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“I WENT ONSTAGE AND HAD AN ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE GIG, EVERYTHING WENT WRONG.”
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INSIDE NEWS
Dave Chappelle Tijuana Cartel The Scientists Abbe May
review
Fringe Pharrell Williams
WE INTERROGATE NOODLE PALACE FRINGE ARTIST JOSH MAKINDA AND MORE [P22]
Jonny Craig Nina Las Vegas
THIS WEEK Jamie MacDowell & Tom Thum One Thousand Years BALI: Return Economy
FEATURES Snoop Dogg
Robert Trujillo Run The Jewels Ghost BC Noodle Palace Hannah Wants BDO Maps & Times Primus Stuart Bowden
ALBUM
“IT WAS A PRIVILEGE TO SEE THE BAND AND THEIR SUPPORTS IN SUCH A FANTASTIC VENUE AND ALL WHO WERE THERE WILL SURELY BE HOPING TO HAVE THEM BACK SOON.” KANE SUTTON TEMPORALLY ESCAPES FROM THE CITY TO SPEND SOME TIME WITH KARNIVOOL AND DEAD LETTER CIRCUS [P35]
“I DEFINITELY DON’T THINK ROYALS IS MY BEST SONG.” LORDE GETS HONEST WITH DAN CONDON IN THE LEAD UP TO LANEWAY [P28]
big day out
You Me At Six Sky Ferreira The Gaslight Anthem Mudlark The Jezabels
HEAD TO PAGE 24 AND CHECK OUT THE BIG DAY OUT MAP AND TIMETABLE. IT’S TIME TO START PLANNING!
LIVE
Karnivool North Freo Pub Crawl
THE GUIDE Lunar Inverse Readers Poll Eat/Drink Opinion Columns The End 6 • THE MUSIC • 29TH JANUARY 2014
feature
“IT’S GOING TO BE MORE PRIMUS THAN YOU WOULD POTENTIALLY EVER WANT TO EXPERIENCE. A SHITLOAD OF PRIMUS – THAT’S HOW IT SHOULD BE BILLED.” STEVE BELL GETS CRAZY WITH PRIMUS FRONTMAN LES CLAYPOOL [P25]
WWW.YA-YAS.COM.AU WEDNESDAY 29TH JANUARY
LIGHT AND SHADE Aborted Tortoise, Black Stone From The Sun, Tashi, Matt Waring DOORS 8PM - $10 ENTRY THURSDAY 30TH JANUARY
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HEAVYWEIGHTS OF COMEDY Steady Eddy 8PM, Neel Kolhatkar 9:30PM FROM 8PM - TICKETS FROM FRINGE FRIDAY 31ST JANUARY - EARLY
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HEAVYWEIGHTS OF COMEDY - Chris Wainhouse 6:30PM, Steady Eddy 8PM, Neel Kolhatkar 9:30PM FROM 6:30PM - TICKETS FROM FRINGE SATURDAY 1ST FEBRUARY
LIP SERVICE Rag’n’Bone, Edie Green, Belle Harvey DOORS 8PM - $10 ENTRY SUNDAY 2ND FEBRUARY
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LONERS The Mondays, Escelade FROM 8PM - $5 ENTRY WEDNESDAY 5TH FEBRUARY - EARLY
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CREDITS PUBLISHER
Street Press Australia Pty Ltd
GROUP MANAGING EDITOR Andrew Mast
EDITOR Daniel Cribb
ASSISTANT EDITOR Cam Findlay
MUSO EDITOR Michael Smith
ARTS AND CULTURE EDITOR Cass Fumi wa.arts@themusic.com.au
GIG GUIDE Justine Lynch wa.gigs@themusic.com.au
CONTRIBUTORS Aarom Wilson, Adam Germano, Adrienne Downes, Amber Flynn, Andy Snelling, Annabel Maclean, Athina Mallis, Bailey Lions, Chantelle Gabriel, Christopher James, Claire Hodgson, Daniel Cribb, Eli Gould, James Hunt, Jeff Kit, Jeremy Carson, Jessica Tana, Joseph Wilson, Kane Sutton, Kershia Wong, Kitt Di Camillo, Liv Gardner, Lukas Murphy, Luke Butcher, Mac McNaughton, Marcia Czerniak, Mark Neilsen, Matthew Tomich, Michael Caves, Natasha Lee, Nichola Gray, Rachel Inglis, Renee Jones, Rob Nassif, Ross Clelland, Scott Aitken, Simon Holland, Steve Bell, Tess Ingram, Timothy Nelson, Tom Birts, Troy Mutton, Zoe Barron
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ART DIRECTOR
THIS WEEK THINGS TO DO THIS WEEK • 29 JANUARY - 4 FEBRUARY 2014
danza
We tend to eat a questionable amount of burritos here at The Music Perth, so a Mexican-themed album launch party sounds amazing. It’s been a long time between margaritas for local rockers One Thousand Years, but they return to the stage 1 Feb at The Old Fella to launch their debut album Get Your Rabbit’s Foot And Run. Accompanying the band and a room full of sombreros, ponchos, and piñatas will be Tom Fisher & The Layabouts and Datura.
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ART DEPT Eamon Stewart, Brendon Wellwood, Julian De Bono, David Di Cristoforo
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Flying the flag as a new social hub and pop-up venue in Scarborough, Sunset Veranda is set to bring live theatre, comedy, music and family entertainment amidst a buzzing seaside atmosphere. 29 and 30 Jan sees Jamie MacDowell & Tom Thum’s award- and heart-winning approach to words and melodies and world-class beatboxing take over the venue. $12 entry.
Looking beyond well worn clichés, idealised imagery and kitsch souvenirs, BALI: Return Economy is an expansive exhibition that explores the dynamic relationship between WA, Bali and the art influenced by the island. It runs at Fremantle Arts Centre 1 Feb until 27 Mar. Its opening party kicks off at 6.30pm, 31 Jan with Balinese fusion guitarist Balawan. Known as The Magic Finger, he is renowned for his touch-tapping technique and ability to play the double neck guitar. Free entry.
THE MUSIC • 29TH JANUARY 2014 • 9
national news news@themusic.com.au PHARRELL WILLIAMS
DAVE CHAPPELLE
HE’S GOT THE MEDICINE
HAPPY SURPRISE
And here we were thinking the gates were well and truly shut on Future Music Festival for 2014. Not quite, as the event has just announced pop music superstar Pharrell Williams will join the likes of Phoenix, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis and Deadmau5 at the Sydney (Royal Randwick Racecourse, 8 Mar) and Melbourne (Flemington Racecourse, 9 Mar) legs of the tour, while performing two special headline dates in Brisbane (The Marquee, RNA Showgrounds, 12 Mar) and Perth (Challenge Stadium, 14 Mar). Whether it’s been through his solo work, during his time in N.E.R.D or guesting on mega hits from the likes of Daft Punk, Williams has always played a class game – and you can expect all the hits and tricks soon. Future tickets are on sale now; solo dates on sale this Monday.
BUILT FROM STONE
Three decades of unstoppable power has led to Germany’s Kreator being hailed by thrash metal fans worldwide, and later this year they’ll flex their musical muscle for us with the help Bay Area titans Death Angel, here to show off last year’s record The Dream Calls For Blood. Let your face get rearranged by heading to 170 Russell, Melbourne, 16 Apr; Manning Bar, Sydney, 18 Apr; The Hi-Fi, Brisbane, 19 Apr; and Amplifier, Perth, 20 Apr.
GETTIN’ DIRTY
Following the success of his Down Under adventure last year, Adrian Edmondson – the celebrated actor and comedian who’s starred in cult British series The Young Ones and Bottom – is leading his folk punk outfit The Bad Shepherds back to our parts on 11 Apr, Gum Ball Festival, Belford; 12 Apr, Factory Theatre, Sydney; 13 Apr, Clarendon Guesthouse, Katoomba; 14 Apr, Brass Monkey, Sydney; 16 Apr, Black Bear Lodge, Brisbane; 18 Apr, Thornbury Theatre, Melbourne; 19 Apr, The Bridge Hotel, Ballarat; 20 Apr, Caravan Music Club, Melbourne; 24 Apr, The Odd Fellow, Fremantle; 25 Apr, Fairbridge Folk Festival and 26 Apr, Rosemount Hotel, Perth.
RETURNING FROM BATTLE MOUNTAIN
After a crazy career that’s careened through plenty of sharp corners, it seems like Jonny Craig has found some solace in Australia, with the former Dance Gavin Dance vocalist coming back Down Under once more, this time for some solo shows with a full band. Catch him 8 May, Crowbar, Brisbane; 9 May, Tall Poppy Studios, Brisbane (all ages); 10 May, The Hi-Fi, Sydney (all ages); 11 May, The Small Ballroom, Newcastle; 14 May, Amplifier, Perth; 15 May, HQ, Perth (all ages); 17 May, Corner Hotel, Melbourne; and 18 May, Wrangler Studios, Melbourne (all ages). Californian acoustic duo This Wild Life, Georgia-based MC Kyle Lucas and Aussies Red Beard will support.
“CHILL IT WITH THE SHITTY METAPHORS” LILY ALLEN’S TONGUE IS SHARPER THAN OUR HEAPS SHARP SCISSORS. 10 • THE MUSIC • 29TH JANUARY 2014
You don’t have much time to prepare your sides to absolutely be split by legendary US funny man Dave Chappelle, who’ll be performing his first ever stand-up shows outside of America right here in our backyard. Well, not literally – you’ll actually have to go to a proper venue to hear his sharp jokes and witness all those send ups that you motherfuckers love. Catch Chappelle 20 Feb, QPAC, Brisbane; 25 Feb, Riverside Theatre, Perth; 28 Feb – 1 Mar, Palais Theatre, Melbourne; 4 Mar, Sydney Opera House; and 5 – 6 Mar, State Theatre, Sydney.
VIVA LAS VEGAS
Nina Las Vegas gets the nation moving week in and week out as host of triple j’s House Party program, but high-fidelity can only give you so much. Now you can experience Nina outside of your radio and let her get your party started – in real life no less – she plays Corner Hotel, Melbourne, 13 Feb; 170 Russell, Melbourne, 14 Feb; Metropolis, Fremantle, 28 Feb; 6 and 7 Mar, Goodgod Small Club, Sydney; Bowler Bar, Brisbane, 8 Mar; and Trinity Bar, Canberra, 9 Mar. There’s a whole bunch of cool supports along on each date too – head to The Guide at theMusic. com.au for the full line-up in your city.
SONS OF ANARCHY
ASK THE ANARCHISTS ANYTHING
Tig (Kim Coates), Juice (Theo Rossi) and Bobby (Mark Boone Junior), wild riders from hit US TV series Sons Of Anarchy, will be conducting a moderated panel conversation for fans of the show, including an audience Q&A, as well as clips and tunes from the show. If you’ve watched the bad boys of California then you’ll want to be at Palace Theatre, Melbourne, 27 Mar; Eatons Hill Hotel, Brisbane, 28 Mar; UNSW Roundhouse, Sydney, 29 Mar; and Metropolis, Perth, 30 Mar. VIP meet and greet packages are also available!
X-WRAY
Food •
•
Coffee days
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Wednesday Songwriter and Mario
– (8pm
The Jack – 10pm)
31/1 – special guests Fog (8:30pm –
Saturday Tracy
Sound late
29/1 – Showcase with Rachel McClean (7:30pm – 9:30pm)
Thursday 30/1 Jazz Quartet Friday with Mossy
• till
1/2 (8:30pm
The Ruby 11:30pm) –
–
SingerDillon – free –
Doepel free
Tommyhawks Boots and - $5 entry
DJ 11:30pm)
-
Dick free
Sunday 2/2 – John Bannister and The Charisma Brothers (4pm – 6pm) / DJ Click Brown Fox (7pm – 10pm) – free Tuesday 3/2 Jazz Quartet Lot 4 Fremantle
•
– (7pm
• 3 • 9430 9399 •
The Tom – 10pm) -
Tale free
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THE MUSIC • 29TH JANUARY 2014 • 11
local news wa.news@themusic.com.au CROOKED COLOURS
LO & BEHOLD
DOING THE RITE THING Local electronic three-piece Crooked Colours released the second single Come Down, off their upcoming sophomore EP, late last year to an impressive reception. The track reached #3 on Hypem’s most popular charts, has over 90,000 SoundCloud streams and was added to high rotation on Australia’s premiere radio station, triple j. The boys are looking to keep things going with a national tour which hits The Causeway on 22 Feb.
Is it possible to make a real difference? Yes. Boomtick have organised a fundraiser to help out those who suffered as a result of the recent bushfires. At the moment, the victims of the recent Hills bush fire don’t have $5 to spare. But you do. And so do your friends, so you’re encouraged to bring them along to Flyrite on 7 Feb, with Lo & Behold, L-Street, Zara Huts, Nat & Rae and Marksman dropping tunes. $5 entry.
LICENSE TO ILL
FOR SCIENCE!
CROOKED RAIN
Benny Ill has been producing music for the past 15 years under many aliases, including Horsepower Productions, High Plains Drifter, Dub War, Kid Deli, Mack One and Bill & Ben. He has worked on collaborations with some of the finest artists in today’s music scene, is a key member of the lauded Horsepower Productions collective, and has constantly impressed critics and punters with his innovative take on production he drops hot dubs on 31 Jan at Flyrite.
THE THIRD FRANCO
If Australia’s recent bloom of young prodigies might be enough to make you question what the hell you’ve done lately, then this is one that will probably hurtle you into a quarter-life crisis. Nineteen yearold producer Young Franco is Brisbane’s newest wunderkind, and he’s offering up his debut EP FUTUREFUNK for free, as well as performing at a slew of national shows. Catch Franco at Llama Bar on 19 Feb and Ginger on 21 Feb.
THE NOLL NINE YARDS
Following a successful decade on the Australian music scene, 2014 is set to be an even bigger one for Shannon Noll, with new music on the horizon and touring Australia with a full band. The national tour, built up of a mix of regional and city dates, will see Noll belt out tracks from his current material, set to be solidified in an album sometime later this year, and classics from previous albums and his Australian Idol days. He plays a slot at the 2014 Redhill Concert in Geraldton on 5 Apr, redhillconcert.com.au for details.
12 • THE MUSIC • 29TH JANUARY 2014
TUNING UP
Local Perth musicians and entertainers, in conjunction with other community groups, have banded together for a day of music and family fun at Midland Oval on 16 Feb, put together as another fundraising event to assist with the recovery, re-building, cleanup and day-to-day living expenses of people affected by the recent bushfire devastation in Parkerville and surrounding Perth Hills suburbs. The show culminates in a set from End Of Fashion frontman Justin Burford, with a bunch of other musos beforehand. Trybooking.com for tickets.
KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE
Most have heard it before; a bunch of guys, fresh out of high school, playing loud music in their parents’ garage for something to do. While coming from such ordinary beginnings, Horror My Friend’s urgent, grunge-infused, indie rock style is not. Nothing is their first release for 2014, a hard hitting track that take the istener on a three-minute trip through swirling guitars, distorted bass and melodic vocals. They head to The Rosemount, 13 Mar; The Beat, 14 Mar; and Swan Lounge, 16 Mar.
A ROSEMOUNT BY ANY OTHER NAME Welp, the results of The Music Reader’s Poll are in, and there’s some mighty interesting results coming in. One of the most exciting results is the punter’s favourite state venue. We’re happy to announce The Rosemount Hotel, and those hallowed rock halls, picked up the gong for favourite WA live music venue. Grats to everyone at The Rosemount!
After a very enjoyable sell-out show at The Bakery, the terribly exciting all-original lineup of The Scientists are kicking into The Rosemount to start off a national tour. 35 years ago, The Scientists were the only genuine rock’n’roll band in Perth, starting the day after The Victims broke up. Within a week the band had written half a dozen songs including Frantic Romantic, Girl and Drop Out. Hear them play those and more, as well as getting a classic rock education, on 15 Mar. Oztix and record stores for tickets.
ANIMAL CROSSING
The voices of contemporary diva Kate Ceberano and classical bass-baritone Teddy Tahu Rhodes literally meet in the middle in a unique musical collaboration combining musical theatre, opera and pop music, with WASO backing them up. Join them under the stars at Perth Zoo on 22 Feb for a performance review, featuring songs from a range of musicals and compositions. Head to waso.com.au for tickets.
MAY DAY
Perth’s karma chameleon queen of music, Abbe May, starts 2014 with a tremendous show at The Rosemount. With good buddies Rum Jungle and Kučka, the ARIAnominated May machine guns the New Year in an early bid for gig of the year. Abbe May had an absolutely huge 2013: when you get featured on national radio numerous times, whip around the country on a huge national tour, and win a bunch of awards for both your own work and collaborations, you know you’ve done well. Don’t miss out when on 7 Feb, tickets through Oztix.
local news wa.news@themusic.com.au TIJUANA CARTEL
LIGHTS OF BERLIN
LIGHT IT UP
Lights Of Berlin made their debut in 2013, with the single Chosen Ones clocking up to 20,000 hits in the first week of its release. Their debut EP Brand New Day was released a little later, with the single as its carrier. The EP was a wild success, receiving widespread airplay, amazing reviews, various awards and amazing commendations for industry favourites. They are set to pick it up again, launching a new single at Ya Ya’s on 5 Feb.
TIJUANA SLAMMERS
Tijuana Cartel have been on the road for years now, and as many know, that road can take a toll. All-night parties that turn into long-haul flights, coupled with endless shows and non-stop debauchery; it’s a fast, crazy and taxing lifestyle for many. After a near-disaster on a recent tour, Tijuana Cartel had a wakeup call; one that has lead them to become much more serious about their craft, while still maintaining that genuine Tijuana groove. Catch them at The Rosemount on 8 Mar, armed with a (moderately) more sober attitude.
ON AT FRINGE WORLD BARE IT ALL
Perth performance veterans Barefaced Storytellers are fleeing their nest at The Bird to present their unique brand of storytelling to Fringe World audiences. Perth locals can expect to be shocked and entertained as the likes of Brian Finkelstein, Geraldine Quinn and Ann Edmonds share their deepest, darkest secrets under the Teatro Tent between 6-8 Feb.
MANNERS, PLEASE RUN GIRL RUN
STEP BY STEP
Get ready to sweat as multi-award winning ensemble Grit Theatre make their Perth debut at Fringe World with RUN GIRL RUN. Performed entirely on treadmills, this bold and brash performance explores Australia’s relationship with gender perception and expression. Get your blood pumping at The Blue Room Theatre from 28 Jan to 1 Feb.
The Polite Gentleman is the raw and gripping story of a man named Mouse who wakes one morning to find an address tattooed on his chest. Loosely inspired by the classic blues tale of a man at a crossroad making a deal with the devil, The Polite Gentleman is a blues-infused tale of a man wanting more from life. Acclaimed director Adam Mitchell brings The Polite Gentleman to Perth’s Fringe World festivities at The Blue Room Theatre between 18-22 Feb
ALL IN THE FAMILY What started as the Honours piece for his Bachelor Of Arts degree, award-winning local writer Michael Collins will be revealing his first ever full-length comedic work at Perth’s Fringe World Festival. Presented over the all too common backdrop of domestic unrest, My Father’s World is a charming onewoman show about living your afterlife while still alive. My Father’s World will run in The Blue Room Theatre from 28 Jan-1 Feb.
YUK IT UP
Vulture Culture, the curators of Rottofest, Ha Ha’s At Ya Ya’s and Mojos Monthly Comedy be showcasing a selection of Australia’s comedy heavyweights as part of Fringe World 2014. Seven of Australia’s best and brightest comedians will play a total of 38 shows across the length of Fringe, 24 Jan to 22 Feb, at Ya Ya’s. Greg Fleet, Steady Eddy, Chris Wainhouse, Khaled Khalafalla, Neel Kolhatkar, Cameron James & Jared Jekyll and our own humour hero Tien Tran are all on board.
THE MUSIC • 29TH JANUARY 2014 • 13
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PRE ORDER NOW THE EDUCATION ISSUE
music
THE EYE OF THE LION
Words Dan Condon. Feature photos supplied by Big Day Out. Cover photo Andrew Boyle. THE MUSIC • 29TH JANUARY 2014 • 15
Dan Condon speaks to Snoop Dogg/Lion/Zilla via email, but not about smoking weed: about being inspired and being so damn prolific.
S
noop Dogg is a colossal figure in 21st century pop culture – just about everyone knows who he is and has an opinion on his former gangster, now far more peaceful persona. From his brilliant 1993 debut LP Doggystyle through to last year’s reggae album (released under the name Snoop Lion) Reincarnated – not to mention film and TV appearances and plenty of trouble with the law, including a murder charge for which he was acquitted – Snoop has done a lot of shit. Sadly, Snoop wouldn’t speak to us on the phone and strict instructions were given to ensure he wasn’t asked about certain topics in an email interview: no talk of guns, visa issues, past alleged crimes and, shockingly, smoking weed – perhaps the most identifiable trait of Snoop’s public persona. He even dodged a harmless question about Rastafarian culture, which Snoop has professed to make a large part of his life following his reinvention as Snoop Lion and the documentary Reincarnated last year. His answers were succinct, to say the least. “I love Australia, it’s always a live-arse show,” he says when asked to relay his favourite memories of our country. “I can’t wait to come back.” Snoop Dogg still absolutely destroys on stage, however, with recent visits seeing questionable material thrown out the window in preference of classics from his back catalogue to prove he’s OG. “I always love getting on stage and reaching my fans,” he remarks.
all my records,” he says. “I love 7 Days Of Funk I’ll tell you that much.” While many would say that his best work is behind him, Snoop Dogg is always very much looking to the future. His latest project is the aforementioned 7 Days Of Funk, which sees him teamed up with hip producer Dam-Funk to make a mini-album packed with early ‘90s aping tracks that brought Snoop closer to his roots than ever before. But while he’s chased an old-school sound, he’s not looking back. He is only doing it for the benefit of listeners in the modern day. “We’re pushing boundaries into the future now,” he says. “7 Days Of Funk has roots in the old school for sure but we want to push the fun forwards.” The similarities between 7 Days Of Funk and the George Clinton-
“I WRITE WHEN I’M INSPIRED, BUT I’M INSPIRED A LOT.”
With 11 studio records and appearances on almost 130 singles, it’s obvious Snoop loves to work. But writing this much among a schedule that includes performing, acting, scores of promotional appearances, presenting an online TV show (GGN Double G News Network) as well as fatherhood, running his own youth football league and, let’s be honest, smoking a whole ton of weed, you wonder when Snoop Dogg finds the time to write?“It depends on what I’m doing and where my head is at that day. I write when I’m inspired, but I’m inspired a lot.” With a classic like Doggystyle and hits like the brilliant 2004 Neptunes-produced single Drop It Like It’s Hot, Snoop has cemented a place in the musical consciousness of generations. But he doesn’t play favourites and claims middling records like Doggumentary and Malice n Wonderland mean just as much to him. “No, I don’t have a favourite, I love 16 • THE MUSIC • 29TH JANUARY 2014
led Parliament and Funkadelic groups of the 1960s and ‘70s are enormous, though it’s no surprise Snoop wants to pay tribute. “P-Funk’s music has been around me since I was little,” he says. “We grew up to it.” He’s had the chance to work with P-Funk alumni such as Clinton himself and Bootsy Collins – who Snoop based his latest persona, Snoopzilla, upon – unsurprising given the vast number of collaborations he has either instigated or
agreed to be a part of. Snoop’s recent chart successes have mostly come thanks to these, which are for the most part others’ work; for example, Young, Wild and Free with Bruno Mars and Wiz Khalifa, Sweat with David Guetta and California Gurls with Katy Perry. The list of artists he was worked with over the years is incredibly diverse, and Snoop says it’s just going to keep on changing as time goes on. “Oh I’ll keep going and going,” he says. “My music will always reflect where I’m at and how I’m feeling.” Snoop says that even after all these years, he enjoys being a performer more than ever. “Absolutely, I love performing,” he enthuses, before saying he does not plan to ever quit the rap game. “Never,” he concludes. WHEN & WHERE: 2 Feb, Big Day Out, Claremont Showgrounds
3
1
2
4 1. BRUFIELD; 2. FROM THE DUNES; 3. LUNAR INVERSE; 4. MY TEAM DILEMMA
LOCAL LOVIN’ When the Big Day Out timetable goes live, the festival becomes that little bit more real. Sitting down to plan out the day brings about a new sense of excitement – at least for those with minimal clashes. Luckily, Snoop’s set doesn’t really sit in clash territory. With seven stages to choose from, it’s often the local acts that miss out when punters take a highlighter to their timetable.
B
ut there’s a reason these local up and comers are kicking things into gear at such a renowned festival, and it’s every bit worth heading down a little earlier to catch them in action. All bands have to start somewhere – Tame Impala were once in a similar situation, and now they sell out shows across the world, and even scored a Grammy nomination. Pearl Jam, Snoop Dogg, The Hives and other headliners only venture Down Under every couple of years (at most), but if you stumble across some local talent that catches your eye, you may get sucked into a local scene and discover a wealth of talent to keep you entertained all year around.
If you’re not familiar with the local scene, it can be hard to know where to start; luckily, Big Day Out’s Headspace competition sort out some of the state’s finest. 460 nationwide entrants, and My Team Dilemma, Brufield, Lunar Inverse and From The Dunes prevailed successful in WA. As well as giving local bands the opportunity to play Big Day Out and punters a taste of the local scene, Headspace spread a positive message in regards to mental health, helping break down the stigma attached and open conversation. Shortly after they open the gates and punters begin filing in, the Headspace Stage will boot up and From The Dunes will kick the day into gear with some straight-tothe-point rock. Releasing their debut EP Gravity early last year, they’ve gone from strength to strength, and while they’re on early they’re sure to bring their A game. Less than a year since their formation, Brufield will be taking on Big Day Out – that in itself is an impressive feat. After releasing their single Let’s Go Find Another and its accompanying music video in October of last year, they’ve been tucked away in the studio working on an EP. Their BDO set will be the perfect chance to get a glimpse of what the band has planned for 2014. With sparkling guitar solos dripping in reverb and a ridiculously huge drum sound, Lunar Inverse were made for festival stages. A quick listen to their new single Try and it’s easy to imagine its psychedelic-fuelled rock
edge floating through a sea of festival goers. Adding a little musical diversity, My Team Dilemma are set to round out the local love at BDO 2014. Granted, My Team Dilemma are actually from Northern Territory, we’ll happily take their refreshing hip hop onboard. Having performed at Darwin’s biggest festival, Bass In The Grass, last year, the two-piece have also caught the attention of 360, Nicki Minaj and Guy Sebastian. So head down a little earlier, brave the relentless heat – in fact, embrace it, while sipping on an ice-cold beverage and enjoying some local tunes. There’s no finer way to get in the zone for the festival’s headliners. THE MUSIC • 29TH JANUARY 2014 • 17
film
ALL THAT IS, WAS AND WILL BE With a giant stage full of elements of tours past, Metallica set about creating a concert film with a difference. Bass player Robert Trujillo explains to Mark Neilsen the risk of performing and filming on a stage while trying not to blow anyone up, their guitarist not least of all.
W
hile 3D concert movies are nothing new in recent times, with U2 kicking off the phenomenon in 2008 as U2 3D laid claim to being the first live action digital 3D film, their format has stayed pretty much the same. Most of the films – such as those from Katy Perry, Justin Bieber and One Direction – stay the tried and true path of concert footage interspersed with behind the scenes footage and interviews. So when Metallica were approached by their management about doing a 3D concert film, they didn’t want to go down the same path. “One of the things we wanted was a narrative,” says Metallica bass player Robert Trujillo. “We said this is great, but we want to try something different, because we had four or five concert films released in the last five years, so it’s like, well, what can we do that’s different?”
METALLICA THROUGH THE NEVER
results at the end of the day. So it was a huge undertaking; it was a lot of work, a lot of planning,” Trujillo outlines. Trujillo says he “felt great” on the stage and admits to being distracted initially by all the different elements. “But by the time we got to Canada it was... I’m not going to say it was like riding a bike – it wasn’t – but you kind of adapt,” he says. “And without being robotic and syncopated and routine, you’re still working the stage, feeling loose, but you also get an idea of where not to be. Whereas someone like Kirk [Hammett, guitar] was in the wrong place; you had to put fluorescent tape up there that said, ‘Kirk, do not stand here during Fuel’ or Battery or whatever, because quite often he was in the wrong spot and we didn’t want to blow anybody up.”
manner of hydraulics, pneumatics, lasers, LED, pyrotechnics and even working tesla coils to accompany a giant electric chair representative of Ride The Lightning. It didn’t feature a kitchen sink, but it did feature a toilet (referenceing Metal Up Your Ass, the original title for their debut album Kill ‘Em All).
Metallica have stated that they’d like people to take their own meaning from the film. Like in say Pulp Fiction, they – potential spoiler alert – never reveal what’s in the bag. It’s something Metallica has always adhered to, allowing people to take their own interpretations from their music as well. “We’re not here to tell you what it’s supposed to be, we’re here to share and explore what you want to make of it and bring it to life in your own creative mind. I think that’s the general idea with Metallica songs and lyrics. We write the music, we present it, James [Hetfield, guitar/vocals] writes the lyrics, he presents them and you make what you want of it and have fun at the end of the day,” Trujillo explains.
Though it wasn’t simply a matter of filming one predetermined Metallica show for the movie.
And at the end of the day, Metallica Through The Never is being released on DVD. It was originally given a short theatrical run as a 3D IMAX film, so how does Trujillo feel it will translate to the home screen? “You know, we’ve
ROBERT TRUJILLO IN METALLICA THROUGH THE NEVER
DANE DEHAAN AS TRIP IN METALLICA THROUGH THE NEVER
“QUITE OFTEN HE WAS IN THE WRONG SPOT AND WE DIDN’T WANT TO BLOW ANYBODY UP.” This point of difference comes in the form of the character Trip (Dane DeHaan – The Place Beyond The Pines, Chronicle, Lawless), a roadie for the band sent on a mission during a Metallica gig to retrieve an item they need from a broken-down truck. What seems like a simple task takes a surreal turn as Trip makes his way through a post-apocalyptic streetscape filled with police and rioters, running for his life at times. But despite the inclusion of the narrative, the film – Metallica Through The Never, directed by Nimród Antal (Predators, Kontroll) – has as its basis the live performance. And the basis of that was a massive stage. “The stage itself is pretty iconic,” Trujillo states. Designed by Mark Fisher, who designed Pink Floyd’s famous set for The Wall among others, the stage is a celebration of past Metallica live moments and album covers. Hence you get elements like crosses from Master Of Puppets and a Lady Justice statue – affectionately known as Doris – from …And Justice For All making a reappearance. Plus it features all 18 • THE MUSIC • 29TH JANUARY 2014
Designing, building and testing the stage was a process that took around two-and-a-half years, including a couple of weeks in Mexico City performing eight arena shows nurturing the stage. “It was a very dangerous stage, so you’re never 100 per cent safe; there’s always uneasiness and risk for us as players. But in the end I felt that, especially for our crew, by the time we to Canada [in August 2012, where they filmed for the movie], that stage was firing on all cylinders and we got the
actually seen it not as a 3D film and we’ve seen it on smaller monitors and it holds up. Sonically and visually I’m really proud of it from the technical aspect,” Trujillo says. Overall, Trujillo found the experience of making a movie pretty demanding compared to making an album. “Making a movie is stressful because you’re dealing with a lot of personalities. There are a lot of people,” he says. “And I always believe that most of the time, things that are really special, they don’t come easy. There are going to be moments where there is some headbutting and there’s indecision or whatever and compromise, but the end result is usually very rewarding and overall I think that we felt that we were able to share something that was meaningful to us and something that should be able to last in rock’n’roll cinema. Hopefully.” WHAT: Metallica Through The Never (Hopscotch)
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music
KILLER JEWELS Cyclone talks to Michael Render ie Killer Mike about being one part of Run The Jewels... and cutting hair.
K
iller Mike (aka Michael Render) is one of the smartest men in hip hop. The Atlanta MC has invested his earnings into a cool urban barbershop, Graffitis SWAG, the flagship of what he envisions as a community-based franchise. Now all he needs is to find the time to get his barber’s licence. In 2013 Render teamed with his MC/producer buddy El-P ( Jaime Meline) to form Run The Jewels (RTJ), also the name of their eponymous album, featuring the single Get It. RTJ is just now coming out locally as the pair hit Laneway Festival. It’ll be Render’s first Australian trek; Meline, then promoting Cancer 4 Cure, rocked Laneway last summer. Render’s heard good things from Meline and homies like OutKast’s Big Boi. “They’ve all told me how beautiful and wondrous it was and how it was actually just life-changing, the amount of beauty in the country – so I can’t wait to see it.” Render is down with Atlanta’s Dungeon Family alongside OutKast – he befriended Big Boi in college. In fact, the MC debuted on OutKast’s classic Stankonia of 2000, becoming a frequent collaborator. He himself put out the album Monster in 2003, with Big Boi rapping on its crossover hit ADIDAS. However, Render, an occasional voice actor, struggled to identify his niche – until lately. At one stage he was part of Big Boi’s Purple Ribbon, then TI’s Grand Hustle, before going indie. Render worked with Meline on his acclaimed 2012 LP RAP (Rebellious African People) Music. They bonded and so RTJ ensued. That the duo enjoy a rapport is fascinating since they each hail from not only different cities, but also different hip hop scenes, Meline being a Brooklynite backpack-type and Render “street”. But Render stresses their common ground. The combo, both thirty-somethings, “grew up in the same era of hip hop”. As such, they share “the same values” when it comes to the music. Beyond that? “I don’t know totally why we click so well,” Render ponders. “Then again, I can’t tell you all the reasons I love my wife more than any other woman I’ve ever known. But I know when a good relationship works, it works – and El and I have an amazing musical relationship.” In 2014 hip hop is no longer embroiled in regional politics. The south has never been as influential, with even Harlem’s A$AP Rocky heavily indebted to it.
Render digs that. “I just think that hip hop is in a good place because now you have so many different styles and so many different places and so many different people. Hip hop is great. I think when hip hop doesn’t have as many styles as that, that’s when I worry.”
American culture. It’s where black men talk life and politics, and connect. Render lauds all this, yet he wanted to not rehabilitate the barbershop, but contemporise it. “I just am happy to be in a position to provide jobs for my community, to have a service that my community needs and uses on a regular basis,” he says. There’s also something inherently egalitarian about a barbershop. Big Boi is a Graffitis SWAG client, but anyone can walk in. “If people only have 20 bucks as a luxury, you’ll spend it on looking nice,” Render says. “I don’t have $200,000 to buy a Ferrari – I don’t know if I ever will – but I know I have 15 or 20 bucks to get the best haircut I can and my wife to look at me like the young Barry White.” Render himself is working towards acquiring his barber’s license – he must clock up 3,000 hours – tricky when simultaneously pursuing an international hip hop career. Render is still apprenticing, which means sweeping the floor, cleaning the bathroom, and watching and learning. On his return from Australia, he’ll begin cutting hair.
“HIP HOP IS IN A GOOD PLACE BECAUSE NOW YOU HAVE SO MANY DIFFERENT STYLES AND SO MANY DIFFERENT PLACES AND SO MANY DIFFERENT PEOPLE.” Back home, Render is active as an entrepreneur (and advocate for small black business) as well as an MC. In 2011 he opened a barbershop, buying a run-down outlet and renaming it Graffitis SWAG, which he operates with his talented wife, Shana. (Render loves his acronyms: the SWAG stands for “shave, wash and groom”.) The barbershop has an important – and symbolic – place in African-
Not that Render is abandoning music. He and Meline are on a creative roll. “RTJ 2 is coming this year – we are working on it right now,” he says. And he may yet be involved in the OutKast reunion, with the legends touring. “Let me say I absolutely would love to be – I can’t imagine me not popping up somewhere! Where that is, I don’t know. But I’m as ecstatic and excited about OutKast performing again for young people so I can take my kids to see this show and my Mom can see it, as everyone else.”
WHAT: Run The Jewels (Big Dada/Inertia) WHEN & WHERE: 8 Feb, Laneway Festival, Esplanade Park & West End
RELUCTANT ROCKSTAR Enigmatic American craftsman of songs Cass McCombs cuts the crap and makes it clear to Tyler McLoughlan that there is no method, to anything.
“A
ustralia, it was illuminating I guess,” Cass McCombs talks from a snow-covered New Jersey about his first visit in 2012. “[There were] a lot of things I didn’t know about – a lot of bad things, a lot of good things. I didn’t realise how racist Australia was. I also didn’t realise how beautiful it was so the good with the bad I suppose.” Through long pauses and a deadpan voice, the notoriously reluctant interviewee who first became known with the release of his Not The Way EP in 2002 shares his opinion on creating music. “There’s conscious decisions
that are made… like song order – it’s kind of like a setlist, like when you make a setlist for a show. You’re just pullin’ songs out of the air – there’s somewhat of a random order that happens. The clock is ticking, you know you have to make a decision and you just make one; there’s no thought. Just any decision is the same as the next, and any artist who says any different is a liar. Decisions are completely random,” he declares. “… Decisions in music are like pencil; there’s like an eraser on the other side – you can always change it. You have to try on the clothes to see if they fit… Often it doesn’t fit right, that’s why I take so long to do anything.”
Though he sees it as a drawn-out process, McCombs has been quite prolific over the past decade. Big Wheel And Others is a double record, his seventh longplayer released in October, which is steeped in the mythology of The West and filled with an eclectic range of folk, blues, jazz, jams, rock and that charming poetic lyricism. He doesn’t know why he decided on the lengthy format. “I don’t remember, you know. I really mean this, there’s no logic in this – there really is no logic. There’s no reason and there’s no thought behind anything that anyone does, much less a record. We were just recording for years… and as soon as we knew it we turned around and there was a bunch of songs. The record company and the band and myself all threw out what we wanted to do with it and poof, there it was in the world…”
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McCombs’ unwillingness to play the rockstar is strangely alluring. He isn’t even very interested in showcasing Big Wheel And Others on his Australian tour. “I don’t really put a lot of thought into the album. We’re a touring band; maybe other bands place an emphasis on the record because they want to show the commodity but that’s not really ever been our bag. We’re just a team, you know – album comes, album goes; it’s not anything to put a lot of anxiety into... I release the record, some people I respect said they liked the record. Well then they’ve always had respect, that’s why we’re friends! To me, nothing has changed – it’s all good, it’s all suffering, all the time. Nothing ever changes – it’s the same.” WHAT: Big Wheel And Others (Domino/EMI) WHEN & WHERE: 8 Feb, Laneway Festival, Esplanade Park
THE MUSIC • 29TH JANUARY 2014 • 21
festival
FRINGE WORLD’S NOODLE PALACE
SUNGLASSES AT NIGHT: THE ‘80S APOCALYPSE SING ALONG CABARET Answered by: Geraldine Quinn (host) Describe your show in a tweet: Come. Sing. Ponce. What show will you be seeing other than your own this Fringe? Oh, gee... Tomás Ford, The Milk & Cookies Burlesque Show, The Wau Wau Sisters, Anne Edmonds, David Quirk. I have no idea how many of them I will clash with, though. I like people who are any combination of dark, clever, silly, passionate and odd. What’s a recent dream you’ve had? I am terrible at remembering dreams, but I think it was a nightmare about a costume not being ready in time for a show while Midge Ure stole my setlist. What is exciting about performing at Piccadilly Cinema? I’m excited because of the excitement I have heard from Perth friends. I’m told it is very beautiful and iconic so I very much look forward to leading a full house of lusty, poncey ‘80s singing audience members in this very silly, fun show. BRING IT ON, PERF! When and where: 5-9 Feb, Noodle Palace, Piccadilly Cinema
JOSH MAKINDA - LOTS OF IDEAS AND LIMITS
MKA: UNSEX ME
SAM PERRY THE WORLD IS..
Answered by: Josh Makinda
Answered by: Mark Wilson
Answered by: Sam Perry
Describe your show in a tweet: Colourful explosion of funny stories, surreal ideas and fast paced improvisation.
Describe your show in a tweet: #shocking wow performance art drag shakespeare
Describe your show in a tweet: The World Is.. is an upbeat, energetic Samsara - without the budget. I create a haunting sound-scape LIVE on stage using only my voice. The show is a combination of my live looping and an all new audio/ visual cinematic film showcasing Western Australia in its raw form, directed by Brendan Joel and cast by Liberty Hills.
What show will you be seeing other than your own this Fringe? Tien Tran - Molotovs On Old Street; Laura Davis - Pillow Of Strength, and too many others to mention. What’s a recent dream you’ve had? I dreamt recent that I went onstage and had an absolutely wonderful gig, nothing could go wrong etc. Bearing in mind that was the night after I went onstage (in the real world) and had an absolutely terrible gig, everything went wrong. I would’ve preferred it the other way around. What is exciting about performing at Piccadilly Cinema? It is exciting that the roof won’t fall on us. It is also exciting that there may potentially be the scent of popcorn in the air, still trapped in the cushioned walls from previous movie screenings, maybe also the scent of starburst sweets trapped in the walls, and maybe a mouse trapped in the walls too - looking for the food. That’s what I’m excited about. When and where: 5-9 Feb, Midlandia, Midland Junction Arts Centre; 12-16 Feb, Noodle Palace, Piccadilly Cinema
What show will you be seeing other than your own this Fringe? MKA’s two other shows, dogmeat and Party Time Giftset, and anything by that guy named Tomás Ford. What’s a recent dream you’ve had? The dream involved someone I met in a queue for theatre returns; we were both looking for cheap seats - neither of us ended up seeing a show. I’m trying to be subtle, is it coming across that this person and I... you know what I mean... Ummm, I maybe should think of another dream. What is exciting about performing at Piccadilly Cinema? How lush they are is their names! The Tina Arena, The Barry Hall, The Ken Dome and The Fifi Box. I have a Ken Dome summer print festival tank top which has been waiting for just such an occasion. When and where: 12-16 Feb, Noodle Palace, Piccadilly Cinema
What show will you be seeing other than your own this Fringe? I want to catch as many as possible this year. The one that stands out for me is Tom Thum & Jamie Macdowell. I caught up with Tom a couple of times on tour last year and found he’s ‘beating the box’ on a whole new level! I also noticed (briefly) how much time and thought he puts in to whatever he’s doing at the time. So if you are like me and don’t know many of the acts coming across to Perth Fringe this year, you can safety put your money on this one.. What’s a recent dream you’ve had? Two sisters, I’m just watching. What is exciting about performing at Piccadilly Cinema? What isn’t exciting about performing in a historic, abandoned, haunted theatre opening its doors to host my show and a handful of others for 3 weeks only!? Although, i’ll be producing a whole lot of bass in a pretty accent building. Could bring a literal meaning to ‘Bringing the house down’! No, but seriously, it’s safe. When and where: 5-9 Feb, Noodle Palace, Piccadilly Cinema
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ALL THAT SHE WANTS
music
Brummie DJ Hannah Wants tells Cyclone of her conquering bass house and admiration for Phil Collins.
B
rit bass house DJ/producer Hannah Wants (aka Hannah Smith) is among the scene’s breakout stars. Last month she scooped the Bass Music Public Choice Award, and now she’s bringing her cutting-edge sound our way. “I’ve never been to Australia before,” Smith enthuses. “It’s always been somewhere I’ve wanted to visit, even as a tourist, so I’m mega-hyped to be coming over to DJ!” Smith closed 2013 playing a Gatecrasher bass spectacular in her native Birmingham – odd, because the Gatecrasher super-club is traditionally linked to glowstick-trance. “I thought exactly the same when I saw the line-up and I was a tiny bit sceptical as it’s not ordinarily somewhere you’d go in Birmingham to listen to the likes of myself, Breach [Ben Westbeech] and Disclosure,” she says candidly. “Fair play to Gatecrasher, though – they switched things up a bit and it worked.” Birmingham has never enjoyed the same profile in dance music as Manchester or even Sheffield. It’s associated with Electric Light Orchestra Black Sabbath and Duran Duran. Britain’s second largest city is currently identified with ‘B-Town’ indie – bands such as Peace and Swim Deep. “I’m obviously biased, but I’d say Birmingham today is without a doubt one of the best cities in the UK to rave in,” Smith counters. “We have one of the best venues I’ve ever played in too, called The Rainbow – it’s a proper warehouse, underground-type venue and I’ve played at some amazing parties there over the years.” Smith was raised in a music-loving household, exposed to anything from soul to rock to dance. Her grandfather was a pioneering DJ. In her teens she, too, began DJing, drawn to the grimy depths of house. Smith made an important pilgrimage in 2010. “I’d just finished university and decided to spend the summer in Ibiza. I won a few competitions, played at some cool places, and landed my first residency for back in the UK.” Along the way, Smith was caught in EDM’s technological upheavals, laptops supplanting decks. “I had no choice but to adapt to the technological revolution a few years ago when my Technics, mixer and all of my hundreds of vinyls got stolen,” she reveals. “It was probably the worst day of my life! I had to start again from scratch on CDs.”
Smith is known for championing “hardhitting” bass house. “Back when I first started to DJ in 2002, I played speed garage, bassline house and UK garage, so my style really hasn’t changed too much – my sound has just evolved with the times. I still love loads of different genres of house music
mixtape, Mixtape 0114, is actually In The Air Tonight by Phil Collins – one of the greatest tracks of all time, in my opinion, and made in the ‘80s, yet it serves as the outro of a house mix perfectly.” Smith has lately entered the production arena. She collaborated with friend Chris Lorenzo on Dappy, which developed out of a remix for the N-Dubz frontman himself. It surfaced on the fledgling Food Music, run by Shadow Child (aka Dave Spoon) and Kry Wolf. Smith and Lorenzo have since issued Kneadin’ on Claude VonStroke’s esteemed San
“MY STYLE REALLY HASN’T CHANGED TOO MUCH – MY SOUND HAS JUST EVOLVED WITH THE TIMES.” and other types of music in general, from ‘80s to chillstep to downtempo. They will always continue to influence me as an artist but, to DJ, it’s all about the house and bass!” Smith regularly uploads free mixes on her SoundCloud. As a DJ, she notes trends, but also appreciates music that isn’t hip. “I think it’s advantageous to have an eclectic taste in music and draw inspiration from as many places as possible. The last track on my latest
Franciscan label dirtybird. The pair have more music dropping in 2014, including a remix of Disclosure’s Confess To Me and another Food Music EP. In recent years dance has spawned a succession of influential female DJs – Maya Jane Coles, Nina Kraviz, Cassy – but the annual DJ Mag Top 100 poll is, controversially, still dominated by males. “I don’t pay much attention to polls; they [don’t] give a true reflection of the whole DJ thing,” Smith says, unfazed. “I don’t think anything needs to change. There are some great male and female DJs making waves right now in their own right.” Smith will create her own waves Down Under. What can we expect? “My usual mix-up of house, bass and garage music in a highly energetic set,” she responds. “I can’t wait to get out and play!” WHEN & WHERE: 31 Jan, Parker THE MUSIC • 29TH JANUARY 2014 • 23
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FOR THE HEADS
many other things and playing with all those different people really built my confidence.
Primus frontman and four-string virtuoso Les Claypool tells Steve Bell about what makes their oddball outfit tick and why they’re still going strong three decades into their weird adventure.
A
bstract US rockers Primus have become a cult institution over their 30-year voyage, the Californian trio carving out a distinctive niche with their inimitable sound and penchant for the surreal. Their uniquity largely stems from the inimitable outpourings and warped worldview of founding member and frontman Les Claypool, although the legendary bass-player believes it stems more from what emits from his vocal chords than his four strings.
“From a pure vocal perspective, that’s just what I’m stuck with,” he chuckles. “I’m just making do with the voice that comes out of my face, and I try and manipulate it so that it suits the character of whatever I’m trying to convey. For many years I wouldn’t even consider myself as singer, I was just the narrator of the band – the only reason we didn’t have a singer is because I didn’t like the way that a lot of guys tried to sing my shit throughout the years, so I became that guy by default. I’m much more secure with it now because I did so many different things when Primus went on hiatus [in the early 2000s] – doing so
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“As far as the bass-playing goes, in the early days I played in old R&B bands, a lot of blues and shuffles and the hillbilly twang stuff and you add that to the funk and the more obscure experimental stuff and I just became what I became. And having a bass that looks like a piece of driftwood, that’s a pretty uniquesounding instrument unto itself, so there were a lot of elements that helped mold that. But it’s all in the fingers – it’s all in how you approach your instrument. And with Primus I’ve always worked with more textural guitar players, so I’ve tended to fill more space trying to play rhythm guitar and bass parts at the same time.” While they’re ostensibly returning to Australia for the Big Day Out, Sydney fans are also being treated to An Evening With Primus – two complete sets of their weird and wonderful aesthetic. “It’s going to be more Primus than you would potentially ever want to experience,” Claypool laughs. “A shitload of Primus – that’s how it should be billed. We’ve been doing that in the States for years, because we have such a huge repertoire of material that people want to hear certain tunes and we don’t always get to them, so with two sets you’re more apt to keep people happy. We always mix up the shows so it’s never the same show. It keeps the stuff fresh and it keeps you on your toes, it’s more of an adventure and more spontaneous. The shows are never the same because that doesn’t interest me, and if I’m not having fun who the hell else is going to have fun?” WHEN & WHERE: 2 Feb, Big Day Out, Arena Joondalup
THE MUSIC • 29TH JANUARY 2014 • 25
music
WE CAN BE HEROES She’s just about conquered the pop world as Lorde, having just won a Grammy, and Ella Yaulich-O’Connor is quickly becoming a spokesperson for the youth. She tells Dan Condon how she’s dealing with it all. Photos by Cybele Malinowski.
E
lla Yaulich-O’Connor, better known to the world as Lorde, is enjoying mainstream pop success at its most immense. She’s spent nine weeks atop the US singles chart with her track Royals – which has now sold almost five million copies in that country alone. When we speak, she’s preparing to fly to LA for the Grammy Awards, where she’ll be performing and is nominated for four awards, enjoying some rare time in her own Auckland bedroom. “It’s super messy,” the now-Grammy winner giggles. “I fly out tomorrow, so there’s stuff all over the floor.” It has been her hit song Royals that has resonated with audiences around the world so much. It’s the song that’s topped the charts and been flogged to death on almost every format of radio with a vaguely youthful orientation; the song that’s been lauded and derided ad infinitum and it’s simply the song everyone knows. It’s interesting then to hear YaulichO’Connor’s take on the song. Is it her best? “No!” she exclaims. “I definitely don’t think Royals is my best song. I understand why it worked and why it was kind of a hit, I can see those qualities in it, but at the same time there’s part of me that’s like…” she groans, “’these melodies are just not as good as something I could have written now’, or like ‘I definitely wouldn’t have written this lyric this way if I had’ve written it now’. But I was 15 when I wrote it and I’m 17 now, so I think you grow a lot in that period. It definitely feels like a bit of a relic now.” Reading certain reports about Lorde’s persona, you’d expect an overtly headstrong diva who’ll pounce on any chance to belittle you; but the truth is, she’s just a very switched-on and very polite teenage girl. Hearing her speak about the moment she realised she was going to be allowed to take time away from school to write her album is enough to fill anyone with youthful glee. “I was so for it, I was kind of freaked out, but I really wanted to do it,” she says of following up her early success with her debut album Pure Heroine. “It was pretty much down to my parents, because obviously I had to take three months out of school. They came home from this meeting with my manager and said ‘we’re gonna let you make the record’ and I was like, ‘Yeah, this is gonna be awesome!!!’” This was not the plan. Royals – and The Love Club EP it came from – were not meant to become this massive. Lorde was not supposed to have an album out yet. Yaulich-O’Connor didn’t just want to capitalise on the success of the single; she wanted what people heard from her after Royals to be something from the same woman at a similar time in her life. “I feel like most pop stars have this plan written in stone years before anything happens, but the song started taking off and I was like ‘Oh, okay…’ and then we had to plan for what was gonna come next. “Before I put The Love Club EP out I was just planning on releasing EPs and messing around and putting stuff on the internet until I finished high school and then I would kind of look at it more seriously. But obviously things went kind of crazy and, what happened to the 26 • THE MUSIC • 29TH JANUARY 2014
music once it left my hands was, like, just this insane thing. So I had to rethink and decide when I wanted to write the record; it was important to me that I followed up this big song with material that I felt was relevant to me right now and which felt kinda fresh and did come at the same time as that song, I guess. It wasn’t a plan that was thought out well in advance.” Due to YaulichO’Connor’s own personal relationship with music, she couldn’t particularly envisage her material resonating with a wide, popular audience. It’s not that she didn’t have faith in it; it’s just that it’s her music, largely written by, about and for her. “For me, I know a record is important to me if I can hear my life in it. If you write super personally, like I do, the worry for me is that if it means so much to me then it’s not gonna mean too much to other people because it’s going to be too specific or whatever. “I feel like a lot of people my age really reacted to it, which is so cool for me and is kind of the dream. I was lucky. I feel like teens are a tough audience and I feel like a lot of the art and that a lot of the material aimed at teens is usually super corny and feels patronising or whatever, and I am aware of that. But people I guess didn’t feel that about Pure Heroine, which is super cool.” She’s a relatable voice for the not-sodisenfranchised teen market who aren’t necessarily interested in the ersatz world of Bieber, Swift
“WHAT HAPPENED TO THE MUSIC ONCE IT LEFT MY HANDS WAS, LIKE, JUST THIS INSANE THING.” and Cyrus. Whether Lorde likes it or not, she has become a role model, and if her success continues then she’ll be one for a long time to come. “That’s a crazy one because, obviously I am 17, I’m going to fuck some stuff up at some point, because I think that’s a natural part of becoming an adult. But as long as people are willing to accept me as an imperfect role model, then I guess I’m honoured.”
WHEN & WHERE: 8 Feb, Laneway Festival, Esplanade Park & West End
NO BIG DEAL Stuart Bowden, Fringe artist at heart, is bringing his offbeat comedic theatre to Perth. He talks to Zoe Barron about solo show loneliness and experimentation.
S
ometimes a break-up can be so apocalyptic, so extreme, that the actual end of the world feels like no big deal. Sometimes there’s something almost comforting in finding the drowned corpse of your girlfriend and using it to cobble together a preferred version of reality. And sometimes, in the hands of certain Fringe artists, this sort of loneliness and heartbreak can be rendered really quite funny. “I’m experimenting more with comedy and the silliness of performance,” says Stuart Bowden, author and performer of solo show She Was Probably Not A Robot.
The show is Bowden’s newest work, coming after his other quirky, whimsical and often music-driven solo shows as Beast and The World Holds Everyone Apart, Apart From Us. “I mean, there were funny moments in my last few shows, but that wasn’t the focus. With this new show, it’s not that the focus is on the humour, it’s just that I’m using the humour to tell the story a little bit more, and to explore the aspects of the character that I think are really interesting.” Despite the difference, the themes are similar: She Was Probably Not A Robot touches on the reoccurring themes of love and loneliness from Bowden’s previous
shows. Creating and performing a show all by yourself, though, can have that effect. He admits that he’ll often find himself talking to himself during his solitary rehearsals. He’ll find a free rehearsal space and start talking to himself while running through lines: “The lines and the show start to blur with me talking to myself, and so the talking to myself comes into the show a little bit. There are a few moments in this show where I do sort of talk to myself, or I have conversation with myself. I ask myself questions and then I answer those questions and that sort of thing. I guess I am probably going a little bit crazy.”
theatre
Bowden has been making Fringe theatre since 2009, and he very much enjoys the atmosphere of experimentation and risk that comes with that. “Fringe is more of a context where people are open to experimentation, and they’re sort of looking for things that are not necessarily tried and tested, or following a formula that people normally use. If something does really work, it usually works in a really interesting way and it’s often unrepeatable. So Fringe shows are often quite unique. Audiences often walk away from Fringe shows going, ‘Wow. I had no idea what to expect and I was blown away.’ And that’s quite a common experience.” This is the current nature of Bowden’s work. He’s moved to London to experiment and involve himself in new modes of theatre-making. “I still see myself as a new artist,” he says, “I still see myself as emerging. And I’m still testing new things.” WHAT: She Was Probably Not A Robot WHEN & WHERE: 11 – 15 Feb, Fringe World, Blue Room Theatre
THE MUSIC • 29TH JANUARY 2014 • 27
music
SMILING METAL
It’s somewhat surprising then that 2013’s follow-up, Infestissumam, was a more difficult listen that introduced elements of prog rock, pop and psychedelia to the mix.
Who’d have thought a Satanic pope and his merry band of ‘nameless ghouls’ would end up ruling the musical world? Mark Hebblewhite chats with one of Ghost BC’s ‘Nameless Ghouls’ to get to the bottom of this unlikely phenomenon.
“W
e get all types at Ghost shows,” says a surprisingly well mannered and upbeat ‘Nameless Ghoul’. “Our crowds are generally smiling and we even get a lot of women at the shows – both of which is odd for metal.” Ghost BC are musically more Jethro Tull than Deicide. But as this ‘Nameless Ghoul’ is quick to point out, this is a band full of metal OGs. “I know my metal and I know I have my metal cred and there’s not an 18-year-old
downloading kid that can take that away from me. The people that I know from the scene – you know, the true protectors of puritan metal, the black metal guys, the death metal guys – they really enjoy what we’re trying to do. I think a lot of people who live and breathe metal are still open-minded – and it’s great to see them at our shows alongside people who wouldn’t usually catch a metal gig.” Their debut album, Opus Eponymous, effortlessly blended a seriously catchy brand of Blue Oyster Cult-cum-Mercyful Fate-styled rock with a theatrical sensibility that would make KISS blush.
music
“We were never even tempted to just copy the first record. Remember, we didn’t write the first album expecting huge success – and we wanted to retain the same purity of our songwriting process for Infestissumam. One factor in how the songs came out was the live element – we realised we needed more depth to our live show and the longer Infestissumam songs really allow us to beef up our set. “The same goes for our third record, which we’ve started writing. The songs are turning out really interesting – this one will be more of a guitarist’s album than Infestissumam, which was a very vocal album. The next one is more instrumental and we’ll be recording it in October this year.” The band’s upcoming Big Day Out appearances have Australian fans excited, as has a recent Dave Grohl-produced EP, If You Have Ghost. “Festival shows are cool because you get to reach a whole new audience that know nothing about us. That said, we’re also hoping we can set up some sideshows this time around so we can give people the extended set and full stage show we do when we headline our own shows. A Ghost show is a real experience and we’re hoping to see a lot of people there.”
WHAT: If You Have Ghost (Spinefarm/Caroline) WHEN & WHERE: 2 Feb, Big Day Out, Arena Joondalup
TAKING REQUESTS Upstate New York indie-punks Lemuria are visiting Australia for the first time. Drummer/vocalist Alex Kerns tells Dan Condon about his relationship with distance.
A
blizzard is raging through the streets of Buffalo, New York when we call Lemuria’s Alex Kerns, a long way from the scorching summer we’re experiencing. Luckily, in a matter of weeks Lemuria’s embark on their first Australian tour. Nonetheless the band are noted road warriors. “Lyrically, a lot of our songs are abut distance and being far from the people that we love; touring has a lot to do with that,” Kerns admits. “That’s a negative aspect of it, but being in a touring band has really shaped who I am. Pretty much everyone I know – minus Sheena [Ozzella – guitar and vocals] – are people I know from touring. It has basically become my life and I love doing it.” A little bit pop-punk, a little bit indie-rock, at times lyrically eloquent and musically complex, at others just plain and simple catchy pop music, Lemuria aren’t the kind of band you can pigeonhole easily, particularly given their sound has shifted a fair bit in the decade they’ve existed. Their most recent LP, The Distance Is So Big, has been called the most fully realised of the three records they’ve released. Kerns agrees. “This is the first album where we’ve gone in and really thought things through. We actually made demos to every song and we sent them to J Robbins before we went in to record. That’s the first time we’ve ever made 28 • THE MUSIC • 29TH JANUARY 2014
demos; before, we always had the attitude of ‘Why would we record twice?’ But it definitely helped. “We now have Max Gregor on bass. He contributed a tonne to this record; it was great to have a third mind involved. With [2011’s] Pebble we had a bassist but he was only in the band for a year, but even then it was just Sheena and I writing the stuff and teaching Kyle [Paton] or Jason [Draper] how to play it. But now we have a guy who kinda has a songwriting personality as well as Sheena and I.” Producer J Robbins is a bit of a legend in posthardcore circles thanks to his work as the frontman of ‘90s band Jawbox, but he’s not all that
hard to get in touch with. “I just emailed him,” Kerns says of how they came to meet. “Sheena and I are huge Jawbox fans, and also Burning Airlines and Channels; we loved the stuff he did with Jets To Brazil and many other bands we’ve been listening to forever so we thought it’d make sense for the style of music we play.” The band are understandably excited to play plenty from the new record, but Kerns promises there’ll be an even spread of tunes from across their catalogue. “We pretty much do an almost even distribution of every release. And we take requests as long as it’s a song we’ve played in the past couple of years, not something obscure from our first demo or something. We try and mix it up; we wouldn’t want someone to go to one of our shows and they have one of our records and not hear anything from it.” WHEN & WHERE: 29 Jan, Rosemount
THE MUSIC • 29TH JANUARY 2014 • 29
30 • THE MUSIC • 29TH JANUARY 2014
reviews
ALBUM OF THE WEEK
This week: French psychological drama The Past offers both tension and tenderness; Sky Ferreira offers darkness and fun; and Dolly Parton offers wit and Kenny Rogers.
THE JEZABELS The Brink MGM 2014 is off to a strong start in terms of lady-led releases: Warpaint, Dum Dum Girls, and now The Jezabels have each brought out impressive albums that show off these women’s serious rock chops. On The Brink our very own Jezabels bring a new sound into their production, with Heather Shannon on keys riding the indie-synth wave, along with the rest of today’s indie-poppers. This new album serves as a new chance for The Jezabels to bring their strengths to the synth-pop table: namely, frontman Hayley Mary and her broad vocal range, and their ability to create a growing sense of tension (case in point: the brooding Psychotherapy).
★★★★
TRACK LISTING 1. The Brink
7. The End
2. Time To Dance
8. Got Velvet
3. Look Of Love
9. Psychotherapy
4. Beat To Beat
10. All You Need
5. Angels Of Fire
11. Marianne
Like Mary’s vocals, each song, and the album as whole, swells and dives between soft and loud, up- and down-tempo, light and dark. The opener and title track is moody and atmospheric, and one of the early highlights of an album tinged by rock chords and big choruses. Time To Dance adds a melodic edge to winsome lyrics, while lead single The End has managed to worm its way into our collective ears since its October release. It’s got the most light and shadow about it in the slow-building verses, before the smack of energy and warmth in the chorus. Piano-based bonus track Marianne is slow-burning and caps off an album that proves that The Jezabels remain one of our biggest indie-pop exports. Hannah Story
6. No Country THE MUSIC • 29TH JANUARY 2014 • 31
album reviews
YOU ME AT SIX
DUM DUM GIRLS
Cooking Vinyl
Sub Pop/Inertia
Behind the scenes, the completion of Cavalier Youth forced You Me At Six (YMAS) to operate differently – and perhaps a little harder – than in their previous records, but their more productive work ethic doesn’t necessarily translate through a large portion of the songwriting in their latest, fourth album Cavalier Youth. While opening track Too Young To Feel This Old provokes a glimmer of promise for the record’s remaining contents (reaffirmed all the more in the more structurally impressive Lived A Lie), Cavalier Youth progresses with a disappointing lack of variety. Save for the big, optimistic, atypically YMAS poppunk anthem Fresh Start Fever, the album operates at a mostly unwavering pace, differentiated only by mere subtleties in timing – and barely at all in structure or lyrical content (which, to no one’s
It’s only been four years since Dum Dum Girls – initially the moniker for NYC-via-LA chanteuse Dee Dee Penny’s solo recordings – landed on the scene with a splash, but already the stylistic change that the nowfull band has undergone in that time is bordering on seismic.
Too True
Cavalier Youth
★★★ surprise, predominately focuses on the subject of romance). For the most part, Cavalier Youth is catchy and easily digestible, but YMAS have played things a little too safe with this one, and, as a result, it isn’t quite the stand-out record we were hoping for from the outfit, and nor is it an entirely memorable one on the whole. Evidence of the band’s growth since their inception is certainly there, but given the success of their third album Sinners Never Sleep (released in 2011), it comes as quite a let-down that the British three-piece didn’t attempt to be any bolder this time around. Justine Keating
Their 2010 debut I Will Be was punchy and laden with fuzzedout guitars, while second album Only In Dreams (2011) proved to be the perfect bridge to their current aesthetic; namely superslick production with an ‘80s pop sheen, the sub-three-minute songs all seemingly tailor-made for radio with their predictable structures and commercial-oriented hooks and melodies. Despite the trademark reverb it’s not miles removed from what acts like The Divinyls, The Pretenders and even Pat Benatar were doing 30 years ago – songs like Evil Blooms, Rimbaud Eyes, In The Wake Of You
SKY FERREIRA
DOLLY PARTON
EMI
Sony
At 15 Ferreira was Capitol Records’ big bet to be the next Britney. Cut to five years later and it’s all glowing Pitchfork reviews and serious indie hype.
There’s something innately soothing about the voice of Dolly Parton beyond the fact that she has pipes few can rival: superior production, relatable story-telling, self-deprecation, wit, turmoil and empathy are part of the charm, on top of the fond childhood memories she stirs for many Australians who grew up with Parton-loving parents. It’s almost unfathomable that at the age of 68 – on her 42nd album – she still sounds this damn fine, and she’s repaying Australasia for an almost three-decade touring drought broken by her 2011 visit by dropping Blue Smoke several months before the US and Europe to coincide with her February world tour shows.
Like any good pop record, Night Time, My Time’s also got at least one serious club hit in 24 Hours, with a chorus ready-made for girls in too-high heels to 32 • THE MUSIC • 29TH JANUARY 2014
and Little Minx would slot into current ‘classic hits’ radio formats seamlessly. There’s more texture and dynamics underpinning tracks such as Cult Of Love, Too True To Be Good and first single Lost Boys & Girls, but not enough to lift the album from its overall malaise. Too True is brash and confident and will no doubt find plenty of admirers, but it’s ultimately one-dimensional and formulaic – one can only assume that the conceptual stylistic jump from ‘60s girl groups to ‘80s rock divas and the corresponding sonic shift from lo-fi to multitracking seemed better on paper than it proves in practice. Steve Bell
Blue Smoke
Night Time, My Time
There’s plenty of pop tropes here, but done with a twist; Boys is an empowerment anthem (“All the little things that you do/Always getting in my way”) turned love song (“You put my faith back in boys”) with Ferreira’s breathy voice floating sweetly on top of aggressive distorted guitar and synth. In I Blame Myself Ferreira analyses the pressures that her “reputation” has brought from the industry, taking responsibility and owning her mistakes in a way that’s fierce and powerful.
★★★
★★★ be screaming along to at two in the morning: “I wish these 24 hours would never end...”. The second half of the album gets a bit more unconventional; Omanko buzzes and whines with incessant distorted cymbals, and in Heavy Metal Heart we (aptly) get the first really good guitar riff, and a taste of those grunge influences that supposedly set Ferreira apart from real commercial pop stars. Night Time, My Time is a long record, and starts to drag towards the end, especially on the clunky title track, but it’s also dark, sultry and sometimes even fun. Madeleine Laing
The title track lead single sets a shuffling rhythm as fiddles and slide guitar soundtrack a rather upbeat tale of lyin’ and cheatin’ mixed with train metaphors and straight-up “clickity clack”s, “choo choo”’s and “woo woo”’s from Parton that would feel
★★★★ overcooked for anyone else, but not for the country queen of heartbreak. It’s overwhelmingly cute to hear Parton team up with her old Islands In The Stream buddy Kenny Rogers for You Can’t Make Old Friends; it’s easy to imagine them singing this one to each other in the round too as the songstress trades: “’Cause we both know” to Rogers’ huskily spoken “We’ll still be old friends”. Willie Nelson also guests on the beautifully solemn ode to love, From Here To The Moon And Back. Parton shows no signs of slowing down with Blue Smoke; rather quite the opposite – and why the hell should she, she’s fabulous! Tyler McLoughlan
album reviews
★★★★½
★★
ANGELIQUE KIDJO
BRETON
429/Universal
Cut Tooth/Shock
Eve
War Room Stories
Angelique Kidjo’s latest album Eve (named after her mother) really has it all – a balanced blend of traditional tribal and modern electronic beats, stirring string contributions, heart-warming harmonies from several African women’s choirs, more than three Beninese dialects, as well as cameos from Vampire Weekend’s Rostam Batmanglij and Nigerian singer Asa. Eve celebrates African womanhood, all the while brimming with Kidjo’s trademark warmth, positivity and funk, which never fails to instigate dancing. Hello and Ebile are but a few highlights, as well as the three interludes which break up the album with almost ritualistic chanting.
London’s Breton have chalked up a second album with the release of War Room Stories. It’s a record that borrows heavily from other more successful acts, and in doing so robs Breton of the credibility gained from high production values. Frontman Roman Rappak does his best using layering effects and refuses to dress up his strong accent, but it falls flat, grating in places and boring in others. The added string sections do little to brighten things up, sounding surprisingly cheap and melodramatic. It’s a poor man’s Coldplay/Elbow/ White Lies/Foals/Bloc Party/ etc., and yields few rewards.
Jazmine O’Sullivan
Matt MacMaster
★★★½
★★★★
DAMIEN JURADO
Brothers And Sisters Of The Eternal Son Secretly Canadian/Inertia
★★★½
SKINDRED
Kill The Power Cooking Vinyl
Quietly going about his business as a cult indie troubadour, Damien Jurado has again teamed up with producer Richard Swift to create a textured, dynamic, sprawling eleventh album that offers a complexity in atmosphere far beyond the heartbreak of 2012’s Maraqopa. With psych frameworks, moody synths, vocal shadowing often in falsetto and the influence of dub, Jurado’s folk experimentations are brought to a percussive high in Silver Donna while Return To Maraqopa makes one wonder if he has been mentoring Cloud Control. Take some time to absorb this one.
These four Welsh lads have been unleashing an irresistible mash-up of alternative metal reggae since the turn of the century. Frontman Benji Webbe has led his merry men along an impressive catalogue of stand-out releases, bookended by debut Babylon and their fourth LP Union Black. So Kill The Power arrives with certain expectations, but it more than exceeds them. The opening title track is one of the best on offer, fusing trademark swagger from Webbe with crunchy metal chugs, settling into a more steadfast punk in Worlds On Fire and the ballad-like We Live.
Tyler McLoughlan
Carley Hall
★★
★★★★½
★★★
SLEEPY SUN
WITHIN TEMPTATION
YOUNG FATHERS
THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM
Dine Alone/Cooking Vinyl
Roadrunner/Warner
Big Dada/Inertia
Shock/SideOneDummy
Bluesy Californian psych-rockers Sleepy Sun return with their fourth full-length record Maui Tears. It picks up pretty much where predecessor Spine Hits left off; it’s a relaxed, fuzzy and fun approach to Americana. Beautifully distorted and overdriven guitars hold the record together through looser moments and poppier hooks. The band still fall into trappings of never quite lifting off to float in space, but highlights like the groovy Everywhere Waltz and Spacemen 3-cumBardo Pond ten-minute closing title track show the band are more than worthy of a listen for anyone with an ear for psych/stoner-rock.
Where once they denounced the labeling of their sound as being ‘gothic metal’ – describing themselves as ‘symphonic metal’ instead – Within Temptation can finally wear that title with sincerity. It’s great to see them move away from their earlier, outdated style akin to that of Evanescence, but Hydra doesn’t see a whole lot of positive steps, either. The cheesiness of the earlier records has indeed been dialed down, but it still very much exists in the uninventive lyrical content and, in the instance of a number of tracks, poorly integrated guest vocals.
When has left-field, indie-rap ever sounded so approachable and so resonant? This is compelling stuff from three young Edinburgh locals. War’s high points bear comparison with Arcade Fire at their most majestic; notwithstanding the fact that track opens with rapid-fire flows. Low shows Young Fathers’ pop sensibilities with its harmonic, choral hook. Get Up is at once haunting and comforting; some achievement. Hangman is woozy. The experience of listening to this record is beautiful, but blurry – like watching the sun rise after staying up all night. An experience not to be missed.
It’s not quite new Gaslight, but this LP is a welcomed addition for fans of the New Jersey band. It features one fresh tune (She Loves You) and choice covers from the likes of Pearl Jam and The Rolling Stones, but the best tracks here are all pulled from acoustic sessions. What’s great about these cuts is that they’re some of the most swinging rockers from Gaslight’s catalogue (Great Expectations, Boxer), yet stripped and presented raw, you can really soak in Brian Fallon’s lyrics, one of the band’s biggest strengths. Because of that, when you go back to the original records, the tunes hold a lot more poignancy.
Andrew McDonald
Justine Keating
James d’Apice
Benny Doyle
Maui Tears
Hydra
Dead
B-Sides
THE MUSIC • 29TH JANUARY 2014 • 33
singles/ep reviews
★★★
★★½
★★★½
ALANNA EILEEN
BLUE LUCY
PARKER AVENUE
The Same Way
Independent
Independent
Independent
Independent
Alanna Eileen’s debut EP contains an incredibly soothing selection of songs that make you want to just simply close your eyes and let all your worries and troubles slip away. She mixes things up as best she can for a sonically simple folk record, toying around with reverb in her vocals for a larger, almost haunting sound on Hunter’s Moon, while Roam And Stray sounds like you’re sitting right in front of her as she sings and plucks at her guitar. Eileen’s voice is certainly the standout point as she sings with a deliberate delicacy and intimacy.
While this three-track EP from folky four-piece Blue Lucy is limited purely by length, it does exhibit variation and promise for greater things to come. If they were to begin the release with the second track Words Fall Out, which grows and showcases artistic maturity, a greater impact may have been delivered from the get-go. While the tracks cater well to the minimalist folk lovers showcasing lush harmonies and catchy hooks, Blue Lucy should consider placement of tracks and greater production on their next release.
From the moment taut violin strings mix with a deluge of crash cymbals, you know what Parker Avenue are aiming for with It Isn’t Dead. And man, do they do their musical duty. The four-track EP meshes ‘90s grunge with a metal/ prog edge, and it’s all delivered through an immediate and intense energy. Huge pitch bends, fall-of-hammer drum rolls and melodic vocals – it’s a pretty faultless package. Andrea White’s violin playing adds a harmonious, if predictable, line to the whole shebang. Parker Avenue are clear about their adherence to uncomplicated rock, but rock they do well.
LIONIZER
The two-piece indie rockers have stepped things up with this new release, showcasing their grungier side and developing a tune that plays with some darker undertones than some of their previous work. The vocals on this thing are strong and clear-cut.
LA DISPUTE
Stay Happy There Better Living Long-time fans will certainly be impressed with rawness and urgency of this tune, and Jordan Dreyer’s vocals are brilliantly composed in the sense that he is completely audible.
Alanna Eileen
Blue Lucy
It Isn’t Dead
Ash Hendriks
Kane Sutton
Cam Findlay
CUSTOM ROYAL Sweet Disguise Independent Locals Custom Royal have released their debut single in Sweet Disguise, which features a real nice punch-rock attitude. Listeners will no doubt enjoy the crisp guitar riffs and solid vocal harmonies.
★★★★½
★★★★
★★★
PALACE OF THE KING
PIGEON
MUDLARK
Miles Away
Remedy
Create Control
Independent
Independent
These self-appointed saviours of rock’n’roll charge through a cosmic voyage of abrasive and wailing guitars, pounding drums and soaring vocals with their second EP. The Melbourne sixpiece has already drummed up a formidable repertoire, supporting modern rock’n’roll forerunners Airbourne and performing with internationally acclaimed musicians, so you would be forgiven for assuming that these guys were the next break-out band of the genre. Rock music is a fickle beast, but perhaps these heavyweights are indeed a band to look out for in the near future.
While Danny Harley’s The Kite String Tangle heads to a moodier end of the electronic, his concurrent work in group mode on this comes with a bigger beat at its heart. There’s one eye on the dancefloor, but maybe something else going on as well. Title track has a bit of early ‘80s Peter Gabriel insistence to it, as the old synths squelch and build to the house on fire chorus hook. Crowhurst might have a related bit of new romantic storytelling about it, but they do it with just enough tongue in collective cheek to let you in on the joke.
Lukas Murphy
Ross Clelland
Mudlark have created a new musical genre with five-track EP Zimdahl - a hard listening indie-jazz fusion cacophony that destroys your ability to think or reason; absorbing your thoughts until all that is left are electronic shivers and rolling rhythmic synapses. Zimdahl is not the type of record you can just try on for size; frequent and random dischords and intricate time signatures make for a seemingly haphazard listening experience, but once you’re attuned to its intoxicating blend of atmospheric wails and delicate guitar leads the songs become zen-like, meditative and oddly relaxing.
CASINODREAMS Experimental indie-rockers Casinodreams have smashed out a single which has elements of all sorts – think Arctic Monkeys in the vocal department without as much accented twang, plus tinges of electronica and guitar riffs that have you jumping around.
TAPE/OFF
Pedestal Fan Sonic Masala These Queenslanders are raw and gutsy, and they’re not afraid to show it on this track, which oozes with an uneven sense of energy and anxiety. The tune sounds like it was recorded in a shed. Kane Sutton 34 • THE MUSIC • 29TH JANUARY 2014
Moon & Mountain
Settle In
Zimdahl
Bailey Lions
live reviews
KARNIVOOL, DEAD LETTER CIRCUS, SLEEPMAKESWAVES
Red Hill Auditorium 23 Jan Isolated from the hustle and bustle of the industrious city life, the Red Hill Auditorium was a different yet excellent location to showcase the progressive rock stylings of the ever-popular local legends Karnivool. Despite the laidback setting, there was certainly a buzz in the air as Sydney’s most epic instrumental group in sleepmakeswaves took to the stage and destroyed the serenity in the best way possible, producing a face-melting performance of wonderfully
Benzie procured all the passion he could into his performance, to good effect. The performance was engaging and set the tone perfectly for the headlining act. Karnivool took a little while to set up on stage, but it drew out the suspense brilliantly. A roar erupted as the band took to the stage, warming us up with the intro to Mannerisms before launching into Goliath. Rhythmic spotlights shone down on the four front members as their hourand-a-half long set showcased their ever-developing sound; however, it seemed the songs from the Themata era were the ones most strongly received by the adoring crowd. The group left the stage briefly before encoring with Roquefort and New Day in what was a performance containing material that spanned their entire catalogue, inclusive of EPs,
KARNIVOOL @ RED HILL AUDITORIUM. PIC: RHYS MACHELL
garden stage, rocking through songs of their EP, including the very catchy Only Child. On the indoor stage, Filthy Apes let loose with some fuzzed-out rock’n’roll, with the guitarist even donning an actual ape mask to rock out as the band’s unofficial mascot. Over at the Swan Basement stage, indie pop trio Girl York delivered a tight set of great tunes, with lead singer Shaun Martin starting off banging away on the keys before switching to guitar to end the set on a heavier note. Upstairs at the Swan Lounge stage was newcomer Renae Elliot, who delivered a fantastic set that was full of rich harmonies, great instrumentation and some great covers of Daughter’s Still and Florence & The Machine’s My Boy Builds Coffins. Down in the basement
THE LOVE JUNKIES @ SWAN BASEMENT. PIC: AARON VERSIONTWO
Died…Losing 16 Experience Points. Back at the Railway outdoor stage, Usurpers Of Modern Medicine mixed psychedelic jams with electronic loops to create a hypnotic performance that included Tangent Man, Jam For The Dying Sun and Motorolla Borealis. Puck dominated the indoor stage, wowing the crowd with their unique brand of dreamdoom stoner rock and capping off their set with a howling, chaotic version of Pedestal Fan. After that it was finally time for headliners The Love Junkies to make their way onstage to deliver a knockout set of some of their live favourites. The crowd formed a mini mosh at the front of the stage as the band tore through new song, Chemical Motivation, alongside favourites Oxymoron, Black Sheep Blues and Maybelene, before frontman Mitch
THE LOVE JUNKIES @ SWAN BASEMENT. PIC: AARON VERSIONTWO
built post-rock music. Crowd members were throwing their heads around or simply gazing in awe, making obvious their deep involvement in the band’s outstanding melodies. It seemed a strangely appropriate performance in the setting, with songs containing mountainous climbs, multiple climaxes and devastating crumbles into chaos and destruction. The half-hour set seemed to be over before it began.
and one rife with skill and ability that most Australian rock bands would kill for. It was a privilege to see the band and their supports in such a fantastic venue and all who were there will surely be hoping to have them back soon.
Mezzanine ploughed through a fuzzed-out, feedback-laden set that included King Of The Ring and Mannequin Man, both of which were delivered with a rawness and intensity that left the audience wanting more.
McDonald capped off last song, Blowing The Devil’s Trumpet, by throwing his guitar around to produce a howling feedback sound and launching himself into the audience to end the night.
Kane Sutton
In stark contrast, the much more Australian-renowned Dead Letter Circus took the stage as dusk became dark to an eerie ambient-noise intro, the five-piece encouraging the tipsy punters to stream in to the pitted front-ofstage area. Vocalist Kim Benzie gave the punters in the pit of the auditorium every reason to thrash about. Older songs from their first EP such as The Mile and Lines garnered the most crowd participation and enthusiasm as
Railway Hotel & Swan Basement
Punters at the outside acoustic stage were treated to Noah Skape & The Teenage Wasteland. Scantily clad on stage in fishnet stockings, slacks and pork pie hat with a small parlour acoustic, Noah played songs from his new a-song-a-week project including The End and Here and even had time to throw in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s I Don’t Know How To Love Him from the musical, Jesus Christ Superstar.
THIS OTHER EDEN, AVASTERA, LIGHTS IN BERLIN, SHORT OF DAYBREAK
THE NORTH FREO PUB CRAWL 25 Jan Australia Day eve saw over 25 local and national acts hit up The North Freo Pub Crawl as part of another multi-venue show between the Railway Hotel and Swan Basement. Indie rock duo Dead Owls kicked off the show in the sunny surrounds of the Railway’s beer
Playing their first show for 2014 inside the Swan Basement, punk quartet The Decline whipped the audience into a frenzy with opener, A Crash Course In Emotional English, followed by You
Scott Aitken
Rosemount Hotel 26 Jan
Plants littered the stage, creating a dense atmosphere in the darkness of the Rosemount band room on Friday night, as if it had turned into a mini forest for This Other Eden’s debut EP and video launch. THE MUSIC • 29TH JANUARY 2014 • 35
live reviews Short Of Daybreak came on first, bursting with energy and sheer talent. Their latest song, Make Mistakes, Not Regrets, sounded tight and polished but it was Brodi Owen’s exceptional vocals that set them a cut above the rest. Transitioning from lively, upbeat vocal melodies and holding every note into heavy screams of perfection in the breakdowns, this is a band to see. Judging by the cheers at the end, Lights In Berlin gained themselves a few new fans when they hit the stage. The bassist’s stage presence was incredible as he tore around and stood out in the most exuberant way, working nicely with the upbeat catchy hooks and some perfect high vocal notes from the ridiculously talented Devon Bayer. Before the instruments were picked up, This Other Eden showcased their latest video clip, for the single, Shake This. Then jumping on stage to launch their EP, Six Seasons, surrounded by their own mini Garden of Eden, This Other Eden unleashed their tunes of solid rock with a bit of
punk thrown in and some pockets of catchy harmonies, which the crowd ate up. Whilst they sounded fantastic and owned the stage, they weren’t groundbreaking enough to shake up Perth’s scene. The crowd that was still lingering inside for headliners Avastera was about half the size of that for the first band. Although musically the band excelled – hitting the right notes, heavy riffs complementing the screams, and Dylan Symonds’ vocals exceptional – it was the over-exaggerated stage temperament that let the show down. When you’re playing to a crowd of less than 30 people, tone it down. Pulling your shirt off and running around chaotically makes you look more like a douchebag than a rock star. Nichola Gray
MAX VANGELI Villa Nightclub 24 Jan On Friday night, Villa Nightclub revellers wound down to the ethereal rhythms of Moldovan
House DJ Max Vangeli. The night commenced with remixes from local support acts AceBasik, Chiari, Paul Scott, Axen and Wasteland, resulting in the emergence of a collage of differing electronic styles and samples, creating an atmosphere of colliding sounds that combined an almost primitive tribal beat with endless burgeoning waves of electronic euphoria. One of the more notable opening acts was Scott, whose cyclic, deep house rhythms helped create an ambient atmosphere in the venue. Following the supports, Max Vangeli then emerged onto the stage looking confidently casual. He blasted out tracks from his debut album, injecting epileptic steroids into already heavily electronic songs. One memorable remix was of electro-rock band Pendulum’s single, The Island, which, although it did already have a significant techno kick, saw its sound pushed even further to include a smoother, more refined feel. The faint repetitive echoes of Pendulum’s lead singer Rob Swire’s words
“what are you waiting for” added an overwhelming atmospheric feel, causing the crowd to fistpump their booze-filled glasses in the air with anarchic unison. The second most memorable track played that night was a remix of Swedish House Mafia’s Save The World, which caused the crowd to exclaim and shout the main lines of the chorus in what was the closest thing to a fusion between karaoke and a warehouse rave I’ve experienced. As the performance pushed further into the night, the crowd started to gather in momentum; a lone young man near the front of the stage started to expand on his ballroom repertoire by adopting the late MJ’s dance moves, while a group of girls began to mosh wildly, blonde hair shattering the chromatic studio lighting. It was at this point that one could believe they were dancing at a festival amongst thousands rather than 40 in a medium-sized nightclub, truly demonstrating how transformative Vangeli’s euphoric remixes can be. Joseph Wilson
arts reviews
Dead Inside S3, E4 This Week On Girls: “Just because it’s fake doesn’t mean I don’t feel it,” whimpers Laird, turtle corpse at hand, so attuned to death even Crystal Fairy Caroline’s made-up tale of Adam’s dystrophied cousin causes snot to drip from his nose. Co-writing Judd Apatow leans on Freaks & Geeks’ classic ‘Tests & Breasts’ climax: nothing soliciting pity – and leverage – like a wellrehearsed tearjerker. Stories create 36 • THE MUSIC • 29TH JANUARY 2014
“the illusion of continuity” amidst chaos; making sense from the senseless. One day John Cameron Mitchell’s on Grindr, the next he’s facedown in the Hudson River; not even his non-disclosed toxicology report inspiring grief in Hannah. “It’s my first death,” she shrugs; existential angst reserved for her e-book’s in-flux status. Death is sudden absence turned into a story, like the one about Jessa’s ‘dead’ friend Season, who’s not only alive, but Melonie Diaz; no longer in Jessa-enabled shambles but all Baby, Brownstone and Cool-Looking Husband. Season’s death was as pantomimed as Hannah’s crocodile tears, which are but a mask for her real relationship insecurities. Hannah Nudity Watch: Dressing for a Ray’s shift, with even less grief than clothing. Shosh Amaze Meter: Burbling with Bandana Collection pride. The Tao Of Adam: “When you die, how would you feel if a bunch of judgemental creeps snarkily reported on every fucking detail of your body decomposing?”
THE PAST Film
In cinemas 6 Feb In psychological French drama The Past, director Asghar Farhadi offers equal parts tension and tenderness in a story full of unraveling knots, which teeters on the edge of melodrama but never succumbs – thanks to a nuanced portrayal of the complexities of relationships and restrained performances from the main cast. The film begins with Ahmad (Ali Mosaffa) returning to France after four years in Tehran to finalise his divorce with estranged wife Marie (The Artist’s Bérénice Bejo). He then discovers Marie’s plans to marry her new partner Samir (Tahar Rahim), which Marie’s teenage daughter Lucie (Pauline Burlet) vehemently opposes. In his attempt to patch things up between Marie and Lucie, Ahmad digs up more and more secrets until you can almost
smell the stench of guilt that threatens to suffocate the main characters. Dreary, wet weather, soft focus and muted grey tones throughout the film amplify its bleak atmosphere and sense of foreboding. These tumultuous revelations, while able to evoke shock, merely act as a diving board for what’s really the focus: the exploration of the relationship between significant others, ex-spouses, and children and adults. Some of the film’s most moving moments come from the situation being viewed through children’s eyes, their innocent bluntness about heavy topics hitting like a silent blow to the stomach. The Past questions humankind’s capacity for selfishness and forgiveness, our need to absolve, justify and take/shirk responsibility for our actions, and how the choices we make always have a consequence. Stephanie Liew
the guide Answered by: Robert Courtis Describe your sound: We’re mostly alt rock but with strong psychedelic influences. Why should people watch your band? I like to think we have a pretty unique sound, we all come from very different backgrounds of music and we try to incorporate that in the style of our writing. Our songs range from the lighter to darker sides of alt rock, so hopefully there’s something for everyone. Favourite bands on the Big Day Out line-up? Hmm, that’s hard to narrow down – there’s definitely a lot of great talent on this years line-up, but I’d say my top picks would be Tame Impala, Flume, Primus and The Hives.
LUNAR INVERSE
Best Big Day Out experience? I’d say my favourite BDO experience would have to be from the 2009 line-up. Along with seeing great acts such as Arctic Monkeys, Fantomas, Dropkick Murphys and a tonne of others, I was able to see Pendulum and The Prodigy both play their own renditions of the song Voodoo People, which was pretty great. Dream rider? My first real kiss! Haha, nah. I guess maybe some great English confectionery like a bowl of Monster Munch or this crazy chocolate bar I can never find around here called the Cadbury Double Decker. Lunar Inverse play Big Day Out Perth, 2 Feb at Arena Joondalup
THE MUSIC • 29TH JANUARY 2014 • 1
readers poll
2013 READERS POLL RESULTS After a huge year of class music heard from the stereo and stage, you, the muchloved readers of The Music, have come back to us with your top picks from 2013, and it seems like we’re pretty much on the same page – great minds thinking alike and all that. Your number one record was created by four likely lads from Sheffield, while a New Zealand teenager captured your hearts, as well as the rest of the world’s. The Boss inspired you all, cinema took many to places unknown and plenty of horns were raised to the altar of metal. Readers, this is your yearly wrap-up.
MOVIE OF THE YEAR 1. Gravity 2. Django Unchained 3. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire 4. The Great Gatsby
1. Royals LORDE
5. Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues
2. Get Lucky DAFT PUNK FT PHARRELL 3. Do I Wanna Know? ARCTIC MONKEYS
ALBUM OF THE YEAR 1. AM ARCTIC MONKEYS 2. Pure Heroine LORDE 3. Reflektor ARCADE FIRE 4. ...Like Clockwork QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE 5. Hungry Ghost VIOLENT SOHO
4. Covered In Chrome VIOLENT SOHO
6. Modern Vampires Of The City VAMPIRE WEEKEND 7. Days Are Gone HAIM 8. Random Access Memories DAFT PUNK
5. Avant Gardener COURTNEY BARNETT
SONG OF THE YEAR
6. Riptide VANCE JOY
FESTIVAL OF THE YEAR
7. Retrograde JAMES BLAKE
1. Soundwave
8. Is This How You Feel? THE PREATURES
9. Push The Sky Away NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS
9. Reflektor ARCADE FIRE
10. Trouble Will Find Me THE NATIONAL
10. The Wire HAIM
LIVE PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR
38 • THE MUSIC • 29TH JANUARY 2014
3. St Jerome’s Laneway Festival 4. Big Day Out 5. Groovin’ The Moo
QLD. Black Bear Lodge NSW. Enmore Theatre
2. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
VIC. Corner Hotel
3. Neutral Milk Hotel 4. Haim
2. Splendour In The Grass
VENUE OF THE YEAR
1. Bruce Springsteen
PIC: KANE HIBBERD
PIC: JOSH GROOM
5. Foals
ARTIST OF THE YEAR
6. Tame Impala
1. Lorde
6. Tame Impala
7. Muse
2. Arctic Monkeys
7. Vampire Weekend
8. The Drones
3. Flume
8. Remi
9. Beyoncé
4. Haim
9. Violent Soho
10. Blink-182
5. Daft Punk
10. Arcade Fire
SA. The Gov WA. Rosemount Hotel ALL READERS POLL PRIZE WINNERS WILL BE CONTACTED VIA EMAIL. FOR THE FULL LIST OF WINNERS, HEAD TO THEMUSIC.COM.AU.
eat/drink
THE GREAT OUTDOOR(CINEMA)S It’s well and truly outdoor cinema season. Here are our suggestions for the best things to munch and sip on while your eyes are more preoccupied with the big screen. Illustration Sophie Blackhall-Cain.
CHEESE AND CRACKERS
DIP Have it with crackers, bread, carrots and celery... it really is a versatile, wonderful thing.
If you wanna get really fancy, bring some sliced cabana and olives and have a mini antipasto plate!
SANDWICHES AND ROLLS
CRISPS
Pre-bought or homemade, it’s hearty enough for dinner and it doesn’t need to be kept warm. No chance of poking yourself in the face with utensils, either.
These noisy snacks (plastic packaging ruffles, loud crunches) can only be eaten in the time between bagging a good position and waiting for the sun to finally go away so the movie can start. Or the really loud bits of action scenes.
FRUIT Ah, nature’s dessert. Stick to non-messy kinds like grapes, berries, apples and bananas. Stay away from oranges, watermelon and mangoes, unless pre-chopped into convenient forkable bits.
BOTTLED SOFT DRINK OR JUICE Something you can pop the cap back onto when you’re not drinking it, to minimise spills. The sugar will provide you with a burst of energy to keep you from falling asleep during the film.
COOKIES As long as they’re not too crumbly, you can go for any type and any texture. Their round form feels good and comforting in your hand; that’s a fact.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
“ONE CANNOT THINK WELL, LOVE WELL, SLEEP WELL, IF ONE HAS NOT DINED WELL.” – Virginia Woolf
THE MUSIC • 29TH JANUARY 2014 • 39
opinion WAM UPDATE
BEHIND THE SCENE
CONTEMPORARY MUSIC INDUSTRY NEWS WITH WEST AUSTRALIAN MUSIC
SECRETS TO SUCCESS WITH GYROSCOPE’S ROB NASSIF
January has shed an exciting light for young WA artists aged 12–25 years with AmpFest announcing that 2014 competition entries are now open. Supported by WAM, first placers leave with $5,000 and join the list of past winners including Pond (Mink Mussel Creek) and Dead Owls, and runners up Tame Impala (Dee Dee Dums). Debuting in 2003, the competition caters to all genres as long as it’s local and original music. A heap of other prizes are also on offer, so hit up ampfest.com.au for more info. The Department of Culture and the Arts are introducing changes to funding categories in the 2014 Contemporary Music Grants Program. The Skills Development, Commercial Development and Sector Development categories are subject to funding caps ranging from $10,000 to $30,000. Entries for activities starting after 1 Aug of next year close 11 Apr ‘14. They’ve also updated the funding section of their website making it easier to use and quicker to find the info you need: dca.wa.gov.au. British film production company Warp Films CEO, Mark Herbert (This Is England, The Stone Roses: Made Of Stone) will present a keynote presentation and conduct a master class at Emergence Creative. The three-day festival takes place in Margaret River 19-21 Feb and features a heap of events, including a Pop-Up Music Studio at Lake Cave with performances recorded by SAE Institute, Practice What You Pitch and Marketing With No Money workshops. The provisional program now available from emergencecreative.com. WAM’s committed to championing WA music: wam.org.au
DEAD OWLS
40 • THE MUSIC • 29TH JANUARY 2014
GYROSCOPE IN 1999
Did you see The Age’s article about triple j last week? The basic premise of the story was that triple j’s playlist is leading to a homogenisation of Australian music – the theory being that bands are writing a particular style of song to fit in with the station’s format and ignoring pure self-expression in favour of manufacturing a sound to get played on the popular station. As a musician that has been really fortunate to get a lot of triple j airplay with Gyroscope, I can obviously see just how valuable that airplay can be. Without their support, I doubt I would have ever become a full-time musician. This whole debate got me thinking about Gyroscope, and how we eventually got Doctor Doctor onto triple j high rotation. It was the third time we had serviced them with a CD. The song itself was two minutes and 42 seconds of screaming, shouting and raw aggressive production. The song went on to do phenomenally well and we still play it live ten years later. This reinforces a few ideas I have that will hopefully help your band land a coveted track on the js. Simply write tunes you absolutely love: I remember that we wrote Doctor Doctor in about 30 minutes and when we walked out of the rehearsal room we were so pumped about this new song we had written. We were all laughing and giving each other high fives in amazement about how quick the song had come together. I honestly felt so lucky to be playing in a band that wrote songs I loved listening to and playing. When you’re passionate about your band it feeds into the music you create. It allows you to put 110% into your live show and it makes all the
rehearsing and hard work a breeze, because you create music you love. Play more shows: I have a saying that one live show is equal to ten rehearsals in benefit to a band. By playing so many shows in our early days we were able to improve as a band rapidly. Yes, it is hard to find shows and there are fewer venues than ever but you should be aiming for at least 50 shows a year. By the time Doctor Doctor hit high rotation we had already played about 350 shows. It’s no coincidence that hard work and improved songwriting go hand in hand. Always be writing new songs: Do you notice yourself looking at your opposite number when you go and watch a band live? I do it all the time. Just the other day I was watching Jamie Gallacher of Pat Chow/Rag N’ Bone fame on the drums, marveling at his approach to certain drum beats and fills. Take inspiration from other bands you play with and listen too, and then funnel it into your own songwriting. Sometimes you need to write 30 songs before you eventually have that a-ha moment and write a song that is a cut above the rest. Get to those 30 songs quickly by writing constantly. It’s worth noting these things can take time. Gyroscope had been a band for seven years by the time Doctor, Doctor hit high rotation.
MODERATELY HIGHBROW ARTS, CULTURE AND THE INBETWEEN WITH CAM FINDLAY I’m a gamer. I take a certain amount of pride in that term. I’m not the dickhead who’ll be screaming racial slurs at you over Call Of Duty, but I do dabble in the occasional few hours of wasting time. There’s certain things I’m ashamed of, though. The apparently inherent sexism of the medium, knowing that I once played Final Fantasy VII for a whole week, resulting in me having a nervous breakdown, and the opaque corporate-ness of the industry. Recently, the corporation King (and they are a corporation – ten offices and 50 million-plus customers), responsible for the heroin-esque phenomenon that is Candy Crush Saga, copyrighted the word “candy”. I’m not making that up. You see, because King develops games that are nowhere near as significant or as big news as your GTAs or Skyrims, most people don’t usually understand how much money is behind it. Well, there’s millions. And millions and millions and millions. Copyrighting the word “candy” is a genius corporate move by King, and also something so ridiculous it could only happen in the industry that gave an Italian plumber the ability to jump 40 feet in the air and subsequently create a cultural phenomenon. Several other big names in the gaming industry have regularly been listed as the worst corporations year-round by the likes of The Consumerist, mostly because of their shady business practices and bullying of smaller developers. Think about that next time you accidently tell all your Facebook friends just how many thousands of hours you spend playing a puzzle game.
Doctor Doctor is a great example of how a song that sounds like nothing else on the airwaves can break through, stand out and kickstart a career. But above all else remember to have fun making music with your mates. Rob Nassif also owns and operates The Hen House Rehearsal Studios – thehenhouse.com.au
CANDY CRUSH SAGA
the guide wa.live@themusic.com.au
FRONTLASH
LIVE THIS WEEK
HAPPY HAPPENINGS
He’s not been added to Future Music Festival Perth, but luckily Pharrell Williams is venturing our way for a headline show.
KNOCKOUT Anthony Mundine has revealed aspirations to run for Australian Prime Minster. The only way he’ll win is if he gets Abbott in the ring.
WAKE UP!
WHAT HANNAH WANTS
After a massive 2013, including the release of their ripper EP All We Didn’t Know, Tired Lion are kicking off their first headline show of 2014 at The Bird on 1 Feb with Puck and Catbrush backing up.
A new genre of house has quickly risen to the forefront of the scene, and one woman has secured the reigns as its leading lady. We’re all about to find out exactly what Hannah Wants when she heads to Parker on 31 Jan. $20 door, with supports TBC
UP THE HYPE
NICE AND KINKI
WA’s premier youth music festival Hyper Festival is all good to go in April. Timothy Nelson & the Infidels, Oak Tree Suite, TJ O’Donovan, Laval and Mitchell Jones get things going at the launch on 31 Jan at Coolamon Pavilion in Ellenbrook.
Having been at the forefront of the house music clubbing game in London for fifteen years, Kinki Malinki is seen as one of the top labels in the top house city. They bring Saul Bliss, Dekski, Darren Boutheir, Riki, Henton and Arjen to Geisha on 1 Feb.
FASHIONABLE MILAN
CITY OF LIGHT
Perth-based jazz singer and composer Nicola Milan performs her own her own brand of easy listening originals with the versatility of Eva Cassidy and Melody Gardot. She showcases her new album at Kulcha on 1 Feb.
Sun City round off their first national tour since late 2012 in Perth on 1 Feb at Amplifier. Since the release of Set Alight in ‘12, the duo dropped a few tracks this year, including a remix of LA Calling by Falls Festival and Southbound act Crystal Fighters.
THE LIGHT ABOVE
AND SOUND IS THE WEAPON
Hopefully this sweltering heat goes away before the slew of upcoming festivals.
Expect big, unhinged dub played with joy and a sense of down-toearthiness when Perth’s favourite dub group, The Weapon Is Sound, drop the phat beats at The Moon cafe on 30 Jan.
BIEBER FEVER
Archer & Light, The Atlas Mountains, Nevada Pilot and John Martyr’s Ghost play the Rosemount Hotel on 30 Jan. All great bands, all great fun times guaranteed. $10 door from 8pm.
CHANGE OF SEASON
SUN TO SCARB
The Autumn Isles have spent the last number of months finishing their follow-up to 2011’s album Kaleidoscope, and are now gearing up to play at The Newport on 2 Feb. Three Hands One Hoof and Todd Pickett support.
Flying the flag as a new social hub and pop-up venue in Scarborough, Sunset Veranda will feature live theatre, comedy, music and family entertainment. Soul outfit Odette Mercy & The Soul Atomics get things started on 25 Jan.
FOR MORE HEAD TO THEMUSIC.COM.AU
I’M RICH, BITCH Dave Chappelle is finally headed our way!
JUSTIN BIEBER
BACKLASH FEELIN’ HOT
THIS WEEK’S RELEASES… THE JEZABELS The Brink MGM SKY FERREIRA Night Time, My Time EMI
Taking to Twitter, Seth Rogen summed up Justin Beiber’s arrest best: “All jokes aside, Justin Bieber is a piece of shit.”
LOST CAUSE Lostprophets frontman Ian Watkins has launched an application to have his 35 year jail sentence for child sex offences reduced.
DUM DUM GIRLS Too True Sub Pop/Inertia WITHIN TEMPTATION Hydra Roadrunner/Warner THE MUSIC • 29TH JANUARY 2014 • 41
the guide wa.live@themusic.com.au
ALBUM FOCUS
ALBUM FOCUS
LIVE THIS WEEK
OKA
NICOLA MILAN
CLIMB EVERY MTN
PAINT WITH YOUR WORDS
Answered by: Stuart Fergie
Album title? Forbidden Moments
Album title: Free Spirit
Where did the title of your new album come from? I had the title Forbidden Moments before I finished recording. It just seemed to fit what all of the songs were about and the overall vibe of the album: intimate, alluring and seductive.
This year, MTNS are heading out on their first national headline tour with their debut EP Salvage, as well as support slots with Kite String Tangle, Wolf & Cub, Tigertown, Andy Bull, and Pigeon. They hit The Causeway on 1 Feb.
Perth soul songstress Shameem and Geraldton-based visual artist Phil Doncon will be combining music and paint in a unique show as part of the upcoming Perth Fringe Festival. Catch the event on 31 Jan at Kulcha, tickets through kulcha.com.au.
IN THE CRADLE
BACK AGAIN
The enigmatic Chan Marshall aka Cat Power returns to Australia to perform in solo mode, intimate and up close. Cat Power’s album of last year, Sun, was the most successful of her career; she heads to The Fly By Night on 4 Feb.
The Rosemount will see old friends reunite as Backtrack return to Australia to tread the boards once again with some of the top dogs in Australian hardcore, Truthseeker, Idle Eyes and Losing Grip on 1 Feb. Presales $20, $25 door.
KICK THE BUCKET
SLOW AND STEADY
Every Sunday the Rosemount beer garden hosts a killer outdoor party with some of Perth’s favourite selectors. DJs Charlie Bucket, Klean Kicks and Nick Sheppard spin the discs wide all day long on 2 Feb.
Light And Shade productions are at it again, bringing another intimate show to Ya Ya’s on 29 Jan. Aborted Tortoise, Black Stone From The Sun, Tashi and Matt Waring are all on board from 8pm. $10 door.
BLAME IT ON THE MELODY
SUNDAY MONDAY SUNDAY
It wouldn’t be wrong to believe that melodic, sugary, indie-pop anthems would be out of place at a punk rock show. However, Lemuria have seamlessly managed to blur the lines; catch them on 29 Jan at Rosemount Hotel.
It might still be cricket season, but let’s not forget our friends in the Northern Hemisphere. It’s Superbowl Monday on 3 Feb, and The Mustang Bar have the whole day set up for the action, with doors opening at 7am in time for kickoff.
FLY AWAY
BEAT AND TWO VEG
After their big single Only Child, Dead Owls are calling it a day, at least for the foreseeable future. The reason? Sam has bought himself a one-way ticket to South America. Wish him good luck and sayonara on 1 Feb at the Astor Lounge.
If you haven’t been to a Beat Lounge before, it’s a night where local beatmakers get the chance to showcase their new work to an audience. The first one of the year goes ahead on 30 Jan, with around 12 different beatmakers showing you their wares. $5 door.
Where did the title of your new album come from? It was inspired by the bohemian travellers, rainbow unicorn-riding dreamers, free thinkers, underground artists, writers, creatives and activists. They are the ‘free spirits’ that have supported our music over the years. How many releases do you have now? This is our seventh studio album to date How long did it take to write/ record? Most of our tracks are inspired and refined from jams played on tour, so some of these tracks have been evolving over the last year, others have flowered over only a few weeks. Was anything in particular inspiring you during the making? It’s an album inspired by the tragic passing of two friends in our community, two true ‘free spirits’ who celebrated and supported our music from its beginning. What’s your favourite song on it? Ganga River Girl ,which features Swedish reggae vocalist Marcus Berg. Will you do anything differently next time? We always try to stay true to our selves by being in the moment. That way the outcome is a true reflection of our heart. When and where is your launch/next gig? 30 Jan, Mojos; 31 Jan, Indi Bar; 1 Feb, Settlers Tavern; 2 Feb, Mojos. Website link for more info? http://www.okamusic.com
42 • THE MUSIC • 29TH JANUARY 2014
How many releases do you have now? Three. A single Take Your Chances (2009), EP Little Rendezvous (2011) and full-length album Forbidden Moments (2013). How long did it take to write/ record? The album was the product of two years of my songwriting work. Although I had written a lot more, I was unable to use them all! I wanted the album to have a sexy flow. Was anything in particular inspiring you during the making? I’m a hopeless romantic and a lot of movies inspire quite a few of my songs. I can even see an image I like and it will spark off a gazillion song ideas and lyrics. What’s your favourite song on it? Choose between my babies? I like bits of different songs for different reasons. I think Love Me More is my fave. Will you do anything differently next time? Recording an album is a HUGE learning process so definitely. I’d get a producer, stick to my creative ‘vision’ and have enough in the budget to do a fun photoshoot. When and where is your launch/next gig? Feb 1, Kulcha in Fremantle Website link for more info? http://nicolamilan.com/
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the guide wa.live@themusic.com.au
LIVE THIS WEEK
HARD OKA
UP THE RIGHT TREE
OKA celebrate their new album Free Spirit in Perth this week, playing 30 Jan at Mojo’s, 31 Jan at Indi Bar, 1 Feb at Settlers Tavern, Margaret River and 2 Feb back at Mojo’s. The new material is killer, so don’t miss out.
Emily Barker blends classical, rock, country and folk influences to stunning effect. She’s released three albums, played a sold-out tour of the UK and written with a slew of legends like Frank Turner. Catch her at The Astor Lounge on 2 Feb.
ANTICS IN YOUR PANTS
MOONLIGHT SERENADE
On 1 Feb, The Claremont Hotel sees Antics – a night of live indie bands and DJs, featuring the top crop of local up’n’comers and old guards to get your weekend going. This week, catch Mt Mountain, Moana and DJ Luke Dux. Free entry ‘til late!
Insomniac? Shift worker? Jet lagged out of town visitor? Vampire? Night Cap Sessions at The Ellington has the cure for what ails you. Catch a late-night helping of jazz goodness at from 10.30pm on 1 Feb. $5 on the door, no bookings required.
WE’RE IN THE BANDROOM
SOUL ON FIRE
The 459 Bandroom is also raring to go with a bunch of local acts filling the diary. 29 Jan sees The Flower Drums, Pat Chow, The Limbs, Child Saint, Hideous Sun Demon and Laurel Fixation bang it out. $8 from 6pm.
The time tunnel adventures continue when the first Motown & Soul Night of the year gets The Fly By Night in a spin on 31 Jan. Barry Simpson and a slew of guest DJs will bring you the sound of ‘50s and ‘60s soul from 8pm.
CLICK CLICK BOOM
TOUR DE FRANCIS
Soundgun is comprised of three brothers whose sound formed by playing shows around Sydney for years. Dishing up originals and putting a jazz spin on modern rock songs – everywhere from Bon Iver to Radiohead – see them at The Ellington on 30 Jan.
Ahead of his Big Day Out tour, Dillon Francis has been locked away in the studio prepping his forthcoming debut album, from which we’ve heard the pumping new single Without You. As well as the BDO slot, Francis rocks out Big Ape at Shape on 1 Feb.
LONE BUT NOT ALONE
MORAL DEBATE
The local mainstay that is Going Solo at The Moon Cafe continues on 29 Jan. Leigh Craft, Louis Inglis and Amber Fresh all deliver intimate sets to cruise you through Wednesday night from 8.30pm.
On the back of the release of their new album DEATHPOP, I, Said The Sparrow are launching the video for first single A Full Step Down, Like Your Morals at Amplifier on 31 Jan. Make Believe Me, Beside Lights and Lowlight join ‘em.
PERSONAL BEST RECORDS
GIVEAWAY Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit Based on theTom Clancy character, Jack Ryan follows a young Jack (Chris Pine) as he uncovers a financial terrorist plot. When Ryan believes he’s uncovered a Russian plot to collapse the United States economy, he goes from being an analyst to becoming a spy and must fight to save his own life and those of countless others, while also trying to protect the thing that’s more important to him than anything, his relationship with fiancée Cathy (Keira Knightley). We’ve got five double passes up for grabs. Labor Day A Film by Jason Reitman, Labor Day centres on 13-year-old Henry Wheeler, who struggles to the man of his house and care for his reclusive mother Adele while confronting all the pangs of adolescence. On a back-to-school shopping trip, Henry and his mother encounter Frank Chambers, a man both intimidating and clearly in need of help, who convinces them to take him into their home and later is revealed to be an escaped convict. The events of this long Labor Day weekend will shape them for the rest of their lives. We’ve got five double passes up for grabs.
MAIDS Answered by: Matt James Best record you stole from your folks’ collection? Tusk - Fleetwood Mac First record you bought? I hate this question. Savage Garden - Savage Garden Record you put on when you’re really miserable? Toxicity System Of A Down Record you put on when you bring someone home? Museum - Ball Park Music Most surprising record in your collection? The Singles - No Doubt Last thing you bought/ downloaded? Asymmetry - Karnivool Website link for more info? http://www.facebook. com/maidsmaids Maids play Ya Ya’s 7 Feb and Prince Of Wales, Bunbury 8 Feb.
To enter our comps, head to themusic.com.au/win-prizes
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the guide wa.gigguide@themusic.com.au
THE MUSIC PRESENTS FUTURE MUSIC FESTIVAL feat. BAAUER, CUT COPY, DEADMOU5, ERIC PRYDZ, KASKADE, KNIFE PARTY, MACKLEMORE & RYAN LEWIS, MARKUS SCHULZ, NETSKY, PHOENIX, RUDIMENTAL, SLEIGH BELLS, SVEN VATH, TENZIN, TIMMY TRUMPET & MORE: MAR 2, Joondalup Arena ABSU, PORTAL,
DENOUNCEMENT PYRE: MAR 20, Amplifier CASPIAN: MAR 22, Mojo’s Bar SUZANNE VEGA: APR 11, Astor Theatre ARCTIC MONKEYS: MAY 13, Perth Arena
ONGOING: GIGNITION: Upcoming band showcases 4-8pm last Sunday of each month at The Railway Hotel
CLUB GUIDE
FRI 31
DJ T King: Swallow Bar, Maylands
Benny Ill + Bolsty + Rekab + more: Flyrite, Northbridge
Zel + Troy Division + NDorse: The Aviary, Perth
Hannah Wants + Micah Black + Drifter + Pussymittens + DJ Bazilzemplys: Parker Nightclub, Perth
Nick Sheppard (DJ Set) + FDEL: Wolf Lane Carpark, Perth
Troy Division + Dj Ben Sebastian + Hykus: The Aviary, Perth
SAT 01
Parker Saturdays+Various DJs: Parker Nightclub, Perth
SUN 02 DJ Grizzly: Kalamunda Hotel, Kalamunda Rooftop Sessions feat. +Troy Division + NDorse: The Aviary, Perth
GIG OF THE WEEK HYPER LAUNCH: 31 JAN, COOLAMON PAVILION, ELLENBROOK (TIM NELON & THE INFIDELS PICTURED)
WED 29
Sugar Blue Burlesque: Brass Monkey Hotel, Northbridge
Open Mic Night with +Chris Gibbs: Carine Glades Tavern, Duncraig 5 Shots: Crown Perth (Groove Bar), Burswood Phil Hatton & The Manhattons: Ellington Jazz Club, Perth
THU 30
Open Mic Night with +Rob Walker: Brighton Hotel, Mandurah
Open Mic Night with +Chris Gibbs: Brook Bar & Bistro, Ellenbrook
Bill Chidgzey : Rosie O’Gradys, Northbridge Clayton Bolger: Rosie O’Gradys, Fremantle Claire Warnock + Latehorse: Settlers Tavern, Margaret River David Fyffe: Sovereign Arms, Joondalup
Switch: Crown Perth (Groove Bar), Burswood
Howie Morgan : Lucky Shag, Perth
Jack & Jill : Crown Perth (Lobby Lounge), Burswood
Yambeque + DJ Mateo: Mojos Bar, North Fremantle
Open Mic Night with +Kris Buckle: Dunsborough Tavern, Dunsborough
Beat Lounge+Various: The Bird, Northbridge
Soundgun: Ellington Jazz Club, Perth
Fiona Lawe Davies 3: The Laneway Lounge, Perth
Flash Nat & The Action Men + DJ Giles: Mustang Bar, Northbridge
Doctopus + Mudlark + The Tawny Rajah: Flyrite, Northbridge
Travis Caudle: The Vic Hotel, Subiaco
Lemuria + Kissing Booth + Grim Fandango + Lionizer: Rosemount Hotel, North Perth
Greg Carter: Gate Bar & Bistro, Success
David Fyffe: Rosie O’Gradys, Northbridge
Open Mic Night+Various: Indi Bar, Scarborough
Shotdown From Sugartown: Swallow Bar, Maylands
Jen de Ness : The Boat, Mindarie
Off the Record: Universal Bar, Northbridge
FRI 31
James Wilson : Lucky Shag, Perth
Mike Nayar: Balmoral, East Victoria Park
OKA + DJ Swami: Mojos Bar, North Fremantle
Roger Roger: Belgian Beer Cafe, Perth
Nick Sheppard: Swallow Bar, Maylands
The Weapon Is Sound : Moon Cafe, Northbridge
Electrophobia: Belmont Tavern, Cloverdale
Open Mic Night with +Greg Carter: Swinging Pig, Rockingham
The Strychnine Cowboys + DJ James MacArthur: Mustang Bar, Northbridge
Adam Hall & the Velvet Playboys: The Laneway Lounge, Perth
Easy Tigers : Newport Hotel, Fremantle
Open Mic Night+Various: Settlers Tavern, Margaret River
Dove + Stu Nugent + The Suntones: The Paddo, Mt Hawthorn Retrofit: Universal Bar, Northbridge Leighton Keepa: Vic, Subiaco
Jetpack: Prince of Wales, Bunbury The Flower Drums + Pat Chow + The Limbs + Childsaint + Hideous Sun Demon + Laurel Fixation: Rosemount Hotel (459 Bar), North Perth
1000S OF GIGS AT YOUR FINGERTIPS. FOR MORE HEAD TO THEMUSIC.COM.AU 44 • THE MUSIC • 29TH JANUARY 2014
Archer & Light + The Atlas Mountains + Nevada Pilot + John Martyr’s Ghost: Rosemount Hotel, North Perth
Birdie: Indi Bar, Scarborough
Leigh Craft + Louis Inglis + Amber Fresh: Moon Cafe, Northbridge
NICOLA MILAN: 1 FEB, KULCHA
Aborted Tortoise + Black Stone from the Sun + Tashi + Matt Waring: Ya Ya’s, Northbridge
Tandem: Best Drop Tavern, Kalamunda Frenzy: Boab Tavern, High Wycombe Tina Harrod: Ellington Jazz Club, Perth Motown & Soul Night+Various: Fly By Night, Fremantle OKA: Indi Bar, Scarborough Shameem: Kulcha, Fremantle
THE MUSIC • 29TH JANUARY 2014 • 45
the guide wa.gigguide@themusic.com.au Midlandia feat. +Timothy Nelson + Pumba + Warning Birds: Locale (4pm), Midland Huge Magnet + Blind Tiger Jukebox: Mojos Bar, North Fremantle Cheeky Monkeys + Adam Hall & the Velvet Playboys + DJ James MacArthur + Swing DJ: Mustang Bar, Northbridge
X
The Kill Devil Hills + Blackmilk + The Right Way Up + Filthy Apes + Jonathan Brain: Rosemount Hotel, North Perth Sam Perry + Turin: Settlers Tavern, Margaret River Ben Merito: The Boat, Mindarie Caravana Sun: The White Star Hotel, Albany Nightmoves: Universal Bar, Northbridge
SAT 01
Sun City: Amplifier Bar, Perth
Dead Owls + Doctopus + Race To Your Face + The Dianas + Thee Gold Blooms: Astor Theatre (Astor Lounge), Mount Lawley
SUN CITY: 1 FEB, AMPLIFIER
One Thousand Years + Datura + Tome Fisher: The Odd Fellow, Fremantle
The Reggae Club feat+General Justice + Mumma Trees + Sista Che + The Empressions: Bar Orient, Fremantle
Soul Corporation: Universal Bar, Northbridge
Caravana Sun: Boston Brewery, Denmark
Big Day Out 2014 feat. +Pearl Jam + Arcade Fire + Beady Eye + Deftones + The Hives + Snoop Dogg aka Snoop Lion + Major Lazer + Steve Angello + Flume + The Lumineers + Tame Impala + Mac Miller + Flosstradamus + Ghost + Grouplove + The Naked And Famous + Dillon Francis + Toro Y Moi + Portugal. The Man + Mudhoney + Pez + DIIV + The 1975 + Northlane + Big Gigantic + Cosmic Psychos + Loon Lake + Kingswood + Bo Ningen + Rufus + The Algorithm + DZ Deathrays + Peking Duk + Ben Morris + more + Big Day Out: Arena Joondalup, Joondalup
MTNS + Guests: Causeway Bar, Victoria Park Antics feat. +Mt Mountain + Moana + DJ Luke Dux: Claremont Hotel, Claremont Nicola Milan: Kulcha, Fremantle Midlandia feat. +Simone & Girlfunkle + Grace Barbe + Ensemble Formidable: Locale (2pm), Midland Progress Inn + D-Sens + Drewan + Paul Devins + Optomal: Matches Lounge Bar & Cafe, Northbridge Catlips + Maria Mendes + LemonLime + Biddis: Mojos Bar, North Fremantle Milhouse + Rusty & The Dragstrip Trio + DJ James MacArthur + Rockabilly DJ: Mustang Bar, Northbridge Backtrack + The Others + Truthseeker + Idle Eyes + Losing Grip: Rosemount Hotel, North Perth OKA: Settlers Tavern, Margaret River Tired Lion + Puck + Catbrush: The Bird, Northbridge
SUN 02
Bob Marley Outernational Day feat. +Jahmoko + The Isolites + NBA Rastaz + Downbeat + more: Railway Hotel (Beer Garden / Main Room / 2pm), North Fremantle Tracey Barnett: Redcliffe On Murray, Pinjarra Charlie Bucket + Klean Kicks + Nick Sheppard: Rosemount Hotel, North Perth Noah: Settlers Tavern (Verandah / 3pm), Margaret River
Retrofit: Universal Bar, Northbridge
Cat Power: Fly By Night, Fremantle
Backtrack + The Others + Miles Away + Mindless + Apollo Zen: YMCA HQ (All Ages), Leederville
Crawjaw + Ibis Elm + Nodes + The Morning Night: Mojos Bar, North Fremantle
MON 03
Yitzhak Yedid: Ellington Jazz Club, Perth Wide Open Mic: Mojos Bar, North Fremantle Triple Shots: Mustang Bar, Northbridge
The Crux: Swallow Bar, Maylands
TUE 04
Kate Gilbertson + Jessica Morhall: Swanbrook Winery, Henley Brook Good Company + Monarchy + more: The Bird, Northbridge
John Morrison & Jacki Cooper: Ellington Jazz Club, Perth
Balawan: Fremantle Arts Centre (Front Garden / 2pm), Fremantle
2 X TICS
Caravana Sun: Indi Bar, Scarborough Midlandia feat. +Boys Boys Boys! + Our Man In Berlin + Bastian’s Happy Flight: Locale (12pm), Midland OKA + DJ Swami: Mojos Bar, North Fremantle The Roadmasters + DJ Holly Doll: Mustang Bar, Northbridge The Autumn Isles: Newport Hotel, Fremantle
FRI 31 JAN
FEB
7
GUN FEVER PRESENTS
MAIDS (NSW)
8PM $10 ENTRY
1000S OF GIGS AT YOUR FINGERTIPS. FOR MORE HEAD TO THEMUSIC.COM.AU 46 • THE MUSIC • 29TH JANUARY 2014
Danza Loca Salsa Night: Mustang Bar, Northbridge
IL TIX AVAOR AT DO
HUGE MAGNET
the end
KIWIS WE STOLE RUSSELL CROWE WHY WE’D STEAL THEM
Films like Romper Stomper, LA Confidential, Gladiator and a heap more; maybe not so much for 30 Odd Foot Of Grunts.
WHY DIDN’T AMERICA CLAIM THEM? We’d have to say because Rusty is just too “okka” to be a Yank.
OFFICIAL NODS A bunch of Oscars; Centenary Medal in 2001 for being a top film bloke.
THE OZ FACTOR Moved over here when he was four, immediately adopted Ausiness (including all the punching)
SEE ALSO The Finns; Spencer P Jones (probs famed for music more than Russell)
KIMBRA
WHY WE’D STEAL THEM Have you seen her perform live? It’s bloody amazing. Also, those dresses giver her a slight Bjork-but-less-crazy edge.
WHY DIDN’T AMERICA CLAIM THEM? Probably because she doesn’t get nude in clips all the time. Oh, wait...
OFFICIAL NODS Platinum for 2011’s Vows; legendary status because of a certain collab...
THE OZ FACTOR Has pretty much made Melbourne her own since moving in ‘08.
SEE ALSO Ladyhawke; Lorde; TrueBliss (you know, that band that won the first Popstars? No?)
PHAR LAP WHY WE’D STEAL THEM Because he was a horse. Also, he was the horse that became the icon for Australian racing.
WHY DIDN’T AMERICA CLAIM THEM? Do you know how much it costs to ship a 900-pound equine to the US?
OFFICIAL NODS 37 wins from 51 starts. Not too shabby.
THE OZ FACTOR Almost all of his success was on Aussie soil, and his hide and heart are both in the Museum Of Victoria. Ew.
SEE ALSO Sonny Bill Williams; Sika Manu; hell, half of the NFL-playing population of Australia. THE MUSIC • 29TH JANUARY 2014 • 47
THE MUSIC • 29TH JANUARY 2014 • 48