The Music (Brisbane) Issue #86

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# 8 6 • 2 9 . 04 . 1 5 • B R I S BA N E • F R E E • I N C O R P O R AT I N G

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KUMIKO UMIKO THE TREASURE HUNTER

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PEACE

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DUMPLINGS MPLINGS

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SLEEPMAKESWAVES AKESWAVES

the music | the lifestyle | the fashion | the art | the culture | you

2 • THE MUSIC • 29TH APRIL 2015

THE MUSIC • 29TH APRIL 2015 • 3

CREDITS PUBLISHER

Street Press Australia Pty Ltd

GROUP MANAGING EDITOR Andrew Mast

NATIONAL EDITOR  MAGAZINES Mark Neilsen

EDITOR Steve Bell

ARTS EDITOR Hannah Story

EAT/DRINK EDITOR Stephanie Liew

GIG GUIDE EDITOR Justine Lynch gigs@themusic.com.au

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Bryget Chrisfield

CONTRIBUTORS Alice Bopf, Anthony Carew, Baz McAlister, Ben Marnane, Ben Preece, Benny Doyle, Bradley Armstrong, Brendan Telford, Brie Jorgensen, Carley Hall, Chris Yates, Cyclone, Dan Condon, Daniel Johnson, Dave Drayton, Guy Davis, Helen Stringer, Jake Sun, Jazmine O’Sullivan, Lochlan Watt, Madeleine Laing, Mandy McAlister, Michael Smith, Mitch Knox, Paul Mulkearns, Roshan Clerke, Sam Hobson, Sky Kirkham, Sophie Blackhall-Cain, Tessa Fox, Tom Hersey, Tony McMahon, Tyler McLoughlan

THIS WEEK THINGS TO DO THIS WEEK • 29 APRIL - 5 MAY 2015

laugh

party

INTERNS Elijah Gall

PHOTOGRAPHERS Freya Lamont, John Stubbs, John Taylor, Kane Hibberd, Markus Ravik, Rick Clifford, Sky Kirkham, Stephen Booth, Terry Soo, Tessa Fox

SALES Trent Kingi sales@themusic.com.au

ART DIRECTOR Brendon Wellwood

ART DEPT Ben Nicol

Couldn’t make it down to Melbourne International Comedy Festival this year? Not to worry, the cream of them are coming north to you! From Wednesday until 3 May at Brisbane Powerhouse you can catch the MICF Roadshow, featuring Jen Kirkman, Kevin Kropinyeri, Wil Sylvince, David Quirk and Nath Valvo. This crew has had them rolling in the aisles all over the globe. Get laughin’!

This weekend the Urban Country Music Festival brings Aussie country music to the big smoke, taking over three different precincts at Caboolture and turning them into as music lover’s paradise. There’s a killer line-up including Lee Kernaghan, Cloud Control, Augie March, British India, Last Dinosaurs, Beccy Cole, The Delta Riggs and The Beards. Go for a day or choose the camping option!

ADMIN AND ACCOUNTS Jarrod Kendall, Leanne Simpson, Loretta Zoppos, Niall McCabe accounts@themusic.com.au

DISTRO Anita D’Angelo distro@themusic.com.au

SUBSCRIPTIONS store.themusic.com.au

CONTACT US Phone: (07) 3252 9666 info@themusic.com.au www.themusic.com.au Street: Suite 11/354 Brunswick Street Fortitude Valley QLD 4006 Postal: Locked Bag 4300 Fortitude Valley QLD 4006

BRISBANE

Irrepressible Canadian performer Peaches is in the country for Groovin The Moo, and doing some sideshows to boot – while she’s in Brisbane for her gig at The Hi-Fi (on Wednesday 6 May) she’s talking the time to drop into Avid Reader Bookshop in West End to have a discussion with local artist Kiley Gaffney on Peaches’ new photo book What Else Is In The Teaches Of Peaches, an event which promises as to be as fun as it will be outrageous. It kicks off at 6.30pm on Tuesday 5 May, and is completely free (bookings essential).

listen

JONSON STREET BYRON BAY FRI 1 MAY

SLEEP MAKES WAVES, GAY PARIS, GLASS OCEAN SAT 2 MAY

IN HEARTS WAKE, PILOTS, FEELING DAVE SUN 3 MAY

MAYWEATHER VS PACQUIA SUN 3 MAY

THE BEARDS & THE STIFFYS THURS 7 MAY

KARNIVOOL, CAIRO KNIFE FIGHT FRI 8 MAY

TIMBERWOLF SAT 9 MAY

CHESTA HEDRON, THIS OLD SUNN FRI 15 MAY

TROPICAL ZOMBIE, LOVE CANNONS, TEA SOCIETY FRI 22 MAY

THE BADLANDS, DROP LEGS SAT 23 MAY

TSUN

SAT 30 MAY

LURCH & CHEIF TICKETS AVAILABLE ONLINE WWW.THENORTHERN.COM.AU

THE MUSIC • 29TH APRIL 2015 • 5

national news news@themusic.com.au CARAVANA SUN

EMILY BITTO

STELLA DEBUT

THIS SUN ALWAYS RISES

They may have formed in Sydney, but the now much-travelled Caravãna Sun can consider themselves citizens of the world, last year’s European touring taking them to several countries for the first time. They’ve since been working on the next album, due later in the year, but have a new single, Ashes, that sends them out for a short warm-up national tour. Caravãna Sun play 23 May at Mojo’s Bar in Fremantle, 24 May at Rosemount Hotel, Perth, 30 May at The Triffid in Brisbane, 31 May at Northcote Social Club in Melbourne, and 5 Jun at Oxford Art Factory in Sydney.

NEXT ADVENTURE

He did a Like A Version on Childish Gambino’s Sober on triple j the other day, and now Adelaide boy wonder Jesse Davidson is heading off on a whole new adventure, touring the nation with Brisbane’s Art Of Sleeping. Davidson is also part of this year’s Groovin The Moo and he’ll be heading off to the UK to join the Great Escape music conference, but then it’s the Australian national tour, playing 5 Jun at Transit Bar in Canberra, 6 Jun at Oxford Art Factory in Sydney, 12 Jun at Corner Hotel in Melbourne, 18 Jun at Mojo’s Bar in Fremantle, 19 Jun at Prince Of Wales in Bunbury, 20 Jun at Amplifier in Perth, 29 Jun at Solbar in Maroochydore and 27 Jun at The Triffid in Brisbane.

COME BACK ED

As soon as his most recent tour finished, Australian fans were making a lot of noise along the lines of demanding Ed Sheeran return as soon as possible. Well, he was obviously paying attention because he’s returning for another national solo stadium tour Nov/Dec. These will be his biggest shows yet in a country he loves as much as it loves him, so get ready to welcome him 28 Nov at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, 2 Dec at NIB Stadium in Perth, 5 Dec at AAMI Park in Melbourne and 9 Dec at Allianz Stadium in Sydney.

RETURN TO 1983

Returning to Australia after standout performances at Stereosonic last year, Kölsch will showcase his new album 1983 at six shows across the country. Aussie fans will be among the first to hear the new bangers he’s got in store. See him 5 Jun, Brown Alley, Melbourne; 6 Jun, The TBC Club; 7 Jun, Fisherman’s Wharf Tavern & Elsewhere, Gold Coast; 12 Jun, Geisha Bar, Perth; 13 Jun, Chinese Laundry, Sydney.

AND I SAY

Here Comes The Sun sees singer-songwriter Wes Carr interpreting George Harrison’s songbook in a live setting, also sharing intimate tales and anecdotes from George Harrison himself. Watch Carr take on one his musical heroes at Chapel Off Chapel, Melbourne, 8 & 9 May; 15 May, The Arts Centre Gold Coast; 17 May, New Globe Theatre, Brisbane; 22 May, 5 Church Street, Sydney; 5 Jun, Camelot Lounge; 12 Jun, Flying Saucer Club, Melbourne; 27 Jun, The Basement, Sydney; 10 & 11 Jul, Ellington Jazz Club, Perth. More dates at theMusic.com.au.

INSTEAD OF “THANKS FOR YOUR PATIENCE”, AIRLINES SHOULD JUST SAY “WE DO WHAT THE FUCK WE WANT, AND UNLESS YOU GROW WINGS, YOU’RE FUCKED”. @SETHROGEN, KEEPING IT REAL. 6 • THE MUSIC • 29TH APRIL 2015

Melbourne author Emily Bitto has picked up a cheque for $50,000 at a ceremony in her hometown as the winner of this year’s Stella Prize for women’s writing for her debut novel, The Strays, out through indie publisher Affirm. The prize was established three years ago to recognise Australian women writers of fiction and non-fiction. Also on the shortlist this year were fellow writers Joan London, Christine Kenneally, Sofie Laguna, Maxine Beneba Clarke and Ellen Van Neerven, who each received cheques for $2,000.

OLLY MURS

OLLY OLLY OLLY

Pop star Olly Murs is coming back to Australia in August for a national tour, titled Never Been Better after his fourth studio album. He’ll prove just how true that statement is when he comes to Perth Arena, 4 Aug; Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre, 6 Aug; Margaret Court Arena, Melbourne, 8 Aug; Enmore Theatre, Sydney, 11 Aug. Tickets go on sale 2pm, 30 Apr.

ONLY CONNECT

Returning home from his now base in London for a national club tour, expat Sydney pianist, singer, producer/DJ and songwriter Lancelot will be showcasing his new single, Connection, and ripping up dancefloors and you can help him celebrate 22 May at Mr Wolf, Canberra; 23 May, Deep End at Anyway, Melbourne; 29 May, Elsewhere, Gold Coast; 30 May, The TBC Club, Brisbane; 31 May, Geisha Bar, Perth; 5 Jun, Institute of Dance, Wollongong; and 7 Jun, Civic Underground, Sydney.

local news qld.news@themusic.com.au

FRONTLASH GOIN’ BOOSH

The Might Boosh mainstay Noel Fielding absolutely tore Rage a new one on the weekend, with one of the most strange and fascinating hosting efforts in recent memory.

BLURRED LINES Luthor the anger translator – a recurring character on Key & Peele – actually appeared with (the real) President Obama at the White House Correspondents Association Dinner, thus blurring the lines between reality and fiction forever.

NEXT LEVEL Super excited to find that the “Church” of Scientology are making a doco on Louis Theroux, presumably in an attempt to discredit his impending Scientology doco.

THAT WAS GENIUS!

BACKLASH BUGGER

Dreadful news that the impending rock’n’roll tour de force that was the dual between Supersuckers and The Bellrays has been cancelled.

HE’S RIGHT Original Gremlins director Joe Dante won’t be involved in the film’s new remake because he thinks “remakes are stupid”. Guess what? He’s spot on! If you want to watch Gremlins watch the original.

REALLY? So jerks on the Gold Coast think it’s okay to fly a Nazi flag on ANZAC Day? And people think it’s cool to tweet anti-ANZAC rhetoric on our national holiday? Respect goes both ways, it’s about time the average Australian was afforded some as well...

CHANGE OF PLANS

Lo-fi indie rockers Nite Fields have changed venues for the launch of their album Depersonalisation in Brisbane.

Instead of playing The Foundry, they’ll be performing at Trainspotters, 30 May.

ASH GRUNWALD

READY TO LAUNCH

To celebrate the release of their debut album Wake, Ipswich based post-punk outfit Soviet X-Ray Record Club are touring down the east coast with their electrifying bled of punk, surf-rock, and dream pop. Hear the new tunes in the flesh when the band hit up The Brightside, 30 Apr; Solbar, Maroochydore, 1 May; and The Underdog, 30 May.

LENDING SUPPORT

Progressive pop performer Peaches is making her way to Australia at the end of the month for Groovin The Moo and a string of headline shows. Support acts have just been announced, and include MKO at The Hi-Fi, 6 May. Meanwhile, Melbourne’s The Peep Tempel are charged up and ready to bring their rock’n’roll to every state next month, and they’ve got a bunch of supports lined up. The Brightside, 16 May sees Tape/ Off and Walken join the party.

NOW, THE RIVER

The dreads may have finally gone but the raw roots/blues at the heart of the music Ash Grunwald makes continues to blossom, with a new album, NOW, due in September, and the first single, River, out and ready to set things up for the next tour. The River Tour brings Grunwald to Blues On Broadbeach 29 May, then after a run down south, he plays 19 Jun at The Triffid, 2 & 3 Jul at Byron Theatre, Byron Bay and 4 Jul it’s Bello Winter Music Festival in Bellingen time.

GOT MILK?

Grammy-nominated folk duo The Milk Carton Kids have announced a string of east coast dates in Australia in June and July, following the release of their third studio album Monterey. Aside from their show at Bello Winter Festival, they’ll be headling shows at Old Museum, 3 Jul.

METALHEADS UNITE Relentless metal traditionalists Death Dealer are making their way to Australia in September, armed with their debut album Warmaster, which was released in 2013. If you dig your classic power metal with an edge of thrash and speed, head to Crowbar, 11 Sep.

THE KITE STRING TANGLE & DUSTIN TEBUTT

ILLUMINATING DOUBLE

Danny Harley, who travels as The Kite String Tangle, and Dustin Tebbutt have teamed up to cut a new track, Illuminate, and their taking to the road in a double-headliner tour to perform it together.

The vinyl release also features Harley covering Tebbutt’s The Breach, while Tebbutt covers Harley’s Words, so you can expect combined as well as solo sets on the tour. Accompanied by special guest Joy, they play 20 Jun at The Triffid.

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local news qld.news@themusic.com.au

BEN LEE

CLASSIC LEE

There’s a new album, Love Is The Great Rebellion, due 29 May, but Ben Lee will be including plenty of classics alongside new songs on his next east coast tour which will bring him in intimate mode, 5 Jun, to Black Bear Lodge.

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BIRDS OF TOKYO

SPREADING THE WINGS

Having moved over to America in 2014, Birds Of Tokyo have been spending their time playing a heap of gigs and developing new tunes. With four new songs unveiled to their huge fanbase last Friday, their first batch of songs since their 2013 hit album March Flies, the group are celebrating with a massive national tour and a fully formed EP, titled Anchor. Get in on the action when the alt-rock juggernauts make their way to The Triffid, 6 Jun.

TAKING IT SLOW

Showcasing his debut album, Slow Gum, Fraser A Gorman is finally ready to take his idiosyncratic passion for all things American rock’n’roll for a run around the nation on a headline tour. That’ll see the singer-songwriter play 11 Jul at Junk Bar in solo mode.

GOOD ONRA

Parisian producer and Red Bull Music Academy alumni Onra has added four dates to his impending visit to Australia, including one at Woolly Mammoth, 21 May. Onra’s visiting to launch the Red Bull Music Academy presents The Studio series at VIVID Live.

QFF

July sees the launch of the Queensland Film Festival (QFF). The festival’s hosted at New Farm Six Cinemas and will showcase the best films from around the world in a program featuring a dozen feature films and supporting in short films. QFF’s debut line-up includes Philippe Garrel’s Jealousy, Peter Strickland’s The Duke Of Burgundy, and Guy Maddin and Evan Johnson’s The Forbidden Room, as well as emerging local works such as Eight by first-time Brisbane filmmaker Peter Blackburn. It all happens 24 – 26 Jul.

MUM JUST ASKED ME WHAT A FATASS NUG WAS WE WISH WE COULD WITNESS @LORDEMUSIC EXPLAINING THIS TO HER MUM.

KIWI RISING

He’s been living in Melbourne two years now, but New Zealand still wants to claim Marlon Williams as its own. With the release of his debut album, he’s soon going to be international property, so now’s the time to get in and catch him before he’s off to the UK and US. Laura Jean will be the special guest when Marlon Williams & The Yarra Benders play 7 Jul at The Foundry.

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TOGETHER ALONE

For his latest single, Hold On Together, Brisbane’s Jeremy Neale reunited with Phoebe Imhoff, with he previously duetted on the title track of his In Stranger Times EP. Neale will be performing it and plenty of your other faves from his catalogue 19 Jun at Black Bear Lodge and 20 Jun at Solbar in Maroochydore.

THE MUSIC • 29TH APRIL 2015 • 9

food

#foodstagram n this Instagram age we live in, anyone can be a food blogger. You don’t even have to be good at writing about or critiquing food – as long as you eat out or cook a lot, can take a decent photo, and have a certain amount of followers, you can call yourself a food blogger. So now we see people trying to set themselves apart by carving a niche, a gimmick – whether that’s creating a place for foodie culture backlash, or finding a cute way of presenting food that is reblog- or share-worthy. Here we look at some examples of popular niche food-related social media accounts, examine why they’ve struck a chord, and ponder what that says about us.

even look appetising: pulled pork in a cardboard box, dessert on a fake newspaper (why?), chips in a pint mug, ice cream on a slate. Wooden serving boards were chic at first but they’re everywhere now and if you stop to think about the hygiene aspect, well, some of these cheap boards look like they’d absorb the natural skin grease of anyone who touches them. Detergent can only do so much. Tip: hip crockery’s all about handmade ceramics, texture and shape now.

FOOD-SHAMING

CUTE AS HELL

Let’s start with the backlash stuff, because who doesn’t enjoy a bit of schadenfreude? We’ve got an Internet

There’s this Japanese YouTube account called

Stephanie Liew dives into the world of niche foodies on the internet.

I

JULIE’S KITCHEN / FOOD COLLAGES

Food Police in Australia (he’s a Sydney bloke, to be precise), and he goes by the name of Cook Suck.

He’s on Twitter, Instagram (5.3k followers), Facebook (9.1k likes) and maintains a blog, where he just tears down the awful photos of truly shitty meals that some people willingly upload onto the internet. Cook Suck’s lengthy spiels have a rage-filled charm to them, and as well as being entertaining and hilariously snarky they’re often timely, address newsworthy topics (for example, he rips into someone’s photo of bacon that was hashtagged #fuckhalal) and food trends that just won’t die, and speculate about the reasons why anyone would proudly share with other people a photo of defrosted veggies and a sad clump of meat. Cook Suck toes the line of taking it too far at times, and seems to cop a lot of abusive comments from the kind of people who would post the pics he mocks; he also seems to relish these insults. Cookingforbae on Instagram (144k followers) works with a similar concept, except they opt for snide, short captions rather than long rants. And Once Loyal Customer on Facebook shares the best and worst online restaurant reviews, many of which seem to come from entitled fusspots.

Then there’s the WeWantPlates Twitter account (33.5k followers), which calls out restaurants and cafes that don’t serve their meals in bowls or plates, but rather on wooden boards, in wire baskets and so on instead – because trendy, right? Sometimes it’s twee but harmless, but often it’s impractical and doesn’t 10 • THE MUSIC • 29TH APRIL 2015

million subscribers). Its videos are all cooking tutorials, with the unnamed chef going through the recipe steps while a dog, Francis, narrates in thickly-accented English. Sometimes Francis is wearing accessories like a bow-tie and glasses. It’s as adorable as it sounds, and informative, too!

Going back to the miniature food thing, RachelsLittleThings on Instagram is a miniature artist, and one of her mini creations is food – mostly cakes and sweets. These ones aren’t edible (she uses polymer clay among other media) but it’s riveting to watch the videos of her decorating the tiny sculptures with such a steady hand.

SPECIFIC AF Some people stretch themselves too thin trying to cover as much as possible. Others have worked out that success means picking one thing and sticking to it. See Aussie burger review blog The Burger Adventure (19.1k Instagram followers).

Other food publications use them as a source; they’ve proved themselves to be experts in their field. They rate burgers on a five-tier scale from ‘Don’t Bother’ to ‘Go Now!’, with notes for ‘sleepiness’ and how many serviettes you’ll need.

CHEFJACQUESLAMERDE

Miniature Space (200k subscribers). Its videos all show someone (or their hands, at least) cooking various foods (burgers, yakitori, cake, French fries, curry, pancakes, sushi…), in super small sizes, using real ingredients in tiny amounts, with tiny utensils and appliances, in a tiny kitchen. It’s ridiculous and it’s fun to watch and also weirdly soothing to see a giantlooking hand holding a miniscule knife with the tips of its thumb and forefinger, slicing through a miniature loaf of bread. The most popular vids have more than 1.2million views.

Another popular Japanese YouTube cooking channel is Cooking With Dog (almost a

TheRamenRater.com does a similar thing but with instant noodles; since the late noughties, Hans Lienesch has reviewed more than 715 varieties of instant noodles. After the blog took off, people from around the world, online retailers and distributors, and even bigger corporations started sending packets of noodles over to him. TheRamenRater has also been mentioned in an impressive amount of articles, mostly from Asian media. Though the website itself is not much to look at, it actually has a lot of useful information for lovers of the instant noodle; the guy is thorough, like, he’s got a section purely dedicated to the forks that come with the packets.

Potato scallops. Potato cakes. A fiery debate about the deep-fried snack’s name broke out on Aussie Twitter in October last year, which some of you may have witnessed/participated in. Whichever state you come from, we can all agree that potato cakes (VIC-based writer here so VIC rules) are a national treasure. That’s why we’re hoping Instagram account Cakeitorleaveit will take off. It’s fairly new and just Melbourne-based, rating cakes according to batter, slice, crunch, atmosphere and condiments. Maybe as it expands it might team up with potato cake enthusiasts in other states so that our whole country’s covered for potato cake reviews – who knows? In any case, Cakeitorleaveit is doing the Melbourne public a great service.

FOOD AS ART As the adage goes, we eat with our eyes before we eat with our mouths. The presentation of a meal affects how we think it’s going to taste. Some plating is so damn beautiful it makes the food look like it belongs in a gallery, not wasting away in someone’s stomach. ChefJacquesLamerde on Instagram (57.2k followers) shows off some serious plating techniques in his photos, but there’s a twist: he only uses junk food (occasionally using trendy garnishes such as edible flowers) – thereby parodying high-end dining, and small, expensive meals where looks overshadow substance. His profile description is “small portions | tweezered everything” and he writes only in caps-lock, using wanky food descriptors like ‘hand-torn [Twinkie chunks]’, ‘[Oreo] soil’, ‘[Powerade] gel’, ‘[Miracle Whip] crema’ … He’s an artist, a genius, a joker.

Another Instagram/blog turning junk food into slick art is Fat And Furious Burger (21.2k Instagram followers), from the minds of two French graphic designers. They make these wack burgers, experimenting with things you would not think to put between buns, and present the results in an innovative way that’s made to be photographed. The photos themselves are incredible: zany, bright, fun and much of the time surreal-looking. The burgers are often made into other objects, like an oyster,

CAKEITORLEAVEIT

snowman, space ship, ice cream, mutated monster/animal, pineapple. In September last year, they released a cookbook of 60 of their recipes.

Less intense and more food-based is the food collage work of JuliesKitchen on Instagram (112k followers), which you

MINIATURE SPACE

can find under the tag #julieskitchenfoodcollage.

She manually arranges cut-up fruits, vegetables, herbs and other things into an aesthetically-pleasing pattern, then takes a snap. Julie says the collages started out as a way for her to showcase seasonal local offerings from markets and her garden, then evolved into a study of plant design and colour theory, and now she does custom collages for clients and even teaches her way of food styling in a class on SkillShare. She’s making money from playing with food – dreams can come true. IdaFrosk on Instagram (280k followers) takes it even further, literally creating cartoon-like pictures of animals, people and cute nature scenes from shapes made of food.

THE MUSIC • 29TH APRIL 2015 • 11

music

SHINY HAPPY PEOPLE

English indie rock quartet Peace have returned with a brilliant second album. Harry Koisser talks to Scott Aitken about life on the road, growing up and staying positive. ince releasing their first album, In Love, in 2013, British rock four-piece Peace have been steadily building an international following with their exhilarating and uplifting mix of guitar-driven indie pop, bolstered by the success of songs like the dreamy pop of California Daze and the upbeat, euphoric funk of Lost On Me. Happy People is their ambitious follow-

S

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up less than two years on from and largely written during the tour for that first album. Vocalist and songwriter Harry Koisser says leaving the country for the first time to tour was a lifechanging experience.

“I’d always lived in this bubble of what I knew and all I knew before was taking girls around the town centre and getting drunk and going to nightclubs. Then suddenly I’m playing shows and going to the other side of the world and it was quite eye-opening, just to the fact that I realised there was more to life than just having a good time in Birmingham city centre, so I think that was a major change.”

When it came time to write lyrics for the new album, Koisser says he felt a need for a more focused approach to the writing process, something he admits he’d been somewhat lackadaisical about on their previous efforts. “I thought about the lyrics a little bit more on this one and I really wanted to improve. I wasn’t unhappy with the lyrics before but my writing style had been sort of irresponsible. I’d kind of just write lyrics on walls or on my hand or just lie and say I’d written them and then write them in the vocal booth when we were recording. With this album, I wanted to try and write all the lyrics and get them done and it’s a bit more enjoyable and quite fulfilling when you’ve got a song written before you record it. You can kind of listen to it and decide if you’re into it or not so I guess I’m just a bit more conscious about everything.”

While songs like O You and Under The Moon reflect the more optimistic impression of the album title, the twist is that many of the songs deal with darker subject matter such as songs like Perfect Skin that deal with themes of image, anxiety and self-loathing.

While Koisser admits there were darker turns on this album, he says writing the material helped exorcise a few demons of his own. “I like the idea that music is kind of a cure and a therapy and you know for me it always has been. I like the idea that you can write these songs that are about dark things, or you know things that seem dark to us, and then have the music sounding quite uplifting and quite sort of like colourful and the sort of juxtaposition of that I’m really into.”

WHAT: Happy People (Columbia/Sony) WHEN & WHERE: 6 May, The Zoo; 10 May, Groovin The Moo, Townsville

METAL EVOLUTION

Having bonded over Meshuggah, Opeth’s Mikael Akerfeldt talks with Jonty Czuchwicki about consumer backlash and the importance of broadening your mind’s musical tastes.

O

peth is a band many list as an influence to their music today. But who similarly influenced Akerfeldt in the formative years of Opeth? Born in 1974 and growing up during the ‘80s heavy metal boom in Sweden, the British heavy metal (Black Sabbath, Deep Purple) and German heavy metal (Scorpions) scenes “were massive here!” says Akerfeldt enthusiastically over the phone.

“Everyone was into heavy metal, and of course I was too! Ever since then I had dreams of becoming a ‘rock star’”, he says the words almost sarcastically. “I didn’t really know what it meant… the word rock star, but I had heard that is what it was called.” Fast forward 25 years and Opeth are touring on the back of their 11th studio album, Pale Communion. The record channels old-school progressive rock, and although there isn’t a lot of planning for Akerfeldt when writing a record he states that “throughout the years I have been listening to lots of progressive rock, of course, which is a not so well-known secret.”

Akerfeldt collects progressive rock on vinyl and has thousands of LPs in his collection. It’s been making its way slowly into his writing since he was 19. Akerfeldt is 40 years old now. “It’s been a part of our sound since the beginning; the last two records might have more emphasis on [progrock] than they do on extreme forms of metal.”

12 • THE MUSIC • 29TH APRIL 2015

The Opeth singer is genuinely bamboozled when I ask for his favourite prog-rock record. “Shit. Oh My God! I can’t say that!” He thinks for a second… “For now, just for now, one of the very most important records for me is the first King Crimson album.” He must have been grinning from ear to ear when he says “they are almost like Black Sabbath… but with saxophone!”

Akerfeldt spoke liberally about drugs, but he is drug free and has always been drug free. Admittedly he has “smoked a little bit of weed… not because I wanted to but because I

have been drunk.” Akerfeldt also muses of a time he once smoked magic mushrooms. “It wasn’t a good experience. It’s not something I want to do again.” Akerfeldt sticks to beer and wine.

In Australia he’s fond of drinking Coopers.

Consumer backlash has been a hot topic since the late progression of Opeth’s sound on Heritage and Pale Communion. Why are fans of heavy music so close-minded? “I was the same, you know,” Akerfeldt admits. “It sounds like a fucking cliché to be honest but I’m older now. I like to think a bit wiser too!

I had an extreme form of tunnel vision when I was into extreme metal. It had to be a certain way or I was just not interested.” Akerfeldt believes some fans need to get a grip. Some feel as if they own Opeth. They get upset about it when there’s a departure. “Sooner or later [these people] have got to open their mind. I would rather have this uproar than for people just to shrug at our music.”

WHEN & WHERE: 6 May, Eatons Hill

FOLLICLE ROCK

Getting The Beards to talk about anything else is like trying to bathe a cat. Despite this undeniable fact Roshan Clerke persists with bassist Nathaniel Beardman, who stubbornly avoids the task of discussing anything other than extended stubble.

T

he Music begins this chat with Nathaniel Beardman, oddly not his real name, with origins, and things look promising as he opens up about his pre-bearded life. “We met at university.

Three of us were in the beards club and playing as a themeless comedy band called The Dairy Brothers, until one day we saw a guy on the plaza at university singing songs about beards. We had been writing a

load of beard-related poetry separately, and we decided to form a band with him.” The guitar player remains in the band to this day, under the name of Facey McStubbleton. “We don’t like to look back on that era very much because quite frankly we were a horrible band. And we didn’t have beards.”

Beardman goes on to share the story of his first beard. “I grew my first beard when I was 20. Since then, I’ve gone back and taken all the evidence and photos from before I had a beard and burned them.” He briefly lets the history rest there.

“If I had to choose one beard to be the greatest of all time, I would choose Charles Darwin’s beard,” he says after much faux-egalitarian hesitation. “A lot gets written about him and he gets a lot of scientific respect and credit, but he never receives enough attention for his beard. I think he would have been just as famous if he didn’t do anything other than grow that beard.”

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While we’re on the topic of social evolution, we discuss the beard as a symbol of male power and patriarchy. “We think beards go beyond the realm of the male. They are a universal symbol of greatness and we encourage everyone to grow a beard.”

Nonetheless, he’s soon unconsciously backtracking when he asserts that “a beard is nature’s way of showing manliness and power.” He claims to be convinced that history will show that shaving was a fad, not the pastoral or primitive image of the beard, and for a while harps on about Gillette conspiracies.

It’s pointed out that studies have actually found that women perceive bearded men as being more masculine, but are more attracted to men with heavy stubble. “I think you need to show scrutiny towards the people who made these studies,” he suggests.

“Were they being paid by a shaving company?

Was the person who conducted the study unable to grow a healthy beard and wanted to sway the research? Those findings seem spurious at best.”

WHEN & WHERE: 30 Apr, The Spotted Cow, Toowoomba; 1 May, The Triffid; 2 May, Urban Country Music Festival, Caboolture; 3 May, The Northern, Byron Bay

A SPANISH AFFAIR

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Is that a Spanish True Detective? Anthony Carew takes us through the Spanish Film Festival.

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ild Tales is aptly named. Damián Szifrón’s suite of six savage revenge stories is a wildly enjoyable collection of wildly told tales. They’re essentially moral fables that escalate rapidly, pull a reverse and deliver a black comic pay-off. Wild Tales is far-and-away the standout film at this year’s Spanish Film Festival, where it screens as the Closing Night film.

Opening Night, however, is a different story. Spanish Affair is an excruciating commercial rom-com filled with all manner of contrived broad-farce set-ups. The Unexpected Life fares far better as broadly pleasing rom-com; it delivers a super-charming Javier Cámara and Raúl Arévalo as a pair of Spanish cousins shacked up in a Manhattan apartment together, its tale shot through with both cutesy romanticism and genuine melancholy. Arévalo also takes a lead turn in Marshland, which – with its moustachioed, self-destructive cops investigating a murder in a backwater – has scored comparisons to True Detective.

There’s none of Carey Fukunaga’s daring formalism, but Alberto Rodríguez’s film has a real sense of grit, its 1980 setting – in the days following Franco’s death – not just an excuse for “period” wardrobe.

Many of the fest’s best films come from elsewhere.

Open Cage is a droll character study set against Mexican economic collapse; Saudade a sad-eyed, coming-ofage ensemble movie in which a host of teens lose

their innocence during Ecuador’s 1999 financial meltdown; Natural Sciences a pleasingly minimal, vérité-tinged search-for-a-birthfather movie set in rural Argentina. The pick of these, however, is surely Dust On The Tongue, in which a pair of urban-hipster grandkids venture into rural Colombia to scatter their grandmother’s ashes and tend to their terminal grandfather.

Rubén Mendoza’s beautifully shot, quietly wry film is a weighty parable, its portrait of a grand patriarch on his deathbed – one whose land will be bequeathed to his many grandchildren, if the local guerrillas don’t forcibly take it – heavy with symbolism.

WILD TALES

The rest of the fest includes the latest work for Australian-in-Mexico ex-pat Michael Rowe, who follows his artful-fucking film, Leap Year, with the grim domestic drama, The Well, while Finding Gaston is a light-and fluffy documentary chronicling the career of Peruvian chef Gastón Acurio.

A trio of films about grief couldn’t be more different. Flowers is a measured Basque drama about loneliness, alienation, aging and regret. They Are All Dead is a coming-of-age comedy in which a surly Mexican-Spanish teen’s former rock star mother sees the ghost of her dead bandmate/brother. And Shrew’s Nest, a stylishly shot horror flick produced by Álex de la Iglesia, is a thrill ride blackened by both fascist symbolism and dark comedy.

WHEN & WHERE: 29 Apr – 13 May, Palace Barracks & Palace Centro; 30 Apr – 7 May, Palace Byron Bay THE MUSIC • 29TH APRIL 2015 • 13

film

GROWING MYTHS

David Zellner’s movie about a Japanese woman in search of the buried suitcase from Fargo is no homage to the Coen Brothers. Zellner sits down with Anthony Carew.

“T

here’s less mystery in the world now,” laments David Zellner. “There’s no uncharted lands, everything is mapped out with satellite imagery. If you’re seeking information, you have the immediate gratification of finding it online. The facts are so close at hand, it’s harder for myths to grow.”

The Austin, Texas-based filmmaker is speaking, broadly, about his most recent feature, Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter (the follow-up to the weird, great Kid-Thing). The film, which Zellner co-wrote with

music

his brother, Nathan, was inspired by a 2001 stranger-than-fiction tale where a Japanese woman travelled from Tokyo to Minnesota to look for the buried suitcase of money from the Coen Brothers’ legendary comedy Fargo.

“We heard about it on message-boards, this was well before Twitter or Facebook,” says Zellner.

“It was an urban legend, this mythical quest; something so strange and mysterious to us, that something like this could happen in the modern age... The fact that the story was incomplete and kind of mysterious, that there was this absolute lack of information, only fuelled our obsession with it.”

The Zellner brothers immediately wrote a screenplay, but that marked the start of their own epic journey: from first draft to final cut taking 12 years. “We’d go off and work on other projects,” says Zellner, “but we’d always come circling back, because we were obsessed with this project in the same way that Kumiko was obsessed with her quest.”

Even once the Zellners entered production, the filming of Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter was a “huge logistical ordeal”. The shooting had to be seasonally specific, and on location in Japan and in the snowy US Midwest. Aside from the brothers and their cinematographer, Sean Porter, there were entirely different crews on each continent.

“It was essentially like making two completely separate movies, back-to-back,” says Zellner.

The drama is hitched to a central performance by the ever-great Rinko Kikuchi, which, Zellner enthuses, “artfully balances the humour and the pathos of the role, whilst still having such empathy for the character”. The character’s motivations or sanity are never defined, which sits at the centre of a drama out to play with “different versions of the truth”.

And for those who love Fargo, this film’s deadpan comedy and snowy scenery will feel familiar. “We didn’t set out to make a homage to the Coen Brothers; if the urban legend had been about some other film, we would have made it about that. But that said, the fact that it was about Fargo always just seemed like a perfect part of the story, like it was intrinsic to why people were so obsessed with this quest.”

WHAT: Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter In cinemas 30 Apr

BREAKING POINT Celebrating the tenth anniversary of their second album, Silverstein drummer Paul Koehler tells Daniel Cribb its release not only changed their lives, but an entire scene.

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anadian post-punk/emo outfit Silverstein may be eight albums into their career and showing no signs of slowing down, but had it not been for the almost perfect storm surrounding the release of their second album, Discovering The Waterfront, back in 2005, the band mightn’t have made it this far. “We’d never done anything like that,” drummer Paul Koehler admits of the album.

With some of the band still teenagers at that point, Silverstein wrote the classic album in a basement, but, unlike their debut album, When Broken Is Easily Fixed, they then flew to California to record in the world class studios they lived out of at the time. “I remember wrapping the recording, immediately flying back home, jumping back in the van and on tour with Fall Out Boy. And it was just when they were starting to really take off.

“It was just a totally different experience and we were kind of in this bubble; we didn’t realise how important this was going to become. I think not realising that made it a lot less stressful. So we were just kind of young, naive kids just having fun, you know?”

You’ll often hear of bands looking back at music and lyrics from their teens and cringing at some of it, but when Silverstein went back to revisit the songs from Discovering The Waterfront for a worldwide anniversary tour, that wasn’t the case. “We love everything that we’ve 14 • THE MUSIC • 29TH APRIL 2015

done and most of the songs we wrote – we’ve recorded over a hundred of them now and most of them we love. There’s nothing we despise and that’s why we still like playing them and it’s fun to rotate the set and play different stuff every time.”

Not wanting the tour to transform them into a nostalgia act, they ensured it also tied in with the release of a new album.

“I’d say it’s a continuation of [2013’s This Is How the Wind Shifts], but it’s a lot darker; the songwriting has yet again expanded,” Koehler explains of their eighth studio album, I Am Alive In Everything I Touch.

“The riffs are more intricate, and the heavy

parts are heavier and the melodic parts are more melodic, so it’s really pulled in every direction. We’re just really excited about it. I think it’s absolutely some of our best songs that we’ve ever written.”

The expansion of sound can be attributed in part to guitarist Paul Marc Rousseau, who signed up in 2012. “We knew we that wanted to have a new album recorded before [the tour] because it was all about looking forward while celebrating the past… I think we became very self-aware of what we have done. And I think it’s just good.

“As an artist you can get lost – especially if you get a couple records in – and you’re just looking ahead. It’s nice to kind of look around you and see why you’ve gotten to where you are today and what an important part of what your success is.”

WHAT: I Am Alive In Everything I Touch (Rise Records/ADA) WHEN & WHERE: 3 May, The Hi-Fi

THE MUSIC • 29TH APRIL 2015 • 15

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NOISY ACHIEVERS They’ve been nominated for multiple ARIA Awards, toured Europe four times and played debut shows to full rooms in Asian territories where distribution has been limited to a simple Bandcamp page and a rabid fanbase – Tyler McLoughlan speaks to bassist Alex Wilson about how sleepmakeswaves evolved into the little Sydney band that could.

“I

t’s really changed a lot since we started out, and what we’ve tried to do is never abandon that grassroots thing, just integrate it in different ways,” begins Alex Wilson from a hotel room in Wuhan, China, where sleepmakeswaves are in the midst of a debut visit. The four-piece took Australian instrumental rock to #31 on the ARIA charts with last

year’s second longplayer, Love Of Cartography, and have been steadily opening up international opportunities for themselves while never forgetting the underlying ethos that built them back in 2006.

“When we started out we released everything for free and we’d sink all our money into making a record, and then we’d get approached by these little websites called netlabels and they’d be like, ‘We love your music, can we just put it up here?’ And we’d be like, ‘Sure.’ And so it was using the

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power of the internet to get the music out there to begin with in a very unpretentious, hands-off kind of way,” says Wilson, who thoroughly got a kick out of recently meeting up with the European pianist who transformed the entirety of Love Of Cartography on his YouTube channel at a time where rights management issues would in many cases inhibit that connection.

And that’s precisely the point; it’s this active encouragement of meaningful fan interaction that’s grown a self-perpetuating community around sleepmakeswaves, allowing them to keep gaining the next new town, the next new country. As they journey home from their European and Asian dates, Wilson’s thoughts are on their biggest Australian tour to date.

“What I like about the Australian tours is that we get a big mix of things; we go and play a show in Port Macquarie which is quite a small show, but very passionate and very real and very close, and on the other side of the spectrum we’re looking at our biggest-ever Sydney hometown show at The Metro Theatre – that’s gonna be something we never thought that we’d do. Having that diversity is great and obviously the Australian crowd is pretty special, and on some level there’s always going to be a connection that is really unique. You know, we put Sydney on the cover of [Love Of Cartography], and the Australian landscape on the cover of the other one. [In Australia], we kind of love our bands to be successful.

When they saw that the little guys were doing well, then that seemed to make an even bigger impact.”

WHEN & WHERE: 1 May, The Northern, Byron Bay; 2 May, The Zoo

HEY, TEACH

Peaches chats to Simone Ubaldi about being in a new city, finding “dumb beats” and treading new emotional territory.

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long-time resident of Berlin, the Canadianborn avant-garde gender terrorist Peaches, whose real name is Merrill Beth Nisker, went looking for a milder place in which to record her new album, and ended up in a leafy neighbourhood of Los Angeles. “Why not be somewhere sunny and warm where everything is easy, right? And then you have a little garage that’s your own, 24 hours a day, and when shit’s going wrong, you can walk outside into the sunshine,” she shrugs.

amazingly dumb, it’s just like someone so baked out, but it works! It’s just like, ‘How is this working?! Why?’ I want all music to go this way.

I don’t mean dumb like dumbed down, I just mean minimal, basic, but it works,” she laughs.

If Berlin is the perfect home for experimental art, LA seems a weird fit for someone of Peaches’ anarchic disposition. But LA is a big city, she explains – you just have to dig deep. “There are so many different scenes going on. It’s a constant process of discovery, finding real, underground, fun things to do. I’ve gone to some incredible parties here. I went to this party in south LA and the whole street was just like street food and vegan food; people just setting up booths and hanging out. It was such a nice vibe. And it was a Tuesday night or something. I was just like, ‘Wow, this is so great!’”

Due for release sometime this year, the new album promises a return to form. “I love it. I don’t know what to say. It’s so classic me, this album.” Post-gender politics are front and centre again, along with the hard-edged beats of the Fatherfucker era, but Peaches is taking us into new emotional territory. “I know people probably think I have, but I’ve never written a really angry, emotional song. [One

While working on her sixth studio album, the followup to 2009’s I Feel Cream, Peaches has been on the hunt for what she calls “dumb beats”. Two Californian rappers fitted the bill; she cites Gas Pedal by Sage The Gemini and CoCo by OT Genasis as earworms that fed her personal musical palette. “That CoCo song is 16 • THE MUSIC • 29TH APRIL 2015

of the new tunes] is the most intense song I’ve ever done. It’s about break-up shit; it’s pretty obvious.”

Peaches has also just released a photo book, What Else Is In The Teaches Of Peaches (Akashic Books), a documentary record of the last six years in the life of Peaches: on tour, performing rock opera, making a film and being generally awesome. With contributions from Yoko Ono, Michael Stipe and actress Ellen Page, the book is a collaboration between Peaches and photographer Holger Talinski.

“He’s a skater kid,” she explains. “He asked if he could take pictures of me and I just told him to come along [to a show] one night. And he was just so pleasant and unassuming and helpful I said, ‘Why don’t you come on the tour? Why don’t you come meet my parents? Why don’t you come over here?’”

WHEN & WHERE: 6 May, The Hi-Fi; 10 May, Groovin The Moo, Annandale

GUT INSTINCT They used to be known for sharing a rehearsal space with fellow Toronto punks Fucked Up, but these days Metz need no coattails to ride on. Frontman Alex Edkins tells Steve Bell that honesty is still the best policy.

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anadian noise-rockers Metz burst onto the scene in 2012 with their eponymous debut album, an abrasive assault on the senses that was as tight and well crafted as it was ugly and cacophonous. Now, honed by two years of relentless touring, the three-piece are back with Metz II, a collection of aural bombardments which expands on its predecessor’s palette with compromising the power and intensity that made their opening gambit do visceral and imperative.

“I think all three of us are really satisfied and feel that we’ve made something that we’re proud of,” Edkins enthuses. “We just wanted to more or less make the record that we felt we would have made regardless of the circumstances – regardless of whether anyone was going to listen or not – and just make the honest music from the gut that we’ve always made.

We’re pretty stoked.”

Edkins explains that how a song might go over live is a massive consideration during Metz’s creative process.

“I think it’s actually one of the main criteria – that’s what decides

whether it’s good enough to be on a record,” he tells.

“It’s the first thing when we’re arranging it and writing it – does it feel good with just the three of us playing it, and will it be able to translate in the same way on the album? I think it’s really tempting in the studio to layer tons and tons of instruments and just experiment – I’ve seen a lot of bands do it where they’ve got this really lush, amazing, crazy album but when it comes time to perform it it’s a disaster because they’ve bitten off more than they can chew. For us it’s the reverse of that – we use the fact that it’s just the three of us as these limitations to our benefit and try to just work with the three main ingredients and make that work.”

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The scabrous vocals on Metz II aren’t enough to conceal Edkins’ adroit way with words, and he admits to some literary influences that may not be immediately apparent. “I kind of think of it as just how I and how we in general relate to the things around us – loved ones, romantic relationships, social media, government, pharmaceutical drugs, how do we cope with death and how do we cope with depression and things like this,” he explains of the album’s themes. “It’s wide as far as the things it covers, but I always aim for a more cinematic approach where I don’t get too specific, instead I try to paint a little picture like a couple of scenes from a movie or something – that’s my aim at least. I don’t want to tell people the beginning and the end of a story, I just want to tell them part of it. I’ve been reading a lot of Raymond Carver short stories and he’s the master of doing that – he’ll introduce you to this really amazing story line and cut you off right when something monumental is about to happen.”

WHAT: Metz II (Sub Pop/Inertia)

MAGIC FORMULA

music

Miami Horror joined the “strange melting pot” that is LA to explore all the possible directions they could take on their second album, Ben Plant and Josh Moriarty tell Stephanie Liew.

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iami Horror have spent the last three years living mostly in Los Angeles, drawing on its “weirdness and sunshine” for inspiration during the making of their second album, All Possible Futures. Producer and synth/bass player Ben Plant says that the move took some convincing, though.

“We toured through there a few times. I just wanted to live there for a little while; I was first thinking three months to a year,” says Plant. “Everyone else wasn’t that sold until we’d went through [LA] a few more times and then the other guys were like, ‘Nah, this is interesting, let’s do it.’ So it was just based purely around the fact that more than anything it’s a strange melting pot of people from all around America – just like the freaks from each town that don’t know what to do with themselves. And then there’s just the overall look of it... It just looked very cinematic and it inspired you because of all the colour and the light. We wanted to take that in and just live that lifestyle, that almost fantastical lifestyle.”

“There’s such a history of it, of great bands… the American dream and all sorts of things like that, that you get when you’re in California, hey?” adds vocalist/ guitarist Josh Moriarty, who remained in Melbourne but went to LA a few months a year to work with the

band. They ended up writing about two thirds of the album in LA and a third in Melbourne.

Plant had stated that the band wanted to creatively explore every direction they could go for All Possible Futures, and with swirling synth, party jams, soulful melodies, and sunny disco -op, the album covers a lot of ground. Is its title reflective of the band’s creative processes?

“That’s one third of the reason [for the title],” says Plant. “The second would be that it’s open to interpretation and everyone can think something about it themselves, and the third one was more personal… I

always think about every path in life and try to see the end result of every one, so it’s like, there is all these possible futures and you just have to pick which one you want and try to work towards it.

It’s pretty obvious but it’s also kinda philosophical in the sense that you’re in control of that.”

“Are you, though?” says Moriarty. “You can steer your ship in that direction but if the wave takes you in the other, then there’s nothing you can do about it.”

“Well, of course, if something really bad happens, but you can be in as much control as possible. It’s more just like the concept of it... Or the relationship stuff too; when I broke up with this girlfriend who I was madly in love with, suddenly all these people were telling me all these stories about how they broke up, how it happened, what they did after it, and it was like the same paths. It was like you could almost write a systematic book… like, turn to page 57 if this happened. I just saw all these patterns.”

WHAT: All Possible Futures (Remote Control) THE MUSIC • 29TH APRIL 2015 • 17

FULLER ADVICE

general copyright. As a lawyer you’re helping drive the deal or you’re steering a bad deal into something that is workable. You are exposed to a lot of deals; you are able to offer creative people a solution.”

A commercial arts and entertainment lawyer and a bit of music industry all-rounder, Andrew Fuller talks to Sarah Barratt about how formal education and practical experience can shape success.

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ndrew Fuller is a commercial arts and entertainment lawyer, artist manager, arts grant advisor, lecturer and general expert when it comes to the music industry. He has more than 20 years of experience behind him and three university degrees. Fuller started off playing in a band in between finishing a law and commerce degree: “My background originally was a musician. I had that practical experience of touring, releasing records, playing in bands, doing the promotion, we wrote grants, toured Europe a few times. I ended up taking care of the business side of the band as well, so the bank accounts, the business

name, doing all the accounting, the tax.”

After starting, postponing and finally finishing arts, law and commerce degrees, as well as travelling in Europe and working as a musician, Fuller found that there were definitely important aspects to both formal education and practical experience for an artist. “That really set me up for my future.

I’m glad I made those decisions where I did.”

Fuller also explains that creative industry requires some basic legal know-how. “It’s really an amalgam of contracts law and intellectual property law, with a smattering of competition law and

For those of us who are creative and can’t afford to see a lawyer, or don’t need to just yet, Fuller suggests some free resources. “Australian Copyright Council, Music Victoria, similarly the Arts Law Centre of Australia. There are lots of institutions and resources around to help young artists without needing to go and see someone.”

The most important piece of advice that young artists with little formal education about the music industry could receive would be to not sign a thing, he says.

“I would say the fundamental thing – do not sign anything with anybody without talking to preferably a lawyer or someone who is experienced and independent, with no material interest in the subject matter. Talk to them before you sign anything. It is very easy, with the stroke of a pen, to assign your copyright or transfer the ownership of something forever – a song or a recording or a film that you’ve made, or a play that you’ve written, or a design for a bit of software.

These are all things that can be bought and sold. That could be the one magical bit of property that you create that could be the key to your entire future.”

For Fuller, giving back is certainly part of keeping music education alive too. “I teach a unit in International Music, International Licensing and Publishing at Box Hill Institute, I’m a casual lecturer at Collarts and I also do some teaching at JMC. I really like working with students. I’ve met a lot of young people with fantastic ideas. I think I learn more from them than they do from me. Funnily enough, I get a few clients from teaching as well!”

ON POINT

Dave Aron has worked with Snoog Dogg, U2, Dr Dre, Prince and Tupac. Ahead of a string of JMC workshops in Australia, he tells us a thing or two about his work. Sarah Barratt takes notes.

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or someone who has been so successful in the audio engineering field, with more than 30 years’ experience, it’s no surprise Dave Aron wanted to change the world as a kid. “For me, it was going to be law; I wanted to make a difference.

With the help of my mum’s advice, I found that I could work as an engineer, make a difference and do something I love, which is music.”

Creating tracks with artists and producers is a tense, fulfilling and collaborative process. As an audio engineer and producer, Aron has worked with the best. On Prince, Aron says, “Prince is on another level. It is hard to even describe what he can do; he’s a bad-ass player, his musical vision is amazing, we spent time in the studio and I was just there thinking, wow, this is pretty dope.”

When working at Death Row Records, he met ‘Dazz Of The Dogg Pound’, which led him to work with Snoop Dogg. “At the time, a lot of studios and engineers were scared to work with the Row. There were a lot of stories going around, some true, some not so much, but as an engineer you had to be on point. If you weren’t, there was a chance you were getting hurt.”

Luckily, Aron was on point, and so were the artists.

“Tupac was a very fast worker. The tape had to be set

18 • THE MUSIC • 29TH APRIL 2015

up; you had to be ready to record. You had to know what ‘Pac wanted.

I was there when Suge Knight came in and organised Tupac and Snoop to work on 2 Of Amerikaz Most Wanted. I was there when another engineer ran out of the studio crying, ‘‘Pac’s an asshole’. I was there for a lot of it, I enjoyed it, they treated me great.”

Once the record is down and it’s time to go live, it is always a challenge translating recorded perfection for the stage. For Snoop Dogg’s live show, Aron uses a live band, PA and a specialised Snoop Mic. “I really need to get Snoop’s vocal above the mix, especially using that

custom Snoop Mic, which is just amazing, so I use the Waves Vocal Rider and C4 to have it sit above the mix.”

Aron uses digital plug-ins and Waves Preset a lot, showing that he moves with the times. “You could tell they spent so much time designing these products to get them sounding good, so it’s just a natural relationship.” He is still a fan of the analogue audiotape though, but doesn’t miss how rushed and stressful it used to be in the ‘90s with the rap elite, especially recalling the time when Tupac had just gotten out of jail and was driven straight to the studio.

“I had two 24-track 2” tapes to bounce around and get ready for the sessions – that was the first session.

We did I Ain’t Mad At Cha and Ambitions Az A Ridah. That’s the night Tupac got his iconic Death Row chain. That was music history right there.”

WHO: Dave Aron WHEN & WHERE: 29 Apr, JMC Academy

MARTIN

What kind of courses do you offer? Short courses, certificates, diplomas and degrees in areas of Business & Marketing, Design & Technologies and Tourism & Events.

Do you offer practical on-site learning or more of a theoretical base? We offer a blended mix of both theoretical knowledge and practical real-world training.

What makes you different to other universities? Since opening its doors in 1976, Martin has prioritised career outcomes, focusing on preparing graduates for a future doing what they love. That’s because we know – beyond the respected qualification – it’s ultimately about landing your ideal job.

from career goals and resumes, to job interviews and work experience is covered. A key advantage of the program is the opportunity to undertake a facilitated internship with one of Martin’s respected industry partners as part of your course.

Access to these well-established partner companies will give you the specific skills and real training relevant to your field. You’ll get first-hand professional experience that you can’t get from the classroom alone, and make essential business contacts that will play a significant role in your future networks.

When and where is your next Info Day/Open Day? There are no set Info Days to come up, but you can book a campus tour at any of our four campus locations in Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney or the Gold Coast at a time that suits you by visiting martin.edu.au/about/events-intakes.

Website link for more info? martin. edu.au/TheMusic

Do you offer job opportunities, internships, or other ways to help students get ahead? Martin’s Career Starter Program provides all the tools required to go from academic learning to desired career outcome. Personal consultations, guidance and mentoring are all part of the service and everything

THE MUSIC • 29TH APRIL 2015 • 19

ALBUM OF THE WEEK

★★★★

album/ep reviews

HIATUS KAIYOTE

MUMFORD & SONS

Flying Buddha/Sony

Gentlemen Of The Road/ Dew Process/Universal

Choose Your Weapon Choose Your Weapon is a dreamboat of an album fuelled by sonic satisfaction. The record is comprised of 12 songs and six little interludes that bridge them together, creative and cohesive, satisfying your need for niche consistency combined with the intrepid unpredictability of Hiatus Kaiyote. There’s a plethora of funk, jazz, swing, lounge and soul at play here, all wrapped around Nai Palm’s delightful honey-soaked croon. The record has a continuous flow, as the music within is drool-inducing and will leave you glassy eyed, three or four tracks often seeming to have inexplicably melted into each other.

Hiatus Kaiyote continue to innovate on two fronts. On one hand there’s feel and timing, such as in the choppy breakdown of Shaolin Monk Motherfunk or the stop-start

★★★★

Wilder Mind

verse of By Fire. The album also features more electronic experimentation than in their previous material, for instance on the aptly named Atari, where trickling 8-bit sounds envelop the mix. The musicianship across the record is also top notch with the drumming of Perrin Moss really shining through, along with Simon Mavin’s efforts from behind the keys. Swamp Thing proves to be the standout of the record, as a fuzzed-out bass line is littered with erratic polyrhythms from the piano. It’s rather psychedelic and, it seems, Hiatus Kaiyote can do no wrong.

Jonty Czuchwicki

Mumford & Sons are arguably the spearhead of the Americana/ folk resurgence that we have been privileged to bear witness to in recent years, by they left the scene almost two years ago.

The new age folk aficionados are back, and with a whole new approach to their sound.

Markedly more “electric” than the albums they produced before their hiatus, Wilder Mind sees far more in the way of reverbed, crunchy guitars than banjo, which appears to make no appearance in the album at all. This might come as a rude surprise to some listeners, however it is good to remember that it takes a bold musician to make such a contestable decision.

The first single off the album, Believe, begins in an ethereal manner, with sparse sonic room for Marcus Mumford’s voice, building into a cataclysmic

★★★½

★★★ pounding of drums and ringing chords. As a single it will do (and has already done) very well, but as a contribution to the album it leaves a certain something to be desired, not quite stacking up to the album’s second single, The Wolf.

Overall, Mumford & Sons have put out an incredibly strong comeback album. It gets decidedly better put-together as it progresses, and flows well.

The group has made a logical step in their sound, toeing the very easily trampled line between well written modern music and ‘just another boring indie album’. Wilder Mind is certainly the former.

Lukas Murphy

★★★★

★★★½

OSCAR KEY SUNG

REECE MASTIN

BABY ET LULU

BEST COAST

Warner

Social Family Records

Independent

EMI

Oscar Key Sung’s music can be uncomfortable. It’s locked in tension and sometimes feels unpredictable, as if the Melbourne singer and producer’s whole body is suspended on a breath of air and could slip off at any moment. “I want to break free but I don’t know how,” he sings on Premonition. When the disorientating rhythmic patterns give way to something more recognisable, as on Skip and Brush, the results are all the more relieving. By continually providing a fresh interpretation of whatever R&B means these days, he remains one of our most important artists.

Aussie rocker Reece Mastin is back and better than ever.

Parting ways with his major label and joining Social Family has been the best decision he’s made, replacing his chatty pop songs with a more mature indie-rock sound. Rebel & The Reason gives fans a taste of the new Mastin doing what he does best – rock. Lyrically, Sleep When You’re Dead is a little provocative while Give It To Me Straight is honest. It may have a different sound to what listeners had previously heard from him, but it won’t leave fans disappointed.

A truly “magnifique” partnership was born when Abby Dobson (Leonardo’s Bride) and Lara Goodridge (FourPlay) joined musical forces with a French twist. It can be hard to resist a bit of Parisian accordion as it is; pair it with Dobson and Goodridge’s vibrating harmonies, especially in the seesawing C’est Le Top, and it’s just plain irresistible. Je Suis Venu Te Dire does away with the French pomp and lets the girls’ breathy pouts shine dramatically over piano and strings. Paris and Paris Se Regarde add the theatrical lines and sassy clarinet expected for such song titles.

On their third full-length, Best Coast manage to maintain their lo-fi surf pop foundation while sounding scuzzier and more confident. Lead single, Heaven Sent, is a contender for one of the catchiest songs of the year – an aggressive rock-out where the riffs are loud and Bethany Cosetino’s vocals, layered with harmonies and reverb, are strong and purposeful. Even in the more doleful tracks like Fading Fast and Sleep Won’t Ever Come, Cosentino seems to be searching for answers rather than simply lamenting. You can tell there’s been a lot of growing up since 2010’s Crazy For You.

Carley Hall

Kane Sutton

Altruism

Roshan Clerke

20 • THE MUSIC • 29TH APRIL 2015

Rebel & The Reason

Aneta Grulichova

Album Deux

California Nights

album/ep reviews

★★

★★★½

★★★★½

PALMA VIOLETS

CATHERINE BRITT

DJANGO DJANGO

Rough Trade/Remote Control

Lost Highway/Universal

Because/Warner

Drawing on a range of styles from Americana to traditional, pop to rock, Britt has produced a strong collection on her sixth album. The opening and title track gets things off to a rollicking, raw start before the beautiful ache of the stringladen Good To Be Bad slows things down. From there on there are a few twee misfires but when she hits the darker, moodier moments like Nice Girl, Britt shows real depth to her craft. Vocally she can sound sweet and twangy like a younger Dolly Parton or rougher-edged like her contemporary Kasey Chambers.

The London four-piece expand on their percussive, idiosyncratic sound with second album, Born Under Saturn, because really, why fix what ain’t broke? Single, First Light is the album’s most easily digestible electric groove flagbearer – though those near deadpan harmonies remain at the forefront – but things get more captivating further in.

Shake & Tremble, Pause Repeat, High Moon and more standouts ensure this album is sometimes pretty, sometimes jarring, but relentlessly interesting.

There’s always more to be discovered in the layers beneath the surface and that’s what makes Django Django such a brilliant indie-rock sidestep.

Danger In The Club Palma Violets had a hit with 2012’s Best Of Friends, a heartfelt, heavy track catchy as hell and emotionally cathartic. Danger In The Club has few similar virtues.

The lyrics are repetitive and forgettable, which is good because when they try to go clever we get stinkers like “soft as quilts and lined with guilt”.

Still, there are a couple of enjoyable tracks, like the garage-poppy Gout! Gang!

Go!. They can write a hook with their hands tied. It’s just unfortunate most of them are drowned in dreary vocals and stodgy production.

Boneshaker

Chris Familton

Madeleine Laing

Born Under Saturn

Carley Hall

★★★½

KING GIZZARD & THE LIZARD WIZARD Quarters

Flightless/Remote Control Having built the hype, now might be the time for KG&TLW to release a chart-bothering collection of fist-pumping rockers, right? Or they could take an unexpected psych-folk direction by unleashing a weird rabbit hole of a record where each of the four songs is exactly ten minutes and 11 seconds.

Their mellowest statement to date, the unexpectedly slinky groove-bait of The River finds the band floating pleasantly into Amorphous Androgynous’ Monstrous Psychedelic Bubble territory and into the realms of technicolour fantasy.

Christopher H James

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★★★★

★★★½

★★★½

MY MORNING JACKET

ROSE WINDOWS

HOWLING

Spunk/Capitol/EMI

Sub Pop/Inertia

MonkeyTown/Inertia

Kentucky country-rockers MMJ’s seventh album – their last was 2011’s Circuital – is a collection of lush, predominantly mid-tempo ramblers housing the delicate, elegant worldview of frontman Jim James. Ethereal opener, Believe (Nobody Knows) takes up where James’ recent solo foray left off – airy and intricate – but from here it gradually returns to more rocking terrain, refined tunes like Spring (Among The Living), Big Decisions and Thin Line conjuring disparate moods and reminiscent of the early MMJ aesthetic rather than more recent forays. A strong band continuing forwards without abandoning the past.

It’s been less than a month since Seattle psychedelic rockers Rose Windows broke up, yet their second and final album now appears on our doorstep like a baby in a basket, the self-titled album following their blissful debut, The Sun Dogs. There’s more tension in the music this time, with chief songwriter Chris Cheveyo laying down Sabbath-like guitar riffs on Glory, Glory while lead singer Rabia Shaheen Qazi howls into the night. However, there are still beams of sunshine in their music, the sextet not losing sight of their trademark exotic flourishes on this final recording.

Having released a few twelves, Âme’s Frank Wiedemann and The Acid’s Aussie vocalist RY X have produced a long-player.

The duo craft a slick electronic pop record that brings together RY X’s introspective folktronica with the thump and shudder associated with the clubs of Berlin, Wiedemann’s hometown.

RY X’s soul-searching melancholia effortlessly drifts across a mix of shimmering and strangely organic electronics.

The deep, bass bottom end seemingly prevents his vocals from completely floating into outer space. This collision of elegant folksy songwriting and dreamy electronica produces fresh interesting results.

The Waterfall

Steve Bell

Rose Windows

Roshan Clerke

Sacred Ground

Deez Nuts – Word Is Bond Tyler, The Creator – Cherry Bomb Turbowolf – Two Hands Delia Gonzalez – In Remembrance Mavis Staples – Your Good Fortune Apocalyptica – Shadowmaker Brian Wilson – No Pier Pressure

Guido Farnell THE MUSIC • 29TH APRIL 2015 • 21

live reviews

THE HARDONS, GOON ON THE ROCKS, WALKEN Crowbar 24 Apr Through some stroke of bad luck, or appropriately misinterpreted intelligence reports, Brisbane is bringing in ANZAC day with two legends of Australian rock’n’roll, The Hard-Ons and the Celibate Rifles, playing at different venues on the same night. In no small part due to the fact that Crowbar is pretty vacant while local hellraisers Walken get up on stage, the two-piece do the no-frills punk and roll

rock sneer filtered through Australian larrikinism.

Whether they fully appreciate or are aware of the fact or not, these bands owe a debt of gratitude to the headliners.

Yet, for all their legacy and influence on the scene, when The Hard-Ons get up on stage they do so without fanfare. Most people in the crowd don’t know they’re about to play until they’re well into the first song; they don’t announce themselves and don’t walk out to the uproarious applause they deserve. It’s fitting as much as it is a travesty, but the trio seems unfazed. No frills has always been a part of their modus operandi, and tonight is no exception. The closest the dudes come to any kind of real production value is taking their shirts off in tandem. Other than that they just bang out

HARD-ONS @ CROWBAR. PIC: TERRY SOO

in the style of Winnebago Deal and they do it well. They bash the shit out of their instruments with little heed to genre or style, only trying to make a big, loud, fast noise.

Watching Goon On The Rocks you get a sense that they’re soon to take off on the same trajectory as Melbourne’s reigning punk rock kings Clowns. A few more years and Goon On The Rocks could very well be the new vanguard of the national scene. Tonight they go from jokey ska microsongs to grindcore numbers to proper hardcore numbers.

What’s funny watching both of tonight’s support acts is just how much you can feel the ethos of The HardOns – the vaguely fuck-you genre mash-ups, the extreme willingness for self-deprecation and that stereotypical punk 22 • THE MUSIC • 29TH APRIL 2015

Dr Bombay are classic pub rock. They’re noisy, pounding and energetic. Gary Slater berates the crowd with a call of “stand at the front, motherfuckers,” but it’s said in jest and the beer-swigging crowd doesn’t seem to mind.

They’re the perfect lead-in to the night’s headliners, Aussie punk rock legends The Celibate Rifles.

The Rifles have played around Australia extensively since 1979, but from the excited reaction of

HARD-ONS @ CROWBAR. PIC: TERRY SOO

cuts from the back catalogue.

They can switch between metal, hardcore, punk and power-pop with a dexterity that the support bands could only ever dream of. And when they hit cuts off last year’s Peel Me Like A Egg the fun keeps up – Burning Up On Re-Entry is one of the set highlights. And then, with about as much fanfare as their entrance, The Hard-Ons exit the stage.

Tom Hersey

THE CELIBATE RIFLES, DR BOMBAY, THE 52 PICKUPS The Underdog 24 Apr The 52 Pickups warm up the room with a sound cleaved

He revisits this sentiment later on. “Look up Snakehips.

Trust me.” (This scribe did.

It’s pretty darned catchy.)

from classic rock. Murray Johnstone sings confidently and plays guitar along with Damien Sanewski, while Kylie Lovejoy provides a steady, thumping bass line.

Drummer Mike Squire also doubles as a trumpeter, adding a unique touch.

There are a couple of slower songs that don’t suit the mood quite as much, but do give the crowd a breather. Some of the audience members are relentless in their song requests and Lovelock has to tell them to be patient. With a backlog of songs as big as theirs, they can’t play everybody’s favourites. By the end of the encore though, it seems that everybody is more than happy; a procession of flushed, sweaty, thirsty fans stagger into the street.

The Rifles put on another solid, energetic show with as much rock’n’roll conviction as any new band out there.

Kathy Pollock

HARD-ONS @ CROWBAR. PIC: TERRY SOO

the audience, you’d be forgiven for thinking that it’s been years.

Having played a stripped-back set the night before, punters are eagerly anticipating a balls-to-the-wall electric set.

They’re not let down. The band steams through their massive discography, playing hits from as early as debut album, 1983’s Sideroxylon. The audience sings enthusiastically along with singer Damien Lovelock, roaring along to sardonic favourite, Wonderful Life.

Lovelock puts on a great show, pantomiming surfing movements, signing a couple of ardent fans’ Rifles LPs midset and chatting with the crowd. “I couldn’t sleep the other night so I turned on the telly and saw a video called Snakehips,” he tells us at one point. “It’s a couple of Japanese, or Chinese women, dancing. It’s mesmerising.”

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PIERCE BROTHERS @ WOOLLY MAMMOTH

Pierce Brothers @ Woolly Mammoth Sam Smith @ Brisbane Riverstage Halfway @ The Triffid

PRE ORDER

NOW STORE.THEMUSIC.COM.AU

THE MUSIC • 29TH APRIL 2015 • 23

arts reviews his life unravels, he encounters a mysterious group of people who are members of a cult run by an enigmatic leader (Steve Le Marquand). After attempting suicide, Travis is taken to the cult’s remote settlement to be healed, but is the cult all that it seems?

ONE EYED GIRL

ONE EYED GIRL Film

In cinemas 30 Apr

★★ ½ Cult films are difficult to make – meaning films that feature cults. First-time feature director Nick Matthews tries his hand with One Eyed Girl, the newest gritty Australian drama.

The film finds disturbed psychiatrist Travis (Mark Leonard Winter) haunted by the death an ex-patient. As

24 • THE MUSIC • 29TH APRIL 2015

Jody Muston’s cinematography elevates its look above the low budget; the sustained atmosphere throughout and most of the performances are fine, particularly Le Marquand’s leader and Tilda Cobham-Hervey as Grace, a complex cult member.

However, the film falls down in script and pacing. The blurred line between doctor and patient is an interesting idea, but falls too far into cliché in the rushed, overblown third act. The protagonist Travis also proves a tad alienating, as well as other characters feeling too underdeveloped to be cared for.

It’s an average effort that had the potential and talent to achieve so much more.

Sean Capel

TOTEM Circus

Under The Big Top, Northshore Hamilton to 24 May

★★★ ½ You know with any Cirque Du Soleil production – they currently have 18 different active shows playing around the world – that the Canadian-French circus behemoth will provide a sensory feast of epic proportions, with the music, props, lighting and storyline combining to make the experience so much more than the incredible acrobatics that lie at its heart. The current production playing in Brisbane, Totem – while still undeniably world class – isn’t the strongest of the Cirque shows to have come through town, containing some absolutely dazzling segments but also housing some weaker moments: the sleazy lothario clown character there to add humorous asides was particularly middling.

The overarching narrative linking the unicyclists, Crystal Ladies, native North American hoop

dancers, trapeze artists, scientists, beach bullies and faux monkeys (as ever extra props to Cirque for being animal-free) is in this instance slightly disjointed, but at the end of the day that’s splitting hairs when the real point of the exercise is providing mind-melting feats of human strength, conditioning, flexibility and ingenuity – traits that Totem undeniably delivers in spades. If you’re interested in witnessing ancient pursuits like juggling and acrobatics extrapolated to the furthest boundaries of their potential then Cirque Du Soleil’s Totem is bound to float your boat.

Steve Bell

TOTEM

the guide

PETE CULLEN

Name/instrument played: Pete Cullen – singer-songwriter/guitar How long have you been performing? 18 years You’re on tour in the van – which band or artist is going to keep you happy if we throw them on the stereo? Anything away from the genre that we play! ‘80s hits or reggae.

Would you rather be a busted broke-but-revered Hank Williams figure or some kind of Metallica monster? A photo is worth a thousand words, what do you reckon?!

Which Brisbane bands before you have been an inspiration (musically or otherwise)? Guys like Mojo Webb and JB Lewis, they are world class rhythm and blues players right here in Brisbane that not many people know about.

What part do you think Brisbane plays in the music you make? The Brisbane music scene has always been pretty straight up, what you see is what you get. I would like to think the songs I write are challenging and an honest reflection of my beliefs.

Is your music responsible for more make-outs or break-ups? Why? I’m very inspired by ‘50s and ‘60s country so definitely break-ups when you’re listening to someone like George Jones!

If you had to play a sport instead of being a musician which sport would it be and why would you be triumphant? Rugby League, I loved playing it as kid, I wish I had kept playing when I left school. I’m not sure if I would be triumphant but I would give it a good crack.

What’s in the pipeline for you musically in the short term? I’ve starting writing songs for a new album that will be out mid-2016. I will hopefully have a couple of singles out before then. I will also be playing at Lefty’s Old Time Music Hall every couple of weeks for the rest of year.

Pete Cullen plays Urban Country Music Festival, Caboolture on Sunday 3 May. PIC: Terry Soo THE MUSIC • 29TH APRIL 2015 • 25

eat/drink steph@themusic.com.au

DUMPLINGS

AROUND THE WORLD When we think of dumplings we immediately think of the Chinese or Japanese varieties.

But every country’s got their version.

Dumpling weather is upon us.

Sarah Barratt scopes out the best.

Pics David Ma

Tibet/Nepal: The momo is hearty, thick and filling.

There is usually a curry or masala spice running through the filling (Nepalese influence) that makes these different to the typical Chinese dumpling.

QUICK RUNDOWN OF THE BASICS. Shumai: the ones with the yellow skin and an orange garnish (often crab roe or carrot) on top. Standard ingredients include pork, prawn, black mushroom, scallion and ginger.

Harajuku Gyoza – 394 Brunswick St, Fortitude Valley This place is the contemporary young experts in the Japanese dumpling, the gyoza.

You can have them grilled or poached; the grilled are crispy on the bottom, long and skinny, full of flavor and liquid on top. They offer up veggie, duck, chicken or prawn to take your various fancies.

Give the dessert gyoza a crack too; Nutella banana with ice cream, salted caramel or peanut butter white chocolate.

Bamboo Basket – 39 Hercules St, Hamilton & Shop 1003 – 1004, 199 Grey St, South Brisbane In the basket is their signature dish, xiao long bao, the steamed Shanghai style pork dumplings with soup.

They’re seasoned with a little bit of ginger and shaoxing wine, served in a soup broth. Try the new fried tofu, crabmeat and crab roe varieties, alongside any dish containing their fresh hand pulled noodles.

26 • THE MUSIC • 29TH APRIL 2015

Happy Little Dumplings – The Barracks, Shop 16A, 5–61 Petrie Tce, CBD At this jovial house of dumpling expertise, you can watch the chefs preparing them fresh in the store.

Shu mai is one of their most popular dumplings, available in four varieties; chicken and prawn, pork and prawn, chicken, or pork.

They fuse Chinese and Japanese style dumpling favourites to bring you the best of both.

You can also mix and match your plates of gyoza and dumplings to try everything.

Fat Dumpling – 368 Brunswick St, Fortitude Valley The dumplings come poached, steamed of pan fried – and with choices like chicken and asparagus, fish, pork and Chinese cabbage and the traditional xiao long bao, everyone’s happy. Wash it down with a Sapporo or Tsingtao and the mango spring rolls with vanilla bean ice cream.

India: The modak is a glob of rice flour with coconut, covered in sugary syrup.

Slavic countries: Pelmeni and pierogi are types of Slavic dumplings native to Poland, Russia and Ukraine. They look a bit like ravioli, flat, semicircular; cooked in melted butter and onions go on top.

Korea: Mandu can be grilled/fried, boiled or steamed. They’re pretty flat and thick as opposed to the round Chinese dumpling.

Har gow: prawn dumplings with a stretchy, translucent skin.

Char siu bao: BBQ pork bun.

You know the one: sweet and savoury, red, saucy filling inside a soft, white cloud of a bun.

Chee cheong fun: large steamed rice noodles rolled around pork, prawns or beef and then drizzled with a slightly sweet soy sauce.

Lo mai gai: Sticky rice with chicken.

Comes wrapped up in a lotus leaf.

It’s essentially glutinous rice dumpling filled with chicken, Chinese mushrooms, Chinese sausage, scallions and sometimes salted egg. The rice has a great smoky flavour.

MAKE ME, EAT ME

Dumplings are a bit of an effort to make, but only because you have to assemble lots of them by hand. Invite your mates around and get a production line going! Many hands etc etc. Here are some dumpling filling ideas.

Pork mince, chives, wombok Scallop, ginger, corn, cabbage, chives Beef, garlic, ginger, chilli Prawn, sesame oil, spring onion Tofu, shiitake mushrooms, ginger, carrot, chives Pan-fry, steam, boil and serve with soy sauce, vinegar, chilli oil or sauce, fresh chilli.

the guide qld.live@themusic.com.au

INDIE NEWS

CHART WRAP

LIKE A SNAKE

HERE IT COMES

BOWEN ARROW

The sort of pro surfer-turnedhouse duo, Cut Snake, have a new single, Jungle Shrimp, and a new tour that brings them, Friday, to TBC Club and Saturday The Helm on the Sunshine Coast.

Brother/sister outfit Voltaire Twins (siblings Jaymes and Tegan Voltaire, with drummer Jack Stirling) have released a brand new single Long Weekend. They play Friday, Black Bear Lodge.

Alex Bowen is set to release his new single, The Book Of Life, with his second album, Time To Talk, to follow. Bowen performs his blues-country and pop-rock tunes at Black Bear Lodge, Thursday; Currumbin Creek Tavern, Gold Coast, Friday.

HOMECOMING ED

IN LIMBO

IN HEAVEN

It all started in Brisbane, so it’s great to see Ed Kuepper, the man who helped change the face and sound of Australian music in the late ‘70s, returning for an intimate instore performance from 1pm Sunday at Tym Guitars. Tickets are free.

NANTES’ latest record, Limbo, is a noisy and powerful recording, perfect for places like Thursday at Brightside, Brisbane; Friday, Sol Bar, Maroochydore.

Byron Bay’s Vahalla Nights have a slab of heavy riffs and sonic power to unleash in the form of their debut single, Travesty. They’ve also got a clip to match the tune, and you can enjoy it Thursday, Crowbar.

WELL CROWNED

JUST SOME MEN

FIRST TASTE

Winner of the 2015 Blues/ Roots award at the recent Queensland Music Awards, Leanne Tennant has released a new single, Franklin Street, and is taking a quick victory lap: Saturday, Solbar, Maroochydore and Sunday at The Triffid.

Garage-surf-rockers Doom Mountain are set to release new single I’m Just A Man, and will have a video to accompany it.

Doom Mountain will perform tunes at Trainspotters, Grand Central Hotel, Thursday.

I’ll Live And I’ll Die is the single from the forthcoming third album from Melbourne-based Brisbane singer-songwriter Dan Parsons and he’s taking it for a trot around the place: The Milk Factory, Saturday and The Pacific Hotel, Yamba Sunday.

HUMP DAY TREAT

ENJOY THE SPOILS

FORTUNATE BELLS

Local duo Arpier will be doing their best to keep your hump day spirits high, bringing their mellow alt-indie tunes from their debut EP My Life Is A B-Side to Black Bear Lodge on Wednesday alongside Isabel and funky rockers Cloud Ladder.

Following last year’s sold out show at the Skukum Lounge, Spoils frontman Sean Simmons returns with fellow Spoil, Adrian Stoyles on piano and organ bringing their songs of love, pursuit and regret back to The Junk Bar, Saturday.

Sydney popsters Francisco’s Fortune have a new single, The Bells, and accompanying clip, lifted from their forthcoming EP, Sans Inhibitus, and are celebrating with a quick tour, playing Friday at Ric’s Bar.

FOR MORE HEAD TO THEMUSIC.COM.AU

HARTS

Ubiquitous Melburnian multiinstrumentalist Harts can enjoy a late signal boost for 2014 LP, Daydreamer, ahead of his national tour this June after the record stepped out comfortably inside the top 20 at #14 on this week’s Carlton Dry Independent Music Charts.

Harts earned the second-highest entry spot for a full-length release this week, with top honours going to C3 (Christian City Church Oxford Falls) for their release Only Love, which slides inside the top five at #4.

Across the board, however, it’s a relatively tepid week for new faces, White Shadows picking up the sole remaining full-length debut, coming in at #18, while King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard’s I’m In Your Mind Fuzz fills the re-entry quota on its lonesome, back in the charts at #20.

The top two, however — Sia’s 1000 Forms Of Fear and Courtney Barnett’s Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit — remain unmoved from their spots atop the pile, while West Australian indie darlings San Cisco step up a rung with second LP, Gracetown reaching #3 this week.

In terms of singles, the pack also remains largely unchanged, especially in the top half of the ladder, though The Jungle Giants (Every Kind Of Way), Nicky Night Time (Gonna Get Better) and San Cisco (Run) manage to crack the cut-off, with their respective singles entering the charts at #17, #19 and #20. Here, too, though, the pointy end is steady as ever — Jarryd James is still at #1 with Do You Remember, while Sia’s back-to-back hold on #2 and #3 (with Elastic Heart and Big Girls Cry) endures for another week.

THE MUSIC • 29TH APRIL 2015 • 27

the guide qld.live@themusic.com.au

ALBUM FOCUS

HAVE YOU HEARD sick of him serenading me.

a few!), but we tracked it live over three days.

MAHALIA BARNES & THE SOUL MATES Answered by: Mahalia Barnes Album title? Ooh Yea – The Betty Davis Songbook Where did the title of your new album come from? It’s a record of Betty Davis songs, and one of our favourites was called Ooh Yea... Seemed like the right fit!

How many releases do you have now? Five releases with The Soul Mates: three EPs (one was a live one) and two full albums.

Was anything in particular inspiring you during the making?

Yes, my incredible band, The Soul Mates, Kevin the producer.

Also we were joined by Joe Bonamassa on guitar, he was awesome! The whole process, the songs and the people were really inspiring for me.

What’s your favourite song on it? I think it would have to be either Nasty Gal or He Was A Big Freak.

Will you do anything differently next time? It’s a little different doing covers, but for me it’s all about honesty and heart, so live is the best!

Website link for more info? mahaliabarnes.com.au

SINGLE FOCUS

Answered by: David Morgan Single title? Burn What’s the song about? I’m not actually too sure. Listen to it long enough and you’ll hopefully be able to tell me.

How long did it take to write/ record? Moz [Glenn Mossop] wrote it. Regan [Lethbridge] helped with some guitar parts and hooks. We jammed it for the first time on a Thursday, went in the studio on the Friday and came out Sunday with it finished.

We’re not sure yet. Probably just a stand alone track at this stage.

What was inspiring you during the song’s writing and recording? It was new, a fresh sound and was fun to record.

We’ll like this song if we like... Music.

Why should people come and see your band? Because you will get to be some of the first to listen to my unreleased album tracks... live.

When did you start making music and why? I got a guitar for my 11th birthday and by week two had enough of the ‘learn to play guitar’ books. So with four chords under my belt I wrote my first song.

When and where for your next gig? 2 May, Urban Country Music Festival, Caboolture, and I’m super excited!

Sum up your musical sound in four words? Pop with a twist.

If you could support any band in the world – past or present – who would it be? Gwen Stefani/ No Doubt. She is queen.

Website link for more info? lilikendall.com

VIDEO CLIP FOCUS

THE HARRY HEART CHRYSALIS

There’s something lovely about that area, city lights on the water. I think it’s very compatible with the lyrics.

Answered by: Harry Heart Song title? Ninety Six Director: Matt Chow

Do you play it differently live?

A little bit. We don’t have a touring keyboardist but use keys in the studio. Anyone play keys and want to join the band?

What’s the concept behind the clip? The idea was to capture a hard come-down from a night in Sydney, specifically the lonely walk home with thoughts racing through your head.

When and where is your launch/next gig? 1 May, Woolly Mammoth; 2 May, Solbar, Maroochydore.

How long did it take to make? It was shot in one night. I got drunk, called Matt and we filmed it.

What’s your favourite part of the clip? I enjoy watching the awful intoxicated attempt at a lip-sync in double time. It wasn’t easy.

Was anything in particular inspiring you during the making? Revisiting the lyrics for the clip made me listen to them again. They upset me a little bit.

Will you be launching it?

Heya Bar, 30 Apr. Website link for more info? theharryheartchrysalis.com

Where did you f ilm it? We shot it down by Pyrmont Harbour.

Is this track from a forthcoming release/existing release? Hmmm.

28 • THE MUSIC • 29TH APRIL 2015

LILI KENDALL

If you could only listen to one album forevermore, what would it be and why? Hmm, maybe my ‘best of ’ Nat King Cole vinyl because I could never get

How long did it take to write/ record? This one’s a tribute to Betty, so we didn’t write the songs (wish I’d written

BONJAH

Greatest rock’n’roll moment of your career to date? Canadian Music Week last year when I got to play showcases around Toronto. I don’t know if you would call that a rock’n’roll moment, but it was by far my favourite career moment.

S U P P O R T I N G

I N D E P E N D E N T

A U S S I E

M U S I C

the guide qld.gigguide@themusic.com.au

THE MUSIC PRESENTS The Beards: Spotted Cow 30 Apr, The Triffid 1 May, The Northern 3 May Urban Country Music Festival: Caboolture 1-3 May sleepmakeswaves: The Northern 1 May, The Zoo 2 May

San Cisco: SolBar 14 May, Coolangatta Hotel 15 May, The Triffid 16 & 17 (U18) May Supersuckers & The Bellrays: The Zoo 22 May Ben Howard: The Tivoli 28 May

Peace: The Zoo 6 May

Jebediah: The Tivoli 12 Jun

Groovin’ The Moo: Townsville Cricket Grounds 10 May

The Church: The Triffid 4 Jul

WED 29

Valhalla Lights: Crowbar, Fortitude Valley

GIG OF THE WEEK AUGIE MARCH: 30 APR, THE TRIFFID

Arpier + Isabel + Cloud Ladder: Black Bear Lodge, Fortitude Valley

Stand Up Comedy Open Mic Night: Dog and Parrot Tavern, Robina

Locky: Irish Murphy’s, Brisbane

White Lodge + Doom Mountain + Donny Love: Grand Central Hotel, Brisbane

Gorefield + Asylum + Deraign + Heavy Roller + Elkenwood: Beetle Bar, Brisbane

Jabba: Irish Murphy’s, Brisbane

Voltaire Twins: Black Bear Lodge, Fortitude Valley

Big Jam with Chris Ramsay: Manly Hotel, Manly

Des Reid: Loving Hut, Mount Gravatt

Biggy P: Breakfast Creek Hotel, Albion

Open Mic Night: Mick O’Malley’s, Brisbane

Tis: Mick O’Malley’s, Brisbane

Open Mic Night: Solbar (Front Bar), Maroochydore

Matt Stillert: Solbar (Lounge Bar), Maroochydore

James Whiting Quintet: Brisbane Jazz Club, Kangaroo Point

Be Rad: The Bearded Lady (Front Bar), West End

Cowboy Bob: The Boundary Hotel, West End

Ravi Welsh Trio + The Strums + Elegies: The Brightside, Fortitude Valley

Nantes + Twin Haus + Soviet X-Ray Record Club: The Brightside, Fortitude Valley

Workshop with Dave Aron: JMC Academy, South Brisbane

THU 30

Lambda feat. Ivan Ooze: Alhambra Lounge, Fortitude Valley Open Mic Night: Balaclava Hotel, Earlville Open Mic Night: Bay Central Tavern, Urraween Alex Bowen: Black Bear Lodge, Fortitude Valley The Douldie Men: Brisbane Brewing Co, West End Cleon’s Quartet: Brisbane Jazz Club, Kangaroo Point Jam Night: Capalaba Tavern, Capalaba Michael Whitmore: Carina Leagues Club (Main Lounge), Carina Battle of the Bands: Centenary Tavern, Middle Park Blues & Roots Open Mic Night: Chardons Corner Hotel, Annerley

Trivia: The Brightside, Fortitude Valley Open Mic Night: The Four Mile Creek Hotel, Strathpine A$AP Ferg + Paper Diamond: The Hi-Fi, West End JMC Performance Night: The Milk Factory Kitchen & Bar, South Brisbane Julia Henning + Beautiful Beasts: The Press Club, Fortitude Valley The Beards + The Stiffys: The Spotted Cow, Toowoomba Augie March + Mosman Alder: The Triffid, Newstead Reud Mood + Red Tendrils + Yellowcatredcat + Quazi-Smith: The Zoo, Fortitude Valley

FRI 01

Uncovered feat. Anush Jayasekera + David Beavish: Australian National Hotel, Woolloongabba

Julia Henning + Beautiful Beasts: Brooklyn Standard, Brisbane The McClymonts + Jared Porter: Brothers Sports Club, Kensington Jimmy Watts + Mossy Fogg: Cardigan Bar, Sandgate Grieg + Lizzard Wizzard + Golden Bats + Danyl Jesu: Crowbar, Fortitude Valley Alex Bowen: Currumbin Creek Tavern, Currumbin Waters BNS + Styli$$h: Deception Bay Tavern, Deception Bay Alphabet Street: Eat Street Markets, Hamilton

Urban Country Music Festival feat. Beccy Cole + Mustered Courage + Mickey Pye + 8 Ball Aitken + Carl Wockner + Little Georgia + Casey Barnes + DJ Claire Elliot + more: Queensland State Equestrian Centre, Caboolture Francisco’s Fortune: Ric’s Bar, Fortitude Valley Buzz ‘n’ The Blues Band: Royal Mail Hotel, Goodna Nantes + Twin Haus + Soviet X-Ray Record Club: Solbar, Maroochydore SoLar: Solbar (Lounge Bar), Maroochydore British India + Grenadiers + Columbia Buffet: Soundlounge, Currumbin B-Boys World Champions Tour: Southport RSL, Southport Elana Stone: Southside Tea Room, Morningside Stephen Green: Story Bridge Hotel (The Corner Bar), Kangaroo Point

The Angels: Hamilton Hotel, Hamilton

DJ Jamez Brown: Story Bridge Hotel (The Shelter Bar), Kangaroo Point

Darkc3ll + MofoIsDead: Hard Rock Cafe, Surfers Paradise

Augie March + King Pig: Tanks Arts Centre, Edge Hill

Human Nature: Jupiters, Broadbeach Andy Jans-Brown: Lock ‘n’ Load Bistro, West End Carmada + Kilter: Oh Hello!, Fortitude Valley Green Jam Sessions with Elly Hoyt: QPAC (Melbourne Street Green), South Brisbane

S U P P O R T I N G

XXXY + Cut Snake: TBC Club (The Bowler Club), Fortitude Valley

The Opiuo Band: The Hi-Fi, West End DJ Nick One: The Milk Factory Kitchen & Bar, South Brisbane Columbus + The Strums: The Spotted Cow, Toowoomba Drumstruck: The Tivoli, Fortitude Valley The Beards + The Fumes + The Durries: The Triffid, Newstead Jeff Martin: The Venue, Townsville City Littlelam + Devel + Until Home: The Zoo, Fortitude Valley Bonjah + Ayla: Woolly Mammoth, Fortitude Valley Juice with DJ J-Tok + DJ Blitz: Wynnum Tavern, Wynnum West

SAT 02

Call The Shots: 38 Berwick Street, Fortitude Valley Marville + Qualms + Makeout Creek + The Missing + Bad Bangers: 4ZZZ (Carpark), Fortitude Valley DJ Indy Andy: Albany Creek Tavern (Creek Bar), Albany Creek Rockaoke: Benowa Tavern, Benowa

Glacier + Allthingslost + Yuuca + PACTS: The Bearded Lady, West End

Canyonero + Allie Falls + New Leaves: Black Bear Lodge, Fortitude Valley

Awaken I Am: The Brightside, Fortitude Valley

The Green Sinatras: Breakfast Creek Hotel, Albion

The Creedence Clearwater Revival Show: The Four Mile Creek Hotel, Strathpine

The Script + Tinie Tempah + Colton Avery: Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Boondall

I N D E P E N D E N T

A U S S I E

M U S I C

the guide qld.gigguide@themusic.com.au

MON 04

Lee Gunness + Caxton Street Jazz Band: Brisbane Jazz Club, Kangaroo Point

Trivia: Mick O’Malley’s, Brisbane

Grenadiers + The Gifthorse + Born Lion + The Strums + Ape Farm: Crowbar, Fortitude Valley

The Midway Creatures: Ric’s Bar, Fortitude Valley TUE 05

Captain Dreamboat: Eat Street Markets, Hamilton

Anastacia: Eatons Hill Hotel, Eatons Hill

The Bear Hunt: Fat Louie’s, Brisbane

LNL Jazz feat. Jake Bristow Trio: Lock ‘n’ Load Bistro, West End

Them Bruins: Grand Central Hotel, Brisbane

Brad Butcher: Mackay Entertainment & Convention Centre, Mackay

The Spoils Duo + The Reservations: Junk Bar, Ashgrove

Mark Sheils: Samford Valley Hotel, Samford Village

Anastacia: Jupiters, Broadbeach

Brazilian-BackpackerUni Night: The Beer Garden, Surfers Paradise

Pure Velour: Lock ‘n’ Load Bistro, West End Ger Fennelly: Mick O’Malley’s, Brisbane The Lucha’s Strike Back: New Globe Theatre, Fortitude Valley The McClymonts + Jared Porter: Norths Leagues & Services Club, Kallangur Cool Coda: Prince of Wales Hotel, Nundah Urban Country Music Festival feat. Lee Kernaghan + Cloud Control + Augie March + The Sunny Cowgirls + British India + Last Dinosaurs + The Delta Riggs + Jetty Road + Ryan Keen + The Beards + Sarah Howells + The Belligerents + The Cairos + Wal Neilsen + Mickey Pye + Harmony James + Jared Porter + Graham Rodger + The Bobkatz + Christie Lamb + Carl Wockner + Women In Docs + Claire Elliott + Lili Kendall + Michael Fix + more: Queensland State Equestrian Centre, Caboolture Angela Fabian + Sarah Denning: Royal Mail Hotel, Goodna Joe Chindamo Trio: Sandgate Town Hall, Sandgate Bonjah + Ayla: Solbar, Maroochydore

THE SPOILS DUO: 2 MAY, THE JUNK BAR Andy Bull + Cub Sport: The Brightside, Fortitude Valley

Ger Fennelly: Mick O’Malley’s, Brisbane

B-Boys World Champions Tour: The Hi-Fi, West End

Blues Jam: Morrison Hotel, Woolloongabba

Steve Grady + Dan Parsons: The Milk Factory Kitchen & Bar, South Brisbane

Urban Country Music Festival feat. Simply Bushed + Caitlyn Shadbolt + Wal Neilsen + Jared Porter + Graham Rodger + Casey Barnes + Jay Seeney + Claire Elliott + Liam Brew + Adam James + Toby L + Tanya Self + Damien Agius + more: Queensland State Equestrian Centre, Caboolture

Sleepmakeswaves + Gay Paris + Glass Ocean: The Zoo, Fortitude Valley Awaken I Am: Upstairs 199, West End Cut Snake: Wharf Tavern, Mooloolaba Mind Vortex + DJ Nick One: Woolly Mammoth, Fortitude Valley

SUN 03

The McClymonts + Jared Porter: Blue Mountain Hotel, Harlaxton Plus One: Breakfast Creek Hotel, Albion Asa Broomhall: Brewski, Brisbane Malcolm McNeil + Friends: Brisbane Jazz Club, Kangaroo Point

Leanne Tennant: Solbar (Lounge Bar) , Maroochydore

Sounds of Sunday feat.

Them Bruins: Broadbeach Tavern, Broadbeach

Ed & Eddy: Story Bridge Hotel (The Corner Bar), Kangaroo Point

Sunday Unplugged: Burleigh Heads Hotel, Burleigh Heads

DJ Guy Salvage: Story Bridge Hotel (The Shelter Bar), Kangaroo Point Jack Flash + King Kongo + Wayward Angels: The Bearded Lady, West End Andy Bull + Cub Sport: The Brightside (1pm), Fortitude Valley

Graham Moes: Habitat Restaurant & Bar, South Brisbane Sunday Session with Spike: Hamilton Hotel, Hamilton Kevin Borich: Imperial Hotel (Green Room), Eumundi Laura Jean + McKisco: Junk Bar, Ashgrove

Open Mic Night with Shortymain: The Underdog Pub Co, Fortitude Valley Ed Kuepper: Tym Guitars (In-Store), Fortitude Valley

Decked Out Sundays: Royal Exchange Hotel, Toowong Sam West: Solbar (Lounge Bar), Maroochydore Back Alley Cats: Solbar (Lounge Bar), Maroochydore The Wet Fish: Southbank, South Brisbane Big Kitty: Story Bridge Hotel (The Outback Bar), Kangaroo Point DJ Steve Smith: Story Bridge Hotel (The Shelter Bar), Kangaroo Point Rock n Roll BBQ feat. Hits + The Horrortones + FAT + Goldstool + Bottlecock: The Boundary Hotel, West End Silverstein + Dream On Dreamer + Young Lions + Bayharbour: The Hi-Fi, West End The Floyd Family Breakdown + Megan Cooper: The Milk Factory Kitchen & Bar, South Brisbane Triffid Roots feat. Leanne Tennant + The Demon Drink: The Triffid (Beer Garden), Newstead

Crescent City Players: Lock ‘n’ Load Bistro, West End

S U P P O R T I N G

I N D E P E N D E N T

A U S S I E

M U S I C

THE MUSIC • 29TH APRIL 2015 • 31

32 • THE MUSIC • 29TH APRIL 2015