides with plastic coating = $160 1000 A5 Flyers printed in full colour onto 150gsm gloss = $210 1000 A4 Letterheads printed in full colour onto 100gsm bond = $230 1000 A4 Flyers printed in full colour onto 150gsm gloss = $300 500 A2 Posters printed in full colour onto 150gsm gloss = $490 1000 A5 Booklets 8pp printed in full colour onto gloss = $735 500 Presentation Folders printed in full colour on white board = $795 iFlogID: 4914

Want a logo to differentiate yourself from other bands? We can make you stand out from the rest! Boggleworks are currently offering a special price of $250 (RRP $349) for your very own custom designed logo. Visit www.boggleworks. com for more info. Be sure to enter the promotional code “IFLOG” for the special discount!

OTHER PARTY & FUNCTION PHOTOGRAPHY

for work, and for touring artists to find the people they need to make their tour work anywhere in Australia. By visiting CoverYourArtz.com, anyone who is putting on an event is able to source all types of crew from tour managers, sound engineers, and lighting technicians to merchandisers, photographers and poster distributors in areas where they wouldn’t normally know where to start looking. Anyone working in the industry can look for work, and also list their details so that they don’t miss out on that next ‘big job’! Registering and browsing for jobs on CoverYourArtz.com is absolutely free, you only pay when you want to apply. For further info please

$70

$35 $60 $50 $50 $15 $20

FINISH LINE

INDUSTRY NEWS BY BRYGET CHRISFIELD

GREATEST HIT DESERT ISLAND SONGS WITH CLEM BASTOW

Vampire Weekend take on part-time work to help pay off lawsuit

PRODIGY FUNKY SHIT Back when I was neither as cool as I am now nor as net savvy, I wandered into a turn of the century online message-board and enquired as to the remnants of a song I’d heard; a dance track that sampled the Beastie Boys’ Root Down. Some internet wit replied that it was the Prodigy’s Funky Shit; “Yep, funky AND shit”. The reason for the enquiry was that, after years of being told (well, two years) that it was too scary and too violent, my brother and I had finally watched Paul WS Anderson’s 1997 film, Event Horizon. We screamed constantly for the first half, then laughed hysterically (which I still do, and am convinced it’s a cathartic response) through the second. But nowhere did we LOL more heartily than at the very end of the film, when a door ambiguously and abruptly closes (apparently by itself), suggesting that for the poor suckers who made it out the other side of the ship’s personal hell, it’s all about to happen again. And then Funky Shit starts playing. We leapt to our feet screaming with laughter and clapping, if I remember correctly. It’s safe to say that these days, most people consider themselves to have gained the benefits of hindsight and the sort of discerning taste that apparently come with maturity, and few people would still cop to being a fan of either Event Horizon or the Prodigy. (As you might have guessed, I’m not neither most people nor few people.)

3D WORLD MAG FOR MELBOURNE Street Press Australia (SPA, publishers of Inpress) will launch Victorian and Queensland editions of Sydney clubbing weekly 3D World on Wednesday 11 August. 3D World has been on Sydney streets for two decades and was recently revamped as a glossy quarto-sized magazine. SPA Managing Director Craig Treweek says, “The expansion of 3D World into new states illustrates the current strength of free magazine titles in Australia, which buck the current trend of general magazine/newspaper circulation. The recent broadening in content to lifestyle/ fashion/travel and current affairs makes 3D World the East Coast’s premier music/youth lifestyle title.”

ONE MOVEMENT: THIRD ROUND One Movement for Music Perth (OMFM) has confirmed the next round of speakers who join an already impressive international line-up for the 6 to 10 October, 2010 event. Latest additions include Troy Carter (Coalition Media Group, USA), Dave Curtin (DeepMix, USA), James Foley (Record Of The Day, UK), Tak Furuichi (JVC Victor Entertainment Inc, Japan) and Taichi Inoue (Surfrock International, Japan). A slew of local speakers have also been added: Lars Brandle (Billboard), Brett Cottle (APRA), Shaun James (XYZ Networks), Dylan Liddy (Blue Max Music), Mark Pope (Mark Pope Music), Mark Poston (EMI Australasia), Phil Stevens (Jarrah Music), Kathy McCabe (News Limited/The Daily Telegraph), Carney Nir (Secret Service Digital) and Leigh Treweek (Street Press Australia). OMFM includes a music industry conference, an industry showcase series and a threeday multi-stage outdoor music festival showcasing around 60 acts from around the globe. Keep an eye on onemovementmusic.com for updates.

FELLOWSHIP REWARDS PICKERS The winners of the $20,000 Grant McLennan Memorial Fellowship for 2010 are Brisbane songwriting team Danny Widdicombe and Andrew Morris of The Wilson Pickers. This award pays annual tribute to the late Grant McLennan by offering Queensland artists the chance to travel to London, New York or Berlin to further their songwriting education. Widdicombe and Morris have chosen Berlin as their destination.

I WRITE THE SONGS The most impressive rollout of music icons yet have been gathered to judge the 2010 International Songwriting Competition (ISC) – Peter Gabriel, Tom Waits, Jeff Beck, Robert Smith, Rihanna, Black Francis, Ben Harper and Timbaland among others. ISC offers songwriters and artists the opportunity to have their music heard by some of the world’s most successful recording artists, as well as many record label presidents. The grand cash prize is $US25,000 plus $US20,000 in prizes with a total prize pool of $US150,000 in cash and prizes to be shared among the 66 winners. ISC is open to both amateur and professional songwriters and an Unsigned Only category has been added this year. To enter, go to songwritingcompetition.com.

MOVES & SHAKES After 12 years as The Age’s senior music writer, Patrick Donovan will vacate his post after being appointed founding CEO of Music Victoria. Music Victoria was set up earlier this year to help boost professional development opportunities and celebrate Victorian artists.

FRESHLY INKED Useless Art Records in conjunction with Footstomp Music have inked a deal with Brisbane quintet The Honey Month to release their debut EP, scheduled for release in September via UAR/Inertia. Brisbane artist Scott Spark has signed with Other Tongues. Got news? Announcements? Gossip? Unsubstantiated but hilarious rumours? Send them all to finishline@streetpress.com.au.

In my book, the two go hand in hand – in many ways one is the filmic equivalent of the other, and vice versa.

VAMPIRE WEEKEND COVER STAR SUES The cover star of Vampire Weekend’s latest Contra album is suing the band for £1.3 million, alleging that the signature on the release form was forged. The image used to spearhead Contra’s marketing campaign is a photo of Kirsten Kennis taken by photographer Tod Brody in 1983. TMZ reported on 14 July that Kennis filed a lawsuit against the band, their record label XL Recordings and photographer Tod Brody explaining she had no idea her image would be used on the album cover. “The album design, in which the photograph is featured prominently, was a substantial factor in generating recognition and buzz for the Contra album, thus increasing sales and profits,” reads the lawsuit. Kennis added that she blames the band for failing to verify the legitimacy of her signature on the release.

ROB BACK FOR GOOD?

PHOENIX FILM STUMPS VIEWERS

It has been confirmed that Robbie Williams has rejoined Take That and an album by the band’s original five-piece line-up is scheduled to drop in November. This is the first time Robbie Williams has set foot in a studio with former bandmates Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Jason Orange and Mark Owen since Take That recorded Nobody Else back in 1995. Disgruntled by the fact that Gary Barlow received the majority of lead singing responsibilities, Williams left the group to pursue a solo career that same year – then he gained weight, bleached his hair platinum blonde and invaded the stage during Oasis’ set at Glastonbury. Take That disbanded in February 1996 and a special help line was set up by the Samaritans to counsel distraught fans. Williams eventually got his shit together and released his debut solo album, Life Thru A Lens, in 1997. A further seven studio albums have followed but lately Robbie’s solo career has floundered. Take That reunited minus Williams for a tour in 2006 before returning to the studio and have since released two albums as a foursome. Take That mark two provides all band members with the opportunity to sing lead vocals and all band members are now credited as co-writers, whether they contribute to the writing process or not. Williams caught up with his former bandmates following Take That’s The Circus Live tour in New York last September and all five of them secretly wrote and recorded the six songs that would form the basis of their forthcoming album. News appeared on Robbie Williams’ website that a new single he wrote with Barlow, which features both artists on vocals and is titled Shame, would appear on his upcoming greatest hits album – In And Out of Consciousness: The Greatest Hits 1990-2010 – scheduled for October. Take That’s new, as-yet-untitled album was produced by Stuart Price and comes 20 years after the band first sang live in 1990 on British TV.

It’s been over a year since clips of a bearded Joaquin Phoenix allegedly pursuing a rap career surfaced on YouTube. The actor announced he intended to trade Hollywood in for a hip hop career in October 2008 and was trailed by his actor-turned-director brother-inlaw, Casey Affleck, who documented the journey. As footage of Phoenix’s disastrous attempts at spitting rhymes and beating up a few punters along the way surfaced all over the internet, so did rumours that the Oscar-winning actor was starring in a mockumentary. It has now been confirmed that a film titled I’m Still Here: The Lost Year Of Joaquin Phoenix has been picked up by Magnolia Pictures, who also distributed Two Lovers (Phoenix’s last film). “No matter what I thought coming in, I came out feeling this was a pretty amazing piece of work, jaw-dropping but dimensional,” Magnolia’s President, Eamonn Bowles told deadline.com after viewing the film, which includes footage of Phoenix snorting cocaine from a prostitute’s breast. The LA Times reported that the film, due out this September, also includes “more male frontal nudity than you’d find in some gay porn films.” According to the newspaper, film buyers who were treated to a private screening of the movie remain perplexed as to whether the work should be classified as a documentary or mockumentary.

PINK’S BITS HURT Pink was rushed to hospital during a concert in Nuremberg, Germany last week when a high-wire segment of her show resulted in the singer being launched off the stage and into a barrier. Although Pink warned, “No, no, no,” from the stage, signifying she wasn’t ready for takeoff, her warning came too late. The accident occurred going into the concert’s final song, So What, and Pink told fans from the stage, “I possibly broke something. Very sorry, I’m not going to be able to do the last song. But thank you for coming to the show and thank you for always being supportive.” An hour later, she took to Twitter to reassure fans: “Okay all my lovers out there – nothing’s broken, no fluid in the lungs, just seriously sore. I made that barricade my bitch!!!!” There will be no cancellations as a result of Pink’s scare, with the artist promising , “I will be on that stage, even if I have to crawl.”

AWESOME FOURSOME Gang Of Four’s forthcoming album of new material, titled Content, is scheduled to drop on 4 October. Content will be made available in vinyl or CD format and there will also be an Ultimate Concert Can premium package for mad fans, which contains the album, ceramic tiles, photographs plus vials of the band members’ blood (they may want to limit these editions). The upcoming 11-track album is the first since the post-punkers put out Shrinkwrapped in 1995 and a new single Who Am I? will come out on 13 September. Fingers crossed one of the tracklisted song’s titles – It Was Never Going To Turn Out Too Good – isn’t prophetic. Gang Of Four chose to finance the recording of this set via a Pledge Music page they set up in April, which enabled fans to make a donation in exchange for content. In a video clip on pledgemusic.com/projects/gangoffour, the band’s guitarist Andy Gill explains, “We just don’t want to go to EMI or something. It’s too impersonal and doesn’t work.” For £8, the pledger receives an album download plus access to pledger-only updates. Other options included catching a helicopter to or from Glastonbury with Gang Of Four (£950) or The Lost Cassette, a recording of Gang Of Four’s first gig in 1977 that is provided for you inside a Walkman that has been individually decorated by Gill and Jon King (£175). The maximum spend is £1,500 for Gill to mix your track (three left). A share of any profits from Gang Of Four’s pledges will go to Amnesty International.

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In the ‘90s, Prodigy’s music felt exciting, a little dangerous, edgy, in your face™; their videos were creepy and low rent, the “band” members were a bunch of freaks, and their songs were best played loud (and presumably/preferably under the influence of all those new hard drugs we kept hearing about back in those days, like ketamine and GHB). Likewise, Event Horizon is flashy, loud and slightly offensive to your intelligence The movie was one of the first mainstream horror movies to popularise what would eventually/inevitably end up being incorrectly daubed “torture porn” (even if the film only really showed the aftermath; some 30 minutes of footage – that apparently severely “unnerved” test screening audiences, was cut and discarded by the studio). I love them both equally. The thing is, people take both Event Horizon and the Prodigy too seriously. Liam Howlett might be one of the music world’s less lighthearted souls, but you can’t tell me that Keith Flint’s taking interviews with Q mag back in the day while at his mum’s house having afternoon tea demonstrated anything other than lightheartedness. After all, they used to be happy ravers. The best thing about Funky Shit, Firestarter and all of the band’s other hits of that era was that they seemed to be delivered po-faced – along with conservative commentary about the damaging effect their music and videos would have on The Children – but what I get from the back catalogue (yes, even Smack My Bitch Up) is a sense of joyous abandon. The songs might have seemed a little off-kilter – helped mainly by their music videos – but the key to Prodigy’s success is that they deal in the liberating power of dance. Not just in a genre sense, but the simple fact: it’s music to dance to. (Plus, as far as I’m concerned, no one truly serious would build a song around that “Oh my god that’s the funky shit” sample and do it straight-faced.) So, while my brother’s and my laughter at the end of Event Horizon might have felt like catharsis, I think we were really just tapping into precisely what made Funky Shit such a perfect fit for the film: they’re both totally hilarious. It’s just that everyone else grew up and forgot the joke. They’re awful!

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